Work Text:
“Can I visit you at work?”
Ichimatsu looks up from his spot on the floor where he's putting on his shoes (annoying, not-sandal-kind-of shoes that the cafe just demands that he wears.) Jyushimatsu is peeking around the corner of the hall, holding onto the wall while he bounces excitedly.
“You know you don't have to ask me that, right?” Ichimatsu grunts as he stands and grabs his bag. “The manager knows you by name now and you're always nice to the cats. Besides, it's not like I own the place- or you- just come whenever you want.”
The fifth brother keeps bouncing, he even starts putting his knees into it. “I know! I know! Your manager keeps asking me to work there! The other people who work there keep calling me you and asking if you're okay!” He laughs and throws his head back, then whips it forward so fast Ichi is almost afraid that he'll give himself some kind of injury (almost.) “But I want to see nii-san on break today, I have a surprise!”
Oh fuck.
“What... what kind of surprise are you talking about, Jyushi?” His brother laughs again at the glower he's being given, but looks a little more serious as he waves a floppy sleeve around.
“It's not bad! Not bad at all! I won't do what we did to Totty,” A deep wave of relief and pride flows over Ichi (fucking up Sutabaa was definitely some of their finer work, but he does actually fear the payback that Totty has yet to unleash upon him now that he actually has a job.) “But it's a secret, nii-san, a good secret. A big, good secret! Can I come during your break? Or after you're done working? I want us to have a good time with nii-san!”
Ichimatsu is a little confused and a little afraid as to who “us” could be, but he doesn't exactly have the time to interrogate his brother like he probably should. “You can come during break, it should be around five if it's not busy.” He turns toward the front door, raising his voice a little but now turning back to face his brother as he makes his way out. “We won't have a lot of time, though, and I use my break to eat dinner... it probably won't be very fun.”
The fourth brother flinches at the volume of the very offended noise Jyushi makes, but he keeps walking knowing very well that Jyushi will follow him as far as he needs to finish this conversation. “Ichi-nii is never boring!! The cafe isn't boring!” He jumps in front of his older brother, waving his arms as he walks backward. “It's always fun! So can I come during break? Please?”
Well... Jyushi is probably the hardest person to say no to.
-
Work, as usual, is heaven. Ichimatsu thanks whatever deity is responsible putting this cat cafe only a few blocks from home. The customers that come by are quiet, and only a few of them look terrified when Ichimatsu comes by to take their order or to deliver snacks for the people and the cats. A few regulars even smile at him; one lady and her daughter leave thank yous and doodles of the cats they played with on the napkins left on the table.
(Ichi makes sure no one is looking when he takes the napkins and carefully puts them in his apron pocket to hang up in his locker later. He is, unfortunately, unsuccessful in being sneaky and ducks his head when his manager beams at him.)
“Ah, Ichimatsu-kun, are you waiting for something? This is the fifth time you've checked the clock since you've been back here. We both know the timer on the oven works just fine.”
Ichi feels his face heat up, and he scowls over at his coworker from his position at the oven. To think that out of all the people on this horrible planet, he ends up with not one, but both members of that couple he met (harassed) last Christmas. Yuki looks just a little too interested from where she's filling cream puffs, and her question catches Kenta's attention too. Ichimatsu supposes that this is his punishment for the “Black Santa Incident” as Kenta likes to call it, but these two are killing him slowly probably. They love to ask too many questions (which is any amount more than one, in Ichimatsu's opinion) and Yuki makes sure to tell him at least twice a day how good he is with the cats, and just how cute he is as well.
He honestly can't tell if she's just teasing or actually flirting, which really fucks with him. Almost as bad as when Kenta gets in on it too. Is this how couples really work? Do they just get together and find one person to kill with weird amounts of kindness? Is dating just a code word for “find the biggest sack of shit available and gush over them? Ichi will never understand, but he also doesn't exactly understand how to really feel uncomfortable under all of this attention.
“I think he's excited for break time, Yuki-chan. Maybe we can all get off at the same time and sit together today.” Kenta pushes up his glasses and- did he just wink?! At Ichimatsu?? “I packed a little extra in my bento today if you want to share some.”
Mercifully, the oven beeps and Ichimatsu scrambles for an oven mitt to retrieve the cupcake tins. “I-I have a visitor coming today. During break.” He blames the sudden sweat that breaks out over his body on having to open the oven. “Jyushimatsu, I mean. He said he's bringing something with him... I don't really know what.”
The couple “ooo's” in unison. “You seem nervous about it,” Yuki puts down her icing bag with a concerned frown. “I mean, he's a little wild, but it can't be bad. I can't tell you how many times he offers to help me clean the bathroom when he comes in here.”
Kenta nods. “Yeah, he's probably just bringing you your favorite lunch or something- which you still haven't told us what that is yet,” Ichimatsu glowers at him, but Kenta is immune by now. “It'll be fine, he's aaalllmost as cute and nice as his older brother, so don't worry ab-ow!!”
Ichi feels no remorse knowing that the timer he just threw across the kitchen will probably be coming out of his paycheck.
-
Mochi is already on the table that Ichimatsu usually sits at during his breaks once five o'clock rolls around, and he meows loudly while showing off his fluffy tummy. Ichimatsu smiles down at the cat, murmuring his greetings as he takes a seat where he can watch the entrance to the cafe. Jyushi is usually right on time if not early for any plans that he makes, and Ichi puts more effort into trying to get Mochi to stop crying for attention than worrying about this “surprise”.
About five minutes pass before there's some commotion from just outside the cafe, and even with Mimi purring furiously in Ichi's lap along with Mochi finally pleased with a catnip toy that he bats around the table, the fourth Matsuno still holds his breath as the door opens.
Jyushimatsu is holding the door open and chattering happily to something outside, wearing sneakers instead of his ancient house shoes for once, and the sight of his brother's bare arms kind of shocks Ichi for half a second. He's dressed casually, like always, but he definitely asked Totty for some kind of clothing advice because his shirt goes well with his shorts- actual shorts! When was the last time Jyushi left the house in anything but swimming trunks?
Ichimatsu lifts his hand in greeting when Jyushi finally looks inside, and the size of his brother's grin is even larger than usual when they make eye-contact. Jyushi steps inside and waves excitedly for whatever is behind him to come into the building and
oh
Jyushi brought a girl.
A cute girl..!
She looks a little shy as she walks in and thanks him for opening the door. She's over a head shorter than him, even with the slight heel to her shoes. She's definitely cute, in her tight jeans(leggings? Who knows) and the flowing tank top she's wearing, and Ichi's eyes lock onto the slightly dingy sweatband she has around her wrist. (It's the same one he's had since junior year in high school, the same one he still wears some days when his mind is more cruel than usual.)
Jyushimatsu waves to the manager and the few of Ichi's coworkers that are on the floor currently, and even down at the cats who mewl loudly as he leads the girl by the hand toward the table at the farthest corner of the shop.
“Nii-san! Nii-san!” He flaps his free hand excitedly, and Ichi can tell he's trying very hard to talk at an appropriate volume for the cafe. “Hello!! And hello Mochi! Hello Mimi! Your legs are still so stubby today!! Make sure you eat so you can finally grow big!”
The cats both leave Ichi for the new members of the table, and the girl starts to giggle when Mimi unceremoniously shoves their faces together as soon as she takes the seat next to Jyushimatsu. “Their legs are always going to be small, Jyushi.” Ichi smiles just a little at his brother, but he can feel the anxiety creeping from deep in his stomach now that the cats are ignoring him and this stranger is so close to him. She's petting Mimi now, and still giggling now that the Munchkin cat has flopped over for premium tummy access. “I ah... so what's the big secret you had?”
Jyushi's mouth opens wide, Mochi almost shoves his head directly in there from his position in the man's lap. “Right! Right! Ichi-nii is really special,” He turns to the girl beside him, and uses one of Mochi's tiny paws to point at her. “This is Homura-chan! You get to meet her first, nii-san!” He makes Mochi dance in his lap, and the girl -Homura- laughs again when he does something that Ichimatsu vaguely recognizes as some kind of meme that Jyushi and Oso do at least seven times a day.
She turns her attention to him, and Ichi is slightly relieved when he recognizes the nervousness on her freckled face. “It's nice to meet you, Ichimatsu-san.” Her voice wavers just a little, but she maintains eye-contact. “Jyushimatsu-kun has talked about you a lot, I-I've been wanting to meet you for a while.”
God Ichimatsu wishes he could blame the oven for how hot he feel. He bows deeply and nearly smacks his forehead on the table. “Nnnnice to meet you...” He grits out, now holding back the urge to really slam himself into the table. “I, ah, sorry we had to meet while I'm working. Y-you can stay! Obviously, like, I ah, have to get back to working soon but you can stay.” God fucking-
Mochi mewls as his paws are put up almost above his head, and Homura looks a little concerned when she reaches over to scritch his chin. “A-are you sure? I know Jyushimatsu-kun is here a lot, but I'll try not to take up too much of your time, Ichimatsu-san.”
Jyushi leans over enough to bump their shoulders together gently. “It's okay! We can stay as long as we get a snack or a drink, snacks for the cats count too!” She still looks flustered, but Ichimatsu can definitely tell his brother's presence is soothing whatever anxiety she's feeling, and the smile they share puts a warm feeling in his stomach.
He sighs, offering a smile that he usually only gives to Jyushi- who looks even more delighted if that's even possible. “Ah, I should've guessed you would be the first to get a girlfriend, Jyushi.” He puts his chin in his hand and rests his elbow on the table, and nearly laughs at how they both freeze and turn beet red. “I gotta get back to work,” Ichi grabs his apron from the back of his chair as he stands, and he bows his head to Homura as he ties it behind his back. “Please take good care of my brother, he's kind of an idiot.”
“Nii-san!!” Jyushimatsu hangs his head, making an X shape with Mochi's tiny, tiny arms.
-
The rest of Ichimatsu's shift is relatively slow, which gives him a good excuse to spy on his brother's date.
They're still sitting right next to each other, with Jyushi chattering like he always does and Homura giggling and leaning in close to him often. They had ordered a small plate of treats for the cats, and had a bit of a hard time trying to distribute them evenly among the cats that had wondered toward the back of the cafe, especially when Mochi had decided that 90% of those treats must be for him.
“So who's the girl over there?” Yuki asks, helping Ichi with cleaning the kitchen for the night. “She's super cute.”
“Jyushimatsu is dating her, I guess.” Ichimatsu answers, handing her another mug to dry. “This is the first time I've ever seen her, Jyushi wanted me to be the first one out of all of us to meet her.” He ignores the way Yuki gushes over that and decides to flick some of the bubbles at her instead. “She's nice, I guess.”
Yuki wipes the suds on Ichimatsu's arm and looks just a little too smug at the yelp he lets out at the slimy texture. “Your brother looks happy, like, more than usual. The cats like her too, I know that's important to you too.” She takes the last mug that's handed to her to dry. “Even Ichi Junior likes her.”
Ichimatsu looks up from the draining sink, eyebrows up. “What? That cat barely sits with anyone- and that's not his name, dammit!” He wipes his pruny hands and stands up on his tiptoes to peek out the window above the sink that peers out to the floor, and his jaw drops when he sees what Yuki is talking about.
The fat grey tabby- the one even the manager calls “Ichi Junior” due to his sour attitude and general distaste for 99% people- is asleep on the table in front of Homura, curled up and looking entirely too content while the brunette strokes his back and talks to Jyushimatsu. They've scooted their chairs even closer together, and are they holding hands? Ichimatsu feels like he might puke a little at how domestic the scene is. Jyushi has his head pillowed on one of his arms while he listens to whatever Homura is saying, he's not even paying attention to Pickles- his favorite cat..!!- rubbing against his bare legs.
“Aren't they the cutest?” Ichi hadn't noticed Kenta and the manager coming in, but he's glad he at least doesn't jump at the sudden noise to his left. He drops from his toes and stumbles around an agreement to his manager. “I'm glad to see Jyushimatsu-san so relaxed, I think the cats are too.” The manager chuckles. “The cats might not be as tired as they usually are tonight, though. Let's hope they don't make too much of a ruckus.”
“We were busy enough today, I think it'll be alright.” Kenta peeks out through the window with a smile. “You're going to have to tell them we're closing though, Ichimatsu-kun. I think they'd stay here all night otherwise.”
He hadn't even realized how long the two had been sitting at that table, and a quick glance at the clock confirms that the cafe is less than five minutes until official closing time. “Ah, I'll go tell them.” He turns to his manager and dips his head. “Thank you for letting them stay so long, I should have kept an eye on the time.”
The old man waves off the apology. “They were lovely customers, and you know that Jyushimatsu-san is always welcome here. Make sure they get home safely, alright? And here,” He takes his arms from behind his back and offers Ichi a small paper bag. “There are some extra pastries in here for them, these are just the leftovers from our last batch. You're all welcome to take some with you as well, thank you for your hard work today.”
The three workers take the goodies with extra thanks, and Ichi takes up Yuki's offer to put his name tag in his locker for him so he can send off the two remaining customers. Jyushi and Homura only look up when Ichimatsu clears his throat, and they both look a little startled when they peer out the window and see how dark it's gotten. “You can take these with you.” Ichi holds the bag out to Homura. “They're from the last batch of the day, thank you for taking care of the cats.” He pauses, trying his best to put on a smile that actually looks sincere. “And my brother, i-it was nice to meet you.”
She takes the paper bag with an awful lot of stammering, and nearly falls when she stands up quickly from her seat. “Th-thank you! It was nice to meet you too,” She's talking a little too fast, and Ichi feels a pang of sympathy when she can't seem to meet his eyes. “I-I hope I can see you again!”
Jyushimatsu nods quickly while he springs up from his own seat, too focused on trying to calm his girlfriend to notice Ichi Junior's yowl of displeasure before he leaps off of the table. “We can always meet with nii-san again! Next time when he doesn't have to work!” He reaches for the hand that isn't holding the bag of pastries and Ichimatsu feels another wave of warmth at how easily these two just... click. Homura is still blushing and peering through her bangs at Ichimatsu, but they share a smile that has Jyushi swinging their arms probably too fast. “See! See! I told you you would get along! Nii-san is the best!”
“Mm,” Her smile turns into a grin, and she finally lifts her head a little more. “He really is.”
-
Ichimatsu waves the couple off until he can't see his brother's hand flailing violently above his head. Normally when Jyushi decided to visit for so long, they walked home together, but Ichi had insisted that it was okay for his younger brother to walk Homura to her apartment. He knows how to get home from basically anywhere, and Ichi had promised to wait up for him at home.
He feels pleasantly warm inside and out, from the summer night and seeing his brother so happy. Ichimatsu takes a look up at the sky, completely devoid of stars only because of the incredible amounts of light pollution, and smiles. What a nice feeling, he can bask in it for a little while longer before making his way home, he decides.
“Oooii, Ichimatsu-kuuun!” Well, fuck.
He turns to see Kenta and Yuki coming outside from the cafe, arms linked. “Do you want us to walk you home?” Kenta offers, and Yuki bounces on the tips of her toes with a smile. “It's pretty late, and there are two hands here for you to hold if you want.” Both of them twiddle the fingers of their free hands, and Ichi just can't find the energy to snark them off.
He rolls his eyes, but shuffles over and hooks his arm through Kenta's with a grunt. Both of them look genuinely surprised that he's actually taking up the offer, but Yuki just laughs at the way Kenta splutters and flushes bright red all the way to his ears.
Ichimatsu stays quiet while they walk, content to enjoy the weather and just listen to the couple ramble about the day and only offer a hum or two in reply.
Yuki has a cute laugh and Kenta's arm is comfortable to lean on, at least.