Number dialed, Light hissed, "Rip its damn head off."
"I can't." Whatever the Shinigami's vertebrae was made out of had the sturdiest shit he's ever had the displeasure of trying to pop off. "Just die already," he growled. Teeth gnashing deep into its neck. Practically carving meat off the spine. Down its chest, his nails clawed in search of a heart. There was none.
"You're making a mess - B?" Light's bitchy moan halted. Tone cutting calm. "Kei tried to kill a Shinigami in my room and we're supposed to join my family for dinner in three minutes….no it's unconscious…Kei likes the meat…."
"Are you discussing my food preferences right now?" Kaneki kept one ear on the discussion as the other sensed the Shinigami's twitching pattern. He'd managed to exhaust it to unconsciousness again, though he was starting to notice parts of bitten areas were regenerating. It was like watching a timelapse of a decomposing corpse in reverse and stunned Kaneki to no end.
Light made a snappy hush-hush gesture. Eyes gauging the dark, goopy mess he was splattering.
A small scowl had begun to crease his pretty face.
"Yeah Kei can do that. How long will you be - ten minutes? Great," phone snapped shut, Light pinned him with a sudden grin, "You need to lug that thing outside."
Kaneki looked at the patio and then the Shinigami. Sighful. Outside, rain had begun to pelt down. "Oh, do I? How swell," he grated, hefting the lanky shinigami over a shoulder. "Be a dear and get the door."
All too happy, Light did. Icy wind howled as the door slid open. Almost covering Light's snort when Kaneki stumbled over the Shinigami's drooped wing.
Kaneki shot him a withering glance, after all this was partly his fault for luring a damned Shinigami to his front door. Probably to test whether Kaneki liked its flesh.
Test accomplished you sly fucker.
Light had the gall to smile.
Kaneki leapt off the tiny guardrail to the front lawn. White head of hair creating a streak against sheets of rain. Soft, he landed on the muddy patch of grass. Barely three feet long it cramped the giant creature in his arms.
A wing draped over his head. Covering him in a leathery umbrella.
"Never should have eaten that pedophile," he muttered.
" Shush! I'll tell mum you're not feeling well," Light whispered, knowing Kaneki could hear and not waiting for an 'ok' sign before dashing back.
"Well buddy," Kaneki told the mauled Shinigami, "It's just you, me and my misery sundae."
.
A spark prickled the back of his spine and immediately, Kaneki knew.
A plastic umbrella shot up behind the Yagami's fence.
"Toodle-oo," B's head followed beneath it. Cheshire grin widening at the sight of the Shinigami trapped in Kaneki's lap. In the night, B's red eyes glowed like hot coal. Lighting drops of rain like a red street lamp. "My my, you sure had a feast."
"You can see it."
"Kid, I'm part Shinigami." Twiddling fingers beneath his eyes. "All nat- "
Kaneki ignored him. In a grunt he got to his feet and leapt over the fence. Quickly ducking against B's van in case any neighbors saw. He doubted, around this time of night families were settling down for dinner like Light. Nobody would be peeping through windows. Hopefully.
B opened the backseat and produced a set of iron chains. Each binding had a different set of engraved hieroglyphs for reasons Kaneki could only guess.
"You've been preparing for something like this to happen," Kaneki couldn't help but voice. The wing had slipped from his head, leaving Kaneki drenched.
"Since I knew what I was," B wrapped the Shinigami's wrists and told him to put the thing in the back. "How the heck did Light lure one to earth - let alone his bedroom ?"
With great effort, Kaneki shoved the Shinigami in the car, remaining silent. For a long moment B stood admiring the creature. Body buzzing in visible excitement.
"They're beautiful."
"If you're into that sort of thing," Kaneki said. Mildly uncomfortable by the way B was looking at it. Almost hungry. He flicked his white fringe from his eyes. "What are your plans with it?"
"Why do you want to know?" B's gaze snapped to him.
Kaneki tsked, "I would like some answers of my own."
"Not interested in sliced deliveries? Heh I'm beginning to feel like a meat deli," B leant against his door and once again staring at the creature. "Light said you absolutely devoured -" he snorted at Kaneki's low grumble. Indignant that the man hit the nail on the head. "I'm just teasing - sure. I see no harm in asking some questions on your behalf."
"Would you tell me what it says?"
"Naturally not," B cooed, an inch away from pinching Kaneki's cheek. Kaneki eyed the man's hands. "What type of man would I be if I were to pull a fast one over my partner's nephew?"
Kaneki's jaw dropped. "P- Partner ?!"
Eyes wide at something he had only warily assumed at now being dastardly confirmed.
It was bold-faced.
Everything he'd naively ignored cracked under the pressure of tonight's event.
How had this happened?
In two steps Kaneki held B against the van. Height looming. Eye burning. Mouth salivating at the scent of not only the Shinigami bludgeoned in the backseat, but it's counterpart before him. Reeking of pleasure.
B's umbrella fell and rolled between their legs.
"If you dare touch my uncle in an inappropriate manner, I'll -"
"Eat me?" B arched an eyebrow, head cocked with an aggravating smile. "Wouldn't that only hurt him? You'd betray your dearest uncle? I feel I should warn you he may not forgive."
"I don't care," his eyes narrowed. "If it means he'd be safe. I'd kill you in a heartbeat."
"Maybe, we'll see. Won't we?" B hummed. Opening the driver's door beside them and gently, hand on Kaneki's chest nudged him back. Kaneki allowed it. Chest growling like a threatened wolf.
"I'll know if you touch him."
"Now nephew," B snorted, pitying. "That has already proven to be wildly incorrect."
His thoughts, his eye and gut - deep down everything burned and turned a molten red. Swelling and cutting down sense.
His heart clenched.
He gripped B's chin, fingers digging into the soft cheeks hatefully. Forced him to meet his eyes as he warned the man.
"Don't toy with me."
So help him God, Kaneki might kill B right now.
"Touta is expecting me back home for dinner," B said, words squished and scent bright in joy. Kaneki would have wondered if the man was on drugs if he didn't know him any better. "He made katsu chicken. His favorite."
Taking a breath, reaching for calm, Kaneki shoved B against his van and leapt back over the fence. Fists clenching and unclenching. Tongue licking his lips and capturing leftover Shinigami blood.
"I'll send your love." B called behind.
One day, once B's broken his uncle's heart Kaneki will eat his.
.
Kaneki flicked a wet hand to the floor and began to rummage through Light's drawers. Given Light's temperament, he knew the boy would throw a hissy fit at having not only his bedroom drenched in Shinigami blood but also rainwater.
"I'm too nice," he muttered, pausing as his hand touched a rolled up plastic bag. Reaching further in the pants drawer he pulled out a ziplock bag. "I thought he threw this away."
The blazer he had worn on Light and Kaneki's first food trip out to the canyon had been stowed away inside Light's room this entire time.
This kid was nuttier than a fruitcake.
The bag was still in his hands by the time Light returned. Tray of food nearly dropping to the ground when he spotted what Kaneki was holding. Eyebrow arched.
"You kept my bloodied blazer?"
"Put that back," sighed Light. Shutting the door behind and placing the tray of food on his desk.
"Oi -"
"Do you want it back?" Light asked, eyelids close to twitching. Kaneki snorted.
"Hell no."
"Then return it where you found it," he snapped. Went back to whatever he was studying and told him to change out of those 'nasty clothes'. "Please, clean that mess up. Even if my family can't see it doesn't mean I can't."
"Fine, fine," Kaneki grumbled. Knowing better than to argue when the little psychopath had every means available to sic an entire police force to his front doorstep and turn his Uncle into Japan's personal Jeffrey Dahmer.
…He could kill Light. Get rid of it all.
Hah. As if it could be so easy.
"Anything else I can clean for you, princess?"
He ducked a flying pen.
.
The last thing Kaneki expected was to get between a bad breakup.
"- you're being hysterical, Rin," sighed Light.
Said the psycho hell-bent on murdering a batch of humanity's population.
"I'm not hysterical, I'm angry," Rin looked inches away from slapping him. Her blazing gaze narrowed on Kaneki when he stepped closer on instinct.
Breathing out a tense chuckle, her peachy perfume drowned under a thundering heartbeat.
"Please lower your voice," Light looked about the school courtyard, visible only to Kaneki at the calculative gleam. His shoulders hunched, face twisting into guilt and anxiety - victimizing himself. The punk. "We're gaining a crowd and I don't want our private life advertised. Could we… talk later? Kei and I are late for cram-"
"You just broke up with me," Rin stalked close. Tone hushed in a hiss. "And you want to talk later? We're talking now, Light. What did I do?"
"Nothing," Light sighed again. "I just fell out of love."
"You make it sound so simple," Rin's eyes caught Kaneki again. He tensed. "Is it?"
"What?" Light followed her gaze and looked between her and Kaneki. Heshrugged and wondered whether it would be easier to let Rin slap him and end this whimsical argument.
Brow furrowed, Light asked, "What are you getting at?"
"Light," Rin grumbled. "You've blown me off for Kei-kun countless times and delayed countless dates. You always text him when you're with me and I…get the feeling you'd prefer to be somewhere else. I realized, you only noticed me after I tried being friends with him."
"Rin, don't be so dramatic -"
"I'm not dramatic, I'm seeing what I've been ignoring for so long. You're obsessed with him. I'm not the hysterical one, you are. I was never the one you wanted to date."
She doesn't slap him, but she may as well have. Blown, they watched her walk back to a gaping friend. Haughtily as possible.
"...Just to be clear," Kaneki began after he had caught up with Light's long-limbed steps. The boy having left the moment Rin turned her back. "I'm not the dating type."
Somewhere deep inside his consciousness, Rize cackled aloud.
Side-eyeing him, Light's lips tipped up, "Apparently neither am I."
.
"Did B call you?"
"I wouldn't know. I've blocked his number."
"Is this about -"
Kaneki grunted. Making it clear that were Light to finish that sentence he'd lose an appendage.
"Right," Light said. Phone in his hand buzzing. "He texted you about the Shinigami."
"We have cram," Kaneki never thought he'd prefer to attend a silly workshop.
"Uh huh," Light's arched eyebrow showed how much he clearly thought of that . "You can go, I'm not one to pass down an offer of Death Gods' meat."
See, that perplexed Kaneki more than any other questionable activities Light has performed in his sad company. For the boy to pass up an opportunity to heighten his academic performance was staggering.
Kaneki sniffed Light's neck. He squirmed, eyeing him.
"You don't smell ill -"
"Shinigami meat, you in or out?"
Bearing a studious pause, Kaneki weighed his options.
"No point in going to cram if you're not there - and you have my food."
Light grinned like the maniac he was. If Kaneki were a lesser ghoul, he would have thought the boy was touched .
No, he just wanted to see if Kaneki would lose control and bite the monster clean.
.
The number of storage units B owned were as much a mystery as the man.
A mystery Kaneki had famously (in his own mind) steered clear of and kept his head down from. Like ducking from a bomb.
Or shrapnel.
He was here for the food, not the space-time conundrum.
However…
Dammit.
Once Light left his side to poke and prod the Shinigami strung up by chains from the ceiling, he asked "It say anything?"
Truly, the God made a gruesome sight. Whatever odd clothing that had concealed the being had been stripped and dumped. Leaving a carved crevasse on his body visibly regenerating.
Off near the thing's feet, Kaneki spotted a bloodied mobile tray presenting an itinerary of carving tools and coolers. On another tray was a television box playing daytime soaps.
His stomach growled as he followed B to a table. The man must have been expecting him as there was a plate stacked with meat.
Holding no qualms, Kaneki sat. Grabbed the offering and devoured it. Juice dribbling down his cheek and throat.
B sat opposite and braced his head on his hands. Fingers hiding the smirk Kaneki could see crease his eyes.
"It claims that its Emperor would know about how you're here and that it's 'very sorry to trouble us and ask you not to bite it again '."
Kaneki grunted, mouth full and holding no promises. "The thing maked Light."
"Nah, its notebook did. And speaking of," head cocked, B asked, "what's this about a notebook?" His insides coiled at B's twinkling crimson eyes.
He sighed and pawned the question off. "Ask Light. None of this is my business."
"Aww, it's always nice seeing you two get along."
"Like a nursery on fire."
"Ha," B snorted.
In the back, Light called B.
Both twisting in their chairs, they saw Light pointing to the small tv set. Expression one of bewilderment. On screen, a smartly European dressed man spoke to reporters in fluent Japanese.
He said he was L.
He told Kira what he is doing is evil.
And Light arched an eyebrow at B. The man sat, stone-faced.
B growled. "The bastard never left Japan."
.