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homoose · 3 years

Text

Through the Smoke

Request: could you do spencer x bau reader where they aren't dating yet but they both feel for each other? where both spencer and reader are very closed off people and the whole team knows that. but after one rough case on the flight back, they're both just exhausted mentally and physically and seek comfort in each other. then spend the night at reader's apartment and kiss for the first time there. sorry if this is specific but thank you (:

Pairing: Spencer Reid x fem!reader

Category: angst with a happy ending

Warnings/Includes: typical CM stuff, cults, kidnapping, violence, etc.

Word count: 8.1k

Music recs: Through the Fire by Jake Etheridge and Margot Todd; scared by Jeremy Zucker

a/n: anon, I have no idea if this is what you were looking for, but this is where it went. It’s a generous rewrite of 300, substituting the reader for Garcia. Also this blog operates with the understanding that the season 14 jeid arc does not exist lmao. JJ is firmly in the “I love you as a brother” camp and I will not be taking questions at this time. Also, this is a reminder that my requests are open! send me some fresh ideas, head cannons, rambles, whatever!

———

“Metro PD and the Bureau have been made aware of the Believers and possible activity following their leader’s arrest,” Prentiss confirmed, looking out over the team mingling in the bullpen. “But taking Theo at his word—”

“We only arrested three. There’s probably more out there, but if they follow cult dynamics, they’ll break down on their own without the messiah,” Matt finished.

“Typical cults: you think it’s a cast of thousands when really it’s just four whackos sitting around in the dark,” Tara mused.

Prentiss smiled. “I think we deserve some decompression time, and Rossi’s kind enough to host.”

Rossi leaned over the railing and nodded. “And I have some top shelf wine picked just for the occasion.”

The team started gathering their belongings and heading towards the elevators. Y/N hesitated, looking toward the case file still sitting on her desk. Something about how this had all wrapped up just… didn’t sit right. Her nearly five years with the Critical Incident Response Group had given her an up close view of some of the most prolific cults in American history. She’d studied Jonestown, Waco, Ruby Ridge, Liberty Ranch; new cults emerged onto CIRG’s radar regularly. And there was something about The Believers that just didn’t add up.

Y/N began shuffling things around on her desk, trying to look busy. She caught Spencer and JJ out of the corner of her eye, talking quietly. They ended their conversation with a hug, lingering just a little longer than Y/N would have preferred. She shook her head to try to physically clear the thought from her brain. She knew that Spencer had been through a lifetime’s worth of trauma before she joined the team, and that JJ had been an integral support for him. Y/N was also aware that she had zero grounds to be concerned with any of Spencer’s relationships, romantic or otherwise.

“Y/N, you coming?” JJ asked, walking toward her desk. Spencer headed out of the bullpen and down the hall.

Y/N gave her a half-hearted smile. “Yeah, I’ll be there in a little bit. Just wanted to finish up a couple things here.”

“Well, don’t stay too late.” JJ pressed her lips together for a moment before adding, “Maybe you and Spence could drive together. He said he might not make it, but if he had some company...”

Y/N hoped her immediate flush wasn’t too obvious. After nearly a year in the unit, she finally felt like she had built some solid relationships with the team, and Spencer was no exception. She relished their card games on the jet, the laughs over too-sweet coffee, discussions about books and films and music. But she also adored the way his hair sometimes curled and fell into his eyes, his animated and rambling tangents, the way his hands traced over the tiny print of his books. Most of her adult life had been spent surrounded by men who would gather up her trust in their pitted hands and crush it on a whim. She’d kept her heart behind glass for a long while, but Spencer was slowly chipping away at the fragile panels. She was certain he had no idea that he was even holding the chisel; but just about everyone else seemed to have figured it out. JJ, with her hands clasped together and an eager smile, definitely had. Y/N smiled, too. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“So we’ll see you in a bit?” When Y/N nodded, JJ gave her a warm smile and headed out.

Turning back to the case file, Y/N pressed her fingers to her temple and looked over the documents. Some of the pieces fit together, but the whole case felt littered with gaps and holes. The tale that Theo had woven about The Believers seemed true enough— his parents were simply the suppliers of potential cult members. Although, she still couldn’t figure out the reason for the kidnapping and torture. There were much easier ways to recruit vulnerable people.

She flipped past the pages of written statements and read over the report from the warehouse raid. It was short— the take down of Merva was too easy. Why was he sitting alone in an empty warehouse with only two unarmed, sleeping followers as a defense? Where was the rest of the cult? Matt was correct that most cults fall apart without their leader; unless the loss of a leader was a possibility they’d already prepared for.

The burns on Quinn’s hands didn’t make sense, either. Why use the initiation ritual as a torture device? Shouldn’t that be saved for people who had accepted the invitation? And then there was the one coincidence that nagged at her the most: what were the chances that Theo just happened to be enrolled in Spencer's course? Why did Spencer seem to be at the center of the whole thing?

Y/N sighed as her phone lit up with a message from JJ. She realized she’d been poring over the file for twenty-five minutes, and she had to laugh. As the least experienced profiler on the team, what could she possibly see that the others hadn’t? She closed the case file and quickly packed up, grabbing her jacket and bag and making her way toward the elevator lobby. She paused at the glass doors, retrieving her phone and pulling up Spencer’s contact information. Her thumb hovered over the call button for a long moment before she huffed out a breath. If even JJ hadn’t been able to convince him to go, there was no way she’d be able to change his mind. Despite herself, she glanced down the hall, allowing herself one moment to imagine an alternate timeline where she asked him to come along with her— to Rossi’s, to the moon, anywhere.

With a sigh, Y/N pushed open the glass doors and saw Agent Meadows leading Quinn to the elevator. She pushed down the little red flag in the back of her mind. As she stepped onto the elevator, she smiled politely at the two agents.

“I knew you didn’t do it. I just knew,” Meadows said to Quinn. She turned to Y/N. “And I can’t tell you what a privilege it’s been working with the A-Team on this case.”

Something about the calm in her voice made Y/N uneasy. “Yeah, it’s— um. It’s a great team to be a part of.” Her phone lit up again, this time with a phone call from JJ. “Okay, okay,” she muttered under her breath. Y/N answered the call, half an ear still listening to Meadows speak to Quinn. “Hey, I’m just leaving now.”

“Are you still at the BAU?” JJ demanded, voice low.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry. But I’m in the elevator,” Y/N answered.

“Listen, we’re pretty sure Quinn was converted,” JJ told her. Y/N’s heart dropped into her shoes. “I need you to make sure he doesn’t leave that building. We’re coming back now. Where’s Spence?”

Y/N took a breath to try to even out her voice before speaking again. “Mom, we already talked about this. I don’t know.”

JJ paused. “Is Quinn in the elevator with you?”

“Yep.” JJ spoke quietly to someone on the other end of the phone. Y/N watched as the elevator dinged to the floor of the parking garage. “I’m going to have to hang up, mom. I’m gonna lose you, but I’ll try to take care of it tonight, okay?”

“Y/N, we’re on our—” The call dropped as the elevator hit the basement level.

Y/N took a deep breath to steady her voice. “Ugh, lost her.” She glanced at Meadows and Quinn, forced a smile and shrugged. “Elevators, right?”

The elevator doors began to open and Y/N stepped out, surreptitiously reaching for her holster. She had just lifted the strap when she heard the crack of metal hitting bone. Her face hit the concrete before she realized it was her own skull that bore the impact. She watched as her gun skidded across the parking lot floor, the taste of iron flooding her mouth. “Fuck,” she muttered, wincing in pain and scrambling up off the ground as a gunshot went off.

She didn’t feel the impact of the bullet. She looked down at her body, expecting to see a blooming rose of blood. She stared dumbly for a second too long, before remembering that she needed to get to her gun. Her hand instinctively went to her nose as she stumbled forward, coming away wet with blood.

“Stop, Agent Y/L/N.”

She heard the sound of a gun cocking, and then another. She closed her eyes and ran through an internal stream of curses. Raising her hands up, she turned slowly around. An older white man stood to her left, his gun trained on her. Meadows walked slowly towards her, lowering her own weapon. Quinn leaned against the back of the elevator, clutching his abdomen and blood staining the front of his shirt.

“Surprise,” Meadows sang, a sick smile spreading across her face. She stopped in front of Y/N, sweeping her hand in the direction of the man. “Now, John’s going to make sure you don’t do anything stupid. Get in the car.”

Y/N glanced in the direction of the vehicle, a dark sedan, driver armed to the teeth as well. “The team knows something’s up. You won’t make it out of this garage alive.”

Meadows laughed, loud and unhinged. “Oh honey. They’re not looking for lil ol’ me. And they sure as hell won’t be looking for an ambulance.” Her smile returned. “Plus, I already erased 299 murders from the Bureau’s radar. What’s a couple more? Now, shut up... and get in the car.”

Y/N moved to the open car door, keeping her back as straight as possible and her chin up, refusing to show them any cowardice. The barrel of the gun jabbed her in the back as she lowered herself into the vehicle. The door slammed shut, and in a moment, the gun was back on her, the man sitting next to her in the backseat. Y/N waited for the car to pull out, still trying to make sense of it all. Meadows was a Believer? What did she mean by “erased” 299 murders? Why would she blow her cover to shoot Quinn? Did she think that he had figured her out? Or that Y/N had? If that was the case, why not just shoot her? Why wasn’t the car moving?

“Drop your gun, Agent Reid,” Meadows’ muffled voice penetrated the inside of the vehicle. Y/N’s heart began to race. John dug the gun further into her side.

“It’s been you the whole time,” Spencer deduced.

“Yes, it was. Quinn somehow figured it out first. Pity having to shoot him,” Meadows mocked. “But he can’t give me what I want. And you can.”

“What’s that?” Y/N’s brain scrambled to put the pieces together as she listened to the exchange. Spencer was at the heart of it after all. It was right there, she just couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Meadows continued, “You and I are going to go upstairs and free my Messiah.”

“You’re in the heart of the FBI. As soon as the rest of my team figures out it’s you, you’ll be dead before you’re out the door.” Y/N hoped to god that he was right.

“Then we need to work quickly.”

“I’m not going to cooperate with you,” Spencer told her. “Might as well shoot me.” Y/N didn’t even have time to panic before the car shifted into drive.

“I have a better idea.” On Meadows’ cue, the driver squealed out of the parking space and into Spencer’s line of sight. His eyes fell on Y/N, hands nearly pressed against the window, John’s gun pointed at her head. “Now, what’s it gonna be? Because you can either join us, or she dies.”

Y/N tried to radiate her rage through her eyes and screamed, “Reid, just shoot her! Shoot her!” The last thing she saw before the second crack of steel against her skull was the hesitation in Spencer’s eyes.

⧭⧭⧭

Y/N’s eyes fluttered open and she groaned at the pounding of her head, the rhythm of her heartbeat throbbing in the space behind her ears. She tried to lift her hand to check for blood, only to strain against the hold of a zip tie attached to the base of the chair. Instead, she surveyed the room around her. A warehouse, lots of shipping containers, and even more men— this time armed with assault rifles and machine guns. One stood at the entrance point of the small area she was being kept in.

She worked through her memory, putting the pieces together. Meadows was a Believer, had been for quite some time to pull all of this off. Quinn wasn’t special, he just got in the way of her real target. Ben Merva might have been the messiah, but Spencer Reid was clearly just as important to whatever mission they were carrying out. Every twisting thread of information somehow traced back to him: Theo in his class, Quinn’s attachment to him, Meadows’ demand that he be the one to free Merva.

“Good, you’re awake.” Meadows strode through the space with a laptop in hand. “I need your handiwork.”

Y/N stared at her. “Is that so?’

Meadows set the laptop on the barrel in front of Y/N and then leaned down to cut the zip tie. “Besides being my collateral for the good doctor, you’re also going to help me access CIRG’s surveillance data.”

“Fuck you.” Y/N spat on Meadows’ shoes. “I’m doing nothing for you.” Her head rolled back, eyes piercing daggers into Meadows. “You should just kill me now, because this is a waste of your time. And I’m sure you know the A-Team isn’t going to waste theirs.”

Meadows narrowed her eyes and gave a theatrical sigh. “I should’ve known you’d make this difficult.” She nodded to John, standing at the entranceway.

Y/N spat again, this time to rid her mouth of the taste of blood. She steeled herself for the next onslaught, compartmentalizing every emotion outside of her fury. Her mind raced to salvage and scrutinize the memories from her time in CIRG, trying desperately to identify what Meadows could be looking for in the surveillance reports. The Believers hadn’t even been on the Bureau’s radar. The reason had to be linked to their interest in Spencer… a piece of information that involved both Spencer Reid and the existing surveillance data. A single grain that could bring the whole damn bushel down.

She heard a scuffle at the entrance of the room and raised her head. Her heart jumped into her throat at the sight of Spencer, bloodied and bruised. John dragged him into the room, throwing him down onto his knees in front of Y/N. His eyes tracked over her face and clouded over with an emotion she couldn’t quite place.

“Shit, Reid—”

“I’m fine—I’m sure it looks worse than it is,” he murmured. The concern in his eyes told Y/N she looked about as bad as she felt. “Are you all right?”

“I should’ve seen it. I should’ve known—”

“No,” Spencer interrupted. “This isn’t your fault. We all missed it.”

“What’s the end game here?” Y/N asked. “What’re they doing?”

“I’m going to be their last victim.” Spencer shook his head, barely able to keep himself upright. “I don’t know why, but I overheard them. There have been hundreds.”

Meadows stepped up behind Spencer, grinning at Y/N. “Have you changed your mind? I sure hope you have.” She raised her gun to his head. “Because if you don’t do what I want, I’ll blow his big, beautiful brains out.”

Spencer locked eyes with Y/N. She held his gaze for a moment, then tilted her head slightly as the gears started turning. The tie between Spencer and Benjamin was where it all unraveled. “No, I don’t think you will.”

Meadows’ grin faltered for less than a second, but it was long enough that Y/N knew she was right. “Is that right?” Meadows questioned.

“Yeah, it is.” She furrowed her brow, and Spencer looked at her. “You need him, don’t you? Alive.” Meadows’ tongue darted out to wet her lips, and Y/N was sure. “Because this isn’t just about Benjamin Merva. It’s about Benjamin Cyrus. It’s about Liberty Ranch.”

Meadows held her gaze for five seconds, then ten seconds. Y/N raised her chin, refusing to be the one to blink first. Meadows shifted the trajectory of her gun a foot to her right and fired off one shot. The breeze from the bullet shifted Y/N’s hair.

“You have two minutes to decide,” Meadows advised. The phone in her hand began ringing. “The next one won’t miss.” She answered the phone and stepped out.

Spencer spoke quickly. “Do whatever she’s asking. We have to get you out of here.”

“Reid, are your eyes broken?” Y/N snapped. “There’s a cult loyalist with a machine gun every five feet. You got a plan for that?”

“Listen to me.” His voice was calm, determined. “You’re right about them wanting me alive.”

The frustration bled through Y/N’s voice. “You should have just shot her.”

He shook his head. “I couldn’t do that.”

“You could’ve shot all three of them and ended this in the garage,” Y/N argued.

“And then I would have watched you die,” he said quietly. “That was never even an option.”

“I’m failing to see how that would have been any worse than this. Look at us.” She gestured wildly between them. She watched as the storm of emotion returned, a cyclone swirling in seas of gold and brown. “The team needs you. Spencer, I—” I need you. She reached a hand up, almost touching his face before dropping it back in her lap. He had found the chink in her carefully constructed armor; a fissure he’d fractured a little further with every smile, every look, every moment. All at once she knew she’d never be able to keep him out, no matter how much it might hurt.

“You’ve got one minute,” Meadows barked, hovering over them.

“Y/L/N, listen to me… Please...” Spencer’s voice was thick with tears. “Tell my mom—” The phone rang again, and Meadows stepped away to answer it. Spencer dropped to a whisper. His eyes flashed with urgency. “They’re taking me and Theo. We’ll distract them. The car we were in is right outside the door. We’re 18 minutes from Quantico. Turn left outside the parking lot, take a right at the light, you’ll recognize the rest. They stay off the highways.”

Y/N’s voice was frantic when she asked, “What about you?”

His eyes pleaded with her to respect what he was asking her to do. “I’ll delay them. Get the rest of the team back here. And do not worry about me.” John hauled up him off the floor.

“Time’s up.” Meadows, in a rare display of mercy, allowed them a hug.

Spencer leaned into her and Y/N wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She squeezed as hard as she could and whispered his name. She felt him take a deep breath into her hair, holding it for one impossibly long moment. Just before she released her hold on him, he mumbled, “It’s all happening. 10:23.” John dragged him back out the way they’d came.

“I gave you what you wanted.” Meadows ordered, “Get to it. Now.”

⧭⧭⧭

Y/N worked and waited, then watched and worried. Spencer spoke to Meadows. He was stalling her, offering a deal, boosting her ego, granting Y/N the opportunity to mentally prepare. But no matter how much time he gave her, she would never be prepared to leave him in that warehouse. He met her eyes across the movements of the operation and gave her an imperceptible nod before lunging forward to reach for John’s gun.

Chaos exploded throughout the warehouse. Theo ran in one direction, accosted by half a dozen Believers. Spencer and John tussled over the gun, one fighting for control and the other fighting the inevitable. Y/N sprinted, largely unnoticed, toward the huge sliding doors left slightly ajar. Bursting out into the night air, she immediately spotted one of the black sedans, unbelievably unlocked and with the keys in the ignition. She slammed the door behind her, turned the key, hesitated with her eyes on the door and her mind on Spencer for one moment too long. A single gunshot sounded from inside the warehouse.

Meadows raced out of the doorway, gun drawn. “Stop!” She pointed her gun at Y/N and there was nothing to do but step on the gas. Y/N had her eyes wide open as Meadows bounced off the windshield and onto the asphalt. She didn’t look back.

She drove. Left out of the parking lot. Just a dark, rural road—nothing particularly special or descript. She drove. Right at the stoplight. Then it was, just as Spencer said, familiar terrain. She wondered how it was possible to have seemed so far away— a world away— when it was right under their proverbial nose. She drove.

Her brain navigated of its own volition. Her mind couldn’t have been farther from the inside of the vehicle. She didn’t realize she’d arrived at the Bureau until she was attempting to pull into her usual parking spot, only to be met with her own abandoned car.

She turned the car off, left the keys in the ignition, and nearly floated out into the garage; up the elevator; across the cold floors of the lobby. Her body had walked this same path so many times before; it carried her without hesitation. She could hear the voices of the team, drifting through the open glass doors.

“She accepted their help knowing she would betray the government,” Tara deduced.

“Not every survivor wanted help,” JJ clarified.

Rossi continued, “We ran those who left the ranch and kept their names. A few relocated in rural Maryland and Virginia.”

“They could be helping now,” Luke suggested. “Any of them have large pieces of property?”

“A few,” Emily confirmed. Y/N turned the corner as she continued, “The Washington field office has started searches in Maryland. We’ll take the lead in Virginia.”

As she moved into the doorway, JJ’s eyes went wide and she rushed to Y/N’s side. “Oh my god, are you hurt?” She gently grabbed Y/N by the shoulders.

“It’s a warehouse in Hillcrest,” Y/N said flatly, eyes unfocused. “I can take you there, but we have to hurry. They hurt Reid; he looked— bad. He told me to r-run and take the car, but he’s still there.” Everyone headed for the doors except JJ and Garcia. “They won’t be there long, they have lots of trucks.” Y/N’s eyes locked on JJ, and for the first time since the whole ordeal started, she allowed herself to splinter, just a little. “I heard a gunshot. JJ, I heard a gunshot. I tried—”

“Shh, it’s okay,” JJ nodded, drawing her into a hug. “I know. I know you tr—”

“I left him there.” Her voice broke, but she couldn’t cry. Not yet. “I couldn’t get him. There was no way to save hi—”

“Stop,” JJ ordered, pulling out of the hug. “Y/N, look at me. You got out, you got back to us. If you hadn’t, we wouldn’t even know about the warehouse.”

“What if— what if I got him killed?” Y/N asked.

“You didn’t get anyone killed. Spence knew what he was doing.” JJ’s voice softened. “That’s what he does. He always figures things out before the rest of us. He has a plan and getting you back to Quantico was part of it.” She raised her eyebrows, making sure Y/N was listening. “And now we have to help him by putting the rest of it together.”

Y/N ran a hand over her face. “You’re right. Of course, you’re right.”

Garcia stepped forward and laid a hand on her arm. “Let’s get you cleaned up. Then we’ll get Reid back.”

They cleaned the blood from her face and hair as best they could in the bathroom sink. JJ patched up the lacerations with steri-strips. Back in the conference room, Garcia insisted she should get screened for a concussion as Y/N rubbed the knot on the back of her head. “There’s no time. Reid said, ‘It’s all happening. 10:23.’”

“But it’s past that,” JJ considered.

“So what did he mean?” Garcia asked.

“Could be a clue here.” Rossi's voice came over the speakerphone from inside the warehouse. “They got sloppy since they left in a hurry.”

“Okay, well you can’t be that far behind them,” JJ insisted.

“I know,” Emily agreed. “But there’s easy access to three major highways, and we don’t know which way they went.”

“Right, but they’re in tractor trailers. That means we can track them through weigh stations.”

“Garcia?” Emily prompted.

“In order to do that, I’d need the transponder identification numbers,” Garcia answered.

“Which we have no way of knowing,” Rossi sighed. “Everything they used was almost definitely forged.”

“We’re going to do another sweep here, and then we’ll head back,” Emily said. “Try to map out the most likely routes they’d use to get out of dodge.”

JJ hung up and looked to Y/N. “What do you remember about the warehouse?”

Y/N pressed her fingers into her temples. “It was full of supplies. They were disguising them, but they had stockpiles of weapons and ammunition; non-perishables and other food items; water. Enough to be off the grid for at least a year.” Y/N leaned back in her chair. “But it wasn’t just about The Believers. I mean, we know they’re a reincarnation of the Separatarian Sect.” She looked at JJ and Garcia. “It was more than that, though. Reid was at the center of everything; he was the target all along. Merva is the messiah, but it somehow all comes back to Spence.”

“Makes sense. They blame him for the downfall of the Sect,” JJ supplied.

“Yeah.” Y/N cracked her knuckles. “But—and I can’t—I can’t really explain it, but Meadows really wanted to kill Reid right then. She was— she was irritated, more than anything else.”

“So what stopped her?” Garcia asked.

“That’s what I can’t figure out. She threatened me with it, with ‘blowing his brains out,’ but I— called her bluff. And she was pissed.” Y/N rapped her knuckles on the table. “I mean, really, really furious. Which tells me that, even though she wanted to, she couldn’t kill him.” She looked between the two of them. “Merva was pulling the strings, and he wouldn’t let her do it there.”

“So it matters where the final sacrifice takes place,” JJ concluded. “We’ve got to figure out where they’re going.”

⧭⧭⧭

They’d been rehashing the details over and over. Liberty Ranch, The Strangler investigation, The Believers, Meadows, Merva, Cyrus, 300 victims, the hyoid bones, all of it. About the only thing they knew for sure was how far the cult could get in the trucks. Spencer could have told them the exact square mileage, but the potential geographical range of the trucks was dauntingly large. Y/N tried not to panic as she stared at the map.

“If this is about a Believer's rebirth, babies are born with 300 bones,” JJ said. “And they’re taking the hyoids.”

“And the hyoids we had in evidence are missing, which means Merva needed them back,” Tara reasoned. “And that means they mean more to the end game than we thought.”

Y/N felt her patience waning. “But why did Reid need us to know it all happens at 10:23?” Y/N hated that her voice sounded snappy and desperate. “That’s got to be important. It’s the last thing he said to me.”

Matt put his hand on her shoulder. “Listen, you’re right. It means something to him. We’re trying to figure it out.”

“Yeah, well, we better figure it out soon.” Y/N shrugged off his hand, pushed back from her seat at the conference room table, and turned for the door. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Every minute they spent floating ideas was another mile between them and Spencer. Another moment closer to losing him. She shoved the bathroom door open, hurrying into the stall and emptying the contents of her stomach.

She slumped back against the side of the stall, head gently knocking into the cool metal. She needed to pull herself together. The team was always strongest when they did their group think sessions, building upon each other’s knowledge and perspectives and filling in the gaps. If they’d done more of that earlier— if she’d had the confidence to call it out as soon as she saw the holes, Spencer might not be locked in the back of a truck, hundreds of miles away.

Y/N hoisted herself off the ground and out of the stall. She braced her hands on the counter top and tried to breathe evenly. She turned on the water and splashed her face, tapping against her cheeks. With water dripping down the planes of her face, she stared herself down in the mirror, willing her tired brain to make that last connection, to find that missing thread. It was all about the Benjamins, and she had a feeling that Cyrus was the key.

Y/N rolled her shoulders back and made her way to the conference room. She listened to their rotating conversation, knowing that this team was the only group of people capable of getting Spencer back alive.

“We have confirmation that there’s been no activity in or around the old ranch,” Matt informed them, pocketing his phone.

“If this is about rebirth, they’ll choose a new place,” Luke posited, arms crossed.

Tara leaned over the table. “Given their adoration of Cyrus and his love for the country, he’d want them to stay within our borders.”

“But Benjamin Cyrus wasn’t his real name, and he wasn’t born into the Sect,” Y/N reminded them quietly. Everyone turned to look at her. She gave an apology grimace to Matt. He just shrugged and smiled, motioning her over to the table.

Garcia nodded. “Right, let’s see. Uh, he and his mom arrived there when he was a teenager. He was kicked out for molesting girls. And then he served time in prison in Kentucky.”

“And that’s where he found religion,” Y/N recalled, thinking back to the report she’d studied dozens of times. “So he was reborn as Benjamin Cyrus in Kentucky.” She closed her eyes and flipped through her mental file cabinet, looking for 10:23.

“That’s within the area,” Garcia confirmed. “Maybe that’s where they’re headed?”

“Find out what city he was born in or where he was in prison,” Luke said. “We’ll spread out from there.”

“He found religion,” Y/N repeated, mostly to herself. “Chapter ten, verse twenty-three. 10:23 isn’t a time.” Y/N shook her head and then dragged her hand through her hair. “It’s scripture.”

“Let’s get in the air; we can narrow down which verse and city before we land,” Emily instructed.

⧭⧭⧭

“We’re approaching Kentucky; the pilot needs to know where to touch down,” Rossi informed them.

The team was scattered throughout the jet, scrolling through scripture on their tablets, reading out verses. Y/N held her chin in her hand, eyes unfocused, dragging a net along the furthest corners of her mind.

“Hey guys, listen to this,” JJ said. “Matthew chapter ten, verse twenty-three: ‘When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another.’”

“They’re going to the next town,” Emily said.

“Flee to the next town. But which one?” asked Garcia.

“Their end game is also a new beginning,” Rossi explained. “Cyrus brought religion back to the cult. They’d honor that by wanting to start fresh.”

Y/N raised her head. “Like the Garden of Eden.”

“That’s how 300 fits,” Tara concluded. “That was the number of angels that protected the Garden of Eden. Are there any Edens in Kentucky?”

The sound of Garcia tapping across the keyboard came through the laptop. “Um, no, but there are two synonyms: Canaan and Arcadia.”

“Cyrus is the original messiah. Which one is closer to where he was born?” Y/N asked.

“Arcadia,” Garcia informed them.

Y/N stood up. “That’s where they’re going.”

“Garcia, pull land deeds. I’ll notify SWAT,” Emily instructed.

JJ grabbed Y/N’s hand. “We’re going to get him.”

Y/N met her eyes. “I just hope we’re not too late.”

⧭⧭⧭

The new compound proved easy to find. In the middle of nowhere but illuminated by hundreds of lights, there were rows and rows of tents. The team began strategizing, looking for the best route to Spencer.

Emily tried to convince Y/N, now showing clear concussion symptoms, to stay with the SUVs.

“With all due respect, there is no way in hell that I’m going to sit in this car while Reid gets sacrificed by a homicidal cult leader,” Y/N said. There was a hushed pause, the team exchanging knowing glances.

“Fair enough,” Emily conceded. “Matt and JJ, I want you on the left side. Luke and Tara, the right. Dave and Y/N, you’re with me. We’re clearing every tent; eliminate any threat that would give away your position.” She unholstered her gun and swept her eyes across the team. “Our objective is to extract Reid with minimal loss.”

As they approached the first line of tents, Y/N could faintly hear Spencer speaking. “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Her heart hammered against her ribcage. “A time to be born and a time to die.” She could feel the blood rushing through her ears. “A time to weep and a time to pluck up that which has been planted.”

“Okay, he’s stalling,” Meadows snapped. “That’s enough!”

“All right. Let the sacrifice begin.” That was Merva now, riling up the followers. “Protect us from all harm.”

As Merva led The Believers in a monotone chant, Y/N tried to block it out. She scanned a tent, watched as SWAT took out a bodyguard, looked for Spencer. Rinse and repeat, again and again. It was taking too long.

“And we thank Our Guardian, who will protect this family now and always,” Merva’s voice rang out. “Spencer: keeper of provisions!” Y/N saw the gathering of followers, but she couldn’t see Spencer.

The SWAT commander stopped them. They had reached the final line of tents. He signaled to the leaders on each side. They were ready to strike.

Y/N’s eyes scanned the crowd. She could just barely make out some sort of hanging mobile, white u-shaped decorations suspended from string. The hyoids, she realized, a wave of nausea hitting her like a truck.

Merva continued, “You have given selflessly to others and will be rewarded by the highest honor we could bestow. Your blood will be our blood. Your life will fuel ours.”

A gunshot rang out. The followers gasped. There was a split second of calm before the bedlam. Y/N took a single breath. Then she heard Matt yell; saw John lift his rifle and be felled by a solo shot to the head; watched Luke take down another bodyguard directly after.

And then she saw him. Strapped down under a canopy of bones, Spencer was silent and unmoving. He didn’t struggle. He didn’t call out. And there was Merva, knife in hand— still trying to complete his mission.

She didn’t vacillate, barely breathed, just let her legs carry her forward. She heard Emily call out his name. When Merva turned, the curved blade of the knife poised at the column of Spencer's throat, Y/N’s trigger finger compressed. She felt the gun recoil, felt the force of the shot travel up her arm as she put a single bullet in his chest. As he fell, she didn’t stop, just stepped over him, knew one of the others would take care of it.

She tripped over the small platform Spencer was restrained on, stumbling and holstering her gun. Her hands moved over the straps, loosening the one over his waist, then the ones at his hands, finally pushing the leather from his head. He panted and muttered his thanks, but she didn’t dare speak, afraid that if she did, she’d never be able to stop. Instead, she flung her arms over his shoulders, pulling him down and close and over her heart. She wondered if he could feel the way it pummeled against her chest, because to her it felt like it might smash through at any moment. His arms came around her, chin resting on her shoulder, nose in her hair. She heard him inhale and hold his breath, a mirror of that last moment together in the warehouse. She held onto him as an overboard sailor holds a life ring: single-minded, unrelenting, desperate.

There was a touch on her opposite shoulder and Y/N swung around, adrenaline still racing through her veins. JJ put her hand out in a placating motion, and Y/N came back to herself, allowing JJ to step forward and help Spencer off the platform. Y/N let out a breath and reached a hand out to steady herself, only to flinch when it brushed one of the straps that had held Spencer down. Luke caught her on one side, Tara on the other. She grasped at them, her emotions teetering right along with her physical form. Luke pulled her out from under the macabre canopy and into a hug. Tara held her hand. For the first time since the parking garage, she let herself go.

⧭⧭⧭

The jet was quiet. The team was spread out around the cabin, each of them lost in their own heads. There was a tranquility over the space, one that only ever happened when unmitigated relief overwhelmed even the joy or fulfillment of a life saved.

Y/N sat in one of the single seats, across the aisle from where Spencer was settled. Tara and Luke had finally convinced her to get checked out by the EMTs, who had confirmed her concussion. She convinced herself that the fuzziness on the corners of her vision was just a symptom of that, not a product of the tears she was struggling to hold back.

The team each stopped by Spencer’s seat, patting his shoulder, squeezing his hand, or in Rossi’s case, gently ruffling his hair. They all spoke briefly in hushed, grateful tones. All except Y/N. She couldn’t formulate a sentence that seemed adequate. There was simultaneously too much and nothing to say. Everything felt contrived or insufficient or intemperate.

Spencer was safe. They hadn’t been too late. He was bruised and undoubtedly sore, but ultimately, he’d been through worse. So why was her heart still aching? Why couldn’t she catch her breath? She hadn’t spoken more than a few words since leaving the raid, so why did her throat feel like it was on fire? She closed her eyes, leaned her head back. She incessantly pressed her hands together, trying to crack her sore knuckles over and over again.

A pair of hands gently closed over her own, stopping the abuse, and she didn’t have to open her eyes to know who they belonged to. His thumbs stroked over the backs of her hands and she cursed the tears that spilled over her bottom lashes. He didn’t say anything, didn’t force her to look at him or acknowledge her shattering. He waited her out, rubbing a rhythm on her skin and steadying her without a word. She opened her eyes but couldn’t bring herself to look at him just yet. Instead she focused on their joined hands, reciprocating the gentle pulses he gave every so often.

She turned her head to wipe her wet cheeks on her shoulder as the landing announcement came over the cabin speaker. She did look at him then, and the emotion in his gaze left her feeling raw and exposed. Their hands reluctantly separated to buckle their seat belts. Y/N closed her eyes again, turning her face into the warmth of the early morning sun as the jet began its descent.

When they landed, everyone wearily shuffled off the plane, eager to get home to their beds. Penelope met them at the elevator, enveloping Spencer in a long hug, the rest of the team smiling at their embrace. They each moved through the bullpen, gathering their things and talking quietly. Y/N’s eyes paused on her bag, brought up from the parking garage by one of the team after she’d gone missing. They lingered for a long moment on the case file, still sitting where she’d left it hours ago, before she let herself let it go. She grabbed her bag and turned to see Spencer standing in the aisle, hands in his pockets and eyes fixed on her.

“Hey,” she said dumbly.

He smiled. “Hi.”

Her hands wrung the straps of her bag. “How—how’re you holding up?”

“I’ve been worse.” He shrugged. “How’s your head?”

“I’ve been worse,” she agreed.

“That’s good. Because I think after all that, the least you could do is give me a ride home,” he joked.

Y/N knew he was trying to reassure her that he was fine, but she couldn’t bring herself to laugh. If anything, his attempts to provide comfort made her feel worse. Because she couldn’t forget the sound of the gunshot at the warehouse, the sight of the knife at his throat, the feeling of nearly losing someone whom she knew she could love if she just had more time. Too exhausted to hide her emotions, she could tell by the change in Spencer’s eyes that the pain was apparent on her face.

“Actually, you probably shouldn’t be driving, even if it’s just a mild concussion. Where are your keys?”

“It’s fine. I’m all ri—” Y/N started.

“I know I phrased that as a question, but I’m not really asking.” He held out his hand.

Normally she would have argued, but she just didn’t have the energy. Y/N dug into her bag, fishing out the keys and dropping them into his hand. He closed his fingers around them and jerked his head toward the door. “Come on,” he murmured. He waved to the rest of the team, and Y/N nodded, avoiding their eyes.

The ride in the elevator was silent. The walk to the car, too. They were pulling out of the garage before Spencer finally broke the silence.

“You know this wasn’t your fault, right?” he asked. Y/N stayed quiet. “We all missed the connection to Liberty Ranch.”

“But I knew something was off, and I didn’t say anything. I— I almost came to find you before I left, and if I had just done that—”

“Y/N,” Spencer interrupted. “The plan was already in motion. Meadows and Merva would have just figured out another way to execute it.” His fingers tightened on the wheel. “And without you and the leads from the warehouse, the team might not have figured it out in time.”

Y/N opened her mouth before realizing she didn’t have a response. She didn’t even want to consider that possibility. She leaned her head against the window, pressing the thumb and fingers of one hand into her eyes to stave off the throbbing.

Graciously, Spencer let her remain in silence the rest of the ride to her apartment. There was so much to say, especially now; she didn’t know where to begin. And even after everything, she couldn’t stop herself from bringing up that wall— protecting herself from what she knew could hurt her more than any unsub.

They pulled onto her street, fairly empty at such an early hour. Spencer parked in front of her apartment, opening the car door and coming around the other side of the car. She expected him to give her the keys, but as she exited the car, he waited by the gate for her. “I’ll walk you up.”

Spencer opened the gate, allowing her to walk through before closing it behind them and following her up the sidewalk. “I need the keys,” she told him.

He shook his head as if to clear it. “Right, right.” He placed them into her outstretched hand, and she wondered if she imagined his fingers lingering over hers.

When they reached her door, she unlocked the deadbolt and swung the door open, stepping over the threshold. He waited outside, hands in his pockets. Y/N rolled her keys in her hand, and Spencer watched them.

“Um— thank you for—” Y/N started.

“I told Emily on the jet, and I’ll tell you now.” Spencer raised his eyes to meet hers. There was that look again, the one she couldn’t quite identify. “I’ve always had a hard time saying what I feel. And maybe sometimes it’s because I’m afraid of being disappointed. But sometimes it’s because the words I’m looking for don’t exist in the English language.”

“Spence—”

“Please just let me get this out,” he said. “There have been a couple moments over the past few months where I thought maybe we were sharing mamihlapinatapei.”

“Mamih what?” Y/N asked.

“Mamihlapinatapei.” He repeated, gesturing with his hands. “It’s a Yagan word that originates on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago off the southern tip of Argentina. It translates succinctly as ‘the wordless, meaningful look shared by two people who both desire to initiate something, but are both reluctant to do so.’”

“Oh.” Y/N felt a flush rising up in her cheeks.

Suddenly, Spencer couldn’t meet her eyes. “I, um—I wasn’t sure, and I didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize our friendship or make things awkward at work. But last night, I… I just— I’ve had too many moments in my life where I thought it might be my last, and I hadn’t said all the things I needed to say.” He met her eyes again, and there was that familiar storm. “Last night I was out of time, and I hadn’t told you how I feel, and I realized that I wouldn’t get another chance, and it’s okay if you don’t feel the same, but I needed to—”

Y/N stepped forward, grabbed the front of his shirt, and crashed their mouths together. She tried to pour everything into the kiss: every blush, every worry, every laugh, every panicked moment, every mamihlapinatapei. Spencer cradled her face in his hands, opening his mouth and capturing her bottom lip, accepting everything she gave him. She wound one of her hands into his hair, pulling him impossibly closer and grounding herself to this new reality that almost wasn’t. The height of the kiss tapered off, and Y/N drew back, untangling her fingers from his hair and her heart from his grasp. Spencer watched her carefully, honey eyes uncertain.

“I do. Feel the same,” Y/N confirmed. Spencer’s lips twitched. “I’m not good at vulnerability. I’ve got a great track record of getting hurt.” Spencer grabbed her hand and opened his mouth, but Y/N continued, “But then I thought we might lose you, that time was out, and that I— I wouldn’t get the chance to see if you could be— if this could be more.” She gestured between them and then met his eyes again. “And I guess being vulnerable isn’t so bad in comparison. Because I think I could fall in love with you. I think maybe it’s already happening.” She held her breath and pressed her lips together, fighting the regret of saying too much.

“Actually, there’s a word for that, too.” Spencer smiled, warm and soft and genuine. “Forelsket. The origin is Norwegian, and it roughly translates to ‘the euphoria experienced as you begin to fall in love.’”

“Forelsket?” Y/N asked.

“Well, it’s more like forelsket,” Spencer corrected.

“Wow, okay, 187.” Y/N laughed for the first time in what felt like days. “Forelsket.”

“Better,” Spencer praised. “There’s also the Tagalog version, kilig.”

Y/N took a step closer to him and smoothed his shirt where her hands had wrinkled it. “Translation?”

“‘The sudden feeling of an inexplicable joy one gets when something romantic happens,’ or alternatively ‘the feeling of butterflies in your stomach.’” Spencer moved his hand to her waist and stepped over the threshold.

Y/N cupped his cheek in her hand, soothing the bruises and guiding him back to her. “Yeah. Sounds about right.”

#spencer reid #spencer x reader #spencer x y/n #spencer x you #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid fanfic #dr spencer reid #spencer reid angst #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds self insert #criminal minds #homoose writes

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rwbyremnants · 5 years

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Warnings: wrapped present girl, light bondage, nipple play, fellatio, condom sex, cowgirl, first time, caught together, thrown out, hot chocolate

NOTE: Another leap forward in time to the final chapter of this fic. And a few pages in, there’s a Ten Little Roosters reference for those of you who can spot it.

And that wraps up this holiday special (published at the completely wrong time of the year lmao). Thanks for coming along on this silly little ride, we hope you enjoyed it! We're going to be rolling out some new stuff soon, we promise!

-NBW

=Chapter 7

Unlike last year’s Spin The Blade debacle, Ruby had insisted that the team should have a quieter Dustmas Eve this year. One that involved cuddling up by a warm roasting fire, with a few snacks and quiet conversation. Ruby and Yang's father, Taiyang, had already headed up to bed, tired after a long day of working, and partially to allow the girls privacy.

But as the fire began to die down, there were two groups cuddling together. Ruby and Blake were under a blanket one side of the sofa, Weiss and Yang were at the other. But Weiss wasn't exactly happy with Yang's decision to snuggle her head against the top of hers.

"Do you mind, Xiao Long?" Weiss was grumbling as quietly as she could. Of course, Blake and Ruby could still easily hear her. "This is awkward, and I'm feeling rather warm."

"Oh come on, you really complaining?" she asked, wrapping her arms around the much smaller woman as she pulled her in even closer to snuggle. "Loosen up, Ice Queen."

The flailing of Weiss's small feet against the couch could be felt by all four of them. "I will not loosen up! How dare you simply assume I want to cuddle!"

"Soooo you want to sit on your own?" she demanded, opening her arms completely in a test to see if she would leave after all.

"It's like watching an old married couple," Blake whispered into Ruby's ear, pulling her in closer while they were distracted.

"Yeah," Ruby snickered. "Weiss is such a grumpy old lady in disguise."

"You jerk," Weiss grumbled as she settled against Yang again. "Just because I don't mind sitting next to you is no excuse for you to take all these liberties."

Soon enough, Yang just cuddled into Weiss once again, whispering into her ear, "You didn't mind it last Dustmas before we went to sleep…" Of course, it wasn't a volume which either of the two would hear, but it was enough to make the girl beneath her blush to the high heavens. But she wasn't distracted from the other two for too long. "And look at you two, all cozy over there."

"Hm?" Ruby said innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Yang? Aren't they always cuddly like that? It's because Ruby's such a cuddler; she even tries to rope me into it on occasion."

"Yeah, but those two seem extra cuddly. Like, couple -cuddly."

"Your point?" Blake asked, tilting her head.

"Rubes and Blakey sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

The sing-song teasing made Blake blush heavily, even enough to back away from Ruby very slightly. Yang may have been joking, but there was no way she wanted to risk being found out.

"Yang, don't be a jerk!" Ruby snapped with a slight pout. "It's cold in here and Blake's warm, okay?" Already she looked sad to be robbed of her teammate's closeness.

"So go sit in front of the fire," Weiss said offhandedly. "No big deal."

"What if I don't want to sit by the fire?!"

"Weeeeiiiiss, she wants to sit with her girlfriend , can't you tell?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Blake shouted in response, once again blushing madly. It was true they weren't officially an item, but with the amount the two cuddled together and how much they had done, it was fairly obvious. But if Yang knew for sure that they were fooling around, she may as well write out her will there and then.

"Wow, thanks for sounding so grossed out by the idea," Ruby muttered glumly.

"W-What? I didn't- that’s not what I… can I actually win here?"

"Nope,” Yang snorted. “Welcome to dating, pussycat!"

With a reluctant sigh, her head just rested on top of Ruby's head, blowing a few stray strands away. "I didn't say we were dating!" Ruby snapped at her sister.

"OooOOOOooohh, someone is touchy!" Yang continued to tease, leaning back against the sofa as she gazed over at the clock. It was close to midnight. "Anyway, it's pretty much time for bed. Will you two lovebirds be both sleeping down here again, or should I set up the spare room?"

But Blake just looked back down to Ruby again. If she requested to sleep in the same room as her now, it would be too suspicious. And there wasn't any way she wanted to share a room with Weiss. "I'll take the sofa. That way we all get some privacy."

"No, I'll take the sofa," Ruby insisted. "You can sleep with Weiss, and Yang can sleep by HERSELF!"

"What? But I…" Then the heiress's cheeks pinkened slightly. "I mean, yes, of course! Wh-what possible reason would I have for finding fault with that arrangement? It's not as if I'd want to sleep with Yang, or anything!"

"Oh, thanks." Yang teased, finally shuffling around so she could stand up again, stretching her arms over her head as she yawned loudly. "Well, looks like you got a room, Blake; I'm sure Ruby won't mind you taking her bed."

"Yep!" Ruby said brightly. "That's- hey, wait, what's that supposed to mean?!"

"Don't worry," Weiss breathed as quietly as she could to Yang. "As soon as Blake's asleep I can slip away." The blonde left a quick wink at her friend, before she headed upstairs with the other two.

Of course, Blake looked back toward Ruby before she followed them upstairs. All she wished was that she could slip away easily to stay down with her, much like the previous Dustmas. But it seemed that was more difficult this year.

"Don't look so down," Ruby hissed as she approached the staircase. "We'll have the morning, too, right?"

"Yeah. Till the morning." She gave one last smile, before turning to head upstairs.

----------------------------------------------------

Just as they had arranged, Yang had her room, Weiss took the spare, and Blake had taken Ruby's room. Which was unfortunately Zwei's room of choice to sleep in also. She had gotten used to the little mutt by now, but when a dog was snoring most of the night it was difficult to relax. Every now and again, she found herself looking back to her scroll to check what time it was, since she couldn’t sleep. That was until around 1:30, when she received something more than the time.

RUBY: It's technically Dustmas morning now so come down and unwrap your present < 3

At that, Blake perked back up again. Unwrap a present this early? Or did Ruby mean other things? The two had become more and more adventurous in their escapades in the months after the gym incident. There was Blake's birthday, when Ruby insisted she was a flavour of ice cream for her to savour, and following that plenty of other moments when they had been alone and took full advantage. Maybe she could expect more of the same.

One way to find out. Tying her robe around herself, she slipped by Weiss's room and crept downstairs. And when she finally saw her present laying under the bush, she stopped in her tracks.

There, splayed reclining beneath the Dustmas Bush, lit by the flickering fireplace, was Ruby – and she was dressed in a way Blake had never seen. Almost entirely nude, other than numerous red and green ribbons encompassing her nubile flesh. How she had tied her own arms behind her back was a complete mystery. Three large bows covered three very specific areas. Her face was flushed with both effort and anticipation as she watched Blake descend.

"Oh… my… Dust ." Her face immediately matched the same red as on the ribbons covering her body, whilst her breath hitched in surprise. Part of her wanted to take a photo, to save this memory forever. But that would be crude. Not wanting to keep her friend waiting, she crouched down by her side, speechless as she looked down her figure.

"M-merry Dustmas, Blake," she breathed, voice literally quavering as she squirmed ever so slightly. "Um… I hope you l-like what I got you."

"You look… I-I have no words." All she could do was keep drinking in the image. All of the ribbons were tied wonderfully, let alone the bows hiding various parts of her. "Do I have to unwrap it? Part of me wants to keep you like this."

"You can do whatever you want; it's your present." Her silver eyes flicked down to the way the hand in which Blake was holding her scroll kept twitching. "Even t-take a picture? Of course, I don't know why you'd want one of me anyway, but I mean it – anything you want, go for it."

"First thing’s first…" She leant forward toward Ruby's face, capturing her lips with her own, kneading at them and seeking out her tongue with her own rather quickly. Her hands couldn't resist, running up and over the smooth curves of her body, resting on her behind to squeeze the cheek she found there.

Ruby gasped quietly against Blake's lips when she felt the squeeze but put up no fight, suckling the bottom lip to show her clear encouragement. With her arms behind her, there was little else she could do except open herself up as much as possible to her lover's advances. It had been a huge change for Ruby the past few months. She had grown a lot more confident in the bedroom, allowing Blake's advances in many different ways. Touching, licking, even both at the same time on one occasion.

There was only one thing that they hadn't done yet.

"Ruby…" Blake finally parted their lips, looking back into the soft silver eyes below her. "I-I know you and I have been doing this kind of thing a while… so I was wondering, if you think we're both ready to… take things further. If you say ‘no’, I will completely understand; it’s just a thought."

If Blake had been expecting more resistance or shying away, she was stunned when Ruby simply nodded and smiled. "Didn't I say you can have whatever you want? You have two sets of ears, right? Or are they all plugged up with wax?"

The ears in question twitched repeatedly to show they were working perfectly, and it even coaxed a giggle out of their owner. But she had to be sure. "Y-you definitely know what I mean, right? Before do this?"

"I do." Gulping, she shifted back and forth on the floor before saying, "I'd show you with my fingers if I wasn't kinda tied up right now. But… yeah, Blake. I think we're ready."

"Alright. But first…" The hands moved to the small bows she had placed on on her breasts, pushing them away so she could place her lips there instead. "I'm gonna play with my gift."

"Mmhhh," Ruby sighed happily. Initially, she had been unable to weather the feeling of Blake teasing those parts of her anatomy, but now she welcomed the lesser stimulation, relished each feeling. She regretted the absence of the bows, for she felt they made her modest assets look much larger than they truly were. No matter.

Blake on the other hand adored them. They were just big enough for her to get her hand around and squeeze gently. Which she did so with one of her hands. The other breast gained her mouth’s attention, lips continuously kissing at the soft peak while her tongue made slow circles around it.

Now that the teasing was increasing, Ruby's wriggling became slightly more pronounced. Cheeks rosy and stomach fluttering, she tried not to think about how her nipples were hardening at Blake's attentions, about how little she was wearing. If she thought about it too much, she would get hopelessly aroused. Perhaps that had been the point of presenting herself this way, but there was no sense hurrying to the finish line.

Teasing further, Blake’s teeth flared out to gently nip at the delicate peak below her mouth as her tongue continuously lapped at her, and a hand wandered down to the many ribbons around her, moving them aside to unwrap her gift. Of course, the side effect of all this was herself getting more and more aroused by her side. And her length was already very nearly as hard as it ever had been.

The wandering hands were also spurring on Ruby's heat, but she was determined to be the gift she had told herself she was tonight. To stay still and allow Blake to do whatever she wanted, not to do things in return, not to make demands or force her own agenda. This was all for her lover.

Drawing her lips away from the soft peak, the Faunus glanced up at her again. As much as having her bound was wonderful for her to see, she wanted nothing more but to embrace her for what she planned to do next. And she was sure that was what Ruby would want as well.

"Ruby…" She sighed, reaching behind her back to get to the ribbons keeping her hands together. With a quick pull, it soon released her from her bonds, so she could hold her closely. "I know you said for me to do anything I wanted, but I want to be absolutely sure this is what you want as well. Do you want to be with me tonight? Completely?"

"Of course." There wasn't the barest moment of hesitation, no flicker of uncertainty. Ever since Ruby had the idea a couple of weeks previously, she had been contemplating it daily, However, she didn't think Blake needed to hear about all of her internal strife. "It's what I've been wanting for a while now. I just… wasn't ready for it. Does that make sense?"

"It does. And if you're ready, then I am." There was another smile full of affection, and then, realising something they had been missing in all previous ventures, she looked down to her length. "Well… I'm almost ready."

Tracing her hands up and over the nightgown covering Blake's back, she whispered, "Almost? Anything I can do to help? Hands, mouth… thighs? Feet? Elbows?"

"Elbows?! No, not any of that." Putting her hand into her pocket, she then pulled out a small square packet, containing what looked like some form of ring. "Surely your father or your sister has covered safe sex and all that?"

"Y-yeah," Ruby whispered with a slight blush. "Dad tried, but um, he just ended up talking about schneeball and butterflies, and I didn't understand any of it until Yang straightened me out later." Her eyes flicked between the packet and Blake's face. "Sh-should I put it on you?"

"I-If you want to. I can do it myself if you'd prefer." This really was Blake's first time; things had never developed further with Adam, and she had been too burned to date again after that. What did people usually do and say in this situation? Was the condom something the 'man' should do themselves, or another thing they could both enjoy? If anything it was more strange that she required one.

Perhaps Ruby wasn't always the most observant person, but this time she could definitely perceive her girlfriend’s old shame about her atypical sex. Shifting around, she whispered, "Let me up and I'll get it, okay? I tried it one time before."

"Tried one ti- huh?!" Though she still obeyed, rolling aside to allow Ruby to get back up again. “With who?”

"On a banana," Ruby laughed as she carefully swung her legs to the side, trying not to tear the ribbons still binding them together. "Yang told me about them, so when I found one a couple months later in her room, I tried it on a banana – just to see if I could figure out how to put it on. Wasn't so hard." Then she held out a hand for the condom as she crouched over Blake's lap, one hand lightly falling atop the bulge behind her pyjamas.

"Oh, right. Why am I not surprised Yang leaves those lying around?" Truth be told, that was in fact who she managed to sneak one from, after an event of trying to find something in Yang's drawers and coming across her stash of them. But Ruby coming across it out in the open was another level of negligence. Still, that wasn’t important right now. Blake opened her gown enough to expose her underwear, and then went to lower them enough to allow Ruby access.

"Not like that tonight." Kissing the outside of the underwear and allowing her lips to press against what lay beneath, Ruby hooked her fingers over the waistband and began to draw them down. "Is it weird that I want you totally naked? Am I weird?"

"No! Not at all… actually, it’s kind of n- kind of nice." As Ruby worked away below, she undid the small ribbon on her dressing gown, letting it fall from her shoulders and down her back. But as Ruby was pulling at her underwear away, she wiggled her backside to try and shake them down further. "Your wish is my command."

After slipping them past Blake's ankles, Ruby slowly inched her way forward again until she was crouching over the throbbing sex, now exposed to the air. The light scent of arousal came from its tip as she bent to inspect it, hand caressing, a quiet humming from deep in her throat as she looked it over.

"My favourite banana," she commented. There was an embarrassed groan from her girlfriend as she quickly covered her now crimson face. She couldn't deny that Ruby's touch was her favourite thing to feel upon it. But how much better would that feel when their bodies were joining?

Soft lips wrapped around the end as Ruby again drew it into her mouth, already bobbing her head slightly. As she did so, she felt it grow in length and hardness, coming that last little bit to full arousal.

"Oohh…" Leaning her head back in pleasure, she let out a small content moan. Her free hand soon slid into Ruby's hair, lightly scratching over her scalp.

After a few experimental movements, the hand fell away and Ruby was fully enveloping Blake with her mouth and throat, leaving both hands free to paw at and stimulate her inner thighs, soft balls, hindcheeks. The moans coming from her partner made her moan against the thick flesh inside of her head in answer.

"Ah! Ah! R-Ruby!" It seemed to be something Ruby really enjoyed doing! Quite often the method of bringing her to climax consisted of the younger girl almost swallowing her sex. And the more they had continued to practice, the better she had become. But there was a downside to her heightened skills. "Y-You're gonna- ah! - gonna finish me before we s-start!"

"Sorry!" Ruby said as she jerked the slick member from inside of her throat. "What can I say? I like the taste!" Her head ducked slightly in shame, hoping Blake wasn't too mad. Her eagerness to please had nearly made the entire point of her gift irrelevant!

"Y-You… you're too good at that." She sighed, reaching forward to hug her friend closely, feeling her throbbing need grind against soft skin. It took her a short moment to catch her breath again, in which time she reached down to the hand which Ruby was holding the condom. "Shall we?"

Nodding, Ruby kissed Blake gently on the cheek before she returned to the lap and took just the very tip of Blake’s cock between her lips as she slit open the packet, teasing the miniscule opening with the tip of her tongue. It seemed that even doing her best to abstain, she wasn't above cheating ever so slightly.

Not wishing to argue with her, Blake let out a higher-pitched whine from the too-sensitive teasing of that opening. Of course, warm lips were soon replaced with colder latex when she placed the item around her, pulling it downward to coat the entirety of her length. The sensation was different than what she had expected, but not enough to put her off. There were other things at hand to keep her ready.

Which soon she would be ready to experience for herself as she leant back fully, allowing her lover to mount her. It only felt fair for her to go at her own pace, to allow her full control, since Ruby was the younger and least experienced by a hair.

Ruby had just been drawing one of the fragile spheres into her mouth when she felt Blake leaning back. Letting it fall, she leaned up and shot her a questioning look.

"Aren't you… I mean, wasn't I gonna be the one on the bottom?"

"I wondered if you wanted to go at your pace, so you're comfortable." That was partially true. The other fact was that Blake was incredibly shy about initiating. As her hands finally fell to her legs to undo the ribbons, she looked back up to her. "I just want you to be happy, love."

"Of course I'm happy." Trailing her fingers through Blake's hair, she then eased her newly-freed legs apart while pushing her backward. "And… this is kinda sexy, you wanting me on top. I'm so much tinier than you. Are you sure?"

"Positive. You think it's sexy?" she asked, gazing up at the woman above her. From this angle, she had a marvellous view of her lover's gloriously full figure. Not only that, but it was one of her favourite things, to be topped – treated like the “lady”. It was the main reason Ruby most often was the one satisfying her, rather than the other way around. "Cause I really like it when you make me yours."

Instantly, Ruby was a blushing, tearful mess. Blake said things like that to her all the time lately, it was true, but they always flustered her even at the best of times. "Wh-why do you do that? How? "

However, the younger woman refused to let it deter the proceedings. Gazing along the smooth, milky flesh below her, the twin mountains and the thick girth she would soon straddle, she edged her ribbon-draped hips forward until her own heat was pressing against the thickness, eyes falling closed. Never had they come into contact with each other before in this way. Would she be able to handle all of it?

Blake's own eyes also fell closed. Unable to help herself, she pushed her hips upward, grinding the large length against the warm soft lips between Ruby's legs. It was indescribable to her how inviting it was. How much she craved to just force her way upward and into the soft body of her close friend.

But Ruby was in control, and the wait was making the actions feel even better.

"S-so warm."

Of course, Ruby did feel a slight amount of anxiety at the idea of what was about to happen. However, that was entirely to do with the act itself, not the person with whom she would be exploring. Making love. She knew she could trust Blake completely and that made the fear almost insignificant.

"It's about to get warmer," she told Blake softly. The words came out more as a hesitant whisper than the throaty, sultry promise she had intended, but she meant it all the same.

"Ruby…" A hand went up to the base of Ruby’s spine, holding her gently in place as she continued to grind her sex against the wet folds, the other journeying down to grasp her length again, ready to angle it inside of her. Then she sighed and looked up to meet her silvery eyes.

"I want you."

A bleary red smile was there waiting for her. "I w-want you, too, Blake. Take me."

And with that request, Ruby shifted forward just enough that her opening was pressing against the end of the firm arousal, her entire body trembling and rippling with gooseflesh in anticipation. Blake’s hands gradually brought her lover' hips closer, pushing her own arousal inside that of her lover’s. Instantly she was met with wet, tight heat enclosing around the head, a far different feeling then her mouth, despite it being a similar temperature in there. She was yet to witness Ruby’s reaction, so she tore her eyes away from the sight of their bodies uniting.

At first, Ruby's face was merely pained, eyes clenched shut, braced for any and all discomfort. Then, as she began to relax against the new presence inside of her, eyes and mouth flew open in surprise as she shivered from head to toe, speechless.

Blake was inside of her. A full year of teasing each other, of fooling around in stolen moments… they had come to this, and now she was both relieved that the waiting was over, and also excited for the next few moments to come.

"B-Blake!" she breathed, feeling one hand down along her stomach. "Y-you're…. it's filling me up!"

Her partner’s expression was almost that of a daze; eyes half-closed, mouth hanging open as the inviting opening took her further inside the body of her friend. "Yes," she sighed out, mouth hanging slightly open as she approached the point of no return. The process was slow, just to get her used to it, but there was only so much the Belladonna could do to avoid hurting her fragile lover above. Some pain was inevitable when she finally got there.

"NNNHHH!"

That was it. Ruby's body swayed atop Blake for a moment as she overcame the troublesome moment, heart pounding in her throat. But that was that; she truly had become a woman, and now no one could say otherwise.

"Ruby!" Before continuing any further, she placed one of her free hands on her arm, holding it tightly a moment to get her attention. "A-are you okay? Did I… I didn't hurt you did I?"

"N-not very much," Ruby panted. "It was… I'm fine." Blinking away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks, she beamed down at her partner. "You feel so good…"

"I do? You feel amazing!" She couldn't help but push herself upward even more with those words, trying to contain her excitement so as not to push too quickly or too hard. It was still the first time after all.

"Ah!" Ruby gasped as she felt the girth slipping even deeper inside of her. She found herself amazed that her body could accommodate the entire thing, but then again she truly felt they had been made for each other.

"Oh… Oh Ruby…" She moaned out once more, finding it impossible to say anything else now. Her hips met her lover's above; the entirety of her was inside Ruby! She didn't think it possible, not with how much smaller the girl was than herself, and yet she seemed to have taken it without any harm. If not for the moment of pain, she might have wondered if she practiced this with bananas, too.

"B-Blake!" Ruby began to chant every few seconds as her hips slapped downward against another set, thick skin forcing its way up and into her over and over again as she provided the energy, raising herself up and lowering again. It was so big! This felt good in a way completely different from the teasing tongues and fingertips that had found their way to the outside on previous occasions. This felt insane, satisfying.

This felt perfect.

Another moan fell from Blake’s lips as she grasped at her lover's behind for dear life. This time, she had to push up and into her with more force, meeting Ruby's hips each time they slapped down against hers. Tight, warm, wet. Even behind the initial coldness of the condom when she first put it on, the blazing body made up for it entirely.

"Th-this… hmah!" Ruby couldn't speak. She couldn't let her lover know that she was not only close, but that she was close to an entirely different kind of climax than she had known before. Both of her hands slid forward, one bracing against the ground and the other against Blake's shoulder as she began to force her hips down at a higher rate of speed. Something was about to be spectacular .

"Ah! Yes!!" Shit . Thanks to the previous attentions of the girl’s lips and tongue, she was already getting close, as well. When her lover had slammed her against the ground with even more pressure, she felt an even greater need to try and push up faster. To impress her even further as she was dominated. Of course, she was going as hard as she could already, but could feel the pleasure building beneath her stomach. "R-Ruby, I'm gonna- i-it’s gonna happen! In you!"

"Yes!" Ruby panted heavily, sweat rolling down her back and underneath the ribbons still hanging there, heart pounding in her chest. "M-me, too! It's gonna happen for me, too, Blake! D-do it! I… I want you to come in me!"

With that command, she shifted so that her hips would crash down against Blake harder than ever before, feeling her core heating up exponentially, tightening around her lover's rock-hard arousal until it felt like they were merging as one, friction making it impossible to distinguish herself from the other.

"Yeah! Yyyyeah – RUBY! NNNHH!" Having to bite her lip to keep herself from awakening the other girls upstairs, her grip tightened on the girl above her as she felt her own legs starting to tremble. Until finally, her sex began to throb, sending shot after shot of seed into the girl above her. Without that layer of protection, she would have been thoroughly painted on the inside.

The feeling of Blake loosing her seed was enough to send Ruby over the edge, and she let it happen, throwing her head back and growling through her teeth – as it was the only way she could keep herself from screaming. The climax had her entire body shaking as she felt something unlike anything she had ever experienced.

This was it: this was sex . Blake would forever be the one who kept her virginity, and she would keep Blake's. It was a sacred bond.

After a few minutes of panting, Ruby finally collapsed against Blake's chest and whispered, "S-so… was it… did you like it?"

Blake wrapped her arms around the woman above, cuddling against her closely to hide her blush. "Yes, of course," she confessed, kissing at the soft skin of her neck she had cuddled against. "I-I loved it. You were amazing."

"Really? I mean, there's supposed to be stuff you can do to make it better, like um… positions or techniques or whatever, but I don't know anything about those, a-and I was just so nervous about tonight that I didn't have the brainpower left to ask Yang or anybody about that kind of thing, s-so I wasn't sure if y-"

Her rambling was cut off by lips reaching up and pressing against her own, kneading against them softly and slowly in a deep, meaningful kiss. Blake had no energy to go for fast or intimate, so she strove to pour her heart and soul into their delicate embrace.

When Ruby pulled back several minutes later, she was sobbing with heavy tears rolling down her cheeks, face redder than a beetroot and trembling all over.

"Ruby?" Blake could only whisper, reaching a hand up to caress the cheek of her partner. One thumb brushed away a tear falling there. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Yes?" she blubbered unconvincingly. "Just… it's a lot for some reason and I'm really happy, but… Blake, I don't know why I'm crying, what's wrong with me?"

"Hey, hey." The Faunus wrapped her arms around the smaller girl, bringing her closer into her to cuddle her closely. In comparison to Blake, Ruby was rather tiny, which made Blake often the one to cover her when they cuddled. But in a way, it was something Blake rather liked: to be her protector throughout everything. Be it Grimm attacks, sexual activities, or setting her own arm on fire thanks to a finicky stove.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Ruby. I'm sure if our positions were reversed, I'd be the same as well. And if I was a normal girl, we’d both be blubbery messes together."

Ruby's muffled voice replied, "Hey, you are normal. And at least you can handle yours and don't break down crying because you're the happiest you've ever been! This m-makes no sense! I just… I just love you so much, Blake!"

"Yeah, well it’s not all it’s cracked up to- wait. You… love me?" The words echoed through her mind. Even though she didn’t need to explore her feelings to know she loved Ruby just as much, she never truly believed anyone would feel for her in that way. Not in her life.

So she needed it confirmed. Looking into her lover's silver eyes once more, she asked again, "You really love me?"

Sniffling, Ruby nodded emphatically. The only sound that would come from her throat in that moment was an ugly, high-pitched whine. There were many more questions Blake felt she needed to ask. Why? How? When? All of which related to her paranoia about her own personality and body, instilled in her by an unkind man with a heart of coal. But Ruby had poured her soul out to her, despite all those issues. Time and time again, Ruby had shown she loved her, and with no guarantee of anything in return. Her feelings would have been rude to question any further.

But her own had to be shown. It was kept secret for too long.

"I love you, too, Ruby Rose."

"R-really?" Petting her hand along Blake's cat ears, she then grinned blearily and kissed the tip of her nose. "Th-thank you, I… gosh, I love you so much, a-and I'm so glad we're friends, Blake!"

"Yeah. Me, too. Actually… did you- okay this is going to sound stupid, especially after how close we've been this past year. But did you want to be more than friends? Officially?" Despite her denial of their relationship when Weiss and Yang were present, it only made sense. They already enjoyed being with each other more than with anyone else, and now had done the thing most couples do with one another; forged a sacred bond for life. It would be the logical option.

"Well, obviously we are, just… isn't friends the most important thing you can be with a person?"

"I meant girlfriend… If you wanted to be?"

Ruby tilted her head to one side. "I'm a girl and you're a girl, and we're friends, and we're girlfriends. Seems pretty simple to me."

"Okay, okay,” she laughed, pulling her in even closer for a moment. “So you wouldn't mind me calling you my little flower?"

"Flower? Me?! I'm not that flower-like, I don't think… why would you call me that?"

"Ruby Rose?" Though she had a point. Personality wise, Ruby was nothing like a flower. She was determined, jolly, energetic. The complete opposite. If anything, she more resembled Zwei in her personality.

"Oh." Blushing just a little more than she already was, Miss Rose whispered, "And, um… you can be my big flower, right, Belladonna?"

"Maybe. Or…" She quickly leant down to nip at her neck repeatedly, bringing her head up only once to say, "Your lioness. Always protecting you." And then she was back to nipping her neck again. Ruby let out a breathy laugh as her lover teased her neck with her teeth, grinning into her black mane.

"Mmhh… I don't know if I could handle a second time right now…"

"Uuuuuhhh…." She stopped a moment to look back down to her own sex. Which was completely asleep thanks to their earlier activities – and still wearing the condom at that. "Yeah, I think we'll just leave it at the once for tonight. I don't think I'd survive a round two, either."

"You'd survive, you're tough. But yeah, no point in pushing it." Kissing Blake's cheek gently, she whispered into one of her pink human ears, "Should we go get cleaned up a little before we go to sleep?"

"Good idea. Surviving round two is one thing, but I know I wouldn't survive whatever Yang would do if she found me like this with you. Or smelled the evidence in the morning." As much as she was joking, it was a fear of hers. Yang was her good friend; best friend even. The last thing she wanted to do was sneak behind her back, but it was the safest option.

“Yeah, you’re right. Really gonna make midnight showers a regular Dustmas tradition!”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

The grinning girl shrugged and rolled her eyes. “Nevermind. Just something I might wanna try next Dustmas… we’ll see.”

Shifting a moment to allow Ruby to get back up, she leant back upright to get the ribbons off her, and then reached for her clothes to fetch her underwear. It was a rather quick trip to the bathroom, relatively speaking. It was clear that Ruby felt the temptation to do things to Blake's glistening member when they tossed the used condom into the toilet, but she restrained herself and simply helped rinse it off in the shower. They didn’t dawdle overly, however, and were quickly back in the living room with Ruby perched on top of Blake again as they lay on the couch.

"I wasn't the only one giving presents today," Ruby breathed affectionately.

"I gave you wood for Dustmas?" she chuckled, tossing the thick wool throw over the top of them both, she nuzzled into the sofa to find the best position possible to sleep in, cuddling into the woman laying on top of her. Ruby had convinced her that she would be up far before Yang was. There was no way to convince her to get fully dressed and go upstairs just yet, no matter how often she tried to warn her this was not the wisest idea.

Not that she really minded. She couldn’t be upset with Ruby by her side.

"Are you really uncomfortable with me in my undies?" she whispered as they settled against each other. "I mean, I'd rather be like this, but if it makes you feel funny…"

"I would love to be in my undies with you. It's just…" Looking back up toward the stairs again, her ears tilted downward with worry. "You're sure you'll be up before Yang?"

"Definitely," she giggled. "You know she snores until noon if she can help it." Then Ruby kissed against Blake's neck as she began to drift off. "Thanks for making this the best Dustmas ever."

A small kiss landed on the top of Ruby's head as she nuzzled down into the soft sofa with her, beginning to close her eyes as she too drifted away.

"Thanks for making this the best year ever, Ruby."

----------------------------------------------------

"Oh for pity’s sake, Weiss," Yang muttered as she tried the door to the upstairs bathroom. As much as she wanted to have slept till noon, nature was calling her name. And thanks to a certain heiress's morning beauty regime, the upstairs bathroom was unavailable. There was only the downstairs half-bath.

Rushing down in only her bra and pyjama bottoms, she dashed across the living room and toward the other bathroom, not taking a moment to spare a glance to her sister before she went to relieve herself. That was so much better! Humming happily, she washed up and then left to head back upstairs and nap just a little bit longer.

However, the sight that greeted her when she made her way back toward her room was enough to stop her in her tracks.

In the middle of the night, the cover had fallen off the sofa, exposing the two girls together. Both of their legs were tangled in each others, and Ruby was in nothing but her underwear. At first, she didn’t know quite what to make of it – until the two shifted slightly, and Blake kissed Ruby's cheek.

"Morning, Big Flower," Ruby whispered to Blake with a telling smile. "Man, why is it so cold in here? Did the fire go out?"

The blonde's hands clenched into fists at the clearly intimate words. Already she could feel her blood beginning to boil as she stared at them both, vision going slightly red.

"Ruby," she snarled through gritted teeth – earning both of their attention. "Get, dressed, now."

"Huh?" Ruby attempted to turn enough to look at her sister, but she overcompensated and wound up falling off the couch and onto the floor, landing with an undignified thump. "OW!"

“Yang,” was all Blake managed to breathe, eyes wide as dinner plates now that they were open.

"Okay. That works." Once her little sister was out of the way, Yang leant over the sofa to grasp the cloth of her teammate's gown close to her neck. Which snapped her out of it completely.

"Y-Yang?!" But before she could react properly, she was being lifted up and off the sofa, reduced to a flailing mess as she tried to grasp her hands. "Yang, wait, please let me explain!"

"Not girlfriends, you said? So you're just screwing. Good to know." With the woman in her grasp, she was already headed for the front door with her.

"Yang?" Ruby breathed, scrambling to her feet. "W-wait, don't do-"

But Yang had already kicked the front door open. "Just taking out the TRASH!"

And with that final word, she threw tossed her teammate out of the house and into the freezing cold snow, hearing a rather loud mewl when she hit the ground. Before she could even get herself back up again, the door slammed shut behind her, and a rather triumphant looking blonde paced back toward the living room, dusting off her hands.

"YAAAAAAANG!" Ruby wailed, standing there with her fists clenched. "What the heck do you think you're doing?!"

"Mornin'." She continued to pat her hands against one another. The expression however still hadn't changed. It was probably the angriest she had ever seen the party girl – even counting the times she had her luxurious hair pulled. "I see you two had a good night."

"W-we…" Her cheeks started to flush with colour as she remembered, but she forced that away. "That's none of your business, Yang! Why did you throw Blake out of our house?!"

"That's a ‘yes’ then." She folded her arms as she glared at the younger girl. "Because when someone has their paws all over my baby sister, who is barely legal to do that kinda thing, I'm not gonna stand there and let it happen!"

"Well, too late! It already happened!"

Then Ruby threw her hands up to cover her mouth. Clearly it hadn't been her intention to so openly admit what had transpired the night before. Besides, even though she was pretty sure she was in the right for this current argument, Yang still looked beyond incensed. The once angry expression turned to surprise. The words came from her sister’s own mouth, the very ones she didn't want to hear. Her best friend! Her best friend had already claimed her little sister’s virginity right under her nose!

"…How long?" When there was no immediate reply, she pressed, “How long have you two been… y’know, doing this shit?”

"Long enough." Then she reconsidered. Yang looked hurt, even though Ruby couldn't figure out why. "Alright! Really, um, we've been kissing and stuff for about a year, but last night was the first… do we really have to talk about this?"

"She's had her paws all over you for a year?" Then the penny dropped further. "She's been doing this stuff with you before you were legal?!"

"It's not illegal to kiss and cuddle, Yang! Gosh, would you grow up already?!"

"Grow up?! Me grow up?!" Though quickly glancing upstairs, she then quelled her voice a little, stepping closer to her sister. "Do you have any idea what Dad would do if he found out about this? Being thrown into the snow is nothing compared to what he'd do to her!"

Straightening, Ruby puffed out her chest and put her hands on her hips. "What would he do? Tell me I can't see Blake anymore because we like each other? You know Dad wouldn't be like that! For God's sake, he was married twice! He knows love can't be stopped just because my big sister’s all mad and stuff!"

"You're sixteen, Ruby, there is a huge difference!"

"I'm seventeen!" Ruby pressed. "Can't you even remember my age when you're being all judgey?!"

"It's still just… just…!" Unable to fathom the words together she merely yelled loudly before shoving her face into her hands. "It's just wrong! My baby sister and my best friend just… just feels so beyond wrong!"

"You don't think I felt this way when you and Weiss started sneaking around and kissing in broom closets? That it didn't make me a little sad that you two had this thing that I couldn't quite understand? I… I know it's hard, but you can't just throw people outside when they do something you don't like!"

"How did you know about-" But shaking her head, she looked back up to her sister again. She was right. Getting mad at her and Blake was rather hypocritical. Love was love, Yang knew that all too well. And though she had never told Ruby, even she was active in such ways when she was that age. Even though it was with boys in her case.

"I… listen. You're my baby sister , okay? I’m supposed to be protecting you! And even if she’s not a creep, like… Blake's my best friend! Battle partner! I don't want either of you two to get hurt! I don't want to end up in a situation when I have to choose between you both."

"Choose?" Falling quiet for a moment, Ruby seemed to realise where Yang was coming from. Nothing was certain; there might come a day when she and Blake would split up. If that happened, it wouldn't be easy for the blonde bombshell to side with one of them over the other.

"That's not for sure, though. Maybe we'll be fine, and you'll just have your best friend… be part of our family. Wouldn't you want that?"

Yang sighed once again, staring down at the floor as she started to realise where her sister was coming from. She was thinking about the bad so much that she was ignoring the possible good. "Yeah. Damn right – of course I would."

"We both like Blake, you dummy. I just like her… a little more than you thought I did, that's all. And I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but like, I was a little afraid of how you'd react." Ruby left that last bit hanging, waiting for Yang to connect the dots.

"Oh… well… wow. I'm an idiot." She held her hand behind her head in embarrassment. "Sorry, Rubes. Damn. I wish you both good luck, but… I'm gonna have to get used to this. I still feel like I wanna punch something."

Nodding, Ruby snatched the blanket from the floor and draped it around her sister’s shoulders. "We’ll get there. But just so you know, this really wasn't the way I wanted you to find out, though… I thought you would be up later like usual."

"That does sound like me,” she laughed weakly. “And I'm sorry for however you found out about Ice Queen and I… like, what tipped you off? We were so careful!"

“Oh, nah, it’s a funny story, actually,” Ruby piped up. “Remember that time Weiss was making a papier-mâché rooster? And you were supposed to-”

But almost as if purely because of the mention of her name, said Ice Queen let out a shrill scream from upstairs.

"Whoa, talk about timing," Ruby breathed.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" came the shout as the bathroom door slammed open, Weiss backpedaling into view on the landing with a towel wrapped around herself, cheeks pink and expression livid.

“Weiss?!” Yang shouted in alarm.

When the other two finally ran up the stairs to see what was going on, they were met with a snow-coated Faunus hauling herself in through the open bathroom window, thankfully placed above the bath full of still-hot water that Weiss had left ready. She hadn't even had chance to get in herself, but already Blake had lowered herself into it, sighing contently at the heat.

"Warm… s-so warm…"

"HEY!" Weiss snapped, stomping to the edge of the tub. "That's my bathwater! Draw your own, you- you bath-thieving pervert!"

"N-N-Nope… Warm…" The ears tilted down in contentment as she sank lower into the water. There wasn't even an ounce of concern that it was soaking her pyjamas, neither was there any concern that the teammates were staring.

"Okay, I'll take the blame for this one,” Yang confessed, bringing Weiss in closer to her so Ruby couldn't see too much of the heiress. “I kinda threw her outside."

"You threw… wait, why would you do such a thing? And why would she climb in through my window?!"

"Ummm, because Yang locked the front door?" Ruby put in. “It is pretty cold out.”

Weiss looked between the three of them for a moment. "Am I missing something here? What on Remnant could Blake have done that would be deserving of getting kicked out of your home?"

"Uuuuhhh… well, now that I had a chance to really think about it… nothing." The blonde looked back toward her sister at that comment, smiling lightly to show that all was forgiven between them. “I’m just a big jerk. Sorry, Blake.”

“Mmhhhhh,” the poor frozen woman responded.

While Ruby was returning the smile and nodding with approval and gratitude, Weiss was blustering, "This is just fantastic! I take ten minutes to shave my legs and everyone else on my team takes complete leave of their senses!"

"Waaaaarm," Blake couldn't help but mutter one more time, before submerging her head for a short moment. Ruby grinned and flocked to her side, perching herself on the edge of the toilet and taking up Blake’s hand to hold. Blake gripped back, slitting an eye open to gaze back at her as they exchanged a private little smile.

“My big warm silly,” Ruby whispered.

"Sheesh,” Yang sighed with a shake of her head. “And I thought cats were supposed to hate water."

----------------------------------------------------

“Merry Dustmas!”

Ruby grinned up at her father as he passed out the hot cocoa to the four teammates. The black-haired Faunus was in fresh clothes, though an extra blanket was draped over her back in addition to the other one hiding their laps. “Merry Dustmas, Dad! Thanks!”

“My pleasure,” he hummed with a big grin, which offset his five o’clock shadow nicely. “You girls really livened up this house around the holidays; I thought it was just gonna be me and a big plate of convenience store sushi.”

“You’d get food poisoning,” Yang laughed as she snuggled up with Weiss under the big blanket. Luckily said blanket kept her father from seeing Weiss’s hand clasping hers.

“Nahhh.” Then he handed one to Blake. “And for you, Miss Belladonna.” “Thanks,” she whispered with a small smile as he left for the kitchen. Then she looked between the other three girls and whispered under her breath, “I feel… bad.”

“Yeah,” Ruby admitted with a long sigh. “Poor Dad; both his girls are super gay, and have super cute girlfriends – and we’re all in his house! And he doesn’t know he’s got potential new family people here!”

Weiss’s cheeks pinkened as she hid her face partially behind her mug. “H-hey! Quiet, you – that’s- d -don’t make such big assumptions!”

“Awww, isn’t she the cutest?” Yang cooed as she snuggled her way too much, causing them both to have to fight to keep their mugs upright.

Meanwhile, Blake turned her attention to the adorable brunette in her lap. The one with the big grin as she watched her sister and her teammate squabbling playfully at the other end of the couch. And she felt contentment settle over her like she had never known in her life. Too much time spent fighting for Faunus rights, the White Fang… but now, she had a new chapter in her life to look forward to. One by the side of the cutest girl at Beacon.

“Hm?” Ruby finally hummed when she looked up to see she was being observed.

“Oh, n-nothing,” she hedged with a warm grin of her own. They shared a quick kiss – too afraid of being caught by a certain parent to make it any longer than that – and then leaned their foreheads together. “Just happy.”

“Happy is good, Blake. I’m full of happy, too.”

Then a large serving platter was nudging Blake’s arm, distracting her from the smile-fest. Yang’s expression was a little manic, but she was trying to simply smile at her battle partner. “Dustmas cookie?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” she laughed as she and Ruby both took one apiece. “Thanks, Yang.”

“You got it. Better that you be nibbling one of these than nibbling anyth-”

“YANG!” Ruby burst out in exasperation. “Cut it out!”

“Just leave them alone!” Weiss added sternly.

“Whaaat? I didn’t even do anything!”

While the other two resumed their ceaseless bickering, Blake leaned her head against Ruby’s for another moment. “Merry Dustmas, Big Flower,” Ruby whispered up at her as they bumped their mugs into each other, cookies in their other hands ready to be enjoyed.

“And a very Merry Dustmas to you, too.”

THE END

~ Merry Dustmas ~

#Dustmas Cookies #rwby ladybug #ladybug fanfiction #ruby x blake #rwby fanfiction #rwbyremnants #rwby smut #nsfw-Text

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