And after all the breakdowns and doubts I've been through in this fic, it's finally here. My passion project! This fic is literally the hardest one I have ever written and it's honestly the most fun too. :o

I know I used to call it "Photographs" when I announced this, but I changed the title since it doesn't fit. "Incomplete" sounds more fitting as the story's title. You'll probably find out why it's called like that, hehe. ^^'

Again, this is an "Modern Day AU" fanfic so no Pokemon. Ruby and Sapphire are in their late 20s in this fic while the younger dexholders are well, just follow their ages in your respective interpretations of the PokeSpe timeline that PokeSpedia showed (since it is the official timeline). Yeah, technically they are younger but it's in your interpretation how young they are to avoid any misunderstanding.

(Also my writing style changed so the chapters aren't gonna be super long)

With those being said, I got one more thing...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAPPHIRE! She deserves happiness. ;w;

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

Update: January 21, 2019

Cover photo is commissioned to my friend, irokonn. If someone reposted my commission, TAKE IT DOWN OR PAY HALF THE PRICE. I paid for that art and reposters reposting it is just annoying. US Dollars are expensive here so pay up if you see people repost the art. I'm sorry if I sound rude but reposting art is bad. Reposting fics is bad.

Chapter 1 - Good News and Insecurities

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A flash of a camera blinded the area for a few seconds. The models started blinking once the photographer removed the camera in front of them. They stood up from their seats and went backstage after seeing the photographer lazily nod at them.

A sigh left the photographer's mouth. An option appeared on the camera screen, telling him that the camera couldn't occupy any more photos for its memory was full. The photographer just stared blankly at the screen, wondering what he should do.

"And you better save that photo, Ruby!"

Ruby's eyebrows creased. He remained quiet and as he went to his seat, he connected the camera on the laptop placed on his desk. He couldn't bear to delete all of the pictures in his camera's memory; they were all important to him. It contained photos of his province's beautiful landscapes, dresses he randomly saw in the mall, and memories he had shared with his parents, his friends and Sapphire. He placed his right fingers on the laptop's touchpad as he tried his best to find duplicate pictures that he needed to delete.

"I swear you need to buy a separate camera for your work." His co-worker stated. He placed his hand on the chair as he looked at the laptop. He became a bit dizzy as he watched Ruby scroll down through the different sets of photos the camera contained. He closed his eyes, pressing his palm on it. "God freaking dammit!" He cursed and used a paper fan to smack Ruby's head. "Just delete one goddamn photo! You can always take another photo of those damn mountains or dresses next time!"

Ruby bit his lip. He stood up and placed his hands on his co-worker's shoulders. His face darkened.

His co-worker felt a lump in his throat as a shiver ran through his spine. He swore Ruby looked like his former boss whenever he was pissed. "I-I'm only telling the truth!" He tried to argue and gulped. Despite his trembling arms, he tried to remove Ruby's hands from his shoulders. "Those photos are just irrelevant! And besides those damn landscapes and dresses, you seem to have more than one picture of that girl with you. I'm assuming that she is your girlfriend since you couldn't even bear to delete any pictures from your camera with or without her!"

Ruby turned his head, avoiding his co-worker's gaze. "And...what if she is?" He muttered coldly. He thought about what he said.

It was true that he and Sapphire were very close these past few months. Their relationship turned into something beyond friendship the longer they lived together under the same roof. Up until now, Ruby and Sapphire haven't discussed anything about their unspoken relationship. No words were needed to confirm if they were in a romantic relationship or not; their intimate gestures were enough to answer his question. He sighed and tucked his hands in pockets. He left his co-worker alone in the studio.

"You better get back here, you hear me!" He yelled and sat on the chair. He sighed as he watched Ruby disappear from his sight, and looked at the laptop. If Ruby didn't have any plans to finish the job then he should do it himself. Why did it always have to be him? "Dammit. What is wrong with him? He said that chick is his girlfriend and after saying that he went silent and freaking left me here. What a nuisance."

Ruby went to the roof deck of the building. He slammed the door shut, hoping no one bothered to follow him. He closed his eyes when the city cool breeze touched his skin. He took a deep breath as he placed his shoulder on the handrail.

Ruby's job was simple: he was a professional photographer and a dress designer. He often made clothes for actors and actresses whether they were performing on the big or small screens, or on the stage like Broadway musicals. His job was nothing similar to Sapphire's. As he thought about it, she seemed to be more successful than him. He bit his lip and looked down at the people walking from street to street then sighed.

If he were going to be honest, he couldn't help but to detest himself.

It was odd, though; Ruby never self-loathed. He often had enough confidence to say that he was a great person. Sometimes, he may sound too confident but now, he couldn't bring it up to her or to anyone. He was Sapphire's rival; one of the many qualities of their rivalry consists of them being at the very top of their respective careers. But the way he does his work nowadays made him feel like he was losing. He was not ashamed to lose, though. He knew he could work his way back to the top.

His phone started vibrating from his pocket, snapping him out from his thoughts. Curious, Ruby took his phone out and looked at the caller ID. His insecurities suddenly vanished once he saw her name.

"Sapphire, hey."

"Hey," Sapphire said on the other line. She grabbed her backpack from the couch.

Ruby let out a soft chuckle. Her cute voice was always enough to lift his mood. "You called early."

"Yeah," She chuckled along with him. "Listen, I'll be heading straight to our house. I'll buy food, don't worry."

He smiled, his eyes remained on the vast, blue sky. "That's my job."

"I just wanna treat ya," She said, closing the door in her office. She opened her bag rummaged through her stuff in it. After several seconds, she found a key. "Anyway, I'll be off for a moment. Is there anything else you would like me to buy on the way home?"

He thought about it carefully. She didn't need to buy him anything; being together for months had always been enough. Though, in his mind and in his heart, he was yearning for something else, something more; a date. He wanted a nice, peaceful date with her where their minds were free from the thoughts of their jobs. He hoped this time she would be available for once. He knew that going out on a date seemed unnecessary at the moment, but it was the only thing he could think of to ease his insecurities.

They've been a couple for a while now. However, due to work, they have had little to no chance to progress it any further; lack of communication has begun to hurt their relationship.

Gathering up all the confidence he had left, he tried to speak, "I-I'm good. Stay safe. Send me a text message when you're home." He gritted his teeth. Dammit. That was not what he wanted to say.

"I will. You too. See ya later." She said before ending their call.

Ruby let out a deep sigh and dropped his phone in his pocket. Every time he had the chance or the confidence to ask her out, his mouth often betrayed him. It felt like there was something blocking his tongue, and even his mind, whenever he tried to ask that specific question.

He was ashamed of himself. It had been twenty-five months since he confessed his love for her, but he hadn't made the first move despite their relationship status. He blamed their work, for it was keeping them busy. Though there were times where they had dinner and breakfast together, all they talk about was work especially when Sapphire's success started.

In his defense, however, he had a good reason why he was cautious when asking her out. Sapphire's family passed away and she had to deal with her grief for almost two years. He confessed to her on impulse around that event, and he deeply regretted confessing at the wrong time. He swore on that day that he would ask Sapphire out when the time was right.

Maybe I can ask her out tonight. He thought, gaining a newfound energy. He was determined that this time, he would do it correctly. With one last grip on the handrail, Ruby scurried off and headed straight into the studio. Once he made it, he turned off his camera and started packing.

A knock on his desk made him stop. He could only sigh and turn around.

"Ruby, I need to talk to you before you leave," His boss said. His tone was strict and Ruby felt that he was in trouble. He could only guess that his coworker complained about him again. "In my office. Now."

Ruby just nodded and put on his backpack. He followed his boss to his office.

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Ruby gritted his teeth as he stomped his way on the lobby. He was right: his co-worker did complain about him. It was enough to ruin his mood, and he was having a good day as well. He shrugged it off and shook his head. He couldn't come home stressed. Sapphire would be worried about him, and he didn't want that. He held his breath and entered the condominium's elevator. He pressed the fourth-floor button and leaned his body on the handrails.

It had been a month since he and Sapphire lived in this condominium. It had always been his dream to live in a fancy condominium as he worked in the city, and now that he'd achieved it, it was time to look for a new dream. But what could it be?

His mind wandered off to Sapphire and her success. He humbly admit that her success made him proud and happy. It was often rewarding to see a smile on Sapphire's face. It felt like he could scream to the world at how happy he was just by seeing her smile. It may seem out of character, but that's what he felt.

The elevator stopped and slid its doors open, revealing the fourth floor's hallway.

Ruby went off and headed straight to their shared condo unit: room four hundred and sixty-nine. He stopped and clicked on the doorbell, waiting for Sapphire to open it.

"It's five-thirty," Sapphire opened the door while Ruby went inside. He placed his blue cap on the hat stand. "Are ya alright?"

"Huh?" Ruby asked, his eyes wandered all over the place just to avoid her gaze. It was always nice that she'd thought of him, but she didn't really need to know what happened with his work. His eyes stopped scanning the area once he felt her warm hands cupping his cheeks. "Sapph..." He tried to speak, but he was mesmerized by her worried gem-like eyes.

Sapphire let out a cough and awkwardly slid her hands off from his cheeks with a blush. "Is it yer coworker again?"

Ruby was speechless. How did she know?

She sighed, biting her lip. She grabbed his hand and took him to the dining area. "Dinner is ready. We can talk about that while we're eatin'."

Ruby gently held her hand, letting the small warmth from it spread through his palm. He was slightly disappointed when she removed it on his to grab the take-out food from the oven.

"Just sit down. I'll handle this."

Ruby just nodded and sat in front of her. He watched her place a box of vegetable pizza on the table. The scent of their food lingered in the air, and Ruby just realized how hungry he was when she placed three slices of pizza on his plate.

"So..." Ruby started after consuming half of the veggie pizza. His eyes were fixed on her. A smile perked on his lips as he grabbed a tissue paper in the box. "What's the sudden celebration?"

"Huh?" Sapphire was confused. Her eyebrows furrowed. She was kind of busy with her slice of pizza that she almost forgot why she did this in the first place.

Ruby chuckled and wiped off the excess tomato sauce on her lower lip. Sapphire's cheeks heat up at this and hastily grab the tissue from him. "A-About that," She stuttered, setting the tissue paper aside.

"Hmm?" Ruby rose an eyebrow and continued eating the remaining slice of pizza on his plate. The smile on his lips didn't fade. She always looked so cute whenever she was getting away from an awkward situation.

"Remember when my research with Moon was a success? And...science people from all over the world would go to my office just to ask me about it?"

Ruby bobbed his head for a nod. How could he forget? That revolutionary medicine was the reason why Sapphire was at the top of her career. Her years of research and hard work had finally paid off despite the struggles she'd faced. The moment the anticancer medicine she made with Moon helped the volunteered patient get better, news about it spread like wildfire. Scientists, researchers, and even college students would go to Sapphire's office at Devon Corporation just to learn something about it. Sometimes, seminars were held just so Sapphire could help the curious people learn more about the medicine.

"One of them was planning to spread it to the public. President Stone said she had a research facility in another country so I guess they wanna spread the medicine there."

"And you agreed?" He didn't need to ask. He knew Sapphire only wanted to help. That was the purpose of the medicine in the first place: to help people despite the money they would offer. Her selfless reason was one of the qualities he admired most about her.

"Well," Sapphire tucked a loose hair behind her ear. Her fangs poked from her top lip. Ruby swore she looked even cuter than before. "I was planning to. We haven't discussed it yet. And if it was a success, I was hoping I can help more people with it."

"You will. You're doing the right thing, don't worry." He reached his hand and held hers tightly. His eyes were burning with passion as he smiled. "I'm happy for you."

"T-Thank ya," She mumbled, slowly sliding off her hands from his. She stood up and closed the pizza box.

Ruby watched her grab their empty plates and placed it in the kitchen. His eyes darted at his right hand. He already felt how the warmth he'd shared with her vanished. It was enough to make him frown. He sighed. "Sapph?"

"Hmm?" She didn't look at him. Her eyes remained on the dishes she was washing.

"Would you like to sleep with me tonight?" Ruby swore he would punch himself for asking such a ridiculous question. Sure, their condo unit was large enough for two people to live in it, but there wasn't a separate bed. Chances of them sleeping together were high. But Ruby chose to respect her privacy and offered to sleep on the floor despite her protests. They weren't able to sleep together until he was sick with a fever last week. He admit that having her in his arms every night was one of the greatest feelings he had ever shared with her. "I mean..."

"S-Sure," She responded. She tried to focus her attention on the dishes just to ignore her steaming cheeks. She gulped. Nothing happened between them when they slept together for a week, but she admit that she felt safe when she slept with him on the same bed. She sighed, hoping to cool down her cheeks, as she dried her hands. "Just...Just don't do anythin' stupid." She knew he wouldn't. She trusted that he wouldn't, yet she felt like she had to say it just to ease the awkward tension.

"I won't. I promise." Ruby smiled and offered and his hand. She didn't hesitate to accept it. Heat crept onto both their cheeks when they felt the warmth from each other's hand.

Ruby held his breath. He didn't know what was going on with him, but it felt like he needed to do this. Once they made it into the bedroom, he didn't hesitate to pull Sapphire down so that she was lying on top of him. He later thought about how crazy he was for doing this, but knowing that Sapphire didn't pull away nor complain was enough for him to continue.

Sapphire held her breath when she felt her chest collide with his as his arms started to wrap around her waist. She didn't know what was going on with him. Her mind was jumbled. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, yet at the same time, she felt relaxed in his arms. Giving in, she let out a sigh and closed her eyes.

Ruby bit his lip. He watched the woman he loves snuggle on his chest. His heart rate increased. He was tempted to kiss her until she felt comfortable, but he decided to just hold her close for now. He sighed as his eyes went on the ceiling. It would be nice to confess to her again, but when would he have the courage to do it?

Perhaps they were in a romantic relationship by virtue of their actions but he wanted to talk about it with Sapphire. If only they weren't tired from their work and then they would have the time and energy to talk. But when would it be?

I hope you guys enjoyed (and will enjoy) it as much as I had fun writing it. The crime part will appear in later chapters since well...the genre says it's a crime fic, hehe. Thank you all again and happy birthday Sapphire, my favourite female fictional character of all time!

Also, many thanks to everyone who read this. Thank you as well for the beta readers (especially to my friend, Nue) I've hired to check this fic multiple times, haha. ^^

Stay safe, everyone! ^^