89

Chapter 89: For the Lovers and Dreamers

The wolf panted heavily as they finally started to slow their pace, her paws steadying against the dusty ground. The desert wildlands slowly gave way to thick grass, and she finally came to a stop right at the tree line of a vast Forest. There was a joking huff at her left, and she nearly toppled as the lioness nudged hard at her shoulder. She grumbled back in response, a teasing bark in the back of her throat.

A light hiss at her right drew their attention before a play fight could break out. Their panther gave them both a fondly chiding look, nosing against each of their heads with a purr. The lioness answered with her own and a light lick. The wolf tried to mimic the sound, only managing a pathetic cough-whimper, which at least earned her another nuzzle, even if the look in the lioness's eye was more mirthful than she'd like. The panther started to lead them into the forest, towards a distant lake when the wolf heard a yip by her paws. She looked down, finding their fox looking up at her expectantly.

"...-uby?"

The wolf's ear flicked as she tilted her head at the fox, the lioness and panther glancing back briefly before continuing. Did she want something? The fox's ears suddenly pinned back, her eyes turning worried. The wolf's ears pinned back in kind. Did she do something wrong? She leaned down to nuzzle the fox's cheek… only to get her nose swatted by the fox's paw!

She yipped back in surprise, ears fully pinned back. Oh, yes, she has done something bad. Very bad. Their-fox-looked-ready-to-cry bad. The wolf whined, lowering herself down to the ground in worry. She racked her brain, trying to think of what she could have done so, so wrong when-

"...-orget it… Wake-… -ou utter DOLT!"

With a sudden growl, the fox leapt forward, jaws-wide, and snapped down on the wolf's nose hard.

A high pitch wine escaped the wolf's throat as she scrambled back, dragging the fox with her as her teeth dug in harder. Shocked and in pain in more ways than one, the wolf whipped her head to the side hard, tearing the fox loose and sending her flying into a flowering bush. The wolf pawed at her nose to make the stinging go away, then whipped around with a growl. "What the heck was that, Weiss!?"

The fox, now covered in pink petals, froze while picking herself up. She stared up at the wolf in surprise, blue eyes wide. "Ruby?"

The wolf froze as well. She blinked rapidly, feeling something in her mind clear. She looked down at the fox and… "Weiss?"

The fox slumped with relief. "I hope that means that you're… you."

Ruby stared at the fox… her girlfriend… then let her eyes slowly pan up at the patchwork landscape around them. She then looked down at her… paws… then back to Weiss, ears down and tail tucking between her legs.

"Oh."

"And… we've been coming here every night?"

Weiss's ear flicked slightly. "As far as I can tell." She looked up at the distant mountain set against a sunset sky. "Wherever or… whatever here is."

Ruby tilted her head back to look at as well. It was a beautiful sight, but there was something off about it. Like the distance from here to the mountains changed with a blink, or that they would move location as she turned her head, replaced with lush forest only to reappear when she looked back.

It was unnerving… but something kept it from feeling wrong.

Her eyes crossed for the umpteenth time, trying to focus on the wolf muzzle that was where her nose should be. She laid her head back down, letting out a huff. "This is weird even for us."

Weiss let out a squeaky yip at the same time her familiar laugh echoed through Ruby's mind. "I think that every day, Ruby," she sighed tiredly as she nuzzled against the wolf's neck.

Ruby giggled as she curled around Weiss, trying and likely failing to process where and what they were. With her head now clear, she could remember laying down to sleep with her team after a (mostly) fun day out shopping with her friends.

Somehow, that led to her being stuck in the body of a wolf, curled around a white fox that she knew was her girlfriend, watching a lioness and panther tussle in the distance, somehow instinctively recognizing them each as her sister and other girlfriend respectively.

"...This is because we're Mates isn't it?"

She could feel Weiss resettle herself against her, feeling a slight twinge of Uncomfortableness from the fox that was immediately pushed down. "It has to be. Why else would we all be here?" She glanced down at the floof of her tail tucked under her chin. "Like this?"

Ruby looked up at the tree they rested against, tracing the bend of it, branches, and shape of its leaves. She recognized it almost instantly but hesitated to voice it. As the silence went on, however, she couldn't help but to. "These are the same kinds of trees around me and Yang's house back in Patch."

She felt Weiss nod against her fur, turning her nose towards the distant mountain range. "That's the view from my bedroom back in Atlas." She looked out at the flowering fields before them. "And these flowers… some of them are from my mother's garden, but I've seen some of the others in pictures Kali has shown me. They're from Menagerie."

"A little piece of all our homes." Ruby swallowed thickly, already wincing at the childish question. "Weiss? Are… are we dreaming?"

"Which we're all sharing, somehow," Wiess answered back with shocking ease.

Ruby looked at her curiously. It was disconcerting how natural it was to look at this small white fox and instantly recognize that 'yup, that's my girlfriend.. "You're sure?" she couldn't help but ask.

Weiss made a full-body huff. "After my surgery, this is where I always went when I slept." She slapped her tail weekly against the wolf's belly when she Felt Ruby's guilt. She continued with no further comment. "At first, I just thought of myself as a fox when I came here. Like I was some other entity than Weiss. It was… just a dream."

She let out a soft sigh. "But I was sleeping so much that… the longer I was here, the easier it was for me to remember the dream when I woke up. And… after yesterday…"

She trailed off, Fear, Anger, and Betrayal pouring off her as she remembered the harrowing kidnapping and rescue she went through on her own father's orders, compounded by the stunt he'd pulled the next day with her finances. Ruby thought she heard a slight rumble in the distance, looking up to see a few darkening clouds forming in the once clear sky. Leaning over, she gave the fox a small lick on the cheek. Weiss stilled.

"... That should not feel as comforting as it does." Wiess let out a fond huff, her mood brightening as she went on. "But it's to my point. After yesterday, it's now so much easier to remember myself here. And when I realized the rest of you were in here with me, I set about seeing if I could wake you up."

Ruby cocked her head to the side. "Not really complaining, but why me? Wouldn't Blake be more help figuring this place out?"

Weiss snorted. "I spent all last night trying to get through to all of you. You were the first one I got to before we woke up." A tired grumble sounded at the back of her throat. "And I spent most of tonight getting your attention again."

Ruby's ears pinned back. "Sorry…"

A giggle echoed in her head. "Don't be, Ruby. Frankly, I have no clue what I'm doing. This whole thing is… bizarre."

Ruby felt her tail wag a little, curling in closer to Weiss. She let out a full-body huff as she settled, her eyes drifting back to the panther and lioness playing in the distance. "So… where do we go from here?"

Wiess sighed heavily. "I have no idea. Honestly, I just wanted proof that this wasn't me hallucinating or something. Now that I have it… guess we ask Blake about it when we wake up?"

"Will we even remember this when we wake up?"

"I haven't had any trouble remembering the last few days. You seemed to remember too this morning at first… but then the whole mess with Sun and Neo happened and…"

Ruby barked a laugh. "Yeah… I barely remember my regular dreams. No way I was after all that."

Weiss hummed. "I'll try to jog your memory when we wake up. If you do remember… I guess we ask Blake if this is normal for Mates?"

"Sounds as good a plan as any!" Ruby's ears perked up slightly, her tail thumping against the ground. "So… what do we do until then?"

Weiss took a contemplative breath. "Well- oh!"

Ruby yelped in kind as a heavy weight dropped across her back, Weiss getting squeezed against her chest as two forms boxed them in. Ruby looked up to find amber eyes blinking slowly back at her, the black-furred head of a panther settling against her hip. An odd whine pulled her attention forward, getting a close-up view of the lioness's many teeth as she let out a massive yawn and laid her head next to Weiss, the big cats fully encircling the wolf and fox.

Weiss let out a bemused giggle. "Looks like we won't have to wait too long," she said as she shifted into a more comfortable position wedged between Ruby and the lioness. "It must be morning already."

"So… sleeping here means waking up… out there?" Ruby asked, maneuvering along with Weiss as she soaked in the warmth of the three bodies surrounding her. It felt so comfortable and… safe.

Weiss nodded as she settled, tucking her head under Ruby's muzzle. "As far as I can tell…"

Ruby hummed in response, slowly laying her head down next to the lioness. A yawn of her own escaped as she listened to their breathing, Weiss's quickly slowing and evening out. Feeling their heartbeats. So calming. So… soothing…

Movement under her head coaxed Ruby from sleep. She blinked blearily from where she was tucked against Yang's side, one of the blonde's arms wrapped loosely around Weiss's waist in front of her as the three laid against the headboard. Ruby looked down at the weight on her legs, finding Blake's head poking out of the covers, laying against Ruby's stomach as the Faunus managed to curl across their laps as they slept. Smiling sleepily, Ruby impulsively put a hand on Blake's head and gently ran her nails against the base of the Faunus's cat ears, drawing a faint purr even as Blake's face started to scrunch from wakefulness.

The movement had been Yang shifting beneath them all, cursing under her breath as she reached up to the top of the headboard to silence her buzzing scroll. She scowled as she tapped at the screen, letting out a tired huff. "Yep. 6:30, Monday morning. Fun's over, girls."

A chorus of groans echoed her sentiment as they all slowly maneuvered out of the oversized bed. Blake rolled off of them and stretched out, her spine giving a satisfying pop before she sat up. "Oof. We have Grimm Studies first, right?"

"Yep," Weiss groaned as she lifted herself off the bed slightly to let Yang slide out from under her. She resisted squeaking when Yang's lips pecked her cheek as the blonde pulled away, though the girl's chuckle confirmed that her cheeks had reddened. She shot Ruby a heatless glare for the speedster's stifled giggle, then let out a mournful groan. "Gods, I have so much catch-up work to do." She felt tired already.

"Don't freak too much, Snowflake," Yang yawned as she shuffled across the room, wincing as she flicked on the lights. "They went pretty easy on us last week since the tournament is coming up. A couple papers for Port on Grimm hunting patterns, some history for Oobleck- thanks, Kitty-Cat," Yang interjected when Blake tossed a fresh uniform at her on her way to the bathroom. "-and you had enough extra credit in Dust Studies that Peach basically gave you a freebie. Just a couple of pop quizzes she said you already know the answers to."

Weiss let out a shaky sigh of relief as she scooted to the edge of the bed, resisting a wince as her chest ached. "That's… not too bad, I suppose."

As Yang and Blake shuffled around the room, and Weiss mentally prepared herself to get out of bed, Ruby watched them all with a furrowed brow. When Yang followed Blake into the bathroom, hair products in hand, she crawled out of the covers and across the bed, laying at its edge so she could look up at Weiss.

As the heiress slowly started to brush out her hair (the brush bluntly tossed by Yang and artfully caught by Weiss), the (former?) heiress glanced down at her, catching Ruby's thoughtful look. "Ruby? Something wrong?"

Ruby blinked back. "Just… thinking."

Weiss paused in her hair-brushing. Her eyes widened slightly. "About… what in particular?" she asked slowly, a faint hint of hope hidden in her tone.

Ruby just stared for a moment. Then she slowly pushed herself up with one hand, bringing her head just shy of level with Weiss's. She ignored the heiress's mounting confusion as she leaned in close, lips almost grazing the girl's skin…

And gave a long lick up her cheek, chin to cheek bone.

Weiss reared back in shock, almost falling off the bed as her face turned a spectacular shade of pink, slapping a hand to her cheek. "R-Ruby!?" she spluttered, mortified.

Ruby gave a light giggle at her reaction. "Still comforting?" she asked plainly.

Weiss could only gape at her, indignant squeaks escaping her throat… as her face grew redder and redder.

Ruby's brow shot up, and Weiss frantically tried to stomp down the burgeoning Feelings radiating off her-

Ruby's smile turned crooked, mischief dancing in her eyes as she leaned in close once again and said, in a breathy whisper, "Or… something more?"

…drat, drat, drat, dratdratDratDratDRATDRAT!

"D'oh!" Weiss reached back blindly as her face reached maximum red, smacking Ruby over the head with Yang's pillow. "Go get ready, you perverted dolt!"

Ruby full-on cackled as she rolled away from Weiss's blows, darting to the bathroom door and slipping past Blake as the Faunus exited.

"Wha-haho!" Yang's voice echoed out of the bathroom. She sounded impressed. "Sis, what did you do to make Weiss Feel that?"

"Hehehe, well…" The sisters' voices muffled as Ruby shut the door behind her, leaving Blake to raise an expectant eyebrow at Weiss.

Weiss responded by screaming into the pillow she held in mortification.

Well, Ruby certainly remembers! Weiss thought, part-sarcastically, part-frustratedly as she desperately willed away her blush.

Blake snorted softly, school uniform in place and looking perfectly presentable as she sat next to Weiss on the bed, holding another uniform in her lap. "Do I want to know what that was about?"

Wiess lifted her head, just a sliver of her eye visible between the pillow and her hair. "I'm sure our oh-so-mature girlfriend will let you know," she croaked miserably, trying not to enjoy the Mirth, Joy, Pride radiating off their younger partner.

To that, Blake's cheeks gained a faint dusting of their own. "I… saw, Weiss." She giggled as Weiss released another embarrassed moan into the pillow. She picked up Weiss's abandoned brush, moving behind the girl to finish what Ruby had interrupted. "I'm more curious about what prompted Ruby to do that. You and her talking about… trying things?"

Weiss swallowed down the lump in her throat formed by both Blake's tone and the fingers gently carding through her hair. "Not… exactly." As she finally fought her blush down to a (somewhat) acceptable level, she considered what to say. She did say that if Ruby remembered the dream she'd ask Blake about their new situation, but it was probably best to wait for the right time to ask.

…Though, given recent events involving secret keeping and waiting for proper times, perhaps there was no such thing.

Weiss took a deep breath to steady herself. "Blake?"

"Hmm?" Blake hummed, mostly focused on finishing up Weiss's ponytail.

"Is it okay if I ask a… probably very weird question about Faunus?"

Blake huffed a small laugh. "Of course, Weiss. I told you you can ask me anything."

"Okay, then… is it normal for Mates to share dreams?"

The hands going through her hair stilled.

Shock. Confusion. Realization.

Weiss felt her heart lurch at the numbed Feelings coming off Blake. She swallowed thickly and continued, still staring off ahead. "Ones where… you see yourself as an animal. Say… a fox?"

Blake's voice came after a tense silence, faint and distant. "You… have them too?"

Realization. Confusion. Worry.

Worry?

Weiss twisted around in her seat, the hands in her hair going limp as they slipped away. Blake was staring at her with wide confused eyes, her cat ears pinned back. Weiss felt a chill at what she saw creeping into Blake's eyes long before she felt it.

Fear.

"This… isn't normal..." Feeling her face screw up in apprehension, Weiss begged she was wrong. "...Is it?"

Blake could only give a minute shake of her head.

Weiss, in turn, could only let out a resigned sigh, pressing her face back into her pillow. "Of course not."

Betaed by Covert Weapon.

A/n:

Broken A/Cs and my truck's balding tires,~

Shift changes, cutbacks, and training new hires,~

Dealing with friends and familial crises,~

That's just what started these non-writing sprees!~

Figured if I was going to explain why the chapter took so long, might as well shake it up and do it in song this time XD.

A nice easy chapter with a bit of lore to hopefully get me back in the groove of things. Next one is already planned, (Winter has some questions :) ) I just gotta sit down and write it. Patience please, as always.