Chapter 44

Yang won another match against the AI. She was now routinely beating the easiest difficulties, and could at least acquit herself competently against harder foes. It was encouraging progress, but too slow for her taste. Only Pyrrha's frequent encouragement kept her from getting frustrated. Just before Yang started up a new match, her scroll sounded. The punk rock ringtone told her Ruby was calling. She handed the controller to Pyrrha and slipped the scroll from her pocket, sliding it open and holding it to her ear.

"Hey Rubes, what's up?" Yang asked.

"Uh...there's something I need to...maybe I...gah…" Ruby fumbled.

"Spit it out Rubes." Yang insisted.

"I've got a bit of a problem." Ruby declared. "I mean, it's a good problem to have, but it's a little tricky and I'm not sure how-"

"What's going on?" Yang cut her off.

"So...I'm dating Weiss now." Ruby replied.

"What?" Yang gasped. "What happened to Blake? Did she-"

"I'm still dating her too." Ruby answered. "I'm dating both of them...it's kind of like the Valkyries."

"Holy shit!" Yang exclaimed. "Oh man, you are getting the biggest high-five the next time I see you."

"With your new arm we can double high-five." Ruby suggested.

"Oh man, I didn't even think of that!" Yang cheered. "Yeah! I have to tell Nora...and Raven. She'll be so proud of her protege."

"Hold on." Ruby advised. "We don't...we're not really sure how to announce this...to Winter in particular. I was hoping you could give me some advice."

"Hmm…" Yang stood, heading for the kitchen. "I have an idea."

"What are you…" Ruby started.

"Winter, Ruby has something to tell you." Yang announced, handing her scroll to Winter. After passing it off she rushed away to borrow Pyrrha's scroll, intent on spreading the word to her friends as soon as possible.

"Ruby, what is it?" Winter asked.

"Damnit Yang." Ruby grumbled. "I uh...we…"

"Ruby, just give me the scroll." Weiss said in the background. "I'll tell her." Winter could hear them fumbling with the device before Weiss came through loud and clear. "Winter...Blake, Ruby and I...how to put this…"

"Take your time Weiss." Winter encouraged.

"Alright." Weiss took a deep breath. "Winter, I have commenced a romantic relationship with Blake and Ruby."

"Both of them?" Winter asked, taken aback.

"Yes, both of them." Weiss confirmed. "I know it seems sudden, and a little crazy, and I guess it is, but I love them, and I've loved Blake for a long time."

Winter shook her head and placed her hand over the scroll. "I knew I shouldn't have let them share a room." She removed her hand. "I hope you're not rushing into this without thinking. A situation like this...isn't something you can afford to take lightly."

"I understand, and we've talked it out, extensively." Weiss declared. "I told Ruby about my scars, Blake told us about her past, Ruby...told us a secret. We're not keeping anything from each other, we're being completely open."

"I...I need to lay down." Winter sighed. "But we're going to discuss this more later, all of us, Summer too."

"Alright." Weiss agreed. "I love you."

"Love you too." Winter responded. She slid the scroll closed and collapsed into a chair.

"What's going on?" Summer asked.

"Ruby, Blake and Weiss are doing the polyamory thing." Winter replied.

"W-well then." Summer stammered. "That's...she does take after her mother…"

Winter sighed and took another sip of coffee, sinking into her chair and leaning against the table. Across from her, Summer simply stared at the contents of her mug. They had just finished a group video call with Ruby, Weiss and Blake, the topic of which had been their relationship. Winter and Summer had done little talking - in fact Summer had said nothing - outside a few questions, with the girls describing their situation and explaining themselves. It seemed they had everything well thought out, but that did not make Winter any less worried.

"What if it doesn't work out?" Winter asked.

"Let's try not to think about that." Summer resisted.

"There are so many potential problems." Winter noted. "If we think of what could happen so they can plan in advance-"

"I know some from example, but my relationship wasn't really the same." Summer interrupted. "The situation is different. What I had was a love triangle, they have a three-way relationship."

"I don't understand." Winter shook her head. "I'm not totally ignorant of polyamory...I just never thought about it, never needed to."

"Uh...how can I explain this…" Summer trailed off. "Ah." She got up and grabbed a pen and paper before returning to the table. "What I had was like this." She drew a triangle, the letters R, S and T at the corners, with one-way arrows forming the sides. "We had a series of relationships that conflicted as often as not. What they have sounds like this." She made a dot with spokes running out to the letters R, W and B. "They all love each other, the love sort of meets in the middle and radiates out. I think it's more sustainable."

"Hopefully." Winter groaned. "If things went sour...Weiss would retreat into herself, regress into her depression. Blake would...I'm not sure, but she's been through enough as it is. I have no idea what Ruby would do. She's been in relationships before, how did she react to them...ending?"

"Not well." Summer replied. "Lots of crying, isolating herself...she spent a lot of time with Yang, who was going through the same thing. I've never seen her so depressed." She paused. "But we can't dwell on the negatives. This could...this will all work for them. We have to believe it."

"I suppose we should trust them." Winter agreed. "I'll certainly encourage and assist them in any way I can."

"Ruby's so much smarter than me…" Summer began to tear up. "I...I hope she doesn't make the same mistakes...I made so many…"

Winter was taken off guard by how quickly Summer dissolved into sobbing. "S-Summer, it's alright." Winter rushed to her side, wrapping her in a tight embrace. "We all make mistakes. Nobody's perfect. You did the best you could."

"I...I just...it all fell apart." Summer sobbed. "I don't want it to happen to them."

"It won't." Winter declared. "Like you said, Ruby's smarter, and you've done a wonderful job of raising her. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"I...hope so." Summer calmed down, sniffling. "They all deserve to be happy."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say Coco was in love with you." Sun noted as he flipped through the folder of sketches. It included several dozen different poses of Neon, at times accompanied by others, Yatsuhashi, Velvet, some chick he did not recognize, and...Weiss. He winced as Neon, sitting on the bed behind him, pulled his hair into another random ponytail, her chosen activity for the evening.

"In love with my body, duh, me?" Neon asked. "I dunno', we have fun for sure, but nothing will compare to how she treats Velvs." She leaned down, wrapping her arms around Sun's neck to look at the pad. Seeing the subject, she smiled weakly. "She looks so beautiful with her hair down."

The sketch in question portrayed Weiss sitting on the bed, Neon curled in her lap. Weiss smiled gently down at her, one hand buried in her hair, the other holding her own hand, a fond smile bright upon her face. Coco had only been able to convince Weiss to model once, and even so, pajamas were the skimpiest she would go. She never explained in detail the scars on her thighs, but then again Neon never pressed. Everyone had scars, some were just more visible than others.

It was a beautiful image, Neon's favorite, even if it sent a sharp pang through her heart to see it. Anyone could look at the image and assume the best, but only a few understood the pain hidden behind the pose. It was amusing to Neon how it encapsulated their relationship, Neon the loyal pet, hopelessly in love with her mistress, Weiss, the pained beauty, seeking respite from heartache in the arms of her servant...Neon often let her imagination get the better of her.

Currently, it was imagining all the scenarios that could result in Weiss not messaging her all day. In fact, she had not communicated with her...friend...since the prior evening. Weiss could be ignoring her, the very thought making her heart ache, but Weiss was not so cruel. She understood that Neon was worried for her, and would at the very least inform her if she was not in the mood for conversation...not that she ever had...yet. Her scroll might be out of charge, lost or broken, though this was extremely unlikely. Weiss was an extremely careful person, and even so, she had a backup on hand for emergencies. Weiss liked to be prepared for the worst.

The last and most concerning possibility was that Weiss had once again fallen victim to her feelings of guilt, and she was not wallowing in a depressed slump, probably while Blake and Ruby were out canoodling...of all the words she could have come up with, that was probably the least fitting, but this was her imagination and it was running rampant!

"Ney, hey, you doin' okay?" Sun asked.

Neon was snapped out of her thoughts by Sun's hands taking her own, and she smiled down as he looked up at her, with his goofy upside down grin warming her mood instantly. Weiss and Sun could not be more polar opposites if they tried. While Weiss' resting expression was that of subtle distaste for the world, Sun was like a visual contact high, exuding a calm warmth, the very essence of chill. Weiss clammed up, hoarding her emotions until they spilled over, or burst from the pressure. Sun wore his heart on his sleeve, ever open, honesty his virtue, even if his big mouth rubbed people the wrong way sometimes.

More than anything, Sun was gentle and simple.

That was not to say Weiss could not be gentle, or that Neon disliked being roughed up. It surprised Neon to discover Weiss' joyful, dominating manner in bed. Once she grew more confident in her desires, Neon quickly found that Weiss enjoyed a challenge, making Neon submit, taming her, punishing any disobedience with a very firm hand, and in the aftermath, Neon spanked raw, thighs bitten and bruised, Weiss' back even clawed bloody at times...she rarely looked so beautiful, so free, completely immersed in the moment...but with Sun, there were no pretenses, no roleplay. He was there because he wanted her, he was there because he cared for her, and despite the lack of kinks, their time together was no less intense, no less passionate.

Neon had found herself in bed with several partners since her split. Coco and Velvet were among the first to comfort her. Nestled between the two, Neon realized just why Weiss desired Ruby and Blake so, to be loved from all angles was a bliss no single person could offer. Yatsu, whom she had originally bonded with during a sketching session, such a gentle giant of a man, every moment careful, every touch precise, able to handle Neon like a ragdoll, yet never making her feel like a toy, utterly selfless in his affections. And finally Sun, who had only recently relented to her flirting, though not from lack of desire she found, but quite the opposite.

Coco and Velvet loved Neon, but more than anything they loved each other. Perhaps with time, Neon might have been able to be equals with them, but Neon desired something simpler. She desired what they had, not what they could give. Yatsuhashi was a loving person, their times together were unforgettable, but outside of that, they lacked much in the way of common interests, and their connection was weak as a result, so she did not pursue him further.

But Sun? They just...clicked...there was no...struggle, no doubts, no conflict or pain, at least not stemming from their own relationship. They loved dancing to pop music, climbing random objects, rough-housing when they needed to burn energy but didn't feel the need to have sex. Neon still struggled with her feelings for Weiss, but Sun did more than distract her from them. Slowly but surely, he was making them fade. Little by little, Neon was falling for Sun. But right now, in this moment, that terrified her.

"Weiss still hasn't messaged me." Neon replied. "I'm just worried something's wrong."

"When did you message her last?" Sun asked.

"This morning...I just don't wanna' annoy her if she's busy." Neon answered.

"She won't be annoyed if you're just worried." Sun encouraged. "Message her again. Ask if she's okay. Otherwise you're gonna' keep worrying until she messages you. Maybe she just forgot. Maybe she's been doing something and it slipped her mind."

Neon glanced at her scroll, charging on the bedside table as it had been all day until Sun came by to distract her. "Alright, one message, then I do your nails."

"I hate you." Sun said with an irresistible smirk.

Neon leaned down to peck him on the nose. "Muah."

"Hey Ruby." Weiss called.

Ruby looked up from her laptop to Weiss, who lay beside her in Blake's lap, eyes closed blissfully as Blake gently ran her nails through Weiss' hair. "Yeah?"

"Why did you never ask me to do references?" Weiss asked.

Ruby laughed. "Hey Weiss, wanna' strip down to your undies and let me take pictures of you? I promise it's an artistic thing."

Weiss blushed, grimacing to avoid a smile. She felt Blake's belly heave with suppressed laughter. "I might have, you never know."

"If you had appealed to her ego she would have caved." Blake suggested.

Weiss slapped Blake's leg as they both laughed, blushing all the harder. "Shut up."

"Is that your fantasy Weiss?" Blake asked. "To strip down and pose like a Mistrali?"

Weiss spun around to poke Blake in the stomach, fixing her with a mock glare. "Just because you have a Mistrali fetish."

"I do not." Blake protested. She had the gall to look offended before smirking. "You're the one who made out with Pyrrha."

"Which I'm so jealous of by the way." Ruby added.

Weiss buried her face in Blake's stomach. "I hate you both."

Blake chuckled, again running her fingers through Weiss' hair. "I don't really need references anymore." Ruby declared. "I've practiced so much with the ones I already took that I can draw from a glance." She paused as she clicked a few things, then turned the laptop screen to Weiss. "See? I think I nailed you."

Weiss looked up to see...herself. Portrayed as a rather regal, but distinctly deadly looking mage. Clad in a beautiful blue and white dress, and wielding an ornate rapier, her delicate pose and gentle smile gave an air of confidence, calm and content in her power. It was beautiful, she was beautiful, even with her flat chest and slim hips. "Is that really what my legs look like?"

"You never noticed?" Blake asked.

"They're really pretty." Ruby noted.

"You show them off a lot." Blake added.

"I wear tights and stockings." Weiss noted.

"Mmm I know!" Ruby moaned. "You should wear fishnets sometime."

Weiss returned her face to Blake's stomach, her face positively aflame. "You sure know how to make a girl feel special."

Ruby giggled. "I didn't plan on taking references of Blake. She just noticed the folder and...well I had a fun idea."

"As you no doubt saw." Blake grinned.

"I'm sorry...Pyrrha looked cute though." Weiss stated.

"She's so adorable." Ruby gushed. "It's kinda' hot actually. She's so strong and confident when working out, but then the clothes come off and she's a blubbering puddle of daaaaw. Just wanna' mush her cheeks together and tell her she's amazing and beautiful. I hope Yang does every day."

Weiss looked up at Ruby mushing her own face excitedly, then Blake, who merely looked amused. "Pyrrha is adorable, this is known." Blake confirmed.

Weiss rolled her eyes, but before she could respond her scroll chimed. "Blake?"

Blake picked up Weiss' scroll from the bedside table. Glancing at the screen, her ears flattened slightly. "It's Neon."

"Oh." Weiss was suddenly dragged back to the sad reality that was her guilty conscience. "I need to tell her."

Weiss clutched the scroll uncertainly in her hand, opening the message. "Are you okay?" In many ways yes, but in this way, no. She was certainly not okay. She would never be okay with her treatment of Neon.

"I've been worrying her...I haven't replied to her since yesterday." Weiss sighed. The timestamp of her last response glared angrily back at her. Ruby shut her laptop and shifted closer. "I just...I don't know how to do it."

"Well, I think we should do it together." Ruby suggested.

Blake hummed in agreement. "She deserves our gratitude."

"And more hugs!" Ruby declared.

Weiss felt her eyes sting. Locking the scroll she lit it fall, hiding back in Blake's belly. "I don't want to hurt her anymore.

Ruby pressed in close, wrapping an arm around Weiss' back. Blake's fingers once again threaded through Weiss' hair, clawed nails trailing lightly across her scalp. Weiss nearly mewled in sudden bliss. "Neon will understand Weiss." Ruby assured her. "She cares about you. The only way you could really hurt her is if you kept this from her."

"All she wants is for you to be happy." Blake noted. "Neon loves you, and I know you love her too. So what if things didn't end up the way you expected? You can still appreciated what you have and be happy as friends."

"With benefits even!" Ruby cheered.

Weiss pushed herself up. "Ruby!"

"What?" Ruby shrugged. "It's possible!"

"Blake-" Weiss started.

Blake wrapped her arms around Weiss' waist and pulled her into a sudden kiss, leaving her stunned and breathless. "Is that something you would like? I don't mind sharing, as long as the little kitten knows her place."

Weiss struggled for words, stuck between shock, arousal and sheer adoration. She settled for a choked laugh, shaking her head. "This shouldn't be happening. Where's the stupid dramatic fight and jealousy? Your novels are full of shit Blake."

Blake and Ruby both laughed at that. "We always hated those moments." Ruby smiled.

"And I don't like being possessive." Blake added.

"Unless you're high." Ruby teased.

Blake booped Ruby on the nose. "Shush you. Weiss, this relationship is something new for all of us, and things are going to get a lot more...interesting with my heat. Perhaps, for the time being, we should consider the relationship open, so if something happens, it happens, and we can talk about it without and worry or guilt." Blake looked between Weiss and Ruby, both with thoughtful expressions on their faces.

"I never thought of that." Ruby admitted.

"It...does seem reasonable, at least for the time being." Weiss allowed. "I mean, logically, I'm not just saying this because of Neon, I mean, she is a reason I'm open to this but-"

"Weiss, you're overthinking it." Ruby cautioned. "We can stare at Coco's butt and wink back!"

"Her butt winks at you?" Weiss deadpanned.

"You haven't noticed?" Blake asked.

"I was too busy staring at yours, thank you very much." Weiss scoffed.

"You sure know how to make a girl feel special." Blake joked.

"You know, Coco thinks you're cute." Ruby noted.

"Oh, I do." Weiss nodded. "She thinks a lot of things of me, wanted me to model for her."

"Well did you?" Blake pressed."

"Once, with Neon." Weiss confirmed. "I'll show you, after we've all talked."

Weiss slid her scroll open again, fingers hovering over the keyboard. "How can I word this so it doesn't sound scary?"