Nakarai dates a ghoul to everyone’s shock including his own

At last, Nakarai gets some love! 

“Hi there.”

Keijin Nakarai can’t help but smile. His little friend waits for him outside CCG, hopping impatiently from one foot to another. 

“Have fun.” Suzuya shoves his friend towards his lover. Just this afternoon, Miyuki Mikage had gotten Nakarai to confess his love for [Name], and Suzuya desperately wanted to see this confession.

Mizurou Tamaki shoots Nakarai a wicked grin.

“I brought binoculars. We could go to the park for bird watching,” says [Name], seizing his hand.  

Keijin smiles. [Name] is perfect. “Let’s go.”

Suzuya pouts as they leave. He wanted that damn confession!

Twilight falls at the park, and Keijin is so consumed with watching [Name] he forgets about the birds.

“You aren’t even paying attention, silly.” [Name] giggles. 

“Of course I am!” He snatches the binoculars to look at an owl.

The leaves rustle behind them. [Name] gasps.

“Nakarai!” yells [Name]. In a flash, they shove him aside. A tentacled kagune rips through their throat. 

Gagging, they fall to the ground in a fountain of blood.

“No!” Nakarai screams. He whips out Right and Left to stab the ghoul through its stomach, then opens its own throat.

With his enemy incapacitated, he whirls around [Name], who lies curled up on the ground. Their eyes are shut. Their hands grip their neck. 

“Suzuya, please,” he begs, dialing the emergency squad number on his phone. “[Name], let me look. I’ve got you.” 

They shove him away with a gasp. 

“Come on.” Nakarai assumes blood loss has addled their brain. “I can’t let you die. I – I love you – I was going to tell you tonight.”

He pulls back their hands – to reveal a bloodstained neck that’s already healed.

“H – how…”

[Name] opens their eyes to reveal two kakugans. Their face crumbles, and they know their friends were right, that they were a fool who would only hurt him.

A CCG investigator and a ghoul can never be together.

“[Name]?” Keijin grips his quinque, and they cry out. 

“Please don’t.” 

Keijin can’t. He remembers all the meals they shared, all the laughter and kisses and that evening last month when they first made love. 

Their eyes widen and suddenly they scramble back, pressing themselves into the park bench as if maybe they can be absorbed. 

Keijin sees Suzuya there, Jason aloft, with Hanbee, Mikage, and Mizurou behind him. 

Suzuya looks stunned. “They’re…”

“I love you,” [Name] whimpers. Their tears come faster. If Nakarai is going to kill them, he has to know their feelings were real. 

“[Name] saved my life.” Nakarai pales. Can he really kill them?

Suzuya doesn’t want to hurt Nakarai’s friend. But this is their job. Unless…

“Ownership rights,” Suzuya whispers.

Nakarai gasps with relief. Yes, of course! “I request ownership rights over this ghoul.”

As [Name] is hauled to their feet and Rc suppressants are shoved into their body, as they head off to a prison and interrogations they can’t image, they cling to the relief on Nakarai’s face.

They know he loves them, too. There is hope.