[Jasper and Nash]
[Monday, 6.45am in a loft apartment--]
The Sun had not risen but the sky outside was beginning to lighten as more time passed. The apartment was still in darkness safe for the one light that had been switched on in the kitchen area. As the stove boiled water, Nash stood at the kitchen counter, preparing the vegetables.
Chop. Chop. Chop.
He stood there shirtless as he began to then toss the salad. Sweat rolled down his face as he put the salad into two glass bowls. It was not hard work in any sense and Nash had always enjoyed spending his quiet mornings cooking-- not that he had the luxury of doing so on a frequent basis due to work.
The air conditioning in the common area had not been turned on as Nash did not want the food to turn cold. The kitchen exhaust fan had not been activated since the sound it created would reverberate around the whole apartment. As a result, it was warm and stuffy in the kitchen area.
Glancing at the black retro flip clock on the kitchen counter, Nash smiled.
'Just eleven more minutes to go before it is 7am. He should be waking up soon.'
Carefully removing the kettle of boiling water, Nash proceeded to place a pan on the stove. Once the pan was hot enough, he began to fry some bacon and then eggs. The whole process felt like a mere couple of minutes but when Nash checked on the time again, it was already a minute past seven.
For a brief few moments, Nash stood still and attempted to listen for sounds of movement or even shuffling of feet on the wooden floorboard of the sleeping area upstairs. But there was no movement at all.
'Ah, there is still time,' Nash thought to himself and smiled.
After plating the bacon and eggs, he began to prepare the coffee. Placing about two tablespoons of grounded coffee beans into the aeropress, he slowly poured the hot water he had just boiled into the coffee maker. When that was done, he gently placed a plunger at the top of the aeropress before doing the same for another cup of coffee with another aeropress coffee maker.
Ninety seconds felt like an eternity waiting for the coffee to brew for a complete extraction from the grounds. Wanting it to be a surprise, it was necessary that Jasper was still asleep when Nash woke Jasper up to a cup of freshly made coffee. Nash could have sworn that the ticking on the retro flip clock echoed loudly in the whole loft apartment. When the time was finally up, Nash gently pressed at the plunger of the aeropress for the first cup and then for the second cup as well.
Moving slowly, Nash then carried the cups of coffee as he went up the stairs to the sleeping area. Jasper was still fast asleep. Laying on his stomach and hugging a pillow, there was a slow rise and fall of his body as he breathed softly. Nash could not help but smile. Jasper was breathing into his pillow and he was sure that it was an unconscious action on Jasper's part.
'He may not be an omega but he sure acts like one,' Nash mused.
Since Jasper was a beta-- or what people would term it as 'normal folk'-- there was no way that he could detect the pheromones that Nash emitted. In comparison, his 'normal' scent would be close to nothing to a beta with an average sense of smell. Even so, Nash knew that Jasper was genuinely serious when he said that he could still detect the faint scent. In truth, it turned Nash on to see his partner desire his scent so much.
Gently placing the cups of coffee on the wooden floor, Nash moved quietly to the floor mattress. Brushing aside the hair that covered Jasper's eyes, Nash leaned in and kissed the still sleeping beta on the forehead.
When Jasper had not stirred, Nash gently turned Jasper over so that he was sleeping faced towards the ceiling. Nash then began to leave a trail of kisses on Jasper's closed eyelids, cheeks, and along the side of the neck. Jasper moaned slightly in his sleep and this encouraged Nash to kiss him on the lips before slipping a tongue in.
"Mmm," Jasper moaned before he slowly opened his eyes and looked sleepily at Nash.
Noticing that Jasper was already awake, Nash kissed the beta a moment longer before stopping to take a breath. Both of them panted and Nash smiled upon looking at a very alluring Jasper. The beta looked both languorous and turned on as his lips were swollen from kissing-- more like Nash's aggressive kissing-- and skin was flushed. Glancing further down Jasper's body, it was clear to Nash that his lover was ready for some more 'action'.
"Good morning," Jasper giggled as he sat up and kissed Noah. "Mm. You smell like caffeine."
Noah chuckled. There was only one other person among the staff whose love for coffee could rival with that of Derek's, and that was none other than Jasper.
"Yes, I've made coffee for the both of us," Nash said as he passed a cup to Jasper.
"Mm. Thank you," Jasper murmured as he inhaled the aroma of the freshly brewed coffee before taking a sip. Nash could not help but watch as Jasper licked his lips at the taste of his favourite beverage.
"Is it good?" Nash asked.
"Mm. Yes."
"May I have a taste?"
"Yes, sur-- Mmph!" Jasper did not manage to finish his sentence as Nash held on to the cup in his hand and started kissing him again.
"You're right. The tastes sweet," Nash chuckled as he licked the side of Jasper's mouth.
Jasper laughed and rolled his eyes. For someone as blunt as Nash, his lover was definitely never lacking when it came to saying the cheesiest of things. Then again, the sincerity and love Nash had for him only made Jasper love the alpha more.
Tugging at the alpha for another kiss, the two tumbled onto the floor mattress. Not breaking away from the kiss, Nash carefully pushed the cups of coffee further from them. Then, Nash began to stroke the skin under Jasper's shirt and he could feel Jasper's heartbeat increase as if in anticipation of what was to come. Nash slightly pinched at a nipple and Jasper moaned though the sound was muffled as they continued to kiss deeply.
Already wanting their skin to touch each other directly, Jasper began to pull off his shirt when--
GROWLLLL
Instantly, the couple pulled away and looked at each other. Seconds later, they both laughed.
"Ahhhh," Jasper pulled the blanket and covered his face. Though embarrassed, he was still laughing.
"We can continue this later. First, we will have to put some food in you. Your stomach is already protesting," Nash teased.
***
"Whoa! You made breakfast! And there's bacon too! I love bacon!" Jasper exclaimed.
"Yeah, I've fried a lot of bacon. So, don't hesitate. The rest are on the stove," Nash replied.
"Ooo~ Thank you!" Jasper leaned over the table and kissed Nash on the cheek. "It is very thoughtful of you," Jasper continued as he sat down in his chair.
"Mm."
"Hah… It feels odd to have breakfast at home on a Monday when we'd usually have it together with the other staff back at the cafe. It's like there's something missing," Jasper said as he drank his cup of coffee.
Nash nodded in agreement.
Today would be the third day they would be working from home. The moment that AO Company lead researcher had made the announcement, there was a state of panic amongst the alphas and betas. Since there were few omegas at the cafe and the news did not affect them in any way, they were the only ones who were calm and watched as chaos ensued.
The once quiet cafe was filled with screams and yellings that evening as alpha and beta customers shoved at each other. They were afraid of even being in the same space with each other. Though ironically, by trying to shove away the other, the alphas and betas were in physical contact with one another.
Derek immediately moved in to protect and usher the calmer customers and small sized staff to safety. Carl and the other bouncers who were present that day, attempted to pull the parties apart who were fighting. It took nearly half an hour for the muscular, big sized men to successfully put an end to the brawl.
After that, their boss had to close the cafe much earlier than usual and dismissed all the staff. He even announced that all the staff may work from home for the time being if it made them comfortable. Like most staff, Nash and Jasper initially hesitated but eventually decided to work away from the cafe for the next few days. Afterall, they were still able to complete their tasks from the comforts of their own home. Moreover, it was expected that there won't be a usual flow of customers for the weekend in light of the event that had taken place.
Thus, on the positive part, they were safe and still submitting their tasks. However, on the negative part-- at least for Nash-- it was rather dull staying at home and not being able to socialise with the customers and other staff in person.
'How ironic. The cafe's most introverted staff member is actually restless after a couple of days of not talking to other people,' Nash sighed and shook his head slightly. Looking up from his plate, he saw that Jasper was watching him with his head tilted to one side.
'Well, at least we have all the extra time and privacy to make love whenever we feel like it,' Nash gave a low chuckle which caused Jasper to raise a brow.
"Oh my~ Somehow, I feel like we'll be working from bed today~" Jasper teased and pretended to be horrified when he was in reality looking forward to it.