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Summary: Espresso desperately needs a distraction from reality. And his go to is obviously to his phone where he'd play the classic yet fun game of texting random numbers until one responds. Little did he know this game comes with it's prizes too.

WARNING this is super dumb and superererer rushed

modern au
~

Espresso sighed heavily, his face pressed against his pillow as he slumped onto his small bed within his small apartment bedroom. Who knew adult life would be so stressful. With his shitty starter job in a nearby retail store and his shitty rental apartment that constantly smelled like cigar smoke. Likely from his neighbours who hang out on the balcony like they live there, smoking until their lungs disintegrate into a pile of dust.

Anyhow, he hated it. But all he needed to do was get some work experience and put his heart and soul into studying for a degree in teaching at his local college. Everything will be better soon. He just needed to be patient.

This lifestyle was really starting to wear him out.

Days turned into weeks.

Weeks turned into months.

He went through series of angry customers, his pay constantly rising and falling to the point he'd barely scrape enough money together to pay his rent. But it's okay. He just needed to get through a few more months. It would all be just fine.

Espresso laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling with tired, half-lidded eyes. His glasses had fallen out of place but he hadn't bothered to fix them. He needed to distract himself for a few hours at least. He couldn't afford to stress.

He turned his head towards his nightstand, his weary gaze landing on his phone propped face down on top of a stack of books. What would he even do? Scroll on Pinterest? Watch Youtube? Ugh.. his earphones were stuffed in his bag somewhere though and he really didn't feel like getting up to dig around for them.

Somehow his mind flashed back to a memory back in highschool with his sister Latte. He remembers, an amusing game they played on their phones. A game where they would input random contacts and message them, sometimes even call them until someone responds. It was almost like prank calling.

Espresso's lips lifted into a small smile at the warm memories. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad..

He was feeling a little nostalgic, after all.

The brunette reached over, picking up his phone and unlocking it to the home screen. His finger hesitated over the messages app before clicking it with a small huff. Espresso immediately started conversations with random numbers, some not responding, some leaving him on read and others leaving him confused and angry replies.

All this only made the sleep-deprived man feel giddy. It was fun messing with people. One person even threatened to call the police! Maybe he stopped laughing a little at that, instead closing the message and moving onto the next one.

Minutes turned into hours.

Soon it was a little past twelve am. Looks like he might be a bit late to work tomorrow, along with a furious scolding from his manager. Oh well, the game was worth it, right?

Espresso sighed, his eyelids drooping followed by a short yawn. Maybe he should go to bed. The last person he contacted hadn't replied yet. He wasn't sure they even would.

He put the phone back down along with his glasses with a ghost of a smile still on his face, switching his lamp off and turning to lay on his bed facing the wall. His eyes fluttered closed, ready to drift off to sleep until—

Ping!

Oh? One of them replied after all!

Espresso really should be sleeping...

He sat back up, lazily rubbing at his eyes and reaching over to pick his phone back up. One new message. Unknown contact. It seemed to be the last number he had messaged. The brunette fumbled with his glassed until he'd secured them back onto his nose, squinting down at the screen through the blinding brightness contrasting the darkness of the room.

Unknown

< Who is this?

hello >

Espresso cringed at the dryness in his text, curiously awaiting the stranger's reply.

< again, who is this?

sorry  I was just texting random numbers for fun >

  < oh haha! at 1am? why arent you asleep

I could ask you the same thing >

< touche :) whats your name?
read

Espresso's eyes widened. Was this stranger looking to befriend him? Really? Should he answer them..? His brain said no way, this random person might be some sort of catfish or something! But his heart had screamed louder, with only one word which was of course: yes!

  espresso >

and you? >

< Madeleine :^D!! nice to meet you Espresso!!!!,!

well im going to go to bed now. goodnight. >

< Oh alright! Goodnight :)))

Espresso smiled, switching his phone off and laying back down. His mind buzzed with the fact that he'd potentially made a new friend through a stupid little game. And this guy, or girl he really had no clue, had a strange but weirdly adorable habit of using an insane amount of emoticons. All these thoughts kept him awake, listening to the faint sound of crickets outside his window, until his brain finally shut down and he drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

~

The brunette shut his apartment door, dropping his keys and bags on the kitchen counter before retiring to the lounge room and slumping into the couch. God today was a rough day, stressful classes mixed with his treacherous shifts at his part time job. He sighed, one arm draped over his eyes until he heard his phone vibrate in his pocket, startling him. He retrieved his phone, unlocking it to see that he'd recieved a text from that unknown contact. Maybe he should change the name.

Madeleine

< hiii
read

Espresso groaned, honestly the slightest bit annoyed but also happy that someone was willing to talk to him for once. He hated socialising... but I suppose texting is different.

hello again >

< Sorry if i disturbed you. How are you?

im fine, hbu? >

< im great! thx for asking.

The two talked and talked and talked into the ungodly hours of the night, until Madeleine announced that he had to wake up early, meaning he should probably hit the hay. But there was so much Espresso still wondered about Madeleine, the man (yes, he asked) was entirely a mystery to him. And even if he'd only known him for a little over a day at most, for some reason he felt as if he wanted to meet him in person.

The Next Day

Madeleine

< afternoon espresso! :)

oh hey i just finished work >

< oh? where do you work?

some retail store. its really shit lol >

< hahaha! im sure you are great :)

LMAO no >

< nooo dont say that..!!!

They talked.

And they talked.

And they talked.

Everyday Espresso would continue his normal routine, wake up, get dressed, go to his classes, work his shifts and then get home right around dinner time. But now he had one more activity to add to the list; Talking to Madeleine.

Every afternoon when he'd finally get to relax on his couch, he'd immediately whip out his phone looking to engage in a healthy conversation with his new online friend.

One day they even began to talk about themselves for real, like their ages, etc. Turns out they were the same age! Now he knew he wasn't some old creep looking to stalk him. Espresso knew some things about him now, some of which were the fact that he had platinum blond hair that snaked down to around his waist, and the bluest of blue eyes he'd ever seen on someone. And he knew this because not even after a month of knowing each other, Madeleine had sent him a photo of what he looked like.

Espresso was surprised at first, that this stranger already entrusted him with something so personal, which was of course, his appearance. He didn't know what to do after that. Does he send him a picture of what he looked like himself? Was that where this was going?

Madeleine

< espresso? you there? or did you                                                                                                                                    
fall asleep again lol

                                                                                              No sorry I had to go get something from my room >

The brunette face palmed himself for coming up with such a weightless lie. In truth he spent that entire time staring at the photo Madeleine sent while leaving the poor man on read.

< oh okay! so what do you think!                                                                                                                       
am i handsome? ;)

                                                                                                                                                                                   no lmao >

< what!!!! 😭💔

                                                                                                       kidding! im kidding
haha you look really nice >

< too late! my heart is shattered!

Espresso bit across his bottom lip to stifle a laugh. His phone buzzed again as he received another text from the blond.

< i bet u look prettier <3
read

From the other end, Madeleine was confused why he hadn't replied. Had he startled him that much?

< espressoooo

< esssss!!! you there?

< DID I KILL YOU HAAKJSGHDGh

you.. made me drop
my phone you idiot >

Yes, he very much did startle Espresso. To the point he got so flustered that his face turned beet red and his phone slipped out of his hand, tumbling face down onto the hardwood floor. The screen cracked all the way across, an irritated groan escaping from the brunette as he analysed it for any more damage.

now its cracked :( >

< oh,, im so sorry

its alr >

< Ill pay for it's repair i swear!

how..? >

< hehe. well i only live, what 2 hrs away from u?

wait are you being fr >

< maaaybe

Espresso stared at his phone in disbelief. Surely he wouldn't drive all the way to his town just to see some weird guy from online?

He was lying.. right?

~

Video Call

Summary: continuation of that monstrosity ^

~

It had been a few months now, and the two had since moved on to video calls and such, which eventually revealed what Espresso looked like. Madeleine couldn't get over the fact that he was correct, he really was pretty. But he wouldn't say that to him, so he stuck to his fantasies and the constant feeling of his cheeks along with the tips of his ears growing hot.

Everytime they talked, he'd be caught staring. As Espresso laid on his bed with his phone, rambling about all the horrible customers he'd served to the blond who's eyelids were drooping, he yawned himself. It was getting pretty late.

"Hey Mads, I'm gonna go to bed. See you tomorrow?" Espresso blinked at the screen sleepily.

Madeleine whined, "Awwwwe, okay. Goodnight 'Spresso!"

"Night," he smiled, ending the call and turning his phone off.

Espresso tossed his phone over into his open duffel bag, turned over to grab his pillow and stuffed his face in the plush surface, lightly screaming into it. He had come to a very horrible realisation, an absolutely baffling, groundbreaking, knee knobbling, toe curling realisation. He had developed a crush on someone he hadn't even met.

Someone he probably would never even meet.

What was he even going to do? Most likely he'd have to get over it. It was stupid anyway, and probably developed over his need for some affection in his life. And there's no way he'd be getting it from some guy who lives more than a thousand miles away anyway.

So he slipped off his glasses, turned off his lamp and dozed off, clearing his mind.

~

Espresso shrugged his bag off his shoulder, leaving it at the front door and not bothering to move it. He was utterly exhausted from todays classes. Some mind-boggling stuff about mathematics which he definitely did not enjoy. He knew he'd have to go through it eventually since it's apart of his course, but he was not mentally ready for it at all.

He wondered what Madeleine had been up to today. Hopefully something more interesting than himself so he could be entertained with his glorious stories from his life.

The brunette whipped out his phone, seeing that it was almost flat and scrambling through his drawers in search for his charger. As soon as he found it he plugged it in and began to charge his phone that was basically on it's last breath.

He tilted his head in confusion. That was strange. No messages from Madeleine.

Madeleine❤

hey >

where r u? wanna call or smth? >

delivered

Huh. He hadn't even seen it. That worried him a little since he normally was a quick replier. He shouldn't be too concerned though, maybe he was just busy.

hellooo? wake up dingus >

should i call the police LOLL >

delivered

Espresso chewed on one of his nails, tapping at the side of his phone anxiously. What if he'd gotten sick of him? Suddenly there was a knock at his door. He rushed over, unlocking it and pulling it open, his eyes widening as lo and behold, Madeleine stood with a sheepish grin. His hands were stuffed in the pocket of his light grey jacket which was over top a white t-shirt and black jeans.

"Madeleine?" Espresso squeaked, still trying to process who was standing in his doorway.

"The one and only." Madeleine grinned, "Nice pla-- Oof!"

He was tackled into a tight hug as Espresso lunged at him, wrapping his arms around his torso and burying his face into his shoulder.

The brunette let him go, gripping his shoulders and shaking the poor guy lightly, "How did you even-- What-- How are you here? When did you..." he sputtered.

Madeleine took out some car keys and jingled them, "Well, I have a car."

"But my address? How did you--?"

"You told me, remember?" The blond clicked his tongue, "Always so forgetful." he teased him playfully.

"Plus I got a motel room down the road from here."

Espresso paused, standing to the side and raking a hand through his hair which messed it up completely. Almost looking as if he was trying to catch his breath.

"I.. wow. Uh, come in. Sorry if it's a mess," He gestured for him to come inside, Madeleine gladly accepting.

"Guess I can pay for that broken phone screen," Madeleine chuckled.

Espresso laughed as well, closing the door behind him.

He had externally calmed down, but internally he was going absolutely mental. His recently developed online crush was here. In his house. Things weren't so online anymore, it seemed.

Things had gotten very real. Very fast.

~

Espresso sat on his couch, staring at the phone on his coffee table nervously as the rain beat down on his window harshly. Thunder erupted through the air, while lightning flashed across the sky. It was around 2AM, and he could not sleep. All he could think about was Madeleine, who was down the street as we speak.

Finally, he picked up his phone and opened their messages. After what seemed like an eternity he started typing, his hands shaking a little. He was a nervous wreck.

i love you >

read

Espresso panicked. His face flushed as he tapped at his keyboard frantically. He was not expecting him to be awake.

WAIT WAITWAITKJKJAJSHFJGG >

MISCLICK HAHAAA..>

read

Oh lord what has he done.

He switched off his phone, leaving it on the coffee table as he brought his knees to his chest and hugged himself. God their next meet would be so awkward.

Suddenly an urgent round of knocking sounded at his door.

Espresso jumped up, rushing to his door and swinging it open only to be met with a soaking wet Madeleine out of breath with a drenched phone in one of his hands.

Espresso's eyes widened, "Goodness--"

He was cut off when Madeleine stepped forward, stuffing his phone in his pocket and moving his hands to cup the brunette's face. Espresso flinched upon feeling the rain water dripping onto his skin.

"Madeleine you're drenched," Espresso almost whispered. He was a little too shocked to entirely process what was happening.

"Don't play with me Espresso. Were you being serious?" The blond's face was serious, it was almost terrifying.

"I-- What do you mean?"

"The text." He answered quickly.

"..."

Espresso stayed silent for a moment in thought. Should he finally confess, face to face this time?

"..Yes."

Madeleine smiled fondly, gazing into the light brown of his eyes. Espresso stared back, their gazes clashing, their hearts beating to a familiar melody.

Then, with one simple tug, Madeleine dipped to meet the brunette's lips. Espresso leaned up on the tips of his toes, eyes fluttering closed as he sighed into the kiss. He threw his arms over his broad shoulders as one of Madeleine's hands shifted to hold his waist.

They parted, lightly panting but smiling from ear to ear.

"Do you want a towel?" Espresso giggled, "I think I might need one too actually."

He observed himself who had also been dampened by Madeleine's soaking wet figure.

"Sorry about that. Yes please, maybe some coffee too?"

Espresso took his hand and led him inside the warmth of his apartment.

He rolled his eyes, smiling, "Oh I've got plenty of that, trust me."

The two spend the rest of the evening (or morning, more like), cuddling on the couch with a fluffy blanket wrapped around their shoulders. Content, maybe a little sniffly, but content.

~

Total word count: 1564

HOLY SHIT THAT WAS SO STUPID BUT AHAHAHHAHAHAHAFGJJHSJA i might rewrite this some time and make it progress at a normal pace bc HOOOOO boy i rushed this little fucker