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Kaneki was tired when his shift ended, maybe it was the rain that had started in the past hour, or maybe it was because of the nightmares that kept him awake most nights. Since Kaneki had become a ghoul he suffered from nightmares of himself becoming a sadistic killer, and him being sadistically killed by an ever-changing cast of ghouls. Those nightmares made falling asleep daunting and staying asleep impossible, leaving him in a constant state of exhaustion. That fact made him feel silly and naive at the fact he looked so forward to collapsing in his bed when it most likely wouldn’t amount into the sleep he so desperately needed.
Kaneki watched the rain fall down the window from his seat at an empty booth, dreading the fact that he didn’t think to bring an umbrella with him. He could wait the hours that it would take for it to stop, or he could just bear it and get soaked on his trek home. Both options had there pluses and minuses, on one hand, he would stay dry but he also wouldn’t be able to go to bed for hours, or he gets soaked and uncomfortable but gets to be in his bed quicker.
“ You know we have a closet in the break room filled with spare umbrellas.” Koma-san eventually called out to him from his spot at the counter breaking Kaneki’s train of thought.
“ I honestly forgot,” Kaneki admitted sheepishly pushing his hair back from his forehead in embarrassment.
Kaneki slides out of the booth and made his way up the stairs carefully opening the door to not disturb Touka who was already on her break in the breakroom. Kaneki immediately regretted opening the door when Touka’s eyes met his immediately.
“I’m sorry for bothering you Touka-chan, I just need to borrow an umbrella.” Kaneki apologized standing completely still at the door.
“ You’re fine idiot, you don’t have to make a scene of it,” Touka mumbled pointing to the closet. Touka stopped acknowledging him not a moment after going right back to reading the book in her lap.
Kaneki was actually shocked that she was reading after she made her disinterest in the subject known. He found himself getting completely distracted from his initial goal to just trying to understand the picture before him. She was reading like she was in pain, her face scrunched up and the occasional sigh escaping her lips as she reached for what he assumed to be a dictionary.
“What are you reading?” he asked surprised that the question
“It’s just a stupid short story for school.” she half answered not taking her eyes off the book kinda waving him off. Kaneki rolled her eyes at her answer not letting her nonanswer bother him too much. Kaneki just from his short observation could tell that she was really struggling with whatever short story she was reading.
“Touka-chan do you need help. I don’t mind staying around if you need it?” Kaneki asked her gently trying not to intrude but also let her know he was there for her.
Touka’s face flushed at his offer, and it seemed to strike something within her because her body language immediately turned harsh. Kaneki felt in that instant that he made a small error in his decision to offer her his help. Kaneki immediately felt his body jump back nervously at the sudden change in the air. Touka took a deep breath and squeezed the book in hands before she looked up at him.
“Does it look like I need your help? She glared up at him her harsh voice striking Kaneki. A part of him wanted to spite her himself getting cranky from lack of sleep, it was obvious that she was struggling. But, he also didn’t want to make Touka anymore upset than he already did.
“No it doesn’t, you know me I just like books.” he smiled at her, trying his best to de-escalate the situation as he reached up to rub his chin. His words seemed to work as Touka visibly softened biting her lip as she went back to her reading. Kaneki quietly went to the closet trying his best not to disturb Touka anymore than he already did. Kaneki grabbed one of the umbrellas and shut the door, and he started to take off his tie to put away when Touka sighed again. Kaneki out of a curious habit turned around and looked at her. Touka held her face in her hands and looked the most vulnerable Kaneki had ever seen her
“ I have a quiz on this story tomorrow,” she admitted quietly slightly muffled by her hands. “ And I can’t read half the Kanji so I have to keep stopping and it’s so frustrating.”
Kaneki paused for a moment not shocked by her confession but shocked that she actually admitted to it. Touka sound so defeated and it was such an odd sight to him because she was always so strong to him. He didn’t want to ask if she needed help again, so he timidly walked over to the sofa Touka moving over slightly to make room for him.
“Can you tell me what this says?” she asked pointing to a group of Kanji on the page she was reading.
“Oh that's exuberant it’s another word for happy,” he told her without hesitation as he wrote the hiragana above the Kanji for her lightly in pencil.
“How can you tell?” Touka asked confused.
“Oh, whenever these two Kanji are together they make up the reading for exuberant,” he informed her with a small smile. “ It could mean something else but in context, he’s very happy to see her so it can’t really be anything else,” he added thinking over her question for a moment.
Touka just nodded her head at that and continued to read a few more words before she made a loud sigh lifting the book to him, her finger pointing to the kanji she needed help with.
“ That's cloudburst, and its exactly what's taking place outside,” he said pointing at the window.
Kaneki just sat beside her feeling his body relax into the close contact answering any questions that came up during her reading. Eventually, though she seemed to refill her frustration meter and pushed the book away from her.
“ God I’m so stupid, this should not be this hard.” she groaned out eventually shocking Kaneki out of his sleepy state.
“ You know you aren’t stupid Touka, for not knowing how to read some of these Kanji,” Kaneki tried to calm her down. His words made her freeze and chew at her thumbnail, as she turned to look at him with disbelief
“Yes I am, it's why I’m barely passing Japanese Literature when everyone else in my class brags about how easy it is.” She told him with a huff, looking downcast.
“ You’re not dumb Touka-chan.” his voice rising more than he was used to causing Touka to jump a little bit in shock.“ You’re not dumb.” he voiced again a more firmly.
“There is a huge difference between being stupid and being behind. Stupid would be you not trying anything to get better, being behind is missing the building blocks in a subject. Touka-chan you haven’t been in school your whole life until now. You work hard to look at how much you taught yourself, you aren't struggling with any other subject.” He told her passionately.
“Kaneki..” Touka mumbled out her face turning red.
“You can do things that I can’t like give back the correct change without looking at the cash register,” he admitted sheepishly.
“Literature is a lot of memorizing words and that takes time, time you haven’t had you will get better and I don’t mind helping you get there.” he gave her a giant smile
Touka gave him a weird look as she continued to bite her nails like she was still absorbing his rambling. She just kept staring at him and Kaneki felt himself start to blush at the awkward silence that had fallen between them.
“ Thank you,” she told him averting her gaze. “ But you don’t have to be so sappy about it, jeez,” she told him with a small smile, which calmed Kaneki’s beating heart.
“Can we get back to work now?” she asked grabbing her book placing it between both of their laps. Kaneki nodded at her and pressed his back against the sofa again leaning slightly on Touka to stare at the words on the page. They sat like that for hours after Yoshimura told Touka the cafe wasn’t busy enough for her to stay. They didn’t really talk besides Touka’s occasional questions and his answers. Kaneki found it intensely relaxing and he found himself started to slip in and out of sleep until he finally stopped waking up.
“ Hey, Kaneki what does he mean by this?” Touka questioned not looking up at Kaneki until he didn’t answer her like normal. Touka turned her head and saw that he was fast asleep. Normally she would have been annoyed and would have woken Kaneki just to tease him. But, he looked peaceful, and in all honesty, she would feel like an asshole after all that he had done for her. She wasn’t ignorant enough to not notice the dark circles under his eyes since he’s worked at Anteiku. As much as his ghouls are monsters attitude bothered her he had gotten better, and this change must have still been hard on him. If she was completely honest though he has been making her feel soft lately. She enjoyed their time together even if it was apparently gonna stem to sleeping around each other.
“If you’re gonna take a break I might as well join you,” she whispered to the sleeping man. Touka placed the book as carefully as she could on the coffee table careful not to disturb him as he had started to lean on her in his slumber. Touka then leaned back into Kaneki herself and closed her eyes quickly falling asleep to the rain and Kaneki’s light snoring.
Both of them didn’t stir when Nishiki entered the breakroom for his break, nor did they wake when he started to laugh and take pictures of the two of them. They would only wake when Yoshimura lightly shook them awake when Anteiku was closed, so they can finally go home. By then the rain had long vanished, and the umbrella Kaneki had come for stayed on the floor.
“Hey, Kaneki can you help me again?” Touka asked as they headed out of the cafe together
“Of course Touka-chan.” Kaneki didn’t even hesitate to answer. “ Would next weekend work for you?”
“Gonna make me spend my day off with you?” Touka teased crossing her arms.
“Well we can do the most work then, and I feel like it would be better if we had no distractions so you can really absorb what we go over.” Kaneki started to ramble.
“ I’m only kidding next weekend sounds great.” she laughed waving at him as she left the cafe in front of him.
That weekend never came for the two of them, because a few days later her brother broke the same window that slept in front of and he was taken why all she could do was lay on the floor. She never got to show him the 90 that she got on the quiz, and she never got a higher grade on a quiz after. Kaneki never got to return to Anteiku, first by choice and second by Anteiku burning to the ground. The only proof of their time together became the picture Nishiki originally took as a source of blackmail. It was a sweet and embarrassing photo of the two of them fast asleep on each other took of them on that couch. Years ago Touka would have gotten mad and cursed Nishiki out for it, but now it was a somber reminder of what could have been. As well as a promise of faith for his return that was answered by a pudding haired man with a blinding smile.