Puppet/Steff | 23 | Female | Aussie
Artist | Graduate | Games DesignAywas ID #6177
Life Ruined By:
Persona 5, Tokyo Ghoul, The Flash, Cow Chop, Monster Hunter, One Piece, Attack on Titan, Jurassic Park.
“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.
Me: *remembers Hide and Kaneki will reunite again soon, because the build up to their reunion has been tangible ever since chapter 60, because their story is truly the backbone of the entire manga of Tokyo Ghoul. Because Hide and Kaneki are soulmates who love each other deeply and that’s a fact. Because they love each other so much they faced death itself and did everything they could to protect the other from pain. And of course their reunion will hurt so damn much after almost four years of not even talking to each other*
