I thought I was done with this AU but pysch! Volume 8 is back on and I have ideas. This fic wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down, so here you go. I desperately need my fill of Ruby and Yang interactions and of my team RWBY interactions, so have this nonsense. Please CRWBY, my family is dying. The only reason I made it through volumes 4 and 5 is because I knew exactly when my girls were going to get back together.

Anyway, spoilers for episode 8 of volume 8 ahead. Content warning for panic attacks. Enjoy!

"That was a person."

The four of them stand there in shocked silence, staring at the crumbling person inside the Hound, before Ruby suddenly throws her head back and laughs. It's really, really not an appropriate time for laughter, but she can't quite seem to quiet the giggles bubbling up in her throat, because really, it only seems right that this would happen. Today has been a horrifying mess—what's one more thing to add to the pile?

"Ruby?" Blake asks quietly, tentatively, and Ruby can hear the fear, and the worry in her teammate's voice, but she can't seem to stop. If anything, the more she tries to quit, the louder her laughter becomes. As her giggles take on a hysterical edge, she feels something sting harshly against her cheek. She opens her eyes to see Yang hovering over her, frowning blurrily. Her sister must have slapped her, to try to knock some sense into her. Ruby wishes it had worked. Her thoughts just keep spiraling out of control.

"Ruby!" Distantly, she feels someone shaking her shoulders. "Come on, snap out of it! You're scaring us!"

She's scaring herself, if she's being honest, but she can't seem to stop. She tries to take a deep breath to calm herself, to stop laughing, but suddenly, she feels like she's suffocating. Her laughing turns into wheezing as she tries to gasp for air, only to come up short with each breath. Dark spots fill her vision as the world around her tilts dangerously.

There's muffled cursing behind her and she feels warm hands on her arms, levering her up to lean back against a broad chest. "Ruby, you need to calm down and breathe before you pass out."

She finally manages to gulp enough air to talk. "Can't," she manages to croak out before gasping for air again.

A pair of warm hands clasps around her own and squeezes gently. "Yes, you can. C'mon, match my breathing. You always tried to copy everything I did when we were kids. Now, take a deep breath in, and hold it."

Ruby matches her inhale, but can't hold it quite as long before exhaling and resuming her frantic panting. "I can't!" she gasps.

"Yes, you can," Yang says, gently but firmly. She squeezes Ruby's hands again. "Keep trying. You can do this."

Her voice is soothing—it's the lullaby Ruby has fallen asleep to since she's been old enough to remember. She forces herself to push down the rising panic and tries once again to match Yang's breathing. It takes her a couple more tries, but eventually she finds a shaky rhythm. "Keep talking," she begs her sister when she finally has enough air to speak again.

So, Yang humors her, talking about everything and nothing while Ruby gets her breathing back under control. Embarrassing stories from their childhood, the top ten celebrities that she thinks are the hottest, her true thoughts on Jaune's new haircut—Ruby doesn't pay too much attention to the content of what she's saying, just lets her sister's soothing voice wash over her.

Finally, most of the panic has ebbed away, and she allows herself to relax, slumping bonelessly back against Yang's chest. It feels like she just got trampled by a heard of Ursai. Her sister brushes her hair away from her face. "You good, Rubes?"

She nods, clearing her throat. "Yeah. Thanks." She ducks her head, letting her bangs hide her eyes. She doesn't remember crying, but her cheeks are suspiciously wet. "Sorry," she rasps sheepishly.

"Anytime, sis. And you've got nothing to apologize for."

Ruby shakes her head. "I should have held it together better. I'm the leader, I'm not supposed to fall apart like that."

"Ruby," Blake says softly. "You might be our leader, but you're also human. It's okay if you break down sometimes. You've been holding it together a lot better than the rest of us."

Ruby bites her lip, shaking her head and opening her mouth to argue. She's interrupted by Weiss. "It's been a stressful couple of days. We're all on edge. I've been on the verge of losing it, and I'm not even the one in charge. I can't imagine how you must feel. None of us are mad at you for being a person with feelings."

"And if anyone is, we'll break their legs," Yang adds. "Seriously, sis, stop being so hard on yourself."

Ruby chuckles, but it's a bit watery. She scrubs at her face with one hand. "Thanks, guys. It's just-everything that's happening—with Penny, and that Grimm, it's just too much. I don't think I can handle it."

"We understand," Blake assures her. "We were all caught off guard by the person inside that Grimm. It was a real shock."

"Not just that," Ruby sighs. "It was a person with silver eyes. And I just—I just can't help but wonder if that's what Salem wants to do with me."

"We won't let her," Weiss declares immediately.

"Yeah," Yang wraps an arm around her shoulders possessively. "We're not letting her get anywhere near you."

"Whatever happens next, we'll face it together," Blake promises. "You can count on us, Ruby."

Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you liked it.

Just a reminder that I do take requests for fics, so if there's an idea that you'd like to see me write, feel free to message me and if I like it, I might end up writing something for it.