3:00 AM

The night shift.

Dev supposed he didn't mind having Insomnia in the city, because where he lived the atmosphere was never muffled by the night. If anything, it made it more alive with the bright lights and party voices outside his window. He felt like the city didn't disappear without him, and he was apart of two worlds that certain people would never get to see. It made him feel in control, and that's exactly the feeling he needed.

Tonight was another sleepless night and Dev knew it well, but he still curled into his sheets in hope for a miracle. He felt heavy and he hadn't moved from his fetal position in over an hour it seemed, he never liked to keep track of time. He wished he didn't use all his medication up the last two weeks, seeing that the withdrawal was even worse than the start of the cycle.

Dev rolled off his mattress in one motion and his feet collided with the cold floor. His bones cracked and creaked in harmony, screaming from the sudden turn of events. He walked into his kitchen catching his slouched ghostly reflection in the window, he always looked lost at this hour and it made him flinch. Whatever this hour was, since he never looked at a clock when the sun set he never knew the time. He was kind of lost.

"Damn," Dev whispered through gritted teeth, "Out of coffee." He gave his empty coffee grinder a satisfying smack with the palm of his hand, causing the petite machine to fall and clatter into its side from the force. He watched with half lidded eyes as the object rolled itself back and forth before easing into a stop, as if rocking itself to sleep. He'd just go to a gas station and get his shitty coffee there.

Another good thing about living in the city is that you're close to everything, even though its all mapped out. It looks like a maze from the outside but once your inside the heart of it for long enough it becomes your home, and Dev knew the heart of it well.

He put on his coat sleeves in jerky movements, punching the air aimlessly before it fit him the way he was comfortable with. Shoving his pale hands into his pockets, he shuffled quickly through the cold night air in short jumpy strides.

Familiar ally ways and loops and paths were taken, and he noted all the small things he could remember from taking these routes before multiple times. He noticed how none of them changed at night, the same signs and graffiti and lights were only defined by the dim frame of dusk. A flat topped building came into view fast, red and yellow neon lights practically drawing him towards it like a moth, though he thought if he stared too long he'd get a headache. The gas station.

There were no visible cars that he could see, but a couple pulled in next to him as he walked through the double doors. A ring ring sounded around the wide store, not catching the attention of an employee leaning low behind the counter of the checkout. Dev observed the curly haired employee, because his hair was dyed a disgusting blue. The color laced around the dark Brown of his natural hair color, creating a contrast. Dev looked past the figure and made his way across to his destination where three rumbling coffee machines were evenly placed side by side, and his heart lifted.

He filled the Styrofoam cup up to the brim, knowing he'd need the most he could get tonight specifically. Adding shots of expresso, he watched the cream liquid swirl into the black mass. The colors mixed gracefully like they were dancing, and quickly dissolved into a lighter shade altogether. He subconsciously thought it was beautiful as he pat the lid on with two fingers. Should I get anything else? He wondered, eyes grazing over to the colorfully rowed bags of candies and snacks. He knew even the coffee he was getting was absolutely shit, but what did he even have to lose. An annoyingly colored pink bag caught his attention and he read the big font across the front of it: 'CUTIE COOKIES'
Before he even knew what he was doing he had it in his hand and was standing at the counter.

The blue haired boy was still crouched over, and Dev could tell he was shelving things messily. He wasn't facing him in the slightest and it sparked an inner offput feeling in Dev's chest, and his eyebrows pressed together. "Hey, you gonna help me over here?" He didn't recognize his voice, the way it croaked out of his throat. It took a few throat clearings after his purposely rude comment for the boy to actually look his way.

The boy had sharp features and looked younger than Dev expected, with his big yellow eyes and sloped nose. His lips were parted in a lopsided 'O', as if he was genuinely surprised there was a customer. The boy stood up abruptly and lifted up a skinny hand to yank out a earphone from his head of curls, the action stirred more annoyance in Dev's stomach. He couldn't even have the decency to be on his guard, especially this late at night. The kid was tall and lanky and awkward, Dev watched the boy stumble over himself to get to his position behind the desk. A side smile turned the corners of his mouth up, one side more than the other. The pearly smile caught Dev off guard, but he still remembered how dumb this guy was. "Sorry sir, I didn't think anyone was going to come in yet." He spoke, his voice cracked on a few syllables and Dev found it pretentious. He received no sympathy. "It's a 24 hour gas station, people come in all the time." Dev remarked, eyebrow raising up in a cocky motion.

As if on cue, two people came through the glass doors with a ring ring ring. Dev could have gave the kid a lecture, but held his tongue for the sake of just wanting a coffee as soon as he could. The boy's pink lips pressed together firmly in a thin line as he cast he eyes down at Dev's items, starting to scan them. He took this deafening silence as a chance to read the boy's name tag, which where 'Cyrus' was scribbled hastily across the available space. Cyrus, Dev let the name repeat in his head. He wondered what it'd sound like out loud. He'd probably never have a chance to say it because the boy had already bagged his candy and held his change in the opposite hand, reaching foward to drop it into Dev's receiving hand. The cold coins were mercilessly plunked into Dev's palm, and a few quarters had the desire to flee as him and Cyrus both watched them fall off his hand and onto the surface of the counter. Before Dev could lean down to retreive them, Cyrus was already on his knees. He eyed him as his skinny fingers desperately gathered the change, he seemed afraid of Dev in the sense that he would be rude again. A pang of an unknown feeling hit Dev as Cyrus rose up again to replace the fallen coins carefully into Dev's loose grasp, looking more concerned than before. "Sorry again, have a nice night sir." was all he said. Dev didn't reply as he exited, tossing the change into his coat pocket. The same quarters were lost onto the street, and Dev didn't bother picking them up.