Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

What remains

Mine had always been handsome. The years passing by had failed to erode the perfection of his face; if anything, they had made him even more attractive.
Fuck, he was so handsome it made Daigo want to kiss him…
Aah- he had definitely drunk too much that evening, he needed to rein himself in.

No, the alcohol in his system had nothing to do with it; Daigo knew that all too well. He would have kissed his loyal assistant anyway; he had been thinking about it for so long.

“Another drink, Daigo-san?”

Mine brought him back to attention.

Seriously, could a man of his age still feel embarrassed about having been caught staring at his associate with a dreamy look?

“Yes, thank you.”

Daigo was mentally grateful to Mine for being kind and pretending nothing had happened, as always, while he poured him another glass from the bottle the bartender had left for them on the counter.

It had been almost two decades since they had started going to that bar together; Mine had never declined one of his invitations.
Two men in their late forties who still preferred going out for a drink with the other rather than courting a woman to build a family with. Really, how was it possible he still hadn’t found the courage to make a move?

… No, seriously, how? It made no sense- had the other man been by his side, Daigo would never have wasted all that time.
Huh? What kind of thought was that? Mine was right there, by his side. He had always been there…

Wait a moment-

“You should stop, Daigo-san.”

“Come on, you know I can handle my alcohol!”

Daigo tried to chuckle, but Mine gave him one of those eloquent stares of his. He wasn’t talking about the booze he had just poured him; he knew that.

“… I don’t think I will, I’m sorry.” He admitted.

“Keep talking, Mine, please… I miss your voice.” He added, mustering the strength to take hold of his hand.

He wouldn’t depart from him, not again…

“You’re the one who doesn’t want to listen to me. How many times have I told you to move on?”

No… no, no, no.
Why were they suddenly on that damned rooftop? Where had the bar gone?!

“Thank you, for not forgetting about me…”

Forget him? No, he could never. Mine had to know it, he had to tell him, he had to do something.

At least that once.

“… But you have to let me go, Daigo.”

NO!

Daigo abruptly woke up, gasping for breath.

His eyes closed, a palm on his chest. It took him several minutes to steady the ragged panting that scraped at his lungs. He was still sweaty when he finally let himself fall back onto the pallet he called a bed, knowing he was incapable of going back to sleep.

At least he hadn’t watched him fall, like in every other nightmare.

Mine… his Mine.

It might have seemed absurd, perhaps even foolish; but despite what he had lost and he still risked losing, despite the weight on his shoulders and the consequences of his choices… the greatest regret of his life was Mine.

For fifteen years, Daigo had never even tried to keep him out of his memories.
Rarely had his subconscious granted him the comfort of sweet dreams, of scenarios he had always yearned for and that could have never happened. But mostly it tormented him, forcing him to relive the horror of that moment.

The moment he had lost him.

On those nights, Daigo couldn’t stop thinking about him. He couldn’t help but brood and taunt himself further with question after question, wondering if anything he could have done might have turned out that situation differently.

If only had he dared to follow his instinct and close the distance between them, during one of the many evenings they had spent together…
Maybe Mine would have had something to hold on to. Maybe he would have waited for him, before being so stupid. Maybe he would have worked up the nerve and upon waking up, he would have accepted his forgiveness.

Maybe…

It had been too long. Daigo had been through so much, too much, in the meantime. He should have already said farewell… but how could he? Over the course of his life, men had represented many things for Daigo: lovers, pastimes, interests, simple need for release. But Mine… Yoshitaka, was different.

They had never even allowed themselves a glance too many, their hands had never brushed against each other… and yet, what they had shared was special.

Daigo had never found in anyone else the understanding they had built. He had never felt so strong, so sure of himself, as when Mine was next to him.

The bond between them - having someone who believed in him so completely - made him feel capable of doing anything.

In hindsight, perhaps Mine was the one man he had ever loved.

And Daigo would have to live for the rest of his existence with the remorse of never having given himself even a single chance.

Maybe they could have been happy, together. Surely Mine would have helped him overcome his troubles. Or at least they would have been each other’s comfort.

Maybe…

Maybe.

The sound of the alarm clock pulled him, with relief, out of his reasonings.
Time to go back to drowning in the oblivion of exhaustion.

*

“Daigo. A word in private, please.”

Saying no to his request, after everything Kiryu had always done for them, had already been enough.
Daigo certainly couldn’t deny him even the last words they would probably be able to exchange alone, especially not considering what the man he wished he could have call his father was enduring.

He was still shaken by their turbulent meeting, especially by the news the other had brought with him.
Behind him, Majima and Saejima were watching Kiryu - firm in the decision they had made together but, Daigo was sure, weighed down by the same doubts and regrets he had.

Kiryu’s new friends, on the other hand, were worriedly waiting for him to leave.
But no one dared to speak when the Dragon of Dojima presented that request to the former head of the Tojo Clan, and Daigo gestured to follow him inside the farmhouse.

“Believe me, it’s not my intention to insist you intervene. But I think this will interest you.” Once on their own, without beating around the bush, Kiryu showed him the screen of his smartphone.

Daigo felt his blood run cold when he realized he was looking at a photo of Richardson… a recent photo.

“Black Monday are still operating.” Kiryu explained.

As if everything else that was happening wasn’t enough, that very morning the Daidoji had sent him the details of their latest investigation.

Richardson’s presence in Hawaii, his life undercover as a bartender, his attempt to get close to Ichiban; none of it was accidental. He was still at the top of Black Monday and in charge of a large transaction that stretched between Japan and Hawaii. The plan was to take advantage of the current instability to undermine their organization in place of Ebina, in the agreements the governments were about to sign.

Of course, the orders from the Daidoji were to stop him.

But Daigo wasn’t listening. None of that mattered to him.

“How can he be alive?!” Daigo thundered, finding out he could still feel such rage that the one he had vented on Kiryu just moments earlier was nothing.

Unfortunately, it was impossible to know, since not even the Daidoji had managed to find any information about it. Once drawn into the machinery of similar aggregations, however, Kiryu had stopped being surprised by what they were capable of doing with the powerful means at their disposal.

“But then…” A dangerous light flashed in Daigo’s eyes.

“No.” He was interrupted immediately. The other couldn’t allow even a single spark of hope, aware of the pain it would bring Daigo. “I asked for a search right away, but there’s no intel on Mine anywhere in the world. If not even the Daidoji can find anything… it means there’s nothing to be found, I’m sorry.”

Daigo silently nodded.
He was sure he hadn’t made the mistake of believing it, not even for a bit, and yet…

“I know that-” Kiryu started talking again, but there was no need for him to say it.

“I’ll handle it.” Daigo cut him off firmly, preempting any proposal with a determination he hadn’t witnessed in a long while.

Perhaps it would have seemed selfish of him to throw himself headlong into that assignment out of mere personal revenge, after having refused to offer his help for far more vital issues.
But he didn’t really care anymore; there was nothing more he could have done to earn the respect of the man standing before him.

He couldn’t help Kamurocho. He couldn’t save anyone. He couldn’t get Mine back. He couldn’t prevent that illness from taking Kiryu away in the most unjust of ways… but that, he could have.

He could obtain his vengeance, something that had never even truly crossed his mind before, but it was all he had left to cling to in order to stay sane.

Niji

Niji blinked, not knowing why he was standing in the middle of the street listening to the music coming from a pub of questionable taste.

It was awful. Deafening sounds, screeching guitars, a singer shouting ridiculous words in English. And yet, he was somehow drawn to it, to the point that he couldn’t take a step through that shabby neighborhood and walk away.

Since waking up from his coma and coming out of a long rehabilitation, ten years prior, episodes like that happened to him from time to time. Like when he would pause to look at the entrance of a fast-food restaurant, even though he didn’t find it appealing at all.
Or when he was struck by a painting hung on a wall. Or the way he felt strange, alone, whenever he poured himself a glass of bourbon.

There were many details about himself he still didn’t understand, but by then he had accepted they would have forever remained just memories of a life he would never have again.

He wouldn’t have known what to do with it anyway. The secret organization he worked for kept him constantly busy, and that was enough.
What he knew had been disclosed to him by the man who later became his direct superior, after his awakening.

His name was Niji; once, he was an orphan who would have met a grim fate if it hadn’t been for someone who saved him - an agent of the Black Monday group. He had raised him as if he were his own son, allowing him to study at prestigious schools and leaving him the choice of what to do next.

In fact, despite the amnesia following the four years he had spent unconscious, Niji knew how to speak many languages and had an excellent understanding of finance. He could have taken any path, but when the man he considered his father had been fatally struck during a mission, Niji had decided to finish that job for him instead.

Thus, he had joined the affiliation willingly and out of respect; at first seeking vengeance, then staying out of pure loyalty.
Later, that mission had almost cost him the same fate as his adoptive father. At least he had been luckier.

At least, that was what Andre Richardson - the head of that organization and a great friend of the man who brought him up - had told him. But Niji found the work itself too easy to doubt it. Moreover, that story evoked familiar feelings in him, like the agony of losing his father… and that could have not been fabricated.

After the complicated early days of long recovery, his body had proven incredibly strong and accustomed to combat. He had good reflexes, he knew how to use a gun and his mind could adapt to plan and execute a solid strategy.

At first, Niji was frustrated at not being able to remember anything about himself or having to trust blindly others. But slowly, he grew accustomed to it. He had no other concern than doing his duty well.

The sound of his cellphone took his attention away from that song. New orders.

Code 2602.

Tch. Another idiot who had betrayed them.

Niji knew exactly what to do. How many times had he already received that command? He had lost count of all the former agents he had taken out, tearing them away from their escape. They usually fell in love with someone and deluded themselves into thinking they could have built something outside.

But there was no other path; once one entered that world, the only way out was death.

Yoshitaka Mine

Daigo couldn’t stop staring at the Kirin that stood before him when he slipped into that lavish building, secretly the headquarters of Black Monday in Japan, with Majima and Saejima.
After they had watched him preparing to leave in a fury after Kiryu had left, they had of course asked for an explanation and had refused to let him go alone.

Daigo had tried to argue that it wasn’t their fight and they weren’t obliged to come, but in truth he was relieved that their insistence had brought them to be there. As always, in those years.

Painted on a canvas that seemed ancient, set in an ornate frame, the mythological creature stared at him from the wall as if mocking him.

The Kirin was a benevolent symbol. His Kirin had always given him comfort, safety…
And yet it appeared only cruel.

“Daigo-chan?”

Majima’s low voice called him back to duty.
The man followed Daigo’s gaze and gave him a knowing glance after noticing the painting.

“Let’s go.” He urged him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Daigo could do nothing but nod and move forward. He was right; they needed to hurry up.

*

Some things could never go smoothly, could they?

They had been cautious in every possible way and had ended up involved anyway in a shootout between Black Monday and the Daidoji during their withdrawal.
Both factions had clearly lost control of the situation. But they didn’t care about it; all that mattered was having already played their essential role in destroying Black Monday and getting out of there alive.

Daigo’s only regret was not finding Richardson to get his own hands on him, but the evidence they had stolen from their offices would be enough to ruin him forever, along with the entire association.

Daigo stopped almost too late when a bullet nearly grazed his head. He quickly took cover behind a statue and gestured to Majima and Saejima to stay back. It was a single agent; Daigo could clear the way on his own without any trouble.

The individual was at the end of the corridor separating them from the exit, one last obstacle and it would be over. With his gun ready, Daigo moved to lean out and-

“Come out. Give me information on the person you work for and I’ll spare you.”

… How…

… It was impossible.

But that voice…

It still haunted his dreams, Daigo feared it was only an illusion; he thought he had long forgotten its true sound. And yet he discovered he would have recognized it among a thousand, even fifteen, twenty, thirty years later…

He couldn’t worry about the weapon that slipped from his trembling hands as he sprang to his feet.
He didn’t hear the shouts warning him to be careful as he stepped into the open in the middle of the corridor. He no longer heard anything, not even the frantic beating of his own heart, not even the strangled noise that escaped his throat as he saw him…

And he found him again.

“Mine…”

*

“MINE!”

Niji was caught unprepared when that man broke out of his cover to call that name, unarmed.
He had to admit that years of training didn’t prevent him from being momentarily stunned and confused about such behavior. Was he addressing him…?

“Stay still.” He ordered, firmly pointing his gun at him as the other began to walk towards him.

What was he trying to do? Was he crazy?
But he couldn’t lower his guard; maybe it was just a desperate tactic, surely the stranger had some hidden weapon.

“It’s you… it’s really you…”

The man didn’t flinch. He kept going forwards as if he feared nothing, moving slowly only because he gave the impression of being too captivated while studying him and… was convinced to know him?

One he was close enough, Niji noted the other looked disheveled as if he had seen something unimaginable. Maybe he really was out of his mind or maybe-

“Don’t you recognize me? It’s me… Daigo…”

The man’s tone was heart-wrenching, but Niji was used to hearing people beg for their lives.
It hadn’t affected him in a long time. So he didn’t understand at all why he stood there, holding his breath and observing him instead of shooting. Especially when every safety distance between them was closed.

Mine found himself focusing on his facial features, forgetting for an instant to be careful.

… Mine?

Who was Mine?

The man that Daigo was looking for…

No.

Niji tried to regain his composure. He couldn’t afford a moment like that.

“One more step and-”

“Mine… please…”

The other was shaking in his speech and his teary eyes were full of conflicting emotions.
Mine knew he had never seen him like this… no, Niji knew he had never seen him at all…
And yet he looked so familiar.…

He didn’t realize he had lowered the gun he was pointing at him, until Daigo could almost touch his face.

Niji snapped out of his daze only when the man’s palms reached for his glasses, trying to take them off.
He let his body react instinctively, immobilizing and pinning him to the ground as he levered his knee against his back to keep him still.

In that turmoil the glasses had fallen off, but he left them on the floor without a thought.

“Daigo!”

Two allies of that stranger, who up until then had evidently been busy fighting other agents of Black Monday, burst into the corridor.

Majima stopped in the middle of his charge and looked at him as if he had seen a ghost, signaling his companion to stay still.

Majima-san…? How did he know that person’s name?
His head was starting to spin…

“NO, DON’T SHOOT!”

He didn’t even spot the third guy joining them, until Daigo thundered from under his grip.

Too late. The Daidoji operator had already fired in his direction.

The last snippets of Niji’s existence were a whirlwind of confusion.

Daigo easily breaking free from his grasp and moving in front of him, taking the bullet in his shoulder instead. Daigo’s arms holding him tightly, keeping him down, safe. Daigo letting out just a grunt, restraining the pain so no one would worry, while behind him chaos erupted among his allies.

And then… Daigo’s hands on his shoulders, holding him so he could make sure he was alright.

“Mine! Are you okay?!”

Once again, that man would give his life to save him.

In that second Niji-… no, he was…

[“Yoshitaka, I always knew you were the smart one.”

“Mine, you’ve lost your way. And one day… I’ll prove it to you.”

“Mine! Are you hurt? That was close, huh? But… everything’s fine now.”]

Yoshitaka Mine.

Mine didn’t know how long he had been on his knees, overwhelmed by memory after memory, his head splitting. He gained a distant awareness of where he was when - his vision blurred by the silent tears streaking down his cheeks - he realized Daigo was right in front of him.

Daigo…

The one man he had ever loved.

“… Daigo-san…”

He didn’t detect speaking his name; he couldn’t even hear himself because the ringing in his ears was so loud it hurt.

“Everything’s fine, you’re with me now. I’m here…”

Something changed in Daigo’s worried expression. There were joy and relief, while Mine’s brain automatically registered the words he read from his lips.

Until Daigo’s mouth disappeared from his view, because the other embraced him.
In that trance-like state, Mine lost track of time and perceived nothing but the warmth of the body clutching him tightly.

Then the disorienting echoing faded… and he could hear him again.

“You’re here with me, I’m keeping you safe… everything’s fine…”

He immediately remembered the comforting, familiar voice whispering as he rocked him in his arms.

Everything’s fine, he kept repeating.

Yes, he was finally okay.

*

“No, no no no… Mine, wake up, YOSHITAKA!”

Daigo felt the world collapse beneath his feet again as Mine fell over, eyelids closed.
He wrapped one arm around him, ignoring the pain from the bullet still inside him, while with his other hand he opened Mine’s jacket and frantically checked for any possible injuries.

He had just found him… Mine was right there, he was touching him…
He couldn’t lose him once more; He would never let him go again.

“Daigo, he’s fine. He just fainted.”

Since he had known him, Daigo had never heard Majima speak with such care as when he came over to reassure him, placing a palm on his good shoulder.

Ripped away from his worst fears, Daigo shook himself and really looked at the man below him.
Mine was breathing steadily, he wasn’t hurt, he had only lost consciousness after the shock of regaining his memories… he was okay.

He was alive… he was really there, alive.

Daigo realized he was trembling only when he noticed his broken breath in the sigh of relief he allowed himself. Without the dread of losing Mine after just finding him, he also felt the sharp ache underneath.

But it didn’t matter.

“We’re done here, we need to go before their reinforcements arrive.” Saejima informed him. He was clearly moved; Majima must have explained who Mine was before that.

“He’s alive…” It was all Daigo could manage to reply. He didn’t even know if he was talking to his companions or if he still couldn’t believe it himself.

“Yes… let’s get him out of danger, Daigo.” Once again, Majima’s words pulled him back.

Yes, he had to get Mine out of there.

He nodded and started to rise, intending to carry Mine on his back, but Majima tightened the hand he still had on Daigo’s shoulder to keep him grounded.

Saejima bent down in front of him, signaling Daigo to let him carry Mine instead.

Instinctively, Daigo recoiled, hugging Mine tighter in a protective gesture. He knew there was nothing to be afraid of, but… how could he let him go, entrust him to anyone else? How-

“Daigo, you’re injured.” Saejima patiently pointed out.

Ah… right, that was true. He could risk dropping him, harming him…

Only that thought made him desist. He didn’t take his eyes off Mine for a moment as Saejima carefully lifted him onto his back, mindful of every movement.

“What are you doing? He’s coming with us! He’ll have to give us useful information if he wants to live.”

The Daidoji man who had tried to shoot Mine caught up with them, trying to halt them.

Daigo felt Majima’s grip return, but it was useless against the sheer force he sprang to his feet with, marching toward that fellow and radiating a threatening aura with his entire stature.

He was from the organization Kiryu worked for, one of the many who were inside there for the same reason as them. He was just some lackey, younger than him… how dared he even think he had any say over Mine?

“He doesn’t owe anything to anyone.” Daigo roared. He didn’t give a damn who he was or what clan he belonged to; as far as he was concerned, they could all go fuck themselves along with their plans.

He was there only to help Kiryu, to get his revenge, and he had done his part.
If anyone dared try to take Mine away from him-

“Oi, listen, I’m sorry I shot you by mistake. But I can’t let you take a hostage away!”

“Oi-”

Majima didn’t even have time to intervene before Daigo had already grabbed that man by the collar.

“Who the hell is the hostage supposed to be, huh?! He’s coming with me, and if you want to live-” Daigo shouted, slamming him against the wall to keep him pinned, as far away from Mine as possible.

Before Daigo could finish his threat, Majima interrupted him, trying to separate them.

“Stop wasting time! Hey, you. That man is an ally, he’s coming with us. And if he has anything useful to say, we’ll let you know. Now get out of here and go back to your colleagues.” Majima’s diplomacy had the firmness of someone ready to pull a knife if challenged.

“And believe me, he’s serious. He could take you out.” He added, finally managing to split the two.

The man who was technically their collaborator didn’t have to think long; only a fool would have gone up against three yakuza legends alone. Without another word, he stepped aside.

Daigo was still shivering with rage, but he let himself be calmed by a wave of respite when he turned to look at Mine and found him still there, guarded by Saejima’s grasp.

“Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

I’m waiting for you

It was raining and, from that hole in the roof above their heads, a few drops were falling.

Saejima had been kind enough to offer to take care of it and Majima had decided to help out too, letting Daigo stay beside Mine. Before going out, they had let him know they would first have to get what was needed to repair the ceiling. Daigo appreciated their way of leaving them alone for a while.

It was a cold night. They had tried to warm as much as possible that hut they called home, but Mine kept shuddering on the futon they had laid him on. He still had to regain consciousness; it must really have been too much for him.

Daigo had been dwelling on what would have been the first words he would have said to Mine, while Majima had extracted the bullet from his shoulder and dressed the wound.
But he knew he would never be actually ready.

He still could not believe that Mine was really there, even as he caressed his face and witnessed every difference beneath the tips of his fingers.

Mine had aged… well, just as one would expect from him. He was unquestionably charming, despite not being at all like in his dreams. In his imagination, he did not carry the marks of a fall from a skyscraper.

His skin, which he remembered being impeccably perfect, was now full of scars. Daigo grazed them one by one with dedication one by one, welcoming every novelty.

One started from the chin, up to cutting the lower lip. One went through his nose horizontally until it was lost in the cheekbones. The largest one started from the middle of the forehead and disappeared into his hair, interrupting the regularity of his chestnut mane.

Daigo could not help letting a light smile slip, noticing that the other was wearing his hair over his forehead precisely on that side. Mine had always been a bit meticulous about his appearance… maybe he hadn’t changed, despite everything.

Who knew how many others he had all over his body, whether they were all from the plunge or from whatever they had forced him to do afterwards…

Kiryu had called them shortly after their return, updating them on the situation.
He hadn’t seemed surprised when Daigo had told him about Mine. The members of the Daidoji in America had just finished clashing against Richardson in person, sending him all the files they had gathered.

Kiryu had been struck upon finding one about Mine and had been relieved knowing he was with Daigo.

That file… Daigo had wanted to smash something at every line.
After throwing a chair and only because Majima had pointed out that they could not afford to replace everything, he had ceased.

Mine had been saved together with Richardson. They had been used for experiments to increase the survival chances of their agents. He had been in a coma for five years and, when he woke up, they had thought to take advantage of his amnesia to make good use of such a brilliant man.

They had created a fictitious identity for him, stated false memories and then made him a loyal little soldier.

How dared they?!

It went on with a list of his missions. Saejima had tried to snatch the smartphone from his hand, saying that it was useless to hurt himself like that, but he had given up when Daigo had shouted to leave him alone.

Report after report, an endless sequence of directives he would have never given to any of his subordinates when he was Sixth Chairman - all carried out.
Mine could be cold and ruthless, true, but all that shit…

Knowing that Richardson had died suffering at the hands of the Daidoji, for real, and that every remaining member of the group was being arrested was not enough.
Daigo couldn’t stop thinking about it, even as he watched Mine rest serenely next to him.

He would never have allowed anyone to hurt him. He would have taken care of it himself, protecting him from everything and everyone. He swore it, kissing with devotion that hand ruined by scars he took between his own, as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

*

When Mine opened his eyes, he immediately noticed two things: he was in an unfamiliar environment, and someone was touching him.

He didn’t have time to realize that contact was the firm grip Daigo was holding his hand with, before his body reacted on instinct. He pulled back and jerked upright but, before he could even look around in search of possible dangers, his head was pierced by a dizziness so strong he ended up bending over.

“Nghh-” Mine couldn’t hold back a groan. Why was it pounding so badly-

“Yoshitaka…”

Oh. Right.

His first response wasn’t to back away, when Daigo caressed his back with a cautious and uncertain gesture.

Slowly, Mine lifted his face and brought his gaze to the other. He looked at him silently, holding his breath, unable to form a single word for who knows how long… as if he were afraid of seeing him disappear, had he dared to speak.

Daigo looked back at him with patience, perhaps he was feeling the same fear.
It was precisely accepting that it was real, with all its consequences, that forced him.

“I have to go. You’re under threat, being here with me.” Mine abruptly turned around to try to understand where they were.

It looked like a shelter, maybe it was a secure hideout for Daigo, but Mine knew the Black Monday protocol well in certain cases. They wouldn’t have been safe anywhere.

There was cruelty in having recovered his memories, finding himself in front of the one he loved and not even being able to enjoy such happiness. But he had too act quickly, he would never have forgiven himself if something had happened to Daigo because of him.

He was about to get up, but Daigo found the courage to grab him firmly.

“No one is going to come for you, don’t worry. They’re arresting every single Black Monday affiliate right now, Richardson is dead.”

Black Monday… Richardson… what? And what would Daigo know about it? Why…

Not even the chance to return conscious of himself, to feel all the hatred towards that man and his damned organization that had taken everything from him… and he had been robbed of the choice to get out of it however he wanted?

They had taken fifteen years from him, torn him away from Daigo, taken him away against his will… and he didn’t even have the possibility of getting rid of it on his own terms?
Was he nothing more than a pawn, destined to see his fate change according to other people’s actions?

That wave of emotions he was no longer used to cost him another agonizing pang.

“Yoshitaka! Are you okay?” Daigo grew alarmed and cradled him tighter, as if he could drag him away from what was making him suffer.

“You need to rest, you’re too shaken… don’t strain yourself.”

Daigo was touching him as if he couldn’t restrain all his impetuosity but, at the same time, treating him as if Mine were made of fragile glass he was afraid of shattering.

So he was still able to worry about others, even when-
Mine flinched, remembering the second they had finally found each other.

A whirlwind of old and new stuff was mixing together, he was struggling to put its chronology in order.
But he remembered it vividly, Daigo had taken a bullet in his place. Again.

“Are you okay? They shot you…” He reminisced, his concern so strong it was prevailing over his anger.

“Don’t think about me, it’s nothing.” Daigo dismissed it as if talking about his well-being were useless.

He was stil the same…

The same…

Daigo was about to say something else, probably to ask him once more to stay still. But Mine interrupted him, leaving him open-mouthed, when he raised a palm to his cheek.

With the tip of his fingers, he traced the other’s features hardened by time. An intimacy he would never have allowed himself, up until the very last moment they had spent together… but what did it matter, when he was still so incredulous to have him there in front of him?

It really was him… with bags under his eyes more sunken, his structure thinner, his beard thicker… signs of years and years that had passed, without him at his side to protect him as he had sworn.

“I thought I had lost you…” Mine whispered, his gaze fixed on events far too distant.
That was the reason he had made a mess… and then he had lost himself, abandoning the only person who had ever cared for him unconditionally.

“…Could you ever forgive me, Daigo-san?”

“Idiot…” Daigo shared the same evident longing to recognize the man of the past in his stare.

The tone he scolded him was a bit gruff, as if he didn’t even want to waste time thinking about it.

Until he let himself go and hugged Mine.

“You have no idea how much I missed you…” Daigo whispered in his ear as he held him so desperately as to take his breath away.

Mine felt terribly guilty in having to agree with him. He truly couldn’t imagine his pain.
He had spent the last decade without remembering his existence, without having anything to miss, nothing to suffer for…
Why did Daigo have to be the only one paying for all the mistakes he himself had made?

Unforgivable.

Feeling a deep disgust, Mine decided he would spend the rest of his path atoning for his sins, for the sake of that man.

But not even for an instant did the idea of pulling away from that embrace cross his mind.

On your skin, in your hair, on your mouth

It would be a long night, they had a lot to catch up on.

Mine had recognized Majima along with an unknown man when, from over Daigo’s shoulder, he saw the door open and close again instantly.

The other was Saejima, Majima’s kyoudai who had escaped from prison, Daigo had explained to him.
They had been kind enough to go spend the night in who knows what dump to give them time to talk.

And they had talked indeed.

Daigo had insisted on making him drink some hot tea, and so they had sat around the stove.
Knowing that Daigo already knew everything about the misery he had led and being updated by him on what would have turned his status upside down forever had been strange.

It had been even stranger to be in a limbo, as if he had awareness of himself only halfway.

The apathetic secret agent who had lived in his place for so long struggled to process the conflicting, overwhelming emotions Yoshitaka Mine was going through. But what he experienced thanks to Daigo helped him gradually bring back the man he had forgotten he was.

The care the other insisted on looking after him with, the familiarity of his welcoming gaze warming his chest and making him feel truly alive for the first time in fifteen years.
The firmness he had commanded him to drop the formalities and call each other by first name with.
The new, unexpected sensation of being caressed affectionately and reassured that it was all over.

And then…

A searing fury upon finding out what had happened to Daigo in his absence, an instinct to protect him and loathing towards what had ruined him, which ultimately made him become completely himself again.

Daigo had tried to avoid it, to convince him it was a discussion to postpone, as he had far too much to process that day. But Mine could be as persistent and stubborn as the other, managing to prove he wouldn’t rest until he knew the full story.

Hearing how everything had fallen apart had been agonizing - to the point that Daigo’s hand grazing his own to calm him down was no longer enough and Mine got up, pacing aimlessly through that shed he had just grasped was his home.

Mine felt even greater contempt for himself as he realized the condition the man who had once been the head of the most powerful clan in the country was living in.

He could only blame himself, it was all his fault. He was the one who had let Daigo end up in that squalor.
They had parted in the worst possible way and, worse still, he had left him alone.

He had carried out that insane, useless plan… and he hadn’t even succeeded.
He had failed even at dying. He had allowed himself to be captured, used, exploited.

If only he hadn’t been so selfish, if only he had stayed… Mine would never have allowed all of it to happen.

How could he?

Daigo gave him the space he needed but, when he noticed Mine’s breathing growing labored, he stood up to reach him.

“Yoshitaka, you don’t have to worr-”

“No.” Mine interrupted him and slipped away.

“I’m sorry. I apologize, for not being with you… for forgetting you.” He owed him at least that.

“It’s not your fault, you don’t have to apologize for anything.” Once again, Daigo attempted to take his face between his hands to appease him, but Mine moved away before allowing him to do so.

“Yes, it does!” He didn’t deserve his compassion, he didn’t deserve the comfort of his touch…
“I should have been there with you, as I promised. If I hadn’t behaved like that… maybe none of this would have happened.”

Mine made sure to look at Daigo as he offered his confession, only to see all the frustration mount when the other stepped closer and grabbed him by the shirt, leaving him no escape.

“I don’t give a damn, Yoshitaka! The vow, what you did fifteen years ago, you think I still care about any of that?!” Daigo didn’t bother holding back, brutally slapping his rawest thoughts without filters, pulling him until he was right up against him.

Mine was left astounded when Daigo kissed him with force, with the need of someone who had spent all that time regretting never taking that first step that would have changed everything.
And who didn’t want to waste a single moment.

Mine’s body took more than a while to respond, but when that contact reignited old desires he had tried to suppress, he returned it with the same urge to lose himself in his mouth and think of nothing else.

Incredibly, it really worked.
Once he let himself go into Daigo’s embrace, which wrapped around his waist, it all became clear and easy.

Allowing himself such possibility would have been all he had ever wanted… but he had never run the risk, terrified of ruining their relationship and losing the only person he had ever trusted.

Then, he had completely lost even the right to dream of it.
When he had stopped hoping for Daigo’s awakening and, as he watched over him in that hospital, he was aware of not deserving to mourn what they would never have had together; not after what he had done.

But… Daigo was right.

It had been too long, the other had already suffered enough… what did it matter? The past no longer counted for anything. He just had to give Daigo what he deserved and live that second chance. Together.

Adding the weight of his guilt would have been useless.

Mine felt Daigo calm down, after he brought his hands to caress the beard that wasn’t so thick back when he had imagined what it would have been like to kiss him.

“What’s important is that you’re here.” Daigo managed to add those words in a decidedly different tone as he parted from his lips only to reassure him.

Mine nodded, comforted in that embrace and wrapping his arms around the other’s neck in return.

He had never been so happy to have changed his mind.

“So… I’ll never let you go again. Just allow me to promise you this.” Yes, that was what he truly owed him.

Daigo gladly granted it, and the smile he gave Mine reminded him why it had been inevitable to fall in love with him so many years ago… and to fall in love all over again, in that new life.

To live again

For Daigo, staying lucid and finding a coherent way to talk about a specific period that no longer belonged to him had been odd. He only wanted to keep staring at the man he had believed he’d lost forever.

It had been much simpler to follow his instinct and give in to that kiss. Or to focus on Mine’s well-being.

There were a few hours left until dawn, so he had set himself to use them to sleep. He was sure he wouldn’t be able to actually do it; he was still afraid that Mine could disappear at any second… but he wanted at least for the other to rest.

It was still cold, and a few drops of rain kept falling through the hole in the roof that Majima and Saejima still hadn’t fixed. Not a soul could be heard outside, who knew where they had gone.

Not that it was Daigo’s priority. Instead, it was the shivers Mine tried to hide with little success.

He was searching for warm clothes to give him before going to bed and Mine had started undressing.

The other stared at his own abdomen as if it were the first time he had seen the large scar across it up to his chest. With his renewed awareness, it probably was.

Daigo rummaged through the wardrobe patiently, while Mine moved around the shed until he was in front of the mirror hanging on the wall.

From his perspective, Daigo could catch a glimpse of his back and part of his reflection. As he had expected, his kirin was marked with scars as well.

There was something fragile in how Mine traced those wounds with his fingers.
Something that Daigo had never conceived could belong to someone so proud and determined... or perhaps it was just an aspect of Mine he had never known, because they had never had the opportunity.

In any case, it wasn’t a problem. They were both different, yet they shared the same old wish to support one another. It had been incredibly natural to give each other comfort…

Daigo was ready to accept and protect every new facet of Mine. Nothing frightened him, after having endured his absence.

After all, he knew he had just as many off-putting sides to himself. Outside circumstances had made him rougher; he struggled more to contain himself, perhaps he had lost the patience he once had.

For that reason, he exercised particular caution as he approached the other. He placed the clothes on the chair nearby and went behind him, laying his palms reverently on his hips.

“Sorry, it’s not a pretty sight…”

Daigo hated hearing him so mortified. He shook his head and pulled him close.

“We’re even now.” He pressed his lips to his shoulder, over one of his scars.
Sure, his own weren’t as big and striking as Mine’s, but he had collected quite a few too… mostly from gunshots.

“And besides, you were too perfect… it’s only fair.” He added, trying to joke in a way that had once been so natural between them. It had been so long since he had tried to sound that light.

His legs went weak as he saw Mine’s gaze relax and his lips soften into a smile.

“You missed the chance to have me in my prime. I was truly remarkable, in my thirties.” Mine confirmed, abandoning whatever he was doing to brush the other’s arms.

Daigo blew amusedly against his skin, the closest thing to a laugh he had made recently, glad to recognize Mine’s irony.

“But I just need having you.” His voice, however, became more serious as he hid in the hollow of his neck.

Having you here, with me... just having you.

“We were really stupid…” Mine hesitated, but then lowered his face to bury it in Daigo’s hair, trying to soothe him with a kiss on his temple.

Daigo could only agree.
There had once been a palpable tension between them, so obvious… and they had been foolish enough to let themselves be scared. Back then, he would never have imagined spending the next fifteen years thinking he would give anything just to spend a single minute with him again.

“Forget about it, today we’re finally together.” Daigo whispered again, before looking back at him.

Daigo no longer intended to waste time on hesitations and fears. From that day on, he would have lived with Mine as they both wanted.

Feeling Mine tremble snapped him out of his thoughts, so he hurriedly handed him the warm clothes he had picked up.

“Here, put these on and let’s go to sleep. You need to rest.”

Mine melted, taking them and willingly putting them on.

Once he was finished, Daigo guided him toward the futon. It wasn’t really necessary, but he couldn’t bring himself to let go of his hands - couldn’t let him go in general.

Even under the two blankets he had arranged on the futon, it was still cold.
Yet Daigo knew he hadn’t felt that good in years, not like when Mine let himself be enveloped by the warmth of his body, pressing close into the hold wrapping around him from behind.

“Good night, Yoshitaka.” Daigo murmured in his ear, then leaned in as if to leave a peck on his cheek.

But Mine turned towards him just in time to touch his lips with his own instead.

“Good night, Daigo.”

That could be called life.

Everywhere

Daigo had resigned himself to not sleeping; he was too focused on savoring Mine’s presence, the calm sound of his breathing, his scent…

But eventually he had collapsed as well, exhausted by the intensity of everything that had happened.

He fell into a deep slumber, undisturbed by any surrounding noise, but by late morning he woke as soon as he sensed movement beside him.

Slowly blinking, he then wided his eyes and sat up abruptly since he saw Mine already about to stand.

“Where are you going?!” He couldn't refrain from lunging to grab the other around the waist, hugging him tightly to stop him from getting up.

What exactly was he afraid of? Mine leaving? He knew Mine would never abandon him of his own will; it made no sense. Yet his heart raced at the mere thought of the other fleeing without him.

It was an overreaction. He still didn’t know when he would truly grasp that Mine was really there to stay and nothing would ever take him away again.

Mine flinched, clearly caught off guard. But once past the surprise, he only placed his palms over Daigo’s.

“…Making breakfast.” Mine understood they would both need to learn together how to navigate the wounds they were carrying.

Daigo kept silent, buried between the other’s shoulder blades.

Mine patiently waited to feel the other’s heartbeat settle against his back before turning in his embrace.

“Sorry-” Daigo was about to say, but Mine interrupted him to stare at him with determination.

“Daigo, it’s all right.” Mine felt a tight knot in his stomach as he saw Daigo relax into a grateful gaze.

Of course. It was always Daigo who had to speak those words, who worried about others, reassured everyone… had anyone ever troubled themselves to tell him it could be all right for him too?

Well, Mine was here for that.

“Don’t treat me like I’m something delicate to protect, please.” He continued, making sure to stroke Daigo’s cheek gently and lulling him even as his statement remained firm.

“I’m still the man who swore to dedicate my all to you, even if that vow is no longer valid. I’ll take care of you, get you out of here... and I’ll fix everything.”

It wasn’t a proposal; it was a plan.

He would take him away from there, away from that country.
Somewhere no one would recognize him or ever hear the name Dojima, and Daigo would be safe.

Maybe he couldn’t give him everything the other deserved… but he could give him something a bit better; surely, he could at least give him a new life together.

Daigo weighed in what he had just heard. Not that he had much to think about, he was already picturing it.

“And where would you take me?” There was only one answer, and it came out effortlessly.

“Anywhere. As long as it’s the two of us.” Mine showed a hint of relief.

“I’d say it’s feasible.”

But yeah, who cared where. They could have gone anywhere in peace with Mine, far from all the consequences of his actions and mistakes.

“Good.”

It was Mine who then startled Daigo, sealing that agreement with a kiss.

“By the way… Good morning.” Daigo blurted out a light laugh, pulling him closer.

“Good morning to you.” Mine sat on the other’s lap and encircled his arms around his neck.

“How’s the shoulder?” He asked, soundlessly suggesting him that he would not accept a grunt as an answer, while gently stroking his hair.

“Fine, it won’t be an obstacle to setting off.” Daigo encouraged him without making a fuss.

“How are you? Did you sleep well?”

Mine just acquiesced, focused on watching him as he could finally take the time to study the changes in Daigo’s appearance.

Not dwelling on the effects of time passing by, but instead finding out the best parts of that new self.

In particular the beard, as he ran his fingertips along the jaw.

“Don’t tell me I have to take care of my image… I don’t have any image left to maintain!”

Remembering old quarrels from Mine’s experience as his assistant, Daigo got defensive.

“No, I like it. Keep it.” But Mine shook his head and answered sincerely, without batting an eye.

“You like it?”

“Sure. It suits you.”

Daigo couldn’t help but smirk. To be honest, that beard wasn’t a style choice; he had ended up with it out of neglect. But if Mine liked it, he couldn’t help but feel a side of himself that had been dormant to resurface.

Damn, it had been years since he last felt so alive.

“I like how you wear your hair, it makes you even more attractive.” He didn’t fiddle about letting the other know what he appreciated as well.

And he didn’t waste time either in sliding his hands under Mine’s sweater, to feel his skin directly as he rubbed his back, a part of his body he had always adored.

He had often dreamed of touching him like that…

“Mpf, it’s just a way not to see at least one scar…” Mine confessed.

Even if perhaps he had acknowledged the compliment anyway, judging by the color slightly lighting him up.

“I knew it, you’re still the same!” Daigo cheered, pleased to have guessed correctly.

“Tch. As if years of amnesia would be enough to make me lose my class.”

“I would never have dared to doubt it.”

Both of them burst into laughter as Mine leaned down to rest his forehead against Daigo’s.

Daigo immediately took the liberty to taste his mouth again, with the same dedication his hands continued to travel along the other’s back with.

Mine’s throat let out a pleased sound, but he broke off before allowing himself to be completely distracted.

“Ah. On the contrary, I have quite a bit to say about your clothing. Without me, you’ve let yourself go a little too much.”

Daigo couldn’t suppress an annoyed huff and raised an eyebrow. Was he serious?

“Yoshitaka, I spend my days on a fishing boat to make a living. And it’s freezing here.”

“It doesn’t matter the place or occasion, you should always be dressed to make a good impression.”

“… On fishes?”

“… Well, you could do it for yourself.” Alright, Mine had run out of arguments to win that discussion.

“Oh, shut up.” Amused, Daigo captured his lips before giving him the chance to reply.

Mine had nothing to protest. Trusting Daigo, he let the man take the lead as he was pushed down onto the futon and the other hovered over him, cozily settling.

He did so even when Daigo carefully slipped his sweater off, stroking his body with a completely opposite tenderness to the urgency his mouth ignited that connection with.

Perhaps it was time for their bodies to speak, to explore each other and discover what they had never said.

Daigo kissed every mark on his skin reverently, until Mine accepted them all without regret, just as he was already doing himself.

“Yoshitaka, I love you.” He whispered in his ear as he enfolded him, feeling like a new person as he sank into him as he had not even attempted to fantasize about.

Mine gave himself to Daigo, knowing he could do it only with him; the only one he had ever trusted, the only one he had been willing to show every side of himself to.

“I love you, Daigo.” Mine replied without hesitation, without any fear. Clinging to him, he finally felt whole as they became one.

Words left unspoken for an entire lifetime, terrifying emotions chased for years… and yet they were extremely easy, if lived together.

And finally, for both, it had been like starting to live again.

Chapter Text

To reprise

Too busy with each other, they hadn’t even acknowledged the roof had already been repaired that very morning. Daigo only paid attention to it when, forced to get out of bed by hunger, he saw a small note on the table from Saejima and Majima - left who knows how many hours earlier by then.

“We’ll be back for lunch, have fun in the meantime! ^_\ ”

… The signature was unmistakably Majima’s.

“What are you smiling about?” Curious, Mine leaned towards him to read as well.

“… Majima-san hasn’t changed at all. It’s almost reassuring.”

“Oh, he might surprise you. But not on certain things, luckily.” Daigo had to correct him, but he still allowed himself to laugh after exchanging a glance over the content of that post-it.

It was almost strange, it had been years since he had any reason to be like that, free, lighthearted… happy.

And in fact, it didn’t go unnoticed.

The sound of Daigo’s laughter was still enlivening that warehouse when the door opened and suddenly there were three people standing still and staring at him.

Mine, who was looking at him hopelessly in love with his chin resting on his shoulder and his arms wrapped around his waist.

Majima and Saejima were frozen at the doorway, wide-eyed and incredulous as if such event were even stranger than Mine’s return to life.

“Majima-san, Saejima-san, welcome back! Thank you for fixing the roof.” Daigo jovially greeted them.

“Mine! Thank goodness you’re back!” Majima threw himself inside to bother them.
Saejima smiled, deeply touched.

*

“Daigo, come outside with me for a bit.” Once lunch was over, Majima stood up without a warning.

Daigo was kind of confused, but the other had already turned his back on him.

“I’ll be here soon.” He reassured Mine, even though he knew there was no real reason to, and followed the older man to better understand his intentions.

“Let’s take a walk on the pier.” Even then, Majima didn’t give him a second to answer before he started going forwards, leaving him no choice.

They reached the place in silence, both lighting a cigarette. For Daigo, it was the first time in a long while that he felt he was smoking while enjoying a moment of relax and not as an outlet.

“So, what’s the plan?” A single question from Majima was enough to make Daigo get it.

Majima-san may have only one eye, but nothing escapes him.
Mine had commented once, and it was absolutely true. One couldn’t hide anything from him.

During their meal they had introduced Saejima to Mine, telling him how he had reunited with them a year after his presumed death.

They had talked about Kiryu’s current situation, about the world of the Yakuza since the Tojo and Omi had been dissolved, while Mine shared what he felt comfortable about his past as Niji.

Nothing about their current motives nor about what they wanted for the future.
But Majima was too clever and had already understood what kind of person Mine was fifteen years earlier; he knew it wasn’t possible he didn’t have a plan.

Daigo had no doubts about what he had disclosed to Mine, he truly wanted to leave with him.
On the other hand… he couldn’t help but worry about the only two who had always stayed close to him.

And, even though they had given him a blunt answer, he couldn’t stop thinking about what they had left unresolved with Kiryu.

“I hadn’t seen you beam like that in years. And I don’t mean just these last shitty ones.” Majima urged him.

“I guess that’s true… I hadn’t even realized I’d lost part of myself too, without him.”

“But now he’s here.”

“Now he’s here.” Daigo couldn’t hold back another smile, which turned into a small grimace when Majima turned to glance at him.

“So why am I not hearing anything about a romantic getaway yet?” Though he had asked in his own bizarre way, he was serious.

“… Mine would like to go to the USA.” There. Confessing it made Daigo get just how guilty he felt.

“What are you waiting for, then?”

Daigo took a long pause facing the sea, searching for the real answer.
Who did he feel more remorseful for? The two men who had never abandoned him? Kiryu, who was hoping for his help? Or… Mine, because he wasn’t truly ready to fulfill his wish?

A deep breath before turning back to Majima. They were thinking the same thing, weren’t they?

“I can’t. Not yet.”

Majima nodded.
He and Saejima had also discussed at length about what to do the day prior, and they had come to the same conclusion they had expected from Daigo.

“We’ll help Kiryu-chan.” He said, catching the relief in Daigo’s expression.

“And then you’ll leave with no afterthoughts. Saejima and I may be aging, but we don’t need a caretaker; we can tend to the rest ourselves. Don’t you dare miss this chance, Daigo.”

Direct and honest, without any filter.

Daigo would never forget that was the individual who had had the courage to put him to the test when he became Sixth Chairman while everyone was discrediting him, trying to stab him in the back, or worse, expecting him to fix it all on his own with some kind of miracle.

He would never forget that thanks to Majima’s methods putting him under pressure and believing in him, he had come to know the kind of leader he wanted to be.
He would never forget his devotion, his constant support, his protection.

“Majima-san… Thank you, for everything.” With renewed determination, Daigo respectfully bowed.

“Oi, straighten up! Come on, we need to hurry up and get going. The sooner we wrap this up; the sooner you can go off and play lovebirds.”

*

“We won't talk about this.”

Mine’s tone was immovable, while Daigo had never felt so unsteady.

How? Was there no end to his suffering? Perhaps it was a constant reminder that there was a price to pay.
For finding Mine again, he had no other choice but to accept he would have to lose Kiryu.

There was no other possibility to hope for; that was simply how it was. Six months, and the man who had always been his role model would be gone.
Even if it was unfair, even if he didn’t deserve it.

At least Daigo wouldn’t take to the grave the regret of not answering his request for help, in the end.
They had fought side by side one last time, and then…
And then Daigo had never felt so fragile as when he’d had to be strong to hold Kiryu in his arms; in truth, a version of that man he would never have been able to imagine.

The weeks that followed had been so frenetic.
The consequences of Ebina’s plan to deal with, the former memebers of the Tojo and Omi to aid, the work on the island. Actually, Majima and Saejima had taken care of most of it and he would be eternally grateful.

Daigo’s days were mostly made up of long waits at the hospital, nostalgic conversations with Haruka, of understanding silences with Mine who held his hand.

But above all, unforgettable moments at Kiryu’s side.

Stalling, he told himself that he was still needed, that he couldn’t depart to another country. But... he was doing nothing but stealing as much time as possible to spend together before having to say goodbye, while his own heart was split in two.

The guilt towards Mine, for putting the promise of their new life together on hold; and the guilt towards Kiryu, whom he couldn’t bring himself to leave.

They were both wearing him down. But finally, one evening, as they were about to go to bed in the room they had taken near the hospital, his sense of duty led him pick up that project that had been left hanging.

He hadn’t expected that, after so much effort to manage to talk about it, Mine would halt him instantly.

“But I promised you that-”

Daigo tried to insist, but Mine interrupted him again.

“Don’t. This isn’t about me.”

Daigo had to take a deep breath before he could look at him again.
How could it not be about Yoshitaka? If not him, who were they supposed to be worried about? Himself?

It was strange, almost frightening. Daigo wasn’t used to being the center even in his own thoughts; he couldn’t fathom that he could be at the very focus of someone’s attention in that situation.

“Daigo… I know what it means to have little time to spend with someone important.” Mine took his palm, seeking comfort for them both.

He had told him about his childhood, about how he owed everything to the man who had adopted him and how painful it had been to witness his final days.
He knew that Kiryu was like a father to Daigo… and that same cruel fate had fallen upon them.

Daigo remained silent, as if he were reflecting on those words.

Mine could only imagine what was going through his mind.
Most likely, the other still had to come to terms with that very fact.

Since they had arrived in Tokyo, Daigo hadn’t paused for a single istant. When they weren’t at the hospital, it was a constant stream of meetings and phone calls to manage the disastrous situation they had left behind.

Essentially, Daigo still hadn’t truly realized what was happening.

“Stop thinking about me or about Majima-san and Saejima-san on the island. You just need to stay close to Kiryu-san right now; everything else can wait.” Mine reassured him, hoping he could do so as well as the other always managed to do with him.

“Yoshitaka… thank you.” Daigo surrendered into the other’s arms; it was exactly what he needed to be told, even if he would never admit it.

For the moment, Daigo only had to allow himself to live through his grief and Mine would be there beside him, supporting him.

It was his turn to be patient and to wait.

Ricominciamo tutto

“Happy birthday, babe!”

At midnight, Daigo joined his husband on the sofa where he was reading.

The cats they had adopted years earlier were peacefully sleeping on Mine’s lap as usual, but when they heard the other human arrive, they woke up and jumped down to give him his spot; something Daigo was mentally grateful for.

“Daigo, please… I’m 60 now.”

With a deliberately exasperated sigh, Mine took off his reading glasses before his overly affectionate husband could break them in one of his cuddly outbursts… again.

In fact, he could barely set them on the table next to the couch. Once Daigo sat down, he wrapped his arms around Mine’s neck and showered him with pecks.

“It doesn’t matter, you’ll always be my babe, even when you become a wrinkly old man!”

He did it on purpose to embarrass him, and he always succeeded. They both knew it very well.

Mine grumbled, regretting yet again his decision to bring Daigo to America and teach him English. As soon as the other found out the word babe while watching a movie, it had been the end of his poor dignity.

Daigo loved calling him by pet names; they had practically been his first arsenal of English vocabulary, and Mine knew that his annoyed reactions only amused him.

Mine would never stop complaining about it, but in truth, he didn’t regret a thing. There was nothing he wasn’t satisfied with in what they had built together.

It hadn’t been easy, doing everything from scratch. But finally they had some stability, a home in a quiet neighborhood, a garden full of blue flowers, honest jobs, even two cats that jumped on their bed every morning… and wedding rings on their fingers.

Well, at least on Mine’s finger. Daigo wore his around his neck, but it was the same.
They had married a year after moving to that small town.
Mine’s had never been a real proposal, more of a formal request.

One day he had simply said “Daigo, marry me.”; not expecting to leave much choice in the answer and making sure to have the right ring in his pocket when Daigo said yes.

After all, the reasoning behind his proposition allowed no argument.
They no longer belonged to the yakuza; they were no longer bound by any oath. So, Mine had felt the need to bind himself to Daigo again - to swear total devotion and fidelity to the one he had chosen; that time with an entirely different meaning.

When he put it in those terms, Daigo had gladly agreed to that mutual vow.
Daigo would remember it as the most embarrassing day of his life.

It had been a small ceremony without grand celebrations, but Majima and Saejima had surely put on a show. As if that weren’t enough, when he had sought Mine’s knowing glance to cling to, he had also found his husband with teary eyes.

But it had been worth it.
Since then, everything had felt calmer and happier.

So much that Daigo had even convinced his stubborn husband to celebrate his birthday.
Nothing extravagant, as Mine had requested. They had plans for a lunch out and then, as a surprise, he would have dragged him to a temporary exhibition by an artist he knew would interest the other at about an hour’s drive from their town.

For the time being, though…

“Can I give you my gift?”

“You already have it in your pocket, I can feel it against my stomach.”

… Oops.

“… Tadah!” With a shrug and a guilty chuckle, Daigo pulled the small box out of his hoodie and handed it into Mine’s hands. He hadn’t been able to resist; he was proud of it and impatient to see his reaction.

Mine’s expression when he unwrapped it made all the effort completely more valuable.

“It’s… the one you gave me when we spent Christmas together…” Mine gave him a stunned stare before looking back in disbelief at the watch he was holding.

“Back in 2008, yes!” Daigo confirmed with a proud smile.

It wasn’t exactly the same watch, of course, but the model and color were identical.
No longer in production and hard to find, but old enough to be picked up cheaply at an antique market.
And to think it had been a luxury item when Daigo had chosen it as a present for his then-assistant.

Mine had once confessed that his only regret in losing all his possessions, when he had been officially considered dead, were the few objects he truly cared about for sentimental reasons.
Most of them had naturally been gifts from Daigo.

That’s why Daigo had known he’d found the perfect occasion when, wandering through a market looking for something Mine might have liked, he had spotted that exact watch. And Mine’s serene beam told him he had chosen wisely.

“Sure, I could say you lack originality, but…” Mine teased him, even as he gazed at it as if it were the most precious thing in the world while already slipping it onto his wrist.

“If you want, I can always take it back.” Daigo huffed, pretending to be offended.

But Mine immediately wiped that fake pout off his lips with a kiss, thanking him.

“Thank you, truly. I’ll treasure it, I promise.” He added, blowing softly on Daigo’s lips, more seriously.

And Daigo had no doubt about it.
He knew he had nothing to fear. That once, nothing would ever tear Yoshitaka from his life, from him.

Nothing would ever separate them again.