Coco emerged from the shower lost in her own thoughts. She had come to Beacon to be the one of the best huntresses around. Certainly the most fashionable at the very least. In her opinion half the students here didn't even know the first thing about color coordination, let alone matching proper tops with bottoms. Enduring the trials in her freshman year like all the other novices, she had even managed having a bit of fun along the way, but never had she imagined finding herself in this sort of predicament. Well, "predicament" might be too harsh, but she certainly hadn't expected to be contemplating a serious relationship with another hunter, at least not one lasting longer than the duration of a movie or dinner as many of her previous attempts had resulted in. She was so deep in thought that it wasn't until she felt something latching onto her before she snapped out of the reverie and realized she wasn't in the bathroom anymore.
"I'm so happy for you Coco. I really am. It's so nice seeing you like this!" Velvet practically squealed with quiet intensity.
"I think I can safely assume you mean something other than me wearing nothing but a towel Velv?" Coco replied with a smirk.
Velvet blushed then averted her gaze slightly while clutching her arm. "Wha?! I mean-! Well I mean you finally opened up to someone! For real this time and not by teasing them half to death!"
"Ahh, well that's true I suppose. If anything I actually have you to thank for that." Coco smiled, returning Velvet's hug as she headed to her dresser.
"Huh? What for? You were the one doing the talking..." Velvet asked arching an eyebrow.
"True, but it was your observations during our shopping trip that caused me to take a chance that night. You also helped me through the aftermath the next morning. If you hadn't walked in when you did I probably would have pretended like the whole thing never happened."
She frowned at the thought then went on.
"Actually, I think I'm going to ease up on the teasing for a bit and give this a serious shot."
"Oh, that's wonderful news!" Velvet exclaimed brightly before she realized something and blushed further."Soooo I guess now would be a bad time to mention that I told him how you used to tease everyone all the time then...?" Velvet mentioned offhandedly.
"What?!" Coco exclaimed as the morning's feeling of dread returned.
A few halls away, Anon walked into his dorm and was greeted by a punch in the arm.
"There he is, Mr. Ladykiller himself! So, I hear you and Coco got together last night, eh?" Ulysses grinned.
Anon looked over towards Hazel whose face was reddening behind her book. She mouthed the words "I'm sorry!" and buried herself back under the pages. Frowning slightly, he turned back to Ulysses.
"Kind of, but it's not what you think man. Really." He gave a quick recap of how their night at the club went, careful not to mention anything about the kisses Coco and he had shared. Ulysses was a good friend and a pretty good hunter, but when it came to discussing relationship stuff beyond holding hands, it often led to conversations that made Anon wonder if Ulysses didn't have a portable porn shop buried in that head of his. Right about when it looked like Ulysses was going to start interrogating him for more, his scroll beeped loudly interrupting the conversation. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen, frowning in irritation.
"Ah man already? Just when things were getting interesting. Hey I gotta go but we'll talk later ok?" He waved lazily and hurried out of the dorm leaving the two remaining teammates in uncomfortable silence.
Hazel finally peeked out from her book, her face still blushing at Ulysses' antics. "I'm sorry Anon. He started going on about this girl he met last night, and I really didn't care to hear another episode of his sexual conquests. So I uhh...just said the first thing that came to my head to change the subject. I uh, might have mentioned you had shared a moment with Coco last night and...I'm really sorry..." She apologized quietly.
He couldn't deny he was a bit irritated at having to deal with Ulysses this early in the relationship, especially since that would probably mean daily requests-no demands for progress on how far he was getting with Coco. What if he wanted to come along on a double date with one of his many hookups? Anon pinched his nose as he thought about that pleasant thought. He imagined if Coco didn't break up with him after one of those disasters Ulysses would probably end up in the hospital at the very least.
He finally looked up with a shrug. "Don't worry about it. We all know how Ulysses can be...well...Ulysses. He'd have found out anyway sooner or later, I swear the guy has a nose for this stuff."
"Wish he had half as good a nose for detecting Grimm." She grumped. "For the supposed scout of our team, he seems to lead Grimm to us rather than the other way around." She finished to Anon's chuckling.
Coco exited the cafeteria line and walked over to the table usually favored by her team. If anyone had been paying attention to her they would have been surprised to see what she was doing. Normally a slow eater who took her time with her meals (much to her teammates annoyance), her tray had barely hit the table before she was already attacking her burger, quickly ripping off the foil wrapper and and tearing large chunks from the sandwich with her teeth. She had been so wound up thinking about her situation she hadn't managed to eat all day, but when presented with the smell of the cafeteria, her stomach had reasserted itself and demanded it be satisfied. She had already moved on to the fries before a voice made her look up.
"This seat taken?" Coco's face lit up as she recognized Anon's voice.
"Its all yours." Coco answered, gulping down an entire mouthful of salad.
Anon joined her and placed his tray down.
"So, whats up?" He asked, eying the miniature feast laid out on her tray.
"Not much..." She replied, continuing to attack her salad to hide her mounting nervousness. "Hangover is just about gone, so figured I would grab a bite to eat."
Anon couldn't help but chuckle. "A bite huh? We talking human or Grimm sized bites now?" He grinned motioning to the several sandwiches and sides on her tray.
"A lady has a right to get hungry Anon!" She shot back though not without a smile of her own. "Besides unless my eyes are mistaken, you've got quite the feast on your tray as well."
Anon hung his head in mock surrender. "Ok I deserved that one, can't really hide a quad-chiliburger anyway." He groaned then looked up. "So…um Coco, I was wondering..."
"Hmm?" She returned the look wiping her mouth.
"Well...I wanted to talk about our upcoming date, you know kind of figure out what kind of things you'd like to do? I remember you mentioning something about a movie." Anon asked, his cheeks turning red.
"Tut tut Anon, isn't it considered bad form when the boy needs to ask his date what to do?" She grinned wickedly. "At least that's what all my previous dates decided not to do and look where it got them?"
Seeing the look of panic on Anon's face she quickly followed up. "That was a joke. Really. And that's very sweet of you asking that of me."She thought for a second. "Last I checked the latest Heist movie is out, then there's that movie adaptation about the Thrashball controversy, and the Mogar movie just came out this weekend, so that should literally be a bloody good time."
Anon blinked in surprise. He hadn't been expecting Coco to be that knowledgeable about what was playing in the theaters, let alone showing interest in movies like...well movies he normally wouldn't have considered "date" movies. Then again Coco wasn't like most girls...who else did he know who could color coordinate and accessorize a GAU-3 portable Minigun?
"Nice choices...I'm surprised you even knew about Mogar..."
"Just because I'm dressed to impress doesn't mean I don't keep up with pop culture and the like. I find it helps take my mind off of things..." She blushed and placed her hand on his.
"Hopefully I'm not one of them?" Anon's face blushed in return as he grasped her hand. Before he could say anything else they felt someone flop down on the table with them.
"I can't believe they were out of salad! I was only 15 minutes late to the start of-Oh Hey Anon! I thought it was just going to be Coco and myself here since Yatsu and Fox are off..."
Velvet's voice trailed off as she saw the clasped pair of hands. "Oh bollocks I am so sorry Coco! Should I leave you two alone?" She quickly made to stand back up.
"Of course not Velv!" Coco said cheerily as their hands quickly came apart. "Come now dear sit here and join us!" She motioned to the space beside her.
"A-Are you sure Coco? I don't want to interrupt." Velvet hovered indecisively next to them.
"Sit!" Coco jerked her finger at the space again and Velvet complied with a small squeak. "Besides hon, without you this wouldn't be possible." She gestured between herself and Anon.
"Yeah Velvet, you've been quite the matchmaker from what I'm hearing." Anon commented with a warm smile of his own.
Coco continued to praise Velvet until she went scarlet and buried her face in her hands mumbling something indecipherable to the pair of them.
"Oh no, did I lay it on too thick? I'm so sorry Velvet I didn't mean to make you cry." Coco patted her on the shoulder for a few minutes while Velvet composed herself. Finally Velvet looked up.
"Its ok Coco just...next time warn me before you practice your maid of honor toast for the wedding."
The week continued on, seeming to both speed up and slow down at random, ratcheting up Coco's nerves until the night of the date finally arrived, with Coco buried neck deep in her closet. She frantically searched the sagging racks of tops, stopping occasionally to pull a shirt down to see if it went with the jeans she had already decided upon. Coming across another top that she had just looked at not a minute prior, she slammed it back onto the rack with a frustrated sigh.
"Everything alright Coco?" Velvet looked up from her bed.
"Sorry Velv...didn't mean to make so much noise..." She said apologetically then furrowed her brow in mounting frustration. "I just can't find anything to wear with these jeans. "
"Well you could always go like that. I'm sure Anon wouldn't mind." Velvet chuckled then saw the look on Coco's face.
"Maybe if we were just chilling here I would." She grumped looking in the mirror at herself. Her reflection showed her wearing the jeans that had taken the better part of the afternoon to decide upon, and her favorite bra.
"I have to admit, I've never seen you dress so casually for a date before Coco, you should do this more often, you like nice!"
"Keep making comments like that Velv and I'll start thinking you just like seeing me in various states of undress." She smirked over her shoulder then went back to the mirror.
Velvet blushed and laughed nervously before going back to her laptop. Coco dove back into the depths, pulling the racked clothes from side to side in a blur as she tried to find something-ANYTHING that would go with her jeans. She was the fashionista of Beacon Academy! How could she not have a top that went with what had to be the most plain pair of fucking jeans in existence!? Her search stopped cold as she reached the end of the rack. There, shoved up against the wall of her closet was a distant memory, one that she had long since confined to the back of her mental closet.
How long had it been? A year now? More? Her eyes fixated on the brown long sleeved top with lace patterns going from the elbow down. A gift from one of her exes. Some fashion design student she met at a show a year or two ago, managed to convince her to be his model for class. At the time she had been pretty excited to help out someone "in the biz" as it were. The possibility of being on the top of a new fashion trend, or access to the most glitzy industry parties in downtown Vale was too tempting to pass up, especially for someone like her. Their first date had been her first modeling "gig", she had tried out several pieces from his first collection, each more extravagant than the rest. The rest followed easily enough, or as well as could be juggling learning how to be a huntress with an equally nascent modeling job. Three months, all passing in a glitzy, cloth wrapped blur. All to end on a cold afternoon of their three month anniversary. She had been wearing this very shirt...
She felt the crushing pain of her heart being broken all over again as the memory of that dumb bitch coming out of the store on Main Street came back to her.
Holding his hand.
Kissing him.
Her boyfriend.
It played across her mind over and over again.
The canceled dinner date. The confrontation the next day. The pitiful excuses he tried to offer, trying to justify his two timing, as if that would somehow make it better. Make it easier for him to just...give up on her. Even now she could see the fake hurt expression in his eyes, the inability to man up to the fact he had been caught red handed. She was surprised she hadn't gotten rid of the damn thing, but here it was, shoved in the back and slightly wrinkled as a result. Still…it looked decent enough. Simple, well constructed, showed off her figure nicely. Maybe a sign for a fresh start? Get rid of the bad memories and replace them with better ones?
"So, what do you think Velv?" Coco said as she exited the closet.
"You still have that? I thought you threw it away after the..." Velvet stopped, too shocked to speak further.
"Yeah...ghost from the past looks like."
Over in team AHWU's dorm Anon was having a fashion emergency of his own.
"What about this Hazel too much or not enough?"
He was wearing the same shirt he had worn at the club plus some simple black slacks and a tie.
Hazel couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "Anon you are going to a movie, not some four star restaurant downtown! Loosen up a little." She paused looking it over. "Besides, that's the same shirt you wore on that club date, take it from a girl, it's bad form to wear the same outfit two dates in a row."
"Oh damn you're right, what about the tie though? I don't know how to pair these damn things." Anon looked embarrassed as he took it off.
Hazel went on, gesturing towards him. "Seriously though, I mean the whole outfit. A button up shirt and slacks with a tie? That's not something to wear to the local cineplex, that's 'meet the parents for the first time' level of threads."
Anon hung his head slightly as the observation struck home. "I know, I know...it's just..." He looked up almost pleadingly. "You've seen her though, she always dresses super nice! I mean dammit she's been in fashion magazines for crying out loud! I need to step up, take this more seriously you know?" He paused then shrugged. "I guess I just want to impress her really."
Hazel walked over and clapped him solidly on the shoulder. "Hey now! Do you think she would've agreed to go out with you if she wasn't impressed by you? She's going out with you because of who you are, not some poser gussied up in some designer threads." She fixed him with that same look of patient frustration she had acquired dealing with AHWU's antics over the past several months. "Seriously, I know it's past the point of cliche, but be yourself. That's what she wants in the end."
"I guess I could change my shirt..." He smiled lamely.
Hazel gave him another look. "The pants too."
Anon turned and looked at himself in the mirror. "But...I like these pants." He protested quietly.
Hazel sighed audibly, rolling her eyes as she went back to her book. A few minutes later Anon re-emerged from the closet wearing a simple blue Polo shirt.
"Ok I think I'm ready now." Taking his scroll out to check what the weather would be like, he reached back into the closet and pulled out a jacket.
"Good idea with the jacket, goes well with the shirt." Hazel commented not looking up from her book.
Anon nodded and then headed towards the door. Just as he was about to reach for the handle the door flung open and in walked Ulysses.
"Oh hey Anon why are…oh that's right! Tonight's the big night isn't it?" He grinned then looked Anon over. "Aren't you a little too dressed up though?"
Anon looked down at his outfit then back at Ulysses. "You think this is too much?" He then looked back at Hazel who frantically shook her head behind her book.
"Eh, it's not my style man, but whatever works at the end of the night." He said with a wink and a nudge. He then snapped his fingers.
"Speaking of which, let me snag something for your date!" Ulysses disappeared into his section of the closet.
Anon walked over to Hazel's bed and slumped down on the edge. "I almost made it." He grumbled.
Hazel placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder before he continued. "Ten lien says he walks out of there and tosses me a condom or two."
Hazel smiled. "If you want to borrow some money Anon just ask. I'm not interested in taking on losing bets."
They shared a laugh as Ulysses returned. True to Anon's word, a pair of foil packets sailed through the air and landed next to them. Anon looked up.
"I appreciate the gesture man but I'm not looking to score on the first date." Anon said confidently.
"Technically it's your second if my intel is correct about what happened at the club." He winked. "Plus you never know man. She might be wild dude! Oh sure she dresses up fancy and all but just means she's a frea-" He stopped as he caught the death glare coming from behind Hazel's book.
"-ffrriendly lady! Who's totally not got any bad habits or anything! Yeah! Anyhow, get your ass moving man, you'll be late!" He practically threw Anon from the room before he had a chance to say more. Seconds after the door closed it opened again and the two condoms flew out, following him out the door.
"I really don't need these man." Anon said slightly annoyed.
"You never know man, I mean from what I hear you turned down her offer to come over after the club because-"
"Because I didn't want to ruin the night we had with drunken sex!"
Ulysses jerked back from the outburst like he had just taken a punch. He rubbed the back of his head by way of apology. "Sorry bro, I didn't know you liked her that much, I'll take them back if you want."
Anon sighed. "No, I'm sorry I shouldn't have snapped at you. You have your methods, I have mine." He tossed a condom back to Ulysses "I'll keep one just in case but I'm 99.9 percent sure it won't go that far, but I appreciate the thought."
Ulysses smacked him playfully on the shoulder. "Hey man no problem, now go out there and have a good time alright?"
"Sure I'll catch you later." And with that he turned and headed down the hallway.
Back in her drom, Coco sat on her bed in contemplation of the shirt, trying to make sense of the feelings she had long since thought buried.
"I dunno Coco maybe it's a sign-" Velvet began.
"A sign that this relationship is doomed to fail? I should just call it off and save myself the pain." A very uncharacteristic note of panic was in her voice.
Velvet walked over and hugged her best friend. "Its ok Coco. You said it yourself, it's in the past. Focus on tonight with Anon. You guys get along great together and you deserve to be happy."
Velvet's words of encouragement bled the tension off as Coco sank into Velvet's embrace.
"Thanks Velv, I still have my doubts, but you're right I should just enjoy tonight." With a hug of her own.
There was a knock on the door. Velvet immediately felt Coco tense up again, it felt like she was being squeezed by an anaconda.
"Coco…can't…breathe…" Velvet struggled to get the words out.
"S-sorry Velv." Coco said letting go. With a deep breath she stood up and walked over to the door.
"Have fun Coco and make sure to text me if you want the room empty when you come back ok? I don't mind." Velvet winked at her with a small giggle.
Coco nodded and blushed as she opened the door, only to have her jaw nearly hit the floor. "Uh Anon we are still just heading to the movies right?" She asked arching an eyebrow as she tried to regain her composure. The sight of Anon in slacks and a polo was overwhelming. She never knew he could coordinate an outfit like this, let alone shine his shoes! For the first time she could recall, Coco Adel felt underdressed for the occasion.
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, you are dressed kind of…formal really. Don't get me wrong I appreciate the effort!" She went on hurriedly, noting the hurt expression forming on his face. "It's super sweet, but I feel really underdressed now, you uh…sort of have me at a disadvantage." Coco mumbled, grabbing her left arm with her right hand.
Anon started rubbing the back of his head "Oh sorry about that, I uh…well I can go change if you want…"
Velvet looked over and saw the two of them just standing in the doorway like knots on a log. With a sigh of amused exasperation, she decided to do something about it. Bounding over to Coco in a few leaps she merrily pushed her out the door into Anon resulting in a squeal of surprise from Coco.
Velvet's push was a little too enthusiastic, whether that was intentional Coco didn't know, but she suddenly found herself mere inches from Anon's face as she thumped into his chest. Their eyes met, but Coco averted her gaze fairly quickly to keep herself from blushing again. Velvet cleared her throat and Coco snapped back to reality.
"All right all right, we're going Velv." Coco took Anon's hand into hers and they headed off to the theatre.
After buying their tickets and snacks they settled into their seats. At the last minute Coco had decided on checking out the new Mogar movie on account of hearing that it covered a recent arc in his comics. Much to Anon's surprise, it turned out Coco knew more about Mogar's history than he had, having come across several side issues he didn't know existed.
"Oh and there was that one time he threw his sword at the Mad King's henchman it got stuck about halfway inside his head and he pulled it out oh man something like that would look so cool in live action." She gushed.
'...or maybe she just likes the over the top violence...' Anon thought with a small smile. What a woman she had turned out to be. Classy dresser, slayer of Grimm, top student, yet liked cheeseburgers and comic books...he either was the luckiest hunter in Remnant or this was a dream he didn't want to wake up from. Anon leaned back and prepared to enjoy the movie.
About halfway through, it had finally slowed down enough that Coco felt safe to lean back into her seat from the edge she had been sitting on all evening. As she relaxed back into her seat Anon gently slipped his arm around her shoulders right as her head leaned back, trapping his arm in place. "Well well..." She whispered in quiet amusement. "...someone is feeling rather bold aren't they?"
"Uh...well I uh..." Anon tried to explain.
"You don't have to apologize, I think it's sweet." She whispered, leaning further against his shoulder as the movie continued. And what a movie it turned out to be. Mogar saved the day and vowed to track down Flynt Coal for more answers as the credits finally rolled.
"Guess that's our cue then..." Coco murmured reluctantly as the theater emptied. The two of them stood with Anon gently taking her hand as they picked their way out of the popcorn crusted aisles, and headed back out towards the dorms. As they were walking through town and discussing the movie, Coco caught a glimpse of one of her favorite shops as they passed by. The display caught her eye and she stopped to window shop. "Oooo they have their new collections in!" She purred then turned to him. "I'm thinking a night out on the town for our next date. I would say shopping trip but gotta keep it fun for both of us." She wore an impish grin he couldn't help but enjoy.
"As long as I'm with you I'm sure I'll have fun Coco." Anon said as he took her hand again. She tried and failed to keep herself from blushing, the small sappy-romantic part of her couldn't help but squeal at the comment. Still, she couldn't just stand here blushing like an elementary school girl! What should she say? The movie?...no they already talked about that...maybe the coffee shop? Ugh! So cliche, and it's too late for coffee! Just as she felt about out of ideas, a breeze kicked up around them causing her to shudder at the sudden chill.
"Here, put this on." Anon quickly took off his jacket and gently draped it around her shoulders.
"Thanks Anon..." Coco blushed further. Before she could say something Anon cleared his throat.
"Is it ok if I say I don't want this night to end Coco? Is there anything else you want to do?" A warm smile accompanied the request that made her insides do a somersault.
"W-well I was thinking about grabbing some coffee, but not sure I want to be up all night at least not from caffeine…" She immediately clasped a hand over her mouth as she realized what she had said. "Oh my gods I am so sorry I actually said that out loud..."
Anon had a good laugh at that one. "Don't worry about it Coco, I know you didn't really mean it like that. Plus your teasing is one of the reasons I uh, well like you. What's the phrase you like to use? Part of the whole package?"
"Matching set my dear, but I'll give you an A for the attempt." She pecked him on the cheek and wrapped her arm around his. Despite the slow pace they had taken, it seemed like too short a time before they found themselves back at her door. "Well...here we are..."
She was about to wave her scroll to unlock the door when it was forcibly yanked open. Coco jumped back with a small shout.
"Sorry about that Coco, but I heard you guys coming so I figured I'd open the door." Velvet blushed furiously as she realized what she had done.
Coco shook her head with a small chuckle. "It's alright Velv, it's the thought that counts." She reached over and drew velvet into a hug then whispered in her ear. "Thank you for pushing me to do this I had a great time tonight."
Smiling, she turned to Anon. "Anon I had a really great time tonight, thank you."
"You're very welcome, I had a great time myself." Anon smiled back.
"And who knows maybe next we'll go somewhere more suitable for the outfit you wore tonight." Then wrapped her arms around his neck for a goodnight kiss. It ended far too quickly for either of them, but in the end they had to pull apart, they could feel the excitement radiating from their resident faunus.
"See you tomorrow Anon?"
"Wouldn't miss it Coco." They embraced again before turning to head their separate ways. Coco had nearly closed the door when she realized his jacket was still on her shoulders. She quickly pulled it off and proceeded to fold it in half before the contents of the side pocket spilled all over the floor between them.
"Damn, sorry about that Anon let me get…" She was about to say when something caught her eye that made her stop short. Between some change and a pack of tissues she spotted a foil wrapper with an O shaped ring pressing through it. Her smile faded. Was he really expecting-? She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, he had been a perfect gentleman to this point but...
The words tumbled from her lips before she had the chance to stop herself. "Looking to get laid tonight Anon?" The question was delivered with a coldness neither of them had ever heard before.
"Coco this doesn't mean...I mean Ulysses just sort of threw them at me and I-"
"Oh so this is Ulysses' doing is it?!" Coco's voice flared along with her temper. Velvet flinched as Coco's voice rang out into the hallway. "Tell me, did he give you tips on how to bed me? Am I another conquest that he gets to hear about from you when you were done with me?"
"Coco come on that's not true!" Anon protested, wondering where the hell this was coming from. "He just threw it at me as I was leaving my room, it doesn't mean anything! Wait! When did you talk to Ulysses? Other than when I introduced you I've never even seen you guys together!"
Coco snorted derisively. "I'm the one who got away Anon. Before whatever skirt he's currently chasing, he tried hitting on me. I'm familiar with his tactics and style and I frankly don't care for them. It took my boot between his legs for him to get the point but he finally understood. And now you're taking relationship advice from him..." She shook her head then turned to go back into her room. "I think we're done here Anon. Tell Ulysses he needs to work on his game and stop wearing that godawful cologne he likes to drench himself in, bloody stuff smells like lighter fluid." She slammed the door in his face. Anon just gaped, trying to comprehend what had just happened. One moment they were holding hands and now...what? Were they-? Had they just-? Too shocked to do much of anything, Anon shook his head and shuffled his way back to his room, trying to wonder what exactly he had done wrong.
Back in her room Coco ripped the top off and flung it viciously towards the wall. Amidst a hail of muttered curses the rest of her outfit joined it as she changed into her pajamas, resolving to burn them at the earliest opportunity. With an exasperated huff she flumped face down on her bed, not even bothering to brush her hair. The room went quiet for several minutes before Coco felt her bed depress slightly and a hand gently touch her shoulder.
"I'm so sorry Coco." Velvet murmured, trying to comfort her friend. "Are you going to be ok? Is there anything I can do?"
Coco tilted her head sideways to look back at her. Her eyes were red with tears. "Well it looks like the cursed shirt strikes again Velvet…only it could ruin a night as good as this was."