Chapter 19

Blake entered her room to find Velvet sitting on her bed, backed into the corner, knees pulled up to hide her face, arms wrapped around her legs, and her ears bowed. Closing the door, Blake could see she was trembling. The smell of arousal was almost overpowering. "Velvet?" Blake asked.

Velvet squeaked, uncurling slightly to look at Blake. "Oh...h-hi Blake." She managed.

"Are you okay?" Blake asked.

"No, not really." Velvet admitted.

Blake sat on the bed beside Velvet. "What's going on?" She asked.

"I...C-Coco left early." Velvet replied.

"What?" Blake gasped. "You didn't…"

"N-no, no, we didn't break up." Velvet stuttered. "She just planned to leave early, a-and she was gonna' reschedule, but I didn't mind. I wasn't gonna' be any trouble. She didn't need to worry."

"Velvet, you're crying." Blake observed.

"That's...I'm...not well." Velvet struggled.

"You're sick?" Blake asked.

"Hmm...y-yeah." Velvet nodded. "You could say that."

"Are you in pain?" Blake inquired.

"N-not really...but yeah, y-yeah I am." Velvet answered.

"Is there anything I can do?" Blake pressed.

Velvet was silent for a time, Blake waiting patiently. When she did speak it was barely a whisper. "Blake...h-have you heard of hypersexuality?" She asked.

"Uh...I think so." Blake replied.

"Most people don't call it that." Velvet continued, tears streaming down her face. "It's the clinical name. I prefer it, it makes me feel less...unstable. But it doesn't matter. I am what I am a-and I can't hide it." She stifled a sob and curled inward again. "I tried, but I can't help it. I'm a nymphomaniac, a walking fucking stereotype of my kind, a-and without Coco I can't handle it. I can't do it Blake. Before I came here I used to run off to the bathrooms and fuck myself, but then I found Coco, and she made love to me. Blake, no one has ever done that before. A quick fuck or two here and there, a few failed relationships, people who couldn't keep up, who wouldn't keep up, or just wanted to use me for sex and ran off with their tails between their legs!"

The tears were gone, replaced by burning anger. "People think just because they're a Faunus they can handle it, but no, no they fucking can't!" Velvet shouted. "This isn't a race thing. Being part animal doesn't magically make you good at satiating an addiction. I need endurance, dedication and persistence, and news flash, most people can't deliver. Not even Coco could deliver, and she tried, holy fuck she tried, the first week was the most wonderful of my life, but after the first few times the hunger grew and she couldn't satisfy me."

Velvet grabbed a pillow and shoved it between her legs, taking a shaky but infuriated breath. "You know what she did?" Velvet asked. "She brushed it off. She kept going until she was exhausted, and asked if I wanted more. I didn't ask for more, she already gave me everything, but she did it anyway. Do you know how it feels to see the woman you love pass out from loving you?" Blake stared at her wide-eyed, but nodded.

"When she woke up, I told her everything, and she accepted me Blake." Velvet went on. "No one has accepted this before, not even my parents. T-they just tried to sweep it under the rug. They didn't know how to handle it. Their daughter a clinical whore? Isn't that a lovely thought?! B-but Coco took it in stride. She let me set the pace, and we opened our hearts to others - Yatsu, Fox, Nebula, Sage...beautiful, kind people. And they helped. I could feel normal. I could finally function! Whenever I flared I could tell Coco, and she could make sure I was taken care of. Sometimes she could do it herself, sometimes she'd need help, but it never bothered her. She just wanted to see me happy because she loves me Blake. She loves me, and now I can't do it. I can't bring myself to do it. Some sick, twisted part of myself just feels wrong without her, in my arms, pressed against my back, holding my hand, just being near me. It's not the same, it's not right, and it's killing me. I'm not in pain, but it hurts so bad...and there's nothing I can do. I-I don't know what to do Blake. I don't...know…"

Velvet collapsed into Blake's lap, sobbing. Blake tried to console her, stroking her hair, her ears, but if it helped at all she had no idea. Blake was shellshocked and lost, that one of her closest friends was suffering so harshly from something she had no control over. She had no idea how to respond, no idea how to help. So Blake sat there, pretending to be the rock Velvet needed so much right now, when she was sure that if Velvet applied the slightest pressure, she would crumble to dust and leave her helpless.

Two soft knocks rung on the door. "Blake, Velvet?" Ruby called. "Are you guys okay?"

Velvet tensed, her gaze snapping to the door. "Ruby?" Velvet gasped.

"Velvet, are you okay?" Ruby asked. "I heard yelling."

Velvet pulled away from Blake's lap, visibly panicking. "S-she heard…" She groaned.

"Velv, look at me." Blake commanded, placing herself in front of Velvet. "You trust me, don't you?" Velvet nodded. "Then you can trust Ruby. She will not judge you, she will not think less of you, she will accept you completely and utterly without question, and she will support you, better than I can. She...she did it for me. She'll do it for you."

Velvet's ears drooped. "Alright...Ruby, door's unlocked." She sighed.

Ruby quickly pushed into the room with a concerned look on her face. The look grew fearful when she saw Velvet's tear-streaked face. Joining the pair on the bed, Ruby took hold of Velvet's hands, stroking them gently. "Velvet, what happened?" She asked. "Are you okay? Was it Cardin?"

Velvet managed a smile. "N-no, it wasn't Cardin." She sniffled. "I'm...I'm not well. I...I need...I need to tell you something. It needs to stay between us, okay?"

"Anything, I promise my lips are sealed." Ruby declared.

Velvet took a deep breath, eyes flickering to Blake, who smiled reassuringly. "I'm a nymphomaniac." Velvet admitted.

Ruby tilted her head. "You mean hypersexual?" She asked.

"Y-yeah." Velvet's face lit up. "You know about it?"

"Penny, my first partner, got really paranoid one day that she was hypersexual." Ruby smiled fondly. "So we spent a while researching it. Turns out she just had a high sex drive, but it was interesting learning about it anyway."

"S-sounds like you two had a fun time." Velvet giggled.

"Yeah, we did." Ruby confirmed. "But that's in the past, and we're in the present, and I want to help you. Are you having a flare?"

"Y-yeah." Velvet nodded.

Ruby's gaze snapped back and forth between Blake and Velvet. "Do you need...help?" She asked. Blake raised an eyebrow. "N-not that I'm volunteering us. Though if Blake's okay with it, I don't mind helping a friend in need."

"Thank you Ruby, but no." Velvet replied with a genuine grin. "That kind of help isn't the problem, or rather it is, but not in the sense that I can't get it. Just that I...I can't do it."

"Are...you on your period?" Ruby asked.

"We don't have periods Ruby." Blake reminded.

"Ah, right, right…" Ruby nodded. "Do you have a chastity belt on?"

"Oh God Ruby!" Blake gasped.

Velvet burst into laughter as Blake gave Ruby a bemused scowl. Ruby blushed. "Bloody hell Ruby." Velvet laughed. "Bless you, I needed that."

"Just trying to help." Ruby shrugged.

"You are, you really are." Velvet smiled. "But to answer your question properly, it's nothing direct, just...Coco left early, with my consent even. She knows about my condition, and gave me permission to continue seeing others while she's gone...but I can't."

"So others can't satisfy you?" Ruby asked.

"Not without her." Velvet confirmed. "I just, I feel empty, and I haven't felt like this for months now. It used to happen when I would have flings and one night stands, but with Coco with me, I never felt that way. I don't want to feel that way Ruby, but without Coco it's all I feel, and I can't stand it anymore, a-and I'm gonna' be going home soon, which means even if I could stand it, I wouldn't have anyone to help. I'd have to go bar hopping or something, and fuck if that's dangerous...I feel like I'm on fire, and maybe it will fade a little. Maybe if I use a lot of toys constantly, but that's not practical, not anymore. I'm too used to Coco, too used to having multiple partners. I don't know how I'm gonna' cope Ruby."

"Have you talked about it with Coco?" Ruby inquired.

"Yes, I told you she said I could continue without her." Velvet answered.

"No, no, not about that." Ruby shook her head. "About this, that you can't do it without her."

"N-no, I...I don't want her to worry." Velvet explained. "I don't want to be clingy or possessive. In the bedroom that's all well and good, but I don't want to be a pain."

"And how do you think she'll feel when she finds out you've been sexually starved because you refuse to communicate with her?" Ruby pressed.

"Wha...I didn't...I'm not…" Velvet struggled.

"You're hurting yourself Velvet, and you'll be hurting Coco by extension." Ruby advised. "What if you really hurt yourself? Can you imagine the guilt she would feel, knowing that you suffered for her sake? When all she wants to do is love you, and keep you safe?"

"I...I don't want to be a burden." Velvet protested.

"Velvet, how long have you been together?" Ruby asked.

"Two...maybe three months." Velvet replied.

"In all this time, has she ever once complained about you?" Ruby asked.

"No…" Velvet answered.

"No, because she loves you." Ruby declared. "She accepts you for who you are and is dedicated to making this work despite the difficulties. If she were here right now, what do you think she would say to this?"

"That...that I should never be afraid to tell me when I'm hurting, Honeybun…" Velvet sighed. "I...I need to call her."

"Yes you do." Ruby confirmed. Velvet pulled Ruby into a hug. "Thank you for trusting me, trusting us Velvet. I know this is really hard for you, and I'm glad we could help."

"Thank you, thank you both so much." Velvet said. She released Ruby to hug Blake. "You both mean the world to me."

"And you to us." Blake smiled. "Are you going to be okay? We can stay if you need us."

"No, I should be good now." Velvet replied. "I think this conversation should be private anyway, but if I do need you, I'll send you a message."

"We'll keep six ears out." Ruby joked. Blake scoffed.

Velvet giggled. "Thank you."

Ruby waited for Winter alongside Blake and Weiss. Weiss had with her two large suitcases of the sort Ruby had tripped over when they met. Blake carried a single, much smaller bag. For the week's vacation, Ruby had a single, rather sizable wheeled suitcase. Winter pulled up exactly on time, and as she helped load the bags into her SUV, had the same sort of joking conversation with Weiss about her driving style as the pair usually had. Then they all climbed inside and were off.

Ruby noticed they were not heading toward the Schnee home. Instead they took to the highway, heading for the city, with Winter driving much more carefully than she had during their first meeting. Ruby assumed they were off to go shopping or get something to eat before heading to the house, but then Winter turned off the highway well short of the city. They were heading for the airport. Why? "Are you taking me on a trip?" Ruby asked. "I thought we would just spend the week at your place."

"It's been far too long since we took a real vacation." Winter replied. "I thought it would be good for all of us to get away for the week."

"And I hear Patch is lovely this time of year." Weiss added, looking at Ruby in the rear-view mirror with a knowing smirk.

Ruby's jaw dropped and she started shaking. Blake thought she might fly apart. "You're taking me home?!" Ruby cheered. "I...you...awesome! Thank's so much!" After giggling and hugging Blake, the shaking stopped. "Wait...you're going out of your way for me...you don't have to…"

"Of course we do." Winter cut her off. "You want nothing more than to be able to see your sister and give her a big hug. I have the means to make your wish come true. It would be cruel not to do this. You are part of the family after all."

"Besides, we just would have ended up hanging around the house otherwise." Blake shrugged. "None of us have been to Patch. You get to see your sister, we get to visit a new place."

"And we all get to see you happy." Winter added. "That's reward enough in itself."

"Wow I...thanks, thanks so much." Ruby cried tears of joy. "This is just...just...so awesome!"

Once Ruby learned the finer details of the trip, she was even more excited. On her way to Atlas, she had flown coach on a budget airline. Not only was she crammed into the plane with the other passengers like cattle, the only appealing food on offer for the 6 hour flight was a bag of cookies and a can of soda. Ruby even had to pay extra for that. The "cookies" turned out to be oatmeal-raisin abominations, and the soda was some off-brand copy served to her warm. For her return to Patch she got to fly first class. She had leg room, a seat that fully reclined, a private television screen, and a full hot meal.

The flight was smooth and on time, landing at Signal Airport a little after midday. The group collected their luggage, piled into a rented luxury car, and Ruby directed Winter toward her home. Eventually Winter had to switch over to a proper GPS as Ruby's excitement robbed her of any ability to focus on the task at hand. Ruby sat in the back seat, beside Blake, rocking back and forth with barely contained energy. Every once in a while she would giggle or squeak, a familiar sight driving home the point that it was all really happening.

"Hey Ruby...how much does your family know about...us?" Blake asked.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"I mean...I told Winter everything." Blake replied. "Did you tell your family...everything?"

"What, you mean about our sex?" Ruby laughed. "No. Well, I told my sister everything, and she probably told her mom. But I just told my mother that I'm dating you, you're a Faunus, you read with me, and you're really nice. She can probably figure out what we've been up to, but I don't think she's interested in the details."

"Just as long as she's not going to go all 'angry mother-in-law' on me." Blake joked.

"I wouldn't worry about that." Ruby smirked. "You're not the first person to leave a mark on me after all."

In the front seat Weiss groaned and rolled her eyes. "Can you guys not talk about sex for like fifteen minutes?" She sighed.

Winter slowed the car, snapping Ruby out of her focus on the conversation. "Is this it?" Winter asked, pointing to a gravel drive barely visible between the trees on either side.

"Yep, that's it!" Ruby cheered. "I can't believe I'm home!"

"I think 50 is too heavy for me." Summer complained.

"There's no way to know unless you try." Pyrrha countered.

"But 45 pushed me to my limit yesterday." Summer noted. "Why can't I just stick with that?"

"You've been at 45 for days." Pyrrha replied. "You'll never improve if you don't keep pushing yourself."

"I think you're taking this whole working out thing a little farther than I intended." Summer sighed. "I just wanted to get rid of some excess flab. Now you've filled the guest room with weights, and you have me wearing this ridiculous outfit." Summer's workout clothes were more advanced than they had been during her one trip to the gym. Gone were the loose t-shirt and shorts, replaced by a tight tank top and skin-tight short-shorts.

"But doesn't it make you feel great?" Pyrrha asked.

"I mean...there is a sense of accomplishment." Summer admitted. "But all the aches and pains…" The doorbell rang, interrupting Summer's whining. "Oh, I should get that." It was the perfect excuse to get out of more exercise, if only for a few minutes. Huffing and puffing, glistening with sweat, Summer jogged to the door and opened it. "Ruby?!" She gasped.

"Surprise!" Ruby cheered, leaping into her mother's arms.

"And you've brought friends too." Summer gaped. "How…"

"Winter's rich, like, super rich!" Ruby explained. "They didn't have any plans for fall break, so they figured we could all spend the week here."

"Well that's great." Summer smiled. "Thank you, so much."

"Ruby, you didn't tell me you had another sister." Winter smirked.

"Oh stop it." Summer blushed. "I'm her mother silly."

"Ah, Summer Rose, baker of the world's greatest cookies." Winter said.

"The same." Summer laughed. She turned to the others. "And you must be Weiss and Blake. It's so good to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you." Weiss said with a slight bow.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Rose." Blake said.

"Please, call me Summer." She said. "Hell, call me mom. If you're friends of my daughter you're part of the family."

"My philosophy exactly." Winter agreed.

"Summer, I swear I heard…" Pyrrha started, walking into the main room. "It is Ruby!"

Ruby released her mother and ran to hug Pyrrha. "Hey Pyrrha!" She cheered. "Where's Yang?"

"In her room as usual." Pyrrha replied. "I'll go get her."

"And I'll make some coffee...or would you prefer tea?" Summer asked.

"Tea would be lovely." Winter replied.

"Tea is good." Blake agreed.

"Come in, come in, make yourselves at home." Summer enthused. She walked past a mirror and got a glimpse of her attire. "Oh shit…" She swore under her breath. "And please excuse my appearance. One of the personal trainers living with me was just putting me through my paces."

"We're not done." Pyrrha reminded. "And don't think this will get you out of it."

"Don't I know it." Summer grumbled.

Pyrrha made her way down the hall to Yang's room. She gave two hard knocks on the door. Inside Yang slipped off her headphones. "What is it?" Yang asked.

"Ruby's here!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "And she brought her friends from school."

"Really?" Yang gasped.

"Really!" Pyrrha confirmed. "Now get out here."

"Just a minute." Yang called. She turned off the music and disconnected her scroll from the headphones, tossing them aside. There was a twinge of pain in her missing arm. She grabbed the pill bottle from the nightstand and poured out two pills onto the bed. She had stopped putting the cap on. It was difficult to remove one-handed and was just delayed her relief from the pain. She swallowed the pills with water from the glass she kept by her bedside, then got up and checked herself in the mirror. Her clothes were presentable enough, and she was quickly able to fix her hair, making sure to cover her scar with it. She took a deep breath, smiling, the first genuine smile she had worn in quite some time, and headed to the lounge room.

When Ruby spotted Yang she sprung up from the couch and rushed into a flying hug. Yang caught her a bit unsteadily. "Yang, I missed you so much!" Ruby exclaimed. "I wanted to give you so many hugs and be there to support you and…"

"I know sis." Yang said. "I missed you too."

Ruby released Yang and backed away a step. Her eyes briefly wandered to the stump of her right arm. Yang noticed and her smile noticeably dipped. "I just want you to be happy." Ruby sighed.

"I want the same for you." Yang said. She smiled wistfully for a moment. "So, are you going to introduce me to your friends?"