hey guys! so I just wanted to let you know that the update next wednesday will come a little later on during the day because I have band camp until pretty late. anyways, I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! I love writing Kaneki and Hide's characters so much, they're both just such interesting and dynamic characters and just. I love them so much he lp

"Yo, Kaneki!"

Kaneki turned at the sound of his name and saw Hide walking towards him, waving and smiling cheerfully. Kaneki smiled back and returned his wave, replacing the book in his hands in its proper place on the shelf. "Thank you for meeting me here, Hide. I know it's a little far for you," he said once he reached him.

Hide waved his hand dismissively. "It's no biggie; I had to return something to a store nearby here anyways, so it turned out to be convenient. So, whatcha got planned for us?"

He and Hide had been taking turns choosing places to go for the past three weeks. They hung out every day that they could, sparing any free moment to spend with each other. Most of the time was spent doing trivial things they didn't like to do alone, such as shopping for a birthday gift for Hide's mom (they ended up getting her a variety of lotions) or getting groceries. Yes, Hide had actually invited him to go grocery shopping with him.

And Kaneki had gladly accepted.

At the moment, though, they were in the public library. Kaneki had been scouring the shelves for anything that caught his eye for fifteen minutes, and that's when Hide showed up.

"I was hoping we could walk to some of the nearby bookstores around here," Kaneki said, scratching his neck sheepishly. His smile turned slightly nervous. Hide didn't read that much; why would he want to go with him to bookstores?

"Lead the way, Kaneki!" Hide chimed, beaming.

Oh. Well then.

Hide talked of random things as they walked the streets of Tokyo, his mind flying from one subject to the next. Kaneki occasionally gave a few noises of acknowledgement or nodded to keep him going, engulfing himself in the sound of Hide's voice. It didn't matter what he was talking about. Every word he spoke was full of life and energy, and Kaneki was drowning in it. It was incredible.

Hide's voice wasn't mellifluous, nor was it raspy. It wasn't high-pitched but it wasn't low enough for women to swoon at his every word. It was the perfect blend of all these things, and it only served to better his personality. It carried out his thoughts wholly and gave them a splash of spirit and vitality. It was almost embarrassing how much he was entranced by it.

"And that's how I wasted three pots of coffee in one day," Hide concluded, obviously proud of himself.

Kaneki chuckled. "I'm not sure that's something to be so enthusiastic about."

"It's a skill, Kaneki. Unfortunately, you don't possess this skill, so you'll never understand its usefulness."

"And its usefulness would be?"

"…When I think of something, I'll let you know."

He gave a huff of a laugh. Hide grinned at him and nudged him in the arm with his elbow, to which Kaneki nudged back. Hide nudged him again a little harder. He did the same. And then they were in a nudging fight, and suddenly Kaneki nudged a little too hard, and Hide was falling and Kaneki was grabbing him and—

"You sure know how to sweep someone off their feet, Kaneki."

One of Kaneki's arms was now around Hide's waist, the other gripping his arm. The limb Kaneki wasn't holding was wrapped around his torso for support. Their faces were close, too close, and Kaneki's eyes widened as Hide gave him a small smile. It was different from his usual grins, which were wide and cheery. This one was rather tentative and reserved, but it still stretched to Hide's eyes and Kaneki knew it was sincere.

In the passing crowd, someone cleared their throat, and Kaneki came back to his senses. He released Hide, who stepped back and brushed himself off, despite not falling. They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Hide cleared his own throat and ushered Kaneki to continue leading them to the bookstore. Kaneki gladly obliged.

You sure know how to sweep someone off their feet, Kaneki. What did that mean? Could that mean Hide…liked him? Well, he had given Kaneki his number upon first meeting him, so he figured he at least had a slight interest in him. But the notion that Kaneki had swept Hide off his feet was certainly something.

"I've never been in here before, but it feels nostalgic," Hide commented upon entering their destination, an old bookstore that sold used books. "I like it."

"There's actually a word for that," Kaneki replied, stepping up to a shelf. Carefully tracing his fingers across the spines of the books, he searched for an unknown title to pique his interest. He had been in this bookstore many times before. Besides the library, it was one of his favorite places to get new reading material. The books, having been used, were cheap, but most were in good condition.

Hide plucked a random title off the shelf Kaneki was browsing. "What's the word, oh wise and scholarly friend of mine?"

Kaneki pulled out an old copy of a book his father used to own. It was a tale of Greek myths. His favorite had been the story of Icarus, the boy who flew on wax wings before falling into the ocean. "Vellichor," he answered. "It means 'the strange wistfulness of used bookstores'."

"Vellichor, huh?" Hide repeated, intrigued. "Learn something new every day."

Kaneki smiled to himself as he replaced the book. And then his smile dropped after Hide's next words.

"So, I read The Black Goat's Egg and The Metamorphosis."

"Y-you did?" Kaneki stammered in surprise.

"Yep! I actually really liked The Metamorphosis. The plot and story were interesting. Can you imagine wanting to eat rotten cheese all the time, though? Talk about gross. The idea of the other onewas pretty cool, too. I liked the protagonist's character. All I wanted was for him to just stay safe and be happy," Hide said, chuckling. "Maybe this is why I don't read fiction often. I get way too attached to the characters."

Kaneki forced a laugh. "I get what you mean. But, uh, Hide, you didn't have to read those books just because I mentioned them…"

He smiled and shrugged. "I figured I might as well. It gives us something to talk about, right?"

"…Yeah, I guess it does."

Hide set down the book he was holding, giving Kaneki the same look he gave him at the coffee shop a few weeks back. "Are you okay, Kaneki? Did you not want me to read them?"

"No! I mean, no, I just—I'm surprised, is all." He took a deep breath. "Nobody's ever read books just because I mentioned I liked them," he murmured quietly.

"Well, I think they should, because those were some damn good books. I hope if anyone ever went through the same thing, though, that they'd turn out alright. Hypothetically, how do you think you would help someone like that, Kaneki?"

"Ah…maybe just talking? Talking helps open people up, I think. And I suppose trying to understand them would also be a good start. Then they might be willing to let you help," Kaneki answered.

Hide nodded sagely. "I think that's good advice. Want to look around some more now?"

"Yeah, let's do that."

In the end, Kaneki ended up with three new books and two others at another store they ventured to. Hide bought a novel via Kaneki's recommendation and stated excitedly that he would get to reading it as soon as possible. They then went to a nearby coffee shop, where they sat and discussed upcoming work and school schedules.

"I'm free all day Thursday. The owner's taking a personal day and gave all the employees the day off." Hide took a sip of his coffee. "Does that work for you?"

"I work the morning and afternoon shift that day," Kaneki replied. "But I could meet you somewhere afterwards."

Hide hummed in approval before his eyes lit up. "Oh! How about I just swing by where you work? I haven't been there before, and I'd love to try the coffee. Do you guys have pastries?"

Kaneki immediately felt panic surge through him. He was certain Touka was on the same shift as him that day, and he really didn't feel like being teased in front of Hide, even if she meant well. That aside, he wanted to keep Hide away from as many ghouls as possible, and that meant keeping him away from :re.

But he couldn't control what Hide did. What if he decided to go without telling Kaneki first? What if some binge-eating she-ghoul decided he would make a tasty snack after a date and killed him? Or worse—put him in Kaneki's situation. Even though ghouls and humans were supposed to be "getting along" now, there were still some pesky ones that stuck to their usual habits of killing for fun and eating when they didn't have to. Old habits die hard, he supposed.

Having a human friend was so unnecessarily complicated.

"I don't really know if that's a good idea," Kaneki said hesitantly.

"Huh? Why's that?"

"It's just…Touka can be pretty snarky sometimes, and she might tease you if you show up for me. I don't want to subject you to that."

Hide laughed. "Aw, I'll be fine! But thanks for looking out for me, Kaneki. Is Touka one of the people you were with when we first met?"

"Yeah, she was the dark-haired one," he replied, sipping from his cup of black coffee. "She's hard to get to know. It took a while before she finally opened up to me."

"She does seem a little intimidating," Hide said, grinning. "I think one sip of my coffee and she'd open right up, though."

"Or never speak to you again." Which wouldn't be a bad thing, Kaneki added in his mind.

Hide gasped and clutched a hand over his heart. "I'm hurt, Kaneki! You've slain me with your evil words!" Kaneki laughed, and Hide's grin broadened. "How will I ever recover from the shame you've thrown me in?"

Kaneki took another drink from his cup. "You could start by learning to make better coffee." He was definitely opening up, he noted. He never would have said that before becoming more comfortable with someone.

"Please, teach me your ways, Kaneki! Teach me your ways of coffee-making!"

"I don't know if you're worthy, Hide."

"I'll prove it to you! I'll make you the best damn coffee you've ever tasted, I swear on my grave."

Kaneki laughed once again. "Okay, I'll teach you. You can come over on Thursday once my shift is over and we'll start then."

Hide smiled triumphantly. "I knew you would make the right decision."

Hide sat alone in his apartment later that day, a fond smile finding its way onto his lips as he thought about Kaneki. He wondered what his apartment would be like. He imagined it being colored in soft tones, like his personality. Comely furniture probably filled the rooms, and he decided it would be organized but just messy enough to feel inviting. A book or two here, a coffee cup there, and maybe a few dirty dishes still waiting to be washed in the sink.

Hide's own apartment was like that—untidiness that could be straightened in a fair amount of time without too much trouble. He liked it; it made the place feel like home. But his room was a different story.

Taped to the walls of his room were pictures and notes about ghouls he had been compiling for years. It started as an innocent hobby, really. Investigating was fun. He enjoyed figuring out the patterns and piecing together tiny clues he obtained from the CCG's files and his own detective work. And then it turned into something bigger, something he became obsessed with.

There was one ghoul in particular, though, he had always had his eye on. The pictures of him were blurry and out of focus, as if the photographer were running for his life while he took them. He was first known as Eyepatch, but the alias was switched out for Centipede after it was revealed he was a kakuja.

Centipede was a highly dangerous SS-rated ghoul with a rinkaku kagune capable of taking out multiple investigators at a time. There was no doubt he was fearsome. Hide wondered if the CCG had managed to apprehend him or if he had escaped and was now living as a ghoul blended in with human society. He felt it was the latter. Centipede wouldn't just give himself up without a fight; there would have been extensive news coverage on the story if there had been a showdown between him and the CCG at any point in time. There hadn't been any killings done by him a while, either. No, there was no doubt in his mind Centipede had resigned himself to living docilely.

And he was also certain the ghoul was using the new laws concerning ghouls to his advantage. By creating a fake ghoul identity and exposing himself to the CCG, he would be written off as someone else and be able to live without trouble. He would most likely claim to be an unknown ghoul, one who wasn't on the CCG's radar and who was willing to comply with whatever they wanted. That was the only way for him to get out of trouble.

Hide sighed and tossed away an especially blurry picture of the ghoul. In it, he was running so fast the camera barely managed to capture him. Only a haze of red, black, and white could be seen. The white was his hair; Hide knew this from another photo of the back of him. It reminded him of Kaneki's.

His eyes settled on his copy of The Metamorphosis by Kafka. It was one of the books Kaneki stated he could relate to the protagonists of. Hide had spent much time pondering that after reading both it and The Black Goat's Egg. He wondered if Kaneki went through a transformation at some point in his life similar to the young man who became an insect. It was a strange idea, but could something similar have happened to him?

People couldn't turn into animals or insects. But…what about ghouls? Ghouls were just humans with an extra organ and enzyme. If a person's Rc level spiked enough, did that turn them into a ghoul? Could kakuhous grow from extra Rc cells in the bloodstream? Or what if you could transplant a kakuhou into a human, thus turning them into a ghoul?

Something tugged at Hide's mind, and he struggled to remember it. Wasn't there someone by the name of Kaneki Ken who went to Kamii, the university he attended, at one point? Yes, that was right, he vaguely remembered a rather frail-looking black-haired boy in his Asian History class during freshman year. And then he got into an accident, stayed out of school, and came back for a short time before disappearing altogether.

He was grasping at straws here, but the pieces were slowly falling into place.

Kaneki wasn't a common surname. In fact, Hide had never heard it before. While that wasn't much to go off of—after all, there were over thirteen million people in Tokyo—it had to mean something that the Kaneki he knew shared his name with this other Kaneki.

Hide immediately opened his laptop and began researching. Around the time he disappeared the first time, a boy and girl were involved in an incident that killed the girl and left the boy incapacitated. The girl's kidney was given to the boy without consent of the family, which caused problems for the doctor who performed the surgery—Kanou Akihiro. There was lots of controversy involved in the case, which was what mainly came up in the searches, but that wasn't what he was searching for.

Name, name, he needed a name. What was the boy's name? Hide searched every corner of the web, scrounging for the kanji that would make everything clear.

And then he found it.

Staring back at him from the screen was a fuzzy photograph of the quiet, reserved boy in his Asian History class. Staring back at him was the Kaneki Ken he knew. There was no question; that was his face. Those were his gray eyes and that was his timid smile. But those eyes were filled with so much life, and he couldn't even find a trace of dark circles under them, a stark contrast to now. And what happened to his hair? It was black back then, and now it was completely white.

Under the photo, the caption read: Kaneki Ken, one of two people involved in the steel beam accident, and that sealed the deal. Hide was now certain Kaneki Ken was a ghoul. That was why he connected with the protagonist of Kafka's novel. He underwent a change from human into ghoul and was forced to eat something that would have been disgusting to him previously. And Takatsuki Sen's work—he related himself to the child of the Black Goat, who was essentially the Black Goat's Egg. Except in his situation, he was the ghoul's egg. The girl he received the transplant from had to have been a ghoul, thus making her his "mother." It all made sense now.

Then…could he be Centipede? Hide hadn't seen white hair on anyone else, but it could merely be a coincidence. People dyed their hair all kinds of colors these days. It would be presumptuous of him to assume anything, so he dismissed the idea.

It's not like it made a difference to Hide if Kaneki were a ghoul. Even though he had only known him for a couple weeks, Kaneki was important to him, and he just wanted him to stay safe. He would help him no matter what, SS-rated ghoul or no. Kaneki was still a person who deserved the same kindness and respect he gave others. Hide wanted to let him know it was okay, that he didn't have to hide it from him. But how?

How, indeed. That was a tricky question. Well, if the opportunity presented itself, Hide was, without a doubt, going to take it.

He just hoped it showed up soon.

I hope Hide's realization wasn't too presumptuous, I wanted to move some things around but nothing would fit, but I think it's okay.

thanks for reading!