A/N: Hello everybody! Yeah, I know, this isn't an update to my main fic. Don't worry, I'm gonna get to that... eventually... But anyways, yeah, I got really, really into RWBY recently, and entered a fic swap! So this is my entry to the MontyOumProject's RT fic swap! This was my prompt: Team CFVY – An aftermath piece after either the first time Velvet gets bullied or after team CRDL gets ahold of her in volume 1. Do CFY comfort her? Do they track down the person(s) who hurt her?
I know I'm just barely meeting the deadline with this, but heck, I'm glad I was able to do it. This was super fun to do, and hopefully I'll be able to get the second part of this two-shot out soon! I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Monty Oum (rest in peace), and Rooster Teeth.
"Ow, that hurts! Please, stop!"
"Hah, told you it was real."
"What a freak!"
Velvet yelped as the first year's hand clamped down on one of her ears, pain shooting through her head as he pulled at it roughly. Cardin Winchester and the rest of his team laughed cruelly, a few of them pulling faces and holding hands to their heads in mockery of her faunus ears. Her team had left lunch early, intent on using their free time to the fullest, and admittedly eager to get out of earshot of the noisy table full of first years behind them. Velvet preferred to take her time with lunch, and besides, she had been quite enjoying the banter and dramatic retelling of a dream from the wild-eyed girl with a shock of ginger hair. That is, until Cardin's team had gotten ahold of her.
They had spied her from across the dining room, faces splitting into wicked grins as they slowly made their way over towards her table. She had become nervous, sitting on the very edge of her seat with ears pricked. But had stayed where she was to put on a front of bravery. She now wished she hadn't. Velvet was used to being an object of ridicule by now, it was simply an unpleasant part of being born a faunus in this day and age. She had been subject to treatment such as this many a time, but that didn't make it hurt any less. She was painfully aware of the stares of the other students in the dining hall, and she felt hot tears in the corners of her smarting eyes as nobody came to her aid. Either due to fear of Cardin and his team, or more likely, no one cared enough to help a faunus. Finally, she managed to wrench herself out of his grasp, quickly walking away and staying thoughts of grabbing her weapon and using it on him, as sounds of derision continued to echo behind her.
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Velvet opened the door to the dorm she shared with the rest of team CFVY as quietly as she could, trying to slip in unnoticed. Though there wasn't much to distract from her entrance. The room team CFVY shared was not unlike any of the other dorm rooms in Beacon, but it was slightly more spacious to indicate their higher grade level and status. The beds were neat and occupied each of the four corners, across from each other. Beside every one was a nightstand and desk, and the various posters, books, and clothing articles strewn across the floor and walls told tale of the four members' interests.
Coco's walls were pasted with modeling photos and pictures cut from fashion magazines (it was worth being noted that she was in a few). A toolbox lay open on the bed, and Coco herself was cross-legged on the floor, fiddling around with her enormous gatling gun. Yatsuhashi's walls were bare, save for a few photos of family members, and one of the team from their first year together. His large sword had been stowed back in the weapon lockers as per the school rules (Coco was popular and well-trusted enough to be an exception, especially when it concerned weapon maintenance), and he was sitting in a meditative position on the bed across from Coco's. Fox was beside him, fingers idly constructing cat's cradles with a rubber band. His part of the room was easily the most spartan, with nothing on the walls and clothes neatly stowed in the closet. Velvet's walls were pasted with pictures of weapons she had taken, and diagrams on how to use them. Her bed was always the tidiest, and was sitting pretty in the corner, wrinkle-free.
Fox was the first to look up, his scarred face crinkling in concern as his milky white eyes found her. Despite his blindness, Fox's other senses were unparalleled, and Velvet had never ceased to be amazed at the ability of her teammate. He had taught himself to fight, stumbling his way forward, as the long scars covering him from head to toe could attest. His parents had never believed or supported his goal of becoming a huntsman, wanting to protect him, thinking he was weak. The team often shared a good laugh at how wrong they were.
Fox could tell there was something wrong immediately, from her unsteady gait and upset silence alone. There was no need for him to see her tearstained face and faltering, false smile. Yatsuhashi looked up from his book as Fox stood and walked over to Velvet. He marked the page and nudged Coco, who was deeply preoccupied by fixing a stiff trigger and casually chatting.
"Vel? What's the matter?" She asked, immediately setting her other projects aside and leading the faunus over to one of the four beds. Yatsuhashi sat down beside her, reassuring in his presence alone. When Velvet had first met him, his size had intimidated her and she had hardly said a thing to him for weeks, terrified of somehow getting on his bad side. She had learned soon after that he was a complete sweetheart to his friends and teammates. However the same couldn't be said for those fool enough to be his enemies. Fox placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, not one for words as much as actions. Coco sat across from her, on another of the beds, one leg swung over the other and arms crossed. She wore a grease-stained tank top, and she somehow managed to make the oily rag clenched in her hand seem just as dangerous as her gun.
"Oh.. n-nothing's the matter guys, really-" Velvet attempted a smile. Coco stared over the tops of her shades, disbelief etched in her features.
"Seriously Vel, what's the matter? You can tell us, you know. We're your teammates." The leader sighed, unfolding her arms and looking straight into Velvet's eyes.
"Was someone bullying you again?" Yatsuhashi rumbled, and Coco's eyes immediately narrowed. Velvet said nothing, suddenly seeming to find the clasped hands in her lap highly intriguing.
"Who was it?" Coco hissed, teeth clenching.
"N-nobody… don't worry about it, guys, really…" Velvet murmured, shrinking back a little. She was grateful for her team. Never once had any of them ever been discriminatory, or racist, and they always stood up for her when other students were. Though she didn't want them to get revenge for her, or take it too far. She might attract even more hate if she was known for running to her teammates every time someone said something nasty. Besides, she could just brush it off. She'd been doing so her whole life.
"Velvet, this keeps happening, and you haven't let us do anything about it so far." Yatsuhashi said, placing a heavy hand over hers.
"Seriously, let us help you, Vel! Who was it?" Coco added, bouncing her knee. Velvet took a deep breath, looking each of her teammates in the face.
"I-it was.. CRDL…"
"CRDL? The first year team led by that obnoxious brat in armor? What'shisname, Cardin? Freakin' tin can, I'll smash his face in-" The team leader spat, accompanied by an angry growl building in Yatsuhashi's throat.
"No, please don't!" Velvet gasped, "I don't want there to be any conflict… They're not worth it. Really. You don't need to-"
"Of course we do! I can't just stand by if one of my teammates is being harassed by racist idiots!" Coco exploded, leaping up from her bed. Fox silently nodded in agreement.
"No, please Coco! I don't want you to go after them!" Velvet raised her voice in distress. Yatsuhashi raised a placating hand, and the leader sat back down, still seething.
"You really don't want us to go teach 'em a lesson?" She asked, silently pleading to punch Cardin in the face on Velvet's behalf.
"I really don't…" The faunus girl managed in a subdued whisper. Coco sighed, but nodded in understanding.
"Thanks, anyways, you four. I'm… I'll be in the library. Studying. History, you know…" Velvet trailed off, pushing herself to her feet and grabbing her history textbook from where it had been left on her nightstand. Flashing her friends another false smile, she exited the room and stole down the hallway, trying to avoid unwelcome attention.
"...Alright, boys, I don't care what she says. If this happens again, someone's gonna be eating a knuckle sandwich." Coco muttered.
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Velvet dreaded the next day, knowing that she would be forced to see Cardin once more in her history class. She now regretted ever signing up for the course. Dr. Oobleck had approached her the previous year about joining a history class about the faunus. He had informed her that, while being mandatory for all first years, he would also be offering it to any of the older students that were interested. She had agreed to sign up, and predictably, was one of the only ones who did. Yatsuhashi, Fox and Coco said they would have, but were understandably booked with other tasks. And the rest of the upperclassmen… well no one really cared to learn about the faunus if they didn't have to.
Velvet reluctantly trudged into class, head down. She took her usual seat at the front of the room, keeping her eyes riveted on the maps tacked to the front of the classroom, ears drooping, and not daring to turn and look at Cardin. She heard him come in, talking trash about anyone and everyone in a voice loud enough for all the students to hear, but quiet enough to not reach the ears of Dr. Oobleck. He tromped over to his seat in the second row, and arrogantly threw his legs up onto the desk in front of him. The other students filed in, chatting among themselves and taking their seats. Dr. Oobleck began the lecture, slurping from a cup of what Velvet assumed to be coffee, and zooming around the room at an alarming speed. Her eyes followed him, but she barely registered anything he was saying.
"Now, have any among you been subjugated or discriminated because of your faunus heritage?" The doctor questioned, looking around the classroom. The question caught Velvet off guard, and she looked around the room, seeing a few tentative hands grazing the air. Slowly, she raised her own hand, keeping her eyes on a knot in the surface of the wooden desk.
"Dreadful, simply dreadful!" Oobleck continued, "Remember students, it is precisely this kind of ignorance that breeds violence! I mean, I mean, I mean… just look at what happened to the White Fang!" Velvet flinched as the sensitive subject was broached, tracing the words written on the paper in front of her with a finger.
"Now, which one of you young scholars can tell me what many theorists believe to be the turning point in the third year of the war? Yes?" He nodded at one of the first years behind Velvet, who had raised a hand.
"The battle at Fort Castle." She spoke out, sure and confident.
"Precisely!" The doctor, now back behind his desk babbled excitedly, "And, who can tell me the advantage the faunus had over General Legume's forces?" A yelp came from the other side of the room, and everyone turned to look at the scraggly blond boy, Jaune, who had made the noise. The doctor leaped at the chance, zipping over to where Jaune was sitting.
"Mister Arc! Finally contributing to class! This is excellent, excellent! What is the answer?" Oobleck exclaimed.
"Uh… the answer…" Jaune began, looking desperately at Velvet's side of the room and pleading for help with his eyes, "The advantage, uh, the faunus had… over that guy's… stuff…" Velvet heard the clearing of a throat behind her, and guessed that someone had finally taken pity on the kid and was throwing him a lifeline.
"Uh… binoculars!" He finished. Laughter erupted from the rest of the students, and the doctor sipped from his cup with an unreadable expression on his face. Velvet sighed inwardly. It grated on her nerves, sometimes, to see how little interest some people showed in her people's history. She could hear him laughing now, an ugly guffaw, from behind Jaune.
"Very funny, Mister Arc. Cardin? Perhaps you would care to share your thoughts on the subject?" Oobleck sighed, directing his attention at the ginger with a disapproving stare at his feet, still parked on the tabletop.
"Well, I know it's a lot easier to train an animal than a soldier." Cardin drawled, and Velvet felt disgust and hot anger knot in her stomach. Her knuckles went white as she clenched the edge of the desk.
"You're not the most open-minded of individuals, are you, Cardin?" A voice rang out from directly behind Velvet. She immediately recognized the girl to be Pyrrha Nikos.
"What, you got a problem?" Cardin said defensively, glowering over at her.
Yes. Velvet thought to herself, rolling her pencil between her pointer finger and thumb.
"No. I have the answer. It's night vision. Many faunus are known to have nearly perfect sight in the dark." Pyrrha answered quickly, and Cardin growled menacingly.
"General Legume was inexperienced, and made the mistake of trying to ambush the faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured. Perhaps if he'd payed attention in class, he wouldn't have been remembered as such a failure." The jibe came from the girl beside Pyrrha, Blake. Cardin growled yet again and got to his feet, and Velvet smirked to herself. She liked Blake quite a bit from what she knew of her. She could tell she was a faunus, and also that she didn't want anyone to know by her bow, and the fact that she hadn't raised her hand earlier. Anyone who openly identified as a faunus had experienced some form of prejudice. Velvet sighed and gathered her things as the doctor dismissed them, feeling a slight prick of satisfaction as he called Jaune and Cardin back, and hoped, despite herself, that he would finally feel some repercussions for his actions. Still upset about what he had said, even after Blake and Pyrrha had shut him down, she trudged back to the room feeling low for the second time that week.
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This time, her teammates didn't bother questioning her. They already knew what was wrong the second she walked in the door. She was grateful they didn't make her recount it, however. They allowed her to keep up her charade, as she flashed them fake smiles and sat herself at her desk to get a head start on Dr. Oobleck's reading.
It's easier to train an animal than a soldier… an animal… Cardin's voice echoed through her mind as her eyes pored over the words on the page, retaining none of the information. It was fruitless. She sighed heavily, and snapped the book shut, pulling out her homework from Professor Port instead.
"Hey, Vel, we're heading down to dinner. Wanna come?" Coco called over to her, from where she was sprawled on her bed skimming through a magazine. Velvet shook her head, frowning at the description of a griffon in her book. Coco set the magazine down and walked over the Velvet, giving her shoulder a tight squeeze before heading out of the room and to the dining hall, followed by Yatsuhashi and Fox. Fox gave her a tight smile as he passed, and patted her arm comfortingly.
"I'll bring you something to eat." Yatsuhashi rumbled as he shut the door behind him, and Velvet acknowledged his words with a nod.
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"Alright guys. This is it, I'm done with Velvet having to take crap from Cardin and his crew and not being able to do anything about it." Coco forced out through gritted teeth, savagely impaling a pea on the end of her fork.
"I agree. But we can't do them physical harm. Velvet would never want that." Yatsuhashi agreed. Fox nodded in approval.
"Fiiiiine. Only because she's against that. He should count himself lucky… I want to deck him in the face so badly…" Coco said, holding her fork in a deathgrip.
"I know." Yatsuhashi smiled, "But while we can't do physical harm, who's to say we can't get him mentally?"
"You mean… scare him or something?" Coco sounded out slowly. Her giant teammate nodded. Fox smiled.
"You might just have the ghost of a great idea there, Yatsu." She grinned, eyes blazing with excitement and anger, "Alright. Let's get planning, then."
A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you're enjoying it thus far, this is my first time writing a fanfic for RWBY. Once again, thank you to the MontyOumProject for putting this together! I hope to have the conclusion to this little two-shot out soon, and reviews are greatly appreciated!
Keep moving forward!