Color You In

In practice, Princess Lemonade Small Void Kitty belonged to Boston EMS Station 1 and the crews and admin staff cared for her as a team. But Gus had been the one to rescue her from a flooded-out basement and give her a home, and everyone knew she was really his. Gus paid Lemonade’s vet bills and made sure she was well groomed and had toys and snacks she liked, and the bed-slash-box she used for sleeping sat in the corner of the changing room next to his locker.

Lemonade was just as attached to Gus, haunting him like a playful shadow through the station, riding on his shoulders or perching atop his right foot when he sat, almost like she understood he was metal and plastic from knee to toe on that leg and impossible to injure.

“Quit it, you,” Gus chided her, unsurprised when Lemonade ignored him, but then a casserole dish of burritos appeared before Gus, all luscious and cheesy. Gus worked hard not to drool as his friend Connor plunked down in the seat opposite.

“Help me eat these,” Connor said amiably. “Judah used sweet potato and re-fried beans and the chipotle cream sauce you like.”

Gus’s stomach let out a yowl he was sure could be heard from space and he happily helped himself. “You are a prince among men,” he said, “and please tell your man thank-you from me.”

“I will. Your new partner starts tonight, yeah?”

“Yup. Walters from Station 5 in West Roxbury. He’s been there since he finished the Academy program.”

“Another rookie, huh?” Connor smiled at Gus from beneath his thick beard. “You ready to shape another young mind, Coach?”

“Sure. As soon as I’m more awake.” Smirking, Gus stuck more burrito in his mouth. “Honestly, I’m hoping this rook doesn’t need his mind shaped.”

Gus was counting on it, actually. He liked working with rookies and the last two he’d had under his tutelage, Lucky Guzman and Amaya Monroe, were not only outstanding EMTs but had become friends. Walters was a different kind of rookie though, coming to Boston EMS after several years riding trucks in King County, Washington. Station 5 was far enough south of downtown that Gus couldn’t remember having ever seen Walters at a scene, but on paper the guy had more experience in emergency medicine than Gus. That was a stroke of luck Gus hoped meant he’d spend less time training his new partner and more on preparing him to take Gus’s place on Ambulance A1.

Because Gus had his own plans to progress his career and would take every advantage to make it happen.

Someone nearby cleared their throat and when Gus glanced up, there was an absurdly attractive human looking right at him. Beautifully chiseled features. Dark hair lying in soft curls. A small smile that hit Gus square in the chest.

Happy Friday to me.

“Hi,” the hot human said, expression warm. “Are you Dawson? I’m Madoc Walters.”

Gus stopped chewing. This hot human was his new partner. And here Gus probably had burrito on his face.

Wiping his mouth with his napkin, Gus stood, accidentally dislodging Lemonade in the process. He muttered a quick apology she dismissed with a glare, then looked back up at Walters—literally, because the dude was several inches taller than Gus’s own five-foot-eleven, had very pretty blue eyes, and was built like a brick shithouse.

Gus thrust out his hand and smiled. “Gus Dawson, and welcome, it’s good to meet you.”

They sat down, Walters taking the empty seat between Gus and Connor, who extended his hand over the table.

“Connor Devlin,” he said. “I’m on P1 with Lieutenant Parks.” His shy smile widened when Walters set an insulated lunch bag on the table along with a travel mug emblazoned with a glittery rainbow-striped pony. “I know a little guy who’d be all over that mug.”

Chuckling, Walters patted his cup, his cheeks flushing adorably. “It was a birthday gift from my daughter,” he said. “Valerie loves anything rainbow and sparkly, and this year she’s been really into these ponies.”

And ho, that was interesting. Because Walters wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, so maybe it wasn’t too much to hope this big, beefy dude was a single dad who also happened to play for Gus’s team.

“Of course, Val also wanted a pony cup for herself,” Walters said. “So, her mom had to buy two.”

Well, boo.

Gus bit into his burrito and figured it was just as well. He was off men at the moment, thanks to his asshat of an ex and, as senior tech on A1 and Walters’ supervisor, keeping things professional was in both their best interests.

Still, why were the hot ones always straight?