RWBY: I Need to Cheat on My Girlfriend

[Couture Style]

"Ack! Ack!" Daniel is being strangled…

And not in the fun way Neo usually does it. He's pinned against the wall, the hands of a fashion victim gripping his neck tightly. "How dare you come back here!" she screams, her grip tightening, leaving Daniel breathless, his vision beginning to blur.

[5 minutes earlier]

Daniel walks down the street, a bag slung over his shoulder, with Aegis resting on his head as usual. His destination is the store of his old friend Coco, although he really doesn't want to see her. In fact, he'd prefer to avoid getting involved with her again, but after thinking for a moment, he realizes that, although it's not the most convenient, Coco is his best option to solve his current problems.

There are two things he's looking for: a suit, something he could find in any store, and a contact with Atlas, something he could only get from her. As the daughter of the head of Couture Style, one of the top producers of clothing for hunters, she must have some connection to the Atlas army.

Daniel tried to contact Atlas directly, but he had no luck. Maybe he didn't try hard enough, or maybe his patience ran out after waiting so long without any response. What he does know is that he's frustrated. Some might wonder why Coco would help him after everything that happened. The answer is simple: Daniel has a plan.

It doesn't take Daniel long to arrive. Ding Dong! the store's bell rings as he steps through the door, confident, as if he were in his own home. His eyes scan the place; the store is almost exactly as he remembers it: elegant, with an air of luxury.

As he looks around, his attention is drawn to someone familiar. It's the same employee who did nothing when they dragged him to the back and abused him. For a moment, Daniel keeps his gaze fixed on the man, letting an aggressively cheerful smile cross his face.

"Hi~~!" he says in a mocking tone, raising his hand to wave, fingers exaggeratedly twitching.

The man can barely hold his gaze before his eyes widen. "Ah!" he shouts, and without thinking, turns and runs toward the back of the store.

"Looks like he remembers me," Daniel murmurs to himself, letting out a satisfied smile before continuing to walk.

He leisurely continues exploring the store, taking his time. He doesn't feel the need to hurry; he knows he won't have to search for Coco. He's convinced the coward went straight to call her, or maybe the boss. Either way, either option works for him.

Suddenly, the sound of a door slamming open interrupts the silence. BAM! The impact echoes, and Daniel looks up toward the back entrance just in time to see her. There she is: Coco.

"YOU!" she growls, striding toward him with a fixed gaze and a face full of rage.

"And it looks like she remembers me," Daniel thinks, keeping a carefree expression as he watches her approach.

"Coco! Long time no see! Look how different you are," he comments with a mocking tone, raising a hand to gesture at her face. "You don't wear sunglasses indoors like an idiot anymore… AAAAH!"

But he can't finish the sentence. Coco grabs him by the neck with both hands and forcefully shoves him against the wall.

"Ack! Ack!" are the only sounds he manages to make as he feels the pressure on his throat.

Aegis, true to Daniel's instructions to not act until given the signal or in danger, stays motionless. Daniel, anticipating this reaction, opts to try negotiating before starting a fight.

"How dare you come back here!" Coco snarls, glaring at Daniel with fury. "You steal 60k liens from my family's store and come back like nothing happened!" she yells, waiting for a response, but Daniel can only emit a muffled sound.

"Ack! Ack!" Air is scarce, and Daniel knows the negotiation won't go anywhere unless she lets go. In an instant, he decides to act.

[Ability: Instinctive Scratch]

Without hesitation, he uses his ability directly toward Coco's eyes. She instantly shuts them, irritated by the attack, giving Daniel the opportunity to headbutt her. The impact is brutal for Coco, who doesn't have her aura activated. She feels the full force of the blow and crashes to the floor, stunned.

Daniel straightens up and clears his throat, something still caught from the effort. "Cough, cough." He coughs lightly. "Sorry, I had something in my throat," he says with a mocking tone. "I think we should talk somewhere else. You're attracting too much attention." He points toward the people staring from inside the store and the curious onlookers from outside.

Coco, noticing the stares, realizes she won't be able to easily throw this thief out of here. She reluctantly goes along with it, though her anger is still visible. She activates her aura, calming the pain, and looks at him with a restrained fury, her teeth clenched.

Coco gets up, the discomfort still evident on her face, and points toward the back, signaling Daniel to follow her. Without haste, he walks behind her, observing the place as they move. Soon, they arrive at a small room, and as they enter, Daniel immediately realizes it's the employee break area.

"Don't you even have your own office?" Daniel comments with a mocking tone as he surveys the place with disdain. "A sad desk, two chairs, an old coffee maker…" He approaches the coffee maker and examines the coffee, grimacing in disgust. "Even your coffee is cheap. My pet's food costs ten times more than this brand," he says, taking the coffee and tossing it in the trash. "For one of the top five companies specializing in hunter clothing, you're pretty cheap."

When he finishes speaking, Daniel turns to look at Coco, but he finds her pointing what is surely a minigun at him. Coco steps closer, never breaking her gaze, and aims it directly at his chest.

"Give me a good reason not to end your miserable life," Coco says, her tone leaving no doubt about her seriousness.

Daniel doesn't change his calm expression. He places a hand on the minigun's barrel, gently moving it away. "You're not going to kill anyone."

"How are you so sure?" Coco asks, not lowering the weapon by even an inch.

"You're not stupid, or at least I hope not, enough to fire a high-caliber weapon in the middle of your family's store," Daniel replies, maintaining his calm. "Another reason could be that a lot of people saw you dragging me to the back. And lastly, maybe because this time, I left someone waiting in case something happened to me."

He finishes speaking, lying in the last part. Though he knows it would have been smart to plan that ahead of time.

Coco stands still for a moment, not saying anything. The tension rises, but eventually, she exhales, irritated. "Ah…" she huffs, as if too tired to continue the fight. Her weapon transforms into a designer purse. "What do you want?" she asks Daniel, visibly annoyed.

Daniel casually grabs a chair and sits at the table. With a gesture, he motions for her to sit next to him. Coco sighs and, though clearly reluctant, grabs a chair and sits across from him.

"First of all," Daniel begins with a smile, "I need a suit."

"No," Coco responds curtly, her tone dry.

"I want it to be elegant, white," Daniel says, completely ignoring Coco's refusal.

"NO!" Coco repeats, more firmly, her patience clearly running out.

"And I need it to be flexible, like for climbing a building with suction cups." Daniel says, and to make his point, he mimics climbing, making "pop! pop!" sounds with his mouth.

"I SAID NO!" Coco screams, exasperated, her patience at its breaking point.

Daniel falls silent for a moment, letting the tension dissipate slightly, as Coco seems to try to calm down. "I see you need a moment to process my difficult request," he says finally, smiling gently. "We'll talk about that later."

Coco is about to get up and leave, but Daniel pulls out a blueprint from his bag and places it on the table. The sound of the paper unfolding immediately grabs Coco's attention. He pushes the blueprint toward her, and without saying a word, she takes it curiously and starts analyzing it. It's clear she's familiar with creating gear for hunters, equipment, and everything a hunter might need. As she looks at the content of the blueprints, her expression changes.

"A new kind of fabric?" Coco asks, not taking her eyes off the details on the paper.

Daniel nods firmly, even though the reality is he doesn't fully understand what's written on the blueprints. He picked the ones he thought were safer to share, the ones without much advanced technology. Among the blueprints were details on camouflage, night vision, and several other devices, but he chose to present the one that only discussed the fabric. He didn't want to risk showing her his most valuable blueprints to someone he barely knew.

Coco continues inspecting the blueprints closely. "A blend of Kevlar, carbon fibers, Nomex, and high-tech materials I don't recognize," Coco mutters as she keeps staring at the details, not blinking. "Theoretically, this should be several times stronger than what hunters currently use, more flexible, and capable of withstanding various elements. There's just one problem…" She lifts her eyes from the blueprints and locks her gaze on Daniel. "Where's the rest?"

Coco quickly realizes that the blueprints are incomplete. Without the missing part, she doesn't know how the fabric would be finished.

"Safe," Daniel replies in a serious tone, watching Coco, confident that now she knows she's not dealing with something simple.

Coco studies him for a moment, sensing Daniel's intentions. "I guess you're here to sell these blueprints to my family's company," she says with a shrewd smile, as if she's already figured out how to take advantage of him.

Daniel looks at her, confused by what she just said.

"Well, you made a good choice," Coco comments, completely forgetting her past history with him.

AHAHAHAHAHA!! Daniel bursts out laughing. "Hahaha!" he continues to laugh, throwing himself to the floor and clutching his stomach. His laughter fills the room, loud and uncontrollable, causing increasing irritation in Coco. What bothers her the most is that he keeps laughing for several minutes, without stopping for even a second.

Finally, when the laughter starts to die down, Daniel straightens up, catching his breath.

"Are you done?" Coco grumbles, watching him get back on his feet.

"Y-yeah," Daniel replies, still catching his breath. "Sorry, I justfound it hilarious that you think I'm going to sell my blueprints to them."

Coco stares at him, clearly irritated. Her patience is running thin, but her mind is still working, considering the value of what she has in front of her. "Why?" she asks, her tone direct.

"I didn't come to sell them to your family's company," Daniel says, crushing any business expectations she had. "I want you to help me get in touch with the Atlas army. I want to sell them directly to them."

"Why Atlas?!" Coco yells, furious. Her voice hardens, and her eyes reflect a mix of frustration and disbelief. "We could offer you a better deal than Atlas. All you'll get from them is money. If you sell them, they'll take everything you give them and monopolize it," she explains, sure of what she's saying. She knows the military well and understands how they're experts at seizing valuable technology and keeping it for their own benefit, without letting anyone else profit from it.

"That's exactly what I want," Daniel replies firmly, his tone calm but determined. "I want money, a lot of money. I have a lot of blueprints, and besides, you can't compete with what Atlas would offer for them."

Coco is furious. "And you think I'm going to help you get in touch with them after what you just told me? Get the hell out of here!" Coco shouts, shoving the blueprint toward Daniel with a sharp motion. "Take it and get lost."

Daniel sneers. "You're going to help me," he says, his tone mocking.

Coco's rage is almost tangible. "I should call the police!" she yells, furious. "You stole high-priced hunter equipment!"

"Call them," Daniel responds, his tone defiant.

"What?" Coco asks, confused.

"I said, call them," Daniel repeats as he pulls out a scroll and dials the emergency number. "You just have to press the call button." He calmly hands it to her.

"You know that's grand theft, right?" Coco asks, staring at Daniel intently.

Daniel nods, a cold smile crossing his face. "If they accuse me of theft, I'll ruin your life," he replies, his expression turning more severe. Coco freezes, a shiver running down her spine.

"Sure, I stole two cloaks," Daniel continues, his tone grave, "but you hit me and sexually assaulted me. Or did you forget?"

Coco feels a cold sweat running down her forehead.

"I can already see myself in court," Daniel says, covering his face with his hands. When he pulls them away, his expression has completely changed. His eyes are red, as if he's been crying, and his face reflects a deep anguish, as though he's reliving the worst moment of his life.

"Yes, Your Honor!" he exclaims with a broken voice. "I stole it! But it was after she assaulted me." Coco could almost swear a tear is about to fall from his eyes.

"I came to the store, I just wanted to buy something, and she dragged me to the back, hit me… abused me. When she was done, I escaped the store as fast as I could. I was so angry that I took the first thing I saw. I'm really sorry!" Daniel says, his tone heavy with drama.

When he finishes speaking, Daniel places his hands over his face, covering it for a moment, only to pull them away and reveal his face, completely impassive. As if nothing had happened, his expression resets entirely. "How was that?" he asks with a smile. "I've been practicing."

Coco doesn't respond.

"Sure, they'd accuse me of theft, but I'm sure I could avoid prison if I pay for the cloaks and a fine… and if I tell them this story. But what about you? Conviction for rape, for sure. Assaulting a person without an aura, expulsion from Beacon... that would ruin your career as a hunter. You'd also destroy your family's brand. It all happened in one of your family's stores, after all."

Daniel stares at her intently. "Also, you're not going to call them, right? You never reported the theft, did you?"

Coco remains silent, her gaze shifting away from Daniel.

"You've got cameras at the front, I saw them. You have footage of me stealing the cloaks," Daniel says with a mocking tone. "I never left Vale. If the police wanted to find me for grand theft, they would have done so. The truth is, you didn't want this to come to light, did you? Tell me, Coco, what did you do to hide the loss?" he asks, idly playing with a finger on the table.

"Did you pay for them yourself?" Daniel laughs, almost enjoying the moment. "Because that would be really funny, haha."

When he stops laughing, the atmosphere between them grows tense, and they both fall into silence.

"You don't have any proof," Coco says, raising her gaze with a slight tension in her voice.

Daniel grabs his scroll again and plays a video. On the screen, Coco can clearly be seen forcing Daniel to the ground. The video lasts only a few seconds, but Coco can't deny what she sees. She knows it's her.

"H-how do you have that?" she stammers, feeling as if her soul is slipping away for a moment.

"It doesn't matter how I got it," Daniel replies coldly. The truth is, he doesn't have a video from that day, but that's one of the perks of having a friend like Neo, who can change forms and alter scenarios without asking questions, as long as she enjoys the process. "Blessed Neo," Daniel thinks to himself.

Coco is about to grab the scroll, but Daniel stops her with a gesture. "Don't even bother, I have copies," he says calmly, putting the scroll away.

"But don't worry, I'm not a monster," Daniel says, making his words sound like he's offering the best deal in the world. "Get me the contact, and I'll tell them that, as a requirement, you get to use the fabric."

He calmly stands up from his chair, as if everything is under control. "I guess that'll serve as your excuse for why you're getting me a contact with Atlas." He then takes a piece of paper and leaves his scroll number on the table, in front of Coco. "I hope you call me when you have the contact. And I hope it's a good one."

As he walks toward the door, Coco gestures for him to stop.

"Wait," she says, in a low voice.

Daniel stops and looks at her, confused.

"I want you to return the beret," Coco says, without looking at him.

"What beret?" Daniel asks, frowning, not understanding.

"The one you stole that day," Coco says, keeping her tone firm.

Daniel raises an eyebrow, thoughtful, until he seems to remember. "Oh... that beret… why?" he asks, curious, with a mocking smile.

"It's important," Coco responds, forcing the words, her voice losing some of its firmness.

"Is that all?" Daniel says, as if it's no big deal. "Well, I'll go look for it. Oh, and I'll also come back for my suit."

With that, Daniel turns halfway and leaves the store, leaving Coco alone in the employee room.

-/-

Author's Note: How's the chapter? I hope something bad happens to the protagonist. I'd love to hear your thoughts. The next part is the first chapter of The Path to Climb Beacon's Tower. Also, my two fanfics are almost at 3k collections! That's so crazy!

Hugs and kisses.