#spreading my jasmine rice agenda

[nappingmoon]

choso x reader fluff :)

desc: a meet cute with the best older brother in the world <3

w.c. 1.5k

choso grew up raising his brothers. it was always his job to keep them safe, to teach them by example and get them out of trouble if they ever stumbled into it. when his parents died a few months after his eighteenth birthday, choso took custody of his little brothers-- there wasn't even a moment of hesitation in his mind. he would be there for the most important people in his life because he is their older brother, no ifs, ands, or buts.

caring for three young boys who eat their weight in food was not easy. choso picked up three jobs and spent most of those first years with his time entirely split between working and talking with his little brothers. he would schedule his jobs so that he could leave breakfast made in the morning before the boys woke up and run home during his lunch break to whip up their afterschool meal before running back. during the three hour break between his main two jobs, he would chat with his brothers and cook up dinner, which was always ate at the table. he cherished this time, soaking up the boys' expressions at the first bite. though he was on a budget, meal and ingredient prepping on sundays helped him keep track of what he could use to make the meals go farther and also gave him a bit of time to get creative with the dishes. he liked to surprise his brothers by mixing in their favorite foods with unique ingredients he found in the grocery clearance section. these times were the was able to truly relax and see the fruits of his efforts reflected back at him. his brothers were safe, content, and had full bellies each night.

when eso and kechizu are of the age to work and help out at the house, choso lets go of one of the jobs, prioritizing making it to all of yuujis baseball games and trying to be more present in their lives. he gets more creative in the kitchen, baking breads, making sauces, and diversifying the plates even more. he invests in better pans and still considers the family dinners to be the most important thing in his life.

but then his brothers keep growing. kechizu and eso leave for college and trades. yuuji is a senior in highschool and he has more clubs and friends. nightly dinners turn into weekly dinners turn into "i'll try to stop by but i've got this thing..." . he doesn't know how to handle his baby brothers leaving the nest. he doesn't need to throw himself into work anymore, having saved enough and worked up in rank and salary over the years, but he finds himself missing the busyness because now he just sits and thinks about the fact that his brothers are away from him.

then, you happen. he's walking through the grocery store, mentally planning out this week's dinner and trying to prevent himself from getting too much (his brain is still wired to prepare portions for his little brothers. despite being aware of this, choso can't help but make more than enough, always hoping that his little brothers will show up at his door, hungry and eager for another one of his meals.) when you accidentally bump into him.

"oh my god, I am so sorry, did I hurt you?" you ask, despite the fact that it is you who is on the floor and he who seems completely unharmed by your slip.

choso extends a hand to you and you take it, watching as the muscles in his arm move to help you up. "I am okay, are you?"

"yes, yes, thank you for helping me up" you say, as you dust yourself off and adjust your hair, cheeks warming a touch at the fact that you just fell on the floor in front of one of the most handsome men you have ever seen. "I was trying to pull out that bag of rice when my hand slipped and i lost my balance! I usually just by the bags of microwavable rice but my niece is spending the next week at my house and I want to feed her good food. I think rice should be easy enough but I didn't know these bags were so heavy and oh my god I am rambling about rice to a stranger. I am so sorry, thank you for helping me, I won't take any more of your time goodbye!" you turn around and just as you step towards your cart, eager to leave this mortifying situation in the past and text your best friend that you just fumbled a man that looks the grown version of your teen hot topic dream boy, a hand reaches out to halt you.

"you forgot your rice," his deep voice reaches your ears and you find your emotions at war, both humiliated but also stunned at how hot a man can sound when saying a household food item. "this is a good brand, and jasmine rice goes well with most dishes. you have a good eye." you turn around and watch as he bends over to grab the bag, straightening up like it weighs no more than a feather and coming around to place it in your cart. "do you have any recipes in mind?"

you're sheepish when you respond "I, uh, saw some things online but I have been on my own for a while and never really got too into cooking since it's just me. I probably have consumed more instant ramen and microwave meals than any person should in a lifetime." you avoid his eyes as you confess, lightly embarrassed to still have the eating habits of a college student despite having graduated some years ago. "I was just going to look up easy yummy recipe books and try my hand at anything with less than 10 steps."

choso surprises you, and himself, if he's being honest, when he opens his mouth next. "I can teach you, if you'd like." and when you look back up with him with eyes that gleam like he'd just offered you a million dollars, he can't find it in himself to want to take back his words.

and so you find yourself swapping kitchens, familiarizing yourself with his and he filling yours with essentials that he cant figure out how you have lived without all this time (who doesn't have pepper in their house?). even after he gets you to the point where you can feed your niece at least three different homemade meals, and she is back with her mother, you find yourself missing the small lessons. you reach out to him, using the number he gave you in case you needed a quick kitchen tip or question, and ask if he would mind continuing the lessons. you make up some excuse, and he accepts eagerly.

one day, yuuji will walk into an animated duo behind the kitchen counter. the house is usually quiet but this time there seems to be an argument-- he can catch pieces like "i can't measure with my heart i need a number!" and a disbelieving "you did not just add baking soda instead of powder." the sight he is greeted by is his older brother in an apron, hands on his hips and looking down in confusion-- and a possible twinge of adoration?-- at an apron clad figure covered in flour. it takes a moment before he is even noticed and choso gulps at the realization that he was so invigorated by you that he lost track of time. he clears his throat, trying to find the words to explain but remaining speechless at his worlds colliding like this.

you take the initiative. "hi! you must be yuuji! your brother never shuts up about you, he's always got great things to say. it's nice to finally meet you." you say, giving him your name at the end. "choso is trying to teach me how to bake but I think I might be a lost cause."

as choso watches the two of you interact, he feels his heart swell. seeing you go back and forth with his precious little brother is enough to tip him over the edge.

he asks you out that night, just as you take your first bite of the bread you finally managed to make together.

you choke on it, inhaling the small piece of the loaf in your surprise. after you manage to get it out, sipping on the glass of water he got you to ease your cough, he begins to laugh. "was that a yes or did the question repulse you so much you thought it better to die than to answer?" he asks.

you consider throttling him for nearly causing your early demise and then making fun of you, but as your hands approach his neck, they pull him to you instead of squeezing. your kiss, however, seems just as effective at taking his breath away.

for some reason I feel like choso would be really good at cooking.