Slumber never visited Chibita that night. How could it? Aside from the gloom overcasting in his psyche, Ichimatsu's refusal to sleep anywhere but across Chibita's lap made it hard for Chibita to get comfortable. All Chibita could do was stare at the adjacent wall in silence, recalling all the bittersweet memories of Karamatsu he had achieved in these past few days. Every smile, every tear, every touch Chibita had experienced in the presence of the second eldest Matsu was recalled. If his eyes weren't already so spent on tears, he imagined he would have continued crying as each vision rebirthed itself in his mind.
Morning sluggishly arrived, dragging cloudy skies and subtle winds with it. As Ichimatsu's eyes fluttered open, Chibita began to realize how numb his legs were from supporting his blackmailer's weight all night. Ichimatsu lifted his body up on all fours and stretched himself like a feline, smacking his lips slightly in the process. He soon knelt in front of Chibita and addressed him in his normal monotone voice.
"Oi, Chibita, you look terrible. Didn't you sleep?"
"It's hard to sleep with someone sprawled across you for hours," Chibita muttered as he began to shift his legs slowly up and down to regain feeling in them.
"Ah, I see." Ichimatsu didn't seem bothered by being the obstructer of Chibita's sleep. Rather than apologize or further dwell on the topic, Ichimatsu began to tug at the collar of his hoodie. "Your house is too damn warm, Chibita."
"I'd rather it be warm than freezing." Chibita began to roughly and repetitively rub both hands up and down his stocking-covered legs, hoping to reduce the numbness faster. Ichimatsu gave a slight groan in response and tugged off his hoodie, revealing the tight, gray tank top underneath. As Chibita glanced at the sextuplet, he saw a tattered hole in the left corner of the collar. Reddened claw marks and aged scars were also visible on the pale flesh covering Ichimatsu's shoulders and forearms. Ichimatsu placed his hoodie on the floor before returning his attention to Chibita.
"Are you hungry?"
"Not right now."
"Well, I am hungry now." Ichimatsu looked regretful about making that comment as Chibita shot him a grim look.
"Then go home and get yourself something," Chibita suggested in a passive aggressive tone. There was no way he was going to drop everything and cook him breakfast after the night Ichimatsu put him through.
Instead of following Ichimatsu's demand, he moved his hands onto Chibita's right leg. The sudden contact startled the oden lover, who swatted his hand away roughly in response. "Don't fucking touch me, idjit." Chibita sternly commanded.
Ichimatsu placed his hand back to his side and stared at the bed with a frown. "My legs fall asleep like that all the time. I know how to massage the feeling away. I was only going to help you, promise." Ichimatsu glanced back at Chibita, who had paused putting pressuring on his legs. As much as he wanted Ichimatsu to disappear, relieving the aching in his tendons was his top priority. Chibita hesitantly removed his hands from his legs and gave a nod to Ichimatsu, consenting to the offer. Ichimatsu nodded to confirm he understood, and gently placed Chibita's left leg into his lap. While giving Chibita reassuring glances, he gently massaged his fingers in a circular motion along Chibita's shin.
"There. Don't your joints feel much better?"
"You'll never know." If it hadn't been for the seething anger he had for Ichimatsu, he would have admitted how nice the massage felt.
Ichimatsu laughed in response. "I know you're upset, but it's going to pass. I know you, Chibita; you can't hold a grudge. Besides, you should just imagine all the dates you'll get to have with Shittymatsu after completing tasks for me."
Chibita narrowed his eyes in frustration at how unaffected Ichimatsu was to his rage. If his legs weren't so tense, he would've kicked Ichimatsu square in the nose.
"Are you feeling any less numb in this leg?" Ichimatsu questioned after several minutes of silently massaging his "maid."
Chibita bent his leg slightly upward as Ichimatsu supported its underside with his hands; the pins-and-needles feeling had finally eradicated. "Looks like it's gone away."
"Okay. Then let me switch to the other—"
"ICHIMATSU!"
Both Chibita and Ichimatsu straightened up and turned their direction to the sound. Glowering at them beside Chibita's vanity dresser was none other than Karamatsu. Karamatsu stood dressed in his pajama shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of blue slippers. His sunglasses had slid down to the very brim of his nose, exposing his brows firmly pressed against his narrowed eyes. His nostrils flared as the darkest shade of red imaginable pigmented his facial flesh.
"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Chibita screeched.
"I had asked where Ichimatsu was this morning at breakfast, and I was able to get Jyushimatsu to say he never came home from my star's house!" Karamatsu's glare frightened Chibita; never had he experienced such harshness on his face.
Suddenly understanding why he was so furious, Chibita lifted his leg out of Ichimatsu's hands and back against the bed. "I-IT"S NOT WHAT YOU THINK—"
"Heh heh…surprised, Shittymatsu?" Ichimatsu interrupted, giving a slight grin at his brother. "You should have known by now that Chiharu and I were well acquainted with another."
Chibita's jaw dropped in horror. Frantically, Chibita shook his head in denial. "DAMN IT, WE DON'T KNOW ANOTHER IN THAT WAY AT ALL!"
Ichimatsu gave a sinister laugh and glared Chibita dead in the eye. "Oh? So, it's a lie that you had me over for dinner last night?"
"W-well, no, but it—"
"And didn't we just spend the whole night together…in your bed?" Ichimatsu smirked so wide that his sharp teeth shown passed his lips.
"T-that's not what happened and you know it, damn it!" Chibita helplessly looked at Karamatsu, who now had a vein to throb on his forehead. "P-please listen, Karamatsu. This idjit's making this shit—"
Suddenly, Ichimatsu's lips rammed sloppily against his own. Chibita automatically began clawing at his shoulder in protest, which only made Ichimatsu grasp the back of Chibita's neck and pull him deeper into the kiss. The invasive act ended as quickly as it began, thanks to Karamatsu lunging at Ichimatsu with a feverish scream. Chibita was rolled forward a bit as Karamatsu pried Ichimatsu away and pinned his brother against the hardwood floor. Ichimatsu squirmed as Karamatsu positioned himself so he was kneeling on either side of Ichimatsu's body with one hand firmly grasped against his throat. Three swift punches to Ichimatsu's head soon followed, which made Chibita cry out in concern.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING, DAMN IT? STOP!" Chibita maneuvered himself across the bed so that he was right behind Karamatsu. He tried to hold back Kara's punching arm but quickly was shrugged off. As Chibita glanced over Karamatsu's shoulder, he saw the flesh on Ichimatsu's cheek was purpling and Ichimatsu's lip had split enough for a thin stream of blood to travel down his chin. Despite the injury, Ichimatsu choked a few insults towards Karamatsu.
"You honestly think…beating me up…will stop this relationship from continuing? You're even more…of a moron than…I thought." Ichimatsu coughed a few times due to the pressure Karamatsu applied to his throat.
"That will never happen, Ichimatsu! You'll never have what my star and I do!" Karamatsu responded heatedly, forcibly slamming the back of Ichimatsu's head against the floorboards. Chibita cried out again for him to stop, but Karamatsu continued to ignore the request.
Ichimatsu released a dark chuckle, licking the blood off his bottom lip. "Poor Shittymatsu…too blinded by his own desires…to see the truth. Trust me, Shittymatsu, she and I…will become even closer than you ever could. And do you know why? It's…because I'll always be better than you, Shittymatsu…in every shape and form." The comment made Karamatsu pause one of his punches in mid-air.
"Y-you'll never be better than me! I'm older! I-I'm wiser!" Karamatsu's voice had become shaken, and his grip on his brother's throat loosened.
"You're also pathetic…and easily forgettable, Shittymatsu. It's no wonder you can't ever find someone to love you."
Those last words cut deep into Karamatsu. Slowly, Karamatsu removed his hand off his brother's throat and stood up. Though Chibita couldn't see his face, he noticed streams of tears fall from his chin and hit the cloth of Ichimatsu's clothing. Karamatsu looked at Chibita over his shouldering with one of his bloodshot, damp eyes. Chibita attempted to hold his hand, but Karamatsu moved out of reach. With shaky breath, he said to Chibita, "If this is who you prefer…then I hope you two last longer than we did." Karamatsu sprinted out of the flat after that, his tearful wails still audible as he ran down the street.
"WAIT, IDJIT!" Chibita automatically sprung up from the bed and chased his heartbroken lover down the street, leaving Ichimatsu lying on the floor in pain and callous glee.