[ Goddamn Makima, why did you have so many dogs? He loves dogs too, who doesn't, but there are limits!
It's a thought that crosses his mind every morning. He wakes up at the crack of dawn to corral the herd and take them to the dog park a few minutes from where he lives now. Nobody in their right mind would get up this early for that and that's exactly why he does it. The dogs have the whole area to themselves, Nayuta plays with him eagerly, and he can shut his eyes on the bench for a time.
It's a cool autumn morning and the school year will begin tomorrow. Kishibe helped him enroll by acting as his legal guardian, and he did the same for Nayuta. "The rest is up to you. Pick her up on your way home, make sure she does her homework, and don't let anyone find out what she is." Yeah, he knows, damn bastard man. If anyone realizes who she is, who she was, then it'll only cause more problems for him. Not helping are the amount of demons coming out of the woodwork to come after him.
He stretches his arms up and grasps for the rising sun, fingers flailing over a ball of light too far to touch. Thirty minutes of this, then he'll take them all back and pass out in peace. So he hopes. ]
[ One thing she has understood too well, from perhaps too young an age is that tragedy rarely put the world on pause for very long. Early on in her training she had been taught and commanded to view herself and others as things, not people; components of a larger cycle of death and rebirth, things that maintained the natural order. Pondering what-ifs, mourning lost potential– those things were a waste of time and set the cycle off course.
So many things would be so much easier if she could believe that, and if it wasn't proven true time and time again.
Reze watches the girl and her hauntingly familiar gaze from a distance and wonders if setting her scalp on fire will make up for any of it: the nightmares she still has, the brief but potent horror she'd felt when she'd stared into that gaze for the first time, the what-ifs Makima had ruined.
She is quiet as a mouse when she approaches the bench and then just a bit too loud when she finally speaks up. Reze lowers the pitch of her voice, makes herself sound like some middle aged housewife passing by. ]
Ah, what a beautiful child! She must get her good looks from her papa.
[ His heart leaps, totally startled, but he sucks in a breath and huffs out- ]
I don't know who her papa is, but it ain't meeeeee-- aaaahhh!
[ And then it's time to be startled again. He bounces off the bench and stumbles in a turn, pointing straight at her like he's trying to prove she's there to an invisible bystander. What the hell?! What the hell! ]
Reze! Reze!
[ And yet, despite the shock, he's grinning cheek to cheek. ]
[ She'd thought about his reaction– would he be happy? Would he be mad? Would he be conflicted? Reze has worked through every possible outcome in her mind and she still can't help but be surprised at his elation (her surprise is brief and subdued, but it's there).
Despite her loud entrance she can initially only offer a delicate wave in response (and a smile, also just as small). ]
Hi Denji. Long time no see.
[ Was putting it lightly.
It is now that the awkwardness sets in for her. She had played a part in the time they'd spent together and she'd played another part when she'd left him with a broken neck in the sand. How was she supposed to act now?
Reze laces her fingers together behind her back and peers up at him. ]
You look good! And don't be so quick to correct people, the single-dad thing is totaaally in right now. Girls eat it up.
[ He's still in shock. Should he be in shock? If he took a moment to think about it, Reze is like him, able to die and come back without issue. So why does it feel like he's seeing a ghost?
If he thought about it longer he would get the answer. Instead his smile drops to a scowl ]
I told you I'm not her dad! In fact - wait -
Do girls really like single dads?
[ A suspicious squint. Reze is not trustworthy, but she is a girl. Hm. Hmm... ]
[ For the time being Denji doesn't seem like he's all that concerned with asking real questions, so Reze supposes she shouldn't be concerned with providing real answers. She can't decide if this is a relief or source of annoyance for her.
Reze shrugs and walks around the bench so she can sit. ]
Some do, totally!
[ She pats the spot on the bench next to her, urging him to sit as well. ]
[ So not universal. Then for the ones who like single dads, he can tell them she's his. Perfect, great planning Denji! He smiles to himself before he clicks back with the sound of the pat. There's no hesitation to move forward and sit by her.
There's a lot he should said, and maybe some things he shouldn't. He's still figuring this "take care of Nayuta" thing out. All he knows is that he can't let her turn into another Makima. That would be bad -- not just for him. He probably shouldn't mention it to Reze... ]
So what're you doing here? Last time I saw you, you were with Makima. But not because you wanted to be, right?
[ Kishibe told him most of the important stuff after the fact. It's still confusing to him, but she's not coming back so that's what matters. He stares toward Nayuta, entertaining herself with the gaggle of dogs vying for her attention. ]
[ She can all but see the gears turning in his head as he considers this strategy for pulling chicks. She's almost annoyed at herself for almost finding it amusing.
The tone shifts when finally mentions the dreaded M-Word. ]
Well, were you ever with Makima because you really wanted to be? That's a question I've been wanting to ask you for a long time.
[ in her lifetime she has witnessed and felt some of the most horrific things humanity and devils both were capable of. Being under Makima's control was no contest, one of the worst.
At first it was like a nap, one induced by laughing gas— the whole world upside down and amusing thanks to some kind of pleasant delusion. But over time that wore off, and as she woke she found herself trapped within her own body, a puppet with Makima's hand so far up her ass that Reze could feel her cold fingers wrapped around her brain.
Reze smiles at Denji despite the unpleasant nature of her question. ]
Haah... I can't really say "no" to that. [ He looks past Nayuta now, off to a far distance of tall buildings hiding the skyline. ] I really did like her. Might have been my first love.
[ It's horrible, even after everything she did he still likes her. His brain is really broken. He knows he did the right thing, even if his stomach couldn't take eating meat for a couple weeks. As long as he doesn't let anyone screw up Nayuta, there shouldn't be any reason to worry about Makima coming back.
He sniffs and then looks at Reze, his face between a frown and a pout. ]
So, what is it? Are you here after Chainsaw Man's heart again or do you care about Denji at all?
[ It surprises her that such an admission from Denji makes her heart ache just a bit. It is sympathy, mostly— a more youthful and naive version of her can understand how love could blossom under such circumstances. That's not the part that surprises her: she is hurt on his behalf (in some far away space of her mind that is still so removed from her that the realization doesn't bother her too much yet), and she is a twinge jealous, too.
How childish. She's grateful that what he says next kind of annoys her. ]
Does it like, really matter?
[ She rolls her eyes, tilts her voice in that way teenage girls do.
But then her expression and speech both turn flat, and she is that girl washed up on that beach with him again. ]
What would you do if I said I was still after Chainsaw Man's heart? Kill me? And if I was after Denji's heart? Ask me out? Can you even afford a babysitter?
[ She jerks her chin in the direction of the little girl just a distance away. ]
No problem! She already has some great babysitters. See.
[ And he points to the dogs, all of whom she's currently chasing as they run from one end of the park area and then back around again. Also, what's a DILF? He needs to look that up, it must be important. ]
[ Reze's eyes follow Denji's hand back to the girl, she doesn't let her skepticism show.
She's not sure if this counts as child abuse in Japan.
But that's neither here nor there— ]
I'm a simple girl! Doesn't need to be anything flashy.
[ Reze stands and casts one last look at the girl and her gaggle of dogs. Maybe they would kidnap her and raise her in the woods, and this problem would solve itself. ]
I'm fine with anything as long as we have fun.
[ Reze leans down, cupping her hand around her mouth— she speaks dangerously close to Denji's ear. ]
Tomorrow at six. Meet me at the cafe two blocks from your apartment.
[ She says nothing else as she pulls away, and before she leaves she offers him a little wave and a dim smile. ]
[ He watches her leave in total silence, his ability to respond short-circuited with her agreement, the tickle of warm breath on his ear, and only now rebooted. She really was here, sitting next to him, and they're going on a date? Huh?
Then something taps his knee and he jerks it up, remembering that Nayuta is here. She tells him she's hungry, big spiral doll eyes demanding his attention. ]
Man. She'd kill you if she ever found out. [ A hefty sigh. ] I should show you how to feed the dogs.
[ DILF stands for "Dad I'd Love to Fuck". It seems like a thing some people like and some don't, and Reze doesn't seem to like it. He can't give up Nayuta though... well he's not even her dad anyway, but he can't tell Reze what happened. At least not until he's sure she wouldn't want to take revenge. He really doesn't want to fight her again -- last time was hard enough!
Don't focus on gloomy things, Denji, you're going on a date tonight. The sun is almost down, 5:45 PM, and he's taking a seat at the café as planned. Last time he got a whole bundle of flowers for her and then she never showed. This time he gets just one flower, a white tulip from the corner store that sells flowers and a small box of chocolates (the nicest he could find... for the cheapest price available).
He sits, waits, and thinks about throwing up. He isn't even sure anything would come out if he tried. What if this was all a joke? Or if that moment in the park was something his messed up brain made up? He asked her once if she would run away with him and now he's seriously thinking about bailing?
He watches the door and waits. Waiting, waiting, he really hates waiting. ]
[ Reze watches and waits, not out of anticipation but out of uncertainty. The decision to go to him the first time had been easy, maybe foolish. But now that she has the time to ponder consequences it seems so much harder to decide.
Belatedly, she sees the flower and the gift— both are difficult to see from the view she has. But when she does, the decision is made for her. Reze releases a breath she didn't know she was holding, and when she stumbles into the restaurant her dour expression is replaced with something bubbly, hurried and eager. ]
Sorry, sorry— I know I'm late!
[ She'd considered dressing for the occasion: girly, made up and all of that. But in the end that had felt like another skin altogether when she was already struggling with the one she always had on.
She looks like herself, or at least whoever she was when Denji had known her. ]
And who're those for?
[ She nods toward the gifts, a grin on her face. ]
You did good Denji, the vibes of this place are nice.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
for bombdevil
It's a thought that crosses his mind every morning. He wakes up at the crack of dawn to corral the herd and take them to the dog park a few minutes from where he lives now. Nobody in their right mind would get up this early for that and that's exactly why he does it. The dogs have the whole area to themselves, Nayuta plays with him eagerly, and he can shut his eyes on the bench for a time.
It's a cool autumn morning and the school year will begin tomorrow. Kishibe helped him enroll by acting as his legal guardian, and he did the same for Nayuta. "The rest is up to you. Pick her up on your way home, make sure she does her homework, and don't let anyone find out what she is." Yeah, he knows, damn bastard man. If anyone realizes who she is, who she was, then it'll only cause more problems for him. Not helping are the amount of demons coming out of the woodwork to come after him.
He stretches his arms up and grasps for the rising sun, fingers flailing over a ball of light too far to touch. Thirty minutes of this, then he'll take them all back and pass out in peace. So he hopes. ]
no subject
So many things would be so much easier if she could believe that, and if it wasn't proven true time and time again.
Reze watches the girl and her hauntingly familiar gaze from a distance and wonders if setting her scalp on fire will make up for any of it: the nightmares she still has, the brief but potent horror she'd felt when she'd stared into that gaze for the first time, the what-ifs Makima had ruined.
She is quiet as a mouse when she approaches the bench and then just a bit too loud when she finally speaks up. Reze lowers the pitch of her voice, makes herself sound like some middle aged housewife passing by. ]
Ah, what a beautiful child! She must get her good looks from her papa.
no subject
I don't know who her papa is, but it ain't meeeeee-- aaaahhh!
[ And then it's time to be startled again. He bounces off the bench and stumbles in a turn, pointing straight at her like he's trying to prove she's there to an invisible bystander. What the hell?! What the hell! ]
Reze! Reze!
[ And yet, despite the shock, he's grinning cheek to cheek. ]
no subject
Despite her loud entrance she can initially only offer a delicate wave in response (and a smile, also just as small). ]
Hi Denji. Long time no see.
[ Was putting it lightly.
It is now that the awkwardness sets in for her. She had played a part in the time they'd spent together and she'd played another part when she'd left him with a broken neck in the sand. How was she supposed to act now?
Reze laces her fingers together behind her back and peers up at him. ]
You look good! And don't be so quick to correct people, the single-dad thing is totaaally in right now. Girls eat it up.
no subject
If he thought about it longer he would get the answer. Instead his smile drops to a scowl ]
I told you I'm not her dad! In fact - wait -
Do girls really like single dads?
[ A suspicious squint. Reze is not trustworthy, but she is a girl. Hm. Hmm... ]
no subject
Reze shrugs and walks around the bench so she can sit. ]
Some do, totally!
[ She pats the spot on the bench next to her, urging him to sit as well. ]
I'm kinda' indifferent myself.
no subject
There's a lot he should said, and maybe some things he shouldn't. He's still figuring this "take care of Nayuta" thing out. All he knows is that he can't let her turn into another Makima. That would be bad -- not just for him. He probably shouldn't mention it to Reze... ]
So what're you doing here? Last time I saw you, you were with Makima. But not because you wanted to be, right?
[ Kishibe told him most of the important stuff after the fact. It's still confusing to him, but she's not coming back so that's what matters. He stares toward Nayuta, entertaining herself with the gaggle of dogs vying for her attention. ]
no subject
The tone shifts when finally mentions the dreaded M-Word. ]
Well, were you ever with Makima because you really wanted to be? That's a question I've been wanting to ask you for a long time.
[ in her lifetime she has witnessed and felt some of the most horrific things humanity and devils both were capable of. Being under Makima's control was no contest, one of the worst.
At first it was like a nap, one induced by laughing gas— the whole world upside down and amusing thanks to some kind of pleasant delusion. But over time that wore off, and as she woke she found herself trapped within her own body, a puppet with Makima's hand so far up her ass that Reze could feel her cold fingers wrapped around her brain.
Reze smiles at Denji despite the unpleasant nature of her question. ]
And obviously, I'm here to see you silly.
no subject
[ It's horrible, even after everything she did he still likes her. His brain is really broken. He knows he did the right thing, even if his stomach couldn't take eating meat for a couple weeks. As long as he doesn't let anyone screw up Nayuta, there shouldn't be any reason to worry about Makima coming back.
He sniffs and then looks at Reze, his face between a frown and a pout. ]
So, what is it? Are you here after Chainsaw Man's heart again or do you care about Denji at all?
no subject
How childish. She's grateful that what he says next kind of annoys her. ]
Does it like, really matter?
[ She rolls her eyes, tilts her voice in that way teenage girls do.
But then her expression and speech both turn flat, and she is that girl washed up on that beach with him again. ]
What would you do if I said I was still after Chainsaw Man's heart? Kill me? And if I was after Denji's heart? Ask me out? Can you even afford a babysitter?
[ She jerks her chin in the direction of the little girl just a distance away. ]
no subject
Do you wanna go out?
[ Does he still have a chance?! ]
no subject
Well, there's only one way to answer in that case. ]
Sure!
[ She is all smiles again, her severe looks from earlier rolling right off of her with a shrug. ]
But—
[ She holds up one finger. ]
You have to plan it.
[ then another. ]
You have to pay.
[ and then a third. ]
The kid can't come. Like
I said, I'm feeling really anti-DILF these days. If you want to get lucky get a babysitter, okay?
no subject
I can plan it!
[ Pay for it? ]
Um, ok, but I can't do anything expensive.
[ And then third one. ]
No problem! She already has some great babysitters. See.
[ And he points to the dogs, all of whom she's currently chasing as they run from one end of the park area and then back around again. Also, what's a DILF? He needs to look that up, it must be important. ]
no subject
She's not sure if this counts as child abuse in Japan.
But that's neither here nor there— ]
I'm a simple girl! Doesn't need to be anything flashy.
[ Reze stands and casts one last look at the girl and her gaggle of dogs. Maybe they would kidnap her and raise her in the woods, and this problem would solve itself. ]
I'm fine with anything as long as we have fun.
[ Reze leans down, cupping her hand around her mouth— she speaks dangerously close to Denji's ear. ]
Tomorrow at six. Meet me at the cafe two blocks from your apartment.
[ She says nothing else as she pulls away, and before she leaves she offers him a little wave and a dim smile. ]
1/2
Was that real?
[ He watches her leave in total silence, his ability to respond short-circuited with her agreement, the tickle of warm breath on his ear, and only now rebooted. She really was here, sitting next to him, and they're going on a date? Huh?
Then something taps his knee and he jerks it up, remembering that Nayuta is here. She tells him she's hungry, big spiral doll eyes demanding his attention. ]
Man. She'd kill you if she ever found out. [ A hefty sigh. ] I should show you how to feed the dogs.
no subject
Don't focus on gloomy things, Denji, you're going on a date tonight. The sun is almost down, 5:45 PM, and he's taking a seat at the café as planned. Last time he got a whole bundle of flowers for her and then she never showed. This time he gets just one flower, a white tulip from the corner store that sells flowers and a small box of chocolates (the nicest he could find... for the cheapest price available).
He sits, waits, and thinks about throwing up. He isn't even sure anything would come out if he tried. What if this was all a joke? Or if that moment in the park was something his messed up brain made up? He asked her once if she would run away with him and now he's seriously thinking about bailing?
He watches the door and waits. Waiting, waiting, he really hates waiting. ]
no subject
Belatedly, she sees the flower and the gift— both are difficult to see from the view she has. But when she does, the decision is made for her. Reze releases a breath she didn't know she was holding, and when she stumbles into the restaurant her dour expression is replaced with something bubbly, hurried and eager. ]
Sorry, sorry— I know I'm late!
[ She'd considered dressing for the occasion: girly, made up and all of that. But in the end that had felt like another skin altogether when she was already struggling with the one she always had on.
She looks like herself, or at least whoever she was when Denji had known her. ]
And who're those for?
[ She nods toward the gifts, a grin on her face. ]
You did good Denji, the vibes of this place are nice.