"You're not going to say anything, are you?"
This wasn't said in spite; in fact, this kind of blunt greeting was fairly standard between the two students. Fox often got like this, especially during school events.
Coco sat down, the movement to smooth her dress down under her instinctive at this point in time. She was a good half foot away from her teammate, leaning forward just enough to make sure he could sense her presence but not enough to feel choked by it.
He hadn't looked too good inside the cafeteria/makeshift ballroom. Despite the cool brown vest she had picked out for him, slim cream shirt with sleeves rolled up, and hair that she begged him to allow her to style (with it slicked back he looked even more handsome than normal, not that she'd say that sincerely around the rest of CFVY) he was the picture of discomfort: rigid limbs, wall-flowering the edge of the dance floor, face contorted in what probably was supposed to be a relaxed expression, clutching his punch like a security blanket.
He had slipped his mask back on. He sat, hands in his lap, facing the edge of the campus. His breathing was back to normal, his eyes indiscernible behind the pitch black lenses he refused to take off, and his mouth was set tight in a hard, closed line. Typical Fox, she thought endearingly. Still putting up his defenses since day one.
"That's fine," she said coolly, shifting to face the same direction he was looking into. 'You're not a man of many words, that's always a good identifier to go with. Moody, broody, grabbable booty." She chuckled, unfazed by his nonexistent reaction. "Just breathe for a bit, dances aren't for everyone."
Black hadn't fully taken over the sky. The dance had been going on for a good few hours before the duo found themselves out here, and while the sun had sunk into the horizon, the lights of Vale allowed color to blend between clouds and stars. Deep purple and navy blue cluttered most of the night sky, deep enough to mistake for black but with just enough highlights to give the darkness a softer, smoother feel to it. Barely there, a bright green glowed up from the edges of the city, a thin but effective layer that lightened the sky enough to see the outlines of buildings below.
Velvet might have tried to explain what colors were and how the twilight looked to her partner, had she been the one to follow the silent teen outside. As it was, she and Yatsu had remained inside to supervise the rest of the dance that the team had planned. Coco tried to imagine what would have happened had the lumbering giant tried to comfort Fox; the image of the two young men seated next to each other, Fox tense with Yatsuhashi's hand on his shoulder as the two sat awkwardly in silence, made her chuckle to herself.
"You know," she finally settled on, turning ever so slightly to the boy beside her, "I've been your leader for almost half a year. I know you've not one to talk, and you're not likely up to talking now. But you can't do whatever this is by yourself. You're part of our unit, we want you inside there. You don't have to go back in now, but I want to make sure that -" here she gestured to the hall they had come out of 5 minutes ago "- doesn't happen anymore."
Nothing; then a hardly-qualifying nod (more a jut of the chin) broke past his rock hard expression.
Coco smiled. "I'll take it. Now," she said, standing up and dusting the front of her dress, "I'm getting punch for us. I take it we both need a drink. Holler if you need anything, ok Foxy?"
This nod was more defined; small, but progress was progress.
Ladling the bright red juice into the plastic tumblers, Coco understood why Fox had ran out of the dance. The music was loud - almost unbearable. It couldn't be easy trying to navigate this floor if you were relying on hearing to tell where you were going. Of course he was so overwhelmed.
"He hasn't come back yet, has he?" Coco turned to see her partner, arm in arm with Velvet, who had to shout to be heard over the pulsing bass. "I saw him run out of her all shaky-like, I would have followed but he said something about needing to be alone."
"He's almost always alone tho." Coco rolled her eyes; Velvet had good intentions but sometimes people needed tough love to get out of their shells. "It's ok Velvet, he'll be back inside soon enough."
Yatsu nodded. "It wouldn't be the same without the whole team."
Velvet patted the giant's arm, leaning in a little more to rest her heeled feet. "It most certainly wouldn't. Poor chum, he really didn't look too good earlier. Are you sure you can get him back inside? I feel he wouldn't appreciate the gesture from me as much, even if we are partners."
Coco sighed. "Don't worry about it. Like I said, tough love. Plus this might be good. Since you're already bonding so well with my partner -" here her smirk widened as Yatsu's ears turned slightly pink and Velvet debated letting of the giant "- I might as well get some Foxy time." With a waggle of her fingers she sashayed out of the dance hall, chuckling as the two flustered "friends" went back to their dance best they could.
Coco arrived back at the steps to see Fox had not moved from where she left him. She handed him his punch and sat down, bopping her shoulder against his as she did. He had calmed down a bit, much less tense than he was before and he at least acknowledged her presence. After half a minute of amicable silence, she got more than she bargained for.
"You can go back inside, I'll be ok here."
She sighed. "I know you'll be ok here. But i want you to be ok in there was well."
"That's irrelevant, I'm fine."
"Listen bub, we worked hard to get this dance organized and it's a night we might not to relieve again. It's our first event together as a team in our first year of combat school, you can slink off by yourself any other night but this one we want you to be part of this with us."
"So this is out of self interest." He swirled his punch as he said this, an almost threat creeping into the tone of his voice.
"NO."
Fox flinched; Coco had only used this voice once around the team. She had found a fellow first year taunting Velvet over here ears, and after a solid fracture to the arm the fashionista had verbally lashed the kid with enough venom in her voice to put a Death Stalker's tail out of business.
"I'm sorry" she apologized, breathing heavily. "It's just... we're all part of the team, Fox. And I know you have a hard time being around so many people all the time, but you pushing us away isn't fair. Yatsu, and Velvet, and I, we know what it's like to be alone and respect your need for space, but we can't just let you hole yourself away and keep us out."
The one long strand of her bangs tickled Coco's nose; she blew it back over her ear with a toss of her head. "We do want you around. You're pretty damn quiet, but you're good company; Yatsu can attest to that, and you know Velvet doesn't plan those partner-bonding-excursions because she has pity on you or anything." She turned to look at Fox, seeing the almost remorseful look he had on his face. "I want you to feel safe with us; not to stroke my ego, not for some case study, because you're my friend and my team mate and you don't deserve to feel like you can't go to anyone."
"You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to. If you really need to stay out here for the night, if that will make you happy, I'll understand."
If Fox heard anything he gave no inclination. She sat with him a little longer; the twilight had finally transitioned into night, and the rich black had spread from horizon to horizon, only broken by the greens of the city and the startling white of stars. She took this all in, all for Fox, and and with a contented sigh, she got up to rejoin the party.
"Question."
She fumbled for a second, turning to the brusque voice of her teammate. "Yes, Fox?"
More silence. Before her theory that she had only imagined she had heard him was confirmed, he shifted in his seat and asked "How does Ozpin spell our team name?"
Coco couldn't imagine where this was coming from but didn't want him to feel she wasn't taking him seriously. "C-F-V-Y, why?"
Fox nodded to himself. "What would C-V-Y spell?"
Understanding a little more, she thought about it. "Probably "covy". Or maybe "cevy"? "Cavy"'s an option too. I wouldn't take any of them seriously, if we're being fair."
A pause. Then, he turned to face her. "Which do you prefer?"
"Hmmmmmm..." Coco's face was the picture of mock contemplation, strolling back to the boy in front of her, finger tapping on her chin - Fox couldn't see it, of course, but she was having fun and didn't see a need to act like being blind meant she couldn't be herself around him.
She bent down and offered a hand to him. "I like "coffee" best."
Silently, not taking the hand offered to him, Fox Alistair stood up for the first time in ten minutes. He let out a breath neither of them knew he had been holding in.
"Same here."
Coco let him walk ahead for a few yards. Then, with a terribly unlike-Coco-Adel grin on her face (one that she planned on wiping off her face as soon as they entered the ballroom), she dashed off to the boy, and with a slap to his butt that made him sputter, linked her arm in his and led him back to the dance's entrance.
Author's Note:
Yes.
I'm still here.
The year and a half since I announced my inactivity from fanfiction has been a rather tough one for me; as a student, as a worker, as a person, and especially as an artist. I've done a lot of good and bad, and a lot of good and bad has been placed upon me. I have spent a lot of time here reviewing, reading, and participating thru intake as opposed to out putting stories. I don't plan on updating anything I have put forward before this one (possibly two) shot; Audiophiles Is the only story i truly had any clear, set, structured story behind. It had more of a skeleton than Flip Flop did, and while I love that AU i created and the possibilities it held I don't think I can work with an invertebrate of a plot successfully. Both stories will remain as they are, so that those who remember them and what they could be will have those to serve as inspiration or something to that effect.
This last story here, it's my last. I had written it over the course of the last week between classes and during classes I hated. I had wanted to touch on Team CFVY, Fox in particular, and this felt right. I have another chapter to this story in mind, but it might not make the light of day.
I want to thank the support of the readers who read my work, who made me feel good about my writing with their reviews and messages and kindness. In particular ReasonableName (author of the amazing stories Beacon University and Memoria) Jefardi (the author of Acceptance, Dilation, and Spoon Equality) and JC785 (who served as editor for the last few chapters of my first multi-chapter fic "Thunder Flowers"). All three are amazing, wonderful authors, and it's been a pleasure getting to know them in some way, shape, or form during my time on .
It hasn't been an easy road for me. I'm not sure what I'm doing or where I'm going, and I just need to simplify and accept what needs to happen.
Thank you all. You all mean so much to me.
Enjoy my last piece of writing.
Mateo Hurtado Statz, the creator of the writing project "thehemingwaydilemma"