Work Text:
Matt's eyes couldn't have been wider as he watched Kelly damn Severide jump out of the two story high roof. Matt should have been covering his eyes and face as glass and debris from the combusting windows shot everywhere, but he couldn't. For the first time in more calls than he remembered, Matt was frozen in place. Usually his mind told his feet where to go, they told his hands what to do; right now though, he was unable to move a single muscle. Shock pumped through his veins at a million miles a minute, electrocuting his already sinking heart. The world around him faded away, there were no sirens, no yelling, no crackle of fire. Everything froze as Matt's mind barricaded his senses from contacting his brain. It was quiet and soft, aside from the cardiac system pumping so loud, he could hear it in his ears. Everything around him blurred together like a canvas with a bucket of black paint being poured over it, covering every inch in thick, crusading darkness. Willing to focus only on a single thing, or form rather, Matt's eyes bore onto Kelly's limp body with such worry, it felt as if his orbital muscles had tensed in a river of anxiety. He was unable to take his eyes of the man, but he also wasn't able to move. Matt knew he could very well be looking at a man that lacked a pulse; he knew it was a distinct possibility, and he was worried to find out if he was right.
Then suddenly the second passed and the world whirred back into movement. Everything began to lose it's icy frost, and melted back into action. Boden was yelling, Brett and Dawson were running to Kelly, the men were scrambling. The blonde-haired lieutenant had to take a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment. Inhale. Exhale.
When he opened his eyes again, he found that he could move once again. He stepped forward to Kelly's lifeless body, almost in slow motion it seemed. Though in fact, he was full force running right behind Brett and Dawson, all Matt knew is that he felt like he was in a bulky space suit trying to walk on the moon. Every step calculated to a T. Then he was throwing himself onto his knees, sliding across the ground electrically, until he was kneeling right next to Kelly's head.
Boden could see that Casey needed to see Kelly out through this, so he stepped in and took over the role of both lieutenants, though every man in company 51 knew what needed to be done. They got the fire under control, and Kelly placed onto the backboard. Casey desperately wanted to go with him in the ambulance, his heart was burning more wildly than the flames in the damn house they were trying to put out, but he knew he had job to do.
Squad stayed to help with overhaul for once, and they finished the job so fast, Boden almost questioned whether they had finished the whole house. But he knew his men, they wouldn't leave the job unless it was done to the highest of his standards.
Then it was a race to the hospital, it was a drive and a question, was their lieutenant okay? They even turned the sirens on as they made their way, Matt's idea. He wasn't dismayed with the thought of getting there just a little faster. He wanted to know, he needed to know, what kinda shape Kelly was in. He needed to know if his boyfriend was ever going to be able to kiss him again, or even tell him he loved him. Matt's heart broke at the thought of going to sleep alone, waking up to an empty bed. Making coffee and breakfast for one person, or maybe he'd rather just not eat. If Kelly wasn't going to pull through, Matt damn sure wasn't going to either, because you can't stay alive if half of your heart, the part you gave away, is buried six feet under with the person you had begun planning a life together with.
Casey shook the terrible thoughts out of his mind, he was getting dizzy with fear. Casey sought out Clarke who told him all about Kelly's condition.
"The good news is that it looks like Lieutenant Severide won't have any permanent damage." Clarke said, a small smile planted on his face. He had once been in the exact same position as the other firefighters, waiting to hear the news of one of their family.
"What's the bed news?" Matt asked incredulously, no lasting damage was great in his books, but it sounded like there might be a catch. He was almost scared to hear the answer.
"There might not be any."
Matt nearly cried, because holy shit he had been thinking the worst. But he held it together like the tough lieutenant he was.
As Boden motioned for the crews to head back to the station, Casey caught his eye. As the men were filing out, he walked up to him. Boden had no idea of him and Kelly's relationship, no one did, and it would stay that way. Casey looked up, "He shouldn't wake up alone."
Boden thought for a moment, "I'll have Herrmann cover for you."
"Great," Casey nodded, "I'll let you know when I have any updates."
"Sounds good," Boden affirmed before he left.
The quiet beep of the heart monitor soothed Matt as he watched Kelly. It reminded him that this amazing lieutenant was still alive, that his fight wasn't quite done with yet. Bright blue eyes belonging to Matt looked over Kelly, observing all the bruises and scratches. There was a hand, sticking out from under the covers which Matt grabbed and cupped his own hands around. He didn't really care if anyone saw at this point, he just knew Kelly shouldn't feel alone. Everyone deserved to feel warm and good, and cared for.
When Kelly finally awoke, it was with a groan and a sense of disorientation.
"It's okay, Kel. I'm here,"
"Where . ."
"You're at Med."
A look of realization hit Kelly like a brick wall, he remembered the whole thing now. The explosions that had blasted him from the window, the weightless feeling of falling, the shock of hitting the ground. It all came back to him in a flash, even the brief feeling of his body hitting the ground with a sharp thud. Wincing, Kelly tried to block that experience away.
"How do you feel?" Matt asked softly, giving the other man's hand a squeeze.
Kelly could see the concern; nearly felt it, in fact. It was heavy and weighing the air down, but neither of the two really addressed it, in a way, they didn't really have to. Their eyes said it all with the jumping irises and dark circles, the bloodshot in the corners and the pops of bright blue, the slightest of squints and the raising eyebrows. It was their secret language, the one they used when talking just wasn't quite enough. It was the only communication they needed, especially in times like these. The moments when things got serious and the threats of the job became more real than they needed them to be. Life is a dangerous thing, except the dangers are just one of those things you more or less think about, that is, until they happen.
And today, a danger happened.
"I feel like I jumped out of two story building." Kelly forever the comic. He winced as he tried to move over to achieve a more comfortable position. Perhaps fun couldn't be found in everything, but Kelly sure the hell tried.
Matt tried to smile, though it came out as more of a lopsided, unsure turn of his lips. Maybe he wished Kelly could realize how serious this was, how worried he had been, that he'd almost start grieving. Then again, perhaps it was easier this way. Unbeknownst to Matt, Kelly seen through him, he could see the hell he'd put him through, and he hated that. But now here they were, together, alive.
"I'm fine, Matty."
"Like hell you are," Matt smiled softly, it was more real this time. "But you will be soon."
"Yeah," Kelly murmured groggily, a moment later pivoting his head to face Matt, "Now, you gonna kiss me better?"
Matt smirked and stood from the chair beside the bed. With a smile he leaned over the bed and captured Kelly's soft lips with his own. On a different occasion, perhaps it would have gone a little further, considering the fire that was sparking inside them both. But here they were, sitting in a hospital room, a very public one at that.
"When we get back home, I'll kiss everything better." Matt sat back down in the chair and winked, hooking his thumbs around the suspenders of his turnout pants. Kelly's eyes widened with realization, and a smirk slowly spread across his lips.
"Clarke!" Kelly yelled, watching as the doctor popped into the room.
"Severide? What's wrong?" Clarke asked in concern, though his features softened when he realized Kelly didn't seem to be in any pain. Matt, knowing exactly what Kelly was going to ask, nearly snorted while he was trying to hold laughter in. Horny bastard.
"When's the soonest I can get outta here?"