A/N Hey, guys. It's been a rough week, so about something a little uplifting? A mini prequel as to how Cinder and Ruby got together. I'll be doing the same thing for Yang and Neo next chapter, then... things might get a little more... immature. I'm sure you all know what I mean. *wink wink, nudge, nudge*
Thanks for being so cool everyone, Enjoy!
How We Meet Pt. 1
"Is that better Ruby?"
"Owh, yeah a little."
Cinder withdrew her hands from Ruby's bare shoulders. "We're agreed on never going back, yes?"
"Never... again."
The place both Ruby and Cinder had sworn on never returning to, was Vegas. One way or another, Yang had convinced Neo to stay longer. Ruby and Cinder on the other-hand, elected to leave as soon as possible. Not wanting to spend another day in that crazy city.
Leaving Neo and Yang back in Vegas, the two of them returned home the next night. They utilized the following day to catch up on any missed sleep, and recuperate from such a terrible and, idiotic idea.
Which leads to the current stipulation. Ruby had groaned and whined about her sunburn all day, so Cinder decided to quell the girls pain with diligent hands, and some rather expensive skin moisturizer. It was late at night, the two residing in the bedroom. Cinder, dressed in an elegant crimson nightgown, was sitting up in bed with a bare-backed Ruby splayed in her lap.
"Should've known..." Ruby blanched.
"What's that?"
"That the words 'Yang' and 'Vegas' in the same sentence are a big red-flag on what not to do."
"The mindset we had..." Cinder nodded. The woman was doing the final kneads with her hands, making sure the moisturizer hit every bit of red on Ruby's back and shoulders.
Finished her work on Ruby's sunburnt back, Cinder looked contentedly at Ruby's back "You know what the great thing about this moisturizer is?"
"It's... good for your skin?" That girl responded, puzzled as to why Cinder asked that.
"No, no. It means you're not allowed to put your shirt back on until it dries, jewel." Her smirk turned to a mischievous leer, and she began gracing her fingertips down Ruby's back. The small girl immediately shuddering under Cinder's touch.
"Mmh~" Ruby gasped as Cinder's fingernails reached her lower back, right above her 'souvenir' from Vegas.
It became clear to Ruby that Cinder wanted to do more than just rub her back. Oddly enough, this was one of those times when Ruby didn't want casual relaxation to dissolve into copious sex. Just as Cinder's hand reached the waist of Ruby's pants; the girl made a steadfast move.
Ruby cocked her head up from Cinder's lap, giving the woman an apologetic look. She pulled herself up and took to her own side of the bed. "S-Sorry." She muttered.
"No need. This just leaves the option of cuddling wide, open." Cinder purred. She began running her gentle fingers through Ruby's hair.
Ruby muzzled into Cinder's touch, contorting her body so he could see those beautiful amber eyes of hers. "Yeah." The crimsonette whispered cutely.
Cinder took Ruby's nuzzling as a gesture for her to get closer. She wiggled from her sitting position into a position that encompassed the smaller girl. Their bodies fitting together like two puzzle pieces.
The heat in Ruby's red shoulders was immediately replaced with a softer warmth from Cinder's body. It almost felt healing to lay next to her. She felt even more at ease as Cinder gently stroked her hair.
"So..." Cinder broke the silence. "Feel better?"
"Yep, this is... nice." Ruby had to hold back from squealing in delight. Lost in the amazing feeling of Cinder next to her, taking care of her, feeling compassion and love for her. Knowing It was undoubtedly reciprocated.
"Wanna lay here a while?" Ruby proposed in the same cute voice, knowing Cinder couldn't resist.
"Sure, love." Cinder got up out of bed and turned the light out. In one smooth move she glided back into bed with Ruby and resumed the same embrace from before, only this time she rested her hands on Ruby's stomach -holding her closely.
The two of them lied next to one another for an hour. The time being shortly after midnight. There was complete silence between them. That silence wasn't a bad thing; it was the the extreme contention of being together that said more than any words could.
Shortly after that, Cinder had fallen into blissful sleep. A wide awake Ruby in her arms.
Feeling Cinder's gentle breaths on the back of her neck, Ruby's mind wandered to her relationship with the woman. More specifically, what had got her to this moment. Being wrapped in an embrace that could only be described as pure compassion.
What had got her dating the most amazing person she's ever had the privilege of meeting.
How it all began...
######
16 Months Prior...
"T-This is all your fault!" Ruby shouted to her sister. "I-If you didn't insist on taking me there, n-n-none of this would've happened!"
Yang watched the t-shirt and jean-clad girl pace back and forth in front of her. "Just admit it, you like her sis." The blonde teased. "But I don't see why you're making such a fuss, she's pretty. Just ask her out already."
Ruby ceased her pacing and pointed a finger at her irritable sister, "I-It's not that simple. I mean, whenever I'm near her I get all nervous and then she does that smile and I just can't- it's not- ugh. What am I gonna do..." Ruby trailed off and flunked down on Yang's couch. They were in the blondes apartment she had purchased with her girlfriend Neo, the multi-colored girl was out doing errands, so it was just the sisters.
Yang wasn't quite sure how to handle this. It was funny and a little alarming at the same time. A few months back -weeks after Ruby turned eighteen- Yang had convinced her to come along on one of her regular outings to a downtown club. Seeing as there was nothing better to do, Ruby tagged along.
The night had been going pretty well. When Yang had gotten deep into a conversation with some strangers, Ruby decided to mosey on over to the bar and order a soda (Alcohol just wasn't her thing). When she had put in her request for the drink, all she got was a hearty laugh. At first, Ruby felt angered that the bartender was laughing, but her outlook changed when she glanced up from the counter and saw exactly who was laughing.
The most beautiful woman she'd ever seen.
It spiraled from that moment. Ruby quickly learned the woman's name was Cinder. She's got three years on the crimsonette, and is heralded for her adept bartending skills.
After that, Ruby was the one who insisted on going back to said bar -just to see Cinder. It was pretty obvious to both of them that there was some chemistry there, as their relationship grew to close friendship.
But Ruby longed for more.
She wanted to date Cinder so badly. Everything about the woman appealed to her tastes. From her mysterious persona, her appearance, and the way she walks, talks, and even chews is downright awesome.
All of it Ruby liked, and wanted to see more of.
But she had no clue how to go about doing it. Her biggest problem was getting over Cinder's sly personality, not to mention her appearance. All distractions needed to go away in order for Ruby to form words. But that just wasn't possible, and every attempt dissolved into Ruby tripping over words or running away.
Today might be different however. Today might be the day she'd finally ask the evocative woman on a date. Cinder had invited Ruby over to her apartment for the first time. Alone.
And Ruby was freaking out at the fact that it was going to be just the two of them.
"Just relax Rubes. You'll be fine, I'm sure she... likes you too." Yang tried to console the crimsonette.
"Nice advice." Ruby snarked. She checked the time on her phone, "Oh no... I have to go now. Wait! Maybe you could-"
"Bye Ruby."
"Dammit."
Ruby gave her sister a meek goodbye before leaving Yang's apartment and setting out for Cinder's. The ebony-haired woman's place resting a substantial distance away from Yang's. The blonde couldn't give her a ride, so Ruby opted to take the city bus instead.
A fifteen minute ride later, Ruby hopped off the bus at a stop resting in front of a downtown condominium complex. The building rose four story's, made mostly of coral-colored bricks and white accented window frames. The girl took a deep breath and stepped forward. She traced the path up to the front doors and stepped inside. Once inside she dug out a small slip of paper from her pocket; the number '12' written on the front and back of it.
"Number twelve... okay... you can do this Rose. You can do this."
A million thoughts raced through her mind;
'What if she thinks I'm weird?'
'What if she says no?'
'Oh no! What if our-'
"Do what?" A sultry voice called from behind her.
"Gah! C-Cinder? You scared me!" Ruby frantically jumped back. Lo and behold, Cinder was coming up from the hallway leading deeper into the complex. The woman was clothed in black skinny jeans, a crimson v-neck, and a brown leather jacket. In her left hand rested her car keys and in her right was the handle of a miniature suitcase that she pulled along behind her. Ruby raised an eyebrow as to why that was there.
"I'm sorry Ruby."
"D-Don't be. I tend to overreact sometimes." Ruby explained.
"No really, I am." Cinder looked down at Ruby, sadly so, "I'm going to have to cancel our little meaning today."
"W-What? I thought..." The redhead trailed off.
"Some family issues came up and... I have to leave town for a few days." Cinder couldn't bear to see the deep disappointment in Ruby's adorable silver eyes. "Really, I'm sorry."
"N-No, it's uh, okay. I guess... family comes first..." Ruby's head dipped and she turned around to leave, "I guess I'll see you when I-"
"Red, wait." Cinder placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder, turning the girl back around. "I know I shouldn't be asking a favor from you, but could you watch my place for me while I'm gone? Please?" Cinder questioned. "I have a special surprise, for you when I get back~" She finished her request with a purr.
Ruby's expression suddenly shot back up, "Really?! Sure, sure, yeah! I'll do it." She jumped at the chance. It was reading week for college students next week so her schedule was already clear.
"Thanks." Cinder tossed Ruby the keys. "I'll be back Tuesday night, feel free to do whatever."
"Have a safe trip!" Ruby excitedly waved to Cinder as she left. The woman simply waved back before turning out through front door and out of Ruby's sight.
With Cinder gone, Ruby grinned at the keys in her palm. One for the studio apartment, and the other for the mailbox. Without further thought, she dashed down the hall towards Cinder's place. Her mind was split between excitement and disappointment. It sucked that she'd have to wait a week, but that 'surprise' Cinder had mentioned at the end there made Ruby's mind race with various ideas on what it could be -some normal, others... not so much.
The door to Cinder's place, was just around the first corner on the first floor. Upon seeing number '12', Ruby giddily slotted the key into it's socket and practically shoved the door open.
Her eyes surveyed over a modest sized apartment mostly arranged in a two-room layout. The living-room and kitchen joined together to make the main area, while a small hallway in the far back led to the bedroom and single bathroom. For the most part, the place was rather normal looking. Basic furniture laid throughout with the odd custom exception here and there.
At first glance it didn't look like Cinder had added her own touch, but that's just on the surface.
'Don't get ahead of yourself Rose.'
Ruby shut out the idea of going through Cinder's stuff -enticing as it was. She simply kept eyeing the place up, down, left, right. Like bringing a puppy home for the first time; Ruby was unable to figure out what to do first. Excited by the fact that she was in her crush's place! For, four days!
Just as she was about to text Yang and let her know what was going on, her stomach grumbled. The cue of hunger basically gave her an excuse to go through the woman's stuff, or what she eats at least.
'Am I being creepy?' Ruby gave it some thought...
'Nah,'
She took to the kitchen and went for the fridge first. Opening it, Ruby's eyes came in contact with a few take-out containers, various bottles of chardonnay, and a random mix of fruits. She grabbed one of the containers by random, shut the door and went for a random drawer in search of a fork.
Utensils out of the way, she made her way over to the small dining table by the porch door. Settling down to eat.
Ruby cracked the Styrofoam container open. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a varied mix of rice and vegetables laced in some orange-colored sauce.
The girl dug in, taking a fork full of rice and getting a taste of what Cinder's eats. Immediately a spicy burning sensation hit her taste buds. It quickly went from tolerable, to 'Holy crap someone get me some water' the more she chewed.
"Aggggg." Ruby hissed, fanning her mouth and running over to the sink. She cranked the cold water and washed the insane heat out of her mouth with a few sputtered gulps.
"Pfft, okay... she likes spicy food... bleh." The girl coughed.
Deciding that ordering her own takeout was probably a better idea, Ruby phoned in an order to a local pizzeria and chose to watch Cinder's large TV until it came.
######
"Always hated that movie..."
After eating her pizza, Ruby spent the remainder of the day watching various movies thanks to Cinder's Netflix subscription. Based off of the movies the service recommended; Cinder had an interest in those rare movies where the bad guy always wins. Among those recommendations were also a number of cooking shows.
Seeing as it was now dark outside, Ruby checked her phone.
"Whoa!" She shouted, realizing it was almost three in the morning. "How many movies did I watch...?"
She looked around the dark apartment. "Guess I should go to- oh crap! I didn't bring my stuff." Ruby began to panic. Being so wrapped up in Netflix, she forgot to send Yang a text for her to bring some of her stuff by.
"What am I- wait a minute..."
'No you're not gonna use Cinder's stuff.'
'It's only for three days.'
'No.'
'Yes.'
'Fine.'
The idea of even touching something that belonged to Cinder made Ruby's heart race with excitement. If this doesn't work out in the end; at least she got to wear some of Cinder's clothes.
'That's not creepy at all...'
All thoughts aside, Ruby tip-toed through the dark hallway and into Cinder's bedroom. She flicked on a nearby light switch and immediately went for Cinder's walk in closet. Giving the woman as much privacy as possible, she opened the middle drawer of the first dresser and grabbed the first things she saw, which luckily, was just a cropped tank top and sweat pants.
She quickly changed into the clothes that were a few sizes to large and went back into the living-room. Ruby decided to sleep on the couch -not wanting to invade the woman's bed.
That wasn't before she stole a blanket off of it however.
The small girl curled in the soft leather of the couch and pulled the blanket over herself. She let out a small squeak as Cinder's intoxicating scent from the blanket fully enveloped her body.
With a small yawn and a few bats of her eyes, Ruby slowly but surely drifted off into peaceful sleep, impatiently waiting for Cinder's return.
######
In the time Ruby's stayed in Cinder's apartment, she's learned more about her than in the months they've known each other. She's learned that Cinder enjoys the finer things in life, but is still a down-to-earth person about it. She's learned that Cinder enjoys cooking, as well as others cooking for her. And last but certainly not least: she's learned that the woman's choice in lingerie was...
Ruby was too embarrassed to say what It was.
All in all, staying here was an amazing time.
It was Monday night. Ruby was passed out on the couch -still in Cinder's pajamas 's. The woman wasn't due to come back until the following day, so she had ample time to get this place cleaned up and ready for when her crush returned.
But fate, in all its ways, had different plans for Ruby. See, what she doesn't know is that Cinder didn't have to stay as long, and was returning a day early.
Coming up the hallway that very moment was none other than Cinder herself. She was tired, but anticipated seeing Ruby. For herself, she came to terms with her feelings about Ruby weeks before, but didn't lead on about it. But when it was painfully obvious that Ruby felt the same way; Cinder had upped the teases, the hip swaying, and everything else to lead Ruby on. She felt bad about it some days, but today?
Everything was going to change.
She reached the door in no time, and dug her spare key from her coat pocket. She unlocked the door and gently pushed it open. It was dark; so the first thing she did was turn on the light in the foyer.
With a click, the room illuminated. Cinder was surprised to see her place almost exactly the same. There was just the odd cup or dish laying around.
The ebony-haired woman kicked off her boots and walked forward. Just as she was about to call out for Ruby, a small snort emanating from the couch told her otherwise.
Cinder quietly paced over to her couch...
And immediately began grinning uncontrollably.
There, nestled into the cushions of the couch, was Ruby. Snug and content.
'Adorable.' Was all Cinder could think of.
The girl had the cutest look on her face. On top of that, Cinder noticed Ruby was wearing her clothes. How they loosely hung off her form was so cute -Cinder wanted nothing more than to cuddle up with her.
But there was more pressing matters to attend to.
"Ruby...?" Cinder whispered, she placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.
A soft jostle was enough to break the girl from her slumber. "Yang... go away..." Ruby groaned.
"Red. It's me."
"C-Cinder? Ah! Cinder!" Ruby thrashed awake, "Y-You're back early?"
"Did you not want me to?" Cinder said in mock hurt.
"No! No no no, I I just... uh, didn't want you to know I was..."
"Wearing my clothes? No need to worry. I assume, you just forgot your own?"
"Y-Yeah, silly me."
"Well~ I must say, you're much cuter in my clothes, than your own." Cinder's voice dropped to its torrid normality.
"I uh... don't-" Ruby was silenced by Cinder's finger on her lips.
"Remember that surprise I told you about?"
Ruby nodded.
"Close your eyes, and I'll give it to you."
Ruby clamped her eyes shut as Cinder withdrew her finger.
Cinder grabbed Ruby's chin and pulled her into a deep, lustful and loving kiss. The crimsonette's eyes widened and she gasped allowing Cinder ample time to thrust her tongue deep into her mouth.
Ruby remained still, doing nothing as she was frozen in place by Cinder's bold movement, and was completely at her mercy. Her body relaxed and her eyes slowly shut, moaning into the kiss. Cinder heard and felt Ruby's soft, muffled voice by her mouth and took that as a sign to keep going.
"Cinder…" Ruby moaned, slowly moving her tongue through her secret crush's teeth. Ruby allowed the movement for a moment before fighting back, trying to fight a losing battle for dominance. Ruby ran her fingers through Cinder's hair, grasping at the ends and pulled her closer, decreasing the amount of space between them.
As oxygen ran out, the girls separated, a thin strand of saliva catching the dim light between them.
"How was that?" Cinder asked.
"G-Good."
"I assume you have something else to say?"
Ruby wiped the saliva away and took a deep, firm breath. "W-Would you like to go out sometime? Like a date?"
"I'd love to, my rose."
Ruby squealed in delight at being called Cinder's rose. She wrapped her small arms around Cinder's neck, pulling to woman in closely. Their lips locked again, locked in a new found compassion and love.
It'd be kiss of numerous to come...