Chapter Text
“Submit to me.”
Karamatsu blinked, staring at Ichimatsu from across the small round table. His hand mirror lay flat against the surface, forgotten. What had he just heard?
“Huh?”
“You heard me.” Ichimatsu says, and yeah, maybe Karamatsu really wasn’t mistaking what he said. Still… what?
“What do you mean?” Karamatsu asks, because he’s honestly out of his element right now. He had just been enjoying himself, relaxing at the table with his hand mirror admiring his good looks when Ichimatsu had suddenly walked in and…
Ichimatsu leans further over the table, his ever-tired eyes boring into Karamatsu’s uncertain ones.
“Do I have to fucking spell everything out for you?” Ichimatsu growls low in the back of his throat and on instinct it causes a chill to run up Karamatsu’s spine. They never break eye-contact, and although it’d be proper for Karamatsu to do so, considering Ichimatsu was an alpha and Karamatsu very much wasn’t-- he kept their gazes locked.
“I-I don’t…” He didn’t… understand. Karamatsu could feel his cheeks heat up on principle to Ichimatsu’s extremely blatant statement, but this was so… the entirety of this was so utterly random, it caught Karamatsu a little off guard. It was taking him more than a while to process the abruptness of this conversation.
“It’d be so easy,” Ichimatsu says, and his tone takes on something different, something that makes Karamatsu’s skin prickle. “All I’d have to do is sink my teeth into your ugly neck and it would be done.”
Karamatsu’s stomach drops, but his face heats up ten-fold.
“And all you’d have to do is let me.” Ichimatsu finishes, and he flashes a devilish smirk, giving a glimpse to the abnormally sharp teeth that lay behind his chapped lips. Karamatsu’s eyes locked onto those teeth and he swallows loudly.
“I-I…” Karamatsu starts, but he’s not sure what he’s even trying to say. Ichimatsu is pinning him with his gaze and his words, his blunt phrasing left him more than a little speechless.
“Cut it out, Ichimatsu. That kind of teasing isn’t funny. Stop freaking him out for no reason.”
Both Ichimatsu and Karamatsu whipped their heads around to the doorway, eyes landing on their eldest brother standing there. He looked pretty casual save for the sharp look he was giving the youngest.
“Tch,” Ichimatsu scoffs, moving his gaze elsewhere. “You do the same shit, too.”
“Eh,” Osomatsu says, shrugging and walking further into the room and standing a little closer to Karamatsu’s side.
Karamatsu let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and for the first time actually inhaled through his nose-- and was immediately bombarded with overwhelming scents.
Ichimatsu’s scent was sharp, cutting. Some days it reminded Karamatsu of a beach, of rain, but other days it was a storm and a typhoon. Osomatsu’s was of cinnamon and spices, sometimes even strong enough to make Karamatsu sneeze.
It was tense, and he had no idea where to look so he kept his eyes trained to where his hand mirror lay flat in front of him. He interlocked his fingers together and forced himself to breathe-- though, not so much through his nose, as Osomatsu’s and Ichimatsu’s scents were weirdly overwhelming right now.
The silence dragged on, and Karamatsu hated it. He also hated that this was practically a normal occurance now, ever since he’d presented as an omega-- though Ichimatsu didn’t used to be this blunt about his jokes. He must be aching for a reaction this time.
“Besides, he’ll probably be mine before you can even think about sticking those gross teeth in him.”
Karamatsu’s breath hitched. Osomatsu didn’t used to be this blunt, either.
A low growl began ebbing from Ichimatsu’s figure, and he was wrinkling his nose at his oldest brother. Osomatsu simply watched him calmly, a signature smirk on his face.
“Y-you two…” Karamatsu spoke up, although a bit quietly. He never knew what to do when these two started joking around each other like this, especially if he was somehow brought into it.
“Ah!” Osomatsu said suddenly, looking at Karamatsu as if he’d just noticed him there. “Sorry, I guess we’re being kind of insensitive, yeah?” He laughs, and Karamatsu has no idea how he can laugh in this type of situation when Karamatsu himself felt as though he was suffocating. Even Ichimatsu seems to have calmed down, laying his head on his arms and looking as though he were going to nap.
“Hey, Karamatsu-- I’m going to pachinko tonight. Wanna tag along?” Osomatsu asks, his smile growing wider as he saw the excitement suddenly fill Karamatsu.
“I’d love to!” Karamatsu answers enthusiastically, and then adds, “To accompany you would be one of the highest honors, brother…!” In a deeper tone, winking.
Osomatsu rolls his eyes, his smile faltering only a little. “Cool! We’ll leave after dinner or something. Don’t make me regret taking you.” He says, leaving the room.
Karamatsu laughed, knowing his brother was only joking with that last part. He hoped, at least. His eyes then moved to Ichimatsu who was laying his head down on the table but was watching him through half-lidded eyes. Karamatsu shoots him a nervous smile, unsure of what else to do.
“Don’t go.” Ichimatsu says with a tone that makes Karamatsu hesitate in his movements.
Karamatsu wants to ask why, but doesn’t. He is genuinely happy to have been invited out by his eldest brother, and he’s not about to let that mood be ruined. Rather, he does his best to smile at his younger brother before getting up and leaving the room himself, definitely needing fresh air after all of that.
☁ ☁ ☁ ☁ ☁ ☁
Osomatsu’s not patient with Karamatsu when the younger is trying to get ready to leave. Karamatsu can’t decide which pants to wear with his tank and jacket. Normal jeans? The ones that sparkle, maybe? Or maybe something else altogether perhaps?
“Hurry it uuup, geez.” Osomatsu complains, rubbing his head with his hand as he waits against the doorframe of the room. Karamatsu mutters an apology but is still looking at the two pairs of pants in his hands. Osomatsu watches him a second longer before growling in annoyance and marching over to Karamatsu.
Instinctively, Karamatsu cowers away as Osomatsu approaches and the oldest snatches his two pairs of pants out of his hands and tosses them aside. “Here, I’m gonna choose for you since you can’t.” Osomatsu states, heading towards their shared closet.
It’s a couple moments of ruffling through layers of clothing before pulling out what Karamatsu immediately recognizes as his jean shorts.
“Ah, brother, I don’t think it’s a good idea to--” Karamatsu starts, but is immediately cut off.
“Just wear these; it’s warm outside anyway! Forget the jacket, too.” Osomatsu says, tossing the shorts at his first brother.
Karamatsu catches them and holds onto them a second or two, uncertainty on his face. “Is this really appropriate to wear to pachinko? Won’t it be dangerous for me?”
Osomatsu scoffs and looks the slightest bit offended, and the stare he gives Karamatsu makes the younger wince. “Really? You’re with me. You’ll be fine, now hurry the hell up.” He says with a finality that Karamatsu can’t argue with. “I’ll be waiting outside. Don’t make me leave you here.” He says as he leaves.
Doing as he’s told, Karamatsu hurries up and gets his outfit together; it’s his signature tank, those shorts Osomatsu pulled out for him, and his shimmering gold boots. If it weren’t going to be dark soon outside, he’d be wearing his sunglasses, but instead he simply places them atop his head as a sort of accessory. It works, he thinks, and soon he’s out the front door.
The harsh smell of nicotine fills his nostrils and he almost coughs, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth and nose. “You’re smoking again.” Karamatsu points out, standing next to his brother who was leaning against the wall of the house, cigarette between his lips.
“Sure am,” Osomatsu replies before pushing himself off the wall and starting to walk towards the street. Karamatsu follows after and is relieved when Osomatsu throws the cigarette away and squashes it with his foot.
“It doesn’t make you smell nice.” Karamatsu says, and frowns when his brother laughs.
“I told you not to make me regret taking you, Karamatsu.” Osomatsu says, and there’s some sort of undertone to the way he says it that makes Karamatsu immediately want to drop the subject. He imagines it’s Osomatsu taking advantage of their natures to snuff out the conversation he clearly doesn’t want to have.
However, seeming to sense his sudden discomfort, Osomatsu wraps an arm around Karamatsu’s shoulders and drags him close, pushing his nose into Karamatsu’s hair at his temple and inhaling deeply.
Karamatsu’s cheeks warm up, but he actually does the same-- and once he gets past the nasty scent of smoke he can smell Osomatsu’s true scent; the cinnamon, the spice, something like a warm fire. It’s comforting-- it always has been for all of his younger brothers, especially since he was the first alpha among them. It helps to soothe Karamatsu’s momentary anxiety.
“You always smell so clean.” Osomatsu says. “It’s kind of cute.”
Karamatsu laughs. “Thank you, brother, I do try and take care of myself--”
“I wonder what we’d smell like together.”
Karamatsu trips-- or, well, almost trips, if Osomatsu hadn’t been holding him then he would’ve most definitely landed face-first on the sidewalk. As it stands, however, Osomatsu grabbed him at just the right time and kept him upright, albeit struggling himself a little bit afterwards too.
There’s a moment of silence before Osomatsu starts laughing, and Karamatsu’s face heats up with pure embarrassment.
“I was kidding!” He says, and he repeats it several times but it doesn’t make Karamatsu feel any better.
“I don’t like when you two tease me like that!” Karamatsu exclaims as he straightens himself out, frowning deeply, his thick brows creating wrinkles in the middle of his forehead. He huffs.
“Yeah, yeah, c’mon, I don’t wanna get there too late.” Osomatsu replies and they both start walking again.
☁ ☁ ☁ ☁ ☁ ☁
The pachinko parlour isn’t anything extravagant. Nothing like the big ones in the city; this one is more suitable to their small part of town. It’s a bit more dirty, but not awful as it clearly gets more than enough people to keep it alive. When Karamatsu and Osomatsu enter, it’s not particularly crowded, but it’s not quite the opposite, either.
“Ooh, good crowd tonight. Must be a big jackpot, too.” Osomatsu says and he snickers excitedly at the concept.
“Must be,” Karamatsu replies, following his brother closely as to not lose him. They snake around everybody, looking for open spots at the flashing and colorful machines. Karamatsu wrinkles his nose at the thick smell of smoke in the air; he hadn’t come in so long that he forgot smoking was allowed here. Not only that, but the scent of everybody around him was more than overwhelming. They were all mostly betas, but there were a few very apparent alphas around he could pick out.
Along with the large amount of noise from both the machines and all the people, mixed with the stench of alcohol and cigarettes, Karamatsu was more than a little overwhelmed by everything.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Karamatsu says, but it’s not loud enough for his brother to hear him. Instead, Osomatsu grabs him and points out two open spots next to each other at two Godzilla themed machines. The smile on his face is enough motivation for Karamatsu to follow him further into the mass of people and noise and stink.
“Yea-heah! Check this out! Whoever gets the jackpot pays off the tab at Chibita’s, deal?” Osomatsu says enthusiastically as he seats himself at the machine, perching himself on the stool in front of it. Karamatsu attempts a smile and slides onto the stool in front of the other machine, the part that touches his leg is cool enough to make him shiver once, and he slightly wishes he wore actual pants instead of these shorts.
“Wanna get us some drinks?” Osomatsu leans over and nudges him with his elbow.
“Ah, not particularly, brother,” Karamatsu replies honestly, earning himself a whine from the eldest of the two. Thankfully, Osomatsu had already started a game and didn’t beg further as his attention was easily taken away from the conversation.
Karamatsu settles himself then, or rather tries to because he accidentally bumps the person on the stool on his other side and he politely apologizes as a result, his face growing warm with embarrassment and he forces himself to focus on his game.
It’s difficult, though. The sounds, the smells, the discomfort-- it’s too much. He tries playing a few games, losing a few yen immediately, and it only serves to make him feel worse.
Instinctively, he reaches out towards his brother, his fingers curling into the sleeve at Osomatsu’s elbow, the material of his sweater familiar and providing a little bit of comfort.
“What is it?” Osomatsu asks, but he doesn’t look away from his game until Karamatsu doesn’t respond. When he looks over, his initially annoyed expression changes to a softer one. He takes one deep inhale through his nose and he clicks his tongue. He can smell Karamatsu’s anxiety clear as day.
“You’d think someone like you wouldn’t be so bad with crowds.” Osomatsu comments and he shifts around on his seat.
Karamatsu wants to say something along the lines of the fact that he didn’t used to be bad with crowds, but when he hit puberty and his nature presented him to the world as an omega, everything seemed to change. He had a heightened sense of paranoia and was much more sensitive to the existence of people, which was the opposite of what he had once been. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t dislike that particular fact about himself now.
“Come here,” Osomatsu says, grabbing Karamatsu’s wrist and tugging him forward and into his arms. “Just stand here a bit with me.” He maneuvers them both so he’s sitting on his stool still, but Karamatsu is standing between his legs, his back against Osomatsu’s front and he’s almost sitting on his lap. Osomatsu’s arms are around him so he could continue to play his game.
Karamatsu feels immediately better, the previously overwhelming scent of the parlor and their people now being slowly muted out with something more familiar which was his eldest brother’s scent. It acted as a security blanket for all of his siblings in their worst times, it being only natural instinct for them to seek out the eldest alpha’s presence in order to calm their nerves over the years. Now was no different.
Karamatsu leaned against his brother, feeling Osomatsu’s warm cheek against his arm and his body against his back. He was immediately more calm, and he felt Osomatsu start to relax more as well as a result.
“Ah, damn, I’m not doin’ too well this round.” Osomatsu comments to himself eventually and it’s true, Karamatsu was watching the money basically trickle down the drain and unfortunately that wasn’t unusual at all.
“Here, you do it a while, maybe you’ll have better luck.” Osomatsu suggests and he pulls his hands away from the machine in front of him mid-game, pouting.
Karamatsu laughs, immediately taking up the game without missing a beat. “You always were such a sore loser, mon ami,”
“We all are, shut up.” Osomatsu continues to pout more.
Karamatsu smiles and doesn’t respond further, instead deciding to try and focus on the game, wanting to avenge his brother’s horrible luck even just a little bit. He’s doing well, he thinks, when he feels Osomatsu’s hands land on his hips with nowhere else to go and at first Karamatsu doesn’t notice or mind it; he continues playing his game with his eldest brother watching on in approval and all is well for the moment.
Osomatsu’s right hand is on his thigh now, skin on skin with how short Karamatsu’s shorts are. His brother’s hands are so warm, they always have been, but they’re especially hot while Osomatsu glides his hand down the length of Karamatsu’s thigh, down to his knee and back up again to the hem of his shorts and repeat.
It’s slow and soothing, and Osomatsu soon starts doing it with both his hands on both of Karamatsu’s legs and it honestly does feel nice, especially after being so anxious and uncertain earlier.
Karamatsu continues to focus on the game even as Osomatsu decides to shift them both around once more, this time making room to actually seat Karamatsu right between his legs so Osomatsu’s chin instead rested on Karamatsu’s shoulder. It’s hard with the size of the stool that’s provided, but they make it work.
Osomatsu’s hands get back to work again then, trailing down the tops of Karamatsu’s thighs before coming back to his waist, over and over. Eventually, his fingers begin to nudge Karamatsu’s legs apart just to get to more of his thighs and without thinking, Karamatsu obliges, now too-into the game at hand to really bother with anything else. They all sort of have a pachinko gambling problem and once they get started, nothing can really stop them.
Karamatsu’s barely aware of how Osomatsu’s fingers drag up the inside of his thighs. It’s a little bit normal for all of them to be at least a little bit fascinated with Karamatsu’s lack of body hair due to his omega nature and it’s in times like these they can really take it in as a reality.
Karamatsu’s getting warm though, he can feel his body begin to heat up with how close Osomatsu is and how often he’s touching him. Osomatsu is a natural furnace which helps during cold nights but right now, in the crowded parlor, it’s a tad bit annoying.
The uncomfortable warmth is enough of a distraction to pull his attention away from his gambling and return to the moment with a bit of clarity; it’s then that he inhales through his nose and actually registers what it is he’s smelling.
Arousal.
The scent of Osomatsu’s arousal is something akin to cinnamon apples, sharp and heated. Karamatsu is familiar with it, as are all their other siblings which isn’t unusual for a house full of boys. He’s sure he can pick out all his brothers at this point just as well. However, the smell of Osomatsu getting turned on wasn’t what ultimately bothered Karamatsu-- it was the fact that there was someone else’s strong scent trickling over. Multiple scents, in fact, from multiple people.
Karamatsu glanced around, and sure enough there were several pairs of eyes staring at him and his brother and the semi-erotic scene they were putting on. Osomatsu was never really good at controlling his own scent, even out of courtesy and politeness, so Karamatsu reckons that gained the attention on them, too.
The second son’s face immediately heats up and he clamps his legs shut, pulling his eyes away from the several pairs he had accidentally made contact with.
“Enough,” Karamatsu whispers, frowning deeply. He feels the air on his shoulders and on his legs and he truly wishes he wore his jacket and pants in that moment rather than the outfit Osomatsu had chosen instead.
“Aw, no fun.” Osomatsu pouts, hands resting on Karamatsu’s hips now.
“We’re in public!” Karamatsu hisses under his breath and over his shoulder at his eldest sibling. He sees enough of Osomatsu’s face to catch that he rolls his eyes in response.
“I want to go home.” Karamatsu says, no longer having fun.
“What?” Osomatsu says, and it’s almost hilarious how fast the smell of cinnamon apples fades-- or, well, it would be hilarious if it weren’t so immediately replaced with the biting smell of a wildfire; annoyance, anger, irritability. “We just got here!”
Karamatsu cowers for a split second on instinct to the harsh smell. “We can come back another day. I’m sure we’ll have more money by then, too.” He reasons.
“Tch, you go home. I’m not gonna spend half an hour walking here just to immediately walk back with nothing in my pockets to show for it.” Osomatsu growls and uses his grip on his brother’s waist to push Karamatsu off the stool and out of the way. “Go home if you want to so much.”
Karamatsu blinks, momentarily shocked after being shoved away. He looks to his brother who is now leaning into the game, pointedly ignoring Karamatsu’s presence on all fronts. Immediately, Karamatsu’s stomach turns and he feels incredibly ill for pissing his brother off.
“I don’t--”
“I said get the fuck out of here, you’re just gonna waste my money.” Osomatsu cuts him off.
“Mom and Dad said we shouldn’t walk alone--” Karamatsu tries, knowing that he specifically shouldn’t be walking alone. After they all presented, they all agreed on some sort of unspoken buddy system since there were so many of them. It was safer that way for alphas, betas, and omegas alike; especially where they lived and the parts of town they had to walk through occasionally. However, Karamatsu especially was held to this rule inevitably and although they all quite often broke it, right now he really did not want to leave without Osomatsu at his side.
“You’re a grown ass man, stop being such a fuckin’ pussy.” Osomatsu snarls, turning his glare onto Karamatsu and the second son can see the way Osomatsu’s lips curl over his teeth. Conversation is over, that’s it. Karamatsu steps back.
“Do you at least have the phone?” He asks. He watches Osomatsu fish it out of his pockets and hands him a small cellphone-- it’s the family one they all share for security to help their mother sleep at night, though it rarely gets used except in times like these.
Karamatsu thanks his brother and then turns to leave the establishment. He can still feel eyes on him though he pretends to be more focused on the phone than anything else, and eventually he makes it outside with little hassle.
It’s chillier than it was when they were walking here and now Karamatsu really regrets not bringing his jacket at the very least. His thumbs tap away at the phone before he’s holding it up to his ear. It rings several times, and he wonders if there are any brothers at home to even answer. If his mother or father answered though, then they’d definitely come get him but at the cost of Osomatsu getting into big trouble, so he hoped they wouldn’t be the ones to do that.
After a couple more rings it’s clear that nobody is answering, so Karamatsu hangs up and redials. He takes note of several people that are also suddenly standing outside and makes the decision to start walking in the direction of home in an effort to distance himself.
Ring, ring, ring. No answer. Redial. Keep walking.
It’s darker than it was too, but there are street lights that illuminate everything enough to be comfortable.
Ring, ring, ring.
Karamatsu is persistent, if nothing else. There’s always somebody home, he just has to get them to answer.
Redial.
A small bit of wind flurries past and Karamatsu shivers as he crosses the street.
Ring, ring--
“...Yeah,” A gruff voice answers, clearly reluctant to have done so.
Karamatsu pauses, actually surprised someone had picked up the phone but even more surprised it was Ichimatsu who did so. That one was allergic to phone calls more than the rest of them were.
“Ichimatsu!” Karamatsu says. “Ah, brother, I am so grateful to the heavens that you answered--”
There’s an audible click sound, and the line is dead.
Karamatsu stops in his tracks and stares at the cellphone in his hand. Ichimatsu just hung up on him.
Redial. It rings only once.
“What the fuck do you want, Shittymatsu?”
“Ah, I don’t mean to bother you my wonderfully anti-social brother--”
“I’m hanging up.”
“NO! Please don’t!” Karamatsu rushes, his voice louder than necessary out of momentary panic and he feels slightly embarrassed. Softer, he says, “Is Jyushimatsu home?”
“No.”
Oh. Well, then. “Will he be home soon?”
“Probably not.”
“Is Choromatsu home?” He asks, frowning.
“Mm-mm. Neither is Todomatsu, if you planned on asking.”
Karamatsu is quiet for a while. If none of his other brothers are home, that left him with little choice. He really didn’t want to ask his parents to pick him up and get his eldest brother in trouble-- and also, it was a little embarrassing in general.
“A-are you busy?” Karamatsu asks, taking a chance.
“...” It’s silent on the other end of the line. “What do you want, freak.”
“Do you mind walking to the pachinko parlour and… walking with me? Back home?”
“Didn’t you just leave with Osomatsu-niisan?”
“Well, yes, but--”
“Where’s Osomatsu-niisan at? Why can’t he walk with you? He’s there, isn’t he?”
“Well, no, but--” Karamatsu says, but flinches when a car suddenly drives past him. He forgot they were more common in this part of the city than where they lived.
“...Are you already outside?”
“Yeah, I’m on my way home.” Karamatsu says truthfully. “I just wanted to see if anyone was there that could maybe meet me halfway or something--”
“Tch, don’t be stupid.” There’s an audible click, too familiar.
“H...Hello? Ichimatsu?” Karamatsu says into the phone but unfortunately it’s in vain. The line is dead. Ichimatsu had hung up on him. He probably thought the same thing Osomatsu had said earlier-- Karamatsu’s a grown man. He needed to start acting like one instead of acting as pathetic as he was right now. Pft, who needs to walk a grown man home? What grown man needs a walking-buddy? Certainly not this one! Definitely not this one!
“I’ve walked home alone before. We all have.” Karamatsu says to himself, and it’s true-- even if it were mostly during daylight and not anywhere near the evening. Still, though. He’s not a damn baby!
With renewed vigor, Karamatsu continues on his trek home. Thirty minutes wasn’t that long to walk anyway. He just had to hum his favorite song ten times and he’d certainly be home by then! That’s not too bad. Now, if only he could remember any songs in their entirety…
Another car drives past, this time much slower but Karamatsu pointedly ignores it until it speeds away. He passes a couple people on his way; some he smiles at and nods and others he just doesn’t acknowledge.
There’s a group of people on his side of the sidewalk walking towards him. They all look like teenagers, and half of them seem drunk. They must be getting back from a bar or a party, or just generally out to cause trouble. Oh, how much fun it was to be that young, Karamatsu thinks to himself. The youth of these days truly do have it easy.
“Woo! Rockin’ them shorts, baby!” A girl from the group calls out as soon as she spots him, and the other several turn to look as well.
Karamatsu smiles with pride, opening his mouth to say thank you when another one of them speaks.
“Yeah! Break those gender norms, man! Tell the old people to fuck themselves! Haha!” A particularly drunk teen shouts. Karamatsu isn’t quite sure what they mean by that, but he smiles regardless because it sounds like a good thing.
They pass by and around him with many more colorful things to say about his outfit and ultimately Karamatsu is left feeling really, really great about himself. He must really be good with the young people these days, naturally gifted in their language in order to have earned an exchange as positive as that one. It turns his whole mood around and distracts him for a good bit of the walk. It gets darker and colder but it doesn’t bother him now.
He only stops when someone else stops in front of him and Karamatsu has to maneuver to get around the other body.
“Ah, forgive me,” Karamatsu says as he moves past with a polite smile as quickly as possible. He doesn’t get far however because there’s an icy hand that wraps around his bicep and pulls him back.
“It’s me you idiot.” A tired voice says and Karamatsu immediately recognizes it. He raises his eyes to Ichimatsu’s exhausted ones and is speechless for a couple moments.
“Ichimatsu? Ichimatsu!” Karamatsu exclaims and he watches as his brother rolls his eyes in return.
“Stop saying my name, it makes me feel sick.” Ichimatsu grumbles.
“Anything for you dear brother!” Karamatsu replies immediately and he doesn’t know how lucky he is that Ichimatsu doesn’t react to that. Rather, Ichimatsu is distracted with something else.
“What the--” Ichimatsu says, and with his grip still on Karamatsu’s arm, he pulls his brother closer.
“Huh--?” Karamatsu starts, automatically trying to pull away as Ichimatsu leans in and sniffs.
Ichimatsu pulls away with a disgusted look on his face, his nose scrunched as if he smelled something rancid. “You smell fucking disgusting.” Ichimatsu says with venom in his voice. His lips are curling over his sharp teeth in a snarl.
Anything that remained of Karamatsu’s positive vibes and mood disappears immediately, the smell of a thunderstorm waiting to happen invading his senses.
“What’s wrong?” He asks, because if it’s something he’s doing then he can definitely try and fix it. The look his brother is giving him is all too familiar but still doesn’t make him feel alright.
“Did he fucking hump your leg or something?” Ichimatsu asks bluntly, not a bit of shame in his voice. Never really is.
“What are you talking about--” Karamatsu starts, but the grip on his arm grows tight enough to kind of hurt.
“You smell like Osomatsu but in the fucking gross way. Did he jerk off on you? I thought you guys went to the pachinko place? If we knew you two were gonna fuck instead--”
“Stop it!” Karamatsu yells and he shoves Ichimatsu away then, anger trickling into him. Ichimatsu lets go of Karamatsu’s arm and stares at his brother, slightly dumbfounded.
“First of all, you shouldn’t be swearing like that. It’s unbecoming and Mom hates it.” Karamatsu starts, his voice not so loud as it is authoritative. He is the second eldest brother, after all. “Secondly, I’m not going to stand here and let you say such nasty things about your brothers . You know I don’t like those jokes, Ichimatsu.”
It takes a second for Ichimatsu to take in everything in front of him; a pissed off Karamatsu was a rare sight but somehow it was only Ichimatsu that managed to get even a sliver of that side out of him. He grins then, wide and cat-like and his eyes narrow.
“You two did fuck, didn’t you?” He taunts, and he can see how angry it makes his brother to hear it. “You stink like he jizzed all over you. What’d he do? Rub one out on your leg? On your ass ? Is that why you wore those shorts? Typical.”
He hears a growl forming in the back of Karamatsu’s throat and he lives for the sound, never being able to hear it because the second eldest has such good control over his temper when the others are around. This is a treat, being able to get Karamatsu alone and angry. Usually he’s so calm and patient and would never add fuel to the fire but it’s times like these that Ichimatsu gets to see that Karamatsu isn’t any better than the rest of them. He’s just as immature and prideful and lazy as they all are.
“So,” Ichimatsu starts, “why do you really smell like he humped your leg?”
Karamatsu opens his mouth to respond, but immediately shuts it. Instead, he turns away and begins walking again. “I’m going home.”
Ichimatsu laughs to himself and follows, catching up and walking besides his older brother. His cat-like eyes look up and down Karamatsu’s form, and he can see the way it unsettles him.
“You still seem mostly intact. I guess you guys didn’t fuck, did you?”
Karamatsu presses his lips together into a thin line and doesn’t respond. That’s fine, this is a fun game for Ichimatsu to play right now. It’s rare he has the patience to stand Karamatsu’s presence, he might as well make the most of it right now.
“He clearly touched you. You’re going to need a million baths to get his stink off of you. I bet everyone in that place smelled it.”
“Enough, Ichimatsu.” Karamatsu says firmly, but there’s clearly embarrassment in his tone. “Why are you even here?”
Ichimatsu blinks and then rolls his eyes, pushing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. “Mom wanted me to pick something up for her.” He answers.
“What was it?”
“The place was closed so it doesn’t matter.” He grumbles. He ignores the way Karamatsu glances at him. He knows where this conversation is turning.
“That’s very kind of you to go out and try to do something like that for Mom.” Karamatsu says.
“Shut the hell up, Shittymatsu, before I drown you in the next puddle I see.” Ichimatsu threatens, hunching over as he walks a little bit faster. Karamatsu keeps up with him easily, but it’s quiet between them now. Stupid.
The rest of the walk between them is silent, even as they pass other people; Ichimatsu is pretty good at keeping his scent in check unlike their eldest brother but his demeanor is still just as uninviting. Eventually they make it home, and at their doorstep where they’re wiping their feet, Karamatsu speaks finally.
“Thank you.” The older says, focused on kicking the dirt off his boots that gathered.
“The fuck are you thanking me for?” Ichimatsu hisses, immediately defensive as he glares at Karamatsu who doesn’t flinch at all.
“For walking back with me, of course!” Karamatsu replies.
“I told you I went out for mom but fucked up, it wasn’t for you.” Ichimatsu clarifies, the details seeming super important to him. How dare Karamatsu think Ichimatsu would ever go out of his way just to walk with him? Karamatsu must be a bigger idiot than he originally thought.
“Well, regardless,” Karamatsu says and he turns to smile at Ichimatsu, catching his gaze. “Thank you for accompanying me.”
He’s so genuine, the way he says it to him, that Ichimatsu can’t help but stare. There’s a part of him that wants to vomit, to punch Karamatsu and walk into the house and pretend to not be alive and he almost does. He feels his arm raise up and his fist clench but instead of hitting Karamatsu square in the jaw where he probably deserves it, his knuckles make contact with the frame of their front door, right besides Karamatsu’s head.
He doesn’t like the way it makes Karamatsu flinch, but he supposes it can’t be helped. He surprised himself, too.
“Ichimatsu?” Karamatsu asks, looking at him with a brow raised.
“Why do you smell like him?” Ichimatsu asks, and his voice is low as he leans in. He doesn’t know what he’s doing-- or, well, actually he’s half-aware his extreme interest in why this omega in front of him smells like another alpha is due to his own annoying alpha nature. Though, there’s a part of him that truly does want answers just to know...
It takes Karamatsu a moment to gather himself, but when he does he narrows his eyes. “Are you still on that? I told you, nothing happened--”
“I told you not to go. You go, and half an hour later you’re calling because you want to come back home and he’s nowhere nearby. What did he do?” Ichimatsu says and there’s a growl in the back of his throat that accompany his words. He sees Karamatsu narrow his eyes in response and if Ichimatsu wanted to be a proper alpha, he’d view the prolonged eye contact in the face of his dominating aggression as extremely disrespectful-- as it stands, though, he just thought it was annoying.
“Nothing! He didn’t do anything!” Karamatsu says, growing irritated. He just wants to go inside and take a hot bath in their private bathroom and settle down for the night. Too much has already happened and Ichimatsu wasn’t helping in the least bit. “I made him angry. That’s it. I left on my own.” He says firmly.
Ichimatsu stares at him a while longer, trying to decide whether or not his older sibling was telling the truth. At some point he decides it’s not worth his trouble and pushes away from Karamatsu, watching as the other enters the house in a huff and soon he follows suit.
“Ah, Karamatsu-niisan and Ichimatsu-niisan are home!” Todomatsu calls out, having been walking by the doorway. His phone is in his hand, as it always is, but his attention is currently on his two older brothers. “Did you guys both go with Osomatsu-niisan? Where is he?”
“Ah, my lovely Totty!” Karamatsu calls out, bounding over to his youngest brother. His hands immediately go to Todomatsu’s cheeks, ignoring the immediate anger that flashes over the younger one. “Oh, how I wish you joined us! Then perhaps lady luck would have been on our side with a presence as blessed as yours!”
“So you guys lost, huh,” Todomatsu says, ripping his face away from his brother’s grasp and rolling his eyes. “Figures. I can’t trust any of you to win big for us. You’re all bad luck!” He calls. “Anyway, did Osomatsu-niisan stay behind?”
Karamatsu immediately nods. “Our beloved eldest warrior has decided to take on the dragon of destiny alone-- we shall pray for his return tonight and hope for the best.” He says, not noticing how Ichimatsu was already gone and Todomatsu was walking away. “But first!” He exclaims, and reaches forward to grab Todomatsu’s sweater and pulls him back.
“Eck!” Todomatsu screeches, turning to glare at his second oldest brother. “What do you want!”
“A bath! Did my lovely Totty want to bathe with his wonderful older brother? We will have the house bath to ourselves tonight!” Karamatsu replies, smiling widely.
Todomatsu shakes his head, scrunching his nose. “Absolutely not. I’ll end up smelling like you and I don’t need to be mistaken for an omega when I don’t want to be. It’s inconvenient as hell. Go by yourself.” He explains before turning and making one final attempt to leave.
Karamatsu laughs and nods. It’s true-- Choromatsu, Jyushimatsu, and Todomatsu were all betas and incapable of scenting others, but were only able to be scented by others-- even if they couldn’t smell it themselves. Ah, such is the lonely destiny of being the only omega in the house. It is a burden he’ll have to bear alone for the time being, but he was ready. Who else but him would be more suitable for such a mission? He was always such a guilt-guy after all.
It doesn’t take long to fill the bath up and get his pyjamas ready off to the side. The room is full of steam from the hot water and Karamatsu is more than a little excited to get in. The house bath is rarely used by anybody but their parents due to the lack of room to fit six grown men, so to avoid arguments and fights they all agreed to go to the bath house together nightly. Occasionally, though, they can enjoy the house bath every so often alone or with a buddy.
There’s a single knock at the bathroom door before it opens and closes again and when Karamatsu turns to look, it’s Choromatsu.
Karamatsu’s face brightens immensely. “Choromatsu! My fappy sibling-- to what do I owe the honor of--”
“I missed the bath house time so now I have to use this one and in order to save water I’m joining you and that’s that.” Choromatsu says in one breath, cutting Karamatsu off as soon as he can. “Do us both a favor and don’t talk too much, Karamatsu-niisan. I don’t want to accidentally drown you.”
Karamatsu is laughing. “But of course, my lovely first younger brother. Anything for such a hard-working--”
“Karamatsu-niisan,”
“Right, yes,” Karamatsu clears his throat. “Bath, then.”
The water is warm and inviting and the two let out a long, satisfied sigh as they relax into it. Both brothers can be extreme chatter-mouths depending on the situation but in this moment, silence was the best medicine. Who would have known that being a NEET would take so much out of you?
“Osomatsu-niisan will probably be home late tonight if he isn’t already.” Choromatsu says as he grabs the washcloth that’s folded at the edge of the tub and soaks it in the water.
Karamatsu simply hums, eyes closed as he submerges his face up to his nose in the hot water.
“You came home quite early, Karamatsu-niisan.” Choromatsu continues. What was that about him not wanting to talk? Clearly it no longer applied. “Todomatsu says you came in with Ichimatsu-niisan.”
Karamatsu nods, replying with a type of grunt. He opens his eyes in time to see Choromatsu finishing lathering the cloth with soap and wiping it along his chest and arms. He holds out his own hand for it.
Choromatsu gives the cloth to his older sibling as he ducks back under the bath water to rinse his body off now. “Did something happen?” Choromatsu asks, and his voice sounds as if he’s been waiting to specifically ask that this entire time.
Karamatsu wants to groan. He’s grateful for his brother’s company but not at the price of him asking the same questions Ichimatsu had harassed him about earlier. Couldn’t they all just accept that he had gone out and come back home super early? Why did everyone have to act like the worst thing in the world must’ve happened? Why did it seem like it was a crime that he left with Osomatsu and came back with Ichimatsu not long after?
“You know why we’d be cautious about it.” Choromatsu says and it startles Karamatsu. He must’ve said some of his thoughts out loud without realizing. He glances at his first younger brother who is staring at him with a cynical expression. “Mom and Dad all raised us to be especially cautious about this stuff, Karamatsu-niisan.”
Karamatsu nods in understanding but still doesn’t respond. He’s focusing on dragging the soapy cloth up his arms, around his shoulders, on his neck, and down his sides. He’s being very particular about it, as Ichimatsu’s questioning voice of ‘ Why do you smell like him’ repeats itself in his head. Choromatsu is lucky, Karamatsu thinks, that he doesn’t have to deal with the extra layer of the world that he and his other two brothers have to.
“You’re taking your medicine, right?” Choromatsu asks suddenly and Karamatsu nearly gets soap in his eye as he’s trying to put it in his hair.
“Of course!” Karamatsu exclaims, wiping the soap off his face in a frenzy. “Why on earth would I not?”
Choromatsu raises both his hands in a surrender-type motion, his frog-like frown in place with his eyebrows raised high. “I’m just asking! You know I have very little information to go off of-- I can’t sense things like you do! I just wanted to know, because I was thinking that maybe that’s why Osomatsu-niisan must be so agitated lately, and Ichimatsu— but it’s hard to tell with him.”
“I’ve gone through heats before, Choromatsu, and everything has been fine.” The medicine Choromatsu was talking about simply helped him get through his heats and control his pheremones; his heats would still happen, but at a much more miniscule and controllable level compared to what it would be without the help.
“Then why have they been especially cold lately?” Choromatsu asks, and it sounds like it’s a question more for himself than for Karamatsu. It makes the older of the two frown.
“Has Osomatsu-niisan not been treating you well, Choromatsu?” Karamatsu asks, concern dripping into his voice. He knows those two have a stronger bond together than they do with anybody else, so it’s understandable that when one seemed different the other would be upset.
“No, that’s not it, he’s just… different, kind of. I’m not sure how to explain it.” Choromatsu sighs, shakes his head free of any bad thoughts.
The rest of the bath remained in comfortable silence as they rinsed their hair and bodies off before exiting the tub.
“Might have to pay dad back for the water bill if he finds out.” Choromatsu observes.
Karamatsu hums in acknowledgement. “We’ll just tell him it was Osomatsu-niisan taking all these baths.”
Choromatsu laughs, and Karamatsu beams with pride, loving when he’s able to make any of his family laugh. Despite everything that happened this evening, Karamatsu’s spirits are high again when he finally settles into bed for the evening.
☁ ☁ ☁ ☁ ☁ ☁
Karamatsu wakes to the sound of a door shutting loudly. He’s quickly pulling himself into an upright position, rubbing at his eyes when he hears stumbling footsteps and an occasional voice.
A glance to his left, at the empty spot next to Choromatsu’s sleeping form confirms Karamatsu’s suspicions of who’s downstairs right now. A groggy yawn and some moments of internal debate later, Karamatsu is getting up from his spot, being careful to step over his sleeping brothers and tip-toe out of the bedroom and down the hall.
Osomatsu is there, attempting to kick off his shoes at the entrance and leaning heavily against the wall as he does so.
“Osomatsu-niisan, you’re being too loud.” Karamatsu says as he approaches his brother. He didn’t even bother to check the exact time before he came down here, but “It’s really late, everyone else is sleeping already.” The second oldest says, reaching forward to steady his older brother as he sways on his feet for a moment.
Osomatsu grins, staring at his sibling through eyes that were clearly drunk. “I didn’t win a damn thing.” He confesses. “Guess I’ll have to just… try again tomorrow!” He says, way too loud.
Karamatsu is quickly shushing Osomatsu, moving to wrap a red-clad arm around his shoulders in order to better help him into the house. “Do you need to use the bathroom first, niisan?”
A hiccup and a loud sniff later, Osomatsu shakes his head. “Nah,” he responds.
“I think it might be better to set you on the couch tonight. I don’t want to wake the others.” Karamatsu says as they turn towards the living room, away from the direction of their shared bedroom.
Osomatsu doesn’t like this, and Karamatsu recognizes it first by the sharp smell of spices entering his nose, piercing through the dull stench of alcohol. “Why’s that? You hidin’ something or… or something?” He accuses, stumbling a little as they make their way towards the couch.
“What? Of course not.” Karamatsu bites back, shaking his head. “What the hell would I even hide from you?”
Osomatsu laughs, loud and obnoxious and way too drunk and he ignores the shushing his brother does. “I can tell you what you’re hiding from me! I looove guessing games. I’m so good at them, hah... Wanna know a secret, Kara- chan ?”
Karamatsu huffs, cheeks heating up at the childish nickname. “And how is that, my dearest older brother,” Karamatsu humors, though not at all interested in anything else but getting his drunk sibling to the couch and being done with this.
What Karamatsu isn’t prepared for however is hot breath at his ear, and Osomatsu’s voice low against the skin of his neck.
“I know all of your guys’ secrets…” Osomatsu says, and Karamatsu’s attempt at jerking away from his older sibling is thwarted by a strong hand gripping his shoulder, pulling his side flush against Osomatsu.
“That means I know how bad he wants to fuck you.”
Karamatsu’s breath hitches, catching in his throat painfully as he stops in his tracks. An icy chill runs down his spine as Osomatsu continues to nuzzle at his cheek and neck, grinning, the scent of alcohol on his breath making the moment even worse.
“I- I don’t like these jokes, niisan--” Karamatsu tries, but he’s cut off at the sound of teeth snapping near his ear. Instinctively he cowers, pulling into himself as much as Osomatsu’s grip on him would allow, the burning scent of wildfire filling his nostrils.
“Call it jokes all you want, but you and I both know what this is.” Osomatsu laughs, like he’s not making his first younger brother extremely uncomfortable. His arms around Karamatsu don’t falter, keeping the omega close to him, overpowering Karamatsu’s anxious scent with his own dominating alpha one.
“But,” Osomatsu starts, his mouth at Karamatsu’s jaw, nipping there in faux affection, “You wouldn’t do that to your dearest older brother, right?”
“Do… do what?” Karamatsu asks, regretting it almost immediately.
“Let someone else fuck you before me--”
“Time for bed, niisan.”
Karamatsu has no time to react to a hand that grips his forearm and pulls, ripping him straight out of Osomatsu’s drunken embrace while at the same time a foot comes up and shoves itself straight into Osomatsu’s rib cage with a moderate amount of force. The eldest all but crashes into the worn cushions of the couch behind him, the furniture moving with the force of it all.
“Ichimatsu!” Karamatsu says, looking at his younger sibling and then glancing down at where Ichimatsu had his own forearm in a death grip.
“Goddammit!” Osomatsu swears, making a move to stand up but failing as he sways back onto the sofa.
“You’re drunk, go the fuck to sleep.” Ichimatsu says as a finality before turning and walking out of the room, dragging Karamatsu along with him the whole way.
“Ichi-- Ichimatsu, hey--” Karamatsu says, wincing at the force of the hold on his arm, attempting to pull away with no success. “You can let go now--”
“What did he tell you.” Ichimatsu demands, stopping them both at the bottom of the stairs. He doesn’t bother looking at Karamatsu right away, nor does he release his hold on him.
“What? What are you talking about…?” Karamatsu says, continuing to struggle for freedom.
That’s when Ichimatsu looks at his brother, his gaze dripping poison with the strength of his glare. “You smell like a shitty blizzard-- what did he say to you that upset you so goddamn much?”
Karamatsu stares back at Ichimatsu, swallowing loudly as he gives one last tug at his arm and nearly falls over when Ichimatsu releases it without warning. “Nothing.” Karamatsu says, rubbing his arm where Ichimatsu’s fingers had dug into him. “Just… the usual stuff.”
“The usual stuff…” Ichimatsu says, waiting for Karamatsu to continue.
“He was drunk and just saying things to… to tease me, I guess. He’s always done that.” Karamatsu says, not meeting Ichimatsu’s eyes again and choosing instead to cross his arms over himself. “I’m going back to bed.” He finishes, walking up the stairs, finally.
Ichimatsu follows closely behind him, and Karamatsu pretends not to feel his gaze burn holes into his back even as they both tip-toe into the room and carefully slide back into their spots.
It’s quiet for a moment, underneath the blankets of their shared futon. Jyushimatsu is still snoring loudly, and Karamatsu can make out the even breaths of Todomatsu and Choromatsu nearby, both undisturbed, which Karamatsu was grateful for.
Grateful… he thinks before he rolls over and turns to face Ichimatsu’s back.
“...thank you, by the way.” Karamatsu says softly, as to not wake the others. He knows Ichimatsu’s not sleeping yet however, if the strong scent of rain is anything to go by.
“For what, Shittymatsu?” Ichimatsu bites back, the smallest hints of an annoyed growl lacing the undertones of his voice.
“For showing up when you did… with Osomatsu downstairs, I mean.” Karamatsu confesses, his voice growing quieter as he doesn’t want to relive the evening again in any capacity.
Ichimatsu is silent for a while-- long enough for Karamatsu to suspect the other has decided to ignore him for the rest of the night, until the younger sibling starts shifting.
Karamatsu’s gaze connects with Ichimatsu’s, their bodies and faces less than a foot apart. Ichimatsu watches him, seeming to search for something in Karamatsu’s eyes or on his face that he apparently doesn’t find before the younger brother is sighing.
“Ichimatsu?” Karamatsu asks as he watches his brother get up and out of bed for a moment, padding over to the corner of the room where they’re collective laundry is kept. “Oh!” Karamatsu says as something soft is thrown against his face.
Sitting up and shaking whatever was thrown at him out, Karamatsu quickly identifies it as Ichimatsu’s purple hoodie-- the same one Ichimatsu had worn earlier in the day.
“Put it on. You stink like him again.” Ichimatsu whispers, pulling the blankets over his body again.
Karamatsu stares at the hoodie in his hands, then glances over at his brother who is watching him carefully.
“... thank you, Ichimatsu.” Karamatsu says as he starts putting the sweater over his head.
“Tch, don’t ever mention it.” Ichimatsu says, moving to roll back over but hesitating until he’s confirmed that Karamatsu was indeed planning on wearing his sweater. He quickly turns his back to his brother once Karamatsu begins settling back into the bed as well.
“Keep that on for as long as you need to, I guess.” Ichimatsu says.
“Thank you.” Karamatsu replies again, softer and with just as much feeling as the first time. He takes the opportunity to scoot a little bit closer to his younger brother, making sure to not touch him and annoy him further.
Ichimatsu silently thanks the gods that Karamatsu can’t hear how fast his heart is racing right now.