Chapter Notes

Things are already not going how I planned, in more ways than one, but I'm hoping people will enjoy this as it progresses. I realized recently I put this note on the prequel fic I've got half-written for Ruby in ROT that I might not finish, but I've got sims pictures of her up on my tumblr since I'm awful at descriptions. You can find it linked on my profile, and the pictures are under the Reflections of Trauma tag. For AUs, unless specified otherwise, she has her natural black hair. CW: Implied violence/past abuse

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Ruby was quite sure today was the second best day she'd had since she began working here- the first being the day Raine had surprised her by legally making her a co-owner of the bakery.

After all, how many times does your co-worker bring your crush to the shared living room? She's pretty sure it's never, when it's not a friend-crush.

Still, for now she just beams at Brahms as he joins her on the couch, seeming nervous despite the fact there's nothing to worry about.

"Never would have thought there was a whole upstairs to the bakery" Brahms comments, giving a hesitant smile as he attempts to begin a conversation.

"Oh yea, the three of us live up here- sometimes others too. Raine's got a boarding house set up- I work in the bakery at least 20 hours a week, and that covers room and board. I've been living here for years now"

She'd found the bakery-boarding house when the nurse who'd been attending her in the hospital had referred her to it. Her father had wanted to shun her, send her to a cabin in the woods now that she was 'damaged goods'-his words, not hers. The bakery would allow her to avoid that.

Raine had taken her in without questions, the emancipation at 13 allowing her to pay rent from the money her father set up in a bank account for her, so she could finish school without worrying about having to work as well.

"So it would have been as simple to find you outside work as asking if you were here?" He sounds disappointed, as though he's realized how much time they'd lost.

"More or less. Crow and Raine both know I'm pretty much absolutely head over heels for you, they would've let you come up. Of course, you also could have just asked for my number at any point" She can't help but tease a little, enjoying the way his cheeks go a bit red at her casual confession.

"I asked a friend for advice and he said not to ask when you were working, that you'd have no escape."

Ah. Solid advice, though she does wish he'd ignored it when she'd made it clear she was flirting.

"Nothing stopping you from asking now, though" She replies softly- though she suddenly worries that maybe he hadn't done that because he didn't feel the same. It's not the impression she's gotten, but she could've been wrong.

But then he smiles softly, his hand moving to link just their pinkies- the oddly intimate gesture almost making her swoon.

"Ruby, can I have your number?"

She smiles, leaning just a little closer.

"I thought you'd never ask"

It's quick work to exchange numbers, and she doesn't even bother to hide the fact she saves his contact with a heart by his name. After all, they've been flirting for years now, so why bother hiding anything?

"So, I'm curious. What's something you always wanted to do as a kid, but either never got the chance to, or find you miss being able to do it now that you're older?" She knows the question will come out of seemingly nowhere, but Brahms doesn't seem to mind.

"I always liked going to aquariums. We didn't do it too often since we lived hours away, though. Why do you ask?" He tilts his head to the side as he asks, his curiosity adorable.

"So I know where we should go on our first date, of course. Now all we need to do is set a time" She replies, grinning at him.

"I thought dates had to be…more. Fancier, or more intimate?"

A fair point. She shrugs, humming softly.

"I think dates can be anything we want them to be, honestly. As long as we enjoy it, who's to say it has to be fancy? Casual dates- like the aquarium, or going to dinner and a movie, or even just hanging out eating junk food and watching movies can be just as enjoyable, especially when you like the person you're on a date with, are great."

She thinks for a moment that maybe the fancier more intimate dates was his preference, but the thought fades the moment he smiles.

"I like the sound of that last one- mum never really let me eat junk food, I only got to on my birthday. She'd get a cake from a local bakery every year."

"My father was the same way, when I still lived with him. My mother tried to do something special every year, but eventually she stopped."

The memories of those times were softly faded around the edges like a well worn photograph- her mother would sweep into her room in the morning of her birthday, have her dress in her prettiest outfit and do her hair all fancy, and whisk her off to Paris for the day to shop and eat whatever they wished.

The last time she had done that had been when she was 10, though her mother had stayed for two more years. Ruby had resumed the tradition alone once she was old enough, to keep a hold on one of the few happy memories from childhood she had, some small part of her always wondering if she'd walk past her mother one day.

After all, it would only make sense that she'd flee to Paris, where she'd always been happy.

"I think it's part of why I like working in the bakery so much- I get to not only have sweet treats myself, I get to see other's joy at getting them too." She adds, wanting to give the conversation a slightly lighter note.

"Always a good thing. The baking here is amazing, I don't know how it's not more popular. Though I've never got a chance to ask- why the morbid name?"

"I asked Raine the same thing when I met her. She just grinned and told me it was a secret, but that if a customer asked to say it was because the cupcakes were 'to die for'" She laughs softly. "She's not wrong, but I worry sometimes that it deters people who expect it to be a dark, moody place."

"I never thought that- though I'm pretty sure you guys were dressed as pirates the first time I came here? It may have been a dream though, given I wasn't used to being up as early as I was" Six am was early by most standards, after all.

Her brow wrinkles in confusion for a moment, before understanding dawns. "Oh! That was the result of Crow joking about International Talk Like A Pirate Day- it turned into a contest to see if her or Raine could design and make a better outfit, with them both contributing to mine. We never decided on a winner, since all the outfits were fantastic"

"See, I never knew there was a 'Talk Like A Pirate' day" He seems amused, though he continues "I think that day was when I first went 'Oh I need to get to know her', though. After you'd called that rude customer out"

"You were the only customer to ask if I was ok, too. I'm pretty sure that's when my crush started, because it was such a sweet and simple gesture, but one that held no expectations."

"That long ago? I really regret not asking for your number now"

"Ah, but now you have it, and we have all the time in the world to make up for years of playful flirting"

They talk for a half hour more, with a pause to eat when Crow brings up dinner for them, a teasing smirk sent in Ruby's direction before the blonde heads to her room, shutting the door behind her.

"So….I didn't get a chance to ask before, but…how did you end up here? At the bakery, I mean." Brahms asks, causing Ruby to bite her lower lip for a moment before she replies.

"The nurse they had attending me in the hospital is friends with Raine and referred me here- since I was 13, I paid a monthly rent instead of working, so I could focus on finishing school. It was an adjustment to go from in-person to online, though."

She still sees the nurse as a customer now- Raine had been the one to make the wedding cake when she married her wife. The last she'd heard, they were in the beginning stages of adopting so they could start a family of their own.

"Why didn't you go in-person?" Brahms asks- his parents hadn't tried to switch him after the scandal with Emily, so what would be so bad Ruby would have to?

"It was a condition my father set for my emancipation. He was pissed that I wasn't 'normal' anymore, though I never found out why. I haven't heard from him since, but that's no surprise- he made it very clear growing up that he'd never wanted kids to begin with."

Brahms frowns. "That wasn't nice of him."

"He wasn't a very nice man. I'm more than a little glad that he's out of my life for good."

He hesitates, seeming to want to ask something.

"You want to know what happened, don't you?" She asks gently, and waits for his nod to confirm it.

"I can't go into detail just yet- it's hard to talk about casually. But…it was intentional, and caused by someone I had never seen before. It's…why I have a bit of a tricky relationship with food sometimes- I always need to have some kind of snack with me in my bag, otherwise I feel anxious." She hesitates a moment, before she taps her temple, next to her eye. "And it's why I have fake eyes as well- though thankfully science has advanced enough that I can see, despite that. They even managed to match the color, based on only photos."

She knows that will cause even more curiosity, but it's not a 'before the first date' sort of story, if anything it's a 'committed relationship' one. And he had a right to know that her eyes were false too.

"They must have done a good job then, because your eyes are gorgeous" He replies, smiling softly at her- something in his own eyes telling her he understood her not being ready to talk.

That, and the compliment, draws just a hint of peek to her cheeks, as she smiles.

"On a much lighter note…would Saturday work for our aquarium date? Maybe…..9am?" He continues, and she falls just a little bit more in love with him for it.

"Sounds perfect. I can't wait."

Chapter End Notes

Do I already have the first chapter to yet another au half written? Yes. Yes I do. I'm a '5 projects at once or none at all' sort of girliepop when it comes to writing, which means multiple aus. Totally not me avoiding working on my book nope. Also! The date idea is one I had from the start, back when this was still going to be a Lucky AU. Just seemed cute and sweet, ya know?

Also! This ended up not going the way I planned, with how they exchange numbers and all. I'd planned to have Ruby notice him in a store and run over to give him her number, but then I decided to use what I've dubbed 'Ragdoll Ruby', and have more OCs cameo, along with her living situation being unique but friend-filled, and I realized I could have a more casual exchange of numbers. As stated in the tags, I'm making this universe more medically-advanced. It's mostly just cyborg prosthetics/eyes/etc, but I think I'm also going to say safe self-driving cars are a thing as well, for backstory reasons.