An Entire Year of You

Chapter 5: Coffee Run (Part 2)

The Black Cauldron Coffee Shop had been operating in Night Vale since 1912. It hadn't so much as opened, instead it had appeared one Saturday afternoon in a magnificent flash of light. A sickly heat had spread onto the street and a man with a tweed jacket and handlebar moustache walked out towards the gathering crowd. In a booming voice he announced:

"We. Are. Open."

They'd served Night Vale ever since. Cecil and Carlos arrived after a two-minute walk. A white sheet hung from the roof with the words 'Now with 50% less blood'. Carlos would later learn that this was a downgrade.

"You see, this is why you don't need your cups." Said Cecil as he led Carlos towards a table of what looked like skulls next to the till.

"Wow." Carlos replied as he picked one up and tapped its side. "These are so realistic. What are they made out of?"

"I'm not sure. Bones are mostly calcium I think." Cecil answered as he inspected one of the items on the table.

"Oh. Right..."

The pair headed towards the counter with their hands full of skulls. Carlos could only hope that whoever they once belonged to was okay with being having their remains used as a coffee cup. Still, there were worse things that could happen to a person's bones. At least they were still being helpful, using their death to help people stumble through their lives. Carlos could just about see the strange appeal behind that. He patted himself down with a napkin, though it was too late to prevent staining, reordered his drinks, and, after a short friendly argument, allowed Cecil to for half. This time he was sure to ask for a cup holder.

"Do you want to sit in? We can drink ours together if you like." Said Cecil.

"But then my co-worker's coffee with get cold." Carlos pointed out.

"Of course. I'm sorry again about those people's behaviour." Cecil continued as they headed away from the queue.

"Don't worry about. It's not like you could have done anything about it." Carlos shrugged.

"Well maybe I can mention it on the radio tomorrow. That might get them to calm down a little."

"Yeah I've actually been meaning to mention that to you."

"Mention what?"

"The radio. I'd appreciate it if you stopped...I don't know how to describe it, radio flirting maybe."

"Oh." Cecil blushed. His eyes were wide like a deer caught in the headlights. It clearly hadn't been a topic he was expecting to come up. Carlos hadn't been sure whether he was going to bring it up either, but it just felt like the right moment. "I mean I didn't really think of it as flirting it's just...I mean you're a good-looking guy, great looking, and you know you're..."

"Cecil." Carlos smiled.

"You just seem pretty cool and...you know, I get excited about things and-"

"And I really appreciate it. You're a good-looking guy too. Good looking and very interesting. It's just that I'm-"

"Straight?" Cecil asked.

"Oh God no." Carlos replied in a fit of laughter. He cleared his throat and quickly composed himself. "Um, no. No, I'm not." He repeated in a much more controlled tone.

"But you have a boyfriend."

"No, I'm single, have been for a while now. It's just that I really need to focus on my work right now. I'm not really looking for a relationship right now." He explained.

"Oh...yeah I totally get that." Cecil nodded.

"So, if you mention me on the radio..."

"I will try to be less 'radio flirty'." Cecil agreed.

"Thank you." Carlos smiled warmly. "You know, I think we could be great friends."

"Me too. I'll walk you back to your lab before your co-workers start worrying about you. We don't want you getting semi-kidnapped twice in one day."

"No, we don't." Carlos laughed.

During the fifteen-minute walk from the Black Cauldron to his lab Carlos laughed more than he for over two years. The subject of Cecil's odd behaviour didn't come up again. Instead, they talked about everything from the weather, which was particularly catchy that day, to the word-based economy of Night Vale. Turned out that the drink and sweets he'd bought were supposed to be two dollars, meaning he was owed eight, but there was no-way he was going to go back alone and ask for his change. Cecil walked him all the way up to the lab. His team stayed silent as they said their goodbyes.

"Well, this is me." Said Carlos, placing the drinks down.

"Yes it is." Cecil nodded. For a few seconds, nothing happened. They just looked at each other in silence before Cecil's brain suddenly caught up. "Oh I should-"

"Yeah." Carlos nodded.

"Okay. I'll just..." he said as he backed out of the door. Carlos slowly began to close the door, hoping he could take the hint to go a little faster.

"Bye, Cecil." He laughed.

"Right. Yes. See you soon. Love you platonically." He waved as the door clicked shut. Carlos and the team watched the door in silence before Robin finally spoke up.

"Dude...that's weird."

"Yeah..." Carlos agreed. "But like...weird weird or kind of cute weird?"

"You know what, Carlos, I'm not going to say. That one is entirely up to you."