Two weird and wonderful weeks passed, and Ruby couldn't be happier with her situation. Dating twins certainly wasn't something she ever thought she would take part in, but Melanie and Miltiades were wonderful and caring. They went back to the arcade every now and then, and had dinner dates often, though more and more they simply hung out. Mostly in one of Vale's many coffee shops, Melanie drinking a coffee, Ruby drinking a hot cocoa, and Miltiades alternating between the two beverages.
"Seriously, Ruby?" Melanie grumbled.
Well, I guess there's one thing that could be going a little better… Ruby frowned. Any relationship had its bumps, and the girls had encountered their first. "It's not like I'm trying to keep you a secret, I promise!"
"Then why haven't you told your team about the both of us yet?" Melanie pressed.
"Because I'm afraid how they'll react!" Ruby told her, "and I need to keep a good relationship with my team."
"What exactly do you think they'll think about us?" Miltiades asked, "I mean, sure you're dating two people, but the fact that we're twins had to make it at least a little more okay."
"Well…" Ruby thought about it, "I mean, Blake would probably be okay with it, if what she reads is anything to go by. Yang might be a little weird about it at first, but if it's what makes me happy, I'm sure she'll try and get used to the idea." Ruby sighed, "The real issue is Weiss."
"Your 'BFF'?" Miltiades asked.
"I used to think she could be…" Ruby lamented, "but she never wanted to hang out. And after the way she reacted when she found out I like girls, I don't think she'll react well to this. Of all my team mates to have an issue with my lifestyle choices, it would have to be my partner."
"You have to at least tell your sister," Melanie decided, "Even if your afraid friction with your team will cause issues with school, Yang is your family."
"I know! I just… don't know how to bring it up," Ruby poked her fingers together.
Melanie shook her head, "Then figure it out. Listen, I don't want this to be our entire time together. We can play a game for our last half-hour?"
"You brought your laptop?" Ruby asked, more than happy to drop the previous conversation.
Melanie brought out her laptop and two controllers. Ruby took one, and Miltiades settled on Ruby's shoulder to watch the pair play. "What's on for today?" The timid twin asked.
"I think a level or two of Left 2 Die?" Melanie offered.
A half hour later they parted ways, each twin trading a kiss with Ruby before heading for the club. Ruby walked the direction of Beacon, her worries about telling her team slowly working their way back to the front of her mind.
Yang was uneasy. For the past week, Ruby had been careful around her, like she was afraid to say something. It confused the blonde, because what could Ruby possibly be afraid to tell her sister? Yang's fear of the situation was only worsened because she knew Ruby and Miltia had officially become an item. After their big arcade date two weeks ago, Ruby had come home giddy and smiling more than usual. And that girl loved to smile already. And a just week later Ruby was being anxious all of a sudden?
"Are you okay?" Blake broke Yang out of her absent stare in Port's class.
"Yeah!" Yang assured, "It's Port? How is me not paying attention weird?"
"Because you're usually asleep, not staring a hole into the back of your sister's head." Blake deadpanned, pointing to Ruby a few rows up.
Yang sighed. "It's just… Okay, Ruby's now in a relationship, right?"
"Yeah," Blake nodded.
"Well, why hasn't she been gushing about Miltia?" Yang asked, "Why hasn't she told us all the little details of their dates? I know she's always excited to go out and meet up with her, but she comes back and is just… quiet."
"You think she wants to tell you, so you don't know why she isn't," Blake explained, noticing the same strange behaviors in their leader.
"Exactly!" Yang agreed.
"Maybe she doesn't want you to constantly tease her about it?" Blake theorized.
"What?" Yang hadn't considered that at all. "I'm not that bad, am I?"
"Yang, you teased her about Miltia before they were together, about them getting together," Blake deadpanned, "In fact, you teased so hard I think it was an actual factor in them getting together so quickly."
"I mean… I guess you're right…" Yang conceded. "Maybe she'll talk to you?"
"What?" Blake raised an eyebrow.
"Well, if she doesn't want to talk to me," Yang explained, "Maybe you can ask her, and she'll tell you what's on her mind?"
"I mean, I guess I could try…" Blake thought aloud.
"Please!?" Yang put her hands together to plead, "I'd hate to think anything would go wrong because of me."
"I'll talk to her," Blake promised.
Blake caught up to Ruby shortly after class ended. She quickly scanned for Yang, making sure the older sister wasn't hanging too close. If Ruby really was worried about something Yang might say or do, the redhead wouldn't open up if she caught her older sister nearby. Luckily, Blake peeked Yang pulling Weiss away, possibly so the heiress wouldn't accidently interfere herself. Once Blake was confident she could proceed safely, she called out, "Hey Ruby!"
Ruby turned to face her faunus friend. "Oh! Hey Blake!"
"So," Blake decided to dive right in, "New relationship?"
Ruby's blush and giddy smile returned, "Yeah…"
"You haven't spoken much about her though," Blake told her, "Everything is good, right?"
"Yeah!" Ruby defended emphatically, "Better than good. Better than great!"
"Then what's wrong?" Blake asked.
Ruby's smile faltered just a little. "Nothing's wrong, not really…"
"Ruby, I'm going to level with you. Yang's worried," Blake confessed, "She's afraid that you not talking about Miltia means something bad. Now, if you don't want me to repeat anything to her, I promise I won't pass it on. But she wanted me to talk to you."
Ruby was quietly thinking for a fair few minutes. "Blake, you're very, um, open minded? Right?"
The question caught the faunus off-guard. Why does that matter here? "I'd like to think so?"
"I just don't know how to bring it up! I don't know what Yang will say! I don't think it'll be bad, but I'm not sure she'll be… immediately… warm, to the idea." The redhead took time to pick her words carefully. "And I know I really should have told all of you, especially Yang, a long time ago, but even if Yang takes it well, I'm sure Weiss won't…"
"What 'idea'?" Blake questioned, "Ruby, what is going on?"
"Okay…" Ruby took a deep breath, "I haven't told you guys everything. I'm not just dating Miltia…"
Blake gave Ruby a blank stare. "…What?"
"I'm also dating Melanie, her… twin… sister…" Ruby confessed slowly.
Blake's blank stare morphed into one of surprise and disbelief. "…What!?"
"Yeah…"
"And you think Yang won't take that well?" Blake asked incredulously. "Ruby, there are so many people in this world who would kill to be in the position you are. Specifically, between two twin siblings. Yang would kill to take twins home."
"Except she hasn't," Ruby told Blake. "She likes to party a little, but she's only ever 'been' with one 'partner' at a time. I've never seen anything that tells me she would like to be with two people at once."
"That you know of," Blake pointed out, "And maybe that's just because she hasn't had the chance. Even so, even if what you're worried about is more a socially acceptable thing? Twins usually get a pass in the polygamy argument."
"Polygamy?" Ruby raised an eyebrow.
"It means multiple partners," Blake explained, "And beyond that, on the very off-chance that she isn't immediately accepting of the idea, your happiness is more important to her."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Ruby nodded, feeling a little better about the idea of telling Yang. "I still don't know how to bring it up to her."
"You told me in pretty plain words," Blake suggested.
"Yeah, but you're 'Blake my best friend', not 'Yang my sister'." Ruby argued. "But I will tell her. I'll figure something out. Thank you, Blake."
"Anytime," Blake smiled. "So… twins? What's that like?"
"Easier than you might think," Ruby nodded, "They understand that I'm new to all that, and I do my best to include them both in everything. There are activities they don't share an interest in, and that can feel a little tricky. But they're pretty understanding of me trying to get involved in their separate interests, y'know, separately."
"And you love them both?" Blake asked.
Ruby's entire face brightened. "N-no one's used that word yet… but I do feel the same about both of them, yes." She smiled wide, finally being able to talk about the twins to someone. "Sometimes it's a little overwhelming, receiving, what's the word… affection, from both of them. And I am worry that I'm going to slip up and not show them both the same affection. But so far no one has complained, especially not me."
"You're lucky…" Blake lamented, "Not everyone gets that with a single partner."
"Speaking of partner," Ruby turned to face Blake eye-to-eye, "I'll tell Yang myself, so don't tell her. But really don't tell Weiss."
Blake nodded, "I can see how Weiss could be an issue, given how straight-laced she was raised. But she has been doing a little better."
"I just don't want team RWBY to suffer for it, not when we've been doing as well as we have in our year," Ruby explained.
"You shouldn't keep things from her forever, but I won't tell before you do," Blake promised. "But you really need to tell Yang."
"Yeah," Ruby nodded, "I think I have a plan."
Melanie and Miltiades waited patiently in their regular coffee shop later that weekend. At least, Melanie waited patiently. Miltiades couldn't stop pacing.
"Calm down," Melanie urged her sister, "It's not like we don't already know Yang."
"We know 'Yang, the girl at the club', not 'Yang, our girlfriend's sister'," Miltiades pointed out.
Melanie opened her mouth to argue, but stopped short. "Okay," She yielded, nerves beginning to enter her voice, "you may have a point there."
"What if she doesn't like that Ruby is dating both of us?" Miltiades anxiously spouted, "Or what if that doesn't matter, and she just doesn't like us?"
"Miltia…" Melanie stood up and took her sister's hands, "Even if Yang doesn't like us, I trust that Ruby won't leave us just to appease her sister."
"Are you sure?" Miltiades worried, "She's been good to us, for us. Way too good… something going to go wrong…"
"Not this time. Have faith in her, Mil…" Melanie calmed her sister.
Miltiades took a deep breath. "You're right… It won't work if I don't believe it can. I trust Ruby, I do."
Down the street, Ruby's nerves were also rising quickly. Behind her strode Yang, who Ruby invited today specifically to meet Miltia. What Yang didn't know yet, was that she was also meeting Melanie. It was Ruby's hope that telling Yang about the twins by making her meet both of them would be the fastest way to get Yang's approval. And even if she didn't get it…
Well, she hoped it wouldn't come to that. She knew she didn't want to leave the twins, and the fallout would hurt both her and Yang.
"Hey Rubes?" Yang called out to her little sister.
Ruby turned back to face her. "Yeah, Yang?"
"Don't be so nervous," Yang told her, "I admit I was worried when you weren't talking about your dates to me, but I know you really feel for Miltia. I'm sure I'll love her, and I can't wait to meet her."
"I know that," Ruby assured.
"Then stop worrying," Yang repeated, "Seriously, you're making me think there's something you're still not telling. Miltia's not secretly a guy who got you pregnant or anything, right?"
"What! No!" Ruby defended loudly, "Nothing like that!"
"Okayyy," Yang nodded.
They arrived at the coffee shop, where Ruby saw the twins already inside. With a deep breath, Ruby found her smile and threw open door. "Hiya, girls!"
"Good morning, Ruby," both twins replied in practiced unison.
"Girls, this is my sister Yang," Ruby gestured to the blonde still in the doorway, "Yang, this is Melanie and Miltia, which is short for something I still have trouble pronouncing."
"Miltiades," The girl in question clarified.
"So you're Miltia," Yang finally recognized the bouncer from the club. "I saw Rubes talking to you, but I could never remember your face the next morning. I think this is only the second time I've seen you while I'm sober." The blonde turned to the other twin next. "And Melanie, right? Wow Rubes, good job!"
Oh thank god, Ruby breathed a sigh of relief at what sounded like an incredibly relaxed approval.
"I mean, how do you remember which one to kiss, am I right?"
And there is goes… Ruby cringed. "Well, Yang, that's kind of why I brought you out to meet them. I thought it would be easier to tell you that… I kiss them both."
Yang took a minute to look between Ruby and the twins repeatedly, wrapping her mind around what she just learned. "And uh… everyone is happy with this arrangement?" she finally asked.
"More than happy," Miltiades smiled.
"Everyone?" Yang asked again, her eyes focused on Ruby.
"Yes, Yang," Ruby rolled her eyes, "I didn't jump into this blindly. There was thought."
"And it works?" Yang asked.
"Yes, it does," Melanie answered, knowing it would also assure Ruby as well as Yang.
"Well… Okay then!" Yang smile brightly, "As long as my sister is happy, who am I to complain! Long as it stays that way, no problems from me. It is wonderful to meet you both," Yang shook the twins hands, "and can I say again, good job Rubes!"
"Um, thanks, I guess?" Ruby responded.
The group got some coffees and shared an afternoon where the twins got the 'big sister speech' as well as Yang's official approval. All in all, it was a very successful day. After the coffee, Yang left Ruby to her twins to spend the rest of the day together.
"I've just had a thought…" Ruby told the twins shortly after Yang left. "Were you two working when Yang blew up the nightclub?"