Okay guys this latest dumb little oneshot is curtesy of a tumblr user by the name of cslucaris, a very talented artist who put up some drawings of Jaune and Ren in a photoshoot for a magazine that earned them a lot of attention afterwards. So head over to his blog and look it up if you like and definitely follow him. Dudes an excellent artist. Honestly I feel like this one isn't very well written but eh, what can you do?
"Look guys I'd like to help you but if you don't have the money, you're out of luck." The young man behind the counter said, much to the disappointment of the two young men he was speaking to. With a heavy sigh the two exited the game store and walked down the street towards the airship dock.
Jaune Arc, leader of team JNPR, had come to Vale with his team mate Lie Ren, to ask about the new Medal of Duty game that was coming out in a few weeks. Ren happened to also be a fan of the long running shooter series and wanted to look into purchasing the game as well.
The clerk at the game store had told them the game was available for pre-order, though the amount of money needed to reserve a copy was beyond the amount of money both young men had on them, hence their leaving the store in disappointment.
"Well, let it never be said that the men of team JNPR didn't exhaust every option before calling it quits." Jaune said, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.
Ren nodded his agreement. "I still can't believe it's that expensive just to pre-order the game." The gunman said, staring at the merchandise displayed in the windows of the stores they walked past.
"There has to be a way for us to make some fast cash-ow!" Jaune said as he walked face first into a light post. Ren didn't openly laugh at his leader, or at least he tried not to and failed, which didn't go over well with his blonde friend.
"Way to laugh at your leaders' misfortune Ren, truly you are the brother I never had." Jaune muttered as he stared at the offending lamp post. "Hey Ren, check this out." He said, pulling a piece of paper from the lamp post. Ren came around to stand next to his friend as he read the paper out loud.
"Wanted: Young men looking for an opportunity to appear in Vale's Men's Fashion magazine, today only, all applicants welcome, monetary compensation based on applicant participation up to- holy shit- a thousand lien?" Jaune exclaimed as he finished reading.
Ren let out a low whistle. "That'd cover the cost of our game and leave us with quite a bit left over for whatever we want." He said, getting a nod from Jaune as the knight pulled out his scroll.
"Let's see if they're still looking for models." He muttered as he dialed the number at the bottom of the flier and held the device to his ear. Ren shoved his hands in his pockets and waited patiently.
A few seconds went by as Ren watched his leader grow ever more annoyed. Apparently the person they were calling was either busy or didn't like to answer their scroll. Finally Jaune perked up. "Yes hello, a friend of mine and I saw your flier and were wondering if you were still looking for models. You are? Great, we'd like to apply. Okay great we'll be there in a flash."
With the conversation over Jaune put his scroll away and gestured for Ren to follow him. "Come on, they're right across the street." He said, checking either direction for incoming traffic before jogging across the road, Ren following close behind.
"That's actually rather convenient." Ren said as they walked into the building. They were greeted by a very perky secretary with very big . . . eyes. Ren actually had to elbow Jaune in the ribs to keep him from staring as she explained some of the things that were expected of them and gave them some forms to sign, which they did without really reading them.
They were then escorted to the top floor which was buzzing with activity. At the center of it all was a tall woman wearing dark leather pants and a chocolate brown sweater with a camera hanging from her neck.
She turned to look at them, and the way the faunus woman's eyes roamed over the both of them made the young men feel surprisingly uncomfortable. The slow, almost sensual smile that graced her features didn't help.
"Well well, look at you two, such . . . fit young men. I'm glad you answered my ad. I'm Mocha, and I'll be the one taking the pictures today." She said, her smile becoming more pleasant and inviting.
She walked over to them, then walked around them, inspecting both young men. "You two are Huntsmen in training aren't you?" she asked, giving each of them a slap on the rear.
That confirmed Jaunes theory. "Yeah we are. I'm Jaune, and this is Ren, my team mate. Would you happen to be related to Coco Adel?" he asked, earning a surprised smile from the bear faunus.
"Yup, she's my sweet little sister. How do you know her?" she asked, looking Jaune over a bit more critically.
"She's in my same leadership and strategy classes that all the team leaders have to take." He said nervously, his hand coming up to rub the back of his head.
That answer seemed to satisfy the photographer, who simply nodded and gestured for them to follow her.
"This is my humble studio, we'll be taking most of today's pictures by the screen over there, and some others will be by the window over there." Mocha explained, pointing at the large screen hanging from the ceiling then at the large half circle window on the far side of the room.
Jaune and Ren did their best to take in everything Mocha was saying, though Jaune constantly kept glancing at the woman's ears. The older woman seemed to notice every time he glanced at them. "Something you wanna ask cutie?" she asked him teasingly.
Jaune chuckled, caught red handed. "I'm curious about the ears." He said guiltily. Mocha chuckled and ruffled his hair.
"No worries, a lot of people ask that when they see Coco and I together. Moms a faunus, dads human, so it's a coin toss if their kids get faunus traits or not. Coco got lucky on that one." Mocha said, giving her ear a light flick. Something about the way she talked about her ears irked Jaune.
"Don't be so down on yourself. You're a famous photographer for the biggest fashion magazine in the country. Night vision and adorable ears seem like a bonus in my book." The blonde said, earning a small chuckle and another ruffle of his hair.
"You're sweet, good thing I'm already spoken for. Maybe I should set you up with Coco." She said, laughing loudly when she saw Jaunes blush. "Okay guys let get this ball rolling." Mocha said before snapping her fingers. "Hair, makeup! Let's doll these boys up then get them over to wardrobe." She said commandingly.
In a flurry of activity several people came from one of the other rooms and corralled them into it. From there it was a blur of people dabbing, rubbing and at one point forcefully pushing their heads every which way to check the makeup.
They were then guided to another room that was full of coats, shirts, pants, and shoes. The young Huntsmen were stripped down unceremoniously and the staff began talking rapid fire, comparing colors and shades and what would match their eyes and hair. There was even a ten minute discussion on if they should make Ren wear something that matched his eyes or the streak in his hair.
Eventually they managed to get the two into proper clothes for the shoot. Jaune was decked out in black jeans and combat boots, and an orange shirt with a maroon 'X' emblazoned on the front. Over this he wore a black coat with a fur collar and red stripes on the biceps. A shield pendant on a long chain rounded out his ensemble.
Ren was clad in similar dark jeans though his shoes were a bit more comfortable looking. He wore a pink shirt that matched his eyes and streak in his hair over which rested a bright green leather jacket that had a lot of seemingly unnecessary zippers and pockets. Fastened around his neck was a choker made from a strip of black leather.
When they walked out of the wardrobe room Mocha let out a low whistle. "Looking good boys. Might just let you keep those duds when we're done." She said, snapping a quick photo of them before guiding them over to the backdrop. With a snap of her fingers and a shout of 'Backdrop!', a painted canvas curtain descended, the image on it depicting a dimly lit back alley.
"Okay fellas the theme for this photo shoot is 'Bad Boys' so get your game faces on." Mocha said backing up a few steps and bringing the camera up.
Jaune and Ren shared a nervous look. "Uh, what should our game faces be? We've never really done this before." Ren said. Mocha lowered the camera and blinked several times. "Right, sorry, I'm used to working with the pros at this point. Okay, let me give you some motivation and you try to match that. Sound good?" she asked.
The two boys nodded and Mocha had Ren join her so she could work one on one with Jaune.
"Okay Jaune, you're the top dog in this part of town, but some uppity kid's think they can take you. Give me your best 'I'm gonna put you in your place' look and take a couple steps toward me." Mocha instructed.
Jaune scowled as best he could and took several steps toward Mocha and Ren as the shutter on Mochas' camera clicked like a machine gun. "Good, good Jaune, you take instruction pretty well." She said before lowering the camera, her face contemplative. "Let's try that again but can you give me more anger? I really need you to sell me on how badly you're gonna fuck me up." She continued, earning another confused look.
Ren sighed and decided to try his hand at motivational speaking. "Pretend someone is trying to assault one of your sisters!" he called out.
That lit a fire in Jaunes eyes. His whole demeanor changed. His jaw clenched, his fists balled so tightly his knuckles turned white, when he walked toward them his body language told a thousand stories of how badly this imaginary assailant was going to die.
Mochas' camera shutter clicked more, and Ren could feel the excitement rolling off of her. "Oh my god Jaune you are incredible. Grimm may just drop dead if they see you like this." She exclaimed.
"He actually is kinda scary like that." Ren said.
After a few more pictures Mocha lowered the camera. "Okay Jaune, take a breather. Ren, you're up." She said, giving the green clad young man a slap on the rear. 'She and Coco are definitely related.' Ren thought to himself as he took Jaunes position in front of the backdrop.
"Okay Ren, you're on your way home after a long day at work, you're tired and just want to feel the sweet embrace of your bed. That comes to a screeching halt when some thugs try to mug you. Now I want you to tilt your head to the side and give me your best set of crazy eyes." Mocha instructed, bringing the camera to her face.
Ren inhaled deeply and let the breath out slowly before doing as instructed, tilting his head to the side and snapping open his eyes. Mocha and Jaune both recoiled from the display of barely restrained anger. "Wow.", Jaune muttered under his breath as Mocha went to work snapping picture after picture.
After a few minutes and several hundred pictures later Mocha told Ren to step away from the backdrop.
"Okay guys go ahead and grab a bite to eat from the craft services table while we set up the next shoot." Mocha said, walking over to a nearby computer and plugging a cable into the camera.
Glancing over at the services table she saw Jaune and Ren conversing amicably about something. Jaune had taken some of the cone shaped chips ad stuck them on his fingers, swiping at Ren as if he were a grimm. Mocha smiled and snapped another picture of them before turning back to her computer.
These two were surprisingly photogenic; she had plenty of material to work with already. She began sorting through the photos, narrowing down the hundred she took to twenty, then ten, then finally, two.
As she began marking things she would need to edit on the pictures she heard the sound of a guitar being tuned. She glanced over and saw Jaune fiddling with the guitar that belonged to the musician she was supposed to photograph later that day. He happened to glance up at her and became like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"You don't mind if I play this while we wait do you?" he called over, though he hadn't stopped tuning the guitar. Mocha let out a sigh the turned into a laugh. "Sure go ahead; it was just gonna be a prop for a shoot later today. Go nuts!" she said.
Jaune smiled and finished tuning the guitar, then started playing. The music was soft and relaxing; it set her at ease, and apparently most of the staff too, as they had gathered around to listen to the young blondes' performance. Again Mocha decided to snap a candid picture of her two models. Jaune was sitting on a metal stool, guitar resting on his thighs, his eyes closed and a serene smile on his face as his fingers slid along the guitars neck. Ren looked relaxed as well, his legs stretched out in front of him his head laid back and his arms hooked over the back of the folding chair he was sitting in.
Mocha brought the camera up and took the picture, already thinking of a decent side article that would allow her to use the more candid photos. With that done however, it was time to get back to work. She clapped her hands a few times, attracting everyone's attention. "Am I the only one here that remembers what we're getting paid for? Back to work we gotta knock this out." She commanded.
The staff all muttered quick apologies before getting back to work. Jaune and Ren also got up, expecting the next part of the photo shoot to begin.
Mocha waved them over. "Okay boys this part is a bit different. Everyone knows that while chicks love bad boys, they love bad boys with a soft side too. So for this shoot, go ahead and strip off your jacket and shirts, Jaune keep the necklace it's really working for you right now." She said.
For what felt like the hundredth time, Jaune and Ren shared a nervous look before complying.
The photographer once again snapped her fingers and shouted 'Backdrop!' and another canvas curtain descended this one showing what appeared to be the same alleyway from before, but dimmer somehow, the colors a bit more washed out.
"Alright for this particular set we're gonna have it rain on you guys. Nothing too bad we just need to set the mood." She said.
Ren quirked an eyebrow at her words before turning his gaze to the ceiling. "Uh how are you going to do that without getting the equipment wet?" he asked, only to have it nonverbally answered as some of the crew came around and moved the more important electrical equipment away from where the rain would be coming from and laying down a mess of towels.
"Huh, well that explains it." Ren said to himself as he and Jaune were corralled over to the backdrop.
"Okay effects guys you ready?" Mocha called out. The man and woman on either side of the backdrop gave her a thumbs up. "Okay Jaune, Ren, your motivation for this is simple; your girlfriend, whom you've loved for years now, has ended your relationship. So put on your best sad face and reach for me like you're begging me not to go." Mocha instructed before snapping her fingers, triggering the downpour of 'rain'.
Jaune and Ren did their best to look sad as they reached out to Mocha, her camera clicking faster than Rens' weapons could fire. "You guys are amazing. Just a few more seconds!" she called out. Eventually she put the camera down and signaled for the water to stop. "Thanks a lot guys that was a really good shoot. Go ahead and get yourselves toweled off and into some fresh clothes over at wardrobe. I want to take a couple more pictures then we'll be done." Mocha said heading back over to her computer and plugging in the cord.
Jane and Ren nodded and headed into the wardrobe room, unaware of the fact that the entire female half of the staff was eyeing them up. 'Those boys are gonna break a lot of hearts if they aren't careful.' Mocha thought as she began sorting through the pictures like she had before.
Soon after the Huntsmen in training came out of the wardrobe room, clad in their clothes from the first photo shoot. "So, question; did we really have to be shirtless for that last one?" Ren asked, Jaune nodding in agreement.
Mocha smirked at them and chuckled. "That was mostly for the sake of eye candy. You ever actually looked in a men's' fashion magazine? There's the actual clothes being modeled and then the models appear in a shirtless piece on the next page for the female audience." She explained.
"Female audience?" Jaune enquired. Mocha nodded knowingly. "Men's fashion magazines actually don't have a big male appeal. Men don't like to be fashionable; they like to wear what's comfortable. Jaune's a prime example of that." She explained, laughing at the blonde boy's sour expression.
"So you're saying that since mostly women read these there needs to be some eye candy in there somewhere. I . . . don't know how I feel about that." Jaune said.
Mocha ruffled his hair again. "Don't worry about it too much." She said. Jaune scowled and fixed his hair. "I think I have everything I need guys. You've been really awesome. Like I said you guys can keep the clothes from the shoot, go ahead and grab them while I get your payment." Mocha said, heading into one of the other rooms.
Jaune and Ren shrugged and headed back into the wardrobe room, the staff thanking them for their help as they handed each of them a duffle bag with their clothes from the photo shoot in them.
They exited the room and were met by Mocha, who had a pair of envelopes in one hand that she handed to them. "There's your pay for participating, I threw in a little extra cause you were real fun to work with. These are also for you." She said, pulling a pair of business cards from her pocket and handed them one. "These have my contact info in case you decide you want to do another shoot. We're always looking for talent and that's something you guys have in spades." She said, giving both of them a slap on the rear.
The two Huntsmen in training smiled awkwardly and thanked the older woman for the work and left, walking out into a surprisingly chilly night. Jaune almost immediately opened his bag, removing the coat Mocha had given him, and swapping his hoodie for it, pulling the collar a little closer to his neck to ward off the chill and slinging the duffle bag over his shoulder.
"Well pal, let's see what all our hard work earned us." Jaune said, opening his envelope and looking inside. His mouth fell open, and any attempt he made to speak came out as a strangled noise.
"What is it Jaune?" Ren asked, opening his own envelope. When he peered inside he became much like Jaune, his mouth hanging open.
Inside the envelopes were twenty five hundred lien notes. Ten times the maximum amount offered on the flier.
"Ren, are we really looking at what I think we're looking at?" Jaune asked. Ren could only nod dumbly. "Do we still have time to go to the bank?" Jaune asked. Again, Ren could only nod.
With the two in agreement they made haste to the bank so they could deposit their latest income. From there it was straight to the game store to pre-order their game.
TWO WEEKS LATER
"Hey Ren, do we seem to be catching a lot of attention recently?" Jaune asked his friend as they glanced across the hall to find another group of girls staring, only to devolve into a fit of giggles when the two noticed.
"I've certainly noticed. Ren's had no less than six, six I tell you, girls try to ask him out. Do you have any idea how exhausting it is trying to protect him from these harpies?" Nora stated, sending a dirty look to the group of giggling girls.
Nora was right. In the few days since the magazine featuring Jaune and Ren had come out, their popularity with the opposite sex had seemed to skyrocket. The female half had taken it as a joke until they actually saw the pictures. Nora then became even more protective of her childhood friend, warding off any who would try to ask Ren out.
Pyrrha on the other hand, could only blush whenever she looked at Jaune and stuttered whenever she tried to speak to him.
"Is it really so surprising stud?" a voice from behind him asked. He turned to see team RWBY walking over, trays in hand, and sitting down. Yang in particular sat next to Jaune, leaning a little closer than Jaune was comfortable with. In her hand was a copy of the magazine, open to the pages with Jaune and Ren dressed in their 'Bad Boys' outfits.
"Uh kinda yeah." Jaune responded awkwardly. Yang leaned in a bit closer, and Jaunes eyes couldn't help but flick to her lip, which were awfully close.
"Well then bad boy, I have one very important question to ask you." The blonde brawler said. Jaune gulped audibly and tried to keep from stuttering. "Yes Yang?" he asked.
"What are you doing Friday?" Yang asked with the biggest shit eating grin possible.
This question made Pyrrha snap out of whatever strange daze she'd been in before. "Yang!" she practically screamed. The girl in question looked at the red head quizzically. "What, if you're not gonna make a move P-money, I certainly will." She responded.
"What if I wanted to ask him out?!" Yang's little sister Ruby stated indignantly, surprising everyone at the table.
"Did you want to ask me out Ruby?" Jaune asked, his cheeks darkening as a blush creeped up his face.
Ruby blinked several times before blushing and pulling her hood up and over her face. This of course made Yang laugh. "Look at my little sister with her first crush. It's so cute!" Yang said, walking around to her sister and hugging her, much to the younger girls chagrin.
"Nice to see fame hasn't gone to your head Honey." A new voice said before another copy of the magazine hit the table in front of Jaune, the pictures on this page being of when Jaune and Ren were taking a break between takes.
Jaune turned around to see Coco and Velvet of team CFVY standing over them. "Hey Coco hey Velvet, what did you guys want?" Jaune asked.
Coco chuckled and ruffled the blondes' hair. "An autograph actually. It's not every day you get to meet a model, even when your sister is a photographer." The older girl said. Jaune chuckled awkwardly and accepted the red marker Coco offered, signing his name on his picture before passing it to Ren, who did the same thing and handed the magazine back to Coco.
"Thanks guys, try not to get swarmed by your adoring fans." Coco said as she left the dining hall, her faunus team mate right behind her.
Jaune and Ren glanced around the dining hall again, noticing that more female eyes were upon then. They shared a weary look and sighed.
Hopefully their popularity would blow over soon.
Okay it's decided, there will be more of this.