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The Language of Glass: Handcrafted beads, jewelry, and notions
Majima blinked a few times and read the sign again. Jewelry? Beads? The fuck? He rechecked his phone and, sure enough, it was the place Kiryu-chan told him to come to. When he mentioned a date place in Theater Square, Majima figured it was a bar or something. He was getting ready for a few drinks and few punches afterward, the usual. What in hell was this?
Majima just huffed and stepped in the elevator. Whatever, it involved a night out with Kiryu-chan regardless. After a ride up, he was walking through a neat hallway and reached a door. The first thing he saw when he opened the door was Kiryu-chan sitting at a wooden table, fingertip dipping into a compartment of a big plastic box.
Kiryu looked up and met his gaze. “Majima-no-nissan, you found the place.”
Strings of beads were displayed all around the walls. The carpets were printed like mini gardens and the walls were painted yellow with green stripes. He saw a woman with long bleached hair and a flowy blue dress approach him. Majima knew his mouth was probably gaping open, but he pried his jaw off the floor to stay polite.
“Good evening, sir,” she greeted with a bow. “I'm Ayame. You must be Kiryu-san's friend that he was talking about.”
“Yup, and whatever he said is probably true,” he returned with a chuckle, taking in more of the store.
This looked like a place for artsy types or middle aged women. And there was Kiryu-chan – this huge, scowling man in an impeccable gray suit – sitting at that table… wait… was he putting a bead on a needle?
“Kiryu-chan, ya got a new hobby?” Majima snickered, walking closer to the table.
Kiryu looked up at him with a smirk. “One of my odd little hobbies you never kept track of? I'm shocked.”
“Well that's what happens when I've been sleepin' on the job.” Majima flicked a spike of Kiryu's hair, Kiryu leaned up and nuzzled his wrist before Majima pulled out the opposite chair.
Majima hooked a finger into the box and slid it toward him, getting a better look at its contents.
“Kiryu-san came in here a little while ago,” Ayame added, standing by the counter. “Some guys tried to rob us and he fought them off. I was so appreciative, but some beads was all I had to offer.”
“I actually was trying to think of good Christmas presents for Haruka, and I came across this place,” Kiryu followed. “This is pretty relaxing, actually.”
“Tch Kiryu-chan, turn down the sugar,” Majima poked. “So who ya makin' this one for? Another thing for Haruka-chan?”
“No, I don't think this is her style.”
Kiryu lifted the string and one particular set of beads caught his eye: yellow with gold speckles and painted with a snakeskin pattern.
“The shit is this?” Majima grunted, gently pulling the string toward him.
There were a few of these snakeskin beads mixed with some glossy, black oval ones, gold spacers, and a few with red sakura blossoms. Majima furrowed his brows: no way, was Kiryu-chan...?
Kiryu tugged the string of beads out of his hand. “You want a bracelet or a necklace? Can't guarantee it's survive a fight, but what you do with it is up to you.”
Majima cocked an eyebrow. “Yer really gonna give me a pretty beaded thing?” Majima groaned in a bit of disbelief, rubbing the back of his neck. “What you an old lady or somethin'?”
“That's debatable,” Kiryu shot back. “What you don't want a present from me?”
Majima sank back in his chair and crossed his arms, feeling his cheeks going red. “Well if yer offerin', be rude to turn down a gift,” he grumbled.
Kiryu's smirked and he went back to putting on another shiny black bead.
“Necklace or bracelet?”
Majima shrugged and thought about it. “Eh why not a bracelet,” he responded, uncrossing his arms. “It'd look cool on me. Go good with my outfit.”
“Good enough.”
His hand reached out and grabbed Majima's forearm, Majima fought the instinct to smack him and figured out what he was up to. Kiryu laid Majima's arm on the table then wrapped the string of beads around it.
Kiryu pulled the string off. Majima took a better look inside the box, seeing a collection of different gray beads, the same shade as the suit in front of him. Majima picked one bead out, then found a bright red one. Off to the side he saw beads that looked like...scales maybe? Dragon scales?
Kiryu's wrist appeared under his vision. “You might want to measure to get the right cord length.”
Majima shrugged, picking up a spool of plastic cord and pulled off the end. Eh, why the hell not. He wanted in on the fun too. As he gently wrapped the cord around Kiryu's wrist, he realized that he never really noticed how much thicker Kiryu-chan's wrists were. All the jutting bones and all the faint scars. Majima's wrist brushed over his palm, Kiryu closed his hand around his thumb.
A finger brushed his cheek. Majima grumbled and nipped at it, but it didn't move. A whole hand was now rubbing his cheek and the side of his goatee. Majima just had to look at Kiryu-chan with a smile escaping. “Ya gettin' cute with me, Kiryu-chan?”
“Damn right I am.”
Kiryu leaned forward and put a peck on his lips. Majima shoved his head forward again and gave him a bigger, wetter kiss, feeling Kiryu's lips quirk upward a moment before joining enthusiastically. Majima let out a little purr of happiness.
An hour, a few glasses of wine, some more kissing, and some instruction from the sweet and oh so patient shopkeeper, they both left the store with new bracelets. Amidst their usual banter, Kiryu took Majima's hand, thumb playing with the beads around his wrist. Majima's thumb found his back and they walked into the elevator together.