amperor | INBOX (labyrinthum)

"I think that's what Shinji's coffee maker does?"

He looks around and from around the side of the fridge, he pulls a red coffeemaker over. It's seen some use, clearly, but it's clean. Another trip to the other side and he comes back with paper filters.

"I guess these go in the basket to keep the grounds in, since it's not instant."

As Ken looked at the powder, he went over to get it before putting it on the paper filters. He wasn't sure how much to put but he placed the powder halfway up.

"Is this enough?"

He didn't know but he heard the more he put, the darker it tasted? Regardless, it placed it back in the coffeemaker before looking at the back to see how much water to add.

"Uh - looks good to me!"

Thankfully the lid Akihiko flips up says COLD WATER ONLY in all bold caps. He's not sure why, but he's not going to deviate from the instructions on the machine. He waits for Ken to tell him how much, and then grabs a measuring cup that's on the counter to add it in to the line.

Then he looks over the machine until he finds the one power button and hits it. The machine gurgles to life, a noise that worries Akihiko and makes him squint at it.

Which was why Ken was looking back at Akihiko and then back at the machine. He didn't know much about coffee but he definitely knew when something was wrong. As it continues to gurgle and make those sounds, he had to take a few steps back as he wondered what to do.

"Uh...is it supposed to do that?"

He knew what a coffee machine was supposed to sound like. And that didn't seem like the correct sound.

"I don't know..."

Not ever even listening to the coffee machine back in the dorm - actually, was it ever this loud? - is coming back to bite him now. The machine keeps making the noises but nothing more happens, although steam starts to rise from the back in a way that vaguely worries Akihiko.

Before he can get too concerned, though, the coffee starts to pour through the small hole at the bottom of the ground container they put the filter in - but it's not lined up with the hole on the pot, so it starts dribbling down the side onto the heating element.

"Ah -" Akihiko quickly nudges the pot until it's falling into the right spot, looking around for a towel of some kind to clean up the slight mess. "I guess it is supposed to do that."

Somehow, Ken wasn't sure how that statement. As he continued to back away from the machine, he was fully expecting something to happen. Watching the coffee drop down to the container, it was starting to feel like it was supposed to. The air was smelling like coffee and yet, he was still suspicious of it.

"Are you sure? It still sounds like something went wrong."

But then again, who was he to say that? He was only 10 and drank instant coffee.

"Well, nothing is blowing up or burning, so..."

Those are his two criteria for something going wrong. After a moment he perks up a bit.

"Oh, we should get out cups. You take your coffee black, right?"

Akihiko doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, but he tends to like milk or cream in his coffee.

Well, he was right, everything seemed to be okay. Even now with how much the coffee maker was making the same gurgling sound, it seemed like everything was normal.

"Yes, that's right."

He gave a him a look. Yes, he does like to drink his coffee black. He wasn't a kid who can't handle the bitterness!

Edited 2025-08-03 22:30 (UTC)

AKihiko meets the look with a shrug as he finds a container of cream in Shinji's fridge and pulls it out, setting it on the counter. He doesn't like sugar in his, but he doesn't take it black, either.

He finds two cups - one red, one orange - and sets them on the counter. As he does so, the coffeemaker starts getting louder, and Akihiko shoots it another alarmed look. After a moment, though, it seems to turn off; maybe it was the last of the water boiling off?

With the last loud noise heard, Ken gave a small wince. Was it supposed to do that? Who knew that making coffee would be this intense? Especially when the sounds make it seem as though the machine was dying. He knew it wasn't but it was enough to make him wonder. Is this what adults listen to all day long in coffee shops?

"Thanks, Sanada-san." He said before getting his orange cup. "...You sure that machine is going to be okay?"

"I think it'll be fine," Akihiko says, projecting confidence even as he gives the machine a slightly dubious once over. When it doesn't produce anymore noises other than a click as it turns the warmer on, Akihiko finally reaches out. He picks up the pot and pours his cup three quarters full, then gestures for Ken to hold his out or set it on the counter.

"Say when," he instructs before he starts pouring.

"When...?"

Ken wasn't too sure about how this coffee would turn out. At first he seemed confident that he knew what he was doing. But now, it was starting to question everything. Especially now when it was almost up to the top.

"....And I'll have to black." Will he regret this??

They'll probably both regret this.

Akihiko stops when Ken says so and sets the coffee pot back on the warmer. Then he adds the milk to his and stirs it, finally picking up his cup and clinking it against Ken's gently.

"Itadakimasu."

With that, he takes a sip... and grimaces almost immediately. It's very bitter. What'd he do wrong???

It was then that Ken froze midway when he was about to drink it. Looking at Akihiko's face, he immediately looked at the cup of coffee before regret slowly started to sink in.

"...Are you okay, Sanada-san?"

If he got it black, he didn't want to think how bitter it was compared to his senpai.

He takes another sip to test and it's not any better the first time. He sets it down with the grimace still on his face.

"It's really bitter."

To the point that he's looking for a container of sugar if he's going to drink this, actually.

Ken didn't say anything. He simply looked at Akihiko and then back at the coffee.

"....Would more milk and sugar help...?"

He hasn't even tasted his own coffee and he was wondering if he should even bother!

"I hope so. But I don't think I did it right. It tastes worse than the instant stuff."

Akihiko finds the sugar and sets it down, with a small sigh.

"Sorry. Guess it isn't as simple as it seemed."

"No, it's fine! The important thing is that we tried, right?"

But then again, this was him trying to be optimistic. Looking at his coffee, that's when he finally took a sip. In an instant, Ken winced badly as he tried his hardest not to cough it out.

"...Even if it taste really bad."

Ken's words seem to bolster Akihiko a little, and he smiles without hiding it, though he laughs a little bit at the cough.

"How about this," he offers. "We stop trying to drink what's obviously already messed up. I'll take us to a coffee shop and we can get something decent; maybe they'll give us some pointers if we ask nicely, too."

Edited 2025-09-12 02:22 (UTC)

It did hurt a little bit knowing that they messed up with the coffee. However, he knew that he had to get better. With a sigh, he nodded.

"....I think that would be a good idea. Hopefully the next time we do this, we can make it better."

Otherwise, he wasn't sure how he could make a good cup of coffee without messing up again.

"We will. It's just like anything else - it takes practice, and learning what works and what doesn't."

At least Akihiko sounds firm in that belief. For now, he takes Ken's cup and his own, putting them in the sink, and ushering them out the door.

... Leaving the coffee for Shinjiro to discover.

INBOX (labyrinthum)

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i love getting to describe how wild a coffee maker sounds to people

Insert loud gurgling noises here

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wrap?