One Helluva Ride

Chapter 7: Another Mission

          A soft whine escaped Splice's lips as they stirred. Their hand crashed onto their alarm as they groaned miserably. They sat up, attempting to rub the sleep from their eyes as they swung their legs over the side of the bed. They sleepily wandered into their kitchen, opening a cupboard.

            "Need a mug?" A voice asked. Splice hummed in acknowledgment, nodding as they tiredly gazed around their kitchen. "Wait- What the fuck?!" They exclaimed, jumping back and locking their gaze on the cabinet. There sat their boss Blitzø, tucked into their cabinet among their various cups. He waved with his free hand. "Wh- how did you..?" Splice stuttered, in shock. Blitzø grinned mischievously, offering the mug toward the smaller imp again.

          Splice sighed softly, taking the cup from Blitzø's outstretched hand. "So.. why are you in my apartment?" They asked after an awkwardly long silence as they poured themself a cup of coffee. Blitzø hopped out of the cupboard. "Just checkin' on ya." He replied nonchalantly. Splice let out a soft hum and grabbed a second mug, offering it to their boss. "Want a cup?" They questioned.

          Blitzø's brows furrowed in confusion. "You're.. not gonna kick me out in a fit of rage?" He asked softly as his head tilted to the side.. Splice shrugged. "I haven't decided yet." They replied with a mischievous smirk. Blitzø rolled his eyes in response, taking both the mug and the coffee pot. "Gimme that..." He muttered, annoyed at the teasing.

          Splice chuckled, letting a moment of silence pass between them. "Do you do this to all of your employees, or am I just that special?" They asked with a teasing smile. Blitzø scoffed. "I do this to everyone, so get used to it." He answered, taking a sip of his coffee. He made something of a disgusted expression but continued to drink it anyway.

          "What time should we be leaving for work?" Splice questioned absentmindedly. Blitzø looked down to his wrist. Splice noticed that Blitzø wasn't wearing a watch. Instead, he had one poorly drawn onto his wrist. "Like.. five minutes." Blitzø replied, squinting like he was trying to get a better look at his–definitely real–watch. Splice let out a soft groan. "Guess I should be getting ready, then?" They muttered.

          Blitzø nodded absentmindedly. "Probably." He answered. Splice pursed their lips and ducked into their bedroom begrudgingly. They re-emerged a few minutes later, now dressed in their work attire. "I'm gonna guess you didn't bring the company car with you?" Splice's voice came out unenthused. Blitzø shook his head in response.

          ".. Alright. Looks like I'm walking, then. Care to join me?" Splice offered, grabbing their keys as they approached the front door. Blitzø placed his, now empty, mug of coffee on the kitchen counter. "I'm comin'." He muttered tiredly in reply, walking out of the front door with Splice.

          The two walked down the sidewalk side by side, but in silence. Splice would occasionally kick a piece of trash or a pebble along. The atmosphere was uncomfortable. It seemed that the two imps weren't entirely content with each other yet.

          ".. so. Uh- what made you want to join I.M.P.?" Blitzø asked, eager to break the awkward silence. Splice paused for a moment. "A change of scene, mostly. I wanted to do something that I'd never done before. An escape, if you know what I mean." They answered thoughtfully, smiling softly. Blitzø nodded. "Yeah? Well, you picked the right fuckin' place for a distraction." He said, nudging Splice playfully.