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Incest

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Karamatsu/Osomatsu / Established Relationship

“Hey.”

Karamatsu felt a foot nudging his side. Looking up from his mirror, he saw Osomatsu standing above him with both hands in his pockets.

“Wanna go on a date? You and me.”

Karamatsu smiled. Why would he ever say no?

The ‘date’ in question was, in fact, another session of wasting their time and money at the race tracks. Though, to Karamatsu nothing was ever a waste where Osomatsu was involved. He was just happy he could spend time with him. Even if their time at the race tracks together was spent mostly in a pensive and tense silence, calculating the odds, staring at the tote boards with the constantly changing numbers in front of the horses’ names. Osomatsu’s presence was all he really needed.

He looked away from the tote board when Osomatsu casually leaned against his back, placing his chin on Karamatsu’s shoulder.

“Have you decided yet?”

“Hmph! After much deliberation, I have decided to Embrace The Grind !” he pushed his sunglasses up with a flourish.

“...What?” Osomatsu pulled away and stared. “Speak Japanese, idiot.”

“...It’s the name of the horse, dear brother.” Karamatsu’s smile may have wavered but his heart did not.

“‘Embrace The-’ Oh! You mean number two? Hah!” He slapped Karamatsu’s back so hard his sunglasses flew right off his face. “You’re so predictable!”

“I know this fiery steed will lead me to victory, Osomatsu.” He pulled another pair of shades from his pockets and slid them on. Osomatsu rolled his eyes playfully. “And anyway, I’ll bet you’re going with the same old trifecta as last time.”

“Hey, it works!”

“It’s never worked. Ever.”

“I’m not standing here and taking this shit from you!” He punched Karamatsu’s arm and pushed him towards the betting machines, ignoring his protests. “Hurry up and get your ticket already! It’ll start soon.”

Out on the field and on the bleachers, the sun shone brightly and the wind swept his bangs out of his face. Perfect conditions for a perfect race. And even if it wasn’t perfect, who cared? He had his brother by his side and that was all that mattered. His pockets were 300 yen lighter –it was all he had, really– but his heart soared when Osomatsu casually laced his fingers with his own.

With a shrill ring of the bell, the horses were out the gates and pounding the soft dirt of the racecourse with their hooves. The nervous chatter of the crowd of gamblers around them immediately rose to an excited cacophony. They cheered. They yelled. They elbowed each other to get a clearer view. And who could blame them when the excitement was so contagious.

Beside him, Osomatsu waved his ticket in the air and yelled, “3-6-9! 3-6-9! Go, go, go!”

He was so animated in his enthusiasm. The way he bounced up and down, the sweat that beaded on his brow, and the way his face flushed in anticipation… Karamatsu honestly preferred watching Osomatsu to watching the actual race.

That’s how he completely missed how the race ended.

“God damn it!” Osomatsu threw his ticket to the ground and stomped on it. “Fuck my shit luck! That was the last of my money, too.”

“There, there, brother.” Karamatsu smugly threw an arm around his shoulder. “Maybe next time, your beloved trifecta will-”

“Hey, hold on,” Osomatsu distractedly shook him off. “Which one did you bet on again?”

Karamatsu followed his gaze to the tote board. It took his brain a while to register the names on display. In first place was Second To None , number one. In second place was Imtakinittothebank , number twelve.

And in third place, lo and behold, was Embrace The Grind.

“Would you look at that…”

At the register, he was handed 60 thousand yen, cash. Maybe it wasn’t a huge sum of money, but it was a lot for people like them.

Osomatsu whistled at the sight of the colorful bank notes.

“Lucky bastard, aren’t you?”

“We are fucking in the fancy love hotel tonight, brother!” Karamatsu grinned. Osomatsu smacked him upside the head.

“Volume, dumbass!” But he was grinning right along with him. “At least take me out to dinner first.”

“Anything you want.” And he meant it.

Osomatsu’s smile softened. But it was only for a brief moment, before it was replaced by something sinister. Karamatsu swore he could see devil horns and a tail for a second.

“Say, Karapippi, Onii-chan’s got an idea…”

“Karapippi doesn’t like the sound of that…”

“I’m completely broke now,” he continued, ignoring Karamatsu. “But you’ve got some money, so why not give it another go? You might even win the jackpot this time around.” The excited glint in Osomatsu’s eye set something within him ablaze.

How could he possibly say no to that?

He ended up betting it all on number two. Again. Part of it was stubbornness, admittedly. If number two had won once, it would win again, he reasoned.

“It didn’t win though,” Osomatsu reminded him. “It came in third. And this is a completely different horse; it just happens to have the same number, idiot.”

Karamatsu didn’t care. It was the principle of the matter. Also, it was his money and he refused to bet it on Osomatsu’s precious trifecta, as he kept begging him to do. He had literally just watched 3-6-9 lose; Karamatsu wasn’t an idiot.

Well… Not that big of an idiot, anyway.

They took their previous places in the audience, both of them buzzing with a giddy sort of anticipation. The bell rang once more and the horses were out and sprinting like no tomorrow. Karamatsu could barely hear Osomatsu’s shouts over the crowd’s cheering.

“Go! Go, uh, what was your horse’s name again?” Osomatsu turned to him mid-cheer.

“Hmph! Infinite Passion ~☆” he provided with a flourish. The faint sound of cracking bones could be heard from Osomatsu’s vicinity.

“God, I am not saying that,” he turned back to the racecourse and continued his cheering full force. “Go, number two! Go, go!”

As if hearing his desperate shouts, the jockey atop number two sprung to action. He whipped the horse harder, drove the animal forward as fast as it would go. Somehow, through skill or sheer luck, number two ended up at the very front of the row of running horses, pushing and pushing to stay in the lead.

Osomatsu and Karamatsu both were jumping up and down now. Yelling with all their might, they cheered for number two to go faster. As if it were running by their willpower alone. As if they stopped cheering, it too would stop its mad dash for the finish line.

“Go, go! Stay up, number two, stay the fuck up!”

And with one final burst of energy, number two crossed the finish line in the lead. Karamatsu couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Holy shit! We wo- mmph!” He cut off Osomatsu’s cry of exultation with a crushing kiss. Even if they were in public, he just couldn’t contain himself. He needed Osomatsu to know exactly how joyous and giddy he felt. He needed him to know precisely at what temperature his insides burned. He needed to convey to him that if he were struck dead right this moment, he’d move on to the next world as a happy man with no regrets. This twisted embrace of limbs and lips was his only form of communication.

Osomatsu pulled away and looked at him with shock written on his features. Then, face flushed and panting, he simply laughed his carefree laugh and returned the crushing embrace.

As it turned out, Infinite Passion hadn’t actually won. It came in second place, only a nose-length behind number one, Need You Tonight , with number 12, Federal Case , in third place. The horses were so close, they had to pull out the slow motion camera footage to determine the winner. Needless to say, Karamatsu and Osomatsu were nearly in tears when they found out.

All sorrows were quickly forgotten, however, when they were handed 600 thousand yen at the register as the second place prize winners. Karamatsu’s hands were shaking as he accepted the money. He’d never held 600 thousand yen in his hands before. Hell, he hadn’t even seen 600 thousand yen all in one place before. Beside him, Osomatsu was practically vibrating with excitement.

“With this much money, ohhhh , with this much money…” He was almost salivating.

“Let’s go on a trip,” Karamatsu blurted out. “Just you and me. Somewhere nice, like Okinawa or something. The others don’t need to know.” The stacks of cash felt like electricity in his hands. His face was too hot. Everything was too hot. Osomatsu bit his lip and grinned.

“A romantic getaway, huh? We’ve never been outside of Akatsuka City before. It’s not a bad idea… But you know what’s an even better idea?” He grabbed Karamatsu’s wrists and directed his attention towards the monitors displaying the information for the upcoming race. “Look at the jackpot for the next race. If you add your 600 thousand to it, it’ll be 6 million yen!”

“6 milli-” He could barely hear his own voice over the blood rushing in his ears.

“Do you have any idea how much that is? With 6 million, you can forget about Okinawa; we can go overseas! Hawaii, or Paris, or Rome. Wherever you want!” His grip on Karamatsu’s wrists was crushing. The dreams he weaved before him dripped honey with a bitter aftertaste. Karamatsu briefly thought of Eve tempting Adam but he didn’t know why.

“But what if we don’t win?” Then they’d be back at square one. Empty-handed.

“We will win because we’re betting on the exacta this time. One and two. They will win for sure. Trust me, Karamatsu.”

This is insanity , was all Karamatsu could think. The frenzied look on Osomatsu’s face mirrored his own state-of-mind.

Outside for the third time that day, the wind had stopped blowing and the air was heavy enough to choke on. The crowd buzzed with a manic sort of anticipation. Karamatsu and Osomatsu stood shoulder to shoulder, draped in a tense and strained silence. Everything was riding on this final race.

The bell sounded. The gates opened. The horses galloped one after another. Karamatsu thought his heart would stop beating any second now. The only thing anchoring him to this reality was the vice-like grip Osomatsu had on his hand.

Gambling Cowboy and He’s A Gentleman were the names of their horses in this race. One and two. They’d dash to the very front and then they’d fall behind the rest. Again and again. Together. Always together. Like they were connected, or their jockeys had some sort of telepathic connection.

Karamatsu wanted to look away. He couldn’t bear to watch as the horses entered the final stretch. Lips bitten raw, drenched in sweat, fingers crushed in his brother’s grip, he forced himself to watch the racecourse.

One and two were neck and neck. At the very forefront of the group. The rest hounded them from all sides. The finish line drew nearer with every breath. This was it.

Osomatsu’s fingers going slack in his hand signaled the end of the race. His ears buzzed. His head swam. The announcer’s voice was a distant dream in his mind.

“...And what an incredible finish, ladies and gentlemen! It was close at the end there but they gave one final push and here we have the miraculous result! In first place, we have Wheelzablazin , second place, Devil’s Kiss , and third place, Pay The Price ! That’s 3-6-9, folks…”

The sun was setting when they started to make their way back home. They walked side by side, elbows brushing occasionally. They hadn’t uttered a single word the entire time. Several times, Karamatsu had opened his mouth to speak, but had thought better of it. What was there to say, really?

“...I wonder what Mom’s making for dinner.” Osomatsu finally broke the silence. He was relieved to hear him bring up some mundane topic. He could still talk to him normally after all. Nothing had changed. Despite it all.

“I hope it’s my favorite.” Karamatsu sounded almost distracted. Osomatsu quietly slipped his hand in his. It was a perfect fit. Like always. Nothing had changed.

“I hope it’s my favorite, too.”

End.