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Kaneki x Reader~ Pages (Prize)

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Funnily enough, you had met him in a library of all places.

And god was he beautiful. He had stumbled into your private niche that you had staked and claimed in the horror section of your favorite library. He had quite literally stumbled onto you, as he had collided with you and fallen over your small safe space. At first you had been rather alarmed, as you were surrounded with everything comforting and familiar, pages upon pages of stories, bound and inked, laying around you.

But here he was, all shy eyes and dark hair and new. To be quite honest you had been quite terrified of any change at the time, and a new person entering your comfort bubble, because that’s what your small corner of the library quite literally acted as, jarred and scared you. The shy boy had stuttered off an apology and rushed out of your corner, back to an orange haired teen that you assumed to be his friend. You just shrugged the incident off after a couple of minutes and went back to reading the next book in your stack. After all, chances were, you’d ever meet him again, right?

Oh how very wrong you were.

The next day, a Friday it seems, it rained harder than you had ever seen it rain before. The streets were filled with running condensation, and the sidewalks were slick with freshly fallen raindrops. However, you didn’t particularly mind. The rain soothed your senses and lulled your thoughts into a peaceful state, even if your socks were soaked and your hair was plastered to your neck. Still though, you smiled, because rainy days were always good days for getting lost in the imaginary worlds that your favorite books built for you over and over again. It was with this positivity that you finally reached the library and gently pushed the glass doors open.

The library was nearly silent, there was the slight hum of the librarians chattering behind the circulation desk, most likely discussing the newest book in their favorite series, or some of the gossip they seemed so fond of. As far as you could tell, the library was fairly empty, the tables and chairs still perfectly aligned, yet unoccupied. You supposed that the rain kept them away, after all, not many people appreciated it as much as you did. Yet, in a way, you were glad that the library was free of people. It gave you the chance to relax without having to worry about the lives of others becoming tangled within your own. So, with a sigh of relief, you pulled yourself up the stairs to the second floor, where your ever safe niche was kept.

And once again, he quite literally stumbled into your life.

He was standing in the back of the horror and fantasy section where your corner was situated (You supposed it really wasn’t your corner, but most days it did feel like the few feet of carpet that you occupied really belonged to you) a cup of coffee in one hand, and a few books in the other. It appeared that his orange haired friend wasn’t currently with him, and he seemed quite nervous, his dark (rather handsome, you admitted to yourself) eyes darting around the bookshelves surrounding him. However, before you could back out of the isle and find a different place to read, his eyes landed on you. He stuttered out a greeting before pushing the hand holding the steaming cup of coffee towards you.

“I’m really sorry I ran into you yesterday, I really didn’t mean to, it was an accident and I didn’t know where I was going, and um. I’m Kaneki, Kaneki Ken. Do you like coffee?” You sent him a soft smile and accepted the offered coffee before asking the nervous boy if he would like to sit with you. He hesitated for a moment before nodding and allowing a shy smile to cross his lips. You took a small sip of your coffee and smiled to yourself. You may have been terrified of change, but some part of you felt that this would turn out better than planned, especially when the dark haired boy (his name was Kaneki, you’d have to remind yourself of that) asked if you enjoyed works written by Sen Takatsuki. You laughed a bit and told him that you loved her works, and that she was, in fact, your favorite author. The smile that lit up Kaneki’s face at your response was something that you would not forget, even when you were much older.

Your friendship continued like this, as Kaneki met you at your spot in the library every day he could, even though he was often busy with school he seemed contented to sit silently next to you and do his school work while you read the latest book that Kaneki had recommended for you. Eventually your spot was no longer your spot, but it seemed that it was now Kaneki and (Name)’s spot. You took turns bringing each other beverages, whether it was coffee and hot chocolate in the winter, or juice and lemonade in the summer. You eventually met Hide, the orange haired boy that you had seen with Kaneki the day that you first met him, and became friends with the rather excitable boy as well. Not long after that Hide and Kaneki managed to drag you out of the library and took you out to get lunch with them, and from there you three became rather close. You still remembered the day that you all celebrated Kaneki and Hide’s acceptance into Kamii University.

However, it seemed that in the meantime you had fallen for your dark haired friend, and rather hard at that. You had fallen for his kindness and his love of books. You had become addicted to his dark eyes that seemed to tell stories too complex for you to imagine, and the way his hair shifted and reflected the sunlight. Yes it seemed that somewhere along the line you had completely and irrevocably fallen for Kaneki Ken. Unfortunately Hide had figured out your feelings rather early on (Not that you were too good at hiding them in the first place) and somehow, through months of pestering and blackmailing, convinced you to confess to Kaneki.

Well, that was before Hide came to you, eyes slightly downcast and unsure, telling you that Kaneki had fallen for a shy, purple haired woman that he had met in a coffee shop, and that he had asked her out on a bit of a date, and that she (Her name was Rize as you eventually found out) had said yes. At first you didn’t believe him. Your heart stung and you laughed at him, telling him that it really was a funny joke. Kaneki asking out a stranger? Impossible. But after a while you looked up at Hide and saw that he still had the same downcast look on his face. You knew then that he wasn’t lying, and that he was serious. Kaneki obviously did not feel the same way that you did. Your face dropped and you were pulled into a hug by Hide as you felt your heart drop to your feet. Hide apologized over and over again, telling you that Kaneki must have been some sort of stupid to have chosen some stranger over you, someone who had stuck with him through thick and thin. He told you that Kaneki must have been crazy not to like you back, and that you and Kaneki would be perfect together, and that Kaneki was just making a mistake.

You wanted to believe him, but you didn’t. You went home that night after getting ice cream with Hide (It somehow seemed bittersweet compared to the time that you had gotten the same flavor with Kaneki) and crashed onto your bed. You repeatedly reprimanded yourself for getting so upset over something so simple as a boy (But he wasn’t just any boy, he was Kaneki your subconscious reminded you). You tried to comfort yourself while you buried yourself into the sheets, your mind mulling over your relationship with Kaneki.

Stop,’ You thought to yourself, ‘You’re only going to make yourself worse.’ You groaned and pushed yourself off the bed before changing into the comfiest pajamas you owned and brushing your teeth. After you finished your nightly routine, you slipped under the covers of your bed and grabbed the book on your nightstand. If you were going to mope, you supposed that you might as well do it with a book. It wasn’t very long later that you feel asleep on the pages of your bedside novel while your friend was unknowingly on a date with a very, very dangerous ghoul. A ghoul that would send his life into a downward spiral, a ghoul that would leave young Kaneki Ken dreaming and yearning to go back to the days that he spent sitting beside you in a silent library.

~Timeskip brought to you by my baby, Juuzou~

You awoke in the morning to the rather annoying vibrating of your phone. It took you a couple of moments to completely comprehend that your phone was ringing. Still sleep dazed, you reached out to your bedside table and attempted to grab your phone. After a few blind tries, you eventually sat up and grabbed your phone off your bedside table. You checked the caller ID before answering and rolled your eyes while setting the book you had fallen asleep on to the side. Only Hide would call this early in the morning.

“What do you want Hide? I know you’re concerned about me, but I need my sleep you know.” You yawned and fell back into the covers of your bed while Hide’s voice came out of your phone’s speaker at incomprehensible speeds. You furrowed your brow and rubbed your eyes before answering him.

“Please slow down Hide, I can’t make out a word you’re saying.”

“(Name), You need to get down here now. It’s Kaneki he’s, he’s had an accident. I don’t know what’s going on, they won’t let me in and I’m scared, and.” You hastily pulled yourself out of bed and started to pull your clothes on while listening to Hide’s panicked rambling.

“Calm down Hide, let me deal with this. Give me the address and I’ll be there in ten minutes tops.” By the time Hide had finished reading out the address to you, you had already flown out of the door of your apartment and started the car. You were at the end of your street by the time you hung up. You gripped the steering wheel of your car nervously as you attempted to pay attention to the early morning traffic blocking the street in front of you. In your panicked state you grew frustrated and hit the gas before expertly (And, admittedly, very dangerously) weaving in and out of traffic in order to get to the hospital quickly. You could make out that Hide wasn’t sure what was wrong through his nervous word vomit, but that he knew that it was bad. You swore under your breath as you nearly ran through a red light and started praying to every god and entity that you knew asking that Kaneki would be ok. Because if he wasn’t, well, you weren’t entirely sure what you would do with yourself, though you supposed that it wouldn’t be anything good. After what seemed like an eternity, but had only been about seven minutes, you pulled your car into the Hospital’s parking lot before jumping out of the car and making your way to the ER.

You were hit with the sharp scent of antiseptic the moment you walked through the pristine white and metal doors that belonged to the ER. However, there seemed to be another more metallic scent underlining the piercing aroma of antiseptic. You nearly gagged when you realized it was blood, before bringing a hand up to your nose. Before you could approach the front desk you were drawn into a large hug by Hide. You stayed pinned against his chest as you hushed and comforted him. Kaneki was the closest thing that Hide had to a brother, and you couldn’t imagine what inner turmoil Hide was going through at the moment. The idiot was probably blaming himself or something of that nature. You hushed Hide once again before leading him to one of the many uncomfortable plastic chairs that littered the Emergency Room’s lobby. Eventually you and Hide fell into an uneasy and worried silence. By the time you had processed everything that Hide had to tell you about what he knew happened, you had fallen into a dead sleep on Hide’s shoulder.

~Yet another Timeskip, brought to you by Halloween bitches~

It didn’t take much for Hide to wake you, all it took was a small shake of the shoulder and you were wide awake. You rubbed your eyes once and sent Hide a questioning look, to which he sent back an uneasy smile.

“The doctor guy says that Kaneki is out of surgery and can take visitors now. Are you up to seeing him?” You nodded and allowed Hide to pull you out of your seat, grimacing as your spine popped.

“Ready as I’ll ever be I suppose.” And with that Hide lead you to the front desk in order to check yourselves in as visitors. As you approached, a rather stern-looking middle aged woman looked up at you through the thick lenses of her glasses. She stopped typing for a minute and turned to you and Hide.

“What can I do for you two, you have been here for quite a while.” Hide sent her his best smile and quickly responded.

“Our friend got into an accident, and we’ve been waiting for him to get out of surgery. The doctor just came out and told us that he can take visitors now. His name’s Kaneki Ken, can we see him now?” The woman at the front desk held up one manicured finger before pulling a clipboard out of the drawer next to her and flipping through the rather large bundle of papers pinned to the wooden base. She quietly read through the list before sighing and looking back up at both you and Hide.

“I’m afraid Mr. Kaneki Ken has adamantly expressed that he does not want any visitors during his stay here.” Hide’s face reflected your shock, which quickly melted into confusion, and then sadness. Hide turned back to the receptionist and bowed before thanking her.

“I’m sorry for taking up your time. Please give Kaneki our best wishes.” The woman behind the desk nodded slightly and went back to typing while Hide silently pulled you away from the front desk. It wasn’t until you had walked out of the doors to the ER that you spoke.

“Hide? Why would he? Kaneki wouldn’t, he just wouldn’t.” Hide sent you a sympathetic, yet half-hearted grin, before pulling you into a one-armed side hug.

“I don’t know (Name), but knowing Kaneki he probably has a reason. We should probably just let him figure it out on his own for now. We shouldn’t push him until he wants to talk to us, so just wait until he comes to you.” You sent Hide a sideways grin before twisting to give him a full hug.

“Yeah, you’re right. Thanks for everything Hide, really, I don’t think I’d be able to understand any of what goes on up in Kaneki’s brain. I’ll wait for him to come to me.”

And you did, you waited and waited for Kaneki Ken to come back to you. But he never did, and Kaneki Ken disappeared from your life, but you never forgot the shy boy from the library, and you certainly never forgot the feelings that you kept inside of you for him.

~Timeskip brought to you by MSI~

It had been months since you had last seen Kaneki Ken and your heart seemed to still remember the feelings you had for him, as certain objects often brought up the thought of him, and the pain they brought with it. You had abandoned your old library and shifted to keeping your own book collection in several bookshelves that you had had installed in your living room. While Kaneki was gone you had discovered your talent for writing and had published a very popular book, and in the meantime you worked on it’s sequel. You had just had a bit of a lunch meeting with your editor to discuss the progress of your second book (You were a bit behind schedule, but what could you say, you were a bit of a procrastinator). Over the past couple of months you had developed the habit of driving, rather than walking everywhere, and you were currently on your way home. During your drive home you mulled over the recent (And rather disturbing) ghoul attacks that had been happening around your area. You had actually ended up switching to driving over walking simply because you did not want to become ghoul chow anytime soon. You often worried about Hide and his safety, as he had become your best friend over the past few months and he refused to use any transportation except that ancient bike of his. Every time you would pester him about getting a safer mode of transportation he’d just roll his eyes and send you the famous Hide smile before telling you that it was better for the environment than any car.

You smiled at the memory of Hide mockingly calling you ‘Mom’ during one of these frequent arguments as you pulled into your apartment building’s parking lot. You slid out of your car as you pulled your sweater closer to you in an attempt to keep warm. As it began to near fall the weather had started to become colder and tree leaves had started turning and falling from their branches. Even though you loved fall, you hated the cold weather that came with it. As you walked up the stairs to your apartment you noticed a small package on your doormat. You furrowed your brow in confusion. You didn’t remember ordering anything online, so why would you have a package? You stooped at your doormat and picked up the package, revealing it to be the new Dan Brown book you had been wanting to pick up from your local book store for a while now. A smile spilled onto your face as you flipped through the book. The pages smelled like knowledge and dust and they felt crisp under your fingers. However, while you were flipping through the pages a small piece of card fluttered to the floor. You raised your eyebrows and bent to pick it up before unlocking and opening the door to your apartment. After you slipped inside to your current living space you closed the door behind you and slipped your shoes off by the door. You flipped the white card and inspected the black script curling across the front of the paper.

Your beauty makes my heart break.

You raised your eyebrows at the sentence on the card. While the sentiment was very sweet (Although you didn’t want to admit it, the statement really did stir some feelings that you would rather keep still after they had been bruised so many months ago) something about it seemed rather dark as well. After a bit of debate you set the book you received on an empty book shelf and took the note with you into your bedroom and set it on your bedside table. You quickly changed into your pajamas and brushed your teeth before wiggling under your comforter. You picked the note off your side table and read it once more before setting it back down and falling asleep to thoughts of notes and admirers.

~Timeskip brought to you by Until Dawn~

Although you expected the sweet note and book on your doorstep thing to be a one time deal, it seemed that someone was very determined to get a note and a book to you once a week. Whoever was sending you these gifts seemed to always get them to your doorstep every Friday without fail. No matter how long you kept up surveillance, or what methods you tried to catch your secret admirer, you were never able to get a glimpse of them. Eventually you stopped trying and learned to just enjoy your Friday gifts. Fortunately enough for you and your reading habits, today was a Friday. You had finished the last week’s book rather quickly and you had been craving a new book for the past couple of days. While much had changed about you in the past couple of years, you still adored the rain, and thus you were overjoyed when it started to pour in the morning before you left to meet with your editor. The rain was coming down in sheets and grey clouds were rolling overhead like boiling gray smoke. You had just returned from delivering your first draft of your second novel to you editor when you first got a glimpse of the package on your doorstep. Luckily enough for you your book was protected from the rain by the overhang of the balcony of the more expensive apartment above you. However, that was not what caught your attention. Today the note laid on top of your book. Not only that, but it was currently sealed in a red envelope. You raised a brow at the change in pace, but picked up your book instead. You smiled as you realized that the book left on your doorstep was the leatherbound Sherlock Holmes edition that you had had your eye on for a while now. After thoroughly inspecting the book you turned your attention the the note in your other hand. The envelope was scarlet red in color and had your name on the back in fancy silver script. You smiled and opened the envelope before pulling out the card hidden on the inside. Your cheeks and ears immediately turned a furious red color as you read the message on the card. It was simple, yet incredibly meaningful.

I Love You.

You attempted to will the blush off your face as you started to unlock your door. Who would send you something like this? It’s not like you talked to a ton of people other than Hide, and he was head over heals for the blue-eyed beauty in his Biology class. You shook your head and let the sound of the pounding rain relax you for a moment before you pushed your way into your apartment.

The first thing you saw was white hair and deep, deep gray eyes. The book and your note fell to the floor as the man in front of you spoke.

“It’s been a while, huh (Name)?”

“Kaneki?”
OH SWEET JESUS IT'S DONE. IT'S SO LATE, BUT IT'S DONE.
Ok, so this a prize for :iconnodakime: for getting first place in my group, xreader-inserts.deviantart.com 's summer contest. I'm so, so sorry. This fic is very late and I apologize for procrastinating so much. I felt really bad about taking forever to write it, so I made the fic insanely long (Like almost 4,000 words long) to try to make up for it. Please forgive me Nodakime.
Anywho! I'd also like to thank :iconchronologize: for giving me the support and inspiration I needed to finish this piece (I just got her to start watching it, I don't think she's prepared) So thanks again for helping me out, and good luck with Tokyo Ghoul Smooth - wink 
I don't own shit except the plot, never have never will. If you steal my story I will take your organs and preserve them in jars. Don't ask.
PsychicPineapple14 outRingo Tsukimiya (Everyone peace ok) [V3] 
(Psttt I still do commissions~ psychicpineapple14.deviantart.… )
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This was extremely adorable. 10/10 loved it 💕