#choso fluff

according to your roommate, who to this day you still don't know how she found this out, this new record store specialized in rarer, more "unconventional" releases, after the owner went through a similarly grating journey to find good music around his hometown. the moment you heard this, your ears perked up, and you started to count down the days until its grand opening.

naturally, on the day of, you sprinted down to the bus stop and planted yourself firmly in front of the sticker-covered glass doors, arriving two hours early. sadly, after the hour-and-a-half mark, there was still no line. maybe you were a bit overzealous. despite the slight embarrassment washing over you, you didn't move.

after another thirty minutes of waiting, a tall man walked up to the building. he smelt faintly of cigarette smoke and roses, and you could hear the buckles of his shoes clanking together under his dark denim jeans from a mile away. the moment you looked up at his face, you felt your feet wobble. to be frank, he might have been the most beautiful man you had ever seen in your life. his face looked like it had been carved with marble, and his gorgeous features were highlighted by multiple facial piercings and a tattoo across his high nose bridge. his eyes, a deep brown shade, were complimented by the dark circles under them. paired with his pale skin, he looked almost undead, but in a weird, sexy way that made you produce way more spit than a normal person should in an entire week.

unaware of how long you'd been staring at this mysterious man, the halt of his hand on the door handle and the tilt of his head made you jolt in place. his eyebrows furrowed in pure confusion, and you quickly turned away from his gaze and gulped, trying to find a way out of this situation that didn't include you running straight into oncoming traffic. your eyes quickly found their way to the t-shirt covering the man's broad chest. you had to physically shake out the thought of him shirtless from your mind. it was a rites of spring shirt, a band you thankfully knew a good deal about and happened to like yourself.

"i...uh, like your shirt. rites of spring is great," you mumbled out, still trying to avoid as much eye contact as possible.

the man sighed in relief. "oh, thank god! i thought you were staring because of how i look or something," he let out an airy chuckle, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck while the other pushed the door to the record store open, holding it open for you to walk inside.

you laughed awkwardly. "what? you look good! i mean, you…" your words trailed off as the man turned on the lights. your eyes immediately lit up as you practically sprinted across the small store towards a display of albums you swore were impossible to find. "holy shit, your selection is amazing! how did you find this?" you asked while picking up a cd, "i swear this was a limited, one-time release!"

the man, both startled and somewhat amused, looked at your wide and bright eyes and chuckled to himself before mindlessly fidgeting with one of the rings on his long fingers. "it took a long time to find that one…i, uh, spend a lot of time scouring the internet i guess…" as you start wandering the store, the man stays a few steps behind you.

picking up another cd from across the store, you gasp loud enough to make the man's head immediately jolt towards your direction. "oh my god. i can't believe you have this! i've been looking for this for years! you're actually my savior," you ramble out, earning a small blush from the man as he stared down at the floor, trying to avoid both your stare and praise.

"…i-it's nothing, really…i'm just passionate about music, y'know," he whispers to himself with a newfound shyness, still keeping his eyes glued to the ground, making you smirk.

with the sound of your chuckle, he looks back towards you meekly. "aw, don't get shy on me now! being this passionate is something to be admired, you know," you state, grin cemented firmly on your face as you tilt your head to look at the hunched over man, now reminding you of a pitiful puppy.

for a while, the man stays quiet, following you around as you gawk at his collection of records, cds, and tapes, while also using him as your own personal shopping basket. he didn't have the heart to tell you that there were baskets outside next to the door.

growing a little uncomfortable with the man's silence, you decide to break the ice. "so, what made you want to open up a store all the way out here? i mean, i'm obviously not complaining, but wouldn't you get better business if you, i don't know, were located in a bigger city?" you ask as you climb a small stool to reach a top shelf, turning your head to watch him as he answers

"you know, you're actually not the first person to ask me that," he chuckles, looking up at you. "my younger brother goes to school not that far from here. i wanted to move closer to him just because i like being around him, so after seeing a listing for an apartment over here as well as an open storefront, i thought i would just kill two birds with one stone," every word from the man was deeply earnest, drawing you more and more into his explaination.

"i know that, to some people, it may be a little weird to want to spend most of your time with your siblings, but i guess it was just how i was raised. i care for all of my brothers a lot, so it just seemed natural to move closer to my youngest, i guess," the man's face suddenly turned red, diverting his gaze back to the floor once again.

"s-sorry for, uhm, rambling. i got carried away," he let out an embarrassed breath, that of which you guess was supposed to come off as a laugh. you begin frown as you stare at the man who seemed to be attempting to crawl into his own skin to escape this interaction. you reach out to place a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up from where he was staring at on his boots.

"i think that's really sweet, you shouldn't be embarrassed about it. it's always nice to hear about close families. i'm sure that—" your words of reassurance are quickly cut off by you stumbling off of the stepping stool and right into the man, sending you both down to ground as you yelped and he squeaked.

"holy shit, i'm so sorry! i'm such a klutz," you apologize profusely to the man caged in under you.

"i-it's okay, it's not your…gulp…f-fault," the man stutters out, seemingly turning even more red, attempting to cover his crimson cheeks with now-loose brown strands that fell from his space buns. you look at him with a puzzled look for a second, before your eyes widen and you quickly move off of him.

"sorry, for that…i, uh…" you chuckle softly, looking away from the man still lying on the ground, fidgeting with the hem of your shirt. after what feels like an eternity of awkward silence, you turn back towards him, starting to pick up your large stack of albums that now lay scattered across the floor. as you turn fully back, however, you slam your head into his, making you stumble back down to the ground with a wince. the man quickly reaches out for your hand to pull you back into a sitting position, faces only inches away from each other.

you both share a long glance, flickering between each other's lips and eyes, before chuckling awkwardly and picking up your large pile, standing up at the same time. he leads you over the cash register and starts ringing you up, the store soon falling back to pure silence.

"you know, i never caught your name," you blurt out, his face quickly finding its way to yours.

"oh, uhm, it's choso," he mumbles out, anxiously biting his lip. you're not sure why he's anxious, but you don't want to pry. you tell him your name just as he finishes ringing you up and you pay.

"bye…cho," you turn to say to him teasingly, a grin painting your face that makes him almost choke on air. you make your way halfway through the door before choso is shouting out behind you.

"wait! would you, uh, well i guess i just wanted to ask—"

"yes, cho, i'd like to go out with you," you cut him off, turning on your heels back towards the bumbling owner. you grab his hand and take a sharpie laying on the counter, previously used to write the genre separators, scribbling down your phone number before giving him a small peck on his cheek.

"hope you enjoy it here, and don't forget to call me," you say with a smile as you lean away from his face and walk out the store, leaving him stuttering and blushing like a virgin.

as a result of this excursion, you spent $375.85 on music and managed to score a potential date with the man of your dreams.

choso ended up with the number and a kiss from the most gorgeous woman he has ever laid his eyes on and enough money to take that woman out for a very nice dinner the upcoming weekend.

for both of you, this experience was probably one of the best either of you have had in a long time, and you can both thank that to your eclectic music tastes. all hail the music lords up above.

"Again?" You quickly step inside for him to close the door.

He nods.

"Go!"

"I'll be in the pool!" He shouts, already sprinting away and stripping off his clothes.

Once you put the food you brought on the fridge, you head to the backyard where the fancy pool is. There's no doubt Gojo is rich rich if can easily give away a house like this. Perhaps you should befriend him, too.

Those useless thoughts leave your mind as soon a you see Choso graciously swimming around. He looks much more comfortable here than in your tiny bathtub.

You get closer to admire him better, kneeling down when you're on the edge of the pool.

"Choso, you're so beautiful." The words leave your mouth before you can catch yourself.

His eyes widen and quickly swims with full force to the opposite side of the pool away from you, fish tail splashing a good amount of water in your direction. Note to self: don't call him beautiful.

"I didn't mean to do that!" He sits next to you on the stone floor and wipes your face with his very wet hands, getting an amused smile out of you. "I'm making it worse." He mumbles.

"Glad you noticed."

He returns to the pool, flustered. With all, he opens his arms in a welcoming manner.

"Join me!"

"With what I'm wearing? I don't think so."

"Why not? You're all soaked, anyway."

Right. But your attire is not the only problem.

"Don't make fun of me," you speak lower, "I can't swim."

He bites his lower lip making it seem like he wants to hold back a laugh. "Oh poor walking human, I'll teach you."

Sold. You carefully get into the water and Choso's gentle hands grab you by your waist. It's not the first time you're this close to him and it's definitely not the first time he wakes the butterflies in your stomach. You've never denied your feelings for him to yourself, you've just decided to keep them buried to spare both of you the trouble. However, if he continues staring at you like he's doing right now and holding you this tightly, he might dig them out.

You make a silly attempt at putting some distance between you but discover the bad way that you're on the deep end of the pool. Your survival instincts have you clinging to his neck, and he finally bursts out laughing.

"I got you!"

~

In just a couple of days, Choso and you get used to this new routine. Some nights his body changes, some others doesn't. Regardless of that, you make the most of your time together, doing fun stuff out there when his fish tail is not in sight or sharing stories about your completely different childhoods and your day to day life if you have to stay at home. When you talk about the future though, his uncertainty becomes clear and he only eases the moment you assure him you'll be there to support him. Needless to say, your bond has strengthened over his secret.

~

Your feet are dipped in the cool water as you admire the few stars in the night sky. Choso has both arms resting next to you on the pool deck with his head lying over them. He's been watching you in silence until he decides to say something at last.

"You're not scared of me, right?"

You're fast to shake your head. "No, how could I? I've known you for long while now."

"Not like this."

"True." You fix your eyes on him. "But, no matter how you look, you are you. Sweet Choso. My best friend."

There's a long pause after that and you begin to wonder if you said something wrong.

"It's almost time for you to go home."

You ignore the voice in your head that tells you he's kicking you out as you grab a hold of your phone that's been sitting on a nearby beach chair. He's right, it's getting late.

"You're doing alright?" You ask before leaving.

"Yes. Be safe on your way back."

choso could barely focus on what yuji was saying. he had let the younger one drag a huge whiteboard he never knew they had, scribbling and doodling incomprehensible things on it. sitting on the bedroom floor, he regretted joining yuji’s impromptu crash course on how to “bag his dream girl” – according to the clumsily written title at the top of the board. 

there was a reason why choso never pursued long studies. he couldn’t even focus on a fake lecture. 

“the problem is that you make last-minute plans,” yuji stated, hitting the board with a toy sword. 

choso sighed, stealing one of his brother’s pillows and hugged it close to him. “it’s not my fault she appears out of nowhere.” 

“doesn’t she work at the café in front of your shop?” yuji deadpanned. 

choso refused to retort. he wasn’t wrong at all. even worse, he was practically a regular at this point, using his break to get an iced americano almost every other day. and while choso didn’t really believe or think much of fate, he definitely was certain that it was against him. between getting caught off-guard and always showing up to the coffee shop when there was an infinite line of customers behind him, there was no way he could easily get your number. 

and yuji seemed to read right through him. “don’t give me any excuses,” he warned, hitting the top of his head lightly with the toy. 

choso rubbed the spot, glaring at yuji through his bangs. can a man not be a coward anymore? yet somehow, he only found the courage to put himself out there when you bumped into each other. 

“regardless, try not to think much of it!” yuji continued. he tapped the tip of the sword on a heavily underlined “RIZZ”. written in bold red, of course. 

“this,” he stated, endearingly serious, “might not be given to everyone. but you can fake it by planning ahead.” 

choso snorted at how earnest yuji seemed to be, leaning his back against the edge of the bed. at least he could count on his adorably idiotic brother to make him feel a bit better. he listened to him talk about how he couldn’t take the interactions he had with you too seriously, that he should have a little bit of fun with it. and that, besides, you did think he was cute. 

and while it all made sense, there was no way in hell choso would ever call you “babygirl.” 

“yuji, do you even have the credentials to hold this class?” choso asked him, a bit suspicious. a bit teasing too. “you don’t have a girlfriend, do you?”

yuji chose to end his lesson here. 

instead, and because both nobara and megumi refused his offer, he took it upon himself to drag choso to the movies with him. what a better way to mend a broken soul than by watching the fourth human earthworm, right? 

and how could choso refuse yuji’s kicked puppy expression? 

after getting their tickets, the both of them went to the food court, yuji being determined to empty choso’s poor wallet. the both of them argued about which popcorn to get, choso deeming the caramel ones to be absolutely repulsing, to yuji’s dismay. 

unfortunately for him, he’s never been good at refusing his younger brother. 

when he started regretting following him here, choso perked up as his ears caught the sound of a familiar voice. he turned his head left and right, unsure if he had started hallucinating you after his catastrophic failure at the bookstore. 

seemingly – and thankfully – he was still perfectly fine. 

you stood before the drinks machine, frowning at the countless options before you, as if you couldn’t decide which to get. yuki was beside you, her own drink in hand while she sighed at your indecisiveness. you were taking this far too seriously, she thought, snorting at the way your eyes went between the coke and a clear soda. 

“we’re never seeing the movie at this rate,” she said, her finger poking your cheek. 

you swatted her hand away. “just go if you hate me this much,” you grumbled, sparing her a glance. 

yuki shook her head at your dramatics. she looked around the food court, taking in the overpriced sweets and snacks, the little kids begging their parents for a chocolate bar. she had to do a doubl-take when she caught sight of your favorite customer. 

oh? 

he looked so engrossed by the sight of you debating between drinks that he didn’t even notice yuki hiding her laugh behind her hand. standing beside him was a pink-haired teenage boy with a comically large bucket of popcorn in his hands. after sliding a few bills to the employee behind the counter, he finally noticed how gone the man was. 

a single look at choso’s face was enough for yuji to know what was up with him. there was no mistaking the way his pupils basically turned into hearts and the reason behind the red hue of his cheeks. 

what yuji didn’t expect however, was the blonde woman gesturing for him to follow her. at the way he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her, she pointed at you and choso. realization hit yuji like a truck. how could he, an expert in the field, not realize that she clearly was your wingwoman?

yuki snorted when he gave her an okay sign and a salute. 

“y’know what, you’re right,” yuki said, ignoring your curious look. “i do hate you.” 

with that, and without letting you hit her anywhere, she waved and left you behind. right when you finally made your pick. it didn’t help your confusion when you noticed that she was going anywhere near the theater. instead, she went towards the popcorn section and towards choso’s brother– 

choso? 

choso near-on passed out when you smiled at him. he waved yuji off when he told he’d be right back, too enamored by the sight of you. 

yuji put a hand on his shoulder before leaving. “remember what we studied this morning,” he said solemnly. “you can not fumble this.”

and even though choso was not the best at learning his lesson, he still chose to try his best. making his way up to you, he attempted to calm his nerves down, ignored the way his heart almost burst out when you greeted him so happily. 

he felt a bit more serene, a bit calmer than all the other times. there was no way he was gonna mess this up again. he just had to buy you whatever food suited your tastes. and when you’d offer to pay him back, he’d ask for your number as compensation. 

satisfied with his plan, he greeted you back, grabbing a cup and quickly making his choice. as he pulled the lever down, he turned to you when you chuckled, curious. 

“it’s crazy how we keep running into each other like this,” you told him. 

his eyes softened at the sound, nodding in agreement at your words. and it was like you were able to read his thoughts. “might be the sign of something, no?”

every word yuji had told him earlier this afternoon instantly evaporated from his mind. choso’s eyes widened at your little tease, feeling his cheeks take on an even darker tint. 

no. no, no, no. 

he couldn’t let his chance slip by, he reminded himself. he reigned himself in, shaking his head with a nervous laugh. he knew he could do better. he had to. he wasn’t good at one-liners but he sure was good at taking a chance whenever he could. especially when you gave such easy openings. 

“yeah,” he managed to get out, smiling a little. 

he looked cute, you thought, your eyes raking over his face. the way he seemed to be fighting off the bashfulness you’ve always seen him display. the way his cheeks burned a bright red. how he could barely hold your gaze for more than a few seconds. 

and the fact that he was trying so, so hard made your heart melt.

“yeah?” you pushed, your tone encouraging. “you think it is?”

choso cleared his throat. “i’d love it to be,” he confessed, looking at you again. 

but you didn’t look impressed. you looked alarmed, for some odd reason. in fact, you weren’t even looking at him. 

“your hand!”

oh. 

choso suddenly registered cold liquid running down his fingers, whipping his head to the drinks machine. his hopes of getting your number went down the drain, mortified at how terribly clumsy he showed himself to be. he set his cup on a nearby table, looking around to find a tissue he could wipe himself with. 

“here,” you said, grabbing his attention again. and his wrist. 

choso’s brain short-circuited when you wrapped your fingers around his skin. he let you clean the mess on his hand with a wipe. or rather, he couldn’t do anything but let it happen. his wrist tingled where you touched him, the gentleness of your actions sending shivers up his arms and own his spine. he was almost scared you could feel how wildly his heart was beating through his pulse.

you hummed in a disapproving way. “you should be more careful.” 

choso blinked down stupidly at the way you frowned at him. 

“it’s nothing dangerous,” he mumbled. 

when you tutted at him, your wiping turning a bit aggressive, he somehow felt grateful for his mishap. maybe yuji was right. he was really far too gone. choso muttered an apology, and you felt a little bad when he did so. you sighed, grabbing another wipe from your bag, making sure his hand wouldn’t be sticky. 

“still,” you said, stubborn. “you can’t be so scatter-minded,” you scolded playfully. 

with his hand now cleaned up, you had no reason to keep holding him. choso’s throat bobbed, mouth drying up when you traced the back of his palm with your finger. he felt like he might blow up as you interlinked your fingers, claiming that you simply wanted to compare sizes. 

he might be a fool for you but he wasn’t stupid. 

and he felt a sudden rush of courage. “it’s your fault for being so distracting.”

his boldness surprised you. you looked up at him, feeling heat gather at the apples of your cheeks, not expecting that from him. a small chuckle tumbled out of your mouth, finding amusement in the way he turned the tables on you out of nowhere.

choso could only stare. he’s never had a sweet tooth but oh, he could eat you up if you kept smiling so sweetly at him. 

and when yuji dragged him away, panicking over the idea of missing the beginning of his movie, it didn’t matter to him that he couldn’t get your contact information. 

at the very least, he now knew that he stood a chance. 

MASTERLIST .ᐟ.ᐟ ─ # attempt n°1 | # attempt n°2 | # attempt n°3 | # attempt n°5 | # xoxo

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