#doesn't apologise but Kaneki is touched nonetheless

[harleyquilt]

I have been graciously summouned by @haiseswidow

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Rize peers over the shoulder of the blonde boy, raising both brows. Two boys – the blonde boy, Hide, and his best friend, Kaneki – are folding some paper against their textbooks, watching intently to make sure each fold aligns correctly. Quietly, a smaller girl, Touka, stands beside Rize, clinging to the back of her shirt and frowning at the two boys.

“What’re you two doing?” Rize asks, leaning back and tilting her head to one side.

Hide looks back with a bright smile while Kaneki keeps his eyes set on the folded paper in his hands, a slight furrow in his brow as he tries his best to concentrate. Hide shuffles around to face the two girls.

“We’re making paper hats!” He announces. There’s a hint of pride in his voice. “Do you two want one?”

“Wait, hold on.” Kaneki mumbles. “I think we did it wrong…”

All eyes turn to Kaneki and he holds up the paper hat, turning it in his hand. Or what is supposed to be a paper hat, at least. He tries to open the folded flap, but the angles are too skewed, twisting the paper into an odd angle. They all collectively grimace, disappointed with the failed result of his hard work. Kaneki slumps his shoulders and sits back, tossing the paper onto the ground. Hide scratches his head, looking at his own paper and trying to remember the correct order of instruction he had learnt the other day.

“You suck.” Touka says, glaring at Kaneki. “Obviously you can’t do it.”

“Wha-” Kaneki is caught off-guard by Touka’s cruelty. “It’s not my fault, Touka-chan!”

“It is.” She clings harder to Rize’s shirt. “You always suck!”

“Now now, Touka.” Rize steps aside, placing a hand on top of Touka’s head. Her lips curl into a knowing smile. “Here, give me the hat, Kaneki.”

Kaneki still looks a little wounded when he passes the paper to Rize, who promptly unfolds the paper and refolds it back into its intended shape. She hums a little tune to herself as she does this and all others watch her with curious anticipation. It doesn’t take long before she opens the folded paper and transforms it into a pretty hat. She nods to herself while the others react in awe of her skill, and she places the hat on top of Kaneki’s hat.

“It’s easy, once you know what to do.” Rize remarks, a small blush on Kaneki’s cheek as he looks up at the finely crafted hat sitting on top of his head.

“That’s amazing, Rize-san!” Hide exclaims. He takes his own paper and shoves it towards her. “Do mine next!”

Touka thinks to ask the same, but she instead snatches the hat from Kaneki. “I want it.”

Kaneki is about to protest when she places the paper hat onto her head. It’s a little big for her and it tilts to one side. Even so, she looks up with wide, excited eyes. She finally smiles, pleased with Rize’s handicraft. Kaneki swallows his words and sighs.

“It looks good on you, Touka-chan.” Kaneki says, offering an encouraging smile.

Touka’s smile drops and a red blush rapidly spreads across her cheeks. She physically struggles to accept his compliment, opening and closing her mouth before shaking her head and squeezing her eyes shut. “Be quiet, idiot. You’re dumb! Stupid!”

“Wha-” Once again, Kaneki is knocked back by her needless attacks, his own smile dropping into an annoyed frown.

“It looks good, Touka-chan. It does!” Hide insists, nodding vigorously.

Rize giggles, her eyes creased. “It’s true. You look very cute.”

Touka sits back, bowing her head and her eyes peering up. She touches the paper hat, her shoulders hunched. “T-Thank you.” Her voice is a lot softer, appreciating their kind words.

Kaneki stares incredulously between the foul-mouthed girl and his friends, aghast. “Haah, why do they–”

“Stupid-neki.” She lighty kicks his knee before he can finish, scowling again.

Kaneki tries to ask for Hide’s help, but he’s already distracted by Rize’s efforts to make him a second hat. Alas, it’ll be a long, long time before Kaneki understands what it is Rize and Hide already knows, and even longer for Touka to ever admit what she denies to be true. For now, she sits triumphantly, having stolen Kaneki’s hat and claiming it for herself.

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