Work Text:
Kaneki can’t stop touching the bite mark on his shoulder. It’s an unconscious act, most of the time.
He’s surprised when he feels the bumpiness of his skin, the...teeth marks — Touka’s teeth. He touches it tenderly, cautiously and finds his breath catching. His stomach twisting with an emotion he can’t name.
He finds himself thinking...he’s really married. He’s really married to Touka and a smile broadens, suddenly, along with a burst of warmth that fills him to the brim.
He presses a hand to his cheeks, tries to contain it but it’s useless.
Touka. His heart skips.
He is overcome by a need, a desire to see her. He’d say it’s sudden but it’s a thing that’s been simmering since he left this morning with a quick kiss.
He finds her in her cell, curled up resting her head on her knees and reading...one of his books. Despite how much he knows she doesn’t like literature. It’s —
Kaneki bites on his lips, steps forward into the room, and she lifts her head, smiles at him and god...
“What’s with the dopey face?” Touka raises an eyebrow.
“Nothing.” Kaneki says, but when he sits beside her and rests his chin on her shoulders, he mumbles into her skin, I love you.
Touka jumps. Barely. He only notices from the proximity.
She stares at him with wide eyes, a beautiful red blooming on her cheek and quickly she evades his gaze, embarrassed.
Kaneki laughs, while she grumbles.
He hasn’t seen much of this side of her — embarrassed and shy. He never thought it would be this fun to draw it out of her. He understands now why she teases him so much.
He wonders how many sides he will experience now since they’ve promised to spend a lifetime together. (His stomach jolts at the reminder, and he has an urge to press his bite mark again.)
He wants to make up for all the time they’ve lost.
His mood sours at the last thought. How many times has he left her? Hurt her?
Swallowing, Kaneki shakes the thought away — that’s in the past now, he’ll do better now, it’s what they promised, and he leans closer, pressing his cheek to her neck.
“What are you reading?” He asks.
Touka shoots him a look, but he can see the flush creeping on her face.
Kaneki tries to not smile. (It doesn’t work.)
Touka sighs. He notices the way she leans back on him, and his heart trips faster.
“Read it for me.” She demands, pushing the book into his lap.
“What?”
“Read.” Touka repeats, moving his head away to drop hers on his shoulder. His heartbeat rockets, and there’s a lot of fumbling with the book and trying to find the comfortable seat, it’s just — her so close to him right — it’s —
Hard. Hard to think straight. Whilst they are shuffling around, Kaneki catches the sight of it peeking out of her shirt...the bite mark…
He can’t stop staring. He reaches a hand out — the angle is awkward, he needs to bend his arm around her — but he manages it. The skin is rough, and he can feel his teeth marks clear, still, on her. It makes his stomach jolt and twists the lump in his throat into knots.
Touka is quiet as he explores her flesh. He can feel her gaze on him, can see at the edge of his vision, how eyes are soft but maybe it’s just his hallucination.
After a while, she speaks up. “Are you going to read?”
Kaneki jolts. Read? Right. He had forgotten. But —
He really doesn’t want to stop what he is doing.
He hesitates, glancing between his fingers on her shoulders and book, when he stares longer at the cover, and realises that he knows that book.
He’s reread it so much, the spine started to wear down.
It’s difficult to get the words out at first, to sort through the lump in his throat and the awkwardness of reading out loud, whilst being very aware of Touka’s gaze on him.
It’s not the first time he’s read out loud to someone. Hide loved to pester him but this is — different.
Kaneki manages, somehow. After fumbling around with the words, it’s much easier. He reads, letting the familiarity wash over him and letting the words come up from his memories and focuses on Touka. Specifically, the bite mark.
His heartbeat is so loud that he wonders if Touka can hear it. Of course she could, with the ghoul hearing enhanced thing.
His neck heats at that thought.
He continues to explore Touka’s flesh — the mark he left on her — while he reads. It still something like a dream, despite everything and isn’t that ridiculous?
Touka is comfortable against him. She doesn’t look bothered by his exploration. His eyes continues drifts, and that’s when he notices the hand on her stomach —
“Why did you stop reading.”
He immediately wonders if something is wrong but — she cradling it, not gripping like something is in pain.
Oh.
“N-nothing.”
It’s clear it’s not nothing, and Touka shifts to look at him.
“Do you think…they can hear?” Kaneki asks.
Touka looks uncomfortable at the question. She shifts her gaze away. “I don’t know. But I thought —“
She doesn’t finish but Kaneki understands what she’s trying to say. It’s still unbelievable to know there’s a child growing inside of her. Their child.
“Maybe you should’ve chosen a better book, then,” Kaneki says. “This one is….”
“One of her dad’s favourite books.” Touka finishes, with a slight smile.
Dad.
His eyes prickle.
Touka huffs a breath. She reaches out and wipes away a tear before it drops.
“Are you going to continue reading?” She asks, “They’re probably already tired of my voice.”
“I doubt that.” Kaneki says. He can’t imagine who’d ever get tired of her voice. He could listen to her all day and more, if he was able to.
Touka’s cheeks flush. Did he say all of that out loud?
Well, it’s true.
He’s jealous of the baby. Having Touka read to them. He never had that.
Kaneki feels ridiculous, being jealous of his unborn child. What is he doing. But… really… it’s not fair.
“I’ve read enough.” He says. “Why don’t you read now?”
Touka stares at him. Like she knows what he’s thinking. Probably. He feels sheepish.
Touka grabs the book from his hands, and sighs. “Fine. A warning, though. I’m a terrible reader.”
Kaneki bursts into a bright smile.
He very much doubts that, but could hardly care if Touka is a terrible reader.
He snuggles closer, gingerly pressing a hand on her stomach over hers and listens.
It’s a pleasant night.