[Power's attack on the coals as he tries to explain how using sand to extinguish them works is a good enough distraction that leaves Aki out of earshot of the conversation at the picnic tables - and, perhaps thankfully, the sight of Komine and Denji sitting so closely together. When Aki tells her the fire's been defeated or whatever and Power is delightfully skipping her way over to the larger group, Aki is right on her tail and the conversation lulls on his approach. Luckily (or maybe depressingly) he's never been the sort to mind that sort of thing and has his focus on Denji instead of any talk about their likelihood of imminent death, setting his hands on Denji's shoulders and squeezing them.]
All thanks to the great Power. [Or whatever it is. The dullly-stated praise still puts a confident grin on her face as she explains her method of stabbing the fire into submission to the other attendees as Aki keeps his hands on Denji's shoulders, gradually sliding them down to set his elbows on him as if he's the edge of a table or against the top of a fence. There's no actual pressure or force, though - he knows it's highly unlikely Denji could ever hope to hold him up.]
[The slight dip to his posture does give him some closer proximity to Komine, but she's caught up in a conversation with the treasurer now. Something about putting marshmallow on roasted potatoes... His attention turns toward the other topic across the table, a discussion about whether they even need to do homework when school has been shut down for this long, and Aki opens his mouth to begin saying it's better to do it sooner rather than have a repeat of the end-of-summer depression Aki witnessed them all fall into last year... Except he feels a slight nudge of a shift along Denji's body and it isn't a motion done by Denji, himself. Not him leaning over or leaning back or even being shoved by Power. Because it's in the opposite direction. When he glances down, he sees it: Komine's shoulder, lightly bumped up against Denji's, as if nothing at all is unusual about the act.]
[Were it anyone else, he'd think maybe they forgot he was there or something. But this girl...]
[He reaches up and squeezes Denji's cheeks, pinching both of them at once.]
Even this guy's done his homework. You've got no excuses. [There's a brief sense of amusement and some laughter at the sight of Denji with his cheeks pinched, the topic turning a little more positive. Even Power claims she was given a special assignment to complete that required her to travel to the Han Dynasty and Akane properly calls out that she's been reading too much Three Kingdoms, earning another good laugh from the group.]
[Except Komine, who isn't laughing at all. But Aki doesn't pay her any mind, patting Denji's cheeks as if nothing happened at all.]
[ As his siblings take up residence around him, the back of Denji's head butts into Aki, resting against his stomach. Attention receding from the disparate conversations going on at the same time, and from the cute girl to his left, he flits a questioning, if brief, look up at him. It's not like it's that out of the ordinary for him to mess with Denji, but usually Power's the monkey hanging off the nearest available surface on his body, treating his arms like a tree limb. Is he in a good mood or something?
But before he can give any true thought to the question, his attention shifts once again, spine tensing up at Komine's extra pleasant body warmth lolling into him. Oh, wow… Does she want him to put an arm around her shoulder? She totally does, right? This may only be their second time meeting, but the talking, the scarf, the touching — all signs are pointing loud and clear with flashing neon lights that she's really flirting with him! In front of everybody!
His throat bobs the way a buoy at the end of a fishing reel does when something's taken the bait. Denji's arm lifts, slowly — ]
[ But then, suddenly, his gums are stretched open. Suddenly, everyone's laughing at him. It's an ambush of the worst kind, not just due to having no time to react, but because it comes as a betrayal.
A hot swelling feeling grips his collar, his cheeks, the whole canvas of his face as Denji gapes for a horribly long moment. He doesn't even notice the conversation moving along to Power's hyperbolic account of an event that never happened 2,000 years ago, too busy trying to recover from the embarrassment. Komine's back is faced away from him.
Denji shakes off the traitor's cheek pats with a weak bat of his hand, curving away from him to sputter out to a preoccupied (and disinterested) audience: ] I… I did really well on my midterm, too. I got a 77.
[ To which, someone spares him a slightly confused, Er, not bad, Mini, but that's about the only reaction he receives. He passes a few seconds sitting there in his own bubbled silence. When he next says something, the words are a mumbled string of, Y'can take my seat, gonna get a drink, as he gets to his feet, the ends of his borrowed scarf trailing behind him. His hand's slid into a pocket, feeling around for leftover change from their grocery run. ]
[Denji offers his seat as he rushes off to buy something, and Aki starts to say that he can give him some money but shuts up when he sees the way his head is dipped and, most telling, the way his ears are glowing with warmth.]
[Maybe with anyone else, he wouldn't notice such a thing. Or maybe he'd just ignore it. But... Seriously, he's doing Denji a favor, here. This girl isn't a good match for him. She's weird, and too quiet, and - not normal. Which, sure, Denji's the furthest from normal, too. But that's exactly why Aki would prefer he get with someone normal. If he gets with anyone at all. Which he's not going to, for now.]
[Besides, they're moving after Aki graduates, and this girl's not coming.]
[He sits down in Denji's spot as the conversation continues. Komine doesn't say anything to him or at all seem to acknowledge him and after a few minutes also gets up with the excuse that she has to head home for some reason or another. The treasurer says she'll walk with her, safety in numbers and all that, and the boy who had been playfully teasing Denji wonders jokingly if they should have the Mini Hayakawa escort her, too.]
[Aki shuts this down immediately:] Like hell is he walking back on his own. [...Then winces a little when the treasurer shoots him a look.] What, you want me to go with you, too?
["You want Akane to walk back all by herself instead?" one of the boys sneers. Aki grimaces. The treasurer scoffs and says something about being more than capable of taking on a zombie by herself and Aki quickly interrupts:] Let's go, let's just go...
[Before Denji gets back. Before Denji gets any idea of joining. It'll be near dusk by the time he walks to both of their homes and back, and Aki has no desire to have any of the other students deal with that. Pointing his finger at the others, he tells them to go home in a group like Public Safety says, then follows the two girls up the street, away from the vending machines.]
[ It's in the midst of dragging himself to the vending machine, kicking fallen twigs and pebbles, feeling stupid for taking off instead of playing things cool, that an idea strikes him head-on. He almost stops in his tracks completely to look around and see if Power had stalked him, but seeing no one else on his lonely path, Denji's plodding gradually hastens into a furious galloping. ]
C'mon, nearly there, c'monnn…
[ Loose gravel bites into his knees as he feels around the inside of the dispenser for his last jammed drink, several like chilled cans of tea collected by his side. Naturally, Denji's too unemployed to be buying so many refreshments, but with a few shakes and well-aimed pounds, any wish can come true — for free — as far as he's concerned. After a few seconds of struggling, re-angling himself, his fingers stretch just the last bit of distance he needs to dislocate the can from its precarious position. ]
Yatta! Smell ya later, Lame Denji! Welcome home, Awesome and Popular Denji — owie!
[ Denji lurches back from the edge of the machine he'd rubbed up wrong against with a pointless glare, then shoots forward again to leave one last fist-sized dent into its walls. Hah! Payback's a bitch!
Cans filling his arms, he gingerly tucks his chin against the top of the pile before bounding back to their apartment at full speed ahead, a song in his step. The rubbers of his shoes surely worn down to the thinnest layer, he skids to a hot stop right as he reaches the entrance, blasting inside with a giddy expression. ]
[ Power's halfway inside the door to their apartment unit, bags of leftover vegetables hanging from her arms. However, with his arrival, she pauses to rear her head back out and gleefully look down at Denji from over the railing. "Aah, 'tis right on time~ My throat was dry! Leave your sad little offerings on my altar, Denji, gyahaha!"
With a toss of her hair, she pushes herself back inside.
Still carrying the bunch of tea, he collapses on the bench, empty of laughter and friends and his brother. Even the neighborhood bird feeder took her leave some time ago. The train rumbles in the distance. After a few, he hears the open and close of a door above him. Stomping down. If Aki were here, he'd tell her off for making such a racket and to put on some shoes; but only Denji's present, so he allows her to pluck every last one of the cans from his arms, transferring the whole lot of them into the pockets of her hoodie.
She's clearly about to skip off until she makes a sudden pivot, gracing the top of Denji's head with, not one, but two cans of tea stacked on top of each other. She departs with a singular pat to the topmost one, slightly throwing it off balance and falling into her brother's lap. ]
["You really think something bad would happen, just walking a few blocks over?" t the treasurer sks when they're far enough away from the home. Aki shrugs his shoulders. They already passed a guy in a suit that looked suspiciously padded - Public Safety, without a doubt. Everyone knows they're crawling around the city. But what does that matter? People die when Public Safety is around, too. "Better to be in a group," is all he says. Akane hums, then turns to Komine and asks, "Hey, didn't you have a scarf? Did you forget it?"
"I gave it to someone else," she replies, her eyes glancing briefly at Aki, knowing he knows. And just like that, he takes the bait.
"Why did you give it to him?" he asks, almost demanding, enough that Akane shoots him a look for his tone. Komine looks away, her brow fretting. "My brother - Denji. You gave it to him."
"Did you want it, instead?" she says quietly. Aki rolls his eyes. "He looked lonely. I thought he could use a pick-me-up. That's all..."
"You sound jealous," Akane says, a tone of humor hiding her obvious annoyance at how Aki is speaking to her friend. "Your little brother's always getting into trouble - I heard he was the one who tried to start that find-a-girlfriend club or whatever, right? So why are you mad a girl's finally talking to him? Even if it's out of pity."
"You're not even really related," Komine mutters. Aki feels his fist tighten as he pockets them both. Akane's lip twitches as if she knows it's not the best thing to say, but Aki is the enemy right now, so she doesn't scold her.
"Don't bother him if it's just out of pity," he says at last. "He gets enough of it from me."]
[Aki's at Akane's home first, waving good bye as he realizes he's now stuck alone with Komine who doesn't seem interested in talking to him at all. Thankfully, his phone buzzes, providing the perfect distraction.]
Just bag it up, you can leave the coals I can take care of them
Bah, not THAT trash. I've already squandered the time I could be giving Meowy her cuddles on transferring your detestable vegeterribles to the refrigerator!
For the record, I fully expect you to kowtow before me the moment you return. And make me a hot choccy before bedtime.
[ Because, apparently, this is what they call hot cocoa in the Hayakawa household. ]
Thanks to my kind and forgiving nature, I'll overlook your misunderstanding. But only out of pity for belonging to a species of a lesser IQ. hahahaha
[ Annnnnnnyway… ]
Stupid Denji's wallowing again. He looks like he might walk himself to the trash drop-off any second to sit there and wait to be picked up by one of those little blue trucks in the morning.
[ Which Power clearly can't have. Denji's the one who sneaks her candy after dinner and blow dries her hair. If she were to task only one servant to do the job of two, that would lead to the worst possible catastrophic end imaginable: worker burnout! Protests lining the streets! Molotov cocktails thrown through her windows, spraying glass shards all across the ground with no one to sweep them up into the rubbish!
No, she can't have that.
…And besides, Denji's been so breakable lately. She doubts he would last a single night outside without them. ]
I forbid it! Take care of your mess, Aki Hayakawa!
[Aki is very used to getting a sea of messages from Power like this when she's riding high. The constant buzz of his phone with each incoming curse against him and demand for more attention just has him staring down at his phone while he walks beside Komine, the latter staring at the houses they pass by in a definitely purposeful attempt to pay no attention to him. Aki waits through the sea until she finally mentions Denji.]
He's... [He stops himself, frowns. Komine doesn't look at him, either ignoring him or she didn't hear. "Wallowing"... If even Power can recognize it and name it wallowing, it must be heavy. But more than that -]
Why is it MY fault?
[What the hell did he do? He even introduced him to a girl. Doesn't he get some points for that? Never mind his cockblocking later, Denji got a scarf out of it. He didn't do anything wrong.]
[ Temporarily, her enthusiasm for Aki's misdeeds is disarmed due to his bland response, but also, at that exact moment, Pochita releases a row of high-pitched whines, circling in front of the door, sitting, then circling again. Waiting for Denji to come home to no avail.
She tucks up a slat to the window blinks, peering outside just to make sure her brother, the most concerning one, is still there. And sure enough, his silhouette is sitting within sight. ]
Hmph. It's totally your fault.
[ And, for once, she's not just saying so to absolve herself of all accountability. ]
Such a pity you lot have no self-awareness… It's why you fall to shameful destinies, like bankruptcy and increasing divorce rates.
For one, you played him a fool in the presence of your ugly friends. If you'd disrespected ME like that, I would have put you on the grill and had a nice meaty harvest!
[Aki blinks in shock at his phone, his posture changed enough that he actually senses Komine glance over at him. He grits his teeth, feeling his face burn up.]
I did not
I complemented him
I said he did a good job. I didn't do anything mean
[He told them he did his homework. That means he complemented him. Sure, he kind of tugged at his cheeks or whatever but he sometimes just does things like that, it's not like their classmates were laughing at him. Or - at least, not at his expense. Not in a mean way. It was just a joke. Why would Denji care so much? He doesn't even know those guys.]
[...And since when does he have to defend himself against Power?!]
He's just mad he didn't get a kiss he'll snap out of it
[ Hoooooooooooo…! She always knew her blood fiend intellect was far superior than whatever pebble pinballing in Aki's head, but to think he wouldn't understand something so elementary about Denji. Wow, this feels good. Should Power really tell him? ]
'Tis a brilliant farce you've spun for yourself human
Since you don't want to live in reality with the rest of us, maybe I should let you keep on in ignorant bliss! Wouldn't that be so nice of me?!
[ Wait, what was her original purpose for messaging Aki again… Oh, that's right, she needs him to fix Denji… ]
…Or if you dare! You can kneel right where you stand and send me a picture! Maybe then you'll deserve a clue
[Considering how fast Aki's message comes, it's clear Power is getting to him. That he's starting to doubt himself, believe that he might have actually fucked up. That maybe Denji might even be mad at him. Again. Didn't they just get through with a fight not too long ago? Ugh, and this time Power even seems to be on his side. What the hell, he didn't pants him or something, what does he have to be upset over...?!]
Tell me or else
["Or else" what, but the answer doesn't come because Komine suddenly speaks up - "Hayakawa."]
[Aki looks up from his phone, jolting a little at the reminder of her presence. She's not looking at him, her gaze turned toward an apartment complex a block away. "That's my home. The orange one."]
["Oh," he says. Silence as they continue walking, as he tries to bring his focus back to Power, but - but it's awkward. He'll wait until she's inside. "You're not too far from the treasurer. Are you guys childhood friends?"]
["You don't have to make nice with me." Aki tries not to roll his eyes, swallows down an explanation about the purpose of polite conversation and casual talk. "Are you really going to Tokyo when you graduate?" she asks suddenly, but Aki is so used to the question that all he says is, "Yeah." Komine slows as they get to the entrance of the building, the automatic doors wooshing open when she gets close. "What about your... siblings?" Again, a question he's used to, and Aki tells her they're coming with him. Komine sighs, standing between the doors as she looks back at him, frowning like he just gave her the wrong answer and he knows it. But Aki doesn't wince or back down, offer a pithy thing like I'm sure we'll stay friends or whatever. Actually, he'd prefer Komine not get near Denji again.]
["You should at least try to let him have some fun."]
[She leaves him with that comment as Aki watches her go inside without even offering some sort of good-bye. He has no idea why she's like that. Why she's so weird. What does that even mean? Did he not have fun today? Hell, even if the beach trip was a nightmare, he was having fun at the beginning.]
[What's with everyone lecturing him today...?! If he was an ounce more empathetic, he might think that this must be how Denji feels all the time.]
Tell me or else I'll scrub you with the dandruff shampoo again
What? Scoundrel!! That's against the rules. 'Tis your punishment to pay dearly in this life AND the next for your insubordination!
[ Weaker beings always get like this when they've been shown their place, resorting to these lowly tricks. Power's above all that, of course. …But whenever he lathers that unholy concoction into her hair and uses warm water to rinse it out, it prolongs the stinging even more! She can't risk it. Protecting Denji's pride ranks among the bottom rung on her list of things worth sacrificing her hide for. ]
Gah. Don't tell him I told you this But that fool is sick with something I learned about recently Apparently it's incurable And no known remedy is available to the public to slow its delightfully excruciating symptoms As prime minister, I would be the first to know and provide my stamp of disapproval if there were one!
[ The latest episode of Solved! Detective Magician — Secret Tricks and Just Plain Secrets was a powerful, heart-wrenching one. Watching the case of the twins, the youngest a yakuza member, the oldest a law-abiding detective working with the titular character to crack a series of gang-related crimes — she couldn't believe her eyes. The initial antagonizing reunion. The harrowing back-and-forth, oscillating between genuine warmth and bittersweet resentment. The moment of weakness when one of them was stabbed.
It was then, Power knew. ]
Have you heard of this disease called the brother complex?
[Were it anyone else, Aki would be annoyed at the implication that Denji is sick with anything. But Power wouldn't be so flippant, so he waits as her messages come back to back, teasing him along, dangling the answer right in front of him only to finally reveal...]
What?
[He says it out loud, incredulous, stopping in his tracks on the sidewalk. Brother complex - Of course he's heard of that term before, but isn't that usually for girls who are from unhappy families, or families without strong parental role models, or rocky homes, or kids who can't make friends outside of their family unit, or...]
He's dense about those fatty chested ones. Can't tell a girl from il supremo! A flesh bag from an unparalleled genius predator the likes of whom humanity can never hope to best in anything from pro-wrestling to hanafuda.
Like yours truly! It's insulting! I should punish him!
[ But an appropriate quartering can wait until Denji's emerged from his muck. As well as after she's finished enjoying her third can of tea. Caffeine is the succor of kings.
After a long sip, she continues. ]
You, he gets sensitive about. Have you never noticed? Of course you haven't.
[ The following him around. Looking to him for approval. Reacting to every thing Aki does — that's the brother complex piece. ]
When you treat him like the precious baby duckling he is in front of your human friends, it tells him that's all he'll ever be! And his face lights up like he might cry and pout! Or poop his pants.
[ It's funny. Usually, Power enjoys seeing it quite a bit.
Except with him making that expression so often these past few weeks, it's gotten, hm, boring? Like when a channel announces that they're going to be running old episodes of a certain show all weekend long as part of a special program. You can't help but want to flip to something different after the first hour. ]
So? What do you think of your amazing sister's awesome powers of observation?
[He has to doubt this. Because this is definitely stupid. Brother complex - Come on. Just because they're tight-knit doesn't mean Denji is obsessed with him.]
It doesn't explain why he's upset today. I didn't do anything to him
[Lightly teasing him is nothing - He does that all the time! Why would he be moping just because Aki poked his side a little? He just needs to get over it and move on. Like usual.]
If you're bullshitting me I'm going to use the shampoo
[It's too many in a row. Every time he tries to type something a new one comes in. Aki can barely get a single word out.]
Stop it
STOP
[Why the hell is she angry now?! She can't possibly be right. It just doesn't make sense! So what if Denji acts differently with girls than he does with Aki? And so what if he looks up to him? He teases Denji all the time. And Denji hits him right back! Sure, not in front of other people, or Aki's friends, but - But that's just different. Aki would definitely scold him if he did that. So that's why he didn't say anything today. Not that he would have, anyway. Because Aki didn't do anything wrong!]
[But that's just the shouting he's doing in his mind. The subconscious, that quiet and niggling little voice in the back of his mind - it's thinking about it. It's turning over what Power is saying, molding it in its hands. Brother complex. Sure, they all have complexes. That comes with the territory of their individual histories. Hell, to the untrained eye, someone might even think Aki has a brother complex. (The idea of it is so buried that not even his unconscious can consider the possibility.)]
[Denji is a good kid, he wants to argue. All the time, he wants to argue this until he's blue in the face. It's that thing he's heard all the time, what he tries to embody when pushing his way past something difficult or something he isn't "supposed" to be doing yet: Fake it 'til you make it. If you keep saying it, it'll come true. Denji, this pitiful boy with numerous problems from medical to emotional to physical to neural... He's just a kid, he wants to argue. He's just a kid who doesn't know anything else. So Aki can be his loach. He hates it, sure. He can't stand being an anchor for him, trapped in the mud. But he's not just an anchor - he's building a foundation for all of them, surely. Even as he drags them toward his own goal, that goal will surely build a better world for them, too. Isn't that what an older brother is supposed to do? Test out the depth of the puddle before letting them cross the street? Check the faucet to make sure the bath isn't too warm? That kind of stuff. What's wrong with being a little protective, a little realistic about what they can do? And if that means making sure some girl doesn't get any ideas about him, then so be it. For the sake of a steady future.]
I'm heading home. Get him to at least come inside. You guys shouldn't stay out alone
[Especially as it gets dark. With the curfew that takes effect in an hour or so, they all better be home before the sun officially sets. Not that devils care about sunlight or moonlight.]
[ Humans really will do what they're wont to do, succumb how they're wont to succumb. They lie, cheat, ignore, believe in convenient truths when they're inconvenienced by their own illogicalities, and when challenged, they double down. Power, herself, is a shining example of this, but she's more evolved than the regular human. Everything that Aki and Denji do, even the cowardly things, she does on a grander scale, belongs to a grander calling. Those boys can blabber all they want about her 100-yen shop horns, that her contacts make her look like a chuunibyou, but she doesn't care!
She'll show them one way or another that she knows better: It's not Denji who needs to come inside; it's Aki who needs to come home. Faster.
So like a strong gust, Power blows out of their apartment once more with a joyful whistle on her lips, hopping on to the stairwell railing, sliding down the bar like Aki's told her not to just the other week. Denji's still there cast in the darken hues of twilight, ridden with that sickly melancholy, but he looks up at her approach. She's close enough to see his brow scrunch — ugh, what kind of wretched expression is he greeting her with? Was he expecting someone else? He should count his lucky stars that the urge to smack him is only circumvented by her graciousness.
With an upturned nose and proud smile, Power joins him on the bench as if lowering herself onto a throne. Throwing a leg over her knee, she taps out — ]
But I'm right here… You're bein' a liar again, [ Denji grumbles, shoving away Power's phone to lay his head back down on the table over his crossed arms. She'd spun it in his direction to show off her brilliant plan, but he can't bring himself to see the point. He isn't even a little curious about what those two were talking about to prompt this.
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no subject
[Power's attack on the coals as he tries to explain how using sand to extinguish them works is a good enough distraction that leaves Aki out of earshot of the conversation at the picnic tables - and, perhaps thankfully, the sight of Komine and Denji sitting so closely together. When Aki tells her the fire's been defeated or whatever and Power is delightfully skipping her way over to the larger group, Aki is right on her tail and the conversation lulls on his approach. Luckily (or maybe depressingly) he's never been the sort to mind that sort of thing and has his focus on Denji instead of any talk about their likelihood of imminent death, setting his hands on Denji's shoulders and squeezing them.]
All thanks to the great Power. [Or whatever it is. The dullly-stated praise still puts a confident grin on her face as she explains her method of stabbing the fire into submission to the other attendees as Aki keeps his hands on Denji's shoulders, gradually sliding them down to set his elbows on him as if he's the edge of a table or against the top of a fence. There's no actual pressure or force, though - he knows it's highly unlikely Denji could ever hope to hold him up.]
[The slight dip to his posture does give him some closer proximity to Komine, but she's caught up in a conversation with the treasurer now. Something about putting marshmallow on roasted potatoes... His attention turns toward the other topic across the table, a discussion about whether they even need to do homework when school has been shut down for this long, and Aki opens his mouth to begin saying it's better to do it sooner rather than have a repeat of the end-of-summer depression Aki witnessed them all fall into last year... Except he feels a slight nudge of a shift along Denji's body and it isn't a motion done by Denji, himself. Not him leaning over or leaning back or even being shoved by Power. Because it's in the opposite direction. When he glances down, he sees it: Komine's shoulder, lightly bumped up against Denji's, as if nothing at all is unusual about the act.]
[Were it anyone else, he'd think maybe they forgot he was there or something. But this girl...]
[He reaches up and squeezes Denji's cheeks, pinching both of them at once.]
Even this guy's done his homework. You've got no excuses. [There's a brief sense of amusement and some laughter at the sight of Denji with his cheeks pinched, the topic turning a little more positive. Even Power claims she was given a special assignment to complete that required her to travel to the Han Dynasty and Akane properly calls out that she's been reading too much Three Kingdoms, earning another good laugh from the group.]
[Except Komine, who isn't laughing at all. But Aki doesn't pay her any mind, patting Denji's cheeks as if nothing happened at all.]
1/2
But before he can give any true thought to the question, his attention shifts once again, spine tensing up at Komine's extra pleasant body warmth lolling into him. Oh, wow… Does she want him to put an arm around her shoulder? She totally does, right? This may only be their second time meeting, but the talking, the scarf, the touching — all signs are pointing loud and clear with flashing neon lights that she's really flirting with him! In front of everybody!
His throat bobs the way a buoy at the end of a fishing reel does when something's taken the bait. Denji's arm lifts, slowly — ]
2/2
A hot swelling feeling grips his collar, his cheeks, the whole canvas of his face as Denji gapes for a horribly long moment. He doesn't even notice the conversation moving along to Power's hyperbolic account of an event that never happened 2,000 years ago, too busy trying to recover from the embarrassment. Komine's back is faced away from him.
Denji shakes off the traitor's cheek pats with a weak bat of his hand, curving away from him to sputter out to a preoccupied (and disinterested) audience: ] I… I did really well on my midterm, too. I got a 77.
[ To which, someone spares him a slightly confused, Er, not bad, Mini, but that's about the only reaction he receives. He passes a few seconds sitting there in his own bubbled silence. When he next says something, the words are a mumbled string of, Y'can take my seat, gonna get a drink, as he gets to his feet, the ends of his borrowed scarf trailing behind him. His hand's slid into a pocket, feeling around for leftover change from their grocery run. ]
no subject
[Denji offers his seat as he rushes off to buy something, and Aki starts to say that he can give him some money but shuts up when he sees the way his head is dipped and, most telling, the way his ears are glowing with warmth.]
[Maybe with anyone else, he wouldn't notice such a thing. Or maybe he'd just ignore it. But... Seriously, he's doing Denji a favor, here. This girl isn't a good match for him. She's weird, and too quiet, and - not normal. Which, sure, Denji's the furthest from normal, too. But that's exactly why Aki would prefer he get with someone normal. If he gets with anyone at all. Which he's not going to, for now.]
[Besides, they're moving after Aki graduates, and this girl's not coming.]
[He sits down in Denji's spot as the conversation continues. Komine doesn't say anything to him or at all seem to acknowledge him and after a few minutes also gets up with the excuse that she has to head home for some reason or another. The treasurer says she'll walk with her, safety in numbers and all that, and the boy who had been playfully teasing Denji wonders jokingly if they should have the Mini Hayakawa escort her, too.]
[Aki shuts this down immediately:] Like hell is he walking back on his own. [...Then winces a little when the treasurer shoots him a look.] What, you want me to go with you, too?
["You want Akane to walk back all by herself instead?" one of the boys sneers. Aki grimaces. The treasurer scoffs and says something about being more than capable of taking on a zombie by herself and Aki quickly interrupts:] Let's go, let's just go...
[Before Denji gets back. Before Denji gets any idea of joining. It'll be near dusk by the time he walks to both of their homes and back, and Aki has no desire to have any of the other students deal with that. Pointing his finger at the others, he tells them to go home in a group like Public Safety says, then follows the two girls up the street, away from the vending machines.]
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C'mon, nearly there, c'monnn…
[ Loose gravel bites into his knees as he feels around the inside of the dispenser for his last jammed drink, several like chilled cans of tea collected by his side. Naturally, Denji's too unemployed to be buying so many refreshments, but with a few shakes and well-aimed pounds, any wish can come true — for free — as far as he's concerned. After a few seconds of struggling, re-angling himself, his fingers stretch just the last bit of distance he needs to dislocate the can from its precarious position. ]
Yatta! Smell ya later, Lame Denji! Welcome home, Awesome and Popular Denji — owie!
[ Denji lurches back from the edge of the machine he'd rubbed up wrong against with a pointless glare, then shoots forward again to leave one last fist-sized dent into its walls. Hah! Payback's a bitch!
Cans filling his arms, he gingerly tucks his chin against the top of the pile before bounding back to their apartment at full speed ahead, a song in his step. The rubbers of his shoes surely worn down to the thinnest layer, he skids to a hot stop right as he reaches the entrance, blasting inside with a giddy expression. ]
H-Hey! I got drinks for everyone… Uh?
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With a toss of her hair, she pushes herself back inside.
Still carrying the bunch of tea, he collapses on the bench, empty of laughter and friends and his brother. Even the neighborhood bird feeder took her leave some time ago. The train rumbles in the distance. After a few, he hears the open and close of a door above him. Stomping down. If Aki were here, he'd tell her off for making such a racket and to put on some shoes; but only Denji's present, so he allows her to pluck every last one of the cans from his arms, transferring the whole lot of them into the pockets of her hoodie.
She's clearly about to skip off until she makes a sudden pivot, gracing the top of Denji's head with, not one, but two cans of tea stacked on top of each other. She departs with a singular pat to the topmost one, slightly throwing it off balance and falling into her brother's lap. ]
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Human! Do you think me a garbage lord? Pick up your trash on your own!
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["You really think something bad would happen, just walking a few blocks over?" t the treasurer sks when they're far enough away from the home. Aki shrugs his shoulders. They already passed a guy in a suit that looked suspiciously padded - Public Safety, without a doubt. Everyone knows they're crawling around the city. But what does that matter? People die when Public Safety is around, too. "Better to be in a group," is all he says. Akane hums, then turns to Komine and asks, "Hey, didn't you have a scarf? Did you forget it?"
"I gave it to someone else," she replies, her eyes glancing briefly at Aki, knowing he knows. And just like that, he takes the bait.
"Why did you give it to him?" he asks, almost demanding, enough that Akane shoots him a look for his tone. Komine looks away, her brow fretting. "My brother - Denji. You gave it to him."
"Did you want it, instead?" she says quietly. Aki rolls his eyes. "He looked lonely. I thought he could use a pick-me-up. That's all..."
"You sound jealous," Akane says, a tone of humor hiding her obvious annoyance at how Aki is speaking to her friend. "Your little brother's always getting into trouble - I heard he was the one who tried to start that find-a-girlfriend club or whatever, right? So why are you mad a girl's finally talking to him? Even if it's out of pity."
"You're not even really related," Komine mutters. Aki feels his fist tighten as he pockets them both. Akane's lip twitches as if she knows it's not the best thing to say, but Aki is the enemy right now, so she doesn't scold her.
"Don't bother him if it's just out of pity," he says at last. "He gets enough of it from me."]
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[Aki's at Akane's home first, waving good bye as he realizes he's now stuck alone with Komine who doesn't seem interested in talking to him at all. Thankfully, his phone buzzes, providing the perfect distraction.]
Just bag it up, you can leave the coals I can take care of them
Is Denji back?
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For the record, I fully expect you to kowtow before me the moment you return. And make me a hot choccy before bedtime.
[ Because, apparently, this is what they call hot cocoa in the Hayakawa household. ]
Thanks to my kind and forgiving nature, I'll overlook your misunderstanding. But only out of pity for belonging to a species of a lesser IQ. hahahaha
[ Annnnnnnyway… ]
Stupid Denji's wallowing again. He looks like he might walk himself to the trash drop-off any second to sit there and wait to be picked up by one of those little blue trucks in the morning.
[ Which Power clearly can't have. Denji's the one who sneaks her candy after dinner and blow dries her hair. If she were to task only one servant to do the job of two, that would lead to the worst possible catastrophic end imaginable: worker burnout! Protests lining the streets! Molotov cocktails thrown through her windows, spraying glass shards all across the ground with no one to sweep them up into the rubbish!
No, she can't have that.
…And besides, Denji's been so breakable lately. She doubts he would last a single night outside without them. ]
I forbid it! Take care of your mess, Aki Hayakawa!
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[Aki is very used to getting a sea of messages from Power like this when she's riding high. The constant buzz of his phone with each incoming curse against him and demand for more attention just has him staring down at his phone while he walks beside Komine, the latter staring at the houses they pass by in a definitely purposeful attempt to pay no attention to him. Aki waits through the sea until she finally mentions Denji.]
He's... [He stops himself, frowns. Komine doesn't look at him, either ignoring him or she didn't hear. "Wallowing"... If even Power can recognize it and name it wallowing, it must be heavy. But more than that -]
Why is it MY fault?
[What the hell did he do? He even introduced him to a girl. Doesn't he get some points for that? Never mind his cockblocking later, Denji got a scarf out of it. He didn't do anything wrong.]
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She tucks up a slat to the window blinks, peering outside just to make sure her brother, the most concerning one, is still there. And sure enough, his silhouette is sitting within sight. ]
Hmph. It's totally your fault.
[ And, for once, she's not just saying so to absolve herself of all accountability. ]
Such a pity you lot have no self-awareness… It's why you fall to shameful destinies, like bankruptcy and increasing divorce rates.
For one, you played him a fool in the presence of your ugly friends. If you'd disrespected ME like that, I would have put you on the grill and had a nice meaty harvest!
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[Aki blinks in shock at his phone, his posture changed enough that he actually senses Komine glance over at him. He grits his teeth, feeling his face burn up.]
I did not
I complemented him
I said he did a good job. I didn't do anything mean
[He told them he did his homework. That means he complemented him. Sure, he kind of tugged at his cheeks or whatever but he sometimes just does things like that, it's not like their classmates were laughing at him. Or - at least, not at his expense. Not in a mean way. It was just a joke. Why would Denji care so much? He doesn't even know those guys.]
[...And since when does he have to defend himself against Power?!]
He's just mad he didn't get a kiss he'll snap out of it
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[ Hoooooooooooo…! She always knew her blood fiend intellect was far superior than whatever pebble pinballing in Aki's head, but to think he wouldn't understand something so elementary about Denji. Wow, this feels good. Should Power really tell him? ]
'Tis a brilliant farce you've spun for yourself human
Since you don't want to live in reality with the rest of us, maybe I should let you keep on in ignorant bliss! Wouldn't that be so nice of me?!
[ Wait, what was her original purpose for messaging Aki again… Oh, that's right, she needs him to fix Denji… ]
…Or if you dare! You can kneel right where you stand and send me a picture!
Maybe then you'll deserve a clue
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No
[Considering how fast Aki's message comes, it's clear Power is getting to him. That he's starting to doubt himself, believe that he might have actually fucked up. That maybe Denji might even be mad at him. Again. Didn't they just get through with a fight not too long ago? Ugh, and this time Power even seems to be on his side. What the hell, he didn't pants him or something, what does he have to be upset over...?!]
Tell me or else
["Or else" what, but the answer doesn't come because Komine suddenly speaks up - "Hayakawa."]
[Aki looks up from his phone, jolting a little at the reminder of her presence. She's not looking at him, her gaze turned toward an apartment complex a block away. "That's my home. The orange one."]
["Oh," he says. Silence as they continue walking, as he tries to bring his focus back to Power, but - but it's awkward. He'll wait until she's inside. "You're not too far from the treasurer. Are you guys childhood friends?"]
["You don't have to make nice with me." Aki tries not to roll his eyes, swallows down an explanation about the purpose of polite conversation and casual talk. "Are you really going to Tokyo when you graduate?" she asks suddenly, but Aki is so used to the question that all he says is, "Yeah." Komine slows as they get to the entrance of the building, the automatic doors wooshing open when she gets close. "What about your... siblings?" Again, a question he's used to, and Aki tells her they're coming with him. Komine sighs, standing between the doors as she looks back at him, frowning like he just gave her the wrong answer and he knows it. But Aki doesn't wince or back down, offer a pithy thing like I'm sure we'll stay friends or whatever. Actually, he'd prefer Komine not get near Denji again.]
["You should at least try to let him have some fun."]
[She leaves him with that comment as Aki watches her go inside without even offering some sort of good-bye. He has no idea why she's like that. Why she's so weird. What does that even mean? Did he not have fun today? Hell, even if the beach trip was a nightmare, he was having fun at the beginning.]
[What's with everyone lecturing him today...?! If he was an ounce more empathetic, he might think that this must be how Denji feels all the time.]
Tell me or else I'll scrub you with the dandruff shampoo again
[The one that stings.]
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'Tis your punishment to pay dearly in this life AND the next for your insubordination!
[ Weaker beings always get like this when they've been shown their place, resorting to these lowly tricks. Power's above all that, of course. …But whenever he lathers that unholy concoction into her hair and uses warm water to rinse it out, it prolongs the stinging even more! She can't risk it. Protecting Denji's pride ranks among the bottom rung on her list of things worth sacrificing her hide for. ]
Gah. Don't tell him I told you this
But that fool is sick with something I learned about recently
Apparently it's incurable
And no known remedy is available to the public to slow its delightfully excruciating symptoms
As prime minister, I would be the first to know and provide my stamp of disapproval if there were one!
[ The latest episode of Solved! Detective Magician — Secret Tricks and Just Plain Secrets was a powerful, heart-wrenching one. Watching the case of the twins, the youngest a yakuza member, the oldest a law-abiding detective working with the titular character to crack a series of gang-related crimes — she couldn't believe her eyes. The initial antagonizing reunion. The harrowing back-and-forth, oscillating between genuine warmth and bittersweet resentment. The moment of weakness when one of them was stabbed.
It was then, Power knew. ]
Have you heard of this disease called the brother complex?
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[Were it anyone else, Aki would be annoyed at the implication that Denji is sick with anything. But Power wouldn't be so flippant, so he waits as her messages come back to back, teasing him along, dangling the answer right in front of him only to finally reveal...]
What?
[He says it out loud, incredulous, stopping in his tracks on the sidewalk. Brother complex - Of course he's heard of that term before, but isn't that usually for girls who are from unhappy families, or families without strong parental role models, or rocky homes, or kids who can't make friends outside of their family unit, or...]
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3/3
[The color drains from his face.]
You can't be serious
But he's obsessed with girls
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He's dense about those fatty chested ones. Can't tell a girl from il supremo! A flesh bag from an unparalleled genius predator the likes of whom humanity can never hope to best in anything from pro-wrestling to hanafuda.
Like yours truly! It's insulting! I should punish him!
[ But an appropriate quartering can wait until Denji's emerged from his muck. As well as after she's finished enjoying her third can of tea. Caffeine is the succor of kings.
After a long sip, she continues. ]
You, he gets sensitive about. Have you never noticed? Of course you haven't.
[ The following him around. Looking to him for approval. Reacting to every thing Aki does — that's the brother complex piece. ]
When you treat him like the precious baby duckling he is in front of your human friends, it tells him that's all he'll ever be! And his face lights up like he might cry and pout! Or poop his pants.
[ It's funny. Usually, Power enjoys seeing it quite a bit.
Except with him making that expression so often these past few weeks, it's gotten, hm, boring? Like when a channel announces that they're going to be running old episodes of a certain show all weekend long as part of a special program. You can't help but want to flip to something different after the first hour. ]
So? What do you think of your amazing sister's awesome powers of observation?
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I think you're bullshitting
[He has to doubt this. Because this is definitely stupid. Brother complex - Come on. Just because they're tight-knit doesn't mean Denji is obsessed with him.]
It doesn't explain why he's upset today. I didn't do anything to him
[Lightly teasing him is nothing - He does that all the time! Why would he be moping just because Aki poked his side a little? He just needs to get over it and move on. Like usual.]
If you're bullshitting me I'm going to use the shampoo
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This wasn't how she reared Aki Hayakawa.
Which leaves Power with her last resort: a panicked spree of screaming texts. ]
DESPOT
DEFAMER
DENIER
I'VE NEVER BULLSHITTED A DAY IN MY LIFE.
YOU"RE BULLSHITTING YOURSELF!
THERES NO ONE WHO KNOWS MY MINIONS BETTER THAN I DO! AND THIS JUST PROVES IT!
DENJI HASNT HAD A FIRST KISS IN 15 YEARS WHAT WOULD IT MATTER NOT HAVING ONE TODAY, HUMAN!
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[It's too many in a row. Every time he tries to type something a new one comes in. Aki can barely get a single word out.]
Stop it
STOP
[Why the hell is she angry now?! She can't possibly be right. It just doesn't make sense! So what if Denji acts differently with girls than he does with Aki? And so what if he looks up to him? He teases Denji all the time. And Denji hits him right back! Sure, not in front of other people, or Aki's friends, but - But that's just different. Aki would definitely scold him if he did that. So that's why he didn't say anything today. Not that he would have, anyway. Because Aki didn't do anything wrong!]
[But that's just the shouting he's doing in his mind. The subconscious, that quiet and niggling little voice in the back of his mind - it's thinking about it. It's turning over what Power is saying, molding it in its hands. Brother complex. Sure, they all have complexes. That comes with the territory of their individual histories. Hell, to the untrained eye, someone might even think Aki has a brother complex. (The idea of it is so buried that not even his unconscious can consider the possibility.)]
[Denji is a good kid, he wants to argue. All the time, he wants to argue this until he's blue in the face. It's that thing he's heard all the time, what he tries to embody when pushing his way past something difficult or something he isn't "supposed" to be doing yet: Fake it 'til you make it. If you keep saying it, it'll come true. Denji, this pitiful boy with numerous problems from medical to emotional to physical to neural... He's just a kid, he wants to argue. He's just a kid who doesn't know anything else. So Aki can be his loach. He hates it, sure. He can't stand being an anchor for him, trapped in the mud. But he's not just an anchor - he's building a foundation for all of them, surely. Even as he drags them toward his own goal, that goal will surely build a better world for them, too. Isn't that what an older brother is supposed to do? Test out the depth of the puddle before letting them cross the street? Check the faucet to make sure the bath isn't too warm? That kind of stuff. What's wrong with being a little protective, a little realistic about what they can do? And if that means making sure some girl doesn't get any ideas about him, then so be it. For the sake of a steady future.]
I'm heading home. Get him to at least come inside. You guys shouldn't stay out alone
[Especially as it gets dark. With the curfew that takes effect in an hour or so, they all better be home before the sun officially sets. Not that devils care about sunlight or moonlight.]
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She'll show them one way or another that she knows better: It's not Denji who needs to come inside; it's Aki who needs to come home. Faster.
So like a strong gust, Power blows out of their apartment once more with a joyful whistle on her lips, hopping on to the stairwell railing, sliding down the bar like Aki's told her not to just the other week. Denji's still there cast in the darken hues of twilight, ridden with that sickly melancholy, but he looks up at her approach. She's close enough to see his brow scrunch — ugh, what kind of wretched expression is he greeting her with? Was he expecting someone else? He should count his lucky stars that the urge to smack him is only circumvented by her graciousness.
With an upturned nose and proud smile, Power joins him on the bench as if lowering herself onto a throne. Throwing a leg over her knee, she taps out — ]
Oh no Denji has gone!
I cannot find him!
[ (人๑>•̀๑) ]
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They both can do whatever they want. ]
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