𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐌𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄? (𝗵. 𝗮𝗸𝗶) ✓

16

It was early afternoon and the sun shone eagerly through the glass doors of the balcony. It was warm for winter, as if the air was reminiscing about long-ago spring, but this hopeful weather probably wouldn't last for more than an hour. Despite the chill that came before and would afterwards, Aki had been awake for a long while. Slightly ironic, considering he didn't have a shift that day; surprisingly enough, even Devil Hunters could take weekends off.

Regardless of this, he preferred getting up earlier than sleeping in. He'd draw the curtains first thing in the morning to let the light in. He didn't have breakfast, unless a cup of coffee and a cigarette on the balcony counted. And he still tied his hair up in a topknot in case the Fox Devil needed it for payment. Some habits never paused, he supposed.

Denji, on the other hand, was far more content with lazing about. He had staggered into the main area of the apartment about an hour after Aki had got himself sorted, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. While Aki had taken this as his sign to stop relaxing and start working around the house, Denji's break had only just begun.

Taking inspiration from the multiple jars of preserve on the counter, Denji thought he should fulfil a lifelong dream of his; eat a slice of bread that wasn't plain. Controversial? Maybe, but he didn't particularly care.

When Aki arrived at the main room with the vacuum, he was greeted by the sight of a very satisfied Denji wolfing down a piece of toast piled high with every kind of jam the kitchen had to offer.

He grimaced at the sight, but didn't say anything. Denji had already made his so-called 'Super Toast' on  more occasions than Aki would've liked to remember. Although the amount of toppings never grew less outrageous, at least Denji's table manners had improved over the time he'd already spent living with him. Slightly.

At about an hour past noon, Aki started preparing some more dignified food. Denji was still mulling over his Super Toast, as expected, but immediately perked up when he noticed Aki chopping up some vegetables.

"What's for lunch?" he asked, propping himself up from his relaxed position to get a better look. Aki spared him nothing more than a halfhearted glance before responding to his breaking of the yearlong silence between them.

"Curry."

"Nice!" came the answer from a suddenly rejuvenated Denji, accompanied by a celebratory fist-pump. Aki continued to chop sullenly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes; which was quite impressive, considering what his attitude to Denji had been like so far.

However, the peace didn't last long, as usual. A raucous hammering on the other side of the flat's door demanded the attention of both of them. Aki, still donned in his apron, carefully made his way over, followed suite by Denji shuffling on his hands and knees. The pounding started up again a few moments later, more indignant than before, then came to an uneasy halt.

"What's this?" Denji muttered, narrowing his eyes at the previously rattling door. "A Devil?"

Instead of questioning what he was doing on the floor, like he'd do normally, Aki continued to stare ahead warily, a muscle clenching in his jaw. Then, two splintering blows delivered directly on the doorknob, the second strike breaking it clean through the door, flinging it inside the room, where it landed hazardously near Aki's feet with a sharp clatter.

Perturbed, and potentially ruffled by the blatant destruction of his property, he readied himself for an impending attack. Denji rose, and brought his fists up, as if he'd try to beat the Devil in a boxing match. But instead of some foul creature bursting through the door in a flurry of paint chips and broken timber, it was simply kicked open with a lazy swing of the offender's leg.

"Oh, wow!" they crowed triumphantly, surveying the flat with the air of a king who'd conquered new land. "What a pitiful home this is!"

Power strode in, chest puffed with pride, a suitcase clutched in one clawed hand and a tote bag slung over the top of her other arm. Meowy was perched on her shoulders, tail flicking in agreement with her declaration.

For a moment, Aki and Denji did nothing but gaze vacantly at her bold form. She looked almost eerie dressed in normal clothes instead of the Devil Hunter uniform. In fact, one might've been easily able to mistake her as human from a distance, if it weren't for the two impish horns sprouting from her skull, poking from her pinkish hair like twin shards of ruby.

Behind her, a smaller, slighter figure followed through the doorway.

"Hanasaki?"