Chapter Text
The evening sun beamed through the blinds of the office room, casting parallel lines of light onto its opposite wall, the wooden floor, the large cluttered desk and its occupant, who sat hunched over it with his head leaning on his hand. Neon lights already began to dot colors of blue and pink on the wall clock ticking with each passing second, the silence filled with a pen scratching, a foot tapping.
The day had been a particularly slow one at the Majima Construction office. With all the Go-Ryu/Tojo Clan drama recently, the paperwork on his desk had piled up, left untouched either from a busy schedule or just pure procrastination. Majima’s right hand made work of his engraved company pen on scrap paper, trying to crunch the numbers of his latest project. The office down in Purgatory was much too distracting, what with the ridiculously large fish tank and the echoing of the marble floor designed for intimidation, so he was currently housed in his second office space in Millennium Tower. He huffed, scribbled out all of his work and slammed the pen down on his desk. Math was never his strong suit.
He glanced at the clock: 15 minutes had passed since his last break. Clearly he’d earned another, he thought, as he leaned back and stretched his arms over his head with a groan. Was all of this necessary, really? Maybe he needed to bother Nishida one last time to convince him to do his job for him, and then maybe he’d be able to spend time out on the streets like he wanted and bust open heads with his sturdy bat if any punks dared glance in his direction.
There was a knock at his door, which cracked open to reveal Nishida with a cell phone up to his ear. Speak of the devil.
“Boss—”
“Nishida! How’d ya know I was thinkin’ of you?” He opened up his mouth to respond. “Anyway, you sure there’s no way I could make you do all this shit? ‘Cause I’m bored outta my mind in here.”
“Unfortunately, sir, as president, only you can handle those documents, but—”
“Someone shoulda told me the construction business had so much behind-the-scenes bullshit. At least Kiryu-chan's helpin' out with the land shark problem…”
“Boss, I’ve got Kiryu-san on the line right now. He wants to speak to you, says it’s urgent.”
“Well then what the hell are ya standin’ around making chit-chat for?! Hand it over!” he demanded and held his hand out. Nishida rushed over and placed it in his palm, quickly bowing before finally exiting the room. He put the phone up to his ear.
“Kiryu-chan~,” Majima sang through the receiver, propping his legs up on the empty corner of his desk and crossing them at the ankle. “You’re usually not one to make the first move, I’m flattered. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Majima-san,” he greeted formally, “I normally wouldn’t ask you for help, but this is important.”
“Got some clan business ya need me to help clean up? Don’t matter if it's with or against ya, y’know I love a good fight.”
“Not quite.” The line went quiet for a moment. “I need someone to watch Haruka for me while I’m out of town.”
“Haw?” Majima drew out, eyebrows furrowed. Scratching his beard, he muttered, “I’m not sure I’d be first choice for that…”
“You weren’t. I already asked everyone I could think of, but they’re all busy, and hiring a civilian as a sitter with all that’s happening in the city…” He trailed off. “Haruka’s very mature for her age, she won’t need much, but I’m not leaving her alone for an entire day. All I’m asking is you feed her and keep her entertained, and make sure no one tries to hurt her while I’m gone. You’re really my last hope, Nii-san.”
Majima hummed disapprovingly. A pause.
“When?”
“Tomorrow. I have to leave early but hopefully I’ll be back by nine that night.”
Sighing, Majima swiveled back and forth in his chair and contemplated his options. He didn’t really have much planned for tomorrow besides hitting up the batting cages, which he always did, and even more paperwork, which he definitely wouldn’t mind putting off. Still, this was Kiryu’s kid they were talking about. To say they got off to a rough start is an understatement; he quite literally kidnapped her last year following Shimano’s orders. It wasn’t like he was a monster—he was relatively kind to her when she was under his care, but that didn’t mean the reputation of a kidnapper was a great thing to have.
They had interacted since then and made peace, sure, but it wasn’t any less awkward. Kiryu needed someone to watch her, though, and this could be a golden opportunity to get on both his and the girl’s good sides.
Truth be told, Majima had an ulterior motive to take into consideration. Long story short: he liked Kiryu. The two had flirted heavily in the time shortly after Kiryu’s release, but came to an abrupt stop once Haruka was officially adopted and the two moved out of Kamurocho, much to Majima’s disdain. They kept in touch, texting and sending photos while going about their new everyday lives, until reconnecting when Kiryu became foreman at Majima Construction. Once he tried to make a move on him in his office after hours, but Kiryu shut him down. He finally explained that with Haruka around, he couldn’t risk anything casual; after everything she went through, she deserved a stable figure in her life. Majima respected that, and he backed off shortly after.
However, he couldn't stop thinking about Kiryu. He wouldn’t push his boundaries, but he didn’t get what he wanted, and that was frustrating. The words never escaped his mind, and Majima caught himself imagining things with Kiryu where he woke up to the smell of breakfast, walked Haruka to school, lounged on the couch all day together, fell asleep in his arms at night and started it all over again. He was considering something serious with the other man, and it terrified him.
It was a whole ordeal—but after a lot of introspection and crises on Majima’s part, he decided he could, he wanted to try out the whole relationship thing again. Hell, he always wanted kids anyway. And thus he was back to his old ways, although Kiryu seemed ignorant to any of his advances. Can’t flirt with the dad until he gets the message across that he’s willing to commit? Fine. He’ll show him just how committed he is to this.
“Ah, what the hell, sure. I’ll do it. You’re still holed up in Serena, right?”
Kiryu audibly sighed into the speaker, no doubt relieved he found someone to play babysitter. He confirmed their location, worked out the details, and thanked him for the help.
“Don’t sweat it. You can make it up to me by giving it your all next time we fight,” Majima purred into the microphone.
“Of course,” Kiryu said. “See you tomorrow.”
With that, he clamped the phone shut and stood up.
“Nishida! I’m leaving the office early!”
At the mention of his name Nishida had opened the door, only for Majima to push right past him. He turned and trailed close behind.
“But boss, the paperwork—”
“I have to be up and ready by eight in the goddamn morning. Do you know the last time I even opened my eye before noon?” They were now standing in the elevator, waiting for it to reach the main floor. “‘Cause I sure as hell don’t. Gotta turn in early if I wanna get any shut eye.”
“Sir…” He needn’t dare mention that it wasn’t as if he slept anyway, kept up with nightmares most of the night. Majima was already out the front door, sauntering his way down the street. Nishida sighed heavily. It wasn’t even in the direction of his apartment.
Well, he was late. Kiryu said before 8:30, but his body said five minutes before nine. Majima bound up the stairs at lightning speed and knocked hastily on the back door; immediately, it swung open.
“You’re late,” stated Kiryu, stepping to the side to let him pass.
“Yeah, well, take a page from Nishida’s book. If ya want me here on time, better tell me to show up an hour before you actually want me there,” Majima said while jaunting into the bar. Serena’s interior looked more or less the same since the last time he was over, though the layer of dust on the alcohol housed on the shelves was thicker. The bar had dulled since the passing of its mama, the vibrant and classy air gone without her. The red leather seating lost its shine, and the lights did nothing to brighten the room—the dark wooden walls felt oppressive and just added to the darkness present, both literal and with the memories that clung here. It felt drab now, an empty and untouched shell of its former glory. They really should try to liven up the place, he thought, if Kiryu was going to use it as a temporary home every time he was dragged back to Kamurocho.
He rounded on his heel. “So! What’s this trip you’re going on for?” Kiryu just rolled his eyes.
“You make it sound like I’m going on vacation. It’s a favor for a friend. I’d go into detail, but somebody made me miss my original train and I need to catch the next one as soon as possible.”
“Aw, and who could that be?” Majima asked, batting his eyelashes innocently. “Where is the little squirt anyhow?”
“She’s still sleeping in the back room. I’ll go wake her up now and tell her I’m leaving,” he said and walked to the other room, closing the door behind him. Majima could hear the deep murmur of his voice, soon accompanied by one of a much higher pitch. Realizing he was just standing there listening to their muted conversation, he went and took a seat on the couch. Soon enough Kiryu was back in the main room.
“Haruka will be up in a minute, she’s a bit grumpy in the morning,” his lips curved upwards fondly, much softer than usual. “Now I gotta go. Call me if you need anything?” Majima nodded. “And thank you again, Majima-san. It means a lot to me for you to come on such short notice.”
He waved him off, “Yeah, yeah, I got it. Go catch your train, ya big lug.” With one last bow of his head, Kiryu left the building and Majima was left alone with the girl. He kept busy on his phone, checking emails until he heard the door creak open once again. He looked up and had to bite back a laugh.
Haruka, in all her glory, had hair sticking up every-which-way, her feet dragging her towards the back of the bar counter. She wore pink pajama pants and a matching pink and white t-shirt, adorned with English lettering and two anime girls posing. He didn’t get a good look, but they seemed to be magical girls, one blonde and dressed in pink and the other with black hair and a silver costume.
“Mornin’, sleeping beauty,” he teased. She only hummed in acknowledgement, disappearing under the bar. Majima watched a quart of milk, a colorful box of cereal, a bowl, and a spoon materialize one by one on the counter with a thud. Her head popped up again as she made her way to the other side and hopped up on a seat. She took to making her breakfast with little regard to him.
After a few bites, she gave with a yawn, “Good morning, Majima-san.” He snorted.
“Not much of a morning person, eh? Me neither.” He caught her yawn. “It’s too damn early.”
Haruka continued to eat, the only noise being the occasional scrape of her metal spoon against the sides of the bowl. Never one for silence, Majima fumbled; what does one talk about with a kid her age?
He tried asking about school, but all he got was “fine” in return. No dice. His leg began to bounce in place as he asked if she liked her teacher, his mind pleading her to speak, and she replied a simple "yes".
He was out of ideas now. When had conversation ever been this hard? Maybe it was his nerves getting on him; he was hoping to impress her, as this day was his ticket in. No, he reasoned, the Mad Dog didn’t get nervous. This kid just wasn’t giving him any material to work with, like a bad partner in improv. Minutes passed, the pace of his bouncing quickened, and the silence between them began to gnaw on him.
Desperate for a topic, he blurted, “What kinda music do ya listen to, Haruka?” She startled and turned to face him, clearly not expecting him to say anything more.
“Oh, um,” she said timidly, “I really like idol music.”
“Hey, me too. Although we probably ain’t listenin’ to the same stuff.”
“Wait, really? But you’re a little old for—” Haruka cut herself off by slapping her hands over her mouth and widened her eyes in horror.
“I’m so so sorry, I didn’t mean—” This time Majima interrupted with a wild cackle, throwing his head back and clutching his stomach.
“Sure ya did! No need to apologize, that was funny as hell!” he said and swiped a finger under his eye as if to catch a tear. The face she pulled when she realized she was being disrespectful? Priceless. Haruka just turned away from him to try and hide how red her face was.
After a moment, he continued, “Actually, believe it or not, I was part of the idol scene myself back in the day.” She whipped her head back again, eyes wide and sparkling with her blunder forgotten.
“You used to be an idol, Majima-san?!”
“Way back in the eighties, for a short while. Ya shoulda seen me, had the whole getup and a routine on roller skates and everything,” he chuckled.
“No way! Do you have any pictures?! The costumes are my favorite part…” she said, her voice trailing off once she caught herself being too excited and deciding to pluck at the fabric of her pant leg.
“W-well, I don’t know if I have photos of any of my outfits…” Majima mumbled, thinking of the gaudy holographic piece still at the back of his closet that would definitely disappoint her. “Tell ya what. Later we can go to karaoke and I’ll show ya all of Everyone’s Idol Goro’s killer moves,” he said, doing his best to convey he was winking.
Haruka giggled, “Okay Majima-san, that sounds fun.” It lapsed into silence once again, but fortunately didn’t last very long. “Do you think we can go to the arcade and play some games for a bit, please?”
“Sure, but go get changed and brush your teeth first. Ya probably stink.”