angel

“no he’s visiting. he comes along when we hang out.”

choso’s mood changes.

“satoru is so cool tho so i don’t mind that he’s hanging out with us. he bought me a new board for surfing. he said it was a gift!”

“yuji don’t take things from strangers.” choso mumbles under his breath.

“he’s not a stranger. he’s a friend.”

“you barely know him. don’t call him a friend.”

“he’s my third best friend.”

“i thought i was your third best friend.”

“you’re my brother. it’s different.”

yuji would always talk about his top three list of friends. before the island. he had two first best friends. megumi and nobara were his best friends and they were tied for first place. when they got to the island, choso was bumped from second place to third after yuji met you. he didn’t mind. but now yuji didn’t consider him a best friend. choso wasn’t sure how to feel. sukuna sensed the tension in the air.

“uncle kuna, can i go to see them after dinner?”

“it’s late yuji. i’m sure you and choso can find something to do.”

yuji sighed and that little act broke his heart.

“it’s fine, sukuna-”

“uncle sukuna.” choso never understood why sukuna was so strict with being called his uncle.

“uncle sukuna..” he corrects himself. “if yuji wants to go. i don’t mind. i think i’m just gonna go to bed or something. no point in keeping him in here if he doesn’t want to be here.”

choso finished eating before getting up and washing off his plate. he headed to his room with his head low. he heard the front door open and close which let him know yuji had left.

after about an hour to his thoughts, sukuna knocked on the door. sukuna waited for a response before he opened the door.

“my nephew’s a punk.”

“…what..?”

“listen. i’m not jin. i’m not my brother. if you were my son, you wouldn’t act like this. you’re a grown man. how old are you again? 19? 20?”

“20.”

“when i was your age, if i wanted something i took it. even now! if i want something, i take it. i don’t sulk in my room like a punk.”

“sukuna-”

“i am your uncle. and i’m getting real tired of you not referring to me as such.”

choso didn’t mean to get loud but he did.

“you’re not my uncle! jin isn’t my father. yuji is barely my brother. i’m here for the summer because i have to be!”

“you don’t have to do shit. you’re a grown ass man. you’re emotional. i don’t care about any of that shit. you’re not gonna get loud with me in my house and you’re not going to disrespect my brother. the man that raised you! you’re upset because you think yuji is replacing you or whatever your problem is. man up.”

“you don’t know shit about me.”

“who’s fault is that? you don’t tell anyone shit and then wanna hide away in this room.”

choso stayed quiet. he wasn’t really sure what to say. he didn’t plan on telling sukuna anything tho.

“when you man the fuck up and decide to tell anyone anything you’ll finally understand what the fuck family is for. you weren’t given a real family at first but you have one now. appreciate it.”

and with that sukuna left. choso wasn’t sure where he went but the house was quiet.

choso missed his brothers. all of them.

yuji was oblivious to what was happening in the house. he was on a late night swim with you and satoru.

it was a calm night (for everyone except choso at least) and you loved night swims.

satoru was a interesting guy. he was on vacation and decided to visit the island. he came from wealth and had wealth. he wasn’t afraid to flash it either. but there was something about him that didn’t get you going.

“you enjoy it here?” you ask everyone that question.

“you make it enjoyable.”

“that’s the only reason you like it here?”

“nah. i like the beaches. it’s gorgeous here. especially the women.”

“you’re a flirt.”

you and satoru were sitting by shore while yuji swam every so often. after a while yuji came to sit with the two of you.

“yuji… how’s your brother been?” you ask.

“brother…?” gojo questions.

“yeah i have my big brother choso. he’s usually inside tho.”

“yuji and his cool older brother.” you joke (not really a joke) but satoru didn’t really find it funny.

“yuji it’s getting late. shouldn’t you be in bed?” satoru was trying to find an excuse to get you alone.

“i’ll probably end up just walking yuji home. i haven’t seen choso of sukuna in a while. it’ll be nice to say hi.” you respond.

“right…”

after a while you and yuji started packing up. satoru helped of course and even offered to walk yuji home with you. yuji was happy about it so the three of you walked to sukuna’s house.

yuji opened the door to choso not too far away.

“hi choso! it’s been a while!” you beamed.

“hey. yeah sorry about that. not much has really gon on i’ve been in here mostly.” before choso could continue, he noticed the unfamiliar blond.

“gojo.” satoru said when he noticed choso staring.

awkward…

“we wanted to make sure yuji got back safe. not like the island isn’t safe it’s just that… you know…” you tried to find the right words but everything felt stuck.

“mhm.” choso said simply. why is he so nonchalant? you hated it.

“goodnight choso! bye yuji!” yuji gave you a hug before walking off. choso said faint goodbyes before he closed the door.

you have lived on this island all your life. you were raised with animals in your ocean and fresh fruit from your garden. yes there were downsides to being on this island but in your heart you were forever an island girl.

we can talk about the hardships in school or the natural disasters that scared you when you were young but yuji didn’t need to know any of this.

you told yuji about the beauty. about traditions and about how the summer is important to you.

“i’m not in school anymore but when i was around your age, id come home from classes and do my homework. id work fast just so i could come out here and play in the sea.”

“how come you wanna leave for college?”

yuji was right. you did want to leave even though your love will always be this island.

“i love the water. i love the ocean. but i’ve been here all my life. i want to travel. see the world. i can see the ocean in other places.”

your heart and soul lives in the ocean. when your parents were fighting, you had the sea.

you and yuji were in the middle of the sea with him placed carefully on a surf board. yuji made sure to buy a pair of matching swim trunks so he could ‘match his favorite surfer’.

“do you like it here, yuji?”

“i love it here. i wish choso could also have fun here.”

“he’ll warm up.”

you weren’t sure if you believed that. you interacted with choso once in the past and it wasn’t pleasant.

you end up being yuji back to shore before sitting on the blanket he had set out for the both you.

as you and yuji talk you look back and see an awkward choso standing far by the road.

you watch the boy as he walks closer to you two. when he finally reaches the blanket… he just stands there. you take note of his belly piercing.

“hi cho!” yuji breaks the silence. “she’s been teaching me how to surf.”

“he’s a natural.” you add on.

choso stood there, trying to find the best words.

“sukuna says i should be out more so here i am.” he sounds miserable.

he sits on the blanket in a way that causes you to have to sit up. god… he wished you didn’t do that.

choso has obviously been around women. his dad kenjaku would bring home women all the time. you were a different kind of beauty and you hated him.

hate is a strong word but that’s the only energy choso felt coming from you.

the air around choso is deafening. silence filled with soft conversations between you and yuji.

after a while yuji got up and started heading to the water. leaving choso and you behind.

choso was the first to speak his way found the nape of his neck and he felt as if a boulder was on his chest.

“uh… i’m really sorry about the other day. i didn’t mean to be rude it’s just-”

“you’re good. don’t worry.”

your voice was like honey. you had a slight accent influenced by the language surrounding you. how could someone seem so carefree?

“are you enjoying yourself?”

“…what..?”

“on the island? do you like it here? yuji does.”

“um… not really..”

“honest. i was telling your brother that you’d warm up. can you swim? we know yuji can.”

oh you’re trynna be funny.

choso isn’t too sure how to respond.

he can feel you staring at him waiting for a response but you take his silence as a no. you stand up, dusting sand of yourself as you head to the water.

he’s hesitant to follow but does cautiously. yuji was still near the shore but you walk by in settling further into the water.

the water was freezing. sand was everywhere. choso hated every second of it.

“cold.?” your voice made choso jump. “it’ll warm up when you’re in for long enough.”

“i’m not really a beach guy…”

“what kind of guy are you? you can’t swim, can’t you? when you’re a baby here, you get thrown into the water and they see how long you can fend for yourself.”

“sounds dystopian.”

“no it’s how you learn. swimming is a natural instinct. you swim in the womb. you swim in the sea.”

“i’m not a mermaid.”

“dude. i’m trying to be nice to you.” you laugh awkwardly.

choso panics but before he can say anything you’re under the water.

next he looked, you and yuji were further into the water.

to his own surprise, he slowly went deeper into the water.

“see i told you he’d warm up.” he hears you say to yuji.

“i’m gonna be honest. i don’t know how to swim.”

“i know. i figured. you can stay by the board.”

…

choso won’t admit it but he had fun.

yuji was laid napping on the blanket while you and choso sat around him.

“how come yuji can swim and you can’t?” it was a personal question. far more comfortable than choso liked.

“he took classes. i didn’t.”

you hummed.

“i promise you i’m not as mean as i may seem.” choso added.

you don’t respond.

“i should get yuji back to sukuna’s.”

“choso, if you want to meet more people here… you have to try. i think everyone here is friendly. maybe i’m biased but i think if you give this island a chance you’ll enjoy it.”

before choso can respond you’re already up packing your things.

“goodnight, choso.”

“yuji has made friends with, by far, the prettiest girl i’ve ever seen.”

“normal. yuji’s a magnet.”

“that’s not the bad part. i yelled at her.”

kento goes silent and for a second choso thinks his phone cut off.

“hello..?”

“you… yelled at her?” kento’s voice dragged a bit.

“it’s a long story. i thought she was making fun of me.” choso tried to explain himself but he’ll never forget the look kento gave him.

“maybe she’s not actually that pretty and you’re imagining it because you’re away from home. you’re stressing for nothing. after the summer you won’t see her again.”

“ken you don’t know what you’re talking about. you haven’t even seen her.”

“what she look like?” by now kento had made his way to his kitchen and started snacking on a pastry.

“wait i think yuji might follow her.”

“why does yuji have instagram?”

choso didn’t even answer the question because he wasn’t sure what the answer was.

“okay i sent it.”

kento sighs.

“what’s the island called again? i’m pulling up.”

“dude what do i do? i genuinely think she hates me!”

“the ball is not in your court. pass it to me. genuinely what island are you on? is that yuji in her latest post?”

“you’re not helping! like actually you’re not helping.”

“you yelled at her. i’d hate you too.” kento continued snacking before pushing up his glasses.

choso was so close to hanging up. all he could do was sigh.

“talk to her. make things less awkward. she spends everyday with yuji. find a way to join. she doesn’t hate you she doesn’t know you.

“he’s not mean! he didn’t mean to yell last time. he was being protective!”

you and yuji were by the water. something that became a daily activity for the two of you. yuji always tried to make it cute. he’d set out his blanket and his books and would even bring his favorite snacks. you always made sure to bring local fruits for him.

“look yuji… i’m a lady. and there’s ways you speak to ladies. that’s not a way you speak to ladies.”

“he’s not used to speaking to ladies!”

yuji was a character…

“he’s awkward. he’s not mean! dad says he’s just anti social. he needs time.” yuji thinks he’s saying something smart but it’s just what he heard jin say.

choso was awkward but he didn’t mean to be. when choso was young, his ‘biological’ father wasn’t the nicest. he hated that word. no matter what anybody said jin was his father. but before jin, yuji, and choso… there was kenjaku, eso, kechizu, and choso.

kaori and kenjaku met through a dating app and as one thing lead to another, choso was born. at first kaori and kenjaku lived peacefully with baby choso but one morning kaori woke up and her baby was gone.

yuji didn’t know this but before choso was an older brother to yuji, he was an older brother to eso and kechizu.

when choso was 4, eso and kechizu came into his life. he wouldn’t admit it but he wasn’t happy at first. kenjaku would leave for days so choso had to man up and deal with the two younger boys.

when choso was 5, kenjaku said in passing. “you have a few other brothers out there too. noranso, sho-oso, tanso, sanso, kotsuso and shoso. their mothers are smarter than yours tho. they took them.” those words rang in his head violently. a rage filled his heart, one he was too young to understand. that’s when choso decided to stop talking.

when choso was 6, he did what he had to do. he fed his brothers. he educated them. his brothers, both 2 at the time, were too young to appreciate him. but he did everything. he loved them more than anything. he did all he could to protect his younger brothers. until one morning, choso woke up and eso and kechizu were gone.

he waited three weeks alone before kenjaku came home.

“where’s eso and kechizu?” he asked. he had never felt such fear.

“gone.” kenjaku said, not a hint of emotion in his voice.

“will they be back?”

“nope.”

choso never saw his two brothers again.

when choso was 7, he saw his mom again. kenjaku and choso had moved in with kaori after some conversation. he barely knew the woman but being around her was everything to him.

she was kind. the kind of woman who’s make him soup when he was sick or feed him when he was hungry or stay by his side when it thundered. she gave him a kindness he had never felt.

one night choso was woken up by a bang. loud noises became louder and kaori rushed into his room. kenjaku wanted to leave in the middle of the night again with choso but kaori wouldn’t let him. that night is repressed somewhere in choso’s mind.

in a single night, choso’s entire world flipped.

when choso was 8, he met jin. jin was so different from kenjaku. if jin said he’d come to choso’s recital, jin was there. if choso wanted ice cream, jin was there. if choso wanted to show off his favorite band tee, jin was there with a camera in hand.

when choso was 10, yuji was born. choso didn’t think he deserved yuji. he messed up so badly with eso and kechizu. why should he be given another chance with yuji? he was scared. nobody around him even knew who eso and kechizu were but choso thought about them often. he wonders if they were dead and if it’s all his fault. he couldn’t protect them.

when choso was 13, he technically became an orphan. well for a few weeks after his mom died, that’s what he’d call himself. an orphan.

“i’m a mentally delayed orphan. nanami, there’s no help for me. maybe my dad knocked me upside my head too much.”

“you’re not mentally delayed or an orphan. that man wasn’t your dad. jin is! the man who’s raised you for the past 5 years of your life!” nanami argued but he knew he’d never truly understand what choso went through.

“jin isn’t my dad. not by blood, not on paper. my mom is dead and my dad might as well be. the court says they’re gonna try to figure it out soon.”

“dude don’t say that. you know jin, your dad, is going to do something! your birthday is tomorrow and things will be figured out by your dad.”

and nanami was right.

jin woke him up with a cake and a birthday surprise.

“choso. will you be my son? legally. i know things are rough but you have been my son since the day i met you and-”

choso was sobbing. his words jumbled as he spoke. he was gasping for air and jin pulled him in.

why would such a great man want a son like him?

choso cried for days. he didn’t go to school. he stayed by his dad’s side.

choso’s life was different. choso’s life was better but some scars stay forever.

…

now choso was 20 and stuck on an island. his younger brother having fun on the beach while he stayed in.

one night sukuna his uncle sat next to him.

“so kid… what’s your deal?”

“my deal..?”

“yeah. you stay in here sulking. you’re not ugly if that’s what you’re worried about. go out there and have fun or something. you can’t stay in here all pent up. that’s no way for a man to live. when i was your age i already had my first baby mama.”

what is this dude talking about?

“sukuna…”

“i’m your uncle. call me as such.”

“uncle sukuna… i have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“you’re not ugly. but you are pale. you have to go outside and tan and you’ll get some play. these island girls like their men tanned. it’s what they’re used to. you gotta have confidence and suave just like your uncle. i never had problems with the ladies. only female officers but that’s because they’re confused. they don’t know if they should work or give into their womanly instincts.”

again what is this dude talking about?

the conversation ended with sukuna forcing the boy outside.

he made his way to beach where he saw you and yuji by the sea. you two looked deep in conversation. yuji was holding a fruit almost the size of him while you laid on your stomach talking.

he hung out with kento nanami for the last time for the summer. kento was his only friend or at least that’s how choso viewed it. they met in middle school and nanami hasn’t left his side since.

he was more than upset by the arrangement. him and nanami were sitting in the skate park as he raved on about the unfortunate events.

“my dad rarely even mentions his brother. all i know is he has a criminal background and had to flee to some island.”

“don’t be so down about it. who knows who you’ll find on that island?” kento and choso were like yin and yang.

choso turned 18 and went a little wild with the piercings. he had four ear piercings on each side including his helix. he had his eyebrow pierced, a gauged septum, and a snake bite piercings one on each side of his lower lip.

kento had one piercing. a lope he had gotten when choso was too scared to do it by himself.

choso didn’t wanna go home. going home meant packing for his inevitable trip to the island. he hated the heat. he hated the beach and the sand.

reluctantly, choso walked back home with nanami by his side. the two hugged before choso finally unlocked the door. he walked in cautiously before an energetic yuji came running.

“cho! i’m all packed up! we’re gonna be on the beach with the sand! you have to help me collect seashells!” at least one of them was excited.

the house was almost empty. yuji’s room fully packed up and jin’s room still neat except for the empty closet. choso’s room still needed to be packed up. he starts slowly with summer clothes he hated wearing.

after choso finished packing he sat on his bed stuck in thought. he heard a light knocking on his door before his dad came in.

“you’re growing up. i know it’s hard but this opportunity isn’t just good for me. its good for all three of us.”

choso sighed. he really didn’t want to go.

“yuji and i can stay here. i know how to handle him.”

“it’s not just about handling him, choso. you’re young. he shouldn’t be your priority. i promise you you’ll have more fun than you think. you know i met your mom on a trip?”

jin sat by choso giving the boy both space and comfort.

“you were still young. younger than yuji even. i was in the city for work and i saw her. you look so much like her.”

choso hated when he said that. who else was he supposed to look like?

“she gave me the two most important things in my entire life. you and yuji. you’re going to have fun i promise you that.” choso embraced his father for a hug. no matter how old choso was, he’d always be jin’s little boy.

the ride to the airport was quiet besides yuji’s constant comments. choso was stuck in thought. occasionally he’d text nanami telling him how upset he was but nanami would tell him everything would be okay which gave choso the smallest relief.

the plane ride was also quiet, little yuji falling asleep with his headphones on.

“you’ll have more fun than you think.” those words echoed in choso’s mind. he hoped his dad was right.

…

meeting sukuna was nerve wracking. he was taller than jin and more muscular. maybe from his time in prison.

he was a stoic man who greeted the two boys with a simple grunt. “you’re skinny, kid. does that man not feed you?” sukuna asked. choso wasn’t sure how to answer.

the layout of the house was nice. it gave the two young boys separate rooms. the home was bigger than choso expected. he also didn’t expect sukuna to put him to work. the garden needed tending to. yuji was “too small” (sukuna’s words) to handle any work so it was all on choso. he hated every second.

before he knew it yuji was off to the near beach.

“i’m going to step out for a second. you’re a man you can take care of yourself.” choso wished his father thought that way too.

finished up the work around the house was simple but tedious. after hours, choso was done and yuji was still gone.

choso had alone time to finally do something he’d enjoy. he called kento.

“dude i hate it here. i’m stuck doing shit as if i’m some kind of laborer while yuji’s at the beach.”

“you don’t even like the beach.”

“but still! i’ve been doing housework as if i’m cinderella. this is supposed to be the ‘summer of my dreams’ but there’s nothing to do here!”

“go outside man! you’re bitching over being on an island while i’m stuck in summer courses! i’d kill to be far away right now!”

kento was sadly right. choso needed to do something with his time here. after a while the two hung up as choso spend his time on the games he had brought from home.

all was fine until yuji came home holding hands with an unfamiliar face.

when choso was younger, kaori (him and yujis mother) was with choso’s biological father. choso had other brothers from his dad but when his dad left, kaori refused to let him take choso.

he misses his other brothers sometimes but he’d never tell yuji or jin that. when choso was eight, kaori met jin and two years later yuji was born. choso loved yuji more than anything. a little brother just for him.

when kaori passed, choso was scared. why would jin continue to take care of a child that wasn’t his? but jin never treated him differently. he never made him feel bad for his dad running out or his mom dying and leaving him with an awkward teenager he didn’t need. when choso was 14 and jin officially adopted him, he cried of joy for days. when choso was 16 and his mental health and anxiety got bad, jin stayed by his side for days telling him how important he was.

anyone who knew jin knew he had two sons, his oldest choso and his youngest yuji. choso was more than happy about that.

when jin told choso they’d be staying with sukuna he was surprised. jin didn’t speak much of sukuna but choso was willing to give it a try. he regretted it bad.

choso finally got a break from housework as sukuna wasn’t home and yuji was by the water. he finally was able to hook his game up to the tv that sukuna put in the room he was staying in.

he was playing for a while before he heard the door upon followed by yuji’s loud voice.

“and my dad is off on a business trip so we’re here. i like the water it’s so fun.”

choso was a bit scared.

“yuji who are you talking to?” he yelled out.

when yuji didn’t answer he got even more scared and jumped out of bed. he didn’t expect to make eye contact with the prettiest girl he’s ever seen. he can’t move. he can’t speak. he’s in his pajamas at 3 in the afternoon while you’re in a floral bathing suit. he’s embarrassed.

you start speaking “i’m so sorry. i was by the water and…” why are you apologizing? his mind raced and he could barely hear what you’re saying.

he feels you look him up and down and can feel like disgust coming from your tone. you can barely even look at him. his anxiety was worse than it had been in ages.

you turn to yuji, “i don’t live too far but be careful by the sea. i’d rather you find me to take you out than to have you in the water by yourself!”

…

are you judging him?

“what’s that supposed to mean?” choso finally find his voice. he’s not a bad brother why are you making it seem like such.

“he was literally drowning when i first saw him.” she’s so rude. choso knows that can’t be true. he remembers being forced to go to every swim lesson for this boy.

“you’re lying. yuji knows how to swim.” why would yuji pretend to not know how to swim?

“well it didn’t seem like it when i saw him.” how could someone be so rude? choso knows his little brother. choso knows yuji can swim. if it were a different story with bowling or something bizarre, choso wouldn’t doubt the girl. but yuji knows how to swim.

before he could say anything else you were saying bye to yuji and were out the door.

pretty girls are mean.

yuji dramatically sighs. “bro! you fumbled. i do all this hard work for you and you scare her off!”

what..?

“bro what are you talking about. you don’t even know her. the first thing i tell you is not talking to strangers and you bring one to sukuna’s house! how is he gonna react when he finds out you had a random person here !? you know how to swim. why are you acting clueless?” his voice raised before he could even process how loud he was being.

“she’s not random! she’s local! she knows all about the island and she lives down the street. i tried to gas you up and make you seem cool and you scared her! the pool and the beach are different kinds of water! the wave got me!”

before choso could react, yuji ran into his room.

it was gonna be a long summer.

///// a.n. it’s so crazy how differently the two see this event.

“he’s a bit awkward but that’s just how he is. he’s a really good brother. he always lets me play video games with him and when he’s watching a scary movie he doesn’t make me leave the room.”

now you knew a bit about sukuna. the man was in his 40s and would occasionally speak to your guardian. sometimes you’d even help him around his garden. or you’d go on grocery runs for him when your parent made you. he never mentioned any siblings.

you never even fully knew why sukuna moved to your island. your small island where everyone knew everyone and families went back generations. it was surprising to get someone who wasn’t local moving in. but sukuna was a nice man. he didn’t speak much to anyone and mainly stayed to himself but you can assume he’s a nice man.

“choso finished high school last year and is doing college schooling but at home because our dad says i’m a lot. are you in school?”

the question caught you off guard. yuji had just been spewing out words, you never expected a question for you.

“umm… i was in school. i graduated a bit ago. now i’m saving up to go to a college that’s not on the island. i want to travel and go somewhere new.”

“i’m from japan. you should go to japan it’s really nice and…” he kept going. you weren’t sure how a boy could have so much to say.

before you knew it you were standing in front of sukuna’s home, one that’s not unfamiliar to you. yuji swung open the door but kept talking about whatever topic an 11 year old boy would find interesting.

“yuji who are you talking to?” a confused voice comes from another room down the hall. it wasn’t sukuna’s you know that for sure.

yuji doesn’t let go of your hand as he drags you down the hallway. you’re nervous. yeah you’ve met their uncle but these are two strange boys you’ve never met. you’ve known yuji for less than an hour.

your eyes widen as you make eye contact with the boy you assume is yuji’s older brother. he’s taller than expected and doesn’t look much like yuji.

he’s starting at you. unmoving. you’re scared.

“i’m so sorry. i was by the water and he started drowning. i didn’t want him to be all by himself on his way back here…”

…

…

silence

…

what did get yourself into? what do you even say? do you leave?

you turn to yuji. “umm… i don’t live too far but be careful by the sea. i’d rather you find me to take you out then to have you in the water by yourself.”

“what’s that supposed to mean?” choso chimes in.

what..?

“he was literally drowning when i first saw him.”

“you’re lying. yuji knows how to swim.” he’s so rude.

“well it didn’t seem like it when i saw him.”

for a young boy with so much to say yuji was rather quiet right now.

choso stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. you couldn’t believe the attitude of this boy.

you said your goodbyes to yuji before leaving.