Chapter Summary:
She's got countless questions, now that she's met the man in the walls. But first, they need to discuss the rules. Canon Divergent/AU
Notes
This was intended as just Ruby patching up the doll to put it back together, but then it got away from me and ended up being their first meeting and something more. Opps. This was written before It's Brutal Out Here, so that's why it's vague how the burglars died.
She hasn't slept.
It's only been a few hours since the burglars broke in and, by extension, only a few hours since Brahms had revealed himself to protect her.
She'd been so focused on wanting the burglars to be gone that she doesn't even realize that they are. Not until Brahms is standing right in front of her.
He's taller than she'd expected- a foot taller than her, if she had to guess. It means he has to bend down to reach her now, nuzzling just a little against her neck as he seems to be smelling her hair.
It'd been braided when she went to bed last night, but after everything, it'd come undone in a mess framing her face- she can only imagine how awful it looks.
"...Brahms?"
The name slips out without her realizing, and he tenses, just a bit. Her mouth seems to work quicker than her mind at least, so she's continuing almost instantly.
"...Thank you for helping me. I don't think I could have dealt with them on my own."
Now, that wasn't entirely true. She's taken self defense classes, paranoia and the comments her father had made about her 'being worth something since she turned out pretty' fueling the habit.
But he doesn't need to know that.
Brahms seems to relax, raising his face to peer at Ruby from behind his mask- of course he has a mask, that teenage obsession with Phantom of the Opera and a 'He just needs someone patient to teach him boundaries and how to function in society' mentality for Erik resulting in the universe laughing at her now. She's almost positive if she looked closer, there'd be even more similarities between the two.
"Are you going to leave now?" His voice is surprising to her, melancholic yet childlike. It hurts a little, the immediate assumption that she'd leave.
"No, Brahms," Ruby assures, "I'm not going to leave you. I promised you that I would stay, and I intend to keep that promise."
The taller of the two seems a bit surprised, but it's quickly replaced by happiness- it truly is amazing, how expressive his eyes are from up close.
"I do need to clean up the broken glass, though. That way we don't have to worry about getting cut by any stray pieces." Ruby's tone is patient and light, gently alerting him that she needs him to move aside for the moment; after all, he's currently standing between her and the door to the hallway, and she needs to get a broom and dustpan.
Brahms's eyes drop to the floor, eyeing the broken mirror and doll, before his attention seems to be drawn to her feet. More specifically, the fact she's just wearing her thick pom pom socks.
Before Ruby realizes what he's looking at, he's reached down, his hands grasping her waist and lifting her, setting her down on the pool table before releasing her again.
"You don't have shoes."
She blinks, the statement taking a moment to click.
"Oh. I forgot to put some on, I was worried about-" She stops, realizing how awkward it would be to say 'about Brahms' to him, but 'about the doll' doesn't feel right, either...
After a moment, she hesitantly continues. "I knew that someone else was here, which turned out to be you- but I didn't know how to find you and ensure your safety."
He tilts his head at that.
"You knew….someone was here?"
She nods. "I assumed it was rats at first- moving in the walls. Then my blankets kept going missing, and then my dress. But I knew for sure maybe….two weeks ago? When we had that storm?" She gently prompts to see if he remembers when she's talking about. "I left an extra snack in the kitchen, when I went to read aloud. It going missing, and what happened that night, confirmed it."
He shuffles his feet uneasily, not meeting her eyes now- it's clear he knows what she's talking about.
"Why did you stay?"
She's quiet, well aware most people would have run for the hills. Instead of answering right away, she shifts to kneel on the table so she'll be closer to his height, and gently reaches out, feeling him tense at her touch but letting her lift his chin all the same. Once he meets her eyes, she smiles softly in hopes that it will offer some comfort.
"I stayed because I promised I would, and because I didn't feel unsafe. I still don't. If you had wanted to hurt me, you would have long before then."
She can feel his jaw flexing under her fingertips, and after a moment, she drops her hand again- not wanting to overstep boundaries- if he has any.
Brahms leans forward a little when she does, as if in pursuit of her touch. It makes sense, she supposes. She doubts he's had much physical contact since he went into hiding.
"After I get things cleaned up, we should talk. We have the rules your parents set, but…we can readdress those, or make some of our own. What is and isn't okay, now that we've met face to face." Ruby comments, humming softly to herself in thought.
"...Why, though?"
His confusion twists at her heart, and she can barely keep from reaching out to him again- unsure where to begin. A hug, maybe- but she doesn't know if she can handle a hug tonight, not after…
Tomorrow, for sure. She'll give him a hug at breakfast.
"You don't have to hide anymore. You can if you want to, of course, but….I'd like it if you were out here with me too. That way, we can talk more easily…I get the feeling we've both been lonely"
There's a flash of something highly resemblant of anger when she says that.
"I doubt you've been lonely with Malcolm around." His voice is more of a growl now, the childlike tone gone.
Ruby frowns slightly, lowering herself onto the table slightly- nearly sitting again.
"Malcolm is a friend, if anything. And he's not here long or often enough to combat loneliness for good," she remarks gently- she doesn't feel like she's in danger, even now, but she'd prefer that he wasn't angry at her. "I think he could be your friend as well, if you wanted him to be. But I need to know why my being friends with him makes you angry first, okay?"
"He wants to take you away from here."
Swallowing hard, she raises up again to cup his cheeks in her hands, the porcelain mask cool against her palms.
"Brahms, the only time Malcolm has tried to take me from here was when he invited me out for drinks, to meet his friends. It would have been for a few hours, and then I would be home again. That's all that would ever happen- if I leave, it would be for going into town to run errands, or to see friends, and I'd be home again. And I'd tell you where I was going, and we'd find a way to make it easier for you together, okay?"
His eyes dart to and fro for a moment, as if scanning her expression for an indication she might be lying. She doesn't waver, meeting his eyes when she can.
It's only a few moments before the anger fades, and the taller of the two relaxes a little again. This time, Ruby doesn't drop her hands.
The two stay like that for a little while- she only moves to lean up and rest her forehead against his, her favorite intimate gesture and one he seems to appreciate.
In the end, he's the one to pull away, giving a gruff 'wait here' before he leaves.
She can hear his footsteps in the hall and going up the stairs- those creaky ones cluing her in, and after a moment she realizes where he's likely going.
Her thoughts are confirmed when he returns with her sneakers, the broom, and the dustpan.
"Thank you Brahms, that's very helpful." She praises him sweetly, accepting the shoes and shifting so she can pull them on before carefully standing again.
He hovers by the doorway now that she has them, and she's quiet as she sweeps up the broken mirror, looking over at him for a moment. She refrains from making a joke about bad luck. He's already had a lifetime of that, with what his parents chose to do.
It's a tedious process separating the mirror glass from the porcelain, but in the end she does it, setting the latter on the pool table and dumping the mirror shards into the dustbin.
This prompts a curious look from Brahms, and she offers him a soft smile.
"I thought I'd try and repair the doll- I imagine it's been a big part of your life, even if you'll be able to take its place now, whenever you want to" She explains, hoping the gentle reminder that he doesn't need to stay in the walls will reassure him of her authenticity.
He perks up a little at that, as if he'd expected her to change her mind. Ruby makes a mental note to offer little reassurances like that more frequently going forward.
"...I have glue that will work, and other tools. I can go get those for you," Brahms offers after a moment.
It makes sense, given his mask- it's bound to require some upkeep. Thinking about it, she'll have to make sure it didn't get damaged as well, after everything- although, he may want to repair it on his own.
She doesn't think about the blood splattered across it.
"That would be wonderful, thank you! Could you bring them to the kitchen for me please?"
He nods, turning and leaving to go to wherever his room is- she'll have to ask about that, especially if he still intends to use it.
Glancing around, she frowns, unable to find something to carry the glass in before realizing that the dustpan works for now. Sweeping the pieces up and heading to the kitchen, she carefully dumps the contents out onto the table before going back for the doll's body.
She makes a point to ignore the smell of blood while passing the bodies of the burglars, refusing to look at such a gruesome sight.
Suddenly, the reinforced order from her father to keep the house spotless rears its ugly head, demanding that she clean up this mess.
After the bodies are disposed of, that is.
She can worry about what an awful thought that is to have in the face of murder later.
Brahms is waiting for her when she returns, sitting at the table and staring at the pile of broken pieces. Her cheeks flush a little, remembering her scream of "no!" she'd been unable to hold back when they'd broken it- it's a little embarrassing, in retrospect. He had definitely heard that, given how loud she was, but there's nothing she can do about it now, so she sits and carefully props up the doll.
It almost immediately tilts as if it's going to fall over, and Brahms's hand moves to stop it, holding it in place with a look to her.
"Thanks Brahms- let me find something to hold it into place, so you don't have to."
He nods, watching as she leaves the room again, before coming back shortly after with a towel, as well as the list of rules and a pen.
"I thought I could use this to act as a padded sort of pillow?" She sets the list and pen down before she demonstrates what she means, rolling it into a tube and bending it into a U shape, which she then settles around the doll. "And then…." She scans the room, grabbing a can of corn from the counter to put behind the doll for further support. "And that should be ok. I hope."
He seems unsure, but releases his grip- and the doll stays upright, prompting her to slide into her seat in front of it.
She scans the supplies he brought- glue, tweezers, a magnifying glass, and some paint, before lightly tapping the list. "I thought we could go over the rules while I worked, to see what works and what doesn't, and what we should add."
"What do we need to change?" His voice is the gruff, more adult one again, and Ruby isn't sure if that means he's angry, or simply a little defensive. Perhaps it's both.
"That's what we're going to decide now, together," she soothes gently. "The first rule, we can leave as is for now- no guests," she starts, watching him nod in agreement. She didn't doubt he'd agree to that one, given his reaction to her mention of Malcolm.
"Onto the second- 'Never leave Brahms Alone.' Is it okay if we adjust that a little, to allow for things like showering and alone time? We'd still spend most of our time together, it just wouldn't be constant. And it could allow for you to have time alone if you felt overwhelmed or anything like that." The discussion does prompt a question on if he was watching her even then, but she pushes the thought aside for now. Small steps.
"...How much time alone?"
"However much time is needed. We can communicate when we need time alone, and how much time we think we'll need."
He's quiet, and then he nods, and she makes a note on the paper to adjust that rule.
"I do want to make sure you know it's not because I don't want to spend time with you, okay? I'm looking forward to your company- this is just to ensure that we both feel comfortable."
"Do you not feel comfortable around me?"
Ruby pauses, leaning back in her seat a little. A white lie that's only a lie tonight won't hurt. "I do, but sometimes it can be draining to be around someone all the time, especially if you're used to being alone. And that can be uncomfortable, so I want to make sure we both can take space if we need to recharge."
He's quiet, and for the moment the two sit in silence, Ruby working on patching up the doll.
After a few minutes, he speaks. "What's the next rule?"
She checks the list, holding a piece of the doll's face in place to let the glue dry properly. "Save meals in the freezer- I don't think we'll need that one anymore, since you can just come downstairs and eat with me."
He fidgets a little in his seat, one hand moving to readjust the mask a little- and she understands.
"Or you can eat in the kitchen, and I can eat in the dining room- we don't have to eat together-together. Either way, you don't need to rely on leftovers anymore…so we can get rid of that rule, if you want."
"...Okay."
She smiles faintly, crossing that rule out. "You'll have full access to the kitchen at all times, so if you get hungry you can come get something ok? I can help you learn to cook as well, if you want."
"Yes please."
"It's a plan, then." She smiles, allowing the moment to sink in while she works, waiting until she glues her fingertips together by accident to check for the next rule, gently peeling them apart again. Her fault for getting distracted, she'd done this countless times when she used to wear fake nails back in school.
"We can get rid of the 'never cover Brahms's face' one too, I think…since that one was specific to the doll. We don't need to address the read bedtime stories one- I'm still more than happy to read aloud to you, though maybe we could get some new books? I imagine you've heard the ones we have countless times."
He nods at that, his posture clearly more pleasant- she's glad the unease he felt about the freezer rule is gone for now.
"Playing the music is still ok, but maybe we could play it.. not as loud now? And we can get more music options as well when we get more books."
Another nod, though he eyes the list now- not many rules to go, and she imagines the last few are ones he's going to be firm about not changing.
"Cleaning the traps is one that's going to stay- we don't want to worry about the rats, but we could also look into getting a cat to help as well. They can be good mousers, and tend to make cute companions. Next up…Malcolm delivers the groceries. That one we can address in a few ways- we can leave it as it is, or I can go into town once a week to get groceries instead. I could go into town for things Malcolm doesn't bring."
"I don't like you leaving." He mumbles softly, reaching over to hold a piece of porcelain in place for her, earning a grateful smile.
"I know that you don't, but it would be short trips. And we talked about that earlier, too."
The timing works out in her favor, with him moving his hand back now that the piece is secured, and she uses the chance to take his hand, giving a gentle squeeze.
"I know it'd be hard at first, but we can do trial runs. Shorter trips, I can call the house for however long I have cell reception so I can talk to you, that sort of thing. We can ease our way into it."
He doesn't move, until she shifts their hands to interlace their fingers, like he'd done that stormy night.
"We can talk about this one later, if you want. We've got nothing but time, after all."
"Yes please."
"Okay."
They stay like that for a few minutes, before she gently pulls her hand away to resume working on the doll, making a quick note to discuss that rule later.
"Only two more rules. One is that you're never to leave- does that include going out into the garden and woods? Or just leaving the grounds?"
"The grounds…."
"Okay. I don't expect you to be ready for that to change, so we can leave that one alone for now. Which brings us to the last rule."
He shifts in his chair, feet shuffling against the floor under the table. If she looks closely enough, she'd swear the tips of his ears were a bit pink.
"What sort of kiss goodnight would you like? It might be a little one-sided with your mask, but…I could always close my eyes so you could take it off beforehand. That way, you could actually feel it."
His head snaps up to look at her, as if he hadn't expected that. It prompts her to tilt her head slightly out of curiosity.
"I'm not about to push you to remove your mask before you're ready, so…I'll keep my eyes closed when you remove it- seems like a good compromise. That way, you get your goodnight kiss and feel it. Though it does prompt the question of where you'll sleep….where have you been sleeping, all this time?"
There are more soft sounds of shuffling feet, though he doesn't look away.
"I have a bed in the attic...it's not very comfortable anymore," he finally admits.
Ruby hums softly. "Okay, then there's a few choices. You can move back into your old room, into one of the other bedrooms, or….we can share a room."
"...We could share? You'd be okay with that?" He's returned to using that gentle, childlike voice now.
She nods, focusing on a particularly stubborn piece that's refusing to stay in place. "I would be, if you are."
A quick glance at him seems to confirm he is- his eyes have absolutely lit up, though after a moment his shoulders slump, his hand going to the mask again.
Ah, right.
"We could figure something out for that, or we can ease into it. Whatever you feel comfortable with, okay? If needed, we can just replace the mattress in your attic room for now- that way, you can sleep better but still have your own space."
"I do want to sleep with you, my Ruby."
She freezes for a moment, eyes darting over to him. It has to be a coincidence- he has no way of knowing that one of the things she loved most in romance novels and comics was when they added 'my' before a name- my darling, my love. My Ruby.
"Okay. Then we'll figure out a way for you to do that. We can still replace the mattress in the attic, so you have a comfortable space if you want to be alone."
His eyes sparkle with a smile again, one she knows is stronger than any other smile thus far.
"But first….I think you're going to need some PJs." And a shower, but she leaves that unsaid. "I might be able to find something from Mr. Heelshire's things for now, until we can figure something else out."
Usually she'd have Malcolm pick whatever they need up, but she's not sure how she'd explain why she needs men's clothes- she never mentioned that she thought someone else was here, and she doesn't think he knows about Brahms being alive.
An issue for another day.
For now, the doll is finished, there's glue on her fingers, bodies in the hall, and the first traces of sunlight streaming through the windows.
Which means it's time to get started on breakfast.
After all, there's a schedule to adhere to, and a mess to clean up.
And it's more important than ever to follow it.