I do not own RWBY
So, Ruby was clingy at night or was it morning. He honestly couldn't tell due to the dark curtains over the window. It could be the middle of the day and he most likely wouldn't notice unless Cinder came into his room and shouted at him to wake up. If she did that then his little guest would be found; somehow, he couldn't see that ending well. Given that Cinder wasn't threatening to burn him to death, it was likely still in the early hours of dawn.
He was being completely serious when he compared the girl to a snake. She'd somehow managed to tangle herself around him which made it very hard to accomplish his current mission of getting out of bed. It was officially strange to wake up with someone in his bed, but he didn't actually know if he disliked having her here. The only issue was that someone, probably Neo, was banging on the bathroom door he'd forgotten to unlock. Feeling Ruby shift against him as the sound began to wake her up; he groaned and decided to try something that Cinder used when she wanted to leave the bed without waking Emerald. Grabbing a pillow, he began gently detangling himself and replaced himself with the pillow.
Standing slowly, he stumbled into the bathroom forgetting to close the door behind him. Ignoring the banging for a moment he turned on the sink before washing off his face. Glancing in the mirror to confirm that he looked awake enough to interact with his teammates he sleepily unlocked the bathroom door. The annoyed expression on Neo's face was enough for him to know that he hadn't been fast enough to escape her ire. Moving out of her way he blinked lazily as she turned on the sink and splashed water on her face. Grabbing a towel off the shelf beside the sink he handed it to her as she pulled out her scroll and began typing.
What are you doing asleep at nine in the morning?
"Sleeping in. Why did Cinder need something," he asked reaching up to rub the sleep from his eyes. He was surprised he'd managed to sleep in this late at all but then again Cinder was usually paying attention to Emerald. Shrugging at her raised eyebrow he grinned when she rolled her eyes.
Ruby Rose is apparently missing. We heard her teammates talking this morning at Breakfast.
Freezing slightly at her words he barely kept himself from narrowing his gaze. He was all too aware that Ruby was in the bed only a dozen or so feet away fully within killing distance for Neo. The sudden rush of protective instincts was enough for him to know that something strange was happening; he'd never felt the urge to protect someone. Why would Ruby be different than all the other girls he'd brought into his bed? Shifting slightly to both lean against the door frame leading to his room and grow more comfortable he asked, "How did Cinder react to that,"
With amusement. I'm going to stalk the blonde today, want to come with?
"No," he said. Seeing her pout, he smirked enjoying the childish expression on the mute assassin. She was just as skilled as he was yet much more childish; although he supposed that not having a voice made her more expressive. Like him, she'd never failed to kill her prey either so having Yang escape her clutches must be vexing for the petite woman. Still, he channeled his amusement into his voice as he said, "You won't get a chance to kill her anyway."
I might besides what does it matter to you? Unless you want to have some fun with her before I kill her.
"No thanks," he stated quickly almost as a reflex. Considering that he didn't even feel the slightest attraction to the blonde he wasn't shocked at the instinctive reply. While Yang might be the wet dream of many teenage boys he didn't even like looking at the girl; that didn't mean however that he wasn't willing to tear her to pieces in a fight. Seeing her raise an eyebrow at his refusal he shrugged saying, "didn't expect you to share but I'm not surprised you want to have some fun with the bimbo."
I would even watch.
"Not my type," he said. Seeing mild shock cross her face he tilted his head. Did she really think that he liked Yang? It was true the blonde was fun to torment but the most he would be doing is hurting her and he could do that in a battle. He didn't even need to be in the same room as Yang to know he would never be able to get along with her.
Your loss.
Watching her shrug off the strangeness of his refusal he rolled his eyes. There was another reason that he didn't want anything to do with the blonde and that was Ruby. He wasn't going soft, but he did feel fond of the redhead. When Neo took a moment to place her scroll on the counter and yank back the curtains to the shower he muttered, "Shocked you're not asking what my type is."
The amused look she sent in his direction was followed by her shooing him from the room as she reached for the hem of her tank top. Rolling his eyes, he obeyed the silent order and left the bathroom before she could drag him into the shower with her. Closing the door behind him, because he knew she wouldn't, he moved to the edge of his bed. Standing silently, he stared down at the small girl curled around his pillow.
Sighing he wondered just what he was supposed to do with her but made no move to wake her instead he moved toward the small pile of clothes in the corner. He had to do the laundry today or Ruby wouldn't even be able to return to her dorm; he ignored the small growl in the back of his mind at the thought of her leaving his room. It wasn't easy to unlock the door and maneuver from the room with a handful of clothes, but he managed. Pulling the door shut behind him he noticed Cinder easily as she stalked toward him.
All too aware that she could easily see the Beacon uniform skirt in his arms he waited for her to confront him only for her to smirk. The fact she was silent was surprising but then he noticed the slight glow to her skin and the relaxed way she walked. It seemed he wasn't the only one who relieved their stress last night. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered if Emerald would even be able to walk today but he didn't really care. What they chose to do in their free time was up to them. Watching her pass, he rolled his eyes at the seductive sway she put into her walk and headed for the Haven Dorm Laundry Room.
Claiming the first washing machine he saw he threw the bundle of clothes and sheets on the floor. Touching his folded scroll to the dark screen he watched it light up as his scroll linked to the washing machine. He would be the only one able to unlock the thing. Personally, he thought the entire thing was a waste of money but he wasn't about to march up to Ozpin's office and tell him that. Instead he picked made sure to pick the strongest scented detergent they had before throwing the clothes into the machine. His sheet, however, was ruined.
Long claw marks ran down the fabric letting him know that Ruby had indeed used her nails on his poor innocent sheet last night. She must have subconsciously used her aura too since he doubted his sheet would have been shredded if she hadn't. Feeling a smirk tug at the corners of his lips he tossed it in the large garbage can beside the door before setting a one-hour timer on his scroll and starting the machine. Now all he had to do was go get some food but first he needed to take a shower and get some new clothes.
Walking back to his dorm he noticed that team SSSN was awake as well although he wasn't surprised that the monkey faunus was being dragged down the hallway by his blue-haired teammate. Passing them by he didn't notice the faunus tense and straighten however by the time the boy had glanced around Mercury was shutting the door to his room. Locking the door behind him, he relaxed when he noticed that the shower wasn't running any longer meaning Neo had decided not to waste time today.
Grabbing a set of clothes, he sent Ruby a glance before opening the bathroom door and walking inside. The worst part about living with three women was that they all left their makeup everywhere and in Neo's case her clothes. Kicking the tank top, she'd left on the floor he rolled his eyes at her messy habits. Laying his clothes on the counter of the sink he turned on the water before stripping down and getting into the shower; it was nice that his legs were waterproof.
Letting the hot water run down his body he wondered just what he was going to do with Ruby as he reached for the soap. Every time he thought of her leaving there was a weird tug at his chest that made him hesitate. It was either his instincts or he just didn't want to let go of the first submissive toy he'd found since coming to Vale. Feeling his wolf preen as he remembered the way she fit against him he wondered just how far he would be able to push her until she broke. Then he shoved the thought away; due to his actions last night he doubted the girl wanted him to touch her.
Usually it wouldn't matter to him how his partner felt about his advances, but his instincts were already protective of the redhead. Strangely he'd never even thought of Ruby as more than an annoyance until after he'd woken up today. He didn't even have a thoughtful reason for why he was thinking of playing with her. The idea he couldn't stop thinking about was that Ruby fit against him perfectly. Maybe Cinder would let him keep the girl as a pet, it wasn't as if she had a specific grudge against the girl.
Shutting off the water he got out of the shower while reaching for a towel. If he asked, Cinder probably wouldn't refuse him a pet; especially since he'd literally never asked the woman for anything. The only thing he would have to worry about was if Ruby would go along with his scheme. Her intelligence and submissive attitude had been surprising however he had no idea how long that attitude would last. Then there was the fact Cinder would want to talk to Ruby as well and his leader could be intimidating.
Sighing as he pulled on his pants he froze when he heard a knock on the door separating his room from the girls. It wasn't Neo, he was pretty sure she was already stalking Yang, so that left either Cinder or Emerald. Grabbing a shirt, he unlocked the door before sliding it over his head and coming face to face with his leader. Cinder was relaxed as she studied him however that did not mean she wasn't willing to kick him into submission. Raising an eyebrow at her, he gained a smirk in return.
"I overheard something interesting on my way back," she said amusement in her voice. Tensing slightly at the tone he leaned against the door and tried to relax under her heated gaze. While he knew that Cinder wouldn't hurt him, supposedly, he still didn't trust her most when she got this look in her eyes. The one that let him know she was trying to unearth his secrets. Her smirk faded as she said, "Apparently a certain monkey faunus claimed he smelled Ruby on you…Did you have sex with her?"
If there was one thing, he wasn't expecting it was that question. Twitching slightly, he thought about lying to her; usually, she wouldn't care if he lied either, yet he had a feeling that right now was different. Cinder wasn't smiling or smirking she was utterly serious. a serious Cinder was a dangerous Cinder.
"Usually you're a lot less blunt," he said almost without meaning too. In his defense usually she would dance around a topic until she frustrated a person then she would ask what she wanted to know.
"Mercury," she said his name with enough of a warning tone for him to know she would put him through the door he was leaning against if he didn't take her seriously.
"Fine," he said with more bitterness than he'd ever spoken with before. Seeing her shift at his tone he felt a bit guilty. Taking a breath to calm down he admitted, "I did. Are you going to lecture me about how she's our enemy and I endangered the plan or something?"
He expected her to shout at him, or even strike him but she didn't instead she stared at him. He was slumped and ready for her to lash out yet all she did was sigh and rub her forehead in exasperation. Blinking as she turned and grabbed her makeup bag off the shelf, he followed her every movement with his eyes. Shifting nervously, he almost didn't hear her when she said, "No. Emerald and I are going to be spending a day in Vale, we won't be back until late. Make sure you feed the girl."
For a moment he stared at her wondering just what she was talking about before twitching in annoyance when she made a shooing motion in his direction. Narrowing his eyes, he scoffed before grabbing his scroll and leaving the bathroom. Closing the door behind him he glanced down at his scroll to check the time. He had about thirty minutes until the washing machine was done; should he wake Ruby in order for her to eat breakfast?
Walking around the bed he looked down at the girl currently hugging his pillow and frowned. Her face was twisted in an expression of pain as her nails dug into the fabric of his pillow. Was she having a nightmare? What should he do if she was? Waking her up wasn't a good idea, was it? Reaching down he gently pushed her hair out of her face before hesitating. If he woke her she would leave, he didn't want her to leave. Dropping his hand, he turned away deciding to go check on their clothes.
Walking from his dorm he would have been a fool not to notice the blue eyes watching his every movement. Cinder did inform him about a certain monkey faunus who'd scented Ruby on him earlier. It might sound unfair, but he hated the smell of banana's that seemed to emanate from the faunus trying to stalk him. It wasn't just the faunus either, he also smelt the blue-haired womanizer with him, how annoying. If he dealt with the two he doubted anyone would notice them missing. Clenching his hand he barely heard the door to his dorm rattle before his hand was around the monkey's neck. Slamming the boy into the wall he snarled as every instinct screamed at him to crush his neck.
"I would suggest you walk away," he said the tone cold. The blue-haired boy looked worried as he hovered off to the side scared to get closer. Grabbing the bobby pin, the blonde was going to use to break into his room, Mercury dropped him. Watching the boy hold a hand to his neck as he coughed Mercury wondered just how much relief he would feel if he snapped the boy's neck. He already knew he hated this blonde.
"Not until I know Ruby's okay," the monkey snapped once he was able to breathe again. The blue-haired boy kneeling beside him seemed to grow a spine as he glared up at Mercury. Well until the assassin narrowed his eyes a little in his direction; then the boy crumbled.
"Sun," he whispered nervously as he tugged on the blonde's arm.
"We may come from the same school but that doesn't mean I won't kick your ass if you've hurt her," Sun said.
It wasn't the words that caught his attention; if it was just that then he could have ignored them. The monkey's blue eyes were narrowed into a determined glare. In fact, the monkey seemed almost murderous, the boy had a killer's eyes. It was interesting to see such an expression on what Mercury had already classified as a dumb blonde monkey. Seeing those eyes meant the boy was a threat; he'd have to look at his file later.
"If I catch you outside my room again, I'll break your arm," he stated completely serious. Turning to walk away he didn't notice the blonde's expression change nor did he see the taunting smirk that crossed his face.
In Mercury's opinion people like Sun were nothing more than annoying little insects who thought they were lions. For a monkey to beat a wolf would be ridiculous however something in the boy's eyes showed he was dangerous. Maybe it could be worth looking through the files again to make sure they hadn't missed anything? Playing the long game wasn't something he was good at either, but Cinder wanted to wait until the end of the tournament. It was honestly annoying.
(Ruby)
Ruby stared out the window at the visitors training ground; it was the one used by the visitors from Haven. She'd never actually been to this part of the school, but she didn't find herself even remotely interested in what they were doing. Weiss would be insanely upset if she learned that Ruby was wasting this chance to spy. Sitting curled up on Mercury's couch, in his clothes, she didn't find even a small bit of interest in what was going on outside. Her scroll was sitting a few inches away from her, but she cared more about the sketchbook she'd pulled out of her bag. She'd expected her team to text her or even call to see if she was alright but there was nothing. No missed calls or messages showed up on her scroll meaning they hadn't even cared that she was missing last night. Frowning she turned her attention back to the image she was creating instead of watching the ever-darkening sky.
Maybe Yang had told them what yesterday was, and they decided to leave her alone, but the higher possibility was that none of them had noticed she was missing. She hoped that her sister had just driven them away from messaging or calling her. Finding out that they just didn't care would hurt, although she wouldn't be surprised. None of them knew who she was below the cheerful façade; part of her hoped they would never find out.
People didn't appreciate finding out the truth of who she was. The cold clinical logic wasn't something that sat well with them; not even Yang liked her true personality. It wasn't that she didn't care but her apathy was seen as nothing more than disinterest, yet none of them saw just how much she actually cared. Sometimes she wondered if becoming a huntress was even worth it when it didn't make her happy but then she remembered the proud hope in her father's eyes when she announced her desired career. He wanted her to follow in her mother's footsteps and she didn't want to let him down.
She also hoped that they wouldn't find out that she'd had sex with Mercury. While she still didn't understand how she felt about the entire situation, she was grateful that he hadn't just kicked her out once he was done toying with her. Thinking back, it was obvious that her cooperation had been the only reason that he'd been… well not kind, but gentle. If she'd decided to make their encounter difficult then she had no doubt he would have just used her and thrown her away. Physically he could have overpowered her without much trouble; the only reason she'd been able to enjoy her first time was because he'd been feeling merciful.
Logically if he'd been planning on raping her; he would have prepared better meaning last night was an impulse decision on his part. It was interesting how easily he'd been able to read her body language. He was obviously observant along with being opportunistic; in all honesty he reminded her of a wolf. Which brought her thoughts to what she'd noticed hidden in his hair; faunus ears. He was most likely a wolf given his personality, but she wouldn't rule out any other types of canines. She might not have been able to think much during their encounter, but she had noticed that he had furry ears. Obviously sensitive ears too since he'd lost control when she touched them the second time; she would have to remember that in the future.
Wait…was she actually thinking of having sex with him again? Was it because she'd been a virgin before their encounter, that she wanted a repeat? No, she wasn't so foolish as to grow attached to someone through something as simple as sex. Logically it would be a very bad idea to have sex with him again due to their encounter starting as an assault. Emotionally she was confused as to why she wanted to be back in his bed, well besides how comfortable his sheets were. Physically she had nothing against having sex with him again, it wouldn't be untrue to say she was aroused at the thought.
That was another thing she didn't quite understand. Yang had told her the first time would hurt and that she'd regret having sex until the second time. Except that it hadn't been true, nothing her sister had said came true in the end. She'd had fun, despite the fact he'd have taken her against her will, she'd had fun. It was strange to think that if she hadn't cooperated then he most likely would have been harsh enough to put her off sex her entire life.
Mercury had been stressed too; she'd noticed how tense he was the moment she'd seen him walk into the workshop. It was likely that he'd lashed out due to the amount of stress he'd been under. Weiss usually did the same although her teammate didn't go around having sex to work off her tension; thankfully. She didn't blame Mercury for needing an outlet for his stress besides him toying with her was a much better alternative to him going off to kill someone. No matter how many times she thought about the fact he could have hurt her, in the end he chose not to. There was no other way to put it beyond the fact that he chose to be gentle with her. If he'd made a different choice, then she would be broken right now rather than whole. She was safe because he chose to leave her like this; somehow that fact was the strangest thing about this entire situation.
It was also a fact that he hadn't picked her; she'd simply been in the right place at the right time. All of this was a coincidence, after all, no one in their right mind would choose her over someone like Yang or Blake. If he hadn't been so stressed, Mercury would have chosen someone better than her, it was just a fact. She wasn't good for anything other than fighting especially not sex. Logically she knew that Mercury had enjoyed himself last night, but she couldn't help but think he must be disappointed with his choice.
He'd been gone when she woke up, not that she'd been expecting him to give her breakfast in bed or anything. She wasn't under any illusions that he actually cared about what happened to her; he didn't seem like the type of person who cared about others. Not that she blamed him, caring about people hurt; it also gave others permission to use you. Everyone was used by someone, that was just the unchangeable nature of the world. Even the strongest person in the world was used by someone else in the end.
She understood that Mercury had used her just like everyone else and that she should be angry with him, but what was the point. He was only doing what everyone else did; getting angry wouldn't help her situation anyway. Well not that her situation was all that rough; he'd left her cleaned and dried clothes on the bed. She could literally take a shower and leave whenever she wanted to, yet if she did then she'd have to return to her dorm.
Going back to the dorm wasn't something she wanted to do right now and not just because she'd had sex with Mercury. Usually on the anniversary of her mom's death she would vanish for days yet that wasn't an option here. She had to stay at Beacon, vanishing wasn't an option. It was already bad enough that she'd disappeared all day yesterday, but she didn't want to talk to anyone or see anyone. She just wanted to be alone but if she left this room then her team would find her easily. The fact was she was using Mercury to hide from her team.
Hearing the door open she glanced up from her sketch as Mercury entered his dorm. The shocked expression that flashed across his face at seeing her there was slightly amusing, but it only appeared for an instant before the expression vanished. She'd thought that if she saw him, she'd be afraid of him. It was strange that the only thing she felt when he walked into the room and locked the door was anxiety. What would he choose to do now? It was obvious he'd expected her to be long gone by now. She should have left earlier; from the blanking expression on his face, it was obvious he didn't approve of her being here.
"Sorry, I can leave if you want," she said while uncurling from her spot on the couch. For some reason, she didn't want to anger him. Reaching for her bag she didn't notice his eyes flash or the expression on his face until he'd already crossed the room. Feeling his fingers curl around her wrist, she barely had time to realize what was happening before he was pulling her off the couch. Hearing her sketchbook fall to the floor she felt his other hand come up to run through her hair as he pulled her body against his own.
For a single moment, she almost panicked. Tensing completely, she made sure not to show her internal fear. It wasn't even the fact that it was him touching her but the fact she was being touched in the first place. She'd only just managed to get used to her team touching her, to have a boy she hardly knew pull her into his arms was strange; she tried to ignore the voice in her head that reminded her he'd done more than touch last night. It wasn't a bad kind of strange either; in fact, if she was being honest, he felt warm. She doubted he would appreciate her being too forward with her observations, so instead, she tried to think through what could cause him to do this.
Standing completely still she didn't dare to even twitch as he breathed against her neck. This was different from last night; he wasn't trying to use her for sex. What was the point of this? Did it have something to do with his faunus nature? He was a wolf faunus; did wolves have the urge to cling to someone? Closing her eyes, she felt him shudder against her as the hand on her wrist let her go only to curl around her waist. Canines were pack animals, weren't they? Had something happened and he simply wanted physical comfort.
Hearing a low growl leave his throat she shivered but didn't shove him away. Was he using her to comfort himself? Giving an internal nod she decided to test her theory. Moving slowly, she gave him ample time to stop her as she wrapped one arm around him, but he did nothing to stop her if anything he slumped even further. Resting his forehead against her shoulder he took a deep breath. She didn't just smell like roses anymore; his own scent had mixed with her own.
He was struggling with his own instincts that were so far out of his control he couldn't understand them. While letting his instincts take control wasn't something he did often, he didn't mind holding her like this; he just wished he knew why he was so intent on keeping her close. If he focused, he could still smell dried blood on her shoulder from when he bit her. It seemed that she truly hadn't even thought of leaving his room while he'd been gone. Why did that idea of her staying fill him with such smug satisfaction?
Taking a deep breath, he released her slowly then stepped back although he kept a gentle grip on her wrist. He half expected her to panic when he stepped away but instead, she raised a hand to his forehead as if to take his temperature. Her furrowed brows were accompanied by narrowed eyes as she tilted her head at him. Her concerned expression wasn't one he'd expected to see.
"Are you okay," she asked softly with genuine worry and concern in her tone.
Now that was truly surprising; she wasn't asking just because it was the right thing to do but because she was concerned for him. Even though he'd raped her last night, she was still worried about him. There was something strange about her; she was very strange. Mistaking his expression for something else she dropped her hand from his forehead before leading him over to the bed and forcing him to sit down.
"Do you need something to drink; you look dehydrated and your behavior is strange," she stated as if answering a question from a professor. The clinical tone was the tipping point that threw him over the edge. Tugging her down into his lap he chuckled.
"You're a very strange girl," he said. Wrapping one arm around her waist he noted that while she didn't try to pull away from him, she also didn't relax.
"Sorry."
She wasn't tense because of fear; he would have smelled it. Ruby wasn't afraid of him, yet she was still tense. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't agree with how tense she was right now. It was almost as if she didn't know how to relax around other people, which wasn't something he'd been expecting. Unlike his childhood, Ruby hadn't suffered abuse; well not that he knew of. Remembering the scar across her back he frowned for a moment but pushed the expression away before she could notice that he was upset; with his luck she would have blamed herself for. Deciding to focus on the girl in his arms rather than her past he channeled his amusement instead of annoyance.
"Most girls would be scared of me right now," he said with amusement in his voice. They would most likely run away screaming or try to punch him. He was betting that her sister was the second type.
"Why?"
The question was accompanied by her head tilting to the side as she stared at him in confusion. The action made her look cute while also causing his shirt to fall slightly down her shoulder revealing the bite mark, he'd left. Please don't let him have to explain what rape was to her; he would literally kill someone if he had to do that.
There was no reason for her to be afraid of him at this moment. The gentle grip on her wrist earlier had proved he wasn't going to hurt her without reason. Had she not managed to communicate her trust in him efficiently? She'd never been good at showing emotions when her mask was down; perhaps it would be better if she put her mask back in place. That would make her more expressive yet something in her rebelled at the thought of having to hide away yet again.
"You do realize that I raped you," he asked. He watched closely as her eyes lit up in understanding.
He didn't know about her thought process earlier, which meant he was simply confused about her own understanding of the situation. It would be best to assure him that he hadn't actually raped her; at least not in her mind, although she doubted that Yang or her teammates would approve of her decision.
"But I consented," she stated firmly.
Ruby honestly didn't see the issue. Could she really count his action as raping her when she'd consented to letting him do whatever he wanted? It didn't make sense to blame him for her own choice in the situation even if he'd put her into that situation in the first place. Besides if he hadn't found her then she would have spent the entire night in her own misery and pain. For the first time she'd spent an anniversary without being in pain; honestly, if he continued to keep her mind off her own issues, she would gladly let him do whatever he wanted to with her.
"Ruby, you weren't around people very much before Beacon were you," he asked after staring at her for a long moment. Straightening at the question she looked away from him trying to hide the frown that tugged at her lips. Finally, a reaction that he knew how to deal with. Letting a teasing expression come over his face he said, "I'll let your sister teach you about consent rules."
Ruby stiffened even further her eyes meeting his with a sudden fire as she almost glared at him; almost. She knew he had no idea about just how uncomfortable being around her own sister made her and it would be wrong of her to take out her issues on him. It wasn't that she didn't love her sister, she did, but Yang sometimes could be overprotective or worse smothering.
"Please don't," she whispered on the edge of begging. Her sister wasn't a bad person, but Ruby was in no hurry to get another lecture from her. Looking down at where he was tracing a pattern on her thigh, she tried to relax as she said, "she already thinks I'm a child and can't make my own decisions."
The girl sitting in his lap was most definitely not a child. Feeling her shift nervously in an effort to relax he watched the way her hair brushed against the skin of her neck. Tightening his grip slightly he had the sudden urge to see her face twist in pleasure again. As if sensing his change in mood she glanced at him with a look he couldn't decipher. It wasn't fear, which yet again surprised him, but it wasn't disgust either. To him, she seemed a mixture of intrigued and anxious.
"You're definitely not a child," he stated as his hand slipped under her, his, shirt.
For a second, she tensed her eyes widening as his words registered then she relaxed. He had no idea if her reaction was due to him playing with the hem of the boxers she was wearing or his words. Discarding the idea of undressing her, mainly because it would cause her to move, he returned to tracing small circles on her skin. While it might show he was going soft, having someone so willing to let him play was new and he was starting to like her.
"I-"
Cutting herself off Ruby's face reddened as she realized how breathless her voice sounded although she had a much bigger issue at the moment. Did she just stutter? He was only touching her, and not even in an overly sexual way either. Was she really that sensitive that he was able to set her skin on fire with only his fingertips? It was nice… no it was annoying but nice… gods she was confused. Without realizing it she leaned her head on his shoulder as she focused completely on what his fingers were tracing on her skin. Sometimes she was even able to recognize a pattern or letter but most of it was random, although he did end up spelling out his name at one point. She'd decided that this felt nice, even if he didn't care for her at all. Just feeling his fingers run over her skin made her feel wanted although she had no doubt that he would have rather had someone more attractive sit on his lap. Humming softly as he brushed across the skin of her breast, she realized that he smelled like gunpowder.
Feeling her nuzzle against his neck as she shifted, Mercury's lips twitched upward into a smirk. Having someone so comfortable with his touch was new but not unwelcome; fortunately, he would have more than enough time to spend with her. He wasn't needed by Cinder until tomorrow since the woman wanted to make the most of her time with Emerald and Neo was out stalking Yang; apparently, she was still upset at not getting to kill the blonde. He didn't blame Neo for her annoyance seeing as how he hated letting prey escape as well.
After a few minutes, Mercury got bored of petting her, because that is what he's doing. Deciding to see if she'd let him go farther without the threat of violence, he leaned slightly away from her. Pulling his hand from her, his, shirt he heard her whine softly, but she didn't voice a complaint. Keeping a gentle grip on her hip he moved so that he was pinning her to the bed once again causing her to blink up at him in mild bemusement.
"You want to have sex again?" she asked tilting her head slightly. The pale skin of her neck was almost begging for attention, but he made no move toward her throat. Looming over her with his hands on either side of her body he noticed that her own hands were simply resting on the blanket as she waited for him to make a move.
"Would you be against that," he asked instead of answering her question. Honestly, he was looking forward to the cute noises she would make.
Why was he asking? He did realize how easy it would be to just take what he wanted right? It wasn't as if she was able to stop him; at this point she wasn't even sure if she wanted to stop him. He'd already proven he wouldn't hurt her if she cooperated, so she wasn't worried. She didn't doubt that he was dangerous; in fact, he sort of reminded her of uncle Qrow, but he wasn't vicious. Well not that she knew off.
"It wouldn't hurt," she said softly her tone both resigned and anxious. There was nothing she could do to stop him so why would she try.
Mercury stilled his as she closed her eyes and tilted her head. She was bearing her neck to him and for a second, he felt as if his entire body shut down. It would be so easy for him to fuck her into the mattress. It would be so easy to leave bruises all over her skin. So then why couldn't he move, why did he feel so annoyed and frustrated with himself. Letting out a sigh he shifted so that he was sitting next to her rather than looming over her.
"I think we need to talk," he said. The intense way he was watching her was the only reason he saw her flinch. Narrowing his eyes, he frowned before wiping the expression off his face; he barely managed to make his face neutral when her eyes opened.
"Oh, did I do something wrong," she asked softly anxiety and worry in her tone. Making note of the fact it seemed to be a sore subject for her he wondered if she knew how foolish that question was. She definitely hadn't done anything wrong.
"No," he said quickly watching her relax. Twitching slightly, he said, "I think that we need to talk about what happened and what we're going to do next."
"Okay," she said accepting his choice.
He'd noticed that she did that a lot; just accepted what he said without questioning him. Usually he wouldn't mind her submissive nature, but he felt uncomfortable taking advantage of her. Pushing the thought away he caught the sharp silver gaze she sent in his direction as she finally sat up; her expression was different now. Sitting facing him she focused on him completely as if the next words he uttered were the most important in the world.
"Did I hurt you," he asked and for a moment saw confusion flash across her face. Apparently, him asking if she was alright wasn't something she'd been expecting.
"No," she said without hesitation. It was too quick to be a lie but he doubted she would honestly tell him if he'd hurt her. Then he noticed her hand come up to tug at her hair almost subconsciously; so far that was the only sign he'd seen that could mean she was nervous.
"Are you sure or are you just telling me what I want to hear," he asked deciding to push her. If she changed her answer then he would know she was lying. He'd met a lot of liars, his father was one of the best, as such he had a talent for spotting liars. If she turned out to be a liar then he would have no interest in keeping her around; much less in being near her.
"I… it was nice," she admitted. The words were so soft that if he was anyone else he wouldn't have heard her. Her aura flared beneath her skin as the words hung in the air between them until he smirked.
"Just nice," he teased enjoying the way her face heated up. The flustered expression was followed by her tugging repeatedly on the same strand of hair as she tried to figure out just what she wanted to say.
Shifting her gaze away from him she wondered if it would be best to just ignore the question completely, yet she wanted to at least try talking to someone honestly. Why was it so hard for her to talk to people; Yang could talk without stuttering so why couldn't she. Feeling frustration she decided to fall back on cold logic.
"No, it was strange, I've never felt like that before," she stated meeting his eyes with her own guarded expression. For some reason he hated the cool expression on her face.
"Well, I had fun, although I didn't expect you to just go along with what I wanted," he admitted hoping that she would get flustered again at his words. He wanted her to be flustered.
"Would you have let me go if I refused," she asked raising an eyebrow.
"No."
If she was surprised by his response, she didn't show it; instead she tilted her head and studied him. His reply didn't terrify her because it was quick or truthful, in fact, she could respect how honest he was being with her. Truthfully, she appreciated him telling her the truth without hesitation. People were horrible she knew that better than anyone. People lied, even her own team lied to her, and she hated it. However, she knew that she had no right to be offended by liars when she never told the truth either by hiding behind her mask.
"Submitting was the best choice at the time," she said with a shrug. Narrowing his gaze, he noticed that her hand twitched showing that she was still nervous.
"It was unexpected," he said. He wondered if he would have had fun if she'd decided to resist him last night. He had no doubt he would have hurt her yet just thinking about how easily he could have overpowered her made him feel strange.
"True, but in return you didn't hurt me," she said as if she didn't notice his tense expression.
"I bit you, that counts as a form of harm," he told her slowly as if she couldn't understand the human language. For a moment she stilled as her fingers came up to trace the barely hidden bite mark on her shoulder. Seeing the slight blush on her face at the reminded her smirked saying, "unless you liked it?"
Ruby whined the sound echoing around them as her composure snapped causing her face to redden completely. Hiding her face in her hands she ignored the laughter coming from him as she felt the heat radiating from her skin. It wasn't a lie that being reminded of his loss of control made her feel hot. She could still remember the feral growl that had sounded beside her ear when she'd brushed her fingers against his ears right before he'd lost control. The way he'd snapped was exhilarating; she wanted it to happen again. It was amazing when he…
"You did, didn't you," he asked cutting off her line of thought. Taking a deep breath, she glanced up at him unsurprised to find heated grey eyes cutting into her. Shivering under his gaze she looked away with a huff.
"I don't think I have enough experience to know what I like," she said trying to regain her composure.
"Want to find out," he asked with a smirk. He knew how to break that logical expression now and knowing that made him feel infinitely better. After all, it was no fun if she could hide her expressions from him.
Seeing the logical look return to her face he leaned slightly closer to her causing her to shift slightly. He noticed that despite her flustered expression earlier she wasn't actually that affected by him being close to her. Did that mean that she didn't actually mind his closeness or was she just good at hiding her emotions? It was frustrating being unable to read her expressions, yet he did notice that she was watching him just as closely as he was studying her.
"What do you want from me Mercury," she asked drawing him from his thoughts.
"What do you think I want," he asked seriously. He could tell that the time for teasing was over. Despite how submissive she was, Ruby wasn't meek. Was it strange that he didn't mind when she questioned him?
"Sex, power, control," she stated without hesitation. Feeling his lips twitch at how easily she'd read him he grinned at her. The bright expression caused her eyes to widen for a moment as if she in no way expected him to agree with her assessment or was it because this was the first time he'd smiled around her.
"All true," he admitted. The words hung between them for a moment before he said, "Let's make a deal pet."
Stiffening at the term, Ruby narrowed her gaze. The dangerous glow in her eyes was new however she made no move to argue with him despite her apparent disagreement with the term. Filing away her reaction for later he also noticed that her cheeks reddened slightly as well. Ruby had no idea why but that word both made her feel annoyed and pleased. She had no doubt that he'd noticed her reaction; that he would be using it to his advantage later, yet she didn't mind. She was glad that he was observant.
Raising an eyebrow at her reaction he said, "you belong to me unt-"
"What would belonging to you entail," she asked cutting him off. There wasn't a single trace of nervousness as she waited for him to explain; her mask was working overtime to hide just how anxious she was about cutting him off. He didn't seem like someone who liked being interrupted and she didn't want to upset him, however, she did want answers.
"You shouldn't interrupt people," he said giving her a warning look. Wincing slightly under his glare she shifted slightly before stilling as he continued, "Sex, power, and control. That is what belonging to me will entail."
Tilting her head, she thought over his words. Part of her, the small insecure part, was happy that he even wanted her around. Not even Weiss wanted to spend very much time with her however he did. Mercury had seen her real personality and still wanted her, did that mean she wasn't defective? In truth she'd always been afraid that no one would want her romantically; unlike Yang who could get any guy she wanted.
"So basically, you want someone to have sex with while you're at Beacon and your own team would castrate you," she said allowing a smirk to appear on her face for a brief moment. The second she finished her sentence he twitched.
"You're very blunt," he said. Seeing her look away, he wondered narrowed his eyes. It was interesting to notice that when her mask was down she was much more honest. There was no lie in her gaze even though she wasn't willing to meet his eyes; she was also easier to read now than when she was acting like a cheerful idiot. Reaching out he tapped her knee to get her attention as he asked, "but basically; the only question is what do you want in exchange?"
Ruby twitched at the question. She didn't really know what to ask for, but she knew he wouldn't wait forever. He was expecting an answer, but she couldn't think of anything. What if she said something stupid and he ended up hating her? Feeling the finger he'd left on her knee tap her skin again she jolted as she finally had an idea.
Thanks for the reviews of chapter 1.