A Ruffled Fanfic: Who Says Crimelords Can’t Be Romantic Or Familial?
Disclaimer: Ruffled is a Murder Mystery Audio Drama created by Michaela Laws, which can be found on under her channel of the same name on Youtube, which I shall leave a link here. This piece of fanfiction is done purely for fun by me as a fan, and NOT for profit in any way.
Timeline: Takes place after Season 1, but before Season 2. This piece also takes place immediately after my other fanfic “When A Bluejay Is, Indeed, Obnoxious”, which you can find HERE.
BEWARE SPOILERS FOR RUFFLED’S SEASON 1!! Beware of one additional Season 2 spoiler regarding a canonical pairing.
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It was when they were on their way out of the Cheesecake Factory when Jay seemed to finally ask the question that Ted could tell was on his mind.
“So… what’s it like with you two?” Jay asked, looking to his side at Ted as they made their way down the sidewalk, where their ride was waiting for them next to a parking meter.
Jay couldn’t be called ‘reserved’ by any means for the rest of their talk over dessert, but Ted could still catch the curious glint of an unasked question in the younger man’s eyes. It was a glint that stayed with him all through dessert and up until now. Ted knew that the only way that curious glint would disappear would be when Jay finally got the answer to whatever it was on his mind, which was how Ted knew that he has something he wanted to say, but chose not to for whatever reason.
Until now, that is.
“You’re not asking about the sex, I’m guessing,” Ted stated without even looking at him, his hands in his pockets as he walked.
Jay’s voice was heavy with sarcasm as he drawled, “Yeah. After I spent all of dessert telling you to shut up, now I’m interested in the nasty details.” Even without looking at him, Ted could tell that he was rolling his eyes.
“No, of course not, you fool. I’m talking about-,” there was a second’s pause as Jay gestured vaguely in front of him with an arm, “-the whole thing. What’s it like with you and that guy? You guys don’t strike me as the lovey dovey types.”
Having seen them leave the restaurant, their chauffeur was already out and had the door to the backseats open. After both men had climbed in and settled into their seats, the chauffeur closed the door and returned to her previous position in the driver’s seat.
It was while the chauffeur was starting up the car when Ted responded to Jay’s question with an easy shrug.
“We’re not. I’m not one for candlelight dinners and roses, and he doesn’t bother doing stuff he knows doesn’t impress me.” He looked over to Jay, just as the chauffeur began to carefully pull the car out of the parking space and onto the road. “Neither of us are the romantic types, but it works for us.”
“Aw man, seriously?” Jay sounded disappointed at the fact, and his shoulders even slumped at the answer. “How are you even a couple?” Realizing how bad that sounded, Jay began to stammer as he backtracked. “I mean… so nothing’s different with you guys?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say things are exactly the same,” Ted began with a somewhat awkward smile, a rare sight coming from the normally composed man. He lifted a hand up, as if trying to explain his new dynamic with Robin with a gesture, but when he realized he was unable to do so, he curled his fingers into a loose fist.
“You get what I mean?” he asked in an almost pleading manner, as if he wanted Jay to spare him the struggle of having to define something so vague into words. “I mean… yeah, there are the intimate moments, and of course the sexual stuff, and the flirting… maybe some wine alone together, but...” he shrugged helplessly. “I… guess things are pretty much the same between us. But like I said… it works for us, you know?”
Jay seemed unhappy with his response, which was further proven by how he pushed himself back into the backrest of his seat with his arms crossed and his brows burrowed, as if he was unable to comprehend what Ted just said. The car finally began to roll away from the street and bypassing the Cheesecake Factory both men were just in, not that either of them were paying attention.
“Man, I dunno. I always thought relationships should be more romantic, you know?” Jay looked back at Ted with a troubled expression on his face, his arms still tightly crossed across his chest. “I don’t think I could even be in a relationship like that.”
“And that’s fine,” Ted assured him with his hand raised again. “Like I said, it works for us. Not all relationships are the same. And they’re not supposed to be either.” Lowering his hand, he then raised his eyebrows in interest. “So, I guess you’re the romantic type, Jay?”
“Yeah, man!” Jay agreed immediately, throwing his arms out as his eyes grew wide. “What’s not there to like in a romantic relationship? You have a special someone that wants to take care of you, give you special treatment, and loves you for you, ya know?”
He dropped his arms and let out a sheepish smile as he thumbed at his nose in an embarrassed gesture. “So… I guess… I’d want the candlelight dinners. And the random ro-,” Jay cut himself off suddenly, frowning in thought as he looked up, “well, maybe not the roses, but-,” snapping his fingers suddenly, he pointed at Ted with a triumphant smile, “CHOCOLATES, baby! A lover that would give me chocolates and other kinds of sweets as gifts? They’d win my heart all over again right there.”
Ted laughed and nodded at that. “That’s great, Jay.” With a softer voice and a warmer smile now, he added, “Really. I hope you get that.”
“Thanks, man. Me too.” Jay shot Ted a grateful grin as he settled back to a more comfortable position in his seat. “It’d be great. I mean, it has to be, right?” His smile turned into frown. “If you can’t be happy all the time in a relationship, why waste time being in one at all? One night stands are one thing, but a long-term relationship with commitments and all that?”
He made a show of shuddering. “Oof. I won’t be able to stay in one if the other person’s only half-decent, ya know? I don’t know how Ven does it.”
“I think Venka’s happy,” Ted surmised, looking thoughtful at the thought of their more sharp-tongued friend. “I mean, other than her husband just being okay in the bedroom, from the way she described him, and from the way she looked when she’s talking about him, Venka’s husband is a good guy that takes care of her.”
Ted then looked out the window, as if making sure there wasn’t anyone spying on them that could report what he would say next back to Venka, however unlikely that may be. Still, it doesn’t hurt to be careful.
“And don’t tell her I said this, but whatever shortcomings the guy might have in the bedroom-”, he deliberately ignored Jay’s sudden giggling (“shortcomings, yeah, sure, let’s go with that,” he said humorously between giggles) in order to finish, “-what he’s like a person sounds like it more than makes up for it. I- we both know Venka. She wouldn’t settle for anything average, I think.”
“Nope,” Jay agreed, crossing his arms behind his head. “That wouldn’t be Ven, if she did. Hey,” Jay suddenly sounded like he was struck with a shocking thought, “you think she has a kid?”
“Huh? Venka?” Ted thought about it for a moment, rubbing the stubble on his chin. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she did, but I’m not sure for certain.”
Considering how they were all strangers under alias the first time they met, Ted doubted that even if Venka has children, she wouldn’t be eager to share that particular piece of information with people she did not trust yet. Being both a crime lord and the rich owner of her own business, it would only be reasonable that Venka would want to protect her children from potential by not divulging information about them so carelessly. One could only imagine the number of sick-minded criminals out there that would try to take advantage of that to get Venka to do whatever they want her to do.
“Don’t laugh, but I would really want kids one day, ya know?” Jay stated, and Ted smiled fondly.
“Why would I laugh at that?” he couldn’t help the soft chuckle that escaped him. “That’s a great dream.”
“Really?” Jay stared at Ted skeptically. Not at all daunted by the look, Ted nodded firmly.
“Yeah, I mean it.” The older man shook his head. “Just because I’m not the romantic type doesn’t mean that I don’t believe others could get it.”
It was Jay’s turn to shake his head, looking slightly alarmed as he stared at Ted with wide eyes. “No, no, that’s not what I was thinkin’ at all!” He brought one of his hands forward to underneath his nose. “It’s just… you think I’ll be a good dad? I mean, my brothers always give me crap, ya know? Kept making jokes about how I’ll drop my kid on the head or somethin’, or give them diabetes with all the sweets I’ve been eating-”
“Nah,” Ted cut in firmly with another shake of his head, narrowing his eyes in half-serious glare. “Jay, I’m quite sure they’re just messing with you. Brothers do that, right? I’m sure they’ll be happy for you if you get a kid. You wanna know why I think you’ll be a good dad?”
“Because I act like a kid, so I’ll definitely get along with one?” Jay guessed in a somewhat bitter tone. Ted could only imagine it was a comment made by someone Jay trusted- maybe one of his brothers- that he took the wrong way.
“That,” Ted agreed, before raising a finger to point in Jay’s direction, “and you value family. You value friendship. Those are not traits a bad dad would have.” Ted smiled once more. “People may poke fun at you, but I know you’re someone who’s always eager and enthusiastic when it comes to people you care about. Whatever you don’t know about, you make up for in those.”
Ted pressed his hand to his chest. “I mean, look at me. You didn’t HAVE to be my friend after bailing me out of jail, giving me protection, a job proposal AND giving me the chance to retire comfortably for life. But you did.” He then gestured at the space between them. “And here we are now. Friends. And I’m sure I’m not the only one you reached out to. So… I think you’ll be a great dad, because you’re a great guy, Jay. And I’m sure your kid would love having you as a dad.”
Ted then shot his friend a challenging smirk. “Fight me on that, I dare you.”
Jay was quiet for a long while, staring at Ted as if looking at him as if he had given him the answer to all of his troubles. Eventually, Jay looked aware, and Ted did not miss how the he quickly brought an arm across his face once, as if wiping something away.
“Wow, you’re a sap, Ted.” Despite his words of dismissal, Ted caught the soft and almost watery note in Jay’s voice, as well as the subtle sniff before Jay turned back to look at him again with his usual impish grin. “But… wow. Thanks buddy. That… that’s really...” Jay stopped himself suddenly, glaring at Ted. “If anyone asked, we NEVER had this conversation, awright?”
“Alright.” Ted shrugged nonchalantly, turning to look out the window. “You’re a big tough guy that doesn’t cry at sentimental, heartfelt conversations, sure.”
“I did NOT cry, you jackass!”
Ted couldn’t help breaking out into another grin when he felt the indignant shove at his shoulder from behind. “A piece of advice though?” he added, turning to look at his friend again. “You might want to tone down on the swearing when you get a kid.”
“Oh no, fuck that.” Jay grinned. “My kid’s gonna be dropping F bombs when by the time he’s motherfucking three, yo.”
“Good god.” Ted pressed a palm to his face, but there was no denying the amused smile he possessed behind it.
“Freedom of speech, bud! Freedom of speech!”
