Espresso in The Rain

The sun had barely risen when Noah stirred awake, tangled in Elias' sheets, the faint scent of coffee lingering in the air. He blinked drowsily, adjusting to the quiet warmth of the apartment above The Roasted Heaven.

It had been a long night—one filled with whispered confessions, shared laughter, and tangled limbs beneath soft sheets. Noah had lost count of how many times Elias had touched him, kissed him, whispered his name in that low, addictive voice.

Now, the bed was half-empty.

He stretched, reaching across the mattress, but Elias was already gone. The faint hum of conversation drifted through the floor, likely coming from the café downstairs.

Noah sighed, running a hand through his tousled hair before reluctantly slipping out of bed. He pulled on one of Elias' shirts—it hung loosely on his frame—and padded toward the small kitchen to make himself a coffee.

Just as he took his first sip, footsteps thundered up the staircase.

Noah barely had time to register the sound before the door swung open, and—

"—Elias, I swear, if you forgot to—"

Perth stopped mid-sentence.

Noah froze, coffee mug in hand.

For a long moment, they just stared at each other.

"...Morning?" Noah offered hesitantly.

Perth blinked. His gaze flicked from Noah's sleep-mussed hair to the oversized shirt draping off his shoulders—Elias' shirt. His jaw tensed slightly, processing the scene in front of him.

"…You're here," Perth said slowly.

Noah raised an eyebrow. "Obviously."

Perth exhaled through his nose, stepping fully into the apartment and closing the door behind him. "I didn't realize you stayed over."

Noah took another sip of his coffee, watching him carefully. "It's not the first time."

That earned a reaction—Perth's lips pressed into a firm line as he crossed his arms. "And how long has this been going on?"

Noah tilted his head. "Why do you sound like a disapproving older brother?"

Perth scoffed, running a hand through his dark hair. "Because someone has to be, apparently."

Before Noah could respond, the door opened again, and Elias walked in, carrying two cups of coffee from the shop downstairs. He paused when he saw the two of them standing there—Noah looking entirely too relaxed in his shirt, and Perth looking like he was deciding whether to scold or interrogate someone.

Elias sighed.

"Perth," he drawled, walking past him to place the coffee on the counter. "Did you seriously let yourself in?"

Perth crossed his arms. "You gave me a key."

"That doesn't mean barge in whenever you want."

Perth gestured toward Noah. "Oh, I'm sorry—should I have knocked first? Would that have given him time to sneak out?"

Noah snorted. "If I wanted to sneak out, I would've done it hours ago."

Perth gave him a flat look. "Not helping your case, kid."

Elias groaned, rubbing his temples. "Perth."

Perth sighed, dropping his arms. "Look, I don't care what you do with your boyfriend—"

Noah's breath hitched.

Elias blinked.

Perth narrowed his eyes. "Oh? No denial?"

Elias recovered quickly, leaning against the counter with an easy smirk. "I didn't realize I needed to clarify anything to you."

Perth rolled his eyes. "I just wasn't expecting to walk into this." He gestured vaguely at Noah's disheveled appearance. "I mean, I knew you two were… something, but I didn't think you were at the 'sleeping over and stealing his clothes' stage."

Noah smirked. "Oh, we've been past that stage for a while."

Perth groaned. "I walked into that one, didn't I?"

Elias chuckled, wrapping an arm around Noah's waist and pulling him close. "Relax, hyung," he teased. "Noah's not going anywhere."

Noah's heart stuttered at the words, but he played it cool, leaning into Elias' touch.

Perth stared at them for a moment before shaking his head with a resigned sigh. "Fine. But if he breaks your heart, I will kill him."

Noah smirked. "Noted."

Elias just grinned, pressing a kiss to Noah's temple.

Perth sighed again, grabbing one of the untouched coffee cups from the counter. "I need caffeine for this."

Noah chuckled.

Maybe waking up here wasn't such a bad thing after all.