章 1846: 77
Chapter 77Notes:
If y'all were hoping for more Penny/Ruby fluff... I gotchu fam
Chapter Text
"Hmm… You know, Girlfriend Ruby," Penny stated, looking over her brand new set of Floating Array swords- the previous internals having been installed in completely new blades with almost identical construction, but with a quality of material that not even Atlas could boast. It turned out that infusing grimm matter and Aura into a Dust infused ingot that was being forged by hand made for far better results than even some of the higher quality Dust infusions on their own. "I think that, with the newfound change in appearance of Floating Array, plus the addition of quick disconnection points and enhanced Dust channeling abilities, I should have a 'new style', similar to how Friend Blake and Friend Weiss changed their outfits after the fight at the Docks several months ago."
She paused, tilting her head as she looked at Ruby's somewhat bedraggled form, the crimson Huntress having been working herself harder than usual with all of the end of year tests happening- a week of academic finals followed by another three days of weapon certifications, equipment checks, and combat finals to determine the last scores of the year all combined to reduce a good chunk of the Beacon student population into shambling messes of caffeine oversaturation and insomnia. Somehow, Penny had the slightest inkling that it was like this for many schools, not just Huntsman academies- though, without the combat tests.
Unless it was the Atlesian military academy, perhaps?
No matter.
"Are you alright, dearest?" Penny asked, bending down slightly and placing a gentle hand on her girlfriend's shoulder, eyebrows furrowing slightly in concern as she stared into Ruby's tired eyes. "You seem like you need sleep…"
"I-... I'm just… it's hard for me to focus right now, sorry firefly," Ruby groaned out quietly, rubbing her eyes and wincing as she tried to push through the clinging morass sticking to her soul, cursing her empathic senses not for the first time. "Ugh… it's usually not this bad… I always get really tired around finals season, especially if I'm in or near a school… There's so much despair and exhaustion and irritation floating around that it makes my senses go wild and it's so much harder to keep myself together than usual… you really help, though. It's…"
She sighed, pulling Penny into a hug from where she was sitting, burying her face into the steel and false skin of Penny's abdomen for a long moment as she let out a noise of pure relief as every single grimm eye on her body all swiveled at once to focus on nothing but Penny. It would have been disturbing to many, but to Penny it was a sign of how much Ruby cared and loved her.
"Your emotions in your core are… they're always so cheery. So positive . You're like… a breath of fresh air when everything else is all smoggy and cloudy. I… there's not really enough words to describe it, honestly. I just… you make me feel so much better than anything else, and I love you so much, Penny," Ruby murmured ever so softly, rubbing her face against the soft fabric of Penny's dress and sighing in contentment as her girlfriend returned the hug with every bit of care that she could- arms wrapping gently around Ruby's head and pulling her in closer. For a robot that was made to be humanity's defender and the ultimate weapon against grimm, Penny sure was soft and huggable. Almost as much as a regular human or faunus. "Honestly, you just… really calm me down. It's… nice. When I'm with you I can't think of anything but you, I can push away my senses until it's just you… and it goes quiet . I don't… I don't think you know just how much you've done for me just by… by being my friend."
"Oh Ruby… you've done the same for me. It is the least I can do to comfort you with my presence," Penny smiled, shifting her position as she pulled back from the hug just long enough to duck down and scoop Ruby into her arms, lifting her shorter girlfriend with the greatest of ease before sitting down and bringing the crimson Huntress down into her lap the same way they always did- and, this time, Ruby didn't hesitate to shift her entire body around, her mass becoming amorphous and liquid for a second before she resumed her usual method of hugging Penny by straddling her legs and burying her face into Penny's neck with a little hum of contentment. "This is nice… I think it is my favorite activity now."
"It's my favorite too," Ruby chuckled, nuzzling into the soft synth-skin and feeling the strands of Penny's synthetic hair brushing against her face, planting soft, chaste kisses against every little freckle she could find while Penny hugged her tight and pulsed her core with warmth that flooded into Ruby's body and made her cold, dead, literally nonexistent heart glow with affection so strong that it made her Aura burn with scintillating red and black and filled the air with the scent of rose petals.
Her cape even started to fragment at the edges, billowing around the two and surrounding them in a localized tornado of petals that started to scatter around the little workshop bit by bit before dissolving into flecks of red and black and white.
It was like a scene straight out of a fairytale- two artificial girls, finding comfort in each other's humanity and warmth, their souls connected at the deepest level as they bared themselves to each other, one carrying hope and wonder and natural green, the other carrying joy and purpose and crimson red.
They stayed there, not saying anything for a long moment, before Penny tilted her head and gently knocked it against Ruby's, humming a bit as she opened her eyes and took an entirely unnecessary breath. "Ruby, I just remembered that I was thinking about changing my outfit during the break. I believe it is time for something new, and I would like for you to help me pick out appropriate items… as well as help me add the necessary Dust reinforcements so they do not rip apart like my last combat uniform. I know I had spares but… it was not as durable as I would have liked."
"Oh- uh, yeah! I can help you with that! I mean, I guess Yang and Weiss know more about fashion than I do, but I'll do my best!" Ruby immediately perked up, ears fluttering as she returned the bump to her head with one of her own, making Penny giggle as the red furred ear batted against her face from Ruby's excitement. "Oh! There's a few really nice shops we can go to! They're faunus inclusive too so they're not gonna kick me out… unlike some shops…"
Ruby grumbled, looking to the side with an idle air of resentment before shaking her head. "Anyway! I'll totally help you get something nice! I uh… don't know if I can pay for too much though. Hunter level clothes are kind of expensive and I… might not have enough allowance to cover all of it, even if I cut out my monthly sweets budget, and it's not like the repair shop is turning much of a profit yet..."
"That is alright! I have more than enough budget to pay for a new combat outfit, along with all of the necessary copies," Penny answered with a smile, her core pulsing warmer as Ruby's cape came up and wrapped around them like a blanket, the scent of rose petals continuing to fill the air even as the actual spray of petals died down and settled on the floor like a crimson and pitch black carpet. It would have been very pretty if it were not such a mess, though since it would all fade away in a few hours it was probably fine. "My father has set aside quite a lot of allowance for me, and I have not spent nearly enough of it to make budgeting a problem, though I believe I would quite like to buy some luxuries that I do not have yet. I am very interested in learning how to play the kalimba- or perhaps the ocarina? Maybe both! I think it will be very fun!"
"That does sound really fun," Ruby nodded, yawning slightly as she burrowed into Penny's shoulder with a happy sigh, clinging onto her girlfriend even tighter as she settled in and got comfortable. She breathed in Penny's scent, eyes drooping slightly as she prepared to take a nap. "Mmm… do you wanna… nap for a bit? We've got time before dinner, right?"
"Mhmm! We have plenty of time, though if we are going to nap, might I suggest we move to the cot in the corner instead of sitting in this chair?" Penny suggested, not bothering to wait as she stood up and brought Ruby with her, walking over without a single bit of hindrance and laying down on the comfortable little cot in the corner of the room before Ruby could react. "There we are. This is much more comfortable for both of us, wouldn't you agree?"
"Mmmm…. Anything is comfortable if it's with you, Penny…" Ruby murmured out, her breathing slowing down as she let herself drift into dormancy, losing awareness of the world bit by bit until the only thing she could sense was Penny, her soul core pulsating with love and affection and warmth beneath Ruby's cheek.
"Of course. Sleep well, Ruby."
"G'night, Penny…"
And with that, the two slept- the lights in the workshop turning off automatically as Penny set herself into sleep mode.
"Goodnight."
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