Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: I've been sitting on this idea for literally a year and a half and I just now summoned the motivation to finish it. I hope you enjoy it!

Crap! Crap! Craaaaap!

His breath came out in hitched gasps as he rounded another corner, arms pumping as he hurtled towards the dead end. He skidded to a stop, wide eyes darting over the grimy walls and upturned dumpsters for an escape route.

There!

With a soft grunt, Hide clambered onto the nearest dumpster, his dark boots squeaking as he struggled to gain purchase. He took a deep breath before throwing himself in, grimacing as his feet sunk deep into the pungent trash. Hide pressed his lips together and offered a helpless roll of the eyes before burying himself deeper.

This stinks. Literally.

Although he much preferred running to hiding, the latter tactic wasn't an option at the moment. He breathed shallowly through his mouth as footsteps neared.

Hopefully they aren't hungry enough to go "dumpster diving." Hide wrinkled his nose. What was worse: the smell or the joke? Maybe he deserved this after all.

"Did he go down this way?"

"I don't smell anything."

"Euch. I can't tell what's human and what's garbage."

Rude. I took a shower today. Hide stifled another gag as the footsteps stopped right along the edge of the dumpster.

"I don't think he's here. We would have heard him by now."

Footsteps trailed away, but Hide forced his body to remain still. He wasn't sure how much longer he cowered in the dumpster, but when slimy noodles started to seep into his jacket, he decided it was time to go.

He drew a deep breath—instantly regretted it—and slowly pulled himself out of the dumpster, slithering free from plastic containers and soured leftovers. As he teetered on the dumpster's edge, he peered into the darkness and searched for the heart-stopping glow of kakugan. Satisfied with the deserted alleyway, Hide hoped off the dumpster. He flicked a stray noodle from his shoulder and adjusted his belt, smoothing down the rumpled fabric around his waist.

I'm safe now, but this scent could be deadly if they catch wind of it.

Hide groaned and rubbed his eyes. He had to avoid the ghouls until his backup came. He glanced at the glowing watch around his wrist, noting with a shaky smile the time. Only a few hours left. I can do this… I think?

Hide dropped his hand, his fingers brushing against the cold weapon strapped to his hip. It was his only defense. After all that stupid training, I'm still pretty clueless.

"Can't be helped," Hide muttered, eyes scanning the bleak, dusky horizon. He'd improvised with less.

He didn't have much time to rest. As he turned a corner, he nearly jumped out of his skin at a high-pitched squeal. Hide stumbled into a nearby wall and he pressed a hand to his pounding heart. The culprit—a thin, wide-eyed girl—jumped back, just as startled.

If Hide hadn't seen her glowing red eyes behind the slits in her mask, he might have made a flippant remark about bedtimes. However, he only had a few moments before the ghoul realized who was higher on the proverbial food chain. With one hand hovering over his weapon, Hide carefully backed away, keeping his gaze locked on the girl's glowing stare.

Okay… So running is probably the best option. Her scream might have attracted the rest of her friends. Hide's thighs ached at the notion of running away again, but he didn't relish meeting up with the older ghouls.

Hide took another step back, but the girl had recovered from her fright. She took a tentative step forward to make up for Hide's subtle retreat. She reached, her thin fingers barely missing his chest. He hastily jumped back, but ended up bumping into the concrete wall behind him.

Crap…. His expression twisted into a frustrated, barred smile. How many times have I said that tonight?

He couldn't run—at least, not yet. Hide's gaze slide over the ghoul's shoulder and he gave a soft start.

"Hey! Am I glad to see you! Whatever happened to reliable backup?"

As he hoped, the girl recoiled, darting around to face Hide's pretend reinforcements. Taking her brief terror to his advantage, Hide ducked around her outstretched arms before racing towards the open alleyway. However, at the last second, he spun on his heel, drawing his weapon up to chest height.

"Sorry about this." He shrugged halfheartedly before pulling the trigger. The girl squeaked again as crimson blossomed from the center of her abdomen. She staggered backwards and Hide took the opportunity to make his escape. She didn't follow, but Hide didn't expect her to.

He didn't stop running. He didn't even stop when another figure crossed into his path. The man looked up, gaping at the sight of a disheveled and foul-smelling CCG agent barreling towards him.

Hide wasn't going to take any chances. He breezed past the stranger, not even sparing a backwards glance as he rounded another corner. The faint pfft of a bullet leaving its barrel echoed belatedly, the only sound from their encounter.

The stranger dabbed at the growing red blotch along his breast pocket with a stained handkerchief. He frowned, wondering when the tables tipped and predators became the prey.

Unable to keep up his frantic pace, Hide slowed to a stop, doubling over as he took in deep breaths. He straightened up, adjusted his belt again, and wiped the sweat from his brow. Despite the chill in the cool January air, all of this unwarranted exercise made him feel feverish.

"Man," he sighed, his shoulders drooping as he surveyed his surroundings. Either Ward 20 had undergone some massive renovations in the past two hours or he was really lost. Although he would have preferred to know where to go, he wasn't particularly bothered. He scanned his watch again, grateful he only had to hold out for another hour.

I hope backup can find me here…

Wherever here is.

Hide puckered his lips as he noticed a familiar landmark a few hundred feet away. Mangled steel beams towered over an abandoned lot, far too unmanageable to be cleared away.

Hey… That looks like the old construction site. Hide swallowed thickly, mashing his lips together. The one where Kaneki's accident happened.

Although it wasn't a favorable sight, it was familiar nonetheless. Hide trudged past it, carefully skirting around the dangerous glow of streetlamps as best he could. It felt weird to skulk by the shadows, but he wasn't sure who was around to watch. The street was abandoned, deathly silent apart from the buzzing lightbulb filaments.

A faint laugh, deep and mirthful, echoed within the steel beam cage.

Hide came to a jarring stop and the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. The stifling heat in his cheeks disappeared as the blood drained from his face.

Someone was watching him.

He took a shuddering breath. No, not someone. It was several someones. Painfully aware that his poor human sight was no match for the shadows, he couldn't resist the urge to squint over his shoulder. He pivoted slowly, scanning every darkened corner. Caught in the streetlight's glow, he was fatally exposed.

I can't stay here. I have to go now.

Hide shielded his eyes as he stared at the streetlight above him. It felt so hot, so bright. Almost as if it could burn a hole through him. When Hide shifted his gaze back to the construction site, everything looked fuzzy and dark, as if he had stared too long at the sun. He squeezed his eyes shut, allowing his dizzy vision to reset, before hastily absorbing every detail of the shadowy sidewalk in front of him.

If my eyes are sensitive to this much light, I wonder…

Hide hated using his precious ammo for a hunch, but if the ghouls managed to catch him, the unused bullets wouldn't do him any good anyway.

Tucking his free arm over his eyes for added protection, Hide aimed the gun over his head and fired two quick shots. On the second round's impact, the streetlamp exploded in a burst of light and a shower of sparks. Glass rained down, dusting Hide's jacket sleeve and hair with powdery shards. The laughter—once faint and wispy—grew louder.

The blood pounding in his ears drowned out their laughs as he raced blindly down the street.

Hide's frantic running carried him back into familiar territory. He wasn't about to disadvantage himself by staying somewhere where he didn't have the upper hand. His pace slowed as he recognized a very familiar site—the Anteiku coffee shop.

Maybe…maybe they'll recognize me. I sho—

Hushed whispers cut Hide off mid-thought. He swallowed and backed slowly towards the nearest alcove. People without motives, he reasoned, would not be whispering while skulking about back alleyways. They also wouldn't be out at eleven o'clock.

Someone touched his shoulder and Hide nearly screamed. Pressing one hand to his mouth and the other to his hip, he spun around, already prepared for the end. Instead of a ghoul's leering kakugan, he met a pair of intense eyes buried under furrowed, silver eyebrows.

Wait… I've seen him before! That's Yomo-san—Kaneki said he sometimes runs errands for the manager at Anteiku.

"Yomo-san," Hide panted, trying to keep the panic from choking his voice. The wheels in his head spun as he tried to explain why he was decked out in his CCG uniform. "Plea—"

Yomo shook his head, digging his hand firmly into Hide's shoulder. He couldn't feel any pain through his uniform's padding, but he could send the urgency in Yomo's action. Hide clamped his lips shut as the footsteps grew nearer.

With a gentle shove, Yomo propelled Hide towards an alcove with a vending machine. Hide recognized it—he had stopped there many times while waiting for Kaneki to finish his shift. Yomo nodded towards the tiny gap between the machine and the wall.

Hide understood immediately. He sucked in his gut before shimmying into the crack. He held his breath, feeling his chest strain against the tight compression. Once he was uncomfortably concealed, Yomo shifted in front of the exit, blotting out the street lights with his hulking form.

The footsteps grew louder and skittered to a stop. Two pairs, Hide concluded, noting how the sounds seemed independent of each other.

"Where is he?" a voice growled. Low, female.

And really angry, Hide added and he took tiny sips of air through his nose. He kept himself completely still. It would be rather awkward to be outed by the sound of his gun knocking against the back of the machine.

Yomo said nothing. Hide pleaded to all the gods he knew that Yomo wasn't about to betray him. Death behind vending machine would be a really crappy way to go.

"It smells like shit," another voice added. Male. "I know he's been here."

When Yomo remained silent, the female uttered a disgusted curse. "Whatever. We'll find him without your help." Footsteps trailed away but Yomo continued to block Hide's escape.

Then, just as Hide thought his chest would implode, Yomo stepped away. Hide practically pried himself from behind the machine, gulping deep breaths of air as he stretched his cramped muscles.

"Tha…thank you," he gasped, rotating his shoulder back into a comfortable position. By the eerie light from the vending machine, Hide caught Yomo's small, flickering smile before he turned away. Hide watched him disappear around the corner before heading the opposite way.

With thirty minutes remaining until backup arrived, Hide felt himself relax. It was dangerous—hell, he knew he shouldn't do it—but he couldn't help it. Each deserted alleyway he passed made his tightened chest loosen a little more. He took a well-deserved breather, resting against a boarded up doorframe while moping the sweat from his brow.

He glanced down at the gun strapped to his hip, framed by a billowing fabric. He was a bit surprised to still be in one piece. It had certainly been an eventful night.

He tilted his head backwards, staring up at the sky with mild disappointment. Although it was nearly midnight, he couldn't see the stars. Only the pale, hazy glow rising from the depths of the city. He felt his eyes drift close, but the sound of breaking glass galvanized his nerves like an electric wire.

His eyes popped open and he jerked his head towards the sound, catching a flurry of motion in his periphery. The tiny girl from earlier peeked around the corner, studying him with pursed lips. A shattered bottle laid at her feet.

I thought she would be back.

Hide took her silent vigilance as a warning. He bobbed his head nervously before backing up.

"I see him! He's right there!"

He jumped at the loud shriek, tugging his gun out of the holster. He tore his gaze from the girl to the two figures racing towards him. The slighter one—the female, he amended—was faster, spurred forward by the blazing flames streaming from her shoulder blade.

Hide didn't even bother with attempting to aim. He fired two shots over his shoulder before breaking out into a dead sprint. He knew he wouldn't be able to outrun them—especially since one had an ukaku kagune—but he would try his best to lose them.

Hide raced into another alleyway, but skidded to a stop with an embarrassing squawk. The larger ghoul rose up from a crouch on the opposite side, his glowing blue kagune lashing by his legs. With ghouls advancing on either side, Hide had little choice but to move further towards the center of the alleyway. His roving gaze caught on a fire escape, dangling below a boarded up window.

Gotcha.

Hide took a deep breath and tucked his gun back in its holster before running towards the male ghoul. He took a reactive step backwards, unsure by Hide's bold move. He pivoted on one foot when he passed the fire escape, using his momentum and his tight grip around the rusted bars to pull him partially onto the landing. The apparatus squealed and rattled at Hide's weight, but it held him as he clambered further up the rungs.

The female ghoul reacted first, launching herself at Hide with a snarl. As soon as he righted himself on the second story platform, Hide rammed into the boards with a shoulder. The rotting wood splintered under the force and he fell into the abandoned building. Without sparing a moment to collect his thoughts, Hide scrambled to his feet and hobbled deeper into the room. She was on his heels, ducking through the broken window. The red flare from her ukaku kagune bounced off the broken glass panes, flooding the dilapidated room with a bloody glow.

There! In the corner, Hide spotted the shadowed peak of a flight of stairs. Taking multiple steps per desperate bound, he faltered towards the bottom, tumbling down three steps and hitting the ground with a soft umph. He rolled onto his back, momentarily stunned as he blinked at the cobwebs above him. The female ghoul watched him from the top of the stairs, her ukaku prickling behind her. Her chest rose and fell in quick bursts; she was as exhausted as Hide. He doubted he would still be alive if she had a kagune with greater endurance.

"Game's over," she panted. "Give…up." She drew her shoulders back, preparing to send a barrage of hardened spikes to guarantee an end to their chase.

Hide took advantage of the moment's lapse to escape. He rolled back to his hands and knees and half-crawled, half-stumbled out of the line of fire. The sound of skittering glass and her outraged screech followed him as he slipped through the—thankfully—open doorway back into the alleyway.

He knew he wasn't going to escape that easily. Hide gasped and clutched his hip as he limped towards the open street. How much time was left? He wasn't sure anymore. It had to be close to midnight though.

A figure blocked his path and Hide slowed his pace, feeling a wave of icy dread wash over him.

This is it. This is the end.

Hide squinted, taking in the rounded haircut and the slender shoulders.

Wait a sec—that's Kaneki!

"Kaneki!" Hide screamed, no longer bothering to conceal his panic. His cry for help came out scratchy and hoarse, but it did the job nonetheless. Kaneki spun around to face his friend, his expression flashing from confusion to fear.

"Hi-Hide?"

Hide planted his hands on Kaneki's shoulders before shaking them firmly. "Kaneki, man. We gotta go. There are a ton of ghouls right behind me."

"G-ghouls?" Kaneki gulped, paling behind his eyepatch.

"Yeah, real nasty ones. Let's go!" Hide tugged on Kaneki's shoulder, but he remained rooted to the spot.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'll explain later, but right now we have to g—ack!" Hide flinched as bolts from the female ghoul's ukaku rained down a few feet from where they were standing.

"Hide!" Kaneki shouted, reaching towards his friend. He noticed the bruising along his face and glass shards dusting his hair, realizing just how much trouble Hide was in.

The female ghoul advanced on them.

"Hide, get behind me."

"Eh?" Hide blinked at the shift in Kaneki's tone. Kaneki mashed his lips ruefully. He didn't want to use his kagune in front of Hide, but it seemed as if he had no choice.

"Don't just stand there, you idiot! Get him! Get the human!" The ghoul ripped off her mask, revealing an explosion of blue locks that framed her blazing kakugan.

"Wha—Touka-chan…?" Kaneki shuddered at the sharp betrayal. She's going after Hide. She promised she wouldn't. He glanced at Hide to gauge his reaction. He's not surprised? Maybe it's just the shock settling in.

A shift in the shadows yielded Hinami and Nishiki, watching from a safe distance with their masks discarded.

No… what are they doing? They can't hurt Hide.

Kaneki squared his shoulders, prepared to do whatever he had to in order to save his friend again. I won't fail him again.

"Get the damn human or get out of my way!" she seethed. She balled her trembling hands into fists, but stopped her advance when Kaneki showed no signs of backing down.

"No—I—I won't!"

"Get. Away. From. Him."

Kaneki shook his head, once then twice again.

"Kaneki, man," Hide drawled slowly, interrupting their heated stare down. "You really should have listened to her."

"Huh?"

At his friend's strange words, Kaneki glanced over his shoulder to catch the glint of Hide's gun barrel aimed at him. He pivoted to face Hide, turning his back on a scowling Touka.

"I hope there's no hard feelings. It's just part of the game."

He pulled the trigger and Kaneki stumbled backwards as crimson blossomed along the front of his jacket. Kaneki pressed a tentative hand to the wetness staining his skin and gaped at his sticky fingers.

"Tch. Idiot."

Touka took advantage of Kaneki's momentary shock by surging forward. With another lengthy stride, she grabbed the collar of Hide's uniform and shoved him against the nearest wall. He squirmed and reached for his gun, but she knocked it away with a forceful sweep of her hand.

"You're mine now, human," she gloated as she leaned closer. "Did you really think you could escape us?"

Hide's fearful expression melted into a confident, quirked smile.

"Are you sure?" he asked, gesturing downwards. Touka's smirk faded as her eyes dropped. Along the curve of her right shin was a splotch of red.

"Not my best shot, I'll admit, but it still counts." Her death grip on his collar slackened as she took a halfhearted step away from him. He adjusted the scarf around his waist. It was tattered, frayed, and stained, but still secure around his aching frame.

In the darkened alley, surrounded by his dumbfounded best friend and freshly painted ghouls, Hide grinned.

His watch alarm went off with a tinny, triumphant ring. He had survived until midnight.

Three Days Earlier.

It was a lazy day in Anteiku. Hide kept one eye on Kaneki while he slid the last bite of his pastry around on his plate. After trying dozens of cakes and treats from the coffee shop, he had finally figured out the strange link between them.

They're all a bit too sweet. Almost as if whoever makes them never tastes the batter beforehand.

Hide certainly didn't mind. It was just…interesting. He looked around the café, noting the distinct lack of pastries on the other tables. Even then, the few customers who had ordered food to accompany their coffee left it untouched.

I guess they wouldn't have much of a sweet tooth anyway.

Hide rested his cheek on a balled fist, humming nonchalantly under his breath. Everything was so peaceful, so warm. His half-lidded eyes wandered from Kaneki bustling by an empty table to the manager pouring coffee at the counter.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Hide reared back, jarred out of his sluggish thoughts by an irritated Touka. He blinked rapidly before rubbing at his eyelids. She stared him down, hands planted on her hips.

"Touka-chan?" For once, Hide was at lost for words. There were plenty of things he was at fault for, but he couldn't think of one that involved Touka. "I—"

"I know what you are," Touka hissed, learning forward. "I don't know what you're plan is, but leave Kaneki out of it. Leave all of us out of it. If I ever see you her—"

What I am? That's a bit ironic.

"I…really don't know what you're talking about. Honestly."

Touka glanced around quickly before sinking into the empty chair across from Hide. She sat with an award stiffness, perched on the edge of the seat and she leaned forward. "I saw your ID badge when it fell out of your backpack a few days ago. I know you work for the CCG. You're one of their dirty spies!"

Hide rolled his eyes towards the ceiling and opened his mouth before closing it again, struggling to come up with a way to explain. Even if he hadn't already unraveled the unnatural thread tangled around Anteiku's loyal patrons, Touka's shifty attitude certainly would have set off flags.

Hide knew he had to tread carefully. He hurried to order the explanation in his mind, a bit intimidated by her blazing glare. If Kaneki wasn't a few dozen meters away, he had a feeling he would have already been escorted to the nearest alleyway.

"Okay, so I know this looks bad," Hide began cautiously. Unlike Touka, he wasn't about to start throwing dangerous labels around until she knew his intentions. "But I promise I'm not doing it to hurt any gho—anyone here at Anteiku. On the contrary, I'm doing it to protect you."

It sounded wildly impressive to him, but Touka didn't even bother masking her derisive snort. She learned back and crossed her arms, waiting for Hide to come up with another ridiculous claim. He was, after all, an intruder to them. They were all conditioned to fear Doves, no matter how young or seemingly guileless.

Hide grimaced, trying to come up with a better explanation.

"All…right. Not my best lead, but just hear me out. Yes, I'm working as a part-timer for the CCG, but that isn't to 'hunt ghouls down' and 'save humanity.'" Hide accented the last part with dramatic hand gestures while keeping his voice low.

"It's fine if you don't believe me, but it's the truth. Something…happened to my best friend and I wanted to know more about it. They have answers." Her face remained impassive. "They also have information about the ghoul populations and the plans for the next coordinated attacks. As far as I know, Anteiku is not on that list."

Her forehead wrinkled, but she relaxed, marginally.

"You aren't a Dove spy?"

"No. The opposite, really."

"You aren't going to betray us?" Touka squinted at him, puckering her lips.

"I promise I won't."

"How can trust you?"

He shot her an exasperated look. "I can't prove it right now, but I'm going to hang around anyway. Pretty soon you'll be so sick of me, you'll have to accept what I said as truth."

"Or I could just kill you," Touka muttered under her breath. Hide pretended not to hear. His eyes drifted towards Kaneki, fumbling by the counter with dirty dishes.

Touka softened, slumping her shoulders in defeat as she followed his gaze.

"How long have you known?"

"About Kaneki? Or about the rest of Anteiku?"

"Both."

Hide tilted his head backwards as he considered the question. "I guess it all came together at the same time. Right after Nishio-sempai beat the crap out of me. I swear, no one in this coffee shop is capable of whispering or keeping secrets." Hide offered her a lopsided half smile.

"Yo! You lazy shit!" Touka jumped at the loud shout from across the coffee shop. "It isn't time for your break yet! Stop flirting with the customers."

She scowled at Nishiki but slid out of the chair and adjusted her apron nonetheless. Hide sensed she wanted to continue the conversation further, but she didn't dare to do it at the risk of being overheard. Periodically, he could feel Touka's unreadable gaze on him, but each time he glanced in her direction, she busied herself with another task.

Hide sighed, popping the last piece of cake into his mouth. He chewed slowly as he mulled over his newest predicament.

I wonder what else I can do to prove what I said…

When Hide returned to Anteiku three days later, he didn't expect to be intercepted at the door by Touka-chan. Nor did he expect such a strange greeting as he was forcibly propelled towards a storage closet, far away from any prying ears.

"What can you do?"

"Hello to you too, by the way. Is there a reason for the change in scenery?"

"What can you do to protect us?" Touka clarified, dropping her grip around Hide's jacket to cross her arms. "One of the first times I saw you, your brains were splattered on the pavement and Kaneki-kun was about to take a chunk out of your throat." She scoffed, not particularly concerned about any lasting trauma.

"Thanks for that reminder. I had almost forgotten," Hide remarked dryly, rubbing subconsciously at the back of his head.

Touka lifted an eyebrow, looking very unimpressed as she surveyed Hide. "You're a defenseless human. You'd be dead the moment your babysitter lets you out of his sight."

"Really. I'm so flattered right now. Do you treat all the customers like this or just the 'defenseless humans' like me?"

"Without him, you wouldn't last an hour. By sticking around, you're going to get yourself killed. I don't really care about what happens to you, but Doves will come investigate and your corpse will get us killed."

"If I get mangled and chewed on by the not-nice ghouls, I promise to leave a note behind telling the CCG to not investigate the lovely, law-abiding citizens of Anteiku." Touka shot him a flat glare, not appreciating the sarcasm.

"Stop making jokes. I'm being serious. Shitty-Nishiki would have killed you if he hadn't been gloating long enough for Kaneki-kun to grow a backbone." Hide winced at the harsh assessment, but he didn't argue.

"Alright, point taken. But I've learned a few things since then." He considered the stained jacket hanging in his closet, the bruising along his knuckles from scrambling away from Cain. Yes, he had picked up a couple of tricks.

"In fact, I bet I can get away from any ghoul."

Tone it down, you idiot! Part of that was luck.

She looked skeptical, watching him with hooded eyes. "Any ghoul?"

Hide scratched the side of his cheek, reevaluating his claim. "Uh, at least, any of the ones that hang around in Ward 20."

Touka considered his statement before grabbing his jacket and tugging him across coffee shop towards the staff door. Hide threw a startled glance over his shoulder, scouring the café for Kaneki with little success. She shoved him inside the room and he stumbled on the plush rug, startling the room's other occupant. He belatedly recognized her as Hinami, one of the patrons Kaneki often gushed about.

Hinami, who had been resting on her knees over a pile of books, jumped backwards with a breathy squeak.

"Wait here," Touka demanded before disappearing back through the door. Hide blinked, studying the room for the first time. He had been unconscious the last time he was brought back behind Anteiku's storefront. He didn't even bother to try to make small talk with Hinami, knowing she wouldn't respond; she eyed him like he was a three-headed dragon.

Moments later, Touka returned with a scowling Nishiki. "What the hell do you wa—what's he doing back here?!"

Hide shrugged for Nishiki's benefit, but the latter was too busy glaring at Touka to notice.

"They aren't supposed to be back here. It's the manager's ru—"

"He knows," Touka interrupted flatly.

"He knows…?" Nishiki swung his gaze towards Hide, pinning him with half-lidded eyes.

Hide shifted from foot to foot. Look what happens when you run your mouth, he tittered in his mind. "Uhm, yeah."

"How long?" Nishiki's voice was like ice.

"Since your damn pride got in the way." Touka crossed her arms, leveling Nishiki with an equivalently heated glare. "You're the reason this idiot knows about us."

"I swore he was unconscious."

"There's a reason you wear glasses, shithead."

"Wait a sec—" Hide interrupted with a nervous chuckle, cupping the back of his neck with his palm. "I'm sure I would have figured it out—"

"We can't even kill him because of Kaneki—"

"Uh…what?"

"And since he's survived once and joined the CCG, now he thinks he can get away from ghouls."

"Any ghoul in this district," Hide corrected with a sigh, knowing very well that his addition would be ignored.

"Is that so?" Nishiki's expression shifted as he regarded Hide with an up-quirked eyebrow. "I'd like to see that," he scoffed, shaking his head.

"I'll prove it then," Hide blurted, planting his hands on his hips. Hinami's gaze, constantly jumping from speaker to speaker, snapped to Hide.

"You'll prove it…?" Touka echoed, unsure if she had heard him properly.

Ignoring the pleading voices in his head urging him to shut up, Hide kept going. "I'm serious—I'll spend the night out and be here first thing tomorrow morning as proof that I survived."

The corners of Touka's mouth flicked upwards, though there was no humor behind the expression.

"If I don't see you first."

Hide swallowed. It sounded like a challenge.

Once the cloying smell of paint and rotting produce had been washed off the ragtag team of glorified tag-players, Kaneki politely demanded to know what the hell was going on. Hide, face still split by a victorious grin, offered the first attempt at an explanation.

"I bet that I could last the night and not get caught. I did," he supplied with a pleased half-shimmy in his seat. Kaneki watched him from across the table, picking subconsciously at the eyepatch resting in his lap. This wasn't how he expected his best friend to find out about his "condition." He had planned for panicked explanations and a fearful encounter—he didn't anticipate being the victim of the latter.

Leaning up against the deserted bar with crossed arms, Nishiki clarified what Hide meant.

"Nagachika-kun said he knew about us—about Anteiku. When Touka-san told him he would only get himself and us killed because he was a weak human, he kept boasting about how he could escape any ghoul." He shrugged with a good-natured roll of his eyes. "He somehow managed to do it."

"What if they had caught you? Would they have hurt you?"

Hide tapped his chin, considering the question. "Well, Touka-chan did say she was going to eat me if I lost." Kaneki's wide eyes darted from Hide to Touka.

Touka shot Hide a sour glare. "As if. I'd get indigestion from eating something as rotten as you."

While Kaneki's face took on a greenish tinge at the implication, Hide burst into unrestrained chuckles.

"She's right, man. It was totally safe." Kaneki eyed the purple stain rising above Hide's left eye and his split lip but said nothing. "They were trying to get that," he nodded towards the discarded scarf on the table, "and if I hit them with the paintball gun, they'd back off."

"Oh, sorry about shooting you, by the way. Technically you were on their team, you being a ghoul and all."

Right…because now he knows. He knows I'm a ghoul because he shot me.

Kaneki groaned and slid deeper into his seat. It had been a draining night for all of them.

Thanks for reading!