{I want you to touch me there; Make me feel like I am breathing}

She couldn't breathe.

Her lungs were on fire – everything burned.

Soft and cool hands wrapped around her neck, sharp nails biting into her skin as they pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Her own calloused hands, worn down from long nights in the shop, caressed the velvety skin of her lover's face and combed through the silky tresses of her hair – a solid, white waterfall encasing them and veiling their bare skin from the world's prying eyes.

Bittersweet lips hungrily engulfed her own, pressing down on hers fiercely and desperately. Ruby responded accordingly, returning with a gentler force, pulling her lover's hips against hers. This action elicited a small squeak from the heiress, their lips parting as a result. Sweet, sweet air was returned to her yearning chest and she gulped it in greedily, almost desperately. Weiss was in a similar state above her, her pale pink lips plump and full, parted ever so slightly as she gasped for air to refill her own deprived lungs. Ruby offered up a smile that she was almost sure that Weiss wouldn't be able to make out in the dark of the room but was proved wrong when she giggled in response and tucked her long, pale hair behind one of her ears. Ruby's eyes followed her movements carefully and attentively, reveling in the beauty sitting upon her lap in all her bare glory as the two continued to smile at each other, simply enjoying each other's company.

Her lungs still burned but her heart was soaring. She had never felt so good.

As an act of caution, tonight they had reserved a motel room to escape the watchful eyes of Weiss' father. He had been quickly growing suspicious of their relationship, reaching the truth behind their excursions due to their carelessness and sense of invincibility. Only when he began to voice such suspicions to his daughter did they begin to tread more on the safe side, taking great care to cover their tracks and meet up in secret. In all honesty, it wasn't very safe to continue these activities at all, but there was something about forbidden love that felt so right and so euphoric that neither had the intention to break things off.

So tonight, Ruby had suggested that they go to a motel room as a change of pace to which Weiss had agreed with only slight reluctance.

Ruby had paid for the room, of course – it being her idea after all. Meanwhile, Weiss had opted to stay in the car, deciding it was far too risky for them to be seen together at a motel at such a late hour. It didn't take her long and within minutes, Weiss had watched Ruby exit the main office, key clutched between her two fingers as she dangled it with a smirk for Weiss to see. From there they rushed to their room, bubbling with excitement and paranoid at the thought of being spotted and called out by someone who happened to be there at the same time as them.

The short journey to their room was silent. Neither wanted to draw too much attention to themselves, hoping to silently skip past anyone who might notice them. Besides, there wasn't much to say anyway, despite the fact that they had not seen each other for over a week. Words were not always a necessity between the two for they had other means of communication and other ways of bonding. Ruby was the silent, shy type and Weiss was the quiet, reserved type. It worked out perfectly.

Once they had reached the door leading to their room, Ruby had wasted no time in unlocking it and ushering Weiss inside the dim and dingy room. Dark outlines of the furniture were the only things that really stood out to them in the unlit room, but neither made a move for the light switch. They wouldn't need it anyway. A moldy odor hit them both heavily, making Weiss scrunch her nose in severe distaste before a hand was placed on her shoulder and a voice whispered in her ear…

"We're alone now."

She lay on a sheet of her own hair, the silvery white locks fanned out beneath her body. Sweat plastered her bangs to her face, sticking to her forehead in a disarray of pale strings and strands. Rivulets of sweat trailed down her slender neck and beaded in the valley between her breasts as they rose and fell rapidly with each strained breath. The stifling heat of the room glued her body to the mattress as it groaned and squeaked underneath their combined weight as they shifted and bounced and moved around. Weiss shivered despite the heat, the chills running up and down her spine which curved into an arc as she peeled herself off the bed, her breaths growing more desperate, her eyes scrunching tightly closed.

Above her was a mechanic hard at work, using her dexterity and expertise to its full extent on her body, tweaking , twisting, pulling, pushing. She pressed all the right buttons, stroked the right crevices, and handled her with the utmost care that she had seen her use on all her other projects.

Ruby's cracked lips dragged along the seamless skin of her body, scratching it and setting it aflame as it twitched and writhed underneath her touch. Weiss arched more into her touch, sighing at the rough sensation it left across her skin. The touches she received from Ruby were always rough and calloused, much different from the pampering she received at home, but the way she held her and caressed her was quite the opposite – so gentle and tender. It was an odd combination for sure but one that Weiss welcomed eagerly, even encouraged with sighs and quiet moans. Anytime she was around her she felt cared for and valued as a person, appreciated and loved. She knew that everything that Ruby did was for her and her only, no selfish motives to back them up or egg them on.

Weiss sighed again, but this time not from her lover's touch, as a frown settled upon her lips.

If only she could be so selfless.

The sound of heels clacking across the tile of the front of her workshop caught Ruby's attention, listening to the sound grow louder as the footsteps neared the back part of the shop that she currently sat in. A small smirk crossed her lips and she couldn't help but feel a bit fidgety. It was odd to say, even odder to believe, but she could distinguish those heels from any other on the planet. She knew exactly who was coming to visit her so late at night and felt the beginnings of excitement bubble up within her. She hadn't visited in so long, a major disappointment for the young mechanic. But she kept faith that she hadn't been abandoned, choosing to believe that her lover was just busy with company stuff and business things.

It felt good to be right after so much doubt and worrying.

The back room to her workshop was a small tool room, the place where she actually made the repairs and worked on her small projects. It was messy and dimly lit, a stark contrast to the organized and brightly lit front of her store where she handled all of her customer transactions. No one was allowed in the back, for both safety and personal reasons. It was Ruby's special space, one that she could call her own and felt best reflected her and made her feel comfortable. Only she was allowed to set foot in that small space…well, and Weiss too, of course.

However, despite this, Ruby only blocked it off from the rest of the store with a sheer, red curtain that could easily be pushed aside. One could see into the back through the sheer material, something that Weiss had once commented on the defeated purpose of the divider. Ruby only brushed her off with a shrug, saying how open it felt and how that made her feel more at ease letting people know that she had no real secrets. They always left it at that.

The young mechanic had just pushed her magnifying goggles onto the top of her head when a slender, delicate hand brushed aside the curtain and the elegantly dressed figure attached to it stepped through. The red curtain fell into place behind her, the bright lights shining through the thin material and illuminating the back of her figure, outlining her in a shining, holy light. The figure held herself with a shy confidence and only relaxed her posture when greeted by Ruby's friendly smile.

Even though it had been forever since her last visit, this was something that Weiss often did. She would regularly come to visit Ruby in her workshop, sometimes bringing a small project for her to work on, often times not.

She leaned against the door framed and eyed Ruby's desk which was scattered with gears and springs, the old wood scratched and stained with oil and other lubricants. Small parts and pieces made their home in the piles of junk and broken objects that lined the edges, leaving a small, open space in the middle for whatever current project she was working on. Tonight there was an antique music box painted articulately with faded gold flowers and vines. The base paint was a crusted white which had previously shone a stark, snow white. The box itself was carved into a circle, no larger than a dainty child's hand. It sat open on Ruby's desk, an elegant porcelain ballerina standing on point in the center. Her tutu was a pure white, as bright as the day it had been made, and her chestnut hair (or rather what was left of it since most of it had faded to reveal more white porcelain underneath) was pulled into a tight, flawless bun. Her posture was straight and confident, yet delicate and dainty. The mirror behind her on the lid of the box reflected the desk lamp's light, shining it on the back of her figure, bathing her in a warm, otherworldly glow.

Weiss sighed deeply and asked, "That thing again?"

Ruby chuckled nervously and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah. I still can't get it open."

Weiss clicked her tongue and crossed her arms. "As far as you know it can't."

The redhead didn't answer immediately, looking at Weiss before returning her attention to the music box, a soft smile on her lips. "I'm sure it can. I just haven't worked hard enough." She lifted the music box in the air, letting the light from the front of the store illuminate the intricate work painted on the outside, the carefully thought out designs coming to light. "Besides, why would the creator of something so beautiful make his work unfixable?"

Weiss pushed off the door frame and walked over so that she stood next to Ruby, gazing down at the music box with a guarded expression. "Maybe he only wanted it to work until he was done with it." She plucked the music box from Ruby's hand gently, as if cradling a child's head. "Until it had served his purpose in satisfying him."

Ruby stuck out her lower lip in thought, taking the music box back from Weiss and placing it in the bottom drawer of her desk, carefully shutting it as to not shift it too much. "I don't think anyone is that selfish or short-sighted."

Weiss began to untie her coat. "You'd be surprised."

Once her coat had been shed and fallen to the floor, she was pulled into Ruby's lap and her fingers weaved themselves into her short hair. She leaned forward and placed chaste kisses on her neck, pressing herself closer in hopes to mold into her lover, to forget about her troublesome day, all of her responsibilities and problems, about all of the pressure placed upon her as heiress to her father's company. Right now it was just her and Ruby, Ruby and her, and that was all that truly mattered at the end of the day.

"I just...It's not fair, ya know? To have something so beautiful and interesting and not share it with others. It's pointless and beyond selfish." Ruby paused to sigh deeply when Weiss placed a rather rough kiss on the junction between her neck and shoulder. "Seems like a waste to me, that's all."

Weiss paused in her affectionate attention on Ruby's neck and lifted her gaze to meet silver orbs, reflecting her own pained blue ones. She sighed and pressed a firm kiss to Ruby's lips, fingers drifting down from her tangled locks to her shoulders where they pulled down the straps of her tank top.

"Yeah. A waste."

Weiss awoke to a dark room, dimly lit with the gray skies of dawn. The sky nor the world was quite awake, everything still and dull, as if time had frozen in that very moment. Silence rang loudly in her ears and she soon grew restless at the lack of response the world offered her that very early morning. It was almost as if the universe had nothing left to offer her except a world of solitude, where she would remain hollow and alone for all eternity to come.

It was at the moment that the comfortable weight on top of her shifted, bringing her attention to the petite form laying with her on the scratchy motel sheets. Bright silver orbs, lackig of color but shining bright than any other on the spectrum on that drab morning, smiled at her from their place on her chest. They were the only movement, the only sound, the only anything in her otherwise plain morning and yet one look into them froze Weiss herself.

"Good morning," a sweet voice rang out. Weiss found it difficult to respond, leaving her to wonder if the world had affected her in it's stillness and silence. The form on top of her shifted so that it hovered over her in all its naked glory, bringing a slight warmth to Weiss' cheeks despite having seen it many times before. At least this meant that she wasn't frozen yet.

Ruby sat up on her haunches, straddling Weiss as she stretched her arms toward the ceiling, arching her back and making small grunts as she stretched her taut muscles. The gray light from the sun shone on the sly movement of her muscles beneath her tan skin and reflected off her curves, bringing them into more attention than they already were. Weiss watched with utmost interest, silent and unmoving as she watched the life and vibrancy that Ruby brought into her otherwise dull morning.

Absorbed in her musings, Weiss almost missed Ruby leaning down toward her with an impure smile and giggle. "Like what you see?"

Weiss still couldn't answer and only managed to blink up at her.

Undeterred, Ruby sat up again with her smile still present on her face before saying, "I think I'm going to take a bath." Her eyes flicked back down to Weiss who was finally beginning to truly wake up and notice her surroundings.

"Care to join me?"

Once the bath water had finished running Ruby wasted no time at all in diving in, submersing herself in the steaming water and sighing in absolute bliss as the heat soothed her sore muscles. She closed her eyes and completely surrendered herself to the healing qualities of the hot bath. It was the perfect way to start the day, to relax and not worry about any outside problems as she got to sit there in the peace and quiet of the early morning with her girlfriend. It was then that she noticed that said girlfriend was absent from the tub and Ruby opened her eyes to see Weiss standing beside her with a vacant expression and null and void eyes.

"Water's nice and hot, ya know."

This jolted the heiress from her thoughts with a start, her blue eyes widening in sudden recognition. She looked down at Ruby then at the tub full of water before nodding slowly. She climbed in with measured grace, sinking into the water as if expecting it to turn into boiling lava and burn her alive. Ruby watched her with a frown and concern weighing down her brow and waited until she had completely settled in before saying anything.
"You okay? You seem really out of it."

Weiss nodded and leaned back, soaking her hair in the bath water. "Of course I'm fine. Just...worried about some things is all."

"Oh yeah. I bet you're stressed about helping your father run the company now, aren't you?"

Her only answer was a quiet grunt in confirmation. Ruby knew that Weiss didn't like to talk much about her father or the responsibilities he put on her about the family company, but it was because of this that she grew to be so stressed and strung out that half the time Ruby didn't know what to do for her. Every time she tried to get her to open up, Weiss would suddenly change the topic or just fall silent until Ruby eventually gave up. She desperately needed a vacation, that much was obvious, but Weiss would never admit to it, too proud and too much of a hard worker to take time off to herself. Their rendezvous were the only down time she got, and lately even those were few and far in between.

Ruby shifted so that she sat up straighter and opened her legs. "Come here. I'll give you a massage."

As expected, Weiss opened her mouth to argue, too stubborn to admit such a weakness, but when Ruby flashed her a warm smile that reached her big, round eyes, Weiss submitted to her. With a grumble and roll of her eyes (to seem like she was annoyed rather than embarrassed) she crawled over in between Ruby's legs and sat down with her back to her. Immediately the brunette set to work, kneading into the tense muscles in Weiss' neck and back, which earned her a satisfied moan.

"Better?"

"Much."

Weiss dropped her head to her chest and closed her eyes to allow Ruby full access to her neck, inviting her to work out the tense muscles built up from worry and stress. Dutifully Ruby rubbed them out, helping her muscles release the tension they held onto desperately, turning Weiss' body into nothing more than the hot water they sat in. The morning was silent once more save for the small sounds that emitted from the pale-haired beauty and the slight swish of the bath water. But this silence was more comfortable and less suffocating, less foreboding and Weiss could feel herself finally begin to wake up and become aware to the world's surroundings. The color began to bleed into the morning, the gray sun shining in through the motel room taking on a more lively hue.

"Hey Weiss?"

Said girl hummed in confirmation that she was listening but kept her head down.

"So I was thinking about some things lately. Like, you know, you've been stressed lately because of the sudden responsibilities your father's dropped on you with the company and how you say that he's...starting to get ideas about us. And you know I hate to see you all frazzled like this and I really wanna help you but it's so hard when you just won't open up and I..." She trailed off and gnawed on her bottom lip, pausing in her tirade when she felt Weiss instinctively tense up underneath her hands, beginning to pull away completely.

"Weiss, I care about you so much. And you're worrying me." Her voice sounded so helpless and tiny and Weiss knew her well enough that this meant she was on the verge of tears. Tears for her. She shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself, the hot water suddenly cold, the morning dull and lifeless once more as the sun lost its intensity and everything else lost its luster. She didn't want Ruby to worry over her. She could handle things on her own, she was capable, and it was a promise she made to herself. Ruby was her sunshine and to see her so distraught made Weiss lose hope that happiness could really exist.

She'd been weak. She'd let her emotions show too much. She'd worn her problems on her face.

"So...I've devised a solution. One where you won't be worried and we can both be happy without ever having to worry about your father again." Her voice sounded chipper again as she continued massaging her girlfriend's muscles. As if she believed such a thing were actually possible.

Deciding to humor her, not for her sake but for Ruby's, Weiss asked quietly, "And what exactly is this solution?"

"Let's run away."

Those words sent an electric shock throughout Weiss and she straightened up, snapping her head up and blinking her eyes open. The sudden reaction made Ruby stop in her ministrations and lift her hands away as Weiss suddenly swiveled in the bath, surprisingly well considering how tight a space it was and exclaim, "What?!"

Ruby shrunk back a little bit, expecting surprise but not to this degree and explained in a lesser sure tone. "Well, I was just thinking that we could...we could run away together. We'd leave your father behind, the company, everything. We'll have each other and maybe this way we can get married...I love you, Weiss. And I can't stand watching you suffer like this anymore." She brought her hands up to cup Weiss' face, stroking her cheeks with shaky thumbs. "Please, Weiss.

"Elope with me."

The office was impossibly clean and inhumanely cold, no different than how it had been since she had first stepped foot in it when she was four years old. One would think after sixteen years of having to visit that office, one would become accustomed to the outrageous temperature, but even so, Weiss found herself shivering whenever she stood in that spot before her father's desk, awaiting to be addressed. Her father was a cold-hearted and cold-blooded man however, so it never came as a surprise that he of all people could withstand such temperatures.

Yet today, the office seemed chillier than usual, and Weiss was struggling to maintain what little warmth she had to begin with.

"Weiss."

Avoiding his eyes, Weiss bowed her head. "Father."

When she lifted her head back up her father was going through some papers on his desk with a detached expression, like he was seeing the numbers and figures but not really caring for them. He'd probably gone over them numerous times before and had embedded them into his memory as the remarkable businessman he was praised to be. Going through these papers in front of her was just for show, to make a point.

"Our business, as you probably are aware, has been doing poorly lately. It isn't as profitable as it once was." He frowned and presented the papers to her. "The numbers are dropping more than I care them to."

Hesitantly taking the papers proffered to her, Weiss skimmed them quickly, comparing them to the sales and figures she had memorized per her father's request from months previous, seeing the significant drop as her father had already said. She said nothing, offered no explanation, because it was not in her place to. Her father did not bring her here to express his concern over his company nor to hear her opinion. Silently she handed the papers back over to him once she was done and clasped her hands in front of her.

He straightened out the papers and placed them off to the side on his desk before mirroring Weiss' actions by clasping his hands on top of his desk. "This company is a family tradition, my daughter. It was your great-grandfather who founded it and raised it from the rubble with his sweat and blood. From there it was passed down to my father, then unto me." Weiss nodded in time with his words, already aware of the family history behind the company that shared her namesake, having been told over and over again for as long as she could remember. It was a tale she could recite word for word, backwards and forwards.

"Normally the company would be passed down to the firstborn son, but given that you are my only heir, it will be passed down to you." Weiss looked down at the floor, hating how those words always made her think less of herself and wish to be more up to her father's standards. Her gender wasn't her fault, but the way he always said it made it sound like it was.

"So," he said sharply and Weiss' eyes rose up to meet his again. "Given the current circumstances of my deteriorating company and your coming of age, I have decided to begin to pass the company down to you."

Weiss blinked in disbelief and perked up. She couldn't stop the words she blurted out next, the shock overwhelming her training. "May I ask why now?"

Her father chuckled at her surprise and leaned back in his chair, almost seeming like a kind, loving father. Almost. "You are growing to be a fine woman, Weiss. It's time you prove to me what you're capable of. Show me what I've taught you. I want to see you pick this company back up and surpass even me."

Her doubt in the task must've shown on her face because her father's face grew stern. "I expect nothing but excellence from you. I've taught you all I know and given you the best throughout you're life. I want to know that I'm leaving my company in good hands."

Weiss nodded slowly, the heavy burden being passed along to her already weighing heavy like lead on her shoulders. "Yes, Father." She turned to leave until halted once again by his sharp voice telling her to stop. She reverted back to her original position in front of him, waiting for him to continue.

"As heir to the company, I want to be sure that you know what that means." Weiss nodded for him to continue, not so much giving him permission but to assure him she was listening attentively.

"As leader and owner of this company, it's only obvious that you're going to have to devote all of your attention to it. You will be expected to work hard just as I have, your grandfather and his father before him. Do you understand this?"

The heiress nodded briefly. "Yes, Father."

"Then I hope you are aware that by taking over this company you will not be permitted any distractions." He narrowed his eyes and held her gaze with his own icy one, chilling her to her very bone and making Weiss shiver violently. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father."

He leaned back in his chair again, nodding. "I'm glad we're in agreement. Because surely it'd be a shame if you disobeyed me and doomed this company based on your whims."

Weiss furrowed her brow in confusion and frowned. Her father wasn't one to beat around the bush, but right now it sounded like he was keeping something from her and only giving her hints as to what it was. He was a straightforward man but suddenly she was beginning to think this meeting wasn't as clear and cut as she believed it to be when she walked in. There was a hidden message somewhere in his speech, and his tone of voice and dropping temperature of the room were beginning to worry her. If not for her ceaseless shivering, Weiss would be sweating in anticipation for the worst right about now.

Because when her father was being sneaky, things never ended well.

As she opened her mouth to question the true motive of this meeting, her father gestured to a vase on the corner of his desk and the sight of the blooming flowers froze Weiss in her tracks, her breath failing her.

"You do like roses, don't you, Weiss?"

Weiss closed her eyes as she chastised herself for being so blind. Of course this was what this was about.

He knew.

Ignoring her reaction, or perhaps reveling in it, he continued. "Beautiful flowers, aren't they? So vibrant and full of life. I can see why you like them so much, Weiss." She glared at him with the utmost hatred, gritting her teeth at the smug expression on his face. He didn't really trust her with the company at all. He just wanted an excuse to take her away from Ruby. From the only happiness she had. That's what this was all about and she was stupid for not figuring it out sooner.

"But I fear that roses will be your downfall, my daughter. Sometimes they're too vibrant to the point that it becomes a distraction. Don't you agree?" He plucked one of the roses out of the vase as Weiss quietly steamed to herself and shook not from the cold but the rage boiling inside her. "And if I see you being distracted, well, it's only fair that I free you from said distractions, correct?" And with that he pulled out a pair of scissors from the side of his desk and without hesitation or trouble, cut the head of the rose off its stem, letting it fall like dead weight to his desk.

Weiss brimmed with anger dug her teeth into her bottom lip. He wasn't even trying to be subtle at this point.

"Do I make myself clear, Weiss?"

"Yes, Father," she spat, stuffing as much venom into those two words as she possibly could muster. But instead of making him shrink back in fear, it only made him smile smugly. Unable to face him any longer, Weiss turned in a huff and stomped towards the door, the burning in her eyes manifesting itself into angry tears, falling down her face relentlessly as she grabbed the doorknob and jerked the door open.

"Weiss."

Against her better judgment, she paused in her heated exit, still shaking with rage and the urge to run out of there and never turn back.

"It's time to stop these silly games and become the responsible adult I have raised you to be. Do you understand?"

Weiss pressed her lips together in order to suppress the sob itching to tear out of her throat, trembling out of anger and despair.

"I said: 'Do you understand?'"

She hated him. She hated him so much. She wished he would just leave her be, to allow her this one bit of happiness. As hard as she's worked to please him, didn't she deserve even the slightest ounce of it?

"Answer me."

She whipped around to face him, bottom lip wobbling and tears flowing freely down her face.

"I do."

She couldn't breathe.

Her lungs were on fire – everything burned.

Soft and cool hands wrapped around her neck, sharp nails biting into her skin as they pushed her further down, deep under the bath water. Her heart raced in her chest, her mind in a jumbled panic as her only thought right now was that she needed air. Her arms and legs thrashed about in the water, splashing it over the tub onto the bathroom floor as those hands, hands that earlier had caressed her with love and tenderness, were slowly squeezing the life out of her.

Through the moving water she could hardly make out Weiss' distraught face, eyes wide and crazed, couldn't hear her panicked hyperventilating. All she heard was her pounding heart and the waterlogged sound of her pleas for this to stop, pleas for Weiss to calm down and let her go. But she went unheard and her pleas backfired as water entered her lungs replacing them with the air she so desperately needed.

Above her Weiss used all her strength and body weight to keep Ruby under, to smother out the light in her silver eyes, ones that through the water looked up at her so desperately, so betrayed, so heartbroken, so scared.

She could only imagine how hers looked right now.

A few seconds passed and the thrashing lessened, more last ditch efforts to get her to stop than actual power driven attempts. The body beneath her weakened with lack of breath until eventually all was still once more. Shakily withdrawing her hands from Ruby's neck, she brought them to her heaving chest as she watched her lifeless body float to the top of the bathwater, eyes wide and frightened, mouth hanging open. Her dark locks were the only thing that moved, swaying in time with the water.

Tears flowed down Weiss' cheeks, blurring out the image of her dead lover, one who was dead by her own hands, and replacing it with the image of her smirking father's face.

A pained sob ripped from her throat and she dug her nails into her chest, shaking uncontrollably as everything around her came crashing down.

Outside the motel room the sun's gray rays dimmed slowly until they were blocked out completely, dark, looming clouds covering the sky, threatening a downpour.

Author's Note:

Killing Ruby is so much fun. Idk. This is...the second time I've done it? (Published that is)

Anyway, this fic was inspired by The Neighbourhood's music video "A Little Death". If you've seen it, you understand.