The interview

Chapter 26

Lucy groaned under the wet cloth dropped over her forehead, "It's been 3 days. It should be out of me by now."
Riley sent her sympathetic smile from the other side of the sofa, "You got a nasty case of food poisoning sweetie, it's gonna take a while." She reached over and flipped the cloth over, "But on the bright side, no Melissa!"
Lucy waved her hands weakly through the air, "Woo."
Riley giggled and copied her when the doorbell rang and she jumped up, "Ah, right in time."
Lucy smiled when Riley moved to the hallway, opening the front door, "Sir Box-a-lot! You're right in time Sire!"
"God you're still hitting me with the old English shit?" Daniel's voice laughed as he stepped into the house, "How is she?"
"I'm fine and I can hear you." Lucy called out, pushing the blankets from her and sitting up. Daniel and Riley appeared in the doorway and he sent her a relived smile, "At least you're out of bed."
"Our girl's making slow but steady improvement." Riley grinned before turning away, "I'm gonna go fix some grub for my shift before I get ready."
Lucy and Daniel sent her smiles before he moved to her and knelt beside the couch, holding his palm to her head, "How you holdin' up Sunshine?"
"I'm fine, getting better by the day." She smiled, tickling under his chin and earning a smile. She felt herself relax, it had been over a month since Dylan passed away but she could see the improvements Daniel was making, he was almost his old self again.
"Mom gave me this to bring for you." Daniel held up a plastic bag, "Her homemade soup. Woman thinks her cooking could cure even food poisoning."
Lucy giggled softly, "It probably is, it's about the only thing I can keep down." She shifted over enough to give him room and he moved to sit beside her, wrapping her tightly in the big blanket and snuggling her to him, "My sick little burrito."
"Excuse you?!" She laughed, kicking his foot. He grinned against her head, nuzzling her hair and tightening his hold for a moment, "You heard me. Look at you, all cocooned up." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I really wish you stayed at my place though."
"All my work materials here and Riley's on nightshifts now so she's with me all day. I didn't want you to worry about me being alone while you were at training."
"I know, but I worry anyway." He sighed, letting her go enough to meet her eyes, "Listen, I've been thinking... you know since the whole pregnancy scare thing..." He trailed off, colour flooding his face.
Lucy stared up at him, "Danny... you know I love you and you've already got names picked out but-"
He shook his head quickly, laughing softly, "What? No, it's not like that! I'm not asking you to have a baby with me Lu." He chuckled when she breathed a sigh of relief and nodded for him to continue. Daniel pushing her messy hair behind her ear, "The whole thing got me thinking, we've been through a hell of a lot these last few months and you've been with me through hell and back, seen me at my absolute worst and still stuck around. Still questioning your sanity on that by the way." He pressed his forehead to hers, "And the thought of having a kid with you... it kind of opened my eyes to all that you know? How good you are to me, how dependant I am on you, how much you mean to me... and..." Daniel swallowed heavily before meeting her eyes, "And I had this thought, now I've been sitting on this for a few days and I've thought about it, and I think it's a good idea. Obviously it can wait until you're better and everything, and if you actually say yes-"
"Danny." Lucy laughed, pressing a finger to his lips, "What's got you rambling?"
He puffed his cheeks out before squeezing her fingers, "Would you... uhm... what do you think about moving in?"
He had asked the question so quietly, Lucy almost missed it. She blinked in shock, "Move in? Like, Me moving in with you?"
He nodded, eyeing her cautiously, "Yeah." 
"Oh..."
Daniel chewed his lip, "I know our relationship's been pretty short and shit's all kinds of complicated but after we thought you were having a baby, it made me see the big picture. Luce," He held her face in his hands, "you're in that picture. I want you to move in with me. I want to take our relationship to the next level, but only if you say you're ready too, I'm not trying to force this on you." 
Lucy smiled, feeling heat rise to her face, "I'm in your big picture?"
"You are." He brushed his lips over her nose, "Am I in yours?"
A fuzzy, warm sensation exploded in her chest and she grinned back, nodding, "You are."
Daniel's eyes brightened, "So is that a yes?" He couldn't keep the hopeful tone out of his voice even if he tried. Lucy nodded again, brushing her fingers through his hair, "It is."
Daniel's shoulders relaxed instantly and he pushed a sigh of relief passed the tight feeling in his chest as he tugged Lucy to him, cradling her on his lap, "Really?"
"Really really." She laughed, tilting her head up enough to peck his lips. He grinned against her, his arms tightening around her protectively, "How the hell did I get so damn lucky?"
"Your wit and charm my dear, it was all your wit and charm." Lucy sniggered, squishing his cheeks between her thumb and fingers, kissing his puckered lips before nestling under his chin, curling up in his arms. She felt him laugh against her, his cheek pressing to her hair, "That so?"
"Mmhmm."
Daniel closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her snuggling closer to him, "How're you gonna break the news to Red?"
Lucy hummed softly, lifting her head from his chest, "Hey Ri? Daniel asked me to move in with him!" She yelled.
A crash came from the kitchen, "What?!" And in a split second, Riley appeared back in the living room doorway, "Like just now?!"
Lucy nodded, beaming as she rested her head back on Daniel's chest, "I said yes."
"My two babies!!!" Riley squealed, throwing her arms around them both, flicking Daniel's ear, "Finally grew a pair huh?"
"Hey!"
Riley waved him off and pouted at Lucy, "I'm gonna be so lonely."
"Why not ask that Aliah girl from your work to move in? You said she was looking for a place." Lucy smirked at her friend, "And I recall you talking about her with... interest." Wriggling her eyebrows, she watched Riley's complexion slowly begin to mach her hair. She stood straight and nodded to Daniel, "Peace and quiet won't kill me, you can take her."
Lucy smothered her giggling with the blanket while Daniel shot Riley a knowing look, "Ohhhhh, Red's got a crush. What's she like? Is she nice?"
Riley picked up a cushion and whacked him with it, "Lucy, control your male."
Her roommate just snorted harder into the blanket while Daniel batted at the cushion, "Control your male?! The hell's that mean?"
"Means you suck, Douche-nugget!"
Daniel gasped and held a hand over Lucy's ear, pressing her head to him, "Watch your language in front of my lil sickly burrito."
"I'm not a burrito."
Daniel grinned down at her, showering her forehead with kisses, "Sweet bean burrito."
"God you guys are so cute and cuddly it's gross." Riley sniggered, leaving the room again to get ready for her shift. Daniel threw his head back to yell after her, "Maybe if you grew a pair and asked this Aliah chick out you would be too!"
"Go fuck yourself Sir Box-a-lot!"
"Don't have to, your ex-roommate does that for me!"
Lucy blushed bright red and backhanded his shoulder, "Say it louder for the neighbours to hear why don't you?"
"Ayyyy my girl's gettin' soooome!" Riley's voice cheered from the staircase, making Daniel laugh and Lucy pull the blanket over her head, "You both suck."
"I know. Now get better so I can steal you." He cooed down at the lump of blanket on his lap. Lucy peeked an eye over the edge, "Will you stay the night?"
"Will it help you feel better?"
She nodded, smile hidden behind her blanket. Daniel quickly shrugged off his jacket and kicked off his sneakers, laying himself across the sofa and spooning her like his life depended on it, "Consider it done."
"Yaaaay."

***

It took a few more days than expected, but a fully recovered Lucy stood in her almost packed room, stuffing the last of her clothes into another suitcase, "Ri, I need your butt again!"
A lazy grunt came from the other side of the room before the worn out redhead sat herself on the suitcase, helping Lucy zip it shut, "So... you're really going huh?"
Lucy nodded with a smile, "I am."
Riley sighed and rested her head on her hand, "Can't believe you're ditching me for a boy."
"I'm not ditching!"
Riley fell backwards over the suitcase and onto the bed with a heavy sigh, draping an arm over her eyes, "Woe is me!"
Lucy rolled her eyes with a small grin, pulling the suitcase out from under her, "Knock it off. You were all for it a few days ago."
"Because you were sick and still on my couch. But now you're really leaving me after being my roommate for shit knows how long. And all for a lame boy." She huffed, sitting up with a pout.
"He's not a lame boy, he's my boyfriend, a fully grown man and this gives you the chance to get a conversation going with Aliah. Have you even asked her yet?" Lucy rose an eyebrow, watching her friend's face turn bright red again as she avoided her eyes, "I'm gonna..."
"Ok. Do it now."
Riley looked at her mortified, "What?!"
"You heard me. Do it now. You have her number right?" Lucy nodded to Riley's phone sitting on her nightstand, "Go on."
The two stared each other down, Riley not budging from where she sat while Lucy folded her arms, unblinking. She saw Riley's eye twitch slightly before she blinked and groaned, making her grin with triumph, "Hahaaa."
Grumbling unintelligibly, her fiery haired friend turned and snatched her phone up sulkily, tapping on the screen.
Lucy moved around her and watched over her shoulder as she typed out a message,

Hey, just wondering if ur still looking for a place? Roommate's moving so I got a room free if u want it.

Hurriedly pressing send, Riley glared over her shoulder, "Happy?"
"Wow that was so hot." Lucy remarked flatly, moving back to her suitcases and setting them by the door just as a throw pillow flew over her head, "Shut up!"
"Do I get to be maid of honour when the big day comes?" Lucy grinned, picking the pillow up and setting it in a box next to her.
"I hate you."
"Nah."
"I do!" Riley called out as Lucy stepped out of her room, waving over her shoulder, "Nah!"
"Fuck you!"
Lucy laughed loudly from the bathroom, making Riley huff again and fall onto her back, looking back to her phone when it buzzed,

A: omg rlly?! That'd be awesome! Thank u sm Ri! I owe u big!!

Riley started smiling when she heard Lucy's footsteps enter the room again, "She answer?"
Bushing red again, Riley set her phone screen down on the bed and stood, "Just shut up and finish packing before he gets here."
"Yes ma'am." Lucy grinned, tapping a full box shut, "Do I get to meet her?"
"Lucy please stop talking."
Lucy pouted at her, "Oh come on, this is the first time you've shown interest in someone for ages! I wanna know!" Se wined, "Pleeeeease?! With cherries and sprinkles on top?"
"I'll think about it." Riley grumbled, cheeks getting red again as she helped Lucy start t stack her DVDs into another box. Beside her, Lucy smiled wider, keeping her mouth shut this time. 

A/N:  Hi... sooooo... it's been almost a year since I've updated this story.

To anyone that's still here and still waiting on an update, I'm really sorry. There's no excuse for disappearing for so long, it's been a hellish year and the last thing on my mind was writing to be honest. A lot's happened and for a while my mental health kind of... well deteriorated. I'm not totally 100% yet, hell I don't think I'm even pushing 60%

But it was unfair to my readers to just ditch. I hope you guys can forgive me for leaving for so long. I'll try harder from now on, just give me some time to get my head right. I don't know when I'll be me again, but hopefully it won't take me another year to write a lousy chapter.

Stay safe, stay healthy, and please remain cautious even if Lockdown restrictions are easing. The danger is nit fully gone and we all still have people to protect.
Wear your masks, wash your hands, keep in touch with people. They need you.