Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You fiddle with the keys to your apartment, struggling hard to not just kick the door down. Work was brutal today. Everyone seemed to be in a bitter mood! You manage to find the right key, shoving it into the lock and hearing that familiar click, you push the door open and walk inside. Closing the door behind you, you flick on the lights to your entry way and slip out of your shoes. Your apartment is small but that’s ok because you live alone anyways. Well, you and your beloved pet.

Meoooooow.

The familiar meow made your head turn. You spot your black and white feline friend running towards you.

Meoooooooooooow. He calls again.

“Hey! There’s my main man!” you say, picking him up off the floor. The cat begins to purr, rubbing his face all over your available hand. You can’t help but smile when Panda comes to greet you. Your longhaired, fluffy tuxedo cat never failed to cheer you up after such a crappy day. You adopted Panda from a local cat café a couple days after moving into your new home. He caught your eye immediately and the two of you just clicked. In truth, he was more like a small dog than a cat. You played fetch together, he always came to greet you at the door, hell you even took him for walks sometimes!

Having fulfilled his cuddling urges for now, Panda began to struggle in your arms. You place your cat on the floor and head to the fridge. Panda still sticking close to you, rubbing him inside your legs as you walked. You can’t help but laugh, this cat was way too affection to not have been a dog in a previous life.

You open your fridge and begin to search for some kind of snack. Maybe food could help soothe your problems after such a soul-crushing day. You flashback to the memory of that man screaming at you about not having the correct size shirt for him in stock, it made you cringe. Stupid prick, didn’t he realize you couldn’t just make stuff magically appear? Shaking your head, you turn your attention back to your fridge. You finally settled on some cookie dough you keep in your fridge for times such as these. You break off a couple chunks and place the rest of the package in the fridge, closing the door with your hip. Hopping up onto your small kitchen island, you happily munch on your treat. Your mind slowly wanders as you eat.

I wonder if he’s online yet…

Ah. You were referring to your online friend. You met him about four months ago on the popular RPG, Phantasies of Reverie. You honestly were about to quit the game when you met him on a quest. Normally, people didn’t role-play much in the game, but the moment he joined you on the quest he was role-playing right along side you. Surely enough, a friendship was formed quickly after that and you added him to your friend’s list. You guys hit it off super quickly. You met online every single day, going on quests and having a good time. You loved role-playing with him, he was super fun to talk to and got really into his character. Sometimes at the end of the night, you both just talked. Not as your characters, but as regular human beings. You weren’t ready to share your real names, not just yet. It felt like the illusion would break for you. Although, you couldn’t help but be curious about who this man was, but for now, he was Saburo the powerful mage.

Finishing your snack, you head to your computer room. It was a small room in your apartment that you were positive was supposed to be a guest room or second bedroom, but you didn’t really have people sleeping over so you converted it into your personal sanctuary. Flicking on the light, you gaze around your small slice of paradise. A poster of your favorite anime hung on the wall by the small window. In the corner, stood a large bookshelf covered in the various mangas and novels you’ve collected. It was your own personal collection of literature.

You stroll over to the window and open it, letting in the light breeze of the summer. Panda darted over to the cat tree you placed by the window. He loved being in the sun on nice days, and luckily there was a screen so he couldn’t escape. You wander over to your desk, turning on your PC. You had saved up enough money to finally build a new rig, complete with better graphic’s card and a twenty-seven inch LED monitor. Your computer hummed to life as you took a seat in your computer chair, fiddling with some papers you left haphazardly all over the floor. They were covered in doodles of your character and Saburo’s.

You couldn’t help but blush, you may have started to develop a crush on your new Internet companion. He loved your drawings you did of each other questing and having adventures, complimenting your art skills. Slowly but surely, you had begun to crave knowing who was behind that avatar you spent so much time with.

The password prompt drew your attention back to the screen. You quickly type in your password, and after a short moment, your desktop loads. Steam opens itself, along with Skype. A steam sale catches your eye. You already had enough games on your steam list, but it was always tempting to browse the very cheap games. Suddenly a skype notification pops up. It’s from Saburo. You smile.

So he was online.

You drag your mouse over to skype and open up the application. Surely enough it was him.

Nyaachanfan: Hey Ariella!

Ariella was your character’s name in the game. She was a beautiful elven huntress. It was a fantasy game after all.

(your skype name): Hehe hey Saburo

(your skype name): Were you waiting for me to log on??

Nyaachanfan: M-maybe….I thought you said you got out of work around this time!

(your skype name): Haha I’m flattered my noble mage remembers when I finish my shift at my elected prison. For today, I battled the most evil of demons: shitty rude customers.

Nyaachanfan: Bad day, huh?

(your skype name): Yeah….this customer went off on me because we didn’t have this shirt in his size! I told him we could order it for him or he could try online but he refused to reason with me! He just stood there and screamed at me for, no joke, ten uninterrupted minutes! IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE STORE! My manager finally came and broke it up. Once the guy left, he told me I handled it well and I did my best. Still sucked….

Nyaachanfan: Jeez, that’s so shitty! I’m sorry that happened to you!

(your skype name): It’s not your fault lol

(your skype name): Man it felt good to just rant that!

Nyaachanfan: Glad I could help :)

(your skype name): Ahh, you are a blessing my dear Saburo

Nyaachanfan: *blushes Well how about we do some quests and kill some monsters to help with that stress

(your skype name): Ok! I’ll log on now!

You close the skype window and pull up Phantasies of Reverie on your desktop. The familiar character log-in screen greets you. Your character stands there, looking beautiful as ever. Her elven skin is a beautiful, perfect fair completion. Her hair was a long chocolate brunette with a red ombre at the end. Her eyes were a bright, crystal green. She wore a flowy red dress that when down to her knees, complete with a golden breastplate, guard belt, gauntlets and armor that covered her high-heeled boots all the way up her calves. She was nothing like you. You had (h/l), (h/c) that was in (f/h/s). You had (e/c) that was often shone bright and happy. You admit, you weren’t a perfect, elf girl but that’s what fantasy was for right? You hit enter and your character named Ariella gave you a soft smile and a wave.

The screen opened up to where you last logged off, the small town just outside the main huge city called Rosewood. Even though the town was small and not a lot of stuff was around here it was still your favorite. The scenery was gorgeous. The town was next to a lake so there was always fishing mini quests you could do to make some extra gold. The town was littered with small shops that lined cobblestoned roads. Merchants chanting out to get people to buy their wears and goods, NPC villagers wading through the town to do their daily shopping. It always felt surreal to be here.

You walk your character around town, looking into a shop that sold various sundries and wines. Next door was a tavern that you and Saburo often ended your nights in after a good long quest. Speaking of, your in-game chat beeps at you letting you know you have received a new message. It’s from Saburo.

Saburo: Hey! Behind you!

You turn your character around to face him. Saburo was a very handsome mage. He had a defined jaw, fair completion with green hair. His eyes were a shiny grey, framed nicely by a pair of glasses. His avatar wore a green robe fastened in the middle with leather belts that held potions, a pair of green pants and leather boots, black fingerless gloves and a huge, fluffy green scarf tied around his neck. Leather wrist guards also dawned his wrists.

You move your avatar towards his.

Ariella: Ah my good mage! It’s great to see you again! [ready for a quest?]

Saburo: My lady, the pleasure is all mine. Gazing at your beauty always brightens my day. (Character bows) [Yeah, I found us a good one killing a hoard of grizzlers. Should be easy since we’re high levels]

Ariella: [Well let’s get started then!]

You equip your bow, checking to make sure you had stuff to heal if needed. The two of you leave the village and immediately climb onto your mounts. You had a large black dire wolf that’s tail faded to be a cosmic sky. When it ran, stars drifted off its tail and paws. Saburo mounted his phoenix griffin, a large flying mount that had wings made of flames and then end of its tail was aflame. You two set off to complete your quest.

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Hours of questing had begun to leave you exhausted. Your eyes started to burn from focusing on the screen for so long. You felt tired; your bed called your name but you didn’t want to stop talking to Saburo. He knew some things about you, like that you had a job, but nothing super personal. You felt like you two had finally been online role-playing buddies long enough and decided in that moment, tonight would be the night you would finally reveal the mystery behind this mage. Your avatars were sitting in a tavern, chatting back and forth as different NPCs and avatars motioned around you.

Ariella: [Hey, would you mind if we just hung out and talked?]

Saburo: [Nope! What do you want to talk about?]

Ariella: [I wanna get to know more about the person behind this avatar] you say it so forward but it was killing you! Tonight would be the night you finally learned his name offline.

Saburo: [Ah….there really isn’t much to tell….]

You snorted. Maybe you should show him you’re serious.

Ariella: [Ok, how about I go first. I’m (age) years old, I live in an apartment in Tokyo, I have a cat named Panda, I work in Shibuya, I love anime and manga, my hobbies include gaming, reading, drawing and sometimes cosplay. I actually enjoy baking, especially if it’s cake. Oh! And my name is (y/n)!]

Saburo: [Well it’s nice to meet you, (y/n)! Ah, well I guess I’ll go now…I’m twenty-three years old, I live in Akatsuka City, I don’t have any pets but my brother brings home cats a lot, I have five other brothers, I don’t currently have a job, BUT I’M LOOKING FOR ONE!! Uhhh….I love anime and manga as well!! My favorite idol in the entire world is Nyaa-chan, I go to her concerts whenever I can!]

You can’t help but smile behind your computer screen. So this was the mysterious Saburo. He sounded pretty sheepish behind all that character building, but he also sounded adorable to you.

Saburo: [Oh! My name! My name is Choromatsu.]

Chapter Text

Choromatsu sat in the shared living room of the Matsuno household. His brothers had left him to go off and do various things, leaving him to his own devices. He sat down at the small wooden table in the center of the room and placed his trusty gaming laptop on the hard surface. Choromatsu was very protective of his new treasure; he had worked hard for it! He saved all of his allowance for months and even worked a few odd jobs here and there to earn the money. He tapped the power button as he began to plug in his mouse and set up his Nyaa-chan mouse pad that he bought so long ago and finally had use for.

The laptop came to life, illuminating his soft features in a blue glow. He swiftly typed in his password when prompted, waiting impatiently to get online to meet his friend. Last night he had finally learned her name! It was so shocking at first, thinking that someone as cool as her would even consider TALKING to him in the first place! He fawned over how great your RP skills were, how your art was gorgeous and how just fun you were to around. After your conversation last night, his mind began to wander about who you were behind your avatar. Would you ever reveal yourself from behind your computer screen? Would you ever meet, dare he say it, in real life?!

His desktop background was one you had drawn of your characters together. It was to commemorate a difficult quest you had done together one day. A solid twelve hours spent killing off massive hordes of orcs, bandits, rogues and the final boss of the dungeon: Krygar, the dark fire dragon. Scales made of dark charcoal and violets. His flames were a furious mix of dark reds and angry purples. He was a boss no low-levels should ever tackle, but with Ariella at his side, Choromatsu could fight anything! The two took down Krygar, got the rare treasures and loot and left that dungeon closer than ever. The rare weapon for this dungeon was a double-handed broad sword made from dragon scales and blessed with high priestess magic. Since neither of the two had classes that used such a treasure, Choromatsu kept it as a reminder of their adventure and a symbol of their friendship.

“Ahhhhh so lame!! Can’t believe I lost again!”
A voice shook Choromatsu from his fond memories

“Nii-san!! D-don’t scare me like that!” Choromatsu said, shaken from his daydreams. His felt his cheeks heat up as the red Matsu walk into the room, shoving his hands between his legs criss-crossed under the table like a dog hiding its tail between it’s legs. The red broter strolled over to the small table where his green-glad brother sat, arms placed in the front pouch of his favorite red hoodie.

“Sheesh Chorofappski, cool it. Nobody cares if you’re rubbing one out,” Osomatsu said, plopping down beside his brother.

“STOP CALLING ME THAT!” Choromatsu yelled, cheeks fully engulfed in red from the embarrassment of his brother.

“Hey who’s this chick?! Haha she’s super hot!” Osomatsu exclaimed rubbing his index finger under his nose.

“NII-SAN GET OUT OF HERE!!” The green Matsu yelled, shoving his brother by the shoulder to get him to leave.

“Seriously though, I would totally do her. Well, I would do any girl really…probably….hey can I do her? Are you having sex with her?”

“STOP IT NII-SAN!”

“Aw chill Cherrymatsu, I’m just teasing,” Osomatsu replied, flashing one of his signature grins. The red Matsu picked himself up off the floor and began to walk out of the room.

“I’ll leave you to your virtual girlfriend,” Osomatsu said, waving his hand as he left the shared room. Choromatsu let out a sigh of relief. He turned back to his laptop, letting his mind wander back to you

You roll over in your bed as sunlight filtered in through a small crack in the curtains, hitting you just right in the face. You grumble in annoyance, wanting to stay in your world of dreams longer. You were having a fantastic dream.

You were being yelled at by a swarm of angry customers in the store. They backed you into a corner, you were crying and shaking. The faces and voices began to mold into the shapes and sounds of monster. Vicious dark creatures that shadows blocked any redeeming features. You could only make out violent red eyes harboring hate and anger and growls that no longer sounded human. Just as you were about to be devoured, a light blasted from the door . You look up to see a figure standing in the doorway.

“S-saburo??” you say in shaky breathes as tears cloud your vision. Suave and cool, Saburo pushed his glasses so you saw more than just reflecting light. Green eyes beamed behind the glass, a small smile decorated his face while his cloak danced in the gentle breeze. He began to call out the names of spells, each hitting a beast with blasts of color and light.

“Lumus!” he cast his light spell, destroying the dark, shadowy beasts. They cried in pain as they faded. He would walk closer and closer as more beasts began to fade away. In no time at all, the beasts had faded into dark clouds of dust and vanished from the store. Saburo stood in front of you, holding out a gloved hand.

“My princess~” he said in a friendly, soft tone. He flashed a warm smile as you took his hand and pulled you to your feet. Tears streamed down your cheeks. He took his thumbed and wiped the tears away from your (e/c) eyes.

“You don’t have to cry anymore, my precious. There is nothing here that can harm you anymore,” he said pulling you into a gentle embrace. You wrap your warms tightly around him, not ever wanting to let go.

“T-thank you….” You said through shaky breaths.

“Don’t thank me my dear lady, I was doing what any noble hero would to do protect his princess,” he replied, stroking your (h/c) hair. You felt so safe in his arms, never wanting this moment to end.

You open your eyes and stare at your ceiling. The streams of light illuminate your bedroom walls just enough for you to make out where things were basically. You felt the familiar feeling of a light blush on your cheeks. Thinking of Saburo this way was a relatively new feeling for you. As your friendship grew with him, the more curious you got about the man behind the mage avatar. You’re conversation with him the night before had given to an idea, but somehow you wanted more as if just knowing his name wasn’t enough.

“Choromatsu…” you mutter softly to yourself. Even his real name is cute! You pull one of your pillows that was tossed astray from your sleep and bury your face in it. Thoughts begin to wander through your head.

Was he as handsome and cute as his avatar? What did his voice sound like? Was he Katfishing me? Wait he never said WHAT he looks like….

Suddenly a meow drags you from your thoughts.

Meoooooooooooow.

You pull the pillow from your face and sit up in bed. Panda sits there patiently, waiting for his breakfast.

“Hey buddy,” you say, patting a spot on the bed for him to move closer. Your loyal cat eagerly runs to meet our hand, rubbing his soft fur on your skin. His purrs warm your heart as you scoot out of bed and head to open the door to your bedroom. Walking through your bright apartment to the kitchen, Panda trails behind you meowing. You pause as you enter the kitchen, stretching your arms above your head and giving a large yawn. The clock on your microwave reads 11:27 am. You open a cabinet and grab the bag of cat food, scooping some out and into Panda’s bowl. He rushes to the bowl to eat his well-awaited meal. You smile and place the food back into the cabinet before digging around for your own breakfast.

A bit later you stumble into your computer room, munching on a pop tart. Panda follows you into the room only to jump on his cat tree to enjoy the sunlight from the window. Your computer was left on form the night before, but your Skype and steam accounts would say “offline”. Clicking on skype, you turn yourself to be online only to notice that none other than Choromatsu is online. Immediately he messages you.

Nyaachanfan: Hey (your name)!!

You blush. He remembered your name! You eagerly type back.

(your skype name): Hey Choromatsu! How are you?

Nyaachanfan: Y-you remembered my name! Ahh so cool (your name)-chan!!

(your skype name): Uwaah Choro-san, I am not cool. I am just your everyday average girl who plays video games and talks to randos online ;)

Nyaachanfan: I-I am NOT a rando!! We have a good thing going here!!!

You liked to imagine a very flustered man sitting behind his computer with the reddest face, and in truth, that is what was happening. Choromatsu had a furious blush growing on his cheeks as he typed back to your replies.

(your skype name): Hahaha relax, I’m only teasing you

Nyaachanfan: I-I knew that!! ^^”

Choromatsu readjusted himself on the floor after having a small panic attack. He had grown very fond of your friendship these past few months, especially since it was a way to escape his brothers. He looked forward to your daily conversations and since telling each other your names, he felt you guys were even closer than you were before!

(your skype name): Oi, Choro-san! Are we going questing again today?

Nyaachanfan: Yeah! Let me boot up the game!

You minimize your skype tab and load up Phantasies of Reverie. It felt good to have an online friend like Choromatsu to escape your reality, especially when playing a fantasy role-playing game. Immediately loading your character you meet Saburo in the village you guys left off at last night. You pull on your trusty gaming headphones and begin your day’s adventure.

Ariella: Ahhh my good sir Saburo! That quest was refreshing!

Saburo: My fair lady, Ariella, I happen to agree. We have been working hard to rid this land of dangerous beings. It’s quite refreshing to do a simple task every now and then!

Both your avatars sat in the town square on the fountain’s ledge, relaxing and healing after a few rounds of easy questing. It was good to do the easier quests now and then, even if just for the novelty of getting experience points and easy loot. You had plenty of items you could sell for good gold in your inventory now!

Saburo: [Hey (your name)-chan?]

Ariella: [Yes Choro-san?]

Saburo: […….]

Ariella: [Do you need something?]

Saburo: [W-would you….would you ever want to voice chat??]

A blush dusted your cheeks. Voice chat! He asked to talk to you over mic!!

Ariella: [Yeah! Totally!]

Ariella: [Not today though, I actually have some stuff to do around here]

Saburo: [Y-yeah! Someday soon!]

Ariella: [Yes, someday soon.]

You finish folding a pile of clean clothes only to have your cat migrate to your laundry basket to sleep on your warm clothes. You laugh.

“Panda!! Not everything in this place is a bed!” You say, picking up the cat and placing him back on the floor. Panda meows back in mild annoyance only to roll over on his back for belly rubs.

“Sorry buddy, gotta finish these chores first,” you say as you get to your feet and retrieve your laundry before your cat decides it would be his bed again. You head to your bedroom and begin putting away garments in various drawers, hanging up the stuff that needed to be in your closet. You hear the sound of a phone vibrating against a table and go to retrieve your phone on your nightstand. It was a text message from one of your good friends.
Haruka: Hey shut-in! When are we going to hang out again?!

You give a small smirk. Haruka had been a friend from high school, and despite you guys going off to different colleges, you never stopped being friends. She had moved to Tokyo around the same time you did and you both hung out often. Well, not often enough for her.

You: How about tonight? Meet me for dinner? I’m too lazy to cook.

It took her five seconds to reply, she always did.

Haruka: Sure! Meet me at Toki Underground at 7??

You: Sounds like a plan, Sam!!

Haruka: Can’t wait!!

You place your phone on nightstand and glance at the time. 5:34 pm, plenty of time to shower and change clothes! You make a break for the bathroom.

Choromatsu sat around the shared dining room table with his brothers, eating dinner and talking about their day. Todomatsu had gone off on some rant about how his favorite store didn’t have the “super cute” top he wanted after he had finally gotten the money to purchase the thing. Karamatsu had tried to talk only to be cut off by Osomatsu asking for various things to dump on his rice. It was times like this that Choromatsu’s thoughts drifted back to you. You agreed to voice chat with him soon, which meant taking a bigger step into each other’s personal lives. She had opened the door and Choromatsu wasn’t going to let it close without him on the other side.

“OI FAPPYMATSU!” Osomatsu called from across the table.

“STOP CALLING ME THAT SHITTYMATSU-NII-SAN!”

“Would you please, ever so kindly, pass me the ladle?” Osomatsu said, adding extra sugar to his voice just to irritate the third born. Choromatsu passed him the ladle, shooting him an annoyed look.

“Thank you Chorofappski~” The red matsu replied. Choromatsu let his thoughts drift once again as the idle conversation returned to the table. What kind of person were you outside of the fantasy realm you both escaped to. What did your voice sound like? Was it cute like Nyaa-chan’s?

“My dear brother Choromatsu…” Once again, a voice rattles him from his thoughts.

“What Karamatsu?”

“Could you pass me the soy sauce, my dear bruzza?” Begrudgingly, Choromatsu hands him the small bottle.

“Ah, thank you my dear brother! Your kindness and generosity will bequeath us all!” Karamatsu replies. Back to his thoughts, Choromatsu wanders back to you. He’s filled with excitement at getting to talk to you over mic! He wonders if someday you could even meet in real…

“Choromatsu.”

“WHAT ICHIMATSU! WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT??”

The purple-clad brother shifted next to him to look at his brother.

“Who’s (your name)?”

Chapter Text

   With autumn just around the corner, the sun gradually started to set earlier and earlier in preparation for the longer, colder nights ahead. You exit your apartment, locking the door behind you as you step into the dimly lit hallway. You make your way to the exit of the building, waving hi to a neighbor as you walk past. She gives a small smile back, struggling to balance the wiggling child in her arms and find her keys to open the door to their home.

   You push open the door to the streets, fishing out your phone and plugging in a pair of earphones. You loved listening to music on your walks to anywhere, clicking the media player button on the phone’s touchscreen you hit shuffle and begin to walk to your meeting spot. The streetlights flickered to life as the sun began to fade behind the horizon of tall city buildings. People begin to rush home from a long day’s work, scattering in random directions or ducking into apartment complexes or markets to grab some dinner. You find yourself walking to the beat of the song playing, swinging your arms happily as you went.

After a twenty-minute walk, you spot Toki Underground across the street. The florescent sign of your favorite ramen shop buzzed to life, giving a short flicker as it awakened. You pull out your phone and check the time. 6: 47 pm, you still had some time before Haruka showed up. You lean up against the building and close your eyes, getting lost in the music. The song ends and the chords of an acoustic guitar cue up in its place, the telltale sign of a romance song beginning. Your mind starts to drift with the lyrics.

There I was again tonight, forcing laughter, faking smiles, same old tired lonely place

You started to imagine you meeting Choromatsu for the first time.

Walls of insincerity, shifting eyes and vacancy vanished when I saw your face

All I can say, it as enchanting to meet you

You feel a blush paint your cheeks. It’s like a scene from a movie: the charming prince, Choromatsu, taking your hand to dance in a garden. He gives you a soft smile, pulling you close. Your eyes sparkle as he leads you around in a small circle, bodies rocking back and forth to the rhythm of the song.

This night is sparkling, don’t you let it go

I’m wonderstruck, blushing all the way home

I’ll spend forever wondering if you knew

I was enchanted to meet you

     You were so lost in your fantasy that you barely felt your body being shaken by your friend. Your eyes shoot open in surprise, yanking your headphones out and suppressing a yelp of surprise. Haruka giggles beside you.

   “Jeez, (name)!! Getting lost in the groove much??” she laughs, you feel your face heat up in sheer embarrassment. You try to speak, but words keep getting caught in your throat. She takes your hand in her’s and leads you into the restaurant. The hostess greets you with a small smile, welcoming you to the place. Haru says table for two as the hostess collects two menus and leads you to a table. Toki Underground is a dimly lit ramen bar, with an atmosphere one might describe as “urban”. The ramen bar is filled with salary men and women munching quietly at their ramen, looking at their phones to check e-mails or answers texts. A table near the center is filled with high school girls laughing, showing each other funny texts or pictures. A small radio plays some of today’s hits through a speaker. The hostess shows you your tablet and the two of you sit, she wishes you a good meal and dismisses herself. You glance at your menu, debating between miso ramen or chicken. Haruka slams her menu on the tablet.

   “So, (name)! How have you been?” she asks.

   “Oh you know, same old same old.” You reply, still debating on your ramen choice.

   “Pfft oh sure! Any cute boys in your life? See any potential suitors at work?” Your cheeks flare up again at the mention of boys. Choromatsu had been on your mind nonstop lately, your crush was growing rapidly into a strong desire and you didn’t even know what the kid’s real name was until last night! Haru definatly saw this and gave a Cheshire cat-like smirk.

“Soooooo, who’s the boy toy?” she asks, placing her elbows on the tablet and placing her head on her hands. She looks like an evil queen about to give punishment to a disobedient servant. You were about to fluff her off when your waiter arrived to ask for your drink orders. She mouths to you this isn’t over and gives him her order. He leaves after taking your food and drink orders and you quickly change the subject before she can bring Choromatsu up again.

   Choromatsu practically drops his bowl of food, he watches his brothers pause in mid-chew and all eyes are on him. He begins to feel sweat form on his brow, his face becoming more and more red. He swallows his food, trying to find the words to say.

   “I-I don’t know w-what you’re t-talking about, Ichimatsu!” he chokes out, stuttering and clearly panicking.

   “Yes you do. I read your computer,” Ichimatsu replies coolly.

    “YOU READ MY PERSONAL COMPUTER??”

   “I wanted to look at pictures of cats and you left your skype chat up. You two seem….intimate,” Choromatsu felt his heart stop in his chest. He couldn’t breathe. Osomatsu barked out a laugh, spatting rice everywhere.

“Hahaha Fappymatsu has an online girlfriend! That’s hilarious!”

“Couldn’t get even an otaku nerd like you to date you? So sad!” Todomatsu said, giggling along with his older brother.

“Heh, I for one thinks it’s great our brother even found love,” Karamatsu said, gearing up for a monologue.

“Nobody gives a shit about your opinion, Kusomatsu!” Ichimatsu snapped, Jyushimatsu joining in the banter as well.

“HA HA Choromatsu has an imaginary girlfriend!” Choromatsu’s face was beat red, he silently prayed the demons of Bosdore would end his life right here and now. He got up silently, placing the rest of his meal on the table and left the room as his brothers continued their teasing and laughing. He headed upstairs and pulled out his laptop, turning the machine on. If he couldn’t finish his dinner in peace, maybe he could level grind until (name) came back online.

You sneeze into your sleeve as you and Haruka leave the restaurant.

“He he he, someone’s talking about youuuuuu,” she muses with a sly grin. You were beginning to get sick of her coy attitude.

“Yeah, it’s you,” you comment, rubbing your nose with a tissue she hands you from her purse.

“Wanna come back to my apartment for a bit? I’ll make us tea and we can watch something on Netflix?” she asks. You did miss all those nights during high school where you’d have sleepovers and binge through seasons of anime, Project Runway and whatever movies suite your fancies.

“Sure, I need to catch up on Ru Paul’s Drag Race. I’m a couple seasons behind.” You say. She stands there in shock.

“Girl! We gotta get you caught up!” she grabs your hand and drags you towards her apartment.

After a long night of hanging out with Haruka, you began to feel your introverted side take over and you were in despite need of alone time. You wished Haruka a good night, promising to see her again soon and darted out of the apartment and back to the safety of your cozy apartment and feline friend. Walking briskly back to your place, your thoughts begin to wander in you head back to Choromatsu. You wondered if he had been online waiting for you this entire time, but you doubted that highly. The cold night air chills you to the bone and you begin to pick up the pace.

Upon reaching your apartment, you dig through your pockets trying to find your keys to open your sanctuary. The familiar jingle from your hoodie pocket eases your heart and you pull your keys out quickly, jamming them into the lock and opening the door. You never liked being alone a night, the overactive imagination you were cursed with always made you jumpy. Your brain tricking you into thinking you were being followed or stalked by something hidden in the shadows. You flicker on the lights in the entryway and close the door, feeling safe inside at last, Panda dashes to the door to greet you.

“Meeeooooooowwwwwwww,”

“Hey buddy, how was your evening?”

“Meow meow!”

“You hungry? You want some dinner?” Panda rubs his body around your legs and you can’t help but smile.

“Ok pal, let’s get you some food!”

You wander into the kitchen, flicking on the lights and digging in the cabinets for cat food. Panda sits by his food dish, awaiting his meal. You find the bag of food and scoop some into his bowl; Panda digs in immediately as you close the bag. You smile as your feline friend enjoys his meal, wandering to your fridge to get yourself a snack and beverage. You glance at the time, determining if you have enough time to fit in a quest with Choro and get some sleep before work tomorrow. Grabbing your food, you head over to your computer room and begin your descent into your virtual paradise.

Your computer comes to life after you hit the power button. You type in your password and watch as Skype boots up immediately. You notice a chat notification from Choromatsu comes up right as your status goes to “online”. You scroll over and click on the notification just as your cat jumps onto the desk, slamming some of the keys on the keyboard.

“Panda, seriously. I love you but please don’t slam my keyboard…” you scoop the cat off the desk and place him back onto the floor. Suddenly you hear the telltale sign of a call on Skype being answered and notice the green glow of your webcam on. A choking voice comes from your speakers.

“Y-you’re so pretty….”

Oh shit!

Chapter Text

     Shit.

   Shit.

   SHIT.

   You slowly turn to your skype screen with the camera activated. Your heart drops into your stomach like a rock. You come face to face with the man you have been playing online with, the guy you secretly had developed a crush on over the past few months!! You turn fully to the screen to get a better view of him. His hair was black and styled in a neat bowl-cut. His eyes are a warm brown, skin fair; a bright flush of pink decorates his cheeks. He wears a green hoodie with a green crest in the center, hand between his legs as he stares back at you open-mouthed.

“H-hi…” you stutter. Panda sits on the windowsill and gives a friendly meow; you silently ponder whether to murder your cat now or later.

“I’m sorry, this wasn’t supposed to happen. My cat can be a brat and-“

“No! No! It’s ok! I’m glad this happened!” Choromatsu says frantically.

“Umm well….this is my face.”

“This is also my face…”

There was an awkward pause, the two of you sitting there and looking at each other. Eventually you erupt into laughter on both ends.

“I’m sorry this is so awkward!” you apologize.

“No don’t be! I’ve never had an online friend anymore, and it’s not like this was planned!”

“I’m sorry about my cat! He’s such a punk!”

“Honestly I should thank him, because I got to see how pretty you are!” You blush at his compliment and he starts to panic again.

“FOOT IN MOUTH!” he yelps and you can’t help but laugh. He was an adorable, awkward mess but you were having fun! It wasn’t the voice chat you planned but seeing Choromatsu as a real human was so surreal. Here was the man behind the avatar, the man you had a crush on.

   The two of you talk for quite a while about random subjects, feeling more and more connected by the end of your skype session. It was around one am when a voice calls to Choromatsu to “log the fuck off his shitty laptop and go to bed”. Choromatsu apologizes for the profanity.

   “C-can we do this again? Soon?” he asks timidly.

   “Sure! How about tomorrow night? I get off work around two pm soooo after that?”

   “Y-yes! Yes! Please! I really enjoyed talking to you!”

   “Same! I really liked talking to you too! You’re super fun!”

   “R-really? Thank you! Thank you for being my friend, (name)-chan!”

   “Good night, Choromatsu!”

   “Good night, (name)-chan!”

     And the screen goes dark. The call ends and the camera closes, you sit by your computer still in shock. You just sat face to face with the man you had been crushing on for the past few months. You bury your face in your hands and let out a loud squeal of pent-up excitement, kicking your legs rapidly. You’ll have to remember to buy Panda a special treat tomorrow.

Choromatsu laid on the futon he shares with his brothers, heart pounding in his chest. He’s on Cloud Nine! He was so excited you guys had met tonight, even if it was the mistake of a tricky cat. He would have to reward the cat if he ever met it in person. He closes his eyes, thinking about how beautiful you were.

   “Oh, (name)-chan! I’m so happy we got to meet tonight! Even if it was just a webcam, I was so happy to meet you!” he thought to himself. While his mind was consumed with thoughts of you, a hand landed across his chest. Choromatsu opens his eyes to see Osomatsu’s arm lying across his chest, snoring away. He pushes his annoying brother off him upset he disrupted his thoughts. Oh well, he would try and get some sleep at least.

The next morning your walk to work is filled with excitement. You left early enough and decide to stop for a cup of coffee on your way in. You stroll into a place called Sutubaa, a chain coffee house but they had good roasts. The line is a little long, but you’re early enough that it doesn’t bother you. You think back to last night and how happy it had made you to see Choromatsu. Your mind drifts off into daydreams and you barely hear the barista call to you.

   “Miss? I can take your order!” he calls. You snap out of your thoughts and approach he counter, looking up at the menu to order.

“I’ll have a (favorite drink) medium, to go please.”

   “Ok! That’ll be 450 yen please!”

   You dig around your bag until you find your wallet, digging it out you pay the barista. You look up at him and nearly choke on air. He looks exactly like Choromatsu. Is this Choromatsu?!

“Name for your drink?” he says in a light voice, giving you a warm smile.

   “C-choromatsu?” you ask. The barista falters, causing the marker to drag across the cup. He coughs before recomposing himself.

“No, I’m not Choromatsu. I’m Todomatsu, his brother.”

   “O-oh….” You say feeling embarrassed. He takes your name and you wait by the counter for your drink. The barista Todomatsu calls your name.

   “(name)!”

You walk over and take the drink, thanking Todomatsu and leaving the facility. You take a sip of your drink, thinking to yourself. Choromatsu told you he had brothers, but he didn’t mention they were identical. You push it to the back of your mind as you enter the store to start your shift.

Your shift flies by uneventful, and eventually it ends. You leave the shop and head home, walking the same route you did earlier. Your lost in thought when you hear a voice call your name.

“(name)-chan!!”

You turn your head to see Todomatsu from earlier running to you. He waves his hand in greeting, giving you a warm smile.

“What luck running into you again! Now we can chat!”

   “Chat? With me?”

   “Yes! Come on, I know a place we can talk!” Todomatsu leads you to a small café about a block away from Sutubaa. It was a small place, but very modern. He takes you to a table near the back and offers to buy you a drink. You don’t take the offer, but simply ask for a glass of water while he orders something. Once he returns, he sits across from you.

“So, how do you know my brother?” he asks, taking a sip of his latte.

“We met online, we are friends.”

   “Oh! I knew your name sounded familiar!” he giggles. You give him a questioning look.

“Another brother of ours, Ichimatsu Nii-san, went on Choromatsu Nii-san’s laptop and saw he was talking to you on skype.” He explained. You nod, taking a small sip of water.

“I’m surprised a girl as cute as you talks to my idol otaku brother.”

   “I think it’s cute he likes that Nyaa-chan idol, it’s good to be passionate about stuff.” You confess. Todomatsu eyes you curiously, taking another swig of his latte. You guys chat for a while before confessing you had to head home to make dinner. He hands you a slip of paper.

“It’s my number in case you ever want to meet up again! It was nice meeting you!” Todomatsu says, waving goodbye as you head back to your apartment. You dig out your keys from your bag and open the door, Panda greeting you with meows and rubbing his head against your leg.

“Hey buddy.” You scoop the cat up into your arms and he mews in your arms. You walk into the kitchen, placing Panda on the floor. You place your bag on the chair and head to your computer room, sitting down in the chair and turning your computer and monitor on. You spin around thinking of what to make for dinner as your computer boots up. Finally it loads as you impatiently type in your password and wait for skype to load. You hope Choromatsu is online.

   Choromatsu immediately messages you when he sees you’re online. He calls you immediately and you answer.

“H-hey (Name)-chan!!”

“Hey Choromatsu!”

“S-sorry was this really pushing it?”

“Nope! I was looking forward to skyping you all day!”

   The two of you talk for a while until you realize it’s starting to get late and you need dinner. You say good-bye to Choromatsu for now, promising to play PoR later. Right now your quest for dinner was highly ranked.

   Choromatsu sat around the dinner table with his brothers, all of them quietly eating their meals. Choromatsu couldn’t wait to play more PoR tonight with you so he wanted to eat as quickly as possible.

   “Oh Choromatsu Nii-san,” Todomatsu spoke up.

   “Yes Totty?”

   “I met your friend (name)-chan today!”

   Choromatsu nearly choked on his food for the second time that week.