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The holidays had started, and although it was still about a week before Christmas, the Matsuno brothers didn’t waste any time decorating the house as festive as can be.
They all had their own methods of decorating, and their own favorite types of decorations, and when you combined the efforts of all of them, you got one really, really big mess.
Jyushimatsu loved all the decorations, and he loved throwing them wherever he could reach, but tinsel was his absolute favorite and that was a hell in and of itself. Tinsel on every picture frame on the walls, more so than on the actual tree itself, and no matter where you stepped, you’d be stepping on tinsel.
Todomatsu, who liked things like wreaths and holly and fake fruit, often threw a fit about finding tinsel in his laundry for the next week, but his complaints always went in vain, as it was the same thing every year. To cope, he simply threw wreaths on every door and holly wherever he could reach, trying to drown out the damned tinsel.
Osomatsu, being the eldest, had taken it upon himself to actually get a tree every year, and no one was quite sure if he went out and chopped it down himself, or if he bought one, but everyone could tell when the tree was finally there because the thick scent of pine and earth filled their halls and rooms and noses and it was nice, really.
Choromatsu liked everything pretty organized, which definitely wasn’t going to happen, but Osomatsu had given him special permission to decorate the tree however which way he wished, since everyone else had their own thing going on, and Choromatsu took the chore to heart. He carefully placed an equal amount of every type of ornament on their tree, made sure the star on top was absolutely straight, made sure the branches were fluffed just enough-- he made the tree perfect, and it was often the only nice looking thing in their household during the holidays.
Ichimatsu was the only one who didn’t actively participate in this time of the year. Christmas was okay, and it let everyone have distractions they desperately needed and it was a good time to relax, but it wasn’t something he could get himself too excited about. At least, not like the rest of his family. He’d never been very festive growing up, and that hadn’t changed in his adulthood.
Karamatsu liked candles. He didn’t know if he liked the smell, or simply liked lighting them and eventually blowing them all out at the end of the day before bed, and relighting them again in the morning. Regardless, candles were his specialty, and like the rest of his brothers with their tasks, he put himself wholly into it. There wasn’t a single room without at least one candle, but most had two or three.
The aforementioned brother was in fact placing a couple candles in the kitchen, excited that the holidays had come around so he could do this tradition again. It didn’t take long to put the sugar-cookie scented candles on the counter, and his next targeted room was the bathroom. However, on his way out, Karamatsu bumped into one of his brothers, quite literally, and he had to take a moment to gather himself.
“I can see the army of candles is ready.” Osomatsu commented, immediately smelling the sweet scent in the air.
Karamatsu nodded, grinning triumphantly. “I only have the bathroom left to do.” He says, moving to slide past his eldest brother.
However, he was stopped as an arm wrapped around his shoulders and he was pulled forward against Osomatsu.
“What are you--” Karamatsu began, but was cut off as a warm pair of lips covered his own and his eyes went wide. He was absolutely shocked to complete stillness, unable to do anything except stand there until he felt his brother pull away from him with a grin similar to his own.
“... What…” Karamatsu started, but was unable to finish his sentence and Osomatsu was less than helpful in answering his questions because not a moment later had his eldest brother let go of him and simply walked off.
Karamatsu was left standing there, absolutely lost as he stared off to where his older brother walked off to. What… what was that?!
What?
Deciding that stressing about it, or looking into it too much, or… or really thinking about it at all was less than beneficial right now, Karamatsu swiftly turned and headed towards the bathroom, a couple small candles remaining in his hoodie pockets for the mission.
He had been pushing open the bathroom door and about to walk inside when he ran into another one of his brothers. Jyushimatsu, specifically, wearing his oversized yellow hoodie and apparently who’d just gotten done washing his hands because the ends of his sleeves were clearly wet.
“Karamatsu!” Jyushimatsu exclaimed, looking all too happy to have run into his older brother outside the damn bathroom of all places.
“Jyushimatsu,” Karamatsu said, not as excitedly. “I’m putting the candles out everywhere, and I have yet to do the bathroom--”
“Okay!” Jyushimatsu cut him off, a large smile on his face and Karamatsu for the life of him could not figure out why his brother seemed extra excited in this moment.
That is, until Jyushimatsu lunged at him, wrapping his arms around his neck and smashing their mouths together .
Karamatsu nearly stumbled completely over from the force of the action, frowning in slight pain because their teeth had knocked uncomfortably together.
Jyushimatsu pulled away moments later, simply smiling back at his brother’s criminalized expression. He patted Karamatsu’s chest, and then walked away.
Karamatsu was once again left there, completely and utterly lost as to what just happened . That was two brothers now that had pulled that same stunt-- was this some sort of mass trick against him? Were they all in on it? Was their goal to completely disorient him? Well, they’d achieved that already, and hopefully they saw that too and would stop, then.
Karamatsu reached up and wiped his sleeve roughly across his mouth several times, leaving his lips red and a little sore feeling but at least it made him feel better overall. Focus, he thought to himself. Focus on the candles.
He set up a couple in the bathroom; one on the sink, one near the bath, and one more in the far corner, and quickly set about lighting them lest another one of his brothers show up and pull another trick on him like the previous two had.
He finished as quickly as he had in the kitchen, and was feeling wholly satisfied with himself as he waltzed out of the gingerbread-scented bathroom. As he walked down the hallway, he wondered if there were any other places he could possibly put candles, since he’d gotten a couple new ones this year. Choromatsu had told him to use up the old candles first, however, and Karamatsu was doing his best to do just that… but if he could find other places to put the candles, well…
“Oh, Todomatsu,” Karamatsu said, noticing his youngest identical sibling turn into the hallway too. Todomatsu had his phone open, and he was texting rapidly away, and he clearly had no intention of moving out of the way for Karamatsu, or anyone really, ever.
At hearing his name, Todomatsu glanced up, planning on going back to his phone immediately but stopped in place completely, standing in front of his brother.
“What’s wrong with your mouth? It looks all… red.” Todomatsu commented, and Karamatsu had to take a moment before remembering.
“Oh! Yeah, I wiped my mouth on my sleeve too roughly, I guess.” He responded, and Todomatsu stared, his brows furrowing in thought.
“You look like you need chapstick.” He commented.
Karamatsu shrugged. “Yeah, I guess that would help.”
“Good thing I just put some on. Here.”
It was the only warning Karamatsu had before the front of his sweater was grabbed and he was tugged forward, right into Todomatsu’s awaiting lips.
The smell of strawberries reached Karamatsu’s nose, and it seemed to be the only thing that really registered in his mind at that moment, because he sure as hell wasn’t noticing how Todomatsu had shimmied up fully against him with a smile. At least, he didn’t notice it right away.
It was the tongue he felt that snapped him to his senses, his reaction time coming back full force and he jumped away from his younger sibling who had licked at his mouth.
“What the hell are you--” Karamatsu began, raising his sleeve back up to his mouth but refraining from wiping the strawberry-flavored chapstick away in favor of talking.
However, Todomatsu simply smiled and slid around him, ignoring him completely as he returned his attention to his phone and walked away without even hearing his brother out.
Karamatsu stared after him, his voice dying in the air, and he was getting really, really tired of this game.
What the hell!
Feeling unsafe in his own home, more so than usual at least, Karamatsu rushed to leave. He needed to get some air or something . While he rushed down halls and through doors, his goal being the front door, he made sure to avoid all of his siblings, going to such lengths has hiding in rooms until they passed by and it was truly the longest journey to leave the house he had ever endeavored.
He made it, eventually. He made it, and he had to take a minute to catch his breath before he could slip his shoes on. His heart was pounding with the tension and exertion it took for him to get here and he was going to take a moment , dammit!
The front door opened.
Choromatsu stopped, his entry being blocked by Karamatsu, who stared at him in return.
It was silent for a few moments, and when Karamatsu didn’t automatically move out of his way, Choromatsu spoke up.
“You look like a mess. Are you trying to copy Ichimatsu’s hairstyle?”
“Wh-- no , I’m not! I’m trying to get out of this place!” Karamatsu defended himself, crossing his arms at the accusation.
This prompted an eyebrow raise from Choromatsu, who looked both curious and also reluctant to even ask , but knowing he wouldn’t be told otherwise, held back a sigh and reached forward to idly pick at and fix Karamatsu’s hair.
“Did you break the television again?” Choromatsu asked calmly.
“I didn’t even break it the first time !” Karamatsu said with a deep frown.
“I see. Well, I guess whatever you’re trying to hide from must not be too bad, then.” He was sure he’d figure it out later, and he’d deal with it then.
“It is really bad, though! Something’s wrong with everyone here!” Karamatsu exclaimed, but it seemed as though his brother had lost interest and basically tuned him out, save for a generic nod. Karamatsu was about to say something else, when his chin was grabbed and his face was held still as Choromatsu leaned in and placed a chaste kiss against his brother’s lips.
It was a peck, quicker and softer than the rest of the kisses he’d received that day, but it was still very much a kiss, and once Choromatsu had left, Karamatsu had to take yet another moment to gather himself.
Then he yelled out his frustrations and confusions and promptly stuffed his feet in his shoes, then marched out the door, not bothering to shut it properly.
What the hell was wrong with everyone today!
Was there a sign on his back? A quick check told him no, so a repeat of that particular time was off the list of suspects.
Had all his brothers been poisoned? Cursed? What was happening ?
Karamatsu had been lost in thought, so he hadn’t noticed exactly where he was going until he physically bumped into someone.
“Watch where you’re going, Shittymatsu.” He heard a familiar voice grumble.
Karamatsu lurched backwards, arms coming up immediately to cover his face as he stared accusingly at Ichimatsu, whose eyebrow furrow was the only indication of any expression because he was currently wearing his medical mask.
“What the hell’s your problem?” He asked.
“You’re going to kiss me!” Was Karamatsu’s quick, confident answer… but after seeing how Ichimatsu’s eyes widened, and then darkened angrily, he wasn’t so confident anymore.
“And why the hell would I do that ?” He growled out, not liking his brother’s accusation one bit, or the possible implications behind it.
“Because everyone else did!”
That answer took Ichimatsu off guard, and his eyes narrowed then, questioning. Karamatsu was quick to add context, feeling very uneasy under his brother’s glare.
“I’ve been kissed by the rest of our brothers. First it was Osomatsu in the kitchen, and then Jyushimatsu in the bathroom, and then Todomatsu licked my mouth in the hallway, and finally Choromatsu when I was trying to escape!” He supplied, his arms still very much over his mouth, a shield.
Ichimatsu took in his brother’s words with a low hum, eyes still narrowed, but then he got annoyed at Karamatsu’s stance and spoke up. “Well, I’m not going to try anything, so stop looking stupid.” He said, feeling very annoyed that Karamatsu hesitated to stand normally.
“You sure?”
“ I’m sure. ” Ichimatsu grumbled from behind his mask, sighing in exasperation as his slouch deepened. He was tired. Too tired for this.
“... okay…” Karamatsu said, hesitantly. The two of them just stood there, then. “Do you… know why--”
“Mistletoe.”
“What?” Karamatsu said, blinking at his brother who looked boredly at him.
“I said mistletoe . I found a bunch this year, but I guess it got mixed up with the rest of the decorations. I wasn’t planning on hanging more than one up as a joke, but it seems someone else beat me to it.” Ichimatsu explained, feeling like that whole thing took more energy out of him than it was worth to say, especially since Karamatsu still looked like he didn’t believe him.
“Mistle… toe…? Really? That’s it ?” Karamatsu asked eventually. “A plant hanging from the ceiling is why I’m being harassed today?” His voice was growing louder, and he seemed to be angry, and Ichimatsu had no time for that.
“I’ll take them down when I get back.” He supplied. “It’ll probably be a hassle for me, too, so I’ll just take them all down.”
This seemed to reassure the blue-clad brother at least a little bit, and Karamatsu slowly nodded.
“Alright… that sounds… that sounds great. You do that.” He says, and Ichimatsu rolls his eyes as he moves to walk past his brother.
Karamatsu planned on staying out a little later, needing a bit more fresh air than just those few moments. He had a whole day of his brothers’ kissing to cleanse out of him! He needed a cigarette! He needed several! One for each brother!
“Don’t wait up!” Karamatsu called as he began walking in the opposite direction, ignoring the pointed glare he got in reply.
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It was very late when Karamatsu finally got back to their shared home, almost near bedtime, and when he finally arrived he entered with extreme caution, eyes darting left and right for any sign of any of his other brothers. Once he stepped inside, shutting the door behind him, he remembered what Ichimatsu had told him, and Karamatsu promptly looked up.
There, on the ceiling, was what looked to be a ripped piece of tape where something seemed to be placed previously, before being torn off. That must’ve been where the mistletoe was located, Karamatsu thought. The tape also meant that Ichimatsu had done what he said he would do, which was remove the damned things.
Filled with a sense of relief, Karamatsu felt he could sleep well that night.
☁ ☁ ☁ ☁ ☁ ☁
Karamatsu had been wrong.
He couldn’t sleep, and it wasn’t because of his brothers’ obnoxious snoring. No, it was because he was staring at his worst enemy.
Taped to the ceiling, right above them, him specifically , was a piece of mistletoe. Ichimatsu must’ve overlooked this one, figuring there must not be any in the bedroom because there were no decorations allowed in their shared bedroom after the year Osomatsu got tired of fishing tinsel out of his sheets and pillow weeks after Christmas ended. Not even candles were allowed!
Karamatsu stared at it, trying to mentally will it to fall from the place it was taped to, the fear that one of his other brothers would wake up and see it and promptly lock lips with him once again. The idea that he might wake up to such a thing is what kept him awake right now.
He didn’t seem to be the only one awake, as he didn’t notice a pair of tired eyes staring at him for the past few moments next to him.
“Go to sleep. You’re stressing me out, Shittymatsu.” Ichimatsu whispered, frowning with annoyance when his brother visibly startled at his voice.
“You missed one.” Was Karamatsu’s tight reply, trying to keep his tone low, too, as to not wake the others because what if they saw it ?
Ichimatsu raised a brow, but followed his brother’s pointed finger until his eyes landed on what exactly Karamatsu had been talking about.
“Ah.” Ichimatsu said, and then sighed deeply as he began shifting.
Karamatsu turned his head to watch as his brother began fishing underneath his respective pillow, and not a moment later was a medical mask swiftly pulled out.
The small accessory was then tossed onto Karamatsu’s face rather ungracefully, and Karamatsu was quick to grab and look at with question.
“Wear it. No one can kiss you if they can’t get to your mouth, right? And you’ll wake up if someone tries taking it off.”
Ichimatsu had a point, Karamatsu thought, but when he turned back to his brother to ask if this was really okay to borrow, something caught his eye.
Ichimatsu wasn’t fast enough to stop his brother from reaching back under his pillow, and by the time Karamatsu was holding the small roll of tape in the air, it was too late to try and wrestle it back.
Karamatsu stared at the tape, and Ichimatsu stared at his brother.
“Did… did you… put the mistletoe there?” Karamatsu asked, his voice softer than before as his eyes finally moved from the tape to Ichimatsu.
Ichimatsu huffed, immediately pulling the blankets up to his shoulders and rolling over so his back was to his annoying brother.
“It was a prank.” he supplied.
“... was it?” Was Karamatsu’s question, and it was so sincere it made Ichimatsu grimace.
“Shut the hell up, Shittymatsu. Put the damn mask on and go to sleep.” Ichimatsu warned, finality in his tone and when Karamatsu didn’t immediately respond, he shut his eyes.
A bit of shuffling from behind him later, and Karamatsu spoke up once more, quietly, almost too quietly.
“I’m… okay with it.”
Ichimatsu looked over his shoulder at his brother, who was laying on his side and facing him, the mask over his face, hiding everything but his eyes and furrowed eyebrows.
“What?” Ichimatsu asked, not sure of what else to say because… what ?
“Well… It’s not really fair, you know? Everyone else got to kiss me, without my permission, yes, but you still didn’t, and I’m… giving you permission. If you want. I mean.” Karamatsu was struggling, and his nervousness only grew worse as his brother turned to face him, watching him carefully, as if to not miss any words he was saying. As if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing and had to make sure what he was hearing was this .
It was a long moment before ichimatsu spoke up.
“Are you… sure?”
“It would only be fair, right?” Karamatsu replied, adding on a poorly crafted nervous laugh to the end of his words.
Ichimatsu stared at him a moment longer, seeming to think about the situation. The seconds felt like hours to Karamatsu, and he could feel his hands begin to sweat.
“Alright.”
Karamatsu’s breath hitched at that single word, and he watched wide eyed as his brother propped himself up on his elbow and leaned over Karamatsu.
Karamatsu stayed absolutely still when he watched and felt Ichimatsu hook two of his fingers underneath the upper hem of the mask, pulling it down towards Karamatsu’s chin to reveal his mouth, before moving to lean in.
Ichimatsu stopped, though, when their noses touched.
“Close your eyes. It might be better.” Ichimatsu offered, and Karamatsu squeezed his eyes shut tightly.
He felt the sigh against his mouth rather than heard it, but that sensation was quickly drowned out by the cool pair of chapped lips that pressed against his own seconds later.
Karamatsu let out his baited breath in a loud shudder, his lips parting, gasping when this seemed to prompt Ichimatsu to press his lips even firmer against his, locking their mouths together fully.
They stayed like that for only a few moments before Ichimatsu pulled away, but not too far. Not far at all, really, because the edges of their mouths were still grazing each other when he talked, and he sounded out of breath.
“You said Todomatsu licked you?” He asked, eyes narrowing when Karamatsu nodded beneath him, his breathing erratic and nervous and hot against his face.
“I can fix that.” Ichimatsu said.
“Fix… it?” Karamatsu asked, confused.
Ichimatsu nodded. “I can make that go away. And the rest of their kisses too, if you want.”
Karamatsu hadn’t responded in so long that Ichimatsu assumed that the answer was no, but at the last minute, he felt fingers curl into the front of his night shirt, and he felt Karamatsu nod below him.
“Okay.” Karamatsu replied. “Okay.” He repeated.
Ichimatsu nodded back, wasting no time in leaning in and sealing their mouths together once more, hating how he liked the fact that Karamatsu was pressing back just as firmly as he was.
He also hated how much he liked that little gasp when his tongue darted out to lick at Karamatsu’s bottom lip.
“Open your mouth.” Ichimatsu said, his tired voice filled with gravel. Karamatsu obeyed hesitantly, but eventually Ichimatsu felt his brother’s lips part and he was quick to move forward.
Karamatsu’s fingers clenched in the fabric of his brother’s night shirt as he felt a hot tongue slide into his mouth, exploring and trying to coax his own tongue to life and eventually Karamatsu did. Or at least, he tried .
He whimpered against his brother’s lips when Ichimatsu bit at the tip of his tongue, getting quickly shushed by his brother with another searing kiss and oh, his body felt all too warm. Too warm. They both felt too warm and Karamatsu wasn’t sure when this would end.
Seemingly on cue, Ichimatsu pulled away, snapping the mask back over his brother’s face before separating himself completely and rolling back over into his spot.
Karamatsu laid there, catching his breath as his eyes were wide and his brain struggled to catch up and suddenly he felt much colder than he did a moment ago.
Ichimatsu’s back was towards him, like usual, and Karamatsu did his best to calm down and get resettled in his spot as well, though his mind was still spinning, preventing him still from sleeping.
Ichimatsu sensed this, apparently, because he reached back and gripped Karamatsu’s wrist, pulling it forward towards him and only letting go when Karamatsu finally grabbed ahold of the edge of his shirt.
Karamatsu blinked, feeling his brother’s night clothes between his fingers, and feeling where his brothers hand had just left his wrist, and feeling the heat radiate off of both of them.
He subtly scooted a small amount closer to his brother, noticing that the mask across his face smelled like Ichimatsu and, finally, he was able to shut his eyes peacefully.
Before he drifted off completely, Karamatsu idly wondered if Ichimatsu would let him keep this mask.
That would be nice, he thought.