Chapter 12
Trust
Although it had only been four days since the unfortunate tumble that had forced her on sick leave, Tsuki was already beginning to wonder how she would last for at least four more that it seemed she would need in order to recover enough to be able to return to work. Not used to having so much free time on her hands, she never expected that she would find it this hard to find things to do to fill the hours. And being unable to leave the house made it all the more vexing — under different circumstances, she would be over the moon, but, seeing as most of what she felt like doing at the moment involved going out, she could not help but feel frustrated.
Earlier that day, she had positively jumped at the opportunity to see Majima when he sent her a message asking if she wanted to meet. Now that he was there with her, hours later, she was in such a foul mood that she was beginning to doubt whether agreeing to his coming over that evening had been the right thing to do.
The change in her mood compared to the last time he had seen her did not escape Majima's notice. She looked tired, the slight shadows under her eyes suggesting that she might have had trouble sleeping the previous night. She was putting on a brave face, but he could tell from her tense expression that she was in pain. Much more reluctant than normally to strike up a conversation, she sat on the far end of the sofa exuding the aura of a powderkeg one spark away from exploding.
"How's yer leg?" somewhat timidly, he decided to broach the subject.
"...It's fine."
Her lackadaisical answer only confirmed his suspicions.
"Uh-huh. I can tell just how fine it is," he raised his eyebrows, leaning in a little in an attempt to meet her eyes.
Grimacing, she looked away, refusing to oblige him.
"It's been getting better, so I've started trying to put more weight on it…" she heaved an exasperated sigh. "Looks like I might have overdone it."
"That's what ya get for bein' impatient," he chided her. "If yer face an' tone are anythin' to go on, it prob'ly hurts like a bitch."
She scowled at him something fierce, visibly irritated now, then lowered her eyes.
"Fine. Yes — it hurts. Sorry if I'm in a bit of a foul mood because of it."
"Oi, I ain't sayin' it outta spite. But… ya know ya can't rush these things — if ya do, you'll only make it worse for yerself down the line. Ya should treat today as a warnin' sign an' take it easy from now on."
"I know, I know!" she groaned in reply. "I'm just so… frustrated by this. Never thought having to stay at home for a few days could make me feel so restless…"
"Well… Complainin' won't make it heal faster, that's for sure," he shrugged. "The doc gave ya painkillers, right? Lemme go fetch 'em for ya."
"No need. I can take it…" she answered in a small voice, an annoyed pout now on her face.
Her child-like obstinacy made him scoff.
"Why're ya bein' so stubborn? Ya got meds to ease the pain, so why not take 'em? What's the point of sufferin' for no reason like this?"
"Maybe it'll teach me a lesson to be more careful next time…"
"Ain't the leg brace, the crutch an' the fact you're stuck at home enough of a lesson already?" Knowing he was right, she turned her head away from him in a display of annoyance. "Listen, I know you're as tough as nails, but seein' ya like this ain't no fun for either of us. What are ya tryin' to prove?"
Frowning, she focused her gaze on the floor. Life had taught her that showing weakness to anyone but the few people she knew she could absolutely trust was something that would sooner or later come back to bite her. She had assumed her strength and robustness had been what had drawn him to her. Somewhere deep down, she was afraid that letting him see her as anything but would make him start to realize just how weak she truly was.
"Look… If ya don't feel up to it, maybe it'll be better if ya go an' lie down? I can drop by another time — the way things are right now, it looks like I'll just keep gettin' on yer nerves if I stay."
"I don't want to lie down!" she raised her voice, but her scowl softened the next moment as if her own outburst had startled her. She closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "I… It's been a shitty day — and the thought I might've made my ankle worse is just the cherry on top. I'm sorry — I didn't mean to take it out on you."
"I know. An' yet, here we are," he said, his voice almost annoyingly calm compared to her volatile disposition. "You're bein' like a lil' kid 'bout this. Do ya think it'll make ya look bad or somethin' if ya take painkillers when ya need 'em?"
His question struck at the crux of the matter. It seemed like he had a better read on her than she had expected, after all. It gave her pause.
"If you spent years proving that nothing can break you to everyone around, wouldn't it be pretty hypocritical to suddenly waver because of a lame reason like an aching foot?"
He shifted in his seat, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, hands folded together, and looked at her from the corner of his eye, a gentle smile on his face.
"Naw… It'd just mean you're as human as everyone else. Sometimes, showin' weakness ain't a bad thing, y'know."
"In the world I lived in — and still am, to a degree — it was always a bad thing. You, of all people, should understand that."
"Sure, I know what ya mean — but you're at home an' it's just me here with ya. An' I can give ya my word nothin' that happens here gets past that door."
Little by little, his kind words and genuine concern were making the walls she had built around herself crumble. What terrified her the most was the fact that, against everything she had learned over the years, she was consciously letting it happen.
"So what you're saying is that it's alright to be weak sometimes? Not something I would have expected to come out of a yakuza's mouth, you know."
"What I'm sayin' is that admittin' ya ain't a machine to someone ya can trust is perfectly normal. It don't mean they'll up an' abandon ya 'cause of it — an' if they do, it just means they weren't worth yer time."
After another pause, she slowly raised her gaze to meet his.
"Someone I can trust, huh. Like… you?"
His eyebrows arched up — not so much as a sign of surprise, but of quiet acknowledgment.
"Well… If ya didn't trust me at least a lil' bit, I wouldn't be here right now, would I?"
"Hm… I guess you're onto something there."
A satisfied smirk spread across his face when she said that, but there was something different about it this time. From the look in his eye, Tsuki could tell he was pleased by the fact she had not denied that what he had suggested was true.
"If so, then how 'bout ya stop bein' an ass an' take the pills already? There ain't no trophy waitin' for ya at the end for needlessly torturin' yerself. Ya can be damn sure ya ain't gettin' one from me, at least."
"Okay, fine… Pass me the damn painkillers," she finally caved in. "They're on the kitchen counter."
"That's more like it. Was that so hard?"
"...Whatever," she scoffed, giving him a one-sided smile, then looked away.
When he came back, Tsuki noticed he had brought back two glasses of water along with the packet of painkillers.
"Helped myself to a glass. Hope ya don't mind," he said, handing her the pills.
"No, of course not… Help yourself to whatever you need."
He watched her like a hawk as she swallowed the medicine, as if to ensure she would not try to fool him, sitting down only once she was done.
"Here's hoping this works and that I haven't screwed myself over even more than I already have," she sighed, putting the glass away onto the coffee table.
"Fingers crossed. But if it don't get better on its own by tomorrow, I'm gonna make damn sure ya don't pull stupid shit like that again."
"...And how exactly will you do that?"
"I can move in an' keep an eye on ya 'til ya wise up."
"Even if that was an option — which it isn't — I'm sure you wouldn't be able to watch me around the clock."
"Then, hell, I dunno, I'll hire a beefed-up dude to sit here with ya an' watch ya while I'm gone. Actually, I might already have someone that'd fit the bill."
"A… Wait — what?..."
"If you're gonna act like a baby, then a babysitter is what you'll get. Ya want that?"
"Nah…" she shook her head, grinning. "I think I'm happy with my current one."
Her observation stumped him for a brief moment, but he recovered quickly, a high-pitched giggle escaping him. With a smug smile, he leaned back, spreading his arms on the backrest of the sofa, and watched her.
"Glad to hear that. I'd also rather it stay the way it is, an' I need Gary takin' care of other stuff right now anyway."
"...Who's Gary?"
"Don't matter. Be a good girl an' ya won't hafta find out anytime soon."
"Is he the 'beefed-up dude' you were talking about?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
For the first time that day — and since before her injury, in fact — Tsuki burst into heartfelt laughter. She had missed their usual back-and-forths. With all that had happened in the last few days, she was glad that a measure of levity seemed to be returning to their interactions, even if the situation they had found themselves in was so out of the ordinary. Crossing her arms, she leaned back and closed her eyes for a few moments, feeling a sudden sense of clarity come over her.
"You know what… I'm beginning to think that what ticks me off the most is not so much the fact that I'm at home all day as it is knowing that I can't do the things I'd otherwise do with so much free time, like go to the gym, or even for a run," she breathed a resigned sigh. "It's ironic, isn't it? Sitting at home, I've got more energy than ever since I don't tire myself out at work, but I can't do anything with it."
"Sucks, don't it? Felt the same way when I got locked up for some time a while ago."
"Wait a second," she suddenly looked at him with suspicion in her eyes. "Didn't you say you'd never been in prison?"
"'Far as I recall, ya wanted to know if I'd ended up in the slammer for offin' someone, specifically."
"So you did do time, after all."
"I got arrested," he promptly corrected her before she could have the chance to begin doubting that what he had told her in the past was true. "So, technically, it don't count. The whole thing got dropped soon after anyway an' they let me out."
She tilted her head, her curiosity piqued.
"What did you do to make them arrest you in the first place?"
"It was, uh… complicated," he said, scratching his head with one hand. "The details don't matter, but some nasty shit was goin' down in the clan at the time an'... Let's say I just happened to be the one who got the short end of the stick. Once it all blew over, they let me out an' that was that."
"I… see."
"Back to the point, though — I can imagine how you're feelin', but there's nothin' ya can do 'bout it other than tough it out. So if the doc told ya to rest, then that's what you're gonna do. Yer leg's gonna thank ya for it. An' once it's healed, ya can let yer frustrations out on me if ya want. After all, ya wanted a sparrin' partner, didn't ya?"
"Yeah, that's true," she chuckled. "Thanks…"
Gradually, the pain began to subside as the painkillers took effect, and Tsuki finally found herself able to relax, the anger and frustration she had been feeling giving way to embarrassment at how inane her behavior must have seemed to him. All she could hope for now was that he meant what he had said. She had always strived to be strong in front of others — being able to drop that mask and be supported by someone else was still new to her. Except for Aki, she had not been able to forge a strong enough bond with anyone, let alone a man, to let her true emotions show for so many years that she had begun to forget how liberating it could be.
When she raised her eyes to look at him again, he appeared to be deep in thought. As she secretly studied him, her gaze eventually fell on the intricate patterns on his chest.
"Did it hurt?" she asked out of the blue.
Majima looked up at her in surprise, then furrowed his brow, clueless as to what she had meant.
"Haw? Did what hurt?"
"Your irezumi," she gestured towards his chest with a slight movement of her head. "You see… Some of the guys I ran with back in the day had ink done — even I was close to getting a tattoo of my own at one point, believe it or not — but none of them were quite like yours, obviously. I heard stories of what they'd gone through, but I can only imagine how long yours must have taken and how painful it must have been."
Although he was glad that she now seemed less focused on the pain in her ankle, he had not expected she would choose his tattoo as the next topic of conversation. It was touching, however, how she had a tendency to worry about even the smallest, most insignificant matters.
"Some things in life hurt a helluva lot more than this, y'know," he replied softly, looking at her with gentle sadness in his eye.
When it became clear that he would not elaborate further on the subject, a bitter smile appeared on Tsuki's face.
"Mm. You're very right about that…"
She knew all too well how right he was in saying that. Physical pain from inflicted wounds would, in most cases, diminish or disappear entirely over time. Psychological and emotional hurt, however, could linger long after its cause had become nothing but a memory.
"...It itched like a motherfucker between sessions an' some time after it was done, though," he chuckled.
His short summary of the matter, along with how out of the left field it had come, amused her so much that a not-so-elegant snort of laughter escaped her.
"That I can believe," she grinned.
Mostly free of the pain, Tsuki found herself physically exhausted. It was not long before they decided to call it a night, but not without agreeing to see each other again soon.
Tsuki had not expected him to visit her as soon as the next day, but it did not bother her in the slightest. In fact, his call earlier that day asking if she wanted him to come over had made her so happy it was almost embarrassing. She enjoyed their time together, probably more than she should be, she thought with reproach. Worse still, she was growing used to having him around like this.
"Ya sure ya wanna do this with me an' not Aki-chan?"
"Yeah. I don't think she has the energy for it right now, what with her having to take care of Stray on her own… Besides, don't you want a rematch for when I kicked your butt back at the batting center?"
With the pain in her ankle from the day before luckily gone, all she wanted to do that evening was to enjoy the present, for once not worrying about neither the past nor the future. To do that, she thought it would be best for them to do something that would be simple, dumb fun — and so, she had suggested they play video games together.
"Hell yeah I do," he answered with a fiery grin, his fighter's spirit winning over.
"Then here," she handed him the second controller. "Want to play a tutorial first to get a feel for it?"
"Naw. I'll figure it out as I go. I'd like to think I ain't that senile yet."
"I never said you were. Okay, pick a character and let's go."
With how popular fighting games were at the arcades, a fighting game felt like the natural choice of genre for their impromptu gaming session.
"Right, done," he said once he had locked in his chosen character, then glanced at Tsuki's side of the screen. "Wait a sec… The hell did ya choose?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"That's a bear!" he chuckled, pointing at the screen.
"Yes, and?"
"How's a bear even a choice in a fightin' game?! Ya goin' easy on me or somethin'?"
"Maybe a little, seeing as you're probably not used to this series yet."
"Now you're just tryin' to insult me."
"I'm not!" she laughed. "Let's just go — I'm pretty sure I can beat you with my eyes closed."
"Heh. It's yer funeral. Don't cry when I send yer teddy-bear back to the mountains where it belongs."
Unfortunately for him, she had no intention of making it easy for him, winning their first two matches without losing a single round. While he had dismissed the first loss as a tutorial run, the second one made him lose his cool.
"Wh… What the hell?! How am I gettin' my ass handed to me — an' by a freakin' bear!" he gestured at the screen with one hand, then breathed an irritated sigh. "What a load of crap…"
"You really hate losing, don't you?" she noted, doing her best to contain her amusement at his frustration.
"'Course I do! Who doesn't? But the buttons on this thing…" He turned to look at her, lifting up his controller. "How does anyone use them with any amount of precision when they're so small? Gimme the buttons those arcade cabinets got any day."
"You do have a point with the arcade controls, but I don't think that's what's holding you back right now. It would probably be easier for you if you got rid of the gloves, you know."
"Haw? Bullshit. Also, seriously, what's with ya an' yer fixation with my gloves?"
"This time it has nothing to do with them!" she laughed, realizing what he was alluding to. "No, actually… it has everything to do with them — just not with me!"
"Fine, I'll give it a try," he heaved a resigned sigh before pulling off his gloves and throwing them onto the coffee table.
Be it due to practice or Tsuki's suggestion, the next couple of battles were slowly becoming much more balanced than before. Even if Tsuki came out on top at the end of each match, she was now having more and more trouble maintaining her dominance, with Majima managing to take an increasing number of rounds from her.
"By the way… Are you sure it's okay for you to drop by so often?"
"Why? Ya bored of me already?" he answered, still laser-focused on what was happening in the game, however.
"No, that's not what I mean," she smiled. "I just wouldn't want to get in the way of… whatever else you usually do."
"Eh, it's fine. I can do both," he promptly dismissed her concern. "Always done my thing an' I ain't 'bout to stop now. If anybody's got a problem with that, they can come an' say that to my face. No need for ya to worry."
"Hm… Okay. As long as you're sure."
Suddenly, he jumped in his seat, startling her.
"Finally! Take that, ya damn bear!" he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear and gesturing at the TV screen with one hand now that he had managed to win a match against her.
Tsuki glanced at him with awe in her eyes.
"Damn, that was a good match! Didn't think you'd improve so much so fast," she praised him, genuinely impressed. "Guess I can switch to a different character now that the training wheels are off."
He quickly turned his head to look at her, a smug grin on his face.
"Oh no ya don't! Did ya see me change characters all this time?"
"Wow, seriously? I don't remember agreeing to a rule like that!" she chuckled in reply.
"Yeah, well, I just made it up. Ain't gonna let ya pick a counter now that I managed to figure this shit out!"
"That's not what I was going to do at all!"
"Don't matter — you're stuck with the bear an' that's that."
"Okay, fine. I can still kick your ass like this anyway, so let's keep going."
Now that he was finally able to hold his own against her, he became much more relaxed in his play, accepting any and all tips she gave him. As time passed and the number of matches grew, so did Majima's skill at the game they were playing — towards the end, it was anyone's guess as to who the victor would be. And although the scales were still somewhat tipped Tsuki's way, the victories he had piled up seemed to have finally quelled his thirst for virtual revenge against her.
"Alright, think that'll do me," he said once he had triumphed one more time. "Ya got any other games we can play?"
"Mm, I think so… Feel free to take a look on the shelves next to the desk and see if something catches your eye," she said, pointing to the far side of the room where the small office space was.
He did as she said, quickly locating the piece of furniture in question. Up close, he saw a row of video game cases lining one of the shelves. What drew his eye instead, however, was the shelf below it, filled with movies on Blu-ray discs, with a couple of older DVDs mixed in. He scanned the spines of the boxes with curiosity, then read some of their titles out loud.
"Battle of the Kaiju… Return of the Mecha-Kaiju… Kaiju: Final Showdown… The shit?"
"Hey!" Tsuki immediately jolted up in her seat. "You were supposed to look for a game — I never said you could go through my other stuff along the way!"
"Too late now," he smirked, brushing off her feigned annoyance. "Hoo… Think I'm sensin' a pattern here."
"S-So what? I like monster movies… Is there something wrong with that?"
"Naw." He paused, putting his chin between his thumb and index finger, thinking. "Not a single zombie flick, though…"
"Zombie flicks? Why would I have any of those?"
He suddenly whirled around to face her, his expression one of pure incredulity.
"Ya kiddin' me?! That shit is amazin'!"
"Is it?" she tilted her head, unsure of why he would be so animated about that particular genre. "What's so interesting about people made to look like corpses drooling, growling and chasing other people?"
He frowned, clearly stung by her question.
"An' what's so interestin' 'bout people dressed up in monster suits dukin' it out with one another?"
"Well, you know… The suits themselves, the special effects, the epic fight scenes… You watch those movies predominantly for the monsters. Zombie movies, on the other hand — you watch them mostly for the characters and their struggle for survival, right?"
"Haw? Screw the characters! I watch 'em for the zombies an' all the gory stuff that comes with it."
"...Okay. I guess that's as good of a reason as any. Is that your favorite kind of movies, then?"
"One of. C'mon, dontcha think it'd be a blast to be in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, shootin' the damn things all day long like there's no tomorrow?" A sly grin suddenly spread across his face. "Ya see what I did there?"
"Apocalypse, no tomorrow… That was actually a good one," she guffawed. "But still, uh… no?"
"Well, would ya rather get squashed like an ant by a giant lizard instead, not bein' able to do anythin' 'bout it?"
"Also no. You know, people watch those kinds of movies for the thrills, but that doesn't mean they'd want the things they see to actually happen," she replied with a crooked smile.
"You're such a stick in the mud sometimes, y'know?" he grumbled.
"Pfft. Sure, let's go with that."
During the short lull in conversation that followed, Majima appeared to be mulling something over in his head. Suddenly, he clapped his hands in unbridled excitement.
"I got it! We could do a movie night! Whaddya think? Got shitloads of stuff ya prob'ly ain't seen back at the office — I can bring some with me next time!"
It was not what Tsuki had been expecting to come out of his mouth next, but she could not deny that it was a tempting idea. With how expectantly he was staring at her, she found herself unable to refuse either way.
"A movie night? Yeah, that actually sounds like fun. Can't guarantee I'll suddenly become a zombie genre convert, but if you're that eager to show me some of your favorites, then I won't say no to giving it a shot."
"Alright! It's settled, then! Though… Ya don't seem to have a movie player?" he said, stepping forward to take another look at the front of the TV stand.
"Don't need one. I use the console for that."
"Oh? That thing? So it can play movies, too, huh."
"Yep. Saves a lot of space that way, to be honest. When I'm not playing games, I use it as a glorified movie player."
"Heh… The things ya learn, eh?"
"So, when do you want to do it?"
"If it were up to me, I'd run to the office an' back right now," he smiled somewhat bashfully. "But, seein' as it's gettin' late, that prob'ly ain't the best idea… How's tomorrow work for ya, though?"
A resigned smile on her face, Tsuki simply shrugged.
"Same as any other day right now. I don't think I'll be going anywhere for a few more days, so I've got time."
"Right, uh… Then… How 'bout I get us some snacks? Anythin' in particular you'd want?"
"Actually… Leave that to me. I already have something in mind."
Majima crossed his arms, a disapproving look on his face.
"Eh? Ya sure 'bout that?"
"I am. I should be able to make something fitting the occasion with what I already have lying around."
"Hmm… Just don't overdo it, ya hear?"
"Mm. I promise I won't," she nodded. "I'll be careful."
"Ya better," he agreed, albeit reluctantly. The stern expression on his face faded, replaced by a toothy grin. "Tomorrow evenin' it is, then. Oooh, just thinkin' 'bout it's got me excited!"
"Hold your horses — for now, find us another game to play," Tsuki said, trying to bring him back down to earth. "Or did that idea go out the window already?"
"True — my bad. Lemme see…"
They spent the rest of their time together that day trying out various games in her collection, commenting on them and making small talk. All the same, Tsuki could tell that ever since the moment they had agreed to the movie night Majima seemed wholly preoccupied by it, making her wonder what exactly it was that he was looking forward to so much.
The following evening, Majima arrived at Tsuki's doorstep around nine, a plastic bag in hand, feeling as excited as a child on Christmas day. A week had now passed since their fateful drinking session on the rooftop, whose less than fortunate aftermath had led to the two of them seeing each other more often than ever before. It was an unexpected silver lining to an otherwise regrettable turn of events.
Still, for all the time they had already spent together, he found himself unable to broach the one subject which had been at the back of his head that past week. It was simply not the time for such things — she did not need more on her mind right now, he scolded himself. Clearing his mind, he pushed the buzzer without further hesitation.
When she opened the door and greeted him, he immediately noticed something had changed — this time, for once, for the better.
"Oh? Is it bye-bye crutch time?" he flashed her a toothy grin, seeing that she was now able to stand on her own, even if she was still wearing the brace and noticeably favoring her uninjured leg.
"Yep!" she reciprocated his smile. "I think I've learned my lesson after last time — I made sure not to do anything too forceful these past two days and it seems to have paid off."
"Does it still hurt, though?"
"Not nearly as much as before, as long as I don't do anything funny with it. Finding the right balance to not overdo it while walking is pretty exhausting, though, I'll admit…"
"Well, keep at it, in that case. I'm glad you're gettin' better, but ya ain't outta the woods yet. Remember: slow an' steady wins the race, yeah?"
"Yeah, yeah. Trust me, I'm not about to do anything stupid now that it's gotten better."
"Sure hope ya ain't. That babysitter option's still on the table, in case ya thought I was bluffin'."
"Oh, I never doubted you were telling the truth," she laughed. "It was a small part of why I gritted my teeth and got my shit together."
"Heh. Good to know there're still somethin' that can get through to ya. Even if it's blackmail."
Stepping further into the apartment, he picked up the pleasant smell of spices and cooking oil wafting from the kitchen.
"Oh? Ya makin' somethin'?"
When she offered to handle the snacks the day before, he had assumed she had something stashed away — not that she would actually decide to prepare them herself.
"I am and it's almost ready," she replied with a proud smile.
"Hoo… What is it?"
"You'll find out soon enough," she grinned. "Make yourself at home while I finish up."
"Need any help?"
"Thanks, but I'll be fine — besides, it would spoil the surprise, wouldn't it? Shouldn't be long now, so just sit tight."
Still visibly unsteady on her feet, but now able to at least slowly move around without the use of the crutch, she disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the door slightly ajar. With nothing else to do, Majima sat down on the sofa, and noticed a large bottle of C.C. Lemon, two glasses and two sets of chopsticks she had already placed on the coffee table in front.
He could not deny he was happy that she was recovering — but what it also meant was that soon she would not need him to help out in any way, or even to keep her company, anymore. In other words, everything would return to how it used to be. He quickly shook off the sinking feeling the thought of that inevitable moment gave him, and focused on the here and now instead.
"Oh yeah — I poked my head into Stray for a bit 'fore comin' here," he said in a voice loud enough that she would hear him from the kitchen.
"You did?"
"Yep. Thought I'd check how things're goin', what with ya bein' gone for so long. Ask Aki-chan if there's been any trouble, an' so on."
"And? Did she tell you anything different than she told me, which is that everything's going fine?"
"Naw. Everythin' seemed to be goin' smoothly, so I don't think she said that to ya just to make ya feel better."
"That's good to hear. I know Aki is more than capable of holding down the fort on her own, but I'm really grateful that you thought to check up on her anyway. She wasn't too stressed when she saw you, I hope?"
"Actually… no. She seemed quite calm this time 'round, believe it or not."
"Oh? Now that's something, isn't it? I told you she was warming up to you."
"Heh, maybe — or maybe she's just too busy to care," he smirked to himself.
"She knows you've been looking after me, and, seeing as I'm still alive and in one piece, looks like she's beginning to trust you."
It was not long before she rejoined him. His eyes went wide when she placed a plate filled with bite-sized pieces of crispy fried chicken in the center of the coffee table.
"Wait a sec — could this be yer famous karaage?"
"It is. I thought it would make for a perfect snack on a movie night," she smiled proudly, sitting down next to him. "Now, remember — not a word about this to Aki or she'll have my hide. Enjoy."
"Oh, yer secret's safe with me. Holy… That does look good, ain't gonna lie."
"Go on, try it."
"Don't mind if I do!"
Without further ado, he eagerly grabbed a piece of the chicken and took a bite.
"And? How is it?"
"The best food stalls in town ain't got nothin' on ya. Hells, ya could make a livin' sellin' these at a stall of yer own, y'know?"
The look of pure glee on his face was more than enough to assuage any fears she might have had, but his praise on top of it made her positively overjoyed.
"Thank you. If there ever comes a time for a career change, I guess I can consider the idea," she giggled.
"Ya ever thought 'bout sellin' this at yer bar?"
"Um, no, not really. I'm usually busy enough without the added workload of preparing food."
"Now ain't that a shame… Shit, I could eat this every day."
"I don't think that'd exactly be healthy — but I'm glad you like it," she chuckled. "It could actually be a good idea for the bar, though… Maybe I can work something out in the future," she added, the gears beginning to turn in her head. "But that's neither here nor there. Anyway, before you wolf down most of it… We were supposed to watch a movie."
"Ah, right…" he mumbled before swallowing the most recent bite. He reached into the bag beside him and took out its contents. "Brought three. Ya seen any of these already?"
"...Nope. Can't say that I have," she shook her head, giving the boxes a quick once-over.
"Which one do ya feel like goin' for first, then?"
Knowing next to nothing about the genre, all Tsuki had to go on were the covers. Feeling like a fish out of water, she turned to him instead.
"This is sausage to me, so… Which one would you say is most worth watching?" she said, returning the cases to him.
"Well…" he furrowed his brow in thought. "Depends on what ya wanna go for. This one's got the best gore… This one's more 'bout shootin' an' shit explodin'... An' this one here's got both, with a lil' science-fiction mumbo-jumbo sprinkled on top."
"Uh-huh… So, do any of them have any coherent plot between the killing, the shooting and the explosions?" she scoffed, hearing his crisp descriptions of the movies in front of her.
"...Plot?" he tilted his head, his face an image of exasperation.
"Yeah, you know, like… Where did the zombies come from? Why does the shit need to explode? Is there a single villain with a master plan behind it all? Do the characters have any motivation to fight apart from pure survival instinct? That sort of thing."
"Haw? Does it hafta be that deep to be fun to watch?" he sighed.
"Hmm… I guess if entertainment value is what matters to you, then even the simplest story can work, as long as the special effects and the action are good. Plus, you can always laugh about how stupid the characters' actions are."
"See? Now you're startin' to get it." He studied the covers for a spell, then singled out one and put the others down on the coffee table. "Right… If story's that important to ya, then I think this one most fits the bill."
"Alright! With that out of the way, let's get this show on the road, shall we?"
Thus began their movie night. Despite the fact that what they were watching was not intended to be a comedy, from Tsuki's amused reactions and comments one could have assumed it was. Majima took all her criticism of the production in stride, the laid-back, jovial atmosphere rubbing off on him. Hearing her laugh and seeing her enjoy herself like this — even at the cost of one of his favorite films being ripped to shreds — filled him with joy, made it all worthwhile. Being with her like this in the seclusion of her apartment, away from Kamurocho's constant hustle and bustle, had a simple kind of charm — it reminded him of a much simpler time in a long since closed chapter of his life. He loved the crazy life he had now, with all of its thrills and opportunities to do insane things together with his boys, but this was the one kind of thing he could not find anywhere else. Wasn't even willing to look for on his own. These two contrasting worlds, at odds with each other and yet strangely complementary, were like the yin and yang of his current existence.
Once the credits rolled, neither of them said anything for a few moments. Then, Tsuki covered her mouth with her hand, barely able to hold in a laugh.
"That was… absolute garbage."
"...Fine, I'll give ya that one," Majima groaned in reply, rolling his eyes. "When I actually focus on watchin' it an' I ain't thinkin' 'bout a million other things, it does kinda blow. Was a good laugh at least, right?"
"That was its only redeeming quality, if you ask me."
With a furrowed brow, Majima lowered his gaze to look at the two other boxes on the coffee table.
"Hm… Now I ain't so sure 'bout the remainin' two anymore…"
"Nuh-uh! No going back now — we've committed," Tsuki grinned in response. "I want to see if the others are even worse than this one!"
"I ain't leavin' here today with my pride intact, am I…" he gave her a pitiful smile.
"Oh don't be such a sourpuss. I'm sure your pride will be just fine."
With a scoff, he changed the discs and they moved on to the next movie. As time passed, Majima noted that she was not as quick to laugh during the second film as she had been during the first, and seemed much more invested in what was happening on-screen.
Without thinking, he spread his arms on the sofa's backrest, his right forearm ending up right behind her head. Realizing this, he instinctively wanted to readjust his position — but, to his surprise, she did not react. It gave him pause. Maybe she was just so focused on the movie that she had not noticed? Despite the growing nervousness he was feeling, he decided not to move so as not to invite any more awkwardness, and turned his attention back to the TV.
"Ooh, here comes the good part," he grinned in excitement about half-way into the runtime.
Although he had seen the movie they were watching a dozen times before, seeing someone else's reactions to his favorite moments never got old. The scene in question came and went, however, but he heard no sound nor comment from her. Focused on the screen as he had been, it was only then that he noticed a weight pressing against his right arm. Suddenly, he felt hot, his pulse picking up pace, every muscle in his body tensing up.
"H-Huh?… Tsuki-chan?" he breathed, slowly turning his head to look at her. "...Oh."
Just as he had suspected, she was resting her head against his arm, but she did not respond in any way to his voice. Eyes closed and breathing steady, it appeared she had fallen asleep.
"Dumbass…" he said quietly to himself and a warm smile lifted the corners of his mouth, the excitement bordering on panic gradually subsiding.
Her injury and the work that had gone into preparing the karaage on her own must have taken a bigger toll on her than she would admit. Mostly free now from the pain that had been haunting her for the past couple of days, she had quietly dozed off — his arm had simply been the nearest thing that could serve her as a pillow.
After some trial and error involving the controller, he turned the movie off. Careful not to wake her, he grabbed a nearby cushion, then gently guided her to lay down. She cuddled the cushion, wincing for a brief moment when he lifted her legs onto the couch, but did not wake. Once he had put the blanket that was always swung across the back of the armchair whenever she wasn't using it over her, Majima wondered what his next move should be. Even though she was asleep, leaving her now would be at least strange — not to mention he would never leave her with the door unlocked, no matter how safe the area appeared to be. No, he would stay there with her until she woke up, he decided.
Taking his place next to her again, he watched the peaceful expression on her face. He felt for her, but there was not much he could do for her other than let her rest. Having her so close, the temptation to dotingly stroke her hair was almost too great. Although she did not seem that way at first glance, he knew by now how guarded she in fact always was, so her becoming comfortable enough around him to fall asleep was a compliment in and of itself. Quiet moments like these were special, even if bittersweet, given the still ambiguous nature of their relationship. If anything, they rekindled the tiny spark of hope inside him that, one day, this could become a natural occurrence for them, free from any doubt and insecurity. As ridiculous as it sounded, even in his thoughts, he could not stop himself from daydreaming about it.
Watching over her as she slept, he lowered the volume on the TV and proceeded to surf the channels, hoping that something would eventually grab his attention.
