Just a Bit of Coffee

The Cafe

A/N: I've been working on this one for a while. I really like this universe I built up, so I think I'm gonna make it a multi-chapter fic! It'll be my first AU one (with very slow updates) but I'm excited for it :) Anyways, enjoy this first installment!

Coffee is a staple for college students. It's almost a crime to dislike coffee and doing homework in coffee shops. It's insulting to some people because that means you don't need the caffeine in coffee to survive college. To others, coffee is an experience, a heavenly one at that. Cecil fell into the latter category. Will, though he was a struggling med student (as all med students were), didn't like coffee. He was more of a tea person, or you know, a person who got enough sleep to be functional (usually). Unfortunately for him, Cecil was his best friend, meaning Cecil was quite offended that Will disliked coffee and tried to shove it down his throat whenever possible.

"Will, smell this." Cecil rarely made normal requests to Will, but he was used to it by now. He was leaning across their kitchen counter with his mug outstretched.

Will leaned over and smelled the coffee Cecil had brewed with his new roast. It smelled amazing. "Smells great! What is it?"

Cecil grinned widely. "It's this chocolate macadamia nut coffee from Hawaii! It is SO GOOD. The smell alone is mouth-watering. Wanna try?"

"Yeah, no thanks. You know I only like the smell. Coffee itself is so bitter, why do you like it? You don't need any more energy." Cecil was never lacking energy, but he was also never lacking coffee, so Will couldn't actually tell what his normal, non-caffeinated self was.

"One day, Will, one day you will fall in love with coffee and you'll have me to thank. I will gladly take all the credit for it."

Will just rolled his eyes and went back to his homework. He was swamped, but at least he kind of enjoyed all the medical stuff, though that didn't make it easy.

"So, whatcha working on?" Cecil asked as he eyed Will's papers.

"Human anatomy and physiology. I have a lab midterm next week and we have to memorize way too much stuff. I also have a lab report to do for bio, or was it chem? Plus, memorizing med terms for that other class." Will was reaching his limit. He couldn't even list off his work to Cecil, his mind already thinking about his other assignments.

Suddenly, the textbook that Will was staring at wasn't there anymore and Cecil's face replaced it. He was currently lying on the table Will was working on, looking upside down at Will. "Will, you're insane. Know what you need?"

"I swear if you say coffee—"

"COFFEE. Seriously, good coffee makes you more alert and focused and you can be more productive in a smaller amount of time. I'm telling you, it's scientifically proven." Cecil sat up on the table in front of Will.

"Proven by whom? They ran an experiment?" Will quirked an eyebrow at his energetic friend.

Cecil simply waved his hand aimlessly. "Eh, doesn't matter, not the point. Okay, this new coffee shop opened up and Lou Ellen is working there. She told me the coffee is good, even for my refined tastes, so we gotta check it out. Let's go later this afternoon!"

"Why does it have to be 'we'? Why not just you?" Will tried to discretely pull his textbook back, but Cecil snatched it away at the last moment.

Will let out an exasperated reply as Cecil responded smugly. "Because YOU have lots of work to do and you know the home environment is harder to study in. Studying in coffee shops is the college thing!"