Kihyun exhales slowly into the pocket of bubblegum he’s pushed out with his tongue, creating an ideally round pink bubble, the color matching his hair perfectly. As it pops, he can’t help but smirk. He notes the way Hoseok’s shoulders jolt at the sound, filing it away for future reference.

“Hyung~” Kihyun calls sweetly, doing his best to bite back his own chuckle at how tense Hoseok is. The older hums, though doesn’t look away from the drink he’s making. “I was wondering… did you want to go out tonight? After work?”

“Um…” Hoseok mumbles, shifting on his feet in uncertainty.

It’s been a month since Kihyun had begun working at the café, and it’s been absolute hell for Hoseok. Kihyun’s flirting has been getting more and more blatant as time has gone on, escalating from simple winks every now and then to an occasional touch to full-on back-hugs and handholding. Hoseok hadn’t meant to let it go this far, but he just couldn’t help it.

No matter how much he’s wanted to spur such advances away, he’s never been able to actually do it. Every day he’d come to work, he’s done so with the intent to tell Kihyun that they shouldn’t take this any further. But, he never can bring himself to when the time came.

Kihyun’s simplest glances, briefest of touches, are enough to set Hoseok’s blood boiling in the best of ways. His presence is almost intoxicating, and any resolve Hoseok had built up the night before to keep away from the younger is always broken down immediately.

Though, Hoseok never minds it.

“Hyung?” Kihyun asks, setting a hand on Hoseok’s bicep. The older jumps away, clearly having been deep in thought. The younger does his best not to coo at the panicked light flickering within his eyes, finding it oddly adorable. It reminds him of a scared little bunny, almost.

Hoseok glances over to say no, that it’d be a bad idea, to end this once and for all. But, then he sees Kihyun’s coy smile, his perfectly-tousled hair… the unreadable light sparkling in his eyes.

The rejection sticks in his throat, and his fingers practically twitch with the need to wipe away the speck of flour that had gotten onto the younger when he was working in the back earlier. A thought comes to Hoseok that maybe, if he just got it out of his system this once, then it’d be enough. If he could just be with Kihyun one time, he could be done with it forever.

“Okay,” he answers at long last, hoping against the odds that this would work. Kihyun’s small grin grows to overtake his entire face, exposing the dimples that Hoseok has just been wanting to pinch at for weeks now. Kihyun nods, as if that settles everything, and parts his glossy pink lips to say something, but is interrupted by a customer. He gives Hoseok a tired look, as if to say their work is never done, and goes to take the teenager’s order.

Hoseok returns his attention to the task at hand, releasing a shaky breath as he tries to regain control of his heartbeat.

God, Kihyun is going to be the death of him…

Once their shifts are over, Hoseok and Kihyun leave the café behind as they trek down the sidewalk. Kihyun walks closely to the older, almost as if to tempt him to take his hand. Hoseok’s mouth goes dry as he realizes just what he’s gotten himself into, and how Minhyuk will react when he finds out.

“You like ramyeon, right?” Kihyun prompts, earning a hum of confirmation from the older. He smiles almost proudly, and presses himself closer to slip an arm into the crook of Hoseok’s elbow. “Great! I know this new place I know you’re going to love, then.” Hoseok nods, but doesn’t say anything. He can almost hear Kihyun’s pout at his continued silence. “What’s wrong?” the younger asks. Hoseok pulls his bottom lip in between his teeth, unsure of how he should answer this.

“I don’t know how to say this,” he begins anxiously, “but I sort of made this promise to Minhyukkie … about you. I promised to not get involved with you because of your reputation…” He hopes it doesn’t come out as rude or harsh as it sounds, as that isn’t his intention at all, but the sharp inhale of breath from the younger says otherwise.

“Minhyuk-ah asked me to promise the same thing,” Kihyun sighs out, though he doesn’t pull away. “I didn’t agree, though, because I knew that I wanted to spend more time with you and get to know you better.”

“Why?” Hoseok can’t help but ask, surprised by the younger’s words. Kihyun chuckles at this, as if his answer should be obvious.

“You’re funny, smart, and absolutely gorgeous,” Kihyun states plainly, as if his words aren’t bringing such a deep blush to Hoseok’s cheeks like they are. “You’re a genuinely decent human being, so why wouldn’t I want to get to know you more?”

“I d-d-don’t know…” Hoseok mumbles bashfully, earning a slight coo from the pink-haired man.

“Look, Hoseok,” Kihyun sighs, pulling them both over to the side of the cement to keep out of other people’s ways. He reaches up to tilt Hoseok’s chin down, forcing him to look him right in the eyes. “You mentioned my reputation, and I’m not surprised you know it. I like going out with people, I like having fun. I won’t deny it. I’m not looking for anything serious, never have been, but sometimes people get too attached. When that happens, I think it’s better to just cut them loose as soon as possible before they get in any deeper… Does that make sense?”

Hoseok finds himself nodding before he can even really think about it, the earnest light in Kihyun’s eyes driving him to agree to literally anything the younger says. This is the most serious he’d ever seen the man, as Kihyun had always had this sort of fun, flirty, somewhat snarky vibe coming off him whenever he and Hoseok interacted. But, now, there’s nothing but straightforward honesty in his voice, and it’s honestly more intoxicating than any flirtatious gesture Kihyun’s ever made at him.

Kihyun releases a single breath, nodding to himself as if that resolves the issue.

“Good,” he says, smiling a little. “Now, I know Minhyuk-ah won’t be happy about us going out, but just let me handle him, okay? If there’s anything I’m good at, it’s handling that obnoxious stick of a man.”

Hoseok lets loose a relieved chuckle at this, the pure sound causing Kihyun’s smile to grow. It always seems to have that effect on him, funny enough. The older nods, and Kihyun hums in satisfaction as he turns them both back towards their destination. He then begins to chat about nothing in particular. Classes, tv dramas, and hobbies are all subjects that slip passed his pink lips, but Hoseok doesn’t really pay much attention.

He’s just content to listen to the sound of the younger’s voice for however long this may last.