Jasper went jogging off into the trees once Emmett placed his mate back onto his feet and released him. Kaneki raised an eyebrow at that.

"Where is he going," he asked.

"To get my jeep started up," Emmett replied. "It's parked back on the trails."

It made no sense to Kaneki as to why the brother had to go ahead of them. It wasn't cold enough to have to preheat your vehicle beforehand, but he chose not to speak on it. The four started off in the direction Jasper had went, and they walked in tense silence. At least for Kaneki, it was. He stayed in the back of the group, still wanting to keep all of them in sight. They didn't say anything about his behavior, but Emmett seemed adamant about being close to him. He stuck himself to Kaneki's side, not touching him, but close enough that ignoring the larger man's presence was difficult.

"So, have you been in America long," Emmett asked, watching as Kaneki flinched slightly at the sudden break of silence.

"Um...we came to America two years ago, and we've been roaming around until we came here."

"Roaming?" So are you not staying here long?" Emmett had assumed that they would be settling here for a while, seeing as they were opening a business here. His fingers twitched in Kaneki's direction, wanting to be in contact with him. A simple brush of the arm, anything really. He was acting like he would disappear in a puff of smoke before him.

Kaneki shrugged, reaching a hand up to push a tree branch out of his path. A large, pale hand darted forward with such quickness that Kaneki had barely seen him move, and the branch was lifted before Kaneki could even touch it. He stared at Emmett strangely, blinking, but continued.

"That's the plan it seems," he stated. He didn't appear very happy with that fact. Emmett wondered why.

"Well, if you'd like, my family and I can help you get settled into town. We've been here a year already."

Kaneki hummed, neither accepting nor declining the offer. They approached one of the trails then, and a pair of bright headlights lit up the surrounding trees. Jasper stepped out of the jeep but paused as Emmett shook his head at him.

"You drive," he said.

Jasper got back in the driver's seat with no protest as Kaneki went to one of the side back doors and opened it. Emmett reached out to help him in, the jeep was relatively high up, but Kaneki had already pulled himself in without difficulty. He did, however, seem to be having trouble with the belts.

"Here, let me," Swatting the man's hands away and grabbing onto the buckles. Emmett could feel how stiff Kaneki's body was when his hands and arms brushed against him. His eyebrows furrowed, despite his body relishing in contact with his mate. Did he not like being touched? He quickly finished with the buckles, pushing away the slight hurt he felt and not wanting to move away. He pulled back.

"Thank you."

Emmett smiled at the quiet thanks and the slight bow of the head in his direction. "No problem."

He turned to Edward, who stood on the other side of the jeep, waiting for Emmett to get in.

"I'll ride in the back," he told him, hopping into the small space in front of the trunk. He leaned over the side to his brother and said quietly, "He doesn't like being touched, so one of us being squashed in the middle is a no go. Keep your distance, please."

Edward nodded, getting into the jeep and making sure to keep to his side. Emmett wished he could sit in the vehicle with Kaneki. He wanted to continue their conversation. No matter how one-sided it may be. But he knew if he kept making him uncomfortable, whether it's unintentional or not, he'd drive his mate away. And he definitely didn't want to intentionally do that. He'd already weirded him out with his action so far. This was going to be a lot more complicated than he'd previously thought.

The whole mate thing seemed so much easier with Rosalie. Though that may be because she had saved him and had him changed by Carlisle when he'd officially met her. A lot easier to accept the situation once you realized that vampires were an actual thing and that you now were one. But to a human who wasn't in the loop, it came off as more than strange. Insane really.

The drive was relatively quiet the whole way there, besides Carlisle asking Kaneki if it would be alright if they stopped by the house to drop off three of them. He'd have one of them drive him into town. He glanced briefly at his son before stating that his wife was most likely waiting up for them. Emmett grinned as he knew what his dad was doing.

"That's fine," Kaneki said after a moment, just as they pulled out of the trail and onto the main road of the backwoods of Forks.

Soon they pulled up to the house. Esme, who had gotten a text from Edward explaining the situation, was standing on the front steps dressed in a robe. Playing the part. They parked and got out, Jasper tossing the jeep keys to Emmett as Esme walked up. Kaneki tensed up visibly and took a slight stepped back away from the approaching woman. But Esme stopped a good foot in front of him. Someone must have told her. Thank God.

"Are you alright, dear," Esme asked softly. "I was told what happened. What were you doing out there, child."

Kaneki's eye twitched.

"He's 24, mom," Edward said, amused.

"Oh. Sorry, dear."

"It's fine. I look young for my age."

Esme smiled, taking in his appearance. He was a very beautiful man, very handsome. She could see why he had Emmett so smitten already. "Would you like to take a shower before you go home?" She asked, eyeing Kaneki's dirt smudge clothes. "I'm sure we have something that could fit you."

Kaneki shook his head almost immediately. "I've already burdened you enough, and I wouldn't want to intrude..."

"Oh, nonsense, come on." Esme gestured an unsure looking Kaneki forward.

"A-Alright."

"Where are Alice and Rose?" Carlisle asked as they went into the house. Jasper and Edward excused themselves to bed, leaving Emmett, who had returned to Kaneki's side, and their parents.

"In bed," she said. "Like you should already be." Giving them a stern glance, she turned to Kaneki. "Come, you can use our bathroom."

They disappeared up the stairs.

"I'm surprised that you two aren't down here," Emmett said aloud.

"Trust us, we want to be," said one of the girls in question. Alice, from somewhere upstairs. Probably Rose's room.

"We'll meet him another time," said Rose. "We don't want to overwhelm him. I'm so glad you found him, Emmett."

Emmett smiled bittersweetly at that. "I'll go get him some clothes," he said, going up the stairs.

"You know full well that your clothes will be too big for him," Carlisle chuckled. Esme stepped out into the hall.

"I already set some clothes out for him. Alice had bought them for Jasper; the tags are still on them, so they're new."

Emmett huffed and disappeared into his own room and appeared again with a hoodie in his hand. Without a word, he entered his parents' room. He placed the hoodie on top of the clothes Esme had put on the bed. He could hear the water of the shower running in the bathroom, along with a quiet humming. Emmett couldn't recognize the melody.

He left the room and returned downstairs, where his parents had gone. They stared at him as he came down with knowing looks on their faces.

"Not a word," he grumbled, going into the living room and leaning against one of the lounge chairs. He'd no doubt be blushing if he could. He had noticed his sudden shift in perspective over the past few hours. Just that morning, he'd been having such an internal battle with himself over the whole situation. Even finding it strange that he'd be this curious about some stranger. But he wasn't some stranger, even if Alice had stated that there was a good possibility that he was his real mate. Alice's visions were rarely wrong. But they didn't know for sure then.

Even when he'd caught the undefinable scent of Kaneki on his companions, he'd still found himself unsure, despite being drawn in by it. But as soon as he smelled him directly and saw him face to face for the first time, and had him in his arms, it was as if things just clicked into place for Emmett.

It had been wonderful, to say the least. Just touching Kaneki and embracing him. It wasn't a physical sensation, but more of a mental one. Emmett wondered if Kaneki had felt something too. He couldn't be sure. His scent filling his senses, staring into that gorgeous gray eyes, and having that beautiful body pressed against his...Emmett shivered.

"I can hear you." Came Edward's voice. "Tone down your thoughts!"

Shut up! And stay out of my head!

Laughter rang out, much to Emmett's annoyance. As much as he loved his brother, his mind-reading was irritating.

Emmett returned to his thoughts. He thought back to Kaneki. He had to admit, he'd felt disappointed when he realized that Kaneki didn't like people touching him. He wondered what that stemmed from, or if that was just how he was. His hands, which were crossed over his chest, clenched into tight fists, and a low, deep growl rumbled in his chest at the very thought of Kaneki having been hurt.

Carlisle and Esme looked at him, concerned.

"Just thinking," he said.

He'd get over this disappointment, for Kaneki. He more than likely couldn't help it, and Emmett refused to make him uncomfortable or feel any worse just because of his own wants. That would be selfish of him.

They heard the water shut off, and it wasn't long before footsteps come towards the stairs.

"In here," Esme called.

Kaneki came around the corner and stood in the archway of the living room. Emmett couldn't help but stare. The pants that he'd been given were rolled up a few times at the legs. He wasn't sure about the top as he was drowned in Emmett's hoodie; the sleeves pushed back to reveal his hands, which were holding his dirty clothes. The bottom of the hoodie reached his thighs, and his hair was damp still, his free hand reaching up and pushing his bangs out of his eye. His eyepatch still remained.

"Thank you for the clothes," Kaneki said, once again bowing at them. "I'll get them back to you once I get the chance."

"Don't worry about that," Carlisle said. "It's no loss to us."

Emmett straightened up, his jeep keys dangling on his fingers. "Come on, I'll drive you back."

Kaneki nodded and muttered another thank you, following Emmett back outside.

---

Drive safe now." Kaneki heard Esme call out to Emmett as they walked back to the jeep. Kaneki hopped into the passenger's seat.

"We aren't off road, so you can just use the regular seat belt," Emmett said, getting behind the wheel. "I'm sorry about earlier."

He started the engine and drove out of the driveway. The large house disappeared amongst the thick wilderness.

"Earlier?" Kaneki asked.

"Grabbing you like that. I'd be apologizing regardless, but you don't like being touched, right? I didn't notice until I was helping you with the harness earlier."

Kaneki stared at the man out of the corner of his eye, curiously. He was correct, in a way. He didn't like being touched; his reaction really depended on who the person was. But Kaneki had found that it wasn't that he didn't like physical contact that had him tensing up when it was Emmett. It was the main reason, at least. It was that overwhelming tingling sensation. It wasn't like the first time he had had most of his body pressed against the man.

He felt his cheeks warm slightly. He assumed that it was just something wrong with him. Emmett had given no indications that he'd felt the same feeling that he did.

"I'm fine," he finally said. "You didn't know. I'm surprised you noticed, honestly."

Emmett glanced at him, then back to the road. "You tensed up pretty bad."

Kaneki hummed, cringing internally. Was he always that easy to read, his reactions clear as day? In the past, when he was still a naive little college kid, he had been like an open book. He knew that. But he thought he'd been long passed that, or at least he'd gotten a good grip on how he responded to things or how he came across to others. It wasn't good to be so open and readable. At least to those on the outside. People take advantage of those who wear their hearts and emotions on their sleeves. That was a lesson he'd learned the hard way.

Unconsciously, his fingers brushed back and forth on his wrist. He had healed from his injuries to the point that all but a few scars were there. Namingly, his original scarring from when he'd been put through the operation after the Rize incident, and the ones on both his wrists from shackles. The scarring went around the entirety of his wrists. That was the main reason he usually wore long sleeves.

"You okay?" Emmett asked. He looked over at the driver as he kept glancing back and forth between him and the road. He gestured at him. "You didn't pick up anything out there, did you? Poison Ivy or something?"

Kaneki looked down, noticing his own movements. He pulled the hoodie sleeve down over his hand. "No. It's fine."

The hoodie, a lot larger than he was used to wearing, was Emmett's. Kaneki had known immediately when he picked up initially back at the Cullen house. It had his scent all over it. He'd thrown it to the side at first; the shirt he'd been given was already long- longer - sleeved, and he didn't need the extra layer. He didn't know what made him change his mind, but after a too confusing internal debate, he found himself pulling on the thick material. Perhaps it was the scent; Emmett, admittedly, did smell nice. Kaneki couldn't exactly explain it. But he did know that it was a sweet scent.

The man's scent, Kaneki noticed, seemed to calm him, put him at ease. Something he wouldn't normally feel considering the circumstances. And he couldn't decide whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Are you sure? I don't know if any place would be open at this time, but I'm sure we could find something for a rash if you have one."

"No, no," Kaneki said. "I'm fine, promise."

They fell silent, and as they came to a stop at one of the town's red lights, Kaneki glanced at the time illuminating from the dashboard. It was past 4 in the morning.

"So, your family, how are they? I'm sure they're worried about you. Not coming home until late."

Kaneki sighed. "I'm certain I'll be hearing about it later on. But they're fine. Been busy working."

"At the building next to the Newton's, right?"

"Yes. How did you know?" Kaneki asked.

Emmett smirked. "It is a small town. Word spreads, even when most people are gone for the summer. What are ya'll setting up?"

"A cafe."

"Great idea! Forks hasn't had one, surprisingly. The only thing we really have is the diner."

"Touka, my friend, always wanted to own her own business."

"Are you not going to help run it?" Emmett enquired.

"I'll help when needed."

Forks' streets were empty and quiet at this hour, and it wasn't long before they pulled into the parking lot. The shades downstairs were drawn shut for the night, so Kaneki couldn't tell if anyone was up.

"Kuso," Kaneki swore under his breath, unhooking his seatbelt. "Thank you for the ride."

He turned to look at Emmett when the man didn't say anything in return. He was staring at Kaneki with a blank expression for a moment before he seemed to realize he had spoken. He cleared his throat almost nervously. "Y-yeah, no problem." He chuckled. "Sorry, but is that a normal thing over in Japan? The whole bowing thing?"

Kaneki couldn't stop his lips from twitching upwards in amusement. He was confused as to why he looked nervous, though.

"Yes, it's a way of greeting or showing thanks."

Emmett nodded, looking like he was filing that information away. Kaneki turned, still aware of Emmett's movements, keeping an eye out, and opened the jeep door.

"Um, quick question."

He paused, where he stood beside the door.

"C-Could I get your number?"

It was Kaneki's turn to stare blankly, blinking in surprise. He didn't have a phone, never really felt the need to have one. Last he remembered having a phone was when Jason had attacked Anteiku, and he'd been taken. He was always around the others, who had their own phones, so he never thought to get one himself.

"I don't own a phone," Kaneki said.

"You don't own a phone," Emmett echoed. He raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief. "Who doesn't have a phone nowadays?"

Kaneki simply shrugged, shutting the jeep door. He walked up to the front door of the cafe, unlocking the door with his key. He peeked over his shoulder. He couldn't see Emmett because of the bright headlights still shining. He was probably waiting for him to get inside before pulling off. Kaneki waved at him as he stepped inside.

He shut the door and leaned against it, sinking down with a sigh. It had been a long day and night, and he honestly didn't know what to make of most of its events—especially the most definitely not human Cullens. Kaneki stood and pulled one of the shades to the side a bit, peeking out in time to see the jeep and its headlights driving out of sight. His heart sort of clenched and sunk at the fact the man was gone, which caused Kaneki to growl, narrowing his eyes. What the hell was wrong with him?

He went upstairs, lost in thought, and almost ran straight into Yoma, who was standing in the living room. Kaneki took a step back, taking in his taller friend. His arms were crossed over his chest, and the look he was giving Kaneki had the white-haired male cringing. He felt like a child who'd been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.

"We were worried about you. Touka only just went to bed an hour ago when I said I would wait to see when you'd return."

"I'm sorry, Yoma, really. It wasn't my intention to be out so late or to make you worry."

Yoma exhaled slowly and gently grabbed onto Kaneki's elbow and pushed him down onto the sofa.

"Hinami said you were acting strangely before you took off. And you come back in someone else's clothes? The person who dropped you off, I presume? You aren't usually so...trusting."

"I'm not."

Kaneki explained what had happened, again, leaving out his episode and his strange...feelings with the larger Cullen. He downplayed to him having a panic attack. Yoma stayed silent throughout the whole explanation, listening intently.

Kaneki was strangely calm around Emmett Cullen. Especially considering that he and his family were complete strangers. However, those feelings of comfortability didn't seem to go beyond Emmett. He'd gotten in a vehicle with them, a closed-off space. He even went into their home. Wore one of their clothes. It had Kaneki berating himself as he thought back on his actions through the night. He'd been reckless.

"You don't think they're human?" Yoma asked.

Kaneki shook his head. "They didn't smell like any humans I've come across or ghouls."

Yoma leaned back in thought. "They may not be a threat, based on how you've interacted with them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kaneki asked in a snappish tone.

Yoma raised an unamused yet knowing eyebrow. "Really, Kaneki. It's no secret how you act towards others outside of us three."

Kaneki was quiet after that. For what seemed like the thousandth time, he was forced to see how transparent he actually was. He clenched and unclenched his hands where they sat on his thighs. He stopped when he noticed Yoma's stare.

"So, what do you suppose we do?"

"Nothing. For now. They haven't posed a threat to us; if anything, they've been the exact opposite. So we will do the same."

Yoma got to his feet. "I'm heading out to Seattle and then Port Angeles to scout for potential feeding grounds. You go get some rest. I'm sure Touka will be on you as soon as she wakes. Hinami too."

Kaneki remained on the couch, and he watched Yoma grab his duffle bag from the hall closet.

"Be careful," Kaneki said as Yoma went downstairs.

The building fell back into silence, and Kaneki slouched back for a few more moments before going into him and Yoma's shared room. He stripped off the clothes the Cullens had provided him in favor of wearing his own pajamas. He tossed his dirty clothes and the Cullens' clothes in the hamper and placed his eyepatch on the desk. He'd return them at some point if he came across them again. And he most likely would. Small town, as Emmett had said.

He shut the blinds to block out the now rising early morning sun and crawled into bed. He curled onto his side, his back to the wall as he retreated into his own head. Much to his annoyance, his thoughts consisted mostly of the large, burly Cullen with his dark hair and golden eyes. Kaneki's eyes fell on the hamper, more specifically, the hoodie hanging over the side. His heart did that clenching thing again, and Kaneki felt his face redden.

Sliding off the bed, he padded over and gathered the hoodie into his arms. Before he could start overthinking, he pulled the hoodie back over his head and got back in bed. Curled on his side again, he inhaled that scent that surrounded him and calmed his nerves. And it was that scent that lulled him into a dreamless sleep