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If there were two things in the world that Kaneki was undeniably better than Hide at, it was reading books and roller skating.
To be completely fair, Kaneki had mastered both at a young age, having spent most of his childhood reading complicated books that were not meant for children had given him a clear advantage. And then there was also roller skating.
He had found an old pair of roller skates outside their home one day, and although his mother had insisted on finding the real owners at first, none of the neighbours had claimed it to be theirs, not even the flyers his mother put up alongside the neighbourhood had seemed to help. And so he had been allowed to keep them on one condition only, he had to learn how to use them.
It was something he usually didn't boast of (not that he boasted much to begin with), in fact he used to be afraid of being ridiculed for being so good at it. But he was 19 years old now and to his delight, teaching Hide something he himself was good at, while Hide definitely sucked at it, was one of the most amusing experiences he had had in months.
They found themselves in an empty parking lot, it was an old construction no one even remembered or used anymore, which meant they had plenty of space to skate in. Or in Hide's case, plenty of space to fall in.
"I swear," Hide said as he threw his arms up in the air in pure frustration, "roller skates were invented for the sole purpose of hurting me. They were probably invented by some devil! Invented only to hurt innocent victims with pretty faces-" he noticed Kaneki was looking at him with a brow raised slightly higher than the other, something he ever only did when Hide was talking too much nonsense. "Okay, I didn't mean that, but you know I'd sue whatever company that made these little suckers but I can't because they were made in hell!"
Kaneki tried not to laugh, seeing Hide so frustrated because of a pair of simple roller skates should not be as funny as it was.
"You'll get the hang of it eventually," he reasoned, and before Hide could open his mouth he continued, "you just have to keep on trying."
"No! No," Hide exclaimed, not really sounding as serious as he probably tried to be, "are you not seeing how stupid I look?"
"Yeah, but luckily I'm the only one who is."
Hide pretended he didn't hear him and focused instead on trying to stand upright. As soon as his body seemed to be exactly as he wanted it to be, his left foot seemed to slip on absolutely nothing, and he flailed his arms is the most comedic manner and almost fell to the ground if it weren't for Kaneki jumping in and supporting him from behind.
"That's it, help me take these off." Hide said and tried bending down to take the roller skates off, but he quickly realized he wouldn't be able to make it without falling in the process. "It's all about finding your balance," Kaneki explained slowly, "put equally as much weight on both of your legs, and focus on your hips."
"Why do I feel like you're looking down on me..." Hide said as he (somewhat) mimicked Kaneki's instructions and movements.
"Kaneki," Hide sighed, "we've been here almost two hours and the only thing I've done is fall flat on my ass. Twice. If I wake up with any bruises tomorrow I'll blame it on you."
Kaneki nodded, fair enough, he thought, "Do you want me to help you take them off?" Hide only nodded, and Kaneki couldn't help but snicker. Hide looked like a man broken with shame, similar to how in act IV, when Hamlet saw the number of men who were willing to sacrifice their own precious lives for such a worthless plot of land, he felt ashamed over his own sluggishness in fighting for a noble cause. Except instead of a plot of land, it was roller skates. And instead of Hamlet it was Hide.
"This is tragic." Hide sighed as Kaneki helped him take off the roller skates. As soon as his feet had been released from that supposed hell, he exclaimed "FREEDOM" as he curled and uncurled all his toes. Never had not wearing any shoes been more satisfying.
After a long, rather disappointing and unsuccessful day, the boys had given up completely, and they found themselves having a late dinner at Big Girl.
It was probably due to the exhaustion that had come with trying to learn how to roller skate properly (and the failure that came with it), but Kaneki noticed Hide was eating more, and faster, than he usually did.
"Are you hungry?" A silly question, Kaneki reckoned, but he felt responsible for Hide's... misadventures with the roller skates.
"You bet." Hide declared as he stuffed his mouth with a juicy hamburger.
They stayed quiet for a minute or so until Hide took a break from all the eating, deciding to focus on Kaneki instead. "Hey Kaneki..." He said quietly as he rested his left elbow on the table, planting his head on the palm of his hand, "thanks for today. I had fun."
Kaneki could only smile weakly, Hide was smart, and on top of that considerate of others' feelings. He was sure there never would be a day when he wouldn't be appreciative of that.
"Me too," Kaneki replied sheepishly, "thank you for being willing to do this."
"What are you talking about? Today was fun!" Hide laughed loudly, his laughter resonating through the entire restaurant. "I didn't exactly appreciate falling on my ass, though! If I don't show up to class tomorrow, call an ambulance."
"You're being dramatic."
"Maybe," Hide declared, "but after a day of total embarrassment with those pair of devils", Kaneki suddenly wanted to hug his roller skates tightly and defend them from the danger that was Nagachika Hideyoshi, "I believe I have the right to be."