gourmet_trash_king | Forest Covered IC Inbox

[Wow, who left this book on Selenite's futon? 'The Wharf Roach Testament'? What a weird name. By some S.T.N. person.

There's a handwritten note tucked under the front cover.]

This is the first book I've seen here I recognize from home, so I thought you might enjoy reading it. Though from what I've heard, it's not the type of book to read in public. -Teufel

[...so yeah she left him an erotic novel. Have fun with that.]

Similar to what happened with Ganta, when Selenite got back to his room, he would find two very curious objects nestle on his futon.

One was a pretty purple vase with a single matching rose in it (Please forgive him for not knowing what purple roses mean, Selenite.)

The other was a curious little statue had found in the marketplace. He wasn't sure how Selenite would feel about guardian angels, but the thought was there.

Selenite-san has too many flowers, so I gave him a place to put them. Also, I found this strange statue when I was out shopping. It's made out of pure selenite, and someone like you needs a guardian angel looking after you. At the very least, its a thank you for you watching over me, Aniki.

[There's a small note left on Tsukiyama's futon in the morning, written in legible, but somewhat messy scrawl:

Under the bridge where we talked. 2pm.

He's certain that would be enough.]

[And he would be correct in that assumption, as a confused but curious Selenite arrives exactly on time ~~for a change~~, wondering what in the world he was being summoned for. He was fairly certain he hadn't done anything that could get him in trouble recently--unless Centipede had suddenly changed his mind about the mistletoe incident. But that seemed fairly unlikely.

Strangely, the situation felt somehow familiar, though Sel couldn't quite put his finger on why. It was making him nervous, but he tries not to let that show in his greeting towards the half ghoul. Energetic and cheerful as usual.]

Ah, there you are! Bonjour, Centipede-kun!

[Keep yourself calm. Don't say anything strange, don't let your heart race, he would be able to hear it.

The number of thoughts that were racing through his mind were like a cascade--honestly, as per usual--but instead of with thoughts of paranoia and uncertainty, they were something far, far different.

In one hand, he's holding closed a canvas bag, a scarf wrapped around his neck. It's chilly, but not so much to make one uncomfortable.
Honestly, he's not surprised Tsukiyama showed up--but there was just a small part of him that was hoping he didn't. Just to save himself the panic he was repressing.]

Selenite. [He greets the other simply by saying his name, turning to face him.]

You're not missing work, are you? [Yes, smalltalk first. And then hand him the bag. Take it easy.]

Oh, non, not at all! They don't need me until five today.

[As eager as he is to know why they're here, Selenite isn't bothered by the need for chit chat. If it assisted in helping Centipede work towards whatever it was he was trying to say, he would gladly engage in as much chatter as was needed. It was his specialty, after all. Especially when nervous.]

I picked up several extra shifts earlier this month in order to earn enough gift money, so I ended up with little to do for the holidays themselves.

[His hands end up in his pants pockets as he speaks, possibly trying a little too hard to give off a 'casual' air. Ironic, considering he'd worn his nicest 'weekend' clothes to this little meeting and barely looked the part.]

[His own outfit is casual, a black button-up and a pair of dark jeans--a small coat thrown over it, casual enough--or perhaps he's pushing for casual a little too obviously.

...This was already a mess. He wasn't an idiot--when Tsukiyama had first come here, he didn't have many nice bits of clothing. To be wearing something like that, even on Christmas...

He shakes his head, getting the thought out of it.]

The same. They want me on guard tonight in case of rowdy, holiday-drinking spirits. [It's unsurprising that Kaneki's reputation as a guard had begun to rise as time went on.]

You must have bought a number of extravagant things. [He tips his head away, feeling his pulse starting to race. Just bring up some mundane question, direct the conversation into something else, make an excuse to leave, just--

His fingers grip the handles of the bag he's carrying just a little tighter.

And with just another moment of hesitation, he turns, pulling a large, square, and quite messily wrapped package out of the bag he's carrying. And without another word, he holds it out towards the other ghoul.]

It was mostly materials, actua--ah? [Making quality gifts for people can run a pretty decent penny, despite what most DIY pushers would have you believe. Not that Selenite gets to that little factoid, or even as far as debating whether or not to admit a pretty decent chunk of the money had gone to Centipede's party--because he suddenly found himself face to face with a gift he wasn't expecting.

After another second or two frozen in confusion, the older ghoul slowly removes his hands from his pockets to accept the package; handling it as carefully as if he'd just been given a glass sculpture. What was this??]

A present? But I thought you said... ["Christmas is a couples holiday." The momentary panic of not realizing he was supposed to get Centipede something was immediately replaced with a different kind of panic entirely. The familiarity with this situation suddenly made sense--Selenite had been confessed too more times than he could count. Getting called out to a private area with a vague note, being given a letter or a gift upon arrival, it was nearly routine by now. He always arrived when summoned, and always gently turned them down. But this time was different. This was the only confession he'd ever actually wanted to receive before...and for the first time, he had no idea of how to respond.]

...Oh.

[That. Probably wasn't one of the good ways to do it.]

[He's never done this before. Not like how Selenite had been on the other end of this before, Centipede hadn't ever been either side of it. He'd managed to ask Rize out himself, yes, but it had been a whole different mess. And it had been Jeong who confessed to him, and it was in a far different way that way, as well.

This...

This felt strange. But as he stands there, offering the package, he could feel his resolve fading. He could feel words rising onto his tongue, only to slip away soundlessly as he stares at the other. 'I've figured out my feelings', no, that sounded childish. 'I've made a decision', no, that sounded too businesslike. 'I don't hate you as much as I thought', haha, that was just plain cruel.

His fingers twitch, pulling away from the package, diving back into the bag...

Pulling out a small bouquet, holding three red roses. He hesitates, before laying them on top of the package being held like glass in Tsukiyama's grip. As his fingers pull away, he finds himself frozen in place.

...

What now.]

You--!!

[Any minuscule doubts he may have had about what the gift meant were gone now, and Selenite's face was beginning to look as red as the roses themselves. The three roses.

Somehow having his own favorite language used on him like this was making it more embarrassing.]

Did--you want me to open it now? Before...answering? Or...ah...

[That was a fair question. Sometimes the answer was expected right away, and other times he'd been asked to think about it. Not that he had to think about it, in this case. There could be a brick inside this wrapping paper and he wouldn't have to think about his answer. He just needed a graceful way to say as much, without looking like more of an idiot than he likely did right now.]

[He's more than sure that Selenite understands now. How could he not, when the meaning of those three red roses meant something obvious. He'd taken more than a few minutes do double-check and cross-check that they would be appropriate--and the way Selenite's face was tinged a bright red now...

His hand moves up, resting at the back of his own head as he tries to calm himself down, a hand moving into the pocket of his jacket as he shifts from foot to foot.]

...Take your time. In answering. And in, ah. Opening it. [His voice was quiet, and he could feel himself leaning back, debating when would be best to high-tail it back to the employee's quarters.]

You don't have to answer right away.

...Or at all. Really.

[As completely flustered as he was right now, he can't help getting caught up on the tail end of the half-ghoul's words. It actually hurts a little, to hear the person he adores most talking like that--and before he rightly knows what he's doing, Selenite is attempting to put a stop to it.]

Quoi? Of course I'm going to respond, Centipede-kun.

Even if you weren't one of the people I respect most, admitting one's feelings is an incredibly brave thing to do, and I would never take such a thing lightly. S'il vous plaît ne pas vendre vous-même court comme ça. You deserve better.

You're the most radiant person I've ever met, and I'm honored that you could actually harbor such feelings for me. I'm sure I don't deserve them, but I...ah... [Oh, that was probably too far. It was practically his reply. Or a few words short of it. Should he just finish it, at this point? Selenite's gaze drops, and he stares down at the gift in his hands.]

Thank...you.

You are...very special to me. [So please don't think yourself so unimportant, that your feelings should go completely unanswered.]

[You're not speaking English again, he wants to say. That string sentence, one he's sure is in French, flies directly over his head. But it's the sentences that follow that make him feel like he's underneath that mistletoe in the garden again--like there's cement clinging to the bottom of his feet, keeping him in place.

He's heard something like it before, Selenite complimenting his handiwork, his fighting skill, or things such as his views on reading, but... he can't recall the man calling him anything other than words for 'delicious'. ...And he's not sure how to even take the sentence 'you're special to me'.

His head tips a little to the side, and he can feel his cheeks burning, his hands going rigid on the now-empty bag that's being held in them as he nods once. Of course he's going to reply.
Haha. All that thinking that this was a terrible idea... where had they gone?]

...I wasn't sure of it. For a long time. [That much is obvious.] Impossible, something along those lines, after everything you did--

[No, now's not the time for that. He lets the sentence die in his mouth before it gains any furthur headway.] ...Don't really know what I'm doing here anymore, what my wish is, if what I'm aiming for is right.

I thought you came here, once, for selfish reasons. Months have passed, since then, and [A hand presses to the back of his own head, his eyes averting away from the other ghoul, now.] ...I guess I've had a few eye-openers.

...I regret abandoning you on Halloween. And I've taken two months to think about what happened. And this was... the conclusion I came to.

[His eyes finally raise up, meeting Selenite's again with a more stable, certain gaze.]

You've become irreplaceable to me, it seems. And you do deserve to know that.

[In a gift bag: a note and a chocolate-scented candle, completely artificial with no actual food involved. Ghoul-safe.]

Dear Selenite, Happy Valentine's Day. Enjoy your chocolate. -Teufel

[Maybe it's some late point at night, somewhere away from the general public. Pulling the other ghoul aside where they can speak in private, the only starter to the conversation is short, and to the point:]

Our new roommate concerns me.

Edited 2016-07-24 07:45 (UTC)

Ah, I was wondering when you'd bring it up. [His hand finds his chin.] Interesting scent on that one. I haven't run across anything like it before, even during my stay on the island.

[He lowers his hand a bit as he looks over at the younger ghoul.]

...I don't suppose you've followed him long enough to learn anything yet?

I figured you would have brought it up first. [Because honestly, between the two of them--Selenite's nose is far sharper.] Though maybe you weren't sure of yourself. [So he'll forgive you.]

I haven't gotten the chance to, no. His scent is close enough to human to lose him in a crowd. But I haven't seen him do anything too out of the ordinary yet. [Yet.]

I'm going to keep on him for a few days, see what I can find.

[He reaches up to scratch his cheek, looking off to the side somewhere.]

Ah, actually...I was sure, I just thought I would wait until my little project bore fruit. So you could worry less. [He looks back to the younger ghoul uncertainly. Hopefully Centipede won't be annoyed with him.]

...Project?

[Well--if anything were to get his attention, it'd be that. Selenite was a man who would, honestly, only put forth his effort into something he was sure about, wasn't he?]

What kind of 'fruit' are you trying to grow?

[Tsukiyama thinks about that a moment, trying to pin down a fruit that would fit the metaphor.]

A plum, maybe? [Plums could basically be dark enough to be considered black, for 'blackmail'--plus their pits contained cyanide. Not that this metaphor really made sense without an explanation.]

I'm in the middle of blackmailing him into a truce. But not in a particularly sinister way?

When I talked with him, he mentioned his co-workers threatening to make him part of the stock at the butchers' instead of an employee.So, since self preservation seemed to be his highest priority, I...ah.

I started telling my customers to ask for him, should they visit...and to treat him well. Because he was a friend.[You know his customers. The ones he was bragging to you about before; about how he only had to do host duties if one of the particularly dangerous or difficult to deal with spirits visits. Because he had done the research to know how not to offend or upset them, or accidentally offer up his soul...and everyone else was afraid of them...Ahaha...ha...

Yeah, those customers.

Please don't be mad.]

Edited 2016-07-30 08:34 (UTC)

['Those' customers. He can understand why the other looked so awkward about bringing them up and his eyes most certainly do thin in irritation at the mention, but other than that, he at least doesn't raise his voice about them. Tsukiyama's plan seems... effective, at least. Blackmailing someone wasn't outside his range of vision, and it could be effective in getting somewhere with more...

Difficult individuals.

Crossing his arms over thoughtfully, he seems to go through the others' words in his head--picking them apart before deciding to answer.]

And by becoming his 'friend', you can weasel information out of him and make sure he isn't a threat.

[When faced with the scrutiny in his boyfriend's eyes, Shuu's hand leaves his cheek and reaches back further, until he's gripping the back of his own neck. Even if he truly had been trying to help fix things without involving Kaneki, he can't stop the feeling of guilt creeping in over doing something admittedly shady without consulting Ken first. He should really stick to communicating first and executing later from now on, when it came to this sort of thing.]

Oui, that was the general meat of the plan.

I apologize for not consulting you first.

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is that the scarf he gave you for your birthday ken

Yes, actually, yes it is. Thanks for noticing.

Glad to see you're getting good use out of it.

repays the scarf by breaking your head

Dang he should have made you a scarf months ago

AHAHAHA

What happens if he makes more scarves

marriage probably, sod the ring just get scarves

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