The Double Donut

Rainy evenings in Twinford ☂️🌧️🪰

[Image description: Digital fanart of the Ruby Redfort book series, featuring Ruby and Hitch standing in the rain.

Hitch is a dark-haired man vaguely resembling Gregory Peck, wearing a suit and smart overcoat. He holds an umbrella over Ruby and himself, and looks down at her carefully out of the corner of his eye.

Ruby is a teenage girl with brown hair, bright red glasses and 1970s clothes. She is tilting her head in curiosity and reaching one hand out from under the umbrella to feel the rain.

Honestly the relationship between these two gives me life so here’s a list of quotes from Look Into My Eyes that show that Hitch does, in fact, care about Ruby and her wellbeing.

“Hitch was feeling horrible - the kind of guilt that causes nausea. Why hadn’t he listened, he never should have let LB assign hat numbskull.” - page 328

“‘I think shark bait should be my fate,’ said Hitch. ‘I’m the one who should have been looking after her.’” - page 329

“He was feeling bad. OK, so it wasn’t his fault that Froghorn was an incompetent idiot and had let Ruby slip through his fingers, but the truth was he should never have left her with him in the first place.” - page 330

“And it had to be said that as far as working with thirteen-year-old kids went, Ruby wasn’t so bad… She was one cool customer, funny too. But now she was gone and he could only blame himself. Kid, if you’re still out there, I’m gonna find you. You can count on it.” - page 330

“When he had argued with her she had countered, saying, you’re too close to this thing Hitch, let someone else search for the kid - you’re feeling guilty and guilt never did anyone any good.” - page 342

“But Hitch hardly heard them. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart as he ran down stone corridors, up steep stairways, all the way to the tower. He ran like a man possessed, he ran like his life depended on it.” - page 369 (for context, this is when knows where Ruby is and is trying to get there in time.)

“… Hitch sank slowly to the floor. His head was in his hands, and the light on the little watch radar had gone out. ‘Rube?’ whispered Clancy, crumpling to his knees. ‘I’m sorry kid,’ was all that Hitch could say.” - page 370

“‘I want to make sure he pays for what he’s done for Ruby - and I need your help.’” - page 371

“… Hitch’s heart leapt as he watched Ruby being half dragged, half marched across the passageway by none other than Baby Face Marshall.” - page 378

“Ruby wasn’t taking it lying down. ‘I don’t like people messing with my hair buster!’ You tell him kid, hissed Hitch, his hand reaching for his revolver.” - page 378

“He took a good look at her. 'You OK Ruby?’” - page 380

1. blacker being gay makes SO MUCH SENSE

2. froghorn crushing on him makes EVEN MORE SENSE

3. but I can’t decide between asexual froghorn and repressed gay froghorn with a lot of internalized homophobia

4. hitch being bi YES ABSOLUTELY

5. I do believe he was kinda the third person in bradley’s and loveday’s relationship, meaning that they were an item and hitch would join them when they all felt like it

6. I also believe both bradley and loveday are bi hehe

7. by the way, hitch DEFINITELY had a thing with valerie capaldi (which I’m crazy about based on the way he kills her and she’s FUCKING SURPRISED)

8. ruby is definitely not straight but i think she probably doesn’t fully know it yet. I also think she has a crush on del

9. clancy is on the asexual spectrum for me

10. oh also mouse and elliot give non-binary vibes to me

11. and del is definitely a raging lesbian, and i believe vapona begwell had a crush on her

12. red is definitely bi

*glass breaking in the background*

My darling blorbos from the niche kids book series 🪰

[Image description: A short comic of Ruby and Hitch from the Ruby Redfort book series, featuring dialogue from the final book.

Hitch, a man in a suit with dark hair, looks down skeptically at Ruby and asks, "Just how old do you think I am?'. In the next panel, Ruby, a teenage girl with glasses, glaces up at him, saying nonchalantly, "I don't know, fifty-five... fifty-seven."

The next two panels are extremely wide shots, showing the two drawn as simple figures and standing in silence. Their speach bubbles only contain ellipses.

Hitch breaks the silence by saying "Kid, I'm forty-two."

The final panels zoom in again and Hitch turns away, looking exasperated. He continues "Boy, never ask a child to guess your age; they'll always have you pegged just shy of decrepit."