Got an idea for more Blake&Velvet. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.


Of Mice And Faunus

Silence weighed heavily in the air.

Velvet was huddled behind the long purple curtains of the windows, clutching the material desperately. Aside from herself, the library was vacant, due to it being after hours. She had been given permission to enter the library in order to assist a professor in returning a few books, and she had been left to put them away.

But now there was no one there to help her.

She whimpered, hiding her face partially behind the curtain, recoiling against the glass, part of her praying she could materialize through it.

There was tension in the air; she was being hunted.

The vicious food chain was mocking her as the lurking predator remained out of sight, but Velvet knew it was still there. She longed to shout out for assistance, but feared doing so would give away her position. Her ears twitched nervously as she tried to hone in on the sounds of her assailant, wherever it may be. She had not moved for the past ten minutes, and was still too petrified to do so. However, staying put was now also starting to make her anxious.

Oh why? Why, why, why did it have to happen to me? She must be cursed.

She took a hesitant step forward, placing her heel lightly first before the rest of her shoe in order to reduce noise. But just as she moved, she heard it again and flinched.

Those claws as it scurried about in a location she could not pinpoint.

The pads of its paws as it stalked her.

The small squeaking sounds as it curled itself into some crevice because it was just as terrified out of its mind as she was.

Velvet pulled her ears down as she clutched tighter at the curtains, knuckles white.

She did not like mice. At all.

She knew it was an irrational fear considering they were just defenseless little animals that often took residence within people's buildings and house merely to seek shelter from the winter cold, and Velvet could not blame them. However, a practical joke played on her ten-year-old self back in middle school left her with a desk full of the creatures and thus her dislike of them. Of course, she had tried to bring herself to realize that the worst one could ever do to her was crawl over her shoe, but still the thought of them reminded her of the pile of squirming fuzzy bodies in her lap, climbing up her shirt and clawing down her legs...

Velvet sunk back even further, shrieking as she saw the mouse dart across the floor in a brown blur, hiding amongst the rows of bookshelves.

She had tried to make for the door, truly she had, but Velvet had gotten into the mindset of disposing of the rodent herself, a small victory that none but her could perform. She had even gone so far as to selflessly close the door upon her initial sighting of the animal, wanting to keep it in the room so she could capture it.

However, her actions had clearly backfired now, as she was reduced to a mess more timid than a mouse herself as she peeked from behind the curtain. It was after curfew. Who else would be around at this hour? There was no one who was going to help her but herself.

She wanted to rush out of the library, but she was also the only one who knew about the mouse. What if she came back tomorrow and it was still there somewhere? What if someone else found it and ended up killing it? Velvet shuddered at any outcome she could ponder.

But surely a janitor could be coming by soon? But what if they did not? Velvet pressed her hands over her drooped ears, wishing it was all a dream she could just wake up from.

But then, her peripheral vision caught something and she quickly perked up, looking toward the window of the door. A familiar girl with long onyx hair and ears was passing by, her golden eyes focused downward onto the pages of a book.

Velvet thanked whatever blessing she had been sent as Blake opened the door and stepped inside, evidently intent on returning a book. In her haste, Velvet quickly stepped out of hiding and cried out to her.

"Blake!"

The other girl, having been immersed in her book, was visibly startled as Velvet called out to her. Blake jumped, dropping her book, obviously not having been expecting to see anyone else in the library at this time, especially not jumping out from behind the window curtains.

"V-Velvet? What's-?"

"W-Wait!" The brunette quickly waved Blake in, motioning for her to close the door behind her. Blake gave her a bewildered look but obeyed, closing the door behind her as she picked up the book she had dropped to place it on one of the tables.

"Velvet, what's going on? What are you doing in here at this hour?"

"Ah! W-W-Well, you see I was just- eep!" She froze as she caught sight of the tiny brown blur again, falling to her knees as she squeaked.

"Velvet?" Blake peered over the table at her. "What's going on?"

"Ah, q-quietly!" Velvet pawed the air, begging the other girl to come closer. Puzzled golden eyes looked her over as Blake knelt down beside her, Faunus ears twitching as she patiently waited for an explanation.

Velvet looked up at her, long ears slowly lifting back up again as she kept one eye on the bookshelves while simultaneously addressing her companion. "W-Well, you see there's a bit of a... situation a-and I was wondering if you could perhaps help me with it..." She sent Blake a timidly hopeful glance.

"Of course I'll help." Blake murmured. "But... you've got to tell me what's going on, first."

"Ah, oh! R-Right!" Velvet flashed another glance toward the shelves before moving closer to the onyx-haired girl. "W-Well you see... there's a... a mouse..."

Blake's ears perked up instantly.

"A mouse, you say?"

Velvet nodded, biting her lip.

"Then you've come to the right Faunus." Blake smirked. "Now where did you last see it?" Velvet raised a trembling finger toward the aisles of bookshelves. Blake frowned. "That won't do. We've got to get it out in the open."

Velvet's eyes widened. "H-How will we do that?"

Blake sent her a slightly lopsided grin. "Are you underestimating me?" Her ears twitched again.

"N-Not at all!"

"Then let's do this." Blake rose to her feet as Velvet's awestruck gaze followed her. The taller girl helped her up before leading her over to the front of the study tables. Blake turned to her, eyes sparking with anticipation for the hunt. "Alright. I'll need you to stand here. Just try to see where it goes once I've scared it out of hiding, okay?"

"R-Right! You can count on me! P-Probably..."

Blake chuckled.

Velvet watched as her classmate silently skirted the edge of the room, pausing every few steps, ears flicking. The brunette shuddered a little; the natural instincts of the more predatory Faunus unnerved her a little, but overall fascinated her.

She watched closely as Blake crouched a bit, her ears snapping forward as her eyes narrowed seriously to a particular spot; Velvet found it amusing somehow, the way Blake was so intent on her target, but she managed to suppress her giggle. Her companion was staring unblinkingly at the corner of one of the shelves, moving up one slow, calculating step at a time.

Velvet leaned forward to get a better look when suddenly, Blake's foot shot out to nudge the shelf. Immediately, the mouse darted forth from between two books, saw the shoe blocking its path to one side, and headed the other direction instead.

However, that direction happened to be straight for Velvet.

The brunette's ears that had been raised in interest at Blake's methods instantly drooped entirely as she saw the rodent rushing her way. She heard Blake call out to her, but it was mostly drowned out by her own shriek.

In her momentary fright-and-flight instinct, Velvet scrambled backward onto the table just as the mouse darted beneath her feet. Blake was rushing over to help, but she nearly tripped due to her attempts to stifle her laughter upon seeing the comical scene. Velvet stood on the table with her hands pulled to her chest, feet tapping one after the other.

"I-I-It went near the heater!" She squeaked.

Blake stopped to look up at the other girl a little amusedly.

"You really... don't like them, huh?"

"T-That's not it, I-I mean they're just cold and looking for a place to sleep. But I just... th-they're so tiny! What if I step on one?"

Blake's eyes widened a little as she heard Velvet say that. She had assumed the shy girl had a bad past experience with the animals, but now Blake realize she was more nervous about hurting them than anything. She found it... endearingly sweet.

"I don't think you have to worry." She smiled up at the girl on the table who was shaking a little. "Now, you said the heater, right?"

Velvet nodded.

She watched as Blake slowly walked toward the window that sat atop the heater. Her companion slowly bent to perch on her hands and knees in order to get a better face-level view of the mouse's current position.

Despite her slight fear, Velvet could not help but peek at her from above to get an idea of what needed to be done in order to catch the rodent.

Blake's ears swiveled about from side to side until they froze and grew still, pinpointing the patter of tiny paws. She had positioned herself between the only area of escape, but even after several minutes of silent, patient waiting and controlled breathing, it did not emerge.

Blake frowned, flicking her eyes behind her swiftly to find Velvet still standing on the table above her. She wanted the shy girl to be involved in this mouse's inevitable capture, so Blake formulated an idea. She opened her lips and spoke in a thin voice.

"Velvet..."

When she heard her name, the brunette's ears twitched. She replied as quietly as she could manage.

"Y...Yes?"

"I need you to tap the heater." Blake breathed, eyes again focused on the intended area. "It can see me, so if I move to do it, I might miss my chance to catch it."

Velvet's ears perked up. "A-Alright..."

Bearing the responsibility of her new task, she crept toward the edge of the table. Blake noticed her shadow as she leaned forward, a small banging sound emitting from the heater as Velvet's fingers made contact.

Flustered at the sound, the mouse began to scuttle about where it had pressed itself against the wall. Blake's irises were black slits as her ears flicked excitedly. She wiggled her hips slightly as the mouse darted straight for her. Just as it exposed itself to the open room, Blake shot forward to cup it in her hands just as Velvet squeaked and scrambled back onto the table. Velvet's hands were pressed over her eyes as she frantically tried to both hide her eyes and peek at the same time.

"D-D-D-Did you get it?"

"Yes." Pinching the scruff of the squirming mouse's neck, Blake stood and lifted it before her face. Her golden eyes looked into beady black ones, and the way its whiskers twitched made her smile a little. "Everything's under control."

Velvet slowly removed her hands from her face as she peered down at Blake.

"Ah... t-that's good..."

She watched as the onyx-haired girl used her free hand to force the window sill open. Blake then leaned out the window, lowering herself as much as possible as to lessen the mouse's distance to the ground. She let it drop into a pile of leaves before it scampered off.

Blake sighed before pulling herself back in and shutting the window. "Mission accomplished." She clapped her hands together and brushed them off on her blazer. But when she noticed Velvet still standing atop the study table, Blake nearly chuckled. "Do you... want to come down now?"

The brunette blinked. "Ah-! Oh, y-yes, I suppose I should..." She made an effort to step off the table, but her legs were still shaking and she nearly fell.

"Careful!" Blake gasped, reaching up to place a hand on her hip and keep her steady.

"S-Sorry! I'm just a little..."

Blake could tell she was a bit shaken from the ordeal, probably frightened about there having been a mouse in the same room as her while also relieved it had been taken care of without much of a hitch. Blake could understand why she was still a bit nervous and offered a reassuring smile.

"Why don't you hold onto me?" She opened her arms up toward Velvet, earning a blush from the other girl.

"N-No I couldn't possibly-!"

"Velvet. It's okay. Let's just call it a night, shall we?"

Looking down into Blake's kind, golden eyes, Velvet finally smiled in return. Slowly, carefully, she stepped toward the edge of the table, placing her hands on Blake's shoulders and clutching her blazer with quivering fingers. Blake tucked one arm beneath Velvet's as she wrapped her other arm around her knees, encouraging the shy girl into her arms.

Blushing furiously, Velvet slipped off with a small "eep!" as Blake caught her. Velvet clung to her, hiding her face in her shoulder as Blake chuckled. "There, now. Can you stand?"

"I-I-I..." Velvet burrowed deeper into her shoulder, her face too red to reveal. "I'm not sure..."

"Okay."

Blake carried her classmate over to one of the few couches in the library and sat them both down. Velvet was still shaking a little – for various reasons – but when her back bounced softly against the soft materials of the couch, she sighed.

She felt the hectic day finally beginning to catch up to her and did not even notice when her eyelids fell shut. She slumped sideways onto Blake's shoulder, too exhausted to even be flustered now.

"Thank you for helping me today, Blake."

Said girl's golden eyes widened in shock as Velvet rested against her; it was after hours and they really should have been heading back to their rooms by now, but Blake would never forgive herself if she made Velvet move now.

"It's fine. It was actually kind of fun." She mused, slipping her arm behind the small of Velvet's back and pulling her in. Blake glanced at the clock and decided she could allow her companion to sleep for a few moments.

Velvet felt calmed by her classmate's presence, and the warm hand playing with the ends of her hair only served to heighten the comfort.

Not fully aware of what she was doing, Velvet nestled closer to Blake, her hands folded limply in her lap as she listened to the calming silence. The steady rise and fall of Blake's shoulder as she breathed eventually lulled Velvet into a light slumber.

The onyx-haired girl smiled fondly as she realized the brunette had fallen asleep with a small smile on her lips. Blake decided to let her sleep a while before having to rouse her.

But until then, Blake smiled as well, resting her cheek atop Velvet's head, sending a silent thought of appreciation to the mouse she had released earlier.


A/N: I just imagine Yang walking in on this scene of Velvet scared out of her wits standing on the table and Blake on her hands and knees stalking the wall and it's hilarious. Hope you enjoyed!

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