Hello everyone, how're you ? Lately I've been thinking about the idea of a Ruby/Henry pairing and am actually liking it. I'm personally one of those people who like the idea of the regular looking guy getting the gorgeous lady and this is one reason I'm writing this, in addition to liking some versions of the older female younger male genre. Furthermore, there's been all kinds of pairings posted here but not one for them. Therefore, I've decided to take the initiative and do something about it. I hope all of you will like this one shot while it will also serve as the first Ruby/Henry pairing on this site.
Just so everyone will know, Henry's 17, but very mature, self sufficient, and responsible while Ruby's 22. I borrowed the five year age difference idea from the Anidala (Anakin/Padme) age difference from "Star Wars". Meghan Ory, who played Ruby, is currently 34 years old, but that's way too high for me since Henry's 17 and that's why I decided to make her character's age a bit younger for the purposes of this fic. I hope everyone enjoys it.
Disclaimer: I don't own "Once Upon A Time" or any of its characters. They belong to their creators and to ABC.
Henry was busy setting up the dining room table at the mansion he currently lived in as he waited for his girlfriend Ruby to come home. He set it up elegantly with the fanciest dishes he had inherited from his late mother Regina, a bouquet of red roses, two candles which lighted, and a bottle of non alcoholic red wine, and the best quality at that. He and Ruby didn't like to drink alcoholic beverages since they weren't the kind of people who liked getting drunk or even buzzed. That's just the way they were, preferring to be sober at all times.
Once he was done setting up everything, he turned on some romantic music and waited for the lovely werewolf to come home. As he waited, he thought back to when their relationship started. He remembered how both of his moms, Regina and Emma, had died fighting against a new Dark One by the name of Gideon, who turned out to be the son of Rumple and Belle, having been kidnapped as an infant by the Black Fairy and corrupted. Nearly everyone was shocked by his identity and it took a lot before he was finally defeated, but with Regina and Emma having to tragically sacrifice their lives to end him.
The whole town of Storybrook was devastated by the loss of their beloved heroes and Henry had been filled with grief and anguish. Being 15 at the time, he had gone to live with his grandparents, Snow and Charming, for a time until he could stand on his own two feet. During this time, he met Ruby, who had just moved into town and began waitressing at Granny's Diner, the owner actually being her grandmother. As they had gotten to know each other better, he'd learned that she was from the realm known as the Enchanted Forrest, the same realm where her Regina, his grandparents, and her grandmother originated from, and wanted to make a fresh start elsewhere, which was why she came to Storybrook. As their friendship grew and strengthened, Ruby shared with him that she was a werewolf, but with slight hesitation, afraid that this would cause him to end their friendship. Henry hadn't cared though, actually finding it to be pretty cool, and reassured her that nothing about her could change what they had, causing her to breathe a sigh of relief.
A few months after Henry became 16, he asked Ruby out on their first date, having become attracted to her stunning beauty and her strength, and she had happily said yes, having also developed feelings for him. At this point in his life, he had become a successful novelist, having developed a love for writing, and his novels were well received worldwide and generated a lot of income, making him financially independent. Also, with the help of Ruby and his grandparents, he had learned how to cook and was able to create some very delicious meals and different, but wonderful, concoctions. It was at this point that he decided he was ready to live on his own and moved back into the mansion he grew up in with Regina.
As the months passed and after many more dates, Henry and Ruby's feelings grew stronger and deeper until they realized that they were deeply and passionately in love with each other and couldn't live without each other. They would eventually share their very first kiss, and a real kiss at that, one night underneath the shinning stars, it also being Henry's very first kiss ever. They finally decided to plunge into a real, committed relationship and Ruby moved into the mansion with Henry.
It was now a year later, and Henry couldn't wait to take their relationship to the next level. This was why, tonight, he had set up the dining room so elegantly. Not only was he planning on a romantic dinner with his girlfriend, but he was actually planning on popping the question to her. He was both eager and nervous, not knowing how Ruby would react but desperately hoped with all of his heart that she'd say yes.
He was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by the front door opening and Ruby stepping inside of their home, having returned from her shift at the diner. He quickly went over to her, taking her in his arms and greeting her with a passionate kiss which she eagerly reciprocated.
"Hey my love, and welcome home", he said to her once they parted.
"It's always good to be home and in your arms, my handsome boyfriend", she happily and flirtatiously replied to him. Her eyes then turned towards the dining room in which everything was so beautifully set up. "What is all of this ?", she asked him, intrigued by what he had planned for them this evening and hoped that it would be good.
"This, my darling werewolf, is a romantic evening I've planned for us", he answered her. "And if all goes well, it should allow our happiness together to increase and take our relationship to an even better place, that is, if you're willing to follow me to it."
Ruby sweetly smiled at him, and taking his hand in hers, responded by saying, "You don't even have to wonder about that. You're the love of my life, I trust you with all of my heart, and where you go, I will always follow you."
Henry smiled brightly at her, her words allowing some of his nervousness to melt away while giving him a measure of confidence that tonight would go as he intended. He then escorted her to the dining room, pulled out her chair like a gentleman so that she could sit down, then went to the kitchen and returned to the table with a pot of pasta, mixed with sizzling grilled chicken, wonderful smelling marinara sauce, sauteed mushrooms, garlic, and olive oil freshly squeezed from the best olives he could find. After serving their plates, he poured the wine on the table into their respective glasses. Ruby's mouth watered at the food and looked forward to eating what her boyfriend had prepared, while also thinking that the roses, candles, and music were a very nice touch. She remembered the lessons in cooking that she had given him and could remember the times when he'd messed up in the kitchen and with the end result being burnt in some cases. Thankfully he had come a long way and it was one of the things she loved him for.
After taking his seat, Henry and Ruby began to eat and enjoy their meal, both of them immensely pleased with his result. As they ate, they talked about their day and how it went while reminiscing on their past and the moments which led to where they were now. They also spent their time flirting with each other, while eating, and exchanging suggestive glances towards each other. Once they finished, Henry took their plates into the kitchen and returned with two saucers filled with delectable slices of rich, chocolate fudge cake, along with three scoops of amaretto ice cream, for each of them.
After he placed the saucers onto the table, he watched with baited breath as Ruby used her spoon to cut into a piece of her cake and, after a couple of bites, moved to take another piece when she suddenly noticed the sparkling diamond ring inside of her slice. She dropped the spoon and put her hand to her mouth while letting out a gasp of surprise. After composing herself, she reached out her hand, gingerly taking the ring out and holding it between her fingers, her eyes shining with tears. She then looked up at the young man she loved, wondering and hoping if it meant what she thought it meant.
Henry smiled warmly at her, got up from his seat, and after approaching her, gently took the ring from her grasp and went down on one knee while holding up the ring.
"My dearest Ruby, you are the light of my life and mean the world to me. You healed my aching heart when my moms were murdered and filled it with your love. You are my best friend, my strong and brave werewolf, my protector, my best friend in more ways than one, and the love of my life. Every time I see you, my heart beats a little bit faster. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and want you to be the first and last person I wake up next to for the rest of my life. So I ask you, Ruby Red Riding Hood of the Enchanted Forrest, will you marry me and spend the rest of your life with me ?"
Ruby smiled widely, and while doing her best to hold back her tears of joy, vigorously nodded her head and said the words that he wanted to hear.
"Yes Henry my love, yes I will marry you. A thousand times yes."
He responded with a huge grin on his face and, after placing the ring onto her finger, stood up and embraced her while kissing her deeply to which she reciprocated as their tongues battled for dominance. After what seemed like forever, they finally separated due to the need for air.
"This is the literally the best night Ruby. I'm actually engaged to the woman I love, which is you", Henry said to her as they rested their foreheads against each other while gazing into each others eyes with looks of love and adoration.
"This is the best night of both of our lives Henry, and hopefully we'll have many more of these moments together for the rest of our lives", Ruby responded while taking one of her hands to stroke his cheek. The two of them then wrapped their arms tightly around each other and held each other close while swaying to the romantic music that continued to play, happy to be in each others lives and holding onto the faith that their future together would be joyful and prosperous.
The End
A/N And that concludes the the first Ruby/Henry fic or one shot on this site. I hope all of you who read enjoyed it. I've also chosen to name this pairing as RedBeliever. Any reviews are welcome, including constructive criticism. But no flames, insults, or cursing please.
I also encourage anyone who likes the RedBeliever pairing to write their own versions like I have and furthermore, if anyone wishes to write either a sequel to this one shot, or a Ruby/Henry fic set in this one shot's universe, you have my permission to do so. Though if anyone decides to write one or the other, please PM me and let me know first.
Have a very good day. Oh, and while this is a different fan forum, I'd like to encourage any "Arrow" fans who're here and gave up on the series because of season 4 to please return and give it a second chance. The current season has been fantastic, albeit with a few weaknesses in the second half, and it's redeemed itself of what the fan base considers its core mistakes. However, if any one of you hates Felicity (I don't, but if any of you do), PLEASE don't watch 5x10 lest it ruin your experience of the new season. Just please skip over that episode and pretend it doesn't exist.