Hide saw Kaneki there, in front of Amon. On his back, struggling up. The hole in the back of his shirt for his kagune showed scars and blood was flowing from wounds and-and none of it mattered because his white haired best friend was there. Was there in front of him, and there wasn't any need to go running around or digging for information, because he was here.

Hide dropped the gun they had given him, causing Amon to take his eyes off the struggling half-ghoul to see what was going on.

A blur of dyed blonde hair ran past him, skipping over him and making his eyes widen as he turned to see Hide embracing Eyepatch like a man dying of thirst getting a glass of water. He watched Hide shake, and a rough sound leave his throat that sounded like a sob, but surely Amon was mistaken.

There was no way Hide, a lowly officer at CCG had any connection to the hardened criminal Eyepatch.

Eyepatch himself had one hand on his knee that he had put up to pull himself into a sitting position, the other on the ground to brace himself from falling over, and his eyes were obscured from view.

The tear that fell down his cheek wasn't though.

"Let go." Came a smooth voice from Eyepatch.

Much wiser than before, when his hair was black and his nails were still alive and growing. Much more calm. But much more weighted.

Amon watched as Hide held tighter, and he let his quinque weapon droop, not holding as tightly. Because while Eyepatch talked big, it was apparent he did not want Hide to let go at all.

His hand was shaking on his knee, and he clenched his fingers together into the fabric to stop it, before his head fell into the crevice of Hide's shoulder and neck, tucking himself in as if he could hide from the world there, like he was safe there.

Amon watched as Eyepatch surrendered completely, letting Hide hold him so tightly it truly must hurt.

This wasn't a monster, he realized, a pit forming in his stomach. This was a person, who had emotions, and feelings and something in him felt sick. Because he had built himself up since childhood on knowing that these beasts were just that. And here this one was being held by this junior officer like two lost lovers.

And finally, Hide spoke back. "Never."