blap_blap | IC Inbox

[Majima could have some of that magic whenever he wanted it. Tim's hands were at his disposal.]

[When Tim finally figured out how to turn into a bull, he was going to go to the most unlikely place for a bull to be and turn into one. In this world full of monsters, he will become a cryptid. Confused people would look at him and wonder why a cow was there, and how it had gotten there, and why it was so calm. He would do it for the goof.]

I'll guess I'll take your word for it, but I think you'll still have me beat.

[In cuteness, anyway. Sorry, Majima, he didn't make the rules. It was just like math or something, probably-- fluffy wolves were cuter than bulls.]

[The city gave way to a more open landscape after a bit of walking, and it was more green space than Tim had seen in a long time. Tim followed Majima on his detour and the tree was beautiful-- a magnificent display of delicate pink flowers contrasted against dark branches, fluttering in the gentle breeze. And that was absolutely something that Tim was looking at, because he hadn't really ever seen anything quite like this before, but he was also looking at the way that Majima's whole face and body changed when he stood underneath it.]

[This was something important to him, and he'd chosen to share it with Tim-- just the look on his upturned face made something in Tim's chest go tender at the sight. He'd said a few times that Tim was sweet, but doing something like this kind of gave him a run for his money in that department.]

Yeah. How about over here?

[He tugged gently on Majima's sleeve to get his attention. There was a spot underneath some of the spectacularly blossoming trees that was relatively flat and grassy and inviting, nicely sun-dappled. He led Majima over and spread the blanket out; they'd be able to look up and have a canopy of pink flowers over them.]

You could lay down, if you don't want to get a crick in your neck.

[And Tim's lap was always available for him to use as a pillow, if he wanted.]

[ For a guy who who hadn't been out for hanami before (as far as he knew), Tim knew how to pick a good spot. Majima set down the items from the cafe and helped smooth the blanket down, and then took a seat beside his companion. They were close enough that his fingers settled over Tim's, and he didn't move them.

But at the sound of Tim's voice, Majima glanced sideways at the man. Was he offering what it sounded like he was offering? And if so, how did he know Majima was into laps? ]

...I think I'll accept that invitation.

[ The idea of it made him feel a little exposed -- vulnerable, in a way that the affair with Makoto had taught him could be used to hurt. Would be used, if he was still under Shimano's thumb. But he did want to. So he shifted, resting his head on the proffered lap so he could feel the indirect sunlight on his face. Majima's long, dark hair pooled over the fabric of Tim's slacks... and was it just him, or did Tim make a pretty nice cushion? ]

It's been a long time since I went out and looked at the flowers.

[ Which was Majima's way of saying that it was a long time since he'd enjoyed them with anyone, too. After a few moments, he closed his eyes, and then there was a wolf with his head resting on Tim's thigh, pointed ears swiveling to the sound of rustling leaves. He was getting fine white fur on Tim's pants, but as was the nature of all canines, didn't seem to care. His forepaws were curled loosely in front of him, exposing an expanse of fluffy stomach. ]

[Tim's lap was a probably perfectly adequate pillow-- it maybe could have been a little softer, his thick thighs were more in the beefy sense than the squishy kind-- and really all that mattered was that Majima was comfortable there. It was nice to see him relax, anyway, because he didn't seem like he got the chance to do that enough.]

[He wanted to commit all of this to memory-- the weight of Majima's head on his lap and the sunlight dappled across his face, the sound of the breeze in the blossoms and the occasional pink flutter when a flower or two were shaken off of the boughs. He didn't want to forget a second of it, because this was peaceful and sweet and meant something. There weren't very many people that he knew who would want to do something meaningful with him.]

They're really beautiful. [That was an understatement. They were spectacular, and ephemeral, and maybe all the more lovely because they weren't going to be around for very long.] Thank you for... for bringing me with you. I'm really glad that I got to see them.

[Tim looked up at the trees and felt an odd shift on his lap; when he looked back down again, Majima was back in his wolf form again, belly-up and looking pretty content right where he was. And, sure, there was a statistically significant increase in the amount of dog hair on Tim's pants, but who cared? He could always wash them later. A little animal hair never killed anybody.]

Couldn't get enough? [Tim reached over and scratched along Majima's fluffy chest. This would normally be the danger zone in cats, but thankfully hands in the vicinity of canine bellies were much safer.] Let me know if it's too hard.

[Bellies were more sensitive than backs and scruffs, after all.]

[ When he answered, Majima sounded glad... and a little sheepish, even though the whole purpose of inviting Tim out here was so they could both enjoy the flowers. ]

Thanks for coming with me. I thought ya might like them.

[ But as an old hand at sleeping on the floor, Tim's lap was definitely a step up, firm or no. The sun felt warm on his skin, and then it felt warm on his fur. And Tim? One or two little petals floated down and landed on Tim, and if he'd been human, he'd have had to hide a grin. On impulse, he rubbed his cheek up against the man's fingers, and then leaned his head back to welcome the scratches with a growly little noise of contentment and a twitch of his rear paws. ]

What can I say? You're a talented man.

[ And besides, Tim was one of the few people he trusted enough to administer pets. Among those select few, the only one he trusted enough to roll over and actually give in to belly scratches. What if it got out that he liked them? Disaster, that was what. No one must know.

But this was nice. Tim was nice. He didn't even seem to mind that Majima was lying on him like a ridiculously oversized furball. ]

But if ya like, I can pamper you instead. I'm pretty decent at it, ya know.

[Was Tim supposed to mind that he had an oversized furball using his lap for a pillow? News to him, most of his ideal situations involved having some kind of furry mammal cuddled up on his lap, getting fur all over his pants. Usually a cat, since those had historically been Tim's favorite, but Majima had brought forward a lot of good points about the virtues of dogs.]

Told you, this is my true calling. You're helping me reach my fullest potential or something.

[His fullest petting potential. And he had a vested interest in making sure that other people didn't find out about Majima's predilection for tummy rubs. He didn't want too many other people to get a cut of the belly rub pie-- more for him that way. If everyone else found out that Majima's wolf form was so cute and that he liked scratches, they'd all want to pet him. There'd be riots in the streets. Pandemonium. Oh, the humanity.]

[Tim started working down from Majima's chest towards his belly. So soft, so fluffy.]

I bet you are. [Majima was good at taking care of Tim in a lot of ways, and that was only like... half an innuendo.] But not right this second? Let me, y'know, take care of you for a while.

Mmm... well, if ya insist.

[ The wolf wriggled in delight as Tim started working his way down, tail switching back and forth in the grass like it had a mind of its own. This? This was heaven. He put his tongue out and delivered a couple of kisses to Tim's wrist, which was about as far as he could reach without twisting out of the way. ]

Oh, man. It's so good.

[ Normally? Majima liked to project something of an aura of reserve, but it was hard to seem cool and professional in the middle of belly scratches. Almost impossible, in fact. He'd probably even let Tim shove his face into that fluff. Think about it. ]

I'll take ya to a hundred cat cafes for five more minutes of this. No wonder dogs love it so much.

[Well, Tim was dead again, Majima has slain him with cuteness and doggy kisses. That would be cute on its own, just a happy wiggling wolf, but it was even more adorable because of the fact that Majima was usually stoic and reserved and serious. And Tim was glad that Majima felt comfortable enough around him to be relaxed and happy. Everyone acted different ways around different people, put on the social equivalent of masks, and this was just a little peek under Majima's. Tim still very much liked what he saw.]

[Tim laughed and got both hands in on the belly rubbing action. It was double the amount of wolf tummy surface area that he could cover, twice the canine satisfaction.]

You shouldn't promise me things like that, I might hold you to it. You'd get sick of cat cafes way before I would.

[He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of Majima's muzzle, a few inches up from his cold, wet nose. It seemed like a good place to kiss on a wolf, anyway.]

And lucky for you, I'll keep going longer than five minutes.

[ God, Tim was such a sweetheart. If it had been anyone else, it would have thrown him for a loop. Who responded to an oversized predator with horrible bitey teeth by kissing it on the face? As it was, Majima squeezed his eye shut and nuzzled up into the touch. That cold, wet nose pressed up against the corner of Tim's jaw, and then there was another wolfish kiss on his chin. ]

Now who's --

[ A little sigh, as Tim started in with both hands. ]

makin' promises?

[ When had it last been like this? Letting someone else spoil him, and letting himself enjoy it? Years, probably. ]

You better be careful, ya know. Keep on bein' sweet to me, and I might like ya too much.

[ This might be more threatening if his tail wasn't currently threatening to wag itelf off. ]

[Maybe Tim would've been warier about kissing bitey predators on the nose if that bitey predator hadn't been the man that he'd also gone on dates with and spent some very nice nights with. He knew exactly what those teeth could do, and he liked it. Besides, it wasn't as though Majima was acting much like a big, bad wolf, not when he responded to kisses with kisses. That wasn't fearsome at all.]

[Tim kept rubbing all along the length of Majima's furry belly, then scratched over his sides and up to his chest and started the process all over again. Giving belly rubs wasn't exactly taxing to begin with, but he was also pretty hard to wear out these days. He could do this all afternoon, or at least until Majima decided that he wanted some of those snacks and had to change back.]

No such thing. [It would be impossible for Majima to like him too much; besides, he wanted Majima to like him. Apparently, he was making good progress on that goal.] I guess you'll just have to get used to being spoiled.

[ Well, might as well avail himself shamelessly of Tim's services, then. And so he did, though after a little while the siren smell of coffee was too tempting to resist any more. So Majima rolled over and placed his paws on Tim's shoulders; for a moment, it looked like he was going to lean in and lick the man's face. ]

Thanks, Tim. Here, lemme thank you.

[ Instead, he changed, and now there was a man in Tim's lap, fingers of one hand sneaking under that button-down collar of his. He leaned in for a kiss; this one didn't have quite as much tongue, but it had just as much affection behind it. ]

Maybe this wolf thing ain't so bad.

[Majima as a wolf was heavier than Tim had expected, and his paws were actually... really big. He expected to get a big slobbery dog tongue right to the face, which was not the kind of thank you that he super wanted, but ended up with a lap full of wolfman instead of just... wolf wolf.]

[This thank you had just the right amount of tongue in it, and Tim returned the kiss and very much enjoyed Majima's gratitude. He put his arms around his waist and gave him a squeeze, pulled him a little bit closer.]

You did sure seem to enjoy yourself.

[He wasn't going to be able to resist smiling every time he thought about Majima's happy canine grin and wagging tail.]

You want to dig into some of these snacks? There were those cherry things that you wanted to try.

[ Oh. Well, that was a little unexpected, but it was surprisingly nice being pulled in like this. He smiled, looking a little uncharacteristically sheepish. ]

Uh... yeah. I forgot about those for a little bit. There's the donuts, too.

[ One moment more, and then he let go of Tim, feeling out with his hand until his fingers tapped against the side of the box. Aha. He dragged it over. ]

I bet the coffee's lukewarm, huh? I guess that's okay.

Yeah, it probably is. We should've brought thermoses or something, I guess.

[Oh, well. He wasn't all that upset about it, it was totally worth it to spend the past however long giving Majima tummy rubs. Some lukewarm coffee was a small price to pay for spoiling him with affection for a little bit.]

The kitty donuts are so cute that it's almost a shame to eat them. But I do really want to try one.

[The true dilemma of people who loved cute things and snacks-- the cute snacks were delicious, but eating them would destroy them.]

[ That made Majima smile. He opened the box and carefully airlifted one of the kitty donuts out of it. And then held it out, face first, to Tim's lips. ]

Ya do, huh? Well, the time is meow.

[ Look at this adorable smiling kitty face, Tim. Take a bite and accept your fate as a true monster, feeding on the chocolate frosting of the innocent... ]

[Tim laughed at the pun and the little kitty donut that Majima held out to him smiled its cute kitty smile. How could he bear to hurt such a sweet thing? Oh the humanity, etc etc.]

Oh, wow, you went there. You saw that opening and you went for it.

[Let it never be said that Majima wasn't devoted to his punning.]

[Well, time for Tim to go for it, too. He leaned in and took a bite, which unfortunately meant defacing the poor donut kitty. Alas, poor donut cat, he knew you well.]

That's actually really good? [Did that make it better or worse? So cute, and so tasty.] You should try some.

Couldn't resist.

[ At the suggestion, Majima paused... and then took a bite from the other side. ]

It's sweet. [ A pause, as the dense flavor of the cake donut set in. ] But not too sweet. It's pretty good.

[ So there was a little bit of information right there; Majima didn't have much of a sweet tooth. Today was a special event, though, and he was definitely going to sample some cherry-themed treats even if they gave him a toothache. He slid over to sit beside Tim, and place the box of baked goods onto the man's lap so he had a free hand to go for his coffee and wash it all down. ]

It's strange. I never really thought about gettin' out of the city when I was back in Japan. But now I come out pretty often, and it's nice. Maybe it's got to do with the wolf thing?

[That was good information to have-- Majima preferred savory to sweet, going by this and the fact that he'd said before that he likes fried dough balls full of octopus. Maybe he ought to just learn how to make that stuff? Takoyaki, or whatever it was. Korra probably had a recipe, and how hard could it be?]

[Tim let the box balance on his knee and retrieved his own coffee from where he'd set it. He looked up at the canopy of cherry blossoms, and out at the green spaces around them, and...]

[This was nice.]

Maybe? I guess the exact reason why doesn't matter a whole lot, so long as you enjoy it.

[Maybe it's because he's wolfy, maybe it's because he doesn't have a leash around his neck with an old piss-drinking asshole holding the other end, chaining him to one town. Who knows?]

I might have to come out here more, too. It's... it's pretty. I like it. [He smiled and when he spoke again, his tone was light, joking.] I think I might like this whole, y'know, nature thing when it's not trying to eat me.

[ Then the only thing Tim would need was an ocToPuS, WhAT couLD gO WroNg???

Majima took one of the plastic dessert forks that had been provided for them, and used it to cut a little slice of the cherry petit fours. Inside? Lush-looking cherry filling and pink-colored cake. ]

What, ya don't like bein' chased by giant bug parasites or what-all? Here, take a bite.

[What could possibly go wrong with Tim trying to cook a live animal that probably really doesn't want to be cooked and can suction cup itself onto ceilings to escape? Everything. Literally everything could and would go wrong in that situation.]

Okay, so you're kinda saying that like it's a joke? But I've actually been chased by giant bugs and had to deal with brain parasites, so. Yeah. That's a thing? I don't recommend either, zero out of ten, I didn't get paid enough for that crap.

[Talking about gross brain parasites was probably really bad snack conversation, though, so. He just won't go into the detail about that, unless Majima really wanted to know.]

[Okay, Majima was telling him to have a bite but not exactly holding out the cake for him, so... was he going to feed it to him? Was he supposed to take it from him? Please, Majima, don't make him have to try to interpret social cues, he can't help but overthink everything.]

[He reached for it-- that seemed like the safer option. Less weird if he misinterpreted.]

Edited (html!!!) 2019-04-17 01:33 (UTC)

[ Too bad, but at least Majima had fed him a bite of donut. He handed Tim the fork, and got another for himself. ]

Brain parasites, huh?

[ Cue Walter Koenig's, 'Oh, no.' But they didn't have to go there if Tim didn't want to, because while he appeared to be slicing himself off another little piece of cake, Majima was also sort of low-key watching Tim's reaction.

Tim seemed to like sweets, after all.

Although he was curious. Honestly, Majima probably would have led with the brain parasites if anyone asked him about his misadventures. ]

Haven't crossed paths with those yet, although those Kulen bugs did try to make me eat a deep-fried dictionary.

...Hey. Do you like it here?

You don't want to, it was super gross. And I mean, the Kulen bugs were kinda dumb, but at least they just wanted to party? I could've done with less kidnapping, though.

[Tim popped that piece of cake in his mouth and made a pleased little noise; fruit and cake are a good combination, he was down for it. And thematically appropriate, Tim appreciated sticking to a theme. Cherry-filled cake to eat underneath cherry trees.]

[He cocked his head a little at what Majima asked.]

That's kind of a loaded question? I mean, I like some things, but there's a lot of stuff that I'm not super thrilled about, too.

[Ryslig was kind of a mixed bag.]

I like not being on Elpis or Pandora and doing jobs that don't have a, y'know, significant risk of getting shot in the everything. I like some of the people that I've met here. I, um. I like you.

[Just in case Majima hadn't figured that out already.]

Not really big on the whole, uh, diet thing? I guess getting beefed up isn't so bad, and I can live with not having feet, but, uh. Yeah. [That.] And I could really live without the crazy Fog God cult nutjobs? There's a lot of kool-aid getting chugged around here, and just... yikes.

So, what about you? You like it here?

This isn't where I belong.

[ Which wasn't exactly what Tim had asked, but what first came to mind, what underlined everything he did here. This place wasn't a vacation from his normal life, with everything on hold until he got back; time was passing, here and back in Kamurocho. His real home.

And even if Saejima wasn't going anywhere any time soon, even if Majima had more leeway than some of the others, culture shock was a thing. Time period shock? Also a thing. Then there were the changes, and the terrorist attacks, and the way that apparently there was no way to die so everyone had seemingly settled into an uneasy, watchful sort of stalemate that surfaced every once in a while to bite someone in the ass. Or kill a hundred people.

He took another bite of cake. ]

Where I'm from, I'd be the last place to say it's perfect. And it's not like everything about this place's bad. Guess I don't know how to feel about it, only...

I think the longer you're here, the less human ya get, and the more normal it seems to just stay here.

[ The important thing was not to let it set in, right? Don't let it set in. Majima looked up to meet Tim's gaze, as if studying his face. In so doing, something in his own expression softened. ]

...I'm glad you're not on Pandora or Elpis. I like you a lot.

That's fair. I mean, I get it, just wanting to go home.

[This wasn't where any of them belonged, if anyone ever really belonged anywhere (which was an existential argument for probably half past never), and they couldn't really be expected to be happy about being dropped into monsterland out of the blue. Their lives had been thrown unexpectedly into a massive upheaval. Tim had adapted to it, but that could have been because he was used to being thrown into situations that involved radical change. Hell, this wasn't even the first time that he'd woken up with a body that wasn't his own anymore. At least he still had the same face this time around.]

[Something in Majima's expression, something around the eye and mouth went soft and Tim's chest felt warm at the sight of it and, shit, multiverse theory was a bitch, wasn't it? Eventually, somebody was going to figure out a way to get all of them out of this weird pocket universe and back to wherever they were supposed to be. And that would suck, regardless of how this whole... hopefully-a-something between himself and Majima turned out. Good-byes sucked.]

For what it's worth, I hope somebody figures out how to send everybody home. Sooner, y'know, rather than later. Nobody deserves to be, god, what even is this? An extradimensional kidnapping?

[But even if someone came up to him tomorrow and said 'I can send you home', Tim didn't know if he'd say yes or not. Sure, he didn't want to live the rest of his life in monsterland with hooves and a tail, but... the longer he was away from his own universe, the less Hyperion would be able to use him to do its dirty work. Maybe his whole universe would just ultimately be better off if he wasn't in it anymore. And, sometimes, when it was like three in the morning and he couldn't sleep and the existential terror set in, he wondered if he wouldn't have been doing the whole universe a favor if he'd just let Zarpedon blow up the moon with him and Jack still on it.]

Same here.

[ He wanted to set things right back home -- if that was even a possibility, if they didn't decide to bring the axe down on Saejima and save the Japanese public even the remote possibility that a dangerous criminal might make it back out on the streets. Not a lot of sympathy for a guy who'd popped eighteen people.

But if Tim went back, wouldn't it be back to some shithole where he had to pretend to be Jack?

And Majima would never see him again...

He cleared his throat. ]

Hey, uh... are you seein' anyone?

[ It probably would have been better to ask this question before asking if Tim wanted to be tied up and fucked but hey. Better late than never? ]

[He sure would have to go back to the same shithole where he pretended to be Jack, at least until Jack decided that it was a good idea to stamp a vault symbol on his face. Then he'd run off to Pandora or something and no one would know what happened to him until hopefully the sequel.]

[But hey, that was fine. Everything was fine.]

[The question was a little out of left field, though, and Tim actually laughed at it. Him? Seeing somebody? Sounds fake.]

Oh, man, it's not often that I could say yes to that question. So, uh, no. I'm definitely not.

[Unless Majima wanted to change that.]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, TIMOTHY LAWRENCE. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 011.11.201.45 * mrhandsome69 has joined 011.11.201.45 <USERNAME> First sentence of message. <BANNED USER> SCREENED MESSAGE. UNSCREEN? Y/N -- sample for when you ban someone <USERNAME> First sentence of message. <USERNAME>** First sentence of message.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject