This was not okay. At least in the perspective of Ichimatsu. He looked like he was a living, breathing, garage-made explosive about to combust.
The three of them sat within a booth.
The three of them.
Three.
Ichimatsu, Karamatsu, and Yangita.
The question of coffee had been asked.
One of them had said yes.
The other said no.
A coffee shop had won: The aroma of ground beans, the infuriating lo-fi playing through the speakers, and the even more infuriating phony conversations being held among the tables-or at least, in Ichimatsu's point of view.
Karamatsu felt like he was on the edge of his seat next to his brother, because he literally was. He was supposed to be seated next to him, but he could feel himself seeping as far away and forwards as possible with the last bit of information he had learned at the end of the day's court session. He hadn't even had time to process it completely before Yanagita had stepped in. Maybe he really should have listened to Ichi in 'hurrying himself up' so this didn't happen.
Then again, that was on one hand. On the other palm, Karamatsu held the desire for this. As much as he loved his little brother, he was having a difficult time admitting that he wasn't suddenly feeling very uncomfortable around him in now knowing there was no actual reason for him to get that semen sample.
It was true they had now ventured in to territory far beyond the bathroom incident, but if it hadn't been for that, then would the rest of that super awkward stuff had occurred from there?
Having this coffee out with Yanagita offered that other hand its preference, because it provided a very convenient excuse not to be alone with Ichimatsu for a longer time.
Not just that, but Yana was on the verge of making his sought-after article rather enticing with the current circumstances. "Oh man . . .," he shook his head while scrolling on his phone, "people really want you hung by the balls."
Yanagita hadn't been the only press representative within the courtroom. He was from a small interdependent media slowly making its name, and he had not been coy about the fact that he wanted to talk to the Recycler Slayer himself to make a couple articles that couldn't be ignored. That, in turn, would surely grow his branch.
And in return, the premise was to get public opinion on Karamatsu's side of innocence.
A heavy, slow sigh released from Yana as he put this phone away and instead took out a notepad and pen. "There's no way . . ., " he idly tapped the pen against the paper, "no matter what Atsushi tries to present, there's no way I can believe little quiet, scared-of-his-own-shadow Karamatsu could commit a murder. Let alone thirteen of them."
"Because I didn't!" Karamatsu practically threw himself across the table, to which Ichimatsu was prompt to grab his collar to yank him back in place.
"Hmn . . .," Yanagita now moved to tapping the other end of the pen against his lip in thought. "Although, I have to admit," he smiled more with a light chuckle within his tone, "little quiet, scared-of-his-own-shadow Karamatsu also wouldn't have yelled certain things so loudly in court. And now too . . . I'd expect you to just stare down at your espresso con panna while just giving a silent nod."
"Huh!? So are you saying that you believe I did it!? I-"
"Haha, no Kara-kun. Calm down. All I'm saying is . . .," Yana's eyes drifted towards Ichimatsu alone who was staring down at his green tea latte, ". . . is that it seems like quite a bit has changed over the years." With the same smile on his face, he raised his arm towards the younger sextuplet, "High-five, Ichi?"
No response.
"C'mon, Ichi. High-fiiiiive!"
Still no response.
"Hmm . . . see what I mean?" Yana placed his arm back down. "I'm actually quite concerned about him." The pen now moved to under Ichimatsu's chin as Yanagita reached across the table with it in order to force his head up to look at him-to look at him with his wide, bloodshot noxious eyes. "Say Ichi, you sick or what? It's been how many years since we've seen each other, and you can't even do me one high-five? I thought you loved that? I didn't even know you were capable of grimacing either! Where's your smile, pal? Wh-"
In his silence, Ichimatsu clipped the pen between his own fingers, taking it from Yanagita's grasp. He remained with his now-anchored stare as his free hand inched over the table himself to take hold of the other man's coffee.
Without a single blink, Ichimatsu pulled the hot drink towards him, snapped the pen over the steaming liquid, allowed the ink to mix within the milk, and then slid the mug right back across the table to Yana.
"Er-" Yanagita finally lost his beaming face as he stared at the black fluid blending within his beverage now.
"Ah-" Karamatsu also tried to pull himself away from his brother further, squishing himself up against the large window.
"Yes . . . I see this is going to be an issue . . .," Yana trailed his eyes back to Karamatsu. "Maybe it's not my place to ask, and this is off the books, because I did consider all you guys friends of mine-especially Ichi. He was-," he looked at Ichimatsu again, "you are one of my best friends. So . . . did something happen? What's going on?"
"Ah!" Karamatsu waved both hands, "NO!" The smile he wore was wobbly, "No, nothing at all! We're just brothers! Ahah . . . hah!"
Yana lifted an eyebrow as he tilted his head, "Right . . . I see, . . . Either way, Ichi," he sighed to make his own smile return, "You can't be like this."
That sentence ignited fire within Ichimatsu's eyes, "Eh!? What do you fucking know!? Are you a lawyer? Huh? HUH!?"
"Whoa . . .," Yana sat back against the booth further. "Yeah . . . things really did change. Who is this I'm even talking to?"
"Tch!" Ichimatsu stood up and gave Kara's chain a jerk, "We're done here-"
Yana promptly stood up as well, "You're going to lose."
"What did you say-!?"
"I said, you're going to lose."
"You-"
"Think about it for a second, will you? You have a one-hundred percent success rate. Atsushi has a one-hundred perecent success rate. One of you has to lose this."
"And what makes you think it's going to be me-"
"Well-" Without removing his line of sight on Ichi, Yana pointed down at his coffee, "this."
"This-?"
"You. You're attitude-"
"Hmph-what do you fucking know-"
"A lot! I pretty much grew up with you, Ichi! I don't know what happened, or if this is just you having a single bad day . . . But if you continue on like this, who do you think is more likely to win? The person with the one-hundred percent success rate who is crass, rude, and withdrawn. Or, the person who is smooth, polite, and cordial?"
"The-"
"AH!" Karamatsu lightly tugged at the chain to get his brother's attention back on him, "He's right! If you keep acting this way, you're gonna' get me killed!"
Yana sighed again as he shook his head, "That's right . . . and I really don't want to see Kara-kun end up getting hung here. Writing an article to get the public on his side and maybe bring out a couple protesters can only do so much. It . . ." Slowly he lifted his pointing finger up from the coffee to aim it at Ichimatsu, "In the end, it has to be you for him."
Dead air fell over them, fell over the whole shop. Even the infuriating lo-fi music had come to a pause due to the track just ending.
Such a thing only lasted a few seconds though before the next song came on.
As it proceeded to play, Ichimatsu gave a final glare and went to step away from the booth. That was his intent, anyhow. With that single step, so did Yanagita speak up again, "You can leave if you want, but do make sure Kara-kun is ready to leave more than just this coffee shop if you do."
The chain leash jingled as Karamatsu dug his heels into the floor in trying to remain within the booth, "Please Ichimatsu, brother!" He whined. He actually whined sounding all too much like a dog.
"Or . . .," Yana sat back down with a thin, long smile, "you can stay, give me my interview, and I can also teach you . . .," he looked up to Ichimatsu only again, "no-I can remind you, how to conduct yourself so that we beat Atsushi."
"We?" Ichimatsu narrowed just one eye.
"Yes!" Yanagita straighten out his back with an aura of confidence that was trying to engulf Ichimatsu's dark rays. "C'mon! It will be fun! We used to be the most popular guys in school! What happened to you, man-"
The mugs and spoons clattered lightly against the table as Karmatsu slammed his palms down and leaned himself over towards the brunette. "Interview me! PLEASE!" The last word had been shouted in English.
Karamatsu was begging Yangita silently within his eyes. Earlier he had been internally pleading for Ichimatsu to read his thoughts within the courtroom, and now he wanted Yana to steal his thinking even more. 'Start asking me questions! Do it now and force Ichimatsu to stay here longer!'
"Well . . .," Yana picked up one half of the broken pen and stared at it for a second before turning his attention back on the younger twin, "you're the boss. You decide."
Karamatsu reached over to tug at the hem of his brother's suit, "Ichima- . . . Master, please . . .," that same word had been repeated in English again.
Yana had lost his smile from confusion as he blinked widely, canting his head to the side, "What did I just hear?"
"Gr-" Ichi slapped Karamatsu's hand away from touching him. "Fine-" he fished within his pocket and turned his phone on. "Thirteen. That's all you get," he set a timer on for exactly 13 minutes and then put his phone in the middle of the table so everyone could see it.
"Perfect!" Yanagita beamed all over again as he grabbed another pen from his bag. "So . . . let's start by having you introduce yourself and explain your innocents. Talk about your life and why it couldn't have been you to commit those acts. We want the public to feel like they really know you. We want them to see you as a family member, so-to-say. We want to get them attached to you, so that they will feel like they will really lose something of value if you are given the death sentence."
"Of course~" Karamatsu stroked his chin with his own smile; with a glint in his eyes. "I get it." There really wasn't anything Karamatsu would have liked hearing more at that moment. A chance to talk about himself and his life? He had so much of himself to share and gift to the world!
"Ugh-" Ichimatsu sat himself again, picking up his bag to set on his lap as he dug through it looking for something. "Something of value. That's rich-" he rolled his eyes and then found what he was looking for: A small bottle of Ibuprofen. 600 MG. One was promptly popped into his mouth in preparation for what he knew was about to happen.
As before, confusion landed over Yanagita's face as he glanced to Ichimatsu for another second. That sort of comment was something he'd never thought he'd hear him say about one of his brothers.
"Ahem~" Karamatsu stood up within the booth, one eye closed, the other fully shimmering with a dazzling glint as he placed a hand over his own heart, "Let me start the day that I was born! On the twenty-fourth of May! I was second among six other same faces. Perhaps a sign that the world was destined for me due to the date of my birth having a two as its number. I may have cried as all bundles of joys do upon the departure from the mother's womb. But looking back, I know they were just tears of joy, for now I could spread summer's heat of life among the continents! My life is pure spice! The earth would only be forced to slow its descent into a dull reality now that my presence was within its orbit. Mnnh~ the planet may have distaste with its course being disturbed, but soon it and all of its inhabitants realized just what a necessary ingredient I am! I, among my precious brothers, all made this place our home. We realized what joy fun could bring, and so we spread that among ourselves and all around us. But I was the one who knew how to radiate the most~! I brought this rapture with each footstep I took, always there with arms open wide for anyone in need to fall into. For my embrace could heal the most troubled of souls. So many have needed my felicity that could be passed from my palm to there's-perhaps a too many souls. Oh, how I wanted to heal them all, but being such an empath my soul became overwhelmed within the walls of school. It was okay though, for I had my lovely younger brother by my side the most-the one who is by my side right now and will continue to be by my side until my death! However, I have proven time and time again that death is not something meant to find me! Such an ugly truth death is, and I am the gorgeous lie of life those would much rather occupy their time with. I am one of those lies that keep people going, allowing myself to be stepped on and used if they must, but still I smile for them! I smile because they don't. So many melancholy faces I see getting onto the train to their nine-to-five jobs. A train that might as well be a mass moving coffin. So I ask, where are the positive examples? I am only one man! But then I recall, there are five others with my same face! Five others who have chosen the path of the NEET. To have no job and education, that became my plan. How could I join those on the train? I had to be the biggest example out of all! To be a free man of the grind, to share my lying smile until it became my truth! To show the masses that freedom from the life-script is a beautiful thing, yes? I was there for everyone! I'm there for YOU! I'm here waiting for you all if you need that shoulder! If you need that heart to jump start your own! I am like a Fuji Crown Melon~ That's only one in a thousand Crown Melons with the Fuji grade that I am! Something brought into this world by love, and grown to be that of an astonishing piece of art! That is correct, I am like the Crown Melon-that of a fruit, but really quite exquisite, rare, and sought after. And once consumed, such magical flavor overtakes your whole body, bringing you to enlightenment. A divinity shared by both our souls through the connection and my past, present, and future of my ability to keep my feet planted on the earth that I have wholesomely mended through remaining the radiant fire of being carefree and pure! I am only here to mend, untangle, illuminate, and teach self-love to all beings. From every blade of grass, to the little squirrels within the trees, and each and every person breathing right now! I just have so much love and light to give, absorb, and then give right back, that I could never take away the glint in any one's eyes, lest they had a girlfriend or were happily married. But for if I do not know such a detail? My hands would never be able to embrace any kind of weapon to call about death. My fingers are only meant for the strings of a guitar, to create such marvelous music that could sooth the most stubborn of migraines. To create melodies that could even bring the dead back to life. Oh? My angel has fallen and is not able to find solace within the delicate moans of my guitar? Then it is okay, I shall add my voice on top of it all within singing a song dedicated to these aching hearts. That's how it had been for a while anyway. Then those five other same faces that were within the circus of sanity within the insane world became four as one of them was so cruelly torn out by the part of society that my song had not found yet! And then, the callous hands of the wind outside our tent had pulled me out too. I wept as I found myself standing behind a counter of a convenient store. Is it any coincidence that the atmosphere of life was suddenly questioning my innocence once that mobile coffin of a train had open its doors for me too? Despite this pain, I still smiled. I still sang and-"
Mrow mrow mrow
"Times up, so shut up-" Ichimatsu snatched his phone going off with its cat-sound notification.
"Eh!? But-!"
"We're going now-" Ichimatsu matched Karamatsu's height as he stood up again himself and slung his bag around his shoulder.
Both Yanagita's voice and the clang of the chain clashed.
"I must say . . ." Yanagita smile had become strained. It wouldn't be hard to tell his face muscles were struggling to keep his lips arched up, "it was a little difficult to get all of that down . . . and hearing all that is not what I expected at all from the Karamatsu-kun I thought I knew." A small laugh came from Yana then as he glanced to Ichimatsu, "Can I have just five more minutes to confirm that I understand . . . ah . . . his life correctly and-"
"WHAT'S THERE TO UNDERSTAND!?" Ichimatsu slammed his hand against the table, rattling the silverware once more. His eyes were completely broad and blood-shot, "His name is Karamatsu Matsuno, he was the second one popped out of us six fucks-a brash piece of shit since day one that was always way too vigorous for his own good! And ours! Always pulling someone else into his asinine trouble he'd get into, only to cry about it later! Or no-even at that moment. A constant crybaby and scaredy cat that needed his damn tears wiped away. But oh-! Give him a God damn paintbrush or guitar and he'll act like nothing bad had ever happened at all! Because that's just him! The idiot who somehow manages to be so kind and enduring with the most repulsive smile every-single-fucking-day no matter how much he gets hurt-by what or who! And even during high school too! At the putrid peak of his apprehension and anxiety making him so pathetically become an introvert! For what!? Why!? WHY!? Because school was too damn hard since he's a natural dumbass!? Because he was so timid about getting made fun of everyday due to his bad acne!? Maybe if he didn't eat every damn thing that was placed in front of him! Maybe if he didn't eat every damn thing that even wasn't in front of him! Order something you end up not liking but you like what he ordered instead? Oh he'll have no problem switching plates with you in being stupidly nice as he stuffs his stupid face! Always overeating and then whining about it later when he gets a stomach ache! And the way he curls his body and tries to hold himself. It's so sickly unnecessarily innocent that it makes me want to vomit the meal he just switched with me up! You would think after countless times of this happening, he'd stop, right? But of course not! So if he's not going to stop being a fool based on his own accord, then how!? Someone had to step in! And the worst part is that the moron couldn't realize that if you eat too much you get sick and acne, but yet he realized he couldn't change himself and asked for someone to step in! So he got cradled through the rest of high school, all the while still giving you his nikuman bun for your yakisobapan if you like nikuman more! But somehow he managed to stop being that scared little rabbit after school, as if his vapid sunglasses was the cure to all his ailments! Yet he remains rolling around on the floor holding himself while constipated because he ate too many cheese korokke! But nooooo the second he finally has a successful toilet run, he's back to smiling and posing as if he just saved the God damn world by taking a shit! Then what's even worse is that the bathroom doesn't even smell bad! No, he actually cleaned it and made sure it smelled of hortensia flowers while a fresh roll of toilet paper is waiting for you! Heh-so as if he is the responsible one here!? Well no, because after you get done taking your own dump, there that prick is in the kitchen drinking right out of the milk carton. And you don't know if you should beat him for not using a glass, or for the fact that he doesn't comprehend that a dairy product just made him constipated and here he is consuming more dairy and in a few hours you're going to have to hear him moan and groan all over again! And now you can't even have anything containing that milk from the refrigerator, because you can't get it out of your head that his gross-ass mouth back-wash is swimming around in it and you're indirectly kissing! Then those few hours later come and you're trying to get to sleep, but the turd licker is laying right next to you making all those moans and groans while his whole body writhes and quivers. So then you start to develop a sleeping disorder from then on! So you know what he does? He actually offers to sing you some dopey lullaby to help you get to sleep! And is it because he actually cares about you, or is the egotistical maniac just using it as another excuse to hear his own voice!? Then he takes a punch to the face as you say you just need some water-and the shithead is still smiling while saying that he'll fetch you the water. Only he literally goes to some holy-water stream miles away because he's exactly the type of douche bag to hold up a sign that says 'you're worth it' and post it on social media! On social media with his whole one follower that is me! Then even on there you can't escape his obsessive obsession over the fashion industry, because he was such a loser in high school, that he now thinks looking cool will automatically make him cool in order to pacify the craving he has for acceptance. So is being so nice really something that he does because he cares, or because he thinks being a people-pleaser will be an easy method to get that acceptance!? Huh! HUH!? But of course the answer is to simply getting accepted is to play into that life-script that he claims he has that 'beautiful freedom' from, because he has to be the one to so proudly proclaim with a vile smile that he has 'no plans' as if he's the only one completely okay with being a NEET!? And I just can't take it anymore, so I fuck off-just for him to fuck off later too and actually get some kind of job!? A convenient store clerk, but really we all just know it's so he can have first access to the sleazy magazines and he's still not doing shit-all!"
The inside of the coffee shop had become stuck in time. The speaker had run out of lo-fi tracks to play. Everyone was stilled. Not a single person was sipping their crafted drinks. Every eye was glued in spot onto the lawyer in the purple suit and red tie.
Silence.
Even though Ichimatsu still had his own sight targeted on Yanagita, he drew paler by the second as the cold sweat took over every inch of his body. He didn't need to be looking around to realize everyone was suddenly staring at him. It could be felt.
The interior of the coffee shop may have had the dead silence of a cemetery, but the noise within Karamatsu's head was that of a Slipknot concert. Even with Ichimatsu's recent words sounding like a death metal screamo song though, Karamatsu still smiled. He smiled, turned his head up, lifted his index finger, and announced in English, "Check plea-"
"BROTHER, YOU CAN JUST DIE!" The utensil's rattled once more and glass shattered from a cup that fell to the floor as Ichimatsu had slammed Karamatsu's face against the table.
"Ah, well yes, obviously we have some issues here . . ." Yanagita coughed once into his hand, "and him dying is exactly what will happen if we don't change your . . . disposition, Ichi."
"NO!" Both of Ichimatsu's eyes still twitched. "We are not doing that! This interview is over. We're over! This was a waste of time and-"
"One date."
A spoon now met with the broken mug over the floor as Ichimatsu lost his footing within stepping out of the booth and hit the side of the table with his hip in hearing that short sentence.
The repeating of the single word expelled from the twins' mouths simultaneously, "Date!?"
Yana laughed lightly, sitting back within the seat in crossing one leg over the other. "Oh my, what kind of writer am I if I used the wrong wording here. I meant, one meeting."
Only for a second did Karamatsu let go of the tension within his shoulders that he didn't even realize he had gotten from that word 'date'. An exhale dropped from him just for it to be sucked immediately back up when he noticed the eyes.
No one could make the eyes as good as himself, Karamatsu knew, but they were the eyes that he saw over Yanagita's face for sure.
Yanagita was making the eyes, and he was making the eyes at Ichimatsu.
And Ichimatsu? Karamatsu felt like he was standing next to a small dog with the way that his brother was shaking and practically foaming at the mouth with exposed fangs.
"This is our one meeting," Ichimatsu clenched his fists, squeezing with a sharp tug over the chain leash which made Karamatsu fall against his shoulder- to which Ichi instantly pushed him away.
"No, this was our interview with your brother," Yana sighed and shook his head before reaching into his shirt pocket.
Brother; Karamatsu blinked once, slowly. He was brother now rather than Kara-kun.
From between Yanagita's fingers rested a business card that was being held out towards Ichi. "And this is a coffee session. Well, was a coffee session since you did taint mine with ink. Which inclines me to tell you that you owe me now even more for another drink. Because later for our meeting, it would be a cocktail session. I'm staying at the Akatsuka Hotel, and there's an upscale bar in there. You would know-didn't you all work there before?" he smirked with a wink. " It would be the perfect spot to meet up later tonight to prepare you for tomorrow and-"
The business card was snatched from Yana's fingers by Ichi. Not once did he remove his eyes as he crumpled and squeezed it within his palm before slowly placing it in his pocket.
"Right . . .," Yana ran a hand through his hair as he was really wishing he had asked for one of those Ibuprofen before. "If you change your mind, if you allow the old Ichi to live again, then my number is on there."
Nothing more was said. By any of them.
Yana had raised his hand to wave, Ichimatsu had ignored it, and Karamatsu couldn't bring himself to return the gesture-nor smile, even though his brain was telling him to.
Silence once more continued to dominate them all the way back to the loft. Within the elevator. Through the hall. Inside the apartment.
The stilled air between them should have been something familiar by now, but it continued to make Karamatsu feel lost as he just stood within the main room, quietly watching his brother with an expression that was trying too hard to hide dejection.
Trying so hard, but failing so hard at the same time: Failing so hard that it was something Ichimatsu had a difficult time ignoring. "What's your problem-" he rolled his eyes as he went over to that closet to get cat food out. Of course the look on his brother's face was just annoying him rather than making him concerned by the way his tone spoke those words.
"Huh?" The weight of his chain leash was suddenly feeling so much heavier, Karamatsu had to mentally tell himself to keep standing so that it didn't make him fall to the floor with its weight. "Ah, well . . ."
What was his problem? A lot. There had been so many incidents today. Before the courthouse. During the courthouse. After the courthouse. And, did Ichimatsu actually care? Or was he simply just saying those words as a means to get him to stop staring at him like that? "I-Ichimatsu . . . brother . . . why . . . did you tell me there was semen found on the body when there wasn't and you . . ."
Several cats meowed as they received their food. Ichimatsu had been continuing to feed the cats, not giving a single glance to Karamatsu, nor did he have any sort of look on his face that could be read. Again, silence demanded to be heard.
The cats chewed and munched their food.
"Ichi . . . mat-"
"Hey-" Ichi sharply turned around, something else within his hand now instead of cat food. "Do you want these?" he held up Karamatsu's pointed sunglasses.
"MY COOL SHADES!" Kara's tone, eyes, and whole body posture perked up as he saw them. "How did you-when-. Please! Give them to me, brother!" He dropped to his knees, fingers interlocked as he was on the verge of actually praying to his younger twin.
"Hmph. So, you do want them, yes?" The closer Ichimatsu brought himself, the more the expression over his face could be read then-and it was nothing good that made up his deepening grin.
"Yes! I do! Can I-"
"Earn them."
"Wh-"
"Don't you dare ask me 'what'. You heard me loud and clear. I said, earn them."
"Um . . ." Karamatsu swallowed tightly as he both stood and backed up. To which Ichimatsu only drew forward to keep any further space between them from happening.
"Feel lucky I'm giving you a choice-" The sunglasses dangled over Karamatsu's head while Ichimatsu slammed his other hand against the wall beside his head that he had him backed up against. "We shower and go to sleep early. Or . . . you let me do what I want to you, because . . . I really think we need a reminder as to where your loyalty lies."
"A-Ah . . . I don't . . . what do you mea-"
"Tch, I didn't appreciate the way you were talking to that prick earlier-"
"Prick? Yana? He was . . ." Karamatsu gulped again, as he could actually feel a couple beads of cold sweat run down his face as his gaze so rapidly switched between his brother's now scowling face to that hand beside him. "He was your friend though! I just wanted a chance to prove my innocence since you're-"
"Since I'm what-? Be careful what you say, dear brother."
"Mn . . ." Tightly Karamatsu shut his eyes, his own hands forming fisits just as tightly. Swallowing had been so difficult, and so was each breath. A long, strained inhale was taken, and with gritted teeth Karamatsu raised his clenched hands and pushed at Ichimatsu's chest to drive him back. "Because you're doing a shit job at protecting me!" He shouted as he opened his eyes again, wide with furrowed brows.
The sight he saw of his twin could have been a mirror of himself though, save fore the disheveled hair. Ichimatsu was returning that same wide, irate look.
"Oh . . ." The sunglasses clanged lightly against the floor as Ichimatsu dropped them, his hand slowly then hooking around his tie. "Is that so . . . you really think that . . ." his words were also sluggish, more than usual, yet the agitation within his face was frozen.
As much as Karamatsu didn't want to accept it, his own anger was speedily switching over to fear again with how Ichimatsu's pupils felt like they were stabbing into his soul. "Yes-." But despite that, the single word had been spat out.
The fabric of Ichimatsu's tie could have sounded like a soft swipe of a whip with how briskly he pulled it from his shirt collar in contrast to his previous slow movements. "What's this?"
"Huh . . ."
"What is this that I'm holding up!?" Ichi stomped a single step closer.
"A- your tie?" Karamatsu's next breath after that reply would be that of a choke as he suddenly got his neckband grabbed by his brother's other hand.
"My tie-! And it's the last thing you'll be so sure of until you can actually realize what a lowly mutt you are and who your owner is!"
With that policy statement everything went black. It was not of falling asleep or being knocked out. It was that of the tie being fastened around Karamatsu's head and covering over his eyes.
It was as if Ichimatsu had predicted all movements. As before Karamatsu could even attempt to move his hands up to touch upon the thin fabric piece encased over his sight, Ichi attained the other's tie, ripped it from among his neck, and instead circled and secured it over Kara's wrists to bound them together as he held his hands above his head.
"Okay, okay!" Karamatsu gasped inwards as he squirmed from under his brother's clutches. Escaping was futile. "Sorry! Sorry! I just-" The wall hit against his back even harder. The notion of that was nothing compared to the sensation that followed all too soon after that: The feeling of something cold, firm and sharp pressed against his cheek.
They may have spent four hours in court the other day to prove his idiocy, but it only took Karamatsu a second for him to know that what was being pressed against his flesh was a knife. And even if there was any subconscious doubt, it would all be erased as the slightest of burns trailed down from the point of the object from a barely made cut. Though even with it being superficial, it was still enough for an uncomfortable tickle from a trickling blood line to seep from the burning slice. "I-Ichimatsu-wh-!"
It seemed like Ichi had not released his wrist for even a second, so it was questionable, concerning, how and when he had gotten a hold of a blade within his other hand. As much as Kara tried to lean away from the weapon, it felt like Ichimatsu only pushed it tighter against him. "Please put that away! Don't-"
"Hmm?" Ichi slid the knife down lower, trailing it along his brother's neck, over the collar, and then stopping at the start of his button-down. He did not, however, remove the blade from contact for a second though. "Why would I put it away? I thought I was doing a shitty job at protecting you-. So why should I care about keeping sharp objects away from you? Why would I care about making sure I didn't accidentally slice you up? So go on, tell me again about what a shitty job I'm doing!"
The trembling started to take over the older sextuplet again. His brain screamed that his brother was absolutely insane, and he didn't like hearing those words within his head. He'd dare not speak them out loud, and he had so desperately wanted to believe in Ichimatsu to succeed and actually be the one to end up being the 'functioning member of society'.
But why?
Had Ichimatsu ever shown anything other than insanity? Maybe . . . but had he shown anything other than insanity when it came to the two of them?
This had to be something else. His precious little brother wouldn't really want to hurt him . . . Karamatsu hoped; wished. "You're . . . you're right. I'm wrong, little brother-! I was just . . . being stupid as usual! I'm sure you know what you're doing. I'm too lucky to have you! So . . . So I know you'll do the right thing for me."
"And what is the right thing for you?" Ichimatsu tilted the knife a bit upwards so that the tip was once more pressed into the other's skin, though still not with penetration. A single further centimeter would change that however. "I could hurt you or . . ."
The smallest of clanks sounded against the floor. It was the ding of a plastic shirt button dropping to their feet.
Karamatsu's flesh had not been cut. Rather the thin string of his shirt's top button had been sliced.
"Or . . ." Even though Kara couldn't see it, he could tell by the tone within his brother's voice that Ichimatsu was now back to smiling again-smiling in a way he shouldn't have been, "I could make you feel good instead. "
Several more of those plastic buttons, the rest of those plastic buttons, all fell then too as Ichi severed Karamatsu's shirt open.
The cold air hitting against Kara's chest and stomach made him shiver in a completely different way, and somehow his face started to feel hot even with the chill of the room touching him. His jaw felt tight and yet loose at the same time as his mouth just hung over. It wouldn't move to let him speak.
"What do you think?" Ichi inched the blade south more. This time the single button that joined the others on the ground was slightly heavier within its fall as it came from Kara's pants. "Should we see if you can sustain pain or pleasure to have you earn your beloved cool shades?"
With a slight curve of his hand, Ichimatsu slipped the tip of the blade within Karamatsu's pant's zipper crater, opting to pull it down by the drag of the knife rather than with the use of his fingers. "Well . . ." Ichi spoke over a small laugh as he let his eyes fall over his brother's newly formed, full, ████, "seems like either way, you're getting off on it."
"That's not-"
"Shut up-," the smile and cackle he just recently had was already amiss, "Just like I don't want to hear you ask 'what' anymore, I am also sick and tired of hearing you trying to deny the degenerate animal in you. Dog."
Finally Ichimatsu removed his hand from around those wrists. It felt like it had been there forever, way too long, but not long enough still. Karamatsu found himself frowning at the lack of warmth from his brother's palm, which he didn't like the fact that it had indeed made him grimace. (Even if that warmth had come from Hell's fire itself.)
Time had barely granted a breath to be had before Karamatsu almost choked again with how sharply he was suddenly pulled by his leash. With having lack of sight, he had met with the floor where all his clothing's buttons' were in tripping over his feet.
Ichimatsu didn't stop for a second along with the time too. A choke became a gag as he just pulled his brother along the floor in ignoring his squirming and attempts to get back to his feet.
"I-Ich-Ah! Wait a-!" Karamatsu felt like he was falling from one side to another with each strive he made to stand. Could he think it was 'lucky' that this stroll across the room, or wherever they were heading, wasn't a long one though? Not likely.
How could it be relieving when he could feel the other man's weight over him the second the dragging had ceased?
Ichimatsu wholly straddled Karamatsu, clipping him down in pressing his knees at his hips.
"Ichimatsu!" Karamatsu jerked his head from side to side, followed by his body as he tried to wiggle out from under him.
"Please don't move!"
Please. How rare it was for Ichimatsu to use that word. Though the fact that it was said within another laugh was all that Karamatsu needed to know.
"The more you move," the knife found Karamatsu as before. This time it had plenty more room to roam around exposed flesh as Ichimatsu toyed it over his chest, "the more I might end up accidentally slipping and cutting you~"
With those words, with that freezing sting of the steel, Karamatsu did obey within a second. He held his breath for a moment even.
"Good . . . good . . .," the blade danced all around Karamatsu's figure. Ichi virtually traced his brother's entire form with it as if the weapon was nothing more than a pencil that he was using to draw a picture of him with.
The tracking over his already revealed body was lighter than when he coursed the sharp edge over other parts of his clothing. He wanted to see his clothing rip, which resulted in soft cuts severing through the fabric and over Karamatsu's skin.
Each small slash drew a noise out from the older twin; each new one deeper and with less pain than the last.
"You fucking masochist-" Ichimatsu spat within the widest of grins, not caring about how happy he looked due to the other's sight being obstructed.
"Nh-n-no . . ." Karamatsu rolled his head back as he felt his clothes become nothing more than scraps being torn away by his brother.
"Yes." Ichimatsu slid lower. He pulled the knife downwards from Karamatsu's hip to ankle, carving away his thong and pants' restrains while leaving the lightest of a rose-colored line of scratched flesh rearing behind the blade.
". . . No . . .," Karamatsu attempted to argue again, though the word was weak from how he had to bite his lip from the smooth, moist delicacy of Ichimatsu's tongue that coursed along where the knife had just scratched him-from hip to ankle.
"Awh . . . look how tense you've become. You really do like this-" Ichi purred as he moved his hand up to █████ Kara's legs to cause him to fail in keeping that moan in he was so desperately trying to suppress. "How about the other leg now?"
Without waiting for a response, Ichimatsu repeated the very same action to Karamatsu's other side. Pants had simply become rags for him to peel away now. He had gotten the other completely nude, and Ichi stared at him as if he were looking at a piece of artwork that had taken him months to complete. "Aw . . . you're shivering. Is it because you're so cold or so turned on?"
"Gr-it's just-it's cold-" Karamatsu tried to squirm again, but Ichi still had him pinned.
"Of course . . ." a single snort was pressed through his nose, and then the knife was dropped from his hold.
The sound of it heavily clanging against the floor made Karamatsu exhale, but it was as if Ichimatsu had felt his breath and in response introduced a new texture against him. It was not frigid and rigid like that of the knife's steel, but rather scratchy and limber. Rope.
He had no time to react. Ichimatsu promptly proceeded to tie it around his body, crossing it over his chest, between his legs, around his abdomen, down to bind his ankles, and up around between his fleshy lower cheeks and between his shoulder blades until he crossed it around his arms and met the rope with his already restrained wrists. He had seriously just put him in some sort of shibari shackle as if it was second nature and without thought.
"Just- Just what do you think you're doing to me!?" Even getting an inch of freedom for Karamatsu was nothing but unsuccessful now thanks to those ropes, but that didn't stop him from continuing to thrash from under both his brother's weight and his binds.
"Eh-you said you wanted your stupid sunglasses, right? So this is what you have to do-"
With the way he skidded against the floor for a second, the fresh little cuts over him burned all over again. Ichimatsu's tie around his head became slightly damp with the tears the pain brought out from Karamatsu's eyes. He had wanted so badly to be up off the floor, but not like this.
He really was off the floor; in fact, there was nothing now touching his feet. "Wah-Ichim-" Karamatsu jerked his whole body as he felt himself getting lifted up-not just by his brother's arms, but in all-out suspension as he had become hung by something.
Karamatsu's hands were back above his head, but this time it was the rope that was keeping them up rather than Ichimatsu's touch. "What is this!? G-get me down!"
"Don't worry . . ." Ichi clapped his hands together in brushing them of his brother's invisible filth. "You're really only about 15 centimeters from the ground."
"Why!?"
"Because you like it."
"I do? I-"
"You do~"
"This is-"
"God, you look so gross right now. Completely naked, hanging there. I want to gouge out my eyes."
With that comment, Karamatsu felt as if his face was burning all over again. He tried to say something more, but his lips only wanted to wobble like his feet were.
Ichimatsu's steps were so loud. Even without shoes on, even within this all too shiny-floor, somehow he could still hear each step he took as he walked around him. Circled him. Circled him like he was some sort of meek deer that the lion was getting ready to dine on.
"Now then, dog-" Ichimatsu stopped moving, standing behind him. "Tell me why you are deserving of your glasses. Especially after the way you acted today. Disrespecting my services to you. Keeping us at that coffee shop with that shitty lo-fi music when you knew it wasn't what I wanted. Convince me you deserve something else you want now."
"Er . . . I . . . I am sorry about all that. Really. I just . . . If you give me my shades, then I'll um . . . not have the sun in my eyes so much distracting me from the sight of you!"
"Ehh . . . " Ichimatsu stroked his chin as he looked his brother up and down from behind. "Not good enough-" he moved that same hand back, flinging it forward and slapping his palm fiercely across Karamatsu's ass.
"AH~!" Karamatsu's whole body arched back; back towards where that hit had occurred rather than attempting to sway himself away. And after that single blaring lament, each following breath was weighted and quaked.
"Try again-!" A second slap was given to the elder's rear.
Expeditiously Karamatsu shook his head no as the thinnest line of saliva leaked from his mouth simultaneously along with ████ ████.
"You're such an embarrassment. When I say do something. You do it. When I tell you to answer me. You answer me. It isn't that hard!" A third strike. It was a swipe so callous rhat the hand-print of Ichimatsu stained over Karamatsu's skin. "I'd tell you to wait here, but you can't go anywhere anyway. Heh-"
With the few seconds that Ichimatsu was gone, Karamatsu hopelessly tried to calm his body down. But no matter how much he willed to put mind-over-matter, nothing worked to get rid of how needy his body had become at that moment.
It wasn't long before Ichimatsu's steps returned, too. Kara could sense him standing back in front of him, and a hot and cold sweat both mixed with not knowing why he had left like that. It was obviously to get something, but what? All he could hear was that of something that sounded like cereal in a bowl.
"Maybe your disobedience is really my fault, hm?" Within Ichimatsu's hand, he held a copper bowl with a spoon in it. There was something within the bowl, but it wasn't cereal. "Maybe I really do need to be treating you like a pet more."
Dog food. Within the bowl was a small pile of dog food from that bag he had bought the other day. Intuition had told him he might need it for such a situation. "Now . . . open up. You must be hungry for dinner after the day we've had," Ichimatsu scooped the kibble in the spoon and then pressed it to Kara's lips.
He only had to get one whiff of it to know what it was. Without thinking, and with natural response, Karamatsu firmly kept his mouth shut, grunting softly within his throat as he felt the spoon being touched against him.
"Hey, hey-open up!" Ichimatsu continued pushing the utensil at him. "Do you want your sunglasses or not!? Prove you'll do anything for me!"
Roughly Karamatsu swallowed over a lump as his brother's tie drew wet again with new tears. A shaky breath was taken in and slowly he opened his mouth. Just barely did he touch his tongue against the spoon, to which Ichimatsu then inched it in his mouth for him to consume the contents.
"Good boy . . ."
The chewing, the crunching, felt deafening to his ears. "I . . .," he coughed, gagged, but forced the food down even though the taste was ever so awful. "Yes . . . I said I would . . . go through Hell for you . . . brother . . ." the tears seeped through the tie's fabric. "So please . . . give me more."
"Hah-" another spoonful was bestowed as 'requested'. "Maybe I'll get you the grain free kind next time."
A stiff nod, and Karamatsu swallowed the current feed, and the next, and the next . . .
Every spoon was accepted until Ichimatsu decided that he had enough.
The bowl now empty dropped to the floor, the spoon following after it. "Oh, what's wrong?" Ichimatsu replaced having one utensil in his hand for another as he wrapped his fingers around ████████. "Getting ██████?" he advanced in steadily ████████.
The flavor of the dog food and being forced to eat it had been enough to turn him off, but the moment Ichimatsu started ███████, Karamatsu's █████ stirred right back up again and he instantly found himself ███████████████████████████.
"See . . ." Ichimatsu licked at his own lips, "you behave, and you get rewarded."
"Mn . . . yes~ . . ." the word had been a whisper, but still Ichimatsu heard it as blatant as ever.
"Now then . . ." Ichi increased ███████████, "I want you to tell me what a mutt you are. I want you to be absolutely clear on who you belong to and who your master is."
"You . . . you! You own me. I belong to only you! I'm nothing more than a dog, a pet, for you to do what you wish with, so . . . so please!"
"So please, what?"
Even though Karamatsu couldn't see it, he could feel his brother's grin on him. And he was sure of it, it was that lion's grin with its sharp teeth and hunger for the prey that he was. " . . . Ah . . . please . . ."
"Hm . . ." Ichimatsu released the other, which caused for a whine from Kara. With a sol chuckle, he moved back around to behind him.
A new noise.
A bottle? Lotion?
Something wet. Thick.
Something wet and thick coated around Ichi's fingers as he ███████████████████████████.
He barely had to ███████, and the older sextuplet ██████████, causing for him to swing lightly. "Nh-I-Ichi-you're not going to-"
"Touch you?" Ichimatsu finished the sentence as he steadied the other with his dry hand and ███████████████. It was more than a tap though, as the tap turned into █████. Bit by bit he ██████████████ Karamatsu. And the more he ████, and the more his brother ██████, the more Ichi's mouth literally watered.
"Nh-ah~! Uhn~ N-no-no! You c-can't! Ichi! Ichimat-" Karamatsu writhed, thoroughly needing to have his brother's clutch on his hip to be holding him in place. Even if the sweat and heat from his palm did make the knife's cut along him hurt all over again. Feeling that ache only ignited all his other senses so much more at the same time.
"What did we just talk about-do not forsake me, dog!" For just a second Ichimatsu ██████████ out, but it was only to ███████████ as well. This time in placing ████████████, he was much less ██████ with it, and so was the sound that emitted from Kara's throat in being that much louder.
"A-AHH! N-No! It hurts! It-"
"No it doesn't, you whore-" he ██████████████ ███████████ ███████████████. The chuckles continued as Ichi ████████████████ ██████████████████ ████ ██████████████████████.
Karamatsu started to full-on pant without any silence in each breath. "Oh G-God! It . . . what are you doing-it feels-"
"Good?" Ichi █████████████ ██████ . "What do you think, should I ███████?"
It was as if Karamatsu had forgotten how to swallow with how much he was drooling. How grateful he was that Ichi's tie was covering his eyes now, because his pupils were spiraling. He'd probably see the room spinning if he had his sight. Ichimatsu's touches were driving him mad as if he was rewiring his brain and body to feel nothing but pure bliss somehow. The way he was ████████████████. How foul, dreadful, it was that he was feeling this ██████████████ ████. How foul, dreadful, it was that he wanted more. He wanted that third ███████.
The wish was granted without Kara even having to say anything. So ████ █████████████████████ ████████████████████ █████.
Silence had been so strong before between the two of them. Now it was amiss and far away as every single breath Karamatsu made was laced with frenzied █████████████████████. Ichimatsu had been right. He couldn't tell the difference between pleasure and pain right now. His waist, whole figure, ███████████████ ████ impressions.
"Yes, yes . . ." Ichimatsu laughed the words right into his twin's ear, "you like this, don't you~" Only the leanest of licks was given to the shell of Kara's earlobe, and the action had him whining out the longest of anguished noises. "You're █████ so much, I'd say you have my hand ██████ than the damn ███," Ichi jested while ████████ ███████████████ ██████ more.
"Nh-ah~! Ichimatsu-you . . . please, I . . . please f-"
"Oh~ . . . back to that?" Ichimatsu ████████, ██████, and then ███████, not leaving a single part of him █████████████ ████. "Come on mutt, say it . . ."
The chain leash sounded so loudly as it crashed against Karamatsu's body in the way he kept █████████████ ███████. How cloudy his head felt, and all he could think about was having more than just Ichi's ███████ ████ ███. "Mn . . . nh . . ."
"Come on . . .," the smile slowly started to fade from Ichimatsu's face as the ire took over.
"I . . . I . . . I want you to fu-" blood dripped from Kara's chin as his teeth sunk down, re-breaking that previous wound from the last time he had bit his lip so ruggedly.
"Do it-, I know you are capable of saying it! Say it now!"
Grimly Karamatsu snapped his head to the side, away from where he could feel Ichi's heat. His eyebrows quivered along with the rest of his body, and all he could do was slowly shake his head no.
"Tch-"
Karamatsu had turned his head away, and Ichimatsu had withdrawn his █████. In a final ███████████ █████. "You know what . . ." he raised his hands up to wipe them within Kara's hair before he dug into his jacket pocket and took a small crumpled piece of thick paper, "I could sure go for a drink right now . . . maybe a cocktail . . ." he unruffled the card and pressed the edge of it against Karamatsu's cheek for him to feel. "Think I might go see Yanagita at the hotel for that meeting."
The heaviest of gasps instantly came from Karamatsu as he shot his head up straight. "W-wait! No! I mean- you-you can't be serious!"
"Oh, but I am~" Ichimatsu heedlessly, lightly, slapped Kara's cheek before stepping away again.
"But! You cant!" The chain and rope swayed as Karamatsu tried to twist himself free to no avail.
"Eh? Why not? Aren't you concerned for your life? I better go get some of dear Yana's lessons," he spoke a bit loudly from fetching something anew.
"I mean- . . . er- but . . ."
The sound of Ichimatsu clearing his throat once, sternly, let Karamatsu know he had returned to standing behind him. "Karamatsu-" Ichi was sure to distinctly pronounce his name; is proper name. "One last chance, my brother. All you have to do is say a simple, complete sentence to me. I-want-you-to-. What is it? What is the ending of that?"
At that moment Karamatsu thought he could have been back in the courtroom again on the first day with questioning if this moment was real or not. It was all too similar. This was happening? This was actually happening. Here he was, nude, in some sort of ███ ████ rope tie, hanging from a ceiling beam or something, while having the chance to tell his younger twin brother about the nasty little thought he had biting at his brain.
He could say ███ me, or nothing at all right now. What would the result be of either of those outcomes? This felt like he was at the witness stand making his claim of guilty or not guilty to the judges.
Guilty: '████me. Dear brozer, I want you to ████ me. I want you to take me for all that I'm worth-the little worth that I am in your eyes. Violate me. Rule me. Destroy me. Make me utterly yours. Perverse me into this sin of debauchery. Keep me forever captive as your slave without the return to any inkling of normalcy for entering into this incestuous life that will guarantee Hell both here and within the afterlife, or . . .'
Not Guilty: 'Leave me be. Don't touch me. Go to someone else and engage in something erotic somewhere else. With someone else. Don't even think about me. I'm not meant to have those feelings for you as your brother. Be normal. Get involved with someone who isn't related to you. Let me keep my regrets forever locked up and never thought about again. Put my heart into a guaranteed Hell both here and within the afterlife.'
"Well!?" A final strike was given to Karamatsu's ███.
A final cry was let out. It really would be the final one, as he dropped his head down and once again, shook his head no.
"Pft-fine then-"
A buzzing.
Ichimatsu's phone was going off? No, it was something else. The sound was much stronger than that of a phone's vibration. Stronger and without pause.
"I'll be having that date with my old friend then-"
"Ichimatsu-brother, please! I-"
"Shut up!"
Karamatsu winced as he braced himself to be let down and fall to the floor, but what occurred was not that at all.
An encore of cries. That last noise from Karamatsu wasn't the final one after all. His throat stung with the sort of raw, loud bellow that came from it as something hard, long, and vibrating was ██████ ██████ ████.
"Enjoy your night!" Ichimatsu growled through a gritted smile as he adjusted the whirring ████ within ████████████████ █████████ ████ ███████. "I put some newspapers below you for when you ██ ten times-"
The consistent groans and salivating wouldn't allow for Karamatsu to speak a single word. And if his voice would cooperate, the sound of the ████ would have blocked it out as well. The only thing louder than that was the slamming of the apartment door as Ichimatsu had indeed left him.