Disclaimer – I don't own Tokyo Ghoul or any of its respective characters. They are the property of Ishida Sui and Shonen Jump. However, I do own the character of Maiko.
Liar's Coffee
It always starts with a cup of coffee. It's started like this for almost two months now, and Maiko sighs, lifting her teacup upwards and shaking her hand slightly. Wordlessly, a hostess obliges her, walking over to the table with little dainty steps before removing the used cup.
The Nineteenth ward has never really been renowned for their coffee, but this place suits her. Maiko has been a patron of Café Lomi for quite some time, favoring their Victorian styled décor and strong, bitter coffee.
A moment later, the hostess returns, placing a fresh cup in front of her, and Maiko admires the pink lace filigree on the tiny saucer, a nail tracing the design. With a soft girlish laugh, Maiko thanks her server, noting her shaking hands. She's new, and the pop idol has never seen her before.
"Is everything to your liking…miss?" she questions, her voice shivering like a damp leaf.
"Perfect. Thank you." Maiko replies.
Normally, she would sooth the girl, compliment her cute figure or her shoes, but Maiko is too distracted, and all the coffee she's drank has made her anxious.
"I've heard a few of your songs, and my cousin really likes you. She likes that one song of yours, I can't remember the name but it plays on the radio all the time and well…the madam of the house, she's told me not to ask you…for anything."
She sounds so nervous, and Maiko shoves away the urge to roll her eyes. The girl is trembling, and she smells like sugar and too many spices. She lifts her purse from the floor, and pulls out a small sheath of notebook paper. She scrawls her name on the page with a pink glitter pen, before sliding it over to the girl.
She thanks Maiko with a bow that's deep enough to be awkward, and then scurries off, and Maiko is grateful for the absence of her smell. She lifts her spoon and stirs the coffee six times, listening to the musical clink of the metal against china before taking a single sip. The coffee is good, bittersweet, and leaves her mouth feeling slightly dry.
The smell hits her before she can even truly take note of it, and she sets down the cup on the saucer, pretending to look at the window before the bell chimes and signifies his arrival.
Sparing a small glance at the door Maiko watches him. Uta's dressed achingly casual for the cool fall weather outside, black jeans, and an overlong grey sweater with plush, fluffy sleeves. For a moment, she watches the patron's looks of surprise before glancing down at her coffee.
A moment later, he finds her, and Maiko inhales sharply. He smells fresh and very clean, and a boyish brand of soap covers his natural smell slightly. He must have showered before coming here to see her, and the thought fills her with an aching sort of giddiness that the caffeine has only added to.
"Want some coffee, U-sama?" she questions, watching Uta's fingers steeple carefully. She longs to reach out and touch them, but she doesn't dare in a place so public.
"Okay." he says softly, pushing the sunglasses up his nose to further hide his eyes.
She motions a hand up lazily, and the same server as before, the nervous one, comes over with a small saucer and cup. This one is a light periwinkle colour, and the contrast between Uta's cup and her own makes her smile.
The girl returns later with a carafe of coffee, and pours a cup for her companion. He thanks her graciously, a small smile pulling at his lips, as she bows and titters away.
"How are you?" Uta asks, long fingers gracefully taking hold of the tea cup and sipping.
"Okay. I guess." she answers mildly.
"You're eating." he hums appreciatively, "I can smell you again."
"Oh. Yeah." she mumbles, smoothing her hands down the fabric of her dress, "The new...manager is better."
"Good." he replies easily, and Maiko wonders if he feels badly for killing her former keeper. Probably not.
"What about masks?" she asks, curiously, "Business booming for you, as usual?"
"Yes." he says, and Maiko is surprised when he lifts his messenger bag, and pulls out his sketchbook to show her the design.
"This is pretty!" She exclaims easily. It's true too, the mask is elegant and covered in a bold display of feathers. Maiko traces the delicate pencil lines with a fingertip, careful not to disturb the art.
"You seem to have ghoul fans too, Maiko-chan." he murmurs, and Maiko's eyes shoot up to his own covered ones. "This person asked for a design similar to that hideous peacock dress that you wore to that award ceremony."
"Bet you thought that was funny," she mumbles, but then curiosity gets the better of her, "What was she like?"
"Not like you." Uta answers, and she gnaws at the edge of her lip ring, brow furrowing in frustration.
"What am I like?" she blurts out before she can stop herself. The question makes her sound foolish, and she flushes.
"Maiko-chan, is simply...Maiko-chan. That's all." he answers, reaching over to pull her lip from the grasp of her teeth.
His hands are calloused and rough, and the pad of his thumb skims over the delicate skin of her lips, and she fights the urge to nip playfully at his finger.
"We should go," he says, pulling his hand away and downing the rest of his coffee.
"Already?" she says, surprised, "Why so fast?"
Uta stands, and Maiko is forced to look up at him, he's so tall, and he easily looms over her, especially while she is still seated. He leans downward, breath hot and husky against her ear, "I want to kiss your mouth."
His tongue snakes out caressing the inner shell of her ear and she shivers, gasping in surprise. Maiko glances nervously around at the cafe's patrons, sighing in relief when she sees that no one has noticed Uta's bold movement.
He pulls away after a moment, adjusting his sweater and allowing her to gather herself enough to finish her own cup. She carelessly tosses a few notes on the table and stands, easily following behind Uta, a warm bolt excitement passing through her. She bows clumsily to the waitress girl, and the bell of the door signifies their departure.
Outside, the fall air is cool, and Maiko shivers, drawing the little cover up she's worn with her dress tighter against her, as her breath fogs in the air in front of her.
"My place, or yours?" Uta asks, and Maiko can hear the teasing nature in his tone, and she can imagine that his eyes are glancing in her direction, probing and lighthearted.
"I'm closer." She answers, stopping just at the crosswalk before easing her way across the street, Uta following behind at a comfortable distance.
Her apartments aren't far from the cafe, and are unusually modest, but Maiko prefers this much better to having too much security, it's easier to be spotted that way, and with her current status as a ghoul, she finds that she can't risk it.
They enter through the lobby, which is as always empty, and Maiko considers checking her mail, but then thinks better of it, as she turns to make sure Uta hasn't lagged too far behind. Moving past the tiny lobby, Maiko presses the elevator button, sighing in relief as they open and are revealed to be empty. Her apartment is at the very top, and they'll at least have a few moments to spare before slipping to her own home.
She strides in the elevator, her hand holding the door for her companion as he moves to stand beside her. He presses the button for the top floor, and the door closes with a soft bell.
It doesn't take her long to reach out for him, wrapping her arms around the soft fabric of his sweater, and bury her nose in the folds. He smells like the cool fall air, and cigarette smoke, coffee too, and she hums appreciatively.
Uta's own tattooed fingers stroke at her spine lazily, drawing small patterns through the cardigan and she sighs warmly, rubbing her cheek against his sweater and closing her eyes.
"Missed you." she mumbles, too comfortable to hold up any kind of false pretense with him now. How easily moldable she becomes when he's close.
"Did you now?" he teases, "So uncharacteristically sweet of you, Maiko-chan, I suppose I'll have to save all my punishments for next time."
In spite of his words, Maiko can feel his hands slide through her hair, toying with the little curls at the end. A moment later, she can feel his palms on her cheeks, and she tilts her head upwards to gaze at him. His sunglasses have slid down just enough to show her a peek of his eyes, which are heavy, like her own.
Her eyes slip closed, and she leans up on her tip toes, hands bracing themselves on his chest, and his lips barely graze her own when the elevator dings.
Uta still has the faster reflexes, and he shoves her away from him, retreating to the opposite corner, and Maiko is gasping slightly when the door opens. They are nowhere close to her floor yet, and she curses sharply when the door opens to reveal a teenage boy, gawky and still too concerned with his appearance.
He pays no mind to Uta, and Maiko inwardly cringes when he takes note of her. He looks like the type who watches too much MTV and she curses, when he stares at her with wide eyes.
"Whoa, you look...just like that singer girl...whatsherface."
Uta stifles a small laugh, and Maiko resists the urge to snarl at him.
"Uh, sorry?" she says, feigning ignorance. The last thing she needs is some kid finding out where she lives and she shakes her head at him.
"Oh you know," the teen says, folding arms after he mashes the button to the lobby over and over. "She sings that song, about like, candy and dead people or whatever."
She shakes her head again, trying to shrug apologetically and not look towards Uta who she is positive has begun to shake with silent laughter.
"You do kind of resemble her, miss." Uta says, and the boy beams at him, as if thrilled his theory is plausible.
"What's her name anyway?" the boy asks him, thinking that he's found a fellow music fan in Uta and Maiko wants to groan.
"Hm, I can't recall it either." Uta says softly, "Something with an M, I think?"
Maiko seethes inwardly while the two contemplate her name, and instead she counts the seconds until they reach her floor.
'59...60...'
As if on command, the elevator opens, and Maiko shoots out of the doors, causing both of the elevator's remaining inhabitants to watch her curiously.
Uta follows behind, casually calling out to the teen, "I think her name was Maiko something," before the doors close and they're again left alone.
Before Uta can say anything though, Maiko is brushing past him to her own apartment door, slipping the key into the lock and striding inside, leaving the door open in her wake and throwing her shoes haphazardly in opposite directions.
"Maiko..." Uta says, following behind her as he shuts the door. He sounds a little exasperated now, irritated too, as he's surely picked up on her sudden anger. He removes his boots in the entryway, waiting for an onslaught of accusation.
"That wasn't funny."
There it is.
"Oh come now, you can't handle me talking to a fan about you? Even for you that's a new level of -"
"Pretending you forgot me wasn't funny."
She can feel her lip bow against the weight of her sudden feelings, it shakes under the thought that she's voiced, and she clenches her tiny fists against it, staring up at him like a defiant child.
He's removed his sunglasses, and his eyes are like hardened opals, gleaming and ready for an argument, but suddenly, they soften considerably.
"Maiko-chan, I would never forget you." he murmurs gently.
"People do it a lot." she says suddenly, "They forget my name, or the lyrics to my songs. But they just recognize me by my face. It...bothers me. They don't remember anything I can actually do."
She stares up at him, eyes as impassioned as a sudden thunderstorm, and just as wet, "You can't do that too, you just can't!"
Uta says her name again, and his hands wrap around her wrists as he pulls her into his arms. His kiss is fervent and forceful, mouth pressing against her own, breath hot and fragrant when he pulls away for just a moment. Maiko doesn't hesitate to pull him into another kiss, her tongue swiping over his jewelry.
Her hands grasp at his hair, as she throws her arms about his shoulders, and he's grateful that she's easily placated by such a simple thing. One hand is pressed against the small of her back, while the other is snaking down her dress. He lifts up the fabric with careful fingertips, sighing softly when they come in contact with the skin on the back of her leg, just below the rounded curve of her buttocks.
Teasingly, he pulls on the fabric holding up her stockings, letting go and listening to it snap against her skin, even more pleased by her audible gasp.
"Mmm," he hums softly, "These should stay on."
"But the important thing is what should come off," Maiko murmurs, eyes heavy with wonton desire.
"In a hurry, are we?" he teases. It's easy like this, to play and enjoy her company, and in an almost disdainful fashion, Uta wishes that she was like this more often. She often seems rather thin these days, and in spite of himself, he can't help but notice the translucency of her hands when she pulls on his wrists.
However, Uta pushes the thought away, and glances at her mildly, allowing himself to be lead to the warm privacy of her bedroom.
Maiko's bedroom, while not overtly extravagant, is rather girlish, and perhaps a little childlike. Her bed is covered in at least three pink down comforters, making the bed look much taller than it actually is. This, along with a loping hoop canopy that covers the head of the bed in gauzy white fabric is the only thing that seems truly excessive.
The pop idol, however, throws herself backwards onto the mass of blankets with relative ease, pulling the other ghoul so that he is leaning over her, fuzzy forearms propped beside her neck while her legs dangle on the side of the bed.
"I think you need more comforters, Maiko-chan." he teases, leaning down to kiss at her neck. There is the tiniest cluster of freckles just south of Maiko's collarbone, and Uta tongues this area thoughtfully before suckling the skin.
She mumbles something inaudible, and he pulls away from the area with a soft pop, eying her curiously as his left hand skates down to caress her breast through the fabric of her dress.
"Beg pardon?"
"I said the added bulk makes me feel safer okay?" she snipes, and Uta smirks, pleased with this admission.
"Safe from what?" Uta mewls against her ear, hands sliding downwards to spread her legs and situate himself between them, teasingly circling his hips against her.
Her breathing is much heavier now, and she shivers at the sensual gesture. Her own hands clamor against his back, then shift to rest on his shoulders. He's making it hard to think while he's moving so painfully slow.
"Undress me." she hisses, face flushed as she nips at the piercing in her lip.
Uta's eyes are heavily lidded now, and completely seductive, and he leans down as if to kiss her. His breath ghosts over her skin making her shudder involuntarily.
"Answer my question first." he commands, smiling slightly when she growls in frustration.
"Uta, come on."
"Does Maiko-chan think monsters are under her bed?" he croons, "Or does she like to invite certain monsters into her bed?"
Uta's fingers suddenly unbutton her cover up, shifting slightly so that he can brace a hand around her waist and tug off the offending item before diving for the zipper to her little dress. It slides off of her rather easily, and Uta's fingers skim the expensive fabric of her bra before unclasping it and tossing it aside.
Maiko leans up to kiss him, but this time he doesn't tease her as he curves his own mouth around her subtle softness.
"I seem to recall a certain monster who liked to share his bed with me too." she mumbles clumsily, lips slipping against his chin before he captures them again, laughing softly into her mouth. He trails down her body, leaving kisses in his wake, humming in approval when he reaches her pert nipple, taking it into his mouth and biting slightly.
Her gasp is his reward, and Maiko's fingers tangle in his hair, pulling it free from the elastic band, then combing her fingers through it. It's soft, and the fragrance of his shampoo rises off his scalp in waves.
She shivers slightly when Uta pulls away, blowing softly on the dampened skin before he graces her with a quick kiss, which she eagerly returns. His hands fumble for a moment, and Maiko imagines his thin tattooed fingers looping through her panties, and he slides them off with flourish, leaving her clad in nothing but stockings. Then, he is sliding down, down, fingers spreading her wide open before his tongue comes into contact with the most sensitive area on her body.
Maiko props herself upwards onto a forearm, and uses the other hand to brush through the raven curls that spill onto his neck and shoulders. The sight of her legs, clad only in the pale white of her stockings only serves to further arouse her.
"Mm, Uta," she hums, her voice slurring despite her best efforts, "That's good."
His tongue swirls lazily over her clit, and she bites back a moan, head lolling back as Uta pleasures her. She always forgets how good he is, how easily he manipulates her body. She feels like a puppet on strings, shivery and wet.
He adds two fingers next, and she tightens against them, as they slip inside of her, gently probing for that spot that will send her completely over the edge.
Maiko's mind wanders as he does so, recalling a similar sensation, accompanied by light waves of blue, and memories of her own careful, shaking fingers.
"Remember, when we were kids," she says, between deep, throaty breaths, "We snuck into that apartment pool."
Uta peeks up at her from between her legs, and she reaches out for him, trying to grasp at his shoulder and cover her own laughter at the sight of him watching her from between her thighs.
"Come here, no...up here, up on top of me."
She coaxes him over her onto the bed, and he leans down to kiss her, lips damp with her own taste and she shudders heatedly.
"I remember," he says quietly, when Maiko's hands fumble with the hem of his sweater and yank it over his head. "You were frightened of me, are you afraid now?"
She doesn't have to be looking at him, to know that he is smiling at her, and her fingers fumble with his pants, pleased to see that he's already hard beneath the cloth, and she rubs her hand firmly against him. He gasps softly, a hand reaching down to grasp her own, squeezing it between his palm and fingers.
Uta lets go, a moment later, sliding off his pants and boxers in one go, and Maiko hums, a happy, bright noise that fills him with a small amount of relief, knowing that her earlier melancholy has been forgotten.
"So many tattoos now..." she murmurs, and Uta can feel her light cool fingertips trace the tattooed belt around his waist. "It, kind of bothers me...that I didn't stick around...to see you get some of them."
Uta is ever vigilant to the twist and turn of Maiko's emotions, senses melancholy rearing its ugly head, and he leans down, pressing his forehead to hers, "Come with me when I get the next one?"
"Okay." she says softly, and Uta notes the heated blush creeping down her cheeks again.
"Are you ready?" he says quietly, a hand reaching down to press against her core. Her hips raise upwards at the touch and Uta pulls his hand away, lapping at his fingers with his tongue. "I'd say so."
She spreads her legs slightly, feeling the warm palm of Uta's hand on her inner thigh, and she gasps at the feeling of his cock jutting against her clit, the coolness of the piercing a stark contrast to both of their body temperatures.
His hips piston forward, and he fills her quickly and suddenly. Her cry fills the room, and Uta leans downward, his own gasp mingling with her cry before lapping at the area of her neck just under her jawline, a sweet spot he has known since they were teenagers.
His thrusts are deep, and purposeful, and Maiko's hands linger on his spine, searching for Uta's own sweet spot, the thin skin where his kagune would protrude. She finds it with quick, nimble fingers, and quickly plays a piano scale against the area with her fingertips.
He groans heatedly, the thin shivers of an aching deep pleasure that's almost painful course down his spine and straight into his groin.
"Fuck," he mumbles against her neck, mouth slipping heatedly against her skin, "I can't think when you do that."
"Don't think then," she teases, "Just move."
Her laughter is cut short by a particularly deep thrust, and Uta laughs to himself when it turns into a sudden desperate cry, her nails digging into his shoulder blades.
"Uta I want more," she says, voice thin and breathy, leaning her torso upwards into his own. The hardened peaks of her nipples brush against his skin, and the feeling is painfully erotic. He utilizes this moment to ease his hands behind her back, and pull her hips into him with more force than before.
She groans into his neck, arms wrapping around him like a vice as he pistons into her like a well oiled machine. There is no time for banter or games now, only heated movement and feverish kisses. She is crying out at a near constant pace now, and Uta shivers, gnawing at his lip and trying to keep his own release at bay.
He begins reciting old art information in his head, first reciting artists by alphabetical order, then switching and trying to name all the customers he has had in the past two weeks. However, the girl who had wanted a mask based on Maiko comes to his mind and his focus is sinfully, solely focused on her again.
She finally comes, releasing, with a sudden, guttural cry that sounds more like a sob. The clenching of her own walls around him, ease him of all tension, milking his own seed from him, and he cries into the sweat dampened roots of her hair. Uta struggles for a moment to hold his partner, and then relinquishes her into the plush confines of the comforter-covered bed.
A moment later, the two ghouls clumsily cover themselves with the multitude of blankets. Once this is done, Maiko latches onto him like a small koala, nuzzling the dewy center of his chest, and his own arms lope over her gracelessly.
She slips in and out of sleep when Uta finally speaks, his voice light and half tired. "Why so many covers, you never answered me, and I'm sure I'm about to roast. You could sell me at one of those kiosks in Osaka."
"When we were teens," she mumbles sleepily, "You used to sleep sprawled over me, all the time. I hated it, and then...when you weren't there anymore I missed it. It made me feel safe, not scared.
"You're a foolish girl." he replies, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head, "But I suppose you're safe...for now."
At this, she leans up, pressing a kiss to Uta's mouth, and thinks mildly that he tastes like coffee.
"You're such a liar."