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Pretend Like That Last Episode Never Happened [closed]

Who: Osomatsu, Karamatsu, Ichimatsu
What: Osomatsu wants to claim a cottage! And he's going to drag his brothers with him, even if they're kicking and screaming...
When: early September
Where: Ensō ruins to start, but probably will move elsewhere on the island
Warnings: muppet feelings

For most of his time on the island, Osomatsu has been living in the ruins. He hasn't done too much exploration, because it doesn't appeal to him. He's fine with being lazy, and letting his brothers risk their lives while searching for cats and safe fishing holes. What has Osomatsu done to help them? Almost nothing, and he realizes this is not going to look good on his big brother track record.

So when he hears that a new area filled with cottages has opened up, he takes it upon himself to round up his brothers. The sooner he can find them, the sooner they can find a more permanent place to stay. He checks out the islets himself first, using the mana pool to teleport to them, just so he can see the cottages. They look like they could use some fixing up, but that shouldn't be too difficult, right? They could fix it! Or... get someone else to fix it for them. The important thing was that they snatch up a place before they were all taken.

He teleports back to Ensō to seek out Karamatsu and Ichimatsu. Osomatsu looks determined, glad that they'll all finally be reunited under one roof. It didn't matter what the new house looked like. What matters is that they are living together. And then, if other brothers show up, they can be welcomed into the house, too! Yes, Osomatsu was pretty sure that everything was going to be great from now on, even if they were on this island and at the mercy of some weird bunny god. Ignoring that, as long as they were together, he was happy.

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Ichimatsu isn't difficult at all to find. As he was bound to, he's picked out a preferred corner in the ruined temple to spend most of his time in, curled up in his usual pose as he watches the other island's residents bustle to and fro with the news. News that Ichimatsu hasn't seemed motivated to investigate, himself. The only difference to be found in his expression is a faint wrinkle over his nose, as if he's not used to the permeating smell of flowers yet and doesn't exactly find it pleasant.

He's paying attention, though, and looks up when Osomatsu appears at the ruin's entrance. He tries not to let his relief show at having a brother in proximity again; it's one thing to have his corner, but it's another to share every waking moment with a bunch of mostly-unfamiliar faces day in and day out.

Osomatsu steps into the ruins, rubbing his nose because the flower pollen makes it itch. He knows Ichimatsu has been staying there, too. Honestly, it seemed like the safest place on the island, aside from, perhaps, a cave. Though you never knew what was lurking in caves. At least with all the people around, the ruins have been mostly spared from other creatures. Mostly.

"Ichimatsuuuu," he calls, approaching him. He leans down, placing his hands on his knees. "I've got good news! Your big brother has found a place for us all to stay!"

"... eh?"

Ichimatsu looks up with a note of confusion,his eyebrows drawing together. He hasn't seen his brother this excited about something in a while. He studies Osomatsu for a moment, trying to puzzle out what he could have possibly found suitable as a living space.

"... if it's a cave, I'll come."

He would happily take a wet cave over the crowded ruins at this point.

A cave? Osomatsu shakes his head. "Huh? No way!" he says as he stands up straight again. He jerks his thumb over his shoulder. "There's a bunch of little cottages just a mana pool away. We gotta get in there an' claim one before they're all taken!"

Oh. Cottages.

For a few seconds, Ichimatsu just stares. He's trying to figure out whether this is a prank, if Osomatsu has finally cracked, or if he's actually telling the truth. Cottages, in a place like this? ... but Osomatsu seems a bit too eager to be pulling a prank. If he isn't joking -- if there are really livable cottages out there -- then it's probably that damn rabbit's doing.

...

Cottages. Plural.

Inadvertently, Ichimatsu's eyes swerve away from his brother, looking for their missing piece. It's not often that he goes seeking Karamatsu out, but his first instinct is to wonder: has their alleged, loving brother already up and abandoned them for the sweet bliss of solitude? He left pretty quickly last time. Though in such a suffocating place like this, Ichimatsu can't blame him. A chance to get away from his useless, trashy brothers, no longer forced into the same space as them in order to survive. It's not very generous, or realistic. Yet the thought unhinges, and rolls, and things inside him stick to it until it's a snowball weight rattling in his middle.

Maybe he's having a bad day already, forced to his wits' end by the lack of privacy, the month spent ignoring the atmosphere that nobody seemed willing to remember but him.

Maybe he just doesn't want to go through it twice.

"... Osomatsu-niisan. Are you sure it's fine for us to do that?"

Osomatsu's thoughts are not even in that ballpark. In his mind, their break from each other has ended. If they ever needed to stick together, it was now, while they were in a new place. Osomatsu had been driven into a great depression when his brothers left the house. But he wasn't worried about that anymore. He'd brought them all home.

He was going to do that again, bring them all together, under one roof. It didn't matter that Choromatsu, Jyushimatsu, and Todomatsu were not here. The Matsunos still needed to stick together!

"...Why wouldn't it be?" he asks, smile faltering slightly.

Ichimatsu knows, better than any of their brothers, just how bad things got for the eldest. He's not good for much, but he knows how to read an atmosphere. Maybe, he'd thought back then -- it would be better if he stayed, even as everyone else left. Maybe Osomatsu's gradual backslide into depression could be circumvented by his presence.

It's a bit laughable now to think he could have helped, when Osomatsu was beyond help. Beyond wanting help, most likely. Of course his brother had the capacity to become just like him; they're all the six same people, in the end. To think that Ichimatsu could help an Ichimatsu -- ha ha, that's like thinking you can tie an iron ball to an anchor to help it float.

He watches the smile flicker on Osomatsu's face and feels a bitter curl of regret, but he beats it down. He knows he's making a big something out of nothing. That's just his problem: maybe Osomatsu wants to think it's nothing, but the pressure of ignoring all of that... it's too much for Ichimatsu to deal with. He can't. Not if the options now mean it can happen again.

These nice, happy worlds his brothers live in. Ichimatsu's job is to poke holes in them until they sink, or patch themselves up, but either way at least they won't shatter through self-destruction.

Slowly, Ichimatsu rises to his feet, sliding his hands into his sweats pockets.

"I'm asking you... if it's a good idea to expect us to live together again so easily." His mouth curls. "You might end up disappointed."

When Ichimatsu gets to his feet, Osomatsu stands up straight again, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jumpsuit. He doesn't know what's going on through Ichimatsu's mind right now, but he can tell it's not good, the way that he's questioning him, trying to wear him down.

Osomatsu hates when Ichimatsu gets like this. Usually, he's quiet, submissive. But, occasionally, he pushes back. When that happen, Osomatsu knows he needs to play hardball. His smile remains plastered on his face. He decides to play dumb.

"Disappointed? With what?"

"Us."

He says it fast, and the only reason it's so quick is because Ichimatsu sees himself faltering if he doesn't get it all out. He knows Osomatsu can be thick, but he's seen too much of his brother now to believe that he doesn't have a clue what Ichimatsu is talking about. If he doesn't push hard... he might end up giving in to Osomatsu's smile. The one that's trying to tell him nothing bad ever happened.

That they didn't all leave him, one by one. That Ichimatsu said, It's better this way -- I think, and Osomatsu didn't disagree. Osomatsu didn't do anything.

He stands there, hunched over, looking his brother dead in the eye.

"Don't tell me you forgot, Niisan. Didn't we already decide this?" He scoffs with something dark in his voice. "If we can, then... we're better off living apart."

Osomatsu's smile is cracking, but he's trying desperately to keep it from falling off his face completely. He can't believe that Ichimatsu is bringing this up. To him, the conversation Ichimatsu is referring to seems like it happened so long ago.

He fights back, balling his fists. "What are you saying? We're not better off living apart! We decided that!"

He barks out a bolt of laughter that jerks his shoulders upward. Like a pressurized bottle, something in Osomatsu's response has nudged Ichimatsu past his tipping point; the look that settles on his face is nothing short of a sardonic sneer. A month they've been here; a month of ignoring this, and Ichimatsu is sick of it.

He sees those clenched fists, Osomatsu. Is he finally getting through to you?

"Ahh? When did we do that? I don't remember." He shrugs one shoulder, one palm upturned. "... actually, I don't remember seeing any of you in a long time. Isn't that proof?"

This is... strange. Osomatsu isn't sure how to counter Ichimatsu's argument. What was he talking about? What did he mean?

Osomatsu's expression becomes annoyed, the smile finally breaking away as he sucks in a breath. "We're not better living apart," he repeats, hoping that saying it again will break through to Ichimatsu. He doesn't have too much hope, but he'll try. He's actually scared of this conversation, more than he's letting on.

Bingo.

It's with a prickle of guilt that Ichimatsu almost takes pleasure in breaking through his big brother's facade. Maybe now they can get somewhere. He takes a step forward, smile dropping from his face like a leaden brick.

"You admitted that fast. What happened? I thought you were fine with it."

Now Ichimatsu is shoving, not pushing. He thinks he might be starting to lose sight of his own goal, here. He doesn't care. He's beginning to get ticked off, even knowing he's doing it mostly to himself. The idea that Osomatsu is trying to sucker them all back into living together... that's fine if it's just the three of them. But what happens if Choromatsu or Todomatsu show up?

There's bad blood there. Part of Ichimatsu still might not have forgiven the eldest for giving their youngest a black eye, either.

"Yeah... you must have been relieved when I finally left. You were waiting for it, weren't you? Wondering when the last piece of trash would run out on you..."

Okay, that makes Osomatsu's cheek twitch. Ichimatsu was still on about that? Even after they'd all come home again?

"Uh. Why are you bringing that up? That was so long ago." We've moved past that, he wanted to say. But, then, he wasn't certain that Ichimatsu had. He'd thought... Well, it didn't matter what he thought, now, did it? No, Ichimatsu was making that perfectly clear.

Edited 2017-09-02 23:10 (UTC)

"Huh?" Ichimatsu blinks, the steady roll he'd built up for himself grinding to a confused halt. It wasn't that long ago. A few days... a week or two? He doesn't remember. He hadn't starved to death yet, so it probably wasn't more than a few weeks.

Realizing he'd lost his momentum, Ichimatsu gives a soft, irritated tch.

"No, it wasn't."

This did not make any sense, and Osomatsu is frustrated. He runs a hand through his hair, scratching his head in confusion. But at least he seems to have slowed Ichimatsu down.

"Yeah, it was..." he breaks eye contact to look elsewhere for a moment, his voice growing softer. A thought occurs to him then and he doesn't like it. "At least, it was for me."

"... it wasn't."

A curtness weaves into his voice, though it's closer to his usual irritability than the worked-up tone from before. Ichimatsu might have an inclination towards dramatics, but Osomatsu is making it sound like this happened months ago. Then the eldest speaks again, and Ichimatsu scowls at his softened voice. It was a long time ago for him? That's a strange thing to add.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I dunno," Osomatsu says, and he doesn't, really. He just has a hunch of an idea. Finally, his gaze finds his brother again, and he tries to stare him down. "Don't you remember me coming and getting you all? An' the letter I got?"

Discomfort prickles at the back of Ichimatsu's neck at being stared down so seriously by Osomatsu all people. He's the one to break eye contact this time, looking away with a furrow of his patchy eyebrows.

He has no idea what Osomatsu is talking about. A letter? Osomatsu coming to get them? Ichimatsu doesn't see how his brother could find him if he tried.

"... no." He almost leaves it there, his eyes darting across the ground as if unsure whether to elaborate. "I remember... getting dropped off. The ramen shop. Didn't have any money, though."

He's too embarrassed to admit the couple he'd harassed at Christmas had all but fallen over themselves trying to help him.

Well, now, Osomatsu does not know what Ichimatsu was talking about at all. Does it matter? Maybe a little. He gulps, deciding to steer this conversation in another direction.

"What happened?" He's still staring at Ichimatsu with his piercing gaze, even if Ichimatsu has looked away by now.

Ichimatsu bristles, instantly defensive. Damn, he should have just kept his mouth shut. Like hell is he going to admit that he spent all his money on his cats the same day he left, then proceeded to survive on a mixture of handouts, light theft, and literal trash. Especially when it kicks the ass of the point he's trying to make here.

A point that is rapidly slipping from his grasp.

"W-...who cares what happened?" he growls forcefully, still not meeting Osomatsu's gaze. "Anyway, I dunno what you're talking about. There wasn't a letter."

But now Osomatsu's on the offensive. He's going to win this yet! And he's going to get Ichimatsu to agree to come and live with him. Honestly, he didn't think he would have to make such an argument. But here they are.

"Sure there was," he points out, losing his edge. Now he's simply explaining. "I got a letter, an' then I came an' got all of you. And we all went home. That happened just before I woke up on that raft thingie."

Agreeing with it isn't the problem.

Ichimatsu's jaw works silently.

"Bullshit."

The moment Osomatsu's demeanor loses its sharpness, Ichimatsu's returns. He looks to the eldest, his lip curling in disgust. Disgust for his brother, disgust for himself, it's hard to tell. He rubs at the nearly-healed bruising on his arm through his sleeve.

"If it was that easy for you, you should have said something a long time ago."

Osomatsu tilts his head in confusion, not getting what Ichimatsu means. Dammit, why is he making this so difficult? Did he want Osomatsu to get angry? Because Osomatsu could get angry, and they could fight, and then... where would that leave them?

"It's okay if you don't remember!" he shakes his head. "It sounds like you had a lot of things goin' on for you at the time, but it's okay now! I've already forgiven you for leaving."

He's forgiven them.

That's... ha. That's good.

"Keh." It's forceful, almost spitting at the ground, but there's no heat left in Ichimatsu's posture. He turns away from Osomatsu and drops back down to the ground, knees drawing up.

Osomatsu has forgiven them for leaving him. Is that what Ichimatsu started rampaging for in the first place? His big brother's forgiveness? It's embarrassing to think about, and he doesn't have an answer for it. He wanted Osomatsu to admit there had been a problem, for the same reason he'd held back a brother by the shoulder all those weeks ago, when tensions were rising in their own living room.

He can't deal with heavy atmospheres. With... not knowing where he stands with his brothers.

He doesn't have a whole lot of other people. And he's seen the side of Osomatsu that's all but admitted the same.

"... I didn't want to go, either. It wasn't better."

Okay, Ichimatsu is calming down. At least it appears that he is. Osomatsu lets out a short sigh, then sits down on the ground in front of him, keeping his distance but not drawing away. He wouldn't now, not when he's so close to getting what he wants.

"Of course it wasn't," he says softly. "It wasn't better living without you all, either. That's why..." Osomatsu closes his eyes, takes in another deep breath. "That's why, it's best if we stick together now, regardless of what happened."

Ichimatsu's gaze startles upwards. Not from the fact that Osomatsu sat down too, but at the fact that he... he actually admitted it. He admitted it instead of clamming up and frustrating the hell out of Ichimatsu with a taste of his own medicine.

His shoulders sink in a slow, tired sigh. You dumbass. Don't you realize how much easier things could have been, if you'd just done that sooner?

...

Well, better late than never. Ichimatsu forgives him, too. He just won't bring up the fact that he ever thought there was something worth forgiving.

Hugging his knees a bit tighter, Ichimatsu keeps his gaze trained on the ground.

"... hey."

They all may have been trash, but... of course there was something worth forgiving deep inside of them. Osomatsu had moved past the pain, the anger, and he wanted the others too, as well. Maybe everything still isn't as resolved as nicely as it should be, but this is a start.

Osomatsu knew he was a brat. He knew he'd acted in the wrong. He was a baby, and he hadn't known how to process all what was happening to him. His world was crumbling around him and he hadn't known how to stop it. He hadn't wanted Choromatsu to leave, and so he'd thrown a tantrum instead of crying about it and begging him to stay. But, hey, Osomatsu never said he did the right thing all the time.

He chews his cheek as he waits for Ichimatsu to speak, and when he does, Osomatsu leans in a little bit more. "Mhm?"

"... you're the eldest, right?"

It might seem like a question from left-field. From the way Ichimatsu's eyes are trained on a pebble near his foot, it isn't easy for him to formulate whatever message he's trying to get across. Of all his brothers, aside from Jyushimatsu, Osomatsu is probably one of the easiest for him to communicate with. That doesn't make communicating easy for him to begin with.

In a way, maybe Ichimatsu relies on Osomatsu not to be reliable. Maybe he relies on that carefree, honest guy that somehow grounds the rest of them with his own silliness. Losing that is as good as losing a brother. Yeah... if he's really truthful with himself?

Ichimatsu was pissed because he felt like they were the ones abandoned first. And not by Choromatsu.

But he forgives him, too.

"Niisan. If something like that happens again... do something about it, dammit."

Ah.

Sometimes, Osomatsu misses things, especially when it comes to Ichimatsu. He doesn't understand depression, doesn't always get Ichimatsu's thought process. But right now? Osomatsu understands what Ichimatsu is saying. He can hear him loud and clear.

After a moment, he grins, it's not his usual full-blown smirk, just a curl at one corner of his lips. And then he reaches forward to rub Ichimatsu's head. If Ichimatsu pulls away, he won't try to follow him.

"Yeah... Next person who tries to leave, I'll handcuff 'em to me." He's joking. Probably.

Ichimatsu doesn't see that sort of smile often on his brother's face, but he knows what it means. When Osomatsu reaches forward to ruffle his already-unkempt hair, he allows it with a small, tentative upward curve of his own mouth. Somehow, they ended up on the same page. That's...

It's a huge relief.

"Heh... not a bad idea."

A little bit of the weight he always seems to carry around in his middle chips off, and Ichimatsu breathes out a sigh. He uncurls a bit, releasing his knees to sit in a more neutral, cross-legged stance.

"... have you asked Shittymatsu yet?"

As much as Ichimatsu would normally elect to leave Karamatsu out of any brotherly proceedings, he's admittedly been a little anxious about the two of them, too. It seems like they've gotten along well enough the past month, but... tensions were high between them back home before Karamatsu left.

"Not yet," Osomatsu sighs, happy that Ichimatsu let him ruffle his hair. Osomatsu continues to do so for a few moments, and then drops his arm. Maybe things were going to be okay now! He'd thought they were okay, before, but, apparently, they weren't. Ichimatsu had been carrying around this pain and anger. Even though the events had happened so long ago! "I found you first, so I asked you first! But he's next."

Then he pauses, and his smile fades. He looks down at the rocky ground beneath them. "Is he... Still upset, too?"

A thoughtful breath pulls between Ichimatsu's teeth, and he scratches his jaw with a finger, looking askance. His hair is now sticking up pretty wildly from Osomatsu's ruffling, but he doesn't bother to pat any of it down.

"Dunno... I doubt he'd bring it up if you don't. He's painful like that."

Does he think Osomatsu should bring it up? His tone implies it, but he doesn't make any demands.

Things had been going fine between them, though, between him and Karamatsu! They were having fun, exploring and just trying to survive on the island. Karamatsu hadn't seemed upset at all, but then... when did Karamatsu ever get upset?

Osomatsu sighs audibly, a low hum as he crosses his arms, considering what to do. "You think I should punch him?"

"If you do, I wanna see it."

Okay, he's joking. Sort of. He's not, but he doubts it'll escalate to that. And if it does, he's sure it'll turn out fine anyway. The two eldest always seemed to be closer to equals, in Ichimatsu's eyes -- they butt heads a bit more often, but that just means they're closer, too. Or something.

It'll be fine.

"Anyway... hurry up and find him. It stinks in here."

Osomatsu smirks at that, and then gets to his feet. "Okay! I'll find Karamatsu, then the three of us will go house-hunting... or, I guess... Hut-hunting? Hutting?" He snorts and begins walking out of the ruins.

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Pretend Like That Last Episode Never Happened [closed]

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