Jooheon, Changkyun, and Minhyuk sit in the coffee shop, the older two smiling expectantly as they wait for their waiter to approach.

“You have to make it cute,” Minhyuk reminds him. Changkyun puffs out a steadying breath, blinking up at the ceiling with a frown on his face. Why did he agree to such a punishment? Well, he could answer that pretty easily. He rarely ever lost at rock-paper-scissors, so he didn’t really give it much thought only minutes before when they decided on it. Now he very much regretted it. Now all he wants to do is hide under the table in the fetal position as embarrassment begins to creep inside his mind at what he’s about to do.

Their short, pink-haired waiter approaches the table, a classic business smile set upon his face. His dimples make Changkyun blush suddenly, and he absolutely hates it. The crush he’s begun to develop on the waiter certainly isn’t helping matters, which is probably why Minhyuk and Jooheon had so eagerly suggested the penalty in the first place. Panic begins to clog up his throat as the aproned young man leans forward to gather up the dishes on the table.

“Did you guys want anything else?” he asks them. The others begin to shake their heads, murmuring their thanks. They glance over at the youngest sitting across from them, clearly having to suppress their laughter. Changkyun begins to mentally list all the ways he’s going to get back at them later for this.

“E-Excuse me sir,” Changkyun says, earning a curious glance. He holds up a pair of finger hearts with his hands, his nerves freezing his face in a stone-like expression. He manages a small nod as he mutters, “Thank you.” He drops his hands, giving a small grin to him. The waiter’s smile falters a moment, as if he’s unsure of what this customer could’ve been trying at with the gesture, and chuckles out a “you’re welcome” before walking away.

Kihyun walks to the kitchen with the dirty dishes, fighting hard the urge to laugh at the ridiculous sight he’d just witnessed. He sets mugs and plates in the sink, chuckling lowly to himself. Hyungwon shoots him a questioning glance as he goes to wash all that’s been piling up in the sink from the day.

“Something happen, hyung?” he asks. Kihyun shakes his head, waving off the question before moving to return to the front counter.

“Probably that cute trio of men that’s been coming to the café for the past month,” Hoseok says, popping up behind Hyungwon and wrapping his arms around the younger’s waist. He nuzzles into the taller’s neck, breathing in deeply his scent.

“We’re in the kitchen, hyung,” Kihyun nags jokingly, setting his hands on his hips.

“Am I wrong?” Hoseok persists, separating himself from Hyungwon after placing a soft kiss on his neck.

“One of them just flashed me a couple of hearts with his fingers,” Kihyun explains, pressing a hand to the back of his neck. He feels somewhat embarrassed retelling the story, but he does so anyway at Hyungwon’s silent yet demanding gaze. The two laugh at the story, Hoseok shaking his head. “He probably just lost a bet or something,” Kihyun concludes as he tries again to leave the kitchen, but Hoseok stops him.

“If you ask me,” he begins, but Kihyun interrupts.

“Which no one did,” the younger points out, earning a snort of amusement from Hyungwon.

“If you ask me,” Hoseok continues as if the interruption didn’t just occur, “that brunette likes you. He requests your services even when he comes in alone, nowadays. You should make a move.” Kihyun can’t help but roll his eyes at the older.

“Hyung,” he says, “I think that’s a bit of a stretch…”

“I hate saying this,” Hyungwon says without looking up from the sink, “but I think hyung is right. That brunette always asks about you, always stares at you whenever you serve him. Even I can see that he’s got a crush on you.” Kihyun stares at the pair for a moment, wondering if they could be right.

“Why do you hate saying that I’m right?” Hoseok asks, a pout forming on his lips as he glances over at Hyungwon.

“Because it inflates your ego,” Hyungwon answers bluntly, causing Kihyun to burst out in laughter.

“Yah!” Hoseok says, playfully swatting at the younger’s arm. “I’m still your hyung!” Kihyun takes this momentary distraction as an opportunity to slip out of the kitchen, returning to a line of customers waiting to pay. He glances around distractedly, seeing if the trio had left yet, and is glad to see the youngest being left behind at the table by his giggling friends to pay. Kihyun watches as he stands up with the ticket in hand and walks over to the counter, unable to deny his quickening heart.

“That wasn’t cute,” Jooheon complains, shaking his head disappointedly. Minhyuk picks up a napkin, gesturing for Jooheon to turn his head to the side as he wipes at the chocolate on his bottom lip. Changkyun can only puff out another breath in response, trying hard not to cringe at himself. He rubs his face with his hands, making sure his face isn’t too hot from what he had just been forced to do.

“As punishment,” Minhyuk begins, earning an incredulous look from the youngest, “you have to pay the bill. We’ll wait outside for you.” Minhyuk then grasps tightly onto Jooheon’s hand, leading him outside. Jooheon laughs at Changkyun’s look of dismay, shooting him a pair of cute finger hearts complete with a high-pitched cry of love.

Changkyun shakes his head, picking up the ticket on the table and heading to the cash register. He has to fight the embarrassed groan at finding the pink-haired waiter working punching out the transactions. As his turn comes up to pay, the waiter from before flashes him a smirk as he takes the ticket and begins to put in the items listed.

“My name is Kihyun, by the way,” the waiter introduces himself as he works, surprising Changkyun. “I’ve noticed you’ve become a bit of a regular, so I figured I’d introduce myself.”

“I’m Changkyun,” Changkyun says shyly, giving a slight bow of his head. The sudden sheepishness makes Kihyun inwardly giggle, thinking it incredibly cute. Kihyun waits for the receipt to print out, and, without thinking, writes his phone number down on Changkyun’s copy.

“If you ever want to see me outside of this place, without the apron, give me a call,” he tells him. Changkyun begins to blush, his eyes widening in surprise at his straightforwardness. Kihyun can only manage to shoot him a quick wink, his insides curling in on themselves in embarrassment.

“Okay,” Changkyun murmurs after a long silence, “I’ll do that.” He then flashes a small smile to Kihyun, causing him to laugh relievedly that he didn’t just insult the young man somehow.

Kihyun watches as the brunette turns and leaves the café, excited at having for once taken Hoseok’s advice. Maybe later on Kihyun would make some ramyeon for dinner in thanks.