HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!
Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions
Co-Authored with ToxicExotic
A day of relaxation and girlfriends (20)
Ruby was oddly peaceful as she lounged on the couch, her head finding a home on Blake's lap while Yang massaged her legs. After a battle that had left her entire body aching, it was nice to be spending the day relaxing. Thankfully the Grimm also seemed to be giving the relentless attacks a break, though that was likely because they had defeated the Syren.
Elders had a nasty habit of attracting Grimm, so they were always the priority in a fight as, if left alone, they would simply call for backup. The Syren also explained why the Grimm had been so frequent. The Hellk being around was bad enough, but a second elder would have been real bad had it not been dealt with so quickly. Her entire body being in pain for a day or two was a worthy price to pay.
Her aching body also meant she had an excuse to be closer to Blake. She wasn't sure if it was because the girl had almost died, but things felt a little easier. Sure, she still had the image of a completely naked Blake in her head thanks to the Syren's song, but the smaller things that used to cause her to pause seemed to not bother her anymore. It had surprised her most last night, when she effortlessly gave Blake a kiss goodnight and didn't even realise she had done it until she got to her room.
However, as much as she was enjoying being tended to by her sister and her girlfriend, that did come with some pain whenever either of them made the slightest of movements. Like the movement Blake made to reach for the remote control to change the channel, which dragged a groan from Ruby's throat.
"That's what you get for doing Strawberry Sunrise," Blake said disapprovingly. "We really need to rework that move."
"Pfft," Yang breathed, her fingers digging deeper into Ruby's calves. "The move is fine. Right, Rubes?"
"Yeah, maxi...owwww," Ruby, forgetting that her arms were also sore, had thrown her arms into the air and immediately regretted it. Returning them to their previous position on the couch, she let out a small hiss. "Maximum power."
"Maximum bone breaking if you screw up," Blake scolded them both.
"Nah, we've been working on it for years," Yang scoffed.
"Beside, we only use it in emergencies."
Blake simply shook her head with a sigh and changed the channel the main news network. However, as the broadcaster went over the goings on in Vale, Ruby felt her girlfriend's hand graze the tips of her hair. Though it caused her some pain, she shifted her head a little closer to the hand and gave Blake a grin, causing the girl to roll her eyes. Nevertheless, the hand quickly began to weave through her hair and a relaxed feeling came over her.
Laying there in her relaxed state, listening to the Lisa Lavender go over the business news as Blake and Yang soothed her aching body, Ruby mulled over what they had done after the fight. Once Blake was in bed and taking it easy, Ruby insisted that she go to the relay office to report the barricade breach personally, but Yang had firmly put her foot down and refused to let her leave the house. It was a good thing too as, less than ten minutes later, her legs had given out. So instead of walking, Ruby had simply called the relay office instead and spent most of the day sitting down.
"Employment rates are down by two percent-"
Admittedly, she was getting a little restless, but the fact Blake had recovered quickly and her pampering was more than enough to make up for her lack of mobility. Despite the Faunus repeatedly scolding her, Blake had also been feeding her cookies and fetching her milk when the glass was empty. It felt a little childish, but Ruby didn't care that much. She liked what she liked.
"Mmm, that feels nice," Ruby hummed as Yang dug a thumb into her calf muscles and circled it.
"Tuckson's Book Trade is havin-"
"Me or Blake?" The blonde chuckled.
Her eyes snapping open as her face heated up, as did Blake's from the look of things.
"Blake," Ruby said smugly and stuck her tongue out, knowing immediately that she shouldn't have challenged Yang.
"Then I guess I better give you two the room."
Both Ruby and Blake flushed a dark scarlet that time and Yang let out a victorious laugh. However, the girl thankfully didn't move and continued to massage her legs.
"In news outside of Vale. A string of dust robberies-"
"Shush," Blake said with a grin and threw a cushion at Yang, who caught it with ease. "You're always so embarras…"
"... White Fang were caught as the Vacuo police responded to an incident."
Blake cut off at those words and her smile faltered as she turned to look at the television. Having heard it too, Ruby and Yang stayed quiet to hear the report.
"Police urge that there is no reason to panic, but remind you that should you see anything suspicious in other Kingdoms, do not approach as the White Fang are known to be quite hostile. Instead, report it to your local precinct."
Without hesitation, Blake turned the channel to something else and let out a deep sigh. It was clear she was distressed at the news, so despite the pain, Ruby reached up and slipped her hand under Blake's. She seemed unwilling to look at either of them for a couple of minutes, but after some shifting of her hand, Ruby finally spoke.
"That's not you," She said gently.
"It used to be."
"But not anymore," Yang countered firmly.
"Yeah," she agreed. "You know that doing stuff like that is wrong now. Those people are just criminals."
"They're misguided," Blake corrected her. "And I don't know who's doing it. Sienna is okay with violence, but this doesn't seem like something she would authorise."
"Sienna?" Ruby asked, having never heard the name before.
"The person who took over when my… the old leader stepped down," Ruby heard the stutter, the correction that showed Blake had almost slipped up. She was curious what it meant, but she also knew it wasn't her place to intrude on something so personal. Blake would tell her when she was ready. "This can't be her."
"Then maybe it isn't," Yang shrugged. "Might not even be actual White Fang members. Your old uniform isn't exactly hard to copy, and people really love blaming Faunus for stuff."
"Yeah, it could just be a mistake," Ruby agreed.
Blake didn't seem convinced, but she gave a nod anyway and looked down, the girl's amber eyes meeting her own silver ones. Without hesitation, Ruby gave her a smile and after a couple of seconds, received one in return. Knowing one smile always led to another with Blake, Ruby considered it a success and let the hand holding Blake's drop to her stomach so that her aching arm could have a rest. However, with her arm aching so much, her aim was off and her hand landed a little higher than intended, instead coming to a rest on her ribs.
It took a lot of effort the not let her eyes fly wide open at the realisation of where Blake's hand now was. It was close to a certain area, but she couldn't move it without it being very clear why. Thankfully, Blake seemed to have her own ideas of where her hand should be and slowly dragged it over to where Ruby had originally intended it to be. Though that time Ruby had to keep her eyes from shutting at the pleasure Blake's fingers sent rushing through her, and it was because her eyes were still open that she saw Blake purposely looking away from her.
The kisses there easy, they were things they'd done already, but what about the things that hinted to what the future held? It was those things that were still weird between them. The little things like the close calls, the almost touches and glimpses that still made things awkward. She was very aware that Blake was holding back, she knew what kind of books the girl enjoyed after all, but it wasn't just Blake. When everything had died down yesterday, when the Faunus was in bed and Ruby was on the couch, Ruby had thought back to what she'd done during the fight.
She'd ripped open Blake's catsuit and seen more than she had before. Hell, she'd done more than see, she'd touched. Her hands had been right there, and the thoughts that came to her mind may have been amplified by the Syren's song, the Syren couldn't create those feelings. They used what was already there, and they were clearly there for Ruby. The thoughts teased her, and caused her mind to race and her cheeks to blush.
"Dear Oum, you two are s…"
Whatever they were, Ruby certainly wouldn't find out any time soon as they all heard the front door open. Pain shot through her as Yang instantly jumped to her feet, her gauntlets extended and ready to fight whatever had intruded. Her stance quickly faltered however as a male voice called from the hallways, the humorous tone exceedingly familiar to Ruby.
"Do I keep my head if I poke it out to say hello?"
Regaining her composure, Yang thrust her arm back and the audible sound of the Ember Celica's reload mechanism echoing around the room as a shell was locked into place. "Only if you brought me something?"
"Hmmm, how about ten Lien?" Their father said, his hand coming into view holding the money, only to be pulled back after Yang cocked her gauntlets again. "Right, right. How about coupon for twenty percent off at… No, you shouldn't be buying alcohol at your age. OH! I know."
A large groan came from the hallway, as if their dad was lifting something heavy, followed by a small squeak as a small girl was placed in the doorway. The expression on her face was one of shy uncertainty and her rabbit ears were folded at the tips.
"How about a cute girlfriend I found at the docks?"
Once Velvet was in view, Yang lowered her stance and returned her gauntlets to their collapsed form, the loud whirring earning a sigh of relief from the hallway. A wide grin overtook both their faces and Yang quickly made her way over to the Faunus, both pulling each other into a hug.
"The perfect gift."
"Thank Oum for that, 'cause I had nothing else," Tai chuckled as he walked past them and into the room.
He looked tired, but happy. His usually scraggly beard was longer due to the weeks travelling and his hair was a mess, though that wasn't out of the norm. His clothes were muddy and even torn in a few places, but other than that, he looked fine. He must have dropped his weapon off in the hallway though, as she didn't see it anywhere. However before he could get far past the doorway, Yang reached out a hand and stopped him with a snap of her fingers. He gave a short roll of his eyes before placing the Lien in her hand and he was finally allowed entry.
"There's my little Petal," he said as he approached Ruby and Blake, his arms open wide. "Doesn't your dad get a hug after his long and arduous mission?"
"Uhhh…" Ruby hummed nervously, still in a little pain from where Yang had moved so fast. "I am giving you one in my head."
Tai scowled at her for a minute and then gave a shake of his head. Ruby knew he didn't like their team move either, that he considered it reckless and a waste of aura, but Ruby and Yang were rather proud of the raw power of it.
"That stupid move," he sighed and dropped his arms before turning to Blake. "You must be Blake Belladonna? It's good to finally meet you."
Ruby felt the hand on her stomach leave instantly and she immediately missed its warmth. She felt Blake's legs tense up a little and could tell she was nervous about not only meeting a new person, but meeting her girlfriend's father. It was also telling of her nerves that, while she had moved the hand from her stomach, she hadn't removed her hand from Ruby's; so they were still holding hands as she offered hers out to greet him.
"It's ni…" Blake noticed Tai's eyes lock onto the joined hands and quickly released them. "It's nice to meet you too, Mr Xiao Long."
"Please, call me Tai," He smiled kindly and took Blake's hand, though it quickly turned to the same mischievous grin that Ruby feared from Yang. "Though from the way my daughter is clinging to you, you might be calling me Dad soon."
While Ruby and Blake both blushed, a snort of laughter came from Yang as the girl finally pulled away from her girlfriend and moved into the room. Velvet's nerves seemed to have subsided now the joke was over and she gave them both a smile as Yang led her back to the couch and sat down, the rabbit Faunus happily sitting on her lap as the blonde's hands wrapped around her.
"Nice one, Dad," She chuckled. "Having two people around to tease them will be so much more fun."
"For you maybe."
"Three actually," Velvet corrected her girlfriend. "Coco will be here in two days."
"Sounds like we have a full house," Tai grinned, ignoring both Ruby's and Blake's groan. "What about your fourth member? Weiss?"
"Not sure yet," Ruby replied, her hand dropping back to her stomach, which filled with butterflies as Blake's hand found it again. "We're hoping she can get back soon though."
"Got it," he breathed as he sat down in the comfy, one person chair that he always occupied. "So what were you fighting that left you in that state anyway?"
The three of them filled Tai and Velvet in on everything that had happened with the Syren. With each detail, her dad seemed to look more and more worried, even letting out a low, sad sigh when they told him about Pearl. Once they were done, he let a hand run through his messy hair and shook his head while taking a couple of minutes to think. Clearly the news of a Grimm getting through the barricade had disturbed him.
"That poor family," He said miserably after a while. "L'vynda's father recently passed away too. Did you report the breach?"
"Ruby did," Yang replied with a nod.
"They said they're sending someone out tomorrow," She confirmed. "Apparently a lot of huntsmen are being called to Vale's borders at the minute, so that was the earliest they could send anyone."
"Not surprising," He said with a yawn. "Grimm grow in strength with every day they're alive. Time is never on our side, and sometimes it feels like we are just delaying the inevitable."
"That just means we need to get stronger," Ruby said with a wide smile, hoping the cheer her father up.
Thankfully it seemed to work and her dad gave her a brief smile. "Your mom used to say the same. Oz has a plan, she'd always tell us. She was never one to give up hope."
"And she was right not to," Yang said with a firm nod, everyone in the room mimicking her action. "Though trusting Ozpin? Not too sure on that one."
"You still don't like him?" Velvet asked.
"Something about him feels off."
"That's just Oz," Tai reassured her. "He's rather… aloof, and I don't agree with everything he does; but he does have good intentions, Yang."
"Hmm, we'll see."
Yang not trusting Ozpin always confused Ruby. To her, he seemed like a good guy. He had let her into Beacon early, and always took an active role in tutoring the student's. He was also a prodigy, the youngest headmaster ever appointed to any school with an incredible track record. Sure he was a little mysterious and secretive, but so were most adults. As far as she was concerned, he obviously had reasons for hiding the things he knew. Besides, they could hardly be world changing things, or the world would already know about them.
"Anyway, I haven't slept since yesterday morning, so I'm going to bed for a nap," Tai sighed, pushing himself off the chair. "I need to be up and rested to help check the barricades tomorrow anyway. See you all later, and if Yang gives you two any trouble, you have my permission to wake me up to fight her. From the looks of that Vytal tournament footage, she needs the practise anyway."
Without looking, he caught the cushion that was thrown at him and, without any loss of movement, brought it around his body and released it so fast that it hit the blonde in the face before she could catch it. All that was heard was a soft chuckle as he left the room.
"So how's Coco?" Ruby asked Velvet one her dad was out of the room.
"She's fine," the bunny Faunus said with a smile as Yang straightened her hair out. "Her and Mate are going to see Toma for a couple of days. Then she's heading over."
"I thought her and Mate weren't talking?" Yang asked.
"Pretty sure that's why Toma wanted them over."
"Well hopefully they sort it out," Blake offered. "From what she had mentioned, he's mainly just upset she's putting herself at risk."
"Mhm," Velvet said with a hum. "So how have things been here? Yang said Grimm have been attacking quite frequently."
"Not counting the Syren, just some lesser Grimm," Ruby replied dismissively.
The next thirty minute passed with the group exchanging small talk. Velvet told them about the small mission her team had undertaken at Vale's wall where she guarded a new shipment of dust from the Grimm, while Ruby informed her about everything else that had happened. Despite seeing the girl's eyes dart to where Blake's hand was, she didn't mention it, and Ruby was thankful that the girl tended to not intrude on personal things. Gods knew that Coco would certainly not show the same courtesy when she arrived.
However, once they were all caught up, and Yang clearly began vying for attention by nuzzling her face into the nook of Velvet's neck and causing the Faunus to giggle, the girl rolled her eyes and leaned in to whisper something to Yang. A small grin spread across the blonde face as she gave a nod, and Velvet prepared to get up.
"We're gonna head up to my room too. I haven't called Coco since before the fight," Yang said as Velvet lifted off her lap, pushing herself up to slip and arm around the smiling Faunus' shoulders. "Don't you two do anything we wouldn't."
"That's not exactly very restricting," Blake countered.
"She does have a point," Velvet giggled.
"Wow!" Yang exclaimed, her hand going to her chest in mock insult. "And here I was thinking of using the Lien I just earned to buy you a carrot cake."
"Oh you are definitely still buying me that," Velvet argued, pulling the blonde away. "Goodbye you two."
"Later," They both replied as the sulking blonde and grinning Faunus left the room as well.
With everyone gone, even the television couldn't make up for noise they took with them. Not quite knowing how to break it, Ruby simply laid there in the quiet as Blake's fingers slowly ran through her hair. Though awkward at first, it quickly became a nice feeling and Ruby found her eyes closing to enjoy the attention further.
The peace was easily one she sank into, as those moments were what they often sought at Beacon. Those small little meetings where they sat alone in an unused classroom and ate lunch, the quiet afternoons in the plaza when Yang and Weiss were sparring with whatever strong opponent they had chosen that day. As she laid there, she realised how much she missed those moments.
Being back at the house had been great, but Yang was around all the time and there were no other students for her to challenge to fights, so those moments were nowhere to be found. However, with Velvet having arrived for the rest of the vacation and Coco arriving soon, Ruby knew her sister would be so busy that she would be able to drag Blake away for some more private moments. She could already imagine the places she could take her. Gratitude Ruins on the west lookout, Breathing Hill; a little boring in comparison, but maybe even the small arcade and movie place that always showed the old black and white films that Ruby knew Blake loved.
Yeah, cuddling up in a dark movie theater sounded a little cliche, but it had to be cliche for a reason. She could just imagine it. The dark room, the old romance movie playing as they cuddled on the couches that the owner preferred over individual chairs, popcorn and maybe even pizza from the store next door to it. It was exceedingly simple, but so was Ruby.
"You're a little quiet," she heard Blake say, the girl's hand still gently toying with her hair. "What are you thinking about?"
"Spots I can take you on the island," she admitted with a smile.
"Oh? Gunna whisk me away somewhere Yang can't interrupt us?"
"Maaaybe," she grinned up at the Faunus, earning a slight chuckle from her.
Enjoying the sound of Blake's laughter, Ruby tightened her grip on the girl's hand and felt it respond in kind. However, feeling the fingers graze against her stomach caused it to flinch, and Blake's laughter quickly began to fade. Instead her face became slightly more serious and contemplative. Though she preferred her girlfriend to be laughing, she couldn't help but marvel at how quickly Blake could switch from happy to serious, and vice-versa.
"You really trust going somewhere alone with me after yesterday?"
Her marvel faded at that question, replaced with confusion as she had no idea what almost dying had to do with her trusting being around her.
"Huh?"
"I looked up the Syren this morning in your dad's bestiary," Blake sighed, her hand pausing it stroking as the gold eyes filled with remorse. "They trigger desire and are more effective on people with more of it. I'm trying my best to control them and am letting you take things at your own pace, but when I was presented with the choice yesterday, I couldn't resist it. And because of that, you were down a team member for the fight."
"And we still won," Ruby said immediately. "And you weren't the only one it affected, Blake."
With a groan, Ruby forced herself into a sitting position and turned on her sulking girlfriend. The pain the movement caused didn't matter, as she wasn't about to let Blake blame herself for something a Grimm had done to her.
"But I was affected the most, Ruby," Blake sighed and slowly stood up to pace the room a little. "Me suppressing stuff and the annoyance at how I feel, how I'm so fixated and easily obsessing over something that I shouldn't care about yet. It's those negative emotions that made me an easy target. I heard it the moment we started our search and didn't pick up on it despite knowing that there could be something around. I caught my mind wondering and suspected nothing, I said nothing. And I almost died. Yang had to save me by jumping in freezing cold water and then protect us while you helped me. She could have died too doing either one of those things. I put you both at risk."
"We're at risk everyday," Ruby breathed.
"But it was never because of me!" Blake's voice was firm as she turned, her amber eyes glowing. "Everyone around me gets hurt. I'm just… I'm scared that will happen to you, or Yang, or Weiss."
"I know that," Ruby sighed, reaching out a hand and stifling the grunt of pain as she pulled the girl back into her seat. "And I can't say we won't ever get hurt, but I can say that we will never care. You once told me that if you died by a mistake of mine, you would be fine knowing I would use it as a lesson to make sure no-one died the same way again. Yesterday was my mistake. I had all the clues I needed to figure it out what it was, but I didn't because I had faith in our barricades."
"That doesn't change that fact I was still the most affected for a reason."
"You were the most affected, but anyone could have been chosen. Me, Yang, even Weiss if she were her. All of us have desires."
"But you dad's bes…"
"Blake, my dad's bestiary is outdated," she cut the girl off firmly. "Syrens don't trigger it, they amplify it, so it doesn't matter how much desire you have for something, they will keep amplifying it until its all you can think about. You were the focus of its song for a while without knowing it was there. With that much time, even I would have fallen for it."
"But you didn't."
"Because I was already fighting it by the time it turned its song on me properly," Ruby countered with a shake of her head. "That doesn't mean it didn't show me things. Even when I was tending to you, I… I thought… things, and they even tempted me despite the danger."
Ruby felt a heat rise in her cheeks as she prepared to address the other things Blake had said. She wasn't too sure how to go about it without embarrassing herself immensely, but clearly Blake was struggling with those feelings and she wanted to put an end to that. She wanted Blake to be herself, and Ruby was very aware of who that was.
"And as for you trying to control… those feelings, I don't want you to," Ruby breathed, seeing Blake's head immediately snap around to face her and knowing she should explain better. "I mean… I'm not ready for… that, or anything like that, but I don't mind you trying to take things further than we are."
"What?"
"I'm new to this," Ruby shrugged and gave her girlfriend a sheepish smile. "And those situations are a little awkward for me because I have no idea what I'm doing. So I might need a little… help… getting to them."
"Oh!"
"Yeah."
Both of them were silent for a while as they processed what had just been acknowledged. Ruby had essentially just given Blake the green light to be the one who tried to take their relationship to those next levels, but she knew if it was only her doing it alone then it would take forever. And Ruby didn't want that. Sure she was a while away from such things, but that certainly didn't mean she didn't already want them eventually; or think about them regularly.
"Are… Are you sure about that?" Blake asked cautiously.
"Mhm," Ruby replied with a nod. "Nothing too fast, but I'm fine… No, I want you to feel comfortable helping me work out things."
"A-Alright," Blake stuttered, a small hint of red tinting her cheeks now.
Silence followed as the understanding settled in for both of them. Squeezing Blake's hand firmly, she turned to look at her and the moment their eyes connected, Blake moved in. It took less than a second for the lips to connect, and the kiss was far more than anything Ruby had felt before. All of their previous ones were careful and a little reserved, them testing uncharted waters to see if they were warm or cold, but the one she was currently experiencing was full of heat and passion.
Blake's lips were pressed firmly against hers, a hand was on her cheek and Ruby could feel the short breaths that left the girl's nose brush over her face. It wasn't a kiss that left her lips tingling like all the others, but one that left them burning. Burning for more. Her body realised that before her mind did, and was already responding to its own desires. She pressed in closer and found that the pain in her body had subsided, or more likely that her mind turned off the sensation because it had more important things to experience. She could feel the lips on hers, taste the apple she'd eaten for lunch, she could hear the breaths the girl was taking through her nose, and even her delicate floral smell filled Ruby's nose. The only sense that wasn't filled with Blake was her sight, and that was only because Ruby was physically unable to keep her eyes open as pleasure shot through her body.
And just like that, it ended as quickly as it began. Blake's lips were no longer on hers and she already missed them. Ruby could still feel it, her lips aching for a return to the actions that had taken place seconds before, but she knew Blake was now in control of herself again. Clearly at Ruby's own words, the girl had willingly let that control drop for a second to show what that permission was allowing.
As she opened her eyes, they were met once again by amber orbs. The orbs held a little worry in them, a nervousness that what had been done was too much. But it wasn't. The only thing that kiss had proved was that Ruby had made the right decision, so she was happy to see her girlfriend let out a sigh of relief at the smile she was given.
Glad that hurdle was finally over, Ruby let out a sigh of her own and turned back around to lay on her girlfriend's lap and felt Blake's hand immediately returned to her hair. To anyone who walked in, it would look like nothing had happened, but it had. And Ruby couldn't wait to see what the newest change would bring about.
Raalm's Notes
So just a small relaxation chapter today :) Next weeks is a little more fun, but we wanted to just touch on a few things this time and get Ruby and Blake to a more understanding place. Hopefully you enjoyed it.
Just to touch on the Syren a little. We tried to make it clear in this chapter, but the Syren doesn't actually create desire. It simply amplifies what is already there until you become so narrow minded by it that you can mistake its body for the one you are thinking of. There is no actually mind manipulation, just it's song.
Anyway, that's it from me. I hope everyone has a good 2020. The next chapter will be up on the 9th of January (My birthday) and is one we had a lot of fun writing and Toxic really seemed to love xD So I hope you are excited for that :)
Toxic's Notes
Happy new year everyone. Not much to say here, except that the fog caused by the Syren was only a minor illusion that only Blake could see. It can be easy to break once you know its there, and is less effective against multiple foes. Its mainly only used against ships when they are in a group.