what's your fantasy?

✧

"Bee nets on, everybody get secured," Bobby ordered as the engine pulled up to the scene. "Buck, start running a hose line."

Dispatch had alerted the team of a bee attack at a renaissance fair. The team immediately hopped into the engine and made their way over to the fair in order to get to the root of the problem.

"Class A, half percent foam coming up," Buck reported.

Hen, who did not go through with turning in her resignation papers nor did she go the doctor route, flashed a wide smile as she walked by the group of people crowded around and dressed in Renaissance attire. "Top of the morning...Top of the morning to you."

"Oh, no the bees," Chimney groaned.

A young girl dressed in a lavender princess gown raced up to the group of firefighters. "Please. You have to save my sister. She's not moving and we can't get in to help her."

"Is she allergic?"

"I don't think so."

"Even without a bee allergy that many stings can add up and still cause major anaphylaxis," Chimney spoke.

"Alright, clear back, everybody," Bobby yelled as held the hose in his hands. He began to spray the foam over the little girl splayed out on the ground. "Alright, guys, get in there. Let's go." He motioned for his team to go ahead and race over to the girl's side.

"Pulse is racing," Olivia said. "Got massive swelling."

"The melittin from the venom probably caused her BP to bottom out."

"We need to push Epi, but I can't access her thigh or shoulder through all this armor." Chimney tugged at the metal armor covering the girl's body but wasn't successful.

"Help me get this helmet off."

Olivia pulled at the helmet and shook her head. "It's too tight from the swelling. Gonna have to reduce friction."

"Inserting oral airway to keep her tongue and throat from swelling. It should hopefully buy us a little more time."

"And what if it doesn't?" The younger sister asked as she watched them work.

"Then your sister is gonna need an intubation or a tracheotomy. Cap?" Hen gestured for the young girl to clear the area so she wouldn't see anything too morbid happen to her sister. "Inserting OPA and getting her on oxygen."

"Her body's already too swollen to loosen these straps."

Thankfully, Buck came in at the right moment with the power saw and managed to carefully saw apart the metal pieces of the armored suit so they could effectively save the girl.

✶❤︎✶❤︎

Olivia perched her chin atop her fist and tapped her foot rhythmically against the floor as she patiently waited, Malakai sat beside her as he tapped away on his phone. When the curtain pulled aside and crutches tapped against the floor, a bright smile cast across her face and she stood approaching Christopher.

"This is the third suit you've tried on," she dropped her hands on his shoulders and glanced at him through the mirror. "What do you think?"

Christopher had a school party coming up and needed an outfit for the occasion but since he had grown out of all of his suits, they needed to purchase a brand-new one. Eddie, of course, was on board and ready to take him to buy a new suit but he was massively disappointed when their son requested Olivia be the one to take him instead.

"I think this one makes you look less dorky than the other one," Kai snorted. "The black one made you look like a penguin."

"Malakai!" Olivia chastised. "Be nice."

The youngest rolled his eyes and went back to his phone. "He knows I'm kidding."

"I think this is it," Christopher admired the gray suit before glancing up and grinning at her. "Can we get it?"

"Of course. Get changed and I'll have them ring it up, okay?"

"Liv?"

"Yeah, bud?"

"D-Did you ever go to dances when you were my age?" He questioned, head tilted and a sheepish smile on his face.

"I did, yeah," she confirmed.

"Did boys ever, you know, ask you out?"

Olivia laughed, she could see what his questioning and the reason for him not wanting to include his dad on their excursion was. Even if he was rapidly growing before their eyes, she couldn't believe they were at the stage of him having a crush.

"Do you like someone, Christopher? Is that what this is all about?"

"Don't trust her," Malakai sang, eyeing his brother with a head shake.

Christopher shook his head. "No. No."

Olivia bent down to his level and adjusted the lapels of the suit jacket with a small smile. "You are about as good of a liar as your Dad." Heat spread to the young boy's cheeks as he pursed his lips, trying to hold back. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Don't tell Dad," Christopher pleaded.

"I won't," she affectionately tapped his nose.

When they got home, Eddie couldn't contain his excitement when he saw the garment bag tucked in the crook of Olivia's arm. He urged his son to try on the suit and of course, Christopher obliged, he already pushed him out of the process so it was the least he could do.

"How was shopping?"

Olivia shrugged, shoving her hand into the bag of grapes on the countertop. "It was fine."

"Just fine?" Eddie quirked his brow. "I mean, there must be a reason he asked you to take him."

"There was. Our kids know my taste in fashion is superior."

"Funny," he hummed, finishing up the last few dishes in the sink and drying his hands on the hanging towel. He worked his way over to her, pulling her in for a searing kiss.

"Yuck," Malakai groaned, eyeing them from living room. "No one wants to see that."

Eddie waved a dismissive hand toward the young boy and made a show of wrapping his arms around Olivia's waist and dipping her backward in order to obnoxiously kiss her. In return, Kai dramatically gagged and pretended as if he was washing his eyes out.

The sound of crutches hitting the tile floor alerted them of Christopher's incoming presence. Olivia pulled away from Eddie and turned to glance at the middle schooler heading their way.

Eddie playfully whistled. "Wow, suavecito. You picked a good one."

"Liv helped," Christopher smiled. "Do you think I can get a haircut this week?"

"A haircut?" Eddie raised his brow. "What? Got some hot date or something?"

"Ugh, no!" Christopher turned his nose up, batting his father away. "I need to change."

Once Christoper was out of earshot, Eddie glanced at his girlfriend wide-eyed and dropped his jaw. "A haircut? A new suit and a haircut...you think he has a crush?"

"I wouldn't know."

Eddie narrowed his eyes at the woman. "I bet Kai knows something. I'm gonna butter him up with some ice cream."

"Don't even think about trying to interrogate him, he lives by the bro-code."

✶❤︎✶❤︎

"So who's this mystery crush of Christopher's?" Hen questioned after putting out a fire at a building. The team knew about the middle schooler's upcoming school party and more importantly, his first crush.

"No idea," Eddie said. "He's not spilling. Not to me at least." He then narrowed his eyes at Liv, she definitely knew something.

Olivia mimicked a zipper across her lips and shrugged. "My lips are sealed."

"Isn't he kind of young to start dating?" Buck asked.

"It's not like he's taking 'em out dinner and a movie," Eddie retorted. "He's just going out to a school party."

"Look, there is nothing wrong with a little harmless adolescent infatuation," Bobby spoke.

Chimney glanced over at Buck. "So, how old were you when you had your first crush, Buckaroo?"

"Uh, kindergarten. Miss Garcia. RIP."

After securing the compartments of the engine, everyone got settled in their seats, and suddenly, a round of stories of first kisses and crushes were being told. Hen enlightened everyone of her first kiss which happened to be more of an awakening since she realized she was kissing the wrong sibling.

"Okay, I think we've drifted off topic," Olivia interjected. "Our kids aren't kissing anyone."

"Yeah," Eddie agreed. "They're not. Right?" He stared sideways at the team, knitting his brows. "I know it's normal. I mean, we have two middle schoolers at home, I just didn't think they were old enough yet."

"Maybe the problem is it makes you feel old," Bobby quipped.

"Wait till they start shaving."

"Before you know it, you're grandparents."

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "Choke. All of you."

"Station 118, reports of a fire at the DuPont RV Storage," Dispatch radioed.

Bobby clicked on his radio to respond, "Copy that, Dispatch. 118 is responding."

Suddenly, a loud thud sounded from above the roof, everyone stared up with furrowed eyebrows. Bobby had to make sure everyone secured the compartments which they did. When Buck swiftly turned, another loud thud sounded and Bobby looked out the window

Escaping the engine, they found an injured man on the ground with abrasions and a separated shoulder. He was groaning in pain but they couldn't figure out where the hell he came from. Eddie began flashing his light around before it beamed on top of the engine and he discovered a disheveled woman with her dress hanging haphazardly off her body.

Turned out it was the couple's fantasy to have sex on top of the engine.

✶❤︎✶❤︎

Standing in the parking lot of Christopher's school, Eddie and Olivia watched from afar as their son socialized with some kids and with a potential crush. Olivia admired the glistening look in Eddie's eyes as she wiggled out from underneath his arm and rested against his truck.

"How long are we going to stand guard out here?"

"Just until they get inside," Eddie assured. "And maybe we can hang in the car after."

"This is a chaperoned school event. He'll be fine."

"When you know you're having kids they tell you to have all these expectations of what life's gonna be like, you know? The milestones. The first words, the first steps..."

"First crush." She giggled as he teasingly nudged her side.

"Then they tell you your kid's gonna be different, and he's gonna have challenges other kids don't. They warn you to manage your expectations. All those milestones start to seem like a stupid fantasy."

"Hmm. Well, seems like that fantasy's turned into a reality. Feels good, huh?"

"Feels damn good." Eddie slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her in for a short kiss, thumb caressing the side of her face. "I love you, you know?"

"I do," Olivia hummed with a bat of her lashes. "Now, what do you say we order some food and wait this thing out? Elisa is letting Kai hang out at her apartment so we can make a date out of this."

"I say that sounds like one hell of a date night."

"Does this officially make us old?"

Eddie pecked her temple, grinning. "You're the fountain of youth, mi amor."

"Ah, you're so getting lucky tonight."

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authors note

-a bit of a wholesome chapter, I love getting to write family scenes!