it’ll be quick and easy if you just change the format, I said
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AU blog tag[Everything together in reverse order])
WRITING UNDER THE CUT
Osomatsu turned the corner from the check-out area, the bright red of his hoodie grabbing his brothers’ attention. Choromatsu stood, and Todomatsu unraveled his arms from Jyushimatsu to do the same, and both moved to meet the eldest.
“Did they say anything else since mom went back?” Choromatsu asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Not really,” Osomatsu said quietly, “they're giving him a cane for a while, but they didn't really show him how to use it…”
“Osomatsu,” Matsuyo called, grabbing the eldest’s attention. He gave a scan over the others, particularly Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu, before his eyes fell low and he backed away to return to their mother.
“You can go ahead and take his bracelet off if it bothers him,” the woman behind the desk noted. Osomatsu nodded, guiding Karamatsu away from the desk and pulling up his arm to figure out how to best get it off--these damn things were always a pain if you didn’t have scissors. Once he managed to stretch the tagged paper band enough, he worked it off his brother’s wrist and brought him the rest of the way to the door for the waiting area, looking to the rest of the sextuplets as they approached.
Todomatsu frowned some, scanning Karamatsu before stepping next to him. “What was it they said again? About what to do to try and see if it heals any?”
“They're giving him some medicine and eye drops to use for a week, then they want him to go to an optometrist or something,” Osomatsu tried to relay, loosening his grip on the second born’s arm as Todomatsu took the other one.
“A week? That doesn’t sound right…” Todomatsu frowned a bit. At the silence of the others, he huffed, “what? It’s not like an ER’s job is working with eyes.”
“I know, I don't buy it either,” Matsuyo huffed suddenly as she and Matsuzo stepped up behind them, her shuffling around her purse. “I'm going to call a cab and then the optometrist,” she said while taking out her phone, stepping outside to do so.
“Uh, oi, anybody want a drink? I saw some vending machines a little down the way,” Choromatsu piped up to offer. While their father and Totty merely shook their heads, Karamatsu’s head turned a bit, and Osomatsu was quick to perk up, along with Jyushimatsu; even Ichimatsu, looking off to the side in that always gloomy expression, raised his hand a little bit.
“Maybe tea, if you wouldn’t mind? But don’t feel like you have to,” Karamatsu said, starting out at a decent volume but quickly getting quieter and fidgeting with the cane.
“Aahh, do u think they have beer?” Osomatsu sighed, eliciting a glare from his brothers. “What? I’m kidding! Pepsi’s fine,” he said with a roll of his eyes, trying, and failing, to resist a grin as Choromatsu rolled his eyes as well, falling into step towards the vending.
“What else?”
“Eh…” Jyushimatsu lowered his eyes to think, until Ichimatsu started walking in the same direction as Choromatsu. Choromatsu watched him for a few moments, before picking back up after him. “Water’s fine!” Jyushimatsu called after him, earning a smile and nod from Choromatsu.
Once the two returned, they all decided to head outside instead of loitering around in the ER, since the season made it pleasant enough. Matsuyo was just outside of the metal canopy that stretched from over the front door, still fiddling with her phone.
The eldest sighed as he stepped out from under the awning, screwing the bottle top back on and forcing it into his hoodie pocket. “How’d the call go?” Osomatsu asked in a tone edging on a yawn, clasping his hands behind his head.
“They don't have any openings--no special exceptions allowed,” Matsuyo grumbled, fumbling around the device’s interface. “How do you do the thing where you find businesses online again? I keep pulling up some add about frosting.”
“Eh? They can’t be serious! He can barely see, can’t at all with the bandages--there has to be another place that’ll take him.” Osomatsu yapped, lowering his hands from his head.
“I’ll try to find some other places to call,” Matsuzo huffed, adjusting his suit jacket. It didn’t take much longer for a cab to pull up, which-after confirming it was the one Matsuyo had called for-Todomatsu wasted no time putting Karamatsu into the middle seat of. And, naturally, sitting down and buckling himself in as well before anyone else had a chance to protest.
“Oi, why does he get to take the cab? There’s nothing wrong with him!” Osomatsu squawked, earning a glare from their mother even Karamatsu could sense, and that made both the eldest shrink a little.
“Except for being a demon.” Ichimatsu said in an aside, hiding behind Jyushimatsu.
“It would be a waste for one of us not to come with when there’s a whole empty seat. Besides, who else is as helpful as me?” Todomatsu said in a sugar-saturated voice.
“What about the front?!” Osomatsu hissed, and Totty stuck his tongue out, causing Osomatsu to curl his hands into fists just as his youngest brother quickly shut the door. The car started off, and Osomatsu crossed his arms in a pout, ignoring Choromatsu shoving his shoulder in mildly amused reprimand before starting off with their father, the youngest two in tow.
After a kiddish whine, Osomatsu followed, his feet scraping the sidewalk as he slinked over it towards the house. It, at least, wasn’t a very long walk-thus taking Karamatsu there on foot in the first place-but halfway through, Osomatsu definitely couldn’t blame them for taking the cab. Not to mention how tense the atmosphere got as soon as they’d started walking; Osomatsu definitely felt envious of the cab ride.
When they slid open the front door, though, they all felt the relief flooding through their bodies at the smell of dinner cooking. Of course the other three had gotten home first; and Matsuyo would have no doubt started as soon as she could. Best medicine(after morphine and laughter) was a full stomach, after all.
Matsuzo slid the door to the family room open first, stepping in and deciding to linger as his eyes set on Karamatsu and Todomatsu sitting at the kotatsu, Todomatsu pausing mid-sentence and lowering his phone to look at them all as they filtered in. Karamatsu’s head turned to Totty, before swiveling a full 180 to pantomime facing the others. His face twitched to the sound of the other sextuplets’ movement as they went to the night's chosen spots, though he held back from the urge to turn around when Matsuzo greeted he and Todomatsu.
“Hey. Was the ride nice?” He hummed, trying not to be awkward. Todomatsu gave a cutesy grin and went back to his phone, and Karamatsu gave a silent nod.
“Did you manage to find anywhere with time available for an appointment?” Karamatsu asked, voice sounding nearly normal in a way that took Matsuzo off guard for a second.
“Right--somewhere a little more toward the edge of the district; they had an opening at two o’clock.” He nodded, stepping a bit closer as he spoke and eyeing the white cane that lay neatly between Kara and Totty.
“That's good; I hope it wasn't much trouble,” he said, turning back to the table.
“No, no don't worry about it,” Matsuzo said with a light, barely non-awkward pat of Karamatsu’s head. At Matsuyo’s voice calling out that the food was almost ready, the majority of the sextuplets leaped up and darted to the kitchen, leaving those who didn't practically in a dust cloud.
Matsuzo blinked slowly, before snorting and following suit. Karamatsu furrowed his brows, twisting his head automatically in an attempt to follow their movements but realizing, suddenly, it was a moot point. He sighed, turning his face back ahead of him and slouching a bit, beginning to reach for the cane when the door slid open again. He waited for a moment before the distinct clack of a bowl and glass being set against the kotatsu reached his ears.
“Hello?” Karamatsu tilted his head, and a hand softly drifted over his shoulder.
“You’d never get a scrap of it if I didn’t bring it to you myself; I'd still be careful if I were you,” Matsuyo chuckled.
“Ah, you didn’t have to-”
“Listen, NEET, this is the only time you’ll get off easy on being lazy! Don’t take it for granted,” she said jokingly, setting his hand on a pair of chopsticks,
rubbing his shoulder a bit before heading to her and Matsuzo’s table.
The others filed back in, making much less noise than they had in the kitchen; the usual peace after the storm of dinner time. They sat down and quickly got to eating and chattering, and Karamatsu sat quietly; the food was bound to still be quite hot.
Once his stomach started twisting with hunger, though, he was quick to cave, and slowly slide his hand towards the bowl. Or, well, where he thought it was supposed to be.
Todomatsu rolled his eyes in a manner that was almost audible in his breath, and grabbed Karamatsu’s hand and placed it on the bowl. Ichimatsu’s eyes narrowed-for what was probably the eighth time since they’d gotten home-and he scoffed.
“What, are you gonna spoon feed him now?” Ichimatsu grumbled with a sour expression, but it shrank when instead of backing him up or ignoring it like usual, the others stared at him with dazed expressions.
“Shut up, Ichimatsu-niisan,” Todomatsu growled, scooching closer to Karamatsu, but otherwise going back to his own food.
Dinner passed relatively usual, although there were many attempts to try and start a conversation or otherwise lighten the mood; mostly from the eldest two. Osomatsu had always hated tense atmosphere, and Karamatsu wasn’t much different in that regard--they were often the ones to go about doing this, but each attempt seemed to just tighten the lips of the rest.
Once they’d finished-which took a good while since anyone actually willing to eat did so slowly-and put things away, they went through their usual routine of sitting around the kotatsu, occasionally chatting or wandering off for a few hours.
“I think I’m going to get ready for bed,” Karamatsu said, scratching the back of his neck with a yawn.
“Ah, really? What do you need?” Choromatsu stiffened, blinking a bit as his eyes darted around without really looking at anything.
“For now I’ll just brush my teeth, so it’s alright. Thank you.”
Choromatsu furrowed his brows and leaned over the table a bit. “Are you sure?”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Karamatsu asked with a twitch of his head, sounding genuinely offended. Choromatsu drew back a bit, and Karamatsu’s head turned further in following the now clear sound of his movement.
“Nothing, just, it might be hard, right?” Choromatsu pointed out, glancing around the table awkwardly in hopes he could find back up. The others turned their eyes elsewhere, expectably.
Karamatsu lowered his face a bit, taking an extensive breath, “it's fine.” He reassured, sliding his legs from under the kotatsu. “It shouldn’t be difficult, just a matter of actually… getting there,” he placed a hand on the ground, taking his cane.
“D-do you want help?”
“I’ll be fine, I think, thank you, Choromatsu,” Karamatsu said, pushing himself up and leaving the room. They all quickly went back to whatever they'd been staring at the table thinking about.
When he found his way back in and settled himself neatly under the kotatsu in his previous spot, only to lay down and snuggle into the carpet, though, Osomatsu began to find an issue. “What are you doing?”
“Aniki, I'm just-”
“Just about to fall dead asleep here instead of going to bed like a normal person?” The eldest hummed dourly, with a chiding tone and chin in hand.
“Non, non, I’ll stay down here, buruza,” Karamatsu hummed, fidgeting to get himself comfortable. “What sort of word is ‘normal’ for us anyways.”
“Ah, bullshit! Come on, move it!” Osomatsu commanded, pulling on his brother’s sleeve. Karamatsu hesitated a bit, but with another few tugs, he followed the eldest upstairs. He insisted he needed no help(again) in putting on his pajamas, and though it took long enough for a couple of the others to make their way up and pull the futon out, he didn't do too badly (even if his pants may have been on backwards and the shirt buttons were misaligned).
“Here,” Osomatsu said in a beckoning tone, gently pulling Karamatsu to the futon and sitting the both of them in adjacent spots. Totty gave a bit of a pout upon noticing the action, but didn't protest and returned quickly to getting ready.
Karamatsu’s brows furrowed as he was pushed into a lying position, and as the eldest stayed next to him. “But isn’t this--?”
“Hush, hush! sleep!” Osomatsu insisted, pulling Karamatsu’s head to the pillow and drawing it near his chest.
“Ah! A-aniki, you’re squishing my face.” Karamatsu protested with an uncomfortable squirm.
“Oh, sorry,” he almost snorted, scooching away a bit and adjusting his arm. It didn't take long after the others turned out the lights and got settled for most of them to fall asleep, particularly Karamatsu. He didn't plan to think too hard about anything by staying awake, anyway.
Karamatsu took a long breath and gave a long exhale as he shifted under the covers. It felt… Brighter somehow; his face felt pleasantly cool, and he could smell breakfast strongly as opposed to the expected nose-full of whatever laundry detergent had been picked that month and Osomatsu’s sweaty armpits. He was almost tempted to try and lift the bandages to see if he could--well, see. But the sting that rubbing his face drowsily against the pillow caused reminded him the depth of the damage was definitely not going away for a while.
He rolled onto his back, settling deeper into the blankets comfortably with the much less irritating position. It must have been a lovely day out-he could still hear some birds chirping… And not much else. Come to think of it, breakfast was sort of the only thing he could smell at the moment. Not that he expected to be able to hear the others breathing, or smell their breath from this distance, but it was oddly silent… until the echo of a shout reached him from what he assumed was the living room.
Karamatsu grasped at the empty pillow beside his, brows furrowing as much as they could with the bandaging. “Hello?” He called softly, and slowly forced himself to a sit. He listened carefully for an answer, or any sort of sound to indicate someone else was in the room. When there was nothing but the voices downstairs, he gulped, standing up clumsily. He could feel his heart begin to knock against his chest, and his lungs tighten; he had to follow them.
The cane--where was the cane?
He shuffled to the nearest wall, putting a hand to it and crouching to try and feel around on the carpet. He couldn’t remember where they mentioned putting it if they’d mentioned where at all. Karamatsu found his way to the door, cautiously sliding it open and stepping into the hall.
“Hey! Can anyone hear me?” He shouted, taking to the opposite wall and feeling his way along it until the edge of his toes touched air, and he flinched back with a barely suppressed gasp. The stairs. “Brothers?...” Karamatsu’s voice dropped, and he slid his hand from the wall to the railing with a gulp.
He made his way down step by step, taking great care in shakily sliding one foot down until it scraped the solid wood, placing a bit of pressure down, then doing the same with the other. It was an arduous process, but the drop his gut took each time he wasn't quite making his mark definitely kept him on his toes. He was almost starting to get confident in it when he heard one of the doors slide open. Immediately, out of reflex, he pulled his head up to pantomime looking in the direction and shrank when he could practically sense the tension it caused in whoever was there.
“Karamatsu?” Choromatsu’s voice rang through the hallway, “what are you doing?” Rushed footsteps followed his nervous question, until hands grasped onto Kara’s arm, guiding him down the last few steps.
“I, I couldn’t find the cane,” Karamatsu explained quietly, taking a step on the first floor but not pulling his other hand from the banister.
“Osomatsu!” Choromatsu called in that loud tone he tended to get, looking upstairs only to hear the bathroom door slide open and watch the groggy, messy haired eldest lumber out. Choro spun to look at him, gesturing fanatically to Karamatsu as Osomatsu's eyes opened fully. “What the hell?!” Now properly alert, Osomatsu walked towards them, growling at Choromatsu’s lowered brows and eyelids and sneer bared teeth.
“I didn’t think he’d try to leave, I was just taking a piss!” Osomatsu said defensively, putting his arm around Karamatsu’s back and shoulders to shepherd him away from the steps.
“Well, he left!” Choromatsu said, his animated form of expressing anger taking over, despite Karamatsu beginning to shrink. “We wouldn't have even heard him, the only reason I saw him was because mom wanted me to get you!”
“Choromatsu, it’s,” Karamatsu began, drawing his lips shut tight when he was interrupted.
“What if he slipped?” Choromatsu said, pinching Karamatsu’s shirt sleeve. “You could have broken your neck or something!” He scolded in that same sour voice, leading the other towards the bathroom. Karamatsu tightened his jaw with a swallow, going silent.
Osomatsu gave a low sigh, stature slacking as he turned to go back upstairs.
I felt like shit and vented with kara boi the best angsty boi
Blind!kara where no one ever noticed that he went blind because of his expert acting + them ignoring him + his sunglasses.
only when he accidentally bumped into his mom and his sunglasses fell off and Matsuyo freaked the fuck out but to her everything makes sense how Karamatsu wont fight his brothers when they would steal his food or him bumping into doorframes.
he just sits by himself listening to music about places and colours “Somewhere over the rainbow” and “sweet child o mine”. He cries himself to sleep.
When the brothers finally found out they cared about Karamats so much about him but they became so angry at Karamatsu when they found out he was blind for a long time now. They are angry how Karamatsu kept it from them and angry at themselves how they didn’t notice all this time.
Hi, I'm the disabled Matsu au anon. To respond to the other ask:
I just imagined this au for fun, not to fit the canon of the blind! Kara au.
Kara is still blind because he's the sunglasses guy, Jyushi has runner prosthetics because it fits his personality, Choro has schizophrenia because of the Tacchan episode amongst other things, Ichi is in a wheelchair because this bad boy can fit so many cats, and for Oso and Todo it just kinda popped in my head for no reason