Right, this is becoming more and more fun to write, especially seeing as it is going to start getting good. Or at least for me it is going to get good. Translations by the wayShēngrì kuàilè means happy birthday, and Xièxiè bàba means Thank you dad.
Chapter 10:
Cinder walked up to Ruby who was just at her locker. Cinder tapped her on her shoulder as she fished out what Ruby had left behind at her house. Ruby turned around To have the items thrusted into her arms. "Here... sorry about what happened. I don't what came over me... I let my feelings take over... I can understand if you never want to talk to me again." Cinder muttered as she turned around and was about to walk away from Ruby's locker when she felt a hand grip onto her wrist.
"It isn't what you think Cinder... I do have feelings for you... but I'm keeping secrets... ones I can't really reveal... and I fear once you find out what they are... you are going to get hurt... and I can't stand hurting anyone." Ruby spoke as she looked at her helmet. Her chest hurt once she saw the bandages encasing Cinder's hand. She dropped her jacket as she continued, "The fact I can guess I drove you to hurt your hand... it makes it hard."
Cinder looked down at her hand and was about to shrug it off when Ruby continued. "I ran because I knew your mom... I met her a few times while I was stuck in hospital... it only clicked when I saw the picture resting on your desk... when we kissed, it felt great... but I remembered a conversation I had with your mom one time." Ruby spoke, fearing what Cinder would say or do at that half truth.
"She said how when we are attracted to someone, we can hurt them the most... and I refuse to hurt anyone. I can't stand it when people hurt... and it hurts me even more. I'm feel disgust at myself knowing you injured your hand from me running off yesterday."
"Ruby, I'm a big girl. Some would even say a woman. If you hurt me then so what. The fact I know you wouldn't intentionally hurt me is enough for me." Cinder spoke as she lightly grabbed Ruby's chin with her thumb and index finger and raised it. "Is it so wrong that I feel jittery around you. Is it so wrong that I just want to kiss you?" Cinder asked as she leaned down and let her lips just barely ghosting over Ruby's.
Ruby got out a simple 'No' as she leaned up and captured Cinder's lips. She wrapped her arms around Cinder's neck, her helmet dropping and hitting the floor, but the sound didn't reach Ruby's ears. She leaned in as she opened her mouth at the same time Cinder did and the tongue battle ensued.
Cinder pulled back and smiled at Ruby's eyes just opening. "So... does this mean what I think it means...? or are you just stringing me along?" Cinder asked as Ruby smirked. "You're a smart woman Cinder... or do you need another hint?"
After a few seconds Cinder smirked as well. "Another hint please." Ruby leaned up and locked her lips once more. As she felt Cinder's tongue running along her bottom lip once more, she opened her mouth to welcome the new tongue into it. As she pulled away she heard an annoying buzzing sound. She had no idea where it was coming from.
Ruby shot up and looked at her phone vibrating on her night stand. She reached over and answered the call she was receiving. "Hello?" Ruby asked rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she looked out her window. 'Still fucking dark out... who ever this is, best have a good reason.' Ruby thought as she laid back down.
"I'm sorry did I wake you up Xiǎo méiguī?
"Yeah dad... it looks so late out... what do you need?" Ruby continued as she let out a loud yawn. "Well, I assumed because it was a Chemo day you wouldn't be asleep... but I just called to wish you Shēngrì kuàilè."
"Xièxiè bàba" Ruby muttered as she began to rub her eyes. She just knew she wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep, no matter how hard she tried.
"Summer is going to collect you for Chemo in half an hour... please be ready." Tai spoke as Ruby groaned a little. "Okay... I'm getting up. Want me to go wake Yang?"
She could hear a chuckle as she smiled herself. "Probably should, that way Summer can talk to her. We've both been worrying about you two." He spoke softly as Ruby smiled. "Okay dad. Hopefully I'll see you later, please don't work too hard. I don't want you exhausted."
"Bye Xiǎo méiguī." Tai spoke and waited for Ruby to respond who yawned and got out a single 'Bye dad.'
Once Ruby heard the dial tone she hung up and stared at the ceiling. She began to cough just ignoring what few droplets of blood that came out. She just wanted to look at the ceiling and think about the memory that had been the topic of a lot of her dreams. She still had a fond memory about it. The fiery cinnamon taste of Cinder's lips on her own.
It was an amazing feeling and taste to her. 'It already felt like a dream... why does it keep happening there as well?' Ruby thought as she wiped the blood that had come out of her mouth. She was just glad Cinder was willing to look the other way for her birthday and would give her, her presents the day after.
She was already loathing the present fate had given her. A day of chemo and suffering the side effects. Something she wasn't looking forward to in the slightest. She moved her blanket down and grabbed a towel as she walked in and tossed Yang's door open and turned the lights on. She heard movement and groaning from the room's occupant.
"Yang! Get up! Mom is going to be here soon to take me to Chemo! She would probably want to talk to you as well!" Ruby called to her sister who turned over and began to mumble into her pillow. Ruby rolled her eyes and began to spin the towel around itself as she walked into Yang's room.
Once Ruby knew she was close enough, she snapped the towel at Yang's exposed feet causing a loud yelp from the blonde. "Not now of all days Yang. Plus mom is coming here. You can at least wake up to talk to her. If you keep this up I'm going to actually rat tail you." Ruby continued as the blonde pushed herself up off her bed.
"What happened to pushing me out of bed? I liked those days a whole lot more..."
"What happened to the days of you not having sex with my best friend IN MY ROOM!?" Ruby yelled as her blonde sister snickered. "Come on. We both knew that was going to happen again. Something about the rush of possibly getting caught. And the fact you're my sister and Weiss' friend makes it that much hotter. Hell we do it in Winter's room all the time." Yang joked as she pulled her feet up and began to rub them.
Ruby was about to respond when she coughed into her arm. She dropped the towel as she bent over and coughed. She felt her chest go raw from coughing so long. Once the coughing subsided she pulled herself up to see a few stray droplets that didn't get caught by her elbow on the dirty white carpet of Yang's room.
She frowned as she saw just out of the corner of her eyes Yang walking over to her and patting her back. She looked up when Yang froze slightly... she felt like crying. Her blood was staining Yang's carpet.
"Relax Rubes. You go get your shower, I'll clean the carpet... or make up some lie that it was ketchup... or sweet and sour... go get in the shower. I'll make you something for breakfast. I know you don't like to eat before chemo, but a tradition is a tradition." Yang spoke as Ruby nodded.
Yang reached down and grabbed the towel and handed it to Ruby. As they began to walk towards the bathroom Yang spoke up. "Just so I know when mom inevitably gets here before you are out, what does mom know and not know about what has transpired since we last saw her?"
Ruby tensed up once more as she turned around. "Nothing. She doesn't know about me and Cinder, and it is staying that way until I figure out a way to tell her and dad... remember the fight you had when it came to light that you were dating Weiss? I do not want a screaming match today." Ruby continued walking into the bathroom and shut the door. "And can you get me something to wear?" Ruby yelled through the door. She heard a knocking as she opened the door and took the clothes.
'I have a terrible feeling like I'm forgetting something important... ah Ruby you say that every chemo day...' Ruby thought as she walked over to the shower and turned it on. She closed the lid of the toilet and began to disrobe. She tossed the clothes she was wearing onto the ground as she placed the clothes yang had given her onto the toilet.
'Why does every single time since she found out about me and Cinder has she given me flannel? Bitch likes to force me to live up to the stereotypes.' Ruby thought as she held her hand under the water to check the temperature. She pulled her hand out and shivered. "Yang... how the fuck can you stand freezing showers... probably get freezer burned just standing under it." Ruby muttered as she quickly reached over and turned the dial to turn up the temperature.
After a few more minutes she climbed in and rested her head against the tile as the water roll down her back. She had learned a while ago that when her chest felt raw from coughing the best option to cure it was to actually just let hot water hit her back. 'Happy birthday to me I suppose... my gift to me is chemo and probably going to get sick all day long followed by sleeping all the rest of the day away.'
Yang saw the front door open from where her and Ruby were sitting. Yang having done eating, and Ruby was picking at what little she was given. She knew it was a tradition, but it just never sat right with her knowing that in a matter of hours it would be in the toilet after she threw it up in great pain.
"Happy birthday Little Rose" Summer spoke walking up and kissed the top of Ruby's head. Summer smiled at the plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. "How have you been my Little Dragon?"
"I'm eighteen mom. Can you stop calling me Little Dragon?" Yang asked as she walked over and hugged Summer, frowning as she felt her mom laugh. She looked the woman dead in the eye as Summer's laughing died down a little. Summer looked into her daughter's eyes and began to chuckle a little at the sight. "You will always be my Little Dragon. But seriously how have you been?"
Yang smiled as she disengaged and walked back around the counter and brought her plate to the sink and was debating if she should tell her the truth about Ruby and Cinder. But she decided against it. She didn't want the car trip to the hospital to be a tense one for Ruby.
"Alright mom. Just mad that Ruby is starting to get more and more violent when she tries to wake me up. Whipped my feet." Yang spoke as Ruby took a bite of the bacon she had on the plate as she placed the rest onto her plate. She was already loathing what she had eaten was going to be thrown up soon. "To be fair, I think you can forgive her on this one day." Summer spoke as she ran a hand through Ruby's hair.
Summer frowned at the dampness of Ruby's hair and was about to speak up when Yang tossed her a red beanie. "Happy birthday Rubes. I'll get started on your favourite dinner... just go and kick cancer's ass."
Ruby smiled at the hat, it wasn't that expensive but Ruby knew Yang spent the better part of the month learning how to make on herself. "I'm seventeen today Yang... I weigh like eighty pounds wet. And you know me being like five nothing... pretty sure I can't kick anything's ass. But thank you."
Summer smiled at the sight of her daughters bonding. Ruby pulled the beanie on as she pushed the plate away. She stood up and walked over to the blonde and hugged her tightly. "Thanks you big dummy... just don't be offended if I won't eat dinner... I wouldn't feel right throwing up all the food you spent your day making."
"It's okay Rubes... but if you don't go now you are going to be late." Yang muttered squeezing Ruby tight as she reluctantly let go. Ruby smiled as she turned around and grabbed her bag, and took a decent look at what her mom was wearing. She saw the blue scrubs she was wearing and smiled.
"I'll be in the car mom. Don't want to keep Jim waiting." Ruby joked as she walked up to the door closely followed by Summer. 'God damn... normally the nagging sensation I'm forgetting something has faded by this point... this is going to drive me crazy... what the hell is causing it... I know it is going to come to me the second I'm not thinking about it.' Ruby continued to think as she heard Summer unlocking the car door.
Ruby took her bag off and took a seat. She pulled the seat belt over and clicked into place and began to giggle a little at the memory of how just a few months ago when she was last sitting in the car she was crashing it. She rested her head against the window as she pulled out her phone just to check if there was a message. She doubted there would be, considering it was still six thirty in the morning.
"How have you been Little Rose? I haven't seen you in a while..."
"I've been good mom... coughing slightly more... but I've also tried to do some more running... which spoiler alert... still hurts like someone going wild on my chest with a baseball bat after like twenty meters." Ruby spoke as she saw the few rays of sunlight shining over the few trees along the pathway.
Summer looked over at Ruby and frowned a little, "You know it isn't advised Ruby... you don't have the same lung capacity you used to. You could have done some harm."
Ruby let out a groan as she crossed her arms. "You don't get it mom. Running used to let me clear my mind. Sorry for wanting to try and sort things out in my screwed up mind... and I doubt anyone wants it to go like it did when I got diagnosed." Ruby spoke as she could feel her mom's concerned gaze on her.
"Before you even ask mom, I don't want to talk about it. It got sorted out. But how have you been? Normally you don't come home in your scrubs." Ruby asked as her mom began to pull into her parking spot.
"Just a lot of stress. I'm worrying about the both you and your sister, as well as all the patients I have. And praying I get the time I requested off." Ruby unbuckled her seat belt and leaned over to kiss her mom's cheek. "Relax mom. One, you are a paediatrician in a big ass hospital, you know there is going to be almost nothing but depressing cases. Two, you and dad will get the time off. Plus despite how well you two try to hide it the fact you didn't tell Nǎinai Yang and I aren't meant to know about her coming for Christmas just means you have to get off. I will fight every single person I need to."
Summer frowned at that simple statement. She had spent a few hours arguing with the woman because of her not wanting to travel during the Christmas season, to the point Summer had to play the 'it could be Ruby's last' to get her to come.
A card Summer never thought she would need to use, and already felt bad about that singular time she did. She just hoped that, that didn't make it to Ruby's ears. "Biǎo zi" Summer muttered causing Ruby to glare a little.
"Mom... I am still here... and that is my Nǎinai."
"I know... but she is my mother-in-law... and she doesn't really like the fact I'm British. But you should go in. Jim will start to panic. He just wants you to enjoy your birthday, not be stuck in here all day." Summer continued as she herself unbuckled and opened the door as Ruby quickly followed suit.
As they walked in Summer quickly hugged Ruby tightly. "You know I have nothing against your Nǎinai..." Ruby began to struggle a little against her mom who simply smiled a bit more. "I know mom..."
"Your dad is dropping you off back home after your chemo. I love you Little Rose."
"I dislike this gushy stuff mom... but I love you too." Ruby muttered as she hugged her mom back. After a few more minutes Summer leaned down and kissed the top of Ruby's head. Ruby smiled as she began to walk down the hallway even moving past the recognisable office straight into the open room where she recognised the girl sitting down on the chair.
Ruby heard a distinctive throat clear next to her. She turned to see Jim standing there smiling and gestured for Ruby to take a seat. Ruby walked over to sit next to the girl. "Going with the Black wig today Neo?" Ruby asked causing the person to turn her head and quickly pull out the notepad.
'Well this is my last treatment... so birthday or not... ha ha.'
"That hurts Neo... worse than chemo by a long shot." Ruby joked as the other girl just stuck her tongue out.
Ruby used her shaky hands to turn the key in the door and nearly fell face first onto the ground. Vomit already having splattered onto her clothing. For some reason this single round felt a dozen times worse.
She wasn't sure if it was from the food she ate before the chemo, the small cake Elie had made for her that she knew she just needed to eat some of. But all she knew was she was really glad Tai had just been behind her to catch her. "Sorry I'm getting your scrubs dirty dad..." Ruby muttered as the man scooped her up.
"It is okay Xiǎo méiguī... nothing that changing my shirt won't change. Do you want me to carry you to the bathroom? Or your bed?" Tai asked as Ruby smiled. "The bathroom... I don't want to get sick on my bed..." Ruby muttered as the man smiled at his youngest's small frame just resting into him as he opened the door and carefully lowered Ruby and lifted the toilet seat up.
As he was walking out he was about to turn the light on when Ruby spoke up, "No lights... I'm probably going to be in here for a while." Ruby muttered as she felt what food she ate coming up and instantly into the toilet.
Tai shook his head as he walked out of the room, just closing the door over a little. He began to walk down the stairs and poked his head into the living room to see Yang sitting on the couch holding her phone. She looked up at the man and smiled.
"Sup. How is she?" Yang asked pausing the show she was watching in the background. "Well, Elie made her some cake... she had some... and I'm currently wearing what I hope is eggs." Tai chuckled as he gestured to the green scrubs he was wearing.
"Maybe... I'll check up on her in like an hour... by the way, quick question, is it ginger Nǎinai uses in her kickass spicey sweet dumplings?" Yang asked as Tai smiled. "You know the holy trinity Yang... the real one, not the one the Americans use."
"Okay... I got some pork ones made up just need to fry them up. You want to bring some in for you and mom?" Yang asked as Tai nodded. Yang walked into the kitchen and put a pan onto the stove and let the heat build up on it. "Promise me you'll give mom hers without getting into a screaming match."
"I promise." Tai smiled as Yang walked over to the fridge and pulled out a container and began to place some into the pan.
Weiss opened the front door with her spare key Summer gave her just in case she needed to get inside for Yang or Ruby and walked in. She could see out of the corner of her eyes. She stormed into the living room. She was furious. She had told Ruby specifically to be there. Cinder had even shown up and even joined Weiss after three hours Ruby hadn't shown up.
She saw Yang nearly jump at the sudden appearance of the angry white haired woman. She was terrified that Weiss was about to smack her. "Where is she Yang!? You both blew us off! We waited three hours at that lowly cafe you both love to go to! That Kirito is still a monumental douche!" Weiss seethed as Yang continued to cower away from the group that had seemed to turn into alynching mob.
"I had no idea I was meant to go anywhere. I was making dumplings all morning." Yang spoke moving away as far away as she can. She had no idea where this was going. And feared just that.
"So help me Yang! I will dump your ass! Where! Is! She!" Weiss yelled standing on the couch and moving just one step closer to the blonde woman.
The silence that befell the room was interrupted by the sound of some shuffling around on the floor above them. Cinder turned around closely followed by Weiss and the rest of the gang travelling up the stairs. Yang shot up and shouted "Wait!" But wait they didn't. Cinder and Weiss just charged up double speed. Being driven by Yang's desire to stop them. They needed to know the answer as to why she would do something like that.
Weiss was the first up the stairs. She quickly looked into Ruby's room and saw some red splotches on Ruby's almost iconic white bedding. That caused Weiss to panic a bit more. Weiss turned around and saw the bathroom door just slightly ajar and could hear someone retching their guts out.
Cinder slowly walked over to the door. Being careful as she nudged it open. She froze when she saw Ruby head in the toilet. The image of her mother being in a similar position not that long ago. Almost as if it was just yesterday. Weiss was the first to walk into the room just as Yang reached the top of the stairs when Pyrrha held her back by force and Jaune walked up behind her and covered her mouth.
Weiss did nothing as Ruby continued to get sick. She felt as if there was someone looking at her and decided to speak up. "Yang I swear... if you are coming to check up on me, I'm going to stab you. Chemo sucked and Neo's comments didn't help the time go by."
"RUBY SUMMER ROSE!"
A shrill voice snapped Ruby out of her trance. She knew it wasn't Yang's. It belonged to her best friend. She pulled her head out of the toilet to see her friends staring at her. And realisation dawned onto Ruby what it was that she forgot. She forgot what Weiss swore to her.
Author's Note:
To be fair I told you all that both Cinder and Weiss would find out at the same time... and I did have this planned before I even started to write the first chapter. Hope you guys enjoy this one... next chapter, let's see how they are going to react to the big news.