Significant Changes: A few added segments of dialogue. That's about it.
Revisited chapter length: 3,368
"Regular dialogue" [Faunus speech only]
Chapter 31
Ruby spent three long days on the road before she was able to return home with visions of a hot shower and a soft bed dancing in her mind. What she didn't expect was an ambush as soon as she hit the door. One small little blur pounced first, blocking her line of sight, and forcing her to take a step backward in surprise. A much faster, and larger mass followed a breath after, bowling all three of them over, and along the front stoop.
Ruby blinked up at her captors, small Faunus claws already latching into the fabric of her cloak with a happy purr. Meanwhile a set of golden eyes reflected in the dark night, peering into Ruby's own silver orbs. Together, both Faunus seemed entirely too pleased with themselves. "I missed you too." Ruby croaked out, her aura flaring around her to soothe her back.
A soft and sweet kiss was Blake's only response as she scooped Ruby up, and carrying her inside the house, Ace still clinging into the cloak fabric, and nuzzling into Ruby's chest. "You're late." Blake noted as she took Ruby into the bedroom. "I fully expected you to be home this morning."
"Trust me, I wanted to be home the day before. You know how it goes on foot." Ruby said, allowing herself to be deposited on their shared bed.
"I do." Blake conceded. "I just don't think it was due to being on foot. Your semblance takes care of that."
Ruby winced when Blake pried the young cat Faunus from her clothes and deposited the young girl into a makeshift crib. Yang's newest invention. Several pieces of wood had been hammered into the sides and secured by the bed posts. It was a sad display, especially since Ace could climb out of it without a second thought. Her little ears perked up before the sound of her nails clawing into the wood made Ruby laugh as Ace popped up from behind the barrier.
"So?" Blake asked, as she pulled Ace off of the wooden slats, and tucked her back in. "What kept you Ruby, really?"
"There were some problems with the cargo, but it was nothing we couldn't sort out."
Blake nodded, looking back over her shoulder one more time to make sure Ace stayed put. Then she stalked back across the room, pulling Ruby into another hug, and kissing the nape of her neck.
"Oh, Blakey don't do that, I probably taste like the forest, and who knows what else."
"Is that supposed to be a turnoff?" Blake asked, her lips still pressed to the nape of Ruby's neck.
"Well, I just don't think it's a turn on…" Ruby retorted, quite unsure what to make of the affection she was being given. She had fully expected to be marched in to the nearest shower the moment she hit the door. "I mean, it's not, right?"
Blake chuckled lightly at the question.
The woman smelled of the dense pine found in the forests, mixed with the sweetness of maple. It was as though she had been resting up against one of the trunks just the night before. Mixed with it, of course, were the less desirable fragrances of Grimm, old sweat, and oil. A tinge of something metallic, such as blood told Blake that Ruby had sustained minor injuries that had since healed.
Blake pulled away then, taking the time to unlace the muddied boots Ruby was wearing. She hadn't wanted Ruby tracking boot prints through the house, but now she had to suffer against the terrible odor that she knew would be there, trapped in the confines of the leather and steel.
"A turn on, no. A comfort, yes." Blake supplied after a moment, as her fingers worked the laces of the other boot. "Call me a worrier all you want, but I don't like not being with you."
"You know I always take currier missions alone. It's not that big a deal."
"I don't have to like it." Blake said, rising from her knelt position. "I smell old blood on your clothes, Ruby. I know it's yours. Harmless little scratches or not, I'm entitled to my worry. I'm also within my rights to insure you're not hiding any injuries from me."
"It's nothing my aura didn't mend." Ruby said with a shake of her head, lifting part of her shirt to keep Blake from searching further. "See? This was where the cuts were. It's not even from a Grimm, it's just a few scratches I got from one of the shipment boxes. There were weapons inside, but one of the grenades went off and blew the top off of the weapon's crate. Some shrapnel got me when I was covering one of the merchants."
Blake sighed softly, a mix of exasperation and amusement forcing the hot breath from her lips as she leaned in to Kiss Ruby once more. "Go wash up and get into something comfortable, and I'll make you something sweet to eat. Sound good to you?"
"Yeah, you know, it really does." Ruby nodded, not above the bribery of the matter, and smirking to herself as she considered just how curious Blake could be in her own subtle ways. It was good to be home again.
"You really should just say something."
"Yang, you know I can't."
"Can't or won't?"
"Would you stop living vicariously? If you're so interested in romantic overtures, perhaps you should find someone for yourself."
Yang shook her head, toying with the straw in her fruity drink. There wasn't any liquor in the bright concoction, but that didn't stop Yang from demanding an umbrella from the kitchen staff anyway. She looked across the field. Weiss was currently engaged in battle drills with Coco, the two of them seemingly trying to obliterate the entire training field in a glorious combination of bullets and dust. It was an impressive display, and the fact that neither woman held back made for a brutal fight.
"I'm not a total pervert, but Weiss has a really nice ass. Small, perky, nice and tight…you've seen Weiss naked before, tell me she's not hot."
"We've been over this."
"You're so lucky I make it a policy not to hit on people my friends have crushes on. Well, that and because I know better than to hit on Weiss. We'd last a week tops, and then kill each other." She turned to Pyrrha then. "That said, if you ask her out, she'd totally say yes."
"I doubt that."
"Pyr…"
"I'm alright Yang, truly. I'm thankful for your concern, but honestly, I'm perfectly fine with the way things are."
"Which is why you keep sighing every time you look at her." Yang pointed out. Completely ignoring the borderline murderous look her friend was giving her, Yang's voice softened. "You're like a love sick puppy. Thing is, Weiss isn't like Jaune. She's spent her entire like learning how to read people and outsmart them." Yang's voice become softer still. "She knows, Pyrrha…" Yang told the woman. "She has to know, there's no way she doesn't."
"She hasn't said a word to indicate such a thing." Pyrrha protested. "I'm sure that if she had even the slightest inkling, she would have confronted me."
"Nah." Yang laughed, wincing when Weiss made contact with Coco's boot, flying backwards into a dirt pile. Weiss gained her bearings before launching herself back into combat with a series of glyphs. "If living with Weiss has taught me one thing, it's that she'll bitch and moan about stuff that doesn't really matter. When it comes to the things that do, she's pretty timid."
"Truly?"
"Yep." Yang nodded, popping the end of the word between her lips. "She probably doesn't know how to deal with the idea that people genuinely like her. Aside from her older sister, Winter, she comes from a family of total assholes. Riddle me this, did your parents ever backhand you for no good reason?"
"What?!" Pyrrha shook her head, appalled by the mere thought of it. Her parents were strict, but they never once raised a hand to her maliciously. Training with her father was an entirely different matter, but even that was done with care and consideration. It was never an act of cruelty. "No! Never, of course not. Why on earth would they do something like that?"
"Hell if I know. According to my uncle, her dad's a total dickhead." Yang said with a shrug. "She doesn't talk about it, but she cries in her sleep sometimes. Between you and me, she needs someone in her life to show her a little bit of love. Having a team is great and all, and we'll always be like a family. It's not enough, though. I know that. If you think you can give her more than we can, then you really should. Weiss deserves it, and frankly, so do you."
In her humble opinion, Weiss was the most beautiful person on the face of the planet, and Pyrrha truly believed that. It wasn't just her body, intellect, or skill, though all of those things stood on their own merits. It was something else entirely that was attractive in Weiss. It was her independence, her drive, her focus. Weiss needed others by choice, not because she couldn't take care of herself. She was empowered by those around her, but could manage on her own if she absolutely had to.
In fact, in some small way she had been alone for a long time, being entirely self-reliant emotionally for far too long.
She didn't need anybody, but she wanted to need others. She wanted to have those people need her in return too. Being in a relationship with her, loving her, would prove difficult for vastly different reasons than caring for Jaune had, and Pyrrha knew this. Hesitated because of it. Lastly, there was Ace to consider. Weiss refused to identify as a parent, but, in some manner of speaking, that was exactly what she was.
Weiss had a hand in raising the young girl, and Ace adored Weiss in her own way.
Furthermore, for as little as Yang thought of the matter, there was no telling what Ruby or Blake might think. Honestly, it worried Pyrrha. Would they think she was trying to be an imposition? Pyrrha had never asked, and had no way of knowing. She feared that even Weiss would turn her down based purely on her responsibilities to the household.
Weiss was a major breadwinner after all. One thing was for sure. If Weiss did accept her feelings and return them equally, Pyrrha knew her own role in Ace's life, in team RWBY's life, would reflect that.
It was one thing to be a beloved friend, and welcome babysitter. It was another ting entirely to be seen as part of the family. There was yet another problem, too.
Family…
It was a loaded word for Weiss…
For all of team RWBY, even if the title vanished, the intent remained.
With all of those things in the front of her mind, it was a murmured observation that finally outed her feelings. "I am quite taken with you." It was so soft, she prayed that Weiss didn't actually hear it. Truth be told, she hadn't actually meant to speak the runaway thought aloud.
But Weiss had heard something, and regarded Pyrrha levelly, almost as if confused.
There was no pretending now. "I…I said that I am quite taken with you." Pyrrha said, forcing her courage to stand its ground, glancing over to Weiss and finding her critical stare to be far too much to take.
"Impossible." Weiss replied. "Not to mention, it's not humorous in the least."
"It's no joke." Pyrrha said. "Loathe though I am to admit that for obvious reasons..." Pyrrha let her gaze fall then, a small hint of frustration in her words. "I am deeply interested in you Weiss, romantically speaking. Forgive me, I realize that even thinking that way isn't appropriate. We're teammates now, and I know that my feelings complicate the matter."
Weiss sighed softly, hand falling over Pyrrha's own. "I must admit, I had my suspicions. I'm more shocked that you both confirmed and debunked them."
"Yang was correct then, when she said that you were already aware." Pyrrha bit the inside of her cheek.
She was caught. Wanting no more than to put space between them, and knowing that doing so would easily offend the white haired woman. Though Pyrrha would have happily melted into oblivion, she would never do anything to upset Weiss. Pulling away would have done strictly that. The feeling of that dainty hand over her own felt like enough to trap her there forever.
There was very little irony in this moment.
No balm to heal away the truth Pyrrha worked so hard to hide. Side by side, she stood with someone who held her exposed and beating heart. Pyrrha knew she was rumored to be invincible. Yet, this was all the more proof that Pyrrha was anything of the sort. She waited for that painful grip of rejection, her breathing shallow.
The silence dragged on for far too long before Weiss broke it. "I wasn't aware that I was the cause." She said uneasily. "When you take an interest in someone, rare as it is, your demeanor changes. You become distant in some ways, despondent perhaps. In other ways, you gentle yourself. Those things, they're obvious." Weiss nodded more to herself than to Pyrrha before looking down at their joined hands.
Pyrrha was speechless to it. What could she say to that when her mouth felt like sandpaper?
Weiss tightened her grip only slightly. "So, in answer to your question, I knew there was someone. Mistakenly, I assumed your affections were aimed towards a male. Perhaps one of the guards, or, one of our new bunkmates. To me, that seemed plausible."
"It has only been you." Pyrrha murmured before her voice found some measure of strength. "I don't even know when I began to notice such feelings towards you. However, when I became positive that they would not change, I knew I would have to say something. I just didn't think it would be through a slip of the tongue such as this. For that, I sincerely am sorry. It was foolish to think that you would reciprocate my feelings."
"Don't misunderstand." Weiss said, her voice fast as a whip, and crashing through the air in the same abrupt way. Weiss tightened her grip on Pyrrha's hand further still, a layer of warm clamminess building between them. Ever so slowly, she pulled away and looked into the setting sun. "There is no possible way that you could have feelings for me, Pyrrha."
"If that's so, then the impossible had become possible."
Weiss let go a bitter laugh. "I have done nothing to win over your affections. It was never my intention to ever put myself in such a position. Doing so with anyone would mean accepting that I'm even capable of such emotions in the first place…"
Pyrrha didn't dare hope. "But, you are capable?" She couldn't allow even a glimmer of such a thing to blind her. "You are, aren't you?"
Weiss closed in on herself. "You don't understand." Her arms wrapped around her body, as a self-imposed shield. "I came to a conclusion long ago. One that very few would ever agree with, but that I've found to be factual."
"Weiss?" Hope would only bring more pain. Yet it settled there in her chest anyway. "I want to understand. I need to."
The shorter woman swallowed hard. "It's disgusting to deny yourself. To do so for so long that it wholeheartedly becomes part of the malignancy that drives you…but when denial is all that you know, when failure to live up to even your own expectations becomes the reality you face every day…there is no escape from that…"
"Weiss-"
"Let me finish." Weiss interrupted. "People say that emotions like that can be overcome, however I have not found a way. I would like to, but I haven't. I am nothing more than a list of my failings. How could I possibly have anything to offer?"
Pyrrha's jaw worked back and forth, as if to speak, but no words were able to come out as her chest constricted tighter. The pain of rejection was so easy to cast aside when Weiss looked as if she were suffering from some unimaginable ache that had lingered for years, buried so deeply that no one was to know about it…
But, that wasn't true either. Yang obviously had known, had spoken of it so much that Pyrrha mentally berated her own blindness.
She narrowed her eyes, frowning, wondering where on the face of Remnant that Weiss had learned to hate herself so greatly. It wasn't low self-esteem. This was different.
Sinister.
To Weiss, it was as steadfast as fact. One that could not be changed. One that would never be. Pyrrha already had a good idea of who to blame for this, and internally, she was wishing the man damnation for it.
Outwardly, her green eyes softened. "You truly have no concept of how wonderful a person you are, do you?"
"I have done irredeemable things, Pyrrha…" Weiss told her. "Things that if you knew, you would greatly rethink the way you see me. The very blood that runs through my body isn't noble. The things my family have done are unforgiveable, and even my elder sister is not without fault. I can't even fathom the extent of the atrocities that continue because of my family. Even if I could, I can't do anything to stop them, not truly."
"You are not your family…"
"I am cut from the same cloth. Take of that what you will." She grit her teeth, a show of rage that was aimed entirely inward. Completely at herself. "As if all of that wasn't complicated enough to deal with, I have to look at myself in the mirror every day. I know the truth. I know that I will never be the person I want to be." She said, turning fully towards Pyrrha. "Look at me, Pyrrha." She demanded, her hands splayed out at her sides as though to showcase herself fully. "The person I wanted to be was never this, and then to be a lesbian on top of it…"
Pyrrha did the only thing she could think of to do. She put her arms around Weiss as securely as possible. "I would not think differently."
"Don't do this to me..."
"I already have." And having Weiss in her arms was heavenly in spite of everything. "I'm sorry, Weiss, truly I am. However, I cannot accept those things as a proper rejection. I cannot give up so easily, especially when you have not turned me away. You have not denied me, all you seem to be doing is denying yourself…and I cannot let you do that."
"There is no possible way you could want this." Weiss argued weakly.
"Yes, I do." There was no hesitation in her voice. It was soft, but full of resolve and steel. "I want this more than you could ever even fathom. I know that you are capable of returning my feelings. So long as I am sure of that, I have nothing to fear."
"I can't." Weiss shot back. "I'm a monster, born and raised. Don't you understand? You're going to get hurt…"
"Then let me get hurt!" Pyrrha demanded, pulling away only far enough to cup those porcelain cheeks in her hands, her thumbs pushing away the waterfall that started to form in those crystal blue eyes. "Let me see the real you, and if that hurts me, so be it. Let me decide if you're worth the pain you think you'll cause." For as delicate as Weiss looked, Pyrrha felt like she was trying to break down a fortress, the likes of which she had never encountered before. "Weiss, please, just let me love you."
Weiss closed her eyes as she shook uncontrollably. Nodding her head was the only answer she could manage before Pyrrha gave her another tight hug that Weiss melted into. Her tears were still freely flowing in silence. Her breath was uneven, though her sobs were soundless. A purging of so many things she'd bottled up for years dripping out of her like poison as she wrapped her arms around Pyrrha in return.
How could one woman smash down her defenses so easily? Why did Pyrrha even want to?
Love was a fallacy. A lie people told to get what they wanted. It wasn't real, it couldn't be real.
Yet, in that moment, Weiss truly wished it was.
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