Prompt: 'i'm in my underpants in a laundromat waiting for my clothes to get washed and your clothes are in the machine next to mine and i noticed that when you put your clothes in they were all covered in blood what the fuck' au
It was most definitely not Velvet's day. Night. Morning? A glance at the cracked screen of her phone confirmed that yes, morning was the right word. It was nearly four and here she was, nearly naked in an empty laundromat, watching her favorite outfit tumble along in the wash.
Her long ears drooped at the thought of how pathetic she must look, and she winced as the movement aggravated the gash which scored the back of one. She just needed to get the mud out of her clothes and get back to her apartment without running into any more faunus-hating punks. If she could manage that, she'd be fine. Eventually.
She couldn't stand going to the laundromat. The whole process was just so… public. Once she saved up enough, maybe got a raise or two, she could get out of her crummy two-room apartment on the wrong side of town and stop having to come here. She hated the waiting, the feeling of being scrutinized, the way the place always smelled just a bit like mildew and blood–
Wait.
Blood?
Another washer, two down from hers, clicked open and Velvet jumped with a startled 'meep' she couldn't quite suppress. A slender, muscular, feline faunus was peeling away layers of clothing soiled with dirt and blood, tossing them into the washer unceremoniously. Velvet willed her eyes away from their sleek, toned figure – she had never seen quite so many corded muscles on one back before – and fixed her eyes on her hands, folded tightly in her lap.
How had she not heard them arrive? There was a bell on the door and everything, not to mention her ears should have clearly picked up the faunus's footsteps. A thought struck her, and her eyes flitted up to trace the newcomer's form as surreptitiously as possible.
"It's not mine, if that's what you're wondering." She jumped again at the husky voice, and looked up nervously to meet a sidelong gaze from glowing amber eyes.
"Ah! I, uh, I'm sorry, I… didn't mean to stare, I just-"
"It's fine."
Silence settled again. After a few minutes of fidgeting in embarrassment, Velvet risked another glance over to the other faunus. They were watching her. Rather intently, at that.
"Is your ear okay? That cut looks pretty nasty."
"I-it's fine, really. I just… ran into the wrong crowd. You know how it is."
"Wait… when you say wrong crowd, do you mean those punks who were hanging around that alley by Junior's?"
"I… yeah, actually. How did you…?" The faunus nodded at their clothes, tossing in the washer, then flashed a smile that was just predatory enough to make Velvet squirm.
"They won't be bothering you anymore. I'm Blake, by the way."
Velvet found herself wondering if there was a word for feeling afraid and aroused at the same time.