Summary:

Tied third place in Nicluvly's "Commoner's Coffee" drabble competition.

Tamaki is determined to master coffee the commoner's way…


Coffee: The Commoner's Way

Tamaki strokes his chin whilst staring hard at a jar of commoner's coffee. Judging by the sweat on Tamaki's forehead and the way his hand shakes as he leans against the counter, it seems as if he is struggling to achieve what should have been a simple, straightforward task: making a cup of coffee.

Instead of asking for help (or admitting defeat), he tries to remember how the coffee was done when she first began teaching him. Did she use a particular cup? Does she like cream or milk? And how many sugars? He approaches the jar, studying the ridges etched along the lid. He has already attempted to pull the lid off, but to no avail.

Maybe he should twist?

The method works, though Tamaki nearly weeps at the presence of yet another layer.

Is commoner's coffee so precious that they have to lock it away?

Tamaki stabs the metal with a teaspoon, only to find that the lid is made of foil. 'I knew that,' he says, and cheerfully adds the granules of coffee to a clean and empty mug. Then his violet eyes shift from the mug to the kettle and back again.

So far, so good… now to boil the water!

He runs the tap and fills the kettle, trying to ignore the sudden flakes of lime-scale. 'It's not disgusting, it's different,' Tamaki repeats to himself. 'Commoners can't afford filtered water.'

While the kettle is left to boil, he folds his arms and taps his foot, then picks up the coffee jar for want of something to do. Have I done it right? he frets. Will she finally be proud of me? He imagines how thrilled she might look at the sight of steaming coffee…

'Tamaki, what's taking you so long?' she calls from the cramped space that commoners call a "living room".

He blinks at the kettle and switches it on. 'In a minute!' he shouts back, not in the least embarrassed.

Once the kettle boils, a teaspoon of water is poured and he mixes the coffee into a paste. 'What the hell are you doing?' says a female voice near the doorway.

Tamaki jumps, shielding the mug with his body. 'Nothing! Nothing at all!'

The girl stands on her tiptoes, trying to see. 'Are you making gravy?'

'Oh, you…' Tamaki laughs, and ushers her from the kitchen. Worried, he examines the contents of her mug. 'She's just teasing me,' he reassures himself, and pours more water, stirring the mug with a twinkle. But then he opens the fridge and has a small breakdown as he looks from a carton of milk to a carton of cream.

He adds a bit of both.

'Et voila! Parfait.'

Tamaki enters the living room with the mug and places it with a flourish upon the table.

'Mademoiselle,' he murmurs, 'your drink is served.'

'Thanks,' says the blonde-haired girl named Mei. 'It isn't half bad for your hundredth attempt.'