Yang lay there, mouth agape, still processing what her younger sister just said.
"Rubes, did you just say you're dating not one, but both Schnee sisters?" Ruby nodded and Yang brought a fist to her mouth and bit one of her fingers, her forehead wrinkled as she was thinking of what to do. "That is… You're right - a pickle, to put it mildly."
"What am I to do, Yang? I don't want to hurt them."
"I don't think that'll be an easy thing to do. How did this come to be?"
"Well, you know how I was when Winter and her mother came?"
"Yeah, of course I remember that. You were shivering as if it was freezing cold."
Ruby blushed. "Well, that was because of Winter."
"You got it right there, sis."
"Yang! This is not the time for your puns!"
"Sorry."
"Anyway, I fell for her instantly. But the thing is, me and Weiss were getting pretty close too."
Ruby then started telling Yang the whole story. The blonde bombshell of course knew some parts to the story, especially the parts involving Weiss. And sure, Yang noticed Ruby's weird behaviour when Winter was around. She even called her out on it. But she never thought Ruby would steal both Schnee siblings' hearts, let alone at the same time. Ah, who am I kidding, she's super adorkable, whose heart wouldn't she steal? She listened intently on the whole story, soaking in every minute detail of her little sister's confession.
"... And then it all just kinda happened and they both asked me out and I couldn't say no and I didn't even want to say no because I like both of them and now I'm so scared, Yang. They'll both hate me if they find out, I'm sure of it. You've seen how they are when they are together. And if they realize I'm dating both of them, hell will break loose, I feel it. Gosh, Yang, they'll kill me!"
Hmmm… I think I have an idea. Yang stretched out her arm and pressed Ruby tightly close to herself. "Don't worry, Rubes. They won't kill you. I won't allow them."
"But you don't-"
"I know enough about them. Weiss is so over the moon for you that she couldn't hurt you if she tried. And Winter… Well, she looks like a wuss, despite her attitude. Even if they tried to hurt you, they'd have to get through me first. You know that, don't you?" Ruby nodded in Yang's chest. Yang then pushed Ruby away so she could look her in the eye. "I have an idea."
Ruby gave her sister a hopeful look. Yang kept quiet. Ruby didn't want to intrude, but after a few seconds, she couldn't hold herself back. "Any day now?"
Yang mused and ruffled Ruby's hair. "Oh you little impatient imp, you."
"I'm not an imp! I'm two years younger than you!" Ruby forgot why she was so upset for a moment. She would not take this mocking lying down. Especially from Yang.
"Shush. Do you want to hear my idea or not?"
"Of course I do, but that doesn't give you a right to mock me!", Ruby pouted.
Yang let out a small laugh at the face her sister was making. "Oh, Ruby, you're so adorable. I completely understand why both of them fell for you."
"You're not helping."
"What I'm trying to say, Rubes, is that you're a teenager. A sweet, bumbly, blooming teenager. And you look super badass with that oversized scythe of yours."
"Crescent Rose most certainly isn't oversized. It's just the right size!"
"Sure thing, sis. But let me continue, okay?" Ruby nodded and muttered a small apology. "I'm saying you're cute and badass. Furthermore, you started growing, maturing. In more ways than one."
"What's this got to do with my situation?"
"If you'd let me finish… The same happened to Weiss and Winter. But they grew up in a family that probably taught them to suppress the emotions they felt. Their hearts turned to ice, so to speak. But you, Ruby, with your attitude, your sweet and innocent personality, reminded them of the times when they were small kids, when they probably had more freedom than now. And it melted their hearts. That's why they both like you."
"But-"
"Ruby, shush. Embrace your situation. You're dating both of them, big deal! It happens everywhere all the time! From what I've seen from the both of them, I don't think they'll be angry at you if they find out, but rather at each other. The two of them are the poster picture of sibling rivalry. And if you are the cause of rivalry, you should be proud of yourself, not sad and scared. If some day, dust forbid, the three of you grow apart and you are left alone, you will find yourself yearning for the touch of either one of them. So savour it as long as it lasts. Even if it turns out it'll last a lifetime. Savour it, because you never know. The next kiss, the next hug, the next touch… Could be the last."
Yang started drifting away in the distance as she was talking, envisioning a dark scalp in her mind. I miss my mother. And yours, Ruby. Wait. That hair isn't my mother's. It has something extra on it. A… Bow? Yang's eyes widened at the sudden realization of her vision. One which… She couldn't even really describe.
Ruby soaked in Yang's words like a sponge and the longer Yang kept talking, the more Ruby's smile was widening. She failed to notice Yang's expression because she was overwhelmed by her sister's care for her. She hugged her sister as tightly as she could and was a little surprised when Yang didn't return the hug immediately. She dismissed it as her own perception though, as she felt the familiar arm on her back not long after.
"Thanks, Yang. You're the best sister ever."
"Yeah, uhuh, you know it sis. Hey - did you see Blake anywhere, by the way? I haven't seen her all day…"
Said girl was, rather unsurprisingly, catching up with her reading in the library. Students of Beacon knew they could come to the library and read a book or do some studying whenever they wanted to, so they chose not to come in the middle of a holiday. Blake, on the other hand, saw it as a perfect opportunity to sit in comfortable silence as she read her small collection of books. Whilst in the White Fang, books were one of her only ways of escaping from the harsh reality of being a young faunus optimist.
And so, naturally, she fell in love with books at a young age, where the hero - much like Ruby said - would always fight for what was right and would always win. Granted, perhaps most of her stories didn't follow this exact pattern, but it held the general guideline; the character would look for something, and sure enough, they'd find it in the end.
Whether it be love, revenge, freedom or just a nap from their stupid sergeant.
The stash of book she had back at team RWBY's dorm was certainly nice, but she needed more reading material in order to satisfy her need to read. This is what prompted her to come to the dead silent Beacon library in the first place, where one could hear a pin drop from a mile away. Not necessarily because people were being quiet - whenever Ruby and Weiss were in here working on a project, they tended to make a racket arguing - but because there was nobody around to make any noise.
Blake had picked up the first book on the shelf which caught her eye - the first book in some series called "Red Versus Blue" and spent most of her day reading the books. Whilst at first she thought they were just a few comedy sketches, the story actually turned into something meaningful, still making her giggle all the while. Blake wasn't sure what book she was on by now, but she was certainly enjoying the story.
""Hey Tex," said the mystery voice, after having a spherical artifact of some sort thrown at her, "why don't you pick on somebody your own size?" Tex was shocked to see the figure in blue armour stood before her, holding a sniper rifle…" Blake softly read to herself subconsciously.
"Enjoying the story?"
Blake quite literally jumped out of her own skin, and she might have even hissed. She wasn't used to being snuck up on, constantly aware of her surroundings at all times, so Weiss' sudden and unexpected voice scared the life out of her.
"Weiss! Ahh... Err... What are you doing here?" It was a genuine question in Blake's defense. Weiss always studied with Ruby in the library, and the little redhead was nowhere to be found. While it could be argued she simply wanted to study alone, Blake knew for one that Weiss would study in the dorm room if she was to do it alone, as it left her closer to the kettle and made it easier to make tea. Having ruled out the possibility of studying, she was still left somewhat clueless as to why Weiss was even here in the first place. Maybe she was looking for her, for Blake?
"I was looking for you, Blake."
Ah. That made sense.
"Well… Here I am. What is the problem?" asked Blake inquisitively, searching for an answer from the girl. She also made sure that Weiss couldn't see the cover of the book - the last thing she wanted was a trusted friend thinking she read low quality rubbish, when it was actually really, really in depth and wonderful.
"Problem? Well… I was looking for you, just so we could have a nice chat, but now you mention it, I think I do have a problem of some sort…" The way Weiss spoke clearly indicated to the faunus that the girl wasn't lying, and seemed to sincerely have a problem.
"Do you feel like talking about it?"
Taking in a deep breath, Weiss breathed out as she said "Yeah. Yeah, that would be nice, Blake."
Blake opened her arms in a welcoming gesture, book still in hands, and put a small smile on her face. "I'm all ears, Weiss."
"Well… It's Winter."
"Winter, hmm? I'm not awfully surprised…" Blake rolled her eyes as she remembered all the tension between the two every time they were around each other. It seemed that a silent war was going on, and nobody had even noticed.
"This is going to sound ridiculous, and you must promise not to tell anybody." Blake nodded. Weiss seemed to contemplate her words, before saying "I do believe Winter is dating Ruby".
Blake had gathered that. Seeing the two together more often than not meant that this revelation was not as big as Weiss likely thought it would have been.
"And what's the pro-"
Weiss somewhat rudely interrupted by saying "And the problem, is that I am also dating Ruby."
Well. That was definitely rather interesting.
"That's a fairly peculiar situation."
"You think?" Weiss stood up, and reverted to Schnee mode. "Here I am, living a mostly ideal life, training as a respected huntress alongside a brilliant team. I have the girl of my dreams by my side, and we have a lovely relationship." Weiss turned on her heel, directly towards Blake, who had put the now closed book into her lap to be checked out. "And what does Winter do? Winter walks in, and takes what is mine for her own. She is such a ignorant, bratty little idiot of an excuse for a little sister!"
To say Weiss looked and acted rather frustrated would be a tremendous understatement.
"But you know what's worse? I want to build bridges, to fix this dysfunctional relationship, but she's just not letting me in…" Weiss, somewhat surprisingly, fell to her knees. "I just want a happy, normal relationship with my sister, but she turns me away and does something stupid. Is that too much to ask, is it really?! Look at Ruby and Yang! They get along so well! Why can't we be like that?!"
Weiss' voice was trailing off raspily, and her eyes were teary. "I just… I can't… I just want to get along…"
Weiss' sniffling brought Blake over the edge, and so she felt obliged to shuffle over and hug her. She stroked her hair, and whispered calming shushes into her ear in an attempt to calm the girl down, which actually seemed to be working. "It's okay," Blake said, "You're Weiss Schnee. Like you said, you're on top of the world, and if the resilient woman I know can't pull through this then I don't know who I'm talking to. You're a strong person, Weiss, never give up."
Weiss was quite honestly surprised by the sudden affection from Blake. She never pegged the cat faunus as the type to be emotionally soothing, but then again, she never pinned Yang to be a mothering figure or Ruby to be relationship material. Surprises were just around the corner, and now part of everyday life, living with team RWBY.
Blake also surprised herself - she never knew she was the caring type either. As far as she knew, she was just that quiet and secretive ninja lady on team RWBY to everyone else, and the faunus in disguise to her teammates. The last thing she thought she'd be doing in her lifetime was consoling the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company.
A few days passed and the school campus was pretty empty. Ruby was exploring the slightly hidden park where she found Weiss the day she lashed out on Ruby. For some reason, that park held importance for Ruby and she felt she had to find something there.
Ruby was too busy admiring the surrounding landscape to even have a chance to react when she was pulled into the nearby bush. All that could be seen was a girl making a soft yelp, whilst being rather promptly dragged into a bush by a quickly moving unseen hand.
"Jeez. Are you always so jumpy? I mean, that yelp was cute, so I think I'll allow it."
Winter. Of course. She seemed to have a knack for dragging Ruby wherever she wanted to, being quite a controlling sort of person, especially over their relationship. To say she didn't like that at all, Ruby would be lying
"Hi Winter," was all Ruby managed before she was willingly dragged into a deep kiss with the other girl, making her blush furiously.
Winter made her breathless, quite literally.
"Mmm…" she said, after pulling away from the young redhead in her grasp, "I like surprising you. See, it's good for me too - you get a surprise and I get a kiss from my very best girlfriend."
Ruby wanted so desperately to just stand her ground and say she was dating Weiss too, that she wasn't her own girlfriend, that she was so, so sorry. It really frustrated her, because she just couldn't put what she wanted to say into words.
More than anything, Ruby was afraid of Winter's reaction and where that reaction would lead her. Yang's words gave her comfort, but not courage to confess to the Schnee sisters. She stared in the distance, emotionless look in her eyes.
Winter's keen eyes of course quickly noticed that. "Something wrong, cookie?" Wait, what? Why did I just call her "cookie"? Eh, can't be fixed anymore, I guess.
The nickname snapped Ruby out of her thoughts. "What did you call me?"
Winter repeated the word, silently, but clearly. "Cookie."
In that moment, Ruby's fear vanished and she practically jumped on her girlfriend, entwining their lips together in another deep kiss. No longer was she afraid of Winter's reaction, of Weiss' reaction, of her own reaction, even. She just wanted to shout to the world: "Winter and Weiss are the best girlfriends ever!" But then the kiss ended as Ruby had to get some air and her anxiety came back with a force.
"Mhmm, you've become quite a good kisser, cookie. Did you practice on someone?"
"Yes!" was what Ruby wanted and almost said, but when she opened her mouth, all that came out was "Uh, n-no? Who could I p-practice on? Yang's m-my sister so that'd be w-wrong, Blake is… Blake and Weiss… Weiss…" Ruby lost herself while remembering the previous night when a certain heiress found her in their dorm room all alone and the passionate makeout session that heiress initiated without words, with a simple grab of the hand and a gentle pull. As startled as Ruby was at the moment of the unexpected touch, the moment those beautiful lips touched hers, all problems seemed to disappear. After Weiss let go of Ruby's hand, each girl felt a pair of foreign arms gently caressing their sides, momentarily straying perhaps just a little too far off course, to which the girls always responded with a startled yelp but then looked at each other in the eye, smiling momentarily before continuing the session.
Ruby felt her arm shaking, which made her come back to reality and see that Winter was looking at her with the faintest trace of anger in her eyes.
"What about Weiss, Ruby?" The tone was the no-bull one and Ruby knew that she had to answer something.
"Umm, you know, I don't know how you'd react to me kissing your sister and all."
I wonder how she reacted when she saw us kissing, but I'm guessing it'd be something similar. Not that it matters since that girl has no chance in hell at getting you. Winter hid all the anger from her face and cheerfully said: "Oh, that's rich! So you think I, Winter Schnee, would be jealous because my girlfriend practiced kissing on my sister?" Of course I'd be. And if you did kiss her, then…
"Uh, umm, eh, no, not at all!" Ruby quickly answered, scratching the back of her head while blushing intensely. "How could I ever think anything like that… Haha, nope! Not this girl," She said, pointing a thumb of her other hand at herself.
Winter looked at Ruby's weak try to get away with it. So you did kiss her. Peculiar. Do you two date too? Behind my back? Then again… An evil smirk ran across Winter's face before she pressed another kiss on the younger girl's mouth. "Well, anyway, nice seeing you here, I have to go now. Be a good girl, cookie." Saying that, she quickly left the bush and left behind a dumbfounded Ruby.
Weiss knows I'm dating Ruby, and I'm pretty sure Ruby is dating Weiss too. Most interesting turn of events. Then again, I have a plan for you, missy. Hopefully my sister will agree with it and we can have some sisterly fun.
Thoughts like that raced through Winter's mind as she was sending a message to Weiss' scroll.
Meet me where you snooped after me.
Winter took the path to the workshop, observing the academy grounds for the first time since she arrived there. She never paid too much heed to her surroundings, but for some reason that day she felt like it. She noticed the perfectly kept grass that was towered upon by tons of beautiful flowers and she was toying with the thought of making a bouquet and sending it to Ruby anonymously. It'd be a win-win situation for Winter, since if her sister didn't agree to her plan, Weiss would get angry, which always brought a smile to Winter's face, or…
The buzzer of her scroll went off.
I don't know why you need me there, but I'll be there in 5.
Good, sis, Winter thought. You remember. Now I am absolutely sure. A victorious smirk adorned the younger Schnee's beautiful pale face as she restarted the walk.
Weiss was very intrigued by the sudden request her sister sent her way. She didn't know what to make of it, but held the faintest trace of hope that Winter finally saw the light and wanted to bridge the gap between the two sisters. She'd probably never ask anything from her sister again if she would want to make their relationship a real sisterly one.
Weiss never felt like she needed a sincere, affectionate sister. She was used to doing everything alone since the day she was born. But something changed. Something changed when Weiss got to Beacon and that adorably cute dolt almost destroyed her Dust supply by being careless. And somehow Weiss got on the same team as her and her sister, the happy-go-lucky bad pun maker with a very impressive cleavage that left the self-conscious Weiss feeling very inadequate.
There was just something in the way those two interacted with each other. They'd bicker at one another just like Weiss and Winter, but it was obvious to even the least observant eye that they didn't mean to insult each other. They'd fight, even physically, with each other all the time, yet there was no venom behind the words said and the punches thrown. They were sisters that loved each other immensely. And Weiss hated them for it. In the beginning, at least.
The longer she watched the two sisters lovingly fight each other, the more she realized that she hated them because she wanted to experience the same stuff with Winter. Well, not the fistfight bits, but the playful bickering and help they offered to one another, never letting the other feel alone. The feeling of being accepted, of being someone's friend or, in case of Ruby, being someone's girlfriend was so alien to Weiss, and yet she yearned for it without knowing. She'd probably never realize it if not for that cute dolt she called her girlfriend.
That's why she responded to Winter so quickly. Weiss was determined to bring her sister closer, to stop being her enemy, no matter what it took. Also, she thought to herself, let's not forget that we're both dating the same girl. Full and complete reconciliation might be out of the question, but even one step in that direction is a good thing.
The Schnee heiress looked around the room, checking if she had everything she needed. My favourite dress/combat skirt combo - check. Myrtenaster - check. Emergency Dust Revolver refills - check. Scroll - check. I guess that's all. Now, chin up, be graceful, smile and show Winter that you aren't intimidated by her attitude. Show her you're her equal. With that in mind, she left the dorm room and made her way to the workshop where she caught Winter kissing Ruby the other day.
Ruby was still sitting in the bush, exactly as she was when Winter went away, perplexed. Why did Winter leave so quickly? D-Did I say something wrong? Did I… Oum damn it, did I somehow manage to tell her I'm dating Weiss too? She slapped her forehead after realizing she probably did just that and bolted out of the bush, searching for Winter. How hard is it to find a white-haired, twin-ponytailed, knee-weakeningly sassy and beautiful girl on Beacon Academy campus?
It turned out to be pretty hard in the end. She was bolting from one end of the campus to the other, using her semblance to cover long distances quickly, but found no trace of the aforementioned girl.
She did manage to stumble upon Weiss, though. Even though it might have been a bad idea, she stopped to talk to her. Or, to put it more precisely, tackle her into a hug and perhaps a little more. In that moment, Winter was no longer on her mind.
"Heya, Weiss!"
Before the heiress could react, Ruby's arms were already closed around her waist and Ruby's face was nuzzling Weiss' back from behind.
"Hello, Ruby," Weiss answered while gently caressing the slender arms encircling her waist. She even blushed slightly at the thought that someone might see them.
"Ruby," she then said, "mind if I ask you what you're doing here, bolting from wherever to some other wherever?"
"Nope, I don't mind," the younger girl purred, her head slightly higher now, chin resting on Weiss' left shoulder.
"Do you mind answering, then?", she asked with faked slight annoyance. She just couldn't bring herself to not be happy around the lovely dolt.
"I was looking for you," Ruby said, which was not a complete lie. She didn't know she was searching for either Schnee sister until she stumbled upon the older one. With that, Ruby broke the embrace and quickly went to the other side of her girlfriend and gave her a small kiss. "To wish you luck in whatever you're doing and wherever you're going."
Weiss blushed a shade of crimson that was at least equal to Ruby's cloak. "Thank you," she managed to breathe out.
The two lovers failed to notice that they were very close to the workshop. And very close to that workshop, a certain twin-ponytailed girl was looking at them. I knew it!
Winter wasn't even angry at this point. Sure, she was not very happy that Ruby was cheating on her, let alone with her own sister. But both girls knew that now and that might have been enough to persuade Weiss to accept Winter's plan.
When Winter noticed the two girls parted with a goodbye kiss, she quickly went into the workshop, to the same room she was in when she stole Ruby's first kiss. Her sister entered soon after.
"Hello, Weiss."
"Winter."
"I am glad you came here."
"Mind explaining why I had to come all the way down here instead of just telling me what you have outright?"
A glint of mischief jumped through Winter's eyes. "Weiss," she said with a low voice, "I know about you two."
Weiss didn't even act surprised. "Figures. Just like I know about you two."
"And I know that you know since the day you found out." No venom in the words, just stating a fact.
"Is this why you dragged me here?"
"No, that was for a very different reason."
"And that reason is?"
"Weiss," Winter said, "I have a cunning plan."