"I'm sure Ruby can handle it, right?" as if to test Ruby's endurance of the situation, Nora wrapped an arm around Ruby's cloak-covered shoulders, much to the envious stare of Yang.
Nora was the only one who could initiate such physical contact, though that may be because they were twins; but either way, whatever the reason was, Yang didn't like it. she and Ruby had been friends for years, but it always irked her how only Nora could touch Ruby and not get her fingers broken, or a wrist snapped- she'd witnessed the latter happen to a classmate back in Signal, and it is not a nice image; especially when you can see the bone protruding through the skin.
Ruby's issue was that this particular test of her mental endurance consisted of being dragged around by Blake, who went on her weekly visits to the local library.
Ruby had no problem with escorting someone to a library; she loved libraries, in fact- they provided her a sense of security that only her twin could bring. She also loved reading, being an avid reader and a part-time author to a bestselling book series; so naturally her love for reading and writing and the library went hand in hand, fitting perfectly together.
The issue was, in fact, that it was Blake she had to go with.
She didn't dislike Blake; no, in fact she liked her a lot. Dare she say love? But it was painful as well as heart-warming that Blake wanted her to go, considering that Blake was, unknowingly, crushing Ruby's already small heart into a thousand pieces and scattering them all over.
Blake was a special sort of person to Ruby, the sort that grew and wormed into her dark heart and made her feel things that not even her sister could.
And it hurt. Every day she had to stand by and watch her and Yang exchange kisses and hugs, every day she had to watch helplessly as Yang and she snuck off to engage in less than innocent activities and arrive an hour later, hair frazzled and eyes wide in satisfaction. It was these times that Ruby would mentally replace Yang with herself, and would pepper Blake with kisses softer than the rough ones Yang would plant on her face. She would caress her gently, lovingly, not needy and lustfully as Yang did. She would whisper words of love and provide feather-light kisses when Blake was feeling down, not suggest that they slunk off somewhere to 'relieve some stress'.
But Blake seemed to like Yang the way she was, and Ruby had a corrupting thought that told her Blake must like rough people; Ruby might be cold and have the emotional range of an ice-statue in the rain, but she was also soft, and warm, and she still had a heart.
The black haired girl was slicing her heart right down the middle with each interaction she had with her old friend, and the more she witnessed them exchanging kisses, the more she felt her chest ache.
Ruby simply resigned herself to the fate of never finding someone to love her as she loved them, and nodded along as Blake kissed Yang, grabbed a book, and sprinted to catch up with Ruby's already walking form.
(^^^^^^)
She could never have her, Nora thought. It was a pipe dream, smoke inhaled by the foolish to obscure the harsh reality. Smoke, might I add, that Nora had inhaled more than once in her little pipe-dreaming.
She could never have her, she knew, but that wouldn't stop her from trying at least; as futile as it may be in the end.
She just hoped her sister's heart didn't het broken in the process.
(^^^^^^)
It was silent, the walk to the library, with Blake having a book raised to her face all the way there and Ruby numbly leading the black girl to their destination.
Not a word was said from either girl, and while Ruby counted that as one of the few blessings she ever got in her life, Blake counted it as a form of ignorance; as though Ruby was trying to ignore the girl's presence...though, in all honesty, Ruby ignored everyone's presence outside of missions, and inside she only gave them nods of acknowledgement or simple hums in greeting.
Blake, figuring Ruby was just acting as she normally does, shrugged and continued reading her book, but all too soon they had arrived at the library. Ruby pointed to the door, Blake walking in first, with Ruby trailing a couple of yards behind her.
Ruby watched as the hours ticked by, Blake reading some books before putting them away and picking up another one. Her heart broke each second she mentioned Yang's name, which came up each time she picked up a book with anything related to fighting or combat: Things like "I wonder if Yang would like this?" or "Maybe I should get this for Yang." Then she got some sort of twisted satisfaction at imagining Yang in the same pain as her, and immediately each word Ruby felt her chest ache more, idly wondering that, if Blake had fallen for her, if she would be talking about Ruby with Yang walking her to the library, feeling her heart be ground into nothingness by the love of her life- the love of her life that didn't even acknowledge her beyond her team leader status.
Ruby was on the verge of snapping, before Blake walked over to her, a look of indifference towards Ruby as she approached. Ruby's silver eyes widened a fraction when Blake grabbed her wrist and began dragging her out of the library.
She noted Blake was dragging her in the direction of Beacon, and oddly found that Blake's hand around her wrist wasn't even tight, as though she didn't want to drag Ruby but had felt the need to at least walk her there.
It was when Ruby's mind caught up with the hand around her wrist that Blake let go, as if shocked as she spun to see the absolutely murderous look in Ruby's eyes. Blake could also see pain, the same look that Ruby had whenever she looked in Blake's direction, but the murderous intent of her rather stupid action covered the hurt in the silver eyes rather well.
"Do not e-ever touch me." Were all Ruby could say, but the way it was said made Blake's chest seize up and head to spin. It was said as though Blake was her enemy, someone she needed to avoid for long periods of time when possible, and along with that Blake had engaged in physical contact, something Ruby could not ever allow.
But Ruby's voice, as cold and as threatening as it was, was also sounding as though the girl was on the edge of tearing up any second; her voice wavered slightly as she said 'ever', but at first Blake though tit was simply because she was keeping in some sort of rage.
Then there was the fact that she could see tears brimming at the edges of the redhead's eyes, tears that didn't suit her but also looked perfectly natural- as though she'd been crying for a long time. The eyes were pained when Ruby looked at Blake as well, which gave Blake the feeling that Ruby...had been crying a lot, and by the way she looked at Blake, it had been over her.
Ruby ended the tense stand-off by simply relaxing her shoulders and back, and began walking ahead of Blake. Leading her back to Beacon, but at the same time leading her back to Yang.
A sign she had finally given up of ever feeling loved by the black haired girl.
Ruby felt a sudden spike of what seemed like the feeling of safety and security begin to wrap itself around her cold heart; Nora. She knew it was her. The thing with twins was that, when and if twins didn't share the same semblance, they shared something else- either way, a twin would share something, either personal with each other, or something as mundane as using the same hand and having the same writing style.
Ruby and Nora shared emotions; they shared what each felt, they could project feelings through their link, they could take feelings away- Ruby had Nora take away her feeling of fear, because fear, to the twins, was a way of expressing weakness; and they were not weak.
She could feel the safe warmth of reassurance wrap around her body, protecting her from the cold winds biting at her skin and providing a sense of familiar security. She would dare to say that she loved how her sibling could tell what was going on and how to deal with it, even if she hadn't been there.
As soon as they reached Beacon, Blake and Ruby parted ways with nary a word; Blake made her way to her dorm, presumably to meet Blake, while Ruby went back to she and Nora's own private, separate dorm, just for the two of them.
When she had arrived, she could see the worried look Nora sent her way, but simply shook her head, indicating a disliking for talking about it right now.
The room became quiet, save for the shuffling of clothes as Ruby and Nora shifted out of their cloth prisons. Clad in nothing but their underwear, and both noticing the sun beginning to set, the twins shifted into the only bed in the room, both cuddling up to each other to provide warmth that the blankets and pillows surrounding them couldn't.
After nothing more than five minutes, Ruby turned her head to Nora, who was half asleep but looking worried all the same.
"I let her go."
Broken, she sounded, but at the same time liberated; as though she knew heartbreak would still occur, but it would be less severe than it had been.
Nora's eyes widened, but she smiled nevertheless, pressing her body against Ruby's, holding the now sobbing girl close to her.
"Good, Ruby; you didn't need her anyway."
"B-But I need you." Ruby whispered, sounded the very noise of shattered. Tears dribbled form her chin and dripped onto Nora naked shoulder, but the girl simply cooed in Ruby's ear. "You won't leave me, I know you won't."
Nora simply smiled; tears of her own streaming down her face; her twin was her love, her only one, the only one.
Ruby would never love her the way she did; she would never hold her like she dreamed she would, or never kiss her like she wanted to.
She would never be able to be the 'first' for her sister.
Ruby understood. She leaned up, pressing her lips Nora's, tasting the salt of both their tears in the kiss.
She pulled back, Nora surprised when Ruby grabbed her head, keeping it close to her own.
"Would it be so bad to pretend you have me and I have her?"
Kissing back, Nora shook her head.
Well, at least she could pretend, and the breaking of hearts would dull a little.