Where You Rightfully Belong; Here Beside Me
The Great Weiss Shark
Moonlight poured in through Weiss' open balcony window. The incandescent beam illuminated her large but modest room, highlighting the various objects she had collected over the years with a faint pale glow. Weiss didn't pay them any mind; she had seen them a million times over. The woman sleeping soundly in her arms, however, was something she could never get tired of seeing. She had work in a couple of hours and desperately needed all the sleep she could get, but there were far more important things to take care of this evening, and Weiss had always been a woman with a firm grasp of priority.
Gently, like the wisp of a warm spring breeze, Weiss traced the soft outlines defining her lover's slumbering face. From the curve of her eyebrow to the tip of her nose, the sun-kissed young woman was perfect—a vision of true beauty. Weiss felt her whole body heat up when she thought about how she couldn't imagine herself with anyone other than Ruby Rose. The mental image of them standing together several more years down the line put a smile on her face. But like a shooting star, her smile vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.
Weiss brushed her thumb across Ruby's slightly parted lips, taking careful note of the mild swelling her hungry kisses had caused, and stared at them longingly. She would have to say goodbye to these irresistible lips come morning, and she wasn't at all ready to send her lover off with a smile. Weiss doubted she ever would.
Being a huntress took Ruby to places Weiss had only studied on maps and photographs. And the stories her intrepid young partner shared with her during her brief visits home were always both exhilarating and worrisome. Weiss knew Ruby could handle herself out there. And with Yang and Blake always at her side, she was confident her Ruby would always come home. Albeit a bit dirtier and smellier than when she left, but home nevertheless. It brought comfort to her restless soul knowing this and made the wait slightly more bearable.
Ruby's brows furrowed together, her lips forming an adorable frown. She huddled closer to Weiss' side, the older woman's warmth doing little to assuage the nightmare she faced.
Worried, Weiss whispered her name, "Ruby?" When she failed to respond, Weiss tried again. "Ruby, can you hear me?"
Concern quickly turned to panic when Ruby began calling out to her, sobbing and begging for something impossible to decipher. Weiss nervously gnawed on her lower lip, wiping the warm salty droplets away, thinking about how rare it was to see her lover in such a state. In the seven years she's known her, the heiress had only seen Ruby cry a total of three times: first was when Yang received a grievous wound defending Blake; second was during that same selfless hero's wedding; third was shortly after they became lovers in every sense of word. And now there was a fourth to be added to the list.
"Ruby," Weiss cooed, kissing away the fresh tears forming on her beloved's eyes, "wake up."
Watery silver eyes fluttered open, darting wildly in every direction in a disoriented haze.
"W-Weiss?" the younger woman whispered hesitantly as if she was afraid of breaking what ever spell kept Weiss in front of her. "It... It was all a—Weiss, this is real... right? You're real and I'm still here."
"Darling, you aren't making any sense," the blue-eyed woman said. "Take a moment to catch your breath, then start from the beginning."
Ruby shook her head meekly and buried it under the crook of Weiss' neck. "No, it's alright. Let's just go back to sleep."
"How do you expect me to sleep when you're in my arms crying?" she retorted with a quirked eyebrow. "If that isn't reason enough for you, then dampness on my shoulder will surely prevent me from comfortably resting."
"You're not going to let this go will you?"
"No, so you better start talking."
"But you have work in a few hours," Ruby said trying to divert Weiss' attention.
"And you'll be gone long before then," Weiss masterfully countered.
Ruby shifted her crestfallen gaze to the elegant curve of Weiss' collarbone to avoid the ardent stare piercing through her heart. Ruby wanted to be honest and tell Weiss everything, yet a small stubborn part of her refused.
"Yeah, I'll be gone..."
"Please tell me what's on your mind," Weiss pleaded. "I'll listen to everything you have to say, so please just keep talking to me. I want to hear your voice for as long as I can."
Ruby narrowed her eyes and pouted. "Y'know, you are annoyingly persistent when you're running on fumes." She ran her finger up and down the length of Weiss' slender body, tracing over her taut stomach with a ghost-like touch that sent shivers running up Weiss' spine. Then, using her breathiest voice, Ruby said, "You need your rest, princess. I promise to wake you up with a kiss before I go."
"No, I'm perfectly—hey! Where do you think you're putting that hand?! Don't you dare think you can distract me so easily," Weiss shot back rather shrilly. "Month-long expedition or not, once is enough."
"But Weiss!" the redhead whined.
"I don't care," Weiss barked.
"I'll be gone for ages! You'll miss me and my sexy Rubooty."
"Any desire I might have had vanished the moment you said that disgusting word."
"Rubooty?"
Weiss shook her head. "No, I meant 'gone'."
"Oh..." Ruby mouthed, her gaze softening.
"If you leave without telling me," the heiress paused to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Ruby's ear, "I'll spend the next couple of weeks worrying about it."
"It's really nothing though," Ruby insisted halfheartedly.
"How can it be nothing if you're crying?"
"Oh, what, so I can't cry now?"
Weiss looked at Ruby in pure shock. "Don't try and turn this on me, I just wanted to help."
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I don't want your help?" The words had left Ruby's mouth before she could stop herself. "I'm sorry, I—"
"Save it," Weiss grumbled in defeat. "You're right, I shouldn't try and force you to tell me."
"Weiss, no, I—"
"I just worry about you." The crooked smile on the snowy haired woman's face tore at Ruby's heart. Weiss leaned in and kissed Ruby on the lips, saying a brief goodnight before turning her back to her.
Tentatively, Ruby moved in and draped an arm over Weiss' waist. She pulled the heiress close to her and breathed in her refreshing scent. The younger woman left warm butterfly kisses from the curve of Weiss' shoulder to the nape of her neck. She whispered a heartfelt apology between each kiss, yet Weiss continued to stay quiet.
The sting of her callous words grated away at Ruby's conscience, whittling it down to a granule size. Superstition and fear was what held her back; the nightmare she had was too foreboding to sweep under a rug. Ruby convinced herself that telling Weiss would only make her worry more, and on the off chance something did go wrong...
Ruby bit her lip and swallowed her pride.
"I dreamed that I was alone in a forest," the redhead began with a shaky voice. "I was surrounded by a horde of Beowolves—there was so many of them! All angry and lost in blood lust. I couldn't hear anything else but their barks and snarls.
"Blake and Yang were no where in sight. I was exhausted, injured and out of ammunition; my arms were so sore I couldn't lift Crescent Rose off the ground. I was fighting for so long, but with each one I killed three more took its place.
"They took their time circling me until one lost its patience and... I-I could feel their claws and teeth ripping into me. I tried to scream, but I was too terrified and my voice refused to come out.
"And then, just when the pain was at its worst, there was nothing. The forest disappeared and then it felt like I was submerged, wading through tar. I couldn't breathe—I was so scared..."
Weiss remained silent and waited for Ruby to continue.
Ruby cleared her throat and pulled away just long enough to catch a glimpse of her partner's conflicted expression. Sighing, Ruby fell to her back so she could stare up at the ceiling. She had hoped on finding the magic words to make the situation better, but all she saw was the intricate snowflake chandelier looming over the center of the room.
Minutes passed and soon turned to hours; the sun pushed through the dark purple skies and ushered the start of the countdown. Neither Ruby nor Weiss slept, yet due to the pervading silence they each assumed the other was.
Weiss pulled the sheets to her chin, gripping the thick fabric with all the strength her tired body could muster. She knew what she wanted to say and how to go about expressing it, but the irrational fear she had harbored for so long kept twisting her thoughts. Little did she know, Ruby was thinking the same.
The alarm clock went off and both women grew deathly still.
The device went up a decibel and so did their thundering hearts. The rapid pulsations drowned out all the noise around them, and time seemed to stretch.
The racket increased once more and Weiss surrendered. She pushed herself up by her for arms and brought her hand out to turn it off, not daring to look back at Ruby who also sat up. When the noise ceased, neither woman knew what to do next. The argument was still fresh in their minds, but no negative emotions lingered. In fact, only one thing rang clear in both their minds.
"I..." Ruby reached out and laced her fingers through Weiss'.
"..."
"I love you," she said with a weak pleading smile.
"Stay," Weiss demanded, still refusing to look her way. "Stay here with me forever."
"Weiss, forever is asking a lot."
"Sue me for being greedy then," the heiress huffed.
"I don't want to leave..."
"Then stay."
"I will."