Chapter Text
The dark.
It was such a stupid thing to be afraid of honestly. It might have been fine to be afraid of it when he was a kid but he's was an adult now for Akatsuka-sensei's sake! He knows he should've grown out of it by now, but he couldn't help how his imagination still conjured up things that made his skin crawl and his hair stand on end.
He flinched when he heard the hourly beep from the digital clock that sat just on their shelf a few feet away. How long had he even been awake for? Just staring at the ceiling overthinking every little noise, when he could have been asleep like the rest of his brothers. He would never usually say this, but he really wished he was them right now.
Todomatsu huffed angrily. When his initial fear settled, he always felt frustrated with himself whenever he got spooked by the littlest things in the dark.
All his senses would be hyper aware of ever single sound and movement in the house, every creak in the floorboards, every scuttling mouse, every slight blow in the wind. They were all normal noises, especially with a house as old as theirs, but each and every time, it always made him flinch and cower under the blanket he and his brother's shared together.
Todomatsu had always hated this part of himself, he may be the youngest but he was still an adult! He felt the frustrated tears build up again and shut his eyes before could spill, starting to get a clogged nose from holding it in. He should be over this by now! He wasn't 10 anymore, his older brother's would never let him live it down if they found out he was still letting himself cry over something as stupid as this.
Todomatsu huffed, rolling to his left and curled himself under the blanket despite how hot and humid the summer night was, trying to somehow shut the visions out so he could finally get some shut eye.
'I'm fine. I'm okay. Nothing bad is going to happen.' he repeated over and over in his head like a mantra.
But despite how much he tried to convince himself that there was nothing to be afraid of, his heart still hammered in his chest as he tried to push out the illusions that his mind created to plague him every other night. He doesn't even know what triggered this sudden mood, usually there would be something specific that happened during the day, but there was nothing! It's not like he'd accidentally seen a scary video while scrolling on his phone or watched a horror movie with his brothers like that one where the main character could feel their blood run cold as the monster right above them was ready to--
"Ack--!"
Todomatsu almost jumps out of his skin, barely managing to suppress a scream when he feels something suddenly touch the top of his head.
"Osomatsu-niisan! What the hell?!" He angrily whispers, whipping his head up to his somewhat awake older brother.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you" he laughs lightly, sounding genuinely apologetic for once. "What's up? Can't sleep again?" He asks, running his hand gently through Todomatsu's hair matted with sweat.
The youngest is a bit surprised at the sincerity and older brother aura that Osomatsu displays, it was a rare sight in their household, reserved only when it was truly needed, and it makes tears well-up in Todomatsu's eyes all over again. It takes him barely a few seconds to think it over before he's burying himself into Osomatsu's chest, the elder immediately wrapping his arms around him.
Screw his pride. If his brother was willing to provide some comfort to silence his racing thoughts, then he'll gladly indulge in it.
He'll think about the consequences of his actions later, there was a reason he slept in-between the two eldests afterall.
"I'm scared..." Todomatsu whimpers, and Osomatsu runs his hands through his little brother's hair, gently working the tangles out from burying himself under the blankets.
The youngest sighs shakily in relief. There was just something so comforting about being in his older brother's arms, something that made him feel safe, that warm and sense of belonging that felt like home.
He felt like no harm would ever come to him while he was wrapped in his embrace. Because he somehow instinctively knew that his big strong brother would never let any kind monster that even tried to get close to him, hurt a single hair on his cute little head, and it was such a reassuring feeling amongst the unsettling darkness.
Osomatsu moves so that the younger's head is tucked nicely under his, and rubs comforting circles into his shaking shoulders. "It's okay, I've got you" he says over and over, until Todomatsu's sniffles start to even out and he finally falls asleep, snoring softly, one hand still gripping on his brother's blue pajama shirt. Osomatsu smiles sleepily, his brothers were honestly so cute sometimes. Too bad he's probably going to be pushed away in the morning though, the thought makes him laugh a little when he imagines how Todomatsu's face will look.
The eldest pulls the blanket up and continues to pat him until the repeated movement lulls him to sleep too.
He only hopes that they both have good dreams tonight.