After working overtime at her corporate job, Y/N goes to the gym at 2 am and runs into a man named Choso, who just moved into town with his brother Yuji.
Y/N X Choso - Slow Burn... for now. ;)
Story Cover by @ryucloudx on Twitter
I will try to p...
Choso and you walk up to the counter at the cafe. It's a small local joint but the quality drinks they serve are top-tier. The cafe itself was empty except for the one employee who was working behind the counter. The time was 3:30 A.M.
"What would you like? It's my treat," you say, staring up at Choso.
"I'll get whatever you're having." He says.
You can't tell if it's simply because he's uninterested or the complete opposite.
"Are you sure?" You say and chuckle slightly "You might not like it."
He nods and gives a slight smile. You look at the barista and order two medium, hot, green tea matcha lattes. Once you've paid, you walk over to a small table over by the window while you wait for your drinks to be made. You already know that you're going to have to be the conversation starter...
"Sooo... What brings you to the gym at 2 A.M on a Wednesday?"
"It's quiet and there's usually not a lot of people."
Off to a great start... Maybe this guy is all looks and no personality. A lot of looks though... Shut up. What are you thinking? But then he spoke:
"And you?"
"Hm? Oh? What was I doing at the gym? Oh, haha. My manager had me work overtime and I didn't think I'd be able to go home and fall asleep after working straight for almost 17 hours."
He chuckled softly. "Sleep seems like something that would come easily after such a long day."
Just then, the barista called for our drinks. Choso got up and said he would grab them. Was that a genuine chuckle? Maybe the man is capable of expressing emotions (of course he is. What are you thinking. He's not a robot.) But also, you shouldn't be diving into your stressful work life with a man you just met. So you should try to pivot the conversation once he comes back.
Choso sat back down and handed you your drink. You nodded with appreciation and decided to ask another question to avoid being asked about your work life again. You take a sip of the tea and start speaking.
"So, I guess since you typically go to this gym this late, that's the reason I haven't crossed paths with you before?"
He shook his head. "My brother and I moved here only two months ago, so I've only been a member at the gym for about a month."
Perfect conversation pivot! "Oh! What brings you here if you don't mind me asking?"
He shook his head slightly "It's a bit complicated so I won't get into it much but it can mostly be summed up as 'family drama'. All in all, I wanted to leave and find my purpose, and when Yuji, my youngest brother, begged me to bring him along, we settled on a good place where he could go to college."
A smile grew on his face when he spoke about his brother. Without saying it, you could tell that Yuji meant a lot to Choso.
"Wow. He must be a lot younger than you." You spoke without thinking.
"Do I look that old to you?" His eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed.
"Uh- oh. Ah! No, I mean! I guess people can start college at any age, I just assumed because I'm 24 and you look a few years older than me-"
I stopped because I was caught off guard by the chuckle that one could almost call a laugh that protruded out of Choso's mouth. He covered his mouth with his fist and looked out the window that we sat next to, not that he could see anything. It was pitch black outside.
"You're right." He stated. "We are nine years apart. He's 18. I'm 27."
"Well. I'm sure he really appreciates you." You rub the back of your neck. You probably shouldn't have said the previous comment but it looked like he took it well and was just teasing you about calling him old.
"Thank you." He states.
"Well. Do you like your matcha?" You question.
"Taste like grass."
"Great."
You let out an unconscious yawn as a wave of tiredness washes over you. You tap on your phone and look at the clock. 4 A.M.
"Fuck. I really need to get back home. My alarm goes off at 8 A.M"
"Your manager didn't have the balls to give you today off?" Choso questions.
"Nope." You roll your eyes.
"Lame. Welp. My alarm goes off at 7 so I guess we are in the same boat hmm?" He also looks at his phone and seems a little off-put by how late it has gotten.
"You have work today?!" Is this guy okay? You only begin to notice the dark bags under his eyes. Does he sleep?
You stand up from the table and give a little wave.
"Well. It was great meeting you Choso!" You flash a smile at him and walk out of the cafe.
It wasn't until you got into your car and buckled your seatbelt that you questioned "Should I have asked for his number?"
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(**Alt AU where Choso is a barista hehe. 😜 Not in this AU however! Hope you enjoyed it!**)
