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For all Hide was charming and smooth, there was always one person who never failed to make the butterflies in his stomach flutter.
And that was his boyfriend. Sometimes he still couldn't believe that they were lovers, but Kaneki was more than happy to remind him with casual kisses and murmured sweet talk. And Hide never failed to fall in love a thousand times over, in a million different ways.
And he fell in love again, on the rooftop of an abandoned factory as Kaneki scrolled through his playlist to find suitable music. The half-ghoul sat on a blanket next to him, holding Hide's hand with his free one.
Night drenched them in darkness, making shadows cling to the small cluster of buildings around them and the light from the phone illuminate Kaneki's face. They were a fair distance away from the city of Tokyo, so they could see some of the stars after watching the sunset (how original, they knew). Off in the distance, city lights were visible.
Hide hummed as he felt Kaneki drawing circles on the freehand he had previously been holding as he scrolled, trying to find fitting music. A comfortable silence sat between them as Hide rested his head on Kaneki's shoulder. The butterflies returned from their rest to dance around in his stomach. Hide fell in love again, fell in love with Kaneki's warmth, with his gentle touch, with his mere presence. And every time he fell in love again, he felt like it was an entirely new experience despite how many times he had, no matter how many times he already did when they did typical couple things or intimate gestures of their own.
"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Kaneki murmured as he found a decent instrumental.
"Only every day," he teased, sticking his tongue out. "Because you know I'm too good for you."
Kaneki huffed and nudged Hide with his elbow. "Maybe," he said, rolling his eyes. Hide lifted his head as Kaneki set down his phone on the blanket under them. The half-ghoul stood up, leaving Hide to pout up at him from the lack of warmth.
Kaneki straightened his posture and cleared his throat, smirking down at Hide. "May I have this dance, my prince?"
Hide flushed. It was really stupid, it wasn't anything special, but he loved it when Kaneki called him "man", or his boyfriend, or a prince, or really anything that called him a guy. Hide was falling in love as he accepted the hand so Kaneki could help him up.
Falling in love was like cleansing yourself, letting a bucket of warm water pour over you. You never really got used to the feeling, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant (quite the opposite).
"You're really at it today, aren't you?" Hide chuckled as he was pulled up. The music playing was soft, the kind that blended in with the background, but still there. As Kaneki wrapped his arms around Hide's neck, the human's hands snaked around the other's waist.
"Well... yeah," Kaneki said softly as he rested his head against Hide's shoulder for a moment, the way he did when he breathed in the blond's scent. Hide smiled down at him as Kaneki raised his head to meet his gaze. "I wanted today to be special."
Hide snorted and removed a hand to playful swat at Kaneki. "Pff! Don't make me be sappy and say every day with you is special," he huffed.
Kaneki gave a half-smile. "You're already a sap; I don't need to do anything."
"So what if I am?" Hide rolled his eyes jokingly. "It's not like I can beat you when it comes to being cheesy and unoriginal."
Kaneki gave him a playful, halfhearted glare as he replied, "Stop slandering me, I'm trying my best, Hide."
"I'm sure you are," the human hummed as they swayed in place, like something akin to a slow dance. The butterflies in his stomach stirred again as he watched Kaneki lean in, pressing their foreheads together. The butterflies fluttered as he looked into his lover's gray eyes.
"I watched as you scrolled through your playlist. Whenever did you compile such a list of classical music, of all genres?" Hide breathily teased. He didn't know why he was being quiet. Kaneki sighed and closed his eyes, their foreheads still touching.
"It's for writing, you jerk," Kaneki whispered in reply, shoulders shaking softly as he chuckled. "Now let us have a moment without your constant joking."
Hide winked clumsily, feeling Kaneki's breath ghosting against his cheek. Hide's gaze trailed down to his lover's lips, dull in saturation with the blanketing darkness. "Maybe... I'll let you have one," Hide whispered in reply. The butterflies in his stomach were there again as he looked back up to Kaneki's eyes, noticing the other's had wandered down to his own mouth. "Can I kiss you?" he breathed.
Kaneki's answer was immediate. "Yes," he replied softly.
Hide closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to Kaneki's as his eyes closed. They were slightly chapped but soft, parting willingly, compliant against his own as they both melted into the kiss. Hide's grip around the black-haired man's waist tightened, drawing him closer. Hide could feel one of Kaneki's hands remove itself from his neck to cup his face gently to deepen the kiss. The consistent butterflies were wild. Because for all Hide was charming and smooth, Kaneki never failed to make his knees go weak, cheesy as it was (Well, he was already becoming such a hopeless romantic, might as well be cheesy too).
Hide could taste the coffee on his tongue, as well as something faintly metallic. Kaneki smiled into the kiss as Hide slowly drew away, lips lingering for a long moment. When Hide opened his eyes again, he found the white-haired ghoul staring at him with a small grin on his blushing face.
Hide's hands dropped from Kaneki's waist as the half-ghoul's
"That was--nice. Thank you, Hide," Kaneki breathed.
Hide's lips tugged upward in a smirk. "Of course, I was feeling particularly gracious!" he half-whispered.
Kaneki shoved him away playfully, huffing. "You always ruin our moments, you dick," he said, laughing.
Hide mock-gasped softly, bringing his best offended expression onto his face. "How dare you, I don't ruin them, I improve them!" Something akin to a simper made its way onto the human's face.
Kaneki gave a joking sigh. "Maybe you're right, Hide," he said as he intertwined his fingers with the blond's.
The butterflies returned at full force, and Hide knew he once again fell in love with none other than Kaneki Ken. As he could a thousand times over, in a million different ways. By the look in the half-ghoul's eyes, he didn’t have to wonder it was mutual.