Feast ~Kaneki x Reader AU~

Ghouls.

They are everywhere. They've been everywhere this entire time. All this time, I thought my world was separate from their world. I thought we were living in two separate bubbles. But that's not the case.

Our two worlds are interlocked. They have been interlocked from the beginning. From the very start - maybe even my entire life - they have been here. I've passed them on the sidewalks. Ordered coffee from them. Held conversations with them. All this time, we've been interacting, and I didn't even realize it.

I ball my hands into fists, digging my nails into the palms. All this time, I thought I did a relatively decent job at observing. I thought I did a good job at observing my surroundings, watching people, and taking in the ways they carried themselves. I did watch. I did observe. I noted how they furrowed their brows. Saw the dullness in their eyes on a Monday. The ways they walked...the ways they carried themselves...the ways they spoke. I noticed so much of it all.

But never once did I imagine any of those people were ghouls.

Then again, it's not as if I grew up knowing a whole lot about ghouls. In H/P, ghouls weren't really discussed. Hell, I don't even remember seeing them being reported on the news. Rumors didn't spread about them. There weren't hushed whispers or a need for something such as the CCG. All things considered, I believed there was no such thing as ghouls where I'm from.

However, now that I've taken notice of them, I can't unsee the possibilities. For all I know, there could be ghouls in H/P. The difference? There could either be a smaller number of them, or they could have found a way to peacefully blend in with our society, not needing to hunt or kill. Or maybe they only hunt outside of the H/P limits. Maybe they only target people who won't be missed or noticed if snatched away.

However they manage to exist among us, they do. They blend effortlessly. So, what's the difference between there and here? What have the ghouls figured out back home that the ghouls here haven't fully grasped?

This question haunts me, rattling around in my brain like a loose bag of marbles. Loud and hectic, rolling and banging against walls and each other. Then, almost as if a switch is abruptly flipped, it clicks.

The ghouls at home could be surviving off a system. Maybe even something like my food pantry idea, though not on a public level. Maybe only something they have access to. Either way, they are doing it. They are living among us.

I sigh, leaning back, resting against the wall behind me. It's insane how rampant my thoughts are. Then again, it's not as if there's much else to do. Even with the new cell, I am still alone. Still left to my own thoughts. So, it's inevitable that they'd run freely.

"Lunchtime," a voice calls as the iron door that separates this corridor from the other hall slams.

I simply sigh and get up, slinking over to the bars. I'm not sure who I expect to see. There have been so many lackeys sent these days that I honestly quit paying them much mind.

I reach the bars and the man - tall and bulky - watches me before passing me another plastic-wrapped sandwich. "Ya hungry?"

Truth be told, I'm not, but I'm afraid if I say no they might not feed me for the rest of the day. So, I nod, "Yeah."

"Well, here ya go. Special order from Anteiku, per order Eto," he says.

My skin crawls. Anteiku. It may only be speculation so far, but the more I think about it, the more I can't help but see it as irrefutable truth. Ghouls. They are everywhere.

I slowly unwrap my sandwich, still not hungry, as the man watches me. I can feel the heft of his stare burning into me. I'm not sure why he's so fixated but I don't care much. Perhaps I should, but I don't.