Chapter Text
i. things you said when you thought i was asleep
“I want to sleep, Hide.”
“No, wait wait wait – “
Paying his partner no mind, Kaneki takes off the headphones and leans back with his legs crossed on his chair. It’s been hours. And hours. And a cycle of hours. He rubs his eyes tiredly, grumbling something like “We’ve been up for two days without sleep, please give me a break.”
He yawns, so wrecked that he doesn’t even attempt to cover his mouth. Ahh…all the blue light and flashing motions on the screen are dizzy and out of focus.
He can really use a couple of minutes to just…close…his…eyes…and…
“ – K-K-Kaneki, wake up, Ka-ne-ki! I’m gonna die, fuck. Kaneki, I’m begging you, stay awake!”
…sleep…yeah…that would be…nice –
“AHHHHHHHH! WE MADE IT!!!!”
Grimacing, Kaneki turns to the right, sliding his chair farther from the frantic blonde. His left ear hurts. His eyes hurt. Brain hurts. Everywhere hurts. “HideI’mreallytiredcanyoupleasekeepitdownforjustafewminutesoIcantakeaquicknap,” he mumbles, head pressed into the leather chair. “Promise…I’ll wake up…”
“Kaneki.” Hide’s voice suddenly turns deep – an entire octave lower deep. “You’re our team’s biggest asset – our healer. Our pride and joy. The handsome bishounen priest who comes to save everyone’s ass at the last minute.” And then it reverts to normal, the kind of desperate-borderline-whining that he can’t ignore, “Please please please you gotta revive! For the team! For glory! For the first guild to clear sea dragon nest hell mode! KA-NE-KIII!”
He finds himself being shaken a couple of times, but he tunes it all out, thumping back against the seat with his eyes closed. Hide makes a dying rabbit noise, returning quickly to the game and resuming his rapid tapping. It feels like he’s somewhere between heaven and hell – purgatory. His mind activated yet numb, as if he shouldn’t be awake, but he is…? It’s a strange sort of zen.
“We’re so close, but how the hell we gonna make it without you, Kaneki? Oh – shit, almost died. Phew…”
There’s something calming about the tapping of the keyboard, the voices of the characters when they activate their attacks, and the buzzing serenity that confines the bedroom; all the white noise that makes it so comfortable and cozy. He breathes, and it probably seems like light snores to Hide, who thinks he’s already asleep.
Well…it’s not so bad, hearing Hide curse and all. Seems like he’s revived his character, the priest, and is playing in his place.The job of a healer isn’t as easy as it looks, right? Kaneki smiles to himself.
“Hey, ‘neki? You’re asleep, huh. So…oh fuck, one of our DPS died. Shit shit shit, thirteen lives – still?! Ah crap, I can’t get to everyone at once, guys. Why do priests move so damn slow?”
Yeah. Now you know, Kaneki can’t help the triumphant remark. And people still blame healers for not getting to them in time.
“Um so…this button. Grand sigil?! Oh fuckity fuck fuck, I messed up. Oooooh shit.”
Kaneki winces, peering through half-opened lids. Hide, idiot! You can’t use the sigil right before the sea dragon turns; you have to wait until it lands and is facing the tank!
“Hey wait! We’re still alive! Wow, I’m good at this. Maybe you should think ‘bout retiring, eh? Oi, Kaneki?”
Give it another thousand light years, maybe.
“So er…I’m kind of…running out of fuel soon. Gonna knock out after this run. It’s a good thing that I’m er – distracted, otherwise, I think…it’s kind of tough on me when you’re so defenseless. I mean! Shit…I can’t keep my eyes open. What was I saying?”
What? Defenseless…?
“I mean, forget what I said,” Hide groans, clicking on the mouse repeatedly. “It’s like, you’re sleeping away next to me, all softly and cutely-like?”
C-cute?! Kaneki flushes, mouth dropping open and eyes desperately clinging onto pseudo-sleep. Hide, what are you –
“That one Disney movie, what’s it called? Sleeping Booty and the Beast or whatever.”
Sleeping Booty and the –
“Huh…’neki. You’re awake?”
He finds himself looking at a wide-eyed Hide, whose dark circles have started to become a sort of permanent aesthetic to his ghostly, malnourished look of the typical teenage gamer. He imagines he himself doesn’t look any different, not since Hide’s got him addicted. “Um. Yeah. I’m…awake,” he replies awkwardly.
A look of shit-it’s-over dawns over Hide’s face.
“The Sleeping B-Booty or whatever, part,” Kaneki hurriedly corrects himself.
“And…before that?” Hide mumbles hesitantly.
Kaneki flicks his eyes to Hide’s screen, just to diffuse the tension between their strange staring contest. “If we’re the first guild to complete the SDN hell mode run, then I’ll tell you.”
Hide zips back to his computer without so much as another word.
Both of them are blushing. Hard.
“So…ahem…n-not to brag or anything, but we’re the first to finish the run.”
“…Congrats, Hide.”
“Thanks…”
…
“So, about before, um, that’s to say, when you were sleeping, did you hear – “
“Ithinkyou’recutetooHide!”
“…So um let’s pretend I have hearing problems – can you repeat it for me so I can be sure I didn’t hear wrong – “
“Hide, please shut up.” Kaneki decidedly pushes his lips to Hide’s and shuts his stumbling boyfriend up.