Ayato always prided himself on his hearing. Even for a ghoul, it was exceptional. He had always been able to hear even the smallest detail in a conversation. The rustling of clothes, the quick inhales and exhales, he could hear it all.
It made for awkward encounters in the apartments around him. Whether that was sex, arguments, or a combination of both, he could hear every syllable.
Earplugs became his best friend when he was home in his apartment complex.
At least… until he heard something about you.
What sounded like a glass shattering against the wall or floor sounded above Ayato.
With a frown, he paused his video game, and pulled off his noise-canceling headphones to listen better. He didn’t know much about you, only that you lived above him. You were the only one to welcome him into the complex when he moved into his little two-bedroom apartment.
He knew some vague information about you.
You lived in apartment 305B, just as he lived in 205B. You kept to yourself but always made it a point to wave to him when you passed each other in the halls.
You were cute, quiet, and, more importantly, you were human.
Someone shouted. Something about lying. And then you responded.
You sounded like you had been crying.
Another glass, more shouting, more crying. Ayato stared at the ceiling for a moment, debating, thinking, mulling his choices over. Then, he made a choice.
His game was switched off. He pulled on trousers over his boxer shorts and zipped up his jacket. He was out the door before he even knew what was happening.
What was he going to do? Fight your significant other? Kill them? He had put that all behind him, what with the incident with his brother-in-law last year. And while he hated the phrase, he considered himself a changed man. And that meant he would actually help humans in need.
A short elevator ride up to the floor above him, down the hall, third door on the right. He paused outside your apartment door, pausing from knocking on the door.
What was he doing?
Before he could think too much about it, Ayato took a deep breath and knocked.
You opened the door a moment later, sweater zipped up to your chin despite the humid summer heat. You swallowed thickly, shifting from side to side,
“Mr. Kirishima! How can I help you?” You said, the cheer in your voice obviously being fake. Ayato shrugged,
“Just wondering about the noise I was hearing. Is everything okay?” He said quickly, and you blinked, staring dumbly.
“Oh! The glass? Sorry, I’m just a bit clumsy! I didn’t mean to disturb you, I’ll be more careful—”
“I meant the yelling. Is everything okay?” He reiterated and watched your face fall.
“Must’ve been the wind.” You say quickly and go to shut the door. But Ayato can’t shake the feeling that something is terribly wrong. So, he wedges his hand in between the door and the doorframe and stops you.
“Oi! What's the holdup? Get back in here!” Comes another voice, and your expression twists in a brief flash of fear. It wasn’t on your face for long, but it was there.
And for whatever reason, it hurt Ayato’s heart to see it.
But before he can do anything, you shove his hand off the doorframe and shut the door hurriedly in his face.
The next time he goes up to your apartment, it’s a week later.
Ayato is woken up in the early morning by a slam of a door that rattles the walls of his apartment. Instinctively, he feels his kagune pop and fizzle underneath his skin, and he knows for a fact that his kakugan is turning his eyes into a nightmare of black and red.
He can hear some angry choice words coming from your partner, and the words make him grimace. No one should be talking about you that way. So, again, he rolls out of bed, throws some clothes on, and heads upstairs to your apartment. He doesn’t even bother to put shoes on.
You take a few minutes to open the door. And, like always, your sweater is zipped to your chin.
“I said I don’t want to talk—Oh… Mr. Kirishima… You heard all that then?” You trail off and peek around the corner as if waiting for your partner to come storming around the corner. Ayato nods,
“I heard the slam, at least. Everything okay?” Once you’re satisfied that your partner isn’t going to come back, you sniffle and shake your head.
“No… Everything is not okay. But I don’t want to bug anyone, so let’s just say that it all is alright?” You say and go to close the door in his face again.
But… Like last time… Ayato stops you.
“Want to go get coffee?” He blurts, and the door pauses, mere centimeters from shutting all the way. He sees your watery eyes peek out of the crack and swallows.
What was he doing?
He really shouldn’t get wrapped up in a human’s business.
The cafe is quiet, with few people, as you and Ayato take a seat at a booth. You order your drink of choice, and Ayato orders his usual go-to coffee. Black, no cream or sugar. Once you’re settled in with your drinks, you seem to relax, if only slightly. And in turn, that makes Ayato relax.
“So…” He starts and watches you hide a flinch. Your hands begin to shake.
“I don’t want to talk about it. Please, if only for a little while.” You whisper, but as always, Ayato’s exceptional hearing picks up on it.
And your tone of voice just breaks his disgusting black heart.
So… He shrugs, sips his coffee, and changes the subject.
“What do you do for a living?” He inquires, and your eyes shoot up to meet his own in shock. It's as if you’re surprised he actually listened to your plea.
When was the last time someone actually listened to you?
“I—I’m a teacher,” You say, and he feels his lips twitch in a small smile. You reminded him a bit of Hinami.
“What grade?” He asked, and you huffed out a quiet laugh, and his heart soared at the sound.
“I teach kindergarten. What about you?” At this, he pauses. Could he say what he actually did? Aogiri Tree wasn’t a thing anymore, nor was the CCG, but there was still a stigma around ghouls.
He then remembered the yelling at your partner. It was always about lies—lying about this and lying about that.
So he decided on the truth.
“I work alongside the Tokyo Security Committee with the United Front.” He said quickly and didn’t miss how you stiffened. Your normally floral perfume gained a sharp, bitter scent of fear, and he could hear how your coffee cup rattled in your hands.
“Are you a ghoul?” You whisper, and he nods,
“I am. Does that scare you?” He asks, and you nod honestly,
“But…” He glances up from his coffee and finds your gaze locked on your lap.
“But what?” You finally meet his gaze, and a single tear drips down your face.
“You scare me less than my partner.”
It’s at that moment that Ayato decides that he doesn’t want you to live like that any longer.
“Come with me.” He says quickly, and you frown,
“Pardon?”
“Come with me to the United Front. You’re a human, but they’ll take you in. I have a friend, Fueguchi Hinami. She’s a teacher as well and could use an assistant.” He implores you, reaching across in a moment of bravery to take your hand. You flinch but don’t pull away.
Instead, you seem to mull it over, nod to yourself once, and offer a watery smile.
~Disclaimer: I feel as if Ayato, in his teens, wouldn’t keep any sort of ties to a human especially if they talked back or defied him. It’s safer to make the reader a ghoul.
~Reader knew Ayato since he was in his mid teens, but they’re distant friends as Ayato left to join Aogiri.
~Relationship: Distant but close friends (teen Ayato)
Ayato usually tries to handle his temper around you because
(1) You’re not going to back down, no matter what
(2) He respects you to some degree
You’re the person that will check his attitude faster than any Aogiri superior he’s had
There are times that your arguments will turn into full on fights
All of which you both aren’t looking to hurt each other
It’s a meditation thing between you two
All action and no words
Ayato is a man that is more actions than words but you have to be careful because his actions will often betray his heart
Even if you do end up hurt in a fight, you both will patch each other up in the end (no matter how angry you are at each other)
The fights also reassure Ayato that you can hold your own
His insults and remarks do get to you sometimes though
One time he crossed the line so you just got up and left but a fight commenced and he broke (2) of your bones and you tore off a bit of his kagune with your teeth
^^ fights like those are common
“Bitchbaby” “Dumbass” “Fuckall” are all nicknames you use for him
Each one of those has a story that Ayato wishes didn’t exist
This friendship may seem close but there is a reason as to why you two decide to be distant friends. If you were to be with him at least 4 days each week, the two of you would try killing each other constantly
There are times that you’re fighting someone from the CCG and Ayato stays back because he’s too busy admiring your fighting style
There are moments where he had caught you crying and he forced you to tell him why you had been crying
If it’s someone that hurt you he goes after them
Only after he tells you that showing emotions is weak and it’s best to suck it up
He knows it takes a lot to even get a tear out of you so he takes it seriously
If you’re in Aogiri he always volunteers to go on missions with you
When the CCG raided the Aogiri base and Kaneki was being rescued from his kidnapping, you fought Ayato in an attempt to protect Touka
He ended up knocking you out after awhile to get to Touka
You and Touka have a good relationship btw because you can actually tolerate her more than her brother
It’s a rocky friendship so no sort of romance happens until he becomes older and subtly apologizes for all of the things he did to you
