Curiosity Kills the Cat (An IDFB Fanfic)

Chapter 19

Coiny let out an exasperated sigh whilst he ruffled his hair. "You know why we can't do that anymore."

Caffeine addiction...

She looked away from him, knowing all too well the glance she would receive. "I know, but I thought it would be nice."

He hesitated on his response. He also missed it. The long talks they would have as they sipped the warm drink. The jolt of energy it gave him was exhilarating, only to be followed by a tiring mix of nervousness and anxiety. It was all too enticing, even though it wasn't good; addicting.

"I understand, but I just can't do it," he hushed.

A soft "I'm sorry" left her mouth. He bit down on his lips as he heard her disheartened voice. Not knowing what to do, he walked towards her, grabbing her hands—even if she couldn't feel them.

"It's fine. Maybe we can do something else?"

Pin blinked.

"Like what? Not like I can walk for a long time," she commented. It was a half-lie. She was still unsure of walking for a long time—that was for sure—but she was also tired of the empty wallpaper, staring back at her. And she knew how to bake. It was just the means of finding the ingredients and dexterity within her to do so. Still, she kept shut, trying not to think about it.

He shrugged, unsure of what he could even suggest. There were lots of stores and places they could ransack—or, as Pin liked to say, borrow—for some activities or something along those lines. After all, the city was abandoned. Everyone had taken stuff from stores since they had arrived. It was a means of survival.

Except for this time, it would be the means to survive boredom.

He had already ransacked—borrowed—from the library and flower shop, along with their neighborhood's community garden. It would be done for happiness.

All for Pin's happiness.

~~~~~~~~~~

As it turned out, her happiness was hard to find.

Or at least he thought so.

Though they had entered countless stores and shops, she had yet to say what caught her attention. The gray-haired girl would shrug, stating, "I don't know" and "there's not much to see" followed by her snugging her hands down her front pockets.

Coiny had full intent to find something for her; anything. After all, he'd done worse—and harder—work, so this should be easier. Especially with his roommate being able to walk now.

He heaved as Pin walked out of the store with him by her side. Just pinching the bridge of his nose, he tried getting his mind rolling. He would hate to say it, but he was getting tired after hours of walking. And with no sight of a hobby to amuse her in sight, he was getting troubled.

His sight faltered to the sky, squinting as he caught sight of the sun still close to its peak, just past noon. He mumbled to himself under his breath, "I really spent my free day walking around..."

Though he didn't hate it. He enjoyed Pin's company. He really did, but sometimes it was overwhelming.

Coiny stopped himself from thinking those thoughts. He needed to focus.

Pin, on the other hand, had been enjoying his company without a thought. She'd get stuck looking at his adorkable face as he asked her questions—answering them when he stopped talking, trying to keep the conversation rolling in any form.

And yet, as much as she basked in the attention, Pin felt the discomfort of guilt squirm through her whenever he helped her around. It was faint, sometimes only trickling by for a few seconds before dissipating, yet it stuck around.

Coiny sighed as he dusted off the chair in the diner. Dust was everywhere in the abandoned city, but the cleanliness of their house had made him forget that. Maybe this was a bad idea...

"So, do you see anything ya like?" he asked as he sat down, now blowing the dust off the table. Though he knew they wouldn't be there long, he'd gotten tired of walking around for a long time. He figured he'd grow used to it after so many late-night trips to Leafy's, but it appeared otherwise.

Pin looked around, walking towards the bar area. Though the design of the kitchen's checkered wall was aesthetically pleasing, matching the vintage leather seats and black-painted tables, nothing else had caught her eye. She circled the diner, her prosthetic hand touching the edge of the counter as she trailed it. She turned back to look at Coiny, only to see him trying to blow the collected dust pile off the table.

It was rather amusing. Something about it reminded her of the TLC. His weird antics despite being constrained to a room almost the size of a closet. At least that's how big she remembered it.

She surveyed the surrounding room, almost instantly finding the clock, reading 12:58. 3 hours of walking was more than enough time to spend together.

"Yeah, actually."

The redhead stopped what he was doing, turning his head to her, stunned. "You did?" The dainty smile drawn on her face was enough to speckle blush across his cheeks. She nodded, looking back at the checkered tiles lining the walls like a 50s mood board.

"I think I wanna start baking again," Pin stated with her hands against her waist.

There was silence for only a second, followed by a long and tiresome "Oh" from Coiny.

"I'm not going to lie; I completely forgot you baked."

A/N: I rewrote this chapter over 7 times, edited too many to count and even if it's a more simple chapter, I still am in love with this chapter. Sometimes simple really is better. (._.) Chapter 20 is ready for next week on Saturday!