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Description
Silence. [M/N] stood there, waiting for some kind of word from the other boy. But there was nothing. Had Ayato left without saying goodbye?

The door to Anteiku clicked and [M/N] felt someones presence at the other side of the door, staring at him. He caught the feminine scent of Kaneki, the one-eyed ghoul that apparently started staying here just a few months before him.

“[M-M/N]?” Kaneki’s worried voice piped up as he hurried over to him, “Is something wrong?”

[M/N] didn’t reply at first, turning to the slightly taller male and giving him a small smile, “No, but I want you to meet my friend.” He turned and held a finger toward the other direction of the sidewalk, where he had left Ayato standing, “He walked me home.”

Kaneki turned toward the direction he had called attention to, letting out a puzzled stammer. [M/N] felt his smile grow at the thought of Ayato and the people here at Anteiku getting along. Even though Ayato seemed like a jerk, he thought he would get along well with Touka.

[M/N] waited for Kaneki to say some kind of greeting, but instead he felt his hand fall on his shoulder.

“Um…[M/N]. There’s no one there.” Kaneki murmured softly, gently steering him towards the door, “A-Are you sure you’re feeling okay? You can tell me if something happened…”

[M/N] let himself be guided into the coffee shop, but his chest felt tight with sorrow. Perhaps Ayato didn’t like him as a friend after all, that’s why he took off at the first chance he got. He might not ever see him again. Somehow, he smiled. ‘I did enjoy being with him, though’.

---

Ayato watched as [M/N] was led into Anteiku by the boy with the eyepatch. Crouched on top of the roof, he’s easily able to be unseen nor scented by either of the ghouls that were just below him. His dark violet orbs shone in the shadows as he slowly stood up from his perch.

“Fucking Anteiku? I should have known.” He growled under his breath before leaping to the next building, skimming over roof after roof.

Anteiku is the safe spot for all ghouls in this ward if they ever needed it. Of course [M/N] had gone there of all places, it’s the only genuine resort for someone like him. Ayato gritted his teeth as he landed beside the street, well away from Anteiku. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he began making his way towards the Aogiri hideout.

Honestly, he wouldn’t have a problem with [M/N] living there if it weren’t for his dumb sister. Him and Touka have been separated for years, both taking opposite paths. She chose to live among humans. Ayato couldn’t wrap his head around how absolutely weak that sounded. If only she had decided to stay strong, like Dad had told them. He balled his hands into fists at the thought of his father. It’s definitely true that all of his siblings are weaklings.

He didn’t know how to feel about [M/N] anymore. With strength like his, he shouldn’t be wasting it by staying at Anteiku. He’s seriously stupid. That thought brought a smirk to his face and he broke into a run towards the hideout.

--------

“Oi, idiot [M/N].”

[M/N] flinched at the sound of Nishiki’s monotone voice, and he nervously smiled at him, “U-uh, yes?”

Nishiki continued wiping down the table across from him, a frown shadowing his features, “You’ve been staring into space all day. What the hell are you thinking about?”

[M/N] felt his heart race a little and he sheepishly brought a hand up to brush his fingers around his eyes, “Well I’m always looking into space! I’m blind!”

Nishiki grunted, “You know what I meant.”

[M/N] fell quiet again and he span his chair a little so he could set his head face-down on the coffee table. He knew some of the customers were staring at him now, but he was too distressed to care.

“Nishiki-san...does Touka-chan have a brother?” [M/N] muttered, his voice muffled against the surface of the table.

Nishiki’s breath hitched and he quickly glanced over his shoulder to make sure Touka hadn’t heard his out of the blue question. Upon seeing her washing saucers at the sink, he rushed over to sit in front of [M/N].

“Shut up you idiot!” Nishiki hissed, putting an index finger in front of his lips, “If Touka had heard you…”

“What?” [M/N] lifted his face and frowned, “Does that mean she does?”

Nishiki nodded slightly, setting down the wash rag and crossing his arms over his chest, “She does. But it’s a sensitive topic, alright? Don’t mention it around her.”

[M/N] felt his stomach churn. A few hours ago, he had recalled that Ayato and Touka both shared a surname, and since then he couldn’t stop thinking about it. But he was pretty sure that he had never seen Ayato here at Anteiku before, so it was hard to assume they were truly relatives before now.

“Oh, now it makes sense!” [M/N] clapped his hands together and smiled, nodding vigorously.

“Hah?” Nishika tilted his head, his eyes narrowing.

[M/N] shook his head, smiling sheepishly, “Nothing. You should get back to wiping the tables before Touka-chan gets mad…”

Nishiki sighed and picked up the damp rag, lazily making his way over to the next table. [M/N] linked his hands together and rested his elbows on the table, immersing himself in deep thought. Maybe Touka and Ayato just didn’t get along very well, and that’s why Ayato never wanted to visit. But still, it seemed like there was something else about them that he didn’t know. He smiled to himself.

Ayato’s so confusing.

------

It’s been three months since they’ve seen each other. Ayato knew [M/N] must have forgotten about him by now. It was just too risky to keep seeing him after knowing where he lives. Aogiri had something planned for Anteiku, and Ayato was expected to help them carry out the mission. Forming a bond with [M/N] would make Aogiri question his loyalty. Truth is, Ayato was pretty sure him and [M/N] would end up fighting each other one day, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Ayato sank lower into his bed, letting the warm blanket enfold him. These thoughts kept digging into his mind all this time. He couldn’t think about anything else. Even his duties in Aogiri Tree didn’t occupy his thoughts as much as [M/N] did. He let out a frustrated groan and shut his glassy eyes, letting his dark locks fall over his eyes like a curtain. All he wanted to do was sleep the rest of his life away. The future seemed so tiring.

A meeting was held that day, and Ayato was dragged out of bed by Nico, his flashy attire and flowery smell practically making Ayato run to the meeting place. He stood against one of the cold walls, stifling a yawn into his hand as the rest of the Aogiri members gathered around Tatara and Eto. Ayato noticed Yamori was nowhere to be seen, which was surprising since the muscular blonde always wanted to stay up to date with Aogiri plans.

Finally, the meeting began and Tatara stepped forward. His white locks shone in the moonlight as he uttered four simple words.

“We’re being spied on.”

A few murmurs overtook the members, puzzled and furious glances being exchanged upon each other. Ayato’s attention perked and he looked up at the tall man, his eyes blazing.

“Eto and I believe it’s a ghoul from a different organization, that is fetching information from us to bring back to their comrades.” Tatara went on, his deep voice bringing silence from the crowd once again, “We can not allow this. Therefore I am going to assign two of you to hunt down this spy tonight.”

Tatara’s eyes shot daggers into the rows of ghouls, who all looked equally eager to be able to do the task. Ayato clicked his tongue. Hopefully I’m not the one picked so I can get the fuck back to bed.

“Ayato. Rene. I’m assigning you two.”

Great. Ayato let out a sigh and opened his eyes, giving Tatara a lazy nod. The she-ghoul, Rene, sheepishly gave the subordinate the same gesture.

Ayato uncrossed his arms and glared at Rene. She returned his gaze steadily before he waved a hand and headed towards the roof, “Let’s go.”

--------------

Ayato expected Rene to keep up as he climbed to the top of the hideout, leaping from one complex to the other. He felt a tinge of satisfaction as he paused and looked over his shoulder, seeing Rene had stayed right behind him the whole time.

“Rene,” He called sternly, walking up to the edge of the roof to look over the city, “I want to make this as quick as possible, so don’t get in my way.”

Rene was quiet for a few moments before she walked up to stand beside him, “Tatara assigned both of us. You need to let me help you out, Ayato-kun.”

Ayato stifled an annoyed sigh and started making his way towards the other end of the roof, gradually taking in air to see if he could catch any foreign ghoul scent. Rene followed close behind him, sharply looking to her sides.

“I wonder where the spy is…” She whispered under her breath, a hint of frustration in her small voice.

“Shut the fuck up and keep an eye open, will you?” Ayato growled through gritted teeth, eyes narrowing, “You don’t know when they’ll--”

A blood-curtling ripping noise cut him off and he felt a hot liquid splatter onto his back. He stayed frozen for a second before he span around and took in the sight before him.

Rene was on the floor with her upper half completely ripped off, blood gushing out of her unhealable wound at an alarming rate. Her eyes were rolled into her head and her mouth stopped twitching and she was silent. Ayato stared at the corpse for a few seconds before finally understanding what had happened.

“Fucking bastard!” Ayato felt his kakugans activate and his ukaku kagune unsheathed, revealing his bright red and purple wings. He turned around and leaped onto the next roof, his red eyes flashing, “Show yourself you piece of shit!”

His eyes raked the buildings until he finally spotted them. They had already made it to the ground, and they were racing away at full speed. Ayato wasted no time to give chase, throwing himself off of the roof and kicking off a few walls toward the stranger. They're wearing a soot black jacket with a hood on, and blood stained white jeans. Even from where he was, he could hear the labored breath coming from them. They knew it ended here.

Ayato finally caught up and took one final leap that launched him ahead. He turned mid-air and unleashed the crystalline daggers from his kagune, slicing them at the shoulder. They ducked their face and tried to dodge the attacks, but Ayato was already right in front of him.

He unballed his fist and brought it upward at lightning speed, completely ripping his hand through the ghoul's chest. It resurfaced through their back and they let out a series of gags, slowly lifting their face as their mask fell to the floor face-down.

Got you, you son of a--

He froze, still holding him mid air with his hand through his chest. Familiar clouded eyes met his red orbs, and he suddenly felt his heart drop. [M/N] stared at him, scarlet blood beginning to trickle out of his pursed lips. He blinked at Ayato and gave him a forced smile.

"I haven't seen you in a long time." He coughed out, his eyes fading, "Ayato."

Ayato quickly drew out his hand and he watched [M/N] fall limply to the ground, in the pool of his own blood. His heart began racing in his chest and he found himself feeling completely, utterly frozen.

"I think this will take a long time to heal..." [M/N] muttered, his voice rough as he rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms around the gushing hole in his chest, "You really...got me..."

Ayato kneeled down in front of him and clenched his fists, feeling his eyes begin to burn with oncoming tears, "You fucking dumbass. Why are you spying on Aogiri? Why did you...fuck..."

[M/N] wiped his mouth and opened his eyes slightly, "I'm sorry. Yoshimura-san w-wanted me to check it out. When I saw you, I--" He was cut off as he coughed out a mouthful of blood on the pavement, his whole body wincing.

Ayato felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked at him. He did this. He was the one that impaled him. He was so close to ending his life. It's his fault.

Ayato gently picked up his head and pulled his upper half up onto his lap, so he could have a clear view of [M/N]'s face. He pulled his hair out of his eyes and frowned. They stayed silent for about 10 minutes, nothing heard except the sound of [M/N]'s breathing.

"Idiot. Didn't my dumb sister tell you I was part of Aogiri?" He muttered, hanging his head.

[M/N] smiled contently and let himself sink into Ayato's warmth, "Yoshimura-san didn't let Touka-chan know I was doing this. But... I'm happy."

Ayato glared at him and observed his soft features that were now caked with blood. Nothing about this situation could possibly make [M/N] feel any sort of happiness. There's no doubt he's in all sorts of pain at this moment.

"Seriously? Why do you feel happy?" Ayato snapped, biting his lip so he wouldn't let his rambling overcome him.

[M/N] half-opened his eyes and for the first time Ayato could see tears threatening to roll out, "I get to hear your voice again." His voice sounded lighthearted yet quiet, and his smile was genuine as he faced upwards towards him.

Ayato felt a pang of both guiltiness and relief. [M/N] hadn't forgotten about him after all. He didn't hate him, either. He didn't respond, instead turning his attention towards the Aogiri hideout in front of them. He knew some of the members will be coming out to search for Ayato at any time. [M/N] couldn't stay here.

"Oi, [M/N]. Is your wound healed?" Ayato asked, examining the bloody area.

"Not yet. But I can walk." [M/N] assured him, positioning himself on his lap and beginning to sit up, "I can hear your friends coming. I better go."

Ayato nodded and helped him to his feet, making sure what he said was in fact true. He heard shouts coming from the hideout, probably upon seeing Rene's body. They didn't have much time.

"We'll meet each other again." Ayato told him sternly, turning to leave, "Promise me you won't spy on Aogiri again. I don't want you getting hurt anymore."

[M/N] snickered softly and waved, "Okay, if you say so."

Ayato watched him limp into the shadows, gradually picking up his pace as he walked further. In just a few moments, he was gone.

Ayato looked down at his blood-stained jacket, then at his evenly coated hands. He hadn't formally apologized for impaling him on accident, but he felt like he would get the chance to soon.

Something on the ground caught his eye and he realized [M/N] had forgot his mask. He walked over and picked it up, looking at the same badger mask he had bought for [M/N] months ago. He had managed not to break it after all.

He stuffed it into the pocket of his jacket before turning and racing towards the hideout.

He couldn't get [M/N]'s blood stained face out of his head. He couldn't forget the look that he gave him when he told him how he felt upon seeing him. Ayato began wondering who was the true idiot here. The tables certainly have turned.

Description
Silence. [M/N] stood there, waiting for some kind of word from the other boy. But there was nothing. Had Ayato left without saying goodbye?

The door to Anteiku clicked and [M/N] felt someones presence at the other side of the door, staring at him. He caught the feminine scent of Kaneki, the one-eyed ghoul that apparently started staying here just a few months before him.

“[M-M/N]?” Kaneki’s worried voice piped up as he hurried over to him, “Is something wrong?”

[M/N] didn’t reply at first, turning to the slightly taller male and giving him a small smile, “No, but I want you to meet my friend.” He turned and held a finger toward the other direction of the sidewalk, where he had left Ayato standing, “He walked me home.”

Kaneki turned toward the direction he had called attention to, letting out a puzzled stammer. [M/N] felt his smile grow at the thought of Ayato and the people here at Anteiku getting along. Even though Ayato seemed like a jerk, he thought he would get along well with Touka.

[M/N] waited for Kaneki to say some kind of greeting, but instead he felt his hand fall on his shoulder.

“Um…[M/N]. There’s no one there.” Kaneki murmured softly, gently steering him towards the door, “A-Are you sure you’re feeling okay? You can tell me if something happened…”

[M/N] let himself be guided into the coffee shop, but his chest felt tight with sorrow. Perhaps Ayato didn’t like him as a friend after all, that’s why he took off at the first chance he got. He might not ever see him again. Somehow, he smiled. ‘I did enjoy being with him, though’.

---

Ayato watched as [M/N] was led into Anteiku by the boy with the eyepatch. Crouched on top of the roof, he’s easily able to be unseen nor scented by either of the ghouls that were just below him. His dark violet orbs shone in the shadows as he slowly stood up from his perch.

“Fucking Anteiku? I should have known.” He growled under his breath before leaping to the next building, skimming over roof after roof.

Anteiku is the safe spot for all ghouls in this ward if they ever needed it. Of course [M/N] had gone there of all places, it’s the only genuine resort for someone like him. Ayato gritted his teeth as he landed beside the street, well away from Anteiku. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he began making his way towards the Aogiri hideout.

Honestly, he wouldn’t have a problem with [M/N] living there if it weren’t for his dumb sister. Him and Touka have been separated for years, both taking opposite paths. She chose to live among humans. Ayato couldn’t wrap his head around how absolutely weak that sounded. If only she had decided to stay strong, like Dad had told them. He balled his hands into fists at the thought of his father. It’s definitely true that all of his siblings are weaklings.

He didn’t know how to feel about [M/N] anymore. With strength like his, he shouldn’t be wasting it by staying at Anteiku. He’s seriously stupid. That thought brought a smirk to his face and he broke into a run towards the hideout.

--------

“Oi, idiot [M/N].”

[M/N] flinched at the sound of Nishiki’s monotone voice, and he nervously smiled at him, “U-uh, yes?”

Nishiki continued wiping down the table across from him, a frown shadowing his features, “You’ve been staring into space all day. What the hell are you thinking about?”

[M/N] felt his heart race a little and he sheepishly brought a hand up to brush his fingers around his eyes, “Well I’m always looking into space! I’m blind!”

Nishiki grunted, “You know what I meant.”

[M/N] fell quiet again and he span his chair a little so he could set his head face-down on the coffee table. He knew some of the customers were staring at him now, but he was too distressed to care.

“Nishiki-san...does Touka-chan have a brother?” [M/N] muttered, his voice muffled against the surface of the table.

Nishiki’s breath hitched and he quickly glanced over his shoulder to make sure Touka hadn’t heard his out of the blue question. Upon seeing her washing saucers at the sink, he rushed over to sit in front of [M/N].

“Shut up you idiot!” Nishiki hissed, putting an index finger in front of his lips, “If Touka had heard you…”

“What?” [M/N] lifted his face and frowned, “Does that mean she does?”

Nishiki nodded slightly, setting down the wash rag and crossing his arms over his chest, “She does. But it’s a sensitive topic, alright? Don’t mention it around her.”

[M/N] felt his stomach churn. A few hours ago, he had recalled that Ayato and Touka both shared a surname, and since then he couldn’t stop thinking about it. But he was pretty sure that he had never seen Ayato here at Anteiku before, so it was hard to assume they were truly relatives before now.

“Oh, now it makes sense!” [M/N] clapped his hands together and smiled, nodding vigorously.

“Hah?” Nishika tilted his head, his eyes narrowing.

[M/N] shook his head, smiling sheepishly, “Nothing. You should get back to wiping the tables before Touka-chan gets mad…”

Nishiki sighed and picked up the damp rag, lazily making his way over to the next table. [M/N] linked his hands together and rested his elbows on the table, immersing himself in deep thought. Maybe Touka and Ayato just didn’t get along very well, and that’s why Ayato never wanted to visit. But still, it seemed like there was something else about them that he didn’t know. He smiled to himself.

Ayato’s so confusing.

------

It’s been three months since they’ve seen each other. Ayato knew [M/N] must have forgotten about him by now. It was just too risky to keep seeing him after knowing where he lives. Aogiri had something planned for Anteiku, and Ayato was expected to help them carry out the mission. Forming a bond with [M/N] would make Aogiri question his loyalty. Truth is, Ayato was pretty sure him and [M/N] would end up fighting each other one day, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Ayato sank lower into his bed, letting the warm blanket enfold him. These thoughts kept digging into his mind all this time. He couldn’t think about anything else. Even his duties in Aogiri Tree didn’t occupy his thoughts as much as [M/N] did. He let out a frustrated groan and shut his glassy eyes, letting his dark locks fall over his eyes like a curtain. All he wanted to do was sleep the rest of his life away. The future seemed so tiring.

A meeting was held that day, and Ayato was dragged out of bed by Nico, his flashy attire and flowery smell practically making Ayato run to the meeting place. He stood against one of the cold walls, stifling a yawn into his hand as the rest of the Aogiri members gathered around Tatara and Eto. Ayato noticed Yamori was nowhere to be seen, which was surprising since the muscular blonde always wanted to stay up to date with Aogiri plans.

Finally, the meeting began and Tatara stepped forward. His white locks shone in the moonlight as he uttered four simple words.

“We’re being spied on.”

A few murmurs overtook the members, puzzled and furious glances being exchanged upon each other. Ayato’s attention perked and he looked up at the tall man, his eyes blazing.

“Eto and I believe it’s a ghoul from a different organization, that is fetching information from us to bring back to their comrades.” Tatara went on, his deep voice bringing silence from the crowd once again, “We can not allow this. Therefore I am going to assign two of you to hunt down this spy tonight.”

Tatara’s eyes shot daggers into the rows of ghouls, who all looked equally eager to be able to do the task. Ayato clicked his tongue. Hopefully I’m not the one picked so I can get the fuck back to bed.

“Ayato. Rene. I’m assigning you two.”

Great. Ayato let out a sigh and opened his eyes, giving Tatara a lazy nod. The she-ghoul, Rene, sheepishly gave the subordinate the same gesture.

Ayato uncrossed his arms and glared at Rene. She returned his gaze steadily before he waved a hand and headed towards the roof, “Let’s go.”

--------------

Ayato expected Rene to keep up as he climbed to the top of the hideout, leaping from one complex to the other. He felt a tinge of satisfaction as he paused and looked over his shoulder, seeing Rene had stayed right behind him the whole time.

“Rene,” He called sternly, walking up to the edge of the roof to look over the city, “I want to make this as quick as possible, so don’t get in my way.”

Rene was quiet for a few moments before she walked up to stand beside him, “Tatara assigned both of us. You need to let me help you out, Ayato-kun.”

Ayato stifled an annoyed sigh and started making his way towards the other end of the roof, gradually taking in air to see if he could catch any foreign ghoul scent. Rene followed close behind him, sharply looking to her sides.

“I wonder where the spy is…” She whispered under her breath, a hint of frustration in her small voice.

“Shut the fuck up and keep an eye open, will you?” Ayato growled through gritted teeth, eyes narrowing, “You don’t know when they’ll--”

A blood-curtling ripping noise cut him off and he felt a hot liquid splatter onto his back. He stayed frozen for a second before he span around and took in the sight before him.

Rene was on the floor with her upper half completely ripped off, blood gushing out of her unhealable wound at an alarming rate. Her eyes were rolled into her head and her mouth stopped twitching and she was silent. Ayato stared at the corpse for a few seconds before finally understanding what had happened.

“Fucking bastard!” Ayato felt his kakugans activate and his ukaku kagune unsheathed, revealing his bright red and purple wings. He turned around and leaped onto the next roof, his red eyes flashing, “Show yourself you piece of shit!”

His eyes raked the buildings until he finally spotted them. They had already made it to the ground, and they were racing away at full speed. Ayato wasted no time to give chase, throwing himself off of the roof and kicking off a few walls toward the stranger. They're wearing a soot black jacket with a hood on, and blood stained white jeans. Even from where he was, he could hear the labored breath coming from them. They knew it ended here.

Ayato finally caught up and took one final leap that launched him ahead. He turned mid-air and unleashed the crystalline daggers from his kagune, slicing them at the shoulder. They ducked their face and tried to dodge the attacks, but Ayato was already right in front of him.

He unballed his fist and brought it upward at lightning speed, completely ripping his hand through the ghoul's chest. It resurfaced through their back and they let out a series of gags, slowly lifting their face as their mask fell to the floor face-down.

Got you, you son of a--

He froze, still holding him mid air with his hand through his chest. Familiar clouded eyes met his red orbs, and he suddenly felt his heart drop. [M/N] stared at him, scarlet blood beginning to trickle out of his pursed lips. He blinked at Ayato and gave him a forced smile.

"I haven't seen you in a long time." He coughed out, his eyes fading, "Ayato."

Ayato quickly drew out his hand and he watched [M/N] fall limply to the ground, in the pool of his own blood. His heart began racing in his chest and he found himself feeling completely, utterly frozen.

"I think this will take a long time to heal..." [M/N] muttered, his voice rough as he rolled onto his side and wrapped his arms around the gushing hole in his chest, "You really...got me..."

Ayato kneeled down in front of him and clenched his fists, feeling his eyes begin to burn with oncoming tears, "You fucking dumbass. Why are you spying on Aogiri? Why did you...fuck..."

[M/N] wiped his mouth and opened his eyes slightly, "I'm sorry. Yoshimura-san w-wanted me to check it out. When I saw you, I--" He was cut off as he coughed out a mouthful of blood on the pavement, his whole body wincing.

Ayato felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked at him. He did this. He was the one that impaled him. He was so close to ending his life. It's his fault.

Ayato gently picked up his head and pulled his upper half up onto his lap, so he could have a clear view of [M/N]'s face. He pulled his hair out of his eyes and frowned. They stayed silent for about 10 minutes, nothing heard except the sound of [M/N]'s breathing.

"Idiot. Didn't my dumb sister tell you I was part of Aogiri?" He muttered, hanging his head.

[M/N] smiled contently and let himself sink into Ayato's warmth, "Yoshimura-san didn't let Touka-chan know I was doing this. But... I'm happy."

Ayato glared at him and observed his soft features that were now caked with blood. Nothing about this situation could possibly make [M/N] feel any sort of happiness. There's no doubt he's in all sorts of pain at this moment.

"Seriously? Why do you feel happy?" Ayato snapped, biting his lip so he wouldn't let his rambling overcome him.

[M/N] half-opened his eyes and for the first time Ayato could see tears threatening to roll out, "I get to hear your voice again." His voice sounded lighthearted yet quiet, and his smile was genuine as he faced upwards towards him.

Ayato felt a pang of both guiltiness and relief. [M/N] hadn't forgotten about him after all. He didn't hate him, either. He didn't respond, instead turning his attention towards the Aogiri hideout in front of them. He knew some of the members will be coming out to search for Ayato at any time. [M/N] couldn't stay here.

"Oi, [M/N]. Is your wound healed?" Ayato asked, examining the bloody area.

"Not yet. But I can walk." [M/N] assured him, positioning himself on his lap and beginning to sit up, "I can hear your friends coming. I better go."

Ayato nodded and helped him to his feet, making sure what he said was in fact true. He heard shouts coming from the hideout, probably upon seeing Rene's body. They didn't have much time.

"We'll meet each other again." Ayato told him sternly, turning to leave, "Promise me you won't spy on Aogiri again. I don't want you getting hurt anymore."

[M/N] snickered softly and waved, "Okay, if you say so."

Ayato watched him limp into the shadows, gradually picking up his pace as he walked further. In just a few moments, he was gone.

Ayato looked down at his blood-stained jacket, then at his evenly coated hands. He hadn't formally apologized for impaling him on accident, but he felt like he would get the chance to soon.

Something on the ground caught his eye and he realized [M/N] had forgot his mask. He walked over and picked it up, looking at the same badger mask he had bought for [M/N] months ago. He had managed not to break it after all.

He stuffed it into the pocket of his jacket before turning and racing towards the hideout.

He couldn't get [M/N]'s blood stained face out of his head. He couldn't forget the look that he gave him when he told him how he felt upon seeing him. Ayato began wondering who was the true idiot here. The tables certainly have turned.