IC Inbox - Ryslig

[blap_blap]

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[justbeingknife]

[ There was probably a lot that was concerning about Majima, including that he didn't seem overly concerned. ]

Ya are a minotaur, Tim. It ain't just your fangs you could hurt someone with.

[ And... Majima had actually hurt Tim before, though the bullman seemed to have a taste for it. Majima felt a little twinge of guilt about that. Like, not enough to stop him, though. Instead, he glanced over Tim's features as if searching for something. ]

...what happened the past few weeks, it brought a lot to mind. About how I can't really help anyone.

[blap_blap]

[There was a big difference, though, between Tim agreeing to let Majima tie him to the headboard and smack him around with a riding crop and Tim accidentally draining the blood out of Majima. One was consensual and had no lasting damage, the other was a tragic accident that would undoubtedly give him a complex.]

[Tim looked a little confused at that statement, and how it came out of seemingly nowhere.]

What are you-- is this about the poachers?

[Tim had probably said this multiple times, but apparently he needed to say it at least once more.]

You know that wasn't your fault, right?

[justbeingknife]

It doesn't matter whose fault it was.

[ On some level, it was about the poachers. On another, it wasn't actually about them at all. ]

When I saw ya out in that alley, I thought about how Makoto looked after those goons gunned her down. And then I thought about Saejima, Lee, Nishitani...

[ His gaze had wandered a little, but then Majima seemed to remember where he was, focusing again on Tim. ]

I ain't sayin' it's your fault, either. I just don't want to be the one left standin' any more while someone else bleeds out. I'm going to ask Mana if she can make it so I can do something about that next time.

[blap_blap]

I...

[What was he supposed to say? That he was sorry that Majima had to see him in that alley, bleeding and maimed? He was, he wished that Majima never had to see him that way. He wished that Majima hadn't had so many people he cared about die on him.]

[He just wanted Majima to be okay. And the more that Tim had gotten to know him, the more he'd realized that underneath Majima's calm, collected exterior was a man who was Not Okay.]

...What kind of thing are you going to ask her for?

[Because if the answer was 'a way to blow up all the bad guys' or something, that might be like. A problem? Not that Tim was exactly the best person to bring that up, because he was Mr. A Thing For Faces, but still.]

[justbeingknife]

...A healing spell.

[ Surprise, it had nothing to do with explosions? Presumably, unless Majima wanted to heal with the power of nurturing explosions. ]

Don't laugh, alright? I know it sounds like somethin' out of a video game. [ It also seemed kind of out of character for Majima, who seemed to delight so in dismantling his enemies. Or... maybe not? He just wanted the people he cared about to be Okay, and so what if the phasing thing he'd wished for was exactly what he'd need to reach Saejima and this new idea was what he would have needed to help Makoto and Tim, he could pick his own skill tree with magic Ryslig money instead of Japanese yens this time!!! ]

[blap_blap]

Yeah, I mean, it does, but I'm also a minotaur vampire and you're a werewolf who can already light things on fire with your brain or whatever, I think that healing spells would be a stupid place to draw the line at this point.

[And, really... it wasn't an impractical thing to ask for. If people got hurt a lot all around you, why wouldn't you want a way to patch them up again? Majima couldn't physically protect everyone he cared about. Being able to keep them in one piece was probably the next best thing.]

I think that's a good thing to ask for. [He supported Majima's use of his Monopoly money. Though, really, it was his Monopoly money and he could use it however he wanted.] I probably should've asked Mana for something useful before I asked her to change my feeding. I could've seen if she would've given me some Anshins or something.

[justbeingknife]

Huh? What, like, tell ya it was all gonna be okay? [ #justlanguagethings ]

[ Majima sloshed around in the water a little as he leaned up against Tim's beefy shoulder and sat back against the side of the tub. ]

I don't think there's anythin' wrong with what ya asked for. I would've asked for the same thing.

[ Well... he did ask for the same thing, really. Majima put out a hand, looking for Tim's. ]

[blap_blap]

What?

[Majima leaned up against him and Tim rearranged his arms to accommodate the new position. He reached for the the soap, too, because if they were going to be in the bath, they might as well wash up a bit. He got his hands soaped up and started to work it into Majima's ruff-- clean out any blood that was left in there.]

No, I mean. Anshin med hypoes? It's medicine or something, one of those can heal up almost anything. [Or just slam a couple of them, you'd be fine.] They're probably the main reason why I didn't end up buzz-axe murdered by a bandit or something.

[Tim would've-- or should've-- probably asked for the feeding change earlier, but he'd set himself back in Monopoly money when he'd bought that VCR and cassette tape for Majima. Worth it, though, for how happy he was.]

Yeah, but I guess it's kinda... selfish? It only helps me.

[justbeingknife]

I guess that would make ya feel pretty Anshin. [ One day, the heavens would rain retribution down on Majima for his terrible comedic trespasses. You might say they'd punish him. ] It's like 'peace of mind'. Or bein' able to rest easy.

That sounds real handy, though. I used to bolt down energy drinks instead. [ Because of course, right? Bleeding from multiple orifices? Try a Red Bull. ]

[ Majima closed his eyes as Tim worked his fingers through that fluff. He couldn't help it; between the warmth of the water and the massaging, it was tempting to just loll his head to the side and let the man work. Instead, he grabbed himself a little shampoo and reached over to start lathering up Tim's hair. ]

What about the people you're not eatin' any more? [ He didn't know, Tim. For Majima, it was hard to see 'not wanting to eat people' as a selfish motive. ]

[blap_blap]

Oh, it means something in Japanese? Huh.

[What the hell was the Borderlands universe, anyway. What happened to Earth? Why did some companies have names that were translatable from old Earth languages? Why were there obvious Greco-Roman mythology references in planet names and companies? Gearbox, explain!!]

[Tim was happy, though, to lather up his werewolf boyfriend-- he hadn't had arms for a while, or hands, so it was nice to use them again. Especially since Majima seemed to like it so much, like dogs liked getting pet.]

Oh, well. Honestly, that's probably not going to change. [He sighed, and started to rinse the soap out of Majima's fluff.] I go hunting with Jack. He does that energy thing, y'know? So he'd kill them by doing... that, and I got what was left over.

[Not exactly the most appealing way to do things, but better than the alternative. Only one person had to die for the both of them, two monsters with one corpse.]

At least that way, I could kind of make sure he only went after shitty people, otherwise he'd just kill anybody who pissed him off.

[blap_blap]

mmm hey guess what that doesn't sound like an upside that sounds like existential horror

i might just try the whole few universes to the left thing

like i got one in mind but it's really probably gonna be another spin on the how fucked am i roulette

i don't know what i did to deserve this

i mean i'd say it was all the murder but everyone was doing a murder so

[justbeingknife]

[ A pause. ]

You... what? Why?

[ Majima had never been comfortable with the idea of eating people from the start -- for himself, it had been such a visceral fuck no that he'd seriously considered going on bended knee to the Fog God for the promise that he wouldn't ever have to. Probably would have done just that, swallowing what pride he had left, if Mana hadn't given him an out.

He knew other monsters did it, of course, that they had to, and there was little they could do about it. Sometimes, little they cared to do about it. And Tim had seemed so uncomfortable talking about it, so gentle, that Majima had just sort of assumed his boyfriend used the soup kitchen. It occurred to Majima now that he probably should have asked, because this was actually kind of concerning? ]

I thought you were just there to fuck up his plans.

[ There was something... weirdly intimate about following Jack on the prowl and polishing off the bodies left behind when Mr. Space Tyrant was done sucking their essence out through his robot wires. Uncomfortably familiar about what sounded like more cleaning up after Handsome Jack's messes and curating his people feed. ]

[blap_blap]

I am. But Jack's going to kill people whether or not I'm there, so isn't it better if I can at least make sure he's going after somebody who deserves it? Instead of just, like, offing some schmuck on their way home from getting groceries?

[That, and the soup kitchen only worked for so long. He'd tried it, but only once, until the need to go out and hunt was bad enough that he was afraid he'd lose it again. And when he'd lost it the first time...]

[He didn't want to have that happen again. It had been bad enough that he'd lost control once. And when he'd stumbled home, bloody and sobbing? Jack had picked up the pieces. Jack had taken control of the situation and got Tim cleaned up and took care of it.]

[As terrible as Jack was, Tim was grateful for that.]

I know it's just damage control. But I thought that if I couldn't stop him from doing it, I should at least make sure he was only going after the worst people I could find.

[And, well, it wasn't like he was chopping up bodies in his basement or anything. He wouldn't have the stomach for it. Jack did it instead, and it was in a shed.]

[justbeingknife]

Is it? Not like he's gotta eat people to kill 'em, or even dirty his own hands. He might just be humorin' you while you're there.

And even if he's not, you thought about why he's bein' so helpful, right? Letting ya tag along and run damage control. You sure he's not playin' nice because he knows he can't control ya the way he could back home?

[ If Majima's talks with Tim had convinced him of anything, it was that the combination of guilt and terrible self esteem was a hell of a drug. So easy to get what you wanted from someone who was convinced they deserved no better. And he really doubted Jack was doing anything to benefit Tim if it didn't also, ultimately, benefit Jack. ]

Because that's what I'd be doing if I was some space psycho. Ya already feel responsible for him, right? Like ya can't ever get out from under his shadow, like it has to be you and you alone who stops him. But he's gotta know that, on some level.

You don't think he's got some investment in keeping you thinking you're the only one who can stop Hurricane Jack?

[blap_blap]

I really don't need you to tell me that I can hurt Jack. I already know.

[Another thing that he felt bad about-- ripping Jack's stupid robot arm off in a fit of rage. Not just because it was, like, morally wrong to hurt people-- and it was wrong to hurt people, but Tim did understand nuance and the fact that Jack deserved a hell of a lot for all the shit he pulled-- but because when he'd done it, when he'd seen how scared Jack was of him in that moment, and how powerless he was to stop him?]

[Tim had kind of liked it. And that was where it had all started for Jack, too, when he'd killed a man for crossing him, because he deserved it, and said it felt invigorating.]

[Sometimes, Tim thought about the ways that he and Jack paralleled each other, and it kept him up at night.]

Besides, I'm not the one who stops him. Not at home, and I don't know if I can stop him here.

[He rinsed all the soap out of Majima's ruff, probably more thoroughly than he needed to. It kept his hands busy, and he needed that.]

And I know he keeps me around because he thinks I might be an asset. That's, like, not any different from back home. He's just not holding every card anymore. So I guess he can think whatever he wants, but I've gotta play along for a while.

[Tim had a hand now, if he was going to keep that poker metaphor going, but he still couldn't play it until just the right moment. If he went rogue on Jack too early, it would ruin any chance he had at stopping him from gaining power.]

[justbeingknife]

I --

[ It felt like a brush-off, and hey. It wouldn't be the first one Majima had ever been on the business end of. It wasn't even the one that felt the worst ex post facto; that dubious honor was awarded to Saejima Taiga, for his mulish insistence on going through with that hit in '85 and not even telling his goddamn baby sister he was going to be going somewhere.

But he cared about Tim, so that sucked. Majima wanted to argue, of course, probably something along the lines of 'then why are you trying to do this alone', or 'you don't have to do anything', but guess what? He'd been down this road. He'd already agreed, despite all his misgivings, to leave it alone.

Even if Tim died, he'd be back. He should leave it alone.

He stopped Tim with the touch of his hand. ]

It's fine, I got it. And I know I already said I wouldn't get involved.

[ Majima didn't even want to talk about Jack. The fact that this dude, who was not in this relationship, somehow kept coming up in it? Thanks, he hated it. ]

How long are we talkin'?

[blap_blap]

[For whatever reason, Majima was attracted to stubborn-ass men. Here he was, shacking up with another stubborn asshole who refused to change his stupid plan despite the fact that it was, in fact, stupid as hell.]

[But he didn't want to talk about Jack, either. He wished he never had to consider Jack in his life at all, but unfortunately, his boss took up a lot of real estate in his brain. Despite the fact that Jack wasn't involved in this relationship at all, he sure had a pretty big impact on it.]

...I don't know?

[God, everything just happened so much. The day had literally just started and Tim was so tired, he just wanted to get back into bed and not think about any of this anymore, ever. Sleep for a whole month. And if the universe would do him a favor and let him wake up in a Jack-less world, he'd be grateful.]

I just, I don't know. I'm sorry, I, I'm trying.

[Trying to get things sorted, and deal with Jack, and deal with everything that kept happening in Ryslig, and maybe he wasn't dealing with it very well, but he was sure trying.]

[justbeingknife]

[ One day, maybe he'd figure out why he was into hulking, immovable objects. That day was not today.

Majima was looking at Tim while he spoke, as if he might glean the answer to some unasked question through the act of simple observation. What he saw besides an exhausted minotaur was a mystery, but he put out a hand to touch Tim's face with the back of a white-furred hand. A careful touch, gentler than necessary.

Then he pulled the plug. The water was starting to get cold, anyway -- best to dry off before someone's teeth started chattering. ]

Here, go ahead and rinse off. You'll catch a cold, y'know.

[ He started to get up and lift one leg over the rim of the tub, aiming to brave the bathroom floor and retrieve some clean towels. ]

[blap_blap]

[Tim turned his cheek towards Majima's gentle hand, and couldn't help but feel guilty. His boyfriend had been patient about this whole thing with Jack, more patient than he should've ever had to be-- it wasn't fair to ask him to keep their relationship a secret.]

[Tim needed to do something about Jack. He didn't know what, exactly, but something.]

[Then Majima pulled the drain and went to get towels, and Tim did as he'd suggested and stood up to rinse all the soap off of himself. And, in the meanwhile, tried to put his thoughts together, figure out something to do about this whole Jack situation.]

[He couldn't kill him. He didn't have any proof from home about how dangerous of a person Jack was to use against him. How was he supposed to keep him in check?]

[When he was finished rinsing, he stepped out of the tub and reached for one of the towels to dry himself off. It wouldn't do to catch a chill right after he finished growing back limbs, right?]

Thanks.

[justbeingknife]

[ That got a little smile out of him. Majima leaned over and planted a kiss up on Tim's cheek. No smooching, not while they were both still buck naked and recovering from growing some goddamn organs, but it had a kind of lingering warmth to it. ]

You're welcome.

[ Ordinarily, this was the part where he wrapped the towel around his waist first, the whole thing with preserving his modesty, but this was Tim he was with. So instead, Majima swiped the fluffy bath towel over those long legs, swiping away at the moisture first with no immediate rush to cover up. ]

I know you're tryin', Tim. But you're beat, right? You should get back in bed. I can make something for when ya get back up.

[blap_blap]

[He returned that kiss with a smile, maybe just a little weakly. Majima wasn't wrong in his assessment-- Tim was pretty exhausted from everything that had happened. Regrowing limbs and organs was a shit business, and he wanted to crawl in bed and go back to sleep until he didn't feel like crap anymore. Not that he knew how long that would take, but hey, a few hours was a good start, right?]

[The kiss was, too. Even if Tim was being frustrating, Majima still loved him, right? He needed to remember that.]

Yeah, okay. Just wake me up in a few hours? I don't want to sleep all day.

[Even if he kind of felt like he could. Then he dried off his legs first, too-- wet fur was pretty cold-- and then the rest of him. He considered putting on some pajamas or something, but screw it, who cared if he slept naked in his boyfriend's bed?]

Get me if you need me?

[Otherwise, he'd bury himself in that bed without even bothering to dry his hair off and go the fuck to sleep.]

<kyouken>

[justbeingknife]

I have thought about it.



That's why I asked if you'd come with me.

[justbeingknife]

I will.

[ When Tim woke up, there'd probably be the lingering smell of vegetables and broth left to cool in the kitchen... and a set of extra clothes on the nightstand. However, there'd also be a toasty werewolf pressed against him from behind, hand held reflexively over Majima's side, where a row of almost-healed stitch marks ran up over his torso.

Good luck, space cowman. ]

< mrhandsome69 >

[blap_blap]

okay

great

i'm super glad?

but could you just like give me a few more details here

[what the fuck was this no-context cold call, Majima]

[justbeingknife]

[ look Tim don't expect him to talk about things, everyone knew that talking about what you wanted out of a relationship was the worst. in fact, he should just take a flying leap out of this conversation right now and start talking about high heels, that would improve literally everything about this situation

and now he had to send a message back, this wasn't supposed to happen. New rule: no reply

only text ]

I do want to get married.