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It was a stormy night in Atlas Academy, with the city’s close proximity to the clouds making the roar of thunder noticeably more frightening. Three parts of team RWBY were off on an overnight assignment. Ruby sat alone in bed, perched on her top bunk. The lightning didn’t frighten her much, but the thunder made sleeping difficult. A flash of lightning tore across the sky, illuminating the room for a brief moment. A glimmer of green and red hit Ruby’s eyes.
“Penny!?” Ruby slipped out of bed in surprise, falling to the floor. The sound triggered a gasp of surprise from the newfound visitor.
“I’m so sorry!” Penny exclaimed. “Let me help you up.”
Penny grabbed Ruby’s hand to pull her up. Ruby, unable to see in the darkness as proficiently as Penny’s robotic sensors, reached out and grabbed Penny’s hair by mistake.
“Youch!” Penny gasped, as the surprise caused her to lose her footing. She collapsed onto Ruby, achieving the opposite of her intended assistance.
Ruby giggled in amusement. “I’m sorry Penny, I can’t see as well as you can. What are you even doing out here in the middle of the night?”
Penny stood up, and brushed off her clothes. She wasn’t wearing her usual attire, rather a comfy set of light-green pajamas.
“The sound of thunder sets off particular signals in my processes,” Penny explained. “I can’t seem to control it, so I take walks to focus my processes on other events.”
Ruby gave Penny a questioning look. “So... the sound of thunder scares you?”
Penny sighs. “I... yes. For as long as I can remember.”
“I used to be afraid of it too.” With a grin, Ruby reached out and felt for Penny’s hand in the dark. “Come here, let me show you my secret trick!”
“Your trick?” Penny let Ruby pull her along, and they climbed into Ruby’s top bunk.
“Grab this pillow!” Ruby tossed a pillow at Penny, with noticeable force.
“Hey!” Penny raised the pillow above her head. “If it’s a pillow fight you want, I guarantee you with 78% certainty that I’ll win!”
“It’s not that,” Ruby said through laughter. “Whenever you hear thunder, just grab the pillow as tightly as you can, like this.” Ruby grabbed part of her blanket as a demonstration, hugging it tightly.
Lightning flashed through the sky. Penny gasped, lowering her pillow. As the thunder boomed, she held it tightly in her arms.
“Oh, Ruby” Penny said, her mouth muffled by the pillow. “I don’t want to go back to my room tonight. It’s not anywhere near as comfortable as here. The way I usually sleep is different than most people, so I don’t require things like pillows.”
“I’m sure I can make Pietro give you one!” Ruby exclaimed. “If he doesn’t, then I’ll come over myself and you can use *me* as a pillow!”
Ruby laughed, but noticed a hard to place emotion in Penny’s eyes. Longing, maybe?
Lightning once again danced across the sky. Before the thunder had time to make a sound, Penny had moved across the bed and wrapped her arms tightly around Ruby.
“Penny!?” Ruby was surprised, but put her arms around Penny as well. Thunder boomed, louder than usual this time. Penny tightened her grip on Ruby.
“I’m taking you up on your offer,” said Penny. “If you don’t mind, that is...”
Ruby smiled. “Of course I don’t mind, you dork! As long as you let me use you as a pillow too!” Ruby pushed Penny down to a laying position, rubbing her check against Penny’s while giggling.
“Ruby!” Penny laughed. “Does that mean the pillow fight is back on?”
Penny grabbed the pillow from beside her, and swung it at Ruby, sending her to Penny’s side. Penny used the opportunity to roll over onto Ruby, holding her hands down to stop her from grabbing the pillow.
Ruby struggled for a moment, before sighing. “Fine, fine, you win. There’s no way I can reach the pillow like this.”
Penny smiled a rather smug grin. Ruby, taking her opponent’s overconfidence as an opportunity, leaned her head upward with lightning speed and kissed Penny directly on the lips. Penny, surprised, let go of Ruby’s arms.
Ruby followed through by grabbing the pillow, and began swinging it at Penny.
“Never underestimate me! I won the battle before it even began!” Ruby stopped swinging to give Penny a chance to breathe.
Penny looked up, noticing that Ruby was going easy on her. Taking her opponent’s overconfidence as an opportunity, she knocked the pillow out of Ruby’s hand and off the bed.
Penny then used the surprise to dive straight at Ruby before she could stop her. Penny held down Ruby’s arms once again. “This time, I’m not letting go.”
Penny’s mischievous grin was the last thing Ruby saw before Penny lowered her head, and began to return Ruby’s kiss. Penny held true to her promise - she didn’t let go, and she wasn’t stopping either.
Ruby made a muffled sound. Penny ceased her kissing to let Ruby speak.
“This... this is a bit more than a distraction, isn’t it? You’ve already won, what are you k.. kissing me for?” Ruby was blushing furiously.
“Oh, is it.. too much?” Penny backed up slightly. “I’m sorry, perhaps I mis-“
She was cut off as Ruby began kissing her back. At this moment, lightning flashed. For a moment, Ruby was able to gaze upon Penny’s illuminated face. Her red hair, her faint freckles, and her stunning green eyes.
Anticipating the thunder, Penny’s grip on Ruby’s arms faltered. Ruby, taking her final opportunity, put her arms around Penny, holding her tightly as the thunder roared. Penny relaxed in her arms.
“Ruby, may I... stay here, tonight?” Penny asked.
Ruby threw the blanket over themselves in response, and felt around for Penny’s hand. Finding it, she gripped it tightly.
“As long as we have another pillow fight, you can stay over tomorrow night too,” said Ruby softly. “And the night after that, and the night after th-“
Penny’s kiss cut off her thought. Ruby couldn’t help but kiss her back. Neither could remember how long this went on for, as they drifted off to sleep while in each other’s arms. At long last, the storm was over.