Chapter Text
A week had passed since Chelsea's return, and the weather was beginning to change. There was a slight breeze in the wind and a calm atmosphere in the area.
Winter was starting, which meant people were already going crazy with Christmas decorations, but it also meant school would be ending soon for winter break.
“Come on, Ruby, you agreed to this!” Margot’s voice was heard over Ruby’s phone.
“I know, but don't you think it’s a bit much?” Ruby said as she paced her room, looking at Margot through the screen.
“You said anything; this is your fault,” Margot said as she hung up the call.
Ruby sighed as she flopped onto her bed; she couldn’t believe she agreed to this.
Margot had convinced Ruby she should confess her feelings to Chelsea under the mistletoe (completely Margot’s idea). And while Ruby did like Chelsea, she wasn’t sure if her feelings would be reciprocated.
“Ruby?”
Ruby sat up on her bed and saw Chelsea standing in the doorway of her bedroom. “Oh, hey,” Ruby smiled as she saw the girl.
“Your mom told me to come and get you,” Chelsea said as she walked over and sat beside Ruby.
“Oh, that’s right! We’re supposed to go shopping!” Ruby glanced at her bedside clock.
“You’d better go; she’s already waiting for you by the door,” Chelsea said in amusement as Ruby got up quickly.
“Right, bye Chels!” Ruby grabbed her jacket and practically ran out of the room.
Ruby saw her mother standing by the door, already wearing her coat with a slightly impatient look. “There you are. Come on, we want to make sure we have all the gifts we need.” Agatha eyed her daughter as she opened the front door.
Ruby followed her mother, slipping her jacket on as she walked.
The two walked from store to store, buying gifts for both friends and family.
That was until…
“Hey, Mom,” Ruby called out to her mother as she eyed the top shelf.
“What is it?” Agatha asked, balancing the many shopping bags she was carrying.
“D-do you think Chelsea would like that?” Ruby asked as she pointed to the top shelf.
“Hm? Oh.” Agatha looked at the shelf, then at her daughter. “I think she’ll love it.”
“Really?” Ruby seemed a little unsure; she didn’t quite know what Chelsea liked.
“If it’s from you, I think she’ll like just about anything.” Agatha gave Ruby a knowing smile.
Ruby blushed. Did her mother really know about her crush?
“Come on, let’s hurry home; your father wants to make dinner tonight,” Agatha said as the two walked to the front counter.
The mother-daughter pair returned home with a ton of shopping bags from different stores.
“Ruby!” Chelsea looked up from her phone on the couch as she heard them enter.
“Hey, Chels!” Ruby smiled as she placed the shopping bags on the ground. She’d have to pick them up later.
“Are you still playing that game?” Ruby asked as she walked over to the couch.
Since Chelsea's return, the girl had become increasingly addicted to a game Ruby had shown her.
“Maybe…”
Ruby knew she was; Chelsea was almost always playing it.
“Look! I want to show you my progress!” Chelsea smiled brightly as Ruby sat next to her.
Chelsea showed Ruby her phone and all the things she had completed while Ruby was gone. It was clear Chelsea took pride in her progress, which Ruby didn’t really understand; it was a fairly easy game, but if it made Chelsea happy, Ruby would pretend to understand.
“Ruby, I thought I told you to bring the bags to my room?” Agatha called from her bedroom.
Ruby sighed; she knew she was supposed to, but she really didn’t want to lift the bags again. “Sorry, Chels.”
Ruby got up and made her way to the front door where the bags were.
Chelsea was a little disappointed when Ruby got up, since she still had things she wanted to show Ruby.
Ruby grabbed the bags and brought them to her mother’s room.
“Did you want me to hide Chelsea's gift? Or were you going to do it?” Agatha asked as Ruby set the bags down.
“Could you hold onto it? I don’t want Chelsea to accidentally find it.” Ruby eyed the bag that held Chelsea’s gift.
“Alright, it’ll be with the rest of the gifts.” Agatha then started to go through the bags.
Ruby walked back out to the living room, only to see Chelsea was slowly beginning to fall asleep. ‘Again? Really?’
Ruby wasn’t that surprised to see Chelsea falling asleep somewhere other than her bed, as the girl had been having nightmares again, which kept her up at night.
“Chels?” Ruby called out softly; she needed to know if she was falling asleep or already asleep.
“Hmm?” Chelsea’s hum told Ruby all she needed to know: Chelsea was already half-asleep. “Nothing, just rest,” Ruby said as she walked over and helped the girl lie on the couch before running off to get her a blanket.
Ruby returned with Chelsea's favorite blanket and covered her with it. She knew it wouldn’t be long before Chelsea woke up, as she never stayed asleep for long, but at least she would be comfortable.
“Ruby!” Sam ran down the stairs, holding a worksheet in his hand as he looked around for his sister.
“What?” Ruby asked in a hushed tone as she looked over to her younger brother.
Sam glanced over at the couch and spotted Chelsea. He immediately lowered his voice, as he had been told many times before that Chelsea struggled with sleep, meaning leaving her alone whenever she was asleep.
“I need help with my homework, and you're smart.” Sam held up the paper he was holding; it looked like math.
Ruby sighed; this was not the first time. “Okay, let’s go to the kitchen.”
The two sat at the kitchen table and began to work on Sam's math homework. To Ruby the homework was easy, but Sam seemed to be struggling with it. It made sense to Ruby since Sam was never one to study or pay attention in class.
“Sam, it's not that hard; all you have to do is—”
Ruby was cut off by a loud gasp and then a thud.
Ruby immediately got up from her chair and ran over to the couch. “Chelsea?”
Chelsea was sitting on the floor, curled up, gasping for air.
The signs were clear: Chelsea had had another nightmare. Ruby hesitantly approached her and sat in front of her, just enough so that she could be seen. “Hey, hey, hey, it's okay, breathe, in and out. Can you follow mine?”
Chelsea didn’t look up, but she at least tried matching Ruby’s breathing.
“There you go, in and out, just like that.” Ruby smiled softly as Chelsea took her hand and gave it a squeeze, attempting to ground herself.
It took a few minutes, but eventually Chelsea managed to calm down.
“You okay?” Ruby asked softly as she adjusted her position to be right beside Chelsea.
Chelsea leaned onto Ruby, putting her head on Ruby's shoulder. “Yeah… thanks.”
“Same nightmare?”
Chelsea sighed as she brought her knees up to her chest, nodding her head. “They seem more real every time…”
“You’ve been telling your therapist about them, right?” Ruby turned to face Chelsea, her eyebrow raised at the question.
“Would you believe me if I said yes?” Chelsea smiled nervously.
“Chelsea!” You said you would!” Ruby scolded the girl lightly.
“I know, I know, but it’s not as easy as it sounds…” Chelsea sighed again, biting her lip, not enough to bleed but enough to keep her grounded in the present.
“Chelsea, you promised me you would. You also promised to stop breaking your promises.” Ruby took both of Chelsea's hands into her own.
“I know, I'm sorry… I'll bring it up next time I go, okay?” Chelsea knew she probably wouldn’t, but she did make a promise to Ruby, and she was determined to keep that promise.
“Please do; I don’t like seeing you so tired.”
Chelsea knew Ruby meant well, but when it came to her mother, things weren’t easy to share.
The two sat in silence as Chelsea replayed the nightmare in her mind. It was always the same, her mother taunting her, calling her useless, a mistake, a waste of space. Then she’d kill all the people Chelsea cared about as she just watched, unable to move or stop her mother.
“Are you going to finish my homework for me or what?” Sam asked as he stood before the girls, his arms crossed.
“Right, sorry…” Ruby looked up at her little brother, displeased with him interrupting their moment. “Do you think you’ll be okay?”
Chelsea nodded her head; she didn’t want Ruby to leave her side, but she knew that Sam needed Ruby’s help.
“I’ll be fine; go help him.” Chelsea watched as Ruby stood and walked back over to the kitchen table.
Chelsea then sank to the floor, lying on her back as she stared up at the ceiling.
‘God, why do I love her so much?’ Chelsea sighed as her cheeks flushed red. She knew she loved Ruby; she just never thought she would feel this intensely.
She knew from the looks Ruby gave her that there was a small chance that Ruby might like her back. And that made her love her even more. How could she not? Ruby was sweet, innocent, and sometimes a little dumb. And the help she offered so effortlessly just made her heart flutter.
‘I don’t deserve her.’ Chelsea thought back to all the times Ruby had comforted her, the small gestures that brought her more comfort than anything else. She still owned the plush shark Ruby had gifted her during her stay at the hospital.
‘Hmm… maybe I should do something for her.’ Chelsea sat up and glanced at Ruby; she seemed to be doing all the work for Sam.
‘What does she like…?’ Chelsea tried to think back to the many, many things Ruby had told her, but nothing stuck out.
Chelsea then thought about the accidental kiss they shared. They hadn’t talked about it, but maybe…?
‘Maybe I should tell her…’ Chelsea leaned into the couch’s leg, looking around the corner of the couch at the kitchen table where Ruby sat with her brother.
‘Would it be worth it if she says no?’
Chelsea let out a sigh; she needed a distraction before she began to excessively spiral.
Chelsea sat up, picking her phone up from the coffee table and turning it on.
‘Damn it.’ Chelsea cursed as she noticed that her phone was at 10%.
Chelsea groaned as she got off the floor and walked up the stairs to her and Ruby’s shared bedroom.
She sat at Ruby’s desk as she plugged in her phone.
‘How do I even tell her I like her?’ Chelsea thought, as she leaned back in Ruby’s chair, this was all very confusing. How was she supposed to confess to a kraken princess? Though she was a princess herself, Ruby at least had met her people and talked to them.
‘Oh, fuck!’
Chelsea looked at the calendar on Ruby’s wall, suddenly remembering that she had a test with her tutor in just two days. She had not studied at all—not that she tended to.
Chelsea got up from the desk and started to look for the review her tutor had given her a few days ago.
‘Guess I better study… how boring’