A commission for PaperWolf004 who asked for Coco and Yang! Thank you so much!
This takes place during volume 3, right after Coco and Yatsuhashi fight Emerald and Mercury.
If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
Out To Lunch
The audience around Yang was stunned into an almost unnatural silence.
Other sections of the massive stadium were erupting with applause, but the Beacon students had only a few dejected mumbles and gasps of dismay when they realized their side had lost the match.
Yang herself couldn't help but be a little bitter as she looked up at the projection screen, where Coco and Yatsuhashi's images had both been blotted out with large red Xs. Of course she was a bit more biased towards Beacon students, but Yang had been especially shocked to watch two of her most popular upperclassmen get defeated by Haven's sophomores.
As Professors Port and Oobleck continued to give their astounded and congratulatory speeches over the intercom, Yang leaned back in her seat and sighed slowly.
"Damn... That match barely lasted five minutes."
It was clear to her by her teammates' reactions that she wasn't the only person who was mildly suspicious. Blake was glancing a few rows down to where Velvet and Fox were seated, consoling one another.
"Yeah," she mumbled. "I can't put my finger on it, but something's definitely weird."
"We might feel that way," Weiss put in. "But we've got no proof of foul play." She'd been scanning the field of the arena intently in hopes of finding something questionable, but had come up empty-handed.
Ruby seemed more torn than suspicious.
"Yeah, it was kind of a quick match, and I'm a little sad Coco and Yatsuhashi lost. But at the same time I'm kinda glad for Emerald and Mercury! This must just mean they're super skilled fighters!"
Yang realized she was probably overreacting. The tournament arena was highly secure and had security cameras monitoring every inch of the place. If something fishy had happened here today, someone would've already found out about it and spoken up.
"I guess you're right," she said. "Guess CFVY just had an off day."
With that final match finished, the announcers stated that the fights for the afternoon had concluded. As Yang and the others stood to stretch out, she listened to what they wanted to do to pass the time until evening.
"Oh!" Ruby clapped enthusiastically. "Let's go to the fairgrounds and grab some lunch! I saw a cotton candy stand that had rainbow cotton candy!"
Weiss was prompt to scold her.
"You need to eat some real food too, Ruby! I'll come with you and make sure that you do."
"Okaaaayy." Ruby leaned forward to look at her other teammates. "Blake? You coming?"
The Faunus girl thought for a moment, but ultimately shook her head.
"I think I'm gonna go chat with Velvet for a bit. She seems a little upset. Maybe we can go to the cafe or something."
"Sounds good!" Ruby chirped. "If you can, tell them we all think Coco and Yatsuhashi did awesome today!" At last, she turned to her big sister. "Yang? What about you?"
In the time the others had been answering, Yang had been thinking of a response.
"I think I'm just gonna wander around a bit. Stretch my legs and stuff, y'know?"
"Okay! Give us a call if you wanna join and meet up somewhere!"
"Will do."
From there, the four girls parted and headed off in their respective directions.
However, Yang had a bit more in mind than just wandering the fairgrounds aimlessly. In fact, as she walked through the bustling crowds exiting the stadium, her feet were taking her towards one particular destination. She bumped her way through the masses of people, slipping off to one side as the majority headed to the fairgrounds with Ruby and Weiss.
As Yang proceeded towards an emptier hallway, the din gradually died away behind her. She paused for a moment to adjust to the lack of sound, her ears ringing slightly as she got accustomed to the present silence now.
From there, she sauntered down the hallway towards the on-site infirmary wing. So far, she'd only been down this way once after their first team fight agains ABRN, where herself and the others had been treated for minor injuries.
As she walked further down, she began to see more nurses hurrying about through the halls, darting between rooms and calling softly to one another. Yang stopped one woman who seemed to be a little less flustered, and inquired about Coco and Yatsuhashi's locations.
"Mr. Daichi is being treated just down the hall to your left. But two of his teammates and a visitor are already there, and we can't have anyone else go in right now," she reported. "However, Miss Adel is being treated right over there. You may go see her if you'd like."
"Thanks." Yang gave a small wave as she hurried to the indicated door.
She'd gotten several chances to chat with Coco in the past, usually during the common hour between classes. They might not have been the best of friends, but they were close enough to warrant Yang's visiting her now.
The door was slightly ajar, and as Yang paused beside it, she gave a small knock.
"Coco? It's Yang. Can I... come in?"
The older girl didn't seem all that surprised to know she was there.
"Sure. Come on in."
With permission granted, Yang pushed her way inside.
Coco was seated at the edge of a bed, her broken shades sitting on a nearby table instead of on top of her nose.
Yang was about to greet her, but the words caught in her throat a bit when she realized Coco had rolled her shirt up as high as her collar, revealing a model-like stomach that was covered in bandage wrap. She flinched as she pressed a hand to her side and grunted a curse.
"Shit... Hey, think you could help me out a bit? The nurse just ran out."
"Yeah, of course."
Yang hurried forward and sat at the brunette's side. She helped hold her shirt up so she could see the issue and found the bandages had bundled together and started slipping off a bit. Yang carefully flattened them out, trying her best not to press in too hard.
Coco was one of her most refined upperclassmen, and she managed to remain composed and unflagging even now. But Yang didn't miss hearing the tiny little gasp of pain that flew from her lips before she'd clamped them shut.
"Sorry."
"Nah, you're fine."
Yang finished up, then helped Coco roll her shirt back down. The brunette sighed as she lifted a gloved hand up and ran it back through her bangs and hair.
"Thanks, Yang."
Coco leaned back on the bed with both palms and stared up at the ceiling for a moment, shaking her head ever so slightly.
Yang wasn't sure what to say; she didn't want to risk upsetting her. But she needed to say something.
"Man," she started a little nervously. "You guys were really awesome out there."
"Save it." Coco reached out and lightly punched Yang's arm. "I know we sucked. We got our asses kicked."
"I don't know," Yang muttered, keeping her voice low. "I know I'm not the only one who thinks something weird happened out there. I just can't figure out what."
Coco seemed to tense a little beside her, and she directed her gaze at Yang now. Her eyes were contemplative, and Yang could see a mounting suspicion creeping into them.
"You know, now that you mention it, something weird did happen while we were out there. I could'a sworn I saw Yatsu in the forest, but he was nowhere near there. He was already K-Oed at the time, wasn't he? Ah, who knows. I was probably just seeing things. I'm going nuts, that's all."
Yang felt her heart begin to pound a little harder.
"Seeing things..."
But just before the thought that had sparked in her mind could expand any further, another knock came at the door. This time, it was fast and frantic, and was followed by a high-pitched voice.
"Coco?" Velvet yelped. "Coco, are you okay? Can I come in please?"
Yang lost her train of thought as she watched the older girl smile. Coco flashed her a hopeless glance and rolled her eyes as if to say "here we go."
"Yeah, come on in, Velvs."
No sooner had she said it, Velvet was already hurrying inside, pausing in front of the bed, her hands clutching her chest and ears trembling. She looked like she wanted to hug her but was trying to refrain.
"Oh, Coco! I'm so glad you're okay!"
"Yeah, yeah." She blew a bit of air from the corner of her lip to blow the fiery strand of stray hair aside. Lifting her arms, Coco curled her fingers invitingly. "C'mere, you."
Velvet whimpered in relief as she bent down to embrace her leader softly. Yang couldn't help but smile as she slid over a few inches to give them space. Velvet was trying not to cry in Coco's arms as she stroked her hands through the Faunus girl's long hair.
"All right, all right. Easy, Velvs. How's Yatsu holdin' up?"
"...He's going to be in bed for another day or so, but he's fine. Fox and Blake are with him."
"That's good."
The two girls talked quietly for a moment, and Yang was beginning to feel she should leave them be. She made a move to get up from the bed, but just then Velvet took a step back and seemed to notice her for the first time.
"Oh! Yang! I'm so sorry! I didn't even see you there! I just saw Blake, in fact. How are you? Were you here visiting Coco? I didn't mean to intrude!"
"Velvs, Velvs!" Coco soothed her with a chuckle and a hand on her shoulder. "Easy, will ya? Yeah, she just came to visit. Since I'm not in bad shape, we might go grab a bite to eat or something. So don't worry about me, okay? Go support Yatsu. He needs ya right now, I'm sure."
Fresh tears rose up in Velvet's dark eyes and she nodded swiftly.
"Okay..."
"Call me if you guys need me, all right?"
"Right." Velvet bent down for one last hug with her leader. "Take it easy, Coco. I'll see you later then."
With one more shy wave to Yang, the Faunus girl turned and scurried out of the room as quickly as she'd come.
As soon as she was gone, Coco leaned back on her hands again and chuckled.
"She's too much sometimes. Got the purest heart I've ever known. Gods bless 'er."
Yang still couldn't think of anything to say. She'd been rendered speechless when Coco had said they might go out together for something to eat, but wasn't sure if she'd actually meant it, or had simply been trying to soothe her flustered teammate.
Either way, Yang knew she didn't want to stay in this room any more. Standing, she brushed off her clothes a bit and stretched her arms.
"Hey, so... I think I'm gonna head out. Sorry for bothering you. You should be resting I guess, right? That's what the doctors always tell us."
"Oh yeah, yeah. All that jazz." To Yang's surprise, Coco stood up with her and cracked her neck a bit. "But I did say we'd be going out to lunch together, right? So I might as well make good on it. This place is getting to me. It smells like bleach and your team's heiress. Not that I know what she smells like, just figured it'd be something like this."
That earned a real laugh from Yang. She actually slapped her knee and had to wipe her eyes.
"Oh, man... No, you're not wrong. Weiss does smell like a sterile hospital room from time to time. She's such a neat freak."
"Really now? Sounds a bit like Fox to me. He might look a bit scraggly sometimes, but he prefers the suit and tie kind of look, believe it or not."
"Huh..."
Coco picked up her broken shades and slipped them into her pocket as the two of them began discussing their teammates.
They headed for the door and slipped into the hallway, where they kept pace side by side. Even as they left the tiled floors for grass, the two of them kept musing about their teams.
"You'd never guess it," Coco was saying. "But I actually met Schnee once when we were younger. Some kinda pageant or something. Nikos was there, too."
"Whoa, no way! You met Weiss when she was little?"
"Well, maybe not formally. But we did make eye contact a few times. I told her I liked her dress and she said 'You'd better!' I laughed. That girl always did have a good sense of style from what I've seen."
"Oh man... Yeah, that sounds like something Weiss would say," Yang mused. "When we were little, I used to do dress-up days with Ruby. Or, at least I'd try to. It was a challenge to get her to sit still for longer than twenty seconds at a time.
"I eventually got to doing it on rainy days because our dad would keep us inside so we wouldn't get sick. But ninety percent of the time, Ruby was outside running around like some forest animal. She's always loved exploring nature and stuff."
"Hm. She'd have a field day with Yatsu. He spends a lot of his free time meditating outside."
Yang grinned sheepishly in response.
"Oooh, you mean Ruby Rose? My baby sister? Meditating? AKA sitting still for like... longer than one whole minute? Fat chance."
"Maybe you're right," Coco laughed.
"If she did sit still with her eyes closed for a few minutes, she'd probably just fall asleep."
By then, the two of them had arrived at a food stand and were preparing to order lunch.
"On me," Coco assured her. "Especially since I was the one who decided we were going for lunch in the middle of a conversation without even asking you first."
"I don't mind," Yang shrugged. "I needed to get out and stretch my legs a bit."
"Fine, but I'm still payin'." Coco cast her a sidelong glance and winked.
They each pondered about their orders for a moment as they sat down on the high stools in front of the counter. This stand looked almost like a miniature deli, offering sandwiches, bagels, and refrigerated drinks.
"Y'know," Yang said. "I think I'm gonna go with a tuna sandwich. Blake's preferences are starting to grow on me."
"Oh, at least I'm not the only one in that boat," Coco mused. "I've gotta admit I've had a craving for carrot cake ever since Velvet had some at lunch the other day."
Yang offered another chuckle as the man behind the counter handed them their orders. As they ate at their leisure, they found that the topic of conversation naturally stayed on their teammates.
"Gosh, I'll never forget," Coco was saying. "This one time in our freshman year, I took Velvet out to the mall for a shopping spree. I kept making her put on new outfits. We were there for five hours, but damn that girl can make anything look good!"
She took a bite of her own sandwich, then a sip of her cappuccino. "So how're you getting along with your partner? I know Faunus can be a bit shy at first."
Yang nearly choked on her food at that point. She had to quickly bring her napkin up to her mouth and cough into it, while still trying to speak at the same time.
"H-How did- ack- y-you know about...?"
"Whoa, whoa, chill." Coco gave a few firm pats to the blonde girl's back until Yang could breathe again. The brunette was sure to lower her tone. "What, was Belladonna's being a Faunus supposed to be a secret? Sorry."
Yang swallowed and took a sip from her water bottle.
"Guh... I mean... we've all kept quiet, as far as I know..."
"Oh, don't worry. No one blabbed to me," Coco reassured her. "I sort of figured it out on my own. Wasn't too hard, really. She really admired Velvet, but in a way that most human students don't.
"And Velvet was always comfortable with her from the get-go, which is just about as uncommon as you can get. It took her three weeks into our first semester to even say my name. But with Belladonna it was a first-name basis in minutes."
As Yang listened, her upperclassman's words really did make a good deal of sense. But evidently, there was still concern for her partner's secret in her eyes, because Coco gave her a soft smile.
"Hey, don't sweat it. I could only tell because I pay attention to these kinda things. I doubt Yatsu or Fox has a clue. And no one else is ever close enough to Velvet and Blake to notice how they act around each other. So I think it's safe to say I'm the only other one who knows right now."
She watched as Yang's shoulders relaxed a little more.
"And don't worry," Coco went on. "Her secret's safe with me. I kinda know how hard it can be for some Faunus to come out and reveal who they really are to the world. I'd never tell anyone. It's not my business."
Yang wasn't sure why, but she felt the beginnings of tears behind her eyes. She assumed it was because of a few reasons. One being how observant and caring Coco was for her teammates, and the other being that she was such a considerate person.
Yang knew a few people in this school who'd never be able to keep Blake's secret for a second. She was glad Coco was responsible and compassionate on this matter.
I guess it's no surprise she was chosen as the team leader.
After a minute, Yang had gotten ahold of herself.
"Thanks," she sighed.
"No need." Coco took another bite of her sandwich and lifted her voice into a more casual tone. "Anyways, tell me about her. Does she ever fidget in class because she gets excited about something and has to try to keep her ears from moving?"
"Haha yeah, actually! She's pretty good at keeping it under control in public, but when it's just our team in the room, she doesn't have to suppress herself. I probably shouldn't say it, but I think her ears are really cute."
"Why shouldn't you say it? It's not like that's a bad thing to say. I tell Velvet her ears are adorable on a daily basis. She always gets so happy. Maybe you should try tellin' Blake sometime and get back to me on her reaction."
"Maybe," Yang mused. "I'll wait till the time is right."
They talked for a while longer, until they'd finished their meals, which Coco cooly paid for.
After thanking her and hopping off their seats, Yang assumed they would part ways. She was just preparing herself to say goodbye and thank her upperclassman once again when Coco spoke first.
"Say, do you have a few minutes?"
Surprised, Yang fumbled.
"Um..." She quickly pulled out her scroll, but none of her teammates had messaged or called her, and there was still plenty of time left before the next match later that evening. Putting her scroll back, Yang shrugged. "Yeah. What's up?"
Coco didn't say anything this time, but rather waved her hand. Yang followed behind as she was led away from the fairgrounds, and the hustle of the crowds and stands.
There wasn't much else to the Arena than the stadium, infirmary, and the stretches of grass where everything was set up. However, the engineers behind its construction had gone so far as to plant a small forest around the edges, likely for a scenic effect.
That was where Coco led her, to a small patch of trees, away from everyone else.
Yang was starting to feel a little nervous. Just when she was beginning to think this was something serious, Coco turned on her heel to face her. With a smirk, she clapped her hands together.
"All right! Hit me!"
Yang blinked.
"Uh... come again?"
"You heard me! Hit me with your best shot. Don't hold back just 'cuz I already got my ass kicked once today."
Still, the first-year was confused.
"S-Sorry. Um... why, exactly?"
Coco's grin faded. With a sigh, she ran her hand up through her bangs again.
"Well, I think the whole damn world saw just how shitty I am in a fight without my weapon. So I figured I could use some hand-to-hand training. And since you're kind of... oh, I don't know, one of the best fighters in that style in all of Beacon Academy, I figured why not ask you?"
She rolled her shoulders a bit, but didn't so much as flinch due to her recent injuries. "So whaddaya say? And again, don't turn me down just 'cuz I got beaten up today."
Yang was still stuck a few minutes in the past, her mind still trying to register and comprehend the compliment she'd been given.
Coco Adel didn't just hand out compliments to people to win them over or make them feel better. She was often brutally honest, and most people knew that about her if nothing else.
So Yang knew she wasn't just saying these things because she wanted to flatter her. To think that an upperclassman like Coco truly thought highly of her fighting skills was almost unbelievable.
But when she realized a minute had passed and Coco was still waiting for a response of some kind, Yang quickly replied, though a bit unceremoniously.
"Um... I mean... sure? I mean I don't really know what kinda things you'd be looking for, um..."
It was odd. Usually, Yang was confident when talking with people, even those older or more experienced than herself.
But there was just something about Coco that flustered her a bit. Maybe it was because she admired her so much, or the fact that she wasn't quite sure yet exactly how strong their friendship was at this point.
Thankfully, Coco didn't seem to mind her stammering. The smirk returned to her lips as she tilted her head down and peered up beneath her eyelids, her dark, confident eyes meeting directly with lavender.
"Don't sweat it. I just wanna go over the basics. Just work off a little steam, y'know? I think I've started to rely on weapons a bit too much. My other skills have gotten rusty."
By then, Yang had gotten ahold of herself a bit better. The slight bashfulness now vanished and was replaced by a familiar eagerness. She'd been itching for some action since her team's match had ended.
"All right." She bent her knees and took up her defensive stance. "Let's do this!"
Yang could see the fire in her eyes completely, almost as easily as she could see the fire in the tips of her hair.
As they started to spar, throwing pure punches, kicks, and blocks without the aid of weapons or semblance, Yang had admittedly started off going a bit easily on her rival.
But Coco's injuries from earlier had never been serious, and nothing other than a little fatigue seemed to be dragging her down at the moment. Her kicks were surprisingly fierce, and even Yang's best X-block only just barely protected her face from a painful heel to the cheek.
As she was trying to push Coco away, the brunette ducked to avoid her fists, then dove in to aim another kick at Yang's side. Coughing, Yang staggered back and swung at her again to force her back a pace.
Yang skidded back in the dirt until her heels caught, waiting for Coco's next move. When she made it, Yang surged forward to unbalance her.
Coco leapt back as the blonde charged her. Expecting a full-on hit, the older girl prepared to block her torso.
But Yang faked her out and ended up crouching down, aiming a low spinning kick at her ankles. Coco just barely managed to jump back, but the second her boots had left the ground, Yang was upon her, grappling with her until she'd maneuvered an arm around her neck.
With the match clearly over, both girls came to a halt, panting slightly. Coco snapped her fingers as Yang let her go.
"Damn. You're one hell of a fighter. I didn't even see that fake coming. Nice match."
Coco used one hand to run through her hair again, then extended the other in a display of camaraderie. Yang straightened herself up and accepted.
"Nice kicks," she said. "I could learn a thing or two myself."
When their hands came apart, Coco fixed her hair and clothes a bit, then stretched her arms out a bit.
"I'm glad we saved this for last. Now I need a shower. My hair's a mess. Which reminds me, I'd wanted to ask you: how in the world do you keep yours so nice? How long are your showers, first-year?"
The nickname was a teasing but friendly one, and though she was smirking, she'd been completely serious in wanting an answer. Yang shrugged, reaching back to bring her golden mane over her shoulder.
"I usually gotta shower for almost half an hour just to wash and rinse it all."
"Just half an hour? Damn. Maybe Fox was right and I really don't have to be in there for forty-five."
Yang chuckled a bit, absolutely able to imagine Coco taking hours at a time in the bathroom every morning to ensure she looked as good as the magazine models.
As they engaged in yet another casual conversation, the two girls began to head back towards the fairgrounds. Their conversations always happened so naturally, so easily, always allowing them both to relax and forget their responsibilities a bit.
The sunlight had changed just a little, the sky turning from the normal daytime blue into a pinker palate of the oncoming evening.
Yang could hardly believe she'd spent several hours together with her upperclassman. But it was coming to an end, and she realized that as soon as Coco stopped walking and turned back to her.
"Well, I should head back to the infirmary to check on Yatsuhashi. I should be able to go see him now. I gotta remind him how badly he got his ass kicked, too. Thanks for today. I had a blast, Yang."
Coco reached out her hand again. Yang accepted with a smile.
"Same here. Thanks for letting me tag along."
"Anytime," she offered. "Hey, next time you and me should hit the mall. I'll have to give Velvet a break from trying on clothes 'cuz I can already think of two dozen outfits that'd look great on you."
Yang squeezed her hand a little and grinned.
"Yeah! I think I'd like that!"
For a brief moment, their eyes met, and silent, unspoken appreciation was shared between them.
Then, Yang's scroll went off, and they broke the handshake so she could check it.
"Lemme guess," Coco mused. "Dinner date with three pretty girls?"
"You know it." She texted back a quick message and then put her scroll away. "Thanks again, Coco."
The older girl turned away and gave a wave.
"See ya around."
As she walked off back towards the infirmary, Yang headed off in the opposite direction. She was still a little fired up from the mock fight, and from the relaxing day overall. There was a certain energy that was produced simply from having a bit of time dedicated to herself and only one other person.
Especially when that person was one of her most admired upperclassmen.
She was already getting excited imagining going on a shopping spree with Coco, dressing up in all kinds of outfits, most of which Yang had never even dreamed existed before...
She found herself chuckling a bit as she finally spotted her teammates, waiting for her at another food stand. Ruby waved and called out to her while Weiss and Blake smiled and revealed the seat they'd been saving for her.
Yang decided how she'd spend supper this evening.
She'd tease Ruby about fashion magazines rather than weapons ones.
She'd ask Weiss if she remembered any of the people she'd met at the pageants she'd attended in her younger years.
And maybe, just maybe, when no one else was listening, she'd tell Blake how cute her ears were.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading! I'd definitely want to see Yang and Coco interact just once... But I doubt volume 4 will go in that direction.
If you like my work, you can support me on as Kiria Alice!
Please review!