Chapter Text
The fading sound of thunder echoed throughout the lobby, drowning out Kaneki Ken’s yawn as he waited for the elevator to reach the ground floor. It had been a long day and night for him, what with working at Anteiku, the local coffee shop by day and keeping the ghouls in the 20th Ward in line by night, the One Eyed Ghoul felt exhausted.
‘The rain isn’t making things better,’ he thought, stifling another yawn behind one of his rain-chilled hands.
*Ding*
Kaneki opened his eyes, not sure when he closed them, once the elevator finally arrived. He stepped into the metal box and selected his floor. Just as the doors began to close, an unfamiliar voice called out, “Hold the elevator, please!”
Kaneki blinked several times as what looked like a literal sunbeam was dashing his way. Instinctively, he used his hand to hold the closing doors open, allowing the human-shaped beam of light to board.
“Thanks, man!” said the stranger. He was wearing blue jeans, a dark orange hoodie, and sneakers. “It’s been such a long day for me that don’t think I have the energy to wait for the next car!”
The half-ghoul doubted that. The stranger seemed to be exuding more energy than Kaneki ever could even on a good day. “No problem. Which floor?”
“Sixth floor, please.”
That surprised the ghoul, though that might’ve explained the movers from a few days ago. “Are you just moving in?”
“Yep! Just moved here from Osaka for a change of pace and I can’t wait to see what this place has to offer!” He turned and thrusted his hand out to the other male. “Nagachika Hide, but everyone calls me Hide,” the blonde said as way of introduction.
Now that they were up close, the ghoul could properly take him in. A human male that looked about twentyish years old, blonde hair that rivaled the sun, soft caramel colored eyes, and a warm smile that could banish any dark cloud. He took a subtle sniff; not detecting the overly sweet scent of an omega, nor an Alpha scent like his own. ‘A beta then,’ he decided.
“Kaneki Ken,” the ghoul replied, shaking the offered hand. The blonde’s hand was comfortably warm, impossibly so since the human had been caught in the same rain as him. He missed the warmth the instant the hand left his.
The two men reached their floor and stepped out of the elevator. Hide turned to the ghoul with that same bright smile. “Well, it was very nice meeting you, Kaneki. I’ll see you around?”
Kaneki found himself returning the smile and nodded. How could he not when the blonde was using that hopeful tone? “Yeah, see you around.” With that said, Hide disappeared around the corner to his apartment, leaving Kaneki with residual warmth in his hand and the subtle scent of spiced citrus in his nostrils.
**-----**
The weather wasn’t much better the next day, though thankfully, it wasn’t raining buckets like before. Kaneki, for his part, was feeling pretty good this morning. He had gotten a decent night’s sleep with no nightmares, which was a rarity for him. He waited for the elevator to arrive, this time heading down to the ground floor. It arrived a few seconds later and the ghoul stepped inside, the moment that he did, a now familiar voice called out to him.
“Hold the elevator, please!”
Kaneki once again found himself holding the metal doors open as Hide came barreling in. The blonde smiled gratefully at him as he worked to fix up his appearance. Gone were his jeans and hoodie and in their place were khaki pants, a red-collared white dress shirt, and a red and white ball cap.
“Thanks again dude! Can’t believe I’m running late for my first day on the job!” He straightened himself out after properly slipping on his work shoes before holding his arms out like he was presenting himself. “How do I look?” he asked, striking several poses in the process.
‘Cute…’ came an automatic thought, and Kaneki hid a cough behind his hand as he tried to shake the thought away. “Y-You look good. Presentable.”
Hide beamed happily at that.
The two rode the elevator down to the ground floor and stepped outside the apartment complex. Gray skies greeted them, and the ghoul was grateful to have packed an umbrella just in case. “Do you know where you’re going?”
“Er…uh…” the blonde looked a little embarrassed, scratching the back of his head. “I don’t, actually. Can you tell me where TC Express is?”
“I could take you,” the alpha offered.
“Really? Thank you! But are you sure? I wouldn’t want to hold you up.”
“It’s fine,” Kaneki replied, waving away the blonde’s concern. “I have to walk past there when I go to work anyway.” Which was a true statement, ignoring the fact that there was a much quicker path he took to get to Anteiku normally. But hey, Hide didn’t need to know that.
The pair set off to their destination, chatting and getting to know each other better along the way. Kaneki found himself enraptured with Hide’s every word, committing all of the blonde’s likes and dislikes to memory. All too soon, they arrived at Hide’s workplace and Kaneki found himself not wanting to part with the friendly blonde.
“I can’t thank you enough for going out of your way to help me, Kaneki. You’re a lifesaver!”
“It’s no problem, Hide. I…uh if you want, I work at a nearby café called Anteiku, so if you want to stop by for lunch…”
The smile on Hide’s face nearly melted the alpha into a puddle. “I’d love to, Kaneki. Just tell me where.”
**-----**
“You’re late,” growled Touka as Kaneki rushed through the door.
“I know, I know. I’m sorry, Touka-chan,” Kaneki said, rushing to the back to clock-in.
The female ghoul followed him, wanting to hear his excuse. “So, what held you up?”
“Someone new just moved in and I was showing them around,” the half ghoul explained. His cheeks started burning at the thought of his new neighbor, and he hid a smile as he prepared himself for work.
He hoped Hide would drop in today.
*End Chapter*