Just a little story I wanted to get out of my system for the only pairing in Tokyo Ghoul that matters. May continue if anybody actually wants me to.

"Why am I here?" Kaneki mutters to himself, sinking lower in his booth seat. Touka and the others had ditched him almost the minute they'd entered the club, and he'd been nursing the same drink for over half an hour, by himself in the furthest booth from the dance floor he could find.

He understands that his friends mean well, that they just want to include him and see him loosen up, but he just can't. What would happen if he got drunk and something happened to his friends and he couldn't help them? What if he got sick from drinking? What would happen if he was too drunk to protect himself and he was mugged?

He eyes the drink in his hand miserably. It's just not worth it. With a sigh, he pushes it away and looks dejectedly at his table, waiting for one of his friends to take pity on him so he can be allowed to go home.

"You just gonna sit there by yourself?"

Startled, Kaneki looks up, meeting the eyes of a strange, handsome young man, possibly no older than himself, with dark eyes and blonde, spiky hair.

"Uh, well, I'm not so good at...this kind of stuff," Kaneki replies awkwardly, gesturing vaguely to the dance floor. Unused to strangers talking to him, he sits up, looking around nervously for his friends to save him from social interaction.

The stranger shakes his head.

"That's no good!" He points a finger a Kaneki accusingly, a reproving look on his face.

"You can't come to a club and just stare at your drink all night! I'm getting bored just looking at you."

"I don't—"

"AH!" Kaneki jumps when the stranger interrupts him with a loud negative noise, effectively silencing him. "No excuses! Come on!"

And with that, Kaneki's upper arm is grasped in a vice grip, and he's being dragged away from his safe, sober little corner.

"Wait—I don't drink—"

"Sorry," the stranger calls over his shoulder in a sing-song voice, grinning, "I can't hear you over the music." He turns away, never once stopping, and Kaneki glowers as he's reluctantly dragged away. Who does this guy think he is?

They reach the bar, and even though the trip was short, Kaneki had been pressed against far too many people for his tastes. He almost wants a drink just to deal with the stress.

"Hm," his strange escort spun to face him, hand stroking his chin as he considered Kaneki with an appraising gaze, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"You probably never drink, huh?" Kaneki blushes slightly, expecting to be teased, but the other just nods his head sagely.

"Thought so."

He spins around and plants his hands on the bar, waving frantically at the bartender.

"Over here! Hurry! My friend needs to get drunk right now!" Kaneki flushes again, looking at his feet while the people around them laugh.

Next to him, his companion grins, clapping a hand on his shoulder and squeezing comfortingly.

"You'll thank me later," he promises with a wink, and Kaneki can only offer a dry look, glancing away to give the people around him a cursory glance, but none of his friends seem to be nearby.

"Here you go!" The stranger thrusts a drink at him and Kaneki reluctantly takes it, looking at it uneasily. It's a shot, completely clear and unassuming and he does. Not. Trust it.

"What is it?" he asks finally after staring for a solid twenty seconds. His companion rolls his eyes.

"Your new best friend: Vodka!" His apparently new friend raises an identical glass, holding it in before him, and expectant look on his face. After a pause, Kaneki raises his own and gently presses it to the other.

"Cheers—uh, what's your name?" Dark eyes flash to his face and Kaneki swallows.

"Kaneki." His companion resumes his grin. Kaneki can't help but feel that he's one of those people who's meant to smile.

"Cheers, Kaneki! To new friends!" He throws back his drink and Kaneki gives him a wry smile before considering his own shot.

He normally never would, but...something about this strange man makes Kaneki want to try something new, just this once.

With a silent prayer that he's not making a huge mistake, Kaneki screws his eyes shut and throws his head back, his first drink with a complete stranger.

It burns.

"Ah," he breathes, feeling as if every pore in his body is opening up. When he opens his eyes, the other is smiling at him, of course.

"That's nothing." He hands Kaneki another shot. Grimacing, he accepts it.

"Just wait until you try tequila," the stranger winks, grinning devilishly.

Despite himself, Kaneki finds himself returning it with a small smile of his own.

"I'm in your care, then," he murmurs shyly, looking away.

A pause, and Kaneki thinks his face will melt off, and then he's gripped around the shoulders and shaken. Wide eyed, he focuses on not spilling his shot.

"That's the spirit!" His new friend looks so happy Kaneki spends a moment just marveling at the sight. Could he ever look like that?

"We need more drinks!" His friend thunders. With renewed determination, he spins back to the counter, waving frantically once more.

"More?" Kaneki shakes his head before downing his second shot of vodka for the night, shuddering slightly when it's down.

"This one too, Kaneki, this one too!" Another clear shot is shoved in his hand, his empty glass snatched from him.

Giving an exasperated sigh, Kaneki takes the next shot before gasping loudly, eyes screwing shut against the acid he just poured down his throat.

"Oh my God," he gasps out, full body shudders consuming him. He has no idea what he just drank, but he knows that it will kill him.

Meanwhile, his new friend is laughing, one arm around Kaneki's shoulders, the other slapping his knee.

"What was that?!" Kaneki manages.

The other straightens slightly—wiping away a tear or two, Kaneki notices sourly—before he gives Kaneki a definitely evil smirk.

"That was tequila." Before Kaneki can even attempt to respond to that information, he's being led away from the bar.

Any protest he would have had is overtaken by the worrying amount of tilting the room is doing. And his legs feel kind of heavy, but his arms feel really light…

"You are now officially drunk enough to dance," He cheerily informs Kaneki.

What?

"No, no," Kaneki tries to pry the other's hand off his arm while shaking his head, but the movement is suddenly the most entrancing thing he's ever done and he just moves his head back and forth, enjoying the motion.

"Too bad," he hears called back to him.

Kaneki might have been annoyed, but the moment they hit the dance floor, he's too busy focusing on staying upright.

There are so many people and Kaneki does not do crowds if he can avoid it. He tugs back on his arm where his friend is grasping his wrist, but this turns out to be a mistake when he slips from the other's grasp and is instantly swallowed up by the insistent press and surge of the people around him.

Eyes wide, Kaneki tries to call out, but his voice is snatched away with the music. He tries to nudge past the people dancing around him, but the alcohol makes him clumsy, bumping into those nearest to him, and all he receives are dirty looks for his efforts.

He closes his eyes, holding his arms close to his chest. Every time he tries to take a step forward, it seems like he's just getting pushed back and he feels so helpless.

'This is what I get,' he thinks. Kaneki doesn't do things like this. He doesn't drink and dance and make friends easily. Maybe this is his punishment for trying to be something he's not...

"Kaneki!" He feels a tug on his arm and Kaneki looks up, startled, straight into dark, worried eyes.

"Looks like I lost ya there," The stranger grins, scratching his head sheepishly, blond hair going green-red-blue beneath the lights. The smile leaves his face when he notices Kaneki's teary eyes.

Embarrassed, Kaneki ducks his head.

"Sorry," he says, waving a dismissive hand. "I just-I don't like being around all these people," he confesses, barely audible over the music.

"Hey, hey," He slips his hand beneath Kaneki's chin, raising his head. The other has a soft, encouraging smile on his face.

"I'm not going anywhere, Kaneki. Come on," he tugs on Kaneki's arm. "Just dance. Trust me, you'll love it."

Kaneki hesitates. Just having the other man there makes him feel better, but...dancing? He's never really danced before.

"I don't—I mean, I've never—"

"Here," hands seize Kaneki's wrists and raise them high above his head. "Like this."

Surprised, Kaneki looks into his friend's face only to see that same shit-eating grin directed back at him. The other starts moving to the beat, moving Kaneki like a marionette.

After a moment, Kaneki starts giggling.

"We look silly," he says between laughs when his companion gives him a curious look.

"Yup," he quips easily. Then, he throws his head back.

"Who gives a fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck?!" he screams, several woots of agreement going off all around them.

Laughing uncontrollably, Kaneki moves on his own, drunk in more ways than one.

"Finally," his partner sighs dramatically, his tone not matching his delighted expression. He releases Kaneki's wrists "Let's see what you got!"

Kind of wishing he still had the arms holding him as a crutch, Kaneki nonetheless begins moving his hips and swaying to the beat, feeling the bass reach up from the soles of his feet to the tips of his fingers, the other man's smile illuminated by the chance strobe light gracing his features.

His partner laughs before he feels an arm around his waist, inching him forward.

"You really are hopeless," the young man says with a certain fondness. Kaneki's very close to his chest but they're not quite touching. At this distance, Kaneki's forced to see that while he thought they were the same height, up close the other has a good inch or two on him. "Like this."

The two still swaying, the taller man runs his hands down Kaneki's raised arms to his elbow, bending them slightly.

"Good, good," he murmurs approvingly. "Just bring them a little closer to your body."

Kaneki does as he's told with a smile, amused at the lesson, and the blond matches it with his own.

"Laughing at me, huh? Kids today," he mumbles, spinning Kaneki in a quick, sudden motion, causing him to break out in breathless giggles.

"Well, your technique is all over the place," his companion laments in a disparaging tone. "What are your hips even doing? Do it like this."

Hands settle on his hips and guide him, arresting his jerky movements and turning them into smooth dipping motions that he takes to almost instantly.

Usually, having people in his personal space makes him uncomfortable, but he doesn't want to stop now and when his hips dip low and his whole body seems to meld itself to the guide behind him, his hands still on Kaneki's hips, he just goes with it, feeling way too good.

Apparently, his partner does too because Kaneki feels hot breath on his ear, and the hands on his hips tighten and press him close.

"Fuck, Kaneki," he groans lowly, hot breath ghosting his ear, and Kaneki shivers, lowering his hands to cover the ones on his hips. The blond's voice is deeper, laced with a touch of desperation; it's a sound Kaneki wants to hear again.

A moment later Kaneki's eyes widen. What is he doing? He's acting like some sex-crazed teenager, and he's embarrassing himself.

Turning his head to the side, he absently notes how close he is to his partner's lips. Barely and inch closer, and they could kiss.

Blinking at the thought, Kaneki licks his own lips before forcing himself to look at the other's eyes.

The other man is already looking down at him, pupils blown wide, and Kaneki swallows; has to lick his lips again and try not to melt when the blond follows the motion with a sharp focus a drunk man really shouldn't have.

"Sorry," Kaneki whispers.

Surprisingly, his partner hears him, or at least understands, because he blinks a few times, as if trying to awaken from a daze, before smirking, pressing his hips against Kaneki and earning a quiet gasp for his efforts.

"Don't be," he whispers back, right in his ear and shit that's really hot and he couldn't stop himself from shivering if he tried.

"C'mere," his partner commands lowly, and Kaneki does, his breath coming a little quicker, and tilts his head back just as the blond's lips brush his own and whoa.

Kaneki can taste the alcohol on his breath and his lips are a bit chapped, but God, he knows how to kiss. Kaneki can't focus on anything other than moving his lips against the other's, feeling the blond's tongue trace the seam of his lips before dipping into his mouth, making a sound of satisfaction when he tastes the shorter boy.

They sway and kiss for what feels like a small eternity before Kaneki pulls away slightly, the two of them panting, breath mingling between them as they simply stare at another.

This is...nice. Kaneki is very much drunk, he realizes, because that's about all the protest he can summon at the moment. Even the thought that his friends might have seen him doesn't start the panic attack he'll no doubt experience when he's sober.

The two stop moving, staring, before the other man speaks.

"You wanna get out of here?"

Kaneki, face already flushed, looks down. He may not be a crazed sex-addict, but he knows what that means.

After a moment, he raises his head.

"What's your name?"

The stranger blinks, then grins. "Call me Hide."

"Hide," Kaneki murmurs to himself, testing it out. Then, he slowly turns so that he and Hide are pressed chest to chest. His arms slide up and around Hide's neck, and he feels strong arms wrap around his middle. Before he can stop it, a shy, playful smile steals over his features.

"Let's get out of here, Hide."

I haven't really written in a while, so reviews would be much appreciated. Thanks for reading!