Saturday started far better than Friday had. Jaune's chest hadn't been covered by her arm and soaked in her drool.
The faunus girl stood passively outside the bathroom with her hands clasped nervously behind her back. The door was closed. Jaune was inside. He was taking care of business that she couldn't bring herself to witness. It was necessary. It was important. It was something that guys were known for doing. Something Trifa knew she would never be able to help him with herself. She simply wasn't brave enough to do so.
Trifa was embarrassed that she needed Jaune to check the bathroom for cockroaches before she was able to step inside to take a shower, but after the debacle that was yesterday morning she couldn't afford to go in there naked again without being sure it was safe. She couldn't afford a repeat of the prior morning. Or could she?
Maybe she wanted him to offer to show her his junk again. Maybe she might just take him up on that offer. Not that she would be taking anything else, but it would at least be a pleasant memory for… later…
Blue-gray eyes squeezed shut and Trifa shook her head wildly as she felt her face grow warm. No, no, no. That was just her basest instincts talking there, not something she actually wanted. There wasn't anything wrong with it either. She was as normal as any other young woman out there. She had perfect natural desires too, ones which were biologically imprinted in her just like every other faunus or human. Sometimes a hot guy's body was what she wanted to think about. It didn't mean she had to be into the guy. Just his pecs. His abs. His butt. His dick…
She was about to shake her head again in order to cast the dirty thoughts from her mind when the door opened and Jaune emerged. A happy smile graced his gentle face, and the meaning behind it made Trifa feel warm and fuzzy inside. That meaning must have been that the bathroom was good to go.
"Nothing," he confirmed, stepping aside to allow her entry to the door.
Trifa took one step forward, but stopped in her tracks. "You checked in the shower too, right?"
"Yup. It was the first place I looked."
She looked inside at the toilet. "Behind the toilet?"
"There too."
"Inside the toilet?"
Jaune nodded. "Even in the tank."
"What about-"
"Trifa," he cut her off. She realized how obnoxious she must have seemed in this moment, and yet despite that his smile didn't waver. He just looked upon her with that same innocent and happy expression he always did. "I checked everywhere. No bugs. Arc's promise."
She realized how foolish or crazy she must have appeared right now. Needy too. It wasn't as if she could kidnap Jaune and make him her personal bug-checking slave for the rest of their lives. Jaune had his own life. His own needs. His own place to sleep every night. Come tomorrow morning when she didn't wake up next to him in her bed, she would be all alone when it came to the bathroom check.
"Right," she frowned, glancing away so he couldn't see her fallen expression. Trifa closed her eyes and breathed a quick sigh through her nose before putting a smile on her lips. She peered back up at Jaune in appreciation. "Thanks."
"Any time," he smiled back.
Any time, she thought. A shame he didn't mean that. It wasn't that he wouldn't have if he could, it was simply that he couldn't. Jaune couldn't come rushing over from Beacon every morning to help her check for roaches. The only way he could do that was if he lived with her. Why would he ever agree to live with her?
"So… shower time?" he asked.
Trifa shook her head once more. Here she was standing out in the hallway like an idiot not saying anything, thinking stupid thoughts about Jaune being her roommate or something dumb like that. She didn't want to keep him here any longer than necessary, and despite it being a Saturday she had things to do. He might as well. The quicker this was all over with the better.
"Right. Shower time," she confirmed. A quick spin on her heels turned her around and she marched back over to her bedroom. "I just need my clothes."
It wouldn't do to come out of the shower wrapped up in a towel while he was still here. They may have been close, but they weren't that close. She wasn't the type of girl to strut around half naked in front of a male friend anyway.
Reaching into her laundry basket, Trifa gathered some of the few clothes she had that weren't work attire. Not that she minded the black clothes, but considering it was her day off she didn't want to put them on and risk getting them dirty. Besides, wearing work attire probably wouldn't be the best idea considering what her plans for later were.
With the selected items in her arms she came back out to find Jaune in the kitchen. The leftover pizza from the previous night was on the counter, and Jaune stood there chewing on a cold slice of it. No table. No chairs. No microwave. Not even a coffee maker for the stash of free coffee she'd rescued from the jaws of the trash at Schneebucks.
The sight of food filled her stomach with a sudden emptiness, and Trifa stopped short of walking into the bathroom. Instead she dropped the clothes off to sit on the bathroom vanity before joining Jaune in the kitchen. She grabbed a slice of pizza and took a large bite at his side.
For a few seconds the two stood there in silence as they ate. It was Jaune who spoke first. "It's good pizza," he commented softly.
Trifa nodded her head in agreement until she swallowed. "Yeah. Definitely worth the lien."
"Movies are always better with pizza," he said, referring to the previous night where they'd watched another Spruce Willis movie in bed, this time accompanied by pizza. "Better than popcorn."
"Only bad part was deciding who had to put it away," she said, remembering how they'd been tucked in beneath the blanket when the movie had ended. They'd been warm and cozy. Both all but ready for bed. Whoever lost would have had to brave the cold hardwood floors and bring the box to the refrigerator.
Jaune had lost that competition. Not that it was much of a contest to begin with, but in the end his natural kindness had been his downfall, and he'd had to throw the covers off himself to walk barefoot to the kitchen.
Trifa had hated to see him go, but she'd loved to watch him leave.
Jaune had a nice ass, and it was nicer in just his boxers. She couldn't believe that he had taken off his pants to sleep next to her, but she supposed to him it was just a perfectly natural thing. Besides, sleeping in his blue jeans probably would have been hot and uncomfortable.
"We should get you a mini fridge so we don't have that problem again," he commented idly as he stared down at the pizza that was disappearing more by the minute. There hadn't been that much leftover to begin with, but it would soon be finished off for breakfast by the two teens.
Again? her mind asked. You're planning on doing this sort of thing with me again? Instead of speaking her thoughts, however, she just went with it. "That would be helpful," she agreed. "Put some snacks and drinks in there for Friday nights…"
"And then we could just cocoon up in the blanket with no worries."
We, she mentally noted. He said we. He totally wants to do this again.
Trifa didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. On one hand he enjoyed spending time with her and wanted to do it more. But on the other… what if he saw her as just a friend? A bro instead of a girl? A guy who saw a girl as a girl would probably have been a little bit more hesitant in sleeping next to her in just his boxers. Right?
"Wait, would calling us in a cocoon be offensive? Do spiders make cocoons?"
Trifa blinked. She hadn't even thought about it like that. Even now that she did, she didn't feel offended. She shrugged. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "And no, it doesn't offend me if that's what you were worried about."
"Could just call it a blanket burrito."
She rolled her eyes. "I said I'm not offended."
"Oh. Okay."
The right side of her mouth scrunched up into a frown as she cast a sidelong glance at him. Dumbass. Always going and putting his foot in his mouth and saying something stupid. Oh well, at least he'd had her feelings in mind when he'd done it this time. There were worse things a person could do than take someone else's feelings into consideration after they'd spoken.
Whatever. Time to change the subject and move on. "So what are you going to be wearing to the dance?" she asked casually. "Anything in mind?"
Trifa turned her head slightly to get a better look at his expression. There wasn't too much thought on it, and a simple frown and shrug of his own mirrored her own outward indifference. "I don't know," he answered. "Probably just a tux or something. Nothing special."
She hummed at his response. "Probably doesn't matter anyway. People only make a big deal out of what the girls wear. Gotta wear makeup and jewelry and all that lame stuff to look pretty."
Trifa didn't have makeup. She certainly didn't have jewelry. She didn't have a dress, but that issue would be solved today after a shopping trip with her least favorite coffee snob Coco. She couldn't let Jaune know that she was actually kind of looking forward to it. The White Fang didn't leave much room for fashion and glamming yourself up for a fancy dance. This could be a once in a lifetime experience for the faunus girl, and she didn't want to miss out on it like she'd missed out on so many other things in her young life.
"I'm sure you'll look pretty no matter what you're wearing," he said, a warm smile on his lips as he turned to regard her.
She stared up at him with an utterly stoic expression on her face. The muscles in her face were completely frozen, but it wasn't because she was unmoved by the compliment. No, her stone-faced appearance was due to an overflow of emotions rather than a lack of them.
"Right," she said, for all intents and purposes sarcastically agreeing with his kind words and brushing them off like they hadn't done a thing for her. Internally, however… Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee! her mind squealed with delight.
Jaune's smile deepened, almost chuckling as he saw her cold indifference, and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry, that was kind of corny wasn't it?" he asked. "Growing up with seven sisters and all I'm used to dishing out compliments when it comes to that sort of thing. Some of them could be so nervous when they were dressing up for some sort of special occasion, so I always wanted to make them feel better."
You big fucking softy, she thought, trying desperately to get the churning maelstrom that was her thought process under control. Subject change. Subject change. "Any plans for today?" she casually wondered as her eyes focused on the last slice of pizza in front of them.
He shrugged. "Nothing really. Saturday so no classes. On Monday I get to start two weeks of detention, so I have that to look forward to."
Detention? That sucked. He seemed like such a nice guy too, so what could he have done to get detention? Also, why was a combat school training the next generation of huntsmen handing out detentions like it was some normal high school?
Trifa snorted. "Such a bad boy," she said sarcastically. "What'd you do to get two weeks?"
"Oh, just the whole thing with the bed from yesterday," he answered sheepishly. "You know, wrecking it and all. And skipping class. A week for each."
So he'd gotten detention for her sake? Once more taking a hit thanks to her? Idiot. He was doing no favors in helping her get him out of her head. Despite what he'd told her last night, Trifa still couldn't help but feel indebted to the boy. Especially when he did stupid heroic crap like this and sacrificed his own wellbeing for her.
She reached down to grab the last slice of pizza only to collide with Jaune's own hand when she did. Both recoiled immediately, and two heads turned to each other in surprise.
"Go ahead," he insisted, gesturing to the pizza.
Trifa shook her head firmly. "No, it's yours."
"I insis-"
"Just take it!" she shouted at him. She hadn't meant to get angry, and she probably wouldn't have if she hadn't just found out that he got detention thanks to her. At the very least she could give him the last slice of pizza.
Jaune blinked and his mouth opened slightly to say something, but in the end he merely nodded and followed her very strong orders. "Thanks," he smiled.
Trifa's jaw clenched in anger. Not at him, but rather herself. She really hadn't meant to yell, and she really did want to work on that bitchy attitude of hers. Especially when it came to a friend like Jaune.
She sighed, closing her eyes briefly and sucking in a breath. "Sorry," she muttered before opening her eyes once again. "I just really wanted you to have it. I wasn't in the mood to argue."
"Oh," he said as he chewed. A moment later he swallowed. "Sorry."
"You shouldn't-" she very nearly yelled, but stopped herself. He had nothing to apologize over, but she wasn't about to bite his head off for doing it. It, just like her own anger, was a quirk of his. It was part of what made him Jaune Arc. He was too nice. Overly nice. There were certainly worse qualities a guy could possess than that. In the end she flexed her fingers a few times, balling them up into fists as she sought another way to release her frustration without yelling. "You have nothing to be sorry about. That was all me. I'm sorry, Jaune. It's just… well, um…"
She stopped speaking. She wasn't about to have another touchy-feely conversation about debts and feeling like she had to even the score with him. So he got detention thanks to her. Big deal. She wouldn't feel bad about it. Instead she would make it worth his while. They were going to the dance together, after all. She would simply have to make it a night for him to remember. For both of them.
"Oh, um, right," he said, seemingly understanding her unspoken explanation of her sudden attitude. "Say no more. Seven sisters, after all."
Trifa didn't know what the connection was at first. Then something clicked in her, and her head slowly turned to peer up at him. He didn't… he couldn't…
It wasn't her time of the month!
Jaune smiled down at her with the most patient and understanding expression she'd ever seen in her life. It was infuriating. Not only had he gotten the wrong idea, but now he was practically coddling her because he thought she was on her period!
It probably didn't help matters when she all but stormed out of the kitchen and went into the bathroom. If he hadn't been totally convinced before, now he would be for sure. She must have appeared to have been a wild and swirling tornado of emotions to him, switching from one to another at the drop of a hat. It made a strong case for it being her monthly visitor, but what that idiot didn't know was that he and his stupid, selfless acts of kindness were responsible for it all!
As Trifa stripped down and turned the water on, she realized she was in desperate need of an outlet for her frustrations. Luckily her designated punching bag was going to be spending some time with her today, and Coco seemed to be a glutton for the verbal abuse that Trifa dished out.
She hated that she was coming here on her day off, but it was better than the alternative. It was better than letting Coco know where she lived. The last thing she needed was that annoying customer making house calls and ruining her hang out time with Jaune.
Trifa pulled the door to her local Schneebucks open and stepped inside, being greeted by the refreshing cool air which made downtown Vale feel like a sauna in comparison. More than that though, she was greeted by the sight of an all too familiar obnoxious coffee snob and that rabbit faunus friend of hers. Didn't they have huntress things to do? How did they have time to go to a coffee shop on a daily basis when there were Grimm in the world? When there were White Fang terrorists still running around in Vale causing problems?
Even through her pretentious sunglasses Coco had spotted her immediately, and a bright smile lit up the huntress' face. "Hey, Trifa," she called, raising the arm that wasn't holding her overpriced bean water to wave at her.
A short breath shot through her nose, and Trifa moved across the floor to the table where the other two girls sat. Grabbing a chair from another adjacent table, she slid it around so that she could sit on one of the unoccupied sides between Coco and the faunus girl.
Coco slid her sunglasses down her nose to expose her warm brown eyes in order to get an eyeful of the new arrival. "Wow," she said, eyebrows raised in genuine interest. "First time seeing you out of uniform. Looking good, Trifa."
Trifa herself glanced down at her attire. It wasn't something she would normally wear, but then again she hadn't exactly chosen it herself. Today she wore the tight blue jeans and short-sleeved white crop top that Jaune had chosen for her on their shopping trip together. It was a far cry from the dark and neutral colors she would have preferred, but then again wearing suffocating long sleeves in late summer probably would have been a terrible idea. She hated to admit it, but the warm summer breeze felt nice against her exposed midriff when she was walking the streets of Vale.
"Thanks," she murmured, refusing to meet the other girl's gaze.
"I don't think you've been properly introduced yet," Coco continued as she gestured to the rabbit faunus across from her. "This is Velvet. She's my best friend and a teammate from Beacon."
A small but genuine smile lit up Velvet's face, and a hand came up to wave meekly. "Hi."
Trifa nodded at her, and her own lips curled up into a soft smile to greet her fellow faunus. "Hey."
Neither said a word after that. It was clear almost immediately that Coco would need to be the glue that held this whole situation together. Without her conversation would grind to an uncomfortable halt. However, Trifa wasn't sure if she wouldn't actually prefer that over the coffee snob's incessant babbling.
"So, you drinking anything today?" Coco thankfully asked the new arrival.
Trifa shook her head. "Nah. Too hot for that." Not only that, but she honestly didn't really enjoy coffee. It was good to help wake her up during an early morning shift, but she wouldn't consume the stuff for the fun of it.
"Gotcha. What about one of those iced fruit drinks?"
The suggestion piqued Trifa's interest. However as she very well knew, those things were absurdly expensive. She'd just spent a lot of her lien on that pizza the night before, and right now she wasn't looking to buy overpriced fruit water.
"I'll pass."
"I'm buying," Coco pressed. Like she wasn't about to take no for an answer for whatever reason.
The offer of a free drink from Coco made Trifa second guess herself. Unlike with Jaune she wouldn't feel bad about accepting the girl's charity. It wasn't charity. It was reparations for all the grief Coco put her through by being such an annoying customer. She needed a punching bag today, and what better way to start off than getting a free drink from her?
"If you insist," she sighed, not wanting to let Coco know that she was gladly taking her up on her offer. "Medium mango dragonfruit lemonade."
"Don't you mean Schneedium?" Coco asked with a sly grin.
The joke didn't amuse Trifa. Not here. Not on her day off. Not when she was free from those obnoxious corporate terms that she was forced to use.
"Fuck off," she breathed.
As per usual, Coco laughed it off. "Got it. Schneedium mango dragonfruit lemonade." She took a couple steps toward the counter before turning back, that same punchable expression on her face. "You seemed to know exactly what you wanted. Now who's a drink snob?"
Instead of a verbal response Trifa simply flipped her off. Coco once more laughed heartily at the reaction. It was just Trifa's luck to find a customer who reveled in the disdain she felt for her.
Coco walked off to place the order, leaving Trifa alone with Velvet. Her fears had been confirmed, and for the longest time the two sat in silence. Velvet nursed whatever overpriced drink she had in her hands, and Trifa stared down at her own folded ones atop the table. Loathe as she was to admit it, Coco's annoying chatter was better than awkward silence.
In an effort to remedy this, Trifa glanced up at the rabbit faunus. "So. You like carrots?"
Maybe, just maybe, Velvet wouldn't. Maybe in an ironic twist the rabbit would hate carrots just as the spider faunus feared bugs. That would at least give them something interesting to talk about while Coco got Trifa's drink.
Velvet's face brightened, and she nodded enthusiastically. "I love carrots!" she practically gushed. "Especially with ranch dressing."
Trifa grunted a response. Way to live up to the stereotype… she thought. Probably best not to ask about her sex life then.
That plan had bombed. Trifa had no follow up question now that her master plan about bonding over an unexpected dislike had fallen flat. She went back to staring down at her hands, while Velvet brought her drink up to take a sip. Awk. Ward. For long seconds all Trifa could do was stare at the gray veins which ran up her arms, following the curving paths like rivers on a map. At least no one was staring at her. No one had made any sort of comment. Maybe she was the one who made the biggest deal about them. Maybe wearing this sort of outfit was the first step in becoming comfortable in her own skin.
"Hey, can I add you on MySchnee?"
Trifa's attention was broken by the sudden question. She looked up to see that Velvet had taken her scroll out and held it in front of her excitedly.
She hated to be the bearer of bad news, but she'd have to decline. "I don't have a MySchnee account."
Velvet's face fell and she blinked sadly. "Oh."
"No one uses MySchnee anymore," Coco said as she strutted back over, a reddish-orange drink in hand. She set it on the table next to Trifa before taking her seat. "Everyone uses Schneebook now. You gotta get with the times, Velvet."
Blue-gray eyes bored into the fruity drink in front of her, and Trifa could only imagine that it was blood as she felt her own blood begin to boil at the names of the social media platforms. "I hate this world so much."
Trifa took a sip of her free drink, and much to her chagrin very much enjoyed her overpriced fruit water. It was incredibly sweet with just the right about of tang and sourness. An addicting if not expensive treat on a hot summer day like today.
"So you got a Schneebook?" Coco wondered, continuing down Velvet's line of questioning.
Trifa shook her head. "Nope." And she was fine with that. Social media was stupid. That, and… she didn't exactly have many friends. Even if she did, she didn't lead an exciting enough life that she would want to share those moments with those friends.
"I can respect that. But if you ever do let me know, okay? I wanna be the first person you add. Well, at least after Jaune, that is…"
Right. He was her fake boyfriend. It would only be natural that he would be the first person she would add. Thankfully she didn't have to keep up the ridiculous charade anywhere else but at work. And that was only when Coco was here. Trifa really hoped Coco wouldn't start prying into her personal life now that it was just the 'girlfriends' enjoying a Saturday afternoon.
"Sure," she replied diplomatically.
"So you guys do anything fun last night? Word at Beacon is he spent the night off campus again."
Just what kind of a gossip den was that school? Again, shouldn't these future defenders of mankind have better things to do than talk about relationships?
"Pizza and a movie," she answered truthfully.
"And a new bed?" Coco pressed, smirking that annoying smile of hers. "What, did you break the old one?"
Trifa growled softly. "How do you people know about this stuff?"
"I have my ways," the human girl stated proudly. "And my sources."
"Your sources need to die in a fire."
"Aw don't be embarrassed, Trifa," she cooed, still smiling and clearly enjoying the conversation. "I mean at least you're with someone right now. Must be nice to be in a steady relationship with someone you love."
Yeah, must be nice, she thought bitterly. Never mind the fact that she didn't have that either. Her eyes flicked over to Velvet, still taking her time with her coffee. "What about Velvet? You two already live together, why not hook up?"
The other faunus girl choked on her drink, but thankfully didn't spit it out. She began coughing up a storm, and Trifa moved her own drink closer to her and shielded it with an arm. Had it really been such a bad question to ask?
"We're just friends," Coco clarified. She cast a loving glance Velvet's way, and she was still recovering from the surprise and the coffee going down the wrong pipe. "Don't get me wrong, Velvet's got a smoking body but we really are just friends. That would be totally weird to have the hots for your best friend."
Would it? Trifa wondered. What if he wasn't your partner? What if you didn't live with him?
"Totally," Velvet agreed after she'd collected herself.
"Alas, love eludes this pretentious coffee snob," Coco stated with exaggerated flair and drama as she theatrically rested the back of her hand atop her forehead. "These lips shall go unkissed. This pussy shall go uneaten."
The fact that Coco was able to say such a personal and frankly dirty statement in public to what was essentially a stranger floored Trifa. Clearly Coco had little to no filter, but then again Trifa had already discovered that working behind the Schneebucks counter.
"Coco!" Velvet gasped, reaching across the small table to lightly slap the other girl's arm.
"What? We're all just girls here."
"We are, but still…"
At least Velvet had a filter on her. And some shame. Enough to feel shame for her friend and teammate.
"So I guess I'll have to live vicariously through you, Trifa" she continued, setting her elbows on the tabletop and resting her chin atop folded hands. "So is Jaune good to you? In bed I mean?"
Even if Trifa did have that sort of relationship with Jaune she would have been very much against discussing it in public with Coco. She could always go the route to say that she didn't want to talk about that sort of thing because it was personal, but knowing Coco she wouldn't rest until she got the answers she sought. Trifa was about to spend the next few hours with the girl, so it was probably best to just nip it in the bud here and now.
In the vaguest way possible, Trifa would hype Jaune up with the real things he had done for her. She just wouldn't go into the nitty gritty details. "He always makes sure I'm taken care of," she said, in her mind referring to the clothes he'd bought her on the shopping trip. The bed he'd given to her from Beacon Academy. "And last night I went to sleep very satisfied." Again, it wasn't what Coco was thinking, but Trifa had gone to bed stuffed full of delicious pizza and was in fact incredibly satisfied. She took another sip of her drink in order to hide her face, and hopefully the lies too.
Coco's teeth flashed as she grinned. "That's what I like to hear. Good boy."
He is a good boy, Trifa agreed. "Even this morning he made sure that I had a good time in the shower," she continued, again speaking factually but in a way that would let Coco's imagination wander. "He was really… thorough."
"Mmm," Coco hummed pleasurably if Trifa didn't know any better, biting down softly on her lower lip and allowing her body to sway gently. "I didn't know Jaune had it in him. You're one lucky girl to find a guy so attentive."
Trifa found herself smiling as she nodded in agreement. Jaune may not have been attentive in the way that she led Coco to believe, but he was a damn fine man. One who any girl would be lucky to have. One who even though was not her real boyfriend, Trifa definitely felt lucky to have in her life.
"And that's why we gotta find you the perfect dress for him to tear off after the dance," Coco said. She stood up from the table, urging the other two to follow her. "Come on, we can walk and drink, but I just can't wait any longer."
The long-dreaded moment had finally arrived, yet Trifa found herself standing up from the table without hesitation. Grabbing the half full cup, she followed Coco out of the store so that they could head over to the mall and find something suitable for Beacon's dance. Something that would 'wow' the man in her life. Even she didn't actually have one, she still wanted to knock Jaune's socks off and make his eyes look only at her that night.
Being a girl was exhausting. At least the kind of girl Coco was making her be right now.
Five dresses. Five dresses Coco had made her try on, only to hold her chin in her hand, force Trifa to twirl around with the other, and then shake her head before giving some excuse why the dress didn't work. The shopping trip with Jaune had been so much easier than this.
Now on dress number six, Trifa stood in the small changing booth staring at herself in the mirror. Red. Why was it red? Why was it so bright and obnoxious? This was so far beyond anything that Trifa would have picked out herself, and yet Coco had seen fit to grab it off the rack and shove it in her arms. 'Go try this one', she'd said. 'It'll look cute on you', she'd said. Ugh. Stupid annoying Coco.
Taking a deep breath, Trifa pulled the door open toward her and stepped out. She saw Coco and Velvet standing a few feet away, and just as she had been before, Coco was examining Velvet from head to toe as she spun around to show off the chosen dress to her friend. A little darker than sky blue and with a silky-smooth pink ribbon wrapped around her waist tied in a bow on her back, Velvet's dress went down to the middle of her thighs, exposing a good amount of the pale skin of her legs. Trifa had to admit, for all of Coco's faults, she had a good eye for fashion. Blue and pink wasn't something Trifa would have considered when it came to Velvet, but they looked good on her. They went well together as well as with her brown hair and eyes.
"Oh yeah, this is a keeper," Coco smiled, clapping her hands together excitedly. "This one. Right here. This is what you're getting," she stated firmly.
Velvet ran a hand through her hair, obviously embarrassed by the praise. "You really think it looks good?"
"Definitely," Coco confirmed. "Brown hair and eyes are beautiful and all," she said, pointing to her own to emphasize the point. "But sometimes we need a little color to really make things pop. And trust me, Velvet, you're popping right now."
The rabbit faunus smiled under the bombardment of compliments. "Thanks."
"Aaaand," Coco said, turning around to greet the new arrival. "Speaking of color, here comes contestant number two. Talk about an attention grabber, look at all that red."
Trifa's nose wrinkled. There was a reason she would never have donned a single piece of red clothing before this moment. Even now that she was no longer a White Fang agent, she still didn't like attention. She didn't want it.
"I'm not feeling it," she stated rather bluntly. Forget the fact that it was an admittedly beautiful dress, but she simply didn't like it.
"Aw come on, Trifa. That red just screams 'look at me'," she pressed. "It says 'look at me and my man stealing the show on the dance floor'. You wanted to make Weiss jealous, didn't you?"
The fact that Jaune had once, and maybe even still did have eyes for Weiss Schnee rubbed Trifa in all kinds of wrong ways, but she wasn't about to mimic a tomato just to get Weiss' attention. She steadfastly stuck her ground and shook her head.
"No, I just don't like it," she sighed. This day was beginning to take its toll on her, and trying on six dresses was sapping what was left of her energy.
Maybe Coco saw it too, and her expression softened as she smiled and nodded. "Okay, fair enough." She reached over for the black fabric draped over the back of a chair. Actually, two different pieces. "Try this one."
"I think I just wanna call it a day…"
"Last one," Coco insisted, holding out a dress in her right hand, and what looked like a pair of long gloves in her left. "Trust me."
Trifa eyed the clothing warily, but in the end accepted them with a wordless nod. She should probably just accept it regardless of what she actually thought. It was obvious that Coco wouldn't be leaving here until she'd gotten both of the faunus girls dresses for the dance, and the sooner Trifa agreed with her choice the better. At least then she'd be able to go back home and crash on her new bed.
She stepped back into the dressing room and hung the latest choice on a pair of wall-mounted hooks. Reaching behind her she unzipped the red dress and started to slip out of it.
"You should have had some coffee when you had the chance."
Trifa stopped as the dress she had been wearing fell to the floor. Standing in just her underwear now, she stared at the mirror as Coco conversed with her from the other side of the door.
"I don't really like coffee," she admitted as she examined her body.
She heard Coco chuckle from outside. "A girl works at a coffee place and doesn't like coffee. Is that because of the place and the customers, or do you just not like coffee to begin with?"
Good question. Before working at Schneebucks Trifa hadn't given coffee much thought at all. However now that she was surrounded by the stuff and had to deal with people who were obsessed with it, she had to admit that this probably played a huge role in her dislike for it.
"Both," she admitted as she stepped into the new black dress. "I just drink it when I need to wake up."
The moment she began slipping the dress up her body she knew something was different. It was much tighter than the red one. It clung to her form like no other one had, at least at the hips and torso. The bottom half which covered her legs was appropriately loose, and to Trifa's pleasant surprise, covered them up entirely.
It wasn't until she pulled it up as far as it would go, just above her bust line, that Trifa realized just how much of her skin would be showing.
"I hear you guys get all kinds of free coffee," Coco continued. "Either as a perk or just stuff they're gonna throw out. I gotta admit, I'm super jealous."
The dress covered up her girls just fine, but a small amount of cleavage did show as the top of the dress clung tightly around her upper torso, reaching just a few inches below her armpits. As a result her upper arms, shoulders, and chest above her breasts were exposed for the world to see. Veins and all.
"We do," she confirmed, grabbing the surprisingly long gloves and slipping them on. "But I don't have a coffee maker so I can't use it."
Something slamming on the door startled Trifa and made her jump. A hand maybe? Coco's hand. "You what?"
Trifa stared wide-eyed at the door, more specifically at the unseen girl on the other side. "What?"
"You have access to all the free coffee in the world and you don't even have a coffee maker?" Coco asked, seemingly insulted by the very idea.
"Uh… yeah? I told you I don't drink coffee."
"That's it. I can't. I just can't," the brunette said, and for the first time Trifa could recall Coco seemed upset. "I can put up with all the abuse and snark you throw at me, but one thing I cannot do is stand here and allow perfectly good coffee to go to waste. We're stopping by an appliance store on the way out and buying you a coffee maker."
Trifa slid the gloves up her arms and was surprised to find they went up above her elbows. It was definitely an interesting look. If she was being honest with herself, it was a glamorous look. Far too much for a girl like her.
"You don't need to do that," she insisted.
"I want to do it," Coco pushed on regardless of her protests. "And if you're worried about the charity, then we'll trade. I buy you a coffee maker, and you give me most of your free, delicious coffee. Deal?"
The spider faunus sighed. If nothing else having an appliance in the kitchen would help make it look less empty. That, and if she ever did want some coffee before a morning shift she would be free to make it herself. It really was a no-lose situation.
"Fine," she relented.
"Good. Are you done yet? I wanna see how you look."
Trifa continued to stare at herself in the mirror before taking a deep breath. It was time to face the attention and praise Coco was about to heap on her.
She opened the door and stepped out once more, and Coco's reaction was visible. She tore the sunglasses off her face and admired the black-clad girl from head to toe. Trifa nearly buckled under the intense gaze from her customer-turned-acquaintance.
"Wow," Coco breathed. "Damn am I good."
Okay, that wasn't exactly the reaction Trifa had been expecting. However it was appropriate for someone with Coco's ego.
"And damn do you look good," she continued. "You look like a movie star."
Trifa wouldn't go that far, but she could see where Coco was coming from. She didn't have her hair done up, and she was lacking in makeup and jewelry, but the tight-fitting dress was the kind of elegant thing a celebrity might have worn at some red carpet event. The black gloves which covered most of her arms also gave off a glamorous vibe as if she was attending some classy cocktail party in Atlas. The fact that it was all black and covered much of her body made Trifa feel especially comfortable in it.
"Thanks," she said quietly.
"Yes, this is so you," Coco said, stepping closer and examining her closer. "It may not have the color of the other one, but black works for you. And it's not a boring black either, the style is what makes it pop rather than the color. What do you think of it, Trifa?"
She liked it. She had to admit to herself that she did. Like Coco had said, it was elegant and classy. It may have been all black but it wasn't boring.
"It's fine," she said simply, not wanting to sound too happy about all of this. She didn't want to give that pretentious coffee snob any ammunition to use against her in the future.
"It's more than fine. It's you. That's a wrap, we got what we came for."
Thank the gods for that. It had been a long and exhausting day, and Trifa was looking forward to it being over.
"I can't wait to see you in it at the Beacon next weekend," Coco said, still eyeing her successful choice on Trifa. "And to see you in Jaune's arms wearing it. You two are going to look sharp together."
That compliment broke through Trifa's wall, and a smile was forced onto her face. Would they? What would Jaune look like in a tuxedo? What would they look like together? Would there be photographers? Would someone take their pictures? Or should she ask Coco to take their picture together for her?
And since when did Trifa even care about things like this?
"You are glowing, girl," Coco said, interrupting her thoughts about the coming dance. "I can see it on your face."
Trifa reached up with a gloved hand to feel her cheek. She couldn't feel it through the fabric, but even without touching it she could feel that her face had grown warm.
"It's hot outside," she protested, despite the fact that it wouldn't matter in the air conditioned mall.
"You're right, it's hot in here too," Coco winked, making Trifa blush all the more. "But hey, I know that's not for me. Coffee girl is taken, and come next week something is gonna be brewing at the dance."
She snorted dismissively. "Whatever."
Trifa was too embarrassed to even lash out at Coco for the stupid coffee pun. The only thing on Trifa's mind now was what Jaune would think of the dress. He'd said that she would look pretty no matter what she wore, but she never could have imagined wearing something like this.
Was it wrong that she wanted to see just how worked up she could get him? Maybe, just maybe she would ask Coco for some advice when it came to hair and makeup. After all, she owed her for being such an annoying customer. A dress and a coffee maker weren't enough to make up for the grief she'd caused her at work. Yes, Coco absolutely owed her. Trifa would absolutely make her pay for all she'd done over these past several days.
Trifa chewed her lip nervously as she stepped back into the changing room to slip out of the dress. The next time she wore it she would be with Jaune. As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't wait to see what his reaction would be. She couldn't wait to enjoy a night of fun and relaxation with her best friend.
Author's Note: This was a very Trifa-heavy chapter, but it really had to be. It was after all about her going shopping for a dress. I really love writing from her perspective and I love writing her interactions with Coco, so I think it all worked out just fine.
There would definitely be more Jaune in the next chapter since it would be the night of the dance. And just to keep with tradition, I'll ask. Would you like to see a chapter 8 with them at the dance?
As always, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.