This is just my luck. A bitter exhale left her throat as she leaned back against the wall, intently staring outwards. It wasn't the sparkling, clear blue sea or the sky sparse with puffy white clouds that she stared at, no, instead she held her icey glare firmly on the back of another woman. Of course I'd get stuck babysitting… and her no less.
"I can hear you sighing," Blake's cat ears rotated atop her head, though she didn't turn around to see the soldier behind her, instead her amber eyes stared dreamily out to the sea. "If you have something you want to say, get it over with, you're ruining the moment."
"Now that you mention it, yeah, I do have some things I want to say!" Weiss stomped forward, her heels clicking against the metal deck of the ship and her long hair swaying in the ocean's winds.
"Oh I believe it." Blake rolled her eyes.
"First, it's that attitude of yours," The Special Officer growled. "You're a criminal and I'm stuck watching you because you somehow managed to convince the General that you're anything other than a low life pain in my ass!"
"Tell me how you really feel." Blake let out a huff of laughter, still refusing to look at the woman who was now beside her.
"Secondly, I don't need you. You can't be trusted, none of your people can!" Weiss snapped, her hand gripping the railing surrounding the perimeter of the ship.
"My people?" At that, Blake looked at her reluctant partner with a tired, irate glare.
"You know what I mean, don't twist my words," Weiss spat back. "The White Fang, your terrorist organization! You cause nothing but trouble and now I'm stuck here with you. Who knows when you'll try to stab me in the back."
"Right," The terrorist's cat ears flicked in annoyance. "Well I'm not thrilled to be working with you either, Princess. The last thing I need is a spoiled rich girl who nepotismed her way to a high ranking military position. Let me guess, Daddy's money paid for this boat ride?"
"Shut up! You don't know anything about me. I'll have you know I'm a decorated soldier and the veteran of many battles. The only thing that got me this far is me, myself and I." Weiss could feel her blood pressure rising with every exchange.
"You were born with a silver spoon so far up your ass you have no idea what it's like to have actual problems. Congrats on boot licking your way to the top I guess, but don't pretend like you've had it so tough. Try being discriminated against your whole life, everywhere you go, by every human you meet, then tell me you wouldn't be radicalized to do something about it." Before the end of her rant, Blake was baring her teeth.
"Oh yeah, like I've never had any problems just because my dad is rich. News flash, the only person who hates my father more than the White Fang is me, okay? He's an abusive bastard who made my life a nightmare growing up, not that I owe you my backstory. I bet you never had to hide in the bathroom when guests came over because you weren't allowed to show your bloodied and bruised face… I was only seven when that happened. What were you doing at that age? What makes you think you had it so hard?" Weiss felt her aura flaring and her hand instinctively moved to the sword at her hip.
"At least you had money to dry those tears. At least you didn't have the world against you. Someone once tried to cut my cat ears off just because I was walking down the street when I was fifteen. When I cried for help, humans just walked on by. I only got away because- because someone did intervene." Blake's hands clasped tight as she looked to the horizon, her gaze as hard as stone.
"I'll take a wild guess and say another faunus came to your rescue?" Weiss felt the atmosphere between them slowly shift and her hand fell to her side.
"He was- he was a hero to me in that moment. He rescued me. I should have known by the way he stomped my attacker's face into the concrete that something wasn't right, but when he helped me up, I felt safe." For the briefest of instants… Weiss saw Blake tremble.
"Are you… talking about Adam Taurus?" Weiss leaned over the railing, a new target of her rage and disgust firmly in her mind as heat radiated through her belly and into her blood.
"Adam- he… he was my boyfriend, in fact, I thought he was the one," Blake looked down to the crashing waves below with a wistful stare. "Little by little, he changed. He was always angry, always on edge. He took out his frustration on his subordinates. They started fearing him more than they respected him. It wasn't long before his fury spilled out towards me. He was always afraid of betrayal, it was an obsession. He was paranoid, he couldn't rely on trust. It's strange, the more mistrusting he got, the more he clung to me… like a snake strangling the life out of its prey."
"I have my own history with that bastard," Weiss felt strangely at ease, their mutual hatred towards the man they targeted left her with a sense of camaraderie. "My older sister, Winter… she was sent out on a mission to apprehend him. He bested her… but instead of killing her or letting her go, that sick piece of shit stabbed her between her vertebrae… paralyzing her from the neck down."
"I remember that day. He was in such a good mood after that. He didn't lash out at me once." The contempt and disgust in Blake's voice left no doubt that she hated him.
"It seems we agree on the most important thing, at least." Weiss' voice softened as she looked over the horizon with her teammate.
"Yeah… Adam is a monster and no one is safe with him free." Blake's jaw clenched tight and her heart pounded with an intense fury. We're almost there. Wherever you're hiding on that island, we'll find you, and I'll stop you before you can hurt anyone else.
"Aaadaaaam," Ruby whined, leaning just a little bit towards where she thought he was, though as usual, her gaze was just a bit off. "Pleeeassseee?"
"I don't want to go, Rubyyy." A tall and muscular man spoke sternly, but with a playful note as he spoke her name. His muscular arms were folded over his chest as he watched his housemate's eyes, the way they instinctively moved towards the sound of his voice but never could quite pinpoint him deprived of their sight. It's strangely endearing, I don't think I'll ever understand why.
"But- but," She sputtered with a heartbroken frown. "I thought it'd be fun. There's food and music and dancing and you'll get to see all the flowers we've worked so hard on."
"I don't like crowds." He grunted, taking a few steps back until his hip met the stone of the kitchen counter. Adam couldn't help but smile a little as Ruby's head tilted, her ears following his footsteps, breathing and voice much more accurately than her eyes could guess his location.
"I'll be with you the whole time, I promise!" The florist puffed her chest out confidently, holding her arms up with her fists balled and a bright, hopeful smile on her face.
"Why is this so important?" He felt himself falter under that smile. All he could do was look away, like he always did.
"It's the biggest celebration on the island and it dates back centuries, it's full of traditions and unique cultural experiences. The food always smells wonderful, everyone in town brings something. There's also games, a lot of them are for kids but no one says anything when I try to play, and not to brag but I sometimes do even better than the children!" Ruby boasted with a cocksure grin.
"Mmmffp," A snort of laughter left his nose before he had the chance to stop it. Immediately, he recoiled and his smile waned… but only for a moment. "You can see with sound, have superhuman senses of smell, touch and hearing and you have fast reflexes from catching yourself falling for years. Hardly a fair fight to put yourself up against some random kids."
"Oooh, you think so? Sounds like I need a more serious opponent." Her silvery eyes narrowed and her voice became as smooth as silk as she took a bold step forward towards her companion.
"I won't go easy on you just because you're blind." He took a step closer in turn towards his companion, the two walking effortlessly to each other until the gap was closed and their bodies were separated only by centimeters. He could hear her breathing and smell the scent of her herbal shampoo as it clung to her hair, scents and sounds he had become comfortably familiar with.
"And I won't go easy on you just because you can see." Ruby leaned in just a little closer. She knew he was so close, his voice radiating from above her ears, she knew he was taller than her so she instinctively balanced on her toes, closing the height difference just a bit more.
"Challenge accepted." He just stood there, looking down at Ruby's face so close to his. Her skin was lightly tanned from her work out in the sun. Her cheeks glowed with a warm blush as blood rushed just beneath her delicate, soft skin. Locks of black hair stained crimson at their tips swayed with her every movement. Still, he couldn't help but focus in on those expressive, shimmering silver eyes that looked like liquid metal.
"Great, then we should start preparing." With that, Ruby took a small step back. Her heart was beating faster, as close as she was to him, she had felt his warm breath could smell his scent that she had gotten used to, even though it was masked by the soaps they shared. All of her senses seemed focused on him and her chest felt uncomfortably warm and tight but at the same time she didn't want it to end.
"Wait, what do you-," Adam blinked for a moment, just staring at her before his mind caught up with reality. "What did I just agree to?"
"You're coming with me to the festival and I'm going to beat you in every single game." Without hesitation, she turned from him and made her way through her living room and towards the radio, nimbly navigating her furniture to get there.
"Uuhg, how did you even do that?" He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling frustration mixed with his admiration as he couldn't help but be impressed with how easily she turned him around. She's always getting in my head like that. It's annoying… but somehow I don't hate it.
"You're competitive, I can tell. I bet you didn't know I can be pretty competitive too, especially for games." She came to a stop in front of her radio, fiddling with the dials as the channels shifted from one to the other.
"You're full of surprises." He shook his head at her.
"That's not the only reason to go…" Her voice became so soft and gentle, like the petals of the flower whose namesake she bared. Adam's grin softened in kind with her words as she turned towards him with a hopeful, delicate smile.
And the music began to play.
"I- I'd like it if you would… um… you know… dance with me… at the festival." Her cheeks were so hot and her eyes looked away from where she heard Adam's breathing, even turning her ears from him as her fists balled up at the hem of her dress. What am I even doing? How could I just ask him that? What's he thinking right now? He's not saying anything, I don't know if that's better or worse I-
Then, she heard a familiar footstep echo off the floor. Then another, and another, getting closer and closer with each sound. She was blushing harder and she knew it. With the backdrop of the music playing behind her, she couldn't quite make out how his breathing sounded anymore, her main cue to how he was feeling. I once asked Yang how people look when they're feeling something, she said that people's expressions can tell a lot about their emotions and what they're thinking. I- I think this is the first time in a long time… I wish I could see.
"You'll have to teach me." His voice washed over her like a rogue wave from the sea, quenching the burning in her chest and the doubt in her heart. His voice told her everything she needed to know.
"I- I'd love to. Do you maybe wanna get some practice in now?" Hesitantly, Ruby held out her hand towards the sound of his voice, feeling unease in the gap between his words. There's just something comforting about his voice.
"Just don't hold it against me if I'm less than graceful." He sounded almost as nervous as his companion.
"It doesn't matter, no one's here to see you mess up." Ruby let out a breathless huff of laughter. Then, she felt a warm sensation envelope her hand. It was rough and calloused, she could feel what seemed to be scars on his skin and his muscles were firm and unyielding as they clasped around her much smaller fingers. Still, as she felt his touch, it felt like pure light had replaced every drop of blood in her body.
"So… how do we start?" He wanted to look away, he wanted to run away. A conflict in his heart, a divide in his psyche compelled him to pull back… but that smile on her face kept him firmly in place. He couldn't help but stare, he tried to remember, but he couldn't recall seeing a smile quite like that before in his life. It was unbridled relief coupled with anxiety and soaring happiness. Before he realized it, he was smiling, though more subdued, right along with her. Ruby is a problem I don't know how to deal with.
"One step at a time," She spoke softly, her other hand reaching out and clumsily searching for his waist until she found it. "Now put your hand on my lower back."
"Like this?" She felt so warm to the touch, even through her clothes he could feel her heart pounding so furiously.
"R-right, then… we start moving. One step this way," Their weight swayed and Adam followed her lead, moving about the clearing between the living room and kitchen as the music hummed along in the background. "Then one step that way."
Their steps moved in time with the rhythm of the music and Adam felt a momentum building, an effortless flow and confidence as he followed her steps, feeling himself going at her pace. The whole time, they never stopped smiling.
"Adam, you're getting it!" She cheered excitedly, her dance becoming more frenetic and energetic, her steps so light and her movements so smooth Adam would have struggled to keep up if she didn't guide him around every turn and step.
"If you say so." Was all he could manage to say as he just followed along, only half his brain focused on the task at hand… while the other half was fixated firmly on the woman in front of him.
Even as she pulled them around, Adam did notice something, or rather, an absence of something. There's no pain. No matter how fast we move or how she pulls or pushes me, nothing hurts. It seems my wounds must be almost entirely healed.
"I do say so," Ruby said confidently, their dance culminating in a crescendo of movement swelling in time to the music before they breathlessly came to a stop. She let her body rest, leaning her weight in Adam's hand, the only thing holding her up from a fall to the floor, still, she wasn't afraid for a moment. "You did great."
"I had a good teacher." He felt her body sway with every deep and labored breath, her heart was pounding so hard, keeping time with his own. He felt her weight, her body pulling against his, like she was tempting gravity to let her down, but he just held onto her a little tighter, one hand on hers, and his arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her body up. She feels so delicate and light, like she would just float to the floor if I let go now. The way she's leaning on me, it's almost like she's daring me to drop her. She really trusts me.
"And you're a good student." Ruby pulled herself up by his arm, holding his back as she felt her body press gently against his. Even as she found her footing again, she noticed he didn't let go and his grip on her didn't let up. I feel so safe, like I don't have to try so hard, like maybe everything doesn't have to be on me. I don't have to be the only one keeping myself up… he didn't let me fall.
"You- you um," With a false start, Ruby's smile softened as her eyes closed gently. "You sound good, I didn't hear you in pain. I guess your wounds are almost healed."
"Yeah… I've been feeling better these past few days. I feel my strength returning too." As they spoke, the pair never let go of each other, their bodies pressed close together so close the warmth of their bodies radiated into each other.
"I'm glad. I was really worried when I found you. You're strong though, you recovered so quickly." She tried to hide it, she tried to hide the bittersweet feelings that spread through her chest and into her throat, but she heard it leak out into her words.
"I probably would have died if you didn't take me in." His voice was colder, harder, more reserved. He could see her expression, the subtle look of worry on her face. She's so bad at hiding what she's feeling.
"You've been well enough for a while now, you've been able to move around on your own. Now that the pain is gone…" She felt a tension in her throat and her heart began to ache. I'm so selfish.
"Adam," Ruby spoke up quickly, her forlorn expression burned away with hopeful conviction as she turned her ear towards him and held his hand just a little tighter. "Why- why are you still here?
"Why?" Adam muttered, more to himself than in response to her.
"You could have left weeks ago, you've been out of danger for a while. You're strong now, strong enough to help around the shop and dance with me. You wanted to leave so badly when you first got here… do you still feel that way? If so… why haven't you left already?" Her voice trembled, her smile faded and her senses became highly attuned to the body pressed against her own.
"I- I-"
KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK
Instantly, Adam and Ruby both jumped at the sudden sound. Adam's eyes looked to the door and immediately he felt his blood burn with adrenaline. His mind became sharp and blocked out almost everything else as scarios played out before him. The only thing that registered… was how cold the air felt as Ruby pulled away.
"O-one moment!" Ruby gave a stammering shout towards the door, though her hearing was firmly fixed on her companion.
With a soft sigh, Ruby made her way to the door, turning down the radio as she passed by it. She easily navigated her home and soon was at the entrance of her home… with her and Adam's shoes tucked safely in a nook where she couldn't trip over them.
Adam watched intently, his muscles tense and his fight or flight kicking in as the door slowly creaked open. Instinctively, his hand moved to his side only to find there was no sword to draw. Damn it, I need a weapon. What will I do if it's the authorities? What if it's the White Fang? Damn it, did Ruby set me up- no, no that doesn't make any sense. Damn it!
"Yang?" Ruby's voice cut through Adam's paranoid spiraling as he looked up to see the woman from the night before, Ruby's older half sister.
"Hey sis, sorry for dropping by unannounced again." Yang sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.
"Don't apologize, you're always welcome over… I'm just surprised is all." Ruby smiled.
"You don't look surprised, you look exhausted. You're sweaty and out of breath, working hard on the orders for the festival or-?" Yang's expression shifted entirely the instant she looked inside and saw Adam standing in the living room, also looking as though he just worked out.
"Oh, yeah… actually, I was practicing for the dance at the festival. Adam was just helping me." Ruby blushed, already knowing she sucked at lying so there wasn't a point, especially with how flustered she felt.
"Well, sorry I interrupted but… okay so this is kinda short notice but Dad and I had a fight and I was wondering if I could stay with you for a couple of days." She held up her overnight bag, but not for her blind sister. Instead, she held her bag up so Adam could clearly see.
"Oh no, you two have been doing so good lately too," Ruby frowned, opening up the door all the way. "The um… the guest room is taken but you can have my room. I don't want to hear any arguments either, I won't let my sister sleep on the couch."
"The guest room is-," Yang blinked, looking at Adam. "Oooh."
"It's not like that! I'm just um- we're just- it's like-" Ruby stumbled and tripped over every syllable.
"Hey, hey, calm down Sis, it's none of my business," Yang gently placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Thanks for letting me stay. I won't be here too long, don't worry."
"It's no problem, take as much time as you need." With that, Ruby opened the door and her sister crossed the threshold.
"Don't worry, Adam, I'll try not to get in your way." Yang smiled politely as she walked past him. Adam Taurus… the terrorist, no doubt about it. He's living with my little sister. Her being blind is probably the only reason she's alive. Who knows what kind of backup he has. I can't risk starting a fight or getting the authorities involved, Ruby could get caught in the crossfire. As soon as I can get them apart, I'm taking Ruby esomewhere safe and then I'll make sure Adam can't ever hurt my little sister.