A commission for chuklebrotherz! He asked for Coco and Velvet in their first year at Beacon, how the two of them become friends, and eventually more. I'm glad I could finally write a longer fic for these two and give them the attention they deserve~ Enjoy!

If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

A Love To Unfold

"Hey, come on you guys! Seriously, or we're gonna be late!"

Coco called out to motivate her team as they scurried around the dorm room, trying to grab the correct book or shove their heels into their shoes.

While she might've only been a first-year student herself, Coco was determined to be a good leader to her new teammates, especially since they were going to be together for the next four years.

Being a good leader entailed a lot of things. One of those was making sure her team woke up on time and got to classes without being penalized for tardiness. While she may have flunked on the former this morning, there was still time to avoid the latter.

Coco hurried around the room to help her friends in turn.

Yatsuhashi was desperately searching for a misplaced notebook, which Coco quickly located under his bed. She grabbed it and tossed it to him.

"Oh. Thanks, Coco."

"Don't mention it!"

Next was Fox, who was grumbling under his breath as he packed his bag for classes.

"Today we've got Anatomy of Grimm, then Battle Tactics and History of Vale..." He was groping the various textbooks on the table, trying to judge which book was which by their thickness and size.

Coco made quick work of helping him sort them.

"Here. Grimm's on the left, Tactics is in the middle, and History's on the right," she told him as she placed them into his bag for him. The boy blinked his white gaze at her and smiled a bit.

"Thanks."

"No sweat."

Once she'd finished helping out the boys, Coco turned to look for her female teammate.

Velvet was sitting on the edge of her bed, struggling with tying her shoe laces. Her ears were twitching nervously at the thought of being late to class on one of her first days here, and her fingers were shaking so badly she kept dropping the laces and failing to tie them.

Coco approached the Faunus girl a bit more softly. Growing up, she'd never really been around Faunus any more than just passing them on the street, or having them be entertained as guests with the rest of the people at dinner parties.

But Coco herself had never really been in such close contact with one before, especially not one as jumpy as Velvet.

Even back in the Emerald Forest during initiation last week, Coco was amazed that Velvet had made it out in one piece, not because she seemed incompetent in any way, but simply because she always seemed to be so nervous.

Coco could still easily recall when Fox and herself had encountered Velvet and Yatsuhashi in the forest. The Faunus girl had appeared to be almost scared about having such an intimidating-looking person as her partner. Luckily, she seemed to have gotten surprisingly attached to Yatsuhashi within the past few days, likely due to his gentle, taciturn nature.

But Coco noticed how Velvet was still very panicked around just about everyone else. Herself included.

So presently, she approached the girl slowly, as not to startle her, making her presence known.

"Hey, Velvet? Need some help there?"

Even despite Coco's attempt to keep her voice low, Velvet still jolted. A blush of embarrassment crept over her cheeks as her fingers continued to fumble with her laces.

"N-No. I'm fine. I can do this myself."

Coco hesitated. She wasn't quite sure yet what kind of boundaries remained between the two of them, since they'd only just started living together. She didn't know how hard she was supposed to push.

She decided to give it one last shot, for the time being.

"You sure? I'm happy to help. It's not a big deal."

She watched the girl's body language, how her stiff shoulders slouched just a little, going from tensed to relaxed. Her erect ears also seemed to lose a bit of tension, enough to curve down in a more comfortable, though only slight, droop.

"A-All right, then. If you're sure..."

Coco smiled. Kneeling down at her teammate's ankles, she began fastening her shoe laces for her. Velvet kept twiddling her fingers in her lap now that she had nothing to do with them.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "You must think I'm so incompetent. I can't even bring myself to tie my own shoes..."

Coco finished one shoe, they reached for the other.

"Hey, did I ever say that?" She peered up at Velvet past her shades, her lips still in a kind smile. "Listen. I get it. It's our first semester in our first year. We're all kinda clumsy and don't know what we're doing right now."

Coco had already established a relationship with each of the boys to a certain degree, so she felt it appropriate to use them as examples now for Velvet's sake. "For example, Yatsuhashi's always losing his stuff, and Fox still can't fight his way out of a wet paper bag."

She briefly flashed them each a playful look, but both boys only shrugged, knowing she was telling the truth. Coco gave her full attention back to Velvet.

"And as for me, I'm the biggest mess out of all of us. I hardly have a clue what I'm doing. Well... wait, guess that doesn't sound too reassuring coming from your leader..."

She finished tying Velvet's shoes and trailed off, realizing how uncool she'd just accidentally made herself out to be. But as she was fumbling for a way to redeem herself, she realized she didn't have to.

A soft, short-lived chuckle sounded from the bed, and she looked up just in time to see the last few seconds of Velvet's smile before it faded.

"I... think I understand. Thank you..."

Coco wasn't sure if the girl had understood in quite the way she'd been anticipating, but she knew better than to press the matter further.

She maintained her easygoing smile as she stood herself up.

"So don't worry, okay? Don't worry about asking me for anything. I'm your leader, but most importantly, I'm your friend. I'll help you in whatever way I can if you need it. Even if it's something like tying your shoes. I've got'cha covered, from the tips of your toes to the tops of your ears. Okay?"

Velvet had stiffened a little bit again at the mention of her ears, which stood tall once more. Coco titled her head, wondering if she'd said something she shouldn't have.

But before they could expand upon the matter, Yatsuhashi called out to them from the doorway.

"Guys? Class starts in one minute."

"Shit-"

Coco quickly hurried over to the desk with Velvet on her heels. Coco grabbed her own bag, swiftly handed Velvet hers, and then the four of them were out the door and hurrying through the hallway.

As the weeks passed them by, Coco did her utmost best to be the leader figure in her team.

She was always there whenever someone needed help, even if they didn't always ask for it. She'd made it her goal to work on her perception skills, so she could recognize the feelings of the people around her, even if they were reluctant to express them.

She felt as though she was doing a good job, if she could be so bold as to think that about herself.

Despite his blindness, Fox was probably the easiest person on the team to read. While he did have the habit of being reclusive sometimes, Coco recognized early on when he wanted some personal space, and when he wanted someone to confide in. She always made sure to lend an ear whenever he needed it.

During battle, she had his back, and he had hers.

She'd never forget their first mission together as an official team, when they'd been asked to collect various samples of tree sap from Forever Fall. When an Ursa had suddenly attacked them, Coco and Fox had taken it down before Yatsuhashi or Velvet could even draw their weapons.

Coco had been so enthused with their success that she'd gone to pat Fox on the back, but hadn't been paying attention to how high she'd been aiming.

She'd never seen a boy blush quite like that before.

In fact, her entire team blushed, herself included. Though she'd apologized, Fox had surprised her by laughing it off, and it hadn't taken long for Coco to join in as well.

Yatsuhashi was a bit more challenging to figure out.

Early on, Coco barged in on his meditation routines a couple of times before she learned his schedule and preferences. She did her best to respect his quieter times, though she did sometimes lose track of where he'd gone off to in order to be alone.

She once quite literally stumbled upon him in the courtyard, sitting behind a bush. In her effort to bond with him a bit more, she'd even joined him in a few of his sessions, trying to understand the tranquility of it all.

While she might not have been an expert like he was, she saw it in his eyes that he appreciated her trying.

The boys were a bit easier for Coco to understand and relate to. She felt she was making good progress with her teammates by the time the first semester had ended.

Well, most of her teammates, anyway.

There was still a certain Faunus girl Coco was having trouble with getting to.

Whenever it came to helping out one of the boys, she was always quick to be open and blatant with them, perhaps even brutally honest sometimes. There was a sense of ease about their interactions.

But whenever it was Velvet, Coco could always feel herself take a step back, figuratively if not literally.

She didn't understand it at first. She never consciously thought about it, actually, until one day when Velvet called her out on it.

They'd been alone in the dorm room during lunch break, having hurried back to grab a forgotten book for the afternoon classes. Velvet had been pawing through the shelves in search of it, mumbling quietly under her breath. Coco waited for her patiently.

"Need any help?"

"No thanks. I've got this." Velvet's reply seemed a little more curt than usual.

Coco had only ever known her to be habitually hesitant, so this was throwing her off a bit. She floundered for something else to say.

"You sure you're up for combat practice later? How's your back? That was a nasty scratch that wolf gave you there last week."

Velvet had picked out her book by now, and she turned back to her leader. For once, her eyes didn't waver or flick away. The ebony pools pierced through Coco's shades and met the eyes behind them.

"Please..." Velvet let out a sigh and shook her head a bit. "I know you mean well, but you don't have to baby me."

Coco couldn't stop her jaw from dropping a bit. She had no idea what was happening or where this was coming from. She'd never heard Velvet speak this way before. It was bold, direct, and rather unexpected of her.

Baffled as she was, Coco did her best to try and form a response.

"I... what? I'm not trying to baby you at all. I'm just concerned that-"

"Concerned that I'm weaker than the rest of you because I'm a Faunus?"

Velvet didn't blink once as she spoke, her voice hard and borderline accusatory.

Coco was dumbfounded. She'd done her best all this time to be a good leader, and here she was being accused of being a racist.

"Hold on a sec," she said, putting her hands up for peace. "When the hell did I ever say anything like that? Listen, if that's the kind of vibe I've been giving off, I wish you would've told me sooner. That's not what I'm trying to do here, Velvet."

"Are you sure?" One of her ears twitched as her eyes narrowed. "Because it seems awfully obvious that you think I deserve some kind of special treatment just because of my ears. I might not be the smartest student or the best fighter on campus, but I made it into Beacon of my own accord, remember. I'm just as competent as any human here."

"I never said you weren't!" Coco reminded her. "All I did was ask about your injury."

Velvet continued giving her a hard stare, trying to detect any ulterior motives. Coco removed her shades so she could see clearly into her eyes.

"Listen..." Coco went on. "I never meant to treat you differently. Trust me, if I did do it, I had no idea I was doing it. Do you really think I'd be able to live with myself being your team leader if I discriminated? I'm sorry if I acted that way. So... would you mind telling me what I did? What have I been doing all this time that made you feel that way? Help me fix it, Velvet. Please."

She was speaking from the bottom of her heart. It was so frustrating, to be told that even though she'd been trying her best all this time that her best hadn't been good enough, that she'd still managed to offend one of the people closest to her, enough to make her feel mistreated and possibly even threatened.

She bit her lip, but didn't turn her gaze away from Velvet, not even for a second.

The Faunus girl was silent for a moment, looking unsure of herself once again, more like the persona she typically revealed.

"It's just as I've said. You're always looking at my ears." She looked away, down at the floor once more. "And I just feel like... you're always asking me if I'm okay, more than you ask anyone else. You're always checking up on me. But I can take care of myself. I always have."

Coco listened in silence to every word she had to say, taking them all to heart. She'd never noticed it herself, but maybe she did tend to look at Velvet more than anyone else.

She didn't want to let the conversation drop here, with Velvet upset at her. Though Coco wasn't feeling awfully confident in herself, she tried to say something anyway.

"I... never really noticed I did any of that, Velvet. Honest. I don't always stop to think before I act, you know? Guess that's something else I could work on..."

Now, it was Coco who was looking at the floor, and Velvet who was listening quietly. Coco tried to be as comprehensive as possible as she went on.

"I never meant to baby you. I'm equally as worried about all of you in my heart, but I guess my mouth doesn't give off that impression, huh? Either way, I'm just trying to make sure everyone's okay. 'Cuz if there's anything I can do to help my team, I want to do it."

She wasn't sure if the things she was saying right now were making a whole lot of sense, but she did her best to speak earnestly on the spot.

"As for always looking at your ears... I guess it's just because... I've never really been around Faunus too much. Most of my life, it's just been my family and family friends, all humans. To be honest with you, I've never been so close to a Faunus before.

"Even though society claims they're erasing the lines between the races, it seems like it's taking an awfully long time to do that. I think that's probably the main reason I stare – because I'm not used to it. But one day I will be. Believe me, I'm trying."

She wanted to say more, but she stopped herself there.

She didn't know if she was saying things wrong. It might've sounded as though she was treating Velvet like some mythical creature she'd never seen before, since Faunus were so "special". The last thing she wanted to do here was generalize and make things even worse for herself.

She could only flick her gaze up to her teammate again, hoping Velvet could understand.

A moment of silence passed between them, and Coco waited for a response.

At last, Velvet took a small breath.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"...What? Hey, don't worry about me, here. I'm the one who's worried I've made you upset."

"But you haven't really," Velvet assured her. "Now that you've explained everything to me, I understand where you're coming from. It was my fault for assuming you were trying to discriminate against me just because you're a human. I was the one being judgmental.

"I guess I'm just kind of used to that kind of treatment. Whenever someone stares at me, I just assume it's because they're calling me a freak in their minds. So with you, I'd just assumed you were trying to hold my hand as if I needed human guidance, like I was inferior or something..."

Coco couldn't stop herself from blurting out an interruption.

"No! That's not-"

"It's all right. I know that's not the case with you. I'm sorry for ever assuming it was." Velvet offered her a small, timid smile. "I'd never really thought to consider things from your perspective before. Like how you said you've never really been around Faunus so closely before. I'm sure you've never lived with one before. I didn't stop to think about how unusual it might be for you to suddenly be thrown in with me, what with these unnatural ears and all."

"They're not unnatural," Coco said. "They're just your ears. Just because they don't look like every other Faunus' or humans' ears doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them. To think this world is still so messed up it'd push someone into believing their own body was unnatural..."

Velvet was quiet as she spoke, and her ears actually loosened up a little bit.

"That... That means a lot to me, hearing you say that."

She smiled, and Coco reflected it.

"Look. Again, I'm sorry I ever gave off that kind of impression, Velvet. I never meant to make you feel that way. But I'm glad you told me about it. Now that I know what I've been doing, I'm gonna work harder to try and be more competent about it. The last thing I wanna do is chase you away."

"I'm sorry as well," Velvet said again. "I think I just got a bit too defensive. I never meant to make you feel as though you were doing something wrong. You're a great leader, Coco, and an even better person. You've proven that to us time and again. I know you'd never intentionally try to hurt me. And I must thank you again for that."

Coco let out a sigh of relief. She was glad all of this had taken a turn for the better, for both their sakes.

They'd both addressed issues they'd been keeping to themselves for a while, and finally having those things out in the open seemed to have done them both some good now.

"Still," Coco said. "From now on, if I do something that makes you uncomfortable, you can tell me straight up. Don't worry about hurting my feelings or anything like that. I'll get over it. What's most important here is that all of us feel safe."

"All right. I'll do my best, Coco."

The leader blinked, her eyes wide again now. She realized this was the first time Velvet had called her by name.

In the past several weeks, Velvet would only ever refer to Coco if it was already obvious who she was talking about, or if someone else in conversation had spoken her name first.

But this was the first time she'd ever said her name.

Coco loved how it sounded in Velvet's voice. It had never sounded better, in her opinion.

Velvet, too, seemed content to have finally said her leader's name with confidence, as though she'd been trying to muster up the courage to do that for a while now. Her ears had settled comfortably by now, no longer stiff. They swayed easily as she picked up her book and crossed the room.

"We should head back to lunch."

"Right behind ya."

As they closed the door behind them and headed out into the hallway, Coco noticed that Velvet was keeping pace beside her now, whereas she would typically stick to the back of the group, or trail behind whomever she was following.

She felt she'd finally made the connection with Velvet she'd been seeking to make all this time.

And maybe, just maybe, Velvet was finally beginning to open up and trust her as well.

As the weeks progressed, Coco and her teammates continued to get closer to one another.

They all had a special kind of connection each individual person could only have with one of the others. Coco had made sure to establish her relationships with the other three as soon as possible, and she also paid attention to how they interacted with one another.

It was a big relief to her to discover that her teammates were all getting along very well with each other. There were never any arguments or squabbles - nothing beyond the severity of debating which of them would get to finish off the stray Grimm that had wandered onto their path during a mission, anyway.

From what Coco could discern, she'd lucked out big time. Her team was very closely bonded and cooperative. They worked well on and off the field, helped each other in classes, and with whatever else they might need.

They got closer as the term went on.

By the time they were halfway through their second semester, they'd gotten used to Coco's tendencies to get a little too excited whenever they won a fight or a match. Ever since she'd first misplaced her congratulatory pat on Fox, Coco had done it to him and Yatsuhashi several more times.

Both boys always blushed a bit, but understood this was their leader's way of praising them in a way only she could. Any it wasn't like they minded, anyway.

The first time she'd done it for Velvet, however, had been quite a scene.

They'd just finished touching up their weapons and refining their skills on the practice course. Velvet had given quite an impressive display, showing off her wide range of abilities well enough to best the corse in record time.

As the cheers had erupted around them, Coco had rushed to her friend's side and given a light slap to her lower back.

"That's my girl!"

Velvet squeaked, her ears perking up tall as her cheeks were painted pink.

But she didn't lash out at Coco or scold her. She merely sighed and hid her face in her hands as her leader laughed, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and sung praises about her to the rest of the freshmen class.

After their more serious talk in the dorm room a few weeks back, the two girls had become much closer in every sense of the word.

They confided in one another and discussed things privately, talking about things their male partners would never understand. There was a level of respect and camaraderie between them now that they'd gotten past the awkwardness of their differences in species.

Velvet never felt ashamed of her heritage around any of her teammates, but the comfort she found at Coco's side was something particularly unique.

And Coco did end up treating Velvet a little differently than she treated anyone else. But it wasn't for bad reasons, and Velvet understood that. She knew Coco only gave her special treatment now because they were such good friends, and not because she was belittling her.

It took Coco those several weeks since their first private chat to realize that she really did let her eyes wander Velvet's way more often than anyone else's. Her eyes were naturally drawn to those tall, soft ears that would wiggle and twitch at every little sound, even if Velvet herself didn't realize it.

And it wasn't just the ears, of course. Velvet had a lot more going for her than just those.

She was very pretty, after all.

No matter what side of herself she was showing, that always held true.

The shyer, more hesitant side of Velvet was what most other students and professors saw, be it in the classrooms, hallways, cafeteria, library, or wherever else.

But her teammates and a few of her combat training professors had also seen Velvet's scarier side.

When she got angry, she made sure everyone knew about it. Whether it was something as minute as a swift, hard stomp of her foot and a scowl, or something as grand as taking down two Ursai without any assistance whatsoever, she made sure her temper showed when it had to.

Usually, that only happened if one of her friends was in danger though, and thankfully, that wasn't too often.

But no matter what side of the Faunus girl was showing, Coco always liked to look her way.

And sometimes she got caught, especially if she ended up staring for more than a few minutes at a time, which was always long enough for Velvet to turn her head and catch her in the act.

But thanks to her leader's shades, Velvet couldn't always tell whether or not Coco really was looking at her.

Of course, Coco knew the answer, though.

Yes. Yes, she was. She was almost always looking Velvet's way, and it took her a while to understand why.

In fact, just the stolen glances, excessive touches, and private conversations weren't enough to make her see.

It would take something a bit more pressing than all of that.

It was an afternoon right after one of their combat sessions.

Team CFVY had more or less stolen the show on the newest practice course.

The instructors had set loose an army of holographic Grimm, a recent technological advance that was commonly used for training purposes at the Academies teaching huntsmen and huntresses.

The beasts couldn't physically touch the students, but if the makeshift claws or teeth passed through them and their scrolls signified they'd "lost" enough aura, they would have to stop fighting.

Coco's team had more or less dominated, coming out with only minimal aura loss after having executed every last beast given to them.

And that had been widely thanks to Velvet.

She'd been saving up her weapon's abilities for some time now, and given that this fighting assessment had been a good portion of her team's grade for the semester, she'd gone all-out.

Of the twenty or so monsters that had been set on them, Velvet had easily taken care of almost half.

After being highly commended by the professor and praised by her classmates and team, Velvet had thanked them all and hurried off to change, all while futilely attempting to hide her blush.

Coco grinned as she watched her friend scurry away back into the building.

"Man, she's really something," she said. "Yatsu, you're lucky she was there to save your sorry ass." Laughing, she meandered over to the tall boy and hip-bumped him so hard he nearly fell over. Chuckling, he couldn't deny her.

"Yeah. And she saved you a couple times, too," he reminded her.

"All of us," Fox corrected. "I doubt we would've gotten such a high score without her."

"Yeah, she's been workin' hard," Coco agreed. "I'm gonna go catch her and remind her what a good job she did. I'll catch you guys later."

With a wave, she left the boys behind to watch the rest of the teams' matches for the afternoon, but Coco dipped her head to the instructor and took her leave. She took her weapon with her so she could toss it in her locker.

In its more compact form, her massive gun still weighed a hefty amount, but she swung the bullet-lined strap over her shoulder with ease.

She assumed Velvet would've gone to the changing rooms first, and then to the lockers to put her own weapon away. So if Coco didn't catch her in the changing room, she'd catch her at the lockers.

With this plan in mind, she set a rather leisurely pace. There was a grin on her lips, one hand halfway into her pocket as the other tapped the strap of her weapon in no rhythm in particular.

She was in such a good mood after that session. Not only had they just wiped the course clean in record time in terms of first-year teams, but they'd even beaten the current second-year record as well.

They were proving that team CFVY were a force to be reckoned with, and at Beacon, that was something for a first-year team to be proud of.

Coco had almost gotten to the point of whistling as she neared the changing rooms. She expected this area to be quiet right now, since most of the other students were still outside watching others complete the course.

But Coco paused in her saunter when she heard the obvious sounds of voices. Multiple male voices.

The hell do they think they're doing so close to the girls' changing rooms? I swear, if a couple of perverts get in my way right now, I'll kick their sorry assess into suspension faster than they can beg for mercy.

Now with her mood appropriately altered, Coco continued forward with a bit more urgency in her step. She was still too far away to see them or make out any distinct words they were saying, but she could hear plenty of annoying laughter.

Morons. They won't be laughing once I get my hands on them.

But her thoughts cut off immediately when she heard another voice smothered into the mix, a much softer, shriller voice.

"S-Stop it!"

That one was unmistakable.

"Velvet?"

Coco was flat-out running now, fear and anger creating a burning sensation in the pit of her stomach. She raced around the next corner and the voices finally got faces to be put to.

Four boys, all fellow freshman who were supposed to be outside completing the practice course right now. But instead, the team chose to be in here, cornering a crying Faunus girl.

Velvet was shrieking in pain as the boys only laughed. Each of her ears was being pulled in opposite directions by two of the boys while the others were merely commenting on the scene.

"Not so tough now, are ya, bunny?"

"Bet you cheated out there on the field. No way you coulda done all that with just your stupid little box of a weapon!"

"Cheaters deserve punishment!"

"And you're gonna pay for kicking my legs out before!"

Another savage tug was given to each of her ears, and Velvet screamed.

Coco couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her legs wanted to both give out, and propel her forward at the same time. Her voice wanted to both cry out and to shout at the top of her lungs.

Her heart was breaking, seeing Velvet being hurt like this, the tears in her eyes, the way her legs were shaking, her hands desperately trying to swat away the arms roughly yanking her delicate ears. She looked like she was going to throw up or pass out from the terror and the pain.

And that was partially how Coco felt as well.

It was unreal how cliché and horrible such a scene was. But there was no way she could ignore this. No way in hell.

The dismay in her heart was overtaken by unadulterated fury. Her cold fists begged for something warm to sink into, her heels itching for something to break.

Before she knew it, the coursing adrenaline had sent her flying forward in a rage.

"LET! HER! GO!"

Even before the stupefied boys could be confused about the new arrival, Coco had already slammed her weapon into one of their backs, causing him to gag and crumple to his knees like a tranquilized beast. He lie there, moaning and complaining nonsensically, and Coco was sure to step on his hand as she faced the other three.

"Whoa, what the-"

But that boy, too, was stopped dead in his tracks as Coco aimed and threw a brutal punch to his jaw, knocking him back against the wall where he fell to the floor.

For the final two, Coco grabbed both of their arms and twisted them back. As the boys were howling in agony, Coco spun herself around, stepping underneath their arms and maneuvering herself until she'd smashed both their heads together. She gave a shove, and they joined their teammates in littering the floor.

They were all moaning and whining now as they staggered to their feet.

"What the hell?!"

"Crazy bitch!"

"My arm's broken!"

"We're gonna report you!"

Coco whipped around to face them all, a vicious snarl curling her lip.

"Be my goddamn guest, you bastards! I'll be right behind you, reporting you for assault! Fuck off or this time I'll break something other than your arms!"

The way her shades had been slightly misplaced during the squabble allowed them all to see her burning eyes, and none of them missed it when her sharp gaze traveled below the belt.

After that, they boys fled with tails between their legs, howling pitifully.

Coco huffed as she watched them go, her hair and clothes having gotten a bit ruffled in the fight, her shades crooked on her nose.

But she didn't fix her appearance at all. She'd dropped her weapon against the wall, but even now didn't bother to collect it.

There was something much, much more important to attend to now.

Turning around at last, she could give her full attention to the last person in the hallway with her.

Coco felt her heart break all over again.

Velvet had slumped back against the wall and fallen to her knees. She was curled up in a tight, defensive ball, making herself look as small as possible. Her face was in her lap as she hunched over, her hands cupping down over her abused ears.

Despite her position, Coco could clearly make out her distraught cries.

"It hurts... it hurts..."

Coco was so pissed. She had half a mind to chase after those boys and follow up on her prior threats, determined to break every bone in their bodies if she had to.

But she would have to save all of that for later. Because even more overpowering than the desire to take her anger out on them, was the desire to help her friend.

Slowly, quietly, she stepped forward towards her, curled up and crying on the floor. Velvet was shaking uncontrollably, her ears trembling beneath her palms as she all but wailed in agony.

Coco dropped to her knees beside her, feeling frustration stinging behind her eyes. She pulled off her shades and put them into her pocket so she could wipe her eyes.

"Velvet...?"

She kept her voice very low, very gentle, and her touch even more so. Reaching out, she lightly placed one hand over her teammate's shuddering back.

Velvet jolted almost violently beneath her fingertips, and Coco instantly pulled away, fearing she'd hurt her.

"Velvet? Hey, it's me... Velvs...?"

The nickname was one that she didn't use often, only when the two of them were alone together. It was something unique only to them.

It made Velvet realize who was there with her, and that she wasn't going to be hurt anymore.

Slowly, though she still trembled all over, Velvet peeked her head up from her lap and turned round, watery ebony eyes to her leader.

It took all of Coco's self-restraint not to reach out to her again. She clenched her fists so she wouldn't touch and startle her a second time.

Tears were streaming down Velvet's cheeks, her loose brown hair a mess all across her shoulders and down her back and chest. She sniffled, but her eyes shifted into focus on her leader, and recognition crept into her blurry vision.

"C-Coco...?" Velvet shook her head a little bit, her hands still pressed down over her aching ears. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't know it was you... I c-couldn't hear..."

Coco couldn't stop herself from crying any longer, not after seeing Velvet in so much pain.

But the Faunus girl's words made her realize that Velvet hadn't jolted earlier because it was Coco touching her. She'd only flinched because with her ears pressed down as they were, Velvet couldn't hear what was happening and didn't know Coco had arrived until now. She'd thought the person touching her back had been another abuser.

But now that she knew the reality, Coco tried again to comfort her.

"Velvs... Can I touch you? Just to help you up?"

Velvet's lips were trembling so badly, she couldn't give a verbal response this time other than more tiny sobs. But she nodded her head in an indisputable display of acceptance.

It was a relief for Coco to receive permission. She reached out right away, placing one gloved hand over Velvet's back and the other on her lap.

Carefully, Coco helped her sit up straight, though Velvet still refused to remove her hands from her drooping ears. She was looking around fearfully, but when she no longer saw her attackers there, she realized what must have happened. Coco's next words only confirmed it.

"It's okay. They're never gonna even look your way again, Velvs. I promise. Can you stand? I'll take you to the nurse. Here, like this. Can you gimme your hand for a sec?"

Velvet sniffled, but complied. She removed one hand from her ear, and it stood upright in its natural position again. She whimpered as it moved on its own, little prickles of pain shooting through the sensitive fur and membrane.

Coco accepted her teammate's hand and slowly helped her to her feet, keeping one arm at her back and the other at her collar to support her. She just kept murmuring reassurances to her.

"It's okay. It's all right. I got'cha, Velvs."

Velvet sobbed in relief as she leaned into Coco's side, then pulled her ear back down once more. Putting pressure on the sore parts made the pain go away for a bit, though now her aura was working to help as well.

As Velvet tried to take a few deep breaths, Coco faced their next challenge.

"Shit... the infirmary's across the building. And the professor is still outside..."

It was clear Velvet wouldn't be able to walk very far in her condition. And Coco didn't want to bring her crying teammate outside for everyone to see as she herself explained to the professor what had happened.

It would be best to keep this matter as private as possible, as not to further humiliate poor Velvet.

As Coco was frantically debating what to do, Velvet's thin, wobbly voice spoke up.

"It's... okay... We don't have to go... to the nurse... I'm fine. Just... back to the room is fine... I just need a few minutes o-of quiet. I'll be fine..."

Coco didn't feel convinced. She rubbed Velvet's back softly and coaxed her to look up into her eyes.

"Hey, are you sure? If you're injured, you need medical attention, Velvs."

But the Faunus girl shook her head.

"I'm really fine... they only pulled my ears."

Coco paused for another moment, looking her friend over. She realized that Velvet was only shaking and crying due to the fear of being attacked like that out of nowhere, in an environment that was supposed to be safe for her.

But she wasn't suffering from any physical, visible wounds, no blood or bruises.

Good thing, too, because if Coco had seen any of that, those boys wouldn't have been able to run by the time she was finished with them.

But she was now realizing that Velvet seemed to be telling the truth, and that her injuries didn't extend past her ears.

Even still, the fact that she'd been hurt at all was disgusting in and of itself. Coco would be sure to address this issue with the faculty at a later time. But for now, she focused on Velvet.

"All right. Let's take it slow, okay? The dorms aren't far. Just let me know if you wanna take a rest."

With careful steps, and even more careful hands, Coco led her crying teammate back to their dorm room.

As they walked, Velvet's tears started to fall less and less frequently, and Coco hoped the Faunus girl's pain was ebbing away thanks to her aura.

Coco unlocked their door and lightly kicked it open with her boot, making sure not to hit it too hard or risk making any loud noises.

Velvet's ears had always been highly sensitive to both sound and touch. So for those boys to have not only yelled and laughed so loudly, but also to have pulled her ears so forcefully...

It made Coco's blood boil all over again.

But just as quickly as the heat came into her veins, it vanished as they reached the beds, and Velvet sunk down onto the edge. Her hands were still covering her ears, and she was struggling to turn her face so she could wipe her eyes against the sleeves on her elbows.

Coco didn't waste any time in hurrying to the mini fridge to get her a bottle of water, then grabbed the tissue box from the desk, and was back at her side in an instant.

She sat beside her for a few minutes, offering her tissues and the water. She even dripped a few drops onto one of the tissues and, with Velvet's nod of consent, dabbed it over her eyes and forehead for her to help her cool down.

Once Velvet felt the pain in her ears was mostly gone, she let go of them and accepted the bottle of water to drink a little.

Coco watched as Velvet's ears lifted up into their natural position once more, though they weren't standing as tall as usual. One of them seemed to be slightly bent as well, dropping almost limply.

With the water and tissues now out of the way, Coco couldn't stop herself from wrapping her arm around Velvet's shoulders once again.

Sighing and sniffling, Velvet leaned into her side. The shaking had more or less stopped by now, but her breathing was still a little uneven, and understandably so.

Coco rubbed her back soothingly, reaching around with her other hand to find Velvet's in her lap. She made sure to keep her tone very soft.

"You sure you're okay, Velvs? Be honest with me."

She felt another nod against her shoulder.

"I'm fine... I'm okay now. Really, I am."

"All right." Coco let out a breath, trying to release all of her anger along with it and just focus on Velvet now. "Wanna tell me what happened?"

"...I'd just finished changing... and was finished putting my weapon away. I was about to come back outside to watch the rest of the teams on the course. And they must've followed me, because... it was almost like they were waiting for me. Like an ambush..." She blinked, and another tear fell.

"They started by just talking, saying how I probably cheated in what I did on the course. They said that... no Faunus could ever be that skilled of her own volition. They tried to grab at me, and I fought them off for a moment. I kicked one of them..."

As she recalled that tidbit with a bit of satisfaction in her voice, Coco also remembered how one of the boys had said she'd kicked his legs out. A bit of pride swelled through her chest for her teammate for a split second before Velvet continued.

"But then they just started shouting so loudly... that hurt enough with all four of them hollering in my ears. But then they started pulling..." She shuddered again, and her voice tapered off for a moment.

Coco tightened her hold on the girl to help her remember the danger had passed and that she was safe now.

"I'm sorry, Velvs," she murmured. "Sorry that happened to you here under our own roof. I'm sorry they hurt you..."

"It was awful, Coco..." she whimpered, clinging to her leader's torso softly. "N-No matter how hard I tried to fight them off, I just couldn't. There were too many of them and when one of them let go of my ear, another one grabbed on. It hurt. It was humiliating. Like I was some kind of plaything..."

She slipped one of her hands out from beneath Coco's and wiped it over her wet cheeks, catching fresh tears. "I thought I could be stronger than that. That I could... stand up for myself if something like that ever happened... but I couldn't... I was so weak..."

Her voice faded away into little hiccups as she clung to her leader, burying her face in her shoulder.

Coco lifted her arms up now, pulling Velvet into a full embrace. She rested her chin atop the girls' head, being sure to place it between her ears.

"Hey, Velvs, listen to me," she murmured. "You're not weak, ya hear me? It was four-on-one. And like you said, it was an ambush. How were you supposed to fight back under those conditions? We both know that if it'd been a fair fight, you would've wiped the floor with those guys. You proved that to the whole school at combat practice before."

Coco stroked her fingers ever so gently through the girl's long, soft hair, smoothing out the little tangles that had formed during the hallway skirmish.

"You're not weak. You're one of the strongest people I know. And I'm not just sayin' that. You're totally badass, Velvs."

The Faunus girl had been listening in appreciative silence all the while, until that final comment. She actually chuckled a little bit there.

"Well, I'm not so sure about that."

"Really? I am. You rock, girl." Coco tightened her embrace affectionately, causing Velvet to giggle and snuggle closer.

Once Coco believed her teammate was finally starting to feel better mentally, she wanted to address the physical repercussions. Velvet's left ear was still drooping slightly, and she now realized that it wasn't a voluntary act, because the right ear was standing tall once again as it normally did.

Coco tried to be careful in bringing it up, not wanting to offend Velvet for discussing her ears, as she still wasn't sure if that would be insensitive somehow coming from a human. She felt it might be best to just be blunt, and depending on Velvet's reaction, Coco would either persist or withdraw from the matter.

"Hey, how's your ear, Velvs?"

Her mentioning it seemed to make Velvet remember there was something off with it.

"Oh, this? It's all right. It's just got a kink in it. It'll work itself out eventually."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not badly."

"But it still hurts?"

"Only a bit. But really, Coco, it's fine. It doesn't need medical attention. It'll probably fix itself when I least expect it."

Coco frowned a little. She didn't want her teammate being in a state of discomfort, not even a minor one, because then the slight pain would only be nagging at the back of Velvet's mind for however long it took until it was taken care of.

As leader of the team, Coco refused to let her friends suffer even a little bit if she could help it. Therefore, she steeled herself to ask another question, one she tried to keep light and casual in tone.

"Think I could help?"

She was happy with her choice of words. It wasn't a demand or anything that might suggest she was annoyed with Velvet for refusing professional help.

Even so, Velvet jumped a bit, her ebony eyes going wide as she straightened up and peered up at her past her bangs.

"Um..."

She bit her lip, and Coco was fully expecting a refusal. If that was what happened, she'd be fine with it, and respect Velvet's wishes. She'd just wanted to make the offer at all so her friend would know she had options.

But to her surprise – and it seemed Velvet's as well – the Faunus girl agreed.

"Sure..."

For a moment, neither of them made a move. Coco wasn't sure she'd heard correctly, and she had to shake her head a bit to bring herself back into reality.

Velvet, too, seemed hesitant about her choice somehow. Coco wanted to be sure, so she gave her the option to change her mind.

"You sure?"

Velvet paused again, thinking it through. Her skittish eyes softened, and her tense posture loosened a bit. She took a breath, relieved for Coco's second offer to accept or refuse.

But Velvet had made up her mind.

"Yes. I'm sure, Coco."

Again, both girls were silent, as though shocked by their own and each other's acceptance.

Velvet moved away a little, folding her hands on her knees, leaving Coco absent of her warmth.

But once the girls realized they were both all right with the proposed arrangement, it was up to Coco to make her move.

"All right. I'll... do my best then. But if it hurts or you want me to stop, you let me know, all right?"

Velvet's response was a timid nod as she turned her face to the opposite side.

Coco swallowed nervously.

Yes, she'd been hoping Velvet might give her permission to do this, because Coco had always wondered what it would like to be close to her in a way no one else ever had, and simultaneously help her feel better.

But she'd been expecting a rejection, so for Velvet to have accepted was really a little thrilling for her. She didn't want to rush things or do something that might startle her friend.

Slowly, she shifted her weight on the bed, turning herself slightly so she was seated diagonally in relation to Velvet's side and her back. This would ensure they didn't have to make eye contact in case things got awkward.

Coco tried to reach out, but then realized her hand was shaking a little. She pulled it back to get her bearings, and then thought to remove her glove as an excuse to pass the time.

But she knew the anticipation was probably killing Velvet, so for her sake, she didn't wait any longer.

She reached out once more, ignoring the tremor in her arm, until her fingertips were just a hair's breadth away from Velvet's injured ear. She made sure to wait, in case Velvet changed her mind.

But she never did.

Therefore, Coco pushed herself to cover that final, tiny distance.

One by one, her fingertips brushed over the soft, warm fur.

Instantly, Velvet jolted a bit, and her ear naturally flicked away. Coco withdrew her hand immediately.

"S-Sorry! Did I-?"

"N-No, no! I'm sorry!" Velvet turned her face to look her in the eye as she apologized. "You didn't hurt me, I promise. I'm just... not used to it..."

Coco's brow furrowed.

"Like I said, we don't have to do this. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"No... it's all right. You can... try again, if you'd like." She turned away once more and took a deep, steadying breath.

Coco wasn't sure about continuing this. She didn't want Velvet to force herself. But she'd seemed earnest in wanting to try again.

So Coco did as she'd asked and reached her hand out once more. But she also gave her left hand this time, resting it lightly in Velvet's lap. Her teammate seemed to understand what it was for.

Velvet placed her own hands on top of Coco's and squeezed gently. This way, Coco would be able to feel Velvet's reaction to her touching her ears.

Velvet's grip was a little tight and nervous at first, as Coco reached her other hand to her ear once again. It almost tickled, to feel just the tips of the tiny brown furs, but she bit her lip so she wouldn't let out any sounds.

Coco pressed her fingers a little closer, making for a firmer contact. Velvet didn't flinch this time, and her tight grip on Coco's hand loosened a little.

Still, Coco made sure to pay attention to her reaction, any changes in her posture or breathing pattern. She kept her hand still after making the initial contact, giving her teammate a moment to adjust to the feeling while she did the same.

She kept an eye on Velvet, but the Faunus girl didn't seem to be showing any signs of discomfort this time. Coco's patience asked the silent question:

Is this all right?

And Velvet's lack of a negative response resulted in the reply:

Yes.

When they both seemed to be ready, Coco started moving her hand.

It was a bit of a stretch – literally – for her to reach all the way up the length of Velvet's tall ear, but she managed somehow. She trailed her fingers from the tip, where it was bent down a little crookedly, all the way down to the base at her hair.

Soft, gentle strokes, hesitant at first, but that eventually formed a rhythmic pattern of sorts, something calming for the both of them.

Coco watched Velvet closely, in case she winced or gasped at any point.

But the Faunus girl seemed to be relaxing as the minutes passed, and she got used to Coco's touch. Her hands that had been on Coco's other in her lap had gone lax and loose now, indicating a state of comfort had befallen her.

Coco did her best to only give off relaxing vibes, hoping it would help Velvet, as well.

She continued her ministrations on the injured ear, always taking extra care around the kinked part. By now, Coco was able to cup her entire palm around it without fear of unnerving Velvet.

Until now, she'd only made contact with the back of her ear, but she curled her fingers around the sides to brush over the sensitive insides as well.

Velvet jumped a little, her nails digging into Coco's free hand slightly, but she relaxed again almost instantly, and even let out a small sound of contentment.

"Mmn..."

It was undoubtedly the most adorable sound Coco had ever heard. It made her giddy, to know she'd elicited it from her, and that she was doing well enough to make Velvet feel secure enough to produce such a sound.

She continued her work with a small smile on her lips, knowing Velvet's expression must've looked similar.

For several minutes, she massaged her friend's injured ear, rubbing the pads of her thumb and fingers over the slight curve in an effort to ease it out.

Coco was getting so into her task that it took her a moment to realize when Velvet's reaction changed. Her shoulders started to shake, and her hands clung a little tighter to Coco's gloved one in her lap.

Coco was just passing her hand over the droop in her ear when it suddenly popped back up to its proper height again, now matching the other.

But at the same time, she felt something small, wet, and warm hit the back of her glove, seeping through the fabrics.

A small sob escaped Velvet's lips.

"Oh, shit-"

Coco's heart seized in her chest as she pulled her hand away from her ear immediately. She dropped that hand so it could support her teammate's shaking back instead, while she turned her other hand over to hold Velvet's.

"Velvs? I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know I..."

She didn't know what to do with herself. She could feel frustration burning in her own eyes again, hating to think that Velvet had stayed quiet all this time because she'd felt she had to, because her leader had proposed an idea and she wasn't allowed to refuse, no matter how uncomfortable it made her feel.

She just hoped it wasn't a matter of her being a human and somehow making Velvet feel subjected to her wishes. If that was the case, Coco wouldn't know what to do with herself.

Velvet sobbed again, trembling beneath her touch.

Distressed like never before, Coco fretted, and couldn't stop herself from pulling her into a soft embrace.

"I'm sorry, Velvs. I-I didn't..."

She was about to let her go, realizing she probably didn't want to be touched anymore right now.

But before Coco could make her next move, Velvet surprised her yet again.

"No, no!"

She turned herself around to face her, then threw her arms around Coco fervently, squeezing her twice as tightly as Coco had ever dared to hug her. Velvet burrowed her face into her leader's shoulder and pressed close to her, her chest heaving with sobs, but not a bad kind.

Coco was dazed, and she didn't know what to make of this. All she could hope to do was stay put and wait for Velvet to give her an explanation of some sort.

It took her a moment, because she was still crying so much, but she never once loosened her grip on Coco for fear she might run off feeling guilty.

But that was the last thing Velvet wanted her to feel.

Scrambling for words, she did her best to make them coherent.

"Coco... I'm okay. I promised I'd tell you if it hurt. It doesn't. I'm fine, I'm fine... Please don't worry. You haven't hurt me at all... In fact, you've done just the opposite." Her embrace tightened just one last time, then she relinquished her hold a bit.

"I'm sorry I made you feel guilty just now. But I just couldn't stop myself from crying because..."

The sobs rose up again, effectively cutting her off from what she'd been trying to say.

But at the very least, now Coco understood that she'd done nothing wrong to hurt her, and the sense of relief she experienced from that alone was enough to let her shed a few tears into Velvet's shoulder as well.

"Thank god... I didn't hurt you..." she whispered.

Velvet shook her head again, trying to get back her voice.

"Right... you didn't, Coco. Not at all. The only reason I... I've started to cry isn't because you hurt me, but rather... because you made me feel so safe. You made me feel... so cared for. You were so careful about everything. No one's ever shown that much... concern for me before. Let alone a human..."

She grunted, cleared her throat, and then retightened her embrace.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that. It's just... in the past, all humans have ever done was... was hurt me... solely because I'm a Faunus. All I ever got from one of them touching me was pain. Especially on my ears... like earlier..."

Coco felt a small flare of anger rise up in her stomach again at the thought of those boys. She still fully intended to report them at a later time. But for now, she continued listening to Velvet's soft voice.

"I was... so used to people hurting me for being myself. But I knew you'd never do that to me, Coco. We've been through so much together already. We're so close now. I know you'd never hurt me. Whenever you've touched me, it's always been in a friendly manner, like when you pat my shoulder or bump our hips. I never minded it when it was you..."

Another pause, a slow, deep inhale, then the exhale.

"I just... couldn't help but worry about my ears, though. By instinct, I try not to let people touch them. But it was you... so I..."

As she tapered off, Coco's insecurities bubbled back up to the surface. Despite all the heartwarming things Velvet had just honestly revealed to her, Coco needed to know her friend hadn't consented to this just because she'd felt obligated to.

"Velvs... why'd you let me do it? Was it because... 'cuz I'm your leader...?" She couldn't keep the tremor out of her voice, slight as it was.

But Velvet instantly knew what she was really trying to ask.

"Not at all!" she cried softly. "It wasn't because I felt like I was required to say yes to you, Coco. I said yes... because I wanted to."

That was what she'd been needing to hear.

Coco let out a long sigh.

"You mean it?"

"I do." Velvet pulled away slightly, so she could meet Coco's tearful gaze with her own. "I've never felt more safe than I did just now with you. I could truly trust you, Coco. I always could, and I know I always can from now on, too. Being with you... I just feel so loved."

She hadn't really meant for the last part to slip out, so when it did, she cut herself off immediately. Her ears both perked up now that they'd both been healed, her eyes going wide again.

Coco's dark hazel eyes did the same.

She... didn't know how to react to that.

Before she could try to, Velvet hurriedly tried to cover it up.

"N-Not like that! I-I mean... I'm sorry for saying something so foolish. I didn't mean, ah... n-not in that kind of way, I don't think..." Her arms were still loosely wrapped around Coco, so it was difficult to avoid her at such close range. She could only look down at the bed fretfully. "Sorry. Just forget I said any of that..."

"No, hold up a sec."

Coco's soft words had Velvet looking up again, their eyes meeting.

And this time, they couldn't look away.

Velvet's heart started to thump, but she didn't realize she wasn't the only one who started to tremble.

Despite her nerves, Coco knew she couldn't stop talking now, not when she'd gotten this far. So she persisted, choosing her words carefully.

"That... that make a lot of sense, now that you mention it. I mean, for me, at least. Remember that time a few months ago you got mad at me 'cuz I was always staring at you? I said it was because I'd... never really been around Faunus very much. And I think that was true, but I don't think that was... all there was to it..."

Velvet had grown quiet and still, one of her hands having found its way onto Coco's bare one. Patiently, she waited, not sure she knew what was to come, but knowing what she wanted it to be.

Coco swallowed down the butterflies in her chest and went on.

"I mean... you hear about it all the time, right? In movies and in books and stuff. How... you stare at the person you care about most, even when you don't realize you're doing it. Ah, geez, I'm probably sounding so lame-"

"N-No!" Velvet cut in, suddenly. Her eyes were wide again and her ears still tall, her heart pounding in excitement she'd never felt before. "You're not lame, Coco! Please..."

She didn't finish, but her implications were clear:

Go on. Tell me everything.

Another sigh, and Velvet squeezed her leader's hand to encourage her. She knew it was a little unfair of her to be pinning this all on Coco, but she knew her leader would be able to accomplish this much more elegantly than Velvet ever could've hoped to have done it.

Coco looked away, just for a second, then returned her gaze to Velvet's.

"Then... I guess what I'm trying to say is... I'm in love with you, Velvet. I've just been too afraid to say it, but... that's how it is."

She'd done it.

She'd done it, and it was terrifying and exciting and confusing all at the same time.

She'd had crushes before in her younger years, but never anything like what she felt towards Velvet.

This was very different, and she could feel it.

And she was fully expecting rejection, disgust-

-anything other than what she got.

Which was Velvet's little gasp of joy – pure joy.

Her hands flew up to her mouth to cover it, and fresh tears instantly started to run down her cheeks.

Coco was about to say something – what, she wasn't sure – but again, Velvet beat her to it.

"Oh... Oh, Coco-!"

And she jumped forward, throwing her arms around her and bowling her over completely onto the bed. A surprised "oof-!" flew from Coco's mouth, but she didn't mind the breathlessness for a second.

Not when Velvet had curled up on top of her, hugging her warmly as though she were the most precious thing in the world.

And to Velvet, perhaps she was.

"Coco! I... I think I'm i-in love with you, too... Honest... A-And it's not just because you were the first person to be so nice to me and care about me. I've honestly been looking at you for a while now, probably as long as you've been looking at me.

"B-But I was just scared and I d-didn't think you'd feel the same way. I thought I was being stupid o-or desperate. But no matter what I did, I couldn't stop thinking about how kind you were, not just to me, but to everyone. How observant you are, how strong and smart..."

All the while, as she spilled her heart out, she nuzzled into Coco's chest, leaving her leader to wrap her tightly in her arms and hold her close.

"I just... I didn't think it could happen. That you could feel the same..."

Hearing Velvet confess, Coco was able to experience the same joy she'd just let the Faunus girl feel when she herself had confessed a moment earlier.

It was... just pure happiness, and a little bit of fear.

Fear, at first, that these feelings had developed out of obligation rather than anything else.

But just as she'd dashed those fears for Velvet, Velvet did the same for her.

It wasn't just because they were teammates who needed to work together.

It wasn't just because they were drawn to one another due to their difference in species.

Perhaps those things factored in a bit, but they weren't the main reasons these feelings had formed.

Because the main reason was right there in front of them.

They'd fallen in love with each other, and it was as simple as that.

They each needed a moment to just... relish in this bliss, the cathartic sensation of finally confessing feelings for the person they cared most about, and the delightful shock of getting those feelings reciprocated.

Velvet was still sobbing softly, but she was laughing as well.

"I can't believe it..." she kept repeating. "I really can't believe it..."

Coco, on the other hand, remained speechless for quite some time.

She just laid there beneath her, holding her, feeling her breathe, listening to her voice, enjoying her presence. She rubbed her hands up and down her back, and she was glad she'd gotten to remove at least one of her gloves so she could feel more directly.

She wanted to say something, but she wasn't sure what. She decided to stick to what she knew best.

"Velvs... oh gosh, Velvs..."

Velvet's ears twitched whenever Coco used her nickname now, yet another thing that was unique between the two of them and no one else. The crying easily faded away in exchange for gentler breaths and softer giggles, and Coco even joined with those.

Slowly, Coco rolled herself onto her side, placing Velvet next to her in a reflective position, their arms still locked tightly around one another. Velvet pulled away a little and bumped her nose against hers.

"I'm... I'm so happy, Coco. I'm so happy..."

"Then that makes two of us."

She brushed her nose in return and laughed.

Velvet sidled closer and curled herself up, bashfully hiding her blushing face in Coco's collar. Coco rested her chin atop the girl's head, in between her soft ears and gently kissed both of them.

Velvet giggled again, sighing into her chest.

"You know... you kept that promise you made to me back during our first week, when you helped me tie my shoes because I was so nervous. You'd said 'I've got'cha covered, from the tips of your toes to the tops of your ears.'"

As she said this, she tried to mimic Coco's voice, and with Velvet's natural accent, it came out as the most charming thing ever.

"Well, you kept your word, you know. Back then, you helped with my shoes at the tips of my toes, and now you've gone all the way up to the tops of my ears. Literally!"

To be honest, Coco was just flattered at the fact that Velvet had remembered that silly little promise she'd made what seemed so long ago.

"Yeah..." she chuckled. "Guess I did, huh? Well, you can be sure I'll keep helpin' you out whenever I can, Velvs. Promise."

Velvet pulled back a little so she could look into her eyes again.

"And I will, too, Coco. Promise."

She brushed her nose to Coco's again, then returned to her previous position, snuggling up in her arms as they savored this feeling of absolute glee.

Coco longed to kiss more than just her ears, but perhaps that would be for another time.

For now, she was simply content to lay there with her in silence...

Until her scroll began to buzz.

"Ugh, seriously?"

She let go of Velvet with one hand solely so she could fish her scroll out from her pocket and snap it open. Velvet tried to look back over her shoulder to see what the issue was.

"Who is it?"

"It's Yatsu. He wants to know where we are since there are still a bunch of matches to watch."

"Oh... Well, you can just tell him we're taking the rest of the day off, then."

"You bet'cha." Coco quickly swiped out the message and hit send, then silenced her scroll and put it away again. "Gosh, those boys... can't take a hint, can they?"

Velvet giggled again, the sound that made Coco's heart thump.

"We can't blame them," she said. "They don't know what's happened."

"Not yet, anyway. Think we should tell 'em?"

"I think that'd only be fair. Perhaps tonight at supper when it's just the four of us?"

"Sounds like a plan."

The girls returned to their embrace once again, Velvet cuddled up into her chest while Coco rested her chin between her ears.

They were both still wafting with excitement, though perhaps not as strongly as they had been before.

But it was still present, in the beats of their hearts, in the little giggles that slipped out, in the even tinier kisses they placed through each other's hair.

The relaxing atmosphere got the better of them, pulling Velvet first under the blanket of light slumber.

Coco moved back just a little to make sure she could breathe, glimpsing her face. Her lips were curled into a content smile, and her expression was more relaxed than she'd ever seen it before.

It was a very nice feeling to know Coco made her feel safe, and even loved.

And it was even nicer because Velvet made her feel just the same.

Feeling more excited, and yet more at ease than ever before, Coco wrapped Velvet in her arms again, kissed her ears in turn, and closed her eyes.

Beacon would surely have many more trials for them to face as their time here went on.

But she felt one of the biggest trials for Velvet and herself was already behind them.

A/N: There you have it! A little insight (perhaps) on how they'd been off to a bit of a rocky start, as most new teams understandably are. I also made sure to write that Velvet isn't always just timid, but can also be intense and blunt when she has to be.

I hope you enjoyed my little take on the beginning of their relationship, as suggested by chuklbrotherz!

If you like my work, you can support me on P-a-t-r-e-o-n as Kiria Alice!

Please review!