A Sun Kissed Prison

by Twisted Fate MK 2

Ruby Rose is a Huntress. And a Huntress has to protect people who can't protect themselves, for whatever reason. But what should a Huntress do when the person that needs protecting is an enemy? Someone that wants her dead? Who she'd been sure had killed her own sister? Well, Neo isn't about to take being a Huntress away from Ruby. Even if Ruby hates what that means she has to do.

10. Chapter 10

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The next few weeks were… Nice. Peaceful. Even comfortable, kind of, which was something Neo hadn't been able to say since before she left Vale.

It was rainy for most of it, which Ruby chalked up to a change of season. Fall, she guessed, but given the tropical trees neither of them expected it to get cold. Instead, they spent the time exploring the woods around them. Walking the length of the root-wall for a couple miles, gathering fronds and fallen limbs wherever they could, taking turns tasting berries they found, and working on the hut. Together. And while whatever weird itch had been driving her mad before had faded away long before they finished the work, Neo…

Well, she liked working with her. And cuddling after by the fire.

Even if she felt like one of those soft-bellied gangsters of Junior's for it… She shook that off, focusing on tying the last note on the third and final layer of palm-panels they'd put up for an outer wall.

Now that they were settling in to stay for a bit, they'd spent more time working on making the shelter comfortable. First they'd added two more layers to the roof, layered so that each layer's panels covered the joints of the one under. It was about two thirds wider now, too, reaching out to cast shade around the lower part, raised up and suspended in the canopy of the trees. Red said it was kind of like armor, and would make it stronger, but Neo had no idea about any of that. All she knew was the foot or so space between the top of the wall and the roof made it way less stuffy inside, even if they'd spent days finding and making enough rope to keep the ceiling up. Paired with cooler temperatures, and the shorts she'd made of her pants, it was… Actually pretty nice to relax in, now.

Inside, they'd spent some time pushing the walls out a bit, angled so that the layers would make most of the water slide down the sides and away from them in little trenches Ruby had dug around the shelter. The firepit was a bit wider, with a couple big rocks they'd found laid up on a tripod of thick sticks, making a wall that sent most of the heat into the shelter. They had to replace the ropes that were tied around the rocks on occasion, thanks to the heat, but the sticks held somehow. And it got toasty at night, with space in front of the fire to cook on another flat rock about the size of a pan they could slide part of the way into the fire for an improvised skillet.

Weeks of walking had beaten the floor relatively flat and, opposite the entrance, they'd spent almost a solid week on as close to a real bed as they could get. Four heavy limbs were set up on rocks, with a sort of web of closely tied ropes Ruby had spent days working on getting right between them. Fronds and the last of the feathers laid under it kept ground cold away, and some broad leaves from softer shrubs they found a mile or so inland made nicer bedding, along with a few of the softer segments of the feathers they cut free from the rest.

The front was still wide open, nearly eight feet wide now with a foot of space out to the root wall, but apparently Ruby was working on ideas for that too…

The little genius.

Meanwhile, all Neo had really taken to was hunting the huge crabs on the beach, and spearing fish in the water. Which Ruby was pretty damn good at, too, so… Well, she couldn't help but feel a bit like dead weight with everything going on.

"Hey!" Red called, poking her head around the corner and smiling as she brushed her hair over her shoulder. It was starting to get a bit longer, now - almost to her shoulders - from how long they'd been here. "C'mon. Lunch is ready."

"Ok." She sighed with a hand, triple checking her knot before she relaxed.

Standing up, she checked the wall one last time, circling around it to come in from the other side like she did every day, looking for segments that needed work. She spotted a few fraying ropes, a couple too-dry fronds that were going to start letting rain through, but nothing terrible. Nothing immediate at least.

"There you are!" Ruby chirped as soon as Neo slid around the corner.

The girl was at her side in a moment, trailing the rose petals that littered their camp, filling the place with their pleasant scent. She stole a quick kiss that surprised Neo before she handed her a fish steamed in seaweed and plopped on the floor, leaning against one of the trees that made up the irregular corners of their hut. She hesitated for a second, just a bit… Anxious, suddenly, before she sat own with her girlfriend and took a bite of her fish. It was salty and moist, with some of the berries they'd deemed safe smeared on top, and she couldn't help but sigh softly as she relaxed against Ruby's side.

"Good?" The woman asked, earning a nod from Neo. Smiling a bit more softly, Ruby nodded and said, "I'm glad…"

Neo cocked her head at the tone in her voice, chewing and signing at the same time, "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She shrugged, finishing her fish in two hearty bites and sighing as she leaned her head back against the wood and closed her eyes while she talked, and Neo very pointedly looked away from the stretch of smooth throat. "Just stressed, you know? Or, well, not stressed- But I'm stressed by not being stressed, if that makes sense?"

Neo just frowned and tapped a knuckle against Ruby's thigh, just under her skirt - three times for, "No."

"Yeah, it's… Weird." Ruby sighed, "Like, I'm happy here, with you, but I should be doing something more, right?"

This time, she drew a question mark in the same spot, "What do you mean?"

"I'm a Huntress, Neo." Ruby sighed, turning to look at her, head still resting against the tree, Now, she looked… Almost sad, sad enough that it actually made Neo frown. Made her upset, but not at Ruby herself but…

Gods, it was still so weird, how bad she wanted to make Ruby feel better.

Before she could consider it, she leaned over and gave the other girl a quick kiss, which made her stiffen nervously. Pulling away, Neo signed, "What do you want to do about it, then?"

"W-What can we do…?" The blushing girl asked, still as easy to embarrass as ever - as long as Neo was on the offensive.

"You would be a good start." Neo smirked, watching Ruby flush, then pout, then glare and scrunch her head down into her shoulders. Smiling and shaking her head, Neo went on with a hand while she fanned herself and laughed mutely. "I'm joking. But we've only seen a tiny part of the island. There has to be something out there."

"I mean…" Ruby kept pouting but nodded, relaxing and letting Neo loop an arm around her waist, leaning against each other comfortably while distant thunder rumbled. Sighing, she nodded, "You're right. We've barely gone two or three miles inland from the coast, and haven't even walked the whole coast. And then there's these big frickin' root walls… Which seem to come from the huge tree in the middle."

"Big roots." Neo nodded, "Big tree. One plus one."

"Yeah, but… Where does that get us?"

"We can only find out by going and looking."

"Okay, but…"

"But?" Neo smirked, sliding her hand down a bit to make the joke and earning a little thump on her leg for it. Raising her hand back up, she asked, "But what?"

"I'm… Faster than you." Ruby finally sighed, flicking her an apologetic look when Neo blinked and leaned back a bit. Turning to her, Ruby reached across herself to put a hand on Neo's wrist and, when she turned her hand over, hold it. "I-I don't mean anything, you know, mean by it, but… With my Semblance, I can cover a lot of ground. And with my Scroll, I can map chunks as I go."

Neo nodded but, some part of her dreaded… Something in Ruby's voice. Something nervous, even cautious. So she raised an eyebrow and asked, "What else?"

"Well… I might need to, uh, stay out…" Ruby grimaced, "On my own. Overnight…"

Anxiety immediately flared up in her chest, and Neo turned to look over at the fire, yanking her hand away from Ruby and rubbing both of them together. She heard Ruby's little grunt of surprise and half expected her to chase after Neo, but… She didn't. Instead, she just laid the tips of her fingers on the small of her back, so Neo knew she was still there, and waited while Neo got her own anxiety under control.

"Sorry." She signed over a shoulder, "I don't know why I did that."

"It's okay, I… Can guess at why that kind of thing might make you anxious." Ruby spoke quietly, softly, "Can I… Hold you?"

She nodded and, after a second, Ruby's arms wrapped around her stomach and she let the younger girl pull her back to rest against her chest. It was a bit stiff, and Ruby was somehow still too nervous to know what to do with her hands and eventually just let them hang off the sides, but she pressed a kiss to Neo's shoulder anyways. Because, in spite of the nerves, Ruby was still more concerned with making Neo feel better than anything else and that…

Well, it made her feel better, in spite - and, funnily, because - of how bad Ruby was at comforting someone else like this.

So, task failed successfully, she supposed.

Smiling, she turned and reached up, cupping Ruby's cheek and giving her a softer, warmer kiss than before. One that Ruby smiled into, taking it for the simple gratitude it was. Sighing, Neo pulled away and relaxed against her for a second, closing her eyes and letting the sound of the fire and the early rain pattering down on the roof fill her ears and relax her. And listening to Ruby's slow breathing, too.

Not that she'd tell her that…

Red would never let her live it down.

"I'll come back." Ruby promised, voice warm on her ear, "I promise. Okay? I'm fast, and I know what to do."

"Roman knew what to do." Neo signed slowly, forcing the name to take shape in her fingers once again after so long. Pressing into Ruby, she added, "He didn't come back. You can't promise to."

For a few moments, Ruby was quiet… Then she wrapped her arms more tightly around Neo and said, "I will always do everything I can. But… People need me, and you deserve better than this island. I have to try. Is that… Okay?"

"There's nothing out there for me." Neo argued, scowling and starting to pull away.

Before she could, Ruby said, "I'm going to be out there. My family is. A-And… When we get to them, I'd like for you to be part of, you know… That."

"Moving fast, aren't we?" She joked weakly, feeling heat creep up her neck. "Only a few weeks and you want to take me to the parents?"

"I… Took my time, with Penny." Ruby whispered, voice so quiet Neo could almost miss it in the rain. "I thought, you know, maybe there was something there. And then I had a second chance, and… I-I wasted it, too."

"So," she breathed, "I don't want to waste time ever again.

Neo sighed and leaned back into her, turning to rest her forehead against Ruby's cheek. Finally, she signed, "If you die out there, you don't get to touch my butt for a year. Understand?"

"Y-Yeah…" Ruby nodded, "Thank you."

Confused, Neo signed a little question mark in the air.

"For trusting me." She said, pulling away and turning to give Neo a smile. Her eyes were a bit watery, Neo noticed, but… She left it alone, for now, while Ruby went on. "I-I know that's hard for you. So… Thank you."

"Yeah." Neo nodded, signing, "Don't make it a thing."

"Not even if I want to…?"

"No."

"I'll do the sad eyes."

"I'll take my shirt off."

"H-How is that a threat?"

"You can't give me puppy dog eyes and pretend not to stare at my tits at the same time." Neo smiled, pecking Ruby on the nose and bouncing up and out of her grip while she flushed and spluttered. Honestly, she didn't get how shy and innocent Ruby still acted after everything, but… Well, she kinda like it, in a way. Ignoring that, she waved for Ruby to follow and signed, "Come on. Rain's coming, need to set out bowls."

"R-Right. I'm coming." Ruby shot up, trailing petals as she rushed to catch up to Neo. Neo shot her a look, smirking and licking her lips teasingly, and Ruby eeped as she caught the joke and stammered, "S-Stop being so mean to me! I didn't do anything to you…"

Neo just laughed.

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Rain came in the next day, harder and heavier than either of them had expected, and that cut off any talk of Ruby going for a run. Instead, they had to run outside to get their bowls in before they were blown over, Neo had to dig crabs out of the sand, and Ruby had to hang a line of the palm panels suspended on a thich chord over the gap between the wall and ceiling to keep water mostly out of their little home. Soe still managed to get into the firepit, but the fire was big enough, and fed enough, that what managed to trickle down didn't put it out - it just made it put out smoke.

Soaked, exhausted, and covered in sand and mud, both of them retreated inside to wait while the handful of smaller crabs Neo had dug out boiled.

After a few minutes of just sitting, Ruby pushed herself up and ran a string of vine-rop across the middle of their little hut and turned, pulling her holey, dirty shirt off and murmuring, "Gotta dry 'em, and can't stay wet or we'll get sick…"

"Already bored enough to want me out of my clothes?" Neo smirked wearily, standing and tugging at her shirt, peeling it away from her skin while Ruby scrunched her head down.

"I-If I wanted that I'd, um, just ask." She pouted, "I-I just don't want us getting sick."

Neo just rolled her eyes and pitched her shirt onto the line, followed quickly by her bra. Ruby squeaked at that, still as innocent as ever, before her pants followed it and Neo collapsed onto the bed, closing her eyes and listening to the sound of the rain. Which, even after it had thoroughly ruined her day, was still nice. A few moments passed before the bed sagged a bit as Ruby joined her and then, gently, she felt fingers play across her stomach nervously and smirked, cracking an eye open to see Ruby smiling sheepishly, propped up on one arm beside her.

"I-I did say I'd ask…"

Neo smiled, grabbed the arm on her stomach, and yanked it up and to the side, pulling the larger girl down onto her. She squealed in surprise and Neo smiled as she wrapped her arms around her and bit at an ear. Ruby shivered against her and Neo took the chance to buck her hip, pushing the larger girl over and climbing on top of her, straddling her waist and smiling down at Ruby while she flushed and avoided looking at her.

Still so nervous…

She reached down with a hand, running her fingers through Ruby's knotted hair and down to cup her cheek, and Ruby pouted, "C'mon, don't tease me…"

In the quiet that followed, as Neo's hand slid down to wrap around Ruby's throat and enjoy her racing pulse, she heard wooden fall with a thwap in the mud and turned. Her gaze trailed up from the ruined pile of logs, and the stick that had held their drying clothes up, along a booted leg and up to, eventually, meet red eyes. Red eyes set into a mane of incendiary hair.

'Oh,' she blinked, 'shit.'

"Yang?!" Ruby squawked, peeking around Neo's thigh with wide, silver eyes. "W-What- How-"

"Get off her you psychotic little-"

Neo leapt, and so did Ruby. While Neo knelt in the corner, covering up her chest with her hands, Ruby stood between her snarling sister and her girlfriend naked as the day she'd been born.

"Yang, stop!" She shouted, stepping side to side to keep the blonde back while she glared red hate in Neo's direction. She tried to slide past her and Ruby grabbed at her jacket and, when that failed, at her hair, snarling as Yang turned and pushed her away. Coming up, she shouted, "I said stop, damn it!"

"Why?!" Yang roared, "She's why we're here! Why Blake is- Why Penny is dead, and-"

"She's not to blame for all of that! Cinder is!" Ruby roared, deflating a bit as she processed Yang's words and asked. "What… What happened to Blake?"

"She's trapped in some…" Yang threw an arm up, angry and on the verge of rounding on Neo again, before Ruby got back between them and, seeing that path blocked, she snarled, "She's… Trappined, or something, in this- I dunno. Some weird fucking tree, because of this bitch and her friend!"

"Tree…?" Ruby murmured, "You mean the big one?"

"No, a different one…" Yang growled, "But more importantly-"

"You can lay a hand on Neo," Ruby growled, "when you get through me."

"I… What?" The blonde blinked, hair starting to die down, "She was just… On top of you… I saw her hand on your throat!"

"She… Likes to touch my throat when we're…" Ruby's fire suddenly died and, realizing she was naked, she covered her chest and scrunched down again. As anger and adrenaline gave way to embarrassment, she said, "It's raining, so… We were going to spend the day in bed."

"In bed…"

"Together." Ruby nodded, turning and giving Neo a look before she sighed and shrugged. "That's what girlfriends do, right?"

"Girl… Friends…" Yang blinked. Slowly. Before she gave Neo a look. Neo just smirked, shrugged, and stood up behind the taller girl, wrapping her arms around her and pressing a kiss to her shoulder. Mouth gawping like a fish, the blonde bitch backed up a step, plopped onto the ground, and took a long breath.

Finally, she said, "Start talking… And can you both please cover up a bit?"

"Sorry…"

"I gave you baths, you're fine." Yang grunted, earning an embarrassed 'hey' from Ruby before she went on. "I just don't wanna see murder-tits over here while you explain all of this. That's all."

Ruby just sighed and, wise enough to pick her battles, turned to pick up their still-wet shirts and fixing the line while Neo grabbed the little cover of palm fronds they'd made for a blanket and made space for Ruby. Once they'd settled in, Yang waved for them to talk, and Ruby frowned, letting Neo grab her hand under the blanket.

"What about Blake…?" She asked first, "Doesn't she need help?"

"She's… Frozen." Yang sighed, explaining when Ruby sucked in a sharp breath, "Not, like, in ice. But like… She's just stood on a thing, and won't move. Doesn't breathe, either. It's been days, and she's been fine, so I went looking for help."

"And found us…"

"I saw smoke yesterday." She nodded, "Been heading this way since, and it's dark out, so the light I could see was pretty obvious."

"Fair…"

"Yeah," Yang nodded, "so talk. I'd like to know why you won't let me rearrange Cinder's little murder goblin here's internal organs."

"Well…" Ruby sighed, "It's a bit of a story."

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I am not good at writing intimacy. And I don't mean sex - I mean intimacy. XD

Happy pride!

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Taylor Wallace :

Yes, just intermittently.

Reggie Lacey :

Well… One down!

Lea :

Ruby is a bit more proactive nowadays than before. But she's still very shy about stuff. Mostly out of it still being new - only a month or so isn't enough to quite break her of that, imo.

Sebine :

Yes they are! Unless someone gets in the way…