Towa Otonashi

Towa was all over you as soon as you were in the confined space. As usual, he was fearless. Why he swept you into the locker to hide was as much a mystery as everything he did, but you didn’t object. He held you like a stuffed animal, cradling you and feeling your soft skin under his fingertips, gently rocking side to side in excitement. 

“Can I kiss you, dandelion?” His sudden speech always surprised you, and the blunt question did no less than that. His lips already ghosted over your neck and cheeks, just waiting for permission to settle wherever they landed once you gave him permission. You barely finished nodding when he swooped in, humming when your lips met his. You held his hands, fingers interlaced, arms hanging by your sides. He couldn’t get enough of you, every time he tried to pull back, it was as if a rubber band pulled him back to you for more. 

Ren Shiranami

Ren plastered himself against the wall, putting as much space between you as possible. He cursed under his breath, blaming the two unpredictable members of his house for getting him into this mess with you. He felt useless, artifact already spent to slow down the anomaly so you could make your escape. You hid in the locker at a dead end, and he was at a loss as to what he could do to get out of this mess. He sent a message to Haru already, having little to no faith that his captain would see it in time. That left him trapped in a small space, something he hated to begin with, with you. He couldn’t imagine how things could get any worse. 

At least it didn’t smell like a locker. In fact, all he could smell was you, your clean skin and light perfume. He didn’t know if that was better, per se, because the moment he thought of you and all the places you couldn’t help but touch, his heart rate picked up speed. 

To his horror, you leaned forward, peering through the small gaps in the locker. He shoved you back against the wall, harder than intended. 

“Get back! Do you want to get caught? That’s horror movie 101!” 

“Sorry!” You huddled closer to the back of the locker, your arms wrapped around him as if to shield him as much as he was shielding you. 

The embrace stunned him. His body thrummed with nervous energy, so you distracted him by placing a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. 

Ren gaped. He didn’t know what possibly led to that, and he could barely process if he wanted to scold you out of embarrassment or get over his nerves and kiss you properly like he’d been wanting to do every time you visited Haru or Towa. 

Your lips hovered near his, a silent offering for him to take if he wanted. As much as he wanted it, he could barely will himself to move. This couldn’t be real. What was it about these situations that made people so weird and touchy? He was never good at denying his FOMO, so he closed his eyes and willed himself to lean forward at meet you halfway. His sluggish brain could barely comprehend how nice and soft you felt. His kiss was gentle, as if chasing it too much would shatter the illusion and he’d be broken out of his usual daydreams about you to find himself back in a boring shift at the diner. You pulled back first, and he blinked to clear the fog clouding his thoughts. Once clarity had reasserted itself, he turned his head and sulked. 

Fully expecting Ren to unquestioningly pitch in around Jabberwock? Sure he is desperate and needs the help, but he also seems to have gotten a lot of his knowledge on relationships at Dionysia, which functions largely as a family. Everyone does their part and doesn't even consider slacking as an option. In fact, Dionysia residents, ghoul or not, seem to be more than happy to pitch in at every opportunity, since in the last chapter a lot of the prev Dionysia ghouls were willingly chipping in to repair the house. They're go-getters.

Shion is the only one who fusses about helping, but it sounds like if you Badger Him Enough then he does his part. Which might make Haru habitually go to that as the first option when others (Ren) won't pitch in.

His ability to magically calm down insane and/or chaotic people on the reg? Tons of practice with *the* most insane ghoul Shion. His habitual peacekeeping and "I've Got This Under Control" (even when he doesn't) demeanor? Could be a skill learned from Jo or Elias.

The utter lack of boundaries, in terms of both personal bubbles and lock-picking bedroom doors *screams* former Shion Keeper. Shion is almost guaranteed to have had the same lack of boundaries with him when they were partners.

The habit of tracking Ren and Towa and anyone else he deems to need supervision? I'd pay folding money he got the habit from keeping Shion in check, maybe even got the idea from Mio.