Fucking hell, Hide was wasted. Vision blurry, he thanked his ride, and tumbled out of the passenger seat, nearly face-planting on the pavement. He heard the driver- who drove him home again?- muffle laughter behind his hand. Hide sneered, or maybe just blinked, and grabbed his bag. Offering one final, sluggish wave, the blonde slammed the door with maybe a bit too much force, and turned to his apartment building. Hmm. Had there always been this many stairs up to his level? Looking up made him feel nauseous, so Hide shook his head and started up, gripping the handrail like a lifeline. As he made his way slowly up the stairs, he tried to recall exactly what happened tonight. One of his friends from... ugh, some class he was taking, invited him out, pegging the blonde as a partying type. Of course Hide loved people, loved a good party, some good fun, but he'd never heard of the place before. And of course it had to be some weird ghoul fetish club.
Not to say that he didn't enjoy himself, there were plenty of cute girls there, and hey, maybe even a few dudes who caught his eye, but the entire awkwardness of the situation had him drinking to blur out the dark-eyed, red-pupiled strippers, and the writhing of kagune in the corners where a couple of humans looked like they were actually getting eaten. And enjoying it. Eesh. And it wasn't like he had anything against ghouls, it was the fact that an entire species was romanticized into this was more than kind of gross. The rest of the night blurred, and he may have hit on the guy who asked him to come, wow would that be awkward when they got back to class, and that landed him halfway up the stairs, shit-faced and swaying. Managing the last few feet, Hide made it to his hallway, numbly feeling his way along the wall to his door. He couldn't read the numbers, shit, so he made a blind guess, maybe luck would work in his favor tonight. The handle turned, hey, did he leave the door unlocked, and he fell inside, catching himself on the table the the right of the door. Suddenly feeling very fatigued, the blonde kicked the door closed, turned the lock, staggered to the couch, and promptly passed out.
oOo
Morning. The dark-haired boy kept his eyes shut tight, unwilling to allow the sun to blind him just yet. He instead relied on his other senses to wake up first, the sound of the birds who he knew nested on that tree outside his window, the feel of his well-rested mind and body, and finally, the smell of coffee permeating the air. Kaneki took a deep breath in, he had chosen a Russian roast, and despite being automatically made, it was supposed to be quite good. But. Wait. His eyes shot open, and he took another sniff. Something else, no, he registered that sweet, delicious smell as someone else, and he was out of his bed in an instant. Still in his sleep shorts and shirt, the half ghoul nearly ran into the living room, where a stranger was stirring on his couch. A stranger. On his couch. Kaneki's breath caught in his throat, standing just behind his view, as the man slowly sat up, dyed blonde hair sticking out in every direction. He mumbled a bit, and Kaneki caught none of it, before the man whipped around to focus his brown eyes on him.
"This isn't my apartment." The blonde remarked, running a hand through his already messy bed head. Kaneki remained frozen, what should he do? Now that he was closer, the ghoul could pick up a heavy stench of alcohol, sweat, and of course, meat.
"No, it isn't. Did you really just wander into mine?" Kaneki finally broke, tone accusatory. The stranger was clearly discombobulated, and he figured that the man would wander back out. If not, Kaneki would show him the door. It was too early to deal with this, and he hadn't even had his morning coffee.
"Hey, the door was unlocked, and can you keep it down a bit? I have a killer headache, man." The man stood up and stretched, joints popping. Kaneki knew from experience that the couch wasn't all that comfortable. Not knowing what else to do, the ghoul walked to the kitchen just off of the living room, continuing to talk with the blonde.
"Hmm. Likely story." Kaneki muttered as he grabbed a cup, pouring himself a generous amount of coffee.
"What was that, Mr. I Take My Coffee As Black As My Soul? Have a little sympathy. You wouldn't happen to have any painkillers, would you?" Staring wide eyed at the blonde over the rim of his cup, he scoffed into his scalding drink. He had followed him into the small kitchen, and now Kaneki was backed against the wall. He didn't like that at all, and on top of that, the man was now in his personal space, reaching up to grab a cup as well.
"This isn't a hotel. Get out before I call the cops." He didn't mean to sound that threatening, but by the look on the blonde's face, he hadn't succeeded.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." The man said, and he looked so much like a kicked puppy that Kaneki immediately regretted everything he had done up to this point.
"No, I'm sorry. I understand that you were probably extremely drunk, and my door shouldn't have been unlocked anyhow." The smile that spread across the stranger's face made Kaneki's heart race.
"You're right. You know, this area can get pretty dangerous." He said amicably, before opening a shelf across from them. "I'm Nagachika Hideyoshi. And no creamer? Or do you keep it chilled...?" Before Kaneki could stop him, he had spun to the fridge, met with the mostly barren space that was typical of a ghoul. And Hideyoshi probably knew that. Feeling his face flush, he stepped in front of the fridge, practically feeling the man's eyes slide from the small brown packages inside to him. He closed the door gently, and held his cup close to his chest, grateful for the warmth.
"So... no creamer then. I guess that's alright. Oh, and call me Hide. Please." He offered another 1000 watt smile and briskly walked back into the living room, whistling some pop song. Kaneki released a slow breath- he knew from firsthand experience, from both sides, that humans usually looked down on ghouls. They had always given him the chills, and now thanks to his accident, he got to walk a mile in the other sides' shoes. Well, a lot more than a mile, really. He was thankful for Hide's nonchalance, but couldn't help himself from suspecting the worst.
"Kaneki Ken." The ghoul replied belatedly, warily following the other onto the couch. Hide filled the silence in between sips of his bitter drink with anecdotes- how he ended up here, what he was majoring in, what high school he went to, his home life, his childhood... Kaneki admitted he zoned out a bit, though the blonde's light tone and bright personality was welcome to the dark-haired individual. And he told himself that after they had their coffee, he would kick the other out- he was still an intruder... Besides, it wasn't as if Kaneki couldn't take him if he tried anything, and Hide seemed like a genuinely cool person.
"You know, you're really cute when you space out. Your eyes get super unfocused and you look all dreamy~" Hide chirped, yanking the ghoul's focus back to him. He smirked at the dark flush that spread over Kaneki's cheeks, and Kaneki schooled his features into a poker face.
"Alright. Get out." Kaneki deadpanned, and paired with the expression, Hide was sent into a fit of giggles. That warmth Kaneki's chest returned, and it felt like a small sun was forming, right behind his ribcage. He felt a corner of his lips twitch, and he couldn't hold back any longer. He joined in with Hide, and he couldn't remember a time where he had laughed this much, smiled even. When they had calmed down, Kaneki took a turn at offering a slice of his life for his impromptu guest- and he couldn't call Hide an intruder any more, not even a stranger. He shared only recent stories, however, unwilling to relive the story of his transformation just yet. It turned out they both went to Kamii University, but had vastly different majors. They both loved cheeseburgers, and Hide didn't press when Kankei realized his mistake and attempted to backtrack, eventually just dropping it. The two went on, coffee cups cold and forgotten on the table, as the sun rose higher in the sky.
oOo
"... and then he shut me down. Right in front of the whole class, and it's not like I really meant to flirt with him- I was so drunk, man, I probably would have hit on a barstool if I hadn't got out of there when I did!" Hide ranted, hand fisted around his coffee cup- more creamer than actual coffee, something that had Kaneki buying a couple containers of it to be safe- as his company leaned forward slightly, resting his chin on a cupped hand.
"Shame. You're the whole package~" the ghoul teased, trying to rile a blush out of the other. It had become sort of a personal vendetta for Kaneki- a petty grudge, but one nonetheless. The blonde merely scoffed and waved his free hand, as if to say I know, right? Kaneki rolled his eyes, and Hide grinned. In the short time they had known each other, they had become fast friends. It had been about a month or so since Hide's break in, wow, what a stupid way to meet your best friend, and they had parted without exchanging any contact information. Hide couldn't remember which apartment Kaneki lived in, and the ghoul didn't know Hide's either. This led to Hide wandering around the Lit. building looking for a certain dark-haired ghoul that no one could remember. After they had reunited, Hide had decided that Kaneki having absolutely no friends was absolutely unacceptable, and took it upon himself to take the other out for coffee on Sunday. One weekend turned to two, two to three, and eventually they got coffee together every afternoon. Kaneki could no longer deny the butterflies increasing in his stomach, the fluttering in his chest when he thought of the blonde.
"I mean, the awkwardness had just been building up, and I guess he couldn't take it anymore. Ugh." Hide brought his coffee cup up to his lips, raising his eyebrows to invite the other to speak.
"Ah, my favorite author is having a book signing!" Kaneki said excitedly, remembering a poster he had seen in one of his frequented shops.
"Takatsuki Sen?" Hide swallowed and tilted his head returning the cup to the table. Kaneki nodded, feeling his heart leap as Hide remembered such a trivial piece of information. Hide seemed to hesitate, then determination flashed through his eyes.
"Kaneki." He said, and the aforementioned ghoul inclined his head, humoring his friend.
"I would like to accompany you to this signing." Hide rushed, and Kaneki felt sweet satisfaction as blood rushed to the blonde's cheeks.
"Why, Hide, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were asking me out on a date." Taking, a slow sip of coffee, Kaneki watched Hide squirm in his seat. Ah, he was so cute, although he'd never say something that embarrassing out loud.
"Y-yes. A date. If you want to, of course." Hide stammered, heh, Kaneki had never seen such a loquacious person at such a loss for words.
"A date... at a bookstore..." Kaneki pretended to mull it over, feeling a bit bad as he saw the other's panicked expression.
"Or, um, we could go to that new restaurant!" Kaneki raised his eyebrows.
"Oh, crap, no, um, I mean, the movies? Ka-neeee-kiii!" Hide whined, and Kaneki's mask cracked.
"Hide, I would love to go to a bookstore. And I suppose you could tag along." The ghoul laughed, and Hide reached up and pushed his shoulder.
"Jesus, I thought I'd have to give up an arm and a leg..."
"Oh, and dinner too. What a gentleman."
"Kaneki!"
oOoOoOoOoOo
An unhealthy amount of coffee cups cluttered up the sink, and above, in the cabinets, an equally unhealthy hoard of junk food cluttered the shelves. The apartment itself showed telltale signs of being lived in- general agglomerations of items on countertops, on tables, in occasional piles on the floor. The bed was unmade, on both sides, the pillows were messily arranged, but on one nightstand, a worn book lay carefully bookmarked while on the other a pencil atop notes written in the messy scrawl of a distracted college student. The sound of the TV drifted over the two people wrapped up together on the couch, impossibly pressed together, deep in an afternoon nap due the inevitable caffeine crash.