Chapter Text
The café was nearly full when Kohaku secured a spot by the window.
The afternoon sun was dimmed by a veil of rain clouds, but inside it was warm and cozy.
Despite the crowd, the atmosphere was surprisingly calm — not the kind of place he’d usually pick for meeting his best friend, Aira Shiratori.
“Kohakucchi!!!”
The voice called out just seconds after Kohaku had thought of him.
He flinched slightly before throwing a smile in Aira’s direction, watching him head off to get a coffee.
For a moment, Kohaku’s eyes wandered to the café owner, who was currently serving the blond.
He really was lucky to have found this place right after starting university.
He quickly looked away as the man behind the counter sent him a wink.
The faint blush on his cheeks clearly wasn’t from that — obviously just from the warmth in the café.
He managed to calm the color in his face just in time for Aira to join him, plopping down in the seat across from him — balancing a slice of cake and a coffee cup, or more likely something sweet enough to qualify as dessert, knowing his best friend.
“This café is sooo cute! And the owner seems super popular.”
Kohaku took a sip from his coffee.
The cup was still pleasantly warm in his hands. His fingers idly traced the writing on it.
He hadn’t looked when Madara handed it to him — he never did.
It had become a kind of game between them.
But now, his eyes settled on the words:
'If you were coffee, you'd be a triple shot of espresso because you're strong, bold, and make my heart race.'
He rolled his eyes slightly, took another sip, and said nothing.
The blush on his cheeks spoke volumes.
Aira had followed his gaze and leaned in.
“Heee~ what’s that say? Lemme see, Kohakucchi!”
Kohaku was just about to protest when Aira snatched the cup from his hands.
He read the message with a wide grin — which quickly turned into a blush of his own.
Kohaku looked away, flustered.
“Whoa! Is that some kind of special promo thing?”
Aira glanced around, excited like a kid.
“I didn’t see anything like that on my cup — wait…”
He reached for his own drink, which had been sitting forgotten on the table.
Kohaku’s eyes followed curiously as he watched his friend turn the cup in his hands.
Once. Then again.
Blank.
No hearts. No message.
Silence.
Kohaku’s heart beat faster.
A strange mix of relief and something else stirred in his chest.
He looked back down at his own cup. At the ink.
At the handwriting he was starting to recognize all too well.
“Maybe… he just does it sometimes,” he mumbled — mostly to himself, ignoring the fact that every one of his cups had something written on it.
Aira gave him a look, brows furrowing slightly.
Then he grinned.
His gaze shifted briefly to the café owner, who was glancing over at them more than once.
“Oho~ I think someone’s getting way more attention from the barista than the rest of us~”
Kohaku snorted.
“Ridiculous.”
“Really?”
Aira leaned back, sipping from his dessert-in-a-cup.
“That doesn’t seem like coincidence.
And honestly… it’s kinda cute.
Is this the first time you’ve gotten something like that on your cup?”
Kohaku didn’t answer.
He looked back down at the writing, lifted the cup again, and took a sip.
A faint smile curled at his lips, and from the corner of his eye, he glanced at the brown-haired man behind the counter