Can this, like, happen?

“Why do you think love is so cheap?” Touka fires Rc shards into Mutsuki’s arm. God dammit, she knows Ken loves this kid, but if he ain’t testing her patience now. “What, you think if Kaneki loves me he can’t love you? Love isn’t a math game, Eyepatch! Kaneki left you because he was afraid of you! And he was afraid because he loved you all! It had nothing to do with me!”

“Then why didn’t he come back?!” Mutsuki screams.

“Because Kaneki wants to hide when he feels like he’s done something wrong – like leaving you!” Touka yells back.

Mutsuki hesitates. He wants to hide. He’s very good at hiding.

“Mucchan!” shrieks a voice. Touka whirls around to see the rest of the Quinx. The screaming one is the blue-haired girl, the first one to agree to work with ghouls. Saiko, if Touka recalls Kaneki’s descriptions correctly.

“What?” sobs Mutsuki. “Go away! She – stole him!” He points wildly at Touka.

Aura appears. “And we’re going to finish this.”

“Oh my god, really,” Higemaru mutters.

“No, Mutsuki. Sasaki – Kaneki – Maman, if you will – he left us because he was too cowardly to face us. Just like you, leaving us for the Oggai, right? Because you don’t want to admit you have problems?” Urie steps forward, tears in his eyes. “Just like me, ignoring all of you at the start? And you – you were the one who hugged me at my lowest. And kept me from damaging myself more. Now I’m returning the favor.” 

Urie steps forward and wraps his arms around Mutsuki. “It’s awful being alone. You do it, I do it, Sasaki does it, Saiko does it, Hsaio is part ghoul so we’ll say she does it too, Aura clearly does it.”

“What about me?” demands Higemaru.

“You’re the balm to the rest of us,” Urie tells him. Higa brightens and prances over to Aura. He hugs him, and Hsaio joins in.

Aura looks like he’s never been hugged before. 

Saiko rushes over to join Urie and Mutsuki. Touka and a recovering Miza tiptoe closer.

“Is this where Maman is?” Saiko whispers to Touka. 

She nods.

Saiko fastens her kagune into a drill and stabs into the flesh of the giant worm.

Touka gasps as Saiko rips forth a bloodied Kaneki with ease. His arms are no longer scaled. He looks whole.

“Ken!” she cries. She and all of the Quinx rush forward as Saiko lays him down atop the kagune. 

“He’s unconscious,” says Miza.

Kaneki, however, cracks open one eye. He sees Mutsuki – Touka – Urie – Saiko – Miza and the new quinx, all standing there. 

“Family,” he mumbles before losing consciousness.

Mutsuki bawls and Touka hugs him. For Kaneki’s sake, she’ll forgive this poor kid.

Three months later

Mutsuki opens the door to the Chateau. “After you.”

“Thanks,” says Touka, stepping inside to see all of the Quinx, Hide, and her husband gathered in their living room. Aura still sulks in a corner, but he’s inching closer to the rest of them day by day. 

“Well? What did the doctor say?” Kaneki wasn’t able to accompany Touka to her ultrasound this morning, because he’s still under house arrest at the Chateau. 

Mutsuki exchanges a smile with Touka. 

“It’s a girl,” Touka blurts out.

Saiko shrieks, Higemaru cheers, and Mutsuki claps. Kaneki stumbles forward to wrap his arms around Touka. “Another girl in our family.”