11 Chapter 10

Emmett and Kaneki decided to start walking around the large shopping district nearby, parking the Jeep in one of the many parking lots. They continued on foot from there.

There were many people out and about that night, the streets lit up by the tall street lamps and the lights inside the establishments they passed. Emmett was trying to think of another place they could visit while watching Kaneki for any shown interest in anything. Emmett remembered Alice expressing that Kaneki wasn't much of a shopper, which wasn't a surprise. It was pretty much confirmed as Kaneki didn't give any of the stores more than a second glance.

His white-haired companion didn't bring up the situation at the bookstore again after his comforting attempts towards Emmett, which was a relief; no matter how short-lived, he knew it would be. Kaneki would ask about it again. But hopefully, they would be at a point where Emmett could be truthful with his mate. Emmett didn't like lying to his mate, but he was aware that it was for the best right then. He didn't want to scare Kaneki off.

The yellow-orange glow coming from the street lamps made Kaneki's white hair look like a pale blonde, and it made Emmett want to run his hands through it again. He hadn't seemed to be in discomfort when Emmett did it earlier, aside from the shudder. But he figured that it was a jovial type rather than a negative, especially since Kaneki hadn't said anything about the action.

Emmett believed that he'd made it clear that Kaneki could just tell him if he did anything that made the other uncomfortable.

The sidewalks became more crowded as they got closer to a sports bar with an outdoor section with people watching the TVs mounted on the walls, even from the sidewalk.

Emmett could maneuver his way smoothly through the small crowd, but Kaneki was lagging behind a bit. A hand grabbed onto his wrist, and Emmett glanced behind him.

"Sorry," he said over the noise, sheepishly. He pulled Kaneki into his side until they got past the bar. Emmett chuckled as he helped straighten the man up when he stumbled, then took a step back.

A building across the street caught Emmett's eye then. It was a black and brown brick exterior with a sign of white lights in cursive writing saying, "Jazz Alley." Emmett could hear the music inside.

Emmett turned to Kaneki with a shit-eating grin on his face, gesturing with his thumb at the building. "'Ya like jazz~'?" He asked, voicing his best Jerry Seinfield impression.

Emmett hadn't expected Kaneki to get the reference if he was honest, but he hadn't been able to help himself. A snort sounded deep in Kaneki's throat, followed by outright laughter, causing him to lean forward, bracing a hand on Emmett's arm.

The larger man couldn't keep in his own laughter for long, nor the grin off his face at the sound of his mate's enjoyment. Only a few times did he manage to get a genuine laugh out of Kaneki, besides a small chuckle here and a sarcastic snort there.

Emmett wondered how the two of them looked to the people passing by them in the back of his mind. There are just two men in almost tears from an animated bee movie reference; one of them the size of a bear compared to the average man, and the other much smaller with completely white hair and an eyepatch. They indeed were a spectacle, but it wasn't like he cared.

Eventually, they calmed down, a few tiny giggles escaping them still.

"Yeah," Kaneki finally answered, running a hand over his still smiling face. "Sounds fun."

The two men crossed the busy road, and as Emmett began walking up to the door, Kaneki paused on the sidewalk, looking extremely self-conscious all of a sudden.

"What is it?" Emmett asked, returning to Kaneki's side.

"I don't think I'm dressed appropriately for this place," Kaneki mumbled.

Emmett gave him a once over, having wholly forgotten Kaneki's baggy sweatpants and t-shirt dressed form.

"It won't matter," Emmett reassured him. "It's just a music bar, and this is Port Angeles. It's like American Walmart when it comes to attire."

Kaneki didn't look convinced and just shook his head at Emmett.

"We can get you an outfit you think is suitable enough if you'd like," he suggested, glancing up and down the strip at the many clothing stores it had to offer.

"No, no. I can deal with it; I'm just silly."

Emmett hummed, choosing not to comment on his words and taking in Kaneki's posture. His arms were crossed over his chest, not in a stand-offish, closed-off way. More like he was trying to ground himself.

He led Kaneki over to one of the benches nearby, sitting him down. "Wait here, okay? I'll be right back."

Kaneki shot him a confused, questioning look, clearly wanting a further explanation, but Emmett was already gone and heading down the sidewalk. Emmett could hear Kaneki huff and the sound of him dropping back down on the bench. Then, "Don't buy me anything!"

Emmett went into the first clothing store he came across and wasn't in there long. He got a pair of gray sweat pants, ones just as baggy as Kaneki's were, and a black graphic t-shirt with a melting yellow smiley face on the front. The shoes Emmett had been wearing were fine, and the store employees had allowed him to change into the clothes he was buying and leave wearing them. He sped off to put the bag of his other clothes into his Jeep before heading back to Kaneki.

Kaneki was right where Emmett had left him, looking down at his phone and occasionally looking down the sidewalk in the direction Emmett had went. Emmett quickened his pace as much as he could when Kaneki's gaze found him. He watched the eyebrow raise up Kaneki's forehead when Emmett stopped beside the bench, immensely enjoying the eyes moving up and down his appearance.

"Now we match! So if anyone has anything to say about you, they'll have the same to say about me." Not that they wouldn't have to deal with it regardless. If they had an issue with his mate, they had an issue with him. Especially if it was over something as minuscule as the clothes he wore.

Kaneki smoothed out the shirt, looking amused but appreciative of the gesture. They went inside, Emmett talking with the host to gain admission.

The inside had a very homey feeling with various browns, deep purples, and wine reds. The decorations consist of many black and white and colorful pictures of people playing jazz instruments; most of them probably old famous musicians and singers, Kaneki assumed. The lights were a comforting dim, and music was in full swing.

It was reasonably packed, considering this was probably one of the more popular spots in Port Angeles. Emmett requested a table or booth that wasn't in the more heavily occupied areas, and thankfully the host had no issue accommodating them, asking for a couple moments to get one of the tables cleaned off.

A few minutes later, they were led to a small booth table off to the side of the main seating area and a bit further back. They still had a nice view of the stage and band, though. And there was a plexiglass barrier that gave some privacy from the other tables beside theirs.

The host set down the menus and went back to the front, and as was quickly replaced by a young waitress with aburn dyed hair. "Can I get you two anything to drink?" She asked, glancing back and forth between the attractive men, especially the one with white hair. He gave off a very ethereal vibe to her.

"Just water," Kaneki answered, clearly oblivious to the waitress's interested demeanor.

Emmett nodded at the woman. "Same."

The waitress smiled and headed off.

"This is nice," Kaneki said, eyes roaming around the room.

Emmett agreed, pushing one of the menus to Kaneki's side, and started looking through his own for show. Kaneki rested his elbow on the table, right on top of his menu, and rested his head in his palm, ignoring the menu entirely.

"I'm not sure if I ever asked," Kaneki spoke, "But where were you and your family before Forks?"

Goldeyes blinked. Seemed like a random question, but Emmett rolled with it.

"Well, I was born in Gatlinburg, and Carlisle adopted me when I was...ten or so. We were in New Orleans, then Alaska, for a long while with our cousins there. Esme wanted us to settle down for a bit, at least long enough for us all to graduate from the same high school."

"Gatlinburg...that's in Tennessee, right?"

"Yeah. You've been?"

Kaneki nodded, looking deep in thought for a moment. He still made no move to look over the menu, making Emmett frown. He had to be hungry by now, right? He'd said he'd eaten a while before Emmett showed up, but that was hours ago now. Emmett wasn't familiar with often humans had to eat and how much anymore. It had been many, many years since he'd consumed anything aside from blood.

But Emmett thought the minimum was two to three times a day, if not more, and with a few hours in between, he could be wrong, though.

"I believe we went through there when we were moving around a lot," Kaneki said. "I think Touka and Hinami have a pair of souvenir mugs from when we stopped," he chuckled.

"I really need to meet these girls," Emmett said.

"You could come by and help with the cafe," Kaneki suggested. "We could use an extra pair of hands with the stuff only Yomo can do."

Emmett had forgotten entirely about the eldest and seemingly head of Kaneki's family. He didn't see him much, nor had the others, aside from when he and Jasper had been at the cafe and a few times around town. But he never interacted with the man. He wondered if it would be challenging to get Kaneki's family to like him. The two girls probably would, but he had no idea about Yomo.

"I'd like that, actually."

The waitress returned with their waters, placing them down on the thin coasters. She had her little notepad and pen at the ready. "Will you be ordering anything tonight?"

Emmett looked expectantly at Kaneki, who turned to the waitress. "I'm alright, thank you."

The waitress simply nodded and turned to Emmett. But Emmett continued to keep his eyes on Kaneki, eyebrows furrowing.

"You're not going to eat?" He asked.

Kaneki blinked at the man, confused, then shrugged. "I'm not hungry."

"It's been a while since you last ate, though."

"Okay...? What about it?" He looked genuinely confused about what the problem was.

The waitress shifted on her feet next to the table, eyes snapping back and forth between the two men, looking conflicted. She couldn't tell whether this was about to turn into some kind of argument or what. This job didn't pay her enough to deal with that.

If they pick a fight in front of me right now, then they'd better tip me well!

"It would really make me feel better if you ate something," Emmett said. "Anything. Please."

Kaneki, perhaps smartly, looked away just as Emmett set his gold puppy dog eyes on him because damn him, was it good! Kaneki shook his head, however, and grinned apologetically at the waitress and Emmett.

"Really, Emmett, I'm fine. Get what you want."

A few seconds of a somewhat tense silence went by.

"I-I can give you a minute-"

"No, it's alright," Emmett said. "I apologize." He glanced briefly down at his menu, then shut it. "The Fresh Alaska Salmon, please." Emmett had stated the first thing his eyes had landed on, just nodded at whatever side she suggested, and she quickly wrote down the order.

She asked Kaneki if he was sure about not ordering anything, Kaneki politely declining again, then took the menus with her as she left. The silence continued after the waitress was gone, and Kaneki took a sip of his water.

Emmett couldn't understand why his mate was being so stubborn. It couldn't be because he didn't want Emmett paying for him. Kaneki had shown he was more than capable of paying for himself if he was determined to. He definitely would have said something when Emmett paid for the admission to see the bands.

There was a tiny voice in the back of his head, lecturing him. Or maybe, now hear me out, you big idiot...he just not hungry like he says.

Emmett sighed. Whatever. When the food came, he'd try to get Kaneki to at least take a few bites. Kaneki needed to take better care of himself. Or at least let Emmett take care of him.

But they weren't on the level yet, at least in Kaneki's eyes. Emmett didn't want to overstep that boundary. As much as he wanted to treat his mate as a lover, as his partner, he couldn't. Not yet, not if he wanted this to go the way he wanted.

"What was Japan like?" Emmett asked. Kaneki had been watching the band on stage, and he turned to look at Emmett. Slowly, they fell into a conversation of their old homes, the uneasiness from a moment ago leaving for now. Kaneki started to speak more adamantly, and Emmett encouraged it. He loved seeing this side of Kaneki.

"What does Hide look like?" Emmett asked curiously when Kaneki brought up his childhood friend a few times when speaking.

Kaneki grinned and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out a folded picture from one of the card slots and held it out to Emmett. It showed a younger Kaneki, a few years perhaps, with black hair and without the eyepatch. Beside him stood a male that must be Hide. He was a little bit taller than Kaneki in the photo, and his hair was a bright blonde, his clothes in even more brilliant colors, and a pair of orange headphones sat around his neck.

Hide's smile was bright, brown eyes sparkling even through the picture. He held up a peace sign to the camera, and his other arm was slung over Kaneki's shoulder, pulling them closer together. Kaneki looked amused by the other's antics like he was used to it.

"You guys seem really close," Emmett said, handing the picture back to Kaneki, who put it away in his wallet.

"We were," Kaneki subtly corrected, a sad smile on his face. "You remind me a lot of him, actually."

Emmett gave a false wounded look. "Kaneki, you can't just compare two men against each other like that!"

Kaneki rolled his eyes. "Jealous, Emmett?"

"A bit," he admitted. "But not for the reason you'd think. How come you decided to leave Japan in the first place?"

"I needed a change," Kaneki said. "I was planning on going alone, but the others kinda weaseled their way into my plans."

"Traveling alone would have gotten lonely eventually, anyways. Especially if you were jumping from place to place like you said."

"Possibly," he nodded. Kaneki would probably still be doing it if he had been on his own. "But they needed a change as well. Things got bad in Japan for everyone. Not just me."

"Care to elaborate?"

Kaneki paused for so long that Emmett didn't think he was going to answer.

"We all used to work for this man, Yoshimura, in his cafe. He took me in when I needed it when I was at my worst at the time. He took in all of us. The cafe burned down one night, and we lost him and two other employees in the same night. Hide too."

Emmett was starting to understand, bit by bit, why his mate was how he was. At least slightly. It was getting small pieces to the puzzle that was Kaneki Ken. He reached across the table and grasped Kaneki's hand, staring at his face for any sign of discomfort. He kept his grip loose in case the contact was unwanted, and Kaneki could pull away if he wanted.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. You're family too."

Kaneki met his gaze as Emmett absentmindedly stroked his thumb back and forth across the back of his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

The waitress made her appearance then, carrying Emmett's plate on a tray. Kaneki removed his hand from Emmett's, but he hadn't been quick enough clearly as a slight look of surprise and disappointment flashed in the waitress's eyes before disappearing.

But the polite smile was back in place as she sat the hot plate in front of Emmett, the salmon and potatoes steaming heavily. She asked if there was anything else she could get them.

"Enjoy your meal," she said, "and just flag me down if you need anything."

Once she walked away, Emmett pulled the fork from inside the rolled-up napkin and put it on the plate before pushing the hot plate to the middle of the table within Kaneki's reach. Kaneki sighed.

"Seriously, I'm not hungry."

"Just a few bites. Please?" Emmett pleaded softly. Kaneki just leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

He tilted his head to the side and gave Emmett an exasperated look. "You don't need to feel guilty or anything about eating in front of me when I'm not," Kaneki said quietly.

"That's not it," Emmett insisted. What was the big deal? It was just a few bites he was asking for. "But you haven't eaten in several hours, to my knowledge. Please...just eat a little."

Emmett watched as Kaneki's jaw tightened, and his visible eye twitched, in irritation most likely, and narrowed. He was starting to worry that maybe he'd gone and done what he'd been trying to avoid, overstepping another boundary. But he wasn't asking for much, was he?

"We can share," he offered.

Emmett reached for the fork, taking a piece of the salmon up with it. He was not fond of the taste of human food; no vampire was. Unless maybe they were a masochist of some kind. Food was like eating dirt or mud, in both taste and texture, depending. Regardless, Emmett popped the salmon in his mouth, chewing quickly and swallowing, not overthinking about the slimy texture in his mouth.

He continued this action a couple more times, hoping that maybe that Kaneki would just give in. He still sat in that tensed-up position until he finally took his own fork. Instead of going for the salmon, he went for one of the potatoes on the side. He brought it up to his mouth, and then he hesitated.

With Emmett's keen vision, he saw that Kaneki's hand was trembling slightly, and his eyebrows were screwed up towards the middle.

Emmett was undoubtedly starting to feel bad now. He sighed. "You don't have to eat anything if you really don't want to. I'm sorry for pushing; I was just worried..."

A gray eye flicked up at him. Then Kaneki swallowed thickly before taking the potato into his mouth. He chewed almost faster than Emmett had, so fast that he was sure that Kaneki hadn't even tasted it properly. All the while, Kaneki was wondering whether this was what Touka had felt like with Yoriko before she knew of Touka being a ghoul. Back when Yoriko would make Touka food, and Touka would feel obligated to eat it-she had made it for her after all.

Swallowing, Kaneki said, "It's fine." He managed a smile that he was sure didn't meet his eyes, feeling his stomach lurch. "You're right. It's not gonna kill me."

Just make me highly sick if I don't throw this up properly later.

Another potato was chewed and swallowed, and Kaneki was so focused on not throwing up all over the table that he barely caught Emmett speaking. Emmett's interest in him, romantic or otherwise, would surely vanish in an instant if that happened.

"I don't want to come off as some controlling asshole or too persistent," Emmett said, taking another bite of the salmon, hoping to keep Kaneki doing the same.

"You're not," Kaneki said immediately. "No, really," he continued when Emmett gave him a deadpanned look. "I get where you're coming from."

Kaneki's mind flashed back to the time after his stay in the hospital. When he'd stumbled upon another ghoul feeding during his breakdown, and Touka being Touka had shoved a chunk of human flesh into his mouth in response to his crying. She'd since apologized for that.

"If you're sure."

"I'm completely sure," Kaneki said, his tone firm.

"Seems like I keep making things tense and awkward," Emmett chuckled, placing his fork down.

"A bit. But if it makes you feel any better, my and Touka's relationship was way worse in the beginning. And that's putting it lightly."

"Sounds like when Edward and I met," Emmett laughed.

The rest of the meal went better, thankfully. Kaneki had only eaten a few bites of the entire meal, with Kaneki looking more and more uncomfortable with each bite. The waitress returned the bill, and Emmett placed his card inside, handing it back to her.

"I'm going to the restroom," Kaneki told Emmett lowly as he stood.

Emmett nodded in acknowledgment and watched Kaneki wonder in the direction of the bathroom. He strangely stopped at the bar and asked the bartender if they had bottled water. Once he had one dripping with condensation, he disappeared around the corner.

The waitress returned his card and receipt a few minutes later, and Kaneki hadn't returned yet. Emmett stood, intent on checking on Kaneki. He handed some paper money to the waitress as a tip, thanking her for the service as he walked off. He hadn't paid attention to the amount he'd given, but it was quite a bit based on the woman called after him.

Emmett opened the door to the men's room only for Kaneki not to be there. He went back into the hall and followed his mate's scent further down the hall to the gender-neutral restroom. He went to knock on the door when it swung open, and Kaneki bumped into his chest. Arms went up to steady the man, and Emmett looked down worriedly.

He didn't smell any sickness, like vomit, on him, but Kaneki's skin felt clammy against his own. Kaneki seemed frustrated and annoyed about something.

"Are you okay?" Emmett asked. "The food didn't make you sick, did it?"

The now-empty water bottle crinkled loudly in Kaneki's hand, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm alright." He patted the middle of Emmett's chest without thinking. Then he froze and pulled himself out of Emmett's arms, red dusting his cheeks.

"Ready to go then?" Emmett tried to hide his smirk.

Kaneki nodded, and they left the building. The walk back to the Jeep was silent, but it was a comfortable one. The ride back to Forks was filled with more of Emmett's CD collection and more exchanges of stories from their childhoods. It was mostly stories that involved Hide that Kaneki told; anything else would probably be too dull to bring up. Or events he literally couldn't bring up.

And Emmett spoke of things that happened during his life with his adopted family. He was thankfully able to use the excuse of being too young to remember much of his life before being adopted; a vampire's human life became an extreme blur once changed, and the memories slowly drifted away from your mind altogether as the years passed by. That, of course, never stopped Emmett from wondering what had become of his birth family, how they'd faired without him. If he had any descendants, maybe.

They returned to the cafe, the lights on downstairs. Kaneki rolled his eyes. "You'd think it were me being the teenager coming home late."

Emmett snickered. "How likely is an interrogation?"

"One hundred percent." Kaneki shook his head. He turned to Emmett as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "Thanks for this. I really enjoyed it."

Emmett smirked. "So, is that a yes to a second date?" He asked jokingly.

"We can hang out again, sure," Kaneki stated. He opened the door and slipped out of the Jeep, making sure to grab his bag of books. "I'll see you later. Tell your family I said hello."

The door shut, but before Kaneki could move, Emmett rolled down the passenger side window.

"What?"

"No goodnight kiss?" Emmett pouted.

Kaneki chuckled, and gave a knowing smile, and turned to head to the inside and waving his hand over his shoulder. "Goodnight, Emmett."