A teacher? [ His eyes incrementally widen around the edges in reaction to Aki's guess. Scandalized. ] No way, that'd be the worst! [ Can you imagine Denji being forced to complete his homework the instant he returns home? The horror? ] She's a student like me.
[ Well, not exactly like him. A few qualifying additions to the picture he's painted of Nayuta so far would probably make a world of difference to Aki's first impressions. Unfortunately, foresight has never been his forte. ]
Watch your step there. That one isn't bolted all the way down, so you gotta hop over it.
[ All they're doing is going up the rickety stairs and making a turn to arrive at Denji's unit, and yet he doesn't even bother pretending to act inconspicuous about looking over his shoulder every so often to make sure Aki hasn't lost his way. Like that'd even be possible. Maybe it's because he's feeling the absence of his touch more than he'd like to admit, enough that it's hard for Denji not to be the one to stretch a hand over and hold onto the cuff his sleeve or something.
But he doesn't, because that's dumb, because he needs to focus on patting his pockets now that they're at the door instead. Figure out which one the key fob is in. Yeah, that's what he needs to do.
It's as he's about to scrounge it up that it becomes obvious he needn't have exerted the effort. The door swings out on its own abruptly with a reverberating clatter, and standing there behind it? A young girl, her hair still in a familiar braid at this hour for whatever reason, wearing pajamas dotted with a creature from some popular anime. It appears to be an orange fire-breathing dragon.
The ends of Denji's mouth curve, trying to look like a smile rather than the grimace it is. ]
I'm home, Nayu — ggck!
[ "What took you so long?!" Not letting either of them pass into the apartment, her head buries deep into his stomach, painfully — a purposeful surprise attack, no way, no how about it! But then her tiny arms encircle his waist in a hug so tight he can't really be mad. Denji's hands rest upon her shoulders as he twists, shooting Aki a look crossed between panicked and apologetic. ]
Crap, just a sec —
[ "Huh?" Nayuta's nose wrinkles. Her face turns to stare at their guest, suddenly assessing. Gauging a threat. "Denji, I thought I told you we had enough pets at home. Put that one back where you found it. He stinks." ]
no subject
[ Well, not exactly like him. A few qualifying additions to the picture he's painted of Nayuta so far would probably make a world of difference to Aki's first impressions. Unfortunately, foresight has never been his forte. ]
Watch your step there. That one isn't bolted all the way down, so you gotta hop over it.
[ All they're doing is going up the rickety stairs and making a turn to arrive at Denji's unit, and yet he doesn't even bother pretending to act inconspicuous about looking over his shoulder every so often to make sure Aki hasn't lost his way. Like that'd even be possible. Maybe it's because he's feeling the absence of his touch more than he'd like to admit, enough that it's hard for Denji not to be the one to stretch a hand over and hold onto the cuff his sleeve or something.
But he doesn't, because that's dumb, because he needs to focus on patting his pockets now that they're at the door instead. Figure out which one the key fob is in. Yeah, that's what he needs to do.
It's as he's about to scrounge it up that it becomes obvious he needn't have exerted the effort. The door swings out on its own abruptly with a reverberating clatter, and standing there behind it? A young girl, her hair still in a familiar braid at this hour for whatever reason, wearing pajamas dotted with a creature from some popular anime. It appears to be an orange fire-breathing dragon.
The ends of Denji's mouth curve, trying to look like a smile rather than the grimace it is. ]
I'm home, Nayu — ggck!
[ "What took you so long?!" Not letting either of them pass into the apartment, her head buries deep into his stomach, painfully — a purposeful surprise attack, no way, no how about it! But then her tiny arms encircle his waist in a hug so tight he can't really be mad. Denji's hands rest upon her shoulders as he twists, shooting Aki a look crossed between panicked and apologetic. ]
Crap, just a sec —
[ "Huh?" Nayuta's nose wrinkles. Her face turns to stare at their guest, suddenly assessing. Gauging a threat. "Denji, I thought I told you we had enough pets at home. Put that one back where you found it. He stinks." ]