Archive of Our Own

Coil was arguing with Skate again.
— You can't continue these forays, look at you! — he shouted, waving his hand in the direction of his interlocutor. He was covered in abrasions and cuts, especially on his hands — there were traces of electricity that passed through his metal rims every time he activated his crystal.
— I need these crystals, Skate! I can't survive here without them, how do you not understand! — Coil shouted back.
— You're all mutilated because of this, I'm worried about you! — Skate continued to insist, firmly convinced that he was right. He repeatedly told his roommate to stop going to Blackrock for crystals, or at least do it more carefully, but the other infernal seemed to ignore everything.
— I can't live in your care for the rest of my life. I need to become independent. As soon as I save up… — Coil explained, but was interrupted.
— Dude, stay here as long as you want, we're friends after all! It's okay to accept help! — Skate begged him.
— I've been sitting on your neck for years. I'll find a place to live and you won't have to see my broken face anymore, since you're so worried about it! — he said the last sentence mockingly, folding his arms over his chest.
— How are you going to do that? You have to borrow from me just to feed yourself, Coil. I'm ready to provide you with financial assistance, just stop it! — Skate sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Coil was silent for a few seconds, considering the infernal's words. He was very angry that he saw him as a helpless. He's not helpless.
— Okay, since that's the case, I won't bother you anymore and I'll leave. — Coil said, turning to “his” room, but he was grabbed by the arm.
— Coil, where are you going to go like this? Let's calm down and treat these wounds, then we can continue our conversation. — Skate tried to speak calmly, swallowing all the resentment for his friend's sake.
— Tsk, I don't need your obsessive motherhood, Skate! I can handle it on my own. — he answered confidently, pulling his hand away from his. The other infernal sighed heavily, lowering his arms. He wanted to say something else, but Coil walked briskly into the room and slammed the flimsy door. Skate clenched his fists in anger, fed up with his stubbornness.
— All right, go if you want! But your desire to prove to the whole world that you are self-sufficient will kill you sooner or later. I'm just concerned about your well-being! — Skate shouted so that he could definitely be heard through the wall. There was no response. He grabbed his skateboard and backpack, which were lying near the front door, and left the house to go about his business.
Meanwhile, Coil was in the room trying to calm his anger while breathing heavily. He was incredibly offended by his friend. He packed his few belongings into a backpack, bandaged his hands and put on metal hoops, which immediately turned red, matching the color of his right horn and eye. For Coil, these outings meant much more than just getting crystals to strengthen him and selling it to the black market. Every trip to Blackrock is a dangerous thrill that Coil loved to experience. Fighting made his blood boil with adrenaline inside, and it gave him pleasure. The wounds and abrasions only added to the picture of good work for Coil, even if he risked his life. He liked it. Others will never understand. Especially the Skate.
"Let him roll then..!" the hellhound muttered softly, adjusting the backpack on her shoulder and opening the door from the room. He left the apartment, locked it and left the keys under the mat, as if declaring that he would not return, and let Skate take the keys back for himself.
He walked a couple of blocks from the house in a random direction, and then stopped in place. Where should he go? Coil looked down at the backpack, which he was holding onto his shoulder with his hand. All his few possessions were there. Apparently, this is his whole reality now. Among other things, there were only a couple of small crystals inside, most likely broken off from larger ones. You can't sell that for a lot of money. He'll have to get more. Angered, he pulled a hood over his head, hiding, and walked towards the bus stop where the bus to Blackrock stopped. He usually fares without payment and gets off a few stops before the region itself, so as not to get checked. He was definitely listed as a criminal among them. Then he went on foot through a large field, which gradually became snow-covered until the accumulated snow formed knee-deep drifts. It's hard, but it can't be helped. Life as a thief is not easy.
Coil was barely moving his feet on the unpaved snow. It was good that there was no cold wind or snowfall, which at least made this day a little more successful. Suddenly, he heard the crunching of snow, which was not created by his boots. Coil was wary.
As he expected, he was discovered by a patrol group of biografts.
— THE CRIMINAL HAS BEEN DETECTED! FOLLOWING ORDERS. — One of them said. Coil grinned. The biografts rushed forward with their weapons, which were sharp hot blades. Coil was ready for such a turn and, turning on the gravity coil, punched one Biograft from the bottom up with his fist in a jump, thus dodging the others, ending up behind them. He whirled back around just as several robots were swinging their blades at him from above. He used a speed coil and quickly ran between them, folding himself up a little, then switching back to the gravity coil, clenched his right hand tightly into a fist and hit one of the biografts from behind. It fell into the snow, but quickly got up and prepared to attack again. Others, hitting the air, also abruptly turned 180 degrees and rushed forward at him again. Coil jumped up and, folding his hands into a fist in front of him, smashed the head of one of the robots so that it would never get up again, after which he jumped away from it back to the ground away from the others. There are two left. Adrenaline was pumping through his blood, and Coil grinned again. He was ready to continue the fight, taking a step forward, but suddenly something let out a squeak under him, and he was thrown back to the white snow. He was disoriented by the snow and pink smoke surrounding him, but suddenly, from under the latter, he saw a silhouette that did not look like another silhouette of biograft. It seemed to be a living infernal.
— Ha! Gotcha! — they shouted in a gruff voice, finally manifesting through the dispersing gas cloud. Coil recognized the infernal, whom he saw almost as often as he saw his friends.
— Don't dream, Subfart! — this nickname was already like a native one in the Coil’s tongue. He stood up deftly and quickly brushed off the snow so as not to get wet ahead of time.
— You'll never catch me, old man. — he continued complacently, goading his opponent. It didn't take long for a reaction.
— Oh, you little insect! Don't you dare call me like that! You're going to pay, kid! — the scientist said angrily.
— Beta, catch him! Right now!!— he ordered loudly, almost stamping his foot in anger.
— AFFERMATIVE. — the biograft, who looked different from the others, answered briefly and clearly. The sharp notches that Coil’s opponent's blade had and his intimidating appearance only fueled the fire inside him more.
Coil waved away the remnants of smoke with his hand, getting into a fighting pose, ready to see what this Blackrock toy was capable of. The biograft walked towards him with steady, unhurried steps. The hellhound was about to attack, but suddenly a severe pain burned through his back. He screamed as he was pushed face down into the snow. The remaining biograft. How could he forget?
— Ha, don't expect that to stop me. — with the same confidence, he said, activating his coils so that electricity began to run through his metal bracelets on his hands.
The biograft was short-circuited and paralyzed. The beta biograft was still heading in his direction, and before Coil was in it’s range, he threw off a pile of metal, quickly getting back to his feet and heading for the remaining robot. His right eye was burning bright purple, his horn was the same color, and his face on the right side was slowly starting to turn icy, as were his fingertips. But nothing stopped him. He lunged at the Biograft, who drew his weapon. His back still hurt from the fresh wound, but fortunately, it had been cauterized by the heat of the blades, so it wasn't bleeding.
Coil grabbed his opponent by the waist and soared up with him, knocking him to the ground. The biograft was stunned for a second, but then immediately activated. The infernal wanted to move away so that he would not be hit by the blades, but suddenly he was grabbed by the ankle by beta, who previously threw one weapon out of its hand. Coil was surprised by this decision, but he couldn't stay surprised for long — his leg was pulled, and he lost his balance and fell back to the snow. Quickly gathering his strength, Coil put all his might into the leg he was being grabbed by and kicked the biograft. It leaned back from the blow, but did not let go. In the place where his foot landed, there was a large dent, around which chunks of ice formed. The biograft didn't seem to be moving anymore, but Coil couldn't get its hand off him. When he grabbed it with his own hand, the robot's arm was covered with ice in that place, creating only a bigger obstacle.
— Damn… — the infernal cursed to himself when he realized that he was in a difficult situation. Suddenly, he felt heat near his neck — a blade was dangerously placed against it. It seems that this is the end. Coil turned cautiously, glancing at the biograft, who was barely moving. Due to the fact that all the mechanisms were working desperately, steam was coming from it.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps. It didn't take long to guess — Coil turned back and saw the pink-horned infernal, who smugly folded his arms over his chest, looking down at the hellhound.
— Hah, I can't believe I finally caught you, you little thief! — Subspace spoke loudly, his voice was distorted by the mask.
— Pf, I don't give up that easily — Coil said confidently, but his words were interrupted by a new blade that lifted his chin so that he looked directly at another infernal. Subspace contemptuously held the weapon beta had thrown in his hand, carefully looking at the infernal, whose life remained in the scientist's favor. Coil swallowed nervously, but he didn't show his nervousness. For the first time, he had a strange feeling in his stomach. As if this was the feeling he had been chasing all this time. Was it fear? Coil didn't know. But he was suddenly fascinated by the infernal towering above him. He looked so mesmerizing from this angle. So... dangerous. Coil smiled without realizing it. This confused the other one. The hellhound took advantage of the moment, quickly diving under the biograft's weapon and rushing straight at Subspace, before freeing his leg with a sharp crystal-enhanced jerk. Sub was not ready for this, blinded by his “victory”, and he was successfully knocked down. The biograft was preparing to attack from behind, but Coil thought quickly.
— Don't move, or I'll smash his head in! — he spoke quickly, referring to the infernal beneath him. Coil held his hands, pinning them to the snow beneath them so that he wouldn't go anywhere. The Biograft froze in place, calculating the best solution, and stepped back. Coil sighed nervously, not believing it would work.
— Are you willing to become a murderer? — the infernal beneath him said arrogantly — Biograph, attack. — he ordered without hesitation. The robot obeyed and started moving towards them again. Coil cursed under his breath, letting go of the other's hands and swinging from the spot to strike. He made a shockwave that hit the Biograft right in the head before he could even get close to them. Coil's face and hands hurt terribly from the cold, and the snow around him only worsened his condition. Suddenly, he felt a pain in his neck. He turned to look at the infernal below him, who was holding an empty syringe in his hand. The hellhound rubbed the spot on his neck where the prick had landed. He frowned and was about to hit the scientist under him, but suddenly he felt very dizzy. His horn turned from purple to green, returning to a more natural state. Half of his face was covered with ice. Coil had been fighting hard, but now his strength was gone. He barely stood up, grabbing his backpack, which he had dropped once in battle, fastly trying to escape from sight, but he could not take a step as he lost his balance and fell to his knees. Coil put his hand to his face, and it was as cold as the ice. Everything hurt with a burning cold. It started to get dark in his eyes, and the last thing he saw was someone else's shoes on the white snow.

Coil woke up on a hard bed in a dark room. He immediately tried to stand up, but his arm was chained to the bed. A sudden panic gripped his body.
— Damn, damn, damn. — Coil repeated, trying to rip off the handcuffs without success. He tried a couple more times and after that he helplessly gave up and sat down on the bed, lowering his arms. “Well, this is the end.” — he thought. His skin was still tingling where the ice had formed before. His hands and half of his face were bandaged and were burning for no clear reason. He sighed. It seems that here he will meet a fate much more terrible than death. He had assumed before that terrible things were done to criminals in Blackrock, and any of his guesses were terrifying. It looks like he's going to find out the hard way now.
Suddenly, the iron door to his cell was opened, and a biograft with a tray of food appeared. Coil tensed, preparing to defend himself if necessary. But the robot didn't seem to be going to attack — it didn't even have a weapon. It walked across the room with a confident step, placing the tray by the bed. Coil waited for the biograft to finish, and then abruptly grabbed his arm, pulling it to himself. He didn't know what he was going to do with it, but he wanted to protest — Coil put one foot on biograft's chest, and pulled on its arm with his own, barely pulling him off. The biograft staggered back, turning his head towards the missing hand. He stood for a few seconds, processing the information, and calmly turned around and headed for the exit. Coil was left alone with the mechanical arm. He looked at what it was made of besides the obvious metal, but found nothing useful. He exhaled, laying down next to it on the bed. Coil looked at the tray of food — porridge, bread, and tea. It's pretty modest, but in any case, the budget was the same as for food he usually eats. But he wasn't going to eat while staying in a hostile region. If they want to starve him, they're welcome, but his will won't break.
He decided to lie back on the bed, turning his extraction over in his hands, trying to make out its structure. Without power, the bright orange stripes no longer glowed, and it was impossible to change the position of the arm without electricity. Coil groped his right horn, but the crystal was missing. Expected. He exhaled, putting the hand back in place. The food beckoned with its appearance, it looked better than it usually would have looked, because the hellhound hadn't eaten anything for a whole... how long has it been? There were no windows in his prison room, and he couldn't tell if it was day or night. Deciding to ignore the plaintive sounds coming from his stomach, he lay on his side as far as the handcuffs would allow him and tried to fall asleep. But he was all on edge, and he couldn't calm down. He was thinking about his life, and how it would end soon. He was thinking about his outings. “It was worth it.” — Coil thought to himself, smiling sadly and closing his eyes. After agonizing hours, he managed to fall asleep, but his sleep was interrupted by new heavy footsteps. He jumped up into a sitting position, carefully pricking up his ears. The door of his detention facility was opened, and he saw him at the other end of the room.
— What, are you afraid to be alone with me? — Coil urged, looking at the new Beta Biograft who accompanied the scientist.
— Be silent, otherwise I will make your suffering even worse! — the scientist exclaimed, folding his arms on his chest. He looked at the untouched tray of food, frowning. If he doesn't want to eat then so be it. Subspace didn't care much about that.
He pointed two fingers in the direction of the other infernal, and the Biograft nodded, heading towards the prisoner with a syringe in his hand. Coil frowned and prepared to attack. Unfortunately, the handcuffs significantly restricted his movements. Beta came close to Coil, aiming the needle at his neck with a quick movement of her hand, but Coil grabbed the robot's arm, holding it at a distance from himself. His arm was shaking from the force exerted, but he held on as long as he could. Coil tried to push the biograft away from him with his feet, but the biograft stood firmly in place. Subspace exhaled an exasperated sigh as he approached the infernal. Coil had both hands taken up, as he would not have had the strength with only one hand. He looked fearfully at the scientist, who was frowning at him. He snatched the syringe from the biograft, who in turn quickly intercepted the hellhound's hands, holding them in its own. Coil struggled to get them out, but his struggles were fruitless. Subspace assessed the strange liquid inside the syringe, then took the other's chin in one hand, forcing the infernal to look at him. Coil froze, making eye contact. The scientist seemed to enjoy looking at his heterochromic eyes. They stood like that for a few seconds, after which Subspace released the guy and carefully guided the syringe into his vein. Coil twitched, but not much — he was afraid that the syringe would open his vein. Sub injected him with an unknown drug, but he still wouldn't let him go until his vision started to darken again.
— Let go. — Subspace ordered his biograft. It obeyed, freeing the infernal's limp body. Subspace unfastened the handcuffs, but Coil's body wouldn't obey, and he couldn't make an attempt to escape. He just moved forward, intending to fall to the floor face down, but was caught in the arms of a beta biograft. Coil's eyes were closing against his will, and he drifted off to sleep. He woke up tied to a chair, which in turn was bolted to the floor because Coil couldn't move it. He looked around, but he couldn't see anything in the pitch darkness.
— Hey? — he shouted into the void, but there was no answer. The lights suddenly turned on, and for a second Coil was blinded by the bright glow of the lamps. He squeezed his eyes shut, then cautiously opened them. His main enemy, Subspace, was sitting at the table. He sat with his hands folded under his chin. Beta was standing to the side. The table was set only on his side — the scientist had only a glass of water, half empty.
— “It's a pleasure to have the honor to meet you,” I would say, but I would be lying. — he began.
— Yeah, nice to meet you too — Coil replied sarcastically.
— Ahem! You know, I have big plans for you, brat. But before that, I'd like to know from you- — he was interrupted before he could finish.
— I'm not going to tell you anything, don't even hope! — Coil said confidently.
— Well... don't you want to try? — Subspace pushed the plate of food over. There were baked potatoes with some seasonings, a decent piece of fried meat, and a simple salad. Coil had to admit that it looked delicious, but he knew better than to eat it.
— Pf, and how should I do this? — he asked, showing his bound hands.
— In any case, I'm not going to eat anything from you or your colleagues. — Coil continued, turning his nose. The scientist sighed heavily at this, getting up from the table.
— I would love to eat it myself, but I have a strict diet, you know? — he said, rounding the table, passing his hand along it in some kind of threatening gesture.
— But since you don't want to eat, I'll end my hospitality. Let's get down to business. — he came up from behind, putting one hand on his shoulder, and with the other lifting his head slightly up so that he looked up at him.
— You know, you have very beautiful eyes for a brat like you…— he began, running two fingers over his cheek.
— Yeah, thanks. No one has ever given me such compliments before. Are you a romantic? — Coil replied flirtatiously, trying to unsettle his interlocutor. And he did it.
— Pf, what!? No, I'm not- — he immediately pulled away from him, rubbing the bridge of his nose with one hand. That made Coil smile.
— I'm flattered, I admit. — he continued to tease, taking pleasure in the other's anger.
— Shut up! That's not what I meant! I mean, argh, it doesn't matter… — he said, inhaling and exhaling, trying to moderate his ardor and bring back the oppressive atmosphere.
— Returning to the topic of conversation: I'm going to rip out your eye for my “collection”, Coil from the Playground. — Subspace said the last words sarcastically. Coil's smile immediately subsided, and he turned to his interlocutor.
— Wow, this is not how you hook up an infernal, Subspace from Blackrock! — he kept joking, even though the nervousness in his chest was burning inside. Subspace didn't say anything about it. He came up behind the infernal and grabbed him by the neck, tilting his head back so that they looked into each other's eyes. Coil let out a nervous laugh, smiling at his enemy, which embarrassed the scientist.
— Come on, do it. — he said in a whisper. His throat was starting to hurt, as was the wound on his back left by the biograft's attack. The ropes pressing down on his skin didn't help matters. But he had already accepted his fate. Surprisingly, he always believed that everything would end like this. And yet, time after time, he gradually went to his certain death.
The scientist called over the biograft with a scalpel in his hands, which Coil did not even notice at first, and took it. He turned it over in his hand, then painfully slowly ran it over Coil's cheek, as if testing its sharpness. A thin red stripe formed on the right side of his face, from which a drop immediately rolled down to his chin. Coil took a shuddering breath. Animal fear bloomed in his stomach, but he liked it. He leaned back a little, exposing his neck even more, as if showing his vulnerability in front of Subspace. He paused for a moment, considering the gesture. He released the hand holding the infernal's neck in interest, but the infernal still sat in the same position, looking at him with his bright eyes, waiting.
— You've got something wrong with your head, kid. Although I've suspected it for a long time, since you dared to interfere in Blackrock's affairs. — he said, breaking the silence. Coil laughed.
— I have problems with my head, but I have been inconveniencing you for a long time and have not been caught. So it worked, whether you wanted it to or not. It's just that this time I decided to have mercy on your attempts to catch me. — obviously, that wasn't the point, but Coil liked making fun of the infernal.
— Haha, very funny! — Subspace replied irritably.
— You know, you look really beautiful when you're angry. — Coil suddenly blurted out. Subspace's eye widened in surprise.
— What? — he asked briefly, shocked. Coil chuckled.
— Have you never got compliments? Although it's obvious, okay, I'm sorry. — Coil clearly wasn’t sorry, but he was ready to say this to his hated enemy as a joke. Or not so hated.
— Oh, you! You little brat!! — the scientist exclaimed angrily, rounding his chair so that he stood in front of another infernal.
— Unlike you, I'm quite an important person! And your words have no weight here! — he shouted, pointing at him with a scalpel in his hand. Coil pointedly rolled his eyes.
— Yes, yes, of course they don’t. — he replied with obvious sarcasm.
— By the way, you know, your crystals look so good that I would love to try on one of yours. — Coil continued to flirt, enjoying the reaction. He winked his eye and smiled even more, looking so happy, as if today was his spawn day. Subspace spread his hands questioningly, palms up, unable to assemble an articulate thought in his head from embarrassment.
— Oh, yeah. Your Beta model looks really cool. Amazing engineering idea. — he continued, waving his unbound legs childishly. Subspace's cheeks turned a subtle pink, but Coil saw it anyway. The Infernal rubbed the bridge of his nose as he headed for the exit.
— Beta, knock him out. — he ordered, almost exiting through the door. Coil's eyes widened in fear.
— Hey, listen, d-don't do that, man! Let's make a deal! — he tried to convince the other infernal as the biograft approached him menacingly.
— I'm afraid there's no use for a mutt like you. — he replied, turning to his interlocutor.
— I can help with the crystals! Admit it, not everyone can use them! And I can share all the information I know. It'll be good for Blackrock, won't it, huh? — the last sentence made Subspace think.
— Beta, wait. — he said, putting his hand to his chin.
— And what guarantees do I have that you're not lying? You're a very slippery guy, I know that. — he asked the infernal, folding his arms over his chest. Coil hesitated.
— Well, uh-hmm… We've known each other for a long time, and I like you, dude! In terms of what— uh-uh... platonic, of course! No gay shit. A-a-and, it's not like I have any options, is it? It's better than going to the experiments, right? Plus, you are always accompanied by a biograft who ensures your safety, you have nothing to fear. — Coil thought up an answer as the scientist walked, trying to sound convincing. Subspace frowned, but he was thinking about the other infernal's words.
— I don't recall you having any problems with my biografts, Coil, — he said more formally, putting forward his argument.
— I'm without my powerups! What the good ol’ me can do without them, come on! — Coil was lying, but anything to get him released. Subspace was silent for a few more seconds, after which he nevertheless put forward his decision.
—Beta, untie him, but keep an eye on him. — the biograft nodded at this, approaching the infernal with different intentions. Coil let out a sigh of relief, but not so much that it was noticeable. They untied him, and Coil couldn't believe what had happened. It seems that by flattering the scientist's ego, he was able to find a convincing approach to him. Coil grinned to himself.
Subspace motioned for him to leave the room first, holding the door open. Coil walked past the infernal a little incredulously, sticking his tongue out at him for a brief second. Subspace growled in displeasure, but decided not to start another fight, interested in his enemy's decision to cooperate. He didn't really believe it, but maybe his power had convinced him of the correctness of all the actions of the Blackrock government and himself. Whatever.
He walked behind Coil with a biograft, watching his movements carefully. At the forks, Coil would stop, turn around questioningly, and the Subspace would tell him the direction.
— Wait. — at one point he said, but Coil continued to walk with a soldier's step, singing.
— La-la-la... — until he was grabbed by the hood by the hard metal hand of the biograft.
— No unnecessary movements. — Subspace said, folding his arms on his chest in his favorite pose. Coil rolled his eyes.
He was pushed into an office, in front of which he was told to stop. It was quite spacious. On the other side was a large table, completely filled with some papers. There was a cabinet next to it with stacks of scribbled paper. Coil looked around — it looked like a laboratory, because on the sides of the room there were countertops with all kinds of vials and crystals.
— You're doing well here. — he commented. Subspace walked past him without saying anything and walked over to the table. He turned around and leaned on the table, carefully watching the actions of the other infernal.
— So, what do you have that I do not know? — he asked, eyeing Coil suspiciously. The man turned to look at him, stopped looking at the interior, and scratched his head thoughtfully.
— Well... uh... what do you not know? — He asked awkwardly, not knowing what exactly the infernal was interested in. The scientist rubbed the bridge of his nose irritably.
— I'm not going to tell you the details of my research, kid. — he exhaled wearily, starting to look at some of his notes.
— Of course! I'm not demanding it, just- U-uh… I might have lied a little bit about some information you didn't know. — Coil smiled stupidly, awkwardly rubbing his hand.
— Argh! It doesn't matter. You know, we can always do a couple of experiments on you to find out what I need. We don't have enough volunteers and prisoners, I think you'll fit in well! — he said, menacingly approaching the infernal and poking him in the chest with his finger. Coil backed away as the other closed the distance between them, raising his arms in a gesture of surrender until his back was against the biograft blocking the closed door. He turned around and waved stupidly at him.
— Woah! I think we can solve this in a more humane way- —Coil was trying to protect himself. Subspace came up close to him, looking irritably into his face. They were almost the same height, Subspace was only a couple of centimeters taller, but he still looked frighteningly enraged. Coil held his breath. There was a new feeling in his stomach, different from fear. He blushed a little at their proximity, breaking eye contact.
Coil put his hand on the scientist's chest, pressing a little to try to convince him to step back a little, but he did not move a step. Coil was breathing deeply. Subspace seemed to notice the infernal's strange behavior, and he was a little embarrassed himself. They stood there in silence for several minutes — no one knew how to get out of the awkward situation.
— You know what, just get the hell out. — finally, Subspace spoke, stepping back and returning to his desk, wearily looming over him. Coil breathed a sigh of relief.
— H-hey, I can still be useful, it's just- — he tried to justify himself, as if not believing that he would be let go so easily, but he was interrupted.
— I'm not interested in what you might tell me. Just go away and don't get caught a second time if you don't want to end up on the operating table. — the scientist turned around and looked at the infernal with a frown. Coil tensed, looking sadly at the other. He exhaled, preparing to leave, but before that, an idea came to him — he quickly closed the distance between them and, holding onto the infernal's shoulder, kissed the Sub on the mask where his lips should have been. Subspace did not move from shock, not immediately realizing what had happened. Coil smiled one last time, quickly grabbed the crystals from the table and ducked behind the biograft, escaping through the door.
Subspace stood there, staring wide-eyed after the fleeing thief. Beta was about to run after him, but the infernal stopped him.
— Beta, stand down. — the Sub managed to get out of himself, slowly recovering from the shock. He put his hand where the kiss had been made, leaving it there for a few seconds, after which he looked at it as if not believing what had happened. His cheeks turned pink, and he turned away from beta so that it wouldn't see him embarrassed. He sat down at his desk to continue working, but for a long time he couldn't get his strange encounter with Coil out of his mind.