I'm in love with a monster. Lost in her reverie, the heiress did not notice the equally disturbed faunus shuffle into the kitchen. Lifting the cup to her lips, her grimace deepened, cold again. With all the excitement about, she hasn't had much hot coffee. Unlike tea, coffee was awful cold. Looking up from her mug, the heiress finally noticed the seemingly unnerved faunus. A small glimmer of relief shown through the gloomy haze, at least she wasn't alone. "Ruby?" the context behind the one-word question was not needed, for both of them were hopelessly infatuated with their leader, and given the recent events…
She gave a curt nod, still mostly absorbed in her own thoughts. Through muscle memory, jasmine tea was made, she was too occupied with her thoughts that she couldn't focus on the tea itself, so she allowed for years of experience to automatically do it for her. "Do you feel like your heart was stolen by the wrong person?" it was no secret that Weiss liked her partner.
Long moments of silence filled the early morning air. Finally speaking after mulling over her thoughts, "No. I don't. Ruby…. She's changed and perhaps rightfully so, but she still cares about us, her teammates and friends, unconditionally. While she may be more… monstrous to those that wish harm upon us or her, she is still the same loving leader she was, it's just hidden beneath all the pain she went through." If anyone knew pain and silent suffering, it was Weiss, the once neglected and detached heiress with something to prove.
"... you're right. She may be void of emotion now, but she is still the kind, compassionate, sweet, loving, caring, leader we once had. Maybe, through time, she will come back to us." Blake concluded that if time truly did heal all wounds, then her stunning leader would come back to her, to them. Sweet tea slipped down her esophagus. Oh Ruby, how you distract me from even the most menial tasks. A loving grin presented itself on the faunus's lips. I'm such a hopeless romantic.
Twirling her umbrella in her right hand, Neo ended her circle with the umbrella pointed at the warehouse door. Tapping 5 times in no particular fashion or rythm, she waited for the massive wooden door to open. Her boss had said that the best password was no password because no one would suspect it. It was a rather risky assumption, but then again, everything they did was risky. Every heist could go horribly awry and they could be captured or killed. The thrill of death and the exhilarating adrenaline that coursed through her veins was what kept her going. Lately, however, she's had less and less desire to be a part of the "bad guys." Ever since that fateful day when she freed that delicious scythe-wielder, her loyalty to the criminal organization has dwindled. Whether because she saw the consequences first hand or she knew if she wanted a chance to be with the object of her affection, she did not know. She still got the same thrill from the robberies, but it seemed empty. Strange, the doors haven't opened. Pulling on the handle, the ice cream killer was surprised to find it unlocked. Stepping into the dimly lit store house, she tightened the grip on her trusty umbrella. I don't think we moved locations. They wouldn't move without telling me, would they? Thousands of dreadful scenarios flashed through her mind as to what might have happened. Taking a steadying breath, she waited for her eyes to adjust to the poorly lit room before moving any further. Her heart was pounding heavily in her chest. The unknown was always the most terrifying adversary. Her left foot tentatively reached slowly out from her body. As the ball of her foot touched the ground, a piercing ring filled the stale, musty air. Her heart jumped and was racing at a breakneck pace. Fight or flight activated in a response to the shocking and heart starting sound. When the pounding in her ears let up, she heard the ringing coming from her concealed pocket on her right side. Pulling out her scroll, she saw Roman's contact on the screen. Raising an eyebrow, she answered the call. He knew she was mute, so the conversation would be one-sided.
"Neo, get out. Thank Dust, we were forced to relocate, some Grimm broke out, but their rampage was stopped short when a particular Red Riding Hood showed up. I'll send you the coordinates later tonight, until then go somewhere safe. Got to go." Slipping her scroll away, she readied her trusty parasol once more as she backed slowly towards the door.
Her eyes never left the area before her. Pink and brown eyes scanning the dark storage unit for any activity. Her left heel slipped back, but didn't make contact with the floor, instead it found itself upon a black combat boot. Immediately after, she found herself wrapped in an embrace that smelled of roses and strawberries. The figure behind her trembled and quaked, but was otherwise silent. Turning herself around in the embrace, she was met with one masked eye and a sobbing silver one.
"Please, kill me. End my suffering." was choked out between sobs. The slighter taller girl shuddered with each hard-earned breath. Aside from the rough breathing, it was otherwise silent.
Her heart broke. She had seen the innocence torn away from the girl now sobbing on her shoulder. She had seen the unspeakable things that she went through. If only I had freed her sooner. Despite the begging, Neo couldn't bring herself to so much as lift her umbrella. Instead, her arms found their way around the red-cloaked and pulled her tight. The sobbing was cut off at the sudden affectionate action. The tears ceased altogether, the labored breaths too. Looking up at the silver eye, she saw it was once again blank of emotion, but its arms were still wrapped around the neopolitan girl. The cold-blooded killer's heart was still beating rapidly, but for a completely different reason. She pulled out her scroll and typed a simple message, "Let's get you home."
Weiss had taken the day off as she was worried about Ruby. When Yang burst into the kitchen an hour or so ago and said that their leader was nowhere to be found, the heiress nearly fainted. I can't go through this again. I can't lose her again. Pacing for the 107th time since the news of Ruby's disappearance, she was interrupted by her faunus teammate, "She will be fine. Let's sit down for a moment and figure this out." With no reason to argue, the white-haired girl obliged.
"Sit down? Sit down! My baby sister is missing, again and you're telling me to sit down! I… I can't…. I can't go through losing her again!" the blonde brute looked as though she would explode. Before she got the chance to, their doorbell rang.
Blake, being the calmest of the three in terms of outward appearance, answered the door. A lit up screen with the message, "I got Ruby, she fell asleep. Let me in, I'll explain what I can." Peering beyond the screen, the cat faunus saw her beloved Rose and the ice cream assassin. Relief flooded through her and she stepped aside allowing the two into the house.
Neo, expecting accusations and unnecessary fighting, had brought her umbrella. With a gulp she stepped into the house that may very well be her tomb. The blonde charged at her, preparing for impact, Neo channeled her semblance to shatter and escape, but none came. Looking behind her, she saw the brawler sobbing into the red scythe-wielder.
Several awkward moments passed by as the two sisters hugged it out. A cough from the heiress broke them apart. If Ruby could show emotion, she would probably be thankful seeing how the yellow bruiser was crushing her.
Making their way to the living room, the relieved group sat and waited for the details as to what happened. Worry painted so obviously on their visages.
"I don't know much, I was going to a rendezvous point. It was abandoned. I found Ruby there. She cried on me and told me to 'Please, kill me. End my suffering.' Obviously I didn't, seeing how I love her as much as you do." The last statement raised some eyebrows and caused the ice cream-esque girl to blush.
"... thanks for bringing her back." to everyone's surprise the blonde spoke first. That is, everyone except Ruby, who was sitting alone in the armchair located in the far corner of the room, partly concealed by the fireplace and hanging television. "Why don't you stay for a bit? Y'know, to show our appreciation, we'll treat you to lunch." nobody questioned the idea.
A small smile crept onto the criminal ice cream's lips, "I would very much appreciate that. Thank you." she typed out on her scroll. Well, that takes care of having to hide for the day, and I get to spend more time with Ruby!
The black and white pair, while happy that their leader was safe and home, they were equally… jealous? It was bad enough having to "share" the beautiful Rose with each other, but now there was a third player to the game. Amber eyes met icy ones in a mutual agreement, a temporary alliance until the intruder leaves.
In ways of alliance, the two would be lying if they said they hadn't intentionally "girl cock-blocked" each other, cut in on the rare intimate moments, called Ruby away from the other. Sure it was all stupidly childish, but all was fair in love and war, right? And this was a war for Ruby's love.
Meanwhile, said Reaper had dozed off in the chair. She had perhaps, 7 hours of sleep total between the past 2 weeks. Exhaustion was finally taking it's toll on the red-cloaked leader. As uncomfortable as the chair may be, sleep had found a way to work its sleeping sands into the Rose. It did not last long however, as the nightmares immediately swirled around the defenceless Reaper. Awaking with a start and a scream of defiance, she had brought everyone's concerned eyes to her. Tears welled up in her leaded, silver eye. Dark bags drooping beneath it as a testament to her sleepless state. Oh, how she wished only for the eternal slumber of death.
The sun was setting and she still hasn't gotten word from Roman. For whatever reason, Neo wasn't bothered by that though. Her hands idly ran though the black and red tresses on her lap. Hectic as it was rewarding, the day had been quite enjoyable. Beneath her gentle fingers, the stunning Rose stirred. She couldn't help but smile at the sensation of having someone she loved sleep peacefully on her lap.
"I'm jealous." in the hallway stood the Ice Queen. She also had a small smile on her lips. "I'm happy she is finally resting, though. I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to her… again. How did you get her to sleep like that?"
Silence filled the air as the neopolitan girl typed out her message, "If one is having nightmares, they often seek comfort and security. You just have to show them that you can provide both. In this case, I liberated her from the torture which caused all this. To her, I am automatically both." After she had freed the precious Rose, Neo had spent a considerable amount of time researching trauma. She was as efficient as she was deadly.
"I see… h-how can I get her to see me like that?" heat filled her cheeks and she shuffled her feet in discomfort. While she loved Ruby, it was still hard for her to show affection in any form.
A smile of her own graced the umbrella-wielder's lips. She set to working on her next message, she wanted to tease the prideful heiress a bit, "You could try sharing a bed with her. It would help when she wakes from a nightmare to see a familiar face. Maybe even go a bit further and wrap your arms around her as a protective anchor of sorts."
Weiss's face rivaled the sleeping Rose's cloak. "I see." Was all she could get out before she had rush to the bathroom to cool her face.
Maybe that was a bit too much. Movement on her lap drew her attention. The beautiful Rose was waking up. Disappointment crept into Neo's mind as that would mean the end of this intimate session. Gingerly lifting her hands, Neo let the Rose go. And go she did. The red huntress was out of sight within a blink, a handful of blood-red rose petals drifted to the floor. Strange, at first they were red, then they were nearly black, now they are turning red again. Do the rose petals somehow tie into her mental health? Annoyingly, her pondering was cut off by her phone singing it's irritating bell. With a sigh, she opened the message from Roman. By the docks, huh? It will take forever to get the fish smell out of my clothes. Getting up and making her way to the front door, she paused as her hand touched the handle. I'll leave them a thank you note. At the bottom of said note, she wrote, "until next time, my captivating Rose." placing it on the kitchen counter, she proceeded to leave.
Just cuddle her. Just snuggle her. Just share a bed with her. Yeah ok. Let me just do that. Let me just get in bed with the person I love, who just so happens to be a mass murdering, tormented, delicate, sweet, caring, hottie! Stupid Neo. Having been too preoccupied with her thoughts, Weiss hadn't realized she had stopped in front of her partner's door. Raising her hand to push on the door, she stopped short 5 centimeters. Curling her hand in frustration and lowering it to her side, she growled at her incompetence and started for her own room. She froze mid-stride. She needs me now more than ever. I will not abandon her again. With a deep breath she turned around, finding herself in front of the oddly intimidating door once more. A terrified scream let loose from the other side had Weiss bursting through the door, eyes wild with panic. Icy eyes settled on the figure of her partner and leader. Moonlight illuminated the room. It danced precariously over her leader. It filled in the scars and tormented eye, and ultimately, it gave the Rose an ethereal appearance. Like an angel of death reflecting on clear waters. Or something. Making her way towards the bed, Weiss tried her best to remain calm. With each step she took, her heartbeat quickened. Finally, at the side of the bed, after what seemed like ages of heated stalking, she lay her hand gently on her friend's shoulder. Kneeling on the edge, she moved her slim, cool fingers up to the scarred cheek. "It's ok, I'm here. It's ok. They can't get you here. They can't. I won't let them. I will protect you. I promise." Comforting words rambled out of the her mouth. Having been so fixated on Ruby, she was shocked when another hand appeared on the girl's shoulder, not her own.
"I'm here, too. We'll protect you. Guard you. Comfort you. Whatever you need, we will be there for you. Because. We love you." Blood had filled the faunus's cheeks as she confessed, but it felt the right thing to say. Suddenly, she and the heiress were pulled into a hug, to which they returned.
"Thank you." only a hoarse whisper, but it carried all the pain and emotion that had been hidden for so long behind the silver eye.
"I'll leave you two to take care of her this time." in the doorway stood the ever-emotional Yang. A grin stretched to its limits on her face.
The heiress and the faunus blushed in response, but they stayed in Ruby's embrace. Honestly, this was the third best feeling in the world. The second would be hugging Ruby without the other, and the first would be… kissing her.
Icy eyes glanced over at amber ones, a challenge clear in both pair. The Rose will be mine.
Eventually, after what seemed like only a short moment, the red leader had broken the hug with a yawn. Dreamily, she rubbed her eye before glancing at her pillow with an emotionless gaze once more. Shortly after the end of the hug, Weiss had muttered that she needed to get to bed for work tomorrow. Blake had stayed. Silver eye looked back into amber ones. A gentle push told Ruby to lay down. With hidden remorse, she complied. However, that dreadful feeling quickly washed away when Weiss returned with her own white pillow and placed it next to the Reaper's own black one. The heiress settled into bed next to her. From the other side of her, Ruby heard Blake "harumph" to which Weiss stuck her tongue out at her. Back to being the emotionless shell she was, Ruby didn't think much of the matter. She settled down onto her own pillow and closed her eyes only to reopen it when a weight had been placed next to hers. Glancing over, she saw caring amber eyes centimeters away. On the other side were icy blue eyes reflecting the same emotion. Closing her eyes once more, underneath the covers she found the respective hands of her bed sharers. Clasping her own around them, an ever so small grin lit her features as both the silent faunus and proud heiress let out a gasp of surprise. Ruby could imagine the blush that painted their cheeks. With that image on her mind, she slept.
"That's it! I'm giving up my life of crime starting…" the cinder block wall exploded, sending hundreds of cement shards scattering. "Now." I took a step over the crumbling blocks between me and freedom. A gunshot rang from behind and a split second later, the bullet buried itself in the disassembling block next to me. Already running, I didn't look back for fear of losing my footing. My ride should be just behind the next hill, if I can make it there, I'll be safe. Frantically clamoring up the tiny mountain, I couldn't help but jump when a shot ricocheted off the ground next to me. Jumping was a grave mistake, I was sliding down the hill. Tumbling. Tumbling down the hill. End over end, I nearly lost my beloved hat. Finally, after much stunting, the world stopped physically spinning. With drunken legs, I shambled to the running van. I had just gotten in when the tires screeched and the vehicle took off.
"You know, now that I think about it, I've always wanted to run a salon." Brown and pink eyes looked questioningly at me from the driver's seat. "Yes, a salon."
"Yeah?" A somewhat familiar voice had spoken from the back seat. A voice once filled with all the innocence, love, and goody goody garbage in the world, but now tainted and warped. An icy shiver trickled it's ghastly fingers down my spine.
"R-red. Wh-what are you doing here?' despite myself, I couldn't help but stutter. The stone cold, no, colder than stone. I can now feel the single silver eye piercing through my chair. Watching my every move. Analyzing every breath. Anticipating every thought. I gulped to swallow the fear lodged in my throat.
"Neo and I were going on a date." Curt, straightforward, emotionless, yet something had changed… that's it! She's talking. Thinking back to my last encounter, she hadn't so much as sighed when she was cutting through my men. Which means, she's improved. She's getting better. No longer is she the shell of passionless death.
"Really, Neo?" to me, Neo was a sister or cousin or whatever. Some close family member. To hear that she was going on a date caused the deadly girl in the back to be forgotten.
She blushed a bit before nodding her head in the affirmative.
"I knew it! I totally knew you had a thing for Red!" While my tone was a bit teasing, there was a hint of pride and brotherly love in it. My face was suddenly squished up against the dashboard. Neo had slammed on the brakes and I had yet to put my seatbelt on. (Please, always buckle up.) Scraping myself off the top, I returned to my seat and clipped on the safety belt.
"There's a place in uptown Vale that's going out of business, the building is moderately sized and cheap." Red had made her unsettling presence known once more.
Looking back, I found a silver eye with no trace of feeling, staring back at me. "You'll have to show me it, I am serious about giving up this crime stuff. After you nearly killed me that last time, I realized, I don't want to ever be on your opposing side." for just a moment, I swear I saw a glint of mirth in the soulless eye. However, if it was there, it vanished as quickly as it came. Neo, you have to fix her. Something that was so pure should not have to have gone through what she did. Neo nodded. Nodded as though she understood what I was thinking. Good. Take care of Little Red. The van came to a stop and I hopped out. "Sorry for interrupting your date. Have a good one." Red was already climbing into the passenger seat. As they drove off, I couldn't help but smile. Neo had grabbed Red's hand.
Seated across the street were two interesting individuals. One, had stolen her heart. The other, had tri-colored hair and was obviously in the same boat. Just how many people have had their hearts stolen by Ruby? She thought with 2 parts annoyance and 1 part curious. Sure, Weiss had said that Roman believes that Neo loved Ruby. Until now, it would have seemed like just a ruse, but now. Now they were sharing ice cream! That icecream-looking girl is indirectly touching tongues with Ruby! It should be her!
A blush crept onto the cat faunus's face at the thought of kissing the red Rose of her dreams. Kissing and advancing onto tongue dancing. In an attempt to cool her face off, the black catgirl took a sip of her iced tea.
With a deep breath, Blake returned to her inconspicuous spying. Her amber eyes met a silver one across the street. Ruby was staring right at her! A mischievous air around her. The red-oriented huntresses raised a spoon of ice cream to her lips, but didn't put it in her mouth. Instead, she stuck her tongue out and slowly licked it. Swirling her tongue and just overall making a sensual show for all to see. Heat had once more risen to Blake's face. Fidgeting in her seat, she couldn't take her eyes off the show, and she wasn't the only one. The neopolitan girl was in the same state as the faunus. Finally, Ruby stuck the spoon in her mouth and returned to her date.
Never, will the cat faunus spy on her leader on a date again… or at least, not for a little while.
Blake slowly finished the rest of her iced tea. Her face burning red the entire time, and the sensual show replaying over and over again on her mind. And to think I shared a bed with her. Was one of the embarrassed faunus's thoughts. Another being much more lewd.
We were just getting ice cream, as we both enjoy the cold sweet. Not much was being said given my lack of vocal skills. Even though we both knew sign, I was too nervous to actually bring up a conversation. She chose a spot outside. It seemed as though even the sun wanted to touch her. Its brilliant gold rays illuminated her scarred face, giving her an angelic yet experienced look. I was so caught up in my gawking, I hadn't realized there was a spoon centimeters away from my lips. Instinctively, I opened them. Strawberry-cherry ice cream. To me, sharing ice cream was something that only close friends and lovers should do, and something about the air around the girl who had stolen my heart, made me think she knew this. Heat had rushed up to my face at this ridiculously simple gesture. The intensity of my blush multiplied when she took the spoon that was just in my mouth, took another scoop of ice cream, and popped it into her own.
I hid my face in my hands to save what little honor I had left. However, the stunning Rose had other plans. She gently tapped my shoulder and signed, "Your ice cream will melt if you just sit there, my sweet." That last part was totally unnecessary! Now my face was as red as the cloak that so generously shaped her delicious body. But she's right. I don't want my ice cream to melt. Maybe I can get back at her and make her embarrassed, see how she likes it!
I sign back to her, "Oh sweetie, won't you help me then?" she didn't even seem a little fazed! I raised my own spoonful of ice cream to her lips. However, nothing could have been more unexpected. She grabbed my hand in hers and began to sensually lick the frozen sweet off the spoon. Her gaze was split between looking me in the eyes and across the street. It didn't matter that she wasn't solely focused on me. In fact, if she was entirely focused on me, I would probably have exploded. So, thank you other lucky victim.
Once finished with the erotic show, she went about eating her pink ice cream as though nothing had happened. I did not have that luxury. I sat with a heat on my face and somewhere else. Now I can only think these lewd thoughts and it's all her fault! Absentmindedly, I shoveled spoonful after spoonful of ice cream in my mouth. Only after the freezing sensation in my brain, did I realize my mistake. Clutching my head and shutting my eyes, I silently writhed in the icy agony in my mind. I felt warmer hands take hold of my own. Then something soft pressed against them. Soft, warm and vaguely moist. She had pressed her lips to my hands. When it passed, I saw a faint smile on her face. That beautiful little upturn of lips makes all this worth it. Upon seeing that smile, one had been painted on my own lips.
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