windfall | what i desire most, what i fear most

[Aki glances down, watching the way Denji tilts his head to feed Pochita, and before he can take more than a couple licks he reaches out and raises his bowl up. Gives him a flat look. Because he's the last person he wants to be skimping on meals.]

You shouldn't worry about any of that stuff. Not until you're older. [Whatever "older" means, he doesn't expand on. Yes, it's a selfish thing to want to keep both Denji and Power out of any danger, out of any sign of trouble or in the path of destruction. Today was a misstep. If he had just stayed home when he got there, it would have been fine. Instead he came running after Aki after he was already safe.]

You two need to focus just on yourselves. You know I'm going to be fine - I'm not going to get hurt by a devil. And even if I was, that means both of you would be next in a heartbeat.

[Briefly, his eyes flit to the devil on the floor between them, snuggled up against Denji. Was that why he came back...? Did he think he had an upper hand with Pochita's saw?]

Until you graduate, keep your heads down and run home if there's trouble. Got it?

[He's said this same thing enough times, but never so bluntly. But they've never been in this close of a call before. Now, he needs to spell it out as clearly as he can.]

[ For all that Aki stresses and worries, Denji's surprised he hasn't sprouted a single gray hair yet. He understands that his brother means business, that he's serious about prioritizing their safety during all this, but being at the other end of his lecturing has his fatigue blooming into annoyance. Mainly to avoid saying something snippy back, he forces down the last of his bowl. Tell them to be careful, fine. But does he have to go so far as to treat them like liabilities?

It's not like he can confide in Power about his complaints, either, because she would probably say that's just how he is: high-strung and overprotective. In a lot of ways, it manifests in him being more generous than the taciturn face lets on to, in being considerate and someone he can count on to help him study for his exams or drag him back up to his feet when he trips. But in other ways…

It's hard to hear stuff like Aki's free to step on the gas all the way down the fast lane toward certain danger while they just watch. It's hard, but it's always been like that, and it's why his agreement to the terms spread before him isn't fully committed, yet not outright dissident. ]

'kay. Sure… [ Food bowl empty now, Denji… nudges the side of it into Pochita's face. All that's left is bitty rice grains and some a fine layer of broth. Aki can't complain about that. ] Until we graduate. But if a devil does hurt you, then that means the deal's off.

[Those are two stipulations Aki wasn't exactly prepared to hear. Visibly he hesitates, looking between both Denji and Power, but... What can he say? He wants to make sure they graduate and he doesn't think they'll ever be in a position to be near him if a devil ever did somehow hurt him. So fine. He nods his head, accepting both.]

Yeah.

[It's an easier night, thankfully. No devils, no sirens, no knocks on the door. Once their porridge is all scooped out and finished, Aki convinces the two of them to dismantle their fort so he can actually use the table and get some work done. The apartment is chilly and quiet since it's not quite time yet to turn on the heater (and Aki is still toughened enough by his Hokkaido winters to think it's that bad) so once he's finished for the night and ready to turn in, the idea of getting into bed and becoming warm and cozy is the perfect remedy for how the day turned out. Which is partially just what he planned.]

Denji...

[Calling out for him, once the beds are laid out and comforters spread over them, Aki says his name like he's coaxing a dog over with a treat. Whether he's in the bedroom already or hasn't come in yet, he sets his hand on top of his mattress, patting it to motion him over once he can see him.]

You want to share, tonight?

[It's not an offer he makes much, if at all, anymore. He used to when they were younger, both Power and Denji wrapped around his arms and nearly on top of him in his bed to the point it felt like he was being smothered. At some point Power declared she didn't like it anymore (though Aki thinks this is because she prefers cuddling with Meowy instead, since the timeline adds up with when she found the cat and suddenly decided she didn't need to crowd in on Aki's side anymore) but Aki is pretty sure Denji still likes it, still relishes the proximity and warmth of being close like that. After today and the mess that it was, his reasoning is twofold: he wants to give Denji something nice to end the day, and he wants to be able to feel immediately in case he ends up coughing in the middle of the night.]

[Power scoffs at his coaxing, Meowy curling around her legs in anticipation of sharing body warmth. But Aki ignores her and looks expectantly at Denji. After how much he scolded him and yelled at him today, this is the right way to finish the day, he thinks.]

[ Eyes wide with surprise, his head perks up, then tilts exactly 90 degrees with such pinpoint accuracy, one could almost see the pointed dog ears flopping over the side of his face. After a moment, he nods slowly, but doesn't stop, the speed with which his chin bobs up and down hastening in merely a handful of seconds.

It hasn't happened since Pochita joined the household, but usually he's the one worming through the covers, pulling and nudging Aki's limbs out of the way to carve out room for him to cozy up at his side, clinging to him like a leech who won't let go until he's had his fill of his body heat. When was the last time Aki freely presented the option to him? ]

Heck yeah, I wanna!

[ There's a first aid kit opened in front of him that he begins to hastily shove stuff back into. He's just about finished touching himself up, anyway — replacing most of the bandages for his scratches, applying pain relieving ointment for his bruises. It would have taken him less time if he hadn't been forced to stop in infrequent intervals just to heed off Pochita's curiosity every time he began poking his nose too deeply into the box.

Clambering out of the room to return the kit to its place, he ricochets back inside, sliding into the opening still waiting for him, arms fully spread out. Pochita leaping in after him in quick succession. Probably nearly hitting Aki in the process, and if he actually does, Denji certainly doesn't pay it any mind, turning onto his side to grope his hands around his brother's sides. Palms rubbing at his hips to generate some more heat; he really doesn't get why they have to wait so long to turn on the heater. The blankets never feel more enough this time of year.

Not pausing, he nuzzles his face into his chest and says through Aki's shirt, voice muffled: ] …Why're you being so nice?

[Aki has just a minute or so to prepare himself to be tackled so he's thankfully more prepared than usual when Denji comes crashing in, but Pochita's leap into him isn't as expected. He startles, flat on his back as Denji rubs into him and watches as Pochita moves around looking for a spot to lay down. Immediately Aki jerks his head at him - right now, he doesn't want anything to get between him and Denji. If he stops breathing in the middle of the night or starts coughing or chokes or - anything, he wants to feel it the moment it happens.]

Nice...? [He watches as Pochita moves on the other side of Denji, a little huff coming from his nose as he adjusts himself over there. Aki rolls onto his side and pulls the blankets and covers over them both.] You went through a lot today.

[You know, almost passing out, the devil hunters who came here, and... the devil itself. And the dead student. Enough that he started talking like Aki was going to get hurt or die. He sighs, brushing his hand through Denji's hair and trying to tame the parts that keep sticking up.]

...Or are you trying to say I'm not always nice, or something. [He sounds deadpan as he says it, but it's mostly a joke; Aki knows the truth. He's not exactly the nicest person in the world. Just because he knows how to use keigo and bows with his hands properly at his side doesn't mean he doesn't have a rougher edge to him. He just shoved a dog away, after all.]

[ Was it a lot? Well, if it's the reason why Aki's letting him curl up next to him like a dog warming itself by a furnace, he's not out to argue against the assertion. But after a fairly thorough bath, gobbling up some tasty food, and a little fort-making R&R, Denji is far from the half-dazed skeleton he was earlier. ]

I mean, you're nice-ish sometimes. That's why girls like you. But, like, some other times you say not so nice stuff. Like how you told me to go back, that was kinda harsh. It's not like I — mmmm. [ The combing riles up a pleased sound that's both sigh and hum, his eyes closing, briefly, as he savors the sensation. Aki isn't playing with his hair, but that's what it feels like, and so what choice does he have but to nudge his head into his fingertips, trying to spur him to continue. ] …I don't really wanna get babied by you.

[ The irony of saying that while every one his movements and gestures right now is begging Aki to spoil him isn't lost on Denji. And yet he makes zero attempt to extricate himself from his position. His hands relocate to behind Aki's back, fastening in a more proper hug. ]

But I get it. I know that I wouldn't be able to do a lot of things without you… I know that. I just wish things were different, that I could get better and stronger and do more stuff for you, too… So, um, yeah. I'll try to apply for that one job you mentioned before. Maybe it'll help me build muscle.

[He doesn't want to be babied by him but he's rubbing into his hand like a puppy encouraging him to pet him in just the right way. For once, however, Aki doesn't call him on this, just continues stroking his hair, given up on trying to get it to stay flat and just repeating the gesture over the same spot where he seems to like it the most.]

I'll be there with you. [The logging job, he means. He wouldn't really trust him to do that kind of work by himself.] Not everyone has to be strong. There are things you can do that I can't.

[Silly things, but important things. Like understand what Power is asking for when she gets too lost in her words. Or moments of problem solving that Aki would have brute forced his way through but Denji was able to find a way around that made everyone happy in the end. Or making a contract with a devil in the middle of the night.]

[...Man, he still wishes he hadn't. Aki wraps his arm around him and squeezes him in close briefly, like he can somehow suck all the badness out of him. All the stupid decisions he's made, the problemsolving that led him to wave a match over oil vapors. The weakness. The sickness. If he could pull all those bits out of him, he would. But it's never been that easy and never will be.]

If you get mad at me... [For a moment he trails off and doesn't continue. Because he doesn't actually want to offer this. He doesn't want to give Denji some kind of get-out-of-jail-free card. Something he can slap in Aki's face when he's being stubborn about something. At last, he sighs.] If you get mad at me, at least tell me to my face. Don't run away anymore. I hate having to chase you.

[ The closeness and Aki's well-meaning intentions work in conjunction to help downplay the sting that comes from being told, not that he can be strong one day, but that he doesn't have to be. It doesn't even show on his face; Denji wears an expression as clear and guileless as porcelain, a steady push of air flowing through his nose, dispersing against his brother's neck. He may not be able to think of what exactly he's able to do that Aki can't do better, but…

Come to think of it. If he were strong, he wouldn't be able to get away with being comforted like this, right? Pretending that he dislikes lying flush and toasty beside Aki, watching his lashes fan against his upper cheeks each time he blinks. ]

…I know. [ His hand runs up along Aki's wrist where he's grabbing him, feeling for his pulse. It's so much louder and steadier than his. ] I hate running from you.

[ He never makes it far enough, anyway. The exertion as punishing for him as it is for his brother. ]

You're the last person I wanna…

[ The words defuse soundlessly, something he hopes Aki takes as him being too tired to keep his train of thought. It's half-true, at least. His eyes close, for a moment. Then: ] Whaddaya think next year will be like?

[He hates it yet he does it too often. It's so frustrating. Denji's never been good at understanding cause and effect, always doing things without thinking of how they turn out, but when he throws a tantrum and runs off somewhere, doesn't he know he's not the only one who suffers?]

[...But Aki settles without saying anything like that. He lets his hand rest while Denji holds his wrist, thumb pressed into the veins below his palm. Next year...]

It'll be a lot better. [He closes his eyes, slipping his hand down and through Denji's fingers to grasp them together instead.] Things are better in the city. In Tokyo. I'll be an adult, so there won't be any problem with us getting split up, or needing to rely on the government for housing... I'll be able to deal with it all, myself. [Working for Public Safety is as assured as graduation, in his eyes.] I bet you and Power will have your own rooms... And go to restaurants more, too... [He trails off, his mind going back to that devil. How strong it had been, to lift a boy nearly his size and hurl him into Aki. How that boy could have been him. How he could have walked back to the house with Taiyou.]

I think... that you'll have to study harder. [He sighs into his hair, pressing his nose into the top of his head.] And I won't be around as much to help you with that. [Again he goes silent for a moment.] But eveything else will be ten times better than things are now. So it'll fall into place.

[ Yes, he does it too often. Even now, he's running away, with his face fiercely tucked inside Aki's neck, feeling the words move through his throat before they even make it to his ears. Almost like he's cowering from their existence, the future only Aki can see taking shape. It's not a bad one, he likes restaurants, he likes the idea of having his own space to kick his feet back and invite girls over.

All the same, he just can't fully wrap his head around it. Aki says it's a life where no one will be actively trying to split them up, so why does it feel like that's what's happening, anyway? ]

…But it's not always gonna be like that, right? When you're an adult. You not being around as much. It'll just be until… [ Until what. Until Aki hunts down the Gun Devil and takes it out? Until they graduate? Or, hey, maybe until he dies somewhere in some hospital ward? ]

I dunno. I guess, I mean, if I make it. Like, if I become an adult, too… Will things go back to how they were?

[ It's such a naive question. So stupid. He knows what Aki's going to say, but can't stop the fingers interlaced with his from curling, prickling into his knuckles, trying to force inertia into a person who always looks as though he's trapped in rapid motion. Headed somewhere far away. ]

[Even right now, when he's trying to be at his most positive, his most hopeful... He almost wants to shake Denji. Why is it, right when he's trying to do something for him, he turns it on its head? He suggested they visit his family's graves - he ran away from home and contracted with a devil. He urged him to go back to the apartment, stay safe, stay inside - he ran out and attacked the devil head-on right in front of him. Now this. Bringing up his own death. Aki grits his teeth tight.]

If you become an adult...?

[Tactless. He's heard it himself, from various doctors. Incurable. Genetic disposition. Proper diet. Frequent check-ups. Likelihood of reaching adulthood. He's heard it all. Learned those words like kids who watch medical dramas from the doorway of the living room when they should be in bed. But he's always been adamant about this. They're doing all the right things - keeping Denji on a good diet, keeping him from stressing himself too much, doing those breathing exercises. And he's doing the right things, too. In six months, he'll be working for public safety. He'll take him to a really good doctor in Tokyo. He'll get him on some kind of medication. It'll be fine after that.]

[He's squeezing his hand hard, tenfold as tight as Denji's fingers in his knuckles. Aki realizes it and loosens his grasp but doesn't let go, sitting up instead so he can look down at him. He's not letting Denji hide while he says this.]

Nothing's going to happen to you. [Fiercely, angrily. Believably, to his own ears.] You're gonna study a lot and graduate and then get a stupid job doing really boring stuff, and you and me and Power will come home from work every day tired and eat dinner together and watch TV. And it'll be just like this.

[ Denji can't look away. How can he when Aki is so possessed with conviction. With denial. To a certain extent, it scares him, seeing his eyes this bright and flaming like this — that's what his racing pulse means, probably. The heat crawling up his neck. That Denji's afraid of what might happen to the light in Aki's eyes if the throbbing in his wrist were to slow, drop, go eerily silent.

…What's scarier is that he thinks it might make him kind of happy to know it'd break Aki. Just a little. ]

Just like this.

[ He echoes, tonelessly. A concession. A dog thrown on its back, pinned — up until he forces himself up, pushing back weakly at Aki, like he'd been waiting for Aki's grip to slacken, so that he could take him by surprise. A drop of delusion glints in his gaze, his own selfish insistence. ]

Just us. [ If Aki's going to make impossible demands, project his own version of life on him, then Denji can, too. ] No one else. I don't care if you find other friends, or start dating, or have a dumb devil you wanna catch. At the end of the day, you have to come back home and choose us.

[ That's the only reason, the only way he can agree to try living past his expiration date. ]

[Denji is suddenly close, sitting up right in front of him, that sort of look in his eyes that Aki... he's never really liked. It's like he goes into his shell a little, gets defensive about everything. Says what his id is thinking with no room for any other voices. If he wasn't such a pitiful looking person, he could be persuasive. But Aki's even more duped thanks to that pitiful-looking exterior. It would be like denying food to a begging dog with its ribs showing. Of course he'd give up his whole dinner to someone like that.]

Yeah.

[He nods, almost delayed in his answer. Not from hesitation, though. It's an easy answer to give. He honestly believes it.]

I'm always going to come home.

[His lips press together, pulling tight for a moment.]

Even if I'm going to get laid.

[ Initially, there's nothing. Denji holding Aki's gaze as tightly as he plans to hold him to his word. From the beginning, there's always been three. Three pairs of shoes in disarray out in the entryway. Three seat cushions at the table. Three toothbrushes leaning in the cup. They have pets and he likes the idea of dating, but that's not the same as watching someone take up more residence in the priorities of the people he holds dear to him.

Denji only has so much time. Why should he share? ]

[ But then, like the first drop of rain hitting someone's face, that thing Aki says at the end fractures his focus. Denji blinks at him. ]

…Uh, what? You're not getting laid. [ He looks at him weirdly. ] Not before I do.

[ As if that's the most obvious thing. Why would Aki even mention that? He always thought… he never cared about that sort of thing, seeing how often he dodges the topic of girls with him all the time. ]

[...Wait, what?]

You think I'm never going to get laid?

[What the hell. He'd said it to try and lighten the mood, but leave it to Denji to look at him like he's insane for merely bringing up the idea that he might, someday, actually have sex. Is it that unusual an idea to him? Just because he has better things to do now than date someone who he won't see again in six months doesn't mean after those six months are up he has to remain celibate. Hell, how does Denji even know he hasn't had sex yet?]

[...Probably because he would have told him. Not on purpose, or anything. But it would have come out by now.]

Once we're in Tokyo, it's not like I'm going to be doing homework and training all day and night anymore. I figured you'd prefer that...

Not — never! [ A flux of emotions warp in and out of the twist in his brow, the draw of his mouth. ] I mean! I don't care! I don't wanna think about you goin' to town on anyone.

[ God, he doesn't even know why he's so scandalized about it. Didn't he suggest to him, like, a week or so ago that he should get a girlfriend? Do something normal teenagers do. Sex, being one of them… But that hadn't occurred to him back then, for some reason. ]

I guess it's weird.

[ Weird, like how suddenly holding Aki's hand feels to him now. Being close. He'd probably have stop sleeping in his bed when they move to Tokyo… ]

'cause, like, I didn't even know you wanted to get laid. I've never heard you jack off, ever.

[For a second, Aki looks completely taken aback.]

[Denji... The kid who hides porn under the bathroom sink, who he has walked in on jacking off more times than he can count, who constantly fantasizes openly about the best breast size to shove your face in... He's never considered that Aki is a warm-blooded male who might do those things as well??]

...That's good.

[At first that's all he can say. That at least Denji has never heard him masturbating.]

...Do you think I like hearing you talk about "going to town" on girls? That's almost fifty percent of what you talk about.

[He looks almost aghast at this. Does he think that was all one-sided? That he's the only one who ever thinks about it...? Sure, Aki tells him to shut up and groans when he brings it up too often, but...]

Nuh-uh, it's more like almost sixty percent.

[ Denji did well on his math midterm (retake). He knows these things now. ]

And isn't that stuff just — you know, like when people talk about their favorite songs or the new multiplayer game that's out? It's normal.

[ His frame of reference really can't be trust for this. When Denji isn't fooling around with Power, it's pretty noticeable that he hasn't connected long-term with his classmates, especially since he'll be moving next year, anyway. And the ones he does somewhat get along with are a bumbling slacker sort who similarly enjoy comparing notes on who the prettiest girls in their year are, who wears the shortest skirts, and so on. ]

…Besides I haven't actually done any "going to town" on a girl yet. [ That's the main difference here. When he talks about all that, it's like — fantasy. Something out of his reach, being who he is. His arms cross. ] Seriously, you haven't? Like, no kissing or anything? You better not hide that sorta thing from me.

Of course I haven't.

[He sounds annoyed just admitting that. Because it's not like he doesn't want to. But it's just not possible. There's no time for that kind of thing. He's too busy after school and there's no time during school, obviously, so what does that leave him? ...Even when they moved in here and finally had a home to themselves, Aki wondered if he would bring someone here at some point. Like bringing your girlfriend to meet your parents. Except then he'd think about introducing anyone to Denji and Power and the thought would vanish from his mind.]

Just - Of course it's something I want to do. And all the other stuff that you do as an adult. [Or like, he guesses. Get married, have kids, or whatever. That stuff, he really doesn't care much about. It just feels normal. Expected. But sex - He's definitely going to have sex at some point. That's the peak of a normal adult life. That and taxes. And killing the gun devil.] But if you think it's so normal, why is it so weird that I want that, too? You're such a weirdo, about this... [He thought Denji just assumed everyone had the same thought process as him.]

How'm I supposed to know…? You're just — different. [ He cringes around the word, different, like he's biting into the tartest part of a fruit. He knows how that sounds. What questions that opens him up to. His forehead looks like it might cave in from the dent the furrow of his brows is making, like he's exhausting every mental faculty within reach to ascertain what exactly is causing his cognitive dissonance. ] It doesn't feel right coming from you. 'cause you're Aki to me. My…

[ …Aniki. His dauntless brother. The boy who chased after him. The boy that brought him back home. The one who nearly blended in with the snow when they first met at the orphanage, who Denji kept running back to. But that really is a weirdo answer, isn't it? ]

…You're like our mom. That's gotta be why.

[ There it is, a non-weirdo answer. ]

No one wants to imagine their mom putting a condom on or doing kinky stuff!

[The expression on Aki's face goes from miffed to... something strange.]

[He can't place what this emotion is at first, or why it hits him so squarely in the chest, straight through his heart. It feels painful and infuriating but mostly painful. Like that stupid acorn song, he thinks suddenly, color growing in his face. From shame or embarrassment or anger, he doesn't know. Because it's the exact same feeling as when he was called the loach. Back then, it was enough to make him cry. Right now...]

[Well, he's obviously not going to cry because Denji said he's like a mom to him. The idea that he's a parental figure - a figure all three of them have lost in one way or another - would maybe be heartening to anyone else. But to Aki, it's like reminding him that he'll never quite be the same as them. He's always going to be a stop on their path, a memory for them of a different time. For all Denji talks about not reaching adulthood, Aki is sure he will, and sure there will be a day when he won't see him every day and he won't listen to him, won't bow to everything he's told him to do. Then what good will he be? Just a nagging mother. A loach to take them on a ride before they head off to their next destination. It's stupid to be offended by this.]

[You're still young, his teachers tell him all the time. Fine. He'll be young about this. Aki turns on his side and rolls over, pulling the blankets with him and facing away from Denji. To Aki, he's simply refusing to acknowledge the statement, won't even give Denji a response. To anyone else, though, he's sulking.]

[ Denji knows he's stepped in it as soon as only quiet hits him. No sarcastic remark, exasperated correction. Aki simply takes the blankets and turns, the warmth of it shifting with him, stretching off Denji's legs. Leaving him out in the cold, bare, wondering what it was he said, whether he should take Pochita and return to his own futon.

He hates when Aki gets like this, freezes him out without explanation — wasn't he the one told him just now, that if Denji gets mad at him, he should tell him? Well, why doesn't that same idea apply to him…?

He watches his back, listens for anything that might clue him in as to what his next move should be. It's like staring at abstract painting with him, though. Nothing ever comes easy or obvious with Aki — all he knows is that it had something to do with him saying he's like their mother, but it's not as if it's the first time. Power and he always joke about that… So maybe it was the timing? Treating him like he's not just another guy? But he isn't, not to him. Denji can't lie about that.

His gaze twitches, homes in on a flicker of movement between Aki's shoulder blades, which could be nothing. Is nothing, most likely. Yet it lures him closer, sidling up behind him, a cautious hand squeezing his shoulder. ]

Aki. Aki, it's okay. Don't cry.

I'm not crying.

[He answers shortly, tone tense. What an idiot. Does he seriously think he'd cry over Denji calling him a mom? He's such an idiot.]

Go to sleep, you dumbass. I'm done talking to you.

[Serves him right for trying to be nice to him after everything that happened. He carried him home, helped wash him off, mixed him an electrolyte drink, made him porridge, let him cuddle with him...]

[Those are all really mom-like things, his brain unhelpfully supplies, and he huffs, squeezing his eyes shut. Whatever. Stupid Denji.]

Well, fine. If you're gonna be a jerk…

[ They can never have a nice moment, the two of them. It must be some sort of curse.

Denji gives his back another long look, then turns his away from him in a similar fashion. He doesn't fully remove himself from Aki's futon, though, rather coming to a rest over on the opposite end, pulling the sheets off his own neighboring futon to drape over himself. Pochita makes an inquiring noise at the change in arrangement, but otherwise, appears unruffled, plodding after him and flopping over against his back.

…After the silence of the room has settled over them, the beginnings of sleep attaching itself to him, sucking away his consciousness like a ravenous parasite, Denji's voice drags itself up from the murk for a moment, just to say, ] G'night.

[ They sleep like that.

The next morning, Power is up before either of them somehow. In no small measure thanks to her going to sleep before them, as well as being mostly uninvolved with the more hectic events of the day prior. She doesn't do something so unnecessarily generous as try to make them breakfast, but she does fully open up all the blinds so that Meowy has plenty of sunlight to bask in this morning and stomp to and fro the bathroom as she gets ready for the day.

Denji groans, huddling deeper inside his blankets to escape from the imminence of morning. For once, he didn't sleep very well — his siblings both know that he moves quite a bit throughout the night, but this time, every turn and ungainly sprawl of his limbs seemed to wake up all his aches and sore spots. Along with him, too. And as much as he tried to return to that blissful, dreamless sleep, all he could think about was his eventual examination that day. It's for that reason Denji stays in bed until the other two have all but finished their usual rituals, and someone's nagging him to get ready, that he finally starts to prepare.

They're probably running a few minutes late by the time Denji's got his shoes on, a half-eaten apple in his mouth. Pochita keeps nipping at his shoelaces and tugging them undone; by the third time, he kneels and tousles the devil's head around in an overly aggressive, overly affectionate rub. ]

Be good and look after the place, alright? Don't let anything burn down.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

2/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject