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For all that Denji is an uncontrollable being of chaos, violence, and unbothered insanity he is surprisingly quiet as Aki unlocks the door to his—their—apartment and lets him in. In all honesty, Aki had been expecting Denji to kick the door in, maybe pee in the corner to claim his territory, and eat everything in the fridge before passing out on the floor. Instead, Denji stays behind Aki as he pushes the door open and slips his shoes off in the entryway. Denji follows suit, awkwardly fumbling out of his shoes as he tries not to touch the genkan floor.
“So, welcome home,” Aki says, sweeping his arm out in a broad gesture. It’s not the fanciest apartment in Tokyo, not by a long shot, but it’s nice, he’s taken the time to furnish it to his liking There’s actually a pretty decent view of the neighborhood out of the window in the living room, and it’s not like he pays a fortune for rent.
Denji doesn’t say anything in response, just nods, and steps into the living room. He looks around a little from the spot he’s rooted himself to, posture uncharacteristic of the chainsaw fiend Aki is used to. No, Denji looks like a frightened animal just introduced to his new home, which Aki supposes isn’t far from the mark.
“Okay, so I can give you a quick tour,” Aki adds, slipping past Denji. “The kitchen is over here, you can eat whatever is in the fridge but if you use the last of something let me know so I can add it to the shopping list. Table is over there, this is the living room, couch and TV are, you know, right there.”
Aki moves down the hallway, Denji following close behind him, barely giving Aki any breathing room.
“Bathroom is here, the shower works just like every other one but if you have any problem let me know. This one is my room, and this one is gonna be yours.” Aki opens the door to a mostly-empty room, just the bed, a nightstand, a desk and chair, and a dresser.
“Mine?” Denji asks so quietly Aki almost doesn’t hear him. Aki pauses before saying anything, making sure Denji had actually spoken.
“Yeah, yours. Did you think I was going to make you sleep on the couch? I’m an ass but I’m not that bad,” Aki replies. He tries his best to offer Denji a warm smile, but Denji is still just staring into the room, not saying anything.
“I mean if you’d rather stay in the living room that’s totally fine, I just— I had the room and I wasn’t really using it,” Aki rambles. Rubbing the back of his neck Aki waits for Denji to respond, and the longer the silence drags on the worse Aki feels.
“I... I’ve never had my own room before. Not a real one, anyway,” Denji finally says. “Like, Pochita and I had a place to stay but it wasn’t really, like, a real place, you know?” Denji turns to face Aki and Aki can see the shine in his eyes, the sight almost knocking him off his axis.
“Well now you do,” Aki replies, putting his hand on Denji’s shoulder. “You might be a little shit but you’re my little shit and you’ll always have this space, okay?”
Aki is way out of his depth here, and he’s only falling faster for Denji with every passing moment. He has no idea how he’s supposed to handle, for all intents and purposes, a feral child with no formal schooling, no family, no friends, and nothing resembling stability. He’ll be damned if he fucks it up though, and he thinks he’s in the clear for the time being as Denji buries his face in Aki’s neck, wrapping his arms around him.
“Thank you,” Denji whispers, holding onto Aki so tight it’s almost suffocating.
Once Aki regains his breath he hugs Denji back, stroking his fingers along Denji’s spine in a slow, methodical manner.
“Did you have plans for the day?” Aki asks, not letting go of Denji. He can feel Denji shake his head, even as he doesn’t pull away.
“Makima gave me the day off so I could move in,” Denji replies. His voice is muffled against Aki’s shirt, and Aki can’t help but stroke Denji’s hair gently. “I don’t really have a lot to move, though.”
“Do you wanna go out and pick up some things for your room? So you can make it feel like your own space?” It takes all of Aki’s restraint not to bury his face in Denji’s hair when Denji nods.
“I didn’t get my first paycheck yet though,” he says, finally pulling away from Aki. “I think I have a couple hundred yen, so we could go to the hundred yen store?”
Aki’s heart sinks, and he fights the urge to pull Denji back into another hug. He has no idea what Denji’s been through, but he’s never seen him this vulnerable before. Aki doesn’t think Denji is faking a persona when he’s shouting and cursing and stealing the food from the breakroom, but this is a side he didn’t know he’d get to see.
“Nah, we can go wherever you want and I’ll pay. Not out of pity or anything, you can pay me back later if you really want to, but I want to make sure you get what you want. And we can grab lunch somewhere,” Aki says.
Denji’s eyes light up and he nods. “I’ll definitely pay you back when I get my paycheck! Oh, can we go to kaitenzushi somewhere? I’ve always wanted to try that!” His voice grows quiet again as he looks up at Aki. “If that’s okay, I mean.”
“Wherever you want to go is fine with me. There’s a department store near here that also has clothes and stuff, and there’s a restaurant not too far that would work. Is that okay?” Aki gives Denji the time and space to reply, heart swelling when he nods.
“Can we go now?” Denji asks. “I... don’t exactly have anything to unpack, so there’s not much to worry about.”
“Sure, Denji, we can go now,” Aki replies. He heads back to the entryway and grabs his keys, slipping on his shoes and waiting for Denji.
He seems to have regained some of his energy as he bounds down the outdoor stairs and to Aki’s car, hopping into the passenger seat. Hopefully, it’s not too crowded out given that it’s the middle of the workday, and they can get on with their errands in peace. The last thing Aki wants to deal with on his day off is a crowd.
“Do you have any idea what you’d want?” Aki asks as he turns the ignition. If possible he’d like to know where to look so Denji doesn’t have to search every corner of the three-floored store, which is always full of more things than Aki knew existed.
“Uh, maybe a few t-shirts and some shorts? A pair of jeans? Just for, like, casual stuff, you know?” Denji’s arm is resting on the center console and he’s looking out the window, watching the buildings go past.
“Got it, any ideas for your room?” Aki signals he’s turning at the light, doing his best not to make too hard a turn so he doesn’t throw Denji against the door.
“I... what do people usually put in their rooms? Back when I had that space with Pochita I had some posters people had thrown out, mostly girls in bikinis, stuff like that?” Denji turns to look at Aki, and he can practically hear the thoughts in Denji’s head.
“Posters yeah, or like blankets, lamps, other stuff. It’s okay if you don’t know, we can always look around. We don’t have anywhere else to be,” Aki says. He pulls into the parking lot, relieved to find it relatively empty.
“Cool, okay.” Denji unbuckles his seatbelt and nearly jumps out of the car, grabbing a shopping cart from the closest corral and patiently waiting for Aki to check the car doors are locked before heading into the store.
While they may not be many people in the store the aisles are, as always packed with items, and Denji is apparently determined to look at the vast majority of them. Fortunately, Aki is able to steer him past the makeup and into the personal care section, watching as he sniffs all of the soap on the shelves before selecting one. The process repeats with the deodorant, and Denji throws in a few sheet masks for good measure.
“Denji, no, leave it alone,” Aki sighs as Denji holds up the third bra to his chest, using the other hand to squeeze the empty cup.
“Why? Do you think if I got this as a present for Makima she’d like it?” Denji frowns and looks down at it, the atrocious hot pink lace burning Aki’s eyes.
“No, I don’t think she would,” Aki replies. He watches as Denji puts it back and starts to grab another one. “Denji if you pick up one more bra I swear to god we’re not getting sushi.”
“That’s not fair!” Denji pouts but moves on from the rack and into the rest of the clothing, rifling through the jeans.
Aki sighs. “We’re still going to get sushi, Denji, I promise,” he says, taking the jeans and t-shirts from Denji when he pulls them off the shelves and placing them in the cart.
“Thank you, Aki,” Denji says quietly, lingering a little longer than necessary as he hands over a pair of shorts.
It takes all of Aki’s strength to keep Denji from sneaking into the adults-only section, and he nearly loses the battle when Denji threatens to pull the cord on his chest in the middle of the store. The only way Aki is able to succeed is to head in himself and promise to bring out a magazine for Denji.
“One with big tits and big asses, right?” Aki asks, mentally preparing himself for what he’s going to see in there.
“Yeah! Or, you know, guys too,” Denji says, flicking his gaze away from Aki as he ends the sentence.
Doing his best to swallow down his excitement Aki takes a breath before responding. “Guys too, huh?”
“Is that going to be a problem?” Denji asks, pulling his lips back into almost a snarl. It catches Aki off guard and he blinks a few times.
“Oh, god no Denji, I’m gay,” Aki says, waving his hands in front of himself. “I just, that’s cool, ya know? Not a lot of us out there. Not that you’re gay, pan or bi or poly or—”
Denji cuts off Aki’s rambling with a grin. “Nah, I figured you were gay. Or, like, at least some type of dude-lover. You give off the energy, ya know?”
Aki sighs, and he’s ready to collapse into a puddle right there in the store. “I’ll be right back,” he says, ducking under the curtain. He’s in and out quickly, having grabbed one magazine with quite possibly the largest boobs he’d ever seen and one with big buff guys on it. He has no idea if either of those Denji’s types but it’s what he’s going to get.
“Happy?” Aki asks, burying them both under all of the clothes so no passerby sees.
“Very, thank you,” Denji replies with a shit-eating grin. Aki shakes his head and grabs the cart, moving down one of the housewares aisles.
Denji takes his time looking at the posters, the wall clocks, the weird art, and the curtains, but nothing seems to pique his interest. He does grab an oversized, incredibly fluffy blanket and drop it into the cart, but he almost looks lost as he wanders down the next aisle.
“Would it be okay if I put up something like these?” Denji gestures to the row of string lights that appear to be in every shape, size, and color under the sun.
“Like on the walls?” Aki asks, picking up the closest box and flipping it over to examine it. He’d never considered fairy lights before, but he likes the marketing images on the back.
“Yeah, it’s okay if I can’t though, I don’t want to damage the walls or anything,” Denji says. His hand is hovering over a box, and Aki leans a little so he can get a better look at it. The design seems different than the one he’s holding, with soft, white lights in thick bundles that would run along the upper edge of the wall.
“I don’t see a problem with it, we’ll get some clips or adhesives while we’re here,” Aki says, nodding. He almost hates the way his heart flutters when Denji smiles back at him, carefully adding two of the boxes into the cart.
“They’ve got remotes,” he explains excitedly, and it hits Aki all at once that he would do anything to protect that smile on Denji’s face. He is so, so screwed.
After corraling Denji back to the first floor and toward the register, bypassing the aisles with beer and liquor, Aki is more than ready for lunch. He sets Denji to bagging everything as the cashier checks them out, Aki not bothering to look at the total as he swipes his card through to pay. He doesn’t take the receipt either— he’s not letting Denji pay him back.
“Ready?” Aki asks, taking a few of the bags from Denji as they turn to leave.
“We can still get sushi, right? I’m so hungry,” Denji whines, lips forming the smallest of pouts. And there, again, is that flutter in Aki’s chest.
“Yes, Denji, we can still get sushi,” Aki replies. “I’m a man of my word, after all.”
Denji bounces out of the store and back to the car, waiting impatiently for Aki to unlock it. Doing his best not to laugh at the sight Aki presses the button and watches as Denji places the bags in the back seat of the car. He’d been expecting Denji to dump them, but he treats them with care and reverence, and it gives Aki pause. Not too long of a pause, though, because Denji is threatening to lean on the horn if Aki doesn’t get in the car apparently, and that’s the last thing he wants.
“Denji, please do not,” Aki says, climbing into the driver’s seat. “New rule, no touching anything on this side of the car, okay?” Aki gestures to his half before putting the car into drive and carefully pulling out.
“Okay, but what if there’s an emergency and I need to drive?” Denji asks, and based on his tone he’s completely serious.
“No. There will never be an emergency where you will need to drive. Look at me, you saw what Power did to Kobeni’s car, and Power has more coordination than you do,” Aki says, waiting to merge into traffic.
“That’s not fair! Power’s an idiot! I could definitely drive! What if you, like, passed out and I had to take over the wheel?” Denji asks, looking at Aki like he’s made an impenetrable argument.
“Then we crash, okay? You are not allowed to touch it.” He sighs, signaling the turn into the next parking lot.
“Hell no! Never, I’m not gonna let us crash. And besides, if you’re unconscious who’s gonna stop me from grabbing the wheel?” Denji cocks an eyebrow as he looks up at Aki and it’s... endearing.
“Fine, as long as I don’t know I guess it’s okay. But, that only means if I’m unconscious in the car, you cannot take it out for a joyride just because I’m asleep or something,” Aki concedes. He pops open his door and waits for Denji to do the same.
“Deal,” Denji says, and slides out of the car.
The restaurant is, unsurprisingly, not very busy in the middle of a work day. Aki manages to grab them a table, letting Denji pick which side of the booth to sit on. He sits opposite Denji, passing him the tea cup and the matcha powder.
“This is so fancy,” Denji says, trying to take in everything at once. He heaps a massive spoonful of matcha powder in, following after Aki with the hot water and carefully stirring it.
“It is pretty fancy, yeah,” Aki says with a soft smile.
“So I just, like, grab a plate?” He furrows his brow and watches a few of the dishes go by, staring at them intently.
“Like this,” Aki says, spotting a plate of salmon. “You press down on this part here and the lid pops up, then you just grab the plate from it.” He sets the salmon in front of himself and watches as Denji repeats the process with a plate of tuna combing by. It’s a little clumsy but he’s definitely managed to get it out, and he looks pleased with himself.
“Not too bad for your first try,” Aki says, swallowing down the salmon.
“Uh, so I know that’s salmon and this is tuna, and I can probably figure out what shrimp is, but what are the rest of these?” Denji asks, staring at the conveyer belt as the plates continue to move past them.
Aki is once again reminded that there’s so much Denji hasn’t experienced, and it breaks his heart. He reaches up to the screen and pulls up the menu, grateful that everything is written in hiragana or katakana.
“You can see the names of the fish here, and you can order other food too if you want, they have fries and tempura and a bunch of other stuff. Also drinks. Knowing the names doesn’t really help, but if you see one that looks good you can order it, yeah?” Aki explains, paging through the menu.
“That’s so fucking cool,” Denji exclaims, flipping through the various sections of the menu. “I’ve never seen anything like this, this is probably the best invention ever. I mean seriously.”
Aki smiles softly and grabs another plate, watching as Denji selects a few different nigiri and some rolls.
“Then you just press the order button here and it’ll send it to the kitchen,” Aki says, tapping the screen. “Keep an eye on the screen though because it’ll come on the top belt.”
Denji grins and shoves the other piece of tuna into his mouth, reaching for something on the conveyer belt.
“You slide your empty plates down here—” Aki drops his plate into the chute at the edge of the table “—and it counts them. After ten plates you have a chance to win a gacha,” Aki says, waiting for Denji to do the same.
“This place is seriously magic,” Denji says with awe. “What is this?” He asks, jamming a piece into his mouth.
“That is, uh, it looks like yellowtail if I had to guess,” Aki replies. He’s honestly not sure, hell he probably could have told Denji it was a seacow and he’d still eat it.
Aki watches as Denji continues to eat his way through the menu, having no idea how he just keeps fitting more food into his stomach. After his seventh plate, Aki calls it quits, but Denji has ordered french fries, two more rolls, and some type of ice cream. On the upside, they’re able to leave with a small handful of gacha prizes for Denji to start decorating his room with, even if they’re a little tacky.
The sun sits low in the sky when they finally make it back to Aki’s apartment, and it takes Denji a minute to work up the effort to get out of the car. Aki can’t blame him, he’s exhausted himself, and Denji must have eaten enough to feed an entire village so he’s lucky he’s gotten him back into the apartment at all.
“I’m hesitant to ask about dinner—” Aki starts, but Denji waves him off.
“I think I’ll be good for a while,” he says, carrying the shopping bags to his room.
“I figured, but if you need anything at any point you’re welcome to whatever in the kitchen. If you don’t know what it is you can ask,” Aki adds. He follows Denji to his room, grabbing some of the bags out of his hand.
It’s oddly calming, helping Denji start to make the space his own. Aki spreads the blanket on top of the bed, feeling just how soft it actually is, and sets to hanging Denji’s shirts and pants in the closet, leaving the tags on just in case he doesn’t like them. Meanwhile, Denji has spread his gacha prizes out across the window sill and carefully placed the magazines Aki had grabbed on the nightstand.
“Tasteful,” Aki notes, grabbing the trash and taking it back out to the kitchen.
“Thank you,” Denji replies, face smug. “Can you help me hang the lights? I’m not sure if I have enough hands for that,” he adds once Aki is back in the room.
“No problem,” Aki says. He grabs one of the boxes from Denji and opens it, working on untangling the strand. “I can hang them if you want to direct me, I can probably reach better.”
“Are you calling me short?” Denji asks, his expression entirely too serious.
“You’re not short, Denji, I’m just freakishly tall,” Aki says as he grabs the chair from under the desk and steps up onto it, easily reaching the ceiling.
“Not freakish,” Denji replies quietly. Aki isn’t sure if he was supposed to hear that, so he doesn’t respond.
“Can you hand me the adhesive strips?” Aki asks, holding the strand up against the wall and sticking his hand out so Denji can drop one in. He can’t help the way he shivers a bit when Denji’s fingers brush against his own, and he quickly looks back at the wall so his blush doesn’t show.
It only takes a few minutes to get the lights up and the batteries in the remote. Aki flips the overhead lights off and watches as Denji turns on the strands. The atmosphere is almost ethereal, close to something Aki can’t quite put his finger on. He has no doubt the room will be a mess within a matter of days, but for now, it’s neat and organized and feeling homier than it ever has. Aki can tell they’re both exhausted and in need of sleep, Denji especially if the bags under his eyes are any indication.
“Alright, do you want the first shower or the second? I’ll draw the bath either way; the tub’s a little finicky,” Aki asks as he gathers the rest of the debris from around the room. It really does look cozy, and he hopes Denji likes it.
“Is first okay?” Denji reaches for the shampoo and body wash on the desk in anticipation of Aki’s answer.
“No problem at all,” Aki replies. “Give me two seconds to start the bath, it’ll stop filling on its own at some point so you don’t have to worry.”
“Fancy ass apartment, damn,” Denji says. He steps on the back of his socks to tug them off, putting everything in his hands down for a moment to pull off his shirt and step out of his pants, leaving them in a heap on the floor.
Aki can’t hide the blush this time, but it doesn’t seem like Denji even notices as he picks everything back up and makes his way to the bathroom. What part of give me two seconds he didn’t understand is beyond Aki, but after giving himself a moment to breathe he chases after Denji and starts the bath.
Once Denji is settled and has figured the shower out Aki retreats to his room. It’s weird to have someone else in his apartment, but it’s not unwelcome. Aki has never been particularly lonely—he actually enjoys the time alone—but Denji... Denji is different. He’s only been here a few hours but there’s something about his presence that’s unassuming, almost calming. Aki knows that calm likely won’t last, but for now, it’s nice.
“Done!” Denji calls out a bit later. “I just, uh, leave the water in the tub, right?”
“You showered before you got in?” Aki calls back, tugging his shirt over his head and letting his hair down.
“Yeah, it’s still clean,” Denji replies, voice much closer this time.
Aki hesitates before grabbing his sleep clothes, opting to change in the bathroom. Denji may be okay with running around half naked, but Aki doesn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
“Then yeah just leave it, I’ll drain it after,” Aki says. He passes Denji in the hall, the scent of his new shampoo wafting from damp hair. It takes all of Aki’s focus to continue on to the bathroom, abbreviating his routine in case Denji needs something.
Hair clean, body clean, and having soaked in the tub for a few minutes Aki slips into his sleep pants and shirt, hanging the towel on the back of the door. He takes a moment to stretch out his stiff muscles and brush his teeth before collecting his clothes and taking them back to his room. Aki has just dumped his pants into the laundry when there’s a quiet knock at his door.
“Aki?” Denji asks, voice soft again. It catches Aki off guard, and the sight of Denji standing there in his pajamas, hair fluffy and face creased with the beginnings of sleep leaves him unable to respond for a minute.
“What’s up?” Aki replies, adding just the slightest bit of leave-in conditioner to his hair and working it through the strands.
“I... never mind,” Denji says, and turns to leave.
“Hey, no, wait, what’s up?” Aki says. He takes a few steps toward the door and manages to catch Denji by the shoulder.
“No it’s stupid,” Denji replies, rolling his shoulder to try and break free of Aki’s touch.
“It’s not stupid, I promise.” Aki takes a step back from Denji to give him space, relieved when he turns back around.
“It’s dumb, but I’ve never had my own bed before,” Denji starts, staring at the floor. “It’s, uh, lonely? I don’t know if that’s the right word but it—”
“You want me to stay with you tonight?” Aki offers. His heart is in his throat as he asks, hoping he’s reading the situation right and not overstepping.
“Would you mind?” Denji finally looks back up at Aki when he asks and oh, god, how could Aki ever say no to that face?
“Yeah of course,,” Aki replies. He reaches for the lotion on the dresser and smears a tiny bit down his arms, lathering it over his elbows. “It was hard for me to sleep too, after my family,” he says, hoping it gives Denji something to relate to. “Everywhere seemed too big and too quiet.”
Denji nods. “Thank you. For everything, I mean,” he says quietly.
Aki grins back at him, tying his hair into a low ponytail and following Denji back to his room. The lights are still off except for the fairy lights around the ceiling, and it gives the room an magical atmosphere, just bright enough to be able to see the lines and shadows of Denji’s face, but not bright enough that they wouldn’t be able to sleep.
“I’ve got a spare futon, let me grab it,” Aki says, but Denji grabs his wrist before he can move.
“Could you maybe, uh, share the bed? With me?” Denji’s looking away again as he asks, but Aki thinks he can see the blush high on his cheeks.
“You uh, want me to sleep in the bed with you?” Aki asks, wanting to make sure he’s on the same page.
Denji nods, not loosening his grip on Aki’s wrist. “If you don’t want to—”
“No, of course, I will,” Aki replies, cutting him off. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Aki moves his hand in Denji’s, lacing their fingers together. He only remembers to breathe out when Denji squeezes his fingers and shuffles over to the bed.
They let go of each other’s hands just long enough to slip into bed, and there’s no way they can both fit without touching. Denji reaches back out for Aki’s hand, snuggling up to him like a little spoon and pulling Aki’s arm over him. Aki doesn’t fight it, just shifts until he’s comfortable, stroking Denji’s thumb with his own.
Aki has no idea what the future holds for them, if this will be the last time they share a bed or if it’s only the start of something, but for now, he’s content to hold Denji close to him, keeping him safe and warm. His eyes drift closed, face buried in Denji’s hair, holding off sleep just until he can hear Denji’s gentle snores fill the room.