"I'm telling you hyung, the song sounds amazing."

Two young men sat together at a round table by the window in a small, intimate cafe. The interior of the cafe was cozy and dressed in wood with soft brown and cream accents making it feel homey. The only sounds in the cafe were soft chatter, clinking cups, and the news playing softly on a hanging TV over the counter. It was almost twilight and the sun streaming in was cascading the two in a perfect warmth for a slight chilly October afternoon.

One man was tall and sat back in his chair as he held his small espresso cup close to his lips to take a sip after speaking. He had windswept dark brown hair and wore rolled up, ripped distressed jeans with a tucked in white shirt and black belt. A few silver necklaces at varying lengths sat at the collarbone and one or two thick leather bracelets. To top off his ensemble, he was wearing rounded glasses that made him look sophisticated but his friend knew better.

The man's companion was a slightly shorter male with sandy blonde hair that was longer in the back. Some had commented that the man should cut the mullet but he quite liked it and considering the shorter of the two was so busy working, he never had the time to make the trip to a salon. He was dressed in a simple black turtleneck and black slacks and also had a few silver necklaces on display with rings on his fingers. His ears were adorned with piercings and one was a dangling teardrop that nearly brushed his shoulder.

The blonde sighed as he leaned back in his chair, mirroring his companion's pose, while setting down his cup. "That's what you say, Mingi, but I'm not satisfied with the chord progression in the third verse and the transition still sounds forced. I-"

The newly identified Mingi held up a hand to stop the other's rambling. "Kim Hongjoong if you don't stop your complaining right now there will be no hugs for a week." Though his words were playful, his face read complete seriousness. Hongjoong shot him an incredulous look and that was all it took for the seriousness to fade and the other boy to chuckle and grin widely, exposing a slightly crooked, but adorable, front tooth. "I'm just playing but it got you to shut up right?"

"Uh huh..." The other said suspiciously. Before he could continue, movement caught the corner of his eye as he spotted a waiter walk past. "Um, excuse me? When you have a second, could I pay? I'm in a bit of a rush to get back to a project."

The waiter stopped and turned to look at the man who had stopped him. The man was very tall, at least 6ft, with bright blonde hair that was slightly grown out, exposing his naturally black hair. He flashed the two a bright smile and perked up in a way that reminded Honjoong of a golden retriever. "Of course! Just let me drop off these drinks to another table and I will be right with you."

The man moves to turn from the two customers and step away from their table when he caught sight of the news headline detailing another attack a few districts over. His distraction had caused the blonde to trip on a nearby chair leg. The waiter stumbles a bit before completely losing his balance and the tray in his hand is sent flying while spraying the nearest objects in coffee before clattering to the ground.The sounds of glass smashing startled the other patron's in the coffee shop as they all turned to look at the commotion.

"Ouch..ch..ch" The waiter says while holding his head in an attempt to get up off the floor. His pristine white button up shirt is now stained brown and his black tie is askew. His brown waist apron seemed to be the only thing unscathed.

"Oh my gosh, are you alright?" The waiter looks up from his position on all fours to look straight at a hand in his face. The man followed the hand to get a glimpse at the body attached to it and was met with a pair of soulful brown eyes.

"Uh, yeah I think so." The waiter mumbled embarrassed before grabbing the offered hand. The waiter stood up only to be met with a man as tall as himself.

Mingi took a look at the blonde before him and couldn't help but crack a little smile at his disheveled look, despite also feeling bad for the fall. "Glad you're ok..." Mingi paused realizing he didn't know the other's name. Doing another quick once over, he spotted a name tag. "Yunho."

At the sound of his name, the other man snapped out of his slight daze before he realized he was still holding the other's hand. Blushing slightly at his awkwardness he quickly dropped it and tried to avert his gaze before it landed on the shattered pile of glass. "Thank you for your help. I should really clean this up." Yunho said as he bent down to pick up his tray.

"Here, let me help you." Mingi quickly followed the other back to the ground as he reached for glass shards to start picking them up.

"You really don't have to help-"

"Nonsense, we were the reason you stopped and tripped. I can at least help clean. My name is Mingi, nice to meet-ouch!" The darker haired boy out of the two stopped his introduction as he brought his hand closer to his body to examine his fingers. Sure enough, a small bead of blood had already begun to pool from cutting it on a shard of glass.

"Mingi!" Hongjoong exclaimed, speaking for the first time during the whole encounter. He grabbed one of the cloth napkins from the table and crouched next to his friend. "You should really be more careful around sharp objects. Your lucky you didn't get a bigger cut-" The shortest took that moment during his scolding to look up and caught Yunho's gaze before pausing.

The blonde's eyes had dilated significantly and seemed to be locked on Mingi's now napkin covered finger where the blood was starting to seep through just slightly. It was small, almost imperceptible, but Hongjoong could have sworn he spotted the other take a deep breath as if smelling the air before his chest began to rise and fall just a little bit quicker.

"Hongjoong?" The other was snapped out of his observations by the sound of his best friend's voice. He turned his head to meet the concerned eyes of Mingi. "You ok?"

"Yeah," the man exhaled, sounding unsure. He took a deep breath before repeating himself a bit more confidently. "Yeah, I'm fine. Yunho are you ok-?" The young man turned his head back in the direction of the blonde waiter but all he saw was an empty space and an abandoned coffee tray.

XxX

"Seonghwa-ssi! Seonghwa-ssi!" The even clicking sound of dress shoes on a linoleum floor was soon joined with another rapid set of tapping. The even set paused in the hallway and the body attached turned toward his addresser. The man was tall and slim with black hair. He was smartly dressed in a fitted black suit with one hand in his pocket in a more casual manner. His bangs were a bit long and framed his piercingly intense cat-like eyes.

The running set of feet stopped and the man, also in a black suit, dropped his hands to his knees, panting from exertion. Suddenly the intimidating look vanished from the cat-like man's face as his expression dissolved into a smile and his eyes disappeared to greet his new companion.

"Jongho! How many times have I told you to stop addressing me so formally?" The man, Seonghwa, said while patting the other on the back. The pats seemed to be a little too hard for the tired man and he stumbled forward a step before fully righting himself. "Sorry, Sir but I just got this assignment a week ago. I'm not quite comfortable with that yet." Now that the man had stood, he revealed himself to be about an inch shorter than his superior. He was also dressed in a smart black suit and nice dress pants fit for an office setting.

"Come on," Seonghwa pressed. "You will be one of us in a matter of months once you finish up your field experience training. Might as well get used to it now." Jongho opened his mouth to retort but a voice from behind stopped him.

"I beg to differ." The two men in the hallway turned around to spot a third person joining their party. He was dressed just like the others with light brown hair and a few blonde highlights meant to soften his appearance but he still looked fierce. He took a few more steps forward before stopping. "You should always have decorum with superiors and Jongho isn't even technically out of the academy yet."

Seonghwa raised an eyebrow before placing his arm around the new arrival, much to his annoyance. "Yeosang! Nice to see you haven't changed."

The shortest male brushed off the offending arm. "You see my everyday and you say the same things."

The other didn't seem to mind the rude treatment and appeared used to it. He shrugged and placed both hands back in his slack pockets. "And I will say it every day until I start to see a smile on your face."

"I smile!" The other protester hotly. It was hard not to imagine him stomp his foot just slightly.

"Need I remind you that your are only a few months out of the academy yourself." Seongwha replied over his shoulder as he began to make his way back down the hall. The other two made a move to follow about two steps behind and on the left and right of their superior.

"I graduated early." Yeosang grumbled under his breath, figuring the other couldn't hear but he had no such luck.

"So did I" Seonghwa responded, "and so will Jongho. Why do you think he was assigned to this team?"

Yeosang didn't reply as the group turned a corner and headed into a different hallway. "Besides, you haven't even experienced your first real mission. Everything up until this point has just been small time stuff." The tallest of the three stopped at a door to the left. He raised his hand towards the door and the keyboard lit up. He pressed in a passcode. "But that's going to change today."

The leader opened the door and held it open before gesturing for the other two to slip inside. Once they were all in the room, Yeosang and Jongho took a seat at the table while Seonghwa made his way to the small podium at the front of the room. Opening a laptop that was already placed there, he entered his passcode and badge number before queuing up a presentation.

"Now, have either of you heard of the Butcher?"

The two seated young men nodded gravely before Jongho raised his hand. Seonghwa nodded at him to speak. "He's the one that likes to chop up his victims with a butcher knife for maximum pain before he eats them right?"

The dark haired man nodded. "Exactly, and he always leaves a calling card after his crimes. He usually chooses married victims, in their twenties, and always leaves the ring finger with the ring still attached." The leader flipped through a few crime scene photos that the techs had made. They we unnecessarily bloody, showing their perp truly enjoyed the kill and had no qualms on making it a messy one. When Seonghwa stopped at the picture of the latest severed hand, Jongho paled and Yeosang pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Now, don't look like you're going to hurl now." Seonghwa teased for a moment before regaining his serious expression. "You have trained for this and now it's time for your first real task. Ghouls are nothing to take lightly. They are among the most monstrous things to walk this earth." His subordinates nodded. "This will be a joint mission with one other squad and their apprentice since he is beginning to cross district lines. The brass has high hopes and believes that we can handle this with their help."

"Jongho," the dark haired boy sat up straighter at being addressed directly by his superior. "This will be your first field test and it will be evaluated by myself with Yeosang's input if I am not around. I trust you will do well."

The youngest nodded his head assuredly. "I will, Sir."

The serious atmosphere sat for another moment before it melted away and the dark haired male smiled brightly. "Now, who wants bingsu?"

XxX

Yunho stood in the darkened kitchen with his hands splayed on the counter. His head was dropped between his shoulders as sweat beaded down his temples and dripped onto the wood below. He was breathing harshly and was desperately trying to keep it together.

"Always have to over do it, don't you?" A voice from behind said. Yunho turned to face the new presence. The kitchen was mostly dark as the sun had finally set on the horizon. Only thin beams of weak light made its way through the blinds on the windows. The figure took a step into the light revealing just the top of a man's face. The rest was covered in the large neck of a black trench coat. The man's hair was as black as night with streaks of silver, betraying his age.

"Well," Yunho said as he stood up fully and turned to lean against the counter. "To what do I owe the rare pleasure."

The man didn't answer and just tossed a small, brown paper wrapped package. Yunho stood quickly to catch it as the package slapped into his chest. "Take it. When was the last time you ate?"

Yunho shrugged half-heartedly and mumbled under his breath. "I don't know. Month and a half maybe?"

The man clicked his tongue. "And that's why you're over here starving over just a few drops of a human's blood."

"I can control myself." The taller mumbled, disgruntled.

The man sighed in exasperation, as if he had heard this argument a million times. "Just seeing how long you can go between meals is not sustainable and is bad for your body. You are putting unnecessary stress on yourself."

"I'm an adult, I can do what I want." The other huffed. The man just rolled his eyes and let the subject drop for now. He knew there was no winning with this one. He would just have to keep an eye on the younger when something eventually went wrong.

"Just eat. You'll feel better." The blonde man didn't argue and instead pulled a plate down from one of the cupboards. He carefully unwrapped the package and dumped the contents onto the pristine surface. Inside the package was a cleanly cut red and still bloody mass. On the outside it appeared the be just raw meat but the two men knew otherwise. Yunho sighed as he reached for a knife and fork, resigning to the fact that he needed to eat if he wanted to keep those around him safe and free from suspicion.

"I hate this." The boy pouted. He felt a hand clap his back as the other stood beside him.

"We all do," the older said gruffly. "But we have to do what it takes to survive."

The blonde sighed again but nodded solemnly. The only sound in the kitchen was the scratching of the knife on ceramic as the boy cut into the mass and took a bite.

XxX

"So I'll see you tomorrow right?" Mingi asked as he bounced on the balls of his feet. Hongjoong couldn't tell if it was to keep his lanky body warm or he was genuinely acting excitedly.

The other nodded his head in response as he blew hot air into his hands and shivered. The sun had finally fully set and the air temperature had dropped significantly. It was definitely starting to feel like winter was near.

"Yeah, I'll meet you in the library. I still have some stuff I wanna get done."

The other boy rolled is eyes as he mounted his bicycle. "Typical hyung, always working. Take a break once in awhile will ya?"

"Hey! I take breaks." The other exclaimed. "What would you call this whole meeting then? Though, in hindsight, I definitely could have gotten a lot more done-ow!"

Mingi pulled his hand back from where he had playfully slapped his friend on the shoulder. The two laughed once more before the taller boy decided that he really should head back home and rode off.

Alone now, Hongjoong shivered once again as a cold wind swept by. He zipped his jacket a little tighter. "Maybe I should call a cab instead of walk home." The boy mumbled to himself as his teeth chattered. Reaching his cold fingers into his coat, Hongjoong felt around for his phone but couldn't seem to find it in his pockets.

"Dammit," the man cursed after checking every place a phone could possibly be hiding. He sighed and came to the conclusion that both his phone and wallet were missing, to his dismay. He figured that he must have left them both back at the cafe. The little hole in the wall coffee shop would be closed by now but hopefully someone would still be behind cleaning that he could beg to get his items back.

With another shiver, Hongjoong shoved his hands deep in his pockets and pressed his arms close to his sides for warmth before turning on his heel to head back the way he came. While walking, another cold wind blew past and the man quickened his pace. Looking to the side, the brunette saw an alleyway he didn't notice before. Figuring it would make a good short cut and barrier from the wind, he turned and followed the path. About halfway through, a sudden clattering sound, like a can being kicked across the ground, caused him to pause.

"Hello?" Hongjoong called out uncertainty. The alley was nearly pitch black with only a flood light lighting the way at the end. The silence of the area was setting the sandy blonde on edge. Biting his lip in worry, Hongjoong began walking once more at a near run. This time, he could hear the faint traces of another pair of shoes beating the ground behind him, matching his pace step for step. Every time the man quickened his walk, the following footsteps answered.

Thoroughly scared now, Hongjoong forgot his brisk pace and burst into a quick run. With each step he was brought closer to the floodlight. Step, step, step. He was almost there now. With a last burst of speed he broke through and into the light like a runner crossing the finish line.

Panting from both adrenaline and exertion, Hongjoong looked behind him and back into the alley to see if he was being followed. Spotting nothing, the man took a deep breath before releasing in a long exhale of relief. Maybe it was just his imagination.

Suddenly, pain bloomed from the back of his head and everything went black.

________________________________________________

Notes:

Hello~! this is author-nim with a Tokyo Ghoul/Ateez inspired fic! I worked on this with another super talented Atiny who created some artwork for this universe. I will share her drawings in later chapters! 

This will probably be a bit of a long project but I would really appreciate comments and feedback. You do not have to know Tokyo Ghoul in order to read as everything will be explained in story or in author's notes.

(This story is also being simultaneously uploaded on AO3 under a different name so it is not being plagiarized) 

Thank you for reading!