As always, Velvet was the first awake in the Team CFVY dorm. She realized that it was Valentine's Day and sighed. Deciding to get an early breakfast, she got up and quickly changed into her regular clothes, then went to the door. But when she reached it she paused, looking at a slip of paper that had been pushed under the door into the dorm from the hall.

Scowling slightly, Velvet picked up the paper, wondering why it was there. There was unfamiliar writing on it.

Velvet Scarlatina:

Happy Valentine's Day. I've set up a bit of a game for you to play today by putting some notes up around the school. Each one will have a clue to help you find the next. I may not be brave enough to tell you I love you, but I hope you enjoy this anyhow.

Clue: Where tall tales are told to Beacon students, all of them starring a hero with impressive facial hair.

Velvet felt her heart pounding in her chest as she stared at the last line before the clue, unable to believe that someone had slipped a note with a casual declaration of love under the door. Gripping the note tightly, she took off through the halls of Beacon, heading straight to Professor Port's classroom.

Honestly, Velvet usually hated Valentine's Day. It was just a bitter reminder that love belonged more to humans than faunus. Being constantly single was a little wearing.

But now...

Now there was a note taped to Professor Port's door, in the same writing as the one in her hand. The faunus realized she had her camera box and reached behind her to open it and tuck the first note in next to her camera. Then she carefully pulled off the second and smiled, reading the message.

Velvet, if you're reading this, thanks for deciding to play this game with me. I hope you keep it up. Although there is one note you won't be getting until tonight. You'll understand when you get the clue leading you to it. But for now...

Clue: If Dr. Oobleck had a favorite part of the cafeteria, I'm sure this would be it.

Velvet tilted her head, thinking for a few seconds. It had to be the coffee counter. The faunus bounced on her toes for a few seconds before turning and running toward the cafeteria.

Then she came around a corner and skidded to a halt so she wouldn't knock Coco down. Her momentum was too much for her to stop herself in time, but fortunately enough, her leader seemed to have heard her coming.

Coco turned and held out her hands, stepping back with one foot to brace herself as she grabbed Velvet's shoulders. The faunus still ran into her with substantial force, but Coco barely even rocked backward at the collision.

"Whoa, where are you going in such a hurry?" she asked. Velvet took a second to breathe.

"The cafeteria," she admitted.

"What's the rush? Are they serving a special breakfast for this special day?"

"You're cheerful," Velvet noticed.

"Hmm. You didn't answer the question." Coco let go of her shoulders and took a small step back, crossing her arms. Velvet shifted uncomfortably.

"I..."

"And what's that?" Coco nodded at Velvet's hand. The faunus blushed violently and stuffed the note into her box.

"It's nothing! N-nothing. Really!"

Coco raised an eyebrow above her sunglasses, clearly not convinced by the lie.

"You do seem really happy though. Are you getting presents from some admirer?" Velvet changed the subject.

"Unfortunately."

"Huh?" Velvet tilted her head slightly, confused.

"So many people just keep..." Coco trailed off, and her face shifted, her sunglasses seeming to fix on something over Velvet's shoulder.

"Coco?"

"One second. Gotta...yeah." Coco lowered her sunglasses and directed a sharp glare over Velvet's shoulder. "You'd better not be giving that to me."

"Well...I mean, you're the one I got it for..." a male voice said.

"Is that so?" Coco asked dangerously. The unseen boy behind Velvet stammered out an apology and ran away. Coco put her sunglasses over her eyes again.

"Wow. How many is that?" Fox asked, walking up to stand behind Coco, who groaned and rubbed her forehead.

"At least five. I am not going to make it through the day without killing or...at least severely injuring someone."

"I volunteer as not that someone," Fox offered.

"Well since you haven't pulled a move, you're safe. If you do pull a move, you will no longer be safe," she told him. "And you..." Coco pushed a finger into Velvet's collarbone.

"Me?" Velvet asked nervously.

"You never told me why you're so eager to go have breakfast this morning."

"Just...um...a little hungry, I guess."

"I don't buy it, but I'm pretty hungry myself so I won't push you for the truth."

"Off to breakfast?" Fox asked hopefully.

"Yes," Coco confirmed. "Off to breakfast."

When it was time for the arranged gift exchange between Teams CFVY, RWBY, JNPR, and SSSN, Velvet carried the large bag full of smaller boxes and bags containing her gifts to a small room with a cozy fireplace, a ring of comfortable armchairs and couches, and a small table.

The students all passed their gifts around to their rightful owners and squeezed into the seating options. According to a slightly pouting Ruby, Blake had flatly refused to acknowledge the holiday even existed, choosing to lock herself in her dorm and read all day instead. That made several people give disappointed awwws and sighs, but opening presents cheered everyone up.

Velvet decided she'd open the gifts in order of the team she knew least (SSSN) first to the team she knew best and cared about more than anything (her own, of course) last. She eagerly arranged her presents in a line and began to open them.

First there was a gift given by Team SSSN as a collective unit, signed by all of them. She opened the bag to find it full of candy, including a chocolate rabbit. Velvet smiled and looked up to thank them, popping a few fruit-flavored candies in her mouth for emphasis.

Now for Team JNPR. Jaune had offered her a cute teddy bear with dark brown fur, bright green eyes, and a large red heart in its front paws. Pyrrha had given her a pair of lovely gold earrings with small heart pendants. Nora's box contained a fuzzy pink stuffed duck and Ren's gift was a complete series of books she'd been wanting to read for a few weeks.

After she thanked them, Velvet turned her attention to Team RWBY's gifts. Weiss had given her a gold bracelet with camera, rabbit, and heart charms. Ruby, who had apparently bought stuffed animals for everyone, had chosen an extremely soft brown rabbit. Velvet thanked both of them, then turned to the box from the last participating member of Team RWBY.

Yang, naturally, had given her a gag gift: a bag of plastic carrots and some cotton balls glued together. The faunus rolled her eyes and sighed but still smiled. From what she gathered of everyone else's comments, the blonde had done the same for them. Some complaints included a tiara-shaped ice cube tray for Weiss, a lifetime waterpark pass that was registered in Neptune's name so only he could use it (apparently he was afraid of water), a stuffed dog that came with several completely hideous outfits to be dressed in for Coco (the leader's expression was the picture of horrified disgust), and a princess scratch and sniff book for Fox. It was easy to see how proud Yang was of her work.

Ah, now to get to her own team. Velvet smiled and picked up the bag from Fox first. When she dug past the tissue paper, she found a small jewelry box made of reddish wood. Etched in the top was a detailed depiction of Team CFVY, standing in ready positions like they were about to fight a battle. Velvet ginned and called out an eager thanks to Fox, who smiled at her, giving a slight nod. The faunus picked up Yatsuhashi's bag first and dug in it to find a beautiful wood carving of a robin perched on a branch. It was elaborate and elegant, and since Yatsuhashi had recently taken up woodcarving as a hobby, Velvet suspected this was handmade. She thanked him and promised to give him a hug once she wasn't squashed between Coco and the arm of the couch.

That left one last present.

The box from Coco was fairly large. Velvet opened it to see a box of clearly expensive chocolates (Coco had given boxes of those to her whole team) on top of a luxurious scarf. Her leader had given scarves to every girl, each one completely different. Velvet's was a rich caramel color with adorable bunnies of various colors, every one in a different pose than the others, clearly stitched in by hand. The thread used to create those designs felt like silk. The tassels on the ends of the scarf gradually faded from red to gold, each shade blending perfectly into the next for a rippling effect.

There was a layer of tissue paper under the scarf. Velvet looped the new accessory around her neck, smiling at the feel of incredibly soft fabric against her skin, and pulled back the tissue paper, staring in awe at what was beneath it.

It was a scrapbook with a brown velvet cover and gold metal on each corner as well as the binding. A large gold heart was embossed in the cover's center and her name was engraved in elegant script in the middle of it, the letters filled with more brown velvet. The faunus smiled and ran her hand over the cover, delighted at the feel of the soft velvet and cool gold.

Coco's hand resting on her thigh made her jump slightly and look up at her leader.

"Open it."

She nodded and Coco pulled her hand back. Velvet picked up the book and rested it in her lap, opening it. Coco's distinct handwriting flowed across the inside of the cover in black pen.

Velvet,

I know you're running low on money and your scrapbook's almost full, so I figured I'd give you a new one. That way you don't have to buy another one yet. It's pretty good quality and it has a lot of pages. I hope you like it and get some use out of it. Happy Valentine's Day from the most fashionable girl Beacon will ever see to her adorable friend and teammate.

- Coco

Velvet couldn't resist turning and throwing her arms around her leader. For a terrifying moment she was afraid Coco didn't care for such an affection gesture, but those fears were eased when she turned as much as she could to hold Velvet's waist, pulling her closer. The faunus grinned.

"Do you like it?" Coco asked softly.

"Like it?" Velvet replied. "I love it! Thank you..."

"No problem," Coco told her with a chuckle.

"Have you opened mine?" Velvet asked nervously, pulling back from the hug.

"I have."

"Um...what do you think?" Velvet asked. Coco smiled and tapped the round gold locket with a rich brown heart on it, which was resting against her chest.

"I think it's perfect."

Velvet gave a sigh of relief. She had bought the locket and inserted two photos she had taken a few months ago. The first was of Coco perched on one of Yatsuhashi's shoulders while he had Fox trapped in a bear hug. The other was one from when she had set the timer on her camera, just to see how it worked. Coco walked into the dorm, saw the flashing light, and proceeded to drag Velvet right into the view of the camera, pulling the blushing faunus in and picking her up. She had somehow managed to press her lips to Velvet's cheek right as the flash went off, which had, of course, given the leader smug satisfaction that lasted for days.

"But," Coco's voice brought her back to the present, "it doesn't look like you just spent a little pocket change on it."

Which was true. The locket hadn't been cheap. But Coco meant more to her than anyone else. Since they met after being placed on the same team, Coco had been everything to her.

Coco wasn't just a leader, teammate, and friend. She didn't just support and protect Velvet. She was there for her through every step of Beacon life. After leaving the stage once they were named Team CFVY following initiation, the girl had been there.

In the first few weeks, Velvet had felt like her combat skills needed work, but she didn't want to burden her teammates with training more just for her so she hid it. Coco had sent the boys out when one of the first sessions ended but kept Velvet behind and talked her into admitting her doubts. Coco had then trained with her one-on-one with no complaints as much as she thought Velvet needed it, and eventually the faunus started asking for it on her own.

If Velvet was having academic trouble, Coco either transformed into a tutor or roped another (often older) student who was extremely skilled in that subject into helping the faunus improve her grades. In the times when Velvet found herself with another student helping her, Coco stayed the whole time to monitor them, handbag at her side just in case it was needed.

That was something else. Coco did not tolerate anti-faunus discrimination in any form. If someone messed with Velvet, Coco could tell. Even if Velvet didn't tell her leader who did it or what happened, Coco apparently figured it out because the bully or bullies suddenly gained nasty bruises and an intense fear of handbags.

When Velvet was sick, Coco completely ignored obligations to go to classes or meet people to stay in the dorm with Velvet. If the faunus had a headache, Coco made sure she had a dark and quiet place to lie down and rest. If she had to run to the bathroom and throw up, her leader knelt behind her and held her hair out of the way. She produced any food or medication her teammate needed regardless of how much effort or money it took.

Money wasn't an issue for Coco. She had access to funds so deep that they may as well have been unlimited. If Velvet mentioned wanting something or even looked longingly at it while Coco was present, the item in question usually appeared on her bed within a week no matter how much it cost. Sometimes packages rushed from other kingdoms showed up too.

But the times Velvet appreciated Coco most were the times when she was emotionally miserable. Her leader sat there and listened to her, talked her through it, or provided a physical outlet for any pent-up aggression. If Velvet cried, Coco held her and ran her fingers through her hair. The leader hummed too, which was calming, and if Velvet was in enough distress, Coco actually sang to her with a soft, melodic voice that soothed her teammate's troubled emotions. And on many occasions, Coco held her so long that Velvet fell asleep, always waking up to find that Coco hadn't moved for however many minutes or hours Velvet had been sleeping in her arms. Her leader was often asleep herself, and if she was, Velvet would snuggle in a little closer and fall asleep again too, feeling safe and warm.

So saying Coco had been everything to Velvet at Beacon wasn't really a stretch. The faunus was honestly harboring a strong romantic interest in her but she kept it hidden; Coco would never love her that way, and knowing Velvet's feelings might make her leader hesitate at the moments when the faunus needed her the most.

Coco was honestly the best thing in Velvet's life. Being the best thing meant she deserved the best, so the faunus had gladly dug into her meager life's savings to buy the locket.

"It cost a lot, didn't it?" Coco asked.

"You're worth it," Velvet told her. "Yes, it was expensive to me, but giving it to you makes me happy. I wouldn't have been happy with giving you anything else. Would you rather me be out a little money or miserable at the gift I gave you?"

Coco smiled faintly and pulled down her sunglasses so Velvet could see her rolling her eyes.

"You're lucky you're cute," her leader declared.

"I'm lucky you have a soft spot for cute people."

"Hmm. Nah, it's more of a soft spot for you."

Velvet blushed violently.

"Don't forget everyone: there's a dance at eight tonight, and I expect you all to be there!" Weiss announced.

Agreement came from all the students present before they all got up to wander off. Velvet decided she'd continue to follow clues and collect notes. Then she'd go to the dance and hopefully have the best Valentine's Day she could.

Many hours and notes later, Velvet was walking into the dance and happy that she’d finally get to follow her latest clue: Look down at the world from outside the dance. You’ll find it there.

The faunus walked outside onto the balcony and saw something taped to the railing. Her heart was pounding as she went to look at it. Sure enough, it was another note.

Hey Velvet. If you're reading this, that means you haven't given up on these clues. I hope you've had fun tracking them down. But I'm sorry to say that this is the last note I have for you. It's a pretty view from up here though, isn't it?

Velvet sighed and stared out at the night, disappointed that this was the last message. She looked back down.

Maybe the night air and the scenery will help you stay calm for the next few minutes. Welcome to the end of the trail.

With another sigh, Velvet's shoulders lowered. Her ears drooped slightly as she gazed down at the world.

Suddenly her vision went black as someone's hands gently covered her eyes. She felt a warm body against her back and her mind started racing.

It wasn't panic. It wasn't fear. It was hope that was giving her thoughts adrenaline. The end of the trail...did that mean the person behind her was the mystery writer?

The hands slid down her sides to her hips. Then Velvet felt arms around her waist and knew this had to be the writer. She rested her hands over those of the person behind her, smiling. Then she turned around to see...

"Happy Valentine's Day, Velvet," Coco told her with a smile. Her sunglasses were hooked onto the locket Velvet had given her, which was resting on her chest. Without the tinted lenses, Velvet could meet her eyes directly.

The faunus felt her self-control slip away due to pure emotion and wrapped her arms around Coco's waist, then impulsively leaned up to press a kiss to her lips.

"Sorry!" she apologized, pulling back quickly. "I'm sorry! I didn't...I just...I mean..."

"Velvet," Coco cut her off.

"Y-yes?"

"Stop apologizing and kiss me again."

Velvet smiled slightly and obeyed without question. Coco held her closer for a few seconds, then stepped back a bit.

"You realize that you're getting dangerously close to dating me, right?" Coco asked.

"Well I want to date you," Velvet admitted. "So..."

"Then we'll make it official," Coco announced, taking her hand. "As of right now, we are dating."

"That sounds perfect to me."

This Valentine's Day was by far the best Velvet ever had.