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You walk out of your chemistry class with a newfound gusto. You had just finished your last final exam of the semester, and it felt like you could properly breathe again. With a smile on your face, you pull out your phone to check any notifications you might have missed while taking your test.
A small frown replaces your smile when you realize your boyfriend, Choso, hadn't messaged you all day. Usually, he'd send you a good morning text, maybe share a couple funny videos through social media, or on the rare occasion both of you were free in the morning, he'd call you. But today... Silence. Nothing. Crickets if you listened closely.
You shake off the strange feeling, telling yourself that you were being ridiculous-- you both are college students. Sometimes things happen, sometimes plans change. Maybe he was just busy. You put your phone back into your pocket after replying to a couple of your friends, stepping outside of the building. The sun shined bright in the sky, a gentle breeze countering against the heat to provide a nice balance in the weather. You decide once again that you were being ridiculous. The day is too perfect to be fretting over something as trivial as your boyfriend not texting you good morning.
You walk the familiar path to your favorite coffee shop. As you open the door, you immediately feel comforted by the atmosphere. It's warm, but not in the stuffy way. The fresh pastries smell sweet, but not in an overwhelming way. There were people inside, but it's not loud. It's perfect.
But it'd be perfect-er if Choso was here. You thought to yourself.
With a sigh, you walk up to the counter. You smile at the barista, one you have met more than a dozen times to order their most highly-caffeinated drinks. You find yourself ordering a lot of pastries, justifying the purchases with the fact that you didn't have any academic responsibilities for the next month, that you worked hard for this celebration. Plus, anything you didn't finish, you could just give to Choso.
Choso... Maybe I should visit him?
That idea isn't half-bad, actually. But would you come off as clingy? Controlling? Dependent? Despite being together for almost a year now, you still worry about scaring Choso off. He's like a dream. It'd be a shame to fumble someone like him.
You were too lost in your thoughts to realize that you were already knocking on his apartment door. The ten minute walk from the coffee shop to his place felt more like you had just teleported from one place to another with your distracting thoughts. The familiar door that you've walked through maybe a thousand times before slowly opens, and instead of seeing the mop of dark hair that was usually pulled into two messy pigtails, you were met with the sight of... Nothing...?
Your brows furrow as your eyes trail down, your body freezing at the sight of a kid standing behind the door. He's cowering behind the painted oak, his eyes as wide as saucers as he stares up at you.
Pink and messy hair. Scars under his eyes. Young, maybe 5 or 6 years old-- wait, are those Choso's bracelets? Who the hell is this child?
You were staring at him for who knows how long before the kid finally speaks up.
"Who are you?" His little eyebrows are furrowed in what is supposed to be a menacing glare, his tiny lips pulled into a pout. If the circumstances were different, you might've actually fawned over the kid. But the circumstances weren't different, and you're far too confused to do anything of the sort.
"I'm ___... Choso's girlfriend. And you are...?" Your hand tightens around the bag of pastries, a lump forming in your throat as a million different scenarios ran through your mind-- trying to somehow make sense of this situation. The kid's scrutinizing gaze (albeit not very intimidating yet simultaneously very intimidating) didn't help soothe your tornado of feelings.
Did Choso have a secret family? Is this his kid? Did he have a girlfriend already? Or... a wife?
You feel your heart squeeze, a pit forming in your stomach. You're about to walk away when the kid speaks up again.
"Oh, you're onee-chan!" His face lit up, seemingly recognizing you.
Seriously, who the hell is this kid?
"Onii-chan is sleeping." The kid reaches out for your hand, his little fingers barely wrapping around two of your fingers. You let yourself be dragged into the apartment.
"I saw you in onii-chan's phone. When he comes home, he shows me everything you buy him, and the places you take him!" The kid's rambling paints a picture that immediately soothes your worries.
His little brother. Yuji. Why didn't I put two and two together?
Choso spoke about his family a handful of times in the months you've been together, a gentle smile on his face and a fond look in his eyes. He had nine younger brothers, but most of them lived too far away for him to visit. The only one that lived a reasonable distance to travel at least once every two weeks was his youngest brother. You'd ask for pictures of the two, but the only photos you'd ever seen were of when Yuji was a tiny, little baby. Choso claimed that the kid hated taking photos now and was strangely skilled at evading the camera.
You let out a breath you didn't even realize you were holding, feeling your shoulders sag in relief. A relaxed smile plays on your lips as you close the door behind yourself. You remove your shoes, letting go of Yuji's hand to set them off to the side.
"You must be Yuji-kun." You softly said, reaching back to lock the door. The kid-- Yuji-- beams up at you, nodding his head.
"I'm five." He grins wide and proud, showcasing the gaps and small teeth that have yet to fall out. He holds his hand up, putting up four fingers. You can't find it in yourself to correct him, so all you do is giggle.
"Where's your onii-chan?" You ask, glancing around the familiar space. The living room is empty, and so is the kitchen.
"This way, onee-chan!" Yuji's running down the hall before you could even look back at him. Your footsteps are soft against the wooden floors as you follow the kid's heavier footsteps. He turns into a room that you automatically recognize to be Choso's bedroom. You step into the doorway, immediately having to cover your mouth to keep yourself from bursting into a fit of laughter.
Choso is sprawled out on his bed, the sheets covering this limb and that while other parts of his body were left exposed. From where you stand, you can see that his face and arms were covered in stickers, the shapes too blurry for you to make out what exactly they were. There's lipstick messily applied to his lips, a multitude of marker marks between the stickers, and his hair is tied this way and that with a million different hair accessories adorning the top of his head.
Yuji climbs onto the bed, laying on top of Choso and resting his head against his older brother's shoulder. His little hands play with the pocket on Choso's shirt as he takes in a deep breath.
"Onii-chan!" In contrast to his sweet actions, his voice is loud. It hurt your ears even though you were standing at the doorway. You could only imagine what Choso's ears were going through.
Your boyfriend is startled awake by the sound, his eyes half-opened as he looks around for the source of the sound with an unfocused gaze. You find his expression to be adorable.
When Choso's eyes finally land on Yuji, he lets out a breath. He closes his eyes, relaxing against his bed again.
"Yuji, you can't be yelling in my ear like that." He reprimands, his voice deep and thick with sleep. It brings butterflies to your stomach, like it usually did.
"But onii-chan, onee-chan is here!" Yuji exclaims, yet his voice is quieter than before. Choso's body freezes before his eyes shoot wide open. He looks over at the doorway, his cheeks immediately turning a bright shade of red once his gaze meets yours. You grin at him, giving him a small wave.
"I bought us pastries." You hold up the bag, holding in your laugh once again as Choso frantically gets up. One of his arms is wrapped around Yuji's torso, and if your gaze lingers on the way his muscles contract, then that is no one's business but your own.
"Oh my god, this is embarrassing." Choso mutters to himself, the words almost lost in the sound of Yuji's loud laughter. His free hand reaches up to wipe the drool off the corner of his mouth, only to look absolutely mortified by the feeling of lipstick wiping off onto the back of his hand. His face is as red as a tomato at this point. You successfully keep your giggles at bay, but you can't wipe the grin off of your face. This is a new and very endearing sight for you.
"I'll wait in the living room." A few giggles wedge their way between your words, but you quickly turn away before it could turn into full-fledged laughter. Your steps are relaxed as you make your way to the living room, a shit-eating grin on your face. You could hear the pitter-patter of Yuji's footsteps behind you, as well as the sound of the bathroom door slamming shut. Not in an angry way though, more so I need privacy immediately way.
You're giggling to yourself as you set the bag of pastries down, and soon enough, Yuji's giggling with you. He's not sure what's so funny, but if you're laughing, then he will too!
"What kind of pastries do you like, Yuji-kun?" You sweetly ask the kid, beginning to take out the various things you bought at the coffee shop and lay them out on the coffee table. Yuji's eyes are wide and sparkling, looking at the table of treats like he found heaven on earth.
"I like this one." He points at a strawberry and cheese danish with a toothy grin. You smile at him, picking up the sweet and opening it up for him. You hand it to him, to which he gratefully accepts it.
"Thank you, onee-chan!" Yuji is so cute. So painfully cute. No wonder Choso talks about him so fondly.
"You're welcome, Yuji-kun." You sit on the couch behind Yuji, picking up a pastry for yourself. A comfortable silence falls over the two of you, the only noises being heard in the apartment being your and Yuji's chewing, and the very distant sound of water running. Soon, the sound of water running comes to a stop, and just a few seconds later, Choso emerges from the hallway. His skin is red-- whether it be because he's still blushing in embarrassment or because he just had to scrub marker and peel off hundreds of stickers, you didn't know. Either way, you give him a warm smile, scooting over to let him sit closer to his little brother.
"I'm sorry-- about earlier." Choso sheepishly apologizes, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead before sitting down beside you. You wave him off as Yuji immediately moves to stand in between Choso's legs.
"Don't worry about it. It was cute." Your tone is teasing, as is your smile. Choso lets out a laugh, looking down at Yuji between his legs. The little boy holds up his pastry towards his older brother's mouth.
"Ahhh," Yuji opens his mouth, looking at Choso expectantly. You cringe, ready to jump in to stop the kid. However, much to your surprise, Choso takes a bite of the pastry. He hums in what you can tell is feigned delight before swallowing.
Your heart actually stops. You know that for a fact because just when you thought your boyfriend couldn't be anymore perfect than he already was, he proves you wrong. Choso hated strawberry and cheese danishes. He would stare at you with a look of pure disgust all the times you've dared to eat one within his presence, and just now... Did he really set aside his disdain for the pastry just to make his little brother happy?
You blink your surprise away as Yuji goes back to enjoying his pastry. Your gaze trails from the kid to Choso.
"But you don't..." You trail off, unsure of how to react to what you had just seen.
"I know, but it makes him happy." Choso whispers, quiet enough for you to hear, but not loud enough for Yuji to hear. Your heart practically melts and drains through your ass. You reach out to grab a pastry you knew he loved, handing it to him with a fond smile.
"Thank you, my love." Choso lets out a sigh of relief, a grateful smile on his lips. He presses a kiss to your cheek before opening the packaging and digging in in an attempt to ride his taste buds of the strawberry and cheese danish.
- extra 1 -
It's later now, the sun setting far behind the horizon. You're laying on the couch, Yuji laying on top of you. Your arms are wrapped around him as he dozes off, the cartoon playing on the TV long forgotten. Your eyes are closed too, but you're no where close to falling asleep.
Choso walks back into the living room, carrying two mugs of hot chocolate.
"Is he asleep?" He whispers as he sets the mugs down on the coffee table as quietly as he could. Your eyes flutter open, your head tilting down to catch a glimpse of the kid's face. After closely inspecting his features, you nod your head, confirming that Yuji was, in fact, asleep.
"I'll take him to bed." Choso walks closer, carefully peeling Yuji away from your body. The kid whines, his eyes fluttering open for a split-second. When he realizes that it's just his older brother, he's knocked out once again in seconds. You laugh at the sight, Choso cracking a soft smile alongside your laughter. He mouths the words, "I'll be back," before disappearing down the hallway.
While he's gone, you wrap yourself in a blanket and pick up one of the mugs of hot chocolate. You blow on the liquid, taking a sip once you've made sure it was cooled down enough to consume.
"You didn't even wait for me." Choso feigns hurt from where he reemerges from the hallway. You look over at him as he plops down beside you, a cheeky grin on your face.
"Sorry, I got impatient." You giggle. Choso smiles at you, shaking his head as he picks up his own mug of hot chocolate. You both fall silent, the only sounds filling the space being the TV still playing cartoons and you and Choso sipping on hot chocolate.
What a peaceful way to end an eventful day.
- extra 2 -
Your phone rings, filling the silence of your apartment. You look up from your laptop to look at the caller ID, smiling widely at the sight of your boyfriend's contact photo (he's wearing one of your shirts, the fabric obviously way too tight on his stature. It's a fond memory though, and it never fails to make you smile). You pick up the video call, leaning your phone against your laptop. The call takes a second to connect.
"Hi, Choso." You greet him with a smile once his face pops up on your screen. He's laying down on a bed, the bedsheets dark blue with tigers printed all over them.
"Hey,__-" Before he could get out the second syllable of your name, a mop of pink hair floods the camera. You snicker to yourself as you hear the sound of Choso grunting. Yuji must've kneed him in the face... Again.
"Onee-chaaaaaaan!" Yuji's voice rings through your apartment. You giggle as he dragged out each syllable of the honorific.
"Yuji-kuuuuuuun!" You mimic him, dragging out each syllable of his name and honorific.
"I miss youuuuuuu!" Yuji giggles as he continues to drag out each syllable of his words.
"I miss you toooooooo!" You respond, a wide grin plastered on your face.
"Okay, okay, enough with this." Choso's voice holds no actual bite-- only amusement. You watch as the screen becomes blurry, the sound of Yuji's joyous screams and Choso's chuckles giving you a hint as to what was probably happening. The screen becomes clear again, and this time it's of your boyfriend's face. He's flushed and panting and no longer laying down, but there's an amused smile on his face.
"Hey! I want to talk to her!" Yuji's voice came from somewhere behind the camera. Choso only laughs, glancing at the screen. He catches a glimpse of you, smiling fondly at the camera. He blows you a kiss, to which you playfully catch and press against your cheek. He's laughing again before he's falling down to the floor. With the way the camera is angled, you can see Yuji climbing on top of Choso and trying to wrestle the phone out of his hand.
You laugh to yourself, your previous worries melting away at the endearing sight. Yuji manages to grab the phone (only because Choso willingly let him) and runs back to his bed. He climbs in, and when he holds the phone properly to see you, you can see that he's wearing the pajamas you got him.
"Onee-chan! Can you see me?" He yells into the phone. You hold back a laugh, nodding your head.
"Yes, I can see you. Can you see me?" You respond, waving your hand at the camera. Yuji nods his head, waving back at you.
The rest of your evening is spent listening to Yuji babble mindlessly about kid things. He barely let Choso speak, even pressing a hand over your boyfriend's mouth just to interrupt him. You, of course, can only laugh. Both you and Choso were too fond of Yuji to stop him.