→ BRETTSEY || Brett x Casey || CHICAGO FIRE || S03-S07 || Casey being an “unwilling” witness to all of Brett’s love life so far + being 100% done with other guys hitting on her.
Casey knew everyone else in the house hated when they drew night watch duty, but surprisingly he didn’t mind when his name came up on the roster. The house was such a busy place, and they practically lived in each other’s pockets for those three days a week they were on duty, that it was a relief when he finally got a moment to himself just to breathe.
It had been a restless kind of shift, the companies barely getting the chance to get back to the house before the bells were going off again, and most of them hadn’t bothered to take their turnout gear off all day. So when they’d finally gotten a break that evening, just about everyone had stopped to bolt down a quick dinner, then wandered off to the bunkroom to collapse onto a bed.
Which left Casey more than happy to settle on the couch - in Mouch’s spot no less - and flick through the TV channels. There wasn’t a lot on, so he settled on a Harry Potter marathon that was playing, even though they were halfway through what Casey thought was the third movie and he’d never seen the first and the second before. But the action kept him interested enough that he didn’t mind that he had no idea what they were talking about.
The quiet shuffle of footsteps announced someone’s approach and Casey fought the urge to let out an irritated sigh. That is until he saw the familiar blonde hair and sweet smile. Of all the people to still be awake it was the one he wouldn’t mind actually spending time with.
Sylvie smiled at him, oddly shy considering how close they’d gotten recently. “Do you mind if I join you?”
“Of course not,” he said, gesturing quickly to the spare space beside him, ignoring the quiet pang of disappointment when she settled down on the opposite end of the couch.
“I just know that it can be hard sometimes to get a moment to yourself in this place. I didn’t want to intrude.”
“You’re never an intrusion,” Casey promised her. “I’m surprised to see you awake though. I thought everyone crashed a while ago.”
“They did. I just…” she trailed off, before finishing with a self-conscious shrug, “... couldn’t sleep, I guess.”
Casey was pretty sure it was the letter from her birth mother that had been keeping her awake. Or rather the lack of letter. She’d built it all up in her head, he knew, thinking she was finally getting the answers she’d always wanted, only to have it snatched away again, replaced with another clue to follow, another chance to get hurt. As far as he knew Sylvie hadn’t decided yet what she was going to do with her birth mother’s address and he didn’t begrudge her that; she’d been dragged back into this unwillingly when her birth mother had reached out, and reading a letter and going to see her in person were two very different things. He sensed however that she didn’t want to talk about it so he didn’t push, choosing instead to just nod sympathetically.
“Besides,” Sylvie said a beat later, voice lighter. “I remembered there was a Harry Potter marathon running. And,” she added before glancing around faux-suspiciously. “I am a huge Harry Potter nerd. But don’t tell anyone.”
The news didn’t surprise Casey and he could easily imagine her devouring the books, the image warming his heart.
“Your secret’s safe with me,” he promised, smiling at her.
Sylvie grinned back at him, and they looked at each other for a long moment, something warm and comforting passing between them, before her cheeks turned faintly pink and they both turned back to the television, lapsing into silence to watch.
They were halfway through the fourth movie when Sylvie asked him what house he belonged to and Casey was forced to admit that not only did he not know what house he belonged to but that he actually hadn’t ever seen any of the movies before, nor had he read the books. Sylvie sat up suddenly on her knees bringing her slightly closer to Casey, and her horrified gasp - not faked in the slightest - was enough to make him grin even as she shook her head at him in disappointment.
“Well, there’s four you see,” she said and launched into a long winded explanation about the four houses using words Casey vaguely remembered from the film that had gone over his head.
“Okay so what house are you?” he asked when she was finished.
“Hufflepuff definitely. They’re the friendly yellow ones,” she added with a laugh when Casey simply looked perplexed.
“I can definitely see that,” Casey agreed with a grin. “What about me?”
Sylvie ran a quick, critical eye over Casey. “Gotta be Gryffindor,” she said with a decisive nod. “The brave red ones.”
Casey clicked a finger and pointed at the screen where Ron and Harry were arguing on the screen. “Harry, Ron, and Hermione are Gryffindors right?”
“You’ve got it.”
“I’ll take it then. Better than being one of the evil green ones I guess.”
“They’re not all evil!” she protested, then shook her head as another thought occurred to her. “Wait, if you’ve never seen any of the movies or read the books how do you know what’s going on?”
Casey shrugged. “I don’t really. I just like when their branches make loud noises and pretty colours.”
Okay so maybe Casey was over-stating his ignorance on the subject but it was worth it to see Sylvie wriggle closer and start explaining Harry’s story from the beginning, including all the things the movies missed out on, even if it meant he couldn’t hear the dialogue happening on screen sometimes.
By the end of the fifth movie Casey was all caught up, but more importantly any space between him and Sylvie seemed to have evaporated; they were sitting pressed thigh to thigh and his arm was slung casually along the back of the couch.
Which made it easy for Sylvie to turn into Casey when Harry’s godfather was hit by a spell, hiding her face as she whispered, “I hate this part.”
Even Casey was wincing as Harry screamed on screen - and damn that kid was a good actor - and he didn’t hesitate to drop his arm around Sylvie’s shoulder, rubbing comforting circles into her skin with his thumb as she burrowed her face further into his shoulder
It was during the sixth movie that Sylvie finally seemed to run out of steam, it being far later than she would usually stay up. Her monologue about how Ginny was a much better character and her romance with Harry was much better written in the books was frequently interspersed by yawns, and her head, which had never made it off his shoulder after the fifth movie seemed to grow heavier and heavier. If she noticed that his arm was still draped around her shoulders, holding her close, she didn’t comment on it. And somewhere around the halfway mark, when Harry and Ginny were standing barely an inch apart and whispering to each other, she finally nodded off to sleep, small smile still playing on her lips.
Casey knew he was probably due for another cup of coffee, and that it would be a wise idea if he wanted to get through the last two movies, which he would have wanted to even if he hadn’t been on the night shift, but Sylvie was still leaning on him, her breaths long and peaceful, and he didn’t have the heart to disturb her. He rubbed at his tired eyes with his free hand, unable to be mad about the situation as he settled back against the cushions and turned his attention back to the screen.
More Crossover Photos ft. some of the Chicago PD, Chicago Fire, & Chicago Med casts 💙❤️💚 [also, just saying Kara’s the luckiest human to be standing with both Jesse’s & Taylor!]
→ BRETTSEY || Brett x Casey || CHICAGO FIRE || S05 (3) || “I need a change. Pink. I’ve always been a blonde, look where it’s gotten me. What do you think?”
