Chapter Text
Objectively, it’s a beautiful day.
The sky is a lovely blue filled with fluffy white clouds, providing the perfect amount of cover from the beaming sun. The deadly summer heat has yet to set in, perfect weather for a cute short sleeved top paired with form fitting jeans that show off his legs. The waistband digs into Todomatsu’s hips a little and the new denim is still stiff, but it’s a small sacrifice to exchange for the compliments he’s bound to receive when he’s out on the street with his friends.
It’s a good thing he’s at home breaking them in now. While his current outfit isn’t what he’d typically consider loungewear, it’s only logical to match the pants with a fitting top; the pants he’s definitely only wearing to break in the fabric. The outfit simply wouldn’t work with his signature pink hoodie. Even alone at home Todomatsu abides by some sense of style, he’s not Karamatsu.
There are birds chirping, which Todomatsu thinks should be impossible to hear over the normally loud street noise, however, it seems the world is determined to make the day as picturesque as possible. The usual chugging of car engines is gone, light chatter filters in through the open window, all conversations flowing like dialogue from a cheesy chick flick. Todomatsu thinks he’s heard at least 50 people gasp and exclaim “Oh! The day is absolutely perfect!” in the same tone.
Objectively, it’s a beautiful day. Objectively. Todomatsu isn’t delusional enough to deny facts. So, he keeps his thoughts to himself, tucked away in his mind where he’s allowed to think whatever the hell he wants, because subjectively, today fucking sucks.
Todomatsu groans and sinks deeper into the couch cushions. His phone lies at his side, the display kept awake by his index finger resting on the screen.
The group chat is still open, the last message is still his, and the little “read” icon is still there.
His hip bones are starting to hurt.
Before Todomatsu can completely meld with the couch, the bedroom door slides open with a bang. The objectively beautiful day gets a little less beautiful as Osomatsu appears at the doorway.
The eldest is all smiles as he saunters into the room, eyes closed with a finger under his nose in his signature pose. He’s holding a magazine in his other hand. Todomatsu can only see a corner of the cover, but he recognizes the fresh pages and gaudy colours instantly.
That’s his fucking porn mag.
No wonder Osomatsu was so giddy. It’s rare for the house to be this quiet, everyone had announced their errands at dinner last night and were planning to be out of the house (Todomatsu changed his mind, that’s all). It was prime time to have a relaxing, stress-free session to yourself and steal your little brother’s newly bought magazine while you’re at it.
Where did he even find it? Todomatsu must have slipped up and left it peeking out from his usual hiding place. The cover was bright, enticing, and ordinary enough that of course it would attract normies like Osomatsu. Damn this man.
The bastard hasn’t even noticed his presence. It gives Todomatsu the slightest bit of joy to loudly cough just as Osomatsu is about to take a seat on the floor.
“HOLY SH—” Osomatsu whirls around to face the couch, torso twisting at a speed that would have killed him if he wasn’t still relatively young.
Todomatsu sees him wince at the motion, but the pain doesn’t deter him from contorting his arm at light speed to shove the magazine up his shirt behind his back.
“Totty,” Osomatsu calls out in a sing-song way, face plastered with a nervous, strained smile. “What are you doing here?”
Todomatsu huffs, “We share this room, don’t we?”
Osomatsu shuffles backwards, closer to the bookshelf. “Didn’t you kick us out at the ass crack of dawn to get ready? I thought you were going out.”
“First of all, it was already 10am, which is considered late for normal people,” Todomatsu replies, gripping his phone a little bit tighter. He looks away, turning toward the open window. The sky is still a perfect blue. If he tries, he could make shapes out of the clouds. The two blobs in the distance could almost pass for a couple holding hands.
Fuck.
Todomatsu will admit, he’s fully sulking. There’s no use denying it since he’s practically radiating displeasure. He’s reaching his limit of justifying his stubbornness to himself.
“Okay?” Osomatsu’s voice snaps him out of his increasingly violent daydream of ripping all the clouds in the sky to shreds.
“Okay?” Todomatsu parrots, his retort coming out more annoyed than he’d like. The last thing he wants right now is Osomatsu nagging at him for being a cold-hearted bitch.
“Okay, and?” Osomatsu challenges, crossing his arms. Both hands are free, meaning Todomatsu’s magazine is probably tucked into the waistband of his pants to keep it from slipping out. Gross.
“You said first of all,” Osomatsu continues, temporarily pitching his voice to imitate Todomatsu, “Where’s your follow up? Why are you still at home?”
Todomatsu can hear the irritation in his questions. While he has been a bit prickly, Todomatsu can’t help but feel offended being on the receiving end of Osomatsu’s frustration. He isn’t thrilled about this situation either. He didn’t plan on interrupting Osomatsu. He didn’t plan on staying home.
“I just decided it wasn’t worth going anymore,” Todomatsu answers nonchalantly. It’s better to placate Osomatsu than deal with a fight. Not that Osomatsu looks very convinced.
“I was feeling tired,” he quickly tags on in response to Osomatsu’s deadpan stare.
Todomatsu cringes as Osomatsu directs his stare to his outfit.
“Right,” Osomatsu says in a way that implies he can’t at all fathom why Todomatsu is lounging around in skinny jeans.
“Right.”
Osomatsu looks pointedly outside at the clear weather. “Right… okay.”
Todomatsu was wrong, the last thing he wants right now is Osomatsu grilling him for staying home.
With this revaluation in mind, Todomatsu ignores Osomatsu’s questioning expression in favour of browsing on his phone. A peak dry-monster move. He backs out LINE (no new messages anyway) and braces himself for the teasing admonishments.
It doesn’t come. Osomatsu instead is quiet. There’s a brief moment of awkward silence, before he lets out a hmph and goes to busy himself with perusing the bookshelf. Todomatsu sees him carefully stash the magazine in between two of Choromatsu’s job search manuals. Osomatsu is grinning so smugly at his accomplishment that Todomatsu reckons his brother must think he has no peripheral vision.
Osomatsu innocently peeks back at him, and Todomatsu ducks his head back down. He swipes back and forth on his home screen, not really in the mood for refreshing Instagram or Twitter. Maybe he should download some games.
He’s still debating whether it’s worth wasting his phone’s storage space just to kill some time, when Osomatsu slams the doors to the side again. Todomatsu didn’t even hear him leave, nor hear the door slide shut. Maybe Osomatsu was better at being sneaky than he thought.
“Lets go to pachinko!” Osomatsu announces with conviction.
“Go by yourself.”
“Ehhhhh?”
Facing rejection, Osomatsu converts his enthusiasm to whining. “But you’re already dressed! Come on, not like you have anything better to do.”
Todomatsu scowls at the comment and opens his mouth to retort when Osomatsu takes something out of his back pocket and starts dangling it tauntingly.
It’s Todomatsu’s wallet.
The pouch sags a little and Todomatsu knows Osomatsu can feel the weight of the coins.
Todomatsu’s previous lethargy immediately vanishes at the sight. He lunges off the couch, directing all his speed in Osomatsu’s direction. If he’s lucky he’ll be able to claw both his eyes out at once.
He’s not lucky. Osomatsu manages to dodge the attack and has the audacity to cackle at him. His laughter is quickly cut off with a yelp as Todomatsu swipes at him a second time.
“Alright, ALRIGHT,” Osomatsu cries out, flinging the wallet in Todomatsu’s direction like a lizard abandoning its tail to avoid further consequences. “I was just messing around. I have my own money.”
Todomatsu fixes Osomatsu with a knowing glare and clutches his wallet closer to his chest. As brothers, they’ve long since given up the Osomatsu-stole-money-from-me tally after filling up the first notebook.
“Don’t look at me like that! I’m serious this time!”
Osomatsu pulls out his own wallet and shakes it for extra proof. The coins jingle around inside. It’s certainly not empty. The issue now is if the (likely) meager number of coins would be enough to sustain Osomatsu.
As if already anticipating Todomatsu’s concerns, Osomatsu pops open the clasp and gives him a peek inside.
“See? At least 1,500 yen,” Osomatsu sighs, snapping the clasp shut. “Totty, would it kill you to be more trusting of your brothers?”
“I do trust them, you’re just on another level.”
Osomatsu feigns hurt. It only lasts a moment before his smile returns, apparently prioritizing his goal of getting them out of the house and into the parlour over being dramatic.
“Well, whatever. I’ll be the bigger person and let it slide. You know what,” Osomatsu leans in, throwing his arm around Todomatsu, “I’ll show you how gracious I am. If Nii-chan wins big, I’ll treat you to that café you were talking about, um, the one that opened up nearby.”
Todomatsu looks at him, surprised. “You remember that?”
“Todomatsu, you’re really killing my heart.”
Todomatsu rolls his eyes, however, Osomatsu’s offer is enticing. He glances over at his phone lying face down on the couch.
Fuck it, his outfit is too good to waste on moping at home.
“Fine, I’ll come with you.”
Osomatsu gives a little cheer before dashing off down the stairs. “Let’s get going before it gets too busy!”
Despite himself, Todomatsu starts to smile.
Neither of them wins big at pachinko, but Osomatsu guides them to the café anyway and strides in with the financial confidence of a man that didn’t blow his savings on gambling five minutes ago. Todomatsu sighs and follows him, expecting to bid his remaining change farewell in exchange for a macaroon or a cookie.
Osomatsu surprises him again by walking past the cashier display and taking a seat at one of the tables, using two 1,000 yen bills to wave Todomatsu over to join him.
“Where’d you get that?”
“Secret,” Osomatsu says with a wink.
Osomatsu isn’t usually one to save up, but Todomatsu has been underestimating him enough today and opts to scan the menu rather than question him further. As long as it’s not his money.
When their orders arrive, Osomatsu pushes his iced coffee towards Todomatsu. The tall glass splits the natural light streaming in from the windows into an array of colours that decorate his mini strawberry shortcake. It’s beautiful, it’s aesthetically pleasing, it’s confusing Todomatsu.
“Osomatsu-niisan, I have my own drink.” Todomatsu gestures towards his small cup of milk tea.
“Don’t you want to take a picture of everything together?” Osomatsu leans back proudly, “I saw Totoko-chan do that once.”
Todomatsu suppresses the urge to punch the arrogant grin off Osomatsu’s face, instead focusing on the fact that his NEET eldest brother who knows next to nothing about social media etiquette just tried to help him get likes.
“Sorry Osomatsu-niisan,” and Todomatsu really does feel disappointed, “I… didn’t bring my phone.”
There’s a pause, but Osomatsu had always been good at recovering. He boos and drags his drink back to his side of the table. “Aww, I wanted to brag to everyone when we got home.”
That would have been fun. Todomatsu’s always been one to document his experiences with his phone. But surrounded by the warm lighting and soft chatter of the café, He doesn’t find himself missing the usual heavy presence in his pocket.
“Osomatsu-niisan, thank you.”