#rayxrose

[innytoes]

My roommate is sick and all they could talk about was how much they miss that one soup you always made them so I drove four hours to come and get some + OT3 of your choosing

When Ray opened the door at 11PM on a Thursday night, he was a little surprised.

"Hi, Mister Molina?" the young man said, fidgeting his fingers together. "We spoke on the phone?"

Because yes, he had spoken with Julie's boyfriend on the phone. It was just that he was pretty sure Julie's boyfriend was Luke. He had been since they got together in high school. She'd been so excited to join Luke to get her music degree at the same top-notch university. (And yes, they had a long conversation about picking the best university for her, not just the one her boyfriend was at.)

But this young man was not Luke. He'd thought he sounded different on the phone, and strangely formal, but he thought it was just because they hadn't spoken as much since Luke went away to school.

His poor little nena, first she broke up with her high school sweetheart and now she had the flu? Why hadn't she told them about Luke? Was she worried they'd be disappointed?

"Yes, of course, come in," he said, waving the boy inside. He had messy hair, ripped jeans and a leather jacket, but Ray knew that looks didn't say anything. Any boy who was willing to drive four hours just to pick up soup for his sick girlfriend had to be a good egg.

"The soup is just about done, Rose was just letting it simmer until you got here," he explained as he lead him to the kitchen. The way the young man was trying to subtly sniff the air was rather endearing. "Would you like to try some?"

"Oh, I couldn't," the boy said, but he looked longingly at the big pot simmering on the stove. "It's Julie's soup."

"There's more than enough," Rose said, already grabbing a bowl and ladling some soup into it. If she was surprised at this Not Luke Boyfriend, she didn't show it. Behind the boy's back, he made a confused shrugging motion at his wife, and she just quirked an eyebrow at him. I don't know what's going on either, it said.

"Oh, well, if it's no trouble," the young man said, all but collapsing into one of the stools at the kitchen island. Rose handed him the bowl and a spoon, and when he took a deep whiff, his eyes fell closed in what appeared to be bliss. When he took a bite, he actually whimpered a little. When was the last time this poor kid had some homemade food? Ray remembered his own college years, and if he were to guess, that boy lived off ramen and grilled cheeses.

"This is really good, Mrs Molina," the boy said earnestly in between big bites. "No wonder Julie was craving it. This would make anyone feel better."

"How is she?" Rose asked.

"She was feeling pretty crummy when I left," the boy said. "But her fever was down and she was craving food again, so that's a good sign." He looked up, concerned. "I didn't just leave her alone! Luke's with her, and Alex and Willie are on standby to drive them to the emergency room if either of their fevers spike."

So Luke was still with her? Was the break-up amicable?

"I just felt so bad, I mean, I was the one who got sick first, and then I gave it to Luke, and Luke gave it to Julie, and they were both so miserable, and when she said she wanted her Mami's special soup I just thought, if that would make her feel better..." He trailed off when he realised he was rambling, flushing.

"You were sick too?" Rose asked, concerned. "You poor thing."

"I'm fine now," the boy reassured her, even though on closer inspection, he did still look kind of exhausted. He had dark circles under his eyes, and the way he was slumped over the bowl of soup told Ray he wasn't exactly fit as a fiddle yet. Maybe the soup would help, though. "And I can be out of your hair as soon as we pack the soup up. I'm so sorry to spring this on you."

"Anything for our Julie," Ray said, and the boy whirled around, eyes wide, like he'd forgotten Ray was there. Yeah, definitely not one hundred per cent yet. "You look tired, though. Are you sure you're okay to drive all the way back?"

"Yeah, totally," the boy said, before knocking back the last of the soup, holding the bowl up to his face to get it all. "I don't want to be a bother."

"You're not," Rose insisted. "And Ray's right, you look tired. If you just got over the flu yourself, you shouldn't be driving eight hours straight. Why don't you go take a nap for a few hours?"

"But Julie..."

"Won't want to be woken up at three in the morning anyway," Rose pointed out. The boy's face turned into a thoughtful pout. "Just sleep for a few hours, and you can get up bright and early tomorrow and bring her the soup. It'll do none of you any good if you fall asleep behind the wheel."

"I guess," he finally acquiesced.

"Great!" Rose said, beaming. "Do you want some more soup?"

Of course he did, and she gave him another bowl, sending Ray upstairs to prep the guest room and find Reggie something he could sleep in. Ray just let it happen. He knew better than to get in Rose's way when she'd made up her mind, and just watched on in amusement as she ushered a confused young punk in a leather jackets up the stairs and off to bed.

When she came back down, Ray had finished putting most of the soup into tupperware (and maybe stealing a few bites for himself. It was really good soup).

"Julie never told me she and Luke broke up," he said. "Had she told you?"

"No," Rose said, thoughtfully, even as she wrapped herself around him, on her toes so she could hook her chin over his shoulder. "Maybe they haven't."

Ray turned as far as he could, catching a glimpse of her face.

"Reggie said he gave his flu to Luke," Rose pointed out. "And on the phone he said he was Julie's boyfriend. I think they're both dating him."

Oh, so his name was Reggie? That was good to know. Ray tried to wrap his head around it. He was just glad his daughter hadn't gotten her heart broken.

"He seems like a good kid," he said finally. "Driving all this way just to get Julie's comfort food."

Rose hummed in agreement. "Well," she said. "We'll have plenty of time to get to know him tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" He would have thought Reggie would be anxious to get back home to his... partners, he guessed.

"Well, of course we're driving him back!" Rose said. "He's in no shape to drive!"

And Ray just nodded, and smiled, because when Rose made up her mind, it was best to just go along with it.