It was decided that the rest of the day would be spent on being lazy. Both of them had enough of what happened over the last few days and simply wanted to rest up. While the world didn't stop spinning and wouldn't wait for them, that was perhaps the same reason why they should take at least half a day off from the world to gather up strength before the next big thing in their lives.
Their lives, that sounded so odd to Weiss. Even when she said it out loud in front of a mirror, that it's not just her own life, but their lives, it just... It felt like such an alien concept to her. Perhaps it was never supposed to click for anyone. Maybe it was just one of those things that happened without you noticing. You just wake up one day, go with your daily routine, and just for a second realize how things just... Settled in on their own. How it stopped being your own life, your own world, and instead you started to share that world with someone else.
In a way that was a new concept for Weiss. No, that wasn't true. It wasn't a new concept. It was a new angle at an old concept. To have your life dictated by someone else. Yet this time it was... By choice. She agreed to do it. It lacked the element of force that was previously applied to a similar situation. It was lacking selfish reasons for it to happen. Or was she still forced? In a way, her hand did felt forced. Still, it wasn't for selfish reasons. This much would always remain correct. Their worlds became one because Weiss had to save a life. A life that would otherwise end up in ruin. In misery.
One could argue that she did this all for the selfish desire to feel good about herself. But did she really? Feel good, that is?
Well, in a way yes, but... But this wasn't a quick rush of emotional fix. A quick rush of pride in yourself. No, it was a fight. A chore, an ongoing thing that required her time, strength, and attention. It was an act that took her own life away from her and replaced it with... With what?
With their lives. It was no longer her own life. Her own world.
It was their world.
Each day was a struggle. Not just physically, but mentally, as she battled with herself like this. Over semantics, over definitions, over feelings and emotions. Over her own choices. Was it a leftover from her luxurious life? A metaphorical tumor that would poison her life and make her unable to truly feel happy without these sorts of questions emerging on top?
Or was it the simplicity of her most recent life? Each and every time she told herself and was told that things would settle down, that thing would get better. But when would that happen? How much time had to pass? Would that stability even last for a longer period of time? Or would it be constantly in danger?
"Mmph..." As Weiss was lying on her back, she had to keep herself from sighing out loud when she heard that sound being made next to her. Turning slightly to face Ruby, she moved a hand to move some of her bangs from Ruby's face.
"Something bothering you?" She asked although it might as well be a statement considering how annoyance slowly filled the dog girl's face.
"No... Well, a little bit. It's just annoying to not be able to lay on one of your sides." The Faunus girl admitted.
"Your arm being a bother, hm?" Weiss asked although it was a rhetorical question, really.
"It doesn't hurt... Well, maybe a little? But it just starts feeling numb and weird when I put my weight on it." Ruby let out a small sigh.
"Can you lay on your back? Or is it still bad?" Weiss inquired curiously, wanting to find if not a full solution, at least a partial one.
"Mmph..." Was Ruby's only response which was... A confusing response. Only when the dog girl slightly tightened her arm around her, would Weiss understand what the issue was. Letting go of her. Which was such a stupid reason to remain uncomfortable.
At first, Weiss wanted to argue with the other girl, but it didn't take her much time to realize that it wouldn't really go anywhere. It would end up with her just being stubborn. Unless she was forceful, even if just with her voice, but that would make this whole situation awkward and less fun. Then there was her tail. Right, Ruby never laid on her back, how could she without breaking or hurting her tail.
Then an idea popped into her head. "I think it's time to switch, Ruby."
"Switch?" Ruby glanced, confused by that sudden statement.
"Mh-hm." Weiss nodded and moved up a bit on the bed, enough to end up in a half-sitting position. Ruby released her arms, as she was a bit confused by both the words and the sudden shift in position. "Now, come up here." Weiss extended her arms. "No, not like this, lean against me." Weiss instructed as she saw Ruby go for a normal hug. This didn't help with Ruby's previous confusion.
"But..." Ruby wanted to protest, but Weiss silenced her as she placed a finger on the dog girl's mouth.
"I wanted to switch, didn't I? I want to hold you for a change. Now come here." Weiss explained and once more invited Ruby with her arms.
The redhead tilted her head from side to side, as something had to process in her mind. The conclusion was brief, as she nodded. "Alright."
Moving forward, she turned her back against Weiss and slowly leaned against her. Weiss was sure to wrap her arms around the girl, as soon as Ruby was in range. "Careful, don't hurt your tail." She said quietly, minding that part of the dog girl the most at the moment. The end product was Ruby's head slightly lower than where Weiss' face was, she still could lean to bury her face into the girl's neck if she wanted to... She knew she shouldn't want to though. It was clear that the Faunus girl wanted to be spread as much as possible against her, which initially made a few issues, mostly, as Weiss, suspected, it was because of the tail. Weiss should ask Blake about this... Or maybe not. Internet could help, it has all the answers, no?
Once they settled for something, she tightened her hug around the girl and leaned her head to rest her cheek against Ruby's hair. This was supposed to be a solution to the previous arm issue, but it turned out to be quite a hassle. "Is your arm alright?"
"Mmm..." Ruby murred and nodded slightly, something Weiss more felt than saw. All it turned out to be is Ruby ending with laying on her back. The difference was that Weiss was there to make sure the tail wasn't crushed and that this position would remain comfortable for the dog girl. Which she hoped that Faunus wasn't lying about being comfy. Then again, perhaps Weiss should have a bit more trust in the girl.
"Good." Weiss smiled as she had Ruby's dog ears on display. Making sure to not breathe too much or too intensely, something that would be hard to understand for someone that lacked any context since she leaned forward and wrapped her lips around the tip of one of the ears. Making sure her lips were dry enough before doing so, as she didn't want to annoy the dog girl. Speaking of Ruby's reaction, she moved slightly, and let out a small grunty noise. Although she didn't try to stop her, which Weiss took as an incentive to continue. Her lips applied gentle pressure and she could feel the warmth radiating from the sensitive flesh.
It was when she felt Ruby shudder, that her mind went blank and her body started to act on her own. Releasing her ear, she lowered her head. She kept her cheek close to the girl's face, letting it slowly slide across her skin. Ruby had to notice the shift in Weiss' position, as she tilted her head to try and look at her. This wasn't something that Weiss was ready for. Just inches away from her face, she could feel their noses touch. She could peer into the Faunus girl's silver eyes. The worst of all? She could feel herself leaning forward.
"Weiss...?" The confused whisper from Ruby woke her up as if it was a cure to whatever curse or hex has befallen her. She immediately moved her head away.
"Y-Yes, Ruby?" The human girl could feel her heart beating like crazy, it felt hard to breathe and not because of the other girl leaning against her. She felt her ears going ablaze.
"N-No, nothing." Ruby said quietly and moved her head back to how it was before Weiss decided to... To what? She wasn't sure. Lower her head, that would be the technical term that would describe what she physically did. But what was the purpose behind that action? No, there was no purpose. She got lost in the moment.
Which... Wasn't good. Maybe that's why her odd dreams stopped popping up like that? Or was it because she allowed herself to almost indulging in her sick fantasies? The worst was that she couldn't push the girl away if there was the time to be there for her, it was right now when she adapted to her new life. Her new place.
Why couldn't things be easy, even for a moment?
oooOOOooo
Looking herself over in the mirror, Weiss had to admit that she looked terrible. She was sick not long ago, and days at home, doing nothing but laying around and sleeping didn't really help. Still, she had to look as good as possible before going out, even if it was just the nearby store. She didn't want to scare some random kids... Again.
This urgent need to go to the store was due to them not having a few things. Weiss, while getting used to living with Ruby, was still behind with certain things she had to adjust to. Like shopping. Not money-wise, although that was always a crunch, it was just remembering she had to get more of... Everything. Sugar was the best example, since Ruby enjoyed things sweet, while Weiss rarely used it in anything. Even things like soap, which they were out of and which was the reason for this trip in the first place.
Getting ready, she stepped outside of the bathroom to a sight of disgruntled Ruby. "Why can't I go with you."
"Because it's a short trip and it won't be that long for the hassle of getting us both ready for it be worth it." Weiss explained, which wasn't the first time since she announced that she had to go out to the store. The reality was different, she wanted to call Yang and talk to her about the school thing since she was so adamant about not talking about it while Ruby was listening.
"But..."
"No buts, Ruby. Just do something while I'm out. I mean, it won't even be long enough for you to properly start doing anything before I'm back." Weiss said as she took her bag. "And remember..."
"No answering the door if someone knocks, yes I remember." Ruby rolled her eyes, to which Weiss just smirked. Annoying or not, repeating something over and over was at least working.
"Good girl, now behave while I'm out." Weiss said and after receiving one last pout from the dog girl, she left the apartment and locked the door behind herself.
Once outside she took a deep breath, as she started to walk down the alleyway. There was one last reason for wanting to get out. She needed some fresh air after her previous... Accident.
Taking out her phone, she chose Yang's number and waited.
"Hello." There was a different voice coming from the speaker, at least not the one Weiss expected to hear.
"Hello? Blake? Is that you?" She asked just to make sure.
"Mh-hm." Weiss just rolled her eyes at the short answer.
"Could I talk with Yang?" She asked, not sure why Blake picked it up. Was Yang...
"Blake! Get down from the wardrobe and give me that phone back!" Now that was the voice that Weiss hoped to hear... Yelling in the background.
"I don't know, Yang was being naughty, not sure she deserves her phone back." Blake answered in her usual melancholic tone of voice.
"Blake!" Once more Yang yelled somewhere in the background.
"Well, not sure why I should be punished for her behavior, right?" Weiss asked, hoping it could convince the catgirl, although Weiss wasn't sure if it wasn't better to just call at a later time. "Besides, it's about Ruby."
There was a long pause, at least when it came to Blake, as she still could hear Yang in the background. Finally, she responded. "Fine. Here's your phone, Yang. Catch."
"No, don't drop it!" Was the last thing Weiss could hear, as she had to move her own phone away from her ear, as there were a crash and lots of other weird sounds. After a moment they settled down, and she could hear Yang on the other side. "Ugh... Yes, hello?"
"Is everything alright?" Weiss asked, not sure what even was going on.
"Oh yeah, she's just moody because I was ignoring her when she wanted some attention." Yang explained, she didn't sound angry, maybe a little annoyed? But who wouldn't?
"Should I call some other time then?" Even if she was curious about that school stuff she would rather not have a phone call in the middle of a fight like that.
"Nah, all good. She went to the other room to pout, I'll handle it later. So what's up? Hope it's nothing bad." That was a good question, to which Weiss hoped it wasn't anything bad.
"Wanted to ask you about that school stuff, since you didn't want to talk about it with Ruby around." Weiss looked around, and with a deep breath deciding to take the long route towards her destination, hopefully, enough time for this conversation to finish.
"Oh... That huh?" Yang let out a deep sigh. "It's nothing bad just... You know, I didn't want to mention those things around Ruby. She asked me if Ruby was a rescuee from slavery or some sex trafficking or something like that. She even tried to pull a card of us knowing each other."
Weiss' eyes went big in surprise to these words. "What... What did you tell her? Also, why was she asking that? Is that normal to ask these things?" She wasn't suspected for any inhumane crimes, right?
"Well, at first I wanted to say that I didn't know anything, mostly to get her off my tail. In the end, I told her the truth, about Ruby just ending with you under crazy circumstances. Said I didn't know anything about the person she lived with before and that you didn't know anything either." There was a pause before Yang continued. "It's not normal to ask these questions, not when you're in her position. So I confronted her about it and she just told me that Ruby is a smart girl, but she acts so... Uneducated for her age. That usually happens to slave Faunus or... Well, you know. Faunus from bad places."
"So she thinks I'm some kind of... A bad person?" Weiss asked, not knowing what else to call her hypothetical self.
"Don't think so, she's just concerned for Ruby. I mean, all we know is from her own mouth, so gods know what happened before you stumbled upon her in that box."
Weiss remained silent for a long moment. This wasn't how someone acted after losing their abuser. No, Ruby had to have a cozy life before. One that made her soft. If anything, she would stick to it to deny that anything so horrible would have happened to the girl in the past. "No, I believe her."
"I wasn't questioning her, just... You know, we don't know what really did happen. I won't lie, Rubes as cute as a cupcake but she's not a reliable narrator of her own story."
"I think I understand. I got my answers so I'll talk to you later since I'm getting close to the store and you have a grumpy cat to take care of."
"Sure thing, and don't worry about it. She doesn't think anything bad about you, she just wants to make sure Ruby gets all the necessary attention."
"You're probably right." With the addition of some goodbyes, the conversation was over.
While it wasn't anything bad it did leave Weiss plenty anxious about... Well, everything to be frank.
oooOOOooo
As Weiss entered the small apartment, she could hear some sounds from the bathroom that indicated what Ruby did when she was away, or at least was about to do. This was good since she had to occupy herself in some way. Weiss just hoped she wouldn't use too much hot water, that was something Ruby liked to do. Spend too much time with the hot water running. While she paid a flat fee for the apartment, if the owner noticed that the water bill spiked, it would hit her pocket.
Moving to unpack the few things she bought, Weiss thought about her talk with Yang. While the walk itself helped her calm down, at least physically, the topic of her phone call did quite the opposite. While of course, she wasn't as bad as some organized groups using Faunus, it was hard for Weiss to convince herself that she wasn't using Ruby's vulnerability for her own pleasure... To some degree. The fact she could do that, even if by accident, terrified Weiss. It was the anthesis of what she tried to run away from. Using and abusing people for her own pleasure, for her own gain. It would be the most horrible crime in her own mind, to use Ruby, who had no idea that something like that would be even going on. It would be ruining the dog girl's future, possibilities, and just... Twisting her. Twisting Ruby to fit her own desires.
While dramatic and overblown, Weiss couldn't stop feeling that way. Even hurting Ruby by accident, even if by a little, would retaliate on her with great force. She just wasn't sure if there was a solution to this.
"Weiss? Are you back?" Ruby's voice cleared her mind a little bit, as she was forced to get back to reality and away from her own awful thoughts.
"Y-Yes, I'm home." She called out and moved to clean up after her unpacking.
She heard the bathroom doors open. "Where's the soap? I couldn't find it."
"Right, if I knew you'd want to take a shower I would tell you to wait since I had to buy some since we were out." Weiss said as she grabbed the small package and turned around...
...Which proved to be a mistake. Standing halfway out of the bathroom was Ruby. But not like Weiss thought she would, wrapped in a towel. No, she was completely naked, with some of the water still moving down her skin. At this sight, Weiss' eyes grew big and her pupils shrunk. "Ruby, back to the bathroom!" She called out to the girl, which could solve this situation, sadly it didn't. It was ruined by a single word.
"But..." Ruby tried to say something, but couldn't. Not after what occurred right after that single word left her mouth.
"Back to the bathroom! Now!" Weiss screamed. It was rare for her to even raise her voice, but that wasn't even that. She screamed with all she could, her voice cracking at the end. It was too late to realize what she did, as in the split second before her mind regained clarity and the door to the bathroom shutting close, she saw the terrified expression on Ruby's face.
Weiss felt her legs grow weak, as she slowly slid down to the floor, holding to the kitchen counter to slow down the descent. Soon her whole body felt weak. She didn't mean to scream, but... Everything today and then Yang telling her all those things, only for Ruby to... Tempt her. No, of course not, she didn't tempt her. It was just life playing tricks on her again.
The worst thing was that she wasn't sure what to do. What to tell Ruby? How to explain to her such an extreme reaction.
Hiding her head in her own arms, she couldn't muster the strength to get up. She wanted to cry, maybe tears could make it all feel better, but none came. It was just her and her own mind, spinning in circles.
She was pathetic.
Author's note:
Weiss didn't want the story's rating to go up because of naked dog girls. Haha, get it it's such an amazing joke because it implies she's aware and it's a meta-joke and... and... sigh... and I'm lonely inside.
Anyway, this was supposed to be a quick and short update shortly after the last one but... Well, I rewrote the first section of this chapter a few times to the point that I wanted to take some time from it, to clear my mind and all that since I was definitely struggling for some reason.
Also, I think people are starting to take shipping too seriously. Which it shouldn't be. It's for fun, guys, and gals. And they definitely shouldn't be part of the shows and games. I'll take five amazing fics over a lukewarm canon story. But those are just my dumb takes.
Oh, and monster hunter rise happened, which slowed down progress on this and anything else I was writing. Amazing game switchaxe/10. Shoutout to Furman for helping me acquire it.
Speaking of other stuff, I'm not sure if it's safe to say that in a whiterose fic, but one of the things I was working for was a... Dolts and bolts? Is that the name of the Penny and Ruby pair? Well, whatever the name is, I was working on that. Although considering certain circumstances I'm not sure if I should continue that. Well, if you know, you know. To make it relevant, feel free to guess if Penny will be a Faunus or a Hooman in this here universe. I mean, i won't tell you if you're correct or not, but you can still guess!
I hope you guys enjoyed it and don't mind a little cliffhanger. Maybe Ruby will flush herself down the toilet and we'll have a sewer level, the first sewer level in any fanfic! More jokes, I'm on a roll today!
No, but for real, tell me what you thought and I promise I'll start working on the next chapter as soon as possible.