[ Pochita's comfortably zipped back in after the tinkle interlude, bouncing away with various snacks and trinkets, his wired earbuds definitely tangled around the devil's saw like Christmas tinsel. If it weren't for the beach towel wadded inside, it'd probably be a less enjoyable ride, especially as Denji and Power both leap to make a mad dash across the street for the footprint-streaked sand dunes, only for their shoulders to crash together as Aki yanks them backward. ]
Heeey! [ His whine lilts out just as a leisurely moving minivan beeps by. ] Ah. [ Alright, then. After some seconds, the crossing signal flips to green, and they're back in action. He and his sister instantly tear away from Aki's grip, rushing forward like dogs cutting loose from their leash for the very first time. ] First one there's gotta eat a rotten egg!
[ Denji doesn't think twice about the correctness of what he's saying, doesn't even quite register that it's whoever's in first place that's getting the supposed punishment, still running with all his meager strength to get there and find a free spot. The area's speckled with different families, tourists, and young people — it's no wonder, seeing as the weather's not too overbearing between seasons. There's a gentle breeze, but nothing forceful enough to blow away anyone's chairs and umbrellas, to make Power's overgrown bangs whip in her face as she overtake his lead, of course, and sticks the landing somewhere in front of the changing room entrance, arms raised far above her head as if she were an Olympic gymnast. Eventually, he catches up with her, steadying himself with a grasp of her shoulder and breathing hard, perhaps worryingly, but he scoffs at the curious look she gives him, shoves her, then starts to walk off on his own, in spite of the tight punches of air escaping and hitting his lungs in tandem.
Power considers reaching out to him and giving Denji her own shove, but pauses, before sidling up and clapping one of her hands into his. The suddenness spooks Denji, but before he can slap her away, her hand squeezes down to keep him tethered and she swings both of their arms as she leads him forward. Waving a hand at Aki, wherever he is behind them, she points and yells out to him to meet them at a clearing ahead, near a pack of what looks like a pack of college kids.
His head swivels all around on the way there, marveling at each and every mundane sight. This much doesn't even scrape the surface of the sea's bounty, but even so…
The two of them lay their bags down, Power dragging out a pair of inflatables that she starts to puff into. Denji, in the meanwhile, glances up from the towel he's flattening out against the sand. Glances back down. He seems to have managed to catch his breath by now. ]
[But it doesn't matter. Before he can get a full sentence out correcting Denji's memory of the phrase, both of them are racing off toward the beach. Aki continues at a walk, coming up over the hill just as Denji shoves at Power, and then Power snatches his hand and drags him toward the clearing. He waves his hand to indicate he heard them, taking his own time to get to them, letting his gaze instead wander to the ocean. How long has it really been, since they did anything like this?]
[Dropping his bag next to Denji's, he only picks up on it because he missed his earlier heaving - the slight strain to his voice. Immediately his eyes jump to him, suspicious, worried... But he looks okay. Sounds mostly okay. He's okay, right? That brief run didn't mess with his lungs, right? Aki squats down as he flattens his towel out, sitting down on it before grabbing his bag and pulling out a bottle of sunscreen, offered out to both of them for whoever grabs it first.]
Here.
[First and foremost. Then he grabs a bottle of water and offers that out to Denji when Power ends up snagging the sunscreen first, declaring its properties to protect her vampiric skin from the wretched sun (she forgot about her vampire thing for a little bit, Aki muses). It's a casual offer. No outright worry in the stare he gives him, but it's not random that he's giving it to him, either.]
Go ahead - You can let him out. [Pochita, that is. It should be okay here, he thinks.]
[ He starts to question, but stops short as he considers the offering, mouth lightly pursing. So he noticed…?
To his credit, he receives the lukewarm bottle without so much as a word of complaint, a quiet thanks sliding out beneath his breath. The lid opens in a solid twist, his throat bobbing rapidly as he swigs down at least half of the contents. Yeah, that hit the spot, his lungs feel considerably less squeaky. When he's done, he doesn't immediately put the bottle away, instead opening up Pochita's bag and pouring him a few servings of water into the lid that he holds out to the devil to lap at. But he seems more intrigued by their change in scenery than anything else, shaking off the cloth of the bag to sniff at the sand bordering their towel.
Chuckling, he ruffles the underside of his devil's belly. ]
Guess he's never been to a place like this before, either.
[ Nobody nearby seems to notice Pochita's presence as Denji continues trying to coax him to drink, something the devil's attention doesn't avail him to until he's satisfied with his investigation. Somehow, impossibly, within that same amount of time, Power's applied her sunscreen, finished inflating her floatie, and returned from the changing rooms wearing her one-piece swimsuit. When Denji looks up, he nearly falls over trying to catch the bottle of sunscreen she tosses in his direction. ]
Eh, you're going out already? I thought you said you'd wait for me!
[ "No such promises were made! And, besides, do you not hear that, Denji?" With flourish, she faces outward, a hand gesturing toward the sea — but not at it. Rather, she seems to be directing their attention to the speeding flash of yellow streaking across the waters. A banana boat. There are obviously people currently on it. "It's the sound of my ocean mount calling for me!" ]
Are you stupid? That's just the engine or whatever —
[ "It's calling!" ]
It's not calling —
[ But she's already making a run for it. Denji watches her splash into the water with a frown, then turns back to his more adjusted sibling. He raises the sunscreen bottle. ]
Help me put this on my back? I always miss a spot when we go to the pool…
[Aki settles back and watches the waves as Denji lets the devil drink, trying not to focus on it. There's a vague worry that someone might come over and question the presence of the devil, but so far everyone seems more concerned with themselves, enjoying the nice weather before it turns too cold to go outside without multiple layers. He stretches his arms over his head as Power makes her appearance, declares her intentions, and begins running off, leaving Aki with only the option of calling after her to remind her -] Don't go out too far!
[...Which, she probably won't, given how cat-like she is. She's never been a huge water person, never enjoyed pool time as much as she enjoyed splashing people and riding on floats. Denji is more of a swimmer and more someone he needs to remind not to get too far away from the shore. Accepting the sunscreen, he moves slightly to get closer and squeezes some out on his palm.]
Be careful when you go out there. The tide can be stronger than you realize. [He lectures that as he rubs the lotion into his back, spreading it in long strokes over his skin and curling near his shoulders and down to his hips to make sure he hits ever spot. His neck comes next and he pushes the back of his hair up to smooth it right up to his hairline.]
[His eyes flit to Pochita, where he stands with his butt in the air sniffing at the sand again... Can he swim? He's told Denji not to put him in the tub but who can say if he actually listens to that kind of thing.]
Are you bringing him out there? [Someone has to remain back here with their things and Aki is content to let it be him for now.] Be careful. He doesn't have very strong legs. Stay where it's shallow, if you're going to bring him.
[He motions for him to turn around so he can get his face, too.] Or just leave him with me. I'll watch him.
[ Denji's always been tanner than either of his siblings, so it's rare for him to truly burn under the glaze of the sun during this time of year, but Aki's always insisted its necessary to wear whenever they go out, something about their health and being a good habit to take up in their sure to be long lives. Much of the things he insists they do, particularly that Denji does, boils down to that.
Naturally, the watery cast of the sunscreen runs cold across his skin. But it's the kind that's refreshing and tingly, the sensation helped along by how thorough Aki is in rubbing into the notches of his back, that hard to reach place between his shoulder blades. He doesn't realize his shirt's only halfway off, caught between his forearms, as he hums in half-attention to whatever cautionary advice he's giving him this time.
Yeah, yeah, he wants to say. Tides, strong. Denji, weak. He gets it.
At some point, he'd sneaked a sigh and briefly let his eyelids drift closed, but with Aki's inquiring, he looks Pochita's way. So maybe he's been sticking him in tub every so often in preparation for this very moment, but just as Aki said, his legs aren't suited to the terrain. It's cute seeing him struggle in a controlled environment, but he'd feel pretty bad tossing the devil into the deep sea and watching him take in water like a sinking ship. ]
You're not going in?
[ Setting his shirt aside, he turns slightly, drawing his crossed legs up in the movement. ]
I'll stay back for a bit too. [ He's dreamed a lot about going somewhere so clear and vast. Playing beach volleyball. Hitting on older chicks with low-cut bikini tops. Jumping into the water fast and hard enough to splash everyone within a 100-meter radius. Now that he's here, though…
It's strange. He's still excited, but he isn't in a rush anymore. ]
Guess you've been to places like this before. [ With his family. The real one. That's what he can only assume by how easy Aki's taking it, compared to them two. ] Umm, do all beaches look the same after a while…?
[It definitely seems like he's calmed down a bit. Squeezing some lotion onto his fingers, he waits for Denji to settle before dabbing it in dots across his face before scooping his hair back with one hand to rub it into his skin with the other.]
What, the beach? [And his next question confirms that's what he means.] It's been a little while... I think I went when I was a baby, and then when I was a little older, I think... But most beaches don't look the same. [From his very limited experience, but he says that like it's fact.] Like how streets don't all look the same, even though they're made of the same stuff.
[Sitting back at last, Aki seems satisfied with Denji's coverage so he begins to rub some lotion on his face as well. The beach seems pretty safe... Probably no one is going to come by and yoink their day bags, but it still feels unsettling to ditch it all. So he'll wait a bit. Make sure Denji and Power have their fun.]
I'll go out in a bit, you should go have fun. Wasn't this whole thing your idea? [That's how he remembers it. With oily fingers, he prods at Denji's cheek.] I'm not going to be lonely.
[ Denji makes a faint sound in surprise as Aki expands to rubbing lotion into his face, eyes shuttering with a mild jerk. I can do this part myself, is what's clearly proclaimed by the puff of his cheeks, without doing anything about the hands massaging into them. Still, it's reassuring to hear that they can go again and again to places like these, and no will get tired, and everything will be the same, and Aki won't go looking to experience this stuff with anyone else, and… ]
Ueh…!
[ He furiously smears the back of his knuckles against the side of his face, churlish, as if Aki'd just streaked mud across it. ]
Dream on! Like I'd care if you were lonely! I just… [ His brow furrows, straining for a different justification for why he's hanging back. ] It's not fun being the only one who's bored. We're all supposed to have fun. That's the deal we made. It's your last year being in school with us, so…
[ His words drift off, a blank he only fills with a quiet sigh. His gaze falls, lands on a trail of three parallel lines he'd combed into the soft ground at some point during the conversation. Always three, always together. ]
[ …He's being clingy, isn't he? He wipes his palm over the little pattern, returning the three to the rest of the grains. Then, seeming to give up on convincing Aki to join them right away, he shoves himself up from their towel. But not without turning and reaching a closed fist over to his brother's head, looking like he may tousle his hair with it, give him a noogie or something — except that neither of those things happen. Instead, the fist opens and out comes a gush of sand piling atop his crown, washing past the blues of his eyes. ]
Fine, have it your way. Just make sure nobody dog-naps Pochita, y'know, since he's such a rare breed 'n' all.
[ And then, because he never learns, Denji runs ahead. ]
[I won't be bored, he wants to insist. Why is Denji worrying about him? He'll just be relaxing on the beach, watching the waves. He doesn't think something like that is fun? ...Maybe "fun" isn't the right word, but still. There's a reason people like to watch the ocean. It's relaxing. And when's the last time he's really relaxed?]
[But he gets up, at last, and Aki thinks maybe he's realized he's being a little clingy right now - until he dumps sand on his head and, nope, he's just being a brat. Aki swipes his fingers through his hair, trying to shake the grains out, as Denji runs off to the waves. He nearly calls out to him, reminds him not to run... but manages to stop himself. This is about having fun. Yelling after Denji to not give himself a heart attack or another episode of some kind is likely to make him miserable.]
[See, he's learning a little bit. Leaning back and glancing down at the devil on his beach towel, he settles back and crosses his legs.]
...Rare breed, huh.
[Pochita looks at him briefly, as if unsure if he's talking to him, before turning his attention back to the water. At least he's not trying to run after Denji. He watches the two of them on the water, Power with her lithe but strong body surfing the waves on someone else's banana boat, commandeering the vessel and parading it like a pirate captain, and Denji as her lowly lieutenant, still close enough to shore that Aki doesn't feel too anxious by the sight. He watches them roughhouse on the water, even huffs a laugh a few times.]
[It's not that he's still thinking of what Denji said, a few days ago. But when he does turn his head to the shore and sees the mothers and fathers sitting on their beach towels, doing the same as him, watching their kids play in the water... It feels weird. It never doesn't feel weird. There are a few friends, he notes. A few younger people. Siblings, maybe, tanning or enjoying the warmth of the sun before it becomes too cold to bask in. But they're not watching the water like he is, like the adults are.]
[Is he an adult, now? By virtue of no one else being one? He smells cigarette smoke nearby and crinkles his nose, pulling his knees up. At least he's not an adult who smokes.]
[He could fall asleep like this. Half shaded, half sunned, watching the water lap at the shore with the devil dog slowly wagging his corded tail while doing the same. But he won't. He'll keep his eyes on the two of them, ready to jump up at any sign of danger. He doesn't have to be a mom for that to be his role.]
[But he is still thinking about that comment, in the end.]
[His target is Power, diving under the water before either of them can spot him coming toward the shore. There's enough other kids that it's easy enough to blend in, shirt stripped left with the devil dog, and so he can easily sneak up behind her and snatch her by the arm and leg, shocking her into releasing her grip on her steed and pulling her down into the depths. She yowls like a cat when he lets her go and insists the water is acidic to her but it creates a scramble for someone else to take a seat where she's been hogging.]
[ Waves seethe in toward the shore in long, foamy ridges, sweeping between his legs as he ventures farther out. It's not really that far by any normal person's standards; when the next wave runs his way, the water only crashes as high as his bony hips. The pull-back isn't so bad, either, aside from how it drags his trunks down, but he quickly rights his bottoms, yanking them up by the drawstrings to keep from flashing his ass to the world. No one saw that, right?
…Yeah, that aside, nothing's tugging him out to sea, nor seriously testing his footing — so he's good. Really good.
He can stand on his own.
The next moment, unable to stop himself, he's buoyant. Giggling and splashing around in the waters all on his own, doing a little hop as larger wave charges him. That way he can really feel his toes floating, his gravity stalled just for a second. The sound of his laughter, like it's being punched out of him with how light his chest is. Unweighed by anything that may come after this. Denji spins on his heel, about to wave Aki over, ask if he saw how big that wave was, if he noticed how he withstood it, easy — just as Power plows her boat at full speed into his back, dunking him face-first into seawater. ]
Wah! — ghrgglegle…
[ Power's practically seizing with cackles, fist twisted at the crown of his head, even as her float bounces against the waves. He can't really hear (or breathe) very well underwater, but in his struggle for air, he catches something ludicrous about culling all tax evaders from her righteous and all-powerful dominion. But who knows and who gives a shit. He hates her stupid boat. He's in a bad position to try to fight back, try to flip her over, his efforts going nowhere until he hears her yelp from above him.
No longer anchored down, Denji clings to the side of the banana, gasping, coughing up seaweed, scrambling to heave a leg over and collapse on top. The tow on the boat looks like it'd been forcefully shredded, making it no better than an overgrown floatie. How she managed to control it to get to Denji is beyond him. Probably, he's better off not knowing.
The girl in question continues flailing against Aki (since when did he get here??), desperately trying to climb on top of him to use as a ledge to jump off from and back onto her boat. ]
Nuh-uh, not happenin'! Ditch her and hop on, dude!
[Denji looks waterlogged, scrambling up the edge of the banana, and there's a brief moment where Aki wants to tow him right to shore and insist he get his wits about him, smack his back a few times to get all the seawater out of his throat. But then he's being climbed by Power and instead he ducks backward, dunking her into the water as her hair blinds her from a sudden wave. He did warn her that she should put it up before getting out here...]
[Shaking his head of water as he surfaces again, Denji calls out to him as Power sputters and Aki briefly looks back, makes sure Power isn't about to drown, then pulls himself up and over, right behind Denji as he slips and squeaks on the rubber.]
[Then he realizes - ] The tether broke... [So Power is going to try and dislodge them right away, which she seems keen on doing. But Aki knows how boats work and knows you don't need a boat to move another boat. They've got limbs, right?]
[So he leans forward to speak to Denji over Power's blatherings about them being imbecils who stole her mount, telling him,] Hold on. [...and then slides off the back of the float, holding onto the rear of it and leaning forward to paddle kick them away from her. She puts up a good chase, but Aki's legs are well-toned and trained. Swimming is exhausting but as he dodges and weaves between her attempts to grab them, he looks and feels... happy. Like he's having fun. It's kind of weird - This was a trip for them, right? Who knew he could have a good time, too?]
[ Denji's laughter sloshes out of him like bubbly champagne overflowing a flute, still hanging on to the stem of the boat as Aki paddles them away from their evil overlord of a sister.
Wild hair sticking over her face, Power tries to give chase after them, looking very much the picture of a supernatural entity haunting a VHS tape. But, of course, she quickly tires of being wet. There's a reason why she always claims that her favorite thing to bathe in is the blood of her enemies, not water. So after just a few minutes in, she groans in aggravation, throwing a little tantrum by slapping her arms against the water, causing a splash that only jumps out maybe a foot around her, but in her head is probably a meter-long tidal wave. Huffing several times in a row, she begins to turn and make the swim back to shore. ]
G'job. You actually got her to give up. [ There goes Denji's gleeful observation. That's what you call basking in the fruits of someone else's labor. He leans over to pat Aki's shoulder, trying to signal to him that he can stop pushing them now. …And just because he can from this vantage point, Denji tousles his older brother's hair, splitting his bangs to give him a middle part. Heh. ] C'mon, get up here.
[ Denji's hand hangs out loosely for Aki to help pull himself onto the inflatable mount. ]
[Power swims off toward shore in a huff and, privately, Aki is relieved. She'll make herself a sand castle and wear herself out and it'll make their evening easier. Denji holds his hand out to him, motioning him up onto the float, but Aki doesn't accept it, instead hauling himself out of the water and onto the divot behind Denji alone. Not out of annoyance from the hair tousling or anything - that only got a brief flick of his hair (and a realization that he needs to trim it, that it's getting longer again) without it disrupting Denji's restyling attempt. Settling himself behind him, Aki sighs, the rush of his heart from all that effort strangely relaxing. Maybe because it felt like useful effort? Like seeing the floor shine after you've finished scrubbing it, even as sweat makesthe back of your shirt damp. Something like that.]
She's going to complain all afternoon. [He shifts in his seat, trying to angle himself over the boat properly. He's larger than Denji not just in the muscle department and it feels like his weight is making him slide back into him. Turning his head to look up the beach, he can see Pochita still sitting beside their stuff, but is he awake or asleep...? Aki can't tell. Either way, it doesn't look like anyone's tried to nick their stuff. Turning his attention back to Denji, he swipes a hand up his front, pressing his palm on his chest. Even though his own pulse feels good, feels like a good workout, he can't say the same would be true for Denji.] Are you feeling okay? You're not pushing it? [His feet lightly paddle in the water as he does, not moving them so much as keeping them balanced in the gentle waves.]
Rolling his eyes as Aki pushes himself up just fine, Denji obliges his extra weight by at least scooting to avoid throwing off the balance of their stolen float. Scratch that, trying to scoot — whenever they hit a low-cresting current, it tilts him closer to Aki. They're not overly strong waves, but each time it makes his heart rate jump. A quick scour tells him that they're not that far from shore, that even Power was able to make it back within a few minutes, but it's farther and deeper than he's ever personally been in any body of water. Not that he's scared. He's doing quite well at holding on to the slippery plastic of the float. …But at some point, during another wave, his grip flutters out in a brief panic, landing on Aki's forearm. ]
N-Nah. I'm good.
[ His mouth flinches into a smile. That's not very convincing, he knows it, so then Denji takes a breath. With his next exhale, his chest deflates under the pressure of Aki's hand. ]
I mean, the water's clear and not that cold, [ Denji adds, chin rising as he looks ahead. There are a few actual boats hoisted up with sails further out, some people skiing. But all he's looking at is the shimmering sea. ] And then the air tastes different than how it does back home. It's wide, but not in that way where it feels like there's too much dead space, you know? [ He laughs. ] No sharks to meet, but that's alright. Seriously, I'd stay out here forever if I could…
[ Things were a little touchy with Power's rough play, but it's not like he's mad at her about it. Rather, it's his favorite part about her — that she doesn't treat him like foam that'll disperse with a wave of someone's hand, unlike somebody he else he knows. He wants to be able to do stuff like that with her, to wrestle and dunk her head underwater, and laugh until there's no more air in their lungs to wheeze out. It's how things should be with them.
But this body…
Denji leans into Aki's shoulder until their arms are pressed together, looking down at the defined muscle next to his leaner one. Frowning at the stark difference, as he wraps a hand around Aki's bicep, squeezing at the muscle, then moves to his own. ]
…Since when did that happen? We looked almost the same back in middle school. [ He bends down, poking at his brother's abdomen. Playful, mostly. Mostly. ] And this, too! What the hell? That didn't used to be there. C'mon, man, leave some brawn for the rest of us.
[It would be nice to stay like this forever. It is different here - Even with the waves rocking them and disrupting the balance of the float every now and then, it feels nice. There's the background noise of other kids playing, splashing water, the sound of the wind. Denji's weight near him, tangible enough that he doesn't have to look for him to know he's around. The air does taste different, he agrees. It tastes salty and chilly, but neither so much to be uncomfortable. It's just nice. No sharks, either, and that's a positive, not a negative.]
[But he knows they can't possibly stay anywhere forever. Not when there are so many places he has to go. Things he has to do. They can come back here one day, he thinks blithely, once he's done with all of that.]
[Denji nudges at his arm, squeezes it, moves onto his stomach, prodding at his muscle. In response, Aki only offers a brief huff at first, clearly bothered by his touching which is taken as teasing, mocking. Then he reaches around to grab at Denji's belly in retribution, squeezing the thin fat that barely bulges out enough to even be called a stomach. He wants to say something about how all of Denji's diet of snacks and crap doesn't have the right ingredients for a six pack, but when he squeezes down and feels the pad of his fingers through the meat... He sighs, frowning across at him.]
You're gonna eat a lot while we're here. Remember? We're going to get nice seafood - That'll get some meat on you. [He teased that he wanted to get seafood but hasn't brought up his goal of getting fresh eel just yet. There's a restaurant he especially wants to get them to, where their unagidon is supposed to be the best in all of Hokkaido.] After that, when we go home, you'll have a bunch of fat to burn while you go running with me. Right?
[He hasn't had much of a chance to train while they've been dealing with everything. Hopefully the devil situation will be done and dealt with when they return and life will go back to normal. He pats Denji's stomach before leaning forward to try and angle the boat toward shore.] Come on, let's make sure she isn't digging to the Atlantic.
[ The boat unsteadily swings up and down from, what must look like to faraway spectators, brotherly squabbling. The eldest getting back at his bothersome kid sibling for saying something smart, doing something disrespectful. Or maybe they just look like a pair of buddies screwing around — is the thought that briefly strikes him, staring down at how much tawnier his skin looks under the lighter hand pressing and pinching at his stomach. He doesn't even swat him away because he's taken by the idea: Out here, of course no one would know they're family, that he's Aki Hayakawa's sick brother you have to be nice to for just those reasons alone. That's another plus-side to this town.
The only problem is that Aki, himself, can't seem to forget. Denji sees it in the way he discards the youthful gleam in his eyes for a dimmer luster, adopting that same parental countenance he usually does when he gets it in his head that there's something that needs fixing about him. Something, it seems, he thinks can be fixed by the likes of another teenager. And maybe there is, but can't they spend one day not fussing about it?
Rubbing at his flat, plain stomach, Denji lowers his gaze to where his knees disappear into the water. Aki will likely think he's being difficult for saying this, but he can't help himself. ]
You wanna go already…?
[ His lips squish down together, tight and sealed, as if to keep his full disappointment from spilling forth. Seafood sounds good. But when he frames it that way, relative to him gaining and keeping that mass… It somehow takes the enjoyment out of eating. Without a single warning, he starts to slip down from his seat, falling into the water with a plunk. He's not as strong a swimmer as the other two, but he can at least do a quick stroke beneath the bottom of the boat, reappearing with a surging splash on the other side of Aki. ]
Well, I heard in PE that swimming's the go-to thing to do for burning that kinda stuff, so I'll stay out here a lil' while longer. [ Denji's fingers squeak against the plastic of the boat, trying to shove it in the direction of the shore. ] You can split if you really wanna.
[Aki's surprised, watching Denji splash out into the water and turning his head to see him pop up on the other side. He puts his legs out to stop the motion of his push - Not just yet, he's not going to push him away so easily. Even though there are other kids around and he can see Denji from shore...]
[...Ah, god, he's doing that thing again. He's really being too much like a mom. He's doing this because of that, isn't he? Trying to prove he's fine out here and that Aki doesn't need to babysit him. Yes, you do, a voice on his shoulder reminds him, but he frowns, turning and sliding off the side of the banana without waiting for him to make another attempt. If he's going to stay here, then he should keep the boat.]
Don't go out too far, okay? Stay where you can feel the bottom. [They're both wading, sure, but the sandy, sea-grass-tangled bottom still isn't too far down. He pauses, his hand on the side of the boat, and wants to say something else - that he should pace himself, that it's not about gaining muscle, that it's not like Aki's disappointed in him, or wants something more from him. But he doesn't know which of those statements are actually true, or... if any of them are.]
I'll go check on Power, and the devil. [And so he makes his way back to shore, passing him one last look before he fully turns around. The next wave mostly carries him there and once he can walk, he makes his way up the beach to their little spot. Power has come back to it and is busy placing bits of sea shells and rocks in a small pattern (must be some kind of magic seal, based on her mumbling) while Pochita has his eyes closed, tongue barely peeking out from between his lips. Aki squats down and dries his face off, then turns to look back out, searching the sea for Denji's head. Watching, and waiting.]
[Maybe it's cruel that he's expecting something awful to happen. But given their week, maybe it would be stupider if he was blind to the possibility.]
[ Ugh, he doesn't need some stupid fruit to help stay above water. Not as if he's doing anything crazy like yacht racing, or even so much as a backstroke, out here. The float knocks into Denji's chest, his arm hooking over the top to keep it from drifting out.
If only who he was holding back were Aki instead, to make him stick around for a while longer. Didn't have to be forever, but just long enough to make it last. For a time, they used to take swim lessons together at the orphanage. Aki was already at a higher skill level when he arrived, and Denji used to get so jealous that they had to be separated, that the other kids could crowd and hang around him, ask for advice. And even though Aki would always gravitate back to them after lessons, help to correct his stances, he was always afraid he wouldn't. It's so stupid. They've had enough chats about this stuff…
Denji spends a little while longer out at sea. Mostly floating, weaving a hand through the waves. Playing pretend with himself that he's getting cast away to some stranded tropical island. Wouldn't that be fun. Wouldn't that be something. A few people his age holler at him to toss some colorful beach volleyball back their way, and that was something, too. The waves get calmer, more still the longer he's by himself. Riding along on his back, he watches a flock of birds congregate overhead. Huh.
About thirty minutes in, he notices he's gotten farther from the beach shore. Aki, Power, Pochita — if he didn't already have a vague idea of where they were located, they'd blend in with the sparkling minerals of white stretching before the embankment ahead. Feet kicking, he unmounts from the boat, hanging off the side and starting to propel himself back to the shore. It's as he's passing by a different group of kids, he pauses to catch his breath and watch a motorboat with flashing lights speeding a fair distance away, then a loudspeaker droning on repeat: "Devil sighting. Return to land now. Devil sighting. Return to land now."
He blinks. Looks to an older, nervous-looking girl who catches his eye in turn just as the motorboat flips into the air, landing with a sharp surge of water. It sends him and everyone else sloshing closer to the beach, scrambling to swim away. More sirens sound in the background. ]
Huh? Ah, ah —
[ Still holding on to the boat for dear life, afraid to get swept under a new set of waves coursing his way, Denji keeps pumping his legs. He's still a ways back compared to the girl from before and what looks like her brothers — they've already managed to get ahead of him, making for the rest of their family. Panicked, his mouth keeps going under, he keeps taking in more water into his lungs, his nostrils burning with each burbling breath, limbs splashing. His eyes start to darken. Denji starts to sink. ]
[At some point, the waves carrying the blond boy start to look calm. Aki settles. Power is building a castle with some of the rocks and shells she's gathered, Aki behind her carefully pulling her wet hair into a ponytail in an attempt to keep any more sand from getting into it. He mutters something about a trim but she denies the idea, stating the length of her hair is indicative of her magical prowess (where did she hear that, he can't help but wonder) and it's while he's finishing with the last snap of the elastic that the loudspeaker starts blaring.]
[His eyes shoot up. The boat sounding the warning is sent flying into the air and a wave of water starts sending people back to shore regardless, but while everyone on the sand is gathering their things and calling out names toward the water, calling for people rushing out of the surf to come toward them when they're not heading up the shore themselves, Aki is going in the opposite direction.]
[He rushes toward the ocean as the strong wave hits the shore, people carried with it and splashing out and onto dry land as the surf backs out. It's carrying too much water and pulling too far back and Aki thinks - This is just like the tsunamis. The ones made by the Gun Devil, the ones that happened after it, the ones that left towns drowned. He tries to stumble out into the water, yelling Denji's name, scanning the top of the waves for his head, for his hand. He thinks he sees him but he can't tell. Someone grabs his shoulder but he pushes them away - and again when they snag him by the arm, order him back, tell him to stay out of the water. Aki whirls around to send a kick at the stranger in uniform - like hell is he going to stay here, he wants to snap. Like hell is this going to happen again.]
[He remembers taking swimming lessons, how it came oddly easily to him. Gliding through the water felt good, felt simple and natural. He liked the silence under there, the way everything was drowned out by the simple presence of water, only water. Maybe an echo on the other side of the pool, some bubbles by his ear. But it was relaxing under the surface. Slicing through it like butter, diving below the waterline with fingers tightly set together to part the surface. And the way Denji would watch him, wrapped a hand around his wrist when he would finally come back over to him. Let him hold onto his shoulders as he carried him through the water. Let him and Power cling to his legs as he pumped them up and down while he sat on the side of the pool.]
[He shoots through the water just like back then, too, and within moments he has Denji in his grasp. The waves pulled him closer, thankfully, and the "tsunami" Aki was so worried about is less a tsunami and more a big wave that disturbs the tide for a few cycles. He crashes through the surface and sets Denji's head on his shoulder as he grabs under his arms and, with practiced ease, begins pulling him back to shore.]
[Toward Aki, who is behind dragged up the beach by the man from Public Safety.]
["He's breathing," the man with Denji tells him at the top of the beach, standing on concrete as two other men watch the water. Everyone has evacuated off the sand, but they're still scanning the surface for stragglers. "He probably swallowed some water, just keep him on his side 'til the ambulance gets here." Aki doesn't say a word, staring down at Denji in furious silence. He can feel his eyes clouding. He's furious. He's furious, that they pulled him back like this. He's - ]
["There it is!" one of them shouts, drawing a sword and bounding down the beach. A whale leaps from the water, sending another strong wave toward shore. Some civilians gasp, some stay and watch; most flee. It doesn't look like a whale, not really - it's pitch black and full of spots, the shine of sun on its teeth hinting at something sharper than normal. Aki swallows down the racing of his heart, reaching out to squeeze Denji's hand tight. Ugh, to cry at a time like this.]
[Just wake up, he wants to tell him. Just wake up and prove this isn't anything. Just wake up and be okay. Just wake up and don't...]
[ His consciousness ebbs and flows in a shroud of incongruity: burdened and weightless, brightness and blackness. Stasis. Stagnation. But here, he's safe. Here, there's nothing to think about or trouble himself over. No specific point in time to pin himself to, no heart that needs to exert itself, no blood that needs to flow. He doesn't have to keep waiting for his body to give out, give in. Doesn't have to dread Aki ever letting go of his hand, if he doesn't any hands to begin with. That's how it feels to drown, to let go, and to be at peace. It's about time.
Somewhere in the upper reaches of his awareness, a strong pressure slams into his chest in measured repetition. His nose pinches, his head tilts. Discomfort jars throughout his every part of his body, warm blows clearing a path down his throat. Wait, what?
Denji gurgles, and then his eyes burst open as several coughs judder out from his chest in a row, fluid gushing from his nose, his mouth, spilling to the side. Stinging tears budding from his eyes. His sand-crusted lashes almost take on the appearance of moths with how furiously they beat, inexhaustibly desperate to reach the closest source of light. He can't stop coughing, his chest feels congested, like he can barely get a breath in — another backwash of water splashes to the sand, his wrist purposelessly raised to his mouth, as if to stifle anything else from dispelling from his lungs. After a while, the hacking abates. He doesn't know when it happened, but his head is rested against Aki's chest, hand fitted loosely in his hand.
His gaze flicks to the side, where an emergency responder sits on his knees, wiping away at the refuse staining his pants from Denji's coughs. ]
Wha… What happened? How come… you're crying, Aki?
[ "You're a lucky kid! Almost got swept under by a wave earlier out there," another cheery responder pipes up, approach them from behind to drape a foil blanket around Denji's shoulders. Power, who was sitting on the sidelines up to this point with an anxious frown, hurries to crawl in and swathe herself in the same blanket, clinging to his arm. The responder laughs, but quickly covers her mouth with a hand with one look from her partner.
"They had you on your side, but we administered CPR as soon as we arrived." She looks at the lot of them for a moment, thoughtful. "Mind if we get your friend moved to the vehicle? Gotta make sure his airway's all cleared. You can come with us, but please sit to the side for now. It's better to evacuate from this area, anyway."
The man who helped render aid to him, places a hand to Denji's back, egging him to get to his feet and walk with swaying steps toward the ambulance. ]
[Yet again he's pushed aside when the ambulance finally arrives, when the healthcare worker works the water Denji's swallowed out of him and he's coughing to life. Aki stutters forward to grab him when he falls into his chest, patting his back quickly like it'll help get the rest of the seawater out, like it's just a burp. Like he knows what he's doing. His eyes are wide, shocked, red with tears. Like he didn't actually expect it to happen this time. Like this was seriously going to be the last time.]
[Aki stares down at Denji as the blanket is wrapped around him, as Power comes barreling forward and meets their pile. He snaps out of his stupor at her sudden contact and grabs them both, tugging them against him and squeezing tight. The aid worker says something to him, urges them to the ambulance and Aki thinks - No. No, he doesn't want that. No, he doesn't want them to take him away, to remove him from their home. No, he can take care of this, he's done fine up til now, he's...]
[Aki takes in a breath. Incapable. Unable. Can't. His grip goes lax around them as the shock rolls through him again. The aid worker helps Denji to his feet and moves him slowly toward the back of the ambulance and Aki watches, his eyes still wide.]
[He couldn't do anything, he realizes. Even if he'd made it to Denji, he couldn't have protected him. Couldn't have woken him up. Would he have died out there? Would they both have?]
["Aki!" Power snaps him out of it and he blinks in surprise. She's tugging him upright, toward where they've taken Denji. Stumbling to his feet, he begins to hurry after her but is stopped suddenly by one of the Public Safety hunters. He's staring at Pochita where he's standing nervously by the edge of the crowd, less guarding their bag and more acting as part of their luggage.]
["That yours?" he asks, and Aki stares at the man for a moment. No, he could say, kill it. Would that make it better or worse? Worse, probably, because he said he would kill it, if he ever hurt Denji. And this time, he didn't do anything wrong. Only Aki did. Letting Denji be out in the water like that. He finally nods and motions for Pochita, who barks before turning and rushing toward Denji instead. Aki stands still for a moment, his face wet and eyes stinging.]
[All he wants to do is squat down and cry. He's so angry he could punch himself. Slowly he makes his way to the ambulance, wiping at his face with the heel of his palms. Power is staring at him expectantly and for once he appreciates that she knows to shut up when something serious is happening. He wouldn't be able to handle her trying to cast a spell on him right now.]
[ The whole road sports a motley of ambulances parked to the side, lights mutely flashing as a few other waterlogged swimmers are treated for their injuries. Even as they pass by someone calling out their friend's name, begging anyone they can get their hands on for information, or a mother holding her little girl's hand as she wails all throughout the feeling of stitches pushing her split brow back together — Denji barely blinks. It's all he can do to keep his eyes on the sandy gravel ahead of him. He's still disoriented; his head is pounding, everything being said to him echoing pointlessly in his ears, like he's been dunked top-down inside a fish tank.
Denji gets the gist, though. Something bad has happened. People are hurt, and he's one of them. That's why Aki was crying again. Because he couldn't keep himself safe for less than an hour without him. He's so uncool. So —
He tries clambering up on to the foot the stretcher alone, but thinking he's tripping over that first step, the two first responders rush in to help, gripping him by the pits of his arms.
Weak. God, why is he such a weakling?
He knows his siblings are nearby, but he can't bear to look their way. It's embarrassing. Doesn't want them to see the pink glaze stinging his eyes, how his nose is dribbling. That's why it's a relief when the man who'd resuscitated him blocks his view, starts going through the same old motions and check-ups. They listen to his chest, his heart. Ask about his name, where he's from, his medical history, the usual stuff, the stuff he just did a few days ago at the clinic and now he's doing it all over again. When does it stop? Will it ever? Denji makes a disgusted, watery noise at himself. Blinks hard as he scrubs at his nose with the back of his wrist, but the act seems to worsen the clogged sensation in his lungs, crawling up his throat.
"You're okay," the man says, handing his partner the clipboard he was jottings notes down on. Seeming to sense his distress. "You're doing well. Breathe slow."
Denji's not okay. Denji's not doing well. Denji's sick of this shit.
Air blows past his lips, blue and still tasting of salt.
"She —" He juts a thumb toward the other paramedic who throws up a peace sign. He stares at her until the gesture drops. Denji watches the interaction, wary. "She's going to tell your siblings we'd like to monitor you for a few hours at the hospital. One moment."
His mouth snaps closed, ready to object. But the finger held out to his face is an easy indication to Denji to shut his trap.
"We'd like to, but we can't. With this incident, and the rise of other attacks recently, the hospital is fully occupied. You were lucky that yours is a case of non-fatal drowning. You don't exactly fit the cleanest bill of health, but you're awake and you're lucid. No memory issues. If you start experiencing trouble breathing or extreme migraines, we want you to come in and get checked, but I'm not concerned that'll be an issue. You're free to go whenever you're ready." ]
…'kay. Thanks. [ He glances in Aki and Power's direction, noticing the latter of the two on her feet, springing toward him. Aki probably isn't too far behind her. His head staggers down a notch in a quick bow of his neck. ] I mean, thank you very much, sir — urk.
[ Power hops into the back of the vehicle, squishing into his side, nearly pushing him off the stretcher with little care to Denji's own comfort. Body squirming from within her nuzzling, he darts a glance among the other faces there, searching for any form of aid. ]
[It's difficult to get near the situation without feeling like he's intruding. Which is beyond stupid - He can see kids crying and their moms holding them in their laps, shushing them gently even when they aren't hurt. Maybe a scraped arm or a stubbed toe. Shouldn't Aki be right in there, too? Shouldn't they be part of this, not shoved off to one side, watching from a short but too far distance as Denji rubs at his face, his front still soaked with seawater...]
[He's gripping Power's hand so tightly that she finally says his name, snapping him out of it as one of the aides come their way, looking back at Denji briefly as if to double check this is the right group before she turns her attention to Aki. "We want to bring him to the hospital," she begins, and Aki immediately snaps, No. He knows he's gripping Power's hand too tight again but it's for a good reason. If she's so confident about snatching up one of them - ]
[But she's quick to put her hands up in a placating manner, explaining the dilemma, that the hospital is too full. That he seems okay, that he's breathing and isn't looking like he's on the verge of collapse. That his breathing seems a little rough and that they should monitor him, that if it gets worse they can bring him to the hospital. And is that okay? Despite her too cheery tone feeling uncanny in this situation it's actually working to calm Aki down, enough that he loosens his grip on Power's hand to the point that she can slip free and hurry over to Denji, tackling him into a tight hug with Aki calling her name pointlessly after her. He starts to follow but the paramedic stops him, a hand on his shoulder. "He's breathing a little rough, and his pulse is pretty high," she explains, looking over her shoulder at Denji just as his eyes meet theirs. "You'll bring him in just in case anything happens, right? He said you all live down south - You shouldn't travel if he's still in bad shape. Okay?"]
[Absolutely not, he wants to say, because the truth is that Aki wants to go home, now. He doesn't care about this trip or playing hookey or any of the myriad of reasons he finally agreed to this whole thing. The idea of taking Denji to some hospital in an area he doesn't know only for them to suddenly find something wrong with him and that means they have to keep him overnight and then the next night and then a week and then a month and then -]
["You okay?" she asks suddenly, reaching into her pocket and taking out a handkerchief. Fat, wet tears are spilling down his cheeks but Aki looks furious despite it, staring down at the ground with a fiercely knit brow and lips pulled so tight they may as well be gone. "We can - "]
Don't take him. [He mutters it, his voice on the edge of cracking on the last word. With the threat of more cracks following, he quiets for a moment, reaching up to wipe his face on the back of his hand, smearing a few grains of sand over his cheeks before daring to look at the woman again.] He's - We've got medicine. I'll take care of...
[...As if. He got dragged away before he could even get a foot near the water. All he has in his travel bag is some antiseptic and ibuprofen. None of that can help Denji, and if not for all the people around him right now, he wouldn't even be alive right now. Raising his eyes to look at Denji, still far enough away that he'd need three or four steps to reach him, he can't help but think - ]
[What can Aki even do, anyway?]
[He sits with the two of them on the opposite side of the street, the whole area still blocked off but the opposite side is where the shade is, where he tugs them both to with his hands outstretched and grasping each of theirs tight. Denji in between them, he doesn't say a word, only slowly rubbing his back up and down, repetetive and gentle, like he can somehow scoop all the unhealthy out of him, all the badness that's crawled inside him that's made him this way and coax it into one solid lump that he can tug out and leave him with only good, only health, only happiness. It isn't fair, he wants to insist. It isn't fair that he found a new family and things keep threatening to destroy this one, too, before he has any ability to protect it properly. It's just not fair - but it's not like any of this knowledge is new.]
[ Secluded away from the dizzying mass of personnel coming and going, the droves of people fleeing inland, Denji can only submit to the concern swathing both ends of his shoulders. He doesn't have the right to complain about Power's territorial inspection of his arm, thumbing the veins in his wrist to make sure none other than her teeth's taken a bite from him recently; Aki's long strokes across his spine, teary-eyed, devastated, and not acknowledging it, hanging onto him like a kid seeking comfort from a pet he thought lost after a storm. Both of them, buoying Denji. What they don't know is that he doesn't need it, that his heart is heavy enough to fasten him in place.
…All his life, he's had so much to answer for. This part, this solace eclipsed in Aki and Power's combined vitality, their infinite warmth, is just another log to the ledger. That time before with the devil, too, and every other time he's watched pain and fear scar Aki's face, every time Power had to walk slower when he knew she longed to run. Every time Denji knew it was his doing.
A sudden thought: Maybe it's not them buoying Denji, but Denji anchoring them. Dead weight. Holding them back from setting off, two sails bound for the horizon.
It's with that he tries to lean away from them. Straighten out of their little huddle, fingers clenching and unclenching to work the numbness out. He needs to. They need him to, or else they'd be there the rest of the day. ]
I'm okay, [ he says, mainly for Aki's benefit, since he's the one who needs the reassurance most. Even if he's the least likely to believe him. His voice may be hoarse, worn down, but it's level, because that's the part that matters most to his siblings, so he has to stick the landing, make it believable. Meanwhile, his heart thunders in double time. ] Geez, your eyes are runny… Powy, didn't we pack anything, in case he saw someone stub their toe and start bawling for 'em?
[ Power actually nods. Releases his arm in exchange for a nice pat to her head, her nose tilting every so slightly upwards in smugness as she dumps the contents of her bag out into her lap. A tissue lands in his hand, and Denji reaches his arm over, dabbing at the sandy particles stuck to his cheeks, folds its over with a quick pinch of his fingers to bring a clean canvas for Aki to achoo into. ]
[He doesn't want to. Aki wants to turn his nose away and stick it up to the sky. The feeling of either of them caring for him will never not bring with it a feeling that it isn't right, that they're doing something incorrect by rubbing his shoulder or convincing him nothing is wrong. It's treating the symptom and not the cause. All the effort is going to the wrong spot. Denji scrubs at his face and then presents it for him to blow and a terrible thought barrels into him, that in another world, Denji wouldn't be here to ever do something like this again.]
[More wet, messy tears gather in his eyes and his lip quivers, pulling tight and causing his chin to wrinkle. It's not fair, he wants to insist, like saying it out loud will matter at all. It's not fair that Denji is like this, both sweet and clueless and stupid and understanding. He offers the tissue but all Aki can see through the cloud of tears is the way his fingers look pale and wrinkled from the water.]
...Just wanted-- ... [His voice cracks, and Aki's lips pull shut again, now pouting in embarrassment, frustration. He settles his chin onto his knees and then lowers his face into them, rubbing at his eyes against his bare skin. Into the valley of his legs, he finishes what he was going to say.] ...Just wanted you to have fun.
[He wanted things to be normal, for once. He wanted them to experience a vacation in a normal way, playing with other kids and getting to eat a ton of food and getting lost in a new city and falling asleep in starchy yukata in a hotel. But now - After all that, how can they even think about having fun?]
[He shouldn't have let him go in the water. He should have told him to come in with him. He should have stayed out with him. He should have stayed back home. He should have gone to the house with Taiyou.]
[A new crop of tears wet his eyes and he squeezes his legs together tight, the same thoughts barreling into him over and over. You should have gone with him. You should have stayed inside. You should have brought gloves outside in the first place. You should have kept walking when he threw that snowball at you. You should have told him you were happy that he was your brother. You should have done anything - But all you did was stand still.]
[There's a sound like a heavy wave crashing the shore, a few devil hunters calling for people to say back from the corpse, but Aki doesn't even look up, shivering and shaking as tears run down his cheeks. He wants to go home. He misses his mom and dad. He misses Taiyou. He misses his house, his neighborhood, his school, his bedroom. The little TV set he used to watch cartoons on in the morning while he ate breakfast. Even though he knows thinking back on all of this just makes it all worse, it crashes into him like a tidal wave, forcing each memory down his throat like water flooding his lungs. Is this how Denji felt, too? Or was it more peaceful than this? Did he stop thinking and just surrender? He doesn't want to know.]
[Reaching out one hand from its spot clasped around his legs, he blindly feels for him now, snatching for his hand and gripping it tight. He can feel the steady warmth of his palm like this and the way his fingers move in his grip and it's better than looking at him right now, a better assurance that he's alive. Aki squeezes and squeezes, stuck in those memories of normalcy with only that handhold tethering him to the reality where it's all gone.]
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Heeey! [ His whine lilts out just as a leisurely moving minivan beeps by. ] Ah. [ Alright, then. After some seconds, the crossing signal flips to green, and they're back in action. He and his sister instantly tear away from Aki's grip, rushing forward like dogs cutting loose from their leash for the very first time. ] First one there's gotta eat a rotten egg!
[ Denji doesn't think twice about the correctness of what he's saying, doesn't even quite register that it's whoever's in first place that's getting the supposed punishment, still running with all his meager strength to get there and find a free spot. The area's speckled with different families, tourists, and young people — it's no wonder, seeing as the weather's not too overbearing between seasons. There's a gentle breeze, but nothing forceful enough to blow away anyone's chairs and umbrellas, to make Power's overgrown bangs whip in her face as she overtake his lead, of course, and sticks the landing somewhere in front of the changing room entrance, arms raised far above her head as if she were an Olympic gymnast. Eventually, he catches up with her, steadying himself with a grasp of her shoulder and breathing hard, perhaps worryingly, but he scoffs at the curious look she gives him, shoves her, then starts to walk off on his own, in spite of the tight punches of air escaping and hitting his lungs in tandem.
Power considers reaching out to him and giving Denji her own shove, but pauses, before sidling up and clapping one of her hands into his. The suddenness spooks Denji, but before he can slap her away, her hand squeezes down to keep him tethered and she swings both of their arms as she leads him forward. Waving a hand at Aki, wherever he is behind them, she points and yells out to him to meet them at a clearing ahead, near a pack of what looks like a pack of college kids.
His head swivels all around on the way there, marveling at each and every mundane sight. This much doesn't even scrape the surface of the sea's bounty, but even so…
The two of them lay their bags down, Power dragging out a pair of inflatables that she starts to puff into. Denji, in the meanwhile, glances up from the towel he's flattening out against the sand. Glances back down. He seems to have managed to catch his breath by now. ]
Took you long 'nuff.
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It's -
[But it doesn't matter. Before he can get a full sentence out correcting Denji's memory of the phrase, both of them are racing off toward the beach. Aki continues at a walk, coming up over the hill just as Denji shoves at Power, and then Power snatches his hand and drags him toward the clearing. He waves his hand to indicate he heard them, taking his own time to get to them, letting his gaze instead wander to the ocean. How long has it really been, since they did anything like this?]
[Dropping his bag next to Denji's, he only picks up on it because he missed his earlier heaving - the slight strain to his voice. Immediately his eyes jump to him, suspicious, worried... But he looks okay. Sounds mostly okay. He's okay, right? That brief run didn't mess with his lungs, right? Aki squats down as he flattens his towel out, sitting down on it before grabbing his bag and pulling out a bottle of sunscreen, offered out to both of them for whoever grabs it first.]
Here.
[First and foremost. Then he grabs a bottle of water and offers that out to Denji when Power ends up snagging the sunscreen first, declaring its properties to protect her vampiric skin from the wretched sun (she forgot about her vampire thing for a little bit, Aki muses). It's a casual offer. No outright worry in the stare he gives him, but it's not random that he's giving it to him, either.]
Go ahead - You can let him out. [Pochita, that is. It should be okay here, he thinks.]
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[ He starts to question, but stops short as he considers the offering, mouth lightly pursing. So he noticed…?
To his credit, he receives the lukewarm bottle without so much as a word of complaint, a quiet thanks sliding out beneath his breath. The lid opens in a solid twist, his throat bobbing rapidly as he swigs down at least half of the contents. Yeah, that hit the spot, his lungs feel considerably less squeaky. When he's done, he doesn't immediately put the bottle away, instead opening up Pochita's bag and pouring him a few servings of water into the lid that he holds out to the devil to lap at. But he seems more intrigued by their change in scenery than anything else, shaking off the cloth of the bag to sniff at the sand bordering their towel.
Chuckling, he ruffles the underside of his devil's belly. ]
Guess he's never been to a place like this before, either.
[ Nobody nearby seems to notice Pochita's presence as Denji continues trying to coax him to drink, something the devil's attention doesn't avail him to until he's satisfied with his investigation. Somehow, impossibly, within that same amount of time, Power's applied her sunscreen, finished inflating her floatie, and returned from the changing rooms wearing her one-piece swimsuit. When Denji looks up, he nearly falls over trying to catch the bottle of sunscreen she tosses in his direction. ]
Eh, you're going out already? I thought you said you'd wait for me!
[ "No such promises were made! And, besides, do you not hear that, Denji?" With flourish, she faces outward, a hand gesturing toward the sea — but not at it. Rather, she seems to be directing their attention to the speeding flash of yellow streaking across the waters. A banana boat. There are obviously people currently on it. "It's the sound of my ocean mount calling for me!" ]
Are you stupid? That's just the engine or whatever —
[ "It's calling!" ]
It's not calling —
[ But she's already making a run for it. Denji watches her splash into the water with a frown, then turns back to his more adjusted sibling. He raises the sunscreen bottle. ]
Help me put this on my back? I always miss a spot when we go to the pool…
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[Aki settles back and watches the waves as Denji lets the devil drink, trying not to focus on it. There's a vague worry that someone might come over and question the presence of the devil, but so far everyone seems more concerned with themselves, enjoying the nice weather before it turns too cold to go outside without multiple layers. He stretches his arms over his head as Power makes her appearance, declares her intentions, and begins running off, leaving Aki with only the option of calling after her to remind her -] Don't go out too far!
[...Which, she probably won't, given how cat-like she is. She's never been a huge water person, never enjoyed pool time as much as she enjoyed splashing people and riding on floats. Denji is more of a swimmer and more someone he needs to remind not to get too far away from the shore. Accepting the sunscreen, he moves slightly to get closer and squeezes some out on his palm.]
Be careful when you go out there. The tide can be stronger than you realize. [He lectures that as he rubs the lotion into his back, spreading it in long strokes over his skin and curling near his shoulders and down to his hips to make sure he hits ever spot. His neck comes next and he pushes the back of his hair up to smooth it right up to his hairline.]
[His eyes flit to Pochita, where he stands with his butt in the air sniffing at the sand again... Can he swim? He's told Denji not to put him in the tub but who can say if he actually listens to that kind of thing.]
Are you bringing him out there? [Someone has to remain back here with their things and Aki is content to let it be him for now.] Be careful. He doesn't have very strong legs. Stay where it's shallow, if you're going to bring him.
[He motions for him to turn around so he can get his face, too.] Or just leave him with me. I'll watch him.
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Naturally, the watery cast of the sunscreen runs cold across his skin. But it's the kind that's refreshing and tingly, the sensation helped along by how thorough Aki is in rubbing into the notches of his back, that hard to reach place between his shoulder blades. He doesn't realize his shirt's only halfway off, caught between his forearms, as he hums in half-attention to whatever cautionary advice he's giving him this time.
Yeah, yeah, he wants to say. Tides, strong. Denji, weak. He gets it.
At some point, he'd sneaked a sigh and briefly let his eyelids drift closed, but with Aki's inquiring, he looks Pochita's way. So maybe he's been sticking him in tub every so often in preparation for this very moment, but just as Aki said, his legs aren't suited to the terrain. It's cute seeing him struggle in a controlled environment, but he'd feel pretty bad tossing the devil into the deep sea and watching him take in water like a sinking ship. ]
You're not going in?
[ Setting his shirt aside, he turns slightly, drawing his crossed legs up in the movement. ]
I'll stay back for a bit too. [ He's dreamed a lot about going somewhere so clear and vast. Playing beach volleyball. Hitting on older chicks with low-cut bikini tops. Jumping into the water fast and hard enough to splash everyone within a 100-meter radius. Now that he's here, though…
It's strange. He's still excited, but he isn't in a rush anymore. ]
Guess you've been to places like this before. [ With his family. The real one. That's what he can only assume by how easy Aki's taking it, compared to them two. ] Umm, do all beaches look the same after a while…?
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[It definitely seems like he's calmed down a bit. Squeezing some lotion onto his fingers, he waits for Denji to settle before dabbing it in dots across his face before scooping his hair back with one hand to rub it into his skin with the other.]
What, the beach? [And his next question confirms that's what he means.] It's been a little while... I think I went when I was a baby, and then when I was a little older, I think... But most beaches don't look the same. [From his very limited experience, but he says that like it's fact.] Like how streets don't all look the same, even though they're made of the same stuff.
[Sitting back at last, Aki seems satisfied with Denji's coverage so he begins to rub some lotion on his face as well. The beach seems pretty safe... Probably no one is going to come by and yoink their day bags, but it still feels unsettling to ditch it all. So he'll wait a bit. Make sure Denji and Power have their fun.]
I'll go out in a bit, you should go have fun. Wasn't this whole thing your idea? [That's how he remembers it. With oily fingers, he prods at Denji's cheek.] I'm not going to be lonely.
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Ueh…!
[ He furiously smears the back of his knuckles against the side of his face, churlish, as if Aki'd just streaked mud across it. ]
Dream on! Like I'd care if you were lonely! I just… [ His brow furrows, straining for a different justification for why he's hanging back. ] It's not fun being the only one who's bored. We're all supposed to have fun. That's the deal we made. It's your last year being in school with us, so…
[ His words drift off, a blank he only fills with a quiet sigh. His gaze falls, lands on a trail of three parallel lines he'd combed into the soft ground at some point during the conversation. Always three, always together. ]
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Fine, have it your way. Just make sure nobody dog-naps Pochita, y'know, since he's such a rare breed 'n' all.
[ And then, because he never learns, Denji runs ahead. ]
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[I won't be bored, he wants to insist. Why is Denji worrying about him? He'll just be relaxing on the beach, watching the waves. He doesn't think something like that is fun? ...Maybe "fun" isn't the right word, but still. There's a reason people like to watch the ocean. It's relaxing. And when's the last time he's really relaxed?]
[But he gets up, at last, and Aki thinks maybe he's realized he's being a little clingy right now - until he dumps sand on his head and, nope, he's just being a brat. Aki swipes his fingers through his hair, trying to shake the grains out, as Denji runs off to the waves. He nearly calls out to him, reminds him not to run... but manages to stop himself. This is about having fun. Yelling after Denji to not give himself a heart attack or another episode of some kind is likely to make him miserable.]
[See, he's learning a little bit. Leaning back and glancing down at the devil on his beach towel, he settles back and crosses his legs.]
...Rare breed, huh.
[Pochita looks at him briefly, as if unsure if he's talking to him, before turning his attention back to the water. At least he's not trying to run after Denji. He watches the two of them on the water, Power with her lithe but strong body surfing the waves on someone else's banana boat, commandeering the vessel and parading it like a pirate captain, and Denji as her lowly lieutenant, still close enough to shore that Aki doesn't feel too anxious by the sight. He watches them roughhouse on the water, even huffs a laugh a few times.]
[It's not that he's still thinking of what Denji said, a few days ago. But when he does turn his head to the shore and sees the mothers and fathers sitting on their beach towels, doing the same as him, watching their kids play in the water... It feels weird. It never doesn't feel weird. There are a few friends, he notes. A few younger people. Siblings, maybe, tanning or enjoying the warmth of the sun before it becomes too cold to bask in. But they're not watching the water like he is, like the adults are.]
[Is he an adult, now? By virtue of no one else being one? He smells cigarette smoke nearby and crinkles his nose, pulling his knees up. At least he's not an adult who smokes.]
[He could fall asleep like this. Half shaded, half sunned, watching the water lap at the shore with the devil dog slowly wagging his corded tail while doing the same. But he won't. He'll keep his eyes on the two of them, ready to jump up at any sign of danger. He doesn't have to be a mom for that to be his role.]
[But he is still thinking about that comment, in the end.]
[His target is Power, diving under the water before either of them can spot him coming toward the shore. There's enough other kids that it's easy enough to blend in, shirt stripped left with the devil dog, and so he can easily sneak up behind her and snatch her by the arm and leg, shocking her into releasing her grip on her steed and pulling her down into the depths. She yowls like a cat when he lets her go and insists the water is acidic to her but it creates a scramble for someone else to take a seat where she's been hogging.]
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…Yeah, that aside, nothing's tugging him out to sea, nor seriously testing his footing — so he's good. Really good.
He can stand on his own.
The next moment, unable to stop himself, he's buoyant. Giggling and splashing around in the waters all on his own, doing a little hop as larger wave charges him. That way he can really feel his toes floating, his gravity stalled just for a second. The sound of his laughter, like it's being punched out of him with how light his chest is. Unweighed by anything that may come after this. Denji spins on his heel, about to wave Aki over, ask if he saw how big that wave was, if he noticed how he withstood it, easy — just as Power plows her boat at full speed into his back, dunking him face-first into seawater. ]
Wah! — ghrgglegle…
[ Power's practically seizing with cackles, fist twisted at the crown of his head, even as her float bounces against the waves. He can't really hear (or breathe) very well underwater, but in his struggle for air, he catches something ludicrous about culling all tax evaders from her righteous and all-powerful dominion. But who knows and who gives a shit. He hates her stupid boat. He's in a bad position to try to fight back, try to flip her over, his efforts going nowhere until he hears her yelp from above him.
No longer anchored down, Denji clings to the side of the banana, gasping, coughing up seaweed, scrambling to heave a leg over and collapse on top. The tow on the boat looks like it'd been forcefully shredded, making it no better than an overgrown floatie. How she managed to control it to get to Denji is beyond him. Probably, he's better off not knowing.
The girl in question continues flailing against Aki (since when did he get here??), desperately trying to climb on top of him to use as a ledge to jump off from and back onto her boat. ]
Nuh-uh, not happenin'! Ditch her and hop on, dude!
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[Denji looks waterlogged, scrambling up the edge of the banana, and there's a brief moment where Aki wants to tow him right to shore and insist he get his wits about him, smack his back a few times to get all the seawater out of his throat. But then he's being climbed by Power and instead he ducks backward, dunking her into the water as her hair blinds her from a sudden wave. He did warn her that she should put it up before getting out here...]
[Shaking his head of water as he surfaces again, Denji calls out to him as Power sputters and Aki briefly looks back, makes sure Power isn't about to drown, then pulls himself up and over, right behind Denji as he slips and squeaks on the rubber.]
[Then he realizes - ] The tether broke... [So Power is going to try and dislodge them right away, which she seems keen on doing. But Aki knows how boats work and knows you don't need a boat to move another boat. They've got limbs, right?]
[So he leans forward to speak to Denji over Power's blatherings about them being imbecils who stole her mount, telling him,] Hold on. [...and then slides off the back of the float, holding onto the rear of it and leaning forward to paddle kick them away from her. She puts up a good chase, but Aki's legs are well-toned and trained. Swimming is exhausting but as he dodges and weaves between her attempts to grab them, he looks and feels... happy. Like he's having fun. It's kind of weird - This was a trip for them, right? Who knew he could have a good time, too?]
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[ Denji's laughter sloshes out of him like bubbly champagne overflowing a flute, still hanging on to the stem of the boat as Aki paddles them away from their evil overlord of a sister.
Wild hair sticking over her face, Power tries to give chase after them, looking very much the picture of a supernatural entity haunting a VHS tape. But, of course, she quickly tires of being wet. There's a reason why she always claims that her favorite thing to bathe in is the blood of her enemies, not water. So after just a few minutes in, she groans in aggravation, throwing a little tantrum by slapping her arms against the water, causing a splash that only jumps out maybe a foot around her, but in her head is probably a meter-long tidal wave. Huffing several times in a row, she begins to turn and make the swim back to shore. ]
G'job. You actually got her to give up. [ There goes Denji's gleeful observation. That's what you call basking in the fruits of someone else's labor. He leans over to pat Aki's shoulder, trying to signal to him that he can stop pushing them now. …And just because he can from this vantage point, Denji tousles his older brother's hair, splitting his bangs to give him a middle part. Heh. ] C'mon, get up here.
[ Denji's hand hangs out loosely for Aki to help pull himself onto the inflatable mount. ]
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[Power swims off toward shore in a huff and, privately, Aki is relieved. She'll make herself a sand castle and wear herself out and it'll make their evening easier. Denji holds his hand out to him, motioning him up onto the float, but Aki doesn't accept it, instead hauling himself out of the water and onto the divot behind Denji alone. Not out of annoyance from the hair tousling or anything - that only got a brief flick of his hair (and a realization that he needs to trim it, that it's getting longer again) without it disrupting Denji's restyling attempt. Settling himself behind him, Aki sighs, the rush of his heart from all that effort strangely relaxing. Maybe because it felt like useful effort? Like seeing the floor shine after you've finished scrubbing it, even as sweat makesthe back of your shirt damp. Something like that.]
She's going to complain all afternoon. [He shifts in his seat, trying to angle himself over the boat properly. He's larger than Denji not just in the muscle department and it feels like his weight is making him slide back into him. Turning his head to look up the beach, he can see Pochita still sitting beside their stuff, but is he awake or asleep...? Aki can't tell. Either way, it doesn't look like anyone's tried to nick their stuff. Turning his attention back to Denji, he swipes a hand up his front, pressing his palm on his chest. Even though his own pulse feels good, feels like a good workout, he can't say the same would be true for Denji.] Are you feeling okay? You're not pushing it? [His feet lightly paddle in the water as he does, not moving them so much as keeping them balanced in the gentle waves.]
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Rolling his eyes as Aki pushes himself up just fine, Denji obliges his extra weight by at least scooting to avoid throwing off the balance of their stolen float. Scratch that, trying to scoot — whenever they hit a low-cresting current, it tilts him closer to Aki. They're not overly strong waves, but each time it makes his heart rate jump. A quick scour tells him that they're not that far from shore, that even Power was able to make it back within a few minutes, but it's farther and deeper than he's ever personally been in any body of water. Not that he's scared. He's doing quite well at holding on to the slippery plastic of the float. …But at some point, during another wave, his grip flutters out in a brief panic, landing on Aki's forearm. ]
N-Nah. I'm good.
[ His mouth flinches into a smile. That's not very convincing, he knows it, so then Denji takes a breath. With his next exhale, his chest deflates under the pressure of Aki's hand. ]
I mean, the water's clear and not that cold, [ Denji adds, chin rising as he looks ahead. There are a few actual boats hoisted up with sails further out, some people skiing. But all he's looking at is the shimmering sea. ] And then the air tastes different than how it does back home. It's wide, but not in that way where it feels like there's too much dead space, you know? [ He laughs. ] No sharks to meet, but that's alright. Seriously, I'd stay out here forever if I could…
[ Things were a little touchy with Power's rough play, but it's not like he's mad at her about it. Rather, it's his favorite part about her — that she doesn't treat him like foam that'll disperse with a wave of someone's hand, unlike somebody he else he knows. He wants to be able to do stuff like that with her, to wrestle and dunk her head underwater, and laugh until there's no more air in their lungs to wheeze out. It's how things should be with them.
But this body…
Denji leans into Aki's shoulder until their arms are pressed together, looking down at the defined muscle next to his leaner one. Frowning at the stark difference, as he wraps a hand around Aki's bicep, squeezing at the muscle, then moves to his own. ]
…Since when did that happen? We looked almost the same back in middle school. [ He bends down, poking at his brother's abdomen. Playful, mostly. Mostly. ] And this, too! What the hell? That didn't used to be there. C'mon, man, leave some brawn for the rest of us.
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[It would be nice to stay like this forever. It is different here - Even with the waves rocking them and disrupting the balance of the float every now and then, it feels nice. There's the background noise of other kids playing, splashing water, the sound of the wind. Denji's weight near him, tangible enough that he doesn't have to look for him to know he's around. The air does taste different, he agrees. It tastes salty and chilly, but neither so much to be uncomfortable. It's just nice. No sharks, either, and that's a positive, not a negative.]
[But he knows they can't possibly stay anywhere forever. Not when there are so many places he has to go. Things he has to do. They can come back here one day, he thinks blithely, once he's done with all of that.]
[Denji nudges at his arm, squeezes it, moves onto his stomach, prodding at his muscle. In response, Aki only offers a brief huff at first, clearly bothered by his touching which is taken as teasing, mocking. Then he reaches around to grab at Denji's belly in retribution, squeezing the thin fat that barely bulges out enough to even be called a stomach. He wants to say something about how all of Denji's diet of snacks and crap doesn't have the right ingredients for a six pack, but when he squeezes down and feels the pad of his fingers through the meat... He sighs, frowning across at him.]
You're gonna eat a lot while we're here. Remember? We're going to get nice seafood - That'll get some meat on you. [He teased that he wanted to get seafood but hasn't brought up his goal of getting fresh eel just yet. There's a restaurant he especially wants to get them to, where their unagidon is supposed to be the best in all of Hokkaido.] After that, when we go home, you'll have a bunch of fat to burn while you go running with me. Right?
[He hasn't had much of a chance to train while they've been dealing with everything. Hopefully the devil situation will be done and dealt with when they return and life will go back to normal. He pats Denji's stomach before leaning forward to try and angle the boat toward shore.] Come on, let's make sure she isn't digging to the Atlantic.
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The only problem is that Aki, himself, can't seem to forget. Denji sees it in the way he discards the youthful gleam in his eyes for a dimmer luster, adopting that same parental countenance he usually does when he gets it in his head that there's something that needs fixing about him. Something, it seems, he thinks can be fixed by the likes of another teenager. And maybe there is, but can't they spend one day not fussing about it?
Rubbing at his flat, plain stomach, Denji lowers his gaze to where his knees disappear into the water. Aki will likely think he's being difficult for saying this, but he can't help himself. ]
You wanna go already…?
[ His lips squish down together, tight and sealed, as if to keep his full disappointment from spilling forth. Seafood sounds good. But when he frames it that way, relative to him gaining and keeping that mass… It somehow takes the enjoyment out of eating. Without a single warning, he starts to slip down from his seat, falling into the water with a plunk. He's not as strong a swimmer as the other two, but he can at least do a quick stroke beneath the bottom of the boat, reappearing with a surging splash on the other side of Aki. ]
Well, I heard in PE that swimming's the go-to thing to do for burning that kinda stuff, so I'll stay out here a lil' while longer. [ Denji's fingers squeak against the plastic of the boat, trying to shove it in the direction of the shore. ] You can split if you really wanna.
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You're staying...?
[Aki's surprised, watching Denji splash out into the water and turning his head to see him pop up on the other side. He puts his legs out to stop the motion of his push - Not just yet, he's not going to push him away so easily. Even though there are other kids around and he can see Denji from shore...]
[...Ah, god, he's doing that thing again. He's really being too much like a mom. He's doing this because of that, isn't he? Trying to prove he's fine out here and that Aki doesn't need to babysit him. Yes, you do, a voice on his shoulder reminds him, but he frowns, turning and sliding off the side of the banana without waiting for him to make another attempt. If he's going to stay here, then he should keep the boat.]
Don't go out too far, okay? Stay where you can feel the bottom. [They're both wading, sure, but the sandy, sea-grass-tangled bottom still isn't too far down. He pauses, his hand on the side of the boat, and wants to say something else - that he should pace himself, that it's not about gaining muscle, that it's not like Aki's disappointed in him, or wants something more from him. But he doesn't know which of those statements are actually true, or... if any of them are.]
I'll go check on Power, and the devil. [And so he makes his way back to shore, passing him one last look before he fully turns around. The next wave mostly carries him there and once he can walk, he makes his way up the beach to their little spot. Power has come back to it and is busy placing bits of sea shells and rocks in a small pattern (must be some kind of magic seal, based on her mumbling) while Pochita has his eyes closed, tongue barely peeking out from between his lips. Aki squats down and dries his face off, then turns to look back out, searching the sea for Denji's head. Watching, and waiting.]
[Maybe it's cruel that he's expecting something awful to happen. But given their week, maybe it would be stupider if he was blind to the possibility.]
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If only who he was holding back were Aki instead, to make him stick around for a while longer. Didn't have to be forever, but just long enough to make it last. For a time, they used to take swim lessons together at the orphanage. Aki was already at a higher skill level when he arrived, and Denji used to get so jealous that they had to be separated, that the other kids could crowd and hang around him, ask for advice. And even though Aki would always gravitate back to them after lessons, help to correct his stances, he was always afraid he wouldn't. It's so stupid. They've had enough chats about this stuff…
Denji spends a little while longer out at sea. Mostly floating, weaving a hand through the waves. Playing pretend with himself that he's getting cast away to some stranded tropical island. Wouldn't that be fun. Wouldn't that be something. A few people his age holler at him to toss some colorful beach volleyball back their way, and that was something, too. The waves get calmer, more still the longer he's by himself. Riding along on his back, he watches a flock of birds congregate overhead. Huh.
About thirty minutes in, he notices he's gotten farther from the beach shore. Aki, Power, Pochita — if he didn't already have a vague idea of where they were located, they'd blend in with the sparkling minerals of white stretching before the embankment ahead. Feet kicking, he unmounts from the boat, hanging off the side and starting to propel himself back to the shore. It's as he's passing by a different group of kids, he pauses to catch his breath and watch a motorboat with flashing lights speeding a fair distance away, then a loudspeaker droning on repeat: "Devil sighting. Return to land now. Devil sighting. Return to land now."
He blinks. Looks to an older, nervous-looking girl who catches his eye in turn just as the motorboat flips into the air, landing with a sharp surge of water. It sends him and everyone else sloshing closer to the beach, scrambling to swim away. More sirens sound in the background. ]
Huh? Ah, ah —
[ Still holding on to the boat for dear life, afraid to get swept under a new set of waves coursing his way, Denji keeps pumping his legs. He's still a ways back compared to the girl from before and what looks like her brothers — they've already managed to get ahead of him, making for the rest of their family. Panicked, his mouth keeps going under, he keeps taking in more water into his lungs, his nostrils burning with each burbling breath, limbs splashing. His eyes start to darken. Denji starts to sink. ]
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[At some point, the waves carrying the blond boy start to look calm. Aki settles. Power is building a castle with some of the rocks and shells she's gathered, Aki behind her carefully pulling her wet hair into a ponytail in an attempt to keep any more sand from getting into it. He mutters something about a trim but she denies the idea, stating the length of her hair is indicative of her magical prowess (where did she hear that, he can't help but wonder) and it's while he's finishing with the last snap of the elastic that the loudspeaker starts blaring.]
[His eyes shoot up. The boat sounding the warning is sent flying into the air and a wave of water starts sending people back to shore regardless, but while everyone on the sand is gathering their things and calling out names toward the water, calling for people rushing out of the surf to come toward them when they're not heading up the shore themselves, Aki is going in the opposite direction.]
[He rushes toward the ocean as the strong wave hits the shore, people carried with it and splashing out and onto dry land as the surf backs out. It's carrying too much water and pulling too far back and Aki thinks - This is just like the tsunamis. The ones made by the Gun Devil, the ones that happened after it, the ones that left towns drowned. He tries to stumble out into the water, yelling Denji's name, scanning the top of the waves for his head, for his hand. He thinks he sees him but he can't tell. Someone grabs his shoulder but he pushes them away - and again when they snag him by the arm, order him back, tell him to stay out of the water. Aki whirls around to send a kick at the stranger in uniform - like hell is he going to stay here, he wants to snap. Like hell is this going to happen again.]
[He remembers taking swimming lessons, how it came oddly easily to him. Gliding through the water felt good, felt simple and natural. He liked the silence under there, the way everything was drowned out by the simple presence of water, only water. Maybe an echo on the other side of the pool, some bubbles by his ear. But it was relaxing under the surface. Slicing through it like butter, diving below the waterline with fingers tightly set together to part the surface. And the way Denji would watch him, wrapped a hand around his wrist when he would finally come back over to him. Let him hold onto his shoulders as he carried him through the water. Let him and Power cling to his legs as he pumped them up and down while he sat on the side of the pool.]
[He shoots through the water just like back then, too, and within moments he has Denji in his grasp. The waves pulled him closer, thankfully, and the "tsunami" Aki was so worried about is less a tsunami and more a big wave that disturbs the tide for a few cycles. He crashes through the surface and sets Denji's head on his shoulder as he grabs under his arms and, with practiced ease, begins pulling him back to shore.]
[Toward Aki, who is behind dragged up the beach by the man from Public Safety.]
["He's breathing," the man with Denji tells him at the top of the beach, standing on concrete as two other men watch the water. Everyone has evacuated off the sand, but they're still scanning the surface for stragglers. "He probably swallowed some water, just keep him on his side 'til the ambulance gets here." Aki doesn't say a word, staring down at Denji in furious silence. He can feel his eyes clouding. He's furious. He's furious, that they pulled him back like this. He's - ]
["There it is!" one of them shouts, drawing a sword and bounding down the beach. A whale leaps from the water, sending another strong wave toward shore. Some civilians gasp, some stay and watch; most flee. It doesn't look like a whale, not really - it's pitch black and full of spots, the shine of sun on its teeth hinting at something sharper than normal. Aki swallows down the racing of his heart, reaching out to squeeze Denji's hand tight. Ugh, to cry at a time like this.]
[Just wake up, he wants to tell him. Just wake up and prove this isn't anything. Just wake up and be okay. Just wake up and don't...]
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Somewhere in the upper reaches of his awareness, a strong pressure slams into his chest in measured repetition. His nose pinches, his head tilts. Discomfort jars throughout his every part of his body, warm blows clearing a path down his throat. Wait, what?
Denji gurgles, and then his eyes burst open as several coughs judder out from his chest in a row, fluid gushing from his nose, his mouth, spilling to the side. Stinging tears budding from his eyes. His sand-crusted lashes almost take on the appearance of moths with how furiously they beat, inexhaustibly desperate to reach the closest source of light. He can't stop coughing, his chest feels congested, like he can barely get a breath in — another backwash of water splashes to the sand, his wrist purposelessly raised to his mouth, as if to stifle anything else from dispelling from his lungs. After a while, the hacking abates. He doesn't know when it happened, but his head is rested against Aki's chest, hand fitted loosely in his hand.
His gaze flicks to the side, where an emergency responder sits on his knees, wiping away at the refuse staining his pants from Denji's coughs. ]
Wha… What happened? How come… you're crying, Aki?
[ "You're a lucky kid! Almost got swept under by a wave earlier out there," another cheery responder pipes up, approach them from behind to drape a foil blanket around Denji's shoulders. Power, who was sitting on the sidelines up to this point with an anxious frown, hurries to crawl in and swathe herself in the same blanket, clinging to his arm. The responder laughs, but quickly covers her mouth with a hand with one look from her partner.
"They had you on your side, but we administered CPR as soon as we arrived." She looks at the lot of them for a moment, thoughtful. "Mind if we get your friend moved to the vehicle? Gotta make sure his airway's all cleared. You can come with us, but please sit to the side for now. It's better to evacuate from this area, anyway."
The man who helped render aid to him, places a hand to Denji's back, egging him to get to his feet and walk with swaying steps toward the ambulance. ]
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[Yet again he's pushed aside when the ambulance finally arrives, when the healthcare worker works the water Denji's swallowed out of him and he's coughing to life. Aki stutters forward to grab him when he falls into his chest, patting his back quickly like it'll help get the rest of the seawater out, like it's just a burp. Like he knows what he's doing. His eyes are wide, shocked, red with tears. Like he didn't actually expect it to happen this time. Like this was seriously going to be the last time.]
[Aki stares down at Denji as the blanket is wrapped around him, as Power comes barreling forward and meets their pile. He snaps out of his stupor at her sudden contact and grabs them both, tugging them against him and squeezing tight. The aid worker says something to him, urges them to the ambulance and Aki thinks - No. No, he doesn't want that. No, he doesn't want them to take him away, to remove him from their home. No, he can take care of this, he's done fine up til now, he's...]
[Aki takes in a breath. Incapable. Unable. Can't. His grip goes lax around them as the shock rolls through him again. The aid worker helps Denji to his feet and moves him slowly toward the back of the ambulance and Aki watches, his eyes still wide.]
[He couldn't do anything, he realizes. Even if he'd made it to Denji, he couldn't have protected him. Couldn't have woken him up. Would he have died out there? Would they both have?]
["Aki!" Power snaps him out of it and he blinks in surprise. She's tugging him upright, toward where they've taken Denji. Stumbling to his feet, he begins to hurry after her but is stopped suddenly by one of the Public Safety hunters. He's staring at Pochita where he's standing nervously by the edge of the crowd, less guarding their bag and more acting as part of their luggage.]
["That yours?" he asks, and Aki stares at the man for a moment. No, he could say, kill it. Would that make it better or worse? Worse, probably, because he said he would kill it, if he ever hurt Denji. And this time, he didn't do anything wrong. Only Aki did. Letting Denji be out in the water like that. He finally nods and motions for Pochita, who barks before turning and rushing toward Denji instead. Aki stands still for a moment, his face wet and eyes stinging.]
[All he wants to do is squat down and cry. He's so angry he could punch himself. Slowly he makes his way to the ambulance, wiping at his face with the heel of his palms. Power is staring at him expectantly and for once he appreciates that she knows to shut up when something serious is happening. He wouldn't be able to handle her trying to cast a spell on him right now.]
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Denji gets the gist, though. Something bad has happened. People are hurt, and he's one of them. That's why Aki was crying again. Because he couldn't keep himself safe for less than an hour without him. He's so uncool. So —
He tries clambering up on to the foot the stretcher alone, but thinking he's tripping over that first step, the two first responders rush in to help, gripping him by the pits of his arms.
Weak. God, why is he such a weakling?
He knows his siblings are nearby, but he can't bear to look their way. It's embarrassing. Doesn't want them to see the pink glaze stinging his eyes, how his nose is dribbling. That's why it's a relief when the man who'd resuscitated him blocks his view, starts going through the same old motions and check-ups. They listen to his chest, his heart. Ask about his name, where he's from, his medical history, the usual stuff, the stuff he just did a few days ago at the clinic and now he's doing it all over again. When does it stop? Will it ever? Denji makes a disgusted, watery noise at himself. Blinks hard as he scrubs at his nose with the back of his wrist, but the act seems to worsen the clogged sensation in his lungs, crawling up his throat.
"You're okay," the man says, handing his partner the clipboard he was jottings notes down on. Seeming to sense his distress. "You're doing well. Breathe slow."
Denji's not okay. Denji's not doing well. Denji's sick of this shit.
Air blows past his lips, blue and still tasting of salt.
"She —" He juts a thumb toward the other paramedic who throws up a peace sign. He stares at her until the gesture drops. Denji watches the interaction, wary. "She's going to tell your siblings we'd like to monitor you for a few hours at the hospital. One moment."
His mouth snaps closed, ready to object. But the finger held out to his face is an easy indication to Denji to shut his trap.
"We'd like to, but we can't. With this incident, and the rise of other attacks recently, the hospital is fully occupied. You were lucky that yours is a case of non-fatal drowning. You don't exactly fit the cleanest bill of health, but you're awake and you're lucid. No memory issues. If you start experiencing trouble breathing or extreme migraines, we want you to come in and get checked, but I'm not concerned that'll be an issue. You're free to go whenever you're ready." ]
…'kay. Thanks. [ He glances in Aki and Power's direction, noticing the latter of the two on her feet, springing toward him. Aki probably isn't too far behind her. His head staggers down a notch in a quick bow of his neck. ] I mean, thank you very much, sir — urk.
[ Power hops into the back of the vehicle, squishing into his side, nearly pushing him off the stretcher with little care to Denji's own comfort. Body squirming from within her nuzzling, he darts a glance among the other faces there, searching for any form of aid. ]
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[It's difficult to get near the situation without feeling like he's intruding. Which is beyond stupid - He can see kids crying and their moms holding them in their laps, shushing them gently even when they aren't hurt. Maybe a scraped arm or a stubbed toe. Shouldn't Aki be right in there, too? Shouldn't they be part of this, not shoved off to one side, watching from a short but too far distance as Denji rubs at his face, his front still soaked with seawater...]
[He's gripping Power's hand so tightly that she finally says his name, snapping him out of it as one of the aides come their way, looking back at Denji briefly as if to double check this is the right group before she turns her attention to Aki. "We want to bring him to the hospital," she begins, and Aki immediately snaps, No. He knows he's gripping Power's hand too tight again but it's for a good reason. If she's so confident about snatching up one of them - ]
[But she's quick to put her hands up in a placating manner, explaining the dilemma, that the hospital is too full. That he seems okay, that he's breathing and isn't looking like he's on the verge of collapse. That his breathing seems a little rough and that they should monitor him, that if it gets worse they can bring him to the hospital. And is that okay? Despite her too cheery tone feeling uncanny in this situation it's actually working to calm Aki down, enough that he loosens his grip on Power's hand to the point that she can slip free and hurry over to Denji, tackling him into a tight hug with Aki calling her name pointlessly after her. He starts to follow but the paramedic stops him, a hand on his shoulder. "He's breathing a little rough, and his pulse is pretty high," she explains, looking over her shoulder at Denji just as his eyes meet theirs. "You'll bring him in just in case anything happens, right? He said you all live down south - You shouldn't travel if he's still in bad shape. Okay?"]
[Absolutely not, he wants to say, because the truth is that Aki wants to go home, now. He doesn't care about this trip or playing hookey or any of the myriad of reasons he finally agreed to this whole thing. The idea of taking Denji to some hospital in an area he doesn't know only for them to suddenly find something wrong with him and that means they have to keep him overnight and then the next night and then a week and then a month and then -]
["You okay?" she asks suddenly, reaching into her pocket and taking out a handkerchief. Fat, wet tears are spilling down his cheeks but Aki looks furious despite it, staring down at the ground with a fiercely knit brow and lips pulled so tight they may as well be gone. "We can - "]
Don't take him. [He mutters it, his voice on the edge of cracking on the last word. With the threat of more cracks following, he quiets for a moment, reaching up to wipe his face on the back of his hand, smearing a few grains of sand over his cheeks before daring to look at the woman again.] He's - We've got medicine. I'll take care of...
[...As if. He got dragged away before he could even get a foot near the water. All he has in his travel bag is some antiseptic and ibuprofen. None of that can help Denji, and if not for all the people around him right now, he wouldn't even be alive right now. Raising his eyes to look at Denji, still far enough away that he'd need three or four steps to reach him, he can't help but think - ]
[What can Aki even do, anyway?]
[He sits with the two of them on the opposite side of the street, the whole area still blocked off but the opposite side is where the shade is, where he tugs them both to with his hands outstretched and grasping each of theirs tight. Denji in between them, he doesn't say a word, only slowly rubbing his back up and down, repetetive and gentle, like he can somehow scoop all the unhealthy out of him, all the badness that's crawled inside him that's made him this way and coax it into one solid lump that he can tug out and leave him with only good, only health, only happiness. It isn't fair, he wants to insist. It isn't fair that he found a new family and things keep threatening to destroy this one, too, before he has any ability to protect it properly. It's just not fair - but it's not like any of this knowledge is new.]
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…All his life, he's had so much to answer for. This part, this solace eclipsed in Aki and Power's combined vitality, their infinite warmth, is just another log to the ledger. That time before with the devil, too, and every other time he's watched pain and fear scar Aki's face, every time Power had to walk slower when he knew she longed to run. Every time Denji knew it was his doing.
A sudden thought: Maybe it's not them buoying Denji, but Denji anchoring them. Dead weight. Holding them back from setting off, two sails bound for the horizon.
It's with that he tries to lean away from them. Straighten out of their little huddle, fingers clenching and unclenching to work the numbness out. He needs to. They need him to, or else they'd be there the rest of the day. ]
I'm okay, [ he says, mainly for Aki's benefit, since he's the one who needs the reassurance most. Even if he's the least likely to believe him. His voice may be hoarse, worn down, but it's level, because that's the part that matters most to his siblings, so he has to stick the landing, make it believable. Meanwhile, his heart thunders in double time. ] Geez, your eyes are runny… Powy, didn't we pack anything, in case he saw someone stub their toe and start bawling for 'em?
[ Power actually nods. Releases his arm in exchange for a nice pat to her head, her nose tilting every so slightly upwards in smugness as she dumps the contents of her bag out into her lap. A tissue lands in his hand, and Denji reaches his arm over, dabbing at the sandy particles stuck to his cheeks, folds its over with a quick pinch of his fingers to bring a clean canvas for Aki to achoo into. ]
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[He doesn't want to. Aki wants to turn his nose away and stick it up to the sky. The feeling of either of them caring for him will never not bring with it a feeling that it isn't right, that they're doing something incorrect by rubbing his shoulder or convincing him nothing is wrong. It's treating the symptom and not the cause. All the effort is going to the wrong spot. Denji scrubs at his face and then presents it for him to blow and a terrible thought barrels into him, that in another world, Denji wouldn't be here to ever do something like this again.]
[More wet, messy tears gather in his eyes and his lip quivers, pulling tight and causing his chin to wrinkle. It's not fair, he wants to insist, like saying it out loud will matter at all. It's not fair that Denji is like this, both sweet and clueless and stupid and understanding. He offers the tissue but all Aki can see through the cloud of tears is the way his fingers look pale and wrinkled from the water.]
...Just wanted-- ... [His voice cracks, and Aki's lips pull shut again, now pouting in embarrassment, frustration. He settles his chin onto his knees and then lowers his face into them, rubbing at his eyes against his bare skin. Into the valley of his legs, he finishes what he was going to say.] ...Just wanted you to have fun.
[He wanted things to be normal, for once. He wanted them to experience a vacation in a normal way, playing with other kids and getting to eat a ton of food and getting lost in a new city and falling asleep in starchy yukata in a hotel. But now - After all that, how can they even think about having fun?]
[He shouldn't have let him go in the water. He should have told him to come in with him. He should have stayed out with him. He should have stayed back home. He should have gone to the house with Taiyou.]
[A new crop of tears wet his eyes and he squeezes his legs together tight, the same thoughts barreling into him over and over. You should have gone with him. You should have stayed inside. You should have brought gloves outside in the first place. You should have kept walking when he threw that snowball at you. You should have told him you were happy that he was your brother. You should have done anything - But all you did was stand still.]
[There's a sound like a heavy wave crashing the shore, a few devil hunters calling for people to say back from the corpse, but Aki doesn't even look up, shivering and shaking as tears run down his cheeks. He wants to go home. He misses his mom and dad. He misses Taiyou. He misses his house, his neighborhood, his school, his bedroom. The little TV set he used to watch cartoons on in the morning while he ate breakfast. Even though he knows thinking back on all of this just makes it all worse, it crashes into him like a tidal wave, forcing each memory down his throat like water flooding his lungs. Is this how Denji felt, too? Or was it more peaceful than this? Did he stop thinking and just surrender? He doesn't want to know.]
[Reaching out one hand from its spot clasped around his legs, he blindly feels for him now, snatching for his hand and gripping it tight. He can feel the steady warmth of his palm like this and the way his fingers move in his grip and it's better than looking at him right now, a better assurance that he's alive. Aki squeezes and squeezes, stuck in those memories of normalcy with only that handhold tethering him to the reality where it's all gone.]
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