Cinder Falls... For Ruby Rose (ch13)

2-DAY EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS! THANK YOU!

I'm starting to run dry on 'serious-sounding chapter titles' for this fic but this one is actually pretty accurate haha

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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												Chapter 13. Sleeping With The Enemy

Cinder rested for a short while on the air ship back to Haven Academy, only waking up when the announcement was made that they were approaching her stop.

When she came to, Ruby was slumped up against her side, snoring lightly. Cinder spent a few moments admiring her before the ship landed and it was inevitable to wake her.

"Ruby," she murmured. "We're back."

There was a sleepy hum as Ruby opened her eyes and rubbed them.

"Ahhh it was a good nap... But I'm pretty hungry..."

"We'll have something to eat once we get inside."

The two girls stood up as the ship docked and made their way off. They'd stayed at the park for a while so it was already dark outside, but at least it wasn't cold. Without a word, Ruby took up Cinder's hand in hers and kept pace beside her.

They were welcomed back by Yang and Cinder's teammates at the dorm room, where everyone else also had dinner on their minds. Cinder felt a bit miffed that her dinner date with Ruby would have to be in a cafeteria, but Ruby didn't seem to mind one bit.

The group of six traveled through the hallways to the mess hall, waited on line for their food, and then sat down. Ruby sat in between Cinder and Emerald, and across from them was Yang, Neo, and Mercury respectively. Now that everyone was getting the chance to sit and relax and eat, Yang started popping questions.

"So~? What'd you and Cinder do in town, huh Ruby?"

"Oh!" Ruby tried to start talking right away but remembered she had a mouth full of cookie. After she rapidly chewed and swallowed, she started blabbing. "She took me to this super cool park! Well, actually we ate first which was super yummy, but then we went hiking and we saw this huge waterfall and it was so cool!"

As Ruby was explaining their date, Cinder's cheeks started to flush just by hearing about how much fun Ruby had had on such a simple walk through the woods. She would've liked to have done something much more entertaining, but given the fact that she'd flown to Vale that morning only to find out she needed to come back and then make up plans on-the-spot...

"Cinder? Did you hear me?" Emerald's query had the leader raising her head curiously, peering over Ruby's head at her teammate. "I asked if you were tired, but I guess that answers my question. You must be beat if you didn't hear me."

"Yeah, that's right," Yang said. "You did a ton of rushing around today. Maybe we should call it a night soon."

"That brings up the question-" Mercury said, leaning back. "Since this was kind of a surprise visit on your guys' part, where the hell are you gonna sleep?"

His question brought the group to a frozen silence. It was such a basic thing to consider, but none of them had even thought of that until now.

The first one to reply was Neo, who signed her answer above the table.

My bed is big enough for Yang to fit on with me.

"No way, you mean it?" Yang grinned. "I get to sleep in my girlfriend's bed tonight? Now I kinda wish I'd brought a different set of pj's, but all right!"

"All right," Emerald said. "Then what about Ruby?"

With Neo having just offered her bed to Yang, Emerald had an idea. With a glance across the table at her partner, she could tell right away Mercury was thinking the same thing.

"Well, we could lay some blankets on the floor," he offered. "What'cha think?"

When he addressed her, Ruby piped up right away.

"S-Sure! That's fine! I'll sleep anywhere!"

But Emerald knew from the very beginning Cinder would never accept that. And right away, her leader cut in firmly.

"No," Cinder said a bit loudly over the din of the room. "She can sleep in my bed. If she wants to." Cinder looked down at her girlfriend, who in turn looked up at her. Ruby's silver eyes widened as a smile spread across her lips.

"Y-Yeah! I'd love to! I-I mean if I could!"

"Of course." Cinder flashed a quick glance to Yang. She seemed a bit unsure at first but then shrugged. Ruby took the sign of approval with a squeal.

"Yes! Oh boy!"

"You sure about that, kid?" Mercury smirked. "Didn't you know the boss sleeps in the nude-"

"Shut up, you creep!" Emerald silenced him with a hard kick under the table, then quickly turned back to Ruby. "Ignore him. He's legally an idiot."

Once their sleeping arrangements had been decided, the group finished up dinner before heading back to the dorm room. Now that Ruby had it in her head she'd be sleeping in Cinder's bed with her, she was a little bashful to hold her hand on the walk back.

And Cinder seems totally calm about it!

Of course that's how Cinder appeared on the outside. But internally she was a hot mess.

Once they were back at the room everyone started getting ready for bed, taking turns in the bathroom to brush their teeth and change clothes.

Ruby and Yang unpacked their pajamas, both a little excited to show them off to their girlfriends. The second Cinder saw Ruby in her fluffy long pants and tank top, her heart skipped just for a second.

On the other side of the room, Yang was getting admired as well, but she was even more infatuated with Neo's white silk nightgown.

Cinder was the last to get changed, and she made sure to choose something fitting for the occasion. Her nightgown was dark red with thin straps, and with her hair down over her shoulder and her eyes sharp, she looked nothing short of seductive and predatory to the rest of the world.

But Ruby's initial comment threw all of that out the window.

"Cinder, you look like a candied apple!"

There was a ton of stifled giggling across the room while Cinder staggered to her bed and took a seat. Since candied apples were some of Ruby's favorite treats, she took the comment as a high compliment as it was innocently intended to be.

From there, goodnight wishes were briefly spoken as the lights were turned out. Mercury, with his bed furthest to one side, turned to face the wall, away from all the girls. Next to him, Emerald did the opposite, turning onto her other side to peek into Neo's bed, where Yang was pretty much all she could see.

But knowing that her little sister and her girlfriend were right next to them, Yang kept the kisses light and hidden, either pulling Neo to one side or moving the blankets up whenever things got a bit steamy.

But ultimately Neo fell asleep rather quickly. Yang held her close like a teddy bear and eased into more cuddly things. She checked over her shoulder to where Ruby already appeared to be asleep in Cinder's bed. Only then did Yang close her eyes.

But despite how it might've looked, Ruby wasn't asleep. At all.

In fact she was wide awake.

Cinder's bed was normal-sized, but with two people in it, it seemed way too small. Cinder was keeping her distance respectfully, not getting too close to Ruby right away. But that meant she was teetering on the edge of the bed, so she had to be careful.

Even in the dark, Ruby could see a bit from the moonlight. Cinder's expression was somehow tight and calm at the same time, but her eyes were inviting. Ruby moved an inch closer, swallowing.

They both knew neither of them had ever done anything like this before, so it was a bit nerve-wracking. But as the seconds passed by and they each remembered how to breathe, it became a little simpler.

Cinder inched forward this time, shifting the blankets and lifting one arm up to invite Ruby in. The brunette crept closer, but just before she was close enough, something bumped softly against her chest. She reached down to pick up a familiar panther plushie.

"Oh!" she whispered. "This is the guy I won for you, isn't it?"

Cinder was glad for the darkness to hide her blush. She nodded.

"Then he can cuddle with us tonight, too!" Ruby hugged the panther and sidled forward all the way now, until she was as close to Cinder as she could get.

And right away her senses were overwhelmed. Cinder's alluring scent was sharp in her nose, her body heat spreading across Ruby's chest, the sound of her breath in her neck-

"U-Uh, is this okay?" Ruby mumbled.

Cinder was hesitant with laying her arm down across Ruby's back, but she did it.

"Yes... What do you think?"

Ruby didn't answer right away. She took one arm off the panther and instead draped it across Cinder's side.

Cinder was frozen, but the warmth of Ruby's touch gradually began to melt her. Her stiff shoulders began to relax and she let out a sigh.

Ruby felt Cinder's chest move as she breathed. She couldn't explain why, but it felt really nice.

"Really nice," she said aloud. "This is... really nice..."

Cinder agreed. After a moment, she allowed herself to hold onto Ruby a bit more tightly, pulling her in more.

In turn, she felt Ruby's partial embrace on her back tighten too. Their legs bumped together and lightly interlocked to allow them to press closer together.

Ruby rested her head lightly against Cinder's shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment, getting used to her scent and her closeness. She could very faintly hear her heartbeat, which was rather fast in contrast to her cool exterior. Ruby thought that maybe breaking the silence a bit would help with the tension.

"I um... had a lot of fun today, Cinder. I really mean it. B-But I know you did a lot of traveling and you were probably really stressed out all the time and you probably wanna get some sleep but I just-"

A soft pat on her back silenced Ruby as she felt Cinder begin to rub her hands up and down her shoulders. Her voice was low but pleasant.

"I had a very good day, Ruby. I'm glad you did, as well."

"Y-Yeah! For sure!" Ruby snuggled up to her like a puppy, sighing now that she was entirely comfortable.

Knowing she was at ease was what put Cinder into a state of relaxation as well. She dared to press a kiss to the girl's forehead and rest her chin on her head. Ruby planted a chaste kiss on Cinder's collar, hugging her and the panther in between them.

"Good night, Cinder!"

Cinder let out a long slow breath, a smile forming on her lips as her eyelids fell shut.

"Good night, Ruby."

She wished every night could be like this.

But knowing they couldn't would only make this one all the more special.

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A/N: I'm so glad interest in this fic is still present if not growing! I have no idea what's gonna happen next but see you next month with an update!