(See the end of the chapter for more notes .)

Additionally, I've added an outtake to Espresso Shots that is Fox's POV for his sparring match with Velvet from Chapter 2. Enjoy!

In case you missed it: Haven's headmaster is now edited to refer to him as professor Lionheart exclusively.

Chapter Text

When the sun rose that morning, it was to a somber group of workers just outside the town's walls, burying the dead and trying to repair the damage to their defenses. In addition to Thulian, three of the other villagers had been killed in the attack, as well as a half-dozen bandits.

Coco quietly looked over the bodies of the bandits, assessing the damage and how they'd died. She didn't say anything, and the rest of the team didn't ask - no one really wanted to know for certain if they'd killed one of their fellow humans.

The tension had bled out of the town, giving way to the air of inevitability. Grimm were coming, and soon.

Azure pulled the four of them aside shortly after the burials. Even though they were out of earshot of the other villagers milling about, it felt like everyone in the vicinity was staring at them, waiting to see what they'd say.

"How long can you stay?" Azure's face was pinched with worry. It wasn't easy to ask the team to remain in town, but they didn't have another choice either. It was their responsibility to protect Botan and Coco understood the dilemma.

Technically, the team should be leaving on Saturday - in two days. Any later than that and they wouldn't make the pickup time on Monday that Professor Port had set.

But there was no way they could leave the town the way it was, unprotected and cut off from anyone who could help - that was no way for hunters in training to act. They were here to protect the people of Botan, not leave them to die.

"We'll stay as long as we're needed," Coco said without a second of hesitation. "I'm going to try and get away tomorrow, get in a call to our supervising professor and let him know what happened, but only if it's safe."

If they completely missed the check-in, he'd come out with reinforcements to find out what had happened. She hoped it wouldn't be that bad - while there was no hope of actually leaving in time to make the rendezvous on Monday, she hoped they'd be able to get a hold of the school before then and reassure Professor Port they were okay.

If not, there were plans in place. It wouldn't be the first - or last - time a team had gone dark while on an away mission. Coco was just determined not to see team CFVY's names added to the memorial wall of students who never lived to see graduation.

"Of course. I'm going to tell the townspeople; they deserve to know - and I hope that it might help ease some of the growing tension."

There was no hope of completely avoiding the panic and despair that came after a bandit attack - especially when the town was already stressed, but any amount of hope was welcome in times like this.

Coco grabbed Azure's shoulder before they walked away, getting their attention. "This is a tactic we've heard of before. Cut off the town from outside contact and then wait - the grimm come in, destroy the town and then disperse and the bandits can clean up the loot."

They nodded, lips pressed into a tight line. "I know." It was common outside the kingdom walls because it worked so well.

Coco caught the tiniest flash of fear in their eyes before they turned away.

While getting ahold of Beacon was high priority for the team, restoring communications was low priority for Botan, far below repairing the watchtower and protective wall.

While it made perfect sense, it also meant that Coco was going to have to head far enough down the mountain to pick up a signal again in order to contact Professor Port. On the hike she figured she'd also scout out any potential nests or grimm movement that could give them a hint as to when to expect an attack.

"Velvet, I'm leaving you in charge while Fox and I go and try to get in touch with the professor."

Coco's teammate startled at that - looking at her with wide eyes. "Are - are you sure?"

"Velvs, you've got this, it'll just be a few hours." Coco smiled at her teammate, trying to alleviate her fears. None of them had signed up for the mission they were currently facing. "We've just got to get far enough south of here to get a signal. You and Yatsuhashi will be more than capable of holding down the fort here."

Velvet nodded, shifting uncomfortably. "Right, of course."

Coco gave her a quick hug before she and Fox left - she had complete confidence in Velvet's ability to handle whatever the town threw at her.

It honestly wasn't that far of a walk - once they'd made their way about three miles down the mountain they started to get a signal on their scrolls.

Even though they gave it another mile before trying to place the call, the reception was horrific, signal barely getting through at all. It was just stable enough to not drop the call, thankfully, and Coco tried to explain what happened.

The burst of static in her ear made Coco flinch. "Professor, can you hear me? I said Thulian died in the last attack. I think we can handle it but I wanted you to know."

Another long hiss, through which she could make out " - fine. Check… Monday 2 p.m."

"Understood, professor." Coco sighed when she hung up her scroll. She was certain that the four of them could handle it, but she was equally certain that Professor Port had been unable to hear her - he likely didn't realize their contact had been killed.

Second-year missions didn't require a more experienced hunter to be along, not like the first-year missions, but it was recommended, particularly for situations far outside the kingdom's walls.

She wrapped an arm around Fox's waist, indulging in a momentary hug before pulling away. "Port says to check in again on Monday. I - I don't know that he heard that Thulian was killed in the bandit attack." She started to drum her fingers on her purse. "I don't know if his answer would have been different if he'd have known."

Fox cocked his head. "Do you want to go further down the road? See if we can get a better signal and call him back?"

She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before shaking her head. "No - we can handle this. We know what to expect - grimm, then another batch of bandits."

At least, that's what she was hoping. But either way, she wasn't about to abandon the town, and neither were her teammates, and she didn't think the villagers would leave when there was still a chance of saving the town.

Their worries about grimm and bandits weren't even taking into account the natural hazards of the area. While the village was in a stable place, they had originally come out in response to a landslide.

"Right, shouldn't be too difficult," Fox said quietly, turning back towards the village.

She knew him well enough - and his history well enough to know that the bandits bothered him. Leaning in to kiss his cheek, she said, "I wasn't expecting - "

He shook his head. "Neither was I. I'll be okay, though." Fox managed a small smile. "I'm not ten anymore."

"Right." She gave him another hug, this time holding him tightly for a moment before pulling away. "Come on, let's head back."

They walked in silence for a while, Fox slipping his hand into Coco's despite the fact his weapon made it difficult.

"Do you think we'll actually make it back in time for the dance?" he asked without preamble. The area they were traversing was relatively safe from random grimm encounters and so they didn't have to be stealthy.

"It's hard to tell," Coco admitted with a small shrug. "I would love to, but I'm not sure we will." They couldn't leave the town unprotected - that was their main objective - and even if they got backup to leave on Monday, it would take most of the rest of the week for them to arrive and then for the team to hike back out, getting them back on late Saturday or early Sunday - and that was if they didn't experience any further delays. "Why?" she asked, curious. He hadn't really expressed more than a passing interest in the dance before now.

He shrugged. "Was looking forward to going with you. And - well, to asking Velvet and Yatsu, too."

Oh - she hadn't thought about that.

"We'll figure something out," she promised him. "Even if we don't get to go to the dance with them - we'll ask them some other time."

She was glad he'd brought it up - she'd been a little worried he wasn't as open to the idea as he'd originally said, but the fact he'd brought it up first made her happy.

But for right now, she needed to focus on the mission ahead. There would be time to think about their relationship later.

"Miss Scarlatina?"

Velvet smiled at the man, nose twitching with amusement when she saw he was old enough to be her father. She recognized him from earlier, one of the members of the cleanup crew she'd been helping. "Is there something you needed?" she asked.

"It's our girl - Beryl. She didn't come home from school yet and we've been trying to find her, but her teacher said she left with everyone else an hour ago." Lorn hugged himself, brow furrowing with worry. "She's never done something like this before."

Velvet's amusement faded quickly - a kid had gone missing on her watch. "Don't worry," she said automatically, trying to manage a proper smile again. "We'll find her. Keep looking here in town and my partner and I will scout around outside."

"She wouldn't have gone outside the walls, she knows better than that," Lorn said immediately, but there was a note of uncertainty to his voice.

"We'll check anyway, just in case," Velvet promised. "How old is she?"

"She's only seven. Thank you." Lorn let out a sigh of relief. "I'll go let my wife know. She'll be so grateful. Thank you."

There hadn't been an alarm raised, so Beryl had likely just wandered off, possibly gotten turned around. It was unlikely there were any grimm or bandits in the immediate area, which was a relief.

Even though Beryl wouldn't normally leave town, it wasn't a usual day. A large hole in the wall meant there was more opportunity to get out - even, perhaps, unintentionally - if you were a curious child who would have otherwise known better.

As soon as Lorn was gone, Velvet took a deep breath to suppress her panic. These people were counting on her and one of the kids had gone missing - she should have had more people watching the repairs, keeping an eye out for children…

Yatsuhashi put a hand on her shoulder. "Velvs? Are you all right?"

She shook her head. "We need to try and find Beryl," she said. It was true, even if it was skirting around the bigger issue.

What had she been thinking, accepting Coco's offer as second?

She hadn't really been expecting to have to do anything with it - just a formality on paper. She'd been lulled into a false sense of security by her new team, but she knew she wasn't cut out for this sort of work.

She knew that and she'd tried to do it anyway.

She just hoped Coco wouldn't be too mad when she got back.

Velvet swallowed down her panic and continued to help look for the missing girl.

Beryl hadn't gotten very far. She'd been chasing a butterfly and hadn't realized she'd walked outside the gate, and then when she discovered she was in the tree line, she had proceeded to panic.

She threw herself into Yatsuhashi's arms, sobbing, the moment she saw them. "You found me," she said between hiccuping breaths.

"Of course we did," he said, rubbing her back. "Come on, your parents are worried, let's get you home."

She looked up at him, big green eyes filled with tears. "They're not mad?"

"Nope," he reassured her. "They're worried about you, but they're not upset."

Velvet kept an eye on their backs as they made their way back into town, much to the relief of Beryl's worried parents, who thanked them both profusely.

As soon as they were alone again, everything about Velvet's posture simply collapsed, like she could barely stand up straight.

Yatsuhashi pulled her into a tight hug, gently rubbing her back. "Velvs?" he asked, unsure what was wrong.

"I'm not cut out for this," Velvet muttered into Yatsuhashi's shoulder. "You should be in charge."

Yatsuhashi frowned. He really didn't want that type of responsibility, and really, Velvet had proven herself time and time again to be more than competent. "Coco chose you for a reason, Velvs," he reassured her, rubbing her back gently.

"I know she did - and I know why. But it was a bad reason." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I don't want this sort of responsibility again."

"You did fine, but if you asked, I'm sure Coco would understand. She's not going to push you to do something you're uncomfortable with."

Velvet nodded against his shoulder. "Can - can we not talk about it right now? I just - " She swallowed hard. "It's reminding me of Haven."

Yatsu wasn't quite sure how the two were related, but he was more than willing to drop the subject.

"Are you looking forward to the dance?" he asked, voicing the first thing he thought of that wasn't related to their current situation.

Velvet's next breath trembled less and she nodded. "Coco helped me pick out a really nice dress. Suggested we should switch partners for at least one song."

He let out a pleased hum. "We never did finish talking about those two."

She blushed a deep red. "Is there something we needed to talk about?" she asked, almost sulkily. "Just - just 'cause I like them doesn't mean we have to do anything."

"No, but if something did happen, I wouldn't object," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"I wouldn't either," Velvet admitted. "But… only them? I don't know how I feel about other people just yet."

Yatsuhashi nodded. "Seems fair. Fox and Coco are special."

She smiled, looking up at him. "They are, aren't they?"

After Coco got back with Fox that evening, Velvet pulled her aside to talk. She couldn't put off the conversation - not when it felt like so much was at stake.

Yatsuhashi had managed to explain what had happened with Beryl, but Velvet knew he had been too kind and had left out her panicked reaction, and so she needed to talk to Coco about not taking on this level of responsibility again.

She hadn't gotten more than a couple halting words out when Coco grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Neither of us signed up for this," she said. "It was supposed to be a cakewalk. But Velvs, listen, I still would have chosen you, even if I knew it was going to be this hard."

"But Coco, I panicked, and a kid went missing," Velvet pointed out. She'd failed.

Coco frowned. "But you kept a cool head and you managed to find Beryl and get her back to her parents. It's okay that it was stressful."

"I just - I don't want to do this again," Velvet lamented, looking down at the floor.

Coco's brow furrowed. "That's fine, but Velvs, Velvet, I trust you with this. You've more than earned - "

Ripping her hand back, Velvet all but snarled at Coco, angry tears welling up in her eyes. "No! I haven't! And I don't need your pity - any more than I needed Professor Lionheart's! I don't want this, Coco! I've never wanted this."

She turned and stalked out of the room, leaving a bewildered Coco staring at the door that had been slammed shut in her face.

The fight had been nearly impossible to not overhear. He hadn't made out the exact words, beyond a couple here and there, but when he heard a door slam shut and one of his teammates stalk out of the building, he followed, expecting to find his partner.

"Coco?" he called, following her down an alley.

But it wasn't her who let out a snort. "Wrong teammate," Velvet said as she slid down to sit with her back against a wall.

He startled slightly - he wasn't aware Velvet had such a temper - but sat down next to her regardless. He could be here for her just as easily as he could for Coco. "Hey, Velvs. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

He nodded in understanding and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, smiling when she leaned in to his embrace. "Can I tell you a story instead?"

"Sure?" she asked, sounding a little confused.

"Coco and I met when we were about seven years old, and we became really fast friends. We were inseparable by the end of the year - always at the other's house, always partnered up for projects." He let out a chuckle. "Even the teachers would pair us up because it was easier than letting us sulk. When - " he paused and took a deep breath. This part never got easier. "I lost my parents when I was ten. She convinced her mom to take me in to live with them. We got into a huge fight over it - I didn't want her pity."

Velvet flinched slightly at his choice of words.

"It wasn't out of pity. She genuinely wanted me to be part of her family. It took me a long time to realize that. Coco does a lot of things, but she doesn't ever do something just because she pities someone. It's because she actually wants them there." He rubbed her shoulder. "She doesn't pity people - she just wants to help them."

Velvet rested her head on his shoulder. "It was a dumb thing to say."

Fox hummed. "You're hurting and didn't know. Knowing her she was probably being stubborn, which didn't help matters. I know her, she's not going to push if you're firm with her."

She nodded, head moving across his shoulder. "Okay. I'll tell her, I just - I'm not ready to take on leadership responsibilities again."

"That's fine, you don't ever have to be ready. Gods know I don't want to shoulder that kind of responsibility."

She hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe eventually, but not yet," she said after a long moment.

He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head, nose twitching when he brushed against her rabbit ears, and she giggled. "Should we go back?" he asked. "She's not going to be upset, just a little concerned."

Velvet sighed and nodded. "Probably."

"Not just probably," he promised, standing and offering her a hand up.

Coco looked up when Fox and Velvet walked in, smiling when she noticed they were holding hands. She'd almost followed Velvet out the door when she'd stormed off, but Yatsuhashi had come in to talk her down instead when he saw Fox going after Velvet.

"I'm sorry, Coco," Velvet said, voice small. "I don't - I know it's what you think is best, but I just can't handle it. I can't handle the pressure."

Coco stood and wrapped her arms around Velvet in a tight hug. "I'm sorry too - I should have done something else when you were uncomfortable during the meeting with Port. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to do this."

Velvet hugged her back. "I said it was okay, remember? I'm fine, I can handle it this time, but next time - "

"Yatsu will be my second," Coco finished, nodding. "Not a problem."

Coco didn't know what had caused the original outburst - Velvet had mentioned what had happened with the kid, but it seemed like there was something more going on than just that. She idly twirled a lock of hair around her finger. Had something happened at Haven that Velvet wasn't mentioning?

It was something to consider for another day - she adored Yatsuhashi, but Velvet really had a better head for this sort of thing.

She was glad Velvet had agreed to tough it out as best she could for the remainder of the mission - they'd need every advantage they could get to make it through this.