"This isn't a date..." Kaneki softly reminded himself, in order to pacify his racing heart. He almost succeeds in calming down, until the table vibrates under his drumming fingers. His eyes dart to his phone, and he can't help but smile at the text.
Hide: hey, almost there if u havnt ordered yet pls pls pls get me a coffee with like six maybe seven sugars and alot of cream ok tysm xxx
Ugh, Hide had atrocious texting habits, but Kaneki warms at the digital kisses tagged on to the end, then stops himself. Not a date. Right. Hide was just a very loving person, very outgoing, almost no boundaries or respect for them. Kaneki shook his head, then signaled a waitress over. Hmm, she must have just started working. Kaneki tries to be pleasant when ordering, but his people skills are so out of practice, he thinks he must have come across as rude, or at least disinterested. He bit down his apology, though, as she whisked away to fetch the drinks.
With his task out of the way, Kaneki's mind wanders back to Hide. It's done a lot of that lately, and the way the blonde had latched on to him helped nothing. The half-ghoul had managed to scrounge up enough courage after his latest show, last weekend (and no he hadn't searched for Hide's face in the crowd, pshhhh) to text his- friend? acquaintance?-, and Hide hadn't stopped since. Every once in a while, over the course of the week, his studying or the like would be interrupted by Hide, with the most random-est things-
Hide: watching this tv show. do u watch tv? u need to watch this it is like so good u won't even believe bro
Hide: had to make own coffee this morning, nothing tastes as good as Anteiku omg esp not the crap that i make
Hide: passed by a bookstore on a walk. thought of u, big nerd. also i think ur book made me change my outlook on life. i feel rly cynical lol what have u done
Although he felt like he could write a biography on Hide, the blonde knew next to nothing about him, giving him a bit of a guilty, leaden feeling. He didn't want to burden Hide, but at the same time he knew he was being selfish. Hide knew basically his address and a bit about his childhood, which Hide thankfully didn't pity him for. The bell over the door announced Hide's presence before Kaneki smelled him, and no, that wasn't creepy at all. Hide bounces over to their table, sliding into the chair across from him. Hide had a very distinct scent, almost floral, but nice. In a totally, not-food way, of course.
"Boy, am I glad it's Friday, Kaneki!" He nearly shouts, but smiles sheepishly at a few patrons' sharp looks.
"Hard week?" Kaneki asked, passing him his (disgusting) coffee that had been delivered a few moments earlier. Hide grinned in thanks and brought the cup up to his mouth to blow on it a few times.
"Not really, it just went really slow for me. I've been distracted lately." The look that Hide gave him made Kaneki feel kind of nervous. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Touka with rolls of posters in her hand. Oh, right, they had a gig tomorrow. He was going to ask Hide to hang out, and his mood soured a bit as Hide shot straight up.
"Are those...?" Hide whispered excitedly, and Kaneki reluctantly turned to where the blonde was pointing. Yep, those were his posters, and as Touka stapled the last one up, she gave him an annoyingly knowing look. And he thought she was on his side. Before he could protest, Hide had pulled him up out of the chair and from the table, to the back wall. Kaneki thinks he might trip Touka during one of her solos tomorrow night, listening to Hide gush about 20th Ward was beginning to grate on the half-ghoul's nerves.
"Sorry, man, but these tickets go surprisingly fast, and they're always so randomly announced! It's part of the gimmick, I think." Hide said, punching numbers into his phone. The ticket selling was a gimmick, not that he could tell Hide, one could only buy a ticket after putting in a series of numbers found on one of five posters. It was the manager's idea, although it made it unnecessarily difficult to attend a live show. Thank god for Youtube.
"Hey... do you, uh, wanna come with me? I think you'd like it." Hide said, not taking his eyes off of his phone, but Kaneki thought he saw his cheeks darken a bit. Holy crap was Hide asking him out on a date that he couldn't go on because Hide was going to see him perform. What.
"I'm sorry, Hide. I'm busy tomorrow." And that wasn't a lie- they would be setting up from morning up to the actual concert.
"It's at night, and we only have to stay for like, one song. I really just wanna see Shiro, I mean, I have the CD, so-"
"No thank you, Hide." Kaneki felt like he sounded a bit harsh, but he couldn't help it. That sentence confirmed his worst nightmares- Hide was a Shiro fanboy. Fuck, fuck, fuck. How was he supposed to compete with himself, especially when Shiro was at least a thousand times cooler, calmer, better than him. He still feels like shit for shutting down Hide like that, though, so as they walk back to the table, he breaks the tense silence.
"Hide, maybe we could listen to the CD some other time. It'd be like the concert, without the crowd. And screaming." Hide looked at him doubtfully, visibly mulling it over.
"Well, you do have a point. It isn't the best place to take a- someone." Hide amended as they sat back down, coffee now cool enough to drink. As they finish their coffee, shooting small smiles at each other, Kaneki keeps an ear on the TV playing in the background. The news switches on, and both he and Hide look up to watch.
"This just in, the CCG is announcing another rise in price of synthetic meat, due to a handful of the factories being mysteriously attacked by a band of rogue ghouls. We have a statement from the manager and co-founder of the company who manufactures the meat." The perky blonde news reporter says, and Kaneki's heart sinks into his stomach. A few of the ghouls around the table directly under the TV groan in annoyance, and one of them bangs his fist on the table angrily. They manage to quiet in order to hear Yoshimura, the manager, speak.
"It saddens me to think that individuals want things to return to darker times, times before we thought coexistence could be possible. I was there, hiding in the shadows, struggling to survive in the human world. And now, with the CCG supporting ghoul's rights and my own company, I am seeing my dream of my daughter growing up without hiding or being hunted come true. I do not want that dream to be tainted by ghouls or humans that have malicious or destructive intent. I only hope that the doves will be able to find and stop those who wish to put a blemish on this peaceful era. Thank you." The manager's kind face disappeared from the screen, replaced by the anchor. Hide whistled lowly as a wide shot of the area scrolled across.
"Man, they must have been angry. And there must have been a lot of them, too."
"I can't believe there are ghouls out there who... want to be treated like monsters," Kaneki said, drawing his eyebrows together. Hide nodded, looking pensive.
"It must be hard enough as it is now, let alone what it must have been like," and, apparently seeing something in Kaneki's face, tacked this on. "You're so brave, Kaneki. You know that, right?" The half-ghoul flushed, both at the compliment and what it implied.
"It's cool, Kaneki. I figured it out. And I can also tell you don't think very highly of yourself. That's not cool, man. We're gonna have to work on that." Hide reprimanded, reaching over to pat Kaneki's clenched hand. Kaneki remained frozen, despite the broiling heat in his face and in his heart, as Hide downed his coffee and reminded him to text before he left. Kaneki sat there for a while, thinking... Was Hide worth it?
The sun hit his face as he walked outside, and Kaneki looked up. Yeah, he needed a little more sun in his life.
oOo
The next day, Kaneki left his house before the sun rose, cheap cup of gas station coffee in his hands. He input the venue's address into his phone with one hand, thankful that it wasn't a super long walk. Even with the coffee cup transmitting a bit of heat to his fingers, the morning air still nipped at his ears and nose, prompting him to walk a bit faster than usual.
When he arrived, Banjou and Nishiki were already hard at work, moving the amplifiers to their marked places up on stage. Taking one more pull out of his cup, Kaneki set it aside and went to go grab the instruments and hook them up. He was still groggy, but he had managed to go to sleep early enough, no thanks owed to Hide, who live-texted him through a marathon of that show that he liked so much, "as penance for the Takatsuki book.". He checked the strings on both Touka's guitar and Nishiki's, thankfully in place, in tune, and uncut. The door creaked open again, and Kaneki turned to see Touka and Rize walk through it. Judging by the look on Touka's face, the manager had been talking her ear off, as she was prone to do.
"Now, Touka-chan, I'd like to advise you to be more punctual, like your friends here!" Behind Rize's back, Touka mimed choking her out, and Kaneki couldn't turn his head away fast enough to hide his grin.
"Ah, Kaneki-kun, happy to see me, as always! What was so pressing that you had to change your concert dates to weekends and holidays only, hmm?" It was impossible to miss the sugary-sweet malice in her tone. However, Kaneki was at work, which meant that he was brave, controlled.
"I need time to focus on my studies, Rize-san. Touka and Nishiki would benefit as well from the change." Kaneki answered, placing the instruments on their stands.
"But Kaneki-kun," she faux-whined, coming over to slide her hands over his shoulders. "You already refuse to tour, and you just now started selling CDs. How am I, as your loving manager, to allow such a drastic change in your work schedule?" Kaneki tried to suppress his shiver as her words blew air into his ear, steeling his nerves. Touka spoke for him, drawing Rize's attention to her.
"I'm only in high school, and even though Kaneki and Nishiki are in college, we all need to graduate with good grades to get more financially stable jobs. We would be able to pay you more, and even do a tour. But we need our education first." Ah, appealing directly to Rize's gluttonous nature. Smart, Touka. Currently, Uta and Yomo were able to pitch in once and a while, and Touka and Banjou both had part time jobs, but they weren't bringing in enough cash to satisfy her, really.
Her cool fingers released their grip on Kaneki, and he was able to breathe normally again. They all watched warily as she tapped her lips with one finger, thinking.
"Fine. But we have to make more merchandise to sell to make up for this, Kaneki-kun. Remember, I only have your best interests in mind! And I'm going to need the pitches for the accessories tonight, before you all perform. Good luck. I'll be watching." Her tone left no room for negotiation, and the implied threat paired with her wide, toothy grin would have stopped them from arguing anyway.
Rize flipped her long, purple hair back over her shoulders, strutting towards the door. Before she left, she offered one final comment, sweeping the room with her mischievous eyes. "By the way, we're already sold out for tonight! So extra good luck!"
And with that, she was gone.
"God, she's a fucking nightmare." Nishiki said, grunting as he helped Banjou lift his drums onstage. Banjou glared a bit, but really couldn't protest. Despite his crush on the woman, he couldn't deny her faults. Touka nearly ripped her jacket off, setting it by Kaneki's coffee.
"She's the worst thing that ever happened to 20th Ward. Literally. Nishiki was doing just fine as our manager, she's just a cash obsessed bi-" Touka ranted, but Nishiki cut her off.
"Why, was that an almost-compliment, Touka?" He leered, and she rounded on him, pausing on her way to assist Kaneki.
"So help me, damn Nishiki, I will cut the strings on your bass-"
"Oh, now you're threatening to sabotage everyone, really smart thing to-
"Shut the hell up before I come over there and-
"And what? I could beat you blindfolded, you-"
"Alright!" Kaneki yelled, and Banjou started laughing so hard, tears streamed from his eyes.
"God, I love this job," he managed to get out, leaning on his drum kit to remain standing. Kaneki smiled tersely, shaking his head. Touka finally came over to help him, and he had to swat her hands away from Nishiki's guitar multiple times, persuading her to check the sound system instead. She grumbled, making one last swipe for the bass, and Kaneki smacked her forehead.
oOo
Hide laughed triumphantly as he ran up to the old warehouse, parking lot completely empty. Four hours early was apparently enough time to get good seats, and a good view of the stage. Though, for some reason, he felt a bit less excited than usual, and he suddenly registered that he was lonely. Ah, he wanted Kaneki here with him, and even the thought of seeing Shiro couldn't quite quell the feeling. He was sort of shocked by the realization. Huh. Oh, well scratch being the only one. A well dressed man was hanging out by the doors, sticking out like a sore thumb.
Oh.
Oh no.
A chill ran down his spine as he recognized Tsukiyama Shuu, the purple weirdo that always hung around, stalking 20th Ward. In a really creepy, hostile way, not the normal teenage girl way. However, he couldn't slow himself as he entered the ghoul's line of sight, not liking the way his eyes lit up. Hide was suddenly struck by inspiration, and his hand shot to the recorder he always kept on him. Would Tsukiyama know anything personal about Shiro? About the band? A feeling like cold water washed over him as Hide actually thought about it. Asking a creep for a statement, that was really low. And kind of wrong. Shamefully, Hide watched as Tsukiyama merely grinned at him, then walked the other direction, disappearing into the darkness. Ugh.
Hide tentatively opened the doors of the warehouse, ticket in his pocket feeling heavy. Was he even supposed to be in here? Well, obviously not, this building was targeted for demolition, but the dark, abandoned venue added to the atmosphere. He looked around inside, wondering how close he could actually stand to the stage, when he noticed someone on it. No. No, not someone. Holy fucking shit, it was Shiro. Hide felt his mouth fall open, midstep, and the ghoul turned, as if sensing him. Hhhh. He seemed to freeze, before jumping right of the stage like some sort of predatory cat, oh God. Hide took a moment to let it sink in as Shiro walked towards him, the white hair, the patterned eyepatch, the leather holy shit.
Shiro's steely gray eye is judging and cold, and it makes Hide feel like he is being seared from the inside, and also, somehow strikes him as vaguely familiar.
"You're a bit early, aren't you?" Shiro's voice is smooth, and it washes over Hide like rain. His mouth moves and no sound comes out, cmon Hideyoshi get it together man.
"I'm, uh, a big fan!" He squeaked, and inwardly cringed at how immature he sounded. A smirk played at Shiro's pale lips, eye glinting with humor.
"Hello, big fan, I'm Shiro. Thank you for coming tonight." Shiro reaches out a hand, and it takes Hide a moment to realize that he's supposed to shake it. Hide, face probably as red as a tomato, takes his hand with trembling fingers.
"You can let go now." Shiro prompted, still teasing, and Hide jerked his hand back. Oh god, he just held it, didn't shake or anything, Shiro must think he's an idiot-
"Hmm, I can see that you're uncomfortable, so I'll just go back to fixing that speaker. It and Orochi's foot got a bit too friendly, and now it has to be hooked up just right to function." Shiro laughs, preparing to turn away, before a call from the back caught both of their attention.
"Shiro, Usagi and Orochi are- ow, hell- trying to break more stuff back here!" They heard Ri-da's desperate plea for help, and Hide bathed in the laugh that rang out of the ghoul, just as musical as his singing voice. Oh dear, Hide thought he might be in love.
"Let me go take care of that. Oh, and here-" Shiro tossed him a black bracket with 20th Ward engraved on it in red. Sweet. "I think my biggest fan deserves some early release merchandise. Spread the word, show it off." Shiro, without a wave or a backward glance, walked away. Hide held the bracelet carefully, slipping it on with pride. Shiro's biggest fan. Oh, man, if only Kaneki were here- oh! Pulling out his phone, the blonde's fingers flew over the keys, bragging about his new accessory, and preening about his meeting with the infamous Shiro. Satisfied with the text, Hide settled in for the wait.
oOo
"Oh my god you're an idiot!" Kaneki said vehemently into the mirror, once he was alone in his dressing room. He had managed to settle another one of his friends' disputes, and eased Banjou's fear of more damage by setting them apart from each other for the remainder of backstage-time. But then, oh god, he'd stalked off to his room, and the gravity of what'd he'd done sunk in with the text from Hide.
What if Hide had noticed?
Would he be angry? Upset? Disappointed? Or worst of all, would he begin to idolize and objectify Kaneki, once he found out?
The thoughts sank like stones in the half-ghoul's gut, making him feel unusually weighted down. No matter what, he didn't want to lose Hide. Despite them having nearly nothing in common, unlike his band mates, Hide had shown him nothing but kindness from the beginning. He heard his door click open, and he jerked back from the mirror, standing up straight. Touka raised one eyebrow, softly shutting the door behind her. She slid her mask down to her neck, and adjusted her wig.
"Why are you acting all suspicious? And what was taking you so long, huh?" As usual, she got right to the point, and of course she would know something was up. She had known him for years.
"H-Hide is out there, right now, and he's going to be able to see me up close oh my god-"
Touka looks unimpressed. "He's probably been in the audience for a bunch of shows, Kaneki. And besides, he won't know it's you, right?" He flails his hands a bit.
"That's besides the point! I'll know. And he glorifies me, Touka! You should have heard him-"
"You talked to him? Like, just now?" Kaneki closed his mouth, balling his hands at his sides.
"Oh my god, you did, you royal fuck up."
"Touka, he came in while I was fixing the speaker! I just couldn't keep myself away from him!" Touka's lips twitched down into a frown as Banjou and Nishiki trudged through his door. The latter came over and smacked him upside the head, nearly earning a much harder slap from Touka.
"Stop panicking, eat something, and warm up. People are gonna start filing in, and we gotta shut the fuck up, alright?" He said, turning to exit. Banjou crossed his arms.
"Now, Nishiki, that's no way to treat poor Kaneki! He can't help being in love more than either you or I can!"
Kaneki choked on his own spit as Touka started howling in laughter, trying to mask the sound by clapping both hands over her mouth. Nishiki looked somewhat disgusted, but he had no room to judge, really. Kaneki, unable to work his mouth or voice, simply pointed a shaking finger to the door. Touka patted him on the shoulder, still chuckling, and drug the rest of the band out. He checked the mirror one last time. His eye was wide, and his cheeks were flushed. He looked like a mess.
He was definitely in love.
oOo
The concert went fine, and Kaneki was mostly successful at keeping his eyes from locking on the blonde in the front row. He went back to his dressing room and changed into a dark hoodie and jeans, preparing to mingle with the crowd. Sometimes, on particularly stressful nights, he liked to listen to what the fans had to say, indirectly, of course. It wasn't really eavesdropping. Okay, yeah, it was, and it was a little weird, but it was pretty much the only way Kaneki could get close to the audience without them literally swarming him.
"Usagi seemed particularly cheerful tonight! She makes me so happy, so I'm glad she's happy, you know?" A girl wearing bunny ears a ways in front of him said emphatically to her friend.
"Ah, of course! And if she really is in high school, I hope she does well on her exams!" she replied, nodding. Kaneki smiled to himself.
"Good luck, Usagi!" The other one said, and they both laughed. He'd make sure to tell Touka for them. Two little boys with their father caught his ear next, and while children at his shows weren't uncommon, it still made him a bit uncomfortable.
"Dad, I want to learn the drums. Can I learn the drums?" one of them said, tugging on his hand. The dad laughed, tugging back.
"Sure, but only if your brother can play with you." The little boys face soured, and Kaneki had to stifle a grin. How cute.
"Besides, I'm the big and strong one, I should get the drums." The boy on the other side said, looking over to grin at his brother. They were about 10, probably, and he's already influenced them. Precious.
"Fine, I like snakes more anyway. Hey, Dad, can I learn the guitar?" Kaneki shook his head and moved on, spirits already lifted. He looked at his feet and thought about how much he loved doing this. Hmm. Would it be worth it to lose this for Hide? For, admittedly, if not love, than even just his friendship? He bumped into someone, lost in thought, and nearly sent them to the floor. He shot out his arm and caught them, though, and hauled them back up.
"Jeez, thanks man, seems like I can't text and walk at the same time, huh?" Hide said, waving his phone. His grin slipped, however, when he caught sight of who was under the hood. Kaneki paled. Oh shit.
"Shiro? Oh my God, I am so sorry-" his voice was just above a whisper, and Kaneki's hand released Hide's arm like it was on fire.
"No problem, just watch where you're going, big fan." He tried his hardest to make his voice playful, and cool, but he could physically feel the tension behind his words. "Did you like the show?"
"Oh, uh, yeah! It was really something to be that close to the front. Guess showing up early does have its perks." Hide was nervous, Kaneki intimidated him! Or, well. Shiro did, he supposed, but still. It bothered him.
"Hey, is everything alright? You just seem kind of... Ah, I know you're not big on sharing-" Hide's hand twitched in his pocket, seemingly gripping something, but he slipped his hand out, rubbing the back of his head. Damn it, Hide was being insufferably adorable and personable, and he always seemed to be able to draw Kaneki out of his beloved shell.
"No, you're right. I don't like to share personal stuff, I feel like it'd be too much of a burden on my friends and family. I want to protect others and myself from all the stipulations that come with being famous. It's kind of scary, sometimes, that's all- what could happen..." Hide looked shocked for a moment, then kind of sad.
"You're just like everyone else." He said, and even though it wasn't a question, Kaneki answered, surprised.
"Of course. I'm just... me." He was relieved to hear Hide say something like that, but had he just lost a fan? And would Hide say anything? To anyone? Hide nodded, pursing his lips, and then... then he grinned. It was such a drastic change that Kaneki almost got whiplash, almost grinned back, and he reminded himself that he was Shiro right now, and even though the crowd was mostly nonexistent at this point, he still had to be careful. Cool. Collected.
"Thank you for your time, Shiro. I have something I need to do~" Hide sang, and Kaneki watched, perplexed and amused, as he nearly skipped to the door. Oh, Hide...
oOo
Shiro the rockstar was no more. At least, in Hide's mind. He was just a guy, like any other, just a bit more... exciting? He couldn't believe that he spent the better part of two years putting the singer up on a pedestal, untouchable, incomparable. It had blinded him, biased him. Hide's pulse pounded as he ran down the sidewalk in the dark, uncaring of judgemental gazes. He had somewhere to be, someone to see. Oh, that rhymed! Hide laughed joyously coming up to the familiar address, even though he hadn't actually been there before.
He flew up the stairs and skidded down the row of doors until he got the right number. Even though it was late at night, he knew that Kaneki was a study-bug, and they had an Asian History test Monday. And even though he was in a later class than Hide, he would be cramming for it up until the actual test. Silly Kaneki. Silly, wonderful, lovely Kaneki. Hide's chest was heaving as he rapped on the door three times, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He waited for at least five minutes, groaning when he realized that Kaneki wasn't home after all. He pulled out his phone and tapped out semi-aggro messages for his friend, beginning his long walk home.
Hide: kaneki. bro. when u said u had stuff 2 do. u meant it. im at ur apt and ur not home and its cold and i am sad.
Hide: anyway, this aside, my night was gr8, no thx to u, bet u wish u coulda gone, u will never believe what happened.
Hide: i met shiro, ok, and learned a very important lesson.
...
...
Hide: there are more important things 2 chase than a man who hides behind a mask. don't 4get our date tomorrow. ill meet you at anteiku around noonish k? see you then. xxxoxoxox
Bonus 2- Nishiki
Kimi's fingers waved in front of his face, and his eyes came back into focus.
"Hey, were you even listening?" she pouted, her bottom lip pushing out. He wanted to take it between his teeth, and-
Ah, no, he was getting distracted again. Nishiki was a man with a mission, a regretful objective for tonight, one that had been a long time coming. But it still hurt. Dammit, when had he gotten so attached? He knew that he'd have to leave Kimi sooner or later, before she left him, to save him the insult on top of his injury. Thankfully, it was the early morning, before class, and they were out for coffee, just like any other day. Nishiki wished he could delude himself forever, live in the beautiful fantasy he'd created with Kimi. But dreams never came true, not in the fucked up world he lived in.
And it was happening tonight, unless, by some miracle or divine intervention, their fates were destined to remain intertwined. But who was he kidding. He was a monster. And she deserved better.
"Kimi, love, I have to get to class. I'll pick you up, though, for dinner. We'll go out." Kimi grinned, and nodded, moving for her purse, but Nishiki was faster. He always paid. But she always stayed behind to thank the workers. She was so lovely, so sweet, but was she sweet enough to accept a ghoul? He sighed. He'd left his wallet in the car. Leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek, he promised he'd be back. She blushed as he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, and he wished that he could freeze time.
oOo
Kimi knew something was up. Nishiki was one, acting sweeter than normal to her, and two, acting bitchier to others than normal. Hmm. The young waiter that had been serving them, bless him, must have been a first time employee, judging by the way his hands shook and his eyes darted anywhere but to hers. Cute.
"Thank you for serving us today! What's your name, sweetie?" She asked, pulling out her wallet despite what Nishiki would say. He had his college to pay for, it wasn't as if two coffees were going to put her in debt.
"A-ah, I'm Kaneki, miss. Thank you for choosing Anteiku!" He sounded as if he was reading off of a script, but he did it well, so that someone who wasn't paying attention wouldn't have noticed. It seemed, thought that he had no people skills, so she wanted to keep him talking.
"Hmm, my boyfriend, the surly one with the glasses, did he seem off to you at all, Kaneki-kun?" The young waiter (although he was perhaps only two years younger than her, goodness), looked taken aback, then brushed his chin with one hand.
"...actually, I just started at University and I've seen him around. Nishiki Nishio, right?" At her nod, he continued. "Well, he didn't go to many of his classes yesterday, he was just kind of... loitering? And drinking Blondy, which is horrible, even for a college student, and especially for a ghoul. It tastes awful, I can't imagine why he was..."
Oh. Kimi was the one doing a double take this time, absentmindedly thanking Kaneki when he finished with his report. She made sure to tip him, and he scooted off just as Nishiki waltzed back through the door, hands in his pockets. Nishiki, a ghoul? Was that what he was hiding? Kimi mustered up a smile as he sat down, expecting a lecture when she admitted to paying herself. But he just smiled and shook his head, thanking her. Oh no. It was worse than him being a ghoul. He was breaking up with her. Because he was a ghoul. That wasn't gonna fly.
Later that evening, she made sure that she looked her best, ruby lips, dark eyes. The whole package. She wasn't going to let Nishiki go without a fight. What made it worse was that it was dinner, and, knowing him, he would eat something, just for show. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought of him being sick. Soon enough, they arrived at some uptown restaurant that one of her friends had raved about last week. He remembered.
"Are you ready to go in, or are you going to stay in the car all night?" Nishiki said, sounding almost hopeful at the thought of staying in here. Holy crap, this was happening, he was really doing it, he planned this, the bastard. She giggled, hiding her fear, and allowed him to help her out, clinging to him maybe just a bit too tightly. Inside, she tried to keep the atmosphere light, turning up her charm to at least over 9000. The date went smoothly enough, and Kimi could almost pretend that nothing was abnormal, nothing was wrong. But, as all good things did...
"Kimi." Nishiki said, and just his voice let her know what was happening. "I've been thinking..."
She bit her lip, reaching over to touch his hand, wincing as he pulled back.
"No, Nishiki. I already know. And I don't care." The hand balled into a fist.
"Wh-what, I-"
"And how dare you think you can just drop and leave me, silly! What don't you understand about unconditional love?" Kimi reached again, and traced her fingers over his cold hand. "I love you. So much."
"How, though? How?" he whispered, and her heart broke. What exactly had he been through?
"Because, we were made for each other? Um, destiny? I don't know myself, but I do know that the last thing I want is to lose you. So. There." Eyes lighting up like a match, he nearly leapt across the table to press his lips to her smile. His glasses were knocked out of place, and she laughed in the middle of their kiss, pulling back slightly to adjust them back.
"Thank you," Nishiki said, and she didn't think he meant the glasses.
oOo
"...so, in short, we owe our relationship to you, Kaneki-kun!" Kimi finished, Nishiki in disbelief beside her. Kaneki was completely flustered, clutching sheet music in his hands like lifelines. Nishiki had needed to get his guitar fixed up, so they had come up here together, only to find this sad sack at the register, buying music for God only knows why.
"You're welcome, I guess. Um, I think I'll pay for these and get out of here. M-maybe I'll see you two around." The dark-haired boy said, and the wavering of his voice made Nishiki kind of wanted to punch him.
"Oh, what are you doing, by the way?" Kimi asked, and he nudged her, trying to get her to leave the poor kid alone. He didn't need grief from a woman he barely knew.
"Oh, I'm... starting a band. And we need music. So, I..." Kaneki trails off, turning briefly to place the sheets on the counter, along with a book of music. Kimi shot him a mischievous look, one that had the hairs on the back of his neck standing.
"You know, Nishiki here plays the bass. If you need an extra member-" she started, but Nishiki hastily cut her off.
"No way am I joining a band, Kimi. Let alone..." his eyes, narrowed at his girlfriend, returned to the kid in front of them. He looked so hopeful. Oh, shit.
"Well, I mean. We could try, I guess. But this is just a trial, or sorts, and I probably won't stay or anything. I'm not big on permanence." Kaneki nodded twice, and at Kimi's insistence, gave them his number. As he left and they stepped forward to pay for his repairs, he couldn't help but scoff. Please, him in a band? As if.