Muffins // A Skephalo Story

Chapter 8

Darryl/Bad POV

I wake up to a dark room, and I look at the time to see it's only 5 in the morning.

I'm still on a call with Zak, and I can hear his light breathing through the speaker of my phone.

He'd fallen asleep almost right away last night, but I'd stayed up for a few hours more.

It's a Thursday, so I don't have work today, and can spend some time relaxing and hanging out with Lucy.

I have a job as an architect which is pretty well paying, but I have to work a lot of hours.

Saturday and Thursday are my off days, and I have to work from 9 in the morning to 8 at night.

My lunch breaks are an hour long, and I always spend them at the Cafe.

It was a habit I picked up very soon after getting the job, mostly because it's less than a five minute walk from the office building.

Groaning, I get out of bed. Now that I'm awake there's not much of a chance I'll be able to fall back asleep, so I might as well be productive.

I smile to myself as I hear Zak's soft snores coming from my phone. Just heating him melts my heart.

Regretfully, I have to hang up, but I make a mental note to call him again later.

Last night, we talked for hours on end about the most random things, mostly trying to learn a bit more about each other.

I now know that Zak has a dog named Rocco, but the dog lives at his parents house. I know that he loves the warm weather, and his favorite color is blue. He likes tennis, and prefers chocolate chip muffins.

A few things I figured out on my own were that his laugh is contagious, he's very kind and selfless, and is pretty shy at times.

Lucy starts barking at me, yapping and running in circles at my ankles, so I know it's time to feed her.

I step into the kitchen, and open up a container of dog food, shoveling it onto a plate.

There's a little nook under the island where she always loves to eat, so I put the plate of food down there.

I have a bit of time to kill today, and I want to make sure I go to the Cafe during Zak's shift, so I decide to take Lucy for a walk.

I sit on the couch, waiting for my rat to finish her food, and then go get her leash ready.

Knowing what that means, Lucy starts jumping at my heels with excitement.

I laugh and ruffle her fur as I slip the collar on.

"C'mon, Lucy, let's go!"

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

The air is really cold, but it's not snowing right now.

The crisp weather reminds me that I'll be going ice skating with Zak on Saturday, and the thought makes me smile.

Sure, I feel like I know Zak, but we haven't actually hung out before, and I can't wait!

There aren't many people outside right now, seeing as it's early in the morning. I like this better though, it's more calming, and Lucy won't get excited over all the people.

We finish our walk, and I decide to just spend some time relaxing for a while. I make myself a snack, and settle on the couch to watch a movie.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

After 3 movies, I decide it's about time to visit the Cafe, so I start to get ready. I don't know if Zak has a shift today, so I shoot him a quick text before leaving.

You
I'm heading to the Cafe now, are you going to be there?

I don't even have to wait a minute before getting a response.

Cute Muffin :)
Yayy! Im therew rn soi illk sdee u sooin!

I roll my eyes at his grammar, but smile knowing I'll see him today.

The walk is colder than this morning, and it's snowing a bit right now.

When I walk into the cafe, I see Zak bringing some people their orders. As he walks back towards the front he notices me and offers a goofy smile before disappearing into the back.

George is standing with Ant, Velvet, and Dream at the front and they wave me over.

"Hey Darryl! Over here!" Dream waves at me, motioning for me to come over.

There's no one waiting in line, so I go to greet them.

"Hi Guys! How's it going?"

"Good, good. What have you been doing today?" George asks.

"Nothing much, I've just been spending time with Lucy, because I had no work today."

They all kind of go cold, and Velvet speaks up. "Wait, Lucy? You have a girlfriend?"

"Oh my goodness, no!" I shout. "Lucy is my doggo."

"Wait, what about Rat?" Ant questions.

"Lucy and Rat are the same dog. I just call her Rat sometimes as a nickname."

They all nod, and Dream seems to just now realize something. "We need to get you your order! Sorry about that."

"No, it's fine." A couple walks in, and I decide to sit down so they can get their food.

My usual booth in the corner is open, so I sit down and just watch the snow falling outside the window.

After a few minutes, Zak walks over to my table, a smirk on his face. "Hey, bad. I have a little delivery for you."

He sets the paper tray with my muffin and cocoa down on the table with a flourish.

"Thanks, S'geppy."
I can hear our friends giggling at us, and judging from the blush on Zak's cheeks, he can hear them too.

"Talk to you later, bad boy."

"Later." I mutter, feeling my face turn pink.

Zak walks away, and his friends immediately pull him into the back, giggling and teasing him. I smile to myself as I eat my muffin.

I remember the notes Zak has given me the past few days, and sure enough, when I look at the sleeve of my cup, there's a small, folded paper tucked in there.

I pull the note out and unfold it, revealing a cute, flirty message.

Got you a sweet muffin to match your sweet personality! <3
I can't wait to be with you all weekend :)

I smile to myself, refolding the note and putting it in my pocket.

I've kept all of my notes from Zak so far, pinning them to my bulletin board, surrounded by small doodles and pictures.

I continue to snack on my muffin as I watch the snow falling outside, maybe thinking about Zak.

○ ● ○ ● ○ ● ○ ● ○ ●

1147 Words

*End of Chapter 8*

A bit of a longer chapter today, but I hope you guys still like it!

Please vote if you liked this chapter :)

Remember to eat, drink water, and get sleep because you deserve it <3