The boy woke up tangled in the lilac sheets of a bed that wasn't his own. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked around. The other side of the bed—which had previously been occupied—was empty. Stretching, he yawned and made his way to the door. Walking into the living room, he found the other three people living in the house were sitting on the two couches doing their separate things. Marry sat on the floor making her daily batch of fake flowers to sell while Seto helped her before he had to leave for work that afternoon.

Opposite them sat the leader of the Mekakushi Dan, the girl he'd spent the night comforting after one of her nightmares had left her shaken. She had regained her cool composure and had her earbuds in, head tilted back against the back of the couch. Her eyes were closed and her hair spilled over the cushions, wavy from having been wet when she went to bed. Kano grinned and leaned his arms on the couch, beside her.

"Good morning," he chirped, his mask giving the impression that he'd been up for hours. Marry jumped, dropping the flower she was working on and turned to him with a startled smile.

"A-Ah, good morning, Kano-san…" she picked her halfway finished daisy up and began working again. Seto chuckled softly and smiled up at his brother.

"Morning, Kano."

The green haired girl turned to look at him, she was visibly tired but less so than she would've been had he not been there for her. As they made eye contact, there was a silent agreement to not bring it up.

"Morning, Danchou," he said, playing with a strand of her hair.

"Morning." She didn't bother swatting his hand away; it was her silent way to thank him. "You hungry?" she questioned, knowing what the answer probably was.

"Mmmm, I could eat," he teased, "if you're offering." She rolled her eyes but sat up, tucking her leg under herself and turning on the sofa to face him.

"Then what do you want?" When he replied with a shrug of his shoulders, she sighed, "it's kind of hard to make you anything if you don't know what you want…"

"Then surprise me," he said with a chuckle.

"Alright, toast it is." He had to admit that she had gotten much better with shooting remarks back at him since when they were younger. She used to just get mad and storm off until he gave her a clear answer, but now she would simply play along.

"Hm…" Looking to Seto he asked, "Ne, Seto, what should I ask our dear Danchou to make me for breakfast?" The raven haired boy laughed, putting down the flower he'd just finished.

"Why not something simple like pancakes?" he suggested. Then, with a snap of his fingers, Kano leaned closer to Kido.

"There, that's what I'll have." He grinned, "I want Danchou's spectacular pancakes!"

"I can't promise they'll be anything special but whatever." With that, she stood and walked into the kitchen. Kano followed quickly behind her and stood in the doorway watching as she pulled her apron on and began to put her hair up. However, he stepped forward and took her hair in his hands, smoothing it into a high ponytail like she normally wore it, keeping the two loose front strands hanging in their places. She tensed under his touch and he held his hand out for the hair tie she'd pulled from the large pocket of her hoodie.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, holding the elastic band away from his reach.

"Helping you…" he mumbled, hoping she would accept his answer. He only received a resigned grunt and the hair tie placed in his hand. When he finished securing her hair, he ran his fingers through the long ponytail, annoying Kido.

"Are you done yet?" she grumbled, "I thought you were hungry." He smiled and removed his hands. She swung her head around to look at him, purposefully smacking him with her hair in the process. "Why don't you make coffee or something?" He agreed and began the process while she worked quickly and efficiently on making his food. He finished before her and wandered back out into the living room, only to find that it was time for both Seto and Marry to head to their jobs. He saw them off on behalf of both him and the girl still in the kitchen. When they had left, he flopped down on the couch and turned on the tv, switching between programs when one became too boring. Finally he heard the signal he'd been waiting for.

"Oi, Kano," the leader called out to him, peeking her head around the corner of the door into the room, "Breakfast is ready." She disappeared again behind the wall and he jumped from his spot, padding across the carpeted floor and to the table. Kido emerged again from the kitchen with two plates, each piled with a few pancakes and made to the way each liked them. As she set his down in front of him, he grinned toothily.

"You remembered how I like mine," he said teasingly. She nodded and made a soft sound in agreement before making another trip and returning with two steaming mugs of coffee. He rubbed his hands together dramatically and pretended to wipe away a stray tear.

"Why, Danchou, you must really care about me to make me such a hearty feast."

"You made the coffee," she deadpanned, taking a sip from her mug.

"True, true…" He watched her for a few moments before digging into his own food and downing it much faster than her. As he wiped his face with his hand, he took a swig of his coffee. Even having cooled down, it was far too hot for him and he sputtered slightly, mask faltering at the searing pain of the burning liquid sliding down his throat. He looked back up to see Kido smirking at him; it was obvious that she was holding back laughter.

"It's hot…" he mumbled, feeling embarrassed that she'd seen his blunder.

"No, really?" she replied sarcastically, letting out a quiet chuckle. Kano stuck his tongue out at her and then bravely took another drink, instantly regretting it. This only made Kido laugh more.

"Don't drink it so fast if you can't stand how hot it is." He frowned, setting the mug down in defeat.

"Can I have some water, dear Kido?" She scoffed.

"You can get it yourself." A smile played at his lips but he stood and walked into the kitchen, pulling a glass from the cabinet and filling it most of the way with tap water. He drank it down and filled it again, making his way back to the dining table. He sat and pouted, attempting to catch her attention.

"What is it now, Kano?" she asked, playing into his obviously exaggerated expression.

"I think I may've seriously burned my tongue…" he started, "Would you check it for me, Kido?" His cat-like eyes said nothing but mischief but she stood and walked to his side of the table. He smiled and then stuck his tongue out to show her. Rolling her eyes, she flicked his forehead.

"There's nothing wrong with your tongue, idiot." He again smiled as innocently as he could, receiving only another eye roll as response. He knew he had limited time to execute his plan and so he reached out, grabbing her arm and pulling her closer. Her eyes widened slightly but before she could say anything, their lips were touching. He could feel as her face began to heat up as well as his own beneath his mask. They didn't stay connected very long because he pulled away, releasing his grasp on her at the same moment. She stood and stumbled backwards slightly. Her hand flew to her face and covered her mouth in embarrassment.

Though his mask faltered for a brief second, Kano regained his composure as quickly as he'd lost it. He smiled up at the red faced girl before him, his own face showing no signs of blush.

"Sorry, I just wanted to try it once." With that, he stood, gathered the dishes and headed into the kitchen to put them in the sink. "Thanks for breakfast."

As he left, Kido stayed frozen where she was until she could finally breathe again. She sat in the chair he'd been previously in and stared blankly at the kitchen door for a long while, listening as he exited through the other door that led into the hallway and then as he slipped into his room, the latch on the door clicking shut behind him. Burying her head in her hands, she mumbled so only she could hear, afraid the tingling sensation she felt wouldn't go away.

"You're welcome…?"