windfall | what i desire most, what i fear most

[The bite of meat spits from his mouth and he starts making breathing sounds again. Angel steps back, eyebrows raised. So that's how that happened? Huh. He watches by the sidelines as the few people who seemed worried for Denji's life disperse while he's on the ground heaving. Then he watches as he reaches out and snags the offending piece of meat and eats it again.]

[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.]

[ What…? Bent over, patting the dust from his knees, Denji looks at him like he added a top hat to his getup. As if he didn't just say something perfectly reasonable. ]

Whazzat s'posed to mean? [ Eyes rolling down to his chest, the starter cable nothing but a barely discernible bump under his shirt, his hand claps down on the spot. He gives it a fond little pet. ] You're saying that like I want your guy germs all over him! [ Pochita, that is. ] Not a chance in hell, man.

[ And there it goes. The main point flying over Denji's head as per usual. ]

That wouldn't have happened if you'd just walked with me to begin with! [ He huffs. ] So you done eating, or…?

["Him"... An interestng way of putting it. It opens up more questions about what, exactly, it is that he remembers hearing in hell, but Denji of all people won't know what he's talking about, so he decides against asking. Angel pulls off the last pieces of meat and places the empty sticks into the bag, nodding as he chews. Part of the joy of chewing is getting to relish the taste. Denji would understand that if he slowed down to eat. Him stopping or not, he still would have choked.]

Yeah... [He carries the bag like it weighs way more than it actually does.] How much farther? Are we going all the way back to your neighborhood? [He doesn't know how far they commute but the idea of taking the train is kind of a pain. They're convenient, sure, but he's never liked them.] You should have just brought him with you and made him carry everything.

You're outta your mind if you think he woulda gone for that! The same way he would have told me not to come pick ya up.

[ Plus, Aki would have put hard parameters for what and how much they would be buying! It'd be like bringing a rain cloud out on a walk with them. Having that stressful back-and-forth would render the whole purpose of this excursion moot, from his perspective. ]

Relax, there's a store somewhere… around… [ Denji leads them jogging across the street and past another corner, where the comforting glow of convenience store lighting stops right at their feet. ] Yeah, here we are! What'd I tell you? Then we'll track down a cab and call it a night! I won't have to hear you walk and whine anymore.

[Well... Maybe. But maybe fresh air is good for him, he considers arguing. It's not worth it, since the time has come and gone. He's not here, and they can't go back in time and change that. So he follows along as Denji runs through the street, not even bothering to match his pace, but he looks a little relieved when it seems he's found his destination. At least there's that. But what he actually comes to is...]

Just a convenience store... [There are hundreds of those! They could have gone to one in the very opposite direction that was much closer! Ugh. Still with the pants draped around his neck and holding the plastic bag on his fingers, he stares at Denji with a look of disdain. He's such a strange thing, traipsing through the city like this so late at night for a simple convenience store.]

Well, get your list... [He heads inside and out of the cold. The convenience stores closer to the bureau recognize him and don't freak out but not so at a place further away. There's no panic but without a uniform he definitely stands out. And the pants don't help with that.]

[ Denji has his list from their text conversation open, evident from the brightness of his screen. But he isn't looking at that right now. ]

This one's the best — better than all the other convenience stores combined!

[ The reason? Their selection of xxx mags are top-notch. Whether Angel follows him to the extremely well-hidden stand or simply leaves him to talk to himself, Denji pulls a book from the display and gives it an indelicate shake… ]

See, check this out. Wha-cha!

[ …The cover unfolds to reveal a long, fold-out poster of, you guessed it, models in bunny outfits. ]

Neat, right? Doubt that prude ever showed ya this.

[He took him all this way just for pornography... Angel stares from Denji to the magazine, the random woman dressed as a bunny. Bunny... A bunny...?]

[Then it looks like he figured something out and Angel's expression sinks with a sigh.]

Is that why you told me I look like a bunny? Is that the kind of thing you like or something?

[So weird... No wonder Aki Hayakawa is so miserable all the time. He has to deal with a teenager who is sexually aroused by rabbits.]

…Ahh? Uh… No?

[ Denji's jaw falls ajar, his gaze flitting frantically between Angel, who's face is soft and round like a rabbit's, certainly, and the seductively posed woman in a tuxedo-bunny suit. He kinda has a point, that showing him this is pretty incriminating, but… that's not… he wasn't… ]

I said you looked like a bunny 'cause you look like one. This lady, um… like, her costume's hot, right? Has nothing to do with her wearing bunny ears or whatever! She could be wearing a nurse outfit or a turtle shell or something…

[ Yeah, this isn't working out. Hurriedly, he shoves the magazine back on the stand. ]

Ugh, forget it. You wouldn't understand! [ His phone's gone dark by now, but a few taps at his phone screen brings the grocery list back open, which he holds in view for the two of them to glance over.

air flryer
strawbry ice cream
jam
bread
cake
tissues
booze

…Right. ]

Okay, you take the top three! I'll find the rest.

[A turtle shell? Does he just like animals...? Huh... There's a whole magazine for it, too. Maybe it's just a thing humans like, like the maid outfits he sees sometimes when they go to certain areas of the city that Aki Hayakawa walks very quickly past... Angel can't take their tissues for obvious reasons but he's always been a little curious if there's something special to them.]

[But now he's being assigned half of the shopping list and nods without putting up a fight. Only doing half is better than doing any of it. Although... The air flyer is something he'll ignore for now, since it's bound to be the heaviest. He heads for the ice cream first and picks out a cone of strawberry, but figures more is better and grabs vanilla as well. But if it's just a cone, it might not be as good as the whole cartons, so he grabs one of those as well before heading to get jam, studying all the various flavors before selecting strawberry and blueberry, which he feels is a good variety(?). Satisfied, he carries his hoard over to the kitchen goods aisle but no matter where he looks he can't find an air flyer. There's a hand mixer and a mini toaster oven but the closest he can find is a frying pan. After debating for a moment if this is similar enough, he takes it off the rack and then moves back through the rows to find Denji, everything cradled messily in his arms.]

Are you all done? I found everything. [He didn't even go crazy in the candy aisle.]

[ Without Angel there to unfeelingly stare as he makes awful decisions, Denji returns to snag that very magazine volume he shoved away just now. Somehow it feels better not to have witnesses.

Next, he moves on to survey the wide array of pre-packaged desserts, struggling not to reach for a tart, or a parfait, or one of those sandwiches with cream and fruit for the filling… Remarkably, he steps away with only a strawberry sponge roll cake and slice of cheesecake. He passes by a rack of plain bread and grabs that, too. The tissues are easy enough to find; he isn’t sure whether to get just a travel size or something bigger — does this guy whack off? Even if he doesn’t, he probably cries enough to go through an entire box of these. So he adds one to his growing heap. To be considerate, y’know.

Anyway, he reconvenes with Angel in time to catch his question. ]

I just gotta get one more thing — the booze over there. [ He keeps walking, pointing to where he's set for, expecting Angel to follow after him. ] Um… You’re like dinosaur age, right? Think that if you pull out one of your swords, that’ll work as ID or something?

[...Oh, yeah. Younger people can't have alcohol. But Denji is carrying that same bunny girl magazine. That's okay but this isn't? Angel looks up at the rows of alcohol and beer on the wall.]

I don't want to do that.

[Pull a sword, that is. He has no interest in doing that for something this minor.]

I told you, you should have brought him with you... Why not get him a juice instead? [Angel likes juice.]

[ Denji is also a huge fan of juice. However… ]

It's an adult way for adults to forget their adult problems! Duh! Juice ain't gonna cut it.

[ A couple of his items fall to the ground as Denji attempts to shimmy out Aki's wallet from his pocket. ]

But fine, if that's out — I think I have his ID. [ His wrist flicks, showing Angel the aforementioned card. ] Think we look close enough alike they'll think I'm him? I can always say that my hair was dyed when I took the photo.

[Ooh. His government identification card. Even Angel doesn't get one of those. There's no way Angel will pass as human unless someone is seriously visually impaired, but Denji... It's a possibility, he thinks.]

Wouldn't it make more sense to say you dyed it now? [But he raises his hands and plops them both on the back of his head, one fist over the other, to express a topknot.] You need to put your hair up, like this. They might buy it more. And you need to speak more like a grown up when you have to talk to them. [And he knows he can, since he's heard him speak nicely before.] Like how you talk to Makima. Talk like that when you ask for it.

[ He lowers his knees to gather up the dropped items, making vague confused noises all the while. ]

But — huh? Huhhh? I, uh… Okay! Sure.

[ Denji's brows raise, lower, and crease together as he mentally notes down Angel's suggestions for how to behave like an accurate Aki dupe. That doesn't sound too hard. There's an extra hair tie conveniently enclosed in the wallet, so he uses that to knot up a stubby bunch of hair. He tries to school his expression into something more tepid and unreadable, but he just looks cross and intimidating — basically, your stereotypical rebellious youth.

He looks at Angel for approval. ]

This look good?

[He literally looks insane. He looks like he's here to rob the liquor rather than buy it. What's more, he looks nothing like Aki Hayakawa.]

Not really.

[But, well, it'll be amusing. So he'll let him try. Despite saying that, Angel walks to the cashier with their hoard of items and sets them down on the counter as he looks to Denji expectantly. The clerk looks like she would rather die than deal with anything that's about to happen.]

[ Not really…

Tch, Angel abandons him to his own floundering devices before he can grill him for further recommendations. Whatever, what does some short-stack devil know, anyhow? Denji lives with the guy! Of course he can act the part. He adds a few rice lagers to the growing mass in his arms, then stiffly approaches the counter, his items knocking over a few of Angel's. ]

Uh, excuse me, ma'am! We're ready to check out.

[ Nodding, she smiles genially and begins scanning their items. Asks them if they want a plastic bag. Yes, they do. And if they have a points card. Also, yes. Anybody with a pair of eyes and some social acumen would be able to tell that the frozen smile she offers Denji throughout their exchange is in the name of the kind of forced friendliness expected of anyone working customer service.

Meanwhile, Denji stares the whole time. His cheeks tint a gentle shade of pink. This girl is really happy to see him. She's kinda cute, too. Maybe she likes him?

When it comes to scanning the beer cans, she pauses to ask for his identification. And though Denji has been internally rehearsing this part of the conversation in his mind for the past few seconds, he still fumbles with the wallet to brandish it. ]

…Here! Here it is. [ Alright, here goes nothing. ] My name is Aki Hayakawa. I'm a Public Safety devil hunter. I dyed my hair recently. Do you come around here often?

[Whoa. He's really doing it.]

[Angel watches from behind him, peering around his body to watch the clerk bag the items as she scans them and goes through her usual spiel. He watches Denji do his impression of a legal adult and end it with what he assumes is a pick-up line and turns his eyes to look at the clerk. She's still staring at him with that customer service smile but it's very obvious she doesn't buy it for a moment.]

[She says something about how she's sorry but she can't accept this form of ID due to the photo being so different. He's a little amazed at how good she is at shutting it down. The beer remains unscanned and Angel is ready to just leave it at that and watch the way Aki Hayakawa will react to this later, how he might even smile at it, or maybe he'll be upset at Denji for stealing his identity...]

[...But he also might really want beer. Whenever they go out for lunch or on the rare occasion they have dinner out, he always gets one of those, so he probably likes them a lot. Angel finally steps around him and holds out his own "ID" - there's no photo on it, it's just a small card that essentially says he's state property. But it's official and comes in a little plastic case and even has a stamp on it from Makima.]

He's telling the truth. I know, he doesn't look like that anymore... You know how it is.

[The clerk really doesn't look like she believes him, but she also looks extremely unnerved by Angel's approach and the card he holds out in his palm, even though they're separated by a counter. Angel just stares at her patiently until she finally turns and picks up the scanner and scans both the cans and Aki's ID. Angel pushes his card away.]

'Kay, now you have to carry it all. [Because he helped.]

[ Well, he's not going to argue against that.

Taking the implicit blend of rejection, suspicion, and disinterest from the cashier in stride, Denji forks over Aki's credit card once she declares their total. Seemingly working based on rote memory now, she efficiently bags their items and runs the card, only stopping to verify whether he wants the receipt with him or in the bag. It's a relatively minor decision, but Denji shoots a glance at Angel's direction, anyway, before nodding toward the bag.

The temperature outside feels like it's dropped a few degrees since they were last there. Denji plods behind Angel, attempting to balance the weight of the plastic bags between both his hands. After a brief victory celebration in which Denji tries raising a hand full of bags out to Angel for a high-five, even if it only earns him a look or a sleeve-covered pat, he directs them toward a lit up taxi stand. The driver barely looks their way as they file into the backseat and takes his directions back to the apartment. Bags deposited at his feet, Denji leans over, a hand cupped over his mouth, to whisper: ]

Alright, here's the plan when we walk in! Play it cool. Act like you've been there the whole time. Maybe we can talk him into thinking that he forgot to take you back to Public Safety.

[ So… gaslight him? ]

[Denji definitely doesn't get a high five, only a slightly annoyed look from Angel as he leans away from him and hoists up the meat in his hands. He's quiet through the drive (he didn't think the cab driver noticed him but the glow lighting up the back of the cab from his halo causes the man to glance back through the rear view mirror a couple times that Angel catches) and uses the chance to pull the pants off from around his neck and push them into the bag holding the container of kebabs. He climbs out and looks around slightly at their destination - he's never been here before. It doesn't look that impressive.]

Why not tell him the truth? [He adjusts the bag in his arms and fluffs his wings out a bit. They got pinched during the ride.] Or do you not want him to know you were worried about him?

What the hell are ya talkin' about?

[ It's said some measure of force, like the very suggestion of concern is something his whole chest disagrees with, and the quizzical lilt to his voice should tip Angel off that Denji earnestly believes this. Or, in other words, is earnestly unaware that he's worried. ]

Speak for yourself, I'm trying to get him to shut up so that I can sleep. I'm not — [ A flicker of discomfort passes over his face. Denji readjusts his hold on the bags. ] Not that other thing.

[ He leads them up a couple flights, swaying a little with each clunky step, given the sheer weight gathered in his arms. He doesn't really think he's being loud enough to wake any of their neighbors, though, so hopefully they won't have another complaint filed to the building superintendent so recently after their last one. At last, they stop in front of Denji's apartment. One of his hands drops a few of the bags as he undoes the lock and pushes inward. ]

Come on in. Oh, you can put the meat and stuff in the kitchen. It's right past the bathroom here.

[Shut up so he can sleep...? Does he cry that loudly? Surely someone like Aki Hayakawa would be careful when he cries and not do it so loudly as to let others know. But still... Texting him this late at night, going all the way to Public Safety to get him, and then going all the way to a very specific convenience store seems like a lot of effort for something as simple as annoyance over someone crying.]

[Then again, it sounds like he just wanted to look at gravure magazines with regards to the last point. Angel follows him upstairs and into the apartment, comparably less weighed down by his luggage than Denji is, but he doesn't offer to help and slips past him to set his bag down in the kitchen once he's told where to go.]

[He's never been in here and he makes an obvious attempt to look around now that he's in the main area. Huh. It's not really as big as he imagined. Three people live in a space this size? His cell is only a little bit smaller than this. Then again, it's essentially a concrete box, not separated into areas or housing a kitchen or whatnot.]

It smells good. [He realizes it's the leftovers of whatever was made for dinner, but still.] Are you going to make an offering tower for him with all of the stuff, or what?

You think that'd be a good idea? 'cause we can.

[ That smell belongs to the braised beef and vegetable stew they had earlier. The meal itself was pretty dense, but who knows, maybe Aki's worked up an appetite from blowing his nose or something. Denji sure has, anyway. ]

We passed by the room me and Powy share comin' in, [ he says, noticing Angel curiously looking around. He's not going to go through the trouble of giving a formal tour, but he'll at least point out some of the rooms. ] It's like straight across from the bathroom if you needa piss from all the walking. Aki's room is down near the patio.

[ He hefts the bags over the countertop of the kitchen, the items sagging out in one clamorous (and glamorous!) heap. Obviously, Denji doesn't react to the noise and simply begins stacking the items in, uh, his idea of a tower, starting with… the frying pan? He squints at appliance, holding it up by the handle and turning it over in confusion — oh, yeah, this was there at the check out. But why????

Whatever, he sets it down, then sets the cake trays directly on top, then the bread and jam, and he continues on like that until he's topping the mountain of stuff with the ice cream. Which should be going into the freezer before it melts. But instead it's here, and so are they, so they have to deal with this. ]

How's it look? You think he'll like it?

[He doesn't need to piss but how nice of him to tell him where that is. Angel sees Denji's confusion over the frying pan and speaks up.]

They didn't have air flyers, so I figured this one is kind of the same.

[He's not really aware of what a typical household would have in terms of cooking gadgets, so to him, it makes sense to throw something like that in. Angel watches as Denji stacks the tower high and thinks it's surely going to topple, but none of it does for some reason and he can't lie, he's a little bit impressed. Even the beer cans make for a good base and he might not see them immediately. That means he won't be as quick to be upset.]

I think he might be mad at first, but he'll probably like it in the end.

[And speak of the devil, the voice of someone who isn't usually in the apartment, let alone this late at night, has stirred Aki from his half-sleep half-crying and the door to his room slides open so he can look out. At least he wiped his face, but even across the room he can see the weird tower of junk on the counter. Angel's halo even lights it up a bit so he can make out a few details. "What the hell are you doing...?" he asks, and Angel looks to Denji expectantly for him to explain.]

[ Angel looks up at him. Denji's sights land on Angel. The stretched out whites of his eyes appear to fruitlessly communicate: Damn it, dude, I already did the heavy-lifting up the stairs, not this too! Releasing an inhale that seethes with nervous energy, he faces Aki's tired stare, rimed faintly with redness. Screw it, Denji throws his hands up, a forced grin on his face, jazzing at the tilting column before them. ]

Suuurpriiise!! We got you stuff! [ We. We! This was a team effort, so don't get mad at just him! ] Ice cream, meat, and — [ His mind's racing so hard that the precise list of items they'd compiled for this event completely blanks from Denji's cognition. Neck craning to look at the tower, he carries on: ] Um, other things! Like, see, this pan — your buddy picked it out because he heard about what happened to the air flyer. Real nice for a dude. But he's kind of a pain in the ass to hangout with.

[ …It's quiet. The type of quiet that hints at a brewing hell. After a moment, Denji realizes his hair is still tied in a dumbass-looking topknot. His hand reaches up to pull it out. ]

Alright, I'm goin' to bed now. [ His feet shuffle for the exit, Denji careful to stay clear of touching Angel. ] Don't stay up too late, alright? And make sure to leave me some bread to toast in the morning. See ya.

Hold it.

[Said with that deadpan way he always does when he's annoyed. Aki comes forward to look at their spread of shit, their tower of things. The frying pan, he still doesn't get even after the explanation, but it's topped with ice cream so Angel's influence on this whole thing is clear. And then there's some sweet rolls, what looks like jelly... Are these tissue boxes? And... beer? It must be non-alcoholic, he tells himself.]

...Why did you get all of this? And why him? [He points at Angel.] I thought you went to bed an hour ago.

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1/2 lmao