AN: I completed HatM and decided that it was time to write something different. So here's a weird sorta fluff CrossHares fic for you to enjoy. This is the first of two or three chapters, I haven't decided how I'll split up the rest I have planned yet. Enjoy!
Velvet Scarletina wasn't really one for confrontation when she could avoid it, but she could really have considered this time. She sat lengthwise on a plush leather loveseat, her feet dangling off the far end, her head turned to a TV screen. That pale light stood out against the classical sensibilities of the old cottage she was currently moping about in, the log walls and wooden tables stained a warm red. In front of her was a wide and low table where two mugs of cocoa were placed on thick coasters.
The one closer to Velvet's torso was about half-finished, and the fact that it was no longer wafting sweet steam into the air gave the impression that she was waiting for someone. In fact, she had already waited quite some time, given up, then reconsidered when they were halfway through their glass. The Faunus had half a mind to just to drink both of them and wash them up before Coco got back, leaving the leader none-the-wiser to her attempted thoughtfulness, not that Velvet thought it would have been recognized either way.
But the young Rabbit conceded failure, and for the fourth time in the hour decided that it wasn't worth it, and returned her eyes to the screen. But not before a subtle flick to the great clock which hung on the wall, short enough to convince herself that she wasn't worried, long enough that she could tell there was more than enough time to get hysterical.
Not that Coco had ever not returned. Velvet shifted in her spot at that thought, her thighs rubbing against each other through the fabric of her tights. She took another sip of the now-cool Cocoa to calm her nerves, reminding herself again that she wasn't worried.
Another minute ticked by and the sports on the television still weren't distracting her so she sighed, stretched her arms high over her head and stood, taking both of the chilled glasses with her. She carved a path around the seat and past the gently simmering fireplace to the kitchen, a more open room with light pouring in from a wide window that was set over the sink. The only thing with a glint in the room was the faucet and its fittings, the sink itself as well as the handles on the cupboards all made from the same reddish polished wood as the rest of the house.
She poured out Coco's glass and rinsed it out, snatching a matte black kettle off of a wooden cooling rack and filling it with water from the spigot. At the water level rose she peeked out the window at the lake outside. The clear blue faded off into the distance, and from her perspective it almost looked like the cabin itself was on the water. The low porch out front hung over the water and she could see the floating walkway which meandered out into the water a few feet. She couldn't see Coco from here, even as she leaned a bit this way and that to try and glimpse a few more feet to either side.
She knew that she wouldn't know the woman was back until she knocked on the door, but that didn't stop her from stealing glances outside from time to time to see if she could catch her off guard.
A soft curse escaped her lips when the water over-flowed the kettle, spilling some water onto the floor and dripping onto the loose booty-shorts she paired with her tights. She made a vague motion as if drying them off before sighing and turning off the faucet, swiping the floor with her feet to spread the water out so she didn't accidentally slip when she came back later.
Emptying some of the water into Coco's glass, then pouring another cup and a half out for safety, she walked over to the wall on her left and used a metal poker to try and stoke the flames in a wood stove that was set in amongst the wood, beside a rag bin. It showed some promise, and after prodding it into a more amicable arrangement she set the kettle on the stove and shut the door to the still-hot embers, wiping her hands on a rag that collected some of the soot from the burning.
She was about to leave when she remembered a mistake she had made a few years ago, and reached over to rotate the kettle so the spout would be facing away from her when it was spewing steam into the air with a high-pitched whistle. She had found out the hard way that it was hard to deal with anything when hot steam was being shot into your eyes, so she was thankful that she caught the error before her future self could curse her.
Stepping through a thick – can you guess? – wooden door, she pulled stray hairs back from her face when a breeze picked them up and began tickling her nose with them. The porch was on her left, and from here she could see the thing strip of sand that made up the beach that ran a ring around Oxhead Lake. Taking in a deep breath she enjoyed the fresh smell of the lake, refreshing compared to the somewhat thick smell of woodsmoke and leather.
She slipped on a pair of flats which she kept outside and crossed her arms under her bust as she strolled over to the lean-to which held most the chopped wood she and Coco had been supplied with for their trip. It was a short walk away, and the path was marked with a clear packed-dirt trail. Wide enough for a little trolley that was provided in case someone wanted to take more than a few logs at a time, it was also a good little path to take under stars when there was just enough room for two young women to stand abreast with their hands clasped together.
Stifling her urge to roll her eyes at her own mundane fantasy she cast another glance out at the water before she made a silent pact with herself to stop worrying, with the explicit caveat that she was probably going to start hunting around if Coco didn't show herself soon. Not that Velvet was going to just dive into the water with no clue where she was.
Stepping into the soft shade of the covering the Faunus pulled two or three logs from the pile, shaking off spiders and any other small creatures that had managed to slip between the cracks. Balancing them in a pile she picked them up, leaning the wood against her shirt. She walked back, unhindered by the dry wood, though she had to pause to blow away a few large spiders that apparently had managed to avoid her previous attempts to dislodge them. She wasn't exactly scared of spiders, she'd fought Deathstalkers that were literally hundreds of times bigger, but she still didn't want them sneaking about on her.
When she was back in the house she shifted the embers in the wood-stove a bit more before placing the logs in and setting a little egg timer next to the stove to remind her to check on the fire in a few minutes.
Stepping back from the stove she closed her eyes, casting about for some—
Warm hands slipping around her waist and a chin resting on her shoulder broke her out of her thoughts, and a smile rested on her lips when Coco pulled herself flush against the Faunus' back. The human was uncharacteristically warm, and that heat bled through Velvet's clothes causing a pleasant shiver to run up her spine.
"You're cold," The human muttered, squeezing the Faunus a bit more tightly. She was always far more affectionate than normal after being out on the lake, this uncharacteristic heat as if she was with high fever being a side effect. "C'mon."
Velvet knew that Coco would only act like this for a short while, as soon her cooler geniality would return and her chance to cuddle up would be wasted. She followed Coco with the same sort of reluctance that children accept a second helping of dessert after dinner. It was an awkward travel, as the taller woman was loathe to part from the cooler body of the Faunus.
She held Velvet at the waist and again squeezed against her side, leading her through the cottage to the room she had been waiting in before. The television was still on, but both girls ignored it as Coco gently lead her teammate to a long leather sectional which was wide enough for the two to lay. The Faunus rolled her eyes at the choice since Coco wasn't thinking straight. In about an hour the leader would be awake, and wearing her bikini it would be quite uncomfortable for her to find her skin sticking to years-old upholstery.
The Faunus thusly took direct control and pulled Coco to the bedroom, which had linen sheets which would let some of the woman's heat bleed away, and more importantly not leave her in a sour mood when she woke up later. The blanket wasn't tucked in or anything – Coco had probably left the sheets awry when she woke up that morning – so she grabbed a corner and flung it to the other side as she lay down.
Gently coaxing the bikini-clad woman into bed she wrapped an arm around Coco's waist, letting the weight rest against the inside of her elbow. With her other hand she reached for the blanket and tossed it over both of them, the layer trapping the heat and eliciting a soft sigh from the taller of the pair. Coco, for her part, placed a hand at the small of the Faunus' back to pull her in close, not quite touching, before a soft sight signaled her drifting off into slumber. Her lidded eyes drifted shut and her breathing slowed slightly, though her heat remained quite noticeable. She seemed to forget all that was around her, her expression soft and unbothered despite the fever she sported.
The Faunus, despite the seemingly obvious invitation to drift off into unconsciousness, remained wide awake. Her round eyes bored into the lidded pair of her partner, questions dancing behind her pupils were those she had wanted to ask for well over a year now. The sorts of questions which were born of true goodwill and confusion, but were stamped down time and time again by hesitation.
The little things she considered as she lay here, not quite in the arms of the girl she loved, pained her. She considered with great sorrow the fact that even now, deep in her haze, enough time had passed between Coco walking through the door and arriving in her bed that she still moderated touch. This was an 'embrace' in bed no more than a pat on the back was, even if that hand lingered and was burning a hole in Velvet's skin. The thought that Velvet herself never really considered a comfortable position with Coco because she always had to sneak away before the older girl woke.
As if to taunt her, Velvet heard the soft chiming of the egg timer in the kitchen. The noise was gentle enough that the Faunus could barely hear it even with her oversized ears, and she doubted that in Coco's sleep of the dead it would rouse her. In fact, she was certain, because she took that moment as she always did – though the timing changed, and so did excuses – to slip away.
It wasn't hard, and maybe that hurt more. The Faunus gently lifted Coco's arm and placed it on the pillow between them, then shifted backwards so she might sneak off of the bed's side. Once she was standing she snuck with unnecessary quietude towards the dresser that housed Coco's sizeable collection of garments. Grabbing underwear along with a shirt and shorts, she placed the pile at the foot of the bed and slipped out the door.
She closed it gently, again despite her knowing that Coco would not stir, and made her way back to the woodstove in the kitchen. She could see small puffs of steam escaping from the end of the kettle whilst the alarm chimed pleasantly. Taking the kettle off the heat and turning off the alarm she cast her eyes about for the mugs she had used for the cocoa. She thought half-heartedly about making more, but since Coco was liable to be out cold for at least an hour, she might as well wait before starting.
It left her with even more time on her hands. When she originally offered to chaperone Coco to the lake she hadn't realized how much of it she would spend idle. Glancing out the front window and chewing at her lip she sighed. Maybe I was too hopeful when I thought I might get to spend time with her alone.
The Faunus reached forward to unlatch the window when she caught sight of something dark against the surface of the water. She paused for a hairs breadth of a second before she rushed from the room and out the door, slamming it somewhat carelessly behind her. She took a deep breath of fresh air which helped dispel any half-doubts clouding her mind as she ran, barefoot, towards the low dock which trailed out in front of the cabin.
The soft grass was pleasant against the soles of her feet, but she ignored both it as she dashed down the side of the building, her eyes searching for the shadow she had seen before. As she stepped onto the wooden dock which was attached to the deck that looked over the lake, she saw it meander to the far end.
Now that she was standing on the dock, she slowed, knowing that what was under the water would be able to tell that she was there. Sure enough, when she took a step out onto the water the shadow slowed, before it dipped out of sight around the edge. Suddenly faced with the possibility that what was under the water might make an escape, Velvet made haste and ran to the end of the pier.
Before she could reach the end and make an ill-fated decision to dive in, she caught sight of a figure pulling itself partly from the water to lean on the surface of the dock, their head propped up on an elbow. Velvet slid to a somewhat unceremonious stop to try and prevent herself from running right off the end and somersaulting right into the water along with it.
When she had her balance back the Faunus regarded the Woman carefully, looking for features she knew belonged to Coco's… admirer. The woman had regal features, high cheekbones, sharp nose, piercing eyes. She might've been beautiful, Velvet would freely admit, if the woman's face wasn't cast in the most unmistakable matte-white of a mask. Red slits the color of sickly-orange blood were neatly arranged in rows of two along the cheekbones, and her eyes were unseeing, the delicate features more resilient than the strongest of steel.
And tapping against one of those cheeks in an almost robotic movement was a thin and well-manicured talon. Velvet flinched at the sight, though she knew the Grimm would be unperturbed by her own claw. The Grimm's hand was elegant in a way, almost like the talons of an eagle. Ridged with large scales along the back with inset nails that came to a dangerous point, they were the sort of thing which was carefully designed. The sort of thing that you look at in wonder as it clenches around your throat, strangling you.
The thought, and her basic training coming back to her, Velvet shook her head and regarded the Grimm with a certain wariness that she didn't truly feel.
No longer quite so distracted she compared what she saw to what she remembered. The Grimm's face was well-designed, to keep the attention of the viewer without showing any outward threat. But as your eyes moved away from the unseeing pair she had, you would notice the almost avian features that lined the side of her head. Tiny feathers like that of a bird dripping slick with water, a lack of ears most notably. Her throat was the same white as her face, though there existed dark lines that acted as breaks in the armor. They added a contour which added somewhat unnecessary shape to the already graceful form of the Grimm, which trailed down to her bust, which was hidden under the edge of the dock.
The Grimm was silent, as was the Faunus which regarded it with mixed feelings. She was fairly sure this was the same Siren which had pulled Coco from the water long ago, in fact, she was certain. She would never forget the sight of a Grimm pulling itself from the water with the Team Leader intact, still breathing, after more than fifteen minutes of deathly silence.
Velvet still could, despite herself, see in her might the sight of the Grimm carrying Coco with undue care to the water's edge, dripping with water, her talons despite her care drawing rivulets of blood.
They had expected the worst, Velvet, Fox and Yatsuhashi. Before any of them could ask any questions for fight, the Grimm disappeared back into the water, leaving them with the over-heated and suspiciously alive body of their leader.
And we argued about it for months. Velvet thought, sighing, as she waited for the Siren to do something, anything to indicate that it could communicate. When Coco wanted to come back we were all dumbfounded. She nearly died here, and who knew if any of us really knew what had happened underwater that day. But she couldn't be persuaded.
"Who are you?" Velvet asked, quietly. She didn't know if the Grimm had any way of communicating back, but with how resolutely Coco hid everything to do with the Siren, this was pretty much the only way to figure anything out.
The Grimm tilted her head, slightly, before a thin line that stretched from one cheekbone to the other, which dipped down between thin lips opened. It was terrifying, and for a moment Velvet was worried that much like a horror movie the Grimm's head was going to split in two to reveal a gigantic mouth. Instead, the lips only parted slightly, and a thin black tongue raced around the edges of the mouth for half a second before slipping out of view again.
The measured expression of hesitation, deliberate enough that Velvet could immediately tell it was fake, was followed by a somewhat mechanical tilting of the head. The Faunus could have rolled her eyes at the display of fake human mannerisms, had the Grimm not immediately hauled itself from the water with ease. It took a step forward while the Faunus was stunned and placed a hand on its cocked hips while a talon tapped against the smooth white armor plating of its leg.
Fully faced with the full height of the Grimm, which Velvet didn't remember being quite so much taller than her, the Faunus was gobsmacked. Then, she realized that she was quite unarmed, and standing over water, the natural habitat of such a Grimm, while she was hardly dressed for a dip herself.