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Severide has been thinking about how to get Casey back since he had the boys wake Severide up on his birthday by jumping on him in bed and giving him his favorite Molly’s Cupcake – Samoa, which is a lot like the Girl Scout cookie. It’d been delicious and apparently, he’d gone the day before and hid all of their favorites (Griffin – Cookie Monster, Ben – Cookies N Cream, and Casey – Brownie Batter) from him.
Still, they both had this thing about not celebrating birthdays, so now, he has to get him back for that.
The problem is that he doesn’t want Casey to see it coming which is why he’s only been talking about it with Squad, but he shouldn’t be surprised when it reaches Truck’s ears, especially since he knows how the firehouse rumor mill works.
And he’s even less surprised when not even an hour after Herrmann and Mouch tease him about how trying to embarrass his ‘boyfriend’ for his birthday is not a good way to keep him (which made him roll his eyes and go to his quarters), that Casey pops in and says, “So, I hear you’re up to something,” as he tosses himself on Severide’s bed.
“Up to something?” he questions, not looking back at him as he focuses on his paperwork.
“Yeah, I heard a rumor that you were trying to embarrass me for my birthday because I bought you a cupcake.”
“I heard a rumor that we’re dating … does that make it true?” Severide teases.
Suddenly, he gets a pillow to the head, which causes him to turn and glare at him as he playfully yells, “What’s with you and always throwing pillows at me?”
“I know you’re up to something and rumor has it –”
“You can’t trust firehouse rumors, Case,” Severide retorts, hitting him in the stomach with the pillow. “You should know that by now.”
Casey huffs, propped up on his elbows and glaring, somewhat playfully, at him. “You really want to play this game with me?”
He throws the pillow back at him. “Yeah, I think I do. It’s your fault – you started this!”
“It was one fucking cupcake!”
The pillow flies again, though Severide catches it this time. Throwing it back quickly, hitting Casey in the face.
“And you forced me to celebrate – so now, you get to, too.”
Before Casey can retort, the alarm blares calling them both into action.
***
“You’re not really going to plot something for my birthday, are you?” Casey asks as he leans against the counter next to their stove, watching Severide cook dinner.
Severide grins as he stirs the sauce for their dinner. “I just think that you wanted me to celebrate, so now you should celebrate.”
“All I did was let the boys pick out some cupcakes and jump on our bed,” Casey retorts. “They wanted you to celebrate.”
“And pizza.”
“Yeah, pizza, too, but you can’t have cupcakes for dinner,” he says, rolling his eyes.
“I think the boys would argue otherwise.”
Casey scoffs. “Yeah, okay, we’re taking dinner advice from children.”
Severide laughs. “I didn’t say they’re right, just that they would argue it.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And anyway, if the boys want me to celebrate than they should want you to celebrate, too.”
Casey gives him an annoyed look. “I don’t really need to –”
“I didn’t need to, either,” Severide counters. “I was perfectly happy ignoring my birthday for years, but you went and changed that. And if you’re going to do it for me, I could at least take you out to dinner.”
Casey rolls his eyes. “Fine, but only if you end the rumor that I like to start pillow fights.”
Severide laughs. “That rumor might not exist if you stopped whacking me with pillows all the time.”
“I don’t whack you with pillows all the time.”
“You constantly hit me with pillows!”
“Only when you say ridiculous things!”
“All I did earlier was point out that you can’t trust firehouse rumors.”
“Because you were trying to lie to me about being up to something when we both knew that you were – are – up to something,” Casey retorts.
Severide throws him a grin. “It can’t be a birthday surprise if I tell you the truth – that requires lies.”
Casey rolls his eyes. “Just don’t embarrass me too much.”
“I would never.”
“Lies.”
***
Casey suspects that Severide’s up to something when he offers to take the boys to see the various attractions in the restaurant. Rather than pizza, the boys wanted to go to the Rainforest Café because it has all the fake animals moving and making noise to feel like a real rainforest, and Casey was happy with anything.
But when they’re gone for longer than he expected and their return includes giddy grins and Severide smirking, he knows Severide did something.
“What did you do?” Casey questions, but before Severide can answer, he hears someone yell, “VOLCANOOO,” and realizes exactly what Severide did.
The boys and Severide are grinning and clapping as their server and several others bring it to him / them and sing Happy Birthday. He covers his face with his hands, embarrassed, as even the tables around them join in.
The Volcano is a tower of rich chocolate cake and brownies with an ice cream scoop on top and a sparkler coming out of the top to simulate an exploding volcano. It’s very large and comes with caramel, fudge and candy rocks.
As the singing stops, the server hands them four spoons to enjoy it together.
It takes another minute or so before people turn back to their own tables as they dig in.
“You just had to embarrass me,” Casey teases, maybe a little pleased. Though, the dessert is good as he takes a bite of cake and ice cream.
Severide grins. “That’s half the fun of birthdays, Case.”
Casey rolls his eyes as Ben asks, “It’s so good, right?”
“It’s absolutely awesome, buddy, right, Case?”
Casey hums around his bite. “It is really good.”
“Worth a little teasing?” Severide asks, eyes twinkling.
He can see the boys looking at him with big, hopeful eyes. They really seem to love making their parents happy.
“Absolutely,” he says giving them and Severide a grin. “Totally worth it.”
They both cheer, and Severide gives him a pleased grin. “Good.”
***
It’s when they’re at home and the boys are in bed that Casey tells him, “You are so not allowed to share whatever picture or video you took tonight.”
Severide laughs as he moves to his side of the bed and pulls the blanket back. “Oh, really, because I was absolutely planning to show the guys tomorrow.”
“Don’t you dare – you embarrassed me enough.”
“But you had fun, right?”
Casey nods, unable to resist smiling as he gets into bed. “It was kind of nice, I haven’t really even remembered my birthday for years.”
“Yeah, me either,” Severide admits. “But it was kind of fun seeing how excited the boys were about it.”
Casey hums. “So, if I buy you a cupcake next year, you’re not going to embarrass me again, are you?”
“Of course I am, do you know me at all?” Severide teases.
Casey rolls his eyes and turns out the bedside light. “Guess that means that I have to up my game next year.”
“You know you’ll have a harder time embarrassing me than I will you, right?”
“I’m sure I could come up with something.”
Severide laughs. “We’ll see about that.”
“Yeah, we will.”