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It’d been funny at first.
It wasn’t a complete secret that despite his usual sullen demeanor, deep down Ichimatsu genuinely loved every single one of his brothers. However it was almost impossible for him to actually admit it out loud, even more so within his siblings’ earshot.
So when Ichimatsu tried to deny very unconvincingly that he wasn’t the one that wanted to take a picture, looking all bashful and cute, everyone started teasing him affectionately, Todomatsu included. It was quite a treat to see the usually apathetic fourth son displaying that kind of emotion after all.
But when Ichimatsu finally admitted to wanting to take a picture and took out a tripod, it dawned on them all just how genuinely serious he was about it.
They didn’t have it in them to tease him about it anymore. Todomatsu wasn’t entirely pleased that his cell phone had been snatched from his hands without having a say in the matter, but it’s not like Ichimatsu wanted to do anything bad to it. He just wanted a picture. Not only was it harmless, but also kinda endearing.
Not just Todomatsu, but the other four saw no harm in indulging the request. The cherry blossoms looked lovely that evening, and it was true that they didn’t have a lot of pictures of them all together -particularly now as adults-, so despite the teasing they inflicted on the fourth eldest, all sextuplets agreed this would be a nice memory to immortalize.
So after they allowed Ichimatsu to fuss over every minute detail, from his brothers’ poses to practicing with the timer, they could only but stare aghast when the pressure of getting the picture right was too much to bear and Ichimatsu ran off in a panic.
“I can’t!” Ichimatsu cried out in distress. Though he dashed off hurriedly, Todomatsu still managed to catch a glimpse of tears welling up in his older brother’s eyes. It actually made him feel sorry for him.
“H-Hey, wait!” Todomatsu called out, too much in shock to move from where he was sitting on the bench Ichimatsu had selected for the picture. To be fair, the other four stayed put too. “Don’t you wanna take a picture?”
Ichimatsu didn’t slow down or look back towards his siblings. He continued running deeper into the park, still screaming his lungs out in dismay.
“Ichimatsu-niisan!” Todomatsu tried again, this time with more urgency, but it was futile– Ichimatsu disappeared between the trees.
Todomatsu couldn’t decide whether to be shocked or not. On one hand, Ichimatsu really seemed dead set on getting this picture, but on the other this was Ichimatsu they were talking about. There was only so much his fragile heart could handle of stepping out of his comfort zone.
“Seriously?” Choromatsu murmured incredulous.
“He was so close…” Jyushimatsu lamented softly.
Osomatsu tilted his head in confusion. “So he doesn’t want the picture anymore?”
“No, he definitely wants it.” Todomatsu stood up briskly, causing all brothers to look at him with interest. There was an unexpected look of determination in his eyes. “I’ll go get him. You guys stay here and keep an eye on my phone.”
There were a few sounds of confusion from his older brothers, but no one tried to stop Todomatsu as he broke into a sprint.
He followed right in the same direction Ichimatsu had run off to, inwardly hoping that he hadn’t gotten too far. Todomatsu was in better physical condition than Ichimatsu was by a landslide, but he didn’t feel like running and getting sweaty either, especially if they were going to take the picture.
“Ichimatsu-niisan! Where are you?” Todomatsu called out patiently, strutting as he went along. There were few people walking around, but they didn’t pay him much mind besides briefly glancing at him as they passed by him. “Come on, everyone’s waiting for you!”
Todomatsu was mindful of his surroundings, searching for any trace of a purple parka, however as he did he began to notice just how pretty the scenery was with the cherry blossom petals dancing in the wind. He couldn’t really blame Ichimatsu for wanting to make the most of such a pretty spectacle.
“Ichimatsu-nii–”
To Todomatsu’s surprise, Ichimatsu didn’t make the slightest attempt at hiding. He was standing right there in plain view, reclined against a tree and facing the bark while desperately trying to recover his breath. He sounded exhausted.
“Ah, there you are.” Todomatsu sighed relieved, slowing down as he approached his brother. “Come on nii-san, let’s go back while there’s still good light out.”
“I can’t.” Ichimatsu mumbled with a nervous shake of his head. “I’ll mess it up.”
“Mess up pressing a button?” Todomatsu frowned incredulously, which was quickly followed by a nonchalant shrug. “If that’s too much of a problem I can do it for you, Ichimatsu-niisan. I’ve taken a lot of pictures with timer before so it’s no big deal.”
The offer made Ichimatsu glance at Todomatsu from above his shoulder until he fully turned around to face him, however it didn’t completely erase the unease from his features.
“But what if I end up looking weird in the picture?”
“Eh? We have the same face though.”
“What if I can’t smile properly?”
“You don’t have to smile, Ichimatsu-niisan.” Todomatsu chortled amiably. The idea of the fourth sextuplet putting on a fake smile when he rarely smiled with sincerity in his day-to-day life was almost silly. “Just be yourself. This picture’s for us, no one else.”
Ichimatsu’s gaze lowered timidly, visibly troubled. His anxieties were very much present, pestering at him, but the prospect of getting the picture he wanted with his brothers was just too tempting to ignore.
Todomatsu stared at him in awe. What was it with this vulnerable and soft side of Ichimatsu that was revealed all of a sudden? How could a simple picture with his brothers break down the walls that contained all these feelings? What a strange weakness Todomatsu had just stumbled upon…
“We’re all set.” Todomatsu added, trying to appear calm and not pressure his brother in the slightest. That would be awfully counterproductive. “Might as well take it. Putting everything together again another day might be a hassle.”
Ichimatsu rubbed the back of his neck meekly. Ah, he was breaking; Todomatsu could tell.
“Plus, mom might like it, don’t you think?” Todomatsu grinned mischievously. “And if she’s happy enough we could convince her to prepare something tasty like yakiniku.”
A glint of joy sparkled in Ichimatsu’s eyes. It was there for a few seconds only, but it was hard to miss.
“A picture and yakiniku…” Ichimatsu murmured with obvious delight. So the picture was still very much a highlight, wasn’t it? Todomatsu had to stop himself from snorting. The hell? Who could have thought that Ichimatsu could actually be this adorable?
“Let’s go, Ichimatsu-niisan!” Todomasu encouraged sweetly while grabbing his brother’s hand. Ichimatsu didn’t resist, and allowed himself to be dragged back with little to no resistance.
“Uh, oh, o-okay…”
Upon returning to their brothers Todomatsu greeted them all with a smug and proud smile that Ichimatsu couldn’t see. They all smiled in approval and welcomed Ichimatsu with friendly pats as he sat down on his assigned spot by the bench, not in the least surprised by how Ichimatsu sheepishly cleared his throat and avoided eye contact in response to the affectionate gestures.
“I’ll be taking the picture so get ready everyone!” Todomatsu announced as he walked to his cellphone, still placed neatly on the tripod. He unblocked the screen, opened the camera app, and enabled the timer. “I’m setting it for ten seconds.”
Everyone immediately perked up, doing final adjustments to their clothes and hair before posing. Even Ichimatsu sat back upright so he wasn’t slouching as much.
Todomatsu smiled. Glancing between the phone screen and his sitting older brothers Todomatsu couldn’t deny that this would make for a very nice picture.
“Ready? One, two… three!”
Excitement surged through Todomatsu as he ran for his assigned spot, sat down, and posed effortlessly before the shutter went off. An audible ‘click’ came shortly after, and to everyone’s surprise, before Todomatsu could stand back up to grab his phone Ichimatsu sprang up to grab it first.
“So? So?” Jyushimatsu giggled. “How do we look?”
“Is it a good one, brother?”
“You like it, Ichimacchan?”
Ichimatsu was quiet as he looked at the screen. He was neither smiling nor frowning, but there was no mistaking the warmth in his eyes. He was far too easy to read.
It wasn’t until all brothers gathered around to look at the picture that Ichimatsu finally nodded and smiled.
“Yeah, it’s good.”
“Ah, you’re so cute Ichimacchan~!” Osomatsu cried out as he went to hug his brother. “If it’ll make you this happy then let’s take more pictures from now on!”
“H-Hey now–!”
“Yeah! I wanna have lots of pictures with Ichimatsu-niisan!” Jyushimatsu proclaimed giddily, joining Osomatsu in embracing the fourth sextuplet.
“Heh, if it’s for my brothers I’d be more than happy to as well.”
“It definitely would be nice to have more like these.”
Todomatsu managed to snatch his phone from Ichimatsu’s hand before Ichimatsu was piled in a hug by all brothers. He watched fondly for a few seconds how Ichimatsu squirmed and moaned in feigned annoyance before glancing down at the picture on the screen. Todomatsu himself couldn’t help smiling; it was nice seeing them all together like this.
“I’ll print this and add it to the family album.” Todomatsu said playfully. “That way you can sneak off in the middle of the night and see it whenever you want, Ichimatsu-niisan.”
“Oh, shut up–!”
With a teasing snicker Todomatsu joined the sextuplet pile, laughing joyfully as they all squished Ichimatsu between them. No one paid attention to his half-hearted complaints, more than aware that they were just for show. He wasn’t fighting back in the slightest.