Work Text:
Run…
Run.
Run!
Their feet feel like lead, but they have to keep running. Their lungs scream for rest, gasping for air in a desperate attempt to breathe without passing out—but still, they must run. Voices echo behind them. Shouts. Chaos. The chilly night, once silent, now shattered by noise. Osomatsu wonders why no one is peeking out of their homes. But maybe it makes sense, everyone is probably deep in sleep, lost in dreams, enjoying their rest without a care in the world.
They should be doing that too. Why did they think it was a good idea to hang out at the convenience store after their bath? Why did Osomatsu think coming home this late was fine? To think they came home, seeing nothing but their house got burn down.
Their parents.
God, their parents.
Kneeling before a group of men, faces twisted in horror and the sense of acceptance. The brothers had a plan. They could save them. They would save them. But then their mother looked at them, terrified. Their father shouted: Run!
A gunshot.
Body slumped, all the brothers can see is the lifeless body of their parents, the men focus on them. And suddenly, they were just kids again, scared, crying, frozen in place.
If not for Osomatsu grabbing Todomatsu’s hand and yelling at his younger brothers to run, they might have stayed. But in shock, they followed him.
So they run.
Keep running…
Even as gunshots ring out behind them.
Even as shouts chase them through the night.
“O-osomatsu nii-san my feet hurt!”
“Not now, Totty! We have to keep moving.”
They couldn’t risk stopping. They were still in danger.
A sudden thud, no, not something falling, someone—made Osomatsu freeze for a moment.
“Ichimatsu!” Karamatsu shouted in panic, rushing to his brother who groaned on the ground.
“I’m f-fine, I just slipped.”
Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu quickly helped him up. Blood trickled from his knee, but overall he seemed okay.
Osomatsu let out a sigh of relief. His heart had nearly stopped, thinking Ichimatsu had been shot. But they weren’t safe yet. The noises behind them were distant now, but that didn’t mean they could stop. Fuck… everyone looked exhausted. Osomatsu felt like he might pass out too, but he knew they were all following him. He couldn’t be the one to falter. He tightened his grip on Todomatsu’s hand, feeling it tremble.
“We should move,” he said. The others nodded because yeah, He was the eldest. He was right. They had to keep going.
So they ran. And ran.
Osomatsu didn’t know where they were headed. They just needed to get away, far away. They should find help. They knew that. But where? Where could they go?
They didn’t even know where they were anymore.
Bang!
The sound snapped Osomatsu’s focus. How had he missed how fast these men could be? Before he could even blink, a bullet whizzed past him nearly hitting him and his brothers. A man stood in front of them.
One of the people who chased them.
They’d been caught.
They were going to die.
Maybe this was it.
Maybe they couldn’t run anymore…
They should’ve stayed home tonight.
CRASH!
Not even getting another second to recover. Osomatsu watched in stunned silence as the man’s head was struck by an axe. Blood splattered across the wall. His brothers let out a horrified shriek.
Osomatsu was still processing
Where did that come from?
When Choromatsu shouted in panic, others whipped their heads toward him. An old man, weathered and stern, had grabbed his arm.
“Don’t just stand there. Follow me,” the man said calmly, pulling Choromatsu with him.
The others followed. Osomatsu grabbed Todomatsu’s hand and ran after them.
They knew they shouldn’t trust this stranger. But desperation and exhaustion overruled caution. Safety any safety was better than none.
So they let him lead them.
Away from the men chasing them.
Away from the blood.
Away from the danger.
To this day, Osomatsu still doesn’t know if that moment… was the right choice.
Naoto is his name.
An old man, unmistakably so. Gray hair, weathered skin, and an aura that screamed experience. If Osomatsu had to describe him in one word, it would be strict. Maybe harsh. Definitely not the type to sugarcoat anything.
The same night he saved them, Naoto told them the truth. He was part of the mafia. And the people chasing them? Another group rivals out for revenge.Osomatsu didn’t understand, since when did they have anything to do with mafia shit.
But now, in Naoto’s house, finally safe, or at least safer, the adrenaline began to fade. And when it did, the dam broke.
The brothers cried.
They shouted.
They clung to each other, letting everything pour out. The fear, the grief, the exhaustion. They’d lost their parents. Their home. Their sense of safety. Call them childish adults if you want, but that’s what they were in that moment: broken, scared, and desperate for comfort.
Naoto didn’t try to soothe them. No empty reassurances, no hopeful words. He simply let them grieve.
One emotion that Osomatsu felt at that moment was anger. And he isn't even surprised, He was Osomatsu, the selfish, reckless, anger-driven eldest brother. So what did he do to the man who had just saved their lives?He grabbed Naoto by the collar, yanking him close until they were face to face.
“Why are they coming after us?” he demanded, voice cracking. “Why did they kill our parents!?”
Naoko just stared back, still calm. That calmness only fueled Osomatsu’s rage.
“Answer me!”
Sometimes, the brothers wonder how they ended up this low. But here they are, rookie members of the mafia group Naoto works for. Not by choice. Not by ambition. But by sheer desperation…
and revenge.
They didn’t join just because. They joined because they followed their eldest brother, Osomatsu. He made the choice. And even though he told them “I’m doing this for myself. You don’t have to follow me.”
They did.
Because they had nothing left. And if they were going to fall, they’d rather fall together.
Killing became part of their training. Their morals chipped away, piece by piece. They were going to hell, no doubt about it.
To their surprise, Naoto wasn’t the boss, he was the right-hand man and the actual boss? Cruel, at best. In fact, they’d say Naoto had more heart than he ever let on.
During their rookie days, they lived in a cramped apartment, barely scraping by. Food was scarce, sleep was restless, with constant grief in their hearts. They couldn’t even hold a proper funeral for their parents, because they had to disappear.
Far from their hometown and everything they once knew.
The Matsuno family is now losing beloved parents and missing brothers.
Sometimes they hope they have time to say goodbye to their friends.
Honestly, the only reason they survived was Naoto.Despite his cold exterior and the “don’t care” energy he gave off, he was kind. He fed them. He was a kind old man, he always gave them food, gave them clothes, and helped them.He shaped them into survivors.
He was, without question… their savior.
He shouldn't have gone like that.
A selfless act for a boss who never deserved it. Why did Naoto-san have to take the slice of nothingness, when the boss ended up dead anyway?
Then came a new era and a new boss.
The worst years began as the brothers became part of a mafia group. This new boss was a monster. He treated them like trash no, worse than trash really. Arrogant and self-important, he only got the position because he was the son of the previous boss. Osomatsu and his brothers couldn’t say a word. Their rank in the family was so low, all they only followed and obeyed.
Unfortunately, the new boss had a twisted fondness for them. He kept sending them on missions, supposedly to make them more “useful.” But they were just dogs, dehumanized, degraded, disposable. Did they get a bigger paycheck? Ha. As if.
Things went from bad to nightmarish. Just when they thought life couldn’t get worse, it did. They kept nearly dying. And god, how many times did Osomatsu pray his brothers would come back in one piece after being sent on another dangerous mission?
It was all his fault, really. His brothers followed him. If not for his idea, they wouldn’t be in this mess.
That’s why he never complained when the boss summoned one of them. Never complained when he was the one walking alone into that office. Standing there, facing the man’s deranged smirk. Osomatsu only did little flinching when the boss whispered sweet nothings, circling him like a cat stalking its prey. He took Osomatsu’s arm, gripping it tightly, pulling him closer.
And when their mouths touched, when greasy arms wrapped around his smaller frame, Osomatsu couldn’t even process it.
Yet he didn’t move.
Didn’t scream.
Honestly he kinda deserved it…
“You know,” the boss said, gripping Osomatsu’s arm tightly, “if you ever run… I’ll just go to one of your brothers. Same face, same body. Easier, even.”
Dread crashed through Osomatsu’s chest. Anything but that.
But was Osomatsu sure he deserved this? Why… Why him.
So Osomatsu let himself be guided. Held back gasps and moans. His heart scattered as clothes slowly came off. He kept his face blank, his body obedient. Inside, he was miles away, counting every heartbeat, waiting for it to end.
He didn’t know what he expected. Love? Fun? He’d always imagined what it would be like, that first time. But it was nothing more than rough hands and a desperate grip on the last thread of sanity he had left.
What a first time.
It’s been 3 years…
Back again to the office. It smelled like cigarettes and stale, overpowering cologne. Osomatsu had been summoned alone, again.
His brothers were back at the tiny apartment they all shared, safe.
“You’ve been doing well for me, boy,” the boss drawled, standing and walking around the desk. “About time I gave you… a reward.”
It wasn’t a request.
And Osomatsu forced himself to smile, a very little controlled smile, “Anything for the boss.”
The rest was mechanical.
Clothes shed under hands that were too rough, too entitled. A mouth pressed to his neck without care, a voice in his ear praising him like a piece of candy, a property that can be shoved around as he pleased.
Osomatsu again. His body was there, present, compliant. But his mind had long since drifted somewhere else. Somewhere quieter. Somewhere happier than the greasy, uncaring hands that moved him like a doll. The man didn’t care how Osomatsu reacted. Didn’t notice the blankness in his eyes. Didn’t hear the silence in his breath, because he was used to it.
It was over fast.
The boss leaned back in satisfaction, lighting a cigar, not even looking at him. Osomatsu dressed slowly, eyes flicking to the pistol sitting on the desk.
“You’ll be good for more than running errands, boy, maybe I can give you more. Gold collars. A little leash with your name on it.” A hand brushed Osomatsu’s cheek, “I could dress you up. Parade you. Break you in just right. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Osomatsu ignored him, just dressed slowly, eyes flicking to the pistol on the desk. He didn’t reach for it immediately, just stared, quietly.
“Boss?” he said, voice casual.
The man looked up, smirking. But before he could speak—
Osomatsu grabbed the pistol and fired.
BANG!
The shot rang out sharp and final. The cigar dropped from the boss’s mouth. Blood bloomed across his chest, soaking into the expensive fabric. He staggered, eyes wide with shock, mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.
The cigar hit the floor. Blood spread across the carpet.
The boss made a wet choking sound, eyes wide with shock, before Osomatsu shoved him backward into the chair.
Then he stepped forward, calm.
He fired again.
And again.
And again, and again,and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again—
Until the only sound was the dry click-click of an empty pistol. His grip slackened.
The gun dropped to the floor.
Killing him had felt good.
Osomatsu walked closer to the lifeless body, leaned down, and looked him in the eyes.
“Thanks for the promotion.”
The next day, the family announced their new boss:
Osomatsu Matsuno.