Comfort Food (Young! Ray Shields x Reader)

Requested by ilovegumshoe

Your Pov:

As I walked down the street, all I could hear were the sympathetic whispers of the people who passed by and the blaring audio of the TV's in the store windows. I had heard the news hours after it happened.

My mentor, my great teacher Gregory Edgeworth...was dead.

Shot in an elevator, presumably by the bailiff found inside alongside him and his son. Everyone was shaken and poor Miles was now an orphan. I attended the funeral with Ray. That day, at the funeral, he was silent and stiff as I cried into his shoulder. I knew that he had been hurt very badly by our teacher's death and he needed time.

It had been a few months since then and today, I was visiting Ray. He barely left his house and I knew that he needed the support to start moving on.

I walked up to the porch and knocked on the door, adjusting the bag in my arms. A few minutes later, the door opened and Ray poked his head out. "Oh, (Y/n). Come in." He had bags under his eyes and looked so sad. I followed him inside and sat the bag on the kitchen counter. I looked at him. "When was the last time you ate a proper meal?" He shrugged. "I don't remember. I've just been sleeping a lot."

I sighed. "Alright. You go take a shower. I'll have dinner ready by the time you get done." He quietly nodded. "Thanks." Then he disappeared upstairs. Once I heard the sound of the shower running, I started on dinner.

I played some music on my phone as I took out a few pots and pans. I took the ingredients out of the bag and started preparing everything. I hummed along to the music as I thought about Ray.

I knew that he was grieving in his own way and that grief takes time, but I didn't want it to destroy him.

I moved to the stove, the sound of sizzling mixing with the music. I wished that Ray was cooking with me like we used to. He'd grab my hands and dance with me around the kitchen. The both of us would laugh until our stomachs hurt.

But now, those things seemed like faint memories. He was a shell of himself. I missed the Ray who would call at 3 AM to ponder about true crime and the Ray who would give me random hugs throughout the day. I just wanted him back. And I'd do whatever it took to do that.

Just as I put the food on the table, Ray came downstairs. He looked a little better and seemed more energetic. I smiled at him. "Right on time, Ray. I made your favorite." His gaze fell to the table and in that moment, I saw his eyes light up. Then, he looked at me. "You remembered!" My smile grew as he clapped his hands together happily.

A tear of happiness fell from my eye. Ray paused. "(Y/n)? What's wrong?" I wiped the tear away. "Nothing. I'm just glad I was able to make you happy again." He wrapped his arms around me, hugging me. His hug was warm and comforting. He slightly rocked us back and forth. "You always make me happy, (Y/n). Even now, you make me happy. Happy enough to say that...I love you."

He let me go and I looked at him. "Ray...Oh, you jerk! Why didn't you tell me sooner?! I never thought you'd feel the same! I love you too!" He smiled. "I'm glad then." He looked towards the table. "Now, why don't we eat dinner before it gets cold?" I nodded. "That sounds perfect."

And so, we sat to dine, the smiles never leaving our faces.