Today sucked.
No, I take that back. Today sucked ass.
It was supposed to be my off day today but my boss called me in because she and her 38th boyfriend decided to take a spontaneous early weekend vacation in Hokkaido. Since I was next in the chain of command, I had to take care of the café until she came back on Monday.
If that wasn't a bad start to my day as is, the person who opened with the boss was late an hour, only showing up mere minutes before the café opened. It was safe to say I was rather irritated with her.
My day only got worse.
One of the servers spilled mocha on a customer.
Another server mixed up the orders.
One of the stoves broke down in the kitchen.
I have to say, the worst was when two girls wandered in, demanding a good seat and quick and unreasonable services. They even made one of the waitresses cry, causing me to send her home. Eventually, I had enough of their lack of manners and kicked them out on the streets, despite their threats of suing.
After the evening rush, the café became a little more manageable. I was more than happy when I was finally in my car driving home.
Keys rattled on noisily on the table surface when I threw them. My bag slid from my shoulder, dropping loudly onto the floor. It was soon accompanied by my hoodie. With a final sigh, I collapsed on the dark couch.
"Long day, kora?"
I promptly fell off the couch in shock, wincing as my head connected with the tiles.
Swinging his legs on the stool by the island counter in my kitchen, an infant no taller than 16 inches smirked at me.
I groaned. "Holy fucking shit Colonello. You scared the fuck outta me!"
"Not my fault you don't pay attention to your surroundings, kora."
I frowned, throwing my arm over my eyes. Getting back onto the couch was too much of a hassle. I was more than happy to just fall asleep on the floor despite previous experience of back pain from such a position.
A tiny albeit warm hand on my cheek made me jump. Pulling my arm back revealed Colonello staring at me. Honestly, Colonello was quite cute as an Arcobaleno but I much preferred him in his pre-Arcobaleno days. At least he made a good pillow then.
"Missed me, kora?"
Damn that smirk of his. I scoffed, brushing his hand off and pushing myself into a sitting position. I bit back a wince.
"Don't flatter yourself blondie."
Without another word, I used the couch to pull myself up. I locked myself in the bathroom to wash off all the grease and grime of the day. God, did that feel good.
When I finally forced myself out of my sanctuary, I dried myself off, pulling on a long t-shirt and underwear. Thank the Lord that the café was closed tomorrow. It meant I could get some extra sleep in.
I found Colonello on my bed, flipping through the channels on the TV. For a moment, it almost felt normal. It was almost like he wasn't cursed to be an infant, just a normal guy who was just lounging around. I take that back. Colonello was never normal. He had been a part of COMSUBIN, an elite group of Italian militia so normal he wasn't. But at least I could dream of a chance with the blonde, despite his apparent affection for his sensei, Lal Mirch. Now, it just seems wrong.
Drying my dark locks, I hung the towel back in the bathroom before climbing into my bed.
"What are you doing here Colonello?"
The blonde turned off the TV before facing me.
"I can't see you now, kora?"
I ran my fingers through my hair. I couldn't think of a good comeback. My mind wouldn't work. Instead, I found myself poking one of his cheeks. Though I knew it annoyed him, he allowed me anyways. I almost wanted to ask him why he wasn't with Lal Mirch but I figured it wasn't my place to ask. Soon enough, I didn't even feel like teasing the infant anymore. I just wanted to wallow in my misery.
"Go bother Lal Mirch or something."
Sliding underneath my comforters, I flicked the switch by my bed, effectively eliminating all luminance in the room. Twisting into a comfortable position, I merely waited for sleep to overwhelm me.
"What if I want to bother you, kora?"
He always had to make things difficult.
"Just go away Colonello…please. I had a really bad day."
I buried my face into my cool pillow. Though I doubt he could still see me in the dark, I didn't want to risk him seeing me cry. It really wasn't fair.
Instead of doing what I pleaded him to do, my arm was lifted as a small body settled himself in my arms. He even had the audacity to pull the comforter over him slightly. His hot breath ghosted over my collarbone. Fuck.
"What are you doing?"
A snort greeted me in the darkness. "Sleeping. What does it look like I'm doing? You're not very smart huh kora?"
It really was too cruel. I was about to yell at him to get out of my bed when a pair of tiny lips pressed themselves against my cheek. "Oyasumi bella, kora."
Despite my brain screaming at me, I held the Arcobaleno closer. Even if it was a fantasy, mere dreams, I would welcome his slight affection. Even if it allowed me to fantasize that those simple words meant more than they did. I ignored the little reminders that Colonello still loved Lal Mirch. Despite my hopeful dreams, tears slid from my eyes as darkness consumed me.
The fall of my tears didn't escape the trained eyes of the ex-COMSUBIN member.
But I didn't realize. I was too busy dreaming of a better existence, one that I deserved.