Hey, guys! Months later, I finally finish this thing. Sorry for the huge delay. I get the winter blues and was in a slump for the past few months, only coming out enough to write my tribute to Monty (may he rest in awesomeness). I'm starting to get better and see more fics in the near future, including an OC fic I've been working on for a good while. But, more on that later. You don't wanna hear about that! You wanna see the Cinnabun fluff resolved! Enjoy!

Velvet woke up from an incredibly pleasant dream. She was already forgetting some of it, but she knew Yatsuhashi had been in it. There had been a green field, a sunset, and a definite memory of cuddling into his side. She hugged her blankets, smiling softly at the thought.

A few days had passed since the Faunus girl first realized that she was falling in love with her partner. Her feelings had been developing for some time, maybe since the beginning of the year, but they were confirmed a few nights ago.

She had been half-asleep and nestled comfortably against Yatsuhashi after studying. When he started petting her head, however, she was jolted to near-wakefulness by the incredibly pleasant sensations that spread through her body at his touch. She involuntarily whimpered a few times, hoping to Dust that Yatsuhashi would think she was simply mumbling in her sleep. Eventually, however, the warmth in her chest became too much to bear and she found herself clutching her friend's shirt and sighing his name.

His hand had stopped moving, and she felt a jolt of fear. Just as she was wondering whether to give up her ruse and stammer out an embarrassing apology, Velvet felt a gentle sensation on top of her head that caused her heart to swell and her cheeks to flush happily: She was almost positive that Yatsuhashi had kissed her.

A less timid person might have woken up then and there and returned the kiss on his lips. Unfortunately, Velvet was very timid.

When she noticed Yatsuhashi starting to stir, she closed her eyes and allowed her ears to droop, pretending to be asleep. She wasn't sure if she was up to talking to him so soon after that dream (at least, not without blushing like crazy). Once he was dressed, he moved over to her bed and pulled the blankets further over her shoulders before walking out the door.

A warm flush spread across Velvet's face and she smiled softly at her partner's simple, but sweet gesture. Then, a pillow hit her head.

"You can stop faking now, Velvs." Coco called over from her bed, a hint of laughter in her voice. "The early riser is gone."

Velvet sat up, throwing the pillow back at her team leader, trying to will the blush from her face. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

The fashionable brunette rolled her eyes as she sat up, picking up the pillow and placing it back on her bed. "Oh, please. For the past few days, you've been waking up, pretending to sleep, and then getting up after Yatsu leaves. I know you're not in a fight with him, since you've been having incredibly close study sessions." She waggled her eyebrows, causing Velvet to sputter in embarrassment.

After chuckling a little at her teammate's discomfort, Coco allowed her expression to soften. "What's up, Bun-Bun?"

Velvet's ears flopped downward a little as she looked at her comforter. "I…I think I have feelings for him." She nearly fell from the bed when Coco let out a loud whoop.

"YEAH! Called it!" Team CFVY's leader pumped her fist in the air and bounced excitedly up and down.

A loud groan sounded from Fox's bed. "How many times do you have to be told that sleep is a thing? Especially on a freaking Saturday!"

Coco snorted. "Oh, lighten up Fox! Velvet has a crush on Yatsu!"

"In other news, you pluck your eyebrows too much and the door is made of wood. Good night," Fox grumbled, putting a pillow over his head.

Velvet's ears drooped further. "Is it that obvious?"

"Uh, yeah." Coco nodded firmly. "It's obvious that you like him, and that he likes you. Don't think I haven't noticed your late-night cuddle sessions. Heck, a blind man could see the attraction."

"Confirmed!" Fox called out before rolling over.

Nervously, Velvet started bunching her comforter in her hands. "I just… I don't know how to… I mean, neither of us are huge talkers. How do I tell him?"

"Hm…" Coco tapped her chin. "You could always just plant a big ole smooch on him."

The rabbit Faunus's ears shot up. "Oh, no! I couldn't do something like that!" Her face burned at the very thought.

"You're right. That's more like something I would do," Coco agreed with a shrug.

The supposedly-sleepy Fox commented, "Yes, we all know how much you love getting in people's personal spaces."

"Aw. Is my little Foxy feeling lonely?"

"Hardly!"

Velvet snickered at the familiar banter. "I'm going to go get ready for the day," she said as she stood up. "You two try to behave."

Once Velvet was in the bathroom, Coco ran over to Fox's bed and plopped down. "Five Lien say they get together by tomorrow."

"We shouldn't be betting on our teammates' personal lives."

"Are you kidding?!" Coco gasped. "This is part of the fun!"

Fox let out a long sigh from beneath the covers. "Five Lien say it'll happen after a few days."

A grin spread across the team leader's face. "You're on!" Lifting Fox's pillow, she bent down to plant a kiss on his cheek before jumping up to go get breakfast, leaving her brightly-blushing partner curled up on the bed.

….

That afternoon, when Yatsuhashi entered the dorm, he stopped short when he saw Velvet curled up on her bed. Her shoulders shook weakly, as if she had been crying for a significant amount of time. He noticed the ice pack that sat near her left ear and frowned before approaching. "Hey."

Velvet didn't bother looking up. "Hi." She wiped her face with the back of her hand. "I'm fine, don't worry."

Yatsuhashi sat down on the bed and placed a large hand on his partner's shoulder. "Who was it?"

The rabbit Faunus shook her head, causing the ice pack to fall. She didn't move to pick it up. "Just some second-years. It wasn't a big deal."

After placing the ice pack by Velvet's ear, Yatsuhashi started gently rubbing her shoulder. "Why don't you ever fight back? You could easily drive some of those jerks off. You're a good fighter."

"I'm a Huntress. Huntresses hurt Grimm, not people," Velvet replied immediately. "The White Fang hurts people, not me."

Yatsuhashi raised an eyebrow. "Fighting in self-defense doesn't make you like the White Fang."

"But, people will think that. There are those who will look for any excuse to lock up or blame a Faunus when something like this happens. I've seen it before." Velvet sat up, taking the ice pack and holding it in her hands.

Her brows furrowed as she thought back to her previous school experiences. "A human bullies a Faunus. The Faunus fights back and gets in trouble while the human plays the victim. I refuse to get myself mixed up in something like that, especially now that I'm trying to become a Huntress."

"Does that really happen?" Yatsuhashi shook his head. "That's terrible! I just don't get it. Why do people care if someone has an extra set of ears?" He took the ice pack from Velvet and pressed it carefully to the base of her left ear. "Is this where it hurts?"

Velvet winced at the sudden coldness. "Yes." She shivered a little when she felt her partner's hand brush against her head as he held the ice pack. Her face flushed as she found herself thinking back to when he had kissed her head and wishing that he would do the same to her hurt ear.

"Well, no one can accuse me of being with the White Fang. Just point out the bullies and I'll make it so that they see extra ears on everyone's heads for at least a few days." He cracked the knuckle of his free hand to emphasize the point. "And I know that Coco and Fox will be happy to help."

A slight smile came to the rabbit Faunus's face. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Yatsu."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, until Yatsuhashi noticed that the ice was beginning to make his partner tremble. He put the pack on the dresser and instead wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders. Velvet curled up against him almost instantly. He felt his face warm as he smiled gently at her. "Tired?"

Velvet nodded, nuzzling her cheek against his chest. Truthfully, she was exhausted. Between running from those bullies and crying her eyes out, she was emotionally spent. She sighed contentedly when Yatsuhashi started rubbing her shoulder again.

Needing no further invitation, Yatsuhashi removed the sode from his arm and the armored belt from his waist before kicking off his shoes and moving until he was sitting against the headboard.

Velvet snuggled instinctively into his side, her nose already starting to twitch drowsily. She felt so warm and safe nestled against her partner. She tilted her head upward, only to see that Yatsuhashi was staring down at her, a tender smile on his face.

Her cheeks darkened under his kindly gaze. In her half-asleep state, Velvet suddenly was finding it harder and harder to find fault with Coco's advice from that morning. Slowly, she scooted up until she was somewhat level with her partner's face and planted a quick, shy peck on his cheek. At the sight of Yatsuhashi's stunned expression, her timid nature rapidly returned and she moved down again to hide her red face against his shoulder.

Yatsuhashi's heart stuttered wildly at the quick, warm touch to his cheek and his shock quickly melted into happiness. Slowly, he leaned down and gently kissed the base of Velvet's left ear. He felt her wrap an arm around his middle and smiled, moving further down to nuzzle her cheek, hoping to coax her into moving away from his shoulder.

Velvet giggled quietly as the tip of Yatsuhashi's nose tickled her face. She moved away from his shoulder and touched her lips to his. A thrill went through her body at the feel of her partner's chapped, cool lips responding to her advances. She moved one hand up to rest on his cheek, where she could easily feel how much he was blushing.

Smiling in the kiss, Yatsuhashi wrapped his arms snugly around Velvet, carefully pulling her into his lap. His chest felt lighter than air when she didn't protest, instead electing to break the kiss to rest her head over his pounding heart.

Despite the sheer joy Velvet was feeling, the slow rise and fall of Yatsuhashi's chest immediately preyed on her dormant tiredness and she let out a yawn. When her partner made to move away and place her on the bed as usual, she hugged him tighter. "Can we stay like this for now?"

Yatsuhashi's heart melted and he couldn't resist kissing the tip of one of her drooping ears. "Of course." He scooted down until he was lying flat on the bed with his head on the pillow. He pulled the comforter over Velvet, who was now lying curled up on his chest and abdomen. When he reached up to pet her head, she started making those adorable whimpering sounds and moved up slightly to touch a sleepy kiss to his collarbone. He closed his eyes with a smile. This was definitely something he could get used to!

If Velvet had been a cat Faunus, she would have been purring like crazy. She couldn't remember ever feeling so content. Yatsuhashi's gentle hand, warm chest, and comforting presence soothed any pain left from her encounter with the bullies, leaving behind a sense of pure bliss. She nuzzled and kissed his neck a few times, smiling at how he hugged her tighter with each touch. Finally, she allowed her fatigue to overtake her and fell asleep, her ears flopping against the pillow.

…

"Hmph! Those jerkwads won't be bugging Velvs for a good while, eh Fox?" Coco smirked as she walked down the hallway, dusting off her outfit.

"Nope." Fox had a similarly self-satisfied smile on his face. "Did you really have to break that one guy's leg, though? That snap was pretty loud"

Coco laughed. "Yes. Yes, I did." She opened the door to the dorm room, ready to regale her teammates with her victory, only to stop short. Her smirk turned to a grin and she barely suppressed a squeal. "Oh my god! Look!"

"Wow," Fox exclaimed, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "There's a bunch of pretty ponies running through a sunny field!"

"Right. Sorry." Team CFVY's leader shrugged. "It's easy to forget. Anyway, Yatsu is snuggled up under the covers with Velvs. They look very cozy right now, on a level never before reached. Is that a good description?"

"It is. I believe I owe you five Lien." Fox started to reach into his pocket, only for Coco to grab his wrist.

"Let's take this to the common area. Don't wanna wake the lovebirds up." As she closed the door and started to lead her partner down the hallway, she chuckled. "Unless you wanna cuddle up in my bed." She waggled her eyebrows, even though she knew Fox couldn't see it.

Fox's face burned brightly as he followed. "J-Just shut up and take your stupid money!"

I love the way Fox turned out in this. I didn't envision him being so grumpy initially, but I think I'll keep what I ended up with until canon says otherwise. According to Electric Spark, Cinnabun is the pairing name for Dove/Velvet… Why? I don't get the connection (nor do I get why people continuously ship her with members of Team CRDL). Ah well. I think the name makes more sense here, so I'll keep using it unless a bunch of Dove/Velvet shippers decide to start a war with me. Seriously though, they bully her! Why the heck would people ship that?

Praise to Monty! Peace out.