Y'know, the first chapter had Ruby crying almost the entire time, yet I still feel like this one's the heaviest. Digging up all those memories *shivers* wasn't super fun to write.
But, alas, here it is. The end is nearing, so enjoy while you still can.
4. Sorrow of the Past
As the night went on, Penny deactivated most of her functions and turned to introspection. It was a habit she had developed over time, enjoying the quiet to reflect on the events of the day. Not suffering from sleep deprivation was surely an advantage, but the coming of dusk meant most humans retreated back to their homes, and the possible activities decreased evidently. Therefore, she had constructed her own form of rest. It helped her to constantly improve herself, detecting and trying to correct her mistakes. It was part of what made her a powerful fighter, not sheer force, but cold calculation. She, after all, filled the role of puppet master, pulling the strings that defended and attacked according to her will.
She certainly had a lot to think about today, especially now that her mind was soothed, allowing her to sort out the new information at her disposal. She immediately started to delete all the improper videos her matrix had downloaded when linked to the web. Erasing information was such a useful ability, she had no idea how humans coped without it, but again, she also did not comprehend why they made such tapes. There was also a strange amount of cat memorabilia, but those ones she kept. She vaguely remembered Yang mentioning liking cats, so she made a mental note (quite literally) to show them to her.
Her train of thought was brought to a halt when she felt Ruby starting to squirm. Oh no, she's having a nightmare again. And once more, the speedster went on to talk in her sleep.
"Don't go!" The robot shifted uncomfortably at the panicked pleas of her friend. It appeared to be the same dream that had plagued their previous night. "You promised."
Penny's concern grew by the second, grabbing her closer, the only way she had to help.
"Please… You promised, mom." The android froze in place, yet relieved to know she wasn't the one tormenting the little girl's slumber. She recalled something about Ruby's mother, but hadn't she died years ago? A feeling of powerlessness took over. There had to be a something she could do.
"Okay, what if I touch here?"
"Oh Ruby, that tickles!"
"Hmm. And how does it feel here?"
"Oooh…"
Yang couldn't bear those horrid noises anymore. She was about to burst.
"Do you mind? Some of us are trying not to get emotionally scarred over here!" She yelled at the dorm's bathroom door, where her sister and her friend were currently holed up.
"Oh come on Yang! We need to test if the new anti-electricity layer works!" The team leader shouted back, ceasing her work for a moment.
Yeah but do you need so sound so… Yang didn't finish the thought in her head, struggling to find a word that didn't imply her sibling wasn't so sweet and innocent anymore. Frustrated at herself, and the girls, she stormed out to the gym, so she could clear her head.
Punching had always been the blonde's preferred method of relaxing. After a few rounds in the ring, she was feeling much better. She sighed in content and headed towards the shower.
The brawler still wasn't sure what to make of her sister's robotic companion. Sure, she was a sweet and electric girl, and they got along quite well, but there was some unease that Yang could never really overcome. She didn't want to see the red-hooded girl in pain, and the android had just been the cause for one of Ruby's harshest breakdowns in recent years. How was she just supposed to forgive and forget? No one had the right to hurt her sibling like that.
As cold the water ran down through her body, she cursed herself for being so overprotective, but she really couldn't be blamed. She had seen Ruby at her worst, and it wasn't pretty. No one else understood that. After Summer died and their father sunk into a depression, it was up to Yang to take care of the tiny silver-eyed child. It was hard on all of them, and the passing of year did nothing to help. For some time, she thought she would follow in her uncle's footsteps, dulling the pain away with alcohol, so she could be strong for her sister.
Strong. The hothead chuckled. She was certainly a fighter, and that's what kept her alive. She had no option but to be strong.
Her sullen humor washed away with the bath, and she dried her hair, feeling lighter. Looking around, she wished Blake was there. She was in an awfully teasing mood. But as luck would have it, she walked out to find a ginger figure waiting for her.
"Hi Yang!" Penny smiled warmly, waving. How did she have such realistic expressions? It was distressing not being able to tell the difference. "Can we talk?"
Sighing deeply, she nodded and gestured for the other to follow her. They walked, and Yang took the opportunity to brush her luscious golden locks.
"It's… It's Ruby." The blonde gave her a stern look, to discourage her from bringing up any form of drama, but allowed her to proceed.
"She's been having nightmares. It sounds pretty bad, and I'm starting to get worried…" Those words made the dragon stop dead in her tracks. She closed her eyes and prayed she wasn't right about what would come next. But she was.
"I think it's about her mom. She-"
The speech was cut short by the sound of a wall being punched. A storm of sorrowful memories came back all at once, and the busty teen struggled with maintaining control over her actions. After what seemed like hours, she finally raised her head and turned back to the frightened robot. This is not her fault, Yang reminded herself, despite not being entirely convinced of that.
"I know what you're talking about. She's had those nightmares for years, ever since… ever since Summer." She didn't elaborate, but she didn't have to. By now the atlesian girl surely knew.
Walking further, the brawler reached a bench a sat down, waving sideways to signal the other to follow suit. Resting her head on her hands, she continued to explain,
"Losing her mom left a scar in Ruby, and it never really healed. Whenever things get worse, the dreams start again." Glancing over, she noticed fear give way to terror in Penny's eyes. She couldn't help but smile sympathetically. She would've been shocked to hear that too.
"But she's- " the frail voice was cut off.
"Happy and bubbly? She is. But that doesn't mean she's not hurting, she just got better at hiding it." She responded with a sad expression, guilt piercing through her insides. She learned from the best. "She's usually okay, I guess this mess just brought it all to the surface."
The ginger hesitated for a second, then looked determined and asked Yang to retell what had happened during her 'involuntary absence'. It wasn't comfortable to relive it again, but she complied, knowing it also wouldn't be easy to hear.
By the time it was over, Penny looked a whole new kind of broken. Her fists were clenched, and the blonde was sure she'd be crying if her body allowed her to.
"It's not your fault, Pen." She said, squeezing the metallic girl's shoulder lightly. "You want to help her, right? Just… tell her you're not going anywhere."
A puzzled expression glanced back at her, prompting another monumental sigh. "Before Summer left, she promised Rubes she'd return. She didn't. Then the nightmares started, and she would run to my bed every night, checking if I was still there, if I hadn't left her too... In the end, I think she's just afraid everyone she cares about will leave, just like mom did…"
The droid nodded back and her expression became unreadable, probably lost in thought. Then, surprisingly, she smiled. "I understand. Thank you." Maybe she's not so bad after all.
The redhead got up and took a few steps, and then did a small twirl, with her innocent appearance back in display. "Oh Yang, almost forgot, you said you like cats, right?"
The blonde smirked, letting the darkness dissipate from her heart. Now THIS she was curious to hear.
Ruby was sitting outside, letting the cold evening breeze pinch her skin. It wasn't usual for her to be found like this, so quiet, but she liked the moonlight, she was drawn to it, something almost primal about it.
She heard footsteps nearing, but didn't turn, recognizing the origin of the energetic sounds.
"Hey Ruby! Can I join you?"
"Of course, Penny." She always felt glad to have the android at her side. The ginger sat down and they both stared at the moon, simply enjoying each other's presence. Until Penny broke the silence, with a question the speedster hoped would never be asked.
"So, I was wondering… When I stopped working, why didn't you send me back to Atlas? Not that I'm not grateful for what you did, but my father could've fixed me too, there was no need to work yourself to exhaustion for me." Apparently she had already been filed in on the details of the uneventful past week, Ruby noted. Her eyes were filled with water, but luckily her friend couldn't see it. She mustered all the courage she had to respond.
"I… I was worried that if I gave you over to Ironwood, they wouldn't let you come back!" Her voice was practically a shout, facing away from the other girl.
Suddenly, arms reached from behind and wrapped around her waist, and she was pulled into a soft embrace.
"Ruby, don't be silly. I'm not going anywhere." Sadly, the red-hood was not easy to reassure. She rotated slightly to look the robot in the eyes, and, nervously inquired.
"Do you promise?" She received a kind smile in return, and felt warmth irradiate through her chest.
"I promise."
Silence fell between them again. Minutes went by, as the girls stayed still, enveloped in their one-sided hug. Finally, Penny moved one hand upwards, and started to playfully toy with her companion's hair. She couldn't have known what a mistake that was.
Flashbacks of her mother began overflowing the petite girl's mind, set in motion by that small gesture. The sorrow of the past assaulted Ruby, who bit her lower lip hard, trying to contain it. But a sob managed escape its prison, and, against all her wishes, she started to cry once again, shivering violently as tears rolled past her cheeks.
The presence behind her made a sudden movement, and the youngster quickly turned to face the synthetic girl, thinking she was trying to get up. Instead she was surprised with something else entirely.
She saw Penny leaning in, and planting a kiss on her lips.
Oh come on, don't look at me like that! Don't even pretend you're surprised, or that I didn't warn you. We all knew this was going to happen.
And it's not like the story's over. There's still one more chapter, and I swear it's not them porking. Why did Penny do it? How will Ruby react?
Wait, where are you going? Please don't leave! I'm sorry about all the jokes about porn and cat memes! I'll make it up to you! I promise there'll be angst!