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When he saw Coil for the first time, his first impression of the guy was that he would be fun to hang around. He felt a buzz of excitement every time the dude came into the store, deliberately slowing down his wiping of the tables to listen closely to whatever creative words the dude could come up with, infuriating Sling with wit and wordplay.
Sure, it would be a reason for concern if Sling blew up on every customer that even slightly irritated him, but that didn’t seem to be the case. This special form of anger seemed to be reserved for Coil alone – well he also got yelled at, but he wasn't a customer so it didn’t count! It was fun to watch his normally stoic and calm brother groan the moment the guy came through the door.
It might’ve benefited the both of them, in fact. The cocky inphernal didn’t look to mind the yelling from Sling at all, and his brother always did get calmer after letting out all that pent up rage from previous inane customers that he didn’t dare yell at.
For the first few times, that was all the customer was. A source of entertainment that he could watch from afar, a source of mindless fun whenever he needed a distraction from his actual job.
It didn’t hurt that the guy was also good looking, total eye candy to be frank with the hypnotising glint in his eyes and arm muscles that were proudly on display from his hoodie’s torn sleeves, and judging by the constant smirk on his face, he knew it.
He didn’t have a crush on that guy! To be clear, he was simply stating an objective fact.
Before long, the guy that had previously been known as “the guy Skate comes in with” had become a regular staple of his work life. He even managed to learn his name after hearing Skate desperately trying to calm down an altercation between Sling and the guy.
‘Coil’
It was a nice name. Simple, easy to spell, and it sounded nice too, rolling off the tongue. Though he might be slightly biased in that manner, considering he had heard the name fly off Sling's tongue with so much speed and vitriol that it could figuratively burn a hole through their cafe tiles.
He doubted the dude knew his name in return. He didn’t know that much about Coil beyond it, only vaguely understanding the guy was close with Skateboard as they always came into the cafe together. He was perfectly content with that arrangement, watching from afar and understanding implicitly that there was a boundary between them. Not a significant one, and one that could probably be broken by a simple ‘Hello’ muttered carelessly, but he had no particular incentive to do such a thing, so it was supposed to remain that way.
Then today happened.
A random coincidence had led to him being called to the register attending to Coil while his brother was in the kitchen, allowing him to finally look at Coil up close. Skate was there too, but he had seen the dude a dozen times before when they had a movie night and shared some gummies.
Besides, the red-horned inphernal had become predictable as of late, always yearning off for Sling in a way that was equal parts cringy and endearing. Coil was by far the more interesting option to look at, and that was the truth!
Just look at the guy! He had naturally bi-coloured horns for SFOTH’s sake!
He wished he could have such cool horn colours naturally, instead of having to resort to horn dye to get the neon green colour he loved. He was at least grateful that his natural horn colour was already pretty pale, so it didn’t need any bleaching before the dye was applied.
Even besides the fact the guy looked cool as phuck, he was curious about the one customer who could consistently make Sling absolutely lose his cool. He had to know his competition, alright? It was just a coincidence that he found the guy interesting to talk to as well. He was surprisingly nice, at least compared to his mind’s image of him after all those times Sling was yelling bloody murder, and he found the confidence intriguing rather than irritating.
Simply put, the dude was fun to talk to, and he found himself enjoying the short conversation they had, appreciating the snark.
It was fun, and he found himself acting less like a service worker the longer the two of them talked. Practiced customer service phrases got exchanged with easy chatter and banter that he returned.
It was pleasant. It had been a long time since he had just clicked with someone before, and he found himself wanting to talk to Coil some more, beyond him being a customer.
“Hi Shuri, sorry about Coil over here, just get a strawberry tart for him.” Skate eventually interrupted while the two of them were talking. He didn’t particularly appreciate the interruption, but it reminded him that he was indeed supposed to be doing his job.
He finally turned back to the cashier, preemptively saving himself from a scolding in case Sling walked out of the kitchen and caught him chatting up with customers instead of actually manning the register
He logged the order, mind registering the fact that Coil liked strawberries, or at least a strawberry tart.
Was it good?
He didn’t particularly enjoy strawberries, they were a kind of plain one-note sweetness for him, likely why they were his sister’s favourite fruit, but combining them with other ingredients into a tart probably added some additional complexity. Perhaps even a little tartness.
Heh, he smiled to himself at that joke.
Focusing back onto the customers in front of him, he continued actually doing his job.
“Ah Skate! Do you want anything for yourself?”
“Nah, I was just here to talk to Sling, Coil just decided to tag along.” The dude was as predictable as always. It was basically an open secret at this point that Skate liked his brother, and it was basically a goddamn miracle that Sling still hadn’t noticed. Either his brother was the most oblivious inphernal in all of Inpherno, or he was remaining willfully ignorant.
He sighed internally, wondering when the red-horned inphernal would finally admit it to his brother.
Maybe one day, but not today it seemed.
To fill his hands, and do his job, though that was second priority, he moved over to the display stand. He was far enough away that whatever the two of them were talking about had become unintelligible garbles, but he could still see their faces. Skate just looked confused, clearly visible even from his location. That confusion was paired with equal surprise, incredibly obvious given that Skate was one of the most expressive inphernals he had ever met.
What were they talking about?
Coil on the other hand was being much more subtle about his feelings, not that it was hard to be more subtle than Skate. The guy’s cocky smile and smug demeanor never faded, though there was a hint of irritation in his body language.
At least at the start
He didn’t know what happened, but somewhere in between him opening the display case and him grabbing the tongs, the dude suddenly went entirely stock-still, face going slack and eyes suddenly drifting far away. It was such a contrast from his regular behaviour that a thought popped into his head.
Was Coil sick?
He got the tart out faster than he normally would have, curious and and slightly concerned to see what was up with the dashing customer. The skater was waving his hand across the guy’s face, and Coil didn’t react at all.
Approaching the register once more, he heard a mutter of ‘pharmacy’ from Skate, confirming his beliefs. Coil really was a little ill.
Now that he was looking closer, he couldn’t believe he missed it earlier.
The guy was pretty red, he could see the flush covering his cheeks. In addition, there was a distinct disorientation in his eyes that looked wild compared to the relatively calm atmosphere of the cafe. It looked good on him, but that was besides the point. Coil seemed entirely distracted and his mind seemed confused.
Thankfully, the guy seemed to regain control of his limbs by the time he arrived, though the movements seemed jerkier than they had been previously
“Coil! Got your strawberry tart.” He finally announced his presence to the group, startling Skate slightly.
The customer that statement was directed to finally walked to the register, though he seemed too tired to make eye contact. He couldn’t blame him, being sick sucked, he could empathise with the exhaustion and groggy state he was probably in. He gave a small smile to the guy, hoping he would correctly identify it as a stand of solidarity and understanding.
Strangely, Coil didn’t seem to smile in return, withdrawing even more than he thought possible, and muttering just a small and near inaudible ‘thank you’ in his direction. Hearing Skate continue to talk about how Coil was sick, he remained silent.
He kept his eyes on the dude as he put the bux into the register, half wondering if he should recommend making chicken soup or if it would be too intruding when this was legitimately the first conversation he had with the guy.
He couldn’t help being concerned when the guy looked like he would keel over from a heart attack any second. Seriously, how was the guy irritating Sling like normal earlier when he had turned so feeble in less than a minute?
So yeah, he found his eyes wandering to Coil more often than not. Even when the not-so-big reveal of Skate having a crush on his brother came up, he still left a part of his brain thinking of the inphernal beside him.
Partially it was the fact he finally had someone who was also aware of the absolutely sickening lovey-dovey state Skate was in, partially because he really was wondering if the guy was sick, and partially because the guy really was just that attention drawing. Thinking back, those thoughts clogging his brain might’ve made him lose a little restraint for his normal behaviour…
He’d been impulsive in celebrating the fact that Skate finally admitted his crush, even if not to the guy those feelings were actually directed to. Slamming his hands on the countertop would definitely have gotten him reprimanded by Sling if he had gotten caught. It was only by some miracle that the sound didn’t echo, instead being partially deadened by the fabric one of his hands landed on.
Whoops…
Sorry Coil, he hoped that wouldn’t leave a wrinkle in his hoodie.
He didn’t have time to voice that apology out loud, for he was immediately roped into an on-the-spot interrogation by Skate.
Normally, he would find it funny. The guy was in a total panic with a face that was a deeper red than his horns, and truly it was hilarious, but he didn’t find it as comedic as he normally would. Beyond chuckling slightly and replying to Skate with a mild laugh, he didn’t feel the sense of delight he thought he would. By all accounts, he should be cackling, entirely grinning and borderline yelling every word, without care for volume upon receiving this information.
Except he wanted to talk to Coil
Something about the guy was just…magnetic. He didn’t know any other way to word it. He really wanted the guy to talk to him, just to have his eyes on him. It felt strange, especially considering that he hadn’t even talked to the dude before today.
He tried to send a message through sheer mental willpower in the hopes that Coil would somehow detect it and finally reply, because he desperately wanted to talk to him.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
In fact, the dude may have become even more distant after that, moving his body from the countertop like he had been burned, and absolutely refusing to make eye contact with him. At least he thought that was what the guy was planning to do. In actuality, his eyes kept flicking from his own face to some other sights around the cafe, like he couldn’t quite decide on whether to look at him or not.
It was confusing, and he was left wondering if the guy just didn’t like the way he looked.
Did he look bad? Sure he didn’t really care for his appearance that much, compared to Sling and Vine he was borderline neglectful of his face, his brother had nearly fainted when he found that the bottle of face wash he bought for him last year had been laying unopened and still sealed in the bathroom cupboard, but he didn’t think he looked so horrendous that Coil would be repulsed by his face.
He inspected the guy’s expression closer, suddenly hit with a bout of self consciousness as the guy continued to gawk at him like he was an entirely new species.
…Maybe he should’ve started using that face wash by now.
Such thoughts were then erased by his brother calling for him, and he needed to dash off to retrieve a bag of flour from storage before Sling came out looking pissed as all hell.
This was partially his brother’s fault too! The baker almost always understocked his cafe, concerned that they wouldn’t get enough sales and would need to discard non-existent extras. This was despite time having proven that this cafe was popular as all heck, his back pain from wiping down so many tables as testament to that fact.
He didn’t have a chance to say goodbye before he rushed to grab a bag, only barely managing to arrive back in time to see the duo already walking away. He waved towards them, and though Skate missed it, Coil actually caught sight of him.
The guy seemed to freeze in place, before returning a small smile that was so radiant it left him breathless. Seriously, how could an inphernal look that stunning when entirely backlit by the damn sun, even the silhouette was beautiful. He had to squint to actually see the dude’s face, and it seemed like the sky itself was hogging Coil for itself.
It was unfair!
He wanted Coil too!
…That sounded weird
He didn’t mean it like that
Yea, it didn’t make sense to be thinking like that over some guy he barely knew. Sure he was pleasant to be around and he did want to get closer, but not like that. That thought was just a random ramble from his brain, totally unrelated!
Totally!
He ignored how it didn’t seem entirely false, even if it had come straight out of left field. How it had been slightly rational to his mind, like a truth he had just stumbled upon.
He didn’t have time to worry about that though, for Coil had already walked out of the back door, though not before returning the wave he had sent. It was nice of him, and he was left with the thought that they may not need to be such strangers after all.
He didn’t have time to appreciate the gesture though, as Sling had begun to yell from his position in the kitchen, getting progressively angrier with every second that the flour had yet to arrive.
“Shuri! Get your ass over here!” The baker yelled, patience having snapped.
He lugged the heavy bag into the kitchen, deliberately exaggerating his movements so that his brother might assume he was tired and be more lenient on him.
It didn’t work.
“Shuri, stop dragging it on the floor. Put it up on the prep table.” His brother saw right through him.
He sighed, entirely disappointed and not the slightest bit exhausted, before lifting the bag up off the floor with none of his previous theatrics.
It was a goddamn miracle the guy in front of him could talk to customers at all, to him Sling would just end up cussing him out.
Maybe if he were a customer his brother would finally be forced to be nice to him.
That thought made him smile, he was the smartest inphernal in all of Inpherno for thinking of that idea!
On second thought, that might not work. Coil was a customer and he had seen first hand on multiple occasions how easily he could make Sling say things that would make Vine clutch her pearls.
Oh yea Coil…
The dude was still on his mind. After all, it wasn’t everyday one saw someone so striking, he was bound to leave at least some impact.
He wondered…
It was while Sling was still rolling dough on a slab of granite that he finally asked the question he had been thinking about.
“Hey Sling, do you have Coil’s number?”
“No?” The guy sounded completely puzzled by that question, and that was his signal to backpaddle immediately.
Even if he did have Coil’s number, which he doubted because the face Sling had shown him was one of pure disgust and bewilderment, he was certainly not getting it without being asked a few questions in returned
“No reason.” He added a lilt to his voice, hoping it would distract his brother as he walked out of the kitchen, half praying his brother wouldn’t follow when his hands were covered with flour.
“Okay.” His brother accepted his answer remarkably quickly, though he still sounded confused, focusing instead on the pile of dough that was clinging to every crack in his skin.
Phew… He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, thankful that he didn’t get caught.
Wait, caught?
Why was he feeling embarrassed over this, it wasn’t like he did anything wrong?
Ehh, he brushed it off, deciding to think about it later when he had more sugar in his blood stream.
It was several hours later, almost closing, when he saw his brother once again.
“Shuri, is that a strawberry tart?” The baker asked, tone utterly exasperated after the exhausting workday, already sounding entirely sapped of energy.
The question was entirely rhetorical, for the tart was still clearly in his hands, though in its half-eaten state it probably wouldn’t last much longer. It looked good even in its current less than stellar state, and tasted even better. He now understood why it was almost always sold out by the end of the workday.
Coil had good taste! He couldn’t believe that he had been missing out on such a good pastry all this time. Whatever jam Sling used had given the tart a refreshing acidity that most strawberries sorely lacked.
He had grabbed it on a whim, recalling Coil’s order when he saw there were only 3 of the tarts left, but judging by how good it was, it might become his new go-to mid-day snack.
“Uhh… maybe?” He tried injecting some innocence into his tone, not that it was helpful when crumbs fell off his lips as he said the words.
Yea… Lets just say he was sent on laundry duty for the next month