Easter for Velvet and her Knight
Prompt submitted by: Volcaniclord
To most of Remnant, Easter was a secular holiday, a time to share chocolates and goodwill with family and friends. It was a time of peace and love and family gatherings gone wrong. At least, that was how Jaune felt about Easter. For him, Easter was simply another excuse for his family of truly legendary hunters to meet up and share tales about their latest exploits. Year after year, he was ashamed of his lack of stories, and was consequently ashamed of his lack of courage and skill. He just wanted to be like the rest of his family, but fate had dealt him a horrible hand and he was stuck trying to play it as best he could.
Jaune sighed, moodily stalking down the halls to get some breakfast. Normally he would have gone with his team, but they were all absent for one reason or another. Pyrrha had taken advantage of the one week break given for the holiday to visit her parents in Mistral, a fate that Jaune had narrowly avoided by claiming that he was busy with extracurricular Grimm hunts. Nora had woken up at the crack of dawn and dragged Ren out of the room, screaming something about chocolate pancakes and a day out in Vale. So, Jaune was quite alone in the halls, grumbling to himself about how the most exciting event in his life began with being pinned to a tree by Pyrrha's spear and ended with Nora crushing a deathstalker's skull. He didn't count defending Cardin from the ursa as extraordinary, not after he had learned from a talkative Nora that Pyrrha had used her semblance to assist him.
As he passed by a side corridor on his way to the cafeteria, Jaune heard a small yelp of pain. Glancing over, Jaune's scowl deepened. Cardin and the rest of Team CRDL were busy bullying a certain rabbit faunus, Jaune vaguely remembered her name to be Velvet. Normally, Jaune would have continued walking, hating himself for his cowardice. However, Cardin had simply come along at precisely the wrong time. Stepping forward with purpose, he grasped Cardin's wrist before the bully could pull on Velvet's ears again.
"Knock it off, Cardin" Jaune growled. "I thought I told you to stay away from my friends?"
"What?" Cardin muttered in surprise, shaking his wrist free of Jaune's grip. "I've never seen you with her before in my life."
"Well, she's my friend now" Jaune countered, not in the mood for a serious argument.
"Tch, whatever" Cardin said, turning away with a disgusted smirk. "C'mon guys, let's leave this loser to look after his pet, eh?"
Velvet looked about ready to cry, and Jaune was severely unamused. He tapped Cardin politely on the shoulder. As the bully turned around, Jaune's other arm was already moving, drilling a solid right hook straight into Cardin's smirking face. Cardin staggered back, the only thing keeping him from falling being the helpful arms of his teammates. He growled, about to draw his mace and attack. However, he saw the dangerous glint in Jaune's eyes, the accompanying white glow of aura. Cardin backed off, grimacing as he lead his team away in the search for something to ice his swelling eye. Jaune sighed, dropping his hands and his aura as he turned around to face Velvet.
"You alright?" he asked, glancing up as he knelt to pick up a package that he noticed had fallen at her feet.
"F-Fine..." Velvet stammered, not really looking Jaune in the eye. She had heard the stories, vastly exaggerated of course, about how Jaune had defended Cardin from a pack of rampaging ursa and put the bully forever in his debt. To have such a hero come to her aid was a little overwhelming to the naturally shy and reserved faunus.
"Good to hear" Jaune replied, smiling as he stood and held out her package.
Velvet stared. He had a simple but sincere smile, one that reached into the depths of his beautiful blue eyes. His voice rang with that same sincerity, blended with a genuine concern for her wellbeing. She blushed a little, unsure of what to think as she took her package back. She was so engrossed in her own musings that she almost missed Jaune's casual goodbye.
"W-Wait!" she called on impulse, wanting to thank him for what he had done. Jaune was already beyond earshot however, and Velvet's ears drooped briefly in defeat. Then she remembered that they were both heading to breakfast, and she perked up.
"I'll just thank him there!" she decided, striding off towards the cafeteria.
Apparently, Nora had been right about breakfast including chocolate pancakes. Equally apparent was the fact that she had decided to eat all of them herself, as she was quietly laying down on a bench with her hands resting on a comically full stomach. Ren was allowing her to use his lap as a pillow, gently stroking her hair as she slept off her food coma. Jaune sighed again, now that he knew that chocolate pancakes existed, he really wanted to try some. Contenting himself with a plate of ordinary pancakes, he sat down and picked up his knife and fork, digging in with gusto.
"Hello..." Velvet said, standing politely to the side of Jaune. "May I sit next to you?" Jaune glanced up and smiled, nodding and gesturing at the empty seat.
Velvet was thrilled. Not only had Jaune beaten back Cardin and his gang of a team, but she was pretty sure that his willingness to sit with her signified that he was willing to be friends. She didn't have all that many friends here at Beacon, and other than Yatsuhashi from her team, she certainly had no boy friends. She blushed slightly at the phrasing that her mind had chosen, quickly changing the word 'boy' to 'male.' She was slightly worried about keeping Jaune's friendship. Yatsuhashi was very laid back and calm, more than willing to go with the flow and quite forgiving of everyone who was a little rambunctious. Jaune, on the other hand, was a complete unknown. Perhaps all that was needed was a polite icebreaker?
"So..." Velvet began between bites of her fruit. "How are you enjoying this Easter break?"
"Ah, you know..." Jaune replied, a little too slowly. "Just, getting all those chocolates for friends! And all that..." It was glaringly obvious that he was lying, but Velvet didn't want to push him.
"Oh, in that case, why not stop by my parent's store in Vale?" she offered, wanting to give him something to take his mind off of whatever was bothering him.
"Hmm?" Jaune replied. "I didn't know your parents lived in Vale. Then again, I didn't know you until just now either..."
"Yeah, they're chocolatiers" Velvet elaborated. "They sell their custom creations year-round, but the holidays are always the busiest times for them."
"Oh" Jaune said, idly stabbing at his one remaining pancake. "Well, I kinda got done with my shopping already, so... I don't think I should bother them... Thanks anyway though."
Velvet was now slightly frustrated. She was a very compassionate and empathetic person, and it was so obvious that something was eating at Jaune, preventing him from enjoying the holiday. Why couldn't he see that she just wanted to help? It was then that she got an idea. Jaune had rushed in to defend her from Cardin, and felt good about it afterwards, right? So what if she just asked him to accompany her to make her feel safer? That might get his mind off of whatever it was dwelling unhealthily on.
"Well..." Velvet began again. "I was going to visit them anyway, deliver this package in person, but... well... Could you just come with me? It's not fun being alone as a faunus, and people like Cardin seem to be everywhere..."
Jaune glanced over, noticed that Velvet's eyes were glistening with tears. He cursed himself internally. Here he was, too absorbed in his own self-pity to notice when a nice girl just wants to have a friend to talk to on a stroll through Vale. Accompanying her would be far more interesting than moping around, and potentially far more fulfilling. What if, as she said, more racists like Cardin decided to have a crack at her?
"In that case, sure" Jaune replied, finishing up his pancakes. "When do we start?"
After a half hour of pure agony for Jaune on an airship, he found himself following Velvet through downtown Vale. Velvet was busy elaborating on her parents' creations, seemingly able to break out of her usual shy shell when it came to chocolate. Though he understood maybe one word in three when it came to her technical descriptions, Jaune was still having a good time as they strolled through the streets.
"...And so, since everyone in the family knows how to make chocolate, we use Easter as an excuse to get together and show off our own creations!" Velvet concluded, hugging her package to her chest. "I hope they like mine..."
"I'm sure they will" Jaune said, amused.
"I worked on it for hours..." Velvet mumbled. "Do you know how hard it is to properly sculpt chocolate when the only thing you have that remotely resembles an oven is the blast furnace down at the forge?"
"No, but I'd imagine that it would be nearly impossible" Jaune replied, impressed at her dedication.
"It was! And... oh, we're here" Velvet said, stopping in front of a modest storefront. There was a large display window next to the door, showcasing all manner of chocolates and sugary creations. Jaune's mouth watered just by looking at them.
Grinning at his slack-jawed expression, Velvet led him inside. A bell chimed as they stepped through the door, instantly drawing the attention of a strapping rabbit faunus standing behind the counter.
"VELVET!" he called out, his voice a deep brogue as he came out into the shop.
"Papa!" Velvet replied enthusiastically, handing the package off to Jaune as she leapt into her father's arms. He easily caught her and spun her around, his laugh deep and sonorous as she giggled. Jaune smiled a little wistfully at the pair, wishing that his own family could be a little more normal like the Scarlatinas.
"And who" Velvet's dad asked, setting his daughter down and clapping Jaune on the shoulder. "Is this fine young lad 'ere? Made a new friend did you?"
"Papa, this is Jaune. He's my classmate up at Beacon" Velvet explained.
"Hello" Jaune said, glancing up at Velvet's father and feeling somewhat intimidated.
"Well, isn't that grand?" Velvet's father exclaimed. "My wee daughter making new friends. You'd never guess it here, but she's quite shy y'know."
"Papa!" Velvet complained cutely. Jaune and her father shared a laugh.
"C'mon lad" Mr. Scarlatina said, clapping Jaune once more on the shoulder before letting go. "Any friend of Velvet's is a friend of mine. Why don't you come on back, meet the missus and the rest, eh?" Jaune nodded, and went into the back room with Velvet.
It was a workshop, filled with ovens, tools, and of course, chocolate. There were also at least five young rabbit faunus milling around, all watched over by a much older faunus, evidently their mother. She glanced up when she heard the door open, smiling at the two teens as they entered.
"Mama!" Velvet called over the dull roar that the other rabbit faunus were making, rushing over to her. "I brought you my creation!"
"Ohoho! That's my girl!" Mrs. Scarlatina chuckled, hugging her daughter. "And who's this?"
"Jaune Arc" Jaune introduced himself, carefully negotiating the controlled chaos of young rabbit faunus before tucking the package under one arm and shaking hands with Mrs. Scarlatina. "I'm a classmate of Velvet's back at Beacon."
"Oh, how lovely!" Mrs. Scarlatina beamed. "It's so nice to know that Velvet's making friends outside Team CFVY."
"I'm not that shy, mama..." Velvet protested. "I have plenty of girl friends."
"And how many boys, hmm?" Mrs. Scarlatina teased. "Just Yatsuhashi and Jaune, hmm?"
"...shut up..." Velvet mumbled, fiddling with one of her ears while glancing down. The effect was undeniably cute.
"Well, just put the box down here, Jaune" Mrs. Scarlatina said, gesturing at an empty patch of counter. "And you can come along and wash up in here."
"W-Wait, what?" Jaune asked, being pulled through another doorway and into a bathroom.
"It's so rare that Velvet ever has a friend over" Mrs. Scarlatina explained. "So you just have to stay for lunch, okay?" She gave Jaune a winning smile, and he shrugged in defeat. He had already finished his homework for the week, so it wasn't as if he had anything to get back to up at Beacon.
When he got back to the workshop, the whole family had gathered around a central table, 'oohing' and 'ahing' over each of the fantastic creations that they had made. Jaune glanced at his watch and was mildly surprised to learn that it was noon, apparently their stroll through Vale had taken far longer than he had thought. He walked up to the table, eager to see for himself just what had been made. From Mr. Scarlatina, there was an elegant representation of a Nevermore in a roosting pose, so lifelike that Jaune instinctively reached for Crocoa Mors before reminding himself that it was just chocolate. Mrs. Scarlatina had made a chocolate nest, each twig and leaf individually crafted and fitted together. The younger faunus had all made eggs, each engraved with patterns of varying complexity based on their age and skill.
Finally, it was time for Velvet to showcase her creation. She gently set the box down on the central counter and undid the string, letting the box fall apart at the seams. Inside the box lay...broken pieces, shards of sculpted chocolate. Jaune was slightly confused, was Velvet going for a new-age art style with her work? Then he noticed the tears in her eyes, the quivering of her lower lip. His mind flashed back to her being bullied, the package laying on the floor.
She must've dropped it when they yanked her ears... Jaune realized, making a mental note to punch Cardin again when he next saw him, preferably on the same eye.
"I... I..." Velvet stammered, crushed by the destruction of her hard work.
"It's alright, Velvet" Mr. Scarlatina reassured her, gently patting her on the back. "Maybe next year..."
"It's always next year, next year!" Velvet exploded, her face briefly contorting in anger before remembering that they had company. She glanced over at Jaune, mortified at her outburst, before fleeing the room with tears in her eyes. Almost without thinking, Jaune followed her. After a minute of following the sound of her footsteps, Jaune found himself outside a door with a hand painted sign that read "Velvet."
"Velvet?" he tentatively called, gently knocking on the door. He was answered with the muffled sounds of crying.
Seeing as none of her family had followed her, and the door being unlocked, Jaune slowly let himself into Velvet's room. It was painted a light blue, and two windows let in vast amounts of the midday sun. Velvet's bed was off in a corner, a curtained four-poster. Velvet herself was curled up on top of her sheets, hugging a pillow to her chest as she sniffled.
"Hey, mind if I come in?" Jaune said, feeling the extreme awkwardness of being in a girl's room without her permission. He was answered by a noncommittal grunt, so he took that as a positive answer and stepped inside with more confidence.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, sitting down next to her bed.
"..." a vague mumbling came from Velvet's bed, and Jaune strained his ears.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that..."
"I'm not good enough..." she repeated after awhile. "I've never been good enough... My brothers and sisters all picked up the art of sculpting chocolate far faster and better that I did, even though I was the oldest... While I was still struggling to engrave eggs, they were already making their own custom designs..." She sniffled a little, taking a few moments to herself. "I didn't want to get shown up again this Easter, so I practiced all the time by making treats for my team, and they really loved my work. So I promised to get better and... then... I made Beacon..."
"You did what?" Jaune asked for clarification after half a minute's silence.
"I made a model of Beacon out of chocolate" Velvet explained. "I didn't have too much left though, so I had to make it hollow... It must have shattered when I dropped it earlier... I must be cursed to always be a failure..." She sounded incredibly depressed, an emotion that Jaune could sympathize with.
"Chocolate is a big thing in your family, isn't it?" Jaune asked, laying back on the floor and gazing up at the ceiling.
"It is, so why can't I sculpt like them?" Velvet replied mournfully.
"I can't answer that, but I think I can make you feel better" Jaune said. "Just as chocolate is really important to your family, heroism is important to mine. We have huge family gatherings every holiday so we can compete in telling the stories of our bravery and courage. I was always fascinated by these contests, until I had to participate." Jaune chuckled a little. "I could never top what the rest of my family was doing, so I always lost the contest. Made me feel like I was never going to amount to anything. I felt like I had gotten a lucky break when I got into Beacon, I thought that I had gotten a chance to prove myself."
"And you have..." Velvet muttered. "You're a team leader, you killed a horde of ursa to save Cardin, and you coordinated your team to take down a deathstalker. You have everything you need to proclaim yourself a hero."
"Aside from the team leader part, I don't" Jaune admitted. "I did coordinate my team when taking down a deathstalker, but only in the final moments when it was nearly defeated anyway. And it was just one ursa that I killed, not a horde. And I only killed it because Pyrrha used her semblance to move my shield, keeping me from getting clawed as I decapitated it. I'm not a hero, just a wannabe. But that doesn't mean I'm not still trying. So, I don't think you should give up either." There was a slight shifting noise from the bed, and Velvet poked her head off the edge to look at Jaune.
"You mean that?" Velvet asked, her eyes slightly red from crying.
"I do" Jaune replied, grinning up at her. "You made Beacon once, didn't you? What's to stop you from doing it again?" Velvet smiled slightly, wiping at the corners of her eyes. She got off her bed and knelt down, and Jaune sat up.
"Thank you" she said, pulling him into a brief hug.
"Awwww~" Mrs. Scarlatina cooed, and the two teens broke apart with furious blushes.
"MAMA!" Velvet shouted, hurling the nearest pillow at the door.
"THIS ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, I SWEAR!" Jaune assured her, hurriedly backing off until he collided with a wall.
"You're just so sweet together!" Mrs. Scarlatina beamed, giggling a little. "I'll leave you two alone then~" She closed the door behind her, and Velvet turned to face Jaune, her blush still prominent.
"...You're helping me." she stated flatly, grabbing his hand and hauling him up, before dashing off to the kitchen.
Well... Jaune thought to himself as he learned how to sculpt chocolate. Perhaps Easter doesn't have to be so bad after all...
Author's Note:
Alright, first chapter of this story is done! As stated at the beginning, this prompt was submitted by volcaniclord. This story will be 100% driven by fan requests, except if I get bitten by the oneshot bug myself (which usually never happens). So, if you like what you see, drop a prompt or story outline in the reviews section, or PM me if you wish to remain anonymous. I promise, I will always respect you, my readers, so have no fear and submit what you will. As always, have a great week, guys:)