Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Majima's POV

Majima came home from a long day. He was running on next to no sleep and all he had to show for it were a couple of bruises from some fights. At least his nose wasn’t broken or he wouldn’t have been able to discover the scent of cinnamon and apples. “Mmm… Kiryu-chan, I’m home!”

Kiryu turned around. He and Haruka were keeping an eye on the food that was cooking in the oven. In fact, it looked like whatever they were cooking, Haruka was using oven mitts so she could rotate it. Kiryu gave a nod in his lover’s direction, while Haruka was focused on the food, eyes unwavering.

“Whatchya makin’, Haruka-chan?”

“It’s an apple tart with almond cream!”

He chuckles and walks over to place a hand on her shoulder. “You had me at apple, sweetheart! Smells amazin’!”

Kiryu nodded in agreement. “It’s supposed to taste amazing, too. A friend of hers at school gave her the recipe.”

Majima raised his brows and smiled down at the little girl. “Izzat right? N’ you wanted to share it with yer uncles, huh?” He gave her a one-armed hug. “What’s in that thing, anyway? ‘Sides the apples n’ almond cream… n’ tart…”

Haruka giggled at that. “We cut up some fuji apples and put them to boil with some sugar and granulated sugar, then put a paper towel over it with an x in the middle…”

Kiryu continues. “We put in raisins, some lemon juice, and cinnamon powder. Then we made the cream - that’s almond powder, sugar, and cake flour combined with butter and egg - and we put it onto the crust. Then Haruka here arranged the apples and raisins.”

Majima shook his head with a smile, looking at the progress of the tart. “Gotta tell ya, it’s lookin’ pretty good. Smellin’ even better. Can’t wait to eat this!”

“No, Uncle Goro, it has to cool first. Then we need to glaze it.”

It really warmed the Mad Dog’s heart and he was having a case of puppy love. He went from itching for another fight to wanting to curl up by a fireplace and eat a yummy treat with his new family. He wished Saejima were here to enjoy this the way he was about to.

His mind was scrambled up with thoughts of what happened back in ‘85. All the good times the two of them shared in their brief amount of time together. All the watermelons, all the Korean barbecue…

He was brought back to reality when he felt a strong weight slump into the couch cushion beside him. “Majima-san…”

“Haw?” The combined scents of baked apples, cinnamon, raisins, and cinnamon made his stomach growl in desperation. He hadn’t eaten anything all day. Did they glaze the apples when they were done!? He was gonna be in food heaven. YES PLEASE!

Without hesitation, he hovered his open mouth over the fork and took a bite, scraping his teeth along the prongs of the silverware until his mouth was completely off of it. It was a sensation of feel-good flavors that he could only describe with, “Yum!”

He grabbed the fork and took it so he could eat the rest for himself. He was gobbling down bite after bite until Kiryu sighed. Majima swallowed the bite that was in his mouth, then dug the fork into the pastry, its crust responding nicely to the touch. “Ya want some, Kiryu-chan? You n’ Haruka baked it, after all.”

“Yeah.” Kiryu affirmed, opening his mouth to have a taste of his own.

Majima gave him a warm smile. “Open wide, Kiryu-chan.” And with that, he slowly offered the food onto Kiryu’s tongue and pulled it away when Kiryu started to chew.

“Mmm...that is really good.”

And with that, the two of them shared their little treat together, sitting side by side on the sofa.

Chapter Text

“I’ll punish ya in the name of every hostess the whole world over!” With that, Goromi stood up and dragged Kiryu out of the club by the wrist. Kiryu trudged along behind him while the two of them departed for a good fight.

“It’s like I told ya at the booth, Kiryu-chan.” Goromi said while she and the Dragon of Dojima walked out of the archway of Shine and onto Pink Street. “My man’s gotta be strong, or else it ain’t fun.” She cracked her knuckles and got into a fighting position.

Kiryu smirked. “I’m normally not one to hit a lady, Goromi, but I’ll do what I can to make it worth your time.”

~~~~~~~

Out of breath, Goromi got back up after their bout. “Ah, you really are… a tough man, Kiryu-chan...”

“You too…” Kiryu responded. “I never would have thought you could actually fight in that outfit.”

That got a laugh out of Goromi. “Heh heh! Of course I can! This dress was made just for you, Kiryu-chan! It’s real easy to make a move on ya in it!”

Kiryu shook his head and held his hand to his face in thought. “But there’s still something I don’t understand. Why do you wear all of that makeup and jewelry? Why put up this farce just to get me to fight you? It feels like you’re trying to hide your true self with each of these fights we have.”

“I ain’t the only one here wearin’ a mask, Kiryu-chan. All you’re doin’ is lyin’ to yerself. You n’ I both know ya got domesticated when ya were sittin’ in the slammer. Ya lost yer fightin’ spirit.” Kiryu opened his mouth to backtalk her. “Don’t try n’ tell me different. I know you.” She leaned in, her strawberry red lipstick mere inches away from her rival’s mouth. “Ya restrained yerself in this fight. Didn’t wanna go n’ hurt a lady. I can respect that. But I did this to teach ya somethin’.”

“And that is…?”

“Next time, I expect ya not to hold back.” Her heels clack as she turns away from him, her Hannya tattoo taunting Kiryu by hiding its vengeful face beneath the magenta snakeskin dress. “Well, I sure had fun tonight. And I feel like I got inside your head a little better too. It’ll be good reference material for later.”

“You’re still going on about that?” Kiryu pondered, exhausted by this little game.

Goromi here was far from done playing, however. “Heh heh, that’s all up to you now, ain’t it? See ya later, Kiryu-chan!”

And with that, she left Kiryu in the dust. When she was out of sight, she pulled off the wig and untied the cap. Majima headed home and had plans for his next course of action. He’d give him a fight he couldn’t refuse. But first, he had to wash all this make-up off of his face and underneath his eyepatch.

This would probably be his toughest role yet. He stared down the custom mask he’d be wearing for his next big encounter. He sighed and reached for it on the table, then put it to his face.

Chapter Text

Kiryu stepped out of the kitchen with a bowl of buttered popcorn in one hand and a filled glass of cola with ice in it in the other. It was his and Majima’s movie night, so the two of them were huddled up in the living room watching their movie of choice. It was Majima’s turn this week, so the two of them were watching the third installment of The Grudge.

From what Kiryu could tell at a glance, the doctor with long, brown hair was watching the monitor where Toshio was squatting in front of a door.

“Did I miss anything?” he inquired.

Majima shook his head no, his jacket dropped lazily onto the kitchen table so he can cuddle with his partner for warmth. “Not really. Doc was just doin’ her thing ‘til she saw the kid in the monitor here. Was gonna call somebody, but I think she’s investigatin’ it instead.”

“Ah.” Kiryu sat down and set the bowl of popcorn in Majima’s lap. The one-eyed man grabbed two fistfuls of popcorn and scarfed them down in what seemed like an instant. Kiryu couldn’t help but chuckle.

On their television, the doctor set foot into the hallway where she was expecting a half-naked, barefoot child to be waiting to be let inside. Her fingertips glided against the wall on her right while she turned the corner. She turned toward the camera that just moments ago had revealed the little boy. She was beginning to doubt herself. He couldn’t have gone through one of the other doors without an ID card.

Kiryu sipped his soda before setting it down on the table, leaning in slightly while he watched the doctor buzz herself back into the door she entered from.

That is, until the pale woman appeared from the small window. The music picked up and Kiryu had to reach for the remote on the floor to turn down the volume. “I thought I asked you not to pick a horror movie this time. You know the kids are sleeping in the other room.” He yelled in a whisper.

The grudge in their movie inched her pale, dead fingers over the heavy door. Majima waved a hand. “C’mon, it’s fine. They sleep like rocks, y’know that.” He eased himself closer to his beloved Kiryu-chan. “‘Sides, it’s the weekend. They’ll be sleepin’ in while we stay up alllllll night.” He got even closer and pressed his head between Kiryu’s pecs.

Kiryu couldn’t help the blush on his face. “You don’t need to say it like that…” When Kiryu looked back up, he saw the evil spirit’s cold gaze glaring at her next victim. It made him shiver. He sighed through his nose and held Majima in both arms, causing him to turn inward and knock over the bowl of popcorn. “I’ll clean it up later. You can eat off the blanket.”

Majima scoffed at the idea. “You HURT me, Kiryu-chan.” He chuckled and kissed his boyfriend’s neck. “But I love it when ya do that.” he teases. When he talked like that, Kiryu would hang on every word. This man was his one true weakness.

The doctor struggled to get out of the demon lady’s path, her tan heels up against the wall. When she turned to leave, however, that monster was staring her in the face, long bangs draped over her left eye.

“Didn’t your hair use to do that?” Kiryu asked. Majima nodded. “Hm. I sometimes miss your long hair.” He parted his fingers through Majima’s bowl cut.

“I don’t. Now c’mon, I ain’t seen this one, don’t keep talkin’ over it.”

The doctor scanned her ID card to open one of the doors. She slammed it shut and turned around to the next door. She hurried over and scanned the card only to find the door was jammed. The grudge was fast approaching, her body contorting with every step. The doctor tried the scanner again, only to find her soon to be killer warped through the steel door that stood in her way. She shrieked at the janitor on the other side to open the door, but it was too late. In an instant, her neck snapped, spilling her blood across the glass and the boring, white walls of the hospital.

Kiryu winced and had to look away for a moment. It got his lover’s attention. “Ya okay, Kiryu-chan?”

“Uh… Y-yeah. I’m fine. Cuz you’re here, right?”

“Hmhmhm… Right.”

Chapter Text

One by one, he watched them die. The three people he thought he couldn't live without for as long as he could remember. The people he called his family.

Pops.

Yumi.

Nishiki.

All of them, right before his very eyes. Gone. It haunted him so many times in his dreams. Where did everything go so horribly wrong?

He dreamt about losing Nishiki this particular evening. He watched his best friend pull a gun and aim it at the bomb that Yumi protected the ten billion yen with. He screamed his name while Nishiki squeezed the trigger with his shaking hand.

He woke up with a start in a cold sweat. He felt lost, powerless. Then he realized he was feeling something else. Two cold hands were firmly holding one of his. He knew exactly where he was now.

This was Majima's apartment.

Kiryu put his free hand to his forehead. Thoughts of losing his closest friend still spun around in his mind, making him feel dizzy. "Nishiki…"

"Kiryu-chan," a familiar voice called out to him. Kiryu turned his head to find Majima slipping out from under the blanket as he lifted his shirtless body up. "Bad dream again?"

"Y-yeah… I'm sorry if I woke you."

Majima shook his head no. "We all got nightmares, Kiryu-chan. But these nightmares come with the job. Ya dreamt 'bout Nishiki again, yeah?" Kiryu nodded. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for ya when it happened. I could've protected ya. Hell, I bet I could've saved him."

"Well you're here for me now, Majima. That's all that matters to me." He pulled Majima close to him, fearing that if he let go he'd lose him too.

Majima sighed into his lover's shoulder and hugged him in return. "Kinda sucks you'd be dreamin' 'bout another man after what I did to ya last night though."

Those memories poured down into Kiryu's mind like a massive waterfall. The way Majima touched him last night was… damn near unforgettable. It was a surprise that a small nightmare could make him lose focus of the man before him. His face heated up and he pulled the blanket over his face. Majima cackled and huddled underneath alongside him.

"Look, Kiryu-chan. Ya aren't the only one with bad dreams. I get 'em too. Used to have 'em every night like clockwork, but bein' able to sleep with you has made these nights a lot easier on me."

Kiryu put a hand to Majima's cheek and gently stroked it with his thumb. He gently glossed over the permanently closed bad eye once in a while. "What kind of dreams do you have?"

He felt the other man's breath on his wrist. "Back when I was in Sotenbori, I'd have nightmares 'bout losin' my kyodai, too. Saejima n' I had everythin' all figured out, but… We were in way over our heads. While Saejima went through with the plan, I was left behind. Lost an eye. Lost my kyodai. Almost lost my life."

Kiryu couldn't see Majima's expression in the darkness of the night. "I had no idea…" he mumbled.

"Cuz I never told anybody 'bout my past. But if we're gonna be together like this, I guess I can let a few things slip out." He patted Kiryu's chest and laughed, more to himself than anyone else. "C'mon. We're both up. May as well stay up."

Kiryu blinked a few times as Majima lifted the blanket off from his side. "Wait, what?"

Majima hopped out of bed and, with a smile, said, "I'm makin' breakfast n' coffee. Eggs n' toast alright? Don't wanna be too ambitious."

"Yeah, that sounds perfect. Thank you." Kiryu got up and gripped the blanket one last time. He'd have to let that gruesome image go. He decided to join his boyfriend and head downstairs to help him with their early morning breakfast.

Chapter Text

Kiryu punched the last member of the Dojima family right in the face, knocking him down for good. He breathed heavily, exhausted by the fight that he and Majima just endured. He knew there would be a lot, but that was just ridiculous.

Now wasn’t the time to relax though. When Kiryu turned around, he saw a man in a gray suit and dragging a broken leg pointing his gun up at Majima. In an instant, the bullet flew through the air and struck the Mad Dog of Shimano in the right side of his abdomen. He took a few steps back after the impact and collapsed into the ocean with a massive splash. The assailant fell unconscious shortly after.

A bouquet of bodies lay before him. Kiryu saw it happen and immediately worry settled in.

Majima! He’s not coming up, but did he really? Hmm.

He knew Kazama-san needed to speak with him and his only lead was that girl at Shangri-La. He was about to leave, but… Something stopped him from leaving.

Majima-san… He sighed. He looked at all the writhing bodies on the dock before making his way over to where Majima fell into the abyss. He had to do something. He took his jacket off, followed immediately by his now completely unbuttoned red shirt. He dove into the chilling ocean waves and submerged himself in search of Majima.

Sure, he saw Majima-san as an older brother, but sometimes he wanted it to be more than that. The two of them only fought or played competitively. There was never just quality time shared between them. Before he knew it, he finally found Majima, mouth agape and body limp. Kiryu immediately grabbed onto him and kicked his feet back up to the surface.

His clothes were completely drenched, dripping salty water as Kiryu hauled him back onto land. He lifted the older man’s chin, his facial hair tickling his fingertips. Majima’s face was pale, lifeless. He put an ear to his naked chest. He couldn’t hear a pulse. A shot of adrenaline burst through Kiryu’s body and he knew what he had to do. He began the chest compressions, his large fingertips held tightly to one another as he thrust them up and down in a rhythm. Come on… Don’t die on me.

After thirty of them, he lifted Majima’s chin up toward the sunny sky. The younger man took a deep breath and put everything he had into a puff of air for Majima to use. Nothing. He’d have to try again. He breathed in the salty air and breathed out into Majima’s mouth.

A pressure built beneath Kiryu and he had to back away so Majima could cough. He spat out some water he swallowed and wiped his lip with his gloved hand. He wheezed a few times, his lungs desperate to get some more air. “Phew… That was a close one, eh, Kiryu-chan?”

Kiryu sighed with relief and hung his head. “You have no idea… Why didn’t you do anything to catch yourself?”

Majima snickered, then winced at the pain on his side. “K-Kinda can’t do much. Hurts a lot.” he lied.

“We have to get you to a hospital then, nii-san…”

Majima shook his head. “Nah, Kiryu-chan. Yer my guardian angel. I gotta return the favor fer savin’ my life.” And with that, their lips touched once more. Kiryu was dumbstruck. His thoughts raced to moments they shared.

What? Are ya dissatisfied with the entertainment? I tell ya what. Tonight, you can touch the dancers all ya want!

I wouldn’t touch you with a ten foot pole! I’m outta here.

What if he did, and he was just denying himself out of embarrassment?

At the very least, I was entertained! I’ll let ya off the hook for that. See ya later, Kiryu-chan!

He was always worried that entertaining Majima was all he was good for, but maybe that wasn’t the case.

Ehhh!? But you said you wanted it warm! So gimme some of that heat action already!

Majima pulled away. “Kiryu-chan?” he murmured. “You’re spacin’ out. Everything okay?”

“Hm?” Kiryu blinked his chestnut brown eyes. “Uh, y-yeah... You just caught me off guard.”

“Eyahaha! Like always, eh, Kiryu-chan?” His one-eyed counterpart tapped his soaked index finger onto his nose. “Long as ya enjoyed it, right?”

Come to think of it, he did. The taste of tobacco was exhilarating, but he could definitely do without the salt water gargle. Majima shivered immediately. “Oh, here…” Kiryu stood up and grabbed his jacket. It looked like the Dojima men were fleeing at the sight of his return. He glared at them before hurrying back to drape Majima’s shoulders with his gray suit jacket. “Is that any better?”

“Much better, Kiryu-chan. Thanks…” He smiles a bit to himself, then looks back up at Kiryu. “Say, wouldja wanna do that again?”

It took him a moment. “What, the fighting side by side?”

“No, ya idiot. This.” He pulled Kiryu forward by the back of his neck and smushed their faces together, his mouth now open to better embrace Kiryu’s lips. The sensation was overbearing. It felt like Kiryu couldn’t breathe. Everything felt blurry, like he was walking in the footsteps of the angels in heaven. And for whatever reason, it just felt right.

He didn’t know it until now, but he’d be more than happy to do this again and again.

Chapter Text

He’d wake up completely drained. His feet especially would hurt. He sighed and put a hand to his forehead. He slicked his hair back and tried to remember what happened the night before, but…

Everything went dark. Sure he drank some whiskey, but it’s not like he overdid it. He knew his limits and he abided by them. The worst part is always that he needs to go around Kamurocho and hear from everyone else just what the heck… he did.

Kiryu knew him all too well. He was every aspect of himself that he dared to deny. He was ruthless, impulsive, fearsome...more so than Kiryu was.

“I heard he ran around slicing people up with a knife the color of darkness.”

“I couldn’t sleep last night. All I could hear was his maniacal laughter. It gave me chills!”

“You two are crazy. The Mad Dog of Shimano isn’t real!”

Oh yes he was. He was very real. And he was a part of the man standing across the street overhearing the conversation. He wondered how he’d feel if he heard it. Or maybe he was always listening. It was hard to know for sure. Maybe he could write him a letter and ask.

Write a letter he did. Haruka watched him from the doorway. “Uncle Kaz…?”

“Hm?”

Haruka looked down at her socked feet, cradling the Baby monkey plush in both arms. “Are you gonna be okay tonight?”

Kiryu got out of his chair and walked over to her. He squatted down to make eye contact with her. “Honestly? I’m not sure. But just know that no matter what happens, I love you.” He reached a hand to ruffle her hair. “Now go get ready for bed. You have classes tomorrow.”

She nodded and hurried to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Then the stinging started. It felt like a diagonal line over his eye, pulsing and burning. He covered his eye, trying to ease the pain. Where was the ibuprofen? He hurried to the medicine cabinet in the kitchen and turned the cap of the bottle open, his hands trembling. He put one to his lips, but he knew it wouldn’t kick in until he shows up.

Kiryu’s head was spinning. Or maybe the room was spinning. Either way, the dizziness was getting the better of him. He felt like he was going to throw up. He fell onto his hands and knees, trembling from a fever. He let out a guttural cry and…

Everything went dark.

Majima lifted himself up from the floor. He was back in this home that he didn’t recognize. That girl from the other way was staring at him, wide eyed and shaking. “Hey, kiddo…” he started before slowly getting up. She backed away from him. “Sorry ‘bout all the noise. You okay?”

She didn’t answer him. She just pointed to the note his other half left on the table. He stumbled toward it, still getting accustomed to his body. He picked up the sheet of paper and gave it a once over, his good eye darting left and right.

Majima-san,

I hope this letter finds you well. Do you know who I am? Do you know why this is happening to both of us? Why I’m you some nights and you’re me the other nights? Nothing makes sense.

Those women on Tenkaichi Street were talking about you this morning. It’s hard to believe that you used these hands to do those things. I’ve been losing sleep over it, if I’m being honest. I just want a normal life where I can live with Haruka in peace. After all she’s been through, it’s what she deserves.

Anyway, please write me back with your thoughts. I’d like to get to know the person I’ll be spending the rest of my life with better.

Kiryu

Majima heaved a heavy sigh. He flipped the paper over and set it back down, then took the pen that had rolled off of the table into his right hand.

Kiryu-chan,

‘Course I know who ya are. You’re the Dragon of Dojima. Ya also kinda run away from yer problems in the Tojo Clan, but then again, so do I.

As for why this is happenin’, yer guess is as good as mine. Far as I’m concerned, I’m just doin’ what I can to enjoy myself. Somethin’ tells me it’d be easier if we had separate bodies. I’d love to square off with ya. But...

Look, much as I enjoy yer livin’ space bein’ so snug, I ain’t built fer this shit. I gotta roam my territory, not snuggle up in my PJ’s n’ drink hot chocolate until I fall asleep. So if I rampage, that’s my call, not yours.

Majima

With that, he stormed off into the night. At least his eye wasn’t hurting like it was last time he showed up.

He’d have to leave behind a gift or something for doing that for him. Maybe a bottle of whiskey.

Chapter Text

Kiryu took a look around at their current set-up. Haruka was finishing up with decorating the cupcakes. She was trying to make the frosting so they looked like everyone that was invited to the party. Everyone at Morning Glory had a cupcake of their own, and she even made one to look like him, one like Goro, and one like Mame-chan. (His was dog-friendly so it'd be safe for him to eat it.)

Riona and Ayako were hanging the banner up over the doorway while Mitsuo was setting the table. Taichi and Shiro grabbed a big pot so they could bob for apples. Shiro dumped the apples into the water while Taichi held the pot down.

Goro already got the rest of the decorations up and the music going, so everything else was going smoothly. They had some Halloween movies on their television that were kid-friendly, popcorn balls in a small bowl on the table, all the candy you could imagine, and fruit punch that would keep the kids hyped up on sugar all night.

Kiryu started to get worried at the thought. They had school the next day, how were they going to handle curfew tonight? They were going to be extremely hyper after all of this. What could they do?

He felt a gloved hand on his shoulder. "Oi, Kazzy."

"Y-yeah?"

"Whatcha so worried about? It's just a party. Ya used to party at their age, right?"

Kiryu nodded. "Not a Halloween party though."

Majima nudged him closer with a toothy grin. "So what? Long as everyone's enjoyin' themselves. And if they're late fer school tomorrow, consider it on me. I'll drive 'em to school the next day, make 'em breakfast, all that crap. N' you can just relax "

How could he refuse? Kiryu gave a small chuckle and nodded once more. "Okay, Goro. You win."

Majima pumped a fist in the air before shouting, "C'mon, kids! Who's up first fer the piñata?"