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“Hurry, Hide! It’s about to begin!” Kaneki said with a tinge of urgency. He glanced back at his best friend with a shine in his grey eyes and a pep in his step as he gripped Hide’s wrist a little tighter, leading them through the busy lobby of the large arena. Hide couldn’t help but chuckle to himself at seeing the excitement Kaneki was exuding. Not too often did he see his raven-haired companion get this worked up over something other than books.
---
It started a few years ago—their first year of middle school. Kaneki was over at Hide’s for a typical weekend sleepover. They were both seated on the couch with Kaneki leaned against Hide. He was nose-deep in another one of his gruesome novels while the blond was absently flipping through channels. “Why isn’t there anything good on?” Hide grumbled. Kaneki remained silent as he flipped another page. A few minutes of this passed before Hide sighed in defeat. He glanced over at Kaneki and nudged his shoulder into the other’s back. Kaneki looked up from his book and tipped his head back to look into Hide’s eyes. “Kaneki! I’m bored!” Hide whined. He even puffed out his cheeks and pouted his lips for added effect, hoping it’d get his friend to stop reading and pay attention to him. Kaneki gave him a small smile. Sometimes Hide acted so childish. It was kind of cute.
“If you’re that bored, Hide, you can always read with me. I brought quite a few books.” The look on Hide’s face was priceless.
“Sorry, buddy. While I appreciate the offer, I’d rather do something that doesn’t involve psychoanalyzing tragic characters. And reading,” Hide muttered, grimacing at the three-hundred-page book cradled in Kaneki’s hands. Kaneki chuckled at that and went back to reading.
“Suit yourself. I’m afraid I’m out of options to help ease your boredom.”
“But you only suggested one thing!”
Kaneki pretended not to hear him and flipped a page, but he was smiling. “Kaneki!” Hide whined once more as his started poking the back of his best friend’s head. When that wasn’t giving him a desired reaction, he huffed and stood up. Kaneki almost lost his balance and looked up to see Hide stretch his arms over his head. He lowered them soon after and looked over his shoulder as he spoke. “Hey, I’m gonna go ahead and order a pizza. Anything in particular?” Kaneki shook his head.
“I’ll just have what you’re having.”
“Oh ho! And what if I want to add goat cheese?” Hide questioned. He turned to face Kaneki, arms crossed and a mischievous look in his eyes.
“Hide.”
“Or pickled mackerel?”
“Don’t,” Kaneki blanched.
“Maybe squid ink—”
“Hide!” Kaneki squawked, “Just—normal toppings, okay?!”
Seeing the exasperated look on Kaneki’s face, Hide laughed. “Okay, okay! Normal toppings then. Hamburger ‘s fine, right?” Kaneki silently nodded. “Gotcha.” He walked out of the living room and down the hall to the kitchen, chuckling all the way. Kaneki pinched the bridge of his nose once he was alone. Sometimes Hide could be a bit tiresome. Not that he minded though. Given the circumstances that is his life, he was really grateful to have his best friend in it. From the living room, Kaneki could hear Hide cheerfully placing their order, adding more things than necessary to it. For a moment, he pondered how much it would cost. He…didn’t exactly have much money on him; his aunt wasn’t that generous either. But since this was Hide, he most likely wouldn’t be paying a thing. As much as he didn’t like it, Hide was quite persuasive in having him save what little money he had.
Kaneki smiled at that thought and went to grab for his novel again. That was when he heard cheering coming from the television. He looked up to see shots of a crowd seated around an ice rink. Apparently, the channel Hide left the television on was airing a figure skating event. “And now let’s get back to the Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships!” a male reporter’s voice announced. “You’re currently watching the men’s singles discipline! Let’s see who’s next on the ice!”
Kaneki wasn’t really one to care for any kind of sport; but his breath hitched a little when a young man—not much older than himself—appeared on the screen. His black hair was slicked back, accentuating a slightly round face and large brown eyes.
A lovely shade of brown Kaneki found to be quite captivating.
The sequins in this young man’s outfit sparkled in the lights of the arena. He looked like he was nervous and excited at the same time as he waited patiently at the edge of the rink. “Up next, please welcome junior skater Katsuki Yuuri-san to the ice,” came the bubbly echo of the female announcer over the speakers of the arena. On cue, Yuuri pushed himself away from the rink’s edge and slowly made his way to the center. He bowed his head and waited. A hush fell across the crowd as they also waited to see what his routine would entail. Once the song started, his head shot up and he started moving. The spins, twirls, jumps, and steps captivated not only the crowd but Kaneki too. His eyes were glued to the screen in fascination as Yuuri glided around the rink.
It was over just as soon as it began. Yuuri was back in his starting position with the exception that he was looking up at the ceiling, arms raised over his head and back bent slightly. His cheeks were flushed, and he was trying to keep his panting to a minimum. There was a beat of silence before the crowd boomed into cheers. Yuuri lowered his arms and bashfully skated back to the edge of the rink and into a big hug by—who Kaneki assumed was—his coach. As the reporter on the television chattered on about the performance, the camera followed Yuuri and his coach to a seating area where they sat and waited for his scores to be listed on the jumbotron hanging above the middle of the rink. A minute or two passed before another (less bubbly sounding) female voice was heard over the arena’s speaker. As she named off all the various technicalities along with the score, the cheers from the crowd grew. Yuuri’s eyes grew wider in surprise; he looked like he was about to shed tears. He was currently in third place.
Kaneki exhaled a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in. His heart was thumping loudly and he was sure he felt his cheeks warming up. Why was he getting so worked up all of a sudden? In an attempt to calm himself, he placed his hands on his cheeks, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. “Yuuri-san, do you have a minute?” the voice of a different male reporter inquired.
“Ah! S-Sure…” Kaneki’s eyes snapped open and he looked back at the television in astonishment. If he didn’t know better, that voice…
‘He sounds just like—’
But before he could even finish the thought, Hide’s head popped into the living room’s entryway. “Yo, Kaneki!” At the sound of his name, Kaneki flinched and quickly whirled around to face his best friend. “Pizza’ll be here in a few minutes!” Hide said with a wide grin. He then noticed Kaneki’s wide-eyed expression—almost like he was caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to. Hide furrowed his brows. “Somethin’ wrong, Kaneki?” he asked, concern laced in his voice. Kaneki looked at the floor.
“N-Nothing!” Kaneki blurted a little too quickly. He mentally kicked himself for sounding like that towards Hide. Now he really did sound suspicious. “Nothing’s wrong,” he quietly mumbled this time. Hide studied him for a moment. Kaneki remained staring at the floor; a light pink dusted his face. The blond crossed his arms. It wasn’t exactly too difficult to see that something was bothering Kaneki. Though before he could ask any further, a nervous laugh that came from the television. Hide looked up to see a young figure skater trying his best to get through an interview.
“Oh, hey! That’s that one guy that’s getting to be really popular. Katsuki Yuuri-san’s his name, I think. I hear he’s real good too,” Hide pondered as he tapped his chin. He looked back to Kaneki. “Did he already perform?” Kaneki’s grey eyes remained zeroed in on the floor as he responded with a silent nod. Hide looked at his friend, then the television, then back at his friend. He smirked as he put two and two together. “Kaneki… Do you, by any chance…have a crush on—”
“HIDE!!” Kaneki yelled as he covered his heated face with his hands. Hide had cackled. He was going to so tease him the rest of the evening.
Not long after that, Kaneki began immersing himself in the world of figure skating. He learned the terminology and how the scores worked. And whenever there were events he knew Yuuri was attending, Kaneki was already setting up his phone to watch. Of all the skaters he had watched, Katsuki Yuuri was still his favorite. He enjoyed seeing the other man glide across the ice. He got frustrated when the figure skater’s score wasn’t what he believed it should have been. He had cheered when Yuuri was accepted into the Japan Skating Federation. And he had long since accepted the fact that he just might have a small crush on the athlete. He really wanted to see him skate in person! So, when news of Yuuri going off to train in the United States started circulating, Kaneki was devastated. It wasn’t supposed to happen until the end of that year, and Yuuri was scheduled for one more event before then. Technically, Kaneki had time. But he couldn’t help sulking about it for weeks on end.
And Hide, bless his heart. As much as he liked to tease Kaneki about it, he was totally understanding of his best friend’s sudden interest of this particular sport—or better yet, a particular figure skater of this sport. Occasionally, he gifted Kaneki with whatever memorabilia that he could find about Yuuri. And the look on Kaneki’s face every time made him smile.
So, on the day of Kaneki’s eighteenth birthday, Hide showed out big time. Standing outside of their favorite burger joint, Big Girl, he had presented Kaneki with an envelope and encouraged him to open it immediately. When Kaneki did, Hide was practically vibrating with excitement in front of his raven-haired friend. Inside the envelope were tickets. To see the Japanese Figure Skating Championships being held in Nagano in the next few days. Kaneki’s mouth hung open in utter shock. He looked up at Hide with wide, sparkling grey eyes. “H-H-Hide…! Where…w-where did you get these?!” The blond rubbed the back of his head and looked at the ground.
“I’ve been saving up practically all year,” he sheepishly grinned, raising his head a little to look up at Kaneki through his lashes. “I know how much you like that Yuuri guy, so…” he trailed. Next thing he knew, he was brought into a tight embrace by the man in front of him. Kaneki was trembling.
“Thank you, Hide! You’re the best! Oh, my god!” Hide softly chuckled and hugged him back, rubbing his back gently.
“No problem.”
---
And so here they were; both spending Christmas Eve in Nagano to watch a figure skating event.
Kaneki and Hide found their seats and waited. Kaneki took the time to read through the program that was given to them at the entrance while Hide observed as the arena slowly gathered with more people. By 5:45pm, majority of the seats were filled. The overhead speakers crackled to life, and the voice of a man echoed throughout. “Ladies and gentlemen, the 2010-2011 Japanese Figure Skating Championship men’s singles discipline will begin shortly.” The voice repeated the message before cutting off. Hide’s eyes swept around the arena once again in awe for a moment before his eyes landed on his friend next to him. Kaneki’s eyes were now focused the ice rink, and his body was shaking with—what Hide assumed was—excitement. Hide smiled and gently placed his hand atop Kaneki’s.
“Hey,” Hide cooed. Kaneki stopped shaking and turned his head to look at Hide. His large, grey eyes momentarily captivated the blond. “You… Are you gonna be okay? You’re shaking like a leaf, man!” he chuckled. Kaneki glanced down at their hands then back up at Hide’s face and smiled.
“I’ll be fine.”
They settled back into their seats and waited until it was finally time for the program to begin. There were short messages about keeping silent throughout each routine, safety protocol, and a brief history of this event. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, we shall now begin the men’s singled discipline. Please welcome our first skater of the evening…”
---
“Ladies and gentlemen, Katsuki Yuuri-san will now take to the ice,” the male announcer cheerfully stated. Kaneki leaned forward in his seat. He had been waiting for this moment! Once he saw that slicked black hair, his heart began to beat faster. He looked up at the jumbotron to see Yuuri’s face up close. It was almost like the figure skater was looking at him only. Yuuri took his spot in the center of the rink and waited for the music to begin. Throughout his whole performance, Kaneki’s mouth was agape and his eyes sparkled. When Yuuri made a mistake, Kaneki let out a tiny gasp. When Yuuri would complete a section of his routine perfectly, Kaneki would quietly cheer.
Hide’s eyes were on Kaneki the entire time. It was cute seeing his best friend being such a fanboy.
---
The program ended shortly after that, and Hide quickly ushered Kaneki from the stands. “C’mon, ‘Neki!” Hide said, a sense of urgency in his voice. Once they reached to bottom of the stands, he held tightly to Kaneki’s hand and led them through the crowds of one of the arena’s halls.
“Hide, slow down!” Kaneki muttered, “The last train doesn’t leave for another two hours!”
“I know that. But this is something you really don’t wanna miss!” Hide grinned as he looked back at Kaneki. They kept running until they made it to one of the entrance doors on the southern end of the arena. There was a red-carpet runner that led from a door with a ‘DO NOT ENTER: AUTHORIZED PERSONEL ONLY’ to one of the entrance doors. That section was roped off by aisle separators. There was a small crowd—mainly of reporters—already there. ‘Perfect!’ Hide thought. This would make things a whole lot easier for them. He gently tugged Kaneki to an area right along the aisle separators. Kaneki gave him a worried look.
“Hide, what are we—” he cut himself off when the restricted door opened, and out walked Katsuki Yuuri, closely followed by his coach and a few of the arena’s staff. Kaneki couldn’t believe it. It was the man he’d been fawning over for the past three years! Right in front of him! There were a few cheers from some of the other people in the crowd as Yuuri made his way down the red-carpet runner. Suddenly it felt like Kaneki didn’t know how to breathe. Hide felt Kaneki stiffen next to him, so he took it upon himself, and—much to Kaneki’s dismay—called to the figure skater.
“Excuse me, Katsuki Yuuri-san?!” Hide called as he waved his arms obnoxiously over his head. Kaneki hoped that he didn’t hear him. He hoped that Yuuri would just keep walking. Instead, the figure skater stopped in his tracks and looked to them with curious eyes. He was wearing his glasses, and the slicked hair he usually wore when he performed had fallen into his face. He glanced around before pointing to himself, as if silently asking: “Who, me?” Off the ice, Yuuri didn’t really exude confidence. Instead, he was quite meek and unobtrusive. And Kaneki found that adorable. But right now, Hide was embarrassing him! He subtly jabbed Hide’s side with his elbow, but that didn’t stop the blond from calling the figure skater over. “Would it be okay if we got your autograph?” Kaneki whipped his head towards Hide so fast. He could feel a blush creep up his neck.
“Hide!” he quietly hissed. But to his surprise, Yuuri was walking over to them, a nervous smile on his face.
“Uh, s-sure…! I don’t mind, really,” Yuuri chuckled, “Though I don’t think it’ll be worth much of anything.”
“Yeah, well, to this guy,” Hide pointed to a star-struck Kaneki, “it’ll mean everything. It was his birthday a few days back. He just turned eighteen this year.”
“Really? We’re the same age then,” Yuuri smiled. Kaneki’s heart thumped at that. He had already known that fact (Yuuri was actually about a month older than him), but just to hear him say it from his own mouth, and—oh, god—Yuuri was looking at him and smiling! Kaneki’s mind was short-circuiting so fast that he barely registered the rest of the conversation between his best friend and his idol. “…And to whom am I making this autograph out to?” Yuuri asked, pen and paper in hand.
Hide noticed Kaneki’s inability to speak at the moment, so he took it upon himself to help out. “Kaneki Ken,” he said. Yuuri wrote out his name and a little message before signing it. He then turned it around and presented it to Kaneki.
“Here you go.” Once Kaneki registered the action, he raised trembling hands to take the paper.
“T-T-Thank you v-very m-much…!” Kaneki stuttered. He bowed at the waist a few times.
“Hey, sorry to bother you once again, Katsuki-san, but would it be okay to take a quick picture with you?” Hide asked innocently. If Kaneki had turned his head any faster, he probably would’ve gotten whiplash with how fast he looked at Hide with a pleading stare. Yuuri scratched a cheek and glanced over at his coach whom was glaring back at him.
“Um, hold on a sec,” he said and jogged back over to his coach. Kaneki and Hide watched what looked like Yuuri trying to negotiate with him. His coach threw his hands up in the air while the athlete timidly held his up to his chest. After a few moments, he walked back to the two with his coach in tow. His coach gave a heavy sigh as he held out his hand. Hide and Kaneki looked at it, then at each other in slight confusion. “I asked my coach to take the photo of us,” Yuuri explained when there was a beat of silence amongst them. Hide and Kaneki nodded in understanding, and Hide fished out his cellphone from his jacket. He gave it to the coach after he had set the camera on it. Yuuri took that moment to step over the ropes and position himself to the right of Kaneki while Hide stood to his left. Yuuri held up the peace sign and wore a humble smile. Hide also held up the peace sign and had a playful grin on his face. Kaneki didn’t know what to do with is hands, so he just kept them stiffly by his sides. He hoped he was smiling because in this moment, he felt like he was going to explode. Though, strange enough, he noticed himself slightly leaning into his best friend…
“Okay, say ‘cheese’,” the coach said. The word was barely out of their mouths before the photo was taken. He then quickly gave Hide back his phone and told Yuuri to quickly wrap things up before more people flocked their way. Yuuri nodded and bowed to Kaneki and Hide.
“I’m grateful you both came out today to watch. Thank you very much!” He made to turn around, but stopped halfway. As an afterthought, he added “You have a really good friend there, Kaneki-san. I hope you’ll cherish him for as long as possible.” Kaneki was taken aback by that. He slowly looked over to see Hide’s goofy smile and warm brown eyes looking at him. That made Kaneki smile in return, and a warmth radiated throughout his body. It was similar to what he felt when he first saw Yuuri on television. But at the same time this warmth felt different—like it had been there for much longer and smoldering just beneath the surface. He then looked back at Yuuri.
“Yes. I know…” he murmured.
They said their goodbyes and wished the figure skater well on his endeavors to the United States. Once Yuuri was gone, Hide turned to Kaneki. “Well, now that that’s crossed off your bucket list, you ready to head back? I mean, there’s still a bit of time left before going home, and it looks like the rink’ll stay open for a while longer anyway.” Kaneki nodded, and they began walking back to the arena’s main lobby. Hide had his hands folded behind his head as he walked. “Personally, after meeting that guy, I kind of want to give ice skating a go.” His voice was filled with so much mirth as he spoke. Kaneki silently walked behind Hide. He was wrapped in his own thoughts, trying to process the events of this evening. So, when Hide suddenly stopped, Kaneki was jolted back into reality. Hide turned to look at his best friend. “Kaneki? Are you okay?” The raven-haired man quickly nodded.
“Y-Yeah, sure…! Um, of course!” he stammered. Hide cocked his head to one side and stared at him in confusion. “Let’s go to the rink.”
---
It wasn’t fair. How the hell was Hide so good at ice skating even though he swore up and down that he’d never done it before? He was able to stay upright and balanced for minutes on end, and he was skating literal circles around Kaneki. “C’mon, ‘Neki! It’s easier than it looks.”
“Easy for you to say, damn prodigy,” Kaneki mumbled under his breath. He reluctantly pushed himself away from the safety of the rink’s wall and tried to balance himself on shaky legs. He was about to make his first actual move on the ice when a young girl whizzed past him, and Kaneki lost his footing. He was falling backwards but never hit the ground because Hide caught him in his arms.
“Whoa, there! You okay, Kaneki?” Hide inquired. Kaneki doesn’t say anything. He was lost in those brown eyes again. And Hide’s voice…
Ah, that was it… Kaneki may have had a crush on Yuuri, but in actuality…
He was in love with Hide.
Kaneki gently grasped at the front of Hide’s coat. He leaned forward in the embrace and closed his eyes as he brushed his lips against Hide’s. When they parted, Hide’s face was one of utter surprise. Kaneki looked away in embarrassment. “Sorry, Hide. It’s just… You sound a lot like Yuuri-san, and you both have the same kind, brown eyes. And you can figure skate! So, in a way, it’s like I’ve got my own personal ‘Katsuki Yuuri’,” Kaneki admits. He then quickly added “Ah! But of course, you’re not him. You’re you, and you’re just as special to me as—”
Kaneki was cut off by a firmer kiss on his lips and Hide bringing him closer to his body. Kaneki was startled by the action at first, but then soon fell into the kiss. Neither of them was aware of the few stares they were getting. When Hide parted from Kaneki’s lips, he smiled. His eyes were soft as he spoke. “I get it,” he uttered, “I really like you too.” He helped bring Kaneki back into an upright position before kissing him again. A few moments more, and Hide sighs against Kaneki’s lips. He took hold of Kaneki’s hand—intertwining their fingers in the process—and led him off the rink. “Ready to go?”
---
As they walked down the road to the train station, Hide let out a sudden chuckle. When he saw that Kaneki was giving him a puzzled look, he smiled. “’s nothing, really. But I’ll admit that I was a little jealous of Yuuri-san monopolizing most of your attention these past few years. I mean, I had known that he and I almost sound alike. People tell me that all the time. So when you started liking him, I thought that maybe I…” he trailed.
“Well, if it’s any consolation,” Kaneki began, cheeks turning pink, “I did have a few dreams where I’d be the only one in the stands as Yuuri-san did his routines. B-But then he’d start morphing into…you.” He looked over to see Hide stare back in surprise. That expression then turned to one of mischief.
“Aw, ‘Neki! You’re too cute! You know I’m gonna be teasing you about this for at least the next five years, right?” Hide laughed.
“Do it, and I’m breaking up with you right now,” Kaneki muttered, a deadpan expression on his face. He truly didn’t mean any of that, but it was funny to see Hide’s outrageous reaction anyway.
“So harsh! Not even five minutes into our relationship!” he replied as he clutched his chest dramatically with one hand, and wiped away a fake tear with the other. Kaneki just shook his head and leaned his head against Hide’s shoulder. Hide responded by wrapping his arm around his best fr—boyfriend. “Let’s go home, hm?” Kaneki nodded. He was really grateful for this birthday gift. Not only did he get to see his (former) crush up close, but he also got a boyfriend out of it too.