#but now I’ve got Ruby rotating rapidly in my brain so we’re gonna post it NOW

[sincerely-sofie]

Ruby anon here! I had a little Drabble come up and I wanted to share! I do apologize because this one isn’t really that good. I hope you enjoy it still.

Her steps are light and calculated, her paws only stepping on the most silent parts of the floor. A few feet pass, and she pauses, ears twitching for the quietest of sounds. She dare not whisper, she dare not move until a moment has passed. The natural quiet is here, much different from the sinister silence that would come if her siblings would wake, and she muted her sigh of relief. The routine is oxygen: another few steps, pause, listen, and repeat. If she loses it, if she makes a mistake and doesn’t inhale correctly, she’ll suffocate. She doesn’t know if her siblings would bother to save her if that had happened.

It’s the third pause when she is caught, sensing someone’s presence nearby. She curls into herself, trying to think of a form that could possibly trick them, or at least buy her time to run and hide. Maybe she can finally force her stomach not to roar in protest of her hunger — tell them she just wanted the bathroom — and it’ll just be a tap instead of being flung-

Gentle hands embrace her, but she can’t help but tremble. Her mind screams danger, over the minuscule voice of rationality that tells her that this is a safe touch. This one will bring her no harm, she knows this, but her mind screams. It bangs on the walls, desperately trying to tear it’s way out of a prison it swears is made of delusion and false hopes.

There’s a light, and then she sees Twig and Ark looking down at her with the most gentle of expressions.

“Do you think you can take a few deep breaths, Ruby?” Twig asks her, voice soft. “I’ll do them with you.”

Twig breathes slowly, and she tries to copy. The first few breaths demand to be shallow and protest with every conscious inhale and exhale she makes. The screams ebb away, fading with the distant traces of smoke that their fiery voice had caused. Now it’s just her, Twig, and Ark, who settles a cup next to her. She can tell by the smell — it’s tea. The fragrance makes her stomach rumble, and she almost shrinks back, only to hear Twig speak once more:

“It’s okay, it’s about time for breakfast anyways. How about you sit down with me while Ark prepares something for us to eat? You can finish your tea and-”

She’s not being thrown across the room. They’re not screaming, humiliating, or threatening her. Of course they aren’t. These two are Twig and Ark, and her siblings wouldn’t dare come back after the former’s attacks. They’ll never come for her again. She’s safe.

The dam breaks, fat tears and loud wails erupt as she tosses herself into Twig’s arms. The charmeleon catches her swiftly, wrapping her securely in a hug. Ark gently rubs her back and wipes her tears. It’s them. Not her siblings— never again.

“It’s over now?” Ruby manages to choke out through tears and the pressure in her throat, eyes lifting to finally see both her parents.

“Yes, Ruby,” Twig nods, “it’s over. You’ll never have to see them again.”

The trembling stops, her body relaxes, and the tears lessen as it sinks into her sleepy mind:

She’s safe. She is home.

Just woke up and now I’m crying because this is beautiful and so touching and has so many similarities to how my own mom walked me through my first panic attack 😭 EVERYONE LOOK AT THIS GEM FROM RUBY ANON. THEY SAY ITS REALLY NOT THAT GOOD AND WE NEED TO GET THEM TO SEE THE TRUTH OF HOW AMAZING IT IS.