windfall | what i desire most, what i fear most

[ That Denji's face only further blisters and inflames when receiving his touch should be a straightforward enough indication of what's ailing him this time: Aki, himself. He strains the linings of his patience to take the temperature check without snapping at him, clearly vexed the whole time, but it's as he suggests sitting Denji smacks his hand away. It's a forceful enough impact that it attracts the attention of others on the platform. He isn't trying to cause a scene or throw a hissy fit or — hurt Aki, but why can't he just… ]

Lay off! I'm not doin' that. That'd only…

[ …Make his problem more obvious, right? An irate growl burgeoning from him, he whips his back to Aki. ]

Sitting around's not gonna fix me, [ he huffily finishes, refusing to resolve his prior thought. Drinking water and eating right isn't either, he'd tell him, if he didn't already know it'd make him upset. They're not going into this check-up for shits and giggles. ]

…And I don't want you to carry me. [ Residual heat still emanates from his words, but he'd meant it as more of a sulky mumble. Something that Aki isn't supposed to really hear. ] I can walk on my own, so give it a rest, would ya?

[Getting slapped away definitely earns them a few glances, but Aki only watches in surprise as Denji turns his back to him and grumbles. Was he that mad that he grabbed him like that...? Or is it just this whole thing, going to the doctor's and dealing with traveling by train this early. Or is it about last night? But his face was red - and it didn't really seem as much like how he looks when he's red with anger. As red as that girl the other day who...]

[He rolls his eyes. So stupid. Whatever. It's nothing like that, he's sure.]

Fine, if you say so. [Pushing the water back into the bag, he pulls it over his shoulder and then walks forward, past him and intending for Denji to follow.] Let's get to the clinic, then, it's close... I think they said it's a block from the station.

[There's already a number of people in the waiting room, but once they're checked in it doesn't take long at all for Denji's name to be called. Aki quickly hands him the folder with all his papers in it, gives him a look that says... something that's supposed to be encouraging but comes off more as severe. What should have been a You can do this looks a lot more like You better not fuck this up. But he knows what he means, so it's fine. It'll all be fine.]

[ Glad to have the ordeal put behind him, he breathes a sigh. His pants tighten less and less on the walk there, so that's good, too. But his relief is short-lived as they enter the lobby, full of others — people who are obviously sick, and some who aren't so obvious. He hates it immediately, the weird tension and uncertainty discharged into the air… Though that could easily be his own projection.

They fill out their forms. They sit. He doesn't get up at first, when his name's called, reluctance writ in the taut set of his features: a stiff back, his downcast gaze, the purse of his lips. The diagnosis is obvious: He doesn't want to go. But he looks to Aki for — something — as his feet drag him up. Aki looks back at him, expression pulled. It… makes him more nervous. His heart that much jerkier. It's probably because he doesn't want to come back with bad news for him.

After that, Denji's gone for a few hours.

They take his measurements. No one says anything as he stands on the scale and it's clear his BMI is below what it should be for someone his age and height.

They take his blood pressure. It's higher than average, but the older woman who releases the velcro snap of the wrap smiles pleasantly at him, all the same. Just for that reason alone, he doesn't mind that she isn't the picture of hot nurse that Power painted for him.

He spends at least another twenty minutes sitting in the check-up room until an actual doctor sees him. She's pretty. But also, she asks him a few questions about school, how he's been feeling, what brings him in today, and such, which Denji answers a few of without mentioning Pochita and only gives some slight insight into the recent devil attack, leaving the rest to the file containing his medical history that he shoves at her. Briefly surprised, she blinks and flips through the papers. Tuts, every so often when something seems to connect for her. He confirms to her twice throughout that the documents are from his latest visit with a physician years ago, and she tuts each time. The sound — is really annoying. Whenever he hears it from her, it makes his knee bounce faster, a constant churn of foot hitting synthetic flooring to help field some of his anxiety.

She takes out her shiny stethoscope and says that he can either remove his shirt or keep it on for portion. Which, of course, makes his eyes widen and his face flush the same shade as when Aki'd pinned him down in the train. He readily sets his shirt aside on the bed. She starts at his chest first, of course, the metal of the instrument cool on his skin. He giggles, stupidly, and she doesn't even bat an eye. The lightweight disc hops to different points of his body, and he can't tell if what she's hearing is good or not, her face utterly flat of any emotion.

When the doctor pulls back, she explains that they'll be giving him a urine test first, then taking his blood, running some x-rays, and lastly doing some exam with a complex name that their sonographer will be using to help visualize how blood moves through his heart. These exams will need from a few days to a week's worth of processing, but he can check their medical portal online for updates. There are more tests she'd like to run, but those would have to be scheduled out further in advance.

Seeing the look on Denji's face, she pauses. Fishes out some candy from her pocket to give him.

"Here. Get through it, and you can grab some more of these from that jar over there — " She points to one sitting next to the desktop monitor, sounding as if she's rehearsed this particular bribe several times before with smaller children. "Alright?"

Denji's hell yeah! is so loud, it surely runs throughout the hallways of the clinic and out the front door.

By the time he's released, he's woozy, wobbling out with a set of pamphlets on eating and exercise recommendations to get him by until they call him back in for a review of his results. They took way more blood than he's used to giving, even to Pochita, so his steps are rickety and unsteady, but he manages to crumble into one of the chairs in the lobby, his neck folded back. His eyes close, only to flicker open a short moment after, feeling a shadow fall across him. Aki.

Expectantly, he reaches both arms up to him for help getting back on his feet. ]

…I wonder, is it normal to fall in love with your doc?

[ As normal as this question must be. ]

By the way, you want some candy? I took a lot.

[Denji is gone which makes it that much easier for Aki to trudge up when his own name is called. He's much more forthright about everything, explaning he doesn't have medical issues but that getting a body thrown into him the day before has left him aching ever since. It's just a bruise, is the prognosis, and his breathing should return to normal in no time. There's an air of exhaustion for him to even be here, and Aki feels it. Feels the shame of asking about something as minor as a bruise. Someone died and Denji nearly passed out and Aki is standing here with his shirt raised acting like he has anything worth complaining about. He shouldn't have promised to make an appointment for himself, as well.]

[He's left in the waiting room after, staring alternatively at the clock and the door to the patient exit as time ticks away. Patients come and go. Each time the door opens he sits up a little only for someone in a sling to come out or a child led out by a parent, stroking their head as they suck on a piece of candy with tears in their eyes. It's easy to look away from that kind of scene, look back at the clock. It's only been an hour.]

[He didn't bring anything with him, which he's regretting by now. Aki finally gets up and asks after him at the front desk, but the woman there only frowns at him, looks him over briefly. He'll be done when he's done, is all she says, not bothering to get up and see if he's okay or if something happened. He turns around to sit again and stares at the clock. An hour and five minutes. His foot taps against the floor impatiently. Did something happen? This would be the best place for it to happen, right? But... If they had to take him somewhere else, he'd remember to tell them to tell Aki, right? Right...?]

[And just as his mind is starting to wonder if the ambulance he heard rushing outside is holding Denji, there's a loud Hell yeah! resounding from the back area of the hospital. Aki startles, as do a few other people in the waiting area, some looking around, but for Aki he's flooded with relief. If he's that enthusiastic, surely that means he isn't about to collapse or they haven't decided to take him somewhere else. For once, his propensity to large reactions is a blessing.]

[It makes the couple hours until he comes out bearable, more easily dealt with when he thinks back to that Hell yeah. He feels oddly calm, telling himself that this was a good thing. That maybe Denji got a good prognosis. ...Okay, he doesn't feel calm enough to delude himself, but still. Maybe they have something that can really help him and make his body work the right way.]

[When Denji finally comes out, Aki is up in a moment, both because he sees him and because he sees how wobbly and uneven his steps are. He starts to hurry over just as he finds his way to a chair and slumps into it, the brief calm and sliver of hope washed away as he stands over him with nearly that same furrowed brow from when he sent Denji into the doctor's office to begin with.]

[...And then he's talking about falling in love with a woman, and Aki sighs, the furrow unblending as he sits down next to him, ignoring the outstretched hands.]

You should rest for a minute before we go anywhere.

[He reaches to take a piece of candy from his accumulated stash, then decides against it and reaches further to rub the top of his head. Reward right now.]

I think there's something out there, about falling in love with the person who takes care of you. [Then he reaches down to snag a lollipop.] But you're probably just excited a woman touched you.

[ What, they're just gonna sit here picking daisies?

…That's what he'd say, normally, but it's difficult to deny the fatigue taking root in his bones, in the dryness of his eyes. Yeah, a little rest is fine. Just not too long, else he might be liable to fall asleep. Acknowledging Aki's choice by airing out a low-effort grunt, an arm falls back, hanging off the back rest of his chair, the other used to wave a dismissive hand at him. ]

Sounds made up to me.

[ The first part, not the second one. The second holds true for Denji, no matter what. A flick of skin contact while passing the baton during P.E.? That's pre-first base. A classmate hands off her half-finished milk carton to him to finish the rest of? He should probably ask her out before the next period starts. ]

You're just saying that 'cause I'm gonna wind up touching a real boob before you after all! Don't worry, you'll get your chance someday. [ He pockets the wrapper to some pineapple hard candy he's rolling in his mouth. He used to have these frequently back at the orphanage, from all the times Power would distract the adults with some elaborate lie while he swiped fistfuls of candy from the hidden stash in the big office — big to them, at the time, anyway. They've come a long way from then, but the self-satisfied grin he cracks at Aki is the same one he'd wear whenever the other boy would discover them crashed on their beds, bellies full of sugar, and he'd arch his neck to gesture him toward their bed and share in their haul. ] I'll even give ya tips.

[ It's classless to be discussing the physician who's overseeing his treatment this way in the very lobby of her practice, but Denji keeps yapping away, unaware of some of the other waiting patients shaking their heads or sniffing their noses at them. ]

[Great, now he got him on a tear about touching tits again. In public, at that. Aki can feel the creeping eyes of disappointment and annoyance around them as Denji proudly prattles on about how many breasts he plans to squeeze before he hits 18.]

Alright, shut up, already. I don't want to hear about your tips and tricks when you've never even seen a girl naked before.

[Power, obviously, doesn't count.]

I was trying to be nice and let you rest up before you have to get squished into the wall on the train again. But maybe we should just go get it over with...

[ So petty — Denji could argue that he was the one trying to be nice by offering up his expertise. Where's the gratitude? Especially considering how offended the guy got last night all because Denji hadn't realize he wanted to get laid as much as he does. But the allusion to having to survive seven more stops back on the train sends the topic at hand to a screeching halt. Expression plunged into a grimace, his teeth cracks the hard candy into two. ]

No!

[ The panic layered his voice is just your imagination, Aki. ]

I'll shut up… Just — [ He pouts, reaching over to thwack at the lollipop stick between his brothers lips with his rolled up pamphlets. ] We have the day off, let's go eat something good. The lady doctor said that, um, I needa eat more fish and nuts and stuff. [ Lean meats, too, but that's what Aki's already been feeding him. ] And ice cream or taiyaki… [ Well, she didn't say that, but she let him have all this candy for a reason, right? Sweets make everything better. ]

If we go back now, that just means we've spent the whole morning sitting and standing and walking. That's so lame.

[The panic, naturally, he notices, and combined with how weird he was acting when they got off the train... Maybe that was a lot, this morning. He settles back in his seat as Denji names various kinds of things he needs to eat, brow furrowing at the idea of ice cream and taiyaki being on that list (maybe he needs more dairy...? more red bean paste?) but he finally nods at the idea to get something while they're in this area. He's right that there isn't much to do back home.]

What do you want to eat? There's an udon place nearby, I'll bet they have fried rice, too. [Then he pauses, frowns.] No, we should cut back on how much oil you have. [So no fried food. Definitely no taiyaki.]

Haaaah…

[ Comes the full weight of his exasperation, some mangled mixture of sigh and groan. Thinking about Aki making drastic changes to his diet… This is enough to make Denji consider throwing himself into oncoming traffic. It just makes him crave what he can't have even more! Whatever, he brought his own pocket change. Maybe there will be an opening to sneak away from Aki later for the fish-shaped treat.

For now, he flips open the informational pamphlet, holding it close to his face to make it look like he's actually considering his own health, when really… ]

I want unadon.

[ Eels are fish, right? So it counts, right? The paper dips right below his eyes as Denji stares at Aki. Say no to this face right now. ]

Unadon...?

[The shock is clear on his face. But it's not from Denji suggesting it, exactly. It's from him suggesting it right now.]

[Privately, Aki has been planning their beach daytrip. He's been thinking about things to do, and one was getting seaside cuisine. It's not like it's hard to get seafood where they live, but they're landlocked, at least a two to three hour's ride to the shore. So, he'd thought, when they were out there, he would make sure to get some real seafood for them both, and eel was top of the list. It's not a luxury they have often, if ever. He thinks he's allowed them to spring for it once or twice when it's been a set course or a special. Hell, he doesn't think he's ever even cooked it, it's so pricy and yellowtail is way cheaper.]

[But now Denji is staring at him with those puppy-dog eyes and he's thinking, maybe he can go for crab while they're on that trip instead? But eel feels so much more special and rare... Ahh... Outwardly he cringes, looking torn. He really wanted to be able to surprise them.]

What about... salmon?

[As if that's anything at all like eel. He's avoiding looking at him. Denji can easily sway him if he looks at that face for too long.]

Eh.

[ It's more of an appraising, lilting sound, than one of dissatisfaction. The trip and what they're going to do is still on his mind, of course, but sometimes you just get a hankering for something, even though you know it's not gonna taste as good. Anyway, Denji always pushes his luck, and as such, tends to hold the expectation that Aki will force him back down to reality by the scruff of his neck with a more reasonable substitution — technically, that's what he's doing here. But that reluctance…

Is he finally going to break him?

Salmon, unadon, salmon, unadon… His head tilts from one side to the other in thought, like some kid picking petals off a flower and cavalierly going with whatever the last one ends on. Salmon actually sounds really good now, too. Fatty… Juicy… And he knows what salmon tastes like, whereas eel will be a shot in the dark for him.

After a moment, he leans over the arm of his chair, breaching the space where Aki's sitting, head cocked and transparently trying to veer into his view. ]

Hey, what did your doctor say when you saw 'em? Did they say salmon will help your chest heal up…?

[He can't really tell from that reply what it means. If he's dropping the idea, forgotten like 90 percent of the things he brings up. Or if he's thinking of another way to bring it up later. Denji leans into Aki's space and Aki leans away, frowning at him. It's not good manners in such a public area.]

My chest... They said it's fine. Just a bruise. [To the point that he feels stupid for even attending his appointment - but whatever.] It's not that salmon will help me - but it might help you.

[Much more important, in Aki's opinion.]

...I'll get you a taiyaki after, too. Okay?

[ Mostly, he'd been looking for a justification to relent to Aki's suggestion. He doesn't exactly need one to arbitrarily change his mind, but it would have made him feel good, in a roundabout way. To know that he was doing something for him, rather than emptily accepting his kindness as he typically does.

Last night, Aki extended him an invitation to share his cot for the evening, they talked about a lot of stuff, he got mad, then Denji got kicked out with the dog. He still doesn't get what that was all about, neither does he really hold something so minor against him, but a part of him can't help but wonder if he didn't treat him good enough or pay him back very well — that's why that dumb argument happened. Mothers are an important part of the household, according to TV and his classmates, so they should be treated with respect and consideration. So he should be considerate to Aki, right?

After some thinking, he nods vigorously at Aki's offer. ]

Yeah, alright. We can share half-and-half. Powy doesn't hafta know.

[ Instead of falling back, though, he reaches a hand for the collar to his brother's shirt in an attempt to tug it down and view the mark himself. ]

But before we go, lemme just see it — I wanna make sure. It looked really dark last night.

[It's not that they haven't done things like this before, but unlike Denji, Aki is very aware that they're in a public place, especially one that Denji's already made himself a nuisance in. With a flush on his face, he pushes Denji back and presses his collar close to his chest.]

Don't do that! Not here. Come on - Don't look down my shirt like a pervert.

[He gets to his feet with that dismissal, straightening himself up before shooting him a look over his shoulder.]

I told you, it's fine. Don't make me mad when I'm offering to let you get something sweet. Let's go, already.

[He can almost feel the relief from the other people in the room when he says that. Getting Denji out of here with all his obnoxiousness... He really can be such a pain sometimes.]

W-Whah — I wasn't even — You're the pervert for that stuff on the train! Pervert!

[ Frantically shoving his brochures and files under his arm, Denji trots after him, spewing nonsense insults and complaints all in the same enormous breath down the street. From bothering one crowd of people to another, really. His head doesn't feel so swishy and his steps are much straighter, though, so that's one silver lining for Aki. The only scene Denji will be causing is with his nonstop yammering, which by the time they've passed a few stalls and shops, has declined into a downward spiral of him grumbling to himself. Kicking pebbles into the backs of Aki's sneakers, as if trying to make him trip over them. ]

Man, this guy. I'm the one who's mad… Was tryin' to be good, give him some of my free candy… [ Misguidedly bond with him over girls again. And, okay, maybe the approach he keeps trying really isn't working for him, but it's the one thing he feels like he can speak on even ground with him on. ] See if I ever worry about a buttmunch like him again — ah?

[ Suddenly, Denji's fist is grabbing at the back of Aki's shirt, yanking him to a stop. ]

Aren't those your buds from the student council over there?

[ A few recognizable faces from Aki's year are among the mix of people lining up in the queue to… Denji squints at the chalkboard stand. Extremely accurate fortunes from famed spirit medium! 20% discount today only! ]

Fortunes, huh. Like the kinda stuff that comes outta those cookies when we order Chinese takeout?

[Denji mumbling about how unfair his life is isn't anything new to worry about and though his attempts at bothering him as punishment for the grave sin of telling him to shut up are annoying, it's something he knows he should ignore rather than give attention to. He's trying to look for a good place to grab lunch by checking the display plates set up outside stalls and restaurants when Denji grabs his shirt and yanks him back. For such a small brat, he really can pull hard...]

What?

[He looks where Denji is pointing and sees the treasurer and a few other members of the student council. Them getting fortunes is a little odd, but then he reconsiders that thought - one of their classmates died. Maybe they think it couldn't hurt.]

[He calls out to one of them and the group turn to see him, waving him over and offering to let him stand in line with them. Aki glances at Denji like he's considering if a good luck charm might actually help him... Then figures the same as them, that it can't hurt. He motions Denji to get in line behind them.]

["Hayakawa-kun, didn't that devil show up in your neighborhood?" one of the members asks. "Did you see it?" Aki sort of hesitates, opening his mouth to answer without any word coming out for a moment. He can just see the other student with the devil hunter's jacket over his face. And the thought he'd had - That could have been me.]

Yeah... We both saw it. [He nods vaguely toward Denji, who the treasurer glances at before just as easily glancing away. Like she doesn't even recognize him. Even Aki thinks it's cold.] Did you guys know him? What was his name - Ide?

[Another member nods, her fingers fisting on her shirt. "He sits next to me... He left early yesterday because he wasn't feeling well. So, I guess..." And then the first one speaks up again, sounding agitated. "My dad works for the police, and he said they haven't even found the main body yet. That they're still looking for it! They said they might cancel school until they find it. Like, can you believe that? How hard can it be to find a devil?"]

[Aki bites his tongue. He could say a lot of things, like how devils are good at hiding, how they can survive without food for longer than humans, how it's more than a game of cat and mouse. But he doesn't, instead looking at the list of fortunes for sale as they get near the front of the line. A woman is sitting there in a shawl with what looks like a crystal ball (seriously...?) and she looks toward Aki expectantly. "Go ahead, Hayakawa," the treasurer says, but Aki reaches back and snags Denji's arm, pushing him in front of the lady.]

Him, first. [There's a few eye rolls from the other members who already have their fortune slips and good luck charms. Most of them know Denji and know the trouble he gets into. Not like a good luck charm is going to keep him out of any of that.]

[ Denji listens in on the conversation, tapping away at some kind of hack-and-slash mobile game as another piece of candy rolls in his mouth — he has to have some sort of distraction. If not, he'd be blurting out his filterless thoughts on the ongoing investigation, revealing sensitive details left and right. No doubt, that'd make Aki madder than when he tried to peep down his shirt earlier.

Really, he's just content to be in the same vicinity as kids his age, humming out agreeing sounds here and there whenever the girls speak up, regardless of what they're actually saying. Makes him feel a little normal, a little included. So though he had secretly hoped the treasury secretary might at least smile and wave in his direction, he's genuinely not troubled at all that no one's so much as acknowledged him. It's really like passing through a usual day at school; he'd be doing the same thing, waiting in line in front of the school store during lunch, trying to get melon bread before it runs out. Even getting shoved and pushed around is more or less the norm, his only reaction to Aki forcing him to the front of everyone is a mild guh while he staggers forward. Aw man, he had a sweet combo going there…

Rubbing his arm, he shoots Aki a disgruntled look, before plopping down into the seat across from the medium lady. He's always gotten his fortunes from the shrine, never another person like this.

"Welcome," the woman says, a warm and dulcet quality to her voice. He's pretty sure she's modulating her intonation like that on purpose, like what Power does when she adopts her holier-than-thou countenance. "I sense that the fates have brought you here for a reason — to seek out a new future for yourself. What is it that you're searching for, young man?"

Denji chews on his candy, thoughtfully. ]

Um, nuddin' much… Can ya tell me if I'll get a girlfriend soon? [ He spreads out his whole hand at her. ] Like in the next 5 weeks.

[ Behind him, someone snorts, but Denji's taking this more seriously than when their lives were on the line yesterday. A consummate professional in her craft, apparently, the shawled woman only smiles at him.

"Do you know what scrying is? It's a divination technique that doesn't declare the future, but reflects images and symbols communicated by various entities — that could be spirits, deities, or ancestors. And then I, as the messenger, would guide you in interpreting these readings." ]

Sooo, is that a no…?

[ The woman chuckles, fingers adjusting the curve of her crystal ball. "It means that if the threads of Moirai will it, then it shall be. If you're prepared to embark with me, I'd like to begin."

She starts off easy, saying that she sees something large and looming, that at first could be mistaken for an obstacle in his path, such as a formidable tower — but upon closer inspection, is just a tree offering its shade. This, she says, could represent family. Lineage. Something that grows and grows with nurturing and enough sunlight.

Every so often in her divining, she'll pause to check with him. See if it resonates and give him a chance to mention if there's anything in his life that aligns with the interpretation, to which Denji will answer with I mean, I guess or I dunno about that. Eventually, this leads them down a winding reel of images: Wood shavings, teeth cut from steel vibrating through bark; a felled tree metamorphosing into another shape, different and yet not, the same but unrecognizable, life and unlife, what shouldn't be synthesized — is; a leech feeding from a heart; a door, a door, a door —

His palm strikes against the table, the woman's sphere rolling off its stand and nearly launches off the table, had she not steadied it just before. She doesn't appear surprised when Denji thrusts away, the chair teetering on its legs as he treads off to the side. Not too far. Where his hand had lain is a few bills and coins. The exact amount for the fortune. ]

…I'm finished. Someone else's turn next.

[Some of the kids in the student council and his class are still trying to talk to him, but Aki isn't paying any attention to it. His gaze is on Denji, watching the ongoing fortune telling. He doesn't really believe in this, not really. Nor would he care, not for himself. He already knows how his future is going to turn out, regardless what the fates have in store. He's going to graduate, work for Public Safety, and defeat the Gun Devil. Obviously. If she said anything else, he'd probably just refuse to pay. But as for Denji, he doesn't know. Has absolutely no idea. While their doctor's appointment seemed to be positive, they still have to wait to get the blood results back, so...]

[...did she say something about a door?]

[Aki turns fully at that, and then, a moment later, she mentions one again. Didn't he say something about that before? Something about a door, during that argument. What had he said?]

[But before he can remember, Denji is up and slamming the money down, hurrying out of the chair as the party of students watch in surprise at his sudden upset, the chair rocking forward to land back on all four legs. There's a brief silence, a call of, "Next," from the woman, and someone nudges Aki, offering to let him go next.]

...I'm fine. I'm not interested.

[He steps aside with Denji, giving him an odd look. Clearly questioning - What the hell was that?]

We're... going to go find some lunch. [He raises his hand in a vague sort of wave as the treasury secretary sits down at the table. The other students look a little disappointed that he's leaving, but don't try and stop them, saying hopefully they'll see each other at school again soon. "See you, Hayakawa-kun," says one of the girls, waving her hand in a shy sort of motion, and her eyes glance over Denji briefly, finally adding after a hesitant pause, "...and Denji-kun."]

[Which, Aki doesn't really respond to or notice. She's one of the nerdier girls in his class, all glasses and long skirts down to her knees. He motions for Denji to follow him. He thinks he remembers a cheap place that has salmon on the menu. And he needs to ask him about that door stuff.]

[ In a departure from his usual tried and true routine of booking it when his emotions get the better of him, Denji's crouched close by, fumbling with a lollipop wrapper with the same desperate need of a nicotine addict popping out a cigarette. His hands are shaking. Shoving the sugar into his mouth, hhe ignores that, ignores the conversations behind him as well, which is easy, seeing as there's more than enough life on this street to fade out the lady's grift and everyone else's tittering. Children helping their grandparents carry the groceries, siblings walking their pet, the buzz of insects. No alleyway, no walls standing higher than the human eye can see, no echo of his footsteps as he rounds a corner into what appears to be a dead-end at first until he draws closer. No door.

A few stretches away, someone calls his name.

His eyes blink up — and it's the girl from before. Aki's classmate, the one that said that stuff about the guy that got caught by yesterday's devil having left early. Confused, his hand half-lifts to imitate her wave, but doesn't make the full distance once he notices she's already turned back to the group.

Aki's already walking in the other direction, so after one last glance back toward the girl, he gets back to his feet to catch up with him. ]

You coulda invited them along, y'know. Looked like they wanted you to hang around longer.

[ He speaks up from a step behind him, unable to shelf his thoughts while Aki navigates them toward their original destination. Especially his next one. ]

…And who was that girl before? I've never seen her before.

[ There's a genuine curiosity to the question, not the suspiciously innocent tone he adopts when he's poking around for more intel on somebody he thinks is cute. ]

[It's not like Denji doesn't do this stuff sometimes. Squat down wherever he is and pick at something or zone out. If anything, Aki should be grateful he didn't bolt this time - chasing him through a crowded street would be a nightmare. But it doesn't sit right with him when Denji finally looks up at him, Aki watching to see if he'll tag along. He wants to think it isn't anything. That he's talking normally, asking about a girl. Even if he doesn't sound quite as excited about it as usual when someone of the opposite sex is involved - Aki glances at him briefly like he must be missing something. There must be something he's not seeing.]

Her...? [Mostly ignoring why he didn't invite the others along. Truthfully he really doesn't feel like describing what happened yesterday. Doesn't want to answer any more questions. Aki comes to a stop at a restaurant with a set of donburi displayed in the window. This should work, he thinks.] She's in my class. She's friends with the treasurer, so she comes around sometimes. Let's eat here.

[Though, he does pass Denji a look, raising his brow a little like he isn't sure he's really looking at him, or someone else.]

Doesn't seem like your type. [He stops in front of the ticket machine to order, picking an oyakodon for himself, then looks to Denji to see what he wants. There's salmon - but he'll let him choose.]

[ Usually, to Aki's friends and acquaintances alike, Denji is just the little brother or the brother who persistently breaks dress code, and before high school, it was the kid who follows Hayakawa everywhere. Little monikers in place of where a name should be, the kind you give to those people who frequent the periphery of your life, but don't sit at the center of it. He can't remember the last time someone bothered to memorize his name at that school. Besides, you know, the faculty staff that have to.

Sue him for being curious. ]

And whadd'you know about my type?

[ Denji scooches in next to him, poking at the screen and tapping past the different meal offerings. Even though he technically knows what he wants, that katsudon is looking really good. Ahhh, but they had chicken yesterday. ]

She just seemed nice. That's all. [ Not that the others aren't. They're polite in that distant way that always feels like a hurdle to jump over when you're getting to know someone. He adds adds the salmon and a fountain drink to their order before stepping back to let Aki pay for them both. ] I mean, none of the others looked that broken up over what happened to that dude from yesterday. I wonder if maybe they were dating. Like, secretly.

[He picked salmon. What a good boy. Maybe he will get him taiyaki after this.]

She said she sat next to him, right? [Order paid, he grabs the slips of paper that are spit out and hands them over the counter before looking for a seat.] Someone you see every day, but don't really talk to, suddenly dying would feel weird, I bet.

[He pauses as he sits down. Thinking about it.]

...I'm sure the others were upset in their own way. [Because now he's wondering if Denji thinks he's weird for not saying anything about it, or looking sad about it. He didn't know the guy, but he was in the same grade. Should he drag Denji to a shrine or something? But what good would that do, if it was only to make himself feel better? For now, he decides to ditch the topic and jump onto the one that's actually bothering him.] But you got upset during that reading. What happened?

[ The others were upset, huh. It didn't look that way to him. More like varying degrees of perturbed or concerned for their own safety — that's the only reason why they'd be getting fortunes, from his perspective. To avoid the same end as the kid that passed away.

And, let's be real, Denji of all people isn't judging. Even with the panic yesterday's events sent them into, he doesn't feel changed by it or regretful that someone lost their life; there's even a juvenile part of him that's happy to be receiving a free day off from all the commotion. A kid died and now he gets to have lunch with his big brother, who'd otherwise be busy with schoolwork and his part-time job. Is it normal to feel that way? If it is, doesn't that make the girl's reaction more of an oddity?

He's almost relieved to be distracted from his own thoughts by Aki's question. That is, until he realizes what he's asking. ]

What're you bringing that up for? [ Denji folds over the table, resting his chin on his crossed arms. Pretends to be examining an imaginary smudge on the table varnishing up close. ] Nothing happened. She said some mumbo jumbo 'bout a tree or a heart, whatever, and I just got sick of it. Who wants to pay to get scammed, right?

[ He huffs, like a bull extinguishing air from its nostrils. ]

'specially by somebody who speaks in a phony accent! That's like if I let Powy fool me into eating Meowy's cat food again.

[Aki sits back when Denji leans over the table, watching him pout and scratch at the surface like he just asked him about a bad grade he got. But while she did say those things about a heart, and about a tree, it was the later words that seemed to agitate him.]

[Aki isn't stupid, though. He doesn't know how he'll respond if he tries to push him on it. If he'll bolt like he did the last time. But he didn't just earlier, so... Maybe he can nudge him just a little further.]

You got pale when she talked about doors.

[He was paying attention, after all. Was trying to figure out if there could possibly be anything useful in a five-hundred yen reading. He'd figured not, and still assumes not, but...]

I'll bet they have different words and terms they bring up all the time. Like trees, and roots... So a door is probably like that. [Winding up a softball. Waiting to see if he'll jump to catch it or ignore it fully. After a beat, he finally lobs the pitch.] But you said something about it to me before, that night you found Pochita.

[ Denji freezes. As shaken as someone who's just witnessed a baseball crash through his window out of the blue, the sound of glass fragmenting still ringing in his eardrums. He doesn't get up in a flurry the way he did back at the fortune telling stall, but… But still.

The compulsion is there. The feeling that he should be racing from the scene of a crime, a punishment yet to be enforced. ]

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