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He wasn't sure when it had happened, or why, but Majima just felt... wrong in his own skin. Talking felt like he was choking on his own words, and his face felt bare, too exposed. Unsafe. He was too readable, too predictable, too, too--
He'd just been having a nice time. He'd been feeling a little off-kilter lately, sure, but that was par for the course. No amount of love and care could change that he was always going to be... a little broken.
So, before Saejima could finish making dinner, he excused himself - said he wasn't up for it right now, but Kiryu and him could enjoy.
He stole away to his and Kiryu's room with an almost-silent sigh, pulling his worn hannya mask from its resting place on the wall.
...He certainly wasn't going to wear the suit in this damn heat. What else could he do, though... this shirt wasn't comfortable, wasn't him. He rifled through their shared closet, when something over on Kiryu's side caught his eye... One of his red and gold kariyushi. He reached out for it, giving it a sniff...
It smelled faintly of him, like he'd cheated it from the laundry pile. Yes... so comforting, drowning out some of his nervous edge. He made quick work of putting both the articles on, leaving his own shirt in a heap on the futon. Without even putting on a pair of sandals, he stepped outside, feeling the warm, gentle breeze against his skin.
It was too much skin, but there wasn't anything more he could do about it without sweltering. He grabbed the collar of the shirt, pulling it up to his face and taking another deep breath.
Kiryu, Kiryu, Kiryu...
His feet carried him out to the beach. With the mask filtering his remaining vision, he couldn't well appreciate the dazzling sunset before him, but there it was... Not hidden behind a towering skyline, but clear enough he could almost touch it. Soon the stars would come out to play, and the night would be his...
He could wait until then.
He'd always had an appreciation for the quiet and the peaceful, though they were hard to come by in Kamurocho. He'd thought that finding peace meant just letting that shit slide into the background - but ever since he'd come to Morning Glory, he'd realised the lie he'd been telling himself.
Kiryu and Saejima helped for sure. Kiryu he'd wanted since the day they'd met, and Saejima had been his closest friend in his youth. The years apart from either of them hadn't waned his love, different as each love was, and now he had them here with him...
His. All his. He liked the sound of that.
As the sky darkened, he spent the hour just watching the world fade, letting his thoughts amble along. Soon enough, though, he was startled by a voice-
"Kyoudai."
He must not have heard Saejima's footsteps. Damn his hearing.
"Ya doin' alright?"
He smiled, not that Saejima could see it from where he was standing, and nodded his head.
"Are you coming inside soon?" Kiryu asked, tablet turned to the loudest volume.
Majima just sat, staring straight ahead. Oh, of course he should go inside, but did he want to-?
Not particularly, at the moment. It had been a while since he'd last been... himself, as strange as it was to think. This version of himself, putting on this face, something like that. He just wanted to enjoy it to the fullest.
"Well," Saejima grunted, sitting down beside Majima, "Mind the company?"
Majima turned to look at him, tilting his head in question.
"Of course he wants to," Kiryu answered. For the many social blunders Kiryu had made over the years, he was always pretty good at intuiting these silent questions. Majima knew it was from personal experience.
"Damn, some kinda telepathy there, Kiryu?" Saejima chuckled, "'M sure I'll get there someday."
With a smile, Kiryu sat on Majima's other side, though gave him a bit more space than Saejima had. The hannya-masked Majima was always strict on his boundaries, so it was better to give him too much room than not enough. But tonight...
He patted beside him, beckoning Kiryu in closer. He obliged, shuffling in, and watched the skies as intently as Majima was.
There was a calm, comfortable silence between the three of them. Sure, soon they'd be going back in - hell, Majima wondered if they'd even eaten, and what had become of his own dinner. He was hungry as hell, but something about eating - especially in front of them - just turned him off right now. But for now, it wasn't worth worrying about.
He had his peace, finally, and that was all he needed.