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Madeleine snuck back into the dorm, doing his best to keep his footsteps quiet and light. He had left the night before to attend a friend’s party, but now it was the early hours of the next morning and he really didn’t want to upset his roommate by coming in so early.
He gently twisted the knob of their shared door, pushing the door open ever so slightly. The smell of coffee lingered in the air–much to Madeleine’s surprise–as he noticed his roommate sitting at his desk, pen in hand.
“You’re awake? At this hour?” Madeleine couldn’t help himself from speaking up.
His roommate, Espresso, simply waved the question off. “Midterms are coming up. I cannot afford to fail.”
Madeleine stepped inside, closing the door behind him. It was rare to even see Espresso in their dorm, much less awake. He was always off doing something: attending class, tutoring, attending a seminar, working in the lab, at one of his two jobs, the list could go on forever. The only times he ever seemed to be in their room was when he finally crashed from the pure stress of it all and needed to sleep.
“You’re worried about failing? Aren’t you at the top of your class?”
His roommate sighed, finally looking up from his notebook to look at him. “Some of us need to work hard to stay in school. We can’t afford to go out and party every Friday night.”
Madeleine frowned. “Hey, I work hard! I just allow myself to take breaks because I don’t hate myself.”
“And you’re able to be here because your family pays for it. On top of that athletic scholarship.” Espresso muttered, setting his pen to the side as he watched Madeleine climb onto his bed.
“There’s nothing wrong with having a family that takes care of you,” Madeleine rolled his eyes. “You make it sound like it’s a bad thing that I’m so well loved.”
“That’s not how I meant it.” Espresso sighed, opting to take a long drink of his coffee instead of explaining himself.
Madeleine watched him for a moment. He may be acting like his usual self, but the signs of stress were practically screaming for the man to take a nap. The bags under his eyes were so deep and dark they could be mistaken for the entrance to a cave system, and his posture was so tense he looked as though he was trying to mimic a statue. His head occasionally swayed from side to side as though he was beginning to doze off.
“You need rest.” Madeleine decided.
“You need to leave me alone.” Espresso shot back. “My health is none of your concern.”
“It is when you’re my roommate.” Madeleine countered. “What if your bad habits killed you? The college would suspect I had something to do with it since I’m your roommate.”
Espresso rolled his eyes. “I can leave a note assuring that my death would never be at the hands of you, would that ease your worries?”
“No! That would only make me look more suspicious!” He whined. Madeleine slid off of his bed, snatching the notebook from Espresso’s desk, holding it high above his head. “You can worry about your midterms in a few hours. You look like you’re going to pass out any minute now.”
“Madeleine, you are not my caretaker, give me my notes back!” Espresso reached up, though Madeleine had the advantage of height against him. The stupid meathead had the audacity to laugh at him as he waved the notebook back and forth in a taunting manner.
“Aww, too short, Essie?” Espresso’s irritation grew with the god-awful nickname. Why in the world Madeleine insisted on calling him that he had no idea.
Espresso took a long breath. Strangling his roommate this early in the morning would be counterproductive, and he had other classes he could work on if Madeleine insisted on keeping that notebook. It was frustrating, but he didn’t have the energy to continue fighting. Another solution could always be found, an important lesson he had learned from his time in the lab.
Without another word, he turned back to his desk, pulling another notebook from his bag as he began to glance over the material.
Madeleine watched him, utterly dumbfounded. Despite his insistence, he was still going to study?
“Espresso, please–”
“Madeleine.” Espresso turned to him, eyes gleaming with a quiet rage. “I’ve had enough of your meddling. If you are so concerned with rest, perhaps you should get some yourself. You have a game later today, don’t you?”
Madeleine shifted uncomfortably, he had never seen his roommate so upset. Perhaps he had pushed him a bit too far. “Well, yes, but–”
“Enough. I won’t tolerate your disruptions any further. Go to bed.” Espresso slid a pair of headphones on, making a show of turning the volume all the way up so he couldn’t hear any of Madeleine’s protests.
“Fine.” Madeleine huffed. He gently set the stolen notebook on Espresso’s desk before he climbed into his own bed, rolling over so his back was to his sleep deprived roommate.
Espresso spared him a glance before turning back to his notes. He didn’t want to admit that perhaps his annoying roommate had a point, he was overworking himself. Between trying to keep track of his personal experiments and tutoring others and his other work he was beginning to spread himself thin. He had been averaging two hours of sleep each day, and even that left him with very little time to get everything done. Though it’s not like he could drop anything, his personal research was the entire reason he had started college, and his jobs were to pay for said college. He was able to make some money tutoring on the side as well, which mostly paid for his groceries.
Madeleine had been lucky enough to get a scholarship and have a family that could easily afford college. Espresso wasn’t so lucky. Even with all of his hard work, the college had awarded him a small scholarship that took a minute amount off of his tuition, and he had no family to pay a dime towards it either. He knew from the beginning that he would have to work hard to be able to afford his education, though he was beginning to realize that he couldn’t handle the entire workload.
As he looked down at his notebook once more, his vision began to blur. Maybe a quick nap wouldn’t hurt, after all he understood all of the material and was at the top of his class. A quick break on his studies wouldn’t ruin his academic status. He slumped forward, too tired to even pull his glasses off of his face as he fell asleep.
Madeleine woke first, rubbing his eyes as he shut his alarm off with a grumble. He turned to see his roommate still fast asleep, arms crossed to make a pillow as his glasses threatened to fall on the desk in front of him. He looked cute like that, he had to admit.
He swung his feet off his bed, tip toeing to their shared bathroom as he started to get ready for the day. His game wasn’t until the evening and he was lucky that it was a home game, meaning he had extra time to sit around the dorm doing nothing instead of getting on a crowded, sweaty bus.
He expected Espresso to be awake by the time he stepped back out of the bathroom. He always complained that he took too long getting ready in the morning, forcing him to shorten his perfect routine. Madeleine slowly walked back to his bed, staring at his sleeping roommate. It was rare to see such a peaceful expression on his face. Madeleine leaned forward, gently brushing a stray strand of hair into its proper place.
Espresso shifted slightly at the touch, though it wasn’t enough to wake him. Madeleine chuckled. He was doomed, his overworked and sleep deprived roommate was worming his way into his heart in ways that he couldn’t explain.
His thoughts were interrupted by a shrill alarm coming from Espresso’s phone. He watched as he shot upright, sending his headphones flying backwards as he slowly registered his surroundings. Madeleine reached over, shutting the alarm off for him as Espresso got up to retrieve his headphones.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” Madeleine teased.
Espresso set the headphones down on his desk, shooting Madeleine a glare. “Enough nicknames.” He grabbed his phone, looking at the time. “Shit.”
“Something wrong?”
“I have work in 30 minutes.” He sighed. “I’ll get in the shower. Can you start a pot of coffee? I’ll need it.”
Madeleine was surprised with the request. To Espresso, coffee was sacred. He didn’t allow Madeleine to even touch his coffee pot, much less have him brew some for himself. “You’d trust me to do that for you?”
“It’s not like it’s hard.” He scoffed. “Just put the grounds in the filter and fill the damn thing with water. You can handle that, right?”
“Yes, your majesty.” Madeleine gave him a dramatic bow as he set to work. Espresso rolled his eyes as he stepped into the bathroom.
It didn’t take long before he stepped out, dressed in his work attire. From what Madeleine could tell, he was working at the coffee shop today. His hair was pulled back into a small ponytail, showing off the small black earrings he wore. His brown button down and jeans were covered by a black apron. He paid Madeleine no mind as he poured the freshly brewed coffee into his travel mug.
“Thank you.” He said shortly, not waiting for a response as he stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Madeleine blinked. “Wow.”
He tried not to think about his roommate’s appearance as he turned to the coffee pot. Espresso could have mentioned he didn’t need to brew the entire thing, but he was in a rush, so he could let his absentmindedness slide. He poured himself a cup. Espresso wouldn’t mind, right? The coffee at least wouldn’t go to waste that way.
He brought the cup to his face. The smell was divine, he had to admit. He wasn’t an avid drinker of coffee–he found it to be much too bitter for his tastes–but he still admired the smell. He slowly took a sip, only to immediately spit it back out. Espresso brewed his coffee strong. It was so bitter he was certain the taste was going to linger on his tongue for the rest of his life. How could someone enjoy coffee that tasted so horrible?
He poured his cup down the drain, hoping that if Espresso ever found out, he’d show him some mercy. He was about to sit back in bed when he noticed his roommate’s phone sitting on his desk. It wasn’t like him to be so forgetful. He sighed, sticking it in his pocket. He would just have to deliver it to him.
Madeleine had only been to the campus coffee shop a few times, and even then it was only to buy some of their delicious baked goods. He had never been there while Espresso was working–mostly because he was too busy–but he hoped his roommate could forgive his interruption.
“Welcome to the Parfaedia Caf–oh. Madeleine.” Espresso stood behind the counter, dropping his polite smile to his usual bored expression. “What are you doing here?”
“You left something at home.” Madeleine held up the other’s phone, waving it back and forth. “It’s rare to see the very particular scholar forget something like his phone.”
Espresso’s eyes widened as he tapped his pockets. He really had forgotten his phone. “I see. Well, thank you for bringing it to me.”
He went to take it from Madeleine’s hand, but he pulled it back. “Ah ah, that would be too easy.”
“What do you want?” Espresso asked through gritted teeth.
Madeleine scanned the case of baked goods. “How about a donut, hm?”
Espresso rolled his eyes, grabbing the pastry and setting it on the counter. “You’re lucky I get these for free.” He muttered.
“Very lucky indeed.” He handed the phone to his annoyed roommate. “What time will you be home?”
“What does it matter to you?” Espresso eyed him.
“Is it so wrong to ask my dashing roommate when we’ll be alone together?” Madeleine teased.
Espresso stared at him, at a loss for words. “I’ll be back around the time you’re set to get home. Assuming you don’t go into overtime.”
Madeleine hummed, taking a bite of the donut. “I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen, just for you.” He winked.
“Get out of here.” Espresso turned away, poorly hiding the blush that was beginning to form on his cheeks.
“No goodbye kiss?” Madeleine pretended to pout, leaning against the counter.
“What is wrong with you…” Espresso put his hand over Madeleine’s face, pushing him away. “Doesn’t your practice start soon?”
Madeleine laughed, taking a step back. “In about an hour.”
“Go eat some real food beforehand. You play terribly when you’re on an empty stomach.” Espresso waved him away. “And more importantly, I need to get back to work.”
“Fineee.” Madeleine took his pastry and waved to Espresso as he left. Espresso sighed, hoping that his face would return to its normal color soon.
The basketball game was the best Madeleine had ever performed, beating more than one of his personal records. Their team had won by a landslide. His ears were still ringing from the screams and cheers from the crowd as well as his fellow teammates. He was exhausted by the time he returned to his shared dorm, kicking his shoes off without a care where they would end up.
“Welcome home.” Espresso didn’t bother to turn to him as he continued his work at his desk. He wore the same outfit as the last time Madeleine had seen him, though now his apron was strewn haphazardly across his bed. “Congratulations on your win.”
Madeleine pulled the hair tie out of his hair, letting his blond locks fall messily over his shoulders. “Thank you. I told you I wouldn’t let them take us into overtime.”
Espresso turned to him, pushing his glasses up with a finger. “I suppose you did.”
“Hey… how did you know we won anyways? I thought you didn’t care for sports.”
“I just saw it online.” Espresso waved his hand dismissively, though he quickly turned away from his roommate, hoping he wouldn’t sense his obvious lie.
Madeleine only hummed. “I didn’t keep you waiting too long, did I?”
“I just arrived about 20 minutes ago. I haven’t been here long.”
“Good.” Madeleine ruffled his hair, earning a quick smack to his hand from Espresso. “Say, this is two nights in a row that you’re actually in the dorm. That almost never happens, is the world ending?”
Espresso rolled his eyes. “It’s the weekend, Madeleine. I have slightly more time to myself than usual.”
“Oh, so the scholar has time to himself now does he?” Madeleine teased as he sat on his bed.
There was a pause for a moment. “I thought about what you said this morning. Perhaps… I have been overworking myself. I am no longer tutoring over the weekends to allow myself some extra time.”
Madeleine’s eyes widened. “Hang on. Seriously? This isn’t some elaborate prank on me, is it?”
“Why in the world would I ever waste precious time on pranking a dimwit like yourself?” Espresso threw his pen at the other, smirking contentedly at the soft smack sound it made as it hit him square in the forehead.
“So what you’re saying is you’re free on the weekends.” Madeleine gently tossed the pen back onto his desk, seemingly unphased by being smacked in the face.
“Not free free, but more free than I have been previously, yes.”
“So you could come have dinner with me tomorrow?”
Espresso stared at his stupid roommate for a moment, unsure of how to respond. On one hand, it would be nice to leave the dorm without going to work. On another hand, he’d be going out with perhaps the most annoying man he’s ever met. Besides, midterms were still on the horizon and he had initially planned to use those extra hours to study more. But… he did promise himself that he would start to ease up before his body collapsed from stress. Dinner with his roommate couldn’t be that bad.
“I’ll consider it.”
Madeleine’s eyes lit up like lightbulbs. He was expecting a witty retort or a simple no, but an I’ll consider it? He didn’t imagine that Espresso would say something so close to a yes in a million years.
“How does seven sound?”
“Seven works.”
“I’ll pick you up.” Madeleine winked.
“We live together.” Espresso sighed, turning back to his work.
Madeleine smiled as he pulled out his phone, typing furiously into the device as Espresso continued his work.
The next morning flew by, for Madeleine at least. He slept until noon, completely missing Espresso as he left for another shift. He dragged himself out of bed, hopping into the shower as he changed into some comfortable loungewear. He tried his best to not let his mind linger on the thought of having dinner with his gorgeous roommate, though he couldn’t help but begin to dig through his clothes to find an outfit suitable for such an occasion.
It was around six by the time Espresso returned home, his shoulders sagging and eyes heavy from another long shift. He had almost forgotten about his dinner plans when his eyes fell on Madeleine. He was wearing black dress pants and shoes with a white ruffle shirt. He took note of the gold jewelry adorning him–a gold watch, gold dangling earrings, and a dainty gold necklace. He nearly forgot how to breathe. Since when had his roommate been so stunning?
“You’re home earlier than I thought you’d be.” Madeleine’s face turned a light shade of pink. “I haven’t even finished getting ready.”
“You… why are you dressed like that?” Espresso blurted.
Madeleine laughed at his reaction. “What, never seen a more beautiful man? It’s hard to top perfection.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Espresso snapped out of his stupor, untying his apron and throwing it onto his bed.
“Well, we’re going somewhere nice! It’s only natural to dress properly.” Madeleine beamed up at him.
Espresso frowned. “What do you mean ‘somewhere nice’? Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise!”
“And I need to dress up too?” Espresso sighed, already knowing the answer to his question.
“But of course.” Madeleine smirked. “I’d love to see what Mr. Academics has hiding away in his closet for a nice dinner.”
“Quit daydreaming about my clothes and finish getting ready.” Espresso muttered as he began to sort through his clothes. Since he wasn’t sure where they were going, he’d simply have to base his outfit off of what Madeleine was wearing.
He settled on a brown turtleneck and black dress pants. That should be nice enough. He stepped into the bathroom to change. It didn’t take long to get dressed, though he found himself staring at his reflection for a long moment. Was this nice enough for whatever Madeleine had planned? Did his clothes fit him weird? Was he making a fool of himself?
He shook the thoughts off. He looked fine, and these were the nicest clothes he had regardless. If the restaurant required nicer clothes he was simply out of luck.
Espresso glanced at his box of jewelry. Should he wear any? Madeleine was, but he was always extra. He settled on a silver watch. That would be enough. He stepped out of the bathroom, now fully dressed.
Madeleine looked up from his phone, mouth agape as he stared at his roommate. He was beautiful. His brain was practically overloading from the mere sight of him dressed nicely.
“Hello, Earth to Madeleine?” Espresso crossed his arms. “Is this nice enough for your stupid dinner?”
Madeleine cleared his throat in a sad attempt to regain his composure. “Yes, very. Though I do believe it’s missing something.” He got up, quickly rummaging through his own clothes once more until he finally stumbled upon what he was looking for. “Here!”
He held out a black trenchcoat. “You want me to wear your coat?” Espresso said, voice flat.
“Take it as a compliment.” Madeleine winked. “I wouldn’t let just anyone wear my clothes.”
“Whatever.” Espresso took it from him, sliding his arms into the coat. It wasn’t terribly big on him like he was expecting, though it did fall just past his knees. He wasn’t used to such a long coat, but if Madeleine insisted then he supposed it would just have to do.
“Perfect.” Madeleine smiled. “Are you ready to leave, my dear friend?”
Espresso rolled his eyes but nodded. “Yes. I am beyond ready to get this over with.”
Madeleine led the way out of the dorms and into the parking lot, where they piled into his car. The drive was silent, except for the soft music playing from the radio. It wasn’t long before they pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, Espresso’s eyes widening. The place looked expensive, the modern style and large glass windows being a dead giveaway. He didn’t even need to see the name to know that this was way out of his budget.
“Madeleine…” His voice trailed. “I can’t afford this.”
Madeleine tilted his head to the side, a look of genuine confusion displayed on his face. “Essie, who said you were paying? I invited you out, I’ll take care of the bill.”
Espresso stared at him. “You can’t be serious.”
“I’m very serious! Don’t worry about a thing! Just order whatever you like, it’s my treat.”
There was another moment of silence as Espresso struggled to find a response. “Fine.”
The two of them walked inside, greeted by a nicely dressed hostess. “Welcome in! Do you have a reservation?”
Madeleine nodded and gave his name. The hostess smiled, leading them to their seats with the promise that a waiter would be there soon to greet them. Menus were set in front of them and shortly their waiter arrived, introducing himself with a smile as he offered to take their drink orders. Espresso only ordered water and Madeleine ordered a bottle of red wine for the both of them. Their waiter nodded, promising to be back soon with their drinks.
“Wine?” Espresso glanced at his roommate over his menu. “You’re supposed to be driving.”
“It’s for us to share! Besides, I won’t drink so much that I can’t drive. I’ve built up quite a tolerance to alcohol by now.” He laughed. Espresso rolled his eyes.
“Whatever you say. But if we get in an accident you’re paying my medical bills.”
“It’s a deal.”
Their waiter returned with the drinks, setting a wine glass in front of either of them as he poured it for them. He took their food orders before leaving them once more. There was a soft silence between the two of them, though Espresso couldn’t tell if it was of the awkward or comfortable variety.
“I’m grateful you agreed to come out with me tonight.” Madeleine smiled, taking a small sip of his wine. “I thought for sure that you would decline my offer.”
Espresso swirled his glass for a moment, staring at the deep red of the wine. “I thought about it. But you did have a point about me overworking myself, and I felt like it would be an opportunity for the two of us to actually spend time together that isn’t arguing in the dorm.”
Madeleine laughed. “We do argue frequently.”
“Only because of your arrogance.” Espresso sighed.
“You think I’m the arrogant one?”
“Here we go again….”
Espresso took a long drink from his glass. He was never a fan of alcohol, but the wine tasted alright. He could feel the warmth already settling into his stomach.
“Perhaps I am too harsh with you at times.” Espresso looked across the table at his roommate. “You only irritate me when you’re worried about me.”
Madeleine’s cheeks dusted a light pink. “I’m glad you’re coming to your senses, Essie.”
“Enough with that nickname.”
“But I like it! It’s cute!”
“Exactly. I don’t want a cute nickname.”
“But Essie–”
“Quit.” Espresso groaned. Maybe he had spoken too soon about being too harsh with him. He had a valid reason to want to strangle his idiodic roommate.
Before they could argue any further, their food arrived. They managed to keep up their banter as they ate, relaxing more in each other's presence as the night went on. By the time they were finished and headed back to the car, Espresso was fully leaning on Madeleine for support. He had far too much of the wine, and he was a total lightweight.
“If I had known you couldn’t handle your alcohol I wouldn’t have ordered any.” Madeleine muttered as he helped him into the car.
“Sorry…” Espresso mumbled, his voice barely audible.
It was pitiful, hearing his roommate apologize so quietly. Madeleine ruffled his hair with a smile. “Oh, don’t apologize. I’m only joking.”
He shut the car door and climbed into the driver’s seat, taking them back to their shared dorm. By the time Madeleine had reparked the car Espresso was snoring in the passenger seat. As cute as it was, he didn’t want to have to carry him all the way to the elevator.
“Espresso, wake up.” He shook his shoulder, earning a soft groan from the other.
“Not now, Madi.” Espresso whined. “I just want to rest.”
Madeleine’s heart jumped at the nickname. Espresso was never one to use nicknames, though perhaps his drunken stupor was enough to get him to try.
“I can’t carry you all the way up to the room. Come on, we’re not sleeping in my car.”
Espresso sighed as he opened his door, nearly falling flat on his face as he attempted to get up by himself. Madeleine rushed out of the car, quickly taking a hold of his hand.
“Woah now, careful.” He let their fingers intertwine as they slowly walked to their shared dorm. Espresso muttered soft apologies every few steps as he continued to bump into his taller roommate.
By the time they arrived at their dorm Espresso had probably apologized a hundred times. Madeleine helped him into his bed, pulling his coat off of him. He grabbed Espresso’s glasses, setting them on the nearby desk before pulling the covers over him.
“Need anything else before you pass out, lightweight?” Madeleine teased. Espresso shook his head.
He was adorable, all curled up into himself and cheeks flushed from the alcohol. Madeleine couldn’t help himself as he leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead. It’s not like Espresso would remember it in the morning anyways.
“Goodnight, Espresso.” He turned to his own bed when he felt a tug at his sleeve. Espresso looked up at him.
“Don’t go.” Was all he said.
Madeleine stared at him for a long moment. “You want me to stay with you?”
Espresso nodded.
“Do you… want me to get in bed with you?”
“Yes.”
Madeleine’s face burned. “Do you know how that sounds? I mean–won’t you be upset with me in the morning?”
Espresso rolled his eyes as he sat up, placing one of his hands on the back of Madeleine’s head and the other on his waist as he pulled him forward into a soft kiss. Madeleine’s head spun for a moment before he realized what was happening. He was kissing his gorgeous roommate, the man he’s been crushing on since the start of the semester.
He pushed Espresso onto his back, placing his hands on either side of his head as he pinned him down. They pulled apart after a few more seconds, gasping for air.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.” Espresso’s lips tugged into a dopey smile. “Shutting you up has never felt so good.”
“I’ve wanted to put those lips of yours to good use for a while too.” Madeleine smirked as he pulled away from him entirely.
“Hang on– where are you–?”
“Scooch over.” Madeleine pushed Espresso to the other side of the bed, giving himself room to climb in.
“But I thought…” Espresso’s voice trailed off as he gestured between the two of them. “You know….”
Madeleine laughed as he laid down fully, pulling the smaller into his chest. “Not while you’re drunk, I’m afraid.”
Espresso sighed, letting his head rest on Madeleine’s chest. He was warm and comfortable, like a giant pillow. “Whatever.”
“That sounds more like you.” Madeleine ran his fingers through Espresso’s hair, unable to keep himself from smiling. He felt on top of the world knowing that his hot roommate shared similar feelings as he did.
“Thank you.” Espresso’s voice was quiet. Before Madeleine could respond, he started to snore softly once more.
“You’re welcome, darling.”