1. You just spilt coffee all over my pants and are tying to wipe it off in front of all these people stop apologizing it's alright I promise AU

Hide wasn't really all that into coffee. A few of his friends, on the other hand, drank it like their life depended on it. So when his upperclassman suggested a fairly high rated cafe, Hide declined at first. He disliked the bitter taste, and places like those were usually too tame for his energetic self.

His upperclassman being the standoffish guy he was, simply shrugged and told him 'whatever.' But later on, Hide received text with the name of the place, Anteiku. His upperclassman also typed that it really was a nice place just to relax. Hide laughed at this, for some reason finding it hard to picture the man relaxing. Still, he just closed his cell and continued to his home.

The night after helping out a committee at his college, he walked by the cafe of interest. The sign read closed, after all it was nearly time when most people hit the hay. Hide's eyes lingered on the building. He looked through the glss and saw that someone was cleaning in the dark. His curiosity got the better of him, and he stopped and peered through the window.

It was a black haired male. His hair was neat and uniform tidy. He had a small frame, making Hide think that he was younger than him, possibly in high school. Though it was difficult to see, his skin looked white and fair and his eyes seemed to shine an intelligent grey.

He wasn't particularly attractive. No, he was closer to pretty, even cute. He held a plain appearance. There was nothing special about him, really. Even still, the male managed to catch Hide's eyes. A spark lit up inside of him and he began to wonder. Who is he? What's his name? What was he doing here so late?

Apparently after a few minutes of staring, Hide had also caught the male's eyes, for his stormy orbs locked with his observer. They stared silently at each other before the male's blank face twisted into that of surprise. He took a step back and looked away, seemingly embarrassed by Hide's gaze.

Hide blinked, unsure how to react. That was... a surprisingly adorable reaction. A bit cliche, but adorable nonetheless.

After a while of nervously looking down, the black haired male gathered the courage to meet Hide's eyes again. He continued staring, mouth stretched in an awkward frown, demeanor that screamed of his submissiveness, and a slight tint of pink on his cheek. A tiny smile leaked through on Hide's face. It soon grew into a bright grin, then into a radiant laugh. He couldn't help it, the black haired male's face was too cute.

When Hide opened his eyes, he saw that the male's face was completely red, glowing from nose to ears. He gripped the cloth he was using to clean in both hands and ran through a door into the back. Hide was frozen in shock before laughing once again. What kind of person gets that flustered by a simple smile?

He resumed walking home, chuckling to himself every so often.

The next day, Hide was determined to go meet the boy from the previous night. He anxiously tapped his foot in class earning him some annoyed looks from students who were trying to pay attention. He didn't care, the only thing on his mind was the black haired male's embarrassed expression. He laughed aloud and had to ask to go to the bathroom to calm himself down.

The minute the lecture was over, Hide raced out of the room. He looked for one of his friends and frantically asked him to tell the others he couldn't help with their committee today. Before even hearing his response, Hide was already sprinting in the opposite direction.

Once outside, he texted his upperclassman asking if Anteiku was closed today. He was granted a usual response, 'You're such an idiot, of course it's open today. Why the hell wouldn't it be?' Hide read the crude message with a smile on his face.

It took him a little, but he managed to find the building from before. He calmed his labored breath, trying to look like he didn't just run a marathon. After a minute, he slowly walked inside.

The smell of coffee overtook Hide the second he walked in. Though it was a bit unpleasant, he didn't really mind it. The whole feeling of the shop oozed serenity. Hide felt the relaxing mood as he sat, wondering if this was why his upperclassman wanted him to experience the cafe. It really was a nice feeling.

Hide began to scan the area, hoping to see the black haired youth from before. It was already 4:00, so he should've been there. He began to chastise himself, you don't know if he's even in today. He could have club activities. Maybe that night was his last on the job. So many possibilities arose, but they were quickly squashed when the back door opened.

"See this label here, idiot Kaneki. Dark roast. Dark."

"Ah, I'm sorry, Touka-chan."

"Say that to the customer, not me."

Two figures emerged and one of them was the boy from last night. The second was a girl with short dark hair and long side bangs. Despite her cold expression and crude outburst, she was still extremely pretty. So much so that Hide was enthralled by both of the workers.

The two went their separate ways, Touka, Hide only assumed, coming to him while Kaneki, also know as the black haired male, went behind the counter. He bowed to an elderly man, apologizing for his mistake in brewing.

"Is there anything you'd like to order?" Touka's demeanor shifted into an open, friendly one. She held a smile, a complete turnaround from the scowl on her face before. There was his upperclassman's point on good service.

Hide frowned, unsure what to get. He rarely ever drank coffee, he wasn't even sure what was good. "What do you suggest? Something not too bitter would be nice." He held back from flirting, not really wanting to be kicked out after two minutes of being in the shop.

"Hmm, how about a cappuccino?" She held a notepad and pen, ready to write it down.

Hide nodded and replied with a cheery "Alright!" wondering how sweet a cappuccino was.

The waitress nodded and walked away, leaving Hide alone. He awkwardly sat and waited, wondering if he should've brought something to do. Probably.

After a minute of twiddling his thumbs, he allowed his eyes to wander back to the barista, Kaneki. His first thought, Wow he looks better in the light. He nearly slapped himself. He couldn't help it though, the kid was truly pretty. Hide noted how brilliant his smile was and how white his teeth looked. How he looked brewing coffee and his passive expression as Touka scolded him for screwing up yet another order.

Hide questioned how new he was to the staff. At times, it looked like he knew what he was doing. He would hear some of the customers praise his drinks. But, on the other hand he would clumsily slip and break some cups. Hide would also hear complaints from others, saying that it was too sweet or the incorrect roast.

He continued watching the barista for a while. He felt a little creepy from time to time, but he simply shrugged at the feeling. Yes, it was his fault for not bringing anything to do, but oh well. He'll bring some of his assignments next time.

"Kaneki." Hide heard one of the older barista talking to the black haired male. "Bring this cappuccino over to the kid with the messy hair." He pointed at Hide giving Kaneki the drink. "That one."

Kaneki nodded and began his trek over to the table when he realized who the barista was pointing to. Their eyes met for a third time. Hide wave and smiled pleasantly at the fidgeting male, snickering internally. What were the odds of him switching servers and getting the black haired barista he's had his eyes on? What a life.

With a shaky breath, Kaneki held the drink in the tray close and began walking. Hide kept a friendly smile, trying to ease the stiff server. Unfortunately, that didn't work.

He was only a few feet away from making it to the table when Kaneki tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his face. As expected, the cappuccino went forward, spilling onto Hide's lap.

The college student jumped out of his chair, hissing at the hot liquid. It was painful and embarrassing. Not because coffee was thrown onto him, he didn't really care about that, he was more embarrassed for the poor barista who jumped up immediately.

He was opening and closing his mouth, desperately trying to find words that just refused to come out. So instead, he whipped out a cloth and ran over to him wiping his pants off. Slowly, his voice returned, shakily sputtering a barrage of, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, oh my god, I'm so sorry!"

Hide began, laughing slightly, "No, it's fine-"

"I'm sorry, I really am so sorry!" Kaneki began getting louder. His face was burning shamefully as did his best to wipe up the mess. "I'm so, so sorry!"

People began looking over at the strange scene. Some chuckled, some frowned, some chatted amongst themselves about there goes that college barista again (Ah, Hide thought, so he is a college student). Touka rubbed her temples and the older barista let out a strained laugh.

"Kaneki-san, it's okay-"

"Ah, no it's not! I ruined your pants!"

"Kaneki-"

"God, I'm so bad at this! I'm sorry!"

"I-"

"I'm so sorry-"

"Kaneki-san!" Hide grabbed the poor male's hands to stop him. "It's alright, really! You don't have to apologize." For good measure, Hide flashed a luminous grin. Kaneki's red face turned a shade darker.

"But-"

"It's no big deal. I'm fine." He laughed and let go of Kaneki's hands. "It surprised me a little, but I'm alright."

Kaneki frowned, gripping the cloth. It reminded Hide of the night prior, only they were actually talking to each other now. "Are... Are you sure?"

"Positive! I don't even like these pants!"

Kaneki looked up at Hide's bright face and let out a small smile. He began to chuckle at Hide's joke, allowing himself to relax a little. "I-I see. Ah, but I truly am sorry..." He looked at the other expectantly.

"Nagachika Hideyoshi." Hide stated his name proudly. "But I insist you just call me Hide."

"Hide." The name rolled off his tongue so easily. "I really am-"

"Enough of that." Hide laughed. "It's fine. I'm fine. The pants aren't, but we covered that already." He earned another one of Kaneki's sweet laughter. "But you know what isn't fine? I don't know your full name." Hide smiled, praising himself for that smooth move.

Another laugh escaped Kaneki's lips. "Ken. Kaneki Ken. It's very nice too meet you, Hide. Though, I kinda wish it happened in a different way." He held out his hand, waiting for Hide to shake it.

"I don't." With a pleasant expression, Hide returned the handshake. "I think our meeting was incredibly interesting!"