Work Text:
Shelter
Matt leaned his aching head on his arms, blocking out the light and sound from the rest of the station. His door was closed, with the blinds shut which was not normal for him; he was usually always available to help anyone, a door open kind of policy with his men if they needed him.
His eyes stung, nose running and a cough building in his chest. He’d been coming down with something since yesterday, but he couldn’t take time off from work, it was too important, he couldn't let his men down nor the chief.
Kelly was out on a call so he was less likely to be noticed as his men knew not to ask questions, well unless they felt he would be a danger to others which is what they instigated since Severide’s injury. They had to know that each of them was well enough to be here given what they do.
So here he was, hiding out, hoping no one would notice that there was anything wrong with him, he’d been given odd looks at a call earlier. They had a few hours of shift left, maybe he could sleep some of this off before then, otherwise Severide would know there was something wrong with him.
He’d only had a headache and the start of a sore throat when they’d woken up this morning in bed together. Now he felt like hell, his eye’s started closing of their own accord when his office door banged open.
“Casey,” Matt jumped up suddenly at Boden’s voice, attempting to stand to attention but swayed, dangerously close to collapsing. His vision going dark around the edges, heartbeat pounding through his ears muffling any sound. “Matt? Can you hear me?” Boden was holding him by his shoulders, having leant him against the desk he’d been sitting at.
Boden had been surprised when he’d found the young lieutenant’s door closed, he knew that he liked to be available to his men and had been worried that Matt had been more quiet than usual today. He hadn’t however, been prepared for how pale the man was and him nearly passing out.
“Chief?” He sounded awful, eyes a little glassy, and he could feel his temperature through his work shirt. He didn't understand how he'd gotten sick so quickly.
“You’re out,“ Casey looked as if he was about to protest so Boden held his hand up stopping the younger man from responding, “Matt, you can barely stand without getting dizzy, just rest until the end of shift, get Kelly to drive you home and and take next shift off if you need to.”
Matt smiled at that; Boden knew they were together and didn’t care one bit as long as they kept it off shift. It had been a couple of months after Andy had passed that they realised all the fighting they'd been doing was just fear turned outwards, fear of losing more but actually loved each other and had done for a while. They’d had moments in the last 6 months where they weren’t sure they were going to make it; between Kelly’s explosive emotions and Matt’s fears of being inadequate, but they balanced each other nicely and were stronger for it.
“Ok, Chief.”
Boden left, closing the door gently and Casey lay down on his bunk waiting for the end of the shift.
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A few hours later Kelly walked into his boyfriend’s quarters quietly, the chief had told him that Matt was sick enough that even he'd told him to rest until they could go home. He’d thought as much but you can’t tell Matt Casey anything, he had to get there himself or he’ll fight back and deny everything. He found it equal parts frustrating and endearing; shaking his head he knelt down next to Matt, stroking the sweaty blonde locks off his forehead.
“Ahh Matty, what am I going to do with you?” His voice soft, worrying a little at the heat radiating from him.
Casey stirred at Kelly’s touch, “Kel?”
“Yeah, babe, shall we get you home?” Matt flushed, whether from hearing the fondness in Kelly’s voice or his fever, Kelly wasn’t sure, but it had always looked adorable on Matt.
“Don’t wanna move.” Kelly chuckled; Matt tended to turn into a stroppy teenager when he was unwell. “Come on, you know you’ll be more comfortable at home.”
Huffing, Casey started to sit up, part way to sitting he started to cough roughly, shaking his frame. Kelly sat behind him as much as he could in the small awkward space they had and rubbed Matt’s back until the coughing stopped, he grabbed for water next to Casey’s bunk and handed it to him along with some Tylenol that he kept in his pocket, knowing Matt wouldn’t have taken anything.
Resting back against Kelly’s shoulder, Matt felt awful now and had started with the chills. Moving his legs to the floor took more effort than it should have, now sitting side by side Matt worried about people coming in to find them. He fidgeted and tried to move away slightly.
“Hey, calm down, they already know.” Sometimes when Matt had a fever, he would become anxious if it was bad enough, “You’re okay, nothing is going to happen, I promise.” But Casey just looked confused, blue eyes clouded with sickness and fear.
Taking a deep calming breathe, he had to keep the anger off his face; he really wanted to punch Matt’s parents in the face for the fear they drove into their own flesh and blood. It hurt him to know that they never looked after him when he was sick and even tore into him for getting sick in the first place; typically because if he was sick, he couldn’t do what they wanted him to. Leaving him to fend for himself through pain and sickness as Christie had been the favourite child.
“Come on Matty, let’s go home, get some soup into you and get you feeling better.” He wrapped his arms around the slimmer man and heaved them both up together, having to tighten his hold when Matt sagged a little.
He could hear Matt mumbling next to him, he didn’t need to hear what he said to know.
Sorry, sorry, sorry…
“It’s okay Matt, I promise.” He hoped one day his reassurances would be enough so that his mind didn’t automatically go there, but he also knew it would take time. They could work on it together. Grabbing Matt’s jacket from the back of the door he threw it over his shoulders- as it was cold outside and lead them through the firehouse ignoring the knowing looks from the rest of them, they all knew that Kelly would take care of his boy.
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It took about twenty minutes to get home; Kelly had been distracted the whole way, making sure that Matt was resting and wasn’t feeling too sick given that he got car sick when he was otherwise unwell. Sighing, he hated seeing Matt sick, mostly because it was a stark reminder of how Matt hadn’t been looked after, no comforts, no soft soothing words from a parent that loved him. Thankfully, they had all the ingredients to make Matt’s favourite soup as he’d picked the stuff up for them the other day, he always tried to have it on hand because there wasn’t a lot Matt had shared, even given how long they’d known each other as just friends, never mind as a couple.
He’d been taking mental notes of all the things he seemed to like, even just a little bit, if that made him sappy or the ‘girl’ in the relationship like they joked about he honestly couldn’t give a damn. He planned on making Matt as happy as he could, and he knew Matt was doing the same for him and would in the future when he would inevitably become sick himself. Parking the car in his usual spot next to Matt’s truck, he half expected Matt to get out himself as soon as his door opened, as he was a light sleep most of the time. He worried slightly when he got to Matt’s side, and he was still sleeping, limbs shivering, beads of sweat clinging to his forehead.
“Hey, come on bud, let’s get you up,” He lightly shook his boy’s shoulder, “Come on, before I have to carry you bridal style.” He laughed outright when Matt woke up immediately and glared at him.
“Ass.” His voice rough, Matt blinked bleary at Kelly and pushed himself out the car. If possible, he felt worse that he had at the station. His body was full of aching muscles, shivers and a relentless headache.
Stumbling a bit, the hair on the back of his neck raised, looking around he felt as if he were being watched, He jumped a little when Kelly grabbed his arm, looking at his boyfriend’s worried features as if he’d just said something and was waiting for a response. “Huh?”
“Case, I think we need to take you to the hospital, just looking at you I can tell the fever is worse and that’s after the Tylenol.” Kelly bit his lip, one of his anxious traits that Matt had told him about, but Matt thought was adorable.
“No.”
His tone was final, eyes pleading and Kelly couldn’t do anything against that look no matter how much he wanted to.
“Fine, but if you start talking gibberish and hallucinating fully, I’m taking you in no questions asked,” Matt nodded very briefly which was a surprise in itself, “Now come on, lets go inside before we freeze to death.”
Holding on to each other, they made it up to their apartment, where Kelly manhandled Matt into some soft pyjamas, then to the sofa. He also wrapped a plush deep blue blanket around him and told him to rest after giving him some water, Matt’s eyelids were closing as Kelly placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before heading to the kitchen.
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Kelly was happy that Matt was sleeping soundly, sometimes when he’d gotten ill before the start of their relationship, he tended to have nightmares bought on by the high temperatures. He was hoping it wouldn’t take too long for him to feel better, they’d planned a few things the next weekend they had off which was about a week away. They were going to escape the city for a bit and spend some quality time together, they would most likely spend a good chunk of it in bed.
The timer that he’d set surprised him out of his distracted thoughts. Turning off the damned thing he stirred the pot and turned it down to low to keep it warm.
He watched his partner sleep for a few minutes just feeling the love he held for him; it was stronger than anything he remembered feeling for anyone else. Matt looked very young while asleep without the stressors of his life and history. He’d grabbed a pillow at some point while cooking and placed it under Matt’s head when he’s slid down the sofa earlier and didn’t want him to wake up with a sore neck on top of the illness he already had.
Kneeling down next to the sofa, he brushed his hand through Matt’s blonde hair ignoring the damp feel because it didn’t really matter, he just needed to comfort him and feel helpful.
“Hey sleepy head, you need to wake up for me.”
Matt felt a hand brushing through his hair and nuzzled into it a little for safety, he’d know that hand anywhere. He still couldn’t believe that they were together most days given how this had all started and how angry they had been, but he was glad they were here now.
Sev always seemed to know how to help him through things and always took care of him and it was a bit of a revelation if he was honesty. At first, he didn’t know what he had missed as a child but now that he had it, he craved it; it made him feel stupid for craving something that he shouldn’t need at his age, but he also didn’t want it to end and Kelly seemed happy enough to give it.
“Earth to Matty, come in Matty.” Kelly’s smile was bright and loving, he wasn’t worried though this time. Sometimes this would happen with Matt, he’d be so overwhelmed that someone loved him that he’d get this look on his face where he’d look a little lost. Like he wasn’t expecting any kind of kindness, never mind love.
“Sev.” He voice was still quiet, but he could tell that the fever had settled as his bright blue eyes were clear. Kelly took up Matt’s hand and helped him sit up. When Kelly moved away Matt wouldn’t let go of his hand causing Kelly to look back at him questioning what was happening as Matt’s eyes, while clear earlier, were now misty and sad which made no sense to him right that second.
“Hey, Matty, what’s going on?”
“Nothing….it’s just….nah, it’s stupid.” Matt looked down at their hands, worried that he would mess this up if he was too emotional about it, or maybe too damaged for someone to bother with him.
Severide kept hold of Casey’s hand and sat by him, leaning in close, placed his other on Matt’s face gently, brushed it against his cheek comfortingly.
“Nothing you have to say or feel here is stupid, I’m not going anywhere.” He could have sworn that he saw tears in Matt’s eyes but he blinked and they were gone.
“Just…thanks for looking after me when you don’t have to.”
Kelly sighed at little, “You don’t have to thank me Matt, I want to look after you, we’re in this together you and me.” Kelly leaned in further and placed a chaste kiss to Matt’s lips, Matt smiled a little once they pulled back but still breathing each other in.
“I’ll make you sick Kel.”
Severide chuckled, “Nah, now you’d better let me go before lunch burns.”
Casey lets him go, feeling overwhelmed at how much Severide showed he cared, not that he didn’t at work but at home it was like he was freer with his emotions, likely because they had to remain calm in their jobs and in control. Matt struggled expressing his emotions, but he was getting better at it.
Kelly came back a few minutes later with bowls filled with steaming soup, taking a deep breathe in, Matt could smell something familiar and was shocked when he felt a tear creep down his face, damn his emotions were all screwed up.
“Kel, how did you?”
Kelly winked at him, a sneaky look on his face, “I have my ways Matty.”
Sat in front of Matt was homemade chicken noodle soup, something that had been a favourite since he’d found a recipe for it in the academy, back when things were far simpler for them. He took a tentative taste and it was like he was melting at how loved he felt at this moment, he settled into the sofa with Kelly by his side.
“I love you, Kel.”
“ I love you too, Matty”
And they both smirked at each other, both thinking how ridiculously sappy they were being.
But they were happy and planned to stay that way, no matter what happened in the future.
End