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Giving up the illusion of being sneaky, as well as trying to hide his thoughts from Aki, he leans back, rubbing at his jaw. ]
I can cheer him up and still win.
[ A simple statement from a simple boy. ]
I mean, you think that guy is so weak, he'll tear up over cards? [ …Denji passes his turn to consider this. ] Well, if he does, there's a reason why we bought tissues.
I'm not going to tear up over cards.
[He's so annoying. Aki gives them both harsh looks for the debate over his emotional well-being, as if he's really that bad off. He was keeping as quiet as he could tonight! Sue him for missing his former buddy! At least the lighting in the room is so warm so they don't have to see the heat in his face as he skips the next card, dealing one last one for the dealer and then flipping it over to reveal.]
[The dealer has a 20. Which is fine, because Aki got an 18. Angel sets his cards down in a pile and Aki reaches over to fan them out - 13. He didn't exactly throw, but he still didn't try at all. Aki looks to Denji next, expectantly. Did he go over, or did he place below him? Surely he went over, especially now that he can't count cards. He's definitely the type to take too many cards.]
[Angel complains that he doesn't want to tell another story, that he doesn't have any. Aki doesn't answer him, just waits with baited breath for Denji to lose.]
The day of, he plays at cool the entire morning, stuffing his face with more food than usual. And yet throughout each passing hour, he can feel sweat gather at his pits and bleed through his uniform. He gets yelled at during P.E. for trying to run around the track while carrying his study book. Failing isn't what he's scared of; he's already failed once before, right? So there's only going up from here!
…Except he starts losing his head whenever he imagines Aki's disagreeable presence looming over his shoulder, eyes dull with premature disappointment. Is this the so-called test anxiety devil he's heard whispers of?
Come time for Denji to take his exam, he — well, he arrives in a daze. Sits down. Waits for the test material to land in front of his face, and when it does, he sets to work. He gnaws on the end of his mechanical pencil. He scratches his head, stabbing numbers into his calculator and hoping something close to the right answer appears before him. He uses his eraser enough times that the paper looks smudged and crumpled once he finishes, but he does finish. His exam enters his teacher's hands, and it takes her all of ten minutes to pass him back his grade: 77. Scribbled in all red on the front page.
Bag slung haphazardly over his shoulder, he slowly navigates through the halls with a dim look in his eyes. Forgetting the need to put away his school shoes, Denji nearly passes his adoptive brother by entirely, if it weren't for the timing of a few rambunctious guys in his grade running just short of barreling him over as they dash out the entrance. ]
Ah! [ He checks over his shoulder to make sure no one else is stampeding behind him. His eyes twinkle when he spots Aki, regaining some liveliness. ] Oh, you…! [ The fatigue from actually having to use his brain hitting him all at once, Denji sways a little on his feet as he reroutes back to him. He shakes the test, still clutched in his hands, way to close to Aki's face. ] Look, I'm a certified genius! Should I get my IQ tested next?
Guuuhhh. He slaps them down. There. ]
Don't let it get to your head! I just didn't wanna hear ya go, 'Weeeh, boohoo, there was this one time I asked a lady out and she said my topknot looked stuuupid.'
[ Just as quickly as he'd turned over his cards, he starts to reach for them again to reshuffle, only for him to awkwardly still his hand, then pretend he was simply reaching over for a jelly cup, instead. Ugh, that's right, he's in hot water for not-cheating. Also, he's gotta tell a stupid story now. ]
One time, uh… [ Huh, this is hard. Well, there was the welcome party where Miss Himeno ruined his first kiss, but Aki was there for that and Angel will probably just call him gross again, despite what happened not being Denji's fault. …And what if Aki really cries at the mention of his dead pal? That'd be awkward.
After a moment of hemming and hawing: ] Okay, I got it. Um, don't tell Makima this, but…
The first time I went to the library, I tried to watch, y'know, dirty stuff. On the computers. What I found wasn't dirty stuff, though, but the full movie of this one horror flick!
[ Audition (1999). Illegally uploaded, of course. ]
It was pretty sick, so I watched that for a lil' while 'til I got to this gory part where this dude is getting his foot sawed off by this pretty lady in the movie, but, like, he kinda deserved it — anyway. That's when this hot librarian snuck up on me outta nowhere! Bun, glasses, the whole shebang. I was like, 'Hey.' And she went, 'What are you watching?' And I told her, but then she told me back that I couldn't watch stuff like that there, so I asked her where to watch actual porny stuff and then that's when she kicked me out.
[ He looks especially bummed out by this. He got escorted out by security and everything. Without much fuss, of course! He didn't wanna cause any trouble, obviously. ]
The embarrassing part is when I got home and realized that I just typed the one website I was lookin' for wrong!
[Nearly, Aki calls out to him, but he stops when the two other students come rushing through. When he looks back to see Denji spotting him, what he worried was exhaustion in his features seems to be gone and instead he looks - cheery? Is he cheery? And then his test is shoved into his face and Aki blinks, trying to pull his hand back to see the number more clearly.]
[A 77... A 77? That's not a 44? It's a 77? Over a 70? Hell, over a 75? Aki openly gapes at it for a moment, his quip about getting his IQ tested completely missed.]
You - You did so well. [What the hell? Why is he so surprised by this? Why was he seriously preparing for the lecture he was going to give him? Aki tries to shake off the shock, but all it does is downgrade it slightly into overly-visible relief.] You seriously got a 77... That's great, Denji.
[He sounds like Denji just told him he won the Nobel Prize. It kind of feels like he did.]
...Oh - What was it you said? Strawberry cake? [He finally drops his shoes and slips them on. He still looks like he's in a bit of a fog from the surprise.] You still want that? Or something bigger?
[The sweet taste of victory is almost cut short by the story Denji tells. Not because it's about something so unamusing as to be boring (he kind of matches Angel with this story in terms of the content being worthy of named embarrassing), but because...]
[Well. Angel summarized it. Aki gathers the cards while looking the most disgusted out of both of them, Angel just kind of looking amused that Denji seems most concerned about being kicked out of a public building rather than pirating movies or trying to look at dirty images on the internet.]
You're a real piece of work, you know that? [He sets the cards down without shuffling, as if their game is over. No, he's not trying to get out of losing another game and having to tell a story, himself. Not at all. Angel is looking at him and can see right through him on that, though, but if he doesn't look at him back then he doesn't. Trees in woods or whatever.] Now I'm glad I never looked into getting a computer.
Yeah? I mean, librarians are s'posed to know a bunch of things like that! [ Has Angel even been to a library before? He knows he's old-old, older than even the oldest looking man Denji can think of (Kishibe), but how considerable his latitude was, to explore and chart out the world, prior to Makima finding him is a big question mark. Hmm. ] Uh, the next time I break you out, I can take ya there, I guess —
[ He saw that! His eyes narrowed, Denji drops his jelly cup and smacks a hand against the bed, and in a flash, that same hand whips out an accusatory finger pointed Aki's way. The deck of cards drips over onto its side. ]
What're you doing? The game's not over yet! We've still got two more rounds. Didja forget how to count or something?
[Denji yells at him and Aki all but groans. Angel's halo actually buzzes a little at the sudden loud sound but he looks unfazed. Two more... Ugh. He was the one who said five games, wasn't he? Trust Denji to only remember the stupid stuff. Aki picks up the cards and grumbles as he shuffles them again.]
I get it, I get it. Two more. Don't yell or I'll take you door by door in the morning to apologize again.
[They already got one smack on the wall tonight. If there's another, he's definitely going to make him do the rounds again. He starts dealing a new hand.]
And stop saying you'll break him out. You can't break him out, he's a devil. I'm already going to have to deal with this in the morning - if you do it again, I'll make you take the responsibility next time.
[Angel catches it - that Aki intends to take responsibility for Angel's "breaking out" - and wonders if he knows that Makima knows he's here, how he got here. It's a 99.999% chance she knows. How could she not? But he's never seen her mice, he thinks. Either way, he doesn't speak up in defense or offense, neutrally drinking his water.]
[ It goes without saying that she instantly rejected that notion, though.
Following Aki's example, he stumbles over to his cubby to remove his shoes. Once done, Denji looks at the test again, thinking over whether to shove it deep into his pocket like he would gum wadded up in its wrapper, but instead, he unzips his backpack and slips it in. Careful, for once. This one's going on the fridge. As they sedately make their way out: ]
Um, um… Whaddaya mean something bigger than strawberry cake? Like two strawberry cakes? Three?
[ He may or may not be imagining a three-tiered cake with sparklers and fruit and sprinkles and chocolate drizzle all up the wazoo. That's so big! Even if they cut it in half, he's not sure it'd fit in their refrigerator. Not to mention… ]
I thought were saving and stuff. For the move.
[ Plus, Pochita. Plus, the trip, which is still to be decided right now, seeing as they haven't raised the topic once since Denji ran away from home. He likes indulging and getting spoiled. Even feels a little entitled to it because he did so well on his exam. But that doesn't mean he's unaware of how tight their finances are. ]
Unsurprisingly, this isn't the first time he's bothered their neighbors, the most recent incident being the, uh, air fryer event. One of the housewives in the building complained to their superintendent about them days after, claiming that the smoke and ash blasted all the way down through to her vents somehow, and that no matter how much she aired out her family's apartment unit, the scent continued to cling to their walls. Since then, she's given him the stink eye every time they cross paths. He'd really rather avoid her. ]
Fine, yeah, alright… I won't break him out.
[ Glumly, he glances at Angel, who is unbothered, moisturized, and extremely in his lane as he delicately sips his water. As if to mirror him, Denji brings his jello cup to his mouth, tipping it slightly… But when it fails to unstick from the sides of the cup, he just messily shoves his tongue inside and gulps it all down. While trying to make sure he gets all the leftover juices out, he continues: ] This guy's pretty ungrateful, isn't he? Making us actually have to file paperwork and crap the next time we wanna cheer him up.
[He just wants more cake...? That doesn't sound right, and when Denji reveals his worry about their savings, for once Aki shakes his head at him, even looking annoyed that he's bringing it up. Like he isn't constantly sitting over his hand-written spreadsheets with the grocery receipts.]
It's already fall. There'll be jobs for harvesting and logging again soon.
[...But there is the case for his trip, sure, and that he wanted to include Denji's trip as well. He's not about to bring that up right now, though. He may be a pain in the ass, but Aki isn't going to start that discussion again so suddenly after he just did something good.]
Just forget about that - If you could have anything, what would you want? [And interrupting him before he can think to answer with it, ] And you can't say something like "women." [He is not renting his adoptive brother a prostitute for getting a C on a test.]
[He says it bluntly, easily within hearing range of Aki, who doesn't react to it, simply draws another card. So does Angel.]
You know he's emotionally constipated, hard on you, and a stickler for rules. You knew all the things you did tonight were going to end with you right in this situation.
[Not exactly this entire situation of them playing cards in his bedroom with Angel wearing Power's socks and eating a large amount of baked sweets, but still. Aki rolls his eyes at the descriptive words he's been given but doesn't fight them directly, just grunts something about it being Denji's turn. Angel raises his eyes to look at Denji directly, heedless of whether he draws or not.]
So why bother?
[As if he didn't follow him every step of the way, complaining or lagging but still walking forward.]
Wome —
[ But seeming to predict the flight path his mind was headed on, Aki interrupts him. Sets his one devastating condition. What's wrong with women? And Denji was thinking of something more innocent than a straight up prostitute, like getting his help flirting with a classmate or going to some themed cafe.
Denji scrambles to find alternatives, though, his arms crossed behind his neck, head tilted to look up at the clear sky, as if he can see his desires take shape there. ]
I wanna go to the hot springs. [ With that girl on the basketball team. ] I wanna eat sushi. Or a crepe! Or maybe a parfait… [ With that girl who's always assisting the school librarian. ] Wanna get fed each bite. [ …By a cute girl. Any girl. ] Wanna, uh… I wanna… Hm.
[ Everything he lists basically indicates that he wants practice going on a date. Except for one thing, one idea that strikes him with no warning, but makes all the sense in the world to him — ]
Hey, hey! How about this: We skip school for a day together, hitch a ride on the train, and go to the beach!
[ Being normal teenagers with Aki. ]
[Hot springs...? There are hot springs up north, maybe he can factor that in to the Hokkaido trip...? How much do hot springs cost to stay at? Is there a cheap one they can do, like a bath house or something? But Denji moves on before Aki can get too deep in those thoughts to things that are much easier to obtain. Sushi, crepes, a parfait... And to be fed each bite... Uh... He's not really interested in doing that, but...]
[But then out comes his plan, for them to skip class and go to the beach. Aki raises his brows high, nonplussed as he walks silently beside him. There are tons of students in their school who skip and Aki considers them childish and not understanding the greater picture. No, when he skips, his reasons are just. Mostly to surreptitiously work odd jobs, writing out doctor's notes for Fridays so he could work a three day weekend. Or calling in sick to recover after a long weekend of stripping down recycled goods.]
[...But why has he never skipped and not done anything like that? Because it would get him in trouble? Is it easier for him to tell himself it's okay if it's something like work, something "productive?" But this is productive, the devil on his shoulder argues. Making sure Denji relates good grades to a reward is productive. But he shouldn't be encouraging Denji to skip, rebuts the angel on the other shoulder. It's already hard enough to say why his skipping is okay versus why the students he judges when they pass by the arcade and see them slumming in their jeans and t-shirts are not.]
[...But it would be nice to go to the beach.]
Fine.
[And before Denji can celebrate, he makes his terms clear.]
But you have to promise to get over an 80 on your final. Got it?
Wrong, bird for brains.
[ There's no inflection in his reply, flat and possibly not really getting what Angel means all the way — gut instinct tells him he's essentially getting called out on something, but on what, he has no clue. Denji collects his card and, out of habit, nearly pads up the next card into his by its corner so that he can steal a look at the value, but remembers just in time to avert his eyes. An irritated click of his tongue — shoot, that guy said no cheating, didn't he? ]
I dunno whatcha think of me, but I'm pretty sure your idea's screwed up. First of all, I never know a damn thing about anything!
[ …Well, he has a vague notion, usually. He understands the probability of Aki shooting down whichever of Denji's ideas he considers garbage are high, but then he thinks about how he'd asked him to play his nut-kick game against that katana dumbass, how he'd laughed and grinned with him the widest he'd ever seen. The odds are slim, but they're never zero — and underlying most of Denji's actions is a poor gamble.
Secondly… ] Why do you think people play cards or dice or pachinko?
The voice that answers Aki is scratchy, predisposed to aggrievement: ] Man, seriously? It wouldn't kill ya to do somethin' other than work yourself to the bone — wait, what'd you say?
[ Fine… Fine? Did he just hear — ]
…You mean it…? You'll go?
[ It hasn't yet registered that he'll have to work at least ten times as hard for his next exam afterward, but Denji's never been great at that sort of forward planning. Forget about while he's still reeling. ]
You'll have to go swimming with me. And get buried in sand, and, and — do, like, other touristy stuff!
[ He doesn't want Aki to back out or anything, but he has to make sure he knows what he's signing up for here. ]
For the small chance that they might win.
[He answers deadpan to his question, still not looking directly at him. If that's all it is, does this even count as a win? He's just going to be depressed again on a different day. What does it matter, in the long run? He watches as Aki sets down his beer and picks up the cards. Still willing to continue this with them.]
[...Is he jealous of this display?]
[No, he decides. He'd rather no one try and cheer him up.]
Just seems like a waste of time.
[The way Denji immediately gets ready to fight him on this shouldn't make him laugh, so Aki controls it down, only letting out a snort. He lists all the things he wants to do like they're warnings, stuff he's going to hate or something. But he's never gone to the beach with them alone. He thinks they went when they were in that orphanage, maybe once or twice as a sanctioned trip since they were closer to the sea there. But here...]
It'll be an hour or so on the train, you know.
[Can Denji even sit still for an hour? But that does go along with his demanding for "touristy" stuff. They'll definitely be out of this small town.]
We'd have to get up early and come home at a decent hour. I'm not going to spend money on a hotel or something, so long as you can promise to make it back to go to class the next day.
[Which means a full night's sleep, per Aki's rules.]
So long as you can promise those things, we can do whatever you like.
[ Denji pulls a face — an expression that could easily be attributed to the card that's just joined his hand, or the fact that he doesn't agree with Angel. Winning isn't the only fun part of stuff like this. For example, Power loses all the time against him in Mario Kart, but she keeps playing because it makes her crow with joy whenever she successfully aims a blue shell at him. ]
Feels weird hearing that come from you. Thought you'd be into wastin' time and not doing anything important.
[ Like, maybe playing a card game isn't fun for him, but it's not work. Or walking, for that matter. ]
So let's hear it, then. What would ya rather do instead?
[ It happens quick and unplanned, the suddenness with which he pushes Aki into a narrow back strip off the street, out of sight of any passersby who might cast judgment. Then, as tight as a sailor's knot, Denji's arms crush around his waist, the side of his face pressed firmly into his chest, uncaring of any annoyance his actions may spawn. Denji's not so short anymore that Aki can comfortably rest his chin atop his head, but he bows into him to force the fit, anyway, nose digging into his collar. It's almost territorial, how he keeps nuzzling in, like he knows there are only so many years left where he can keep getting away with doing this. ]
I won't fall asleep, not once! I'll take all my notes, I'll eat all my veggies, even Powy's, I'll help with the cooking more often, and, and, uh — I'll train him. I'll train Pochita to be good.
[ Breathing in a string of air, he pulls away with a pronounced step. Honestly speaking, he doesn't want to let go, but he's attempting what Aki's been asking him to do all along: grow up. ]
I won't make you worry anymore.
[He can't say that, though, or he'll really kill the mood. People don't ever really ask what he wants to do, anyway. They'll ask what he wants or what he needs but not what he wants to do. How does he even answer that? Angel sighs and picks at his cards.]
It doesn't matter.
[He sets them down - a 20. Aki sits back, visibly shocked. The dealer only has an 18, but he has 17. He thought he'd be fine with that. Nervously, his eyes trail to Denji. Maybe he went over...?]
[Being shoved into the nearest flat surface so Denji can rub his face all over him like a dog scenting its new toy is nothing new to Aki but he still groans with vague annoyance when he starts doing it anyway. He presses his cheek into the top of Denji's head in an effort to get him to stop rubbing so hard that he'll chafe his neck and keeps repeating, Alright, alright, alright. Not actually doing anything to get him to back off or stop, just dealing with it until it's over.]
[When he finally steps away, Aki straightens his uniform with a long sigh, dusting off a few blond hairs that got stuck to his front as he looks at Denji. He looks way too pleased with himself right now.]
I don't think you'll ever make me not -
[There's a pronounced thud before Aki can finish the thought, followed by a squelch. In the thin alley between apartment complexes, something dark fell from the roof and is dragging an injured arm behind itself. There's a definitively inhuman noise coming from the thing despite the vaguely human shape and as Aki feels his breath catch he sees its eyes alight on both of them and the light from the end of the alley reflects to show the injured arm it's dragging. It's in a black sleeve, the cuff wrapped with the same blue band as their own uniform. And it's still attached to the body the devil is dragging. That was the squelch.]
[Aki reaches to Denji and shoves him from the alley, out toward the way home.]
Go! [He's right behind him when the devil lunges, slamming itself into the wall against where Aki was standing, stunning it long enough for them to get a good head start as Aki grabs him by the wrist and yanks him along with him. Hoping that the shove was enough to give him a good enough head start.]
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