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As soon as he opens the door to the motel room, Aki's face sours because what the fu- hell is this supposed to be? Denji wiggles into the doorway beside him and just starts cackling loudly. Aki wants to slap him on the head.
"Isn't the public bureau supposed to be rich or something?" Denji turns to look at him and asks, still snickering. Aki shrugs, as if he knew. The only one who gets to see the top brass is Makima.
Sighing heavily and resigning to his shitty fate, Aki walks inside, tugging his luggage. Denji all but hops inside like some human-sized frog and lands on the bed unceremoniously. The piece of furniture creaks loudly. Aki can already feel a headache creeping up on him.
“I swear to God Denji if you break the bed - Aki warns him, dangerously. Denji just looks up at him and grins. That little brat, seems like Aki's threats don't work well on him nowadays like they used to when Denji first moved in with him. Aki sighs again.
“Oh, what's that white thing there?” Denji asks, ever the curious boy and before Aki even blinks, he's off the bed and next to the heater, staring at it like it's some alien from another planet. Aki tries not to snicker and fails.
“That is a heater,” Aki says and steps closer to the appliance to inspect it himself. He crouches down next to Denji, their knees touching. Surprisingly physical touch doesn't bother Aki much like it used to, especially if it’s from Denji. With Denji it feels normal, comfortable even. Aki quickly files that thought away for later and fiddles with the console.
Denji just watches him the whole time, like a little starry-eyed kid. Aki tries his best to look away, pretending that that gaze doesn’t affect him. After fiddling with the white knob for a few moments longer, he gives his judgement. “It doesn't work.” Great, a shitty room in the middle of nowhere with a shitty heater that doesn't even work. Just great.
Denji looks at him a little sad before getting up and investigating the bathroom next. “I'll check if the hot water is at least working!” he says and then shuts the door behind him.
Aki sighs, did he even take his towel with him? whatever. He takes another look around the room, sees if there's anything he can fix or make better for their temporary stay. Misses his apartment immensely.
His eyes linger on the balcony attached to the room. It's small and can barely fit one person but Aki is still thankful for it, at least he has a place to smoke.
He busies himself unpacking his luggage while waiting for Denji to come out of the bathroom.
-
Aki is just about done putting all of his clothes into the cupboard when he hears a loud squawk and things toppling down inside the bathroom. He's standing in front of the door in an instant, considers knocking once for courtesy and barges in to find Denji , a towel around his hip (so he had taken his towel), his hand on his chest staring at a really huge cockroach.
Denji looks up at him, his eyes wide and pleading and round and soft under the yellow light and says, a little pathetically, " Sorry Aki, I know I shouldn't be scared of bugs - I've lived in a forest all my life after all, but it's just been a while since I've seen them because your place is always so clean and – "
Aki doesn't even know why Denji is apologising and bothering to explain any of this because the moment he saw Denji on the bathroom floor looking a little vulnerable, Aki had made up his mind to help him anyway. He has to admit he’s become soft for the younger boy.
"You don't really need to explain anything to me Denji, I'll take care of it," he says, hoping his voice sounds as sincere as he feels inside. This is a guy who doesn't fear devils who look downright atrocious but he's almost in tears over a cockroach. Against Aki's better judgement, he finds this newfound fact a little endearing. Denji takes a moment to stare at Aki, a little awed again, before he ducks out of the bathroom as told. Aki finishes his job and steps out.
Denji looks at him a little sheepish and mumbles a small “thank you.” Aki simply brushes it off and smiles at him. “Are you done using the washroom?” Denji nods, probably eager to be out of it. Aki shrugs, grabbing his towel to take a shower himself. “Is the water hot?” he asks, remembering why Denji went inside in the first place. “Yeah,” Denji replies, back turned to him, already busying himself with something else. Aki shuts the bathroom door behind him to finish his business.
-
Aki comes out to find Denji on the bed, half asleep. There's another bed so Aki can sleep there, not a problem. It's like Denji heard him think because he's sitting up and rubbing his eyes.
Aki sighs, a little fond, “go to sleep Denji, I'll take a while.”
“But I'm not sleepy yet.”
Lies. Aki scoffs. “Don't lie, you look ready to pass out.”
“I'm not lying!” Denji says, defensive. Aki feels like he understands him one moment just to completely lose that thought the next. He just shrugs, letting Denji do whatever he wants while he dries his hair. Denji is an adult after all.
Denji picks up a pillow and wiggles it in front of his face. “Hey Aki, look at this pillow, doesn't it look weird?”
Aki stares at the pillow - it does look weird. Misshapen. Like it's been mauled by a huge fist. Maybe someone used the pillow as a punching bag when they stayed here.
“Yeah it does,” Aki says simply and Denji drops it back on the bed, on his bed. Oh, so it's his pillow. Aki's bad luck doesn't seem to end.
“Here, you can have mine,” Denji offers and Aki just blinks at him, taking a moment to register that. He's been living with Denji for a while now but he's still not used to the younger boy being so… nice to him.
“But what about you?” Aki asks because Denji won't have a proper pillow to sleep on.
“I'm already plenty comfortable, Aki,” Denji says with a content look on his face and Aki once again wonders how he can be so simple.
“I think I've told you before,” Denji continues, "I'm happy as long I have a place to sleep and three meals a day,” he says and as if adding to that thought, “and oh, if you're there I'm happier, it feels nice,” and Aki's brain kind of short-circuits because Denji sounds sincere and he's looking straight at him and smiling and Aki can feel his cheeks flushing. It's so damn embarrassing.
Aki stands up when he feels the flush spreading to his neck, he needs to cool off. He grabs his pack of cigarettes and steps out into the balcony. The night air is chill and it makes goosebumps rise on his skin. Perfect. Just the thing he needs to erase the redness on his cheek.
Denji follows him outside like he always does and Aki is reminded that this is their routine, and weirdly, he doesn’t hate it. Denji is squished into his side, head leaning on the railing and staring at the city lights far away. He really is so simple, Aki thinks and somehow he's been included in Denji's idea of a simple life. It brings forth an uncalled warmth in his chest that doesn't really leave no matter how much smoke Aki exhales out into the night air.
Aki glances down at Denji - his hair looks shower-soft, less frayed and smoothed out than usual. Aki allows himself this moment of fondness even as his chest constricts, bringing his free hand to ruffle Denji's hair - it's as soft as Aki expected it to be. He feels Denji's eyes on him almost immediately. Aki resolutely stares at nothing in front of him, not daring to look down.
But Denji is nothing if he’s not stubborn and he’s pulling at his slacks to get his attention, so Aki loses that battle. “What?” he asks the shorter boy, finally looking at his face and into those red eyes that shine like rubies during the day and look like the colour of red roses at night. “I’m sleepy,” he says, yawning and then a little softly, “c-can you do that again? It felt nice.”
Aki takes a second to blink and process that request. It was so unlike the brash teen that he’s come to know, so quiet and docile and shy that it makes his head reel a little. It’s like he’s watching through a veil as Denji waits and his cheeks flush further, before he decides to turn around and go inside. Jolted to action by that movement, Aki wordlessly puts his hand in those blond locks a second time. Denji stills and pushes his head up further into Aki’s hand. Aki’s sure his heart is beating way too fast for it to be normal inside his chest.
A few more seconds or minutes pass (Aki’s not sure because he’s too busy freaking out) as he indulges Denji’s request and pulls his hand away from his head. Aki momentarily mourns the loss of warmth but when Denji turns around and beams at him, that warmth is returned back to him in a different way, ten fold. Damn him and his infectious smiles.
Aki throws away his snuffed out cigarette into the bin before he follows Denji back inside their room. It feels like the temperature has become a few degrees lower since they stepped outside.
Aki watches Denji pull up his knees and cuddle into himself on his bed, trying to get into a foetal position to brave the cold. Aki sighs.
“Denji” he calls out and Denji barely turns to look at him, determined to not let his body heat escape by moving. “Denji” he tries again.
“What?”
“You can sleep in my bed.”
“Really?” Denji perks up at that and Aki thinks about how easy he is. Thinks about how he doesn't hate it. Thinks about how he might even like it.
Denji takes Aki’s invitation, gets up and moves over to Aki's bed, making himself comfortable. Aki settles in after him, pulling up the blanket so it covers them both. Denji sighs contently next to him.
Aki closes his eyes and tries to sleep but Denji keeps fidgeting next to him. Aki sighs. He knows he should be annoyed but he's really not that annoyed, probably because he had a smoke already, and also probably because it’s Denji.
“What's wrong?” he asks, his voice a little raspy. Denji freezes and Aki feels a little guilty, he didn't mean to make him feel bad or self-conscious.
“Sorry,” Denji starts and Aki sighs, feeling bad already, “it's still a little cold,” he admits, voice wobbly.
Aki shifts closer to Denji's curled figure wordlessly. Denji is way too still so Aki drapes his arm around him, bringing the smaller boy closer to him.
“Aki?” Denji squeaks, trying to turn around but Aki doesn't let him, gently cradling his head to face away from him. Aki's sure his entire face is flaming right now so he can't allow Denji to see it, not a chance.
“You can go to sleep like this right?” Aki asks, willing his voice to have a sense of normalcy. Thankfully it distracts Denji enough that he doesn't turn around and instead, just snuggles closer to Aki's chest.
“Yeah, this is nice…” he says, already dozing off. Aki wills his heart to calm down and smiles, his own eyelids closing. He rests his chin on Denji's head before slipping into slumber himself.