I do not own RWBY

Waking up so close to Adam, it was easy to press her face closer to his chest despite the way her mind raced. The fog that covered her thoughts wasn't nearly enough to make her forget the reality of the situation or to keep her mind from running a million miles an hour. Not even the gentle fingers brushing through her hair could calm her thoughts. The last time she'd been in this position, it'd ended with her giving away her heart to someone who killed her. Part of her wondered if Adam was going to end up tossing her away as well. It didn't really matter to her if he did, after all, it'd probably hurt less the second time anyway.

Opening her eyes slowly, she half expected him to pull away; instead, he met her eyes with a smirk. Warmth rushed through her body as she idly studied the way the dawn light lit up his blue eyes almost causing them to mirror the sky. Of course, he wasn't embarrassed to be caught after all there was no way someone like him would be affected so easily. Ignoring the heat rising to paint her cheeks, she arched an eyebrow silently taunting the man just to see how he'd react. For a second the hand in her hair stilled then he curled her hair around his fingers.

"It's not a good idea to challenge me right now," he warned knowing just how easy it would be to hurt her. The reaper was definitely testing him right now.

For a moment her eyes flickered away from his own. Although she didn't stiffen, there was tension hanging around her shoulders. A soft sigh left her lips before she pushed herself up causing him to frown. Twisting a lock of hair around his finger, he watched her hesitate. It was almost adorable how her gaze shifted between his own and his lips.

"Why not," she asked despite already knowing why. Tilting her head she tried to pretend that kissing him hadn't been on her mind. This had already gone far beyond playing or cuddling. It was getting too real; either she needed to leave or commit. Part of her wasn't sure she was ready for either of those options. She wanted him, but she didn't want to hurt him. Somehow she always managed to hurt people she cared for or they decided to toss her away; at this point, she was starting to think she was cursed.

"Making bad decisions on purpose is more than a little foolish," he stated although the amusement hadn't left his voice. The challenging eyebrow she raised caused him to tug on her hair more out of instinct than anything else. He honestly wasn't expecting her to melt against him as her face turned a brilliant crimson. Grinning he couldn't keep from taunting, "or masochistic."

"That-"

Giving up on speaking she pulled away from him completely in favor of burying her face against the pillow. Of course, the fact he laughed at her reaction did nothing to keep her face from burning. The insistent warmth that she'd tried so hard to ignore was back with a vengeance. She loved and hated it at the same time. Flirting was fine, but something like this caused her head to spin; even the minor relationship she'd had with Cardin had felt nothing like this. It was almost too much.

Tightening her grip on his pillow, she tried to steady her breathing. She honestly didn't know why she was overthinking this. Adam was amazing, so there was really no need to complain about the situation. Almost purring she relaxed into the mattress as his fingers brushed through her hair. Cutting off her reaction before he could notice; mainly because she wasn't sure how he'd react, she frowned when he moved away from her. Peeking at him, she almost pouted when she found him sitting up. At least this time he was wearing a shirt; a very low V-neck shirt that she approved of immensely.

"We need ground rules," he said as if his shirt wasn't giving her an emotional crisis.

Oh, she needed to be serious right now. It was easy to shove the warmth away and pretend that it had never existed in the first place. She'd always been good at forcing down her emotions; part of her blamed it on her first life. Then again her dad wasn't the best at showing his feelings either. Deciding to think about her emotional state later, maybe with a therapist. Gods she needed therapy, but the only person who could remotely understand her emotions was Ozpin; she'd burn down a village before having a talk on emotions with him. Well, she supposed the man with green eyes was an option too but he wasn't exactly around right now.

"For what," she asked despite knowing exactly what he meant. Offering him a teasing smirk, she sat up making sure to leave at least a foot of space between them. While she might act like a child, boundaries were something she knew all too well. Eyeing him closely she idly wondered if he had any idea what this little dance they'd started would lead to.

"I'm not good at relationships," he admitted caused her to force down a smile.

The way his eyes flitted between her and the blanket was adorable. She doubted anyone had ever thought of him as adorable; after all, he was the man who'd terrorized Atlas. How was Ironwood going to react to her relationship? There was always the possibility of forcing James to accept Adam but she didn't know if their alliance would survive. Putting the issue from her mind, she decided to be completely honest with the man in front of her; weren't relationships built on honesty? A small voice in her mind whispered that he could use anything she told him against her.

"Me either," she said ignoring the whispers in her head. She wanted to trust him, even if she got hurt later.

"So ground rules?"

"Yep."

Tilting her head, as he reached out she allowed him to brush his fingertips over her throat. At least by setting rules they wouldn't accidentally hurt each other. Shivering at his touch she tried to put the thought of how easily he could strangle her out of her mind or how much she actually liked the idea. This conversation was more important than whatever her mind wanted to conjure up right now.

"I get possessive," he stated without an ounce of regret. Having Blake leave him behind was more than a little enraging, he didn't think Ruby would suddenly vanish but he also didn't think he'd be able to let her go. He'd never been able to just let go; not when it came to those he cared about. The suddenly sharp glint in her gaze reminded caused his skin to burn then she hummed softly. Eyeing the emotions that shifted through her eyes, he wondered if she'd actually have an issue then a dark flush spread across her face. Frantically looking away from him she settled her gaze on the blankets.

"I can't help the flirting," she mumbled trying to keep her face from turning a violent shade of red, it didn't work. Why did the idea of being possessed by him sound so good? She'd already accepted it was in her nature to be possessive of her own people but the idea of being possessed herself wasn't something she'd thought she'd actually like. Shivering when his thumb pressed against her chin she let him tilt her head back toward him. Shifting nervously, she resisted the urge to hide behind a pillow.

"I don't care about that," he admitted. Despite how much she might flirt he knew she'd never actually cheat on him. The flirting was just a part of her personality. Running his thumb over her skin, he wondered how she'd react to him kissing her right now. Would she panic? The desire to find out was almost overwhelming.

"How about touching? I'm a touchy person," she asked. She still refused to look at his face feeling almost suffocated by being this close to him.

"If either of us is uncomfortable we speak up."

Flickering her gaze to him, she froze at how close he was. When had he moved closer? Meeting his eyes it was hard to keep breathing. Part of her mind noted how his eyes darted down to her lips but that didn't keep her from panicking. Was he going to kiss her? Should she let him? They'd just been having a serious discussion, weren't they? Fingers twitching she hesitated to touch him. She wasn't a good person to care about. Hurting people was in her nature; he'd most likely end up hating her. Maybe stopping here would be better in the long run, yet it was impossible to pull away.

Copying his action, she glanced toward his lips. This was a horrible idea; she'd never been known for having good judgment. Throwing away whatever caution she had left, it was easier than she'd thought to let him close the distance. His grip on her chin vanished in favor of tangling his fingers in her hair as her eyes widened. The pressure of his lips on her own was almost too much. Eyes closing, she sank further into the pit that she'd dug for herself. Gripping his shirt, she didn't hesitate to tug him closer even as his other hand settled on her hip.

Then he was gone, pulling away just enough to let her breathe. Forcing down a whine, it was hard not to melt when his tongue flickered over his lips. She was doomed and damned. Tugging on his shirt, she loved how easily he returned the action by gently pulling her hair. It'd be better, safer to push him away; that didn't change how much she wanted him to kiss her again. The warmth she'd been trying so hard to ignore had become too hot to push away. She wanted it to burn hotter.

"Cute."

His whispered words hung between them for half a second before she decided to take them as a challenge. Taking matters into her own hands, she tugged sharply on his shirt stealing his balance. Pressing her lips against his own as he smirked, she wished the way he'd tug her hair harder. Letting her hands trail over his shoulders to pull him closer she did melt when his arm wrapped around her waist before he sent them both tumbling back. Gasping as her back hit the bed she arched the instant he took the action as an invitation to slip his hand under the hem of her shirt.

"Good Morning!"

Jerking back as the bedroom door slammed open, Adam growled pinning the snake faunus with a glare that did absolutely nothing. Part of him wanted to order the faunus to leave, but Ruby was already slipping away to hide her face behind a pillow. The way her eyes peaked out at him with more than a little doubt and hesitation was a bit too much. Looking away from her before he tore away the pillow to kiss her again, he turned his attention to Viper as he moved to stand. There was no way the faunus would risk his ire for no reason especially this early in the morning. Still, that didn't keep him from licking his lips just to taste her again or from pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

He'd never let her go. Even if the world was on fire he'd choose her rather than save it. He really was a fool. Sienna was never going to allow this, nor would the White Fang accept Ruby as his lover. They'd rather kill her than ever accept he cared for a human. At this point, it might be better to abandon the White Fang entirely despite Blake not being ready yet. Either way, he doubted the coming days were going to be bloodless. Grinning a bit when she leaned into his touch, he decided it didn't matter. He wanted her more than he wanted to be Sienna's attack dog. Moving to pull away entirely, he froze when she grabbed his wrist, the vulnerability in her eyes made his decision easy.

"This better be important," he warned earning a sharp grin from the snake faunus. Pulling his desk chair toward him, it was easy to sit down and motion for the faunus to speak even as he intertwined his fingers with her own.

"Of course, would I randomly come into your room without having something important to say?"

"Yes."

Pouting a bit at the direct response, the faunus glanced between them before grinning. So his King had found a Queen. All that teasing had finally paid off; although he doubted his leader would appreciate him pointing out that fact. He didn't mind having the reaper as his queen although he did want to spar against her again. Part of him wondered what his King would do if he decided to settle for teasing rather than actually giving his report. From what he'd seen they'd been having a bit of fun before he interrupted.

"Blake's gathering an army," he said rather than taunting. While this was something they'd wanted, the idea that the cat was going against his King was enough to bring the desire for her head back. He'd never trusted her, none of them had. At least his little Queen seemed more accepting of them.

"So she's coming for my head," Adam stated even as Ruby tightened her grip on his hand. Glancing at her, it was easy to see the conflict in her eyes. Right she had claimed Blake, hadn't she? Was this going to be a problem? While he might not care for the cat faunus beyond the advantages she might bring, Ruby considered the woman a friend.

"How do you know," she asked looking away from him in favor of turning her attention to Viper. The blonde tilted his head considering her for a moment. When she didn't even shift under his gaze, the man smiled. It was softer than when he'd addressed Adam but there was still more than a little ice in his expression.

"Well Queenie, we have a spy in her household," he said although the answer was obvious to them both. Whatever embarrassment she felt at the sudden nickname was killed by the cold that settled under her skin.

The only people close enough to Blake to be a spy were her parents, Sun, and Ilia. She knew for a fact Sun would never betray Blake, he was too infatuated to even consider the idea. That only left Ilia. For a moment she wanted to scream then she shoved it down. Her chest ached as she realized that Blake had taken the woman back into her life even after she tried to hurt her. Loosening her grip on Adam's hand she knew there was no way for him to know about the secrets she kept hidden. At the same time even hearing about Ilia was a bit too much. The scar across her stomach burned.

"Ilia," she said just to get confirmation. The bitter smile on her lips didn't vanish as the blonde nodded. Sliding her hand from Adam's with a forced laugh. Stretching she ignored the way his brows furrowed in favor of saying, "I'm going to take a shower."

"Ruby?"

Stilling at the concern in his voice, she hated herself for being unable to stay. Moving before she managed to talk herself out of leaving, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. Her smile softened for just a moment then she was moving toward the door with a wave. It was easier to run away than try to pretend for him. Right now she needed to sort out her emotions before she shattered. If she broke down, she'd have to explain why. When that happened she might just spiral.

"Have fun."

"I'll have Nix bring over your clothes."

Nodding she kept the smile on her face despite wanting to scream. Until this moment she hadn't thought about Ilia; hell even the idea of thinking of her made it hard to breathe. Did she hate the woman, did she have the right to? It'd been a battle, injuries happened. At least, that had been the excuse she'd given herself. She'd accepted what happened despite never telling anyone but Cardin. Why did thinking about Blake and Ilia make her chest hurt? It should be easy to get over it. From the way, her hands were shaking she hadn't gotten over it nearly as much as she'd thought.

If she hadn't accepted it, then what was she supposed to do?

Eyeing the way she left, Adam couldn't keep the frown from his face. There was something wrong, he wasn't nearly as blind as she apparently thought he was. Narrowing his gaze he decided against questioning her; the woman would tell him when she was ready. Sighing he leaned back in his chair wondering if anything would ever be easy. Well anything other than kissing Ruby, that had been nearly addictive. Flickering his gaze to his hand he tried to put the memory of how soft her skin was out of his mind. He needed to focus right now.

"So Queenie," Viper asked although there was amusement in his tone.

"What about her?"

"The White Fang's going to lose their mind."

Right. He was more than a little screwed on that front. Running a hand through his hair as Viper stared at him neither of them mentioned the mask sitting on the desk although they both knew what it meant. Offering a weak smile, he noted the amusement fading into something darker. If the White Fang was going to toss them away-

"About that…"

"I'll think of a few plans," Viper admitted. Most of those plans had been just for their team know he needed a few that included Ruby. Adam had more than a few admirers that might take matters into their own hands. Humming softly, he considered how much poison he was going to need. There was little chance of Sienna just letting them leave. Tapping his chin he warned, "this might speed up our departure."

"Are the others ready?"

"King, we were ready the moment you chose us."

Chuckling, Adam nodded. They both knew none of them were going to regret leaving the White Fang. At this point the White Fang needed them more than they needed the White Fang. If he wanted it'd be easy to take over and kill Sienna, but he had no desire to lead. At least he didn't want to lead the White Fang. He was already going to lead the tribe he didn't need another group of overeager children to babysit.

"Anything else," he asked gaining a far too amused smile.

"Not really unless you count Yuma cooking breakfast as important."

So they needed to order food and maybe replace the kitchen again. Groaning, he dismissed the snake faunus before heading toward his closet. The laughter that followed his action was loud enough to echo even after the man had left his room. Hopefully, he'd be able to make it in time to keep his house from being set on fire.

Hi guys, so this is the chapter they kissed. Was it worth the wait? I was so nervous writing this chapter (mainly because all I had to rely on was other stories since I still at the age of 23 haven't had my first kiss). Moving on from that, so what did you guys think of this chapter (can't believe I spent two chapters purely on Ruby and Adam's relationship). Anyway, the next chapter is Ruby meeting back up with her people, an Atlas interlude - Weiss is running for council - and Oscar finally goes shopping with Ruby. After that will be Ruby and Adam's first date along with introducing the first of their Adopted kids or is it Kits (since he's a fox (okay that one was terrible)). I think we've got about three to five (max) chapters until the meeting with the Rose Family which is going to go great I promise (can you tell I'm lying).

Life update: I reached my max credit hours and financial aid no longer wants to pay for my college classes, so I'm free for the spring and most likely Summer semesters until I either find a new college or just give up and get a job.

Stay safe and have a good day

- Shyla

ps. publishing a Dragon Age Fanfiction pretty soon.