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Moonlight fought its way through the windows desperately trying to peek through the closed curtains. The entire meticulously cleaned apartment was blanketed in darkness besides the flickering of the TV.
The entire room was dead silent besides the shouts on television. To call this a rarity would be a gross understatement, 2 out 3 of the people living In said apartment brought as much noise as they did destruction.
However, for this night alone the two fiends managed to become completely enraptured in the movie they were watching. So much so that when the key clicking into the lock signalled Aki's return, they didn’t bat an eye. So much so that when the man entered the apartment he had assumed his two roommates were already asleep.
As he carefully took off his shoes and hung up his coat, he was met with a pillow hurtling towards his face.
So they weren't asleep then, huh
he caught the pillow before it made contact he looked up and was met with Powers glare, an arm poised from tossing said pillow. Denji elbowed her in the side before pointing at the screen.
"Shut up! We're at the good part!" The hybrid hushed out a whisper.
Walked into the kitchen, then the living room, the annoyance of being attacked in his own home ebbing away as he grew more curious over the movie that finally got his roommates to shut up.
Jurassic Park.
Well that's not too bad.
Anyone other than the seasoned devil hunter would be undoubtedly unnerved that the two devils chose a movie about eating people, but honestly he's just glad he has all his windows intact.
"Human! Make dinner" Aki sighed as Power shouted, there is absolutely no way he's making dinner at 10pm.
Luckily Denji was on the jump smacking her head before shushing her loudly, angrily pointing at the TV.
She huffed, looking like she was about to smack him back before getting distracted by the movie slowly coming to the end.
"Why bother with the old dude? This is all his problem anyway.” Denji muttered as the credits rolled.
“Because they're saving him for later!” Power rescinded with all the confidence of someone who has no clue what they're talking about.
“Like to eat? Gross, he’s all bones”. Denji replied with a scowl, concerningly not caring about the cannibalization aspect.
“Humans often make foolish decisions”
“ You're the one who thought the dinos were real!”
Before Power could open her mouth Aki quickly decided that he was not in the mood for an immediate argument after a very tedious day of paperwork.
“I'm not in the mood to cook, so we’re getting pizza” Nothing like the promise of food to stop a conversation in its tracks. “If you decide on a topping without arguing i'll get you guys a drink too”
The two fiends stared at him, then at each other, eyes narrowed in determination. Times like this is when the human among them wondered if he was missing out on some sort of telepathy between them.
Slowly Power spoke first, testing the waters so to speak.
“Bacon, with no veggies.”
To which Denji nodded resolutely, before adding on “and Sausage”.
The teens turned to stare at their caretaker with a mix of hopefulness and determination plastered for all to see. The ravenette was almost impressed, and pretty grateful his plan worked, though he would never let that show.
“What do you want to drink?”
“ Yes!”
Somehow Aki managed to placate any fights before the food arrived, Denji sipping his root beer, as Power downed her ice tea in record time. She proudly bragged about it before bugging her fellow devil for his drink, realising that she no longer has anything. Denji protested this aggressively.
“You guys were just getting along, and now you're at eachothers throats.” Aki sighed mostly to himself, “Honestly, sometimes I think you’re siblings.”
Power went red and yelled in outrage, which was thoroughly tuned out by the two boys.
Denji simply shrugged as the fiend ran out of the room.
The teens nonchalant response caught Aki way off guard, he regretted his words as soon as he said them (expecting outrage) and while that's how Power reacted he's confused that Denji had such a non-response.
"Can't really comment," Denji said with a mouth full of pizza.
"Yeah I figured you didn't have any siblings"
Power at this point had skipped back into the room, arms filled with markers and crumpled paper. Which could only end great.
Aki on the other hand was trapped between his own curiosity and minding his own damn business. For starters this the was perfect opportunity to try and pry some of Denjis past out of him. However he also spent far too long trying to convince himself he didn't care.
The blond perked up, "Ohh yeahhh- didn't you have a brother?"
Aki immediately tensed up, he didn't entirely blame Denji for his blunt nature and past tense. He was just a kid after all, but it stung like someone twisting a knife in his heart.
"Yes I did, a younger brother." He's not sure why he responded, maybe he needs to get this off his chest.
If that's the case it's even more reason not to talk to Denji.
Uncharacteristically deep in thought Aki held his breath dreading the next question.
"Did you like- play games and share food and shit?"
"Not as much as I would like, Taiyo was very sickly, and the food thing doesn't make much sense. Where'd you get that from?"
The teen didn't seem to notice Akis poor attempt at changing the course of conversation, instead taking another bite of pizza and responding.
"I mean, like, arent siblings supposed to be your greatest friend? I only ever shared food with mine so I figured it was the same kinda thing." He shrugged "Yknow wanting to keep them alive and shit."
"Well I never really had to worry about food, my mother was quite capable at making food for the both of us".
He got a wistful look on his face and he sipped his tea, letting warm memories seep through him before they inevitably turned sour as they always do. Leaving him depressed and regretting ever reminiscing in the first place. Shadows creeping in from the corners of his vision and heart burning.
Power was eating a marker.
Well, there's a (kinda?) welcome distraction.
As Aki wrestled the red marker away from the fiend, not wanting ink all over his nice carpets, when he turned back Denji had an odd look on his face.
Deep and thought and eyes wide Denji snapped to Aki as the ravenette sat back down.
"You had a mother too? And she just made you food?"
The shocked look on the hybrid's face covered up the sting and a sinking feeling crept into Akis' gut.
"Yes, I had two parents that provided for us. it's generally expected."
" Two? What were they like? Did they get along? What was your mom like?"
The endless barrage of questions served to give Aki whiplash as well as a creeping sense of dread. He figured Denjis parents weren't in the picture so to speak, seeing as how their son hunted devils for a living, but seeing him so intrigued about average family dynamics hurt him in a special way only the two devils living with him could.
"Well my mom was very stern, but caring. I got annoyed sometimes but I know it was always to keep me and Taiyo safe" Aki closed his eyes and took a deep breath, for once inviting the memories rather than pushing them out. "My father was rather playful, never losing his childish side. I remember he used to get mom flowers every weekend, and she never got tired of them."
A red vase popped into his memory, where his mother would fill it up with water so the flowers wouldn't wilt. Everytime he'd walk into the house that vase was the first thing that caught his attention, to his childish eyes it looked like it was made of rubies rather then stained glass.
He hadn't thought of that vase in years.
Denji finished his pizza, looking a bit annoyed at the sappy-ness of Akis memories.
"Do you have parents Denji?" He slowly asked, testing the waters so to speak.
"I mean, not anymore." The blond said, getting a glum look on his face, a mixture of annoyance, anger, and a kind of emptiness Aki was all too familiar with.
"The great Power has no need for silly parents! I am in-controllable!" The previously sulking girl burst in.
Not willing to lose the perceived argument, Denji shot back.
"Neither do I! I've done perfectly fine without em! Better even!" Sticking his tongue out at the source of his outcry.
"Only because you've had the future Prime Minister looking out for you! Give me your thanks mortal!"
"Power I think Meowys looking for you" Aki took another sip of his tea as Power bolted to look for her 'most loyal subject'.
As he emptied his mug he quietly observed Denjis face, waiting to see if he'd speak up. It was a little unfair that Aki had been pressured into talking about his family, but then again he's an adult and Denjis a child as independent as he is.
Speaking of independence
"Moms must be pretty great huh? I didn't know they cooked food and shit- don't remember my mom ever doing that."
"Well that is a stereotype, one that my own happened to follow."
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Though to be honest I really only know about my mom through what my dad told me"
"Have you… not met her?" A sad situation, though not a fully uncommon one.
"Nah- her heart exploded or something when I was like 3".
Aki would be lying if the callous way the teen talked about his own mother unnerved him a bit -him missing his own dearly- though he supposes if Denji never met her, she was just another person to him.
"You mentioned you had a father though?"
And immediately the atmosphere changed.
While uncomfortable and bittersweet for Aki, Denji seemed to be doing alright up until now. Seeming interested in some of the things Aki was saying, but mostly most focused on his food and Powers shenanigans.
That all changed now, Denji got eerily silent in a way that sent off all the alarm bells. His demeanour shifted from one of relaxed intrigue to completely blank, a clearly forced look of uncaring plastered on. The pit in Akis stomach opened into a chasm as he regretted his actions, but still be endlessly, infuriatingly curious. Denjis well-being, while he didn't admit it often, came first.
"Den-"
"He's dead"
"Denji-"
"Suicide"
Denji stared at a fixed spot on the table and he relayed this information. Not gazing the older boy in the eyes.
Akis' mug of tea was empty at this point and he figured now was a good time to give the boy some space while filling up his cup. As he stood up he turned to the now quiet boy and
"Denji, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'll listen if you want to talk but don't force yourself".
He left the room
Filling up the kettle, rinsing his cup, turning on the stove, and thinking about how to change the conversation.
He ponders Denji change in demeanour, he said it was a suicide… Did the teen blame himself in some capacity? Maybe he's the one that found the body, actually that makes sense seeing as his father seemed to be the only one in the picture.
Pouring the water, bobbing the tea bag, measuring sugar, thinking of how to help.
Aki wondered how he would react if his own father killed himself, he finds himself growing nauseous at the thought. Denji didn't seem sad though, just reluctant. It won't be a stretch to say that perhaps he blocked out some of the negative emotions, much like Aki did with his own family.
Entering the room.
What would his parents do?
Sitting down.
How long has Denji dealt with this alone?
Looking at the boy taking sips out his drink, face passive and eye closed, and he can't help but think-
When did I start caring so much?
"Hey Aki?"
"Yes?"
"You were… sad- yknow, when you family died, right?"
Thoroughly caught off guard, Aki sputtered, "Of course I was".
"That's normal, right?"
The ravenette frowned, concerned over the direction the conversation was going. Dead silence filled the apartment, besides the rhythmic steps of Power walking on the counters like it was a perilous tightrope rather than marble surfaces her guardian would have to clean later.
Slowly he responded,
"Normally, yes."
"Hmm"
"Why do you ask Denji?"
"I– don't really know"
The room was nearly entirely dark at this point, a quick check of the time shows its nearly 11:30. Even the moon didn't seem to be shining. Luckily for his sleep schedule there was no work that he knew of the next day, though that was far from his mind right now.
"I wasn't sad".
Aki couldn't say anything.
For a second he was angry, perhaps thinking Denji was making fun of him or just being callous. However, this left as soon as it came, there was no mocking tone in his voice and the hushed way Denji said made his throat tighten, like it was some kind of closely guarded secret.
Then the blond murmured something under his breath. It's not likely Aki would've even heard it if the apartment wasn't so quiet.
"I was actually pretty relieved".
"I'm gonna take it he wasn’t the best"
Denji hummed in confirmation, the debate whether or not to share was evident on his features.
"Nah he was kinda terrible, spent all our money on things like slot machines and booze– basically ignored me, at least when he was sober. I was only ever scared of him when he got drunk…"
Denji frowned as he trailed off, seemingly oblivious to the utter horror on Akis face, if he was implying what he thought he was…
"...Well then he dipped out when I was like– 8? I think? He left a bunch of debt for me to pay off so that really sucked… but then I met Pochita! So that was pretty cool!".
The recollection of his old friend finally brought a grin to the frankly glum face of Denji, Aki did not have such luxuries.
He felt sick.
"Is that why you get all weird when Aki drinks?"
Both boys hastily turned to face the source of the sound.
However it came to them as Power, now holding a sleeping Meowy in her arms, threw herself over the back of the couch landing beside Denji leaving the flustered blond in the middle and waking up the very annoyed cat.
"I do not !" The hybrid cried in indignation face red with outrage? embarrassment? Aki had no idea.
There's a twisting feeling in his gut, Aki did not get drunk very often– actually hardly ever. After Himeno there was no one to drink with so he never really saw the point after that. He hadn't gotten truly blackout drunk since he was 17. Even now he only ever had a drink if there was a particularly bad day at work or Denji and Power were grating in his nerves. Even then he was much more partial to cigarettes than liquor.
The ravenette had no idea Denji seemed fine at the pub, but maybe since Himeno was the only one super wasted? Maybe it was only at home? It doesn't really matter to him now.
He wondered if Denji could tell the difference.
Aki frowned looking at the blond who refused to meet his eyes.
"Denji–"
"No! Don't start, she's just makin' shit up again!"
Power fumed at the perceived slight, "I am the most honest person in the world! I practically invented it! And you do get all weird!"
"Do not!"
"Do to! You always bewitch Meowy to betray me and sleep with you, and you get all quiet! You even went to sleep in my room once!"
" We do that all the time, Powy!"
"This is different!"
Denji turned to look at Aki with a look of desperation on his face.
"Denji, if it makes you uncomfortable you should've said something" when Power turned to look at him and the blond in question stayed quiet. "I don't have to drink".
"Huh?" Denji started, a dumbfounded look on his face, as if the thought never occurred to him.
"I mean I don't drink very often, I could stop very easily especially if it upsets you" Aki softly elaborated.
"It's fine, I don't care that much" Denji grumbled, before softly muttering to himself, "I can take you in a fight anyway".
That basically confirms Akis fears, horrified at whatever the normally very confident and fearless boy had to go through.
‘Take in a fight’ what a joke! Is that how he framed his abuse? losing a fight to his father?
Did he think Aki could do that to him?
Denji coughs and desperately tries to change the conversation. "So uh- what movie should we watch next Powy?"
"Oh no way, it's time for bed, you're not sleeping in till noon tomorrow". Aki says, shuttering when remembers the last time when he woke up at 2 and kept him up the entire next night.
"I refused to be ordered around by filthy humans!"
"Yeah! One more movie!"
Power was about to agree before she yawned.
"Bed. now."
When neither fiend moved he sighed, pulling out a weapon he didn't want to use.
"I will make chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast if you're in bed in 10 minutes".
Both blondes immediately jump up and rush to get to their respective rooms. Rushing around and bickering as they finish as fast as they can.
Before suddenly he feels a tap on his shoulder.
As he sees Power scooping up her cat before turning to him with a determined look in her eyes.
"Denji said you didn't have to, but you do".
"Huh?"
"You'll scare him, it's weird and I like him more when he's not."
Aki picked up on the fact she was referencing their earlier conversation.
"Not drinking? Yeah, after that conversation there's no way I'll ever do that around him, don't worry."
"You better not, I'll eat you".
"Noted, thanks for telling me about in the first place, I know Denji wouldn't have." Genuine gratitude in his features.
She got a proud look on her face, flashing a toothy grin as she stated,
"Of course, Denjis one of my subjects so I have to look out for him!" Before scampering off lest she miss the 10 minute deadline.
'They really are like siblings' Aki mused, remembering what started this whole thing in the first place.
What does that make him?
Eventually the apartment quieted down, leaving Aki to finish his tea in silence before he himself went to sleep.
He hopes that he understands his roommates a little better, but in reality he probably has a ways to go. However it's nice to know there's someone who cares underneath all the, well everything , that is Power. It's also important to note that this is the most he's ever gotten out of Denji regarding his past.
Maybe talking about his family helped him a bit as well.
So yeah maybe nothings changed yet, but maybe they've made some good first steps.
He entertains the thought that maybe,
just maybe,
He can have a family again.