Writer's Note: As a reminder, uncensored versions of these can be found on my profile at Archive of Our Own.
Maiden's Blush
A flexible drink with a dozen recipes, all involving gin and grenadine and the mixer's choice of tequila, triple sec, or curacao. Shake over ice cubes and strain.
Weiss stopped before the door to their workout room, her hand on the knob. Shame washed over her, crashing down onto her back and making her cringe. Guilt gnawed at her insides, turning her stomach over and over as she stared at the blank, featureless door.
It was the only place left that Ruby could be, and the last place Weiss wanted to go. She'd checked the room they shared on her way back from her office. She'd checked the living room and the adjoining kitchen. She had even considered checking Yang and Blake's room before deciding Ruby wouldn't have invaded their privacy, even after ... this.
Her keys were still in the basket by the door, her cloak still hung from the rack. Ruby hadn't left, and she wasn't anywhere else in the penthouse apartment. Which just leaves here.
She'd almost prefer to go back to her scroll. Have Yang angry with her some more. I'm sure I can find a few more ways to put my foot in my mouth. But putting this off helped no one, least of all her.
Taking a breath to steel herself, Weiss turned the knob and swung the door open.
Ruby was there, as she knew the girl would be. Grey eyes flashed up as she entered, dark locks flicking to the side as her head turned to face Weiss. She was laid out on the weight bench, halfway through a rep. The long iron bar was balanced in her hands, her arms rock-steady despite the weights on both sides.
A pang of jealousy bit through the guilt swarmed over Weiss, followed by a passive appreciation for the hard muscles on display. Ruby wasn't Yang – six-pack abs and arms you could hang off of – but her years as a huntress had made her strong. Years of swinging around that massive scythe showed in her toned arms, built less for show or strength than pure control. But she had no trouble with the weighted bar, and Weiss was sure she could handle something far heavier without any sign of difficulty. What she wouldn't give to be able to lift that bar now ...
"You shouldn't be doing that without a spotter," Weiss said quietly, trying to keep the edge from her voice.
Ruby let the barbell thump back into its holder. She straightened slowly, pushing off the bench until she could sit on the end, silver eyes on Weiss.
"I stuck to the light ones." A wry smile flickered across her lips, and Weiss looked away. She doesn't even look mad, Weiss thought. And she should. I'd deserve it. Instead, the expression on Ruby' face was ... resigned. Calm, even a little sad.
That hurt worse than anything.
The silence in the room was long and painful. Ruby said nothing, watching Weiss, waiting for her to speak. Weiss kept her eyes up, words tumbling over and over in her head as she studied the equipment lining the walls. She couldn't bring herself to meet those silver eyes, worried and afraid of what she'd find.
"I'm sorry," she said, when the silence became too much.
"I know." Ruby leaned forward and crossed her arms over her knees. "Dr. Yabai sat me down when we went in for your last exam. We talked. A lot."
She paused, jaw tensing as she decided what to say. Finally, she looked up at Weiss, trying to meet her eyes. "I knew this'd be hard for you, at least until you got closer to normal."
"It doesn't excuse me snapping like that," Weiss said, unable to keep the anger from her voice. Anger at herself, mostly. And the asshat who'd been paid to take a shot at her. Her father for hiring him. Adam for not staying dead ... Seems I've got a long list of people to be angry at. "After working with Yang ... I should have seen this coming. I was the one who helped with her rehab. I should have known what I was in for. I should have ..." she trailed off.
"Talk to me?" Ruby asked. "Please?"
"Ruby, right now, I think Jaune could beat me in a fight." The thought was humiliating. She was a Schnee. She was Weiss Schnee. After how hard she'd worked to make herself into what she was, after everything she'd sacrificed, everything she'd suffered, to have that all ripped away from her ... it was infuriating.
"The fact that I'm willing to admit that–" Her voice cracked. She swallowed, struggling to keep her anger in check. "I hate this."
Weiss started as a hand gripped hers. She hadn't heard Ruby get up. She looked up to find silver eyes staring into hers, and couldn't find a speck of blame there. No anger, no resentment, not even the recrimination she deserved and half-expected. Just a calm, worried compassion.
"I know," said Ruby, and pulled her close.
"I feel useless." Weiss tensed her jaw to hold back tears. "I hate feeling useless."
Weiss let the younger woman hold her, bringing her head down into the crook of Ruby's neck. They stayed there for a long while, Weiss leaning into her chest, Ruby ignoring the occasional tear falling onto her skin.
When the former heiress stopped shaking, Ruby pulled back, looking away while Weiss wiped her eyes. "I promise, as soon as you're ready, the three of us will run you through the training course from hell. You'll be even more perfect than you were before."
"I'm a pretty far cry from perfect." She sighed. "I'm sorry I lashed out. You don't deserve that."
Ruby made a sound somewhere between a sigh and chuckle.
"Weiss, you're kinda the definition of 'tightly wound'." She saw the scowl Weiss shot her and shrugged an apology. "Yang gets tons of cracks about her temper, but you handle frustration about as well as she does. Your body's not doing what it's supposed to, and that drives you nuts."
Weiss cringed. Ruby had got it in one.
"My point is that this probably isn't gonna get easier. Not for a little while."
"You still don't deserve it." Weiss grumbled, more to herself than Ruby. "I don't know how you're so calm about this. You'd have every right to be angry with me. Anyone else would."
Ruby looked uncomfortable and didn't answer. Her gaze trailed from Weiss to the mats beneath their feet, to the large punching bag handing by the wall. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper.
"After Beacon ... I wasn't there for Yang. I needed answers and I didn't think there was anything I could do to help her. But me leaving didn't help. I guess, this time, I wanted to make sure I was there for you." She took a long slow breath. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make this harder for you."
Weiss was halfway to saying she hadn't, then stopped. There were a hundred better ways she could have phrased it, but Ruby was right. The relentless optimism, the constant offers of support, the unending positivity, all of that hadn't helped. It wasn't Ruby's fault – Weiss should have said something, rather than let the frustration boil over. But lying to her, telling her it was fine ... it wouldn't help either of them.
Instead, Weiss brought her good arm up to Ruby's chin, tugging until the younger woman faced her.
The kiss was gentle, sweet, and even so Weiss lost track of time. At some point her hands came up to twine through Ruby's dark hair. One of Ruby's arms reached to circle her waist, and Weiss let the other woman pull her close.
"You dolt," she said when they came apart, letting her forehead rest against her lover's.
Ruby laughed. "You know, eventually, we gotta figure out a better way of doing this. Something nicer than one of us exploding, and then talking about it."
'One of us' meaning mostly me, Weiss thought ruefully. And she has a point. She decided it was time to change the subject.
"Do you need me to spot you?"
"I'm done. Do you wanna try to finish that last set?" Ruby asked. "I'll keep the cheerleading to a minimum."
As jokes went, it was a weak one.
"Ruby ... my entire arm aches. I don't think I have another set in me."
"... what if I promised a reward?"
Weiss' eyes narrowed. "I'm not some child you can promise a cookie to get them to–"
"That's not what I meant." Ruby cut her off, her cheeks turning red. "I meant ... me."
Weiss stared at the younger woman, dumbfounded. "Excuse me?"
"I mean, I know we decided it was a bad idea to do anything that might hurt your shoulder. But I, um ... I talked to the doc, a-and–"
"You did what?" Weiss shrieked, eyes shooting daggers at the other girl.
"And she thinks that you won't hurt yourself if you arch your back or do something ... you know." Ruby was beat red, stumbling over her words, trying to get them out as quick as she could. "So, if you want, we could ..." Her face turned the color of her favorite cloak. "Have sex."
Weiss blinked. It had been a long time since the two of them slept together. A long time. Half-blitzed on painkillers wasn't a particularly good setting for romance. It hadn't helped that the meds had almost completely killed Weiss' libido. And after, she'd been too focused on keeping ahold of Schnee Dust, defending the throne she'd inherited. They shared a bed, but since her injury, the two of them had barely shared anything more than kisses.
"And if I can't do one more set?" she asked quietly.
"Then we can still ... i-if you're up for it, I mean," Ruby fidgeted under Weiss' stare. "It's been a while for me too, okay? I'd still like to, if you want. But I'll worry less if you can do the last set. And it means you're a little bit closer to being back to normal."
Weiss frowned. Not for the first time, she wondered how Ruby always managed to surprise her. Ever since they'd met, Ruby was always catching her off-guard. Keeping her off-balance.
"Just the one, right?" she asked.
"Yeah. But if you don't feel up to it-"
Weiss stepped past her and thumped down onto the weight bench. "I do."
In the end, she managed one more set. Barely. By the time she finished, her right arm felt as study and solid as overcooked noodles, filled with a pulsing ache that stopped just short of agony.
Letting her rest, Ruby cleaned up the weight room, putting everything back into place before coming to stand by Weiss. She stayed quiet, giving Weiss some semblance of privacy, letting her handle her pain and frustration on her own. There were no offers to help, no insistent reminders of how well she'd done. Weiss was grateful for that. She even waited until Weiss grabbed her hand to pull the former heiress to her feet.
"Lemme run you a bath."
"Ruby, I really don't need you to do that." Weiss' expression soured. Those first few days in hospital, needing help just to make it to the bathroom, had been humiliating. Needing a nurse's help getting into the shower had been worse. "I can handle it myself."
"I know. It's not about ... just trust me?" Ruby muttered, looking embarrassed. "Please?"
Weiss saw the stubborn set of her jaw and sighed. "Fine. Make it quick, please?" She waved at her sweat-darkened clothes with her good arm. "I feel disgusting."
After ten minutes, Weiss seriously started to wonder if Ruby knew the definition of the word 'quick'. She was about to give up and borrow the guest bathroom for a fast shower when she heard the master bath's door unlock.
"You can come in now," a muffled voice called.
Sighing, Weiss stood, pushed open the bathroom door, and froze.
The first thing her eyes landed on was Ruby. A very naked Ruby. A very naked, blushing Ruby in a room that looked like it had stepped right out of a very cheesy eighties movie. The tub was surrounded by candles, flickering along the tiled floor, little rose petals scattered around the room. Bubbles floated around the top of the water, covering it in a large, fluffy cloud. Everything smelled of lavender and roses,
"Is it ..." Ruby stammered, then caught herself. "I, um, thought this might be nice."
That's a word for it, Weiss thought, trying not to notice the droplets of water running down Ruby's chest. Overkill is another. "You didn't have to go to his much trouble."
"I know. But I like doing stuff like this. And ... well, does that offer of a bath with you still stand?"
The corner of her mouth twitched, trying to smile. As seductions go, this really is unnecessary. It's been as long for me at it has for her.
Giving in, Weiss stepped into the room and closed the door.
Ruby let her undress herself, helping only when Weiss' bad arm made things difficult. Setting the clothes outside the bathroom, Weiss let the other woman guide her down onto a stool in the middle of the room.
She tried to argue when Ruby started rubbing soap onto her hands, but the protests died in her throat as practicing fingers dug into the sore flesh of her shoulder. Deciding it was worth the mild indignity, Weiss let Ruby bathe her, lathering her skin down and doing what she could to loosen some of the muscles in her arm. It wasn't until halfway through, when Ruby was down with her shoulders, that Weiss realized the hole she'd dug herself into. She did manage to keep her eyes forward as Ruby knelt at her feet to gently run her hands up and down Weiss' legs. She didn't dare look down. Her libido was overactive enough as it was. Ruby was being sweet – it wouldn't be fair to cut this short by tackling her girlfriend to the floor. To her credit, she didn't even blink when the other girl gently ran her hands over her thighs. Although, if she keeps this up, I'll pin her to the wall before she's done.
She breathed a sigh of relief when Ruby finished, using the showerhead to run warm water over her skin. She was about to get up when Ruby started lathering up her back, careful to avoid putting pressure on her shoulder. Weiss let her eyes fall shut. This, at least, was relaxing. And with Ruby out of sight, she wasn't tempted to–
Her mouth went dry as Ruby's breasts pressed against her back. She froze, every muscle in her back going stiff. She's just grabbing the soap, Weiss told herself, eyes still shut. Knowing Ruby, she's just reaching for something, she doesn't-
She never finished her thought. Slowly, Ruby's hands slid over Weiss' chest, tracing the toned outline of her core before sliding up her sides to gently massage the soft flesh of her chest. Keeping her eyes shut, Weiss tried to think of work, of her therapy routine, anything other than–
Weiss bit her lip to keep from moaning as Ruby started in earnest on her breasts. Even in the warm bathroom, she was shivering. The tension Ruby was building in her needed to find some way to escape, and she was not going to give Ruby the satisfaction of knowing how quickly she was getting to her. Even if it had been a long time.
Just as quickly, Ruby stopped, pulling back to grab the shower head and let the water wash the suds off her back and chest. By the time she was done, Weiss had herself under control again. She was even able to pry her fingers from their death grip on the stool.
"All done," Ruby said in her ear, her voice soft and teasing.
Shooting her a scowl, Weiss stood and climbed into the tub, trusting the bubbles to hide the red creeping up her face. It was bad enough that Ruby felt the need to tease her. It'd be even worse if the other girl realized how well it worked.
Setting aside her frustrations, Weiss relaxed back into the bath. It was heaven. The warm water soothed the remaining pains in her shoulder, and she felt herself relaxing with every second she spent in that long, delightful tub.
"Better?" Ruby asked, kneeling by her side.
Weiss nodded and sighed. "Much."
"I'm glad." Ruby positively beamed as she set the soap aside, clearing the floor before coming back to the tub. "So, you think there's enough room in there for both of us?"
Weiss ignored the heat trying to rise in her face. "Please," she scoffed, nodding her head at the long porcelain tub. "You could practically do laps in here."
Lying with her head against the rim, she had an excellent view of Ruby's tight ass as she slipped into the bath.
Careful not to bump against her shoulder, Ruby sat between the pale legs, keeping her back to Weiss. She leaned slowly back until her spine rested against Weiss' abs, her head falling back to rest between her breasts.
Ruby stilled after a second, her legs stretched out towards the bottom of the tub. Weiss watched as the bubbles tickled her chin, covering every except her face from view. It was nice, the former heiress decided, leaning back against the curved rim. There was safety here, surrounded by warmth and bubbles and feeling the weight of Ruby's head against her chest.
She glanced down and found Ruby staring up at her. Their eyes met for a second before Ruby looked away, her face red.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," Ruby muttered, sinking lower into the water. "I'm fine."
Weiss cocked an eyebrow at that. Ruby really was a terrible liar. 'Fine' for her, involved grins and bouncing and the general cheer that the younger woman carried with her like a cloak. This wasn't 'fine.' She sounded ... disappointed.
"What were you hoping?" Weiss asked, placing her mouth by Ruby's ear. "That I'd knock the soap from your hands and tackle you to the ground?"
Ruby went a deeper red and sank up to her nose.
She wants me to lead, Weiss thought and sighed. While I'm worried about pushing her too far.
She cupped Ruby's chin beneath the water and gently drew the other girl up into the air. Their lips touched, barely brushing together before Ruby let out a soft sound and pressed up into the kiss. Weiss was happy to oblige, pulling her closer, holding tighter. The girl she loved was sitting before her, and she planned to cherish every moment those lips were on her own. Weiss felt Ruby's fingers twine with her own, guiding her arms until she'd locked the taller girl in her embrace. Ruby brought one hand up to her chest, guiding Weiss to her breasts.
Finally, Ruby's body calmed and Weiss gently pulled away, leaning in to kiss her cheek as younger woman sighed.
"I-I'm gonna need a minute," she groaned, aftershocks still running up her legs. Ruby was a mess, her hair out of place, eyes still only half-open. "... maybe make that five."
"Take your time." Weiss said, smiling. "We haven't even done it on the bed yet."
Grinning despite her exhaustion, Ruby kissed her, and they slid back into the bath.
Writer's Note: Whew. Glad that chapter's finally done. Can't commit to having another chapter of this done by next week - I want to focus on Prise de Fleur and maybe some Princess and Dragon if I can find the time. But, I'm curious if people prefer these slightly shorter chapters than the massive, longer ones, if only because it means I'd be able to update a bit more frequently.
As usual, please leave a review or comment if you can. (A) It makes my day and (B) it sometimes gives me idea about what you guys would like to see and any mistakes I might need to fix. If you have any questions, comments, critiques, or even just want to say 'hi,' PLEASE put it in a review (I respond to almost any question) or in an ask on tumblr (you can find me as 'Redsuitwriter').
Seriously - I always grin when I check my notifications and find a review or a follow for a story.
