146

Chapter 146

Chapter Text

"I'm so sorry I couldn't be here the entire time- I… I wanted to be my best for when you finally awoke, so I required a full upgrade. And… the only place where I could get upgraded was in Atlas," Penny murmured as she held Ruby's hand in her own, the two of them nuzzling together as they sat on a fallen log and watched the early sunset- it was October again, and it was… It was romantic, the leaves still turning red and gold while other trees remained beautifully green. "I rebuilt Crescent Rose for you too, beloved. I… I tried to add in all of the improvements you wanted, but I didn't have quite enough material for all of them, so some of the construction is a bit lacking compared to your normal alloys. You may have to resync with her again before you can fight with her effectively."

"Aw, Penny… I- I don't know what to say," Ruby answered, sniffling ever so slightly as she pressed against Penny and her cloak wrapped around them in a tight embrace- one that Penny immediately started to tremble as that familiar warmth wrapped around her body for the first time in a year. "Thank you. Thank you so, so much for caring about me. For loving me. Thank you for just… being here while I was asleep. Even if you had to leave for a bit, thank you for coming back. I love you so, so much, firefly. You light up my life- you're my fairytale prince now, y'know?"

"And you are my princess, wishing star," Penny smiled, the two of them instinctively shuffling around until Ruby's face was firmly pressed into Penny's shoulder again and Penny could feel the soft warmth of Ruby's lips against her own, counting freckles like she always did. It felt magical as always, and Penny's core surged with warmth and strength as she pressed her Aura against Ruby's and their souls melded together for a moment. "Ah- curious…"

"Whoa… that's a new feeling," Ruby whispered, trembling as she felt her Aura mix with Penny's in a way that it never had before- originally, it had felt like glass walls pushing together, trembling and vibrating as they collided in the middle. As time had gone on, their Auras melded like stiff clay- naturally, but slowly and without much in the way of mixing properly. Streaks of green showed up in red, streaks of red showed up in green. Then, as they had gotten even closer, their Auras properly mixed into golden light that sparked across them both and made them feel so, so alive to the point that it tingled across their skin and hearts and every inch of their bodies felt like it was filled with light. Still, even then, it took effort- a conscious synchronization of their love and admiration for each other, kisses and hugs and sweet words and understanding.

But now?

Their souls flowed together like they'd never been apart.

Golden light emanated where they touched, and Penny gasped as Ruby's emotions flowed full force into her- every touch and kiss and hug and gesture of love bloomed in her awareness, just as it did to Ruby. Ruby trembled, squeezing her arms tight around Penny as the two of them luxuriated in the feeling of purest, gentle love, the golden mix of their colors swirling into a rainbow- a riot of colors that shimmered around them like it was tinging the atmosphere in their love. 

"I love you, so, so much," Ruby whispered, not seeing any of the colors but knowing they were there anyway. She shivered quietly, hands fisting in the fabric of Penny's shirt as she pulled back just enough to look her dearest firefly in the eyes and allow her emotions to pull her into a desperate, hungry kiss with the woman she loved most in the world. 

Penny's lips met hers, and in the middle they met in a desperate clash of tight hugs and squeezing hands, holding onto each other as though the other would vanish if they didn't press as closely together as they could. Penny's soul had been irrevocably touched by Ruby's- crimson Aura flowing through circuits meant for green, wrapping around a Core that pulsed with life. Ruby's soul had been utterly drowned in Penny's love- green Aura swirling around and protecting the heart of rose red that beat inside the ocean of black annihilation. They protected each other, they loved each other, and everything they did had a touch of the other in every possible way. Floating Array bore Ruby's mark and touch in every crevasse and niche. Crescent Rose held so much of Penny's soul and love that it burned inside of Ruby, setting her heart ablaze with so, so much adoration that she couldn't help but press her lips against Penny's, to give every inch of her heart to the woman who had given her so much of her own in return.

They sat there, kissing as though there was nothing else around them and holding each other close as rose petals flew around them- joined by beautiful forest green leaves that fluttered about and mingled with the petals as they danced in the air. The breeze rolled through, Ruby's cloak unfurling in the wind and snapping and flowing dramatically as she ran her hands through Penny's long, silky hair while Penny clutched her about the waist and squeezed with all of her love. 

Eventually, though, their kiss ended- sloppy and inexperienced as it may have been, it was full of utterly pure love and nothing could change that. Ruby rested her head against Penny's shoulder again, holding her dearest firefly as close as she could without melding her amorphous mass with Penny's superstructure again. Her eyes prickled with shimmering silver-black tears, and Penny's hands came up to stroke along her back with gentle, soft touches- moving in circles as Ruby's emotions shifted and flowed on their own accord.

"I missed you a lot, wishing star," Penny murmured as she brought one hand up and gently scritched Ruby between the ears, watching her tail wag with a soft, melancholic smile. "I wish that I had been there with you every step of the way, but now we can move on together. The worst of it is done, and… I am just so, so happy to have you in my arms again."

Ruby smiled, a deep rumble of contentment emanating from within as she nuzzled further against Penny's shoulder as she pressed soft, lazy kisses against her beloved's shoulder. "I'm happy too- more happy than I've ever been before… I'm so glad that you came for me… that you were here when I woke up. I'm… I'm so glad that you woke me up. I…"

She giggled, shaking her head a little as she took a deep breath and enjoyed the scent of spring and pine as she nuzzled into Penny's shoulder a little more. "I can't imagine how it would have worked out if someone else was here and they still needed to kiss me to wake me up, y'know? Hehe… that would be awkward, wouldn't it?"

"It would indeed be quite strange," Penny chuckled lightly, then sighed with a little murmur of contentment. "I wish that we could stay here forever… but we will have to return to Beacon at some point- I believe Professor Branwen is already on his way now."

"Oh right… I feel like I remember someone telling me about Uncle Qrow being… being the headmaster? Also, something about you… giving me a lecture about Dust mechanics?" Ruby pursed her lips and tried to go over the fuzzy memories she had from her time asleep- there'd been a few times when she'd almost come out of her dream because she'd heard voices, memorized the things they told her even though she couldn't consciously hold onto those memories whilst she was still going through her frankly kind of stupid dream journey through her own soul and stuff. Whatever that all was. "I swear, there were a lot of lectures people gave me over the last… while. Uh… did you… at some point… give me an entire speech about what kind of stuff was necessary to receive an entry grade Huntsman License? I swear I remember that… plus a lot of snacks? I think I remember a lot of food…"

"I did indeed bring you many gifts of food and drink while I was still around," Penny nodded, continuing to stroke Ruby's hair softly and huffing a little as she knocked her head against Ruby's. "And I gave you many lectures once we figured out that you could still hear us, if only vaguely. I did not want you to fall behind by the time our third year begins in a few months."

"... Oh my gods I slept through my entire second year," Ruby gasped quietly, suddenly realizing just how much school she'd missed out on. "I'm gonna be so behind! I mean I was already kinda behind because I joined two years early but now I'm gonna be extra behind! Professor Goodwitch is gonna kill me and Professor Ozpin is gonna give me one of his 'I'm not mad or disappointed but I hope you'll think about your choices better next time' looks and sip his hot cocoa really menacingly and then walk off mysteriously and-"

"Ah… um… Ruby?"

Ruby blinked, pulling back slightly as Penny interrupted her flow of words. "Yeah firefly?"

"... Professor Ozpin is dead. He… died defending Beacon from a second attack. You've… missed more than just class." Penny explained slowly, cracking Ruby's worldview with a sheepish, regretful expression. "There are… many events we'll need to catch you up on."

"... Oh."