[ 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.]
[ 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. ]
[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.]
[ 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.
[ 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. ]
[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. ]
[ Clink. Their drinks arrive, fresh ice stirring in the fizz of his soda.
The panic flashing through his expression is recognizable, as is the effort he applies to school the violent rocket of his heartbeat into something he can speak around. Dragging the cup toward his end of the table, he takes a sip. ]
[Yeah, there it is. That same tense pull of his body, in his shoulders, in his jaw. Aki watches each muscle pull ridgid in his little brother and waits for the answer, for something to come out within that tension. The drinks come, sit on the table. Cola and green tea. He stares across at him, still waiting.]
[...Does he think he's stupid?]
Denji.
[He doesn't reach for his drink, eyes still stuck on him, watching every twitch of his body. Every shift of his muscles. Where the tension focuses and how it moves through him, like an elastic band he can trace the ripple of through every nerve. And just as he opens his mouth to say something, something about how he knows it means something to him, something about how he has things that scare him, too...]
[Aki raises his head and turns to look. Two boys from his class, one holding a soccer ball under his arm, are stepping into the restaurant and pushing through the tables to greet him. Asking him what he's up to, if it's true he saw the devil yesterday. What did it look like? Did he see the devil hunters, too? And that they're going to the field after lunch, does he want to come join for a game?]
[The interruption is a little jarring, but Aki passes a look at Denji, lips parted like he's going to ask, Do you want to go? But then they close, pull tight. No. He had blood drawn and got spooked by something. The last thing he needs is for him to nearly faint two days in a row.]
Maybe I'll stop by, once I bring him home. [Common Aki lie. He probably won't stop by, but it's a nice thing to say. The two boys look disappointed, complaining that he never plays with them anymore. Their bowls arrive before they can guilt him much further and Aki waves them off, telling them he heard school might be closed for a few more days so maybe tomorrow if the weather's good. They seem to take that well enough and head off to make their order, passing Denji a brief nod of the head. "Who's that?" "Hayakawa's little bro." "What was his name?" Their voices fade as Aki splits his chopsticks and breaks the egg yolk on his meal.]
Want the ginger? [And he scoops the beni shoga off the side of the meal, offering it out to place on Denji's. For the moment, all the door talk seems to have been forgotten.]
[ While Aki's pals are busy rifling his memory for information, trying to pull an exciting account of yesterday out of him, Denji quietly gnaws on his straw, teeth poking holes into the plastic. Half his mind is still on their prior conversation, the door and why he won't budge on discussing it; the other half, taken by the exchange in front of him. It's odd watching his brother interact with people he doesn't have to pick up after. Doesn't have to escort to the clinic, sitting in the lobby waiting for a sick kid to come plodding out.
Like this, he can see him doing all that normal, teenage stuff with the same clarity as a spiritist communing with the future. He doesn't need a crystal ball to forecast how his life should be playing out. Aki: hanging out with his friends, playing soccer, walking into a house with two parents and a little sibling that isn't him. And, yeah, having sex. Because Aki's normal. He gets asked out to places, people like that he's around. Girls see someone they can count on in him, a trustworthiness they selfishly want to make their own.
It isn't that he thinks Aki's stupid. He just doesn't know if he'd get it, and there's a small piece of him that's jealous of that.
At the same time that Aki offers his ginger to Denji, he blurts out the following: ]
— You don't gotta take me home, y'know. [ He blinks, startled for a split second, not expecting their words to overlap. When Aki's question registers, he briefly nods, shoves his bowl forward, and continues. ] I wanna watch you play. I can just sit on the side, if you wanna be a killjoy about it, but I'll be fine if I'm just walkin' around… 'specially after eating, right?
[Aki sits in silence as Denji speaks once he sets the ginger down in his bowl. He mixes his meal together, letting the yolk sink into the rice and combine with the sauce as Denji calls him out, coaxes at him. He's right, which is the annoying thing - he can leave Denji on the sidelines and he'll be just as safe as if he were stuck at home. And what's he going to get up to at home, anyway? Maybe mess around with that devil, bond even closer to it. If that zombie devil showed up again...]
[He finally looks up, not seeming content, but also like he can't really argue. Usually he would put his foot down anyway. No. 'Cause I said so. Typical childish arguments and reasonings. But Aki doesn't want to be a child, or use their kind of logic. And he said it himself, that night he made that contract. That he wants to be able to trust him. If he says he'll be okay, he can believe that, right?]
I guess we can go... [And why does he sound disappointed? Not even Aki is sure. Because Denji is telling him that he doesn't need him to be taking care of him, that he'll be fine is Aki is with other boys for a few hours while Denji watches from the sidelines? ...He'd like to think he's not that shallow, but it does pinch him in the same spot the stupid acorn song pinches him. He spears into a piece of chicken to split it in two.] Just don't complain if you get bored.
Then don't do something boring, like, I dunno, lose to those wimps. [ He can't very well be known as the younger brother of someone so lame. Though Denji's only reputation is that of "the lil' bro", it's still a reputation that requires upkeep! ] You haven't been able 'ta train with everything, so just think of it as workin' out…
[ Shreds of pickled ginger, sesame, and cooked salmon fly out as he tosses the contents of his own bowl. Too much force, as always, even when a gentler touch like Aki's could work just as well to ensure the glaze and his toppings are well-incorporated into the rice. Just another thing that sets them apart, but this one Denji doesn't notice, doesn't bitterly pick at over and over like a crusted scratch he can't leave alone; no, he's chewing slow for once, watching him too closely again. Hasn't really stopped watching even once the other boys left. ]
…Hey. [ His foot nudges against him under the table. ] What're you pouting for? You don't want your oyakodon anymore or something?
[ Someone told him once that the reason the dish was called that is because the parent, being the chicken, and the kid, being the egg, are all mixed up into one deliciously runny nest, almost like there's no differentiation. When he looks at Aki, he kinda sees that same thing — he won't take back that mom comparison from last last night, because it's still true to him, but it's not as if the kid his age is invisible to him, either. It's just, like with oyakodon, you gotta take a real big bite to figure out which one it is you're dealing with.
…Denji wedges a cut of salmon between his chopsticks, unceremoniously dumping it over the other toppings, still glistening with raw yolk. ]
Here. Lemme know if you wanna switch.
[ He really doesn't want to. Switch, that is. The reason they decided to eat out was so that he could have the salmon! Ugh, but this is a good and mature response to your older sibling not wanting what they ordered, isn't it? And Aki is always telling him to grow up… ]
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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.
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[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.]
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[ 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. ]
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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.]
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[ 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…?
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[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?
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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.
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[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.]
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[ 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?
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[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.]
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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.
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[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.]
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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. ]
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[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.]
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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.
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[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?
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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.
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[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.
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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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The panic flashing through his expression is recognizable, as is the effort he applies to school the violent rocket of his heartbeat into something he can speak around. Dragging the cup toward his end of the table, he takes a sip. ]
What about it?
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[Yeah, there it is. That same tense pull of his body, in his shoulders, in his jaw. Aki watches each muscle pull ridgid in his little brother and waits for the answer, for something to come out within that tension. The drinks come, sit on the table. Cola and green tea. He stares across at him, still waiting.]
[...Does he think he's stupid?]
Denji.
[He doesn't reach for his drink, eyes still stuck on him, watching every twitch of his body. Every shift of his muscles. Where the tension focuses and how it moves through him, like an elastic band he can trace the ripple of through every nerve. And just as he opens his mouth to say something, something about how he knows it means something to him, something about how he has things that scare him, too...]
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["Hey! Hayakawa!"]
[Aki raises his head and turns to look. Two boys from his class, one holding a soccer ball under his arm, are stepping into the restaurant and pushing through the tables to greet him. Asking him what he's up to, if it's true he saw the devil yesterday. What did it look like? Did he see the devil hunters, too? And that they're going to the field after lunch, does he want to come join for a game?]
[The interruption is a little jarring, but Aki passes a look at Denji, lips parted like he's going to ask, Do you want to go? But then they close, pull tight. No. He had blood drawn and got spooked by something. The last thing he needs is for him to nearly faint two days in a row.]
Maybe I'll stop by, once I bring him home. [Common Aki lie. He probably won't stop by, but it's a nice thing to say. The two boys look disappointed, complaining that he never plays with them anymore. Their bowls arrive before they can guilt him much further and Aki waves them off, telling them he heard school might be closed for a few more days so maybe tomorrow if the weather's good. They seem to take that well enough and head off to make their order, passing Denji a brief nod of the head. "Who's that?" "Hayakawa's little bro." "What was his name?" Their voices fade as Aki splits his chopsticks and breaks the egg yolk on his meal.]
Want the ginger? [And he scoops the beni shoga off the side of the meal, offering it out to place on Denji's. For the moment, all the door talk seems to have been forgotten.]
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Like this, he can see him doing all that normal, teenage stuff with the same clarity as a spiritist communing with the future. He doesn't need a crystal ball to forecast how his life should be playing out. Aki: hanging out with his friends, playing soccer, walking into a house with two parents and a little sibling that isn't him. And, yeah, having sex. Because Aki's normal. He gets asked out to places, people like that he's around. Girls see someone they can count on in him, a trustworthiness they selfishly want to make their own.
It isn't that he thinks Aki's stupid. He just doesn't know if he'd get it, and there's a small piece of him that's jealous of that.
At the same time that Aki offers his ginger to Denji, he blurts out the following: ]
— You don't gotta take me home, y'know. [ He blinks, startled for a split second, not expecting their words to overlap. When Aki's question registers, he briefly nods, shoves his bowl forward, and continues. ] I wanna watch you play. I can just sit on the side, if you wanna be a killjoy about it, but I'll be fine if I'm just walkin' around… 'specially after eating, right?
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[Aki sits in silence as Denji speaks once he sets the ginger down in his bowl. He mixes his meal together, letting the yolk sink into the rice and combine with the sauce as Denji calls him out, coaxes at him. He's right, which is the annoying thing - he can leave Denji on the sidelines and he'll be just as safe as if he were stuck at home. And what's he going to get up to at home, anyway? Maybe mess around with that devil, bond even closer to it. If that zombie devil showed up again...]
[He finally looks up, not seeming content, but also like he can't really argue. Usually he would put his foot down anyway. No. 'Cause I said so. Typical childish arguments and reasonings. But Aki doesn't want to be a child, or use their kind of logic. And he said it himself, that night he made that contract. That he wants to be able to trust him. If he says he'll be okay, he can believe that, right?]
I guess we can go... [And why does he sound disappointed? Not even Aki is sure. Because Denji is telling him that he doesn't need him to be taking care of him, that he'll be fine is Aki is with other boys for a few hours while Denji watches from the sidelines? ...He'd like to think he's not that shallow, but it does pinch him in the same spot the stupid acorn song pinches him. He spears into a piece of chicken to split it in two.] Just don't complain if you get bored.
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[ Shreds of pickled ginger, sesame, and cooked salmon fly out as he tosses the contents of his own bowl. Too much force, as always, even when a gentler touch like Aki's could work just as well to ensure the glaze and his toppings are well-incorporated into the rice. Just another thing that sets them apart, but this one Denji doesn't notice, doesn't bitterly pick at over and over like a crusted scratch he can't leave alone; no, he's chewing slow for once, watching him too closely again. Hasn't really stopped watching even once the other boys left. ]
…Hey. [ His foot nudges against him under the table. ] What're you pouting for? You don't want your oyakodon anymore or something?
[ Someone told him once that the reason the dish was called that is because the parent, being the chicken, and the kid, being the egg, are all mixed up into one deliciously runny nest, almost like there's no differentiation. When he looks at Aki, he kinda sees that same thing — he won't take back that mom comparison from last last night, because it's still true to him, but it's not as if the kid his age is invisible to him, either. It's just, like with oyakodon, you gotta take a real big bite to figure out which one it is you're dealing with.
…Denji wedges a cut of salmon between his chopsticks, unceremoniously dumping it over the other toppings, still glistening with raw yolk. ]
Here. Lemme know if you wanna switch.
[ He really doesn't want to. Switch, that is. The reason they decided to eat out was so that he could have the salmon! Ugh, but this is a good and mature response to your older sibling not wanting what they ordered, isn't it? And Aki is always telling him to grow up… ]
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