This oneshot is going to take place maybe a week and a half after Found (hey, it's not going backwards anymore XD), and it's going to be AMAZING, if I can get it right. 

~

Ezekiel was really starting to get annoyed with the concussion he'd been given almost two weeks ago. Almost every movement sent throbbing pain through his temples, any light made him squint with gritted teeth, and any loud noises made him want to rip his own ears off. Because he was constantly in pain, he was extremely impatient and snappy with anyone who was too loud. (Even though he was already pretty impatient and snappy, but that was just his personality. He could do and would do nothing to change that.)

Which was pretty much everyone. 

The only few people who were considerate toward him were Falte, Abby, and Ruby. The others either didn't care or didn't notice, but Zeke didn't really want to find out. He didn't particularly care if they were intentionally ignoring the fact that he'd been hit really hard on the head, he just wanted them to shut up. 

That was one of the reasons he'd isolated himself into a randomly picked room in one of the hallways - no, not hallways. Gosh darn mazes. Zeke couldn't count how many times he'd gotten lost in just two days in the stupid, empty hallways. He'd wandered around the castle, going up and down stairs and opening closed doors, for almost three hours yesterday. 

It had been extremely tiring, but finally he'd come across Shintaro, who seemed to be in a good enough mood to show Zeke where to go. Ezekiel wasn't sure how that guy had managed to practically memorize the whole castle in only a week, but he was eventually grateful that Shintaro had. 

Another reason Zeke had placed himself alone, away from everyone else, was because he needed to sort out his thoughts. He wasn't sure if it was because of the concussion or if he was really having trouble, but his thoughts were all in a jumble ever since...

Ever since he'd gotten to know Ruby. 

Ezekiel wasn't sure what was wrong with him. He hadn't known Ruby personally for the first few days that they had been in the same house (the one he'd conveniently fled to after the attack on his town), but when they had started moving through the woods to escape from the Darks, he'd started actually talking to her - getting to know her, even laughing with her sometimes.

Which was even weirder, because he wasn't used to talking to people. Mostly because he didn't really know how to deal with them, and because his personality made him seem rude. Most of the time he was kind of being rude, because that was just his personality, but he hoped he wasn't seeming too blunt to Ruby. 

Now, he couldn't even get halfway through a thought about her before he pictured her soft smile. There was something about that small tilt of the lips that made his stomach flip strangely. He had a guess on what was happening to him, but he wasn't entirely sure - because he'd never been in love before. 

It annoyed him that he was being so ridiculous. 

There was also something off about the smile that Ruby always shared with others. There were only a few times that Ezekiel knew that it was genuine. Most of the time, it seemed like a smile that she had practiced until perfection to make her seem like the nice woman who never opposed anyone. 

Zeke wasn't sure why she had to do that. He didn't smile when it wasn't necessary, nor did he smile much. If it wasn't a true smiling matter, he didn't do it. He wasn't sure why Ruby smiled when she didn't need to, or why she tossed people that smile almost as if it was automatic. 

To Zeke, it seemed like she was throwing around gentle happiness without actually meaning it. 

And strangely, it was concerning him. Normally, he wouldn't have cared - it's their problem if they're aren't actually happy with whatever is going on around them, was his usual mindset - but for some reason, he found himself worried that Ruby wasn't as calmly happy as she let on. 

He knew that her home had been destroyed, much like his, but had she really been that attached to it? He knew that thought was probably rude, because different people attach to different things, but he wouldn't have been that upset. He wasn't. 

He had a home now.

That was another thing he was frustrated about. Although he knew he had his own personality and he didn't want to change it, he was often angry at himself for not respecting the feelings of others. Most of the time, he figured that everyone else was fine; because in their situation, he would have been. Every time someone was approached with a difficult situation, he would think they could handle it just as easily as he could and that came off as him not considering their emotions. He didn't think about how they would feel in that situation - he thought about how he would feel. He didn't take into account that they were different from him, and most of the time, no one liked that. 

(A/N: I DO THIS TOO AND IT FRUSTRATES ME XD. Like, I have a REALLY high pain tolerance - apparently. So when my friend was hurting, I was convincing myself that "Oh my word she's fine, I'm sure it's not that bad, she's just overreacting" when it probably was actually painful for her - whereas for me, it wouldn't have been because I have a high pain tolerance. She actually got a little upset at me for shrugging off her pain indifferently, and I felt SO BAD)

That was one reason he was staying away from Ruby for a while. He didn't want to be rude to her by seeming indifferent of whatever she was upset about. But he also thought about there was chance he was wrong, and that it was just her smile. There was also the chance that underneath her rehearsed smile was just her personality, but why would she hide it? 

There was soft knock on the door and Ezekiel nearly jumped out of his skin, which made him immediately slam his eyes shut with the hiss through his teeth. He was sitting on the edge of the bed that was set against the far right wall, his elbows on his knees and his hands on his chin, until he startled and lifted his head with a wince. 

"Who is it?" he asked gruffly without opening his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose forcefully, which surprisingly suppressed the headache slightly. 

"It's Ruby," said the person on the other side of the closed door. "Am I able to come in?" Her voice was gentle and quiet, which made Zeke grateful that she respected the fact that he still had a concussion.

But what was she doing here? 

"Yeah," Zeke sighed, throwing on a blanket of nonchalance over the questions in his mind. Slowly, he opened his eyes and lifted his head a little higher, eyeing the door that was just beginning to open. 

Ruby, wearing casual jeans and a sweater that was much too large for her, walked silently into the room, holding in one hand a glass of water and in the other a white bottle that rattled as she moved. Her amber hair was curled into a bun on top of her head, which was unusual for Ruby, because her hair was down over her shoulders most of the time. 

"What's that for?" Zeke asked curiously, jerking his chin toward the bottle and water, then instantly regretting it. He grit his teeth but made sure his expression didn't change. 

"You," Ruby replied with that gentle smile that Zeke had come to hate and love at the same time. - hate because it made him frustrated at himself, love because it was just so perfect. 

"Me?" Zeke repeated skeptically, raising one eyebrow and eyeing the noisy white bottle. His dull brown hair, which came down to his shoulders, was tied loosely in a ponytail that wasn't doing much - several locks of hair were falling in disarray around his face and blocking his peripheral vision.  

Ruby made a soft sound that sounded like a chuckle, but nodded her head. "Yes, you. Shintaro and Linda came back from the hospital with painkiller, so I thought I'd give you some." She held out her full hands, nodding her chin toward Zeke. 

Ezekiel was one hundred percent sure they hadn't gotten the painkiller specifically for him, but he would take it anyway, especially if Ruby wanted him to - what? No, he would just take it anyway. 

Harrumphing shortly through his nose, Zeke took the glass of water and the bottle of medicine, holding them awkward in his hands but not using them yet. 

Oddly, Ruby settled herself onto the bed next to him, folding her small hands in her lap - wow, her hands really were small. He could definitely wrap his fingers completely around her fist if he really wanted to.

What the heck was he thinking? 

Just take the stupid medicine, Ezekiel! 

Scoffing at himself, he tried to uncap the bottle of medicine one-handed - but almost ended up spilling water all over his lap. Cursing under his breath, he stilled the water and huffed impatiently. 

"Here," Ruby offered kindly, taking the white bottle from his left hand, her fingertips brushing his knuckles. 

"Thanks," Zeke muttered quietly as she dumped two small pills into his palm. 

"Of course," Ruby answered, but Zeke noted that she didn't say it quickly as if she'd been waiting for the moment to say so, just so she could get it over with. She sounded sincere this time, and when Ezekiel sneaked a look over at her, she was smiling gently at him. 

Slowly, Zeke tilted back his head and gulped down water with each pill, which was a strange feeling in his throat. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had to take pills, but he didn't like it. It felt like a pebble was sliding down his throat, which was the weirdest thing he'd ever felt. 

Ruby gently took the glass from his other hand when he was finished, brushing his fingers again with her own. Zeke held his breath until her warm touch left, cursing himself for being so stupid. She was just grabbing the gosh darn glass, Zeke, you idiot. 

"Thank you," Zeke said before he could clamp his teeth closed over the words. 

Ruby glanced back at him while she stood, her green eyes locking with his. She gave him that small tilt of the lips, but this time it look sincere - real. 

"You're welcome," she said kindly. 

Zeke suddenly knew - no, was certain - that this was what love was. 

~