gastricpierrot:

“Hey, don’t you think it’s about time you stopped? You’re going to dehydrate yourself at this rate.”

Kaneki could only let out a tiny laugh in return, the relief hitting him so sharply once more that tears well up in his eyes anew. He laughs again. He’s being so ridiculous, gosh.

“Seriously, Kaneki—you okay?” Amusement seems to tint Hide’s voice despite his concern. Kaneki hears him shifting, feels him leaning just a bit closer. He wants to stop crying, wants to properly see his best friend so he could memorize every smallest detail about him all over again.

But it’s also liberating, sobbing like a child with no restrictions. It hasn’t felt like this in a long time; crying used to feel so heavy, always leaving him nothing but an empty, shrivelled husk. It used to drain him to the very core, but now—now it’s more as if his tears are making way for the joy in his chest. Hide’s alive, Hide’s here, Hide’s right next to him. Breathing, talking, his skin highlighted by the deep yellow glow of the setting sun.

“I’ll be okay in a minute,” Kaneki manages, brushing his palms across his eyes in an attempt to clear his vision. Ah, he’s almost forgotten how soft and warm his own flesh could be.

“You’ve always been such a crybaby,” Hide comments, though not without the fondness Kaneki’s missed so, so much. It’s as if nothing’s changed. They’re still them, Kaneki’s still crying and Hide’s still the one who grounds him, who stays by his side until he tires himself out and calms down. Still the same clear Tokyo skies, the same evening sun.

“I’m not sure if you’ve ever noticed,” Hide continues, and when Kaneki looks he sees the corner of his eyes crinkled with tender, unadulterated adoration, “but my arms have always been open for you, y’know.”

Even though all he’s done is push him away. Even though the last time he held him close was probably the time he robbed him of his smiles and voice. Was it really possible for one to love another so much that he’s willing to give up absolutely everything for them? Being there now and gazing at the scars that mars his best friend’s face—Kaneki decides that it is. For Hide, he could. He would.

Without a doubt.

But “you’re an idiot” is what he says even as he moves into an embrace that feels like stars aligning just right. He’s careful to stay on Hide’s uninjured side, in case his wounds still hurt despite his constant reassurances that they don’t, not anymore. He’s a little thinner than he remembers under the bulk of his clothes, yet warm, always warm. Protective. Gentle.

Kaneki’s not letting go of it all. Never again.

“Sure I am,” Hide exhales, arms draped lazily around Kaneki while he sifts his fingers through his hair. And here, in this bubble of mingled breaths and bright gazes and quickened heartbeats, is home, Kaneki remembers. A place where he belongs, a place of safety and love and acceptance. Home has always been wherever Hide is.

And high up on the rooftop of one of the few buildings that still stood tall among the destruction around them, wind in their faces and sunlight in their eyes and breathing in tune with each other’s, Kaneki feels invincible.

timininimi:

Kaneki: Have you seen my friend?

Random dude: What does he look like?

Kaneki, starts crying and clutching his heart: Beautiful.