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Majima hasn’t been the same since Kiryu’s death.
He was angry at first, a tightly-wound ball of fury who’d take it out on anyone that got too close – god bless the poor soul that broke the news – but those who knew him could see the sadness underneath, through the cracks in his mask. And then, out of nowhere, all that energy seemed to collapse. The shouting that reverberated through the halls turned to an unsettling quiet. He became hollow, numb. He’d lock himself in his office or just walk out and disappear.
It’s scarier than the anger, Nishida decides.
And on days like this, Nishida almost wishes Majima would start lashing out again. He’s sitting at his desk, oddly lifeless, unmoving as he stares blankly at a pile of paperwork. His pen has hovered over the same line for half an hour.
Maybe it would be best to give up and leave him alone. Majima might as well be a big flashing warning sign reading ‘do not touch’. He always tries to make himself seem that way, wrapped up in snakeskin and armed with blades and deadly glares so that no one dares come close. But Nishida has served under Majima long enough to know that when he pushes back the hardest is often when he needs others the most.
Nishida has never let the Mad Dog’s posturing stop him from trying to help. Even if every attempt at closeness or comfort over the years has been rejected, often violently, Nishida will persist despite the bruises. Trying not to cross boundaries, but always toeing the line, maybe a bit more than he should.
He’s got a soft heart, he supposes, and it hurts to see Majima close himself off when he clearly needs help, surrounded by people yet keeping himself isolated.
Nishida might have given up if it weren’t for Majima himself. He keeps sending Nishida mixed signals – he never lets Nishida care for him, but he keeps letting Nishida try, day after day and year after year. Nishida knows there must be a reason he’s still Majima’s right-hand man. And as long as Majima will keep him, he’ll stay, and he’ll keep trying.
But being stuck in the middle just feels awkward.
He fidgets in his seat at the other side of Majima’s desk, feeling trapped in place. There’s no need for him here, but Majima hasn’t sent him away, so here he stays, attempting to puzzle out what Majima wants from him. Mostly, he just stares at his patriarch and worries.
Majima’s eye is bloodshot. He hasn’t blinked in a while. He barely even looks like he’s breathing. In an eerie way, it kind of reminds Nishida of that time Majima dressed up as a zombie to prank Kiryu. He’s sure Majima wouldn’t want to be reminded of that, so he shakes away the thought. But he has to say something.
He clears his throat. “Oyaji?”
Majima’s eye slowly traces its way up to him. “What?” he asks, although it's deadpan, barely a question.
“You look tired. You should go home,” Nishida urges as gently as possible.
Majima just scowls. “I’m fine.” He snatches up his pen, staring down at his paperwork like he’s ready to fight it, but he can’t seem to get a single word written. He scrubs at his twitching eye with a scoff. “Perfectly fine,” he grits out, but his voice is low and dull.
Nishida’s shoulders slump. “Boss…”
Majima messily scrawls something down. It doesn’t look legible. Nishida will probably have to correct that later.
“Can’t you see I have work to do? Stop yer sighin’!” He roughly flips the page and starts working on the next one – although ‘work’ isn’t a very accurate description of his manic scribbling.
“I know things have been hard for you lately…” Nishida starts with trepidation. Majima doesn’t bother to give him a response, petulantly ignoring it, and Nishida takes that as his cue to keep going. “You should be easier on yourself. Don’t force yourself to work when you’re not feeling up to it.” He knows he’s really pushing it, but he continues, pleadingly, “I just want what’s best for you, sir.”
That last sentence gives Majima pause. He looks up at Nishida, wide-eyed. By now, he should be able to see the truth behind that.
Nishida’s always there to follow his every whim and fulfill every order, even if they contradict and change in an instant. He keeps track of Majima’s needs even when Majima forgets to – enough to know that Majima hasn’t eaten a proper meal or had a full night’s sleep in at least a few days. And Nishida is one of the only people brave enough to stand up against Majima’s bad ideas and self-destructive stubbornness. Even if he gets hurt in the process, he just brushes himself off and stands back up again. In spite of everything, he’s been by Majima’s side for many long, loyal years.
Majima groans and leans his head in his hand. “You’re really not gonna stop, are ya?”
“No, sir,” Nishida responds, unable to hold back a small hint of a smile. “Not until I can get you back to feeling better.”
Majima grimaces. He drops his pen and idly watches it roll across the papers, biding his time as he thinks. Then he suddenly pushes his chair back from the desk and shrugs his shoulders in defeat. “Fine, fine, you got me. Ain’t getting shit done, anyway.”
Majima slumps back in his chair. It takes him a moment to work up the energy to stand as Nishida organizes the mess of scattered papers and supplies on his desk.
“Good. Everyone’s been worried. We all care about you a lot, okay?” Before Majima can even grumble, Nishida casually switches the subject. “I’ll be sure to get these done for you, as soon as possible! And I’ll update you if anything important happens while you’re gone, of course…”
Out of the corner of his eye, Nishida can see Majima stride towards the door – but he stops in front of it, lingering in the doorway.
“Nishida?” he calls over his shoulder, gruff but much quieter than usual. He turns back.
Nishida immediately pauses his work. “Yes, sir?” When Majima gives no response, Nishida scurries out of his seat and comes to stand before him. “...Sir?”
Majima is silent. His lips are pressed into a thin line and his eye is averted. It’s clear that something is on his mind, even if he can’t make himself say it.
He looks back at Nishida, and without all his Mad Dog masks, a deep sadness is clear in his weary eye. It cuts through Nishida in a wordless plea, a cry for help.
For a moment, Nishida hesitates, stuck in place. He looks Majima up and down, taking in the exhausted slump in his shoulders, the paleness of his face and the shadow under his eye, the way even his snakeskin jacket seems duller. Nishida liked when Majima wore his suit, and Nishida could reach over and adjust his tie or straighten out his lapels – it’s easier when there’s something to fix. But he notices Majima’s hands, balled in fists at his sides, as if he’s trying to keep himself from reaching out.
Nishida isn’t sure if what he’s about to do is the right decision – it’s hard to tell where the line is in vulnerable moments like these – but it’s what his heart is telling him, so he says a silent prayer and wraps his arms around Majima in a tender but firm hug.
Miraculously, Majima relaxes into his embrace, and even returns it. Nishida lets out a sigh of relief.
“Thanks, kiddo,” Majima murmurs, his gloved hands resting on Nishida’s back.
Nishida feels his heart pang. How many years have they been working together now? He can’t remember, but he can clearly envision the moment when he was hired, and he was so thankful that all he wanted to do was wrap Majima up in a big hug. And he’s spent the last decade or so trying to pay it back, hoping that his years of unfaltering loyalty could eventually earn him a little bit of Majima’s trust.
His eyes start to water, and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t stop himself from sniffling into Majima’s shoulder.
“Oi, you okay?” Majima asks, rubbing his trembling back for a moment before they finally part.
“I’m sorry,” Nishida says, his voice wobbling slightly, “I’m supposed to be the one comforting you!”
Majima pats Nishida’s shoulder. “That’s alright. We all need a little comfort sometimes, eh?” He says it as if it was his idea, and not what Nishida has been trying to tell him all along.
Nishida just chuckles and wipes his teary eyes. “You’re right, sir. Thank you.”
Majima smiles, and although it’s bittersweet, a bit of his usual energy shines through it. It’s a small sign that things are going to be okay – one that Nishida finds he desperately needed. Even with a heap of work and an uncertain future ahead, Nishida feels a huge weight being taken off his shoulders.
Majima gives Nishida a light shove. It feels like a return to normal. “Alright, alright, enough with the sappiness. I'm getting outta here ‘fore I collapse.”
Before he turns to leave, Nishida rushes to say, “Take care of yourself, okay?”
“Yes, sir.” Majima gives him a sarcastic salute and a hint of a grin as he heads for the door. “Don't work yourself too hard, either, yeah? We've got lackeys for a reason.”
Nishida smiles. Although he'd probably get smacked upside the head for saying something so sentimental, that's one of the reasons why he loves the Majima Family so much — you're never alone.