In happier news, take a look at this adorable piece of fanart Blackmors drew from the last chapter:

Chapter Text

The irregular beat Coco was drumming into the armrest with her fingers was driving Fox to distraction, and, now that they were in the relative peace and quiet of the airship, he could feel the anxiety pouring off her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. Coco's reaction to Velvet and Yatsuhashi had him worried. It was unlike her to be so unsettled by anything - much less something as normal as a kiss.

"No."

"Are you sure?" He wanted to talk about it. His scroll had gone off every five minutes or so since they left - if he had to guess, it was more than likely Yatsuhashi, worried about how Coco had reacted.

"No."

He placed a hand on top of hers, stilling the incessant drumming. He wasn't about to let her worry herself sick over this, even if she didn't want to talk about it. Coco sighed, but didn't pull her hand away.

"Maybe later," she conceded. "I need to figure it out myself, first."

Fox made a mental note to ask again later. He had no doubt that Yatsu and Velvet would continue to be assets to the team even though they were together - but Coco's reaction could change things. He wondered if he had missed something and there was actually going to be a problem.

When the stream of messages seemed to have stopped, he pulled out his scroll with his free hand and played them, using headphones to keep it private.

It took 20 minutes for Fox to listen through the series of increasingly-rambling voice messages Yatsuhashi had sent - they had started cordial and general, but had quickly dissolved into a worried soliloquy about him and Velvet getting together. Fox couldn't blame his teammate for being worried - he was worried after Coco's initial response.

He tried not to think too hard about his own feelings that flared up whenever he thought of his two teammates together, and focused instead on figuring out how to reply.

When they touched down in Atlas, he slipped away to send Yatsuhashi a quick message back, trying to keep it reassuring and not worry the man more. "Hey Yatsu - try not to worry about it too much. I honestly don't know what's going on with Coco, but I know she's not worried about team dynamics. You two will work just fine together no matter what - we all know that." He hesitated, hating that he couldn't reassure Yatsuhashi better about the whole situation. "So - take a deep breath for me and I'll let you know if I find out more I can share. Fox out!"

He sighed as he sent the message. He was happy for his teammates - they were really sweet together - but he still couldn't shake the slight disappointment. They were both wonderful people and had slipped into his life so easily - and he could have seen himself dating either of them.

But it seemed like that wasn't an option anymore - not that he wasn't used to it; he'd had a crush on Coco for some years now. This was no different.

When they got through customs, there was a car waiting for them. There wasn't a driver - Coco's mother had long ago given up getting her to let other people drive.

"My mother messaged - she's not going to be home for several hours, says to start eating without her," she said as she pulled out of the parking lot. "Did you want to come with me or did you want to go to your place?"

Technically Fox did have a tiny little house on the outskirts of Atlas, but he almost never spent time there anymore. He would consider selling it, but it was the last piece of his blood family he had left now.

"Would rather go to yours." Like there had been any doubt. "Would need groceries if I went to mine and I'd really rather just relax tonight." He'd go there at some point, probably when Coco got sick of dealing with her mother and wanted to go somewhere else for a couple of weeks.

A comfortable silence fell as they made their way to the Adel manor. Fox knew this wasn't the time to ask about whatever was bothering her, but he was left wondering how much longer they could ignore the metaphorical goliath in the car with them.

Coco, for her part, was doing her best to ignore it. She didn't want to think about her feelings with regards to her teammates.

She was genuinely happy for Yatsu and Velvet - they were super cute together and would absolutely make one another happy. There was a but, though. What she felt wasn't envy, exactly - it wasn't an ugly feeling - more like a longing. The rational part of her mind stopped her from setting the photo of them as her scroll's wallpaper, but she caught herself pulling it up to look at it more often than she should have.

Rubbing her temples, she sat down for dinner with a sigh. It wouldn't be so difficult to ignore if she wasn't also harboring feelings for Fox - ones she'd been ignoring for far longer than the past year. It had all become too much and now she was left needing to explain what was bothering her, lest her teammates get the wrong idea.

And telling them "I kind of have a crush on both of you and that's why I'm acting weird" probably wasn't going to go over too well.

All she could really hope for at this point was to get through dinner unscathed - her mother meant well, but after so many years of negotiating business deals with her semblance to assist her, she sometimes forgot to turn it off when she was talking with Coco.

They got about halfway through dinner before Lorraine Adel joined them, sweeping into the room with a stoic expression that gave way to a smile when she saw them. She looked quite a bit like her daughter, though her long hair was tied back in a tight bun and her fashion of choice was floor-length gowns in dark colors.

"Colette!" Coco and Fox stood at her mother's approach. Coco embraced her, kissing one another on the cheek. She tried not to cringe at her full name. "It's so wonderful to see you - and you too, Fox!" She moved around to where Fox was, giving him the same warm greeting.

They settled down at the table again to continue dinner.

"Colette, I was very pleased to find out you'd been named leader of your team," Lorraine said. "Not that I had any doubt - Adels are born leaders."

Coco cringed slightly. "I wasn't named leader because I'm an Adel, mother. Professor Ozpin simply thought I'd be best suited to the position."

"Of course - and that has nothing to do with having grown up an Adel." She took a sip of wine from her glass. "Colette, as much as you dislike admitting it, the Adel name does carry quite a bit of weight - and has no doubt helped prepare you for leadership positions."

She bit the inside of her cheek. There was some truth to it, as much as she wanted to believe she had managed it entirely on her own, independently of her last name. "Would you be happier if I told you about how classes are going?"

"I'd be happier if you came to Atlas instead." Her mother was nothing if not persistent. She hated that Coco had gone so far away for school - she hated that Coco had enrolled in combat school in the first place, but that was neither here nor there. "Atlas would be better suited for building your career here at home, give you solid connections and a closer look at what goes on behind the scenes in government."

"I'm not going to leave my team behind." She couldn't help but roll her eyes - of course her mother would start in on wanting her back in Atlas on day one.

Her mother sighed. "I'm sure I could convince General Ironwood to accept all four of you. It might take a few favors - but he knows Adels always honor their debts."

"Which is hardly fair to our other two teammates - they chose Beacon for a reason." As soon as the words left her mouth Coco realized she'd made a mistake. She was usually more careful than that.

An eerie silence fell over the table. While the statement was true, it was skirting around the edge of a lie - Velvet had technically chosen Haven, not Beacon. The line was thin enough that something would register as off to her mother, even if she wouldn't be able to divine quite what.

Her eyes narrowed and her tone became more business-like as she probed for more information. "And what were those reasons?"

"I've never asked." That was the whole truth, even though she knew some of their reasons because they'd willingly shared them. "Regardless, I'm not interested in attending Atlas." It was an old argument - one she thought had been resolved last year before she'd left for Beacon the first time.

Lorraine didn't scowl - the expression was too crass for her features - but her lips tightened into a thin line. "The middle Schnee child has enrolled at Beacon."

Coco sat back in her seat, a small smile crossing her face. The Schnees were a sore spot for her mother. When Coco had originally been trying to convince her mother that Vale was a good choice, Coco had argued that Beacon was a better choice because the Schnees attended Atlas.

Coco had prepared for this possibility, though. She had always tried to stay two steps ahead of whoever she was arguing with, especially her mother. "Of course, they only started to attend Beacon after I did." She wondered for a moment if that had factored into Weiss's argument at all. "I highly doubt she would have come otherwise."

The insinuation that they had started a trend that the Schnees were trying to catch up on mollified her mother for the time being. Coco knew the game and how it was played - the rivalry with the Schnees went back for some time and her mother wouldn't take second-best to them.

Lorraine sat back in her seat, nodding. She could accept that the Schnees were simply scrambling to follow in their footsteps. Her self-assured smile returned. "So then, I guess my other question is: when did you two start dating?"

Fox dropped his silverware.

Coco froze. "Mother," she hissed.

"Don't 'mother' me!" She took a sip of her wine. "Don't think I haven't noticed you're not denying it."

"We aren't," Fox said, voice strangled. Coco hid her face in her hands.

"Why not?" Her mother sounded genuinely confused, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Coco knew the reason - this was why she hated her family's semblance. There was no lying to herself on her mother's watch.

"Because Coco doesn't want to." Fox sounded like he'd given up on any other answer and Coco's heart twinged with guilt.

The self-assured smirk faltered, giving way to confusion. "Are you sure about that? Because it looks - "

"Please, keep digging into my personal life at the dinner table," Coco interrupted, punctuating her words with a vicious stab at her steak. So much for getting through dinner unscathed. She wasn't quite sure how to tell Fox, but this was not how she wanted him to find out.

"Apologies, Colette. I should have let you tell me in your own time." For all her faults, Lorraine Adel generally respected her daughter and her right to privacy.

Coco spared a glance up at Fox, who had cocked his head in confusion.

"How are your studies going?" her mother asked after a strained moment. "I see that Fox, here, has acquired a new scar."

Fox touched it self-consciously. "Training accident. We were trying something new in the field and it didn't quite go right."

"In the field doesn't seem like a safe place to try something new?" she asked, looking at Coco.

"It was my call, it was a bad one. We're still learning, it's only our first year." Coco relaxed slightly at the safer topic. This was something she could handle.

"Was it a bad call or were the results simply unfavorable?" She had also relaxed slightly with the change of topic, falling into the familiar role of mentor to Coco.

Fox tried to claim it was simply an accident that it was a fine call to make but Coco disagreed. "Velvet had raised concerns about the weapon when I first asked Professor Port to join us. It was a bad call."

He shook his head at her trying to blame herself. "I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree on that one."

"Well, as your leader, I'm saying I'm right," Coco said with a note of finality, causing the other two to laugh. "Tell us about how things have been going here in Atlas?"

Fox nudged her foot under the table as the conversation turned to trade deals and council negotiations. She knew the conversation wasn't over and this was just going to make him more determined to figure out the truth.

Fox knew not to push. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened over dinner with Coco's mother, but he knew that it had set Coco on edge.

He just trailed behind her as they walked through the manor towards her suite of rooms.

Everything she did was loud - the door was slammed open - then shut. Her boots were kicked into a corner in a jumble of leather and buckles. Even the lightswitch was somehow louder than it should have been. "I'm just being greedy," she finally said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said, gritting her teeth. "It's bad enough wanting to sleep with all of you, but I was just starting to get a handle on you and whatever romantic feelings I'm harboring for you - but then I saw Yatsu and Velvs kiss and maybe I want them, too?"

Fox's breath caught in his chest. It wasn't what he'd been expecting - not that he had many expectations going into this conversation. Coco had turned him down in combat school and he had accepted it wasn't going to happen.

"So, suddenly, I go from wanting to never date anyone to wanting to date three people. And," she continued, voice taking on a slightly-hysterical lilt, "not only are two of them dating, not that I mind, the third asked me out about a year ago and I turned him down because - get this - I 'don't do romance'! But even back then I thought there was something special about him." Her sunglasses hit the table next, followed by the softer sound of her beret. "And maybe Velvet and Yatsuhashi are new and I'm not one-hundred percent certain it's the same as what I feel for you, but I'm pretty damned sure."

He grabbed her hand. "Coco." Her panic was rolling off her in waves. "Take a deep breath for me. Nothing has to happen if you don't want it to."

"And that's the problem, isn't it, Fox?" She cupped his cheek in her hand. "I want it. I want you - all of you."

Velvet Scarlatina: Yatsu?

Fox wrapped one arm around her waist. "Well you're in luck." His other hand went to her cheek. "Because I want you."

She pulled back slightly. "And the rest?" she asked quietly. It probably wasn't going to be a deal-breaker for her, but it would be good to know.

Yatsuhashi Daichi: Yeah, Velvs?

He didn't think she was "being greedy" - he was attracted to all three of them, too. However, he struggled to admit it out loud. He'd finally gotten what he had wanted for years - Coco was in his arms, wanting to date him.

It should have been enough that she was here with him.

Asking for more did feel a bit greedy.

Velvet Scarlatina: What would you say. If. I said I liked Fox and Coco, too.

"It would depend on what everyone wanted," he said, avoiding a direct answer.

Her hand moved from his face to around his shoulders.

"And what do you want, Fox?" She wasn't about to let him dance around the subject or try to weasel out of answering.

Velvet Scarlatina: The way I like you.

"You." He shrugged. "As for the rest?" A sigh as he realized he would have to be honest. "I don't know. We make a good team. I see no reason we couldn't be more - if that's what they wanted. How's that?"

Yatsuhashi Daichi: I'd say I do, as well, and would love to be with all three of you if everyone wanted that.

"That sounds wonderful," she admitted. "I'm just - nervous." The laugh that accompanied the statement was high and felt forced.

She'd always been the stronger one of the two of them - willing to step in and take any hit, even if it was primarily a tongue-lashing. Now, he held her as she struggled to relax and let go of the ever-present strength.

She relaxed by inches, going up on tiptoe to press her lips to his briefly before pulling away. "Still don't want to sleep with you."

He laughed. "You're lying."

"Maybe." She settled back on her heels and hesitancy crept into her voice. "But maybe you'd like to stay here and cuddle tonight?"

"I'd like that," he said before she could take it back. A shit-eating grin appeared on his face when he realized: "Told you you wanted to sleep with me."

"Don't make me regret asking," she said, slipping out of his arms to get ready for bed.

Velvet Scarlatina: Hey, Yatsu?

Velvet Scarlatina: I really like Fox and Coco, too.