In response to an anonymous prompt on Tumblr: a femslash pairing out of my comfort range, a pairing that I haven't tried to write for before + drunken shenanigans.
Ruby Lucas had begun the night angry and frustrated. Despite the curse being broken now she had somehow once again been coaxed into working the late shift at Granny's. Maybe it would have been alright this time, it wasn't like she had any plans with her usual drinking buddies what with Emma and Snow being stuck in another land but listening to the same old drunken stories every night was really getting old.
She knew exactly who would be in the diner and at what time and what they'd order, with only a few exceptions. She knew which of the guys would make comments about her clothes and then try to hit on her, as if she dressed the way she did for their sake and not to make herself happy with her own style. It wasn't like the job challenged her abilities but she'd crossed that bridge before and ended up right back where she started, missing the strange comfort of what she'd come to know as home.
At the start of her shift, she'd peaked out from the back room, whilst lacing up her apron, in order to confirm her suspicions of the evening to come. The only slightly unusual occurrence was Belle sitting on one of the higher chairs at the counter, a pint of alcohol in one hand and the other playing absent mindedly with a plate of French fries.
Belle's posture was slouched slightly as you would expect from someone who was upset. Rumple had left to go with Snow, David, Emma, Regina and Hook; Ruby knew this as she was the first person Belle had called that day, in tears. The girl had barely spoken besides telling Ruby the main details of what had happened and instead just sobbed until no more tears came, and Ruby had listened to the sound, silence coming from her end of the line. She had known Belle didn't want to be around anyone at that moment in time, but she also needed someone to be there for her and like any good friend would, Ruby did everything she could even if that meant just staying on the phone so Belle knew someone cared.
Making sure no one else in the diner needed anything, Ruby headed for the girl at the counter. "Hey, friend," she beamed, hoping some of her optimism would rub off if only for a moment. "You planning on eating those or playing a game of Jenga with them?" she asked, nodding at the fries.
Belle's eyebrows knitted together as she snapped out of her inner thoughts and lifted her head to look at Ruby. "Jenga?"
"Doesn't matter," she said kindly, reaching out to steal a fry from the plate. She still had lapses in remembering that Belle didn't share the same common knowledge as everyone else did about this world, having being locked away for most of her time here. "Another rough day, huh?"
"Just the same as all the rest," Belle sighed with a sad, appreciative smile.
Ruby reached out to squeeze her friend's hand in reassurance but as she hovered over pale skin, someone else came into her sight, grabbing her attention to order drinks for the group he was with and so her warmth was prematurely stolen away as Belle followed her movements with clear, waiting eyes.
By the end of the night Ruby was back standing across from Belle, fully aware of the fact the girl had ordered several more drinks throughout the course of her shift and that she would surely be intoxicated by this point.
"How you holdin' up?" Ruby called out to her.
Belle offered a lopsided smile and a laugh at something unknown. If she had been anyone else, Ruby would have told her to get lost hours ago but now they were the only two people left in the room. Food had long since stopped being served, it was too late for people to meet up for a 'quick catch up' and those who wanted a night out had moved onto the Rabbit Hole.
"Come on you," Ruby told her, untying her apron from behind and laying it haphazardly across the counter before walking around to Belle. "I think someone needs a bit of fresh air."
Belle made a noise in response that was a cross between a sigh and a groan but spun around in her chair and allowed Ruby to take her arm and walk her out anyway.
Once in the street a chilly breeze gusted past the pair, making Belle flinch a little in shock but thankfully it woke her up enough to walk at Ruby's pace. She glanced sideways at the girl next to her, long hair whipping around her face in the night air, the hint of a smile tickling her lips and bright eyes.
"Where're we going?" Belle managed to ask comprehensively, clutching Ruby's arm a little tighter as her shoes threatened to catch against the pavement and drag her down.
There was no response from Ruby for a while but Belle didn't mind. She could sense the other girl letting her werewolf instincts to momentarily overtake as she breathed in the Storybrooke air deeply and formed her reply. "Why don't we go down to the pier, it'll be quiet there. There's never anyone around at this time of night."
Belle didn't bother to ask how Ruby knew that but nodded and continued walking onwards.
The pair sat silently side by side, watching the darkly coloured waves sway back and forth endlessly and listening to the relaxing melody they created. Both were lost in their own thoughts, Ruby trying to decide how best to comfort her friend and Belle trying to figure out how her life had gotten to this point.
"I don't think he's coming back for me," Belle whispered, her voice shaking, fingers stitching together in her lap.
Ruby twisted to face the other girl, her expression softening. "Belle," she sighed, "hey. You don't know that."
Belle sniffed. "He told me Henry would be his undoing. If he finds his grandson, one of them could get hurt. He's been trying to be better, he really has, I just can't stand not knowing what's going on."
"That's a risk you just have to take right now."
Belle's head dropped onto Ruby's shoulder, the effects of the alcohol making her tired. "Everything is just so different here than in the Enchanted Forest. Back there, we were isolated. No family, few friends. Here, we have everyone. It's wonderful, but at the same time I just can't help feeling…"
"Lost." Ruby finished her sentence, thinking of how much time she had spent with Snow in the Enchanted Forest compared to here. Now Snow had Charming and Emma and Henry and a whole array of one thing after another to sort out.
"Yeah. I know I've been encouraging it, because it's good to have your family, everyone needs it but things haven't been working between me and Rumple for a long time." She admitted. "There are moments when he looks at me the way he used to but most of the time he's just so distracted, it's like I'm not even there."
They sat there quietly again after Belle finished talking. She never moved her head from Ruby's shoulder but Ruby lifted her arm up to run her fingers softly through Belle's hair.
"Thank you," Belle whispered eventually.
"What for?" Ruby queried, moving slightly to look back down at her blue eyed friend.
"For always looking out for me," Belle told her, smiling truly this time.
Ruby melted at the sight, warmth spreading through her at the knowledge that she had done good for someone she cared deeply about.
"Don't mention it," Ruby whispered back.
Their faces were so close now and the way Ruby was looking at her with that bright smile in the dark made Belle's stomach flip. And it was with that realisation that Ruby was the one who was there for her, the one who hadn't left her and cared about her wellbeing enough to let her be her own person, that she closed the gap between them.
For a moment, Ruby accepted the kiss, her hand tightening it's grip in Belle's hair. It was when she went to kiss back that she realised what was taking place.
Swiftly, Ruby broke the kiss, removing her hand from Belle's hair and standing up, her mouth agape. She turned and took a few steps away from the other girl, breathing heavily, she was too surprised to say anything.
"Ruby I-" Belle attempted to explain, hauling herself up to a standing position also.
"What was that?" Ruby gasped out cutting her off, one hand was in her hair and the other gripped her stomach to try and steady her breaths.
"I'm so sorry, Ruby, I just, I thought, I…" Panic struck across Belle's features, making her unable to form a complete sentence. She had shocked herself with what she had done but moreover she hoped she hadn't betrayed her friend's trust in her.
Then everything stopped. Belle stopped talking and looked across at Ruby and Ruby stopped her flustering, clearing her head and gazed back. Belle was stood there, alone and even in the bad lighting she could still see the tears threatening to spill over pink tinted cheeks.
It hit Ruby then just how many times she had thought about something like this happening between them. Belle was strong and opinionated and they had laughed together and protected one another. Sure she had done that with her other friends too, but with Belle it had been different, it had felt deeper. She had spent this whole time trying to work out what kind of deep their bond was, but now she knew and it was that sudden connection that had scared her the most. It was something she hadn't felt before, not even with Peter.
In the blink of an eye, Ruby was walking back towards the other brunette. She placed her hands around Belle's face, thumbs lightly dabbing her cheeks.
"I thought you wanted it too," Belle muttered, her teeth worrying her bottom lip as she looked up at Ruby.
Ruby took a moment to breathe in Belle's scent, the familiarity relaxing her. "That's because I did," she replied, sealing her words with another kiss. Her hands moved back into Belle's hair, pulling her face as close as it could get. She felt Belle's hands wrap around her waist as they moved against each other. They sighed into the kiss at the same time and felt each other smile.
When they broke apart for the second time, it was mutual. They rested their foreheads together, neither of them wanting to move too far away from the other. Locking eyes, they began to giggle at each other.
"Feeling better now?" Ruby asked.
"Much," Belle smiled up, going in to kiss her again.
Please leave a review, my lovelies! Let me know what you liked and what I could have done better. Please bear in mind though that this was out of my comfort range, I don't know Belle and Ruby's characterisations like the back of my hand but I do hope I did them justice.