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“Are we there yet?” Robin called from the backseat of the fire engine.
“For the tenth time Buckley, nearly,” Hopper replied through gritted teeth.
“Maybe if gramps drove a little faster,” Billy muttered.
“Who are you calling gramps?” Dmitri replied indignantly from the driver’s seat, as Hopper turned to glare at Billy. “This is as fast as the old girl will go.”
The Hawkins fire crew had been called to assist at an enormous bush fire outside Bloomington. It was a few hours drive away, and they’d been told to pack a bag and be prepared to stay for several days. Eddie had been a little annoyed, having been looking forward to spending every spare moment with Steve in their new house, but it was a little exciting to be going somewhere new.
And anyway, Steve was sitting next to him. Where he went, Eddie followed.
They could smell the fire long before they reached it – the cloying stench of smoke clogging up the ancient air con until Dmitri smacked at the buttons on the dash.
On arrival, they waited while Hopper spoke to another fire chief on scene, and they were directed to the front where several fire breaks had been cut in the nearby long grass to try and slow the advance of the flames. The hot air was broiling, and a strong wind sapped any moisture from the air. Eddie was quickly coughing on the smoke gripping his lungs, Steve following suit but still patting Eddie gently on the back.
“Careful everyone, stick together and watch your backs, this is a nasty one,” Hopper was telling them as they unreeled their hoses.
Eddie had never seen a fire this big. The bush fire they’d fought in Hawkins last year was small fry in comparison. The smoke was turning the sky dark, the day seeming much later than early afternoon. Steve was looking at him wide eyed as they dragged the hoses towards the front line of firefighters stretched far as the eye could see.
For hours, they battled the advancing flames. Eddie’s arms had long since gone numb from the weight of the hose, soot making his eyes run even behind his visor. Every so often, Hopper would tap one of them on the back and send them to the truck for some water and a few minutes respite, but other than that there was no end in sight. Eddie noticed Steve shake his head every time Hopper came to him, refusing to leave his post even for a moment.
Eddie was going to bring that up with his boyfriend sometime.
But right now, they had an inferno to fight.
The wind had pushed the flames to the edge of the firebreak, the thin yellow line of firefighters doing their best to hold it there. Eddie saw Steve out of the corner of his eye stamping out sparks as they jumped the bare patch of grass, killing the tiny flickers before they could catch and spread.
As evening arrived, the wind grew suddenly stronger and began to blow from the west.
Eddie could hear Hopper yelling something urgently, turned his head to try and listen, but the crackle of the flames and the roaring wind was drowning out his words.
He looked to where Hopper was gesturing wildly.
Steve.
Steve and Robin were off to Eddie’s right, a little further ahead of them. There had been another crew beside them, but they were quickly back peddling and abandoning their position as the wall of fire advanced forwards at a dizzying rate, fueled by the wind.
With the loss of the other crews and their hoses, Steve and Robin were instantly vulnerable.
The flames leapt towards them, Steve rapidly twisting the nozzle of his hose to the widest setting, the spray spreading out like a shield in front of him while he stepped back steadily and shoved Robin behind him.
“Steve!” Eddie yelled, panic gripping him.
Hopper was running to the pair, hose on full blast as he did his best to beat back the flames long enough for them to retreat.
Eddie grit his teeth, his heart hammering as he watched the scene play out. Billy and Dmitri were to his left, and if Eddie left his spot to help Steve and Robin, he’d leave his friends exposed just as Steve and Robin had been.
Flames were licking at Steve’s hose, the water only just keeping them at bay as they staggered backwards, Robin with one hand fisted in the back of Steve’s coveralls, keeping him upright as he focused on the fire.
Eddie stepped back in time with Dmitri and Billy, all three of them with their heads craned to the right in terror for their friends.
And then Hopper had them, his hose adding to Steve’s and turning away the flames.
As quickly as they could without tripping, the three of them retreated across the firebreak and joined the rest of the line of firefighters.
Eddie let out the enormous breath he’d been holding and continued to step back in time with the others, forcing himself to ignore the urge to run to his boyfriend.
Finally, a fresh crew reached them, taking their places, and the Hawkins group was able to return to the truck.
“Steve!” Eddie tore his helmet off and ran to Steve, grabbing him by the arms. “Stevie, you ok?”
Steve nodded mutely, and Eddie could feel him shaking under his hands. Eddie looked to Robin who appeared equally as shell-shocked, but they were alive and here still.
“Steve, Buckley, you ok?” Hopper was asking, looking closely at his crew members.
“Yeah, Chief,” Robin forced out, hand still gripping the material of Steve’s coveralls. “That was a close one,” she added, the laugh that followed sounding hollow and nervous.
“Wait till I get my hands on that fucking crew,” Hopper growled out, already turning his head to look for the offending firefighters in the sea of bodies running around. “They left you high and dry out there, nearly got you killed.”
“They panicked,” Steve said quietly, “It’s alright, Chief, we’re ok.”
Hopper muttered something under his breath, not looking any calmer, and stormed off in the direction of the neighbouring fire chief.
Eddie would have pitied that chief if his crew hadn’t almost gotten his boyfriend and friend killed.
He took Steve by his gloved hand, went to tug him around behind the truck, but Steve flinched and pulled away.
“Stevie?” Eddie questioned worriedly.
“S’fine,” Steve waved him off.
“Steve…” Robin murmured, having noticed the same pinched expression on Steve’s face as Eddie had.
“Just my hand,” Steve mumbled, “Got a little burnt under the glove.”
“Let me have a look -” Eddie started, but Steve shook his head.
“It’s not bad, we can look later.”
Eddie opened his mouth to argue, but was interrupted by Hopper jogging back to them, waving them frantically back towards the truck.
“We’re backing up,” Hopper yelled, “We’ve lost this one, we’ll hold it at the next firebreak.”
And hold it they did.
After several more hours, the wind died off and the flames finally started to retreat under the hoses of eight fire crews and the help of a helicopter dumping water from overhead. Eddie had kept as close to Steve as he could and noticed how he was relying almost entirely on his left hand to hold the hose, his right resting on the nozzle. Every time Eddie tried to catch his eye, Steve would look away.
But finally, they were relieved, heading back to the nearest fire station to get changed and then to their accommodation in a motel for the night.
As soon as Steve sat himself down in the truck, Eddie was hovering over him and motioning for Steve’s hand.
Steve let him take it, let him ever-so-gently peel the blackened glove off, hissing as he did.
Eddie winced as he revealed angry red skin on the back of Steve’s hand, a few small blisters starting to form there.
“Steve…” Robin sucked in a breath next to him.
“It doesn’t hurt that much,” Steve insisted, “Just the flames got a little close, that’s all.”
Eddie knew now just how damn close they’d gotten. Their gloves were fire retardant, but even they wouldn’t always stop burns from a direct flame. The fire must’ve been licking at Steve’s hands even while he had his hose aimed at it, but he’d refused to let it past him to reach Robin.
“Steve, you injured?” Hopper asked, craning his neck in the passenger seat to look at him.
Steve tried to snatch his hand back from Eddie, but the latter gripped his wrist and held up the hand for Hopper to see.
Hopper’s jaw twitched as he studied it, and hell, Eddie knew that other crew was in deep shit.
“There’s a medic at the fire station checking the crews coming back. We’ll get that seen to,” Hopper told him.
Steve nodded, cradling his hand in his lap.
“And Steve?”
He glanced up, his eyes worried for a moment as if expecting admonishment. Eddie squeezed his knee.
“Good work,” Hopper told him, before returning his attention to the front window again.
A small smile played over Steve’s lips, and Eddie had to stop himself from leaning across and kissing it.
*****
Later, with the crew showered and Steve’s hand bandaged, they trudged into the motel. All of them looked about ready to drop, Steve keeping his good hand hovering behind Robin’s back, his friend exhausted and dragging her feet.
“We only got three rooms left,” the uninterested clerk was explaining to Hopper, “And they’re all double beds.”
Hopper’s face reddened in frustration.
Eddie braced himself for an explosion, felt Steve tense next to him.
“The accommodation should’ve been set up, we’re the Hawkins fire crew, we -” Hopper started, but the clerk interrupted with a sigh.
“You know how many goddamn fire crews I’m tryin’ to accommodate right now?” she said wearily, “Too damn many. If you like, you can drive twenty minutes down the road and try your luck at the next motel.”
Hopper clenched his jaw. Glanced at his bone-tired crew, then back to the bored-looking clerk. “We’ll take the double rooms,” he said through gritted teeth.
Robin had insisted she wasn’t sharing with anyone expect Steve, Eddie wasn’t about to leave his boyfriend, and Hopper had muttered that if he had to share with anyone then it was only going to be Dmitri.
Billy had shrugged, happily taking the final room to himself.
That was how Eddie ended up on the far-too-small couch, with Robin snoring in the bed, Steve lying beside her. Steve had tried to insist he take the couch but Eddie hadn’t allowed it, Steve was injured and Robin had loudly stated she’d take the other side of the bed to prevent any hanky panky she didn’t want to listen to that night.
And Eddie loved Robin, he did, but he wanted nothing more than to hold Steve close right now. Every time he closed his eyes he was back fighting that fire, watching the flames leap up and surround Steve, bearing down closer and closer until –
“Eddie,” Robin was whispering his name, her hand shaking his shoulder gently.
“Hmmm?” Eddie grunted, blinking his eyes open.
“You were crying in your sleep,” she explained quietly.
Eddie ran a hand over his face, surprised when it came away wet.
“Go see Steve,” Robin urged, “I’ll sleep here. Keep it PG though, you hear me?”
Her small smile took any sting out of her words, and Eddie nodded gratefully and made his way to the vacant side of the bed.
Steve was fast asleep, his mouth open slightly, and Eddie wrapped an arm over his waist and tucked himself close. With his face pressed to the back of Steve’s neck, his boyfriend warm and safe beside him, Eddie was finally able to sleep soundly.