Welp, I hope you guys are liking this story thus far. Onto the story!

Chapter 12:

"Coco. If I turn around and you are standing there, I will start throwing punches." Velvet said calmly, closing her eyes. Trying her hardest to not break the promise she made Ruby when she was being dragged out the previous day. She didn't want to have Ruby witness a fight like yesterday.

Even if this wasn't Ruby's Mom. She knew that this fight would hurt Ruby more. Even if it was from something that she knew deep down would be worth it. Coco would have had it coming. For the simple fact that Ruby bailed the woman out from multiple theft charges.

No matter what Coco would say, Velvet wasn't in the mood to hear it. Hell if Velvet was being honest, she'd state that she would want to leave the country and take Ruby's grave with her. Then they could be alone forever.

"Cottontail. Come on. You haven't let me say my piece. I know it might seem bad given how things turned out. And I have no doubt I contributed to it. But you won't even let me talk to my best friend." Coco said as Velvet closed her eyes tighter and brought her knees further into her chest. She just wanted the world to swallow either her or Coco alive at this point. If that could happen then maybe then everything would seem right.

"Don't call me that." Velvet snapped in less of the playful tone she once would have used. Instead this one was just filled with contempt. With rage and contempt. The woman shouldn't be allowed to even look at Ruby's grave in Velvet's eyes. "I said we couldn't possible keep paying your rent for you if Ruby wanted to get her dream, and your response was to shoplift several hundred dollars worth of clothes." Velvet continued as she closed her eyes tighter to just help her pray that this woman was going to disappear.

As the silence started to tick along, from the bluntness of that single statement, Coco sighed knowing that Velvet was right. It really did seem that bad Ruby had to bail her out and now she was facing some serious charges being brought up against her. But right now Coco knew that her friend still needed her. No matter how hard she was going to try to fight it.

"I'll admit, I fucked up. I fucked up big time. But she bailed out how many people that night? Seven? Yourself included. And I know for you it was mistaken identity, but that still leaves six others. And I know even that isn't an excuse really. But from what I've been told, you know Ruby would hate this attitude. She literally smacked me for freaking out on your wedding day because Yang and Pyrrha were busy doing your hair and makeup leaving me to my often self defeatist thoughts." Coco stated as she tried to get some source of response from her once extremely close friend.

She didn't want one of the closest friendships she had be ruined from one stupid decision. She knew that nothing really should make her feel like that she was alone, and knew that Velvet wasn't going to listen given that the Faunus had a penchant for declaring people dead and then never seeing them again. Something that Coco couldn't be able to let happen given everything.

She had to let Velvet know that she wasn't going to be alone. Coco didn't want to lose her best friend, but also didn't care if it was a choice between her and Velvet's sanity. She would gladly never see the woman again if that is what it meant. It would be an easy price for her to pay.

"You beyond fucked up." Velvet hissed not wanting to allow everyone around today to call the cops on her as she was being a disturbance. She didn't want to have to be inside when Yang would inevitably call her to take her away from this because she had been drunk and disorderly. "Weiss had a reckless driving, Yang her almost normal drunken disorderly, Blake had a trespassing, and Pyrrha and Reese had public intoxication. But you stole, five hundred dollars worth of clothes and accessories. Ruby had to drain almost every cent we had saved up because we wanted to start a family just to get you out." Velvet continued her near silent tirade as she started to stare holes into the headstone.

She didn't want to even look at Coco on the off chance that her anger would come out in full. The idea of being able to just stare at the headstone instead of getting tight metal confines placed onto her wrists again. Just the thought of it was almost nauseating. She didn't want Ruby to ever see her like that again. Just because that was one of the last things that she had to do before she ended her life.

Even if the illusion of them all being able to act their age in some cases was short lived, it would still make Velvet feel that much better thinking that Ruby could rest in peace. Something that she almost seldom was able to get when she was alive. For now though, Velvet knew that short of Summer coming back that she could give Ruby that simple gesture. She just hoped that she would be able to give Ruby that simple thing time and time again.

Taking a breath, Coco began to chew her bottom lip as she tried to think of something that she could say to just get Velvet to look at her, or give her any sign that she wasn't going to be a threat to herself. She knew that once she got that then everything was going to be okay. Even if it was only on the surface, Coco just knew that once she could see her friend was alright then she could at least breathe a lot easier.

"Again. I know I fucked up. I fucked up huge. What more do you want me to say? It was a stupid decision on my part, and I would have called my parents. It is just Ruby was right there and she saw me." Coco said as Velvet finally broke the promise that she made to herself and turned to look at Coco.

That simple action she couldn't believe was coming from Coco. From all the possible things that she could have said to try and get Velvet to side with her. Instead, she was going to make it seem like Ruby doing the good thing was wrong.

She could feel her blood boil at the sheer mention of it. Almost to the point that she was debating if she could get away with stabbing her once very close friend. Or the much easier option at that point in time, smacking her head repeatedly against one of the many grave markers that littered the area.

"You know once she sees someone in trouble she can't help but help them. The simple fact that you not only thought that an appropriate response to not being able to afford something because you had to act like an adult was to steal it but now you are blaming a woman who thus far has not only helped pay for your rent but spent every unallocated penny she had to get you out. This is why I didn't want to talk to you!" Velvet yelled hoping that no one was going to be startled enough to look in their direction. "You can't even accept the blame. You are just like everyone else from the gang. We all drove her to a far too early of a grave and now you are blaming her?" Velvet snapped as she could see a mane of blonde walking into the area.

"Honestly... you might think you've lost me, but that day, I lost my everything. Ranging from a will to live to even a reason to get up in the morning. You don't get the right to talk about losing something that night. So just leave me alone until I contact you." Velvet said as she tried to push Coco away further and faster.

Even if it was for the simple fact of how she could feel tears starting to well up. She didn't want to let anyone see her like this again. She wanted to just be alone with Ruby. The fact that Yang was coming in didn't make it any easier. They were both going to try and make her talk or worse yet make her actually move from the spot with Ruby.

She didn't want to leave, even if it was for the simple fact that she wanted to just be with her wife. That simple thing was something that she practically needed really. She just wanted to be left alone so she could talk with Ruby. The closer Yang got while Coco was there as well was making Velvet feel like there was a noose tightening around her neck.

"Cottontail, I can see you are hurting, and you even started to cut your ears again with your finger nails. I'm worried about you. Even if I haven't talked to anyone else in the gang, I already know they are starting to worry as well. You know that Ruby wouldn't want you to do that. Any of it. It took her a long time to get you to not do self harm." Coco spoke again, trying to coax Velvet from this self destructive path. She knew that Velvet's own worst enemy had always been herself.

No matter how much anyone tried, with the exception of Ruby, no one had never been able to pull Velvet from her own worst enemy. Something that at that exact moment, Coco knew that everyone was jealous of Ruby from how she found it so easy to get people to not shut her out.

Taking a deep breath, Velvet looked towards the grave again trying to make it clear to Yang that she wasn't in the mood to talk. She just wanted to be there, to stare into the grave and count the days down until she could be with Ruby once again. Just that thing was going to make her feel so much more at ease. The idea of them being able to hold each other at night again.

"Velvet. It is time for you to eat." Yang said deciding to not bring up the fact that Coco seemed to be sitting next to her. Just waiting patiently for Velvet to say or do something that would signify to the duo that she was fine. Something that made any and all seconds that Yang was standing there that much more tense.

"I want to stay longer. Just five more minutes Yang. The air will do you good now anyway. I can still smell the booze off you. And sweat. Lots of sweat." Velvet said as she started to raise the red hoodie above her nose just to block the smells flooding her senses. She normally would have yelled at Yang for not having washed up before coming here, but right now, she was just going to have to settle.

"Sorry, if it makes you feel better I didn't get drunk. Intentionally. And I had to go help some people. I just saw the time. It is a bit late. We should really get something to eat." Yang said trying to get the woman to move. She had no doubt that the spot where she was sitting was going to become a permanent testament to her being there from just the dead flora from someone constantly sitting on it.

"It doesn't make me feel better. Just like how Coco being here doesn't make me feel better. Just like how Ruby is dead doesn't." Velvet began wrapping her free arm around her legs. Trying to make it known that she didn't want to leave. She wanted to just stay contently in her spot. Even if it was for a few more minutes.

Just a few more minutes to be with her late wife. That didn't seem like it was so much to ask of the universe.

Walking over and taking a seat next to Velvet, Yang just looked at the grave and smiled a little trying to show how this was perfectly fine. "Not what I meant. But if you want a few minutes fine. We can wait a few more minutes. I don't mind. Do you mind Coco?" Yang asked as the woman just got comfortable anew.

"No."

Author's Note:

Boom. Another chapter. I'm really starting to turn these out. I do hope you guys are liking them. Onto the guest review...

Guest 4: tackling these in reverse, you didn't review the previous chapter... hence why I didn't respond. It comes up very often with my writing given how I have the habit to bring specific characteristics into the light. Normally the ugly ones. But it was purely to set up some conflict that appeared in this chapter, as well as the next. It is a very fine balancing act I'm doing here making sure I make Ruby the dick of the story.