So if Team CRDL could bully Jaune and be on the receiving end of Nora's famous leg-breaking and Pyrrha's Magneto-ness... imagine what Team CFY would do to them, especially Coco.
(SORRY ABOUT THE LATENESS OF THE UPDATE. SCHOOL WAS HECTIC AND SO I BEQUEATH UPON YOU A LONG CHAPTER.)
Suggested by: king of the lion
Oh, and I don't own RWBY. RT and Monty Oum do. Again, present tense.
"O-ow! Hey! Stop, p-please, you're hurting me!"
"Hahaha! Look at these you guys, ya think they're real?"
Cardin Winchester and the rest of Team CRDL laughed raucously as their leader yanked roughly on one of their favorite victims' Faunus ears. A pair of brown-furred rabbit ears.
Velvet tried in vain to blink away the tears of pain and embarrassment from her eyes as she was finally let go, though she fell backwards onto the floor as Cardin had released her once he had seen her pull back as hard as she could without further damaging her sensitive ears.
All she had been doing was trying to go to the library to study for an upcoming exam, since her teammates were a little paranoid in keeping the team grade up. Somehow, she had bumped into the team that was basically the quintessential school bully jock group of the whole of Beacon in an empty hallway. Naturally, they took Velvet's accident as a horrible offense and decided to pay her back for it.
Normally, Velvet would be with Coco, or any of her other teammates, but they were away on a quick Grimm-slaying joyride in the forest following a slightly botched extermination mission, so it was just Velvet for the remainder of the day.
"They're real alright," sneered Dove, as Cardin stretched out his foot and pushed Velvet over as she tried to get up, smudging her uniform with the dirty underside of his boot. Ignoring her pained whimpers and pleas, Dove smirked at her. "What's the matter, rabbit girl? They're just an extra set of ears aren't they? What," he reached over and tugged at her human ears, "Regular ears not good enough for ya?"
Velvet pulled away from Dove as she stood up shakily. "Y-you- I-I'll-"
"You'll what, Faunus freak?" Russell grinned. "Cuddle up to us and kill us with cuteness? Call White Fang on us? They wouldn't even respond to a runt like you!" He smirked at his own joke. "Or are you gonna go scamper off like the coward you are and go munch on carrots or whatever?"
"Good one, man," Sky said, giving the green-haired boy a high-five as Cardin chuckled, stomping over to where Velvet was, the latter shrinking back in fear as the larger boy grabbed ahold of both her ears at the same time. "Hey guys," he drawled, gripping the ears tightly in his hand, "Ever wonder how something like this ever got into a combat school?" He shook his hand. "Not only is it a freak, it's fucking clumsy too. Haven't the Beowolves eaten her ears off yet?"
The already-present aches in the appendages flared up sharply at this treatment and a tear finally squeezed its way out of Velvet's left eye. "I'm b-begging you, please-"
"Holy Grimm," Sky gaped, as Cardin pushed Velvet back with a snort of pure disgust, not caring that he sent the poor girl sprawling to the floor, "A second-year's actually begging from us wee first-years?"
"It just proves that she's nothing but a damn animal on two legs," Cardin said scornfully as his teammates laughed again. Velvet tried in vain to ignore the insults but the next one hit her like a charging Ursa high on red sap. "I also hear she's dating her team leader, you guys. Team leader," he said slowly, eyes glinting at the wide-eyed Faunus girl trembling at his feet.
How could he have known about her relationship with Coco? They weren't even public yet, and she didn't really get to spend time with her beret-wearing, minigun-wielding, coffee-loving fashionista because of their hectic schedules. Also, she respected Coco's decision to stay in the dark for now; it was a mutual agreement anyway.
Then again, Coco always had a flair for the dramatic during their dates and did her best to make their day a blast, no matter how risky and unorthodox. Although Velvet cherished this and appreciated all of Coco's efforts, she did do some of her stunts out in the open, so it was a very likely possibility that maybe someone from Beacon had spotted them and some gossip traveled around, right up until it reached CRDL's ears.
"The team leader's human," he continued, gloating on the fact that Velvet was getting even more and more panicked with each passing second, "And she's a girl. Loaded too, by the looks of her, with designer clothes and everything." The hallway wasn't so deserted anymore, with people hearing Cardin Winchester's loud voice booming and his lackeys' supporting laughter.
Cardin bent a little, letting Velvet get the full brunt of his mocking sneer. "Not only are you an untrained animal, you're also a lesbian! Who knew you had it in you, rabbit?"
"Students had partially surrounded them already, and they were muttering and pointing now, some having sympathetic looks on their faces or looking bored out of their minds. Others were less kind and less tactful, scorn and disdain openly displayed on their expressions.
It was one of Velvet's worst nightmares; to be taunted, physically abused, discredited and humiliated in front of many people. She wasn't ashamed of her relationship, no, rather she was ashamed of the way Cardin had phrased it. She really liked Coco- scratch that, she loved her. But it didn't stop his comments from hurting. And the fact that Cardin had just confirmed their relationship in front of so many people... Would Coco blame her? Would she abandon her?
Tears pricked the back of her eyes as Cardin went to grab her ears again-
"What is this?"
Team CRDL stiffened, eyes wide and so did Velvet at the familiar voice. Slowly, the rabbit Faunus snuck a peek behind her with Cardin releasing her ears from his vicelike grip at the same time.
It was a tall brunette wearing a beret and designer sunglasses, holding a black handbag, flanked by two other guys; A much taller and very muscular young man with a huge sword strapped to his back and a slightly shorter man with red hair, scarred skin and milky blind eyes, though they were sharp and focused as if he were never blind in the first place.
The brunette started forward slowly and deliberately, each 'clack' of her heeled boots sending students scampering back hastily; most of them were either second or third-year students, and knew just exactly what coffee-guzzling Coco had hidden in her deceptively normal-looking handbag. Nobody was stupid enough to stand in either Coco or her weapon's way. She turned to the students surrounding them.
"Scram," she said quietly. The students immediately scattered, some even running out of the hall. Despite the quiet tone, they all knew Coco was pissed. Very pissed. Again, nobody was stupid enough to mess with an angry Coco. Nobody would even mess with Coco in any mood, period. Soon enough, it was just CFVY and CRDL in the spacious hallway.
"What the hell were you doing?" Coco said, her voice a deadly calm. Her gaze went from her girlfriend, the dirty smudge on her side and the awkward, painful-looking angle were rabbit ears were held at to Team CRDL, who looked wary but not terrified... yet. Faced with Coco's teammates and team leader, they still had the guts to not look scared.
And Cardin simply could not keep his mouth shut. "The animal ran into us, so we just taught it a lesson," he blurted out carelessly. His teammates shifted around in a nervous manner as Coco's companions, Fox and Yatsuhashi's faces hardened. "You can't take all of us on, especially since you're a team member short," he continued, while Russell and Sky nodded in agreement with that, Dove already cracking his knuckles.
Then the air around Coco turned ominously cold, her glare burning straight through her sunglasses. "A lesson, huh? Humiliating my girl and hurting her?" Her grip on her handbag tightened. "Fox, Yatsu," she called to her companions. Velvet froze, her mouth dropping open slightly before closing it again.
"N-no, wait, Coco, Fox, Yatsuhashi," she stammered as she scrambled to her feet. The boys turned to face her save for Coco who kept her eyes on CRDL, who looked positively scared now. "You don't have to do this, r-really, I'm not hurt so no need to fuss about it-" she babbled, but was instantly cut off by Coco, who turned her head sharply to look at her disheveled girlfriend.
"No need to fuss about it?" she repeated, though her expression softened by a fraction as she looked at the rabbit Faunus. "Velvet, I think I'll have to reestablish my position as team leader and ask you to head on back to our dorm, change into more comfortable clothing, and rest... no buts," she added firmly once she saw her girlfriend's mouth open. "If you can't do this, I'm afraid I'll have to ask either one of the boys to haul you back."
Velvet gulped. "C-Coco-"
Yatsuhashi nodded at her, a gentle smile on his normally stoic features. "It's alright, Usa-chan*," he said softly. Fox also nodded, though his smile seemed a tad bit more savage, his white eyes flickering back and forth from Velvet to CRDL. "You won't be hurt by these bastards any time soon, Velvs. Besides, I don't want to be the one to carry you back. I for one know the embarrassments of being carried like a sack of potatoes and I don't wish it on you."
Velvet hesitated. "Just don't hurt anyone... too badly... okay?" Because by the end of the day, whether she was disgusted with CRDL or not, Velvet was not the type to sink to their level. Maybe a good slap on the wrist with Coco's handbag would do, but she didn't want them horribly injured. Rattled, yes, but not in the ICU of Vale's hospital. Besides, her team would be held responsible for it, and it would just snowball from there.
Coco sighed, though a tiny smile lingered on her lips. Leave it to overly kind Velvet to complicate things. Then again, Coco always found this particular trait very endearing and dare she say it- sweet. "My dear, I can promise you that we are simply going to have a very confrontational heart-to-heart talk."
"Coco."
"Fine, just a heart-to-heart talk." The brunette pulled down her sunglasses and despite the obvious worry and anger and every other troublesome emotion, she gave her usual wink. "Just wait for us in the dorm. Please, baby?"
Velvet sighed, wincing as she nudged one of her ears. "Okay." Rearranging her uniform skirt, Velvet eventually went around and walked out of the hall, turning back every now and then.
With Fox and Yatsuhashi watching CRDL, Coco looked after Velvet, waiting until she completely out of sight. Once she saw the tips of her rabbit ears disappear around the corner, Coco suddenly deployed her weapon, her purse immediately folding out from itself into a massive black-and-gold minigun. Coco allowed herself a smirk once she saw CRDL's faces pale.
She pushed up her sunglasses once more.
"Well," she said slowly, her smirk growing as her teammates drew their own weapons, "Let's have that talk, shall we?"
"So... what you're saying is that you merely scared the pants off CRDL and then left them alone?"
Coco grinned, ignoring the suspicious look on Velvet's face as the rabbit Faunus smelled the faint scent of gunpowder on her person. "Naturally. Would you doubt your own girlfriend, dear? All this could just be from my little excursion in the forest." Velvet blushed, fidgeting on her spot on her bed and tugging on the hem of her shirt, a dark-and-light brown raglan with a bunny in front. "No, it's just that you smell like as if you just got back from a fight... Very recently."
"My dear, it's as if you're implying that you take whiffs of me every time we return from those said fights," Coco said, laughing lightly as Velvet's blush darkened and the Faunus girl began spluttering out incoherent responses.
Fox and Yatsuhashi weren't in the bedroom at the moment, the former having retreated to the training area and the other deciding to go for a leisurely walk. This meant that Coco got to tease Velvet all she wanted and not be under the bemused stares of her teammates, who would observe them from their side of the room; Fox perched precariously on the edge of his bed and Yatsuhashi crosslegged on his giant futon lying on the floor.
Though this retreat of their teammates felt like as if they emwere /emretreating from something, leaving Coco to take whatever blame that should ever come their way. But the fashionista dismissively waved this thought away as she knelt before Velvet and brushed some of Velvet's chocolate-colored bangs away from her eyes. The rabbit Faunus was still flustered, though she smiled sweetly at the affectionate gesture. "Thanks for saving me back there, Coco."
"No problem, babe," Coco said, fingers lingering on Velvet's cheek before traveling upwards until they came to rest at the base of her still-aching rabbit ears. Velvet flinched at the contact. Much like her animal counterparts hopping around in the rest of the world, being grabbed by the ears was very painful and if manhandled enough, it could permanently damage them, cause infections, etc.
She was lucky that she only escaped with soreness that would disappear after a couple of days, maybe hours or so if she was lucky. "Are they still hurting?"
"Yeah," she said honestly and closed her eyes as Coco began to gently massage her ears, leaning into her hand. Coco had pulled off her leather gloves before doing so, letting Velvet feel every smooth digit.
Every few seconds or so, Velvet would wince when Coco accidentally pressed a particularly sore spot and the fashionista would merely be more gentle in her touches, murmuring apologies and occasional curses for Cardin to get eaten by Nevermores.
Despite the smell of gunpowder and Grimm, Velvet cherished every second of Coco's closeness and hummed in appreciation once Coco reached up with her other hand and playfully scratched a certain spot on Velvet's right ear. Eventually, some of the overall ache ebbed away with Velvet sighing at the pleasant feeling.
It was strange to see Coco being so gentle, despite being made of corded muscle from lugging around a minigun, coffee addictions, fashion and general badassery (in the eyes of the student body, at least), and the fact that she was only so soft with one person. She was friendly with Fox and Yatsu, yes, but none of her famed bloodthirstiness in battle and sometimes everyday life really ever showed when she was with her Faunus girlfriend.
It was the softy side of Coco that pretty much only Velvet was allowed to see.
"Feeling better?" Velvet felt Coco sit next to her and a strong arm curl around her waist to pull her close. Velvet nuzzled into her, inhaling whatever trace of chocolate and coffee was left, not caring if there was the gunpowder-Grimm combo mixed with it. "Thanks, Coco."
"Mhmm. Does this heroic gunslinger get a reward from the beautiful maiden fair?" Coco grinned cheekily at Velvet, who had an opposite reaction, instead looking like she'd rather shrink and hide in a hole as she was brutally reminded of something.
"Coco... Y'know, Cardin said something a while ago, before you, Fox and Yatsu came around..." Coco raised an eyebrow as her thumb traced idle patterns on Velvet's waist. "He... sort of announced to most of the school that... you and I are uh... you know... t-together, like, together-together...?" Then Velvet braced for Coco's shock, anger, rejection, anything.
Instead, she shrugged and pulled Velvet even closer, her other arm also encircling the Faunus' waist in a full hug. "Coco?"
"It was nice of Cardin Losechester to finally let everyone know that you are my girl and no one else's," she said mildly, kissing one of her rabbit ears. Velvet looked up tentatively. "You're not mad?"
"Goodness, no," Coco chuckled. "What, did you think I would... flip out, or something?" Velvet blushed guiltily. "Of... of course not. But the way he phrased it-"
"I love you, Velvet. Do you love me back?"
Taken aback by the suddenness, Velvet blinked up disbelievingly at Coco, who looked dead serious. "W-what?" They haven't said 'I love you' officially yet and Velvet was expecting a different setting... nor did she expect it to be so... casual.
"I said I love you, Velvet," Coco said as if they'd been doing it forever. Velvet struggled to get her voice back together.
"I... I..." Deep breath. "I love you too, Coco. I.. really do." As Velvet said this, Coco smiled. "See? Then all is well. Now they all know that you are mine and mine alone, and the rest of those lackwits can go stew in their own juices because I love you and you love me back." Her smile became cheeky again. "Now... Does this gunslinger get an extra reward?"
Relief and joy bubbling up in her chest, Velvet felt her heart thump hard, almost painfully, as Coco raised her right hand from her waist to grasp her chin and gently tilt Velvet's face to meet hers.
The kiss Coco initiated with Velvet was soft at first, hand going from her chin to cup the back of her head before kiss increased in pressure and intensity. Pulling back, Coco removed her sunglasses before diving back in-
*knock knock*
Coco growled a little as she shoved her sunglasses back on. Not only was she being robbed of a really great kiss, she was also being robbed of one of her few private times with her girlfriend. "Now who would this be?" Velvet scooted to the other side of the bed, red-faced as she fixed her bunny shirt while Coco stormed to the door. She flung the door open. "Can I hel-?"
The rest of her words trailed off as Professor Ozpin stood in the doorway, not looking too concerned, but still authoritative enough to make Coco gulp and twitch. So Fox and Yatsuhashi knew that this was coming and didn't tell her about it and opted instead to beat a strategic retreat.
"Can I help you, sir?" said Coco, swallowing.
Meanwhile, the headmaster had heard enough of CRDL's bullying and mistreatment of both human and Faunus students and honestly, he felt that the boys deserved a bit of punishment for their actions. But still, as headmaster, it was his duty to go to the person responsible to incapacitating a whole team for at least a week, given Remnant's advanced medical technology, and give him or her a stern talking-to.
"Hello Miss Adel," he said pleasantly as Velvet finally just sighed at her girlfriend's going-overboard, "I trust that you would be kind enough to explain why Team CRDL has ended up in the infirmary with multiple wounds, broken bones, a case of shock, plus threats from you promising to emasculate them with your minigun and actually shooting at them, particularly Mister Cardin Winchester? Oh, and that you were intense enough that even Mr. Alistair and Daichi had to restrain you..."
It was going to be a long afternoon.
Oh my god, Ozpin, you cockblock XD Anyway, I'm sorry if the romance was kinda rushed, and if CRDL are too much of evil bastards XD
*Usa-chan: Usagi is rabbit in Japanese and since Yatsuhashi is clearly Japanese, or based, since there's no Japan in Remnant, I figured that as a friend and teammate of Velvet, he'd give her a nickname, maybe an affectionate brotherly one at that.
R&R!