A/N: Whoo final chapter! All of the thanks to actualbampot for the edits, proofreading and getting me unstuck while writing. And thank you to everyone who has read and left their kudos and comments along the way. I truly appreciate it!
Cinder was rudely awoken by the harsh light of the setting sun, and the absolute chaos unfolding in the hangar. The sound of blasting and rattling machinery couldn't have gotten her and Ruby out soon enough. Albeit stumbling and cursing under her breath, Cinder opted to return feeling to her legs via trial and error.
They stopped at a food stall for some authentic Mistralian food before arriving at their hotel as night fell. From the outside the building seemed modest, but nothing short of luxury when compared to what they had been sleeping on the past few days. However, the comfort was momentary; Cinder knew that with each passing second she was drawing closer and closer to her cell where she would continue living her everyday life and hope that the next day would bring the company of the other.
The same young woman barely made it past the entrance before she made a nosedive for one of the couches, savoring the softness and comfort until Cinder had to drag the huntress to the front desk. With a swipe of Ruby's card, the young woman had sprinted towards their room like an excitable child on vacation, leaving Cinder to follow the trail of rose petals with an annoyed roll of her eyes. She pushed her dread and anxiety to the back of her mind, smiling softly as she welcomed a sense of familiarity.
As Cinder neared the door to their suite, the woman could hear the shower running in the background. She growled under her breath, knowing well how pesky that semblance of Ruby's could be at times. There had better be some warm water for her; The woman had no qualms in ringing up another room if it meant getting her fair share, semblance be damned.
Swiping the key card over the lock, Cinder entered the room, gaze sweeping over the interior, from the steam rolling out under the bathroom door, a lone desk, monitor, and to the two double beds, one of which was littered with rose petals and Ruby's emptied backpack.
And no sooner than Cinder sat her small suitcase on her own bed, finishing taking out her nightgown and a pair of boy shorts did Ruby exit the bathroom with a contented grin and a pair of pink and white pajamas that definitely didn't need to be themed as well.
"Now that hit the spot!" The young woman exclaimed, cheekily smiling as Cinder slinked past with a warning glare.
"It better."
Closing the door behind her, Cinder set her clean clothes to the side, sighing in relief as she loosened her cape and unlaced her boots. The mud and dust covered articles were unceremoniously tossed to the floor.
Her amber gaze fluttered to a close, humming with content as the scalding stream of water washed away the remnants of the last few days. After scrubbing off what felt like an extra layer of skin atop the smoothness beneath, she soaked in the feeling of the water pressure against her scalp, shoulders, and back until the tension was released with an icy tinge.
Cinder stepped out into a cold fog, swearing under her breath that she would never take the feeling of silk for granted ever again. As the woman glanced at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't help but stare at the newly formed Grimm arm, unable to look away, even as she felt a sense of self loathing welling up in her throat.
She gripped at the marble sink, hoping that the frustration and nail-cracking strain would invoke a defiant shiver, or jolt of pain to fuel a cycle that was as unhealthy as it was familiar. But the momentary loss of control, the hunger for anger and sadness, never came.
It was as if the Grimm prosthetic truly had died, giving command to her in a final act of spite. To remind her that even if she was now in full control, she was free of one cage, just to be sent back to another. The realisation cracked marble underneath her fingertips as her teeth split into a grimace. Steam pushed into the air, wafting off her dry skin as she felt the anger rising inside.
The most upsetting thing? It was not the dark amalgam of emotions swirling in her chest, but it was the realisation that those thoughts were entirely her own.
Maybe they always were.
"Cinder? Are you okay?"
And while Ruby's concern was able to jerk Cinder out of her stupor, the thundercloud of thoughts followed her out of the bathroom.
The bedroom was dimly lit and filled with soft chatter drifting from the monitor screen. Ruby was not looking at any of it, rather listening with her eyes closed as she laid splayed out on the bed. She looked up at the sound of movement, immediately relieved, cracking a teasing smile.
"You know, for a second I was starting to wonder if you'd set the shower on fire."
And as much as Cinder wanted to assure the other that she was fine, all the woman could manage was a noncommittal hum, not even so much as looking at her as she lay on the bed and turned to face the wall. The pillows were uncomfortable and it would have been better to get under the covers, but Cinder wanted another excuse to stew in these unhealthy thoughts. Not that a reminder of her reality would make her feel better.
"What's wrong?"
Of course, a moment of silence was too much to ask, Cinder thought bitterly. If she could muster enough sincerity and tell Ruby that she was just tired, that would be enough to calm the young woman's worries. But Cinder suddenly couldn't find it in herself to lie. So she kept quiet, foolishly hoping that if she ignored Ruby it would ward her off, at least for now. But Cinder knew better. The 'click' that shut off the monitor, followed by the subtle weight sinking into the edge of her mattress, was hardly surprising.
"Are you hurting anywhere?"
What Cinder did not expect was how Ruby's shaking tone welled up a sting in her throat. Nor how each moment became all the more unbearable with the silence between them, broken only when Ruby found the confidence to shuffle closer and place a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder.
"Please talk to me."
Cinder only wished that she hadn't flinched away, betraying her desire for comfort that left her unsettlingly cold. In her moment of isolation the woman took a deep breath, grip tightening on the covers as she found her voice, unflinching yet brittle.
"I wish the Grimm had taken it… some of it… the Maiden's power."
"What?" Ruby's words were hurt and confused before she realised she said them. But even when she did, the young woman was unable to stop as her concern tumbled out. "W-Why?" Her hands hovered in the air, shaking with nervous energy and uncertainty of what to do.
Cinder bit her tongue. Her fingers curled tighter into the covers until the woman felt it straining the seams. Her frustration was not directed at Ruby, but a product of her own insecurities:
Regret and resentment.
"Cinde-"
In the blink of an eye, Cinder found herself sitting upright, staring at Ruby's shocked expression. "Because maybe then I wouldn't still be stuck with this… thing!" And even if she wanted, Cinder knew it too late to reign everything back in.
Her voice cracked.
"I don't want to look in the mirror and constantly be reminded of what I've done." Ringing with raw emotion that bounced off the walls, emotions swirled around them in a storm that pricked tears in the corner of Cinder's eyes. "Even if I deserve it. The pain. The isolation..." The words died on her lips. It fell with her gaze to the Grimm arm that was frozen in the space between them, as if it had been reaching out for familiar comfort. And yet, Cinder couldn't bring herself to do so. "But I thought that after everything… all the good… that I'd finally be free of it." She curled her fingers back into the coldness of her shaking palm, holding it to her chest that felt as empty as her voice.
"My cage."
The silence weighed heavily, buzzing with tension and anxiety that made Ruby's voice tremble.
"Is that what you see it as?"
Cinder was at a loss for words, only for that empty space to fill up with bitterness and frustration. Her gaze broke away to glare the limb from under a furrowed brow. She clenched her fist until she could feel the nails digging into her palm.
"What else could this be?" Then came the pain. "Tell me!" Her shout cracked like thunder, but Ruby didn't so much as flinch. Her gaze didn't waver, mirroring that glimmer of gold, and how it glistened with tears. "Tell me what you see. What you think when you look in the mirror and see what I did to you!"
Silence.
Ruby's hand raised to brush against the scar lines against her cheek, tender and thoughtful in a way that instantly made Cinder feel guilty. The woman looked away, burning with shame and anger, knowing that she had no right to take it out on the only person who would ever get this close to her. Then, an exhale, followed by a gentle shuffling that sank into the space next to Cinder.
The woman dared to glance over, surprised at the softness of Ruby's expression. The young woman with her shoulders slumped ever so slightly, sat cross-legged in front of Cinder, leaning forward as if her voice wouldn't reach.
"You're… you're not just talking about my scars, are you?" Cinder kept quiet, but her rigid posture said it all. "This is what you heard... when we were trapped down in the chasm."
In a flurry of red and black snapshots, Cinder was caught in the memory, but Ruby pulled her out as she cupped her palms around the woman's hands. The comforting warmth flared up as a sensation in Cinder's Grimm arm, strange enough for Cinder to pull her hands away in surprise, but familiar enough that she let them be guided back into Ruby's welcoming touch.
Cinder's attention darted between Ruby's hands and her own. She braced for the spike of heat, only this time it felt like a few degrees at best. How ironic, for someone like her to be caught off guard by something so trivial. Then again, in Ruby's hands it didn't feel trivial at all. Each touch was soft and barely brushing against her skin, left static crackling at the tips of Cinder's fingertips. A feeling that made her want to curl her fingers and keep that grasp in her own.
But she kept still, and why that suddenly felt difficult, Cinder didn't know. Distracting herself, the woman kept her attention on Ruby as her fingers brushed across her knuckles... then the tips of her nails. Another spark. But unlike in her human hand, the feeling lingered in her left.
"I was afraid… of the person you used to be." Ruby finally confessed. Her guilt was undeniable. And perhaps it was in Cinder's wish to rid Ruby of such feelings, that her chest pulled tight.
"But that's not you anymore." …only to be released by the other's conviction. The lines that criss crossed over Cinder's palms were similar, but different enough that Ruby had to pay close attention to the task at hand, tracing them. Then she came to a stop at her heartlines, and Cinder noticed the ghost of a smile on Ruby's lips.
"You've changed. You've grown..." If she could understand the trials the young woman suddenly found herself lost in, Cinder wondered what she would find at the end of Ruby's. "You've become someone who is braver, kinder, and more selfless than she realises." She was led back to the shining silver of Ruby's eyes...
"And I should have done more... to help other people see that. How much you have… and are trying to change."
…only to see them cloud over in regret. "Maybe then you'd have more to go back to. You…" Still, Ruby looked at her, pulled upright with a heavy sigh as if she had something to apologise for. "I wish I could give you more."
"Don't say such things."
Cinder couldn't imagine it, having more than she had right now. But it had less to do with wanting more than it was not wanting to make Ruby feel as if she wasn't good enough. Cinder knew how much Ruby did for others, even when the woman still considered her a nuisance. But one thing remained the same: The fact that it far outweighed what other people would do for Ruby. Of course the young woman would wave it off, so Cinder was never sure what she could do, what gesture would carry enough gratitude. It needn't be something elaborate.
Something simple...
Like retrieving Ruby's beloved weapon, Cinder thought bitterly.
"… I'm sorry I couldn't save it. Your scythe."
She was quick to notice how the loss of the Huntress' scythe lessened the spring in her step when they made their way through the city. The way she walked, hips slightly askew in the absence of the balancing weight. And when they had sat down to eat, Ruby's hand would occasionally wander to her side, only to find that the comforting touch of cool metal wasn't there.
Cinder knew what weapons were to those dedicated to eradicating monsters. But Ruby saw weapons in an entirely different light: She regarded them with an odd mixture of excitement and reverence that Cinder wasn't able to pick apart just yet. The woman knew that if Ruby greeted her with sadness or anger, it would be well deserved.
Instead she was met with a scoff and teasing smile.
"I thought it was my turn to apologise for everything." Cinder was unable to return the gesture. Ruby squeezed her hand in reassurance. "Don't be sorry. I love Crescent Rose, but she's more than a weapon. She's a dream, a promise and an extension of myself. And because of you… I'm still here. I can make her again." Cinder's attention drifted to the patterns that the young woman traced on her palms, lulling her into a comfort that had Cinder's eye flutter to a close just as Ruby laced their fingers together. "And I know this is gonna sound sappy but… just like Crescent Rose is an extension of me. Your arm is an extension of you. Not the other way around." Cinder cracked open her eye. "And you..."
That golden glint widened ever so slightly when she saw Ruby leaning in close, feeling her voice in the air between them as it hummed in a murmur. "...are amazing and I- I mean it. When I said that I wanted you to tell me these things and that I'll listen, I meant it. I want to understand… what it's like. That way… you wouldn't be alone." As Ruby's whisper brushed against Cinder's lips, she realised that she was holding her breath, had been this whole time. Only, it didn't feel like she had any need for it. All she could think of was the space between them. They had been this close before, treating injuries or in those sparse moments where Ruby sought out comfort in the absence of prying eyes.
So… Why did this feel different?
What was this sudden pull compelling her to say something…
…anything?
"I wasn't lying." Cinder didn't trust her voice, coarse and brittle. But she let it lead her through whirring thoughts nonetheless. "When I said it felt better... lighter." And in turn, so did her hands, fingers spreading out and timidly resting on the inside of Ruby's wrist, somehow finding the pulse point that had Cinder clearly aware of her own hammering heartbeat. "Even when I had control I could always feel it fighting back. A consciousness that thrived on my anger and desperation. But when I didn't feel such things, it searched for something else."
With the memory clear in mind, Cinder's hands trailed upward as Ruby so easily let slip past, trailing along the inside of the young woman's arms. Her right hand drifted from one nick or scar, then another. Her left was led by a buzzing sensation that grew warmer underneath Ruby's skin.
"Aura."
Cinder nodded.
"When I... touched things..." Her train of thought faded into obscurity, muddled by the softness and firm muscle of Ruby's upper arms. Cinder halted her ascend, suddenly finding her mouth dry. Words stuck to the back of her throat. "I could feel it. Warm. Wanting to fill an emptiness that no longer exists." Cinder knew that Ruby's body would be built around wielding her scythe, dexterous with enough muscle to power through a flurry of swings. What she didn't expect was how taut her skin was pulled over, the muscle unyielding under the soft scrapes and experimental touches.
Was she… tense?
Cinder's attention flickered upward to meet a wide eyed pair of silver, unblinkingly staring back while Ruby held onto the trimmings of the woman's nightgown, somehow pulling Cinder out of the physical sensation, and into something she still couldn't comprehend in its entirety. Not knowing what she was doing invoked a sudden uncertainty that had Cinder gently pulling away with the softest of murmurs. "But even without the Grimm, it's still drawn to… something."
Still Ruby followed, subconsciously leaning to the woman's touch, color rushing to Cinder's cheeks. A strange mixture of relief and nervousness bubbled to the surface. Gazes locked, Cinder followed the magnetic pull towards Ruby's shoulders. "And I wouldn't be able to tell you, if that it's me, or something greater." Nails gently scraped, fingers melding into the dip of her collar bone sloping upward to her neck.
Then, she stopped at the hitch of Ruby's breath.
"All I know is that when I… when I'm with you..."
An exhale.
"I feel… more."
Silence...
Then,
"O-only me?"
The hopeful embarrassment of Ruby's reply lit the young woman's cheeks with a rosy tint, not unlike the one Cinder unknowingly had. And it was perhaps Ruby's bashfulness that tugged a smile onto Cinder's lips and left a bittersweet sting in her chest.
"Who else? If not the woman who would come this close and still look at me the way you do?"
Ruby swallowed. "And if I…" Her gaze dipped with sudden shyness. Hands clutched onto Cinder's nightgown as if it were the courage she needed to speak. "If I… wanted.." The sight of Ruby seeming so unsure of herself, afraid even, had Cinder cupping the young woman's cheek before she could stop herself.
Cinder's heart skipped a beat at the touch of skin against her own, the adoration in Ruby's eyes, and the single word that fell between them.
"You."
Such a simple word and yet Cinder couldn't comprehend it. The more she tried to understand the more she felt her emotions seeping through. It was caught in her throat, welling up in her chest and quivered in her grasp.
"To look at you…with something… more... Would- would that be okay? Something you'd…want?"
Cinder's mind was laid still with the comfort of Ruby's hand over her own, tremors no more. Just the silence between them and the realisation weighing heavy on the woman's chest.
Did she… want that?
Why was she even asking? Hadn't she already admitted it? Wasn't this what she had been feeling all along?
Then…why couldn't she admit it to herself?
Why did it feel like something was pulling her back?
Cinder swallowed thickly. "Am I allowed to want?" It was a futile attempt at shoving down insecurities. "To take… after you have given me so much?" Her Grimm hand trembled, ringing with the static that radiated off of Ruby's body. But whatever fears the woman had faded into the silver of Ruby's eyes, wide and welcoming and unwavering in their trust. "And when I take, would what I give you… would it make you realise what you make me feel?"
So Cinder gave in, following her desire, a need for comfort that had her lifting her hand to hover inches from Ruby's cheek. Her attention grazed across fading scars, suddenly feeling a tingle at her fingertips...
"Content, acceptance, freedom…"
As black graced across silver lines and rested against soft skin, it flared with heat that coursed through Cinder's veins until she could hear her heart beating against her chest. She suddenly felt... alive.
"…Human."
Cinder exhaled a shuddering breath.
"Can I do that for you?"
The woman's molten gaze flickered as if the slightest gust of wind would snuff it out forever.
Her voice cracked.
"Am I… enough?"
Ruby didn't hesitate. Her hands clutched at Cinder's own, tender and trembling with emotion, keeping them in the moment. Everything else faded into the distance, the only thing left was Ruby and what she saw as the surest truth in the world.
"You are more than enough."
Cinder's eye widened.
Those words struck an echoing chord at the back of her mind that sharpened the sound with recognition. The memory muddled in Ruby's mind until she met Cinder's stunned silence, before slowly coming to the same realization. Ruby searched for her voice, choked up by conflicting emotions. The silence weighed heavy, and Cinder found herself dreading what Ruby might say as she stuttered and fumbled with the woman's hands.
"I… wasn't sure… when you asked me if I remembered what happened." As Ruby pieced together the memory, Cinder felt her heart hammering her chest. Ruby closed in and Cinder held her breath. "I thought…I dreamed that you said… that you felt things... for me." Ruby's face hovered mere inches away. Her lips parted ever so slightly, hesitating whether she should or not, before meeting the woman' eye with startling intensity.
"Was that real?"
"…Yes."
And in the aftermath of Cinder's confession, where the silence clenched at her heart, and left her frozen on the spot, she wished for Ruby to say something...
Anything.
But there were no words.
Just the softest of gasps that slipped from Ruby's mouth into Cinder's as their lips met.
Cinder wasn't sure when Ruby had closed the distance. Wasn't sure whether the feeling of those delicately soft lips pressed against her own, moving with cautious trepidation, was even real. Then it started pulling away, taut in Cinder's chest, with a mumble of trembling words.
"I'm sorry I-"
But Cinder didn't let her finish.
Couldn't.
Not when the pull of desire, of hunger, swelled inside and made her follow. That magnetic pull captured Ruby's lips with the warmth that flooded through her chest and swept with lips' caress. They were so soft, so sweet, so warm. And the more Cinder inhaled, tasted, and felt, the more she wanted: A bottomless hunger that was as terrifying as it was alluring. How could she stop when Ruby was kissing her like that. Kissing her back, hands caught in her hair, pulling as if there had been any chance of Cinder slipping away. That if she didn't pour all her love into the kisses that seeped into the woman's bones and sang in her chest, she would lose her forever.
Their kisses were no longer chaste, but messy, slipping off of the side of each other's mouths and into the scrape of teeth. Cinder clutched at the mattress beside Ruby's legs until she could feel her fabric tear under sharpened nails, almost as if something inside of her would come undone the moment she let go.
But in the haze of heat and mingled breaths, Cinder could feel something inside of her slip more and more with each gasp between a wet kiss that cooled against their lips, and made their gasps more and more erratic until Ruby had to pull away. With the young woman's touch gone a second later, Cinder growled. Something carnal and possessive had Cinder wrapping her hands around Ruby's waist and yanking the young woman into her lap. She was blind and wanting, until the sound of Ruby's yelp pulled her back into the moment. Realisation hit, widening her single golden eye with shock.
"Ruby-"
Only for such anxieties to be cast away, muffled by Ruby's open mouth enveloping Cinder's mouth in liquid heat. The young woman's tongue, hesitantly darted across Cinder's lips and teeth... teasing the woman to follow her inside. And Cinder did, grip tightening around Ruby's waist, keeping the young woman in place as her tongue slipped into her mouth. Hot and sweet with the sound of Ruby's moan, guttural and wanting, shuddering down Cinder's spine.
The woman's semblance flared up in response. Ruby gasped for cool air, her body melted against Cinder's in search of the heat that she'd come to love, finding it in the way her legs wrapped around Cinder's hips. In the press of their breasts, melding such softness with the caress of their nipples. A gentle touch separated by thin fabrics that made Ruby's breath hitch and Cinder bite down on the young woman's tongue with a flare of heat.
"Mnn Cinder."
Cinder groaned in response, drinking the elation of her name on Ruby's lips. She licked them, slowly, tenderly, tasting the memory. The more she indulged, the more she needed. Was that it? Need? Or was it greed?
All Cinder knew was that she wanted Ruby to know it felt; The pull of her hair in Ruby's fist, how the restraint made her want to break free and ravish the woman in ways she didn't know how. The way she could feel Ruby's aura course through her veins and made her hands ache to touch; To realise what she was doing to hold herself back, and to pour every ounce of adoration into her affections.
Her lips.
Her hips, slowly finding their rhythm in an arduous grind, spilled a lustful moan that echoed in Cinder's ribs. Then, a tinge of pain, the bite of Ruby's nails urging Cinder to pick up the pace until she had the young woman bucking.
"Hah!" She suddenly pulled away, lips swollen and out of breath. "H-hot." The young woman explained, sheepish and shyly meeting Cinder's eye. The latter's cheeks were tinged with red upon realizing that she had let control of her semblance slip. Cinder cupped Ruby's cheek, calling upon her Maiden powers to press an icy breath to her lips. Ruby relaxed instantly. Her hands, clammy and shaking, drifting downward, promoting Cinder to do the same. The cool air washed over the young woman's waist where the fabric clung under a once heated touch.
Cinder instinctively found the supple skin that peeked out of where Ruby's shorts had been hiked up. Fingers spread out behind her, soft and firm, her rear begging to be squeezed in a way Cinder couldn't deny, and a teasing gesture that spread a coy smile across Ruby's lips. Her words were equally teasing as they fluttered next to Cinder's ear.
"Is this why you let me sit in your lap last time?"
Cinder's smile split across the underside of Ruby's jaw, humming in absent thought.
"Do you want it to be?"
"One of the many reasons."
Before Cinder could think of a reply, Ruby's hands wrapped around her neck, pulling her forward. The young woman fell back on the mattress with Cinder leaning over her. Ruby unwrapped her legs from Cinder's waist. Free once more, the woman found herself to be oddly hesitant, yet curious.
Her hands slowly crawled forward, nails sinking into the plush covers beside Ruby's face. Cinder stopped for a moment, couldn't help but to admire the sight; A delicate, yet battle-hardened face framed by dark crimson locks of hair. Ruby's eyes were luminesce in the dimmed light and looked at Cinder with gleeful mischief. For a second Cinder wondered if Ruby could see her stomach flip and her heart fluttering in her chest.
Ruby must've known for the way she reached to cup Cinder's face, dusting a blush from under her fingertips. The woman had never liked when people touched her face. It was not something she thought she'd ever get used to, but when Ruby did it so tenderly, Cinder found herself afraid of what would happen if she let go. So what else could she do, but lean into that comfort? The woman shifted ever so slightly, resting on her forearms with her face inches from Ruby's. Their bodies pressed against each other in a steady rise and fall.
The young woman's touch traced along the slope of her cheekbone, the marred edge of her scars felt dull and sensitive at the same time. Despite the odd mixture of sensations, Cinder was transfixed, staring at the subtlest shifts in Ruby's expression as her attention drifted from the gash crossing the bridge of her nose, mindful of her shut eye before tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. It was gnarled, muffled sound and-
"You're beautiful. You know that?"
- and suddenly none of that mattered.
"Ever since- every time I look at you it's like nothing else exists." All Cinder could think about was the way Ruby smiled and shyly averted her eyes as if she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't. In reality, Cinder wanted nothing more than the light brush of those fingers that made her skin prickle, and muscles wind tight. "When you stare back at me, I always wonder if it's because of something I said… or did."
Ruby swallowed a lump in her throat. Her shaking voice carried a warmth, not unlike which blossomed in Cinder's chest and tugged at her semblance. "And how t- to do it again. To make you look at me… like you are now."
The ensuing silence buzzed with tension and static that words couldn't break. But what need were words when the woman could capture such yearning with a gentle bite, eliciting a mousey yelp that bumped against Cinder's nose and slid her lips to the underside of Ruby's jaw. The barest graze of her teeth arched Ruby's hips into Cinder's touch. Ruby's grasp slipped the nightgown straps down the woman's shoulders to pull the fabric taught over Cinder's back. The young woman's body was wound tight, locked with tension that Cinder was eager to undo.
But she was in no hurry.
Like a breath of fresh air, Cinder inhaled the sweet scent of roses and lavender that parted her lips with kisses along Ruby's jaw. Her languid trail prompted the young woman's hands to drift down her back and over the curve of Cinder's ass. The tension in her shoulders released as she traced along the trimmings of the woman's underwear. Feathery touches against her thigh jolted up Cinder's spine and had her left hand buzzing with a need to feel. Ruby's skin, lavished with hungry kisses, left a glistening trail down her neck, cold against the air, and hot against the woman's mouth. Longing for Ruby's kiss and caught in the sweetness of her scent, Cinder dragged her tongue down to the woman's neck and Ruby's hands shot up Cinder's dress with a filthy moan.
The woman's nails sunk into the covers tearing the fabric with a predatory hiss as her semblance spiked once more. Ruby's hands froze on the flat of her stomach. Then resumed with nonsense patterns along her side, her back… coaxing her temperature back down.
As her shoulders relaxed, Cinder met Ruby's gaze in silent affirmation before sinking back down into the touch of those lips. Ruby continued her exploration along the woman's spine, soft touches slipping from fair to scarred skin. The surprise and spike of sensitivity bit onto Ruby's bottom lip for some sense of control. The young woman yelped in response, prompting an apologetic sound from Cinder as she licked at Ruby's lip. And as much as Cinder tired to get lost in the taste, the smell, her senses were wired to Ruby's fingers. It was as if those light touches could turn painful at any second, and yet, Cinder couldn't bear the thought of Ruby stopping. Not when her arm buzzed underneath charred flesh, crying out for Ruby's nails to press harder.
Something she couldn't have but so desperately wanted: Ruby, all over her.
Touching her.
Feeling her.
Wanting her.
Such desires bled through her kisses and seeped into their shared breaths for air until Ruby's hands wrapped around to Cinder's back. Then slowly, they pressed down until Cinder's exposed skin felt the material of Ruby's shirt. The softness was suddenly grating to the touch.
She wanted it off.
The thought drove Cinder forward in a slow grind that hiked up the shirt. The second of contact shot up Cinder's spine, arching her back for Ruby to tear off her dress and fling it to the side. The enveloping air felt like ice against bare skin and had the woman hissing into Ruby's neck, setting off a chain reaction of Ruby's delighted moans as her nails sunk into Cinder's back.
A golden eye shot open as the pricks of pain triggered her Grimm arm's hunger for touch, tearing a feral cry from her lips. Her inhibitions slipped with her thigh between Ruby's legs, arms around Cinder's neck, and the needy tugs at Ruby's shirt.
The garment was tossed aside with all of their restraint.
Ruby's skin melded against hers. Each touch seared like fire and the loss as such left Cinder cold, hungry, clawing at the headboard and rutting against Ruby's hips. The space between them permeated with a heady scent that left Cinder drunk on desire. Going under, she drowned in the taste of Ruby's tongue in her mouth, her hands wandering down her ribs. Fingers grazed fire across her stomach, thumbs dragging across the underside of the woman's breasts.
Cinder was lost in a sea of conflicting desires, her body wound tight with a warmth in her stomach. Her temperature was volatile to Ruby's touch, and again the woman pulled away with a surprised yelp.
At the loss of contact, Cinder felt herself freeze all over, fighting against her left hand's first reaction to pull her close. Only to be stuck with the heat between her legs.
The sound of their panting filled the air. Even as Cinder calmed down it remained so painfully easy for Ruby to see how sensitive she was. Ruby, always wanting to comfort, held the woman's right hand. Her thumb traced soothing patterns across the back of her hand with a trail of kisses along Cinder's jaw.
"You're so touch starved." Her lips were featherlight, just like the cool whisper that danced next to her ear. "It's making everything feel like it's burning. Making it feel so…. good."
Cinder whined.
A filthy, desperate sound that marked Ruby's neck with an aroused shiver. Carnal desire spilled from her lips in erratic gasps. Ruby was pinned against the headboard with splintering of wood underneath Cinder's fingertips. Her right hand trembled inches from the heat radiating off the other's skin. The golden glint of her eye took it all in; Ruby's half-lidded eyes and the strands of red-tipped hair stuck to her face. Her cheeks flushed while Ruby tried to steady her breathing. Each inhale pushed those deliciously perky breasts up against her in jolts of friction. It was salivating, the thought of touching her, of lightly scraping her nails over Ruby's nipples that were suddenly so hard against her own.
And in the blurry haze of Cinder's fantasies, she was snapped back to reality as Ruby took the woman's hand and laid it to rest on her ribcage. Rising to the surface was a voice of reason that was the last thing Cinder wanted, but was desperately needed: For all of her desires, the fear of hurting Ruby lingered in the back of her mind. Such anxieties pushed forth as Ruby gently took hold of her left wrist.
Cinder desperately tried to fight back as her voice cracked. "I…I don't want… to hurt you." Her heart hammered in her chest. Only for it to quiet as Ruby slid Cinder's Grimm hand down to her shoulder.
Her gaze never broke away.
"You won't hurt me."
The words sounded so sure that Cinder thought nothing of the way Ruby curled her nails in against her collarbone, pressing until there was a faint flicker of red.
A smile tugged at Ruby's lips.
"See?"
Cinder hesitated for a moment, trepidation forming a lump in her throat. Then, slowly, she moved her hands along the young woman's collar bone, comforted by the fact that if her touches became too rough, Ruby's aura would flare up to coax her back down. Zoning in on her senses, Cinder quickly realised the stark difference between human skin, and that of Grimm, on another person.
Skin felt warm, soft and supple under her right. But hot, light, and tingling like electricity with her left. Such sensations grew slightly muddled whenever fingers crossed over a scar or nick in her skin. It piqued Cinder's interest, what strings were pulling at her arm, and what would happen if she let it. Closing her eye, Cinder buried her face into the crook of Ruby's neck. Inhaling the sweet of roses as she dragged tender lines across the rise of her breasts. Soft scrapes of her nails ghosted across pink peaks, had Ruby tilting her head back with a sigh.
Cinder's grin found the underline of the young woman's jaw for her lips to press placating kisses, all while the woman plucked at each hitching breath and muted moan with experimental squeezes, and handfuls of attention. Cinder's eye peeked down in between the red tips of Ruby's hair, exploring the vast expanses of her body as it lowered further over dips, curves and the shallow trenches of sparsely placed scars. It would have been so easy to get lost in the details if not for the way Ruby's heartbeat thrummed in the background.
The pulse tugged at Cinder attention, drawing her close until as Cinder gingerly rested her left palm over the woman's heart. The rhythm was gentle at first, but grew louder and louder until she could feel it reverberating through her bones. And in the split second of Cinder's closed eye, she could map out the course of her lifeblood. The image was unsettling in what it reminded her of.
The sensations were utterly overwhelming.
Cinder found herself in the eye of the storm, grounded by the steadying touch of Ruby's hands in the shallow between her breasts. And when she met the other's eyes with reassuring affection, Cinder felt her heart skip a beat before steadily matching the same rhythm. Soon there was nothing else Cinder could think of but the hands pressed against her heart.
As if she had one.
As it deserved to be protected.
And there was no safer place, no better person to give it to.
"What… what does it feel like… when you touch me?"
And she would give it all. Divulge every sensation as her shivering hands continued to wander, scraping nails down to Ruby's stomach, threatening the nearest sparks of aura that threatened an electric jolt up to her shoulder.
"Like lightning." She managed to say, arm still tingling from the aftermath as it traced over Ruby's toned stomach. Her body captured the Huntress inside and out.
Tensile, but powerful.
Muscle resisted the experimental pressure of Cinder's right, stoking the heat building up Ruby's stomach that made her squirm.
"Like fire."
But that heat fueled something else entirely, leaving a scorching trail between Ruby's legs, under the scratching fabric that stuck to her skin. Cinder's hand shook with trepidation, toying with the edge and shyly dipping her fingers underneath. Restraint reared its head once more, keeping her hand in place despite everything else. Cinder inhaled shudderingly, clinging onto remnants of composure.
"Fire…that you don't know how to control." But she was slipping and with every inch, Cinder could feel their hearts beat louder… faster. And as the seconds ticked by, one of them was still to breathe. "It's making me… want things." Her throat went dry as she imagined what it would be like, if she allowed her desires to ravish Ruby with the affection that she feared would be too much. "To t-touch you… like I know I shouldn't."
But Ruby had no such fears.
She placed a coaxing hand over Cinder's own. The woman might not be able to trust herself, but she could trust Ruby with her life. She would, could… give it all to her.
"Like I want you to..." All it took was that single whisper for Cinder to let go. Relaxing into all the dips and curves or Ruby's body, she let the young woman guide her up towards her hips. Only to rest atop the edge of her shorts as Ruby toyed with the fingers of Cinder's right hand, prompting her left to do the same and hook underneath. "…Like I trust you to."
And in the gentle sway of Ruby's words, Cinder captured her lips once more. Slow, sensual and dizzying with the need for air. Their kiss broke with the crack of Ruby's voice, breathless, spilling desire and want into the woman's mouth.
"Need… you."
And it tasted so good.
Cinder's right hand shot up to the back of Ruby's head, tangled in her hair as she drank it all in.
Drunk.
Her inhibitions, slipping past the waistband of Ruby's shorts.
Downward…
Nails ghosted across the sodden fabric of her underwear, and the slick heat of her thighs that filled Cinder's mind with static. Then up, leaving a glistening trail on the inside of Ruby's legs that had her arching her back, pinning Cinder's hand in place as the woman squirmed for friction.
And Cinder would give Ruby whatever she wanted.
She shut her eyes, letting herself be lost in the sensation of two trembling fingers stroking slow, breathy whimpers past Ruby's bared teeth. Those little sounds danced around Cinder's ear, fluttered like something she wanted to catch and keep bottled up somewhere.
She wanted to hear it, remember each and every one, what she did to earn them and how to make Ruby do it again. Cinder gradually picked up the pace, carefully adding pressure as to not to yield those glinting nails. Curious, the woman's attention dropped to Ruby's expression. Her eyes were shut, brows slanted between vulnerable and unyielding. Lips lay parted, revealing the sliver of clenched teeth. She was yet to let go of Cinder's arm, her grip, scorching against the black skin and lacing it with tremors that made Cinder wonder if this is what got Ruby off. The adventure and the thrill of danger that came with it.
Cinder's lips split into a sly smile as an odd mixture of excitement and mischief bubbled in her chest. Testing the waters, Cinder dragged her thumb across the young woman's thigh, nails leaving the barest spark of aura. Ruby's gasp was all the answer she needed, prompting her to flex her fingers. Index and forefinger ghosted over her lips, wired and sensitive, barely felt through the damp fabric.
Ruby yelped in surprise as her body went rigid with the sudden buck of her hips, nails digging into Cinder's back as she shuddered to meet the woman's rhythm, desperate for friction.
Cinder was eager to match Ruby's fervent pace but the young woman showed no signs of slowing down. The danger of sharpened nails and the annoyance of intervening fabric became too much for Cinder to ignore. She reluctantly pulled away to Ruby's ear-splitting whine that only fueled Cinder's haste. Her tugs were clumsy, the seconds arduous. Irritation and impatience bubbled to the surface and reached a fever pitch as the garment caught on one of the young woman's knees.
And in an attempt to stifle her frustration, Ruby bit down on Cinder's throat, hard, much harder than she intended to. The jolt of pain yanked at Cinder's arm.
The sound of tearing fabric rang through the room.
And with the sound, the scraps of Ruby's shorts in her hands, Cinder felt something inside her come undone.
Blood rushed to her ears.
The moment, red.
Restraint evaporated, descending wildly as Cinder blindly clawed at Ruby's underwear with sparks of aura and the crack of her voice. Ruby's cry was carnal, somehow reminding Cinder of the offending hand. Pulling away, she pinned Ruby's wrist to the headboard, just so that it'd have something to touch, something to keep it restrained while Cinder's right buried into Ruby's folds. Fingers burned hot and spread her open for the kiss of cool air that shuddered up Ruby's lips into a soft plea.
"Ah…C-Cin..."
Ruby was barely able to string together words as she bit her tongue on the sensation of two fingers slipping inside, sinking into the heat that clenched around Cinder's knuckles, purring with a husky groan as Ruby's hips bucked further down the woman's fingers. With a few steadying breaths Cinder withdrew her fingers, feeling every inch of that pulsating heat before slipping inside once more. And with each motion, Cinder felt the static buzz dissipate as Ruby relaxed into her touch.
The young woman's wrist slipped into Cinder's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze and gently rocking back and forth. Cinder's thrusts sounded slick against Ruby's arousal, mingling in the air with gasps and whimpers. The young woman's grip tightened every time Cinder pressed up against a bundle of nerves that threw Ruby's head back against the headboard.
Cinder closed her eyes, pouring all of her senses into that of her right hand. The sensations felt by human flesh was muddled compared to the other, but not in what it was doing to Ruby. Riddling her body with tremors, she buried a shaking hand into her hair as if to restrain the whines dragged out between her lips, her muscles tensed up with a pleasurable jolt, only to be released with a coaxing stroke.
The push and pull of the bodies brought them together, then apart.
Breathing in…
…then out.
A cycle that felt so natural in its intimacy that Cinder wished it could last forever if not for how Ruby was steadily coming undone.
Too much,
"D-don't stop."
But not yet enough.
It would never be, not until Cinder could feel the heat building up in her stomach and course through Ruby's veins, only to be choked down by erratic gasps that curled up in Cinder's insides like the fingers that had Ruby coming undone with a feral cry. The sound left her bones ringing with the remnants of Cinder's name. Who that name belonged to was suddenly blurred at the lines as she felt herself sink into Ruby's embrace.
Enveloped in her touch, her smell and the sight of those beautiful eyes, Cinder opened her own, unaware that she had ever closed them. She found herself laying down with Ruby on top of her, propped up on her elbows. Her hands cupped Cinder's face, cheeks suddenly alight with a blush beneath Ruby's hands as her heart fluttered in her chest.
Ruby looked absolutely radiant, and for a moment, Cinder wondered if any of this has been real.
"You're… you're amazing, you know that, right?"
But there was no mistaking that voice, gentle with a hoarse tinge that tugged at the anticipation underneath her skin. Excitement was once again stirred up with a kiss to her lips and the closed flutter of Cinder's eye. The woman let herself be beholden to the tender warmth of Ruby's lips, leaving a prickling of pins and needles…
"So beautiful."
… on her lips,
"So warm."
… and down to her neck, red around the bite mark that stung with a pleasant memory lingering in Ruby's trail between her breasts and over her stomach.
"You've become more than I could have ever imagined."
Ruby's hands slipped across Cinder's ribs, heaving her chest with a sharp intake and riddling it with static that spread all the way to her toes. Cinder dug her heels into the covers, unsure whether it was those featherlight kisses or Ruby's words, sugar sweet, filling her chest and threatening to make her come undone with how it wound her...so unbearably tight.
And the further down she went, the more Cinder felt her body shake with excitement and trepidation. She gulped, trying to quench the heat spreading to her nethers like Ruby's smile across her abdomen. Her lips were inches away from her underwear, where her thumbs dipped underneath the waistband.
"And I wish I could tell you this everyday..." Tickling as she looked up to meet Cinder's gaze, searching for an affirmation and assurance, only for the woman to find that she couldn't speak. "…Show you… what you mean to me." A culmination of nervous excitement welled up in Cinder's throat. It only took a glance into Ruby's eyes, hazy and blown wide, to fuel the heat under her skin. Coaxing her muscles to relax, she sank into the propped up pillows and covers.
The woman shut her eyes, lost in the dark and the gentle scrape of fabric as Ruby slid down her underwear. Cinder hissed, arching back and baring her teeth against the suddenly frigid air. It wrapped around her naked body, kissing her glistening lips and leaving her insides trembling with the urge to cross her legs. Soothing kisses calmed her down, spread down her left leg and stopping only to toss the garment aside before switching to her right leg. This time, as Ruby made her way up, it was at a languid pace that suddenly felt charged against Cinder's skin.
"Cinder…"
Cinder cracked her eye open at the slip of her name, a golden flicker of light meeting silver that shone with unveiled, half-lidded desire, riddling the woman with anticipation.
An expression, question, or affirmation?
Whatever it had been, Cinder wouldn't deny any of it, urging the woman on with a barely repressed groan. She clutched at shredded covers and watched unblinkingly as Ruby's lips made their way up her thigh. Each kiss tugged at the warmth underneath her skin. The gradual tick of Cinder's semblance flared up as Ruby's hand hooked under her thigh for the young woman's knee to slip underneath. The brush of their thighs had Cinder gritting her teeth, mind swirling with possibilities and how much she wanted it,
Wanted, Ruby pressed up against her.
Mouth, between her thighs.
Only, Ruby's kisses trailed over her stomach, stung by the heated spike of Cinder's frustrated hiss. Reacting on instinct Cinder hooked her leg around Ruby's back, pressing the young woman's thigh against her throbbing core. Her back arched for friction, relaxing against the mouth pressed to hers. The weight of Ruby's body eased Cinder back against the bed, placating her with wet kisses that rose steam out the corner of Cinder's mouth.
Ruby's words buzzed against the back of her throat, the sound drowned out by the rhythm of her heartbeat against her naked chest. "How, how do you want me? How… much?"
Cinder broke the kiss for a moment, gazing affectionately at Ruby as her hand let go of linen to find themselves in crimson-tipped hair. The woman nosed the underside of Ruby's jaw, finding the pulse point and gently sucking, as if she could taste the current of Aura underneath.
"I want all that you are…" The woman's lips split apart with a devilish grin, savoring the feeling of Ruby's spiking heartbeat as her teeth latched onto the supple flesh. Then, biting down, a bit of teasing revenge dragged a groan from Ruby's chest, ending in a soft whimper as Cinder's hand slid down Ruby's back to cup on her rear, keeping the young woman's body against her own. "Even the sides that you despise. That you fear. That you're ashamed of." Cinder's kisses were gentle as they crossed over to Ruby's cheek. "I want to love those parts in you, like you have loved them in me."
"Then close your eyes," Ruby's whisper barely grazed against the shell of her ear, but Cinder could hear the smile on her lips. A sweetness that was worn down by the hoarse crack in Ruby's voice, rough around the edges and crawling into her skin. Ruby's fingers curled under the bend of Cinder's left knee. The soft scrape of nails had Cinder inadvertently flexing her own, and the glinting tips teetered on the edge of soft skin and a shield of aura. As the woman added pressure, she felt the rising static underneath Ruby's skin, Cinder couldn't help but to wonder…
How far… how close… could Ruby bring her?
"And feel what I feel, when I give you everything."
In that single moment Cinder was nothing, her consciousness, drowned out by the sensations.
The thunder of Ruby's heartbeat, the current aura, the shock of pleasure as Ruby rolled her hips against Cinder's. Sliding along the length of her folds. Euphoric friction made them come undone, unraveling into a tangle of limbs. Of liquid heat and sex.
Melting.
Sinking, like her nails into the crack of aura as Cinder resurfaced for air, gasping, moaning, spilling incoherent sounds into uncontrollable twitches as if her body was trying to rewire itself while being pulled apart at a relentless pace.
"R- Ruby."
Syllables were caught in Cinder's throat as soon as they'd left her. And even if her mind wasn't scrambling for some kind of connection, there still wouldn't be anything else to say. No words could explain how it felt to be beholden to a woman who made everything else fade into the surrounding haze of Cinder's vision, clouded near the edges. Her focus was razor sharp and saturated on Ruby's body, fixated on the slightest flex, the tremors of each muscle as she glided over Cinder's body, pushing her temperature to a scorching heat as Ruby worked her towards the edge.
"You're so- ah! You're so hot, Cinder."
Cinder threw her head back with a groan, shutting her eye as if to keep its golden flare at bay. But the woman's hold on her powers were slipping. Grasping for control like the hands on Ruby's thighs, marking porcelain skin with red palm prints and the faintest tinge of nail tips
"It's you. You're setting me… on f- fire."
Such flames, born from the small flicker in her gaze, were fed with the gluttonous view of Ruby's body. Breasts, bouncing with each wet slap that glistened against her skin, shining and running rivulets down her neck and landing on Cinder's heaving chest. Steam rose with a soft hiss into the air. The sound split Ruby's teeth into a grin as she looked down at her with raw affection and desire.
"Then let's burn out together."
The moment was white.
Static filled Cinder's vision with the press of Ruby's thumb up against her clit. Cinder bucked against the added pressure, the wild jerk of her hips throwing Ruby off pace, inches from crashing the depths below. Ruby grit her teeth, holding herself together with the nails threatening to sink into her back.
"Ruby-"
Cinder was cut off by a silent gasp as the latter grabbed fistfuls of her hair, pinning the older woman under the beck and call of her hips, her fingertips. Pulling the strings, winding her tighter and tighter until Cinder's body was locked in an embrace, twitching with the pressure building up between her legs until the very thought of breathing had Cinder afraid she might…
"Ruby. I- I'm-"
Her left arm strained against the need to sink into her skin. Each futile attempt of pulling away, only reminded Cinder how badly she wanted it.
Wanted her.
Needed her.
"Ruby. Y-your aura. I-"
Needed her now.
In the taste.
The sound.
The smell.
The slip of Ruby's fingers moved into the space between them. Knuckle-deep into her scorching heat. Curling up against Cinder's insides. Pulling her apart until all of Cinder's senses were torn to shreds.
"Ruby!"
It left her clawing blindly at Ruby's back, erupting into red sparks until her aura cracked with the sound of her voice ringing against the walls and shuddering up her spine in an orgasm that wrapped Ruby around Cinder.
Their bodies rose and fell with steadying breaths, riding the waves of distant pleasure until a calming silence settled into the cooling air.
Cinder never thought she'd end up here. Never thought she'd have a moment like this. But what had her heart aching, breathless with disbelief, was not the fact that broke free from her past. It wasn't in her small space of freedom, or even her odd sense of purpose.
No.
It was Ruby.
Ruby, who was lying down next to her, hair disheveled and eyes half lidded with fatigue. But that silver still shone, still smiled with the lazy, upward twitch of her lips. Lips that lingered around the shell of her ear, and so sweetly said:
"I love you too."
And as those wrapped around Cinder in a blanket of comfort, the woman was convinced that in that moment, nothing else existed. There were only the two of them, their dimly lit room and the torn-to-scraps mess that was their bed. Cinder wanted to stay in this moment forever. But time was ever moving on, nudging an orange glint into the sky and threatening the comforting dark of closed eyes.
Nothing was more frightening than the thought of closing her eyes as Ruby shifted closer, nuzzling into the woman's chest. Pulling tight with the same anxiety that made it all the more difficult to speak, Cinder's words were a hoarse whisper, her fingers brushing away strands of hair to catch a glimpse of those eyes she had come to love so much.
"Don't... don't let me fall asleep. Not yet. I'm not ready… for this to be over."
...Silver met gold, as soft as the palm pressed against her cheek,
"I'll stay awake as long as you need me to."
…Then lips pressed against her own.
"And even if we can't have this night forever. Wherever you are. I'll be there with you."
…The slide of Ruby's fingers down Cinder's left arm,
"And I promise."
…Holding her hand.
The side of her, Cinder still struggled to accept.
The part of her that only Ruby could love.
"I won't let go."