#delrusso

"Is he always like this?" The probie — Hayden — asks, brows furrowed underneath his helmet as his gaze flicks between his fellow firefighters and their Captain — Captain Deluca, smirking as he speaks into the radio strapped to his chest.

"Thanks for the assist there, dollface," their Captain says, flirts, to the dispatcher on the other end of the radio. He's smirking, looking all smug about it, but Hayden can't quite tell if it's mean spirited or not yet.

When his friends from the Academy heard he got assigned to Captain Sal Deluca from the 122 — they winced. He's got a reputation of being a bit of an asshole, apparently, who scares the shit out of all the probies. High turnover rate. When he got to the actual station, however, the other firefighters said he really wasn't that bad. He just pushes them because he knows that they can do better. Some people just can't handle his leadership style — weak people — someone joked. Hayden can't tell if it's a style meant for him yet, but he's being put through his paces at least. And isn't that what being a probie is all about?

This however, in front of him, doesn't match up to the Captain Deluca in his head. The Captain Deluca he's been told about.

"Assist?" The very male voice of their dispatcher crackles though the radio, smile in their voice evident. "You'd be lost without me, and you know it."

It's like they don't even care that everyone can hear them.

"He didn't use to be," one of their paramedics — nicknamed Barbie, on account of her being a tall blonde — says with a casual shrug. "But he is now, and only with Josh."

"Josh?"

"The dispatcher," Barbie nods, looking over at their Captain, flirting through the radio waves. "We know him by name now."

Hayden — admittedly — hasn't been on very many calls yet, but on all the other's he's only heard Cap refer to them as dispatch. Maybe thanking them by name at the end, once they've rescued their person and done their job. But today, it's been 'what've you got for me Josh' and 'how's our caller doing, Josh' and 'give me good news Sunshine'.

"Cap's always been a bit of a charming asshole," the other paramedic — Riley — chimes in, where he's starting to pack their gear back into the ambulance. Thankfully, they didn't end up needing most of it. "Good at getting people to calm down and listen to him, y'know?"

"But the flirting," Barbie parrots back, smarmy smile on her face as she flips her long blonde hair over her shoulder. Hayden kind of gets the nickname a lot more now. "Is an 'only in the past few months' sort of thing. A new development, shall we say."

It's so weird, to hear these two paramedics, these two seasoned professionals — openly gossip about their boss flirting at work. Their fucking boss, who's stern and tough and pushes Hayden because he knows he's got the skill so why isn't he fucking using it. A real man's man, all bulky muscles and a sharp jaw. Talking to the others about basketball and how he's been helping a friend of his restore an old hotrod. Who can command a scene like nothing else, and then, right at the end, when everything is wrapped up and everyone's safe — flirt with the man on the other end of the radio like no one else can hear them.

Hayden's gaze flicks back over to his Captain, the macho asshole, smiling and laughing as Josh the dispatcher threatens to send all the interesting calls to the 118.

"Oh sweetheart, you wouldn't fucking dare," Sal retorts, slowing walking back to the truck and the ambulance Hayden is leaning on. His heart speeds up — traitorously — as his Captain approaches him not doing anything to help them wrap up the scene. But it turns out he needn't have bothered. "As if they don't get all of the wack shit already."

Sal nods at the three of them — Hayden, Barbie, and Riley — and continues on to the truck proper. They can all hear Josh huff a laugh down the line.

"Am I losing my mind?" Hayden says, brows continuing to furrow, an incredulous smile starting to creep onto his face.

Sal 🔥

When's your lunch break?

He finds himself smiling at even the sight of his boyfriend's name, at the reminder that he absolutely memorised when his coffee break was. So that he'd see his message immediately, give him a little pick me up when he got a moment alone. It does make him wonder, however, if Sal really wants to know when his lunch break is. Or is this just a segue into another conversation?

Unlocking his phone, and quickly flicking to his messaging app, Josh quickly taps out a reply.

Josh 💙

2pm. Why?

He's barely had time to have another sip of his coffee before he gets a reply. He'd think Sal had his reply ready and waiting if he hadn't seen the typing bubble pop up.

Sal 🔥

I'm bringing you lunch from that bougie cafe you like.

Sal 🔥

I'll meet you up there.

Josh finds himself smiling at his boyfriend coordinating a surprise lunch. He'd been bitching before about not having time to pack a proper lunch today, about how he was supposed to being doing the whole eating healthy thing, but he guessed he'd just go the takeout place near the office instead. Turns out Sal wasn't just listening to him bitch, he was paying attention.

Josh 💙

And you're not even going to ask? What if I said no?

He's not going to say no. He finally has a boyfriend, a good man, who wants to suprise him with lunch and respect his work schedule at the same time. But Sal gets it. a fellow first responder. He gets the crazy hours, the irregular break times, the way they don't always end up being the reality. Pulled away into another call.

Even if it doesn't end up happening, he appreciates it either way. Sal wanting to steal away a moment of time with him, caring and brusque in equal manner.

Sal 🔥

Because you're not gonna say no?

Sal 🔥

I'll see you at 2 😘

Rolling his eyes, Josh shakes his head as he takes another sip of his coffee. He hates how cocky Sal is except he really doesn't. This confidence with the skill and the knowledge behind it really does it for him. A hunky firefighter who gets the job, supports him, wants to spend time with him — and is so confident that Josh feels the same. It's reciprocated in a way a lot of his other relationships haven't been.

Instead of why are your shifts so inconvenient, this is why we can never have lunch together it's now surprising him with lunch at the dispatch centre. And he's a fire captain too — Sal is — so Josh doesn't even have to worry about security, about getting him into the building. They're a lot stricter about that now.

It's nice, letting Sal into this part of his world so seamlessly, where they can have lunch and he can watch as his boyfriend tries and succeeds at charming his friends and coworkers.

Quickly firing off a heart emoji back to Sal, Josh finishes up his coffee and heads back to his desk. Break over entirely far too quickly. And he doesn't even have to worry about cutting their conversation off abruptly, Sal gets it. In fact, Josh's been on the other side of it now — in the middle of a call with Sal on a day their shifts don't align, the alarm bells ringing and cutting the call short.

2pm can't come soon enough.

Eventually, finally, he's halfway through a call when he spots Sal out of the corner of his eye, Standing near the glass at the entrance to the main floor, in a well fitted army green jacket, work boots, and tough blue jeans with his hip cocked. Coffee tray in one hand and paper bag in the other — no doubt containing that lunch he promised.

Josh smiles, grin creeping across his face as he continues to talk to the caller on the other end of the line. A teenage boy, not in moral danger, but still very scared about it. He tells him it's going to be okay, that the firefighters are on their way, and he sees Sal's eyes twinkle at his words.

Sal locks eyes with him and kisses the air, directed straight at Josh. He rolls his eyes in return, waving him off towards the lunchroom as the teenager on the phone line starts to calm down as he hears the sirens approaching in the distance. His boyfriend laughs, and heads towards the lunchroom.

He tries to shake it off, ignore his blushing cheeks and fluttering heart. Focus on his call, be professional, make sure his caller is safe until help arrives. Thankfully — for both him and his caller — they quickly arrive and get the kid to safety. He can wrap up the call, put himself on break, and finally, finally, head to the lunchroom where his thoughtful, hunky bastard of a boyfriend is waiting.

"What took you so long?" Sal jokes, brows furrowed as he watches Josh enter the room. Following his boyfriend with his eyes, hand gestured out to the side as if to say what gives? But Josh can see that he's laid their food out on the table in from of them. A coffee each, a burger and fries for Sal, and a fancy pasta salad for Josh.

Josh just rolls his eyes, and leans in to kiss his boyfriend, Sal meeting him halfway.

He didn't have to worry about the intent and tone behind every message, spend ages figuring out what to say and exactly how much to flirt. It was easy now, natural. More simple, casual texts about their day. Calls they've had, complaining about bad office coffee, a bit of gossip.

Saying how much they wanted to see each other work.

Sal was captain, always with things to do and firefighters to mentor — but he always found time to sneak away into his office to do paperwork and text Josh. It meant a lot, that he found time for him. And so Josh found time for him in return.

Today however, he hadn't heard a peep. Josh had sent him a couple things, a quick message wishing him a good shift, and that wasn't he jealous that Josh was at home and Sal wasn't? But then nothing.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried. Just a little.

As he made his breakfast, did the dishes, folded laundry while reality TV played in the background, Josh was checking his phone. Eyes flicking over to see if the screen lit up with a notification, to see who it was, and sagging when it wasn't his boyfriend.

He was about to give up and go get a coffee from the cafe nearest his apartment, just to get out and distract himself when the name on his phone finally, finally, read Sal.

Sal 🔥 probie said the q word

Sal 🔥 i'm gonna kill him

Ah. There it is.