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I'm not calling 'cause of that! [ A bicycle bell trills, and Denji waves a hand at Power, motioning for her to move aside to let the cyclist wheel by without accident. ] I'm not dumb. [ He is, though, in various ways. This is one of them. ] Obviously, you were joking! Ha ha ha, funny! I just, I wanted to know —
[ A long whuff of air comes from his nose. ]
…Are you coming home late again?
[Aki frowns. He stares down at the student council documents in front of him. Mostly devil reports from near their school.]
I thought we talked about this. [Did he forget to mention it this morning...? Their mornings are such a blur lately, he doesn't know.] Not as late as last night. I'm helping out the student council again, but it shouldn't take as long. I already chopped everything up, you just have to melt the roux and cook it for a bit. [They've had curry a lot lately but it's just easy to prep for and have Denji make when he gets home.] You remember how much water to add this time, right?
Oh. Nope.
[ He could probably figure it out on his own, though. He'd added too much last time, making the mixture all watery and bland, so… ]
Less is more, right? Piece of cake.
[When Denji doesn't talk much, Aki can tell he's not in a good mood. He frowns down at the papers, tapping his fingers on the surface.]
Just do a cup. If you need to add more, you can - but start with a cup.
[Ugh, it's so annoying. Denji's supposed to be in trouble! He's not supposed to baby him. He should be telling him he doesn't get dinner or something. Aki taps a little faster, frowning.]
And I meant it, about Meowy's travel crate.
As for the threat Aki keeps hanging over his head. ]
Whatever! You can try all you want, s'not like I'll actually fit. I'm almost as tall as you now.
[ Denji swears all he needs is another year or so, then boom. ]
…But fine, I'll crack open my practice book, so… Uh… [ Can he ask him to come home sooner? No, right? The volunteer stuff he does for the student council sounds important, or at least he always makes it out to be. ] I'm hanging up now.
Denji blinks down. For one reason or another, there isn't any in the wallet. Maybe he dropped them earlier or maybe there was never any in there first place, whichever the case, he grumbles as he starts pulling out a crumpled assortment of coins from his pockets and slams it down in the man's awaiting hands. As they're walking away, he tucks a block of meat between his teeth, dragging the the piece off the skewer: ] This is pretty good.
[ It's kinda chewy and overcooked, but Denji can't really tell the difference between a bad skewer and a good one. He peeks Angel's way. ]
Hey, quit draggin' your feet, we're still gonna walk and eat, alright?
No way. I need a break.
[They've walked like two blocks.]
Besides, that human always says you're not supposed to walk and eat at the same time. It's bad manners or something. [Not that Angel specifically cares about that, rather it's a convenient gotcha when he manages to get Aki to buy him food. He takes another bite and sighs, mumbling with his mouth full.] This is way too good...
You are, are you.
[Aki sounds a little wryly amused at that. Denji's probably not going to reach him in height, which is fine by Aki. The day he actually has to look up at him is the day he cuts him at the ankles.]
Alright. And - You can leave the dishes in the sink and I'll clean them, but at least put soap on them when you have them soak. And don't let Power have the soda in the fridge, that's for the weekend. [He pauses, trying to think if there's anything else, then decides there isn't.] ...I'll see you tonight. Be safe getting home.
Owww! [ Denji presses his entire full-sized hand against her face, shoving back. ] Stop that, Powy — and shut up, I told you that name was dumb! Your taste in anime is lame as hell.
[ An aggravated sigh. Then, back to Aki: ] Power says hi. And bye. [ He sucks on his upper lip, gnawing a little, before he finishes off with a — ] You too. [ — be safe, before ending the call.
The two of them mosey back to their apartment, which is probably some form of subsidized housing granted to them through lottery or whatever hoops Aki had to jump through. They make dinner, one plate using a single cup of soda (just one cup, the rest of the can placed back into the fridge) and the other plate with a cup of water (as was the proper way). Through a game of jan-ken-pon, the two of them decide who gets which and, perhaps as expected, Denji loses. He plugs the drain to the sink, and in the dishes go. He squirts the dish soap in the drawing of a happy face that quickly dissolves underwater, but Aki might still see the outline of it when he gets home.
Aki might also see Denji snoring face-first into his practice book at the table. He tried, okay? ]
[Aki listens to the two of them bicker, muttering his own hello to Power (he never calls her by those names, it was hard enough getting places to even accept Power) before finally hanging up. He sets his phone down and stares at it for a second, thinking.]
[Then finally shakes his head and pushes it away, turning his attention back to the student council paperwork. They'll be fine. He'll make sure he can go home with them tomorrow.]
[When he finally turns in the documents, there's hardly anyone left in the school but a few teachers. Aki heads home, exhausted, letting his head tilt on the train without fully falling asleep, and when he comes into the apartment and it miraculosuly doesn't smell like something burned, he's relieved. Though... There is some weird smell. He's not sure what it is. Kind of a sweet smell...? Nothing is on fire and he actually put soap in the water this time so Aki doesn't question it, tugging off his uniform jacket and dropping it with his bookbag in the bedroom. Power is playing with Meowy on the floor, cooing something or other about world domination and tax hikes. Normal, thankfully.]
[He'll let Denji sleep for a bit. First, dinner, which he heats up on the stove while downing most of the rice. One of the teachers warned him he might not qualify for the weight class to get into Public Safety so he's been trying to eat more. Not easy when Denji eats twice as much as him and still manages to look thinner every day. He sits down with his plate at the table across from him and reaches across to hit him on the head with his spoon.]
Tell me what unit you're on.
[ Flinching awake with a snort, his head jerks, pulling up one of the pages with him. It clings to his cheek by a wrinkly imprint of drool that'd gathered there as he slept. A moment later, he brushes the sheet off. Glances down at his fingers, no ink, that's good, less embarrassing that way, then pinches at both his inner corners to clear away the last crumbs of sleep from his eyes.
When did he…? Is it already that late? ]
Welcome home. [ He says first, rubbing the spot Aki bopped him, staring down vacantly at the set of assigned problems. He still doesn't look all there. ] Dick.
[ Better. Normal. ]
And, um… I'm stuck on the stuff that's like a graph and lines and I gotta find the points, or something.
[When the paper sticks to Denji's face, he can see the problems and make out what he's working on. He mixes his curry together while he resettles and nods at the explanation. He gets it.]
[He's pretty good at getting through to Denji. Explaining things at a level that he can understand. Power wanders out to join them at some point and laugh at Denji's misfortune but she's useful in that they play against one another well. Aki can quiz them both or bet them on who can figure out a solution the fastest. Power isn't a genius (not by any stretch) but she seems to pick up on things once Aki forces her to think instead of barking out the first thing that comes to mind. And while they scribble out solutions he can eat his dinner. It all works out.]
[He only forces it on them for an hour or so until he calls it for the night, sending them off to bathe while he cleans up. Does the dishes, wipes down the table, sticks Denji's books back in his bag... Removes all the trash from said bag and throws away. Spreads the beds out despite Meowy's attempts to lay on one the moment he rolls it out. This apartment is so small, he mentally complains for the thousandth time.]
[He waits for Denji to come out of the bathroom to call him over. Tells him to sit down while he sits across from him. Usually this is a set-up to scold him. But he has a different mission this time.]
I'm planning my trip again, up north. [He's taken them for the past few years. At first because he didn't trust them alone, now just for the company.] But you're old enough now. You should think about making your own trip. Back to your family's grave. We can save up for it - Yours is on the way, too.
Suddenly, the compulsion to simply slip under the covers and go to sleep again is stronger than ever. In fact, he kind of does do that, Denji opening the flap to his bed to scoot inside and keep his legs warm. May as well get comfortable if he's gonna have a conversation he doesn't want to. ]
So that's your big plan?
[ For what it's worth, he's sitting upright at least through this. That should count as a win for Aki, in spite of the way he plainly appears disinterested in the topic, picking his pinky through his ear, digging out some earwax and flicking it somewhere. ]
Pass. We should save for something better — hey, here's an idea, whatta 'bout an all-day admission ticket to an amusement park? Something to liven us up after we finish eating at the cemetery? We always do the same ol' thing. Let's do fun stuff for once!
[Aki didn't expect an easy conversation about this considering how little Denji ever discusses his past - much less his family. All he knows is that his father had a lot of debts. But this reaction... It's not like it's unlike him, but Aki still looks a litle upset at the response.]
Fun stuff? [He repeats it with a clear disdain, frowning across at him.] I'm not talking about doing fun stuff. This isn't a vacation. [Even though Denji and Power treat it like one every year. And more than that - ] And you're not supposed to be eating during a visit, you're supposed to pray.
[...He forces himself to settle back. Every year he tries to keep them from eating all the offerings and every year he fails.]
You're in high school now - You should think about doing this. Seeing your parents' graves. You said your father has one, right? [He vaguely remembers that being mentioned once or twice.] It's important to pay your respects. You could - I don't know, you might feel better afterward.
[ Almost as if karmic retribution for calling Angel names, the piece of meat he just tore off without chewing properly lodges itself right where his esophagus begins. His face reddens the more he tries to breathe around the obstruction. Hoping the force will knock it out of place, he hits a fist to his sternum, to no avail. He could maybe gesture at Angel to help him, but eh, even halfway to passing out from a lack of oxygen, he's not fully convinced the guy would pick up on the cue. Or ignore it in favor of finishing the rest of his skewers. ]
[ It's a ballsy question, could even be hurtful from someone meaning to cut with it. From Denji, though, it's mildly put, unmuddied by any hint of accusation or bitterness.
Because he's really not trying to spin this on him or be difficult. Rather, he wants to make this very, very easy — by not going. It's a big year for Aki, lots of new changes in store for him as he readies for the physical and practical examination, graduates, has the rest of his life to look forward to as a big damn adult. There's no need to be reflecting back on the past, let alone Denji's. He starts to slink further under the recesses of the blanket, laying down on his back to stare at the ceiling. ]
You should think about taking a vacation before you become even more of an old coot! Let's do karaoke, go to the beach, get girlfriends…
[ Speaking of. ]
I know ya got mad at me for takin' a peek at that letter you got this morning, but you should just go for it. Live a little, y'know?
Hey... [Is he choking? Oh god. For real, is he choking? What do you do when a human is choking...? He has no idea. Can't he just spit it out? Should he cut a hole in his throat? Mostly he's concerned because he's pretty sure this would ruin Aki Hayakawa's day even more than it already is if he dragged Denji's lifeless corpse home and asked for some blood to bring him back with, but he's also realizing he doesn't really know what you're supposed to...]
[Suddenly his eyes light up from a memory. Smacking someone in the back because they swallowed a bone while eating some fish. He can't place where the memory came from, where he saw this occur, but he remembers the smack to the back clearly, a full, five-fingered slap. Standing upright he moves the few steps over to Denji and, after securing his sleeve over his hand, smacks his back hard just once - but honestly Angel's definition of "hard" is more like a teenage girl's who has never lifted more than schoolbooks. He takes his hand away and leans forward to look at him.]
All better?
[The vein on Aki's forehead pops at the words, his lips drawing thin. It's not the point, he wants to say. To feel better, or to check it off a list. The point is respect. And Denji should be respectful of the people in his life who have died.]
[...But he knows he isn't trying to insult him over this. Denji lays down and Aki sighs quietly. So much for that. He's not trying to be an old coot (despite every adult in his life telling him to stop and smell the roses) but surely Denji understands what he's getting at, right...? And then he has the nerve to bring up that stupid letter. He knew he should have just dumped it in the burnables trash but... Well, it seemed like they put a lot of effort into the confession.]
Denji...
[He shifts onto his knees and moves to lean over him, staring down at him where he's covered up in the blankets. He knows when he's trying to avoid a conversation topic and it always takes a lot of effort not to trip in his pitfalls.]
Things will be easier starting next year. [It's a white lie. He doesn't know if things will be better or worse in Tokyo. If the pay really is that good. If he can even survive long enough to get his first paycheck.] I don't want you to look back and regret not doing something like this. [He pauses, eyes briefly flitting to the bathroom door, but it's still closed. He could actually use her back-up around now.] We'll both be there with you, you know.
He's always looked out for him. Could always look straight through him, too. It's so annoying. ]
I…
[ He can feel his resistance flagging in the face of the pressure being applied on him, his mouth curving into a deep frown as he blinks away. But then he hears, We'll both be there with you, you know, and he thinks — he thinks he's heard that before. Where has he heard that before? And why does it make his neck feel damp from more than just the condensation dripping from his still-drying hair?
Denji's expression shutters, something deep inside him slamming closed. Locking. ]
I said no! [ He pushes up, throwing his shoulder like a barrier keeping Aki at a distance, and twists inside the blankets, so that he has his back facing toward him. ] I don't want you both there — I don't wanna be there! So shove off.
And then he feels a weight driving into his back. While not exactly forceful, it's enough for the offending piece of meat to cough out, rolling against the sidewalk and picking up dirt. Denji's eyes flutter as he intakes one long inhale, or two, or three… Please stand by.
When his vision finally clears, it drops to the meat he'd choked on, gross with spit, plus the bag of skewers he'd dropped. Casually, as if nothing just happened, he reaches over — his hand moving past the bag, that's probably still fine, and picking up the cut of meat. Then, dropping it back into his mouth, this time his jaw opening and closing in exaggerated movements as he properly chews now.
After a moment, his gaze drifts toward Angel, as if he only just now heard him. ]
Huh? Oh, yeah. Thanks.
[Aki shifts off of him quickly when Denji lurches up to shove him back, flipping over and snapping that at him. He stares at him in open shock - grateful for the turn of his back so that Denji can't see how embarrassing that must be to see. What the hell just happened? Why did that make him so upset?]
Why not? [Aki is incredulous at the idea. Why would you not want to visit your home again? Pay your respects? Sure, their situations are different, with the way Denji's father died, but... But it can't be that different, can it?]
Look - [He reaches to grab him by the shoulder and attempt to roll him over.] You should care about this stuff. That's your family, you know. You're supposed to pay your respects! You'll be an adult soon, this kind of stuff is what adults do! [That sounds childish, even to his own ears, but he hopes he'll think it makes it sound more important.] If you think it's scary, that's why us two will be there with you!
[And Aki Hayakawa has the nerve to call him gross...? He lives with someone just as bad. Angel's eyes travel toward the plastic bag holding the take-out container and he sighs quietly, leaning down to pick it up with hooked fingers. Fine, he'll carry it.]
I don't really wanna pull that cord again. [As close to Can you please not die as Denji will get.]
Go away! Leave me alone! Stupid, dummy, shithead!
[ His heart is as loud as the percussion of pots and pans in his ears. Not even Denji knows why he's reacting so viscerally like this, why the idea manifests in a full-bodied rejection. ]
I'm not… I'm not gonna be an adult. [ It's a truer statement than he realizes in the moment he says it to Aki. Not just a refusal of the responsibilities that come with growing up, but a rare acknowledgement of his own limitations — that the milestone isn't his to have. Some people just don't get things in life, and some people just don't get long lives at all. That was true for both his parents. And every morning when he coughs up blood and buries the dirty tissues deep, deep inside the waste basket, he knows it's true for him, too. ] So I don't gotta do adult things! You can go on your stupid prayer trip, I don't care! So long! Hasta la vista!
[He very nearly nails Aki in the crotch but by this point Aki is used to his aim. He squishes his legs together as he feels him start to kick and pulls away before he can do more damage, opening his mouth to rebut all his stupid insults before he continues.]
[He knows he's upset, just venting at Aki and saying things he must not believe. But the wording hurts way too much. He still remembers the last time he found Denji curled over hacking up large globs of blood onto the bathroom floor. Sure, it hasn't happened since then (that he knows of), but it scared the shit out of him. And sure, he's stick thin and one of the school nurses suggested he might have a sort of anemia because of how he got so dizzy one day, but - But it's not that serious, he quickly tells himself. Denji doesn't mean that. He's just being stupid. Trying to rebut anything Aki says to refuse this. Maybe he really is scared to go back there, to open that wound again. Maybe he doesn't want to go on the trip at all this year. Maybe he's still upset about what Aki said this afternoon about leaving him here while he and Power went to Tokyo.]
[But his chest hurts. Because he keeps thinking of his real brother. The one who should have gotten to be an adult, and his own actions that prevented that.]
Fine.
[He stands up and heads for the door. He'll wait for Power to finish her bath. He doesn't need Denji to see how red is face is right now. Let him throw a tantrum. See if he cares.]
Hey, where are you —
[ Click, says the latch mechanism to him, cutting his question off. His blanket sifts, falling completely from him as he returns to an upright position, staring hard at the closed door — hoping a little that the handle might turn and Aki will come back. Come to his senses. Apologize for being a jerk. But it doesn't, the door stays closed like so many others in his life. Denji deflates, his neck bent forward and eyes fixed on his fists, slowly curling into the blankets. He doesn't think he's in the wrong for not wanting to go, nor for wanting to enjoy being a regular teenager while he still has the breath to be one. Aki's the person who's nuts here. Trying so hard to grow up, to leave their normal life behind, and for what? For who? ]
Fine.
[ A minute passes. Then, he hears a door open. With an immediacy typically reserved for pet dogs waiting for their owner to come home, his head perks up —
"Magical, and Miraculous, and Blood Lapis —" Power sings, hair artfully twisted into a towel, as she marches out from the bathroom, swishing a finger through the air like a conductor who has never experienced a single class of music theory. Her steps end abruptly, though, the second she catches sight of the rumpled blankets and the crookedness of their beds. "— Ohhh?! What insolence! You two wrestled without me!"
And then she dumps herself straight into his lap, not caring a smidgen about potentially hurting him or getting hurt from the suddenness of her landing. Denji makes a quiet oof sound, his arms automatically drawing up under her head so that she doesn't, like, knock her skull against the ground. Or his kneecaps. Before she can get any wild ideas, he exasperatedly tells her — well, complains to her — about how annoying Aki was, about the trip, about how he would rather go somewhere fun, and really, doesn't she agree with him on that? Shouldn't it be a vote? Isn't that how democracy works?
"Hm… I don't believe in democracy!" Power grins, cheek smushing up against the indent of one of his feet. "'Tis the destiny of the human species to live pitifully and under the iron fist of superior beings, like myself. If I had it my way, we would embark for one of the fine butcheries I own! Or a McDonald's! I also own those!"
Denji likes McDonald's. He wishes Power were in charge of this trip thing instead of Aki.
"Denji." Her fingers pincer at his cheek, pulling and squishing it. "You should tell Topknot why —" But I don't even know why, Denji tells her. "Then you should say that! Keep flapping your meat mouths until there's nothing left to say!" she tuts. "You lot are so pathetic. Can't do anything without guidance."
Which is how Denji finds himself getting dragged from bed by a cheery Power and shoved out the door with a stumble. Ugh, where the hell even is Aki out here? ]
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