Work Text:
Niall's favourite coffee shop was only two blocks from his apartment - which was sometimes unfortunate. He spent way too much time and way too much money at that place.
That was going to have to change, he mourned silently. The cushy job he'd landed at Sun Enterprises had fallen through, mostly because Niall was nothing without his morals, so now he was unemployed and knew that he wouldn't be able to afford his current lifestyle come next month. He'd probably end up moving back home, although the thought made him want to throw up.
Somehow his feet had led him to the corner that housed the best little coffee shop in the world - even when wandering aimlessly around, he could find his way there without trying to. Thinking about how small his coffee budget was gonna be next month and regretting his familiarity with the place, he pushed open the door.
It was Irial working today, although he could hear the faint noises of somebody else out back. It was usually a pleasant surprise to see the shop's owner, a sinfully gorgeous guy who amused himself by being shamelessly lewd and occasionally sleeping with Niall, but today... Today Niall just wanted some quiet and a mocha latte. It was an extra stab of melancholy seeing the man he'd slowly but surely fallen for and knowing it may be one of the last times.
They'd met years ago, Niall coming in nearly every day, all the while kicking himself for having such a stupid crush on somebody who clearly wasn't his type. Irial was hot and funny and incredibly wild - which both scared him and drew him in. Eventually, drawn out conversations had become booty calls and booty calls had become dates and now Niall texted Irial for hours every day if they weren't going to see each other and their relationship was somewhere past the casual sex and flirty banter but not in the sappy, romantic couples zone either. Not having Irial in his life was a physically painful idea, and Niall dreaded the goodbye.
With a concentrated effort, he shoved the depressing thoughts away and forced himself to return Irial's flirtatious grin.
"Your usual?" Irial practically purred.
Despite himself, Niall felt a little better. Some things, like Irial's classless advances, never changed. "Unless you've got something a little better to give me?"
"I've got plenty to give you and lots of positions to give it in, love," he said, then paused. "Shouldn't you be at work, though?"
"Thought you'd appreciate the bad boy, blowing-off-work thing," Niall offered, leaning against the counter.
"Oh, trust me, it would've had me all hot and bothered, but you're upset." Irial's tone was coloured with genuine affection and concern. He laid aside the paper cup he'd grabbed and the marker used to write orders on the side, keeping his gaze fixed solely on Niall.
The bastard was perceptive, but Niall shrugged it off. "It's nothing," he lied.
"If it's bothering you, it isn't nothing," Irial said firmly. "Gabe, come out here and man the counter. I'm taking my break."
"You don't have to, Irial," Niall started, but Irial was already stepping out around the partition.
Gabriel came out from the back room, flour covering his apron. He looked Niall up and down, tilting his head. "I'll make you some coffee, yeah? You look like you need it."
"Is my desolation that obvious?" he groaned, flopping down at a table.
Irial sat with him, grinning. "We're good at picking up feelings, beautiful. Now, tell me what's wrong."
Niall had planned on only giving him the bare minimum, but wound up spilling the whole story - how Keenan had used him to manipulate other employees, their fight, Niall quitting and quietly walking away. "... I'm going to have to move out, because I won't be able to find a job that pays half as well for entry-level employees so I won't be able to afford my apartment, and if I can't find something fairly soon, I'm going to have to move back home." His stomach lurched at the idea, and he shut his eyes, bowing his head a little to try and hide the despair. "I can't go back there, Iri," he admitted in a whisper.
Things were silent between them for a minute, the only sounds were Gabriel working in the background and the soft melody of whatever Irial had playing in the shop. Niall curled his hands around the mug of coffee long since gone cold, which had been delivered sometime during his long-winded rant.
"Move in with me," Irial said suddenly.
It took Niall a minute to process this, because Irial was notorious for being a lone wolf, for not really settling with anyone. "What?"
"Move in with me," he repeated, grinning at Niall's stupefied expression. "It's not too expensive, and I'll make you coffee every morning."
"That's... That's a tempting offer. But why?"
Irial shrugged. "Because you deserve to be happy."
Sometimes, Irial threw him for a loop. Most of their relationship had been snarky and overflowing with sexual tension but this wasn't the first time he had bluntly said something that would've been incredibly sappy coming from anyone else. But from Irial... It wasn't sappy, it wasn't horribly romantic, it was just a fact. The sky was blue. The ocean was big. Niall deserved to be happy. It was Irial's unspoken I love you.
Niall smiled, reaching across to take Irial's hand. "Thank you," he said simply, the two words implying the unrepayable gratitude, the burning relief, Niall's I love you, too.
Irial smiled back, squeezing his hand gently.
They had each other, and that was enough.