Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Majima didn't know when it happened, but he could barely use his limbs. At some point he got lifted onto something, before he lost his conscience. It didn't feel so bad. It almost felt like… bliss.

4 hours later.

Kiryu was finishing washing dishes with Haruka. Yumi had prepared a lovely dinner with lots of fish and vegetables. Kiryu felt happy for the first time since he arrived, it looked like he's finally getting used to his new life here. Although he still misses Majima all the time, he really felt like this is how he wanted to spend the rest of his life.

"You seem happier dad."

"I guess so. I've really gotten used to this place, but what I'm most happy about is that you like it here "

She smiles at him, he smiles back.
She focuses back on the dishes and frowns a bit.

"Dad, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, anything."

"Are you and Uncle Majima not together anymore?"

"Things are…complicated right now. Why are you asking?"

"Well, I noticed you're not really talking to him, and mom is mentioning it too. It's just, I would feel sad if I never got to see him again."

"Haruka, just because we're not together, doesn't mean you can't see him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes…”

Kiryu feels a bit nervous asking the next question because this is just as important to him as it is for her.

“Do you want to see him?"

"I was hoping that we could invite him to my birthday."

Kiryu knew he would have to face him eventually, but it felt shitty to just talk to him just so he could get invited to a birthday party, but then again it's Haruka, and knowing how much he loves her, he might just do it, even if he's done with kiryu completely. After almost 6 months this might just be the right time to talk.

"...Okay, I'll ask him if he wants to come."

"You will? Oh thank you daddy, thank you.”

She hugs his leg. He would return the hug since he's been practicing, but his hands are wet and soapy, so he simply says.

"You're welcome. Why don't you go out and check on Rikiya for me, he always forgets to clean up."

"Okay dad."

She scurries off and Yumi enters. She looks at him like she's expecting something.

"So?"

"...So what?"

"Are you really gonna invite him? Because you are not going to convince me to do this for you."

“Of course I'll do it, and I wasn't going to ask you". He lies.

Living with Kazuma all her life, she can tell he's lying. There's no way he can get out of this one.

"Mhmm...Well good on you really, I think you have been letting this drag on for long enough. I know you want to talk to him, so it all works out in your favor, huh?” she says with a smirk “do tell him I said hi though.”

Kiryu looks down, he doesn't need this passive aggressive scolding.

"You know why I've been doing this yumi." He says sadly.

"Oh I know, and I think it's stupid and it isn't going to help anything either."

He glares at her.

"The alternative isn't gonna help either."

"I honestly doubt that, but I'll stop bothering you, but you know. I bet he's gonna be really happy to hear your voice."

She winks with a smile and puts the last plates away, Kiryu just looks at her with a mix of annoyance and gratitude.

She leaves without another word, and Kiryu is left thinking how he should invite Majima.

He could text him, but he didn't respond last time. Probably, because he wrote in too late and made Majima disappointed. Maybe everyone is right that he should just own up to this. Kiryu is after all a man of his word, so he has no choice but to call him.

He tries to think how he should explain himself without saying too much that could ruin everything, and hopes he can convince Majima to come to Haruka’s birthday party.

After a minute or two, he opens his phone and tries to dial his number, taking a deep breath as he hears the beeping.

It goes to voicemail.

Maybe he doesn't want to talk to him. It's the only thing that makes sense, he hurt him and left him behind, who would want to talk to someone like that. He has done enough damage to this poor man, he should just leave him alone.

But the phone rings again, and he feels a glimmer of hope. He quickly presses the accept button and takes the phone to his ear.

"Niisan?"

"Kiryu-san, it's me Nishida."

Why is Nishida calling from Majima's phone? Something must be wrong.

"Nishida? "

"I'm so sorry sir, it's an emergency, Oyaji is currently in the hospital."

Kiryu's mind went blank, thinking of a million possible reasons this could have happened. Majima doesn't go down easy, so whatever that has brought him there couldn't be good.

"What happened?"

“Something went down at the office today. It must have upset him pretty badly because after he went home, he sent me a text saying thanks for everything and that he was going to fly over to you. He sounded really drunk, so I assumed he was actually going to fly over to you. i got really worried since he can be pretty reckless, and we got a big project coming-"

"get to the point." he said sternly.

"When I got there... He was on the floor passed out next to a bottle of whiskey and an empty bottle of sleeping pills... I don't know if he took them both together but considering how lifeless he was when the boys carried him out, I assume he did"

Kiryu almost couldn't speak, this couldn't be happening, it was like a cruel nightmare.

Stumbling to form the right words he asks " is....is he...?"

"He's stable for now, but he won't wake up, some of the pills took effect when we got there."

Kiryu can hear his own heartbeat, he thinks he might pass out.

"Kiryu-san?"

"I...I'm here." His voice is shaky.

Yumi and Haruka appear behind him looking at him worriedly. He puts a hand up to tell them to wait so he can hear what Nishida has to say.

"Kiryu-san." his voice is cracking too both of them can barely keep themselves together. "I'm going to have to be honest with you...The doctors said there's a 50% chance he will survive this, I can't say for sure why he did this, but I have a theory."

"And that is?"

"Kiryu, I normally wouldn't ask you this, but my boss is dying and I know he missed you so much. Whether he survives or not, I want you to be there for him, please. I know you're not together anymore, but just do this one thing for him, then I'll explain what I can"

"Okay, I'm leaving right away."

Nishida sniffles. "Thank you sir, thank you."

"And thank you for telling me Nishida-san I'll text you when I'm there"

"Alright see you soon kiryu-san."

Kiryu held on to the window sill like his life depended on it. How could he have been so stupid and not see how much Majima was suffering. All this time he only thought of himself, how could he forget that he told him he's been waiting to die since he became a Yakuza. How did he not see he would go back to that plan the moment his family was gone from his life? Kiryu was going to be sick.

Yumi puts a hand on his shoulders and sees how scared he is which only worries her more.

"Kazuma, what happened?"

Kiryu swallows, his throat is dry. How is he going to explain this? this is all his fault.

"Majima is at the hospital..."

"WHAT! What happened?!"

"He drank too much, and took some sleeping pills...they don't know if he....if he's..."

Yumi grabs him by the shoulders, and looks him in the eyes, she's worried but deadly serious too.

"Kazuma."

He looks up at her. He is trying to ground himself.

"Listen to me, you have to leave right now, don't worry about the kids. I'll take care of it, you just go to him and be with him for as long as it takes, alright?"

Kazuma knows her too. Although she's being stern, he knows she's scared too, she's saying what he needs to hear to prepare him for the outcome.”

"You're right, thank you Yumi."

Haruka chimed in behind them "I'm coming too!"

"Haruka, you can't. You have school and I could end up staying for a while."

"I'm not saying I'll stay as long as you, maybe just for a couple of days, besides, you said I could see him even If you weren't together, So please. He's my uncle too."

The frustration leads to tears, she's begging him to come along. Kiryu is about to protest when Yumi turns him to look at her.

"Kazuma, she's right, she deserves to see him. Just take her with you for a couple of days and send her home if you are gonna stay longer. This could be the last time you see him after all."

Kiryu looks down at her, she's trying to hold back the tears that are already falling, to be tough like her dad. She needs him now and he thinks he might need her too.

"Okay, go pack your stuff."

"Thank you dad" She smiles and scurries off while rubbing her eyes.

Kiryu is about to follow, but Yumi stops him briefly.

"Kazuma, whatever happens, just know that I'm here for you no matter what, okay?"

He smiles, he didn't think he needed to hear that, but with everything crumbling around him it's nice to see some will be there for him. Although he knows he could hurt her too because of his awful influence. He doesn't dwell on that thought for too long; he nods at Yumi and heads out to meet Haruka.

When he walks out he notices everyone is looking at him, including Rikiya and Mikio.

He should probably explain himself.

"Ehem... Everyone, me and Haruka will be leaving for a few days. A dear friend of mine is in the hospital right now and we're going to see him."

"Is he gonna be okay?" Rikiya asks.

"We hope so, but nothing is certain right now, that's why we have to leave. Can I count on you all to keep this place in check until we come back"

Everyone says yes at the same time and they all resume what they are doing. Kiryu thanks them and goes to his room to get the most necessary stuff.

“Aniki, Are you gonna be alright?”

Kiryu looks towards Rikiya and Mitsuo, both of them are clearly worried about him.
“Don't worry, my friend is strong, I'm sure he'll get better.”

Mitsuo nods but Rikiya looks wary. He's probably worried but is keeping quiet about it

“Don't worry Aniki! we'll take care of things around here until you get back, I promise. It'll be no problem for us.” Rikiya says with confidence but Mitsuo is a little annoyed that Rikiya makes decisions for him but eventually nods, he isn't about to argue when kiryu needs them.

Kiryu smiles at them and gets up from the floor. He walks over to them with a smile and puts his hand on both of their shoulders.

“You two always do so much for us. I really appreciate it.”

That seems to put them both in a better mood. They wish him and haruka a safe trip and head back to the living room.

Once he's finished, he heads to the kids bedroom to find Haruka already ready and waiting for him.

"Got everything you need."

"Yeah, let's go."

With suitcases in hand, they wave goodbye to everyone at morning glory and head out to the airport.

***

The flight felt like it took forever, even though it was just an hour he couldn't get to Majima soon enough. He couldn't stop thinking how all of this was his fault, he knew what he did was dumb but he couldn't imagine something like this would happen, how could he be so blind.

Haruka stirs in her sleep, sleeping soundly next to him, cuddling up to his arm. It might be the only thing that stops him from bursting into tears. He has to be strong for his little girl.

Even if he has to wait for what seems like forever.

***

Date was ready to pick them up at the airport, Kiryu didn't explain much of the situation but it didn't matter. Date was there to help him in the blink of an eye. Kiryu just wanted to get to the hospital as fast as possible.

"Kiryu, it's gonna be alright"

"I know." he lies. He doesn't have the energy to deal with his emotions until he sees Majima.

"Listen, are you sure you don't want to wait till tomorrow? I'm sure the hospital has limitations for visiting. Besides, Haruka is sleeping"

He points to Haruka who fell asleep again in the back of the car.

"Can you take her to your place? I need to be there for him."

"Alright Kiryu, we'll come over early tomorrow, just try not to stay awake all night."

"I can't promise that."

After a long drive, Date drops Kiryu off at the hospital and Nishida is already waiting for him. They walk together towards the elevator.

"How did you convince them I could visit at this hour?"

"I got some connections."

“Oh…Thank you.”

“No problem…”

He can't help but notice how quiet Nishida is. Even though he's a timid guy, he at least tries to make conversation usually, but now he seems indifferent. It doesn't surprise him, he's never been afraid to show he cares for majima, he must be really hurt and he's probably angry at Kiryu too. He couldn't blame him if he was.

"I know, I said I would explain everything, but I want you to see him first."

The elevator door makes a ding sound and opens.

After a few minutes of walking down what seems like endless hallways. They arrive at Majima's room. Nishida has already opened the door for him, but it takes him a second to look up. He didn't realize how scared he was to see him until now. With a deep breath, he walks in the room and looks up to see Majima hooked up to all kinds of medical equipment. He looks peaceful despite it all. He didn't know what he expected to see, but the whole trip over to Kamurocho he had been trying to push away horrific images of majima looking close to death, so seeing him look like he was just sleeping and breathing steadily was a relief for his paranoid mind.

He's alive.

He's alive, and is fighting for his life right now, because Kiryu was so stupid.

He walks up to the bed and grabs his hand without messing with the equipment, it's cold but still he's alive.

"I'm sure you wanna know, right?"

"I know this is my fault, I don't need you to tell me."

"Actually, it's not entirely your fault."

"What are you talking about?"

He sighs. “I'm sorry boss...the thing is. He was miserable after you left, he barely ate or slept, which is why he had those sleeping pills, but I don't think that's what made him do this."

"Go on."

"He got a visit from someone who I assume is his sister."

What? Majima never mentioned anything about a sister.

"I don't think they are actually related, but the way she was talking to him made me think they had history together, and I was right."

He pulls out a photo of 3 people. One is clearly Majima, the other two he doesn't recognize. "This was beside him as well."

"Who are these people?"

"Taiga Saejima and Yasuko Saejima. It took a little digging but I found out Taiga used to be his Kyodai."

Kiryu was stumped, is this the reason why he has had such a problem with being kyodai? Why did he never tell him about this?

"Taiga was the man that killed 18 people back in 1985, the same day my boss lost his eye for betraying Shimano." he says with bitterness in his voice.

"Turns out the boss has been waiting for him to get released from prison this whole time so he could kill him.”

He takes a shaky breath, he rubs his nose quickly to try and avoid crying. Kiryu can't help but be grateful that Majima had Nishida by his side all this time. He should thank him for all he's done.

Anyway, Yesterday Yasuko appeared in the office, furious that he didn't try to find her or help her brother. I couldn't really avoid hearing any of it because she was screaming at us the moment she came in the door. At some point I got kicked out, but I couldn't help but overhear what they were talking about. From what I could hear, he admits that he was trying to get a position for his brother in the clan, and he is waiting for him to kill him. She tells him, he's not worthy of getting killed by his brother for not even trying to help either of them after all these years, and I think… he broke. He became completely silent afterwards, and just slumped in his chair. She yelled at him some more and left. I checked on him to try and cheer him up but he looked so defeated, I've never seen him look so…miserable. After a while, he got up and broke some stuff in the office and just walked out, demanding us to not say a word. We all went home soon after but I couldn't stop worrying about him. So I tried calling him but he didn't answer but a few minutes after, he sent me that text I told you about and I just had to go to see if he was okay. I came over and found him passed out on the floor. Any moment later, it might have been too late."

Kiryu didn't know what to think, he was horrified and was a bit upset that he never told him about any of this. Why would he hide this from him? What shocked him the most, was to find out that Majima was basically waiting to die again after Kiryu abandoned him. Kiryu always thought that Majima was a strong willed person, someone who could handle anything. In reality he felt hurt, used and alone so he just waited to die, to be forgotten.

Kiryu couldn't stop the tears now. Nishida tried to comfort him saying it wasn't his fault, but he didn't hear him. The only thing he could think was that he was a horrible person who left the love of his life to die.
Kiryu clung to Majimas hand, not daring to let go. He couldn't think of anything, he needed to be close to Majima no matter what.

***

Hours came and went, Kiryu didn't move an inch. Nishida fell asleep in a chair somewhere nearby after watching Kiryu just sit there for hours. When the morning light hit Kiryu's face he felt even worse, he wanted to disappear. Maybe he and Majima could meet on the other side, or maybe in another life. He felt so terrible for thinking that when Majima was still alive. There was still a chance he would make it.

For hours, doctors came and went, Nishida eventually told him he had to go, he had to take care of the family and the construction company but he would be back later to check up on him later. He didn't really listen but it was a matter of time before Haruka would arrive, so he had to pull himself together.

15 minutes later.

Haruka comes running to Majima´s room and stops at the door, she sees the back of her dad sitting in a chair looking down to Majimas body.

She walks over to him slowly, and puts a hand on Kiryu's shoulder.

“Dad, is he gonna wake up again?”

"He's still alive... he's... fighting really hard right now."

She hums. Date walks up to her, offering her a chair to sit on. After that he tells them that he'll be gone for a few hours, but will pick Haruka up later.

Haruka tries to hug majima, trying to comfort him, even if he can't feel it.

"Uncle Majima...Please wake up...I miss you, and I know daddy does too...We should have taken you with us when we left. I'm sorry you got hurt but I promise you, we'll be here no matter what."

Kiryu looks over to her and gives her a head pat. He can't help but be proud of her, even in a moment like this. She's strong, kind and compassionate, and Kiryu couldn't be prouder. so he tries to give her a hug while she's weeping into the crook of Majimas neck. She cried like this when Kiryu almost died in the house fire. Kiryu would usually be more stone faced in these situations, but they are both hurting right now. They need this, so they just let it all out.

2 hours later

Date returns with a few snacks and some flowers, a surprising gesture from Date since he doesn't like Majima very much, but even if they have their differences doesn't it mean he can be a bit empathetic towards him.

He sighs.“I figured it was the right thing to do, you know."

"I'm sure he will appreciate it, Date-san."

"Eh, I wouldn't count on it. Anyway, I figured you two could probably use a break, how about we go somewhere to get lunch."

As if on cue, Harukas stomach begins to rumble, she looks embarrassed but nods at Date.

Date smiles, and looks at Kiryu waiting for an answer.

"You two can go ahead if you want, I think I wanna stay if that's okay?"

"I figured, it's why I brought snacks." he says with a smirk

Haruka leaves with Date, but she looks back one second before they leave, secretly hoping it won't be too late by the time they return. She keeps that to herself though, and pretends to be happy on the trip down to cafe Alps.

Alone with his love, he tries to take in all of his features.

His beautiful face, rid of the eyepatch, his slender frame, his gorgeous tattoo.

He should have appreciated it more.

He should have appreciated him more.

He should have told him he loved him, he should have been more trusting of him, he should have seen he was suffering. All of this happened because he thought he was protecting him by staying away. He felt utterly worthless.

He didn't know what compelled him to do it, but he leaned down to kiss him on the lips, like that would somehow wake him up.

And nothing.

He sits back down with a heavy sigh. Filled with grief and sadness, he says the most heartfelt thing he has ever said to anyone.

"Goro, I'm an idiot, I should never have left you. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't want to tell you to come with me because I didn't want you to do anything for me anymore. You sacrificed so much and I felt like that you would continue if you were with me. I never wanted you to go so far for me, but you did, and I just didn't know how to make you stop, but now I know that's not a reason to leave you, I should have known it wouldn't change anything. Instead I just left you to rot like the bastard I am...

Tears are streaming down his face, this feeling is almost too horrible to bear.

“I...I love you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you enough, I'm sorry I took you for granted, I'm sorry I made you keep that promise, I wish I could take it all back and... I'm sorry I could never protect you, I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

Whimpering cries fill the room, as Kiryu weeps into his shoulder, he feels like he's dying himself, maybe he will if Majima never wakes up. Maybe he'll get a stroke and die right next to him. Or if Majima dies before him, he could go to Millennium tower and jump off there. Right now, he's just hoping for the pain to end. Maybe dying isn't such a bad idea, everyone would be better off without him anyway, maybe he should-

Something twitched underneath his head, the hand he's been clutching since yesterday moves. He sits up, just watching him move slightly, and he sees Majima slowly blinking awake, just coming to, like he's just been sleeping this whole time.
Kiryu can barely breathe. Is this some cruel nightmare, or a dream coming true? He doesn't believe what he's seeing, until he hears Majima with a very hoarse voice mutter.

"Kiryu-chan?..."

Chapter Text

"Kiryu-chan?..."

A few seconds passed before Kiryu dared to speak. He was scared that he was still dreaming. After staring at him, for what felt like an eternity in disbelief, Kiryu sits up on the bed and reaches up to touch his cheek, rubbing a thumb over his broken eye.

“Niisan…” His voice is wobbly, barely holding himself together.

Majima stirs, just noticing Kiryu after blinking a few times. He tries to sit up. His whole body feels awful, like he has had the worst hangover of his life. He ignores it and sits up. Right now, the only thing that matters is that Kiryu is here, with him.

“Kiryu-chan… What are ya doing here? What happened?”

“He doesn't remember?” Should he tell him? Would that hurt his pride? There isn't really much he can do to lie about the situation. Maybe someone else will tell him the truth?
No, even if it hurts, he should know what happened.

It saddened him to know that he was probably hoping he would fade away quietly, thinking that no one would care about him, so he has to make him understand that he isn't alone and that he's still loved.

He tries to explain, but it is hard to say it without getting choked up.

“ Niisan… you drank alcohol and took melatonin. It's a miracle that you are even awake right now.”

Majima looked dumbfounded. Was Kiryu playing a prank on him? Maybe he was. Like it was some weird twisted way of getting back at him for stalking and attacking him, that would be ironic. He thinks about it a little longer and as if a flash passed over him, he remembers everything.

When he took those pills there was this sort of clarity over him, like things were finally peaceful again, but now seeing Kiryu like this, it might just be his biggest regret.

He falls back on his pillow and groans more annoyed that Kiryu had to see this more than the fact that he survived.

“I didn't take em on purpose, I was drunk and stupid.” he tries to explain. “God, I'm gonna kill Nishida after this.”

Kiryu sighs, he doesn't want to argue right now. He understands this might be humiliating for Majima but he is not going to back down now, not after all the grief he has been through.

“Niisan… please, don't get upset. We were all so worried about you. I was so scared.

Majima looks at him, his entire demeanor suddenly changes. He goes from angry to worried really quickly. He puts a hand on Kiryu's cheek. He mutters apologies. Just now noticing the arterial stick stuck to his arm.

“I'm so sorry, I'm such an idiot, I never meant to worry ya like this.”

Kiryu usually wouldn't be so pushy in these types of situations, but as much as he is thankful that majima is alive he is also upset that he chose to suffer in silence. How much was he hiding? He knew majima had had a difficult life but he didn't think he would do something like this, he wanted to understand him, just for once.

“Niisan, please be honest with me just this one time… Did you plan on dying after I left? Did you think that everyone would just forget you, so you could leave this world without anyone noticing? Do you really think we wouldn't care if you died!?”

Majima didn't even look at him, probably ashamed of his actions. There was so much to be said, but more than anything, Kiryu wanted to kiss him, to hold him in his arms but first he needed answers.

Majima looks out the window and takes a shuddering breath.

“I know it doesn't seem like it, but I really didn't mean to.”

He looks down and then back up at Kiryu feeling nervous. He didn't want to hurt Kiryu, not like this. When he sees his face, what was left of his heart shatters. Kiryu's eyes were glassy, just barely holding back his tears. He's scared to continue but he has to. He hurt Kiryu, his Kiryu. He has to make this right.

“It wasn't because ya left. I admit, I was really upset ya left me to take care of almost everything on my own but I didn't want it to be the reason to give up. Truly, I was okay with being like that if it meant ya had an easier life, even if it meant I was gonna be alone.”

Kiryu grunted. He didn't want majima to suffer so he could live an easy life. Majima had suffered too much, and if this situation is anything to go by then he knows it's not true.

“Niisan, I'm sorry I made you feel alone, I thought I had hurt you too much and I couldn't love you properly that's why I left. It was stupid but I hoped I could have learned to be a better person for you. It was selfish,I know, and I realize my mistake now. I never thought it would come to this. I guess I just thought you would be happier in the clan with your family and nishida since you were never told if you wanted to leave.

Majima looks at him a little annoyed “ I guess it is my fault for not being clear but ya know, There's a big difference between having someone who loves ya and someone who has to put up with ya because they are yer boss, my men will never know me, not even Nishida. Sure, he knows a lot but he puts up with me because he has too, he's paid to do it.”

Kiryu knew he was right, but it still hurt that he didn't at least consider him more than just patriarch and subordinate. Nishida saw him as a friend, but at the same time, he knew what he meant. Kiryu learned what it means to have an actual family after he left the clan. One that loves and appreciates you, no matter what, and doesn't just suddenly stop or go away, it is eternal.

Kiryu thought about it for a moment, maybe all this time Majima wanted a real family. Majima was always really good at hiding his feelings, maybe he was just trying to be responsible and not worry kiryu when he said he wanted to stay. His thoughts wandered back to the last thing majima told him before he left for Okinawa. “This is all I ever wanted.” Everything he has done has just been out of duty and when kiryu had the chance to give him something he always wanted he left him behind instead. Kiryu felt really awful. And looked down to his own lap. But before Kiryu could dwell on his own pain he felt the need to defend Nishida.

“I do know what you mean, but I still think Nishida would be sad if you didn't see him as a friend.”

Majima sighs “I know, I know. Of course I do see him as a friend but it will never be anything like I had with ya and… I guess, I realized I will never have anything like that again, so now the tojo is all I got, so who am I to complain about it.”

Kiryu wanted to say that he had built so much for himself, so for him to say that the yakuza was all he had was wrong, but then he realized that it wasn't the point. A big company or all the riches in the world could not compete with the people he loves or the desire to have lasting relationships, and he thought he had lost all of that, including the one with his siblings. That is what caused all of this.

“But i want you to know this isn't yer fault, sure i was sad about you leaving, but it is not what made my drunk dumbass self do this.” he tried to joke.

Kiryu chuckles a little and then his smile falters. “I know.”

“What?”

“I know what happened.”

Majima squints his eyes at Kiryu and slowly sits up again. This topic is clearly going to start a fight.

“Yer gonna have to be a bit more specific kiryu-chan.”

If looks could kill he'd be in that hospital bed. He's probably thinking of punching Kiryu or running out of the room to tackle Nishida. Kiryu knew he had to be careful with his words.

“Niisan, it's okay, there's nothing you have to be ashamed about.” He takes his hand and starts drawing circles around his knuckles with his thumb. Even now he could help but admire every little detail, how rough his hands were and every little scar and bruise. He was tempted to kiss his hand to ease his anger. He looked back up at Majima seeing how his face went from anger to flustered. Maybe he should just give in just to see how red he could become. After all, he was so close to losing majima forever.

So Kiryu lifts Majima's hand to his lips, Kiryu might not be the biggest romantic and even though it was a bit embarrassing he just wanted Majima to feel safe and loved.

Majima turns beet red and looks away. Kiryu smiles a little, just a few minutes ago he thought he had lost him but here he was. Alive, just as beautiful and sweet as he remembered.

“Ya didn't answer my question.'' Majima mumbles. Too shy to look at Kiryu.

Kiryu couldn't help but to think that he was absolutely adorable.

“I admit, Nishida told me what happened. I guess he wanted to tell me so I didn't do something stupid too." Even though he kept thinking about it while majima was unconscious. He decided to keep that to himself. “Listen, I don't know if this Yasuko person is your actual sister or not but whatever you are, you clearly have history together and what she said to you wasn't fair. Although, I do get where she is coming from, there is no reason to treat you like that, especially since you've been waiting for your kyodai this whole time. A real family wouldn't treat you like that. The only thing I wished is that you wouldn't have waited so long for him to kill you.

Majima looks shocked. He really didn't think he would be on his side about this, but like always, Kiryu always finds a way to surprise him, and he certainly didn't think Kiryu would go as far as him. Was he just as miserable as majima was? That didn't make sense, but who is he to judge, he almost went to the other side thinking he lost everything when he clearly didn't. As the reality of what he has done sets in, he feels nothing but shame. How can he mend the wounds he had caused?

“I'm sorry Kiryu-chan, I really am, I don't remember everything, but I got the most important parts. It's really hard for me to explain but, the long and short of it is I snapped. I just felt like everything I did amounted to nothing. I… I just wanted to forget everything and I guess I went too far before I realized what I had done.”

Kiryu unintentionally grasped his hand tighter. Noticing Kiryu's sadness Majima put his free hand over his hand and turned to face him, which was very uncomfortable for his hungover body, but he did it without showing discomfort.

“Kiryu, I was wrong, okay? Yer right, I'm not alone and I've been the most ungrateful asshole on the planet. I shouldn't have been so selfish. I was just caught up in my own despair that I didn't see anything else. It isn't fair to ya and everyone else, I won't do this ever again, I promise.

Kiryu feels his heart break in two, it's not fair that majima has to feel like this. He doesn't deserve it. He's only been loyal to a fault and got nothing in return. Kiryu might not know a lot, but he knows how he has been mistreated for so long, even by the people closest to him, and when Majima had done nothing but to protect kiryu and stay loyal, he abandoned him. What in the world can he do to fix this?

Feeling his eyes welling with tears, he leans in to kiss him. There are so many things he needs to say, so much he regrets, and the worst part is even if he tries there's no guarantee that any of it helps. But as if Majima can read his mind he kisses him back to try and reassure him.

There was something about this that felt so familiar. Majima had always been by his side when Kiryu was in a hospital bed. Always by his side to make sure he was okay, now it was Kiryu`s turn to make things right. As it started raining outside Kiryu made a promise to himself. Never again should majima feel alone. Majima has always done so much for Kiryu, it's time Kiryu does the same for him. There is no running away this time. The kiss they shared was a promise and Kiryu would be damned if he ever let this happen again.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and a nurse came in to check on majima.

They immediately stopped kissing and looked surprised at the nurse. She had a blank expression like none of this even phased her.

“Listen, I don't want to interrupt this happy reunion but the doctors need to do a check on him.” She looks at majima “You shouldn´t be sitting up sir, you're still in bad condition.”

As if all the fatigue hits him at once, he flops back down on the bed. He grunts.

“What a kick in the dick. Fine, but don't tell anyone about what ya saw alright!” he says sternly.

She rolls her eyes, clearly unfazed by what Majima said, she must have dealt with situations like this before.

“Listen, I don't care, but the doctors are terrified of you so I think you worry less about anyone finding out you are gay and just focus on getting better so you can get out faster and the best way to do that is if you behave.” She says back just as sternly.

Majima feels like he's getting scolded like a kid.

“But ya won't tell anyone right?” he has to ask, but with his arms crossed, he really does look like a kid.

“No, don't worry about that. I don't have energy to judge anyone for who they love, besides I think it's stupid. I will say though, the last thing i expected was two tojo legends having the hots for each other, i've met a lot of strange people in this job but this is a new one, but like i said, i won't say anything.” she smiles and calls someone on her phone, probably a doctor as she walks away.

Majima sighs but Kiryu widens his eyes in surprise, he had been afraid of this moment since Majima and him started dating and to think that a complete stranger would be completely okay with it was shocking to him. Maybe times are really changing. All Kiryu can think of is that he's so thankful things turned out this way. Now, the only thing he has to worry about is getting majima home.

Home? It just now crosses his mind that he doesn't know how to help Majima, his first thought is to bring him to Okinawa with him but would majima want that? Is that something he would even consider? He looks down again. What is he supposed to do now?

“What’s going on in that pretty head of yers Kiryu-chan?”

He looks up at Majima, he's smiling, looking at him with a loving expression, even though he shouldn't. He shouldn't be so happy to see someone who abandoned him. Kiryu will never forgive himself for this, but right now, even with all these feelings, he just can't help but smile back at him.

“I was just about to ask you the same thing, but I was wondering what you wanted to do after you got out?”

Majima puts a hand to his chin looking like he is thinking hard about this. It makes Kiryu smile. He is nervous to hear the answer but he accepts whatever it might be

“Hmm, I don't know.”

Kiryu blinks “you don't know?”

“Yeah, I mean, I don't think yer going to stay here and watch me after I get out, so I guess I will go back and everything will be as it was before. Who knows maybe I'll lose a pinkie along the way but I can't imagine Daigo would do something like that.” he says with a fake laugh.

Kiryu frowns, not finding the joke funny at all but something else occurred to him. Did Majima not want to come with him? even after everything that happened? Or is he still believing that kiryu doesn't want to be with him anymore? There was something heartbreaking in Majima still believing that Kiryu would abandon him again, but then again it's his fault for being so quiet all these months. Majima went through hell and is still trying to make things easier for Kiryu, it isn't fair.

Kiryu has to make a choice. He cant stay quiet anymore he has to show him that he still loves him and that, if Majima wanted to, he could have a place to call home.

“Niisan?” Kiryu asks cautiously.

“Yes?”

“…It doesn't have to be like before. You don't have to be alone again, especially not while you are recovering. What I'm trying to say is if you can forgive me for leaving you without a word then do you want to come with me to Okinawa? Just for a little while until you feel ready to go back.” or maybe forever. Kiryu mumbles.

Majima blinks. Did he really mean it? A part of him felt like Kiryu only came to see him out of obligation, not because he still loves him. Still, seeing Kiryu so sad like this he couldn't help but feel bad. He has to own up to what he did. Kiryu deserves at least that much after all this, and even if it feels like a lie, maybe a part of him wants to do this for himself too. It doesn't even matter if Kiryu wants to still be a couple or not. Majima is determined to make this right. He doesn't even want to know how bad his men feel about this, but Kiryu's heartbroken face is enough to know that, even if he doesn't like himself at all, he will never make this mistake again. It's just not worth it. But even though he wants nothing more in the world than to leave with Kiryu, he's still a responsible man and leaving now would be a death sentence to the Tojo clan. A part of him reminded himself that his drunken mind almost killed him so he might not care that much about it, but even if he felt trapped there sometimes, he didn't want to just drop everything and go. He's not that irresponsible, but then again what good would he be to the clan if he was feeling this much pain. Even he has a limit to how much he can hide. This would be a difficult decision, would he even be allowed to leave? He can't imagine Daigo would let him walk around looking sick at headquarters but he also can't let Daigo deal with it alone. What should he do?

“Niisan?”

He looks at Kiryu with a nervous expression. He doesn't want to disappoint him, but he has to be reasonable.

“I… I don't know…”

Kiryu tilts his head a little “you don't want to come with me?”

“I do, but I just don't know if it's a good idea. I'm sure Daigo is already mad at me for this and probably won't allow me to leave anyway so… I just don't know. I wish I could give a better answer, but some things are out of my control.”

Kiryu nods with understanding sometimes he forgets he's not the boss anymore. He doesn't know how Daigo is going to take this. It just now hits him that majima could get punished for this. Although he can't imagine Daigo would do something like that, he probably has to do this for the clan's reputation. Kiryu had to pretend he sent two men to be tortured and he hated it. Maybe he should talk to Daigo and try to find a solution. Nothing good will come from acting violent in this situation.

“What if I talk to Daigo?”

Majima sighs. “Kiryu-chan, as much faith I know you have in the kid, ya haven't seen what he's like in the big boy chair. I've pretty much had to do everything for him, and I know it's not helping him but I'd rather not risk more trouble, especially after last time. So leaving is not the best choice right now.”

Kiryu looks conflicted, on one hand he knows he's right but on the other, if he leaves again majima will suffer and be even more lonely than before. Either way Kiryu has to talk to Daigo to make sure majima doesn't get punished for this. So as much as he doesn't want to, he might have to keep this a secret.

“What if someone else fills in for you?”

“Maybe… I don't know, I probably have to deal with him soon, but for now, I just want a bit of quiet with ya.”

Kiryu smiles, he wants that too. It won't be long until doctors arrive so he tries to enjoy the moment while it lasts. But there is something he can't ignore.

“I have something else I have to tell you.”

“Hmm?.”

“Haruka is here too, she's out with Date right now but it won't be long until they're back and she really wants to see you but if you're not ready for that i understand-.”

Majima cuts him off “Don't worry about it. I've missed her too. Although I'm pretty sure date would love to do anything else then talk to me.”

Kiryu laughs a little. It's so easy to just fall into conversation with each other. Taking his hand once again, he rubs his knuckles with his thumb. They are just looking at each other like idiots in love before the medical team comes in.

Kiryu gets kicked out so the doctors can examine Majima. Which was something Majima had to make a fuss about, but reluctantly agreed after Kiryu reminded him of what the nurse had told him.

Kiryu stalks the halls, Haruka and Date return and with them is someone kiryu had not expected.

Daigo.

“Kiryu-san it's good to see you again.” he says with a bow.

“Daigo, it's been a while. I hope you are doing well.” he bows too.

Daigo looks at him with a sad smile, he looks really tired. It looks like he hasn't been feeling great since Kiryu left and it isn't made better by dealing with a broken heart too.

“Well, as good as I can be, all things considered. I'm sorry we have to meet like this.”

Kiryu smiles a little, although he feels bad seeing Daigo like this. Maybe some good news can help him feel a little bit better. It's a small hope that he won't feel so alone.

“It's alright Daigo, you don't have to be worried. He's awake and is looking well. The doctors are checking on him currently.”

Haruka has to hold back a gasp of happiness by putting her hands to her mouth. Daigo gives a sigh of relief and smiles, Kiryu is glad to see that they established a friendship or maybe it's because Daigo doesn't want to look for a new captain but Kiryu hopes it's not that. Date sighs in relief too but Kiryu is guessing it's more for his sake and not Majima´s.

“Dad, let's go see him, I don't want to wait anymore.”

Kiryu is about to be pulled away by Haruka when Daigo speaks up.

“Kiryu-san please wait, can I talk to you first?”

Haruka looks up at Kiryu pleadingly, but he decides since he already got his meeting with majima she should get to have a moment with him for herself.

“Don't worry haruka i'll be there soon, besides you probably want to talk to him alone right?”

She looks down, but nods.

“Date, can you take her for me?”

“Sure…” he says begrudgingly

Date and Haruka walk away and Daigo and kiryu sits down on a bench nearby.

“How are you Kiryu-san besides… you know.”

“I've been alright, I can't complain, things have been great.”

Daigo hums “So... I know he's awake but is he in bad shape or…?”

kiryu gives a sad smile.

“He was good enough to be making jokes like he usually does, but I could tell he was hiding a bit of his pain, though I don't know if he is going to have problems in the future, I haven't really gotten an update on that yet.”

“Well, he's always been very resilient. He might be a bit of a pain, but it would be awful to lose him.”

kiryu looks down. Feeling guilt engulfed him once again.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“I didn't want to bring this up but considering we are here now, I just have to know. Why did you leave him? I can't imagine you care that much about the clan to leave him here. I understand why you left but didn't you two have a relationship? Did you two break up before you made me chairman?”

Kiryu sighs and puts his face in his hands, Daigo rubs his back reassuringly.

“I have no excuse, I thought I was making everything worse for him. the whole situation with Hamazaki was bigger than we expected, they had been using majima the whole time and instead of being understanding i pushed him away
because I was afraid he would get hurt because of me. He always does so much for me, I never meant to leave him behind forever, I just didn't know what to do. I needed time to figure out how to start again
but I guess, to him, he felt like everyone abandoned him.”

Daigo hums, and looks away, kiryu has the courage to look at him and see that he was looking miserable. Kiryu realizes that maybe Daigo feels abandoned too.

“And I'm sorry to you too Daigo, I should have been there for you. I shouldn't just have left when things got difficult-

Daigo cuts him off.

“Don't apologize. I made this choice and i'll do my best to lead,
but i can definitely say, now that i know what it is like, i don't blame you at all for leaving.

kiryu sighs, he can't help but regret all his decisions.

“Listen, about majima, i didn't know what was going on. I could tell he was sad that you left
and it didn't really take much for me to figure out your relationship.
no offense but you should really have cleared out your desk before you left.”

Kiryu blushed, feeling embarrassed as he realized what he was talking about. At least he's taking the news well?

“But the point is, I had no idea he was doing this badly. That he was planning to go this far.”

It's quiet for a moment. Kiryu is considering whether he should tell the truth or not, but Daigo doesn't deserve to live with this guilt. Maybe he could tell a half truth,
something that would explain most of it without exposing too much of Majima's life.

“Daigo, you should know this isn't your fault.”

“I know but maybe i could have done more-”

“Daigo, something else happened that caused this.”

Daigo looks up shocked and very intrigued.

“I don't want to explain everything because it is very personal to Majima, but let's just say that someone from his past came to see him and things didn't go so well.”

Daigo looked surprised, which did not shock kiryu. Majima barely talks about himself after all.

“huh, that's strange, i mean i don't know much about him, but i guess i kind of assume he didn't have a family.”

“I don't blame you, I didn't know about this person until nishida told me. I guess he's the only one he could tell this to.”

“But weren't you two in a relationship?”

“Yes, but he was always scared to tell me about his past. It took so long for him to trust me enough to tell me about his childhood.”

“Hmm, I guess it makes sense.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Yakuza might be necessary, but both you and I have seen too many lives ruined by it. Besides I've heard the stories.” he says with a frown.

Kiryu nods and looks down. Understanding what he's referring to. He clenched his fist trying not to imagine the awful things majima endured in Anagura.

Daigo grunts, bringing Kiryu's attention back to him “So... Who were they?”

“I don't want to say too much, but it was a woman. I'm not sure what they are to each other, but whatever she said to him was the final straw for him.” kiryu says with tears threatening to fall.

“I see…” he rubs his back again.
“Do you want me to pretend I don't know when I see him?”

“please.”

“Okay, I can do that, but have you considered that she might show up again?”

Kiryu thinks for a moment, he doesnt know what can he do against someone who almost drove majima to suicide.
Maybe he can face them, but how can he do that when he has to go back to okinawa?
He doesn't want to leave majima behind again, but he can't stay in Kamurocho. Although majima said he didn't mean to take the pills and he regrets his decision, he can't be too sure yet. Kiryu usually isn't so indecisive, but this was beyond him. if it was up to kiryu he would take majima with him, but at the same time, now he also has a guilty conscience about leaving Daigo behind as well. There's nothing he can do. Kiryu is completely blank.

He leans back with a sigh.
“I don't know… even now, I still can't help him."

Daigo looks thoughtful, maybe he can think of a way because he's not gonna get through this alone.

“Kiryu san, if you wanted to, would you take him with you?”

Kiryu looks back at Daigo. He could give the easy answer but would that be the right thing to do? He already feels bad enough that he is half the reason for all of this happening, on top of feeling bad for leaving Daigo too, but even with all this guilt he doesn't want to give up on his new life, not just for Haruka but because he's come to love the quiet life, so He decides to be honest.

“I would like nothing more, but I know I can't ask that. I don't know what he wants and I know he's important to the clan so I can't ask him for that.”

“Kiryu san, I might not know a lot about Majima, but he always asks about you so I know he must still care for you a lot. He's very loyal and responsible despite his wacky ways, so I believe that he doesn't want to give up on the clan either.”

Kiryu couldn't help but smile. It was very true, he's always been amazing no matter what he does, that's one of the reasons kiryu loves him.

“So I have a suggestion.”

Kiryu looks at him intrigued.

“He's gonna need some time to recover if he gets discharged, right ?

kiryu looks confused, but nods.

“And i'm not about to let him get back while he's still recovering, so i'm telling you that he's not allowed back until he's better, so take care of him okay? In the meantime I have managed to keep rumors going so that his reputation won't be hurt, but for this to work I need him away from the public eye, and don't worry I can take care of everything while he's gone.”

Kiryu's eyes widened. Is Daigo giving Kiryu a chance to fix their relationship?

“If he wants that, I will. Thank you Daigo, I really appreciate it.

They both smile at each other. Maybe their next reunion won't be so bittersweet

“Have you talked to Mine yet?”

Daigo looks down.

“I will soon, but this is harder than it seems.”

“I get it, take your time.”

Kiryu's phone goes off, it's nishida.

“It's nishida, I should probably tell him what happened.”

“Of course. I should go talk to majima see you around Kiryu-san.” he says as he stands up and gives kiryu a bow before leaving. kiryu does the same and takes Nishida's call to explain everything.
___________

Near the door to Majima's room stands haruka patiently waiting to be let inside.

Date leans on the doorframe next to haruka and asks some of the doctors when they can go inside.
___________

Majima could hear someone outside his room but couldn't quite figure out who it was it didn't help he was surrounded by doctors that kept asking questions and poking around the cords attached to him. he must be worse than he seems because they look pretty worried and are shocked at how well majima is doing after getting out of a coma but the truth is he is in a lot of pain. He just doesn't want to show it. He feels like he has to keep his dignity, just a little bit, so he does what they say and answers all of their questions as vaguely as possible. It doesn't take too long and he is given some morphine to deal with the pain. Not long after the doctors leave and he's left alone. He sighs, and lays back on the bed but he can hear another pair of footsteps he's about to groan if it turns out it's just another doctor, but from behind the curtain he can see a silhouette of someone very short. It doesn't take him long to figure out who it was. Kiryu had already warned him about Haruka coming to see him, so he mentally prepares himself, as best as he can, and when she peeks out from behind the curtain he's met with a very sad Haruka. The good thing is he does not have to pretend not to be in pain anymore so he gives her a genuine smile. He's also ashamed and knows exactly what is going to happen next.

"Hi, Haruka-chan.”

"Uncle Majima....”

Tears are welling up in her eyes. Majima thought he was ready for this, but nothing can ever prepare you for the tears of a child.

"Come here…”

He holds his arms out so she can go in for a hug. Thankfully all the cords attached to him do not hinder his mobility too much, so as carefully as they can manage, she climbs up the hospital bed, wraps her arms around him and begins to sob.

“I was so scared, I'm so glad you're okay.”

“I know, I'm sorry Haruka-chan.” She clings to him and he holds her close while she sobs into his chest. He thought maybe this would be easy, but this is soul crushing. If majima wasn't certain before that he wouldn't do it again, now he definitely is.

“Why.”

“Haw?”

“Why did you do it, uncle Majima?”

Oh shit.

No way, no fucking way kiryu actually told her. Fuck, this is worse than he imagine. How is he going to explain this to her? He can't tell the truth but he also can't lie, she'll see right through him, but there is one thing he can do. He's not gonna allow Haruka to walk around with a guilty conscience, he'll have to work his way around it.

“What do ya mean Haruka-chan?”

She leans back to face him.

“Why did you take those pills, you could have talked to us. I told you I wouldn't forget you. I know my dad can be a bit dumb but he didn't forget you either. I'm sorry we left you behind. I still don't understand why we had to leave you but please don't do this again. We won't leave you behind again.”

“Haruka, none of this is neither yours, nor your dads fault.”

“Then why?”

He sighs. “Listen, it was a mistake, an accident. It's just the usual yakuza business. I went too far, that's true, but it's no one's fault, but mine.”

That had the opposite effect than he expected, and it just made her cry harder.

“hey, hey, it's alright. I'm gonna be okay, this won't happen again.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise.”

They hold on to each other tightly. Majima can barely hold back his tears. He deserves this, deserves to know the damage he has caused. No matter how tired or beaten down he feels, dying is not the answer.

“I'm really sorry, haruka-chan.”

“Me too, uncle Majima.”

“Hey now, I just told you it's not yer fault.”

“But if we had talked more you wouldn't have…”

“Haruka-chan.” he pulls her back to look into her eyes. “Please believe me.”

He's getting choked up. Haruka must have picked up on it because she shakes a little.

“Okay… but if you try to break that promise i'll kill you for real “

He bursts out laughing, she's such a little rascal, just like her father.

“That sounds scary, I won't forget it.”

They both laugh and silently continue hugging.

Majima hears footsteps and he assumes its kiryu, but from behind the curtain he can see the person is wearing a longer coat. If it's another doctor trying to check on him he might really turn into a mad dog, but as the silhouette comes into view he is surprised to be greeted by Date.

“Hi Majima.” there's an awkward tension in the air.

“Hi… didn't expect to see you here.”

“Look, we might not like each other much but I would feel awful if I didn't at least show up, especially since you're Kiryu's… you know.”

Majima rolls his eyes. Although majima didn't want his relationship to be a secret, he kind of wished it was. This is really awkward.

“Yeah… thank ya though.”

“I brought you some flowers, I figured it would be the right thing to do.”

“Oh.”

For some reason majima couldn't help but be disappointed it wasn't kiryu who brought those flowers, but then again he knows kiryu is not that sentimental, so maybe he shouldn't be so surprised, but after that speech about wanting to take him to Okinawa, maybe it wouldn't be so wrong to expect a bit more from him, but who is he to complain. Taking majima to Okinawa isn't a sign that he actually still wants be a couple, maybe it's just because he doesn't know anyone else who could take care of him. Well, other than Nishida, but with the workload he has, that's not going to happen.

“Thanks.”

“No problem…”

Back to the awkward silence at least having haruka hugging him helps distract him a bit.

“By the way, you should know that your boss is here, he's talking to kiryu right now.”

Majima sighs. Of course he is. It's not that he's disappointed or upset with kiryu, but he finds the situation embarrassing now and the last thing he needs is the whole Tojo clan knowing about his attempted suicide.

“Of course he is…”

“You don't sound so happy about it.”

“Just don't need this stuff getting around. Don't even know if I'm getting out of this situation unscathed.”

Haruka leans back and looks at him in fear.

“What? Uncle Majima you're not in trouble because of this, are you?”

Majima immediately regrets saying that.

“No i-”

“Don't worry Haruka. I'm sure, that's not gonna happen and even if it did I can stop it before anything happens. I'm not gonna allow someone to hurt someone else, while they are in a hospital bed.”

That seems to calm Haruka down a bit and although majima wasn't worried it actually soothes him a bit as well. Maybe this fucked up situation can help them to stop being such assholes to each other.

“Heh, didn't think you'd be on my side so much today. I must have had a lucky fortune.”

“Considering you're in here, I doubt it, but don't worry about it, and I don't think you have to worry about your boss.”

“We'll see.”

“Anyway, I'm just gonna be around the corner. Haruka, tell me if you need something.”

“Okay.”

He leaves and stands near the door frame again, a couple of minutes pass until Daigo and Kiryu come over.

“So did you talk everything out?”

“Pretty much, how are they doing?”

“They're fine, they have been hugging and talking for a while, and I did warn him that you were coming, Daigo-san.”

“Thank you, Date.”

Kiryu turns to Daigo.

“I should get haruka so you and majima can talk.”

“Right.”

Kiryu goes in, leaving just Date and Daigo.

“Listen, it's not that I really care about the guy, but you should know, as a police officer I'm not allowing any sort of violence in there, okay?”

“Don't worry, I wasn't going to, but please don't tell anyone about this our reputation is bad enough as it is.”

“I'll keep my mouth shut, if you don't hurt him.”

“I wasn't going to do that!”

“You never know.”

Kiryu comes back out with haruka in his arms.

“Okay, it's clear now.”

“Thank you, Kiryu-san.”

Kiryu watches as Daigo goes in, and Haruka asks if she can get a drink from the vending machine.

Kiryu and Haruka go down to the cafeteria, while Date stands by the door.

Daigo pulls back the curtain to find majima not even looking at him.

“Hey.”

“Hey…”

The silence is deafening, but Majima speaks up after a few seconds.

“I know, I fucked up.”

“Majima-san, don't worry about it, I'm not here to punish you or anything.”

“Then what?”

“I just wanted to tell you that you're not allowed to come back to the clan until you recover.”

“What!?”

“I've already found a pretty good excuse so rumors don't spread. I'll take care of everything from here on out.”

"Fucking hell. Did kiryu talk to ya?”

“Yes, but I already made this decision beforehand. The only thing he did was make sure you'd have somewhere to go while recovering

“For fucks sake Daigo, I'm fine! I probably won't even have to be hospitalized for that long. I don't need Kiryu-chan to have extra baggage.”

“I don't think you believe that.”

He grunts.

“ Look, this isn't just about you. I know you've been taking care of my work and I can't let that keep going. I need to become a good leader, and I can't do that if you keep taking over behind my back.”

He grunts again, "I'm just doing my job…”

“Either way, I have to try to do this on my own. I was going to ask you to stop eventually and I had hoped it wouldn't have happened like this, but the way I see it, I have to prove myself, and you have to find a reason to stay alive.“

“Hey!”

“Majima, everyone is worried about you. You might have survived this time but that doesn't mean you won't do this again. Even if you get quickly checked out, what makes you think the hospital won't send you to a psych ward or something? be sensible here! Kiryu is offering you a place to recover and you actually have a chance of saving your relationship with him, don't let this chance slip away.” he says with a firm tone.

Majima is stunned. He didn't think Daigo would have the guts to tell him what to do, but then again, he is the chairman and he knows he's right. He has to learn how to deal with the clan and after all he's the boss he can't object which leaves him with only one option.

“Fine… since I don't have a choice anyway I trust yer judgment.”

“Thank you.”

“Though uh… how did ya know about the psych wards?”

“I was hospitalized for a while, remember? Got to meet some interesting people there. I met one guy who told me how he'd rather die than go back there, so I can't say it sounds like a good place.”

It definitely doesn't, but can't be worse than the hole, but he keeps that to himself.

“Yeah, ya got a point. Alright… Thank ya boss, it means a lot and if you want another good excuse just tell em I've been out defusing bombs again.”

Daigo laughs a little.

“Who knows, maybe it will actually work, but I'll keep it in mind. Anyway I should probably go, there is lots of work to do. Please take care, Majima-san.”

“Yeah I bet. Thanks a lot Daigo, I'll try to make things work between me and Kiryu-chan.”

Daigo bows and turns to leave.

“Hold on.”

Daigo turns back.

“Just…Try to talk to Mine, okay?”

Daigo sighs, but nods, and turns to head out the door.

Date is still standing outside the room and has been secretly listening to their conversation.

“So you're done?”

“Yeah…”

“What's up with you and Mine?”

“I'd rather not talk about it.”

“But you do know he's a killer, right?”

Daigo clenches his fists.

“Yes… I know…’

“I really wonder what's going on in the Tojo.”

Daigo was starting to become angry.

“It's none of your business, alright!” he says in an angry tone.

Unfortunate action, because kiryu and haruka were right behind him. Kiryu looks confused and haruka is a bit shocked.

I…I'm sorry about that Kiryu-san. I should probably take my leave. Take care of majima-san.” He bows.

“Of course but… are you okay?”

“I'm fine…goodbye.”

Daigo leaves with hurried steps.

“What happened?”

“I must have hit a nerve or something? I just mentioned Mine and he got mad.”

“Oh…”

Kiryu understands, it is a tough subject for him.

“Is there something going on between them?”

“I'd rather not say…”

He sighs. “I'm starting to think a lot of secrets are being held in the Tojo clan.”

That seemed to offend kiryu.

“We're not all… you know.”

“Yeah, yeah I'm just surprised this has happened twice.”

Kiryu glares at him.

“Alright, alright. I'm sorry, Anyway the room is clear now, I'll come and check on you two later okay?”

“Okay, thank you Date.”

“No problem, but maybe try stealing one of the hospital beds, you look like you haven't slept in days.”

“I'm not gonna do that.”

“Just in case you need it. Anyway I'm heading out. I'll see you both soon.”

“Bye… I guess.”

They head into Majima's room. Haruka looks up at kiryu with a look that usually means she curious

“Does Daigo-san have a boyfriend too? Is that why he was so mad at Date?”

“Umm…”

Majima giggles. He has heard the entire conversation. Kiryu scolds him a bit but haruka giggles as well as she has figured out the answer to her own question.

They all talk about what's going to happen next, Majima relays the info he has gotten. Haruka goes back to hugging majima tightly as he tells them that he got time off so he can come with them. As much as the attention can be a bit much at times, Majima can't complain, this sweet girl deserves to be happy. kiryu just sits there and smiles, probably looking like a lovesick puppy, but that doesn't bother him right now. Majima doesn't want to imagine he still deserves to be with kiryu after what he has done, but Daigo has given him an opportunity, and maybe he's selfish for it, but he wants to go for it. So majima smiles back and gives him a look that's both apologetic and loving. He hopes kiryu understands his feelings.

Kiryu reaches out his hand again as if he understands and this man says he can't read him.

A couple of hours pass where they talk for a bit about their new life in Okinawa and how excited Haruka is to show it all. Their conversations goes on until it gets dark and majima urges kiryu and haruka to go out and get some proper food, instead of; in his words, eating hospital slop. so with a few verbal pushes Kiryu and Haruka head out. They decide to go to Kanrai as a little reminder of their first outing together with Majima. With their stomachs full they head back to the hospital. As they walk down the halls, They talk about bun-chans. They pass by the reception desk when someone says something that nearly makes Kiryu's heart stop.

“Excuse me, I need to see Majima Goro.”

Kiryu turns around and sees a woman in a brown coat. Kiryu didn't get a description of the woman but he can assume only one person would ask about majima would be her. The person who made him end up in the hospital in the first place.

“Dad?”

“Haruka, why don't you go ahead.”

“Okay…” She says hesitantly, but she runs back to Majima’s room

He looks back to the woman still waiting for the reception lady to find majima`s name in the logs. Kiryu has to talk to her.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“You said you were looking for Majima right?”

“Yes! Do you know where his room is? Are you his friend?”

“Yes, but can I ask who you are?

“Yasuko, an old relative of Majima, who are you?”

“Kiryu…”

Chapter Text

“Kiryu… It's… nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Kiryu-san, I think we've met at tanabata. Thanks for helping us back then. I'm grateful that Majima has some good friends around.”

This all feels so strange, this is the person who berated majima and brought him to a breakdown. Although Kiryu has some blame in this, If it hadn't been for this person, majima wouldn't be here right now. What is he supposed to do? Should he even allow this person to see majima? A part of him thinks that maybe they can resolve this and just forgive and forget, but this person hurt majima deeply, and kiryu has to talk to her first, to figure out if this really is a good idea.

“So do you know where his room is? I want to see if he is awake.”

“Um… sure but can I maybe talk to you first.”

Kiryu feels bad for lying, but he needs some time, and maybe hearing her side of the story will make this easier.

They find a empty waiting room where they won't be disturbed and kiryu tries to think of what to say

“So um… how do you know majima.” Yasuko asks

“We um… used to work together

“I see… were you two close?”

“You could say that.”

Kiryu tries the best he can to hide the smile forming on his lips but all the memories of him and majima flood him so it's impossible.

“I see.”

“And are you a relative or something like that?”

“I guess there was a time where we saw each other as family, but I can't really say it's the same now.”

“What happened?”

“It's… complicated. Things went off the rails one day and now it's like I don't know him, but maybe I never did, but no matter what, I never wanted to lose him.

Kiryu knows she means as a brother but he still clenches his fists in jealousy.

“What happened?”

“I… I was angry at him. I was hurt that he knew where I was for so long and never came to see me. I imagine he's been through a lot too but the fact that he never approached me, not even once, really hurt. he did try to explain himself but i just felt like so many years of struggling alone were wasted, and i do believe he was probably thinking about talking to me but he never did, and now i just felt betrayed. I don't know, I just want to apologize and move on.”

Kiryu didn't know what to think, how long had this been going on, why did majima never tell him? This is starting to become unnerving for kiryu. Although he shouldn't be mad at Majima because of his past experiences, this still feels like something that could have been avoided entirely If he had just said something. But then again who is kiryu to blame majima when he himself does not ask for help much. Majima probably thought he could handle everything himself like he usually does. Yet, he thinks letting her see majima is the right thing to do. Although majima was wrong for this, that doesn't mean that he has to relive that awful experience. Maybe kiryu doesn't know the story from Majima`s perspective. He does try to always do everything with good intentions, even when he tries to hide it. Besides, if he was hoping to get a place in the clan for his brother, then he has at least had some thought for them.

“I understand… and I don't blame you, but I don't think he has any ill feelings towards you. He tends to be blaming himself a lot so he probably thought that he was doing you a favor by staying away. Not to say that was the right thing to do, but I've known him for a long time and I know he has a lot of regrets and blames himself a lot, so I think it's the reason he stayed away.”

It's not a good explanation, but it's the only thing that would make sense to him because he knows Majima`s behavior. He always tries to deal with everything himself and kiryu has seen it first hand.

“How can you be so certain? I mean, I knew it was him that helped me at the cabaret but he still didn't do anything, I don't understand why you stopped me from talking to him anyway.”

“I did it because I could see he was in a bad mood. I just wanted to make sure he was okay.”

“Still it just proves my point, he had every chance and did nothing.”

“I know, I will admit he never told me about you either, which hurts a bit but I don't want to put that on him. He's been through a lot and he still punishes himself all the time until he reaches his breaking point. I think being here proves that.”

Yasuko looks down.

“I don't know how to feel about this. I just thought we were a family but I guess you know him better than me. It just makes me feel like he's moved on and forgot about us.”

She wipes her eyes and she's right. Looking at this situation it really seems like kiryu became a centerpoint in his life but the fact he never knew about his family makes him feel pushed aside too, so it must feel even worse for her. It's hard not to feel slightly hurt but at least he can relate.

“You know… not that this explains or makes anything better but something happened 6 months ago.”

She finishes wiping her eyes and turns to listen to kiryu.

“You might not know this but majima is the captain of the tojo clan. I used to be the chairman back then. In this business people will do anything to tear down others and get to the top, and majima was unfortunately the victim of this, a man named Hamazaki forced him into a deal to destroy my childhood home.”

Yasuko looks completely shocked.

“Of course majima wanted nothing to do with that since we`re also friends but his hands were tied so he didn't tell me what happened until chaos ensued in the clan. I was really hurt that he never even once tried to ask for my help considering I was the leader at the time, but he thought that he had failed me, that he had failed the whole clan. So he chose to bear the burden all by himself… it almost destroyed our re- friendship and the clan but he really thought he had failed me both as a boss and as a friend, so I think that's why he kept his distance from you. He probably thought he had failed you and that's why he stayed away.”

“Oh…”

Kiryu looks down. He knows there's not much you can say to that but he felt it was fair to at least let her know Majima’s intentions.

“I…i don't know what to say…”

“but you see it's not that he doesn't care, he just feels so guilty that he thinks it's better to just stay away.”

“I see… you know, the more I think about it, I think one of his lackeys has been spying on me.”

“How do you know?”

“I'd prefer not to say let's just say I knew some people in your business and… it's kind of how I found out he was in the hospital.”

That's suspicious to kiryu, but he decides not to dwell on it so instead he tries to save Majima's image as best as he can.

“I know how this situation looks from our perspective but considering that he was still trying to look out for you in some discreet way proves that he did not forget about you or your brother.”

“Kiryu san… I… I really don't want to keep being mad at him but it is still hard for me to wrap my head around this, but if you truly believe what you're saying, I will try as well, you seem very reliable.”

Kiryu smiles, he really appreciates that they have found some middle ground.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Almost 20 years ago I thought I lost my brothers forever. One got sent to prison and the other I have no idea what happened to. If you know, will you tell me what happened to him? and why is he wearing an eye patch?”

Kiryu knows this is a question he shouldn't really be the one to answer but this woman has felt abandoned and lonely for so long and she's like family to majima, so whether majima will get mad at him for telling the truth or not he feels that she deserves to know. Especially after being left in the dark for so long.

“Did you know about the incident back in 85?”

“Yes, that's why my brother is in prison.”

“Well did you know that majima was supposed to help him

“what? no…?”

“I don't know all the details, but there was talk about majima betraying his boss shimano, and it was tied to the incident somehow. I personally think there must have been another reason for it but i can't say, i know what. But the thing is after the hit, he…” Kiryu has to take a deep breath before saying the next part, before his mind makes awful images. “He was sent to a place called the hole, it was a torture facility. They took his eye and kept torturing him there for a year, maybe even more. What happened next I don't know, I only met him for the first time a couple of years later, but it was an infamous story around the tojo.”

Yasuko looks horrified, tears fill her eyes again and she puts her hands to her mouth. It breaks Kiryu's heart but maybe it's the only thing that stops this grudge she has for him

“I can't believe this… all this time he was suffering all alone and here I am taking my misery out on him.”

She sobs and kiryu rubs a hand on her back reassuringly he doesn't know what to say, he never really took too much consideration into how bad the hole was for majima. mostly because he didn't want those awful images in his head. It's soul shattering to think that the man he loves the most in the whole world, was put through such a gruesome experience. Kiryu has to close his eyes to stop his own tears, but he can't help the few that fell after a few deep breaths. He wipes his eyes so he at least can talk to her without looking too emotional as he tries to comfort her.

“I'm such an idiot.”

“No, you're not, you couldn't have known, and you should know this is just as much my fault.”

She looks up and stares at him dumbfounded.

“What?”

“Truth is… he has to be careful not to reveal too much. we were close friends, but life in the tojo was not for me so i had no choice but to leave and i knew that majima didn't want to stay and I abandoned him there.” kiryu grits his teeth. “He has his family, but I knew he wouldn't lean on others easily. After what happened half a year ago I thought I would hurt him if he left with me. He had sacrificed too much for me and I felt like he would keep doing that if I didn't leave. Now I realize how stupid I was and that I had a part in his downfall. I always saw him as someone strong and independent so I thought he would be fine, but the truth is he felt so alone and I was too caught up in my own feelings to see it, so please don't be too hard on yourself.”

She sniffs and looks at him with a sad smile “then, that goes for you too”

They sit in awkward silence for a minute and it takes a second before Yasuko breaks the silence again

“You know the way you are talking about him makes me think you're a couple.”

Kiryu blushes and tries his best to hide his reaction but Yasuko has already caught on and her smile widens.

“Um i…”

“Don't worry about it, I'm not upset and I mean it kind of makes sense, especially since nobody would be that upset about just a friend leaving, so it makes sense.”

“Really…?”

“Yes, I don't mind that he is dating a man. He always kind of stuck me as a guy who dont pay attention to women so I'm glad he found someone who understands him and puts up with his antics.”

Kiryu laughs a little. He guesses majima has always been like that, but he still can get over the fact of how easy this all went. First the nurse and now Majima`s sister. Maybe kiryu really is like an old man like everyone says and just doesn't understand that times can change. He will, however, be eternally grateful because of it. Maybe if things go well he and majima won't have to hide their relationship anymore. Wait, relationship ? Are they still together after all of this? Kiryu hopes so, but he can't be certain. Maybe majima is so disappointed in him that he wants nothing to do with him anymore. kiryu wouldn't blame him if he was, but majima said he wanted to come with him so maybe there is hope.

“I know what you mean and thank you really, it means a lot. It's something I've been very cautious about and admittedly it's something Goro has been very upset about and unfortunately not many are as accepting as you.”

“Goro, huh?” She says with a smirk.

Kiryu looks away but his blush reaches his ears he couldn't control his reaction even if he wanted to.

Yasuko chuckles again and looks down.

“Kiryu-san?”

“Yes?”

“Is he gonna be okay?”

“I think so.”

She smiles and stands up.

“Well thank you for chatting with me kiryu-san at least I can apologize without holding any grudges.”

Kiryu quickly stands. He doesn't like what he's about to do but even with all this knowledge he still thinks that it won't help majima at all and he already felt humiliated enough with he saw kiryu after he woke up this could end up making things worse although kiryu doesn't like turning people away, he always tell others to face their troubles this might be too much maybe he will get yelled at for telling the truth but he's hoping since she's been so nice so maybe he can make her swe that this is just not the right thing to do right now.

“Wait! i…”

“Yes?”

He sighs. This feels so unlike anything he would do, but Majima's heartbroken face enters his mind and gives him the courage to speak his mind.

“I don't want you to see him…”

“What, why?”

“I will explain in a second but first you must tell me, how much have you been told about this situation?”

“Not much, i tried to find out but no one would tell me anything. Just that he was alive. I just really hope this didn't happen because of our fight.”

Good to see that daigo's excuse worked, but there's no way out of this now.

“Yasuko-san, I'm sorry… but I want you to know the truth

She's starting to look scared.

“He's awake right now but the thing is…he tried to commit suicide. he says he didn't mean to, but he wasn't doing well after I left and I don't want to blame anyone. in a way this is mostly my fault but it happened and even though he seems like he regrets it, I can't be sure if he won't do it again. I don't want to be the one to tell you what to do, but he means so much to me and I don't want him to live with anymore regret than he already has.”

Kiryu feels exhausted, in some ways he knows he's being hypocrite and although she has good intentions he can't imagine this will help majima and not just drag him down into a deeper depression.

“Are you saying that he did this because of our argument?”

“Not entirely, if anything it's mostly my fault but again I can't control what he does, He's always had low self esteem and I fault myself for not seeing how bad it was but there's only so much one person can do for another. I don't think it's only because of us, but we were the final straw for him.”

There's a long silence. Kiryu feels guilty for this. The worst part is that even though he's doing this with the best intentions, it still is hard to turn a family member away. Maybe he is going too far, maybe he should let it go but at the same time this is for Majima.

Yasuko lets out a shaky breath and puts a hand on her forehead. Kiryu is patiently waiting for what she's going to say, but he can't stop clenching his hands due to nerves.

“You really think it will be worse if I see him?”

“I don't know… I just know he was nervous and embarrassed when I saw him. I did end up scolding him a bit, but I can't tell you what to do. I'm only telling you this because I'm worried for his health, and I want you to keep it in mind if you're really going in there.”

“Kiryu-san… I understand completely. I know you blame yourself too but it's clear to me now, if I hadn't yelled at him none of this would have happened.”

She chokes a little on that last sentence.

“So I can see why you wanted to talk to me and why you wanted to stop me. I mean who would want to met the person who almost drove someone to suicide.”

She sobs into her hands, kiryu feels awful for the guilt he's brought upon her but he felt it was necessary for her to know this.

He grabs her by the shoulders and with big tears in her eyes looks up at him.

“Yasuko-san, maybe we will never forgive ourselves for this, and I think majima won't stop blaming himself either but what's done is done, and all we can do is be grateful he is alive and like you said maybe it's best to just apologize and move on but please don't let this drive you down either, we all make mistakes and if you ask me, I think you weren't completely unjustified in what you did, so no matter what, we gotta remember we can't take responsibility for others actions, even majima admits he went too far. We're all to blame here and now the only thing that's left to do is to keep moving forward.

He remembers every single time majima has told him the same thing. to think that he ends up echoing his advice when it doesn't affect him the same way, majima really is smarter than he seems even if he keeps secrets to himself.

She wipes her tears.

“Can we move forward from this?”

“I think so.”

“Do you… do you think he would forgive me.”

“I do feel bad for speaking for him but I don't think he was ever mad at you. I can't imagine he wouldn't forgive you. Majima shows love in different ways and the only thing you did was tell him the truth. He is going to face that realization whether you see him or not.”

She nods.

“I think a lot of mistakes were made and Goro is not exempt from this either. Besides we're having this talk because, despite it all, we do care about him.”

“Yeah, it's just… Now I'm uncertain. I want to fix this but maybe you're right and I should just let him be so he can get some rest but… Maybe you could give him a message for me?”

“Sure, I can do that.”

She thinks for a second “I think I should probably get this written down. Will you go to the reception with me?”

He nods, and they head over to the reception where the lady kindly offers Yasuko a piece of paper and a pen. It takes her a few minutes to get everything written down and when she's done, she hands the folded note to kiryu. He immediately puts the note in his pocket.

“You know, I don't mind if you read it.”

“Don't worry, this is the one thing I won't interfere with.”

Kiryu can't help but feel awful for this but even though he has been selfish for Majima's sake, this is the one thing he can do for her.

“Thank you Kiryu-san and please take care of him.”

“I will, I can promise you that.”

She smiles for a second, but it quickly falters.

almost as if the words he has been looking for found him he puts a hand on her shoulder.

“Yasuko-san, I know I've been selfish today and I'm very sorry for that, but this might not be the last time you see him. I'll make sure he gets the message and maybe by then he'll make a decision on what he wants. I don't want to believe he cares about you any less. Or is less of that hardworking, selfless person he's always been. So I'm certain he'll get back on his feet soon. He isn't someone who would leave all his responsibilities behind so I'm certain he'll be back in Kamurocho soon once he's recovered.”

Kiryu had to pretend it didn't hurt to say that.

“I'll let him know you've been here, but whether or not he wants to see you again has to be his decision.”

“I understand, I just hope that he wants to see me.”

“I can't say anything for sure, but I believe that he does, but right now he just needs some time.”

“Of course, thank you again Kiryu-san, I'm so glad he has you to look out for him.”

Kiryu smiles and bows to her to show how grateful he is.

They share one last glance and Yasuko walks away the sound of her heels clanking loudly through the hospital halls

Kiryu stands frozen for a moment just watching as she walks away he catches himself for a moment before looking like a creep. He didn't even know why he did that. Maybe he just wanted to make sure she didn't suddenly change her mind, but even if she did, should he really do something about it? He already told her that he shouldn't tell her what to do, but maybe it was the fear of seeing majima looking so ashamed that had him feeling so conflicted, he couldn't really tell, but as if he's broken out of a trance, he hears a voice beside him.

“Dad, what are you looking at?”

He looks down startled and sees haruka looking up at him with a worried expression.

He smiles down at her and pats her on the head “Don't worry Haruka, it was nothing” he says in a soft tone.

“Are you done speaking to that lady? You were taking a while.”

Kiryu thinks for a moment. Did she tell majima? Would he piece together that it was Yasuko? She probably would have, but what's done is done, and maybe Kiryu deserves a little scolding for making a decision on Majima's behalf. At least then he would know what it's like to be on the other side of their arguments. Sure it wasn't the same and Kiryu would argue that the lie majima told was more severe but still he did the same thing. At least it was for Majima's well being, so he could handle being scolded a bit.

“Yeah, I'm done. Let's go.”

Walking back to Majima's room was easy except for the growing nervousness kiryu felt. Haruka ran back in again and when kiryu looked inside and saw majima sitting up and smiling while he talked to Haruka about the orphanage. Kiryu couldn't help but smile at the scene before him. It almost made him forget about how nervous he was, but that was short lived as Majima looked at him, still with the same smile he gave Haruka.

“Did something happen? Haruka said you were talking to a lady, should I be jealous? Are you deciding to play for the other team.”

“Niisan!”

“I'm just kidding kiryu-chan but I am curious who you were talking to?”

Kiryu has to make a choice, maybe telling him the truth wouldn't be such a bad idea now that he doesn't have to worry about them meeting and making things worse but even though he promised to give this note, would it be the right time now? Majima finally smiled again for the first time he had seen him since he woke up and a part of him didn't want to ruin that. Of course he was gonna keep his promise to Yasuko but at the moment he just didn't want majima to have any more worries. He finally got a break from work and got promised a place to recover. Kiryu wanted him to focus on that. Of course it was a selfish decision but maybe there would be a better time to do this, maybe when he feels comfortable again. So until then kiryu would have to lie for a while.

“Oh it was just a nurse, she was just asking who was taking over and I got curious.”

Majima lifts an eyebrow clearly not believing him but he gives a simple “hmm” and drops the topic.

“Alright, if you say so. Anyway, Haruka ya said he did what with the rubberhose!?”

Haruka goes from looking at them like they are hiding something again, to laughing uncontrollably. Kiryu feels his muscles relax after avoiding the argument. And now he's very intrigued by the weird conversation they are having.

“It actually wasn't that bad, but it just looked weird to us, but turns out he just wanted to spray off some bug, but It looked pretty funny.”

Majima laughs and it fills Kiryu's heart with joy just seeing him like this. living, laughing and sharing silly stories with his daughter feels like a dream come true. Kiryu might have regretted his decision before but seeing him now made him feel better. He felt like he really could protect him now, and he definitely would do so whether majima stayed for some time or forever.

“Was it tachi?” Kiryu asks, but he already knows the answer

“Yeah and he isn't even the first time. I'm starting to think it's the same bug.” Haruka says with a big grin on her face.

Laughter fills the room, for a moment all the pain is forgotten and they're just enjoying each other's company, like back when Majima and Kiryu lived together, when they were a family. Maybe kiryu is thinking too hard about it. They're still family even though it felt like they had fallen apart, but Kiryu will fix that. He'll make sure majima always has a home, never again should he feel abandoned.

A knocking is heard by the door and they see a lady entering with glasses and a white coat on, holding notebook

“Good evening, I'm Doctor Funai Yori. I'll be Majima-san’s doctor for the night. I'm guessing you are Majima-san's brother? Sorry if I'm wrong, the info I got was very vague.”

“I…”

Before kiryu answers he steals a quick look over at majima. He looks disappointed, like he already knows what the answer is. What is he supposed to do? Should he really be honest once and for all? Two people have figured them out and didn't judge them, but that doesn't mean everyone will do that, but it hurts to see majima look at him like he's expecting kiryu to disappoint him again. As much as kiryu would love to say it freely that they are together, he just can't bring himself to say it yet. He knows he's going to disappoint majima again but it is for their protection.

“Um…yes, I am.”

He sees how majima looks out the window with a somber look. He just can't stop being an asshole can he… All he can do now is to make sure that majima knows he still loves him and wants to keep him safe.

The next couple of minutes are filled with awkward silence as the doctor explains what has happened to majima in medical terms.

Majima is barely listening. He's more focused on kiryu. He notices that he looks kind of sad, he must think that he has disappointed majima, and in a way he has, but he also knows he can't blame him for it. This experience isn't going to change how some people might view them and it's not like he's expecting everyone to know,he just wished that kiryu wouldn't be so ashamed about it.

After a few minutes of explaining, she finally got to the part about what was going to happen next. It was surprisingly brief despite the long rant, but she tells him that he's going to have to stay at the hospital for a while since he can't be trusted with medications yet and he will get a phycologist assigned for an indeterminate time to make sure he heals mentally too. The alternative is to get sent to a psych ward.

The sound of staying at the hospital makes majima groan, as well as the idea of getting sent away.

“Majima-san, I was told that you live alone. Is that correct?”

He looks at kiryu for a second and answers curtly “yes.”

“I understand this must be frustrating, but as things are right now we cannot in good faith let you go without certainty that you will not do this again.”

Kiryu decides to take this moment and ask for a different solution.

“Excuse me? What if majima-san had someone to take care of him?”

Funai looks over to him questioningly.

“Are you offering?”

“Yes, I can keep an eye on him and make sure he takes his medication.”

Funai looks thoughtful, maybe this is a big no. Kiryu could imagine that they aren't just going to let it happen that easily.

“Did you know beforehand if anything was wrong before this happened?”

“No, I moved out of Tokyo half a year ago. We haven't had much contact but I think he will at least be safe with us.”

Majima rolls his eyes.

“I don't need you to protect me!”

“You rather want the alternative.”

“No, but stop talking about me like I'm a lost cause I get why this lady doesn't trust me but come on I've already said that I won't do this again, I was hoping maybe you could trust me a bit.

“I want to trust you and I do believe you but if you don't want to come with me then fine…”

There's a bit of a pause, tension is filling the room and the doctor decides to break the ice.

“Listen, I'm going to talk to my superiors and see if it's even a possibility to let him into your care. In the meantime, why don't you two talk it out.”

Kiryu nods and majima looks away. He gives an apologetic look towards Haruka but wouldn't even look at kiryu.

“I don't understand, I thought you wanted to come with us," Haruka says with a sad voice.”

He looks at her with a sad expression, clearly feeling ashamed of what he has just done. Kiryu has to talk to majima alone… Now.

“Haruka, can you do me a favor?”

She looks at kiryu with glassy eyes.

“Can you go get some candy from the vending machine?” He says while pulling out some pocket change. It's not much but should be enough to get the more expensive candy. “You can pick whatever you want.”

She smiles a bit, clearly knowing why he would send her out. She walks over to him and gives kiryu a hug before taking the change and leaves, but not without giving one last sad glance over at Majima.

Majima sighs. “son offa bitch.” he says in a murmur, while rubbing the back of his head nervously.

Kiryu looks at him with a frown.

“Why are you acting like this? Don't you want to come with us?”

“I don't if it means I'm just going to burden you.”

“Who says you're a burden?”

“It's not what I mean. I'm saying that I don't want you to do this because you feel like you have to. I'm already embarrassed enough as it is. if you don't want to be with me after all this is over then I just don't see the point.”

What? “What do you mean? I wouldn't have kissed you earlier if I didn't want to be with you.”

Majima pouts “I don't know, you kissed me before you left for Okinawa too. You can't blame me for being confused.”

“Look I know it doesn't seem like it but I never broke up with you, and I know I was an idiot for not saying anything sooner, but I was afraid that you would get hurt more because of me. You have given so much to me and I felt like if we kept going like that, it would destroy you. I couldn't let that happen, but mostly I needed time to think. Whether you believe me or not I was planning on talking to you again. The whole time I was gone, I couldn't think of anything else but you, but I couldn't let you get hurt anymore because of me. I admit I was wrong for leaving without saying anything, but I hope you believe me when I say that I haven't stopped missing you since I left. I… I don't think I can ever stop loving you… and i'm sorry for leaving you behind…i'm sorry for making you feel so alone”

Majima's eyes widened his face completely red. He didn't think Kiryu would ever say that he loves him out loud. The man who couldn't even text a simple, I miss you, was talking so openly about his feelings. Majima might faint, but even though he wants nothing in the world then to wrap his arms around him and kiss him, he needs something to be clear between them.

“Kiryu-chan… if you really mean that then be honest with me. Are we still a couple? Or are we just bros who kiss each other on the weekends” He couldn't help but joke. He was still bothered that kiryu was keeping their relationship a secret.

“Are you really still upset about that?”

“Maybe, I mean we already had one nurse catching us so why should this lady care.”

“Niisan… just because one understands doesn't mean they all will.”

“I know, I know… But it's just annoying to hear that while you're uncertain if you have a partner or not.”

Kiryu growls a bit. “You want me to scream it to the entire world and ruin our lives.” Kiryu says with a raised voice.

“No! But I want you to tell me what you want! because I'm not accepting silence anymore.”

The irony.

Kiryu sighs and looks majima in the eye.

“Niisan. I still want to be your partner but if you have had enough of me then-”

Majima finally wraps his arms around him tightly and a few seconds of silence follows but Majima is shaking as he tries to keep back the tears that are threatening to follow.

“Niisan…”

“I'm sorry.”

“No don't apologize it's my fault I didn't-”

"For lying and for everything else too."

Kiryu is getting more and more confused. “Please Niisan.” but Majima cut him off.

“Not just for what happened but for making you believe that you're the reason this happened i can't imagine how horrible it must feel to think someone almost killed themselves over a breakup.” he chuckles a bit maybe trying to bring some humor in, but it failed miserably. “I should have just talked to you. Maybe I could have handled everything better. Then maybe I wouldn't be hurting everyone, maybe-”

Kiryu presses his lips to Majima's. If he heard one more painful word out of Majima, he might break down.

“Goro, it's okay really. You don't have to keep blaming yourself. You don't have to keep explaining yourself. You were in a bad moment, we can't change what happened and there is nothing we can do now but go on. whether we are miles apart or in each other's arms, I want to walk together with you, but I can't do that if you won't let me.”

Majima laughs again and looks into his eyes.

“You've become quite the romantic Kiryu-chan, Okinawa must have done ya good.” He leans in for another kiss. “Of course I want to be with you, for as long as you'll have me.” he said, without the accent.

“That could be a very long time, Niisan.” He says with a smirk.

“Good thing I always have time for ya, not even the Tojo can get in my way.”

With laughs and another hug, they stay there in silence for a bit.

“So um… Does that mean you'll come with us?”

“I can't be anywhere else, right?”

“That's what it sounded like.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let's finish chatting with the doc and get outta here.”

“I don't think it'll be that soon, Niisan.”

“A man can dream right?” He says while squeezing his hand.

A pair of footsteps breaks their moment and they both immediately turn towards the curtain just to see Haruka appear with an uneasy look.

“I'm sorry dad and Majima-ojisan but-”

She steps aside and behind her is the same doctor. She makes a motion around her lips to signify that her lips are sealed, and once again kiryu takes another reliving breath.

“It's alright, Haruka. Everything is fine.”

She smiles and climbs back on the bed, her feet dangling out the corner

“Anyway, I have talked to the others and they have said that it is okay to leave majima in your custody. However he is required to speak with a therapist at least once a day for a month and if you so wish, you can continue talking to them after. Also I'll leave his medication in your hands, Kiryu-san, but I have to be certain with you Majima-san. Do you want to go with Kiryu-san?” She says with a smile.

Majima would chuckle at Kiryu's and Haruka’s worried faces since they're so cute. There's no way he can resist, even with the talk they had earlier. So with a dramatic sigh he sits up, grabs haruka and pulls her into a tight hug. It almost looks like they are wrestling.

“Of course I will, I can't leave these silly marshmallows behind.”

Haruka squeals in excitement and tries to hug him. He quickly lets her go and lets her hug him.

Kiryu's reaction came slowly. Majima was really coming home with him. Even after everything they had been through. Kiryu couldn't stop the smile that was growing bigger and bigger. The last time he felt like this it was when majima told him he loved him, sure it was after a fight but it made him so unbelievably happy and this time it feels even better. This time he really has an opportunity to make everything better. To make sure Majima has a place he belongs, with people who love him. Knowing Majima, he will probably recover quickly, but maybe he's lucky enough to keep him around longer. Maybe he should call Daigo and ask.

A hand on his shoulder takes him out of his thoughts. Funai is rubbing his back and handing him a handkerchief. He didn't notice he was crying. He takes it gratefully, and wipes his eyes without the others noticing. He hands it back, but she says as quietly as possible, he could keep it. He quickly stuffs it in his pocket, but he does see majima smirk.

“In that case, Majima-san, you will be put into Kiryu-san's custody. You will be released from the hospital tomorrow as well, also Kiryu-san if you're not staying tonight, be sure to pick up his medication from the reception here.”

Don't worry, I'm not leaving.

I figured, anyway, I will leave you all now. I might check up on you later for a few questions but that can wait, have a nice night everyone.

Just as she says that kiryu gets a call from Date.

“Hey kiryu do you want me to pick up Haruka, I think you should come too you deserve some rest.”

“I appreciate it, but I'm not leaving. Although let me ask haruka if she's ready, then I'll call you back.”

“I'm staying too! Haruka nearly shouts from Majima's tight embrace.”

“Haruka there are no extra beds in here and we can't just take the hospital be-”

Majima scoots over so there is plenty of space for her to lay next to him.

“That's one problem solved but sorry kiryu-chan you down the end of the bed Tonight like a good boy.”

“Is that my reward for taking care of you?”

“Of course nothing but the best you can always steal another chair to make yourself more comfy if my offer isn't adequate for you," he says in a playful tone.

Kiryu rolls his eyes and puts the phone to his ear again. “We'll be fine, we'll be ready to go to the airport tomorrow.”

“Already? Didn't think he'd be released so early, but that means he's coming with you too right?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“I was just guessing but good for you kiryu.” He chuckles and kiryu grunts. “I'll pick you all up around 9 tomorrow, now please get some rest kiryu”

“Sure, thank you date.” he hangs up

“I think I'll find a chair," he says with a smile.

“So rude kiryu-chan, you need some manners.”

Kiryu very quickly finds what he needs and makes himself as comfortable as he can. Majima stares at him with a look that says: I told you so. Kiryu just rolls his eyes.

***

The night went easy. Kiryu moved closer to Majima and Haruka fell asleep in Majima's arms. Kiryu couldn't really get comfortable no matter how hard he tried, but at least he could enjoy the very sweet sight in front of him. His daughter and the man he loves sleeping soundly together. It made the ache he is definitely going to feel in the morning so worth it. Besides, he can probably fall asleep on the plane anyway.

***

The next day went swiftly. Kiryu was handed Majima's medication with a very detailed explanation and writing of when majima is supposed to take them. Kiryu gets a written note but majima can't help but grumble about being treated like this but kiryu calms him down with a squeeze of his hand.

Date waits for them outside the hospital. Gives some well wishes to majima as he gets in the car. He makes a comment to kiryu that this is how it should have been the first time he took them to the airport. He nods but grumbles a bit but he knows he's right, Majima should have been with them when they left, but there's nothing to do about the past, only the future now.

As expected, Kiryu pretty much passed out the moment they took their seats, it made majima huff a laugh. How could he complain when he looks so peaceful on Majima's shoulder. He notices a small hand on his arm and sees Haruka looking up at him with a smile. He smiles back.

“Ojisan?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for coming with us.”

He takes an arm around her and holds her close.

“I missed you so much, and your papa too.”

She hugs him back and makes herself comfortable on his shoulder. He can't help but give her a kiss on her head as she's slowly falling asleep too.

As happy as he feels right now, with the people who he loves and considers family, he can't help but be depressed over the fact that he almost lost it all. He thought that everyone hated him like usual but he shouldn't have let himself fall so hard as soon as he got a reality check. Perhaps Yasuko was right, maybe Saejima wants nothing to do with him. Or maybe he'll forgive him for what happened, who can tell at this point. They haven't seen each other in years. He might be a different person, changed for better or for worse, Just like majima. He himself has changed too and now he doesn't know if he wants to go back to how things were. He has something that means more to him than the entire world. He has to make a choice. One of the hardest ones he's ever done, especially since he waited 25 years to complete it, but he has lived his life for others for way too long now and even with all the hate he has for himself deep in his soul, he wants to believe that he can learn to truly live for himself. Whether or not it was a spirit or his own soul, something is keeping him alive. and with his loved ones so close, he knows that he has to live this life. Not just for Kiryu and Haruka, the closest he has to a family, but for his boys and in a strange way, for Yasuko and Saejima too, they don't deserve to live with the consequences of his actions. So he'll take what he's allowed to have and will spend the rest of the time living for himself.

***

The humidity is the worst, at least according to majima. It's exactly as he expected. Hot and boring. but at least the view of kiryu smiling like a lovesick puppy makes this already feel worth it.

The orphanage was nothing to write home about, looked pretty shabby, but at least it seemed like a good home for these kids.

They flocked over to Kiryu and Haruka as soon as they came to the entrance. They were asking them all kinds of questions. Kiryu explains that majima is the friend who was in the hospital and he's going to stay with them for a while. The kids begin to swarm him with questions about what happened to him to which Kiryu takes over and asks them not to overwhelm him. Although majima appreciates it, Kiryu knows he could have handled the situation.

Soon another person appeared and was rushing towards majima, embracing him in a tight hug. It doesn't take him long to realize it's Yumi that is hugging him.

“I'm so glad you're okay but no offense I kind of want to slap you too. Don't worry though, not in front of the kids.”

He huffs and hug her back “ I get it, thanks for letting me stay”

She lets go and looks at him with glassy eyes and a smile “you're always welcome”

As he smiles at her and then glances at Kiryu. He's obviously jealous, it even looks like he's pouting a bit, but majima guesses that he probably doesn't want to ruin their reunion, so all he can do is just accept that Kiryu isn't the only person majima will hug.

Serine is not what he would call this place. Is it beautiful? Absolutely, but the constant noise of children running around kind of takes away the calm atmosphere a bit, but then again he should have expected it. He can't complain though. It's nice to not be the one to take care of everything, and watching kiryu, Yumi and Haruka dealing with this rowdy house while he gets to relax does give some tranquility, but it doesn't take too long until he feels bored and decides to help around the house. It starts small, with just doing things around the house, but he is trying to slowly build up the trust from these kids.

Ironically, it didn't go as well as he expected. Sure, he's good with Haruka, but these kids are different. The first scuffle came when majima tried to use the usual names he did for the other kids. He didn't do it in front of them but it was loud enough for them to hear him calling them brats. He pretty much got ganged up on by a bunch of small children and he did apologize but none of the kids would talk to him again for a couple of days. The second mistake happened when he demanded Nishida to tell him what's going on in the clan, but Nishida wouldn't budge, saying he got orders and everything is under control. Majima wasn't buying it for a second and he ended up getting very loud and when he looked to the side he saw at least five of the kids staring at him with terrified expressions. When he tried to explain, they ran away. Feeling drained and defeated, he told nishida to call if anything happened and hung his head in shame. Then he ended the call.

But other than the unfortunate little encounters, it wasn't so bad. Sure, the kids seemed to tolerate him more than actually liked him, but at least they weren't mean and the moments he got to spend alone with Kiryu made it all a lot better.

Every other night for a week, they went out on a date, usually by getting a drink at the bar and ending it by going to a love hotel. It was hard to convince Kiryu at first, but with a bit of flirting and some hush money for the receptionist, they managed to make every night feel like heaven.

Though after a week of majima staying, he couldn't help but notice how sad kiryu seemed, and how he kept trying to hide it from him. So one night after some love making, Majima feels he has to ask him.

“Kiryu-chan?”

“Hmm?”

“You've been sad for a while is it because of me or-”

“What, no no… I'm sorry if I made you feel like that. Believe me when I say I'm so happy you're here with me.”

He smiles and leans in to kiss him “then is it because of the kids?”

Kiryu sighs. “I just want you to have a good time here. I've tried talking to them about it but-”

Majima cuts him off. “Kazuma, it's okay, they don't have to like me.”

“But-”

“Kiryu-chan it's fine. I made a bad impression but it's not so bad, at least the kids are still nice even if it looks like they want to ignore me, but it's okay, I'm just glad I get to be with you again.” He kisses him. “This has been the best vacation I could ask for.”

“It's not really a vacation though.”

“I know, but the point is, I needed this. Even before I did… I was stressed all the time, so coming here really was the best option, so don't you dare regret anything.”

“I don't, but can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“You just said you were stressed all the time and that you needed this, so do you even like being in the Tojo?”

“Oh… honestly not really, I mean I didn't mind staying for you and I had to get a place for my kyodai but for the longest time I just didn't think I belonged anywhere else so I just stopped caring, that was until I met you of course.”

“Well, even if you don't think so, I think you can belong here.”

“I think the kids will beg to differ.”

“Will you think about it though?”

“Maybe.”

Majima bumps his nose on Kiryu`s “I just want you to be happy, you've done so much not just for me but everyone you care for, and I know they would want you to be happy.”

“Not all of them.”

“Maybe, but still you've been through enough, and maybe you should think about what you want while you're here.”

“...I still want this.”

“Then, it's yours.”

“But I still gotta consider some things first, as much as I wanna leave everything and stay, I still need to think some things through.”

“In that case, I'll wait for you no matter how long it takes”

“You're a cheesy man kiryu-chan. I love it.”

“And I…I lo-”

Majima puts a finger on his lips.

“Ya don't want to see me cry kiryu-chan.”

“Heh, if you say so, but I'll be here if you need me.”

Majima laughs, it's such a beautiful sound to Kiryu. He can't hold back from kissing him.

***

Despite the terrifying event, Majima living with kiryu was a dream come true. He made sure that he had all the support he needed. He made sure he had space when he needed and although he's curious about what he and his therapist are talking about, he guessed the best thing to do was not to pry and let him tell it on his own time. Surprisingly, enough, he did. Maybe not all the details, but he talked about how nice it was to be here despite the ups and downs and all the stuff that has been weighing him down in the Tojo clan. Hearing majima speak so freely made Kiryu's feel so proud. After so much doubt, he thinks that maybe majima could really settle down there. Maybe he wants to stay too. Although he's starting to have high hopes for the future, he can't help but think about the things that had brought them to this moment. The lies, the fears…the attempt… Kiryu shakes his head and tries not to think about it. Even though Majima is trying to be more honest, especially since he pretty much admitted to kiryu that he doesn't have any other secrets, he still feels scared for him. He said he had some stuff to consider and it's clear that it's having an effect on him. There is still the possibility that he will go back even after all this and Kiryu wouldn't know how to handle that. He already feels guilty enough that he left Majima in the Tojo clan and caused him to fall into despair. Even if majima wants to deny it, Kiryu knows that he has a part in this too, and with Majima being so responsible, he might feel like he still owes it to Kiryu to take care of Daigo. Kiryu can't let him believe that he still owes him anything at all. So he has to tell him to stop keeping promises that kiryu doesn't want him to keep, and on top of that, he has to tell him about Yasuko. So far he has been putting it off. It's only been a little over a week. He has to think of the right time to tell him.”

***

3 weeks came too soon and even though majima was enjoying his time there it was a bit sad to be left out. Whenever the kids needed something they would ask anyone but him for help, even if he was right in front of them. Haruka also tried to encourage the others to talk to him but even if they did, they were a bit cautious around him, but they could at least see that he was trying to be nice.

But one lucky night something happened that changed everyone's perception of him.

Izumi stepped towards him, obviously still nervous, but it was clear that it must be serious if she went over to Majima.

“Do ya need something?”

“…It's not me, it's Ayako. She needs help untangling her hair.”

“Oh um…I'm not really a hair stylist, if ya can't tell.” he tried to add some humor.

She laughs nervously “I know, but Haruka and Yumi are out and they usually help with braiding and I can't ask uncle Kaz because he is terrible at it, so there's no one else I can ask.” She says while looking down and twindleling her fingers nervously.

Majima can't say no to that. He might not be a professional but he did have a sister once. He feels kind of melancholic thinking about it, but at least he can try to remember how he used to braid Yasuko’s hair and use that knowledge now.

“Alright, I'll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Majima-san”

Didn't think he'd be so happy to hear that.

“Don't thank me yet, kiddo.”

They head towards the bedroom, and a mess is an understatement. There are all kinds of hair accessories tangled up in her hair including a comb. Ayako looks like she's on the verge of tears.

“Okay, I can see the problem, but how In the-” he stops himself from swearing. “How in the world did this happen?”

Eri explains that usually Haruka and Yumi do their hair, but since they aren't home the younger kids tried to do it on their own, which resulted in this disaster.

Majima takes a glance around her head. He doesn't really know where to start, but he decides to take out all the hair ties first.

“Okay, I'm going to try to see if I can untangle this. Why don't you girls do something else in the meantime.”

As he says that the girls head out to brush their teeth. He takes a glance over at the boys who were there looking sad that they can't help out Ayako, he knows that feeling way too well, so he's going to get through this monstrosity one way or another.

He hears a small sniffle and puts a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, it's going to be okay.”

“But it's going to hurt isn't it?”

“Maybe a little bit, but I'll try to be as careful as possible.”

Getting the hair ties out was the easy part surprisingly. But the comb was really stuck in there, it was going to be difficult without pulling hard and hurting her head, but with some patience and very careful pulls, he gets the comb out. All there's left is a big knot. How in the hell is he supposed to get that out? Heh, can at least say it in my thoughts. While he's thinking of what to do. Rionna, Eri and Izumi come back to watch majima attempt to get this knot out.

Great, just what I needed an audience.

First he tries pulling in different directions, and although he's trying not to pull too hard every now and again he hears Ayako say ouch or make a hiss sound. He feels bad and is starting to wonder if he should just leave it until Yumi comes back, especially since the poor girl is most likely crying and is trying to hide it.

“I'm sorry, I tried to be careful, but this knot is persistent.” he says in a sad tone.

She turns to face him with tears in her eyes. “It's okay, it's just one knot right?”

“Yes”

“Then it's okay if you have to pull harder. I can handle it.”

Majima is impressed, she's a tough one. What's even more surprising is that she trusts him enough to let him do this. He's going to make it up to her later.

“Okay, I'll try to be quick, just yell stop if it's too much, okay?”

“Okay…”

And so he begins to pull and fiddle with the knot for a while. Ayako grunts and whimpers in pain. It takes a few minutes, plus a bit of brushing to get the last of it out but he succeeds and when he announces that he did it, Ayako begins to sob.

He's not good with people crying, but he can't ignore a crying child, especially, since he's the reason she's crying.

As Majima is petting her back to try and comfort her. he hears footsteps coming down from the hall, and Kiryu shows up to see Ayako crying while majima is trying to comfort her. Majima expected him to be angry with him seeing this, but he just looks worried and kneels down to them.

“What happened?”

“I…I was ju-”

“He didn't do anything wrong,” says Ayako.

She turns to look at kiryu.

“He was just trying to help me untangle my hair. He tried not to hurt me but it was really stuck.”

Kiryu rubs her head, you did a good job Ayako, it's a good thing Majima-san was here to help you.

She wipes the last of her tears away and nods. A smile formed on her face. Kiryu looks over to majima with a smile.

“Thank you Niisan, I'm glad you could help when I couldn't.”

Majima rubs his neck, blushing. “It was no problem, the kids warned me about yer attempts.” he says with a smirk.

Kiryu grunts, but doesn't deny it.

“Anyway, since the worst is done, I can try and braid it if you want.”

Ayako looks up at him with a curious look.

“You can braid?”

“I mean it's been a while, but it shouldn't be too complicated.”

She smiles and turns her back to him to give him room to braid her hair.

He begins and Kiryu is watching with intensity, he's probably trying to learn how to do it himself.

“There ya go, it's not too tight right?”

“No it's fine, thank you Majima-san.”

“No problem.”

“Can you do my hair too?” Rionna asks.

“Sure.” He turns with a smirk toward him. “Hey, Kiryu-chan, how about I teach ya how to do it.”

He smiles and leans in to see, but as Majima separates the hair into three strands, he tells Kiryu to hold them.
“Learning by doing, as the saying goes. Also boys, why don't ya come over here and watch too.”

They look at each other for a moment and look away again.

“Oh come on, I saw how sad you all looked before. If you learn this now we won't have this situation again.”

They think about it for a second and one by one they all go to sit behind Rionna to see how it's done.

It takes a couple of attempts for kiryu, but eventually he makes one that is decent enough. He hopes that he won't forget this.

“Good job kiryu-chan, but maybe keep practicing, just in case.”

He grunts, as he ties the end of the braid with a hair tie.

“So ya all got that?”

They all say yes at the same time.

“See, I told you he wasn't so bad.” Izumi chimes in.

They all look down in shame. Ayako steps forward. “I'm sorry majima-san, we just didn't know how to talk to you. Ojisan told us that we had to be nice because you were recovering, but a lot of us were a bit scared of you, but we know that's not an excuse, we're sorry.” she bows

Everyone echo's Ayako with apologies and bows.

Majima smiles. “It's alright, I didn't make the best first impression, did I? But don't worry about it, can't always be too sure who to trust, nothing wrong with believing your instincts.”

“Well, we'll try to be nicer from now on, right guys?”

A choir of yes fills the room

Majima smiles and glances over to Kiryu. He's looking at him proudly. Majima couldn't hide his blush even if he wanted to.

***

It has been almost a month since he arrived, and life at morning glory is amazing. After the hair incident, new doors had been opened for majima. All the kids were being more open with him, asking him for help, wanting to get to know more about him. Majima was really starting to feel a part of this family. A part of him thought he would be bored or stressed with many kids around, but it turns out that there's always something to do here, and even though he didn't want to admit it, he really liked it.

There was only one thing though.

This kid… Rikiya. It was clear to him that he liked Kiryu. he wanted his attention and kiryu was letting him get away with it. The only thing that kept him from being too close to Kiryu was the fact that Kiryu mainly paid attention to majima. It did make him feel wanted and confident but the downside was that the kid started to try to get Kiryu's attention by doing all kinds of weird things. On one occasion he almost fell down the roof playing hide and seek. On another occasion, he almost set fire to the kitchen trying to make some yakisoba. Majima had tried to warn Kiryu about Rikiya being a nuisance because he obviously had a crush on Kiryu, and while kiryu agreed that he was definitely being a nuisance, he definitely did not have a crush on him. In Kiryu's eyes Rikiya is just a kid, which majima is thankful for, because he didn't get out of a coma to have his boyfriend whisked away by some low level chinpra. Majima could have put up a fight about it but there was a sadistic part of him that found it funny how hard this kid tried to no avail. Kiryu's eyes were only on majima.

One morning after working out, Majima tried to work on his fighting skills. Kiryu found him by the beach and decided to help him. The brawl was nasty, kicks and punches landing everywhere. Even with the sand slowing their movements, Majima moved like the wind and Kiryu was steadfast as a mountain. They fought like they used to. they'd talk about the old days when they fought all the time. They couldn't help but smile at each other as they were grabbing onto each other. The only rule was no hitting the face. The kids shouldn't see them looking bloody but it was a limitation they were okay with, after all they didn't want to really hurt each other. After about 10 minutes they hear a voice calling for them. They immediately stop what they are doing and look to see if it's one of the kids. As it turns out, it was none other than Rikiya.

“Aniki! You should have told me you were planning a fight. I would have loved to see it. “

“Of course ya would have ya clingy moron” majima thought to himself, frowning.

“Oh, it wasn't really planned, I just found Majima working out and I decided to help.” he says while looking over Majima with a smile

Majima smiles back, almost forgetting his jealousy, but then he takes a glance back at Rikaya, noticing how he's frowning at him. It gives him a boost of confidence and he can't help but smirk triumphantly, which doesn't go unnoticed by Rikiya, who's now clenching his fists in anger.

Kiryu turns his attention back to Rikiya and sees the way he's looking at majima.

“Is everything alright Rikiya?”

“Huh? Oh! Yes… I was just wondering if I could join in on the fight.”

“I guess even a kid like him has his limits. This is gonna be fun.”

“I don't think that's a good idea. I don't want the kids to see us fighting.”

“But Aniki, I want to see what makes him such a good fighter. You always talked about how strong he is, I want to see it for myself.”

Kiryu blushed, and majima looked at kiryu surprised, which then turned into a smile. It made him feel good to know that he talked about him when he left.

“Still, there's no need for this, we shouldn't have been doing this.” Kiryu said, looking ashamed.

“Don't worry Kiryu-chan, you can just tell the kids we’re practicing our wrestling skills. Taichi told me he wanted to try and wrestle with me anyway, so this is a good way to practice.”

“Niisan, don't provoke him," he whispered.

“What? He offered, you can always stay on guard if you're that worried. " Besides I'd like to see if he is just all bark and no bite.”

“Niisan… fine, just…don't be too hard on him.”

“Fine… but he's asking for it.”

They get into a fighting stance. Majima is looking more relaxed than Rikiya, which only aggravates him more. Rikiya throws the first punch and Majima dodges while looking unfazed. It's clear who has the upper hand, however the more Majima dodges the more agitated Rikiya becomes.

Rikaya grunts and looks furious. “Come on! Stop dodging and fight me!”

“If you can't even land a hit, what makes you think you can take one?”

He growls and launches towards him again. Majima dodges with ease and trips him so he lands face first into the sand.

Rikaya lifts his head and punches into the sand.

Kiryu can't let this bullying continue.

“Niisan! Give him a chance.”

Oh sure, says the too-proud-to-let-anyone-else-win-pocket-circuit guy.

Kiryu grunts and majima gives him a smirk, which only lasts for a second as a nasty punch lands right on Majima's cheek. He staggers and sees Rikiya heaving and looking at him with hate in his eyes. For some strange reason it makes him smile. This kid has guts, he wants to prove himself and doesn't just give up, in a way it reminds him of himself.

“Not bad, kid, not bad at all. He rubs his cheek and takes a fighting stance. You wanna dance then let's go.” Rikaya smiled and ran towards him.

This time, Majima lets him get some hits in and punches back when necessary. Rikiya was starting to get tired out but still managed to punch Majima in the stomach. Majima took the opportunity to knock a knee up to hit him at the jaw and then he did a spin and kicked Rikiya into the ocean, the water was shallow enough for him to get up on his elbows. Seeing that the kid wasn't in danger of drowning, he turned his attention to kiryu who was looking at him with a scowl.

“Well, I think we know who won.”

“Niisan, you didn't have to be so mean to him.”

“Come on Kiryu-chan, I gave him many chances and he still couldn't win. Besides, this was boring compared to our fights.”

Kiryu was about to look away blushing, when he noticed Rikiya running up behind Majima trying to get another hit in, but enough was enough.

Kiryu reacted quickly and grabbed Rikiya’s fist before it hit Majima. Majima turned around startled and saw how kiryu looked furiously at Rikiya.

“That's enough!”

“Aniki, please! I can still keep going.”

“No, if this keeps going you could get severely hurt and also it's a dirty trick to hit from behind. I expected better of you.” kiryu scolded

Rikaya started to look sad but also slightly annoyed, feeling like he was treated like a kid.

“Okay fine… I'm sorry, but I just needed a chance… I wanted to prove myself.”

“There's better ways than to play dirty.”

“It's just… it's not fair! I can't even land a single hit. I want to be strong enough for you kiryu-san.”

“Why?”

“Because… Because you only pay attention to Majima-san. It must be because he's stronger!”

“Kid, do I need to remind you that I just got out of the hospital.”

He grunted. “Even so it doesn't seem like you want to hang out with me anymore Aniki… I get that Majima-san needs time to recover, but do you have to spend all your time with him? We're friends too right!?”

“Rikiya, I understand that you're frustrated, but if you want to hang out with me just say it, we don't need these big spectacles.”

“But I did try to tell you! But you keep brushing me off and besides, didn't Majima do worse things to you back in Kamurocho?”

“No one likes a copycat kid, also I did it to train Kiryu-chan, so don't expect me to do something for nothing.”

“Well… still! It doesn't seem fair that as soon as your old buddy comes back you just forget about the rest of us…”

“Rikiya… You have to understand, majima isn't just a dear friend to me, he's specifically in my custody for now, so of course I have to pay more attention to him.”

Majima rolled his eyes. Whether it was because of the “friend” comment or the reminder that he's in custody, he isn't too sure. Both options were an annoying reminder.

“Look kid, just let it go, you've already lost and me and kiryu-chan have something special that you wouldn't understand.”

Kiryu glared at Majima. It looked like he was about to punch him any minute.

“Something…special? Aniki, what is he talking about?”

“Look, it's hard to explain just… let it go.”

“No! If we are really friends, then tell me what's going on!”

Kiryu was starting to get annoyed, he growled and noticed a hand on his shoulder, majima was looking at him with a concerned look.

Kiryu took a deep breath “Rikiya there's… something I haven't told you. And it's not because I don't want to, it's just this difficult for me. Not many people are accepting of who I am and it's not just because I'm a Yakuza but me and Majima-san are…”

“What?”

“He's…my boyfriend…”

Rikaya didn't say anything or move, completely flabbergasted. After a few seconds he blinked. “You're boyfriends!?”

Kiryu shushed him. “Not so loud, I didn't want the kids to hear.”

“Oh… I see… wait, what about Yumi?”

“She knows, and has allowed it since the beginning.”

“Oh…okay I understand.” he looked really sad but looked frustrated at Kiryu. “I wish you would have told me earlier, Aniki… But I understand that it's not an easy thing to admit.” he turns and bows to Majima. “Majima-san I am so sorry for trying to hit you behind your back, that was uncalled for. I hope you can forgive me.”

“It's fine, just stop annoying Kiryu-chan, please...”

He clenches his fists but just looks down “i will…I um… I gotta go, and don't worry I won't tell anyone.” he says with a sad voice. Then with a sad look, he walks away.

Kiryu watches as he leaves and sighs. He looks over to majima who smiles at him proudly.

“Ya did good Kaz.”

“It ´doesn't feel like it.”

“I know, but it's better this way, at least I don't have to fight for your attention anymore.”

That seemed to surprise Kiryu “You think I didn't pay attention to you?”

He huffed a laugh. “No, I think you're doing what any good boyfriend would do, care about his lover. Point is, I'm just glad I don't have to fight a hopeless battle anymore.” as he says it, he snuggles up to Kiryu.

Kiryu wraps his arm around him. “But you never had to fight for my attention.”

“I know, and that makes me feel so special.” He kisses him on the cheek.

Kiryu smiles and looks around the beach to make sure no one can see them, before he leans in and gives majima a kiss.

***

It had been a month and a half. Majima was pretty much a part of morning glory, by now. Even the humidity, he complained so much about, seemed to not bother him so much anymore. The therapist he's been talking to seems to help a lot too. He doesn't talk a lot with his therapist, but he always feels more relaxed afterwards. But kiryu can't help but wonder what his plans are. He knows that he has been talking to the therapist about it, but he never goes into detail. He keeps saying that he's not sure, but it seems like he has a plan in mind. and it frightened him to think that even after everything they have been through, he would still consider leaving. Kiryu hoped, desperately, that wasn't the case but who could know with Majima.

***

It was late in the night, majima was sitting by the beach looking at the waves, he knew that it was probably a bad idea what he was about to do, but with almost 2 two months of freedom and talking to a therapist, he decided to go through with his plan. The hardest part would be telling Kiryu… how he would react?

“Niisan?”

Majima flinched a bit; he must have been really lost in his thoughts.

“Kiryu-chan, I didn't think you were still awake.”

“Well, it's been a lot easier to sleep with you by my side, so…”

“You're too sweet kiryu-chan, sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve ya.”

“I wonder the same with you.” He says with a smile

Majima smiles back, but it quickly falters, he looks down to the sand with a somber expression.

“Niisan, are you okay?”

“Yeah…I'm fine but… I need to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

“…Did you talk to Yasuko?”

The way Kiryu's eyes widened tells majima everything he needs to know, but it would have been nice to hear it from him.

“I…I'm sorry Niisan. I wanted to tell you but I was scared. I didn't think it was the right moment for you to see her, the last thing I wanted was to see you spiral once again. I just couldn't let that happen.”

“I'm not mad, Kiryu-chan.”

“I… Wait really?”

“Yeah, I mean, I hope she didn't come back to yell at me some more. He tried to joke. “But whether she wanted to apologize or not I don't think it was the right time either. I already felt miserable after seeing your terrified face, so as much as I hate to admit it, I don't think I could have handled facing her, so thank you, Kiryu-chan.”

Kiryu looked stunned. He really didn't think that majima really was okay with his decision but now he's glad he did it.

“Oh… You're welcome?”

“Heh, ya don't gotta look so nervous”

“Sorry, I was not expecting you to react like this.”

“Well I was thinking of lashing out on ya but after thinking about it and talking to that therapist lady, I figured this was the outcome, and I think i wanted this in the end.”

Kiryu hums. “How did you find out?”

“Hmm?”

“That I talked to her?”

“Oh, Haruka told me back at the hospital. I didn't really know when to bring it up, until now, I guess.”

“Why now?”

He sighs. “because I've made a decision.”

Kiryu's nervous about asking the following question but the look on Majima's face tells him he's determined, so he has to.

“And what is it?”

“…I'm going back.”

Kiryu looked down sadly, he knew there was a possibility of this happening, but he wanted to believe that Majima would be happy here, but it seems like he was wrong. Or maybe he still felt responsible and wanted to keep his promise. Either way he's going to have a hard time dealing with his heart that feels like it's crushing into a million pieces.

“Kiryu-chan, look at me.”

He looks up slowly and he can't hide how glassy his eyes look.

“It's not for the reason you think.”

“Then is it because I lied ?”

“What? No. Kiryu-chan it's not because of anything you did or any promises I made. I'm doing this because I want to help my kyodai.”

What? That wasn't what he was expecting. After everything he had been through. He didn't expect that he would support someone who would supposedly kill him.

“Why? Are you still…?” he couldn't finish that sentence. The thought of majima dying to his kyodai because majima believes everything is his fault, is something that he can't wrap his head around. Just the thought feels soul crushing.

“Am I still what? Suicidal?”

Kiryu nods, if this is really how it is, Kiryu might burst into tears.

“Kiryu-chan… I'm not going to let him kill me, at least not anymore.”

“What?”

“Listen, I've been thinking about it, and as much as it hurt to hear all those things Yasuko said to me, it did give me a reality check. I still wish I hadn't gone so far but there's nothing I can do about it now. The point is even if my kyodai hates me or not, I still feel like I owe it to him to give him a place in the clan, and I think he deserves an explanation for what happened back in 85.”

“But didn't you say he might kill you? what if you don't get a chance to explain?”

“Don't worry Kiryu-chan, I'm not gonna make the same mistake twice.”

“I want to believe you but…”

“Listen Kazuma… I might not have seen my brother in almost 20 years but I think that even if he hates my guts, he would need to hear from his own brother what happened, but if it makes you so worried, I promise, I'll have backup. It's a lot more interesting making him think he has the upper hand though.”

“I… I understand Niisan, but you don't have to stay in the clan to help him. isn't there another way? The Tojo deserves better than you and-”

“Kazuma”

“Yes…?”

“I promise you, I'm going to survive. This is just one of those things about honor. I might not look like it, but I do take the code seriously too. I have to do this otherwise everything I waited for would really have been for nothing. Just think of it as when you had to face Nishiki. I'm sure you would have pummeled me harder than ever before if I tried to interfere.

Kiryu knows he's right but…

“I just wish you didn't have to stay in the clan, you're clearly miserable there. I almost lost you because of that damned place!”

Majima reaches out and cups Kiryu's face with his hands and kisses him all over his face to calm him down. Kiryu can't help but whimper as a few tears fall, majima kisses them away.

“Kiryu, I'm not staying forever.”

Kiryu looks at him in surprise. Majima giggles at his confused expression.

“You're so cute when you're flustered.”

“Oi, don't steal my lines.”

Majima laughs and slowly lets go of Kiryu's face to grab his hand.

“Kiryu-chan, I just need to do this last thing. Once my bro is back he can probably handle things himself. He always cared more about patriarchal stuff than me, maybe I'll even give him my family, so he'll never be bored again.”

“Then… What will you do?”

He stretches and groans a bit.

“I think I'll retire for good. Got more than enough money to last me a lifetime but I've never been good at staying put, so I'm sure I'll probably make some other company.”

That's reassuring, but does that mean that majima doesn't want to stay with him? Maybe what he said in the hospital was just a roundabout way of saying that they're done but it wouldn't make any sense. Is majima really so unhappy in Okinawa?

“Well I hope you find something that makes you happy as far away from the Tojo as possible.” He tried to sound calm, as if saying those words didnt hurt him.

Whether Majima stayed or not, he deserved to be happy and seeing him make that decision satisfied him, even though he can feel his heart break a little bit. Maybe they just aren't meant to be.

“Yeah, that would be nice. Maybe I could find a nice place by the beach.”

“But I thought you didn't like hot weather?”

“I guess, I've gotten used to it, but it would mostly be for the nice views, like the sun setting, all the stars and maybe something else if you catch my drift.” he says with a smirk.

“Oh… I see…” he knew what he meant. Maybe a new start somewhere else would include someone else too, but Kiryu couldn't be mad at him. He can't keep expecting that Majima would keep being there for him especially after everything they have been through.

“I was thinking maybe the sun isn't enough, maybe I need someone with sun kissed skin too.”

Kiryu grunted, he didn't need to know about some imaginary person Majima might want. After all that has happened he doesn't need the image of him being happy somewhere else and with someone else… The thought fills him with sadness and jealousy.

“Strong, but gentle too.”

And now his blood is starting to boil.

“I don't need to know more, Niisan”

“Haw?”

“Whatever you want to do in the future is up to you but I don't need details of some… person.” he couldn't finish that sentence he looked away with a scowl. Why couldn't he be enough for majima? He would do anything for him, but he guessed that he just couldn't make him happy.

But before Kiryu could dwell deeper into his own self loathing, he heard Majima burst out into laughter.

Kiryu was really pissed off now “What's so funny!”

“Kiryu-chan, are you actually serious right now?”

“Well if you wanna find someone far away I'm not going to tell you what to-” he got cut off with a kiss on his lips and realization slowly hit him. He looked at majima stunned, feeling a little stupid.

“I'm talking about you, dumbass.”

“I…I knew that..”

“Uh-huh? Come on Kiryu-chan, I've seen your jealous outbursts, I know exactly what you were thinking.”

Kiryu was about to protest, but majima silenced him with a kiss. Just showing him how much majima loves him. Sure he did feel like a dumbass but to know that Majima wanted a life with him after he completed his duties filled him with hope. He broke the kiss and looked at him with a tender expression, one that Majima mirrored. Majima cupped his face again and gave him a small peck.

“Will you wait for me?”

“Always. You will always have a home here.”

“Hehehe, cozy in the dragon's cave.” huh he says with a smirk and something that is an attempt of a wink.

“As long as the dog runs free.”

Kiryu almost regretted saying that. Thinking it was something offensive, majima just smiled and went back to kissing him.

There laying in the sand were two big time Yakuza’s kissing like teenagers, like nothing could pull them apart. Majima began shuffling until he was over Kiryu, still kissing him, but it was clear that he wanted something else. Kissing on the beach was as far as Kiryu was willing to go. He wasn't ready to get caught fucking Majima into the sand.

“Niisan…”

“Don't want anyone to see us?”

“Preferably.”

“Come, let me show you something.”

Kiryu followed majima behind the big rocks on the beach, to a secluded little area where there were trees surrounding them. Kiryu noticed there had been people there before from the footprints. But before Kiryu could ask, Majima pulled him into a kiss again.

“How'd you know this place?” He said in between kisses.

“You didn't hear from me, but this is a hideout for the boys. I know this probably isn't a romantic setting but it's private.”

“Good enough for me.”

They went back to kissing and Kiryu slowly pulled down Majima's shorts, revealing his erection.

Kiryu kneeled down, getting a good look at his cock but also to get a good look at his face. The moonlight was shining down on him, lighting up his face beautifully.

Kiryu started by dropping a kiss on the tip, and then licked down the shaft till he reached his balls just lightly licking and sucking until Kiryu fully took him into his mouth. Majima gasped. He quickly covered his mouth to muffle any sounds. Kiryu thought he looked so mystical in the moonlight. He didn't give himself a chance to control his gag reflex as he went for it, he didn't want to. He wanted to please Majima, even if it meant discomfort on his part. He didn't mind so much, even as tears streamed down his face, he wanted to keep going. There was a part of him that thought maybe he was so willing to do this so he didn't have to face his feelings, so that he could cry without being asked why. He lost himself in the feeling, every so often looking up at him. He wished he could do this forever. Keep Majima by his side for the rest of his life. He didn't want to think about the fact that he might not see him for who knows how long. Or if he's going to be safe. He just wants to enjoy this moment, as if it were their last. A selfish part of him was mostly hurt because he knew he would be lonely again, he had never felt so happy as he did with Majima and although they would be together again one day, he was dreading the days he would spend alone, longing for him, dreaming about him. It made him realize that even with this bit of happiness he had made for himself here, he would never be able to be as happy with anyone else but him. As the tears kept falling and he kept on sucking him. He heard him whimper, he could hear majima try to hold back his moans desperately.

“Fu-fuck! K-kiryu-chan, wait please.”

Kiryu pulled back and caught his breath. Majima gasped, then he smiled at him.

“I want to come together with you.”

He pulls him to his feet and pulls down his shorts. Kiryu whimpers as Majima begins rubbing their cocks together.

“G-goro…”

“Kazuma…”

Kiryu clung to his biceps like his life depended on it while he looked him in the eye. He couldn't keep his whimpers down as he closed his eyes and rested his forehead on Majima`s.

“Niisan…”

“I'm here… I'm here.”

Both of them moaned loudly as they came in unison. Maybe it was the post nut clarity or just the weight of the situation but as their breathing started to slow, Kiryu whimpered again, and wrapped his arms around Majima in a tight grip. He tried to keep his sobs down to no avail.

“Kiryu-chan…”

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to end this on such a bad note.”

“What do you have to apologize for Kiryu-chan? In fact, thank you.”

“What for?”

“For being you, for sticking by my side despite all the trouble and worries I've brought you, but most importantly for saving my life.”

“What do you mean?”

“As much as I hate to admit it, throughout most of my life I've been waiting for the end, and when I finally thought I'd get there, I wake up, and the first thing I see is your face. If that isn't enough of a sign to see there's a reason to keep going, I don't know what is.”

“I don't know how I feel about being the only reason you're alive.” He said sadly while looking away from him.

He grabbed his chin to make him look into his eye. “You're not the only reason, but you are the biggest.”

“Can I ask what the other reason is?”

Majima looked nervous like he hadn't thought through what it was, but when he looked at Kiryu's sad eyes he knew the answer.

“I can't stand the thought of hurting you all again.”

He cupped Kiryu's face and looked at him with sad eyes before leaning in to kiss.

Kiryu relaxed as he kissed him back with tenderness and love. It's hard to not believe him but he looks so remorseful. It is enough to put his heart at ease for the moment.

“Come, there's a place higher up where we can watch the moon.”

“How'd you manage to find out before me? they wouldn't even talk to you two weeks ago.”

“Just part of my charisma.” he said proudly. “-and a bit of bribery.”

Kiryu huffs a laugh and follows majima.

True to his word they found an area where they could lay down comfortably while the moon shone down on them. Majima sat down first. Patting the sand to tell kiryu to lay down. So they laid there in silence for a bit.

“You know, this is all I want.”

“Me too Kiryu-chan, me too.”

“I really should have taken you with me instead of leaving you behind. I wished things could always be like this.”

“I don't blame you Kiryu-chan. I fucked up and lied to you. It makes sense ya didn't want to be around me anymore.”

“Niisan, I didn't leave because you lied, I left because I was scared you would get hurt more because of me.”

“That's not what i thought, but can't say I don't understand, but it didn't hurt any less.”

“I'm sorry…”

“Me too.”

“You don't have to apologize.”

“Yes I do, ya still feel like this is your fault, when it's mine. I don't want to leave, with ya feeling like this is your fault.”

“It's okay, Niisan, I believe you, but please if you ever feel like this again, please talk to me or anyone…”

Majima looked away. “Don't worry, there won't be a next time, I promise.”

Kiryu took him by the chin and leaned in to kiss him.

“I will always be here for you, don't ever forget that.”

“Oi, wasn't it supposed to be me that watched ya all the time?”

“Hmm, maybe” he kisses him again “I think it's about time I return the favor.”

“Oi, Kiryu-chan, don't get any bad ideas.”

“Touche, I only seem to get bad ideas around you.” He says with a smile

“Heh, that would be interesting. I would love to see the mad dragon of Dojima.”

“Didn't you say you didn't like copycats.”

“Heh, guess I only get bad ideas around you too, but that ain't new.”

They both lay in the sand giggling and spend hours just talking about mundane stuff. Eventually they do get to the rougher stuff. Like what's been happening the last 6 months and even everything before that, and before they knew it, they were both in a deep sleep.

They both woke up to the sun rising, smiling to each other even brighter than the sun itself.

“Morning niisan.”

“Hey gorgeous, guess we dozed off huh? What time is it?” he said while sitting up to stretch.

Kiryu sat up and stretched as well. His back was not on board with sleeping in the sand but he would do it again just to see majima shining in the sunlight. It might be the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

After discreetly getting back into the house, they realized it was very early in the morning so they decided to make breakfast for everyone together. As they stood side by side, Kiryu looked at majima like he was the most beautiful person in the entire world. It felt like there was no one else but them. This feeling of domesticity felt too good to be true, but as if on cue Majima’s phone began ringing.

With a sigh, Majima wipes his hands, goes to the kitchen table to pick up his phone.

“Yes?”

Kiryu couldn't hear much of the call, but by the professional tone majima put on, it made him believe that it must be serious.

“Alright, I understand…see ya soon.”

Kiryu looked down so as to not appear as if he was eavesdropping, but Majima had always been able to read him. So when he felt arms embrace him from behind. Kiryu let out a long sigh and just enjoyed the feeling of Majima's arms around him for a few seconds before he could find the courage to ask.

“Who was it?”

“Daigo.”

“I see… so… I guess your vacation is over?” He tried to smile but it never reached his eyes.

“Yeah…I'm sorry.”

“No, it's okay, you said you wanted to go back, right? So who I'm I to stop you.” He said in a sad tone.

“Kiryu-chan.”

He lets go of him and grabs his shoulder to turn him around. He leans in to kiss him.

“Niisan we might get seen.”

“Please…”

He looked desperate, that one word was enough to let his guard down. They shared a long soft kiss, just enjoying their last moment together until they would meet again. There was something about this that felt so familiar, his mind wandered back to the day he left Majima in Kamurocho. He looked so sad, as if he had completely given up. That sad look he gave Kiryu, before he turned away, would forever haunt him. Unconsciously he wrapped his arms around him and kissed him more passionately.

Majima didn't resist, but he could feel the sorrow from the way kiryu shook. It reminded him of the last time they were together in bed. How angry and sad kiryu was but still treated him with so much care, now he understood how scared Kiryu must have been. One day he would make it up to him, and when he does, he will never leave again.

They broke off the kiss. Majima was cupping Kiryu's face and looking at him with so much love, so much that majima had to let his feelings be known. Kiryu deserved it after everything Majima had put them through.

“...I love you too”

Kiryu's eyes widened, but it soon turned into the biggest smile he has ever seen. Majima couldn't help but smile back.

“you never let me tell you.”

“Guess I just wanted to beat you at something for once.”

Kiryu laughs and kisses his cheek. He leaned close to his ear.

“I love you.”

“I know.” He tried to seem unmoved but kiryu could feel him shiver.

He moved away and took Majima's hand. His smile faded.

“So I guess, this is goodbye for now?”

“Not so fast Kiryu-chan! I'd feel bad leaving everyone without saying goodbye. I do have to leave tonight but for now I'm going to enjoy my last day here like there is no tomorrow.”

Kiryu laughed and pulled majima in for a hug. He imagined how their future would be. He couldn't wait, but for now he had to give majima a proper sendoff.

“Alright, how about we finish breakfast and head out to play some baseball with the kids later.”

“That's my kiryu-chan!”

***

When he announced his departure to everyone, they were all surprised and upset, instantly shouting that he has to come to their birthday and give them his number. Majima found the whole thing heartwarming. He couldn't wait to live here.

As promised they played baseball, and Kiryu couldn't help but find it adorable how easy he was with the kids. Of course, they are both very competitive, so the game turned out a lot more serious than they expected, but at least the kids were having fun.

Before they knew it the sun was starting to set and dinner was brought to the table. As they ate they all started talking about how much fun it had been to have majima live with them and they couldn't wait for him to come back. Majima was holding back tears, he had really started to like this place and now he had to leave it all. He decided to direct the conversation to something else, or else he would break. So he started talking about when he and Kiryu first met. Laughter roared throughout the house as he mentioned all the shenanigans they got into, and with luck he would be able to leave on a happy note.

After dinner all the kids started gathering plates to wash, Kiryu noticed haruka winking at him as she picked up his plate, they smiled at each other and Haruka went to take Majima's plate.

“Oh, ya don't have ta haruka-chan.”

“I know, but it's your last day here so enjoy it,” She said as she looked towards kiryu, that was when he understood and nodded at her.

Haruka was the last to leave, and then it was just them, they smiled at each other. Kiryu stood up and took Majima's hand to lead him into his room.

As soon as the door closed, Kiryu kissed majima passionately.

“Kiryu-chan, you're really gonna get me worked up with all the kids in the house?”

“No…it's just… this is harder than I thought.”

Majima cupped Kiryu's face.

“Hey, it's gonna be okay, I won't go down that path again, I promised.”

“I know, it's just…I'll miss you.”

Majima leaned in to kiss him again.

“I'll miss you too, but don't worry I won't let you ghost me this time. I'm still gonna be on your ass 24/7.” he said proudly. “ just… over the phone I guess.” he laughs nervously

“I don't think that'll be possible, Niisan. but I promise you I will never ghost you again. I'll be sure to call you every day.”

“Same for you… You know, I'm really glad you're here. The kids love you and you seem happy. I'm really glad you came here.”

“I just hope you'll like it here too, when you stay for good.”

“Considering how well things have been going for the last few weeks I think I'll get used to it. The only problem is…” he trailed off

“Goro…”

“Sigh… I'm gonna have to deal with this broken brain of mine and I know it'll have an effect on you too.”

“Goro, you're not broken, and you've been through so much and are still going strong. I still think I'm not good enough for you but as long as you'll want me, I'll try to help you in any way I can no matter what.”

“Heh…typical kiryu-chan, always so heroic. In that case, I'll try my best too, but knowing me, it's gonna be a mess.”

“I know, but I can handle it.”

“I know you can, that's why there's nobody like you.”

Kiryu was about to retort when majima embraced him.

“I'll be back, I promise.”

“I know, just be safe okay? and please call me if you're hurting again.”

He leaned back and looked at kiryu with a loving expression.

“I will. Well I guess I should get ready huh?”

“Let me help you.”

“No need to watch my every move, kiryu-chan, that's my job for you.”

“Just want to make sure you don't forget anything.” He says with a smirk

“So clingy.”

“Said the pot to the kettle.”

They laugh and begin to pack up Majima's belongings.

***

It was time. Everything was ready. All the kids were standing outside to wave majima goodbye but as Haruka approached him to give him a hug, all of the other kids followed suit. Kiryu couldn't help but chuckle a little at the scene. He had barely noticed Yumi standing next to him, he almost jumped.

“Are you going to be alright with him leaving?”

“Yes, he said he would come back one day and stay.

Yumi smiled, it reminded him of when they were kids. He smiled at her.

“It's been so good to see you so happy. It's going to be exciting when he moves in.”

“Yeah…When…”

Kiryu tried to push down the lonely feeling in his heart, he knew it wouldn't be as before, but seeing him surrounded by his kids and feeling the love they all share made this even harder. This was everything he ever wanted.

“Well kids, if ya don't move now I'm gonna step all over ya and Kiryu-chan would throttle me if I accidentally hurt any of you.”

They all laughed and pulled away from him.

“Alright, kids, take care of each other alright?”

“Yes!”

“Haruka, make sure your dad doesn't eat anymore worms.”

She burst out laughing and Kiryu looked away annoyed, all the kids just giggled most likely because they knew.

Yumi turned to Kiryu with a Stunned look. “Wait, what!?”

Kiryu looked to the side, obviously embarrassed,and Yumi just cringed.

“Kiryu, Yumi, thank you for letting me stay here.”

“Don't be silly, we're always happy to have you, Although now I'm not sure I can say the same for this guy.” Said Yumi, pointing towards kiryu.

Kiryu only grunts.

“Heh sorry kiryu-chan didn't want to leave with everyone looking so sad.”

He could understand that but he would like to not always be the butt of the joke.

“Anyway, I won't forget what you've all done for me, I can't wait to see you all again.”

Yumi stepped forward and hugged majima which only made kiryu more annoyed but Majima stuck his hand out so he could pull Kiryu into a group hug.

“Text us when you get back, okay?”

“You can count on it.”

As they pull away, Majima gives one last loving look towards kiryu and says “See ya soon, all of ya”

“Yeah, see you soon majima-no-niisan.”

The formality made majima huff a laugh and then he turned towards the exit where the two lion statues were guarding morning glory. He looked back one last time to wave goodbye to everyone and after a couple of steps, he was out of view.

Kiryu let out a sigh. He was already missing him but at least he wanted to make sure majima could have his exit without sadness.

Yumi puts a hand on his shoulder. “Are you really going to be okay Kazuma?”

“Yeah, this time, I'm sure.”

She pulls him in for a hug and for once he doesn't pull away

“Are you okay dad?”

He turns to look at Haruka with all the kids behind her.

“Yeah, don't worry about me.”

She still goes to hug him. It's still a bit uncomfortable for him, but it is important to her so he hugs her back and all the kids join as well. Kiryu smiles and tries to embrace them all to his best ability.

“Heh, alright everyone, let's clear the table and set up your futons.

“Okay uncle Kaz!”

And now everything is back to normal or well to how it used to be. Although he was glad things went so well, now Kiryu is going to spend many nights longing for Majima. At least they can call each other, but even with the hope of a future together, it still hurts that he has to return to the place he hates. Of course kiryu would not try to convince Majima to stay, but to know that he would continue fighting in a place he hated would make him concerned. The only thing he could do now is support Majima and be in his life as much as possible. Starting with calls and texts. Although he would have to ask Haruka for help, he needs to get better at picking Emojis.

***

Home.

Or just his resting place until he would leave forever. It's not like he hated the place, he had so many good memories there, but it would never truly feel like a home without Kiryu and Haruka. He writes kiryu a message telling him that he's home. He sighs, and walks into the living room, to the place where “it” happened. He was surprised to see a plant where the incident occurred. And as he looked around the apartment, he noticed how clean it was compared to when he left. Nishida must have cleaned the place and tried to change the scenery so he wouldn't be reminded of his mistake. The gesture touched him. He sent a quick message to nishida.

“Thanks, but that plant is gonna have a short life you know.”

“Good to have you back sir, I'm sorry to do this on such short notice but we have a meeting tomorrow and it's important that you are there.”

“Yeah, yeah, I'll be there but now gonna crash, bye 👹”

He turned off his phone and took a deep breath. He wanted to blame the jet lack for being so tired but he knew a part of it is the melancholy. He might be back together with Kiryu and be a part of his family again, but he was also getting lonely, but he made his choice and he is sticking to it. Even though he'll be lonely for who knows how long, until saejima gets released.

He heads to the bedroom and strips to his underwear. He crawls into bed and looks at his phone one last time before going to sleep. As he does, a message from kiryu pops up.

“Glad you're home safely, I'll call you tomorrow, goodnight Niisan.”

He read it over a few times while having a big smile on his face.

“Sweet dreams, Kiryu-chan~”

He turned the phone off and imagined laying on the beach with Kiryu's arms around him. As he drifted off, he thought of what their future would look like. Comforted by the fact that one day it would be real, he let himself drift into a blissful sleep. One day, he would be free.

One day, he would come home.

The end.