It doesn't end well

The flaps of the cardboard box fell open with a whisper of dust. For a moment, the entire room held its breath—then erupted in varying degrees of horrified disbelief.

"...Ants." Weiss said flatly, her eye twitching as she leaned away from the box. "There are actual ants on those."

Ruby's triumphant grin froze in place as she stared down at the single, lacy pair of panties crawling with tiny black insects. One particularly bold ant meandered up the strap toward her fingers. "Huh," she squeaked, jerking her hand back.

Weiss’s gloved fingers hovered over the writhing lace, her nose wrinkling in disgust—but curiosity won out. "Are those... enchanted ants?" she muttered, poking one experimentally. The moment her fingertip made contact, the entire colony surged in unison, swarming up her sleeve in a glittering black wave.

Yang let out a strangled yelp, backpedaling so fast she tripped over Blake’s abandoned book. "NOPE. NOPE. WEISS, SHAKE ‘EM OFF—"

Blake’s ears flattened as she brandished her novel like a shield.

Weiss shrieked and flailed her arm wildly, sending a shower of ants raining across the dorm room floor. "They won't—get off!—they're sticking like—ugh!—like glue!" The ants shimmered unnaturally, their tiny bodies clinging to her sleeve no matter how violently she shook.

Blake, now perched precariously on Yang's abandoned bunk, watched with wide eyes. "Are they biting you?"

"I don't know—it just tingles—" Weiss gasped, twisting her arm as another wave of ants skittered toward her shoulder.

Ruby let out a small squeal—a high-pitched, involuntary noise—as she stared at Weiss’s sleeve with widening eyes. Weiss froze mid-flail, confused by the reaction, before following Ruby’s gaze down to her own arm. Her breath hitched.

The ants weren’t just clinging—they were eating. Tiny, precise bites chewed through the delicate fabric of her sleeve in perfect unison, the edges dissolving like sugar in water. The exposed skin beneath prickled, not from pain, but from some strange, tingling energy radiating off the swarm. "...Oh," Weiss said, voice eerily calm.

Weiss stood rigid, her breath shallow, as the shimmering ants marched in eerie unison beneath her sleeve. The tingling sensation spread—first across her shoulder, then down her back in creeping pinpricks. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Then one skittered under her collar.

Her composure shattered.

"GETTHEMOFFGETTHEMOFF—" Weiss flailed like a marionette with its strings cut, slapping at her own uniform with frantic, undignified swats. The ants clung, their tiny legs tickling as they chewed through seams with terrifying efficiency.

Weiss let out a high-pitched whimper as the tickling swarm surged beneath her clothes. She clawed at her collar, fingers trembling—only for the front of her blouse to sag forward as the top button dissolved into nothing. A patch of pale skin peeked through the gap, already prickling with the unnatural energy radiating from the enchanted insects.

"Blake—Yang—DO SOMETHING!" Weiss shrieked, twisting sideways as the ants spiraled down her spine. Her bra strap snapped with an almost comical ping, the lace disintegrating beneath their tiny, relentless jaws. Yang, still sprawled on the floor, scrambled backward until her back hit the wall.

Yang’s laughter died in her throat as Weiss’s skirt seams split with a series of tiny pops, the fabric peeling away in jagged lace-edged ribbons. The ants swarmed in perfect synchronization, their tiny bodies pulsing with eerie golden light as they devoured the expensive Dust-woven material like it was tissue paper.

Blake’s grip on Yang’s bunk tightened, her knuckles bone-white. "Ruby," she hissed, "what kind of enchantment did you put on these things?!" Ruby’s hands flew to her mouth. "I—I didn’t! Team PRVT just said the winner would get the contents of the box—I didn’t think they’d—Weiss, hold still!"

Weiss wasn’t holding still. She spun in a frantic circle, her uniform now more gaps than fabric—patches of her blouse fluttering to the floor like snow, her skirt sagging dangerously as the ants devoured another seam. A high-pitched whine escaped her throat as the swarm fanned out across her waistband, their tiny legs skittering against bare skin.

Yang finally snapped out of her stunned silence. "Okay, new plan—BLOW THEM OFF!" Yang’s fist ignited with a burst of flame—just as Blake’s arm shot out, clamping onto her wrist with inhuman speed.

"Yang," Blake hissed through gritted teeth, ears flattened against her head, "Weiss has already been slapping at them for the last thirty seconds. Do you really think fire is the solution here?!" Yang blinked. Then her eyes widened as the implication hit her. "Oh. Oh no."

Weiss’s breath hitched as the swarm pulsed beneath the remains of her uniform, their tiny bodies glowing brighter as they chewed through another seam. The tickling sensation had turned into a full-body hum, like static clinging to her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut—just as the last threads of her skirt gave way, the fabric slithering down her legs in tattered strips.

A strangled noise escaped Ruby’s throat. "I—I can fix this!" She lunged forward, hands outstretched—only for Weiss to stumble back, arms crossed over what little remained of her blouse.

Weiss’s breath hitched—too late. The last scrap of lace fluttered to the floor in dissolving threads, the snowflake emblem curling into nothingness under the ants’ relentless glow. She barely had time to register the cold air against bare skin before the swarm pulsed, their tiny antennae twitching in unison—then surged toward the nearest warm body.

Yang’s eyes locked onto the advancing tide of glowing insects. "Oh, come on—!" She scrambled backward, but the ants moved faster, skittering up her bootlaces with terrifying precision. The moment their tiny legs touched skin, Yang yelped, batting at her ankles like a woman possessed. "NOPE. NOPE. NOPE. NOT TODAY!"

Her bootlaces disintegrated mid-step, the leather fraying into nothingness as the swarm pulsed brighter, their tiny mandibles working with terrifying efficiency. Yang barely had time to kick off her boots before the ants surged upward, their glowing bodies skittering along the hem of her pants.

Yang was frantically trying to beat them off as best she could while flailing all over the place as Yang's flailing soon turned into an uncoordinated dance of panic as the ants swarmed higher, their tiny legs prickling against her skin like a thousand needles dipped in electricity. Her pants started dissolving at the knees, threads unraveling in real-time as she spun in a wild circle, slapping at her own thighs with enough **** to leave red marks.

"THEY'RE IN MY PANTS—THEY’RE IN MY PANTS—" Yang’s voice cracked mid-shriek as the waistband gave way, sagging dangerously before splitting entirely. She grabbed at the fabric, but it crumbled between her fingers like dry leaves, the enchanted ants pulsing brighter with every frantic swipe she took.

Yang's panicked backpedal sent her crashing into Ruby with a yelp—just as a cluster of glowing ants tumbled from her disintegrating waistband onto her sister's boots. Ruby froze, staring wide-eyed as the insects skittered up her laces with terrifying purpose.

"Nononono—" Ruby squeaked, shaking her leg like a dog splashing in a puddle, but the ants clung tight, their tiny bodies pulsing as they chewed through the first layer of fabric. A high-pitched whine escaped her as the threads of her left shoelace dissolved mid-air, the ends curling into ash.

Ruby’s hands flailed wildly as she tried to shake the ants loose—only for her elbow to slam into the box still sitting on the floor. The lid popped open with a click, and for one horrifying second, the remaining ants inside pulsed in unison, their golden glow intensifying before—The swarm erupted.

A shimmering wave of insects poured out in a single, writhing mass, their tiny legs skittering across the wooden floorboards in a sound like rustling paper. Yang, Blake and Ruby screaming in horror as the surged to towards them.

Weiss shivered in the corner, knees drawn tight to her chest as the last remnants of her dignity dissolved under the ants’ relentless march. The cold floor bit into her bare skin, but she barely noticed—her wide, disbelieving eyes were locked on the chaos unfolding before her.

The new wave of ants surged like liquid gold across the floor, splitting into shimmering tendrils that lashed toward Blake’s boots and Ruby’s flailing legs with terrifying precision. Blake barely had time to hiss before the first ants reached her, their tiny bodies swarming up her leggings with terrifying speed.

Blake’s ears flattened against her skull as the ants seethed up her calves, their tiny legs a prickling wildfire beneath the fabric. She twisted, clawing at her leggings as the threads hissed apart like melting spiderwebs, revealing patches of skin that only invited more of the glowing swarm.

A strangled noise escaped her throat as the waistband of her leggings sagged—then dissolved entirely, slithering down her thighs in ashy ribbons. She kicked wildly, but the motion only scattered the ants further, sending them skittering up her tank top in glittering trails.

Ruby yelped as the second wave overtook her boots completely, the leather crumbling like stale bread. Soon enough– Yang, Ruby and Blake’s clothes, even their bras and panties, were completely covered by the ants.

Ruby’s socks were the next to go, dissolving into nothingness as the ants surged over her ankles, their tiny mandibles reducing the fabric to dust in seconds. She let out a panicked squeak, hopping on one foot as the last threads of her shoelaces gave way—only for the swarm to immediately swarm up her bare calves, their glowing bodies pulsing hungrily against her skin.

Yang’s pants had already surrendered entirely, the tattered remains sloughing off her hips in ashy ribbons as she staggered backward, her hands flailing at the air as if she could somehow wave the infestation away.

Yang’s back hit the wall with a thud, her breath coming in sharp gasps as the ants seethed up her thighs, their tiny legs a maddening tickle against her bare skin. She slapped at them uselessly, her palms coming away smeared with glowing dust—only for more to surge up in their place, their bodies pulsing brighter with every frantic swipe.

Ruby let out a wordless shriek as the swarm reached her knees, her stockings disintegrating in jagged patches like paper thrown into flame. Ruby’s stockings dissolved in jagged rips, the threads curling into glowing embers before crumbling away entirely. The ants swarmed higher, their tiny legs a searing tickle against the backs of her thighs as she flailed, her boots now little more than ashy scraps around her ankles.

A sharp gasp tore from Blake’s lips as the first ants breached the hem of her tank top, their glowing bodies skittering beneath the fabric in shimmering waves. She twisted, clawing at her own clothes, but the movement only accelerated the disintegration—the fabric sagging like wet paper before sloughing off her shoulders in dissolving ribbons.

The ants pulsed brighter, their golden bodies skittering across her collarbone in shimmering waves, their legs tracing burning paths down her spine. She arched, a shudder rippling through her as they fanned out over her ribs, their relentless march unstoppable.

Weiss could only watch in horrified fascination as the last of Blake’s clothes surrendered to the swarm, the fabric dissolving into shimmering motes that clung to her skin before evaporating entirely. Blake’s breath came in sharp, panicked hitches as the ants swarmed over her bare thighs, their tiny legs tracing burning paths up her stomach—only to pause, pulsing in eerie unison, before suddenly reversing course.

The retreat was just as relentless as the invasion. The ants cascaded off Blake’s body in golden rivulets, their glow dimming as they skittered back toward the overturned box.

Weiss’s breath hitched as she turned toward Ruby, her bare shoulders trembling—not just from the cold, but from the sheer absurdity of their situation. Ruby had curled into a tight ball, her knees pressed to her chest as the last glowing ants abandoned her legs, leaving behind only goosebumps and the faintest shimmer of golden dust on her skin.

Yang wasn’t faring much better—her hands hovered uselessly over her thighs, fingers twitching as if she could still feel the phantom skitter of tiny legs. Her usual bravado had dissolved into wide-eyed disbelief, her cheeks flushed as she stared at the pile of ruined fabric at her feet.

Weiss and Blake locked eyes—a silent, furious understanding passing between them in an instant. Without a word, they lunged for the overturned box, their fingers brushing against its glowing edges at the same time. The moment they touched it, the remaining ants inside pulsed violently, their golden light flaring like a warning—but neither girl hesitated.

With a shared snarl of frustration, they hurled the cursed thing toward the open doorway. It tumbled end over end, trailing shimmering dust in its wake, before smashing against the hallway wall with a hollow crack. The impact sent a final burst of ants scattering across the floor—but they flickered weakly, their glow guttering out like dying embers.

The box clattered to a stop in the hallway, its fractured edges still pulsing faintly with dying embers of golden light. Weiss and Blake stood frozen in the doorway, their bare shoulders rising and falling with ragged breaths, the last remnants of the swarm’s shimmering dust clinging to their skin like ghostly fingerprints.