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Failure was something unfamiliar to Naoya.
That is until last year.
First his father wrote him out of his will, then some Kamo bastard beat his ass, his cousins rebelled against him and forced him to work as a sorcerer like some loser, and now a curse managed to sneak up on him!
He couldn't believe it, was he cursed when his dad died?
How come everything was falling apart in his hands?
Or rather paws...
Because Naoya Zenin now had paws. Four of them. He was painfully aware he also had a tail, but to save his sanity he decided not to look.
What he was also painfully aware of was that if he doesn't do anything soon, he will most likely lose his family jewels.
"-so, as you can see, it might look cute but it definitely is my asshole cousin" Maki said with a stoic tone of voice, as Naoya just kept staring at the ground in shame boredom. His ears, now big triangular fluffy things, way too sensitive compared to his normal ones, picked up that the chuckles above him belonged to Satoru and Shoko. He hated that Satoru saw him in this pathetic state. And he didn't trust Shoko at all. He was sure the second she gets her hands on him, he will end up getting a vivisection.
"Hahahah! I can't believe that he turned into something so adorable! Just look at him! Looks nothing like Naoya!" Gojo finally laughed instead of holding in his chuckles.
"I wouldn't believe either if I didn't see it. Turned into that in front of me, I got too distracted saving him to catch the curse" sure, 'saving him'. She was too busy laughing! It was already embarrassing enough to need rescue from his younger cousin but to get laughed at during that?! He will never live this down...
"Ohhh I can imagine you did your best to help the little guy" Shoko hummed with amusement.
"Of course, I took pictures of him trying to free himself from his clothes, look" ah amazing, he knew he heard something when he was struggling to escape his dress shirt... It was so confusing, suddenly having his body transform into unknown shape, with his own clothes falling on him, he ended up stuck in his sleeve as he tried to get out from underneath them and Maki was taking pictures. He heard the three humans in the room laugh more as they watched said photos. It was clear nobody here was going to help him get his body back. They were going to mock him, or judging by what Maki was saying during their ride here, castrate him.
He had to use this distraction to make his escape. The second Maki's hold on him loosened, he bolted out of the room. It was extremely confusing to use his technique in this tiny furry body, but it worked. He hit a wall during his escape, but it didn't matter, he was free!
"Awh come on, come back! Nyaoya!" he ignored the mocking laughter of his former friend and ran further down the corridor. He knew Satoru could find him in seconds but he also knew it was not worth the effort. Ever since Gojo took over the position as the headmaster it was a blessing if he found even two minutes of free time, he won't be running around the school looking for a cat. And Naoya didn't need his help anyway. Everyone knew that effects like these wear out after few days. Or when the curse is killed, whichever happens faster. Everyone knew this, because the curse that hit him was of a low grade... And yet Naoya lost to it... He needed to crawl into some hole to lick his wounds till this humiliation stops bothering him.
He couldn't believe that Maki managed to distract him that much that he didn't notice a stupid little curse advancing on him. It would be less embarrassing to say that he got distracted by a cloud.
He shook the memory out of his head and focused on searching for a good spot to hide in for few days. Going outside of the school building could be dangerous, or more importantly, inconvenient. As long as he was inside, he could grab food from the cafeteria and he didn't have to worry about the weather. He just had to make sure not to bump into anyone during his stay here. The humiliation in Shoko's office was enough, he will not risk any annoying children picking him up by mistake. That's why he was now here. In a clearly unoccupied room. There was lots of them in this building so it wasn't hard to find, opening the doors was a bit tricky but since they weren't locked, few jumps did the trick.
Small room with a connected bathroom, bed, window, desk and wardrobe. Everything so painfully empty and without personality that Naoya felt completely at ease making himself home. He jumped on the bed and made himself comfortable on the pillow. He refrained from making biscuits on it, even though his whole body was just itching to do it... But no. He will not stoop so low. He had some pride left. He was so tired from this whole day that he just closed his eyes and fell asleep, hoping to wake up in a better mood. Was he not so busy fighting his biscuit making instincts, he might have noticed that the pillow didn't just smell like fresh laundry but also had a strangely irony scent to it. And maybe if he wasn't so short he would notice the strange jars standing on the windowsill. But as it was, he noticed nothing and just went to sleep.
He got woken up some time later by the doors opening, his fur standing on attention as he instinctively struck a battle ready pose, which in his cat body meant staying low to the ground with his ears moved back and observing the intruder that dared to enter his room.
Intruder entered without even noticing him, walked up to the wardrobe and took some stuff from there. Naoya really should've checked the place more thoroughly before staying here... He should've noticed that the boring room had to belong to that equally boring man he fought in the past. He watched attentively as said man took a clean towel and without acknowledging the cat in the room, left for the bathroom. The sound of water running made it clear that Naoya had more than enough time to get up from the bed and leave. That's what he should do. That was the whole idea. Find an empty room and relax there until you go back to being human.
But he couldn't.
Seeing Choso ignore him made him so angry he decided that he won't give up on this room. No way in hell will that half curse win again. It was embarrassing enough that the one time they fought he ended up on his knees puking up blood. And then the curse dared not to remeber his name when they met again! Well, Naoya never properly introduced himself to him, but it was still annoying to hear 'ah yeah, you're that blondie' in that disinterest tone. It was almost as if Naoya meant nothing to him. And now he didn't even notice Naoya sprawled on his bed! Sure, he was now a lot smaller, but his fur was a very visible shade of orange and yet this dumb blood user didn't notice him!
It was frustrating him too much... He could hear Maki's words from this afternoon again 'Gojo asked Choso out again'.
It wasn't Naoya's fault for getting so distracted that he lost his footing and got hit by the cursed spirit. Anyone would be shocked! What do you mean asked him out? Again? Did he succeed?!
It wasn't Naoya's fault for being a gossip. And that all it was.
And now he got annoyed thinking about it again. He will not abandon this room. Choso will have to leave. Naoya stays right here.
It didn't take long before the doors to the bathroom opened and the half curse entered the bedroom again, clueless to the battle he was going to soon face. Naoya observed his enemy, just because it was smart to do so before a fight. The way the blue kimono clinged to Choso's freshly washed skin made it clear that he didn't have any hidden weapons. Sure, Choso could harden his blood and make a weapon, but it was still important to check. That's why Naoya was observing him so closely... The way droplets of water fell from his damp hair... That was important intel! Afterall, blood manipulation doesn't work well with water, so Choso was definitely on a disadvantage here! Good for Naoya!
Additionally, the half curse was clearly daydreaming, because he still didn't notice the very obvious cat on his bed. It was almost cute at first to see that serious man so defenceless but when he sat down on the bed and still didn't notice him, Naoya had enough and decided to speak up.
"Hey idiot"
Was what he wanted to say, but what came out instead was:
"Meow"
This finally got the other man's attention. Dark eyes moved to meet his and something unthinkable happened. The half curse jumped in shock, his eyes wide as he almost teleported to the other side of the bed.
What was that about?!
Naoya blinked in confusion. He assumed it could be surprising to suddenly see a cat in a room you thought was empty but why was Choso still looking so... scared? Was it possible that Naoya was turned into a scary cat? No way, Gojo called him cute. He had to look like a normal cute cat. So why the hell was this guy acting weird? "Meow?" he asked and took few steps forward to test something, only for Choso to stand up and quickly move away. Naoya froze mid step now sure of his theory.
Choso was scared of cats.
He never saw anyone who would be scared of cats, but people had weird phobias. And this guy definitely had some sort of cat phobia. Why else would he avoid him like that? He smirked in triumph and sat back down, now knowing he not only won the battle for this room, but also found out Choso's weakness. It was thrilling to see that usually composed man act so childish, basically hiding behind a bed frame. Naoya had to memorise this scene. Finally he had a good reason to feel superior again. For months it was eating at his pride that he lost to this guy. Now he finally could regain his ego! To rub it in he stretched and laid down again on Choso's pillow, observing his moves, curious as to what the little hybrid will do next.
It was really amusing. Choso was standing still, looking at him with the same intensity as he did during their fight, but with much less murderous intend. Naoya found himself missing those looks... Ever since Sukuna got defeated and everything became quiet and peaceful, Choso didn't even spare Naoya a glance, much less such an intense stare. This was so much better than those disinterest looks he got in his human form. This was satisfying. Finally he was getting the attention he deserved!
Seeing Choso finally make a move almost made Naoya laugh, he looked so skittish and unsure of himself. Almost like a child afraid of a spider, he was hovering around the bed trying to think about how to get rid of the pest in his room without asking anyone for help. It was amusing. Naoya tried to act clueless and rolled over on his back as he looked at Choso curiously. Anyone else would aw at such a cute display but Choso just stood there with his eyebrows furrowed. He looked weirdly adorable like that. After a minute or two Choso moved to open his doors. Naoya just watched him from the bed.
Was that the best his former opponent could do?
"Sh-Shoo...?" he asked more than ordered. It was pathetic really. Naoya just yawned ignoring his request "please, can you leave?" he asked again and Naoya blinked in surprise, checking if he still was a cat or not. Yep, he still had paws. Why was Choso talking to a random cat as if it was a human? God this guy was weird. Strong and pretty, but really weird. Naoya thought for a second and jumped off the bed, noticing how Choso's eyes wouldn't leave him for a second. He made a huge show of slowly walking towards the door, reveling in the fact that Choso waited patiently, almost holding his breath in.
Once he got close to the door, he could hear Choso sigh with relief. That's when he stopped. He looked up at Choso and sat down. Not moving any further. Choso had a shocked, almost betrayed expression on his face, and Naoya was drinking in every detail "come on, you were so close, move a little more" he could plead all he wanted, Naoya was not going to just leave. He was enjoying this way too much. But then Choso took the towel off his shoulders and gently tried to shoo the cat away with it.
Now Naoya felt insulted.
He jumped to his feet and swiped at the fabric. Sudden movement startling Choso enough to have him jump away again, letting go of the towel. Without waiting for Choso to try another silly trick, Naoya kicked at the door closing it shut. Now standing between Choso and his only way of escape, he started to advance on him. Maybe it was his bastard nature, or the cat instinct, but when he saw Choso act so unnaturally helpless, he just wanted to pounce on him. The more the half curse backed away, the more his tail kept swaying with the intent to hunt him.
"maybe Yuuji... no it's too late..." he heard Choso mutter and almost laughed, was the proud older brother really going to ask his baby brother for help because he was scared of a cat? This was too entertaining! He jumped towards him and innocently rubbed against Choso's bare ankles. He was trying to act like a normal cat after all, it would be an issue if Choso decided that the cat really is a pest and tried to kill it. That's the only reason he was even touching the other man "no, don't-" Choso tried to say and move away but he was backed into a corner and tripped instead, landing flat on his bed. Without missing a beat, Naoya jumped after him. Choso wriggled up the bed trying to avoid him, but Naoya effortlessly stepped on his chest and looked down on him in triumph.
Look at you now little curse! Thought you were soooo much better than me, not even looking at me or remembering my name huh? Now you gonna get what you deserve!
He was aware that all that came out of his mouth was meowing, but even that couldn't ruin this moment for him. Seeing so much emotion in Choso's eyes was too enjoyable. Revering in the curse's distress, Naoya sat down in a perfect loaf on top of Choso's barely moving chest. It was as soft as he remembered. He only touched it once during their fight, an accidental boob grab during battle, happens to everyone, nothing Naoya should ever lose sleep over. But it was hard to forget whenever he saw the way Choso's clothes would lay on his chest... The half curse had a nice body... Strong but plump and pleasant to the touch. No wonder Gojo wanted to date him. But it didn't matter right now. Right now Naoya was on top of him, victorious.
Convinced that the brunette won't go anywhere, he closed his eyes and made himself even more comfortable, purring with satisfaction. Choso was lying stiff as a board, way too scared to move, but with time he at least started to breathe again. It was hilarious how nervous he was, while the cat causing him all the issues just fell asleep.
Naoya was never the type to get lots of sleep, but his cat body seemed different. He slept way longer than usual. It had to be because of the cat body, definitely not because sleeping on Choso was so comfortable that he didn't want to wake up. His heartbeat was a bit annoying at first, way too panicked and loud but Naoya ignored it, enjoying the warmth and softness of his chest. Now Choso's heartbeat was a lot more regular and Naoya realised that the poor curse had to fall asleep sometime during the night. His sleeping face completely defenceless... When Okkotsu knocked him out, Choso's face was frozen in shock and horror, thinking his little brother just got killed. Now he looked almost peaceful, except of his eyebrows furrowing every now and then, maybe his dreams weren't as peaceful.
Naoya hoped a huge cat was chasing him in his dreams. Whatever it was, Naoya was about to stop it, he was getting bored of just watching the curse's sleeping face. He wanted him to look at him again. And he was getting hungry. Without any regard for the body beneath him, he stood up and started stretching his back, God it felt good to do it in this body. He reached his front paws forward and without thinking started making biscuits on Choso's collarbone, effectively waking the curse up.
"Huh? W-Why are you still here..." were the first words he said to him. Rude. Naoya decided he doesn't care for such rudeness so he hissed shortly at him. Choso immediately tensed up again, now fully awake. Having him back the way he wanted, Naoya sat back and purred with glee, his tail swaying from one side to another as he thought about different ways he could torment this guy today. Even the smallest reactions were entertaining, especially accompanied by that nosemark moving whenever emotions seemed to be too strong. And the way he spoke to him in almost a whisper was so amusing. Normally Choso spoke so harshly, his voice low and straight to the point. Now he was whispering like a scared child and Naoya wanted to hear more of those pathetic little sounds. But then a knock to the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Chosoo, you okay dude? Are you trying to skip breakfast again?" it sounded like that annoying little brother that Choso kept hanging around. Naoya almost sighed, always there to ruin the mood...
"Yuu-" Choso tried to call for help but Naoya wouldn't have that and put his paw on his lips, shushing him. The distressed face Choso made was almost adorable.
"Hey, you there? I'm coming in-" Yuuji announced anyway and barged into the room.
"Yuuhi hep" Choso mumbled despite the cat paw on his lips.
"How did you get a cat!" Choso's little brother squeaked and almost flew to the bed, catching Naoya by the sides in record timing. It didn't mean much, Naoya was just off his game since he wasn't in his body. He huffed with dissatisfaction as the brat lifted him up and started petting him "he is so cute!" Naoya did not want to hear that.
"Th-thank you Yuuji... I was trapped since yesterday..." Choso sighed and got up, fixing his clothes with a relieved look on his face.
"Damn, really? How come it keeps happening to you?" Yuuji laughed at him.
"I don't know, it just jumped on me" Choso admitted with a slight blush on his cheeks, clearly embarrassed to be seen in this state by his beloved baby brother.
"It probably likes you if you both stayed like that since yesterday. Ah! Maybe you have some cat pheromones!"
"Please don't joke like that..." Choso looked miserable when he said that.
"Hahah, my bad" Yuuji apologised and sat on the bed, Naoya on his lap against his will. Pink haired brat had a strong grip. He wasn't hurting him but he was not about to let Naoya run away... And Naoya feared if he scratched this child, Choso might really take out a blade... "Maki-senpai mentioned that she lost a cat yesterday during supper, but you missed it so you probably didn't hear"
"I was busy reporting to Gojo... So the cat is Maki's? That explains how it got here..." Choso hummed with mild curiosity "could you wait for me? I'll put some clothes on and we can take it back to her"
"Sure, I came to get you to the cafeteria anyway! And take your time, I'm gonna pet it some more" Yuuji proclaimed cheerfully and went back to annoying Naoya. It wasn't that the pets were unpleasant but they were utterly humiliating. Thankfully a minute or two later Choso came back dressed in his usual outfit, with his hair tied up once again and they left the room. Choso no longer seemed so scared now that Yuuji had a death grip on the cat, but surprisingly, he kept glancing towards him every few seconds. Now looking a lot more curious and... hopeful? Naoya wasn't sure what that emotion could be...
"Hm? Oh you wanna pet it? You can try, I'm holding it very secure, you won't get scratched!"
"No, it's okay, I don't want to risk it"
"Alright... it's super soft though" Yuuji insisted and all but waved the cat at Choso's face, but Choso just moved further away. Was he just scared of scratches? What a baby... Soon they arrived at the cafeteria, Naoya despite his efforts unable to escape from Itadori's hands "Maki-senpai! We found your cat! You won't believe it, it was in Choso's room all night" Yuuji announced and Naoya felt his soul leaving his body as he saw Maki's grinning face.
"Oh? I can totally believe that" she said mockingly.
"For all that's holy Maki-chan, find some kindness in your cold heart and don't tell them that it's me, I was cuddling up to him all night, don't fucking tell him that-" "Meow meow meow meow"
"Really? You also think it's because Choso has cat pheromones?"
"Yuuji..! I don't" Choso pleaded desperately.
"You totally do man! When we were hunting curses in Shibuya same thing happend. I left him to take a nap and when I got back there were cats all over him"
"It was just four..."
"He got fully buried in cats" Yuuji laughed ignoring his brother's protests.
"Really? That sounds like a dream, I would love to cuddle with this many cats!" Okkotsu said dreamily before correcting himself "ah, unless you don't like them? Or are allergic?" he said to figure out why Choso looked so distressed at the memory. Naoya smirked as his tail started swaying again. He knew why. It was because Choso had a silly phobia. There was no way a proud big brother like him would admit it, so it was now their secret. Something special he will tease him about later...
"No, it's because of my blood" Choso said sounding a bit solemn. Blood..? Naoya blinked in surprise. That made no sense... What does his blood have to do...
"Ah right, since your blood is poisonous..." Okkotsu mused quietly and Choso nodded.
"It wouldn't end well if a cat scratched or bit me... I can't use rct on others so... I was worried this one would get hurt but he was so persistent to stay at my side..."
"Because you're a cat magnet" Yuuji chuckled teasingly.
"Yeah I bet he was persistent. This little asshole isn't a cat. That's Naoya" Maki said with a satisfied grin, causing everyone to stare at the orange fluff in shock. Naoya really needed to find that hole and crawl into it...
"Naoya? You named him already?" Choso asked with an innocent wonder in his voice to which Maki almost burst out laughing. Damn witch knew how much this will annoy Naoya and was drinking in his suffering. Naoya growled at the humiliation. If only he could speak he would have a smart rebuttal but as it was all he could do was make cat noises, which by the sounds of people around him, kept being interpreted as cute.
"No, Naoya as in my dumb cousin Naoya. He got changed into this unfittingly adorable cat, but if you look in his eyes you can see it's still the same bastard"
"You remember, right? He has blond hair and speaks in kansai-ben, he tried to kill Megumi" Yuuji whispered to Choso as if the half curse needed help to remember. There was no way he forgot him again, right..?
"Ah right, that weird blondie" weird blondie... All this time together and Naoya moved in Choso's mind from 'that blondie' to 'that weird blondie'... Maki's cackling only made his failure more harrowing. Sure it's not like they talked or hanged out, so it shouldn't be that weird that Choso keeps forgetting his name. But it was an ego thing. Naoya needed Choso to know him, to get interested in him and come to him to talk. It shouldn't be the other way around. It never was before! Even with Satoru they were already acquaintances because of their families, so he never felt this slighted while talking to him. Running after someone just to get recognised by them was absurd, he only did that around Toji, and it didn't end well. Toji never looked at him with any meaningful emotion. Naoya was just another one of Naobito's brats to him...
Naoya was not going to go through that again just because he wanted Choso to remember his name.
"It's a good thing you found him, we were thinking with Shoko about being responsible cat owners and spaying him while we can"
On the second thought, he has better chances with a guy who doesn't know his name than with his own damn family. He used the fact that Yuuji no longer had a deathgrip on him and with a skillful use of his technique, jumped into Choso's arms. Choso, despite being unprepared, caught him with ease. Naoya noticed the half curse used his long sleeves to cover his hands, still clearly worried about the cat's safety. It was a bit cute... He even hid his neck and chin in his scarf, he was just too precious... Despite being a dick who couldn't remember important people's names.
"No, go back to Yuuji, please?" Choso spoke politely and gently tried to shoo the cat away from him. With how delicate he was acting... Naoya had a new theory brewing in his head... Choso wasn't scared of cats, but he definitely had a weakness for them. The way he was sneaking glances at him, and now he wasn't putting him away, he was acting awkward and worried but it was clear.
He liked cats!
"Hmm, but since it's Naoya-san and not just a random cat, shouldn't it be fine for you to hold him?" Yuuji hummed as he looked at the cat in Choso's arms studying his behaviour.
"You think so?"
"Yeah, sure, he still acts like normal Naoya so I bet he knows that licking your blood would be bad for him. But since it is Naoya, I wouldn't touch him if I were you" Maki said with a sigh and Naoya got a bit worried she might say too much. He might've asked her too many times about what Choso is up to whenever they saw each other, and she was now suspecting something that wasn't there.
He had to do something to distract them... He can't have his big mouthed cousin saying stuff about him while he can't rebuke them! Counting on Choso's weakness for cats, he pressed his head against Choso's chin and made a cute chirping sound. He just wanted to get the bastard's attention but then realised that rubbing his ear on Choso's chin was surprisingly pleasant and he kept doing it, fully forgetting his human brain. Choso was taking it quite well all things considered "Yikes, you can just drop him to the floor if you're creeped out"
"It's fine, he kept doing stuff like that all night... If he's not going to get poisoned by my blood then I don't mind" Choso said softly and the movement of his jaw made Naoya aware of what he was doing. This was all part of the plan of avoiding getting hand over to Maki, that's all! Nothing to be embarrassed about!
"Maki-senpai, if you don't mind, could Choso take care of your cousin for the time being?" Yuuji asked suddenly and Naoya moved his ears to stand on attention, finally understanding why so many people liked this pink brat. He could be surprisingly useful!
"Yuuji..? Why?" Choso seemed surprised but not against it...
"Eh, I don't mind, it's not like that thing is mine. Or rather, it's better if someone else is responsible for his litterbox"
"That's great! Right Choso?" Yuuji just smiled with satisfaction.
"I guess..? But I don't know how to look after a cat-"
"I can show you how, it's easy! Plus Naoya-san is probably smart enough to let you know what he needs. It's gonna be fine!" Yuuji insisted with determination and a huge smile "First you should both probably get some breakfast though, so lets get you some food!" he added and Choso just followed his brother's whims. It was a interesting to see, usually Choso would be the one stubbornly doing whatever he wants, just like during their fight he was so set in his ideals and didn't flinch a single bit. But when it comes to his little brother he could be so obedient. With Yuuji's nagging they sat down to eat breakfast while Yuuji wikihow'ed how to take care of a cat and read Choso all the steps as they ate. Naoya loudly protested at the parts he found insulting. He was not going to eat catfood or demean himself in any other way like that.
"Don't interrupt while Yuuji's speaking" Choso scolded him without the normal anger he had whenever they exchanged words. Knowing he can use it to his benefit, Naoya meowed innocently and looked at Choso pleadingly, only for the rest of the curse's cold exterior to melt right away "...Yuuji I think he doesn't want to be treated like a cat"
"Hahah you're letting him manipulate you so easily" Yuuji just chuckled and Choso furrowed his eyebrows with a small blush on his cheeks.
"Not true, I'm just-"
"It's fiine, cats are usually getting spoiled, so it's a perfect pet for you. Now about the letterbox-" Naoya hissed aggresively "I guess we should leave that up to him. Just make sure to give him food and water and it's probably going to be fine. He'd probably enjoy same food as humans but just to be sure you should avoid anything that's toxic to cats, so no onions" Yuuji kept reading while Choso finished his breakfast. Naoya felt strangely calm and comfortable after eating some fish. It wasn't helping that Choso's lap, covered in surprisingly soft purple fabric, was really comfortable. When he thought about it, there was nothing stopping him from taking a nap... So he did just that, curled up in a ball and closed his eyes. Sleep in this body wasn't too deep, so he immediately woke up when Choso moved to get up, but didn't show any signs of it, and let the half curse pick him up again as he spied on the brothers conversation "Maki-senpai mentioned he might stay like this for few days, but I'm sure you'll be fine. And it might soothe your separation anxiety"
"I don't have any separation-"
"I'm leaving for a mission with Fushiguro and Kugisaki, it's gonna last few days" Naoya couldn't see Choso's expression but it was clear by the tension in his shoulders he didn't like the idea "I heard last time you just stayed alone in your room all day" this sounded like an accusation.
"Who told you that?"
"Gojo-sensei" Choso clicked his tongue in an annoyed manner, to which Naoya's ears perked up. Did he not like Satoru..?
"He is exaggerating. And if he doesn't like that he could send me on a mission with you, this way everyone would be happy"
"Even if the work is slow he can't send everyone on one mission, he needs people in Tokyo in case of an emergency"
"He just likes to keep an eye on me" Choso sighed and despite clearly containing his emotions for the sake of his brother, it was obvious how much he was dissatisfied.
"He is just worried about you"
"He doesn't trust me" Choso argued a bit too forcefully as he quickly corrected himself "I'm not saying he should, I know what I did, but it's really annoying just how much he gets in my business whenever you're not around. Isn't he supposed to be busy? How come he finds time to visit my room daily? He said I'm not a prisoner but he acts like a prison guard"
"...Choso, you can be so blind sometimes" Naoya couldn't agree more...
"That's not true, I have good eyes. And I can improve my vision with flowing red scale, I could teach you that too if you want" Choso offered cheerfully, all his previous frustration gone without a trace.
"No need, I'll ask Kamo-senpai to teach me once he visits again" Yuuji said and when Choso made a disgruntled sound, he let out a chuckle "Alright, I'll see you in few days. And in the meantime, remember to feed your cat few times a day, he probably has similar appetite to human Naoya so I'm sure he'll let you know when he gets hungry"
"He is not 'my' cat. But I will, you don't have to worry"
"I'm sure you will! And this way you also won't forget to eat" Yuuji said with a grin before ruffling Naoya's head "See you in few days, take good care of my brother!" he added running off and Choso seemed too stunned for a moment but quickly gathered himself.
"Stay safe Yuuji!"
"Sure sure!" the pink haired brat called back as he disappeared behind a corner and Choso went inside his room. This was a lot more information than Naoya ever got from interrogating Maki... Choso was clearly NOT into Gojo, so no matter what Maki or Satoru said, the six eyed freak had no chance of getting together with him! And another interesting thing was about the food. Was Choso forgetting to eat often? That would explain why Yuuji showed up in the morning. Maybe it wasn't that Choso couldn't be bothered to remember Naoya's name, he was just getting an early-onset dementia. Poor guy, he definitely was trying real hard to remember the name of a man as memorable as Naoya! No need to hold it against him then, it wasn't his fault his memory was shit.
"He can be such a handful" Choso hummed to himself, sounding weirdly amused "I wonder if your brothers might be getting worried about you... But Maki probably let them know already" he added and Naoya decided he will puke hairballs into his weirdly expensive shoes later. Naoya didn't care what his brothers thought, if they were getting worried or not, it didn't matter. Choso implying otherwise was almost insulting "But I guess you weren't close with them..." oh, so he remembers that "doesn't matter, meow if you'll need anything" he said and placed Naoya on his bed, turning away as if there was something more important to take care of than Naoya.
"Meow" he meowed immediately and watched with satisfaction as Choso stopped mid walk to look at him again.
"What do you want?" he wanted attention, but had no way of vocalising it. Instead he flopped to his side and waited for Choso to figure it out himself. He didn't of course, and no matter Naoya's probing, he kept his distance. It was a lot less frustrating than he would assume though. It made him feel like he was on a hunt. Seeing that he won't get through to him, he retreated to the far end of the bed and pretended to fall asleep there. With his heightened senses he could tell even with closed eyes that Choso picked something up from his desk and then sat down on the floor by the window. Once Naoya was sure his target lowered his guard, he pounced on him, landing back in Choso's lap with a happy trill.
He caught his prey and was not going to let go. He barely even noticed the book he was now standing on, few pages definitely ripped out by his own paws. It didn't matter, he was a lot more interesting than some stupid book and Choso should pay attention to him.
"Naoya, you're being rude" Choso sighed but wasn't anywhere near as angry as he would be if it was human Naoya destroying his property "maybe you're cold...? Is that why you're trying to cuddle?" hearing Choso say 'cuddle' was like a bucket of cold water. What was Naoya even trying to do...? There was no need for him to be acting like this! It really just seemed as if he was looking for affection, which he was definitely not doing! Feeling utterly embarrassed yet again he jumped off Choso and got on the windowsill. That's right, he was just trying to get there and used Choso as a stepstool! It made perfect sense! Choso now can't say Naoya did anything weird as a cat! And the other weird things he already did don't count... But it should be fine, Choso never mentioned that Naoya touched his chest during their fight either. He probably saw it as part of the fight. It was not. It was a lucky accident. Or unlucky, because Naoya couldn't forget that softness... Maybe that's why he was acting so stupid lately... It was all because of this man's chest... Staying in one room with him will probably just make him more stupid, he needed a break, needed to gather his thoughts... As he stood on the windowsill, Choso got up and moved away the jars, probably worried that Naoya will damage them. Naoya almost sighed, he wasn't as cruel as to put Choso's weird jar brothers in danger. But then he suddenly remembered, didn't Yuuji eat those...? He looked to the side and noticed that the jars that used to contain the pickled remains of Choso's siblings were empty. Why would anybody keep those..? He looked up questioningly at the other man, but Choso either didn't understand or ignored it.
"Oh, did you want to go outside? Right, I'm supposed to help you out but there is no need for us to sit here together all the time" he said opening up the window "Come back when you need anything" this sounded like a great opportunity to get out. He quickly measured the distance and jumped on the tree branch next to the window. Few more well placed jumps and he was on the ground, happily walking through the grass and enjoying the fresh air that would certainly clear his head.
He was getting fresh air for hours and his head didn't become even slightly clearer.
And additionally, his fur now needed cleaning.
He didn't think it through, walking outside without shoes was absolutely gross. His poor toe beans were covered in dirt and the rest of him was definitely just as dirty. It didn't help that whenever he saw a bird or a small critter he had the urge to chase it. Once he almost ate a mouse, but he stopped himself at the right moment. This cat body was making him insane, but that also meant that his weird behaviour around Choso could be explained the same way! He was just acting like a cat. No way his real feelings and needs were influencing his behaviour.
Once he was sure this excuse makes perfect sense, he decided to return home. Scratch that, return to Choso's room. That wasn't his home, that was just his hotel room. Heh, stupid cat brain making him have weird thoughts. He had to hiss at some people trying to pick him up, but after that he climbed the tree again and jumped gracefully through Choso's open window. Back in the room, he announced his presence by loudly demanding food. At his house, maids would already have food waiting for him at this hour, but it was understandable that Choso wasn't yet used to this schedule. He wasn't really surprised to find the pigtailed brunette sitting in the same place he was before Naoya left, still reading the same book.
"You're back... How was it..?" the question was awkward and clearly asked just because Choso didn't know how to act around animals. And humans too probably. Naoya scoffed at it and jumped down, making his way through the room thinking how to let the weirdo know that he is hungry "You're really dirty" came an unnecessary comment and Naoya sat down in a dignified pose, looking at the other man with dissatisfaction "Don't get angry at me I didn't rub dirt on you. Don't cats clean themselves? Can't you do that?" the idea of licking himself popped up in Naoya's head and he immediately felt anger building up in his tiny body. If he stoops this low, he won't be able to return to being human, a half human wouldn't understand it of course. He would rather die than lick himself clean.
And to get this message across, he beat the shit out of Choso's knee with his tiny, soft paws "Alright, I get it, you won't do it, no need to hit me. And be careful with your claws" Choso sighed and gently moved Naoya away from himself, still using his sleeves to cover his hands. Naoya didn't even got his claws out, Choso was being way too paranoid... For some reason this made Naoya want to bully him some more... Without much thinking he threw himself at Choso's hand, biting at the sleeve and kicking his forearm as if it was a toy. The half curse flinched back trying to free his hand and Naoya quickly ran to the other side of the room to gain some distance. Choso looked shocked and worried but all Naoya could think about was that swaying white sleeve that needed to be torn to shreds...
"Naoya, if you don't like it here you can stay somewhere else, why are you-" was all Choso got to say before Naoya attacked again. But somehow instead of destroying the sleeve, he ended up inside it. A bit confused he meowed, turned around ,stuck his head out of the sleeve and looked up at Choso who looked equally confused. After giving it a whole millisecond of thought, Naoya decided that this was acceptable. For whatever reason he was fully content now. Choso did not seem to share the sentiment. He was in obvious distress at the skin contact. Too bad. Naoya was comfortable enough to start purring again.
Sadly just as it seemed that Choso was starting to accept this situation, someone knocked at the door.
"Oniichan, are you there~?" annoying voice made Naoya growl in dissatisfaction "Rhetorical question, I know you are. Oh, do you even know what a rhetorical question means? Sensei can teach you if you need some private lessons-" the annoying voice just kept on talking and Choso seemed to share Naoya's opinion as he sighed heavily before carefully getting up.
"He will be talking there for hours if I won't let him in" Choso clarified and gently prompted Naoya to get out of his sleeve. Naoya could tell this knowledge was obtained through experience. But considering that Gojo could just teleport inside Choso's room, it was good that he at least respected the doors being closed. Choso seemed to physically brace himself before he opened the doors and Naoya perfectly understood why.
"-but I would never make you pay for the classes since you're related to my favourite student and ah! You opened, how nice of you" Satoru who never stopped talking while outside the door, barged inside the room the second the wood standing in his way moved aside. Choso moving out of his way as if it was a regular occurance "I heard you caught our little lost kitten" Naoya hissed at that and climbed on top of the desk to stand closer to Choso. He had to make sure Gojo knew this guy wasn't his to bother.
"Sure, caught him" Choso shrugged his shoulders a bit, clearly not in the mood to explain how it was actually Naoya catching him "did you come to visit him?"
"Why would you think that? I came to visit you~!" Gojo announced cheerfully while looking around "where is the zabuton I brought you before? There is no place to sit here..."
"I didn't need it so I gave it to Yuuji"
"Boo, it's rude to give away gifts!"
"I didn't ask for gifts. And Yuuji needed it more, he had a party and needed to sit his guests somewhere"
"But now your guests have nowhere to sit!" Gojo lamented before placing his flat buttcheeks on Choso's bed. Naoya huffed with dissatisfaction and Choso mimicked it perfectly. As per usual, in a room with Gojo in it, only Gojo was enjoying himself "So how is your first day as a cat owner?" Satoru asked as he put his legs on the bed and hugged Choso's pillow to his chest, resting his chin on it, making himself way too comfortable in someone's bedroom...
"I don't own him, I'm just looking after him. And right now I probably should get him something to eat so could we schedule this interrogation to some other day?" Choso sighed as he leaned his hip on the desk, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. Satoru was annoying, but it was fun to see Choso showing some claws like that... "Also, Naoya's butt was all over that pillow so maybe don't rub your face on it" Choso added and if Naoya wasn't so busy protesting and pawing at him to take that back, he might've noticed a hint of a playful smirk on the curse's lips.
But his pride was more important, he was NOT rubbing his ass on Choso's pillow! He was just sleeping on it innocently and adorably and not creepily. He didn't even know the pillow was Choso's when he first laid on it! If he knew he would not be nuzzling against it!
"Ahh I'm sure he was... But don't worry, my infinity is protecting me from any germs he might've left here"
"Tsk" Choso's disappointment clear in both his voice and facial expression. The way he never hid his emotions was always entertaining to watch.
"It's very sweet of you to care for me though! Thank you so much Oniichan~!"
"I'm not your-"
"But you should definitely change the sheets. There is nothing protecting you from his germs. Unless maybe, perhaps, if we stood close together or even, dare I say, hugged, my infinity could probably protect you too"
"Why would we do that? And if that worked I could probably poison you that way" Choso responded flatly to Satoru's failed attempt at flirting "and I'm not going to change the sheets, he is staying here for a while so it would just be pointless. But-" Choso started before closing his mouth and groaning as if next words were taking mental toll on him. Gojo was waiting patiently with a smile on his lips, waiting for him to continue "...he got dirty during his walk outside. I was thinking about giving him a bath. Do you maybe know how?" oooh so it was asking Gojo for a favour that took so much soul out of him. Naoya never suspected that their relationship would be this strained. At least one sidedly. He knew they fought during the mess at Shibuya, but to think Choso would be the one with attitude while Gojo kept trying to reach out to him was surprising.
"Sure, I got you! Sensei is very proud of you for asking for help!" Choso groaned at it but didn't say anything "I should give you some kind of reward~" Gojo added and winked at Choso in an overly flirtatious manner, only for Choso to grace it with zero reaction. Satoru, somehow not discouraged, put the pillow to the side, swung his freakishly long legs out of the bed and slowly got up to his full height "Hmm, lets think, good boys get headpats, right?" he said as he got his hand dangerously close to Choso's head, and by the look on Choso's face, he had to be thinking about biting all the way through the infinity.
But before that could happen, Naoya jumped on Choso's shoulder and hissed at Gojo to remind him that he was still in the room, and will not stand for this behaviour towards his owner caretaker.
Instead of retreating, Gojo put his head on Naoya's head and ruffled his fur ignoring the annoyed growls "Hahah yep that sure is Naoya in there~!"
"Stop it, he doesn't like that" Choso intervened immediately and took Naoya in his arms, moving him protectively away from Gojo. It was hard to resist purring while being cuddled up in Choso's sleeves, but Naoya had a strong will. He stuck his head out and sent Satoru a satisfied victorious look.
Choso liked him more.
Or maybe he liked a cat more, but it didn't matter right now.
"Hmm I see, sorry" Satoru said without sounding apologetic at all "back to our important conversation though~! I got you some more stuff"
"I told you I don't need anything"
"Really? But it seems as if you're enjoying the book I got you?" Choso blushed just a little bit at that and Naoya had to contain the urge to growl. Why was he blushing because of Gojo?! It had to be just because he was embarrassed that Gojo noticed the book. Just that.
"It's interesting... If it's another book I wouldn't mind it..."
"Sadly no! Do you want more books?"
"I didn't say that"
"I'll get you some from my library next time then~" Satoru decided with a smile and Choso sighed in resignation. He was all tensed up but the way he held Naoya was still very gentle. He had an innate talent for this... "and well, the stuff I brought is more for Nyaoya than you" Naoya almost hissed at the nickname, but didn't want Choso to get paranoid again and put him down, so he kept very still and very relaxed in his arms "but I left it in my room, so we'll have to go get it together" nevermind that, Naoya hissed at that very aggressively. He will not stand by and let this old pervert get Choso to go to his room under the guise of forgetting something there. What was he thinking Choso was, some naive idiot that would get tricked by such a stupid ploy?!
"Hm, alright... he seems upset though, so maybe I should leave him here for now" ah of course, this guy was born few months ago, of course he would easily get tricked.
"Great. But first, we should go grab dinner"
"I'm not- ah, right, need to feed Naoya"
"Mhm, whatever, come on, it's nikujaga today, you gonna love it" Satoru said and without a warning grabbed Choso's wrist to lead him to the cafeteria. Choso's lack of response implied that it's not something new either. Going to the cafeteria while everyone else was there, wasn't at the top of Naoya's dreams, but at least food was still warm. Listening in on all the chatter in the room was annoying, so Naoya just focused on eating and once he was done, rested on Choso's lap as the other man finished his food, Satoru eating right next to them and chatting Choso's ears off. Choso only showing interest when the conversation was about his little brother, and then not even fake listening once the topic didn't interest him. It was refreshing to see that Choso was acting this way around someone other than Naoya. It meant that he didn't just hate Naoya, he was just acting like a brat around other people too.
Once they finished eating, Satoru tried to get Choso to go to his room, but Naoya hissed in protest each time he'd mention it.
"I'll go put him back in the room first" Choso said as if putting Naoya down wasn't an option.
"Eh, just leave him, he can find his way home"
"...Why won't you take him with you instead? You care for him a great deal if you bought him something"
"Awh I would love to but I have an allergy~"
"...Isn't your infinity protecting you from-"
"Ah so busy so busy, can't take care of a cat! Anyway, just wait for me at your place! I'll be back in a second" Gojo finally gave up and left them to go get the mysterious 'gifts' from his room. Choso looked in his direction for a short while before sighing and making his way back to their room.
"...He is really weird, isn't he?" Naoya was not expecting Choso to suddenly ask for his opinion, but he appreciated hearing his thoughts, so he meowed in agreement to prompt some more confessions out of him. Gossiping about Satoru was always fun "It's not that I dislike him, but he is so... overwhelming" Choso thought very long before finding the right word. 'Overwhelming' was a kind way to phrase it. Annoying and childish would be more fitting in Naoya's opinion "but he is Yuuji's favourite teacher so I'm sure he is a good person. And I know I deserve the constant invigilation, but the way he acts just gets under my skin, I can't help but get short with him" he sighed as they got back inside their room and he put Naoya down on the desk "...reminds me of Mahito..." he murmured as he closed the door and Naoya meowed quizzically. Who the fuck was Mahito? And what was Choso's relationship with that person? "ah, sorry, I just started talking to myself, has to be annoying"
No! I want to know more dammit! but all that came out was more meows that Choso couldn't understand.
But he tried. He stood close to Naoya and watched him attentively as if trying to decipher his meows.
That's what Naoya thought he was doing, but then he noticed Choso's hand hovering next to him and understood that the half curse was just thinking really hard about petting him... Immediately forgetting all about Mahiwho, Naoya perked up and tried to encourage that shy hand by bumping his head against its fingers, but then the doors flew open and both of them immediately disengaged as Gojo Satoru entered the room carrying a huge box and a bag on his forearm.
"I got you the coolest one since it can fit here no problem!" Gojo said with a proud smirk as he put down the box in the middle of the room.
"What is this?"
"Cat tree! For Nyaoya! He gonna love it" Naoya will not love it. He was not a cat. This was just another way of humiliating him! "We need to put it together, but I'm sure with both of us working it will be done in a jiffy! And here is more stuff I got, toys, shampoo that's safe for cats. Oh! I also got gloves! I got everything you may need. Now, who is your favourite sensei?" Gojo finished talking and showing off his purchases by smiling sweetly to Choso who just stared at him in response for the longest, most awkward minute.
"I'm sure Naoya will thank you later" hell no he won't!
"Ah, right right, it's all for him of course. But this! Is for you" Satoru said with a smirk as he waved a book in front of Choso's face. Way too close for Naoya's comfort... "It's from the same author, and I enjoyed it even more than the last book, so I'm sure you'll have fun reading"
"...Thank you" Choso almost whispered after seeing the book that interested him.
"It's 'thank you Gojo-sensei'"
"Thank you Gojo"
"sensei"
"You're not teaching me anything why would I call you that" Choso sighed and walked away to check the toys Gojo brought. Gojo pouted like a mature adult and put the book on the desk despite not getting the thanks he wanted.
"You know, I could teach you a lot" the flirtatious tone was clearly implying a lot of things Naoya was against, but Choso didn't seem to pick up on it.
"Shoko already teaches me rct, I don't need your help"
"Ugh, good luck following her instructions, shoo and fooo and whatever it was she was saying"
"It makes perfect sense"
"Mhm... bet you two get along perfectly then if you can make sense of her teaching"
"Her teaching is very good. You go hya then hyo and then-"
"Okay I heard enough! I heard this talk way too many times in my highschool days. I learnt rct and still don't know what she meant by that"
"Eh, maybe you just lack common sense?" Choso sighed and Satoru looked shocked for a second before laughing.
"God, you're serious? Building this tree together is gonna be a mess if that's how your brain works" Choso scoffed at that and took out two rubber gloves from the bag.
"So, what are these for?"
"It's for grooming cat's fur" Gojo explained with an easy smile "they are made for rowdy cats who like to attack vets, so I'm sure you can use them without any fear of him biting through it" Naoya found this annoyingly thoughtful...
"Naoya won't bite me, he knows he would die" Choso said but instead of putting the gloves down, tried them on. He seemed very interested in them "well, he bit my sleeve"
"He did? Hahah! Cats do that sometimes, he probably just wants to play! That's why I brought the toys" Gojo said amused as he grabbed a stick with a feather attached to it by a string and started moving it in front of Naoya's face 'See? See? Come on Nyaoya~" this was insulting and annoying so Naoya swat his paw at it.
But then the feather was back at his nose and he had to paw at it again, and again, and soon he was running across the room as Gojo waved the toy around. He was too busy attacking his prey to notice Gojo laughing at him, and perhaps recording it with his free hand. All that mattered was the feather!
"Alright now, catch!" Gojo finished as he threw the toy away and Naoya ran after it into the bathroom, almost slipping on his way there. Once he caught the feather in his teeth he gave it a few bunny kicks for good measure, to make sure his target was dead. Satisfied with his hunt he stood back up and slowly walked back into the room. It was hard to do it with the plastic stick dragging around his paws, but he was determined. He waddled all the way back to Choso, who was now sitting with Gojo on the ground around the newly opened cardboard box, as Gojo was skimming through the building instructions.
"meowh" he tried getting Choso's attention despite the toy in his mouth making him mispronounce the only word he knew how to say.
Choso looked down at him curiously and Naoya dropped the feather with a satisfied smile "I assume he wants you to praise him" Gojo chuckled and Choso awkwardly just sat there for a second.
"Good job Naoya...?" he said, sounding unsure, before lifting his hand and through his sleeve, gently touching Naoya's head. It wasn't exactly what Naoya wanted but he accepted it for now... Wait, what did Naoya want again...? What was he doing...? As the realisation of what just happened hit him, he bolted to hide underneath the bed.
"You know you don't need to do all that, he won't bite you" Gojo commented as he pointed at Choso's sleeve.
"It's just... to make sure"
"And you're training rct with Shoko, I'm sure even if something did happen you wouldn't have an issue healing a little kitten" Naoya was not a little kitten, he was an adult cat, a lion even if you really think about it.
"You can't be sure"
"You're way too cautious" Gojo sighed as he threw the instructions to the side "And stubborn" he added and started rummaging through the box to take out the parts.
"And you're too careless" Choso huffed probably just out of insulted pride and picked up the abandoned instructions "we're going to need it, so don't throw it. And keep an eye on the small parts, I don't want Naoya to choke on them"
"Yessir~" Gojo's response was obedient and yet clearly mocking. Naoya could swear he heard Choso growl a little. He watched the two of them putting the cat tree together out of boredom. Despite the bickering, their teamwork was pretty good. Mostly because Gojo dropped the childish persona and focused on making their little art project stable. Choso seemed a lot more relaxed as the time passed too... For a moment Naoya thought that it was cute to see him work like that... But then the realisation that he was starting to get along with Gojo hit him. He couldn't allow this! Not while he was still a cat!
"It's really tall... I can't reach up there, so you put this element on top" Choso said as he tried to hand one of the parts to Gojo, who instead of taking it smiled innocently.
"It's not nice to use others for their height like that?"
"...This whole thing was your idea, take responsibility for it"
"Oh? Take responsibility? Of course I will~" Gojo chuckled at the innuendo and reached out to Choso, but instead of grabbing the piece of the cat tree, he grabbed Choso's waist and Naoya's fur stood straight up in shock. Why wasn't Choso biting those hands off?! "I'll lift you up and you can put it there yourself, alright?" before this could happen, Naoya ran out from under the bed and caught the instructions in his mouth. Choso immediately dropped what he was holding to try and save the piece of paper, but it was too late as Naoya ripped it to shreds with his claws. Satisfied by the fake snow falling all around him and Gojo's grumpy expression, he let Choso pick him up.
"Naoya, it's not safe to eat paper" Choso scolded him softly as he looked at him closely, probably checking if Naoya ate any of the instructions. Naoya was expecting a different reaction. Choso was surprisingly kind whenever it came to his brothers and cats...
"Ah, what now, we'll have to finish without instructions" Gojo sighed as Choso cleaned up the mess Naoya made "How do kids say it? Freeball it? Or was it rawdogging? Wanna rawdog it with me, Choso?" it was impressive how quickly Satoru was finding ways to entertain himself with a new scheme right after one of them failed. Just how determined was he to woo Choso with stupid innuendos?
"It should be fine, we're almost done. Now stop messing around, I thought you're busy" Choso sighed and put Naoya down "Naoya needs a bath, so let's finish it quickly"
"You're no fun" Gojo pouted and focused on finishing the top elements, while Choso screwed in some missing lower parts. Naoya stayed by his side just to make sure Gojo can't pull any more tricks and try to touch his property again.
"Good, we're not here to have fun, we're putting this together for Naoya"
'Yeah, but you could really let loose sometimes. No need to walk around with that stick up your ass all the time"
"I don't have a-"
"It's a figure of speech"
"I know that..!" Choso huffed but Naoya doubted his words.
"I just wanted to say that you don't have to be so uptight all the time. It would put Yuuji at ease too if you tried to go out sometimes"
"I was under the impression that I'm under house arrest"
"Agh that's just formalities. You don't think I would actually chase you down the second you leave the school without a guardian? Come on oniichan, you're the very important brother of my best student, you have lots of privileges you should make use of"
"If he is your best student why are his grades so low"
"Best in terms of personality and likeability. I might be the strongest but I can't make miracles, his grades are a lost case I'm afraid"
"Maybe if you taught him better-"
"Aaaalright and we're finished! Look at the time! Okay goodnight!" Gojo announced and walked quickly towards the exit.
"Oi, don't run away, Yuuji's grades-" Choso started and caught Gojo's jacket to stop him, the action somehow strong enough to get Gojo to lose his balance. As the two of them landed on the bed, Naoya knew that the strongest was just pretending to lose his balance... He fought Choso before, he was strong, but there was no way he could move Gojo if Gojo didn't want to be moved.
"Oops... You're okay there?" Gojo's voice was way too low and husky... He was on top of Choso, on his bed, way way waaayyy too close...!
"I'm fine... Was your infinity off? Why could I grab you?" Choso sounded confused but not at all freaked out or as if he was under Gojo's charm. Good, he was so dense it gave Naoya time to find a way to intervene and stop Gojo's advances.
"Ah, yeah, guess I kinda turned it off" Gojo chuckled awkwardly. For him to turn the infinity off would mean that he felt comfortable enough around Choso to do it... Naoya stood there shocked for a moment. Just how deep did his childhood friend fall for him to act this way? Thankfully Choso walked right through that clear love confession and came to his own conclusion.
"So you don't have cat allergy..!" he sounded angry as he lifted himself to a sitting position and grabbed a pillow off his bed to throw it at Gojo's head.
"Awh I was just joking~" Gojo chuckled as he effortlessly grabbed Choso's wrist and pinned it to the mattress to stop the attack "But I do like this more lively side of you..." he added in a low tone that would melt people's hearts. Naoya couldn't have it. But wouldn't interrupting them make it too obvious..? Wouldn't it be too obvious that he was jealous..? Somehow thinking about it suddenly made him gag. The moment Choso heard his dry heaving, he almost threw Gojo out of the way and kneeled beside his 'cat'.
"Oh no, did you eat that paper?! Gojo can you see what's wrong?" Choso sounded panicked as he tried to see what's wrong with Naoya. Satoru got closer to them and lifted Naoya to look at him as per his beloved's demand.
"Don't treat me like an x-ray machine... Hm... I don't think so, he is probably spitting up a-"
"Huegh!"
"-hairball... yep that's a hairball... Gross little hairball on my new pants..." Gojo said with dissatisfaction as Naoya hanged in his hands with a smirk, waving his tail from side to side. Choso breathed out a sigh of relief once the health scare was gone "do you think he can take a real quick hit from unlimited void?" Gojo asked with an evil grin, and Choso snatched Naoya out of his hands.
"Don't you dare. Thank you for the gifts, Naoya gave you one back, you can go back to your work now" Naoya purred at that, satisfied to be in Choso's loving arms again, while Gojo was left with blue balls and a hairball.
"Eh of course... I think I should bring you some romance books next time" Gojo sighed as he prepared to leave "Ijichi will take you for your mission tomorrow. It's nothing special, just some small curse not far away. Be ready at 8th"
"Sure"
"Sweet dreams~"
"...You too...?" Choso repeated and shut the doors the moment Gojo stepped out "so stupid..." he muttered before going back to the shopping bag to read the instructions on the shampoo "you're okay with me giving you a bath?" Choso asked once he finished. Naoya considered it for a second before going to the bathroom. He hated being covered in dirt. It didn't matter that it was embarrassing to get washed by someone else, it wasn't his body so it was fine. He needed a bath "I take that as a yes" Choso mumbled and went after him. Naoya sat and watched as Choso got everything prepared, towels and a plastic bowl that he was now filling up with warm water "this should okay" he hummed as he checked the water with his hand.
Naoya came up to the bowl and dipped his paw in, ready to relax in warm bath after the stressful day, but once his paw got wet, he felt his hair stand up. He quickly shook his paw, throwing all the droplets off himself and moved back with a growl.
"What is it? Is it too hot?" Choso asked as he checked the water again and looked to Naoya confused "it seems fine..." he mused and Naoya got closer again but his instincts were screaming at him to not get too close to the water... "Naoya... are you scared?" he hissed at that. No way Naoya Zenin was afraid of taking a bath!
Except that Nyaoya Zenin might have been freaking out a bit...
"Hmm... alright, come here, I won't put you in the water, lets try something else" Choso prompted gently and waited for Naoya to get closer again. There was no reason not to trust Choso... was it someone else Naoya would suspect it being a ruse to grab and dunk him in the water. But Choso was probably not going to do that... He walked up to him and let Choso place him on one of the towels "But I need to wash you, so try to stay still. It will be okay" Choso said as he dipped his gloved hands in water and then gently run his fingers through Naoya's fur, wetting it. Getting his fur wet wasn't the nicest of feelings but having Choso stroke him like that felt relaxing...
Choso kept saying encouraging words in that soothing voice of his and slowly Naoya got fully comfortable, letting the other man work shampoo into his fur "it's important not to let the water enter your ears-" Choso muttered softly as he gently washed his face, before quickly drying his head with a towel to make sure Naoya's ears stay dry. Then he got more water in his hands to wash away the suds on Naoya's fur "do you think you could get in the water now?" Choso asked after one more round of shampooing. Naoya couldn't really respond but his relaxed demeanor probably got the message across. Choso lifted him up and gently lowered his paws into the water "it's okay, I won't let you drown, you're going to be fine" Naoya knew he won't drown in water this low, but hearing Choso say it still eased his worries. Soon he was sitting in warm water, fully relaxed, as Choso kept cleaning his fur. Choso had surprisingly gentle and skilled hands, even though the gloves were standing in the way... It would probably feel great even in human body... Naoya would love taking a long bath together with him once he was back to normal...
No, what was he thinking! Why would he want that! To throw those thoughts away, he shook his body, probably getting water all around them, but Choso instead of getting mad chuckled a little.
"Stay still, we're almost done" he said sweetly, his voice almost a purr...
Who was Naoya trying to fool...
He was hopelessly into this guy... That's why he got so jealous over Gojo...
Once the bath was over, Choso took him out of the water and started drying him with towels. Being out of the water was making him shiver from cold, but Choso worked hard to make him comfortable again, ending all that drying by covering him with a dry towel, turning him into a purrito and holding him close to his chest "You must be freezing... You were very brave during the bath, I'm proud of you" Choso must have fully forgotten that the cat in his hands was Naoya... But Naoya didn't really care at the moment. Choso used his flowing red scale to warm up his body and the heat was radiating from him like from a kotatsu. Naoya just closed his eyes and started purring...
He woke up in the middle of the night, still bundled up in the towel, cuddled up to Choso as they were now laying in his bed together. Thanks to his cat's night vision he could observe Choso's peacefully sleeping face... Of course Naoya would get jealous after hearing that Gojo asked him out... Choso was kind and beautiful, and strangely interesting... And painfully indifferent to Naoya's existence... Gojo had him here almost everyday, while Naoya was mostly stuck in Kyoto, waiting for any excuse to visit Tokyo... For an excuse to talk to this pigtailed weirdo he got infatuated with... And now that he had perfect opportunity to spend time with him, he was stuck as a cat... Just how unlucky could he get...
"Mn... Naoya... You'll catch a cold..." Choso muttered half asleep as he put his hands around the cat and sleepily hugged him closer to his chest. His whole body warming up again, but Naoya couldn't tell if it was because of Choso's technique, or because he got squished against Choso's boobs... It didn't matter anymore that he couldn't talk to him. This was the luckiest he ever got! He nuzzled up to Choso's chest and fell back asleep, no matter how much he craved to go for 3 am zoomies across the school grounds.
Next day Choso was out on some mission, but he left food and water for Naoya on the desk before leaving. Naoya went on a short walk, but found himself painfully bored without Choso... When he spotted him coming back through the window, he almost runned out to greet him. But then he noticed Gojo flirting with him again...
Once Choso got back, Naoya stayed on his place at the window and pretended not to notice.
"Um, good evening. Did you eat your food? Do you need anything?" Choso asked and got busy at the desk, probably pouring more water for Naoya. Naoya just kept ignoring him "...you're not sleeping... Are you hurt somewhere?" Choso asked as he got closer to look at Naoya, who just moved to the other side of the windowsill to avoid him. He was grumpy and he won't let Choso get out of this without properly apologising for his absence and for flirting with Gojo before coming back. But Choso didn't seem to understand. Instead of groveling and apologising he stepped back "You seem okay, so I'll leave you to it" no! Why would he do that! Naoya's pride wasn't allowing him to ran after him, but once he heard the doors of the bathroom closing he jumped off the window to go scratch at it. Running shower was probably muffling his meowing, but few minutes later he heard the water turn off and some shuffling behind the doors. Soon Choso, dripping wet and clothed only in a towel, opened the doors and kneeled down to him in a panic.
"You're meowing so much, what happened?" Naoya just sat there staring.
He should not be seeing this...
He should not be seeing half naked Choso before even properly talking with him... But he couldn't avert his eyes... and before he could stop himself he reached out his paw and rested it on Choso's chest, amazed by how the plump flesh bent under his touch... "Huh? What are you... Ooh, are your paws dirty? You were outside again, right? That's what's annoying you. I'll clean them up for you in a second, just let me dress up" Choso sighed with a small smile on his face, happy to find the source of discomfort in his cat, while his cat kept staring at him, trying to memorise each curve of that muscular torso... That waist had no business being this narrow... Despite the miscommunication, Naoya did feel a lot better once Choso helped him wipe his toe beans clean. But it had nothing to do with cleanliness and everything to do with Choso finally paying attention to him again. And also a lot to do with Choso looking really pretty in his nightwear kimono and his loose damp hair falling down his naked neck. Naoya was content to sit in his lap and bake biscuits into his thighs all night... It felt so relaxing that he almost forgave Choso for being gone all day, even if eating alone made him feel lonely and very on edge. Suddenly he remembered about Choso's bad memory and stood up to think about it.
Did Choso eat today?
Or did he forget again since the mission was keeping him busy? Ijichi would probably take him out for food after mission right? It kept bothering Naoya nonetheless...
"Something wrong again?" Choso asked with a worried expression and Naoya decided that yes, something was wrong. He walked to his empty plate and pawed at it meaningfully. He wasn't expecting Choso to understand him perfectly but the question was pretty obvious "Are you hungry?" of course he would understand it that way... But sure, why not, Choso remembered to eat whenever he fed Naoya, so why not. Naoya moved his plate some more as a confirmation and Choso picked him up with a soft smile "I don't think there is anything ready in the cafeteria, but I can try making something for you" he offered and they left the room. As Naoya predicted, once Choso got to the kitchen, he prepared two meals for them, and they ate together. It filled him up with a sense of pride that he was able to remind Choso to get a proper meal after his mission.
But his good mood got ruined when Gojo interrupted their time alone again... Was this guy a stalker?
"Oh, Oniichan! Funny seeing you here snacking away. What did you make? Is there some left for your favourite teacher?" Gojo chirped as he almost skipped closer and despite being uninvited, took a seat next to them.
"Boiled chicken and carrots" Choso sighed, clearly just as unhappy with Gojo's presence as Naoya. He probably thought that talking to him outside was enough for the day, but fate had different ideas.
"That's depressive..."
"It's safe for cats to eat"
"And you didn't bother making anything more for yourself? Did the mission tire you out this much? It's not that late we could order something better" Gojo sighed and Choso shrugged his shoulders as he continued eating his carrots.
"It tastes fine. There are also leftovers from today in the fridge if you're hungry"
"Not really, I just wanted to check if there is any chocolate left" Gojo huffed and took off his blindfold to run a hand through his hair "Oh... wow, I'm digging this new look" he said with a smirk once he noticed Choso's appearance. Naoya was satisfied to know he was the first one to see Choso dressed like this, not Gojo "you should keep your hair like this more often"
"It gets in the way during fights so no"
"That's a shame... But at least it's good that you remembered to get some food. I was about to go remind you"
"You really don't have to do that. I know Yuuji been a bit... worried in the past, but I don't need human food. I won't starve" Choso almost huffed out.
"It's not just about that, and even if Yuuji didn't ask me to check up on you I would still do it"
"Yuuji really asked that?" Choso asked as he got a bit more animated "he is so kind... But I explained to him too, I don't need it"
"Just because you don't get hungry doesn't mean you don't need it. You're the only half curse we have documented, there is no way of knowing what you do or don't need" Gojo said and Choso groaned in response, probably rolling his eyes too "Besides, it's not about that, it's about you closing yourself in your room and acting like an abandoned toy whenever your brother isn't around. Yuuji wants you to live your own life, you know? Go out, get some friends, live a little. You were closed in that jar for god knows how long, don't tell me you don't have stuff you wanted to do once you-"
SMACK
The sound shocked both Naoya and Gojo.
Gojo, who once again turned his infinity off around Choso, just got slapped across the face by him.
There was no way it hurt him, but it definitely sent a message...
"Sorry. But it's not your business" Choso spat out and walked off. Naoya shocked by this outcome, quickly decided that he prefers to be around angry Choso than humiliated Gojo Satoru, so he quickly pitapatted after the blood manipulator, leaving Gojo alone in the dimly lit kitchen.
Choso was walking fast but once he noticed Naoya chasing him down, he stopped to pick him up. Being a cat was so easy... Choso, despite being in an awful mood, carried him back to his room. Once inside, he let him go and sat down next to his bed, massaging his face with a loud groan. Naoya never seen him this agitated and vulnerable and felt painfully out of place... But since Choso brought him back, he didn't mind his company. Or rather, company of a cat. And as Choso's temporary cat, he probably should try to lift his spirits... Feeling a bit awkward but determined, he got on the bed so that he could be on eyelevel with Choso and let out a small meow to get the man's attention.
"I've warned him I got a bad temper I don't know why he loves to test it" Choso responded probably just because he needed to say it outloud but then sighed as he rested his head on the mattress, his beautiful silky hair spreading across the sheets like spilled ink and Naoya had to fight with himself not to bite it. Cat's brain was a strange place to be in... "No... I shouldn't say that... Or slap him... I'll apologise later properly..." Choso mumbled and Naoya hissed out of habit.
Why should Choso apologise to him? So Gojo can hold it against him and get him to go out with him? No way!
"Yeah I don't want to either" Choso pouted in response, finally understanding Naoya's thoughts "who does he think he is, talking about things I wanted to do. I... can't do any of that anymore..." Choso added sounding remorseful as he glanced out the window. No. When Naoya actually paid attention to his line of sight, Choso was looking at the empty jars on the window... Just to confirm his assumption, he gently pawed at one of the jars and Choso's words assured him he was right "please be careful. That's all I have left of them..."
Naoya wasn't the most emotionally intelligent person but even he could connect two dots together... Whatever Choso was feeling about losing his brothers wasn't something Naoya could fully understand. If his brothers died he would feel absolutely nothing. Even Toji's death didn't hit him that hard. He admired the man, wanted to one day stand by his side, wielding similar power, but they weren't close. Toji probably didn't even know his name. They definitely weren't 'locked together in a shed for over a century with nothing else to occupy your mind' close. There was no way for Naoya to understand the feeling of lose Choso was going through. He never even bothered to think about it, despite being so fascinated with him. He just saw brotherly affections as weakness. And it clearly was one. Making Choso way too emotional. But it also made him punch real damn hard when it came to protecting his little brother... It didn't matter if it was a weakness or not right now. He was not in a mood to debate with him again about it. He just wished he knew how to get him out of this depressive state... His solution wasn't perfect but he had to try anyway. He got back to him again and made himself into the most perfectly shaped loaf right next to Choso's head. Once the half curse looked to him questioningly, he bumped his head with his own.
"What is it? Are your ears itchy?" leave it to Choso to misread all the signs. Didn't matter though. Naoya just continued headbutting his temple. It took a while, but after some hard thinking, Choso finally lifted his hand and timidly scratched behind Naoya's ears, to which Naoya rewarded him with happy purring. It took even longer before Choso got over his fears and started petting his whole body, but once he started he got so enthralled by it that he fell asleep in the middle of it. Compared to his previous attitude, he looked peaceful and even happy while sleeping. Naoya wasn't delusional enough to think it was thanks to him as a person. Choso was just happy to finally pet a cat. But somehow he still felt proud for making Choso smile just a little...
He also felt proud whenever in the following days Choso kept remembering to join everyone at the cafeteria for food, just because it was time to feed Naoya.
He did not feel proud for running around after the toys Gojo brought him, but at least Choso found it amusing, and was probably not recording him.
But getting Choso to go outside with him for short walks made him just swell up with pride and joy. Not only was Choso getting fresh air, but also sitting together in the sun while Choso petted him and read books was just a great bonding activity. Sadly, on one of those nice afternoons, someone showed up to interrupt them again. Once Naoya noticed the head of the Gojo clan approaching them, he fluffed up his fur and growled at him as a warning. Of course it didn't stop the man from approaching.
"Aggressive as always" Satoru chuckled easily, looking nothing like a man that got slapped last time he tried to get close to his crush.
"Naoya, be nice" Choso said softly and booped his nose with a finger before petting him behind the whiskers. Naoya licked his nose out of instinct and relaxed, enjoying the caressing and fully forgetting about the annoying guy next to them.
"Wish that worked to shut up the human version too" Gojo mused and sat down next to them "Weather is great today~"
"Right... it's nice" Choso answered politely. Voice just a bit strained and his petting more messy than usual "about last time I'm-"
"I'm sorry too" Gojo said faster with a slightly embarrassed expression "I kinda figured once you left what upset you... I might've been a bit insensitive. I'm an only child so it's a bit tricky to try and understand, but... Well, just wanted you to know I didn't want to upset you"
"...Yeah... I know... You've been nothing but accommodating, I let my temper get the better of me and I'm sorry"
"Don't sweat it! You really should train your arms some more, it felt like a butterfly wing gently grazing my chin"
"...That's why you skipped meals next day?"
"Okay you got me, there was a huge red handprint on my cheek and I didn't want my students to tease me about it" Gojo pouted and Choso let out a sound that could be mistaken as a forced down laughter "hey, it's not funny"
"It's just a cough. Being outside so much isn't good for my health" Choso lied skillfully with a perfectly unreadable face.
"Woah, need to teach you to play poker one day, you'd be good at it"
"I know how"
"Really? Oniichan has a dark past? I mean, other than the dark past I already know about"
"Mahito and that shitty asshole taught me different games when we were staying low before Shibuya. Didn't really like playing with them, they both kept cheating" ah so Mahito was one of the curses that got exorcised during that attack...
"Hah somehow I'm not surprised. But it's a fun idea, maybe we should get together for a game night!" Gojo proposed with a beaming smile but then cooled down a bit " Awh, sorry, I'm starting again. I talked with Shoko and she made me realise I was reaaallyy pushy lately. She literally told me 'leave that poor guy alone' but I can't just do that. But I will try to be less pushy...? So don't be mad at me, please?"
"I'm not mad... You're just confusing. I don't understand why you act like that..." Choso sighed softly and Gojo stared at him for a while before smiling and putting his hand over Naoya's head, flopping his ears flat. Disrespect palpable in the air.
"He already eavesdropped enough" Gojo chuckled before continuing "...in the past I didn't notice when someone important to me was acting a bit like you. I miss him dearly... I don't want you to struggle with your grief alone. Besides Yuuji of course, it would be nice to have a friend, right? Someone you can lean on"
"I see... I thought you were spying on me so much because you don't trust me"
"I trust you as far as I can throw you and I could throw you pretty far!" Gojo said cheerfully as he let go of Naoya's head, hand unscratched despite Naoya's many attempts.
"Is that a threat?"
"Of course not! I wouldn't do that to Yuuji's precious older brother!"
"Mhm... I guess the game night sounds... fun" Choso basically forced himself to say and Gojo beamed at him happily.
"Great! It would be really fun if it was just the two of us, you know?" he tried but Naoya quickly hissed at him to get him to back off "Ah right, I was supposed to be less pushy. I'll gather more people and let you know where and when then!" he corrected himself and got up from the bench. Choso looked way too amused with this and Naoya couldn't stop growling.
"Maybe we should do it once Naoya gets back to normal"
"Naoya?" Gojo repeated with a disgruntled expression as Choso covered his mouth with a sleeve, definitely hiding a small smirk behind it.
"He seems interested. And it would be rude not to invite him after we just talked about it next to him"
"Right, sure. Guess that's fine, he sucks at card games, if we play for money we can rob him blind" Gojo laughed and Naoya felt slighted. He could not let that go, so to get back at Satoru he reached out his paws and kneaded Choso's chest, satisfied that Choso didn't push him off, while Gojo's jaw almost dropped "are you seriously letting him do it?"
"He likes to sharpen his claws like this" Choso answered, unaware of Naoya's real intentions.
"I'm sure he does" Gojo mumbled as he walked away. Naoya, satisfied to defeat his love rival yet again, yawned and got back to lying on Choso's lap. He will have to rub his cheeks all over Choso later, make sure everyone knows he is his.
He might've gotten way too comfortable in this body... It wasn't his fault of course, he was fully blaming Choso for pampering him this much. He got so used to cuddling up to him and asking for pets and attention, that he no longer even bothered to think about whether it was weird or not. It didn't matter, he was comfortable and Choso was happy to have a cat. He almost didn't mind staying like this for a lot longer. It was the most relaxing vacation he ever took. He especially enjoyed waking up snuggled up to Choso's neck, or on top of him like today. Choso was surprisingly sleeping a lot for a person that always looked tired. Naoya enjoyed watching his sleeping face. It was the kind of intimacy he wasn't even thinking about achieving with him few days ago... That still frustrated him... He got physically so close to him, but when he goes back to his body, Choso will probably ignore him again... And to think Satoru was going to get closer to him... It was frustrating... He had to go back to his body quick so that he could somehow hold a conversation with him. Now that he knew a bit more about him, he felt that he would be able to talk with him without pissing him off like before.
Maybe they could get closer as humans too...
But for now, it was fine to just spend time like this. Rubbing his cheeks on Choso's jaw and purring from happiness because he noticed his owner stirring awake and soon they'll go get breakfast together and later maybe they could go lay down in the sun for a while.
"Mnn... Good morning..." Choso muttered but instead of opening his eyes, just hugged Naoya tighter and got more comfortable, as if he planned to go back to sleep. Naoya was a morning person, but he didn't mind staying longer in bed.
As long as pets were involved.
So he meowed at him and kneaded his collarbone to get Choso's attention again "uh... You're so spoiled" Choso complained playfully and started gently stroking Naoya's head, receiving lots of purrs in exchange. Slow mornings like these were the best... Maybe if they were to start dating, they could have mornings like these everyday? Although Choso probably wouldn't be as affectionate... Naoya's brain was not going to bother with that thought as he got busy reciprocating all the love and affection. Choso already got used to getting groomed by Naoya, as he knew that Naoya will scream bloody murder if he tries to run away again, so he just laid there patiently as the purring 10 pounds of fluff started to lick his face with all the gentleness of sandpaper. He still was very tensed and kept covering his nose mark with a hand in fear of Naoya accidentally getting any of his blood on his tongue, but Naoya was sure he will grow to appreciate the gesture. It was important to properly groom your loved ones like these. Plus it made it clear where Choso stood in their hierarchy. Naoya might have been way too long in a cat's body as he saw nothing weird about his thoughts. But then he licked over Choso's tautly shut mouth and with a POOF suddenly his thoughts felt a lot more clear...
He looked down and saw Choso's shocked eyes staring back at him.
Naoya's tongue still on Choso's lips...
Confused, he lifted himself from Choso, using his hands to bear his bodyweight.
They stayed like this for way too long, just staring unblinkingly, Naoya's tongue still outside his mouth out of habit, until it finally dawned on him. He was back in his body. He was back in his naked body, on top of Choso. Choso's hand was still on his naked back.
He felt his cheeks burning red as he remembered how many embarrassing things he did in front of this man in the last few days. Not only in front of, but to this man too. He was licking him seconds ago!
But as he saw Choso's face tinting pink, blush spreading from his nose mark, he smirked a little and lowered himself closer to him again.
"Wanna continue what we started?" he purred as he lifted Choso's chin with his finger and flexed his back muscles slightly to remind him of the hand that was still touching him. He was not going to let Choso misunderstand this situation. He was not going to get friendzoned like Gojo, or even worse, catzoned.
Choso looked fully lost in his eyes for a second, but then he quickly removed his hand and moved away "Get off me" he pouted and the blush on his cheeks only made the expression cuter.
"But you'll see me naked if I do that" Naoya protested with a playful whine, to which Choso got up himself and threw Naoya to the side along with the duvet. Naoya giggled as he covered himself.
"Immediately so cold, do you not have a heart? I was your cat a minute ago, I grew attached and you throw me away like I'm a stray" Naoya complained as he got off the bed, covering himself with the duvet in the most flirtatiously pathetic way.
"That was before you changed into a fully naked man on top of me"
"How can you tell if I'm fully naked? Did you get a peek?" he asked teasingly while Choso rummaged through his wardrobe to get some spare clothes, which he threw at him with utmost care.
"Go dress up in the bathroom"
"Chosooo I'm back! Let's go grab breakfast toge-" came the voice of Choso's little brother who just barged in the room with a huge smile on his face, only to see a naked man in his brother's bedroom "Oh. Oooh... I'll leave you to it" he said with a traumatised look on his face as he slowly closed the door.
"Yuuji! It's not like that! He was still a cat a second ago, wait!" Choso called out and ran after him, leaving Naoya alone in his room.
"Well... not the worst way this could've went..." Naoya chuckled lightly as he sat back down on the bed, his eyes falling on the cat tree in the corner and his face immediately turning red again. There was no way for him to make Choso fall for him after all those embarrassing things he saw him do...
Following days were hectic, as it usually was after a nice vacation. He had to work twice as hard to get back to his schedule. This meant he had no time to even think about visiting Choso. The idea of Gojo successfully romancing him while Naoya was too far away to do anything was eating at him everyday. But then he got pleasantly surprised by an invitation for a game night from Gojo himself... He immediately made this a priority in his schedule.
He still arrived way too late and the spot next to Choso was already taken. Thankfully not by Gojo, who was sitting across from him instead, while Choso was sitting comfortably between Shoko and Nanami. It somehow made perfect sense that this is who he would get along with. Despite being called a 'game night', it was definitely just a poorly disguised opportunity for everyone to get drunk while holding some cards or dice. Naoya was looking for a chance to somehow talk to Choso all evening but it never arose, and alcohol was not helping him find the confidence he needed. At least he was winning at the game, until Gojo revealed he was cheating and he got pressured into drinking few shots of whiskey as his punishment. But he was pretty sure he heard Choso's quiet chuckling as he did, so it wasn't that bad... there was a lot of cat jokes at his expanse but he could survive those too.
He had to stay civil and patient and not ruin his chances to get closer to Choso.
But soon the party was coming to an end, and he felt that he wasted all his opportunities and was just hanging his head on top of his glass feeling sorry for himself. It made sense that Choso wasn't going to talk to him, they weren't close, they weren't even friends, and being turned into a cat didn't change it. But then someone poked him between his shoulder blades and he lazily raised his eyes with a grunt to see who dared to interrupt his sulking session, only to be met with Choso's dark eyes looking back at him. Almost tripping over himself he straightened up, brain sobering but not finding any words to say.
"I got something to show you in my room" Choso's emotionless words entered Naoya's ears and gave him all sorts of ideas...
"Uh, me?" he asked gawking like an idiot and glanced to the side to see that Gojo was way to busy with drunken Shoko to intervene. Everyone else was busy with their own conversations... Nobody would notice them sneaking out together, and a lot of people already left so it wouldn't even look suspicious. As he saw Choso sill waiting for his answer, he got up and smiled at him "Lead the way~!" was he more sober he would probably find a way to rationalise this sudden show of interest from Choso, but as it was, all he could think about were Choso's slightly flushed cheeks and glassy eyes. Choso definitely had less to drink than him and was handling his alcohol well, but it still gave him a rather cute and more relaxed look. As he followed him to his room, the silence was deafening but he wouldn't notice as his thoughts were taking away all his focus.
Did he shower well enough before coming over? Didn't he smell too much like sake now? Was his eyeliner smudged?!
Choso on the other hand was looking perfectly comfortable walking in silence. Once they got inside the room Naoya didn't know what to do with his hands, so he 'casually' put them in the back pocket of his pants- wait, wrong, these hakama don't have back pockets! He just rubbed his butt like an idiot. Did Choso notice? Will that get him out of the mood or-
"Naoya"
"Yes!" he squeaked as he stood up straight, fully aware that he was acting like a virgin who never even held someone's hand before, what was wrong with him?!
"I asked Gojo but he declined"
"Huh? R-Really?" that was unexpected... Both that Gojo would decline and that Choso asked him before asking Naoya... It stung a bit... a lot a bit... But before he could continue thinking about it, Choso clarified his request.
"The cat tree. He said he bought it for you so you should take it"
"Cat tree..." Naoya repeated and looked to the side at all the cat accessories Gojo brought here "Aaah that's what you wanted to show me" of course that's what it was... He didn't feel as disappointed as he thought he would... Probably because it meant he wasn't going to just be used in place of Gojo.
"What did you think it was" Choso sighed as he sat on his bed.
"Boobs"
"Boobs? Why would I have boobs here"
"I meant yours" Naoya clarified and sat next to him. Somehow without the thought of it being a ruse to get laid, it felt a lot less nerve wracking. Choso just looked at him confused and didn't grace his teasing with an answer for a long while. But he didn't kick him off the bed either.
"Hmm... You mean my chest? I can show you if it means you'll take Gojo's garbage away" Choso said and lifted his arm, Naoya's eyes following on instinct and noticing the slits on the sides of Choso's clothes... Then with the other hand Choso pulled at the fabric, revealing more of his skin and-
"That's not necessary! I was joking!" Naoya quickly caught his hands to stop him. Why were his clothes so erotic?! Wasn't this his combat uniform? Were the side slits used to distract his opponents?! And why were Naoya's clothes suddenly so stuffy? Maybe he should stand up and open a window, do something...!
"Ah I see... Gojo says I suck at recognising jokes. I thought you wanna see since I saw you naked last time"
"Even if, don't strip to people you don't know for such a flimsy reason" Naoya sighed, still holding his hands. Despite Choso petting him so much, this was probably the first time they touched properly... He didn't feel like letting go... And Choso wasn't pulling away either...
"It's not flimsy. I don't like looking at those things, I want them gone" Choso complained in an uncharacteristically expressive way.
"Really? You didn't seem to mind it before..."
"Mn... now it just makes me sad" that was a surprising amount of vulnerability for their first normal conversation... Naoya narrowed his eyes as he looked at Choso's face closely. He thought he was handling his alcohol well but now it looked that it wasn't really the case. He was definitely spacing out a lot more than usual... And the way he didn't mind them being this close... of course he was drunk.
"Alright... I can't right now, but I'll get Ranta to pick them up some day soon..." he mumbled and let go of Choso's hands. He really shouldn't be overstepping any boundaries sober Choso would have...
"Promise? Yuuji said I can't throw it outside, so make sure to take it" Choso said and put a finger on Naoya's nose, same way as he would when he wanted the cat Naoya to pay attention... Instead of getting insulted Naoya found it strangely endearing...
The more sober his thoughts were, the more he saw the dark circles under Choso's eyes, that tired look he had must have gotten a lot worse lately... "I will. Let's exchange numbers so we can go over the details later, okay?" he asked as he suddenly got a great idea. A drunk one, but definitely straight from his genius brain.
Once that was done he got Choso to lay down and left so that the half curse could finally get some sleep. Closing the door behind him, he was still grinning from ear to ear, happy about having Choso's number in his phone. He checked it once more to make sure it's properly there, only to almost drop it as a pair of glowing blue eyes appeared before him.
"Jesus Satoru what the hell!" he had the strength not to scream it out. He didn't want Choso to wake up.
"Just making sure you're not up to anything naughty~"
"That hurts, you know me for so long and you think so lowly of me..."
"It's precisely because I know you" Naoya just blew a raspberry at that as Gojo graciously lead him away.
"Well I didn't do nothing, so get off my back" he sighed but then got an amazing idea "actually, scratch that-"
"Yeah I bet you'd want to"
"Shut it, listen, I have an amazing idea but need your help" and the most amazing thing was that when he sobered up the next morning, this idea still made sense to him.
His genius plan turned out to be a lot more work than he thought. Regardless, he was determined. By tricking Choso to think he was there to pick up the cat toys, he successfully secured few hours of uninterrupted time one on one. Knowing his idea was both flawless and genius, he almost kicked the door open when he entered Choso's room.
"Yo pigtails!" appropriate way to greet someone. Choso looked just slightly startled but mostly just grumpy.
"Knock first. Also I'm talking with Yuuji now so don't interrupt and wait outside"
"No no, don't mind me I was about to leave anyway"
"Right, and the two of us have stuff to do, so go change" Naoya said cheerfully as he ignored Choso's abrasiveness and threw a bag of clothes at him. Good small revenge for how he threw them at him last time. Besides Choso had to look presentable. Better not to stand out too much today. That's why Naoya also abandoned his traditional clothes for a simple t-shirt and jeans.
"What are you talking about" Choso obviously seemed bewildered but it didn't matter, as Yuuji pushed him to the bathroom.
"It's fine Choso, just go, you could use some time outside anyway" he said as he closed the bathroom door behind him, then looked to Naoya, both sharing the same determined look. It sure was a good idea to get the pink brat involved in this scheme. Gojo's idea, but Naoya was still going to take credit for it. Leaving Yuuji to deal with the rest, he went to wait in the car, excited and a bit nervous. It took a while but finally Choso joined him. Naoya definitely enjoyed that beige sweater and black slacks on Choso more than on himself. He smiled invitingly as Choso, after some hesitation, got into the passenger seat.
"Yuuji said I need to go with you but wouldn't tell me why" he mumbled and fought with his seatbelt, way too angry to do it correctly.
"You trust your baby brother, right? Then be patient and sit still" that argument worked like a charm, and Choso's pout lessened a bit "let me help you" Naoya said with a smile and got the seatbelt for him. Not missing the subtle notes of Choso's shampoo, or the way Choso's breath hitched when they got closer, but also making a conscious effort not to stay close for too long like a creep. It was a wild way to continue their relationship, he had to act less creepy if he didn't want it all to blow up in his face. Despite Choso himself showing up in people's lives like a meteor, suddenly leaving a strong lasting impact, he really didn't enjoy it when others tried to push their way in like Gojo tried to. And despite Naoya being even more pushy now than the six eyed stalker himself, he understood the importance of leaving some personal space for Choso to enjoy.
They drove in total silence, but it didn't feel too awkward for him since he was excited for what's to come.
Choso however looked a bit anxious, which only made Naoya more giddy. He never cared for surprising people with gifts, but now he started to see the allure. When arriving at the spot, he observed Choso's expression closely, wanting to savour all the details as his companion tried to make sense of where they were.
"Put this on. We need to look trustworthy and your nose mark tends to move when you get emotional"
"Is it a mission or something? Gojo didn't tell me anything about it" Choso tried to remain calm but Naoya noticed the way his pupils dilated when he saw the sign on the building.
"Nope, we're here for private matters, now get moving, I booked us a meeting" he said with a smile and left the car, knowing Choso will follow. He didn't have to even wait a minute and Choso was next to him, face mask on. Naoya smirked and covered his lips, forcing down a chuckle as he saw the pink cat paw print on the dark fabric of Choso's mask. Poor guy probably didn't even notice since he put it on without complaining. It was both adorable and very fitting for the occasion.
"What is it?"
"Nothing, just laughing from excitement"
"Can you tell me what we're doing here?"
"If you can't figure that much yourself maybe you really should take Gojo up on that offer of extra classes" Naoya said before ringing the doorbell. He didn't want Choso to get closer to Gojo, but a little joke couldn't hurt, right? And judging by the way Choso got grumpier at that comment, he wasn't eager to let Gojo tutor him either.
An overly excited employee opened the doors a moment later "Hi! Welcome to our animal shelter! You must be Zenin Naoya, please come in" the lady said as she let them inside.
"Hello, I assume you're the one I spoke with before. And this is Choso" Naoya said matching the cheerful energy as he introduced his companion and almost pulled him inside since Choso still seemed way to anxious to act on his own. The nice employee continued talking as they made their way inside but all Naoya could focus on was Choso's face. It was a shame half of it was covered, but he couldn't have him turning this place into a bloodbath the second his emotions go wild. And he knew they would. Once they got to the room where the animals were kept, he could see Choso's eyes glowing with both interest and worry.
"You mentioned looking for an older cat?" the employee asked politely and Naoya had to stop admiring Choso's eyes and focus.
"Yes, I don't think we could handle training a kitten. An older one that's more docile would be perfect. Our friend has a rare blood disease and any deep cuts could cause an issue" he lied skillfully. It wasn't even that big of a lie, and it made Choso perk up with interest as the gears in his brain were probably starting to turn.
"Ah right, you mentioned that on the phone. There is no need to worry, most of our cats are very well trained. All of them have their own personalities of course, and they still require patience, but if you act with respect they shouldn't cause you troubles"
"Of course, Choso has some experience in handling a more difficult cat before, so I'm sure it won't be hard, right?" Naoya said sweetly as he grabbed Choso's shoulder to get his attention. Poor guy looked so confused but it was clear by the way he looked at all the pets that he was eager to take them all in.
"Ah, y-yes..." Choso said timidly, as he kept staring at cats from behind Naoya's back, almost using him as a shield.
"That's great to hear... But, are you okay sir?"
"He is just excited" Naoya laughed pleasantly to compensate for Choso's awkwardness "would you mind giving us some space for a second? It's a lot to take in, all those cuties looking at us like that, I need to remind my partner we only came here for one" he asked sweetly and the lady left them for a moment to tend to some cats at the end of the hallway. Once they were out of the earshot he looked back at Choso, who still looked stunned "finally catching on, or do you need more clues?" he chuckled a bit nervous. From what Yuuji said, there was zero chance of Choso rejecting the idea. Not when placed on the spot like that. If he knew what it was about, he would probably not get in the car, but as it was, there was no way of him backing away. He just needed more pushing.
"...do you need my help in choosing a cat?" ah, he definitely was clueless... Naoya poked him on the forehead for making a stupid assumption like this.
"I would adopt one in Kyoto if I wanted a cat" he sighed heavily "guess again, silly" Choso was too busy rubbing at his 'wounded' forehead and looking at the ground to answer. Or that's what Naoya thought before he realised that wasn't it. It's not that Choso wasn't getting it. It was more like he didn't want to make assumptions... The look in his eyes was hopeful yet guarded. Similar as to when he wasn't yet sure if he could pet Naoya the first time they started to live together. Maybe keeping Choso in the dark wasn't that good of an idea, because now something was tugging on Naoya's heartstrings "You will be an amazing cat owner, I would know" he said with a soft smile as Choso finally looked at him.
"It's too risky"
"Shoko said you can use rct on small animals. And I know you won't even have to, you're way too careful. I never had the urge to scratch you once, it's going to be okay" he did want to bite him a little, though it wasn't something Choso should know about just yet, else he would take it the wrong way.
He could see Choso searching for more excuses, while also longingly looking at the cats meowing at him from their cages "You really want to have one, right?" he asked in a lower tone, knowing it has to be embarrassing to get this vulnerable. Choso was too focused on his brother's wants and needs to consider his own. But since Naoya already found out about this one, he had no reason to hide it anymore. And so, Choso nodded slowly and Naoya's cold dead heart almost melted.
"But I'm not sure it's a good idea" it wasn't surprising that he still had some doubts, but it was fine.
"I am. And I'm a genius so just trust my opinion" Naoya said smugly and went to get the employee's attention again. It was better not to let Choso fester in his dark thoughts for too long. Worst case scenario he wouldn't mind taking the cat himself, but he was sure there will be no need. Choso was too easy to read. As they walked down the hallway looking at different cats, he felt Choso's fingers grip the back of his shirt and he almost fell to his knees overwhelmed by emotions. Seeing Choso who was usually very confident act this way was too precious... As the employee showed them different cats, Choso was staring at them with that timidly hopeful look that was making Naoya's stomach do flips.
He thought he was a master of the begging puppy eyes, but now he met a true pro. He was convinced that if Choso just asked him for anything he would bend over backwards to give it to him...
When they stopped at one of the cages, the lady looked a bit more excited as she began talking "Honestly when you mentioned the personality you were looking for, I couldn't help but think that this one would be a perfect match. We think she might be a ragdoll but there is no pedigree. Her owner died and poor thing got left alone for a long while. Some people don't like cats like those in fear of that awful myths that they eat their dead owners" she sighed as she pointed at the ginger cat laying calmly in her cage. Naoya recognised her from the site he visited before booking the appointment. She caught his attention immediately, but he knew that he shouldn't pick a cat just because of its name. Still, it felt fitting... "Comet is a sweet little lady, very calm and loving. Might be a bit shy at first but I assure you, she loves spending time with people" she said as she poked at the doors to get the cat's attention. Cat stretched and yawned before getting a bit closer and by the look in Choso's eyes, he was already sold.
Naoya grinned satisfied like never before "I think she would be perfect, can we spend some time with her?"
Signing papers took a bit longer than Naoya thought it would, but all things considered, it went very smoothly. He had to sign everything in his name, since Choso still wasn't considered a human citizen, but he didn't mind at all. About an hour later they were back in the car, Choso looking stunned as there was now a cardboard box containing a cute little furball in his lap. After texting Yuuji a quick update, Naoya put his phone away and turned to Choso, who was just staring intently at the box, his hands holding it carefully yet tightly...
"You're doing okay?" he wasn't sure how to start the conversation. The whole situation was a bit crazy, but it had to be done.
"Yeah..." Choso muttered and lowered his head, his loose hair falling around his face and hiding his expression, before he looked to the side and Naoya could see his eyes tearing up "she is so cute" Choso almost sniffled out and Naoya barely contained a giggle.
"True, wait I got some tissues here" he said with a soft smile as he rummaged through the glove compartment to get them, once he looked back at Choso, his mask was down and "God, I'm glad you wore that thing, it's a whole crime scene here" he commented and tried to help with the blood that was covering half of his face and only by some miracle didn't went down his neck, but Choso stopped him and took the tissues himself. Always so careful about his blood, and yet he was still so worried he could injure someone.
"Thanks..." Choso said as he wiped at his cheeks and once he was a bit less shaken, moved his blood back inside his nose mark with a sniffle, eyes still glistening with tears.
"No problem" Naoya smiled softly. He couldn't believe he used to think Choso was an emotionless husk of a man. Once you got just a bit closer to him, you could see so many raw expressions, it was fascinating... He stayed leaned in for a bit too long because of this fascination, and then Choso grabbed him by the neck. For a second he was sure he will get choked to death for the crime of entering Choso's personal space, but instead, strong arms pulled him closer. He had to put his hand on the window to support his weight as Choso didn't give in until he had his head in the crook of Naoya's neck. He could hear his heartbeat banging loudly in his ears at the strangely sweet gesture... If only they were back in the room or outside so he could hug him back instead of being trapped in this uncomfortable position.
"I really mean it... Taking care of you was so relaxing, I missed it..." this was undoubtedly the first and last time someone would ever imply that spending time with Naoya could be relaxing... Ignoring his already straining muscles, he reached his hand around, and despite the awkward pose, put it on the back of Choso's neck to hug him back.
"Being your cat was also relaxing, so I'm sure Comet will love you same as me" he sighed before paling in realisation "love it, yeah, love being your cat, that's what I loved, not uh, um, nevermind" chances of Choso catching on to his feelings were very minimal considering he still didn't notice the way Gojo was making heart eyes at him, but better safe than sorry. He sighed and closed his eyes, being so close wasn't good for his brain... And the way Choso was nuzzling up to him wasn't helping either "...Choso"
"Mm?"
"Are you wiping your nose on my shirt?"
"...no"
"...You're lucky you're so cute"
"Only my blood is dangerous so don't panic" Choso had the audacity to sigh as he let go of him, face perfectly clean as if it wasn't covered in tears and snot a minute earlier. Naoya pouted slightly as he moved back.
"You have a funny way of showing gratitude"
"I said thank you" Choso huffed and hugged the box with Comet inside it tight to his body, as if he was scared that Naoya will try to take it away.
"I won't take her from you don't look at me like that" he snickered at the defensive pose "I don't want to move that huge cat tree all the way to Kyoto after all" he added and seeing Choso's guard lower a bit, got close and playfully licked the stripe on Choso's face. The surprised high pitched yelp made him jerk away with a giggle "Hah! Now we're even for the shirt" he laughed sticking out his tongue and starting the engine.
"Don't lick at it, it's poisonous..!" Choso protested but pipped down once he was sure none of his blood got into Naoya's mouth.
"So I can lick at other places?" he asked just to see Choso's blushing face pout again. What surprised him was a short growl coming from the cardboard box.
"Comet says you can't" Choso said with amazement before hugging the box, lovely smile gracing his lips "she really is perfect for me" he hummed happily and Naoya just drove them home instead of arguing further. He had fun teasing him, but watching him being genuinely happy was even better.
"Right... D-Do you think I can even bring her to the school? We should've asked, what if-"
"It's all fine, Gojo is in on it" Naoya sighed once Choso started panicking again "why do you think he got you all the cat toys?" he added with a laugh. He probably should've figured it out himself a lot quicker. The way Yuuji was so eager to leave 'Nyaoya' with Choso, and how Gojo immediately brought him all the accessories. It seemed that everyone but Choso was already well aware he would be an amazing cat owner.
And of course that's exactly what happened. Naoya couldn't visit for a while, but from what he got out of Maki, Choso and Comet were doing great. It took over a month before he could finally come over. The weirdest thing was, this was the first time Choso and him were finally able to have a normal interaction, no fighting, weird curses or plans to trick the other to adopt a cat. Just two people meeting up to hang out. He still had to use an excuse of 'I want to properly meet our baby' but it was a great improvement in their relationship nonetheless.
And the sheer fact that Choso remembered who he was was already a success.
Entering Choso's room, Naoya almost didn't recognise it, if not for that giant cat tree taking up so much space. Choso entered carrying a tray with tea and some snacks, so Naoya closed the doors behind him, feeling unnaturally chivalrous. They sat down by the window on placed there zabutons and Choso set the tea on a chabudai standing between them. Not only was the room a lot more lived in, having cat accessories placed all over, but also Choso looked a lot better. That exhausted look gone from his face, replaced by a lot more healthy looking sleepiness. And when the ginger cat jumped off the bed to make herself comfortable on Choso's lap, his face got even brighter. Over all he just looked happier.
"You two grew close already" Naoya commented with amazement as he saw Coso comfortable touching cat's fur without gloves.
"Seems so... I was really scared she won't like me"
"That's impossible, you give the best back scratches" Choso almost laughed at it so Naoya grinned and reached out for his tea. Their 'friendship' started off very weird, but just talking and sitting next to Choso made all the tension and awkwardness disappear. It sure was a shame Choso wouldn't look at him with the same amount of warmth as he did when Naoya was a cat, but it wasn't a big issue, he wasn't going to get jealous over the attention Comet was getting.
"I was shocked that you even conspired with Yuuji behind my back" Choso pouted as he kept petting Comet's cute little head.
"He is a conniving little brat that brother of yours. He wanted to get you a pet for some time already but since you're so stubborn it wasn't so easy. He even said it's great that I'll do it 'cause worst case scenario you'll get mad at me not him. Bet the same goes for Gojo" he said, ignoring the way Choso shoot daggers with his eyes at the loving nickname he gave to his precious little sibling.
"It's good that Yuuji is finding creative solutions to his problems, but I would never get mad at him" Choso said proudly. Spoiling both the cat and his brother.
"Of course" Naoya sighed then lifted his hand to Comet's nose to finally befriend her "must be nice getting so pampered~" he mused with a smile that quickly faded as Comet swapped at his hand with nonchalance "what... Hey, you can't hate me I'm your legal parent..!" he despaired in shock as Choso chuckled instead of helping him "don't laugh... were you putting our child against me?"
"I did no such thing. And she is not our child. I'm a single parent who doesn't even know you" Choso said with the same kind of nonchalant disregard for other's feelings as his cat. Naoya was noticing those similarities long before, but now it really hit him, how much this guy reminded him of a stray cat.
"She is definitely my daughter too. And it's not unheard of to get knocked up with a one night stand, nothing weird about it. But now we are bonded for life and it's better to get to know each other better" Naoya said back, not discouraged by Choso's apathy, but determined to get past it. He had experience understanding cat's nature, he was confident not to fail.
"It's also not unheard of to poison your husband and run away with his money"
"Hey!" this made him remember the pain caused by Choso's blood entering his system. Not the fondest memory of their time together... "we're not yet married so that plan won't work for you. You better learn how to co-parent"
"I guess. Then you have to visit more often" Choso said and Naoya stopped his little comedy routine for a moment. Was that a genuine request...? When he looked at Choso's face, he was hiding his expression by holding a mug to his lips and looking away. But there was a hint of blush on his cheeks... Definitely not caused by Naoya's delusions or the steam from the tea.
"Right... Wouldn't want my cat to forget my face, or name. Wouldn't want to just be known as the weird blond guy" he answered with a smile and leaned his cheek on his hand as he watched Choso's lips form a pout. If he understood the allusion he didn't grace it with a reaction "besides, you could visit too. I think Gojo bought you a cat carrier"
"Why would I go all the way to Kyoto"
to see me
"Mm right, why would you~" Naoya sighed dramatically "one of my ancestors really liked watching stars. He left this big, expensive telescope nobody uses. And I know how to operate it. But sure, why would you want to visit" he said playfully, watching how Choso's eyes widened with interest only for him to furrow his brows quickly in a distrusting scowl. He probably wasn't too happy that Naoya knew so much about him already.
"And what are you getting out of it?"
"More time with my lovely kitten of course"
"Hmm... I see..." Choso hummed with a grumpy expression as Comet stretched in his lap and reached out her paws to knead at Choso's chest, clawing at the purple fabric. Since Naoya did the same thing, he couldn't complain... "Gojo got me more books to read lately"
"Ah really? Anything good?" Naoya asked more focused on what the cat was doing than what Choso was saying. Comet yawned cutely before bumping her head against Choso's chin and earning herself more scratches, her purring probably loud enough to be heard in other rooms.
"Romance novels"
"Oh?"
"So... I'm not that clueless" Choso added and now that small blush was undoubtedly not just in Naoya's imagination.
"Right" he answered in a daze. His flirting wasn't unnoticed... And it wasn't rejected... He smiled softly as Comet stretched her back and reached her paws to his knee.
"I think Comet wouldn't mind a short trip to Kyoto" this said right as the cat started sharpening her claws on Naoya jeans made him chuckle. He remembered his clothes that got ruined by Choso's supernova. Basically turned into a sieve. There had to be something wrong with him for finding it so adorable. He started to gently pet Comet's head as he looked Choso in the eyes with a smile.
"It's a date then" Choso looked startled for a second before softening his eyes and looking to the side with a blush, nodding.