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Hey, don't push yourself. I probably did more damage than you'd think.
Piss on that. A true performer can never show their pain, or even their real damn self to an audience.
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"Later, Kiryu-chan!"
As the crowd began to disperse, Kiryu lingered a moment. When Majima had fallen after pulling off his silly dance move, he'd known something wasn't right.
The older man remained standing, but he hadn't moved again. His expression seemed strained, his face paler than normal. Majima's eyebrows drew downward as he noticed Kiryu was still there, suddenly flapping one hand toward him in irritation.
"Go on, scram. I got work to do."
"You can go ahead, Majima-san," Kiryu replied politely.
Majima did nothing, his lips pressed together so tight his complexion continued to pale. This strange standoff lasted at least a whole minute before he spoke, almost seeming angry.
"Fuck it, fine. I'm goin'."
Majima took one step forward and then landed in a whimpering heap again. He clutched at his left ankle the same as before, and Kiryu hurried forward to drop to one knee in front of him.
"I told you not to push yourself," he said to Majima, who was taking turns scowling at him and then the offending ankle. "Do you think it's sprained?"
"It's fine! Lay off!"
Kiryu drew back slightly at Majima's vehement tone, then frowned in concern. "Hey. What are you so upset about? Can you walk?"
Majima struggled to stand, and Kiryu quickly helped him to his feet. Once upright, he shrugged Kiryu off and promptly teetered backward a third time.
Fortunately, Kiryu could keep him from hitting the ground as Majima let out a string of colorful expletives under his breath. "I'm fine, fuck, fuck, fuck..." he concluded in a hiss, though it was obvious he was anything but.
"Here, let me get your arm around my shoulders, and then-"
"No! Kiryu-chan, get off! I can walk, dammit!"
Majima was causing a scene. Some of the crowd from before was drifting back over, eyes wide as they murmured about what had happened to their idol. No one else tried to assist, probably because it looked like Kiryu was doing his best to handle it. But it seemed Majima was a little too difficult when he wanted to dig his heels in, so Kiryu took the matter into his own hands, quite literally.
"Come on, Majima-san. That's enough."
He hoped the firmness in his voice made Majima quiet down, but it was more than likely the shock as Kiryu effortlessly scooped him up. One arm supporting Majima's back and the other beneath his knees, Kiryu held him tightly and made his way to the exit while the bystanders gawked, their muttering louder.
It didn't take long for Majima's lungs to work again.
"K-Kiryu-chan! Put me down now! How dare ya try 'n-"
He kicked his feet and tried to push backward, but Kiryu just held him tighter. "Stop throwing a fit. You know they're watching you, right? What happened to not showing them your real self?"
The words seemed to bring Majima back to his senses; more than that, it was obvious he was completely embarrassed by the whole predicament. Suddenly he'd flung his arms up around Kiryu's shoulders before burying his face at the top of his chest as though no one would recognize him that way. The outfit still screamed who it was to anyone who would know. Which could not possibly be many, considering.
Majima made a low, pained sound that Kiryu could feel vibrating against his chest; he smiled gently as he navigated them out the door. "We're outside now, it's alright. You don't have to do that."
Not moving at all, Majima mumbled, "Put me down."
"You can't walk, so no," Kiryu replied, focusing on the street ahead. They were getting a lot of stares, so maybe it was better that Majima wouldn't look.
"Then where the fuck we goin'?!" he exploded, seeming on the verge of fighting again.
"Majima-san, calm down," Kiryu scolded. "I'm taking you to a clinic to get your ankle looked at. If it's sprained, you'll need to rest it anyway. I'm not just leaving you on the street and I'm not going to wait for your men to come pick you up."
There was a long silence before Majima sagged against him. He still didn't move, only clinging to Kiryu as he was carried.
The clinic in the area was several blocks away. He ignored the bewildered looks from other pedestrians, knowing he'd probably be wearing the same expression if he saw someone carrying a tall, overly clingy guy decked out in a weird suit that looked like it belonged in an ancient disco.
Majima was pretty light, now that he had time to notice. Kiryu felt he would have had no problem carrying the older man even further if he had to. He smelled like cigarettes and also bubblegum, the latter only vaguely. Kiryu wasn't sure how or why.
"Maybe if you weren't so insistent on these fights, you wouldn't be hurt now," he suggested, hoping to get a meaningful conversation with Majima out of this.
"Cram it, Kiryu-chan. Y'know I'm just helpin' ya out."
Well, that hadn't worked.
"Alright. But I don't know why you're so upset about me helping you, instead. That's all I'm doing."
Majima shook his head, the motion making his hair tickle along Kiryu's neck. "Hm. So, what you said earlier about not showing your pain or your real self. I'm not your audience, Majima-san, so I don't think you need to do any of that. You're a person with needs and emotions of your own. So why hide any of it when you're not 'performing'?"
He could feel the exhalation of Majima's regular breathing against his chest, knowing he had calmed down. And while not expecting an answer, the other man surprised him.
"I'm always performin'," he said, his voice so low that Kiryu had to strain to hear it over the noise of the street. "Too dangerous not to."
Kiryu frowned. "What do you mean, dangerous?"
Majima didn't seem like he would be forthcoming on the subject. It worried Kiryu, making him wonder how much Majima felt he had to hide.
He couldn't press the issue, not wanting to distress Majima more than his hurt ankle already was. Because it was clear he was distressed over it. He didn't want to show pain or what he was truly feeling at all. The thought was uncomfortable.
Without forethought, he could feel his arms tighten around the other man. "Well, I've got you, nii-san. If you ever need someone to be yourself around, you could do that with me. It's got to be better than all the stunts you pull."
Majima huffed out a laugh, shrugging his shoulders. "I dunno. I can think about it."
The silence between them remained until they reached the clinic, though Kiryu would have to confess that he enjoyed holding a peaceful Majima until then. After getting him inside, that enjoyment quickly went out the window.
"Put me down, ya big idiot!"
With a sigh, Kiryu dumped Majima into a chair in the waiting room, only taking care that he didn't jar the injured leg. Majima's eye shot daggers up at him sharper than his tanto.
"Fuck you."
"You're welcome."
Kiryu took a seat next to him wearing an expression of utter patience. Majima just kept glaring.
"Why're ya still here?"
"You're not going to try to get away. We'll see what's wrong with your ankle and go from there."
Majima gave an exaggerated groan, sliding downward in his seat. Several people were eyeing the funny-looking man in his iridescent costume with mild amusement. Kiryu couldn't help a little smile of his own.
Once an attendant had checked Majima in, a couple of others approached to help him into an examination room. Kiryu dearly hoped they had patience. But he didn't hear a single sound coming from the room as he waited, so Majima must have decided to get this ordeal over faster.
"Good news, Kiryu-chan!"
It was almost as though nothing had happened, save for the limp in the older man's step as he approached, an attendant nearby in case he needed help. But he could walk. "Doc says it's not sprained, but I did twist it pretty bad. Hurts like hell, but they wrapped it real good for me and they say I should be better in a couple days if I rest."
After being sure Majima would be alright on his own, the attendant left them. Only then did Majima lean closer, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "But screw that. I've got a schedule to maintain here."
Kiryu folded his arms, his expression stern. "I didn't do all this for you to throw it away. You'd better rest, Majima-san."
Majima's eye rolled back. "Okay, whatever. I was just jokin'. Sheesh." He raised his arm as though about to pull that dance move again, but winced and apparently thought better of it. "Already called Nishida, he'll pick me up out front soon. And I don't want him seein' you, so now ya really better beat it."
"Alright. Show me your phone, first."
"Kiryu-chan, yer killin' me here. Stop bein' so damn worried about me." But he did flip his phone open and hold it up, showing his message to Nishida, and Kiryu nodded in approval.
"Good. I'm glad you're going to be okay, Majima-san." He gave a brief nod of farewell but was startled when the other man grabbed his hand.
"Look, Kiryu-chan... I mean, thanks. I guess. For helpin' me. I mean... yeah. Sorry I was bein' a dick for a while." Majima's eye showed a genuine look of gratitude, and their hands clasped longer than needed for a simple handshake.
"It's okay. I think that was part of the performance. This... seems to be you."
The words were powerful enough to stun Majima into silence until the sharp lines of his cheekbones lifted in a smile. "Who knows? Later, Kiryu-chan."