There was something about that smile that brought him comfort in seeing it. Maybe it came from its rarity that only the devil hunter could experience, or it was simply because it belonged to Angel alone. He hardly minded seeing those little teeth that looked like they were quite sharp. If he could consume the organs of a devil without issues, it only made sense there was some sharpness to them. He couldnât help gazing at those teeth a couple of times whenever they displayed themselves. A passing thought would pop in Akiâs mind, wondering what itâd be like if the devil suddenly had an urge to bite his neck for some reason. Heâs already had Powerâs cat being on top of him and granting bites to his body the first couple of nights she stayed over. His head tilted to the side, resting a hand against his cheek that faintly blushed.
âHmâŚof course itâs good. I almost forgot how easier it is to breatheâŚwhat it meant to live.â
Living seemed like an ordinary routine to follow every day, but Aki started to experience a new perspective with their contract. Itâs strange how death never seemed to trouble him nor scare him away from Public Safety. Trying to pursue this revenge was all his body was motivated to do, even if it meant to live in this manner. Now his eyes were witnessing Angel smiling in such a manner that made his heart skip a beat. It was rather strange to the devil hunter, but he was grateful to have this new way of approaching his life. He still carried the desire to help people though he couldnât be distant to the idea of experiencing living. To think that a devil helped him with the desire to live, and not claim his remaining lifespan away.
âEverything a human could desire, huhâŚI hope Iâm not too selfish for that, Angel.â
Was it considered a selfish wish to have the desire to live be granted to him again? All humans crave life, mostly in their final moments, but the devil hunter didnât think he wanted to live. The life he already experienced was rotting his insides slowly and suffocating his lungs until all that tar was expelled out. He hardly saw a reason to care about the consequences, but meeting an angelâŚa devil made him rethink such options. It truly was an irony that made fun of Aki for what he usually told himself. Perhaps it was quite a shocking truth to hear where this life came from, mostly because of the things he was informed of Angelâs capabilities. There rarely came such a contract where a devil can deliver such a life. His hand raised up to check at the veins around his wrist, not really minding that his new life came from the ones he took long ago.
âYou meanâŚI wonât have to worry about leaving you alone due to human fragility? Iâm gladâŚI wonât be making you sad with my own death any time soon.â
Even with these words escaping his mouth, Aki couldnât control back the muscle memory of bad habits. His fingers twitched against the table for a third time that seemed quite involuntary to the devil hunter. He truly had no idea how unnatural this felt, or even saw the complete ensnarement of what smoking had on his life. The habit was practically planted to him like a normal thing even if his younger self declared its unnecessary reliance in the past. He remembered telling her, through the eyes of a teenager, that smoking was bad for your body. Yet she convinced him of the useless worries if they were destined to die young regardless. The lack of caring for his life had brought him to these habits, never realizing how itâd claim him through memory alone. A hand quickly reached for the beverage instead of an invisible item within his pockets. His heavy sigh carried the weight of embarrassment for what he didnât have control over just yet, almost fearing such a thing.
âIâm sorry, Angel. Iâm notâŚsure why my fingers do this. I just need something to hold in my hand or perhaps chew some gum to replace this muscle memory.â It was like this for quite some time and he couldnât help when those tendencies would display themselves before Angel. All it took was a single gaze towards a booth that carried those cigarettes he once inhaled, and then the faint punishment came underneath the table. That managed to snap the devil hunter back to reality before distracting himself with the sight of the devil. Just gazing at him, along with his fair reminder, helped him to pull away from that desire to fall back. Aki didnât need those cigarette packs any longer when he desired to reach out for Angelâs fingers. They hovered closely to his lips before placing a kiss on his knuckles, preferring this over what was happening around them.
âI wonâtâŚnot when I can do this every day instead. I donât want this to be taken away from me.â
The moments when they moved on together were quite a startling revelation on his end. From the subtle actions performed, these days were filled with surprises that stunned the devil hunter. The words that Angel delivered to the lives he delivered in their contract and used on him were no exaggeration. He was starting to witness it firsthand, perhaps frightened at the abnormality behind it like a sudden elixir of life was taken. Aki couldnât help the split seconds of gazing mindlessly at the reflection of the shopâs windows. He probably thought of checking if things were alright with him, and it helped to have those soft reassurances from the devilâs end. Still there were moments when he couldnât believe it only because his body hardly possessed any reason to be completely exhausted. Lumping against the sofa wasnât ever an option, neither were the apparent bags underneath his eyes were visible. They simply vanishedâŚlike being reborn anew.
âA better sword for me? Hmm, then this will be the second sword I use thatâs created by you, Angel. At least Iâll know it came from you this time. JustâŚdonât let it strain you too much.â
Despite being given this new life by the devil, thereâs no room in Akiâs heart where he could take advantage of everything. He gave a simple kiss against Angelâs cheek to enforce his concerns for what crafting another sword may affect him. As much as it would be nice to have another sword, the devil hunter was content with his current sword. Heâll only accept it if it means thereâs nothing bad that would occur to the other. These moments were shared between them, then later interrupted by other devils that tossed some vehicles around. Sounds of humans running away would later make the male sigh a bit. One hand scratched behind his neck, giving a good stretch until facing the direction of the devil that caused this disturbance.
âWell, we might be in luck since thereâs one right now thatâs causing too much noise. A shameâŚI wanted to do something more with you, but that can happen after we take care of it.â
Sometimes that routine would be a daily thing between them but he hardly minded it any longer. This almost made the devil hunter recall Denji's own excitement, not caring about death and simply enjoying life. So this is what he and Powers experienced every dayâŚwhich made him rather content to have someone like Angel by his side. He seemed to watch every action Aki performed, the old habits of reaching to his pockets were no longer present after weeks. Itâs still strange to see the quickened growth of his hair and days where he had no choice but to let it down. At least the devil seemed quite happy with everything, their lives felt no different to those couples that passed by the park. He couldnât help his own smile from showing because he was offered a second chance to live properly. Eyes would gaze at the sky briefly before resting his head against Angelâs shoulder, wrapping their fingers together with a chuckle.
âItâs because of you that I can smileâŚand actually live like this. Maybe I understand now what Denji meant when he told me that day. If I have you in my life, then I can do what Iâm normally doing. Youâre my reason for living, Angel and thatâs why I can smile.â