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"Have you guys prepped your gifts yet?" Choromatsu asks on the 23rd of December, over breakfast.
He gets various affirming sounds in between chews in response, "Yeah but is there even a point?" Ichimatsu asks, "We usually give each other the same brand of gift every year anyway"
"We promised we'd try harder to match who we picked this year remember?" he replied back, rolling his eyes. How many times does he have to remind everyone? At least they seem to have gotten their gifts already prepared. "Mom even promised a prize for who can give the best gift. A cash prize, mind you."
Thank Akatsuka-sensei Matsuyo was willing to do anything to break the porn magazine gift curse. In all honesty she was just tired of finding them around the house when she cleaned, she'd end up with piles of (thankfully) unused magazines and it was tiresome when her vaccuming kept getting interrupted by one hidden under the furniture.
Todomatsu scoffs, "She only said that because Osomatsu-niisan keeps recycling his gifts every year." he stands up with his empty dishes in hand. "Where is he anyway?"
"Probably still sleeping, I was the last to leave and he was still rolled up in the blankets" Ichimatsu says, feeding a dried sardine to the cat on his lap.
Choromatsu gets up too, "Someone go wake him so we can fold the futon up. Mom's wants to do general cleaning today before the new year's and she's gonna be pissed if we give it after she already started"
"NOT IT!" Jyushimatsu shouts immediately.
"Me too." Ichimatsu seconds, "it's too much effort, he sleeps like the dead"
"It's so annoying to wake him up, and I've got places to be" Todomatsu thirds, waving his gym bag at the rest of them.
"How about a game of Janken then burrazas?" Karamatsu suggests, speaking for the first time since the topic opened. He'd been too busy thinking about decorating for Christmas, where was he going to find the time to glue on all those rhinestones? It was quite a troubling matter for him.
"Fine," Choromatsu concedes before they unanimously make him do it instead. "Fists out then. Ready?"
"Rock, Paper, Scissors, shoot!"
______
Three rounds later, Jyushimatsu was chosen to get the eldest out of bed. Which had been no surprise to everyone considering he'd always thrown Rock, Paper, and Scissors in that order.
Unfortunately for Osomatsu, the fifth born's style of waking someone up involved a lot of yelling and body slamming. At least they'll know it won't take long to rouse the eldest after that.
Only, Osomatsu isn't even in the futon anymore. Jyushimatsu strains his ears and hears the water running from their bathroom down the hall. He shrugs, only slightly disappointed he didn't get a chance to perform his signature wake up call and reports back to the others that the task was done with a salute.
The padding of bare feet make their way slowly down the stairs shortly after, announcing the eldest's arrival.
"Oh! There's Osomatsu-niisan now!"
Said brother walks in mumbling a good morning to his remaining siblings, Todomatsu having left shortly after winning in the first round. Followed by Karamatsu, who'd been determined to get more crafting supplies for the decorations, and Jyushimatsu, who hugs the eldest as little too hard on his way out.
"Is that all you're having?" Choromatsu asks, eyeing the barely filled bowl in Osomatsu's hands.
He nods, "I'm not that hungry honestly"
Ichimatsu stalls on his way out, cans of cat food clinking together in his plastic bag. "Why? What's up with you?"
"Jus' a lil cold I think." Osomatsu coughs into his elbow and snivels, "Comes with the season, already took something for it even"
"Well if you already had meds I guess it's fine..." Choromatsu pauses, still suspicious of his older sibling. He's always had that annoying tendency of undermining his problems, so he adds as an afterthought, "Let us know if it gets worse though, I won't be out long anyway"
He makes a non-committal sound in response in between bites of food, and Choromatsu nudges him with his leg as he gets up. "I mean it niisan"
Osomatsu waves him off with his chopsticks, "Choro-chan chill, I'll be annoying you again before you can even miss me"
The third born rolls his eyes at that, "I'd rather you don't annoy me at all." he hesitates at the door for just a moment before shaking his head, "See you later."
______
It's just after lunch when Jyushimatsu makes his way home, broken bat in hand. Thankfully he always had one extra knowing his tendency to play too rough at baseball, although "too rough" was apparently a great understatement according to everyone else.
He had met on Choromatsu on the way too, coming in from the other end of the street of their neighborhood. Then proceeded to nag him about tracking mud and dirt into the house when he saw the state of his clothes.
Jyushimatsu in response, shakes all the dirt off like a wet dog and is instantly clean. Choromatsu doesn't question it, at least it means someone listens to him on occasion. And that was hardly the weirdest thing the fifth born has ever done anyway.
Osomatsu's red shoes are still neatly arranged in the entryway when they come in, and Jyushimatsu beams at the sight of it. Thinking he'll get two bats instead, and invite the eldest out to play with him.
The sliding door is opened by blue sneakers and Karamatsu walks in, arms filled with bags of crafting supplies, his guitar with significantly mangled looking strings, and a bright red slap mark on his cheek. Still he looked pleased with himself, and smiled when Jyushimatsu takes one of the bags off him.
"Karamatsu-niisan! Do you wanna play baseball with me and Osomatsu-niisan at the park today?"
"Impeccable timing my dear burrazah!" Karamatsu glances at the guitar in his hand clearly unplayable for the forseeable future. "Unfortunately my darling guitar will need to be repaired and thus my afternoon is free! Will you be joining us as well Choromatsu?"
"No thanks" Choromatsu politely declines, "I've got to catch up on my light novel" and with that he settles himself in the living room with his book.
Jyushimatsu in the meantime bounces from room to room in search of the eldest.
Living room, nope. Kitchen, no. Back porch, no. Bedroom, weirdly enough, nothing.
Then he hears it, the faint sound of heaving and vomit hitting the toilet coming from their bathroom down the hall.
As quietly and carefully as he can manage, Jyushimatsu pads toward the bathroom and opens the door.
The first thing that greets his senses is the rancid smell of puke wafting in the air like spoiled milk air freshener. He puts an oversized sleeve over his nose and takes in Osomatsus' crouched form in front of the toilet. His breathing weird and uneven, and his pajama's were sticking to his body and absolutely covered in sweat.
When the eldest feels eyes on him he looks up, and Jyushimatsu finally gets to see his face.
Oh he looks sick. Like, sick SICK.
"Jyushimatsu wait--" he starts to say, eyes wide at being discovered, "I'm fine, don't tell--" but he barely even finishes the word 'fine' before Jyushimatsu is sprinting back downstairs screaming, "KARAMATSU-NIISAN! CHOROMATSU-NIISAN! OSOMATSU-NIISAN THREW UP!" in a way too chipper voice.
Osomatsu just groans and braces himself as three sets of feet come running back to the bathroom.
The eldest gives them a weak little wave when they crowd at the door to try and show that he's "perfectly healthy", before immediately heaving the contents of his stomach again. Karamatsu's next to him in a heartbeat, rubbing his back and wiping his mouth with a damp towel once he seems to have nothing left to upheave. Choromatsu's flushing the toilet and asking Jyushimatsu to go grab the thermometer, and a glass of water from downstairs.
Once they've moved the eldest into the bedroom couch, made into a quick bed with blankets and pillows, Karamatsu asks Jyushimatsu to get a few things from the nearby pharmacy. Both to get him out of the house so Osomatsu can get some rest, and to prevent him from hovering worriedly around the eldest while he recovers.
After settling in, Osomatsu's a little more than lucid enough to start talking and the first thing he says is "Thanks, you guys should go before you catch this too I'll be fine--" and Choromatsu all but smacks the wet definitely not wrung out enough towel onto his forehead with a little more force than needed
"Choromatsu!"
He ignores his immediate senior in favor of glaring daggers at the eldest instead. "Bullshit you're fine! What did I tell you this morning?!" he yells yanking the thermometer out as it beeps and seethes at the number. "Look at this! 40°C! You're basically a fried egg!"
Osomatsu splutters, wiping off the excess water dripping down his face with his sleeve. "How could you--" he coughs, spitting water out of his mouth. "--hit a sick person Choro-chan!"
"I wouldn't need to if said sick person wasn't such a stubborn idiot!"
"It's just a little cold! Stop being such a--!"
"Stop it both of you!" Karamatsu interjects before things got too heated. 'Wasn't Choromatsu supposed to be the logical one here?'
He rubs at the space between his eyebrows and sighs, "Burazza's please, yelling isn't helping anybody. Choromatsu, go grab one of Aniki's t-shirts from the closet please, it's soaked now, and Osomatsu--" he turns to address him, voice dropping a few extra octaves and Osomatsu bites back any retort he was about to make.
"This better be the last time you try and ride out another sickness by yourself, or so help me I will personally create a reason for you to seek medical attention. Are we clear brother?"
Osomatsu huffs, laying back down. "Jeez okay fine. You guys are being squares. I probably just ate something bad--" he coughs into his sleeve again, "I'll be fine after another nap"
Choromatsu raises an eyebrow at that, "That's what you said the last time, and where did we end up again? Care to jog my memory?"
"That was one time!"
"That was the third time Aniki."
Osomatsu falters at that but he was never one to back down from a fight, despite the odds of winning being slim to none. "The other two don't count! I wasn't even sick, I was rightfully there because I was injured!" he counters.
Choromatsu crosses his arms undeterred, "Yeah because a stab wound and broken leg is SO MUCH better than being sick, do you realize how stupid you sound?"
Osomatsu tries to retort to that, but he's interrupted by a series of really painful sounding coughs. It goes on for long enough that he's almost hyperventilating trying to regain some air, and Choromatsu is considerably less angry and more concerned by the end of it.
They give him some water from a straw and changed his shirt so he can get some rest. Choromatsu places the cold damp towel on his head more gently this time, and both younger brothers visibly relax when Osomatsu's breath evens out in his sleep.
"I can't believe he still had the energy to argue with me," Choromatsu comments almost fondly "He looks exhausted."
"I suppose that's a good sign he'll recover soon" Karamatsu replies, sitting himself carefully on the edge of the couch by the eldest's legs and adjusts the towel on Osomatsu's forehead so it doesn't slip off.
______
"...Karamatsu-niisan" Choromatsu starts in hushed tones after renewing the cool basin water. "Maybe it's better if we put him in the spare room for the night? His fever hasn't gone down in the last two hours, he might be like this for a while..."
"I agree burraza, I'm sure the others would be grateful as well. It's best we don't allow the sickness to infect the rest of the family"
Karamatsu feels a tug on his parka, and turns to see Osomatsu half awake, eyes barely open and mumbles something he has to lean in to hear, "What was that Aniki?"
"Don't leave me alone... Please..."
Karamatsu and Choromatsu share a look, mouth thinning at the implications of that. If the eldest was sick enough to act this honestly, he might be worse off than they thought.
"Don't worry we weren't planning to," Karamatsu assures, "I'll be sleeping in the spare room too just in case"
"And I'll be checking in periodically too niisan" Choromatsu adds helpfully.
Osomatsu doesn't respond with anything other than a barely perceptible nod, but he seems satisfied with the responses and closes his eyes back again, hand still gripping the small corner of Kara's parka.
Jyushimatsu makes his presence known downstairs and from the sounds of it, Ichimatsu seems to have arrived home as well. Osomatsu starts to stir again at the noise and Choromatsu offers to intercept the two downstairs and tell them the situation.
______
Dinner is a little quieter without Osomatsu around to help keep the flow of the conversation going, and they all head to the bathhouse without much of the usual fuss.
The mood for the entire night is tense, anyone could hear the eldest's painful coughing even from down the hall of the spare room, and when Matsuyo comes in to tell them she'll call for a doctor if Osomatsu doesn't get any better by tomorrow, the mood plunges even lower.
It's a bit around after midnight, when Choromatsu checks in again with Todomatsu in tow this time, after taking him to the bathroom.
"Are you sure you wanna come with Totty?" he asks, "I can take you back first you know"
The youngest pouts, hands on his hips "Every time you've come back from the spare room you look like he's already dea-- ACK!" he squeals clutching Choromatsu's arm tighter when a mouse scurries past them, then sighs in relief when he realizes it was nothing. "Anyway can you blame me for being a little worried?"
Karamatsu's voice halts their trek to the spare room,
"Osomatsu?? Hey are you okay?"
The temperature seems to drop along with the dread that falls like a stone in the pit of their stomach.
"Niisan wake up please--!"
The two all but run to the spare room, Todomatsu already dialing for an ambulance.
______
By the very beginnings of sunrise, Osomatsu had been steadily attached to an IV drip and the rest of the brothers were sleeping best they could on the hospitals waiting room couches.
Tap
"...se me"
Tap, tap
"...xcuse me"
Tap, tap, tap
"Hng? Oh-- Hello" Karamatsu rubbing his eyes, and sees a nurse in blue scrubs, quickly trying to wake himself up a little more, "Is something wrong?" he asks in a whisper so as to not wake the others... just in case it's bad news.
The nurse recognizes the panic at the edge of his voice and smiles empathetically. "Oh no, nothing's wrong. But you're the family of Matsuno Osomatsu in Ward 6 yes?" he nods. "I just wanted to let you know that your brother is awake now."
"Oh." he pauses, then the relief settles in and he can't help loudly going, "Oh GOD."
"What!? What's wrong!?"
"Is Osomatsu-niisan okay??"
"Is he dead!?"
"Don't say stuff like that!"
"Boys!" Matsuyo yells, and silence immediately falls in the waiting room again. Her hands are on her hips, and Matsuzo follows her into the room when he hears the ruckus, hand on her back to calm her down.
"We are in a hospital! Keep your voices down!" she scolds in same volume they had.
"Sorry..." they all chorus.
Matsuyo huffs, and turns to the nurse who'd been standing patiently behind her. "I'm so sorry about my boys, they're just worried about their older brother. Is he okay?"
"Of course ma'am, I understand why they might be worked up. But rest assured, your oldest is fine." they all sigh in relief, and a teary eyed Todomatsu smacks Karamatsu's shoulder. Which is followed by everyone else doing the same in turn.
The nurse laughs at the sight, they had their own siblings who acted much the same afterall.
"Well, as I've said before, he is awake. But we'll have no more than three visitors in the ward for now, and we'll need someone to fill out some paperwork for us in the office."
"My husband will fill out the paperwork, while I grab some things from the house." she looks at Matsuzo who nods in response and is led away by the kind nurse.
Then she turns to her five remaining sons, "We should get home, clean up and have some breakfast. Osomatsu might appreciate a homecooked meal once he's allowed. Now decide which two will stay with your father."
"Right." Choromatsu says, "Fists out then. Ready?"
"Rock, Paper, Scissors, shoot!"
______
Osomatsu greets his two immediate juniors with a small tired smile, quietly asking with his eyes where the rest of the family was. They answer wordlessly and he gives them a small nod, closing his eyes back. That was the thing about the Matsuno Sextuplets, sometimes they didn't need words to talk to each other.
The quiet continues as Choromatsu and Karamatsu settle themselves on either side of the eldests' bed, and the first thing he does verbally is ask how Todomatsu was doing. "I vaguely remember him there calling the ambulance," he looks down at his hands, regretful. "...must have really scared him"
Todomatsu was always bad with hospitals, especially with the scare they had with their father a few years back. Osomatsu knew it had been harder for him since he was the one who'd gotten the call that day. He felt bad having to remind him of it again.
He sighs, then looks up at the two, "Sorry, by the way." he says, looking at their messy hair, and tired eyes from sleeping upright the last few hours. "I must have scared you too." he tries for a laugh to lift the somber mood but it only serves to worsen it when it quickly turns into a fit of coughs.
Karamatsu in particular panics just for a moment, when he remembers how this was how it'd started last night. Just before they rushed him to the hospital.
While Choromatsu for once, is quick on the uptake. Taking initiative and handing Osomatsu the glass of water from the side table and helping him drink it.
Then he huffs in that kind of way Osomatsu knows he's about to nag him, and says "You took too long to wake up" he pauses and adds, "...shitty eldest" with not as much bite as he usually would.
Osomatsu grins, it's small and tired, but it's got enough of the old Osomatsu in it to matter. "Made you guys wait huh?"
Karamatsu suddenly starts crying then, he's always let his guard down a little more when it's just the three of them, and it seems like the string of tension from last nights events finally snapped. Tears fall freely down his face, the big droplets soaking the sterile white sheets on the bed. "I thought you were going to leave us--" he cries, "Right there, while I was with you"
Choromatsu starts crying too, though he'd really been trying his best not to. "Stupid, Shitty, Stubborn, No Good eldest." he berates, hitting his leg with each word as tears continue to fall from his face, "I keep telling you to watch your health but do you EVER listen to me? No!" He tries and fails to wipe away the constant stream of tears staining his cheeks, all the while still nagging the eldest between sobs.
Osomatsu doesn't really know what to do with himself. He's always disliked it when any of his brother's cried, some instinctual force in his gut always told him to find the source of the sadness and punch it as hard as he can in the face. But... Well-- He was the source and he's already in a hospital so there wouldn't be much of a point in that anymore.
Instead, he attempts to sit up and grab their hands when both of them shout in unison,
"DON'T MOVE YET IDIOT!"
Next thing he knows he's being shoved back into the bed, his pillow adjusted and blanket tucked to his waist, all the while both Choromatsu and Karamatsu are still crying.
He can't help at laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.
He's laughing so hard it's painful, and he keeps coughing in between but he can't even stop. The last few hours have just been so overwhelming, there was fear, resignation, regret, relief and happiness, so many emotions in so little time. He doesn't even know which ones to focus on so he laughs, because sometimes when things don't make sense that's all you can really do. Choromatsu and Karamatsu start laughing too despite the initial confusion, and now they're all just doubled over in giggles and snickers. Their genuine cheer infecting other residents of the ward.
Eventually the laughs die down to smiles, eyes still red around the edges crinkling with mirth, and after a moment of looking at each other--
Karamatsu punches Osomatsu hard on the shoulder.
"I can't believe we have to spend Christmas in the hospital because of you, I bought so many decorations to customize"
Osomatsu yelps painfully, nursing the area of attack, looking at his immediate junior betrayed. "What is with this family and hitting sick people!?"
Karamatsu's arms are folded tightly over his chest but he's grinning with satisfaction. "I expected violence from Choromatsu, but not you!"
"Oh? Does that mean you want me to hit you?" Choromatsu teases with a raised fist, and Osomatsu chucks an orange from the side table at him.
Karamatsu's smile softens, "Glad to have you back niisan"