I Love You For Who You Are

Chapter 2-Catching Up

Kaneki smiled at his friend's joyful attitude. Hide was the only person who could ever make him crack even the slightest smile.

"So, what have you been up to? Well besides studying." Hide asked.

Kaneki was not ready, and wasn't sure if he ever would be able to tell Hide about being a ghoul. He thought his friend would never accept him for it, and would leave him.

"Working I suppose. Sorry again for not contacting you..." The half ghoul's words turned into a slur of random noises, but it was somehow audible to Hide.

"Well that's boring. And it's alright, I'm just glad your ok. By the way, I like your hair like that too, it suits you."

"Thanks Hide."

The whole time they talked, Hide's warm smile never faded and never wore out. Kaneki's blank face rarely changed, but when it did, it was always because of Hide.

They talked for what seemed like hours. It was mostly about random things, but Hide managed to slip some school chat into the conversation.

"So Neki, do you know why there are poster of you all around the school, saying to find you?"

Kaneki' eyes widened slightly, but he tried not to act too surprised because Hide would notice his worry.

"Probably because I haven't gone to school in a few months, they probably thought that I went missing. But you can see, I'm ok." He cracked a small smile. He tried to sound as normal as possible, but Hide saw that he was hiding something.

"Are you sure that's it?" He asked.

"Yes"

Hide raised an eyebrow, seeming not to believe what his friend was saying. His eyebrow gradually lowered, and he sighed.

"Ok, whatever you say Kaneki."

Neither of the boys, paused any attention to time, and they talked until Touka came over to their table and interrupted their conversation.

"What time did you guys gets here? 11?"she asked.

"Somewhere about that time.... Why do you ask?" Hide replied, obviously confused.

"Cause it's closing time you dorks." She let out a slight chuckle.

"What! It's already 10 at night?"

"9 o'clock Kaneki, you've worked here for a while, I thought you would know our closing times by now."

Hide stood slowly, obviously from being so exhausted.

"Well, I better g-"

"Hide, wait here." Kaneki said.

Hide paused for a second and looked Kaneki in the eye.

"Uh... Alright." Hide said. He slouched back down in his seat, and laid his head on the table.

Kaneki pulled Touka off to the side behind the bar.

"It's ok if he stays here tonight, right Touka~Chan?"

"That's up to you, but it's risking him finding out if he looks for something to eat late at night."

"I know and I'll keep watch on him. Besides, I have my packers stored in the back, I have a lot of other food just in case."

"Ok, do whatever." and with that she left to go back upstairs.

Kaneki sighed and walked back to his table, to find Hide snoring, sound asleep. He softly chuckled and picked him up. He was surprisingly lighter that Kaneki had imagined.

He carried him up the stairs to his room. When he arrived, he silently laid him down on the couch. He was about to go grab him a spare blanket when he heard a female voice. He turned around, hoping to see that it was just Touka or Hinami, but there was no one there, and the voice grew clearer.

He just looks delicious doesn't he?

"Rize?" Kaneki whispered.

"Yup, look at your friend, that's your treat right there, and he is all yours."

"Stop." He said, louder than he intended.

"Come on Kaneki... You know you wa-"

"STOP" Kaneki yelled.

"Come on, you won't regret it."

Kaneki ignored anything she said.

The voice did not return, but was replaced by another, muffled and deeper.

"You alright Neki?" He turned to see Hide, his eyes slightly opened.

"Yeah I'm fine, don't worry about me" he turned away to grab a blanket from the chair nearby.

He threw the blanket at Hide, who caught it at the last second, and seemed a bit surprised by his sudden movement.

Hide snuggled up in the small cravass of the couch and closed his eyes.

"Night Neki..." He mumbled.

"Goodnight Hide."

On the way to his own room, Kaneki grabbed some meat, just in case he needed it. He was very worried that Hide would look for some food in the middle of the night just like he always did. He could only hope that tonight he would get lucky and Hide would not get up.