Words: 2718
Setting: Somehow a little while after Manhattan. But I think it can be regarded as AU for some reasons.
Disclaimers: I don't own anything of Once upon a time.
It's pretty hard to actually give a summary on this, so sorry if my summary isn't accurate.
Maybe you don't want to read this if you haven't watched Manhattan yet because this story mentions casually the biggest plot twist ever. I mean who would have thought?! *irony*
And sorry for every fan of Doctor Who. You could get the feeling that you somehow saw a quite similar conversation already on the show.
And last but not least, if I made some very grave mistakes in grammar or writing or failed to make sense out of the plot at all (I really hope that's not the case) please let me know.
PS: I just unearthed this from my tumblr and I've actually forgotten that I did this. But well here it is. Enjoy
"How long do they already yell at each other?"
Ruby who stood behind the counter did a little jump of surprise and turned around to the person who had addressed her.
"Oh hi Doc. I'm not entirely sure, but I guess a few minutes more and all will need hot beverages for their voices. I tried everything to make them go at least a bit quieter, but it didn't work so far".
She gave the angry bunch of people who sat, or partly stood around, two tables a quick and concerned look.
" I'm quite happy that nobody started to punch someone with a chair yet, though." She smiled at him. "What can I get for you today, Viktor?"
Dr Whale looked at the angry gathering and then back at Ruby. After his shift in the hospital he usually went to Granny's diner because it always lifted his spirits to sit there and talk with Ruby, if she decided to take her break while he was there, or to sit there and just enjoy the silence and her presence. Even on busy days she would come to his table more than once to ask if he needed something else, or to chat a little while her grandma wasn't watching.
And he also went there because he was often simply too busy or too tired to cook and he enjoyed the food at Granny's, but to him it secretly really was more like a bonus than an actual reason to go there.
"I'll take just the same like yesterday, thank you" he said to Ruby.
While Ruby was preparing his order, Viktor watched the scenario that was going on. He couldn't quite understand what the reason for all this yelling was, because everybody just shouted at the same time, what made it impossible to pick out single words, not to mention whole sentences.
Besides this he wasn't quite sure how Ruby would react if she found him trying to eavesdrop some of her friends, because as he could see Emma and Snow were part of the heated debate. He was curious, but not so curious.
When it came to Ruby and anything that could possibly, even in the slightest, affect her opinion of him, he tended to be very careful.
Because since that evening on the docks, where she had saved his life, he just felt that for the first time he had found someone who wanted to be his friend, regardless of who he had been and what he had done. And with every day that their friendship grew stronger, he lived in the constant fear that he would somehow manage to screw it up. What he didn't want to, because where friendship was there could probably also be something else. And this would make him the happiest man on earth, but because of certain circumstances he didn't dare to hope. Ruby was already his friend and he already felt like this was more than he could ever have asked for.
Ruby came back with his order and placed it on the table in front of him. She smiled, but her smile looked somehow a bit uneasy.
"Are you alright Ruby?" Viktor tried not to sound too concerned.
"What? Oh yeah I'm fine just…wolf hearing you know. All this shouting gives me a bit of a headache. But to my great luck I know a doctor who could cure me from this, before I'll cut my ears off over this bloody racket they're making." She smiled whimsically.
Viktor grinned. "Well if I was a Prince Charming I would immediately go there and stop everyone from shouting. But since I'm just a little doctor I can only promise to look after the survivors and patch them up, no pun intended, just in case someone should really decide to attack someone with furnishing or stuff. And then of course, if nobody were in danger to bleed to death or of having a basal skull fracture, I would immediately do something against your headache".
Ruby gave him a playfully judging look for his pun and then grinned back at him. "That's my man".
Viktor who had just drunk a bit of his coffee nearly choked on. He knew it only had been a phrase but he couldn't help but blush.
Ruby didn't notice because in this moment two new customers showed up and she quickly got towards them to explain the noise and asked them if they would like to sit down and eat something despite that turmoil.
Viktor who had nearly forgotten about his food remembered it suddenly and began to eat, sometimes giving little looks at the scenario , just to check if the situation would maybe really escalate, and then little looks at Ruby, who again also watched the scenario with suspicion and concern.
After a while she looked back at Viktor, who had finished his meal and now thought about if he should leave or stay and try to hold a conversation with Ruby, or stay and try to calm down the lot.
"Viktor?" Ruby asked as if she had sensed his thoughts to a certain extent.
"I have enough of this hubbub, I'll close the diner for today and ask them to leave. Could you do me a favour and just stick around a few minutes longer? Just in case of… flying chairs you know. Pretty please?"
"Yeah sure. I can also help you, you know" he replied and thought that she wouldn't even have needed the "pretty please".
She smiled. "Well then let's go and be careful they'll maybe bite us for interrupting their family meeting".
The two walked towards the group. "Guys, guys? Hey guys?" Ruby tried to get a hearing and when nobody reacted she tried it with a loud and sharp whistle. Still no reaction. She looked annoyed at her friends and their company.
Viktor decided to try another strategy. He coughed slightly.
Out of sudden the angry lot fell silent and turned towards him surprised.
"Well sorry to interrupt your little discussion, but you've been quite loud and your discussion took a while and…"
Ruby finished his sentence "and I would really like to close now, so if you don't mind…" She pointed at the door.
Snow, Emma, David and Neal began immediately to excuse themselves and grabbed their stuff, closely followed by Regina and Rumplestiltskin, who, just like the others, were also still cross but also excused themselves and left.
Ruby sighed. "I can't believe it I had to make this fuss and you just needed to clear your throat" she said amused but a bit tired.
"Well what shall I say? I'm simply brilliant". He smirked.
"Oh excuse me am I talking to Doctor Whale right now or to Viktor?" Ruby said amused.
Both laughed.
It still happened that sometimes their cursed selves showed themselves a bit in conversations. Back then Doctor Whale's behaviour and his sayings , so flirtatious and arrogant, had annoyed her. But now sometimes when Viktor said such stuff she regarded it as cute because she knew that he was entirely different from Whale. And it had become some kind of inside joke between them.
"So now that they are gone. How's your head?" Viktor asked after they had stopped laughing.
"Already better, thanks. But I understand them somehow, it's a difficult situation for them all. No wonder they got so cross… and loud".
"What a situation?" Viktor looked confused.
"Well I could try to explain you in detail and afterwards you really had to do something about my headache or I tell you the short version."
"Well I'm a doctor and as such I have to look after the well-being of others. So one short version please".
"It's because of them being a big, complicated family right now. I can only guess and ask Snow tomorrow but I think it has to do with Henry. He wants them to get along as family. But there is so much to clarify. And not easy topics. But at least they try".
"And where's Henry then?"
"Oh I think he stays with Archie and Pongo. Or maybe August and Gepetto, but I'm not quite sure about it. At least I definitely couldn't smell him on any of the Charming-Mills-Cassidy-Dark One- family".
"That really sounds like a complicated family. But on the other side I who can say from onself to have an uncomplicated family life?"
Viktor thought about his own family. Or more about what was left of his family and he felt miserable at an instant. His whole life he had also tried to reunite his family, to bring his mother back, to gain the acceptance and love of his father and through his attempts he had made everything worse. His brother was now a monster and his father was dead. Viktor felt like all his guilt and loss would sink upon him and made him feel numb. Normally this was exactly the time when he started to drown his feelings in whiskey. But since the day he had tried to kill himself, he had also tried to stay away from alcohol. It wasn't easy, but sometimes it helped him to think of Ruby and their conversation instead. He really wanted to start over new and alcohol wasn't the way to deal with his problems and feelings. Viktor took a deep breath and suddenly recognized that while he had been in thought Ruby had answered him already and he had not paid attention to her.
"And that's exactly why I wouldn't date such a person, like never ever" She finished her sentence and smiled at him.
What a person? Date whom? How had the conversation changed from family to the topic of dates? Was he in the category of not getting a date with her? Not that he would ask her, at they were just friends at all, but what if she just had told him that she really could never ever date someone like him? He always told himself not to hope on the miracle that one day she maybe would feel more for him than friendship. But of course he had this secret hope even if he tried to deny it. And to hear from her that he really was in the "impossible" category for dates, or in general, for more like friendship would just feel like an actual, proper rejection. Viktor felt like his heart had just stopped for a moment in shock and looked at her confused.
"Viktor are you alright? You look a bit shocked"
He looked shocked. Why did he look shocked, just after she had told him this? Had he understood her attempt to encourage him? Was he shocked because he actually did not think about it like she did? Ruby's heart was racing in her chest, waiting for him to answer.
"What? Yeah, yeah I mean of course… I mean. Ugh I'm so sorry Ruby but to be honest, I just thought about my family and well I just heard your last sentence. So what was it you were saying about families and dates?"
He blushed a bit and Ruby, feeling relieved, smiled at him joyfully. He had been distracted; his look hadn't been an answer to her. This thought made Ruby feel tingly inside.
"I just said that sometimes, even if it's horrible to only have left Granny of my family because of this whole monster thing, I'm sometimes quite happy to don't have a big and complicated family. I mean I had a family and it was complicated and what happened was horrible, but I'm just glad to at least have Granny, you know? I mean we also have our problems sometimes, but …oh boy it's kind of difficult to explain. I mean I hate what happened because of me being a werewolf, but the Ruby side of me, the ordinary girl in a little town side just somehow likes that there are no big, loud, angry family meetings. Oh god I bet it sounds horrible to you, but I just thought… I mean if you're together with someone you kind of get his family too, don't you? And I just thought I could never ever date someone with such a big and complicated family like the "C-M-C-DO"-family. I would like it more to date someone who is more like me when it comes to family, you know?"
"Well you would love to date me then. I only have a brother left and he lives in another world. Not to mention what my monster side did to him and the rest of my family". Viktor sounded bitter and like his flirtatious Whale self at the same time.
Ruby suddenly just felt overwhelmed by her feelings for him. He was so broken and hurt, just like her, but at the same time so funny, playful and cheeky, just as well as her own cursed self.
"Well yes I think I would", she said , not without feeling nervous inside, letting the Ruby side do the talking and her Red side do the feelings.
Viktor looked at her in great surprise. Did she just tell him that she would like to go on a date with him? Before he could reply anything that would probably made him sound like an idiot because of a great lack of vowels and a random order of consonants, his more accomplished self, when it came to women and flirting, just somehow took over.
"Are you asking me to ask you on a date?"
"Well would you ask me?"
"Depends on."
"Depends on what exactly?
"Depends on if you're planning to say yes this time. So should I ask you?"
"Yes"
"Wait do you mean you plan to say yes or that I should ask you with leaving the possibility open that you could just as well answer with no?"
"Yes."
"No I mean which yes is it?"
Viktor felt deeply confused and his heart was racing. He could feel that his cheeks were glowing red and he was happy to sit on his chair because his knees felt weird.
Red, just as nervous, her cheeks nearly as red as her cloak, feeling like she had butterflies in her tummy, grinned at him. She did bend forward to him in order to whisper something in his ear and tried to put all her feelings in one little word, hoping he would understand.
"Yes" She whispered and pulled her head back a bit to see his reaction. She couldn't remember when she had ever before felt so nervous in front of a guy.
She looked Viktor in the eyes and saw how they widened a bit with his understanding of all the implied things she had tried to put in this yes.
He said nothing but the look he gave her made her feel dizzy. His eyes seemed to beam with joy and there was so much love in his look that she wondered if she was going to get a heart attack from it. It was like the world just had stopped and there was nothing left except the two of them.
After a few seconds, though it felt like an eternity, Viktor carefully took her face in his hands and bend forward to close the little gap between them.
When they kissed it didn't feel like Ruby and Doctor Whale making out, though the words had been their words.
When they finished the kiss, they just stayed like they were, her face in his hands, only a few centimetres away from each other, both grinning delirious with joy and using the break to breathe.
"Well tomorrow after your shift then? Let's say nine o'clock?" Viktor asked and they both started to laugh, drunk with happiness.
"Sounds good Doctor Frankenstein" she replied and chuckled.
"Well then tomorrow it is, Little Red Riding Hood". He grinned perky and kissed her again.
They were maybe both, Monster and cursed self, but sometimes it was necessary to distinguish between the both sides. Even if Doctor Whale and Ruby had given them an emotional jump start, this had nothing to to anymore with the former lady's man or the former femme fatale.
This was a true love's kiss between Viktor Frankenstein and the werewolf.
Monster to monster.