Her Generosity

Coco's neighborhood was considerably nicer than what I was used to, and it turned out that she only lived a block or two away from where I used to live. Sure, it was nothing you'd see in a painting, but at least the smell of cigarette smoke was significantly less noticeable around here. The red brick that surrounded the building didn't look like it had fallen into disrepair, and it seemed like the place was cleaned on at least a weekly basis, it was a good start.

She had kept the conversation going throughout our trip to her apartment, which would be my home until I could obtain a stable career. I told her about how my job as an accountant barely paid above minimum wage, and she told me that I would have to look for something significantly more substantial before moving out.

I could agree to that.

She tried to touch upon other subjects as well, such as my family life and childhood, but I wasn't quite willing to divulge that information just yet, it was a bit too personal. She apologized for being nosy, I told her she had nothing to apologize for. The elevator ride up to her room included more awkward silence.

I just hoped we'd be able to warm up to each other and could have regular conversations without running out of things to talk about, but at the moment she still seemed particularly timid around me.

She shuffled her hooves nervously as I glanced around her living room.

"So? What do you think?" She asked, trying to hide her anxiety.

It was homely, it reminded me of my parent's house, the one I grew up in, though significantly more ornate. The windows were lined with curtains, and tapestry hung from various places, she certainly wasn't expecting guests. Was she a designer?

"Sorry for not cleaning up, I wasn't expecting to have a roommate any time soon."

I chuckled, "The apartment looks nicer than mine did cleaned up, don't worry, this is an upgrade for me."

This caused her to stifle a giggle as she walked over to her couch and sat down, "It's getting to be around lunchtime, what do you say we head out to get something to eat and then see if we can find you something appropriate to wear for any interviews you might have soon?"

I nodded, "I hadn't thought about that, though I don't have much on me. I'll have to do a few odd jobs first to save up a decent sum of money before I'll be able to afford a suit."

She waved her hoof nonchalantly as she began to undo the her ascot and bow, "Nonsense! I'll pay for the suit, you shouldn't be spending your bits on anything when you're trying to become financially stable."

I bit my lip, I didn't like having to be financially dependent on somepony else. It made me feel weak, I didn't like feeling weak.

"Fine," I said, "But once I have a career, I'm paying you back double what you spent on me."

"Oh you don't need to do th-" She began to say, before I interrupted her by putting a hoof to her mouth, causing her to blush at the contact.

"I insist," I start off, staring her in the eyes, "I know you're being generous, but you're going too far. I need to become independent eventually, and I hate having to rely on somepony else. Please."

"Alright, if you insist," Coco replied uneasily, glancing over at the front door. "We should head out for lunch, let's take the stairs this time."

I didn't understand why she wanted to take the stairs at first, until I recalled how awkward it was the first time. It was probably a good call. I didn't mind the exercise, I used to play a lot of sports when I was younger.

Plus she went down the stairs first, so the view was a nice bonus.

Shameless.

I did my best to redirect my eyes and act subtle, but part of me felt like what she was doing was intentional. Not that I minded, of course.

The diner that we finally settled on had food that still retained a recognizable taste and were priced at a reasonable amount. Coco insisted that I order whatever sounded the most appetizing, but I wasn't about to break bank just because I was picky about my food. I just ordered a simple hayburger whereas Coco ordered a garden salad, saying something about 'watching her figure'.

I'd watch her figure any day of the week.

We had already gone over most of what today and tomorrow entailed. Later on today we were to go out and look for something presentable for me to wear, and she would order some take out for dinner. Tomorrow, she would go to work while I searched for potential job opportunities, and this would likely become routine until I managed to find something.

There was only one more thing that was nagging at me from the back of my mind.

"Why'd you do it?" I asked her, cursing myself internally for saying my thoughts out loud.

"Pardon?" She replied as she wiped the corners of her muzzle with a table cloth.

"Why did you decide to take me in, of all ponies? You have so much going for you, you shouldn't be concerned with ponies like me. You're successful, you're ambitious, you're beautiful-" I cut myself off and put a hoof over my mouth.

Fuck.

Heat had immediately risen across her face as she began to stutter out an explanation, "I-it's b-because my f-friend Rarity-"

"Do me a favor and forget I asked," I said with a sigh, making the situation awkward again and saving her from having to speak.

The two of us didn't talk to each other for the rest of lunch.

"How about this one?" I asked her as I held up a brown suit over my chest.

She shook her head for the fourth time, "Your coat is gray, the brown will clash against the color of your coat."

I huffed in annoyance, "What was wrong with the other one then? The black one?"

She stuck out her tongue, "You're the one that said the black suit was too expensive, and the rest are too flashy to wear to an interview."

I remembered the pieces of cloth hanging around her apartment, and a thought came to me, "Hey, aren't you a designer? Would it be too much trouble to make a suit yourself?"

She giggled and a small blush rose to her cheeks, "I don't really have experience making suits, I mostly tailor dresses and costumes, I doubt it would look very good anyways."

I waved my hoof and dismissed that excuse, "Nonsense! You have a knack for it! I'm sure you could do it if you really wanted to."

She started to paw at the ground, looking at everything but me, "You're just saying that."

I smiled at her and looked over another row of suits that I glossed over previously, "I am saying it, and it's the truth."

Only a few seconds had passed before I pulled out another suit from the rack. This suit in particular was gray, lined with a black interior, it was almost parallel to the color of my mane and coat.

I gingerly looped my hooves through it and trotted back towards Coco, "What do you think about this one, Coco?"

I received a reaction that I hadn't anticipated from her, rendering her blushing and stuttering similar to earlier today, "W-wow, I, uh, that looks r-really good on you."

Damn, was it a bad look? I doubt she'd lie, she didn't about the other options. Why was I getting this kind of reaction out of her? Did I look, handsome?

I don't see how I could have, I hadn't slept well at all the last couple of days and my face had become unkempt due to lack of shaving. Maybe she saw something I didn't, I certainly didn't think I looked decent.

I glanced down at the price tag and sighed, it was still a bit pricey for my taste. "I don't know Coco, it's still a bit pricey for m-"

"I'll pay!" Coco nearly shouted, causing nearby costumers to glance over at her in confusion.

She sheepishly corrected herself, "I mean, I'll pay for it. You need to look your best after all, and we're not going to find much cheaper options."

Have it your way.

I smirked at her, "If you say so."

I wasn't sure why she decided to order pizza out of everything possible. I'm fairly certain that it completely contradicted her earlier comment about wanting to maintain her figure. I didn't argue though, as I absolutely loved pizza, it was one of the few things that Manehattan did right. It brought back old memories of my childhood, the pleasant memories, of sharing a deep dish pizza with my brothers on the weekend.

I can't think about them right now.

I sighed in relaxation as I felt the water sink into my coat. I had been awhile since I felt hot water, not to mention I never had the time to sit back and relax until now. I'd make sure I wouldn't get complacent though, the last thing I want to do is be a parasite.

I stepped out of the shower and started to shave my face, a full shave was in order, I reckoned. I wanted to look my best for an interview, so all the stubble needed to come off, I knew I'd look like a fourteen-year-old colt again, but it would be worth it.

When I finally left the bathroom, the pizza was already on the counter and Coco was patiently sitting at the table in the kitchen. When she finally got a closer look at me, she didn't illicit any extreme reaction, but she still blushed a bit, muttering something about looking nice.

Looks like my suspicions have been confirmed.

Dinner was mostly peaceful, and surprisingly, we kept the small talk constant throughout. We still dodged around topics like my family life and where I went wrong, but we each got to learn a little bit about each other. She found out my whole family had pursued careers in banking, and she took particular interest in my cutie mark, which wasn't very notable in my opinion. She explained how she became friends with Rarity, and found it surprising that I knew who Rarity was, even though she had saved the world once or twice in the past and had gained quite the reputation.

How do ponies not know who the Elements of Harmony are?

Before we knew it, night had settled upon us and the moonlight had begun to seep in through the windows, giving off an eerie tranquility.

I yawned and began to walk towards the living room couch, eager to start my new life, "It was fun chatting, Coco, but I think I'm about ready to turn it in for the night."

She gave me a confused look, "Where are you going? My bedroom is over here," she gestured with a hoof.

What.

"I, uh, excuse me?" I said incredulously, finding myself unable to formulate a coherent response.

She gave me a stubborn look, "You're my guest, and even though I don't have a guest bedroom, I insist that you sleep in a proper bed. I'll sleep on the couch."

I scoffed at her, realizing that her generosity was going a bit too far, "Come on Coco, don't be ridiculous. This is your apartment, and I'm your guest. You should have the bed, not me."

She bit her lip, "Well if neither of us can agree, then I guess we'll have to share."

Pray for me Celestia, the temptation to sin is present within me.

"I don't know if that's a good id-" I began to say, before Coco promptly ignored me and waltzed into her room. She wasn't giving me many options, and it felt like she was goading me into making this decision, so I joined her in the bedroom.

She had already nestled under the covers and the lights were off, so I carefully slid under the covers on the opposite side of the bed, making sure not to make contact with her in any way.

A few minutes of silence later, and I heard her whisper something to me.

"Do you really think I'm cute?" I heard her timidly ask.

My heart began to race as I spent the next few seconds thinking of an appropriate response, before finally telling her exactly what she wanted to hear.

"No, I don't think you're cute Coco. The word 'cute' belongs to fillies in grade school. You're a mare, and mares are beautiful. Believe me when I say it, you're beautiful, Coco."

After several minutes of awkward silence, I felt her hooves wrap around my midsection, her muzzle nuzzling into the back of my neck.

"Thank you."