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Who: ~~numbermatsus~~ Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu
What: a tearful reunion?!
Where: one of the ship's entry points
When: end of May, backdated to just after the gigantic rescue mission
Warning(s): rated P for pure. and pain.

[they had done it! Choromatsu and Jyushimatsu had been freed from the scary planet and were now safely back on the ship, along with some other Matsuno brothers. among them was Ichimatsu, and Jyushimatsu is so super happy, because he is incredibly close to Ichimatsu. he loves all his brothers dearly, but Ichimatsu is kind of precious to him, because they spent a lot of time together as kids. and even though they were now as different as day and night, they still had that bond. at least, Jyushimatsu liked to believe that they did.

so one of the first things he does when he gets back on the ship is seek out his older brother to welcome him on board. and he's really!!! happy!!! about that but, for some reason, he feels like crying too? it's weird. too weird to think about, so he won't think about it. he'll just call out for Ichimatsu, waves his arms, and start bolting for him]

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[The funny thing about Ichimatsu was that he'd done something of a personality 180 from childhood to adulthood. There wasn't an obvious reason, and he wasn't the sort to talk about what was going on in his head, so nobody really knew what caused the strong-willed, peer-protecting Ichimatsu of childhood to become the anxious self-deprecating adult, but he'd gone from being more like his sunnier younger brother to being something of a rain cloud. Sure, they'd all been a bit hiveminded as children anyway, but the important part (to Ichimatsu, especially, given how he'd aged) was that he had retained the closeness he'd had to the fifth born Matsuno even as he lost social grace.]

[Needless to say, arriving in a strange place to find aforementioned precious fifth brother having been kidnapped by some crazy scientists lead to more than a few colorful expletives and entertained thoughts of genocidal rampage, but Ichimatsu wasn't exactly a pleasant person, especially so when you tried to take away one of the few things he held honestly and sincerely dear. Even if he had to admit that they were probably right to be curious about what the hell Jyushimatsu's deal was. Even he didn't know that much.]

[But that was beside the point, because he'd joined the rescue mission and then skulked off to decompress, except Jyushimatsu was apparently part Labrador, because he'd managed to sniff out his brother sooner than the reclusive NEET had been prepared for and was moving too quickly for him to hope to escape.]

[Even if, really, he didn't want to.]

[He will, at least, startle and wave his arms to try and fend off Jyushimatsu's assault.]

Jyush-- slow down, you'll trip.

[Jyushimatsu is lucky he doesn't trip, running across the ship's slick floor in house slippers. there are, perhaps, a few times where he loses traction and skids a little bit, but at least he doesn't hit any walls.

and there! target sighted!

Jyushimatsu really is like a dog, the way he bounds over to Ichimatsu, mouth and eyes wide. and when he's a few feet away, he just. leaps at him. a rough tackle. no amount of preparation or balance can stop them from tipping over]

[Ichimatsu down, Ichimatsu down!!]

[He shouts, though it's more like the sound is forced out of him with the force of Jyushimatsu colliding with him, and again when they hit the floor. And then his eyes are scrunched shut and he's grumbling, pushing himself up to his elbows and squinting at the pile of yellow in his lap.]

...all right, or you could knock us both over.

[rough landing, but Jyushimatsu doesn't seem to mind at all. why would he? he's got a hold of Ichimatsu, around his middle, his face pressed against the purple fabric]

Ichimatsu-niisan! [his voice is muffled, but he doesn't budge, not caring if he can't breathe well. and then... then those stupid feelings are threatening to leak out again, but he's doing a pretty good job of keeping them at bay for now] You're here, you're here!

[Ichimatsu-niisan is a weak ass motherfucker and it doesn't take long for his arms to shake and drop them back onto the floor with a whuff of air as it leaves his lungs. He wheezes faintly.]

Sure looks like it.

[Jyushimatsu goes quiet then, as they lie there. he doesn't make any move to leave for a long time, and suddenly, his shoulders shake, and a long sigh escapes him.

when he speaks it is so quiet, still mumbled against the girth] I thought you were dead.

[He's just gonna lay here and let Jyushi lay on him, because there's never really been any reason or way to stop him when he does something. The shaking startles him, though, and he looks down and hesitantly reaches a hand for his shoulder.]

[Before it lands there he hears him mumble, and he flinches.]

...Why would you think that?

[he goes quiet again for several seconds, contemplating his words, trying to calm himself down before he speaks. but it's not working that well. the more he thinks about it, the more he wants to cry.

he tilts his head, so that he's pressing less of his face against Ichimatsu, and more of his forehead, because it's getting harder to breathe now that the tears are coming] The aliens said our planets were destroyed. And then, for a long time, it was just Choromatsu-niisan and me. [he squeezes his eyes shut, letting out a shuddering breath] Everyone else was gone! It was so lonely!

[He goes still, save for his lips parting in a slight startled expression, despite his eyes remaining mostly impassive. He looks his brother over, and stops to remember that he's almost as codependent as Ichimatsu himself is. With a sigh, he curls them both sideways, drawing Jyushimatsu to him in a way that somehow manages to look accidental.]

Feelin' pretty alive for an apparently dead guy.

[they are all fairly codependent. it's sad, really. Jyushimatsu had been making the most out of the situation, the way he usually does. but going from six to two was... well, it just wasn't right. and then he'd been assigned rooms with strangers. cool strangers, but strangers nonetheless. there had been several times when he'd snuck into Choromatsu's room when there was just him there.

he finally huffs out a soft laugh at Ichimatsu's words before nodding and leaning back some. the smile is still on his face, but it isn't as wide as it normally is. and there are also tears]

It makes me happy that you and Karamatsu-niisan are here. [big sniff] Because that means that Osomatsu-niisan and Totty might be safe, too! [it was just as Marinette had said. he had to have hope!]

[Crying Jyushimatsus are about as unallowed as sad cats in Ichimatsu's book-- especially when it's sort of his fault, in a roundabout way. It makes his stomach squirm. He reaches out and sets a hand atop his head, laying mostly still on his side.]

I could do without Shittymatsu, really.

[pettings? pettings! Jyushi breathes deep again, eyes closing shut as he lets the tears slide down his face sideways. they're happy tears, really! in fact, he laughs at that. it's light, airy, not his usual hearty laugh, but it's amused. ehehe!]

Hey, hey! Where are you staying?

[Ruffling his hair slowly, he rolls onto his back to stare at the ceiling while he tries to remember the names of his roommates. He's probably been told, but he can't say he's committed them to memory.]

...ah, in a room with a couple of kids.

[Jyushimatsu uses his long sleeve to scrub at his eyes. there! tears are all gone! then he flops an arm over Ichi's stomach, not ready to break contact with him just yet]

I wonder if we can room together...! Like at home!

[He oofs softly but only shifts to make the weight from his brother settle against his stomach instead of the base of his ribs. He shrugs.]

Would be better than the kids. They're too nice.

[too nice... heh. poor Ichimatsu. Jyushi rubs at his eyes again with his other arm, sniffing once more. they would make this work, make things feel comfortable even though they were in a strange place. and Jyushimatsu would just keep hoping for their family and friends to join them on the ship. who knows, it was large and there were a lot of people on board. maybe Osomatsu or Todomatsu were already here, and just hadn't found the others yet! maybe mom and dad, and Totoko-chan... maybe the whole town was on the S.S. Panic, too!

he suddenly tucks his face against Ichimatsu again, effectively hiding his concern, or so he thinks] ...I know it feels weird now, but I'm gonna make this place feel like home in no time, niisan. I promise!

[He hums in thought, the sound probably reverberating through his stomach to Jyushimatsu, but otherwise doesn't speak. He wasn't uncomfortable in his assigned room with Marinette and Adrien. They were good kids. They were just strangers, and much too kind for him to be at ease there. At least, it was better than being alone.]

[yeah, it was difficult rooming with strangers, especially when you were used to rooming with the same people all your life! so many changes at once, it was enough to drain anyone.

finally Jyushi pushes himself up to his knees. he grins down at Ichimatsu, proud of him for... you know... not hurting himself throughout all of this madness. what a trooper!] Thanks for rescuing me!

[He's still for a few seconds after Jyushimatsu gets back to his knees, and then shrugs one shoulder and rolls onto his side to push himself up to sit.]

You're my brother, Jyushimatsu. [It went without saying.]

[yeah. but. Jyushimatsu wants to say, you're Ichimatsu, and you are very particular about how you expend your energy! but he doesn't. he just laughs and gets up the rest of the way, then offers his hand to help Ichimatsu up, if he wants. he feels warm, happy]

Wanna find something to eat? There's a good Japanese restaurant! They have oden!

[He gets up on his own without even realizing Jyushimatsu had put out his hand, and glances at it belatedly, ducking his head in not-quite apology for not taking it. His hands immediately go in his pockets and he shuffles his feet.]

Oden is more Osomatsu-niisan's thing, but I don't remember when I ate last.

[He doesn't think much about eating.]

It's not as good as Chibita's oden anyway! But it's still good! Actually, I've eaten there a lot! I think I've had everything on the menu! [and Jyushimatsu likes eating at that certain restaurant because it reminds him of home.

and, oh look what time it is. it's time to make sure Ichimatsu is eating properly! so Jyushimatsu is going to get behind him and gently push him, guiding him to the sprawling dining district]

[He'd argue that he wasn't sure Chibita's oden was all that great anyway, since they basically never ate any other oden, but for now he'd let Jyushimatsu leave the point where it was. Chibita had been their friend since they were small, it made sense that his oden was what they ate. Personally, he prefers a lot of Western food anyway, but he'll eat what he's presented with.]

[So he's pushed toward the dining district and he leans his weight backward into Jyushimatsu's hands, walking easily enough with his hands in his pockets but at a funny angle backward to give Jyushimatsu something to do, and also to maintain contact with him without having to initiate it.]

Where are you staying?

[It seemed like the thing to do, to mirror the question.]

Block four! [that was right, wasn't it? he's spent a week away from the room] For a while, it was just me and Kamille-kun... You met him, right? He's the gundam pilot! He's so cool!

...ah, that explains why he organized the search and rescue.

[He'd been a little curious. Not enough to ask, but it struck him as odd that someone he'd never met before was pretty invested in saving Jyushimatsu. He wasn't complaining, it was good to know that there were people that would look out for him, but it had been a little... Unnerving?]

Yeah! We're friends! [maybe? they must be! imagine, these NEETs who had only themselves for a while were now making friends with strangers] I've met a lot of people! Kamille-kun, Marinette-chan, Kagura-sama...! It's been a lot of fun! [everything has been fun, even getting kidnapped was fun. the only thing that hadn't been fun was the loneliness] And now, Ichimatsu-niisan is here, with me, too!

[He waves his arms in front of him, righting himself to turn and face Jyushimatsu.]

--Marinette. That's the girl I live with. [Now he remembers.]

[Jyushimatsu stops pushing, and he looks absolutely delighted by this new revelation. he puts his hands on Ichi's shoulders]

Marinette-chan is super nice! She told me about Paris, and its super heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir! [Marinette would be good for Ichimatsu, maybe! she's just a kid, but she's still a girl! if they became friends, and Ichimatsu could get used to talking with her, then...!!!!!]

[He squirms in place, hands finding their way back to his pockets, and hunches his shoulders, nodding.]

She's... nice, yes.

[And... clumsy, in a way that is somehow endearing. Ichimatsu pretty immediately was concerned about her in a similar way to how he is often concerned about Jyushimatsu. It was ...not entirely unpleasant, but a startling response to have so immediately to a stranger. He hadn't taken too long to wonder about why he could understand a girl who was probably speaking French.]

[clumsy, right. Jyushimatsu learned that, too]

She'll be a good roommate, niisan. [the way he says it is... well, Jyushi is conflicted. because he really wants to room with his brothers, especially Ichimatsu. but they were all assigned different rooms and were probably expected to get along with new folks] There's no need to be nervous.

[He decided not to respond for a while, hunching his shoulders further and turning to shuffle toward the dining district again. He knew there wasn't a need to be nervous. There rarely was. But he was always nervous anyway.]

So you and Kamille get along?

Yeah! [Jyushi nods and follows so they are side by side. his hand snakes out of its sleeve so that he can latch onto the purple fabric of his brother's hoodie. still not ready to let go yet!] He let me ride in his gundam! I was so high up! It was amazing!

Mm. We took that to come get you and Choromatsu-niisan.

[It was cramped, and he had to share the cockpit with a stranger and Karamatsu. He wasn't impressed. He shifts to allow Jyushimatsu's clinging to his sleeve, glancing sidelong at him and continuing to walk.]

[soon they come to the dining area. and there is plenty of food, so if Ichimatsu decides he doesn't want Japanese, he can get something else and they can still eat together. that was what food courts were for, right?]

Did you get to shoot things? [he looks far too gleeful about the idea]

[He stills and seems a little apprehensive about the food court, but forces himself to keep moving so Jyushimatsu doesn't have to let go of his sleeve.]

...Kamille did most of the shooting, but he gave me a wrench to beat people with.

Did you, did you? [because, for some reason, the very thought of people beating up badguys for him is... kind of appealing? yeah, no one said that these Matsunos were sane]

[His shoulders shake with a single bark of a laugh and he hunches his shoulders further, lacing his fingers together in the pockets of his hoodie and bending his fingers backward to crack them.]

Only two, but one of them probably died.

[Jyushimatsu should probably be more alarmed by that than he actually is. instead, he is kind of excited. was that weird? yeah, it was definitely weird, so he'll just laugh loudly.

anyway, let's get food!]

[They're all more than a little deranged, really, but that's okay. Food is more important than their damage. He chuckles at Jyushimatsu's laughter and shuffles along behind him.]

Where's this place you wanted to eat?

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