terukane shorts

maybe this morning wasn't so shitty after all

Akane wakes up, sweat dripping down his face, eyes frantically darting around. It is another nightmare, one that has been happening for a long time now. It is himself, in a box that gets smaller and smaller, enclosing around him. A small window at the top of the box - he looks through it, and sees Ao-chan's face, smiling at him with no life in her eyes.

Akane looks to his side. It's 3:30 AM.

Wonderful.

Akane groans, wrapping blankets around him, begging for sleep to drag him back down. 30 minutes later, and Akane is wide awake, staring at his ceiling in irritation.

He gets up, changes into a hoodie and jeans, snags his glasses off his counter, and goes to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. He notices himself in the mirror and chuckles mirthlessly.

Wow, he looks like shit.

Dark circles under bleary eyes, hair unkempt on his head, skin gaunt.

He sighs, leaves his house, and steps into the cold brisk air of winter. The chilly wind feels nice, and Akane walks over to his local 24 hour coffee shop, pulling out his phone as he waits in line.

It's surprising - usually, the coffeeshop is quiet, a few people scattered about on desks with laptops. Instead, it is a crowd of girls, staring at the barista at the counter. Akane raises an eyebrow, deciding nothing of it, until he reaches the front of the line and sees the barista himself.

Oh. Oh wow. Now he sees why they were fawning.

It is a tall boy with a mess of blonde hair, startling blue eyes, and a cute smile on his face. But Akane is too tired to care, no matter how cute he is.

"Can I have an iced pumpkin spice latte, please?"

"Sure! Would you like it extra sweet?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Coming right up!" the barista says cheerfully, before glancing at Akane again. "Your name?"

"Akane Aoi."

"Okay, Aoi~" the blonde writes his name on the cup with loopy handwriting. "You're pretty cute, by the way."

Akane looks at him, surprised. "Are you looking at the right person?"

The boy smiles. "Yeah, I think I am."

A light dusting of pink creeps up Akane's ears, but he turns away, sitting at the window seat and getting to work.

"An iced pumpkin spice latte for Aoi!" a voice rings out, and Akane gets up, grabbing his drink and scavenging money out of his pockets to pay. "And here's your receipt" the boy smirks, handing him the white sheet.

Upon further inspection, the boy's number is written on the back.

XXX-XXX-XXXX

p.s. my name is minamoto teru

Akane blushes, a small smile creeping up his face.

Maybe this morning wasn't so shitty after all.