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The rooftop of your house is one of Karamatsu's favourite spot, so seeing him perched there, pensive gaze turned upwards to the blue serene sky, doesn't come off as a surprise. You happily skip across the balcony and make a break towards him, skidding to a halt when there's little distance behind him, avoiding a collision that would cause the umpteeth nasty encounter of your big brother with the ground below.
"Niisan! Niisan!" The ever so cheerful call leaves your mouth as your arms find their way around Karamatsu's shoulders, flappy sleeves latching onto each other a little above his chest.
"Hey, Jyushimatsu," he answers in a quiet tone, unsual for the typical Karamatsu-niisan who would sparkle with light of his own whenever he pronounced a syllable towards anyone, even his own image in the mirror. He's not wearing his usual 'cool' outfit nor he does have the guitar sitting by him, and you notice he barely reacts to your happy outburst, keeping his stare to an indefinite spot in the sky rather than turning to you.
"Wanna do something together, niisan?" you ask, gently nuzzling the nape of his neck while making yourself comfortable behind him, with his back perfectly fitting against your chest. "We could sing some stuff, or go out and play baseball at the usual place, or go hunt for bugs or four leaf clovers! I'm up for anything! Let's go, let's go!"
"Sorry, I'm not in the mood to play right now." Although you cannot see his face from this angle, you can almost feel the sad smile that follows his statement. This fully confirms your worries. Such a 'normal' behavior may come off as a miracle for many, if not everyone... but for you, it's not good news. It can mean a few things, and you decide to take a guess.
"Did you get in a fight with Ichimatsu-niisan again?"
Karamatsu's body immediately tense up in your hold. Ah, nailed it. You close your eyes, resting your chin against his shoulder, letting out the softest sigh and waiting for a further reaction. Despite the situation, you can't help appreciating his good smell.
"It's not like I pick fights with him," he begins, and you notice how his voice is cracking. Perhaps he'd been crying already before you showed up. "You know this already, Jyushimatsu. He suddenly comes up and grabs me, insults me, and sometimes even hits me for no reason. If I try to ask what I did wrong, he yells over me. I can't talk to him at all."
He bows his head, and you feel prompted to free one of your arms and reach above to pet the top of his head gently, humming loudly in response to his ranting. Your fingertips poke out of your sleeve and run soothingly through Karamatsu's soft hair. The issue at hand is one you are well aware of, as it had been dragging on for months by now, and nothing seems bound to change anytime soon even after you attempted to speak some sense into Ichimatsu-niisan... in your own, perhaps thoughtless way, of course.
"Is it because I hurt him? I get called 'painful' a lot... even if I do nothing at all, I end up inflicting pain to the ones I love." He begins shaking and sniffling, sending pangs of sadness and guilt into your chest. However perfectly you can conceal your feelings behind that big smile of yours, you cannot help frowning when your beloved brother is suffering. "I don't want to hurt him, or anyone at all... especially you guys. You're my precious brothers, and the thought of doing anything that'd cause harm to any of you makes me feel disgusted with myself."
"Karamatsu-niisan," you whisper in his ear, holding him tighter against your chest. "It's okay, you're not actually hurting anyone. You're not a bad person! Not at all!"
His hands slowly crawl to his own face. "But I am... I am," he insists through the tears. "I must have made you feel pain, too. How can I be such a disgrace? I'm so sorry, Jyushimatsu!"
At that, you shake your head firmly. "You didn't, niisan." Your smile confidently returns. "You never hurt me. Not in my entire life I ever felt pain from you!"
Though that might not convince Karamatsu, it does lessen his shaking. His head turns a little as he speaks with a feeble voice. "Really...?"
"Mhmmm!" You nod eagerly and squeeze your hold on him, ruffling his hair. "I'm stronger than most people, you know! No amount of painful attacks will strike me down! I love you too much to let that defeat me!" Leaning forward, you plant a kiss over his tear stained cheek. "Turn around, niisan. I want you to look at me."
At first he hesitates, but as you loosen your hug, he complies. The spot you're sitting on is unstable, but you're strong enough to save him should he slip and fall. You pull him to your lap, his legs resting on either side of you, and your arms safely wrapping around his waist. Finally having a look at his face, you spot the redness painting his cheeks, puffy eyes glistening with tears as his nose leaks a bit of snot, which you quickly wipe away with your sleeve. You don't mind the grossness, and he won't question the gesture. The best of your smiles cracks over your face, and Karamatsu seems to calm down.
"Karamatsu-niisan is so cute," you coo softly, causing him to splutter in embarrassment. Laughing, you gently clear his cheek from both dry and new tear marks, and plant your lips on that spot for few moments before pulling out with a loud smooching sound. As you try to find the right words to say next, your expression also turns serious. For once, you curse the fact you were never good at talking to people.
"I know sometimes I follow what the others do and ignore you... I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry I wasn't a good little brother to you." Confidence abandons you the more you speak, but he absolutely needs your reassurance right now and you cannot back down. As his arms loosely embrace your shoulders and he stares at you in attention, you gain enough drive to continue. "But I really do love you, and I want you to be happy! So, I will try my best to be a better person for you...!"
"Jyushimatsu..." Lips quivering, he seems to fight the tears back. "That's silly... you're already a good little brother to me." He leans forward, and you feel the warmth of his breath and the softness of his lips as he kisses your nose. "I love you so much it kills me... and I'm glad that you don't find me painful... it means a lot to me, it really does."
Your bodies can't get any closer now, your chests pressing together, hearts also pounding together. Karamatsu trails a few kisses down your cheek towards your ear, and a pleasant shudder escapes your body when he whispers the next bit.
"Thank you so much, Jyushimatsu. Thank you."
Happy tears are now blurring your vision, but it's easy for you to blink them away. You pull back, exchanging a loving stare into Karamatsu's eyes, before capturing his lips with your own, brushing and enjoying the texture of his skin through the touch of your mouth and fingers. Gentle at first, the kiss becomes something more when he boldly pokes your lips with his tongue and you grant him access, causing your movements to get a bit more frantic as you get carried away by the passion of your act.
When you pull away, you're both out of breath. The tiny, rational corner of your brain pulses in alarm over the fact someone might have witnessed the scene, because the top of an old house's roof is not exactly a private spot for a couple, let alone a pair of brothers who might cause a sure scandal. Worrying thoughts are quickly chased off your mind, however, when you see Karamatsu's wonderful smile covering most of your vision, with the setting sun behind him. You squeeze him softly and hide your face into the crook of his neck, nuzzling and kissing the exposed skin, and sighing in delight.
Things won't change for the better from a day to another, but from now on, you will make damn sure your big brother becomes the happiest man on Earth.