Epilogue: Two Months Later

"Buonasera, my friends!" The greeting rang throughout the warehouse, echoing all the way to the high ceiling. Kaneki cringed, and Hide shot him a look from the stage, hands freezing in midair. His boyfriend was busy directing Nishiki and Banjou on stage-setup, while he and Touka checked the equipment. All of them looked to the door with equal measures of interest and trepidation. Tsukiyama had promised heavy paychecks to each of them, including Hide- who had become a sort of stage hand- along with some important news.

He was standing in the doorway, backlit by the early morning sunlight. His arms were spread, as if to embrace them, and his smile was borderline manic. Gaudy and ostentatious, the suit he was wearing probably turned a few heads on his way down to the location. His eyes flitted to each person in the room, and Kaneki signaled the others to gather around. When Tsukiyama was preoccupied with nearly staring a hole though Hide, Touka rolled her eyes and nudged Kaneki, conveying her disdain nonverbally. The half-ghoul sighed and smiled softly. He understood completely. The three men on the stage hopped off and joined the three on the ground, Hide stumbling a bit in his human lack of grace. Tsukiyama laughed.

"How very nice to meet you, Hide-kun! I trust that your salary will be well-deserved, and that I'm not paying for you and Kaneki-kun to flounce about, hmm?" He said, waving a hand between them. He stepped inside, closing the door with a flourish. Hide, bless him, nodded and held his tongue. Tsukiyama nodded as well and reached inside of his suit jacket. Out came five checks, each with substantial value, and Kaneki wondered briefly if he'd worked enough to earn his pay. At the last second, Tsukiyama drew them back, eyebrows raised. Nishiki fidgeted restlessly as Tsukiyama looked on, expression turning coy.

"Not so fast, mon pupée. Announcements first, and just so you know in advance, you can't refuse." His tone alone could send shivers up Kaneki's spine any day, could ring alarm bells in Kaneki's mind. He looked to his left quickly to glance at Hide, who, besides his unusual lack of color, seemed to be handling the situation rather admirably. His brown eyes were locked on Tsukiyama, who was now unrolling some sort of poster that he must have procured from his jacket. Taking a cue from his boyfriend, Kaneki focused on what his manager held out in front of him proudly.

The first thing that caught his eye was the large cursive M taking up the top part of the right side. The next thing, the date- just over a month from now. Kaneki paled at the wording written all across it as well- it was an advertisement for some underground competition that they were apparently supposed to take part in. His eyebrows lowered, and he looked from the poster to Tsukiyama, who was smiling pleasantly.

"So, what do you think? Not that your opinions particularly matter, haha. I'm just being courteous." Touka looked about ready to show him exactly what she thought, and Kaneki laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe you can explain yourself a bit, Tsukiyama-san? I think we're all a bit... shocked." Kaneki said, squeezing then releasing Touka's shoulder. She muttered something under her breath, that shocked was not the word she would have used, and he sighed. Tsukiyama handed the poster to Nishiki, who looked downright murderous, along with a small thumbtack. Hide, meanwhile, watched patiently, if not fearfully. Banjou was rubbing his fingers and thumb in a circular motion, in an effort to calm down. And Kaneki felt the urge to break one of his fingers, pretending that they belonged to Tsukiyama, knowing that his regenerative ability would mend it in no time.

Instead, he watched as Tsukiyama brushed his chin with his fingertips, tracing his jaw thoughtfully.

"Hmm, how's the best way to put this...? Well, to start, I am a prominent figure in illegal and/or competitive underground sport. This is one of my tamer ventures, I'll admit- say, would any of you be interested in a restaurant for ghouls?" Here, he paused for response, and his eyes lingered on the half-ghoul for a moment more than strictly necessary. Kaneki hoped that the disgusted expression on his face was answer enough. The other ghouls reacted much the same way, and Hide was almost as white as a sheet. Poor thing- Kaneki would take him out somewhere nice before the show. If it weren't for Kaneki insisting, he would've been sitting at home, probably watching awful cartoons.

"Alright then. As explanation for entering you in this competition, well. You refuse to tour. Your merchandise isn't selling enough. In short, you are not making me enough money. So, I've orchestrated this little stunt to get you a larger fan base, among other things." As usual, Tsukiyama left his true intentions unclear, though Kaneki gathered that they needed to do this or Tsukiyama would drop them. Among other things.

"No questions? Meraviglioso! I leave you to it, then. Arrivederci." With a final wave, Tsukiyama was out the door, leaving only his poster and the lingering pressure of his presence. They all released a breath collectively, and Nishiki dropped the poster on the ground and walked away, quickly walking up to the stage and to the back. He was probably going to call Kimi to rant. Touka huffed and went back to work, trying to distract herself. Banjou ran a hand through his hair, took a few breaths, and followed Touka's lead, returning to the stage. Hide and Kaneki's eyes met, and the blonde was by his side in an instant.

"Oh. My. God. Kaneki, he is so weird, oh my god, I thought he was gonna have me for breakfast with his overpriced imported European coffee! What was he even wearing, and is his hair dyed or was he just abnormal from birth, oh my god." Hide latched onto his arm, continuing to blab about his first meeting with the manager, as the half-ghoul continued to check equipment with Touka. She smiled a bit at Hide's exaggerations. The two had gotten a lot closer, and sometimes they even went out, just the two of them- to gossip about him, no doubt.

"Yeah, I regret ever having met him." Kaneki said, listening carefully to tune Nishiki's instrument. Touka nodded and brushed her bangs back, looking over their work. They were about done- if they could set it up quickly enough, Kaneki would have enough time to fetch something for Hide to eat and make it back in time to dress.

oOo

An hour or so later saw Kaneki and Hide walking up to a little diner that Kimi had suggested to Hide forever ago, that he had been eager to try since. They entered, and the smell of home-cooked meals turned Kaneki's stomach. Though he was more than used to it, he still felt a pang of longing for his human life, one where he could properly enjoy this date with Hide. He felt Hide's hand slip into his as they were taken to their seats. They remained clasped on the tabletop, earning a teasing smile from their waitress. Hide just smiled and ordered their drinks, a coke and a water, squeezing Kaneki's hand gently, reassuringly. She nodded and promised to be back, winking.

"So... the competition thing?" Hide asked carefully, quietly, turning Kaneki's hand over and beginning to trace patterns on his palm. Kaneki groaned when he remembered, but Hide was right- he needed to talk to someone about it so he didn't flop tonight onstage.

"Well, I'm worried, obviously. Ah, I remember when Rize was the worst thing that ever happened to us. I have no idea what Tsukiyama is planning, or thinking, and it sets me on edge." Kaneki said, using his free hand to hold his chin as he leaned forward on his elbow.

"I'm glad you can talk to me about this. Knowing you, you would keep this all to yourself, to not put any stress on the others. What's so scary about it? Maybe if you talk about it, it won't seem as bad." Kaneki rolled his eyes at the quip, and rubbed up the side of his face, over his eye, then dragged it downwards.

"Tsukiyama... is not... I don't know, he acts civilized, looks civilized, but underneath... he's an old age ghoul. Unpredictable, dangerous. Well, we're all dangerous... but he's like a brightly colored snake. It looks beautiful, and it draws you in, and the danger can excite you, sure. But one misstep, and..." Kaneki said, then stopped himself. "Sorry, I'm rambling." Hide shook his head, and opened his mouth to reply, but the waitress came back with their drinks, pen poised to take their order.

"Ah, I'm sorry! I haven't even looked at the menu... Wait, should I just get what Kimi suggested? Or-" Hide panicked, removing his hand from Kaneki's and pulling the menu up to his face. "Just a sec, please!" She looked to Kaneki, and he gave her an apologetic smile.

"Alright, yeah... I'll have this..." He pointed to the picture of some fancy Italian dish, unable to pronounce the name.

"I'm sorry, sir, but that's our dinner menu...?" She said, tilting her head and trying to quell her laughter. Kaneki chuckled, and hid his smile beneath his hand when Hide glared at him.

"Just get the cheeseburger, Hide. You love them to death. And it has like, four types of cheese on it." Kaneki offered, pointing to it on the other side of the menu. The waitress nodded, eager to get to the other patrons.

"There's a back?" Hide said incredulously, and Kaneki dropped his head onto the table, laughing boisterously. The waitress grinned and recorded the order, looking at Kaneki expectantly. He flushed.

"N-nothing for me, thanks." He always felt awkward, out of place, taking Hide out, though he'd never outwardly complain. And the look in the waitress' eyes made him feel like more of an outsider than usual. Without another word, she turned on her heel to hand in Hide's order. Hide huffed.

"You're a customer too. They could at least give you a smidge of respect."

"Hide, I ordered water, which is free. So I'm not actually even a customer. Maybe I should have gotten coffee?" Kaneki laid his head back down on the table, looking up at his boyfriend through his bangs. Hide poked his cheek and tsked.

"Still, you're sitting here, and you're paying."

"I'm paying?" Kaneki chucked, and Hide smiled cheekily.

"Besides, coffee would make you jittery tonight, and remember a few weeks ago? You nearly screwed up the lyrics to "Disabled Heart" and you've been doing it for three years." Kaneki raised his head and gazed fondly as Hide recounted a few more of his onstage mishaps.

"I love you." Kaneki almost sighed, and Hide paused mid-sentence. His brown eyes softened, and his grin fell into a gentler quirk of his lips. Kaneki turned his head back down into his arms, unable to take the pure adoration. He felt a soft hand ruffle his hair and then Hide's food was set on the table. Kaneki moved just enough to where he could offer his attention to Hide without exposing his nose to the acrid scent that the meal was giving off.

The half-ghoul took the rare moment of silence to appreciate Hide. He always knew how to make him laugh, make him relax, skills that he had always admired in the blonde. But now, they had a connection that could even be compared to Kimi and Nishiki. Half a year with Hide, and Kaneki already couldn't imagine life without him. The thought made his stomach drop.

Hide finished up quickly, and despite his protests that he was only kidding, Kaneki pulled out his wallet and paid the bill. Hide at least took the tip, as the waitress did nothing for him except bring him water, feed his boyfriend, and stereotype. They walked back to the warehouse, swinging their hands in between them. When they got back, Touka rushed Kaneki to his dressing room, griping about how he'd better be grateful she didn't come over and drag him back herself.

He was just finishing up, straightening the wig, the eyepatch, when Hide popped in.

"Yo. You still nervous?" Hide asked, coming over to rest his chin on the shorter's shoulder.

"Still? Hide, I'm never nervous." Hide rolled his eyes and turned his nose into Kaneki's cheek, giving him a smacking kiss.

"Of course, Shiro." Hide knew that he had long forgone the barrier between his personalities, allowing some crossing. He was able to hold down his new job in the music store, despite the sudden influx of customers. He could speak up in class without his voice shaking. And Shiro was a tad bit more reserved, and receptive to his fans.

Kaneki laughed and shrugged Hide off, wiping the wet spot on his face.

"Great. And now I'm gonna have to reapply my makeup."

"You look beautiful without the makeup, Kaneki." Hide said, and he brought his hands up to softly rub the half-ghoul's shoulders. Kaneki sighed humorously.

"Even so, I'll be as washed out as a ghost under those lights, you know." Kaneki rolled his head forward, exhaling as Hide's hands started to knead at his tired muscles.

"An attractive ghost. Ah, you may not be nervous, but you are stressed. You're so tense, babe." Kaneki mumbled in affirmation, and Hide coaxed him to rest on his little makeshift dresser.

"We have about two hours til you're due on stage. How's about we do a little de-stressing?" The tone in Hide's voice, playful and suggestive, had Kaneki shaking his head.

"And what would this de-stressing entail, Hide?" Kaneki asked, groaning when Hide hit a particularly tender spot. Hide just laughed, and leaned down to press feather-light kisses on his exposed neck.

"What do you think?"

oOo

The school year was almost over, and Hide wouldn't stop going on and on about what they could do once they were "free men". He would get this dreamy look in his eyes, and ramble about how he and Kaneki could run away to the beach, until the half-ghoul reminded them they had to return to resume their education. Sitting in Antieku, Hide suggested that they at least visit the beach.

"I wouldn't mind going with you." Kaneki acceded, and Hide grinned like a cat who had gotten the cream.

"Hehe, I can't wait to see you in a bathing suit~" Hide said, tracing the rim of his coffee cup with a finger. Kaneki rolled his eyes. "What? That's the sort of cliché stuff you say to your significant other when you go to the beach!"

"You watch way too much TV, Hide." Kaneki checked the time on his phone. Touka would get off in about 30 more minutes, and then they could go see that new film... and then they needed to practice their set for that stupid competition. It was fast approaching, and when Tsukiyama had said in passing that it was "quite cutthroat" he meant it literally. Band members had been harmed or even mortally wounded in this thing, because there was apparently a huge payout for the winning team. Nishiki, who was seated at the table nearest to theirs, began to raise his voice in an argument with his girlfriend. Oh, wait. Fiancé, now.

"Kimi, let me put you through the rest of your college! All of my classes are paid for-"

"Liar! I can take care of myself, you know. I may be human, but I'm resourceful."

"Resou- what does that even mean? And if you could see my paycheck from the-"

"I don't want your money. The best thing you can do for me now is pray I'll pass my finals."

"Oh, you'll pass them, you've been studying so hard- Hey, don't change the subject. We can compromise? Half of your classes, paid for."

"How about none?"

"Kimi."

They looked too busy to join them today. As they waved their hands around, trying to reach some sort of middle ground, the matching gold bands on their fingers flashed in tandem. Even when they fought, they were synchronized. Kaneki felt something like envy suddenly shoot through him, and his eyes flickered to Hide, whose attention was focused on the TV mounted on the wall. He felt his cheeks heat up. He shouldn't be jealous of his friends' happiness. He was more than happy.

It wasn't their happiness he was jealous of, though. Was it? Hide turned his head and caught Kaneki staring, shooting him a teasing smile. He brought up his left hand, the one that wasn't supporting his weight as he leaned back on the table, to blow him a kiss, and Kaneki imagined, for just a second, what it would be like to marry his boyfriend.

He couldn't think of a single downside.

Kaneki smiled and pretended to catch Hide's kiss, tossing it away. Hide pouted, glaring at Kaneki, and his eyes returned to the television. The half-ghoul was about to remind Hide the he's probably already hit his TV quota for today, when a special news report flashed onto the screen.

"This just in- the rogue ghouls responsible for the string of attacks on multiple ghoul-integration and ghoul-assistance associations and industries have finally been apprehended. Reports say that the group is named Aogiri Tree and a few members may have escaped during the confrontation at their base.

Please, keep your eyes out for suspicious characters and call the CCG if you think you may be in danger. The Doves recommend that you travel in pairs or groups, three humans together or one human and one ghoul. Ghouls of Tokyo, do not engage the rogues. We are civilized, we have order, and now we have the upper hand, the CCG repeats, do not engage. We will now return you to your regularly scheduled programming."

The café was silent for nearly thirty seconds, before erupting back into chatter. Touka came over under the guise of clearing their table, and Nishiki and Kimi had their heads close together, whispering.

"Do not engage. What, do they think we're wild animals or something? Jeez." She grumbled, picking up Kaneki's empty cup. "You need a refill?"

"No, we're leaving as soon as your shift's up remember?" Kaneki said. Hide nodded.

"Oh man, this movie's supposed to be so good! It has a bit of everything- romance, comedy, sci-fi-"

"That sounds like a train wreck to me." Touka said, smirking at Hide's crestfallen expression. Suddenly, a girl with bobbed, hazelnut hair approached Touka from behind.

"Excuse me, but I heard your shift was ending? And I wanted to thank you for your excellent service before you left! You're so efficient, and great at latte art! I wish I could make coffee, you know, but my skills lie in food, not drinks. Hey, don't we have some classes together?" She said, and Touka froze up completely. Kaneki stared as red creeped into Touka's cheeks, something he'd never thought he'd live to see.

"Um. Thank you, and y-yes. We do have classes together. Have a nice day." Touka mumbled, not turning to face the girl. Satisfied anyway, she grinned and nodded.

"Oh, I hope to see you in class, then! Bye-bye." With a wave, she returned to her table, sipping from her latte. Kaneki looked Touka in the eyes, and she averted them. Wow.

"You totally should go talk to her." Hide whispered loudly, and her eyebrows drew together, making her look angry and conflicted.

"Oh, what would you know." She snapped, and Hide gestured to Kaneki.

"Hey, maybe you should go spill coffee on her." The blonde suggested, completely serious.

"Hide, no."

"It worked for me."

"Hide, no."

"Ooh, I know! Spill the coffee, and then ask her out to the movies with us!"

"No, Hide!" Kaneki said, exasperated, and Touka laughed nervously. "Don't give her third degree burns. That only works if the person who you spill literally boiling hot bean water on, Hide, is a ghoul who can heal abnormally well. Humans would not be as receptive. You should ask her out with us, though. She seems to like you."

"I... I don't know. She's so nice, and I'm..." Touka muttered, setting her tray on the table and leaning down to talk to them better.

"Touka! You are a wonderful person!" Hide cried, and she blushed again, pursing her lips.

"No, no, you know how I can be-"

"Yeah, but she talked to you. Anyone with eyes and a heart can understand that you are more than your anger, Touka." Hide said, and Touka looked at him, eyes shimmering. Then she blinked, and the moment was over. Kaneki smiled to himself. Touka would be the best man, Nishiki and Banjou be damned.

"Okay, okay. I'll try, when my shift is up. I'll ask her to come with us, but if she says no-"

"Then she says no, Touka. But you won't know unless you try, and isn't it better to have an answer rather than to live the rest of your life in the shadow of doubt?" Kaneki butted in, holding up a single finger.

"Oh, shut it, nerd." Touka said, but she ruffled his hair and picked up her tray. "I'm gonna clean up and change... and then talk to her." Both men smiled and encouraged her, shooing her away.

"That's nice. I'm glad Touka is branching out." Kaneki said happily, standing and stretching his arms above his head. "Thank you, by the way."

"Thanks for what? I didn't say anything that wasn't true." Hide replied, pushing his and Kaneki's chairs in.

"No..." Kaneki paused a moment, until he felt the warm pressure of Hide's hand in his. "If it weren't for you, you know, everything would be different. Without you, I'd..."

"Well, you're not without me. And you'll never be, as long as you want me~" Hide said, escorting Kaneki to the door.

"You'd better be ready to buckle in, cause I'm counting on forever." Kaneki said quietly, but Hide heard him and laughed. The blonde bumped his shoulder.

"Well, in the words of the most beautiful, talented, and amazing artist on the planet, excluding you, of course, if you like it, you should put a ring on it, babe." Hide said cheekily, and Kaneki nearly tripped on their way out the door. They stood outside, enjoying the sun for a moment while they waited on Touka.

"Hide, were you-"

"Serious? Completely."

Kaneki inhaled sharply as Touka popped out the door, in casual clothes and the girl from before in tow.

"And this is my best friend, Kaneki, and his boyfriend, Hideyoshi. Oh, call him Hide. Guys, this is Yoriko-chan. She's coming to see the movie with us." Hide raised his eyebrows at Touka's tone, daring him to say something so she could punch his lights out.

"Yeah! I've wanted to see it for a while, but never found time. But since Touka-chan asked me, I'm glad I waited." Yoriko said, nodded to Hide and Kaneki.

"Nice to meet you." They said in unison, and Yoriko laughed.

"You two are adorable." She cooed, and then pointed in the direction of the movie theater. "On we go!"

She took Touka's hand, who went red and stumbled behind her. Yoriko ran and Touka tried to keep up, leaving Hide and Kaneki, nearly doubled over in laughter, in their dust.

"Should we follow them?" Hide asked, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"I don't know. We should let Touka have this one. Plus, I'd kind of like to enjoy the sunshine before it gets unbearably hot." Kaneki answered, turning his face up into the light.

"There's that park by your apartment." Hide suggested, twining their fingers. Kaneki nodded, and they started in that direction.

Kaneki wanted to break the silence, wanted to talk to Hide about this whole marriage business, but he looked so peaceful, his tan skin accentuated by the light, the sun dancing in his hair. He was beautiful. Soon enough, they were at the park. Well, it wasn't really a park- just a small clearing of grass where the neighborhood kids came and ran around, people played frisbee with their dogs, and couples made out on the benches. But Hide made a beeline for the more wooded area, away from the crowds, where he and Kaneki snuck away for a few restful minutes in the filtered green light.

Hide had told him that he had a botany phase in high school, so he knew all the species of plants, how old they were, why some grew well and others didn't, which he often relayed to Kaneki as he ran his hands along the rough bark and through the soft leaves. But now, he stopped and leaned against a thick trunk just inside the quiet forest. He looked serious, and Kaneki's stomach swooped.

"For as much as a claim to be such a good people reader, when it comes to you, it's hard to tell what's going through your mind. So I'm just going to go ahead and do this, and I'm not sure how you'll react. So... just bear with me, alright?" Kaneki watched carefully as Hide took a few deep breaths, purposefully avoiding looking at the half-ghoul. Suddenly it dawned on him how convenient it was that Touka got dragged away, and Nishiki and Kimi were deep into an argument that was within earshot.

"Kaneki Ken- shit-" His voice cracked and he cleared his throat, holding his hands out to Kaneki. The half-ghoul grinned and took them, looking Hide right in the eyes to try and calm him.

"Kaneki Ken. We met because of an accident, and I can say now that you are the best accident- no wait, that sounds awful, hang on..." Kaneki laughed, blinking fast to try and keep from crying. Hide pulled out a piece of paper from his pockets, looking it over a few times before continuing. Was this real life?

"Okay, okay. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I like to think we would have met eventually, even if I hadn't spilled coffee on you when I did. We literally probably passed each other five times a day at Kamii. Anyways, you saved my life forever ago, and again in the past year, and it seems to me like I gave you one, or at least made it a bit better. Hopefully.

Um, so, what I want is for us to have a life together, because when we're together it's like there is literally nothing wrong with the world and no matter what happens it'll be okay. Because I know at the end of the day, I'll always have you to come home to, or vice versa- at least, I want it to be that way. So, I'm asking you, sincerely and totally serious, because Touka gave me endless grief about this- will you marry me, Ken?"

By the end of it, both Hide and Kaneki were crying messes, and he nearly thought he was talking to someone else, because he couldn't believe it. His throat was tight, and he didn't entirely trust himself not to say something entirely too embarrassing, so he just nodded, and then he was wrapped in a hug so tight that he couldn't breathe.

Suddenly, Nishiki, Kimi, Banjou, Uta, Yomo, Touka, and even Yoriko came out of the trees, clapping. Kaneki nearly jumped out of his skin. What the hell. Touka came over, with a fond glance back to Yoriko, and held out two shining circles.

"Told you I wouldn't lose them, you lucky son of a bitch." She said, and Hide pulled her into a hug as well. She pulled away to address Kaneki.

"By the way, Kaneki- I meant to tell you, but then Hide came up with this stupid plan, so I never got around to it. Yoriko and I actually became friends a while ago, and we just started dating. But, to trick you, we had to be 'strangers'. So, sorry. But not really, because you're welcome."

Yoriko waved at him, smiling brightly. Nishiki shrugged as if to say, "sorry, we were faking too", and Banjou flashed him a thumbs up. Uta and Yomo looked particularly un-enthused, but Kaneki knew deep down somewhere they actually cared. And then he looked at Hide, who held one ring out, inviting. Kaneki's smile was watery, matching Hide's cheeks, as the ring was put on his finger. This whole, entire day was one big setup. And he loved it. He loved Hide, he loved his friends. No, his family.

He wanted everyday to be like this, happy, joyful, even though he knew it was unrealistic. And though the stress was far from over- he still had so many things to do, to deal with- in this moment, this fraction of time, he could believe in a world where anything was possible.

The End

Like, for real this time

Thank you everyone for your support and comments! I loved writing this, so I hoped you enjoyed reading it. Sometimes I forget how fulfilling it is to wrap up a multi-chapter story. I'm like, it's done, it's over, and even though my fingers hurt from typing, I almost wish there was more story to tell. And of course, I could go on about the beautiful HideKane future, but I'd like Kaneki to be happy, forever, so I leave him here in one of his happiest moments to date. Thanks again, and I'll keep my mind open. We'll see what rolls in next, huh?

Much love,

clockworksalsa

(Ronica)