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indigostreaking · 1 year

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Hearts Aflame

Chapter one

(Chapter two)

Firefighter!Danny x fem!reader

This will be a series, so please be gentle on part 1. 😅 No warnings or anything(yet).

Word count: 1.8k

"Kitty, please," you whined as you stretched out your right arm trying to reach just a little bit further. Your left arm was wrapped tightly around the trunk of the tree, keeping you steady as you attempted to rescue a little gray cat. When the kitten skittered just out of reach, you groaned. You had been at this for 15 minutes already, and you could hear the sirens in the distance growing louder. You took a deep breath before hoisting yourself up, carefully planting your feet on a thick and sturdy looking branch. The kitten eyed you cautiously and ventured further down the length of the limb above your head. You made a few kiss sounds, hoping to convince the kitten to come just a little closer.

"You're getting pretty high up there!" an older man in the growing crowd below you announced pointlessly, causing you to roll your eyes. You had never been someone who enjoyed attention, so having all these eyes on you made you feel nervous and very anxious. Your nerves ratcheted up another notch when you saw the police car and fire truck pull in to the parking lot. You loosed a breath you had been holding and took a hesitant step towards the terrified kitten, inching closer with each tiny, cautious movement.

"Sorry, buddy, but you're at the end of the line," you said with a sigh as you used one hand to reach out as far as you could, just enough to feel the delicate fluff of the kitten's soft fur. "Just a little closer.." you whispered as you helplessly willed your arm to grow an inch or two longer. The chatter below you grew, and you couldn't help but glance down to see why.

"Alright everybody, time to go. I'll take it from here," one of the firefighters said in a stern voice as he waved his arms motioning for the crowd to disperse. You knew you only had a few more minutes to get to the car before the professionals would force you to climb down, so you turned your attention back to the stranded cat. "You gonna come down or do I have to come up there after you?" The same firefighter asked with a soft chuckle.

"I've got this under control," you replied snarkily, repeating his own words back to him with a wide smile on your face. You were finally able to grip the kitten by the scruff and carefully put it in the messenger bag you had slung around your shoulder. It wasn't quite as professional as the bigger rescues, but it would certainly do in a pinch. You made your way back to the trunk of the tree, proud of your accomplishment, and looked down at the waiting fireman to see him quirking an eyebrow at you.

"Need help getting down?" He asked with a smirk. Fuck. You hadn't ever made it this far before. Usually you'd been cherry picked from the tree along with the cat once the big red truck arrived. You shrugged and held your smile, unwilling to give up that easily.

"No," you shot back defiantly. You made it this far up the tree unassisted, so you should be able to make it back down...in theory. You heard him snicker below as you mentally mapped out your descent.

"I really don't mind to get the ladder.." he said gently, clearly offering you a metaphorical and fairly literal life raft. You knew you should take him up on it, but when you looked down to see him grinning at you, you couldn't bring yourself to do it. You shook your head no, and his smile only widened. "Suit yourself," he replied with a shrug. The bag at your side grumbled and wiggled as you took a step down. You patted the kitten gently and took another step only to have your right foot slip out from under you. The bark of the trunk dug into your palm as you caught yourself.

"Are you just gonna watch me or are you going to actually help?" You huffed loudly, glancing down at the handsome fireman. Without another word, he walked back to his truck, returning with an extendable ladder. You forced a smile as he leaned it against the tree and made his way up. He held out his hand for you, pulling you close once you took it. You were confused on the chest to chest positioning, but you wrapped your arms around him, holding tight as he climbed down.

"Thanks," you mumbled as you stepped away, dusting yourself off before noticing the blood dripping from the cut on your hand.

"Here let me see," he said softly as he gently grabbed your wrist and analyzed your injury. His palms were rough and calloused, which made sense, but they were warm and careful. You looked up at his face, and were mesmerized by his beauty. He was handsome from a distance, but up close he was almost ethereal with his sharp, angular features and his invitingly warm brown eyes with long dark lashes.

"No, it's fine," you protested with flushed cheeks as you pulled your hand away. You were sure he had caught you staring, but he didn't acknowledge it if he did. "Happens all the time," you explained as cooly as you could.

"You get stuck in trees all the time?" he giggled as he asked, and you couldn't help but notice the way his nose scrunched when he laughed.

"I wasn't stuck!" You replied, not failing to notice the inflection at the end. "Am I under arrest or can I get this baby home?" You hugged the bag at your side up to your chest, which made it let out a loud meow of displeasure.

He laughed again, tilting his head back a little this time. "You're free to go," he added with a smirk. "Have a good day, miss..." the pause and expectant look on his face made you blush.

"Y/n," you answered softly, hating how flustered you sounded. You recovered as much as you could, forcing a smile as he nodded and walked away, leaving you standing there dumbfounded and kicking yourself for not asking his name. "Better get you home, little guy," you whispered as you peeled into the bag. A soft rumble of purring was his reply.

*****

"Why am I doing this?" you muttered to yourself as you pulled in to the station parking lot. You parked in a spot near the door and picked up the plate of cookies from your passenger seat. The bay doors were open with a few guys outside washing the truck, but none of them looked like the one you were looking for. A wave of disappointment washed over you and you let out a sigh, but you weren't ready to give up, yet. You could still drop off the cookies at least.

"Hey! I'm so sorry to bother you guys, but I brought cookies," you announced as you walked up to the open garage doors. You were quickly ushered over to a large table covered in a mix of tools and snacks.

"Y/n? What are you doing here?" a familiar voice asked from behind you, and you turned to see the handsome firefighter from last week sporting the same crooked grin. He had on a pair of khaki pants with a yellow reflective strip across the ankles, a pair of bright red suspenders, and a navy blue t-shirt with your city's fire station emblems on the right side of his chest and a name written in gold on the left side. D. Wagner.

"Oh, I-I was just coming to drop off some cookies.." you began as you motioned towards the plate with a weak smile. "Chocolate chip," you added quickly. This felt more embarrassing than you expected, but you had spent the last week thinking about him despite how hard you fought to distract yourself with work. His smile widened before suddenly dropping when his eyes landed on your palm.

"This looks awful!" He took your wrist, rotating your palm up in his hand. The cut hadn't healed properly, yet, but you'd had worse cuts from the animals you rescued. You tried to pull your hand away, but he wasn't letting go. Instead, he lead you over to the first aid kit already laid out on the other side of the table. You tried to wriggle free, but his grip didn't loosen as he began cleaning the cut gently and applying some ointment. You watched as he carefully wrapped your hand tightly and stuck his index finger under the bandage making sure it wasn't too tight. "That's better," he finished with a smirk. "Oh! How's the kitten?" He asked excitedly.

"He's doing great, actually. His new mom is coming to pick him up tomorrow," you said proudly. The little gray kitten, who you affectionately referred to as Smokey, had been an excellent distraction all week, running around recklessly and offering cuddles every time you sat down. "Thank you," you said softly, "for this..and the tree incident.." Your cheeks burned as you avoided eye contact. "I also wanted to apologize..." you trailed off as you glanced up at his face.

"Yeah?" He smiled as he spoke and put one hand on his hip while he waited for you to continue.

"Yeah.." you struggled to form words when he looked at you like that, like you were the most interesting person he'd ever met.

"You're not very good at this," he laughed and grabbed a cookie off the plate. "Cookies are good though," he mumbled with his mouth full. You crossed your arms as you processed your thoughts and tried to come up with a response. Suddenly an alarm went off and the whole station came to life. You felt like you moved in slow motion as they all got ready rapidly. You were still standing there astonished as you watched him climb onto the back of the truck as it rumbled to life.

"Wait! What's your name?" You shouted as they began to drive away.

"Danny!" He yelled back with a toothy grin. He said something else, but the siren kicked on and drowned him out. You waved as they sped away, yet again leaving you standing there dumbfounded.

"Danny.." you mused to yourself while looking down at your newly cleaned and bandaged hand. A gentle smile crept across your face, and you wondered when you would see him again.

#au fanfiction #greta van fleet #danny wagner #firefighter Danny #danny gvf #hearts aflame

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indigostreaking · 1 year

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Hearts Aflame

Chapter 7

Start over here.

(Chapter six)

Firefighter!Danny x fem!reader

Warnings: JAKE POV, fluff, angst, language, drinking, sass..I think that’s really it this time 😅

Word count: 4.4k

Jake's POV

After putting it off as long as I could, I finally pulled in to Dan and Sam's driveway. It wasn't that I was avoiding them—or anyone for that matter, but I was not looking forward to hearing Danny gushing over his new girl. The prolonged bout of singleness had made me a little bitter towards couples, especially disgustingly happy ones like Danny and y/n. I climbed out of the car and grabbed my guitar case from the back seat, but I had to hide my startled jolt when I heard the front door shut abruptly.

Illuminated by the dull light of the moon, she looked almost ethereal, save for the annoyed look on her face. "Hey there, darling," I called out as I casually strolled closer. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized she wasn't alone, and I couldn't contain my laughter at that reaction. She spun around quickly, with a bright smile replacing the frown that was there seconds ago.

"Hey, Jake," she replied softly. "You're late." The gentle scold was followed with an easy laugh. I bit back my smile, forcing myself back into a bored facade.

"Which of my brothers am I to blame for you leaving in such a hurry?" I asked as cooly, still trying to sound flirty without overdoing it. A fine line. Honestly, if I were a better man, I wouldn’t be flirting with her at all…but alas, here we are.

"Um, none of them. I've just got some animals to take care of at home," she said nonchalantly. I nodded while internally trying to decipher if I felt more relieved or disappointed that she wouldn’t be here.

After a beat of silence, I finally snapped back to the present and replied, "Alright..until next time then, y/n." Then I stepped past her, up the stairs, and on to the porch as she hurried off.

Despite my better judgement, I looked back, letting myself watch her climb in to the waiting car. When I turned to head inside, I was met by my twin's face as he walked out the front door. "Chasing after Daniel's girl?" I teased with a smirk, knowing exactly which buttons of his to push. Getting him riled up was one of my most treasured past times, never failing to entertain me.

"What? No." He replied quickly. "I just wanted to make sure that you were here.." I knew he was lying, especially when he looked past me to watch y/n’s Uber back out of the driveway and disappear down the road. It would appear that my dear brother was more infatuated than he let on. Interesting. I tucked away this bit of information..a little rainy day fun, if you will.

"I get it," I admitted a little too honestly. "She's got that fuckable girl next door vibe that some people seem to love," I amended, purposely stoking the fire that was burning within him. His eyes cut back to me and narrowed in disgusted anger.

"Fuckable? Really, Jacob?" He asked incredulously, but I just smiled and shook my head in amusement. "That's not really saying much coming from you, you know?" He was smirking now, as he finished, "You'd fuck a hole in the wall with the right motivation."

"I think the word you're looking for, brother, is lubrication," I replied, letting my words lilt with the slight British accent that I had inadvertently adopted from time to time. Then I smirked and quirked an eyebrow at him—poking the bear, metaphorically speaking—as I pushed even more of his buttons before letting him off the hook with a lazy chuckle. He was seething when I pushed past him and finally stepped inside for band practice.

~*~*~

"Does he ever come home anymore?" Josh asked loudly as he stoked the fire with a long stick. I took another long swig from my beer and turned towards Sam, curious to hear the answer.

"No!" He groaned, and continued to play tug of war with the dog. "He's lucky he still pays his part of rent...otherwise I'd start charging him child support," he rolled his eyes dramatically, but there was no way for him to hide how much he actually enjoyed having Smokey around. Josh and I both forced a laugh for Sam's benefit, but the air felt oddly heavy. "He's been busy with work, and helping y/n with the resc—OH SHIT! I forgot to tell you!" He exclaimed, interrupting his own train of thought. I glanced at my twin, sharing a knowing look before we both gave our little brother our undivided attention. "I went over there the other night to check on this—nevermind, the why isn't important. Anyway, I was standing in the kitchen, and I could hear them," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. My eyes widened, and Sam continued, "Then she walked out completely naked, and before I had a chance to even realize what was happening, Danny came running out with a lamp!"

Josh erupted into laughter, but I managed to bite mine back. "Was he naked, too?" I asked out of curiosity, but internally groaned at myself for asking such a dumb question.

"Of course he was naked, Jacob! Poor Smokey was so traumatized that I knew I had to get him out of there," he replied dramatically.

"Yeah, before Daniel could beat you with his..lamp," Josh teased, taking his turn wiggling his eyebrows now. I couldn't hold my laughter in any longer as it sputtered out of me while I was mid-sip of my beer.

"Oh fuck off," Sam groaned, effectively ending the conversation. We let our laughter die down with the fire, drinking and chatting well into the night. Sam eventually disappeared, which wasn't unusual for him when we drank, but it was my turn to groan when my phone vibrated in my back pocket.

After fighting to free it from its denim cage, I struggled to get my eyes to focus on the messages that popped up in rapid succession. I fucking hate group chats.

Sammy boy-Oh Daniel! we r going hiking 2noro

Sammy boy- I know u r off wrk...

Sir Daniel- Sounds fun! Me and y/n will meet you at the house around 6am. You should probably stop drinking now, though...unless you feel like hiking with a hangover 🤪

Sir Daniel- That means you, too, twinsies 😏

I rolled my eyes at how well he knew us, and looked up to see Josh grinning from ear to ear. "S’gonna be fun!" he cheered enthusiastically, only slurring his words slightly despite the small mountain of cans he had collected throughout the night. I just finished my drink before putting out the fire and heading inside.

~*~*~

My alarm was blaring when I picked my phone up off the end table to see it was barely 5:30am. Fuck drunk Jake. I groaned, stretching and yawning before rolling off the couch and sneaking in to the bathroom to claim the first shower. I washed and rinsed as quick as I could, even brushing my teeth in there before turning the water off and stepping out onto the bathmat. I hurriedly dried my hair a little with my dirty t-shirt, then draped my towel around my hip before heading back to the living room to wake Josh. The idiot had slept on top of a pile of blankets in the floor instead of in Danny's bed or on the other couch. He claimed that he wanted to cuddle the dog, but as soon as he passed out, Smokey trotted off to sleep in bed with Sam. "Go shower before Sam gets up and hogs all the hot water," I instructed plainly as I pulled on my jeans from yesterday. He groaned in response, pulling the corner of a blanket over his eyes in protest. "I'm serious, it's too early for me to deal with you two dueling divas," I snarked, nudging him with my foot once more before stepping around him and trudging in to the kitchen. After I pulled on a plain gray shirt that I snagged from Danny's room, I pulled out three glasses from the cabinet and the blender.

Within seconds of the bathroom door clicking shut, Sam let out an exasperated sigh. "You guys suck! Even in my own house, I've gotta shower last?" He said loudly as he moped into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Smokey followed close behind, curling up to fill the spot beside him. I ignored the complaints and continued rummaging through their cabinets to put together a cure for this god awful hangover. "Fuck it, I'll just get the first one after the hike," he muttered as he leaned back, closing his eyes to catch just a bit more rest. I watched him eagerly as I pressed pulse on the blender, nearly collapsing into a fit of laughter when he levitated off the couch in shock.

"You sound like you could use a dose of Oliver's famous hangover cure," I said smoothly, in my best British accent as I poured my concoction into the glasses.

"Fuck you," he groaned, holding up his middle finger before nuzzling his face into Smokey's fur and murmuring his grievances to someone he knew would listen.

The front door opened before I could say anything else, and y/n walked in with the same bright smile she always sported. "Morning, guys!" She chirped happily as Danny flowed in behind her, resting his hand on her hip. Smokey launched himself at her, nearly tackling her to the ground once she was here. Sam was clearly offended deeply, because he threw his head back dramatically and held his hand to his chest as if he was wounded beyond repair.

"I already loaded a cooler in the back of my Jeep, but we'll probably need to take both—where's Josh?" Danny interrupted his own statement after realizing why he'd been able to talk for so long.

"I've got everything we need right here!" Josh announced loudly as he came waddling into the room carrying a large cooler, clearly loaded down with supplies because I could hear it sloshing with each step. Where he had gotten it from, let alone gotten his 'supplies' from, I may never know.

"Works for me,” I replied before quickly tossing back my drink without so much as a cringe. “Come drink your medicine, boys!" I called them over as I washed my glass then put it back in the cabinet. They hadn’t moved, so I waited impatiently, cocking my hip out and raising my eyebrows. Josh groaned and begrudgingly sat down the cooler before hauling Sam to his feet and dragging him to the kitchen island. I handed them their glasses with a pleased smile. They both took a deep breath, clinking their glasses before gulping the mixture down with a choked cough. Danny and y/n laughed at the theatrics before turning and walking back out the door. Josh raced after them, never wanting to be left behind. Sam and Smokey trotted along behind him, while I finished washing their cups and the blender. Once I put everything away, I made my way out, passing Danny as he ran back in to grab Josh's forgotten cooler.

Danny's Jeep was loaded down with coolers and guitars, per usual, so I ended up babysitting Josh and Sam, also per usual. Daniel held open the passenger door for y/n, and she giggled when he slapped her ass as she climbed in. It was nice seeing him so happy, but it annoyed the shit out of me to watch it. I’m not built to be single while my brothers are not, even if it’s just Danny. He deserved it, all of it, all of the love and happiness..but the universe forcing me to watch it seemed cruel. I climbed in to the driver's seat of Josh's white Jeep, and he was already happily settled into the passenger seat. He had been working on queueing up a playlist for the drive, and Sam had already made himself at home in the backseat with Smokey.

After driving for a while, Josh turned the music down abruptly and asked, "Is it weird that y/n is the only girl going with us? Like, do you think she feels weird or awkward?" His question seemed odd, but it intrigued me.

"Y/n doesn't care about stuff like that," Sam replied confidently. "She'll be fine...won't she, Smokes?" He reassured us before devolving in to unintelligible baby talk as he spoke to the dog.

"You think he’s right?" I asked nervously, glancing towards my twin. A smile played at the corner of his mouth as he studied me.

"Why? Did you have a girl you wanted to invite?" He asked in a teasing tone, causing me to roll my eyes. I tried to focus on the road, but I could hear the shit-eating grin as he continued, "Roster looking a little slim, huh, Jakey?" He elbowed my side playfully.

"Fuck off," I replied with a low chuckle. "Like you're doing any better," I shot back with a smirk.

“Like you’re doing any better,” he parroted back to me in a sing song tone before flipping me off and turning up the music to tune me out.

We pulled in to the gravel parking lot right behind Daniel and Y/n. The sound of the pebbles crunching and scattering under the tires was almost nostalgic, reminding me of all the time we had spent camping as kids. I had barely put the car in park before Sam had was tumbling out of the Jeep with a leashed Smokey in tow as he practically sprinted up the trail. The shithead didn’t grab anything but the dog, a back pack and his Danny pack. I sighed as I shut off the engine, slowly unbuckling as I watched Daniel and y/n unload the coolers and drag them up the trail. Josh disappeared, presumably to the back of his Jeep, so I made my way over to Danny's to grab the guitars.

"I'll come back for those later if you'll help me grab the tents," Josh shouted. I turned, cocking my head to the side until I saw his head pop out from behind his car. "Yeah?" He asked eagerly, waiting for my acceptance of his bargain.

I closed the trunk of the black Jeep with only my guitar case in hand, and trudged over to help. "Yeah," I muttered, grabbing one of the large tents while josh grabbed the other, a hatchet, a long stemmed lighter, and a bottle of starter fluid.

When we finally caught up to everyone, Sam was already rolling around in the grass, wrestling with Smokey while the lovebirds lounged nearby giggling and watched them. "Tents! Are we camping?" Danny asked excitedly when he saw us.

"Fuck yeah we are! Get your muscles over here to help set these bitches up," Josh shouted giddily. "Pardon the language, mama," he added with a tinge of embarrassment and guilt in his tone. Y/n just laughed and turned back to Sam and Smokey while Danny trotted over to help.

"I'll go get the wood for the fire," I announced, laying claims to my favorite camping chore. I dropped the tent and carefully placed my guitar case beside it before stepping through the tree line and in to the woods. As I wandered around, enjoying the brief silence and solitude as I searched for some nice, dry wood to start the fire. I was interrupted when a set of soft footsteps crunching through the leaves crept up behind me.

"I thought you could use some help," y/n said as she fell into step beside me. I smiled lazily as I continued scanning the underbrush for downed limbs to break up and bring back. Y/n followed my lead, bending down to gather smaller sticks and twigs for kindling. "So…should I be worried about spending the whole weekend alone in the wilderness with the 4 of you?” She asked in a joking tone, but she seemed a little anxious and unsure.

"Maybe..." I smirked over to her, pausing for just a little too long before adding, “Only if you’re worried about being bored to tears by Danny’s endless preaching about fire safety, Sam’s ‘nature walks’, or Josh’s…Joshness.” She gave me a pity laugh, rolling her eyes as she bumped her shoulder in to mine.

“What about you? How are you going to bore me to tears?” She asked with another laugh, watching her feet as we walked through the woods.

“Hmm…probably with my devastatingly good looks, or maybe my boyish charm?” I replied, kicking a stick away from her right as she reached for it.

“Fuck you!” She squealed, shoving me away as she reached for the stick again.

“Fuck!" I exclaimed abruptly once I noticed the light trickling through the trees. "Come on," I grabbed her hand, forcing us both to drop our bundles as I urgently lead her through the trees until we were at the edge of the forest. I proudly turned to her, smiling as I watched her big, doe eyes fill with awe.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, mostly to herself as we stood there together, quietly witnessing the sun rise and crest over the blue mountains in the distance, painting them purple while the pink and orange tones painted the sky around them. The moment was lost when voices came bubbling through the woods behind us.

"See? I told you we'd make it," Sam sassed the other two, clicking his tongue to call the dog to his side. Josh strolled up beside me, rolling his eyes as if he was saying 'Can you believe this guy?' I stifled a laugh, trying not to notice as Danny wrapped his arms around y/n, smiling down at her lovingly before pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"How are you so beautiful?" He whispered in to her hair, breathing her in. She giggled and placed her hands on his chest, pushing him far enough away that she could stretch up on to her tip toes and kiss him tenderly. “An angel,” he murmured in to the kiss, causing her to giggle even more.

"I'm gonna head back and start the fire," I announced loudly. No one said anything as I marched back to the woods, gathering the discarded bundles from earlier.

When I got back to camp, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the two large tents were already set up and placed perfectly with a few logs leaving the perfect half circle home for the fire. By the time the other 3 came back, I had already got the fire started and steady. The rest of the day was spent taking naps, planning the big hike tomorrow and going on little adventure walks to explore the area around our camp.

By the time the sun had finally slipped below the horizon, we had huddled around the fire with beers in hands. "You gonna play that thing or did you just carry it all the way up here to look cool?" Y/n teased with the slurred confidence that you only gained from alcohol. Everyone laughed but I quirked an eyebrow at her in genuine surprise.

"Alright, alright, darling, take it easy." I held up my hands in defeat before reaching down to rescue my guitar from its case, letting it settle into my lap as my fingers grazed across the beveled frets. "Got any requests?" I asked y/n before glaring at Sam and adding, "I swear to god, if you say Freebird, you won't be leaving these woods.." The threat was empty, just as all of them always had been, but it served its' purpose to let Sam know that I was serious.

"Always so aggressive," he mumbled, leaning his shoulder against Danny as he finished, "That's why you're my favorite brother." Daniel beamed at him, draping an arm over Sam’s shoulder and leaning in as well.

"You're mine, too, Sammy," he replied sincerely and without a hint of hesitation.

"Um…rude!" Josh chimed in, feigning offense and eliciting a laugh from the group. Y/n leaned against Danny’s other side, and in response, he coiled his free arm around her middle. He gripped her tightly, pulling her back flush against his chest as he leaned in and whispered something that made her blush.

Once she recovered, she answered with a tipsy smile, "No requests, just play whatever you want, Jakey." I could feel the suspicious eyes on me, but I ignored them as I combed through the ever growing catalog of songs and riffs in my mind. I began to strum, letting my eyes flutter shut already losing myself in the music as my fingers deftly danced across the strings. Suddenly, words began to fill my head, bobbing around to the melody until I had to sing. My voice came out shakey, but smoothed out once I felt Josh's hand on my shoulder as he hummed along

She's a woman in a dream

The one that makes you fall in love

Though her face is never seen

She is what this love is of

The words faded from my mind as they tumbled from my lips, and the music filled the cool night air before finally melting into the breeze. I felt oddly relieved yet raw once I opened my eyes and glanced around the group. Danny and y/n were lost in their own little world, giggling and fawning over each other. Sam was sitting on the ground with his eyes closed as he absentmindedly toyed with Smokey’s floppy ears. The dog had laid his favorite toy duck in Sam’s lap before resting his head beside it lovingly. “That was beautiful, brother,” Josh whispered with a gentle squeeze of my shoulder. “I’m gonna put the baby to bed, holler if you need me,” he added before pushing down on my shoulder to steady himself as he rose to his feet. I chuckled softly as I watched him gingerly shake Sam to wake him before leading him towards one of the empty tents with an arm around his waist.

“Heading to bed already?” Y/n called out after them, sounding a little disappointed.

“Sam must have tuckered himself out playing with Smokey all day,” I answered for them, half jokingly.

She smiled sleepily, stifling a yawn as she stood up. “I gotta use the little girls’ tree before bed, will you put up the food?” She asked Danny softly as I placed my guitar back in its case. He nodded and she disappeared into the wooded area behind the tents.

“I really liked your song,” Danny said as he diligently put everything back in the cooler. I nodded, focusing more on carefully adjusting the fire and making sure the wood was stacked in a way that it could burn all night. “We should finish it and add it to the setlist for the next show,” he added he tied the trash bag tightly before stepping away to hang it high in a tree a ways from camp. ‘To keep the bears away.’

“I’m gonna grab some more wood so we don’t have to worry about it in the morning,” I called out just loud enough for him to hear. What sounded like a muffled ‘okay’ was enough of a response for me, so I grabbed a head lamp and turned it on to light the path through over uneven ground. I had to weave my way through the trees to find a few large limbs that had fallen during a recent storm. While stomping a few of the more bitter pieces, I heard a whimper in the dark. “Y/n? You out here?” I asked cautiously, scanning the area around me searching for her small frame.

“Over here,” she replied quickly. I must have stumbled over every rock and root as I closed the distance between us, but I found her sitting flat on her ass, clutching her right ankle. “I must have stepped wrong, or stepped in to a hole or something,” she explained between sniffles, wiping tears from her eyes with her sleeve.

“Hey, none of that,” I chided softly. “You’re okay,” I whispered soothingly as I knelt down in front of her. I smiled up at her, and explained, “I need to get a look at your ankle, but I promise I’ll be gentle..” She nodded, giving me permission to proceed, so I carefully lifted her injured leg and placed her foot on my elevated knee. She cried out, but nodded again letting me continue. She took a deep breath as I rolled up her pant leg as delicately as I could, revealing a swollen ankle that had already begun to bruise. If my memory served correctly, this needed ice and elevation to stop the swelling. Thank god for all my years in sports and scouts.

“Is it bad?” She asked anxiously, wincing again as her weight shifted slightly.

“No, it’s not bad,” I replied calmly. “I’d like to carry you back to camp, though. Don’t want you putting weight on it, until a professional can get a look,” I added, still maintaining my calm demeanor and offering a gentle smile.

“No..I mean, you don’t—I can do it,” she protested, pushing away from me as she tried to rise to her feet. She quickly collapsed with a whimper as she started to cry again. A wave of hurt and embarrassment washed over me when I realized what her concern was. She was afraid I couldn’t carry her…

I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t keep the snark out of my tone when I asked, “Do you want to sit here by yourself while I go fetch Daniel, or will you quit being a stubborn ass and let me carry you?” She huffed a sigh but ultimately realized this was the easiest option and gave up, lifting her arms like an overgrown toddler.

“Good choice,” I said smugly as I snaked my arm under her knee and the other behind her neck. She looped her arms around my neck as I slowly lifted her up, but she winced and dug her nails in to the back of my neck as her foot dangled freely. Realizing my mistake, I shifted my grip tipping her backwards to allow her ankle to rest against my forearm. “Let me know if you need me to go slower,” I said plainly, afraid that I’d hurt her with too much movement.

She nodded in response, so I began the journey through the woods and back to camp. I plotted each step as carefully as I could, glancing down at y/n periodic to check on her. She smiled up at me and playfully pinched my bicep as she giggled to herself. “You’re stronger than you look, Jakey,” she teased. I rolled my eyes before turning to face her tipsy ass, intending to say something snarky back, but I was struck dumb by the way she glowed in the moonlight. Ethereal. As if caught in a trance, I found myself trying to chart the constellations in her eyes until she giggled and looked away, mercifully breaking the hold I was under. “I’m so sorry, I—” she began—she was apologizing to me? I furrowed my brows and shook my head in disbelief as I I cut her off.

“No! You shouldn’t be—I mean, I’m the—Please don’t apologize to me. I should apologize to you. I mean I am so sorry..” I hardly recognized my own voice as I stumbled over my words. “Let’s just get you back to camp so we can take care of you, yeah?” I sighed, smiling down at her until she nodded in agreement.

Danny must have been watching for one of us to return, because he noticed immediately when I emerged from the tree line with her in my arms. “Oh fuck!” He exclaimed as he closed the distance between us with a few long strides. “Is she—Are you okay?” He asked, shifting his attention from me to her.

“I’m okay,” she reassured him, reaching out and tracing her fingers along his cheek. He smiled down at her, then turned back to me obviously waiting for an explanation.

“She either tripped or stepped in a hole on her way back. Her ankle is pretty banged up��it’s already bruised and swollen. We need to get it elevated and iced,” I explained calmly. He carefully reached under her, lifting her from my arms and carrying her to the empty tent.

After grabbing the ibuprofen from my bag, I overheard Danny whispering, “This is gonna hurt, but only for a second." Seconds later, I could hear y/n stifle a whine as he adjusted the pillows to keep her foot high enough. "Hey, Jake?" Danny called out, ready for the ice I had promised to retrieve.

“Right here,” I affirmed as I opened the flaps of their tent. She looked sleepy as she waved at me with a wide grin. I shook my head, but couldn’t bite back my smile. “Okay, so 20 minutes of ice every hour, and make sure she gets 2 of these every 4 hours,” I instructed Daniel as I tossed the bottle of ibuprofen inside. He gave me a look to remind me that he is well versed in first aid care. “Right. Well, have a goodnight, Daniel. Let me know if you need anything,” I said calmly, reaching in and squeezing his shoulder gently. He offered a curt nod before turning back to y/n and setting a timer in his phone as he placed the bag of ice on her ankle. “Goodnight, y/n,” I mouthed behind Danny’s back, sneaking in a cheeky wink, which made her giggle.

When I made it back to my own tent, I loosed a breath that I had apparently been holding, then wiped my sweaty palms down the front of my pants. I took a few deep breaths to steady myself like Josh had shown me, then snuggled in to the sleeping bag that had been reserved for me. I loosed another sigh as my head hit the pillow, covering my eyes with my forearm. What the fuck was today?

Tag list: @kiszkakissess @jake-kiszkas-smirk @spark-my-nature @pippin-jay @myleftsock (if you used to be wowkakashi or whollyfreeamongststars, I need your new handleeee so I can tag you again!)

#hearts aflame #firefighter!danny #greta van fleet au #danny wagner #firefighter danny

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