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Looey stood outside a Café with an umbrella in hand. He’s been waiting for his friends to come pick him up, but knowing those people at a party, they most likely won’t come for another 2-3 hours. He sighed in disappointment. He turned to look at the store behind him, the café. And he calmly took in the yellow-orange glow of
the lights inside as well as the scent that made it past the border of the rain.
Knowing there was no other choice, Looey folded his umbrella and walked inside. Luckily right at the entrance were disposable bags for wet umbrellas, to which he thankfully used. He dried his feet on the welcome rug and saw the semi-empty space.
The café seemed more like a lounge. Couches and puffy chairs as well as short tables all over the place, but yet in an organized manner. Looey parked his umbrella to the side as he pulled out his phone and sat down at a more normal wooden table.
He opened his phone and saw that he still had no messages from his friends, and he predicted he wouldn’t for a bit. So he shoved the phone back into his hoodie’s pocket and awaited for anything interesting to happen. Though in the meantime, he looked around at the few other people that were there.
By the fireplace in a corner there was a fishbowl toon reading a magazine and a magnifying glass toon as well as an 8-ball toon playing with their hands together. He looked to his side, where all the more ‘boring’ tables were and saw a 2-headed toon fighting for who would eat the chocolate muffin that they’d bought.
Looey looked back down to the table and examined the not-so-fancy silverware to try and distract his mind for a bit. Though he broke out of his little examination session when a toon came up to his table and asked:
“Have you thought of what you wanted to order?”
Looey looked up and saw a strawberry toon wearing an apron smiling down at him. And behind the apron seemed to be a much fancier attire. He carried a pen and notebook, ready to take and order, but his eyes showed he was actually very tired and his leaves for hair were slightly a mess. This signaled to Looey he’d most likely been working the whole day nonstop.
“Er-! No I’m fine, just here to wait out the storm!” Looey reassured the worker, trying to not make him stress out that much for one more order of the day. The staff member sighed. “Sorry, but, um… if you’re gonna stay you gotta buy something. You sure you don’t want just a cup of water? Maybe coffee?” He asked, making Looey panic internally. He shuffled for his wallet and pulled out a dollar quickly before asking for a cup of chamomile tea.
The waiter accepted the cash and hurried off to the counter where he started to prepare the tea. Meanwhile Looey slouched in the uncomfortable wooden chair, staring out into the rain. Which seemed to be getting harder by the minute.
Quickly annoyed by the feeling of the chair, he moved over to another cushioned corner where no toon was. He sat on a big, fuzzy rocking chair and sighed as he sank into the mattress. He picked up a magazine on a small side table and opened it to get flashed with exotic clothing options. He cocked his head to the side as he looked at the strange, ruffled and patterned options on the paper. At the top right there was a simple company logo titled Glisten’s 100% Perfect Décor. With a little message at the side saying ‘I am not responsible if you don’t like how the clothing is after purchase. You just can’t handle perfect.”
This only made Looey huff as he set the magazine aside.
“Ok, uh… here you go.” Said the waiter as he moved the pile of magazines away to place a small cup of tea beside him. Looey looked up and gave him a thankful look before he grabbed the cup and started to blow on it to cool down. The waiter stood beside him hesitantly.
“Uh… mind if I can sit here?” He asked as he pointed at the couch a coffee table length away from him. “Well, it’s not my café!” Looey happily joked, causing a chuckle to leave the waiter’s mouth. It was only here that Looey realized the waiter’s name tag that was labeled ‘Sprout.’
They both sat there in silence, just the murmurs of the other 5 guests and the fire were heard. Looey drank his tea, Sprout laid on the couch. Looey looked around and saw all the empty chairs that could’ve been full to the brim with customers. All bustling and chattery along with the music of plates and cups clacking.
This was truly an underrated place in his opinion…
“Say, do you get more customers in the mornings?” Looey asked. Sprout lifted his head and then pushed his body to sit upright on the couch. “What…?” He replied tiredly. “I-I asked if this place is… busier in the mornings!” Looey smiled, though Sprout’s face slowly frowned.
“Well… it used to be always bustling. That was until my friend moved away… we started to fight a lot and our friendship seemed to have died off. He’s the one who kept the customers coming. He was fun, kind, and knew how to make more shit than me, hehe… When he left, he left the café to my mercy, and since I thought it was too precious to lose I kept it running. Even with fewer than 10 customers a day.” Looey’s face quickly turned to shock.
“I-I’m sorry that happened to you…”
“Nah… no worries. I’ve honestly grown to like the quiet. It was always kind of stressful with all the people back then.” Sprout commented as he stretched and laid
back into the sleeping position. By now Looey had finished all the tea and set the teacup back onto the tiny plate.
Then a small bell rung, making Sprout shoot awake. He didn’t even bother to stretch when he got up.
“Alright you guys come on.” He raised his voice, yet not in an angry way, as he headed to where the other customers were. The little 8-ball toon whined about leaving but the magnifying glass toon reassured her that she could stay up late solving cases with him when they get home. Which the 8-ball toon cheered for. And for the fishbowl toon, he easily put his fishing magazine back and headed to the exit as well. The conjoined twins grabbed leftover cupcakes before also following the crowd. They all grabbed their umbrellas, exited, and walked out in opposite directions.
“I’m closing. You gotta leave too.” Sprout notified Looey, causing an even stronger wave of panic than before to wash over his body. “W-WAIT! I- I DON’T- CAN- CAN I PLEASE STAY!? I’LL DO ANYTHING!!” Looey begged. He’d only been there for about an hour, and his friends still showed no signs of leaving the party in order to come pick him up. Sprout gave a light hesitant glare.
“Sweep the floors. I’ll clean the back.”
Looey sighed in relief and orderly went to go get the not-so-hidden cleaning supplies. Though he didn’t enjoy chores, it was much better to be in here than waiting out there.
“Oh! The name’s Looey by the way!” He called out to the berry.
“Oh uh… Mine’s Sprout.”
Sprout replied before sighing and going into the kitchen to sort out the dirty plates of the day. Not like there was a lot anyway.
Looey swept the crumbs that were scattered on the floor and threw them out normally. Though he did jump at every lighting flash that showed up every now and then. And he eventually finished with the task quickly, in about 30 minutes. So he put the cleaning things back and hesitated before deciding to go into the kitchen to check on Sprout.
He opened the kitchen doors and found him drying a plate that came from the small pile of washed dishes. Sprout was quick to notice Looey and gave him a look that made a shiver go down the balloon’s spine.
“I-Is there anything else I can do?” Looey awkwardly asked. “Well… not really. Other than just sorting these things away-”
“I CAN DO IT!” Looey gleefully offered with hands raised in the air. Though Sprout ended up denying his request, making his hands shuffle back down to the sides. “Oh come on! You look so tired! I’m sure I can handle drying some plates!” Looey tried to convince the berry again, only to get denied once more.
“Listen,” Sprout put the plate and towel down, before walking over to the balloon. “You’re a customer that’s staying overtime. Overtime customers tend to stress me out. Though I’m thankful you helped with the sweeping. But just because you’re here, doesn't mean you’re just another staff member. You don’t have to help me, and you need to leave at some point.” He growled at Looey. By now Sprout was towering over him, making Looey realize just how tall Sprout actually was.
“Ok, ok… listen, I stay at my 2 friends’ place since I don’t have my own home, and they went out to a party without me knowing. So I’ve been walking around town, sending them messages to find out WHEN will they come pick me up from a little window shopping spree I went on. And then it started to rain and I ended up here, and they STILL haven’t texted me anything! And it’s raining hard as hell out there!” Looey explained.
Sprout sighed and looked away.
“Fine… you can stay. AND just this time. And you gotta promise to be a returning customer.” He pointed his finger so close to Looey’s face, he felt like he was actually booping him. Looey nodded in agreement before heading to lay down on a long couch by the fireplace. Sprout rolled his eyes before going to turn off the lights of the place. Now the only thing that illuminated the area were the flashes of lightning and the ongoing fireplace.
Sprout went to the checking counter and opened a cabinet underneath, where he took out 2 blankets. Then he gave one to Looey before heading to a different cushioned area to sleep in.
“Don’t you have a house? Or at least a separate room?”
“Hah. Used to…” Sprout replied as he snuggled into the blanket. “Like you, I shared a home with Cosmo since I was too broke to get a home of my own. His place was spacious though, and he didn’t mind me staying at all.” He explained. “Cosmo’s the friend that was here?” Looey questioned, while he snuggled deeper into his own blanket. “Yeah. He’s my ex-best friend now…”
“Ah, right.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Y’know, I really like to talk!” Looey smiled as he turned to face Sprout, tail wagging slowly. “I can tell.” Sprout smiled back. “So what are some foods you sell here? I didn’t really get a look!”
“Uh… cupcakes, muffins, scones… that’s uh… basically it. Then there’s the drinks but the drinks are the normal kinds you’d find in a café.” He explained. Looey sat up on the couch and patted the empty area beside him with a smile. Sprout nodded his head but informed him he would go get some tea first.
He came back with 2 chamomile teas and sat beside Looey on the couch, bringing his blanket along. And with just enough comfortable space between them. “I remember me and my friend having late night chats after hours. I really missed those.” He commented as he handed one cup of tea to Looey. Looey took in the calming herbal scent of the tea before the taste.
“I just like late night talks in general! Or just talking!”
“Heh.”
“So… uh… what else do you wanna talk about?"
“Uh…”
They both paused, teas in hand. It’s as if they’d hit the end of the conversation sidewalk. Looey reached over and grabbed a random magazine from the coffee table beside them and opened it. Pretending to be busy reading through it. Sprout eventually asked to have one too, to which Looey handed him one as well.
Sprout got one about baking and Looey got the one about fashion again. He furrowed his brows looking at the familiar pages. So he turned his head ever so slightly enough to peek at Sprout’s magazine, but that wasn’t enough. Now he leaned slowly to have a good enough look. He was on a page about cupcake recipes, specifically how to make double chocolate cupcakes.
As Looey read along the instructions, he kept leaning to let his eyes reach the other page, though he suddenly stopped once he hit Sprout’s arm. Looey froze in embarrassment, hoping the berry wouldn’t notice his weight on his arm, though it was much too late.
Sprout slowly turned his head to look down at him. Looey stayed frozen, trying not to make any eye contact. Little drops of cold sweat falling down his head. “Ok, I get the chamomile tea makes you cozy but I didn’t think that cozy!” Sprout joked, followed by laughter. Finding this as an excuse, Looey got his head off the side of Sprout’s arm and laughed along with him. Though his own laughs sounded fake and full of worry.
“M-My bad! Your magazine looked more interesting and- and I wanted to look but I didn’t mean to pry-! W-Well I guess I did more than pry j-just now! I-I’M SORRY I KNOW I’M AN IDIOT!” Looey wailed as he covered his embarrassing flushed face and scooted closer to the edge of the couch, farther away from the café owner. “O-Oh, its alright! I’m not mad!” Sprout reassured him, though it didn’t seem to do much.
“And… Don’t call yourself an idiot. I’ve just met you today and ‘idiot’ is definitely a word that doesn’t describe you. You’re really fun to be around and you’re very… unique.” Sprout placed a hand on Looey’s shoulder. Now Looey was the one slowly turning his head. He locked eyes with Sprout, a small blush forming as he stared into his dark green pools.
“I- I honestly think I can be an idiot a lot of times… and then I end up thinking I’m just a waste of space a lot of the times…” Looey wept, burying his face in the sweet-smelling blanket. Sprout sighed. “Listen… I can assure you, Looey, you aren’t a waste of space. You’re not a waste of anything.” Sprout comforted, taking Looey’s smaller hands in his own. Looey couldn’t help but look up at Sprout, tears visually forming at the rims of his eyes. Sprout was quick to wipe them.
They both stayed looking at each other deeply.
There was a bit of silence between the two before Sprout grabbed his chin, causing both to close their eyes and lean in for a kiss, Sprout pulling Looey closer.
They stayed kissing for a few seconds before parting with lidded eyes staring at each other. Looey took a few seconds to process the situation before gasping and freaking out. He got off the couch at once and buried his face in his hands, tail curling between his legs in embarrassment. Sprout blinked himself into reality, realizing what he’d done.
“OHHH SHITTTTT!!! I’M SORRY FOR THAT! I SHOULD’VE ASKED HOLY SHIT!” Sprout apologized, being caught off guard when Looey’s phone started to ring. Looey flung his arms to the phone and quickly picked up the call.
“H-Hello-?”
“🗲LOOEY WE’RE SO SORRY!! WE FORGOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT GOING TO THE PARTY AND WE LOST TRACK OF TIME!!!”
Looey pulled the phone away from his ear in the sudden yelling from his friend.
“I-It’s alright! I uh…”
“🗲 I SUSPECT YOU AREN’T AT HOME! WHERE ARE YOU WE’RE COMING TO PICK YOU UP!!!”
His friend yelled again.
“I-I’m in a café… the 2nd down the intersection downtown I think…?” He told his worried partner. “🗲OH OK! IT’S NOT FAR THEN! WE’LL BE THERE IN 15! BYE KEEP YOURSELF SAFE!” his friend on the other line dismissed, hanging up instantly. Looey rubbed his ears, which became uncomfortable after all the yelling.
“Who… was that?” Sprout asked him. Looey laughed. “Oh! It’s my friend Yatta! She’s always hyper and that’s how she talks most of the time. Its normal…! I think…”
“Ah… ok then.” He replied, getting up from his side of the couch bringing his blanket along with him. “W-Wait what are you doing?” Looey asked Sprout. The berry giving him an ‘isn’t it obvious’ look. “I literally pulled you in, kissed you, and didn’t even ask for consent! How wrong is that of me!!!” Sprout retorted. Looey paused, before a miniscule smile grew on his face. “I… honestly felt it was… well… right…” Looey slowly faded into a mumble. Making Sprout look back at him in a bit of confusion.
Looey smiled.
Sprout looked away.
“I mean… I kinda—uh… well… REALLY really liked it…” Looey followed this with an awkward chuckle and a tail slowly wagging behind him.
Sprout looked back at him.
“Same…”
“!”
Looey’s ears went from their resting state to full alertness. Sprout’s own little leaf stub tail started to sway. Looey extended his arms out, causing Sprout to toss the blanket aside and embrace him. They stayed embraced for a few long seconds, Looey nuzzling into Sprout’s chest. Then Sprout used his hand to raise Looey’s head to face him. Looey nodded before leaning in to kiss him for the second time that night. And this time it wasn’t quick. They stayed in one singular kiss, embraced in each other, hearing the crackling fire and the now light pitter patter of the rain.
After about 8 seconds of holding just one kiss, they moved onto two, then three, and so on. Looey ended up making Sprout sit on the couch and then sat on top of his lap, not stopping their little kissing frenzy in the process.
Sprout pulled away from Looey’s mouth and eyed him before looking down at his neck, causing Looey to nod and pull away a bit of his hoodie to reveal his neck. Sprout dived in and started slowly kissing him in a rhythmic pattern. From the jawline to a bit of the shoulder. Looey shivered from the nice feeling, grabbing onto the side of Sprout tightly. Sprout himself moved his hands and started to caress Looey’s back.
Sprout gave Looey a light bite before moving back up to his mouth. And this time, Sprout asked for entry at Looey’s mouth, to which Looey agreed to. Though he soon half-regretted it when he felt the strong shivers flow through his body as well as his body going mildly limp.
They were soon interrupted when Looey’s phone started to ring again.
“Uh… You should—"
“Leave it.”
“But if it’s your friends-“
“Leave it!” Looey replied as he turned over to check the phone. He frowned when he noticed it was from a random number.
“Scam call?”
“Yep.”
They both ignored the ringing and continued peacefully. They both indulged each other to the fullest they could while staying clothed. And before they both knew it,
the time they had to stay had run out.
A car had pulled up to the side of the restaurant.
At this point, Sprout was basically lying on top of Looey on the couch as well as caressing his sensitive ears and face. When a sudden flash of light outside shone, Sprout realized it wasn’t from the storm.
“Shit… I think that’s your friends…”
Looey was quick to stand up and dust himself off. His face was flushed red, like usual. Sprout also got up after. Rearranging the pillows on the messy couch. Looey’s friends Yatta and Blot went up to the locked door and banged on it, peeking through and quickly spotting their friend. They waved and Looey waved back as he headed to the door.
“LOOEY!!!!!!!” Yatta yelled as she was let in. She gave him a hug so hard he swore she almost popped him. “H-Hi Yatta!” He happily greeted. Sprout stood at the door smiling as he saw the two chatter. “WELL ARE YA READY? IM TIRED AS FUCK!” Yatta didn’t hesitate to comment. “Y-Yeah! Totally! L-Lemme just uh…”
He walked up to Sprout before hugging him again and then headed to his friends.
“I’ll be sure to return tomorrow! And try out the delicacies!” Looey called from outdoors. Sprout responded with a thumbs up, before seeing them drive away. He sighed and headed back to the couch. Taking the blanket Looey was using, he laid back down and covered himself with it. Falling asleep to the soft sounds of the rain.