#angellwings writes

[alittlextrathatway]

Line: "There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have." Location: hotel room

Part 2 of my HGTV AU

You can find part 1 here.

***

Their season premiere is set for next Monday and they've had this round of daytime talk show interviews scheduled for months. Matt knew he'd be sharing a hotel room with Sylvie and had plenty of time to prepare. It would go the way it always did. He would insist she take the bed, despite all of her determination not to, and then find himself somewhere else to sleep.

Luckily, this time they were in New York for a full week and the network had sprung for a suite with a pull out couch. In the early days of their show, he'd had to pile up extra pillows in a bathtub more than a few times. A pull out couch wasn't great but it was better than a porcelain tub.

He had emotionally prepped himself for being allowed to be physically close to her during the day while being apart from her at night. In the interest of maintaining his standing as a courteous and considerate person, that distance was important. Sylvie's comfort always came first.

But what he hadn't prepared himself for was watching the cohost of 'Great Morning USA' blatantly flirt with Sylvie during the commercial breaks of the live broadcast. The man, Greg Grainger, flirted like he knew the truth of their relationship -- like it was obvious she and Matt weren't really a couple. He knows that can't be. The network would've been on their asses if that were so. No, it must be that Greg is a moron and an asshole.

Matt hates him before the first interview question is even asked. On camera, he manages to be perfectly pleasant, but once the cameras are off all of his carefully crafted filters fail him. It's true. Matt can't have Sylvie, but as long as they're pretending to be engaged Grainger can't either. Not only that, but he's not really with Sylvie. He has no reason to be jealous. And yet...

He's snappish and curt and generally hostile toward the Greg Grainger all morning. To his shame, Sylvie witnesses all of it while pointing more than a few scolding glares his way. It doesn't stop him from treating Grainger like the gum he stepped on the sidewalk outside the airport yesterday. It should. What Sylvie thinks of Matt means everything to him -- has from almost the moment they met -- but today he has no energy to adjust his behavior. It is what it is.

She huffs from her side of the hotel elevator. There's a gulf of space between them since she's pushed herself into the furthest corner, arms folded over her chest with a cross look on her face. The silence that's grown between them is oppressive. He doesn't know what to say to explain himself and even if he did...it doesn't seem like Sylvie wants to hear it.

When the doors open she stomps ahead of him, busying herself with pulling their hotel room keycard out of her purse. He should say something. At least try to apologize. Even though he's not entirely positive he's sorry. For all Grainger knew, he was flirted with an unavailable woman.

But that's beside the point at the moment.

"Sylvie, I--"

"Nope, save it for inside. We do not need anyone else overhearing the fight that's about to happen."

Fight? Ah, shit. He's really stepped in it this time. He presses his lips together and nods, head bobbing as the door finally opens. She holds the door open and motions him ahead of her. Once they're both inside she closes the door and turns the lock. He gulps anxiously.

Looks like they're in for a cage match.

Fan-freaking-tastic.

"What the hell was that?" She asks, throwing her purse down on the couch. "You were antagonistic with Greg the entire morning."

"Oh, it's Greg, is it? You guys are best buddies now?" He regrets the words the second they leave his lips. Why can't he keep his mouth shut today?

"I see. This is about him flirting with me?"

Matt glances away from her, shamefully staring at his shoes.

"Did you notice how I didn't flirt back?"

Yes, he did. He wondered about that. She could have -- off camera anyway. "Didn't stop him from trying."

She rolls her eyes at him and heaves a weary breath. "You know, lots of women flirt with you every damn day and I never act like this. I don't turn childish and petty. Ever."

Yeah, well, the difference between them as far as that goes should be obvious. He's in love with her. She isn't in love with him. All because her ex-fiance is a cheating asshole who let her former best friend steal all of Sylvie's clients. These days, she's too spooked to mix business and pleasure. At first, he agreed with her. Gabby left him with a mess to clean up and if Sylvie hadn't come along he's not sure he would've made it through. But over the years, he began to wish he never agreed with her on the "Business vs. Pleasure" pact. It completely backfired. He's head over heels in love with a woman and he can't do a damn thing about it.

"I don't think we can compare the two," he mutters, grabbing a beer out of the minibar. If they're gonna have one of their once a year fights then he's gonna need a drink.

"Oh no? And why's that?" she asks, taking the unopened beer bottle out of his hands. Finding the bottle opener, she pops the top and then takes a big swig before handing it back to him. "Because 'boys will be boys'? Because men have made dick-measuring contests socially acceptable displays of aggression?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Matt asks, face pinching in disgust and confusion. "When have I ever used the justification of 'boys will be boys'? You know that's not me."

"That seemed to be you today."

"No, it wasn't."

"Then what was it? Because it sure seemed like you were pissed off at the appearance of him trying to take something that everyone thinks is yours. Your manly pride couldn't take the blow. Nevermind that our romantic relationship has always been for show."

"Oh for fucks sake," Matt exclaims with a bitter chuckle. "My attitude toward Greg had nothing to do with my manly pride and everything to do with you."

"Me?" She asks, brow furrowing and voice raising in outrage. "What did I do?"

"Nothing! You did nothing except sit there and be the gorgeous, charming and effortlessly generous woman I've been in love with for over two damn years! It was all me, okay? All me and my stupid insecurities because I know you don't love me and you would probably be happier if we'd never decided to play along with this stupid fake engagement. But we did and now I'm sitting next to you ruining everything for you and I've put off trying to fix it because I'm a selfish asshole who didn't want you to leave."

He's panting by the time his outburst is over. There wasn't a whole lot of breathing happening during his rant and he's feeling it now. Also...what the ever loving fuck did he just do? It almost feels like he lost consciousness while he was yelling. He remembers it but none of it is clear. There's a panicked haze covering his awareness.

Shit! Shit, shit, shit. Shit!

Did he just blow up his entire lift before taking even one sip of his beer? Yep, seems likely.

"You...you love me?" Sylvie asks, eyes wider than he's ever seen them.

He could take it back. It wouldn't look great, but he could do it. There's a moment where he debates whether or not he should, but while it might save him a small amount of face it would be a lie. He's never lied to Sylvie and he doesn't want to start now. "I realize my timing is screwed up and you'd rather not mix our personal and professional lives. I'm not expecting you to--"

She cuts off his attempt at letting her off the hook. "Matt, stop. Just answer me."

He swallows thickly and nods, meeting her big curious eyes. "Yeah--yes. I do. I love you. I have for a long time."

Sylvie's eyes water and her hands cover her mouth. Just when he thinks he's destroyed everything they've built over the last three years, she laughs. No, not laughs -- giggles. It's a wild, disbelieving, high pitched giggle. The last time he heard it, she was drunk off her ass. She's a lightweight sure, but one sip of beer isn't going to get her drunk. That can't be what caused it this time.

When her hands fall from her face, she's beaming at him so hard and wide that her eyes look like little half moons. It's honestly fitting considering she's glowing as if she's the only star in the middle of a long and dark night. Jesus, he loves her so much she makes his chest ache for no real reason at all.

"I love you too."

He goes still, unable to process the words that left her lips. "What?"

"I love you too," she repeats, taking the beer bottle out of his hand a second time. This time setting it down on a coaster. "I have for a long time."

It's the mimicking of his own words that finally does it. Everything clicks into place. He breeches the small space between them and yanks her forward by the pockets on her well pressed black blazer. She laughs and lets herself fall into him, her arms instinctively wrapping around his neck. "You love me," he states, needing her to confirm it one last time.

She nods. "And you love me."

"I do. I truly do."

"Good," she states, releasing a slow, relieved breath. "You should probably kiss me now."

"Oh, so the cage match is over?" He asks, teasingly.

She grins wickedly, leaning forward until her nose bumps against his. "Yep, and I won."

"I'd argue the point," he begins. "But I'd really like to stay out of the doghouse."

"Matt, shut up and kiss me."

"Yes, ma'am. Copy that."

When his lips find hers, every muscle in his body relaxes. The holes in his heart, leftover from years of neglect, fill in and start to heal as her lips part for him. This kiss is better than any he's had before. Sylvie's giving it everything she's got, grasping the hair on the nape of his neck and pushing herself flush against him. Tongues tangle and taste, hands wander, blazers and jackets are dropped to the floor. He guides her down to the couch, pressing her back into the cushions while he stretches over her.

They still have a lot to figure out -- like how are they going to proceed with the network, what do their feelings mean for their professional relationship, and does he still have to sleep on the pull out?

But all of that can wait for a while. Right now, he wants to enjoy this moment with her and revel in the possibilities. They love each other, and that's all that matters. They'll figure out the rest later -- the way they always have.

Together.

#brettsey #matt casey #sylvie brett #matt casey x sylvie brett #furrynachosublime #prompt fic #my fic #angellwings writes

[brettsey-two-tts]

You were mentioned by @selenas-gomz as one of her favorite Brettsey writer, who are some of favorite authors or Brettsey stories?

I love fan fic writers - thank you for all the work, time and energy you put into your writing! I can't wait to read your work!

I'm beyond grateful for the compliments and mentions from people in the Brettsey ship/CF fandom. Whenever I read everyone else's works or drabbles, it always feels so refreshing and amazing. I consider myself a terrible writer so I feel like I'm always learning from the best of the best whenever I read other people's works. Their works always make me emotional and my number one goal is to have my works do the same for others :).

@selenas-gomz and @justoneofthoseghosts are too kind and absolutely wonderful. I'm completely blown away by their mention; they've always been supporters of whatever craziness I write and I'll always be grateful for them. ♥️

Here's an incomplete list of my favorite authors and works in no particular order:

(I'm also 80% sure they're on tumblr but also not sure if they use the same handle)

headphonesbaby (@justoneofthoseghosts) - I love everything they write. I love the drabbles they post on their tumblr and all of the works on their AO3. Everything they write always gives me the feels. Even Boulders Turn Into Sand is one of my favorites.

katieverse (@katieverse) - Sprucing Up Chicago and To Build A Home are favorites of mine. I believe I first stumbled on To Build A Home right as it was completed and I didn't allow myself to fall asleep until I read the whole thing. Underneath the Tree is also one of my favorites. AUs are my absolute favorite.

multi_angxls - I remember I went on a Brettsey AU binge and I stumbled upon their fic Hopelessly Devoted to You. It is one of my all-time favorites and one that I found myself re-reading multiple times. They are an excellent writer and their works are always worth it.

happy45 - Everything. They're an amazing writer and everything they write is worth reading.

julienwrites (@roberttchase) - A fellow angst and sick!fic lover, and I love all of it. ♥️

skittlebox - One of the first authors whose works I first read when I entered the fandom/ship. Everything. Literally, everything Brettsey they write is amazing.

angellwings (@alittlextrathatway) - Another amazing writer I stumbled upon when I first entered the fandom/ship.

megsmulti (@megsmulti) - I love all of their works. Everything.

phoenixAD - They're the first writer whose works I started reading when I first entered the CF fandom and Brettsey ship. Their stories are always so amazing and wonderful and I love each and every single one of them.

shmembo51 - I've been reading their fic Life for the longest time and they're still writing chapters for it. I love it so much. I never get tired of reading about the Casey's.

sunflower83 - They write wonderful one-shots and I love re-reading them every single time.

I know I'm missing a few. There are honestly so many amazing writers in the Brettsey ship. I actually occasionally stop by the Sylvie Brett/Matt Casey tag to see if there’s anything new or updated.

Fanfic writers are so underrated and I hope they realize how much comfort they bring to all of their readers. This is especially true ever since 10x05 aired. With Brettsey up in the air, I found myself immediately searching for Brettsey fics for some much-needed comfort. I can't thank writers enough for all that they do for their ships/fandoms.

I'm eternally grateful for all fanfic writers. ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ ♥️

#brettsey recs #im sorry im late with this!

[kyrieanne]

Some Favorite The Brave Fics

Cause I always like finding these kinds of lists when I’m new to a fandom, so here you go...some of my favorite fics for The Brave in no particular order...

A Place to Rest and Forget - @stupid-jeans  - (Jaz/Dalton) Dalton helps Jaz process post-Tehran. Why I love it: This was the first Jaz/Dalton fic I read that had me thinking and coming back to it over and over. 

Lifeline - sanctuary_for_all - (Jaz/Dalton) A series of interrelated Jaz & Dalton stories Why I love it: It’s just really well written. 

Things You Said - angellwings - (Jaz/Dalton) prompt collection Why I love it: Within the collection are some interrelated ones that do a great job of giving Jaz a richer home life than she’s often written in fandom, which I find fun to read.  

Harvester of Light - @stupid-jeans - (Hannah/Amir) Hannah needs to get back in the game and Amir would be perfect if he’d just stop talking... Why I love it: This is the fic that gave me all my Hannah/Amir feels; I really love how they compliment each other in this series. 

Beauty in the Breakdown - @icarryyourheart16 - (Team, Jaz/Dalton) Hoffman revealed a lot about all of them, especially Dalton. Why I love it: I LOVE all of the team dynamics in this story! 

How to Return Home - @stupid-jeans - (Jaz, Jaz/Dalton) Jaz goes home to Elijah’s family for leave Why I love it: Lots of reasons, but one recent line in this story was, “Loving on you isn’t a chore,” said to Jaz and it’s that kinda characterization I LIVE for. 

Unexpected Dreams - @undercoverwatermoon - (Jaz/Dalton) - Jaz has an Adam problem. Why I love it: The besssst introspection. So many great emotional character beats. 

One Good Thing - sydbond - (Jaz/Dalton) - Leave is starting and Jaz and Dalton have some hurdles along their way. Why I love it: I adore the ways Jaz is contemplating life stateside and what it could mean to her. 

THEshirt Series - @stupid-jeans, @undercoverwatermoon, @chibisere23, and @icarryyourheart16 - This is a series of one-shots revolving around the fabulousness that is sweaty Adam Dalton in his grey Army t-shirt (and his arms). Why I love it: I’m totally biased cause I’m writing the next chapter (up tomorrow!), but I love the fun of this series cause you’re gonna need a little ridiculousness when reading stories about a special forces team...though the last chapter by @chibisere23 also gave me a lot of FEELS in particular. 

#nbc the brave #the brave #the brave nbc

[ao3feed-lucywyatt]

Boxing with No Gloves

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2O0o32y

by angellwings

Wyatt may not be a historian or an anthropologist but he is a sports enthusiast. His Grandpa Sherwin loved boxing. Wyatt was reluctant to embrace it but when it became clear that he was born a natural bullheaded brawler he decided it was in his best interest to learn. In the middle of his education, he ran across something interesting.

Boxing gloves weren't always used to protect a fighter's hands. Roman Gladiators used what they called a cestus or battle glove — leather strips filled with iron plates or sometimes fitted with spikes or blades. Like a brass knuckle for your whole hand. The brutality of the cestus eventually caused the Romans to ban boxing.

He's never been hit with a cestus, but he can imagine it. He can imagine it feels a lot like he does now with Lucy's hurt, anger, and desperation aimed right at him on a public street in 1919.

Words: 4439, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 4 of (You Are) What You Love

Fandoms: Timeless (TV 2016)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/M

Characters: Wyatt Logan, Lucy Preston

Relationships: Wyatt Logan/Lucy Preston

Additional Tags: Set from 206-210, One Shot, Lost Love, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Emotional Hurt, In which Wyatt slowly loses everything and I die while writing this, fair warning

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2O0o32y

#ao3feed #fanfic #timeless #lucy x wyatt #lucy preston x wyatt logan

[alittlextrathatway]

Line: "I could show you incredible things." Location: ambo

Hm, let’s try an AU this time.

***

Matt’s never seen the back of this ambo before.

He’s been parked on the back bumper of 61 many times. For a forced rest or to let Mills, Shay, or occasionally Dawson tend to him. But he’s never spared 36 more than a passing glance.

Until today when he stepped out of that apartment fire and struggled to breathe. The PIC on 36 had all but blackmailed him into taking a break.

She hands him a water, her blond hair french braided and pulled to one shoulder. “Better?”

“Getting there,” he admits sheepishly. He knows he snapped at her, at first. But his people are still fighting the fire and evacuating residents. They need his help.

She pats his shoulder with a gloved hand and nods. “Good. Wouldn’t want the captain in charge of the most infamous crew in the CFD to pass out. If what I’ve heard is to be believed, without you things would be pretty chaotic on 81.”

“Funny, you’ve heard of me but I don’t know you.”

“That’s intentional,” she says with a quiet chuckle. “Contrary to your ambo, mine doesn’t enjoy butting heads with Hatcher.” She removes her dirty gloves, covered in blood and soot from other victims, and then holds her bare hand out for a shake. “Sylvie Brett, Firehouse 40. Nice to meet you.”

Why did her chuckle cause a tightness in his chest and how is it possible that her eyes are so naturally bright? “Matt Casey,” he replies accepting her hand.

“I know. Everyone does.” The upward quirk of her lips, the small dimple on her cheek, and the teasing in her gaze has him entranced. He can’t look away.

“Right,” he says, blowing out a nervous breath. “Our reputation precedes us, I guess. How have I never seen you around before?”

“I lay low, do my job, and make very few waves,” she answers. He can respect that. He wishes his house would make one or two less waves.

“Casey!” Severide yells from the Squad rig. “You good?”

“Yeah! I’ll be right there,” he calls back. He looks back at Sylvie and points over his shoulder. “I should —“

“Go,” she urges him with a nod. “We both have work to do.”

They go their separate ways and Matt gets so caught up in the fire that he forgets all about the blonde medic who managed to save his ass and put him in his place all at once. At least until they get back to 51, and then he can’t stop thinking about her. While cleaning his gear, doing inventory, checking the compartments — through it all he keeps seeing her face.

“Dammit,” Kidd says as she closes the last compartment.

“What’s up?” Casey asks.

“Our K-12 is gone.”

“The saw?”

“Yeah, I think the Lieutenant from 40 borrowed it.”

Normally, this would piss Matt off, but at the mention of 40 he can’t help but perk up a little. “Then let’s go get it. We can’t work without our saw.”

“Right now?” Mouch asks.

“No, tomorrow,” Matt snarks. “Come on, load up. Let’s go for a ride.”

And that’s how he ends up waiting on 40’s apparatus floor while Grainger searches his rig for 81’s K-12. He spots 36, off in the corner. Leaving Kidd in charge of the search, he wanders toward it.

Sylvie turns at the sound of his footfalls, braid whipping around her head. “Oh! Captain, hi.”

“Hi,” he greets, nervously clearing his throat.

She sits and resumes folding towels, but nods to the empty spot on 36’s bench seat. “Come on up. What brings you by?”

“Your Lieutenant borrowed one of my tools and forgot to give it back.”

She winces. “That’s not good. I know how protective firefighters are of their equipment.”

“As long as they find it and get it back to me, it’ll be fine.”

“You’ll have to cut Grainger a break. He’s a bit of a mess right now,” Sylvie tells him, a flash of guilt in her eyes. “He’s, um, going through a break up.”

Based on the way Grainger has stopped searching his compartment’s and is now blatantly glaring at Casey, he thinks he knows who with. “Ah. I’ll keep that in mind.” He glances around 36 to distract himself from Grainger’s jealous staring. He notices this ambo is immaculate and every space is organized to fit maximum equipment and inventory. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen an ambo this easy to navigate. I know where everything is in one glance.”

“Good, then my system works,” she says, grinning boastfully at him. “I’m the queen of organization around here.”

“You’re that good, huh? You should give me some tips and tricks. I’m hopeless at it.”

“Oh, Captain Casey, you just said the magic words. I could show you incredible things.” Her eyes light up, sparking an even brighter shade of blue. “If you’re serious, that is.”

“Please, call me Matt,” he requests, trying and failing to hide his amusement at her enthusiasm to help him. “And I’m completely serious.”

She bites her bottom lip, cheeks flushing pink very slightly. “Okay, Matt.”

“Why don’t I buy you a drink sometime and you can tell me all about it?” He asks, hoping she doesn’t notice how sweaty he’s gotten since deciding to ask her out.

“Um, sure,” she answers, the wattage of her smile intensifies until it matches her eyes. She’s so gorgeous she’s practically blinding him. “I would love that.” She takes her phone out of her jacket pocket and hands it to him. “Here. Put your number in there and we’ll work out details.”

“Perfect.”

He didn’t have getting a date on his to-do list today, but he’s not complaining. When an opportunity like this falls into your lap, you don’t waste it.

#brettsey #sylvie brett #matt casey #chicago fire #furrynachosublime #prompt fic #my fic #angellwings writes

[alittlextrathatway]

Line: "I close my eyes and the flashback starts." Location: hospital

This is not how Matt envisioned spending his first day home. He truly believed the worst was over now that he was back on Chicago’s hallowed ground. He and Sylvie made it through. They were together again and planning a life together. What could go wrong?

Everything. The answer is everything.

In all his time working for the CFD, he had never once heard of a bomb being mailed to anyone. But especially not a firehouse.

And now Sylvie is in the ER. He wasn’t at 51, he didn’t watch it happen, but he got a call from Stella afterward. She wasn’t sure of Sylvie’s condition. The scene was chaotic, she never saw her, but she knows she was loaded into an ambo and driven away.

Fear squeezes his heart like a vice. The waiting area is full of first responders, already wanting to know how to support 51. Thankfully, the bomb didn’t go off inside the firehouse or this could have been a lot worse. It’s all the comfort he can manage until he sets his eyes on Sylvie.

He storms through the waiting area and passes the double doors into the ED. Everyone else may be waiting patiently but he isn’t. His fiancée is through those doors. The mother of their newly adopted daughter is in danger. He’d take a sledge to the hospital wall to get to her if he had to. There’s no stopping him.

Maggie must have predicted he would barge in as he pleased because she’s waiting for him in front of the nurse’s station.

“Kidd said Sylvie’s—“

“She’s fine, Casey. She’s okay.”

“No offense, Maggie, but I’d like to judge that for myself.”

She points behind him to Trauma 3 and Matt hurriedly spins around. The flashback hits him with as much force as a halligan to the head. It takes him back to that day, years ago now, where she fell through the floor. The day he had to watch her cry through tears of physical pain. The day they lost Otis.

Because sitting on the hospital bed, feet dangling over the edge, is Sylvie. Her arm in a sling, her face covered in dust, and tears in her eyes. She looks small and scared but whole. Blessedly whole.

“Thank god,” Matt mutters, taking a deep breath as he steps into the small room.

“Matt!” Sylvie exclaims, throwing her good arm around him.

“Hey,” he says, pulling her as close as he can without jostling her arm. The same arm she broke in the Arnow collapse. “I’m here.” He leans back and frames her face with his hands, thumbs swiping at tracks of tears on her cheeks. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“That poor delivery driver,” she says, with a shaky inhale. She pauses to exhale, willing herself to calm down. “I don’t think it was supposed to happen that way, Matt. He picked up the package and turned to face the house and then…all of a sudden I was thrown into the back of the open ambo. My elbow slammed into the stretcher and now I’m here. God, it happened so fast I don’t even know if — oh god, how’s everyone else? Do you know? Have you talked to anyone?”

He closes his eyes, imagining all the ways today could have cost him everything, and then forces the images away. Right now, Sylvie needs him and panicking over how close he came to a life without her won’t help. He kisses her grimey forehead and then presses his against her temple, pressing her to his side.

“Just Stella. She didn’t know much either. The scene at 51 is chaos and she’s working with Boden to try and get a head count.”

Sylvie rubs her good hand across her forehead as she takes in the only new information he has. “Well,” she says meeting his eyes with a loud sniffle. “Welcome home, I guess. Some first day, huh?”

“Any day you’re with me is better than most,” he assures her. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” she replies, relaxing into his arms. “God, I’m glad you’re here. I don’t know if I could handle this without you.”

He’s glad he’s here too. He can’t imagine hearing about this from the other side of the country. Now, more than ever, he’s glad he came to his senses and proposed. From here on out, they’ll never have to deal with a crisis like this alone again. They’ll always figure it out. Together.

***

This is kinda based on some things I’ve seen and heard about 12x01 filming. As usual, I’m probably wrong lol.

Send me a Taylor Swift or Kelsea Ballerini lyric and location to my ask box! I’ll write you a Brettsey fic too! 💗

#brettsey #sylvie brett #matt casey #chicago fire #furrynachosublime #angellwings writes #my fic #prompt fic

[alittlextrathatway]

"And if I'm gonna be drunk, might as well be drunk in love."

Molly's

“Baby!”

Matt turns away from Severide, mid-conversation, to find Sylvie squeezing in next to him. Without another word or even a second look, he knows she’s drunk. They’re still attempting to keep their relationship under wraps in the hopes of avoiding the 51 fishbowl as long as possible. Sober Sylvie wouldn’t be so blatant.

“Baby?” Severide asks with a smirk.

Matt reins in a goofy grin. The term of endearment showed up about a week ago and he fucking loves it. After all the angst they went through to end up together, the implied intimacy still knocks him on his ass in the best way.

“Brett,” Matt says, ignoring Severide and pointedly lifting a brow at Sylvie.

“Oh! Right!” She exclaims. She rolls her lips and holds a finger over them, soundlessly shushing herself. “I meant baby like ‘yeah, baby!’ You know, Austin Powers style.”

Kelly’s smirk doesn’t budge. He chuckles and gives Matt a disbelieving glance. “Austin Powers. You serious?”

“Yeah,” she replies. “You know, the Mike Myers movie?”

“I’m familiar.”

“Oh, good. Ba—Casey,” she begins, correcting herself. Yeah, Severide definitely knows about them now. “I think I’m hammered.”

“Possibly, yeah,” he agrees with a mirthful grin.

“You wanna know how I know?”

“Is it the Austin Powers references?” Severide asks dryly.

“Hush you,” Sylvie says, playfully glaring at him.

“How do you know?” Matt asks, playing along with whatever game Sylvie thinks she’s playing.

She leans fully into him, resting her weight into his side and forcing him to support her with an arm around her waist. Her lips hover close to his ear and she attempts to whisper, but it comes out at her normal volume. Which is only a shade softer than her voice when she’s drunk. Regardless, her breath on his neck has a shameful effect on him. Has he ever wanted a person this badly in his life? He doesn’t think so.

“Because I wanna make out with you right now and let everyone see. Especially that girl checking you out at the end of the bar. If she keeps staring I’m going to have no choice but to ravage you right here, on this bar. It’s pissing me off.”

Shit. Well, that’s officially being added to his rotating catalogue of Sylvie Brett fantasies he’s had for the last few years. Also, where is this possessive streak coming from? It’s hot as hell.

“But I know we’re trying to keep us to ourselves so the only reason I wanna do that has to be the alcohol, right? I’m drunk in love — no, drunk and in love.”

“And that’s one mystery solved,” Severide quips, with a chuckle. “Now I know where you’ve been every night the last two weeks.”

“Hush, you,” he says, intentionally mimicking Sylvie with a grin he can’t hide and a shake of his head. He clears his throat and refocuses on Sylvie. “Maybe I should get you home, huh?”

“Good idea,” she concurs. “That way I can ravage you in private and we won’t blow our cover.”

Jesus, she’s drunk. There will be no ravaging. But he’s gonna have a hell of a time resisting her.

“Godspeed, Casey,” Severide says with a mock salute as Sylvie loops her arm through his and drags him away.

“Anyone ever tell you you’re an ass?” He asks over his shoulder.

“Only every day.”

His best friend is no help at all.

#brettsey #sylvie brett #matt casey #chicago fire #dopemixtape #prompt fic #my fic #angellwings writes

[alittlextrathatway]

Line: "Show me the places where the others gave you scars." Location: CFD Christmas party.

Alright 5th and final part of the Firehouse 40 AU.

You can find the rest here: part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

***

It’s been a while since Matt had an official date to a CFD function. The last time was with Gabby, right before that relationship completely fell apart.

Gabby’s moved on — in her personal life and her career — and so has he, but he forgot how much of a fishbowl the CFD can be. Especially, when a guy walks into a room with Sylvie Brett on his arm. Sylvie Brett in her duty uniform is appealing enough, but Sylvie all dressed up for a holiday party? She’s bound to draw a few slack jawed stares.

When he picked her up, he nearly had a heart attack at the first glimpse of her form fitting holiday red dress. It was low cut, with a neckline that reminded him if the top half of a heart, and thin straps framing her sternum. The way it emphasized her neck and collar bone left him with the urge to lean down and bite the graceful swanlike line her features seemed to draw. The fact that he’s managed to keep that whim to himself is a testament to his self control.

She’s gorgeous to him all the time though, even when returning from a call drenched in unknown substances. The image of her crawling out of the back of 61, just over 24 hours ago, covered in a poor kid’s vomit is fresh in his mind. Her first shift as PIC on 61 didn’t quite go the way she hoped, but she bore it like the consummate professional she’s always been.

That level of proficiency is sexy as hell to him. She faces the ugly stuff head on and never flinches or compromises in her empathy. She’s not only gorgeous on the outside, but the inside too. However, he recognizes he could potentially be biased. It comes from knowing her heart as well as he does, and from being fortunate enough to have spent the last two months sharing space with her at one residence or another.

So, he assumes most of the people in the room are staring because she makes such a striking picture, even when compared to all the festive Christmas decorations that surround them. It’s not until Sylvie quickly directs her gaze down at the floor and squeezes his hand in a vice-like grip that he realizes anything’s wrong.

“Everything okay?” He asks.

“Um, yes, but I need you to keep standing there, blocking me from view for the moment, and I also need to tell you something I probably should have mentioned by now.” When she looks up at him again, her face is pinched and her eyes are apologetic.

“Okay,” he says, bracing himself for a deep dark secret. Something that might flip the last couple of months on their head.

“You know the CFD Chaplain we’ve had for the last few years?”

“Yeah, Sheffield, right?”

She nods. “That’s him.”

“What about him?”

“Well, uh, we were briefly engaged a few years ago.”

Matt has no idea what to do with that information. “How briefly?”

“Just a month or so — until he suggested I should think about quitting my job once we got married and then I very quickly realized it was never going to work,” she confesses. “I should’ve said something sooner but I just — I mean how do you bring up a failed engagement in casual conversation?”

She bites her bottom lip and stares at him with wary expectant eyes as if she thinks he might blow up at her at any moment.

“Sorry I sprung that on you,” she whispers, her eyes leaving his and widening slightly. “But he’s headed this way and more than a few people in this room know I jilted him so we’re for sure gonna have an audience.”

He wants to tell her not to worry. He has no room to be critical of botched engagements or trying to make it work with someone who simply isn’t the right fit. His entire romantic history is full of those exact same things.

“Sylvie,” the Chaplain greets as he joins them.

“Kyle, hi,” she says with a too bright false smile. “Have you met Matt Casey? He’s a captain over at 51.”

“Your new house,” Kyle states with a nod, turning to offer his hand to Matt. “We’ve met a few times over the years. Haven’t we, Casey?”

“We have, yes,” Matt replies, suddenly remembering a conversation with Sheffield about where to take his new fiancée for her birthday dinner. Matt had given him a couple of suggestions but never followed up on whether or not he had taken them. In light of what Sylvie just revealed to him, he realizes she must have been the fiancée. “Been a while since you dropped in on 51 though.”

And now Matt understands why.

“You’re right. I promise I’ll work on correcting that soon.”

Yeah, he bets he will based on the moon eyes the Chaplain keeps throwing at Sylvie. For her part, Sylvie definitely isn’t returning them. She looks antsy and uncomfortable. Matt tries to imagine running into Gabby tonight and has to rein in a wince. Sylvie doesn’t know about Gabby. He imagines it would be just as awkward as this moment with the chaplain.

“Well, if you’ll excuse us,” Matt says, pointedly threading his fingers through Sylvie’s. “Our chief and his wife are right over there, and Sylvie hasn’t had the chance to meet his wife yet. I don’t want her to miss her window.”

“Oh, right, of course,” Kyle says, stepping aside. “We can all catch up later.”

“Sure,” Sylvie agrees, still holding her blatantly forced smile. “We should definitely do that.”

Like hell they will. He doesn’t care that this man once had a relationship with Sylvie, but he does care about Sylvie’s unease. If she doesn’t want to be around Kyle, then she won’t have to be.

He leads her away from the chaplain, but stops just short of Boden and Donna.

“I am so sorry, Matt,” she immediately begins to ramble. Her nerves exploding to the surface as she talks. “I should have told you, I know, and I’m sure you’re furious with me but I swear I wasn’t trying to hide it. I—“ She cuts herself off when she realizes he’s smiling at her with with warmth and amusement. “Wait, you aren’t mad at me at all, are you?”

“No,” he states, chuckling slightly. “In the grand scheme of things, we haven’t known each other that long. There’s no timetable and learning things about each other.”

“Oh,” she says, blinking owlishly at him. “Okay.”

“And in the interest of full disclosure, you’re not the only one with a failed engagement under their belt,” he reveals, blushing slightly. “Personally, I have two.”

She gasps, eyes bright and full of mirth. “No way. You too?”

Her incredulity cancels out any shock he might have experienced from her news and he finds himself laughing at her. “Sheffield was fiancé number two?”

She nods. When talking about the chaplain she looked more embarrassed than haunted, but this first fiancé was clearly different. Worse. “The first one is why I came to Chicago. At some point I realized I was living his life, not mine. So, I left.”

There’s more to the story than that, he can tell. But she can have her secrets. She’ll tell him when she’s ready. After all, he’s yet to tell her about Hallie. If anything now he knows they both have scars that run deep, deeper than they may appear at first glance. It’ll all come out with time. Something he hopes they have plenty of if he gets his way.

He’s spent two months getting to know her — eagerly filling in the puzzle that is Sylvie Brett. He doesn’t have all the pieces yet but he has enough of them to understand the most vital parts of her. Her good heart, her empathic soul, and her resourceful mind. She impresses him more and more every day and, in truth, there’s no one he’d rather spend every second of his free time with than her.

His hands land on her waist, urging her toward him. She follows his lead, bring her arms up to wrap around his neck. Intentionally, he meets and maintains her gaze. “The guy sounds like an moron,” Matt tells her. “But if he led you here to me then at least some good came from him.”

“It’s funny,” she says, thoughtful expression on her face. “If I had a chance to go back and change anything about my life, you would think I’d use it, wouldn’t you? That I’d use it to spare myself some pain or humiliation or something.” She sighs contentedly, running one of her hands through his hair until it can rest at the nape of his neck. “But I wouldn’t.”

“No?” He asks, curious about where this conversation is headed. “Not at all?”

She shakes her head. “It’s too big of a risk. I mean, change any part of my past and…maybe I don’t find my way to Chicago, the CFD, or you. And I don’t want to imagine my life without you. Not if I can help it.”

The sentiment rocks through him like a seismic shock. It shifts his entire being and sends happiness like he’s never known breaking through the surface. An irrepressible smile overtakes his face and he can’t stop himself from kissing her. It’s a short but firm kiss. Maybe a little deeper than is perhaps decent in a room full of their colleagues, but he doesn’t care. Because in this moment he knows something with as much certainty as he knows the compartments on 81. Backwards, forwards, and with his eyes closed.

“I love you,” he declares. If he doesn’t say it now he’s afraid he’ll come up with a million reasons to chicken out.

Her breathing hitches and for a moment he worries he’s misread their entire relationship, but then the moment passes and she smiles so bright she nearly blinds him. “I — god, Matt. I love you too.”

“You do?” He asks in disbelief. “You really do?”

She nods, smile never faltering. “I really do.”

He kisses her again and this time he doesn’t give a single thought to who’s looking. Sylvie Brett loves him. She picked him. And he’s going to make sure she never regrets it, not for a second. He always wants her to feel as if all their struggles and their broken journeys were meant to bring them together — to believe being with him in the end is worth the pain.

Because that’s what he believes too. The disappointments and the losses hurt a lot less now that he knows they were preparing him for her.

#brettsey #sylvie brett #matt casey #matt casey x sylvie brett #furrynachosublime #prompt fic #my fic #angellwings writes

[alittlextrathatway]

Lyric: (from WHAT I HAVE by Kelsea): "Cause I got a roof over my head

I got a warm body in bed

I'm doing alright right where I'm at

With what I have"

Location: Bedroom

Going canon again, here we go.

***

After an emotionally trying day, Matt wakes up the next morning to the soft sounds of humming. He turns toward where his favorite person should be asleep next to him and finds the space warm but empty. Groaning in a wordless complaint, he cracks one eye open. It's just enough to see the bedroom door is open and the light is on in the hall bathroom. As he sits up, his eyes drift to his phone on the nightstand. It's morning, for sure, and he has an early afternoon flight to catch. He knows he should get up and get on with his day.

But getting on with this particular day means leaving someone behind and his instincts are screaming against that idea. He just got her back, he can't leave her now.

Still, putting it off won't stop the day from beginning.

He swipes his boxers off the floor, putting them on as he walks. Following the gentle melodic humming, he finds Sylvie just inside the open bathroom door, brushing her teeth.

She rinses, spits, and then smiles at him as if showing off her newly cleaned pearly whites. He chuckles lowly, reaching out for the bottom hem of his t-shirt Sylvie seems to have borrowed. He uses it to tug her forward, within arm's length, and then hugs her to him.

"Good morning," she says as her arms go around his waist. "Future husband."

"Good morning," he mimics, dipping his head to kiss her slowly and intrusively. She tastes like toothpaste and he loves it. It reminds him of all the mundane daily rituals he missed while they were apart and how he won't have to miss them for too much longer. "Future wife."

"I didn't wake you, did I?"

"You didn't but the lack of you did."

"Missing me already, huh?"

The teasing nature of the conversation escapes him for a moment as more somber thoughts intrude. She truly has no idea how deeply he struggled all these months without her. "Always." He lets that statement sit for a poignant beat, and then locks his arms around her back and lifts. As her feet leave the ground, he walks them out of the bathroom and down the hall. "Come back to bed. I'm not ready to start the day yet."

She laughs and grabs onto him, despite them both knowing he would never drop her. "Ready or not it's gonna happen, Matt."

"Just come and lay down with me for a few more minutes," he begs. "I wanna enjoy holding you while I can."

Her smile grows but her eyes start to water. The smile tells him she's not holding back tears of sadness, but rather tears of joy and perhaps disbelief. "Well, how can I possibly say no to that?"

He sets her down on the bed and then quickly joins her. They climb under the covers and then meet in the middle of her bed, arms instinctively going around each other.

"I really thought I'd messed us up forever," Sylvie admits as she rests her head on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his middle.

After pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he offers her comfort by rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "I messed up first, Sylvie. I'm the one who let you believe there was any version of a future where I wouldn't choose you over Portland."

"I should've talked to you about it though, not shoved it all down and tried to reconcile it on my own."

Maybe she should have, but in his mind his offense was worse than hers. "And I should've made more of an effort to see you and talk to you. We both had something to work on and room to grow. But I don't want to spend this moment thinking about the past. I want to spend the morning in the present with you."

She nods against his shoulder and then tucks herself further into him. "You're right"

He lifts her left hand from his chest and kisses her fingers, just above her engagement ring. "In this moment, I'm as alright as I've ever been. I've got you in this bed with me to keep me warm, a roof over our heads, and I'm home in my favorite city in the world. I have everything I've ever wanted and more."

"Me too," she agrees, kissing his shoulder. "You, the boys, Julia, and the job are all I'm ever gonna need. Nothing in this world makes me happier than any of that."

After years of trying, they're finally on the same page at the same time. His life has never felt more fulfilling than it does when he's waking up with her. They have a few more months of separation to get through, but once that's done he'll never have to wake up without her again.

#brettsey #sylvie brett #matt casey #matt casey x sylvie brett #tvaddictandolicitylover #prompt fic #my fic #angellwings writes

[alittlextrathatway]

Honestly any lyric from Universe can fit brettsey but I think I’ll go with “You make me believe in something bigger than just me”

You can choose the location! Please tag me when you’re done! I think this is so cool!

And back to canon we go with this one lol.

Let's see what location shall I pick?

How about...

on the street.

***

He leaves again tomorrow, but not forever this time.

He'll be back and forth for the next few months as Ben finishes school and makes the transition to college. After that, he'll be back in Chicago full time to build the life with Sylvie he's been dreaming about for years.

Tonight, they're headed to Molly's to announce their engagement and say his goodbyes. But before they head in, he has more he's been wanting to say to Sylvie.

He tugs on her hand and squeezes her fingers. As she turns to look at him he nods toward the small alley next to the bar. She follows him with a concerned expression on her far too beautiful face. He takes in every inch of it, from the wrinkle between her eye brows to the downturned corners of her mouth.

He presses her against the wall, caging her in with his hands on her hips and then smiles at her, hoping to soothe her concern.

"Before we go in there and I have to share you for the rest of the night," he begins, pressing a swift kiss to her lips. "I wanted to talk a bit."

The tension melts out of her body and she leans her weight against the wall, bringing her hands and arms up to rest on his shoulders. "Well, you know I love it when you decide to use your words. It usually works out pretty well for us," she teases.

He chuckles and sends her a mock glare. "Noted."

"What topic did you have in mind this time?" She asks, smiling brighter despite his narrowed eyes.

"I know long distance isn't what either of us wants," he says, diving right in. If he's learned anything form almost losing Sylvie it's that it's better to be up front than dance around the big issues. "So, before we jump back into that for the next few months I just want to make sure you know that it's going to be different this time. I'm going to be different. I want to make more intentional choices about how I spend my time, especially my time with you."

"Matt..."

He can tell she's about to let him off the hook for all the times he cancelled on her and didn't return her willingness to travel for the sake of their relationship so he cuts her off. "Don't say I don't need to, Sylvie, we both know that's not true."

She rolls her lips and sighs but nods, conceding his point. "Okay."

"I let our relationship slip on my priorities list and, yes, the boys are important but they shouldn't be more important than you. You and them, and now Julia too, should all be on equal footing. Until I'm back here with you permanently I'm going to make sure that's the case. Losing you again isn't an option."

"You won't," Sylvie promises. "This time if I start to feel like we're fading away then I'll tell you. I won't hold it in and try to deal with it on my own. You weren't the only problem, Matt. I failed us too. But we made it though it, we're here together now, and that's what's important. And this time, everything seems to be leading to us ending up closer together -- not further apart."

"Our stars are aligning you mean?" He asks, an affectionate grin tugging at his lips.

She sighs again, this time she sounds relieved and content, as if she's finally comfortable. Finally, in his arms again like she was always meant to be. "Yes, our stars are finally lining up."

"I never really believed in that kind of thing before you," he admits.

"What kind of thing?"

"Meant to be, fate, kismet. Whatever you wanna call it. The big picture or grand design. I just thought we search out our people and we commit to being good to them. You make the best of where you are and the people you're with. And that's it."

"And I changed your mind?" Sylvie asks.

He rests his forehead against hers while he nods. His eyes mist over as they always do when he stops to think about the gravity of his feelings for Sylvie Brett. "You changed everything. The way you love me and the boys, the way you just knew Julia was made to be yours, the timing of all of it with Ben going off to college. You're the one that brings the pieces together for me. You help me see the design amidst all the chaos. If that makes any sense."

"It makes perfect sense," she agrees, tightening her hold on him and pulling him closer. "To me anyway."

Of course it does because she understands him in a way no one else every has before. "I love you."

"I love you too."

And now he gets to spend the rest of his life reminding her of that as often as possible.

#brettsey #sylvie brett #matt casey #write4life13 #matt casey x sylvie brett #prompt fic #my fic #angellwings writes

[alittlextrathatway]

Line: "And the saddest fear comes creeping in." Location: HGTV taping.

Alright time for a brand new AU universe.

You guys don't know it but I have an AU idea in my head for HGTV Brettsey for YEARS.

I am not throwing away my shot.

***

Sometimes Sylvie feels guilty about the lie she and Matt are perpetrating for the world, but then she remembers what it felt like to essentially be blacklisted from working and decides a lie is better than being homeless and starving.

Besides, this lie hurts no one but themselves. They're the ones who have to forego love lives in order to pretend to be an engaged home renovation power couple.

Their friends Severide and Stella introduced them years ago. Matt's business-partner-slash-ex had left him in the lurch. She sold him her half of the business, which was great, but she left him without an interior designer. Sylvie's ex and former best friend had taken all of her clients and run her out of town so she was an interior designer without any work.

She met Stella on her first night in Chicago while the latter was bartending at a firefighter bar named Molly's. Sylvie literally cried into her beer about her misfortunes and Stella was quick to help.

"You know, you're an interior designer with no clients and my husband's best friend is a contractor with clients but no interior designer. Maybe the two of you could help each other out?"

It was the suggestion that changed her life.

Kelly and Stella hosted a dinner to introduce her to Matt and they got along like a house on fire. Matt is funny, genuine, and thoughtful. The opposite of her ex. They also had similar visions for a few of his current clients. His design ideas for construction reflected her favorite interior spaces to decorate. Professionally speaking, they were a match made in heaven.

And their clients' feedback reflected that. As business grew so did their friendship. But since things went horribly wrong with Harrison and Hope, Sylvie promised herself never to mix business and pleasure. Matt felt similarly, considering his history with his own ex. Which meant, no matter how close they became or how her feelings evolved, they would always only be friends.

Even when the world and HGTV thought otherwise.

They hadn't meant to perpetrate a fraud but they got the offer for the tv show, signed the contracts, and then found out about a terrible misunderstanding.

HGTV thought they were married.

That was the real reason they wanted to offer them the show. They wanted half reality television and half home renovation. If they weren't married then the show would have been cancelled.

It was a shot in the dark that they would be picked up for a full season anyway. So, after a lengthy discussion, they went along with the story and decided not to fully correct their misunderstanding. As a compromise and an attempt to assuage their guilt, they told HGTV they were engaged instead of married.

By some miracle, they bought it.

And now, three years later, their show is still going strong and the American public thinks they're happily engaged and on their way to wedded bliss.

Only in Sylvie's wildest dreams.

Of course over the last three years, her pretend love for Matt Casey has become full blown, head over heels, unconditional love. Not that he knows that. She's pretty certain he's none the wiser.

"Cut!"

Sylvie's jarred from her thoughts by the sudden yell and shakes herself back to the present, taking in Matt's concerned face.

"Hey, guys," he requests, smiling politely. "Can you give us a second?"

The director nods and sighs tiredly. "Yeah, sure thing. Take five, everyone! When we come back we'll pick back up with the initial property walk through."

Once the crew has dispersed, Matt gently pulls her aside with a guiding hand on the small of her back. "Are you okay?"

She bites her bottom lip and idly spins her engagement ring, a habit she's developed when she's anxious. "That meeting we had with the network this morning..."

"I thought we said we weren't going to worry about that today?" He asks her, with a soft scolding stare.

"We say a lot of things, Matt, but that doesn't mean they're all true."

He snorts and chuckles at her, taking her left hand in his to stop her from twirling her ring. "We'll work something out."

"Work something out?" She says in a harsh whisper. "They want us to set a wedding date. A wedding date for our extremely fake engagement. A wedding date that will be used to market the renovation deadline of our future home that we're going to take on in the midst of all of our other clients and responsibilities."

"They'll compensate us appropriately so we can scale back our clients and focus only on our house. The workload will be fine," he assures her.

Okay, but that's not even the biggest part of her concerns! How is he so calm? How is he okay with marrying her, a woman he doesn't love? "Great, I'm glad to hear about the workload," she replies dryly. "Nevermind the huge wedding they want us to have, film, and then promote as a tv special. That's not a big deal at all."

He sighs and the sound comes off as hopeless and wistful all at once. His callused fingers grip her chin and lift her face until they’re eye to eye. Once he has her full attention, he brushes a loose tendril of hair out of her eyes and tucks it behind her ear. The gesture makes her stomach swoop in the most delightfully nauseating way.

Ugh, why does she have to be in love with her best friend and business partner? Why is nothing in her life ever straight forward?

"Look, I get it, no one wants you to marry a guy you're not in love with, least of all me. But we'll find a way to stall them. We've gotten pretty good at it over the last few years. We'll think of something. For now, though, let the network think they're gonna finally get that wedding special they've always wanted. It'll keep them off our backs for a little while at least."

She doesn't like his tone. He doesn't sound like himself. Not the flirtatiously playful version of himself he usually is when they're filming anyway. This is solemn Matt Casey. The one she sees most often when he’s stressed or anxious or in some sort of emotional turmoil.

He was fine until she let her fears get the better of her and got distracted during a heavy filming day. For his sake, she needs to get it together. She can sort out how to bury her feelings for Matt and get them out of this mess later.

"You're right," she says, taking a slow and soothing breath. "We'll figure out. We always do. I mean, whatever else our fans think we are, we've always been a great team." She smiles warmly at him, hoping the expression leaves her faith in the two of them on full display. From the day they met, he's been nothing but exceptionally good to her. Even if his feelings have never gone beyond platonic. "I don't see that changing anytime soon."

He squeezes her hand with an earnestly devoted look on his face that's too beautiful to be misread. "Not if I can help it. There's no one else I'd rather be partners with than you."

He means business partners. She knows he does, but is it terrible of her to internally swoon anyway? God, she's so screwed. How did she let this happen and how can she get out of it unscathed?

Matt Casey's going to break her heart and he'll never even know it.

#brettsey #sylvie brett #matt casey #matt casey x sylvie brett #furrynachosublime #prompt fic #my fic #angellwings writes

[alittlextrathatway]

"Wonder how many girls he had loved and left haunted" -any location

Going back to visit the High School AU.

Location: Library

You can find part one: here.

***

It didn't take Matt long to realize he and Sylvie had the same free period. She typically spent hers in the library either getting a head start on homework or studying for her next class. Like him, her grades were important to her. For different reasons, he's sure, but it didn't really matter why. It only mattered that they had that in common.

And that it meant he knew he would always have at least a half hour of one on one time with her every day.

He's leaving his AP English class, after an impassioned lesson from Mr. McHolland. Matt never really enjoyed reading, especially not fiction, but when Mr. McHolland teaches it he has to admit he can see the appeal.

Normally, he can zip out of English and make it to the library before Sylvie, but today Dawson decides to get in his way.

"We should probably figure out when we're gonna work on our group project," she says, crossing in front of him and planting her feet.

He skids to a stop, just short of running her over. "Don't you need to leave for City College so you can make your next class?"

Gabby is dual enrolled at City College in an effort to get her freshman humanities courses out of the way. He admires her drive. Like many of his friends, college is only option if you work exceptionally hard. For Gabby that means reducing the amount of years she'll need to be in college to earn a degree. For him, it means needing scholarships.

"The professor cancelled class today," she says, shrugging. "Besides, my early college courses aren't gonna matter if we don't nail our Senior Project. It's twenty-five percent of our grade."

"We have the whole semester, Gabby. We have plenty of time. I've gotta go, I'm running late."

She smirks and lifts a brow at him. "Isn't this your free period? What are you running late for, exactly?"

He winces. He really tried to keep his interest in Sylvie away from Gabby. He knows he's no good at being subtle. He can't hide it, but he can avoid talking about it with her. He knows Gabby still has a thing for him almost a year after they broke up. If he's honest, until Sylvie, he always assumed he and Gabby would get back together eventually. But now...

Well, the new girl changed everything.

"How much do you know about her, really?" Gabby asks, seeing straight through his hesitance to answer her question. "I've seen her around talking with that Junior on the football team -- Grainger? And at lunch yesterday that Sheffield Kid came up to our table to talk to her about joining Key Club. She's got plenty of options. How do you know she's not one of those people that just likes to flirt? The farm girl act is cute and all, but that doesn't mean she's the right fit for you. I mean, I like her. I do, but how sweet and innocent can she be, really? She might have left a trail of broken hearts between here and Indiana, for all we know."

He can't tell if Gabby's jealous or genuinely looking out for him. She seems to get a long well with Sylvie. She and Shay have welcomed her into their group. But her speech reminds him of all the reasons they broke up. Gabby cares about the people around her. She's very protective. But she can also get wrapped up in her own interests and dive so far down into self involvement that she becomes petty and vindictive. She seemed to be that way with him when they were dating more-so than anyone else they knew. He loves her as a friend. She's been by his side through a lot of tough times. But, as a couple, they bring out the worst in each other. That's the last thing he needs right now.

"That's kind of the point, isn't it?"

"The point of what?" She asks.

"Of getting to know her. That's all I'm doing right now, Dawson. So far, I really like what I've seen and I'm excited to learn more. That's enough for now."

"For now?"

"Yes, for now." Because he's almost certain he's going to ask Sylvie to be his date to the homecoming dance. Which he needs to do sooner rather than later considering, as Gabby mentioned, he has plenty of competition.

"Do what you think is best, I guess," Gabby tells him, her tone flat and hard.

"Gee, thanks for your permission," he snaps, shaking his head as he side steps her and leaves her standing alone in the hallway. "I'll see you for our stats class at three."

By the time he reaches the library Sylvie's deep into her history homework, making notes out of a resource book for a paper that's due at the end of the week. She looks up and smiles at him as he approaches their usual table.

"I was about to send out a search party for you," she whispers as he sits down next to her. "You're never late for free period."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Got a little tied up after English." He gets out his stats book and notes, deciding to double check his homework before he turns it in later. He did it in a rush late last night.

"Everything okay?"

The concern on her face runs deep as if his potential problems are the most pressing issue in her world right now. Gabby was way off base in her assumptions about Sylvie. He doesn't know how he knows, he just does.

"Yeah, just Gabby being Gabby. No big deal."

She bites her bottom lip, apprehension suddenly shining in her baby blue eyes. "Ah, okay. So, are you and Gabby -- I don't know -- a thing, I guess?"

Does she think he would flirt with her so blatantly if he was still into Gabby? God, he hopes not. "No. Not anymore. I mean, we used to be, but we weren't good together. We're much better off as friends."

"Oh, right." Wincing while amusement overtakes her apprehension, she says, "does Gabby know that?"

He laughs at her sympathetic expression and shrugs. "I have no idea what Gabby thinks. Never did. She doesn't exactly put her cards on the table most of the time."

"I've noticed that," Sylvie replies. "I wonder why that is?"

He can tell her interest is earnest. She's wholeheartedly trying to fill in the puzzle that is Gabby Dawson, hoping she'll end up with a better understanding of why Dawson is the way that she is. "If you figure it out, let me know. I could never get to the bottom of it. Did I miss anything in the last few minutes?"

"No, not really. Just Grainger asking me to the Homecoming Dance." She shrugs as if that one sentence doesn't crush every bit of hope in his chest.

"Oh?" He asks, cursing inwardly as his voice pitches up an entire octave. Being outwardly disappointed won't help his case. It'll only hurt Sylvie's feelings.

"Yeah, but...I said no. He's a nice guy, for sure, but I don't feel like it would be fair to him to say yes. There's plenty of other girls who would be thrilled to go with him. I am not one of those."

He had to have heard her wrong or hallucinated or something. "You said no?"

She twists her watch band, looking away from him shyly as she nods. "I'm sort of holding out for someone else. It probably won't happen, but I don't think I could go with someone else and not feel like I was leading them on or something, you know?"

Dammit. Of course she already has someone else in mind. And he has a feeling he knows exactly who she's waiting on. But also her reasoning speaks exactly to Gabby's concerns, not that Matt ever doubted Sylvie in the first place. "I get it," he assures her. "So, who are you holding out for? Sheffield?"

Looking up and meeting his eyes again, she blushes. "No, not Kyle. He's okay, I guess. But I don't know him that well."

"Then who...who else is there?" He asks, confused.

"Oh my god," Sylvie says, rubbing a hand over her face with a grimace. "Am I really that bad at this?"

Ms. Platt, the no nonsense librarian, glares over at them from where she's leaning against the circulation desk. "Pipe down over there, will ya?"

Sylvie's eyes widen and she immediately returns to her notes. "Sorry, Ms. Platt."

"No," Matt whispers, leaning closer to her. "Wait. We're not done with this topic yet. Who else is there, Sylvie?"

"Matt," she pleads, face red with embarrassment. "Just drop it, please. Pretend I never said anything."

The blushing, the embarrassment, the hesitant way she looked away from him earlier...

"Holy shit."

"Matthew Casey," Platt huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't make me send you to Grissom's office. I'll do it."

He winces and holds his hands up in surrender. "No more outbursts. I promise."

"If you're gonna curse, whisper at least. My god," Platt mutters, forcefully unloading books from a nearby cart.

When he looks back over at Sylvie, she's slid down in her seat and hidden her face behind her book. He cranes up to look up and over the book and notices her face is somehow an even deeper shade of red.

"You meant me," he whispers, sliding his chair over to hers to joining her in her hiding spot.

"Forget it," she urges him, speaking softly. "I thought--I thought you knew that I was -- or that you were flirting back with -- but clearly I was wrong."

He ignores the fact that she didn't finish a single sentence. To him, her meaning was clear. "No, I don't want to forget it. Sylvie, I have been flirting with you. I'm not very subtle. Never have been. I'm positive you read everything accurately. But I thought maybe you were just being nice or polite and then Gabby mentioned she'd seen you talking to Grainger and Sheffield so I just--"

"You assumed instead of asking me?"

He nods, running a hand through his hair while meeting her eyes with a sheepish expression. "Yeah, I kinda did."

"Well, if it helps," Sylvie supplies, leaning so close her forehead brushes against his. "Nothing's changed. I'm still waiting to be asked to the dance by a particular person."

He beams at her, so wide his cheeks begin to hurt. This is his moment. Before he even begins to ask, her face transforms into one as joyful as his. He's sure they look like idiots -- huddled behind a shared book and grinning like creeps -- but he can't help himself.

He really likes this girl.

"Sylvie Brett, will you go to Homecoming with me?"

"Why, Matt Casey, there's no one else I'd rather go with than you."

"Took you long enough," Platt mutters as she snatches the book out of Sylvie's hands. "If you're not gonna read this, then I'm putting it back. It's a shared reference book. Not an invisibility shield."

"Sorry, Ms. Platt," Sylvie replies, barely stifling an elated giggle.

Platt rolls her eyes and meanders by them to reach the reference section. As she passes them she murmurs, "you're a terrible liar."

"You wanna get out of here?" Matt asks, eying Platt warily. "We should make official plans without an audience."

Sylvie finally releases her giggle and the tinkling sounds causes a weird fluttery sensation in his chest. God, she's so damn cute. How is she this cute?

"Sure, the choir room should be empty right about now. Is that okay?"

"Sounds perfect."

#brettsey #sylvie brett #matt casey #matt casey x sylvie brett #everythingaddictxx #prompt fic #my fic #angellwings writes

[alittlextrathatway]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Chicago Fire Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey Characters: Sylvie Brett, Matthew Casey, Griffin Darden, Ben Darden, Violet Mikami, Stella Kidd, Randy "Mouch" McHolland, Julia | Sylvie Brett's Ward Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Tenderness, Caretaking, Light Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Starting Over, Homesickness, Loneliness, Heart-to-Heart, Supportive HUSBAND Matt Casey, One Shot, Canon Compliant, One Week Post 12x06 Summary:

It took a week for her to feel it.

Those first 7 days were a whirlwind. She ran on giddy excitement and lots of caffeine. Since the last time she’d stayed at the house, Matt converted the basement into a tiny studio apartment for Griffin, and set up a nursery for Julia in his newly vacant room.

She moved in the crib, the changing table, and the antique rocker her mother had given her while Matt refitted the closet with racks and shelves meant to accommodate children’s clothing. And then they had to fill out the rest of the room with furniture and decor. Coming from her one bedroom apartment in Chicago, Sylvie hadn’t had the space for much more than the essentials. Setting up the nursery alone took at least two days. It was the perfect project.

There was so much else to do to get settled in. Her list of tasks grew by the hour. Or so it seemed. Everything from finding time to go to the bank and have her added to Matt’s accounts to visiting the dreaded DMV and trying to get her car tags and license switched over from Illinois to Oregon. None of it was glamorous but all of it was necessary.

#sylvie brett #matt casey #brettsey #chicago fire #matt casey x sylvie brett #my fic #angellwings writes

[alittlextrathatway]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Chicago Fire Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey Characters: Sylvie Brett, Matthew Casey, Julia | Sylvie Brett's Ward Additional Tags: One Shot, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Tenderness, Caretaking, Heart-to-Heart, Canon Compliant, Supportive HUSBAND Matt Casey, Sometime Post 12x06 Summary:

To say Sylvie is surprised by today’s turn of events would be an overstatement. Did she hope she left these sort of occurrences behind in Chicago? Yes. Did she think she really had? No.

So, no, she wasn’t surprised when she looked up and saw a car heading straight toward the ambo just a few hours into her fourth ever shift with Portland FD.

They just parked at a vehicle accident. Her partner had already stepped out of the driver’s side, but just as Sylvie reached for her door handle a car came speeding out of opposing traffic and rammed the ambo head on. Sending the ambo backwards into the existing vehicle accident.

#brettsey #sylvie brett #matt casey #matt casey x sylvie brett #chicago fire #my fic #angellwings writes

[alittlextrathatway]

Line: "These kind of wounds they last and they last." Location: kitchen

While I'm on an AU streak, lets do another.

***

She was the last person he expected to see tonight.

It's been years since he last saw her.

Being traded to Vegas was the death knell of their relationship. The distance killed them slowly, but the second he moved he should've seen it coming.

Still, he loved her too much to give her up without a fight -- until it was clear he wasn't making her happy. Until she asked him for space. He did what she asked and they haven't talked since.

He's out bonding with his new-yet-old team. He thought about calling her when he was traded back to Chicago but he didn't want to disrupt her life. She broke up with him, after all.

Sylvie spots him, despite his attempt to lay low by crouching over his drink at the bar. He doesn't hear her gasp, but he can see the way her shoulders lift and her chest expands. She looks like she's seen a ghost. Hell, maybe she has. The ghost of a relationship past.

Since he's been seen, he waves and smiles sheepishly. Wordlessly, he apologizes for interrupting her night and he hopes she understands. Her shellshocked expression melts into a fond smile as she returns his wave. The look in her eyes is one of empathy and nostalgia. She knows this run in wasn't intentional because she knows him better than that.

They don't move toward each other, don't try to speak. It's enough for now to acknowledge they exist in the same city again. He watches her pull her phone out of her pocket and tap out a text. A few seconds later, his phone pings with an alert.

He glances down and grins at the familliar number lighting up his screen and the words staring back at him.

"Chicago's missed you."

"I've missed Chicago too," he types out in response. He hopes she reads what he really means to say.

"Coffee?"

This club only has drinks and it's well after one in the morning. She can't mean now, can she? "When?"

"Now. I know a place and I’d love to catch up."

What else can he say but yes?

Thirty minutes later he ends up sitting at her kitchen table, a cup of decaf coffee in his hands.

"I was worried you'd be pissed at me when I first saw you at that club tonight," he says, holding her stare and trying to read every gesture or expression she makes.

"Why?" She asks, settling back in her chair, raising her mug to her lips without taking a sip. "You weren't the problem, Matt. The circumstances were."

"The circumstances wouldn't have been a problem if it weren't for hockey -- for my career. It's not a wound I inflicted, but it's still a wound, Sylvie, and I've felt it every day since I left."

"Me too," she confesses, setting the mug back down. "Those kind of wounds, they last. I thought breaking up would make it easier, but it only made everything harder."

"It did?"

She nods, lowering her eyes for the first time since they sat down. "We both have wounds, Matt. You're not alone. All we can do now is let them go and start over."

"Start over," He repeats, hope filling him and spreading through the rest of his body. There's a lightness coming over him that he hasn't felt in years.

"If...if you want, I mean."

He reaches across the table, grabbing her hand and threading their fingers together. "I do, Sylvie. I want that."

She smiles, eyes misting over, and takes a deep centering breath. "Good. I was hoping you'd say that."

He never thought he'd get a second chance with her, but now that he is he won't take her for granted ever again.

#brettsey #sylvie brett #matt casey #chicago fire #furrynachosublime #prompt fic #my fic #angellwings writes

[alittlextrathatway]

Line: "I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home." Location: a friend's wedding.

Let’s go with rom-com style AU meet cute.

***

Destination weddings are awkward. At least Sylvie thinks so. She doesn’t know many of Joe’s friends. Joe and Otis have been like her brothers since college. They were there for her in a pinch after Harrison kicked her out of their apartment and the three of them have looked out for each other ever since.

They don’t see each other in person as often as they want, but they make time for group FaceTimes at least once a week. Joe’s soon-to-be wife has become one of Sylvie’s best friends. Chloe is amazing and perfect for Joe. Otis thinks so too. She’s been a refreshing addition to their weekly calls.

Sylvie’s excited to hang out with her in person. As a bridesmaid, she’ll have plenty of opportunity. Her plane hits the ground and stops at the jetway. She immediately stands, opening the overhead compartment to retrieve her garment bag. Sacrificing checking a bag for her dress was a no brainer. Everything in her luggage can be replaced. The dress cannot.

As she turns toward the aisle to deplane, there’s a guy across from her who motions for her to go ahead. He’s also holding a garment bag.

“Thanks,” she says, smiling as she adjusts the shoulder strap on her tote.

“Sure,” he replies, nodding toward her garment bag and grinning. “I’m guessing you’re here for a wedding too?”

She chuckles, looking over her shoulder at him as she ambles forward. “Bridesmaid.”

“Groomsmen.”

“How many weddings do you think happen in Hawaii on any given day?” She asks. As she looks back at him again she finally takes a moment to catalogue his features.

He’s cute. Too cute. Dark blonde hair, blue eyes, well defined jaw. Adorable crinkles at the corners of his eyes when he smiles. There’s a fluttering in her stomach as his stare holds hers. He seems to be feeling it too, judging by the way his lips part and his breathing hitches. Getting caught up in him is easy. There’s no stopping it. She doesn’t even notice she’s stopped walking until the older lady behind her new crush clears her throat.

They break the eye contact at the sound and he finally answers her joking question. “At least a couple dozen. I’d be shocked at anything less than that.”

She steps further down the aisle as she responds. “That’s a lot of weddings.”

“It’s paradise. Who doesn’t want to get married in paradise?”

“Fair point.”

Once they’re back in the airport and there’s no risk of them holding anyone up, they stop to face each other.

“I’m Matt,” he says holding out his hand for a shake.

She accepts, squeezing gently. Her hand fits perfectly in his. She doesn’t remember ever noticing how her hand fit with anyone else’s before, but she notices with Matt. “Sylvie.”

Reluctantly, they release hands. At least she can be sure she’s not the only one feeling whatever is they’re feeling. “Nice to meet you, Sylvie. You mind if I walk with you to baggage claim?”

“Don’t mind at all.”

“So, where did you fly in from?” He asks as they walk.

“Wisconsin. You?”

“Chicago.”

“Oh, I love Chicago,” she tells him, hopping slightly in her next step. “I’ve always wanted to live there.”

In fact, Joe and Otis are trying to help her do just that. There’s an open paramedic position in the CFD. She applied for it yesterday. It’s a long shot, but Milwaukee was never where she saw herself in the long term. It was just her only guaranteed way to avoid moving back home after college. She loves her family, but back then she wouldn’t have been able to handle being that close to Harrison again.

“Have you ever visited?” Matt asks.

“No, but I plan to. My best friends live there. They’ve been promising me a tour for years.”

“It’s a great town. My favorite town, actually.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you live there then.”

Matt laughs, Sylvie loves the sound of his laugh. She can’t explain it, but she gets the impression he’s not the type to laugh often enough. If she were in his life, she’d make sure he laughed at least once a day.

They make it to baggage claim, where chaos awaits them. Their bags showed up at the carousel early and there’s already a mad scramble for bags and cabs. There’s no more time to chat but they try to help each other spot their bags. Matt’s never comes around. She would wait with him, but Chloe’s expecting her for a brunch with the other bridesmaids.

She’s not ready to say goodbye yet, but they don’t seem to have much of a choice.

“I should go talk to the airline about my bag.” He sounds frustrated. It should be because of his suitcase, but for some reason she’s not sure that’s why.

“Of course. I should get going anyway. I’ve got a lunch I can’t be late for.” She bites back a disappointed sigh as she rests her hand on the handle of her rolling bag. “I hope they find your suitcase.”

“Me too.” He steps closer, meeting her eyes. There’s a pause and his lips move as if he wants to say more. The words that come out of his mouth, don’t match the yearning look on his face. “It was nice to meet you, Sylvie. You made even the stress of lost luggage a little bit better.”

She chuckles and blushes slightly. “I’m not sure that’s true. But thank you.”

She waits for him to ask for her number or give her any sign he wants to stay in touch, but as the silence stretches on awkwardness descends. Matt fidgets and clears his throat. A clear sign the moment is over.

Oh well, it was a fun fantasy while it lasted. She waves, unable to stop her sadness from effecting the gesture, and then turns her back on him and walks away.

She finds a car and makes it to her hotel just in time to change for lunch. As she’s heading out the door, Chloe calls to tell her they’ve had a slight change in plan. The morning has been difficult and Chloe needs a little time to distress so they’re combining the bridesmaid’s brunch with the groomsmen’s late lunch.

Fine by Sylvie, she’d like to destress too. Maybe find some fancy Hawaiian sweets to drown her disproportionate sadness in. She doesn’t even know Matt so why does she care that he didn’t ask for her number? She’s never going to see him again. Why is she so bummed?

A couple of hours later, she meets the bridal party in the restaurant, determined to erase Matt from her memory.

Besides, being reunited with Joe and Otis is more important anyway. They see her as she walks into the dining room and come running. She squeals as they sandwich her in bear hugs, lifting her off the ground.

“You’re here!” Otis exclaims.

Joe yanks her away from Otis for his own solo hug. “Thank god. I need someone to use as a buffer for his geek speak.”

“Hey!” Otis says, glaring at him as he links his arm through Sylvie’s and pulls her out of Joe’s arms. “Don’t be that guy who can’t let people enjoy things!”

“Boys!” Chloe yells. “Chill. Give the woman a minute to get a word in.”

“Believe me,” Sylvie tells Chloe as she leaves her best friend’s behind to hug the bride. “I’m used to it. Congrats! I’m so happy the wedding is finally here!”

“Oh my god, me too. I’m ready to have it over and done,” Chloe confesses. “Also, I am dying to introduce you to some of the guy’s from Joe’s firehouse. There’s one in particular that I am certain you’re gonna hit it off with—“

“Chloe,” Joe said sternly.

“Don’t ‘Chloe’ me. I’m right and you know I’m right.” Chloe’s grip on Sylvie’s hand tightens as the door to the restaurant can be heard swinging open behind them. “Oh my god, speak of the devil! Casey! You made it!”

“By the skin of my teeth,” the familiar voice says with a huff. “My suitcase is officially a lost cause.”

Sylvie tenses, eyes widening to the size of saucers. She turns slowly, knowing exactly who she’ll find in when she stops.

He freezes too, grinning slowly as he recognizes her. The relief in his eyes is crystal clear, as is the apology on his face. She wonders what he intends to apologize for exactly.

“Casey, meet Sylvie. She’s Joe and Otis’s college roommate.”

“Casey?” Sylvie asks warily.

“My last name,” he explains. “But feel free to call me Matt.”

“Wow, first name basis already,” Chloe says. “I knew you two would hit it off. That’s why I paired you to walk down the aisle together. It’s gonna be great.”

“Yeah,” Matt says, sweeping his gaze over the length of her. “I think so too.”

Oh, she’s in so much trouble.

Joe, Otis, and Chloe walk back toward their tables and leave Sylvie and Matt to chat.

Matt immediately hands her his phone. “I forgot to ask you for your number earlier. I’m sorry. You won’t believe how stupid I felt after you walked away. It should’ve been the first thing I did once we got off that plane.”

At his apology, her sadness from earlier vanishes. She knew she wasn’t misreading him! He does like her!

She beams at him and nods her agreement as she takes his phone and starts to create a contact for herself. “Yeah, you screwed that one up for sure.”

He laughs nervously and runs a hand through his hair. “Sorry again. I’ll find some way to make it up to you. I promise.”

For some reason, she believes him. He really will make it up to her.

#brettsey #sylvie brett #matt casey #matt casey x sylvie brett #furrynachosublime #prompt fic #my fic #angellwings writes