Work Text:
Gently placing his shoes by the entrance rug, the young man took a deep breath and observed his surroundings. Despite his initial unease about coming back here, the nostalgic scent calmed his heart, almost as if he was being guided along a mystic path to his past. The house Osomatsu had lived in all of his life was now... quiet. Eerily so. The jolting sounds of thrashing and unparalleled energy that were present in their small little city home was what made it his, well, home. The chaotic sounds of a living room occupied by six identical children, who grew up to eventually split apart only to be bounded together once more as they reached their adulthood as NEETs.
At least, that's how it used to be. The Sextuplets' lives changed that day.
The eldest tried his best to remember it, but the mere thought of what happened back then sent his mind into a swirling state of despair and anxiety. The panic after the phone call; the sense of dread after seeing their father lay motionless in a hospital bed. The thought terrified the six, and from that day they knew they had to make a drastic change.
And, they did. It took time, but like clockwork, life began to move. Slowly but surely, the Matsuno Brother's said goodbye to their former lives and marched forward towards a brighter, more hopeful future. It started with Choromatsu finally living up to his word of being the first to get a job, then Karamatsu made his departure. Todomatsu had connections, and with those connections he even ended up landing misfits Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu jobs too; the only one left was the miraculous idiot himself, Osomatsu. He'd be lying if he said it didn't take a lot of hard work, but eventually, he bagged himself a local office job and a small apartment. Plain and simple, just how he liked it, albeit a little too far out of the city for his tastes.
The only negative to being in last place, however, was that he saw everything; the joy of finally escaping life as a NEET, the empty feeling of watching their bedroom gradually become devoid of any personal belongings, and the melancholy that came with a goodbye. He barely held himself together through it all, but he knew that he had to stay strong. A repeat of last time wasn't a mistake he was willing to make again, yet he knew deep down that he still regretted what he was doing, he was only telling himself otherwise.
Going down the familiar route to the living room, he gave the door a soft push before peeking his head in. It lay untouched, as if it were frozen in time. The hands of the clock only moved when all six of them were there to laze their days away, yet when they began to break apart and move on they came to a halt. No feeling of pride for his brothers could replace this feeling that was eating away at his heart, devouring his senses as he stared into the almost-bare living room. He nearly forgot why he was there as his insides contorted out of his control. Oh, right. Retrieving his belongings. The moving van didn't have enough space for all of it. Most of it was just junk, anyway. Matsuzo and Matsuyo were out, but Osomatsu preferred it this way. He knew that he'd break down in their presence.
Snapping out of his restless gaze, his view shifted to the window. An amber, soft light seeped through, illuminating the room in a warm hue. The crimson tone reflected off the TV screen, shining on an astray red sheet lying lifelessly near the floor, covering a pile below it with it's silky cloth.
That's strange. The hell is that? Who would leave something there so haphazardly?
The thoughts echoed through his mind as he walked to the pile and into the light, step by step. The eldest lent down, and with a swipe, revealed its interior. Nothing could prepare him for what he saw next. One, two, three, four, five. Five colored hoodies bundled together, the sleeves of each tied to the next, creating a perfect circle. On top of the hoodies was a letter addressed to none other than Osomatsu himself. The reaction the lone man got felt from the sight of what was underneath the pile would send shivers down his spine for the rest of his life. Upon seeing the hoodies that formerly belonged to his brothers united as one was too much. He could feel himself being engulfed by the agony of it all. The aching. The nostalgia. The shattering of his heart as he saw each one of his brothers leave. It all came rushing back, bombarding his senses. He wanted to cry out, but nobody was around to hear his screams. They all left a long time ago. Mind racing and body quivering like a leaf, he shakily picked up the letter. Of course, he knew that it was only bound to hurt him more, but his mind was a warzone of clashing colors and conflicting emotions; he couldn't think clearly. His vision was blurred from the sensations, but he persevered and slowly made hast in reading the inky engravements on the frail paper.
'Osomatsu-niisan! Brother, are you surprised? Choromatsu kindly informed me that you'd be visiting our humble, family abode sometime this week to retrieve your possessions, so we decided to leave a little surprise for you! Heh, it's a shame that we barely have enough time to even exchange digital messages, however, that is truly just the will of fate. You must be charmed by this most generous gesture, however not even I can come up with an idea so captivating, no, our gift was originally suggested by Todomatsu! You may be the farthest from us all, and the busiest, but we wanted to remind you that we'll always be here with you, Osomatsu. You will always be our eldest brother, and not matter how far you are, we will always be a family. Are you proud of us, brother? We finally made it.
Signing off, Karamatsu ✰'
No human language could describe the sorrow he felt in that moment. That letter was the final blow to his heart as it shattered for what felt like the tenth time this hour. But things never got easy for Osomatsu; when life started to look up, his heart would begin to heal, only to be fatally wounded once again. It was a curse passed down through the family. Remedying this curse was impossible. It was impossible for his life to end in anything other than sadness. He could only try and defend himself from it, defend himself like he was doing now, submerging himself within the circle of hoodies as he collapsed to the ground, cold tears streaking down his cheeks. The balmy weather couldn't of been any greater of a contrast to what he felt. Raw emotions overflowing in the area where his glass heart used to be, barely being lifted afloat by the time he spent with his family. The only thing keep him afloat was crushed, and the shattered remains of what was once his only happiness left to die amongst the bitterness that grew within him with each passing day.
Osomatsu lay motionless, enveloped by red, enveloped by their hoodies, enveloped by their scent, enveloped by the memories of his brothers.