Archive of Our Own

"Wake up, idjit!"

Karamatsu snorted as he was roughly jolted from his sleep. His head, propped up by his arm on the table, slipped from his own grip and subsequently slammed against the bar of Chibita's oden stand.

"Oww... What?" Karamatu's head shot back up, and he rubbed the side of it in pain. Tears stinging the corners of his eyes, he was still able to bring the scene in front of him into focus, greeted with the sight of Chibita gritting his teeth at him, his eyes bright and burning with an indescribable rage.

"Don't whine at me, dammit!" Chibita shot back, crossing his arms against his chest. "You two idjits fell asleep! And then you other four idjits ran off while my back was turned! Now I have to close up shop, and one of you better have the money to pay for this!"

Karamatsu blinked sleepily at him, taking a moment to process the words, and then finally looked to his left to see who else had apparently dozed off beside him. He found Ichimatsu sitting a couple of seats away, hunched over the table, face buried in one of his arms while the other still gripped whatever remained in his bottle of beer.

Karamatsu almost smiled, thinking about how funny Ichimatsu looked curled up like a cat. But his thoughts were interrupted by Chibita slamming his hands down on the other side of the stand, and Karamatsu jumped as he quickly turned his attention back.

"Well?! The hell?!" Chibita shouted. "Do you have any money, or what?!"

Karamatsu twiddled his thumbs nervously. "Um."

"'Um'?! The hell does that mean, idjit?!"

"W-wait, hold on." Karamatsu shook his head in an attempt to clear it, feeling around through his pockets. He was still feeling a little foggy from the alcohol, and it was making it difficult to fully process the situation in front of him. As his rushed search through his person proved to be unsuccessful, he gave Chibita a sheepish grin and urgently nudged Ichimatsu's shoulder. Neither the grin nor the nudge were well received by their respective parties, so he turned and shook Ichimatsu a little harder.

"Ichimatsu! Ichimatsu!"

"Mm." The third youngest brother stirred, wrinkling his nose as his eyes opened. He sat himself up sleepily, rubbing at his eyes with his free hand. "What?"

"D-do you have any money?"

Ichimatsu fussed with himself a moment longer, cheeks tinged a deep shade of pink from the heat of the alcohol. He hummed lowly to himself before lifting up the beer bottle still in his hand, chugging the rest of its contents. He slammed it down, staring blankly ahead.

"Nah."

Karamatsu jumped as Chibita's hands made rough contact with the stand again, while Ichimatsu seemed unaffected by the outburst.

"The hell?! How d'ya idjits go out drinkin' when you know you don't have any money to pay for it?!" Chibita leaned over the stand and grabbed Karamatsu by the collar, pulling him halfway over the oden. The second oldest brother let out a little yelp as Chibita continued to scream in his face. "The hell kind of people are you?! Pay yer damn tab, idjits!"

"Ch-Chibita, why are you yelling at me?" Karamatsu responded meekly, trying to put his hands up in a show of submission. "I'm sorry! We'll give you something tomorrow, I swear!"

"Nah."

"Ichimatsu, not now!"

Chibita was gritting his teeth so hard that Karamatsu expected them to shatter at any moment. After a tense few seconds, Chibita let out a loud groan and let go of the sextuplet, leaning back and rolling his eyes.

"Whatever!" He growled, rolling his eyes. "You better have somethin' tomorrow. Just scram, idjit."

"S-sorry, Chibita," Karamatsu stammered, trying to smooth his collar out.

"Hmph. Can't be helped."

Karamatsu grinned warmly at him, clearing his throat as he attempted to regain his composure. "Heh, you can rest assured that your patience won't go to waste. A man of great integrity, such as myself, will always keep his word."

Chibita raised an eyebrow at him, but his expression softened. "Gross."

"Yes, you see," Karamatsu continued, closing his eyes and rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "it's all about being aware of your own karmic affect, and the karma of those around you. A strong heart is all you need to understand the ethics of business."

"That doesn't make any sense, idjit. And I'm pretty sure it's wrong, anyway."

"I'm no businessman, as you can clearly see, but if I were, I woul-oof!" Karamatsu was interrupted by Ichimatsu abruptly throwing all his weight against him. He wrapped himself around Karamatsu bonelessly, resting a heavy head upon his shoulder.

"Hey, Karamatsu," Ichimatsu slurred, a bit too loudly, especially considering he was now speaking right into his brother's ear. "Buy me another beer."

"I... didn't even really buy my own," Karamatsu replied, glancing over at him with mild concern. He looked back to Chibita with a raised eyebrow. "How much did he have to drink?"

"More than he can afford." Chibita grumbled, shaking his head at the scene before him. "I'm serious, get out of here. I wanna go home."

Karamatsu pursed his lips and started to peel his intoxicated younger brother off of him whilst Chibita busied himself with his own work.

"Come on, Ichimatsu, we have to go home. It's late." Karamatsu urged gently, standing up from the cart and pulling Ichimatsu up by his wrist to do the same.

"Whaaat?" Ichimatsu whined incredulously. He succeeded with getting back on his feet, only to drape himself over Karamatsu again, wrapping one arm around his neck and pressing his chest against his back. As he did so, his free hand began rooting through the pocket of his brother's hoodie absently. After a while of digging, he finally pulled out Karamatsu's pair of sunglasses, waving them in the air. "Fuck that. It's not even late. I could go for longer."

"No, come on now, we have to go." Karamatsu took a step forward, but Ichimatsu slung his other arm over his shoulder, refusing to move.

"Heyyy, Karamatsu, you'll have to carry me if we're going home." Ichimatsu hummed, attempting to wrap a leg around Karamatsu's waist.

"Wh- hey!" Karamatsu rolled his eyes, trying to take another step forward, but it didn't help the situation. "You can move on your own!"

"What? I can't walk suddenly, I don't know," Ichimatsu monotoned, while struggling to place his brother's glasses on his own face. After he succeeded, he put more weight into him. "Gravity's increased on me. It's funny how it happens sometimes, huh?"

"Please don't lose those. And your legs work fine."

"Psshhh. Idiot. A garbage can doesn't have any legs...."

"What? Ugh, just-" Karamatsu caught a glance of Chibita glaring at them from behind his cart, and he grimaced. "Fine, fine, just come on."

Karamatsu centered himself and hunched down to make things a little easier, grabbing Ichimatsu's legs with a practiced precision once the younger brother hopped up into position. Karamatsu let out a strained groan as he straightened up, making sure his brother was secure on his back before moving forward.

"Please don't fall asleep again," Karamatsu huffed. He was sturdy enough to be able to carry him back home without too much discomfort, but hefting around dead weight made things a little more difficult.

"Mm." Ichimatsu grunted, hugging his arms around Karamatsu's neck, letting his head loll comfortably beside his brother's. "Where'd everyone go?"

"You just noticed that?" Karamatsu smirked to himself a little sardonically. "They... must have thought we had the bill tonight."

"They ditched us."

"Well-"

"They ditched us." Ichimatsu let out a snort of amusement. "Did you expect any better?"

Karamatsu pursed his lips a little solemnly. "I guess not."

"Hah. What are you moping for?"

Ichimatsu's dry laugh gave Karamatsu a whiff of the alcohol on his breath, and he wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Augh, man, you reek. How much did you drink tonight, anyway?"

Ichimatsu let out an unintelligible, noncommittal noise. "I thought Choromatsu was buying." He answer simply, as if that explained everything. "Don't change the subject. Stop moping."

"I'm not moping," Karamatsu whined.

"Whaaat? You telling me you're not used to this by now?" Ichimatsu slurred. His head rolled around carelessly, and Karamatsu could feel the rims of his bogarted sunglasses brush against his temple. "I'm the one who should be moping. I'm not used to this kind of treatment. Why would they leave me, out of all their brothers?"

Karamatsu pouted, looking off to the side. The words stung a little more than they should have, especially coming from someone as intoxicated as his little brother was at the moment, and he chalked it up to his own oversensitivity. Still, it was difficult not to react to the statement.

"I could make you walk on your own, you know."

"Doooooon't." Ichimatsu moaned dramatically. "You're no fun."

Karamatsu only sighed in reply, keeping his pace towards the walk to home. Ichimatsu was silent for a long while as they traveled, long enough for Karamatsu to worry that his brother had dozed off despite his warning.

"Karamatsu." Ichimatsu's voice broke through the night air abruptly.

Karamatsu almost breathed a sigh of relief, his previous concerns assuaged. "Yes?"

"Do you remember the first time we all got drunk together? Back in high school?"

"Hm?" Karamatsu glanced at him with a bit of confusion, not sure why he was waxing nostalgia so suddenly, but his eyes were unreadable underneath the tinted shades. Still, he couldn't help but reminisce himself, and he chuckled at the memory. "Yeah, I remember. Osomatsu got it for us."

Ichimatsu hummed in amusement. "That was a good night. Remember when Jyushimatsu climbed up a tree and we couldn't get him down for like an hour?"

"Oh, I remember that, alright," Karamatsu snorted, rolling his eyes.

"You didn't drink a lot back then," Ichimatsu chuckled. "You still don't. Pansy." He paused for a moment, readjusting himself a bit before speaking again. "We were all lightweights back then, though. I don't remember much, but I'm pretty sure we all passed out around the same time. We didn't last long."

"Yeah." Karamatsu gave a small nod in confirmation, thinking to himself. "You were sick in the night, though. I was the only one that woke up, so I had to clean you up."

This seemed to pique Ichimatsu's attention, and he cocked his head to the side with curiosity. "Really?"

"Mm hm."

There was another pause, and Ichimatsu snorted in amusement. "I don't remember that at all."

Karamatsu pursed his lips in a concerned expression. "You were pretty out of it." He didn't find it necessary to mention the tears and outpouring of emotions that accompanied this sickness, but just remembering it on his own was enough to make his stomach turn.

"Huh." Ichimatsu gave a grunt in bemusement. "More out of it than right now?"

"Heh. This? This isn't much out of the ordinary," Karamatsu commented, finding the insinuation that this behavior was new to be humorous. Ichimatsu always got affectionate and nostalgic when he was loaded. Maybe he couldn't always remember it, but Karamatsu couldn't count the number of times he had been the center of this shift in attitude. Not that he minded it, at least not completely. What other opportunity did he have to carry on a conversation with his little brother like this? Still, the pang of worry in his gut didn't subside, and he bit the inside of his cheek in thought. Gently, he added, "You need to make sure to take care of yourself, though."

Ichimatsu didn't answer right away, and his head slumped against Karamatsu's again with a breathy laugh. "Why should I?"

"Don't say things like that." Karamatsu frowned. "You really worry me sometimes."

"Mm, you're a bummer." Ichimatsu sighed softly. "What's the difference? You're still here."

Karamatsu raised an eyebrow. "What's that mean?"

"You were there back then. You're still here now. So...." Ichimatsu trailed off, finding his words more difficult to come by as time passed. "I think you take care of me better than I ever could."

The statement almost made Karamatsu stop, and he could feel his chest tightening. A dry, nervous laugh escaped him, and he shook his head to himself. "When you say that, it makes me think I'm not doing a very good job."

Ichimatsu was silent for a long time, and Karamatsu wondered why he suddenly felt heavier than he had before. Before he could wonder if he had nodded off, the third youngest started fidgeting. Karamatsu couldn't see what he was doing, but soon he felt his sunglasses being sloppily replaced over his eyes.

"These look better on you." Ichimatsu monotoned, sniffing quietly and rubbing his nose with his hand. "Are we almost home?"

Karamatsu's mouth curled up at the edges in spite of everything else, but he sighed tersely. "Almost. Are you okay?"

Ichimatsu grunted in reply, getting restless and finally wiggling from his brother's grasp. Karamatsu let him jump down from his back, standing on his own two feet somewhat steadily but letting his left arm linger around his older brother's shoulders. He started walking on his own, although he still laid a considerable amount of weight into Karamatsu, and the second oldest brought his right arm around his waist to make sure he was balanced.

Karamatsu bit his lip, wondering if it would be more appropriate just to remain silent, but he couldn't help himself. "I wish you would talk to me more, like you used to. When you don't talk to me, it makes me feel like I don't know anything about you. I get worried."

Ichimatsu grunted again, his eyes glued to the ground. Whether this was to carefully monitor his own steps, or just to look anywhere but towards confrontation, Karamatsu couldn't tell.

"I was annoying back then." Ichimatsu replied dully. "I'm not gonna hassle any of you guys with my life."

Karamatsu's heart ached, and as he glanced over at his intoxicated younger brother, concentrating intently to match his own steps like a child would, he remembered the kid back in high school that could scarcely be seen anywhere but at his side. He remembered how much smaller he seemed back then, how much more fragile he was. He and Karamatsu were thick as thieves during that time, and the elder brother felt a little bad about regarding this point as nostalgic. Objectively, Ichimatsu's health had significantly improved since that time, and Karamatsu couldn't help but feel hurt that the better his brother seemed to feel, the further he slipped through his grasp.

Karamatsu was happy that Ichimatsu didn't feel like he used to. He really was. But the unspoken distance that formed since then had never sat well with him, and if anything, at times it only concerned him more. At least in high school, Ichimatsu told him how he was feeling.

"You're not hassling anyone," Karamatsu muttered. He looked up briefly and could see their own house a couple yards away. "You've never been a hassle."

"Mm." Another lazy grunt escaped Ichimatsu, but he finally glanced up at his brother. The only emotion present on his face was incredulousness, and something about it just made Karamatsu sadder. "Why do you still care, anyway?"

"I-" Karamatsu wasn't exactly sure how to reply to this, and at this point they were at their front door already. He stopped there, his grip on Ichimatsu's waist tightening. He looked over at him, flipping up his sunglasses and letting them rest atop his head so there wouldn't be anything blocking his eyes. "Of course I care. Why wouldn't I?"

"You don't have to."

"I always will." Karamatsu knotted his brows solemnly. "I can't just not care. I mean.... You're still my best friend, Ichimatsu. I love you."

The statement was initially met with silence, and Ichimatsu closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was staring blankly at the door in front of him.

"Karamatsu."

"What?" Karamatsu raised an eyebrow at the unreadable expression on his face.

"I'm gonna puke."

"Hey, you don't have to be like that...."

"No, I'm serious."

"W-wait, really? Oh my God, please hold it."

Miraculously, this was one of the rare times where Ichimatsu managed to make it to a proper receptacle - rather than onto one of his brother's shoes - and Karamatsu sighed wearily as he squatted beside the body hunched over their toilet. He winced at the retching sounds, putting a hand on Ichimatsu's heaving back. He gave him comforting pats until everything worked itself out.

"Feel better now?" Karamatsu asked gently. Ichimatsu only groaned in reply, and he sighed again. He thought to himself for a moment. On their way in here, he had noticed that the other four brothers hadn't come home yet. They must have stopped somewhere else on the way home. So they did have money, after all. "Just clean yourself up and brush your teeth. I'll go get the futon ready, okay? I'll be right back."

After another vague groan from his brother, Karamatsu grimaced and stood up, making his way to the bedroom.

Karamatsu tried to push all of his worries to the side as he readied their bedding. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea, trying to discuss deep topics when one of them was barely capable of walking in a straight line. It was just difficult, seeing as being in this state was the only thing that gave Ichimatsu the urge to speak candidly with him. Still, Karamatsu supposed it was selfish to pry. Ichimatsu was fine without him. It wasn't like he was alone.

Karamatsu just couldn't say the same for himself.

He stopped suddenly, kneeling on the ground in front of the half-made futon. He sighed to himself, taking a moment to close his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose.

It was really fine. He shouldn't be so pushy with his brothers. Especially not Ichimatsu. He was just being selfish.

When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was Ichimatsu's scrutinizing face a mere inches from his own, resting atop his interlocked hands. Karamatsu took a sharp gasp inwards, flinching backwards slightly in surprise.

"How did you get in here so quietly?!"

"You're moping again." Ichimatsu replied, giving him a serious look.

Karamatsu felt like he had been caught doing something wrong, and he swallowed nervously. "N-no I'm not."

Ichimatsu studied him a moment longer before moving his hands and grabbing Karamatsu's face in the palm of his hands, pressing his cheeks together playfully. "What's with that sour puss?" Ichimatsu sang in a baby voice, pursing his lips.

Karamatsu no longer had the energy to pry his head from Ichimatsu's grasp, so he just sat there, face thoroughly smooshed, giving his brother an exasperated look. "You're loaded. Go to bed."

"Ehh? I'm not even tired."

"You should be. I am."

"No fun, no fun," Ichimatsu slurred, whining. He was the giddy kind of drunk now, the corners of his mouth turned upwards mischievously. He puckered his lips a bit, adding, "I won't go to sleep until I get a good-night kiss."

"Ugh. How old are you?"

"Whaaat? Are you suddenly too good to kiss your little bro good night?"

Karamatsu raised an eyebrow at him warily. "Did you brush your teeth?"

Ichimatsu snickered, wiggling Karamatsu's cheeks around. "I don't know. Did I?"

The second oldest breathed heavily through his nose, watching Ichimatsu make kissy faces at him, his eyes rolling upwards in defeat as he puckered his lips slightly. Ichimatsu giggled again and placed a sloppy kiss on Karamatsu's mouth, pulling back and releasing his cheeks, looking triumphant.

Karamatsu groaned as he wiped off the little bits of spittle with the back of his hand, his forehead wrinkling in distaste.

"You didn't brush, did you?"

"Ha ha." Ichimatsu replied simply, enunciating the noises as he shuffled around. Getting himself to the floor seemed like more of an ordeal than it should have been, but he finally settled down, placing his head in Karamatsu's lap, the rest of his body curling up like a cat's. Karamatsu rolled his eyes as he sat back, carefully adjusting himself into a more comfortable position. He almost wanted to pick at the fact that Ichimatsu was still wearing his regular clothes, but getting him this far had been such a feat that he didn't have the energy to convince him to get into his pajamas.

"Just go to sleep now," Karamatsu urged gently, letting one of his hands rest atop his little brother's head.

"Mm." Ichimatsu hummed vaguely, closing his eyes. "Are you still moping?"

Karamatsu's chest tightened again. "It's fine, Ichimatsu."

"You're a bummer. What's wrong?"

Karamatsu almost anxiously began petting Ichimatsu's hair. He leaned back on his free hand, staring at the wall in front of him. He didn't really feel drunk anymore - not that he had indulged that much in the first place - so it must have been something else that was slowly draining the last of his reservations from him. He sighed quietly, letting locks of Ichimatsu's hair intertwine between his fingers.

"I miss you." Karamatsu stated wistfully. A small lump formed in the back of his throat, but it wasn't too much to swallow back down.

Ichimatsu was silent for a long time, and Karamatsu could feel him twiddling his own fingers. "I'm right here, idiot."

Karamatsu bit the inside of his cheek. "I know. Just go to sleep, Ichimatsu."

"I can't sleep," Ichimatsu responded quickly, although the slurred, weary cadence to his voice wasn't very convincing.

Karamatsu glanced back down at his brother curiously, and could see Ichimatsu with one eye open, peeking right back at him. Despite everything, a faint smile reached the older brothers face as he continued stroking the top of Ichimatsu's head.

"If you're having trouble sleeping, I can sing you a lullaby." Karamatsu suggested softly.

Ichimatsu smirked up at him, although it was a little more sincere than he perhaps intended it to be. He closed his eyes again, nuzzling a little closer into Karamatsu's stomach.

"Okay."