Cautious Steps {Suzuya Juuzou x Reader}

[ Suzuya Juuzou x Ghoul!Reader ] 

" Giving the chances to take it all in stride

while we walk a broken line,

a line of signs " 

You spot him inside the coffee shop when you walk in.

You're pretty sure its him at least. You're wearing shades that pretty much dim your vision a bit too darker for your tastes, or for walking inside a closed space. Even so, when you do take them off, you try not to stare much and sit down in your usual table. You tap your fingers on the crystal-surfaced table and patiently wait for the usual waitress to come and take your order, to which you'll reply with the usual -it's always the usual, always.

This time though, when she does come and offers you a smile -which you return- you ask for cheesecake and ignore how your stomach does an un-approving flip at the mention of the sweet. The woman, a strawberry-blond with dimples and beautiful almond eyes, makes a comment on the change and then asks if today's special. It makes something inside you want to glare and shrug her off, however, no matter how out-of-place the question is, you reply with some absurdity that must have been good because she smiles and then tells you that she'll be back quickly.

You barely caught her words and out of the corner of your eyes you see him there, sitting, chatting with another male which towers -even sitting, and you wonder if he's taller than he looks- a bit more from the other. Except you're not sure, and you instantly curse under your breath when you realize that maybe the spot which is your usual to sit at was not the best place to do so.

Sure, it has a great view towards the outside and doesn't let the sun bother you, no matter in which position at the sky it is. Even on sunsets it's more of a soft glow that's not hurtful to the eyes. You sometimes wonder why you pick this coffee shop over the ones runned by ghouls, but then you remember that most of them don't quite meet your expectations.

Maybe it's also because this place has a great view.

Frustration and curiosity make their way deep into your mind and his voice -soft, like he doesn't want anyone knowing what he and his partner are talking about- is barely a sound caught by your ears with the other murmurs in the shop. You know you're taking a risk by digging into your purse and taking out the navy-blue compact mirror, but you tread carefully because any mistakes will cause unwanted attention on your person. You also dig out a carmin-red lipstick.

You open the mirror and use the table to steady your elbow, leaning forward slightly, you adjust the mirror until you're giving the desired view and you're still visible on it. Your eyes move towards the corner, where he's reflected and for a moment you're unsure if its actually him. It's been an awful long time since you last saw him, and even so, you still take a peek. Nothing wrong with wanting to satisfy your curiosity.

First thing that you notice is his hair, charcoal black with bangs clipped back with what you assumed were pins that formed a number in roman -you think it's 12... no, 13.- which is sort of a surprise because when you trail down to examine his face then you notice the vibrant-red strings that adorn some parts of his face and then the ones that trail down his neck. Then you're examining his clothing, he's moving but still hasn't noticed he's being watched, and it really doesn't take a genius to figure out he's working for the CCG.

You're almost doubting that this is the same person up until you realize that you're staring into his eyes. Big, doll-like, they give an eerie expression and something else you can't quite put your finger on. However, his eyes are red like crimson and have this air to them that makes a shiver run down your spine, because you know you've seen them before. You're most certain this-

            "Here you go miss, [Last Name]!" The voice snaps you out of your concentrated gaze with a startled gasp, the mirror slips from your grasp and your hands directly placed on your chest, it heaves up and down and your heart beats way too fast. Your face flushes slightly at the thought of everyone hearing it.

You're unable to glare at the waitress -you've been here so long that she knows your full name yet you barely remember her at all- because she's long gone by the time your eyes are focused on the silver plate and the steaming cup of coffee. You let out a shaky breath, a quick scan of the place confirms your easing-worries that no one had seen your little act and then you place the lipstick -now smudged on the table, great- and the mirror on your purse.

You sip on the coffee, black and almost sweet, the kind that doesn't make your stomach want to puke the contents out, the kind that you've been taking ever since you can remember. Your eyes flicker towards the cheesecake and you're almost tempted to just throw it out, but you're paying for it anyways... you're not even sure why you ordered it.

Then you're feeling it, when you're almost done with your cup of coffee. You're aware of the feeling of being watched and despite your brain telling your body to not look back, you still do it. You regret it afterwards when you're seeing two pairs of eyes looking at you. They're not even trying to hide it, you wince -a barely noticeable move but you know they saw it- and then you're instantly thinking about standing up and leaving.

            "Hello." There's a voice, a new one that makes you jump on your seat and the cup shake -it's empty though- which you place on the table. [Eye colour] eyes make their way up the hands that are on the table and upwards towards the face. The guy's looking at you with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.

            "Evening," you reply casually, trying to hide the surprised and slightly startled sound of your voice, which in this situation would be totally normal, having a young man- he couldn't be that young anymore- just casually walk up towards you while you're distracted, or more likely, you're wondering how the hell he managed to stand up without alerting you of the movement.

            "Ah, mind if I sit?" He asks yet he sits down just in front of you, the chair that's empty and you give him a look, something to distract him-and possibly yourself- because your mouth waters at the scent that comes from him. It's sort of weird... it's intriguing, out of place. You're sure now that this is Rei because you haven't smelled someone like that in a long time and it can't be a coincidence.

Not when there are big-doll eyes staring at you, then they're flickering towards the cheesecake, then back at you.

            "You know, cheesecake is probably my favorite sweet." He comments, a change of tone, a much happier one and you're looking a little bit lost. He continues; "Strawberry cheesecake, to be exact."

You eye the cheesecake, "You... want it?"
He looks at you, like he's not believe you're about to give him a treat that you're paying with your own money. You quickly realize and then speak, rubbing the back of your neck sheepishly. 

            "I mean, I came here wanting to eat it but lost my appetite." 

Then his eyes light up, but you're not really aware of it. You're watching his actions when he takes the fork and digs in. You're more aware of the other eyes behind your back, whether Rei -you're sticking to this name because this is how you know him- notices your stiffness under the gaze or whether he decided it was good time to speak through a mouthful of the sweet, you're not entirely sure.

            "My partner over there, Hanbee-" he points towards the table he was sitting at and you move to see where it was, just a play-along, like you didn't know who he's talking about, "-was saying that you were watching us." He states and your eyes widen ever so slightly.

Well, he's blunt.

You quirk an eyebrow, "Was I?"

Rei sets the fork down and puts both elbows on the table leaning forward with the smile on his lips long gone, a thin line that doesn't really show any emotion, he's resting his head on his hands. "Well, that's a question for you to answer..."

            "[Name]." You state, lean back on your chair and pretend that his smell is not intoxicating.

            "[Name]." He says, like he's tasting a new lollipop. It rolls on his tongue in a way that makes your heart flutter. It's either that or dread.

            "Yes?" 

            "Are you aware that you had been holding visual contact through your mirror at me and my partner?" He smirks, like he knows he's won an argument and he definitely has with the way your cheeks warm up, traitors.

            "Sorry," You giggle, fanning yourself with your right hand, "I'm just- my brother is a big fan of Ghoul Investigators, kind of was at shock seeing the two of you here. He'll be jealous I'm having a conversation with one." The lie comes out as the worst one you could've come up with. It could have been decent -not good enough. No. Heaven's no. A third grader could come up with a better lie- if it weren't for your stuttering and aversion of eyes.

You weren't used to having an investigator so close. You've heard rumours before about them being able to identify ghouls from afar. Sure some where extremely far-fetched, but what did you know? 

Rei's eyes light up in pure interest, he's intrigued now. "So you know who we are then?"

            "Of course I do Rei-" You choke on your own saliva when you realize your mistake. This is probably the third one so far. What's with the way his eyes widened -it's an almost non-existant movement but still it was there and had been done. You noticed, oh god you noticed and now you were royally screwed- before he frowned, a bit, not much. It was like it wasn't there but at the same time was.

Before he can say anything else, you cough, loudly, then add: "I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name?"

When you look him in the eyes, they're a shade darker than before, but it's gone by the time he offers you a smile and leans back into his chair and you're most definitely glad he's done so. "Juuzou. Suzuya Juuzou."

You can't begin to describe the amount of happiness that swells in your chest, it's more like relief, but happiness because he might have not realized you had called him on his old name. You would rather much avoid questions on how you knew such names, you knew it would go back to that time when you were little and first met Rei, a white-haired Rei, a Rei with feminine traits but still not quite there. The same Rei that was taken by the CCG. 

You fake a smile, one that does reach your eyes because you've practiced it long enough to fool people. "Then again, I'm extremely sorry for disturbing you and your partner." You steal a quick glance towards the clock nearby. An opportunity to escape.

            "Ah... it looks like it's getting late." You're standing up now, ignoring how he's been awfully quiet, he's observing you and his partner, Hanbee, is mimicking Rei-Suzuya's actions. It unsettles you greatly and you just now take into fact that the shop is almost devoid of life. There's an extremely eerie silence that makes your skin crawl.

            "I-It was nice speaking with you." You lie, or half-lie. Because yes, you're not entirely sure that this has been a 'nice' conversation, but it certainly eases a part of your mind that you didn't know was being bothered by it, by knowing that Rei, although now under the name of Suzuya, is alive and well and hunting ghouls and still smelling intoxicatingly delicious.

It almost makes your stomach growl and the thought of eating his flesh is enough to make you weak at the knees. It's been a long time since you've last eaten, and while you're not in time to do so again, binge-eating didn't sound so bad if it's him.

            "Hey, just wondering. You frequent this place a lot?" He asks, he's standing up now and you're hoping he's going to just go sit down with his partner, but he doesn't, instead he waits and rocks in place, back and forward, hands behind his body. 

            "I... uh, yes?" You tilt your head after you take out some money and set it on the table for the waitress to pick up later.

Rei-Suzuya beams at this and it's a smile that unsettles you, but still makes you doubt he's planning anything. "Great! Maybe we'll see each other again... in fact, I'd love to see you again, maybe tomorrow?"

It's not a question for you to answer, it's a promise. 

There are red signs all over this, and despite that you still give a nod. "Sure."

Then you're walking out of the shop and get somewhere where they can't see you. You only pick up one voice though, and it certainly isn't Suzuya's. 

            "She reeked of blood." 

            "..."

            "Y-yes, she did call you that. It's not a mistak-"
            
            "..."

            "Right now?"

            "..."
        
            "N-No. She's outside."

If that wasn't your cue signal to try and get away as fast as you could, then the sound of the bell ringing when they opened the door and began to trail behind you was your signal.