myxomatosis.

He tensed, Eto could see it clear as day. Ayato was in a hard position, but it was a choice for him to make either way. Could she force him to return? Absolutely. Yet, that took all the fun out of things. What people did with the choices they were given is what defined them, ghoul or human or anything in between.

Whether Ayato came crawling back to Aogiri or no was fine with her, his residency in Hive City was only a plus. He was an asset in many ways, regardless if he returned to his old position or not. So, even if he wanted nothing to do with her, she would do well to keep him close.

She laughed, openly, and her hand reached out towards him. Rather than cause harm, her bandaged hand simply smacked the middle of his back in a casual, friendly gesture.

“You’re quite welcome!”

Still laughing, mostly at Ayato now, Eto returned back to her perch, where she had stood up and began to sway.

“Even if you say you’re through, I’ll leave an open door just for you. Think of it as a favor for all the wonderful work you did for Aogiri.”

“Aaha, I must warn you though, this city has far more things to worry about than Doves and other ghouls.”

There were plenty of surprises to be had, but he ought to know better than think that the possibility of her coming to reap his gratitude in forms of a favor wasn’t one of them.

He wishes that he were home. It's strange to miss Tokyo, but he does—at least he understood how things worked there. Hive City is a sprawling mystery, and it’s not something that he’s willing to sink his teeth entirely into. He has other things to worry about than trying to figure out why he and so many other people are here...

But Eto is exceedingly good at making him fucking curious about some of the shit in Hive City. It’s infuriating how well she could draw people in.

Ayato gives her a dry look when she pats his back and laughs at him, and then takes a small step away from her just to put... some distance between them. She could be beside him again faster than the blink of an eye (hell, they could be across the street from each other and she could still kill him without moving from her perch), but it’s more comfortable this way.

“By ‘wonderful work,’ you mean all the people I killed for you, right?” Not that he wouldn’t have been murdering people, anyway... Ayato brushes some of his hair behind his ear and frowns. He needs to stop asking questions.

“But I’ll take your word for it. You know I can take care of myself. Do you have any other wisdom you’d like to share, or can I go ahead and fuck off?”

“Shut up dumbass and let me hit you. I’m not stupid I know when somebody’s trying to pull a fast one on me! If you wimp out on me right here I’ll never forgive you.”

Naki was far beyond reason at this point. That was simply the way the white suits did things. Even if it would kill Ayato, he wanted to just relieve the worry and tension that had built up in his heart. He wanted Ayato to understand his hurt and pain in the most direct way possible.

So he rushed forward with a fist. He threw it right at Ayato’s face. Except not really, his fist stopped. Just short of a nose. Naki instead, reached out and lightly booped him. With a single finger he poked him on the bridge of the nose. Not even a flick, for all the trouble and build up. 

“There, now we’re even.” He had decided to do something his own way, just until that last moment. Now he was a bit confused. What was he used to doing, during his Aogiri middle management days when he was confused. “Ayato! I’m confused, tell me what to do! I want to go back to being friends now that we’ve settled things how do I do that?”

Ayato clicks his tongue—it was worth a shot, at least. Tiredly, he looks at the other and sighs perhaps a bit louder then necessary... and then shrugs his shoulders. “Fine. Go ahead. But if you knock my fucking head off, I’ll never forgive you.”

He braces himself as Naki throws the sudden punch, head turned to the side just slightly so that it wouldn’t directly smash into his face. When the impact is never made, however, he looks back to the other just in time to have his nose gently booped.

The fuck?

Ayato can’t mask his surprise at first, but he quickly composes himself once more.

“... Yeah. Even.”

Naki is a much better person than he is. If Ayato had been him, he would have let the punch break his skull open.

             "Are we?“

She echoed the other while cupping her chin, a mischievous smile tugged at her rosy lips. They were far from finishing their conversation. Ghouls don’t just walk into her territory as they please, no… She’s never been this possessive over a hunting ground, but the city does things to you. It happens when you least expect.

Her free hand settled on the younger ghoul’s shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze - something that she’s not used to, which adds a whole new level of threaten to her words.

             "I enjoy playing, but you’re boring… So let me be clear. You take another step further into my grounds, and I’ll eat you alive.”

Her hand meets his shoulder and Ayato sharply shrugs her off just as soon as she squeezes him. She’s too close—way too close—and he doesn’t like it one bit. It’s dangerous. Like him, she’s too confident; unlike him, however, she probably has the ability to back herself up right now. Being disadvantaged so clearly is unsettling for him—it reminds him of when he was very young, just starting out in Aogiri... But even then, at least he had use of his kagune

Right now? He has nothing.

Growling deeply, the younger ghoul takes a step away from her and grits his teeth.

  “Oh nonsense, you can never have too much of a good thing. Well in some cases you can but not the point right now. How about some new shoes, or I know, one of those bunny hats I saw in the store. I think I have enough coin for that.”

Ayato doesn’t answer his question. Instead, he replies with one of his own.

“Hey. Why are you so intent on getting me things? I’ve never done anything for you, so I don’t get it.” He’s so genuinely confused by this - why does this man care about him at all? He has no reason to give a damn about him. Is it because he had a daughter, and he’s projecting onto him...? Or is he just a genuinely kind person?

It wasn’t even a few minutes until he sensed that he was being followed. Go figure. To have an investigator go into a place where ghouls can roam free, of course some wouldn’t take that kindly and wanted to take him out. 

The person was light on his feet, barely audible but Amon could pick it up with his trained senses. Though it may not be as perfect as a ghoul’s, it’s the best he can do with such a limit placed on him as a human.

To finish this quickly, he purposely led his perpetrator into an alley and to a dead end. He stood there, uncharacteristically relaxed even as a potential threat loomed over him. This is probably where he’d be led to if he had not taken the wheel into his own hands. It’s better to get this over with or the tension would just unnecessarily build up for a fight that need not to be made.

“You can come out.”

For fuck’s sake, of course he would be noticed. It becomes abundantly clear when Ayato is led by the man to a dead end; what a funny place for an investigator to go. To intentionally corner himself. He must be confident in himself and his abilities... That, or he’s an idiot. Then again, he’s aware that he’s not any fucking better

Ayato stands a good distance from him, staying near the entrance to the alley. 

 “Ah…so its to a spouse or love one than?    Well, I can’t give to my wife. I’m dead, and I can’t    give to my daughter….    …. but your a nice kid Ayato! So    I’ll give you something eventually.”

"Yeah, like them."

He frowns; it's easy to forget that this poor man is actually dead. Ayato didn’t even know that he had a wife - or a child. He doesn’t want to feel pity for a human, but... 

@sphenoids

“This Valentine day sounds interesting! Hey Ayato-kun, what do you want?”

That’s more like it, it seems like she finally managed to hit a nerve. Her unfaltering smile remained— men tend to act like this, always getting riled up or offended at the sound of silly nicknames. 

There’s something about playing with your food before eating it that keeps the binge eater going; though she doesn’t mean it this time ( eating ). Putting an end to this act is something quite easy. actually, but who knows what else the younger ghoul has to say? Whatever it is, she already knows who to teach him a lesson or two about trespassing territories…

             "Even when I’m nice you complain, what should I do to make you happy? What do you want? Ah, sweet confusion… Won’t you tell me?“

Ayato gives her a withering glance; he should have just kept walking, he realizes. Too late for that now. It’s his own damn fault for being impulsive and unwilling to shut his damn mouth when he knows he needs to. He turns halfway towards her, shoulders level. 

“I just want to know if we’re done here or not. Are we?” 

↱ Regardless of the genuine happiness invading the female, she could not help but flinch slightly at the sudden touch. Though staying still as it was not given with the intent to cause her harm. Undoubtedly left her mind puzzled in how to react to it. For them, the ghouls who grew up with no sense of gentle touching– or more so, lost it at young age, the Kirishimas who had to struggle since early in life to survive. It was almost an unknown language. One she did not know how to speak in yet. 

She made sure to have control over her emotions though, continuing to reach out for a coup and hot water. The warm sensation it left in the tip of her fingers helped her concentrate and keep her mind in place. Helped to not think too much on what to really say. Ayato was a … man now. ↲

❝ We aren’t prey upon in this place, there are still doves but they don’t really do much here. I’m surprised of you being brought into this city, it works slightly differently… I suppose you already saw those monsters and creatures wandering around freely and coexisting with humans here. ❞

↱ Yeah, he had no idea of them actually having surviving family—aside of their father of course. Touka knew her little brother chose to join Aoigiri but she did not ask whether they had poor treatment towards him like with Kaneki. It wasn’t all that—perhaps they had all treated him nicely because he wasn’t half made. Those were things she could only wonder over. By the look of Hinami however, it appeared to be unharmed which left the waitress at peace. 

The spoon making a clicking noise as it hit the corners of the cup whilst she prepared the beverage was the only sound overtaking the entire shop. Putting the coffee on the counter near the other, finally a sigh followed up.↲

❝ He’s not used to this city yet but he’ll get there soon. At any rate, I know you–looked out for Hinami while she stayed with your group, she is still the gentle girl I used to take care of years ago, thank you for that, Ayato. ❞

He notices the way that she flinches, no matter how small it was, and understands why she does. He doesn’t press about it, doesn’t question it, and knows that his previous actions are the cause of it—it’s up to him to prove that he’s worthy of her utmost trust again.

Ayato watches her prepare the coffee, and makes a mental note to ask her to show him how to properly brew a cup. His always tasted like shit. 

“The CCG doesn’t do anything...?” His brows arch in confusion; he can’t imagine a world where the CCG would knowingly allow ghouls to just... exist. “Weird. I wouldn’t trust any of them, still. You should be careful. I’ve seen... some people here who obviously aren’t human. It’s a lot different from Tokyo.”

That was an understatement. Ayato thinks that he may be suffering from some type of culture shock. He absently taps his fingers against the counter, and then leans heavily against it to rest his head in the palm of one of his hands. With the other, he picks up the coffee she gives him, and holds it up in a ‘cheers’ motion.

 “Thanks. I hope he adjusts quicker than I do, ‘cause I’m still confused as hell about everything.” He takes a sip of his coffee, and then looks a bit thoughtful. It’s good—it definitely reminds him of home.

“Hinami didn’t belong in Aogiri. If someone manages to get out of the Tree and they’re still a gentle person, they’re stronger than most. She helped me just as much as I helped her, so... I dunno. I’m glad she’s safe. You don’t have to thank me for that.”

If it weren’t for much of Hinami’s influence, Ayato is certain that he’d still mostly be a rancid person in most of his behavior. He could thank her a thousand times over for changing his opinions on a lot of things.

Takizawa backed off now, jamming his finger into the side of his mouth. 

It was a habit to starve off hunger. It’s not that he was hungry all the time, ghouls even half ghouls really did not need to eat so much, but he had been trained to be that way. Starved for long periods of time until he was begging for food. Now nothing could satisfy him, but it was improper to eat during a conversation he had learned that as a human being, so fingers. 

“I didn’t think so at all. As if you’d care for the man who took you in and made you what you are today. I was just sharing a fun story with you. That’s what friends do when they reunite. Don’t you have any good ones for me? It’s okay if you don’t, we can just play games instead. How about kick the human head around, I’m the best at that one.”

Takizawa was running his mouth again it was obvious. Whether it was intentional, or just a product of his unstable mind, he had a habit of cricling around the point like he was a vulture in the bare dry desert who had spotted somebody on their last leg. 

“I just wanted to see if everything was going alright. You might not believe me, but I didn’t want Hina-chan to get hurt either, and I definitely didn’t want to get my ass kicked by her, Hah!”

Ayato watches Seidou chew on his own fingers with a look of indifference. What the ex-investigator did to his own body, self-mutilation or otherwise, for whatever reason doesn’t concern him. 

“I’d rather not be kicking anyone’s head around right now,” he replies in a long drawl, dragging out the last two words a bit; even if he wanted to do something as stupid as that, this place is way too public.

The younger ghoul gives the other a blank stare, and then snorts. 

“Yeah, I could tell that you totally cared for her well-being by how you volunteered to bust her out of Cochlea with me and didn’t make fun of me for wanting to rescue her at all. I think you’re safe from the ass kickings, though, since she’s not here.” He wishes she was, even if that feels selfish—there aren’t many people Ayato could confidently call his friend, and it stings to break her out of Cochlea only for him to get whisked away to Hive City just a few weeks after being reunited with the one person he could absolutely trust with anything.

Feeling suddenly much more stressed, Ayato runs a hand through his hair and clicks his tongue. Cool it. It’s fine.

He left the cafe with a pleasant feeling. If only life was this easy back in Tokyo, but nevertheless, he felt thankful that he’d gotten this opportunity to have a talk with a ghoul. Not only did he got a wider insight, he felt that he gained a friend albeit the awkward moments of silence the two men had. 

Now all he has to do is to go home without any complications, which is a rather daunting task when you’re in Hive City.

@sphenoids

Too bad, Amon, because things are about to get complicated whether you like it or not.

An investigator was at Touka’s shop. The CCG is active in Hive City. Did he suspect Touka or any of the staff there of being ghouls, or was he just stopping for a cup of coffee and a snack? Ayato doesn’t know the situation or why the man was there, but the latter fact is more than enough for the young ghoul’s blood to run cold. He would not allow everything here to fall apart so easily like it had back at home—he would rather die than let that happen.

He hates how paranoid he is of this, but it’s been so ingrained in his psyche for as long as he could remember: humans are not meant to be trusted. One with briefcases and white coats especially. They would sooner rip him and his family apart than ever show them mercy, and Ayato is tired of losing things.

He’s got the guts. That the ghoul had to admit, but that’s not bad, not at all. This boy won’t let her down if his intentions are true.

           "That’s cute. For someone who’s just arrived you have a lot of attitude! Be my guest. Go on, hunt to your heart’s content. You must be starving, who am I to deny food to a child?“

Considering how this boy behaves it’s not too difficult to wonder how he’d react to this teasing. Being called cute and a kid. Had this invitation been done by someone other than a ghoul ( or the binge eater herself ) this would be a safe place.

He visibly twitches—cute is one thing, but being called a child is another for him. It’s a much milder reaction than what he could have otherwise had; regardless, he takes the bait she had laid out for him.

“I’m not dead? Then if I’m not dead…. who is?” It seemed like an obvious question, but in their situation everything else seemed backwards right now. There was one thing he hoped in his heart, though he was smart enough to figure Ayato did not share the sentiment. He wished the leaders of Aogiri, Eto and Tatara were still alive in their world as well. It was probably, a foolish wish.

“N-nevermind, I don’t care. That’s way too much to think about, two worlds, or whatever? Ugh, you’re giving me a headache already.” Naki sprung up, and crossed his legs, and arms at the same time to sit down. 

He needed to think for a moment. Ayato’s words, they obviously had an effect on him. He was not so confused. Just as quickly as it came, his tantrum had simmered down. His eyes, darkened by the weight of his tears, and the black sleepless circles around him. They quietly watched Ayato flicking back and forth. 

“I’ll believe you, about all of that junk because you’ve always been reliable Ayato but….. can I still hit you just once? I’m still annoyed at you for leaving.”

Ayato bites the tip of his tongue; he's unsure how to answer Naki's question of who actually is dead. Eto, maybe. Tatara, definitely. He opens his mouth to speak, but then promptly closes it again when the other changes his mind about wanting to hear it. Ayato is glad, honestly—he knows he could come up with some bullshit to sate Naki for now, but if anyone ever said anything conflicting then he knows Naki would come crying back to him about it. 

“Yeah, this shit about different worlds or whatever is fucked up.”

Brushing his hair out of his eyes, Ayato sighs inaudibly to himself and watches as Naki takes a seat on the ground. He has half a mind to sit down too, just out of sheer exhaustion... He remains standing however, and then grimaces.

“No, don’t hit me. You’d probably fucking kill me if you did since I’m weak as hell right now. I’ll let you punch me after I get my strength back. I’ll remind you about it when it happens.”