Archive of Our Own

“There’s fanfiction of you online, you know.”

Kiryu looks up from the book he’s reading to meet Haruka’s gaze. “Fanfiction?” The term means nothing to him.

Haruka hesitates before pulling her phone out and extending it towards Kiryu. “It might just be easier to show it to you,” she explains.

Kiryu grabs the phone from her hands, pushing his reading glasses up further—damn kids and their good eyes, Kiryu has slowly gone farsighted with age—and takes a look.

It’s open to a webpage. “Archive of Our Own?” Kiryu asks. “What’s this?”

“It’s a website where people can post stories for their favorite fictional—or not so fictional, in this case—things. I sometimes read stories for that manga I like, but that’s beside the point. Apparently, there’s an active fandom for Japan’s yakuza.”

Kiryu gives a deadpan stare back, like he can’t comprehend her words in the slightest. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope!” Haruka answers back, all too cheerful. “Here, give it back to me for a sec and I’ll prove it to you.”

Kiryu complies, handing the phone over and watching as Haruka opens a new webpage before handing it back. “Take a look—you’re the most popular person to write about.”

Kiryu scans the page. At the top, lays a header: Yakuza RPF. Kiryu has no idea what it means, but he scrolls down nevertheless.

Beneath the header lies a variety of stories. Kiryu looks at the first one, but the second he notices the underlying tags (incredibly explicit, so much so that he’s unwilling to even read the words in his head with Haruka around) he moves onto the next one. It’s much less scary than the first one—it has a teen rating, as if anything involving the yakuza would actually be appropriate for teens—and features two characters: himself, and Majima.

“Haruka, what does the slash between my name and Majima no nii-san’s mean?”

Haruka laughs to herself before answering, leaving Kiryu wondering just what he’s got himself into. “It means that you’re together in the story.”

“Together…?” Kiryu squints, as if that’ll help him process the information better.

Haruka laughs even harder. “It means you’re dating him in the story.”

Kiryu’s eyes bulge out in shock. “You’re kidding.” Haruka rapidly shakes her head.

“Actually, it’s the most popular pairing on the website.”

“I think that’s enough of the internet for the day,” Kiryu concludes, handing Haruka her phone back. “I could have easily lived without knowing this, you know.”

Haruka merely giggles in response as she vacates the room. Kids these days. At least it’s never boring at Morning Glory, that’s for sure.

That wasn’t enough internet for the day.

Late at night, all the kids having already gone to bed, Kiryu can’t sleep. As dumb as it is, that fanfiction website just won’t get out of his head. And like any other problem, Kiryu decides to face it as he always does, head on.

Using the web browser on his smartphone—a device that still doesn’t fully make sense to him, having only bought it at the kids’ insistence—he pulls up the same website from before, opening it to the Yakuza RPF page.

“894 works…” he murmurs, glancing at the top. To the side, unnoticed to him earlier, lies a variety of sorting features. Naturally, he goes straight to the relationships tab.

True to Haruka’s word, in first place reigns his and Majima’s name with over 500 works. Second and third also feature himself, but this time with—nope, not going there. Kiryu decides to stop scrolling down afterwards, instead checking his pairing with Majima and moving onto the other filters.

Next, he decides to look at the ratings. He’s an adult man, an ex-yakuza, so by no means is he a stranger to sin, but the idea of reading porn about himself—not happening, at least for now. Checking only the teen and general boxes, he next moves onto one final filter: sort by.

Kiryu doesn’t exactly know what a kudos is, but they’re underneath all the fanfics so they must be some measure of popularity. Naturally, that’s the filter he decides to go with. He wants to figure out just what these strangers get out of these fics, and what better way than by looking at their favorites.

His selections complete, he hits the sort button. Of the starting 894 works, less than a hundred remain. “Man, that’s a lot of porn,” Kiryu mutters to himself. He gets it, he really does—he can admit he’s attractive, and so is Majima. But to think that over eighty percent of their fanfiction is explicit really opens his eyes.

Shaking off the thought, Kiryu looks at the top fic. It’s written by author Maddog69—a Majima fan, Kiryu suspects—and looks harmless enough. Clicking on it, he opens it to its first chapter. Time to satiate his curiosity.

Five Times Majima Loved Kiryu, and the One Time Kiryu Loved Him Back

Maddog69

It’s love at first fight, cliché as it seems.

Majima’s still reeling from heartache—him leaving was better for her, yes, but it was at the cost of his own happiness—and more than anything else, he just wants to be happy, to be loved. It’s a hard asking price when one’s a yakuza, especially one as guarded as him.

The Mad Dog is all that he is. Chained up tight, yet still an uncontrollable weapon of destruction. His persona numbs the pain, but at a cost: who would ever love a man like that back?

Majima accepts it, until he doesn’t.  

Kiryu Kazuma is an incredible man. In a short time, he’s gone from chinpira to the famed Dragon of Dojima, but that’s not what matters to Majima, not really. He’s strong, both in physical strength and his convictions, and Majima can’t think of a better challenge.

“Oi, Kiryu-chan!” Majima drawls, having cornered Kiryu in an alleyway. “Heard that ink of yers finally dried.”

“What of it?” Kiryu looks suspicious, fair enough given Majima’s true intentions.

“Bearin’ a dragon like that—it’s a statement. One ya gotta prove yer worthiness of.”

“I don’t have anything to prove to you,” Kiryu answers simply.

Majima smirks. “That might be true, but I know yer type—ya ain’t one to back down.” Powerfully, he removes his jacket, exposing the full extent of his irezumi. He’s not a powerhouse like Kiryu, but there’s no denying the hidden strength that his sinew bears.

With a sigh, Kiryu answers, “You won’t give up until I kick your ass, will you?”

Majima’s grin widens.

“Tch. Let’s make this quick.” In one fluid motion, his suit jacket and shirt leave his body, falling forgotten on the filthy ground. His body is built, but what truly catches Majima’s eye is the now completed golden dragon cascading down his back, steadfast in its strength. It suits him.

Majima’s never felt so excited to fight before. “Get ready for the ass kickin’ of a lifetime!” Majima shouts, rushing forward to catch Kiryu off guard. Instead, he meets Majima’s powerful punch effortlessly, stopping his fist without so much as a quiver of his muscles.  

This is what Majima’s been longing for, been living for. With the adrenaline rushing in his veins rushes another feeling, one he never thought would bloom again: love.

The internet is thriving with fan culture, and it’s almost too much to take in at once. It’s mind-boggling to think it all exists, moreover, it’s mind-boggling to think that Kiryu was completely oblivious to it before.

Kiryu meant to just read a fic or two and to attempt to get in the head of those who would author fanfiction about him and Majima, two real people. Hardened criminals, no less. Instead, he’s fallen into a rabbit hole.

It starts with mere fanfiction, which leads to fanart, and then later online communities…the discoveries never seem to end. There are endless videos—fancams, he believes they’re called—of him and Majima. Each consists of video clips spliced together, ridiculous filters, and sometimes the most explicit music Kiryu’s ever heard. He doesn’t understand them, but that doesn’t stop him from watching every single one that he sees.

The fans—his fans, Kiryu supposes—are incredibly into it. They constantly talk, theorize, and meme with each other. Some even make merchandise, little keychains of snakes, hannya, and dragons as well as buttons of him and Majima together. Kiryu doesn’t quite understand how, but somehow, him and Majima have brought together people online. It’d almost be heartwarming, knowing his effect on people, were everyone not centered around making explicit content of him and his—rival? No, not anymore. Ally? Not quite. Friend would be the better word. It’d almost be heartwarming were everyone not centered around making explicit content of him and Majima, one of his closest friends, he corrects himself.

Altogether, it’s quite fascinating. Kiryu’s mere curiosity has grown to a fever pitch, a brief examination of literature turning to a persistent exploration online every night, with no plans on stopping.

Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

At first Majima doesn’t believe what he’s heard. Kiryu, a murderer of his own patriarch? Impossible. The man’s nothing like Majima; he’s steadfast in his convictions, unbending. He’s a poor yakuza, perhaps, but not a patriarch killer.

Still, the case progresses. Cold handcuffs restrain his wrists, shortly followed by a mugshot that makes its way around the Shimano Family office—one that Majima angrily destroys—and later a charge. Murder of Sohei Dojima.

Majima does some investigating of his own and calls up favors from his inside sources on the force. Kiryu was found at the scene with a gun in his hand, but nothing beyond the superficial evidence matches up. It’s clear he’s not the murderer—rather everything points to his kyodai, a man Majima can’t help but feel jealous of at times: Nishikiyama.  

Still, the police, the court, the world, ignore that. Soon Kiryu is sentenced: ten years in prison. Ten years locked away, ten years without fighting him again, ten years without a word. Ten years of longing. Majima’s heart fetters with love, its chains growing ever stronger with separation.

Kiryu finds that he doesn’t fit in most spaces.

Bit by bit, he’s picked up the lingo and learned the ins and outs of the yakuza fandom online. He even made a Twitter account, though he abandoned it without a single tweet. Everyone’s so young and inexperienced, less weighed down by life. Moreover, Kiryu’s still the center of their attention, and he’s not comfortable with that.

The one place he does fit in, however, is on Archive of Our Own.

Most of it Kiryu doesn’t understand. He’d never work in a coffee shop and fall in love with Majima, one of his regular customers. He can’t ever think of a scenario where he’d be forced to share a bed with Majima. He isn’t an angel, and Majima isn’t a devil. The stories just aren’t realistic.

The tropes get far more egregious than that, but Kiryu doesn’t like to dwell on them, just like he still doesn’t read anything explicit. It doesn’t feel right.

What does feel right, however, are fics grounded in reality, at least as much so as fanfiction can be.

Despite not knowing him, or Majima, or likely even a single member of the yakuza, some of the authors’ works come alive. They’ve nailed Majima’s mannerisms and voice, just like they’ve captured Kiryu’s stoicism while keeping his sense of humor intact. On occasions, Kiryu’s characterization is done so well that he can’t help but admit it’s almost as if he wrote it himself.

There’s drama, conflict, and intrigue, but ultimately, what keeps Kiryu engaged and hungry for more is how the stories make him feel: loved.

Kiryu’s no stranger to love. He’s been blessed with more kids than he could have ever hoped for, and he’s got steadfast friends that he’ll forever be able to confide in. But romantically, he hasn’t been quite as lucky. Two past loves, one deceased and one having moved on, never to return to his life again. He’s lonely.

But in these stories, that isn’t the case. Majima loves him, even if he expresses it in a very unconventional way. Kiryu has someone to share sleepless nights with, has someone to embrace when even he can’t handle what life throws his way, has someone to share his sorrows with. Despite being fiction, they fill him with contentment.

And so Kiryu reads on, desperate for his own happy ending.

Kiryu might be a shoddy yakuza, but Majima’s an excellent one.

He’s to kidnap Kiryu’s daughter. Patriarch’s orders.

It hurts, but he does so anyway. He treats her the best he can—a joke in of itself, there’s no kindness in a kidnapping—but nevertheless, he swipes her. She’s sure to hate him for eternity; he deserves it.

It’s at a batting center that Majima reunites with Kiryu. He’s been annoyed at Majima before, but never has he seen true rage on his face, pure venom packed into his words. Kiryu’s out for blood, Majima’s blood.

They clash, the steel of Majima’s blade meeting the tender flesh of Kiryu’s skin. It’s an even battle: a slash there, a punch there. That is, until one of his lackeys rushes forward, knife in hand. He means to kill Kiryu; he’s going to kill Kiryu.

Majima knows what to do.

The blade sinks into his gut. The pain is almost unbearable as it slides through, blood gushing outwards. His underling’s face is rife with horror, the man immediately pulling the blade out. It only makes things worse.

“Kiryu-chan belongs to me,” Majima coughs, falling to the floor. “Only I’m allowed to kill him!”

The throbbing is beginning to numb. Majima can feel his eye closing, unable to hold it open for any longer.

In the end, he’s naught but a bad yakuza and an even worse lover. A miserable failure at both. Yet his heart longs on.

 Soon, Kiryu’s read every piece of fiction that appeals to him.

There are many stories out there, some incredible and others less so, but there’s one author whose work stands far ahead of the rest, the author of the very first fanfic he read: Maddog69.

The author is illusive, having no public online presence other than AO3. His profile is bare except for his pronouns and the phrase “older than you”—something which Kiryu sincerely doubts. Likewise, he’s rarely responsive to comments, and even when he does respond, they’re typically blunt. It’s clear he’s just online to share his works, and Kiryu can’t put to words how glad he is that he’s chosen to do so.

Maddog69’s writing is grounded, and frankly, scarily accurate to Majima’s voice. Each of his fics is written through Majima’s perspective, and it’s like Majima himself is pouring his soul into the writing. Moreover, the realism is incredible; it seems as if the author really were there at every past event he writes about. It must have taken an incredible amount of research to convey the nuances, something which Kiryu has to applaud him for.

Not all his works are gritty realism; he too writes porn and alternative universes like the rest of the fandom. Kiryu still has his hang-ups despite how amazing Maddog69’s writing is and doesn’t read them, but everything else he absolutely devours.

All of his works but one are complete, and it’s Kiryu’s favorite that remains unfinished: Five Times Majima Loved Kiryu, and the One Time Kiryu Loved Him Back. It’s a scarily accurate rendition of their experiences together over the years, and how with each shared moment, Majima’s love for him grows.

All five chapters of Majima’s love are published, but the final chapter, the chapter where Kiryu loves him back, is missing. It’s been over a year since it’s last been updated, with Maddog69 having published many works since. It bothers Kiryu. He wants his happy ending, dammit.

Despite his shyness, Kiryu makes an account, and on the fifth chapter of Maddog69’s fic, leaves a comment.

Dragonman68 on Chapter 5:

The way you write Majima is incredible. I can feel his love for Kiryu with every word. However, if you don’t mind me asking—why haven’t you published the chapter where Kiryu loves him back?

Kiryu doesn’t expect a response. The fic’s been abandoned for over a year, and the author is unlikely to respond to comments even on his newly published fics.

So, the next day, when Kiryu wakes up to a reply, he’s shocked.

Maddog69 on Chapter 5:

Can’t think of an ending. Maybe you could help?

Kiryu’s never typed a message faster.

Kiryu’s moving away. To Okinawa.  

It’s not surprising. Kamurocho’s been hell to him, and it’s no place to raise a kid.

But before he leaves, he has one final request.

The Tojo Clan is shaky, unstable, turbulent. Daigo Dojima, young as he is in the yakuza world, was thrust into power and declared the new chairman thanks to Kiryu’s influence.

He needs guidance, someone experienced to keep the clan functioning. Majima’s no longer a family man, but his men are still behind him, lapel pins swapped for construction hats. It wouldn’t be hard to become one again.

“I need your help,” Kiryu asks. It’s not a plead, but the sentiment behind it is strong nevertheless.

Majima can’t deny him. But he can get as much fun out of his compliance as possible.

His snakeskin jacket is thrown off, forgotten as it flies off the Millennium Tower’s rooftop. “You’re gonna have to force me!” he shouts, unsheathing his tanto.

“Somehow I knew it’d go like this,” Kiryu smirks. In one fluid motion, his jacket and shirt are gone, replaced by bare skin. His dragon looks particularly mighty today, nearly roaring to life.

They battle. It’s fun, a thrill like no other. Never has Majima felt more alive than when fighting Kiryu, his steel meeting Kiryu’s fists.

In the end, when Majima finally crumbles to the ground, his stamina depleted, he can’t help the grin on his face.

Maybe retaking his yakuza mantle isn’t so bad, so long as it’s as his love’s behest.

Kiryu could never have guessed the cascade resulting from his comment.

Their conversations started with mere discussion of the fic, but somehow Maddog69 has slowly become a staple in Kiryu’s life.

Kiryu still doesn’t know much about him, nor does Maddog69 know much of Kiryu, yet Kiryu would already call him his closest friend. Despite his eccentricities, he’s incredibly easy to talk to, and Kiryu finds himself spending hours at night messaging the author, no longer tossing and turning in bed unable to sleep alone.

Their conversations range the entire gambit—from their shared favorite ship to daily struggles to their other interests; nothing is left untouched. They never do come up with a good ending to the fic, but it doesn’t matter, not really. Kiryu feels warm and fuzzy whenever he talks to the author, and over time, he’s begun to feel just as loved from their chats as the fanfiction.

Kiryu has slowly become enamored with the man, so much so that he can no longer tolerate the separation between the two of them. He wants to see him in person, as dumb as the idea is.

When he proposes the idea to Maddog69 one night, he expects his request to be ignored. The author’s very adamant about his anonymity; so much so that Kiryu expects to be blocked at worst and firmly told no at the very best.

Yet to his complete surprise, Maddog69 says yes.

His acceptance is rife with conditions to protect his anonymity and requires Kiryu to travel back to Kamurocho of all places, but Kiryu agrees in a heartbeat. There’s nothing he wants more.

 After all, maybe, just maybe, he’ll get a third chance at love.

Kiryu’s in trouble.

Majima doesn’t know all the details, but frankly, they don’t matter. The second he’s told Kiryu’s in danger, all rational thought disappears from his head, replaced only by an intense need to save Kiryu.

And so he fires up his pink dump trunk, driving horrifyingly fast down the highway, traffic laws be damned. He won’t let Kiryu die, not while he still draws breath.

Majima makes it just in time. Kiryu’s bruised and bleeding, surrounded by hundreds of men, but he’s still alive and fighting. Majima can save him.

Naturally, Majima slams the gas, driving the dump truck straight into the crowd. He doesn’t know if he hit anyone, but it doesn’t matter, not with the adrenaline pumping through his veins and his heart pounding in his ears.  

“Kiryu-chan!” Majima shouts, popping open one of his front doors. “Hurry up and hop in!”

Majima will never forget the appreciative look Kiryu gives him as he climbs into the vehicle, slamming the door shut behind him.

“Thanks,” Kiryu eventually voices, once they’re no longer in immediate danger. “I mean it.”

Majima hums. “Ain’t nothin’ ya gotta thank me for.”

For Kiryu, he’d do anything. No gratitude required.

Kiryu feels awfully silly in his getup: a surgical mask, shades, beanie, and a suit very much unlike his usual ensemble.

But meeting with someone who writes fanfiction about you is an incredibly dumb idea, and the only way he’s not getting caught is by being incredibly cautious. Even with the effort he’s gone to, Kiryu wouldn’t be surprised if he does get caught: Maddog69 is a superfan of his, after all.

Still, despite the inherit risk, he can’t help but be excited as he enters their meeting place, its comforting atmosphere still fresh in his mind despite the time away from Kamurocho: Café Alps.

Maddog69 wasn’t generous on details about himself, only remarking that he’s a rather tall and skinny adult man who’d likewise be dressed in shades and a mask—a condition of meeting up. Kiryu’s not the only one concerned about keeping his identity private.

Kiryu doesn’t see anyone like that inside, so instead he grabs a seat at a tucked away booth, ordering a black coffee for himself. After it has arrived and he’s begun to casually sip it, the door chimes, and a man walks in, just as described. Barely any of his skin is exposed, aided by a hood pulled up over his head.

“Ya Dragonman68?” he directs towards Kiryu, having noticed him at his booth. Kiryu nods as the man grabs a seat across from him, his mind rapidly processing the scene before him. Something about Maddog69 is incredibly familiar—and then it hits him.

“Majima no nii-san?” Kiryu can’t help but blurt out. His voice is a bit deeper than normal, but there’s no denying it: the man seated across from him is Majima. Everything else matches, from the accent, to the lithe of his build, to the barely perceivable closed eye behind his shades.

Likewise, it appears that Majima’s made the same realization. “Kiryu-chan?” He seems shocked, like he can’t believe what he’s seeing.

Kiryu nods. “Well, I can’t say I saw this coming,” he laughs. “Guess this is an easy end to your story, isn’t it?”

A grin spreads across Majima’s face. “Can’t think of anythin’ better myself.”

Author’s Note:

Sorry for the wait. The ending didn’t come to me until now. This will be my last fic—ain’t got a reason to write anymore, not when I’m finally together with the man I love.

Comments (1):  

Dragonman68 on Chapter 6:

Love you too.