Flash 26-Putting out Fires

It's that time of the week, Flash day, this week's  prompts:  "the color of night" and/or "caveat emptor". and the words: School, Candle and elixir.  The links to my fellow flashers are at the bottom of my story

enjoy

Linda (aka Lily Sawyer)

Putting out Fires

Tom put out plenty of fires during his career as a firefighter.  No matter how many times he’d thought he saw it all there was always something that came along that stood out. 

Just like the fire he and his fellow firefighters were currently battling at the local high school.   It started in the auditorium and spread to a storage room next to it. 

Thankfully the kids were on summer vacation when it broke out.

Tom was the leader and he held onto the nozzle as the water sprayed on the roaring blaze.

“Tom over there,” Rich, his wingman who stood behind him, pointed to a stubborn flame consuming part of the stage curtains.  They spoke to each other through the communication system they had in their helmets.

“What started it?”  Tom asked after the last of the fire was finally extinguished.   He could tell it wasn’t an accident.

“Look.”  Rich and Pete looked at the rubble and spotted the remains of a pentagram written on the stage floor and several candles strewn around it.

“Is this some kind of cult thing?”  Tom asked.  He heard about some teen gangs in the area stirring up some trouble but he hoped it wouldn’t get as far as setting fires.

“Looks like it.”  Pete said.   Tom knew Pete for a long time, they’d gone through training together and if he wasn’t deeply in love and committed to Ben he’d probably be all over him like white on rice. Pete had a knack for knowing when a fire had been set or was an accident.    Tom had suggested to him on numerous occasions that he should go into the arson squad.

“Let’s leave this to arson guys and get our gear stored.”   Captain Harmon told his crew.  They’d worked together for several years and everyone respected their captain.

The men all did as told and they all filed into the fire truck and went back to the station.

                                                                          ****

There was nothing like getting home after a hard day working at the firehouse.   Tom had images of Ben running through his head, things he wanted to do to his partner when he got home.   Tom got some ribbing from Rich about having a male better half.  They all knew he was gay at work and no one at the station had a problem with it.  

“Hey Ben? Ben!”  Tom bellowed as he came through the door.  He’d been waiting all damn day to get his hands on his man and he refused to be kept waiting one minute longer.

“What the hell are you shouting for?”   Tom heard Ben’s reply coming from upstairs.  He was upstairs in their bedroom; Tom’s cock twitched when he thought about the time Ben surprised him by greeting him naked at the door one evening.   He wondered what surprises Ben might have in store for him tonight.

“I’m coming to get you sweet cheeks.”  Tom quickly crept up the stairs, each step bringing him closer to the man he wanted to make wild, passionate love to.  “What the?”    Tom brought himself to a halt at the sight that met him in their bedroom. 

“Hi, Tom.”   Ben was lying in bed with the covered pulled up to his chest and he held a thermometer he’d taken out of his mouth in his right hand. 

“What’s wrong, Ben, are you sick?”   Tom knew that was such a dumb question since the man was in bed and he looked sick.

“Yeah, I started feeling it coming on this afternoon so I came home from work early.  I have a slight fever and I feel achy.” 

“You poor baby,” Tom sat down next to Ben and kissed his forehead.  His lover felt warm and he could tell from the hazy look in Ben’s eyes that he wasn’t feeling well.   “Can I get you anything?”

“There is a brown bottle I left on the kitchen counter, can you please get it for me?”

Tom went downstairs and spotted the bottle sitting next to the tea kettle on the counter. He read the simple looking label that said  ‘cold elixir’ on it.  “I don’t remember seeing this before, what is it?”

“One of my co-workers does herbal medicine on the side.  She saw how sick I was and put this together for me and dropped it off a little while ago.” 

“I didn’t know you believed in that mumbo jumbo stuff.”

Tom could tell by the look on Ben’s face he was not amused by his description of the potion he held in his hand.

“It’s NOT mumbo jumbo, it’s alternative medicine.   And it works a hell of a lot better than that crap you bring home from the drug store. “

Tom knew better than to argue with his partner, especially when he was sick.  He’d brought a teaspoon with him and gave it to Ben.   He watched his man open the cap and took two teaspoons of the amber liquid.

“Ugh, can you get me a glass of water please.”  Ben had a sour lemon look on his face and Tom quickly grabbed a glass that Ben had on his nightstand, and filled it with water.

“I hope that stuff helps you baby.   But how about I make you something for dinner.”

“Not hungry.”  Ben groused at him.

“I’m going to give you some of my own medicine.”

“Said not hungry.”  Ben turned over onto his side facing away from Tom.

“How about chicken soup?”  Tom cautiously asked.

“I said I’m not hungry.” 

“But, baby, it’s the Jewish Penicillin, you can’t argue with centuries of Jewish know-how.  Besides it’s my grandmother’s recipe. “ He leaned over and kissed Ben’s cheek and whispered in his ear. “I’ll call Bubbe and you can argue with her about not eating the soup.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll eat.  I don’t want to face the wrath of Bubbe.”   That got Ben laughing, which is what Tom hoped he’d do.

Ben loved Tom’s family and the first time his grandmother had laid eyes on Ben she welcomed him into their family.    She’d told Tom what a good catch he’d gotten.

“What’s this?”  Ben asked when he spotted a flyer sticking out of the back pocket of Tom’s jeans.

“Oh, it’s an ad for the fireman’s bbq they plan to have at the end of the month, I was going to ask you if you wanted to go with me until I found out you were sick as a dog.”

“Well I’m not that sick.”  Ben slid the flyer out of Tom’s pocket and opened it up.  It said there was going to be some games including a dunk tank.  “Dunk tank huh?”   Ben wiggled his eyebrows excitedly.

“Don’t even go there.”

“But Tom, you know I was a great softball pitcher in high school.  I like to practice my pitch.”

“Ben.”  Tom shook his head.   He was glad he got Ben’s mind off being sick. 

“It’s for charity, Tom, we all have to make sacrifices, especially you.”   Ben grabbed Tom’s right hand and kissed the top of it.  “Now go make me Bubbe’s chicken soup.”  Ben feigned some coughs for good measure.

“Okay, baby.  Love you.”

“Love you too, Tom.”    Tom had a warm feeling inside as he descended the stairs.   Nothing felt better than to be with the one you loved the most in the whole world. 

End

My fellow Flashers 

m/m

Julie Hayes

Lindsay 

West Thornhill

Sui lynn 

Ryssa 

m/f

Victoria Blisse

Heather lin

Catriana