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Realistic or Modern Those That Remain

The group worked quickly and it wasn't long before the truck was empty of supplies and Grim was closing it up ready for their departure. Ruby straightened to look at her people, although her attention was quickly stolen by Grim's presence by her side. The unexpected softness in his voice surprised her and she found herself wrinkling her nose at him, though the expression was short-lived when he began to push her hair behind her ears, seemingly over-concentrating on that small gesture alone as though it was the most important thing in the world. Immediately Ruby's heart started playing up at the closer contact, the blood rushing to her cheeks but as she studied those gruff features looming over her for some kind of explanation, a flickered glance towards Riley's mute expression behind them finally gave her all of the answers that she needed. Her lips twitched as her eyes flickered back to amber.

"You're a jerk too, you know that?" It was enough to tell him that she knew what he was doing, but the question was littered with amusement, as was the devilish sparkle in those green hues. She'd let him have this one.

When they finally detached again and readied themselves with the last of their belongings, Erin pulled Ruby into a brief hug and the redhead said her goodbyes before hopping back into the passenger seat of the truck, somewhere she hadn't thought she'd spend her time ever again. Her boot print was still imprinted on the glove compartment, and as Grim gunned the engine, she leaned down to pick up the stuffed squirrel beneath her feet so that she could sit it on the dashboard. Like some kind of mascot.

Grim was right in assuming that Ruby would shoot him a look at his request once they finally set off, as well as a mostly playful eye roll to his grumbling that was answer in itself. "Is that right, huh?" She questioned his view on flirting eventually. "You think you can do better? I'll believe that when I see it." Ruby was very aware that this sounded like an invitation and maybe in some ways it was.

When they finally rumbled their way back out onto the road, Ruby busied herself mostly with an old map she'd had lying around for a while, and a pencil so she could mark their route upon it. She figured it might be helpful to start logging safe paths around her settlement and being driven allowed her to do that. The paper was spread out on the surface in front of her, and every so often she'd mumble and turn it around. Though this wasn't to say directions were the only thing on her mind, because eventually she spoke up to their situation, seemingly out of the blue.

"I can't say I expected us to be here again so soon," she commented, glancing briefly at Grim and then back to the map. "I'm surprised you agreed to this. Even more surprised that you refused to go without me. You that worried about surviving without me now? Or was the thought of leaving me behind just too painful?" With one eyebrow quirked, Ruby managed to hold back a rueful smirk, one that only eventually faded when she asked her next question. "And won't Grant Rivers be pissed about a four day delay on whatever debt he needs repaying? As if he needs any excuse to try and draw out repayments." Then she added, thoughtfully, maybe not so tactfully as she could have done. "Have you considered that he could try use this against you? I wouldn't put it past him."
 
The streets of Fort Haven ran red as a certain duo caused delays to Grant Rivers shipment. The latest potential usurpers staked heads lined the walkway up to River's home, Clay walked up the way, his boots crunching under the red stained gravel. A guard opened the door for him and once inside Clay took in the lavish living arrangements Grant had accumulated. Plush sofas and those fur rugs where the animals heads remained were underfoot, most of them stained with red shoe prints old and new. Clay found Grant in his study, and he did his best to not let his eyes stray to the woman who was on her knees before Grant while he lounged in what could only be described as a throne with it's plush red cushioned and ornately carved wood backing.

"I'm assuming you've come to me with an update?" Grant spoke, sounding a little bored. The woman on her knees made a choked noise of dismay as Grant's hand landed on the top of her head and pushed her down.

"Your reserve troops should be arriving at Fort Strand today, no word from Grim, so your plan must be going smoothly." Clay said and Grant snorted.

"Of course it's going to plan." The woman gasped for breath as Grant finally let go of her head. "That fucker thinks he can just walk away from all of this? Not a chance. He's too useful and too stupid to question anything. Did you tell the boys to go easy on him this time? I don't want to the doc to waste more supplies than we have to." Clay murmured his confirmation and was about to turn away when Grant's voice stopped him. "I didn't dismiss you." There was a sick sort of gleam to his eyes as his hands fisted in the woman's hair.

~

Ruby's encampment grew smaller in the rear view mirror and Grim found himself settling into the seat as Ruby issued her challenge to him. The only thing was, Grim truly didn't know if he could flirt at all. He certainly had his experience when it came to bedroom activities but it had always been to scratch and itch and every partner he had taken knew that. Traditional courtship and soft teasing words had faded out of existence, but with this fiery woman next to him; he found himself wishing he did know how to. His fingers drummed on the steering wheel as he thought and Ruby went about pulling out a map.

He kept his eye on the road, only moving his gaze away briefly to Ruby when she made a mark on the map or twisted the large bit of paper in her lap. When she spoke, he rolled his eyes unsure of how to answer her when it came to the reason why he'd wanted to keep her around. How could he tell her that it seemed almost impossible to drive away from her when she so clearly belonged in the seat next to him. He was saved from answering her however when the questions she asked turned to the topic of Grant Rivers.

"Delay's are common in all excursions, Grant knows that by now." Grim muttered, knowing full well that what he was saying was bullshit. "I'll deal with him when I see him next." The idea that Grant would extend his servitude wasn't something Grim wanted to dwell on. Thinking about what might come felt like a knife to the gut, she had no right to come in here and prod at his choices like she knew better. "I don't want to talk about this Ruby, and if you knew what was good for you, you'd drop this." Grim muttered, his hands turning the wheel as he moved the truck onto what had once been a highway and would take them back to Fort Strand. He'd done just fine on his own and he would continue doing just fine now.

"Wouldn't you rather I just be done with the man anyways?" Grim seethed from the drivers seat. The hand that held the shifter gripped the plastic tight enough that the numbers of the gears were imprinted on his palm. He wasn't sure what made him ask, they'd both established that they didn't think highly of Grant Rivers or Grim's involvement with him. The part of him that craved her lit a small flame of hope within him, surely she wasn't worried for his safety? it was both exhilarating and terrifying to think of Ruby caring for him beyond their physical attraction.
 
It amused Ruby to no end that Grim didn't answer her question about why he'd drafted her and she quietly stored that little bit of information about him way, most likely to use later when she wanted to piss him off. However, when talk turned to Grant the change in the air around them was palpable and although she hadn't meant to irk the inked man sat beside her, should could tell that something was bothering him in the way that his hands tightened on the wheel and his declination to talk about it, which used her first name and everything. "God, fine, I was just asking." In reality though, there had been more to her question than just curiosity. Ruby hated that Grim had anything to do with that man and the hell he called a settlement, but over time she had grown to hate it not only because it meant Grim was involved but also because she really did wonder about the extent of his knowledge when it came to what Rivers was capable of and she supposed that... she was concerned, in her own way. It was difficult to think about what might happen to them when they went their separate ways, even though that was now delayed, but she'd certainly sleep easier at night knowing he wasn't leaving her to head on over to Fort Haven.

These thoughts were written across her features in a frown, and in the way that she had stopped studying her map in favour of looking without seeing as her mind was cast elsewhere. When Grim spoke again however, in that familiar grumpy tone, rather than tease as she might have usually done, the redhead found the anxiety churning in her stomach speaking up for her. "I would like nothing more than you to be done with that scumbag. To be honest, if you hadn't have dragged me along with you again I'd have been pleased to wipe my hands of you sooner if it meant not having to think about him. Maybe next time I should let the guys take your truck. Stop Rivers from getting his delivery altogether."

The swipe came out more pointed than she'd expected it to, and of course she didn't really mean it, but Ruby had never been particularly good at dealing with her feelings and lashing out was often easier in the short-term than accepting them. Plus, it was annoying her to no end that Grim was angry at her for asking a question, out of goddamn concern for him. He hurt her so she wanted to hurt him, and so the fucked up broken cycle of it all continued.

With flushed cheeks and her lips set into a thin line of annoyance, Ruby slapped her map back together and shoved it into the glove compartment, and then lifted her boot onto the closed door again for good measure.
 
Fire was met with more fire as the two of them push the other away once more. Grim could all but feel every angry pulse of his veins as his foot pressed down harder on the gas and the truck picked up its speed. He didn't know how to handle Ruby's concern, nor did he understand the way she easily jabbed him with the mention of leaving him and then the cherry on top of the pile of shit that was his anger was the idea of Riley sitting where he sat now. He needed to grow the fuck up and start acting his age if the two of them were going to survive this and each other.

And yet despite it all, he could stop his eyes as they traced down the line of her leg that was propped up against the glovebox. He didn't feed the flame of their anger with more words, and the two of them slipped into the angry silence that had been their companion during their journey here. As they drove trees and rubble dotted the sides of the road and Grim guided his truck past the remains of other vehicles. They didn't speak, even as they passed through the roads that had once been barred by bison, they didn't see any of the herd this time but based on the state of the land and the debris they left behind the herd wasn't that far off.

Why had he fought for her to join him? Ruby's question echoed in his mind and the furious part of himself wanted to deny the pull he felt towards her. It would be to easy to stop the truck and kick her ass out and just leave, but even as broken as he was he couldn't seem to make himself go back on the promise he'd made to her and to Erin, nor could he do that to Grant Rivers. He felt most like himself when he wasn't burdened by the knowledge that the only reason he was still alive was thanks to another and fucking Grant Rivers had lorded that debt over him for the better part of the year. One day he would be free of Grant Rivers, though Grim didn't think he could say the same for Ruby. Even if they parted ways he didn't think he'd ever forget her and that truth made him want to bogart her away from the world. If he kept her he didn't have to go through the pain of missing her. It seemed simple enough to him.

They drove through lunch time, and Grim silently pulled two granola bars from his pack and tossed one in Ruby's direction before opening his own. The food was enough to satiate them until late evening coloured the sky like the deep blue of the ocean, the moon was new on this night and so the only light that would soon guide them was the bright beams of the headlights. Grim pulled off the road without warning, following a dirt road that was rutted with potholes and overgrowth. With no large cities nearby Grim knew the dirt roads often led to old power stations or to what he was banking on- a cabin. The road seemed to be void of any traps or infected, but that didn't stop Grim from keeping his eyes peeled as he navigated them through the thicket of trees that bordered the road. When they rounded a corner the headlights lit up the walls of a quaint looking log cabin. It was a two story house with a large wraparound balcony that circled the second floor. The lights were off in the cabin and too his surprise the place seemed relatively untouched, nary a window seemed smashed in. He kept the lights on for the truck even as he turned off the engine and with a look towards Ruby he pulled his pistol and flashlight out.

"Let's do a quick outside sweep, check for any signs of life." He didn't wait for her confirmation, but instead hopped out of the truck and immediately trained his gun on what he hoped would be their shelter for the night. Grim's form when it came to handling weapons seemed trained, he kept both hands on the grip, the flashlight tucked there as well. Grim walked quietly, trusting Ruby would go the other way so that they might meet in the middle as they cleared. Overgrown bushes lined the walls of the cabin and Grim avoided fallen branches from the above towering trees as he and Ruby completed their perimeter sweep. They didn't speak, only nodding to one another that they hadn't seen anything before they turned to what was clearly the back door of the house.

Grim tested the knob, finding it unlocked, he was about to kick the door down when he remembered Ruby's disdain when he'd done that at Fort Strand. Reeling in the instinct to barge in guns blazing Grim turned away from the door and after checking a few of the nearby windows he was pleased to find one unlatched. His hand pressed against the glass and the window groaned under the weight of having to move after being stationary for so long. He looked to Ruby, and once he was assured they were ready he led the charge and pulled himself through the window. After a moment's thought he turned and offered his hand to Ruby to help her through the window.

"Watch your step Red." He whispered quietly. It was still light enough for them to recognize they had stepped into a dusty office space and after a moment of strained listening Grim and Ruby moved forward to check the rest of the house. They moved through the house uncovering it's open floor plan and Grim took note of the minimally furnished rooms and barren cupboards and determined that perhaps the place had been a rental before the world went to shit. They finished clearing the space by checking out the second floor balcony and Grim blinked down at the raised stone firepit that was directly outside what he assumed was the master bedroom.

"Well, this seems like a good place to hole up for the night. We're about an hour away from the Fort." Grim tucked the gun away and put his hands on his hips. "I'll see if I can scrounge up some wood for a fire. Might be nice to have a can of soup that's actually warm." He mused.
 
Why had he fought for her to join him? It was the question that remained between them as they merged into yet another angry silence, one that kept them company throughout the rest of their drive. Ruby knew that she irritated Grim and so the reasons behind his request for her to do this with him seemed to swing like a pendulum towards the logical fact that she was good at this. But was that really it? He'd wanted her for her skill? Surely it wasn't for her company, given that they now sat once more without speaking, without even looking at each other as Ruby twisted towards the window and Grim concentrated on the road in front.

Her thoughts slipped her through the rest of the day, twisting to what Grim had told her about himself the day before, about how he'd been in a bad way and that Grant had saved him. Ruby found herself wondering what could have happened to him to wind him up in that position, especially when he seemed so accustomed to survival. But of course she didn't speak to her curiosity, even when a granola bar was tossed her way. If there was one thing that Grim was better at than her, it was that he was much faster at pulling himself out of a mood than she was; Ruby's ability to sulk was unmatched and she continued to do so as she munched through her snack, and even when Grim pulled the truck off the road without warning much later on in the evening.

The redhead sat up a little straighter as only the headlights illuminated the dirt track, occasionally glancing at Grim out of the corner of her eye that was a good indicator of her desperation to ask questions, yet still she held them back, until the log cabin finally appeared ahead of them and suddenly she was too busy marvelling at the two stories of wood and the wrap around balcony to speak anyway. In another life, she could imagine being brought here on a surprise vacation, leaping from the car and running excitedly up to that balcony and circling it until Grim caught her back at the front door. The vision was so vivid that it took her companion speaking to pull her out of it, and with a glance in his direction, she was moving from the truck without confirmation, at about the same time as he was. No matter what was going on between them, when it came to survival they were always on the same page. The same team.

With her own handgun and flashlight, Ruby took the perimeter in the opposite direction. Her footsteps were light, quick and slightly poised, every inch of her on high alert for a sound or anything that looked out of place amongst the overgrown bushes that may have once been a garden. When she finally met Grim back in the middle, her nod was given and she had been about to flinch as he made to kick in the door, but the noise never came. Instead, he turned his attention to the windows, much to Ruby's astonishment and found one to be open, one that the both of them could climb through.

With a light smirk at this turn of events and a burning desire to point out the obvious that on this occasion she decided to swallow, the redhead had been about to take her turn to clamber in when Grim held out his hand to help her. For a moment, olive greens wavered on the outstretched hand and how she wanted to snap that she didn't need his help, but in a moment of growth and against her better judgement, she placed her fingers into his palm and for a few short seconds, relished in the warmth of it and the way his fingers completely engulfed her own. Only when her boots finally thumped onto the floorboards did she snatch her hand away again, perhaps a second too quickly as she glanced at his quiet warning and without acknowledging it, began forwards through the house, mainly in an attempt to take her mind off the tingling of her fingers.

The place was big. And empty. They made their way around it quickly, cautiously, quietly. Ruby was surprised by how baron everything was - it wasn't even as if it had been looted. The furniture seemed to remain where it always had been, there was no sign of break-ins, so she could only assume that the place was empty when the infection had hit. Rentals were not a concept that she had experienced and so the consideration didn't cross her mind.

By the time that they made it to the second floor balcony, the tension finally slipping away from their shoulders now that they knew they were alone and safe, Ruby slipped her gun back into the waistband of her jeans, her gaze remaining upon the truck down below and the way its lights illuminated the space. To Grim's observation she simply muttered in response, "Lucky us," before she turned and headed back towards the door in which they'd just come through. "I'm going to take another look around."

In truth, Ruby wanted to take a couple of minutes for herself, to try and shake the bitterness that was reminiscent of their earlier conversation. She slipped away from Grim and back into the hallway, down the stairs and into the open plan living room and kitchen, slow footsteps meandering around the sofa that she reached out her fingers to touch as though it was an artefact in a museum. In some ways, to her, she guessed that it was. An informative image of what life could have once been but never would be again. A small sigh left her lips as she clicked off her flashlight, using those of the truck to for visibility as she bent down under the counter that held an old TV, where several boxes sat atop each other. "Cleudo... Frustration... Snap," the redhead murmured the titles to herself, pulling the smaller box of picture cards towards her and keeping hold of it as she straightened and headed to the kitchen next, trawling through drawers and cabinets until she reached one filled with dusty glasses, and right there at the back... A little bit of shifting and Ruby tugged the bottle of whiskey free, twisting off the stopper that had already been broken at some point and sniffing at the amber liquid with a wrinkle of her nose. As offensive as it was though, she didn't return it, instead sweeping the rest of the room (and only finding a spanner that may be of any use) before heading back up to where she figured Grim was busying himself with the fire and the soup.

Finally, she spoke as she approached, this time with an almost childlike grin, if not a slightly devious looking one. "Hey grandad. Look what I found." She held up the bottle of whiskey first, and then tossed the box of cards over to him, before sitting herself on one of the recliners that sat in front of the firepit. "I think this was already open but it'll be fine, right?" Ruby's gaze hovered over the label on the front of the bottle and without looking up she asked next, "Do you know how to play? I thought maybe we could try a game, after dinner." Then she shrugged, still not looking up. "I've never played before."
 
The surrounding pines were filled with the occasional echo of the axe as Grim brought the rusted weapon down on the blocks of wood he'd discovered neatly stacked by an old dilapidated shed. Despite the age and the the potential dullness of the blade, Grim had to admit the thing cut the wood like it was butter. By the time Ruby was partway through her rounds in the house he was had a stack of logs and was feeling considerably better. With the help of an old tub he carted the logs and the supplies needed to make a fire. It took a few tries but soon a healthy warm orange blaze was slowly taking over the pit. Grim left to grab the cooking supplies and was in the process of setting them up when Ruby approached with her finds.

His eyes gleamed at the sight of the bottle and just as he was about to growl his appreciate she tossed the cards at him. Despite his fingers bouncing off the stack and sending it pinging he managed to recover the game before it hit the ground and he really embarrassed himself.

"It should be good." He said in response to her question about the whiskey. She was still looking at the bottle while she asked her next questions and he considered her carefully, he couldn't help the small hope that she'd look at him with the bright fascinated eyes but she refused and he nodded. It was unfair of him to hope that he could continue this with her without answering at least some of her questions. He gave the fire a poke with a stick he'd found before he stepped around the stone base and approached Ruby. "I can teach you." He murmured. "I wont go easy on you though Red." She still wasn't looking at him and so he decided to take the object of her current fascination and plucked the bottle out of her hands. He twisted the cork stopper and the air around them was filled with the satisfying squeak of cork against glass. He didn't bother with a sniff test, and instead took a big gulp of the liquid fire. He felt its warm trail down his stomach to settle like a warm coal in his belly. With a wry smile he handed it back to Ruby and turned to continue with their meal.

"After supper I'll kick your ass." It wasn't lost on Grim how domestic this all was for the both of them. It was easy to pretend that he had whisked her away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a weekend away in the woods. Grim settled himself on what seemed like the most stable of the dilapidated chairs surrounding the firepit and got to work on setting down a travel pot on a few of the hot coals he'd sequestered from the rest of the fire. He popped open the metal lid from the can using his knife and then tipped the can into the fire, his stomach rumbled appreciatively at the sight. Perhaps it may not have been the smartest idea to take a large gulp of the whiskey on such an empty stomach but he found he couldn't find the room to care as the pleasant tingles of the alcohol working it's magic started in the base of his neck. His sister used to call booze liquid courage and perhaps she was right, because in the next moment he was opening his mouth, the words from earlier no longer feeling trapped within him.

"Earlier you asked me about why I fought to keep you." He still wasn't brave enough to seek out those soulful olive eyes of hers as he spoke, and so he made himself look busy by poking at the fire and laying another log on top of it. "In the moment it was hard to answer because you pissed me off, as you have a talent for doing." Grim's forehead scrunched together as he heard himself speak. "Shit, that's not what I meant, well no that's exactly what I meant. You do piss me off sometimes Ruby." Grim dragged a hand down his face, his fingers ending on the beard that lined his jaw and he scratched at it absently. "I wasn't done, with whatever this is." He gestured between the two of them with a spoon before bending to give the soup a stir. "I didn't like the idea of not being able to reach out and not be able to touch you." The broth of the soup began to bubble lightly and Grim lifted the pot from the coals, his hand only slightly stinging from the well warmed handle of the pan. With the pot sitting on the firepits edge he was able to ladle out it's contents to two bowls and handed one over to Ruby.

Grim settled back in his chair and ever the impatient man he was, quickly shoved a spoonful of hot soup into his mouth. Despite the burst of pain over his tongue he groaned like he had just taken a sampling at a Micheline star restaurant. "I hope that answers your question." He mumbled around another bite of hot soup, after he washed it down with a little more whiskey. After they had finished their meal Grim laid a few more logs over the fire and the two of them dragged a small table outside for them to play their game. The light of the fire was enough for them both to see the cards in their hands as Grim explained the rules to Snap. It was simple enough and soon the two of them were turning over cards from their pile, keeping a wary eye on their opponents cards.

Grim won the first pile and as he neatly added to his stack of cards he let his liquid courage once more do the talking. "Why did you agree to come with me?"
 
"I wouldn't expect anything less." And with that Ruby finally looked up at Grim, especially when he removed the whiskey bottle from her hands. Amusement beside a challenge flickered in the firelight that was reflected in her eyes, a soft notion that things were okay between them again, despite the fact that neither of them had verbally apologised, or sought to patch up their differences with words. It didn't seem to occur to them that perhaps if they spoke it out that might stop further blow-ups, but in their broken way they were developing their own way of communicating and for now, that was enough.

Taking the bottle back from him with a smirk, Ruby lifted it to her own lips in the aftermath of his mouthful and took a gulp, her features scrunching as it scorched down her neck. In fact, it was so damn bad that she had to lift a hand to her mouth as she coughed a little against it and then shuddered before settling it down beside her while Grim started to warm through their supper. "Oh yeah? That sounds like fighting talk, grandad." Ruby raised her eyebrows, satisfied with how the liquid heat was working down her chest, warming her through and igniting a tingle that she otherwise kept well and truly held beneath the surface. That, along with the warmth from the fire was beginning to flush her cheeks and she watched as Grim poked at the fire he'd created.

There was no expectation for them to speak or fill the new silence, but after a small while he took it upon himself to and not only that, to answer her question from earlier. And when it came it was a zinger of an answer, the kind of honesty that Ruby had very rarely experienced, or knew what to do with. At first she bristled at his truth, even though she knew it to be correct but she clamped her mouth shut and kept her gaze on the flames so as not to ruin whatever Grim was battling with. Though when he gestured between them and finally admitted that there was a 'this', and that he feared missing her, she looked up at him in surprise and then away again just as quickly as her cheeks heated even further and she internally thanked every god that she knew for the shadows hopefully covering it. "Oh," was all that she managed softly in the end, taking it as her cue to lift the bottle once more to her lips and finding that the whiskey went down a little smoother this time.

Despite her noncommittal response however, Ruby's mind was spinning. She took the bowl offered to her and and nodded when asked if he'd answered her question. "Yeah." But then eating and thinking quickly took the place of words as she considered that Grim had put her own desires into words that she couldn't, and where they were to go from here, what it all meant and why her heart was beating so hard in the aftermath.

It didn't take the two of them long to finish a can of soup between them and they quickly moved onto the rules of Snap, which thank goodness were incredibly simple and easy for Ruby to pick up. In fact, it was inadvertently just what she needed as a brief rest bite from her own mind, the frustration of Grim winning the first round spurring her on to do better as she shuffled a little further onto the edge of her seat as if preparing herself, which she supposed in a way she was. Though, nobody could have prepared for her Grim's return question when it came.

Olive eyes briefly flickered from her cards to amber and then back down again while she placed another card onto the pile. "To make sure you returned with the supplies you said you'd get for us," she answered quietly, although one look at his face again and they both knew that that wasn't going to cut it. Just like they both knew it wasn't the truth.

Sighing softly, when Grim put his next hand down, Ruby's eyes rounded out as she slammed a palm onto the top of the pile of cards. "Ah-ha!" Then, without hesitation she started to gather them, grinning her thanks before shuffling them and getting ready to start again. Only when she put her first card down did she speak. "I agreed to come with you because... I enjoyed the time that we spent together. Even though you piss me off too." A shy smirk emerged as she watched Grim's hand perhaps a little too intently. "And I wasn't ready. For it to end either. Going with you felt better than staying home and... I know you don't want to talk about it but I... I don't like that you're working with Grant Rivers. I really, really don't like it." But despite herself, Ruby couldn't force out the why and before she could say anymore, the both of them realised that the bottom two cards were matching and shot out their hands. At the same time. So that Grim's covered hers.

Ruby's breath caught a little and her eyes shot up towards his almost immediately, searching. But she didn't pull away.

"So..." She started on an exhale. "What do we do when it's a draw?"
 
Between the two of them the mostly filled whiskey was quickly dwindling as they turned to snap for the night. Grim didn't seem to care however, and he let impulsiveness guide him as he took another glug from the bottle, a bit of the booze snaking its way out of the corner of his mouth to find rest in the bristles of his beard. Absently he wiped at the spot before setting the bottle down between them. Ruby caught onto the simple game easily enough and when she tossed her first response to his question he couldn't help the deadpan stare he sent her way. He knew just as much as she did that her answer was far more complex than that, but he wouldn't press- well ok maybe he would, but after the game. The vines on his hands seemed to almost come alive in the fires light as he flipped his card onto the pile.

Ruby spotted the match before he did and when she slapped her palm down onto the pile with a victorious smile he couldn't stop the small smile that pulled at his own lips. She was so goddamn wholesome it made his heart ache. She gathered the cards and Grim was treated to the sight of Ruby's features melting away from victory to something more serious, almost like contemplation. He wanted to press a kiss to those pursed lips of hers as she thought, it must have been the booze but he found himself leaning closer towards her without thinking. He flipped over his own card as Ruby spoke and soon the pleasant warmth in his belly from the whiskey was replaced by the molten heat of her words. There was such sweet victory in the knowledge that she too felt the magnetic pull between the two of them and that she'd been just as helpless as he to ignore it. He couldn't even find the room to be irked at her mention of Rivers, not when their hands shot out simultaneously and he covered her hand that had slapped down on the cards.

Their gazes snagged, and when she didn't pull away he let his hand circle her wrist, enjoying the silky slide of her against the pads of his fingers. He kept her there as he explained the rules of a tie and when it came time to let her go he couldn't seem to make his hands move away from the soft alluring line of her wrist. He kept his eyes on her, lifting her hand between the two of them, and when her wrist was high enough he succumbed to the sweet temptation of her, and let his head bend to press his lips to the base of her wrist, right where her pulse beat the strongest. He lingered there for one moment and then another, letting his teeth graze over her skin. Grim generally wasn't a gentle man, but it seemed this woman had become the master of uncovering sides of him that he'd never known. When he released her hand he took their pile and laid of off to the side as the pot.

"Should we make things interesting Princess?" His feral grin was back, illuminated by the glow of the fire. "Whoever doesn't get the pot has to take another drink."
 
He didn't pull away either. In fact, as Ruby stayed where she was, Grim took it one step further, tracing the rough pads of his fingers along the delicate underside of her wrist. The sensation licked a trail of heat in its wake and their eye contact remained even as his touch drifted, made all the sweeter by their earlier revelations. Though that didn't remove the challenge that seemed to be reflected in the both of them, the game of chicken surrounding who would be the first to make a move when its inevitability seemed to be creeping ever closer.

Grim's fingers continued to lift her hand into the space between them as he explained the rules of a tie, and Ruby's heart began to thump beneath her shirt, her lips slightly parted to allow her quickening breaths to escape. All the while she watched as the man who did not look capable of such gentleness leaned down to press his lips to where she could feel her blood thrumming, the scratch of his beard against her so heavenly that it took everything that she had not not to say to hell with their goddamn game so that she could demand him to trace his lips elsewhere. The thought sent a shiver of pleasure through her small body and when he grazed her skin with his teeth, Ruby exhaled sharply through her nose, her eyes fluttering closed at the sheer pleasure in such a small action, and in an attempt to stifle the whimper that was ready and waiting at the back of her throat.

By the time that Grim finally pulled away from her, Ruby's hand dropped limply back into her lap and when she reopened her eyes to meet his her pupils were darker, and just as hungry as the wolfish grin of the man sitting opposite her, now proposing that they upped the stakes in what had begun as an innocent game of matching pictures. Red could already feel the alcohol in her system, heightening everything, blurring her boundaries and for someone who liked to be in control perhaps that should have felt more worrying than it did.

"Deal," she challenged, her voice thick, soft. Sultry. "Though I think we can go one step better than that. Next loser takes a drink and every loser after that takes a drink and gives a truth." Ruby shifted a little closer to the small table between them, and closer to Grim before slowly readying the cards in her own hands. "Or takes a dare." Black-olive eyes dropped slightly to the remnants of droplets that she could see in Grim's beard and she smacked her lips before placing the first card down to start off the round. She'd read about truth or dare once. Never had a chance to play it though. Until now.

"What do you say, grandad? Not scared, are you?"
 
The air between them sizzled with lustful electricity and Grim was more than happy to lose himself in it. His mouth watered at the sight of Ruby and the truth of how his touch affected her, he wished for half a moment that he had a camera to capture the moment. He didn't think anyone had ever looked at him the way Ruby was now, and the notion that she wanted this as much as he was exhilarating. He could still taste the sweetness of her skin and his tongue darted out to run lightly over his bottom lip as he savoured the memory of it. Ruby upped the ante with the addition of a makeshift version of truth or dare and he found himself nodding in agreement.

"You are many things Ruby, but scary is not one of them." Grim teased in response, readying his own pile of cards and flipping the first of his stack. As they flipped their cards their eyes trained on one another's cards Grim spoke again. "You forget Little Red, I've been to a party or two in my time. I know just what to dare to make things go my way." As he finished speaking they revealed another match and both of their hands slapped down on the table, this time Ruby's hand covered his. There was a moment where the two of them could do nothing but look at one one another and Grim's breath grew heavy in his chest.

The whiskey stopped him from worrying, it didn't matter that she might ask him a question that he wasn't ready to answer. It didn't matter that he would feel honour bound to tell her despite the walls he'd so carefully built around his heart. All that mattered was here and now, this game was leading to something that felt so much bigger than the two of them and he could forget everything that told him no when the sweet promise of more with Ruby blinded him. The pile was added to the pot and the two of them resumed the game. They were both so focused on the challenge of winning against the other that the only sounds came from the crackle of the fire and a far off coyote howling up at the new moon. In the next moment Grim's hand came shooting out over the table slapping down over the pot when the match came up, his victorious grin gleaming across to her. It may have been immature and silly of him but he couldn't stop lifting his hand to form and L on his forehead as Ruby reached for the bottle.

"Mhm, you'd better keep that, because you'll be losing again right away here." Despite his words Grim reached for the bottle when she finished and he took a drink in an act of solidarity with her. He let the amber liquid rest on his tongue all smoky and rich before swallowing. They began again and true to his word Grim's hand came flying over the cards once more beating Ruby to the match of the two of hearts. Pure mischief coloured his features as he rose from his chair. He made a great show of dragging his chair away from the table just a few meters away from her before sitting down on the chair. Grim lounged like the king he felt like he was, his legs extended in front of him while he leaned back against the back of the chair. His voice was gruff when he spoke next.

"I dare you Ruby..." He trailed off, basking in the warmth of his victory and in the pure pleasure of what he was about to ask her to do. "I want you to crawl, hands and knees, eyes on me and rest you pretty chin right here." He patted the space just above his knee. "Then I want you to tell me about the most beautiful place you've ever been." He leaned forward, his grin all teeth. "Scared Red?"
 
"Mm, is that right?" Ruby mused in response to Grim's teasings, her eyes now trained upon the point of their joint cards. "And were those parties in this decade or the last?" A small smirk threatened the corners of her mouth as she once again poked at his age until all was interrupted by another joint slap onto the table between them. Their eyes met and neither of them moved in what felt like hours rather than the few seconds that followed. When Ruby finally did, she made sure to drag the tips of her fingers to between Grim's knuckles and along his fingers until they were finally detached once more. As that moment passed them by, the redhead took another steadying breath that she hoped he didn't notice.

The game continued, a new kind of tension filling the space now, one that was waiting to see who would make the first move. It seemed that their want for each other was well aligned, but Ruby had a feeling that Grim would make her work for him and in return, she would do the same. Even the very thought of the dares he could inflict on her caused a shiver to tingle up her spine and it was that same sensation that in the end, cost her the pot. Upon realising this, Ruby's darkened gaze shot up to be met with the victorious grin of her handsome partner and despite the smile that worked its way onto her features, she reached over to shove his arm when the L shape was made on his forehead, and then shook her head as he handed her the whiskey. In truth, Ruby didn't need anymore alcohol but seeing as though throwing caution to the wind was fast becoming the theme of the evening, she pressed it to her lips and took a mouthful, rolling her eyes when Grim took it from her.

"Oh we'll see about that. You keep dreaming buddy, I'm just getting started." Then she flopped back into her chair, watching him over the top of the crackling fire. "Come on then. Let's get this over with." Her nose wrinkled slightly although when Grim stood so he could move his chair and then sat again with his legs out in front of him, Ruby's brow furrowed while she tried to work out where in the hell this was going? Sit in his lap for the next round? A dance? As it turned out however, she was on the right track, just not quite as far up it as Grim was. Upon hearing what he was daring her Ruby swallowed, her heart rate picking up to an erratic drumming rhythm. Her red hair swished around her shoulders when she shook her head with incredulity, muttering an amused, "You bastard," loud enough for the man in question to hear. In truth, she was scared. Terrified, actually. Simply because she knew she was going to enjoy this way more than she should. And she was going to make sure that he did, too.

"Not even a little," Ruby lied through her teeth, lifting forwards from her seat and crouching down onto the floor between her and her destination. "I was just considering how your dare actually consists of a dare and a truth, and how I'm going to repay the favour when I win the next round."

The confident raise of her eyebrows was short-lived as she finally dropped down onto all fours, just like Grim had requested. Slowly, and purposefully so, the redhead began forwards, her eyes never once flickering, never once leaving his. The distance seemed to close so painfully slowly that it was an effort for her not to pick up the pace, but once she finally reached him she paused and sat back on her ankled, expression more serious now, more heated. But again, she didn't look away from those smouldering stones of amber when she dipped her chin onto Grim's thigh much higher than the space he'd patted. For a few moments she rested there, batting her eyelashes up at him and letting her hand sit atop his knee, fingers stroking small circles into his pants. When she spoke, it was as though this wasn't bothering her at all.

"The most beautiful place I've ever been," she began, her voice thick with her desire for the intimacy of how close they were, and not just physically as she battled with revealing a part of herself to him. "Is the inside of my mother's car. It's where I was happiest, where I felt safest. We'd drive for miles sometimes, across the country. I used to enjoy sticking my head out of the window and watching the landscape change. I'd give anything to be back there with her sometimes."

Her answer was a little solemn considering how it had come about but there was something that felt safe about how she and Grim were sitting that helped Ruby to share something about herself that nobody else knew. It was a moment of rare vulnerability that only he could see and the look in her eyes told him as much. It didn't take long for the tension to return though, as she placed her hands on either side of Grim's legs on the chair in the next instance, and pushed herself up and over him, her face stopping just in front of his, their eyes meeting, noses only inches apart. Red's lips quirked a little when she leaned in, but rather than close the distance she murmured, "Game on, grandad," and then pulled away completely to saunter her way back to her chair, a triumphant pursing of her lips remaining in place as they settled into the next round.

Ruby allowed Grim to place a card down first this time, then she did, then him and so it went on until finally, her hand slammed down onto the matching queens before his. "Ah, would you look at that!" She clicked her fingers. "I believe this is yours sir," the redhead grinned, before handing over the bottle of whiskey. "And I believe that you now owe me a dare, just as I thought you might." Her fingers came up to tap the bottom of her chin in feigned thought. "Hm, let's see. I dare you Grim..." She began in the same manner as he had, eyes sparkling. "To come over here and remove my shirt, without touching anything that isn't my shirt, and without looking away from here." Ruby pointed to her eyes, leaning back onto the recliner, casually balancing on her elbows. "And while you're doing that, I want you to answer me this." A small, thoughtful pause. "Is Grim your real name?"
 
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There was absolutely no way Grim was revealing to Ruby that the last party he had been to have been almost two decades ago, back when his only problems had been rowdy dancers and ensuring he didn't drink too much to pay for it the next day. He'd certainly forgotten that last step and already he could feel the makings of what would be a massive hangover headache blooming behind his eyes. He couldn't have cared less. The drink and the fire made Ruby's cheeks a lovely shade of rose and he loved watching the way her throat bobbed as she took a sip of the whiskey.

He sat there, a small ways away laughing as the word 'bastard' left her lips. He could have started her off easier, but that wasn't his style and truthfully he was hungry for the sight of her on her knees in front of him. He taunted her, hoping that he hadn't pushed her too hard and that she would call an end to the game; but Ruby in her usual Ruby fashion rose to the challenge, throwing her own promise of what was to come as she sank to her knees and hands. The sight of her there as she slowly and purposefully made her way towards him had his throat going dry. A muscle in his jaw clenched as her eyes stayed locked on him, even as his own dipped away from her face to graze over the soft curve of her back and to that glorious bit of flesh that was her backside. As she approached his gaze shifted back to her eyes and he remained still, like a predator ready to pounce she she pressed her chin to mid thigh, her hand resting over his knee.

The circles she drew there were just as maddening as the pout of her lips and the soft glow of her eyes as she peered up at him through her lashes. He didn't even realize he was grinning as he let himself move a single hand to brush against the soft line of her nose. He'd half expected her to share about some non descript lake or a home that had caught her fancy, not once considering that she might open up a bit of her heart to him in that moment. He recognized the heartfelt tone in her voice as she spoke about the backseat of her mothers car, his eyes softening to burning coals as she told him of her journey. It was easy to picture a young Ruby nestled in the backseat of a car a mess of toys and books around her as she rolled down the window letting the wind gust through her hair. He wondered if her mother looked anything like her, if they both carried the same sassy lips or similar temperament.

She humbled him with her story and though he'd half expected the game to end with his dare so he might sink into the sweet embrace of her, he instead found himself wanting to hug her. Jesus, he was getting soft.

"That sounds beautiful." He murmured in agreement as Ruby's hands found either of his legs and used them to push herself to her feet. He was treated to the sight of her agile little body shifting and when her nose was just a few breaths away from his he couldn't stop the parting of his lips as his eyes dropped to her mouth loving the way she smirked at him. She came closer and he was trapped under her spell unable to move as she teased him. She kept him there for a few torturous moments before pulling away. Grim sucked air into his lungs suddenly realizing that he'd forgotten to breathe as she sauntered away from him like the goddess she was.

"Fucking hell." He muttered, standing to drag his chair back to the table and start up the game anew. Ruby's distractions had done their job and he lost almost right away. He accepted the whiskey without much grumbling and took a healthy swig. He set the bottle down as Ruby laid down her dare and truth. Posing the challenge of removing her shirt and keeping eye contact, his brain stuttered a bit at her question but he refused to back down from her challenge. She'd been so real with him, truly he was safe to do the same? Grim rose to his feet and stepped around the table to Ruby as she reclined, his eyes already locked on hers as he crouched. It took a bit of doing to find the hem of her shirt without letting his gaze drop or touching her skin but he managed. When he had a good grip on it he slowly began to pull it up, revealing a toned stomach that took all of his effort not to look at directly. The position of their bodies and the burning connection between their gazes reassured him, and with a heavy breath Grim spoke his truth.

"Grim is my real name, but it wasn't always Grim." The shirt crept up higher now, catching slightly on the fabric of her underclothes. "What you have to understand is this Red, my parents were people of many talents, however naming things was not one of them. Consistently they chose the stupidest names for pets and children. We had a fish named Kat because mom thought it was funny. There was an outdoor cat that lived in the neighbourhood that dad called Mr. Speed solely based on the fact that he would run fast." It took all of his effort not to groan at the memory or the reveal of Ruby's chest, he kept his determined eyes on her as she shifted so he might pull the fabric over her arms. The neck of the shirt got a little tangled in the gathering of beads and the red fabric she wore around her neck but he managed to pulled them free without grazing her skin as much as he was tempted to. Despite the task being done the story wasn't and he kept his gaze locked to hers, staying crouched as he continued.

"My sister got the worst of it, and she was a saint for not changing it immediately when she was old enough. Josie Joyce." His nose crinkled as he spoke. He let lose a heavy sigh before speaking the name he hadn't spoke for years. "I was Avery." He lifted a hand a finger moving over her lips before she could say anything. "They told me it was gender neutral, but let me tell you princess, I've never met another male Avery. Only females, therefore I feel that the gender neutral argument is bullshit. Before everything I went by A.J, after... it just seemed right to let it all go." He shrugged finally letting his gaze drop to the magnificent form that was Ruby, and his hands itched to reach out and touch her.

"Fuck." His voice was hoarse as he rose to his feet, his gaze darted back to the table and the few sips left of the whiskey. From the way he felt unsteady on his feet and the healthy flush that covered most of Ruby's chest he made the choice that they were done the game. He didn't bother with asking permission as his arms hoisted Ruby up off the recliner and up against him, his hands guiding her legs around his hips as he tugged her close to him, loving the way she pressed to him. It was only a few steps to the sliding door of the balcony and another few steps to the dusty but still comfortable mattress of the bedroom. He had her on her back and was hovering over her in a matter of seconds, there was something hungry in his gaze as he peered down at her. He didn't speak, letting his actions speak for themselves as his hand snaked between them finding sweet line of her throat and squeezing.

Time seemed to slow in that moment, his eyes searching hers for one last lingering gaze before he finally lowered his head and brought their mouths together. At the first touch of their lips he turned feral a primal growl emanating from his throat as tasting Ruby was everything he could have imagined and more.

"I fucking need you Ruby, say you need me too." He rumbled, tearing his mouth from hers to meet her eye.
 
Everything about Ruby in that moment looked the picture of calm, relaxed, yet internally her body was a storm, full of heat and electricity as Grim crouched over her and reached forwards with large, inked hands. The dare had been made with intent to rile him up, to break the precarious boundary between them once and for all, to coax him into doing so. Yet as the buttons of her shirt were carefully peeled away from her sensitive skin, and olive green once more met with wolfish orbs, Ruby wasn't sure if she could hold out, wasn't sure whether she'd be able to let him finish before she wrapped a fist into his own shirt and yanked him down to meet her. She could feel the fabric brushing against her skin, slowly edging up her torso to reveal the top half of her body, bit by bit. And he wasn't allowed to look at any of it. Wasn't allowed to touch.

Watching Grim and listening to him was some kind of sweet torture that she had unleashed upon herself. There was a softness in the way he answered, paired with the gentle heat of him undressing her and she was powerless to do anything but lay there and listen to him, to feel him and everything that he was saying to her. Though she was sure his persona tried to ensure the opposite, she could imagine him as a part of a family, playfully rolling his eyes at his mother for naming their fish Kat (which Ruby herself thought was hilarious) and ignoring his dad's Mr. Speedy name but then using it himself the next time he spoke of the cat in question. It was when Grim spoke of his sister though, and then finally his real name that something slotted into place for her. The finger on her lips encouraged her not to speak until he'd finished, but when he had Ruby had only one thing to say. "The initials on your neck," she breathed, before she could stop herself. "They belong to you and your sister."

Her gaze was searching, softer as she studied Grim's features and considered who he had once been years ago. Avery Joyce. AJ. It was an unusual name - Ruby had never come across a male Avery either, but then that wasn't saying much. She liked it though. It was different, unusual and very, very Grim. Ruby sat up when he tried to remove the shirt from around the beads, the neckerchief at her neck and then her arms, leaving her pale skin and small torso exposed to the cool night air as he finally relented now that he'd given his answer and straightened to he could drink her in. Ruby didn't say anymore as his rumbled curse swept through her, with understanding simmering between them. Understanding of each other, of where they had come from, who they could have been. And understanding that this could only go one way from here, and that they both wanted that, so fucking badly.

He was upon her in an instant, hoisting her small body up onto his larger one. Ruby gladly obliged, wrapping her ankles around his waist, her arms around his neck, pressing herself into him, feeling the warmth radiating from his chest on her bare skin. By the time they reached the mattress and she was placed down onto it, she was slightly breathless from anticipation, her knees holding Grim around his waist as he hovered above her. For a few moments longer they studied each other from their new positions, with his large grip engulfing the lily white of her neck and then finally... he kissed her.

The moment their lips touched and the growl rumbled from the back of Grim's throat, Ruby felt as though her whole body sparked. She granted him access almost immediately, her hand working its way into his tangled hair, tugging to pull him closer, the scratch of his beard against her soft skin eliciting a small whimper. It was fire and passion and desire all wrapped into one and finished far too quickly. By the time he detached again from their tangle, Ruby was already breathing too quickly, her lips pink from the prolonged contact. They looked at one another for the longest time and in that moment, after his expression of need for her, the redhead knew that there was no coming back from this. Nothing else mattered but the two of them, right here and right now; not the world around them, not survival, not who they were, not their age difference. Just each other.

"I need you, Grim," she breathed, the hand that had previously been in his hair moving to cup his cheek so that her thumb could trail across his cheek. "I need you. So fucking badly." And then finally it moved further, down his neck, towards the collar of his shirt where it met the other and danced towards his buttons. Ruby didn't hesitate in sitting up so that she could meet his lips again as she undid one, then another, her next word muffled by their kisses, murmured against Grim's lips.

"Please."
 
With every shared word and coveted touch Grim found himself pulled towards Ruby in more ways than he thought possible. For half a moment he feared his heart might beat out of his chest as Ruby went eagerly with him into the bedroom. He sweet pleas fulfilled something deep and primal within him and he growled his approval as his mouth once more crashed down onto hers. Their revelations about one another bringing to light sides that neither one of them had considered before. She had recognized the tattoo on the back of his neck for what it was, and the fact that she even bothered to remember those initials inked into his skin had him feeling more understood than he could fathom. She met his fire with her own and the two of them began to shuck their clothes between hungry kisses, pausing only to whisper words of what was to come and how hungry he was for her. Grim had a filthy mouth when it came to more intimate activities and he loved using every tool at his disposal to get another one of her delicious moans or soft cries.

If age had taught Grim anything it had been how to take his time and savour, not even the whiskey could convince him to take her faster. He relished every new spot that brought forth one of her reactions and by the time the sky started to lighten he finally collapsed next to her breathing heavy in the victory of knowing every inch of her body. Their bodies bore the marks of their activities and Grim particularly enjoyed the sensation of the scratch marks on his back against the sheets. Ruby's skin was dotted with soft purple marks from where his mouth had been while her rump, which he couldn't seem to keep his hands off was a similar shade to her hair.

Grim's arms gathered Ruby up close and with her nestled into his side he finally let his eyes close. She was fucking perfect, and even as he drifted off he knew without a question that he was completely obsessed with the woman next to him.

Grim woke before Ruby, the faint pounding of his head making him groan softly as he rose from the bed to find a bathroom and take care of business. He did his best to not be angry at the sun for his own choices but he couldn't help the raising of his hand to flip off the giant flaming ball in question when one of its happy sunbeams filtered through the frosted bathroom window and into his aching eyes. Despite the pit in his stomach and the dark circles under his eyes Grim couldn't help but grin over at his reflection when he caught sight of a small bloom of purple dotting his skin near his neck.

Grim made his way to the downstairs, still as naked as the day he was born and out to the truck where he kept a clean pair of clothes to change into and eagerly chugged some water from a nearby bottle. He felt a bit more alive after tugging the brush through his hair and finding the pain meds he kept stashed away in his med kit. After some consideration he took out another pill for Ruby and found her a bottle of water as well. Newly dressed in another pair of trusty pants with all the pockets and black button up, Grim made his way back inside the house and up to the bedroom that was considerably more mussed since their arrival. Carefully he laid the pill and the bottle of water on the bedside table before sneaking his way out to the balcony once more. Grim was in no hurry to wake Ruby or leave this place, even with the mid morning sun in the air and Fort Strand a small ways off from them he found he much preferred the idea of pulling a chair up to the edge of the balcony and gazing out into the woods.

He groaned softly as he settled in the chair, his ankles crossing over one another as he extended his legs and leaned back. He refused to dwell on the fact that staring out peacefully into the woods was an old man thing to do. Instead he kept his eyes trained on the tall trunks of the trees, taking note of the birds and small animals that perched among the branches. A peaceful sigh left him and he let his hands fold over his stomach as he waited for Ruby to wake.
 
Never in her life had Ruby ever relinquished control like she did that night. To surrender herself to someone so completely, to lose her sensibility and to do things because it felt good, or natural, or right, was unheard of in a world where doing so could so easily get you killed. It spoke volumes then, that she had let go for Grim, had opened herself up to him and given him everything that he gave her in return. And if the physical sensations of desire zipping through them, if the hungry ways they explored every inch of each other and left marks to show everyone where they'd been weren't enough, then the growled images that were conjured of what Grim was about to do to her before he did it saw Ruby teetering over the edge more times than she cared to count. Wherever he touched or put his mouth was like fire and she let him know as much, scratching her hands down his back, gripping his hair too tightly, moaning or pleading so that her hot breath brushed against the shell of his ear. All sense of time was lost until exhaustion came to claim them and it was all Ruby could do to nestle into the warmth of that inked body and finally let unconsciousness take her into a dreamless sleep, perhaps the first she'd had in as long as she could remember.

When it was her turn to wake the next morning, Ruby did so bleary eyed, dry mouthed and with a headache pounding in her temples so fiercely she wasn't convinced someone wasn't punching her repeatedly in the head. A small groan left her lips as she squinted into the sunlight in search of covers that she hadn't remembered didn't exist and it was only following that memory when more began to flood back through her, the sound of the same bed she lay on creaking, Grim's form hovering above her, gasped breaths and promises so distinct they had her toes curling... Ruby sat up, her whole body aching so deliciously, yet the sickness, followed by the dizziness both saw her lowering herself steadily back onto the mattress and just breathing for several moments as she finally began to piece together where she was and how. A small lurch coursed through her stomach as she thought about how incredible last night had been, how she could see bruises when she leaned down to look at her shoulders as a smile began to tug at the corners of her mouth, one that was sadly short-lived when her reality came shortly after. That small tummy lurch had been born out of excitement, for what was ahead and for wanting to do it all over again but at the same time there was anxiety behind it too... and fear.

This time, Ruby sat up a little slower, spying the bottle of water and pill on the bedside table which she knew Grim must have put there for her. She reached over and took it, swigging them both back and glancing around in search of where he was. When she spotted him sat out on the balcony, like the old man she liked to make out he was, another smile started yet it was again another that died prematurely as a wave of fluttering started in her chest. Ruby had never let anyone in before, not like that, not like this. She recalled the deeper parts of themselves they had revealed to each other during their game of snap and she could feel her heart swelling, reaching out, trying to connect the presence of Grim in her mind to the space within it. It would be so easy to let it stretch, let it envelope everything that he was and that he could be; their connection felt so natural, like nothing else she'd ever experienced. And yet... Ruby found herself halting it, shutting it down, the fear snipping the strands that reached like scissors cutting string. Because the world that they lived in was not one for making those kind of connections, those relationships. Ruby had experienced what losing someone close to her could feel like and she wasn't sure that she'd be able to survive it again.

The redhead finished the bottle of water and finally began to scoot from the bed as these thoughts swirled, gathering her clothes as she went. She tried as best as she could to sneak past Grim and into the bathroom, trying not to look at the marks on her neck, trying not to remember, to disconnect, disassociate... She'd had one night stands before. She could do it again... right? But even as the thought struck those olive greens could hardly meet themselves in the reflection of the smashed mirror above the sink and with one final rinse out of her mouth, Ruby straightened her hair with unsteady hands and then began towards the balcony. Only when she was finally approaching Grim did she draw in a breath so she could speak.

"Hey, morning," she managed, coming to stand against the edge of the space and looking down at where the truck was below. Anywhere but at him. "You just about ready to go? We should probably get a move on if we wanna avoid someone getting there before us."

Little did she know that it was already too late.
 
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With soft birdsong and the sweeping of sparrows feathers as they darted through branches it was hard for Grim to see the woods as a dangerous place. He didn't think of the infected or who might be lurking between the gnarled trunks of the trees. The soft sounds of footsteps against the aged balcony flooring had him twisting in his seat, a grin a mile wide already forming- and then slowly dying at the indifference plastered on Ruby's featured. His hand lifted and then paused in its quest to rest against his ribs and calm his thunderous heart that knew what that look meant. Ruby regretted what they had done.

She moved past him, leaning against the rail of the balcony and peering out to the woods and the truck, her words lacked any of the fire he had become accustomed to. Grim was silent a long while, frozen in place as his eyes took in the sight of her turning her back to him. Had Ruby turned to look back at him she would have seen the transformation of what had been shock to something darker, almost sinister. He felt the pounding of last nights drinking and the weight of this new morning revelation pulse through his mind. Of course she regretted it, fuck, he felt old enough to be her dad, and he'd been stupid to ever think that he would be enough to keep a woman like her. She'd gotten her taste and now she was done.

"Yeah, I was fucking waiting wasn't I?" He snapped, the self loathing that he'd ever dare hope to have made a connection with someone lashing out from inside him and out to her. He stood, kicking the chair back, ignoring as the metal of the chair knocked loudly into the railing. "We'd have been on the road much sooner if you hadn't needed all that fucking beauty sleep." He was already facing away from her as he spoke and she wasn't privy to the scrunched up look of shame as more of his anger slipped out. His hand wrapped around the well worn strap of his pack and he hoisted his backpack up and walked back into the house without another word or look at the woman he'd worshiped only hours before.

The rest of the drive was tense, Grim stewed in his self directed anger doing his best to work out why on earth he'd been stupid enough to tell her anything let alone touch her as he had done. Shit though, the woman pure fire in his arms the night before and he'd ignored how much it could burn until it was too late. Perhaps when he got back to Fort Haven he'd sink into the embrace of someone more willing and wipe clean the memory of how she fit against him. How perfectly she'd cried his name and submitted to his every depraved desire. It irked him to no end that he could be so turned on by someone and yet want to throttle them. He hated that he wanted to break the silence and ask her for more, but he wasn't the sort of man to plead anyone for anything.

The road brought them closer to Fort Strand and soon the familiar rise of the walls and buildings from within dotted the horizon and Grim realized he was arriving to their destination feeling just as alone as the first time. He pulled into the same area he'd parked before, hiding the truck amongst the overgrowth. He kicked opened the door with a grunt and paused in getting out to open the centre console to find a black neckerchief out. Ruby may be the last thing he wanted to think about but he had to admit the last time they were here he'd been impressed by that bit of protection she'd worn. He pulled the fabric up from his neck, fitting it over his mouth and nose before he walked to the back of the truck and opened up his weapons cache.

Despite it all, Ruby was going in as his partner and Grim treated her as such, handing her a rifle and the ammo refills it would need. He pulled out a rifle of his own and hooked the strap over his shoulders as he prepared his pistol and knives. He didn't bother to ask Ruby if she was ready, and instead slammed the tailgate of the truck closed before stepped out of the bushes and regarding the fort with indifferent eyes. He could feel his breathing easing as instinct and training took over him, when there was a job to do he didn't have time for distractions and how he felt about his partner was certainly one of them.

Grim caught Ruby's eye and though he didn't say anything it was all there in his expression. I'll follow your lead. I've got your back.
 
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Because she purposefully had her back to him, Ruby hadn't seen the change in Grim's expression, she only heard the disdain dripping from vicious words that caused her to flinch against the impact. She wasn't sure if his angry reaction had been what she was expecting and for a moment, she found herself wondering if she was the one who had gotten this all wrong? Ruby had woken up to considering how she couldn't look at this as anything more than a one night stand, but maybe Grim felt that way too? Maybe she didn't have anything to worry about because he regretted that anything had happened between them at all and of course a night of passionate sex wasn't going anywhere, wouldn't turn to anything more.

A wave of hurt coursed through her, feeding fiery colour into her cheeks as a frown knitted together shapely brows. He had been the first to make a move last night, he had been the one goading her into giving in. Had this all been so he could have his way and move on? A sense of humiliation joined the hurt, the confusion and the utter devastation that perhaps she would never get to feel as good as she had last night ever again. Suddenly, despite her own reaction of indifference, Ruby found herself angry, perhaps unfairly so at Grim's display of what she perceived as disgust and before she could think on any of this rationally, she was firing back his way. "Well, why didn't you fucking wake me up then?" She sniped back, ignoring the way his chair echoed off the railing and eventually following him through the house like a sulking child might a parent.

Her actions continued on in this manner, from the way she slammed the truck door shut and sat in silence for the rest of their drive. Instead of speaking, the redhead pulled out the map again and began making markings on it, drawing a little house to signify their cabin and then moving swiftly on before she could let the icon that represented home bother her. Every so often she would cast a sideways glance in Grim's direction, wondering if she should say something but then revered to letting her stubbornness win, simply because it was easier.

By the time that the roads started to become more familiar and Fort Strand loomed upon their horizon, Ruby was almost glad of their arrival, glad to be able to hop out of the stuffiness of the truck and breath in some fresh air. She moved around to the trunk with Grim and geared herself up with several knives and a hunting rifle, and she had been about to reach for a handgun when the trunk was abruptly shut before she could. Oh, if looks could kill... But once more, Ruby said nothing as she pulled her neckerchief up and over her mouth and nose, while trying to ignore the fact that Grim looking fucking hot in his own. Their eyes met and for a moment... her features softened just a fraction beneath their cover in shared understanding. No matter their feelings, if there even were any on his part, they were in this together and they had a job to do.

The two of them moved quickly; Ruby headed around the wall towards the point that she knew she could climb from the last time she'd been here. Once they approached it, she hooked her rifle over her shoulder and began to scale, not waiting or wanting help from Grim this time as her feet touched down on the ground on the other side. Moving out of the way, Ruby dropped into a crouch behind a nearby car, olive eyes scouring the place. So far, everything looked the same as it had before and she started towards the town hall, only pausing when she noticed that at the toes of her boots lay droplets of crimson, that looked not fresh, but visible enough to still hold a tinge of their colour. Looking forwards, she noticed that their was a trail towards the the steps and then a larger pool and then... nothing.

Straightening, Ruby could feel the tension simmering in her shoulders. "These can't be much more than a couple of days old," she murmured softly, gesturing towards the blood stains. "I don't think we made it here first."

Then, right on cue, a piercing cry erupted from inside the hall, one that Ruby thought sounded more human than it did infected and it was for this reason she pulled up her face cover once more and started up the steps, without waiting to see if Grim would follow her. Because despite everything, she knew that he would.
 
Her own retort of anger and now the look that would have him dead and twitching on the ground was more of a comfort than the sullen silence that had fallen between them. Grim suppressed the frustration and anger roiling off of him in waves as he turned to follow Ruby. The slightly less sane part of himself wanted to hook a finger into the band of Ruby's pants and tug her back to the truck so they could discuss what had happened between the two of them, but he knew nothing would be solved by that. What moved you forward in this word was action, not words.

Grim would not let his own fucked up feelings get in the way of the job, if anything happened to Ruby if he was around, he wasn't sure if he would ever forgive himself. Even so it was hard not to let his eyes wander as she scaled the wall her strong arms and legs pulling her up the crumbling wall and over the side. He followed once he was sure she'd made it over and with a little bit of doing he managed to pull his way over the top and land in a cloud of dust next to the redhead. Ruby moved forward to crouch behind a car and he followed softly after her, leaning his shoulder against the rusted siding as they peeked over the car. Ruby then drew his attention to the trail of blood she'd spotted and he nodded in agreement.

"Well everything seems to lead back up there, none of the trails seem to indicate someone was escaping." Grim's brow furrowed and he pulled the rifle from his back setting its butt comfortably against his shoulder. Ruby had just finished with her next words when a shriek emanated from inside the hall, echoing out into the street. "Look alive." He muttered the words mostly to himself but it was loud enough for Ruby to hear. She moved forward and he went just a few steps behind her, keeping his eyes trained on the sides of the buildings and occasionally sweeping the barrel of the rifle behind them.

The trail of blood certainly wasn't new and was they walked towards the steps where the pool grew larger and Grim could make out the spots where the blood had congealed. As they drew nearer and nearer to the crumbled steps it was clear that things were not as they had left them. The front doors that had been previously locked stood open, one of the doors seemed to be hanging by only a single hinge, so it's massive wooden slab was angled, it's bottom resting against the bloodied flooring. Ruby's steps were silent and careful and Grim did his best to follow suit, ensuring that their arrival would be a surprise to whatever it was that lurked inside. The stench reached them before anything else and Grim was grateful for the bit of fabric that protected him from most of it, surely he would have been gagging were it not for the protection. Rot and decay was a smell like no other and no matter how many years he'd survived it never got easier to stomach it.

Another loud noise sounded from the hall and Grim lifted his gun, the weapon trained on the doorframe as the approached the stairs. In a matter of moments they ascended and Grim's breath hitched at the sight from inside. Marbled floors had been stained anew with blood and remains, and in the centre of it all was a group of three zombie's all huddled over a body, their teeth gnashing and chewing through skin and bone. Both Ruby and Grim reacted simultaneously, their weapons raising. Grim wouldn't shoot first, he waited on Ruby wanting to see how she would handle the small group, as his eyes were trained on the group he couldn't help but notice the patch the three infected wore on their vests. Fort Haven's insignia was drenched in blood, but he could make out the white thread that had been woven into the shape of an old castle. His brows furrowed and his grip on the gun tightened.

He didn't dare speak, not wanting to gain the attention of the infected, but that didn't stop the frown marring his features as he considered what this meant. What on earth were River's men doing here?
 
The adrenaline was already pumping through her veins, the sound of the infected like a release on the floodgate that held it back. Her rifle was held between steady hands and her movements had become even more calculated, careful, because one slip or wrong step could unleash a whole hoard of the things upon them, given that they had no idea what they were about to walk into. Like Grim, as the two of them moved she scoured the differences between when they had first been here and now, most of which were stark and signified some kind of struggle. There was more blood scraped on the upended doors, weapons discarded in corners as if they had been flung, and the smell... The familiar scent of rotting hit them simultaneously and Ruby's nose wrinkled beneath her covering as she adjusted it more closely to her mouth and tried not to inhale too deeply.

Only did their footsteps come to a halt as they moved into the central foyer of the building and the site of what had made the noise finally came into view. Ruby heard them first before she saw them, the gnashing of teeth into flesh and the bone crunching sound of chewing and snarled enjoyment churning a sickness through her gut, a sound that had haunted her dreams as a child and sometimes still did. Then following that, upon seeing the mess that remained of a once human body, the redhead felt anger flare alongside the fear, these once human beings turned into worse than any kind of feral animal, unfeeling yet still reminiscent of the people they had once been in what was left of their limbs, their features, their eyes.

The horror was clear in her eyes and when the loud noise came her rifle shot upwards, trained upon the creature closest to her. With a gun as big as her own, she'd only have one shot and most likely not enough time to reload and it was a plan that began to form in her mind that meant she didn't notice the insignias yet, too focussed was she upon taking her first shot. Glancing over at Grim, she nudged her head towards the infected closest to him, and then with a nod, she aimed... and shot.

The bullet pierced the skull of the infected, sending blood and mucus spattering over the two beside it. Trusting Grim to have his own handled, Ruby then whipped a knife from her boot and when the second got closer enough to her, she prepped on bent knees, letting it get closer, and closer... until at the last minute she ducked out of the way, spun and lunged so that her dagger pierced its neck. More blood covered the floor and Ruby stepped back from it to avoid any chomping teeth, panting in the aftermath. Hoping that Grim had secured his own target, she turned to him and pulled the neckerchief from around her mouth again. "Two one, I guess."

It was a strangely timed attempt to make their situation feel a little lighter after everything that had happened before, a call back to what had been. However, before she could say anymore on the matter or let the smile that threatened claim her mouth, another shriek sounded from up the staircase in front of them, followed by another, and then another and another. Furniture was cast aside, footsteps swarmed and grunting grew louder as more and more infected appeared above them, looking for the easiest way down to their next meal.

"Fuck..." Ruby breathed, reaching a hand out to instinctively grip a hold of Grim's arm. "Run. Run!"
 
The two looters eyes caught and Grim nodded as Ruby indicated that he ready. Grim's cheek rested along the sight and he lined up his prey, his finger curling around the trigger. Ruby's gun went off, the recoil making the small woman's arms jump up and Grim wasted no time as he squeezed and his own rifle went off. The infected head snapped back, a sickening crunch emanating from it's spine as what had once been a lackey of Grant River's slumped to the ground. The third zombie's head lifted, a gurgled screech and the sound of scuffling filling the room as it lunged for Ruby. Grim's hands worked quickly, pumping the release and shifting the next bullet into his barrel, he was lifting it to his chest as Ruby ducked, swinging her arm wide and pressing the sharp blade of her knife through her attackers neck.

Slowly the gun lowered once he was assured none of the infected would get back up and when Ruby listed off their score he couldn't help the narrowing of his eyes, grateful that he still wore the fabric over his face so she couldn't see the smile that marred his features. Certainly he'd play if Ruby wanted to play, but before he could latch onto the feeling that had brought them together in the first place another guttural cry filled the air. His eyes snapped up to the second floor landing, and he couldn't stop the gasp of surprise as more infected than he could count began rushing towards them. Ruby's hand griped his arm, and she tugged yelling for him to run.

He didn't need to be told twice and twisted just as a few of the zombies closest to the rail flipped over the side, their bodies hitting the ground below hard, while the rest of the hoard clamoured down the stairs and right through the gate. Those that had fallen began to crawl as Ruby and Grim turned tail and rushed outside of the hall and down the stairs. Thankfully the streets remained clear and the two of them ran with all their might as they made their escape.

"That fucking bastard." Grim muttered, his hatred for River's growing tenfold. Of course the asshole hadn't trusted him to complete the job. His breath heaved out as they passed the same alley that he'd first met Ruby, and he spotted the ladder she'd been trying to get up before he attacked her. "This way!" His hand reached and he found Ruby's hand, tugging her suddenly left as he propelled them down the alley, the cries of the hoard hot on their tails. They had only a matter of seconds of head start and Grim wasted none of it, skidding to a halt under the fire escape ladder spotting the bin Ruby had been using to try and reach it. He pushed Ruby to jump up first, his gun trained on the approaching hoard. He could make out the faces of a few he recognized and it brought him no pleasure to squeeze the trigger and force a bullet through their skulls.

He twisted, hoping Ruby was a ways up the ladder and jumped for it himself, his strong arms finding the metal rung and heaving himself up just as the hoard reached them. He groaned as he felt a few of the undeads hands slither up his pant leg and grip onto his shoe, halting his upwards momentum. Grim gave out a kick, trying to free himself but it seemed to be no use.

"Run Ruby!" He shouted, hoping she was already far away from it all. The muscles in his arms bulged, straining as he tried once more to free himself from the hands that wished desperately to pull him down and feast.
 
The thudding of bodies was the last thing that Ruby heard before she and Grim turned and began sprinting back the way they had come, taking two steps at a time as they threw themselves back down onto the street. The redhead didn't miss his muttering as they tried to put enough distance between them and the infected to make it count but there was no time to question it, because the swarm was gaining on them now that they had broken free of the building, and gaining on them fast. Ruby knew that she shouldn't look back, knew that she should keep focussed on the destination at hand but she couldn't help it as more and more bodies flowed from the hall, shrieking and crying their way over each other to get to the living flesh that sustained them.

Before Ruby could turn to face forwards once more however, Grim's voice rang out clear above the noise and a sudden yank on her hand pulled her in a different direction. It took her a moment to remember where they were but as the ladder came into view and the dumpster she had been using before Grim had stopped her only a couple of days ago, she pieced together his plan and began pulling herself up onto the top of it. With a taller companion by her side, this time she reached the ladder in no time, using his hand to push her foot up and gripping onto the rungs before hauling her body upwards and clambering as quickly as her small body would allow her. Once she was clear of it, she started out into a run again across the roof, planning on doubling back across the buildings to the town hall if they could make it, to where she hoped more weapons would be stored to help them.

As she came to the edge of the roof however, having assumed Grim was always behind her at this point, only when she paused to make the jump between buildings did she stop and realise... that she was alone.

A jolt back towards where she had come from saw her hearing Grim's shout for her to run and although survival instinct roared in her legs, her heart... her heart lurched at the thought of doing anything but going back to help him, and before it was even a conscious decision to do so she was sprinting back to where she had clambered up, her chest thundering in her ears as she leaned over and saw him reaching for the wall edge, struggling against the infected trying to drag him back down again.

There was a split second where their eyes met before Ruby leaned down to offer Grim a hand and no sooner did he grip onto her was she hauling upwards with everything she had, panting at the exertion of strength that it took and letting out a yelp when he nearly slipped from her. It was the two of them against a hoard of undead, they had no chance, and in that moment they both knew it as she reached for him again. This time however, as the zombies began to clamber over each other to get to him, Ruby went for her knife but in doing so, her fingers brushed the lighter she kept in the pocket of her jeans... just in case.

In a moment of madness, the redhead pulled it out and proceeded to rip off the bottom half of her shirt. A few tense flicks later, "Come on, come on," and she was holding the flame to the rag of material, before she fisted it and then sent it flying over the edge and into the pool of rot below. It was a long shot whether the fire would take but it only needed to lick at the edges of one... Seconds that could have been hours passed by where Ruby believed it hadn't worked until a blaze suddenly began take hold with a piercing scream, followed by a second, then a third until the fire was spreading, engulfing anything it could find.

Now was their chance.

Leaning down again, Ruby held out her hand to Grim once more, despite how her whole body trembled, despite how her limbs ached for her to stop. "Come on!" She urged, pleaded, just in case he was ever thinking of doing something different. "Grim, take my hand! Quickly!"
 
This was it.

He was going to die, Grim's desperate eyes scanned the rooftop that was just out of reach, his feet kicking out at the hands that threatened to break his hold at any moment. He could feel the sweat of his palm loosening his grip on the metal rung and he let out a hoarse groan as he did his best to once more overcome what he clearly couldn't on his own. The only thought moving through him now was of Ruby, and the comfort that at least she'd gotten away from the hoard, she was smart enough to evade them from up there. It was comforting to know she would continue to live and he was contemplating reaching for the pistol on his belt knowing it would be easier if he didn't have to feel the tearing of teeth through his flesh when the damned woman he'd all but thought was saved poked her head out from the roof top.

She wasted no time leaning over the edge holding out her hand to him and he took it without a thought, his strong hand holding tight to the wrist she offered him. The two of them let out a cry as a particularly strong infected managed to get a good grip and almost wrench him down the ladder and into the hungry pit below. Grim's grip slipped from Ruby and he forced both hands back to the rung, grunting with the effort it took. His arms were screaming with the effort and yet he couldn't find the will to let go and just accept, not when Ruby looked as fearful for his life as she did.

He could hear the bellow of the infected below and refused to look down at the bodies that were starting to pile in their efforts to get to him. Something bright and blazing flew past him and Grim blinked in surprise, twisting to watch as the bit of cloth landed in the middle of the hoard, it disappeared from sight as the bodies clamoured around and Grim thought that the fire hadn't taken its hold when suddenly the smell of burning flesh filled the air followed by a scream. The cacophony of madness below him was enough to fuel his nightmares for years to come, and damnit, he suddenly felt like he might cry.

Grim didn't want to die, not when the woman above him seemed to give him more reason to live than he'd ever felt. Not when there was still so much unfinished between them. Ruby appeared again, pleading with him to grab once more and despite everything, the pain, the horror and unknown of what lay next for them; he found just a little more strength. His bellow filled the air, fueling him and the momentum to grab once more to strong line of her arm. The fire below him had managed to quell the seeking hands for the moment and both Grim and Ruby took the chance it offered them. With one great heave Grim felt the edge of the roof under his hand and then on his waist as Ruby used far more strength than he would have thought possible and pulled him the last bit over the edge.

The fell to the hard concrete of the roof hard, and Grim heard the ripping of his jeans as his knees hit the ground hard. He was half on Ruby, nestled between her legs, his head resting on her heaving stomach as she fought for breath. With the last dregs of his strength Grim rolled, wanting to give Ruby the space she needed. He didn't roll too far however and his legs remained sprawled over hers as he flipped to his back next to her, panting with the effort. His hands burned from the efforts and when he glanced down he noted the ripped and bubbling skin of his palms, the result of him holding on for dear life. Below them the screams echoed, and the smell became almost unbearable, even with the cloth covering their faces.

"Shit." They weren't done quite yet. Grim forced himself to his feet, everything shaking with the effort but adrenaline forcing his brain to ignore the weariness that threatened to collapse him. He peered below, mouth set in a firm line as the blaze consumed the hoard. There was no way of knowing if the fire would finish the job and so with shaky hands he pulled the rifle from his back and with a lethal clack of metal he loaded the next bullet. His aim may not have been the best, but with the writhing hoard below it was hard to miss. His shot was true and one of the infected slumped to the ground, the fire eating away at its skin and clothing. Shot after shot sounded out and finally when there was nothing but the sound of crackling fire Grim let the rifle clatter to the ground, his hands too bloody and worn to bear holding the weapon a moment longer.

"Jesus fucking christ that hurts." His teeth gritted as he sank to the ground, back against the lip of the roof so he had something to keep him upright. He held out his hands in front of him, palms up and hissed once more. They would have to be wrapped but there was no way he'd be able to do it himself. "Ruby..." He looked to her, almost pleadingly, though he'd be damned if he outright asked for help, not even in this moment.
 
Everything else was tuned out. Everything but him. Ruby had never felt panic like it, not for herself, not for people back home. The thought of them losing this battle, of her losing Grim to the flaming hoard below... It was unbearable to consider and the ringing in her ears reminded her as much. There was no other outcome. He had to make it. He had to.

As soon as her outstretched hand was gripped again, the redhead pulled with all the strength that she had left, using her entire body weight to haul Grim's larger form in the direction of safety. A cry escaped them both at the exertion of it, at the sheer relief they felt when he finally clambered over the lip of the building and landed on top of Ruby in a heap. She hit the floor just as hard as he did, momentarily winded by the impact and unable to move, to do anything that wasn't breathe and stare at the sky and try not to pass out, try not to let the dancing clouds in front of her vision consume her completely. Grim's body was a comfort against her own, his head on her stomach, their legs intwined but even when he moved away she couldn't bring herself to follow. It was as though in that moment Ruby fell into recovery mode, as though her body was working to patch up the rips her own terror had caused in her mind, zoning out everything that wasn't the thud of her heart and the buzzing in her head. Even Grim's shots, one after the other were muffled, far away and she remained unaware of him sinking to the ground until her name... her name was what broke her from it, the sound of her name in a near plea, from a man in need.

Struggling to get her eyes to focus, Ruby with a groan finally lifted herself to sitting, face sickly pale as she searched for her partner and eventually spotted him, sat upright against the wall of the roof, his hands, bloodied and blistered shaking above his lap. "Shit..." Her voice came out as nothing more than a whisper as she immediately scooted over to where Grim sat, perching down beside him and pulling the pack from her bag to rifle through until she found antiseptic wipes and bandages. "You're not hurt... anywhere else?" She managed to get out, glancing down at his legs, his feet, reaching out to pull his neckerchief down so she could examine his features and then ever so carefully, placing one of his hands, palm upwards into her own.

"Grit your teeth, this will sting," she advised softly, pressing a wipe to the cracked skin, cleaning the wounds as best she could, as efficiently as she could. Her own fingers trembled, her shoulders following suit but she pushed through, working one hand and then the next and finally starting on the bandages. "That was... that was close, huh?" She managed after a small while, glancing at Grim and then back down again. Talk about stating the obvious. It had been too close, was what it was.

Only when Ruby had finished did she fumble around putting her equipment away again but before she could stand or move away, something tight in her chest caused her to look at Grim, to look at him properly, and before she knew what she was doing, she was launching her small form at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and cradling his head into her chest. Her hold was tight, perhaps a little too tight as she took a moment just to take him in, to breathe, to remind herself that he was here, that he was okay, that he was alive. So many thoughts and words swirled in her mind in that moment; it didn't matter how things had been before, what had happened between them last night, whether this gave him the wrong idea or not. She needed this, as much as she felt that he did. "For a moment there I thought... I thought..." But as she pulled away again, Ruby didn't finish when their eyes met and she paused in their brief closeness, paused when her gaze fell to Grim's mouth and then trailed back up in slow realisation.

That was the moment she broke away. Before anything else could happen. Shakily sinking back down into a seated position, Ruby ran a hand through her red hair. "You're all done," she murmured, pulling water from her bag next, taking a long drink and then handing it over to him. For a small while they sat in silence, contemplating, before Ruby spoke up again with what was on her mind.

"What just happened, it... it doesn't make any sense," she frowned a little, gaze distant. "There were no infected here when we left, as far as we know. So how did those people that came here... end up like that? Unless they were infected before they got here, I guess. I-I wonder who they were. Before."
 
It felt like thousands of knives were ripping through the tattered remains of his palms and damnit all, he might have actually let a small droplet of salty water leak out of his eye. Though Grim would go to his grave claiming it was just sweat. Ruby's arrival was a most welcome distraction and he tilted his head back as she approached and settled down next to him. For a moment he his mind flashed back to when their roles were reversed and he'd gotten his hands on her for the first time. Ruby pulled items from her pack and he recognized some of the medical supplies from their first looting. Ruby's question caught him off guard and it took him a moment to formulate an answer as he scanned the rest of his body, trying to sense pain from anywhere else. He was just about to shake his head when she caught the fabric of his neckerchief and pulled it down.

"Uh, no- I don't think so." He managed in response. Ruby got right down to work, her gentle hand holding his palm up to her so she could work on cleaning and bandaging him. Grim did as she told him and clamped his teeth together, the only sign of the searing pain shooting through him was the sharp intake of breath and the rigid stance of his shoulders. Through it all, he couldn't seem to keep his eyes off of her. She was the calm in the storm around them, and if he focused on the worried set of her brow and the care embedded in her eyes; things didn't feel as painful. She was bandaging him up when she spoke last.

"Just a little bit." He murmured in response. She finished with his first hand and he flexed it, testing the hold and the feel. It certainly smarted but thanks to Ruby the pain wasn't unbearable. When Ruby finished with his other hand he thought she would retreat from him and they might continue with on with the job, but in the next moment she launched herself at him and Grim was suddenly wrapped in her arms, his head resting against her rapidly beating heart. He sank gratefully into her, his arms wrapping around her and holding tight. He took a deep fortifying breath, loving the familiar scent of her. God, he needed this; needed her like he needed his next breath. She pulled away much too soon and Grim did his best to school his features into something that didn't seem desperate.

Grim felt the heat of her stare against his mouth and he wondered if she was recalling all the ways he'd used it to send her over the edge. Though that seemed like wishful thinking as something darker shrouded her eyes and she settled away from him.

"Thank you Ruby. Seriously. You saved me." The words came out before he had a chance to filter them, and Grim didn't think he'd ever said something so heartfelt in his life. His nose scrunched, but he was grateful for the chance Ruby offered when she changed the conversation away from them to those that now lay dead below them. The small hoard that had been Grant River's doing, Grim's jaw set as he contemplated telling Ruby what he knew. It felt wrong to keep that information from her but in the same token he didn't want more of her ire and wrath when it came to Grant Rivers. She'd lectured him plenty about his life choices and undoubtedly she'd launch into another tirade after this news. Perhaps it was safer for her not to know.

"I wish I knew." He couldn't quite meet her eye. "Maybe we missed a section, or some looters got here while we were gone and found someone we missed?" Grim lifted his shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. With a soft groan Grim lifted himself to his feet, and he glanced down at his torn pants with distaste. He had one good pair of pants left at the trailer but sadly those didn't carry all the pockets he liked. Grim plucked up the rifle and his pack before turning, as his gaze swept over the rooftop looking for another way out of there he couldn't help it as his eyes snagged on Ruby as he finally noticed the bottom half of her shirt was missing and she now wore something that looked like a crop top. His brow raised and he couldn't help the tongue that ran over his teeth. She may have regretted their night together but he certainly didn't.

"Remind me to do that to all of your shirts when we get back." He told her as he meandered past her and towards a small entryway that the building had used for rooftop access. With a hard tug the door creaked open and Grim leaned against it, waiting for Ruby to get back to her feet.
 
His thanks came unexpectedly and Ruby’s eyes shot up to meet Grim’s in surprise, though when she noticed the slight wrinkle of his nose she couldn’t help but smirk a little, despite how her cheeks had coloured at the gratitude. Showing emotion that wasn’t anger had become a slightly alien concept to her, which meant that she wasn’t sure what to do when the opportunity to show something different arose. So, with a slight ducking of her head, she simply said, “I figured I owed you one,” because as she recalled, he had saved her when they’d first met and again afterwards, when they’d been ambushed.

The smile that followed was shy and short-lived, especially when their conversation once again turned to the origins of the infected. It didn’t occur to Ruby that Grim wasn’t telling her the truth and so she contemplated the options he put forwards quietly, figuring that it must have been one of those things that had caused the demise of the group, because what else could it be? “Mm, maybe” she murmured thoughtfully. “I wonder where they came from. Chances are if other groups know about this place then there’s most likely more of them on their way.”

As if on cue, Grim pulled himself to his feet then with a groan and Ruby attempted to follow suit. Her legs were still shaking and she stumbled ever so slightly, taking a moment to breathe, to ground herself and to put the water back in her pack. In the commotion, she had forgotten that her shirt was now considerably shorter than it had been before and when Grim commented, she looked at him, down at herself and then rolled her eyes, a familiar flame beginning once more in her stomach under his smouldering gaze.

“Remind me to punch you in the nose if you even try it,” she shot back, sauntering past him and giving him a look before she entered through the entryway that he had opened up for them. When she reached the ladder inside, the redhead turned so she could start down it, noting that her chest felt a little lighter than it had an hour or so ago, even with everything that had happened. Perhaps this was the small reset that the both of them needed; the night they had spent together hadn’t been forgotten, not in the slightest but at least their hostility towards each other was on the backburner for now, instead replaced once again by their undeniable chemistry and the small fact that deep down… they really cared about one another.

Once she reached the end of the ladder, Ruby hopped down onto the level that was connected to lower ones by a door to a staircase. The building was dark and damp, with vines and plants crawling along the interior walls illuminated by the flashlight she clicked on and spun around to get a better feel for where they were. “So if I’m correct, I’d say we’re currently in the building next to the central hall and there should be a connecting corridor on the ground floor?” Moving then towards the doors to the stairwell, Ruby yanked one open but reeled back as the familiar stench of rot and decay hit her. Scrambling with the red material around her neck, she pulled her neckerchief back up and over her mouth again, all the trying not to cough. When she spoke again, her voice was thick. “And judging by the smell, I’d say whatever we need is down here anyway. Come on.” Then without thinking about it she reached out to tug on Grim’s sleeve and shot him a weak smile, one that was only visible in the shine of her eyes.

“Last one to the bottom’s a loser.”
 
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