Don't Say A Word

by the_gormality_pig

Summary:

Childhood innocence gives way to adult passion as Ruby Rose discovers a long-forgotten crush on the one person in the world she must not think of in that way! At least, that was the plan... but as the days pass and Yang's teasing gets more intense, Ruby starts to wonder if this crush is really so one-sided.

Slow-burn Enabler, with other relationships on the side.

Chapter 1: Denial

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It all started with a kiss. A normal, innocent kiss between sisters.

A kiss… that opened a door to a forbidden world.

Way back in the past, back when they were still happy, Yang used to give Ruby goodnight kisses all the time. Neither child thought anything of the act, mainly because the blonde always made sure to aim for either her sister's forehead or one of her cheeks. Kid stuff. And Ruby never fought her off since she never considered the act 'gross' or 'childish' and would always giggle whenever Yang's lips made contact. It kinda tickled.

But then Mom disappeared. And everything turned upside down.

…Not literally, the house was still right-side up, but… fuck it, you know what I mean.

Ruby took the loss harder than Yang or Dad. She didn't come out from under the covers for an entire day after they heard the news, and no amount of sweets would convince her otherwise. Mom was gone, what was the point? Even bringing in Uncle Qrow to make her laugh wouldn't get her out of that bed (of course humans have their limits - Ruby still ran to the toilet when no one was looking).

And then late one night, Yang tried one more time…

"Rubes?" she gently poked at the lump under the covers.

No response.

Annoyed at being ignored again, Yang huffed and climbed over the lump, settling herself down on top of it and grinning when the lump gave a grunt of pain. Ruby's muffled voice cried, "Call the cops, there's a Goliath in the house!"

Yang gave her a smack for that one. In return, Ruby kicked her legs out and knocked the older sibling off and over the edge. Yang wasn't going down alone, though; she gripped the covers, along with anything underneath, and pulled them both down to the floor in a tangle of limbs and cotton. They flailed for a minute or two, varying between squeals of effort and laughter as fingers occasionally found sweet spots in the armpit or behind the knee.

Finally they came to a stop, pre-teen Yang astride the torso of younger Ruby, both panting and sweaty. But on the plus side, both were also smiling. One of Yang's pigtails had come loose, the long hair hanging over the side of her face.

"There  it is," said Yang. "That's the smile I've been missing."

Ruby tried to fight the smile off her face, but even that was a fight she couldn't win. "Shut up. I'm allowed to be sad. Mom-"

"-wouldn't want to see you like this and you know it."

Ruby swallowed a lump in her throat. "She's… not here anymore."

"Says you."

Silver eyes blinked several times as she tried and failed to make sense of that comeback. Yang slowly backed off and helped Ruby sit up straight before giving her a gentle hug. Ruby hugged back, still confused but grateful for the contact. In fact, it didn't take long at all before the younger girl started sobbing into her sister's shoulder, pent-up emotions finally allowed an exit.

Yang lightly stroked Ruby's head, "Shhh… there there, let it all out…"

"I… m-miss… her…"

"I know, Rubes… I know."

When they parted again, Yang gently wiped some of the tears from her sister's face. Ruby wiped the rest using the heels of both hands, sniffling the whole time. "What did you… you mean… 'says me' …?"

"Because when I look at you… I see her."

"…?"

"Ruby, Mom was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She had a smile that could light up a room and make everybody happy just by seeing it. She had… an energy that was… well, you just couldn't stay mad or depressed when she was around, you know?"

Ruby giggled, "Yeah."

"And while you still got a long way to go, I can tell that you're gonna be just as pretty as she was, maybe even more so. Dad knows it too. I want you to grow up to be greater than Mom ever was, kay? Bring back that awesome energy that we all love."

Ruby stared at her sister for a few moments, letting those words sink in. Something about the idea of being as bright and wholesome as Summer Rose had been… it felt right. The idea brought a warmth to her chest that she hadn't felt since the last time they all made cookies together. "O… Okay, sis. I'll try."

Yang put on her signature grin, "That's my girl. Now get up… you're stinky from being under this cover all day yesterday."

"Pbtbtbtbtbt~!"

"…I was gonna say you  needed the shower, not me!"

"I'd rather take a bath."

"A shower would be faster. Besides, it's past our bedtime. C'mon, just go; I'm heading to bed."

"Kay." Ruby smiled wide. "Love you, sis."

"Love you too, Ruby."

When Yang leaned in this time, she didn't aim for the forehead or the cheek like before - she used one hand to steady Ruby's head and planted a kiss directly on her lips.

And everything changed.

For the next week, Ruby could still feel the tingling on her lips. She could still feel the touch of Yang's hand on her head, holding her. Supporting her. For the next week she became acutely aware of things about her sister she'd never noticed before; the smell of Yang's hair after her shower, the feel of her chest when they hugged, the tone of her voice when she laughed, the sparkle in her lilac eyes when Dad brought out the fried chicken, her favorite food.

Yang didn't seem too bothered by what happened, but there was no way to know that for sure. All Ruby knew was that Yang never tried to kiss her like that again. For the next few weeks, the younger girl found herself wanting another one. Longing for a second taste.

But as with many things in the life of a child, these feelings eventually faded away, replaced with the eagerness of starting classes at Signal Academy and the excitement of beginning her career as a Huntress. In time, her longing for the touch of her sister gave way to an attraction for other girls; Yang completely supported her coming out, but nothing more. The Blonde Brawler was also openly gay, but was also dating already. Ruby had a ways to go to catch up, but her determination to find her own happiness was only outmatched by her willingness to fight the Creatures of Grimm and always do The Right Thing™.

Once they got to Beacon, it wasn't long before Ruby realized those old feelings had greatly faded… but they hadn't gone away completely.

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STAGE 1: DENIAL

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"So how'd it go yesterday?"

"Ugh…" Ruby slumped into the desk. "I'd rather fight a Boarbatusk with a butter knife than do that again."

Coco Adel studied her over the top of her shades. "That bad, huh? I swear I thought you two would be a good match…"

A hand gently rubbed Ruby's back as a voice said, "Coco doesn't usually guess wrong more than once, so next time it should be fine."

"I sure hope so, Velvet," Ruby muttered.

The rabbit Faunus reached into her bag and pulled out a candy, putting it on the desk near the weary redhead. Ruby mechanically ate the treat as the small group looked on in disappointment; not at Ruby herself, but at the news that her date didn't work out.

The Beacon Anonymous Lesbo Society, or BALS, was not very big at the moment, but the smaller numbers made for a more intimate friendship between its members. Coco led the group, and those who joined found both comradery in their (sadly) unpopular lifestyle choice as well as support for finding a fitting partner that satisfied both sides. Until now, Coco had led everyone into a truly happy relationship with the girls of their dreams; Ruby was her first misfire.

"Guess I'll have to adjust my specs," said the brunette with the beret. "Sandy had big knockers, which you did say you liked, and her personality was certainly cheerful enough to meet your standards…"

"-unfortunately she's too much of a cream puff," Ruby sighed. "And she was a total bottom. I'm all for cuddling with a big teddy bear, but not if I have to be the top in the relationship. That's not for me."

Coco scribbled something in a notepad. "I'll keep that in mind, though it might take awhile to find someone like that - the girls who tend to be tops aren't usually great for cuddling, if you catch my drift."

Velvet exhaled through her nose, but said nothing.

"You know…" said another voice on Ruby's other side, "If you didn't want someone with huge personalities, I'd probably be right up your alley…"

Ruby didn't even have to look to see who spoke. "Not really, Weiss… no offense, but I'm not really into tsuderes."

Weiss Schnee, fellow member of team RWBY, scoffed and audibly crossed her arms. "Of course you aren't. If you were, we'd have banged each other back in the Emerald Forest."

"You're not wrong."

That was an interesting day for sure; not only was Ruby Rose put into Beacon Academy a full two years early, she was even going through initiation with her sister and, admittedly, quite a few hotties. None of 'em quite hit the mark as far as she was concerned, but that was alright - plenty of fish in the sea, as they say.

Her first year went about as well as you'd expect, what with the Vytal Festival Tournament and everything. The General of Atlas even showed up with his specialized security force in tow, the AceOPs, to maintain order. With them around, everything went off without a hitch. Ruby even got to meet them by the end of it all; Harriet Bree was exactly the right kind of awesome, but a bit too chiseled for her liking, while Elm Ederne was a giant teddy bear carved out of solid granite… in other words, hard pass. Most of the students who arrived for the tournament were pretty cool, several of them hot, but again… no one was just right.

Through all of this, Weiss quickly made it clear she was interested in starting something between them, but her… personalities… were sorely lacking. It was a shallow reason to be sure, but added to her lack of actual  personality, the pairing would have been a disaster.

Fortunately for both girls, there was BALS.

Coco actually started the group last year, when Ruby was still 17. There were more girls then, and for the most part they only met up once a month to discuss life, give each other encouragement, have dinner parties, things like that. In spite of rumors to the contrary, they never hosted any sort of mass orgies or bikini mud wrestling competitions (although Ruby would be the first to admit she'd be all in on that one).

"You mentioned some of the tournament fighters caught your eye in year 1," Coco said. "Remind me who they were…?"

Ruby finally sat up, cricked her neck and thought for a moment. "Arslan was definitely one of 'em. She could kick my ass any day of the week, and she was damn fine to boot…"

"That was two years ago; I can all but guarantee she'd be built like a brick shithouse by now," said Weiss.

Ruby sighed, "I know, right? Let's see… Reese had the right energy, I do recall that. Uhh… Neon was too spunky… May was too introverted… weirdly enough, no one from team NDGO did it for me, they were all to girly."

Coco raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

Velvet piped up, "What about that Penny girl? The one who almost won the finals?"

"She was cute, adorable even, but… no. I would wanna protect her. Not ravage her."

"An important distinction to make," Coco mused. She studied her notes for a moment, a sly grin creeping onto her face as she wrote a few more things down.

Weiss said, "Too bad Pyrrha is straight, huh?"

"I believe the term is Jaune-Sexual," Ruby corrected. "And yes, it is too bad. The things I would do to that ass… oohhh…"

"Tone down the horny, oh fearless leader."

"These meetings are safe places," Velvet said calmly. "We can be as horny as we want in here."

"Though there are still limits, unfortunately," Coco sighed as she glanced at Velvet. "In any case… I think I have something."

Ruby gave the brown-themed girl her full attention. "Who?"

"Well… based on what I know of the girls around here, and putting everything you said into perspective…"

"Oh spit it out already!"

"…You sure you wanna know?"

"Coco…"

"Consider - you want a girl who's cheerful, has big bazongas, not too toned but not too soft, is more of a top than a bottom, and most importantly is also a confirmed lesbian…"

"…Suddenly I don't like where you're going with this."

"Too late to stop it now-"

Coco turned her notepad around, and at the bottom was a single name in large letters, circled twice for emphasis: 'Yang Xiao Long'

Ruby instantly stood up, letting her chair clatter to the floor, and stormed out of the room.

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"Coco, you do  know that's her sister, right?"

"Why do you think I hesitated?"

"To see her squirm?"

"No! I mean yeah, but that's not the only  reason-"

"You're an ass."

"No, I want  an ass. Preferably yours. In my lap."

"…"

"What did you just tell Weiss?"

"Five minutes."

"Plenty of time. Now get over here Bun-Bun~"

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Ruby would remain angry for the rest of the day. And who could blame her? As perverted as she might be, there was still a line that she didn't want anyone crossing. Daydreaming about Pyrrha Nikos' ass was one thing, but Coco accusing her of being a siscon was a step too far.

What hurt was that she wasn't entirely wrong.

Yang had grown into a perfect woman, at least as far as Ruby herself was concerned. In a way, such a beauty was likely skewing her standards a bit too much, but to imply that Yang was  her standard was going too far. So what if she wanted someone fit but not ripped… and Yang was exactly that? So what if she wanted a girl with an upbeat, slightly dominant personality… one that matched Yang's to a T? That didn't mean she wanted her own sister! Yuck!

Two years of classes might have brought the sisters back together, but they slept in separate beds for a reason - otherwise they'd just fight all night. Like they always did before.

Eventually the team found themselves getting ready for bed, Ruby last of all. She lay in her bunk, still annoyed, scrolling through the daily headlines on her device.

A poke at her elbow. "Hey booger… if you're gonna stay up all night, at least don't play your music too loud."

Ruby sighed, "I'll use your headphones then."

Yang gave a high-pitched dog growl, to which Ruby meowed  loudly. Yang chuckled, then tossed a towel over her shoulder and marched off to the bathroom.

Ruby took in a quick look at Yang's shoulders and back under her camisole.

Yep… that was exactly the kind of muscle definition Ruby wanted in her future girlfriend. That wasn't a weird thing to think, right? She didn't want Yang,  she just… wanted to use her as a measuring stick. Something to compare others against. That was all.

Soon enough, the other three were clean and in bed. Ruby finally crawled out of her bunk, grabbed her own towel and made for the shower (the dormitory didn't have tubs, so no baths). The young redhead kept her mind on finishing her nightly ritual and getting to bed so she could go back to the normal routine tomorrow.

One thing Coco and Velvet made clear was that what happened in the BALS meeting was exclusive to that meeting - any member who wanted to discuss those things privately could do so, but heavy discretion was required. As such, Ruby knew for sure Coco would not taunt her with that notepad again, at least not until next month. Instead she would let it eat away at the poor girl, driving her crazy from the inside.

Ruby angrily shampooed her hair, accidentally yanking a clump of it and squeaking in pain. She massaged the area and calmed down again to finish up.

Minutes later, the shower was off and Ruby was mostly dry, towel around her waist and hairbrush in hand. Her mind was pretty much empty when a gentle knock came to the door, "Rubes, you alright in there?"

Yang. Ruby called back, "I'm almost done, just a minute."

"I heard you squeaking…"

"I'm fine, just… yanked a bit too hard."

The door suddenly opened, though the blonde kept it quiet; Yang scooted herself into the bathroom, "You've been tense all day, you know."

The image of a notepad flashed through her mind. Ruby tried not to growl, "I'm fine now, just needed to unwind."

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yang, I'm fine."

"Ruby," Yang walked up behind her and draped her arms around her sister's shoulders. "I'm just trying to help. You still having trouble getting a date?"

Why and how she knew about that was not a question Ruby wanted an answer to, at least not tonight. "Yes, I am. Happy now?"

"What sister would be happy  to see her sibling going through something like this?"

"…The evil kind?"

"Hence why I'm not happy."

"…Well played, Yang. But seriously, I'll be alright. Just… it's taking a long time to find a girl who's just right for me, is all."

Ruby shrugged off Yang's arms, quickly finished with her hair and turned to leave… but was stopped when Yang blocked the door. She tried to go around the other side, but Yang moved to intercept. Another duck and weave proved futile; Yang lightly pushed Ruby against the closed door with practiced ease, leaning against the wood with one elbow and smiling down at her prey.

All Ruby could see was a head of golden ringlets framed by the moisture of the steamy bathroom, two orbs of glittering lilac, and a perfect neck and shoulders looking out from beneath an old, orange camisole.

Below her sight line, Yang's boobs were pressed up against Ruby's chest. One of her legs was also set in between Ruby's thighs, the skin firm and silky smooth.

Needless to say, Ruby couldn't breathe.

"You know…" Yang purred as she put a finger under Ruby's chin, "Maybe… I could give you a few pointers~?"

Ruby's brain almost completely shut down.

"… … …pfft!  You should see the look on your face right now! Ha hah!" Yang pulled back and slapped her knee merrily. "Man, I haven't teased you in too long. Aight, I'll let you put some clothes on." She ruffled Ruby's damp hair and let herself out, once again quietly opening and closing the door behind her.

Ruby somehow remembered to get her lungs working again.

Her heart would not calm down, however.

The sight of Yang standing over her, smiling, looking radiant, gorgeous… like it or not, she would be seeing that image every time she closed her eyes from now on. Maybe for the rest of her life.

"No," she muttered between the hammering beats of her heart, "No… not like… this…"

It couldn't be true. It couldn't. It shouldn't. There was no way… right?

Again the image of Coco's notepad flashed through her mind: 'Yang Xiao Long'

From the depths of her memory came the tingling sensation of Yang's lips meeting her own, and the long-buried desire to have another taste.

Ruby slid down the wall, her knees officially out of commission, and tried to collect the shattered pieces of her sanity without screaming. She didn't want to wake anyone up.

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TO BE CONTINUED

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