So this was inspired by fanart on Tumblr by hanarurun! The image will be as the cover and we highly encourage you to look at the blushy Kaneki before reading this! =D

Oh, and AllHumanAU

Hope everyone has a sweet day and leaves a nice comment~!

Curious grey eyes stared around his best friend as they sat together at their usual hang-out spot, Anteiku. The black-haired boy gazed at the other table in the cozy coffee shop, at the purple-headed man that sat there drinking his coffee.

They both had the same book.

"Dude, just go over there and ask him out already!" Hide at least had the decency to only loudly whisper to the timid boy.

Kaneki paled at the mere idea and his black locks whipped around his head in a frenzy as he shook his head. "N-No, are you crazy?! Look at him!"

Hide did just that and Kaneki shook his hands to get his friend to stop before the man could see. "I didn't mean it literally!" The pink in the boy's cheeks was bright against his fair skin, and Hide could only smirk at it.

"So what do you see in that guy?" Hide asked as he turned back to his best friend — refraining from scoffing at the purple-headed guy's fashion taste.

Kaneki stilled at the question before looking down and blushing. "Uh, well... Let's see..." He looked at his hands on his lap, his fingers twirling together. "He likes the same books as I do..."

"And?" Hide prompted, resting his chin on his upraised hand.

"And...um..." Kaneki's blush darkened. "He always has a smile for everyone."

"Go on."

Kaneki was so flushed at this point he was shifting nervously in his seat, looking at anything and everything that was not Hide or the purple-haired man a few tables down. "He...He's nice to the staff!"

"Uh-huh."

"And he speaks so fluently in other languages! And I even heard he's a model!" Kaneki spoke more excitingly before it crashed down. "Oh, but..."

Hide noticed his friend's sudden downed expression. "But what?"

"It's just..." Kaneki looked at the floor. "...I don't think he would ever see someone like me."

Now this, Hide did scoff at. "Please!" He leaned forward with a sparkling glint in his eye and Kaneki fell back, surprised, at the intensity. "Bro you're a great catch! Do you not see yourself? That dude would be crazy to not go for you. You're nice, smart, a bookworm just like he is—" Hide winked at Kaneki's pout,"—and, from one dude-bro to another dude-bro, you're attractive down to the flipping nines. A real gentleman, thank you. And how do I know? Because you're my best friend, and I know my best friend inside-out, so don't tell me that you aren't worthy to be in that man's presence because you are."

"H-Hide—!"

"Now what you're going to do," Hide jumped to his feet, "is go over there and ask him out. Own it bro!"

"Wh-what—" Before Kaneki had a chance to finish, Hide was already pulling him up by the arm and pushing him into the general direction where Kaneki's crush sat.

"I'll be cheering from the sidelines!" Hide winked, and Kaneki was a flustered, blushing mess as he realized he was too close to the older man's area.

He breathed in a shaky breath and let it out. He felt too stiff as he marched up to the table. Hide was right, he should just ask the guy!

Wait... what should he ask him? Oh no, he hadn't thought up a plan at all!

What was he going to say?! Kaneki bit his lip. What could he say without sounding stupid? Could he say anything without sounding stupid?! Oh, what he wouldn't give to go back to the table with Hide and just watch his crush from afar...

Kaneki approached the purple-haired man slowly, timidly keeping his head lowered. Maybe he should start off with a simple hello, or a hey there, perhaps even a "Yo" — no, that was stupid! But he didn't have time to think of anything. Kaneki was at the table, and his crush looked so handsome reading, his heart was beating fast — oh what should he say?! Be cool, Kaneki, be cool!

"Um, h-hi." Instead of something cool, that came out of his mouth instead.

What's worse is his small voice didn't even seem to register with the handsome man, causing Kaneki to grow even more flustered. He wanted to immediately turn away, feeling so embarrassed.

He looked behind him to see Hide give him a thumbs-up and a cheesy grin of encouragement.

Kaneki gulped, well now what...

He stilled himself, and bracing himself, spoke up a little louder, "Um, excuse me!"

He still hadn't been loud enough. The man continued to read without the slightest indication that he'd heard Kaneki at all! Kaneki thought he'd been loud enough...

Kaneki frustratedly pursed his lips. "Excuse me!"

The only sign the man was startled out of his reading was his wide opened eyes, once having been so focused, looking away from the reading as his mind came back to reality. Kaneki blushed scarlet when startled purple eyes landed on him. He hadn't meant to be that loud! "Oh! Um, s-sorry if I, um, surprised you..." Kaneki said in a much lower voice. He hid his hands behind his back to hide the fact he was shaking. "I, um..."

Tsukiyama quietly breathed, "Qu'il est mignon, ce garçon !"(What a cute boy) As he gazed at the blushing boy in front of him. Dolce, is what he thought as he saw the smaller young man shake a bit.

"I... I've been, um, watching you from afar and I..." Oh gosh, Kaneki hoped he didn't sound like some weird stalker or something! He shut his eyes before bringing his hands to the front and twining them over and over loosely. He stared at the man shyly and asked, "Will you go to the bookstore with me?"

Tsukiyama's eyes widened further. Of all things, he hadn't been expecting such a cute boy to ask him to go anywhere...and as a date no less. The boy was shy too, and it made everything all the more sweet. Tsukiyama, however, had no answer for him because Kaneki had chosen at that moment to lower his eyes with a sort of half smile, and it simply melted the man's heart. The boy's beauty knew no bounds.

Kaneki grew all the more nervous at Tsukiyama's silence and quickly added, "It d-doesn't have to be a date! If you don't want it to be that is— I mean, we can just go look for books since that's what people do at bookstores or-or we can do something else, we can always do something else if you don't want to go to the bookstore—"

Kaneki stopped talking when Tsukiyama burst into loud laughter and immediately hid his eyes behind his bangs, face flushed completely red. This was it, the man was going to say no, and Kaneki would be left feeling like the biggest fool in the world.

He could already hear Hide laughing at him...

"Oh, mon chéri. I would be delighted to go to a bookstore with you... as a date." He smiled and winked at the flustered boy, who seemed to grow even more red. "But first, can I have a name?" Tsukiyama leaned against his raised hand, giving the boy his undivided attention.

"A-A name?" Kaneki stammered out.

Tsukiyama chuckled and lowered his eyelids. This boy was too cute for this world. "Oui. I can't only call my date 'cutie,' can I?"

That did it. The flush spread all the way to Kaneki's ears and he looked to the ground, shuffling his feet. "I-I'm Kaneki. K-Kaneki Ken!" Kaneki smiled shyly at Tsukiyama through his eyelashes but he couldn't keep the man's gaze for long, having to return his gaze to the floor. He was still surprised that he'd even said yes in the first place! Now they were exchanging names? If Hide were by his side he'd be nudging Kaneki in the shoulder with a waggle of his dancing eyebrows.

Tsukiyama rolled his hand underneath his chin and smiled winningly at this Kaneki. "Well," he purred, "bonjour Kaneki Ken. I am Tsukiyama Shuu."

. * . * .

And then the two went on a happy date together, later finding out they shared the same favorite author and books.

And there was no eating of Kaneki.

.

FOR THE SHUUNEKI/TSUKIKANE

.

Kaneki and Hide are dude-bros for life! :3