The Fire Within (wlw)

U-Hauls and Friendly Banter

~Timeskip to the next day, you and Shay were getting ready for shift and Kelly had already left to get his work done for shift change~

I grabbed my fire bag and walked into Shay's bathroom to get changed. I looked in the mirror and gave myself a slight smile. I still couldn't believe I was her new roommate. Last night was my first night as her official roommate and we had a little celebration. She made all of us a special dinner and it was delicious. Once dinner was finished, Severide had decided to stay home to get some rest so Shay and I had gone out for a little walk, allowing me to get a feel for my surroundings. I have to admit, this place was amazing. Despite it being spring and nowhere near Christmas, there were these lights in the trees that gave off a golden glow and only made this area look more magical at night. 

I pulled my shirt on over my head and looked at myself again, quickly fixing my hair. I put my pants on and tightened the belt around my waist, tucking my shirt neatly. I then grabbed the bag and opened the door, thinking it would be easier to put my boots on when I had something other than a toilet seat to sit on. 

As I picked my eyes up from fiddling with my bag, I saw Shay standing there waiting for me, already dressed. "Get lost in there?" she chaffed, throwing in a smile with her witty comment. I crinkled my nose a bit as if I had smelled a foul odor. "Yeah ya know, I found a wardrobe in there and went in it. I entered Narnia and almost got lost in there but I made it back." I replied, causing her to chuckle a bit. I sat down and quickly put on my boots, tying them and standing back up. 

Shay grabbed her bag and walked out of the room so I threw some extra clothes in my bag and started after her, nearly tripping down the stairs. "Woah there speed demon, you've got plenty of time." she laughed, having turned around about the time I missed the step. I fixed my composure and looked at her, giving a small smile. "Why....are you smiling at me?" she asked, cocking her head to the side a bit and giving me a quizzical look. A small, confused smile formed at the crease of her mouth.

 "Hiding the embarrassment of nearly falling down the stairs." I replied, walking towards the door. She laughed a bit and followed behind me, stopping at the door. I opened it for her and bowed my head as if she was royalty. "After you, Madame." I said, gaining a laugh from Shay who bowed her head in return and walked through the door into the hall. 

We had decided to take my car so, once again, I was in the driver's seat with Shay right beside me. We drove in silence, broken up by the occasional small conversation. We pulled up to the firehouse within a few minutes. It was convenient Shay and Kelly lived so close to the house, I enjoyed not getting up as early as I did for the previous shift. 

"You didn't tell me you worked as an Uber driver!" Gabby joked, walking up to the car as we were getting out. I rolled my eyes as Shay responded. "Hey, she lives with me now so she owes me a free ride to work." she said, giving my side a playful jab. Gabby's eyes widened as she smiled. 

"Well look at you, U-Haul, moving in after your first shift together!" she joked, causing me to look away so they wouldn't see me blushing. I continued walking towards the station with the girls behind me. "Oh give her a break, she just needed a better place to stay so I offered." I heard Shay whisper to Gabby. "I know I know, I'm just messin' around with ya." Gabby whispered back.

I opened the door and was immediately greeted by everyone in the lounge. "Hey Quill!" they called. I beamed and called back, "Hey guys!". I walked to the locker room with Shay and Gabby to put my stuff up. 

"Alright, I'm gonna go to the bathroom. Gabby, don't pull Quill's leg, got it?" she threatened, putting two fingers to her eyes and moving them to point at Gabby. Dawson laughed and shrugged it off, sending Shay away to use the bathroom. We watched as she left and once she was out of view, I  shut my locker and turned, meeting face to face with Gabby. "Woah-" I yelped in surprise, taking a step back to create space while chuckling. "Sorry!" she laughed. I smiled and brushed it off, impressed with my save.