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It was dark outside when you left your house, the need for fresh air greater than your want to stay inside. Besides, you lived in a safe area—you’d be fine to walk around here, let yourself breathe a little after the stress of your day-to-day college life. Too many tests and assignments had clogged your brain with fuzz, and as you walked outside, the chilly air cut through your fogged-up brain, centered you back to normal.
You hummed as you walked, swinging your arms back and forth out of joy but also to try and keep yourself warm. The cold air was doing its job, but it was also quickly making you realize the folly of your actions. Walking outside at night in November without a jacket had the unfortunate side effect of making someone cold, who would have thought?
You laughed at yourself a little, then stretched a hand in front of you, up towards the sky. You could see the stars between your fingers, and if you looked at it closely it was nearly beautiful. Your headphones spilled music into your ears as you let your arm drop and stared up at the sky, the cold air making you shiver even as you stood still and just looked.
“Hey,” came a voice from behind you, and you turned curiously to see the owner of the voice—a tall, dark-haired man with either a tattoo or a gnarly scar on his face, you had never gotten the courage to ask which it was. He looked tired, raising one perfectly done eyebrow at you as you gave him a little smile and wave. “What are you doing out here?”
“Choso,” you said and tilted your head to look at him. His eye bags were worse than you’d seen them before, somehow deeper than they had been only a few days ago. “Why are you awake right now?”
He held up a plastic bag on one finger, letting it swing back and forth a little. “Needed to get some supplies for Yuji.”
“Yuji?” You take a peek at the bag. “That’s literally just an energy drink and a container of ibuprofen.”
“What can I say? He asked for it.”
Seeing as Yuji was eighteen and could get Choso to do pretty much anything he wanted if he called him “big brother”, you believed the energy drink would go to the energetic pink-haired man. The ibuprofen though? That was all Choso. There was no way Yuji would ever take pills you had to swallow, even though you’d definitely seen him swallow bigger and weirder things than just pills. He was a stubborn kid.
“You never answered me, by the way,” Choso said, and nodded in your direction. “What are you doing out here?”
You shrugged, then shivered slightly. Why was it so cold out here? You could swear it hadn’t been this bad a few minutes ago. Yeah, back when you were moving around, your brain said, and you ignored it in favor of mentally scolding your body for being weak. “Needed to get out and about for a little bit.”
“You couldn’t have done that at a normal hour of night?”
“It’s, like, nine PM.”
“Exactly. Normal hour. Normal people don’t go out on walks at nine at night.”
“Normal people also aren’t usually buying their younger brothers sour patch kid energy drinks at nine PM.” You raised one of your own eyebrows at him, and he rolled his eyes, but you could spot a hint of a smile at the edges of his cheeks. He liked to pretend that you don’t amuse him, but after a year and a half of being friends you can tell when he’s pleased.
“Touché,” he said, and you stuck your tongue out at him for a second before the cold air made you quickly pull it back inside your mouth. “Are you headed back to your apartment?”
You sighed. “Probably should, though I don’t want to. It’s starting to get cold.”
He looked at you with that steady gaze, the same one that’d been piercing you clear down to your soul for a year and a half. You remembered the first time he’d used it on you as you both sat across from each other, partners for a history project. He’d looked at you so intently it’d been almost terrifying, but when he’d pulled away he had nodded decisively and told you that you’d be a good fit for him. You’d aced the project, so he’d been unequivocally right, and you’d gained a new friend.
More than a friend one day, you hoped, but for now you were happy to look at him as he stared at you. This was enough for you, little moments spent together as you both laughed and joked. And if you looked at his lips a little longer than was normal, or considered the feel of his hand in yours, well…that was your little secret. He hadn’t noticed yet, so it was fine.
“Come with me,” he said. “We’ll go to my place so you can keep walking, and then you can warm up for a minute before going back.”
You smile at him, pleased that he knew you so well. “That sounds perfect. So, Choso, tell me why you’re buying yourself ibuprofen…”
You chat back and forth, quiet but friendly as the chill of the night air descends on the both of you. You’d slipped your headphones from your ears when you’d started speaking to Choso, but you swore you could still hear music in your mind, making the atmosphere more romantic than it actually was. Your heart fluttered in your chest as the back of your hand brushed his, the one that was carrying the plastic bag. His fingers flexed around the bag handle, and you had to look away quickly before he noticed you looking.
“Here,” he said as you approached his building, “come on up. I think we have hot chocolate somewhere.”
“You’re alright with a ten PM invader?”
Choso looked at you again, face impassive before it broke into a small smile that disappeared as quickly as it came. “If it’s you, you can come over whenever you’d like.”
Your face flushed, and you ignored the heat burning on the tips of your ears. “You’re too kind.”
“Nah, mostly selfish. It’s always nicer when you’re here.”
You halfheartedly wonder if he’s trying to kill you, but then remember that he has no idea of your feelings and quickly drop that idea. “You make me feel safe,” you said, not looking at him as you entered the apartment through the door he so carefully held open for you. “So it’s nicer when you’re around too.”
You risked a glance at his face and realized that the tips of his ears were a little red, and the tops of his cheeks were dusted with the same color, which made you grin.
“Yuji!” Choso hollered as he shut the door. You let out a sigh of relief as the heat hit your skin. The Itadori family must’ve had their thermostat up. It was cozy, so you rocked back and forth on your heels for a moment to savor the feeling before you followed Choso deeper inside. “I’ve got your drink!”
“Oh, sweet! Thanks, bro,” Yuji called from the living room. When the two of you entered, he was sitting in front of the coffee table, papers spread out in front of him as a movie played on the screen, the volume dropped down low. “And you got the sour patch kind! Score!”
He smiled at his brother, then caught sight of you and let out an excited noise as he jumped up from his homework and bounded toward you excitedly. “You’re here! It’s been forever!”
“Hey, Yuji,” you said as you gave him a hug, his taller form fully enveloping you in the way that only his hugs could. You wanted him to give a hugging masterclass to all the people you knew, just so you could experience this all the time. You knew Choso was good at hugs too from the few he’d given you, so it must have been a family trait. “How’s the semester been?”
“Ugh, absolutely killer,” he said and pulled away from you with a sigh. “Working on an essay right now. Can I send it to you once I’m done for revisions?”
“Always,” you promised, and plopped down on their couch, sighing in relief as you were nearly swallowed by the comfortable cushions. Honestly, for a couch they’d found on the side of the road, this had to be your favorite piece of furniture in the world. You rested your head on the back of the couch and let your eyes slide shut for a moment, only prying them back open when Choso re-entered the room, hot chocolate in hand.
“Bless you,” you said, and grabbed the cup. It was the perfect temperature, as it always was when Choso made it. He’d never let you burn your tongue on a too-hot drink, not if he’d made it. “Honestly, I’d marry you for your hot chocolate alone.”
“That implies there’s more reasons than one that you’d marry me,” he said with a deep chuckle that you could feel reverberate in your chest as he sat down.
“Oh, there’s loads,” you said, being more honest than he probably realized. “Being related to your brother is one of them.”
Yuji let out a little cheer at that, which made you laugh as you nudged the back of his head with your foot. He dramatically let his head wobble back and forth for a second, so you rolled your eyes at him, not that he could see it.
Choso didn’t respond, but you saw him smile, one side of his mouth hitching upwards slightly more than the other. Your heart thudded in your chest at the image, and you took a deep drink from your mug to hide how flustered you’d gotten.
“Once you’ve finished that, I’ll walk you home,” Choso said as the two of you drank your hot chocolate, half-focusing on the quiet movie playing.
“Walk me home? Choso, that’s ridiculous, you’re already here. No need to leave and come back just for me.” You shook your head at him as you spoke. “I’ll just leave by myself.”
Choso just looked at you, and you felt vaguely cowed at the expression. He finished off the last of his drink and stood up, stretching. His shirt rode up, exposing part of his stomach to you, and you yanked your eyes away from the sight of his pale skin. Really, he wasn’t fair at all. “I’m going to grab my shoes and my coat so we can go. Yuji, don’t let her leave without me.”
“As if I would,” the pink-haired boy said. “I need her to look over something for me anyway.” He pulled you down and started asking quick questions about one of the sources he was using for his essay, which distracted you for long enough that you managed to miss the bundle that got tossed in your direction, so it hit you right in the face.
“Put that on,” Choso directed, and you pulled the cloth away from your eyes only to realize that it was his sweatshirt, big and baggy and warm. It was decorated with the logo from one of his favorite bands, which you traced your fingers over. “It’ll keep you warm while we walk.”
“Thank you,” you said, and pulled it over your head, pausing to enjoy the smell of Choso before your head popped out of the opening. It was far too big for you, but you enjoyed it even more for that fact. “This is comfy.”
Choso’s ears went red again, and he placed a hand over his face. “I’m glad,” he said, but his voice came out a little choked, which made you wonder what was going on with him tonight. “You done helping Yuji?”
“Yep!” Yuji said with a thumbs up. “Thanks for the help.”
“Any time, I mean it. You have my number.” You pointed at him threateningly, despite knowing that with the overly large sweatshirt on, you were even less intimidating than you usually were. “Use it or else I’ll be forced to come over and be annoying when your friends come around.”
Yuji shrugged you off with a laugh, and you waved goodbye as you walked to the door, pulling on your shoes again. Choso was waiting, and he opened the door for you as you walked out, humming the song that you’d been listening to before he’d arrived.
“Thank you again for the hot chocolate…and the hoodie,” you said with a little heat rising in your face. “You really didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to.” He shrugged, like that didn’t send your heart racing. One of his pigtails had come partially undone, so his hair was looser than you usually saw it. It made you want to push his hair away from his eyes, then lean in and kiss him, but you held yourself back. You didn’t stop yourself from brushing knuckles with him again, though, wanting that connection.
His pinky carefully looped its way around yours, and you stifled the giddy gasp that wanted to escape your lips. Instead, you squeezed your pinky from where it was linked to his, letting him know that you appreciated the contact. The two of you stayed like that the whole walk home, neither of you speaking. Despite the cold air, you felt warm, your heart thudding as you walked next to Choso, his sweatshirt draped over you.
When you finally made it to your door, you reluctantly loosened your grip on his pinky, then took a step away. He stopped you with a hand at your hip, which made you look up at him in anticipation, your heart racing. When he didn’t speak, you opened your mouth and let your words spill out.
“Thank you again for tonight. It was a lot of fun, and I appreciate—Oh! You probably want your hoodie back, huh? Let me give it back to you, though I really do like it. It was very warm, did it’s job well-”
You continued talking, rambling on and on until Choso’s soft lips descended on yours, shutting you up instantly. The hand on your waist tightened, then relaxed, and he pulled away, leaving you stunned into silence.
“Keep the sweatshirt,” he said, and he was smiling in a way that made your already racing heart take off at mach speeds. “I’ll see you soon.”
You don’t have a chance to open your mouth and respond before he’s gone, leaving you with a flushed face and racing heart, and a glowing, happy feeling in your chest.