Soft Fur and Warm Coffee
Velvet stood alone waiting outside of the café.
Coco had dropped her off ten minutes ago, fifteen minutes early to make sure that Velvet would be there before Jaune was. Even knowing that she was early to arrive, for some reason it still hurt just a little bit to have to wait so long for Jaune to show up. She pulled out her scroll and began flicking through her camera roll, reminiscing for a moment over the many memories she had made with her team since starting at Beacon. Before she knew it, the time for the date had arrived, and she could hear hurried footsteps and ragged breathing rapidly approaching her. She looks up just in time to see Jaune jogging along the sidewalk to meet her.
"Hey Velvet, sorry I'm so late!" Jaune barely manages to drag the words from his lips with how much he's panting. "The shuttle I was going to take had maintenance, so I had to run over to get here on time..." Jaune places his hands on his knees, nearly doubling over as he takes a moment to recover from his marathon. Velvet looks both concerned and confused.
"You have your scroll on you, don't you? You could have just sent me a message and rescheduled. I wouldn't be upset over something as silly as a shuttle delay." Her voice comes out soothingly, dripping with concern that comes across as honey to the exhausted man who ran all the way just to meet her. Jaune gives her an embarrassed look as he stands back up straight and composes himself.
"That-" He begins, taking a moment to look everywhere but at her as he tries to formulate a decent response. He gives up and lowers his head instead. "Would have been a great idea, had I thought of it..." Jaune sighs and lifts his head back up to look at her, letting his mop of blonde hair fall over his eyes before brushing it aside. "Sorry, I probably should have said something. I just got the idea in my head of you waiting around for me, and then getting bored of waiting and leaving, and then me getting here and you not being here and-" He takes a deep breath to calm himself and exhales it slowly. "And I just started running. But hey, the important thing is, I'm here now, you're here now, and..."
Jaune blinks down at the young girl, taking a moment to look her up and down. His eyes wonder from the top of her head where her adorable ears spring with every movement. He looks down to see her hair looks smoother than normal. He wonders if she has some sort of specialgirl shampoo that she might only use for special occasions. Then he realises no sane person would have two different shampoos, so he keeps his eyes wondering. She has her hair tied up into a neat, thick braid that flows down to the middle of her back. This draws his eyes down to the beautiful white dress she has on, a picturesque innocent look with lacey frills at the bottom that flare out just above the knee. To finish the look, she wears brown boots and a matching brown belt that loosely rests on her waist. A cute silver bracelet is worn around her left wrist as well, and Jaune notes that it looks more like something her team leader would wear instead. All in all, Jaune realizes just how much effort Velvet went into for this date, and he smiles when his eyes finally reach hers.
"You look beautiful today, Velvet." He says smoothly, his words causing a light pink tinge to warm Velvet's cheeks. "That is, you look beautiful every day, but today even more, you know?" His suave smile quickly turns into a nervous one, and Velvet giggles in response to his attempts.
"Thank you, Jaune. You look very handsome today as well. That style suits you way more than your hoodie." Jaune nervously scratches the back of his head, then gestures to the café.
"Shall we?" He asks as he steps over and opens the door for her. Velvet performs a mock flattered gesture, placing her hand over her chest and smiles at him.
"Such a gentleman!" She says coyly, and the two laugh with each other as they walk inside.
After a long look at the menu and a brief chat with the barista behind the counter, Jaune and Velvet sit down in a booth by the window and take a moment to enjoy the atmosphere. Soft, ambient music plays from speakers hidden in the corners of the roof as vines, leaves and trellises decorate most of the wide open room. The walls a painted a creamy brown colour, and with the touch of green added by the plants in the room, the coffee shop feels more like a part of nature than actually being outside in the city. Velvet looks out the window and notices that flowers are planted into hanging pots on the outside of the building, just below the windows. Suddenly she wishes she brought her camera. She looks back at Jaune, then has to stifle a giggle when she spots him poking one of the vines that twine down the wall towards their table.
"What are you doing?" She asks between giggles, hoping none of the workers see him messing with the plants.
"This thing is real!" Jaune responds excitedly, looking back at her with a shocked expression while he continues to poke and prod the plant. "I thought for sure they would only have fake plants in a place like this, but they actually grew these!" He lets go of the plant, then trails the length of it with his eyes, watching as it curls along hooks in the wall and ceiling before disappearing into another room. "It must have taken them ages to grow something like that until it could reach this far into the main room like that." He turns his attention back to his date, and Velvet leans forward in her chair, pressing her elbows against the table.
"Have you considered maybe they bought the plants from a herbalist or a florist somewhere in the city, then put them in a pot somewhere in the back to just drape over the halls and walls?" She asks softly, making sure to keep her tone light so as not to make Jaune think she was insulting him in any way. To his credit, Jaune nods.
"I thought that too, but look." He points to one of the hooks that holds up the vine near to them. "That hook is screwed tight into the wall. Its not going anywhere." He then loves his hand to point to a hook just above the entrance window to the kitchen. Another screw holds up the vine, but it is drooping at a low angle. "That screw over there is nearly falling out. That means it must have held something for a long time, right? So they must have grown the plants themselves!" Jaune crosses his arms and looks proud of his deductive reasoning. Velvet scans the room and looks back at him with her own confident smile.
"Ahah!" She proudly exclaims. "But have you considered the rest of the hooks?" She points out three other hooks in the wall between the two Jaune noted. All three other hooks are securely fastened just like the fourth. "The rest of the hooks look just like the supposed 'newest one.' And..." She points down a nearby corridor where the booths end and a staff only sign hangs above the hall. Jaune follows her gaze to see a painting resting on the floor and leaning against the wall. A crack can be seen in the corner of it. "Clearly they had that painting hanging on the loose hook until it got too heavy and fell." Now Velvet takes a turn crossing her arms, eyes closed and smirking. Jaune prepares to counter her statement, when a waitress comes to their booth with their order.
"Hot chocolate with marshmallows?" She asks, looking between the two. Now met with another person, both of the students calm down and quiet their voices.
"Thank you." Velvet says softly. The woman smiles and places the drink down in front of her.
"Then the coffee with two creams must be for you." She says, placing the other drink down in front of Jaune.
"Uhh, thanks..." Jaune responds. The woman nods and turns to leave, basking in the joy of seeing young love flourishing.
Jaune and Velvet look down at their beverages, then back up at each other. Jaune picks the drink in front of him up and places it before Velvet as she mirrors his movements to do the same. With their actual drinks in their hands, they smile and start sipping from them. Jaune enjoys the sweetness of the chocolate, and places one of his marshmallows into the drink to soak up some of the liquid, as Velvet quietly basks in the richness of her coffee.
"This is really nice, Jaune. Thank you for bringing me here..." Jaune looks up from his drink at the sound of Velvet speaking, and is met with the sight of the young girl smiling at him with half-lidded eyes, her body slouching into the chair comfortably while steam rises from the mug in front of her, obfuscating his view of her while adding a warm atmosphere. He can't help but smile back just as lovingly. Then, an idea pops into his head. He reaches down and scoops the chocolate soaked marshmallow with his spoon. Reaching out with it, he holds the treat up before Velvets lips and she blushes at the gesture. Looking around, she brushes back some hair from her fringe and leans forward to open her mouth and take a bite.
Her eyes light up when she tastes the saccharine flavour of the two sweets mixed together.
"Wow, thisis really good!" She says with a mouth full of marshmallow. Jaune has to stifle his own giggle as he hands her a napkin to deal with any excess drink. She nods her head in thanks and wipes her mouth as she swallows. "You'll have to take me here again sometime." Her words fill Jaune's stomach with an indecipherable feeling. Something between butterflies from the feeling of knowing he made her happy, and confidence from knowing she wants to go on a date like this again.
They finish their drinks with idle chatter from there, continuing their debate from before over whether or not the vines and trellises were grown in the building or bought from elsewhere, until their cups run empty and they order a second round. Soon, the sun begins to glean off the window, catching their eyes with its glare and the two of them realize just how long they'd been chatting for. Finishing their drinks, they stand up and Jaune leads Velvet to the front door, opening it for her once again. They hear a voice call out to them before they leave.
"Its grown in house." The barista from behind the counter says with a bored expression on her face. "The vines. We used powdered water dust to stimulate the growth cycle of the plants, then it only took a few weeks for them to get like this." Jaune and Velvet look back at her with a surprised expression on her face. She just shrugs and turns to work on one of the machines. Exiting the café, Jaune looks back at Velvet with a wide grin.
"Looks like I was right after all." He says coyly, nudging her in the side with his elbow. Velvet rolls her eyes at his antics, but can't help the smile that reaches her lips.
"Yeah yeah, you were right. You win." She looks back at him with an expression that turns almost predatory. "I guess you deserve a reward..." Her words stop Jaune in his tracks, as he looks back at her, confused.
"A reward...?" He says slowly, unsure of her connotations. Velvet nods and takes a step closer to him, closing the distance between the two.
"Yeah, something like... this." Stepping up onto her tippy toes, Velvet leans in and presses her lips against Jaune's cheek, giving him a soft kiss. Jaune freezes like an animal caught in a trap, slowly looking back down at her as she pulls away. They make eye contact for only a second before Velvet turns around to face away from him, her cheeks burning a beet red. Her ears flop over her head and her hands curl into the fabric of her dress as she tries to let the embarrassment of the bold gesture wash away from her. She nearly jumps when she feels Jaune's hand on her shoulder.
Turning back to look at him, her breath catches in her throat when she finds the serious expression on his face. Velvet opens her mouth to speak, but her words are cut off when Jaune leans in and presses his lips against hers. Her eyes widen at the sudden motion, but she quickly closes them as she melts into the kiss. Jaune wraps his arms around her back, pulling her closer to him as he deepens the kiss. His first kiss.Theirfirst kiss. Velvet finds her hands clutching onto Jaune's shirt as she stands up taller to meet him halfway.
Eventually, as they part Jaune loosens his grip on her and lets out a shuddering sigh.
"You havegotto let me do that again." He manages to say breathlessly. Velvet nods in response, not quite finding the words again. Jaune nods back at her and leans in again. This time when their lips meet, Jaune raises his hand, letting it glide along her back, sending shivers down it for Velvet as he lifts it further and places it on one of her rabbit ears. He brushes his hand through her soft fur, and this time when they part Velvet's blush has deepened, spreading down to her neck.
"Uhm, please don't..." Jaune's eyes widen and he quickly lets go of her, taking a step away.
"S-sorry! I guess I got a little carried away..." Guilt crushes into him like a tide, nearly sweeping him away when he sees the worried expression on Velvet's face.
"No-no, its okay!" She responds quickly, trying to assuage his nerves. "It was... nice! My ears are just really sensitive... And uhm..." She looks around at the crowd that begins to form in the street for the lunch time rush. "Faunus don't normally touch each other like that unless its somewhere more private..." Her eyes water a little bit as she looks back up to meet Jaune's gaze. He nods, and takes her hand in his, then places his other hand over his chest.
"I'm sorry Velvet, I promise I won't let something like that happen again." Velvet nods, confident he means what he says by his words, and takes a deep breath to calm herself down. Her flush lessens, and they continue walking together as if nothing had happened, even as if they hadn't kissed. Velvet doesn't want to make Jaune more uncomfortable after what happened, and Jaune feels like he's already pushed the girl too far. So instead, they continue walking, content with how their date went for now.
However, neither of them seem to notice that as they walk back to the campus together, their hands remained intertwined the entire way home.