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Usually, under any other circumstance, Slingshot would have cracked his broom in half at the question. Hell, it was Shuri who asked, he might have broken it over the inphernal’s head.
“So you like Coil, huh?”
Those words rang in his head, echoing over and over again. No! No was his first instinct. He fucking hated that man. Always coming in, being a nuisance, at one point he came right after stealing more crystals from Subspace! He did not need the entire Korblox Administration coming to raid Thieves Rest because of him.
Maybe the silence was too long. Or the fact Slingshot didn’t even react at first, that prompted Shuriken to continue, leaning over the counter with a smirk plastered on his face.
“Look, you’ve been more and more easy on him. Haven’t even seen you get mad at him calling you kitty-”
And that’s when the broom snapped. Vine Staff was already ordering a new one, but was just as interested in the conversation at hand. As she wiped down the tables, she slowed, watching her brother tease and broad at the cafe owner.
“Don’t ever imply something like that again,” Slingshot’s words were cold, as he glared daggers at Shuriken, “Unless you want me to poison you.”
“I’m just saying! It’s not a bad thing to have a crush, y’know.”
“I don’t! Why would I ever like him?!” He was basically yelling, fist tightening around the broken broom handle.
Slingshot woke up in a cold sweat. His white hair stuck to his forehead, panting, staring up at the ceiling. Swords, that argument happened almost a week ago. Why was he still thinking about it?
He had rolled over quietly. Sure, they had a large apartment and him, Vine Staff and Shuriken each had their own bedrooms, but he still didn’t want them to know how much this was affecting him.
How much thinking about Coil was affecting him.
After that whole experience, every time Coil came in, Slingshot could barely think straight. He’d burn bread, ice cookies with butter, mix up the salt and sugar, and sweep the same spot for over an hour just lost in thought.
And the interactions, Swords help him, were even worse. Did he start having to just flee to the back room every time Coil called him ‘kitty’ now? Or even worse, when he said ‘pretty kitty’? No shot he was being flirted with, the two were frenemies at best when they were phighting together on the same team.
That was also getting bad. Coil had been boosting him more and more over the last week, slinging his arm over his shoulder after a match, getting so close all the time… it was so frustrating! Slingshot took one of his pillows and held it over his face, letting out a groan into it.
… Maybe he did like Coil. The one day he didn’t come into Thieves Rest this week, Slingshot felt even more agitated than when Coil actually showed up. Like there was something missing in his day that wasn’t giving his structure. Someone breathing down his neck, staring at him all the damn time.
He removed the pillow, staring up at the ceiling again. Was the room getting hotter? No, a touch of his cheeks let him know how much he was blushing. Thinking about Coil like this, keeping him around…
Fuck. He was in deep, wasn’t he?
Slingshot didn’t have to act on it though. Especially since, there was no way Coil would EVER consider something like that.
… Right?