More Than Another Romeo & Juliet Story (Tokyo Ghoul:re Juuzou Suzuya Fanfic)

Red Needle

I stood in front of the door for several minutes. After what Eto is making me do, I couldn't bring myself to face Juuzou. If I do what she wants me to do, I'll be betraying him. But if I don't do what she told me to do...

I have no idea what Aogiri is going to do to me. But it certainly won't be good. From behind the door, I heard Juuzou and Hanbee speak about their plans for tomorrow. I inhaled deeply, finally knocking on the door. Someone scrambled to their feet and turned the knob.

"Riri-chan!"

Juuzou's arms swallowed me up in a big bear hug. I tried to be happy but the smile kept slipping off my face.

"What's wrong?"

He knew something was up when I didn't hug him back.

"Nothing."

I shook my head at him, putting on a fake smile. Juuzou stared at me for a couple of seconds. I don't think he believed me. I didn't believe myself. But then his hand reached for the handle of my suitcase, gently grazing my own. He pulled me inside, along with the suitcase.

"Let's go get you settled in, Riri. Goodnight, Hanbee. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes. Goodnight."

Juuzou's partner quickly scurried inside of his bedroom.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Juuzou asked after he had shut the door to his room, hauling my suitcase behind him.

"Nothing's wrong. What makes you think that?"

"You seem upset."

Like rain on pavement, your eyes reflect everything.

I sighed while walking over to his bed. The bed springs creaked once I sat down. He followed, standing in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Tell me what's wrong, Riri-chan."

Should I tell him? What will he do? Could he help me? What if Eto finds out? These questions swirled around and around in my head, giving me a massive headache.

"Juuzou... I've been..."

His eyes softened, waiting for me to continue.

"I've been scared all this time."

"Of what?"

"That I'm going to be discovered."

He reached for my hands. His hands were as warm as the ovens I open when I've finished baking.

"That's not going to happen, Riri. I'll make sure of it."

"But—"

His lips bumped against mine. They stayed together for a while until Juuzou decided to pull back. I smiled at him but it still felt a little too forced.

"Hm~ that still didn't work. Oh! I think I know what will make you feel better!"

Beside his bed was a nightstand. He grabbed a little box from one of its drawers and handed it to me.

"What is it?"

"Open it and find out."

I opened the small case to find a blood red needle. At first, I was confused. I didn't know what he wanted me to do with it. But then I noticed its texture and the slight glowing frame. A smile played across his lips, his stitches stretching in order to accommodate it.

"It's a needle... made out of quinque steel."

My jaw dropped, surprise then disbelief registering on my face.

"I told you that you weren't going to get out of this so easily!"

Juuzou did some kind of a victory dance. I started giggling when I realized how cute it was. Then he reached for something under the bed. He dug out his stitching kit and, with a triumphant look, raised it high in the air.

"How did you get something like this?"

I lifted up the thin red needle from its case, studying it.

"Let's just say I have a really good friend inside of the laboratory division. Now what color do you want?"

Juuzou placed his stitching kit on the bed, skimming through every color of thread he had in stock.

"Where are you going to stitch me first of all?"

"That entire pretty face of yours."

"No!!"

"I'm just kidding, silly!"

His hand squeezed my knee. My eyes gazed at the stitches crawling up his finger and towards his arm.

"I want red. Just like yours."

The stitched boy smiled, grabbing the needle from my hand and pulling red thread out with other. With relative ease, he slipped the thread inside of the miniature hole. I wonder how long it must have taken to fabricate that needle.

"Give me your hand, Riri. I'm going to do it on your finger."

I gave him my hand, nervous and excited at the same time. Never would I have ever imagined that I'd actually get stitched by Juuzou. He chose my ring finger on my right hand. I watched the skin turn a sickly white as the needle began to pierce through. It was an odd sensation, feeling the needle slip in and out. With quick motions, the thread followed the needle everywhere it went until he had finished stitching a unique pattern around my finger.

"Did it hurt?"

"Not as bad as I thought it would."

"Does that mean you'll let me stitch you up even more??"

"One step at a time, Juuzou."

I held up my stitched finger to my face, marveling in Juuzou's handiwork. Finally, Juuzou has given a piece of himself to me like he wanted to do the first time all of those years ago.

"So is this your way of asking for my hand in marriage?"

I laughed but then I started blushing madly at the mere thought, regretting that I said something like that out loud. He looked up at me and smiled. He climbed into bed and pushed me down, kissing me. But then Eto's words invaded my mind again.

Pry out information out of him. In return, I shall keep your secret.

"Juuzou."

He stopped kissing me and looked me in the eye.

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I'll be at work, why?"

"Doing... what?"

I continued to press on, hoping he'd just take my questions as a form of curiosity and not anything else.

"I'll be in a meeting."

"What's the meeting about?"

"What's with all of these questions all of a sudden, Riri?"

"Oh, I'm just wondering."