"Well, this is my stop." Cobalt announced as the transport settled down to the ground. He turned to Luna. "You gonna miss me too much?"
She smiled at him. "I'll be fine," She assured him. "Don't worry."
"I'll see you in a couple of weeks, then." Cobalt gave her a quick hug, before stepping off the transport and into the street of one of Vale's more suburban areas. His house was only a short walk away from here and he found himself at peace to be in his home neighborhood again as he started to walk.
Everything was familiar here, and welcoming. He recognized the neatly trimmed hedge on one side of the street, the old cherry tree on the other. An old cat who had lived in the street for years came up and wound itself around his legs, clearly remembering him somehow as he leaned down to scratch under its chin.
His spirits lifted even higher as his house came into view, big and warm and as comforting to see as it had always been. He quickened his pace and hurried up to the door, turning the handle and pushing the door open as the warm scent of home swept over him.
"Cobalt!"
He let go of his suitcase to steady himself as both of his younger sisters jumped on him to warm him in warm hugs. Had they grown since he'd seen them last? It sure felt like it.
"We missed you so much!" Kahlua expressed as she and Bailey backed off again.
"We made you welcome-home cookies!" Bailey announced, bouncing on her feet and reminding Cobalt of Astra. The young girl's ears stood straighter as she puffed out her chest. "I did all the hard work."
"No, you didn't!" Kal protested. "Yatsu had to help you with the mixer."
Bailey glared at her. "But I held the bowl still."
"Girls," Cobalt looked up as Bailey and Kal turned to see Velvet standing in the hallway, hands on her hips, but a fond smile on her face. "I thought we agreed to keep things quiet and peaceful for Cobalt when he got home?"
Both sisters looked sheepish, glancing quickly at Cobalt and then back at their mother.
"Sorry!" Kal squeaked, looking apologetic.
Bailey sniffed. "We wouldn't have had a problem if Kal hadn't said anything."
"Hey!" Kal glared at her again. "You're the one who tried to take all the credit!"
"That's enough," Velvet warned gently. "Why don't you two give your brother some space? I'm sure you have a game to go and finish."
Bailey nudged Kal. "Ooh, wanna go and see if we can beat mom's high score in Myth Racers 2?"
Kal grinned. "Yeah! We've gotta beat her at something."
The two raced off, their argument seemingly having vanished into thin air.
Velvet sighed. "Sorry about them. They've been looking forward to seeing you all day," She chuckled. "You should have seen them race out of the school gates to come home."
Cobalt smiled. "Don't worry about it," He assured her. "I've missed them." Wrapping her in a warm hug, he added, "And you, too." In the months it had been since he'd last had one, he hadn't realized how much he'd missed her hugs.
"It's good to have you back," Velvet replied. "Even if it won't be for too long."
Cobalt pulled away from the hug. "So," He grinned. "I heard there were cookies?"
"They're not warm, I'm afraid," Velvet replied as they walked to the kitchen. "We all got up early to bake them before the boys went to work, so they've been out all day."
"Aw, you guys didn't have to get up early just to make me welcome-home food." Cobalt grabbed one and bit into it. While it wasn't warm anymore, it still held all the good feelings that a homemade cookie ever did.
Velvet laughed. "To be totally honest, I think Kal and Bailey just wanted an excuse to bake and eat cookies."
Cobalt shrugged. "Well, they're good anyway," He finished the first one and reached for another. "I take it Fox and Yatsu are still at work then?"
Velvet nodded. "They were hoping to get off early so they could get home in time to welcome you, but the café's been busy today. They've barely gotten a break."
Cobalt glanced at the clock on the wall. "They should be back soon though, right?" He hoped they wouldn't work too far overtime; he wanted to be able to give them hugs too. Yatsu, especially, gave the best hugs.
"Yeah, they said things were cooling down," Velvet replied. "They'll be back in time for dinner, at least. Do you know when Coco will be getting back?"
"She should get here before too long. She's just clearing a few things up first," Cobalt explained.
"Good," Velvet looked satisfied. "I've missed having dinner as a family."
Cobalt chuckled softly. "I feel that," He responded. "But it is going to feel weird eating without the team." He huffed gently. "No more of Lily's amazing meals or Astra's demands for takeout." He was already missing his friends dearly, as glad as he was to be back home. It wouldn't quite be the same without them around.
Velvet looked sympathetic. "You'll see them again before you know it," She assured him. "But it's nice to hear you've all gotten so close within the same time." She gave a short laugh. "It took me and the others twice as long."
Cobalt leaned his elbows on the bench. "They're all really great," He sighed. "It took us a while to all get along, but once we started, we've only gotten closer." He laughed, thinking of Astra and Luna. "In more ways than one."
"A close team is a good one," Velvet told him. She looked up at the photos that hung on the wall of Team CFVY throughout the years, some of which included Cobalt, his sisters, and Team SSSN. "They can become lifelong family, even if they all have their differences." The affection she had for her friends- her family- was clear. Cobalt found himself hoping he could look back on Team LLAC in twenty years and feel the same fondness for them.
"So then," Velvet leaned forward over the bench, changing the subject. "Give me more details about what you go up to over there. You never explained much over calls."
Cobalt was happy to relay the entire trimester to her. He told her about Lily and how she'd been at first, before she'd figured things out with the team and become closer with them. When he told her about the food fight he'd gotten into, she seemed to have no problem with the fact it had taken place, and only with the idea that he and his friends had been discriminated against. Telling her about Storm prompted an even stronger reaction from her, though she calmed down and seemed satisfied when he assured her that they were learning quickly about how to be a better ally to faunus. She laughed softly when he told her about Luna and Astra's hopeless pining, and how they'd finally started dating a few days before the terms and had not left each other's sides since, until that afternoon. The memories, as he talked about them, seemed so far away now, even though some had happened as early as a few days ago. He found himself both longing and excited to go back and make more.
While relaying what he'd learned in training to her, Cobalt suddenly remembered something he'd been meaning to bring up with her ever since he'd begun heading home.
"Oh, by the way," he brought up. "I want to get my armor updated."
Velvet tilted her head at him slightly. "What for?"
"Jaune told me at one point during a combat lesson that it's important to protect your sternum," Cobalt explained. "I want to add an extra plate to cover it, and maybe a bit more in other areas, just in case."
Velvet nodded. "Right, that sounds like a good idea," She agreed. "I'll be happy to help you with it when I get some free time; just remind me at some point."
Before Cobalt could reply, Bailey and Kal burst into the room.
"Mooom!" Bailey complained. "Kal deleted all of my scores!"
"It was an accident!" Kal insisted, waving her hands. "I selected the wrong option and Bailey didn't warn me in time!"
As Velvet sighed and went to settle the argument, Cobalt found himself smiling in spite of it. He certainly wasn't going to get to watch silly debates between his younger sisters at Beacon. That was something only home could offer.
He found himself looking forward to dinner that night, once Coco, Yatsu, and Fox were all home. Sure, he was already missing Beacon and team LLAC terribly, but he'd missed the people he'd grown up with too, and it would be nice to spend time with them after so long. It was good to be home.
