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You Think You Know a Gloom Chapter 18

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With the rise of one hand, Chaney managed to raise the manor out of the rubble. Wood draped over wood. Nails drilled back into place. The windows shattered in reverse and back into one piece. The front door got off the porch and snapped back on its hinges.
As the construction was finishing Iris suddenly became very excited.  

“Squig!” she cried, seeing her giant worm descending from the clouds. Squig landed and lowered his head for his cyclops owner to smother him with kisses. “I missed you too, you big love bug!”

Dolce rode on Squig’s back and sighed with relief when she saw the group was back together again. “I so happy to see you alright Skelito,” she said. “Scaredy here, he was getting tired.”

She unfolded her hands and Scaredy fell out. He was exhausted and looked almost car sick from the adventure.
“I’ll tell you once I’ll tell you a thousand times, I am afraid of heights,” he said, clutching his stomach. “Iris you must install a break on this worm of yours. He is out of control.”

“Why did you even fly back on Squig?” Skull Boy asked. “What happened to your hearse Dolce?”

“Oh, you know, a portal of fire happened. Thankfully only half of my belongings were burned beyond recognition.” She then gave Penny an angry glare.

Penny laughed. “Well…unfortunately I’m gonna be moving my business to a Domain of Darkness soon so I don’t know what else I can do for you.”  

“No worries mi Amiga. I simply want refund on everything I ever bought from you and we call it even.”

As the two women went back and forth over how to pay for Dolce’s belongings, Scaredy found his feet and saw that Ruby and Doom had returned. Her ran up to hug them with his wings held out.

“Ruby, Doom, you’re alive! I have missed you so much! This place was so lonely without he,” he said.

“That’s what they all say,” Ruby said, smiling.

Chaney clapped his hands having completed his work on the house. Once he was done he bent down to get a better look at Scaredy Bat.

“Is this another one of your friends Ruby?”

“Sure is,” said Ruby, “Scaredy, I’d like you to meet my dad; Chaney.”

“Hello Mr. Ruby’s da-AAAAUGH!” Scaredy’s positive demeanor, as well as his color, faded away the second he looked behind him to meet Chaney face to face. Before they knew it Ruby, Chaney and Doom were looking over a fainted, white-haired bat.

“He’s charming,” Chaney said. “Almost as charming as your home. I’ve never seen a manor as rustic as this one.”

“Thank you,” Poe said perching on Chaney’s horn. “Did you know it was my family who helped with the design? You see it’s an old Victorian England manor and well-”

Chaney shook Poe off without even realizing it. Penny walked up behind them and helped the bird stand on his feet where he fluffed up his feathers and walked off. Then she took Chaney’s hand as he put the other around Ruby.

“You know, you could still live in a better house. One where servants wait on you every second and you’ll never have to be alone.”

“Chaney.” Penny, giving him an tempermental nudge in the shoulder. “We said we’d let Ruby do what she wants.”

“I am letting her do what she wants,” Chaney said. “You, your mother and I can all be a family again. No strings of strife attached if you want. Just us.”

Remarkably, Penny actually nodded along with this suggestion and gave Ruby an eager smile. She had just as much yearning in her heart as Chaney did to be together again.
Ruby blinked fast so that the happy tears wouldn’t come back and make her headache worse. She hadn’t cried so many tears, both happy and sad, in a long time. She took her father’s hand but looked over her shoulder at the manor and her friends dancing about, eager to see their home and belongings in one piece again. Doom purred up against Ruby’s leg and held her only free hand with her tail.

“I always told myself not to think about you guys,” Ruby said. “At fisrt I thought it was just because I was mad but then I realized I actually I missed you…Like a lot. And this trip, for all its shortcomings, was kinda fun, if you look on the bright side of things.”

Penny and Chaney chuckled at their daughter’s comment. “That’s what I always told your father here when he first encountered 90 degree whether,” Penny said.

“What can I say? That first summer was freezing!”

“You’ll always be family to me but…so will Doom. And Skull Boy and Misery and Iris and everybody I know here.” Ruby stepped back and neatly folded her hands . “If it’s okay, I’d rather just stay in Gloomsville.”

After a defeated sigh, both of her parents gave Ruby happy smiles. Penny bent down and held her close. She kissed her in the center of her red forehead. “I’m gonna miss you, my sweet girl.”

Chaney also bent down and kissed Ruby’s cheek, or at least, tried to without his long fangs getting in the way. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy. And if anyone up here ever gives you trouble, just remind them that you’re the Princess of Strife and Anguish and won’t be taking any of it.”

“Sure thing,” Ruby said sweetly. “Though honestly, I think Ruby Gloom can handle it too.”

She shared one last big hug with the pair before they it was time to go.

The Spirit of Strife and his new queen made their way back to Penny’s carriage.  They waved goodbye to the group of friends, blew kisses and shouted good thoughts.

“We’ll come and see you on your birthday Ruby,” Penny shouted. “Yam Ween too if we can make it.”

“She’s lying, we’ll make it!” Chaney called. “Goodbye my sweet princess!”

“Bye mom, bye dad!” Ruby waved them goodbye as the burning portal appeared at the end of the road. With a crack of the reigns by Chaney, Clive and Barker were off and the couple, their carriage and the horses all disappeared in a blinding flash of smoke and lightning.
Ruby smiled and said, almost to herself rather than Doom, “If someone told me I’d be saying those goodbyes just a week ago…I’d think they were crazy.”  

She went back into the house where the rest of her friends were. Everybody was checking the upstairs and downstairs and rooms, gasping and screaming with joy when they found that everything was it once was, even the pot of hot chocolate Ruby was making before her abduction.

“My trampoline,” Iris cheered.

“Our speakers,” Frank and Len exclaimed.

“My bed of nails,” Misery said, flopping hard onto her bed. “Ooooooh how I’ve missed you my sweet.”

Ruby made her way back to her room with Doom prancing briskly behind her. She placed Scaredy, still passed out but slowly becoming more black, on her bed and lay down next to him. She gave a happy sigh as she ruffled the blanket under her.

“It’s so nice to be back home, huh Doom,” Ruby said. “Doom?”

Doom was already asleep in her own bed next to Ruby’s. Ruby smiled, picked up a blanket and draped it over her cat. Suddenly something fell on her from above. Ruby was thrilled to see who it was.

“Mr. Buns!”
She took the little sock bunny in her arms and hugged him hard enough for his button eyes to pop out. “Let me guess, you stayed here to guard the rest of the house from intruders so everyone could go on the rescue mission?”
Mr. Buns said nothing.

“That’s what I thought.”

Ruby looked outside and saw that the moon had come out for the night. Its face was a content smile as always and Ruby felt like it was smiling specifically at her.
‘I missed you too,’ she thought. She was tired but not in the mood to go to sleep just yet. So she got up and started walking towards the kitchen with Mr. Buns in hand.

‘No work days, no Domain of Darkness, no parents fighting?’ Ruby thought. ‘There’s only one thing that could make this day better and that’s a party!’

Ruby knew her friends would like a “Welcome back from the Depths of Anguish” party. It was too late and everyone was too tired to have it now but she could at least get started and have it in the morning.

As Ruby made her way to the kitchen she passed by the front door and overheard Skull Boy speaking with Dolce out front. She peeked through the door to hear part of their conversation.

“I’m thinking maybe I should quit and see how I feel about getting a job later,” Skull Boy said.

“You know you can’t just be spending all day here for the rest of your afterlife,” Dolce said. “You and your friends are growing up, Skelito.”

“I know,” he said, “that’s why I want to take time off. I guess I kinda wanna be irresponsible for just a little while longer. Ruby never lets me slack off with anything so it’s not like I won’t have a game plan. Am I okay to quit?”

Dolce shook her head more playfully than out of disappointment. “You tell me you’re friends with that Skelli-T person. I believe it. He’s also irresponsible and doesn’t want work when it’s given to him.”

“Soooo that’s a yes then?”

“Of course Skelito. I find new garbage boy for La Casa. You looking for work in the future, come to me. Every calaca is familia to me,” she said.

“Um, actually I’m just a skeleton,” Skull Boy said, “not a calaca.”

“Same thing.” Dolce laughed, “actually how bout’ this? I let you go if you promise to do something for me? Ees that okay?”

“Sure. What is it?”

Ruby tried leaning her ear in extra close through the crack in the door but Dolce and Skull Boy were just far enough away to where she couldn’t hear them. When Dolce was done, or from an outsider looking in, not done, it seemed as if Skull Boy jumped back and shouted at her.

“I’m not doing that!”

“I’m only joking Skelito,” she said.

“Well can you not joke about that kinda thing,” Skull Boy asked blushing and kicking a rock. “I shouldn’t have told you any of that stuff.”

“As I said, you’re still growing,” Dolce patted his hands in hers and said she would be off soon.

“Where are you gonna live if you don’t have your hearse,” Skull Boy asked.

“There is flat with a few of my employees in the complex next to La Casa. I just need to use their contracts and I get in for free, at least for tonight,” Dolce said in a half joking, half menacing tone. “Adios Skelito.”

“Adios,” Skull Boy said waving to his boss and she disappeared down the hill.

Ruby felt her heart beat so fast she was worried it was going to burst out of her chest like in old, mushy fairytales. She gently opened the door.
“Hey Skull Boy. What were you talking about?”

Skull Boy knew Ruby was there once he heard the door crack but he was startled to hear her voice. “Nothing,” he said.

“I heard something about quitting your job. Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Ruby asked.

“Your dad said he would fix everything so that we wouldn’t have to work anymore,” Skull Boy said. “I was just trying to let her know.”

“But you were the only one that actually liked your job. At least, compared to everyone else,” Ruby said.

“I wanna stay here with you guys for a little while,” he said. “I know it sounds like something a slacker would say but-”

“-you want to be irresponsible for just a little bit longer.” Skull Boy looked at her with wide, almost vacant eyes. Ruby blushed, “I might have heard a teeny bit more of your conversation.”

“Um…how much more?” Skull Boy asked, uneasily.

“You know, more,” Ruby said with a giggle. She briefly glanced at his hand and, without a second thought, held it in hers. She could feel his bones tence under her fingers, yet he didn’t break away or shirk hers off. The two old friends just stood there silently. They looked up at the moon who blinked at them with its’ friendly face, almost baring an inquisitive grin at the two. Skull Boy tightened the scarf around his neck in the cold.

“You wore that thing this whole time?”

“You made it for me,” Skull Boy said. “Why would I take it off? I like having a little splash of color here and there. In fact it-”

“Makes you think you’re related to a long line of color composition enthusiasts?” Ruby asked. Skull boy didn’t answer right away and just looked at her. “Sorry I keep budding in tonight.”

“Actually, I was gonna say it made me realize how much I missed you,” he said, ruffling the ends of the scarf. Ruby’s eyes became wide and enchanted. “For a while there I didn’t know what I’d do without you Ruby.”

Ruby felt her cheeks burn. The whole scene around her and Skull Boy blurred and turned deep red. Not a menacing red like when she was still living in her father’s domain, but a soft, pinkish red. It was strange. Ruby hated pink but she loved this pinkish red whenever it turned up.

“I…ugh…I have something else to give you, if you want it,” she said, twisting the ends of her hair in her fingers.

“Okay. Where is it?”

“You, um, need to close your eyes first Skull Boy. No opening.”

“Alright,” Skull Boy said with a laugh. He stood up straight, closed his eyes and held out his arms. Ruby knew that he meant for her to put something in his hands but she didn’t care. A second of pondering of how she was going to do the deed went by before she figured out a plan. Carefully she held Skull Boy by the collar and gave him the softest, briefest kiss she ever could on the tip of his lips.

Skull Boy’s eyes flashed open the second he felt Ruby kiss him. She saw him blushing a shade of red brighter than her hair. He held her back by the shoulder, almost pushing her away. She knew he wouldn’t hate her for doing it but it began to dawn on Ruby just how big a cat she let out of the bag with that kiss.

“I’m sorry,” she squeaked. “I didn’t mean to make you feel weird.”

“Uugh,” Skull Boy said.

“I-I wanna say that that was all just the heat of the moment or a one time thing but, well, I…”

“Uuuuugh.”

“Ruby, Skull Boy.” It was Poe, mecifully breaking up the moment from the inside of his birdhouse. “How do you feel about some biscuits to celebrate our home being in one piece again? I have to practice telling our whole adventure for when Edgar and Allen come home and a mock audience would suffice.”

Ruby looked back at Skull Boy and his terrified expression. She held herself by her elbows and began walking towards Poe’s birdhouse. “Sure thing. I was just about to get some ingredients for a cake but I guess biscuits will do.”

“Wait,” Skull Boy said. “Ruby?”

“Yes?”

Skull Boy’s pupils dilated when her eyes set back on him. He tapped his fingers together and breathed a few heavy breaths. “It’s just, um…”
Without any warning he leaned into Ruby and kissed her on the check just as long and softly as she did to him a few seconds ago.
Ruby’s face lit up, though her mouth didn’t automatically make a smile. Skull Boy tried to lighten the mood by laughing it off.

“I guess I have nothing to say,” he laughed.

Ruby laughed too. “After all that’s happened this week? Please, no words are needed.”

Smiling at each other, the two lovestruck, unordinary preteens walked to the latter of Poe’s birdhouse, hand in hand.
Final chapter to my Ruby Gloom fan fiction, "You Think You Know a Gloom".
This is the best draft to be released so far but it is far from perfect. If you have any complaints about grammar, sentence/paragraph structure I am very open to critique.

It's finally done and accounted for, yay!
I hope you enjoyed this guys. It may not be my best work but it was fun to write and create a new world within someone's already existing one.
And of course i couldn't call it a complete story until preteen Ruby and Skull Boy kiss, like a baws. Whenever and if ever I get to writing more original material again I'd love to continue to look at the grown up years and history of the Gloom Crew.
© 2015 - 2024 Ghost-Peacock
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Chcu1297's avatar

Will you make a Sequel pleas? Also, can I use your characters. You’re story is awesome.