A/N: WOW LOOK WHO RISES BACK FROM THE DEAD AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF AWAY?? This bitch, I suppose!

I don't know, the virus got all of us acting weird and I had this really big envy to just take back up writing for Tokyo Ghoul, even though the fandom's probably dead now since the series ended. But I don't care! I still like these characters and so you shall suffer through my writing of them! Here's a Long Boi to start things off

Requests are... open? I suppose? DM me and we'll talk it all out, but please take note that I haven't touched this fandom in a long while and I had trouble even remembering who Shikorae was for more than a second yesterday. So, everything will be slightly out of canon because I forgot everything: kagune types, places, people, events, etc... I'll learn, and feel free to correct me if you feel the need to!

His angry pacing slowed to a stop when at long last, Naki's mind couldn't deny the situation anymore. He stood there, in the dark and empty prison cell, barely able to breathe through all the RC Suppressant gas in the room, and let out his first sob. Tears flowed freely from his eyes. It had been a week since the doves had caught him; a week where he was hoping for someone to rescue him. People cared about him, no? Gagi and Guge should have done something! Yamori had to be preparing a raid to rescue him from this hellish prison!

Yet, no one came, and Naki was only (not) so patient. Despair settled in and the ghoul began to cry. He sobbed, he called out to his loved ones, but nobody answered. He then attempted to pray to a deity of sorts, like he had seen some of his underlings do a few times before, but nothing happened then either.

He sat down on the uncomfortable bed they had given him and cried some more.

"There's a new inmate in your block, (L/N)." Your superior warned you while you practically jumped out of your seat. You gulped down the rest of your sandwich bite and turned to look at your boss.

"Just now?" You exclaimed. No one told you about a potential raid, or extermination. And it was incredibly rare for investigators to capture ghouls alive during unexpected combat. "Who?" You questioned. It was no use to ask for its ranking, you had been assigned a part of the second level of the prison, where the S-rated ghouls were kept.

"Naki of the White Suits. He arrived last week, but I wasn't about to call you in the middle of the night to inform you, so I'm doing it now." The cold man explained. His indifference left you feeling a bit uncomfortable. Was he so cruel as to leave someone starving for a week because he didn't feel like updating a warden about the situation?

"Wow, that's such a nice consideration!" You joked. It had no effect on him. It did have an effect on the situation, though. You felt even more uncomfortable. Trying to distract yourself from the awkwardness settling around you, you tried to identify the name you were given to a ghoul. You were obviously familiar with the White Suits, since they were tied to Aogiri Tree, but Naki didn't ring any particular bells to you. Perhaps it shouldn't; you weren't an investigator nor a pedestrian. Your entire life was being lived underground in a spotless, white building. That's enough to lose your sanity.

"But why didn't you tell me earlier? The poor thing must be starving!" Ah, yes. Here comes your sympathy. You had already been warned a few times not to care too much about the ghouls kept here, but their living conditions were truly horrible. Sure, they had all murdered people, but if you really thought about it, most of them only did it for survival, or revenge for deceased loved ones. There were some humans running around the earth freely that were more dangerous than some of the ghouls you've met (and carried to their execution).

"He'll be fine. Naki needs more time than others to come to terms with his current situation. He's an incredibly childish individual and it doesn't mix well with his strength as a ghoul. If anyone were to see him before he understood that he was in prison, with no way out, he might have killed them and tried to escape. I'm just watching out for my staff."

"Ah." You muttered. Honestly, you should have expected that. You pondered over his explanation once more, stopping where your superior mentioned that the ghoul was extremely childish. Was he... did the CCG imprison a child? A teenager?

"You can start feeding him this afternoon along with the others in your section." With that said, your boss turned on his heels and left. You finished your meal and went back to work, curious about the new addition to your workload.

Naki was thirsty. Incredibly thirsty. He was sure that he had cried all the water out of his body, and he wished that he could have drank his tears. Was anyone going to help him? He wanted something to drink so badly that he could have cried about it. If he had any liquids left to cry.

The grumble of his stomach announced that he was hungry as well. Frustration mixed with desperation, leaving the blonde ghoul in a whirlwind of strong emotions. His chest felt heavy and there was a constant lump in his throat. He didn't like this one bit. Naki wished that he was back with his family; with Gagi, Gugi, his entire gang, Yamori... he wanted to be back home with them. But instead, he was stuck here.

His head snapped up when he heard an airtight door open. The hissing was a blessing to his ears. At last! There was someone!

Even though the possibility of such a thing was extremely low, Naki deeply wished that a fellow ghoul was behind that door. He wished that as soon as it'd open, he'd hear battle cries and crashes and everything that made him feel like he belonged.

Obviously, his wish didn't come true. When the outside noise came to him as empty and calm, his eyes filled with tears of frustration once more. And you walked in, fully equiped in your guard gear, holding onto your weapon.

For a brief second, when you made eye contact with the new ghoul, you thought you were right when you believed that the investigators had imprisoned a child. As you held your gaze with the newest addition to your work, his corneas quickly turned into the deepest shade of grey. However, for a brief second, you caught them unguarded. You saw the red shade of his irises, which seemed unchanged as his kakugan took hold of his eyes. It was a vivid colour; one that some would associate to fury; to wrath. It was bright and burning. To you, however, Naki's irises held nothing close to anger. His eyes and his expressions were too curious, too childish (your boss was certainly right about that one). His own red orbs were the colour of rubies. They were the colour of passion. Of love, whether it were platonic, familial or something more.

But what the hell were you even thinking about? You hadn't known the guy for more than five seconds and here you were, trying to assess his entire personality and prior life. You figuratively shook yourself out of it. Perhaps you were a bit too lonely, being married to your work and all.

Talking about work, you needed to get into that. Naki looked about ready to kill you. "I would recommend you leave me unharmed. Cochlea is a high security prison. I hold the right to harm or execute you if you threaten my or my colleagues' lives. Even if you get past me, there are investigators and guards posted just about everywhere on every level. " You started, practically bored. You had to repeat this monologue every day, to each and every ghoul you checked on. After a while, it gets boring. "I am your caretaker, (L/N) (Y/N). My job is to keep you alive." You felt horrible about the monotonous timbre of your voice. It surely wasn't the best way to introduce yourself to someone who was now going to see you almost every day of the rest of their lives.

Naki remained somewhat unfazed. For the first time in forever, he managed to conceal his need to cry. It had been a whole week since he started crying anyways, maybe that had something to do with it. He must have been emotionally exhausted. He remained seated on his bed, looking away from the guard.

Seeing as the ghoul was pouting at you, you simply shrugged it off. It happens to everyone who moves into Cochlea (well, some glare instead of pout, but it's essentially the same). "I brought you food and water. And I'll do so on a regular basis, unless instructed otherwise." You placed the thermos and the small package in the middle of the room, making sure to still be on your guard. Naki may seem inoffensive, but you knew better. Most S-rated ghouls and above used this sort of behaviour to their advantage. Next thing you knew, this man wasn't anywhere near as childish as he acted.

As you stepped back, Naki did not move an inch, which surprised you. This guy hadn't eaten in a week and he wasn't famished? Alrighty, then. You won't question that. You spoke again, only this time you tried to sound a bit nicer. Perhaps he was shy. "I'll be leaving now, Naki. You'll see me again tomorrow morning for a checkup."

You then backed out of the room and sealed the first set of doors, before turning your back on the cell and closing the second set. As soon as he thought you were gone for good, Naki jumped onto the food you had brought him. He downed the entire thermos and swallowed the small piece of meat in less than a minute. After consumming everything, he let out a whine. This wasn't anywhere near the usual quantity of food he usually eats. He was still hungry, too. The meal wasn't filling! He could never get back to his former shape with this. When the gang would come rescue him, he'd be in terrible condition. Shame festered up within him at the thought. What would Yamori think of him? What is he thinking of him right now, actually? Naki got caught by the CCG. It proves that maybe he isn't as strong as everyone first thought.

The lump in his throat (which seemed to go away when he was distracted by your introductions) came back and he felt the very, very familiar feeling of tears pooling around his eyes and blurring his vision. The ghoul angrily wiped them away, refusing to be weak again.

As the days flew by, you became more and more curious about the peculiar ghoul that was Naki. Of course, you had read his entire file and were quite shocked to see all the ghouls and organizations he was tied with. The information surely didn't seem to match the person. Other guards and investigators described your prisoner as ruthless. A blood thirsty monster who would destroy everything in his path with literally no motive at all. Some others mentioned that he was 'stupid', 'childish' and 'immature'. Then again, he didn't even have a chance to receive basic education. You didn't expect him to be an academic.

What people seemed to forget telling you is that Naki was incredibly shy, for some reason. You had expected him to be a ghoul that would go down kicking and screaming, trying to break his arm just to be free again. You had mentally prepared yourself for a fight to (his) death, yet you had received none of that. Naki wouldn't even talk to you, no matter how many times you tried to strike up a conversation. Perhaps he just took more time than others to warm up.

But you couldn't compare Naki to other ghouls just like you can't compare other ghouls to Naki.

Today, you came to work feeling a little bit under the weather. Yesterday was worse, of course, but you didn't want to miss two days of work in a row. (You needed that money to get by.) It felt wrong. Or maybe it was the fact that you were walking into the most dangerous workplace in Japan to start a very dangerous shift with a comprised immune system. Ah yes, stupid decisions will lead to a stupid death, won't they?

The last cell was just around the corner. And the last cell always held your favourite ghoul. Walking in, you took a deep breath (from your mouth, since your nostrils currently had a traffic jam). "Good morning, Naki!" You greeted, with the same friendly tone you always used around him. You always hoped it would coax a reaction from him, but it never did.

Not until now.

Naki's head shot up when he heard your voice, ruby red eyes wide. You were back! An unknown weight lifted itself from his chest as he realized that a part of his loneliness was cured.

When you hadn't walked into his cell yesterday, the blonde was shocked at how much your lack of presence affected him. Instead of your positive and friendly attitude, a man (with the mood of an old hag who was about to complain on kids that were talking too loudly) walked in, checked if he was still alive and left without a word. And then, the same happened for mealtime, but the man also dumped water and the same small package of meat on the ground. It was then that Naki realized how lucky he had been to have you as his warden. And it was then that he started to miss you. Incredibly so.

"You're back!" Naki exclaimed, shocking you greatly. "I thought you were gone, I thought you wouldn't come back at all!" He blurted. Hearing his voice in person had left you somewhat speechless.

You fought against your own brain in order to answer his exclamations. "I'm sorry about that, Naki!" Your cold was audible through your talking, of course. "I'm a bit sick so I decided to take a day off to rest, but that shouldn't happen again anytime soon."

It was just then that the blonde realized how loud he had been. And in front of a guard as well! He was thoroughly embarrassed. "Okay." He muttered, looking back down at the ground. He could feel his cheeks heating up a tiny bit but tirelessly hoped that the bad lighting in the room would prevent you from noticing such a detail. Otherwise, you may misunderstand his embarrassment and he wouldn't want that. At all.

"How are you doing this morning?" You proceeded with your standard questions while aimlessly picking at your weapon. At this point, you didn't think you'd need it around Naki but you could never be too safe. You've met ghouls that acted just like him until you let your guard down. That wouldn't happen again, you swore it. "Are you feeling alright? Does anything hurt?"

"No, everything's alright..." He answered. "I just... I miss my friends." Ah, it seems he can only be so strong in the face of a nice person. Apparently, it was time for Naki to let loose.

You, being the sympathetic person you were, decided it would be a good idea to hear him out. It was a new opportunity for you to understand how he feels, and how he is.

You had sat in that cell for a grand total of ten minutes. It was way over the time you were supposed to spend with one prisoner, but how could you leave the poor guy alone with his tormented thoughts?

Having someone to hear him out seemed to do a great, good thing for Naki, who had practically given you his entire life story due to his homesickness. It broke your heart. It hurt you to see that this guy, whether he was a killer or not, was on the verge of insanity due to imprisonment. And yes, you do agree that Naki was not one of those ghouls who killed once or twice a month just for food, but you still felt incredibly bad for him.

Your biased opinion on his fate started to bother you. You should in no way be thinking about setting him free, yet here you are, walking out of his cell and wondering if you should maybe start to lay off the RC suppressants for him. Because, you know, accidents happen sometimes.

Naki, on his side, felt a lot lighter than before you walked in. He didn't know exactly why, but he was really happy that he got to tell you a little bit (a lot) about him. He caught himself hoping that next time, you tell him about yourself.

In a feat of giddiness, the ghoul asked himself why not? If he started the conversation, there's no way he couldn't just ask you about yourself!

It seems that against all odds, Naki made a friend.

...Naki was wrong. You weren't a friend. But you felt like one, so why couldn't you be?

It was because every time he reminded himself that you were his friend, something didn't seem right to him. Something was wrong. But as time went by, he tried very, very hard to suppress that feeling. He would rather have you around to talk to once or twice a day than nothing! And you had proven to be a very nice human, which Naki didn't even know existed. He had learned so much about you and your life habits that sometimes, he wished he were human so that he could be on the other side of these cell doors. With you. He wished that he could go out with you and your friends (they're very few, but Naki doesn't believe that you're unpopular! How could you be since you're so nice?) on your days off. And maybe you could all joke together, and he could eat human food and see how it tastes like. He could watch you laugh, he could make you laugh...

But that wasn't a reality. It was only something he thought of before going to bed, hoping that his dreams would only be the best of dreams.

Walking towards Naki's cell, your heart started speeding up. Ever since the ghoul had opened up to you, you enjoyed your visits a lot more. He had become a lovable little thing all on his own, curious and sometimes, if he forgot where he was, joyful. There was no way that you could have stopped the wave of endearment that rushed over you when he showed you his true self. But you suppose that it was that laziness that attracted... unwanted feelings. Feelings that maybe you shouldn't even acknowledge, since they might be dangerous, considering your job. You also had to recognize that the organizations Naki is affiliated with were dangerous as well. If the word were to go out about how chummy you were with him, your life would be threatened by humans and ghouls alike.

So, you settled with the second best option. Deny your feelings until late at night, where you can imagine a universe of your own where all that matters is that Naki's free and you're with him without any repercussions. You both get what you want. It was a nice thing to fall asleep to, although you haven't dreamt about it yet.

Opening the first set of doors, you stepped into the space between freedom and the cell before switching the commands. The first set of doors sealed shut and the second set slid open. Naki soon came into view with his signature grin.

"Good morning!" He spat at the speed of light, finally beating you to your own greeting. "I said it before you did!"

"Oh how the turn tables." You joked, walking in and analyzing the cell to make sure everything was as how it should be.

"Don't you mean 'oh how the tables turn'?" He questioned. You had taught him that phrase once, he remembered it. Naki simply found it funny that you yourself forgotten it before he did.

"Yeah, that's the real sentence. But I like the jumbled one better." You gave him a joking smirk as you turned your gaze on him. You could lie to yourself all you wanted, but Naki is and will always remain a pretty guy. Although you're sure he would throw a fit if you ever called him pretty, and then would insist that he be called handsome instead. "Did you rest well? Is there anything that feels wrong or anything that hurts?"