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It starts with a searing pain in Aki's right forearm.
He doesn't get a chance to react. Before he can blink, Denji's pulled the Werewolf Devil off him and is running it through with his chainsaws. His manic laughter fills the air as Aki stares blankly down at the ragged, bleeding bite, barely registering the pain beyond the sinking sensation of dread. Later, he will wonder if Denji realizes the implications of what just happened. Right now, he can barely process it himself.
With a single bite, Aki's life falls apart.
*
So, Aki’s a werewolf now. Or at least, he will be when the next full moon hits in less than a month from now. He'll turn into a giant wolf monster and they're gonna have to lock him in a cage until he turns back or something.
Whatever. Denji can’t say that he sees what the big deal is.
Aki's acting like it's a big deal though. He's treating it like the end of the world. Sure, he barely talks about it, changing the subject or finding some excuse to leave the room whenever Denji or Power brings it up, but there's no missing the desolate look in his eyes or how much more time he's been spending sulking. It's the sort of sticky situation that he doesn't know how to fix, so he opts to ignore it and wait for everything to boil over and go back to normal.
Then Makima makes it clear that things won't be going back to normal.
At first, Denji's heart soars when she calls him into her office. It's soaring because she called him into her office, even though he doesn't know what for yet. He takes in her placid smile and penetrating gaze and just knows that this conversation is going to be the highlight of his day.
Makima gestures to the seat across from her desk. "Sit down."
Denji obeys with a metaphorical wag of his tail.
"I wanted to let you know that there are going to be some changes to your household," she says.
"Cool," he replies. "Like what?"
"You're going to be the one holding Hayakawa's leash from now on."
Suddenly, this conversation doesn't feel so great anymore.
"Whaddya mean?" he asks slowly, cautiously, the voice of someone who doesn't understand what he's hearing. Because he doesn't; it's one thing for Makima to talk about him this way, but she isn't supposed to use words like 'leash' when talking about Aki. Never Aki.
"Hayakawa is no longer human," Makima calmly explains. "This isn't an ideal situation, but a dog who has proven his ability to heel can be trusted more than one on the verge of being feral. That is why, Denji, I am trusting you to supervise him for the time being."
"Right," Denji murmurs, even though that's not right. He should be over the moon that Makima trusts him that much, but instead, he just feels sick to his stomach. And he can't tell her that she's wrong, but he also can't stop himself from asking, "Are ya sure? Aki's still Aki."
Makima's smile shifts slightly. "Wrong. He became an animal the second he was bitten by the Werewolf Devil."
Denji seriously, seriously feels like he might be sick. But this is Makima, and Denji was a dog long before she started using those words with Aki, so all he says is, "Oh."
"This is a temporary measure," Makima assures him. "We will have the matter taken care of after the next full moon." With that, she shifts her attention to the paperwork on her desk. "You're dismissed."
*
Aki is trying to make dinner when Denji gets home. His heart isn't in it, but that doesn't exactly matter. All that matters is that go goes through all the correct motions and produces something edible in the end.
It takes three minutes for Denji to make it clear that he isn't going to let that happen without a struggle.
He plunks himself down on the other side of the counter with a heavy sigh. Aki glances up at him, but doesn't quickly turns his attention back to the chives that he's chopping.
Denji lets out another, louder sigh.
Aki ignores it.
Denji flops forward into the counter, tilts his head to the side, and groans.
Aki ignores that, too.
Denji parts his lips to let out one long, loud, sustained warble of a groan. It stretches on for an entire thirty seconds before Aki slams his knife down on the cutting board and snaps, "What?"
"Makima told me I'm in charge of you now," Denji says, sitting up as if to reaffirm his status as perfectly healthy, uninjured, and thus having no reason to make such a fuss. Yet there is a look on his face that says that this is something worth making a fuss about, even though it's not. It's- It's natural. It's to be expected.
It's the only safe solution.
"Oh," Aki says, picking his knife back up and turning his attention back to the chives.
"Oh?" Denji mimics.
"That makes sense," Aki elaborates.
Denji hums uncertainly. "She said it won't be for long."
The ache that's been pulsating in Aki's chest since they decided on a course of action flares up with a vengeance. He clenches his jaw, takes a deep breath, and tries to ignore it as he says, "She's right. It won't."
The chives are almost ready.
"She didn't say why, though."
Aki walks over to the sink and grabs the bushel of carrots sitting in the strainer.
"Aki. What aren't you telling me?"
Aki isn't quick enough to stop his throat from closing up. He isn't able to ward off the stinging in his eyes. The wave of grief crashes over him anew, and he is unable to stop it. But he can swim his way to the surface. He closes his eyes, reminds himself that there's nothing he can do to change this, and remembers that this is for the better.
Now to make Denji see that.
"Did Makima tell you what happens to people who have been bitten by the Werewolf Devil?" Aki asks, dumping the chives in the bowl beside the cutting board and setting the carrots down on top of it.
Denji frowns. "I mean, they become werewolves too, don't they?"
"More or less." Aki lines his knife up with the carrots. "Only a bite from the Werewolf Devil itself can spread the infection." Chop. "But after infection, its victims will periodically turn into wolves starting on the next full moon." Chop. "Afterwards, they'll spend the entire day of every full moon as a wolf." Chop. "And random, unpredictable nights." Chop. "They don't have any logic or reasoning in that form." Chop. "They're mindless animals that act on their base instincts and impulses." Chop. "They're monsters."
Thunk.
The knife falls too hard. It digs several centimeters into the wood of the cutting board; Aki drops his hand to his side with a sigh.
He doesn't look up at Denji.
"...Okay," Denji says, wary, but not too put off. All too naive, still not getting the hint. Or maybe actively trying to avoid it. "So we'll have to lock you up every night. No more overnight missions. That doesn't mean-"
"Denji." Aki forces himself to look up, forces himself to say the next words calmly, like it's fine, like he's fine, like it's for the better. Because it is. "There's no justifying allowing a werewolf to live. They're too dangerous."
Denji stares at him with wide eyes and a blank expression. Then, ever so slowly, he shakes his head. "No," he says. "Nu-uh. You aren't saying-"
"Makima was able to get me until the full moon to get my affairs in order." To say goodbye. "After I shift, I'll be euthanized."
"...You're okay with that?" Denji chokes out after a long moment of silence.
Of course not, Aki wants to scream. I don't want to die! But what other choice is there?
Aki pushes back his tears, saving them for a time and place where no one can see. "It's what has to happen," he says.
"...Right," Denji murmurs. He looks like a ghost as he slides off his chair and wanders off.
Aki doesn't go after him.
*
Here's the thing.
Denji loves Makima, but he loved Reze too. He was ready to run away for her.
He doesn't feel that way for Aki, obviously, but after thinking about it for a few days, he realizes that if the other option is Aki dying, he'd run away for him too.
Power'd be down for it. He knows that much without having to ask. She was ready to run away from Public Safety over some harsh training, no duh she'd be willing to ditch because they're planning on killing Aki. He doesn't mention it to her yet though; Power's a loudmouth, and if he wants them to stand a chance at getting out, he needs to keep things quiet until he has a plan.
Which is where a new problem springs up. Denji isn't exactly a big planner. With Reze, he'd kinda been counting on her to call all the shots. Now, without her, he feels kinda fucked. Asking Aki for help isn't an option, not when the guy thinks that he needs to roll over and die. No, if there's any way to pull it off, he needs to keep him from figuring out that they're running until they're too far away to turn back. Which is another big, ugly detail that he needs to try to figure out.
Denji needs a co-conspirator if he wants to pull this off.
But who other than him and Power cares about Aki enough to risk being put down to save him?
It's a complicated-sounding question that actually has a really simple answer when he thinks about it for a little bit.
Two and a half weeks before the full moon, Denji corners the Angel Devil in the halls of Public Safety. "Yo, Angel," he calls, grabbing his arm and dragging him toward the bathroom. "We should talk."
The devil starts to protest, all warnings and indignation and noise.
"Please," Denji whispers. "They're gonna kill Aki."
Angel shuts up and lets himself be dragged into the bathroom.
*
Aki has less than two weeks left to live, and he's sitting in the back seat of a van driving into what's starting to look more and more like the middle of nowhere.
His eyes drift across the occupants of the van. Kishibe sits in the driver's seat, eyes locked straight ahead. Aki can just make out the stiff set of his jaw. Angel, who sits in the seat beside him, has been acting strange all day. He's even more quiet than usual, but keeps glancing at Aki when he thinks that he isn't looking. Weirder yet, he keeps exchanging looks with Denji, who is restlessly fidgeting in the seat next to Aki. Power is even worse. She's sitting on Denji's other side, across from Aki, yet he can't miss the anxious bounce of her legs, the way her eyes dart around the van, or how she periodically leans over to whisper to Denji.
All of this behavior is suspicious, but perhaps the most damning thing of all is that they've been quiet this entire time.
It's getting dark outside. They've been driving for hours. They've been driving for hours, and Denji and Power have been quiet the entire time.
Angel and Denji have just exchanged another one of their secretive looks when Aki leans forward to ask Kishibe, "Can you tell me about this devil one more time?"
"Oh, did I say we were hunting a devil?" Kishibe tonelessly asks. "Sorry."
Aki stiffens. He looks from Kishibe, still laser-focused on the road ahead, to Angel, to Denji, to Power. A tingle of dread, of understanding, of something that he doesn't dare let grow into hope crawls up his spine. Out of the hope that his loved ones wouldn't be that stupid, he slowly asks, "What is this?"
His eyes lock onto Angel's. The devil's eyes narrow. "What do you think?" he asks.
"You wouldn't," he whispers.
"Wouldn't what?" Angel waves a hand at him - the hand Aki had grabbed in the middle of a typhoon. "Return the favor?"
Denji pipes up, "Aki-"
"No. Shut up." Aki wrenches his attention away from Angel's electrically charged eyes and looks toward Kishibe. "Turn around," he commands.
Kishibe meets his gaze in the driver's mirror and raises his eyebrows. "That eager to die, Hayakawa?"
"It's necessary," Aki hisses.
Kishibe hums. "I wouldn't be so certain. Besides." The old man pauses, and if Aki didn't know better, he would think he's smiling. "It's too late. Public Safety would've noticed you skipping town by now. If we turn back now, the whole lot of you will be executed."
Aki falls back into his seat and buries his face in his hands. The Werewolf Devil's bite throbs beneath its bandages.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?" he hisses.
"I mean, I think we did a pretty good job," Denji says.
"Denji, we got caught," Angel sourly mutters.
"Yeah, but the old man ended up helping, so-"
"You're going to die," Aki says, pulling his head up and dropping his hands into his lap. His eyes have started to burn, but he doesn't dare allow the tears to form. It's anger - righteous, protective, burning anger - that he infuses into his expression as he stares down the stupid, reckless, hopeless devils gathered in the car with him. "Do you understand that? Public Safety is going to find us, and when they do, they will kill you."
Denji and Angel erupt in protests at the same time.
"You don't know that! The old man said he'd help us hide!" Denji cries.
"And they would have killed you if we didn't!" Angel exclaims.
"This isn't about me!" Aki shouts. "What if Kishibe can't protect you!? We could all die because you decided to save someone who's going to turn into a monster anyway."
"You don't know that!" Denji shouts back.
"What don't I know!? Makima-"
"How about we all shut up?" Kishibe barks. "What's done is done. Hayakawa, don't jump to the worst-case scenario when you don't know anything for sure. The rest of you, keep arguing in my car and I'll pull over and make you shut up."
The van goes silent. Angel turns back around to stare straight ahead. Denji glares stubbornly at Aki, who glares right back. This lasts for a solid two minutes before his attention slides over to Power, who is staring anxiously down at her lap, fiddling with her fingers.
"Power, what do you think?" Aki coaxes.
Because if one of them isn't okay with this, he might be able to get Kishibe to see sense and salvage this situation. He has to. Aki can't let them throw themselves into danger and possibly die for him, not when he's already doomed anyway. And as he takes in Power's fearful expression, he allows himself to hope.
She looks at him and that hope dissipates like dew on the morning grass. Power is clearly terrified, but there's a stubborn set to her mouth, and when she speaks, there is as much conviction in her tone as fear. "I despised the constraints of Public Safety, but you and Denji made it tolerable. Had they gone through with killing you, I would have had no choice but to slaughter them all."
Denji makes a noise of agreement.
Aki allows his head to drop back onto the headrest and allows himself to stare off into a distant, unknown future. Ironically, he can't bring himself to ask Future where this will lead. Later, when he's had a chance to breathe, when his heart isn't pounding and his mind isn't racing and he knows how to feel. For now, he chokes out, "You idiots."
"You're welcome," Angel intones.
*
Kishibe drops them off at a western-style cabin in the middle of nowhere, a whole lot of money, a warning that they will have to kill Aki if he turns out to be truly, uncontrollably, uncontainably dangerous, and a promise that he'll be calling on Denji to do some sort of favor for him at some point in the future.
The last two parts are said to Denji and Denji alone. One means absolutely nothing to him, the other has the potential to ruin anything, and both are said with all of the weight of a falling star. Denji opts to go for the middle ground and not think about either of them. And it's easy not to think about them, seeing as he has an entire house to explore.
Alright, so the cabin itself isn't that big. It only has three bedrooms, which results in a bout of arguing that ends in Aki and Angel reluctantly deciding to share a room. It also only has one bathroom, and while he's used to battling it out with Power and Aki over bathroom rights in the morning, it only takes a few days for it to become clear that Angel's presence is going to make it even worse. The air conditioner makes a strange wheezing sound sometimes, the kitchen appliances are ancient, the tiny boxy television only gets like four channels, and there are no gaming systems to speak of.
The cabin also has a giant, cement-walled basement with a thick steel door.
But. The living room is big, and it has a great big fireplace that Aki immediately forbids Denji and Power from messing with. The cabin is surrounded by a sprawling forest that Aki says they're not allowed to explore. There's a truck in the garage that Aki threatened to kill them over if they try to drive it. They have a massive backyard that Aki kicked them out into twice within three days of moving in; this time, it's Meowy who isn't allowed outside. He says that a predator will eat her if they let her out now that they're living in the country.
Obviously, they aren't actually going to listen to Aki about anything but the Meowy thing. They're going to do all that stuff and there's nothing that bossy dickweed can do to stop them. Just... not yet. They'll have their fun later, once he isn't so high-strung and stressed out. He always looks like he's on the verge of a breakdown these days, and it only gets worse with each passing day.
Everyone knows why, but no one talks about it.
Not until three days before the full moon, when Aki comes back from a shopping trip. This is his third time venturing out into the closest town since their arrival here. All three times, he went out alone, insisting that Denji, Power, and Angel should lay low until they were sure they were safe.
The first time, he came back with food and information about the place where Kishibe had dumped them.
The second, he came back with a lot more food, as well as cleaning supplies, medical supplies, and some other emergency stuff.
This time, Denji looks up from his sandwich when Aki drops metal chains onto the kitchen table with a heavy clatter.
"What're those for?" Denji asks around a mouthful of ham and bread.
Aki shoots him a dark look that seems to scold him for even asking.
Denji swallows. "Doncha think that's a bit much?"
Aki sits down in the chair across from him, but he angles his body away. "It's probably not enough," he says to the window. "If you're going to..." He shoots a heavy look at Denji. "If you're going to do something this reckless, you need to take every precaution."
"By 'something this dangerous', you mean not killing you," Denji prods.
When Aki frowns, it makes Denji realize just how tired his eyes are. He looks away without saying anything.
"...D'you wanna talk about it?" Denji tentatively asks.
"There's nothing to talk about," Aki murmurs.
That sounds about as wrong as anything Denji's ever heard, but he can't think of anything that will make any of this even a little better, and there's every chance that he could say something that will make everything worse, so he allows them to slip into silence.
After a few minutes, Aki walks away without another word.
*
The bite mark from the Werewolf Devil is still bandaged. All that it's covering is a scar at this point, but Aki still can't bring himself to take it off and see the reminder of what he's about to become. The full moon is set to rise within an hour, he's in the process of being chained to a wall in the basement, and he still can't bring himself to look. It almost feels like as long as he doesn't look, there's still a chance that he'll come out on the other end of this human.
How stupid. He's going to be a monster in less than an hour no matter what he does.
And his reckless, stupid, wonderful companions don't-
"Man, this is really weird," Denji mutters.
"What's weird is that you're making me do this," Angel bites back as he tightens the shackle on Aki's right wrist. He's wearing a pair of thin vinyl gloves for the occasion. Considerate.
Denji, leaning against the wall, waves a hand dismissively. "Nah man, a deal's a deal. You lost tic-tac-toe, you get to do the weird chain stuff."
Angel shoots Denji a look that's a few shades away from murderous, then looks back at Aki and releases his wrist. "How's this?" he asks.
Aki twists his wrist experimentally, then shakes his head. "Tighter," he says. "The left, too."
Angel frowns. "Aki-"
"I mean it," Aki insists. "We can't take any risks."
"What about the risk that we, I dunno, cut off your blood flow or something?" Denji asks.
"Better that than I rip your head off," Aki intones.
Angel purses his lips, but obediently picks Aki's wrist back up and starts tightening the shackles.
Aki waits until he's finished adjusting both of them to say, "There's a chance that I'll be able to break out of these."
Angel looks down at his knees, his red hair falling forward to obscure his face. Aki looks at Denji rather than risking catching what's visible of his expression.
Denji looks like he's an inch away from rolling his eyes. "Yeah, that's what the big ass door is for."
"There's a chance that won't be enough either," Aki says. "If I break out - if there's even a chance that I could hurt any one of you - you need to kill me."
“I’m not doing that,” Angel flatly says.
“I’m not asking you to,” Aki replies, looking straight at Denji.
"Dude, that's…" Denji steps away from the wall, shaking his head. "No. I didn't bust my ass getting you away from Public Safety just to kill you myself. If you get out, I'll beat you down and drag you back in here."
He speaks with the sort of sincere conviction that can only be fueled by emotions that make Aki's heart ache in a way that he can't afford to acknowledge right now, lest he begin to hope for and imagine things that he's never been further away from having. Right now, he needs to acknowledge reality, and that reality is-
"There's no telling how many people I'll kill if I get out. You need to be prepared to do what is necessary."
Denji crosses his arms. "So I won't let you get out. Long as that doesn't happen, nothing else will be necessary."
It's as close to an agreement as he'll get. It's close enough for him to allow himself to believe that if the worst comes to pass, Denji will do the right thing.
Aki twists his wrists. He can barely move them, the metal of the shackles chafes against his skin, and he can tell that they'll start to ache soon.
Good.
"You two can go now," he says.
Angel stands up, but doesn't move a step further. Neither does Denji. Instead, they exchange a look that lasts a few seconds before Angel looks back at him and says, "There's still time before the moon rises."
"Power's going to come down if you take much longer," he points out.
Neither of them move.
Aki's voice gets caught in his throat. He doesn't want to say it, but… They're going to make him, aren't they?
Those fools would risk getting trapped with a monster to wait with him.
"It isn't safe," Aki chokes.
"I mean, I throw myself at danger all the time," Denji points out.
Aki closes his eyes and swallows heavily. "I don't want you to see."
"I'm sure I've seen worse," Angel murmurs.
"Please," Aki whispers.
There is a moment of silence. Then footsteps walking out of the basement, followed by the opening and closing of a heavy door.
When Aki opens his eyes, he is alone. He stays that way for what feels like a short eternity.
Then the world collapses into a haze of confusion and pain.
*
Denji's pretty sure that they expected all sorts of horrific sounds when Aki shifted. Screaming, howling, growling - y'know, your typical monster noises.
He doesn't think that any of them expected sobbing.
Yet that's the sound that has been rising up from the basement for the past ten minutes, pained, whimpering, canine sobs.
None of them have moved a muscle. Sorta. They're all sitting around the kitchen table, and Power's tense as a log, but Angel's wings keep twitching, and Denji keeps fidgeting in his seat, but none of them have gotten up. They're sitting, they're waiting, they're ignoring it, just like Aki told them to.
The crying dies off for a few seconds. Denji feels his shoulders loosen a bit.
There's a sharp yelp from the basement, and Denji is abruptly reminded that Aki is a stubborn jackass who doesn't know shit about shit.
It looks like Angel has the same thought, because he shoves his chair back and stands up. "I'm going to check on him," he announces.
Denji presses his hands against the table as he stands up. "Hold up," he says. "You've got wings."
Angel frowns. "So?"
"What if he thinks you're a bird and tries to go for you?"
"He could attack you too," Angel points out.
"Yeah, but I just look like a boring old human, so it wouldn't be as fun. Besides, if it goes to shit, he can take a chunk out of me without losing his lifespan."
Consideration washes over Angel's face. Slowly, hesitantly, he sits back down. "He's not actually a devil," he murmurs. "Don't use your chainsaws on him."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll let him use me as a chew toy if he attacks." Denji waves a hand dismissively before glancing between Angel and Power. "If I can get to the top of my stairs, will you guys drag my bloody carcass out of there?"
"Probably," Angel says.
Power bites on her lower lip, but offers a small nod. She falters then, uncertainty flickering across her expression, before asking, "Denji?"
"Yeah," Denji asks, already turning to eye the kitchen counter. Or more accurately, the key sitting on top of it.
"Tell me if it's safe to come down."
Denji abruptly looks at Power, but she isn't looking at him anymore. Her eyes are locked on the basement door, worry growing more evident by the second.
"...Duh, I'll let you know," Denji murmurs.
And he could probably say more - probably should say more - but it doesn't feel like there's any real point. Besides, he can still hear Aki crying. It's somehow more pitiful than the times he's heard him cry as a human, and the longer he stands there, the more his stomach starts to twist. So he shoots an unsteady, mostly-confident smile at Power and Angel, grabs the key off the counter, and walks over to the basement door.
Distantly, he realizes that he might be about to do something really, really stupid.
But honestly? That's fine with him. It's not like he can die, and Aki should know by now than to expect him not to do stupid things. He'll be upset if he turns into a human and finds out that he mauled Denji, but they'll both be fucked up if something is seriously wrong and he doesn't go to check, and it'll be easier for him to shrug off some bite wounds than that whole mess.
Denji opens the door.
The crying cuts off abruptly.
The basement is fucking dark. There's a light embedded in the ceiling, but that thing is long dead. It's on the list of things to fix, but for now, a couple of small windows up near the ceiling are the only source of light. Denji doesn't wait for his eyes to adjust to the grainy moonlight to walk down the stairs.
His vision returns to him when he's about halfway down the staircase.
Aki is a lot smaller than the Werewolf Devil was. He looks about the same size as when he's human, just translated into wolf form, which is fucking humongous by dog standards, but not exactly the nightmarish monster that Aki made it sound like he was going be. It's honestly kinda disappointing; Denji'd expected him to be the size of a minivan, or at least a small bear. But no, he's just a big ass wolf. His fur is the same black as his hair as a human, his eyes are the same shade of blue, and…
He's cowering against the wall.
Denji steps off the staircase, and Aki scoots back with a pained whimper, closes his watery eyes, presses his head against the floor, and hides his muzzle under one of his paws.
He's shaking.
For a moment, all Denji can do is stare. As he stares, he remembers what Aki had told him about the Werewolf Devil's victims, what Makima had told Aki. When someone’s bitten, they turn into a giant wolf that acts on their basic instincts and impulses instead of human intelligence.
She never said that they’re vicious.
"Fuck," Denji whispers, starting forward. "You dumbass."
Aki attempts to scoot further back, only to reach the end of his chains with a painful-looking jolt to his front legs. He lets out a yelp that gets cut off halfway through, trailing off into a pained whimper.
"Shit!" Denji exclaims, racing over to crouch down by him. "Cut that out!"
He gets a short glimpse of misty blue eyes before Aki tucks his face into his side, trying his best to curl up into a tight little ball despite the constraints of the chains. He doesn't get very far, but he does whimper and lean away when Denji reaches out to him.
Denji frowns. "Are you scared of me?" he incredulously asks.
Aki doesn't respond, unless he counts letting out another whine and inching closer to the wall as a response. Which, given the circumstances, he probably should.
"Well, that's fucking stupid," Denji mutters. Then he sighs, gets down on his knees, and leans forward in a futile attempt to catch Aki's eyes. "C'mon," he says, "Show me your paws." When he doesn't get a response, he sets the key down beside him and carefully reaches out to pull Aki's right paw forward. He lets out a whimper at the contact, but doesn't resist.
Denji understands the whimpering as soon as he gets a look at his ankle. Those damn shackles had looked too tight when he was human. With the shifting of bone and tendon, they've come to dig painfully into flesh. He can tell with a glance that it's going to bruise, assuming that he isn't already bleeding beneath his fur. He definitely will be soon, if he doesn't take it off.
"You moron," Denji whispers, the easiest of the things swirling around his head for him to voice. He keeps one hand on Aki's paw, rubbing gentle circles with his thumb, while he grabs the key with his other hand. It takes a little fumbling for him to unlock the shackle. When it springs free, Aki lets out a heavy sigh, and Denji tosses the thing aside with prejudice.
"I'm never going to let you live this down," he murmurs, softer than he'd generally be caught dead talking to Aki. Distantly, he recognizes it as the way he'd talk to Pochita when he was scared or hurt. Which he supposes is fitting, seeing as they're both somewhere within the vague territory of devils and dogs right now.
Aki lifts his head to watch him when he starts working on the second shackle. Denji doesn't acknowledge it, too acutely aware of the tremors running through his paw, the whimpers leaving his throat every few seconds, and the fearful look in his eyes, still leaking tears. The seconds tick by, the shackle opens up and follows its sibling's fate of being tossed aside like it’s on fire, and Denji decides to go ahead and risk opening his mouth to ask, "Feel better?"
Aki lifts his paw up and gives it a gentle shake. He winces at the motion, but goes on to gingerly set it down and rise up onto wobbly legs. Standing up, his head comes a little over half a foot higher than Denji's does with him sitting down. He looks up at him, wondering if he should stand up and stay sitting; if he can lure Aki out of the basement, or if something in his scrambled wolfy brain still has him too skittish to follow him.
He doesn't get the chance to make any decisions. Aki takes a single step forward, then collapses into his lap with an agonized whimper.
"Hey!" Denji exclaims. He reflexively wraps his arms around him, burying his fingers in the soft, silky black fur. Sobs wrack Aki's body as he lets out a low whine and buries his face in Denji's chest. Within a few seconds, he can feel tears soaking through his shirt.
Denji lets out a heavy exhale, holds Aki closer, and rests his face on his shoulder. Monster my ass, he thinks.
"...It's okay," he murmurs. "You'll be okay."
*
When Aki slowly drifts back to consciousness, the first thing he becomes aware of is that he aches all over. His wrists especially, but it seems like there isn't an inch of his person that's completely free of pain.
The second thing he notices is that despite the pain in his body, he's warm and comfortable.
...The basement is not warm and comfortable.
Raw terror sees Aki sitting bolt upright, pain be damned. With wide, panicked eyes, he takes in his surroundings: the blanket laid out over him, the mattress beneath, the warm morning light trickling in through the living room window, Angel sprawled out asleep on the couch, Power and Denji laying on either side of him-
What?
Power lets out a low grumble and rolls over in her sleep, seemingly content and unharmed. Aki stares down at her, thunderstruck, only for his attention to be pulled away by Denji letting out a loud groan. He looks over just in time to see him crack an amber eye open and frown at him.
"...Take it easy," Denji grumbles after a moment, sitting up to sluggishly push at his chest. "You were hurting for hours last night. You're probably gonna feel shitty for a while."
Aki does not, in fact, take it easy. "You let me out of the basement."
"Yep," Denji says, utterly unashamed.
"Why?"
"'Cause wolf Aki is totally lame, dude. You were all worried about nothing."
Aki is utterly speechless. There is nothing, nothing, that can excuse letting a monster roam around the house, free to tear into his friends. No, the memories that start to trickle in as he stares aghast at Denji aren't especially damning. He remembers fear, shame, pain and loneliness. The horrible ache of shifting, the feeling of shackles digging into his flesh, the relief of having them removed. It's vague and disjointed, but he remembers being coaxed upstairs, where he collapsed onto the mattress that Denji dragged into the living room, so exhausted that he barely moved for the rest of the day.
None of that means anything. The wolf is a monster. It cannot be trusted.
Yet as Denji stares him down, Aki realizes that he isn't going to be able to convince him of that without a fight. And right now, he doesn't have the energy to fight.
"Go back to sleep or put on some pants," Denji grumbles, flopping back down onto the mattress.
"...You and I are going to talk later," Aki says.
And then he lays back down.