Beyond The Stables (ch8)

FOR ALL MY PATRONS! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

People predicted I wouldn't let things simply go that smoothly. Guess I'm getting a bit predictable :3c

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													Chapter 8. Setback

When morning came, Weiss was roused by a gentle hand, and an even gentler kiss.

The first sense that came back to her was scent, and she automatically remembered she'd fallen asleep in the stables last night, the smells of horses and hay filling her lungs. When she blinked open her eyes, she was met with two pools of silver and a rosy smile.

"Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead," Ruby murmured.

Weiss let out a yawn, then groaned as she made an attempt to sit herself up, feeling the kinks and cracks that went through her back as she did so. Sleeping on a hay bail for one night after seventeen years of sleeping on a mattress was certainly a new experience for her, and Weiss twisted around a bit to stretch out.

Ruby helped her up, then stood and shook out the blanket.

"Did you sleep okay last night?" she wondered.

Weiss staggered to her feet and ran a hand through her bangs.

"Actually, yes. Much better than I thought I would," she confessed. She glanced around the stables, noting the dim lighting that was slipping in through the rafters and walls. By peering out the far doors, she could tell that the sun had yet to rise, but the sky was just taking on a pale brightness.

"Oh yeah," Ruby said. "I woke you a bit early so you'd have time to get back to you room before anyone else woke up. I also gotta shower first before I start feeding the horses."

"I see..." Weiss sounded dejected in a way, certainly reluctant to leave so soon. Ruby smiled and suddenly changed her mind.

"Oooor~" she hummed. "I could feed them first and then shower later~"

Weiss perked up a bit and shared a knowing look with her.

"That sounds perfectly acceptable."

And so she followed Ruby around to each horse's stall, helping her fill their dishes with oats and bowls with water. Weiss poured everything for Zuri on her own as per Ruby's instructions.

By the time they'd finished feeding all of the horses, the sun had just peeked above the horizon.

Weiss pulled Ruby into one last hug before heading off back toward the mansion, being sure to keep out of sight. Ruby retreated to the workers' cabin to shower, excitement thick on the air as dawn graced the world.

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Unlike yesterday, this day passed by rather quickly for Weiss.

She did something she'd never done before and drowned out her teachers as they lectured away. Her left hand continued to absentmindedly take notes, but that was more of a force of habit than a conscious decision.

She'd never been terribly attentive during these lessons due to her lack of interest in the topics being forcibly thrown at her, but today she was even less responsive than usual. She didn't ask any questions, but rather lost herself in her daydreams and memories of last night.

Her mind kept going back to the thoughts of how wondrous it had been to ride alongside Ruby for the very first time just ten hours earlier, their horses walking calmly and happily beside one another.

And tonight, she'd get to do it all over again.

At lunchtime, she finished her morning assignments before hurrying outside into the warm, spring day. She met with Ruby behind the stables and kissed her in secrecy, eager in anticipation for the coming evening.

They watched the lessons as per their usual routine, returned to their respective tasks, and the next thing Weiss knew, she was back at the stables under the cover of darkness.

Ruby greeted her eagerly, and together they hurried to the storage room to pick up their necessary equipment.

They made quick work of preparing their horses, though Weiss did spare an extra moment to loop her arms around Zuri's neck and pet through his mane.

"Don't worry," she murmured. "You're going to stay right here. I won't let them hurt you."

She grasped the reins, and at Ruby's cue, began moving him out of his stall.

Once more, the stablehand took the lead with Ebony. She waited at the stable's exit, looking across the open space they'd need to cross in order to reach the old corral.

Cautiously, Ruby took a few steps outside, intent to scurry across the soil as quickly as possible so she may hide behind the shrubbery.

But for one reason or another, Ebony let out a friendly whinny, perhaps in greeting to one of the nearby guards.

And he heard her.

Ruby froze in place as she noticed a shadow move, and her heart leapt into her throat. Quickly, she turned around and waved a motion at Weiss, silently telling her not to come out.

Weiss bit her lip and held her breath as she stepped back into the stables, guiding Zuri with her until they were out of sight. She felt her stomach twist; if one of the guards found Ruby using the horses at night without permission, she could be reported to Weiss' father and very possibly fired.

Ruby hadn't made an effort to run away from the guards, for if she'd went back to the stables, Weiss would have been exposed as well. The white-haired girl could only press a palm to her mouth and try not to make a sound, listening to the words coming from outside.

The guard's voice still sounded far away, like he was still at his post and hadn't come down.

"You there," he called. "What are you doing with that horse?"

Ruby thought quickly, using an explanation she'd idly toyed with in her mind in case something of this nature occurred.

"Oh! Sorry to bother you! Ebony here was just getting a little antsy in her stall. I fell asleep in the stables and I could hear her fidgeting all night, and I just figured I'd take her for a short walk to work off some excess energy. Turns out she was a bit gasy, but I think she's all better now!"

Luckily for Ruby, the guard remained at his post – at least from there he wouldn't be able to tell that the black mare had a saddle and bridle on her. If the guard had noticed those details, Ruby would have been in a lot more trouble.

But he didn't seem to notice them, and the mention of which horse it was seemed to breed sympathy in his voice.

"I hope she feels better."

"Oh yeah! She's much better now! I was actually just gonna bring her back in. Sorry for all the trouble!"

The guard gave her a dismissive wave. With a loud gulp, Ruby began leading the mare back into the stables.

By the time she walked in, Ruby's legs were trembling from the experience she'd just had; she was still relieved she'd actually made it out without incident. She passed Weiss who had hidden with Zuri off to one side, and Ruby paused in front of her with a sigh.

"I don't think we can go out tonight," she said. "Or at least not for another hour or so."

Weiss nodded in understanding.

"All right. That's fine. We can just go from midnight until one in the morning, or even just half an hour," she decided. "And let me commend you on your quick thinking. That act you gave was rather convincing. I'm impressed."

Ruby gave a sheepish smile, seeming to feel less anxious now that Weiss had complimented her and the ordeal was over.

"Thanks~" she chuckled. "C'mon, let's put these guys back for now."

They returned their horses to their stalls, but left the equipment on them for now. As Weiss was putting Zuri back into his pen, he seemed to nicker in protest, as though he were pouting and wanted to go back outside.

"I'm sorry," Weiss sighed, patting his shoulder. "Not just yet. Those guards might be looking for us if they were suspicious of Ruby's story. Just another hour or so, all right?" She rubbed up and down the horse's muzzle for a minute, scratching up between his ears.

A soft knock on the wall told her Ruby had put Ebony away and was waiting for her. Weiss left the stallion and slipped out of the pen, sliding the door closed behind her and locking it.

She followed Ruby back to her own stall, where the hay bails were waiting for them.

Ruby sat down and patted the space beside her. Weiss walked slowly over and sighed as she took a seat. Ruby's smile instantly faded when she realized how distressed Weiss was by all of this. Her fingers crept over the back of the older girl's hand, stroking gently.

"Hey..." she murmured. "It'll be okay, Weiss. Even if we can't ride tonight, or tomorrow or the day after for some reason, we'll still have three more days. We'd have to be intercepted or have our plans thwarted five nights in a row.

"And even if that did happen, you could just stop your dad from doing anything hasty on the morning they're supposed to euthanize Zuri. You can swoop in right at the last second and climb on his back and ride away into the sunset! ...Well, okay maybe not really. But you see my point."

Weiss flashed her an appreciative glance.

"Right. We've still got several days left where I can show our progress to my father," she agreed. "I just... I don't know. I don't have a good feeling for some reason..."

Ruby whimpered slightly, not knowing what to make of this. She moved a few inches closer to Weiss, until she could slip an arm around her back.

"It'll be fine. You've already come so far with Zuri. You can ride him! Your dad won't be able to deny that when he sees it with his own two eyes! That's something no one else has been able to do, not just in the time Zuri's been at our ranch, but ever!

"No one else in all the places they've passed him around to was able to so much as pet him, let alone ride him! I've said it before and I'll say it again – you're really incredible, Weiss. You're gonna save that horse's life."

Her words seemed to have the intended affect on Weiss. The girl finally cracked a smile.

"Thank you, Ruby. Thank you for always believing in me, even when I couldn't do so myself."

Weiss lifted a hand to the brunette's cheek and pulled her in, bumping their lips together. Ruby's hands went to Weiss' hips, pulling her in as the white-haired girl looped her arms around the stablehand's shoulders.

Weiss didn't want to think about losing Zuri due to her own thoughtlessness. But it had been a thought she'd had to consider many times now.

But even if she did lose her horse, at the very least she would still have Ruby. It would be but a grain of comfort in a sea of pain, but that was better than nothing.

Still, Weiss didn't want to think bad thoughts right now.

She focused on Ruby, on the way her lips brushed against hers, on the way the girl's breath tasted faintly of strawberry-flavored toothpaste.

When she pulled back from the kiss, Weiss rested her chin on the girl's shoulder and let brown locks tickle her nose. Ruby smelled naturally of roses, a faint, velvety scent that put Weiss' troubled heart at ease without much effort.

Ruby held her close, running her hands slowly up and down Weiss' back. Gradually, she laid them both down on their sides in the hay, keeping Weiss in her arms.

"It's gonna be okay," she kept murmuring. "Everything's gonna be okay."

Weiss closed her eyes and willed herself to believe those words.

Ruby felt it when Weiss fell asleep, when her breathing slowed and her body lost its tension. Ruby closed her eyes as well, opting to let her sleep for a while.

Ruby herself ended up dozing off a bit, but not entirely. She was still alert enough to feel when Weiss jolted suddenly in her arms.

Ruby's eyes flew open, finding herself back in her pen with Weiss whimpering in her arms. Her brow was creased in distress, her chest heaving, and Ruby could feel her heart thumping through her back.

"Weiss-"

Just as she called her name to wake the girl, Weiss' eyes shot open and she gasped.

"N-No!"

"Weiss? Weiss, calm down!" Ruby reached out when Weiss tried to stand, gently guiding her back down. Ruby wrapped her arms around the shaking girl, offering soft motions and sympathetic words. "It's okay, Weiss. It was just a bad dream."

She felt it clearly when Weiss' labored breathing didn't improve, but worsened. The girl dropped her head onto Ruby's shoulder and sobbed.

Ruby didn't need to ask her what the dream had been about. Weiss answered that herself in choked whispers.

"I can't... let him die..."

Ruby squeezed her tighter.

"You won't," she said. "You're going to save him, Weiss. In fact... I think you already have."

Ruby held her for a few minutes, until Weiss' pulse and breathing slowed to normal rates once more. Ruby pulled back and wiped her tears away with gentle fingers, then kissed each of Weiss' cheeks. The older girl sighed again, and simply hugged Ruby in response.

"Thank you..."

Ruby nuzzled affectionately into her neck.

"It's okay."

A few more minutes passed before Ruby could distinguish the sounds of rain. Weiss must've heard them too, for she stiffened.

"No..."

Ruby sighed regretfully as she pulled away.

"It doesn't look like we'll be able to ride tonight," she said. "But I think this is for the best. You should get some rest."

Weiss sighed and put a hand to her face.

"But-"

"But we'll just try again tomorrow night," Ruby told her. She curled her fingers around Weiss' wrist and moved her hand away from her pretty face. Ruby kissed the inside of Weiss' palm, then over her scarred eye. "Everything's gonna be fine, Weiss. I can promise you that. I know you won't let anything bad happen to Zuri, not after all we've been through.

"You're not powerless, Weiss. In fact, you're the one with the most power in this situation. You're the only person who can ride him. And you will." Ruby kissed her again, then stood. "I'm going to take all the equipment off of those guys. You just stay here and-"

"No." Weiss shook her head and got to her feet. "I'll come with you."

Ruby smiled and took her hand.

They walked the silent hallway portion together before parting at their respective horses' stalls. Weiss apologized to the stallion as she removed his bridle, telling him that maybe tomorrow night they could ride again.

She and Ruby put everything away in the storage room as the rain continued to hiss outside, the light shower turning to pouring water within minutes. The stables shook with thunder, and Ruby visibly jolted. Weiss led her toward the exit to the stables.

"You dunce," she mumbled. "Let me take you back to your cabin."

"N-No, that's okay!" Ruby squeaked pulling against Weiss' hold. "I mean, I-I usually go into the cabin when there's a storm, b-but I usually get there before the thunder starts. It's too late now. I-I can't go out there when it's thundering. I'll just stay in here..." The stablehand was clearly shaken up by the storm, but she did her best to appear collected. "Y-You should go back to the mansion before it gets any worse..."

"And leave you here trembling like a leaf? Nonsense," Weiss huffed. Then, her expression softened kindly. "I don't fancy the thought of running all the way back up there in the pelting rain. I'll stay the night with you again in here," she offered.

Ruby opened her mouth as though trying to protest, but no words came out. Weiss smiled a bit and took both of her hands.

"Come on."

She led Ruby back to the stall, guiding her over to the hay bails. Weiss laid down on her back and patted the space beside her for Ruby. The younger girl complied, but Weiss could tell she was shaking fearfully, especially when the thunder blasted.

Once Ruby had curled herself up, she tried to compose herself a bit.

"Maybe this is better..." she sighed. "Neither of us will have to go out in the rain. And neither of us will be alone."

"Precisely."

Weiss reached out to pet through the girl's hair, and for a moment, Ruby closed her eyes and seemed to relax.

But the next blast of thunder had her gasping again, her hands subconsciously clutched at Weiss' shirt. The older girl located Ruby's red blanket and grabbed it, opening it as best she could before draping it over the girl's back.

"There, now," she murmured. "It's all right." She repeated Ruby's words right back to her. "Everything's going to be okay."

Weiss slipped an arm beneath Ruby, coaxing the girl to rest her head on her chest. Ruby instantly took up the offer and cuddled close to Weiss beneath the blanket. Weiss was rubbing her back with both hands now, murmuring soothing words into her ear and kissing her hair.

Ruby did her best to relax and close her eyes. She could hear Weiss' heartbeat thumping quietly within her chest, a steady, persistent rhythm that remained even when the thunder eventually rolled away.

Ruby was asleep before long, but Weiss couldn't bring herself to rest easily.

She couldn't shake the feeling that all of this rain and thunder felt only like a premonition for an even greater storm to come.

But the exhaustion eventually overwhelmed her more unnerving feelings, and she fell asleep a few hours later, realizing there was nothing more she could do but wait.

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A/N: Maybe no progress with the horses this time, but plenty of progress with the secret relationship fluff!