Chapter Text
Osomatsu thought himself a pretty great older brother.
Well, maybe more like a good older brother.
An ok older brother?
Decent?
Alright, so maybe he wasn't the best, per se, but... He certainly wasn't the worst!
Until the unspeakable happened to one of his little brothers, and his world came crashing down.
Osomatsu had built up a life for himself. A life built on trust issues and shockingly low self-esteem-- which he kept hidden behind egotistical remarks and forced smiles.
He hadn't meant for it to happen. Hell, if he had seen this coming maybe he would have had enough time to formulate an excuse for why he let it it happen without stopping it.
But it did happen, and Osomatsu was too useless to stop it.
Karamatsu hadn't come home one night. No one assumed anything was wrong, or if they did they didn't voice it. The brothers' nightly routine went as scheduled, with one empty, matsu-less space left between Todomatsu and Ichimatsu.
It was the phone call at around three in the morning that threw off the routine.
Osomatsu barely remembered it.
He barely remembered it ringing.
He barely remembered Choromatsu yelling for the "stupid oldest brother" to go pick it up.
He barely remembered the voice in the other end telling him that Karamatsu was in the hospital and that he should come immediately.
What he does remember, with a burning shame, was his feeling after hearing the news.
Irritation.