From Intern to Family | 9-1-1 Fanfic

Chapter 17

"Table 12, please Cooper!" Willow called and I nodded. The tray balanced evenly on my hand as I whizzed the drinks over. "Hi guys, how are we today? I've got two cokes, one lemonade and a water." I charmed, flashing a friendly smile.

The family all thanked me and I promised their food wouldn't be much longer. I made my way back to the counter as Willow finished serving a takeaway order.

"And why aren't you at your internship again?" She questioned, putting the cash in the till.

A sigh left my lips, "Just needed a couple days that's all." I excused and she raised an eyebrow at me.

She slid over a cupcake and I smiled in thanks. "That is a poor explanation, but I won't push. But if you're not back there by tomorrow afternoon then I'll get Poppy to drag you." Willow sassed.

I gasped in mock offence, but continued to eat my cupcake. It was vanilla with sprinkles on top and I carefully picked off the yellow ones before placing them on the plate. The yellow ones didn't taste as nice.

A bell dinged from behind me and I saw Willow quickly excuse herself to the back room. That's weird. Maybe they were picking something up.

Said person slipped into the barstool beside me and I glanced over out of instinct. "Fancy seeing you here." Athena smirked and I gulped.

"Uh hey. I'm not skipping, I told Bobby-" She raised her hand and I stopped talking immediately.

"I'm not here for Bobby. You said you needed two days away from them, but I'm not a firefighter so I don't count myself in that statement." She stated. I don't think I'd ever get used to how straight forward Athena could be.

My finger tapped the countertop absentmindedly, "It's not about being a firefighter Athena. It's realising I care about a group of people, which includes you, and that fact is.." I trailed off in thought.

"Scary?"

I nodded. The word wasn't the right one, but it was a good enough substitute. "Well if it makes you feel any better, nobody else knows I'm here." She stated.

A small laugh left my lips and I raised a skeptical eyebrow, "Else?" I picked up on her wording.

At least she had the decency to look a little shameful. I looked past her to see Bobby in the corner, watching patiently for his turn to talk. Athena gave me a small smile and I shook my head, hopping off my seat and walking into the kitchen.

Poppy and Willow were kneading some dough, so I assumed the other workers were helping out front. I passed the kitchen area where they had some sofas and lockers for the workers. I slumped into the comfy leather seat, crossing my arms over my chest grumpily.

Willow rolled her eyes and stepped out the room, returning quickly with Athena and Bobby. "Cooper, let them help." She ordered. I refrained from arguing with her.

It's not their fault. How could I expect them to understand why this was all such a big deal for me?

Athena sat to my left and Bobby sat to my right, sandwiching me in. Luckily for them it didn't feel claustrophobic, but just a foot away from making me have an anxiety attack.

"How's your break been?"

"Enlightening."

My sarcasm made them chuckle and I rolled my shoulders. "If you're going to go lecture mode on me at least let me roll some dough. I need something to do with my hands or I'm gonna freak." I gritted my teeth and breathed a sigh of relief when they nodded.

Poppy and Willow had taken their places back out the front of the store so I grabbed the dough and began working to knead it. "It's not lecture mode. I'm merely a concerned friend." Bobby eased. Athena scoffed teasingly at his wording.

"Friends? Is that what we're calling this?" I questioned. Bobby shook his head at the pair of us, "Fine. Call it someone caring about you, which I know freaks you out but it's the truth." He replied.

My hand slammed down harshly on the dough and I cringed at the sting on my hand from where it slammed into the table. "I thought we weren't going to talk about this. I took a couple days off for a reason." I mumbled quietly.

Athena stood up from her seat and walked over to me, slowly moving her hands to rest on my shoulders. She did it slow enough that I could move if I wanted to, but I couldn't bring myself to actually do it. Athena is nice.

The weight felt nice on my shoulders, like a steady pressure to keep me from stressing. "Who knows?" She asked.

I glanced behind me in confusion, prompting her to elaborate. "Who knows about your life? Knows about whatever has happened for you to be so wound tight." She squeezed my shoulders on the last two words and I jumped.

"Nobody needs to know. Bobby said I didn't have to tell any of you guys anything unless I wanted to." I objected.

"And I stand by that. It's on your terms, but we don't want you struggling in the meantime." He insisted.

I started shaping the dough and getting ready for it be put in the oven. "Well I'm fine so stop worrying. I'm just your intern." I objected.

Bobby stood up and crossed his arms as Athena raised an eyebrow, "An intern? Is that all you think you are to us?" Bobby questioned as I put the bread in the oven.

With practiced ease, I avoided eye contact with the pair of adults and tried to find some other task to do. Unfortunately they knew this game just as well as I did.

Bobby walked forward and leaned against the counter beside me, whilst I whisked some random bowl of cake mix I found. He slowly reached over and, once I stopped whisking, he grabbed the utensil from my hand.

"I think we all know you're not just an intern." He sighed. My jaw clenched and I anxiously scratched at my neck, "Well maybe I should be." I muttered quietly.

Poppy chose that moment to enter the kitchen, smiling at me knowingly. "We've quietened down now, so you can head home and get some rest before you go back to the firehouse tomorrow." She explained, gently brushing my hair back from my forehead.

The ache in my head eased slightly and I warmed at Poppy's grandma-like affection.

"Poppy I'm fine-" She hummed in objection and I rolled my eyes. Willow came into the room as well with a box, "There's a couple croissants in here and a cinnamon bun- your favourite." She stated.

I smiled in thanks and nodded. "Mind if we walk you out?" Bobby offered. I glanced at the people around me, contemplating my answer. Ultimately, I couldn't say no because my heart was stronger than my head. Stupid, I know.

We said goodbye and they walked me outside, silently making our way down the street. "Will I see you tomorrow?" Bobby asked and I laughed hollowly.

"Definitely. Thank you, uh, for letting me have the time off." I replied. He waved it off humbly, which is no surprise guessing by his good nature.

Athena stepped forward and pulled me into a hug, catching me by surprise. I froze, only being able to move once she pulled away. "A little heads up, Buck and Eddie are going to be very overbearing tomorrow." Athena winked. I let out a loud groan, making them laugh.

"I'll tell them to ease off a bit. They did the same thing you did once, but they understand it takes time to realise that they were in the right place." Bobby explained with an omniscient tone.

I spun around and continued walking off down the street, "Sure Cap. See you tomorrow." I called out past my shoulder. Their stares lingered for a little longer, but soon enough I was walking alone again.

Everything's going to be fine. Tomorrow I go back to work and carry on as if nothing ever happened. The team will be back to normal and I'll just be the same old intern I was before.

It's fine.

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Hope you enjoyed this chapter! A little softness from our favourite parents :)