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Ruby found herself running through the streets of Mantle. Dark shadows grinned at her from the corners and alleyways, as the alarm sirens rang out all around. She reached for Crescent Rose, only to find her hand grabbing at cloth.
Penny stood at the end of the street, facing away towards a horde of griffons, circling and snatching at her. Ruby ran forwards, only to hear the scratching stretching screeching of metal on metal. Penny’s arm swung back, the skittered away into the dark.
Her torso rotated, barely attached, until she was staring at Ruby, eyelids flickering in a crack crack crack as wires fizzled. The shadows rose up and laughed.
“You couldn’t protect her the first time. What makes you think it won’t happen again? Your girlfriend’s always out there fighting what should be your battles.” A cacophony of screeches rang out around her, and Penny fell. Broken, dead.
Ruby sat bolt upright, a cold sheen of sweat covering her form. Moonlight filtered in, falling on the sleeping form of Penny beside her. The adrenaline in Ruby’s system wouldn’t slow, as thoughts raced by.
Penny – okay? Intact alive intact. Feelings and words rolled around inside her, senseless. She pulled back, resting her head against the wall and trying to calm her breathing.
“Are you okay?” Penny whispered from her side, hand climbing up to rest on Ruby’s arm.
“Sorry, did I wake you?”
“I don’t really need to sleep you know. But enough about me, what happened?” Penny pulled herself up until she was sitting next to Ruby, leaning into her shivering form.
“I had a nightmare. About– about you dying again. And I couldn’t protect you, and it was horrible.” Penny’s hand reached up, wiping tears that Ruby hadn’t even been aware of away before pulling her into an embrace.
“Hey, it’s okay. Let’s get some tea or something, alright?” Ruby nodded, and so the two shuffled out to the kitchenette that was normally shared by team RWBY (although Penny did the most cooking, whenever she was visiting Ruby).
Soon, Ruby had a steaming mug of cocoa, and Penny had some snacks (hot liquid doesn’t exactly go well with the whole robot girl thing, after all), and the two sat down on a sofa, cuddling up under a blanket.
Moments passed in comfortable silence, before Penny eventually spoke. “How are you doing?”
Ruby nuzzled into Penny’s side before replying in halting steps. “Better. But, I still worry. Is that okay?” Silver eyes slipped up to meet with green ones.
“Of course that’s okay! It’s pretty cute honestly.”
Ruby sniffled before continuing. “I mean, it still feels pretty terrible, though. I feel like I’m worried all the time about something happening to you, which is stupid because your literally the best fighter ever.”
“I still think you protecting me is adorable. But I know what you mean; things didn’t go great last time. But now we’re stronger, and we can protect each other!” Penny’s signature smile crept out as she finished.
Ruby rolled her eyes slightly, starting to grin as she did so. “Come onnn, Penny, it’s not fair for you to be able to just get rid of my fears like that.” Penny broke out into giggles at Ruby’s tone. “Or to be so ridiculously cute with that smile and that laugh of yours. I mean, how’s a girl supposed to be all dark and gloomy with this ball of adorableness beside her?”
Ruby couldn’t keep the grin off her face or the giggles from spilling out. It took a long time for them to calm down. Once they did, Ruby slowly drifted off to sleep as they laid down on the couch, curling up and relaxing in each other’s warmth.
The gang had a day off of work for once, so they had all decided to go have a park picnic. Paths wound between fountains and hedge rows, trees of green and purple laid out around grassy fields, butterflies drifting by lazily in the midday sun.
“It still feels weird that there are parks here.” Ruby said. She and Penny had taken to the shade under one of the larger oak trees, and were now watching a game of frisbee that involved way too much aura usage play out before them.
“It is an incredible work of engineering and art to make these plants grow here.” Penny mused.
“I guess. I just mean it feels off, you know? I mean, none of these plants are native, and it feels so posh.”
“The park feels posh? I thought that was a word for extra fancy things?” Penny tilted her head towards Ruby, brow scrunching up in that adorable way it did whenever she didn’t understand something.
“It is. It’s just that, compared to parks back in Patch, everything is so orderly. I mean, there are hedge rows! I’m way more used to parks being a bit overgrown, honestly.” Ruby finished with slight frown, before curling her arm around Penny and smiling again at the embrace.
“I’ll have to update my usage of the word.” Penny paused, curling into Ruby’s side before sighing a “Sorry” into her coat.
“Sorry for what, exactly? Nothing wrong with not knowing what I meant when I used posh in a weird way.” Ruby chuckled slightly, running her fingers through Penny’s hair as she did so.
“No, I’m sorry for talking like a robot again.” Penny’s voice was quiet, and it immediately wiped the grin from Ruby’s face, who sat up and pulled Penny up by her shoulders to look her in the eye.
“Hey. You know I don’t care, and that I want you to be you.” Ruby fixed her with a stare.
“I know, I know. But it makes me seem not – not human.” Penny glanced down and away, pretending to care very much about the ladybug walking along the ground.
“Penny, your the most human person I know, bolts or guts, it doesn’t matter. And besides, I fell in love with you. Not because I thought you were human, but because I love you for you. Oh, and also because you make great cookies, but that’s just one reason among many that your the best girlfriend a girl could ask for.” Ruby leaned in, placing a kiss on Penny’s lips before drawing her into a hug.
Words escaped Penny in a breath that crawled across Ruby’s chest. “Kiss me again?” Ruby complied, running her fingers through Penny’s hair as she placed kiss after kiss upon her girlfriend’s lips.
“Hey lovebirds, get a room!” Yang’s voice called out across the field, and Ruby and Penny jumped apart, blushing a deeper scarlet than Ruby’s hair.
“Yang! Leave us alone!” Ruby stood up, trying to brush off her skirt to hide the blush.
“That’s why you need to get a room, little sis!” Soon, the group devolved into laughter, and broke out the food before continuing to frolic in the sun with the butterflies.