Kudos to Casdin for givin' me this cool fluff filled idea!
"Velvet, hide me!"
The rabbit Faunus squawked in surprise when her beret-wearing, coffee-loving leader suddenly dived under the table with all the grace of a floundering walrus.
Hands flailed as Velvet tried to catch Coco's chair as it fell, determined not to cause a scene and draw anyone's attention. Once she did catch it and looked up, she realized that it didn't matter. Coco's outburst had been loud enough that students were already shooting them weird looks. Heat bloomed in her cheeks.
"Coco!" Velvet hissed, face darkening when someone from a nearby table snickered loudly. "What in remnant's name are you doing?!" Her rabbit ears nearly bent backwards in frustration.
Coco didn't deign her with a reply, instead pressing a finger to her lips and shushing her. When Velvet pointedly ignored her plea for silence and tried to ask what caused this fresh bout of insanity, Coco made a noise of frustration and pinched Velvet's calf, causing her leg to jerk back in surprise.
There was a loud bang as the top of her knee met the bottom of the table. A whine of pain escaped her lips without permission, and Velvet rubbed her knee sourly. Once the throbbing had subsided, she kicked out in retaliation. The yelp that followed was satisfying but unfortunately, loud enough that it caught the attention of the person Coco had been trying to avoid.
Ruby Rose, dressed in her signature combat dress and red cloak, skipped toward the second year she'd spotted among the throng of other students and raised her hand in greeting as she approached the bench.
"Hey Velvet!" She chirped, giving the Faunus her signature doe eyed smile. The smile slowly faded as she watched the older girl look around skittishly.
"Um…is something wrong?" She stared at Velvet for several seconds, watching the older girl gnaw her bottom lip. Growing worried at the lack of response, Ruby wondered if she'd caught her at a bad time, and snuck a look at their surroundings.
Why is everyone staring us? she wondered. Ruby glanced down at herself. Oh crap, did they see the chocolate stains? She discreetly ran her finger over the dark coloured patch on her skirt.
Velvet finally looked up, grabbing Ruby's attention with a small cough. "N-No, not at all. Sorry, I was just...thinking of something." She said, internally screaming for Yatsuhashi and Fox to swoop in and save her from this ridiculous situation. At least Coco had stopped trying to assault her legs.
"Are you worried bout' your next mission? I heard from Blake that your team got assigned to clear out a nevermore nest."
Velvet couldn't help herself, and laughed softly when the redhead peered at her with a expression that was equal parts worried and eager. "Nothing of that sort." She assured.
Ruby's shoulders relaxed considerably, the worry melting from her silver eyes. She was afraid that she'd interrupted the girl's brainstorming.
"Soooo, where's the rest of team CFVY?" Ruby asked, looking around.
"Yatsu and Fox are back at in the room, preparing, since we're gonna head to Vale. Apparently, there's this really good dessert shop that just opened. Near that dust to dawn shop, I think." Velvet answered truthfully, painfully aware of the presence beneath the table. Honestly, of all the times for the boys to be late… "One of our classmates swear that their desserts are the best on Remnant. So we thought we'd pop by and try it."
Her eyebrows furrowed when she felt Coco tug her pant' leg. She kicked out one more time to get the fiend to settle down, still slightly annoyed at this awkward situation she was thrust in.
"Desserts?" Ruby perked up, "The best on Remnant, huh? Sounds pretty tasty! I won't mind visiting them sometime." She smiled giddily, conjuring images of various delicious looking treats in her mind. While Patch had plenty of classic treats, like the triple scoop banana split drizzled with chocolate sauce, other more fanciful desserts like sherbets, lava cakes, and crepes were virtually non-existent.
"Right? You should go there when you get the chance." From the excited look on Ruby's face, Velvet guessed she was utterly sold on the idea. Velvet took the lull in conversion to think, and unfortunately, a naughty little idea had taken root in her mind. She had a feeling that this decision would come back to bite her in the ass, but pushed that aside for now.
If Coco could be spontaneous, then so could she.
"Say…" She began slowly, "Do you want to come with us, Ruby? I'm sure the team would be glad to have you along."
Her left leg was suddenly pulled violently. Velvet would have gone under, had she not been gripping the edge of the table.
Ruby, who was oblivious to the tug of war that was happening right under her nose, started bouncing on her heels – silver eyes alight with excitement. The prospect of getting to eat something new was enough to make her spirits soar. Even better, was that she now had an excuse to skip Weiss's torture session. Or as Weiss called it, a study marathon.
"Really?!" Ruby squealed, "Kay, I'll just go get my wallet real quick. I'll meet you at the airship!"
Velvet smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Ruby disappeared in a whirlwind of rose petals, speeding out of the hall. Once she was gone, Coco peeked out from her hiding place to make sure that the coast was clear, before crawling out of her hiding place.
Velvet fought down a giggle when she saw how unkempt her leader looked. It was pretty difficult to throw Coco off her game, but Ruby had done it without even knowing it herself.
Meanwhile, Coco took in a deep, deep breath of air before panic split her chest open like an egg. A chorus of horrified moans rang rattled in her skull.
"What the fuck were you thinking–" Coco took off her sunglasses specifically to glare at her teammate, "why did you invite her?!"
"Well, why not?" Velvet said flatly, "Frankly, I have no idea why you're acting like this. I'll appreciate if you tell me what's goin' on in that head of yours."
Coco sighed and rubbed the material of her scarf between her fingers, a gesture which Velvet recognised as a nervous tic. She sighed, opening her mouth to assure her that nothing would go wrong, when the mountain that was Yatsuhashi appeared before them, Fox trailing slowly behind him.
Velvet's partner sensed the tension in the air almost immediately, and sighed.
"What is it now?" He asked quietly.
Fox snorted into his open palm. Coco glared at the back of his head when he snickered for the fourth time this afternoon. As they strolled through the streets of Vale, Coco was extremely aware of the chatter behind her, Ruby and Velvet engaged in animated conversation.
Actually, the crimson haired girl was the one carrying the conversation but Velvet was more than happy to listen. The rabbit Faunus privately thought that only Ruby could make sweets and pastries sound more interesting than they really were. She was currently expressing her love for sponge cake while waving around a small packet of cookies she'd brought. "To make the desserts twice as good!" She'd said, showing it off before they entered the airship.
Coco looked up just in time to see Fox stop in his tracks, forcing Yatsuhashi to a halt since he was grabbing the other boy's shirt. His hand was literally starting to shake. "Good god, this is just too good." Fox said as Coco pushed past him.
"Fox." Yatsuhashi shot him a displeased look. "That's enough out of you." He looked up and met Coco's frigid gaze, shaking his head when he saw how tense she was; coiled like a viper waiting to strike. Or in her case, flee. "And you, Coco. Try to relax a little. Your crush on her is nothing to be afraid of."
They began moving again, the thump of his footsteps drowned out her wordless sputter.
"Like you'll be singin' the same tune if the person you liked was this close." Fox shook his head, pulling Yatsuhashi's shirt and letting it go with a snap. He turned his head to where he assumed Coco was, and said "But seriously Coco, Yatsu's right. Try to relax. She's not gonna bite your head off."
"Who's going to bite my head off?" Ruby asked curiously, Fox's milky white pupils boring into her. She jumped when he flinched back and tripped over his own feet. Velvet squashed a giggle. She coughed to cover it up when Ruby glanced at her in confusion.
Coco increased her pace and stared pointedly at the ground, making sure to keep away from them. It was like they were all out to get her. Velvet's hand shot out to pinch Fox's cheek. She rolled her eyes at his whine. The big baby.
Shaking his head at his team's antics, Yatsuhashi looked over his shoulder and gave Ruby a small smile, which the girl returned with a huge one of her own. He resisted the urge to reach over and ruffle her hair but settled for waving instead. Ruby waved back vigorously.
"Hey, we're here." Coco planted her hands on her hips, staring at the tasteful brown and pink sign. They'd finally arrived after no small amounts of walking. "It's much smaller than I expected though."
Coco stilled she caught a whiff of a familiar scent that was enough to make her mouth water. "Brownies!" Ruby cheered, mirroring Coco's thoughts and nearly giving her an aneurysm.
She didn't realize that the girl had caught up with her. Coco bit her lip as she watched the redhead tremble with glee. She looked behind her. The rest of her team was still a little ways away.
"S-So." Coco winced when her voice cracked. "You like brownies?"
Ruby blinked. "Yep!" She said, eyes twinkling. "They're not as good as cookies or strawberries, but they're definitely up there."
"Oh. I-I see."
"Do you like em'?"
"Huh?" She squeaked, nearly slapping herself when she realised what Ruby was referring to. She's talking about brownies, idiot! Her mind screamed. "They're all right I guess. Not really my kind of dessert."
Ruby 'ohhed' and folded her arms. "I get it, I get it. We all have different tastes." She nodded sagely. "Yang is pretty picky about this sort of stuff too. What do you like, then?"
Coco wracked her brains, trying to pick through the haze that clouded her mind. Ruby's presence made her every nerve end feel like it were on fire. There was a part of her that even liked feeling like this – all nervous and tingly.
"Short, red, and sweet. That's the type she really goes for." Someone called over her shoulder. And then just like that, the feeling was gone. Replaced by the urge to strangle.
She turned her head to see fox fall in step beside her. Coco wanted to wipe that smirk off his face with a right hook to the jaw, and she would have – had Ruby not been standing right there. Instead, she settled for the next best thing. Fox yelped when his partner stomped on his foot. She was wearing heels. "OW! Seriously, Coco?! That hurt like hell!"
"You brought it upon yourself." Yatsuhashi called as he stepped through the door. The bell jingled heartily as Velvet stuck her hand out and prevented it from closing. The rabbit Faunus shook her head and followed after him. "What he said."
After Ruby had entered the shop, Coco glared frostily at her partner through her designer sunglasses. Just before the door shut, she flipped the bird at him, not even caring that he couldn't see her. It was petty of her to do so, but the satisfaction that settled in her stomach eased some of the shame. Left standing outside all by his lonesome, Fox crossed his arms and clicked his teeth.
"Sure, make me the bad guy why don't you?" He complained.
Upon entering, they claimed the six seater table all the way to the back. It was crowded, most of patrons being students or young adults. The interior was much larger than what its outside suggested, with plastic models of the sweets they sold placed strategically around the café. Some were even hung from the ceiling with strings. There was also a life-sized sundae standing near the entrance, which bore little resemblance to the real thing in terms of size.
Ruby zoomed in on the ridiculously life like replica of a chocolate fudge cake and began fawning over it. Velvet peered curiously at the gingerbread house placed near the window, eventually taking out her scroll to snap a photo of it, while Yatsuhashi was appreciating the sophistication of a mango pudding.
Fox sat stonily at their table. Coco was on his left, looking over the menu that was etched into the grain of the table.
"What are you getting?" He said, after a measure of silence. There was a mix of delicious smells in the air, chocolate and cinnamon and vanilla to name a few, and it was making him hungry. A set of footsteps passed their table, and the smell of marshmallows hit him like a truck. He rubbed his face. If he didn't get any food soon, he was going to riot.
"I'm not sure, though I'm leaning towards their peach tarts." Coco replied. Her eyebrow lifted, taking note of the prices. "Huh, no wonder this place is as popular as it is. I'm surprised that they can still stay out of the red with how much they charge for their desserts."
"That's great news for us, ain't it? Oh and also, please tell me they have red velvet cake in there."
"Red velvet cake?" Fox could imagine Coco's questioning stare as she continued scanning the menu, "Didn't peg you for a cake lover, Fox. Alright, I found it. Right above the drinks section." Coco smiled, nudging her partner in the side. He rolled his eyes at the enthusiastic note in her voice at the mention of drinks – she was definitely going to try their coffee, the damn caffeine addict.
Everyone gathered after taking in their fill of the establishment and set about to deciding what to order. Yatsuhashi was put in charge of placing everyone's orders and carrying them back, seeing as the boy could probably carry everything at once. Velvet suggested that she accompany him but was shot down when he shook his head. "No need to trouble yourself, Velvet. I'll be back soon." His pinned everyone at the table, sans Ruby, with a warning stare. "Don't get us out kicked out."
Ruby turned to Velvet after he'd left, the rabbit Faunus seated beside her. Coco was discreetly admiring the workmanship of the redhead's emblem. There was a certain shine to it, and the quality of it was even visible from where she sat. She'd heard rumours of Ruby's talent with weapons and the like, but she didn't know it extended to crafting such delicate items as well.
"Did you guys get kicked out of a shop before?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah. Sometimes it happens because of–" Velvet's eyes flitted up momentarily. Ruby winced when Velvet's expression became pained. Regret instantly filled her when she realised that she'd accidentally brought up some bad memories. As if sensing her unease, Velvet scrambled to correct herself. "Er, I-I mean that, er–" She sputtered lamely, trying to come up with a suitable distraction.
"We run into assholes once every now and again." Coco spoke up, grabbing their attention. The leader of CFVY flushed under Ruby's enquiring gaze, and cleared her throat before continuing. "It's usually nothing a kick to the knee can't handle."
"I…see." Ruby said despondently, upset that she had unwittingly brought up some bad memories.
"We do get kicked out for other reasons though. We sometimes end up getting too enthusiastic in the wrong place, at the wrong time." Coco smiled wryly.
Colour returned to Velvet's face. "Oh! Like that time we got thrown out of that restaurant for being too noisy?"
"Right, like that one." Coco nodded, her lips curling upwards. "The service sucked and the food was disgusting. Even starving dogs wouldn't eat the shit they tried to give us."
"Hey wait a sec, I think I know the place you're talking about! Is it that really flashy one with the pink horseshoe taped under their sign?" At Coco's nod, Ruby grinned widely. "My team went there a few months ago. Weiss says that they're 'a bunch of bumbling apes who wouldn't know fine dining if it hit them with a truck'."
Everyone at the table shared a chuckle. "That's pretty wordy. But it's a good description of the idiots running that joint." Coco said, folding her arms. "What I wouldn't give to forget the taste of their casserole."
"Hey, you're not the one who ordered their seafood pasta." Fox spat, his face twisting into disgust at the memory. Ruby laughed, and began telling them what her team ordered and the reactions following the arrival of the food. They traded tidbits of the experience with the city restaurants, exchanging suggestions on what other restaurants they could try without murdering their wallet or poisoning their taste buds.
When Fox and Ruby broke off into a conversation of their own, discussing about where the best seafood restaurants in Vale were, Velvet looked across the table to catch Coco's attention.
"You're enjoying yourself, aren't you?" Velvet's voice was low enough that Coco could hear but not loud enough to catch Ruby's attention. "See? Everything turned out fine." She smiled, her rabbit ears wriggling a little. If appendages could seem smug then Coco thought the ears were doing a mighty fine job of it.
She rolled her eyes but couldn't resist a smile. "Yeah…I guess." Coco said thoughtfully, "But I just realized something, and it's that there's plenty of shit I don't know about her. Makes you wonder why I started liking her in the first place, huh."
"Don't say that." Velvet chided when she saw Coco's face fall. "Liking someone doesn't mean that you need to know everything about them. It's more fun if you discover things along the way, isn't it?"
At Coco's hesitant nod, the rabbit Faunus huffed good naturedly.
"You should ask her out and take her someplace nice."
When the mini-gun wielder nearly choked on her own spit, Velvet resisted the urge to sigh at how big of a dork her leader could be. Facing down Grimm was like child's play to her, and yet the idea of asking someone out on a date invoked the same reaction as rearranging her own innards.
"It doesn't have to be a date if you don't want it to. I think it'll be good! Maybe spendin' some quality time with Ruby will get rid of those jitters." She said.
Coco mulled over her words, falling silent. Velvet brought up a good point. She definitely wanted to get to know Ruby better, despite her initial fears of even interacting with the girl. Coco sighed and rubbed her temples. What she wouldn't give for a cup of black coffee right now.
Seed successfully planted, Velvet leaned back into her chair and wiped a drop of sweat of her brow. Who knew all these romance stuff could be such hard work?
"Velvet. A little help?" Startled, she jerked out of her seat and looked in the direction of Yatsuhashi's voice.
"Goodness!" The large boy had the decency to look embarrassed when his partner shot him an 'I told you' look. He was balancing five plates on himself, two on each of his arms and one on his hand, on the verge of falling. It didn't help that there were two rectangular baskets on his shoulder, filled with napkins and utensils.
Fox perked up at the sound of plates being set on the table and grinned. "Pass the red velvet over, would you?" He said, nearly drooling at the mouth. Ruby nodded, eyeing her strawberry crepes hungrily. Looking at it, the pink sauce glistening under the light and the generous dollop of whipped cream, was enough to drive anyone insane.
"So…full." Ruby muttered, trailing out of the airship. Those who heard her nodded in agreement, grimacing when their stomachs warbled, protesting at any sort of movement. The servings they'd eaten was more than enough for a small army – but that was only because their first plates hadn't been enough. It was only after the fourth plate of dessert that everyone realised what a horrible mistake they'd made.
"Bathroom." Was all Yatsuhashi said before he started hobbling towards the second year dorms. Fox and Velvet trailed behind him, both deep in a food coma and barely registering where they were going.
As her team walked further and further away, Coco realised with a start that she was alone with Ruby. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, her palms beginning to sweat. She turned to look at the redhead, who was slowly making her way towards the first year dorms. Velvet's words rattled in her skull and before she'd even thought of what to say–
"Ruby!"
The girl stopped in her tracks when she was called. She turned around slowly, looking understandably confused. Coco's back was ramrod straight as she regarded her crush. Taking in a deep breath, she slowly removed her shades and winced at the assault on her eyes. The setting sun had painted their surroundings with warm oranges and bright reds, reminiscent of an oil painting.
Coco swallowed. "Would you…" her tongue faltered. Her brain short-circuited. "I mean, do you…"
Ruby stood, waiting patiently as a string of incoherent words tumbled out of Coco's mouth. She seemed strangely…mature at that moment and somewhat intimidating as the light cast shadows over her face.
"Do you want to go out for dessert again? Um. Just the two of us…?" She tested the waters hesitantly, her body so tightly wound that any sudden movements would make her snap.
Ruby smiled. "Sure! Like a date?"
Coco felt heat blossom in her cheeks. She could almost imagine the red blush dyeing the tips of her roots. "…Yeah." She shuffled her feet for several seconds before she finally mustered up enough courage to meet Ruby's gaze.
Warm silver met terrified mocha.
And then the distance between them was closed in an instant. Ruby hugged Coco within an inch of her life, and it was all the older girl could do to hug back and not melt into a puddle of relief.
Ruby took out her scroll after she'd stepped back, leaving Coco to wonder if this was merely a dream. Fortunately, she was brought back to reality when a sharp jingle sliced the air.
"There! Now you have my scroll number." Ruby chirped, bringing her scroll to eye level and smiling at the screen. Coco mechanically lifted her own device out of her handbag and stared at the unknown number. She smiled, was about to thank the redhead when it hit her.
"Ruby," Coco started slowly, "how did you know what my scroll number was?"
"It's a secret!" Ruby bounced on the balls of her feet, "Buttt I can tell you that I traded a pair of cat ears for it."
"Cat…ears?" Coco repeated, more confused than angry. What in the world?
Somewhere in Beacon, Cardin woke up from his nap, yawning widely. He reached up to scratch his head and froze.
There, on his head, was a pair of brown cat ears. He tugged it and winced when his hair screamed in protest. Someone had glued them to his head.
A sudden, blinding flash made his eyes shrivel into themselves, and he fell back onto his bed, screaming.
Velvet smirked, holding her camera against her chest.
"Be prepared to be propelled into internet stardom, Cardin mew mew." She said. Behind her, the rest of team CRDL shivered at her laugh, trying to wiggle out of their binds. No one said Beacon was going to be this scary.
AN: I LIVEEEE!
Jokes aside, this story has been edited and rewritten so many times that it not even funny. I was starting to wonder if it was ever going to be finished, lol! The first draft was like 2.9K words, and then I scrapped it because reasons. I really liked how this story turned out after all that though, and I hope you do too! That ending is pure crack, for no reason other than to write a sorta Yandere!velvet. Also, my apologies to any reviews on Oh Schneezus! That I haven't replied to. School is kickin' me in the ass.
Still got a buncha stuff to write. Blood instinct rewrite is crawlin' on, and the last chap of oh schneezus is still in the works, if anyone was wondering! A big thank you to everyone who read this, I hope you liked it! Also, if anyone wants a good Ruby centric story to sink into, go check out Red Frills by clarallis. It's mighty good stuff with a generous dollop of team RWBY and JNPR development.
Until next time y'all!