Ruby starts to call Cinder her "Sin-a-min stick" and Cinder gets annoyed with her girlfriend.
“I love you sin-a-min stick.”
Cinder paused for a moment as she tried to process what she had just heard. “What did you call me?”
Ruby grinned a bit. “I called you my sin-a-min stick.”
“Is that because of the sweet heat you feel every time we kiss?” Cinder asked as she kissed Ruby. “The lingering spice that you know you love?”
“That might be part of it, but mostly because I feel like I’m sinning every minute I’m around you. Get it? Sin-a-min, sin a minute?”
Cinder’s smirk dropped to disbelief as she watched Ruby put up a big grin and make finger guns at her. She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a heavy sigh. “Just like your sister, arent you?”
“She thought it was good and Weiss laughed at it when I ran it by her.” Ruby leaned into Cinder. “Besides, maybe it’ll stick.”
Cinder rolled her eyes and pushed Ruby off the couch. “No.”
“Ow!” Ruby rubbed her back and giggled. “Okay, I deserve that. But I can totally come up with worse pet names for you.”
“I’m going to regret this, but try me.”
“Firestarter. Ashes. My loving campfire-”
“Okay okay, you win.” Cinder sighed and moved over on the couch to give Ruby some room. “Sin-a-min stick can stay. Still terrible.”
Ruby got up and sat down next to Cinder. “Okay, then you give me a terrible pet name.”
“You know I dont do those.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
“And I’d still rather not.” Cinder sighed and pulled Ruby close to her, mechanical fingers resting against her girlfriend’s thigh. “Besides, you know our relationship isnt exactly like that.”
“I know, but that doesnt mean you cant have fun with it.”
“I call you my girlfriend, isnt that enough?”
Ruby sighed. “Alright, if that’s enough, then I’ll accept it.”
Cinder nodded and tried to relax, her fingers clicking as she moved them down Ruby’s leg. “I do see you as more than a friend, and while I’ve managed to talk myself into allowing myself to call you my girlfriend, we both know that title is only for show.”
Ruby nodded and turned around to look at Cinder, a soft smile on her lips. “Then I’ll accept what we have and what you’re willing to call me.”
Cinder nodded, then winced as her prosthetic started to tighten up, her fingers growing stiff and no longer moving. She quickly moved herself and used her other hand to loosen the prosthetic and take it off. “Stupid arm…”
Ruby’s smile slowly faded. “Giving issue again? Didnt we just have Doctor Polendina look at it?”
“Yeah.” Cinder finally unlatched the arm from her and sighed as she made her way to the table. “But you know how our missions go and the strain aura puts on this. Even the best made prosthetics cant handle the abuse we give them.”
“Then… maybe its time you retire.”
Cinder paused in her step and slowly looked over at Ruby. “Retire?”
Ruby nodded and sat up. “You’re always going off on dangerous missions for Ironwood and Ozpin, and this is the fifth time we’ve needed to get your arm looked at and… maybe… its time for my sin-a-min stick-”
“No, I’m not going to retire. I know I’m disabled, but I can still do the job.”
“And what happens if you lose another limb out there?”
Cinder sat down at the table and started to take her prosthetic apart. “Then… that’s a bridge we cross when we get there.”
“We both know the dangers of being huntresses. Its what we signed up for.”
“And I refuse to lose you like I lost my mom!”
Cinder tensed up a bit and slowly looked over towards Ruby, who was trying to hold back a few tears. “Ruby…”
“Do you realize how much you worried me when you lost your arm in the first place? Yang lost hers while trying to keep a village safe, but she at least had the rest of us to back her up. But you… you went off on your own for Ironwood and I didnt hear back from you until you were in the hospital getting patched up. And you still dont talk about what happened out there.”
“Because it doesnt concern you right now.” Cinder sighed and looked back at her arm, her other hand shaking as she tried to unscrew one of the panels to the arm. In the back of her mind, she could hear Tyrian taunting her about Ruby as she tried to keep herself steady. “I’m… not ready to talk about it yet. But when I am-”
“Its been five years, Cin. When will you be ready?”
“Maybe when all of this is over.”
Ruby frowned and then sat down again. “You know I worry about you.”
“I know.” Cinder pulled the panel off her arm and started to look over the wires to make sure nothing was frayed. “Things are… complicated and the last thing I need is for you to get involved with this.”
“Are you ever going to tell me what you’re involved with?”
“You know what sounds good right now?” Cinder quickly started to patch her arm back up and re-attach it to her. “Pizza. I’ll go pick some up. You’re still a fan of that weird anchovy one, right?”
“You’re changing the subject.”
Cinder grabbed her coat and put it on. “Pizza first, then I’ll tell you everything. Deal?”
