Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Why Shinjuku in particular? Had you put more thought into it, you might have chosen Osaka over Tokyo any day, but your priority at the time was to find a place to stay; if you could even call it a priority. Since, by all means, you were practically throwing darts at a board with the intention to move to the first decent place that was taking foreign tenants.

Even now, the thought of what could have been, where you could have been staying, didn't weigh on your mind at all. Instead, you leaned against the railing of the small balcony your apartment provided and let out a relaxed breath while the sun rose over the city. Your brain was off right now and that's just how you liked it.

Was this what you'd needed all along? The procrastinator in you was saying yes. Just the idea that there was so much you could be doing but no rush to do it filled you with a special kind of guilty pleasure. You had a whole new country and the means to explore it right at the tip of your fingers, and you had all the time in the world to do so.

For now, Shinjuku was perfect.

If it meant you could stand on this balcony every morning and make imaginary plans for the day that you may or may not keep depending on how you feel later, that you could walk to the corner store in the middle of the night and fill up on instant ramen whenever you felt like it, or that you could lay in bed all day and not worry about nosey landlords or familial commitments.

There was some loneliness to it. The very idea of moving somewhere where you knew no one and lived oceans away from those that you did would no doubt come with an overwhelming sense of loneliness at some point. It was something you were sure would get to you later, but for now, you relished in the other overwhelming feeling that came hand in hand with independence and loneliness alike. You felt at peace; for now at least. The kind of peace that can only come from cutting out the most overwhelming parts of life altogether, even temporarily.

Yep, for now, Shinjuku was absolutely perfect.

And this morning, that peace would be best spent returning to bed without a guilty conscious. It was too early to be awake, especially when you had so much you didn't have to do, even if getting a glimpse of the Tokyo sunrise was totally worth it.

~

"Alright, up and at 'em, NEETs! If I have to bang these pots together one more time, I'm putting breakfast away and you six can scrounge the streets for food like the worthless insects you are!"

Despite the harsh worlds that were yelled over the obnoxious sound of metal banging, the tone of the woman that spoke them was oddly cheery, coming out in an almost sing-song tone that accompanied the fond smile she wore on her face as she watched the six, no longer sleeping figures she had successfully awoken begin to stir. Laughing to herself at their collective groans,  she ducked back out of the room and continued in an equally happy tone as she began heading back downstairs. "Your father is already at the table so you have five minutes to get down here, eat and say goodbye to him or you're all going hungry~"

"Moooom..." , A few of the annoyed groans managed to slur into words as head after head began to pop out from under a large blanket.

"Mommy, please..."

"Mmmmom! But it's so early!"

But their complaints met deaf ears as she had already disappeared, leaving them with a few more moments of silence before someone finally took initiative and moved to begin waking themself up.

"Yay! Go buy us some time, Choromatsu!" The figure at the far right of the futon cheered, as the person beside him managed to peel back the comforter and sit up, trying his darnedest to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"Yeah...go distract mom for a little while and give us a warning when she's on her way back up..." The man at his other side chimed in as well, turning onto his side and pulling what bit of blanket had slid off off him when his brother sat up back over his shoulder.

"..."

"Ehh!?"

"Hey!"

"What the hell!"

In a flash, curses were yelled as Choromatsu shot to his feet with an unamused expression, gripping their shared blanket and pulling it off of the rest of them, earning more than a couple cold glares and offended looks as he stepped off the futon with a now satisfied smirk, dragging the blanket along with him and further exposing his brothers to the morning air.

"Mom's right, this is supposed to be an important day for dad, so we'd better be there to see him off." He remarked, clearly proud to be the one making the responsible decision.

"Yeah? And?!" It was Ichimatsu that spoke up this time, taking the lead since Oso didn't seem fazed either way, having already fallen back asleep. "He wants to leave at the ass-crack of dawn that's his problem." Then, just as fast as it was taken away, Ichimatsu, Todomatsu, Jyushimatsu and Karamatsu reached out in unison and gripped the blanket, starting a tired game of tug-o-war with their much more awake brother.

"When we have jobs we'll have to get up this early too! Wouldn't you want someone there to say goodbye to you!?"

"That's what mom is for!" Todomatsu countered.

"One can't find a job if not well rested and rejuvenated by their beauty sleep~" Karamatsu added as well, and within seconds it was clear that Choro was fighting a losing battle as their combined strength pulled him forward and he tumbled right back down onto the futon and directly on top of Osomatsu in the process. The eldest barely even acknowledge the body that came crashing down on top of him, letting out a small groan but otherwise remaining sound asleep as he had been through all the commotion up until now.

With a disgusted huff, Choro pushed himself off of his brother and onto his knees sitting in his designated spot between him and Jyushi as he watched in annoyance while the other four settled back down comfortably around him and closed their eyes once again.

Getting back onto his feet, he swung his leg back, prepaid to lay onto his older brother with a hard kick when their mother's voice called from downstairs and they all turned their attention to it.

"Oh, boys~ If it's any sort of motivator, I made dorayaki! But I'll be sure that your father and I finish them off if you're really so uninterested!"

"Dorayaki!" As if that was the magic word, Oso shot up and awake in record speed, an excited grin on his face as he hurried to kick himself out of the blanket. "Last one to the kitchen has to help mom with dishes !" he called behind him as he pushed passed Choro, knocking the third eldest onto his butt and back down on the futon.

"Oh, so that's all it-" Choro was cut off mid complaint, attempting to stand again until Jyushi shot up as well, knocking him back down in a similar fashion.

"Sorry!" He quickly apologized but didn't stop, rushing out of the room and down the stairs after him. "Can't beat me to home base!"

Before he even began picking himself up a third time, the comforter was thrown over his head and he was blindly knocked about while  Karamatsu, Ichimatsu, and Todomatsu all scrambled around him and out of the futon to follow as well, all voicing their own enthusiastic cheers at Oso's challenge. The heard of footsteps that fought their way down the stairs was the last of the immediate chaos and it eventually settled into the sound of laughter and excited chatting downstairs.

After allowing himself to wallow for a moment in defeat, Choro finally dug his way out of the blanket, only to stand and stare in defeat at the wild mess that was left of their futon.

"I guess I'll...put the futon away." He whispered disgruntledly to himself, shooting an annoyed glare towards the door. "THERE HAD BETTER BE SOME LEFT BY THE TIME I GET DOWN THERE!" 

Breakfast started almost more exciting than usual when five of the brothers, all still in pajamas, came barreling down to the kitchen, inevitably tripping over each other and landing at the bottom of the stairs in a bruised pile.

Matsuyo only raised her brow, briefly making eye contact with her eldest who was fittingly squished under the other four, his lazy grin still as wide as ever as he snickered at his brothers' groans of pain, having found the tumble they'd taken rather funny. A sentiment the others didn't share because he was soon trampled further into the floor when they all got back to their feet and stepped over him to get to the kitchen at a much more relaxed pace.

"Good morning, mommy! I trust you and daddy, slept well?" Karamatsu greeted, stopping halfway as he kneeled at the table to press a kiss to their mom's cheek before settling down beside her.

"Good dreams?" Jyushimatsu rushed around the table to her other side, pressing a much more eager kiss to her other cheek but she was quick to swat them both away with an exasperated but fond smile.

"Yes yes, no need to act like you're interested, everything's on the table, you all help yourselves. Not that you've ever needed me to invite you to do so."

"Hell yeah, mom, you're the best!" Osomatsu cheered as the remaining three joined them at the table as well, with Oso taking the place to the right of the table closest to where their father sat at the head, Todo took the place beside him and Ichi followed along the slowest, stopping to slump at the place directly across from their dad at the other end. As soon as they were all down all five of them began voraciously reaching across the table to pile food onto their plates.

Sipping contentedly at her tea, Matsuyo unconsciously did a head count, raising a brow in question at the uneven number of hungry faces currently crowding around the table.

"Alright, which lazy bones is still upstairs?" She asked, prepared to head back up and tear them out of bed herself if she had to

"Nah, you go it all wrong!" Oso corrected her, cheekily rubbing the underside of his nose between bites of pancake. "Good old Choromatsu volunteered to put the futon away for us, buuuut he should be down soon enough."

If he'd given that excuse for any other of his brothers, she might not have believed him, but Choro was a different case. He probably was putting their futon away, more than likely not by choice but either way she nodded and returned to sipping her tea.

"Anyway, dad, what's the big deal about this morning anyway?" Todomatsu's question was a good one, leaving Ichimatsu as the only one who had yet to speak up, but even he turned his attention away from his breakfast to watch their father beam proudly.

"Are they finally letting you go!?" Jyushi asked in a happy tone that didn't at all fit the question.

"No, idiot, that's not the kind of thing people celebrate." Oso scolded humorously.

"Quite the opposite actually, my boy!" Matsuzo laughed, patting Jyushi on the shoulder. "This promotion could be really big for our family, but I'm afraid you won't be seeing much of me these next few weeks. That's why your mother was so insistent we have breakfast like this this morning, I'll be leaving much earlier from now and coming home a whole lot later, so it'll be a while until we can do this kind of thing again." Matsuyo nodded in agreement with her husband

"A promotion?" A new voice joined the chatter and they all turned to see Choromatsu having finally arrived, stepping up to the table with a curious look after having caught the latter half of their conversation. He had taken the time to get dressed after putting their futon away, sporting his usual green flannel as he moved to sit across the table from their father in the spot beside Ichimatsu. "That..sounds like a big deal." His expression shifted from curious to determined and he balled his fists, giving them both a gentle pound on the table. "Way to go, dad!" He cheered, then turned his attention to what was once a full tray of dorayaki that sat in the middle table that now sat empty, and instead reached over and snatched what appeared to be the only one left untouched from his eldest brothers plate, shooting him a glare that Oso returned with a smirk.

"Aww, haha, it's not that big of a deal."

"Nonsense, of course it is, and we're all more than proud of you, dear." Their mom insisted softly, getting up from where she sat between her sons and stepping over to hug her husband from behind. The sextuplets all looked away in mock disgust at what was soon to turn into a kiss but Matsuyo stopped just short, glancing down at his watch. "Ah, I think you'd better get going now actually." Matsuzo's disappointed frown was replaced with a look of realization when he glanced down at his watch as well and saw the time.

"Well shoot, you're right!" He agreed in disbelief, quickly getting up from the table and straightening out his suit. "I'd best be off."

The sextuplets all got in their goodbyes, remaining seated at the table as they watched him off and all groaning in disgust when their parents did finally kiss goodbye in the doorway. Matsuyo even stood to wave him off until he was finally out of sight before returning to the table with her sons.

"Will you make dorayaki again if I go and get a big promotion too?" Osomatsu joked.

"If any of you ever manage to so much as get a job, I promise I'll roll out the red carpet." She said sarcastically, treating the very idea as if it was something only worth musing about hypothetically. And despite the jab being on their behalf, they all burst out laughing, Matsuyo included.

"That's gonna be me one day..." All but one of them at least, as Choro hadn't taken his eyes off the front door since their father left, lost in thought and taking small distracted bites from the single pancake he'd managed to snag.

The only person that paid his quiet words any mind was Ichimatsu who was directly beside him, and even then he only offered him a side glance before looking wordlessly down at his own half-eaten pancake. After a few minutes, all the chatter at the table made him zone out until he was called out to directly and a hand was waved in front of his face.

"Ichimatsu!" Jyushi had leaned over the table to grip him by the cheeks, his sleeved hands squeezing his older brother's face.

"Oh...yeah, what is it?" Ichimatsu asked casually as if he hadn't been completely ignoring them these last few minutes. Jyushimatsu laughed and finally let him go, sliding off of the table and back onto his place on the floor.

"We asked if you were gonna come?" Todomatsu supposedly repeated a question.

"...Come where?"

Jyushimatsu covered his mouth and giggled while Todomatsu rolled his eyes and repeated the question once more. "The festival, moron. At the shrine. Tomorrow's the first day of it, that's what we were talking about."

"Oh..."

"Come on it'll be fun, and how long has it been since we've gone out and done anything like this?" Oso added, resting his head in his hand as he leaned over the table at his brother. Ichi glanced between them. Jyushi and Oso seemed to watch him eagerly, Kara was distracted by his own reflection, Choro was still lost in thought and Todo looked just a little bit annoyed by the time he was taking to answer.

"I'll...have to think about it."

"Well, we're going either way, so if your gonna tag along you'll have to decide by tomorrow." Todomatsu added, finishing off his tea.

"You boys have fun." Their mother finally moved to stand up and began gathering the dishes from the table. Ichi was the only one with anything left on his plate and she gave him a questioning look before he nodded, letting her know he was done and she grabbed up his plate as well. "I know if I had the time to attend festivals whenever I felt like it, I certainly wouldn't pass up the opportunity." She remarked, then looked to her eldest. "Oso, come help me with the dishes." He immediately deflated at the idea of doing dishes but grinned proudly when he remembered the events of earlier.

"Actually, Choro's on dish duty this morning!" He said slyly, glancing at his brother who was finally pulled out of his head by the mention of his name and his expression turned sour when he realized what he was being volunteered for. But before they could begin arguing, their mother turned around harshly, glaring directly at Osomatsu.

"Oso, come help me with the dishes, please."

With a hard swallow, he jumped to his feet and rushed to her side. "Y-yes, ma'am!"

"Excellent, thank you!" Just as quickly as it had changed, her threatening disposition was gone and she handed the dirty dishes in her hands over to her son and the two of them made their way to the sink. Choro would have celebrated the small victory if he wasn't still so annoyed but he forced himself to ease the tension in his shoulders with a sigh and was beat to being the next one to stand when Ichi got up next without a word and began heading towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" The question was more curious than accusatory since they tended to sit at the table for a while after breakfast and Kara, Todo, and Jyushi seemed to be engrossed in some kind of conversation with no plans of moving anytime soon. It took Ichi a second to respond, which wasn't unusual for him, but he did, continuing upstairs without coming to a stop.

"Getting dressed. I'm going out." Choro nodded in acknowledgment, he had plans to go out too and stood up himself to do just that. He was job hunting today, same as usual, only he didn't feel like making a big show of it like he usually did. After hearing of his father's accomplishment and watching everyone see him off, it just felt insignificant in comparison. Not that it always hadn't been. While his efforts had always been celebrated by their mother, (something he relished in far more than he'd ever admit), right now he was reminded just how little he deserved that feeling of accomplishment when there were people out there actually accomplishing things.

"You're being quiet this morning." It was Todomatsu who spoke but he didn't bother to look up from his phone, leaning comfortably on the table as he continued to scroll.

"Just thinking about dad I guess."

Todo just hummed in response, having already lost what interest he had in his brother's thoughtful expression. "You going out too?" He asked and Choro began making his way towards the door.

"Yep."

"Job hunting again?"

"Yep."

"This early?"

"Yep."

"Then can you pick me up something sweet from the corner store on your way back?" Todomatsu perked up considerably with the question and smiled sweetly at his older brother.

"If I decide to go that way, maybe." Choro rolled his eyes, stopping once he'd reached the door

"Thanks, you're the best!"

After a few moments, slow steps signaled Ichimatsu's return downstairs. He'd taken the easy route getting dressed and just thrown on his hoodie, sandals and letterman jacket, leaving his hair just as scruffy as it had been when he'd first popped his head out from under the covers. His expression was distant but when he noticed Choro standing by the door, he narrowed his eyes disgruntledly.

"What are you waiting for?"

Choro raised a brow and slid the door open with a shrug. "You, I guess?" Before stepping out he cupped a hand around his mouth and yelled inside. "We're going out!"

Ichimatsu's scowled and stepped around him and outside quickly. "Don't say we. We're not going anywhere."

"Yeah yeah." Choro waved off his usually sour attitude, a small smile finally settling on his face as he slid the door closed behind him. "Hey!?" When he turned back to his brother he was already halfway down the block, dragging each step but walking with a destination clearly in mind.

"I'm going this way." Was the only goodbye he offered, raising a hand to wave without looking back then shoved it back into the front pocket of his hoodie. Choro gave him a small wave in return, more out of sentiment than anything considering he had his back turned, then nodded to himself and began heading in the opposite direction with his own equally clear goal in mind.

~

The soft sound of his sandals against the pavement was the only thing Ichimatsu bothered to focus on, much more comfortable ignoring the world around him as he padded his way down the street and eventually out of the public eye when he cut through a few unsightly alleyways.

There was nothing so significant about this morning that he should feel any more morose than he usually did, but something heavy hung on his mood nonetheless. The other four had more than likely gone back to bed by now, lucky them, but whatever it was was digging at him enough that he felt the need to de-stress the only way he knew how. And the farther he walked away from home the closer he came to realizing this feeling was entirely sentimental.

Though he hadn't expressed it at the time, he'd miss eating as a family every morning. He cringed at himself right away when he finally accepted that as the reason. How long until Choromatsu and the rest of them got jobs too, no way in hell he wouldn't be the last of them to actually accomplish anything when even the idea of going to a festival felt like too damn much work to him.

Though the next alley he found himself cutting through was abandoned, he sunk into himself, attempting to hide from judgemental eyes that weren't there while his dark aura grew by the second.

~Meow~

That sound was enough to pull him out of his thoughts almost completely, and he held his head high to look around for its source.

Mrow

There it was again, just as close as the first time but just as elusive. For good measure he lifted the lids of the trashcans that sat along the edge of the alleyway, even heaving himself up to check inside a large, rusted dumpster.

Mrrrrrow!

Still hanging off of it, his head finally followed the sound and he looked up to see a familiar orange cat standing about eight feet off the ground on the last platform of an old fire escape above him.

"There you are." The corners of his mouth perked up into a small smile as he pushed himself off the edge of the dumpster and sauntered underneath where the cat sat to look up at him. "Were you waiting for me?"

Mrrrp!

"Heh, I brought something for you." Ichimatsu reached into his hoodie pocket, crinkling the bag that sat inside to build anticipation before pulling it out with a shake. "Dried squid, your favorite."
The orange kitty perked up right away, spinning in a small circle before stepping up to and peering over the edge as far as he could with another long meow.

"That's what I thought." Ichimatsu grinned proudly and stepped back, crouching down to shake a small pile of the bag's contents onto the pavement. "All yours, buddy." He watched the kitty in anticipation for a moment, his brows knitting together when he noticed the way it seemed to wander around up on the metal platform as if looking for a way down before returning to the edge where it could see him and letting out a small chirp. "Oh, did you...get yourself stuck?" He could have sworn he saw the cat nod and his lazy smile returned as he stepped closer to under the fire escapes edge and held his arms out and upwards. "Go ahead and jump, I'll catch you."

Mrrrrrrw...

"Still scared, huh?" Ichimatsu lowered his arms a little dejectedly, glancing around the alley and wracking his brain for a way to help his friend down. His eyes eventually settled on the mess of abandoned trash cans he'd been searching through and he flashed the bright orange kitty an unusually enthusiastic thumbs up before rushing to gather them together. "Hold tight for just a minute, I have an idea."

Chapter Text

You scanned the display of pamphlets, slowly sounding out each character in your head to make sure you didn't misread anything until your eyes landed on the one you had been looking for.

The Hanazono Shrine.

Plucking it from the display you rose to your full height with a small hop, an action you realized might have been a little over the top and glanced around the convenience store ever so slightly embarrassed; relaxing when you realized there was no one in sight but the ever disinterested cashier.

Looking back down at the small tourist pamphlet in your hands you smiled as you flipped it open and scanned over the information inside. Right away you were pleased to see it wasn't a far trip at all from where you were staying, making it the perfect place to start. You'd been putting off doing anything exciting since you got to Japan, bent on spending your first week just getting settled, but slowly one week turned into two, and was now soon to be three, so you decided it was finally time you did something to engage with your new surroundings and a local festival was just the place to start. It wasn't the only one happening this month either, so there was no urgency to your plans or rush to attend before it ended since if you were to change your mind or miss it for some reason, you'd always have the opportunity to attend the next one, or even the one after that. There were also flea markets held at the shine every Sunday, something you decided you were sure you wanted to check out too once the festival was over.

Content with what you'd read so far you tucked the pamphlet into your bag to study the dates and times for everything later and strolled up to the counter with the other small assortment of items you'd picked out. Your transaction was quick and quiet and you gave the cashier a grateful nod before heading on your way, but you were probably celebrating the smoothness of that encounter too much because on your way out the door you shoulder-checked a man who was on his way in.

"Oh my gosh, I-" Before you rushed to apologize you caught yourself and spoke in Japanese.

"I am so very sorry!" You started over, giving a bow. Yeah, that was way too formal, keep walking. You quickly turned on your heels and continued out the door to keep this interaction from dragging out any longer since you weren't in the right head space to handle it, only catching the small awkward sound he made in return and hoping he didn't consider your rushed exit even ruder.

Still, you moved on quickly from that thought, shaking yourself into a better mood pretty fast as you stepped out into the streets and began heading back to your apartment. It was still so early in the day, maybe you could make a small detour. The first day of this festival was tomorrow, you weren't sure what time but you knew you had the date right, so maybe you could swing by and get a look at the place. It would make it easier to find tomorrow and you'd get to see the shine in all its everyday beauty as well. You hadn't explored much of this corner of Shinjuku at all, your walks to and from that convenience store taking up the bulk of what little time you had spent outside of your apartment. Yeah, that thought made you feel kinda lame; it was time to actually do something.

You'd been walking the whole time you thought, finally coming to a stop when you found yourself at the crosswalk that would lead you to your apartment, but instead of continuing forward you opened your phone's GPS and punched in the shrine's address, content to let it guide you through what you hoped would soon not be such an unfamiliar city.

When you thought about it, it was all super overwhelming, or at least, you knew it had the potential to be. Just those little walks you took to the convenience store were exciting to you. So were the less than busy backstreets and the little local restaurants; heck, even your apartment was still exciting to just hang out in. All these things were so mundane, but they were new and different and oh so invigorating to take in one day at a time. So while you were excited to see more of it; more of Shinjuku, more of Tokyo, more of Japan, you were going to take small steps.

Small steps.Those words echoed once more in your head and you smiled softly, somewhat coincidentally watching the sidewalk and your feet as you ambled forward. A chime from your phone told you it was time to take a turn so you did, making your way down another long stretch of street. This was supposedly the fastest way, probably avoiding the foot traffic of cutting through somewhere like Kabukicho, but it looked a little lonely, at least compared to most areas around here as it was made up of mostly apartment buildings and alleyways. Still, you'd be heading deeper into the city soon enough since you still had a good walk ahead of you and came to a small stop to pull your earbuds out of your bag and put one in your ear.

Shuffle it is. You decided after choosing a playlist, but on queue with the first song's very first beat, you nearly jumped out of your skin when an obnoxious crashing sounded far too close for comfort. You spun in a circle looking for its source but the street was just as empty as it was seconds ago. There was nothing across the road, nothing behind, and nothing in front of you, not even another person to share your surprise at the alarmingly close crash. Quickly deciding it probably wasn't worth thinking about for too long, you began walking again, just a little faster this time. But you only made it a few steps, now far more aware of your surroundings, and literally jumped back to hide behind the building's corner when you passed the next alley, something alarming having caught your eye from inside.

That was definitely a guy. Taking a peek around the corner intentionally this time, you slunk back into hiding just as fast but slowly calmed yourself down then took a full but cautious step around the corner. You furrowed your brow at the figure lying on the pavement surrounded by a mess of toppled trash cans. Your initial shock was a little over the top but it had settled into confusion and now concern at the fact that he seemed to be unconscious.

Or dead

You quickly shook that thought off, deeply praying that that wasn't the case, not that you could tell from this distance but at the very least he didn't look dead. You probably weren't reacting the way you should have been, still taking in the strange sight and quickly connecting the dots as to what the crash must have been if the mess of toppled trashcans around him was any clue.

Which meant he was probably hurt. You quietly cursed, and almost took a step forward but your nerves stopped you once again. This wasn't some kind of trick you hadn't heard of yet, was it? There weren't a bunch of dudes hiding out of sight, ready to jump you when you quite literally went out of your way to play good Samaritan and make sure this stranger was okay? Even standing out in the open now, you hesitated to actually step into the alley or any closer to the supposedly unconscious man about twenty feet away.

Afted taking a small breath, you decide to call out to him instead.

"Hello?" No responses so you clenched your teeth and tried again. "Are..you okay?" Once again, there was no response and you were quickly growing concerned at the consequences that would follow stumbling onto a dead body.

Squeezing your fists at your sides, you anxiously looked around the street you stood on once again, now desperate for somebody, anybody else to be here as a witness in case things went haywire, but it was still borderline desolate. Because of course the one time you would take comfort in the presence of even one of Tokyo's millions of residents there was no one in sight.

You were quickly growing as impatient with your own inaction as you were with this whole situation, but a small groan from the alleyway in front of you filled you with equal parts fear and relief.

He's not dead! You cheered internally. He's not dead? Your mind repeated that and then it finally sunk in. OH MY GOSH, HE'S NOT DEAD. Which meant he probably needed help. Whatever anxiety you had been feeling up until now was overwritten by concern for this stranger and you ran towards him, slowing down fast when you finally got close. After giving a final, cautious once-over of your surroundings, you kneeled at his side and got a good look at him since, up until now, the only sure thing you could make out from a distance was the color purple.

He was younger, probably right around your age, Japanese, not that that part was surprising, pretty short with a messied bowl cut and the faintest dark circles under his eyes. Even unconscious, his demeanor seemed a little rough around the edges but still not the kind of person you'd expect to find passed out in an alley.

Feeling brave, you set a gentle hand on his shoulder and gave him a small shake. "Hey." You said softly, not wanting to alarm him and bitting your tounge when you saw his brow furrow uncomfortably in response. Yep, definitely alive. You quickly weighed the consequences of continuing to try to wake him up right here or just calling an ambulance, your grip on his shoulder unintentionally tightening, but you found a strange bit of comfort in the fact that he was still very much warm since the earlier possibility of him being dead was still a little haunting.

You were reaching for your phone again when seemingly from right above you, you heard the unmistakable sound of a cat's drawn-out meow, and on queue when you looked up to identify it, a tubby orange feline fell into your lap and knocked it out of your hand. It landed somewhat ungracefully but quickly collected itself like cats often do. Holding your hands to your chest in surprise, the cat looked back to give you what you almost thought was a friendly glance before hopping off of you and directly onto the chest of the man on the ground.

"Are you-" You cut yourself off that time, not sure what question you had even planned on asking a cat, and instead turned your attention to what it seemed to be doing and whether or not you should shoo it away. In the end, you found yourself just watching as the cat seemed to make its own effort to wake the man, somehow leaving you feeling like the outlier in this situation with the familiar way it mewed at him and butted its forehead against his cheek.

Despite the potential seriousness of this situation, you raised a hand to cover a smile, but your expression fell in surprise just as quickly when he shifted quite a lot this time, another louder groan leaving his mouth as his eyes squeezed shut tightly. Realizing what was happening, your nerves skyrocketed but you found yourself leaning over him further and once again shared a strangely knowing look with the cat before you both watched him closely. Your hand still rested on his shoulder but you didn't shake him any more, instead speaking gently but clearly to him as his eyes slowly opened. "Ahh, you're waking up! Take...take it easy." You coached, not that he was aware enough to hear you, but at least you were alerting him to your presence.

Even when his eyes opened most of the way, his eyelids hung heavy like he was still half asleep and it took him more than a few seconds to finally focus on anything, understandably since he was completely out of it, but even then his gaze fell to the cat first and he seemed to instinctively raise a hand and rest it on the feline's back, an action the animal was more than happy with if the little chirp it made was any indicator. It wasn't until the cat looked back up to you did his gaze follow its own to yours, and your heart actually skipped a beat when his dark, tired eyes finally locked right with yours. Hoping to dull the shock of waking up to a complete stranger you thought to keep talking, knowing the silence wouldn't do any good. "A-are you alright?" Probably a dumb question but the only one you could think of right now and if you weren't nervous before, you grew even more so when you saw his dazed expression flip the switch to awareness and his mouth hang agape in shock. You were about to speak again, quickly hoping to explain yourself before he assumed the worst of you or your involvement in whatever situation he had found himself in, but you were cut off and had to jolt backward when he quickly sprung to his feet in a panic, nearly headbutting you in the process.

Now he was on his feet and you were on the ground, but even in his haste he had picked the cat up with him and was holding it to his chest, not that you could see it too well since he had his back turned to you and his head hung low.
"You can stand, that's...that's good!" That was the first thing you said as you picked yourself up, standing just a couple of feet from him now. His back remained turned to you but he made the effort to reluctantly turn his head and glance back at you before looking away again and sinking in on himself even more. His face was beet red and he seemed to be almost shaking. You recoiled a bit when you realized how much you must have scared him. Anyone would be terrified in a situation like this, perhaps you'd even overstepped a boundary by taking it into your own hands to wake him instead of calling for help right away. You also bit your lip when you realized you'd been speaking English this whole time and did your best to collect yourself and sound unthreatening as you continued.

"You had me a little scared back there, are you okay?" You heard him inhale sharply as you spoke then he nodded quickly in response, still turned away. "Are you sure? You don't need to go to the hospital?" He shook his head "no" this time but just as frantically. "I can take you, it's no trouble, I'm just...I don't know how long you were out of it. Are you positive you're okay?" He nodded once more. Maybe that was enough, his demeanor was a little strange, sure, but he could answer questions and stand on his own so at the very least, if he had hurt himself, it wasn't serious. "That's...that's good." You whispered to yourself this time, a weight lifting from your chest. "Well, I'm glad you're- eh..." When you looked back at him he was already walking away, his head still hung low and his steps small but fast as if he was sneaking away in plain sight. You were surprised but didn't move to call out to or stop him, guessing he'd probably had as enough of this strange situation as you had. Watching him off you let out a small giggle, something he seemed visibly react to once again, but he didn't make it far before stopping abruptly and wrestling with something in front of him.

"H-hey, what are you-!?" He actually spoke, not to you though and you quickly realized what was happening when you saw the way the orange cat he'd been holding struggled to free itself from his hold, jumping to the pavement once he let go and circling around him confidently to head back in your direction.

You raised both brows in surprise, not nearly as surprised as he was but you still stood awkwardly stiff when the kitty strolled up to you, let out a small meow, and began rubbing affectionately against your legs. That's when you let yourself relax, crouching down with a smile. "Hey, buddy..." You cooed at the feline and it responded with more happy rubs, eventually jumping up to prop its paws against your knee and look at you with a long meow. When you realized what it was asking for you reached a hand towards it but stopped yourself halfway, looking to the strange man first as if asking permission. His face was still red and his mouth still open in awe but when he saw you looking at him he shoved his hands into his pocket and looked away quickly. Not exactly an answer but you'll take it as his way of saying he didn't mind. He also didn't completely turn his back on you this time. You might have spent the time getting a better look at his face but your gaze seemed to make him nervous so you instead focused your attention on his feline friend. Holding your hand out to the kitty, you let it make the first move, happy to scratch behind its ears once it eagerly butted its head into your palm. Suddenly, you couldn't believe it took until now to notice one important thing about the tubby little cat.

"Oh my gosh, you've got little glasses!" Something about that was so funny to you and you broke into poorly restrained giggles. Now you couldn't help it, you shot the stranger a questioning but humorous look. You weren't exactly expecting a response, so you were more than surprised when he seemed to answer the question you didn't ask.

"He's- He's not mine...!" And in English at that, catching you even further by surprise. "We're...just friends." You could tell he hesitated to say that last part, but you smiled directly at him this time.

"Well, you're lucky to have a friend like him then." Knowing the cat was comfortable with you, you reached down and picked it up, standing tall with it now happily purring in your arms. "Because if I had to guess, I'd say this little guy was just as worried about you as I was." The stranger swallowed hard when he realizes you were walking toward him, but you were happy to see that he didn't back away as you eventually came to a stop right in front of him.

You got a good look at him now. He was a good few inches shorter than you and funnily enough, he looked in better shape when he was unconscious than he did now because he was still red-faced and sweating bullets at every word you spoke.

Maybe you were dragging this on for too long, even if it wasn't on purpose, he was clearly in distress after having gone through whatever ordeal resulted in the position you found him in, so you were sure he was desperate to head home. "Here." You smiled softly and pulled the kitty away from your chest, an action the cat wasn't too happy with but didn't resist, instead picking up on what was going on pretty fast and leaping from your arms back into his friend's on his own. "Look at that!" You placed your hands on your hips proudly, watching the way it settled comfortably into his arms. "You really do know who your friends are, huh, little guy?" You praised, reaching out to give its head a rewarding rub. Your eyes eventually found their way back up to the man's face and he now looked like his soul had completely left his body, so you let out a small, humorous huff and retracted your hand, taking a step back to give him some space and then took an apologetic bow at nothing in particular. It just felt right at this point after all the distress you'd caused him.

"I'm sorry for scaring you!" You said firmly..

"Eh...you.." He seemed to think hard on his response, looking embarrassed himself. "You didn't scare me...I was just... surprised."

You looked pretty scared. You were smirking internally at his denial but chose instead to comfort him. "I mean, I'd be surprised too! Unless..." You paused after that, deciding whether or not you wanted to finish the question you were about to ask. "Can I ask...?" You began, glancing towards the mess of trashcans still lying about and like last time, he seemed to pick up on what you were asking. That being; "Unless you spend a lot of time passed out next to dumpsters?"

"Ah...Ah!" You didn't think it was possible but his face grew even redder, clearly embarrassed when he realized he'd have to explain to you that he'd fallen trying to climb a stack of trash cans. "I was trying to...get him down."

You cocked your head. Him? Oh, the cat! You suddenly looked up, remembering the way he'd fallen onto your lap earlier and began putting the pieces together when you saw the old fire escape. "Oh, you fell!" You said probably a bit too enthusiastically. "That...makes sense." You were so on edge when this thing started, your mind jumping from the possibility of gang violence, murder, or some weird sex-trafficking scheme; only for it to be some guy trying and failing to help his cat. You were also reminded of your train of thought early about not drawing this out any longer than it had to be for both your sakes, but before you could move on to a goodbye, he spoke up again this time.

"Your...Japanese is pretty good." Not the kind of comment you were expecting right now, though you guess it made sense if this conversation was steering itself in a more normal direction.

"Oh! Thank you! Your English is...REALLY good actually." You hadn't thought much of it until now, but you remembered the way he seemed to switch to English with no problem the first time he spoke to you and you grew just a little bit embarrassed when you thought about how he must have immediately been able to peg you as an awkward foreigner, even during all the chaos.

"Thanks..." He seemed the type to grow bashful easily, which was kind of endearing but there was another small silence that followed his thanks. "...Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead?"

"What are you doing back here?"

"You'll need to be a little more specific than that."

"I come this way because no one ever comes this way. This block is mostly abandoned so only cats and weirdos hang around here."

"Cats and weirdos, huh?" You laughed, avoiding his question for a moment. "So which one does that make you?" You asked with a smirk, but he didn't seem to find any humor in your counter question, just waiting for your answer. "Well, to answer your question..." You reached into your pocket for your phone but remembered you'd dropped it earlier, asking him to hold that thought as you found it on the ground and turned it over. Your GPS was still running so you held it out in his direction to show him where it had been leading you "I was just following this."

"Hmmm..." He let out a small grunt, raising a brow at the map on your screen. "That's stupid. It shouldn't have taken you this way." You actually smiled at his gruff words, shrugging your shoulders as you pulled your phone back.

"Welp, it's the best I've got right now!"

"Where...are you headed?"

"Nunya."

"Nunya?"

"Yeah, Nunya business!" You flashed him a peace sign with a grin. You were only joking so you weren't expecting the way he seemed to sink in on himself like he'd made a mistake. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I'm heading up to the..." You had to think of the name, "..Hanazono shine! There's a festival this week and I haven't seen much of Shinjuku so I wanted to give myself an idea of where it was so I don't waste time tomorrow."

"Mm..." He seemed to be thinking and you were still a little worried that the "none of your business" joke had hurt his feelings but a small meow from the feline in his arms caught both of your attention. He must have heard something you didn't because after a moment of looking at the cat he seemed to react as if the cat had said something absurd and tapped his sandals against the pavement like he was considering it. "I...we could show you."

"Hm?" You looked at him surprised. "Really?" His cheeks grew a dark pink again, not that they'd ever stopped and he returned to that habit of avoiding looking right at you.

"Yeah, it's pretty close so... I mean, if you don't want to that's fine, I just...you shouldn't be back here so..." It seemed like he was trying to convince himself more than you.

"That would be great actually! If you don't mind, I mean. But what do you mean I "shouldn't" be back here though?"

"I told you..." He huffed looking down at the cat in his arms again. "Places like this are for cats and weirdos, and you don't...Never mind, here...I'll just...point you in the right direction." He gave you a small wave, signaling you to follow as he walked past you, heading out the entrance of the alley you had originally entered through.

You really wanted him to finish that thought, but weren't about to pass up a free guide so you quickly followed after him, deciding you'd have plenty of time to talk on the way. Realizing as soon as you caught up, not that it was hard considering his slow pace, that you'd forgotten one crucial piece of information during the entirety of your chaotic interaction.

Neither of you had given the other your name.

Chapter Text

"So, Ichi~matsu," You let his name roll off your tongue with a little bit of flare, finding some entertainment in how fun it was to say, "what makes you think I'm not a weirdo?". You asked, making a call back to his previous statement and watching him intently for an answer as you walked alongside him. Your playful tone and lack of honorific when addressing him probably came off as incredibly overfamiliar, but now that you were out of that alley and seemingly heading back the way you came, the adrenaline was wearing off and you were feeling oddly bubbly as a result of the massive drop in stress.

"Lucky guess..." Ichimatsu answered in a deadpan but unhostile way, side-eyeing you briefly before returning his gaze to the direction he was leading you. You just hummed in response, deciding that was the best explanation you were going to get out of him. You guess he had been pretty perceptive so far, which brought your mind to the way he seemed to be distinctly sticking to speaking English, despite your attempts to steer the conversation back into Japanese. You meant it when you said his English was good, but you just hoped he wasn't going out of his way for your sake and you briefly worried that maybe your Japanese was so bad that he felt the need to do so.

A gentle pressure against your leg turned your attention down to the tubby, orange cat that happily walked between you and the way it briefly veered in your direction to rub against you. You were a little worried when Ichimatsu had first set it down and kept walking, but it seemed like his trust in the cat wasn't misplaced because it followed along with the two of you, matching your paces perfectly to stay alongside him, something a lot of dogs wouldn't even do without a leash.

"Oh!" You were pretty quickly reminded of a question you'd wanted to ask, your exclamation after those last few moments of silence seeming to make him jump. "I know you said he's not yours, but does he have a name?" You asked, noting his lack of a collar.

"Eh..." Ichimatsu seemed to have a habit of lowering his head when he wasn't prepared to talk or had to think about a response. "We call him ESP Kitty."

We? You briefly wondered who "we" might have included but let the thought slide away pretty quickly to return to the topic at hand. "ESP Kitty?" You parroted the strange name. Or maybe title fits better? "Can I guess that there's a story behind that?" You asked humorously, but he seemed to cringe, gritting his teeth. This told you that yes there indeed was, buuuut you probably shouldn't pry. "Ah, okay." You just nodded understandably at his stressed reaction, turning your attention back to the street ahead of you.

It suddenly occurred to you that this whole situation, despite how strange it was, was probably the first casual human interaction you'd had since coming to Japan. Perhaps that's why you were so willing to keep a conversation going. That, and despite his reserved attitude and quiet responses, he wasn't exactly giving you the vibe that he was annoyed with you. You saw past his dark exterior to the fact that more than anything, he seemed paralyzingly nervous. And awkwardness when met with awkwardness only made things more awkward, so you perked right back up and kept talking. The two of you had also made your way back into the regular streets of Shinjuku now, and you took note of the way his disposition seemed to change when surrounded by all the passerbys, tightening his slouched posture in a way that made it seem more defensive than lazy like it had been up until now.

His offer to show you the way was a small act of kindness you hadn't expected but definitely appreciated, but if you were being honest, you only agreed because you were still just a little worried about him, otherwise you were sure you could have found your way there on your own without much trouble.

"So..." You were about to start speaking again but he beat you to it, tilting his head to glance at you as he spoke, "a foreigner, huh?" That was an unexpected question if you could even call it much of a question. It seemed like there was some restraint behind his words, like he wanted to ask you something else but wasn't sure how to so he just said the first thing on his mind. You'd been fairly informal with him so far so you weren't about to pay the bluntness of it any mind.

"Eh..haha, yeah!" You rested a hand on the back of your neck. It wasn't like you hadn't made it obvious after all, you even told him you were new to Shinjuku so it was probably pretty easy for him to connect the dots and label you as a tourist to Japan altogether. "I guess you could say I'm on vacation? I plan on spending a lot of time here. Things are still a little shaky but I think I'm getting my bearings!" Now you felt like you were the one giving the vague responses but he nodded all the same. "What about you? Do you live around here?" That felt like the right question to ask. He nodded and you smiled. "That's cool. Living in a metropolis like Tokyo must be something, huh?" You mused, not really expecting a response. "Even just Shinjuku too, Shinjuku is really pretty."

"You think so?" He asked with a tone of skepticism, eyeing the streets and the many faces that walked them with a look that told you he disagreed.

"Yeah, I do," You laughed, a little embarrassed, "buuuut... I know that's just cause I'm still in the 'honeymoon phase' of being here, so everything's exciting to me right now." You motioned around yourself gently for emphasis. You also noticed you were on a street you recognized, one that ran from your apartment's block to the subway and you glanced down the steps of the latter as you passed it. It seemed like you were heading in the same direction your GPS had taken you, just down a more populated part of the city instead.

After a few more minutes of walking and ill-proportioned small talk, he came to a stop at the next crosswalk. "...You can see a little bit of it from here. Just go straight ahead another block and then you can take either left or right to find a stairway up."

"Hm? Oh! The shrine!" You looked ahead, taking a mental note of his directions. "Awesome, thank you!"

"No problem..." There was another moment of silence after that while you waited for the other to walk away first.

"Can I ask, have you ever been?"

"Uh...been where?"

"This festival, or any of the festivals around here?"

"Oh...uh, not really. Maybe a few... Festivals... aren't my thing." You guess that made sense going off of what you've gathered about his personality so far. Plus, you were sure that living somewhere where they were so common muddied the thrill a little bit.

"Ahh, I see." You nodded understandingly. "I guess I won't see you there then." You joked and crouched down to give the loyal feline at your feet a final pet. Deciding it was time to part ways by the way he'd told you where to go next, you began stepping out onto the crosswalk but made a quick 180° to give him a wave. "Thanks again, Ichimatsu. Be more careful from now on, okay?" You added with a sincere but playful smile.

He seemed to stiffen at your goodbye, caught up in thought at something until he noticed you were walking away. "...Y-yeah, w-will do! B-bye!" He actually yelled, maybe a little too loud for how close you still were to him but you were happy with his reply, finally turning your back to him and continuing the rest of the way on your own.

~

Ichimatsu ended up standing there for longer than he should have, watching you off until you took a right like he'd instructed and disappeared from his view completely. But even then he could hardly bring himself to move, swallowing hard and tightly gripping the fabric of his jacket that rested over where his heart would be.

Mrrrow~

"D-dont look at me like that..."

God sure did have some pretty obvious favorites, because it wasn't fair how easily a girl like that could turn his stomach, jump-start his heart and make him weak in the knees. The tides were so uneven it was pathetic because you hadn't even been trying. You were just being nice, making him the only pathetic part of this equation.

Thinking back, he hadn't even thanked you, had he? You went out of your way to check on him, you even offered to take him to the hospital and he never even said thank you. Maybe it wasn't too late. As if he hadn't already been walking in the opposite direction you'd gone, he stopped in his tracks, the thought of turning back and catching up to you legitimately crossed his mind before he dejectedly brushed it off, realizing how much weirder that would probably make him look.

After dragging himself back the way you'd both come, he stopped to sit at a nearby bench, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the same small pouch of dried squid from before, and ESP Kitty, who had yet to leave his side, chirped happily as the contents of the bag were emptied onto the pavement in front of him.

"Guess you've waited long enough, huh?" Ichimatsu mused at the way his feline companion happily dug in, letting out a myriad of hungry "nyums" as he ate like he was still a small kitten. "Enjoy." Heaving a sigh, he leaned back, pulled his hood up, tucked his hands into his pockets, and closed his eyes in an attempt to slow his still sporadic heart rate. He was sore all over, and finally sitting still brought his attention to exactly where he was sure bruises would be forming later. He had taken quite the tumble but luckily bruises were probably the worst that would come of it.

And the good that came from it had already far outweighed that, right? He quickly bit the inside of his cheek, punishing himself for thinking such a thing. You really had been so nice, but he knew the way he handled it was perfectly befitting of someone who didn't deserve such niceness. It was probably best that he stopped thinking about you altogether. Your entire interaction didn't last more than thirty minutes and now he'd never see you again, so why was he so caught up in what was, by all means, a relatively normal human interaction? Probably because nice little things like that shouldn't be happening to him. The events that lead you to find him, your hand on his shoulder, the cheery way you insisted on speaking to him; it was nothing but a fluke. An unlikely anomaly in what was and would continue to be his abhorrent existence.

While both strange and unhealthy, that thought lead him to breathe a sigh of relief. There was nothing he could have done to extend or better how your interaction went because it didn't matter. Mustering the courage to respond in more than just mumbled whispers and nods? Asking you more about yourself? Walking you the rest of the way to the shrine and giving you a proper thanks? None of that even mattered because, in the end, you'd always end up walking away from him when you got to where you needed to go and he'd still end up here, silently excepting the fact that he'd never see you again no matter how he'd handled it. Accepting something as inevitable was way easier than mulling over how things could have gone differently. Or more specifically, how he could have made things go differently.

This evening would remain between him, ESP Kitty, and some foreign girl named Y/n that he would never see again and could already get to work forgetting.

Helping to achieve that goal, ESP Kitty hopped up beside him and softly pawed at his lap. "Hm..? You done already?" He glanced down to the pavement to see the dried squid thoroughly polished away. Smiling lazily, he reached into his other pocket to crinkle the second small pouch he still had tucked away. ESP was quick to react, already pawing at his guilty hand for more until Ichi stood up and cracked his back. "It's not all for you you know." He grinned fondly and nodded down the street, beginning to walk, and the feline was eager to follow. "Come on, let's go find some of your friends and you can share."

~

Ichimatsu didn't find himself returning home until late in the evening, his usual route feeding the strays running longer than usual thanks to the underlying urge to keep himself distracted, but it certainly did the trick. Because while slowly padding home, the only thing he could think about was settling down in their living room with some tea. If he felt this exhausted after a day of just walking around feeding stray cats, he couldn't begin to imagine what people with actual jobs felt like on their own trudge home.

Unlike the others tended to, he didn't announce his presence when he walked in the door, instead sliding it open and then closing it behind himself rather slowly to further dullen his return. Even just approaching the house, the lights through the windows and the familiar ruckus that could be heard from outside told him most if not all of his brothers were still home. All but Choromatsu, since he dully noted that his older brother's shoes were still missing from their place at the genkan when he stopped to slip off his own.

What's that proper idiot doing out so late?

The thought crossed his mind with an air of something he would tell himself wasn't worry. Not that he had any right to say anything having just gotten back himself. And despite all his efforts to return quietly, with the hopes of slipping into the kitchen and then upstairs without notice, as soon as he made it over the step of the genkan, sure enough, Jyushimatsu came barreling down the hall and directly into him. The 5th youngest jumped him for a hug, wrapping his arms round his neck and hanging off of him as he pressed their foreheads together.

"You're back!"

"Yep." He guessed if any of his brothers were going to pester him, Jyushimatsu was the one he minded the least. "Sorry, it's so late." A small smile graced his face as he walked deeper into the house with Jyushimatsu still hanging off of him.

"Did you have fun?" Jyushi asked, finally leaping off of him when they made it to the living room. Ichimatsu noticed Todomatsu and Osomatsu relaxing on the couch as well, the two of them engrossed in something on Totty's phone.

"Yeah, I..." He paused, eyes trailing to his brothers as an unwanted thought began creeping its way back into the forefront of his mind, "yeah, it was great." He finished after managing to brush it off, another small smile making its way onto his face as he looked back to Jyushimatsu but it was considerably more forced. Something his younger brother took note of but didn't acknowledge, instead returning it with a wider smile of his own before skipping off to join their eldest and youngest brother on the couch.

"You were gone a while," Todomatsu mentioned off-handedly, glancing up for a second but solidifying his disinterested by looking back down to his phone even faster and Ichimatsu hummed just as disinterestedly in response, beginning to make his way to the kitchen.

"Oh! Ichimatsu! If you're going to the kitchen can you grab your aniki a beer, pretty please?" Osomatsu asked, batting his eyelashes and shaking the empty beer can he already had in his hand pleadingly. Ichimatsu just kept walking but Oso must have taken the lack of acknowledgment as a "yes" because he fell back into his seat with a satisfied smile. "Thanks, you're the best!"

All things considered, they weren't being nearly as obnoxious as usual, so Ichimatsu's mood remained relatively temperate despite the way he'd expected them to unravel whatever peace his walk had granted him. He'd even go as far as to say he was relatively relaxed still, now slowly straining the hot water into his tea at the counter.

But perhaps he'd spoken too soon because a loud thud sounded from the other side of the house, startling him and causing him to splash himself with the hot liquid in the process. A few quiet curses were uttered as he glared back the way he'd entered, the unexpected quiet of the evening finally being interrupted by whoever had just gotten home.

Choromatsu had opened the door at such a speed it was a surprise it hadn't kept sliding and flown all the way off. An action he couldn't have paid less mind to as he skipped into the house. There was a limerent look clear in his eyes that only complimented the light pink dusting his cheeks and the dreamy sigh that slipped out of his mouth as he kicked off his shoes and spun into their living room.

His behavior raised more than a few eyebrows from the three sitting on the couch. "What's up with you?" Osomatsu was the first to ask, both amused and made curious by his usually uptight younger brother's almost love-struck behavior, but he had a pretty good guess already since there was one thing that had the potential to leave any one of them acting like that.

"I met..." Choromatsu began, his brother's question seeming to excite him more and he spun in a small circle, hugging himself until he rested his back against the wall and slid down into a sitting position on the floor, "a girl~".

"A girl?!" Four voices echoed in unison.

There it was, the trigger word that pulled everyone's attention in his direction much more violently. Even Karamatsu, who had previously been upstairs, toppled down them at lightning speed and scrambled back to his feet to join Oso, Jyushi, and Todo who quickly surrounded their green-clad brother.

"You met a girl?" Todomatsu asked to clarify and Choro nodded with a dreamy "Mmhm", only making the 4 of them draw closer with follow-up questions.

"Who?"

"Where?"

"How?"

Questions were flung at him at lightning speed but he seemed utterly unfazed, still caught up in his little trance. Osomatsu managed to restrain his excited brothers, holding an arm out to shepherd them away from Choromatsu some. "Alright, alright, give him some space!" He ordered, turning to Choromatsu on his own once everyone quieted down. He was just as desperate for details as the rest of them after all. "So..." He began, "what's her name?"

They all waited with anticipation as this question finally seemed to be the one that snapped him out of it. "Oh, I...don't know." His answer made everyone deflate, but they closed back in on him just as fast.

"What do you mean you didn't get her name?!"

"You didn't bother to ask?!"

"Fate is a cruel mistress, perhaps it pulled them apart before they had the chance for a proper introduction?"

Choros face lit up and he pointed to Karamatsu. "Yes, that's it!"

"Okay, so you didn't get her name, whatever, just give us the details already!" Osomatsu reached forward, shaking him by the shoulders.

"Okay, okay!" Choromatsu raised his hands defensively, taking a deep breath when Oso finally released him. "She..." A pause for dramatic effect, "bumped into me coming out of the convenience store!~"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...and?"

"That's it!" Choromatsu reiterated proudly, already crumbling into another flustered mess as he hugged himself and stomped his feet against the floors at just the thought of his encounter. "It was incredible! Our shoulders touched and everything!" His body language directly opposed that of those in front of him as they all immediately sat back and away from him in disappointment.

"That's really it?" Oso asked just to be sure. "When did this even happen?"

"Earlier this morning~ Not long after I left actually." He reminisced, once again just as smitten.

"What about job hunting? How did that go?"

"Hm? Oh, after that happened I couldn't really focus on anything else. I tried really, but I kind of just ended up wandering around all day."

"..."

"You're pathetic, you know that?" Todomatsu stated flatly, rolling his eyes. Choromatsu seemed to come to a little bit at the harsh words and everyone watched the youngest as he continued. "You got shoulder-checked at the convenience store, really? That's it? That's all it takes for you?" Choromatsu hung his head down a little in shame and the other three seemed to follow, a few moments of silence sitting in the air until Totty spoke up again with a scoff. "Well?"

"W-well what?" Choromatsu parroted questioningly, not sure what he was getting at until Totty, scooted in closer once again.

"Well, what did she look like?! You at least got a good look at her right? Don't hold out on us! Come on, I want all the details. Was she cute?" And just like that, the enthusiasm from moments earlier had returned and Choro was swarmed with questions.

"Did I get a good look at her? I couldn't look away!"

As he was most times, Ichimatsu remained the outlier to the excitement going on in the living room, and while he did listen in, he remained stationed at the sink in the kitchen, running his burnt hand under some much cooler water to ease the pain.

"So? Was she cute?"

"So cute!"

It was only temporary though, because after only a few seconds removed from the coolness, it began to burn again and after a few more tries he gave up, excepting the sensation as something he'd have to let fade on its own.

"She was pretty tall too! Well, maybe not tall tall, but taller than me. So taller than any of us, really."

"Hell yeah, tall girls are hot~"

Stepping back to the counter, he gently took his now-finished tea back into hand and lifted it to his face, inhaling the herbal steam that rose off of it. Perfect.

"And we didn't make eye contact but I still saw what color hers were!"

"Enchanting pools that captured your soul, no doubt."

Luckily for him, his trip upstairs would be met with fewer interruptions than usual with his brothers this distracted, so he slowly made his way out of the kitchen, tea carefully cupped in both hands with the intention of enjoying it upstairs and alone.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't even get to tell you guys the best part yet!"

These morons would be gone by the time he woke up in the morning too to go to that festival, so tonight would be the start of some peace and quiet for him.

"She even apologized! She apologized after she bumped into me and I could tell she meant it too! So technically we even spoke."

"I'm guessing you were too chicken to say anything back though, right?"

"Haha...yeah."

If he managed to fall asleep before they came up and disturbed him at least.

"If I had to guess, I'd say she was a foreigner. Her Japanese was good but she had the cutest little accent when she said sorry."

But he hadn't even made it up the first step before he came to an abrupt pause, because despite the lack of interest he'd been trying to show in Choromatsu's excited ramblings, his subconscious was slowly putting two and two together with each minute detail he spouted and as he ran through each feature his brother recalled, he realized he could put them all together to form a perfect picture of you.

What are the odds Choro and he had run into the same person? Why would it even matter? And most importantly, why did connecting those dots fill him with an overwhelming sense of something hostile? What reason did he even have to feel protective over someone he basically didn't even know. He couldn't even be positive that Choro's girl was you for sure, but despite that, while purple was his color, green suited him more and more the longer he listened to his brother talk.

"Damm, some guys get all the luck." Osomatsu sighed, leaning back on his knees to stare longingly at the ceiling. The rest of them followed suit, finally moving away from their brother once all the details of this mystery girl had finally been exhausted. "The universe throws you a first class ticket to girlfriend city just like that and you don't even pick it up. If it was me, I betcha I could have gotten her number~" He sing-songed, to which his brother all unanimously rolled their eyes.

"As if. Just listen to yourself. Fappymatsu might bite his tongue like a total chicken-shit when he's around girls but at least he doesn't go out of his way to show off what a pervy freak he is." Totty scoffed, making his way back to the couch.

"Hey!" "Hey!" Both brothers in question immediately called out in offense.

"I'm just being honest." Totty shrugged but grinned like a smart ass as they closed in on him. And just as it seemed a fight was gonna break out, an unexpected voice cut through the chaos.

"... what time?" That was the most understandable part of the mumbles, and everyone turned their head in Ichimatsu's direction. He was still paused at that first step, tea still in hand that he was sure was quickly getting cold.

"Huh?" Todomatsu cocked an eyebrow at him and Jyushi tilted his head curiously. Ichimatsu clenched his teeth, glancing away despite having his back turned to them.

"That...festival. Tomorrow. What time is it?" The five of them were a little more than confused by the question. Not expecting Ichimatsu to speak up at all after the way he was seemingly set on avoiding them let alone ask about a festival he previously had little interest in.

"Oh uh, stuff starts to open at eight, I think?" Choromatsu said, looking to Totty who nodded in confirmation. "But we were probably gonna go sometime after noon if everybody is up by then. Why, did you decide you want to come?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna go...thanks," Then without another word, he continued upstairs. Choro almost followed him, just to prod at what might have caused his change of mind but instead, they all jumped at the way he gruffly yelled from the top of the steps. "I'm going to bed, so do me a favor and keep it down." The sound of their bedroom door sliding open and then subsequently being slammed shut was also heard, leaving the five of them to exchange questioning glances amongst themselves.

"What's gotten into him?"

Chapter Text

Out of the six that shared their bedroom, Choromatsu had always been the only one of them to make any use of the alarm clock their mother had gifted them as a sort of passive-aggressive birthday gift back when they were in high school.

And while his sleeping habits weren't much more impressive than his brothers, he'd at the very least set it every night with the hopes that if he went to bed early enough, he'd miraculously wake up one of these mornings with the motivation to make something of his day. But unless he had something he really wanted to do, or somewhere he really wanted to be, then without their mom's intervention, he'd end up sleeping the morning away.

That never seemed to stop him from setting it though and often left him subject to the angry groans and yells of his brothers when it inevitably woke them as well. That could almost be considered a pro though because if the alarm itself didn't wake him up, then the pillows thrown at his head and harsh kicks to his side most certainly would.

That brusque failsafe hadn't been needed in a while though because his circadian rhythm eventually caught up to this routine and he found himself waking up every morning right before the ringing would start. It was a small accomplishment but managed to be one of those little things that made him feel all that much more responsible than his brothers. Now if only he could follow through and actually drag himself out of his futon instead of going right back to sleep every morning. Something about forcing yourself to wake up was so much harder when surrounded by five other warm, sleeping bodies that had absolutely no intention of doing so themselves.

Things happened similarly this morning and Choromatsu found himself mostly conscious behind still-closed eyelids as he waited for that familiar ringing to go off above his head. He probably could have just reached up and turned it off before it had the chance to start, but as the groggy often are, he wasn't particularly eager to open his eyes until he had to. Then just about a minute passed and that reverberant metal ringing sounded right on queue.

Eyes now squeezed tightly shut, he reached up, not exerting much effort to slowly feel around the floor above his head and outside their futon in search of the clangorous device, his arm falling limp then the ringing stopped on its own. In his half-awake state, he was almost content to leave it at that. He did however run his arm over the floor above his head one more time in a wide motion, finally squinting his tired eyes open when he realized he couldn't find the clock at all. Quickly rolling over on his stomach to look for where it had gone, the answer caught him by surprise.

Ichimatsu was up and out of their futon, kneeling right above Choros's spot with the missing alarm held in both hands as he looked down at it coldly. Choro put together pretty fast that he must have gotten up to shut it off, something he'd never seen any of his brothers do before, but maybe he was on his way back from the bathroom or something. After some silence, the two of them met eyes, Choro's expression curious and Ichi's just as unamused and tired as usual.

"...Alarm was going off," was the only explanation he gave in a hushed voice, setting the clock back down a little harshly before standing up back up.

"Oh, thanks?" Choro responded, rolling over onto his back once more and throwing his arms behind his head. He'd expected to feel Ichimatsu climbing back into their futon as well so he closed his eyes to settle back into sleep, but when he heard his younger brother's footsteps taking him to the opposite side of the room, he opened them again, immediately curious when he saw Ichimatsu pulling something from their closet. "Whaaaat are you doing?"

Ichimatsu glanced in his direction but didn't answer, just turning his attention back to the closet, so Choro raised a brow and watched him continue, but it didn't take him long to figure out exactly what he was doing when he pulled out one of his purple hoddies and began changing out of his pajamas. "You're getting dressed?" Choro questioned again, glancing at the clock above his head. 8:00 am . That's what he set it for every night and that's what it read right now.

Once again Ichimatsu offered no explanation, already pulling his head through the hole of his hoodie and kicking his pajamas lazily into the closet. Having already slipped on his pants, he shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket and only amplified Choro's curiosity when he began making his way to the stairs. "Hey, where are you-"

Before Choro could finish the question their bedroom door was promptly slid shut, cutting him off. He held a brief conflict internally over whether or not he cared enough about what Ichimatsu was doing to follow him but eventually settled on a yes and began kicking himself out of bed; only to face another brief struggle with Jyushimatsu who had rolled over and wrapped his arms around his leg on his way out, but once he was free he found himself carefully making his way down the stairs as well.

Now standing unsure in the kitchen, Ichimatsu glanced around at the unusual emptiness of the house. It was early, sure, but not so early that their parents shouldn't be-

"If you're looking for mom, she sleeps in on Saturdays." A voice sounded from behind him and it irked him a little bit that they were able to tell what he was thinking just by watching his body language. Glancing back, he met eyes with Choromatsu who settled on leaning skeptically in the kitchen doorway. He was giving him the kind of look he'd hoped to avoid this morning and didn't care to pay much mind to it, instead turning his attention to the task at hand and opting to root through the fridge for food since their mom was still sleeping and probably would be for a while.

There was a notable silence between the two of them after that, his brother's curiosity hanging heavy in the air despite his silence, but too bad for him Ichimatsu wasn't really in the mood to explain himself or talk at all really, and his hunger wasn't doing his mood any favors either.

Luckily, in a small plastic container, fittingly sealed with a purple lid, he recognized his leftover dorayaki from yesterday. There was only a single pancake with a few familiar bites taken out of it, but it was good enough for now and he silently thanked his mother for not throwing it out as he'd originally thought she had. Not even bothering to heat it up, he tore open the container in front of the still-open fridge and began eating it right there.

"So...you're up early?" Choromatsu finally commented with an awkward air of humor in his voice. Ichimatsu desperately wanted to tell him not to try making conversation but instead settled on another irksome glance in his direction, taking a harsh bite from his pancake. "Oookay then." Choromatsu pursed his lips, glancing to the window then back to his brother with a smile that signaled a break in whatever hesitance he'd been feeling up until now. "Alright, cut to it. What are you up for? And don't say you were hungry because no way are you motivated enough to get dressed just for breakfast."

Having finished his food, Ichimatsu stepped away from the fridge, closing it with a thud and tossing the now empty container into the sink before turning slowly back to him. He promptly shoved his hands back into his pocket again and closed the distance between them. "I'm going out." He replied just as distantly as he had yesterday, stepping past his brother and in the direction of their front door. He'd hoped to leave without waking anyone to avoid having to explain himself, but that plan was a bust thanks to Mr. preppy and his stupid alarm clock.

"Wait wait wait," Choromatsu ran up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him in his tracks. "What do you mean you're going out? Since when do you wake up before noon let alone find the motivation to put pants on? Where are you going?" Choro interrogated.

"You said it started at eight, right?" Ichimatsu fired back like it was the most obvious thing in the world and it took Choro a minute to realize what he was talking about, his curiosity shifting to confusion.

"The festival?" Ichimatsu nodded. "Well, yeah, but, we weren't gonna go until, like, later!" Choro laughed, his brows knitting together as he removed his hand from his brother's shoulder. "It's open all day so there's no need to rush." He assured him, not exactly worried by but definitely taken by surprise at Ichimatsu's sudden interest in the festival.

Ichimatsu took another few steps forward. "I'm going now, so...we can just meet up there later." He offered, the bite in his voice easing some as he slipped on his sandals and he even turned back to Choro to wait for his response.

"Are-- are you sure?" Choro questioned and Ichimatsu nodded once again, looking outside.

"Yeah, do me a favor and tell mom where I went," Ichimatsu paused, "...please."

An actual please? Choromatsu raised his brows in surprise but agreed. "O-okay, I'll...see you there later then?"

"Yep, see you later." That was his goodbye as he watched Ichimatsu step outside and slide the door close behind himself, leaving Choro alone to ask himself the same question that they all had last night.

What's gotten into him?

~

How were his mother and brother ever able to wake up this early and get anything done? When he first forced himself out of bed, he swore he felt like his heart was gonna give out, in fact, he was sure that the only way he'd managed it was because he'd been restless for the better half of the night. But while he still felt like a zombie, after getting dressed, making it downstairs, and eating something, the heavy, tired feeling in his stomach was beginning to fade.

Like Choro had mentioned, it was rare if ever that he was out this early, at least of his own volition. But in reality, he guessed it wasn't that early at all. Most people, salarymen and those working regular 9-5s, would have been up well before 8am, but for him, it was certainly something. Even now the streets looked no less busy than they did midday or in the afternoon, and he quickly decided that pm was indeed the better 8 o'clock of the day thanks to the way most people would be clearing out and heading home by then. The air did have a different smell right now though, one he wouldn't describe as particularly unpleasant.

Plodding forward, his head hung low and he thought about what exactly he was doing. This was stupid, he knew that much. He wasn't sure he'd be able to explain himself to his brothers if he wanted to.

What were the odds that you'd even be here this early? When you ran into each other yesterday, or rather, when you found him yesterday, it was almost noon so maybe you weren't much of an early riser either. What were the odds that he'd run into you if you were here? There were bound to be tons of people at this thing; something that was already making his stomach churn and if he was being honest, he didn't exactly have the drive to search the shrine grounds looking through crowds of people for you. And in the event that he did see you again, what did he even plan on doing? Was he gonna approach you? Say "hello"? Yeah, no. That's not his style.

Everything in him was telling him that this was a stupid idea; that he should just turn around and go back to bed, that the minuscule chance of seeing you again wasn't worth the effort he was so rarely seen putting into things.

At that thought, he came to a stop. Up until now, he'd been letting autopilot take the wheel, his subconscious moving towards some unknown goal his mind was not yet on board with. He didn't think this through at all. Running into you and not being able to say anything, not running into you and wasting what little energy he did have to drag his ass out of bed at 8am to some festival he didn't care about; both were pretty crappy options.

"So Ichi~matsu,"

But in contrast to all those thoughts, a little more than autopilot kicked in and he started walking again, a blush far too red for someone just lost in thought finding its way onto his cheeks.

"what makes you think I'm not a weirdo?"

God, he felt like a creep. Because suddenly just the idea of getting to see you from afar felt like enough. Surprisingly, his reasons for feeling that way weren't as sleazy as you'd be justified to expect from trash like him. They could be described as petty though, because the idea of you and your brief interaction yesterday that he was supposedly oh so comfortable forgetting about, was suddenly something he felt oddly protective of. In other words, he was not at all happy with the last thing he'd hear in regards to you coming from the mouths of one of his brothers.

"I guess I won't see you there then."

So if he could just see you again, take in your appearance and mannerisms in a way he hadn't bothered to the first time, he could overwrite Choro's description of you that has been stuck in his head since last night. That's all this was. His own weird, petty little way of getting the last word.

He'd been to the shrine more than a handful of times thanks to how close it was to their little corner of Shinjuku, but he almost didn't recognize it as he approached, once again slowing to a stop and sinking in on himself at the lively atmosphere that surrounded it. The first thing he did was reach into his pocket. Pulling out his mask, he was quick to tuck the straps behind his ears and pull it over his mouth. Further prepping himself to venture into the crowd of happy people, he pulled his hood up as well.

Would you be able to recognize him like this? The thought crossed his mind but he was quick to reject it, already chewing himself out for worrying about such a thing. That didn't matter. In fact, it was better if you didn't, right? At that, he yanked his hood over his head a little harder and started walking, keeping his eyes on the ground. It could be considered a good thing that his overall disquieting appearance meant that people stayed away from him, even as he carelessly cut through the crowd. He didn't bother to take in his surroundings either, entirely uninterested in whatever this festival had to offer, only recognizing the shrine's architecture once he'd ventured deep enough onto the grounds and immediately parking himself on the first seat he saw.

Pulling his legs up to his chest, he scooted into the farthest corner of the bench he'd found and forced himself to look out into the ocean of cheery passerbys that walked the shrine grounds, searching their faces for a very particular someone. This was it. This was how he was going to spend his morning.

~

Shilling out the extra dough to make sure you had a western style bed did make you feel a little more at home. There were even moments like this morning when your eyes were still closed and you rolled over comfortably under the covers, temporarily forgetting about your still new surroundings.

The point of this trip was to "de-stress" after all. So the last thing you needed was to feel like you weren't de-stressing fast enough. You managed to avoid that feeling this morning though, rolling onto your back and making yourself tremble with a good stretch before nestling your head limply back into your pillow and enjoying the clean scent of your sheets.

Morning. You wished to no one in particular but yourself and rested one of your arms above your head as you looked towards the window. It was still pretty early. How early? Grabbing your phone off of your nightstand, you checked the time. 9:02 am and you were sure the only reason you found yourself awake right now was because of how early you'd fallen asleep last night.

The quiet of your apartment almost had you on the verge of falling right back to sleep; that was until you remember that you actually did have something you could be doing today.

The festival, oh yeah.

You rolled over onto your stomach, arms outstretched to the corner of your bed as you looked at your phone. After sliding away some messages you weren't in the right head space to respond to, you pulled up the page for the shrine. It was an odd mix of modern and traditional for somewhere like a shrine to have its own web page, but you guess it made sense since it was routinely used as a venue for festivals and the like. You even stumbled on the part of the page one would follow to inquire about "booking" the shrine grounds for such events.

You weren't sure exactly what you were looking for but you eventually found yourself to their event schedule, your eyes falling to the name of today's festival. It didn't tell you anything you didn't already know but you had the compulsive urge to check and re-check dates and times just to make sure you had them right. Now you were unintentionally giving yourself flashbacks of waking up early before a shift and worriedly rechecking what time you were supposed to be there in fear of being late. Part of you was tempted to stay in bed a little bit longer just out of spite at that thought, but you had to admit you actually felt like getting up thanks to how much sleep you'd gotten; so with a final stretch, you kicked your legs over the side of your mattress and leaned onto your feet with a placid smirk. Get up you may but rush you will not.

So you took your time getting ready.

Running your finger through the lower back of your hair, you weren't too surprised to find it just the littlest bit damp yet from your shower last night and brushed it out pretty fiercely before moving to the bathroom to brush your teeth.

You also ended up in front of your fridge a couple of times while wandering around your apartment to get your things together, each time deciding you weren't really hungry yet since you'd just gotten up and as well as hoping to save room for whatever the festival had to offer once you were there.

By the time you were dressed, it was a little after ten and you'd fallen backward onto your couch, staring at your phone, but threw yourself off of it when you remembered you should bring an extra tote bag with you, something that would be easy to fold up and tuck into your usual bag in case you found a lot of stuff you wanted to buy. Which in turn reminded you that you should probably bring plenty of actual cash as well. After searching through your things, you found the perfect bag. A little compact tote already folded into a tiny square and came with its own little zippered pouch that could fit comfortably into any pocket. The tote and pouch itself were both decorated with a myriad of characters from one of your favorite anime and happened to be one you picked up at the airport when you first landed.

As far as cash went you had a good bit for now. Slowly fanning out the 1,000 yen notes you'd had tucked away in your wallet you knew it would be more than enough for today, but decided you should probably stop at an ATM on your way home just to keep your surplus up. The convenience store you frequented might have had no problem with bank cards but the ramen place across the street from it wasn't nearly as accommodating.

Once you had everything tucked away, you threw your bag over your neck and let it fall to your side, content with the way it hung over your jacket after taking a quick second to adjust it. Then you set off, grabbing your keys from the kitchen counter and trying not to let your excitement show in the way you swung open your apartment door.

Your eyes were back on your phone the whole way down the stairwell, already pulling up the address of the shrine, but when you got to the first-floor lobby and the map popped up prompting you to take those familiarly ill-advised directions, you remembered that you wouldn't even need them.

~Hey, bowl-cut boy, you've probably already forgotten about me~ You sang to a little tune in your head, the thought of yesterday's events bringing a smile to your face. The way you'd walked with him was as clear as day in your memory and your smile perked up in a sweeter way when you stepped out into the street and began heading that way. Was it strange to say that you almost missed your little alleyway friend(s) and going the way he showed you reminded you of them in a way that made you feel just a little melancholy but a lot more bright as well.

It might have been silly, but yesterday's events filled you with a strange sort of hope you didn't know you'd needed. Itーhe reminded you that people are still people no matter where you were in the world and that maybe social interaction wouldn't be as daunting a task as you'd been making it out to be. Of course, he had almost literally fallen into your lap, and your damage control override kicked in, so maybe that's why you found it so easy to talk to him, but even so, you were gonna ride the high of that semi-successful human interaction as far as it would take you. You weren't looking to make new friends or anything, but other people had a special way of making life interesting, so they were more than worth talking to once in a while.

You knew you were on the right track because traffic began to build up the closer you got to the shrine with people looking for parking among the many cars already parked along the street, far more than yesterday for sure. Luckily though, once you'd gotten close to the shrine, right about where Ichimatsu had pointed you in the right direction yesterday, the street leading up to it was closed off to cars, making plenty of room for pedestrians and vendors alike. You had to stop for a moment, eagerly taking in your surrounding before you stepped over the threshold into the actual festival area. Comparatively, the Hanazono shrine could be described as a pretty small one, but that didn't seem to abstain the turnout at all. The shrines surrounding area was bustling with food stalls and other small stands, almost all decorated with lanterns you were sure would be a sight to behold when it got dark. You were suddenly just as eager to see the shrine itself, especially since your visit yesterday was cut short by those preparing for the festival, not that you blamed them in any way.

Weaving your way into the crowd, you were more than tempted to stop for food each time you passed a stand but knew you should scope out all your options before you made a decision and filled up. Making your way up the stairs to the actual shrine grounds, you stopped to gaze out over the festivities and remind yourself that you had plenty of time to check everything out. Closer to the shrine now, you noticed a small stand selling omamori. You had told yourself that you were gonna wait to buy anything but food until later, but looking couldn't hurt. They were plenty small too, so it's not like they'd give you a lot to carry around if you couldn't help yourself.

The actual shrine grounds themselves were much less crowded than the streets below but were still fairly busy, so perhaps it was because you were still so hyper-aware of your surroundings that you immediately took notice of an unusual scene nearby.

"Sir, you can't sleep here. The Miko have already asked you to leave."

Ahh, police. Yeah, not the kind of thing you want to get mixed up in, but you still found yourself stopping to watch since being nosy was way easier when surrounded by so many other people. You could only see the uniformed man from this angle. His back was turned to you and you could make out the figure of someone else curled up on the bench the officer was looming over. That was unfortunate. You guess homelessness was a problem everywhere. Even more unfortunate and maybe a little unwise on their part that they'd chosen to make their bed on a bench in the middle of a festival. Incredibly unwise actually.

Letting your curiosity get the better of you, you moved a little closer. Closing in just in time to hear the sleeping person respond, you really hoped the officer recognized them as as out of it as you did because from what you heard you were almost positive you'd heard them mutter at him to "f**k off".

"Sir, you need to wake up. If you don't comply on you're own you're going to be escorted off the festival grounds."

Gently biting your lip, you stood on your tippy toes, doing your best to peer around the officer. You really were being nosey now but you didn't have to exert that much more effort as the officer heaved a sigh and stepped out of the way, standing beside the bench now to say something over his radio

Quickly, you sized up the figure on the bench. They were fast asleep, curled up on their side with their head resting on their left arm and their arm resting against the armrest of the bench. Your eyes immediately lit up at the familiar shade of purple they were dressed in and after that, all the other pieces fell into place. Because despite the mask that covered their nose and mouth, you knew you'd recognize that tired expression anywhere, oddly enough especially when it was unconscious.

Chapter Text

"Ichimatsu?"

Without much thought the name fell from your mouth, rolling off your tongue far flatter than it had the first time you'd spoken it as surprise and bewilderment fought for the front seat in your expression and voice. For a moment, you were almost caught up in the delight of seeing him again, but unfortunately, your decision to be nosey earlier came right around to bite you in the butt, as you were right in earshot of the rather perturbed cop still standing by and the way he turned to look at you left you frozen like a deer in the headlights. You didn't even have time to consider playing it off and walking away like you hadn't said anything before he was already marching in your direction.

In those brief seconds, you were sure you couldn't even breathe, your wide-eyed expression probably doing no favours to whatever this officer was assuming about you; so you forced yourself to relax, reassuring yourself that this is exactly the kind of situation that is easily resolved with a conversation. And by the time the officer had stopped in front of you, you had managed to calm yourself down just as quickly as you had initially panicked.

"Excuse me, ma'am, do you know this man?" He asked firmly but thankfully without the air of accusation you'd been dreading.

A small "ah" sound left your mouth before you clammed up, hurriedly thinking about what exactly you wanted to do here.

"IーI do!" You coughed into your hand to clear your throat, once again reminding yourself that you had no reason to be nervous in this situation before continuing with a much more confident smile and tone. Yes, I do, I apologize." Not technically a lie. "I'm so sorry about this, he has a really bad habit of...dozing off in the weirdest places." You were speaking about him far too familiarly considering you didn't really know each other, but only did so in the hopes that the officer would take your word and apology on his behalf. "I can get him to move, I'm sorry if he caused you any trouble, I'm sure he doesn't mean it." You took a bow, squeezing your eyes shut tight and praying you really could talk him out of this.

Thankfully, when you looked back up at the officer, his expression seemed to lighten considerably and he nodded. "I see. Yes, please, if you would." His politeness surprised you. "He's not drunk, is he? Will you need assistance walking him home?"

"Oh my gosh, no!" You raised both your hands, shaking them defensively. "Of course not!" You hoped that wasn't a lie, because you certainly wouldn't be sticking your neck out to smooth this over for him if he was. "Just...special." You added, earning a laugh from both yourself and the young officer.

"Very well then." He stepped aside to let you approach Ichimatsu. "I'll leave you to it. He doesn't have to leave the festival but please be sure this doesn't happen again."

"Of course, yes, and once again, I'm very sorry. It might have been overkill, but you offered another bow. The officer gave you another firm nod in response, and once again, you were surprised as he seemed to take you at your word because he turned and headed off into the crowd. You supposed with events like this, people sleeping on benches was pretty low priority and he no doubt had more important things to be attending to.

Once he was officially out of sight, you curled your fingers and let out a relieved breath, but pretty quickly remembered you still had what could perhaps be an equally interesting interaction ahead of you as you turned to look at the man who, after all that, had managed to remain fast asleep. Standing in front of him now, a small, genuine smile overtook the fake, confident one you'd been holding and you raised a riant brow at this strange new character that had managed to make their second guest appearance in your life.

Now how exactly did you want to play this?

You were still practically a stranger after all, so you wondered how he would feel about waking up to your (though slightly less now) unfamiliar face in yet another unusual place. But you couldn't just leave him here; if not because you didn't want him to get in trouble then because you'd promised the officer you'd be sure to move him.

Stepping a little closer, you leaned forward, resting your hands on your knees and calling out to him quietly. While you were close enough that you could speak softly without drawing attention to yourselves, you were sure not to leer over him like you had yesterday, hoping to avoid scaring him as you had then.

"Ichimatsu?" You addressed him gently, perking up at the way his face seemed to twitch at his name. He really was just asleep this time, that was good. "Ichimatsu." You repeated once again, reaching out ever so carefully to tap him on the shoulder then quickly retracted your hand when he shifted almost immediately at your touch. He rolled over on his side with a groan, turning his back to you and facing the back of the bench as he mumbled something almost incohesive. You did make out the curses though, directed at someone you were sure he just referred to as "shittymatsu".

Taking a metaphorical step back, you pursed your lips, narrowing your eyes at him and thinking about if and how you wanted to continue. The "shittymatsu", for one reason or another, also made you reevaluate the way you'd only been using his given name up until now. Perhaps adding a bit of formality to this situation would make this less unusual for both of you.

"Matsuno-san?" You called out to him a bit more firmly. "I hate to wake you but this isn't the best place to be taking a nap." You mused but brought the sad thought to your mind that maybe he was homeless. It wasn't a crazy conclusion to come to considering the unusual circumstances of both your encounters so far, but you certainly hoped that wasn't the case. "Better than yesterday though!" You added, resting a hand on his shoulder again and giving him the gentlest of shakes. "So props for that."

He finally shifted and you took an actual step back this time, watching as he rolled onto his back and his arm fell off the bench, hanging to the ground. Once he began tiredly blinking open his eyes you smiled triumphantly. You'd intentionally stepped out of his immediate line of sight to avoid alarming him when he first opened his eyes, but once you were sure you saw him begin to focus, you stepped closer once more and leaned down at his side again.

"Morning!" You said cheekily but gave him a soft smile. "Is it just me, or are you also getting the strangest sense of deja vu right now?" He for sure wasn't awake enough yet to joke with, so that was more for yourself, but you kept up your kind expression as you watched him gradually come to, starting with the way he finally focused on you. His hood was up but his mask had managed to slide down at some point during his tossing and he seemed to squint at you at first, but to your surprise, after a second his mouth perked up subtly into a tired smile and a light pink dusted his cheeks.

"...you came."

"Hm?" You raised a brow at him, not entirely sure what he meant but pretty quickly realized it must have just been more sleepy mumbling because another second passed and once again you could pinpoint the very moment that he actually came to. More specifically, the look of abject horror that crossed his face when he finally seemed to recognize you.

Standing up straight to give him some space, you were more than prepared for him to scramble to his feet like he had yesterday, but instead, in what was perhaps an equally concerning show of panic, it looked as if all his colour and soul drained from his body and left him lying frozen in place like a dead man.

ー

"I'm sorry, I scared you again!" You lamented, nocently plopping onto the opposite side of the bench from him. It had taken a few minutes but you were able to shake him out of his initial, what you assumed to be, fear-induced paralysis and now that things had calmed down you were beating yourself up over making the same mistake you had yesterday.

"You didn't...scare me..." Now that Ichimatsu was awake, he sat with his knees to his chest in the very corner of the bench, his neck craned to the side to avoid meeting your eyes, and once he finally found the strength to look in your direction, his breath seemed to get caught in his throat "You...didn't do anything, youーyou're fine!" He added more hurriedly after seeing the way your expression and posture were so guiltily reserved. He even almost reached a hand out to you reassuringly but froze in place when you looked over to him halfway through his words in surprise.

Though his hood was still up, his mask had been tucked away pretty quickly after he'd woken up and while you didn't want to make him self-conscious, you found yourself absorbedly taking in his nervous expression. After a small, awkward moment of silence left by the two of you staring at each other, you finally broke it with a laugh.

It seemed like laughter was going to stay your go-to defensive mechanism when things were strange, and while his expression was still unsure, his nervousness turned to surprise and then relief as he lowered his eyes to the ground and hugged his knees to his chest

"Still, I'm sorry." You repeated as your giggles tapered off and you covered your smile with your wrist. "We're starting a strange little track record, huh?" He hummed in agreement and you turned on your side of the bench to better face him. "You almost got yourself in trouble too, y'know." You were feeling a lot more comfortable now so your smile stayed bright as you filled him in on what he had been sleeping through.

You also found yourself cracking up again at the way his expression morphed into horror when you recalled the rather unkind way his sleeping self felt the need to address the officer. "Aww, don't be embarrassed, it's okay. He completely understood." You were sure this poor man was literally burning up with embarrassment now since you could practically make out the bright crimson glowing off his cheeks despite the way he'd reached up and tightly pulled his hoodie down over his face.

He mumbled something that sounded like a series of profuse apologies you couldn't quite make out, and after thinking it over for a second, you scooted closer to him. "I mean it, you're all good. He was super cool about it, and hey, because of that, I got to run into you again so that was pretty cool too!" You added, some stray huffs of laughter still lacing your words. You really couldn't help but find this whole thing pretty funny, but you'd meant what you said and surprisingly, it seemed to do the trick because he loosened his defensive grip on his hood and shakingly peaked out at you. "It's gonna be my turn soon though. So if I ever find myself catching z's on the side of the road I expect you to come find me." You were joking of course but he seemed to take you seriously, letting his hood go to fall behind his head and nodding dutifully, only making your smile widen.

There was a little bit of comfortable silence after that before you looked out into the crowd and remembered where you were. All the while Ichimatsu couldn't seem to take his eyes off of you for more than a few seconds at a time, constantly glancing in your direction despite his attempts to follow your gaze and relate to your inspired expression.

"Oh!" You suddenly exclaimed, looking at him eagerly. "Are you hungry?"

"Eh..a-am I..?" He repeated only half of your question as if he hadn't understood it, so you nodded and continued.

"Hungry. Are you hungry? I'm starving. Do you want to go get something? Then we can find somewhere to eat. If you're up for it, I mean." You stood up and in an action that was more involuntary than intentional, he followed you, standing up as well. "I didn't get to see everything they have but I know I smelled something really good when I first got here." You looked down at him with a smile and then began heading towards the steps that led to the street below. "Come on!" After taking just a few steps, you looked back to see him still standing by the bench with a look of disbelief so you waved for him to follow, an action he immediately complied with as soon as it seemed to sink in what you were asking and he hurried with an unusual amount of urgency to catch up to you.

ー

"Ahh, it's so good!" You cheered, taking a bite from your fried squid and following it up with a happy little shimmy in your seat.

After walking around the festival area for a bit you'd found a stand selling fried squid on a stick and after seeing another customer walking away from the stand with what you could only describe as their own comically large, deep-fried sceptre of goodness, it was a no-brainer that it had to be the first thing you were going to get.

You were also lucky to find a small eating area outfitted with outdoor tables and chairs between several of the food stands and were quick to grab you and Ichimatsu seats before they were all taken. The man in question you had to give credit to because despite his reserved nature, he hadn't stopped following you even during the momentary bursts of excitement that had you rushing from stall to stall and eventually to the little corner you found yourself relaxing in right now. And just like yesterday, you were happy to see the way he seemed to finally unwind after a few minutes in your company; still reserved but obviously more comfortable now that he seems to have had time to catch up with the situation.

Under the small umbrellaed table you'd claimed, he sat across from you on the right, his legs up on the chair and his knees to his chest as they had been on the bench, but you gathered that this must just be how he liked to sit because it wasn't defensive like it had been then. In fact, you almost found yourself mimicking his sitting position when you both first sat down, but caught yourself pretty fast, not wanting him to think that you were doing so just to mock him.

"...You like squid, huh?" He asked, only glancing at you for a second before focusing on his own stick of dango. The dango you'd insisted on buying for him after you noticed him eyeing it while you were waiting in line for your squid, as it conveniently happened to be the stall that neighbored it.

"Love it!~" You answered, a silly cadence in your voice for emphasis, and you could have sworn you saw the faintest smile appear on his face. "Octopus too! They're both the best, and highly underutilized in western cuisine if you ask me." You carped, nodding confidently before taking another bite of your squid, successfully dismembering one of the tentacles with a tear. A little graphic in description but still so so good and you found your smile growing wider at the way Ichimatsu seemed to titter under his breath for a moment.

"I saw a..takoyaki stand earlier." He commented in a way that seemed intentionally offhanded but a spark of pride flashed I'm his expression at the way his "suggestion" got you excited.

"Really?!" You looked out into the festival grounds, craning your next from your chair to see as much as possible. "I was looking for takoyaki earlier, you'll have to show me where so we can get some next."

He hummed in agreement, gazing almost fondly out into the festival grounds as well.

This was going well. Probably too well. But in your presence, he couldn't help but feel like that was okay. All those voices that nagged him yesterday after you parted ways and tried to stop him on his way here were so forcefully muted in your presence that even his perpetual sense of self-loathing was having a hard time keeping him from enjoying this.

There were so many factors he'd yet to and should be considering. Like, how would you feel if you knew he'd come here almost exclusively with the intention of seeing you again. You. Someone he didn't even know. You'd no doubt label him a creep. And by all mean he was, but for whatever reason, he was riding what could almost be described as a high right now in your presence. The kind of high that would no doubt end in a crash of guilt and self-loathing later on but as of right now, for the first time in ages, he'd felt like it was worth getting up before noon. It almost made him understand why Totty tried so hard to make friends. Even if his little brother's intentions were mostly superficial. If you were any indication, maybe there were a few select people worth putting in the effort for.

But the thought of his brother brought an unpleasant reminder to mind.

"Er ..what time is it?" He asked suddenly, catching you by surprise and making him realize you'd been in the middle of saying something and he'd not only been not listening but had just cut you off. "Oh--I...sorry I-"

"Oh no, you're fine." You reassured him, discarding your now barren stick into a nearby trashcan before rooting around your pocket and pulling out your phone. "Looks like...11:45."

"Hmm.."

Raising a brow, you grew curious by the sudden distracted look in his eyes. "Got somewhere to be?" You asked almost sadly, but your words seemed to slap him out of it, and while he once again looked like he was juggling with some kind of decision, you could tell he settled on an answer when he shook his head.

"Nope." There was a twinge of something contemptuous behind that simple one-word answer, though not directed at you, and while you were still a little curious, you moved on pretty fast, continuing mundane conversation as he finally began munching away on his, up until now, almost untouched dango.

"In that case...since we're both here, do you want to look around together? Y'know, besides you showing me where that takoyaki is. I mean...I know you said festivals aren't really you're thing but-" Before you had the chance to finish, he nodded fast and you perked right up. "Really? Awesome! It might be kind of dumb, but this is my first, so it'll be nice to not have to enjoy it alone. Thank you, Ichimatsu." So much for that formality you tried to enforce earlier but you couldn't help yourself, smiling at him warmly. "Okay, let's go look around!" You encouraged and he quickly finished off his last bite of dango, shoving the stick into his hoodie pocket and moving to follow you.

There was something about Ichimatsu that made it easy for you to just, share a space with him. Maybe it was because he was so quiet or maybe it was because he was so nervous that you found him entirely unthreatening, but either way, for hanging out with someone you'd just met you were surprisingly comfortable . From the way he pessimistically goaded you to give up when you kept losing at ring toss to the way his dark aura seemed to scare away anybody that got too close to the two of you; as he opened up the longer you walked around together, you only found yourself honoured to get to see how gruff and sarcastic he actually was.

"Oh! Omamori!" You did a small 180, walking backwards for a few steps to look at him as you spoke. "I wanna get a couple as souvenirs!"

"Omamori? Those things don't work." He waved you off deridingly. "Trust me, don't waste your money."

"Really?! The cloth charms going for five dollars at a festival stall aren't gonna actually bring me magical good luck? I never would have guessed!" You fired back with a mock look of surprise, slowing your pace to fall back to his side and playfully bump your elbow into his. "They're cool though, and I respect the tradition and thought that goes into them. Plus, could you think of a more fitting souvenir for my first shrine festival?"

"More fitting than...everything else you got?" The unexpected contact had a small blush rising to his cheeks, but that didn't stop him from smirking at the tote bag hanging off of your arm.

"You know what I mean!" You insisted, readjusting your brimming bag defensively. "Ooh! And let's go get takoyaki now too, I could totally eat again."

Maybe he was feeling brave, or maybe he just didn't want to walk up the steps to the shrine again, but Ichimatsu came to a stop, thumbing back the way you'd just come. "Takoyaki's this way. If you wanna go get you're souvenirs I can go get us some."

"Really?" You were surprised by his offer but understood. No point hightailing it to one end of the festival and then all the way to the other. "Okay, sure, let's meet up by our table then." You nodded and reached into your bag. "Here lemme give you some-"

"Don't worry about it." You looked up and he was already walking away. "I got it."

"Oh, thank you, I'll get you back!" You yelled after him but he either didn't hear you or didn't care to respond, disappearing into the crowd and leaving you with a playfully annoyed expression before you returned to the task at hand and began heading in the opposite direction towards the shrine grounds.

Ichimatsus hands stayed securely in his front hoody pocket as he weaved through the crowd, fiddling deliberately with the single one-thousand yen note he had inside it. It wasn't every day that a NEET like himself would spend what little money he had on someone else, but this particular bill had been stashed away with that very intention. He'd been looking for an opportunity all day to whip it out and offer to cover something for you, but you were always one step ahead of him. He'd almost given up on the idea up until now, especially after the way you'd already gone out of your way to buy him food, making what little he had to offer pretty pathetic, but seeing as he finally had the opportunity he was going to take it. Even if it wasn't much, he wanted to thank you since he still had yet to verbally, but if he could put his thoughts into words by the time he got this takoyaki and got back to you, then he would be doing that very soon too.

"Two takoyaki!" The stall attendant called out and ichimatsu stepped up to claim his order, taking the two small cartons into hand.

"Thank you."

Without much thought, Ichimatsu found himself staring down at the undeniably appetizing-looking savoury, pancake balls before he began heading for your decided meeting place. But it wasn't so much the food itself he was excited for as it was the animated way he was sure you'd enjoy it, the thought of your childish excitement over your squid earlier bringing a soft smirk to his face.

But said smirk was short-lived when an equally animated, and unmistakably familiar voice called out above the noisy crowd. Making his stomach drop before he even had the chance to turn around and see all four of the equally familiar figures sauntering towards him.

"Wow, Ichimatsu-niisan!! You must be really hungry!"

ー

These are perfect!

You practically skipped down the steps of the shrine grounds, holding the small bag the miko had packaged your omamori in preciously to your chest. You'd picked out three total, one for yourself, one for Ichimatsu (despite his humbug attitude towards them), and one for a certain four-legged friend you both knew.

You hadn't even known they made pet charms until you inquired about the small unusually shaped ones at the far end of the stall. If what Ichimatsu had told you about the little guy was true, he was technically a stray, so you were sure he could use all the luck he could get.

For Ichimatsu, you'd gotten one meant to help someone achieve, inspire or find happiness. You didn't know him quite well enough to pick up one more specific to his circumstances like you would if you were getting them for other people in your life, but you were sure you liked it when he smiled, so you hoped that sentiment came through, if only a little.

Halfway down the steps, you looked out into the festival grounds. You'd probably taken more time than you should have to look at the omamori, but considering Ichimatsu would have been waiting for food, you hoped you hadn't kept him waiting too long if he's already made it back before you. When you made it to the sitting area, however, your purple bowl-cut buddy was nowhere to be seen. You celebrated at first, happy to have not kept him waiting and took a seat for yourself to wait for him to arrive, but after a few minutes of waiting you began to grow worried. Maybe he'd made it back a while ago and when you weren't here, he went looking for you. Or maybe there was just a really long line at the Takoyaki stand. That probably made more sense. After waiting a few more minutes just to be safe, you grabbed your things and got up to begin heading the way he'd said the takoyaki stand was earlier. If he was still waiting for food the least you could do was offer him a little company and wait together. Or if he was already on his way back then maybe you could meet him halfway.

Not just waiting for him came with its own set of caveats, since finding each other in a lively atmosphere like this was sure to be a challenge, but you were sure you'd recognize that already signature little bowl cut of his anywhere. Coincidentally, as soon as that thought crossed your mind, you finally stopped scanning the crowd when your eyes landed on just that. It was just the back of his head but the height was pretty spot on too so you called out to him, smiling triumphantly when his head did indeed turn at the sound of his name.

"Ichimatsu, over here!" You called out again, picking up your pace to close the distance between you before you lost sight of him. The people seemed to thin the closer you got to him and in just a few seconds you had a clear path ahead of you, giving him a wave as you approached, slowing to a stop about a yard from him. "Sorry, I didn't just wait, got kind of antsy." You laughed. "And I know you said they were mumbo jumbo, but I got you something; ESP Kitty too!" Beginning to reach into the bag you'd been holding so protectively to your chest, your smile faltered and you stopped halfway when you looked back up at him. Yeah, something was off. In fact, looking at this person up close you weren't sure how you'd even made the mistake from afar because while they were certainly similarly looking to Ichimatsu, their entire vibe was overflowing in the opposite direction. Enough that the contrast between what you were looking at and what you were feeling in regard
to this person had you a little dumbstruck. It could almost be described as uncanny valley.

"Oh...I'm sorry." You took a quick step back, once again reassured of your mistake by the way this man looked you up and down, a wide, eager smile spreading over his face. "I thought you were-"

"Ichimatsu?" He cut you off, rubbing his pointer finger under his nose almost mischievously before lowering his posture into a slouch and almost too convincingly shaking his hair into a more ruffled state. "Yep, that's me, sorry." Unfortunately for him though, that eager grin of his didn't morph too well into Ichimatsu's familiar unamused expression, and the small smirk that resulted from that was still way too...you didn't even know how to describe it; hungry looking? To be convincing. "What do you want?" He asked, clearly doing his best to hide his amusement behind a veil of disinterest and irritation.

"Uhh..." Looking him up and down yourself, you weren't so stupid you didn't recognize that he was also wearing completely different clothes. And while you couldn't say you remembered exactly what Ichimatsu had been wearing, you knew for a fact it hadn't been red. "Yeah, no, sorry. I don't think so." You retorted, exasperation and the smallest trace of humour lacing your voice.

"Well, who else could I be?" He mused, and you took another step back when he leaned closer to you, not even trying to hide that shit-earing grin of his anymore.

You raised a brow at him. Definitely not Ichimatsu, and while you were curious as to what their relation might be considering he obviously knew enough about the person you were referring to to attempt to imitate him, you were more perturbed by the fact that he'd even try to do so. "I feel like you should be the one to tell me that." Despite the open-endedness of your remark, you turned and began walking away, not at all interested in how this stranger intended to continue.

"I can tell you that I'm a lot more fun~"

"I'm good, but sorry for the confusion!" You quipped back, picking up your walking speed in case this stranger got the wild idea to try to follow you. On the bright side, you were sure this wasn't the kind of mix-up you'd let happen again.

ー

Standing up straight and smoothing out his hair as he watched you off, Osomatsu's smile turned entirely mischievous

Their little Ichima-chan had a lot of explaining to do.

Chapter Text

"Choromatsu-niisan told us you left early! You must have been excited about this, huh?" As Jyushimatsu bounded towards him excitedly, Ichimatsu found himself holding the Takoyaki protectively to his chest; his younger brother coming to a stop on his tippy toes when he got close to eye it hungrily. "Looks good! Where did you get it?"

In that moment, seeing his brothers left the last two hours feeling like no more than a dream and as their presence pulled him back to reality, that same dark, apathy that so often kept him from taking action was already working its way into acceptance that his time with you had just come to an end. It was nice while it had lasted but there was no way he had the energy, mental or otherwise, to dance around his brothers and find his way back to you without any of them following or catching him. And the only alternative to that would be coming clean and introducing them to you, but he couldn't begin to imagine how that would go.

Actually, he could and that was the problem. At least, he knew how he thought it would go.

But at the same time...you, the very idea of you, how you treated him, how you reacted to his strange behaviour, the very "anomaly" that you were, perhaps he couldn't even begin to imagine the way you meeting his brothers would play out. You were still such an unknown factor, after all, he could hardly begin to process your kindness towards him; the kindness you'd most likely extend towards his brothers as well.

Once again, he found himself putting in way more effort than he had in a long time when, just as it had this morning, the thought of you pushed back against his familiar defence mechanism of not caring, and as quickly as he'd almost decided to give up on seeing you again, his mind kicked into overdrive racing to think of how he was going to get this to work.

Despite the anxiety gripping his chest, Ichimatsu knew he had to do his best to not to look suspicious, but the way he tensely nodded to the stand behind him in answer to the question he'd taken far too long to respond to probably did him no favours. Luckily, Jyushimatsu didn't seem to acknowledge it, instead rushing past him to drool at the stand's counter like a puppy. After watching Jyushimatsu for a moment, his eyes trailed back to the party of three that had been following behind their yellow brother.

"Did you manage to catch whatever it was you thought getting here so early was worth?" Choromatsu asked, ambling towards him with Totty and Karamatsu close behind. Totty stepped past him wordlessly to take a selfie by the takoyaki stand and Karamatsu stood firmly at Choro's side, as always trying way too hard to look cool for the strangers that wouldn't spare him a second glance.

Ichimatsu felt himself untense as they approached, more so due to the strange sense of growing hopelessness washing over him than him actually relaxing. "....Yes." He responded in a near whisper, unintentionally gripping the takoyaki in his hands a bit too tightly but stopping himself before doing any actual harm. "Yeah." He repeated, looking up from the spot on the ground he'd been staring at to give the third eldest a blank glare.

"Oh?" It seemed like Choromatsu hadn't actually been expecting an answer, but perhaps he was smarter than he seemed because he didn't bother to pry further, not even a little. "That's good." He continued somewhat awkwardly, coughing into his hand before looking back at Ichimatsu and then at Karamatsu at his side. "Well...now that we're here do you guys want to get something to eat?" He gave the takoyaki in Ichi's hands a quick glance and then looked to the stall behind him.

"Oooh! I saw a yakisoba stand on the way in!" It was Todomatsu that had skipped up beside him, the youngest resting an elbow on his shoulder for a moment as he passed before returning to Choromatsu's side. "So I'll be over there if you need me, but don't okay?~" It wasn't much of a goodbye but with that Todomatsu sauntered off into the crowd.

"Why don't wー aaaand he's already gone." Choromatsu lowered the hand he'd raised to stop him, dejectedly rolling his eyes. "Okay, what about you guys?" He asked as Jyushimatsu returned from the takoyaki stand, wasting no time in finishing off all his octopus balls in one fell swoop by dumping them directly into his mouth.

"Perhaps some kakigori to cool the flames of excitement this festival has ignited in us, hm~?" Karamatsu stepped forward dramatically and Jyushimatsu seemed to jump at this idea, nodding in agreement despite his still full mouth. "Then I shall lead the way!" He insisted but Jyushimatsu already darted off into the crowd on his own, leaving Karamatsu to drop his cool expression and chase after him in a hurry. "H-hey, wait for me!"

"So much for doing anything together..." Choromatsu sighed, watching them off with a pursed expression, but it lightened when he looked back to Ichimatsu. "Guess it's just you and me then." He mused, stepping closer with a small smile, he reached forward and plucked the pick from one of the cartons of takoyaki Ichi was carrying, preparing to skewer one for himself. "These look pretty good." But as soon as Ichimatsu realized what he was doing he turned away from him with a harsh glare, holding them to his chest protectively and Choromatsu was quick to retract his hand, raising a brow at Ichimatsu's defensive reaction. "Oookay, not in the mood to share I guess." He joked, but he guess it made sense, since when had any of them been the sharing type? Instead, he placed his hands on his hips, turning around to scope out what he could see from where he stood. "You must have been here for a while already, right? Have you seen anything good?" A small smile found its way onto his face as he looked out into the festival. "Ichimatsu?" But after a few seconds with no response he looked back to see his remaining brother gone, only catching what might have been the purple of his hoodie as it disappeared into the crowd, leaving Choro to heave a dejected sigh.

ー

In total contrast with the rest of the morning, suddenly the world and this festival were way too small. It didn't matter if he ditched Choromatsu, because even among the festival crowds he couldn't seem to lose his brothers completely. Whether it be Jyushimatsu's wild laugh and the ruckus that followed it, the obnoxious, western-style tune that magically played at Karamatsu's painful antics, Todomatsu's two-faced, flirtatious banter with strangers and the snaps of a cellphone camera; it seemed like no matter what at least one of them was nearby and it was quickly pissing him off and driving him mad.

He didn't even bother to look where he was going anymore in his attempt to put distance between them and himself, his paranoia likely playing its own part in his belief that one of them was right around the corner and he caught himself once again unintentionally abusing the takoyaki in his hands with a tight squeeze.

What was even the point? They're probably cold now anyways. Tch...some 'thank you' this will be....

That thought didn't help, making him suck in a sharp breath and actually crinkle the cartons this time with another frustrated squeeze.

"Ichima-chan~!" The playful voice that called out to him was just in time to snap him out of his frustrated stupor and save the food in his hands but the ear-to-ear grin worn by the one who spoke it didn't ease the stress of his situation at all. "Ichima-chan! There you are!" Osomatsu called again with a laugh, all too happily approaching his younger brother. His aloof enthusiasm wasn't something Ichimatsu wasn't used to, but there was a particular look in his eye that Ichimatsu caught onto quickly. Osomatsu seemed to scan him up and down as if looking for something, his brows even raising in excitement briefly as he spotted the two cartons of takoyaki in his brother's hands; as if they were the answer to the question he had been wordlessly looking for an answer to. "Fappymatsu was right! You really are here already! What's gotten into you, lazy bones? Since when are you such an early bird, huh?"

Ichimatsu came to a harsh stop as Osomatsu was quick to invade his space, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and ruffling his already messy hair with his other hand. Once again, his teasing tone and playful behaviour were indeed something Ichimatsu was used to at this point, sinking into his shoulders at the sudden contact but making no movements to stop it.

"Takoyaki, huh?~" Instead, it was the almost unnoticeable twinge of knowing behind that seemingly innocent question that made Ichimatsu tense up, the hand on his head stopping its ruffles to rest on his other shoulder as Osomatsu loomed over him from behind. "Looks like you got enough to share?" Ichimatsu sunk into himself further, desperately telling himself that Osomatsu was just being annoying, there was no way he could know anything. "Mind if I have some?" Not waiting for an answer, an arm reached over his shoulder, its goal clear as day.

With a quick spin, Ichimatsu loosed himself from his brother's weight to face him a few steps away. He knew he was doing himself no favours in having nothing to respond with but the anxious look on his face, and only further reaffirming his paranoia, it seemed like Oso wasn't asking for a response, the lazy but devilish smirk on his face giving the aura of someone who knew exactly what they were doing. "Really, Ichi? You're not gonna share with your big brother?" Osomatsu whined with an exaggerated pout, stepping forward. "You know I'm broke, c'mon! You've got plenty~" He insisted, only making Ichimatsu step back further intent to protect his precious cargo despite swallowing hard as words continued to catch in his throat. "Unless...you had someone else you planned on eating those with?" That was it, those were the words that broke the proverbial dam and Ichimatsu responded with an restrained but audible croak of panic.

"Hmm?" Osomatsu's smile softened at the way Ichimatsu was now glowering at the ground but perked up pretty quickly as he rushed to close the distance between the two of them. "Aww, c'mon, what's that look for? I was just-" Before he could finish he was cut off when one of the cartons of takoyaki was roughly shoved into his chest and the hand he had reached out to ruffle his bothers hair again was pulled back to catch it. "-Eh? Wha-" He didn't get the chance to question it as Ichimatsu had already turned away from him.

"You want it you can have it." He breathily spat, holding the remaining takoyaki in his hands even more protectively to his chest as he stomped off into the crowd.

"Ah! Ichima-chan! I was just joking, don't be like that! Come on~" Osomatsu attempted to follow after him for a second, holding out the takoyaki to return it in surrender but Ichimatsu had managed to vanish from the surrounding area completely.

As much as he wanted to, couldn't begin to cuss out their shittyeldest in a way that made sense right now, even in his head. He needed to bail. For the first time all day, he was able to settle on that decision entirely without talking himself out of it. Instead, the anxiety that had been building in his chest was quickly overriding any cohesive thoughts he could muster. Good or bad, the sound of his heartbeat also did an excellent job of drowning out any outside distractions and suddenly the only thing keeping him grounded was the small, dwindlingly warm carton in his hands.

He tutted with a shaky breath, finally coming to a stop when he felt that the angry padding of his sandals against the pavement had taken him far enough away from any commotion at the far end of the festival.

One thing. There was one thing he had to do and then he could let himself give up.

ー

You were growing increasingly regretful of your decision to not just wait for Ichimatsu to return, having carried yourself around the festival twice now with no sign of him. There were a couple of close calls, a couple of times you swore you'd caught the top of his head out of the corner of your eye only to head in that direction and find nothing. It wasn't until it happened a fourth time, after each having been in a completely different part of the festival, did you decide that you needed to stop being so finicky and get your head together.

You'd returned to your table, the original meeting place, to sit a few times but he never showed back up, so this time you walked to the other sitting areas you knew of in the festival, the benches up on the shrine grounds; perhaps sentimentality choosing the one he'd been on when you'd first run into him today. Taking a seat, you took a small breath, gripping the edges of the bench with both hands and drumming your fingers along it as you pondered on how you wanted to continue. The idea that perhaps Ichimatsu had just gone home was the first to cross your mind. If he had it was most likely your fault for not staying put after your return from the omamori stand. It would be a lot to expect that he went looking for you too since most people wouldn't put in so much effort for someone they hardly knew if they thought they'd been ditched. That's what bothered you most about this, and why you grew more worried the longer you spent searching. The last thing you wanted was for Ichimatsu to believe that you'd bailed on him.

The guilt of that thought hung heavily on your mind and you fought hard to not let that frustration show on your face. It wasn't until you heard your name called questioningly by someone a distance away did you let yourself look up from where you're eyes had been fixed on the ground. Being on the shrine grounds, there weren't all that many people around, so when you looked forward, your eyes were quick to lock onto the person who'd spoken it, far away but clear as day after so many mix-ups on your part.

"Ichi!" You let the nickname slip past your lips excitedly, prepared to run in his direction and apologize but he beat you to it, coming up in front of you before you'd made it even a few steps away from the bench.

"I'm so sorry! I got back to the tables before you so I figured maybe I could meet you on your way back but I got all turned around, I swear I didn't mean to leave you hanging", Your apology was uttered fast, but you quickly realized when you looked at him that he didn't seem to be listening. His expression was a mix of nervous and unstable like he was desperately trying to hold himself together, the way he was trembling only adding to the effect.

"I..." You cut off your explanation early, your worry instead taking priority. "Ichimatsu, oh my gosh, are you okay?" You began to reach out to him, hoping to comfort the shaking man, only for him to hold something out to you before you got too close. Ichi's other hand came up and grabbed your own, turning it over so he could better set what he was trying to give you in it.

"Here..." He breathed quickly, and you looked down at what he had handed you so caringly.

"Takoyaki?" You questioned with a whisper, unintentionally raising a brow at it. That is what he'd gone away for, but your expression still twisted with concern.

While food was the last thing on your mind, you almost worried that you'd made the wrong call with your reaction, because when you first looked back up at him, he had a weak smile on his face, seemingly waiting for your reaction, but it dropped to what you could clearly peg as disappointment, even on ichimatsu face, when he saw you lower the Takoyaki to your side, instead only focusing on him.

"Ichimatsu?" You spoke softly, and his eyes darted from the takoyaki in your hand to your face a few times before settling uncertainly on you. He was clearly choking on his words. There was a intention clear in his eyes but instead he began backing away from you.

"Th-that's it....bye" And before you realized it, he had turned tail and began running away. Literally running. In the opposite direction, off the shrine grounds, down the steps and onto the street.

Um...no?

"Hey, wait a second! Ichimatsu!" You were almost positive he was in the middle of some kind of panic attack and for whatever reason had made delivering your takoyaki a priority. Up until now, you were sure that you'd been the source of his distress but something was telling you that there was something else going on, and against your better judgment, you booked it after him. "Ichimatsu! I really don't want to chase you, but what the heck is going on?" You yelled but slowed down once you'd reached the bottom of the steps, not wanting to scare him with your pursuit. But he kept moving, slowing down himself but clearly rushing through the crowd and you did your best to follow, keeping your eyes locked on the purple of his hoodie to not lose him. Contrary to your belief early, you were apparently really bad at finding this man in a crowd.

"There he is!" A series of voices called out a ways in front of you, but you didn't pay them much attention.

"Ichimatsu-niisan, you're back!"

"Hey! I know you're still mad at me but you don't need to shove!"

"Then get out of the way..."

Ichima-chan, don't be mad~ Come back!"

You did however recognize one of them immediately as Ichimatsu's and picked up your pace. After a second, you briefly cursed at having lost sight of him completely. Stopping for a moment to stand on your tippy toes and peer over who you could in the crowd. Not missing a beat, you kept moving forward again when you caught sight of the back of his head. You couldn't see much, just his hair over the people around you, but you knew you heard his voice again and as soon as there was an opening, you closed the rest of the distance between you and that silly black bowl-cut. In your rush, you nealry tripped. Stumbling forward as your hand came down on his shoulder.

"Ichimatsu, please , at least tell me you're okay?" The deeply worried question flew out of your mouth as you righted yourself and came to a stop behind him.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

You froze, your lips parting in surprise at the face that looked back at you. Your eyes and theirs trailed down to your hand on their shoulder, and you sucked in an inaudible breath, processing your mistake at lighting speed but with little action as you both seemed to freeze. The two of you weren't the only ones frozen though, and you soon took notice of the small circle of men that carved out this little gap in the crowd, your eyes moving from this stranger to the only familiar one in the bunch. Just a few feet in front of you Ichimatsu stood, having frozen in place himself with a hand on his shoulder, looking to have been in the middle of making his exit when someone else had stopped him. The person holding him in place by the shoulder mimicked your own pose, with the exception that he was also staring at you in surprise. Your eyes gradually made their way around the circle of people, not taking in their features just counting how many there were.

It was a good few seconds before you snapped out of it, and you jumped away from the green-plaid-clad stranger in surprise.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" You apologized quickly. "I thought you were..." Your eyes trailed back to Ichimatsu's as you did your best to not stand too close to any of the men still staring wildly at you.

"You thought he was..." The man holding Ichimatsu began to speak up, a wide and unfortunately familiar smile spreading over his face as he wrapped his arm around Ichimatsu's shoulder and without much trouble heaved the fleeing man back into the circle and to his side, "Ichimatsu?" He mused confidently and Ichimatsu scowled, sinking into his shoulders and glaring away from the five sets of eyes that were now firmly fixed on him.

On the bright side, Ichimatsu didn't seem nearly as panicked as he had before, but the dark look on his face certainly told you he wasn't happy. Without a word he harshly shoved his elbow into the red man's side, making him keel over and Ichimatsu took the opportunity to step away from him with an annoyed huff.

Despite his pained posture the man in red managed to look up with a grin, eyes darting from you to Ichimatsu. "Care to introduce us?"

Ichimatsu only glared at him before looking at you with a much softer expression. You gave an understanding look back but your little moment was interrupted when annoying red was right back up at his side. Leaning in to say something that you pretty quickly figured out he assumed you couldn't understand.

"Out on a date with a pretty girl and you're trying to hide it from us? For shame Ichima-chan, for shame." Ichimatsu only glared at him harshly and you furrowed both brows. "Oh!" The red man glanced at you and then chuckled. "Looks like she's getting mad, better introduce us~" Mad probably wasn't the word exactly but it certainly wasn't directed at Ichimatsu.

You were about to speak up but three more of the men surround Ichimatsu, holding him hostage in a huddle. The only one left out was the neatly dressed man you'd accidentally grabbed earlier and you briefly glanced back to see him standing as stiff as a bored, eyes still locked on you but completely spaced out with a deep dark red washed over every inch of his face. His chest rose in quick, fast breaths and you were about to ask him if he was okay before the five in front of you started talking amongst themselves, pulling your attention back to them.

"Okay, so...who's the girl and how does she know Ichimatsu?" The shortest of the bunch asked. He wore a hat with a pink hatband as well as a pink tie and shorts, so you guess pink guy would be his name for now.

"That's what we're trying to find out, moron." Annoying-red fired back with a laugh. "Come on Ichima-chan, what's her name? How do you know know her? Do you 'know' her, if you know what I mean~" He teased and while you couldn't see Ichimatsu from within the huddle of men you knew for a fact it was him that elbowed annoying red in the stomach again. Unexpectedly, your snort earned a smile from annoying-red himself and he looked at you with a grin when he heard you laugh.

"I like the way she smells! Were you guys eating squid?" You noticed the man in yellow wore a hoodie identical to Ichimatsu's with the same green tree symbol on the front but with sleeves that cover his hands. The way he covered his smile with his hand drew your attention to it when he peeked up from the huddle to look at you. You smiled at him quizzically and a small pink dusted his cheeks as he exhaled happily.

"Jyushimatsu, shut up." You heard Ichimatsu bark from within the huddle, making you smile a little wider.

"Perhaps this fair lady is a friend of his?" A deep, baritone voice mused.

"Maybe if you shut up he'll actually tell us, shittymatsu." There was a familiar name.

"Regardless, it's quite rude to leave a lady waiting, don't you think? Let us introduce ourselves! Come, my burazas!~"

It was then that you couldn't help yourself any longer, laughter slipping out entirely as you broke into a fit of giggles and keeled over a little bit yourself as the strangeness of this situation brought you to mirthful tears. This was enough to break the huddle of the men in front of you, the five of them looking at you wide-eyed and confused.

"Ahh.." You heaved a sigh as you calmed yourself down. "I.." You began, a few more giggles slipping out before you focused on the man in the leather jacket. "I like the way you say that." You said confidently, crossing your arms. "Burazas~" You mimicked him with a laugh before a thought crossed your mind. "Brothers..." You repeated to yourself realizing how he'd referred to them and looked at Ichimatsu with a smile, your defences from early dropping considerably when you realized who these people must be. "Ichimatsu, are these your brothers?"

Everyone but Ichimatsu was completely star-struck. Mostly likely by the fact that you just revealed you did indeed know how to speak Japanese and they'd all just been talking about you right in front of you. Annoying-red was the first to regain his composure, running his pointer finger under his nose with a grin.

"Well, duh!"

Catching you by surprise, leather jacket man came up close to your side, taking your hand in his and falling to one knee.

"My fair lady, it is a pleasure to meet you. How unfortunate we first lay eyes on each other standing in the fog of such chaos." He rubbed his thumb softly over the back of your hand as he talked and you were almost touched by the unusual softness of the gesture.

"Oookay?" Your response was drawn out and a little confused but your smile was humorous.

"If you'd be so gracious to allow me to introduce myself, my name is-" Before he could finish he was roughly shoved out of the way and annoying-red took his place in front of you, holding out his own hand in introduction. Thankfully leather jacket man was quick to recover, glaring at annoying-red for a moment before softening his expression when he noticed you were looking at him.

You glanced down at the hand in front of you, raising a brow at annoying-red as he grinned wider and gave his arm a small shake, promoting you to finally take it with a roll of your eyes.

"We've already met." You stated flatly but quiet enough that only he could hear, making him laugh.

"Yep! The name's Matsuno Osomatsu and you are...just my type." He finished off that line with a wink.

"Oh yeah?" You raised your brow. "What's your type, Osomatsu?" You asked with a smile of your own and he broke into a doofy giggle as your handshake slowed to stop and he looked you over.

"Hehehehe....gurl."

"Ha, not picky, huh?" Despite your reservations earlier, knowing that he was Ichimatsu's brother certainly eased your mind about a lot of things. "There's some merit to that." As cocky as he was before, your words, while barely a compliment, seemed to make him blush and he rubbed the back of his neck, that doofy laugh continuing to slip out as he found himself looking away from you with pink cheeks.

It was his turn to be roughly pushed out of the way as leather jacket man came back with a vengeance, muscling him to the ground before gripping the front of his namesake leather jacket and smoothing it out. He then gripped the edge of his sunglasses, pulling them drown dramatically to lock eyes with you.

"As I was saying...the name's- eGH!" Your eyes widened as a leg came up from between his own, hitting him directly in the groin from behind and making him topple over onto the ground with a whine. You covered your mouth in shock, prepared to help him up when another figure stepped in front of you, cuttung you off. You spent a little more time sizing this one up than the others, the cutesy, cat-like smile on his face setting off a special kind of red flag you couldn't quite place and the tone in his voice only amplified that feeling.

"Well, hi, there!" He spoke to you happily with a giggle, standing closer to you than even Osomatsu had. "Aren't you a cutie~ My name's Todomatsu, but you can call me Totty!" He winked at you, making a peace sign with one hand and holding his phone in the other. "You're friends with my big brother then?" Despte the curious tone of the question, something told you there was more behind it. As if he was choosing his words very carefully to steer the conversation in a very particular way.

"I'd..." Your eyes trailed past him to Ichimatsu who bashfully looked away. "I'd like to think so." You continued with a smile. "We haven't known each other for too long though so I might be wrong." You joked and were happy to see that Ichimatsu didn't object, a small blush on his cheeks as smiley-yellow jumped up happily from where he'd been crouched beside him.

"Ichimatsu-niisan made a friend! All on his own!"

"Who would have thought we'd see the day, Jyushimatsu." Osomatsu came up beside him, giving the jumpy 'Jyushimatsu' a pat on the head.

"Jyushimatsu?" You echoed the name. "I like that, that's fun to say. Jyushimatsu~"

"Jyushimatsu!" Jyushimatsu spoke his name as well, raising his arms to the air probably.

"Jyushimatsu!"

"Jyuuuushimatsu!"

"~Jyuuushimatsu!~"

The yellow man bounded towards you, the two of you going back and forth saying his name until his wide, open-mouthed smile landed not an inch from your face.

"Wait a second..." You paused, squinting your eyes at him but not moving away. "I know you!" You exclaimed and Jyushimatsu tilted his head curiously, a small exhale sound leaving his mouth. "Yeah, I know you!" You finally took a step back and Jyushi almost fell forward since he had been leaning so close to you but regained his balance with a spin of his arms.

"Wait, you know her?" Ichimatsu finally spoke up, and suddenly Jyushimatsu was subject to a hoard of curious eyes that he responded to with another curious tilt of his head.

"Hah?"

"I mean, we don't "know" know each other." You quickly cut in hoping to spare the yellow man some scrutiny. " but I've definitely seen you before. At that..." you paused to think of the word, "dance thing? In the park." You clarified.

There was another pensive exhale from Jyushimatsu as he squinted hard, that wide smile never leaving his face. "Oh! I remember!" He exclaimed happily, jumping to his feet. "You're that dancing girl!" You chuckled placing a hand on your hip and smiling down at him.

"Haha...yeah."

"Dancing girl?" Todomatsu questioned, giving you a strange look that then moved to Jyushimatsu.

"Mhm!" Jyushimatsu nodded proudly. "You know how I like to dance in the park when they have those contests? She was there, mmmmmm last week?" He nodded, satisfied that he got the timeframe right.

"You dance, huh?" Osomatsu leaned into the conversation with a smirk.

"I mean, not really," you cut in again. "I was just passing by and it looked interesting, but they started pulling in the people spectating and I kind of got pushed into the circle since I was so close." You laughed, kind of embarrassed.

"You were the only one that could keep up with me! " Jyushimatsu cheered and while you were the one that had brought it up, you were flattered that he had remembered that part. "But you never said anything, and you disappeared really fast..." He added a bit sadly.

"I can't believe you danced with a girl and didn't tell us!" Osomatsu scoffed.

"Oh, I didn't know she was a girl at the time!" Jyushimatsu explained only earning more curious looks from his brothers and a laugh from you.

"Ha!" Giving a small demonstration you pulled the hood of your jacket up over your hair and low over your eyes, remembering fondly the way he had literally jumped out of the dance circle in surprise when you did a kick-up and your hood flew back as you landed in front of him. You guess that moment made sense now. You didn't bother to question it at the time, slipping out of sight once you saw the opportunity.

"Karamatsu, my dear, the name's Karamatsu." Having almost completely recovered, Karamatsu jumped back into the conversation. Even though he still sat on his knees on the ground, he held your hand once again in both of his and continued his flowery words despite the small tears still pricking in the corner of his eyes. "And it would be an honour to one day hear it pass through your sweet smile."

Now he was one that immediately intrigued you. "Well, Karamatsu," you moved your free hand over to the one he'd been holding, taking both of his own in yours and stepped back to help him to his feet. "It's nice to meet you." You said warmingly, smiling at the way his blush grew just as quickly as his brothers. "It's nice to meet all of you." You corrected yourself, and Karamatsu's hands seemed to linger on top of yours even after you let go, only falling back to his sides when you pulled yours back to shove them into your pockets.

There was a long moment of silence after that and while you weren't sure what it was brought on by, after glancing around at the dumbstruck faces, it was Ichimatsu that finally broke it.

"Wait...is that why you...yesterday?"

"Hm?" You turned to him, not sure what he meant.

"Is that why you...approached me?" You could tell he didn't want to give all the details out in front of his brothers. "Because you...thought I was Jyushimatsu?" The words rolled off his tongue with a clear sting to them but you could only raise a brow at him.

"Why would I think you were Jyushimatsu?" You looked between the two, hoping one of them could elaborate.

"I mean y'know, because we're.." He motioned to his face and then around to his brothers who were all looking at you with the same expression. "And you...recognized him..."

"Because you're...?" You twirled your hands together in a "keep going" motion, hoping he'd continue.

"Because we're identical?" It was Todomatsu that finished the sentence and you widened your eyes in surprise before squinting them hard, looking around at the six men that surrounded you.

"Huh...look at that, I guess you are." You huffed with amusement, resting your hands on your hips.

"Um, yeah, duh?!" Osomatsu guffawed. "How did you NOT notice? You literally got us confused earlier. Twice!" He held two fingers up, finding your obliviousness both amusing and hilarious.

"Well yeah..." You waved your hand in a small circle, "but only because I'd didn't think there'd be more than one person in Japan that would willingly walk around with that dumb haircut."
Another louder flurry of laughs came from Osomatsu and while you were being completely honest, you quickly realized that may not have been an appropriate comment to make to people you didn't know that well.

"Oh wait, was that mean? I'm sorry, no offence of course." You tried to laugh it off but were surprised to see them looking at you with a different kind of expression, one that was certainly not insulted. With the exception of Todomatsu, he looked just a little offended and self-consciously adjusted his hat.

"None taken, my dear~"

"You're not wrong!"

"I mean, she did figure me out pretty quick and my impression was spot on."

There was a small hum from Ichi and you were not only relieved but happy to see that the pained expression that had accompanied his question earlier had vanished, replaced by what you knew by now to be his attempt to fight a smile.

Who knew these guys liked being insulted so much?

"...wait, what impression?"

"So let me see..." You raised a hand to your chin, "we've got Ichimatsu, Osomatsu, Todomatsu,"

"Totty's fine!" Todomatsu interrupted you briefly but you kept going.

"Karamatsu, Jyushimatsu aaaaand," you spun in a small circle to face the final contender, dressed in green plaid, light brown pants and was still stiff as a board. "I'm sorry if I scared you earlier." You took a few steps towards him, holding your hand out I hopes he'd take the friendly gesture in turn with your apology. "My name's (Y/n)." You looked around at the men behind you, letting them know your introduction was to them as well before looking back at him.

Luckily his eyes weren't glossed over as they had been early and another hopeful smile tugged at the corner of your mouth as you saw him ever so slowly raising his hand, his eyes fixated on yours as his whole body trembled. "I'm guessing you're a Matsu too?" You asked, hoping to ease the tension, but it was Osomatsu who answered, sliding up beside you.

"You bet! He's the fappiest!" While not how you'd hoped to snap him out of his nervous state, you sprung to the side when he lept forward, physically gripping Osomatsu by the collar and tackling him to the ground, the two of them breaking into a one-sided fight as the previously nervous man brutally wailed on his now laughing brother

"You douchebag! How the hell do you get off saying that in front of a girl!"

"I was just trying to lighten the mood!"

"WELL. IT. DIDN'T. WORK!"

You felt like you should do something, almost reaching into the fray but they both rolled away, continuing to tussle on the ground a few feet in front of you. "Guys you shouldn't be..." You couldn't even think of what to say in this situation until Jyushimatsu approach your side giving your sleeve a small tug. After letting him whisper something into your ear you nodded and took a breath, hoping that really is all it would take.

"Choromatsu, please stop!" To your surprise, the wrestling came to an abrupt pause, the Matsu in question looking up at you from underneath his brother with a dumbfounded stare and a blooming blush.

"What? You done already?" Osomatsu taunted only to be promptly thrown to the side as Choro scramble to his feet.

The green Matsu gave you a deep bow, holding that position as he apologized. "I-I'm sorry you had to see that (Y/n)-chan! Please, you're better off not listening anything that douchebag says."

"Wow, '(Y/n)-chan'?" Oso snickered from his place on the ground, teasing at the way he'd addressed you. "You sure are being friendly, Choro." Choro stood up straight, spinning around in one stiff motion and reeled back to lay a harsh kick into his still-grounded brother before you cut in, resting a hand on his shoulder to stop him and regretting your decision pretty quickly when your touch seemed to paralyze him all over again.

Chapter Text

"So, on top of being brothers, you guys are..."

"Sextuplets!" Osomatsu finished your thought with a proud grin. "Pretty cool, right?"

After the ruckus of the brothers' tussle, you proposed finding somewhere to sit, an idea all of Ichimatsu's brothers were quite vocally in support of. With the exception of Ichimatsu himself who only offered a quiet nod when you looked to him for input, and Choromatsu who was still virtually paralyzed and had to be carried by Jyushimatsu.

With you taking the lead, the seven of you made your way to the small, outfitted eating area by the food stalls. Unfortunately, the only available tables were small ones similar to the one you and Ichi had been sharing early. In your mind, the natural next step would have been to split up your party of seven and take your seats at tables close together so you could still talk, but it seemed the Matsuno brothers had a different idea as they each moved to grab unused chairs from the surrounding tables and crowd them around the single, small, umbrellaed table you and Ichimatsu were the first to sit at.

From left to right around the table: Ichimatsu was directly to your left, beside him sat Choromatsu, and then, then Osomatsu, Jyushimatsu, Todomatsu and finally Karamatsu at your right.

"Six at once..." You mused wistfully, eyes widening at the thought, a sympathetic smile finding its way to your face as you stifled an amused laugh. "I feel bad for your mom!"

"You'll feel even worse if you get to know us!" Jyushimatsu chimed in enthusiastically, his derpy, cross-eyed smile only making you laugh more at that statement.

"I'm sure!"

Glancing at Ichimatsu, his reserved sitting position was the same as always but was considerably more practical now considering how crowded the table was. Finally giving into the temptation unprompted, you lifted your legs onto your chair as well, folding your arms over your knees and resting your chin on them. When Ichimatsu realized what you were doing he seemed to stiffen, glancing away for just a moment with pink cheeks and while your eyes were fixed on him you failed to notice the way everyone else eyes fixated on the two of you.

"So," Todomatsu began, a twinge of hidden bitterness in just that word before you looked in his direction and he smiled at you sweetly, "How long have you and Ichimatsu been friends?"

"Hm?" For whatever reason, the question stagnated your train of thought and you felt a little bashful yourself as you answered. "Well...I might have been a little overzealous when I called us friends." You admitted, looking to Ichimatsu. He remained quiet on the subject but seemed to be paying close attention to you as you spoke. "We've only known each other since yesterday," You began, an understanding smile taking the place of your reluctant one when you noticed him shudder. "I'm new around here and needed directions to...well, here, actually! For today." You motioned to the festival around you. "Ichimatsu was the only one around at the time and even went out of his way to show me the way." Ichimatsu seemed to untense at the way you kindly avoided mentioning his alleyway mishap and you continued. "Today ended up being a happy coincidence! We were lucky to run into each other again so I asked if he wanted to walk around together. This is a new experience for me and it was nice to have someone to enjoy it with."

Choromatsu had been nervously tapping his pointer fingers together, looking for the courage to properly join the conversation until something you said made his expression light up with some kind of realization. He narrowed his eyes at the purple brother. "Yeah...a lucky coincidence." You looked between the two of them, unsure what Choro's tone was meant to imply, and if Ichimatsu had noticed the pointed look his brother was giving him, he was refusing to acknowledge it.

"Fate has a funny way of making things happen, does it not?" Karamatsu lifted his sunglasses up, resting them on his head and you raised your brows a little, your attention turning to him. "And in the end, your fateful run-in with our dear brother would be the very thing that brought you to me, my flower."

'My flower'? You had to cover your mouth, a snicker slipping through your lips as the term of endearment made you smile.

"I guess so!" You began then giving him a wink. "But if I'm being honest, I think you're the flowery one, Karamatsu." You reasoned, unbeknownst to you making Karamatsu's heart skip a beat and a small surprised sound squeeze its way out of his throat. You meant to continue, growing fond of the way he spoke and expressed himself, but this time it was Choromatsu that spoke up.

"(Y/n)-chan, you don't...recognize me by any chance do you?" The question came out as if he'd been sitting on it for a while, which made sense considering its relation to your remembering Jyushimatsu earlier.

"I-" You took a moment to look at him, squinting just a little as you took in his features and appearance, but besides the similarities, he shared with his brothers you couldn't quite place anything familiar about him. "I'm sorry, I don't think so, Choro. Should I?"

Despite your disappointing answer, Choromatsu's heart fluttered at the way you so casually referred to him and he had to swallow hard to keep himself from burning up before he could even continue.

He could have gone on a wordy tangent like he did last night about how his heart stopped beating when your shoulders first touched, or how he laid awake last night thinking about how adorably polite and quick you were in your apology, or how when you first locked eyes today after not even a bump to but an actual hand on his shoulder, the wedding bells that started to ring in his ears were loud enough to send him into shock.

But no, he might be socially inept but he wasn't THAT pathetic. At least, not as pathetic as the rest of these losers. He was the reasonable one after all. So instead, he raised a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it bashfully as he glanced up and away from you, aware he wouldn't be able to properly play this off if you kept making eye contact with him like that.

"Oh, n-no reason, I just...thought you looked a little familiar is all? You...don't happen to stop by Akatsuka Mart often do you?" He asked with the best tone of genuine curiosity he could muster, silently preening himself for how slick he was being in steering the conversation where he was hoping it would go.

"Akatsuka Mart..." You hummed in thought. "Oh!" Your face lit up at the familiar name. "Yes actually! That's the convenience store by my apartment! Haha...if I'm being honest I probably spend too much time there..." You admitted. "You've...seen me there before then?" You asked curiously, as well as a little bit embarrassed. If you were there so often that the locals could recognize you out in public then maybe you seriously needed to reconsider your midnight eating habits.

"Not- not a lot!" Choro seemed to backtrack. "I just...I think we may have bumped into each other the other day!" He finally got the words out and celebratory fireworks went off in his head. This was it! You'd remember him and the two of you could grow closer from here! Maybe even closer than whatever it was you and Ichimatsu had going on. He didn't like to quote Karamatsu but fate really was a bea-

"I...oh my gosh.."

"Eh...is- is everything okay?

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" All eyes seemed to widen in surprise at your sudden change in volume and the embarrassed look on your face. "That was you?! I wasn't looking where I was going...I just augh...." Suddenly you buried your face in your hands. "If you remember me I- I can't imagine the impression I must have made..."

Now Choro was the one that looked like he'd made a mistake, leaning over the table and waving his hands defensively and desperately backtracking. "No, no, no! Nothing like that really! You were fine! You just stick out! So of course I remembered you! Not- not in a bad way though!" You finally looked up from your hands but your despairing expression made him realize that that was probably the wrong way to put it. "I- I mean-

"Bwahahaha!" Osomatsu pounded a fist on the table, utterly cracking up. "Nice one, Fappymatsu." The laughing brother turned to you. "I can't say he's wrong though. You are a foreigner, right?" As blunt as ever.

"Don't say it like that..." You groaned, flopping your face back into your hands, only making him crack up more at how adorably embarrassed you were.

"I think..." A hand was rested on your left shoulder and you looked up to see Karamatsu's cool smile. "I think what my dear brother means to say is that your radiance is not one easily forgotten." He took a moment to glance at Choromatsu who swallowed hard, before closing his eyes and continuing confidently. "I'm sure even the birds that soar overhead slow their flight to longer admire your beauty~ That's the curse of perfection after all," You could hardly think to respond, watching him bewildered as he placed his thumb and forefinger under his chin, flashing his dazzling smile, "a face others duty themselves to remember, and remembering you is truly a duty weighted only in reward."

A silence fell over the table after that. Karamatsu continued to hold his cheesy pose, you were still at a loss for words and it seemed that most of the brothers were struggling to recover from the attack of painfulness he'd just inflicted upon them. Rather anticlimactically it was Jyushimatsu that broke the silence.

"Sooooo, where ya from?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm... I'm from the states actually." You finally laughed off your embarrassment and replied, turning back towards the rest of the table.

"That's neat! How long are you planning on spending in Japan?" It was Todomatsu that continued.

"Well, I'm not totally sure yet," you raised your hand, shaking it in a so-so gesture, "but as of right now my Visa's for a year. Whether or not I stay that long is up in the air, but I'm happy to have a lot of time so I can take it easy, y'know?"
The brothers all seemed to perk up in interest, the expressions on their faces an unexpected and unreadable kind of pleased with your answer.

"You're staying right here in Shinjuku, right?" It was Oso that asked and you nodded. He and Totty seemed to be the ones steering the conversation the most but it surprised you how despite that you seemed to have all of their attention. "What do you think so far? Pretty awesome, huh?"

"Oh yeah, I'm having a great time!" You began, excited to hear that he shared your enthusiasm for the city that he and his brothers called home. "Well, I mean, I haven't done all that much yet considering it's already been a couple of weeks." You paused with a small chuckle. "I'm lucky to have as much time as I do, but I still really want to take my time enjoying it. Just seeing more of Shinjuku is my goal right now, and that started with today!"

The brothers' eyes lit up as if they were all struck with the same idea, and while Choro was the first to begin to speak up, Oso was quick to cut him off.

"I-if you-"

"If seeing more of Shinjuku is what you're up for then we could totally show you around sometime!" The grinning man practically launched himself over the table to get the question out before the rest of his brothers.

"Really?" Your eyes lit up in surprise and everyone but Ichimatsu nodded.

"Hell yeah! We've lived here our whole lives. You won't find a better set of tour guides!"

"That's a great idea, Osomatsu-niisan!" Totty added cheerfully. Leaving Oso and the rest of the brothers to side-eye him and his uncharacteristic use of the honorific.

You ended up leaning back in your chair at all the commotion now clambering in front of you but smiled nonetheless. "Alright!" You nodded. "I think I'll take you guys up on that."

"Awesome, hehe~!" Todomatsu cheered with a giggle and didn't miss a beat, leaning in your direction to hold his phone out to you. "How about you give me your number and we can set something up? Are you a fan of coffee? Cause I know the cutest little café not far from here~ If you're up for it the two of us could go together sometime!"

While you didn't notice the murderess glare being shot his way by Ichimatsu beside you, you paused in your excitement, holding your hand up in denial of his offer. "I'm sorry, I don't really like to give my number out if I don't know someone that well." You explained, giving your best unoffending smile in the hope he didn't take it personally. "I hope you understand."

"Oh...I see." He pulled his phone back with poorly hidden disappointment before shooting a glare at Osomatsu who was snickering at his failed efforts. "That's alright, I totally understand." He added, but there was definitely a tightness behind the smile he put back up.

"Hey, what about tomorrow?" Osomatsu was already back on track, looking at you hopefully. "Just pick a time and place to meet up and we'll be there! You can count on it." He added with a wink.

"Aww, tomorrow?" Jyushimatsu's brow furrowed despite his still wide smile. "Why not right now? It's not dark yet! We're still in the first half!"

You giggled at the excited man's strange turn of phrase. "I think tomorrow's probably for the best. I'm about tapped out anyway," You yawned and let him down softly. Your expression then fell in wonder a little bit when you noticed the orange tint of the lowering sun that had begun to color the sky. It wasn't dark yet but it was beginning to get there and while you had mused earlier about how pretty you were sure the festival would be at night, perhaps it was over-eager of you to assume you'd stay late enough to see it. Because as much as you wanted to stick around, you had to admit you were beginning to grow tired after the events of today, and sitting to talk with the sextuplets had made you lose track of time considerably.

"Ah, actually what time is it?" You asked. It was more rhetorical than anything as you were already in search of your phone but Todomatsu was able to give you an answer before you were able to pull it out to check yourself.

"Just a little past five. Why?"

"I should probably be heading home soon." You admitted, smiling softly at the choir of disappointed "awws" that erupted from the table. "But wait! I want shaved ice before I go. I swear I saw a stand selling it earlier."

Karamatsu jumped to his feet, extending a hand to you. "There indeed is, my darling, and if you'd give me the pleasure I'd be happy to show you the way."

"Ohho! A gentleman!" You joked, not taking his hand but lowering your legs back to the ground and standing up to follow him. "Please, lead the way, my good sir." You agreed with a playful curtsy.

"I wanna come! I know where it is too!" Jyushimatsu leaped out of his chair, over the table, and landed at your side before sprinting a few yards away and waving for you and Karamatsu to follow. "This way!"

"W-wait, what about tomorrow?" Choromatsu was quick to remind everyone.

"Oh yeah..." Rubbing your chin, you thought for a second. "What time works best for you guys?"

"We're free all day any day. You just say when and we'll fall in line." Osomatsu was the one to answer, receiving a few unamused glances from Choro and Todo for not even trying to make it seem like they might have had lives of their own to work around.

"How about 1pm? We can meet up at the convenience store since that seems to be a location of mutual interest." You added with a lighthearted glance to Choromatsu. "And since you're my tour guides I'll leave it to you guys to take it from there."

"Sound good!" Osomatsu gave you a thumbs up but you looked around to confirm the nods of agreement from the rest of the brothers as well.

Before you set off with Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu, you turned your attention to the person who had been giving a worryingly little amount of input this whole time. "Ichimatsu, do you want anything? I'm getting shaved ice." You were beginning to grow concerned with the man's quietness. You could tell quiet was kind of his default state, but there was something much more bitter about it than the quiet you'd grown familiar with over these last two days.

"..."

You pursed your lips a little at his lack of a response and it wasn't until you stepped closer to him to ask again did he finally answer.

"No...I'm good."

"You sure? It's my treat!"

"...Yeah, I'm sure."

You glanced at Karamatsu who seemed to share your notice of his behavior, but wanting to be respectful of his space you simply nodded at his response.

"Alright, I'll be back to say bye before I head home, so don't go anywhere, okay?" You added and even if his back was turned to you, Ichimatsu did nod, giving you hope that you hadn't done something to upset him like you'd quickly begun to worry.

"Shall we be off?" Karamatsu offered with bow and a flourish.

"We shall!"

ー

In the end, you did get a glance of the festival lit up in the dark, even if it was from a distance while walking home.

As promised, after zipping through the crowd with Karamatsu to follow Jyushimatsu, you eventually found your way to the shaved ice stand and after picking out the flavor you liked, returned to say goodbye to everyone. There were a few offers to accompany you on your walk home in the growing dark, but you politely declined and headed on your way. While you didn't really know any of them and weren't totally sure you wanted them to know where you lived just yet, more than anything you declined because you really were tapped out socially and wanted some time to think.

As much fun as it was, you hadn't gone out today expecting it to turn out anything like it had. But you'd still definitely consider today a good one.

Despite the lingering concern for Ichimatsu.

Just as he had after first sitting down with his brothers, he remained almost entirely unresponsive when you returned to say goodbye; offering nothing more than a nod of acknowledgment where his brothers offered eager waves and an almost teary farewell on Karamatsu's part.

Maybe it was presumptuous of you to assume you could tell his normal quiet apart from his intentional quiet, but something about it worried you, immediately bringing to mind the possibility that perhaps you'd done or said something to upset him. It was bothering you way more than it should have, but it was bothering you nonetheless.

It wasn't until you reached the entrance to your apartment building did you remember something else, your hand quickly slapping to the side of your bag before meticulously feeling around inside for the small bag containing the omamori you'd purchased earlier.

Having successfully located it after the harsh way you'd tucked it inside before chasing after Ichimatsu, you held the small package in both hands, a small look of sadness finally finding its way onto your face as you came to a standstill.

You'd completely forgotten to give Ichimatsu the Omamori you'd gotten him.

Removing the Omamori you'd purchased for yourself, you carefully fastened it to the base of your bag's strap to hang against the satchel itself. Then much more carefully this time you refolded the small package and tucked it back into your bag.

Things had gone well today. At least, nothing had gone so horribly wrong that you had reason to suddenly feel as unsure as you did. Not to mention the fact that you now had actual plans with them tomorrow too, giving you the perfect opportunity to give Ichimatsu the small gift.

Finally heading inside and up the stairs to your apartment, you were able to reaffirm your expression with a much more determined one, already looking forward to what this week would bring.

ー

"Man, can you guys believe it?! We've totally got a date tomorrow!" The eldest cheered, raising his arms to rest them behind his head as he walked, grinning up at the sky. "All thanks to yours truly of course!"

"Don't call it that." The harsh voice of Ichimatsu snapped from the very end of the trail of brothers on their own way home, but no one seemed to pay him any mind.

"As if. Do you really think she would have been comfortable agreeing if just you'd offered? You're lucky we were there to mellow out your gross vibe."

"She was so nice..." Choromatsu added wistfully, crossing his arms in a self-hug, he rested his hands on his shoulders before slowly running them down his arms and staring forward in deep thought with the light pink he couldn't manage to shake from his cheeks. "I've never had a girl be that nice to me before..."

"She bought me Kakigōri! I like her a lot!"

"Indeed. Such a gentle soul. A real Karamatsu girl in the making~"

"Yeah, she was definitely a little too nice to Karamatsu though, we'll have to tell her next time that that's not necessary." Osomatsu pointed out and a round of agreeing hums followed.

"H-hey, what's that supposed to mean?!"

"I don't know. She was nice sure, but she seems like kind of a smart-ass don't you think?" Todomatsu walked ahead of Ichimatsu near the back of their group, perhaps trying too hard to look distracted by his phone and uninterested in the conversation. "Girls like that are always a pain."

"Ouch, Totty, that's harsh!" Osomatsu looked back in surprise at his youngest brother, raising an amused brow. "Don't act like your not just bitter she wouldn't give you her number." He added, slowing his pace to fall back beside Todomatsu and give him a noogie. Ichimatsu, while still at the far end of all his brothers' attention, leaned around to glare at him coldly from behind, the youngest's comments filling him with a very particular kind of rage.

"Yeah, sorry, no, and get the hell off of me!" After successfully shaking himself free of his brother, he indignantly brushed himself off, taking the lead himself as he rushed past the grinning eldest with a glare. "Have you morons even thought about where you're taking her?"

"Us? What about you?"

"Hey, you said this was all thanks to you. At least take responsibility and come up with a plan instead of just dragging her to the horse races or something. "

"So you're not coming then?"

"Oh no, I'm coming. I've got to make sure you losers don't f**ck up so bad it ruins my chances as well. We do share the same face after all."

"Oh yeah? What happened to her being a smart-ass?"

"Maybe she likes baseball? I can show her where I like to practice! There's plenty of wide open spaces if you know where to look!"

"If she plans on staying in Shinjuku for a while I'm sure she'll want to know where to catch the finest sunsets. Leave that to me~"

"You said no horse races, right, Totty? Pachinko it is then!"

"I meant don't take her gambling at all, idiot! We're supposed to be giving her a tour not showing her what a compulsive piece of trash you can be." Todomatsu paused, his annoyed grimace shifting to a snide smirk. "Or on second thought, go for it. Might as well put yourself out there. It'll make the rest of us look better by comparison."

The bickering that broke out after that was thoroughly muddied by Ichimatsu's own thoughts. Once again falling into his habit of not bothering to look where he was going and instead counting on the vague shapes of his brothers at the top of his vision to guide him as he stared at the pavement.

"What about you, Ichimatsu-niisan?"

Ichimatsu finally looked back up to see Jyushimatsu's signature grin focused on him, his younger brother looking at him hopefully.

"Uh..wha?"

"Choro said we should each pick one place since there are six of us! Where do you think we should take her?"

"Now THIS I want to hear!" Suddenly all eyes were on him, the six of them coming to a stop in front of their home. "Better make it good, Ichima-chan, I can tell she really likes you so you don't want to let her down!" Osomatsu teased and Ichimatsu felt himself shrink.

"Or!" Todomatsu cut in. "You could let us take the lead this time! We know this isn't your kind of thing so-"

"Shut it, Totty. If she's friends with Ichimatsu I'm sure she can handle whatever terrifying and or disgusting place he'd want to-"

"Do whatever you want." The cold tone of the words cut through their squabble in an instant, and once again all eyes were on Ichimatsu, now following him as he moved past them and slid open their front door.

"What?"

"Wha?"

"Huh?"

"Do whatever you want. I'm not going." He stated again flatly, back turned to them now.

"What do you mean you're not going?" Osomatsu asked.

"Yeah, she's your friend after all," Todomatsu added bitterly.

"No, you heard what SHE said. We're not friends. We hardly know each other. You guys want to play tour guide then go ahead, but I don't have any reason to waste my time on her or anyone else for that matter."

"Are you serious?" The eldest asked in disbelief, taking a step towards him. "C'mon, Ichimatsu, you don't mean that!" He reasoned, his tone taking on an oddly genuine cadence. "If this is about the takoyaki earlier I'll give you some money and you can get her-" Before he could finish, Ichimatsu had already began to step inside, but it was Jyushimatsu's words that made him stop in his tracks.

"She'll be disappointed if you don't come..." The smiling brother spoke in an uncharacteristically soft tone, his eyes saddened to show how he was actually feeling and Ichimatsu seemed to pause, shaking a little.

Leaving the five of them to once again look between themselves bewildered, Ichimatsu continued inside, sliding the door shut tight behind him.

"Tch...whatever."

Chapter Text

For the second day in a row, you found yourself waking up with actual plans. It was certainly a change of pace after the stagnant last few weeks since the start of your vacation; not that that time hadn't been enjoyable. Your inaction had been self-imposed after all, and even now you were sure if you thought too hard about today your inner hermit would take over and convince you that going out two days in a row like this was WAY too much work, but pulling yourself out of bed you made up your mind that you weren't going to let that happen.

You were cautiously looking forward to this. You'd just have to hope that the Matsunos kept their word and met you at the convenience store like they'd promised. You guess there was always the chance they wouldn't show, and yesterday would be the last you'd ever see of the strange band of boys. You were definitely putting yourself out there agreeing to a tour from a group of random locals, but they'd certainly put themselves out there to offer.

Brushing your teeth, you pondered at that thought.

You'd just have to hope that they shared your "what the hell" attitude and showed up to see it through. If not, at least you'd already be out and within walking distance of a nice breakfast. They all seemed pretty friendly, though, so despite them practically being strangers, after yesterday, you had an odd amount of confidence in the possibility that you'd see them again.

Odd also perfectly described how you felt about most of the Matsunos so far.

You couldn't quite place your opinion of Osomatsu yet, but that might just be because your brain automatically associated that smile of his with the annoyance you felt during your and his first encounter. The guy had a grin that could only be described as shit-eating, but he wore it well. It was the kind of smile you could instantly pull his personality from.

The way he looked at you wasn't exactly your favorite. Thoughtful probably didn't describe the look in his eyes, but they seemed to constantly be alight with intention and something akin to mischief, making his thoughts both easy to read and so far from it. If you were making calls based only on your first impression of him, you'd confidently label him a sleazeball and move on with your day. But while it was perhaps poor judgment on your part, despite all the obvious red flags he gave off, you would almost describe him as charming. In a funny, trashy kind of way.

Then there was Karamatsu. Oh my gosh, Karamatsu, where would you even start? Your first impression of him was oddly very similar to your first impression of Ichimatsu despite their extremely conflicting demeanors. That impression being the fact that you were instantly drawn in by him. Or at least, as much as you can be drawn in by someone you hardly knew. You would have sworn when he first started talking that he was doing a bit but then it didn't stop and you were sure if your eyes could have reflected your emotions they'd have had stars in them because you found it so freaking quirky and endearing. Whether or not it was his intention, cheesy lines and cornie terms of endearment would have you red in the face before actual flirting any day. His manner of speaking was so flowery and over the top, but oddly enough, it seemed genuine. Or at least, the sincerity behind it was, and it was that that left you feeling oddly fond of him and his dramatics already.

You'd put Choromatsu through a lot yesterday, so you'd be sure to be more careful around him today. Poor guy seemed kind of like a nervous wreck, and you couldn't help but feel like it may have been your fault for scaring him like you had. He seemed sweet, though, and you found yourself smiling at the way he'd addressed you. "(Y/n)-chan". Besides that, he was probably the brother you'd been able to learn the least about as he hadn't talked much until the latter half of your conversation. Maybe that would change today!

More than anything, you had to admit you were looking forward to seeing Ichimatsu again today. To thank him again for spending time with you yesterday and give him the omamori you'd picked out. The way last night tampered off had been digging at the back of your mind, but you comforted that worry by reminding yourself that you haven't known each other for that long and that you had no reason to be so worried by him clamming up a little. You were probably just reading into things. If he was anything like you, then maybe his social battery was on the edge of dying as well. He was the type to get overwhelmed easily for sure. You were sure that when you saw him again that dumb, sentimental worry you'd been fighting would wash away and you'd be back to feeling oddly familiar with each other like you had while enjoying the festival yesterday before running into his brothers.

Out of the six of them, Jyushimatsu was probably the most out there. You wouldn't have thought it possible after talking to Karamatsu, but it was true! It took you a few minutes to get used to the fact that that smile of his rarely faltered, but his energy was contagious and you found that it had a way of inciting a smile of your own. That was also probably the thing that brought him to memory so easily. A goofy face like that wasn't one easily forgotten, and you'd say it suited his demeanor just fine.

You smirked, remembering the way Karamatsu comforted him after the yellow brother gave himself a brain freeze scarfing down his shaved ice like it was no one's business.

"There there, my little Jyushimatsu. It will pass~"

And then you had Todomatsu. You were probably just being overly precautious, but while you gathered your things together, your eyes unconsciously shifted to the side at the thought of him. Comparatively, he'd been the most normal of the brothers, assuming normal was a good thing, and you appreciated that he hadn't insisted after being denied your number. You couldn't really put a finger on what it was about him that rubbed you the wrong way, so you weren't about to let yourself feel different about him just yet. He hadn't done anything wrong, but if you had to narrow it down, for whatever reason, the vibe he gave off was near identical to Osomatsu's. Maybe that's what threw you off in regards to him because his demeanor and speech were so different from the red brother's.

Similar to when you first met Oso, thinking he was Ichi. The contrast between what you were looking at and what you were feeling annoyed you more than the person themself. And it wasn't until you met Osomatsu proudly introducing himself as Osomatsu did that sleazeball vibe become almost a little charming in its genuineness.

Whatever.

You shook your head clear, leaning into your fridge. You'd have time to formulate opinions later. For now, you just needed a little something to hold you over. It was about 12:30, and the convenience store was about a five-minute walk from your apartment, so you had a little bit of time to kill. You planned on treating the brothers to, well, something as thanks for their time. To what you weren't sure, you were just hoping maybe you'd see something while walking around Shinjuku and have the opportunity to offer.

For now, you'd settle on chocolate milk and leaving early to pick yourself up something at the convenience store before they got there because your fridge was near barren. If you left now, you'd have plenty of time to just chill until they arrived. So after finishing your chocolate milk, you threw on your jacket, grabbed your bag, and burst through your front door with an excited first step for the second time this week.

ー

"But you have to come!" Jyushimatsu whined. With his arms wrapped around his brother's torso, he slid to the floor beside him and looked up at him pleadingly, but Ichimatsu's eyes remained fixed on the magazine in front of him.

"If he's not gonna come, he's not gonna come," Todomatsu commented matter-of-factly and Jyushimatsu turned to him, huffing an almost annoyed exhale with narrowed eyes. Readjusting his tie, Todomatsu checked himself out with his phone's camera, even flashing a quick pose before smiling, satisfied, and tucking it away. "Okay, I'm ready~ "

"Let's get this show on the road!" Osomatsu cheered, rolling his neck with a stretch and plodding down the stairs. He had successfully gotten dressed but was just as disheveled as when he first crawled out of bed, betraying the fact that he probably had just a few minutes ago.

Choromatsu followed behind him with quick, annoyed steps, irritatedly eyeing his brother. "Hurry up, we're going to be late if you don't get moving." He gave Oso a push before squeezing past him to get down the rest of the way first. Once he reached the bottom, he took a deep breath, psyching himself up as he redid the top buttons of his flannel and meticulously smoothed out the edges of his collar.

"Aww, don't be so nervous!" Oso had found his way to the bottom of the stairs as well, disturbing the peaceful expression Choro had managed as he roughly threw himself onto his brother, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and ruffling his neatly combed hair. "We hit it off yesterday. She loves us! Couldn't you tell? Damn, I can't believe we've got real plans with a real girl! And it's all thanks to you, little bro!" With his arm still around Choro, he turned to finger gun at Ichimatsu.

"No -" Choromatsu scoffed, throwing his brother off with a disgusted huff before quickly moving to retidy his hair. "She likes Ichimatsu. Do you really think she's gonna go through with this if it's just the five of us?" The question was more rhetorical than anything and Choromatsu's angry expression tapered off into a more worried one at the thought of you scanning the band on NEETs and scowling when the only one of them you seemed genuinely comfortable around wasn't there.

"Hmm..." Osomatsu hummed, his narrowed eyes shifting from Choromatsu back to Ichimatsu (and subsequently Jyushimatsu) at the small living room table. "You're really not coming, huh?" Jyushimatsu turned hopefully back to his brother, but when Oso's question also received no response, he deflated once again with a sad whine. "Don't let him get you down, Jyushi. You still wanna show her around the park, right? Where you like to pitch?" The mention of you seemed to be just the thing to perk him up as he jumped to his feet, nodding and flexing his arms proudly in a heroic pose. "That's the spirit!" Oso smiled, nodding towards their front door. "Let's get going then! Don't want to keep her waiting." He winked, and Jyushimatsu nodded fast, but before moving to follow him, he stopped in his tracks, looking down at Ichimatsu one last time. The purple brother ignored his gaze for a few seconds but eventually gave in and briefly glanced up from his magazine, barely making eye contact with his brother before giving him a small nod. It seemed like that, whether it was a nod of dismissal, approval, or permission, had been what Jyushi was waiting for because he promptly rushed past all of the brothers to be the first out the door.

"Hustle Hustle! Muscle Muscle! Let's go, let's go!"

"Indeed, let us be off!" Karamatsu finally joined the small group, strutting down the stairs in his signature attire, leather jacket, skinny jeans, and his painful portrait tank top with the addition of his guitar hanging off his back.

"Yeah, you're not bringing that." He was stopped with a hand to his chest before he made it off the last step, looking in surprise at Todomatsu standing at the bottom to cut him off.

"Not bringing what, dear brother? My dashing good looks? My debonair smile? Afraid I'll show you up, hmm? Please, don't worry, for you see -"

"The guitar. Drop the guitar. You're not bringing that." Todomatsu cut him off flatly.

"M-my guitar?" Karamatsu stuttered out in surprise, swinging the instrument and its strap around his body to hold it in front of himself curiously. "Well, why ever not?"

"We're giving her a tour, not torturing her. Easy mistake, I'm sure." Todomatsu waved him off before shooting him a deadpan glare. "Now put it back upstairs.

Karamatsu gripped the neck of his guitar defensively as Todomatsu reached for it, cool expression replaced with a nervous one as he looked between all four of his brothers now surrounding him to trap him on the stairs. "N-no, I refuse! My heart longs to speak to her in a way that only song can properly convey!" He stuck a pose, holding his guitar tenderly to his chest but was cut off, making a nervous whimper when Todomatsu took a step close to him

"Guess we're doing this the hard way." Todomatsu sighed. "Jyushimatsu..." He began, "Octopus hold!"

"You got it, boss!"

"Not on me, you idiot!"

Choromatsu was the only one that took a step back during the small kerfuffle as Todomatsu struggled to remove the clinging Jyushimatsu from his back and Osomatsu followed after Karamatsu who had retreated upstairs, cooing at the 2nd eldest to come closer like he was a scared animal. He rolled his eyes at the display, noting that despite Totty's insisted indifference to today, he seemed to be trying his hardest to micromanage things.

Catching movement from the living room out of the corner of his eye, he turned to see Ichimatsu rising from his place on the floor, the unamused 4th son plodding in his direction.

"Oh! Did you -" Choro cut himself off as Ichimatsu stepped past him and slid open their front door but slowed down to eye him on his way out, prompting Choro to finish his sentence. "Did you change your mind?"

"Course not." Ichimatsu scoffed, turning his gaze back outside. "...I'm going out."

"O-oh, okay...Well, hey, if you want, you could meet up with us la-"

"Yeah, no thanks." He was cut off once again as Ichimatsu continued out the door, heading right as he often did and indeed unfortunately in the opposite direction of the intended meeting place.

"...O-okay, sure, see you, see you later then...?" Choromatsu's hopeful tone tampered off as he turned back to face the rest of his brothers. With a sigh, he rolled up his sleeves and dove into the fray, aware they were going to be late if this kept up. "Alright, Jyushimatsu, let him go."

ー

The small window seat bar the convenience store had for customers to sit at offered a nice view of the street as well as the perfect vantage point to keep an eye on those entering. You found yourself seated smack-dab in the middle with there being no one else around and did just that. Swinging your legs under the counter with what you were trying to keep from being impatience, you unwrapped your second riceball and took an unfocused bite, carefully watching for anyone else to enter. Upon your second bite, your expression lit up, having finally reached the filling and finding this one's flavor far more impressive than your first.

Kani. You hummed, noting what kind it was before crumbling the plastic wrapper and shoving it into your pocket to throw away when you eventually got up. Your enjoyment was only a momentary distraction, though, and you found yourself resting your head in your free hand and looking out into the street again with a sigh, continuing to watch people pass as you ate.

Pulling out your phone to look at the time, a small frown tugged at the corners of your mouth. 2:01. Yeah, okay, maybe it was time for you to pack up. While you hadn't completely settled on the idea of bailing just yet, you started by getting up from your seat and heading toward the door. Maybe you'd wait for just a few more minutes on the bench outside, but seeing as you didn't know the Matsunos very well, it was probably dumb of you to assume that if they were this late they still had any real intention of showing up.

You finished off your riceball, shoving the last corner into your mouth and stringently tossing the garbage from your pocket into the waste bin as you passed it.

So today was a bust, no big deal.

Your movement slowed as you reached to push your way out the door. You'd just have to look up a little more about Shinjuku and begin exploring yourself. For just a second, your eyes land on the reflection of the cashier in the glass of the door. And if you ever needed to know about anything local specifically, you could always just-

"(Y/n)-chan, I'm so sorry!"

Mouth still full of rice, you nearly choked as the door in front of you was pulled open harshly.
It took you a moment to process it, but you quickly recognized Choromatsu as the one standing in front of you, arms extended as he stood panting in the doorway with wide, anxious eyes. A small sound escaped you as you were inclined to say something despite still chewing but didn't get the chance as another body piled behind his. It crashed into him and knocked him forward and onto the ground halfway into the convenience store, making you take a quick step back to avoid being toppled into.

"Ow, watch it, Fappymatsu!" The figure groaned from his place now on top of Choro's back as the two of them took a second to recover from the fall.

"You ran into me, you asshole! And don't call me that!" Choro screeched from his place on the ground, effectively pinned by the person sitting on his back who seemed to have no problem doing so as they chose to straddle him instead of getting up completely. Your brows raised at the sight, and Choro seemed to catch himself, looking back up to you with panicked eyes before clasping his hands in front of him beggingly and looking to the floor in embarrassment "I-i'm so sorry, (Y/n)-chan, please forgive us!"

This seemed to catch the attention of the person on his back who hummed curiously at the green brother before looking up at you themself, their expression instantly morphing into a familiar grin. "You're still here? Awesome!" Osomatsu cheered before looking back down to Choro, further enraging his brother by ruffling his hair from behind while he was in his compromised permission. "See. I told you you had nothing to worry about!"

"GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!" Choro's voice hit an octave you wouldn't have thought possible, his indignation giving him near-inhuman strength as he harshly rolled over, throwing his brother off of him.

As if that little bout of chaos wasn't enough, your eyes were pulled off the two men on the ground in front of you when your name was called from outside and a blur of blue skidded into a slide as Karamatsu flew by the entrance, failing to come to a complete stop when he saw you and drifted out of sight just as fast as he had appeared.

"Oooh, overslide!" A boisterous voice announced, and Jyushimatsu jumped into view, landing outside the entrance and smiling wildly at what you assumed was wherever Karamatsu had crashed. Your eyes darted back down to Choro and Oso who had broken into a tussle on the ground just like they had yesterday. You turned back and shared a glance with the store clerk who had finally looked up from his magazine to watch the display with an expression that mirrored your own.

A strumming sound had you whip your head right back around to the brothers, your baffled expression not given a moment to falter as Karamatsu stumbled back into view, toting a guitar that you could only assume was the source of the sound. When he noticed you eyeing it he seemed to force a cool chuckle, moving to strum again but before he made contact with the strings another piece of the six-sided puzzle stepped into view, and the guitar was roughly yanked from his hands by Todomatsu who appeared from behind. You had to give him some credit as the first of them to casually stroll into view instead of sliding, stumbling, or falling.

His expression was cold, though, and as Karamatsu reached to reclaim it, Todomatsu glared at him harshly, turning Karamatsu's charismatic grin into an uncharacteristically challenging one. Jyushimatsu's excitement seemed to dwindle as he raised a sleeve to cover his mouth, his pupils large as he watched with you what you would have bet was about to be another fight. It didn't last long, though, because he quickly moved to cheer on their game of tug of war with vague sports commentary.

Your gaze darted between the five men. The two, tussling on the ground, the two fighting over a guitar in front of you, and the only one still with a smile wildly waving his arms about and cheering the whole thing on. And as you finished chewing and finally swallowed, your surprised expression fell and your eyes narrowed as you decided you'd seen quite enough.

"Hey!"

Your voice cut through their chaos sharply, and it came to an instant stop as the five of them froze in place. Except for Todomatsu, who took your distraction as his chance to yank the guitar the rest of the way out of Karamatsu's hands and roughly toss it out of sight. After that, though, you had all eyes on you, and you raised a brow, firmly crossing your arms.

"You're late."

ー

"We're so sorry!" Despite having picked himself up off the ground after his fight with his brother, under your exasperated glare, Choromatsu had fallen to his knees, forehead pressed to the floor as he begged for forgiveness.

The other four didn't follow him exactly but they looked almost as equally ashamed and you were impressed by how fast they'd gone from quite literally fighting to lining up side by side the second you raised your voice.

Still, the near-instant change in the atmosphere had you biting your tongue a little bit, and the first thing you did was crouch down in front of Choromatsu. "Hey, woah, it's okay. You can stand up, that is... not necessary." You insisted, taken aback and maybe just a little flattered by his over-the-top show of apology. He looked up at you with an expression you could only describe as pathetic, and you had to bite your tongue again, this time to keep yourself from laughing. "Yeah, it's okay. For real, I'm...not mad." You hesitated but settled on that as technically being the truth. You were a little perturbed, sure, but not mad. "You guys sure know how to make a scene." You added quietly.

"What can I say." Osomatsu butted in. "That's just the Matsuno style~" He said proudly.

"Oh yeah? Does the Matsuno style always entail being an hour late or just the chaotic entrance?"

Everyone seemed to side-eye Osomatsu, surprised by your tone, but the red brother himself just responded by smiling wider if not a little bashfully as he closed his eyes and ran his finger under his nose. "Both~"

"Hmph.." You hummed, thinking to yourself and missing the awed look on Choromatsu's face as you absent-mindedly took his hands to help him up off the ground.

"We're sorry, though!" Todomatsu cut in, straightening his tie as he shoved Osomatsu out of the way to take the center stage in front of you. "For real, I...hope you can forgive us..." You raised a brow as Todomatsu made a pouty face, staring sadly at the ground before glancing briefly up at you at what you were sure were supposed to be puppy dog eyes. "Or at least...forgive me?"

"Eh.." You looked past him, giving a questioning look to the first person you met eyes with, which happened to be Karamatsu. You were happy to see the leather-clad brother return your gaze with one that at least told you he understood your skepticism before promptly stepping forced and muscling his brother away with a swift bump of his hips.

"My dear~"

Oh, this should be good. You found yourself fighting a smile.

"No words or tokens could ever truly absolve us of our tardiness today, but if you'll allow me to try," He began reaching into his jacket, but you felt the need to clarify.

"I told you I'm not mad. I was a little perturbed, sure, but you're here now, so I'm sure you guys had a-" You stopped yourself, eyes widening as you instead focused on the thing he'd swiftly pulled from inside his jacket. He'd also moved to kneel, holding the object up to you as he looked away with a cool smile, his free hand pressed to his face dramatically.

"You moron, she's not gonna want -"

"That's...for me?" You questioned hesitantly, staring in awe at the single rose in his hand. The petals were a little squished, but it was still in impossibly good condition for having been pulled from a pocket. You subconsciously noted how he had to have been carrying it with extreme care, and that alone made you smile.

"Why, of course. Though its beauty pales in comparison to your own, I'll hope you'll take it as a token of apology on my and my brothers' behalf." His dramatic pose had yet to waver, and there was a long moment of silence as you worked your brain through the gesture. One of his brothers had sucked in a breath to speak up but stopped themself when you finally reached for the flower.

You moved slowly, noticing how, for a split second, his grip on the flower didn't give; not out of possessiveness, though. It was as if he hadn't expected you to actually take it and was unprepared when you did. When he finally caught up to what was happening, his hardened expression disappeared, and he looked at you with the same air of awe you were giving the rose. Slowly, his fingers fell away from the stem, and you precariously lifted it out of his hand and up to your chest.

The smile gracing your face had his cheeks glowing pink in a way no cool persona could conceal. "That's...really freaking sweet." You admitted, finally looking from the rose to him with a grin. "Thank you." You laughed out, unsure why you found yourself so genuinely touched by the gesture.

A squelched sound escaped his throat when he attempted to reply and he coughed hard into his hand before he continued, his voice higher than before as he stood up straight and turned away from you, attempting another dramatic pose with his back to you now. "You are...very welcome! My Karamatsu angel~"

You snorted at the strange nickname, your eyes wandering back down to the flower, then back up to the brothers in front of you as the atmosphere quickly returned to normal.

"Okay, there is no way that worked." Todomatsu snapped, his expression ripe with annoyance as well as astonishment, and you looked at him for just a second, noting the small but much more natural, derisive cadence in his voice.

"Don't sound so surprised, my burazza! My charms have been known to quell the anger of many."

"I said I wasn't mad." You rolled your eyes playfully, and your posture relaxed for the first time since they arrived as you looked at the band of boys in front of you. "Soooo...are we still doing this?" You asked, hopefully rhetorically, in reference to the tour you were promised, and it seemed like it was just the thing to get the five of them riled up as well.

"Hell yeah, we are!" Osomatsu cheered.

"Don't yell "hell" in front of a girl, you moron!" Choromatsu scolded, and Jyushimatsu jumped to your side.

"You like the park, right? Have you seen all of it yet? We can show you around!"

"Augh, no. Why start the day there? It'll just leave a bad taste in her mouth." Todomatsu began, his sour tone turning sweet as he turned to you himself. "How do you feel about shopping? We'd have to travel outside of Shinjuku to show you the places I usually go, but for today I know plenty of stores I'm sure you'll just love."

"Now, now, my burazas, I'm sure my Karamatsu darling has a few ideas of her own. Why not let her decide where we go first?"

Wait, five?

You tuned out their voices for a moment, scanning over the heads of men in front of you but cutting yourself off mid-count when it clicked that someone was indeed missing.

"Where's Ichimatsu?" You asked a bit abruptly, the words falling out as soon as the question came to mind and they all seemed to freeze again, their little back and forth about where to take you replaced with silence before all eyes darted to Osomatsu as if putting the responsibility on him to be the one to answer.

The red brother didn't seem to think twice about the question, also seeming to be the only one of them not wearing a worried expression, his smile only turning a bit empathetic as he answered. "Haha...I'm afraid little Ichima-chan was pretty burnt out after yesterday. He decided to stay home."

"Oh..." That came out sounding more disappointed than you had intended, and you pretty quickly regretted it when you saw the way all the brothers seemed to shrink. You didn't have time to backtrack, though, before Osomatsu beat you to it, asking the question that seemed to be on all of their minds.

"Does that..change things?"

"Hm? What? No, of course not!" You quickly clarified, your smile right back in place. You were looking forward to seeing Ichimatsu today, sure, but when it came down to it, you really didn't know him a whole lot more than you knew any of his brothers, so there was no reason you'd just cancel on them over his absence. "Sorry, I guess I was just surprised he didn't come." Once again, you accidentally let your words come out a little more disappointed than you would have intended, but you continued with renewed vigor. "I'd still love it if you'd all show me around." Now you were the one smiling hopefully as you looked over the group of boys. They all seemed to heave a sigh of relief, even Osomatsu, who hid it well.

"I guess we can still call this a date then, huh?" He mused with a mischievous grin.

"It's not even close." You shot back cheerily and right on queue, making him laugh.

"Well, aaanyway," He rubbed under his nose before shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket. "I think Karamatsu's right." The blue brother rested his hands on his hips proudly at his brother's agreement, though he wasn't sure at what yet. "You're the tourist. Where do you wanna go?"

The other four looked at him in surprise at the odd amount of consideration he was showing instead of opting to take you to a bar or pachinko parlor, and you took a second to think.

"Well, if I had to choose...," You paused, trying to put your thoughts into words. "I'm gonna be living in Shinjuku for a while, so more than anything, I'd like to get a feel for the local area. Restaurants you like, repair shops, arcades, what bus stops are always on time, little things like that around here that you think improve quality of life."

"So... no park?" Jyushimatsu questioned sadly.

"I love running, so the park would be great." He perked up, and you laughed. "Fun stuff is totally on the table, so stuff like that is great. I'd just like to keep it local for today. Y'know, show off your local infrastructure!" You said proudly. "I'm just not too interested in touristy stuff just yet, trying to get settled in, y'know? Sorry if that makes today boring."

"That is pretty boring." Osomatsu agreed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully and was promptly elbowed in the side. "Ow - but!" He continued. "You came to the right guys. Bumming around the Akatsuka district is our specialty." He winked proudly, and you rolled your eyes playfully, remembering the Akatsuka district as the large area of the city that your apartment bordered. "Alright!" He rubbed his hands together eagerly, and his brothers seemed to fall in place behind him. "Let's get this show on the road!"

ー

In the end, they did a good job of doing exactly what you'd asked, despite Oso and Todo's attempts to steer your tour in a more wild direction. With Osomatsu attempting to pull you into the horse racing track and pachinko parlor he frequented and Todo "subtly" hinting at all of the places outside of Shinjuku he thought you'd love. But the rest of the brothers, particularly Choromatsu, did an excellent job of keeping them on track. Passing the parlor, though, you did note that it looked like fun and would probably try it sometime, much to the red brother's excitement.

Just as Jyushimatsu had promised, you walked through the park, exploring more than just the brief walk-through you had when you first passed it your way in from the airport. There was also a public baseball and tennis field not far from it, and you pretty quickly picked up that the former was the yellow brother's reason for favoring this particular park so much.

Karamatsu took the lead and showed you to the fishing center they frequented, and while Todomatsu and Choromatsu seemed to note it as something you wouldn't be into, you were in fact very into it.

"Wait, so you can just come here? And fish? In the middle of the city?! That's so cool!"

There was a small riverside embankment they led you through that, while currently barren, they promised was the frequent stop of an on-the-go food stand the brothers were a fan of.

"Yeah, Chibita won't be here until later, but you can bet if it's after 5 on a weekend you won't find him anywhere else!" Osomatsu assured, giving you a thumbs up.

"Chibita?" You questioned thoughtfully.

"He's our friend!" Jyushimatsu answered enthusiastically.

"Indeed, like the burazza I never had~"

"And how does that make any sense?"

"Because we're the brothers he does have! Duh!"

"Very good, my little Jyushimatsu, exactly~"

You giggled at their little back and forth, looking fondly at the open area along the canal. "Well, if he has you guys' stamp of approval I'll definitely have to come looking for him sometime."

As you made your way from location to location, you were impressed to see the brothers name off each shop that you passed right on queue in a way that was incredibly fitting of those that claimed to have lived in the city their whole lives. And you were sure to take note of the places you were sure might be of use to you later. The self-serve laundromat; you're apartment came with a washer and dryer but it was good to keep it in mind just in case. Several sushi places they promised were, "the best of the cheapest around". An arcade that Jyushimatsu and Karamatsu apparently frequented together. The bath house that all of the brothers frequented, quietly making you wonder where they might live since according to Choromatsu they walked there almost every night. They also strolled you past the border of the closest red light district, with Osomatsu's promising you that, while didn't look like much in the daytime, it was quite the place to be late at night.

Eventually, all of your paces began to slow as you seemed to have finally made a loop and were beginning your journey back around while the brothers began discussing amongst themselves where to go next.

"The park!"

"We were already at the park, Jyushi."

"Oh."

"Boba!" You exclaimed out of nowhere when you caught sight of a shop across the street, and everyone turned their attention to you as you stopped in your tracks. "Do you guys wanna stop for some?" Their expressions seemed mixed and surprised but you quickly continued before any of them had time to answer. "My treat, of course! Consider it a little thank you. For today."

"Really? Alright!" Osomatsu seemed on board and was quick to move to cross the street before Choro caught him by the arm.

"Wait." He began disapprovingly before looking at you with a much softer expression. "You don't have to do that, we can buy our own."

"Hey! Shut the hell up, Choro! If she wants to buy us boba as thanks I say we let her." Osomatsu defended indignantly, yanking his arm from his brother's grasp and looking to the rest of his brothers who seemed to nod in agreement, making Choromatsu roll his eyes.
You snickered a little, noticing a pattern between these two.

"It's fine, Choromatsu. If you're okay with it I'd really like to. Seriously, it's on me." You gave him a sure smile and his exasperated expression seemed to melt into a blush as he tightened his posture and nodded.

"If- if you're sure." He agreed bashfully and was quickly left in the dust by Osomatsu and Jyushimatsu who were the first across the street the through the boba shop doors. Todomatsu offered you his arm to cross with him which you subtly ignored, instead closing the distance between yourself and Choro to cross the street with him and Kara when they were ready.

When you finally got inside, Jyushimatsu was ogling the menu over the front counter as Oso stood close by, hands fidgeting in his hoodie pocket until he saw you walking in and smiled widely.

You stepped up beside Jyushimatsu and he looked at you briefly with a huff. "Get whatever you want." You offered and he nodded fast, looking back up at the menu with wide eyes. You resisted the urge to pat him on the head and turned back to the rest of the brothers. "You guys too! Get whatever you want, okay?"

Once you were sure you had everybody's order figured out you stepped up to the counter and let them each go first.

"Strawberry lemon green tea here!"

"A coffee milk tea for me~"

"Oolong Cheese tea. No boba, please."

"Honeydew milk tea!"

"A rosehip milk tea for me."

But when it finally came time for you to give your order you paused, realizing you hadn't thought about it at all. A quick glance at the menu was all it took, though, and you settled on ordering a classic once you were sure they had it.

"A brown sugar milk tea with cream for me, please." You nodded, satisfied with your choice, and as the cashier worked to ring you up, Karamatsu slid forward.

"Here," He announced confidently and flicked his wrist out to them, a small slip of something held between his middle and pointer finger. "Cover that last one with this, if you would, please~" The cashier gave him a strange look but took it from him, and from their hands, you quickly recognized it as a filled-out punch card for the chain of boba shop you were in now. You could only assume the prize for filling it out was a free drink because the cashier seemed to shrug to themself before tucking it into their register and comping the charge for your brown sugar milk tea.

"Aww, Karamatsu, you didn't need to do that!" You turned to him in surprise and he just chuckled.

"Please, it's the least I could do, my fair lady."

"You're right. That's literally the least you could. She's paying for ALL of us." Todomatsu remarked bitterly and Choromatsu seemed to agree but Karamatsu still seemed proud of his "grand" gesture and you still found it sweet.

"Still," You laughed to yourself. "Thank you, Kara."

After you paid and collected your drinks you all found a place to sit in the boba shop.

"What'd you get, Osomatsu-niisan?" Jyushimatsu asked from his place beside his brother and Oso held out his drink proudly, letting his brother take a sip. Jyushimatsu made a pensive face for a moment before his eyes widened in surprise and he covered his mouth. "They pop!" He exclaimed with a still full mouth and Osomatsu laughed, taking a sip of his drink himself.

"Yeah, I got the popping pearls. They go better with fruit tea than tapioca." He sucked some up then held his tongue out in demonstration for Jyushimatsu before turning to Choro at his other side who groaned in disgust.

"What are you, five?..."

You were mid-sip yourself as Oso looked around the table at the rest of his brothers to show off his childishness and perhaps not intentionally, he made eye contact with you in the process and you didn't miss a beat, pulling away from your straw and sticking your tongue out to him as well to put your own mouth full of tapioca pearls on display.

The reaction you received was instant and you ended up mirroring it as both you and Oso had to clamp your hands over your mouths to keep yourselves from spitting said pearls out because both immediately started laughing.

Choro and Todo both looked at you in surprise and you waved a hand at them apologetically as you finally chewed and swallowed. "I'm sorry." You managed to say through your snickers, finally collecting yourself and sitting back up straight to take another sip of your milk tea. "Anyway!" You began. "I've been meaning to ask. You call him "niisan," You looked to Jyushimatsu who was loudly sipping away at his now-empty drink. "That means "older brother" right?" You looked back to Osomatsu. "You're older?"

"You bet! Wasn't it obvious?" He pounded his chest with one hand proudly. "The eldest actually."

"Yeah, "Choromatsu groaned. "We're still sextuplets, though. He was just lucky enough to be BORN first and won't let anybody forget it." He rolled his eyes and Osomatsu's smart-ass smile told you this must have been a common point of contention between the two of them

"Ah, I see." You nodded. "And if you're the oldest, let me guess. Who's the youngest?" Your eyes scanned around the table before landing on Todomatsu beside you. Your lingering gaze seemed to give away that he was your answer and he smiled sweetly.

"Hey, good guess! You're pretty smart. Brains and beauty, huh?" Todomatsu winked at you and you made a bit of an awkward face.

"Lucky guess." You clarified. "I don't think I could pin much more than that." You admitted.

"Well, right after me there's Kara," the blue brother hummed proudly, "Then fappy," The green brother was distracted by you but promptly tuned to his older brother, punching him in the arm at the nickname, "Then you have Ichi, then Jyushi, and you already guessed Totty. And that's the Matsuno sextuplets."

"That makes a lot of sense. Ichimatsu seems like a middle child." You laughed to yourself, your expression slowly tapering off into a more thoughtful one at the missing brother's name. "I hope he's feeling alright."

"Hm?" Oso had been distracted under the blows Choro was currently laying into him but they both seemed to turn attention at your comment. "Oh yeah, Ichimatsu's fine. Ain't nothing you did. He's just always been like that. Being around people takes a lot out of him." Osomatsu reassured you.

"Yeah, I know what that's like."

"Unless that people is a cat! He loves cats!" Jyushimatsu added, his smile graced with a strange air of fondness."

"I noticed." You giggled. "I do too!"

"That's good! You and him should become good good friends!"

"I'd like that." You agreed.

"I'm surprised you got him to spend any time at all with you." Oso admitted. "Leaving the house isn't his favorite thing unless he's alone or it's late. You must be something special!"

"I wouldn't say that."

"He's not wrong." Choromatsu intervened as all of the brothers seemed to be laying their opinions of the fourth eldest on the table. "He's not a people person." He then added much more quietly. "He's hardly a person sometimes..."

"Our little Ichimatsu is quite the social pariah!"

"That's an understatement. The dude's a total black sheep.

"When you're talking about Ichimatsu, even black sheep seems like an understatement. Black cat maybe with how unlucky he likes to think himself." The brothers all seemed to laugh, fondly, reminiscing about their middle brother's strange demeanor and habits. His love of cats, his hatred of people, his gloomy attitude.

"I'll be honest." Your voice cut through the conversation, and with all eyes on you, you smiled fondly. "I think he's kind of adorable."

Silence fell over the table, prompted by the harsh crinkle of Todomatsu's cup as his fingers sank into it.

"Oh, you think so?" The youngest brother asked, his smile still in place just as it always was when he spoke to you but you didn't miss the way it twitched.

"I do." You turned to him and nodded, thinking hard about how you wanted to continue. "Not to disregard the stranger aspects of his personality. I picked up on those just fine on my own." You laughed. "It's nice hearing about him from his brothers, but I'd for sure like to get to know him better myself."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, I don't think Ichimatsu's interested in being friends with anybody that's not a cat." Your expression fell a bit and he continued. "You might be cute enough to fit that criteria," the smile he gave you after that made your stomach churn a bit "but he won't give anyone the time of day unless they've got four legs." He spoke as if he was disappointed in that aspect of his brother but something told you he was playing it up.

"I don't think that's true." Your tone wasn't challenging, but you were determined to sound sure of yourself.

"Oh really?" He prompted you and the opportunistic spark in his eye had you feeling oddly defensive of your alleyway friend.

"I do. I mean, he went out of his way for me. I just think he's the kind of person you have to be patient with. He's just like a cat himself, really. Gotta let him come to you."

"It is so nice that you want to give him a chance, if only he would do the same thing for you instead of -" Todomatsu cut himself off, cupping a hand over his mouth as if he'd just slipped up. "Oh- I've said too much! I'm sorry, forget I said anything!"

"Totty..." "Totty!" Jyushimatsu hissed and Osomatsu scolded but your now narrowed eyes were locked on the pink brother.

"Instead of what?" You questioned, raising a brow at him.

"No, no, I really shouldn't say. You've been nothing but nice to him and he..." Todomatsu closed his eyes and even managed a tear but your stern expression didn't budge.

"He what?"

"Well...okay!" He wiped said tear away and ever so slyly snaked his hand over to rest it on top of the one you had sitting on the table "comfortingly". "I'm only telling you because you deserve to know, okay?"

"Totty, shut the hell up!"

"Uh, okay?" You agreed, only letting him get away with the touch in hopes that he'd continue.

"He didn't stay home today just because he was "burnt out from the festival."

"Totty!"

"He stayed home because he...well, he said he 'wasn't about to waste his time on you'."

"Oh?" You raised a brow and heard Osomatsu curse from behind you. "He said that?"

"Mmhm!" Todomatsu nodded sadly, giving your hand a small squeeze. "I tried to say it nicely. He's not the kind of person to give others the time of day. I wasn't trying to be mean, really! I just didn't want to see someone nice like you putting in so much effort for someone who doesn't deserve it."

A scoff from behind you had you turn back to the rest of the brothers.

"Is that true? Did he say that?" None of them answered, but the way they all seemed to be avoiding eye contact told you it probably was. "I see." You looked to the ground.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Todomatsu began, "When you think you know someone but they -" Your hand was quickly pulled from his as you swiveled back around to face the table again, taking a sip of your drink. "-Eh?"

"Hm?" You eyed, Todomatsu. "Was there something else?"

"Oh-uh, no, that, that was it." He seemed taken aback by your immediate shift in interest.

"Cool, thanks for telling me." You gave him a quick pat on the shoulder before turning back to your cup, focusing on sucking up the remaining boba from the bottom now that all of the tea was gone. The brothers all seemed to be exchanging awkward looks so you decided to be merciful and break the tension. "You guys almost done?"

Choro fumbled with his cup at the unexpected question, almost dropping it. "Y-yeah, we are! W-why?"

Successfully sucking up the last few remaining boba, you crunched up your cup and tossed it flawlessly into the nearest trash can before turning back to them with a smile. "I mean, you guys still owe me the walk home, don't you?"

ー

There wasn't too much for them to show you on the way back but after the awkwardness in the air cleared up it seemed you were content just walking alongside them and talking. Osomatsu had offered for them to walk you back to your apartment but you insisted that ending the day where it had started was good enough. At the convenience store.

There was somewhat of an elephant in the room at first that plagued all of their minds. That being your reaction to Todomatsu revealing why Ichimatsu hadn't accompanied them, or at least, why Ichimatsu claimed he hadn't accompanied them. Choromatsu was the only one to pry a bit more, asking if you were okay on your way out of the boba shop and you gave a non-committal answer to that question in particular, but your tone was as sure as ever as you explained your feelings a bit more.

"I don't really see why it would change anything? You guys are the ones that asked me out today, and I'm having a lot of fun. So why would what Ichimatsu had to say matter? We're all cool, right?"

"O-of course!"

"And you didn't tell me the truth because you didn't want to hurt my feelings, I appreciate that."

Your explanation had all of the brothers heave a sigh of relief. All but Todomatsu who, along with the rest of his brothers, was growing increasingly aware of the lack of attention you'd been giving him since that conversation. But besides that, your conversations with the rest of the brothers assured them that you were indeed "cool with each other".

"Your mom lives with you, that's so sweet." You questioned after a comment that Jyushimatsu made about wondering what their mom would be making for dinner tonight. A few of his brothers, namely Choro and Todo, shot him dirty looks but he answered with as big a smile as ever!

"Nope! We live with her! We're a bunch of NEETs!"

"Neets?" You raised a brow, quickening your pace to better keep up with the yellow brother. "What does that mean?"

"Well, it means..." He seemed to think for a second. "It means we're all unemployed!" He announced quite proudly and everyone but Osomatsu and himself seemed to cringe.

"Oh yeah?" You laughed, looking back at the pained faces of his brothers. "Good for you?"

"You bet it is." Osomatsu strolled up beside you. "Don't gotta pay for anything and haven't worked a day in our lives."

"Oh?"

"Would you shut up!" It was Choromatsu that snapped from behind and you giggled, turning you gave to the street ahead of you as you spoke.

"Damn, your mom must be a saint." You comment wistfully, and Choromatsu looked at you in surprise.

"W-we're looking for work though!" He quickly clarified and you gave him a supportive nod, having decided from the get-go it wasn't really your place to comment out of turn on that kind of thing.

"That's good!"

"Wrong! He's looking for work." Osomatsu clarified and Choromatsu shot him a glare. "He's pretty bad at it though. If you ask me I think his standards are too hi-" Osomatsu was cut off by a rough elbow in the side as Choromatsu came up beside him and for the third time today you found yourself laughing at their consistent dynamic.

"What about you? Do you have a job?" You turned to Jyushi and nodded.

"Yep! Y'know, back home, of course. Promised myself I'm not gonna think about that though. I'm on "vacation" after all." You made air quotes at the word vacation as a little inside joke for yourself since you were still undecided on what one would properly call your little Japanese getaway.

"See! That's what normal adults do. They work hard and get to reward themselves with time off." Choromatsu side-eyed his eldest brother who was walking with his arms behind his head now.

"Why have to reward myself with time off when I can have time off all the time?"

"But you sure as hell won't have the luxury of going on vacation overseas anytime soon. Can't do that without a job." Choromatsu fired back. "You couldn't even buy yourself a train ticket out of Tokyo."

"Hey! I thought we weren't supposed to say "hell" in front of girls. What the hell happened to that rule?"

You leaned a bit closer to Jyushimatsu as Oso and Choromatsu went back and forth. "I guess they argue about this a lot?"

"All the time!" He confirmed. "Choromatsu-niisan's been trying to find a job for a long time." He held his arms out for emphasis.

"Really?" He nodded. "That's unfortunate..." You suddenly found their little conversation a lot less funny, but thankfully it faded out as you made it to your destination.

"Will you be heading straight home, my dear?" Karamatsu asked as your party of six stopped in front of the familiar convenience store.

"I'm gonna head in to pick up a few things first." You thumbed toward the entrance. "But I'll be on my way then." You looked to all of the brothers. "Thank you so much for today. I meant what I said earlier, I had a lot of fun."

They all seemed to beam proudly and Karamatsu continued. "Choromatsu, my dear brother," he rested his hand on his brother's shoulder pushing him forward in your direction. "why not keep our dear (Y/n) company while she browses? Osomatsu, Jysushimatsu, and I have something very important we'd like to discuss with our little Totty, so we won't be setting off quite yet."

"Did you want to? We could talk a little more?" You offered, happy with the idea yourself.

"Oh? Oh! Sure. Sure!" He quickly agreed, stepping around you to hold the door open. "A-after you!"

"Thank you!" You thanked and stepped inside. Choromatsu lingered by the door for a moment, eyes going wide as he watched something out of site but quickly retreated inside after you. He mostly just followed along behind you as you picked different things off the shelf but you caught him eyeing the magazine section a few times and made your way over there yourself to give him the opportunity to look in case he was too scared to ask.

You made the right call because he picked up what looked to be some kind of popstar magazine and held it close to his face, intently scanning the pages. A few minutes passed and you filled the time scanning the shelves on the other side of the aisle until he spoke up, mumbling something you couldn't quite make out.

"Hm?" You turned your attention to him, expression softening from curious to almost worried when you saw the way he was holding the magazine to his chest. And you pretty quickly realized it wasn't so much out of attachment to it as it was for a sense of security as he repeated himself.

"What did you think of that?" He asked quietly, avoiding eye contact.

"Of what?"

"Of what Jyushimatsu told you. About us being NEETs.

"You mean about you being unemployed?"

"Not just that. NEETs. That means Not in Education Employment or Training. It means we've got nothing going on in our lives and we're not trying to do any better either."

"I don't think it's my place to say, y'know? Besides, you shouldn't be worried about what I think." You explained yourself in the way that made the most sense to you but he didn't look satisfied so you sighed. "This kind of thing is really important to you, huh?" He nodded. "Hang on." Shifting your items to one arm you began heading in the direction of the front counter. "Wait here!"

Choromatsu stood as stiff as a board, awkwardly glancing around the isles for the next few seconds before nearly jumping out of his skin when you returned. The items that you'd been carrying before were gone and in your hands you held a single sheet of paper as you excitedly approached him.

"Okay, I borrowed this pencil from the clerk so do not let me forget to return it." You said with a trace of giddiness in your voice as you walked fast past him, when he didn't follow right away you turned back and waved him over, "Come on!", and despite still obliviousness to what was going on he fell in line. You lead him to the window-side bar, nudged a few of the seats out of the way to make room for you to stand in front of it and slapped the paper down in front of him when he came up beside you. "Voila! Here you go." You held the pencil out to him expectantly.

"W-what?" He looked to you, the pencil, then the paper. "What is this?"

"It's an application!"

He glanced around, "...For here?"

You rolled your eyes, "Yes, 'for here'. Why'd you say it like that?"

"It's just...I mean, I don't want to sound ungrateful but being a konbini attendant isn't really the career I'm looking for. I want a real job. An adult job, y'know? To make a salary, get chosen for big promotions, do my own taxes, come home to a loving wife every day~." He seemed to get more and more wistfully excited as he spoke but your expression was less than amused, suddenly understanding what Osomatsu meant by his standards being too high.

"Choro, honey, listen." You immediately had his attention, even if you had to worry that calling him honey may have had it in the wrong kind of way. "Let me get some things straight. Can you help me do that?"

"S-sure thing!" Yeah okay, the 'honey' was definitely too much if the hearts in his eyes were any indication.

"So you're a 'NEET', right? That's what you called yourself?"

He seemed to deflate a little. "Yeah..."

"And that means...you have no work experience?"

"Yeah..."

"No formal education?"

"...yeah."

"And your not currently in any kind of training or trade school?"

"I'm not gonna lie, I was kind of hoping your goal here was to make me feel better..."

"Tough love, buddy. Anyway. What I'm trying to say is, you're not gonna get any of that, that stuff you want. Salary, promotions, taxes, whatever. If you don't start somewhere." You picked the application up off the counter, pressing it to his chest for emphasis. "Now I warned you that it wasn't my place to comment on your situation but you asked me to and I'm being honest with you. I don't know you all that well but you said that finding a job is important to you. So if that's true..." You looked at the paper on his chest and he finally reached up, taking hold of it himself so you could pull your hand away.

There were a few seconds of silence between you before he pulled the application away from himself, glancing down at it for a moment before placing it down on the counter.

"C-can I see that pencil?"

ー

"I think our little Totty has learned a valuable lesson about not letting his bitterness run his tongue, don't you think?"

"If he hasn't, I'm happy to remind him again when we get home," Osomatsu scoffed. The eldes wore a rare scowl as the walked into the convenience store, but a smile soon replaced it as he called out for his brother. "Hey, Choro! We're done! You guys still in here?"

"We're over here! " It wasn't Choro that responded but you as Choro was hunched over something on the counter in front of you and you quickly went back to commenting on whatever it was.

"It says 'special skills'. What if I don't have any?" Choro turned to ask you, not yet acknowledging his two older brothers as they approached.

"Yeah, you do!" You encouraged but he just looked confused. "You're speaking to me in English right now, aren't you? That's gotta be worth something."

"Oh, Y-your right!"

"I know I am." You agreed with mock cockiness before laughing and propping your head on your hand to watch him nervously scribble away.

"Oooh, what're you two love birds doing?" Osomatsu came up from behind you, placing a hand on both your and Choromatsu's shoulders to peer in at what he was doing.

"Filling out an application." Choromatsu answered him coldly, not bothering to look up from his work as Osomatsu gagged and neither of you paid his comment any mind.

"Augh, gross, sorry I asked."

"Yeah. Me too." Choromatsu whispered, making you giggle before he finally took a step back, looking over the information he'd put down on the paper. "What do you think?" He asked cautiously, holding it out for you to look over as if you hadn't just been the one to help him fill it out.

You faked a show of contemplation before handing it back to him proudly. "Good enough for a konbini!" And while that wasn't quite the answer he was hoping for, you saw his expression settle into one you quite liked. Because for the first time since you'd met him he didn't look nervous, gazing down at his application with that small V of a smile and a look that could only be described as hopeful before giving you a small nod.

"You done?" The moment was of course interrupted by Osomatsu but you were reminded yourself that it was probably time for you to be heading home.

"Yeah, we're done." You laughed then looked back to Choromatsu. "Just hand it in to the cashier then. I told him you were gonna fill it out here so he'll be expecting it."

"Yes, ma'am!" Choromatsu saluted you before turning sharply on his heels and literally marching up to the front counted.

"What a nerd." You commented fondly and Osomatsu's eyes darted between you and his brother.

"Look at you being nice to everybody. You're that kind of person, huh? Likes to encourage everyone." He spoke like he was joking but the comment came out of nowhere so you gave him a questioning look.

"Eh, depends on the person." You shrugged and Karamatsu finally reappeared, his expression lighting up when he saw the two of you together.

"It seems our Choromatsu is in quite a good mood. Can I assume you played a part in that, my dear?"

"Nah, he's just excited for his application to go well." Just then you remembered the items you'd left at the front counter earlier, finally moving to go check out before he had a chance to refute you. "Oh, hang on, let me go check out. I almost forgot!"

The three of them ended up hanging around inside until you were finished, with Choromatsu following through and reminding you to return the cashier's pencil as you were on the way out the door, making you do a quick U-turn to do just that with an apology for almost forgetting.

When you returned outside you met with Jyushimatsu and Todomatsu still waiting by the entrance; the latter almost jumping out of his skin when the door opened.

"I guess this is it then." You began what you thought was about to be a goodbye until Osomatsu let out a long whine.

"What? Nooooo. That can't be right!" He whined with played-up disappointment.

"I'm afraid so." You giggled.

"But it's getting so late! You're not gonna walk us home? What if something were to happen to us? Imagine the toll it would take on your conscience."

"Something tells me the five of you would be fine." He pouted at you and you continued already convinced by the way their eyes all lighted up. "Buuuut....I guess I wouldn't mind not ending the night just yet. You really want me to walk you home?" You asked teasingly but as if it was a serious question.

"We wouldn't feel safe without you." Osomatsu answered sadly and the rest of the brothers nodded solemnly in agreement.

"Alright then, lead the way!"

It seemed like the whole way there the brothers were trying their hardest to get to talk to you as much as possible before the night "officially" ended, with Oso, Kara, Jyushi and Choro all holding different conversations with you while you did your best to keep up. It was a bit like it had been all day just turned up considerably with their desperation to spend as much time with you as possible before you inevitably went your separate ways tonight and quite possibly never saw them again. Todomatsu also seemed to have returned to his normal self, still trying with no avail to capture your attention with what you think were supposed cute words and mannerisms, and while you didn't ignore him, you were just bitter enough to not bother to look directly at him when he spoke to you. An action that might have gone unnoticed if it wasn't for the way you'd been taking extra care all day to always give each other brother your undivided attention when they were the one speaking. Even if it meant throwing your neck out in the process as you turned from Matsu to Matsu.

Somehow, you knew which house was theirs as soon as it was within view and you raised a hand to cover your smile at the old-fashioned Japanese home that sat like a sore thumb on the otherwise modern block of city.

"Here we are!" Osomatsu announced proudly and Jyushimatsu shot past everyone to hurrdily slide open the front door and check for something inside. Whatever it was he must not have done because his posture deflated and he stepped away from the door.

"Ichimatsu-niisan's not home yet..."

"Huh?" Osomatsu looked past him, also noticing that his shoes were still missing from the genkan and he shrugged. "Eh, you know Ichimatsu. If he's still in a mood like he was earlier he probably won't be back until late." Despite the casual way he spoke he seemed to catch himself, looking to you briefly for any sort of reaction in case the topic of their brother was a sore spot. All of the brothers did actually but when you didn't offer any Osomatsu seemed to relax, stretching his arms above his head with a comfortable groan. "Welp, this has been fun. I hope you enjoyed the tour. Courtesy of none other than Matsuno, Matsuno, Matsuno, Matsuno, and Matsuno."

"I did indeed." You took a small joking bow. "Thank you considerably."

"Will we...see you again?" It was Choromatsu that asked the question on all of their minds and you tilted your head in surprise.

"I hope so! If you happen to catch me at Akatsuka Mart, don't be a stranger. Maybe we can hang out again sometime." There was a part of you that didn't want to leave this night on just the possibility of ever seeing the brothers again, but after finding out today that Todomatsu was the only one of them with a cellphone, that almost felt favorable to the alternative. And at the very least, it seemed your lack of offering to exchange contact information in a situation where it would have been ideal was just enough to keep the pink brother from asking again.

After a dramatic goodbye from Karamatsu, a puppy-eyed goodbye from Jyushimatsu, a firm handshake from Choromatsu, and an awkward wave from Todomatsu, you turned and began on your way. But as you heard the brothers pile inside and their front door slide shut behind them, you came to an abrupt stop just a little ways from their house and pulled out your phone, typing in a familiar address in hopes it would take you through a familiar shady strip of street in an attempt to lead you there.

"Bingo."

ー

This was a long shot for sure. By all means, you were intentionally taking yourself through a less-than-ideal part of the Akatsuka district in the hopes of finding someone that may or may not even be there and according to recent knowledge, probably didn't want to see you in the first place.

The little bit of comfort you'd been beginning to feel as you started to recognize your way disappeared when you finally made it to your "destination" and the barren block in front of you loomed a lot more sinisterly in the sunset than it did had during mid-day.

Suddenly, you would have really appreciated a thunderous clang to alert you to another person's presence because you found yourself cautiously peaking into each alley before you passed it and moved to the next. You weren't even sure what you were trying to accomplish here and were completely unsure what you intend to even do if you did find what you were looking for. Or rather, who you were looking for.

Eventually, you even passed what you were sure was the alley from the other day. The broken fire escape and trashcans that had been picked up but still sat in disarray making you come to a small stop and smile fondly.

Mrow

You jumped far more than should have at the distant sound, your head whipping in the direction of the very next alley. And just when you thought you'd slowed your heart, it skipped again when a much more human sound followed it. You didn't have time to make out what was said, but it was some kind of short response and a voice for sure. After that, you stood frozen in silence for so long that you began to wonder if you'd imagined it, but after pushing down the pit in your stomach you quietly stepped forward. The posture you took probably looked comical with the way you were so precariously sneaking, even pressing your back up against the wall as you prepared yourself to peak around the corner and into the alley you were sure the sound had come from. You stood still, hesitating for a few seconds before the nearly inaudible sounds of some kind of shuffling could just barely be heard, confirming your suspension and giving you the courage to look.

Catching sight of Ichimatsu almost instantly untightened the weird knot that was growing in your chest when you realized how silly with was and you stepped around the corner the rest of the way to stand in full view. He didn't notice you at first. In fact, he didn't notice you for a good while, sitting about halfway down the alley on what looked to be some kind of large air-conditioning unit attached to the building on the right.

Watching him a bit longer you finally noticed that he was smiling and looking down at something beside him that you quickly recognized to be ESP Kitty. The orange cat was turned over on its back, batting at a piece of foxtail grass that Ichimatsu was shaking over him.

Cats and weirdos, huh?

You took a single stride forward, your footstep finally being just the thing to alert him to your presence. His head whipped in your direction with an angry expression and after scrambling in surprise for a moment ESP Kitty quickly righted himself. As soon as Ichimatsu recognized who you were, however, his accusatory expression fell to one of surprise before the color drained from his face and he looked away as a small hitching sound came from in his throat.

That fell in line with the type of reaction you'd grow accustomed to receiving from him and feeling a little bold you began walking towards him. When you got close, ESP Kitty seemed to recognize you too and happily mewed as you approached.

"Hi, buddy." You addressed him first with a smile before looking at Ichimatsu who was still looking away from you. "Your brothers said you were out still out and what are the odds that I'd know you were here?" You joked, trying to lighten the mood. There's no way he could have known that Todomatsu had told you what he said, so you were hoping that this was just his regular awkwardness and not the awkwardness of someone that feared confrontation, which is why you continued. "Cats and weirdos, huh?" You laughed, heaving yourself up onto the air-conditioning until as well. He didn't respond but you saw him look downward as you spoke. You weren't entirely sure how to continue, feeling a good bit awkward yourself, but found a suitable distraction when ESP Kitty crawled onto your lap.

The cat looked up at you with its signature half-lidded eyes and you gave into impulse, carefully reaching forward and removing his little glasses. Being sure to hold them carefully, the way the cat squinted exactly like someone who was farsighted trying to see had you burst out laughing.

"Oh my gosh, bahaha," Your laughter seemed to be the thing to finally have Ichimatsu look in your direction and you further satisfied your curiosity by lifting the tiny glasses up to your own eyes, peering through them to see that they were indeed prescription. "That is precious." Having satisfied your curiosity, you looked back down at ESP Kitty. "You better have these back." You offered, slipping the little blue glasses back onto his feline face. Once they were back on he blinked a few times and shook his head, seemingly to better settle them into place before scratching behind his ear and curing up on your lap. "Dawww~"

It seemed like almost a few minutes of silence passed after that, you're own mixed feelings making it harder for you to fill in for Ichimatsu's own un-talkativeness like you had before, but as you ran your hand down the orange cat's back, Ichimatsu actually surprised you.

"...Sorry."

"Hm?" Your hand paused along ESP Kitty's spine and you looked over to see him gripping the edges of the unit you were sitting on.

"I'm sorry." He repeated himself.

"For..." You prompted curiously and he cut you off with a grunt, your eyes on him doing the whiteness of his tightening knuckles no favors, but he semi-recollected himself and tried again.

"If you...thought I was going to be there." He elaborates noncommittally.

"Oh, that's fine. It was your brothers that offered to show me around after all." You tried to brush it off like he had nothing to apologize for but he didn't look satisfied at all. "That's not why I'm here, I just wanted to say "hi". That was almost a lie considering you didn't actually know what you expected to come from seeking him out. It just seemed like you were more and more content to follow through on every whim your subconscious came up with, whether there was a plan behind it or not.

More silence followed your explanation and finally, you decided to move to stand up. You told him you'd come to say hi and you suppose you'd already done that so you'd only be proving yourself a liar to stick around now. "Welp, I'd better get-"

"What did they tell you?" His tone was sharp but not accusatory and was filled with far more certainty than you'd heard from the man until now.

"Uh-" You hadn't even had the chance to remove ESP Kitty from your lap before you turned your head quickly back in his direction. That could have meant anything so you gave the most harmless possible answer. "Depends on what you mean? They told me a lot of things." You said with a laugh and he raised a brow at you. "Liiiike, apparently you're a middle child. Which I think suits you very well." You could already tell he was regretting the vagueness of his question. "And I think when we were passing the red light district Osomatsu mentioned something about you not being able to hold your alcohol very well." His cheeks went red and the courage he'd found to look you in the eyes just seconds ago vanished.

"... that's all then?"

The way he asked that you swear his voice was twinged with something similar to remorse and you found you couldn't jump to respond with a quick retort or cover-up like you had before, that alone giving away far more than you'd intended because you saw his expression shift at your hesitation.

"I knew it..."

When you came looking for him, you honestly had no intention of bringing up what you'd heard from Todomatsu. In reality, all this was supposed to be was you tying up some proverbial loose ends before officially parting ways with this stranger. But in the end, your own awkward feelings about the situation probably seeped through your demeanor, tipping him off that something had indeed been said and making him ask that question in the first place.

"I..well...yeah, I guess I did hear something else." You could go into detail but you knew that wasn't necessary.

"Then what are you doing here?" He glanced your way, looking you down with an expression that made you feel like he was scrutinizing each and every decision that would have led you to this point.

"Ahh..." You paused, aware yourself you didn't have an answer for that. "Yeah, I...I'm sorry." In the end, knowing what you did about how he felt, your presence here and now had to have been less than welcome. "Like I said, I just wanted to say 'hi', or, well, 'bye', I guess." You received an unhappy "mrrp" from ESP Kitty when you lifted him off your lap, deciding Ichimatsu's question was your invitation to leave.

You'd just barely begun to push yourself to your feet when a hand grasped the sleeve of your forearm.

"W-wait-" You looked at Ichimatsu in surprise, and just as quickly as he'd reached to stop you he pulled his hand back. The very last thing you'd expected was for him to protest you leaving, and if you had to guess from his expression, he was just as shocked by his own actions as you were. This was further backed by the way he had nothing to say for himself or his outburst, but instead of pushing to question him, you scooted back up onto your spot; curious enough to wait until he found the words.
"..."

"..."

"I don't get you." He relented quietly, but spoke far more clearly than he had before "Why didn't you just ditch me when you had the chance yesterday? Who the hell agrees to hang out with a stranger they met in an alley? Let alone his freakshow brothers."

You blinked at him.

"Haha..." You laughed a bit awkwardly as you collected your thoughts, unable to come up with an answer you thought would satisfy such a question. Running your hand from behind your ear to under your chin, you thought about the strange mix of impulsiveness and inertia that had had a grip on you these last few weeks. If you were to think back to just a few months ago, you weren't the type of person to give unfamiliar people the time of day at all.

Maybe it was Ichimatsu and his brothers in particular that you, for whatever reason, had just found yourself fond of. Or maybe it was the high of your new environment that had you itching for new experiences and people to interact with; making you more willing to do so. In the end, you didn't actually know. The only thing you knew for sure was that you didn't want your last memory of Ichimatsu to be the worry you felt when you said goodbye to him and his brothers last night.

And that's exactly why you found yourself here now.

"I'm...sorry." You decided on an apology, worried that perhaps the overly familiar way you'd been treating him was what had put him off from you in the first place.

"Tch...don't apologize. You didn't...do anything wrong." The small spark that had been building in his eyes put itself out fairly quickly and the two of you returned to silence, but somehow, you felt a significant amount of awkwardness lift from the air. A few more seconds passed and you even saw his shoulders untense; prompting your own to do so and you returned to petting the cat that now sat between you.

"It was Todomatsu. He old me." You glanced in his direction and he scoffed.

"Basterd..." He whispered and you laughed.

"Oh, I can tell." You whispered to yourself but he seemed to hear you, his brows raising in surprise.

"You can?"

"Yeah, he seems like kind of a..." You cut yourself off. "Ah, never mind, he's your brother, I don't want to-"

"No, go ahead. I wanna hear this." You were surprised by his interest so you decided to be honest.

"He-, okay, how do I put this nicely? Nothing he says matches the look in his eyes."

"So you think he's two-faced?"

"That's one way to put it, yeah."

"You hit the nail on the head then. Usually, girls love that cutesy act of his."

"So it is an act?!" You blurted out, feeling validated at having your suspicions confirmed. "I'm glad to see I wasn't just being judgemental. It's been throwing me off since yesterday."

"You must be good at reading people."

"Eh, it's more like I'm good at telling when people aren't being themselves. When people's words and actions don't match their vibe, it feels a bit like," You rested your hand on the base of ESP Kitty's back and slowly ran your hand up towards his neck, "Petting a cat against the grain of its fur. Sends all kinds of mixed signals and ends with this glaring, uncomfortable feeling when they talk." You knew you were rambling but decided to continue. "It's not always malicious though. If I had to sum it up, I guess I'm just good at telling when people are acting with intention as opposed to just acting naturally, and I can usually figure the rest out from there."

"Then...what did- what about me?"

"Well," You began, "I'd say you and Todomatsu are polar opposites."

He raised a brow at you.

"He's sweet on the outside, but the vibes he gives off are... dishonest at best. Where, when it comes to you, you're pretty quiet, a little edgy, and from what I've heard from your brothers, maybe a little homicidal." His cheeks went dark and you continued after subduing your laughter. "Buuut! I'd say your vibes are on point. I think that's the only reason I let you walk me anywhere the other day. You might be a little rough around the edges but I think you're alright, Ichimatsu. Plus, anyone that can care about a cat as much as you seem to can't be that bad a person."

"Try again, I'm trash." You almost laughed again but when you looked up and saw the serious look on his face you stopped yourself. "Absolute human garbage. No doubt about it. But, hey, at least your one for two. You're still right about Todomatsu.

"Don't say that."

"Don't say what? The truth? Hey, I'm trash. That explains a lot, doesn't it?." He seemed to be getting himself a little worked up. "Would somebody who's not trash say the things I have about someone nice like you?"

"Ichimatsu, I- " You were a little taken aback that that was the topic that would bring his voice out so passionately. But you also got the feeling that that was the way he genuinely felt about himself. People that struggled with their self-image weren't the type to be swayed by a simple "No you're not", you knew better than that. If that was his reality, you wouldn't be able to challenge it with objective statements that completely flipped it on its head. He could believe he was trash if he wanted, but those rules didn't apply to you.

"Well, I don't think so."

It seemed like that was the right response because he didn't fire back, clamming up right away as your soft expression told him your opinion wasn't up for debate.

"Oh! Check it out!" You swung your bag around your side, already prepared to change the subject and careful not to disturb the cat beside you as you pulled out the carefully wrapped rose from inside. Ichimatsu's expression deflated to a mildly annoyed look when he saw it. "Your brother gave this to me. Karamatsu." You held the flower up to your face and then out to him.

"What a try-hard..."

"Aww, that's mean. I thought it was sweet!"

"Yeah, you would."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"That you clearly don't have standards for the people you spend your time on."

"Don't you even start again." You almost found yourself getting heated when you thought he was going to loop the conversation back around to self-depreciating until you caught the almost teasing smile on his face. "It was sweet." You looked back down at the flower.

"We prefer -painful-. "

"Oh, hush up."

"Give it a few years...you'll be in pain."

You suppose you could see how, as his brother, Ichimatsu found him painful, but you were almost positive you weren't capable of getting tired of Karamatsu's particular antics. You could also tell Ichimatsu was holding back the remarks he wanted to make about his brother considerably in your presence but luckily the topic of gifts reminded you of something important.

"Oh my gosh!" You exclaimed once more, carefully and quickly re-rapping your rose to put it back in your bag before digging through it for something else as Ichimatsu watched you curiously. "I almost forgot. I got you something!"

"Y-you...got me something? When? Why? Today?"

"Yesterday!" You answered enthusiastically while you continued to search. "At the festival! I was going to give it to you then but then I couldn't find you for a while and your brothers showed up and yada yada yada. I had planned on giving it to you when we saw each other today, but, well, y'know." You shrugged, and he seemed to shrink a bit at the topic of his absence today but you quickly moved on, cheering as you found what you were looking for and pulled it from your messenger bag. "Here they are!"

Without missing a beat you held the small, now slightly crumpled bag out for him to take. Ichimatsu looked between you and it a few times before you gave it a small shake and he slowly took it from your hands. "T-thanks."

"Look inside!" Following orders, he nodded then parted the folded-over opening with his fingers. You watched his eyes, narrow, then widen, and then cock a brow with confusion as he reached into the small package and pulled out one of the charms from inside.

"An omamori?" He questioned, his tone quiet and his expression unreadable

"Yep! That one's for you, there's another little one in there for our friend here." You gave ESP Kitty a pat and the cat finally rose from the nap he was beginning to settle into at your current excitement, moving instead to sit closer to Ichimatsu and watch him inspect the gifts with as much curiosity as the man himself.

The one in particular you'd picked out for Ichimatsu was dark purple, fitting of course, and had the image of two swimming koi decoratively sewn into it with light, pastel, purple thread and swirling around the kanji in the middle.

幸福

Ichimatsu held the charm in his hand with a look of awe.

"I know you said that they're bunk, but I don't know...I've always thought the sentiment behind them was pretty neat, so when I was looking at them I ended up picking one out for each of us.

"Each of us?" He questioned, finally looking up from the charm in his hand.

"Yeah, look!" You scooted closer to him, reaching over into the small package and pulling out the pet omamori. It was far smaller than a regular omamori, a little less than an inch tall, and was of considerably different shape, being in that of a tiny paw print. When you first saw it and others like it sitting on the stand alongside the regular omamori, you hadn't even been sure of what it was until one of the mikos kindly explained it to you. "I had no idea they even made them for pet protection. Isn't that cool?" You held the omamori out to him and he slowly took it in his free hand, moving then to hold it out of ESP Kitty for him to sniff. "I remembered you said he wasn't yours, and he doesn't have a collar, so I figured he must be a stray, right?" Ichimatsu hummed. "So in that case, the little guy can use all the luck he can get."

"Here..." Ichimatsu tucked his own Omamori into his hoodie pocket before lifting ESP Kitty onto his lap. After taking a moment to fiddle with the clasp of the pet charm, he found the perfect place for it, hooking it on the corner of ESP Kitty's glasses to dangle off the side. "That okay?" He asked and the cat batted at the charm before meowing happily. "Heh...good."

"I'm glad he likes it." You smiled and Ichimatsu pulled his own omamori back out from his pocket.

"Happiness, huh?" He questioned, running his thumb over the kanji in the middle.

"Yeah...sorry it's kind of basic." You admitted. "I don't know you too well, but I know you have a nice smile, so maybe this will help you find an opertunity use it more.... " You trailed off absent-mindedly, not paying much mind to the way he seemed to have frozen at your words. "Cheesy, I know, but I'm sure you get the point." You laughed.

Ichimatsu seemed to choke. "What about you?", He managed to ask.

"Hm?"

"You were so excited to get yourself one. What kind did you get?"

"Oh, I..." Your hand trailed over to your bag and you found yourself reaching for the Omamori that hung off the side, tucking it in under the flap where it couldn't be seen. "It's-"

Mow

ESP Kitty meowed, cutting you off and you both looked down at him.

"Ah...I think he wants to say thank you."

"Oh, does he?" You picked up the tubby orange cat, holding his face up to yours and booping your noses together. "Well, in that case, you're very welcome, Espy." You giggled, and ESP Kitty made a small haply 'mrrp' himself as you set him back down. And while you were focused on him, you missed the genuine smile that found its way onto Ichimatsu's face while he was focused on you.

You returned to petting the cat for a while until Ichimatsu said something you didn't catch.

"Huh?"

"I said..." He took a small breath as if gathering the courage before he continued. "His name's ESP Kitty because he used to have ESP powers." You definitely heard him that time but that didn't mean you understood what the heck he was talking about.

"...Hah?"

"His names ESP Kitty because-"

"No, no, I heard you that time, I just... You said he used to have ESP powers?" It also finally clicked for you that this was the long-delayed answer to the question you'd asked him the other day.

"Esper abilities, yeah." Ichimatsu nodded casually.

"Like, psychic powers?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"Hmm..."

"What?"

You clapped your hands together, raising them to your face before pointing them in his direction. "Could you...elaborate?"

"Well..." Ichimatsu face twisted in thought. "He got kind of caught up in something. It's a long story, but just think mad science, and it gave him the ability to tell what people are really thinking. Got himself in a lot of trouble revealing people's secrets after that..."

"Oh, so he can talk too?"

"Don't look at me like that. You wanted to know and now I'm telling you. Why the hell do you think I avoided the question before? You think I like explaining this to people?"

"Fair enough, fair enough!" You raised your hands in surrender, deciding you should at least hear him out. It was an outlandish story for sure but considering you were currently in an alley in a different country, sitting and talking with a near stranger, you were just at the point in your life where you accepted whatever came your way. So for the sake of conversation and the moment, you had absolutely no problem humoring it as the truth. "So this little guy can tell what I'm thinking right now?" You asked, taking ESP Kitty's face in both your hands and fluffing the fur of his cheeks.

"Eh, more like he's a translator for people whose words don't match their thoughts." Ichimatsu gave you a sly grin. "So maybe you and him have something in common."

"Ha! You think so?"

"But he doesn't do it too much anymore. Everyone says the stuff that gave him his powers must have worn off, but I think he just learned to keep his mouth shut." Ichimatsu scratched ESP kitty under the chin and he and the cat shared a knowing look. "And trust me, that's definitely for the best."

You looked between the two of them, and despite the strangeness of the story, the connection you could feel between the two had you almost beginning to believe it, especially since Ichimatsu didn't seem like the type to make up stories just to be funny.

"Well, thank you for telling me?" You said humorously, touched that he went out of his way to at least try to explain it to you after first avoiding the story.

Ichimatsu made a small hum and his brows lowered as his eyes shifted to the side.

"No ...thank you."

"Oh, don't even mention it. They didn't cost much."

"Not for the Omamori. I mean, thanks for that, yeah, but..." He took a deep breath. "Thanks, for- for comin' to check on me when you saw me in the alley, gettin' rid of that cop, buyin' me dango. You didn't have to do any of that crap and it's pretty crappy it took me this long to say it. But thanks..."

It probably wasn't a detail appropriate to notice at this moment but the more Ichimatsu talked the more you realized how much you liked his voice. It was low and gravely thanks to the way he always seemed to speak with such restraint, but even in the moments you knew he wasn't holding back there was an inherent softness to it. Despite his overall sharpness, the much more natural tone he finally seemed comfortable using around you gave the impression of someone who was very fragile deep inside.

"Oh, you didn't have to worry about all that. I... appreciated you hanging out with me yesterday." You commented a bit sadly, Todomatsu's "confession" coming to mind.

"I-I wanted to! I...enjoyed it."

"Really?"

He nodded fast and that actually surprised you, making you smile. "That's good. I guess I was worried that maybe I'd..." You trailed off. "Ah, y'know. Anyway, I was also pretty worried I'd made a weird first impression with your brothers but things went pretty well today, so maybe it wasn't so bad."

"You don't have to worry about those assholes. Their opinions don't mean much. But...I can tell you they like you. A lot."

"That's nice to hear. "

"Todomatsu said you seemed like a smart-ass though." He added and you cackled.

"Wait, really?"

"Yep. Still made a huge deal about today, though. So he must not be picky. That, or a hypocrite. Probably both."

"That's hilarious! If he thought that yesterday I can't imagine what he thinks of me now."

"Why? Things didn't go well?"

"Oh no, things went great, but after he ran his mouth off about you I kind of gave him the cold shoulder. Buuuut~ If he thought I was such a smart-ass, he should have seen that coming, don't you think?" You and Ichimatsu both laughed and then his eyes trailed to the sky.

"Eh...it's getting late."

"Hm?" You looked up and saw the night sky through the buildings, realizing the only reason you hadn't noticed was because of the lights in the normally already dark alley. "Ah, you're right." You agreed and the two of you looked at each other for a moment. "Guess I should get going then." You heaved yourself off the unit and back onto your feet, surprised to see Ichimatsu quickly follow.

"W-wait."

"What's up?"

"Is..is that it?"

"Well I," The question took you off guard. You saw him one last time, you gave him the omamori. By all means, you guess that was it. "Yeah, I guess it is. But I was glad to see you again, sorry if it was a little unwelcome." You gave him a sad smile and he rushed to follow after you.

"W-wait!" He called out again to stop you and you turned back to him in surprise again.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I- I just,"

"Do you want me to walk you home?" You asked cluelessly, only coming to that conclusion thanks to his brothers earlier today.

He swallowed hard as that wasn't exactly what he was getting at, but at the very least it would give him some time to think.

"Y-yes?"

"Sure thing, if that'll make you feel better." You smiled softly and started walking. "I walked your brothers home today too so I even know the way." You comment proudly and stepped out into the street. "Let's go!

ー

Ichimatsu's mind was racing as he walked alongside you. Why weren't you mad? Why had you even come looking for him? Why was it so easy to talk to you? Why did you bother to talk to him at all?

It didn't make sense and he was on the verge of shutting down every time he thought too much about it. Then surprise! You'd start talking again and he'd feel alright. But he was worried that as soon as you were out of sight again none of this would feel real and he'd jump to rejecting it like he had last night and the night you met.

It all circled back to his body's violent rejection of one particular thought that had crossed his mind the night you found him in the alley. It was a passing thought, one that conjured itself out of nowhere the second you handed him ESP Kitty and right before you reached out to pet him.

She's so nice. I want to be her friend

That wasn't the kind of thing Ichimatsu thought within the realm of possibilities for himself. It seemed so unrealistic, in fact, that his anxiety seemed to have been actively punishing him these last few days for it. After yesterday, when you met his brothers, it all began to feel far too real and when he shut himself down then, he was convinced he'd never see you again. The idea of you becoming a recurring part of his brothers' lives hadn't even occurred to him, but not only did you seemingly get along with them, but here you were, walking him home.

The closer the two of you got to his house the more he seemed to break into a cold sweat. The way you'd talked, it seemed like you planned on just heading home after this. That was ideal, right? You hadn't mentioned making more plans with his brothers and he doubted you gave Todomatsu your phone number so what did that mean? This was it?

"Here we are."

He nearly overshot his own house, skidding to a stop at your voice.

"Have a good night, Ichimatsu." You smiled at him and he didn't wait until you had turned heel to stop you this time.

"Hey, hey, w-wait."

"You've been staying that a lot tonight." You joked but silence fell after that as you waited for him to continue.

He shuffled awkwardly in his spot. "Are you...going home after this?"

"Yeah, probably. I've got laundry to do, unfortunately." You sighed and he looked at the sidewalk. "Everything okay?" This was so much easier when you were filling in all the nice bits for him, but after what he said, the only way he'd be able to live with himself after tonight was if he let you know the truth.

"I-I didn't mean it, by the way." His voice's pitch shifted awkwardly throughout that sentence.

"Hm?"

"What I said....about you. 'Bout not wanting to waste my time. I didn't mean it." You blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry. I-I want to..." Yeah, he couldn't do this. "Nevermind..."

"Wait!" Now you were the one that called out to him before he could turn tail and rush inside. He froze, turning back round to you and swallowing hard. "How about... if we ever happen to run into eachother again after tonight and you decide you want to talk, you can make the first move at your own pace. If not, we'll just pretend we don't see eachother and you can consider me out of your hair." His eyes widened and he looked like he was about to interject, but you continued. "But- if you decide you want to say "hi", do that, or give me a wave at least once, and I'll know you're okay with me approaching you from then on. Sound good?"

Ichimatsu hesitated; more so at the idea of leaving your next meeting up to chance than knowing for sure that he'd be able to see you again, but after everything that happened today, he knew he had no right to ask for your time, so he just nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright, sounds like a plan!" You cheered, holding your fist out to him. "Thanks for talking to me tonight."

"Thank you.." He thanked back and after a moment's hesitation, excepted the gesture and pressed his fist against yours.

"Alright, now blow it up. Gotta make a good show your brothers." You pulled your fist back fast, opening it and making an explosion sound with your mouth.

"Ahh...you noticed?" He asked, mimicking your action in a much more lackluster fashion and without the sound effect.

"Kind of hard not to." You laughed and you both looked up at the second-story window that Osomatsu, Karamatsu, Choromatsu, Jyushimatsu, and Todomatsu were all staring down out of. As soon as they saw you looking at them they all scrambled to retreat. All but Jyushimatsu, who stayed where he was, even waving at you until a hand gripped his shoulder and pulled him out of view as well.

You broke into laughter and Ichimatsu rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Dumbasses..."

"Well, I'll see you around, Ichimatsu." You took a few steps away before turning on your heels with a wave. "Hopefully!" You added.

"Yeah..." He whispered, too quiet for you to hear, but a small, hopeful smile graced his face. "...hopefully."

Ichimatsu watched you off, that smile sitting on his face until you were out of sight and his hand was on the front door, falling to his usual unamused expression as he slid it open and stepped in.

Once it was shut behind him a much more maliciously strained smile spread ear-to-ear over his face as his voice barked loudly from inside.

"Hey, Totty! Let's have a little chat!"

Chapter Text

What are you even doing?

Why had that question been ringing in your head once again these last several days? Avoiding it had been easy the first couple weeks of your trip, but you couldn't deny that something, for one reason or another, had been faintly pulling that innocuous question back into your mind. You'd done well at ignoring it up to this point, and another lazy morning only made it easier.

This particular morning, though, lazy had begun to translate to boring, and you were caught in a loop of pacing around your apartment, aimlessly daydreaming with your earbuds in and music on full blast; an unusual but somehow stimulating habit that was usually reserved for the middle of the night.

But when 1pm rolled around, you found that you couldn't sit still long enough to finish even a single chapter of the manga you'd been so desperate to start. Not out of boredom for the story either, you were just restless, and at this rate, music wasn't even helping. If anything, it was actually making your inability to sit still worsen with the way it fueled your daydreaming, which, in turn, only fueled more pacing.

So, you freed yourself from the cycle and put your earbuds back in their case, plugging them in beside your bed to give them a much-needed charge.

Instead, you'd force yourself to focus on one thing at a time and conveniently found an excellent distraction in the almost empty suitcase that sat by your nightstand. Particularly in your annoyance at the fact that it had been sitting there "almost" empty since you'd arrived.

You had had no qualms about unpacking and making yourself at home in your apartment when you first arrived. Your clothes had been neatly folded away in the drawers your room provided, and your laptop, bass, and keyboard had found a home all either on or beside the desk at the other side of your room. So out of the few "essentials" you'd brought with you that left only one thing in your remaining suitcase.

It was a camera. A nice one too, unopened and untouched.

Smiling softly to yourself, you pulled the box from the finally empty suitcase and got comfortable, jumping up to sit criss-cross-applesauce on your bed and begin unboxing it.

Thinking back, this extempore purchase fit into the theme of your vacation well. Besides your ticket and accommodations, it was quite literally the only thing you'd bothered to buy in preparation for your stay. As impromptu and eagerly executed as your trip was, you hadn't even packed an umbrella. But when you passed the tech section of the last store you'd shopped at before your flight, you ended up spending far more that day than the price of the new suitcases you'd stopped in for.

You wanted to remember this trip, after all.

Freeing it from its cardboard prison and protective packaging, you peeled the scratch cover from the LCD screen on the back and relished in the satisfying click as you twisted on the lens for the very first time. As you slipped in the battery pack, you silently hoped that it had enough power pre-charged for at least one test shot. Your finger paused on the power switch, though, and instead of testing it right then and there, you kicked the discarded packaging to the side and ran to your balcony. Throwing its strap over your neck and leaning, perhaps a bit precariously, over the guardrail, you held the viewfinder to your eye and flicked the power on, grinning ear to ear when a live, mini rendition of the city below appeared before you, prompting you to snap your first shot.

Then, as if fate had indeed granted your wish to simply be able to test it, the battery icon in the corner began to blink red, and the camera promptly powered off. Photography was off the table for today, but you were looking forward to the notion in the future nonetheless.

You decided to give your camera's battery charging station a more official place, plugging it in and setting it up on your kitchen counter before seamlessly moving from that task to finding yourself something to eat.

Another week of doing nothing but eating out had left you finally staring into the emptiness of your fridge with a defeated sort of dismay. With all the days your trip still had ahead of it, it was probably time that you began working out some more nuanced eating habits.

After all, while you hadn't originally put much thought into where you would be staying, when it finally came to choosing which apartment you wanted, there was one small detail that did play into your choice: the kitchen. The nice little setup this one offered was one of the reasons you had been so confident in your decision.

Adjacent to the fridge ran a countertop along the wall. There was a microwave that hung directly under the cabinets above and a single-compartment sink that sat right about in the middle of the counter. Not far past that was a small, modern gas stove built into the counter as well, complete with two burners and a one-rack oven directly underneath.

There was also a small kitchen island that jutted out from the wall, separating the counter, sink, and stove from the rest of the room and dining table. Its purpose was most likely to offer additional space for prep, but you couldn't help imagining how cool it would look with stools lined up against the opposite side to act as a sort of makeshift bar. Your eyes briefly wandered to the single rose that sat in a glass atop the island, acting as a small centerpiece. The poor flower was on its last legs, but you still smiled fondly, happy to have been able to keep it healthy for as long as you had.

Compared to some of the others you'd seen, you thought the little kitchenette was perfect, and it was high time you put it to use.

Which meant today's objective would be a simple one: grocery shopping.

After maybe just a quick stop for some onigiri first.

ー

"Jyushimatsu, I know you want to play, but I'm kind of busy."

"Come on! Bark, bark! You should get out and stretch your legs! Bark!"

It was midday, and Choromatsu was still in his pajamas, having gone straight from bed to spending his day waiting by the phone. He sat on the inner step of their genkan, close to the cabinet where their home phone sat. At the moment, Jyushimatsu was close behind him, the excitable fifth son donning his dog costume and pawing at his older brother.

"Come on, come on!" he exclaimed, spinning in a circle at their front door before hunkering down just like a dog eager to play.

"Why don't you go ask Todomatsu? He says he likes to exercise. Maybe he'll play with you," Choromatsu suggested.

"Hmm..." Jyushimatsu narrowed his eyes, freezing in his playful stance before jumping back up onto all fours and trotting away. "Okay!"

Watching him go, Choromatsu rolled his eyes before resting his head in his hands. It seemed like after all the excitement of last week, things had finally returned to normal.

For him and his brothers, that's how things tended to go. New people and new opportunities; they'd ride their high while they were right in front of them, but they'd eventually fade, and the six of them would always find their way back here. With nothing to do and no one but themselves to keep each other company.

It was strange.

The last thing they'd expected to see that night was Ichimatsu returning home with you walking by his side. And frustratingly, the fourth son had had no intention of telling any of them what had happened or why. After a "private chat" with their youngest brother, Ichimatsu clammed up completely. Leaving all of their questions unanswered, while the only thing that alluded to anything out of the ordinary after that was the noticeable hint of a smile on his face when he fell asleep that night.

That was it.

Osomatsu was convinced none of them would ever see you again. He always moved on to find the next thing to distract himself with, since he had the object permanence of a newborn. Todomatsu avoided the subject, feigning disinterest whenever your name came up in conversation. Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu had returned to their own routines, spending most of their time out of the house. Even Ichimatsu, the one person Choro hoped would be the brother's one ticket back into your life, seemed uninterested in talking about you to anyone, even if there was a small shift in his demeanor the few times Choromatsu had brought you up in conversation.

At this point, Choro wondered if he was the only one still thinking about you.

"Choro, honey, listen,"

And who could blame him?

Maybe Osomatsu was right to move on as easily as he did, or maybe he only did so out of habit because they were all so used to things never changing.

"What kind of change am I even expecting?" Choro scrutinized himself. "Any. That's what kind."

"C'mon, ring, would ya?" he whispered to himself, glancing impatiently at the old landline. It seemed like now, looking forward to this call was the only thing he had left of your passing presence in their life.

Unexpectedly, even to himself, his quiet request from just a few seconds ago was answered, and the phone began to ring. After fumbling to hastily get it off the hook, he gripped the handset tightly, pressing it with anticipation against his ear. "H-hello, yes?!" he held his breath, listening to the voice on the other end. "Yes! I-I mean, yes," he coughed into his hand. "This is the Matsuno residence," he confirmed. "Matsuno Choromatsu speaking!" His expression shifted as he listened to them continue. "Matsuno Osomatsu?" he echoed, and his excitement vanished. "Yeah, he's here. One second." Holding the phone to his chest to muffle the sound as best he could, he called for the person in question.

"Osomatsu! Phone!"

"Awww, yeah!" a flurry of footsteps signaled the arrival of the eldest and he slid out of the hall on cue, yanking the phone from Choro's hand while the green brother fell back down onto his spot on the step of the genkan. Tapping his finger against his knee, he didn't have much choice but to listen in on whatever that phone call was about as their eldest happily twirled the telephone cord with his finger.

"Matsuno Osomatsu speaking~" he announced proudly. "Uh huh," he nodded to whatever had been said. "Yep! Oh yeah? Absolutely! You got it!" There was a brief pause between each enthusiastic exclamation, and Choro rolled his eyes. "Got it. Thanks for the call!" And with that, he finally hung up, plopping down beside his younger brother with a smug grin and a laugh. "She's totally into me."

"What was that about?" Choro asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"You know that bar I like to go to up near Toshima? The one with the cute bartender?" Osomatsu winked, grinning hungrily.

"Short hair and piercings?"

"That's the one!" Osomatsu rubbed his hands together. "Well, the other day, I gave her my number." With his legs still resting over the step of the genkan, he lay back on the floor, laughing triumphantly.

"What?! No way she just called you!" Choro questioned, jumping to his feet in surprise.

"Yeah, you're right. That was her manager. Turns out I'm not allowed in there anymore," Osomatsu remarked casually.

Choro took a deep breath and sat back down, turning to his brother with a dead expression. "THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU SOUND SO HAPPY, YOU DUMBASS!?"

"Because~" Oso began, resting his arms behind his head. "If she told her manager about me, that means she's thinking about me. Duh."

"You're hopeless," Choromatsu relented, pulling his knees closer to himself and leaning away from his brother.

"What about you?"

"Hm?" Choro side-eyed him.

"What about you? What are you doing?" Osomatsu asked, winking one eye open.

"I'm... waiting for a call," Choromatsu answered quietly, folding his arms in front of him and looking away.

"Still? Oso gave Choro a scrutinizing look that melted into a tired smile. "I TOTALLY would have given up hope by now if I were you. It's been days! How long does it take to look at an application?"

"..."

"Awww, don't look so down!" Osomatsu sat back up, bringing his arm up around Choromatsu in the process to pull his brother against him. "I'm just kidding, you know! They'd be lucky to have a tight-ass like you ringing up their customers! Maybe they just lost it?"

"Thanks for the encouragement," Choromatsu scoffed, shrugging him off his shoulder to scoot farther away.

"ICHIMATSU!"

They both turned in the direction of the shrill voice that called from deeper in the house. The source was Todomatsu, who was struggling to drag himself through the living room and towards the stairs while a dog-dressed Jyushimatsu had his left pant leg gripped between his teeth. "Get down here and take this freak for a walk!"

"Why don't you do it?" Ichimatsu responded from upstairs. "Spend some time together."

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" Jyushimatsu managed to say through his mouthful of denim before shaking his head wildly back and forth, pulling Todomatsu's leg out from under him and bringing the youngest to the ground.

"DON'T YOU -" Before he could protest, Jyushimatsu had taken the opportunity to jump on top of him, unfortunately for Todomatsu, playing the role of an overly affectionate animal quite well. "DOWN! DOWN, JYUSHIMATSU! BAD! THAT'S DISGUSTING! STOP! ICHIMATSU!"

Ichimatsu finally descended the stairs a ways, but only to watch his two younger brothers with a lazy grin.

"GET HIM OFF OF ME!"

"Why would I do that? Last time I checked, you're the one that owed me a favor, remember?"

"Cat food! I'll buy you cat food! Just get him off of me!"

"Hmmm..." Ichimatsu hummed, faking contemplation just long enough for Jyushimatsu to get a few more licks in, and then nodded at the offer. "Alright. Jyushimatsu, heel." Jyushimatsu was quick to obey, jumping off of Todo to sit at Ichimatsu's side, the lazy purple brother having finished descending the stairs and rewarded him with a pat on the head. "Good boy."

"That was disgusting." Todomatsu picked himself up, his expression a mix of shock and disgust before roughly wiping the slobber from his face with his sleeves.

"Hehe," Jyushimatsu beamed, his tail wagging (somehow) as his tongue lolled out of his lopsided grin.

"I'm taking a shower. Go drool on somebody else." The youngest groused, turning his back to them and stomping out of sight.

Jyushimatsu let out a small whine, looking up at Ichimatsu, who gave him another pat on the head. "Don't let him get you down," Ichimatsu reassured, but Jyushimatsu still tilted his head sadly, staring in the direction Todomatsu had gone. "You still wanna go for a walk?" Ichimatsu offered, and Jyushimatsu was on his feet (paws?) again, nodding his head happily. "But you can't chase the cats this time, okay?"

"Bark!"

"Okay, we'll go."

Bark, bark!" Jyushimatsu spun in a happy circle, then pounced out of sight once more, while Ichimatsu went upstairs to begin getting ready.

"That's not normal, right?" Choromatsu lamented.

"Normal for us," Osomatsu snorted.

Suddenly, the phone rang again, startling both of them. Choromatsu rushed to reach for it, but Osomatsu beat him to it, with the intention to annoy his brother evident on his face. Choromatsu bit his tongue, fuming as Oso raised his finger to his mouth to shush him.

"Matsuno residents. Osomatsu speaking~" The eldest said with a smirk, winking at his brother. "Matsuno Choromatsu?" Osomatsu questioned, and Choro's expression was replaced with one of surprise. "Yeah, he's right here." He held the phone out to his brother. "It's for you." He clarified rather unnecessarily.

The phone was snatched from his hand at lightning speed, aggressively enough to yank the body of the landline off the cabinet, but the eldest managed to catch it in time, pushing it back into place as he watched Choromatsu speak.

"Y-yes? Choromatsu speaking!" Choromatsu's expression shrunk from annoyed to nervous as he held the phone to his ear. "Yes, I did." He answered their question. "An interview?!" He gasped, briefly looking to Osomatsu whose brows raised in interest. "When? Today? Yeah! I can do today! What time? I'll- I'll be there as soon as I can! Yes, thank you so much! Goodbye!" In his excitement, Choromatsu slammed the phone onto the receiver, nearly knocking it off the cabinet again, and fumbled to put it back into place himself this time.

"That sounded good?" Osomatsu prompted with a smile, and Choromatsu briefly froze in place.

"I need to go. I-I have an interview! Now!" He nearly rushed out the door right there and then, but Osomatsu reached out and caught him by the back of his collar.

"Not so fast!"

"W-what?"

"In your pajamas?" Oso raised a brow, and Choro looked down at his bedclothes, a small pink rushing to his cheeks when he realized his mistake.

"Yes- I mean, no! I've gotta go get dressed!" Choromatsu's mind was all over the place, and he nearly tripped over the step of the genkan as he rushed to the stairs. "Mom, I've got an interview!" His voice was borderline giddy as he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled in the direction of the kitchen before hurrying up the stairs.

By the time Matsuyo had appeared around the corner, he was already out of sight, so she turned to her eldest. "Did your brother just say he had an interview?"

"Yep! He's getting ready now." Osomatsu nodded upstairs.

"As in, for a job?"

"Sounds like it, yeah."

Her eyes widened in surprise before she hurriedly turned back to the kitchen. "I'll pack him a lunch. Don't let him leave yet! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you boys. We can't have him underperforming for any reason!"

"Aye aye, captain!" Osomatsu saluted her, sitting back down at the genkan to wait for his brother's return.

Meanwhile, Choromatsu was stumbling over himself in their room as he rushed to get dressed. Ichimatsu was upstairs for the same reason, but he was taking his time and even slowed down further to watch his older brother faceplant in an attempt to quickly put his pants on.

"What are you-"

"They called me back!" Choromatsu answered before Ichimatsu could finish the question, happy to ignore the skeptical looks his brother was giving him. "I have an interview at Akatsuka Mart!"

"Oh..." Ichimatsu hummed, recalling the way Choro had been talked into and encouraged to apply there by a certainsomeone. The green brother had been so particular about what jobs did and didn't qualify as "proper" that he was surprised he'd gone through with it, let alone seemed as excited as he was for this interview that could still very well fall through. "Good for you," Ichimatsu remarked quietly, his thoughts turning to last week and that certain someone, filling him with a strange feeling. As Ichimatsu slipped on his hoodie all the way, Choro finished tying his tie, the latter dressing in one of the blue blazers and dress pants that the sextuplets wore on special occasions. "You must be taking this seriously," Ichimatsu whispered, having finished getting ready himself and began heading back downstairs. Thanks to his rush, Choro was also finished just moments later, coming up behind his brother and only irritating him a little with the excess spring in his step.

Matsuyo was already at the door when they reached the bottom, her face lighting up when she saw her third son. "Oh~ Look at you!", she cooed, reaching out to hold his cheeks. "I always knew you'd be the first of my little good-for-nothings to get a real job!" Despite the underlying insult in her words, Choro's cheeks grew warm at his mother's show of affection, and he grabbed her wrists to move her coddling hands from his face.

"Mom..." he groaned while Osomatsu laughed and Ichimatsu scoffed.

"Oh! Here you go! Just a little something for your first day!" She grabbed the bento she had set off to the side and held it out to him. It was a small rectangular box neatly wrapped in a green handkerchief, not unlike the lunches she used to pack for them back in school. The gesture surprised him more than it should have, and the unsure look on his face only prompted her to hold it out to him further. "Come now, you'll need all the energy you can get."

"I wouldn't get so excited. It's just an interview after all. They might not... you know." He admitted, the pressure brought on by their mom's hopefulness suddenly making him a whole lot more nervous than he was before, but he finally reached out and accepted the bento.

"Oh, nonsense. You're going to get this job." She insisted, quite literally insisting. Her words came out more like an order than encouragement, and a brief flash in her eye when she said them confirmed that it was indeed an order.

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Choro swallowed hard, and Matsuyo smiled.

"That's my boy!" She returned to smiling sweetly, and Osomatsu smacked him on the back, giving his brother a sympathetic smile. It was his way of saying, 'Thanks for taking the pressure off of the rest of us.'

"I'd better go! They said I could come in whenever, so..." Choromatsu began, and Matsuyo was quick to usher him out the door.

"Yes, yes! Do get going! If you need anything, and I mean anything, just call!"

"I can't really call you. I don't have-"

"You know I love you! Don't disappoint me now!" With that, the front door was slammed shut in his face. Matsuyo was convinced she had to get him on track before the other good-for-nothing sons dragged him back down to their level.

"Oof, talk about a pain in the ass." Osomatsu looked at Ichimatsu. "I don't know how he stands the pressure," he joked.

"He probably doesn't," Ichimatsu admitted. "He'll have a panic attack in the bathroom as soon as he gets there and keep them waiting."

"Ha! Yep! That sounds like our Choromatsu!" Oso's laugh faded out, and he looked his brother up and down as he kneeled to pull a leash from the cabinet by their door. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Jysushi wants to go for a walk..." He answered, then whistled, and Jyushimatsu quickly joined them by the door, panting excitedly.

"Awww! Karamatsu's gone, Choro is gone, and now you and Jysushimatsu are leaving? Who am I supposed to hang out with?" The eldest whined, forcing a pout.

"Todomatsu?" Ichimatsu suggested, hooking the leash to Jyushi's collar and gripping it tightly as his brother made an immediate beeline for the door, hopping at it excitedly.

"You're right!" Osomatsu perked up, turning around to go pester the youngest on cue. "Totty!~ Your Nii-chan wants to play with you!"

Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu watched him off, the two sharing a look before Ichimatsu shrugged. "You ready to go?" Jyushimatsu nodded fast, jumping at the door once again. "Heh, alright, lead the way."

ー

A coin purse might be a good idea.

You idly thought as you fiddled with the 500 yen coin you'd received from the cashier as change. You'd been hoarding them, as well as the 100 yen coins you'd come across since you got to Japan, but it was beginning to add an unnecessary amount of weight to your wallet, so it was probably high time you got used to the idea of spending them.

For your first time shopping somewhere other than a convenience store since you arrived, you think it went pretty well. If you hadn't walked there, you might have picked up a few more things, but for now, the bags hanging from your hands were as much as you could comfortably carry. You did have to admit that, as it was your first time in a Japanese grocery store, you had a little too much fun throwing anything and everything that caught your eye into your basket. You were sure to purchase some basics, though. Seeing as you didn't have a plan when you went out today, after you went home tonight and familiarized yourself with your kitchen and ingredients a little more, you'd look up some recipes and come back another day this week to pick up anything else you might need.

Along with the groceries slowing you down, you found yourself intentionally walking slower than usual, eyes rising to the scarcely clouded sky. You were enjoying yourself. Shopping had been a lot of fun, and you certainly drew it out as long as you could have, but something in you still didn't feel like going home yet. You didn't exactly have a lot of options without at least stopping at home first, though, considering there was plenty in your bags that needed to be properly put away.

You stopped at the crosswalk, letting the few other people walking the streets circle their way around you while you came to a decision. The store you'd gone to was the closest one to your apartment, about a fifteen-minute walk, so you didn't have too far to go yet. That was unless you veered off track a little and took the long way home.

Infrastructure had been the word of the day during your little tour last week, and you pretty distinctly remembered the route from the very supermarket you were just at to the park. It was a detour for sure, but one you felt like making. Short enough that your more temperature-sensitive groceries wouldn't be too much worse for wear and just a little more scenic than cutting straight through your district. It was perfect.

ー

Jyushimatsu must have been extra full of energy today because he began pulling on the leash the moment they were out the door. Ichimatsu's arm was slowly growing tired of being stretched out in front of him for so long, but he wasn't about to make an effort to try to match his brother's pace.

"Slow down, Jyushi..." he quietly scolded, looking up from the pavement for the first time since they set foot out of the house. He'd been content to let his brother lead the way until his pulling finally became hard to keep up with.

"Sorry!" Jyushimatsu barked, looking back at his brother as he slowed to a happy trot; finally allowing Ichimatsu to relax his shoulders. "How's this?"

"Much better," he sighed. Shoving his free hand into his hoodie pocket, he finally looked around to where Jyushimatsu had taken them. Right up the block in the direction they were heading was the convenience store where Choromatsu had applied, making Ichimatsu pretty sure Jyushimatsu's excited pulling in this direction wasn't any coincidence.

The brothers' relationship with this particular konbini extended past the events of last week.

Since he was always too broke to get himself a subscription, Choromatsu usually stopped in to buy individual magazines. Oso liked to buy scratch tickets, and for Ichimatsu himself, it was where he stocked up on his kitty snacks. Kara and Jyushi were probably there the most out of all of them. According to Jyushi, Karamatsu would buy both of them snacks, and they'd sit at the window seat for hours while Kara "people watched."

Personally, Ichimatsu thought it was pretty stupid that it took Choro this long, as well as his weakness toward girls, for him to finally apply here. The help wanted sign had been plastered on the front door and counter for months now, and the so-called only proper member of the sextuplets loved to pretend he just didn't see it while the six of them bummed around outside, and he complained about looking for work. Ichimatsu wanted to feel more cynical about the whole thing, but watching the way Choromatsu rushed around this morning with excitement for this interview left him biting his tongue. If Choromatsu was actually excited about this, then whatever, he didn't feel like commenting on it anyway.

Not to mention that your involvement in encouraging his brother like you supposedly had left him full of feelings he'd yet to sort out. Surprisingly, it didn't leave him feeling bitter like your interactions with his brothers had before. And while he had nothing to say when Choromatsu told him about you helping him apply, for the first time, there was something else mellowing out the little bit of bitterness that came from the idea of you being nice to his brothers. He had yet to work out himself "why" just yet, but in simple terms, fondness overtook jealousy, and the idea of you interacting with his brothers, treating them with the same friendliness you had with him, continued to remind him that you and the events of last week were, in fact, real.

Jyushimatsu's train of thought seemed to be stuck on their brother, as the yellow brother took off again as soon as they got close enough. He pulled Ichimatsu roughly forward a few feet until they reached the storefront, where he jumped up on his hind legs and pressed his "paws" and face against the window, panting happily.

"Choromatsu-niisan's in there, right?" He looked back at Ichimatsu with a wide, lopsided grin, and Ichimatsu took a step closer, looking inside himself.

"I don't see him... but since we didn't see him on the way either, he must've taken the bus..." Thinking of Choro, that made sense. He had gotten all dressed up and was probably worried about the possibility of something happening to him on the way here if he had walked. "...which means he's probably been here for a while... probably having his interview now."

Jyushimatsu huffed enthusiastically with a small nod, his tail wagging as he pressed his face to the glass again. "Do you think they're gonna hire him? Is Choromatsu-niisan gonna get a job?"

Ichimatsu glanced down at his brother before his own eyes returned to scanning over the small aisles inside.

"Would you hire Choromatsu?"

The yellow brother's tail stopped wagging for only a moment. His smile was still wide, but his usually unfocused eyes narrowed in thought before he let out a small bark and nodded happily.

While he couldn't say he was confident himself, his younger brother's hopefulness tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he reached down to ruffle the top of his head. "Well, there ya go."

The two of them stood like that for a few more seconds, his hand resting comfortably on his head until he felt Jyushimatsu whip his neck to the right, ears perking up as he made a small curious sound.

"Hm...what is it?" Ichimatsu asked quietly, and Jyuhsimatsu jumped away from the glass, returning to all fours to aggressively sniff at the ground. With Ichimatsu close behind him, he sniffed his way to the konbini's entrance and then away from it, coming to a quick halt at the crosswalk that led to the other side of the street. Lifting a paw, he straightened his nose in that direction, and his tail stiffened out as he stared intently across the road. "Uh..that way?" Ichimatsu asked, and Jysushimatsu let out a long howl before quickly prowling forward. With the hoop of the leash around his wrist and held tightly in his hand, Ichimatsu was forced to follow. "Hey, HEY, careful! It doesn't say walk yet!"

When they reached the other side, after sniffing around for another moment, Jyushi took a sharp right and began heading back the way they came, but on the opposite side of the street this time. This wasn't totally unusual, as when Jyushimatsu got really into character, it was nearly impossible to snap him out of it. So for now, Ichimatsu was forced to follow along as Jyushimatsu kept his nose to the pavement, following some invisible trail at a speed well outside of Ichimatsu's usual comfort zone.

After a few unexpected turns and about a mile jog, they finally came to their first stop, leaving Ichimatsu completely out of breath. The pained expression on his face, coupled with the way he keeled over and gripped his chest, probably gave passersby the impression that he was having a heart attack.

"J-...Jyushimatsu..!" he panted, being pulled forward a few steps more while Jyushimatsu continued to sniff determinedly at the automatic doors of the supermarket they'd stopped in front of. It seemed like, for a moment, Jyushi was going to set foot inside, even peeking his head through the doors, but he quickly followed that invisible trail right back out and began prowling forward and past the store as well. Ichimatsu let out a near-inhuman grunt of anguish before sucking in a deep breath and following after him once again.

Best-case scenario, Jyushimatsu was leading them to some kind of low-key, banger food stall in the middle of nowhere. Worst-case, it was some kind of dead animal again. But even the former didn't seem worth it at this point because Ichimatsu soon got to a point where he had to squeeze his eyes shut to maintain any kind of composure, facing the sky and putting more than a little faith in Jyushimatsu to not lead them astray while he neglected his body's every plea to slow down in favor of keeping up with his brother.

He was the sextuplet with the least stamina, so why would fate have it that he got along best with the one of them that had the most?

"Jyushi...Jyushimatsu...slow- slow down!" he pleaded through a myriad of exhausted breaths, finally opening an eye just milliseconds before the strained leash in his hand went slack and Jyushimatsu skidded to a halt in front of him. Having been completely unprepared for this, the leash distance between them was quickly closed, and Ichimatsu tripped over him.

"....thanks," he muffled wryly into the pavement. But despite the surprise of the fall, he found solace in the peace of laying face first on the ground where he had landed. He remained like that for a while, letting himself catch his breath before finally propping himself up to see their surroundings and where exactly Jyushimatsu had brought them.

He began scanning the area before his eyes locked on Jyushi, who was sitting exactly where he had skidded to a halt. "Really? All of that because you wanted to go to the park?" he mused with a tone that bordered on annoyance. But when Jyushimatsu barked, spinning in a small circle, he just heaved a sigh, rolling his eyes and picking himself up off the ground along with the leash he'd dropped. "You could have just said that, y'know. I know I said it's a pain to walk here, but if you really wanted to- hey!" Mid-sentence, as soon as the end of the leash was back in his hand, Jyushimatsu pounced forward, but unlike last time, Ichimatsu stood his ground, not ready to run again and holding his brother at bay. "HEY, HEY, HEY! What is up with you!?"

Jyushimatsu let out a quick howl, striking the hunting dog pose again in the direction he'd tried to run before looking back at Ichimatsu this time and literally pointing to something over yonder. "Look, look!" Still tired and confused by his brother's behavior, he stood still and watched his frantic waving and pointing for a few seconds before his eyes finally trailed up to what he was pointing to.

In a rush of feelings that he wished he'd grown used to already, Ichimatsu's face went cold, and his heart made one large jump, no, leap inside his chest at the sight of the person standing not far in the distance.

"There she is!" Jyushimatsu cheered proudly and moved to run in their direction again, calling out to them loudly. "Hey, hey! Y/-" but he was almost instantly cut off. His collar was pulled tightly backward, and a hand was clamped over his mouth as Ichimatsu put him in a headlock and threw the both of them over a bench to duck for cover.

Still restrained, he looked up curiously at his older brother, who was breathing heavily, not from the exercise this time. Although the red on his face may lead one to believe that. Jyushimatsu muffled something through his hand, and Ichimatsu's panicked eyes darted to him. After another moment, he lifted his hand to let him speak.

"WH-" The hand was immediately clamped back down, and Ichimatsu used his other arm to raise a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet. Jyushi nodded, and the hand was removed once again, but the headlock stayed in place. "What's wrong?" Jyuhi whispered, glancing around suspiciously and cocking his head to the side as best he could. "Don't you wanna say hi?"

Ichimatsu didn't answer, but finally released his brother, confident in his change of tone that he wasn't going to do anything rash. The two of them moved to sit on their knees, spinning around to peek at you from behind the bench. You were standing by the playground equipment, just off the sidewalk, and scrolling on your phone. Luckily, you hadn't heard Jyushimatsu earlier. That, or they ducked out of sight just in time if you had. And while Ichimatsu's eyes were fixed on you, Jyushimatsu's returned to watching his brother, a fact Ichimatsu quickly became aware of and shrunk into himself.

"You wanted to see her again, right?" Jyushimatsu whispered. "Every time we go out, you look around like you're looking for something. You really want to see her again!"

Ichimatsu ducked back behind the bench again at his brother's sudden increase in volume, and he was quickly reminded that Jyushi was the only brother he had talked to about you and what had happened last week.

"And now I've seen her. Thanks. You were a big help. Can we go home now?" Ichimatsu attempted to reason, but it came out nervous and frantic as he sunk further into himself. Jyushi's ears went flat with a whine, which brought Ichimatsu to his senses a little. The shame of being so afraid in front of his little brother made him avoid looking him in the eye. "I... I'm not ready."

"It's okay!" Jyushimatsu perked up, his tail thumping against the ground. "I'll just go say hi then!" He moved to stand up, but Ichimatsu was quick to grab him by the collar, yanking him right back down.

"N-no! I..." Ichimatsu took a deep breath, pressing his hand to his chest and waiting for his heartbeat to slow. Turning back around, he peeked at you from behind the bench again. You hadn't moved from that spot, only resting a hand on your hip as you continued to scroll with what looked like grocery bags hanging from both arms. "Okay, let's... let's say hi."

Jyushimatsu almost howled excitedly again, but Ichimatsu was quick to shush him with a hand over his mouth, and the yellow brother smiled bashfully as it was removed. "Haha... sorry!" Jyushi's eyes narrowed at you, pupils going wide before his tail started wagging again. "I'll go first!"

Ichimatsu's brows knitted together in thought as he glanced between you and his brother. "You can come show yourself afterward! That way, you'll have time to back out if you get scared!"

"That... that would probably be best," Ichimatsu said gratefully, if not a little embarrassed that Jyushimatsu knew him so well. "Okay..." Reaching over, he undid the leash's clasp on Jyushimatsu's collar before wrapping it up and tucking it into the pocket of his hoodie. "Just... just give me a signal or something when you think I should come out..."

"You got it, coach!"

"K... let's do this."

ー

You might have been spoiled for choice, but at the moment, you couldn't find a single song you were satisfied with starting your journey home with. Swiping through and jumping between different music apps didn't offer much of a solution either, so with an indifferent hum, you once again settled on shuffling your main playlist, content just to be able to mute the world around you for a while.

That was until an unusually loud sound managed to break through the highest volume of your earbuds, and you instinctively pulled one out, glancing around for the source curiously.

"Bark!"

It only took a 180 for you to figure it out, your eyes widening in a mix of alarm and confusion when you turned around and saw what appeared to be a large... dog? Charging right at you. It was moving fast, and you made only about half a step back before it reached you, pouncing and knocking you to the ground with an incredible amount of force.

The first thing that went through your system was the illusion of pain when you half-expected being knocked to the ground to end in your head busting open on the pavement, but you were lucky enough to have fallen back into one of the small, soft areas of grass that ran between the sidewalk and play equipment. But beginning to regain your bearings after the initial shock didn't do a whole lot to help you grasp the situation when you were eye to eye with the creature on top of you.

"Hi, Y/n!" They panted out happily, the snout of what you were beginning to recognize to be a costume pressed to the tip of your own nose.

That was your name. How did it know your name?

"Uh-" You could only make a small sound in response, and they finally pulled their face back a little, just enough for you to take in their features. Specifically, the wide, familiar smile they wore as they beamed down at you.

"...Jyushimatsu Matsuno?" You were surprised you could find the clarity to not only recall but voice his name in this situation, and he panted happily.

"That's me! You remembered!" He cheered, following it up with a howl, and you winced at his volume. "How's it goin'?"

Instinctively, you attempted to move, but found yourself pinned to the ground, not so much on purpose, it seemed, but thanks to the weight of his paws on your shoulder as he continued to smile down at you, awaiting your answer.

Finally, an awkward smile made its way onto your face. "I'm good. How...are you?"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

Before he could answer, he looked back in the direction of a different voice, and you did your best to look past him as well in search of its source, but a split second later, his weight was lifted off of you as somebody gripped him by the collar and literally threw him off of you and to the side.

"What the f**k was that?! That was the opposite of what you were supposed to do!" As the voice continued to yell, you began to sit up yourself, but you were still a little too taken aback by the shock of what just happened to understand much more than a slew of panicked Japanese curses.

"Sorry!" Jyushimatsu was already back at your side, and before you knew it, he'd shoved his head under your arm, beginning to help you up. "I got excited!" He laughed, coming up behind you to give you a push. He did so with enough force to bring you to your feet completely, even if you froze in surprise in a bit of an awkward stance because of it.

It was then that you were actually able to take in the identity of the other person, surprised the purple hadn't made it clear to you earlier.

"Ichimatsu?"

Having been distracted scolding his still carefree, dog-dressed brother, he swallowed, or more accurately, choked at the sound of his name, turning to you with that air of suffocating panic you were beginning to grow accustomed to. He made a few awkward throat sounds looking you up and down while flexing his fingers as if desperately needing someone to cling to. But before you could say another word, he began frantically searching around you on the ground with a still panicked but more focused expression as he scrambled to pick up the groceries you'd dropped.

When he finished collecting everything off of the ground, he gripped the bags by their handles, lumped together in an awkward mess as he held them out to you. "H-here! I-I'm sorry! He usually knows better than that!" You carefully untangled the mess of bags from his hands, hanging them much more comfortably over your wrists.

"O-oh! Thank you!" you said, looking down at the sound of a small bark to see Jyushimatsu standing on all fours at your side, holding something in his mouth. You held your hand out, and he dropped something into your palm. It was the earbud you'd dropped in the fray as well, with minimal slobber at that. "...thank you?" you added slowly, and Jyushimatsu barked happily, rounding you to sit by his brother.

There was, of course, an awkward silence that followed. The strangeness of the situation was dawning on you, but you couldn't muster up the energy for whatever you thought would be an appropriate response. Instead, your mind turned to wondering if this counted as Ichimatsu approaching you, as you had previously stated would be your condition for talking again. By all means, he might just be performing damage control for his brother, and you didn't want to force him into an unnecessary conversation or line of questioning he wasn't ready for, even if you could technically be considered the victim in this situation.

Technically, he technically hadn't said-

"H-hi," he said in a quiet voice, snapping you out of your overthinking. Even offering a weak wave while a light pink color appeared on his cheeks.

That's all you needed.

"Hi!" you said, humor lining your voice. "Fancy running into you here?"

Jyushimatsu seemed to laugh, while Ichimatsu remained bashfully silent, and your attention was brought back down to the yellow brother. How would you even begin to question this?

"Are you two...on a walk?"

"Yep!" Jyushimatsu barked enthusiastically, and Ichimatsu nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh? Do you guys do this a lot?"

"Uhu! uhu! uhu!" Jyushimatsu nodded fast.

"When the weather's nice," Ichimatsu added offhandedly, pulling a leash from his hoodie pocket and clipping it to his brother's collar.

If you had heard that string of words in any other context, you could imagine a whole slew of unsavory connotations. But right here, right now, you could only take it in the context of exactly what you saw in front of you.

"Hmm," you just hummed with a nod. Was this a Japanese thing? Should you be weirded out? Why weren't you more weirded out? All excellent questions, none of which you had the answer to. But rolling with the punches had been the name of the game so far, so you weren't about to stop now.

"What about you?" Jyushimatsu asked, sniffing at your bags.

"Grocery shopping!" you replied enthusiastically, and Jyushimatsu exhaled with a smile. A thoughtful look overtook your expression, and you finally remembered what you were up to just a few minutes ago. "Actually, I better get going," you said, giving your bags a small shake.

"Already?!" the purple brother exclaimed in a similar Ichimatsu fashion, his attempts to appear calm up until now foiled by the idea of your reunion ending so soon. He was quick to cough into his hand, backtracking, while Jyushimatsu chuckled.

"I'm afraid so," you admitted, sad to disappoint him, but you had to remind yourself that you had priorities today. "It was nice seeing you again." You glanced down at Jyushimatsu. "Both of you!" you added.

Ichimatsu looked like he wanted to say more, but you both just had to put faith in the fact that you'd see each other again at some point, even if this time wasn't the grand reunion he'd been hoping for.

"I'll see you around," you nodded, sealing the deal and letting him know you'd be the one to approach him next time. Luckily, he seemed to pick up on your unspoken words, and his disappointment lifted a good bit as he nodded back.

"See you around," he agreed, and you gave the two of them a small wave before turning away and heading towards the park's exit.

"Bye!" Jyushimatsu waved you off enthusiastically, and Ichimatsu almost found himself glued to his spot, watching you leave. But he forced himself to move, turning away in case this time you turned back and caught him staring.

He heaved a sigh, looked to the ground, and missed the way Jyushimatsu stiffened and grunted in surprise when his brother gave a harsh pull on the leash.

"What is it now?" he asked with an annoyed look, raising a brow at the way Jyushimatsu was intently sniffing the air.

"Do you smell that?" Jyushimatsu asked, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth with a hungry expression.

"I told you we're not doing this—" But Ichimatsu cut himself off, getting a whiff of exactly what he could figure out Jyushimatsu was referring to. "Oh... that does smell good..." he whispered. "Where's it coming from?"

You hadn't made it too far at that point, their conversation and Jyushimatsu's excited barks turning your attention back to the pair of brothers.

Taking a small sniff of the air yourself, you caught on to exactly what they were talking about. It was the delicious smell of warm meat and spices, and it had to be close by.

Jyushimatsu continued to sniff around in the air for a few seconds before letting out a long howl and striking the hunting dog pose, pointing to the other side of the park. And it was there the source of the smell was obvious.

"Korean barbecue," Ichimatsu whispered, and you looked over to see the food truck in question. Jyushimatsu cheered and attempted to run in its direction, only for Ichimatsu to stand his ground, yanking him back by his leash.

Jyushimatsu whimpered, looking up at him curiously.

"Do you have any money?" Ichimatsu asked, and Jyushimatsu patted himself down, seemingly coming up empty and shaking his head. "That's what I thought. Me neither, so we're out of luck." Ichimatsu shrugged, and Jyushimatsu whined sadly. "Some other time. C'mon, let's go."

You had completely stopped in your tracks at this point, having turned to keep on your merry way, but a small internal debate kept you from moving any farther. Maybe that onigiri this morning hadn't been as filling as you'd thought.

"Hey, wait up!"

Jyushimatsu was the first to spin around at the sound of your voice, while you jogged to close the distance you'd originally put between yourself and the pair of brothers. Ichimatsu had to grip his leash once more as he pulled on it, you could only assume to keep him from pouncing on you again, and his own expression was beyond curious as you stopped in front of them with a wide smile.

"Are you guys hungry?"

ー

"You really don't have to..." Ichimatsu managed to whisper, standing just a little behind as you and Jyushimatsu eagerly looked over the menu displayed on the side of the truck. He would have been more insistent if it wasn't for the fact that he was hungry, and with only Jyushimatsu around, he was comfortable enough that he wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to spend time with you.

"For real, it's my treat. I want to, so don't worry about it," you reassured him. He was surprised that you had heard him, a little embarrassed, but stepped up to get a better look at the menu himself when you and Jyushimatsu waved him closer.

"K-bbq..." you hummed to yourself, looking over the somewhat unfamiliar menu of tasty sounding options. Your attention turned down to Jyushimatsu's wagging tail and you smiled. "Do you know what you're getting?" you asked and he nodded excitedly.

"Yeah! Yeah!"

"I think I know too! What about you?" you looked at Ichimatsu, who swallowed hard at your attention but nodded as well. "Alright, I think we're all set then!" you grinned and turned your attention to the line of about seven people that would be waiting ahead of you. "Guess we've got a little bit of a wait though..." you laughed, but as you moved to get in line, Ichimatsu stepped up beside you.

"Ah, wait!" he began, quickly cutting himself off when he realized his volume was too loud. "I- I can wait if you want to go sit down. Just- just tell me what you want, I can order." He nodded towards the benches by the play equipment a little ways across the park.

"Aww, you don't have to do that."

"It's the least I can do...trust me," his voice trailed off, but you were happy to see him lighten up a little, so you decided to agree.

"If you're really okay with it, then sure, that would be great. Thank you," you admitted and began rooting for some cash. A humorous smile crossed your face as you pulled a mess of 100 and 500 yen coins from your purse and filled his hand. "That should be enough," you laughed at the look he gave the mess of coins, but his expression quickly softened. He shoved the handful of change into the pocket of his hoodie with a smile of his own. "Gee, thanks," he rolled his eyes playfully, then looked down at Jyushimatsu. "Why don't you go with her?" Jyushi tilted his head before nodding and stepping up beside you. "Oh..." It was then that Ichimatsu realized something. He slipped the loop of his leash off of his wrist, looked at it, and then at you for a moment, hesitating before holding it out to you. "Here..."

"..."

"..."

"...oh! You want me to..." After staring at it for a few seconds, you finally realized what he was doing and slowly reached out to take the end of the leash from him. "Okay, got it, haha.." Your eyes trailed down the leash to the... person... attached to it, and being the one holding it this time, you were reminded that you had probably moved on from the strangeness of that detail a little too quickly earlier. But it was a little too late to be questioning it now. "Bye!" You gave Ichimatsu a quick wave and were pulled in the direction of the benches as soon as you'd slipped the leash over your wrist.

It was nice to sit down, or more specifically, to slip the bags off of your wrists. You were able to set them on the bench at either side of you since Jyushimatsu had chosen to stay in character and sit on the ground in front of the bench instead. There was a bit of silence after that, but not the awkward kind. You watched Ichimatsu from a distance, seeing the line slowly move, and him eventually make it to the counter, ordering and stepping to the side to wait for all of your food.

Jyushimatsu seemed to be doing the same because when your eyes trailed down to him, he was sitting attentively in the direction of his brother, ears perked and at attention as he watched him as well. Resting your arm on your knee and head in your hand, you were immediately fighting the urge to do something you knew you shouldn't. But in the end, you couldn't help it and slowly reached your free hand out and gently lowered it from behind him, giving the top of his head and the ears of his costume a small ruffle.

Your hand stayed in place, waiting for any kind of reaction as you came to terms with the fact that you probably shouldn't have done that. But he stayed perfectly still, and just as slowly as you'd lowered it, you lifted your hand from his head and pulled it back.

You were questioning if he'd even noticed, but then his head spun around to look at you with a loud huff and furrowed brows that contrasted his always-wide smile. You jumped just a little, tucking both of your hands behind your back in surprise and apology. "Sorry!" You apologized quickly, but his intense stare didn't budge, and you found yourself leaning away as he moved closer with narrowed eyes. "I-"

You were about to apologize again but were interrupted when he came in close, jumping up to prop his paws on your knees and pant at you happily after an enthusiastic bark. "Did you like that?" You questioned, but he didn't exactly answer. Instead, his tail picked up its pace, wagging fiercely. "Oh... okay?" You reached out your hand again, smiling awkwardly when he immediately headbutted into it.

You gave in pretty quickly, giving his head and ears a good scratch that he seemed to relish in as he closed his eyes and melted into your touch.

"Yeah, I think this might be weird," you said to yourself quietly as a way of accepting that this was, in fact, the situation you currently found yourself in. Jyushimatsu seemed to hear you, letting out a small, breathy laugh in response but continued to enjoy your scratches with an increasingly relaxed expression.

That was until he froze, eyes snapping open with large pupils.

"Are you okay?" You questioned, changing your method a bit, but he didn't react, not even leaning into your hand like he had before. His eyes seemed to have focused on something, and you looked in the direction he was staring, squinting to focus on the only thing you could imagine he was looking at. "The cat?" You questioned, eyeing what looked to be a gray tabby happily rubbing itself against a piece of playground equipment.

Your hand was still on his head, so before you even heard it, you felt a low grumble rise out of him. Yep, that was a growl.

"Hey! Woah, woah, wait!" You probably should have seen it coming, but before you could stop him, he let out a rough bark and booked it in the direction of the feline. You gripped the leash tightly as he took off, and as a result, you were pulled to your feet in the process and had to run after him in the direction of the tabby as well. "Jyushimatsu, slow down!" Of course, when the cat saw him fast approaching, it was quick to run out of the park and out of sight, but Jyushimatsu was determined to follow. Attempting to sink your heels into the dirt to stop him proved hopeless, so you were forced to follow after him while calling his name fell on deaf ears.

Why didn't you just let go of the leash? Maybe because you were worried about the cat. Or maybe because you didn't want to have to tell Ichimatsu that you'd "lost" his brother. Either way, you thanked God that you'd worn good sneakers and did your best to run along behind him. You were aware that you probably looked like a crazy person, not walking, or even jogging, but literally sprinting through the street in the middle of the afternoon.

This continued for a few minutes in a seemingly hopeless chase until you finally forced yourself to let go of the leash and come to a stop, out of breath and frustrated in a part of the Akatsuka ward you weren't even sure you recognized.

Keeling over, you called out to him one more time and were surprised to see him finally come to a stop when he realized you weren't following him anymore. Picking up the end of the leash in his mouth, he even walked it back to you.

With half-lidded eyes, you glared at him exasperatedly. "Really, all I had to do was ask?" You asked rhetorically, but he nodded, and you rolled your eyes. "Good to know..." You whispered. It seemed like he wanted you to take the leash again, but you hesitated, giving him another small warning glare before accepting. You were scared when he started moving that he was going to take off again, and it seemed he noticed your reluctance.

"Come on!" He waved for you to follow, continuing forward at a much more mellow pace.

You followed, eyeing him suspiciously and about to question where he was going, but he only took you around another corner before your destination became clear. It was a little baseball stadium. You probably would have noticed you were so close to it sooner if you hadn't been so distracted.

Jyushimatsu also finally stood up on two feet, and you side-eyed him as he shimmied out of the dog costume, revealing what appeared to be a baseball uniform underneath. He even pulled a cap out of seemingly nowhere and put it on his head.

"Wait, were you even chasing that cat?!" You asked indignantly, quickly realizing this was WAY too much of a coincidence.

"Uh-huh!" He nodded. "I lost it right after we left the park though! Those things are fast!"

"THEN WHY WERE YOU-" You cut yourself off, taking a deep breath. "Why did you keep running?"

"You seemed like you were having fun! You said you like to run, remember?"

"..."

That silly fricking smile.

"Yes, that is... something that I said." You sighed, your irritation finally melting away. Easier than usual, in part because you were tired out now. You glanced out into the small stadium. It looked like one that was probably built for school games. "You're a big fan of baseball, huh?"

"Oh yeah! I love baseball!" He made a swinging motion as if he was holding a bat.

"What position do you play?" You asked, not knowing much about the sport yourself, but deciding to make conversation. When in Rome, after all.

"Oh, I-" He seemed to freeze, glancing away in a manner that told you he wasn't sure how to respond. "I play a little bit of everything!" He seemed to come up with an answer, and you smirked. You weren't sure if he was lying, but it was funny in the sense that he didn't seem at all sure of his answer.

He didn't seem discouraged at all, though, and began spouting out random baseball terms while striking different poses. You just nodded, humoring him as you took a seat on a nearby bleacher.

"And this is what they call the follow-through!"

"The hybrid hitter!"

"The slap hitter!"

"The barrel dropper!"

At one point, he even ran down into the field, so you stood up to lean against the fence and watch him as he played out at least half a game of baseball without a bat, glove, ball, or other players.

"SAAAAFE!" He announced proudly as he slid into what would have been home base, jumping quickly from his slide-in position to that of the umpire and then back to the ground. "Jyushimatsu wins the championship trophy!" He cheered for himself, and you couldn't help it any longer, letting out a loud whistle and clapping for him yourself.

"Whoo! Way to go!"

"Haha..." He laughed bashfully before pretending to claim his trophy.

A little after that, he finally found himself sitting on the bleacher beside you, continuing to rant about baseball. You didn't have much to do other than listen, propping your head in your hand, and watching him with more interest in his eccentricities than the topic itself. However, that didn't stop you from trying your hardest to keep up with his sporadic method of storytelling. It also occurred to you that Jyushimatsu would be the third Matsuno sibling that you had spent one-on-one time with, the first two being Ichimatsu and Choromatsu. You appreciated how vastly different they all seemed to be in terms of personality, which became even more apparent when they were apart from each other.

After the events of the day so far, you had begun to wonder if Jyushimatsu would be a bit harder to connect with, but the longer you sat with him, the more you caught onto the fact that he seemed to pay more attention to the things other people said than his "facial expression" would lead you to believe.

Jysushimatsu eventually went through his victory speech, thanking each of his brothers, his parents, this Chibita you had heard of before, and someone named Totoko before taking a deep bow, his hat flying off in the process.

"Oh!" You reached down into the bleachers where it had fallen, managing to grip the brim with the tips of your fingers and pull it back up. "Got it!" You announced. You were about to hand it back to him but paused, looking at the kanji on the front and noticing that it matched the one on his uniform. He must have noticed your curious expression because he tilted his head and you apologized, finally handing it back to him.

"Sorry! I was wracking my brain. That kanji. I was trying to remember what it was for."

"Matsu!"

"Huh?"

"Us! It's the kanji for Matsu, Matsu, Matsu!" He cheered, flexing his arms.

"Oh! Like "end"! Like..." You thought for a second. "Getsumatsu. Like the end of the month?"

"Nope! Strike one! Like pine! Pine tree, pine wood, pine field! Bingo! That's us! We're the Pinefields!"

"Pinefield..." You hummed, trying to picture it in your head. "Matsu... if that's the kanji for pine... Oh! Matsu-No! 'No', like the kanji for field! Pine-field!" You were a little embarrassed getting as excited as you had, but you were proud of yourself for figuring it out.

"Yoooouu got it! Good job! Home run!" He cheered, and you laughed.

"Sorry, Kanji are hard." You sighed.

"Nah!" He waved a hand dismissively.

"They are for me, I'm afraid. I think I've spent more time working on reading kanji than anything else." You laughed, and he stood up.

"I can help you!"

"Hm?"

"I can help you! Here, look!" Before you could question what he meant, he jumped off of the bleachers and over the fence into the field again. You followed him as best you could, watching through the fence as he crouched near the umpire's spot and used a stick he'd picked up to draw something in the soft dirt.

Still crouching, he looked back up at you before glancing down at what he'd drawn.

日没

"Uhh..."

"What's this one?" He pointed to the first kanji.

日

"Oh, that's easy. It means day."

"Errr!" He made a buzzer sound with his mouth, crossing his arms in front of him in an X. "Strike one! Try again!"

"Yes, it does!" You said, offended. "I know that for sure!"

"One word," He held up one finger, "two kanji!" He put up another finger. "What does it represent here specifically?"

"Uhh," you thought about the kanji's other meanings. "Sun?"

"You got it!" He cheered, turning his attention to the second kanji. "On deck! And this one?"

没

You squinted; this one was a little harder but one you were familiar with. Still, if he was being specific with the meaning, that meant you only had like a one in six chance of getting it right here. "Mmmmm..." You hummed, glancing up at him then back down to the kanji. "Sink. Like, to sink."

He gave you a big thumbs up. "Good job! We're in the 9th inning now! Time to choke up! What do they mean together?"

"What they mean together?" You were going to put faith in the idea that he was specific with their meanings for a reason. "Sun and sink..." You whispered to yourself.

Sinking sun? When does the sun sink?

That's when it clicked and you looked at the sky, your face lighting up.

"Sunset!"

"You got it! Homerun!" He cheered, rubbing out the kanji in the dirt before jumping back over the fence. "Hustle Hustle! Muscle Muscle!"

You laughed as he came up at your side, cheering excitedly. "Thank you, Jyushi. But that was an easy one. Clever, though." You admitted, looking at the orange and darkening sky. You also couldn't help but wonder if he was just making a fun correlation, or if that was his own little round about way of letting you know how late it was getting.

"Wait..."

"Hah?" He tilted his head at the way your expression dropped.

"Oh my gosh!"

"Hah?!"

"My groceries! I left them in the park!"

"Ahh...oh! Sorry!" He deflated as you did.

"Oh, it's...it's okay." You sighed, doing your best to cheer yourself up. "Somebody probably took or threw them out by now, but I can go shopping again tomorrow. I didn't have a whole lot anyway."

Jyushimatsu perked up as you did as well.

"Still, we better get going, it's getting late."

"Hah!" Jyushimatsu huffed in agreement, and the two of you finally made your way out of the stadium and back onto the street, beginning to head back the way you'd come.

"..."

"..."

"OH MY GOSH!"

"Hah?!?"

"We ditched Ichimatsu!"

Chapter Text

"C'mon, say it! Just once!"

Currently, twirling around the Matsuno household was the oldest son with his youngest brother thrown over his shoulder. There was a giddy smile on Osomatsu's face, all the while Todomatsu's annoyed yelling became just as amusing as the words the eldest was trying to coax out of him.

"PUT ME THE HELL DOWN!" Todomatsu screeched, pounding on his brother's back with a ferocity that told you only one of them was playing around in this situation.

"Put me down, ----?" Osomatsu prompted, only to be met with a sharp knee to his chest. He keeled over in pain for just a moment, but his smile quickly returned, and he used all his strength to still keep Todomatsu situated on his shoulder. "We had the whole day alone together, and you didn't say it once! What happened to my baby brother, huh?"

"He's dead, and you're gonna be too in a second if you don't put me down!" Todomatsu screeched.

Osomatsu faked a sigh. "Welp, guess we're gonna have to do this the hard way."

"Don't you dare."

"And I'm sure Karamatsu will want to join too! Hey, Karamatsu!" He cupped his free hand around his mouth, turning with Todomatsu still on his shoulder to yell in the direction of the stairs. "Totty's being stubborn! I think we need to teach him another-" But before he could finish, he was interrupted by another fit of Todomatsu's violent flailing, and the youngest was finally able to thrash enough to make Osomatsu lose his balance and bring them both to the ground.

He'd been stuck with Osomatsu all day, and the eldest hadn't given him a moment to himself. Now that Karamatsu was home, he did not need two of his annoying older brothers all over him.

But even on the ground, before he could make a run for it, Osomatsu reached out and locked his arms around Todomatsu's torso from behind, pulling him back to collide against his soft chest and trap him in a bear hug, rubbing their cheeks together. "Aww, nice try, Totty, but your Niichan's got you~"

"Ugh..." Todomatsu groaned, going limp in defeat while Osomatsu laughed into his ear, clearly enjoying this moment to baby the youngest far more than he should.

"Daww, c'mon, just once. Call me "Niichan". Pwease!" The eldest teased, reigniting Todomatsu's annoyance, and he quickly raised his hands to push their faces away from each other.

"F**k no!"

"Say it!"

This time, they were both interrupted, and their tussle on the ground came to a comical pause when their front door was thrown open.

"Ichimatsu, welcome back!" Osomatsu was the first to greet the returning brother, and Todomatsu took the distraction as his opportunity to escape, shoving Osomatsu to the floor and standing up to brush himself off indignantly.

Oso remained comfortably on his back, on the ground, cracking up lazily. At first, the two of them were too distracted by their quarrel to notice the way Ichimatsu had frozen in the doorway, but when he rushed past them with something in his arms, they shared a questioning look and quickly moved to follow.

"Hey, what's..." Osomatsu began to ask, but the question tapered off when the purple brother quickly whipped around to face them in the kitchen.

Ichimatsu was panting and sweaty, as if he'd run home, and his face held that signature look of overwhelmed, Ichimatsu panic. Stranger still were the six or so full plastic bags he was struggling to hold to his chest, and the take-out containers were just barely balancing on top. Not having the best grip on anything, Ichimatsu pushed past him and Todomatsu without explaining himself to set what he was holding on their table. He only managed to grow more frantic when a few items fell from the bags and he scrambled to pick them up.

"Woah, did you... go grocery shopping?"

"And what's this? It smells pretty good," Todomatsu added, lifting the lid of one of the take-out containers to get a look at its contents, only for Ichimatsu to roughly slam it shut with his fist, making his younger brother jump away but smashing through the styrofoam and into its contents in the process.

"Don't touch that!" Ichimatsu barked fiercely.

"Woah, woah, take it easy!" Osomatsu coaxed, taking a step closer to his anxious brother while Todomatsu took a disgusted step back. "What's going on? What is all this stuff?" he asked, raising a humorous brow.

"They're... they're..." Ichimatsu finally took a second to think, looking at the grocery bags before taking a deep breath to calm himself down. "Y/n's. They're... Y/n's."

"Y/n?"

"Y/n?!"

Osomatsu and Todomatsu repeated the name in unison.

"The chick from last week?" Osomatsu questioned further, his grin growing with excitement.

Ichimatsu nodded, coming to terms with the fact that he wasn't keeping your existence a secret from his brothers anymore.

Withough explaining further, he turned back to the bags on the counter and busied himself straightening them up. All while growing shamefully aware that after your tumble from earlier and their not-so-smooth ride here with him, their contents would be lucky to still be in any kind of good shape. His work was quickly interrupted by Osomatsu's loud guffawing behind him, and he turned to see his older brother's wide, curious smile and Todomatsu's equally curious, cynical scowl.

"And are you gonna tell us what you're doing with her groceries?" Todomatsu raised a brow, looking up and down Ichimatsu's shaky frame skeptically before glancing around the room and back towards their front door. "And where's Jyushimatsu? Didn't he go with you?"

What was he doing with your groceries? That was a good question.

"I- I...I don't know!" He finally admitted, raising his voice and lurching forward to grip Osomatsu by the front of his hoodie before grabbing fistfuls of his own hair and stressfully recalling the situation. "We ran into each other at the park and- and Jyushimatsu dragged her off! I- I don't know where he f**king took her, but she dropped all her stuff and I couldn't find them anywhere!"

"Hey, hey, it's okay. Calm down." Osomatsu gave him a pat on the back, trying to calm him down again but the look on his face was clearly more amused than concerned. "You said Jyushimatsu dragged her off?" He snorted. "How the hell did that happen?"

"She- she was holding his leash...."

"Wait - " Todomatsu cut in, holding a hand up as he stepped in front of Oso. "You made a girl... hold Jyushimatsu's leash?"

Ichimatsu swallowed, glancing to the side before nodding and Todomatsu pinched the bridge of his nose, taking a step back in despair. "She's never gonna believe we're normal people..." He lamented quietly.

"Anyway!" Osomatsu cut in this time and slid past Ichimatsu while he was distracted, rubbing his hands together eagerly before diving into one of your bags. "Let's see what kind of stuff chicks like to shop for!"

"Cut that out!" Ichimatsu snatched away the bag he was rooting through, quickly shoving himself between his brother and your groceries to act as a shield. But Osomatsu just smirked, and Ichimatsu was successfully outnumbered when he looked over to see Todomatsu looking into one of your bags as well. "What the hell?! Knock it off!"

"Aww, you can't tell me you're not curious." Osomatsu teased. "Besides, they're just groceries, right?" Proving his point, he reached under Ichimatsu's arms and into a bag behind him, pulling something round out to wave in front of his face. "See?" It was an onion.

Ichimatsu deflated, his defensive posture relaxing. While he wasn't at all on board with the idea of invading your privacy like this, he was fighting a losing battle to keep the two of them away.

Or maybe that's what he was telling himself to deny the fact that, in the end, he was equally as nosey as his brothers.

At the very least, if they were going to be nosey creeps together, he could make sure his brother didn't damage any of your stuff before he could return it to you.

"Mushrooms, cabbage, wow that's a lot of Wasabi...." Osomatsu muttered. "Just vegetables in here. What about you, Totty?" He looked to their younger brother.

"Curry roux and some kind of cooking oil." Todomatsu also pulled out a container of cut fruit from your bag, examining it with interest. "Looks like she eats pretty healthy," he commented before setting it aside. "Or maybe not." The bitter youngest actually smiled, and Osomatsu moved to stand beside him to see what he'd found. Ichimatsu had to rush to grab the bag of vegetables he'd been looking through before everything rolled out of it and onto the ground.

"Almond Pocky, jelly-filled marshmallows, and a bunch of gummies. Heh, guess she's got a sweet tooth."

"There's just a bunch of meat in this one."

Osomatsu turned to the purple brother with a grin. "Hey, Ichimatsu, check this out." He held up a small bottle of hot sauce. "Looks like she likes a little spice~" He waggled his eyebrows

Ichimatsu only glowered. "Yeah, okay. Can we please just put everything back now?"

"Oh- OH! Found something!" Osomatsu's grin turned wicked when he supposedly felt something of interest from within your bags. "It feels long and hard and!- okay, nope, never mind, just a daikon."

Ichimatsu took a step back, shooting both of his brothers a tired scowl. At least they were the only two here right now. He couldn't imagine anything in those bags coming out in very good shape if he had all five of them digging through your stuff.

He was quickly snapped out of his frustrated musing when he saw Todomatsu lift several of your bags from the counter and rushed forward to stop him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Todomatsu rolled his eyes and nodded to the fridge. "Um, do you want this stuff to go bad? It needs to be refrigerated."

"O-oh..." Ichimatsu took a step back, watching as Todomatsu made some room in their fridge for some of your things.

After the perishable items were put away, Osomatsu stepped back and Todomatsu began to organize the rest of the groceries on the kitchen counter. Ichimatsu watched as his brother went about the task, secretly grateful for his thoughtfulness but further frustrated to have not thought to do so himself.

"Aww, don't be making that face." Ichimatsu's grimace remained in place when Osomatsu threw an arm over his shoulder. "You made the right decision coming back here." Oso winked, only reassuring Ichimatsu that he most certainly had not. "Jyushi will take care of her. You've got nothing to worry about. Now let's talk details! It's your fourth time running into this girl, huh? And she still wants to talk to you? I thought for sure after we showed her around she was done with us. How'd you do it?!"

You might have spent a few hours with all of his brothers together, but they were always more well-behaved when they had each other to keep them in check. Now you were alone with the most hyperactive of the bunch. The idea of you interacting alone with any of his brothers had put him on edge, but he was quickly realizing that if you had to be alone with any of them, it might as well be Jyushimatsu. Specifically, because it seemed like the only thing you didn't have patience for was malicious intent, something their rather out-there fifth brother was almost devoid of.

"Come on, Ichimachan, don't ignore me!"

ー

"Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh."

You couldn't believe this.

"Wow! Look how fast you're going! You must have been holding back earlier!" Jyushimatsu commented cheerfully, exerting little effort to follow close behind and match your speed. He seemed completely unconcerned by the whole ordeal, but his voice did serve to remind you that you had no idea where you were going.

You had taken off from the stadium without much thought but had to remember that Jyushimatsu had led you there in the first place, and you were very much in a part of the city you were unfamiliar with.

Skidding to an immediate halt, you began to pull out your phone, hoping to GPS your way back to the park. But Jyushimatsu skidded to a small stop as well, walking backward a few steps as he took the lead, and waved for you to follow him this time.

"Come on!"

You didn't question him, shoving your phone right back into your pocket to follow him on cue. Making this the second time you let him lead you blindly through the city today.

As expected, you had a difficult time keeping up, but as soon as you began to recognize your surroundings, and the park came into view, you managed a burst of speed that took you past the yellow brother for just a moment as you dipped through the park gates.

"Ichimatsu?!" You called out in what was supposed to be a yell but came out strained and quiet thanks to how desperately you needed to catch your breath.

Standing exhausted at the park's entrance, you scanned over all you could see.

It was completely empty, taking on an almost melancholy, orange tint in the dark of the setting sun. Even the food truck from earlier had left. If it had been any of your concern at this point, while glancing over the empty benches, you might have noticed that your groceries were also long gone.

You weren't sure what you were expecting. Of course, he left.

Rather defeatedly, you leaned into the side of the closest bench.

"Jyushimatsu, I'm so sorry..."

"Oh? For what?" He remained a few feet away, and it was in moments like this you were reminded of how unusual that unmoving smile of his was.

"For- Y-your brother! We ditched your brother! I feel so bad. I can't believe I..." You trailed off, once again overly frustrated that even unintentionally, you'd allowed yourself to do something so inconsiderate.

"Nah~ Haha~ Don't worry about it!" Jyushimatsu let out a breathy laugh and gazed at him unconfidently. "Come on!" He flapped his sleeve, waving for you to follow him before turning around to begin heading back out of the park.

You stayed put, expression still unsure and unchanged as he walked out of sight. But after a second, he returned in a flash, waving you to follow him once again with nothing but a happy grunt this time.

"I- okay?" Not giving it much, or perhaps giving it too much thought, you followed after him slowly. "Where... are we going?"

The only answer you received was a closed-eye smile as he did a small spin to face you, and you nearly bumped into him before he continued his relaxed jaunt forward.

"O-okay?"

At least from your perspective, things began to feel awkward again. It seemed your ability to socialize was as fickle as ever. One moment you could get along with anyone and were great at taking charge, but as soon as you began to feel like you were losing control, you were unsure and eager to leave the situation.

It felt wrong to admit after such a friendly evening with the yellow brother, but right now, you were bordering on the latter. You had been doing so well around Ichimatsu's brothers so far, but the dip in mood the night had taken reminded you how little you knew any of them. You were in a country you knew so little about, following a man you hardly knew to an unknown destination.

You needed to leave.

But this rush of awkward thoughts and nervous tension seemed to be completely one-sided because you were pulled from your head by silent humming as Jyushimatsu bounced and twirled with each step forward. After watching him in awe for a second, you raised a hand, covering your mouth to stop a laugh.

"We're here!"

Having not been paying attention, you actually bumped into him this time and quickly apologized. "Oh! Sorry, I..." You took a step back, your eyes trailing up to where he had taken you. "Oh, this is... your house?"

It was the Matsuno's residence, exactly where you had walked Ichimatsu home a week ago. "Why are - " You only got half the question out, cutting yourself off when Jyushimatsu slid open their front door and began stepping inside.

"Come on, come on!" How many times had he beckoned you to follow him tonight already? And this time, you were more reluctant than ever to comply.

"I-I'm sorry?" was the only response you could muster with an unsure smile.

He took another step inside, bouncing on his heels. "Come inside!"

"I don't think that's a good idea," you admitted.

"Look," he said encouragingly, looking at something on the floor inside their door. You were standing off to the side, so you had to take a few steps closer to see what he was talking about and glanced inside their home. "Ichimatsu's home," he said matter-of-factly, and it was then that you realized he was referring to the pair of purple sandals lined against the small step that led into the rest of their house.

"Oh!" you muttered in surprise. "That's- that's good!" You nodded. "I'm glad he didn't wait around for us too long."

"So you should come inside!" Jyushimatsu prompted again.

Jyushimatsu didn't exactly give off any major red flags, but still, this all felt so sudden.

Was that the right way to put it? Sudden? It was more like this wasn't part of the plan. Was there a plan?

"Eh?!" You made a small surprised sound, realizing far too late that your right hand had been taken gently in his sleeved one, and you were being pulled over the threshold.

"It's getting dark!" he said matter-of-factly once again, releasing your hand as soon as you both stood in the small area past the doorway. Circling behind you, he slid the door shut and gave you a big grin before moving on, sliding his shoes off and jumping over the step into the rest of their home. Just like all the other times, it seemed like he wanted you to follow, freezing in his tracks and looking back at you expectantly.

You really were losing your cool a little bit, so you bit your tongue, deciding to do what you did best: roll with the punches. Wordlessly, you took a small breath and moved to follow him. Before you could make it far, though, he made a small sound to stop you.

"Ah."

"I'm sorry, what's..." You didn't even need to finish the question, quickly noticing that he was looking down at your shoes, one of which was already over the step. "Oh! My shoes. Yes, I'm- I'm sorry." You quickly apologized, but he just laughed.

Taking a step back into the small space in front of their door, you found yourself hesitating for a second. This wasn't a custom you were unfamiliar with, just one you had yet to have to practice since your arrival. It also brought to mind the fact that, despite your apartment having a similar space at its door for removing your shoes, you often ignored it in favor of taking them off by your bed.

Once you were in your socks, you tucked your shoes quickly and neatly into the corner farthest from the rest of the family's. "Is that okay?" you asked, and Jyushimatsu nodded with a happy exhale.

In stark contrast to moments earlier when you were grappling with how unfamiliar you were with the yellow brother, now you found yourself sticking stringently close to him as he was the only remotely familiar thing in your new environment.

After opening another door, Jyushimatsu led you to a room with a small round table in its center. You couldn't say you knew much about what era to trace it back to, but the interior matched the exterior well with its fairly traditional Japanese design. It was well-lit, and you had to admit the whole house was comfortably warm. It had an overwhelming sense of homeiness that might have been strong enough to make you let your guard down if you weren't such a ball of nerves right now.

Keeping yourself focused, your eyes immediately trailed to the goldfish light hanging from the ceiling, the television sitting in the corner, and the various frames hung above the other sliding doorways.

"Sit down!" Jyushimatsu invited as he led you over to the small table in the middle of the room, sitting on his knees and patting the spot beside him welcomingly. Brows furrowing a bit, you decided to comply, taking the spot beside him on your knees sheepishly. As soon as you were down, however, he immediately shot back up, heading for the door on the other side of the room. "Wait here!"

"Jyushimatsu, wait I- "

"Tea or soup?"

"I- huh?"

"Tea or soup?" He asked again.

"Soup?" You questioned quietly, wondering what coralation those two things could have but it seemed instead he took it as an answer.

"Soup!"

"Jyushimatsu, please, wait don't- " You'd didn't have time to stop him, flinching at the sound as he stepped through another doorway and enthusiasticly slid it closed behind him.

You were a little less than comfortable being left alone and were growing increasingly nervous each moment he was away. His brother's were home weren't they? What if one of them walked in on you sitting suspiciously in their living room. You were sure you could explain yourself, but the initial panic of that potential situation was more than you wanted to deal with right now. Other than that your only options were getting up and trying to follow him or just leaving. That idea of that last one was slowly growing more and more welcoming the longer you sat. You didn't even have the gall to rest your arms on the table in front of you, your hands fidgeting in your lap as you waited for him to return.

Pretty soon, the sound of approaching footsteps had your already anxious posture stiffen further and the movement of the shogi door in front of you as it began to slide open had you nearly jump from your seat as you quickly prayed that it was just the the yellow brother returning.

"J-Jyushimatsu?

~

"Ichimatsu, calm down. It's gonna be fine~" Osomatsu coaxed, patting his brother's back, but his playful smile and carefree tone didn't all all match the hunkered over, spiraling demeanor of Ichimatsu in the corner.

"This is it... I f**ked it up. She's never gonna want to see me again..." Ichimatsu's dark aura was growing by the second, his eyes wide and lifeless as he curled into a ball in the kitchen corner. Whatever peace of mind he'd managed to achieve early had quickly melted away the more Osomatsu tried to reassure him.

"Well, yeah! But that's okay! I mean, four run-ins with the same girl before she avoids you forever? You set a new record for us! And don't let Choro tell you his meet-and-greets with Nya-chan count, because they don't."

Ichimatsu's grip on his own hair tightened as he spiraled. He felt like he was stuck in a cycle of his own mistakes, each one amplifying the dread and embarrassment he felt about the situation, and his brothers weren't helping.

"I wouldn't worry too much!" Todomatsu chimed in with a subtle smugness from his place at the table. "Worst case scenario, you end up as a funny story she tells her freinds~" Todomatsu rested a hand on his cheek, putting on an exaggerated smile and doing his best girl voice. "Oh my gosh! I met this guy on my trip to Japan and he made me walk his brother like a dog!"

"Would you shut it!" Osomatsu's tone turned more serious as he scolded Todomatsu, who only laughed at his own joke and turned his attention back to his phone. "Don't listen to him. I'm sure she's met weirder guys than us! Probably. Maybe." Osomatsu made himself laugh, shrugging. "Either way it doesn't matter! Don't stress yourself out! Whatever happens is gonna happen~ Right, Jyushimatsu?"

"Right!"

"See?" Oso nodded confidently until the appearance of the fifth brother finally sunk in and they all turned to him in shock.

"Jyushimatsu?!"

Ichimatsu was snapped out of his spiral almost completely, quickly closing the distance between himself and his younger brother.

"Jyushi, you're here?! W-where is she?!" He wasted no time in getting to the point but Jyushimatsu seemed oblivious to what he was asking, stepping around him casually to pull something down from the cupboard.

"Where's who?"

Ichimatsu gripped his hair once again, briefly hunkering down in a kind of stressed-out spasm before Osomatsu patted him on back once again, promtping him to collect himself and be patient with his younger brother. He took a beep breath to collect himself but it was short-lived.

"Y/n! Obviously! Where the hell is Y/n?!"

"Ooooooh..." Jyushin hummed, crouching down to pull a pot from a different cupboard down below. "She's in the TV room!" He said happily,

"Wait, she's here?!" Todomatsu showed an uncharacteristic amount of interest all of a sudden, his phone long forgotten in favor of jumping out of his seat to glance around the room as if you'd appear in front of them any moment.

"You brought her home?!!?" Ichimatsu reiterated his words as well with a much more terrified expression.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Jyushimatsu nodded enthusiastically, filling the pot with water before setting it on the stove; seemingly oblivious to the alarm of his brothers' at the news that you were currently in their home.

"There's a girl in our house?! Hell yeah!" Osomatsu cheered as he and Todomatsu were the first to race towards to the door that led out of the kitchen, to which Ichimatsu quickly followed.

"Wait!" But Todomatsu cut them off, stopping in the doorway and holding an arm out to stop his brothers as well.

They both came barreling into him as a result, the two of them shooting him an offended look.
"What's the big deal? Come on, let's go see her!" Osomatsu insisted.

Todomatsu didn't address him directly, his attention instead turning to Jyushi.

"Jyushi, you said you left her in the TV room? Alone?"

Jyushimatsu nodded with a happy huff, pouring a packet of something into the now boiling water on the stove.

"So? What's the big deal?" Osomatsu asked, trying to maneuver his way around his younger brother. That was until Ichimatsu, who was close behind him, connected the dots and his own expression shifted in horror.

"Oh no..." He muttered and Osomatsu turned to him, looking between the two of them now with a confused expression.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Karamatsu's home..."

"Yeah, and???"

On queue, something akin to a scream sounded from just a room or two away, and they all recognized it immidiatly as your voice; to which Todomatsu finally decdied to clarify his point as they all resumed their rush to the TV room.

"And did you see what he was wearing?"

Chapter Text

As the three of them finally rushed to the scene of the voice and barreled through the shoji doors into their living room, the chaos came to a cartoonish stop.

Todomatsu, having been at the front, ended at the bottom of the pile of brothers, but none of them were concerned by their fall, freezing in place as they looked up at the source of the sound.

Ichimatsu's expression shifted through an entire spectrum of emotions.

First, relief when he saw you sitting at the table in the center of the room, then concern at the way your face was buried in your hands.

Were you... crying???

And then finally anger when he followed the sound of a different voice to Karamatsu, who, of all things, was striking a God-awful pose at your side.

Showing uncharacteristic speed, Ichimatsu was off the floor in half a second, flying past even you to grip Karamatsu by the collar.

"What the hell did you do?!" His voice came out a sharp growl, and while initially surprised, Karamatsu's expression returned to his usual, "suave" smile despite practically being choked out by his younger brother.

"Dear Ichimatsu, I do belive that there's been a misunderstanding~"

"Misunderstanding my ass!" His fingers dug tightly into Karamatsu's bedazzled top, giving his brother a hard shake. "Your painful ass made her-" Ichimatsu's sharp words came to a stop when a new sound began to bubble up behind him, not only forcing his grip on his brother to untighten, but prompting a familiar pink to rise to his cheeks as well.

It was laughter.

~

From the moment you'd left the park with Jyushimatsu, you'd been a ball of nerves that had only been winding tighter and tighter, finally reaching its peak when he left you alone in their living room.

Something about being in someone elses house made all of this feel too real. The very feeling you'd been trying your hardest to avoid as it always lead to that reoccurring question.

But just as you teetered on the edge of a spiral, the door in front of you slid open and you hoped desperately for Jyushimatsu's return, calling out to him.

"J-jyushimatsu?"

It really shouldn't have been this funny

You knew that much, but you couldn't help it.

The bedazzled tank top, the booty jorts, the golden clogs????

The sound you made when you finally processed what had stepped out in front you was a guffaw so sudden and sharp it could almost be described as a shriek.

Karamatsu had been just as surprised to see you as you were to see him, but the sound you made forced his face to drop with fear and worry and he backed right back out of the room.

"I-I'm sorry!" He quickly apologized, his voice far less baratone in a way you wouldn't have expected from him. In fact, it almost seemed to crack as he waved his hands apologetically and quickly moved to duck out of sight.

Was it sad to say this wasn't a reaction he was unfamiliar with? At least, what he assumed your reaction to be until you called out to stop him.

"W-wait! I- *snrk*- I-!" You couldn't even get the words out. "I didn't mean to- BWAAHAHA!"

Karamatsu had nearly retreated, having hid himself behind the half-open shoji door in hopes of not upsetting you further, but when the sound that followed was laughter, suddenly, your reaction was beyond foreign to him.

Actually, to say you were laughing would be an understatement. You were hysterical.

"I- HA! I'm so sorry!" Now you were the one apologizing, but Karamatsu had stepped back out into view, triggering more laughter from you when you got another look at him. "Y-your outfit???" Was all you manged to get out.

It was like a intrusive and poorly place attempt at comedic relief by the universe. Or perhaps it was expertly placed considering the reaction it had managed to garner from you. As always, the absurdity of it all only made you laugh harder.

"You like it?" Karamatsu asked almost softly and you nodded hard, raising a hand to quickly wipe the mirthful tears from your face.

"Oh, I love it!" You stressed the word and wheezed, trying to catch your breath, only to look up and see him striking a ridiculously dramatic pose now. "Oh my gosh, stop!"

It was an odly, overly familiar moment between the two of you. Especially considering you hadn't gotten a word of explanation in regarding what you were doing in his house.

The way he'd unintentionally snapped you out of your tense spiral had left you in a state not unlike when you're exhausted and can't even look at another person without cracking up.

And despite being unaware of the actual cause of your hysterics, he seemed almost giddy to keep you laughing, continuing to strike ridiculous poses, and even moving to stay in your line of sight each time you tried to look away from him.

You ended up burying your face in you hands in an effort to find some essence of composer, but by then mirthful tears had already begun to prick from the corner of your eyes.

~

"I- *hic* I cahahan't" You'd just barely managed to pull your face from your hands, your giggles turning to messy hiccups now, but it was enough for the now in-awe Ichimatsu to see that you were smiling.

Osomatsu and Todomatsu, who were still on the floor, were as equally as bewildered as Ichimatsu, but Oso seemed to catch up quicker then the rest of them, his grin returning as he pulled himself off the floor and moved closer to the scene.

To say he looked intrigued would be an understatement as well. The sound of your ridiculous snorts seemed to make that signaturely wide grin of his stretch even wider, and if any one of his brothers had managed to catch his expression, even they'd have been at a loss to guess what what going through his head in that moment.

Ichimatsu's eyes never left your face but his fingers slowly unfurled from his brother's shirt, leaving Karamatsu to laugh proudly as he was released, and quickly resumed his place at your side.

"Oh my gosh stop!" You begged, planting your face right back into your hands. "I can't even look at you right now..."

"Looks like you two were having fun~" Osomatsu was the first to muse while Todomatsu finally picked himself up off the ground, coming up behind his older brother to watch the scene almost cautiously.

"Ah.. haha..I-I'm sorry!" You tried to apologize through your hysterics, realizing you hadn't addressed the rest of the brothers at all.

"What's... what's going on?" Ichimatsu finally spoke up. You attempted to meet his eyes, but Karamatsu took advantage of you looking up from your hands again to lay backwards over the table in another dramatic pose.

Todomatsu narrowed his eyes and Osomatsu began to share in your laughter right away. Ichimatsu, however, was completely dumbstruck.

"Make him stohohop!"

You wheezed, peaking up through your hands at the other brothers and Karamatsu finally seemed to take your plea into consideration, putting an end to his performance with a theatrical sigh and striking one final dramatic pose for good measure. "Very well, my dear, I shall spare you from the overwhelming radiance of my presence for now." He spoke in an exaggerated, but ever endearing manner.

"Don't look so happy. She's laughing at you, moron." Todomatsu tried to interject but Karamatsu's proud grin was completely undeterred.

"Heh, a smile such as hers won by any means is well worth the price~" Karamatsu beamed, clearly beyond pleased with himself.

"I-I'm really sorry..." You giggles were silent now, fading to heavy breaths as you scrubbed your face clean of your remeain tears. "I feel like I'm losing my mind...." Your muttered quietly but humorously to yourself as you briefly reflected on the situation.

With your composure mostly returned, you let out a small gasp of realization.

"Oh my gosh, Ichimatsu!" You quickly began, "Earlier! I'm so sorry! Jyushimatsu ran off and I didn't just want to leave him so- so I followed and we got really off track and-"

"Ha!" Osomatsu's laughter as he came up behind you made you jump. "You're apologizing?" He questioned, winking one eye open and rubbing under his nose as he glanced between you and Ichimatsu. "You hear that, Ichi?" Ichimatsu was the one that jumped now at the sound of his own name, glancing just as nervously between you and Oso.

Ichimatsu seemed to swallow hard.

"Don't- don't apologize... I'm sorry he gave you a hard time..."

"Oh, no, no! Not at all! Well- Actually... yeah, kind of, but no worries!" You quickly insisted.

Ichimatsu didn't look completely relieved by your words but Oso took them as his queue to move the situation along.

"Now that that's outta the way~" He slid into the spot at the table to the right of you. "Welcome to me casa... or my casa, or whatever they say! What do you think? Pretty sweet, right?" He mused, propping his head on his hand and leaning in a bit too close with an eager look that made you furrow your brows at him.

"Uh-"

But just as that hungry grin of his was almost too close for confort, a hand was slapped to the middle of his face and he was pushed roughly backward onto the floor by Todomatsu who you hadn't even heard approach.

"Sorry about him~" You looked up to see him smiling down at you sweetly, and for the first time, you actually appreciated the way it directly contrasted the rather violent shove he'd just given his brother. "We don't get a lot of visitors."

"What the hell was that for?!" Oso sat back up with a yell.

"What was what for?" Todomatsu asked innocently, lowering himself to take the spot beside you while his brother picked himself back up.

"Don't play dumb with me! That hurt! You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

"Can't say that I do~"

Despite it happening right beside you, their squabble faded to the background pretty quickly, as you looked across the room to see Ichimatsu still starting at you. You held his gaze for a moment before giving him a soft smile.

Thankfully, that brief moment between you seemed to be what finally relaxed him, at least a little, and you watched as his anxious expression faded to something more relaxed.

"Would you shut up!" Todomatsu voice pulled you back to the little quarrel beside you. "There's a girl in our house, so you could at least try to keep it in your pants!" He seemed to be trying to keep a hushed voice but it wasn't very effective. He also seemed to have a fist full of his older brother's hair, all the while Osomatsu was trying to wrestle him to the floor.

"You're already ruining it, Totty!" The nickname came from Oso's mouth with a teasing bite, but their discussion did serve to bring you further back to the present.

"Brothers, please, let's not fight in front of sweet Y/n~"

"Oh! That reminds me," It was almost comical how, at the sound of your voice, their fighting stopped and you had their undivided attention. "I really should get going. I didn't mean to intrude like this," You began to rise from the floor, "I just wanted to make sure Ichimatsu got home, but Jyushimatsu invited me inside and I didn't really know how to refuse so-"

As if summoned by the sound of his name, the door behind you flew open again with a klatter as the Matsuno in question finally returned.

If the pose he was frozen in when you turned to look at him was any indication, he appeared to have launched the door open with a rather fierce kick. Jyushimatsu just hummed happily, however, as he stepped into the living room with two tea mugs in his hands and something tucked under his arm.

"Ah~ Jyushimatsu! So it's you we have to thank for this pleasant surprise?" Karamatsu addressed him fondly to which Jyushimatsu nodded with a happy huff as he made his way to the table in the center of the room. You were halfway to standing by the time he approached, but the tea mug was promptly set down on the table infront of you, so you dropped back to your knees curiously.

Jyushimatsu took a seat at your other side, taking a quick sip from his mug with another happy hum before slapping down what appeared to be a stack of books on the table as well.

"Oh? What... are-"

"For you!" He quickly clarified, not that it was much help. You glanced around the room at his brother but they appeared just as in the dark as you were.

You carefully reached out, reluctant to grab them but sliding them a little closer to get a better look. It was a small stack of about four notebooks of some sort, and as you pulled back the cover of the one on top, he finally gave a bit more clarification.

"They're school books! For kanji!" He took another long swig from his mug, seemingly finishing it's contents and slamming the cup down with a content sigh.

"Like... workbooks?" You flipped the cover back the rest of the way to reveal that it did appear to be a children's workbook.

Suddenly the gesture was a lot more sweet, because on the very first page, under the "This book belongs to" prompt, was the messisly scribbled out first name of the brother to your left you.

十四松

"Mmmhmm!"

"Damn, where'd you dig those out of?" Osomatsu leaned past Todomatsu as best he could to get a look as well. "These have got to be from elementary school!"

"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!" Jyushimatsu quickly nodded in confirmation. "You can use em! Since you're bad at kanji!"

"Eh-" You briefly froze at the bluntness of his statement but shook it off in favor of how sweet the gesture actually was. "Thank you, Jysushimatsu, but I couldn't take these." You begn to insist but Jyushimatsu only slid them closer with a inisitent grunt of his own.

"They're probably all scribbled in though." Todomatsu pointed out, but it was definitely more of a genuine observation than an attempt to criticize the gesture.

Jyushimatsu froze this time, his pupils going wide as if in thought while he covered his mouth with a sleeved hand.

"Oh..."

While you initially refused out of feeling unworthy of such a sweet gesture, seeing Jyushimatsu's downtrodden look of realization prompted you to reach forward and pick up the books, getting a better look at all of them.

"Actually, I think I can still use them. Assuming you knew what you were doing in elementary school I can even check my answers against yours~" You joked, flipping through a few of the pages to smile at the messy answers that had no doubt been scribbled in years ago.

Jyushimatsu blushed lightly, rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. You shared a little laugh but then stared back down at the books fondly. They were children's books sure, but for an aspect of a language you were still struggling with, you could definitely get some use out of them. "The basics are actually exactly what I need." You nodded confidently. "Thank you, Jyushi, I really appreciate it. I'll definitely find some use for them."

Jyushimatsu beamed at your acceptance, nodding enthusiastically as if to agree with your words. His brothers, meanwhile, exchanged amused glances, some a little bitter, before Ichimatsu face lit up and he uncharacteristically grabbed the rooms attention with an outburst.

"O-oh! Your bags!"

You'd finally had the courage to take a sip from the mug Jyushi had brought you after confirming with him it's contents. It was indeed soup. Miso in fact, and you slowly lowered it back down to the table to tilt your head at him.

"My what?"

"Your bags!" He repeated, scrambling away with a little extra energy, to which Todomatsu seemed to catch on and follow after him without explanation as well.

You glanced to Jyushi who happily shrugged, and then to Oso who gave you a wink.

"Give em juuuuust a sec~"

You briefly raised both brows but mentally shrugged and returned to taking small sips from your impromptu soup, stopping only to give Jyushimatsu a small, content smile of thanks before you finished.

"Your bags!" The words were announced once again as Ichimatsu jumbled back into the TV room, several white plastic grocery bags now hanging from his hands. Todomatsu also sauntered in close behind him, holding something as well.

You gasped, finally and swiftly pulling yourself to your feet this time to quickly close the distance between you and Ichimatsu.

"My groceries!" The realization was definitely a happy one. You half reached out and then retracted your hands in mild disbelief, before lifting your gaze from the bags to Ichimatsu's ever-nervous eyes. "You grabbed them?" You asked is soft surprise, though the answer was clear.

"W-well...yeah..." He seemed to be fighting off mumbles to speak clearly. "Y-you forgot them so- well-...here..." He held them out to you, looking away as he did. You didn't waste any more time taking them from his hands, not wanting to make him hold them any longer, but hesitated for a brief moment after you did so.

"Eh-?!"

"Thank you so much."

Calling it a hug would be an insult to the gesture.

Even 'half hug' was a stretch.

Both your arms were full of groceries and you'd barely wrapped one of them around his single shoulder in the second that it lasted, but you hoped the sentiment came through.

Stepping back to sigh in relief, you looked down at the week's worth of food that had been returned to you.

"What a relief..." As much as you'd downplayed the idea of losing them in your head earlier, something about getting them back made you feel like today hadn't been a total disaster. At least for now, this was all you'd needed to feel like things had the potential to keep going okay.

"Don't forget these!" Todomatsu chimed in, and you looked up with a distracted hum. He stepped around Ichimatsu and right up to you, a single bag in his own hands that he held out to you with a wink.

"Oh! My candy! Hell yeah." You muttered casually, losing your social graces for a minute as you took the bag from his hands. You briefly opened the bag, staring into it with a content grin before noticing the way Todomatsu kept his close distance.

Your eyes trailed from the snacks you'd been admiring, up to his face, when you noticed he almost seemed to be waiting for something, a sweet smile on his lips.

"..."

That was until a few too many awkward seconds passed of you giving no reaction.

"Oh- yeah! Thank you too!" You thanked with a nod, confident you'd figured it out and turned away before you could see his expression fall in disappointment.

"Don't shop light, do ya?" Osomatsu laughed, catching your attention and coming up at your side as you adjusted the heavy bags more comfortably on your arms.

"Eh," You snickered. "I've been eating out way too much. Gotta mix things up. Who would have thought that after over a month, konbini fried chicken would finally start to feel like old news?" You joked, stressing the words as though they would have been thought to be an impossibility.

"Well if that's the case, how about you... come get oden with us sometime?"

He drew out the question, a hopeful look slipping through his confident grin.

"Oden?"

"Yeah!" Osomatsu lit up even more. "Remember when we told you about Chibita? That's his specialty!"

"Hmm." You hummed briefly. "Well, the point was that I'm trying not to eat out so much." You countered playfully, begining to take a few steps away.

"Trust me!" Only to be stopped as Osomatsu eagerly slid in front of you. "You won't find anything closer to home then Chibita's oden. Right guys?" He turned to Kara and Jyushi who agreed

"Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Uh-huh! It's a superstar winning home run!"

"Indeed! Warm like a mother's love~ Strong like a father's embrace~ With flavors that-"

"Ohokay! Okay!" You had to cut Karamatsu off before you began cracking up again. Turning back to Oso, you nodded. "You've convinced me. Is everyone okay with me coming?" You looked back to Kara and Jyushi. Kara flashed you a "cool" thumbs up and Jyushi nodded so fiercely he shook the table he was leaning into. You giggled and your eyes also trailed to Todo and Ichi who were both still standing exactly where you'd left them.

"Y-yeah, sure,." Todo said quickly but before you could look to Ichimatsu, Osomatsu cheered, grabbing your attention again

"It's a date! How's Friday night sound?" He asked, eager to set the details in stone.

"I can do friday." You laughed, happy it gave you a few days to recuperate. "What time?"

"5! Wait, No- 6! We'll plan on 5, you plan on 6. That way we'll be right on time. Pretty smart, huh? Eh? Eh?"

You actually snorted at that.

"That sounds perfect. Is it okay if we meet at the convenience store again?" You asked, and were met with another series of agreements and approving nods. "Awesome. Now if it's alright, after today, I really miss my apartment, so I am going home." You stated lightheartedly, and Oso happily slid out of your way.

"Wait!" You turned at the voice to see Jyushi jump from his seat, grabbing the workbooks you'd almost forgotten and rushing up to hand them to you.

"Almost forgot! Thank you, Jyushi." Though you were fairly encumbered, with a bit of tact, you managed to slip them under your arm securely. "I appreciate it."

Jyushi beamed, eyes closed and tounge lulling from the side of his mouth in a silly smile. After thinking it through for a moment, you slowly reach out and gently ruffled the top of his head briefly like you'd done earlier today, a gesture he seemed to appreciate if the way he whined when you stopped was any indicator.

"Okay, now I'm going home." You finalized with a nod.

"Allow me to walk you to the door~" Karamatsu insisted and you happily accepted.

With a final wave to the rest of the brothers, you were lead back to where you'd left your shoes and began a rather thoughtful walk home in the dark.

~

"Awww yeah! Bow down everybody! Your niichan just got us all another date this Friday!" Osomatsu fist-bumped the air in rapid succession."Two days out with the same girl? Ha! I must be better at this then I thought!"

The only one that had actually complied with this ridiculous, rhetorical demand was Jyushimatsu, who instead of actually bowing, seemed to slide up and cling happily to the eldest's leg.

"Yeah... great." Todomatsu grumbled, choosing to bitterly remove himself from the celebration.

"That only leaves us..." Karamatsu paused to count on his fingers, "Three days to prepare!" He quickly looked down at his outfit before clenching his fists determinedly. "I'll have to find something even cooler to wear. Something even more me! If that's even possible~" and with that began rushing upstairs, promting Todomatsu's previous bitterness to be redirected as he followed after him

"Over my dead body! I am not gonna be seen in public with you in anything close to that!"

Osomatsu laughed at the display, reaching down to further ruffle Jyushimatsu's gently ruffled hair.

"You excited, Jyushi?" He asked his little brother, but the answer was beyond obvious.

"Uh-huh! I bet Ichimatsu-niisan's excited too!" Jyushimatsu added, bounding away from Oso's leg and across the room to cling to Ichimatsu's instead. "Ichimatsu-Niisan~" He sing-songed, looking up at his brother. "We're gonna get to hang out with Y/n again!"

"..."

"Hmmm..."

"What's up, Jyushi?" Oso asked unseriously.

"I don't think Ichimatsu-niisan is breathing."

"Yeeeeeeeah. We should probably do something about that, huh?"

But the sharp open slam of a shoji interrupted, bringing the attention of those left in the room who were not in shock, to the front door.

Clad in a flat-top cap and apron, someone stumbled inside, falling to their knees in the genkan.

"Oh! Welcome home, Choromatsu-niisan! You'll never believe who- "

"I got a JOB!"

Chapter Text

"Okay, now I'm going home."

"Allow me to walk you to the door~"

Karamatsu was quick to insist, and you happily accepted, giving a final wave to the rest of the brothers before following behind him.

A small smile and a breath of relief escaped you as you gently slid the door to the TV room closed behind you. The sound of a cheer from who you believed was Osomatsu was also not lost on you as you diligently followed Karamatsu to their front door, all the while holding the books Jyushi had given you close to your chest as if careful to avoid knocking anything along the walls with the many bags hanging from your arms.

"Your shoes, my dear~" Karamatsu motioned to the floor as he stood to the side of the genkan's step with a posture befitting that of some kind of butler.

You were a little distracted by the way his gentlemanly act contrasted sharply with his current outfit, so it took you a moment to realize why he'd been holding his hands out.

"Oh! Thank you!" You were quick to thank him when he motioned to what you were carrying, and you carefully handed everything over to him before taking a seat on the step and slipping your shoes on. "Thank you very much," you reiterated with a smile after quickly standing back up and taking your things back from him as he nodded dutifully.

As you slid open their front door to step outside, he continued to follow a few steps, so you took the opportunity to continue, issuing your third thanks of the interaction.

Despite being dark out now, the warm light from within the still-open door, as well as the outdoor light that hung above it, was more than enough to comfortably conversate.

"Oh—and thank you for being so understanding earlier. I'm sorry if I surprised you. I was pretty surprised by everything myself," you admitted humorously and with a bit of exhaustion in your voice.

"Ah~ But a marvelous surprise it was," he bowed, and you had to fight to keep your smile kind instead of amused while briefly wondering if his legs were cold in those shorts considering the chill of the early-year air.

"I think so too," you added with a nod, and maybe it was because he noticed you sizing up his outfit again that he continued, coughing into his hand as he changed the topic.

"But—may I ask, did you... perhaps..." He drew out his words intentionally, the deepness of his voice faltering as he seemed to search for the words, "mean what you said before?"

"Hm?" You tilted your head with a hum, unsure what he meant, and on cue with the curious look on your face, he struck a pose, spreading his legs and reaching a hand toward the night sky. "Oh! About your outfit?" And at your realization, his normal posture returned, if not a bit sunken while he nodded hurridly, awaiting your response with an expression similar to the worried one you'd first seen on him earlier in the TV room. "Of course I did. I love it!" You laughed, and his mouth opened a bit, as if unconvinced, until you continued. "I mean, if you want me to be completely honest, it's over-the-top, sure," you took a moment to size him up again, and his last bit confidence seemed to shrink away completely under your gaze.

Until your eyes landed on the picture of his face in the center of his sparkly tank top. "But it's very you, I think. And I like you well enough, Karamatsu. So yes, I'd say I like it quite a lot."

His eyes widened at that, and the momentary tension he'd been carrying vanished as the over-the-top swagger you'd begun growing used to returned.

"Heh~ Why, of course, how silly of me to ask~" He framed his chin with his thumb and pointer finger, grinning and laughing with a forced dramatic air.

"Well! I'll be on my way then! See you Friday?" To his surprise, you'd begun walking away as you spoke, but you turned to lock eyes with him as you went. His voice cracked into a brief stutter as he eagerly replied, regaining his composure.

"Wh- I- Ye- Yes! Indeed! Till Friday, my dear! I'll be counting the seconds!" He called after you, clutching his chest.

"Looking forward to it!" was the last thing you called back before rounding a corner at the end of the street and disappearing from his sight.

The air was cold on your cheeks, but the grin on your face couldn't be helped. You made it through today, with plans for later this week and your groceries still intact. Things were actually going okay.

In fact, you really couldn't help but to keep smiling as a kind of excited giddiness rose from within you and made its way to your feet, filling you with an energy that would no doubt make it hard to get to bed tonight.

That was unless you gave in to it now.

And before you knew it, you really couldn't help it. Your smile turned into a laugh of excitement as you readjusted your bags securely and hugged your new workbooks to your chest before taking off with a happy dash in the direction of your apartment.

Once again, for now at least, things were going pretty okay.

~

"Awww yeah! Bow down everybody! Your niichan just got us all another date this Friday!"

"That only leaves us..." Karamatsu paused to count on his fingers, "three days to prepare! I'll have to find something even cooler to wear~"

"Over my dead body! I am not gonna be seen in public with you in anything close to that!"

"I don't think Ichimatsu-niisan is breathing."

"Yeeeeeeeah. We should probably do something about that, huh?"

"I got a job!"

Of all the commotion going on downstairs, it was those four words in particular that sent a sound-asleep Matsuyo's eyes flying open in bed, and then her person flying down the stairs and into the common area without so much as her glasses.

"Job?! Who got a job?!"

All fingers pointed to Choromatsu, who in turn only snored loudly, having seemingly passed out right inside the door.

~

"♪~Hm~hm~hm~ La~la~la~♪"

The atmosphere at the table the next morning was interesting.

As Choromatsu dug into his breakfast and his brothers prodded him with half passive-aggressive, half eager questions, their mother danced around the kitchen, humming gleefully.

"♪~My son got a job~♪"

"Yeah, at a kon- AH- hey!" Todomatsu's snide remark was cut off by a sharp jab to the back with a set of chopsticks she'd been drying. And his sharp glare was promptly ignored in favor of continuing to hum a happy tune as she worked around the brothers.

"How'd it go, really? You totally collapsed last night and you haven't told us anything!" Osomatsu added, grinning unseriously but leaning over the table to prod at Choro's plate and get his attention.

Choromatsu swatted his chopsticks away with his own, but Jyushimatsu was quick to echo the eldest's sentiment, slamming his sleeved hands onto the table and leaning over it towards him.

"Yeah! Yeah! What happened? What happened?"

"Could it be true? Our dear brother, a member of the working class in just one evening~???"

Choromatsu took a long sip of his tea, drawing out their suspense as he enjoyed being the subject of such an unheard-of stir in the Matsuno house. With a comfortable sigh as he lowered his mug to the table, he nodded.
"Yep! It's true, I have a job now." He stated casually, but the excited shriek that left his mother reinforced the seemingly mundane announcement as no small thing, and he was quickly pulled into a hug as Matsuyo squeezed him gleefully.

"Oh~ I always knew it would be you, Choro dear. You've never completely been a waste of space, unlike your brothers." Before he knew it, his face was in her hands as she squished his cheeks affectionately. The laughter this embarrassing display earned from his brothers was enough to knock him off his high horse a little, and he groaned, pushing at her until she released him.

"Alright, alright! Thank you, Mom." He grimaced for a moment before shaking himself back into high spirits.

"He's not the first one of us to get a job, y'know." Todomatsu cut in again bitterly. "Did you forget I worked at Sutaba for almost a month?"

"Yes, but you kept that a dirty little secret, didn't you, Totty? And all to better prey on those sweet girls you worked with." Todomatsu cringed, biting his tounge at his mother's sweet but threatening tone. " And if I remember correctly, you left that job with nothing to show for yourself *or* this family. Am I right, dear?"

"..."

Choromatsu decided to continue, breaking the tension. "But yeah! They gave me my cap and apron, and I even spent a couple of hours behind the counter!"

"Marvelous!" Matsuyo sing-songed.

"That easy?" Todomatsu raised a suspicious eyebrow at the turn of events his brother explained.

"Well, I wouldn't say it was easy." Choro preened. "The interviewer was just so impressed by my answers that he insisted I start right away."

"Uh-huh, sure."

"Wow! Wow!" Jyushi chimed in. "You're amazing, Choromatsu-niisan!"

"Aww, it was nothing really~ I still have to go in for my paperwork though, and I'll probably need a bank account too."

"Don't you worry about a thing, dear. I'll help you get everything you need together and set you one up this week, we'll make a day of it!" Matsuyo assured him.

"Well, I'm not jealous," Osomatsu laughed, but his eyes trailed to Choromatsu in a brief moment of thought hidden by his usual smile. "When do you have to go back?"

"Hm? Oh, my first 'official' shift is this Friday! But I'll be going in early to finish up orientation. So I'll have to have everything ready by then." He was immediately confused by his brothers' reactions.

Osomatsu sucked air through his teeth with a half-smile, as if pitying him.

Todomatsu snorted with laughter.

Karamatsu held a hand to his heart, dramatically but quietly announcing, "What a shame~"

Even Ichimatsu, who had been his normal quiet self until now, briefly looked up from his plate but looked away when Choro's curious gaze met his.

"Why? Is that a problem?"

Jyushimatsu answered, excitedly crashing into Choro's side.

"On friday we're getting oden with—"

But the other four had launched themselves over the table, Karamatsu tackling him half to the ground while multiple hands covered his mouth.

Choromatsu could only stand back in surprise and further confusion. The small ruckus had also attracted Matsuyo's suspicious gaze from where she stood at the sink. It wasn't until Oso nodded in her direction that Jyushi seemed to catch on.

"...Wiiiiiiiiiiith Chibita!" The yellow brother continued with a nervous laugh, nodding fast as he over-acted his cover-up while his brothers fell back into their seats with relieved sighs. "That's right! Oden at Chibita's! Can't beat it! NO SIREE BOB!"

Matsuyo seemed to shrug at this, continuing to hum as she finished the dishes.

"So... just oden at Chibita's then?" Choro questioned, until Todomatsu was at his side, quickly whispering something in his ear. "What?! She is?!"

A round of aggressive shushes had him almost shrink under the table.

"Yeah, too bad you gotta work, though, right?" Oso shrugged, and Choromatsu found himself glaring daggers at him until the dots connected. Unfortunately, Osomatsu was correct.

"Oh, yeah, you're- you're right."

Jyushi seemed to deflate with his older brother, pouting sympathetically at his side until the sharp slap of a towel on the counter caught all their fearful attention.

"And we're not about to miss our first day, are we, dear?" Matsuyo smiled sweetly as she approached Choro, and the pressure was on. Though Choro was sure that if she knew what was at stake, she would feel even more strongly in the other direction.

"N-no..."

"Besides, you've all been to Chibita's plenty, and I'm sure you'll have plenty more opportunities to dine on his dime in the future, hm?"

"Yes, ma'am...." He sighed, and she laughed kindly, leaning down to kiss his cheek.

"That's my boy! I'm so proud of you. And your father is too! I'll be sure he finds time to say so as well."

While fighting to gently shield himself from his mother's embarrassing display of affection, he saw what seemed to be an unmistakable trace of jealousy on each of his brothers' faces.

Though considering his current predicament, he was sure it must have been his imagination

~

The last three days had been lovely.

In fact, they were some of the most mundanely eventful you've had in a while.

You'd rather thoroughly photographed every corner of Okuba, the little neighborhood where your apartment resided, after deciding to make a habit of carrying your new camera along every trip outside.

You made curry twice and still had almost half of the single daikon you'd bought sitting in your refrigerator. You'd made note to pick out a smaller one next time as well as added a rice cooker to the still-small list of things your apartment needed. The small, pre-cooked, microwavable packs of rice you'd been buying at the konbini were okay for now, but you knew you should try upgrading eventually if you wanted to make cooking a daily occurrence.

And finally, you'd taken the time to sit down and flip through the workbooks Jyushimatsu Matsuno had given you.

His brother's original guess had been correct; they were quite scribbled in, but you found them to be an excellent place to begin when it came to refocusing your practice of the language. Kanji were your weak point, namely because you'd focused on memorizing the vocabulary they were used in as a whole instead of the individual characters, but when following such rudimentary material, you'd be forced back to a step you'd insisted on skipping in the beginning, memorizing radicals.

As much as you'd like to say you'd done more than enough of that for now, you remained crisscross-applesauce on your couch, adding characters to the flashcard app on your phone and leaning your cheek into your palm with a restless hum.

You did have plans for today, or rather, for tonight, but that left you with a few hours to kill and no excuse not to use them wisely.

~

Choromatsu could hardly believe it, shuffling after his mom as best he could with his eyes glued to the small, green, plastic card in his hands. Below the long number inscribed on it was his name, Matsuno Choromatsu.

"Come along, Choro, we don't want you to be late!"

He looked up with a start, having finally noticed that he had fallen rather behind her while in awe.

"S-sorry!" He hurried his pace to catch up with his mom and fell just short of her side before matching her speed to better follow along. He couldn't entirely keep his eyes off his new bank card, though. "How much did you say I have?"

"¥5000," she stated curtly, "That was just to open the account. Consider it a loan in good faith, but don't tell your brothers. I don't need them hounding me for pocket money. This is a special case."

He gave a small nod.

"And I'll expect every yen of it returned to me if this special case happens to fall through, understood?"

"Y-yes, Ma'am!" Choro gulped, and his mother smiled, patting him on the head as they finally stopped at home.

"Good boy, now inside. Go, go, hurry up now!"

Choro hurried inside, rushing upstairs to get ready.

Friday had come, and he had spent the morning gathering everything he needed to finalize his employment. That included helping his mom dig out his personal documents and running with her to the bank to open his first account.

Now all that was left was going in to finalize everything.

He had been instructed to arrive 2 hours in advance for paperwork and would begin training at the start of his first 3 p.m. shift.

Choromatsu couldn't help but take a deep breath as he opened the closet to the sight of the cap and apron he had tucked safely onto the shelf above the clothes rack.

With actual training, he could only hope things would go better than the day of his "interview" earlier that week.

"Woo, Woo, AWOOOO!"

But for now, rather unfortunately, the return of his brothers could remind him of all the other ways he would be dealt misfortune this week.

"Are we ready for tonight, boys???" Following the eldest's obnoxious howl and cheer was the excited whoops of the rest of his brothers as they all came stomping upstairs.

Osomatsu was the first up, his smile widening when he noticed the green brother by the closet, now tucking his belongings under his arm.

"Oh hey, Choro, you're still here?"

Choromatsu narrowed his eyes before rolling them.

"Just leaving, actually."

"Alright, alright, no need for the cold shoulder." Osomatsu coaxed unconvincingly before throwing himself onto the couch with a sigh. "We've got a couple of hours to kill, right guys?"

"Hardly!" Karamatsu corrected, taking Choromatsu's place in front of the closet as the green brother stepped away bitterly. "I'll have to start putting myself together now if I want to be done in time to keep dear (Y/n) from waiting."

Choromatsu choked silently at the sound of your name, having been trying his damnedest to not think about what he'd be missing out on tonight.

"Geez, that long? Talk about overdoing it." Osomatsu laughed.

"No, he's got a point." Todomatsu commented as he grabbed a few of his own things from the closet and began heading back downstairs. "I'll be ~freshening up~ in the bathroom for a while so if anybody has to go, come do it now because I'll be locking the door." He warned sweetly, and Jyushimatsu clamored down the stairs to catch up to him.

"Me me! Lemme go first, please!"

Ichimatsu seemed to hesitate, glancing between Karamatsu digging determinedly through their closet and Osomatsu lounging on the couch.

"Should I be... getting ready now?"

Osomatsu chuckled and shrugged.

"Don't worry about it, bud. These virgins are just getting a little excited, that's all. Two hangs with the same girl is pretty rare for all of us, you know."

"...right."

Choromatsu did his best to tune them out, turning from his brothers and shuffling with angry, suppressed huffs to the door. He didn't want to be reminded about what he was missing. About how every opportunity to spend time with you, to spend time with an actual girl, could be his last.

But he needed to do this. He needed to get through today. Through the first step before he could really hold his success over his brothers. Through his orientation and his first shift. After that, he could just... call off when it suited him!

You seemed to like Ichimatsu, right? So surely he'd get to see you again.

Unless....

He paused at the door to their bedroom, his head turning just enough to lock eyes on Osomatsu, still reclined without a care.

Unless tonight brought the dreaded "stage 3", and he wouldn't be there to stop it.

Oso's eyes had been closed, but as if sensing Choro's gaze, he winked one open, and a moment of silence was shared between the shit-eating grin and glare.

Choro clutched his cap and apron with a scoff and turned back towards the door. He didn't have a choice. You were the one who pushed him to apply, after all. And maybe, just maybe you'd smile at him when he told you the good news. *If* he got the chance to tell you the good news.

But he couldn't take stewing on it any more and forced himself the rest of the way out into the hall.

"Hey, Choro!" Osomatsu called after him, and despite knowing better, Choro actually stopped to listen.

"What?" The reply was curt and annoyed, only reinforcing the eldest's smile.

Because why not rub a little salt in the wound?

"I'll be sure to let (Y/n) know you said 'Hi'."