Adam Taurus was incapable of doing anything half-assed, and it was a quality he hated about himself. Every assignment in their first year, every job that had been taken for Jacques, and every favor he had run for his unlikely friends had to be completed to the best of his ability no matter whether or not he personally cared about them. Being a faunus was a struggle in which Adam constantly felt the need to prove himself as equal- if not superior- to those who would judge him most, and so, he had developed a work ethic that applied to every facet of his life no matter how irritating it became.

The regular beatings down in the mines for any work that was unsatisfactory may have had something to do with it, as well.

Adam hadn't considered that his tendencies to take everything too seriously and treat them like some grand mission would kick in on the way back to Vacuo City. He didn't care about trying to win over Velvet at all, and he thought it supremely unlikely that she would have any interest in him. It was all just an act to placate his friends, and yet, he found himself making that little extra effort to keep his shoulders square as he walked beside her out of the Schnee beach house. His chest was puffed out ever so slightly. His heart was pounding, his mind was racing, and he was both frantic and annoyed that he felt as though he needed to actually try for some gods-forsaken reason.

Worst of all was the knowledge that he was absolutely doing it to himself, and he couldn't stop it. All Adam could do was silently pray that whatever happened wouldn't make a mess of things at the museum or for the rest of their vacation. Everything was already stressful enough.

For all of his grit, determination, and drive, though, Adam was terrible at the art of conversation, and he knew it. The boy wracked his brain as he followed Velvet across the concrete lot to where the two massive dunecrawlers were parked. He couldn't think of anything intelligent to say, let alone anything interesting. All Adam could manage to do was look Velvet over curiously as he tried to pick out some feature of hers to latch on to or some small detail on her outfit that he could inquire about.

Against all his efforts and much to his chagrin, Adam ended up simply staring at her ass, transfixed in a way that was somewhat foreign to him. It was mortifying, uncomfortable, and counterproductive, but he couldn't deny that something about her curves were magnetic to him. Adam couldn't tell if the Vacuan heat was making him feel lightheaded or if it was just the knowledge that things were going downhill fast before a conversation had even begun, or some combination of the two. When the woman looked over her shoulder and spoke, he quite nearly passed out then and there.

"So… your Semblance seems like a pretty damned useful tool to have around," Velvet began as she circled one of the bikes and did some cursory checks for things that Adam didn't understand. He could only hope that his eyes had gotten up to her face in time, though Velvet didn't seem upset even if they hadn't. "Has it always been that powerful?"

"…Professor Calavera had to help me unlock it," Adam said, his throat dry as he made his way to the other dunecrawler and simply stood next to it, feeling rather stupid. "Once I did, though… more or less. It started strong and I've been training it, so… now, I can carve apart basically anything in a single beam."

"And you've got to absorb kinetic energy to do it?" Velvet questioned as she swung a leg up and over the side of her bike. "Can you do it without a sword?"

"I've never tried," Adam admitted as he copied her motions. "Not the releasing part, anyway. I do need to absorb impacts, and I can do that with my body before releasing with my sword. So… probably? I don't know if I could just throw out an energy beam from my palm or anything like that…"

"Might be worth trying out. I wouldn't mind going a few rounds with you when we get a free minute," Velvet offered. "Do you always pass out after using it?"

"What?" Adam asked, unsure to what Velvet was referring.

"You went down during the fight where our teams met," Velvet reminded. "We all thought you were having some sort of heart attack, at first."

"No, I…" Adam began, trying to recall. Oddly enough, his memory of the encounter was incredibly fuzzy, and he hadn't even remembered that he had passed out until Velvet reminded him. "…that was a special case. I put everything I had into that attack, so whatever it is that you saw was probably the limit of my abilities. For now, anyway."

"I'd believe it," Velvet agreed. "It was somewhat terrifying, seeing the aftermath. You're… interesting."

"…I am?" Adam asked, not quite believing it. "For what reason?"

"You clearly don't fit in with the others," Velvet said nonchalantly while cracking her neck. "You have no idea how to drive that thing, do you?"

Adam paused, thinking over what had been said as he momentarily tuned Velvet out. It had been on his mind for ages, and hearing it said aloud by someone else seemed to somehow make the idea more concrete.

"…no, I don't…"

"It's easy," Velvet continued. "Just rotate the right handlebar to accelerate and follow along beside me. We'll go slow, and I'll teach you more as we ride."

"…what?" Adam asked, utterly dumbfounded as he turned his attention away from his own thoughts and back toward Velvet.

"…do you not know what a handlebar is?" Velvet deadpanned.

"I… of course I do," Adam said defensively. "I just wasn't… I have a lot on my mind. Apologies."

"Need an ear? Mine are big enough to get the job done," Velvet said with a smirk as her vehicle slowly began to roll forward into the sand.

Adam rotated the grip and began to follow alongside Velvet, his entire body tensing up at the sudden movement of the vehicle. He had an opening… yet no idea what to say. The only approach that made any sense was to simply follow a stream of consciousness, as he knew Velvet wouldn't let him get away with suddenly clamming up.

"…I'm sorry my team is so… sex-obsessed," Adam started, only to realize that he was inadvertently sabotaging his supposed intentions with Velvet immediately. Even so, he felt the need to say it. "I had a bad feeling something like this would happen the second we went on vacation…"

"No worries," Velvet said with a wave of her hand as she began to slightly accelerate, watching for Adam to match her pace. "Sex can be fun. I've got no complaints."

"So I've heard," Adam said more to himself than Velvet as he sped up. "Over and over again from Kali. If I didn't know her well, I would think it's the only thing she cares about. Being close enough to know that isn't the truth… perhaps that's why I'm so annoyed right now. She should be here, with us."

Velvet wrinkled her nose, looking incredibly annoyed as she kept her eyes on the sand dunes ahead.

"I'm torn, as much as I was pissed off while we were inside. I mean, I get it- a new relationship is exciting. Blinding, in a way… but Kali doesn't know what she's potentially passing up with the Oaks family. That being said, it's not my place to get involved and try to drag her along if she's obsessed with Roman, so… she made her choice. I won't hold it against her. Don't take anything I say too personally… unless I say it two or three times, alright? I'm a little quick to anger, especially over things I care about."

"You and me both," Adam agreed. "I guess that's something we have in common…"

"Seems that way," Velvet acknowledged. "But yeah- relationships have made me stupid before, too. In a different way, of course, but still. I get it. There's nothing logical about it, especially at the beginning."

"There doesn't seem to be anything logical about relationships at all from my perspective," Adam offered. "They seem to cause nothing but stress and trouble for those involved and everyone around them, at least within our teams. I think I've just about sworn them off in any serious capacity…"

"That's a shame," Velvet said, sounding rather sincere. "Yes, they're a pain in the ass, but don't get me wrong, Adam- it's worth it, in the end. Don't count yourself out just yet. You're cute, headstrong, and I can already see some qualities I like in you. Get to know the right girl, and she'd probably be head over heels for you."

"How do I know when I've found the right girl?" Adam asked, his curiosity genuine. Something about Velvet's straightforwardness made him begin to feel comfortable around her to the point of dropping all pretense. "I've… had thoughts about one or two, but it never went anywhere. I actually told the others that I would try to make a move with you just to get them off my back about dating and trying harder to put myself out there."

"Me?" Velvet asked with an uneasy laugh. "Really? Why me? Because I'm the only girl in BASS and if it doesn't work out, we'll be half a world away from each other in a few weeks? That is convenient…"

"Yeah, that's more or less it," Adam replied. "I don't mean to say it's all because of convenience. You are… attractive, physically and otherwise. I just don't th-"

"Well, why not?" Velvet interrupted with a shrug. "Sure."

Adam blinked a few times, no longer watching the path ahead as his eye was glued to Velvet.

"…sure? Sure what?"

"Sure," Velvet repeated. "Let's do it. Get to know each other while you're here, have a little fun… maybe I can show you a thing or two and we can get up to no good. It's about time I got back into the dating pool, honestly, and you're not my usual type… none of which have worked out so far. Could be a fun time while it lasts."

Adam felt as though his brain was threatening to shut down entirely as he released his grip upon the accelerator. The dunecrawler slowed to a stop as Velvet moved on ahead, only to double back in a wide loop after she realized he was no longer with her. In a matter of seconds, she had pulled up alongside him, their bikes facing opposite directions.

"Adam? You alright there?"

"…what just happened?" the confused boy asked, feeling conflicted. "Does this mean you and I are… Kali calls it 'a thing', which is extremely unhelpful…"

"It means we're about to be dating," Velvet explained with a roll of her eyes. "Well, assuming the first one goes well. That's a bit different than being 'a thing.' We'll play it fast and loose, see where this all goes, and hopefully, by the time you leave, we'll both get something out of it. Don't take it too seriously, alright?"

"I still just… don't understand," Adam admitted, feeling like he was missing something obvious. "Why do this at all? Why me? Wouldn't you rather start something like this with Ghira or Fox?"

Velvet snorted, clearly amused by the suggestion.

"Are you kidding me? Ghira's like an older brother to me… and sometimes, more like my dad," Velvet explained. "As for Fox… I don't know. We're close, sure, and I can't see into the future, but… we just haven't gone down that road yet. Besides… dating within your team is weird, Adam. Right now, I'm looking at someone a little different who just called me attractive, physically and otherwise. Sounds to me like you want a piece, and it's been a while, so… again, sure. Why not? Just go with it, alright?"

Adam wasn't ready for the punch against his shoulder as Velvet drove past him and made a wide loop, swinging her arm in a beckoning gesture for him to follow. He obeyed the command and revved the accelerator once again to spur the dunecrawler onward, taking note that Velvet was no longer holding back with the speed of her vehicle.

"…what the hell did I just do…?"

Author's Note:

What are Velvet's intentions? Will Adam start feeling something? Can any of this possibly last? Who's going to pry Kali and Roman apart with a crowbar after they're found stuck to each other on the beach, and will they ever get the sand out of all the cracks?

-RD