Firefighter Eddy ran after Firefighter Brett;
"Brett...!!"
"Just leave me alone Eddy....!!"
"Brett!! OFFS slow down!!"
Eddy grabbed Brett by his shoulder.
"Mate, just stop!! Just stop and rest for a bit. C'mon, you can barely walk straight yet...!!"
Brett finally stopped. Eddy gilded him to sit on a nearby bench. Brett eventually sat down, put his head in his hands and gave out an exasperated sigh.
"...F*ck... I shouldn't have enrolled in this stupid class..."
Eddy placed his palm on Brett's back. He remembered the Zookeeper Brett appreciated this when he got distressed due to his fear of heights and Eddy hoped it would be effective to calm this Brett down, too.
"Really, Brett? For what it's worth, I was glad you enrolled me. I thought it's been quite interesting. I mean, you've done great in the class. You learnt heaps of new stuff and you even said you discovered something you could improve upon.. for my sake, yeah? That you'd strengthen up so that you could carry me. Aren't you always like that? You always try to learn stuff and gain something from everything you do. I respect that. Besides, I think it was worthwhile just for meeting another set of doppelgangers."
Brett still had his face covered with his hands.
"..You recogn?"
"Yeah... look Brett, have you thought about why we keep meeting these doppelgangers as a set of a Brett and an Eddy? Don't you think there's a good reason for that?"
Brett peered at Eddy through the gap of his fingers.
"...What do you mean?"
"Well... these two.. us two... ...are obviously compatible wherever they are and in whatever profession they're in, otherwise, we wouldn't be meeting them as a set, would we?"
Brett pulled his face away from his hands and looked at Eddy.
"...I never thought about that.. I suppose..."
"I mean, we're kinda tight too, aren't we?"
"..Tight?"
"We've been working partners for years, Brett. And not just as conventional colleagues but we trust each other with our lives... that's pretty tight."
Brett shrugged.
"..Yeah, I suppose."
"What, ain't that enough?"
Brett closed his eyes.
"It should be, Eddy."
"Should?"
"Yeah, it should."
"But it's not?"
Brett bit his lower lip.
"F*ck Eddy, I'm such an ars*hole."
Eddy smirked.
"Brett, I thought I was the ars*hole. You called me one."
Brett dropped his shoulders.
"Look, I'm sorry I did Eddy... It's just that I thought you were getting a kick out of gloating to that other Brett about me."
Eddy furrowed his brows.
"Gloat? Gloat about what?"
Brett opened his eyes.
"....that I'm crazy about you."
Eddy's reply was immediate.
"I wouldn't be gloating about that Brett.. I'd be humbled and honoured if you were crazy about me."
"Bullsh*t"
"F*ck Brett, you are starting to drive me f*cking crazy, you know that?!?"
Brett looked up at Eddy and slowly broke into a grin.
"Eddy, you're right. I think that is actually enough."
"...It is?"
Brett smiled.
"Yeah. I trust you with my life and you drive me f*cking crazy, too... we drive each other crazy? And I know I'm crazy about you. I dunno about you but that's more than enough."
"F*ck Brett, in case you haven't noticed, I think I am pretty crazy about you, too."
And so the two Firefighters continued to carry on like a couple of 14 year old girls whenever they were together – which was basically all the time. Whenever people around them asked why, they would, however, just deny it like crazy.
"Mate, why are you guys behaving like a couple of 14 year old girls?"
"WTF I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Yeah WTF who're y'calling 14 year old girls?!"
"OMG it's like I've poked a bees nest.. you two really gotta calm down or go get a room!!"
Instructor Brett stopped his car in front of Eddy's house.
"So, um Eddy, thanks for coming along with me to help me run the masterclass. It was great working with you."
"You're welcome. I'm sorry about when I lost track of time and returned late from my break..."
"Oh, that? Don't worry about it."
"Brett, I know you weren't impressed by the way you punished me like that. I suppose I deserved it.."
Eddy was referring to the fist grab.
"Oh, that was all for show. Just messin' with ya."
Eddy raised an eyebrow.
"...it was?"
Brett smirked.
"In my 20 year career as a martial artist, it was the first time ever I pulled a stunt like that."
Eddy couldn't help let out a grin.
"...That's a rather sacrilegious act to do during training..??"
"My excuse was that we weren't in a dojo but in a gymnasium. And I had my fingers crossed behind my back."
Eddy pretended he had recoiled in horror.
"OMG Brett that was so sAcRiLeGiOuS!!!"
Brett grinned.
"Oh yeah? Well, punish me then."
Eddy furrowed his brows in confusion. He held up his palm. Brett punched it and Eddy grabbed his fist.
Eddy grimaced.
"...This is so bullsh*t Brett, as if you'd punch so slow that I could actually grab your fist like this."
"Maybe I wanted you to."
Eddy furrowed his brows in confusion again.
"OMG... Brett, are you feeling okay?"
Brett let out a smile.
"I dunno. I've heard some iNtErEsTiNg things from that Firefighter about us."
Eddy recoiled in horror again and blushed.
"OMFG"
Brett kept smiling.
"And I liked what I heard. So Eddy, care to elaborate?"
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A/N: This concludes the Twoset Firefighters & Twoset Competitors Mashup story! What I thought would be a trilogy ended up with 7 chapters! In total, all relevant chapters to this whole story, are;
Twoset Firefighter (1 chapter)
Twoset Zookeeper (4 chapters )
Twoset Firefighters and Zookeeper Mashup (4 chapters )
Twoset Competitors (3 chapters )
Twoset Firefighters and Competitors Mashup (7 chapters )
...this whole story goes on for 19 chapters !!! I think it might deserve it's own separate book..! I'll have to look into that.
Anyway, thank you to all you Reader-sans for your support in reading, voting and commenting on this. In particular, dustman22, your initial prompt idea and consult were invaluable, thank you!!
I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I have writing it.
Cheers till we meet again in another story !! 20210630