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None of them talk about it. Or if they do, the mention of the subject is met by a couple nervous looks and near-immediate silence. It's not something readily explainable, even if the number of ridiculous experiences they've collectively had makes this look like something almost normal. Between the sheer outlandishness and the desire not to invoke a forbidden darkness, it's become a mutually agreed upon topic not to address.
Ichimatsu doesn't mind that his brothers treat him like this. It's not particularly a secret, but it spares him the questions, condescension, and (god forbid) the teasing. How would you handle your brother being a cat, he wonders. They must be repulsed. Fearful? Maybe even angry? It wasn't like he asked for this, though. He doesn't really care to find out how they feel, so he avoids changing forms when they're around. The time Osomatsu caught him was an accident, as were the other times that let the rest of them know he was this… thing. Since then he’s been on constant guard, not intending to relive those incidents. Just the thought of five pairs of eyes on him doing something unnatural makes a firm dread settle in the pit of his stomach.
The only time he truly feels at ease is when he’s alone at home. There’s no one watching him, and no one to judge him. Today he’s been graced with such an opportunity; his brothers have gone out and left him to hold down the fort. He snorts. Yeah, let your feral animal of a brother guard the house like a dog. There’s nothing here anyone would want, anyways. Ichimatsu stretches out on the couch, making a pleased noise as his spine curves in the likeness of a cat’s. Feeling relaxed for the first time in days, he decides to indulge a bit.
He feels like a knot of tension is being unwound as he lets his body do as it pleases. Fur sprouts on his body, over his unsightly pale skin. Good riddance, he thinks. A light silver coat covers him, making him feel cozy and warm in the confines of his hoodie. He considers taking it off, but it feels like he’s under a kotatsu, or under the warm rays of the sun. He decides he can just blame the cat hair on another feline if his brothers ask. Ichimatsu flexes a hand, well, paw now, reveling in the way he can feel his claws. These are much more useful than human hands, in his opinion. He reaches up to his face, feeling the difference in features. His eyes are more oblong and sensitive to movement as he waves a paw in front of his white muzzle. Ichimatsu is overcome with the desire to clean his face suddenly, but resists the urge should someone walk in on him spreading spit all over himself. He lets out a sigh and comes to the conclusion that his body has only changed about halfway between human and full feline, but it’s more than enough to sate him. For once he feels comfortable in his body, and an ear atop his head twitches as he hears the birds outside more clearly. The warmth of both his fur and hoodie makes him drowsy, and, combined with his feline instincts, Ichimatsu makes the decision to nap for a bit. A cat nap, if you will.
His brothers shouldn’t be home for a while, so he makes himself comfortable on the couch, tail swishing in anticipation for his much-awaited rest. A final yawn escapes his jowls as he settles down definitively, feeling his whiskers tickle the cushions before he falls asleep. Ichimatsu lies on the couch with his back spread across the cushions and tail hanging off the side swaying gently. His ears occasionally twitch in his sleep, but he is otherwise at peace. For a short while, anyways.
The front door slides open and one of six identical figures darts inside quickly, slamming the door behind him.
“Water! Water!” The desperate mantra leaves his mouth and reverberates off the walls as he makes a beeline for the kitchen. His bat is discarded on the ground with a loud thud as he rushes to swipe a water bottle from the fridge. The icy liquid slides down his throat, and a relieved sigh leaves him after the whole thing is empty in record timing. Jyushimatsu thought he would’ve died if he hadn’t made it in time… yep, he would’ve been a shriveled up prune on the field from sweating out all of his bodily fluids! He briefly laments the fact that he forgot to bring his allowance with him and therefore couldn’t buy a drink at the stadium; nope, he had to run all the way home in the heat just for a drop of water. Oh well, he guesses he can cut practice short today to spend time with his brothers, whoever’s home. Jyushimatsu doesn’t take the time to strip himself of his sweat-soaked uniform before venturing upstairs.
“Pardon the intrusion!” Jyushimatsu announces before opening the door to the top room. He pokes his head inside, expecting maybe a couple of his brothers to be up to something. Instead he spots… something he thinks is his brother? He bounds towards the figure lounging on the couch excitedly, realizing it’s Ichimatsu, but with extra fur. Jyushimatsu has only seen him like this a few times, since he doesn’t seem to like flaunting this form. He personally finds it a little endearing, both his brother’s unfounded embarrassment and feline characteristics. His focus is on the abnormally long tail when Jyushimatsu notices a foot twitch in front of him, specifically the pink pads that rest in the center of the sole and toes. Something about them says “squeeze me!” and he’s never been one to curb his curiosity. Just one touch won’t hurt Ichimatsu, will it?
A hand slowly inches towards one of Ichimatsu’s feet as Jyushimatsu holds his breath. He curls his fingers around one of Ichimatsu’s feet and Ichimatsu grunts in his sleep, his ears flicking before his features become tranquil again. Jyushimatsu’s getting kind of nervous now, but the object of his fascination is right in front of him; he dives right in before his brain can consider the consequences.
His thumb rubs the light pink pad in the center of his brother’s foot and Jyushimatsu has to suppress a squeal of delight; it’s just as soft as he imagined it would be and extremely satisfying to touch. He lightly presses down on the pad properly, and feeling the texture of it and repeating the motion several times. He’s felt a cat’s paw before, when Ichimatsu let him gently handle his friends. But his older brother’s foot is on a larger scale, and that makes it more fun to squish under his thumb. Ichimatsu doesn’t stir from his slumber, prompting Jyushimatsu to push his luck. His other hand reaches up to the smaller pads on his toes, pressing on two of them at the same time. The smile that had crept onto his face at his first attempt now widens; he could probably spend all day squishing Ichimatsu’s paws if he let him!
However, Jyushimatsu’s pleasure is cut short when Ichimatsu’s leg retracts, wrenching the foot from his grasp. He peers over at his brother’s face, wondering if he’s woken him up, but Ichimatsu seems as asleep as he was when Jyushimatsu first arrived. The younger brother considers backing off now, but he spots a patch of fur sticking out under Ichimatsu’s slightly raised hoodie. The impulse to touch it is strong, and before he can restrain himself, he has his hand firmly planted on his brother’s stomach. The fur there is fluffy and warm, and Jyushimatsu experimentally moves his hand around the spot. He thinks his brother would be really nice to hug like this. His hand slides up the curve of Ichimatsu’s round belly then down again; he’s rubbing his brother’s stomach like a real cat, he realizes. This time he has to stifle a giggle with the back of his other hand. Jyushimatsu continues giving his brother a belly rub, and is taken aback when he hears a rumbling noise. At first he’s worried he’s hurt Ichimatsu somehow, but the noise is actually a deep purr coming from his brother’s throat. The knowledge that Ichimatsu is happy with this makes Jyushimatsu happy, and he resumes petting and rubbing the other’s fur. It feels like he’s threading his hand through a very large stuffed animal. The thought makes him double over with a burst of laughter, and he presses a little too hard into Ichimatsu’s stomach.
Ichimatsu’s nose twitches before his eyes open. “You smell sweaty.”
Jyushimatsu freezes in place then smiles, apologetic. “Sorry, niisan!”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing.” With his nose more sensitive than a human’s, Jyushimatsu’s scent is more pungent than it already is. But it’s strangely comforting to him, a familiar smell that calms him down. For this reason he doesn’t immediately stir from his spot, savoring the post-sleep haze that still clouds his mind. That, and he’s hoping for a continuation of the petting he received earlier. “Jyushimatsu.”
“Yes!” Oh. Was he in trouble? Ichimatsu didn’t sound mad, but maybe he had done something wrong?
“Can you…” Ichimatsu can’t believe he’s about to say this, but his sleep-addled brain thinks it would be a fantastic idea. He swallows before continuing, grateful his mouth can still form human words. “Can you pet my head?”
His brother answers almost immediately. “Mhm! Around the ears, right?” Jyushimatsu remembers his brother telling him cats like it when you pet them there. Ichimatsu just gives him a small nod.
Now that he’s been given permission, Jyushimatsu is a lot more liberal with his petting. His hands immediately reach up towards Ichimatsu’s head, resting on his hair before rubbing the base of his brother’s ears. Jyushimatsu takes obvious delight in the action, quickly but carefully ruffling Ichimatsu hair and making it even messier than it already is. Ichimatsu, on the other hand, doesn’t betray any sign he’s enjoying this aside from the purrs vibrating in his throat. He’s not used to this much attention, especially when his first reaction would usually be to recoil from anyone seeing him like this, let alone touch him. But if he had to trust one of his idiot brothers with this side of him, it would be the fifth son. Jyushimatsu’s always been accepting of the changes he went through growing up, and judging by the way he’s enthusiastically scratching behind his ears, he probably considers this just another weird development from his brother. Maybe. He supposes can hope a little when Jyushimatsu is smiling so widely while petting him.
One of Jyushimatsu’s hands finds its way down Ichimatsu’s head, rubbing soothing circles in the fur of his cheek. Ichimatsu wants to say something, but a gravelly mrow is all that leaves his mouth as he leans into the touch and closes his eyes. It feels good. Really good. The double treatment on his cheek and ear makes him butt Jyushimatsu’s hand, trying to get more of the sensation. His purring crescendos and in the back of his mind he thinks he should be ashamed of it, but he can’t find it in himself to care. He’s perfectly content to have Jyshimatsu keep petting him like this, embarrassing feline habits or not.
Ichimatsu lets this go on for a while before he decides he’s had enough. His eyes suddenly open and he pounces on his brother, tackling him to the ground from where he stood. A surprised noise is forced out of Jyushimatsu from the impact, but Ichimatsu knows he’s sturdier than that. Something in his partially-feline brain tells him to return the favor and he briefly inspects the bewildered look on Jyushimatsu’s face before leaning down. Jyushimatsu notices the interest in his thin pupils and squeezes his eyes shut in anticipation. He’s not entirely sure what’s going to happen, but he trusts his brother with whatever he decides to do. The first thing he registers is a rough sensation sliding up his cheek. He tentatively opens an eye when the sensation repeats itself, and he sees the pink of Ichimatsu’s tongue sticking out slightly from his mouth.
“Salty,” Ichimatsu mutters. But he leans down for another stroke up his brother’s dirty cheek anyways.
Jyushimatsu squirms under him. “Niisan, that tickles!”
Ichimatsu doesn’t say anything, but Jyushimatsu feels something slither around one of his fidgety legs and looks down to see Ichimatsu’s tail wrapped around him. It clicks in Jyushimatsu’s brain that this is an intimate activity between them and tries to stay still so Ichimatsu can carry on. Ichimatsu balances himself over Jyushimatsu with a paw planted on each side of his head, whiskers and fur tickling the other each time he grooms him. The younger lets out a sigh and shivers as his brother keeps cleaning him, letting a nice tingly feeling spread throughout his body. Jyushimatsu’s breath hitches when the tongue slides dangerously close to his eye. Ichimatsu catches this, pausing and looking down at him expectantly, almost challenging him to push him off. After a moment of Jyushimatsu staring at him curiously but not making any move to change his position, Ichimatsu resumes licking his face. Jyushimatsu silently wills himself to calm down and counts the soothing upstrokes of Ichimatsu’s tongue to keep himself occupied. One, two, three…
The moment he feels the rough texture on his lips, he suddenly leans up, pressing a kiss to Ichimatsu’s muzzle and bumping his nose. A noise that can only be classified as a yowl startles Jyushimatsu as Ichimatsu hops backwards off him, fur puffed up in surprise. The spell is broken as Ichimatsu turns back, the tension from before returning to his body. The fur retracts, his ears flatten into nothingness, and his face shifts back into one that’s distinctly human. A feeling of shame immediately assaults him, but he doesn’t even know where to begin. It’s not like they haven’t kissed before, but to do it in this form… should he apologize for licking his brother’s face? Or should he just apologize for existing? Ichimatsu bows on his knees in front of Jyushimatsu, who is now sitting upright on the floor.
“…Sorry.” For everything, he decides. He feels blood flood his cheeks; he glad he’s facing the floor right now. And maybe if he’s lucky, he’ll sink right through.
“Huh? It’s fine, you know. I like the kitty Ichimatsu-niisan!” It sounds like a lie to Ichimatsu. How could anyone like that? It’s creepy. But Jyushimatsu never lies to him, and he slowly picks his head off the ground. The younger seems encouraged by this and hums for a moment. “I like your fur, and your paws, and your tongue feels really good too!”
The words of praise abate some of the shame but Ichimatsu is still silent.
“Yeah, yeah! You’re also warm and soft; I reeeally wanna give you a hug when you’re all furry!” Jyushimatsu opens his arms wide for emphasis, flapping them up and down. When he settles down, he gives Ichimatsu a quieter smile. “You don’t have to hide it around me, okay? I’ll give you pets and licks too if you want!”
Ichimatsu is red, and he knows it as his brother sits cross-legged in front of him. Ichimatsu mirrors his position and puts a hand over his face, not wanting to meet Jyushimatsu’s eyes just yet. Really, he doesn’t know what he did to deserve such an understanding brother. (Or what said brother did to deserve someone like him.) Before he can spiral into another session of self-loathing, Jyushimatsu has his brother’s face between his grimy hands is and rubbing his nose against Ichimatsu’s. Jyushimatsu is moving his head too quickly for it to be considered a nuzzle, but makes Ichimatsu wheeze out a laugh that sounds more like a throaty cough. Still, it causes the younger to giggle gleefully, his cheeks rosy when he pulls away. “That was really fun, niisan! We should do it again sometime!”
Ichimatsu feels himself crack a small smile at the thought. “I’ll think about it.”