Work Text:
“It’s like watching an episode of Oprah. You get a secret brother! You get a secret brother!”
The two men looked towards each other as she dramatically threw her arms about with her announcement.
“Well, mine isn’t secret, I just don’t really bring him up. He was a semi-missing person for like 10 years so that put a dampener on any story I could tell about him. He’s back in contact now, we text, it’s fine.”
“He isn’t secret anymore, we found out the whole secret twin, separated at birth thing years ago. Now he’s just a normal brother, not much secret about him.”
The explanations overlapped one another and were then followed by an awkward silence as a weird stare off between them and the rest of the firehouse occurred.
“Alright! Anyone else got any hidden family secrets we need to know about?” Herrmann announced loudly as he clapped his hand, breaking the silence that had settled. “More siblings? Anyone’s father the milkman? Inheritance from a rich distant relative on the condition that you marry a minor European noble?”
The growing absurdity of Herrmann’s suggestions broke the last vestiges of awkwardness and soon everyone in the breakroom was laughing. As the laughter came to a stop, Boden spoke up.
“In all seriousness, the 51 is a family, and that extends to each members’ own. Bring them here, let us meet them, your family is our family.”
Severide and Casey shared a small smile with each other at that, before turning back to the 51.
“Well, Evan is currently on medical leave so it shouldn’t be too much of a bother to get him on a plane and over here. He’s been wanting to meet you guys since he first started living with me, right when I started working at 51. Getting to finally visit the house will be a dream come true for him.” Severide announced.
“I bet I can get Rob to leave his office for once and actually come and visit. The man is the head of his department, I don’t know why he doesn’t give himself more time off. Anytime I ask it's always ‘I can’t do that Matt, what if I’m needed, my team gets submissions from across the world, work waits for no one.’” Casey threw his hands up in frustration.
“As if this man can’t coordinate any work he needs from his tablet. Sometimes I think he says this stuff just to get out of me seeing him in person and telling him he needs to eat more. Seriously, I go and visit him, look at his fridge and have a minor heart attack! You’d think a doctor would have a better diet but no! Not my brother! And you know what else-”
Before Casey can get into a full rant he is cut off by Severide, “Alright you mother hen, calm it down. You can get him here and all fed up on Cindy’s food. You know that woman could badger anyone into eating. Seriously Hermann, how you are so skinny when your wife is that good a cook, I don’t know.”
Laughter breaks out again, comments flying across the room, from waxing poetry about Cindy Herrmann’s cooking to remarks about Herrmann having noodle arms.
Alarms blare before the conversation can spiral any further and everything is forgotten as ambo, truck and ladder are all called into action. Ears perk up as orders are conveyed through the tanoy, the din of mugs and cutlery being dropped add instrument to the familiar whine of the alarm. Each crew member flew from the breakroom, running past the officer’s offices, the bunkroom and then into the loading bay. Passing by Tuesday as she lay underneath rescue’s table in the bay, resting her head on her paws and dozing away happily, the crew of Firehouse 51 hurtled into the turnout room, gear going on and then running to their relevant vehicle as the roller doors go up and they shoot out into the bright and clear Chicago afternoon.