Okay, more writing... this is going to be fun... let's see how the zoo trip will go down more?
Chapter 10:
Ruby grasped the orange bottle in her bag, pulling it out as she quickly opened it. Drastically disheartened that Neo had a child without her. But she couldn't blame her, or any lucky guy who had Neo's heart. Neo moving on was something that Ruby had always considered a possibility, but one she never wanted to entertain.
The girl that was sitting next to Ruby just stared at what she was doing. Ruby wasn't sure if it was still the chair she was in, or from the pills she had in her hand, waiting for Yang or Neo to get back so she didn't need to take them dry.
"What is that Auntie Ru Ru?" Cerezas asked as Ruby recapped the bottle with one hand and dropped it into her bag. "Medicine. Despite how much I hate it." Ruby spoke as the girl just looked up at Ruby's eyes. Ruby could see that the girl had inherited her mom's heterochromia one eye was a silver the other was a pink almost, as she stared into Ruby's silver.
"Then why take them? I hate the yucky couch bottle Mommy gives me when I'm sick... I even spit it out sometimes." The girl spoke wondering why Ruby would do something that she hated. To Cerezas it was simple because Ruby was a grown up, no one forced her to do anything. "Sometimes, you need to do things that you don't like. I don't like taking this medicine... but it needs to be done." Ruby spoke as the girl frowned at that statement.
As the girl nodded a little, not out of understanding but the lack thereof. She figured it wasn't meant for her to understand. Something that Ruby could just pick up on. "It's okay if you don't get it. Yang told me that when I was younger as well, and I didn't understand it till I was a lot older." Ruby said, not wanting to take her anger of Neo moving on with her life like that. Not that it was Neo's fault just that she knew she could no longer have Neo. She was just going to need to move on. Something she had tried but always failed.
"Auntie Yang is super smart though. She also is super nice..." Cerezas chirped as Ruby just smiled at her. "Yeah... she is... but she is also a little bit of a... I just remembered I promised Neo I wouldn't use that language." Ruby responded as she decided to try and figure out who this man was that filled her old place in Neo's heart.
"So... how is your dad?" Ruby asked as the girl just looked back at her. "I don't know who my daddy is... it is just me, Mommy and Sprinkles." Cerezas said as she began to look at the woman who seemed to pick up at that comment for some reason that Cerezas couldn't figure out. All she knew was, she hoped that she could get some juice like she desperately wanted ever since the midday heat began to set in.
"Seriously Yang. I should stab you and everyone at the club... there is a reason I didn't let her know about Cerezas. I mean what if she happens to end up like Tai and hurts Cerezas. She's already proven she can injure me when she drinks. And I can at least fight back. What about Cerezas?" Neo asked as she grabbed a small plastic bottle filled with an orangeish liquid.
The blonde just smiled as looked at Neo and placed two bottles of water onto the tray she was holding. "She actually has cut down since you two ran into each other at the club. Where she used to drink two to three bottles at night... she is now drinking one at max. Besides... while this was half planned... it is just because you should at least tell Ruby Cerezas is her daughter. But I can assure you one thing, Ruby is nothing like our dad. While she does drink, and has gotten violent, she still isn't anywhere near as bad. Him shooting Ruby was him being sober." Yang started as she picked up one of the premade sandwiches.
"So the least you can do for your ex-wife is not make that comparison." Yang said as the duo moved up the line as Neo placed a small container of fruit onto the tray as Yang pulled out her wallet and paid for hers and Ruby's meal as Neo walked up and paid hers and Cerezas meal.
"I'm sorry while my dad was a prude, but he was never like yours, Ruby did teach me that if someone is going to throw bottles at you, and berate you at every turn, you are best to just leave them." Neo said, trying to defend her point as Yang just smiled. Pointing towards the duo sitting at the table, both smiling. "You're right, we can't force you to tell her. Least you can do though is give her a chance to prove she can handle that information. You never know, in her proving that, you might fall in love with her again." Yang said as they began to walk back towards the table.
Neo just looking at the sight, of something she truly wants, her eyes still longing for Ruby, something that she knew was clearer to her friends than she once thought. "Fine. I'll give her a chance... but it isn't going to be easy." Neo whispered as she took a seat next to her daughter who smile brightened as she looked at the small meal she was going to enjoy with her mother, and her mom's friends.
Yang opened one of the water bottles and handing it to Ruby who took a small drink as she popped the pills into her mouth followed by downing more of the clear liquid along with the pills. She could see Neo handing the girl who was now sitting on her knees the plastic bottle filled with what Ruby had to assume was a tropical juice of some description.
Ruby smiled at the girl, actually cheering up at that news that she doesn't know who her father was. It meant there was still a chance that Neo hadn't moved on. There was still the possibility that Ruby could have the women who meant to world to her, and she would still love Cerezas all the same.
Ruby smiled as she held onto the little girl sleeping on her lap as Yang pushed her. Neo just keeping pace beside them. The day Ruby had to admit was fun. Not that she didn't want to kill her blonde sister for all this scheming that had been going on behind her back. But she got to spend actual time with Neo.
Not to mention she remembered how much fun it was to be with Neo. When Neo was around she just never seemed to care about the people who stared at her. None of it seemed to matter. She was able to just enjoy herself. And the little girl on her lap, while very curious still found a way to bring a smile to her face as she pressed her face to the glass of the enclosures as she looked at the animals. Or the way she her face lit up when she looked at any of the animals as they moved. Even when she did some interpretations of them.
Once they got to Yang's car Neo picked up Cerezas and held her to her chest when she spoke. "I can't believe I'm doing this after how we broke up... but Yang made me promise, I'll give you one chance so you can get back into my life Ruby. Stay sober for this week. Don't take your pills like they are candy." Neo spoke as Ruby's smile grew. "You want me to not touch the booze, fine. But I never took the pills freely. I only follow doctor Schnee's prescription..." Ruby said as Neo just stared down at her.
As if she was boring a hole into Ruby's being. "You know what I mean Ruby. I don't want Cerezas hurt or have to go through what you or Yang went through. I'm already very selective on who sees her. Not to mention I even got this huge guard dog to guard her when no one is nearby that I trust enough with her."
"I take it that is Sprinkles." Ruby joked, with a laugh as Neo smiled back at her. The duo got interrupted by Yang who spoke up. "Neo, while I love watching you to, possible patch things up, do you want a lift back to your home?" Neo looked at the girl in her arms and could just tell be her calm breathing that she was asleep, and Neo couldn't carry her all the way back.
"Sure Yang."
Yang smiled as she pushed Ruby into the elevator. She was happy that she could see a genuine smile on her sister's face. And for once it wasn't for seeing the animals. She knew that she might say that was the exact reason she smiled was the animals, but Yang knew better. She caught Ruby staring at Neo a few times. Every time her smile grew, and every time Yang had to hold back a snicker.
Neo had done wonders for the woman in the wheelchair just for being there. And she may never know the half of it.
Glancing in the front of the chair as she pressed one of the buttons Yang could see Ruby was fighting a losing battle with her eyelids. Making Yang just smirk. It was like they went through a time machine. Ruby was happy, and still behaving like she was a big child when it came to anything. The only thing that reminded her of the fact they did not go into a time machine was the wheelchair her sister was sitting on.
Gently grasping Ruby's shoulder Yang spoke up as she gave her sister a small shake. "Wake up. I am not carrying you to bed." Yang said as Ruby absently nodded as she yawned into her hand. Exhausted from the day. Unsure of how she was going to make it a full week without drinking, but she knew she could.
She had to stay sober if she wanted Neo back. And she was going to get Neo back if she could. She didn't care if Neo asked her to walk... she would try.
"Hey Yang... is Neo's where you go to every afternoon to early morning?" Ruby asked as the blonde in question pulled them out of the elevator. "Yeah... shockingly, I like kids. And Neo pays me a cut of what she makes which is a decent chunk from Junior. So it is a win win." Yang spoke as she plopped the keys onto Ruby's lap so she can open the front door.
"Well... does Neo have someone in her life? Cerezas doesn't know about." Ruby asked, leaning forward to unlock the door and push it open.
Smiling as she gave Ruby a solid push through the doorway she spoke, "Nope. She works weeknights, and spends the weekends with Cerezas with an odd exception here and there where she gets dragged out by Emerald or Pyrrha or the twins." Yang let a laugh out at the sight of Ruby developing a larger smile at that news. Like she was happy that Neo hadn't moved onto someone else.
"That's good... means I won't be staying sober for nothing." Ruby said as she began to wheel herself further into the apartment. As Yang smile fell. "You make it sound like it is a good thing she has been just as stuck up on you as you are to her." Yang said closing the door as a boot came flying off and landed in the pile of shoes at the front of the door.
"You have nothing to base that off of... but yeah... if she still wants me, that is a good thing... it means I just need to find some way to prove I'm still the same person she fell in love with, just with a wheel chair." Ruby spoke as Yang removed her jacket. "Or instead you can go the extra mile and head back to that scary fucking physical therapist." Yang spoke as Ruby looked at her shocked.
"One... pretty sure I have like no muscles left... and two... unless Neo asks me to, I really don't want to. With Octavia it was always 'give me one more' and then I do it and then it is followed by 'just one more'. You have no idea how much that fucking hurts. Seriously." Ruby said as she began to wheel herself back toward her room. "Fine... just fine..." Yang spoke as Ruby moved out a little to see her sister.
"If you start scheming something I swear." Ruby said as Yang held up her hands. "I swear I won't scheme." As Yang said it Ruby nodded and began to wheel herself into her room. Closing her door with a solid fling.
'Said nothing about planning...'
Author's Note:
Okay... this was fun. Uh for Paytonsgram... I respond to all... just only use the author's notes for guest reviews... check your inbox, I find that better because it is a lot easier to have a dialogue. But with that aside, onto the guest reviews...
drjacsin: Oopsie... I thought I gave you the unweighted life vest... my bad.
Guest 4: I'll have you know pandas are not violent... they are actually very peaceful. And they look cute. But any animal can fuck you up... doesn't mean they often do. Black bears often stay away from humans which is why they are not a risk to humans, compared to grizzly bear.
Guest: It was Apple... moving onto apple cinnamon now. It was a short crust if you were curious about that part... best flakey crust ever.