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He didn't have a clue as to where he should go.
The rain was pouring down endlessly from the black abyss of a sky, thunder threatening to start up at any moment - as he shivered privately to himself, proceeding to hug his body tightly, he could already feel the rainwater seeping through his clothing, practically drenched.
His hair, of course, was soaked, too. But he didn't care, staring down at his feet as he continued on walking along the pavement, shoes already flooded from stepping into the countless puddles. The street lamps scattered around the city illuminated the raindrops, as though snow was falling.
Todomatsu wasn't that close to Aida or Sacchi to just send them a text and ask if he could come over, only to pour his heart out, speaking about how much his five elder brothers sucked - well, maybe Jyushimatsu excluded, but all the same, Todomatsu Matsuno, youngest of the Matsuno Sextuplets, was pissed off.
It wasn't a particularly big ordeal, looking back on it now - Todomatsu was used to his elder brothers' comments. But the more they began prodding at it, the more he couldn't take it.
It was almost like he couldn't breathe. Almost like his tolerance towards them was growing shorter.
So, he upped and left the house during dinner, phone in hand, before it became a physical fight - his temper prevailed quickly, after all.
His mother and father, of course, didn't know what to say as they exchanged a blank stare - so, they both sighed out, before going back to eating their meals - well, Todomatsu's elder brothers seemed somewhat surprised, but who cared about what any of them thought?
Todomatsu certainly didn't.
After all, he shouldn't exist, according to them. He was a dry monster - an awful person who kept everything a secret from his family, and only thought about himself. Which wasn't far from the truth, but being told such a thing...that he shouldn't exist...
The boy then shook his head violently, trailing back to the thought of Aida and Sacchi - the more he though about it, the more he knew he couldn't trouble them. Plus, he had never been truly honest with them before. He didn't even know either of their addresses.
'I mean, I lied to their faces about being a Keio student!' Todomatsu stated to himself rationally, 'They still work at Sutabaa, too, so it's likely they're already asleep for an early morning shift...it was a huge surprise when they agreed to come to the beach with me...'
After his five brothers had done irreversible damage to his friendships with them through that mixer, the girls hadn't particularly contacted Todomatsu since. Maybe a few one word answers here and there - otherwise most of the texts Todomatsu had sent them were ignored mercilessly. Not to mention his calls on Valentines Day. They became colder, a tad more distant, but masked their disgust up pretty well at the beach - it was to be expected.
'Maybe they have boyfriends by now, or something..' Todomatsu continued on in thought, feeling even more irritated at the idea, and letting out a sigh of frustration.
He couldn't go to Totoko, since she'd assume he was making a move on her, and literally kick him out of her house through the roof, or do something even more ridiculous-sounding.
It was either that, or she'd start nagging about how much family matters, then go on to talk about herself, with a total disregard for his circumstances - Chibita was somewhat the same, so that option was a no go.
Plus, the oden chef would probably start going off on a tangent when it came to paying the damn tab, and to leave if Todomatsu didn't have any money, which, currently, was the youngest Matsuno's exact predicament.
He might as well stay the night somewhere, but he knew that a hotel was impossible.
'Dekapan?' Todomatsu thought to himself, hopeful for a mere second.
He then seriously contemplated it, before shaking his head violently.
'No, no, he'll probably make me a human test subject! No way! No way! Even for accommodation, it's too much!'
Stopping in his tracks, Todomatsu looked around to see that no one was present in the park, due to the weather - the lamps were enough for him to feel safe, and less anxious when it came to the dark, though.
He scratched his head in both thought and fatigue.
'...Dayon...? No, he's actually kind of creepy.' He concluded quickly, 'Futsuumaru...? Mm, maybe, but I have a hard time talking to him...Kusosuke...? No...Mai-chan? Probably not, I haven't seen her in ages...'
"I know!" He beamed to himself, face lighting up, "Hatabou! I can ask him for a place to---"
The boy then paused.
Oh, right - Hatabou was currently facing financial issues, just like Iyami.
Last Todomatsu saw the two, they were both wrestling over a piece of oden in the streets.
"...Guess not." Todomatsu muttered in dejection, sighing out once again - he then began walking.
Deep down, the youngest Matsuno knew who he had to go to.
The only one he could go to.
He stared at the darkly-coloured apartment door with knitted eyebrows - chewing on his bottom lip, and inhaling deeply through his runny nose, Todomatsu attempted to sort his nerves out.
How could he go about this first? By knocking? Ringing? Texting?
Atsushi was an all-round relaxed guy, so he was easy enough to talk to - that wasn't the main issue at hand.
The main issue at hand, to Todomatsu, was starting - explaining his current circumstances to Atsushi, and asking to stay the night.
The spotlight was always, always on the taller guy, which, of course, pissed Todomatsu off to no end.
Girls, a car, a stable job, a nice suit, money, an apartment of his own - he was living the dream, in comparison to a NEET like himself - one who still lived with his parents and elder brothers (who were just as bad as he was).
The youngest Matsuno didn't know who else to turn to, though. He didn't really have a choice. He could practically see this situation feeding Atsushi's ego even more - Todomatsu would probably end up owing him big time.
'One of my very first mixers, and that guy just had to show up!' He thought in disgust, looking back on the memory of their first meeting - he became more and more tempted to just kick the door down, and claim that he would spend the night with pride.
Well, the two did have good interactions from time to time, Todomatsu had to admit. They had met up at a cafe in the city for ice cream and coffee that one time, which was rather pleasant.
'Until Osomatsu nii-san showed up.' He added on, cringing at the memory - after that, Atsushi was relatively surprised to learn that Todomatsu was a sextuplet, and had five elder brothers.
Yeah.
Atsushi was Todomatsu's friend.
It's only natural to turn to a friend when you're having hardships in life.
With a sigh, Todomatsu shook his head - his gaze on the apartment door in front of him grew more intense, as did his resolution.
The boy then closed his eyes, raised his right fist, and knocked three times.
Todomatsu then remembered how Atsushi had helped him out with setting up the mixer featuring Osomatsu, Kumi, and Mari.
The rain seemed to fall down even harder after Todomatsu had knocked, and the wind cried out loudly as cars drove by. The youngest Matsuno hugged himself, rubbing his arms as he attempted to generate some form of friction and warmth.
Instead, it felt damp and gross - the boy couldn't help but grimace.
A few moments had passed, but it felt like an eternity - cocking an eyebrow, Todomatsu could feel himself growing more and more impatient - just what was Atsushi doing, anyway? He couldn't have been out at this time of night, could he? He was a working man with responsibilities, after all.
Or was he working late tonight?
No approaching footsteps could be heard, at any rate.
Todomatsu's eyes then widened in realisation.
'Maybe he's spending the night at some woman's place...he's a guy after all...he needs to satisfy his needs once in a while...' The youngest Matsuno thought to himself, releasing his frown, and instead, down-casting his eyes.
What bad timing, if that was really the case.
What a bad thought to have.
He was still a virgin, too.
"W---Todomatsu-kun?!"
Todomatsu became just as startled as the voice, once he had heard the door to the apartment open all at once.
In shock, Todomatsu raised his head - there Atsushi stood, equally as shocked. The guy was leant forward, unable to help his bug-eyed stare in Todomatsu's direction, whilst his clothes and hair were dishevelled.
His yellow tie was wrapped loosely around his neck, his dark gray button up shirt was messily worn, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows - Todomatsu registered that Atsushi’s navy blue blazer seemed to be missing, too.
But the youngest Matsuno quickly snapped himself out of his surprise - he moved a wet strand of hair out of his eyes, feeling his cold fingertips brush against his damp cheek in the process.
"S-sorry to surprise you like this - uh...you sure take your time answering the door, Atsushi-kun." Todomatsu muttered in reply, cautiously continuing to hug himself - he couldn't help his stutter and slight frown due to the cold.
“What're you doing here at this time of night?” Atsushi quickly inquired, ignoring the shorter boy’s comment as he eyed the Matsuno up and down, "And in this weather? You're soaking!" He pointed out.
Todomatsu parted his lips to reply, before pausing, frowning, and tearing his gaze away from Atsushi.
"...I fought with my brothers." Todomatsu informed quietly, unable to help his pout.
"Wait, what?"
"Ah, do I need to repeat myself again?!" Todomatsu snapped irritably, resulting in Atsushi to tense up, slowly letting go of the front door's handle.
The taller couldn’t help but stare at Todomatsu in worry.
"Sorry...anyway...I've gotta say, you live in a nice place." He brought up awkwardly, peeking behind the taller guy.
It was Todomatsu's first time visiting the apartment, even though Atsushi had invited him to come over a few times through text, sending his address in the process.
Just catching a slight glimpse of Atsushi's apartment from the inside, however, resulted in the irritation and jealousy to eat away at Todomatsu even more. Which is exactly what Todomatsu didn't want, hence why he had avoided coming over before.
It seemed cosy enough.
"Ah...right...thanks…" Atsushi replied slowly, offering a small smile in Todomatsu's direction, scratching the back of his head - he was clearly bashful from the praise.
Awkward silence ensued afterwards. Todomatsu squinted his eyes, unable to look away from the floor. The more the time passed, the more he could feel himself shivering, and unable to ask the question.
"So...uhm, hey, do you want to stay the night?" Atsushi inquired all at once.
Todomatsu paused, before bringing his head up to look at the taller guy.
"Eh?” He replied, blinking his eyes a few times - well, this was surprising.
The youngest Matsuno was so sure that he'd have to be the one to ask Atsushi helplessly - even grovel, if it came down to it.
"Like you said, you fought with your brothers, right?" Atsushi asked, tilting his head slightly - to Todomatsu, his eyes were soft - kind, and a light, honey-coloured brown, that pissed him off to no end, "It's clear that you have nowhere else to go." He added on with a small smile.
“You---I mean—“
"Hey, Atsushi!"
Immediately, a feminine, high-pitched voice called out from beyond the hallway, causing both Atsushi and Todomatsu to jump as their eyes widened.
"Who is it? Come back in and let's continue the movie, if it's not the pizza boy!" The girl whined, a hint of irritation and impatience lingering in her tone.
Suddenly, Todomatsu felt like an idiot - the biggest bother in the universe, as his face heated up more and more, becoming a visibly dark shade of red.
"..Sorry....Atsushi-kun..." He stated, not knowing what to do with himself, "I didn't realise you had...a guest over." He explained, knitting his eyebrows together, now unable to meet the taller's gaze.
"Don't misunderstand! It's just Miwa-chan." Atsushi stated in a panic, looking over his shoulder momentarily, "I was helping her go over some business, and we decided to take a short break by watching a movie." He added on with a laugh.
Todomatsu stared in surprise at the mention of Miwa, before squinting his eyes suspiciously - Atsushi could deny it all he wanted, but this was a fucking date. And if not a date, then something.
'Pft! 'Going over business', my ass! He clearly meant fucking; his clothes prove that much! And the movie is just aftercare, if he likes all that BDSM stuff, and to be rough!'
Todomatsu's face instantly flushed at the imagery. Luckily, Atsushi would have probably thought he had a fever or something, which wasn't too far from the truth.
'And pizza, seriously?!'
Atsushi couldn't help but blink at Todomatsu's intense facial expressions, before smiling.
"It's not a date - I wasn't planning on sleeping with her tonight, either." He assured - his voice was warm to Todomatsu.
'Yeah, right, asshole! Die!'
But because of Atsushi's warm voice, for some reason, Todomatsu kind of believed him, despite his thoughts beforehand.
"...Does Miwa-chan know that...?" The youngest Matsuno asked cautiously after a few moments, cocking an eyebrow.
"Of course she does." Atsushi replied, somewhat shocked at Todomatsu's scepticism, "Look, at any rate, come in - you must be freezing!" He exclaimed, motioning for the shorter to make his way inside.
"I think I'll pass after all." Todomatsu stated, holding his hands up politely as a form of rejection, "I shouldn't intrude - especially if you two are busy, so---"
Before Todomatsu could continue on, however, he found himself interrupted as Atsushi's hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling him in to enter the apartment. Of course, Todomatsu jumped slightly at the contact, feeling Atsushi's warm fingertips contrast with his cold wrist as the door shut.
Unable to resist the taller guy's touch for some strange reason, Todomatsu instantly closed his mouth as he felt his face heat up with a small 'pardon the intrusion', bowing his head slightly. The action resulted in multiple droplets of water to make contact with the floor.
Atsushi turned his head to look at Todomatsu with an amused smile, whose eyes remained glued to the wooden floor. Atsushi gently pulled him along down the lit corridor, before entering the living room.
Todomatsu, after realising that they had come to a stop by the doorframe, raised his head slowly.
The youngest Matsuno noticed that there was a large, extended window, which gave one a beautiful view of the city - however, due to the current storm, the window was covered in raindrops - some resting, and some sliding down in all sorts of directions. The mostly-red city lights were somewhat prominent, although it was leaning more towards the pitch black side.
That was when Todomatsu redirected his attention towards the black plasma television, currently playing some kind of movie in the living room - with the DVDs assorted in the shelf next to the television, the glass coffee table had a few sheets of paper scattered around on it, and that was when Todomatsu noticed Miwa sat on the couch.
The girl's hair hadn't changed - it was long and wavy, with her eyeshadow being a sparkling light blue.
Todomatsu took the time to notice that, hair aside, Miwa's style was something that hadn't changed at all, last he had seen her at the mixer with Osomatsu - which wasn't a bad thing, if it gained the attention and friendship of guys like Atsushi, Todomatsu guessed.
"Miwa-chan." Atsushi addressed shortly.
Soon enough, the girl tore her eyes away from the movie, which she seemed to have immersed herself in entirely.
Of course, Todomatsu knew that after the mixer with Osomatsu, Miwa and Kumi had questioned Atsushi's choice in guys, and told him everything that had happened.
Atsushi, knowing how much the eldest Matsuno loved to embarrass the youngest, couldn't stop his laughter when a crying, constantly-bowing-in-apology Todomatsu had met up with him, a few days after that tragic mixer - he assured Todomatsu that it was fine, although the shorter guy wouldn't stop.
After that mixer, quite rightfully, Todomatsu hadn't seen either of the girls around since.
Atsushi must have worked some type of magic to still have a friendship with them - he probably assured the two that he had never seen that side to the Matsuno's before, or that they were alright guys in general.
It kind of pissed Todomatsu off, just thinking about it - Atsushi could get away with anything as a successful guy, whilst he, as a NEET, had the worst luck ever, and wasn't even given the chance by girls to explain himself.
As Todomatsu put his painful reminiscing to the side, he noticed that Miwa had now paused the movie, and was staring blankly at himself and Atsushi.
"Sorry, but could we continue this tomorrow or something…?" Atsushi asked the girl, scratching the back of his head, "Some stuff came up." He added on, motioning to the youngest Matsuno stood by his side.
The girl studied Todomatsu for a few moments, who attempted to follow her eyes - Todomatsu then noticed that she was staring at Atsushi's fingers, which were still wrapped around his wrist. Of course, Todomatsu quickly snatched his wrist out of Atsushi's grip with a flushed face, staring down at the floor, prompting Miwa to answer.
The girl then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she leaned forward, beginning to gather her papers back into one pile, pulling her handbag closer, too.
"That's fine by me - but you owe me a ride around the city in your car! And pizza!" She exclaimed, pointing at Atsushi with a smile.
As she placed the papers in her handbag, Atsushi couldn't help but laugh.
"Sure. Whenever I can get the day off. Sorry again!" He replied.
"Don't apologise if you don't mean it." Miwa stated, sticking her tongue out playfully as she stood up - and wearing the same, lightly-coloured caramel coat she wore at the mixer, Todomatsu noticed.
"Should I call a cab for you?" Atsushi offered in question, holding a hand out.
The girl merely shook her head with a wave of her hand, wearing her handbag over her shoulder.
"I'm fine - a storm can't hurt me, when I have an umbrella." She informed, shuffling around in her handbag for a few moments, before presenting the umbrella, "Plus, I was meant to be meeting Kumi in a bit, anyway." She added on in statement, grinning.
"Alright - I'll see you to the door, then." Atsushi smiled, placing a hand on the girl's back once she had approached.
Todomatsu felt uneasy after his eyes had locked with Miwa's stone-cold, seemingly dead ones yet again - there was a big contrast in the way she treated him and Atsushi through look alone, he knew that much.
"Uh...well, goodbye then." Miwa stated absently, bowing her head slightly towards the youngest Matsuno.
"Oh, uh, yes!" Todomatsu stammered out, returning the slight bow.
Atsushi couldn't help but stifle his laughter behind a hand as he exited the room with Miwa, and Todomatsu was left stood there awkwardly, hair, skin, and clothes as damp as ever.
"I can't believe it! Miwa-chan actually forgot who I was!"
"Well, after that tragic mixer, I don't blame her." Atsushi stated, "Probably repressed the memory."
"Shut up!" Todomatsu snapped, before sneezing as cutely as he was capable of, "It wasn't my fault! I was just trying to repair the damage Osomatsu nii-san caused." He reasoned nasally.
"Well, take a seat for now." Atsushi offered as he gestured towards the couch, to which Todomatsu gave a pause - the Matsuno then nodded, and was about to do so.
Atsushi then blinked in realisation.
"Ah, actually, you're better off using the shower first." He stated, "I can make you some hot chocolate."
"...You...sure? I mean..." Todomatsu trailed off with a small shrug.
"I'm sure." Atsushi replied with a smile, "Let me bring you a towel and some spare clothes - hold on."
"Ah, thanks, Atsushi-kun!” Todomatsu called out after the taller, who had disappeared into one of the other rooms.
A few moments had passed, before Todomatsu felt another shiver throughout his body - he then looked down at his clothes with a frown, proceeding to grip the bottom of his hoodie in a crossed motion, pulling it up over his head.
Although he was now shirtless, and his hair and skin was still damp, Todomatsu felt so much warmer - the hoodie in his hand was a darker pink, due to the amount of rainwater it had absorbed, making it far heavier than Todomatsu would have anticipated. He stared down at it with a frown, before crossing one hand over his chest to ‘cover up’ – it was just a habit at this point.
As Atsushi had entered, Todomatsu tore his eyes away from the clothing in a slight shock, feeling his shoulders tense up. The sound of the storm seemed to envelop the two, as Atsushi couldn’t help but stare at Todomatsu with relatively wide eyes, lips parted ever so slightly – Todomatsu glanced in other places from time to time, just to avoid staring back at the taller guy awkwardly, feeling his face heat up out of embarrassment.
Atsushi then shook his head quickly with a chuckle, before making his way towards the shorter Matsuno.
"My clothes should be the right size for you - maybe slightly bigger." He stated, handing Todomatsu the change of clothes, as well as the clean towel promised – even boxer shorts.
After taking them delicately, Todomatsu looked to see that Atsushi was gesturing for him to pass the damp hoodie over – Todomatsu complied as he bowed his head down slightly in thanks, feeling his ears go red.
“I won't be long." Todomatsu mumbled, “And thank you…”
“Take as long as you need.” Atsushi replied with a grin, "Are you sure you're going to be alright by yourself in there?" He asked, “Want me to wash your back?”
Todomatsu instantly felt as though he could pass out, before abruptly composing himself.
"What am I, five?!" He snapped out of embarrassment, knowing that the taller guy was only teasing.
"Yes." Atsushi stated, sticking his tongue out, "You ran away from home, and got drenched in the process," He reminded, "Couldn't you have, like, put your hood up? Or gotten an umbrella before running away, at least?” He inquired, “I'm guessing you didn't bring any money with you, either."
"With that storm out there, it didn't matter what I did with my hood. Also, forgetting the umbrella and money wasn't even my fault! My brothers were---" Todomatsu cut himself off with a sigh, closing his eyes to compose himself.
Atsushi blinked for a few moments, before tilting his head to get a better view of Todomatsu’s expression.
"...Todomatsu-kun?"
"I’m showering!” Todomatsu snapped, “You're too perfect, that I can't even look at you." He added on, taking his phone out of his trouser pocket, and placing it on the coffee table.
Atsushi cocked his eyebrow at the answer, before nodding his head slowly.
“2nd door on the left. I’ll make the hot chocolate.”
Todomatsu quickly made his way, with a total disregard for what Atsushi had just said.
"I’ll say it again - I didn't mean to intrude, Atsushi-kun - especially on your date." Todomatsu began with a frown, staring down at his mug of hot chocolate.
As the two were in the living room, Todomatsu felt as clean as ever – hair dry, skin feeling wonderful, and Atsushi’s change of clothes fitting perfectly. Todomatsu felt like he could comfortably sink into the taller guy’s navy blue sweater and black tracksuit, and drift off. Of course, it now made sense to Todomatsu as to why Ichimatsu had such a similar sense of style, but he brushed the thought off quickly.
Truthfully, the youngest Matsuno was just thankful that Atsushi was an option – the taller guy had wrapped a blanket around Todomatsu, simultaneously giving him the mug of hot chocolate, as soon as Todomatsu came out of the shower, towel wrapped around his neck, and took a seat on the couch.
Atsushi was sat at the coffee table with a can of beer in hand, back pressed against the couch. Todomatsu was strangely cautious of the guy – and staring at the back of Atsushi’s head was weird. So, Todomatsu placed his focus back on the television, as the two were now in the midst of watching the movie that Miwa had chosen for herself and Atsushi.
"You didn't intrude, Todomatsu-kun.” Atsushi stated in reply, “And what's with you? Like I said, it wasn't a date." He insisted, taking a gulp of his beer.
"Sure - I mean, you ordered pizza for Miwa-chan and everything." Todomatsu shot back, taking a sip from the mug – the hot chocolate was pleasantly sweet and warm, and the youngest Matsuno couldn’t help but stare down at it once again in a slight surprise.
‘Kind of tastes like home…if that makes sense?’
"Only because she was hungry, and forced me to." Atsushi stated, causing Todomatsu to snap out of his thoughts, “Speaking of pizza, shouldn’t it be here by now?” He asked himself, looking down at his wristwatch.
“Maybe they got held up because of the storm.” Todomatsu reasoned with a shrug, "And anyway, you say that it wasn’t a date, but what about this movie?" He added on in inquiry, “I bet you two were all lovey-dovey, cuddling up against each other – oh, even making out?”
"Like I said, the movie was just a break from doing work." Atsushi repeated with a roll of his eyes, "Anyone listening might assume we were going out, given how much you're interrogating me." He added on with a laugh, “Or better yet, you have a crush on me or something. You sound jealous.”
Todomatsu paused for a few moments, squinting his eyes at the taller guy who had turned his head around to stare at him in amusement. Todomatsu’s face instantly flushed red.
“Asshole, what’re you saying that kind of stuff for?” The Matsuno questioned, “Don’t make me throw the hot chocolate into your eyes.”
Atsushi simply laughed.
“So you like Miwa-chan?” He continued on in question, eyes sharp as he inspected Todomatsu, and took a sip from his beer.
“No, not in that way...” Todomatsu replied with a roll of his eyes, “Sure, she’s got a great chest, and is beautiful, but…”
“…’But’?” Atsushi repeated in question.
"Anyway, what are we even watching?" Todomatsu asked through squinted eyes, totally ignoring Atsushi's curiosity.
"I don't know," Atsushi replied with yet another laugh, turning himself back around to look at the screen, "She just put it on before I could question what it was."
"Looks like a chick flick." Todomatsu replied, taking another sip of the drink, “Gimmie a summary, if you can.”
"Based on what I've seen so far, this main girl likes a well-off, average salaryman - she fears that he doesn't like her.” Atsushi explained, “She's poor, scheming, two-faced, quite dumb, and doesn't have any particularly redeeming qualities. She's hiding her true self out of fear of being judged by others. But he actually does like her, despite all of that, knowing her true colours. She just doesn't know it."
"...Wow, you were definitely paying attention." Todomatsu stated.
"Not really," Atsushi replied with a shrug, "It's predictable - standard, if you will. Romance is always like that."
"No wonder you sway all the ladies, then - well, most of them, anyway. You know exactly what they want." Todomatsu retorted.
"I know what most people want." Atsushi replied with a shrug, "Not just the ladies."
Todomatsu paused.
"…Even me?" He asked – quietly enough, he had hoped, although that didn’t stop Atsushi from turning around once again, locking eyes with his.
"Especially you." The taller of the two replied bluntly, "Although, you did catch me off guard with today's sudden visit." He brought up, leaning towards Todomatsu, "You don't want to talk about it?"
"No.” Todomatsu replied abruptly, feeling his face flush, “I mean, it’s something I'm used to, anyway - no point in telling you." He added on in explanation.
"If you're so used to it, then why run away from home, and come over to my place for the first time?" Atsushi inquired curiously.
"That---"
"Not that you're not welcome, that's not what I'm saying at all," The taller guy interrupted, "It's just...I don't know - strange.” He stated, “We're not particularly buddy-buddy - let alone best friends. We're more like...mixer rivals? Guys who help the other out, and meet up from time to time."
"I don't...I don't know." Todomatsu replied with a mutter, shrugging – honestly, how could one reply to that sort of question?
“Oh, maybe I was just the most convenient?” Atsushi asked, “To use, or something?”
Todomatsu paused.
“I didn’t want to...” The youngest Matsuno stated, setting his mug down on the coffee table. Atsushi placed his can of beer down afterwards, deciding to sit on the couch by Todomatsu.
And eventually, to Todomatsu’s surprise, Atsushi leaned over to place his head in the youngest Matsuno’s lap with a groan of relaxation, stretching out ever so slightly. Todomatsu couldn’t help but grow wide-eyed, parting his lips as his face flushed even more.
“Tell me - what happened?” Atsushi asked with a grin, looking up at the boy.
“T-the usual.” Todomatsu replied in embarrassment, “They never listen to me – I shouldn’t exist, according to them – I’m a dry monster. Someone who’s incapable of loving another person.”
Atsushi blinked a few times, before scratching his cheek in caution.
“See?! Even you don’t know what to say to that, Atsushi-kun!” Todomatsu snapped, “It’s heavy stuff! It gets tiring after a while, so…”
The youngest Matsuno abruptly trailed off with his sentence, before sighing out, closing his eyes.
After a few seconds, however, his eyes shot open, and he couldn’t help but jump – the feeling of something touching his face took him aback, that was for sure.
Even more so when Todomatsu noticed that it was Atsushi’s hand, which was holding his cheek. The guy’s facial expression was somewhat blank, with a melancholy behind his eyes – he was simply inspecting Todomatsu, and from that alone, Todomatsu’s face instantly turned red, as his heart began beating quickly.
“What…What’re you doing, Atsushi-kun?” He asked.
“I don’t know…This was the only thing I could think of, to make you feel better.” Atsushi replied, retracting his hand, and sitting up, “That, and…”
Todomatsu found himself unable to look away from Atsushi – he was kind of terrified as to what the taller would say next, but somewhat hopeful – the youngest Matsuno’s heart continued beating as strongly as ever.
“I love you, Todomatsu-kun.” Atsushi stated, “Maybe…I think.” He added on after a few moments.
Todomatsu instantly got up from his seat in a panic, face as red as ever – he began pacing up and down, eyes glued to the floor, with the blanket over his back slipping off in the process. Atsushi steadily stood up, too, holding a hand out in an attempt to calm the youngest Matsuno down.
‘Atsushi-kun is just confused! He doesn’t know what he’s saying!’
“Thi—This has to be a joke.” Todomatsu stated, “Some sort of prank Miwa-chan and Kumi-chan set up, right?” He inquired frantically, “They must have known I was coming over. They must have wanted to get back at me and Osomatsu nii-san for the mixer, right?! Right!? So they told you to say something like that!”
“No, Todomatsu – I’ve only just realised it myself. I think I might actually like you. Maybe I have for a long time!” Atsushi replied, tone genuine as he picked the blanket up from off of the floor, approaching the boy closer.
“But I’m the Dry Monster Totty! I have the worst luck, and I’m a NEET!” Todomatsu stated, “What’s so likeable!?”
After a few seconds, seeing that Atsushi seemed to be in deep thought with his answer, Todomatsu pursed his lips, in an attempt to stop them from quivering.
“It was a mistake coming here!” The youngest Matsuno continued on, “I’ll show myself to the door!” He finished off as he snatched his phone from the table, only to have Atsushi abruptly grab his wrist.
“And just what is your plan after that?” Atsushi asked worriedly.
“And just what was your plan, bringing something like that up!?” Todomatsu retorted.
“I was just…I don’t know. It slipped out. Heat of the moment, or something like that.” Atsushi replied, face heating up, “I didn’t mean to hurt you by saying it, but it’s true. Todomatsu, I really do like you. Even if you don’t like me, or yourself – you don’t need to answer me now, so forget it while you’re staying here. I don’t want you back in the rain."
Todomatsu quickly knitted his eyebrows together – his heart was beating crazily, and he tried to ignore the ecstasy of being told such a thing by Atsushi as best as he could.
However, after a while of awkward silence, the storm attempting to fill it up as much as it could, when the youngest Matsuno actually thought about it…
‘Isn’t this the ideal sort of confession…? When it rains, it’s so romantic…And the warmth of Atsushi-kun’s home…and the way I’m wearing his clothes. He’s way kinder than me…and he was honest with me. Don’t I owe it to him? I need to be honest back.’
“Todomatsu…?” Atsushi asked, tilting his head as he grew more and more worried by the second.
"I...I've only ever held hands...." Todomatsu mumbled quietly, staring down at Atsushi’s fingers still wrapped around his wrist for what felt like the 100th time.
Atsushi paused in total shock, but Todomatsu didn’t want to see the way his eyes widened, or the way his shoulders tensed up – just in case it really was a practical joke on the taller guy’s part.
"…Don't worry, I'm the same."
Todomatsu instantly let out a sigh of relief at the reply, before laughing.
“I doubt that, Atsushi-kun.”