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1. A kiss on the lips means I love you.
The first time Hide kisses him on the lips before leaving in the morning, Kaneki’s heart drops its sheet music and fails to perform properly for a couple of minutes.
“I’m off!” the blond says.
Under the spring sun, he sparkles like citrine, precious and breathtaking.
“Come home safely,” Kaneki manages.
2. A kiss on the ear means you’re special.
On nights when reality seems unreal, the product of a whimsical dream, an illusion of the sweetest caliber, Kaneki searches for answers on their dingy bedroom ceiling. His arms twine around the warmth in his bed, in his life, as tendrils of fear encase his heart, tugging cruelly in unison with its beats.
As if in response to the tightening of his arms, the acknowledgement of his deep rooted fears and insecurity, Hide always nuzzles sleepily into the crook of his neck, Kaneki’s name falling from his lips.
That is how the blond saves him on the nights when he feels uncertain, caught in the impossibility of his happy, idyllic life.
Those nights always end with Kaneki entwining himself further around the other man.
“Thank you,” he whispers after dropping a kiss onto an exposed ear.
3. A kiss on the nose means laughter.
She squeals with laughter as Kaneki raises her high, high, higher. Her tiny arms flail, her apple cheeks are flushed, her eyes are tiny happy slivers, and his heart feels so unbelievably full.
“Who’s my little girl?” Hide coos from beside him. “Who’s my happy little girl?” He asks again, dropping a kiss on the crown of her wispy head.
“Our little girl,” Kaneki asserts, kissing her tiny little nose and reveling in her happy gurgle.
“Our little girl,” Hide agrees as he rests his head against Kaneki’s shoulder.
4. A kiss on the cheek means friendship.
“So… what you’re saying is that… she kissed you.”
“On the cheek!”
“So she likes you.”
Touka throws up her hands. “Yes… no… I don’t know! Human girls kiss their friends on the cheek all the time!”
Kaneki makes a point of putting down the glass he was polishing and safely removing any breakables in the immediate vicinity before he says, “I don’t think they do that all that often, actually.”
She stares.
“I may be a guy and a ghoul, but don’t forget I was a human boy for most of my life. I didn’t see all that many girls kissing their friends on the cheek.”
5. A kiss on the forehead means I want to comfort you.
Hinami is a picture of misery as Kaneki carefully bundles her in blankets.
“I have a presentation today,” she mumbles unhappily.
“You’re not going anywhere with that fever,” he insists. “Hide called in sick so he’ll be here to take care of you.”
“I’m fine. I can go to school,” she implores with wide eyes and trembling bottom lip.
“You learn the worst things from Hide. Go to sleep, Hinami. I’ll call the school, I’m sure your teacher will understand.” He kisses her burning forehead and replaces her cool towel. “I’ll be back from work before you know it.”
6. A kiss on the neck means I want you.
“I’ve been kicked out of my apartment again,” Hide whines plaintively on their front doorstep. “I accidentally walked in on Nishio-senpai and Kimi-san again.”
“Did you barge into his room without knocking again?” Kaneki sighs, shooing his boyfriend into the entrance.
“No. They were in the living room this time. Actually, with the way Nishio-senpai was attacking her neck, Kimi-san is going to have a truly impressive —”
“Hide please.”
“Ahaha. Sorry.”
7. A kiss on the shoulder means you are wonderful.
On the days when Kaneki tries his hand at breakfast, Hide will find him in the kitchen, fishing broken eggshells from a bowl of yolk and egg white with the most determined expression on his face, sunshine spilling in from the window.
He is always moving before he realizes it. One moment, he is outside their bedroom, muzzy from sleep and hungry. The next, his arms are around the other man, lips pressed against Kaneki’s shoulder as he mouths good morning into cool skin.
8. A kiss on the wrist means you are precious.
It’s an impulsive thing.
It’s two months after their first date and Yoriko presents her with a handcrafted bracelet.
“We match!” She giggles happily, showing off her own, already carefully tied onto her left wrist.
It’s impulse that makes Touka grab Yoriko’s hand, that causes her to push up the bracelet, that encourages her to kiss the soft inside of Yoriko’s wrist.
She can feel the pulse of Yoriko’s racing heart beneath her lips.
9. A kiss on the palm means I am yours.
The first time is frightening.
What if he destroys this fragile, budding thing between them? What if he loses control? What if he hurts him, this man who has become so precious and irreplaceable to him?
It is new and unknown and terrifying, an endless abyss of fear and uncertainty.
Until Hide wipes away the tears at the corner of his eyes, threads their fingers together with one hand.
“I’m not going anywhere, Kaneki. You can’t do anything that will chase anything away. You won’t break me. You won’t ruin me.” He kisses the open palm of Kaneki’s free hand, smiles up at the terrified man above him.
“I love you, Kaneki Ken.”
10. A tender kiss on the side of the lips means you are mine.
Their first proper kiss as a couple happens unexpectedly.
Touka is running late and throwing off her apron, shooting hurried apologies to Yoriko as she walks in and out of the back room as she prepares to leave.
“It’s okay, Touka-chan. Have fun at class,” Yoriko says, smiling gently, a coffee stain at the corner of her mouth.
She does it without thinking —she stoops down and kisses the other girl, licks the lingering taste of coffee from the edge of her lips.
“Y-y-you had coffee…” She manages to sputter after pulling back, hand waving at the side of her own lips. “S-s-sorry.”
Yoriko kisses her.
Touka is late for class.
11. A kiss anywhere else… be careful you two!
It starts as a pillow fight.
More accurately, it starts over a disagreement over the television remote, and a stray pillow smacking Kaneki in the face.
Both of them deny it, but Kaneki knows, it was Hide.
His launched cushion misses his intended target and clips the side of Hinami’s face.
Suddenly, the three of them are throwing every pillow and cushion they can get their hands on, laughing hysterically, remote forgotten on the floor.
It ends with Kaneki sitting on Hide, hands skirting underneath the blond’s sweater, mapping the skin they find under it.The sliver of collar bone showing is tempting.
“I win,” Hinami says from the couch, remote in hand.
“Unfair,” Hide whines, breathy and flushed. “I can’t win against super strength!”
Kaneki swallows.
He thinks of mapping every inch of golden skin that night, in the dark, with only his hands and lips to guide him.
12. A hug means I care.
Hinami’s arms are delicate, completely unlike the solid presence of Hide’s, but just as warm.
“It’s just a fight, onii-chan,” she whispers softly. “You’ll make up and everything will be the same as it always is.”
But it’s not just a fight, because Hide is right. Hide is right, Kaneki doesn’t trust him. Doesn’t trust their relationship, doesn’t trust anything.
Because good things are always lies in disguise, the other shoe always drops, the beauties in coffee shops always swirl his insides with limbs the color of blood. Good things are bad things just waiting to happen. Good things are what life sends his way before it drops him, are what leads to him broken and bleeding on pavement.
“Everything will be okay,” she insists, arms tightening comfortingly.
But everything won’t be okay.
He chased away the one good thing in their life.
13. Playing with your hair means I can’t live without you.
At night, when Kimi cannot sleep, when her family haunts her, dead but never gone, Nishiki runs his fingers through her hair. He whispers gentle words into her ears as her tears stain his heart, holds her tightly to reassure her that he’s here. He’s here and he’s not leaving.
Not even a plane crash can separate him from her.
14. A nibble on your ear means start warming up.
“Mmmm, go ‘way, Kaneki,” Hide whines as Kaneki latches onto an ear. “We had a field trip today and I had to chase Takashi-kun around all day.”
“Takashi-kun… what did he do this time?”
“Okay mister, remove your hand from my nipple. Supervising a kindergarten class of ghoul children is like herding hyperactive cats. As an old arthritic grandma. I’m dead.”
“Okay,” he relents, blowing on the enticingly wet ear. “Sorry.”
Hide turns over, face red and furious. “At least finish what you started, you asshole.”
Kaneki grins.
15. Holding hands means you’re a happy couple.
“Congratulations, Touka-chan,” he says when he sees the two girls walk in, fingers intertwined.
“Shut up,” she snipes, face reddening. “We’d like two coffees and a strawberry shortcake.”
“Thank you,” Yoriko says, glowing.
16. Smiling at each other means I like you.
“How long do you think until they realize it?” Hide asks, playing with the straw of his smoothie.
“Realize what?” Kaneki asks from behind the bar, grinding coffee.
“Those two,” Hide says, waving a hand in the direction of Touka and Yoriko. The blonde giggles happily at something Touka says, the other girl hovering by her side, supposedly to take her order. “I have never seen two people more smitten.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Hide rests a cheek on one hand, grinning widely. “They just can’t help but smile around each other. Isn’t that romantic?”
“It is,” Kaneki agrees, unable to hold back his own as he gazes at the man’s smile.
17. Raising eyebrows and winking means flirting.
“Hide, stop that!”
“Why?” the blond asks cheekily, eyebrows waggling. “Admit it, this is the most attractive thing you have ever seen.” A wink.
“You’re ridiculous,” Kaneki snorts, pushing the other man’s face away. “Stop it.”
“Never.”
18. Looking away means hiding your feelings.
“Is something wrong, Touka-chan?”
“N-no,” she stutters, forcing herself to focus on the math problem before them. “It’s nothing. I’ve just had a lot on my mind, that’s all.”
The other girl’s face clouds with worry as she looks Touka in the eye, “You know you can talk to me about anything, right? Anything at all.”
But I can’t talk to you about this, Touka thinks, unable to hold that pure, unguarded gaze. It makes her heart ache.
19. Licking your lips means waiting for a kiss.
“Yum,” Hide says, foam mustache decorating his upper lip. “You’re really improving, Kaneki. Five stars.”
“You’ve got some… foam. Here.”
A pink tongue swipes across Hide’s upper lip. “Did I get it?”
“No. It’s still… there.”
“Help me?” Hide asks, lips quirked to one side.
“You’re doing it on purpose,” Kaneki accuses as he leans in.
“Without a doubt,” the blond sings before Kaneki’s lips meet his own.