light a cigarette, i'll watch as it burns

[digestate]

[ Knocking. The roar of ammunition fire in his ears. Blasts of heat and debris sticking to his face, dust crusting in his eyes. A delirious and delicious taste, sweet red like pomegranate, like Aki's skin scraping open in his mouth.

Denji doesn't talk much about what happened that day.

Not unusual, since he doesn't really talk much about any of what transpired prior to meeting Nayuta, either. Or about how sometimes he can still sense, not even hear, but sense a phone ringing in the distance, its pull like a spiral cord that's gone taut, that's trying to make its way back home and if he follows its trail, he might just find someone familiar on the other end of the receiver.

No, he doesn't tell anyone all that, because, see, the last time he did, Kishibe had just hummed and looked at him, the kind of look Denji would get from adults whenever they caught him picking through the dumpster for his next meal: pitying. Then, he'd shook out a flask from the inside of his coat and said, "Sometimes it's better for the line to go dead, kid."

Weird response, right? It'd made Denji go silent, think a bit. And after a while, he hadn't liked that so much, so he'd changed the subject to something inoffensive, like complaining about how much Nayuta's so much better at arcade games than he is, but Kishibe had cut him short at that point to go take a call.

Naturally, Denji had followed.

It's a little sad that a man in his silver years is the only person he can confide in, but Kishibe's not a bad guy — and that's coming from someone who generally hates men. Then again, the guy doesn't show his gaunt face around these parts unless he absolutely has to, which is probably by his own design, so it helps that he's never around long enough for Denji to get sick of seeing him. Up until that conversation, his absence wouldn't have been something Denji paid notice to. It'd usually take weeks and months and Nayuta asking where the funny, drunk geezer who always sneaks her hard candy is for him to see past the everyday chaos of being Tokyo's friendly neighborhood Chainsaw Man.

But as Denji creeped closer, overhearing some words but not registering most of them, a dangerous curiosity brought him to the edge of his hiding spot. What the hell has this dude been up to?

And then he'd froze.

"So the Gun Devil's position has been compromised. Initiate a tactical retreat."

Afterward, he hadn't done anything for a solid week besides go to school, kick some devil ass and stare vacantly at a pair of eggs frying in the pan for dinner each evening. Predictably, Nayuta had rapidly gotten sick of the menu. So before he could make his eighth pair of fried eggs, she'd scaled up his back and twisted his earlobes until he begged for forgiveness.

"Stuuupid! Dummy! Get a hold of yourself!" Nayuta raged on. "No more acting weird, or else I'm putting doggy kibble in your cereal again!"

She was right. He needed to get a hold of himself. Yeah, he was dumb, but that didn't mean he had eggshells for brains. He could still do stuff in his own way.

In the following weeks, Denji spent his time hounding members of the Devil Hunter Club for all and any relevant knowledge pertaining to devils. From rumors about recent devil sightings, to insights into things like the theoretical mechanics behind how long it took for certain types of devils to die in Hell and be reborn, to mathematical equations projecting the survivability rate of fiends based on the velocity and quantity of violence…

Of course, he only understood about three-percent of anything at any given time, but one detail of interest shared by some gloomy, pig-tailed girl stood out to him. According to her, a mysterious amount of devils had been slain in the Kabukicho district, none of which had been reported by either civilian hunters or Public Safety ones.

Anyone with half their wits would be able to easily determine that this wasn't a reasonable lead, but for Denji? He could feel something trilling out to him. ]

Comments

[digestate]

[ With his consent, the TV powers back up, though Denji isn't really taking in any of what's going on anymore, too pinned on something else. How Aki relaxes. It's weird that he can make anyone feel that way, relief, that he has that kind of authority to. That what Denji says or does matters enough to someone that they wonder what's on his mind. His plate still has a few apple slices left, but ignores them in favor of leaning slightly in Aki's direction, a hand covering the side of his mouth as if he's sharing a secret with him. Dumb of him. There isn't anyone else here. ]

…Really? So I can tell you stuff? Whatever I'm thinking?

[ His cheeks are dusted pink with embarrassment, not that it's going to make him shut up, or have the decency to wait for a reaction, or give Aki the chance to change his mind and take back the privilege, in case he doesn't like the strange sheen in Denji's eyes. ]

I really liked it when you were telling me about losin' your virginity. And, like, when you kept making those weird faces when you were feeling good… Uh, lessee, what else — oh, and I liked when you kissed me!

[ Despite the topic, there's an innocence to Denji's excitement. As if he's never had an opportunity to freely share his thoughts without the risk of punishment hanging over his head. ]

[damngun]

[Aki had no expectation that Denji would take him up on this right now, but something clicks in his brain - Denji doesn't really have anyone to talk to, does he? He has a devil kid who he seems to fawn over and wants her to succeed above himself (he still doesn't understand this) and he has no friends aside from a mystery student who bought him a cake. And Denji didn't even seem interested in that second one. He has that girl who convinced him out to Kabukicho twice in a week, but Aki doesn't trust that sort of relationship is a friendship, either. In general, he really has no one to talk to. And what kind of experience is that, to have no one to talk about sex with?]

[...but does it have to be Aki? And does he have to talk about it like this?]

Yeah... [It's almost embarrassing, hearing how eager he is. He liked Aki's depressing drunken loss of virginity? He liked his orgasm face...? God, it's so cringey to hear. He pulls his eyes away from him, unsure how to respond at first. He doesn't want to shut him down so soon after he just told him to open up to him.]

...And... You saw, right? It wasn't such a big deal. [It's so embarrassing because to Aki it honestly did feel like such a big deal. It completely went against what he told him. He's been forcing himself to avoid thinking about what Denji looked like with his dick in his mouth all day, the way he licked his fingers despite clearly not wanting to. What would he look like below him? He can't let himself get lost in this. But he hasn't experienced that kind of contact in what feels like years.]

[Denji, meanwhile, has never experienced it at all. Until last night. He stares at the eight cuts of apple in front of him, the core resting on the side of the plate.]

So if you ever want to experience that again - You should just ask me about it. Don't do something stupid, like you've been doing. Risking your life. [Well, he's immortal, but still.] Hurting yourself for something like that. Like I told you, it's not worth it. [Not while I'm here, he wishes he could add.]

[digestate]

[ "So if you ever want to experience that again." Denji doesn't retain anything past that part, his face smoothing out into a suspicious blankness.

The logical conclusion would be to assume Aki means if Denji ever wants to have another sexual experience with someone else, he should come to him for advice. Not just leap headfirst into any window of opportunity that opens itself to him. He should seek out guidance from a person who has his best interests in mind, who can calmly and impartially assess a situation and evaluate whether something (or someone) is worth pursuing. Or even to answer general questions like, Do you think that if I stretch my back for thirty days straight, I'll be able to suck myself off? That sort of thing.

But Denji's only made it this far because he's got several loose screws and gears and grommets in his head. Of course, he can't help but misconstrue Aki's words as a different proposition. ]

Hold on.

[ Seemingly uncaring of the fact that Aki's avoiding eye contact with him, he stares unabashedly, mouth shakily hanging, not unlike how someone would take in all the loose bedrock and foliage while looking down the precipice of a cliff. ]

You'd do that stuff with me again?

[damngun]

[... What?]

[Aki stares at him, his brows raising high. Did he say that? Suddenly he's very scared he just said that. Did he say his thoughts out loud? But he was being so careful about his words - No, he decides, he didn't say that, he just said he could talk to him. Nothing about having sex. Does Denji want to have sex? With him?]

[He isn't sure how to respond for a moment.]

I didn't mean it like that - [And though he struggles for the right words, he doesn't leave him with that statement for long.] - but if that was what you wanted...

[It's not a problem, he thinks. If they both wanted it, he thinks. Which Aki... Maybe he does, beyond just the idea of it. He doesn't know. He knows it felt nice to feel Denji's body. It was nice to feel human warmth. It was...]

...I mean, with only a handjob... I can show you more. If you wanted.

[He does. He wants more. He misses the human connection he used to have. Not just with Denji - He and him would hit at one another in a playful way or poke at one another's bruises and comment on the color change, but also the other things, how all three of them would crowd on the couch that only seated two people to watch a movie, no one polite enough to offer to take the floor... Those moments, he really missed. He missed the way Himeno would grab his cheeks. How Angel would smack his shoulder with his wing when he was annoyed. Even how Makima's fingers would brush his when passing something over.]

[...did becoming a hybrid do this to him? Surely he isn't this crass-minded to miss the sensation of even a finger against his own.]

[digestate]

Y-You mean, um — uhhh…

[ Flustered, and having nothing to blame but his own selective hearing, Denji reaps the punishments of his mistake in an instant, gaze crashing to the floor. Heat singing a path all the way up the curving shell of his ears. So he'd been wrong. The only reason why he'd so readily mishear Aki would be because some secret part of him wanted a continuation of last night, right? A justification to touch him again and be touched in return — by someone who wants to. Who wants him.

Does Aki want…? he thinks, eyes flicking up a smidge. A little hopeful, with the mention of being shown more.

But Aki said he didn't really mean it like that. If he's just offering out of obligation… Well, Denji's pretty sure he would probably say yes, anyway. Take and pillage first, worry about the ramifications later. He's not a decent person like Aki is. Families have mourned the people he let die in order to save cats and dogs and crap. His phone number's posted everywhere in this city, in the hopes of some poor girl infatuated with Chainsaw Man calling him up. He sells used cigarettes to Tokyo's unhoused population outside the station and walks away smiling. If he found someone's dropped wallet, he would deposit the money into his own bank account the same day.

His expression contorts, his chest wringing. Something gives. ]

…Nah, you don't gotta do all that.

[ Ass backwards as it may be, if this were some stranger off the street, he'd probably agree without thinking about it — but this is Aki. He'll insult him in any other way except this one. He starts to get to his feet. ]

I should go look for Nayuta. And take the dogs on a walk, y'know, like I said I would. You can have the rest of the apples. I'm not — I'm not hungry anymore.

[damngun]

[Wait, he's suddenly shooting him down? After all that talk? All those words about how much he liked it?? He's not hungry???]

[Aki looks at him like he's insane (god he forgot he literally is) and when he realizes he's trying to make a break for it he reaches out and grabs his shoulder, unwilling to let him stand and rush off.]

Wait -

[...What the hell. Is this really what he's become? He stares at Denji, lips pulled flat and teeth grit behind them. Denji, of all people, is turning him down. Denji. Who just told him he liked hearing Aki's sad story about him laying in Himeno's bed staring at the ceiling feeling like a failure. Because it was about sex.]

...What if I do?

[It changes the onus of desire, he tells himself. If he makes it seem like it's Denji doing a favor for him, maybe he'll accept it. See it less as an obligation, which, is that what he's thinking? Is that what he means when he says Aki "doesn't have to do all that?"]

[digestate]

[ God, he's so hungry, actually. Famished to hell. Could eat his remaining apple slices and everything still situated on the second plate if he could. It's a sin to waste food like this but if he leaves, Aki can have both plates, which would be good since he didn't eat anything this morning. And also, like, as happy as he was to finally get his thoughts from last night's tryst off his chest, Aki told him to try thinking about this stuff more seriously — to look a gift horse in the mouth, essentially — and that's what he's going to do.

As amazing as having more sexual experience would be, he can't take advantage of Aki anymore than he already has — wait, what'd he say?

Denji comes to a stop so full and sudden, Aki probably didn't even need to reach out and latch onto him. Then, he strikes a hand out as quick as a snake launching from its den, grabbing him by his shoulder. They both look nuts. ]

Say that again! Say that again! I wanna hear it again!

[damngun]

[Denji suddenly barking at him like that and grabbing him like that triggers Aki to do the exact same in return, his voice rising and his grip growing tighter - ] Don't tell me to repeat something like that!

[...Ugh. He shakes off the sudden rush of adrenaline from Denji being Denji and manages to calm down. He loosens the grip on his shoulder.]

It's not like you're the only one who gets something out of it. Sex is a two-way thing. [He doesn't want to say it so bluntly. It's embarrassing.] I'm not a saint who only suggested it for your sake.

[digestate]

[ He can barely read, how does Aki expect him to read between the lines?! For what it's worth, though, the disappointed sigh that releases from Denji seems to take all the hot air and tension out from his shoulders. ]

I don't think you're a saint. Just — a better guy than me. [ …He should qualify that. ] Some of the time.

[ Enough times to make a difference, to make Denji miserably unsure about not thinking things through. Once already cost him his life. He stares hard at where his hand rests on Aki, and then shyly, he gives the spot a squeeze. Slips his palm up the juncture between his neck and shoulder. ]

And I dunno, it just feels like I'm gettin' more outta this than you.

[damngun]

[He qualifies it as "some of the time" and Aki looks at him tiredly. He wouldn't call himself a saint in any respect, but at least he doesn't run on instinct from the police.]

[As for whether he's getting more out of this than Aki is - Aki can understand it, and he even wishes it were true. It would be nice to hide under the cover of that lie. But then Denji would just shy away and they would both be worse off. He can feel the weight of his hand on his skin, the contact at the edge of his shirt collar, and Aki closes his eyes with a sigh, his brow tight.]

...I spent all this time that I wasn't here by myself. [Fine, if he's going to drag this out of him.] The only person I see regularly is Kishibe - you can imagine how regular that was. [He's sure Denji sees him about as much as he does. He only seems to show up in cases of emergency.] After Himeno died... Even before that. I pent myself up. Kept to myself. [It's embarrassing to admit, how little he tried to enjoy his life. He was that swallowed up by his revenge fantasy. Now look where it left him.]

[He drops his voice low, opening his eyes but staring down, still with the tight expression.] It's been awhile. That's all.

[digestate]

[ Denji grimaces, as though he’s watching someone unfasten the dirty bandages of an injury abandoned to fester and infect. Loneliness is like that — an affliction — and Aki tells him he’s been alone and uprooted this whole year, felt alone for even longer, even while they were living together back then. It's not something he could have done anything about, but watching him breathe in, the barest rise of his throat moving with the push of air, he feels… He doesn't know what he feels. Maybe regretful is the closest comparison.

It's funny, he can't shake the sense that he hasn't yet earned this confession from Aki. Likewise, he can't deny how badly he wanted to know this. How badly he wants to know more. So where does that leave him? ]

Dumbass. [ The insult's wrapped around a sound that might be a laugh, but it sounds too sad to really be classified as one.

Sloping up, his hand closes in on Aki's jaw, cupping it. Thumb stroking the indent of bone and muscle hidden behind skin so fair, no one would ever believe Denji once cut through it; his touch doesn't linger there long. He slips his hand up the back of his head, only pausing to tuck a few strands of hair behind Aki's ear. And, finally, he tugs him down so that his face falls into the crook of Denji's neck, his other arm wrapping around Aki's back, fingers clenched into his shirt. He hugs him the way he would a small child after a bad dream. ]

Okay.

[damngun]

[Hugging... He tries to think of the last time anyone hugged him.]

[Denji and Power would grab him from behind, less an attempt to hug and more an attempt to attack, laughing and cackling as he tried to keep them from grabbing a bag of snacks he was trying to unload neatly into a bowl. Or when he would agree to stop at the arcade on the way home so they could try a gachapon outside that they've nearly gotten the full set for but keep missing out on one. But none of those pressings of warmth felt like that. He had shrugged them off or pushed them out of the way. No, his last hug was probably from Himeno. Crying over someone who was gone. Telling him how pitiful he was. How, if he's going to waste all this time being so upset, he better take an extended leave of absence when she kicks the bucket. But she had lingered until he had grown quieter, her arms around his shoulders and holding him against herself as if to block the rest of the world from bothering him in that moment. In a way, this feels similar. The world being blocked away. Feeling safe, for just a moment.]

[It takes him a moment to do something he never did in those moments and now wishes he did. He raises his own arms to wrap around Denji as well, setting his hands on his shoulders and holding him there for a little bit longer. He feels strange in his uniform, the texture different, the smell like the city and a little bit like smoke. Aki assumes it's from the train and not his cigarette scalping. When he turns his head he feels the ends of his hair brush his cheek and thinks about how he needs a haircut. But the biggest part of it is that he's warm. His whole body feels warm against Aki's, like he's been sitting by a fire.]

[When he finally sits back, it hasn't been too long, only a few moments. He releases his shoulders and slides them down his arms, studying him across the small divide of their legs.]

I won't make you do anything. [He's forceful in a lot of things and demanding in other ways but not really this. One time someone from Second Division called him a service top and he felt his whole body light on fire.] But - I think, this sort of thing... It's different. Going all the way.

[digestate]

[ Too soon is what it feels like when he pulls away. Denji almost digs his fingertips in to resist the separation.

He probably can't remember — and good, Denji doesn’t want him to — but he’s held him like this before. During that very last time, their very last battle against one another, shadowed in the devastation of their neighborhood laid to waste, the people they would walk past during their grocery runs, now just bodies, or survivors siphoning their blood into his mouth. He remembers Aki’s body shaking when he felt him collapse forward. The stupid thing was how he'd clung to the hope that he'd returned to himself for that last second, for that last breath, until Denji realized it was the buzzing of his saws inside of him, motorized steel exited out from his back, reverberating in the place where his lungs and guts would be. Aki's hand, the one that remained, had turned a mottled blue. Cold to the touch. Ironically, the rest of him had still been warm. Not that it mattered. He was already gone by then.

So it's hard to let go of the weight of him, to not lean back in, replace the memory with something new. Something that stinks less like rot and more like the whiff of fabric softener Denji inhaled, nuzzled into his collar. It's why, as Aki looks him in the face, he'll find Denji looking back at him, pathetically. He's pouting. ]

…Different how? [ Well, he knows it's not going to go exactly like porn — at least, the porn Denji watches. He's watched some stuff with just guys involved but it's like still all fraught with weird machismo, so not the best reference here. ] Do we need to go, like, buy stuff? [ He's kinda on a budget, but he'll make an exception. For sex. ] And I know you said I don't need to do anything, but how do guys…? Like, do ya just flip a coin and see who gets heads or tails? Lemme check if I have one.

[ Given the permission to be curious, Denji's mouth flaps out questions one after the other. Don't worry, he won't really notice if Aki decides to ignore one or two. Or all of them. But he's serious about that last thing because he starts fishing around in his pockets like an idiot, and indeed, pulls out a rusted 100 yen coin. ]

I'll be nice and letcha decide which side you want first.

[damngun]

[Denji wants to flip a coin to decide who is going to fuck who.]

[Aki starts to open his mouth to explain that's really not how that kind of thing works but then suddenly he's found a coin and Aki reaches out, putting his hand over Denji's, as if to hold him back from actually flipping it.]

No... We're not flipping a coin.

[For one thing, Aki really does not want to bottom for Denji when he's never stuck his dick anywhere before. He shakes his head.]

I'll be on top. I'll show you how it's done. But... We need lube. [Because he's being so fucking proper about this. Wants to give Denji a good time. And Denji would actually be physically fine without it, sure, but he would probably be upset about it. His ass would heal, but his heart wouldn't. Or something.]

Look. I'll go to the store and get what we need. [He really doesn't trust Denji with this sort of thing. He'd probably come back with extra-large condoms or, like, those stockings they sell for office ladies who get a run in theirs or whatever. He's never understood why convenience stores always have those. But either way - he is not sending Denji off to get those. He shifts to get up.] Just relax. Go change, if you want. ...When is that devil coming back here?

[He stops once he's on his feet, looking at Denji. Because that could ruin some things.]

[digestate]

Meh, if you say so.

[ Comes Denji's grumbles over Aki suddenly taking charge. He's not that clueless. He'd come back with extra-large and large condoms, in case the first pack couldn't fit. The lubricant Rilakkuma brand ones, too. He knows what's up. But whatever. Though he's loathe to admit it, it's reassuring to know Aki has a better grasp on how all this works compared to him. ]

Now that you mention… [ His head tilts to the side. ] She'd usually be back by now?

[ "Heeey, Chainsaw Man!!!"

Conveniently, or inconveniently, depending on who you're talking to, a familiar voice blares from the TV set speakers. The live broadcast from earlier is still ongoing, and on it, a young girl touting a braid and backpack is clutching on to a news reporter's shaking mic. A few other elementary school students can be seen rallying behind her.

"Come out already! What's taking you so long to hunt this devil, huh?! They're stinking up the neighborhood and I wanna watch you murderize it! Lazybones! Slacker!" ]

N-Nayuta…?! Wha — I'm not lazy! [ Hands braced against the sides of his head, Denji whirls around to face Aki, panicked. ] Ahhhh, I knew she'd act out 'cause you're not nice to her!

[damngun]

[It's his fault?! How is it his fault? How does treating her like what she is cause her to go on a television news show and yell at Denji through it?]

...Public Safety exists to take care of devils. [He turns away from the television set and shakes his head.] Teach her that, already. Why is she so obsessed with you being the one to do all the work?

[He pauses, but before Denji can answer adds - ] I wasn't even rude to her. [Just ignored her. And maybe looked at her like she was a dirt stain he hadn't been able to fully clean away.]

[digestate]

But I told you before, she's picky about her rules and things like that. Stuff that belongs to her. [ Er — ] Or that she thinks belongs to her. [ Denji's been trying to work with her on that, but the conversations always deteriorate into ineffectual compromises. While he and Nayuta have a special relationship, one in which they tacitly trust each other, he still hasn't gotten the hang of disciplining her. It always makes him feel weird. Probably because he's still learning how to discipline himself. ] Plus, you keep callin' her a devil when she's at least 75-percent — no, 85-percent regular kid!

[ Also, Aki called her idea stupid earlier. But Denji's convinced enough that he's covered his bases here that he doesn't bring it up. ]

…I should go get her. [ So much for relaxing, but he's gotta find her a babysitter she won't make do something dumb like mimic a waddling duck for hours on end. The TV blinks off. ] I'll talk to her about the Chainsaw Man stuff, it's not like she knows about our deal.

[damngun]

[Regular kid. Aki stares at him disbelievingly.]

She is a devil. Just because she looks like a kid doesn't make her one. She's a devil.

[He stresses that word the second time, like maybe Denji forgot or something. Do they only count to him if they don't look like humans? That's the most dangerous part of devils - their ability to blend in.]

Fine, go get her. [So annoying. How did Denji get saddled with this kid? And now he's sacrificing all his time to take care of her. Annoying as hell.] She should know the whole world isn't going to be nice to her just because she looks like a kid. Human or devil, that's the same no matter what. [A pithy excuse, but it's something Aki does believe.]

[digestate]

[ Denji's affinity for devils isn't necessarily limited to humanoids. Pochita was his family at first, after all, and though he never really bonded with any other beast-like devils, he did used to try to kill them painlessly. Aki got on his case about that, too. ]

Don't get all pissy with me, dude.

[ At some point, he'd relocated to his school bag, rifling through its contents to make sure he has everything he needs before he leaves. He pulls out a few sheets of unfinished assignments. Squints at them… before shoving them back in, crumpled. Don't need that. ]

You aren't the whole world. You're a guy living in her house who's been givin' her the icy treatment these past couple days. [ Feeling around a bit more, he pulls out something else, a plastic baggy full of suckers. Bribing material. That gets dumped into his pocket. ] Human or devil my ass — that'd mess with anyone.

[ He considers heading out on that note, but after a moment, seems to reconsider it, popping one of the candies into his mouth as turns back to look at Aki. ]

C'mere, would ya?

[damngun]

[It's not her house, Aki wants to snap, but he settles for just looking peeved. He doesn't agree. If she's going to choose to live in the human world, she should be prepared to deal with people's reactions to her as a devil.]

[Plus, Gun really doesn't like her and so he doesn't like the way his stomach wrenches into knots whenever she's around.]

What? [He crosses the room, uncrossing his arms from his judgmental pose a moment ago.] If you want me to be the one to explain it to her, I will. That you're done with this superhero stuff.

[digestate]

Forget it, she'll try to make you eat Meowy's wet food if you do that. Now, watch this.

[ Denji doesn't actually do anything too interesting. Just rolls the head of the sucker from one side of his mouth to the other, relishing the high-fructose corn syrup on the palate of his tongue up until he tugs it from his mouth, shiny from his spit, and plops it into Aki's lips. It's a specialty Denji-flavored raspberry. ]

Tada. Indirect kiss — a super hot magician taught me that trick. Open sesame.

[ He presses it in, not exactly masking his insistence. Mostly, he just wanted to clear the air a little. Much of the stuff with Nayuta is his blame to shoulder, so… ]

I'll be back. And so will you, right?

[damngun]

[Aki startles badly when Denji pushes the sucker at him, lips parting almost on instinct and suddenly his mouth tastes like raspberry. He looks particularly annoyed about this. Like Denji is treating him like a child.]

I hope she taught you a vanishing act, next. [He pulls it from his mouth but doesn't give it back.] I'll be here. I'll see you in a bit.

[Such a pain in the ass. With Denji you really do get exactly what you see. He goes to his own things, stored in a duffel bag, and searches for some money while letting Denji go. At the very least he'll go and get what he said he would.]

[He doesn't really want to agree with Denji about the devil situation. It makes no sense why he's treating her like she's the bee's knees when all he's seen her do is boss him around and call him lazy. He does agree, however, that he should try and keep the peace. It's not like he's going to be killing her any time soon and he's the guest in this situation until they're ready for him to go back on operations so it's stupid to keep fighting this. When he returns he ditches the lolipop stick and grabs his cigarettes instead. Has just one.]

[It tastes like shit after the raspberry. He can't even finish it and smushes it before tossing it out.]

[Whatever. He may as well start making dinner. At least no one can be upset with him for feeding the devil. He's able to pull the fish grill out of the counter and works at cleaning it out and getting it ready for yellowtail.]

if you feel the need to fast forward anything, go for it!

[digestate]

[ Even if he killed whatever mood they managed to scrounge up from the bottom of the barrel earlier, even if Aki has zero patience to deal with how wishy-washy and all over the place he is — Denji's about ten-percent sure he's still getting laid tonight. And that's more than the zero-percent he got up that morning with, so he nearly flies to where he's pretty sure Nayuta's location is based on some of the identifiable markers he managed pick up from the program. Nearly is the operative word here because he drags the dogs along with him. They still needed to go on their walk, so their barking and clambering do kinda slow him down…

But, well, it's just a neighborhood over! She wouldn't go too far off the beaten path this close to dinnertime. Meaning, it takes him about fifteen minutes to make it to the casualty site, which is already crowded with flashing lights and Public Safety — that annoys him to see, to have Aki be correct. The culprit of the attack is just a wet smudge on the ground by now, no better than roadkill by the way its darkened remains stain into the gravel. If Aki were there, he'd call it small fry or whatever. That annoys him as well. Twisting his hold into the leashes straining at his belt loops, he forces himself to look away and search for Nayuta, but it's difficult to completely tune out the details whispered among the spectators milling around. Something about a starving fiend boarding a bus and going to town while it was in motion. Who knows, maybe if he'd gotten there in time, he would've been able find that the fiend had crosshairs for eyes and chompers as sharp as his own.

Nayuta's sitting on the curb, elbows balanced on her knees and chin rested in the valley between her palms, as she watches body bag after body bag leave the bloodied stomach of the toppled over vehicle. Denji blocks her view. She tilts her gaze up, whines at him that he's late.

The conversation back isn't fun, but it doesn't go… bad? It's not as if she threatens to make all the tenants at their apartment bleat day and night like goats to keep him from sleeping, like he thought she might. She doesn't even ask him to take her to Tokyo Disney or anything like that. All she does is tell him how the the normal lives of the people who died on the bus today and the fiend who died on the street aren't so different, and if that's what he wants by not being Chainsaw Man, then fine. And leaves it at that. Until he tells her that she and the dogs will be sleeping over at their nice landlady's place after dinner. That's when she blows a gasket and Denji pulls out the candy.

As soon as they're back inside the apartment and the dogs are unclipped from their harnesses, Denji's sprawled on the floor, limbs spread and fanned out. ]

Man, what the hell! It's so hot out there!

[damngun]

[It's not like the dogs are noisy - far from it, actually, to Aki's surprise. Aside from one time during the day when they must have seen something out the window and went ballistic for ten minutes, they've pretty much spent the whole day moving from one room to the next and sighing. Now that they're gone, however, he's surprised at how much quieter it seems. Only Meowy is left and she just sits on his futon and occasionally grooms herself.]

[He's thinking about putting his face in her fur as the fish slowly cooks when Denji comes home. The noise is back and Aki realizes what it was - even if it was brief, he actually missed it. The strange noise of this tiny apartment with so many living beings inside.]

Don't sit in front of the A/C or you'll catch a cold. [He tries to act casual and not like he was considering finding physical comfort from a cat and instead goes back to the kitchen to check on the fish.] Is yellowtail okay? You...

[He pauses, glancing back over his shoulder. The devil. He stares at her for a moment, her staring right back, and he finally surrenders the contest as he turns back around.]

You both should tell me what you like. While I'm here. [Both being the word he debated on adding. It's a small concession, but one he'll give.]

[digestate]

[ Nayuta doesn't blink, even as Aki faces away from her. Perhaps, in case he spins right around and finds something to nitpick about her answer. "I want croquettes." And not half a beat later, Denji yells out, not having moved from his spot by the air conditioner — ]

Peking duck!

[ "Curry." ]

Stir fry wouldn't be bad, don't ya think, Nayuta? Or, hey, shabu-shabu…

[ "Hot pot in the summer? Pffft — yahaha! That's dumb! You're dumb, Denji! You were just complaining about it being hot! …But now I want it, too."

The two titter, like classmates passing notes full of nonsense doodles making fun of their teacher between their desks. Denji likes these moments, the easy ones; they're less violent, maybe, yet they still remind him of how he and Power would riff off one another. However, these very moments, in a way, make it all the more obvious things aren't the same — when they feel like they could be. ]

I can run with yellowtail for tonight, though. [ He reaches a hand out to tickle Meowy's nose, but she evades his touch, her ears helicoptering and the folds of her neck squishing up cutely. She swats at his fingers. Mean… ] Wasn't that what you were gonna teach to make yesterday?