gorogorogoro_chan | This is ABSOLUTELY why people don't like spirits

This is ABSOLUTELY why people don't like spirits

Majima's only initial assurance that he's in his own apartment is the familiar cocktail of smells: stale cigarette smoke mixed with neighboring restaurant smells, the mustiness emanating from the old tatami mats. This is joined by the muffled sounds of Sotenbori -- the boats along the river, the cars and crowds.

As much as he hates his nominal "home," at least it's warmer, thank god. His tuxedo is still damp and cold with melted ice, and he pulls off his jacket, both dress and under shirts. These get tossed into a pile with more force than is entirely warranted. Damp shoes and socks are pulled off with equal fury.

How bad is it, exactly? How much light can he still see? He feels along the wall for the lightswitch to turn on the one bare bulb hanging from the ceiling, then swats a hand around the air until he catches it, brings it close to his eye. He recoils as it reignites the pain caused by the burning flash that took his vision. "Fuck."

This is bad. He slumps onto the floor and cups his face in his hands. This is bullshit. His hand reaches for the PINpoint in his pocket and runs his fingers along the edges until they brush over a button.

"Hi! Can I help you with something, MA-JI-MA GO-RO?" a bright female voice intones calmly, switching to stilted syllables when she arrives at his name.

He jumps at the unfamiliar voice. "Oh, shit, forgot you can talk, huh?"

"That's right! I'm Pippa! Your personal PINpoint assistant! You can talk to me in complete sentences."

Well that's a stroke of luck. "Can you send a message for me uh, . . . Pippa?" he asks cautiously.

"Yes. Who would you like to send a message to?"

"Harley."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't find a contact by that name."

"Harley? Ya sure?" Majima frowns. Oh, right. He changed her name in the device. "Send a message to Cupcake."

"Alright! What would you like to say to Cupcake?"

Majima opens and closes his mouth a few times. How to put this? "Oi, Harley-chan. Came down with a bug and can't make it to work tonight. Can ya make sure nothin' catches on fire?"

The device dings in confirmation, then pauses for a moment. "Okay. I sent the message to Cupcake."

"Thanks, Pippa," he says with a long exhale.

Majima lies back onto the floor and lets the panic wash over him. If this is permanent, he prays Sagawa himself will show up and put a bullet between his useless-ass eyes. At least I'll never see it comin'.

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Harley had been worried the first night she received the text message from Majima. But she focused her energy into watching over the Sunshine Club.

And reminded herself that she was now 'dating' a normal human, who would get sick occasionally. That it was important to respect his wishes to not want to be around other people, while sick.

Two days later, and two more similar texts, and Harley knew something was up.

So during her shift at the Sunshine Club, she kept pestering Youda again and again, until the other man caved and gave her Majima's home address. She finished another successful night. And then headed to the address she was given.

Harley is not going to bother with knocking. If the door is locked, she will use her lock-picking skills to unlock it. And go into his apartment... hoping to find out for herself what sort of trouble Majima got into. She was immediately shocked to see the sparse situation of his apartment.

"Goro?"

Not knocking was huge mistake. Anytime Majima is in Sotenbori -- blind or no -- he's on high alert. Hearing someone at his door sets off the first alarm, hearing someone picking his lock sets off the equivalent of air raid sirens. He's absolutely certain this has to be one of his boss's lackeys checking to see why he's fallen off the radar again.

Majima greets Harley squared up with a baseball bat, ready to swing at the unseen threat. He doesn't look great, that's for sure. Maybe he is sick? There's a couple days' worth of stubble grown in, and a glassy look to his eye.

"H-harley?" He lowers the bat slowly. "How'd you ... ? The hell are ya doin' here?"

Being greeted by a baseball bat is a little amusing to Harley, all the same. But something is not right. He is not quite looking at her.

"Checking on you, stupid."

Majima clears his throat and turns his eye downward, remembering both the Nexus witch's words of caution and previous attempts to gloss over details with clumsy white lies. Another excuse stumbles out of his mouth before he can stop himself. "I'm alright just ... didn't want other people catchin' sick, yanno."

"I can't get sick." Harley frowns. Her bullshit radar is going off right now.

"But if you don't want me around, I can leave."

"Sure, you can't but everyone else's still runnin' on normal immune systems," he says, digging his heels in deeper. He's still looking pointedly away from Harley, which doesn't help with selling his lie.

"You ain't gotta worry 'bout me." He tries to casually prop his baseball bat back against the sink counter and misses by a good foot. It falls to the tatami floor with a hollow, aluminum thud. He winces.

Harley looks at the bat, after it fell to the ground. And back up to him.

She crosses her arms. "Stop the bullshit, Goro. What is wrong?"

Even if he can't see her irritated posture, he can definitely hear it in her voice. He can feel himself getting worked up, too. Not by her, but by his own stupidity. Always trying to save face, but at what cost?

"Look, I didn't want ya gettin' worried," he sighs. "I fucked up -- some Nexus bullshit -- but I wanted to see if I could fix it first."

"I got worried because I care about you." Harley is trying her best not to get too worked up herself.

"And really... that is all you had to say."

She moves back to the door. But stops there. Instead she places her head against the hard surface of the door.

"Oi, Harley," Majima blurts quickly, then lapses back into silence.

"Maybe it's another shitty excuse, but maybe ... I dunno. Maybe you can relate," he rubs the back of his neck and takes a deep breath to buy him some time to pick his words. "Fuckin' up, lookin' weak is what gets ya dead real quick where I come from. Puttin' on this whole act ... bein' cagey is just a kneejerk thing for me. I'm sorry."

She turns so that she listen to him. "I get that..."

"And fuck, Goro, the last thing I would do is broadcast that anything was wrong with you." Harley would have even invented a story to keep others at the club from asking questions, if he had needed her to.

"But you don't need to put up an act around me."

"I been actin' for long enough that it's hard to stop," Majima says, carefully moving closer.

"I know that. On some level." He brings a hand to his forehead in exasperation. "It ain't that I don't trust ya. Just ... don't want you worryin'. Part of that 'not lookin' weak' thing is showin' the people you care about that they can count on ya. I ain't gonna be a burden."

"It is difficult to break away from kneejerk emotions. Trust me... I know." Harley closes her eyes for a moment.

She is trying hard not to fall into a pattern of mistrust herself.

"I don't think you are a burden." The reassuring statement is spoken softly. "And I... I count on ya. A lot."

Listening to her talk, Majima feels the heat rise on his face, and he's glad it's dark in his apartment.

He decides it's time to come clean with the full story: "So ... reason I been doin' this is some bastard piece of shit did something to my eye and I can't see. Dunno if my sight's gonna come back or what."

A shrug. "If it doesn't ... I'm royally fucked."

After hearing what happened to him, Harley moves forward. And soon wraps her arms around his neck.

She doesn't try to reassure him it will be okay. Or offer to help him.

"Sweetheart..."

As much as he tried to come off as nonchalant about the possibility of permanence and what that might entail, her affection still makes his breath hitch. He sinks his head against her shoulder.

He musters up a last bit of tough guy act to try to reassure her: "I'll figure somethin' out. I sure as hell ain't gonna live like this."

"I know you will." Harley places a kiss here and there along his neck.

"You know... they say your other senses are heightened when you lose one."

"You're awful good at finding silver linings." Her sudden shift to suggestiveness draws him away from his despair. Or at least distracts him from it. Majima ghosts his hands over her shoulders and back, trying to glean what she's wearing. "Or didja just miss me that much after a couple days? ... Hope the club wasn't too much trouble."

The fabric of the dress she is wearing feels like lace in his fingers. It is a peek-a-boo dress too, which means there is the sensation of holes here and there. The visual of the dress would be amazing, if only he could see.

"I missed you."

"It hasn't been. I have enjoyed looking after it, for you."

"I really appreciate it, cupcake, and I'm gonna need ya to keep coverin' for me if that's alright." He draws slow circles around the cut-outs with his fingertips.

His voice takes a more serious tone. "You gotta be careful comin' back here, though. This place is bein' watched."

Harley sighs contently at the sensation of his fingertips drawing circles against those little exposed parts of her body.

"I can do that."

She frowns when he notes that his place is being watched. "So that is why you were ready to hit me with that bat of yours? Thought I was one of those people watching ya?"

"My boss is real invested in me stayin' in the neighborhood. He's got some skeevy-lookin' guys on the payroll just to keep tabs on me." Majima runs a hand along her arm. "And anyone I happen to get cozy with."

"Holin' up like this has definitely thrown some red flags, but I can't exactly be stumblin' my way through Sotenbori either."

Harley leans into his touch. A small thoughtful frown on her face when he speaks about why he was being watched.

It is sweet that he wants to keep her safe. Even if she could handle anything.

"Ya'know, I could just set up a PINpoint portal here. If you wanted."

"Sure. Better'n walkin' up to the door." A door tucked away in a dark back alley, no less.

"Sorry, this place ain't exactly set up for company." Or really any kind of comfortable living, a stark contrast to the lively, posh hospitality of the clubs he manages. Perhaps more disconcerting, an utter lack of personal effects makes the apartment seem virtually uninhabited.

"It does make it challenging to properly seduce a guy..." Harley teases him. There are no chairs. No couch. Really no where to sit.

"Consider it a challenge?" he suggests with a lopsided smile, reaching a hand up to feel for her chin, tilting her head for a kiss. "You should know most guys ain't picky when it comes to bein' seduced. I've definitely gotten frisky in places way less cozy than this."

She softly returned the kiss. "Don't ruin the moment by talking about other places that you have been frisky in."

Harley guided one of his hands to her hip, so that she can wrap one of her legs around his waist. Pulling him closer to her.

"Don't worry. Nothin' to be jealous about. Just the usual clumsy, young-and-horny stuff," Majima laughs. Like he's so far beyond the young-and-stupid years. "Ya gotta start somewhere, right?"

He slides that hand up to cradle the crook of her knee. "Don't throw me off too much. My balance is real shitty right now."

"So don't completely pounce on you. Gotcha." Harley grins. She feels warm at the sensation of his hand cradling the crook of her knee. And a part of her wants more of his touch.

She runs her hand across his chin. "You are all stubbly."

"Ain't gonna try shavin' blind. I'd probably get covered in nicks." He nuzzles said stubble into her neck experimentally. He's finding her comment about 'heightened senses' being abundantly true. "Maybe I should try growin' it out?"

Majima reaches down to pull up her other leg, taking a shot in the dark as he tries walking her back against a wall (he has to hit one at some point, right? The place is pretty small). At least this way he won't be embarrassingly off-kilter.

The sensation of him nuzzling her with that stubble on his face makes her hitch her breath in surprise. It is pleasantly different.

And him pulling up her other leg, and then being backed up against a wall, is another sensation that hitches her breath. She anchors her ankle around his back, to keep herself secured around him.

"I like this look for you..." She whispers. Harley removes his hair from his ponytail so that she can entwine her fingers through his hair.

"You make me feel all... tingly."

Majima makes a noise at her positive response, but if it was anything half-way intelligible, it was muffled by a kiss. He realizes how heated things are getting and takes a moment to breathe and center himself. "You doin' okay, sweetheart?"

Harley has to catch her breath. So when he takes a moment to breathe, it is the best timing in the world.

"I have not felt this way in a long time, Goro."

"And I have to admit I am a little scared." Harley bites her bottom lip. "Scared of hurting you. Scared of being hurt."

"It is a little... strange to have two wonderful people in my life. And not really sure... where the lines are."

"Yeah, well that makes two of us," Majima agrees, adjusting his hold on her to be more comfortable. That last part, though. That takes him off guard.

"I ain't the only one, huh? You double dippin', Harley-chan?" His tone is light and teasing, his usual veneer to disguise any emotions that might have stirred.

"You are my only guy." Harley tilts his head, so she can make eye-contact. Even if he can not see her.

"Amelia is taking me out on Valentine's Day. And how I feel for you is a lot different than how I feel for her."

"You are the first time that I felt... like maybe I could do more than flirting. Ya'know?"

"Mmm. Yeah, I figured you swung both ways. Can't blame you for wantin' the best of both worlds. Real hard to pick a team sometimes, huh?" Is he implying that he can relate? Who knows?

Majima laughs. "Can hardly imagine the blushin' poor Amelia-chan would do 'round you. Hope ya tone it down a little for her sake, hm?"

Harley feels another pleasant warmth in her chest, when Majima not only accepts the fact that she is bi-sexual, but implies that he might be too. In a way, it is nice to believe that they might share a similar sexual preference.

And she can only hope if what he implied is true -- that he finds a nice guy who will fill that niche for him. She just wants him to be happy. (But in the same breath, she wants to be his only girl. It would feel more special to her).

Harley blushes a little at his statement about how she makes Amelia blush. She loves his little teasing. His playfulness.

And it dawns on her that her attraction to him is way more than just sexual... though that sexual desires play a big part in the attraction. The fact that they have so much in common makes her feelings for him a lot more real. And while that thought is a little frightening, it is more pleasant than anything else. It is those thoughts that make it easier to decide that yes -- more than anything in the world -- she wants to share more with him. She wants to be intimate with him.

That is the moment that his blindness becomes even more concerning. Her ego wants him to be able to see her. To see how he excites her. To see how he makes her bite her lip. To see how she blushes for him.

If his blindness is permanent, they will both have to figure out how to deal with that fact. But right now, with the hope that it is just temporary, Harley realizes that things are getting too heated. Because if she continues any further down this path -- she will just want him even more. And that would not be fair to him. Or her.

So after all these thoughts go through her head, Harley takes a deep almost-regretful sigh. Wondering to herself how amazing it could have been.

"You both make it impossible for me to tone it down." She speaks softly. "I was never good at keeping my feelings hidden."

Majima is reluctant to pump the breaks. He's kissing along the line of her clavicle when he feels the warm breath of her sigh. Not quite the impassioned kind that a part of him was very much hoping for. He wishes he could get a read on her face right now.

"I ain't sayin ya gotta," he mumbles, idly running his hand behind him, along the calf braced against his back. "Not with me, anyway."

"I know..." Harley whispers against his ear.

She slides her fingers through his hair. And leans forward to place her forehead against his own.

"The thing that is making me want to press pause right now... is the fact that I want this special for both of us."

It's Majima's turn to sigh. He's really enjoying those hands in his hair.

"What, blind in a dingy apartment ain't special enough?" he jokes, giving her leg one last squeeze before reluctantly guiding it down. "Fine, if you wanna be all romantic about it. I'll wait."

He tilts his head to steal a long kiss on the lips before releasing her from the wall.

Harley already misses his hands on her, when he releases her from the wall. So she lingers a little longer on that kiss.

There is a moment of worry on her face.

"It is not the location, sweetheart. I just..." Harley bites her lip. "You can't see me. Where is the fun in that?"

"Might be one of the most unbearable things 'bout this bullshit. I miss seein' you already."

He takes a step backwards, but trails his hands down to find hers and give them a squeeze. "Those baby blues and that rockin' bod. Plenty of incentive to get this fixed."

As if he didn't already have plenty. This just adds to the agony.

Hearing him say that not being able to see her is unbearable gives Harley those flutters in her stomach again. And her face softens when he talks about the things he enjoys seeing.

She doesn't want to think about this being a permanent situation.

"You will find a way to fix it." He has to.

"Yes, ma'am. Right away," he agrees with a small bow. He pulls one of her hands up to kiss her knuckles.

"It's gettin' late, cupcake." Or so he assumes. "As much as I love the company, you were prolly workin' that cute little butt off today. You should get yerself some beauty rest."

He misses such a wicked smile, when he calls her ma'am. But will hear the soft content sigh when he kisses her knuckles.

"That will be harder, than normal. With my mind dreaming of you all night."

"Well, if I can't keep you up all night for real, I'll settle for the dream version. Just keep it to yourself if it turns out imaginary me is way better than the genuine article, 'kay?"

Majima releases her hands and makes a theatrical shooing gesture. "Ya better get outta here, Harley-chan. It's takin' every last drop of willpower to keep my hands off ya."

Harley opens a PINpoint portal to go back to her Nexus apartment. She grins for a moment. And moves forward to give one more quick kiss to Majima.

At the same time, she slides something silky and delicate in his hands.

"Something to help you keep on task, Goro." It is her bra.

And with that, she steps through the portal to leave.

Majima frowns in confusion, feeling the telltale cups and straps between his fingers. He frankly has no idea if she's gone, but he's not ashamed in the least if she spies him bringing it up to his face to inhale its smell.

He flops back on the thin blanket that serves as a bed and releases a long, deep sigh.

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This is ABSOLUTELY why people don't like spirits

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