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Kaneki scrunched his nose up at the television, grossed out by the over use of blood and also very not grossed out by it. It was another thing to add to the list of cons of being a ghoul: not being able to watch a horror movie, no matter how corny and fake, without his stomach rumbling and drool building up in his mouth. He tried to avoid watching anything that involved blood or gore for that reason, pointedly looking away even when the news channel discussed a murder, but Hide had gone to all the trouble of renting the movie out and had been so excited to watch it that Kaneki couldn’t bring himself to say no.
He glanced over at where the blonde was sitting beside him, checking to make sure he was still focused on the movie and hadn’t noticed the quiet noises his traitorous stomach was making. He let out a small breath of relief when he saw the other hadn’t noticed anything, looking back to the movie in time to see another character being killed off in a gruesome manner. It was a pretty girl, wearing only her bra and underwear as a man stuck a knife into her gut and started to pull out her organs. The blood was too bright, looking more like ketchup and coming out in excessive amounts, while the organs looked almost plastic. It was obviously fake, but he still couldn’t help but hyper focus on the way the bright blood gurgled out of her mouth, the way some of it trailed down and onto meaty looking thighs. He could almost taste the coppery sweetness, could just imagine how it would feel to sink his teeth into the flesh of her neck or thigh or anywhere. He didn’t even notice himself start to lean forward as he watched the girl’s screams fade into gurgling as more blood pushed its way out her throat, as her eyes turned lifeless and the man that killed her continued to pull her insides out.
The television screen shut off, and he blinked, only then noticed the feeling of wet drool on his chin. He quickly wiped it off, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment and shame, made only worse when he turned his head to see Hide giving him an odd look, TV remote in hand.
“So… no more horror movies for you.”
Kaneki chewed his bottom lip, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked back away. He didn’t even know how to respond, what to say to properly convey how sorry he was for—and then he wasn’t even sure what he specifically was sorry about, either, just that he was sorry. Hide shifted on the couch, so his whole body was facing Kaneki, and moved forward until his face was only a few inches from Kaneki’s. He thought his face would probably just burst into flames soon enough, his embarrassment soaring to entirely new levels as Hide let out a soft ahh.
“Your eye is so cool, ‘Neki! Does it only happen when you’re hungry, or can you turn it on and off, like a light switch?”
He turned his head to glare half-heartedly at his best friend, raising a hand to cover his left eye automatically. “It’s not cool, it’s—” Disgusting, monstrous, vile.
Hide seemed to read his thoughts, or maybe it’s just that he knew Kaneki well enough to hear what he didn’t say, because the expression on his face changed to a more gentle one, the look in his eyes sincere and soft as he reached out and pulled his hand away from his eye. “Nah, it’s cool. Trust me.”
Kaneki felt himself relax, found himself trusting his friend’s words without trying. Though it was hard to imagine his ghoul side as anything other than something to be repulsed or disgusted by, he could hear the sincerity in Hide’s voice every time he assured him of the opposite, could see he meant it in his eyes.
He lifted his lips in a tiny smile, glancing away minutely. When he looked back, it struck him in an odd way just how close the two were; they were nearly nose to nose, but it didn’t bother him, or make him uncomfortable. Rather, it made him think about the fact that if he just leaned forward that little bit, tiled his head to the left…
Kaneki had never kissed someone before. The only date he’d ever gone on had been with Rize, and he hardly thinks it counts considering she tried to eat him, and they hadn’t kissed either. But he tried his best, using all the knowledge gained from countless books read and movies watched as he pressed his lips to Hide’s. He made sure to tilt his head so their noses didn’t clash, because that was something every book that included a romance made a point to mention. He pulled away almost as soon as their lips met, suddenly unsure of himself and his actions; Hide was looking at him with his mouth slightly agape, and his eyes wide, and Kaneki couldn’t figure out for the life of him if it meant something bad or good.
When Hide leaned forward and kissed him back, this time longer and with the pressure right, he decided it meant something good.