194

"Only a few more days until the new semester starts… I'm almost sad to leave again," Ruby sighed, rubbing her shoulder as she looked around at her room and the packed bags within. Her and Penny had a lot of good memories in this room… a lot of good memories pretty much everywhere, actually, but still. They'd done a lot of kissing and cuddling and it'd be a little weird getting back to Beacon and the relative lack of privacy there. Hmm… Maybe this year, instead of bunk beds, they could just go for two big beds? A full size for her and Penny, and maybe a queen for Weiss, Blake, and Yang? Yang already had a queen in her room anyway so… hmmm… that could work. But how would they haul the mattresses in…?

"I did very much enjoy having the privacy to kiss you senseless," Penny mused, hugging Ruby from behind and burying her face into the thick mass of spikes and fluff that Ruby now wore instead of her longer hairstyle in the past, nuzzling into the inky strands and breathing deeply of the constant floral scent emanating from her girlfriend's hair. Even though she didn't need to breathe. "And I very much enjoyed staying here with your family, wishing star. Truly, this was the best holiday season I could have ever asked for."

"I'm glad you liked being here… and, I am really sorry that I wasn't… available… for a while. But I'm here now, and I don't wanna miss a thing ever again, firefly," Ruby answered, giggling quietly as she snuggled against Penny and the two of them just stood there happily in her room, swaying back and forth while Penny clasped her around the waist and pressed gentle kisses along the back of Ruby's neck- going in a line down to her shoulder and nibbling the delicate pale flesh there with tiny nips and kisses that still left blooming marks of pink along Ruby's chalk white skin. "Mnnn… You know… I know we have pretty much everything packed and ready to go… but… we're not going anywhere until tomorrow…"

"Indeed we are not," Penny hummed, very gently running her hands along Ruby's waist with gentle ripples of her fingers, Aura humming and pulsing as she continued kissing along Ruby's shoulder and nuzzling against the soft, cool curve of her neck. "And as we have no pressing engagements until later tonight…"

"We can just stay here and hang out for a while!" Ruby giggled, gasping a little as Penny squeezed her tighter and pulsed her Aura full of love and affection as the taller girl's arms almost crushed down around her from the strength of her hug. "Gah! Ooh, you're really happy right now, huh?"

"Mhmm! I am overwhelmingly happy that you are here, and I wish for nothing more than to enjoy your presence for as long as possible!" Penny stated, giggling as she switched sides and nuzzled against Ruby's other shoulder now, nipping lightly at the exposed skin there and rubbing her cheek against Ruby's. "Occasionally, I am reminded of just how lucky I am that you are here, wishing star, and I feel as though I fall in love with you all over again! Your silver eyes, your beautiful hair, your adorable ears, your pretty skin and delicate features… I do not think I say it enough, but you are extremely physically attractive to me, and not just emotionally so!"

"Aww… You're super pretty too! I loved how green your eyes were before, but I love them even more now! That crosshair pattern and your hair and your bow and your freckles… I loved everything about you before but the moment I saw you again when I woke up I fell in love all over again," Ruby murmured, holding onto Penny delicately as they slowly meandered towards the bed and all but fell in, both of them giggling as they used their change in position to cuddle even closer, with Ruby turning around and straddling Penny's hips while Penny continued holding her about the waist- both of them all but burying their faces into each other's hair as a result. "And… I don't know if this is weird, but… I love your smell too. It's… so unlike everything that makes up a normal human or even a faunus. You smell like… metal and lubricant and ozone. And you also smell like Dust residue and smoke, and you always smell like springtime to me… and… maybe I'm just weird about it, but all of those things make me love you even more."

"It is a little odd- most people would say that my mix of natural scents is unpleasant or harsh, I think. Which is why my daddy installed a toggling scent emitter underneath my artificial skin," Penny mused, continuing to murmur her words into Ruby's shoulder as Ruby nuzzled into her orange locks, both of them having somehow managed to snuggle up under the covers despite having sat down on top of them before. Then again, they'd done a lot of rolling around in those interim few seconds… Regardless. She smiled, arms coming up into a tighter, closer hug as they continued to just lay there and bask in the rolling currents of each other's souls, feeling them mix and tug and pull on each other like two oceans meeting in the middle. "I don't use it much, though, but I find that smelling of sandalwood often puts others at ease."

"Mmm… the sandalwood is nice too, but I like the natural smell… it's more you , y'know?" Ruby giggled, nipping at Penny's neck and luxuriating in how close they could be with each other through nothing more than their pajamas, no hoods or cloaks or armor pieces to get in the way. Her tail wagged gently, bumping against the covers as she fully relaxed into Penny's arms. "I love you, Penny."

"I love you too, Ruby!" Penny giggled, both of them moving on sync as they started kissing- gentle chaste pecks on each other's cheeks swiftly becoming a full on liplock as the two of them pressed together and let their Auras do the talking. Each one pulsed with light and love and understanding, their bodies all but melding together as they fell further into the warm, pulsing mix of their Auras and felt each other so deeply that their bodies entwined and tangled together, limbs pressing together and bodies squeezing together as the scent of springtime and rose petals became utterly overwhelming to the point that the room started flooding with petals- reds and greens mixing into a dense swarm that covered every surface and even began leaking under the closed door.

Eventually, though, they broke apart- panting despite their lack of need to breathe and staring into each other's eyes with luminescent blushes dusting their cheeks. Ruby glowed bright pink, blooms of blood red seeping through while Penny's face actually glowed brilliant green, both of them unable to say anything as they stared and stared and stared, getting lost in the beautiful eyes of the other. Emerald green etched with deadly crosshairs met glowing orange lined with silver, their eyes the only light source in the darkened room.

"I love you so, so much," Ruby murmured, whispering as though raising her voice any more would break the moment they shared. She trembled slightly, ears twitching and tail wagging as her heart thundered in her chest, her entire body seeming slightly unstable as thin, gooey tendrils of grimm matter dripped from her form and puddled against the thin, almost invisible seams of Penny's torso- pooling beneath her ridden up shirt as though trying to slip between the cracks. "And I never want to let you go. Ever."

"I feel the same way," Penny whispered back, unable to look away as she gently ran her hands along Ruby's waist, not even noticing the nearly invisible monowires of Floating Array's integrated cable systems threading against Ruby's arms and legs as though trying to connect directly to Ruby's body. "I… want to stay with you. Like this. Forever. I… want to live with you. Go on dates. Kiss at the movie theater. Learn how to drive and go on a roadtrip with you. Go on cruises and long airship rides, ride a ferris wheel, eat at trendy restaurants… I want to do everything with you from now on, and I never want to let you go."

"Oh Penny… I want to do all of those things too!" Ruby cried, flopping down and giving Penny the biggest bear hug she could. "But we caaaaaan't!"

"Eh- why not?" Penny blinked in confusion, wondering just what prompted the sudden change in behavior.

"We gotta go back to school soooon!"

"... Well, we could always do those things on long weekends and breaks?" Penny suggested, giggling at the melodramatic air of Ruby's whining as her girlfriend snuggled into her chest and petulantly pouted as though she were a child. "Except for the longer trips, I suppose, but that's what missions are for, I think."

"Yeah… I know… I'm just being silly," Ruby grinned, leaning up and pressing a kiss to Penny's nose with a brilliant, joyous pulse of Aura. "Silly little puppy, that's me!"

"You are! You're also the best puppy!"

"Zwei would probably beg to differ…"

"Zwei can keep begging, you're my most perfect corgi girl!"

"Aww, that's sweet…"

"Hey uh… dinner's ready," Yang stated awkwardly as she opened the door. "... You uh… gonna come down?"

".... uh… yeah. In a sec."

"Alright… keep those hands above the covers though, Rubles."

"Yang!"