My Ugly Self: Tokyo Ghoul [Teenage Tsukiyama x Female Kaneki]

Six

"Thanks," Ken said quietly as they walked on the sidewalk adjacent to the street. "For...you know."
Hide grinned. "That guy was totally hitting on you! Way to go, Ken!"
Ken just rolled her eyes. "I didn't like it," she said, almost defensively, and Hide nodded, back to being serious, or as serious as Hide could be.
He clasped his hands behind his neck and stretched his elbows out. "I know. But it's better that you face it, you know? Eventually you're going to have to deal with that in everyday life. And what if I can't be there all the time?"
"I know, Hide. I know." She looked down at the cracks in the sidewalk. "It's just scary."
Hide nodded and let the conversation lapse into silence. He was pretty sure that Ken's problem originated from her absence of a father figure, but he'd never asked her point blank. Ken had always seemed fragile to him, too likely to break if pressed too hard, and ever since her mother had died...
Ken was living with her aunt until she hurried up and turned 18. Hide wished the day would come faster.
They got to Ken's aunt's house and they stopped underneath the street light.
"Thanks for coming," Hide said, smiling. He knew that he was the last happy memory Ken would have before she went to sleep, so he always tried to make it a good one.
"Mmhm," she said, looking down again so her hair fell in her face. "Did you get any numbers?"
And that's how Hide knew Ken would be okay tonight. She'd already bounced back. He laughed, the sound echoing off the nearby brick walls. "Nope! I almost got a restraining order though, if we're discussing tonight's treasure hunt!"
Ken fracked a smile and looked up at him. "Night, Hide." She reached up and hugged his around his neck, tending slightly at first contact but relaxing after a second. Then she pulled away and went up to the door, waving one last time at him. Then she went in.
Hide waited a few minutes to see if she'd come running out tonight, asking to stay at his place, but her bedroom light clicked on and he sighed in relief.
Then he started the walk home, hands in his pockets, wondering about the guy who'd been trying to talk with Ken.