Alright, as per my promise via Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter, I'm updating all of the RWBY fics.
This is, by far, my favorite RWBY fic to write for, so I hope you guys all enjoy the chapter.
Velvet walked through the hallways of Beacon Monday morning, ducking around people attempting to pull her ears and ignoring the comments about her rabbit heritage. It was shaping up to be a relatively normal day. Cardin had attempted to corner her in the library, but upon seeing Blake lower her book slowly and glare at him, the bully and his team retreated with promises of getting her later. And they had delivered. Several paper balls had stuck to her ears until the end of the class when the boys had finally disappeared to their next class.
Sighing, the Faunus simply continued trudging toward her next class, wondering if the day could get any worse.
"Hey, Velvet!"
The rabbit-eared girl turned, expecting to find someone else ready to taunt her over her ears. However, her expression softened to one of relief when she spotted Blake walking toward her calmly.
"Hello, Blake. What can I help you with?"
"Nothing. I was just wondering if... I mean, I had fun on our outing last week and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind going for a walk with me this weekend."
Velvet smiled sweetly up at the darker brunette and nodded enthusiastically. "I would love to."
"Great. I'll be outside your dorm room at four on Friday." Blake grinned as she turned away, waving to the rabbit-Faunus as she did.
"Alright. See you then." A small smile appeared on Velvet's face as she entered her next class. Sitting down and preparing for the teacher's lecture, the rabbit-Faunus let her mind wander to where Blake might be taking her that weekend. Where could we go? she mused. Could she be taking me back into Vale? Perhaps for a bit of bonding while sight-seeing? Or are we going somewhere else more secluded? Velvet couldn't help the blush that spread across her cheeks at the thought. Could she really be taking me... on a date like Ganza said?
The teacher walked into the class and began his lecture, prompting Velvet from her thoughts. Diligently taking notes, Velvet didn't think about Blake's proposal until the end of class when she was packing her things up. Her cheeks flushed again when she realized that Blake was in her next class. Shaking her head, Velvet banished any thoughts of a date from her mind, hurrying to her next class because she didn't want to be late (at least that's what she told herself).
Coming to the classroom, the rabbit-Faunus ignored the shred of disappointment she felt at not seeing Blake in the classroom yet. Taking her usual seat at the front, Velvet took out her notebook and turned to a fresh page, waiting for class to begin. As the door opened, she glanced up hopefully, only to have her heart sink. Cardin.
"Hey, look fellas." the auburn-haired boy snickered. "Bunny rabbit's here already."
"Don't. Even. Think about it." A voice said from behind them. Team Cardinal turned to find Pyrrha and Blake standing behind them, both with their arms crossed.
"What? You got a problem?" Cardin sneered.
"Not yet." Blake stated, eyes narrowing. "But we will if you make the wrong move. Why not just fly to your seats like good little pigeons, Cardinal?"
All of the boys took offense at the comment and growled, about to advance. Blake and Pyrrha didn't bat an eyelash, instead, pushing past the group of boys to get into the classroom and make their way to their normal seats. Before heading up the stairs of the lecture hall, Pyrrha sent Velvet an encouraging smile and Blake nodded to her with a wink, both girls moving on.
Velvet felt a smile tug at her lips as Team Cardinal took their seats moments later, grumbling about what they wanted to do to the two girls. Class proceeded as per normal, but without Cardin making the usual number of quips at Velvet and without any spitballs flying at the large ears. Velvet wondered why that was and surreptitiously looked around. Cardin was in the midst of rolling a spitball and glaring right at her, but something flew into his ear with expert precision seconds before he could throw it. Turning her attention, Velvet spotted Pyrrha doing the same to Dove and Sky while Blake glared pointedly at Russel, who was thinking of simply throwing a paper ball.
Velvet blushed once more. The look in the darker brunette's eyes promised the green-haired boy pain and suffering if he dared to throw that ball and Velvet found it... attractive? Was that the word she was looking for? It was as close as she could get, but it made something stir in the lighter brunette's stomach, of that she was certain.
The school day ended on a higher note for Velvet than it had in a long time as she watched Blake have Pyrrha turn Russel upside down and shake him until he was begging for mercy. "Not so much fun when you're the one being bullied, is it?" Blake hissed, amber eyes flashing. "Keep your hands to yourself, Russ. Or next time, Pyrrha won't be here to stop me from cutting them off."
Russel nodded, beginning to turn as green as his hair. Pyrrha set him down and nodded to Blake. "Go ahead to Jaune." the brunette told her. "He's waiting for those lessons. And I know you want to cuddle with Nora later. Thanks for your help."
"A pleasure sticking up for a friend." Pyrrha replied, lifting her bag and waving as she headed for the dormitories. Velvet cocked her head at the interaction and walked over as Russel stumbled off toward the nearest trash can. Blake turned to her with a small smile and Velvet felt as if her chest was constricting for a moment.
"What was that all about?" the lighter brunette asked.
"He finally threw the paper ball when he thought I wasn't looking." Blake shrugged. "I wasn't, Pyrrha was and she caught it. I heard it and instantly knew what happened. I had to teach him a lesson and Pyrrha was eager to help."
"You don't have to do that for me." Velvet told her. "I'm not worth you and Pyrrha getting detention."
Blake cocked her head with a curious smile before shaking it and turning. "Have a good night, Velvet." the darker girl called with a wave and that same curious smile.
Velvet watched her go in confusion before beginning to make her way toward her own dorm.
...
Velvet walked toward her first class Tuesday morning, but stopped when she bumped into someone that stepped right in front of her. A quick flash of plaid and her books had left her hands as well.
"Hey!" the rabbit-Faunus exclaimed, glancing up. She found amber eyes twinkling at her with mirth as a pale hand was extended in her direction.
"May I walk you to class?" Blake chuckled, helping the other Faunus to her feet.
"B-Blake... I... you-you don't have to-."
"It wasn't an order, Velvet." Blake told her, mirth hidden in her voice. "I just figured that since we have the same class this morning, it wouldn't hurt to walk with you."
"Thank you." Velvet blushed as students stared at them as they passed, but Blake seemed oblivious to the odd stares coming in their direction. Velvet supposed it was easy for her to ignore them since she was human. And people probably stare at her beauty all the time. Velvet thought as they neared the classroom.
Blake smiled as she walked Velvet to class. Once inside, she held out the latter's books and moved up to her seat. Pyrrha watched with amused eyes, not having seen Blake like this in the entire time they'd been at Beacon. Large green eyes beamed up at the brunette as Blake took her seat. "You seem quite taken with her." The redhead remarked calmly.
"Velvet? No, we're just friends."
"I do not know much about dating since I focused more on my studies, but I am certain that carrying books is the job of a romantic partner."
Blake shrugged. "We're just friends, Pyrrha. It's no big deal."
The famous athlete raised an eyebrow with a small smile on her face. "If you're certain." She shrugged.
...
Thursday, Blake approached Velvet after classes. "Hey Velvet." The darker brunette murmured.
"Hello, Blake!" Velvet grinned.
"Um, it's going to snow tomorrow. You should probably wear a winter coat."
"Is that a rabbit joke?" Doe eyes twinkled in mirth at the surprise in the large yellow eyes.
"N-no, I just... I'm going to be wearing a winter coat to keep me warm, so I thought..."
"It's alright, Blake. And thank you. I'll be sure to wear a thick coat."
"Great." The ninja gave her a relieved smile. "See you tomorrow." Blake walked off and Velvet was about to go to her dorm when a thought occurred to her. How did she know it was going to snow tomorrow?
...
Velvet waited nervously in her dorm room Friday afternoon. Her last class had ended an hour ago and now she was pacing the room, waiting for Blake to arrive. Eyelet watched her quietly, pushing a few strands of scarlet hair from her aquamarine eyes every few minutes as they came loose from turning her head.
The rabbit-Faunus was going completely to pieces with nervousness. She had been experiencing conflicting feelings about Blake all week, ever since the conversation she had had with her team last Friday. I'm just looking too much into it. she told herself. It wasn't meant as a date. This isn't meant as a date. She just wants to spend time with me. For whatever reason, she wants to spend time with me.
"Velvet, she's here." Eyelet told her calmly.
"How do-." A knock at her door clued her in to the fact that she had been so focused on her mental and physical pacing that, even with her Faunus hearing, she hadn't even heard Blake walk to the door. "-I look?" she finished, changing course from what she was initially going to say.
"Fine." Eyelet told her calmly, standing and pushing her toward the door. "Now, go, she's waiting for you."
Velvet nodded and walked to the door, opening it with a shaky hand and being greeted by the sight of Blake clad in a thick black winter coat. Velvet smiled at her nervously, but Blake smiled. "Warm enough?" the darker brunette inquired.
"Y-yes." Rabbit ears twitched as Blake smiled and turned, sending a look over her shoulder to indicate that Velvet should follow. The rabbit-Faunus cocked her head to the side before following after her companion. The air outside nipped at her cheeks and Velvet cursed herself for not bringing a hat. Blake, taking note of how the lighter brunette burrowed down into her coat, removed something soft and purple from her coat pocket.
"Here." she said, beginning to fix the hat on Velvet's head, being careful not to hurt her rabbit ears. When she pulled back, flopping ears hung from beneath the purple cap, but Velvet seemed to have stopped shivering as badly. Blake smiled and continued, leading Velvet toward the forest at the border of campus.
The pair of girls made their way through the woods calmly, Blake leading the way through the snow. "How are you classes going?" the brunette asked, turning slightly to talk to her companion.
"They're fine, I suppose. It's nice being able to actually concentrate on taking notes and listening to lectures without things flying at my ears." Velvet noticed a small smile on Blake's eyes and giggled slightly. "I would like to thank you for that."
"It's no big deal." the darker brunette replied, sending her a quick smile. "I was getting tired of seeing him pick on you and feeling like trash because I didn't do anything about it. You deserve better than that. You're a Faunus, not an animal."
"I wish others shared that sentiment." Velvet sighed, staring at the snow-covered ground.
"Me too." Blake muttered, bordering on a snarl.
"Well, it's still nice to be able to have someone who cares about how others treat Faunus." Velvet shot the darker brunette a sidelong glance and noticed a small frown on the beautiful features. Beautiful? Well, she... she is quite attractive...
Noticing that they seemed to be heading further away from the school than anticipated, Velvet asked, "Where are we going?"
"It's right up here, actually." Blake told her, pointing to a cliff. Velvet felt a small chill of fear run down her spine at the sight, wondering briefly if Blake planned to toss her over it. No, she wouldn't do that.
"Careful." Blake threw out an arm to stop Velvet from going any further. "The snow makes it look sturdy, but from this point on it gets a bit precarious. Stay close to me, alright?"
The lighter brunette nodded and followed closely behind the taller girl, Blake picking her way closer. "Hopefully this is close enough for you to see." Blake murmured.
"See what?" Velvet asked.
"Turn slightly to your left." the darker brunette urged.
Velvet cocked her head before doing as she was told, glancing through the branches around them and gasping. It was a meadow, but not an ordinary one. This one was full of clusters of trees here and there, dotting the grass. And all of the trees had beautiful ice crystals hanging from them. The way the sunlight caught the crystals made the entire thing sparkle like a thousand stars.
"It's... beautiful." Brown eyes gazed around in wonder before turning to the other girl. Blake's black hair was a stark contrast against the white setting around them, her skin nearly disappearing due to its paleness. Amber eyes shone at her from the mass of black and white, glowing in the winter sun.
Velvet felt a blush creep up her cheeks as Blake held out her hand. Accepting it, the lighter brunette was led to a small overhang that was, thankfully, free of snow. Taking a seat, Blake motioned for Velvet to sit with her and the mage glanced at her oddly. There wasn't any room for her underneath.
Blake chuckled and tugged her hand, causing Velvet to stumble forward. Strong hands caught her around the waist and turned her around, using the rest of her momentum to sit her down. Blood rushed to Velvet's cheeks as she felt a warm body against her back. At this angle, they could both watch the dancing lights as the wind blew around them. It was a serene content atmosphere and Velvet was loathe to let anything ruin it.
Velvet smiled and glanced back in the direction of Beacon Academy. Her gaze lowered to their tracks for a moment, but she paused when she only saw three lines of footprints. She could clearly see which ones were hers, as they were making up two of the lines of tracks, however, Blake's tracks were in a straight line.
But she didn't actively try to do that. The brown-haired girl thought. She was focused on me the entire way up here, so how did... her tracks look just like a cat's would after walking in the snow, but I don't understand how that could be when she's human... isn't she?
I know what you guys are thinking. It gets really hard remembering that not everyone knows Blake is a Faunus. Heck, by the Volume 2 premiere, I don't even think Juniper knows she was a Faunus. But that's chiller. In this fic... and plenty of other ones as well, Juniper knows about Blake's Faunus heritage (because it makes it easier for me). Hope you guys enjoyed reading it! Next chapter will be asap, so drop me a review.
Aside from that, just wanted to let you guys know I'm now on Tumblr (gothalbinoangel-fanfiction), Twitter ((a)gothalbinoange1), a Facebook (Goth Albino Angel) and an Archive of Our Own account (GothAlbinoAngel). There are more details on my profile.