Chapter Text
Denji felt the skin on his arms prickle with goosebumps until he couldn’t help smoothing a hand over his right forearm, trying to chase the feeling away. His shoulders were hunched against the icy cold that still lingered in his body, despite the relatively warmth of the office he found himself in. Outside, a storm was brewing.
Makima was standing behind her desk, facing him. He had the vague feeling that she was iterating over some rules for devil hunters employed by their agency, but he struggled to focus on her words. His body was aching all over and the involuntary shivers running through his body tormented his tired muscles. His freakish transformation into Chainsaw Man had really taken a toll on his already weakened body. He must've lost a lot of blood, too, since he was feeling more light-headed than usual. He wished he could just lay down and not get up again for a month or so.
His gaze wandered to the rattling window, shaking from the fierce wind trying to get into the temperature-isolated building. It would probably rain again soon, thick and heavy drops of cold splattering all onto his body as he was searching for a new hideout. A shudder ran through him. Pochita won’t be there…
„Which brings me to my last point“, Makima stated neutrally, briefly clearing her throat, which somehow made the door behind him open. Denji turned just in time to see a young man with black hair and a black suit enter the room. The blond teen froze, holding his breath as he took in the stoic expression on the new person. He is good looking, Denji thought, blinking rapidly to chase the unfamiliar thought away.
„Hayakawa Aki will be your partner, Denji. He started at the agency 3 years ago“
Denji nodded slowly, eyes wide. Such a good looking guy was probably an asshole, Denji considered, taking in the unreadable face of the man. Denji frowned and tried his hardest to suppress the tremor still running through his body from being exposed to the cold for too long. Or maybe it was his nerves? He hoped not. Denji was not a nutcase. Definitely not.
„Hi“, he said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. The presence of the dark haired man with the pointy pony tail made Denji feel somehow antsy and self-conscious. The man was so pristine with his fancy suit and all. He even had his tie tied to a knot all tidy and proper while Denji’s was still hanging loosely around his neck, not the semblance of a knot in sight.
„Denji will be living and working with you from now on, Aki“, Makima continued. „Take him home. That is all.“
Aki nodded stoically, not looking at Denji. „Excuse us, Makima-san“ With that, Aki turned towards the door and went through it in one swift motion, not even confirming with so much as a glance that Denji was still at his heel.
There was not much Denji could do but to follow the taller man, who was briskly heading to the main entrance of the several story building. Denji’s muscles ached, he felt his legs wobble beneath his every step, praying to whatever being would listen that his knees would not give in before he was alone. He wanted to ask the older man to slow down a notch, but just as he was about to open his mouth, they were standing outside – right in the middle of a raging storm beneath a dark, gloomy sky. The cool wind was pulling at Denji’s hair, trying to pick up his slender body and toss him towards the sky. It had already begun to drizzle, too. The rain was icy on his already chilly skin. Shit, Denji thought with feeling.
He crossed his arms in front of his chest, ducking his head between his raised shoulders. „Where to?“, he asked, crushing his teeth against each other to stop them from clattering.
„It’s not far“, the stoic man replied in a low voice. He was shrugging off his suit jacket, the nutjob, in this weather? „Here“, he said, wrapping the jacket tightly around Denji’s malnourished body. Denji froze. Held his breath. His lungs were suddenly out of order, what with the fancy man standing so close to him, the warmth of his jacket shielding Denji from the cold. „Come on now, this way“, Aki said and gently pushed between Denji’s shoulder blades to maneuver him forward.
Denji stumbled along.