black coffee
Nijimura stares down at his coffee, dark and foreboding and it's very likely that it's also hiding the secrets of the universe, all because he'd run out of milk. It's still too early for any of the stores nearby to be open, and Nijimura wishes that a 24-hour convenience store would just spring up in his neighbourhood. He's not desperate enough yet, though, to chug the coffee black, and he doesn't think that he will be in the near future. He's not mentally ready to drink something as intense as black coffee, just as he's not mentally prepared for the day ahead, stuffed to the brim with studying.
University entrance exams are finally upon the third years, and the weekend is looming over Nijimura like a particularly ominous thundercloud, threatening a downpour. He's writing on day one of examinations, which means that there is only one more day left to go before he could be freed of this suffering and begin to experience a different kind of suffering.
He's been up since four and can't make himself fall back asleep for some unknown reason, even though he feels as if his entire existence is sagging into despair, like a drooping plant in the midst of a drought. Nijimura has never been bad with academics, and he has been pretty diligent in cram school in additional to his usual study habits, so he really shouldn't have to be nervous but what the hell, why are exams trying to determine his future, what the actual hell.
It's not as if Nijimura particularly cares about whether or not he gets into prestigious universities, but it would be nice.
Maybe he would be so influential one day that he could command people to build 24-hour convenience stores anywhere he wants and they would do so, happily. Everyone would be happy.
For the moment, though, Nijimura's sort of having a dilemma: to drink the black coffee or to not drink. To be honest, it would probably be less of a hassle to just buy some coffee later from a vending machine when he's on his way to school.
His phone buzzes, then, with an incoming message. It's Akashi, that know-it-all, telling him to relax, you'll do fine on the examination. How does he even know this - it isn't in Nijimura's nature to worry over things; not the nationals when he'd been in Teikou, and not the high school entrance, so it doesn't make sense that he's worrying over this entrance exam.
Also, why is he up so early.
Nijimura ends up calling him, because he's kind of desperate for caffeine in his system but he really needs milk to accompany that.
"Nijimura-san," Akashi greets, tone akin to that of a person that voices infomercials. "Good morning."
"Akashi, you know, milk is kind of an essential part of my coffee-consuming life," Nijimura says mournfully.
There's a pause. "Are you out of milk?"
Nijimura makes a pathetic-sounding noise in his throat to get the message across.
"Are you not able to buy some?"
"My neighbourhood doesn't care for the wellbeing of young people that deprive themselves of sleep in order to study," Nijimura says.
"I'm assuming that you're indirectly asking me to bring you milk," Akashi says, tone perfectly flat.
"Yes."
Nijimura hears a loud sigh from the other end of the line. "I'm almost at your house already. There are no stores around for me to get you milk."
Nijimura feels his heart drop. "No milk."
"No milk, Nijimura-san," Akashi affirms. Very infomercial-like.
Wait. Nijimura pauses. Wait. "Wait, no, why are you almost at my house?"
"You left a few of your notebooks at my house yesterday."
"Ah," Nijimura says weakly. Milk, he thinks sadly, and then thinks about how his priorities are getting screwed up. "Thanks, Akashi. Sorry 'bout that."
Akashi arrives just a few minutes later, setting down a thin stack of notebooks by Nijimura's doorway. Nijimura is still is still helplessly holding onto his quickly cooling mug of black coffee as he watches Akashi shrug off his jacket.
"Are you not going to school later?" Nijimura asks him. Akashi takes the coffee, and starts sipping at it.
"I am," Akashi says. "I wanted to make sure that you were okay first."
Nijimura feels mild annoyance. "I would be if I had milk."
Akashi just gives a look, and Nijimura doesn't know what to think of it. Then he grabs Nijimura's wrist, and pulls him to sit down on the floor. He sets an empty cup down on the floorboards and leans into Nijimura's side.
"Sleep," he orders.
Nijimura rolls his eyes. "No one can just sleep on command, you know."
Akashi's head is resting on his shoulders, hair tickling his neck and when he speaks, Nijimura could feel the movements of his jaw. "Try," Akashi says, softer.
Nijimura sighs, and closes his eyes, waiting for sleep to drape itself over him. Akashi's weight against him is comfortable, and Nijimura falls asleep wishing that they could just stay like this, with no worries about bitter things like school days or entrance exams or black coffee, in their own little world.
A/N: frankly, this made no sense but i wrote it out of love for ju so yeah ilu ju this has much love behind it