Chapter Text

Wednesday, July 26th, 78 years After The Great War

Five Miles Northwest of Tarrin, Hold 13 of Vale

Sixty Miles North of Vale’s Walls

Temperature: 87 Degrees

Forecast: Clear, High of 96 Degrees

Time: 11:01 AM Local

“Don’t get sloppy, girl!”

The sharp voice of Ruby’s stepmom cut the air like a knife. Sweat built on her brow, even for so early in the day.

But there was work to be done.

“I’m not going to kill your precious tomatoes, Raven.” Ruby mumbled, lowering the scissors away from the stem, and held the juicy red in her palm to look at. “You could’ve just said no to my ideas of a salad, if you were so insistent on me not touching them.”

“And make you dinner all alone?” Raven spoke from the edge of the porch, running her whetstone over the solid steel blade of Crescent Rose. “Fat chance, Ruby.”

“So you want to waste more water and fruit rather than say you don’t want a salad?” Ruby sat back on her knees, digging into the dirt with her hand as she sat the other hand in the bucket, dropping the tomato. Sweat was pooling in her underwear: it didn’t help she’d been woken up so late and dragged right outside into the heat from her beautiful, air conditioned room. 

“I didn’t say that. I just don’t want to cook alone.” The wind cut the trees, and Ruby felt relief as the breeze washed over her. With a sigh of joy, Ruby moved, raising her chin as she stared off at the woods, thinking of all the footpaths she wanted to hike again. 

“Ah, so The Raven of Tarrin can experience loneliness. And here I thought you lived out here to make a point to my dad.” Ruby snarked, snipping another stem. The tomato dropped plump to her hand, firm under her grip as she put it in.

“Yeah, well, The Ruby is gonna feel my steel toe in her rear if she doesn’t stop goofing off.” Raven got to her feet, leaning on the edge of the porch. “You gonna yap, or work?”

Ruby felt her eyes drag up her step-mother’s appearance, where she focused just a bit on her stomach and chest. Ruby felt something small in her fast heart twinge, trailing up the scars on her stomach and exposed cleavage, chalk lines on her soft, ruddy skin, and met those fierce red eyes. “No, I think I’d enjoy the view and like a soda.” She added, clearing her throat. “I could go faster if you weren’t giving me execution orders for each tomato.”

“I once ruled a tribe, and this is the respect I get from brats like you, when I’m cleaning your weapon?” The sneer was audible, Raven heard stepping off the first step. “The audacity.”

“Bandit highway men are what you ruled. They were once a tribe.”

Ruby ducked before the thrown grease rag could smack her in the face, Ruby letting out a giggle as Raven came in for the attack.

“Grrr!” The noise from Raven was playful and slightly, gently slamming her knuckles into Ruby’s shoulder, followed shortly by a “dosh” from her lips as she alternated, slamming it gently into Ruby’s ribs.

Letting out a giggle, ruby tipped away, blocking her with her hand. “Back off or Sheila gets it!”

Raven narrowed her eyes, glaring with intent to kill. “You leave her alone.”

Ruby laid a flighty hand on the leaf of one of the plants, a particularly difficult bush that had given them both a fight. “Would I…?” With a pinch of her index to her thumb, Ruby flattened the stem of the small plant; and before she could pull away, her step-mother’s powerful arms wrapped down around her, scooping her up from the dirt, and growling as she squeezed her. 

“I’ll tear you to pieces for hurting her!”

Ruby had to admit- there was something special about just how easily Raven threw her around: huntresses were strong, even without aura… but Raven? 

Raven was strength, in her eyes.

Feet kicking in the air, Ruby let out a groan. “Put me down you fiend!” “Only because you’re sweaty.” 

Dropping to the soil, Ruby dusted herself off, grinning up at her.  “Wanna see the haul?”’

“Sure, Petal.” The affectionate name sent a shiver through Ruby she desperately moved past, feeling Raven ruffle her hair. Letting out a noise of protest, she hauled up the bucket, and smiled up at her. 

Letting out a hum, Raven shoved a hand down in, softly checking the red fruits, and held one up to the sun. “Well, you have an eye for detail.” She murmured as she inspected, glancing down to Ruby with a smile. “These will go nicely: plus, the leftovers we can make into a salsa for tomorrow. Have you texted your sister today?”

Blanching, lost looking at her, Ruby glanced to her feet. “Well she was pretty moody the other day. She said I called her in the middle of training with dad. I want her to get in, but-“

“Ruby.” Her deep, rumbling voice caused her to bow her head, and she flinched. At that, the bucket was taken from Ruby’s grip, and Raven took her arm by the bicep, giving a firm squeeze.  

Opening her eyes, Ruby looked up, to find those powerful eyes so kind and tender. “Your sister would want nothing less than you to cheer her up. I know how she gets, from Tai’s account at least. You brighten everyone’s days up, and, even if her try out for Beacon is on this Friday, there’s nothing else she’d want for this.”

Ruby wasn’t sure why, but that face, and those eyes, were enough to spur her to action, nodding as she looked back to the ground, sheepishly shrugging. “Can we call them after I at least chop this stuff up, Raven? I want to get things started, and, if you’re going to grill the chicken-“

“Of course we can.” Her hand came down, grabbing the bucket handle, donning a smile. “Just be sure to wash up before we get working with the food, Petal. There’s a lot of work to do before bed tonight, especially if we’re going to that arcade tomorrow.”

Ruby’s eyes went wide, staring up at her with a growing smile. “B-But you said we had too much training this week to go!”

“There’s other huntresses. Besides, I don’t spend enough time with you or Yang to travel.” Raven turned to the porch, taking a large first step. “I think we can spare the first half of tomorrow… if you want to teach an old fart like me, as your dad would say.”

“Eh.” Ruby blushed. “He never was interested in my video games, not like you or Qrow… thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!” She said excitedly, and tore forward to the steps, hearing her step mother’s laughter far behind her.

It was only just as Ruby made it to the top of the stairs of the cabin, about to enter her room, decorated with oh so many band posters and magazines, that she froze.

There was a noise cutting the calm air of the cabin, and within a second, Raven’s heavy boots were thundering across the living room floor, grabbing the bannister and railing, and stared deep into her eyes. “Put the tomatoes in the sink, get your shit together, and find your mask. I’m gonna put the last part back on One Too Many, be ready in six.”

The faint chiming of the red alert caused Ruby to breathe, seeing the blood red scroll in Raven’s fist, her once playful and kind eyes now a type of sharpened steel.

As Raven turned away to grab her red leather jacket, gaining motion in her full body, Ruby called out in as proud a voice as she could. “Yes ma’am!”

Raven thundered her hand against the wooden walled and shot her a smile up the wall. “Attagirl. Now get to it!”

Ruby kicked off her sneakers with a huff of pride, and stormed into her room, where her ammo bag hung on the edge of her bed. Off came the jeans and t-shirt, and on went her combat skirt and harness. Gone were the work clothes, and on was the war garb: strapping the small bits of banded leather and wooden plates, dyed a dark red and secured to her abdomen and chest, paired with wrist guards and shin guards. Ammo for her weapon was slotted in quickly, the heavy magazines clicking into place for easy access, and she turned to her red cape and brass mask that sat by the nightstand.

The metal pressed to her face, and Ruby pulled her jaw tight, securing the cape and silver cross pins to her shoulders, before turning to her boots by her bed.

Shoving her ratty socks down into her combat boots, and pulling the laces as tight as she could, she drew a breath out, feeling their secure strength. 

With a final check, and a glance to the mirror confirming her appearance, Ruby didn’t even walk down the stairs- hopping the railing and hitting the wooden floor with enough force that she could smell herself scrubbing the scuffs hard enough, Ruby bolted to the garage.

A small part of her hoped they were only taking one motorcycle: Raven’s hair smelled amazing when she picked Ruby up, like brown sugar and lemons.

————————————

Raven was more than a little annoyed at the early alert siren, and the fact she knew who sent it out: Old Man Franklin Pennsworth at the edge of Tarrin.  He always threw a fit at any sign, and would go push the siren.

Mask of bone secured to her face, and staring through the slits as the air tore around them, Raven’s mind was elsewhere through her haze of anger and fury- it was on the two, small, warm hands of her stepdaughter, one placed low on Raven’s stomach, and the other, higher just below her breasts.

It was a safe way to ride, as much as just holding onto her waist- but, the repeated contact, and some recent issues of her own had made it feel more than a little weird to her.

Raven wasn’t quite so spry as she once was: she had no doubt she could still take on any sword fight in Vale, save maybe The Old Man in The Clocktower, but while her body was slower, her mind, and worse, her hormones, weren’t.

Even silently cursing the days towards menopause, she was still hopped up from that morning, trying to take a downer.

And it didn’t help that the girl behind was so flighty and soft to the touch.

Batting the idea from her head in personal disgust, she twisted the throttle faster, as if to outrun her thoughts. The metal mask of the girl she had felt compelled towards rested against her back, and she tried not to think of Her- no matter how much she looked like Summer.

Raven’s idle mind swapped focus from the Grimm to the nights shared with the girl’s mother: pain, of course, that final night, when Summer believed too much in herself, and her pride, along with Raven’s weakness, took her away from them… but there was passion shared too. 

Raven remembered the gentle way that Summer would always hug her from behind, or the careful method in which Summer’s hand would manage to lower Raven’s drawers while her jeans were still on. 

Right as her mind focused on how expert Summer had been with her tongue, down beneath Raven’s skirt, they went over a bump in the road.

Ruby’s mouselike mask pressed harder into her back, and her hand around her stomach jumped forward, grabbing her thigh through her jeans. Raven let out a cough of embarrassment, trying to stare forward, and forced out a voice. “Watch your hands!”

“S-Sorry!” Her cry came. “You’re driving too fast!”

“No I’m not.” That was the first major difference she remembered when the team had banded together: Ruby was by far less of a daredevil than her mother. The second was her voice; even an eighteen year old Summer, fresh leader and youngest among them, was already deep voiced. “If there is Grimm, we don’t want to be slow. Time is people, people are-“

“Important! I know! I want to help them but I’d rather not be a stain on the asphalt!” Ruby cried, grabbing her leg tighter, her hand pressing harder against her underbreast.

Raven had to be realistic, biting down on her inner lip: she couldn’t remember the last time she touched herself. Even as personal disgust soaked in from its source, she had to admit her own shortcomings and botherance. 

Hot air pounded against her legs, warming her jeans and bringing her a sense of comfort as they took a bend through the cave tunnel, teeth set in stone. 

That warm hand on her leg… it was hard to focus.

She did know exactly when she had been with another woman: over eight years ago, before her grief won, and she came home to her family she had left, the last night she spent with her lieutenant, almost four years to the day summer had gone missing.

How awful it had ended… and how good Vernal had been: even if she was still thinking about Summer

Biting the inside of her cheek, Raven pulled her own legs together, squeezing the chopper's chassis as they sped into town, and managed to push her urge down into her stomach, sitting like a cancer of desire.

Ruby was her step daughter, and the daughter of her best friend, and previous lover. Raven was just a woman with urges, urges that anything could trigger: she only hated it was Ruby who had set them off by accident.

Emerging from the tunnel into sunlight, Ruby  let out a hot breath against her back, and Raven pushed those urges down again: Tarrin, a town she had finally began to call her home in the last four years, with the on-call help from her daughters, was in need of Raven Branwen. 

After all, she was a huntress.

————————————

Ruby both loved and hated that it was an actual Grimm attack.

Hate, because it was dangerous: all of their lives were in danger. Even if she’d trained her whole life, she could fail, and Raven had so much more experience, so much more strength, and there was no way to do everything.

And yet she loved it. Something in her heart sat ablaze when she saw the Grimm, the monsters of darkness, the creatures of destruction.

She loved to destroy them, in a way little else brought her pleasure.

“Ruby! Dismount landing!”

Raven’s barked order caused Ruby’s eyes to snap away from the rampant creeps and Beowolves, and got her hands ready, staring at the sleepy town of Tarrin ahead. It wasn’t too much bigger than her first home on Patch Isle: just where Raven decided to put her feet down once she got herself together. The twinge of the portal behind her caused Ruby to scoot up, grabbing hold of the handlebars, and Raven slid off the bike to the right. 

Ruby glanced back to see her, aura ablaze, skidding on the pavement with sparks flying from her boots as she hefted her mighty odachi, the blade telescoping out. The fire blade swept from her hip into the face of a Beowolf before Ruby snapped back forward.

One Too Many was heavier than her pride, the Round Robin, and stiffer- but a much comfier ride on the roads.

Ruby heaved it as she skirted around one of the buildings, slowing her pace into the brick wall alley. Kicking the kickstand down, Ruby dashed off her bike, weapon in hand.

Main-street was ugly. 

A bank truck was on its side, a Beowolf’s fangs still hooked helplessly into the grating,  snapping and slavering against the scored metal. Windows were broken, and-

A spray of gunfire shot tracers into the sky, followed by a scream.

Ruby snapped up, drawing Crescent Rose, and breathing through her mask, the sticky metal and leather padding resting against the bridge of her nose. “Middle aged man, on the ground” she called to herself, looking on “creep straddling.”

Four motions. Breathing in. Elevating to peer through her scope, eye fixed on its mouth around his savaged arm. Second motion, bracing her dominant foot forward, leaned against the alley wall. Third motion, pulling the trigger.

The thunderous boom from the end of her gun, and the gray-blue flash of the ice round, slammed into her target. Flash frozen within a second, Ruby made her next moves.

Flipping the slide up. Pulling back. Shoving forward- “gravity round next…” she noted. “I have to be careful.” She saved on moments between notary breaths, elevating and bringing her eye down to scope at once. She locked the bolt and pulled again, without a second passing.

The second boom was trailed by purple and black flecks, the impulse flinging her hair and cloak back, staring at the frozen Grimm as it splintered.

The man was down, likely with ears ringing, and wounded, but alive.

Ruby lowered her rifle behind her, dashing forward, and made two motions- engaging the mechashift mechanism, and sweeping it back. That creep wasn’t the only Grimm on the street- and by far not the closest one. 

Ruby took her first breath out since aiming. 

The first was a Belringel, a rarity around those parts. She didn’t even blink, dropping low as she hooked through its leg, the blade glimmering with aura as she cut it in a swift motion. 

Ruby spied an entire other process she could save.

Aiming at a Beowolf atop the nearby bakery, a place she desperately wanted a donut from after all this- if Raven let her eat like that this evening. She was always so particular about letting Ruby have excessive sugar, much more than her Father.

Yanking back the trigger as she cycled a burn round, Ruby felt the hot breath of the Belringel behind her.

She didn’t flinch.

Letting the recoil pull her, and leaning into it, Ruby felt her lined up shot strike with a smile, the Beowolf’s flaming body imploding from the force of the bullet. 

The pommel spike she’d flipped back behind her rocketed into the Belringel’s chest, just under a pectoral plate and into its weak spot. Ruby knew Raven would be disappointed for not striking between the plates, at the sternum over its core, but she chose to believe she wasn’t watching.

Leaping aloft the Belringel as it flailed, Ruby didn’t have time to save them all, or waste time on it.

That man needed her help. With a flourish of her crook, Ruby shepherded another creature of the dark back into oblivion, dancing through the air towards the wounded man.

Clutching his arm, and eyes full of pain, Ruby landed beside him, a smile beneath her mask as she took a knee. “You ok?”

“No?!” He nearly shouted, and growled, trying to sit up.

Ruby put a hand on his uninjured shoulder, and shook her head. “I’ll get you to safety sir. Don’t move.”

“Who the hell are you?”

Ruby opened her mouth to speak, before she had to pause.

Ruby and Raven always agreed on one thing over all else: it was better to show who they were than talk about it. Even as much as she wanted credits and favors, she wanted to adhere to the biggest commonality between her and her step mother. That, and metal music.

“Something, or someone, who wants to help.” Ruby smiled, glancing around. “Just call me Something.”

“What the fuck kind of name is that?!”

Ruby didn’t answer, spying a charging Beowolf. Tucking and rolling, Ruby folded up her weapon, and rolled atop the man. Wrenching his arm, of which she felt his struggles and heard his agony in a scream, Ruby pulled his whole weight onto her back, before engaging her semblance.

Dusting the world in rose petals, Ruby shot forward, dancing through cars and carnage, making note of those injured and those running. And of course, the Grimm.

Pulled atop the roof of the police station, of which cops were filing into the street, weapons in hand and clad in armor, Ruby sat the man back against the air conditioner, grimacing as she laid him down.

Ignoring his cries, Ruby gave him a wave, hefting her rifle again, and opening it up. “Sit tight here, and radio for help. I’ll be back to check on you soon.”

And with that, she leapt back into the street.

There were a lot of Grimm in the street, as well as the innocents crawling away, and struggling against this menace … and Ruby took Crescent Rose to them.

Not like a warrior, but a gardener.

Threshing the chaff and her metal singing  song of hope to those beneath her swings.

The eyes around her bled together, into a fine white color, spying the work to be done as she cut through a Grimm, spraying a line of black tar on a red car as she cleaved the first.

And she felt elated, doing her job.

She hoped they’d accept her Beacon tryouts that fall.

————————————

‘Stroke seventy three.’ Raven thought bitterly, feeling the black tar splash across her sacred mask.

Even as angry as it made her, and by god it made her want to truly cut loose, and unleash her hidden power, she didn’t.

‘It’s a war mask, after all.’ Taiyang’s voice chided in her head, pushing her even closer to being angry.

Instead, she put more energy into a strike than she needed. Her vengeful mistake bore results, sliding clean through the chest of the creep she was fighting, and drove itself down into the pavement. 

Knowing what was next for the fragile blade, she hardened her aura, and stirred her magic into her shins and stomach, seeing the blade detonate, and she tightened her grip as Omen sang a call of force.

The rupturing dust blade sent splinters of metal and fragments of dust, burning hot as phosphorus alight, splintered into the faces of a pair of approaching Belringels, and a third, larger Beowolf- the alpha, no doubt responsible for inciting the attack.

In a flash, seeing them thrown off balance, she drew a proper blade of steel, deciding  then and there to draw this twenty minute bout to a close.

But as she felt a bead of sweat run down her cheek from below her eye, dropping to her chest, she had to pause, as her blade glided through the torso of the Belringel.

Even as the sparks were still flying, the sound reached her ears, of a thunderous twenty millimeter round, sounding in the small town, and Ruby was flying into view.

A tenth of a second passed as she blinked, and Crescent Rose’s hook was about the Feral Alpha’s neck.

Another gunshot was loosed, orange and gray light filling her eyes, as she watched a cleverly angled shot strike into the knee of the other, closer Belringel.

But what Raven saw the clearest was Ruby through her brass mask: that smile of pure joy, and, the gleaming, elated silver eyes that shone onto the darkness she cut down.

And it looked just like Summer again.

It all returned to normal, as Ruby wrenched the beast and its head aside, with one quick slice disappearing out of sight, the large body tumbling.

Raven blocked two swings of the claws, and seeing it limp on its shot leg, she delivered a flurry of strokes to finish the fight: two across the good leg, one across the width of the nearest forearm, and the final across its throat, cutting its head off with a satisfying pop.

The body fell to the ground, and Raven looked over to her, where she was found standing atop the dissipating corpse of the Alpha Beowolf, smiling wide. “You can thank me later.”

“I didn’t need help, shorty.” Raven snapped, shooting her as fierce a glare as she could. Ruby flinched back, only to shake her head. “Townspeople coming…”

The utterance caused Raven to steal a glance over her shoulder, and she let out a curse, seeing the approaching townsfolk and cops on the sidewalk, guns low.

Steeling her voice, she barked out. “Why weren’t the town defenses online?  How did they get in?”

Raven recognized the man before she heard him speak: an older soul named Barney. Even looking at his old blue eyes and soft purple hair, she couldn’t get over his slightly green scale patches about his face. “The last shipment of ammo from Vale ran out earlier this week… they haven’t given us any notice about deliveries.”

‘Goodwitch.’ Raven thought bitterly, before she raised her chin under her mask. “See to it Vale is contacted regarding funding. And post six hour alternating patrols, around the clock in case of secondary waves.” Turning to Ruby, she frowned. “Fatalities?”

“None I could tell.” Ruby sounded much more gravelly, trying to hide her real voice. “Eleven wounded and only one looked critical, but I helped him to a paramedic…” she lowered her voice further.  “Mister Jamie from the Bank…”

One of the men, whom she recognized well, stepped towards them with a nervous frown.  It was her friend Harris: friend was a strong word though. He just worked at the auto body shop at the heart of town, and she'd often ride down to pick up parts from him for their many projects. Everyone in town knew them, but, as she’d asked so many times before, she didn’t want them making a huge deal out of them.

“Is there anything we can do for you two?”

“No.” Raven said flatly, sheathing her blade and rubbing her neck. “Call emergency services in Vale if you need to, and let Chauncey know he’ll need to keep the hospital open in case we missed any. We’re going to do another sweep of the town ourselves. And-“

Raven felt a tug on her jacket, flinching at the interruption. Glancing over and biting and annoyed word down, she met Ruby’s eyes through her mask. “We’re out of cream cheese… and pineapple…”

Of course they were. It was so ridiculous in that exact moment that she brought her fist up to her mask’s mouthpiece, coughing into it, all to stop laughing. 

Raven rubbed her neck in thought, before she shoved a hand in her pocket, and slouched, drawing out her wallet, and emptying a few handfuls of lien to her palm. “Just some cream cheese and pineapple tonight.”

Harris shook his head, and held his hand up. “She saved my life today… I can buy some groceries.” 

The smile he wore was infectious, giving her a two finger salute wiped from his forehead to her, the man’s soft eyes always encouraging as it was kind. Summer had been right, after all: the smiles of the people were the reward.

“Fine.” Raven sighed, and ground her boot into the ground as she dropped the money back into her wallet, before turning to Ruby. “You sweep to the east and keep your scroll on, I’ll do my sweep west.”

Extending her hand to Ruby, who perked up, Ruby took her hand: thumbs locked, and pulled close, Raven put an arm around her step daughter’s back, and Ruby did the same, pulled close. Their chests collided with the unified fist between them, their masks tapping softly, before they pushed off each other and turned away.

Ruby let out a hum as she drew her weapon up, the mechashift causing a racket as she called out. “Alright people! Look for the nearest injured and talk to them! Try and apply pressure if they’re bleeding, or, try and make them comfortable!”

Raven didn’t speak, she only smiled at the girl taking charge: Raven respected that. Ruby was a born leader, seeing them rally around her.

‘Just like Summer.’

The thought smacked her like they had on the drive into town, and Raven increased to a slow jog, putting her thoughts behind her: that was a conversation for her hands and a centerfold whenever Ruby was asleep, and no one else.

“God-damn I need a smoke…”

Time: 10:42 PM Local

“You really saw a guy with an exploding mace?!”

With an icepack on her shoulder, and a slight smile, Raven looked at her daughter’s face from the recliner, seeing Ruby’s scroll attached to the entertainment system by the TV, blown up in size.

“Yup!” Yang grinned: she was turning out to be every bit the warrior her and Tai were, from her strong form to her intense eyes. “Guy was kinda a douche, but he absolutely clobbered this other kid in armor. He struck the guy’s crossbow with his own weapon, and it blew up!”

Ruby gave her a nervous look. “I still can’t believe they have duels as part of the admittance process.”

“Hey.” Yang crossed her arms, her orange tank top shifting as she covered her chest. “I don’t have anything to fear. You engineered Crescent Rose, and you helped make my gauntlets. Worried about tryouts this fall?”

“Duh!” Ruby shuddered. “I’m great at fighting Grimm, but people are so much harder to fight.”

“And you’ll still do fine.” Tai leaned in: he was shirtless, that stupid unshaven chest of his and gaudy tattoos she abhorred: ‘…At least I have taste.’

His eyes shifted on screen, more to Raven’s direction. “You have been training her on what I was saying, r-“

“Yes Taiyang.” Raven removed the icepack from her arm, and sat forward, sighing. “When we haven’t been gardening and cleaning, we’ve been drilling. And when we haven’t been drilling, we’ve been exercising. You put these girls through hell, more than I do.”

“I want them to be ready-“

“And she was ready today.” Raven got up from her chair and stepped up behind Ruby, patting her shoulder. “Yeah, we’ve done it before, but there was a lot of Grimm today, and Ruby handled it like it was nothing. She’s still struggling on Hand to Hand, but, I dare say she’s better at killing Grimm than you were back at Beacon.”

“I’m a people person.” He grinned, flexing his muscles in that annoying, cheesy way. Raven rolled her eyes, and Ruby raised her voice. “Ew!”

“Dad!” Yang pushed him out of the way of the camera, getting a bit too close herself as she leaned in. “This is about me, right?”

“Hey, your old man’s a diplomat. People love my diplomacy-“

“Shut up!” All three of them said at once, and he stepped away laughing, hands high in surrender.

As the tension settled, Raven let her hand leave her arm, looking at Raven, crossing her arms. “You haven’t been too hard on Ruby, have you?”

“Nope.” She promised. “We have a day trip into town planned tomorrow. She’s going to show me some of the games at the arcade, and we're gonna go on a ride with our bikes for an hour or two before we come back for more training. Need her to give you a run for your money.”

“Fat chance.” Yang punched into her other hand, with a slap sound between them, her calloused knuckles making a firm sound. “I crushed those guys today. The only one I didn’t beat outright was some princess in a white dress.”

“And how were Grimm tryouts?”

Ruby’s innocent question caused her falter, and she picked at her hand for a moment: Raven recognized her daughter’s nerves.

“They’re tomorrow. I should be fine,” she said, beginning to groom her hair with her fingers, the mess of yellow always poofy. “But God I’m nervous.”

“You’ll be fine.” Raven assured her, turning away. “But only if you get enough sleep, young lady.”

“Rich from the insomniac.” Yang waved her off, sitting back in her chair. “Yeah, yeah I’ll get to sleep… Any more questions, Ruby?”

“Mmmm…” she hummed. “Nope. Kick some butt tomorrow sis!”

“Yes ma’am.” Yang nodded, and gave a peace sign up.

Raven and Ruby both threw one back as the call went dark. The smile slowly melted away from Ruby’s face, though, and Raven looked down with a frown. 

“You ok Petal?”

Two arms came around her, and Raven felt Ruby’s warm face press into her shoulder, causing her to shudder. “Yeah.” Her muffled voice sounded into Raven’s shoulder, and she bent down slightly, hugging her.

“I’m just worried about how I’ll do. Another year of sitting around here and Patch out of school, like Yang-“

“You won’t fail.” Raven put a kiss on top of her head, and gave her a squeeze. “Yang messed up because of Grimm try outs, but she had the best hand to hand scores that day, not unlike your dad before her. Everyone gets there in time. And if you’re anything like Summer?” She scoffed. “You’ll make it look easy. You’re a shoe in.”

As encouraging as it tried to be, Raven felt herself hit Ruby’s nerve, and stick her foot in her mouth all at once. Ruby slowly looked up to her, and crossed her arms as she backed away. “But she never came back from your mission with her...”

Flinching, Raven shook her head. “I didn’t mean it like that, Petal. Ruby, you’re every bit as hopeful as her. Did you see the people today in town? They were so happy to see you!”

“They’d probably be happier seeing mom…”

Raven had enough, shaking her by her shoulders, and getting low to her face. “Remnant to Ruby. There’s no need for a pity party. Yeah, they were happy to see Summer, but you know what the difference is between you and her?”

“What?”

Staring down into her silver eyes, Raven really had to pause, seeing how beautiful they were. Shaking her head, she looked at the photo on the wall of their team. “She didn’t always jump right in to save people. She didn’t enjoy the fight. She enjoyed destroying evil.”

“But I-“

“But you.” Raven poked into her chest, Ruby’s shoulders raising as she did. “You, Ruby, you can’t leave a person in need. You enjoy fighting as a way of expression. You, Ruby, enjoy saving lives as much as destroying evil. You’re everything your mom was, and more.” 

Raven’s promise brought a tear to Ruby’s eyes, and she hugged Raven around the neck, trying to suppress her soft, choked sobs.

Huffing at needing to comfort her, Raven stood up, and picked her step daughter up, who dangled around her neck with a soft giggle. Carried to the kitchen, Raven swung the girl up to the counter, and rubbed her scalp. “You did good today, Ruby. Be proud of that. Now. What do you say we kick off our off day tomorrow with some ice cream for our little hero?”

Ruby lit up with a smile. “Strawberry-choke cherry delight?!”

Pausing, Raven crossed her arms. “Have you been getting into it? I never told you I bought that flavor.”

Ruby’s happy eyes crept into dread, staring at her, and Ruby shrunk back. “Well…”

“I hid it in the back of the freezer.”

“Crap.” Ruby’s form burst into rose petals as she dodged Raven’s squeeze, rocketing up the stairs.

Rolling her eyes, Raven tore one of her finger nails through the air as the door to her bedroom closed; Raven felt her aura flow as the portal opened, and behind Ruby, she shoved her head into the girl’s dark, decorated bedroom.

“You really didn’t think that through, did you?”

Ruby, whose back was to the door, glared up at her. “That’s cheating!”

“So was your semblance. You owe me four more laps tomorrow evening for stealing ice cream.”

“Raaaven!-“

“Five!” She challenged, and Ruby smacked her head back against the door, groaning.

“Fine! I’m sorry!” Ruby moaned, crossing her arms. “I thought I earned it with how many squats you had me do…”

“Never presume you earned something from anyone in a position of power.” Raven chimed, leaning back through her portal. “Now. Do you still want ice cream?”

Ruby looked at her with pouty, pleading eyes, mumbling softly to herself. “Yes… I would like some ice cream…”

Raven snatched her by the shirt, and Ruby looked up with a blush, her pajamas covered in comical Grimm depictions catching the light. “Then get over here dummy.”

————————————

With the house locked, and Ruby soundly asleep upstairs, Raven crept through the dark home alone. 

It was home, as much as he wasn’t. Even if she used to rule, and why she had gray hairs so early, she missed part of it. Her and Vernal.

‘Don’t be stupid.’ She told herself. ‘You miss her touch. Because she felt like Summer.’ 

Her scolding came to a head as she climbed into her own bed downstairs, and laid her head back. Her bra was off, shirt discarded, and pants off.

Staring at her slow ceiling fan, Raven stared long enough she began to lose focus: and an idle mind is a dangerous one.

Those feelings from the day, no matter how hard she buried them, were still soaking through her.

Tracing a hand down her hip, Raven laid a finger over her crotch, feeling the moistness of her own underwear: it wasn’t just residual sweat from the day, or moisture from the shower. 

It had to have been at least ten months- she’d found herself less and less desiring in her older years she was reaching, and yet, still it crept on her like a spider: unforgettable, and yet so delicate in her thoughts.

It was annoying; no matter how excited or feverish she got, it was a hindrance in her eyes these days. All it was, was remnants of a foolish youth she very much wanted to forget, of the sins that cost their family such grief, and, ultimately lead to the woman she truly loved’s awful fate.

Opening her eyes in shame, Raven cast her eyes to the middle drawer of her nightstand. Behind the stacks of jeans, and folded underwear, sat the lube and toy she’d used to satisfy herself over the years, to get it over with as fast as possible- something not to be a pleasure but a pressure.

And yet…

Something was off about it tonight.

Staying her legs, Raven slipped a hand down the front of her underwear, and touched her own entrance: her fingers were rough as always, the constant training and work causing her hands to be as leathery as her fathers had been when she was a child, although never used for such a purpose; but now, touching herself, she struggled to remember the last time she had done it as such.

Biting on her other fingers, as to control her breathing, Raven rolled her hips and scooted down on the bed to let her legs rest on the footboard, spreading them a bit wider. Staring at the ceiling fan, which spun in a low, hypnotic fashion, and pressing her fingers within herself, Raven began to let her thoughts run wild with her past loves.

No longer in reality, she remembered how rough Vernal had been: all the tiny bite marks on her arms and neck, as she took Raven from behind with a strap on that had taken months for her to be able to handle. 

Bucking her hips, and huffing out through her finger she chewed, she thought about those pretty blue eyes and how soft her undercut always had been. She was smaller than Raven, but she didn’t mind- Raven had a type after all.

When it was her turn, she’d held firm onto her chest and mounted her, hard enough that once they had broken the bed’s frame, an old rickety thing it was. How soft Vernal’s skin had been, and warm she’d been when she touched her…

But it always reminds her of Her. 

It was never as soft as Summer’s touch, as firm as Summer’s bites and scratches she left. 

Her mind reeled as she remembered the first time she’d met the girl like that: she was twenty three, and her leader was eighteen, stuck out in the field on a mission gone bad.

The old derelict in Mountain Glenn, that building where they shared the all too confined bathroom.

The first night Raven tasted those lips was the first night Raven let lust control her life and joy.

Letting a moan of pleasure escape, Raven pressed her middle and ring finger in, glad to have trimmed her nails, and remembered the cigarette shared. It had been such a fulfilling night.

Her pale skin, her dark hair, her musculature. She was thin- very thin, but she loved every inch of her leader’s body, and gave in to every carnal desire they both had that night.

Pressure was building in her stomach faster than it ever had, thinking about the feeling she had when she looked into her eyes.

Mouths connected by little more than saliva, and voices hoarse from desperately taking one another, she’d never felt anything like it before.

‘Those eyes…’ Raven thought desperately, scrunching her toes as she closed her eyes, and tried to imagine her face: not as she was when she last saw her, but that girl she had spent the night with in the building.

The pressure climaxed, and she desperately pumped into herself, breathing shallow as she imagined her face.

To her dawning horror and realization, she couldn’t see it.

No, she saw Ruby’s face. Her soft, pale skin. Her dark hair. 

Her silver eyes.

Just like her mother.

Her mind began to creep into a territory that disgusted her on some level: thinking about Ruby’s meager chest, her athletic legs, her soft hair, always smelling like the fruity soap she used. Even the way she hugged Raven.

And in a moment of pain, she realized her own desires for Ruby. She was every bit just like Summer. The Summer she desired, and committed so many sins for.

It came into focus just how badly she desired Ruby’s form and smile… and the knowledge of her maidenhead ruffled her feathers in another way.

‘Ruby… Her lips… her chest… her eyes-’

She climaxed, letting out a low, deep moan as she sat back on the bed, feeling herself running and tightening to hell around her own fingers.

For a moment, she lay, devoid of any thoughts… save that of her step daughter’s form, laid atop her in pleasure. 

Bile crept into her throat.

Raven sat up in a cold sweat, looking around at the walls in paranoia. She hardened her aura, getting up and holding the edge of the bed, staring down at the old scars on her wrists. Grabbing the bedpost with enough force she could crack it, Raven’s form shivered at the subsiding pleasure, and quickly grabbed her towel, ripping open the downstairs bedroom door.

Hurrying across the hall to her bathroom, from carpet to polished wood floors, she slammed the bathroom door behind her, damning the time it was, she stared into her own eyes in the mirror.

Nothing felt right, and, retching, she threw up the remains of her small bowl of ice cream and part of the salad they had shared.

Climbing into her shower, all she could do was turn the water on as hot as she could, and dug what little nails she had deep into her wrist. Searching for anything to distract her, she found her eyes lingering on the shampoo bottle, and sat down, slowly reading off every ingredient. 

Her heart wouldn’t slow down.

————————————

Ruby could sleep heavy when she wanted to, but with a mind still awake from the day’s excitement, and excited for the day to come, she got up to the sound of a thud.

Frowning as she sat up in her room, her mind went next door to Yang’s room, where she was hiding the few Mangas and Magazines she didn’t want her step mom finding under her own bed, before she detected the source.

It was below her room, the downstairs bathroom, the shower heard turning on.

That was unusual.

‘She always bathes so early to let her hair dry.’ Ruby thought worriedly, getting up with a frown.

Looking around her room, moonlight piercing the trees, Ruby remembered she had gone to bed without one thing: her wireless headphones.

Remembering their spot beside the table, she shrugged, heading to the door and creeping downstairs.

Drifting into the kitchen, where the remains of their dinner sat in the trash, the crumbs going to waste, Ruby snagged her prized headphones, and turned back to the open hall.

As fast as the shower went on, it went off.

That was even more unusual.

‘Raven takes forever washing her hair…’

Ruby blushed thinking about the effort it took to maintain such prized hair, and its richness was known locally. 

And…

Ruby’s heart entered overdrive.

Raven was sobbing.

Creeping over to the door, Ruby stared at it, and listened for a moment.

“What the fuck… is wrong with me…?”

Ruby’s mind turned inward, thinking about her step mom. There was the rumors and whispers she heard at Signal, and the lunchtime rumors. Even suspicion from her sister about her mother’s nature.

And of course, there was the fact Raven said she had only ever had one true love, and it hadn’t been her father.

Hearing the sobbing start again, remembering the old scars on her wrist she didn’t like talking about, Ruby rapped her first against the door. “Um… Raven?”

In a split second, the crying stopped.

The noise of soap bottles being knocked over came, followed by a string of expletives that her Father would’ve hated. 

“Are you ok in there?”

“Yes!” Her voice was almost a shout, and Ruby felt something lean against the door: water dripped loudly to the floor, and she heard the lock click into place.

“Are you sure?” She frowned. “I heard something fall. I can help you-“

“No!” Raven cried from within, and barked. “Go back to bed Ruby. I’m fine. I tripped in the shower.”

“But-“

“Go!” Raven’s voice cracked. “Or I’ll be the only one going into town tomorrow!”

Ruby stared in shock at the door: her step mom had never spoken to her like that before, save their adventure in the woods to find Summer before Ruby and Yang were rescued.

“Mom…?”

“Please.”

Raven finally got her to listen, and Ruby let go of the door, before glancing back to it as she moved away. “Alright… I love you.”

Something banged against the door, before Raven spoke back.

“I love you too Ruby.”

Raven’s voice was hoarse, and she cleared her throat. “I’m gonna sleep in tomorrow… if you want to set the stuff out to make waffles in the morning, you can. I’ll make them with blueberries.”

Ruby didn’t like it, sighing. “I know I’m… young, and, I don’t know much but… you can talk to me, you know that, right? I know you aren’t really my mom but… I do love you.”

“I know Ruby. Just… some old issues.” Raven took another shaken breath, before she cleared her throat. “Older womanhood stuff. I’ll tell you about it later.”

Finally relenting, Ruby turned to walk away, and made her way back to her room.

Ruby wouldn’t sleep well.

Her mind was stuck on Raven.

Chapter Text

Thursday, July 27th, 78 years After The Great War

Five Miles Northwest of Tarrin, Hold 13 of Vale

Sixty Miles North of Vale’s Walls

Temperature: 86 Degrees

Forecast: Clear, High of 98 Degrees

Time: 11:23 AM Local

“Fuck.”

Raven’s eyes slid open, realizing just how late it already was. She’d been awake for hours, yet after that previous night, she couldn’t quite bring herself to leave her room and face… her.

The image of Ruby’s eyes came into her mind again, remembering her climax, and Raven ran her hands into her messy, tangled hair, gripping her own scalp.

Her entire, naked lower body tensed as she imagined her again, and Raven practically smacked herself, before letting out a noise of frustration, sitting up blearily. 

Even with the fire in her damped from the night before, she couldn’t shake that awful feeling in her throat: she’d only slept about four hours anyways.

‘But, if I take any longer, she’ll know something’s up.’ She thought grimly, swinging a leg over the edge of the bed. 

Yawning, she looked closer at the clock, before gruffly scratching at her own chest. “Shit. She probably already knows.” Telling herself with a touch of scorn on her tongue, she quickly grabbed what clothes she could; she needed to do laundry soon.

A pair of Black underwear and a towel would have to suffice, feeling her greasy hair again. A quick wash before bed, combined with a day of labor and fighting had done little for her hygiene, and harmed her hair plenty.

Shuffling over the carpet and to the door, she let it close behind her and opened the bathroom.

She didn’t hear Ruby.

And she hadn’t heard the door outside open since earlier, only hearing Ruby come down to the kitchen, never going back up. 

With a sigh, she yawned, and stepped out to the main room beside the TV. Patting her hand against the wall, she called out.

“Ruby?”

The blanket on the couch shifted.

————————————

Hearing her Step-Mother’s door finally open, Ruby was more than a little concerned for her. She held her breath, hearing the bathroom door open, only confirming something was wrong…

But it didn’t close. Instead, the old wooden floors creaked slightly, before two sudden hits to the wall came, a flat palm. Ruby paused the video she watched on her scroll, of a Grimm Culling outside Canary Town, when Raven’s voice rang out.

“Ruby?”

Shifting under her blanket and cloak, Ruby pulled the maroon cotton and scarlet silk off her form, and squinted at the bright light of the room.

“Yeah m-“

Her voice died at her lips. Raven had an immense bedhead, no doubt setting their time table back by at least two hours of work; such the price for having not cut her hair in seventeen years. More than that, she was almost entirely naked.

Ruby considered herself a, mostly, discreet woman. She’d felt it for a long time: being physically attracted to women would’ve always been a hard topic to bring up. With a bisexual older sister, and her father who she knew for a fact dated a man once, she’d be in safe hands, even more so once she heard some of the truth about her step mother. But, it was always too difficult to bring up.

Guys were cute. A lot of them could be funny. But that… specific feeling, that arousal, as she remembered it being called in high school health and sex Ed., was anything but what she felt looking at men. The thing was, it wasn’t many women either, that made Ruby feel that way.

The first one that had ever made her feel that way had, ironically, been the girl that she knocked out in a school dispute at Signal two years ago- Sierra Orchids, with her dusty brown hair and sharp eyes. She was strong, tall, and powerful- just a shit personality. And there were others- but none she could get close to. So, she always went to the same lie, that she wasn’t interested in anyone: it was easier than anything else, and far safer.

There were none she could be close to anyways, living at home, except those in her catalogue, and, the one she felt the most guilty for. 

The one she regularly took trips to, and stayed with for weeks at a time. Training. Sweating. Being disciplined by. Working on projects and talking about games and projects and competing with.

Raven.

She’d never admit it though.

Seeing those old, scarred abs, and muscular upper and lower body, no one could deny she was in exceptional health for forty seven. But, it didn’t make her feel any less guilty, staring at the pale spot just below her almost exposed breasts.

“Jeez.” Ruby put a hand to her face as always, pretending to be disgusted: Ruby was glad in that moment not to be born a boy, and to have a good control of her expressions, or her eagerness for the sight would’ve been seen already. “Flashing much?”

“Ha ha.” The energy in her voice was gone, and Ruby saw her shift to cover herself better, leaning from behind the wall. “I was just looking to talk to you. Things…” Raven trailed, and braced her forehead against the wall.

A beat passed, and Ruby nodded, squinting in concern. “Things…?”

“Things.” Raven corrected herself. “Look. I’m sorry, today’s already a little messed up. Last night…”

Ruby’s heart sank. “Yeah?”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve done anything.” Raven admitted, checking a black strand of hair. “I haven’t drank since I came home to stay with you kids, and make a place for us. I haven’t been smoking nearly as much, and, combined with that, I’m getting to that age as a woman where things start getting a little wonky. Much as I hate to say it, I’m getting old.” 

Raven’s declaration was almost comical, and Ruby nodded, shaking her head. “I mean, you look  good for your age, even if Yang calls you old.”

“She calls anyone older than her old.” Raven scoffed. “Trust me. You’re what… eighteen, nineteen later this year? You’ll know what I mean in twenty nine years here. This shit doesn’t feel good.”

“I can imagine.” Ruby got up, glumly thinking. ‘There’s also that problem.’

“But I bring that up to say… I haven’t been sleeping well.” Raven smiled. “Hot flashes, woman trouble, getting old… you should see the state of my old heating pads… but,” Raven rubbed her neck. “I bring it up to say I’m sorry for disturbing you last night, and messing up today’s schedule. So. We won’t be uh, doing training today.”

Ruby perked up, shaking her head. “I-I’m still good for it, Mom.”

Raven bit her lip and shook her head. “No no. I want to do something fun today, and fun with you. Your father’s right about how hard I push you.”

Raven stepped out, and again, Ruby had to be thankful to not expose herself, greatly enjoying the view with a subdued hum. “We… I want to spend time with you, Ruby.”

Those words sent Ruby down a blush, and she choked slightly, feeling that pit in her stomach swirl and flux. “You remind me a lot of your mom. She was funny, goofy at times, and a crack shot. And…” that guilt crept back in, reminding her of what she always knew.

‘I’ll never be her to her. So. Why bother?’

“I want to have fun with you. And make her proud.” Raven sat a hand on top of her shoulder, rubbing it firmly. “Give me an hour or two to get myself together, and, we can go down into town. Can you wait that long?”

“I can.” Ruby peeped, turning around. “Just take your time, Raven.” She tried to force her voice as deep as she’d go.

“Alright.”

Raven’s rough hand patted her nape, and Ruby nearly arched her back- thoughts ran wild, imagining that hand on her stomach, or god forbid-

“See you in a bit.”

Raven stepped towards the bathroom, and went to close it… but not before Ruby caught a glimpse of some of the old, tribal tattoos that dotted her back, and, some small gray hairs along her lower back.

Ruby added another thing to the long list of reasons she was entranced by her.

“The Barricade” Bar and Arcade, Tarrin, Hold 13 of Vale

Sixty Miles North of Vale’s Walls

Temperature: 91 Degrees

Time: 2:21: PM Local

“You suck at this.”

Stooped beside a multicolored arcade box from yesteryear, with a smile on her face, Ruby slammed the buttons on Microwars’s player one spot. 

Her eyes flew across the screen, every micro instant of the on-rails shooter felt under her finger tips.

“I’m still not sure your dad had you really tested.”

“We got the diagnosis!” Ruby exclaimed, her left hand patting across the grenade button and fire key, hitting in a tempo fast enough to skip the games lockout as the Master Cell appeared, dripping with neon drool and phosphorescent blood. “Now shoot faster, woman!”

She could feel it coming, the DPS check nearing as the beast began to swell and bloat on screen. Tensing, Ruby saw her step mother frantically slamming buttons against the Arcade Cabinet.

Her sequence was off, and Ruby was carrying them.

She could carry them to victory.

“Move!” Ruby shoved her shoulder into her side, ignoring the small crowd of local dwellers gathering around the duo.

Ruby blocked out whatever curse Raven cried; and instead; focused on her pace.

‘I have four hundred rounds, she has six hundred. If I do three for every grenade on hers, and two bullets in mine, I can do this.’ 

Feeling her semblance begin to clock in, Ruby’s hands positioned the aim cursors on its dual weak spots, and began to work.

And work she did.

Slam by slam, her right hand kept a pace so fast her left felt in slow motion, eyes flying across the screen. She was in the zone. ‘Dancing. Dancing.’ She spoke her mantra. ‘He is dancing. He says he will never die. Dancing. Dancing.’

Over and over again.

Over and over again.

Over and over again.

Over and o-

It was over. The screen was coated in a glaze of green slime, her heart pounding and arms covered in visible sweat where her sleeves rolled up, eyes wide and dry. 

It was a messy time, especially without Yang as backup. 

But. She did it.

The end cutscene began to roll, and Ruby turned around with a grin; snatching her orange energy drink from beside the counter, and discounting the future hand pains she was slated for, Ruby massaged her cramping hand against the cold, condensated metal, and smiled for them all to see. “Anyone want to dry and beat that?!”

A small cheer went up as the others came in to fight over the game, and Ruby nimbly dodged aside, snatching her memory card, turning on her step mom, who was stood aside. 

Her step mother, more than anything, looked mighty relaxed. She held a single pint in her hands- a hard limit she had promised for the day, something Ruby had encouraged, seeing how down she had seemed earlier, and, now, Raven wore a relaxed grin on her face, taking a sip of golden, foamy lager.

“Why have me come if you can just do that?” Raven asked, before wiping the spillage of her glass from her lip and brim of the cup, walking with her towards the doors of the arcade. 

“If You can defend this town alone, why would you bring me along to help?” Ruby shot back. “It’s more enjoyable, and less stressful with other players.”

“Eh. I was deadweight.” Raven drank back her cup a bit more, grimacing. “Yeah it’s been nearly seven since I drank, but I got to say, this shit is terrible.”

“You don’t have to finish if you know.” Ruby frowned. “And for driving back to town, we-“

“I wouldn’t, but this was a nine lien beer.” Raven looked it over, before shaking her head. “The Cod and Fries though helped, a lot. So. I should be fine for a while.”

“Yeah.” Ruby sighed, glancing her over: Raven wore as simple as ever an attire. Red flannel, black jeans, her boots, and the tank top below it all that showed off-

“Hey, Rubes?” Raven yawned, stretching her back with enough resistance to make an audible pop.

Wincing, she nodded, and took up her energy drink. “Yeah?”

“I think I’m gonna run over to the shop and try and find some more parts for your Father’s Bike. I shouldn’t be too long, but I might head back to the Cabin from there.”

And where Ruby would normally feel so defeated, now, elation filled her chest. An opportunity to be alone; and she had all the set aside funds for their time at the arcade at her disposal.

“Oh. Alright.” Ruby nodded, and shrugged. “I might head back up early. Some of the machines are out for repairs that I wanted to play anyway.”

“I didn’t ruin today did I?” The words were a surprise from her step mom, but Ruby shook it off, and savored her chance.

Reaching up around her neck, Ruby hugged her, pressing her face into her shoulder. “No. Not at all.” 

Even as she said the words, she was breathing in: that stupid, thick cologne that drove Ruby crazy in ways she’d never admit. A smell of cinnamon and bourbon, of blood oranges and wine too-

Ruby released the hug, a happy smile on her face. “Just having you here made the day perfect. Plus, we can do our own things tonight for dinner, maybe watch some movies.”

“Sounds great.” Raven put a hand against her ribs, and Ruby’s heart jumped in her throat, causing her to quickly turn away, snagging her riding bag from the ground.

“See you at home, Raven!”

“See you at home,” she breathed after her. “Petal.”

————————————

Ruby really had to hope Raven didn’t check the exact number of how many lien she handed over.

Going to the store on the far side of town, away from prying eyes, right next door to the sex shop, Ruby had a very particular taste in mind. Between a few editions of Huntresses Illustrated, the current Weapon’s Weekly, the new issue of Far Side of the Saloon, and the final part of her favorite cypher-punk smut, Friday Night Firefight, Ruby spent a good bit of lien. 

She’d nearly lingered long enough to go into that sex shop, but even just seeing the name, The PlayPlace, was enough to make squeamish and head home.

Besides, she didn’t want to carry all of those in and let Raven see it.

That wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have, especially when she practically felt her up earlier.

Having torn through the hills and forest and tunnels and trees, Ruby was happy to go her separate ways. And yet pulling into the drive way, even if she was early, something didn’t feel right.

Ruby had trusted her instincts at first. 

Bag of goodies, upstairs dresser. Crescent Rose? Unloaded and cocked.

So, she swept the property. First the garage, left open; secure. She checked her mother’s doorway, and confirmed its latching, before checking her bathroom. Secure too.

Stepping into the living room, there were no tracks or scratches, nothing ajar, save the door she had just left open, the brass light catching her eye.

Ruby made her way out to the deck that led to the small garden, and scanned through it: even with the sun getting lower, she should have seen something.

She didn’t.

Dashing upstairs and seeking her and Yang’s bathroom, Ruby confirmed another all clear. 

Even with the unease subsiding, Ruby didn’t like it, locking all doors but the garage, and headed to the sanctity of her room.

With a scrap book she’d purchased and filled, Ruby grabbed her recent copy of Huntresses Illustrated, and popped it open.

Her first exposure had been one she’d found in her dad’s old stuff when cleaning an attic when she was fourteen.  And even the brief exposure he feared so much, quickly grabbing and scrunching it in one fist? It did its damage.

She remembered which one it was: a blond woman with pink eyes. Tall and strong, a broad chest and a good center of gravity: in a pair of boot cut jeans, so tight on her she could see every detail. And the centerfold, when she found the original version at a garage sale years later? It didn’t skimp on the details either.

Ruby felt a hand creep down her pants softly, frowning at her own sweat and dampness, before running a finger over herself. 

A chill ran up her back, and she caught her breath, staring at her. Flipping through her scrapbook, Ruby went to the far, hidden end, and opened it up. A blank page.

With a pair of scissors taken up, Ruby fetched the magazine at hand, and bit on her tongue to ease her excitement.

‘Tabitha Tawny…’ Ruby’s eyes went wide as she stared down at her.

She was a knockout. Long, orange hair, a deep tanned skin, eyes sharp and glowering. She was strong too. Stoic as any statue, and by god, the fucking shotgun braced across her hip was enough bro make Ruby daydream about that woman getting ahold of her.

Ruby huffed as she cut her out, and grabbed the glue stick, putting her center mass, before getting some of the scene details with it. 

Ruby always cared a bit more for the tall and strong ones; and, seeing the centerfold attached, Ruby could already imagine every little bit of it, paired with the various online videos she watched.

And yet her greedy mind wasn’t satiated. Unable to bring herself to finish Friday Night Firefight tonight, knowing what the ending would do, Ruby laid back frustrated in the bed.

How much time before Raven got home?

There was no way to be sure.

So, with her items stashed, she waited on her scroll. And waited.

And waited, thinking about Raven.

And waited, cracking the window to her room, letting a sweet breeze in.

And waited, her room directly above Raven’s.

And waited. Music was unable to drown out the intrusive thoughts.

She’d done it before. What would be the harm in doing it again?

Besides, she'd never know.

Never.

Ruby waited a little longer, gently touching herself, before she sat up with a huff of pleasure. “Fine.” 

Ruby wiped her finger on the heel of her sock, before fixing her pants, and sneaking down the stairs.

It was getting dark out. Long shadows tore across the living room, and Ruby glanced from the white-blue kitchen lights to her mother’s old, lacquered door.

Pushing within, she found herself at the edge of the sandy gray carpet; and crossed the threshold. Into the belly of the beast, and her teeth digging into her lip as her nails rooted to her forearm, Ruby skulked past her bed and dresser, past her night stand, to her clothes hamper.

It was full.

Ruby’d had options before, her greatest shame always being a way to sneak it back into Raven’s laundry when she wasn’t paying attention; but not like this.

Jeans and jackets, pants and long socks were all at her disposal. But it wasn’t right.

‘No.’ She thought, pulling her legs together at her plants. ‘Something special tonight.’

Ruby found them: a red pair of underwear, an off red bra, and, her favorite, one of Raven’s tank tops.

It absolutely reeked of cologne, and a tinge of the earth of the day.

It was irresistible to her in that moment, that stupid cologne.

Ruby sprinted upstairs, shutting the door behind her, and pulled the blinds closed, locking her door, finally laying out on her bed. 

Kicking off her shoes, and, staring up at the ceiling with her clutch of stolen clothes, Ruby slipped her hand down her pants again, feeling her arousal spike at the thought of stealing from her again.

A trail of energy ran through her body as she slipped her ring finger into her slick entrance, her stomach tightening just in response. All of those women from the dozens of magazine passed through her head, but not one could match the intense desire she felt in that moment for the one she could never have.

Raven.

Just lifting that shirt near her face to where she lay, Ruby could envision the resistance of her arms and chest when she pressed against it. The faint taste of her sweat after an intense run. That black hair absolutely everywhere as she leaned over Ruby.

Squirming, Ruby rolled slightly to her side, smelling that deep, rich cologne stuck to the shirt, and imagined her behind her: those rough hands all over her body.

Ruby gently pumped her hand against herself, imagining the older woman taking control. Those damning, deep red eyes that owned her every time she raised her voice and barked an order stared at her through closed eyes, a wave of pleasure running through her lower body.

Ruby would die before she admitted it, but, every idea of the woman drove her nuts. Most days she could bury it.

Training made her hate her. Work made her strain and struggle against her, like in the yard the day before. She was family, no matter her missteps, and came back to Yang, which made Ruby love her. 

But everything else? The strength, the size, the voice that could kill her with a ‘please?’ 

It all made Ruby lust for her; something she could never have. And that forbidden fruit made it all the more in exciting to think about.

Another wave shot through her, and Ruby let out a small squeak of a pleasure, biting the edge of her pillowcase and feeling the zipper of the cover between them. 

Another bite later, and, Ruby felt her thighs quiver in thought, imagining her looking down on her. That stupid cigarette, as bad as it smelled, was just Raven.

Sweat beaded her face as she brought the shirt up to her face with her free hand, and the whiff was enough to make her bite her cheek. She wanted to put kisses all along her neck, and down her chest, right towards Raven’s-

A rumble in the distance caused her whole body to lock up.

The rumble of a distant motorcycle tore up through the mountains, and Ruby made a small croak, looking around at the mess in her room- and the mess of herself.

She could see the headlight cutting the dark trees.

Raven turned into the driveway as Ruby kicked her boots into the closet, hurrying to throw on her old sleeping shirt, as Raven opened the downstairs door.

Ruby turned to her bed.

‘Shit.’ She thought grimly, seeing where the underwear and shirt lay under the pale light through the streaming dusk light outside. 

Balling it up, and wiping her hand in her leg, Ruby crawled into her messy bed, and pulled the sheets over it all, hiding herself and her thieveries. 

“Ruby?”

Slow plodding boot steps came up the stairs as she did, and Ruby stayed silent for a moment, hearing her near; unsteadily, Ruby called out in a shaky voice. “Wh…what…?”

A knock came to the door, and Ruby called out. “What is it…?”

“Why are you in bed so early?” Raven sounded disappointed, the door creaking as she rested against it.

“I…” Ruby tried to sound as tired as she could. “I wasn’t feeling well… s-so, I got ready for bed…”

“Sleep fixes everything, just like dad taught you…” she laughed softly.  “Such a goodie two shoes eh. Well… sorry things didn’t go exactly as planned today. We can take training a little lighter tomorrow, and see how you feel then.”

“O-Of course… mom.”

“Go to sleep.” She rapped her boot against the base of the door, before she turned to go downstairs. Each footstep creaked on the old staircase on the way down. 

But there was one detail off, as Ruby sat there in petrified silence, gripping the sheets. 

Ruby heard Raven pick up a plastic bag from the base of the stairs; groceries were  a regular thing on trips into town, but what wasn’t normal was Raven carrying groceries directly into her bedroom.

A silence followed as the door shut, and glancing to her cracked window, Ruby’s mind began to run wild in possibilities; after she heard Raven lock the doors, Ruby didn’t even hear her go to the bathroom to prepare for bed.

No, Ruby heard her go straight to her room, and lock the door.

Sat silently above her, Ruby stared at the ceiling for a long time, hand still down over her crotch, and, spacing out in imagining her step mother’s form.

Something shifted downstairs, and she paused again. Raven must’ve knocked into her bed, kicking it or something by the small groan she heard.

‘Is she ever going to go to bed…?’ Ruby wondered, heart pounding- only for whatever to shift to shift again.

The exact same noise.

Ruby bit her lip, considering her- the shift came again with a slight rattle she could tell immediately.

Raven’s headboard bumped the wall. Again. And again. 

Something of a sputtering noise came, from no object but her mother, and Ruby’s curiosity rose. ‘Is… is she…?’

Her mind wandered into a dark corner, and she bit her tongue now, nearly to the point of bleeding to hamper her lewd ideas.

The headboard rattled again, and Ruby looked to the cracked window. It was already open… and Raven’s bedroom window always sat tight shut, right behind her bed. 

Right below Ruby’s window.

A dark idea came to Ruby then, one she’d coveted for so long.

Ruby slipped out from under her sheets, clutching the tank top, and grabbed her nearest pair of underwear and sweat pants, stopping as she approached the window.

That shifting was heard again, though the rattle was inconsistent. Another groan came from downstairs, all but ensuring her suspicions… and cemented Ruby’s resolve.

Pulling the window open slowly, heart filled with enamor and excitement, she let her form collapse to rose petals, dashing diagonally to the roof over the garage, and caught herself on the windvane.

With a slickness between her legs she wanted more than anything to answer, Ruby made her away down the side of the cabin, and passed the shut garage, careful to steady her breathing as she moved.

It was quieter outside, but she heard another small moan, causing her to speed her pace, and peek around the edge of the garage to peer in.

Ruby’s heart approached hypersonic, and her eyes grew as wide as saucers.

Bathed in the pale moon light that streamed above and behind Ruby, was Raven’s tanned form, pale in the moonlight. She was on her knees, atop her bed, and completely naked, her back to Ruby.

Watching with bated breath, Raven shifted up before the headboard, recalling her bare ass as a length of her toy slipped out below her- it was a dark red dildo, and a quite large one.

Raven let out a louder moan as she took it again, and Ruby slipped a hand down her panties in observation huffing as she began to feel herself.

‘This is dangerous.’ She thought grimly, creeping low around the side of the house, careful of her own shadow- but she had to get a closer look.

Right behind the window, though, and down in the shallow bushes outside, Ruby could hear her much better, and see much better; one of Raven’s hands was on her scroll, while the other was down on her hip, helping guide herself.

And her mouth… she had something long and dark in her teeth, jingling slightly.

Ruby recognized it: Ruby’s black leather belt she had left downstairs for something. This close, Raven’s moans and whines were much more unfocused and definite, her form quivering as she bounced slowly.

Ruby felt a small wave of pleasure, seeing her whole form shake, and began to stroke herself softly, shifting herself out of sight.

A sudden noise came from within, of the belt jingling as it fell to the bed, and Ruby froze as the moans became audible.

“Ruby… Ruby…”

————————————

Raven wouldn’t often spend the likes of such lien on herself, and especially not for something so vain as self pleasure- but she couldn’t help herself.

Even as resolute as she’d been that morning, as determined as she was, she fell right back to the same thoughts down in town with Ruby by her side. She simply couldn’t stop the thoughts, or herself, from thinking about Ruby.

So, she switched tactics. Channeling.

As she’d lied to Ruby about, she was getting up there in age, slowly but surely, and with menopause around the corner, her body was likely giving some last hurrah.

“Fuck… Ngh…” she mumbled through the leather belt in her teeth, straddling the dildo she pressed down into the bed with each deliberate bounce.

She figured that, maybe, embracing some of her re-blossoming sexual urges correctly would temper them somewhat.

Raven felt more like a fool now than ever.

She was upstairs, sleeping. She should’ve been.

Putting her hands down in front of her, Raven increased her pace, drool running down the belt as she tried harder than ever to satisfy herself without waking her up.

The added, soft vibrations of the plug she had in was making that increasingly difficult by the second.

Raven’s breathing grew shallower as she tightened around it, gripping the bedsheets in a fist as she came down again. “Fuck… mmfph…” she moaned through the leather, feeling where it struck inside.

Her heart pounded in rhythm, and she imagined Vernal again.

And Summer.

She steered her thoughts to Taiyang the best she could, imagining his length again. For a man, he was attractive, and well enough endowed. He was strong too, despite being an inch shorter than her. 

Even if she didn’t really love him like she had promised, she cared about him in her own ways; but even steering her mind to the passionate nights spent before her terrible pregnancy with Yang, she couldn’t escape her.

Ruby.

Raven clamped down harder on the leather, feeling her jaw tight around it, and teeth digging into the leather that would take a great deal to fix without Ruby noticing; maybe she’d just buy her a new one.

Coming down again, Raven’s focus slipped, and as she hunched forward, the belt dropped from her mouth, letting out a deep, low moan of ecstasy.

She was close- and couldn’t turn away anymore from her feelings.

The soft buzzing, her own hormones raging, the width she slid on so heavily, it was all too much, and she called out to no one but herself: “Ruby…”

Raven wanted to be sick with herself, but she couldn’t. No, she was too stuck on the idea of her.  Her joy, her positivity, and her smile.

“Ruby…” she moaned out louder, leaning further forward on her hips to strike that same spot again.

More than anything, she was glad to use a towel this time. 

Desire burned her like hellfire as she thought about those beautiful silver eyes, and her soft, fit form.

Raven wanted to hold her tight when she fucked her.

“Ruby…”

Raven wanted to shove her tongue down her throat when she kissed her, right between those pretty pink lips.

“Ruby…?” She moaned, thinking of the sleeping younger woman upstairs, and arched her back ever so softly.

Raven wanted to explore every inch of her body, and leave bites in places that would leave her sore for weeks and weeks. Raven wanted to be the first to take the girl, no matter the shame, and be her first experience.

“Ruby… Ruby… fuck… Ruby…” she panted hard, climax at hand where she rode alone.

If she was given the chance, Raven wanted her to feel as if she was eaten alive.

Pressure and pleasure exploded in her lower body, and Raven let out a cry of ecstasy. 

“Rubyyy!”

Raven’s panting came as she fell back on her bed, her voice growing much lighter as she lost control of herself. She couldn’t stop it anymore, gripping the toy buried in her nether regions, feebly pumping into herself with it, over and over again, moaning her name.

She didn’t just want Ruby. On some agonized and deep, dark level, she needed her more than anything else.

And she’d stop at nothing to have a taste.

Moans filled the air, feverishly fucking herself against the rattling headboard, and her moans filling the air. Tightening painfully, Raven couldn’t contain herself or her voice anymore, aura glistening in her skin and coursing through her veins.

Raven collapsed back against the bed, moaning and panting as she laid there in exerted silence. Gulping for air, her own moans filled the air.

She was thoroughly surprised to hear them: her own moans hadn’t gone so high since she was in college, so many years ago. They sounded weird in the quiet air: dull, and oh so sharp.

Raven shifted up on one arm, her eyes drifting lazily in the dark to her window, and feebly grabbed the latch without looking; the glass pivoted at her action, and she felt the cool air wash into the sweltering room.

Air cut across her bare skin, and Raven looked down at herself, mumbling pathetically. “Look… at what you did…”

A gust of wind rushed outside, and Raven spied something fluid and dark flicker by casting shadow. It looked like a scattering of leaves.

Raven glanced only a moment, spying a single one float by out of sight, before returning to her pitiful, prone position. 

With a soft motion, she urged the plug from her rear, and let it warmly land on the blanket, before pushing her eyes to the toy still laid between her legs.

Placing a hand over her breast, digging her thumb into the nipple, Raven pressed the warm, sticky tip of the silicone mimicry to her ass, and relaxed the best she could.

She was going to get this out of her system.

“Ruby…” she mumbled again, bringing the belt back to her mouth, feeling her hole dilate enough to hold the tip.

“What I’d do…”

————————————

Ruby felt stupid. 

All she had to do was steal a look from behind the corner of the garage, and take care of business.

All she had to do was ignore the noises and let her step mom do whatever she wanted downstairs.

But she just had to get as close as she could to spy on her. To listen in.

“Ruby… Ruby… fuck… Ruby…”

That moan rang over and over in her head like a damn bell, her heart quivering as she had touched herself, crouched down in the bushes out of sight.

A small part of Ruby had wanted to moan her name back, thinking about her; there was no denying it now, that whatever was up with Raven wasn’t just older women troubles…

Raven was having Ruby troubles.

And Ruby was having Raven troubles.

Ruby had, as quickly as she finished and heard the window open, with pants soaked from her climax of desperation, and shot back into her cracked window with her semblance.

There she lay on the floor for a long time, trying to catch her breath and soothe her nerves, only for the noises downstairs to start again.

Laid on the floor, the window downstairs and open, Ruby pressed her eyes shut, and her hands over her face in embarrassment as she heard her through the carpeted floor.

“Right there, Ruby… right there… fuck me… please…”

It left Ruby a squirming, needy mess on the floor, heart racing out of control.

Ruby wasn’t sure how long she laid there, between touching herself and listening carefully for Raven, but eventually the noises stopped below her.

However, now de-escalated, and sure of Raven’s sleeping status, sat awake in bewilderment.

She had always buried her lust and interest for Yang’s mom. And clearly, Raven had too.

So. Why did they both feel the same way about each other?

Her mind raced back to that image of her in the moonlight beam, Ruby’s mind tracing every detail: chalk line scars in tanned flesh, old stretch marks faded to silvery shimmers, the small tattoos that dotted her shoulders of constellations she had once told Ruby and Yang about… and that was all just what Ruby could seen from behind. 

Glimpses still remained in her head from that morning, seeing her in just a bra and underwear before her shower.

Ruby wouldn’t sleep that night, lost with Raven in her mind.

Desire overtook her, imagining what lay on her hidden front, to kiss her and embrace her as carnally as she darkly wanted…

Little did she know she’d get her wish sooner than she’d ever imagined.

Chapter Text

Friday, July 28th, 78 years After The Great War

Five Miles Northwest of Tarrin, Hold 13 of Vale

Sixty Miles North of Vale’s Walls

Temperature: 76 Degrees

Forecast: Cloudy, High of 84 Degrees

Time: 8:14 AM Local

Yang’s Birthday

‘At least she’s not dead.’ 

Raven’s thought pinged around in her skull, hearing Ruby’s upstairs door crack open.

Her eyes drifted down lazily to the pan full of scrambled eggs, the skillet being older than Ruby was, and let out a sigh.

She’d taken ibuprofen for her headache, and a muscle relaxer that morning already: she’d woken up stiff as a board. Simulating something so close to the actual act after so long both abstinent and out of practice lent to her soreness and shakes that morning.

But no matter how broken in and worn down she may have felt, it seemed to have worked. Even as she thought about Ruby while riding the toy, she felt it slip away from her.

And now, this morning, she found herself almost entirely at peace with it behind her.

“What smells good…?” A tired voice came from the creaky stair, and Raven glanced up to her. 

Ruby had immense bedhead today, an impressively dark mess fluffed up behind her for how little hair she had, and with her entire form clad in fluffy pajamas, she couldn’t have been in motion for more than twenty seconds.

“Eggs. I made toast too, ahead of training.” Raven stretched her back. “Just take it easy on the old lady today: legs aren’t feeling so good after I slipped down in town last night.”

“You uh…” Ruby trailed as she grabbed the wooden bannister, pivoting around it. “Sore?”

Raven pushed a blush from her face as she leaned over the pan of eggs, stirring it. “You have… no idea.”

“Well. Pardon my Atlesian, but I’ve fallen on my ass before.” Ruby smiled. “Especially when training. What happened, busted your ass shopping around for a guy last night?”

Raven snorted, before sighing. “No, not hardly. And besides, didn’t I tell you?”

An incredulous look came over Ruby, before she nodded slowly. “I mean. Qrow said you mostly prefer women. I was just making a joke.”

“It’s…” Raven trailed in thought, picking her spatula up and tossing some of the eggs, before grabbing the bag of shredded cheddar. “I’ve gotta tell you something that I don’t want to leave this room.”

Concern crossed Ruby’s face as she looked over at her, but she nodded, hands tucked into her armpits. “What's up?”

“It’s… only ever been women.” Raven frowned. “I’ve told you about the Branwen’s a lot, Ruby, and I’m glad you have more interest in them than your dad or sister, but, I haven’t been entirely truthful.” She remembered the many arguments with her father when she was a younger woman, before she left for Beacon. 

‘That paddle he used…’

She snapped herself from it with a frown. “You heard rumors about it at Signal and, there’s some truth to only marrying your father to continue the family line.” It wasn’t a prideful moment, as she pulled her black hair back, sprinkling the cheese with her other hand.

“Your father is, in no small terms, a charming, honest, strong, and forgiving man. More than I should have hoped for.” She grabbed her coffee from the stove and sighed, stepping away and towards Ruby. “I regret marrying your father only less than leaving him and Yang in the first place. In another life, we would’ve been divorced anyways. Yang might have come back to the tribe with me. I never loved men, only tolerated them.”

Ruby pulled up to the kitchen table, setting her scroll down; before she passed her to the fridge, grabbing a cup from the cabinet and the carton of orange juice.

She seemed lost in thought for a moment, only for her to ask the one question she never wanted to answer.

“So… what about you and Mom?”

Raven paused, with her mug to her mouth, and shut her eyes in thought, remembering her face. 

Raven hated that she could only see Ruby there now.

“Qrow said you and her were best friends… and that you two had been discussing her final mission-“

“It isn’t that simple.” Raven forced out, and set her mug down with a scowl. “We couldn’t just get her back, and there were too many of them, we-“

“No no.” Ruby crossed her arms, a scowl forming of her own. “I’m asking about you and Her.”

Raven’s eyes went wide, and she glanced to the wall clock with a tight jaw.

‘Shit.’

“If you need to know… Twice. In college.” Raven frowned; she knew it was a lie, and one of the worst kinds: obscuring the truth in a friendly way. “Once drunk at a party. We were stupid kids doing stupid shit. The other time was before me and Tai started dating after a night out clubbing. It faded after that.”

“Did…” Ruby faltered, picking at her hoodie sleeve. “Did you tell her before you left Dad and Yang?”

Raven shook her head in thought, before turning the heat on the stove down, pushing the eggs back. “Hints. Thoughts out loud before I did anything. The only person who knew was Qrow, and I told him the day before. Part of me wonders what life would’ve really been like if I hadn’t but, then I might not have you, Ruby. You only came around after I left and Summer figured out her real feelings for Tai.”

“Well. Sorry to bring that up over asking about wounding yourself impressing a guy.” Ruby poured the cup full of the orange liquid, before she sighed. “So. What. Fell off your bike on the way home?”

“No.” Raven blushed, remembering the true source of her soreness. “I ah… slipped. Outside the bike shop, there was a bit of water and grease on the ground some dumbass didn’t wipe up, made the asphalt all slick. Stepped in it, my boot went one way and my other leg stayed right here.”

Raven reached down to massage the sore spot in her inner thigh, seeing Ruby wince. “You’ll have to go a bit easy on me today. I did the splits for the first time yesterday, something a pipsqueak like you kids would normally do.” 

“I’m sure we’ll figure it out.” Ruby took a sip of her juice, the slight pucker to her lips making Raven smile. “Are those eggs going to be a while?”

“Nope.” Raven grabbed two paper plates out, along with the forks, and smiled. “Breakfast is served, Ruby.”

There was a whisper of something under her breath, but Raven didn’t catch it… she chose not to ask.

After all, Raven had accidentally just spied Ruby’s chest through her shirt, specifically, the pointed outlines of the nipples of her small breasts, poking through the shirt.

Raven had to keep that antsy feeling out of her throat: turned out, it wasn’t all gone from last night.

She’d have to ignore it.

————————————

“You call that a swing? My dead father swings faster than you!”

Raven’s taunt earned Ruby’s frustration, sending the tip of Crescent Rose careening into a nearby pine tree, splintering the segmented bark.

Even behind the sticky mask and arm guards, Ruby was keeping pace: Raven’s injuries, of which Ruby had more than inklings of the real source, were definitely slowing her.

Raven sometimes did this- the same taunts she used to get under Yang’s skin when they sparred.

But Ruby wasn’t Yang. She’d always been taught by her father to ignore whatever emotional blades people brought to a conversation: they were always cruder, jagged fighters, lacking technique, something Yang always struggled with.

A red blade came up to meet Ruby, and she pivoted beneath her handle, letting Raven’s blade smack into the steel shaft. Ruby’s hands were already down at the pommel spike, pulling back: the extra impact from Raven’s swing helped Ruby lever the tip from the tree, keeping it between them.

“All that resourcefulness and you can’t even land a blow!” Raven came around the old pine, a low sweep coming.

Ruby always had the hardest time dodging them.

So she didn’t.

She planted the top blade of Crescent Rose firmly into the dirt, something she’d regret later, and stopped the strike with the shaft again.

This time, it was hardened with aura she filled into it, and Ruby averted her eyes as the burn dust blade shattered against the shaft.

Raven seemed surprised for but an instant, her eyes hardening in her mask as she began to duck back.

Ruby hid a smile under her mask.

‘Just as I planned.’

She always remembered how dad showed her to keep people off balance. She knew how to do it. She’d used it on Yang a few times, practiced many times against her dad… 

She’d just never used it on Raven. 

Until now.

Before Raven could drop back, taking advantage of her soreness, Ruby slammed her elbows into Raven’s stomach with her left and ribs with her right, and hooked a leg behind Raven’s.

Raven was much stronger than Ruby; not that she was weak by any means, but experience and a life in the elements double Ruby’s age at least ensured she was as fit as she could be, and age hardly diminished her strength.

But surprise was enough of a strength multiplier to even her odds, just a bit.

Raven’s form was… strong, something Ruby didn’t want to think about at the moment, and already tensed- but too late.

The sweep and push was enough, and Ruby did as she’d been taught.

She threw herself atop Raven as she fell, knocking her sword hilt aside. Raven was beneath her, and Ruby, sweaty and tired from the bout, pressed her advantage, planting a knee on her stomach, and her hands around her neck.

Raven struggled beneath her, her eyes flaring through the mask. It was traditional dueling: aura break, or, a ten second pin. Raven’s words flashed through her head of the first time she finished a duel with Yang, where Yang had been helpless.

‘If you can get someone in a hold for ten seconds or more, nine out of ten times, you can kill them, or just win. Consciousness slips, aura drops, and they’re at your mercy. Never, ever, get out in a lock where they cut off your breathing or blood, or you’re dead. Same goes for fighting people with blunt weapons.’

A punch flew into Ruby’s stomach,  and Ruby re-adjusted her grip, her fingers in her corroded artery, doing her best to subdue her.

Four seconds.

Ruby tensed hard, and stared into Raven’s eyes as she struggled; there was no fear in them, as Ruby’s hands gripped her aura, and Raven bucked below her, thrashing to throw her off.

She hadn’t been winning fights in a while, and Ruby wanted to even the score.

Six seconds.

Seven.

Panic showed in her step mother’s eyes, and Ruby pulled up as tight as she could, causing Ruby to flinch.

Even as she stared at her, and heard Raven’s labored, choked breaths, it reminded her of something else.

‘Ruby… ruby…’

Ruby froze.

‘Rubyyyyyy!’

Raven’s soft cry from the night before broke her focus, and it was over then.

Raven’s elbow smashed into Ruby’s throat, sending her staggering back, and Raven forced her way up, slamming Ruby to the ground. It wasn’t a head lock, or a choke hold, but she had no fight left in her after the reminder.

Instead, she was laid on the ground under her, sweat from Raven’s neck dripping down on her mask, and Ruby at her absolute mercy.

The time ran, and Ruby couldn’t help herself, Raven holding her down, going limp in her arms.

Instantly, the hold was released.

It was only eight seconds. But, Raven tore her mask off as Ruby sucked wind, and slipped Ruby’s mask from her face. “Petal?”

The word cut the air like a knife; Raven’s black hair fell around them like a curtain, and for a moment of pained breathing, all that existed was her face: shimmering with sweat, and plastered with beautiful concern.

“Ruby? Ruby, are you ok? Can you hear me?”

Panic shot through her voice, and Ruby coughed and spluttered under her, putting a hand up on her own throat.

“Good…” she croaked. “Hurts…”

“Can you breathe?” Raven asked worriedly. “Deep breaths Ruby…”

“Those… hurt…” Ruby choked, fighting to get the air back in her lungs. Raven sat her up, pounding a firm hand on her back, and Ruby forced out a bit of swallowed spit, gently touching her throat.

“I know hon. I know.”

Raven’s hand came down, resting on Ruby’s exposed stomach, causing her to flinch. Those strong hands, ever ready for violence, now sat against her with tense posture, pushing on her rhythmically.

The world began to feel more normal, as Ruby struggled to get up, and Raven supported her on the hip, helping her to her feet. “Easy, easy.”

“I… I am…” Ruby coughed. “Did you have to go for a throat shot…?”

Raven let out a small laugh, barely hiding her nerves as Ruby leaned into her side. “Sounds like you’ll be fine… just…”

“Couldn’t stand to lose…?” Ruby mumbled, snatching up Crescent Rose.

“Something like that.” Raven stopped her, folding down the blade of Crescent rose, before she scooped Ruby off her feet.

Ruby made a noise of surprise, before she was in her grasp, and hugging close as she was pulled. “Mom…?”

“Let’s take a break. The fact you had me on the ropes tells me how beat I am… and that you were able to get me knocked down shows how hard you’ve been working.” Raven smiled down at her, setting her mask in Ruby’s lap as she was carried.

“Just a little weird to still carry me around.” Ruby mumbled, hiding her blushing face against Crescent’s Casing. 

“Eh. Being fair I had you in a position that if I used it on anyone else, I would’ve been trying to kill them.” Raven rumbled, and Ruby relaxed in her arms. 

Ruby couldn’t get the image of her perched over Ruby, those dark red eyes… 

Those firm hands around her throat.

Ruby didn’t say another word the entire way back to the porch, other than a small Ok to Raven.

She was too busy imagining what else Raven’s hands could do.

————————————

Sat out on the porch, sandwiches and lemonade at the ready, Raven sat down by her step daughter.

She’d thrashed her good: nothing like when Qrow and her fought their father, but certainly increased the bar when she got such an easy start on her.

And with training at least on pause, she was seated on the steps, when her scroll began to ring.

Raven, twirling an unlit cigarette in her fingers, glanced back at Ruby, who was already getting up. “That’s probably your father, huh?”

Ruby had her sandwich half hanging out of her mouth, careful not to bite through the bread and meat and drop it, but firm enough she wasn’t to let it slip; she gave an idle thumbs up, hurrying back to her side.

The skin about her throat already had a nice bruise forming, no matter the ice packs used: but Raven was sporting a few new ones anyways, pulling a move she cited as being the work of her father. Raven took the scroll from her

Raven knew the score; she had been put on her ass a hundred times by Tai the first week of training at Beacon. She was just more impressed Ruby had never pulled it on her until now. She was getting smart for her age.

Sliding the button to answer the contact, the scroll spun for a moment, loading the call as quickly as the CCT would allow it to.

A soft *b-bloop!* noise came through the speaker, and the image of her once betrothed came through the screen, blue eyes glimmering in.

“Well look what the cat dragged in?” Raven smiled. “What's the word?”

“Besides it being her birthday? She’s nervous as all get out. They’re supposed to be calling any minute now.” Tai trilled, before giving her a knowing look. “Am I on speaker?”

Ruby stared at her from behind her sandwich, an eager look on her face, before she changed the call’s mode, and brought it to her ear.

“Yeah? Not anymore.” Her eyes scoured her property, looking past the small patch of vegetables she grew, placing the cigarette in her lips as her sandwich grew like warm on her lap.

“I heard from them early.” Raven’s neck hair bristled, steeling her gaze on a small dragonfly that sat atop of a flower.

“And?”

“Don’t freak out, and spoil for Ruby.” Tai promised, her heart already jumping: “but. She passed. Perfect score on everything except civilian interaction.” 

Even Raven, the stoic she portrayed herself as, couldn’t help but tap her foot happily, her body lighting up. “Well. I hope she does well. We-“

A shrill voice came from Ruby beside her, and, Raven looked over to see Ruby leaping from the porch. “Yang just texted me! She’s going to Beacon!!”

“Cats out of the bag.” Raven laughed. “You two got plans? Me and Ruby still have until Tuesday?”

“I think Yang just broke something in the other room, she’s whooping and hollering.” Tai sounded giddy, and she turned her scroll back into the video chat mode, staring at his dumb, smiling face. “Our daughter did it, Raven. So yeah: I’m gonna take her out for a celebration drink or two at this place called Juniors: you and Ruby take the night off. Have some cake and dinner, have some fun before you meet us in Vale.”

“I will. Talk to you soon. We’ll call to sing happy birthday before dinner.” Raven promised, before turning over to her step daughter, and letting out a proud holler. 

“What are we waiting for?!” Raven laughed. “Yang’s going to Beacon! Let's celebrate!”

Ruby jumped into her arms, and Raven swung her about, laughing all the way.

She needed this. 

And she was glad she came home to see it.

Temperature: 69 Degrees

Forecast: Rainy, High of 84 Degrees

Time: 4:58 AM Local

Ruby never did like the idea of drinking all that much.

Knowing Raven had made many mistakes over her life due to it, seeing how much her father used to drink, and of course, how bad her Uncle had it, she always was left with a bad taste in her mouth. 

It was a poison of the mind, and of rational thoughts. 

Despite that, she was still sitting on the couch with a single shot glass of now warm cherry sake, and a bowl of strawberry ice cream in front of her, topped with cherries and blueberries.

She’d had sips of beverages before under both parents supervision, but Raven had always been much more restrained, despite being somewhat of a party animal historically. The comments that day about her mother had left her slightly rattled, if only for the repeated times over the years everyone had described her and her mother as so similar-

Complicated by what she spied through the window the night before all the more so.

Raven, as happy as Ruby was for her sister, was laid out in the recliner, as the storm raged outside, the forecast from before their happy birthday call mentioning the onset of summer storms moving into the region.

Ruby was all the happier for cool weather up in the mountains, the colder the better: but the rain brought its own issues. Battening down the hatches before they celebrated was one: and Raven was already getting started hard on her drinking only a few moments after they’d cleaned up their weapons and called.

They’d only barely gotten inside before the rain hit, and now, on the old couches and sofa, the two of them lay, watching the TV: it was a personal favorite, an old movie from around the time Ruby was born: The Clockwork Conspiracy. 

“Hark!” The speakers cried, as the golden masked matriarch cried on screen, sweeping a weapon of violent-churning gears through the air, one Ruby had sketched many-a-times. “Blackguards and Berserkers, all of ye, step no closer or feel my despair for aeons!”

Ruby already remembered the rest by heart, mumbling it as she spoke from beneath her echoey mask. “Les’ ye wish a terrible fate on all your children’s children…”

Raven behind her shook her head, huffing. “Reminds me all of how those people in Valkyria talk.”

“Careful, or Mister Conagher will hear you.” Ruby joked about her old principle, remembering how sensitive he was about his heritage.

“Yeah.” Raven giggled softly, a slight red tinge to her cheeks from her drinking. “God he was such a tool… I remember him doing nothing about that little cunt, Sierra…”

Ruby flinched, remembering her first bully and crush. “Eh. I had to deal with it myself, without Yang around, like you said. Don’t take shit from people who won’t go anywhere in life.”

“Still.” Raven harrumphed. “Poking and prodding at my sweet little girl isn’t fair…”

Ruby felt a chill run through her at the name, coughing awkwardly as she stared at the screen. “I had some growing up to do.”

“I know, I know.” Raven took another swig of her much larger glass of sake, her ice cream bowl emptied. “Still. If I ever caught her in the act of poking at you, I’d have broken her ankles just to show her who she was messing with.”

“Eh. Would you have beaten up the mountain the first time I crashed Round Robin?” Ruby suggested.

“Maybe.” Her consideration was short lived, before her face went slack in thought, staring off at the old fan above them.

“Shit.. hey, Ruby?” Her voice croaked, turning over to face her.

Ruby turned her body to look, only to catch way too much of her cleavage to stay staring into her eyes.  “Y-yeah?”

“I left our bikes out front where we were working on them. Slipped my mind entirely.” Raven sighed, and put a hand up to her forehead. “Can you run out and get them, just haul them back to the garage?”

Thunder flashed out the door, and, Ruby shrugged, getting up. “As long as I can have another bowl when I get back in, I don’t mind.”

“Hell yeah you can.” Raven grinned. “I even have some of your fathers leftover ah… special cigarettes when you get back. You want to try one?”

Ruby flushed at the idea of that strange smelling smoke, and shook her head. “No, no I think i’ll be ok.”

“You sure?” Raven shrugged. “Your sister and father can both handle their shit.”

“Well, I’m not them. Ask me if I ever get into Beacon; and then I might say yes.” Ruby grabbed her hoodie, pulling it down over herself. Fluffing it out, and throwing her hood up, Ruby sighed happily her shoes had never been taken off.

“Suit yourself!” Raven’s cry came shortly before the sparking of a cigarette, causing Ruby to hurry her way out the side door.

Stepping onto the slick, old wooden deck, Ruby looked out at the gray, overcast skies with a sigh. She was proud of her sister, sure. 

But for it all, her mind had been distracted all day.

Because of her.

Ruby slipped a hand down the front of her pants and along her thigh, softly swiping her ring along her own entrance with a huff.

She was warm, and wet before she ever left the porch.

Stepping out, Ruby ran her finger through a smooth divot of water pooled, and wiped the rest off on her pantleg, leaning forward as she walked streetside.

Going to jump a puddle for whatever amusement it would pass for, Ruby felt the clay soil and gravel giving way to her kick off- and found herself landing stomach down in the mud. Before she had a chance to react, she felt pain in her lip, the taste of iron shortly behind it.

“Shit!” She cried out, sputtering dirt and mud. Hurrying up, she already spied where new stains would fall on her old hoodie, the tan clay stains sure to never come out.

Ruby felt it already soaked down to her skin, chilling her to goosebumps, and causing her to shiver angrily. With her nervous system as awake as ever, and her lip hurting, Ruby stomped forward, grabbing Raven’s bike from beside the road, and beginning to walk it back in.

“The fuck she clean them for out here anyways…” Ruby swiped her hand atop the leather seat, and swung the water off as the rain began to pelt her hoodie harder.

Disengaging the kickstand, Ruby heaved it forward, trudging the muddy driveway, all while it ran down in her pants and back. She was miserable, and, because she knew Raven, was going to miss the second half of one of her favorite movies while she showered.

Slamming it back down as she parked it, Ruby stormed out into the rain; fuming so hard about her step mothers mistake, Ruby barely noticed her standing out in the garage by the fridge, fetching a beer for herself.

“What… happened, Ruby?” 

Raven looked up in surprise, stepping out into the rain slightly to look at her. Ruby shot her a nasty look before she pushed her own bike in into cover.

“I tripped.” Ruby complained. “Because you left those stupid bikes in the rain.”

“Hey. We all make mistakes.” Raven popped the cap on her beer with a drink. “You ok?”

“I guess.” Ruby touched her lip in consideration. “Smashed my lip and busted my ass but… fine?”

Raven laid a hand on Ruby’s stomach, causing her guts to churn again, and she found herself huff at the touching. “My goodness! You’re soaked, soaked…”

Ruby forced the kickstand down, and pushed away from her, a grit to her jaw as she forced that feeling away. “That’s what happens when you get wet. I’m gonna go clean up…”

Ruby had only made it to the step to the door, when Raven’s long arms crept down around her, the beer bottle pressing softly against her abdomen. Ruby drew a sharp breath as Raven hugged her, shaking her head. “But then you’ll miss the movie… you just want to hang out for a bit, clean up after?”

“Raven.”  Ruby turned in her grasp, and glanced up, frowning at the sudden closeness. “You won’t even let me sit on the furniture when I’m sweaty, let alone soaked through my clothes. You’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk.” Raven frowned. “And you can always just take your clothes off.”

Ruby made a small choking noise at the mention, and Raven’s grasp around her loosened up, with a small smile. “W-w-what…?”

“Take them off.” Raven’s attitude wasn’t haughty: rather just surprised at her lack of understanding.

She reached down to the edge of her own jacket she had been zipped up in, and pulled the zipper all the way down, revealing her slightly bunched tank top. Ruby’s breath hitched at the slightly graying body hair, and Raven looked at her even more annoyed. “Come on stupid… just take anything that’s wet off.”

Left in the garage as the door slammed, the slight chime of the bells hung on it rattling in her skull, Ruby looked down to herself in a mild bit of shock.

She was cold, she was wet, and she had her day ever so slightly ruined by her face plant…

But, Raven had just told her to take off anything wet.

Ruby knew she wasn’t in her right mind. She knew she didn’t know she’d spied on her. She knew she was just starting to get high.

It was wrong. It was Yang’s mom, Ruby’s step mother. A step mother who confirmed there had been instances with her mother, and, a step mother nearly triple her age at that.

But Raven had been very warm to the touch. She still smelled of her cologne and hints of it all. She was strong. She was beautiful.

And Ruby was still soaked through her underwear.

And even as it wore at her, and she tried to bury it deeper, with all of the dirt she could use in her conscience, all of the ways to put it down, all looked like mud at the moment. One not easily moved. One she didn’t care to bury right now. 

She kicked off her shoes. 

She slipped off her hoodie and shirt, which were soaked through, and came to her small bra: it was wet too, but barely so.

Ruby pulled it off anyways.

And then her hands came to her pants.

They were as soaked as anything: her underwear too. And she took one final thought of restraint.

‘I can’t do this.’ Echoed in her mind, staring at the white door, heart pounding hard. ‘I’m going  to be sitting in the living room with my step mom, naked, who I saw masturbating the other night. And who said my name… who was masturbating while saying it.’

And that was the coffin nail, as her mind ran back over the idea.

‘She said… my name.’

Ruby pulled her pants and undergarments off. Stood on the cold, gray floor of the garage, and hitting the button to close the door to it, Ruby took a slow, anxious breath. She was bewildered how similar it felt to whenever she was facing a Grimm or a combatant, her breathing techniques kicking in as she focused on the situation…

But there was no monster or combatant or dark spirit. 

Ruby realized she couldn’t do it bare. Her eyes passed over a ratty, old blue towel that was used for drying off spots; and tied it around her waist quickly. 

Hurrying in, bundle of clothes under arm, Ruby paused in the doorway by her step mother’s room and bathroom. Raven was sitting on the couch, checking her scroll, and Ruby seized her opportunity, hurrying to the recliner she had been in before going outside.

“Did you get soaked all the way through?”

The words stopped her before she could seat herself, and Ruby turned over with a frown, battling the creeping blush from her face.

“Yes…” dread filled her as the word left her mouth. What was she going to say? 

Raven studied her for a moment, looking her up and down- something that made Ruby shiver, remembering how she had moaned about her-

“You must be freezing.” Raven sighed, and picked up the old, fluffy blanket from beside her. “Come on over here and warm up.”

Ruby’s heart jumped into her mouth: clutching it between her teeth, she quietly sat down beside her as Raven wrapped the blanket around her, and Ruby held as still as she could.

‘Not… exactly what was imagined.’ She thought worriedly, before the fluff came up around her chest. She now had a cup of water beside her, grabbed before she returned that she was drinking, and Ruby sank down slightly to her side.

Without another care, Ruby laid her face into the side of Raven’s chest, who made a small noise, before her arm came around Ruby’s back. Squirming slightly, Ruby shut her eyes tight, and took a deep breath.

She was wearing that stupid cologne, and-

Raven rubbed the back of her head, before placing a kiss atop her head.

Ruby melted into her touch, slipping her exposed arms around Raven firmly, and pressing her face to the space between her breast and ribs, stretching out.

She wasn’t quite sure what awaited her, but in all admittance, she didn’t care. Raven was one of her favorite people after all:

No matter what Ruby wanted done to her by her step mother.

————————————

One good mystery movie, one bad rom-com and one cheesy action movie later…

————————————

When Ruby had come in nude, it had taken much of Raven’s discipline not to say the first thoughts in her mind, ever more difficult due to being more inebriated she cared to admit.

She’d protected her and cared for her, keeping her warm and tight; but a movie night of celebrations had dragged on.

Raven had sobered up, yes, and clarity had clawed its way in, for the entirety of the second film, Blast from The Pass, one of tai’s favorites, she had nothing but disgust for herself.

What was she doing?

But it was only a third of the way into the third movie, Yang's favorite, Three Dragons in Mantle, that Raven really began to notice what was going on.

Ruby wasn’t a careless, silly girl, laid against Raven innocently. She wasn’t just exposing her legs or pulling it down around her chest at random intervals, further exposing herself.

And she certainly wasn’t accidentally laying her face into the side of Raven’s chest, with those dotting, doe-ish eyes flicking up and down Raven all the time.

An all too awful feeling had brewed at that: had Ruby heard her the night before? or the far worse one, that Ruby had touched herself in the same way Raven had? 

Ruby, at the moment, was rather badly pretending to be asleep. Every time Raven moved, Ruby squirmed, pressing herself closer to Raven, eyes shut tight.

With a hand gentle against her neck, Raven felt her unsteady heartbeat, and biting her cheek, shifted how she was sitting to see how committed she really was to the bit. The moment Raven gripped her leg to pull her atop herself, her heart began to beat like crazy. 

Twitching like a rabbit in her palm, Raven quietly stretched out, letting her lay against her. 

‘No one else in the world would know. And… I think she wants it.’

‘No!’ She shot back at herself, biting her lip hard enough to bleed. ‘Step daughter. Yang’s sister.’

‘But she’d be so soft… definitely her first time…’

‘Summer’s daughter. Summers. Daughter.’

Raven felt her nether regions twitch, and she grunted in frustration, before testing the waters in a new way: softly kissing Ruby’s cheek.

To her surprise, one eye cracked open, and Ruby let out a tiny whisper, enough she couldn’t quite hear it.

“Hm..?” Raven rumbled, trying her hardest to not appear excited.

Ruby was so red, she looked ready to pass out, adjusting her legs slightly. “I… I said… I like it when you… kiss me.”

Raven’s heart thumped just a bit harder hearing that, and she let out a huff, kissing her cheek again.

Ruby made a small noise, before turning over on her chest with some effort, and looked down at Raven. 

“Do… you enjoy kissing me?”

Choked for words, Raven nodded slowly, keeping her gaze on her little silver eyes.

Raven, for a moment, felt her world falter, the same way it did when she looked at Summer.

She needed that feeling again, of her… if she had to get it from Ruby, she would. “I do.”

“Would you like um… me to?”

Raven’s head spun wildly at the question, before she drew a pained breath. “Ruby…. I…”

“I know it’s wrong… and weird…” Ruby admitted. “But… you’re the only person I’ve ever felt this… about. A-And, I don’t even know if I like women, or just… ugh.”

Raven’s finger came up to Ruby’s mouth, and she spoke words she’d regret surely. “You know… your father can never know about this. Ever.”

“I… I know.” Ruby whimpered, putty in her hands. “But I think I want you more than what I’m worried about.”

Ruby leaned forward to kiss her… badly. awkward and slow, but pressed her pretty pink lips flat against Raven’s.

Any and all discipline turned to ash at the touch, and Raven pressed back into it, setting a hand down on Ruby’s ass through the blankets, who made a noise into her kiss.

Pulling it deeper, Raven tilted her head, and held her close, firmly squeezing her ass, and earning a squeak as she slipped her tongue into her mouth.

For eight long, harrowing years, Raven had been abstinent. She’d never hooked up, or had a one night stand. She’d been as good an example as she could have hoped to be, previously.  She’d been a huntress, she’d been what she swore to be, as motherly as she could. She said nothing of her sins, of her powers, of murders and crime sprees: she buried that maiden as deep inside her as she could, hiding her nature from everyone, even Ozpin. 

She’d smoked occasionally, drank rarely. She’d done everything with her second chance she could.

And now she had her tongue down her step daughter’s throat, groping her ass, throwing it all away.

Raven wasn’t sure she’d ever been so turned on in her long twenty-nine years as an adult, feeling how she obeyed every touch of Raven’s hands and bent to her whim.

It was the kind of power nothing else could be: Ruby wanted to be hers.

And Raven wanted Ruby the same. 

Raven lost her restraint.

Tilting her head further, Raven held Ruby in the kiss, feeling her begin to struggle as she fought to breathe. Raven needed just a few more seconds. Another second.

Her eyes came open once again, and she let Ruby breathe, whose hands lay now on Raven’s chest, and strands of saliva connecting the short distance between their mouths. Ruby’s eyes were wild and panicked; fearful even, and Raven nearly snapped out of it. If Ruby had stopped her again in that moment, if she’d pushed her away, maybe this would’ve been a very different night. One that ended in them getting help, in setting boundaries, in having life go back to as normal as it could’ve.

But Ruby didn’t stop her. It turned out, she couldn’t even stop herself.

Ruby let out a happy gasp, her hands gripping Raven’s breast through her shirt, and slammed her lips back against Raven, beginning to kiss her again, with double the fervor as before. 

Raven bucked her hips slightly, staring up at her as she sat up, pulling her shirt up as she did. Ruby fell back slightly, and as the shirt slipped up, Raven caught her desperate eyes as her shirt slipped over her head. 

Raven never did like showing off her body too much, but the way Ruby looked over her was all too emphatic for Raven to remain idle.

Ruby came in for a kiss, only for Raven’s hand to wrap gently along her throat. Ruby made a small noise, before Raven leaned down to kiss her, her other hand slipping down Ruby’s stomach. Raven’s controlled kisses guided Ruby’s soft tempo, quivering to the touch as Raven slipped along her abdomen.

Between breaths, she whispered. “Were you touching yourself during the movies..?~”

“N-n… no…?” Ruby mumbled, eyes glancing down: the real answer was all over her face, and Raven found her answer as her ring and middle fingers graced Ruby’s slick entrance. 

Instantly, Ruby shot up, still held by Raven’s hand around her neck, and squirmed, her legs pulling up slightly. “Lying…? You’ve been a bad girl…”

Ruby moaned as Raven came in for another kiss, placing this one down on her chin, while her fingers teased about her entrance. “No… n-nah…~ no… I’m not a bad girl…” Ruby let out a pathetic cry, staring desperately at Raven.

“Aren’t you…?”

“I-I’m not… I promise…”

“Maybe I can jog your memory…” Raven whispered, moving her hand from Ruby’s throat to her cheek, and gently beginning to nibble at Ruby’s shoulder and neck.

Ruby jumped a little at the first soft bite, going as limp as a ragdoll in her touch, but Raven didn’t stop, softly working her way down Ruby’s upper body. 

“W-what… are you… Ngh… Raven…?”

“I know what you want…” she breathed, running her tongue back over the trail of bite marks she just left, sure to darken in time. “You want me in you… don’t you?”

Ruby arched her back, feeling Raven playing with her entrance more intensely, Raven softly opening her slit as she pleased. “Mm… yes… I-I really d-do!~”

“Well…” Raven teased, kissing against her jugular. “Bad girls don’t always get what they want.” 

Raven pressed her fingers in deep enough then to wet up to their middle joints, causing Ruby to sharply inhale, her eyes as wide as saucers.

But Raven wouldn’t indulge her. “So… mommy…” her voice nearly made her cringe, before she embraced it, and lowered her voice to a throaty purr. “Is going to let you experience what happens to bad girls first.” 

Raven removed her fingers from Ruby’s entrance, and brought them up to Ruby’s lips, kissing her cheek. “I think I need a little more wetness before I can take care of you… be a good girl and open your mouth, Ruby?~”

A nervous look was in her eyes, but she quickly shut them, and opened her mouth. With Raven’s pinky and index on either side of her lip, Raven slipped her finger’s into the back of Ruby’s mouth, over her hot, slick tongue, and towards her throat.

Ruby made a noise of discomfort, before a small gagging noise. That more concentrated saliva was what she wanted, and pressed her fingers slightly deeper. “Do you taste good, sweetie..? I need to be ready for later…?”

Ruby tried to make a noise with Raven’s fingers still in her mouth, and Raven gently slapped her other hand against her exposed entrance, earning a small whimper. “Don’t talk with your mouth full. It’s rude. Is it good?”

Ruby nodded, a few tears in her eyes, and Raven finally removed her slick fingers, kissing Ruby’s cheek. “Now. Good girl. Do you want to reconsider your answer about earlier…?”

Ruby stammered gently against her, and Raven leaned back on the armrest to prop herself, gripping Ruby’s forearm.

“I… I did… a little bit…”

“Was that so hard?” Raven smiled, before grabbing Ruby by the crotch with her slick hand. Ruby whimpered louder, before she was pulled to face away from Raven, towards the ceiling on her chest. With her in position for more hickeys and bites, Ruby squirmed on her chest, only to go still when Raven lay her fingers, wet with Ruby’s spit, against her vagina’s entrance.

“Y-yes…”

“It’ll get easier, baby.” Raven promises. “If it’s too much… say stop.”

Raven slipped her fingers in again. Ruby’s entrance tightened around her as she slipped them up to her knuckle, feeling her squirm and shake.

“Mmnf… Raven…” Ruby moaned out, Raven’s heart fluttering.

“Yes, Petal…?~”

“Please…” she whispered. “D-don’t stop…”

Raven wrapped her arm around her ribs, while beginning to softly pump her middle and ring fingers in her, gently biting at her neck as she worked. 

“Aah…~ Ngh…” Ruby’s cries came again, and Raven shifted her hand, softly thrusting her fingers within.

Ruby was little more than a shaking mess on her chest, rolling her head back against Raven. All the while, Raven could only think about her soft porcelain skin, and the small bruises she was already making. 

Even with Ruby’s damp hair in her face, Raven didn’t mind it, biting softly against the back of her neck, feeling Ruby’s abdomen tighten below her arm. 

Bucking in her grasp, Raven squeezed tighter, Ruby’s legs flailing slightly as she moaned out more. 

Raven began to speak again, her thoughts roaming through a dark place. “You cry a lot louder than anyone I’ve been with… and I haven’t even let you finish yet…”

“Fuck…. A-anyone?” Ruby asked squeamishly, Raven shifting her weight below her.

“Anyone.” With that, Raven hooked her foot under one of Ruby’s legs, and spread her further apart as she bowed her leg out. Ruby let out a gasp, Raven slipping an additional finger in. Ruby threw her head back, nearly bashing Raven in the face, as Ruby let out a soft cry. 

“That’s what momma wants to hear…” Raven growled, her pumping becoming more cruel as she felt Ruby twitch and shake. “More of that, Ruby.”

A noise escaped from Ruby that Raven hadn’t heard before; somewhere between a Yelp and a moan, ending in a throatier breath. Ruby tightened around her, and Raven stopped, pulling her fingers out, and slapping her hand softly against her entrance again.

“Bad girl. You were about to finish, weren’t you?”

“N-no…” Ruby whimpered. “I… I want to… I really fucking want to…”

“Mhm…?” Raven hummed, before slapping her hand against it again, a shock running through Ruby. “Do you want to be a good girl?”

“Yes…”

Another slap, and Raven hissed. “Louder.”

Ruby didn’t speak for a second, her breathing shallow, and Raven slapped it again, causing Ruby to squeal slightly. “Yes! Fuck yes!”

“If I let you come, Ruby, you’re going to help me.” Raven licked against her neck, feeling her shiver, her clammy skin sticking under hand, and her voice wavered for a beat. “You’re gonna be sleeping in momma’s room tonight… she has some special toys for you to play with.”

“Y-yes, please, just- fuck!”

Ruby’s soft cries were enough to excite her, and Raven slipped her fingers back in without warning, Ruby choking out a cry of relief.

“Don’t come yet.” Raven mumbled into her ear, bringing her hand up to rest over Ruby’s heart, massaging her breast as she did. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

Ruby wasn’t able to speak anymore, reduced to a small fit of sobs and moans on Raven’s chest. Her heart was beating like a hummingbird’s as she struggled, and tried her best to hold off that rising pressure.

“You can come now.” Raven let out a satisfied huff, and bit into her neck softly, feeling Ruby grow rigid. Her back arched, her head pressed back into the couch, and her hole tightened around her fingers to a firm degree.

Ruby let out a wail of pleasure, and Raven made a small noise of surprise at her name filling the cabin.

“RAVEN!” Ruby nearly screamed, a raw noise escaping her throat as she moaned in ecstasy.  It was music to her ears.

Ruby collapsed back to her chest in a trembling mess. 

Unwilling to stop just yet, Ruby began to make small sobs as Raven kept moving her fingers despite the tightness around them. In and out. In and out. Voice getting desperate and tear-filled. Hints of pain.

She went limp on Raven’s chest, and finally, Raven relented, taking her hand out and delivering a single, light palm against her entrance. “Good girl.”

Ruby rolled slightly on her side, drool running from the corner of her mouth into Raven’s breast. “I… I am… I’m… I’m good…” 

A twinge ran through Raven’s heart, seeing her desperate silver eyes: the same way Summer once looked at her-

Ruby raised a hand, struggling to move towards her, before kissing her weakly. “I… I love you… and… that was fucking amazing….”

Raven went quiet for a moment, as the thought hit her all at once. ‘…my own step daughter…’

Ruby hugged her down around the neck, panting hard as she caught herself then. Her arms snaked down around Raven, and she laid her head to her neck. “Can… can you just give ne a minute before we… do anything else?”

Raven pushed her thoughts from her head; she’d well and truly already burned that bridge. Now, this wasn’t something she could undo, ever.

She chose then to think about it later: her body didn’t want her to think right now. What her body wanted right now? 

More of Ruby.

“Of course.”

————————————

She still couldn’t believe this was happening.

Ruby had watched porn before, much to the shame of her then unknowing parents. She’d read smut, she’d listened to sensual audio dramas even online. 

But what Raven had just done to her had gone beyond any of that.

The second Raven had kissed her the first time, Ruby had felt guilty beyond all measure. 

‘She’s practically your mother. She even slept with your mother if she was telling the truth.’ She had scolded herself. 

But that first kiss had sealed the deal. No matter how wrong it had felt, no matter what she did, it pulled her deeper and deeper. 

Ruby had never even seen or read anything like that before, let alone experienced anything. Raven hadn’t just guided her: she’d controlled her, completely dominated her.

Ruby had been humiliated at first. Being made to taste herself, something she didn’t particularly enjoy; but then to have her pussy slapped? To be fingered so hard she thought she was being hurt? Ruby hadn’t been able to think of anything else than her sickly warm voice in her ear.

Raven enjoyed doing that to her beyond all measure; she heard it in how low her voice went, the husky richness that stole Ruby’s soul as she fucked her on the couch with nothing life than her fingers? It was as toxic as it was sublime to her.

It was as Ruby laid on her chest, hand on her own aching hole, checking for damages given her soreness, that the thought had first crossed her mind:

‘I might have bitten off more than I could chew.’

Ruby had been suffering near the end, an agony she was falling in love with, even as she laid naked and soaking on Raven’s chest. Asking for a break was the only thing guaranteeing Raven wouldn’t continue right then and there.

A warm hand crept around her stomach, and Ruby made a small noise as she glanced back at Raven. She wore a funny look on her face, staring at the ceiling, and Ruby felt her squirm underneath.

‘Is she…’ Ruby paused. ‘Waiting on me?’

“Um…” she breathed out, feeling how her stomach churned at the red eyes that darted to meet hers. “I think I’m ready…?”

Raven gave her a slow, apathetic blink, before the hand on her stomach crept down to Ruby’s crotch. Ruby flinched, and Raven smirked at her, before her hand came to softly grip her by it.

Wincing in pain, Raven sat up with her, and picked her up in her arms, humming softly. “How do you want to be carried, hm…?~”

Ruby felt herself nearly blue screen, staring at her while she waited for an answer.

“I…” she fidgeted. “I don’t know. This is the first time I’ve done anything like this.” 

Raven rolled her eyes playfully, before she shrugged. “Well… I saw how you were staring at me. So.” 

In a shocking motion, Raven stood up, holding her in her arms: Ruby made a small noise, before she was thrown over Raven’s shoulder, left staring down her back as they walked towards the bedroom. “H-Hey!” Ruby yelped, finding herself so easily pulled around. “E-Easy!”

“You don’t have to strain much for this…” Raven laughed, letting her slide down to her arms in front. “Unless you’ve been slacking on pushups.”

Ruby winced at the idea, and shook her head. “I… I just don’t know how this always works… is it normal for people to do what you did…?”

“I like being in control.” Raven grunted as they approached her bedside. 

“Tell me something I don’t know…” Ruby mumbled, looking down at herself. “That slapping kinda scared me if I’m honest…”

“Well.” Raven hummed, seemingly taken by thought, before Ruby found herself falling to the bed. “I’ll try not to scare you so bad again.”

Fluidly, Raven reached down to the waist of her jeans, and undid the button. Ruby watched with a tight mouth, filling from salivation as she let them slip down her hips, and drop to her feet. Ruby was enraptured the second she revealed herself.

For one, Raven wasn’t very well shaven down lower; from a small amount of bush, to longer, dark leg hairs, and one tattoo Ruby had never seen before: just beside her entrance, tucked nearly on her left leg’s quadriceps, was an image of a Raven grasping a rose.

Ruby’s heart fluttered at the thought of it, only for Raven to crash down to the bed beside her with a smile.

“Be a dear, and go to the bottom drawer of my dresser.”

Raven’s gentle urging, paired with a hand landing on Ruby’s knee was enough to spur her to action.

Following Raven’s gaze, Ruby found herself drifting on shaky legs towards the old dresser- one she’d stolen clothes from before to try on, or, for purposes of masturbation.

But, Ruby never had thought much of the bottom drawer. It was crew socks and pants.

“Back behind the right side.” Raven made a small noise, and Ruby glanced back at her: she was laid back, head to the pillow, hand against her own crotch.

Ruby lingered in gaze, before she reached back with a frown. 

In the back was a pair of silicon toys: Ruby’s mind ran wild with the fact she’s never bothered to look down there. Ruby’d seen them in videos online before, but she'd never had the nerve to buy from that little shop in town.

One, was considerably longer than the other, a shiny, bright pink one with a thicker middle, and, the other, was a dark red and orange shade of one, with a slightly thinner tip, and a suction cup on the bottom. Beside them sat a small bottle of lube, with some flowery lettering on them, and a small depiction of fruit.

Ruby’s voice raised an octave. “Which… one do you want?”

“Bring them both sweetie.” Raven’s coo was music to her ears. Rising from the soft, carpeted floor, and clutching them in a reluctant way, Ruby glanced over Raven’s sprawled form.

Ruby sat down beside her, and Raven sat a hand on her ribs, a small smile on her face as she did. Something about Raven’s red eyes in the low light of the bedroom was enough to make Ruby crave her fingers all over again.

“I want to see you try and take care of me Ruby…” Raven said with a whimsical voice, trailing her hand up Ruby’s ribs, a thumb pausing near her armpit. “It’s a lot of work, taking care of someone…”

A blush overcame her, as she looked down at Raven’s entrance, and flinched, shaking her head. “But… I don’t know what I’m doing-“

“I know.” Raven dug her nails in slightly, and Ruby’s shivers grew. “Just listen to me, sweetie, and you’ll do just fine.”

The look in Raven’s eye was enough to cause Ruby to quiver, entertaining the idea of having a moment to refrain herself.

Taking up the phallic object, Raven leaned back with a smile, tucking her arms behind her head, and spreading her legs slightly. Ruby’s eyes focused on Raven’s entrance with a churning pit of lust deep within, and reached forward gently, rubbing her finger against the interest, trying to remember how Raven had done it to her. 

Raven drew a deep breath in, filled with anticipation, and Ruby gently pressed her index within. Raven was as warm as Ruby ever was when she touched herself, although different slightly- from the pubic hair Ruby admittedly didn’t enjoy, to a difference in the firmness. A moment of doing passed through her: would she become this soft from being interested in people? Or just getting old?

Raven made an impatient noise, blowing hair from her eyes, and bucking her hips gently. Ruby returned her focus to her step mother’s needy form; and Ruby bit her lip in consideration.

Raven had taken special excitement in Ruby’s desperation. And now, Raven was at Ruby’s mercy, sat back and staring at her.

‘This will be fun.’ She thought idly, before pressing it in, her grip slipping on the slicker base. Raven made a small grunt, and her jaw tightened in apparent discomfort.

Ruby paused, and looked to her eyes. “Oh… are you ok?”

Raven made another puff before she grabbed the bottle of lube, and popped the cap with one finger, looking into Ruby's eyes. “I’ll… need you to make things a bit easier, sweetie. Take it out.”

Ruby did as she was told, letting it sit on Raven’s leg, before an awkward silence fell between them. Raven glanced to the bottle, and back to Ruby, before sighing. “Get some on your hands and get in there.”

Face growing red, Ruby hurried to do as she was told, turning the bottle of lube upside down. It was… viscous, despite its clear color, and even through the hints of sweat and cologne, it stuck out with a more than unnatural scent.

‘You got this Ruby.’ Her voice pinged in her skull as she lowered her hand to Raven’s entrance and frowned. ‘You… but a different angle… and more experience… fuck what are we doing…?’

Ruby urged her fingers inside with as much as she could to avoid spilling as possible. Raven was warm, though, a bit looser than Ruby was just to the touch- even then, the contact caused Raven to shift and squirm. 

Glancing up from how her fingers slid into her slit, Ruby found Raven’s hungry eyes leering down at her- a silent, annoyed hunger, laced with enjoyment. So, Ruby kept moving her fingers as softly and deliberate as she could; all without her eyes leaving Ravens.

There was a touch of fear she did feel: everything she thought she knew about Raven was out the window as of tonight, and just thinking about how quickly she was overpowered was enough to make her heart turn over with lust.

She wasn’t sure what she was capable of, or desired most.

But she seemed to like how careful Ruby was, and that was good enough.

A painfully quiet three minutes trickled by, Ruby’s fingers growing warm and clammy soon, and covered in the sticky, odd feeling lubricant, mixed with some of Raven’s own.

Raven, despite her neutral face, was tense- a bead of sweat ran down her temple as she stared at Ruby, heaving a deep breath out, and nodded to the you rested on her leg, grumbling gently. “You have a touch for that, Ruby… You’re good at it~”

Unable to respond, Ruby watched her begin to shift as she continued, rubbing it around and around. Raven made another noise of pleasure, until she broke eye contact first, glancing down to Ruby’s hand, and moving her own to stop her.

“This old lady’s still sensitive…” she huffed. “S-so get to it…”

There was a deep sense of satisfaction seeing Raven blink first, and now, Ruby gripped the dildo as firm as she could. Sitting forward, and resting a hand on Raven’s tensed thigh, Ruby looked into her eyes for a moment before guiding it to her entrance. 

Pressing it gently, Ruby felt it begin to slip, and a violent twitch ran through her form. That small bit of give was everything to Ruby, and with a gentle amount of effort, pushed it all the way in.

Raven’s legs went stiff as she leaned back, breathing sharply as she squinted. “Fuck…”

The word filled Ruby’s ears with honey, and without waiting long, Ruby drew the length of it back out, feeling her strong leg flexing below.

Moving her hips, and center of gravity, Raven let out another gentle “fuck,” much fainter than the rest; and breathed out hard, uttering softly “That’s… mmf…”

Pushing it back in, Ruby felt the resistance grow, and applied more force, causing Raven to let out a moan. With a sly smile, Ruby whispered. “Guess I know what I’m doing…”

“Don’t be a tease.” Raven reached out with a desperate breath, putting her hand to Ruby’s cheek. “Fuck me with that thing already~”

Ruby flinched at her demand, before she pushed back against her, and began to move her hand in a gentle, uneven tempo.

Raven’s hips slid beneath her as she took it in, a greedy look in her eyes and an expression descending from lust and spiraling towards maniacal. Ruby drew a breath and dug her nails into Raven’s leg slightly, beginning to firmly rub the device deeper into her.

Soft, wet noises filled the quiet bedroom, along with Raven’s harder breathing, and occasional moans. Her black hair sprawled out below her, and Ruby lost to her urges, leaning over top of Raven, and plunging a hand deep into the black, tangled mess.

An exquisite, plush feeling came from her well groomed hair under Ruby’s finger, and her pace faltered… yet as her eyes drifted back to her step mother’s flushed face, she found desperation and craving awaiting her.

Ruby smiled.

————————————

Raven was a sweating, shaking mess, when she finally put her hand up to stop Ruby. She was close, she knew it: and she knew Ruby was enjoying this little control.

Even as she broiled in her own stupor, she knew that no matter what horror she felt the next day, she wanted to enjoy this. Ruby was getting tired on top of a longer day, and especially so suddenly, Raven wasn’t much for such a sudden helping of intercourse.

Skittish, doe-like silver eyes shrank back, worriedly looking into Raven’s with a frown: her grip shifted on the toy that rested deep in Raven, causing her to let out a moan of pleasure.

“Did… did I do something wrong?”

The worry trimming her timid words was a far cry from the dilated euphoria that had been painted on her face, and Raven shook her head, gazing up at hers

“You’ve done perfectly… just… I wanted something special from you…”

Raven’s eyes drifted across the bed to where the loose, double ended dildo lay. Ruby followed her look with a blush, shaking her head. “That’s… really big for you to take…”

Raven fought down a laugh. “It wouldn’t all fit, Ruby. No… it’s for two people to use at once.”

Understanding grew across her face like weeds, and Ruby looked away worriedly. “S-sure, b-but-“ 

Raven had enough, and took her by the jaw, sitting forward and kissing her on the mouth, feeling the freshly dried cut on her lip under her skin. 

Ruby’s eyes went wide at the force, before submissively melting into her pull, Raven pulling her up beside her as she yielded to her strength. Feeling absently for the piece of loose silicone, Raven gripped it firmly, and let it flop against Ruby’s leg.

Pulling her lips back, Raven stared down into her eyes with a hum, and kissed her cheek. “Do you understand me…?”

“I do…” Ruby breathed. “I just… Raven, I-“

Raven kissed her again.

And again. And again, she kissed her.

Even more than before.

Each little kiss, each contact, Raven felt the fight going out of her a little more; those pretty, little silver eyes were wet with emotion and tension, frantically craving more from Raven.

Raven would give it to her.

Scooting Ruby up between her legs, the pair of them sitting up, Raven grabbed the bottle of lube, and began to pour it onto her hand as Ruby leaned back.

Glancing over her shaven pussy, Raven didn’t hesitate, instead placing her fingers over her hole, which was dripping and glistening with excitement. 

Ruby made a small whine at being touched, and, despite her earlier harshness, Raven wasn’t setting a mood or letting her know who was in control. She sympathized with her- she was tender too.

But Ruby had been given recuperation time. Raven was still ready to erupt. 

So she enjoyed herself, rubbing the lube around. Enjoyed Ruby’s soft moans and cries, her panting filling the air as Raven made every inch as slick as she wanted to. 

Maybe she went a bit too slow, Ruby staring up at her with a stupid look in her face- but she couldn’t wait any longer.

“Are you ready?”

“I don’t know how we’re supposed to… but yes.”

Ruby’s answer made her smile: she was Raven’s, through and through. Every whim and touch.

Setting a hand on Ruby’s stomach, Raven gripped the slickened dildo, and slid it into herself. It was a different shape, and thickness, compared to the one Ruby had used on her. Thinner at the tip, with a wider center, accounting for its extended length and girth.

Comparing the tip to Ruby’s hole, situating it with a small noise of effort from her own shifting, Raven saw the fear in Ruby’s eyes.

Raven paused, before kissing her again.

This time though, she wasn’t forceful, like before. She wasn’t controlling, or demanding Ruby’s every attention.

It was a small, soft peck on the lips, leading into Raven smiling at her as she pulled back. “It’ll be ok Ruby. Do you want me to take it slow?”

“Mhm… ngh…. Aah…~” Ruby moaned mindlessly, staring up at her. “I… I like it… the way you’ve treated me… please… I want more of it…”

Raven’s eyes widened, a blush spreading, before she nodded. “Of course.”

She pushed the length end into Ruby’s entrance, earning a cry from the girl below her, music to Raven’s old ears.

Black hair fell around her shoulders as she leaned over Ruby: this was going to be a slight struggle, by how Ruby lay. But, Raven had dealt with pillow princesses before.

‘Like Summer.’

The thought nearly shocked her out of it all, poised over Ruby. 

‘I raised this girl.’ She thought bleakly, staring at her features. Raven remembered her graduation from signal, her arrival at it after Yang, middle school’s cruel, tail end, all of it. ‘This is… terrible. Why am I doing this?’

Raven’s lament nearly sunk its fangs in… only for Ruby to open her eyes with a gasp, feeling it shift deeper inside her, striking against somewhere she’d never felt, a reaction just like Summer’s when Raven had taken her the first time.

“Raven!” Ruby’s whine filled the room, her hand lashing up to Raven’s shoulder.

It was all Raven needed. Beginning to lift her hips, and gripping the dildo slightly with her own vagina, Raven moved her hips in towards Ruby: it was no strap on, but something just as enjoyable for both of them.

Raven pushed hers deeper in herself, and felt her own pussy rub against Ruby’s, beginning to pepper her with kisses as she pinned her to the bed. Ruby’s legs shifted and squirmed beneath her, and Raven kissed her way down her neck, leaving bites anywhere she could make new, fresh ones.

Ruby’s cries filled the night, intermingled with Raven’s loving, firm growls, and they knew one another as carnally united then.

Raven’s rationality had left a long time ago when they finished, drunk in lust and pleasure. Ruby was overwhelmed by ecstasy, gutturally moaning for more as Raven and her exchanged sweat and lengths of the dildo. 

Warmth leaked against warmth when they both finished, and Raven, satisfied beyond her wildest dreams, pumped her hips for the last time.

Ruby made a small choking noise of pleasure, before she went limp, and Raven climbed off her. 

The length slipped out as she did, causing Ruby to gasp, and Raven grunted as she pulled it out, letting it roll to the side.

A soft thud announced its resting place on the carpet; and Raven pulled herself up beside her, sweating and ragged as they embraced one another.

Raven pulled her face to her chest, a place Ruby seemed more than happy about to rest within, the soft motion of her tongue announcing her joy.

Tired beyond recognition after so long, felt herself give out.

‘I’m gonna be sore tomorrow…’ was all she could think, before her consciousness left her.

That, and of course, ‘She runs… so hot…’

Raven didn’t even feel anything was wrong when she went to sleep. Not now. Not tonight.

Tonight, Raven felt finished.