A/N Well one-shot week was a bust. I love this story too much! As for the poll winning one-shot about Ruby Corruption/Defection? it's coming. I'm hoping to have it out alongside next week's chapter. The update is early this week because I feel like doing a X2 update.
I want to extend my gratitude to the guests out there, I value your input just as much as everyone else and it kills me that I can't reply to you guys. But don't worry, I know you're there.
And... *whispers* the name of the chapter is foreshadowing. Enjoy.
~Special shout-out to Jacklyn Frost! You guys have to check out her story: 'Forgotten Plans' It's pretty gnarly. Oh, and welcome to the club!~
Chapter 12. Nadir
The first thing that had become apparent to her was the unyielding, sharp pain in her shin. As her mind left it's passive state, the little awareness she received was instantly shrouded in a mind-numbing migraine, and the first thing she felt like doing was vomiting.
She peeled her eyes open and slowly took in her surroundings; she was at home, in the living room, apparently resting on the couch. She took a quick glance down at herself, her foot was elevated on the armrest and wrapped tightly with gauze. The gauze itself was slightly darkened in what she'd assumed was dry blood.
The sight brought it all back...
Her stupid idea to bring Ruby -the girl she cares for- to a party, only to have her get smashed. The dumb idea to go with Ruby to her apartment, only to take advantage of her seemingly inebriated friend.
Seemingly.
That word was the part that still held onto the fact that maybe it wasn't her fault. Or was it? She didn't know.
And that's what scared her.
The fact of not knowing. It'd been the story of her life. Not knowing if her parents would care for her again. Not knowing what tomorrow would bring. Not knowing if she could trudge through another day of being a so-called 'delinquent'. She hadn't known... anything, for so long; she couldn't tell if what she was doing was right or wrong.
Fear on top of fear.
She had to get out of here.
The anxiety set in. It fueled her mind with a sudden urge to run. Run as far and as fast as she could. Goosebumps reigned on her trembling skin as she hastily pulled her body up from the uncomfortable couch beneath. The anxiety attacks weren't regular, but they happened often enough for her to know how to counteract them.
The girl pulled the blanket off of herself and tossed the fabric across the room. She propped herself up and attempted to roll off of the couch to make a beeline for the door. She'd manged to turn herself over and place her left -uninjured- foot on the soft carpet. However as she turned, her right hand lost it's grip on the armrest; and her leg hit the floor in a much harder fashion. "Errgh! Shit..." She seethed. The pain was intense enough to make her eyes water as she tried to stand up.
The friction between her open wound, and the rougher material of the bandage was held as too much as she groaned in pain and slumped back down on the couch. Upon eyeing said bandage, she could see the fresh blood staining around the old; making her stomach do backflips.
"Hey, hey, take it easy." A familiar voice hushed her. She looked to the source, and met eyes with a familiar warm -crimson eyed- face.
"E-Emerald?" She choked out.
"Yes it me Cin. Look, just relax, okay? You hurt your leg pretty bad." Emerald placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and pushed her back into the soft confines of the couch.
Another familiar face appeared behind Emerald. He gave her a worrying look and attempted to say something. "You're lucky we keep a first-aid kit around here. Or else-"
"Mercury. shut-up." Emerald spat.
Cinder ignored Mercury's usual behavior. "What happened?"
"After you hit the ground, you...blacked out." Mercury responded. "We brought you inside, took care of your leg, and just, let you sleep."
"Let me sleep? What were you going to keep me awake so I could suffer longer? Is that it!?" Cinder quipped. She hated that word. Let.
Emerald shot Mercury another glare, her demeanor switched however upon gazing at Cinder again. "Could you tell us what happened? Why you broke down in the driveway?"
"-And why you kicked the Shit out of my car?" Mercury added.
Cinder's eyes shifted a little. She wanted to tell them what happened, but couldn't find the source as to why. But as she stared into Emerald's worried facade, her mind had remembered something;
'All I'm trying to say is just let it happen. Trust me.'
The words Emerald had said to her last night. She sought out advice because, once more, Cinder had no clue what to do. She had trusted Emerald, the words, all of it. Succumbed to her feelings and-
Took advantage.
It was all Emerald's fault.
"I-" Cinder's tone dropped to a belligerent growl. "-I trusted you!" She bound up from the couch her hands clenching -reaching out for Emerald's neck. "Agh!" Cinder seethed. Golden eyes shimmering with hate bore into Emerald as Cinder dashed outward.
Frightened and confused, Emerald jerked backwards but Cinder still manged to get a good grip on her shoulders. The girl winced as Cinder deepened her strong grip, fearfully closing her eyes. "Cinder, ergh, what're you-"
"And to think I listened to you." Cinder interrupted. Something about her voice was... off, Emerald noticed how it was cracked and shaky.
Mercury attempted to intervene, "Cin, you need to-"
"Back off!" She spat, pushing him away from helping Emerald. "Cinder would you please tell us what the fuck is going on!?" Despite Cinder's actions Mercury still prodded on. The dark-haired girl turned her attention away from the girl in her death-grip and over Mercury. Seeing her chance to escape, Emerald shook violently and wriggled out of Cinder's grasp. She didn't realize however; that Cinder had used her previous vice grip for leverage to keep off of her bad leg.
"Ergh!" Cinder slipped forward -applying full pressure to her leg- unbearable pain shot from the base of her heel up to her knee. She instantaneously crumpled to the floor, clutching her shin as she did so. The touch only made the pain worse, and a familiar warm fluid pooled in her eyes.
"Cinder!" Emerald immediately dashed to her side, feeling like it was her fault and offering her help. "You need to relax, please." She pleaded. Wrapping her arm around Cinder's torso, Emerald hefted the girl back up and back onto the couch.
Cinder had promptly given up. She buried her face into her hands and remained silent. Mercury, called over by Emerald, tended to Cinder's leg; making sure the bandage was still intact.
Seeing that it was okay, he stepped back; eyeing Cinder intently. She remained unmoving, completely silent, and very unnerving.
Through the gaps Between her fingers, Cinder could see the worry and anguish in their eyes. It made her feel even more terrible. Putting them -her friends- on edge. All they were trying to do was show concern, and she couldn't even give them the slightest ease.
"I- agh." She bit her lip as the pain reared it's ugly face again. The momentary pause allowed for her to gaze up at her friends -both of them nearly pleading to hear her speak. Wiping the water from her eyes, Cinder began.
"I did it." She muttered. "I took advantage of her. S-She had too much to drink and I-"
"You can't say that." Mercury cut in, his tone a tad bit aggressive.
"Oh what would you know?" She fired back.
"Enough to know what you're doing wrong."
"E-Excuse me?"
Mercury shrugged one of his signature shrugs and sat down next to her. He noticed the glare her was receiving from Emerald, and quelled it with a sly wink. "Lemme ask you this; how did Ruby react to all of this?"
Cinder's mind drew a blank. As she stared into Mercury's expecting dark eyes, she slowly found the answer;
"I don't know."
"Right. I assume you left when you woke up next to her?" Mercury smirked just a tiny bit at his own cunning. Cinder gave him a meek nod. "So you just left, not even saying a word, to your girlfriend; after spending the night with her?"
Cinder was taken back, simply stunned at how Mercury went from being a pompous idiot to deeply insightful. "I..."
"Look, I don't care how drunk Ruby was, she's not the type to hate you over this. I bet if she were to walk through that door right now; she'd be mad at you, for acting like this when you didn't even give her the chance to say anything." It was the truth. In the days Cinder and Ruby met; Mercury had been keeping a close eye on both them. Whenever they were together, Cinder wasn't the cruel, quiet girl he was accustomed to. She was happy, and in turn it made him happy. For Mercury; Cinder is the sibling he always wanted. He was skeptical of the two dating at first, but after the day he confronted Ruby in the living room, it put him at ease.
When he saw that cherishing look in Ruby's eyes; he knew Cinder was in good hands.
Mercury let his words sink in, and sink they did. He was right. How... selfish was she to just leave Ruby's feelings out of the equation like that? And then pull herself down into another one of those pits -riddled with self hate over something that could easily be proved false.
"Y-You're right I just..." She gave him a solemn stare. "Thanks." In an instant, Mercury found himself wrapped in a tight embrace by her. He gave back equally and gently patted her shoulder. "You need to stop beating yourself up over stuff like this."
"I know, I'm sorry."
Several seconds went by before Mercury forced Cinder away from him. "Alright, alright, stop. You being all sappy is just weird."
"And you being all insightful and nice isn't?"
"Touché." He smirked back, glad Cinder was acting somewhat normal again. "Just talk to her, it'll be cool."
Cinder couldn't help but smile too. Glad to have such good friends around.
"Alright, now just relax. I wanna go take a look at my car." He shot her one last playful grin before getting up from the couch and walking over to the door, Emerald not far behind. The both of them watched in content as Cinder threw the blanket back over herself and attempted to get some shut-eye.
As Mercury opened the front door, Emerald continued to look at him in awe. "What was that?" She inquired, following him outside the house. The two of them stepped onto the porch, feeling the cool air cascade over.
"Seriously, what was that?"
"The faster she wasn't upset -the faster she could pay for my car." He stated with a smirk.
"You're a real ass, you know that?" She fought the urge not to hit him.
"I'm kidding! Sheesh." He brushed the dark-skinned girl off and continued down the steps. He proceeded to the end of the driveway, and paced to the rear of his car. "Damn." He mouthed -taking in the sight of the frayed bumper.
Silver remains of the bumper lay scattered around him. He could even see the small shreds of Cinder's pant-leg; each one stained a little red. As he continued to eye the damage, he could feel the daggers Emerald was staring into him from behind.
"You really want to know why I acted like that?" He spoke. Turning around and standing up, he addressed Emerald.
"Yeah, enlighten me."
"I've known her for years now. How she always digs herself a pit of self hate over little things. It always bothered me. So, I learned how to counteract it." He explained.
Emeralds demeanor shifted into one of deep interest. "Oh, I didn't-"
"Lemme finish. She's... like a sister to me, and I'd help when I could whenever she was feeling down. I guess you could say I've gotten pretty good at it."
"Wow. That's... actually nice. And kinda cute." She giggled.
"Well when we met I thought I had been through a lot. But her, totally different story."
"Well I think it's very... kind."
"Whatever. Now you gonna help me clean this mess, or not?"
Emerald rolled her eyes and smirked. "There's the prick I know..."
######
She was going to do it. Plain and simple. She had no idea how she was going to execute, but she IS going to do it.
'I love her'
She had never felt closer to anyone than she did with Cinder last night. It wasn't the sex, nor the lust. It was the fact that she shared her most intimate moment with Cinder that topped all others.
As Ruby sat on the balcony, watching the city below her, her mind drifted off to how their relationship built up to this point. Back to the first day of class. She was 110% astonished as to how Cinder had saved her from Cardin. Since then on, the image of the tall girl with obsidian hair couldn't allude her mind, and in turn, she proceeded to carve out a friendship with her.
Despite protest from practically everyone; Ruby continued to 'hang out' with Cinder. She not only wanted to prove that Cinder wasn't the 'delinquent' people made her out to be, but also to help the girl, and find out where this 'delinquent' image came from in the first place. It didn't take long for her to stumble onto a possible answer. Cinder seemed... fragmented, or rather, gapped. Like a crucial element was missing.
Her parents.
She knew it had to deal with Cinder's parents. The elder girls hesitancy, and defensive behavior of that topic were major red flags.
But they carried on. It was infatuation that morphed into care, and when Ruby had finally asked Cinder to be her girlfriend; it changed to a whole bundle of emotions.
Even after kissing for the first time, the ones that followed were just as exhilarating and passionate -if not more. Every time they kissed, embraced or even touched Ruby knew Cinder was putting just as much effort in as she was.
Maybe even more.
In Ruby's eyes, Cinder is... perfectly flawed. The good and the bad meld together and make her... her.
So last night solidified her feelings. She's in love. All she has to do is tell that to Cinder and not herself. Forget what people say, or what they think, or even what her own family and friends say. Forget about age, numbers, all of it.
"I'll do it." She spoke.
"Do what?"
"Ahh!" Ruby leaped out of her chair in sudden fear, inadvertently flipping it in the process. She looked to the balcony door and glared at the giggling Yang that stood there. "Morning sis!" She shouted.
"Don't scare me like that!" Exclaimed Ruby. She righted the chair and then looked to Yang; the blonde still clad in her dress from last night, with her hair being the worst case of bedhead she had seen. "Nice hair." Ruby cackled.
"What can I say." Yang ruffled her long locks before addressing Ruby again. "What was that thing you were going to 'do'?"
"Huh? Oh, n-nevernind, nothing important." She internally cursed herself. It was getting increasingly difficult to keep her relationship a secret from not just Yang; but everyone. 'Oh no!' Realization dawned on the crimsonette. Going to a party with Cinder probably wasn't the best move to keep things under wraps. She didn't recognize anyone there -so hopefully no one noticed.
"Ruby? Heh, you still there?" Yang called out, pulling the girl from her thoughts.
"Yeah, just zoned out there for a sec, good ol' me..."
Yang raised an eyebrow but decided not to get into it. "Why are you sitting outside anyway?"
"It was uhh, to hot inside so... I came outside?" She said with a shrug.
Yang gestured for the girl to come back inside. "Well now you're coming inside!" She grabbed onto Ruby's arm and yanked the girl in. She shut the balcony door behind her and tugged the stoic Ruby to the island in the kitchen. "Dad said he'll be home later this evening. Meaning-"
"What?"
"It's just us today!" Yang cheered.
"Yaaaay..." Ruby blanched. "Don't you usually see Weiss? Like you know... everyday?"
"Not today. Ha, she had too much wine at the gala last night -and her father blames me for it. Says I'm a 'bad influence'. Yang ranted.
"Well you kind-of are."
Yang crossed her arms and glared at Ruby. "You know I was going to make chocolate chip pancakes, but, I guess not." She turned away from Ruby and walked to her bedroom.
"No Yang, wait-"
"Whoa!" She heard Yang shout down the hallway. "The heck happened in here?"
Ruby proceeded to find what Yang was talking about. She entered the short hallway and found the blonde gawking through the open door of the scarlet-girls bedroom.
"What happened to your bed?" Ruby pushed Yang aside, trying to see what she was talking about. The blonde was pointing at the mess of sheets and pillows that made up the girls bed. A few pillows were thrown across the room, and some blankets were strewn out on the carpet.
"I uhh..." Ruby drifted off into stammering, her face warming in embarrassment. "I didn't get much sleep last night."
"So, you got mad and destroyed your bed?"
"Yes."
Yang shook her head. "You're weird."
Ruby ignored Yang's comment and hastily attempted to fix her bed. By the time she was done, Yang had changed from her dress, into more casual clothes consisting of a black long-sleeve sweater and light gray jeans. "So what'dya want to do today?" Yang asked.
Ruby gave it some thought this time. She actually couldn't remember the last time she actually spent the day with her sister. When Yang started dating Weiss she still occasionally cleared her schedule to spend time with Ruby. But now with Cinder, Ruby hadn't spent some decent time with Yang in a while. She owed It to her, to at least spend one day together, something they used to do all the time.
The guilt of keeping a secret from her and constantly lying to keep it that way wasn't exactly being the best sister, so it couldn't hurt to spend the day with the oaf.
"We could hit up that arcade you like. Or look at stuff neither of us can afford." Ruby grinned, remembering two of their favorite pastimes.
"Sounds good Rubes, sounds good."
The two made their way to the door and got ready to leave. "Hey, so what'd you end up doing last night?" Yang questioned whilst shuffling into her leather jacket.
"N-Not much." Ruby muttered. The constant lying was really starting to eat at her. She wanted nothing more than to confess to Yang at this point. Even if the repercussions were bad.
If things go well with Cinder; maybe, just maybe, she will.
######
Nervousness and excitement took host to Ruby's mind this Monday morning. She ended up spending the majority of the weekend with Yang, feeling a tad bit guilty for not telling Cinder about it. But with the plans Ruby had for them today; guilt would be no more.
She'd spent her entire Sunday evening forming a plan which, in the end, wasn't really a plan at all. Everyday after class they'd meet up at her locker and drive to Cinder's place or, go out to eat or catch a movie. To avoid suspicion; Ruby would tell Yang that she and Cinder had school work or projects to do.
Yang was busy with Weiss most of the time, so the blonde really didn't pay them any mind. Her trust in Cinder had gone up, but not by that much.
As for Ruby's plan, she'd simply tell her as soon as they got to her house -much like before.
Even with its simplicity, it was still pretty nerve-racking.
After a hasty morning of mundane classes, Ruby was glad to retreat to the cafeteria for some much needed sustenance. The crimson teen settled on a random assortment of snacks and went to find Cinder. Oddly enough, she wasn't at their usual table in the far corner of the large room. In fact she hadn't seen Cinder all day.
"Maybe she's late or something." Ruby mused. She didn't want to discourage herself with negative thoughts, as this wasn't the time to get cold feet and back down.
Shrugging nonchalantly, the girl laid eyes on Blake sitting at the old table, sitting across from her Faunus friend was a brunette she didn't recognize.
...
"-can you believe it though? Fifty percent off."
Blake nodded along as Coco continued her story about the various sales she found over the weekend. The Faunus was paying attention, that is, until she spotted Ruby in the corner of her peripheral vision. When they laid eyes on each other, Blake beckoned the girl over.
"What're you doing?" Coco questioned.
"Hey Blake." Ruby greeted.
"Is this that Ruby girl you're always talking about?"
Blake blushed a bit, not wanting Ruby to know how much she talks about her. "Yeah, Ruby that's Coco."
"Sup, Red." Coco waved.
Ruby paused when she heard that name, Cinder's favorite nickname for her. 'Where is she?'
The girl took her place next to Blake. "Blake, was Cinder in your English class this morning?" she inquired.
Blake winced a little. "No."
"What?" Coco backpedaled. "I thought you guys had Volleyball practice this morni- ow!"
Blake kicked the brunette under the table, Coco knows all about her Blake's affection for Ruby, but has no idea she's dating Cinder. "We, did." She sighed.
Ruby's mood lightened a little. "Oh, okay."
In all honesty, Blake shouldn't be too upset at Ruby wanting too see Cinder. Over the weekend, Blake had made a plan of her own. Blinded by her own jealousy, she felt as though the 'thing' she was going to do today was right. It sickened her to see how aggressive Cinder was with Ruby in the hallway last week.
But deep down, she wanted to be in Cinder's place. And hated herself for waiting until it was too late.
In time...
######
Cinder had barely said a word to Ruby during History class. Most of what she had said to her revolved around the work they were doing and nothing else. She did feel better however, when Ruby greeted her in her usual chipper tone. Giving her the feeling that Mercury and Emerald were right and she was being to hard on herself.
The thing that piqued her brain the most was how Ruby didn't even address what had happened on Friday which in turn aroused a few questions; the big one being: 'Is she playing games with me?'
But class ended as quick as it started, they parted ways with a kiss and left. Ruby would always stop off at her locker and talk to Yang before meeting up with Cinder again. They picked Cinder's locker as the rendezvous point as it was located on the opposite side of the school.
Cinder's hopes rested on the fact that she and Ruby could talk about it once they got to her house. She placed her History textbook into her locker and shut the aluminum door closed. With the help of Mercury and Emerald, Cinder pretty much knew things would go well with Ruby, it may not be a big deal for the Crimson - haired girl; but Cinder just wants some closure.
She stood in the emptying hallway, watching as fellow peers left the building and went home. Normally Ruby would wait at the far end of the hall until the crowd died down, and then meet up with Cinder once the halls were empty.
"Where is she?" Cinder checked her phone, noticing it had been ten minutes longer than usual. Sighing in impatience, she left the hallway in search of Ruby...
Meanwhile...
"Alright, well see ya tomorrow Blake!" Ruby waved the Fauna off.
"Wait, do you have the Calculus homework?" Blake asked, stalling for time.
"Uhh, no. Why? We don't even have that class together." Ruby spoke in confusion.
"Well I-" A faint clicking -shoe clicking- sounded around the corner.
"You what?" The raven-haired girl went stoic. "Blake?"
The clicking was close now. "Hey Ruby?"
"Hm- whoa-" Ruby was silenced as Blake pulled her into a deep, heated, and hasty lock of their lips. Ruby gasped and shrieked at the sudden contact, completely frozen, and not knowing what to do. 'What is she doing!?'
Ruby fought to break free, but her movements made Blake go deeper and press against her body.
A small sniff emanating from behind Blake made Ruby come to her senses. Blake, however, pulled back first -giving her a warm smile. She shoved the cat-girl away and looked to the source of the sound;
It was... Cinder.
She stood there, giving Ruby a glare the portrayed deep hatred, but the tears lining her face and dripping onto the floor showed deep sorrow.
She took off in the other direction.
"Cinder!" Ruby cried out. She looked to where Blake was standing, but found that she had promptly disappeared.
"Blake..." Ruby seethed under her breath. She'd have to deal with her later. The crimsonette dashed down the same hallway Cinder went, hoping she'd catch her before it was too late.
######
Blake paced down the halls, contemplating what she just did.
It was right, wasn't it? She was helping Ruby. Her friend.
Was the Cinder's anguish really worth it? The way the two of them reacted made Blake's stomach churn and her mind run with guilt.
######
"Oh no, oh no, oh no..." Ruby sputtered. She found the nearest exit doors and ran out into the side facade of the school building. She fearfully glanced around, scared that Cinder might already be gone.
Across the way, over in the parking lot, she could see Cinder retreating to her car. "Cinder!" She called out. It caught her attention for a second before she continued to run, Ruby noticed a slight limp with every step she took.
The crimsonette was able to catch up to Cinder before it was too late; the both of them stood by the sedan. Cinder was desperately trying to choke back her sobs.
"I trusted you! She thundered. "Ruby... h-h-how could you...?"
"Cinder it wasnt-" Ruby stepped close and reached out for her -only to get viciously shoved back.
"No! I... I saw you. Y-You enjoyed it, your movements said it all!" She opened the car door. Ruby grabbed onto her arm in a meek attempt to stop her. "Wait please! She came-"
"Leave." She jerked back.
"Cin-"
"Ruby. Go." Cinder succumbed to her feelings and openly cried. The two of them locked glances; and Ruby looked into Cinder's shattered remorse.
SLAM!
Ruby winced as the girl slammed the driver's side door shut. Cinder didn't hesitate to start the car and peel out of the parking lot. Her own eyes shimmered over as she watched the silver sedan drive away as fast as possible.
"I didn't..." Ruby trailed off. She wiped the tears away and stood there; completely frozen. Her mind was racing; still trying to soak in what just happened. She still couldn't believe Blake would do something like that.
She resented herself too. For being such a... fool and just going with it.
Had Blake known about their relationship?
Blake was never the jealous type, but something about her actions seemed... planned.
Planned.
Ruby remembered her own plans. The one she was going to execute today. To tell Cinder she loves her.
She began to tear up again, her plans were ripped apart in a matter of seconds.
She was scared. Scared of not knowing when she'd actually be able to say those words.
She walked home, alone, holding back her tears.
She didn't even want to think how Cinder was doing right now...
A/N I'm uh sorry? Yeah you can see where this is going. Despite my own opinion, I won't make Blake a complete bitch in this. You'll see next chapter. Thanks for reading!
[On a completely random and unrelated note; uh, any Vocaloid fans out there?]