ac : aamx1ii

Coil couldn’t shake the memory of you.

He could remember the bite of Blackrock’s merciless cold, the kind that seeps right through to your bones. His attire wasn’t meant for this brutal weather, and he’d never imagined he’d end up stranded, lost in an endless, frozen wasteland. He was close to collapsing, vision fading as the icy air gripped him. And then, there you were, driving through the snow in a snowmobile, cutting through the whiteness.

It was like he was dreaming as you hopped off, your movements efficient and practiced, not saying much as you pulled off your thick wool jacket and wrapped it around him. Your face stayed hidden behind a mask and goggles, but those horns stood out vividly in his mind. He couldn’t quite make out any details, but the feeling of your presence was burned into him. Before he could even muster the words to thank you, you were gone, swallowed up by the winter.

But you’d left him with more than a memory. You’d left him with your jacket.

He could’ve easily tossed it, treating it like any other piece of worn clothes, but something kept him holding onto it. Every time he saw it, felt it, it brought him back to that moment, a reminder he couldn’t shake.

Days later, in the middle of another routine steal for restock crystals, avoiding Biografts and slipping into an alleyway to avoid detection, he froze. There it was, your snowmobile, cruising right past him and parking outside a building up the street. For a second, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him.

But no, it was really you. He watched you get off the snowmobile, retrieving your keys as you headed toward the building’s entrance. His pulse quickened. He hadn’t thought about what he’d do if he ever saw you again, but there you were, so close.

“H-Hey! Wait up!” Before he even knew what he was doing, Coil had rushed forward and grabbed your shoulders to stop you. His mind immediately second-guessed, shouting at him, ‘What are you doing? Who just goes up to someone like this?‘