Hide practiced his fake cough a couple more times. He hoped it was believable enough. He unlocked his phone, tapping open his contacts. Akira picked up on the second ring.

"You're late." Hide winced at her tone. He was already in the doghouse.

"I know, I know. I'm just really sick, Akira. Don't think I can make it today." He hacked into the receiver, and he could almost see his partner recoiling from her phone.

"Ugh. Jeez, get some rest, eat some soup. Do whatever it is you need to do, just…"

"Thanks, Akira. See you tomorrow." Hide did a fist pump, and nearly pressed the end call button.

"Oh, and Hide? Don't lie to me ever again." She hung up before he did. Whoops. Well, he should have known. Akira was too smart to be played. Skipping over to his closet, Hide thought about what he should wear. His first official date! Sure, he'd fooled around with a couple of people, but hey. They couldn't keep their hands off of him! And the relationships never lasted long, or made it very far. Just a few kisses here, a few broken hearts there. He'd always felt bad about it afterward, knowing that his soulmate was out there. They always understood- the allure of a soulmate couldn't compare to any old relationship.

He pulled out one of his suits. God, no. That was way too dressed up. Wasn't it? Eyepatch had only ever seen him in his work clothes- maybe he had fancy expectations. Hide knew next to nothing about this coffee shop. Would he look out of place in a suit? Hide furrowed his eyebrows and returned it to the closet. No way. He browsed over his casual stuff. Curse his love for bright colors. Though it was kind of his aesthetic, he didn't want to look like a dandelion on his first date.

So that basically ruled out all of his clothes.

"Man…" Frustrated and on the verge of panicking, he found one of his nicer pairs of jeans. Jeans went with everything. They were casual. But… if he dressed it up a little with his top… He would probably looked formal enough to not look dismissive of the date, and lowkey enough to not be an eyesore. Hide rubbed at his eyes as he swiped one of his button-ups. This dating stuff was hard work, and he wasn't even on the date yet! A calming feeling suddenly washed over him, and he stepped away from his closet. Woah. His soulmate wouldn't care what he wore. They were there for each other, and each other only. He knew that if the ghoul showed up in some crazy outfit, it wouldn't matter.

Hide quickly dressed, and ran a brush through his hair. Hmm. He'd have to get it touched up again, soon. Posing in the mirror, he felt his confidence boost. He let his jitters propel him out the door and down the street. It only took him about thirty seconds before he realized he'd forgotten his shoes.

oOo

"Hi! It's so nice to- ah, no…" Hide grimaced as he followed the directions on his phone, looking up at a street sign. Not that far away now. He needed to figure out what to say, and not sound like a dork. Worst case, he got tongue tied or something. Eyepatch wouldn't care, right? Maybe he'd see it as endearing. This date wasn't that big of a deal, haha. Just… going to meet his ghoul soulmate. In an unfamiliar situation.

With no quinque.

No way to contact headquarters.

He hadn't told anyone where he'd gone. If he disappeared…

No. Oh God, how dare he. How dare he assume Eyepatch would put him in any danger! What was wrong with him? He'd never been a pessimistic person- why did he have such a glum feeling? All day, he'd been bringing himself down.

"Mm. It's… happiness, or something like that. Haven't felt it in a while."

Oh. Maybe… maybe it was because his soulmate wasn't a particularly cheerful person? Oh, man. He'd have to work even harder to send his positivity through their bond, then! He put a bit more pep into his step as he made the last turn onto the right street. Anteiku, straight ahead. His soulmate, straight ahead. He let his face split into a grin. He felt a lot better now that he understood, though he should probably still do some research into all the effects. Next stop, the library!

He was assaulted with the smell of coffee as he pushed open the door, and he stopped in the entryway to take it in. It smelled really nice, and familiar. He surveyed the tables, and something drew him to one by the window, small and set for two. He felt a slight pull in his chest. Hmm. He looked behind him- he'd taken the seat facing away from the door- to see his soulmate walk into the shop. Ah. That pull- he was looking for Hide! Eyepatch's head turned in his direction, and he waved happily. The smile that spread across his face warmed Hide's heart. Someone stopped Eyepatch on the way over, and he waved them off with a laugh. The waitress seemed taken aback by his attitude. She followed him over, arms crossed.

"Hide! You made it." Eyepatch slid into the seat across from Hide, and the waitress stood behind him. Her eyes were searing.

"Would you like to order?" She asked, and her expression seemed to dare Hide to do so. That voice… sounded awfully familiar…

"I'll take my regular. Hide?" Eyepatch answered, and Hide turned to him. The gears in his head were still working.

"Vanilla latte?" His eyes darted back to the waitress, and she nodded in confirmation. She still looked a little angry.

"That will be right out." She tossed one look over her shoulder as she left, and Hide started. Here he was on a date, and still Investigating. He couldn't help that he was trained to find ghouls, though. And they seemed to want to come to him!

His soulmate smiled ruefully, probably aware that he'd had a little epiphany. "You can ask me, you know. I can see it in your face."

"Is this a ghoul cafe?" He asked, before he could stop himself. They'd heard of ghoul hotspots, and had a few ideas as to where they might be. Anteiku wasn't even on their radar, though coffee shops were common guesses.

"Yes. When I suggested it, I didn't even realize… well, at any rate, know that you're not in any danger. I'm the most dangerous one here. Well, second… I think." Eyepatch shrugged, and Hide looked at all the patrons, then, the servers. Everything seemed normal. "This is a safe place. For humans, and ghouls."

Hide nodded, satisfied. "I'll keep this to myself, obviously. Oh, and our waitress-"

"We've met before, if you were wondering. Don't go saying our names out loud, Dove." The waitress interjected, setting their drinks down in front of them.

Eyepatch rolled his eyes. "Behave, Touka. He wouldn't do anything to put us in jeopardy."

"Oh, you mean other than existing? You might be a bit biased, Kaneki." Touka huffed. Hide looked between the two of them. Then, he realized what she had said. Kaneki. He knew his soulmate's name, now. Thank God, it would have been embarrassing to call him Eyepatch.

"Do you honestly think I would bring him here if I thought it would hurt any one of us? He's my soulmate. He has to be a part of my life." Kaneki reminded her gently, and Hide nearly melted. Hearing it out loud was kind of reassuring.

"So you might as well start working for the CCG!" Before Kaneki could reply, Touka stalked off, and he sighed.

"Sorry about her. She doesn't take kindly to strangers." He said, wrapping his fingers around his cup. He brought it up to his face, and closed his eyes.

"You called me your soulmate." Hide said dreamily, and Kaneki smiled. He took a deep breath through his nose.

"That's what you are, aren't you?" Hide nodded, before he remembered that Kaneki's eyes were closed.

"Kaneki." He tried, and the ghoul opened his eyes. Ooh, he liked saying it. A lot.

"Yes, Hide?"

"This is nice." Hide reached for his own cup, and mirrored Kaneki.

"Yes, it is."