Prompt: Zelena being allergic to dogs but she makes it work because she loves Ruby.
This is a fic written for Colbyashcer as a part of a fanfic giveaway I did on my tumblr NotEvilDear-Wicked.
Kjtjp1 has proposed the pairing be called Ruby Slippers. I for one fully support this idea XD
Zelena was seated by herself across from Emma and Regina, who were snuggled together on their side of the booth at Granny's. It was sickening to watch how sweet they were, truly, and definitely not just because Zelena didn't have anyone to snuggle with herself.
Because Zelena was definitely not at all jealous of them. That would just be ridiculous.
In fact, Zelena was so not jealous that she didn't even mind. Or, she wouldn't, except they just had to keep looking at each other so hopefully every time the other spoke. Anyone in her right mind would be annoyed with such mushy tomfoolery, so obviously Zelena couldn't be jealous.
Only, she had to admit, maybe she was just a tiny bit jealous when Emma let Regina taste some of the dessert off her fork. It wasn't that she was jealous of Regina having Emma specifically, though, because Zelena truly did have her sights set on someone she would like to share her own dessert with. There was this waitress girl she had been introduced to a few weeks back, and she was absolutely stunning, with her long brown hair and this smile that was brighter than the moon. Zelena was smitten almost immediately, her breath had even caught in her throat—a surefire sign that she must have just been introduced to her true love if the stories she had heard were anything to go by. There was just one, teensy, barely important proble-
"HurrISHoo!" Zelena sneezed, quite loudly, into a cupped hand and blushed in embarrassment.
"Bless you! Damn, do you still have that cold?" Ruby asked with a half chuckle, half pitying look. She had apparently approached the table at some point in Zelena's musings over how not-jealous she was, leading to the very problem Zelena had been thinking about.
She was very much allergic to dogs, and unfortunately, that included those like the current object of her affections—Ruby.
The week before, she had run out of Granny's during a particularly rough sneezing fit, but of course Zelena couldn't tell Ruby she was allergic to her. She wasn't a dating pro, but she was fairly certain that it wouldn't be a good way to flirt her way into any hearts. She was also fairly certain that the annoying tickle at the back of her throat would only continue to grow if Ruby didn't leave soon.
Zelena sniffled as discreetly as she could and smiled up at Ruby. "I'll be fine, it's just a sniffle," she lied. Normally the red-head didn't have any issues lying to others, but there was something about the sweet waitress' innocent expression that made her feel slightly guilty, even if the lie was solely to spare her feelings.
"Granny makes a really good chicken noodle soup," Ruby suggested with a shy smile.
"Oh, that sounds lovely but I've already eaten so…" Zelena trailed off, confused as to why she was suddenly being told about random foods she had never even heard of.
"No, I meant," Ruby paused to giggle and it was one of the most adorable sounds Zelena could ever remember hearing, "perhaps I could come by tonight and heat some up for you. That is, if you're interested?"
Zelena looked on skeptically, unsure if she was starting to imagine things or if Ruby truly was asking her out on a date. She wanted more than anything to say yes, even if it was meant only as a way for them to spend time together as friends, because she felt intoxicated every time she so much as looked at the younger woman. Unfortunately, there was no way she could do so without completely embarrassing herself.
"She'd love to!" Emma interjected, a little too enthusiastically. Regina nodded along and kicked her lightly under the table.
"Really? That's great! I get off at 8, so is 8:30 okay?" Ruby asked, a beaming smile in place. Zelena was not oblivious to the way she stepped closer so that her leg was brushing against her arm, both because of the fact that it was seriously arousing her and because it was causing the tickle in her nose to return.
She should tell her no, make up some excuse about not feeling well enough since that seemed to be working for the time being. But all that came out was, "That sounds lovely. It's a date!"
"Great, I can't wait." Ruby bent down in front of Zelena to clear their plates, maneuvering herself so that Zelena had a particularly full view of her bulging cleavage. The move also caused the allergens from Ruby's wolf to swirl through the air and right up her nostrils, sending the tickle back into overdrive. She tried to hold it off but to no avail; Ruby had just barely moved out of the way when Zelena erupted with two quick sneezes into her cupped palms.
"Bless you." Ruby giggled and held a much appreciated paper napkin out to her, which Zelena happily accepted with a grateful nod of thanks.
She waited until Ruby had gone back to the kitchen to finally blow her nose, a gross wet gurgle sounding out as a result. Emma grimaced across from her, but both women were watching Zelena with a knowing look.
"Okay, we only have a few hours to get you ready for this date," Emma spoke firmly, looking to Regina for backup. "Rule one, try not to do that. Not very romantic."
At 8:25, Zelena was still not prepared for Ruby to turn up, but the knock on the door signaling her early arrival was difficult to ignore. She was loathe to admit just how nervous she was, but she really did like Ruby, and this was the first time anyone had wanted to spend time with her without feeling some sort of obligation for one reason or another. All Zelena could think about was how drastically she could end up screwing things up.
With a deep breath, she pushed down her reservations, smoothed out her red curls, and twisted open the front door to the farm house she still occupied. "Hello," Zelena greeted shyly.
Ruby smiled back at her and held up a brown paper bag. Zelena stepped aside to allow her entrance into the house before shutting the door firmly in place and nervously flitting toward the kitchen. The home wasn't in the best shape, but she'd lived in worse, and at least it seemed to have most basic amenities after a few improvements.
"So, do you have a pan I can heat this up in?" Ruby asked, pulling out a container that was presumably full of the soup. Zelena couldn't help but notice a bottle of wine was also tucked into the bag, much to her pleasure.
She moved to show Ruby where the pans were, brushing past the younger woman in the process, which only caused all those little tiny dog particles to fling into the air around her once more. She sniffled, trying to hold it off while she got the pan, but Ruby seemed to have other plans.
When Zelena stood back up, she turned, only to find Ruby standing up against her and invading her space with that adorable smile she couldn't resist. The chemistry between them was unlike anything she had ever felt, and she could see that the brunette must have been feeling some of the same sparks if the way she kept leaning in was any indication.
They stayed there for what felt like hours, both just looking at the other curiously and inching closer and closer. Zelena could feel her eyes beginning to itch and water but ignored it, wishing her allergies would leave her alone and hoping if she just ignored them it would go away and she could spend the time she truly desired around Ruby.
Then, as if propelled forward, Ruby closed the distance and pushed their lips together. She knew first kisses were supposed to be awkward, but Zelena couldn't help finding Ruby's level of skill in that area to be exceeding her expectations. A loud clatter rang out as Zelena dropped the pan down onto the counter so her arms would be free to pull Ruby closer, both settling just a little low on her hips. Ruby responded greedily by grinding her hips against Zelena's and smirking into the kiss.
Zelena never wanted the kiss to end, but unfortunately she eventually had to breathe, which also meant irritating her nose once more. With hardly any warning, Zelena pushed Ruby back and turned to the side, erupting into another fit of harsh and desperate sneezes that bent her at the waist with their force.
"Oh, shit, uhm… maybe you should be in bed?" Ruby suggested, looking around flustered while Zelena tried to get herself under control. "I'm sorry, what was I thinking, kissing you like that when you should be resting." Now she sounded guilty, and even through her blurred and itchy eyes, Zelena knew she had to come clean.
"I have a confession to make," Zelena admitted with a big sniffle once she had concluded the sneezes were done for a moment. "I'm not really sick."
At this Ruby only raised a skeptical eyebrow and handed her a tissue from the box she had finally located on the counter. Zelena blew her nose and sneezed again before continuing.
"As it turns out, I seem to have fairly strong allergies."
"To what? Why didn't you just say so?" Ruby asked, even more confused. Zelena could see she was ready to take her leave, probably hurt that she had been lied to, if she didn't confess soon.
"I'm allergic to dogs," Zelena admitted, blushing in embarrassment and looking down at her feet.
"Oh… oh," Ruby said, her voice indicating that she clearly understood the predicament after a moment. "Look, if you don't want to see me, you could have just said so. You don't need to make up excuses to get rid of me," she added sadly.
"No, that's not it! I really like you, Ruby, I do. It's just, every time you come near me, I can't stop sneezing, and I don't know what I can do about it. It's kind of embarrassing," she mumbled the last part.
Instead of any number of responses Zelena had been expecting, Ruby just started to laugh.
"You idiot," she said between gasping breaths.
"Excuse me?"
"I don't know how things work in Oz, but in this world, they make lovely antihistamines that can be great to help get rid of your allergy symptoms. Why don't I go get you some from the drug store so we can continue this date, and then tomorrow we can see if Regina knows of any magical methods that might be useful? Sound good?"
Zelena couldn't believe that Ruby was even still interested in her after the disastrous start to their date, and not only that, she was willing to remedy the situation and continue their date afterward. She couldn't remember anyone ever caring enough about her to do such a thing, and it warmed Zelena's heart.
"Sounds perfect."
This time it was Zelena who closed the distance between their lips.