Work Text:
1
“Shay, you’re in my spot, move.”
“Sorry, Mouch, I can’t, Pouch is sleeping. If I stand, it’ll wake her up. You don’t want that, do you?”
Mouch looked down at the dog, considering it, but she looked so peaceful sleeping there with her head on Shay’s lap, and Severide petting her back. He had more trouble than he liked to admit saying no to that face. He groaned and turned around, thinking he might go read on his bed or something. There probably wasn’t anything good on TV at the moment anyway, right?
“We’re really sorry, Mouch,” Shay called to his back.
“Don’t talk so loud, if you wake her, I’m taking my spot back.”
He shook his head and walked away. Pouch and him were supposed to be on the couch together and now she was just aiding and abating others to steal his place, unbelievable.
2
“I thought you were my friend,” Mouch said when he entered the room to find Christopher sitting in his spot on the couch one day.
“Hey, don’t blame me, she was making eyes at me, begging me to come pet her, what was I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know, maybe sit on the other side? Or on the coffee table?”
“It’s too late now, she fell asleep. You’ll have to sit on the other side.”
Mouch gave him a stare and resigned himself to sit at the other end of the couch.
“This just feels wrong,” he said, looking around.
Everything looked different from this side, and his path to the truck wasn’t as optimal. He reached out and petted Pouch. That dog kept stealing his spot on the couch, but at least she was cute and soft.
3
"No, absolutely not. No candidates on my couch, Dawson, get up."
"But Pouch just fell asleep, if I go, it'll wake her up."
"Alright, enough with that excuse. You're not a paramedic anymore, you're a candidate and that will not fly, scram."
"Fine."
Dawson gently pushed Pouch off of her and stood. Then Mouch took back his seat, letting out a deep sigh of contentment. Pouch woke up, a low bark escaping her. She looked around, confused and seeming slightly bothered by her sudden state.
"See what you did?" Dawson said, pointing at the dog. "Poor thing."
"Hey, she can sleep all the time, an alarm will probably wake her up again any minute," Mouch said. He looked down at Pouch's face and took pity on her. Too hard a face to resist. He petted her and got her to rest her head in his lap. "I'm sorry, girl, here, sleep on me, you'll be more comfortable, more meat on my bones."
Dawson rolled her eyes at him and joined Herrmann and Otis at the table.
4
“Captain Casey?”
“Mouch, I’m sorry, I just sat down for a second, to tie my shoe, and Tuesday came and she made those eyes at me. Have you seen that face she has? Hard to resist. And then she fell asleep.”
Casey was the first one who genuinely seemed to feel bad about this. Mouch could see him try to move without waking up the dog. He was failing and it was kinda funny to watch. The entire thing was surprising and out of the ordinary.
“I expect this from everyone else, but not from you.”
“I know, I know.”
“But you are the captain, I guess you deserve time on the couch.”
“No, Mouch, I would never…”
“I mean, you are getting older after all, soon enough, you won’t be able to pull off all those impressive stunts anymore and you’ll just be one of us older guys that people keep doubting the abilities of.”
Herrmann was passing by and stopped by Mouch’s side when he heard what he was saying, nodding along. Mouch gave a few taps on Casey’s shoulder in a supportive manner.
“Better get used to the couch, Captain, because one day, not as far as you think, you might take on the Mouch mantel.”
“Oh yeah, and I’m sure my good friend Randy will be very proud to pass it on to you,” Herrmann added.
“Very funny, guys,” Casey stood, with an apologetic pet on Tuesday’s head for waking her up. “I’ll go catch up on paperwork now.”
He left. Mouch and Herrmann sat on either side of Tuesday on the couch, both laughing a little. It felt nice, little moments like these. They needed those in between calls, to make this job and its 24-hour shifts easier.
5
“No, no, no, you get off my couch, now.”
Mouch hadn’t expected to come back to the firehouse after a call, wanting nothing more than a shower and some time to relax on his couch, and find people sitting there.
“But Tuesday just fell asleep,” Sylvie said, adding her sad puppy face to it to guilt him. “We can’t go.”
“How did that excuse spread around? Who told people they could use that to disrespect my hard earned spot on this couch?”
“Oh, come on, Mouch,” Joe said, comfortably installed at the other end of the couch, “don’t you think you’re making too big a deal of this. Just exaggerating a little bit?”
“You think this is the first time this happened? Shay used that excuse first, with Pouch. Otis saw Dawson use it, he probably told you about it and you told Brett.”
“I promise you, Mouch, no one told me about any of this. You were out on a call so I sat down, and Tuesday came for pets. She fell asleep, probably waiting for you to come back.”
“Yeah, nice story. I’m hitting the showers now and when I get back, this couch better be empty or I will make you empty it. You hear me?”
“Understood,” Sylvie answered, badly stifling a laugh.
Mouch shook his head and walked towards the showers.
+1
It was a slow day. Not that Mouch would ever say so, he probably shouldn’t even think it. He was sitting on his couch, watching TV and dozing off. The others were spread around the firehouse; some catching up on some sleep, some cleaning, some playing cards, all sorts of things. Tuesday came by asking for attention and Mouch was happy to give it to her.
“Come on up, girl. It’s way more comfortable up here than it is on that floor.”
He patted the cushion next to him and she jumped up and curled up against him, taking full advantage of Mouch’s warmth. And if he was being honest, he was doing the same. It felt so good to feel her there, always happy to see him and so easy to be around. He petted her and she slowly closed her eyes and let her head rest in his lap. His own eyes closed too.
It was his turn to have a dog fall asleep on his lap here, the others had used the excuse enough and now he got to live it. And maybe he was falling asleep too, but if Tuesday needed rest from lying around all morning, Mouch deserved some too after running drills. The two of them made a great pair, a well rested pair.