Greetings, friends! After the events of the last chapter, I decided to give everyone a moment to stop and breathe. Enjoy!
"I'm sorry," Pyrrha murmured for probably the hundredth time that morning. She paused in the act of combing Blake's long, horribly-matted locks. "That didn't hurt too much, did it?"
"No," Blake replied. "I'm fine. Just ignore me if I flinch."
After the hunt had ended, the pack had returned to see Sun and Neptune waiting for them with a weak, nervous Blake sitting between them. Ruby had rushed to her friend immediately, hugging her close before remembering that she was in her wolf form and hastily changing back. Blake clung tightly to her while Sun explained that she was a runaway from Adam's pack, and had been the other girl who had been bitten during the raid.
Cinder had not been happy to see this new werewolf in her territory. Her lips had curled, but a glance at Ruby's pleading eyes had caused her to relent. Neptune was positive that Cinder was trying to get Ruby on her side, and was mainly letting Blake into the pack for her sake.
Now Ruby, Pyrrha, and Blake were by one of the mountain streams, trying to get the grime of several days off of the emaciated cat Faunus.
Ruby took some more soap from the nearby rock and walked over, carefully rubbing it into the fur of Blake's ears. "There you go. Doesn't that feel better?"
"Mm hm." Blake closed her eyes, letting out a gravelly purr as Ruby's small fingertips pressed into her filthy fur and rubbed it clean. Despite the pain in her tangled hair, she was feeling better than she would have thought was possible a few days ago.
"I really missed that purr!" Ruby said, eyes shimmering happily. She and Pyrrha had both agreed to not ask about what had happened in Adam's pack. Blake would tell when she was ready. Right now, what was important was making her comfortable in her new surroundings.
Sun and his group were ready to help as needed, of course, and a tentative friendship was beginning to form between them and Blake. Sun especially seemed to like her.
Once Blake was clean and her hair was combed out, they returned to Pyrrha's den to feed her some more meat. Because Blake was new and hadn't participated in the hunt, she hadn't received a share. Of course, Ruby and Pyrrha were happy to let her eat most of their portions.
Blake bit into the raw meat, grimacing at the metallic taste of the blood. Her ears flicked as she tried to focus on anything but the feeling of wetness trickling between her fingers.
"So, Blake," Ruby said, hoping that conversation would draw her friend out a bit. "Do you know what kind of wolf you are?"
Blake shook her head. "I only changed on the full moon. I didn't have a choice then." She glanced at Ruby out of the corner of her eye, a hint of accusation there. "But, you've been changing willingly."
Ruby's face flushed, but only slightly. At this point, the shame she would have felt a few days ago in the face of such a statement was nearly gone. "Yeah. I've realized that it's not bad to be a werewolf. I'm still myself, and Pyrrha has been a good friend."
"And you somehow got the others to break basically every law that Huntsmen follow." Blake sighed. "I guess that's why you didn't just kill me."
"Did you…want us to?" Ruby asked, her voice breaking. With what she knew now, she couldn't believe that, just a little while ago, she had been the one to want death in the face of a werewolf bite.
"Yes," Blake replied, her voice low and sad. "Every day, I prayed to God and the Maidens that someone would kill me before Adam got impatient enough to…to do what he wanted to do with me." She shivered involuntarily.
Ruby immediately leaned over and hugged Blake. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that! Don't worry, though. You're safe, now. We'll have a good time in the pack. You'll see."
"Adam will probably come looking for me," Blake warned. "He wanted me, Ruby. I can't even describe the…hunger in his eyes when he looked at me!"
Pyrrha was very curious as to why Adam apparently hadn't forced himself on Blake. If he was as obsessed and crazed as Blake and others had described him to be, wouldn't it make sense, particularly during the mating season? Still, despite her confusion, she bit her tongue. Blake will tell us when she's ready. There's no point in making her revisit what happened.
Instead of voicing her thoughts, she said: "Adam hasn't mounted a full-scale attack in our territory yet. Even though his pack is bigger, our territory has more strategic points. If he attacks, we can retreat into the mountains. A few miles in, there's a narrow pass that only lets one or two people through at a time. We'd be able to fend him off there until he got tired." She patted Blake's shoulder gently. "Don't worry. You'll never have to go near him again."
"Thanks," Blake said, though she really didn't believe that her experiences with Adam were anywhere near over. "I'm glad that Ruby had you, at least." She shuddered to think of how Ruby would have dealt with someone like Adam.
"You do too, now," Pyrrha reminded her. "Any friend of Ruby's is a friend of mine."
"Also, you can talk to the others tomorrow," Ruby said eagerly. "We took a day off of our meetings, so everyone can rest, but we'll be going tomorrow. Well…you and Pyrrha will be going, anyway."
Blake tilted her head. "Don't you want to come with us?"
Ruby nodded quickly. "I do! I really, really do. But…" She glanced toward the den entrance. "Cinder has been asking me to do more around here lately. Since I'm an alpha, she really wants me to be on her side."
"But, isn't Pyrrha-?"
"I'll explain everything later," Pyrrha cut in, her voice suddenly sounding more tired than her body felt.
"Okay." Blake knew better than to pry. "Did Flynt and Neon get to the wastelands okay?"
"Yes. According to Sage, they were happy to see Perry. None of them seem to want to return to Adam's territory," Pyrrha said.
"Not even Perry?" Ruby tilted her head. "He acted like a huge supporter of Adam when we were talking to him."
"Perhaps seeing Flynt and Neon made him rethink a few things," Blake said. "He blindly followed Adam, but I think that's mostly because he was used to the alpha stare being used on him."
Pyrrha frowned. "How often does Adam use the stare on his pack members?"
"A lot," Blake said, shivering. "It was creepy. He used it on me once, just to show me what it could do." Her ears flattened. "My mind went blank. If he had asked me to jump into a lake and drown myself, I would have been halfway to the bottom before realizing what was wrong."
Ruby hugged Blake again. "Why don't you go to sleep? You don't have to tell us anything until you want to, okay?"
"Thanks. I think I'll be able to talk more tomorrow, when we see the others." Blake returned Ruby's hug. "And I'll tell you when we get back."
The two held each other silently for a moment before Ruby hesitantly spoke up again. "Hey, Blake? You don't still want to die…do you?"
Blake closed her eyes, savoring the familiar warmth of her childhood friend. "No," she murmured. "Not anymore."
…
It had taken a better part of the morning to discreetly burn Ren's clothes from the previous night and wash the disgusting brown residue from his skin. By the time he was sufficiently clean, he decided that there was no point in trying to go to bed.
He yawned as he stood over the stove, cooking pancakes for breakfast. He kept a jar of maple syrup close to his arm, shooting Nora a warning glare whenever she came too close. As soon as spring began and maple syrup season started, Ren had made sure to purchase several bottles whenever a merchant dropped by. Despite always getting a huge amount, supplies in the house dwindled very quickly.
He wondered if that new merchant Yang and Weiss had spoken to carried syrup. He made a mental note to ask the next time he saw them.
Then, quicker than a werewolf's claws, he turned around and smacked an approaching hand with his spatula. "Nora!"
Nora yelped, grabbing her wrist and pouting. "Aw, I just wanted to make sure it was still good."
"Maple syrup lasts for a long time, Nora," Ren said patiently. "Or, it would in a house you weren't living in." He softened his words with a small smile and a light tap on the nose before turning back to the stove. "The pancakes and syrup always taste better together, anyway. If you were more patient and actually let me get to the point of serving them, you'd know that."
"Mmph!"
"Nora, away from the plate!"
Nora jumped back with a muffled squeak, leaving two uneaten pancakes. The stack had held eight a second ago. She swallowed hurriedly, trying to look repentant.
Ren shook his head, unable to keep from chuckling. "At least let me eat mine, okay?"
"Okay," Nora chirped, grinning brightly. She watched as Ren measured out some more batter and started making another pancake. She glanced at the calm focus on his tired face before stepping closer to lean into his side.
Ren paused, looking at his friend out of the corner of his eye. She was gazing up at him with that familiar smile on her face, but something was different. There was something warmer about the look in her eyes. He thought back to the previous night, when she had hugged him and tearfully said that she loved him.
Of course, his response had been true. He loved Nora very much. She was his closest friend and, when he allowed such thoughts to enter his head, the person he would gladly spend the rest of his life with. He had never mentioned that second part, however. He had always figured that she saw him as an older brother figure. That had to be what she had meant last night, right?
Once he was done with the last pancake, he put it on the plate and took the syrup to the table. Unlike Nora, Ren only needed three cakes to fill his stomach.
There was silence for a few minutes as Ren ate his breakfast. Nora sat close to him, still watching him. He finished one of the pancakes before speaking. "Why so quiet, Nora? I hope you're not hurting yourself," he joked gently.
Nora stared at the table. "Just…thinking about last night. I'm really glad everyone's okay."
By "everyone," Nora clearly meant Ren most of all. Ren placed a hand on her shoulder. "Me too. We really are lucky that things have worked out so well. I hope Blake will be able to adjust now that she's away from Adam."
"Me too. He sounded horrible!" Nora grimaced. "Werewolves might not be all evil, but I'll gladly bash his skull in if I ever see his ugly face!"
"You'll have to get in line. I think Yang gets first punch if we ever meet him," Ren said, thinking back to the ugly rope that had been around Blake's neck when he had first seen her.
Nora nodded. After a moment, she scooted close to Ren and rested her cheek on his arm.
Ren's face flushed. "Don't think you can steal my pancakes that easily," he said, hoping that the slight tremor in his voice wasn't noticeable.
Nora hugged his arm and nuzzled against his shoulder. She had come far too close to losing him last night. Even hours later, she felt like making sure he was really there. She closed her eyes. "I love you," she murmured.
That night, she hadn't fully realized what she had said until Ren said that he loved her too. Of course, she wasn't sure if he had meant the same kind of love. Still, the fact that the world hadn't imploded in response to her confession (as a part of her mind used to always suspect it would) made her feel perfectly calm about saying it again.
Ren froze, his mouth going dry. That was the second time she had said that in less than a day. Though they had been friends for years, she had never told him that she loved him. He always knew that she loved him as a friend, but…
"Nora, what do you mean when you say that?" he asked, deciding to just speak quickly so that he wouldn't lose his nerve.
Nora looked up at him. There was no judgment or disgust in his voice, only the calm, gentle tone that Ren was known for. She met his magenta gaze, which was full of calculation, sleepiness, and something else.
"I…" She swallowed loudly, feeling her cheeks heating up again. It was now or never. "I love you, Ren. Like, not just as a friend. I mean, I do love you as a friend too, but… I…" She glanced to the side. "I love you like how Weiss and Ruby love each other. I have for a long time. Maybe since we met as kids after our parents died." She sighed. "I know you said you love me too, but it's fine if you just meant as friends. I mean, you probably just see me as a little sister, and that's totally okay, and- Mm?"
She was cut off by a finger gently touching her lips. When she looked up, Ren was smiling at her. It wasn't his usual half-smile, though. It was a look of pure happiness that showed in his upturned lips and his shining eyes. Her heart pounded as she took it in.
He needed to say something, but he wasn't sure what. He had never been good with words. Did he repeat that he loved her too? No, that wasn't clear enough. What did he want to say? What did he want?
"May I kiss you?" The words came out suddenly, but as soon as he spoke them, Ren knew that that was what he wanted most in that moment.
Nora's eyes widened. For a second, she was convinced that her heart stopped beating due to pure shock. She managed to snap out of it just enough to nod her head, still staring at her best friend with a stunned expression.
Ren leaned closer, moving his finger from Nora's lips and instead cupping her cheek in his palm. His heart melted when she immediately nuzzled into it, closing her eyes and smiling. He softly pecked the corner of that smile. Then, he moved up a little to kiss the tip of her nose. "Boop," he muttered playfully.
Nora giggled. "Ren…" She opened one eye while smiling at him. "Kiss me for real."
Why is she this cute? It's not fair. Ren gently rubbed his nose against hers. "Okay," he breathed before touching his lips fully to hers.
Nora made a happy squeaking noise in her throat as she threw her arms around Ren, nearly knocking him from his chair in her excitement. She moved her lips eagerly against his, tangling the fingers of one hand in his dark hair. His arms wrapped snugly around her waist, pulling her into his lap, where she nestled even closer.
Ren closed his eyes, allowing himself to be swept away by the pure bliss of the moment. After days of grief, uncertainty, confusion, and danger, he was all too happy to melt into Nora's arms and enjoy the simple pleasure of her warm embrace and smiling lips. He felt her tongue run across his bottom lip and willingly opened his mouth.
The taste of maple syrup that still lingered on Ren's tongue was simply intoxicating. Nora stroked gently with her own, tugging playfully at his hair.
The two eventually moved back from each other, though their foreheads remained touching. Ren peppered a few feather-light kisses over Nora's flushed cheeks, unable to resist her adorable giggling.
"R-Ren! That tickles!" Nora laughed, batting his shoulder.
"Sorry," Ren replied, though he wasn't at all.
The air between them was warm, and their hearts were beating faster than they ever did during a hunt. Yet, there was a simple sense of calm contentment that overshadowed everything. They gazed into each other's eyes, knowing that their expressions of pure joy and elation were perfectly mirrored on the other's face.
I figured that, since I'm going slowburn with the Arkos and White Rose, I at least owed you some fluff in the form of Team Sloth. These two are too freaking cute, and I never get tired of making scenarios for them to get together-together.
The next few chapters will be Blake recounting what happened to her between the raid and her rescue. I'll post warnings there, but there will be manipulation, attempted assault, and Adam being an evil creeper. Just a heads up.
Until then, peace out!