A/N: Smutty alternate ending to Graduation because of reasons. Ruby ran off the night before graduating to see her mother's grave; Yang followed in order to make sure she came back in time for the ceremony.

Let's just assume in this alternate universe they're already in a steady relationship. I DON'T KNOW I JUST WANTED TO WRITE YANG/RUBY DON'T LOOK AT ME. In case this isn't clear enough, they frick frack in this story. Proceed with caution.

They found the bike where Ruby had stashed it, but after few unsuccessful starts and a lot of swearing, Yang admitted defeat. The engine block was little more than an expensive slab of cold metal. Fretting around the machine as her sister fiddled with it, checking everything that was in her power to fix without any tools at her disposal, Ruby anxiously repeated that she was sorry.

"Nah," Yang said, wiping the sweat off her forehead with her shoulder as she worked. "This thing was getting unreliable anyway. I doubt it was anything you did that finally pushed her to her grave." Almost as soon as she said it, she winced, remembering why they were here in the first place: Ruby's yearly visit to her mother's final resting place. They left the grave behind, but a part of Ruby obviously still lingered there. In all likelihood, she would never really leave.

It did things to her, coming here. Made her more introspective, made her act differently. Instead of bringing closure, all it ever seemed to do was open up old wounds and drive Ruby to neglect herself. Yang hated it, and would have liked nothing better than to forbid her from ever returning, but in the end she didn't own Ruby. Nobody did.

"Get comfy mèimei," Yang said when Ruby didn't react to her foot-in-mouth statement. "This might take a while to fix. If I can fix it at all."

"Are we gonna have to take Old Yeller to the back of the shed and put him down?"

Stiffening up, Yang whirled around with an accusing finger. "Hey!" she snapped. "First of all, my bike is a beautiful lady. Feminine pronouns. Secondly, if she's really dead, you're helping me wheel her back home, all right?"

Ruby grumbled something.

"All right?" Yang pressed.

"Fine."

"Good."

Ruby reclined against on of the scraggly trees near the edge of the forest, explaining that she chose this area to hide the bike because it was almost completely free of Grimm influence. Not to mention secluded enough that no human thieves would take off with it either. Relaxing as much as she could, given the circumstances, she started sharing her thoughts, speaking in a low voice. Yang hmmed occasionally in agreement and to let her know she was still listening.

"You remember our first month at Beacon?" Ruby said, looking up at what little night sky was available through the canopy. "I don't think I ever told you, but I didn't fully unpack till that day we had our first room inspection."

"Oh?"

She laughed, under her breath. "Yeah. I was convinced everything was a fluke and I'd get kicked out eventually. I mean, I was the youngest kid there! Though, I guess, I'm still pretty young," she finished in a musing tone, scuffing the ground with her boots. "Even by Huntress standards."

Sucking in her lower lip, Yang gnawed on it to keep quiet. It wasn't a subject of conversation she was keen on entering again, even though most Huntsmen were urged to look up life insurance before graduating. It was a truth of the trade, and the reason the job was in such high demand— every year, their numbers grew fewer. Their life expectancy shorter. "Of course," she said instead, purposefully casual. "You're a baby by anyone's standards." Glancing over her shoulder, she stuck out her tongue with a wink. "Baby."

"Bite me."

Her eyebrows rose. "Maybe later, if you're a good girl."

Ruby yanked her hood down over her eyes, crossing her arms, but it didn't do much to hide how red her cheeks got. "She was only thirty four when she died, you know," she said, returning to the original conversation. "That's not too far away. Like less than my age times two." She let out a huge sigh. "I don't normally think that far ahead, but sooner or later I'm gonna surpass her. And I have no idea what I'll do after that."

It was time to admit the bike was not starting up any time soon. She served a long and noble service, rife with danger and mayhem, but it was time to put the old girl to rest. Wiping her hands off on her shorts, Yang stretched out, pulling her elbow down behind her back. "Me neither," she said. "I'm a one-day-at-a-time kinda gal, you know that."

Sauntering over to her, she pinched the end of her hood, tugging it further down. "And you need to stop thinking about dead people for two seconds and help me push this bike. Looks like we're walking."

Instead of responding, Ruby slipped her arms around Yang's waist, burying her face into the crook of her neck.

Then she started to sniffle and hiccup, shoulders shaking.

An instant wave of pity washed over Yang, her chest aching fiercely. "Oh, hon," she said, rocking her from side to side. "Ah, shit. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I'm being too rough again, huh?"

Yang felt her hands clutch at her clothing, stroking underneath it for comfort and security. "No, Yang. I just…" she kept her head lowered, hood up. But even if she couldn't see them, Yang heard the tears in her voice well enough. Letting go at last, she leaned heavily against the tree trunk, arms wrapped around herself, groaning in pain. "…Is this even what she would have wanted for me? I know what I want, but what about her? What would she say? What would she think?"

"Hey," she said, and when Ruby wouldn't acknowledge her she forced her to listen, grabbing her shoulder to shake her lightly. "Hey. It's okay to have regrets this late in the game. Nobody likes to say it, but everybody's thinking it. You're not the only kid graduating who comes from a Hunter background." She kissed her on the forehead for comfort, and once more on the lips for good measure.

That snapped her out of it. "Regret? No. No," she said with halting, uncertain laughter, still sounding a little nasally and plugged up from the tears. Reaching out to grip Yang's forearm and squeezing it tight, she brushed the skin there with her worn hands, the calluses rasping dry as paper. "This is where I want to be."

Still not completely calmed down, she held onto Yang for dear life, soaking up her scarf with the tears that hadn't stymied yet. Yang cracked a smile, stroking her cheek with the flat of her thumb. "Good. It's no use wondering what other people think is best for us, anyway. Let's go home, huh?" She pulled Ruby into a crushing hug, rubbing her cheek against hers, pushing her hood back and mussing up her hair.

But when she tried to pull away, Ruby wouldn't let go. Clutching onto the lapels of Yang's jacket, she tugged at it. "Do… do you think you could kiss me again?" she said, mumbling into Yang's ear.

Smiling, Yang tilted Ruby's head up to catch her lips in a teasing kiss, dry and quick. Ruby nipped at her like an unfortunately affectionate cat giving love bites. "Hey, hey," she said, cupping her face and bumping foreheads. "Not nice."

Ruby responded by kissing her again, demanding more attention as she pulled Yang closer, the occasional tear still slipping past her clenched eyelids. Needier than she usually allowed herself to be, she groaned again, but with a different intonation. "I don't want to be nice right now." The first button of Yang's jacket came undone. "I don't want to be anything."

Everything felt warmer, Ruby grinding against her in a familiar, insistent way. She wanted comfort— wanted Yang. "Maybe not here," Yang mumbled in between kisses, consciously trying not to react to Ruby's palm sliding across her belly. Cupping the back of her neck, she massaged the soft spots just underneath Yang's skull. "Ahm, I'm, gross and sweaty and dirty."

"I know. Me too." Taking Yang's hand, she guided it under her skirts, past layers of ruffle to brush against smooth silky leggings.

"Ruby," Yang said, quietly.

Hearing her tone, the younger huntress stopped at once to look up at her, concern brimming in her wide open eyes.

Pressing her lips together, Yang shook her head and chuckled at the genuine distress on her face. "…Oh, hell." Clapping a hand to her forehead, Yang shook her head. "Never mind. C'mere." She kissed her cheeks, letting out a pleased hum when Ruby ducked her head down to suck at her neck, one hand pulling aside her scarf even as the other insistently led Yang to where she wanted to be touched. Ruby could be aggressive when she wanted something. Yang's blood thrummed and throbbed, each patch of skin being touched feeling sensitive to the point of pain.

Hooking her fingers into the waistband of her leggings, she dragged them down just past Ruby's hips. The back of her hands stroked the exposed, white flesh of Ruby's thighs. Getting nowhere near where Ruby needed her, she forced Ruby to whine and twist for it, pulling on her hair by the roots just enough to get her attention.

Slipping between her legs at last, Yang was surprised to find it not nearly as drenched as she was used to. Being an excitable person in general, with a habit of over thinking, Ruby usually was raring and ready to go by the time Yang got around to stroking her to completion. But her impatience tonight meant Yang was able to feel it happen, from damp and hot to achingly wet, sinfully slick under her rough fingers.

Red faced and panting, Ruby's unique silver eyes caught her gaze for as long as she could before she flushed even brighter, burying her face in Yang's shoulder and kneading at her breasts. Squirming enough to tempt Yang into just tossing her down onto the dirt where she would be easier to pin down, Ruby carefully inched her fingers through Yang's long hair, testing each tug for too much resistance. Even when mindlessly gasping in shock and pleasure, she didn't want to hurt her, and Yang loved her for it.

Also, a bit more realistically, the last thing they needed was to send the forest up in flames.

Opening her legs as much as she could with her leggings constricting her, Ruby started working on Yang's belt, maybe feeling guilty for taking more than she was giving back. Catching her in the act, Yang smirked, pressing closer to crush her against the tree. There was hardly enough room for her to breathe, much less work her hands, and her whining redoubled. "Uh-uh," Yang said, clucking her tongue in denial and pressing her forearm across Ruby's throat, her other hand still working underneath Ruby's skirt. "Stay still."

Prying her arms free from between them, Ruby dug her hands knuckle deep into Yang's hair again, yanking her head in closer for another kiss. Jammed against the tree so hard that bits of bark were flaking off and getting caught in her hair, she clawed at whatever she could reach as though she could tear her release free with her bare hands. Whimpering her name in increasing desperation, Ruby sobbed into her open mouth when she came, only kept in place by Yang's heavy frame supporting her.

"I love you so much." Yang's lips pressed hard against the top of her head, chest aching fiercely. "I love you so, so much."

Not wanting to choke her, Yang removed her forearm from Ruby's throat, instead wrapping it around her in a hug. Finally free, Ruby gasped for air, her sweat-soaked hair plastered to her face or sticking up at odd angles. Yang held onto her tighter than ever, suddenly afraid that she was the only thing keeping her upright. If she stopped supporting her she might crumble into a boneless pile on the forest floor.

"Ah," Ruby said, nuzzling her neck as Yang started gently combing through her dark hair with her fingers, smoothing it into something less wild. She shifted her leggings back up her thighs, hands shaking as she did so. "Hah, Yang… thank you."

Her pulse beat like a tiny creature trapped in her fist, skin warm and damp to the touch. Soothing her down from the heights she had brought her to, Yang kissed her eyelids, glad to note there were no more tears sneaking by. "You know how you can thank me properly?" she asked, gently, curling her dirty fingers underneath Ruby's chin so that she looked up into her eyes.

Smiling nervously, Ruby nodded, hands diving for Yang's belt buckle again. But Yang caught her wrists, grinning at her. "Hey, hey, that's not what I meant, dingus," she said, sticking her tongue out. "You can thank me by pushing my bike home."

Ruby's face fell. "What? Yaaang—"

"I'm sorry, what? I didn't hear you over your sex noises." Cupping her hand around her ear and turning it towards her, Yang leaned in. "It sounded an awful lot like, 'oh, Yang, oh god, please— please don't stop, I'll do anything—'"

"I— I didn't say that!"

"You did, though." Yang said, voice a little deeper as she lifted her hand up to her lips, running her tongue along the crease where her index and middle finger met. "…Nonverbally."

Skin still flushed from sex and adrenaline, Ruby could only stammer and stomp her foot. "You— you can nonverbally— Urrgh!"

Laughing, Yang snuck in another kiss, slinking her arm around Ruby's waist. "I'm sorry. We'll both push it, and you can help me brush all the leaves out of my hair. How does that sound?"

Frowning still, Ruby made a big deal out of fixing Yang's lopsided jacket, buttoning it up snugly and tugging on it till it fit right. "Well. That sounds doable."

"Good." She squeezed her close. "I'm glad."