Work Text:
Balance and routine were essential to success. Wake up at a reasonable hour, take only the necessary materials from your locker, ensure that you are at your seat at least two minutes before the bell, and under no circumstances engage the cheerful girl sitting to your right.
Admittedly, the last part was a relatively recent addition to her daily checklist. Agott kept her gaze locked straight ahead as she pointedly tried to ignore the waving hand trying to get her attention.
Coco, a new student having just transferred in about a week ago, had proved to be more of a distraction than she'd anticipated. It wasn't that anything was particularly wrong with the girl. She was kind and made friends easily, and she was attentive enough when class was in session. All things considered, her presence should have faded into the harmony of the background within a few days of her arrival. However—
"Agott! Good morning!"
—she seemed determined to befriend her.
"Good morning," Agott greeted plainly. She couldn't bring herself to be impolite, though there was no use in saying anything that could spur the conversation.
Despite her best efforts, Coco pressed on. She rummaged through her pencil case before holding out a small container of pencil lead. "Here, these are for you."
Agott raised an eyebrow as she accepted the item, turning it over in her hands. "What's this for?"
"I noticed you ran out yesterday. It should be the right size since we use the same one." Coco grinned and pointed to her own pencil. Sure enough, it was the exact same model. Coco's, however, had a small charm attached around the middle that swung as she wrote. It was the sort of thing she hadn't taken notice of before, but it was almost…cute.
No— she hurriedly shook her head. Not cute. A nuisance, surely.
"Right, thank you. That's very thoughtful." Agott tucked the lead into her own pencil case and straightened her notebook. The clock on the wall showed two minutes until the first bell, and it couldn't come soon enough.
Coco drummed her fingers against the cover of her notebook, humming quietly and occasionally stealing glances over at the other girl. Soon enough, the professor arrived, and the class bell rang loudly through the halls. Agott focused solely on the task at hand, and her conversation with Coco slowly faded into the background.
That was, until the remaining lead of her pencil snapped.
Agott sighed and looked up from her notes, her hand slipping into her pencil pouch and brushing against two small containers. She paused and peeked inside at both the lead Coco had just gifted her and the refill she had bought for herself yesterday after school. After a few seconds of hesitation, she found herself pulling out the former.
It didn't matter which one she used, right? They were different brands, but the same-sized lead…it wasn't a big deal to choose one over the other. Still, she felt her ears heating up slightly as she loaded the lead into the pencil and tried to calm down enough to focus her attention back on the lecture.
Agott sat in the library after school, diligently finishing up her homework as she always did before walking home after school. No use in going back to her room to work when the library desks were far more spacious. Besides, she was in no rush, and it was always quiet. She took a sip from her tea before setting it aside.
Movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention as she glanced up from her book. The librarian was behind her desk, and not many people found their way to such a secluded corner of the building. Despite all odds, sure enough, someone was there.
Not just anyone— Coco.
The green-haired girl waved and pointed to the seat directly across from her in a silent question. Agott sighed and nodded before looking back down at her book. There were plenty of open tables scattered around the room…it wasn't as though she was hard-pressed for a place to sit.
Coco plopped herself down at the table and began pulling supplies from her pencil pouch, laying them out in front of her notebook as she hummed quietly under her breath. Agott had half the mind to scold her for making noise in a library, but in the end…it was only them tucked away in the corner, and it wasn't as though it particularly bothered her. In fact, it was kind of…
No, not this again. Agott groaned and put her head in her hands. "Again with your stupid, cute—"
"… Huh??"
Agott snapped upright, her hand snapping down from her face and accidentally knocking over her cup of tea, causing it to spill across the table and onto her lap. Despite the mess, her mind was elsewhere as her face flushed a deep red. There was no way she had just said that out loud!
Coco squeaked in alarm as she jumped upright, pulling tissues from her bag and hurriedly ripping them from the pack as she tried to dry the other girl off. "Sorry, sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry! Oh my gosh, are you hurt? Was it hot? Oh no, your things are soaked!"
"Ah, no, that's not—I'm not hurt. It's lukewarm at most. Please." Agott stammered as she blushed further while Coco tried to dry off her sweater. The other girl, committed to cleaning up, turned her attention towards the table as she soaked up what little tea she could with the crumpled tissues.
After a minute or so of little progress, Coco began pulling the items out of Agott's pencil case sos he could go wash it off. As she did so, her eyes landed on the two sets of pencil lead. Her heart ached quietly. "Oh…did you get more? Was the one I got not the right size after all?"
Agott stiffened as her own heart sank. "No, it's not what you think. I only—"
The sight of Coco's hurt expression nearly did her in. Agott stammered as she attempted to hurriedly explain. "…the truth is, I already had new lead. I'd gotten some from the school store the evening after I ran out. But since you went out of your way to get me some, I figured it would only be right to use it up first."
Coco fell quiet as a slight blush ran to her own cheeks. "Agott…"
Agott went quiet as she looked away. Damn it, had she hurt her feelings that badly? This was why she preferred to keep to herself.
Before she could ruminate any further, Coco threw her arms around her and squeezed tightly.
"Agott, that's so sweet!" Coco gushed without releasing her hold. "I knew you were secretly super nice, and I was right! You're so kind."
"That's not-! Oh, forget it." Agott choked out as she let her head fall against Coco's shoulder. As long as she wasn't upset, she could handle the…touchiness.
Coco finally pulled back, hands clasped together and eyes glittering. "I'm really, really sorry about the tea… will you let me get you a new one?"
"Oh, there's no need. It had long since cooled off."
"…please?"
Agott sighed in resignation and nodded, leaving her notebook open to dry as Coco dragged her towards the cafe across the street. She glanced back one more time at the two containers of pencil lead, silently hoping it would last her a long time.