Leaning back on the couch with a cigarette dangling from his lips, Majima lazily exhaled a plume of smoke into the air. He watched the cloud rising toward the ceiling, misty tendrils dancing and weaving about, creating shapes and movements before dissolving into a drab, grey fog.
Three weeks had passed since he'd confessed his feelings to Daigo, and all he had to show for it was watching his boss deliberately ignore him every chance he got. It was either that or he'd practically run out of the room any time he and Majima were alone together.
He huffed a bitter laugh. Go figure, even when being sincere he managed to scare people off.
Now the Sixth Chairman of the Tojo clan was actively avoiding him. It had taken him over a decade to face his heart's desire, finally admit his feelings to himself, and wait until the perfect moment to tell Daigo that he meant more to him than just an ally or a business partner.
While he didn't regret his decision, he also hadn't entertained the idea that Daigo might not be into men, or even if the age gap was too much for him. Younger generations weren't as open to that sort of thing these days but was a decade and some change really that big of a deal? The both of them were already older men in their forties and fifties respectively.
Majima knew that Mine had a thing for Daigo as well, and whether or not the Chairman had been aware of it, he'd never mentioned it even once. The girl from the hostess club that Daigo always requested looked to be in her late teens or early twenties while Daigo had been in his early thirties, so that couldn't have been the issue.
That only left Majima himself as the problem. Didn't that just figure.
He took another long drag from his cigarette and leaned his head back to gaze up at the ceiling. Daigo had agreed to a relationship, but when he'd said he wanted to take things slow he surely didn't mean for them to move like a pair of turtles through a swamp of molasses. Daigo had barely even said one word to him since the night of Majima's birthday party. They were still holed up at Nick Ogata's place, so they had all the time in the world. Majima couldn't understand what Daigo's deal was.
Irritably, he pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a quick message.
'Yo Daigo! I'm bored out of my mind out here. Wanna join me?'
He'd sent several messages to the Chairman over the last few weeks, and practically all of them had been responded to with short, quick replies. Daigo was either playing hard to get or he was genuinely regretting his decision of entering a relationship with his advisor.
Majima's phone pinged and he squinted at the screen.
'Sorry, I'm busy writing up an action plan for Watase.'
Majima rolled his eye and tossed the phone aside. With a grunt, he stood from the couch and stretched his long limbs. He was tired of the waiting game. He'd suffered heartbreak after heartbreak since the eighties, and he wasn't going to put himself through yet another failed relationship. It was time to confront Daigo face-to-face.
-
Rapping twice at Daigo's door, Majima called out to him.
"Yo, bossman! Ya in?"
Not waiting for a response, he barged inside with his usual Mad Dog energy. Daigo was at his desk, writing something that was clearly giving him trouble. Several balled up wads of paper lay scattered on the floor.
"Man, ya sure know how to avoid havin' fun. What'cha up to in here?" Majima nodded toward the papers all over the floor around the desk. "Sure looks like yer havin' a helluva time."
Daigo turned his head to glare at him. "I told you that I was busy."
"Doin' what? It ain't like this dissolution's gonna be happenin' tomorrow," Majima grumbled. "Watase told us to sit tight fer now. Saejima's gonna be out with Nick fer the next two days gettin' supplies, an' you an' me got the whole place to ourselves." He folded his arms across his chest and pouted at his young boss. "Thought ya said ya wanted us to be a thing?"
Relenting with a dramatic sigh, Daigo looked down at the mess around him. "I know what I said. I just need some more time."
That had riled Majima up, and he raised his voice in anger. "Just how much time do ya need? Ya been avoiding me fer weeks! If ya ain't ready to commit to somethin' then don't agree to it, ya dipshit!"
Daigo raised his head in surprise at Majima's tone, and he immediately saw the hurt on his face. He hadn't been teasing him the night he'd confessed, Daigo knew that from the kiss they'd shared, but he hadn't realized just how serious he'd been. Majima had his choice of the most beautiful women in Kamurocho, so why did he settle on Daigo of all people?
Lately, the Chairman was having his doubts about this whole thing. What did Majima really want from all this? Money? Power? The Dissolution was right around the corner and Daigo was at his most vulnerable. He needed his advisors now more than ever. He couldn't risk slipping up now.
"I apologize, Majima-san. I should have taken your feelings into consideration."
"Back to this 'Majima-san' shit?" Majima scowled and leaned over him with his hands on his hips. "What's the deal here, Daigo-chan? We doin' this or not?"
"What did you have in mind? It's not like we can just up and go out on a date." Daigo leaned back in his chair looking even more exhausted than usual.
Majima searched his eyes for a moment before dragging another chair over and flipping it around backwards. He sat down, legs splayed and arms folded on top of the backrest. "What's eatin' ya? Somethin' tells me this ain't all dissolution shit."
Daigo immediately avoided eye contact and glanced off to the side. "Why me," he muttered quietly, "of all the people you could have chosen. I'm not exactly a catch, and you know who my father was. I've given you so much trouble ever since we met."
"With all due respect, boss, I'm a better judge of what I like than you are."
"I wasn't implying that, it's just that this is so sudden, and-"
"What'cha mean?" Majima cocked his head. "I been flirtin' with ya fer years. Ain't my fault yer too dumb to pick up on it."
Daigo gave him a pointed glare. "You flirt with everybody."
Majima couldn't resist a suppressed giggle. "Alright, so ya got me there. But I don't think yer givin' yerself enough credit. Yeah, yer daddy was an asshole, but Kiryu-chan was better than him, right? He's the guy who really shaped ya into who ya are. And as far as looks go, ya got it goin' on! How ya can't see yer own handsome face every time ya look in a mirror is criminal. Long silky hair, doe eyes, smooth porcelain skin, nice soft lips, an' eyelashes for days!" Majima gave a loud wolf whistle. "Ya definitely got yer looks from yer mama."
His cheeks turning light pink, Daigo looked down at the floor and ran his fingers through his hair in embarrassment. "You really don't need to lay it on that thick."
"Bullshit! Ya ever walked around Theater Square back in '05? All sorts of hot lil' girlies were out there at every corner, nonstop squealin' about ya." Majima clasped his hands together and raised them next to his face, mockingly batting his eyelashes and putting on an obnoxiously high-pitched voice; "Oh my gawd, that Daigo Dojima is sooo hot! He's got that moody emo thing going on! I wish someone would introduce me~" He frowned at Daigo and leaned forward in his chair again. "Ya may not know it, but you were some serious competition back then. Hell, I couldn't even walk into a hostess club without listenin' to the girls goin' on an' on about Dojima's boy every minute. That Ami of yours was one lucky chick."
"I guess I didn't realize you were into men, Majima-san," Daigo spoke gently, his voice smooth. "Although there were often rumours about you and Kiryu-san." He went silent when he saw the bitter look on Majima's face. "Sorry," he whispered.
"Me an' Kiryu-chan were complicated," Majima waved him off. "At any rate, it's all in the past now. I set my sights on ya a long time ago an' I been waitin' over a decade to take the plunge." Majima turned his good eye toward Daigo questioningly. "Ya are into guys too, right?"
"Not usually," Daigo answered honestly. "I mean, we've all had thoughts, but I never gave it any serious consideration. Not until you kissed me."
Majima lowered his eyebrows and spoke in a deeper pitch. "That creep Mine liked ya quite a bit, ya know."
"I know," Daigo said quietly. The conversation was getting incredibly uncomfortable, and he shifted nervously in his seat. "I was still with Ami-chan at the time. Like with you and Kiryu, it was complicated."
"So, what's the deal with ya? Ya gonna give me a chance or not? I ain't too old, right?"
"That's not the issue," Daigo replied quickly. "You're my advisor. A relationship between us would be incredibly unprofessional."
"So what? The Tojo's finished. It ain't like I'm gonna be plowin' my boss on his desk in front of the whole boardroom."
"Even so, I'd rather we kept this under wraps. I really don't want Saejima-san to know. I have an image to maintain, and I don't want him to lose respect for me-"
Daigo was interrupted by Majima's loud, cackling laughter. The older man clapped his hands and shook his head in mirth. "Ya really think Saejima's gonna give a shit? He's been my kyodai since we were kids. He's known about me switchin' sides fer years. It ain't a big deal, really."
Blinking curiously, Daigo lifted his head again. "So, you have been with other men before?"
"I don't kiss an' tell, Daigo-chan," Majima said in a sing-song voice. "Hell, I had a secret wife fer years that no one knew about, not even Kiryu-chan. Whatever's in my past is my business. Rest assured, you an' me are gonna be top secret if that's what'cha want." The smile on his face was genuine. Majima wasn't teasing.
Daigo breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Thank you, Majima-san."
"It's just Majima now, alright? So, how 'bout it? Wanna make things official?" Majima waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Immediately, Daigo's face turned bright red. "You mean, right now?"
"When the hell else are we gonna get a chance to fool around?" Majima stood from his seat and cupped Daigo's face in his hands. "Relax. I know what I'm doin'." He pressed a tender kiss to Daigo's lips. "Lemme get things set up. Come meet me in my room when yer ready."
Daigo watched his Lieutenant Advisor saunter out the door before leaning back into his seat. It had been a long time since he'd last been intimate, and he'd never been with a man before. His heart was hammering in his chest with nervousness and excitement. He was definitely overdue to blow off some steam.
Taking one last look around at the collection of failed plans scattered around the floor surrounding his desk, Daigo stood up and headed for the door. Whatever Majima had planned for the evening, it was sure to be better than this.