𝕵𝖊𝖆𝖑𝖔𝖚𝖘𝖞 𝕲𝖆𝖒𝖊 | 𝕮𝖍𝖔𝖘𝖔 𝖝 𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖊𝖗 |

Chapter 11 | Steady Confliction

Against his better judgement, Gojo took off after you shortly after realizing just where you were headed. He stumbled at the turn of the sidewalk to see you comfortably in Choso's arms with your lips interlocked. 

The vision of you the first night he caught you with him struck him hard in this moment. But the only difference now was that there was an inkling of genuine attraction residing within him. Still, it was more his ego that was hurt rather than his feelings. It looked to him that you chose someone else. And for someone like Gojo, that type of occurrence is very rare.

As the two of you pull away from your kiss, Choso's entire demeanor changes as soon as he catches sight of his least favorite person stomping up the steps. 

"This is where you ran off to?" Gojo states slightly exasperated. 

You turn on your heel to see Gojo with his hand placed on his hip. 

"I gotta hand it to you, Y/N." Gojo says between heavy breaths, inching closer to you. "This is a page right out of my book." He remarks, reaching forward and curling a strand of your hair around his finger as he towers over you. Your cheeks redden at his proximity. 

"That isn't something to brag about." Choso interrupts through a clenched jaw, immediately slapping Gojo's hand away and stepping in between the two of you. 

"C'mon, Choso." Gojo purrs at him arrogantly, placing a hand firmly on Choso's shoulder as if to taunt him. "You should know your place by now." Taking advantage of his tall stature, he bends his head down to look Choso directly in the eye. Despite Gojo's flaming ego, Choso seems unfazed, keeping his cool.

"Mhm." Choso responds, swiftly brushing Gojo's hand off his shoulder. He crosses his arms with a curt nod of his head. "Closer to her than you'll ever be." Choso raises an eyebrows at Gojo defiantly trying to strike a nerve.

"Don't forget who was here first." Gojo states through gritted teeth.

"And who got there faster, hm?" The corner of Choso's lip curls in yet another smug smirk, proving to Gojo that he doesn't scare so easily. "You're an arrogant bastard. First place ain't shit." 

Gojo's brow twitches at his incessant defiance but he still stands his ground against Choso. 

"You're just a piece in her little puzzle, friend." Gojo replicates his smirk, wearing it with unbreaking pride. "She'll always come running back to me."

Gojo's statement reveals his understanding of your long held feelings, causing you to feel helpless. He had you wrapped around his finger the whole time, and he liked it. Choso takes a deep breath as he slowly sucks at his teeth. He shakes his head and brings his lips towards Gojo's ear.

"I knew I smelled another woman on you the night that you showed up unannounced." Choso whispers with a sly chuckle. "Just like I do now."

Choso backs away allowing his words to sink in, his glare unwavering. He looks over his shoulder at you, secretly hoping you heard his exposition of Gojo's true self. As his words register, your helpless gaze turns into a piercing glare. Despite discovering your newfound feelings for Choso, tears still well in your eyes as you reflect on the conversation the two of you had earlier. 

"Get the fuck out, Gojo." You hiss at him through gritted teeth. 

Suddenly, Gojo's facial expression shifts. You could see his ego crumbling right before your eyes, a refreshing sight in the heat of your anger. 

"You'll come back sooner or later." He feigns a smile and turns on his heel. "You always do." 

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In the process of cooling down your burning emotions, you head into your apartment as soon as Gojo left the complex. Choso knew it was best to leave you to think on your own for the time being. But he couldn't help but feel at fault for that argument.

While you sit on the couch with your head in your hands, Choso sits outside your door with his back against the wall. The both of you deep in thought. Little to your knowledge, he's been patiently waiting for a conversation for an hour now. The sun has nearly set behind the hills. Choso sighs as he hears your cries start to lessen. You've run out of frustrated tears to cry. 

Silence fills the air. Your cries have ceased. Choso lifts his head to see you coming out of your apartment. You plop down next to him, crossing your legs. 

"Cigarette?" You ask, your voice hoarse.

Without an objection, Choso slides one out of the pack and hands it to you. He reaches back into his pocket for his lighter. You look up at him as you hold the cigarette between your lips. Your eyes meet as he lights the end. The puffy, redness of your eyes causes him to frown with sympathy. 

"I'm sorry, Y/N." He whispers, putting his lighter away. 

For a moment, you don't have anything to say in response. Instead, you take a long drag of the cigarette, hoping it'll take the edge off of your distraught nerves. 

You slowly exhale the smoke and relax your shoulders.

"Who was that woman earlier?" You ask, looking up at the shining stars that dot the night sky.

Choso heaves a sigh. "A friend."

"A friend like you are to me? Or a friend." You ask, wanting to clear the air about what you saw earlier, and especially not wanting to be led on now that your feelings are out in the open.

"Just a friend, Y/N." He reassures you quietly. "I promise."

He looks over at you searching for your gaze as you take another hit of the cigarette. Unable to face one by yourself, you offer it back to him. He smiles light-heartedly and takes it from you, puffing on it for himself. 

"What'd you guys talk about?" Choso asks softly, tracing your eyes to look up at the sky with you. 

"He asked me to be his girlfriend." You admit with an embarrassed shake of your head, clearing your throat. You prop your arms on your knees and rest the side of your head on your forearms, looking up at Choso to see his face. 

He simply nods, taking in the information for himself. He knows how you answered the question. You ran off and came to find him. The thought of that brings an understanding smile to his face. Though it might not be best to bring up now, he's happy that you ran to him. 

"If I asked you the same question..." He says, turning his head towards you. "Would you run to him instead?"

You sigh and consider his weighted question for a moment. 

"You know how I feel about him, Choso." Your voice trails off as you look down at the floor. "But no, I wouldn't run to him."

Though it may not have sounded like it to you, it was a good enough answer for him, despite being turned down for the time being. If you were to pursue a genuine relationship with him, you wouldn't want to be with him knowing that your mind is half out the door. And it seems that Choso's mature enough to understand that. A luxury you wouldn't have gotten with Gojo, despite his own whorish tendencies. 

"When your days of waiting for that jackass are over." He says, taking one last hit of his cigarette before putting it out underneath his shoe. "I'll be right here."