Prompt: The both of them going out to a park and getting ice cream to sit and eat with on a bench.
For days Whale had been racking his brains for inspiration for the promised date.
First was the actual date. For every other woman, a meal out at Granny's with a trip back to his condo and the best hits of Sting had sufficed; but Ruby warranted something more special, and away from the watchful eye of her Grandmother.
But then, even if he could come up with something, there was the second problem: inescapable work hours.
Whenever he tried to raise the possibility of a well-deserved evening off, a situation always seemed to arise. Despite supposedly having breaks between shifts to sleep, most of the time he went from one long shift into another.
Days had blurred by, weeks even, and Whale was beginning to fear that Ruby would lose hope in him.
But when Whale went down to the ICU after a brief lunch (or a shoved down sandwich whilst signing papers) one day, he found that the area was already well-staffed for the afternoon by the nuns.
Faced with the unexpected afternoon off, the choice between paperwork or Ruby was hardly a difficult one.
Her ecstatic voice when he had called to tell her the good news rang in his ears as he swiftly left the hospital and headed for Granny's.
Reaching the front porch, Whale glanced around for any sign of Ruby.
"Whale! Round here," A voice called, and Whale backtracked until he was stood on the pavement.
Coming round from the back of the cafe was Ruby.
"I've got another waitress covering," She said breathlessly, screwing her apron into a ball and dropping it onto a nearby chair. "So where we going?"
"This was all a little unexpected, so I haven't really planned anything," Whale admitted, following Ruby down the Main Street.
"How about we see where our feet take us?"
They strolled down the road, both keeping a respectable distance, at such a pace anyone would assume there was some emergency. As they walked, words streamed from Ruby about her day, arguments with Granny, musings of what was going off in town.
Not that Whale minded- he could listen to her all day. The animation in her voice only brightened his mood to levels of happiness he hadn't felt in years.
As they walked, Whale was suddenly conscious of something brushing against his hand. Without a second thought, he loosened his fingers and took hers.
They had long strayed from the pavements, heading down the mossy track that led out on the park. Chirping crickets and cawing birds drowned out the noise of the small town into a distant hum.
Their pace slowed as they wandered around the pond, talking about everything and nothing all at once. Whale had no idea what he was saying, his brain as fuzzy as the heavy air around them; but he made Ruby laugh, which made him laugh.
Clutching at one another deliriously until the fits of laughter subsided, Whale gulped for air whilst leading Ruby towards the ice-cream van parked on the grass.
Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to untangle her arm from around his body, not caring what the vendor would make of them hysterically giggling. He just about managing to order two vanilla and chocolate chip ice-cream cones with a straight face.
Going back around the pond, they walked in an amiable quiet, distracted by eating ice-cream. Whale made the mistake of glancing over at Ruby, who burst out laughing once again. Staggering over to the nearby bench, they sank down. Her body seemed to naturally rest against his, head falling on his shoulder. Holding his ice-cream in one hand, Whale ran his fingers through her hair, a shiver running down his spine at her sigh. Stretching out her bare legs, Ruby gazed out at the serene water.
"Whale?"
"Yeah?"
His hand slipped onto her shoulder as Ruby tilted her head up to him. The never fading smile only broadened, and he caught sight of the slight dimple at the edge of her lip. "You got a little something on your nose."
She grew closer, minty breath upon his skin. He felt the tip of her nose touch his, before the sudden desire for their lips to touch.
His Storybrooke counterpart urged him to do it; despite Whale swearing that he was no longer that guy who kissed (or more) on the first date.
But with the feel of arms wrapping around his neck, he couldn't resist.
She tasted of the ice-cream, lips soft with its moisture. Ruby reciprocated, reluctantly releasing herself to gasp for breath, cheeks as flushed as her lips.
Whale grinned at her, breathing shallowly before his finger traced down the transferred ice-cream upon her nose, and her lips were upon his once more.