His lungs burned, but he wouldn't stop running.

Determination coursed through his veins, combining with adrenaline to create a dangerous cocktail. It was what Daichi needed to push through and keep going. He couldn't stop—he couldn't slow down. If he did, he knew that he wouldn't continue to the Manjoume manor.

He needed to keep going.

He manor finally came into view and something fluttered in Daichi's chest. It gave him the boost he needed to run the last few feet to it.

When he reached the gate, Daichi realized something important. He hadn't thought this far ahead and had no idea how he would be able to get through them. Daichi gripped one of the bars. He considered climbing over them, but something moved in the corner of his eye. A camera was staring right at him. Security would certainly come after him if he tried to climb over it.

Would they come if he lingered outside for much longer? Daichi feared they might if he didn't leave soon. That could be one way to get to Manjoume. However, there was a chance that they would ruffle him up a bit or tell him to go away. It wouldn't be a wise idea to have the security help him get inside.

Daichi walked along the wall and out of view of the camera. There had to be a way inside—there just had to be.

Then the solution appeared right before him.

A small metal door opened, and a maid stepped out with a phone in her hand. She may not have worn a uniform, but Daichi recognized who she was. He remembered her as the same maid that warned Manjoume about his brother's arrival. If anyone was going to be his ticket into the manor, it would be her.

Daichi licked his lips. "Um, excuse me… Ma'am?"

The maid jumped, nearly dropping her phone. For a moment, she looked startled to see him. It was only when she realized who he was that she calmed down. "Mr. Misawa. It's wonderful to see you again. … What are you doing out here at this time of night?"

He was glad to see that she recognized him. Daichi didn't know what he would do if she hadn't. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I need to get inside. I have to see Manjoume and speak with him. It's… it's urgent."

If she wanted to know why Daichi had to see him so urgently, he wouldn't know what to say to her. After all, he hadn't put it into his own words yet. They were stewing in his head, waiting for the perfect time to be said.

His luck was starting to improve. With a look of determination, the maid nodded.

"Follow me," she ordered as she opened the door again. "Quickly. We don't have much time."

Daichi obeyed, following her back onto the Manjoume estate. She led him through the courtyard, keeping him close to the wall to avoid any cameras that might spot them. Daichi had never realized there were so many before. He was only ever focused on how massive the manor was. It made sense that it would have security as big as this.

They reached the side of the home where another door was opened wide. From inside it, Daichi could smell food being cooked. He remembered passing through here yesterday. The exit that Manjoume had the maids take Daichi through to secretly leave the house.

"You know your way to his room from here, right?" the maid asked.

"I do," Daichi responded. He was exhilarated that he would finally get inside. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

She shook her head. "No, Mr. Misawa. Thank you." With those words, she walked back to the front, her black hair bobbing behind her.

Daichi didn't understand what she meant, but he wasn't going to waste his time to figure it out. He didn't know if Manjoume's brothers frequented this half of the manor, and he didn't want to risk running into them. They would only do the worse to him if they managed to grab him. Manjoume wouldn't be able to save him, either if it happened.

As quickly but quietly as he could, Daichi made his way through the manor. He made sure to look around each corner before progressing forward. It was important to avoid the older Manjoume boys and any security that might wander the halls. He wouldn't want to run into someone who was loyal to the brothers.

Finally, he reached Manjoume's door…

… but he hesitated to know.

What if Manjoume didn't want to see him? What if when he went inside, Daichi found him terribly injured. Manjoume may have told him not to worry, but he didn't believe it—he couldn't believe it. There was a feeling in his gut that something was wrong, even if he didn't know what it was. His mind quickly filled in the void with images of Manjoume hurt and Daichi had to shake his head to get rid of them.

This is no time to play chicken Daichi told himself. You came all this way and it's time to keep going. There's no turning back now.

So, Daichi raised his hand and knocked a few times.

And he waited.

And waited.

Maybe Manjoume hadn't heard him? Daichi knocked again, harder than last time.

"Come in!"

Daichi slowly opened the door and peeked his head inside. He had expected to see the worse, but things seemed normal within the room. Nothing seemed out of place and the carpet didn't seem like it was cleaned more so than usual. It seemed that things were truly okay with Manjoume. Yet he couldn't stop the nagging feeling, a feeling that wouldn't go away unless Daichi saw him for himself.

He closed the door quietly behind him and wandered further into the room. The only door that was open was the closet. If Manjoume was going to be anywhere, it would be in there.

His heart was beating rapidly as he moved closer and closer to the walk-in closet. From where he stood, Daichi could still see the glow of the tank. It pleased him to know that it was still in one piece. If his brothers would do anything cruel to him, Daichi expected the first thing to go would be the aquarium.

"What are you doing here?"

Daichi jumped and turned to Manjoume. He looked angry and embarrassed. His chest was bare, so Daichi could see a bruise forming on his side. It had to have been when his brother kicked him last night. Seeing it alone was enough for Daichi's heart to splinter and crack.

"Manjoume… we need to talk," Daichi urged.

Manjoume scoffed. He grabbed a shirt off the rack and pulled it over his head. "Do you have no respect for the person you technically work for? You do know what I can do, right? Do you think I'm afraid of doing it?"

"I do."

Daichi could see in the way that Manjoume tensed up that he was right. Anger was written on his face and he could feel how frustrated Manjoume was getting with every passing second. He could lash out at any moment and Daichi would let him. It was a complete accident that those words were the first ones that fell from his lips. While he knew they were true, he wasn't so sure that Manjoume wanted to be exposed like that.

It was too honest and true.

"What I meant to say is that I know you aren't afraid of doing so," Daichi explained. He looked down at the carpet below. "When you feel like doing so, I'm sure that you can come up with unimaginable things to torture me."

Clenching his fists, Daichi took a deep breath and raised his gaze up with Manjoume. "However, I do believe that you would hold it off for as long as you possibly could."

Manjoume snarled, fixing his gaze into a glare. "You—"

"Please, listen to me," Daichi interrupted. "Manjoume, you don't have to go through this alone." He licked his lips. "I can… I can help you—help you get out of this house for a few hours. That way, they aren't always hovering over your head. Your brothers, all the bad memories of this place.

"We can do exactly what we did at Mrs. Roux house, but we can go anywhere! A park, to the arcade, anywhere you'd like." Daichi took in a deep breath and let it out. "If you'd like, you can even stay over at my house for a few nights. Whenever you want, you're more than welcomed to come by. I'm sure that my parents wouldn't mind."

It all sounded wrong coming from him. Daichi wasn't eloquent with words and they didn't sound like any kind of poetry. In fact, it seemed like he had repeated everything from some cheesy romance movie he had seen on TV. It bothered him a lot more than it should. A part of Daichi wanted to run from his embarrassment. Another part of him was scared of what Manjoume's reaction would be.

Good or bad, though, Daichi promised to stay and here it out.

"How sweet of you… I'm getting a cavity." Manjoume stared at him, narrowing his eyes. "Now, get out."

That wasn't the reaction that Daichi had expected.

He stared at Manjoume for some time, completely shocked. Daichi felt like he was frozen in place, unable to move from where he stood. He feared that if he did, he might fall over and embarrass himself even more. After what Manjoume had just said to him, that was the last thing that Daichi needed.

"I'm… I'm sorry?"

"You heard me," Manjoume snarled. "Get. Out."

There was such anger in Manjoume's voice. Daichi wasn't sure what would happen if he stayed. It could very well be possible that he could call security on him. That would be a difficult thing to explain to his parents, his mother especially.

"Of… of course, Manjoume," Daichi muttered. "I'm sorry that I bothered you…"

"You should be."

Daichi walked out of Manjoume's closet with his tail between his legs. He couldn't believe he had gone ahead and done something so foolish. Deep down, he should have known better than to come here. Manjoume wouldn't change just because he said some heartfelt words to him.

It was humiliating.

"I'm home," Daichi announced as he walked into his house.

His mother came out from the living room, a smile on her face. "Welcome home, sweetie. Did you have fun today?"

Daichi smiled at her, but he knew it wasn't one that was genuine. "Yes, I did. It was nice to be with my friends after not seeing them for a while."

His smile didn't fool her. Mrs. Misawa stepped forward and touched his cheek. "Are you all right? You seem a bit… off. It's almost like something bad happened."

Just like with Manjoume, he should have known better. His mother could read him like a book. It was a wonder that Daichi managed to keep any secrets from her. Even if he something was wrong, he couldn't worry her. It wouldn't be good for her health if she worried too much.

Daichi reached up and took her hand in is. "I promise you that I'm doing well. Try not to worry too much about me, okay? What this is, I promise that I can handle this."

There it was—that look of complete doubt that she would give Daichi when she knew something was wrong. His mother rarely gave him such a look, but he recognized it well enough. She wouldn't pry, though. No matter how much Daichi worried her, he knew that she wouldn't pry into his private life.

"I trust you," his mother said. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

He shook his head. "I'm not hungry, but I don't mind spending time with you for a little while longer. Is that alright with you?"

"Of course," she answered.

Daichi followed his mother to the kitchen. There he found his father sitting at the table, hunched over a pile of papers. It was startling to see him home. It seemed almost too early for him to be back at this time. The work he had looked like paperwork from the hospital, which wasn't too unusual. After all, he did it at least once a month to catch up on work that he was behind on.

"You're home early," Daichi commented. He slipped into the seat across from him, waiting for his father to acknowledge him.

Mr. Misawa looked up at him from over the rim of his glasses. He gave him a brief smile before he returned his attention back to his papers. "I excused myself for the day. There's a lot of things that I need to take care of. How was your day today?"

Daichi glanced at his mother. She was working on preparing a plate of food for herself and his father. While he wanted to talk to his father about, Daichi didn't want to worry his mother about Manjoume's wellbeing. It would only lead to her worrying about him. That was something that he didn't need right now.

"It was fine," Daichi answered. "I was able to spend some time with my friends since Manjoume didn't need my assistance today."

At this, Mr. Misawa looked up to stare at him. "Is that so…? Is everything all right with him?"

"Thankfully, yes," Daichi answered. "Nothing seems to be wrong for the moment."

Mrs. Misawa appeared with plates of food and placed them on the table. Daichi's current conversation was over with his father. Instead, they talked about things that normal families would talk about during dinner time. Sometimes, they would bring up Daichi's schoolwork and he would tell them how things were going. It pleased them to know that he was doing well in school. All their fears—more like Mrs. Misawa's fears—were for nothing and things were fine for them.

After dinner, his mother excused herself for the night. Daichi promised her that he would take care of the dishes so that she didn't have to worry about them. Mrs. Misawa kissed both him and his father goodnight before leaving the room.

A few moments of silence passed between them before Mr. Misawa put down his pen. He sighed and leaned back in the chair. His arms raised above his head until his back popped a few times.

"Tell me the truth," Mr. Misawa said. "Did something happen?"

Daichi shook his head. "I promise you that nothing happened. However…" He ran his fingers through his hair. Suddenly, he was feeling exhausted. "A friend of mine told me that he was capable of forgetting his problems at home as long as he was spending time with his friends. I thought…

"I thought that Manjoume could use someone like that, but I was wrong. He sent me away. It stings a bit more than it should. I guess that's because I had to sneak into the manor to give him an elaborate speech. A lot of good it did for me, though…"

Mr. Misawa laughed. "You snuck into the manor?"

"A maid managed to get me inside."

"That's impressive. You should be proud of that, at least."

He didn't feel proud of his accomplishment. After all, Daichi didn't succeed in what he originally wanted to do for Manjoume. It was hard not to feel like a failure for it. "Thank you," Daichi muttered. "I was initially hoping Manjoume would open up more to me, but I suppose… I suppose he doesn't want to."

"Give him some time," Mr. Misawa assured. He stood up and gathered all his papers into his hands. "I'm sure that you'll get through to him eventually. You just… you need to have confidence in yourself—and in him to understand you want to help him."

Eventually.

Even if his father had confidence in himself, Daichi was starting to believe that he would never break through Manjoume's walls.

Today proved it.

Days turned into weeks.

Monday through Thursday, Manjoume dragged Daichi from place to place. They went to lessons and meetings together, where Daichi learned as much as Manjoume did. The weekends were a time for him to spend with Asuka, Judai, and Shou.

During that time, Daichi felt free. He enjoyed spending time with them, learning more and more about Duel Monsters as he could. Whenever they played, he never told them that Manjoume was involuntarily teaching him about the game, as well. After seeing all his practice matches, it was hard not to learn a thing or two from him.

Sadly, Daichi never tried to get Manjoume to open up again. The offer was still there for him to take, hanging between them like a leg of lamb to be devoured. All he had to do was reach out and take it if he felt like he needed to. And Daichi wished that he would. Since that day, his brothers had only hurt him three times.

Luckily, it was never when Daichi was around to see it happen, and Manjoume never asked him to go to the hospital with him. He only knew about his hospital visits from the times his father left the house in the middle of the night. Manjoume seemed to only trust Mr. Misawa to care for him and keep the secret. It was a painful truth that Daichi wished he never knew about.

It was now time for Christmas break.

To Daichi, it felt strange to realize that he had been in the school since October. Now, there was snow on the ground and he spent less time with his friends. Winter was always a dangerous time for his mother. During these cold months, she would always get weaker with the dropping temperature. Mr. Misawa paid a lot of his attention and time to look after her. It was a shock to Daichi's system when Manjoume allowed him to leave early to take care of her.

It wasn't a perfect life, but it was still his life.

Asuka, Ryou, and Shou were off on their winter vacations to warmer climates. With them gone, it only left Daichi and Judai to hang out with each other. No surprises, nothing bad happening—it was monotonous.

Which was why Daichi wasn't prepared for a late-night call from Manjoume.

Manjoume had asked him if the offer to stay at his house was still open. Daichi would have never closed it in case that he needed a place to stay. Even if it were only for a little while, he wanted to have it there for Manjoume. Once things were confirmed, Daichi went to work. He had to explain the situation to his parents so that they wouldn't be surprised by Manjoume's arrival.

Luckily, both his parents were understanding and pleased to let someone stay for a few nights on short notice. Mr. Misawa even helped Daichi set up the guest room.

In half an hour, Manjoume was at his door, complete with a duffel bag in his hand.

"H-hello…" Daichi said as he let Jun inside. "It's wonderful to have you here."

"I'm sorry for coming over so late," Manjoume muttered. He had his head down, looking down at his feet. Daichi hoped that nothing bad had happened to Manjoume for him to take the offer.

"There's nothing to apologize for," Daichi assured. "Come with me and I'll show you to your room." He led Manjoume through the house until they reached the guest room. It was decorated simply with a dresser, TV, two nightstands, and a bathroom for privacy. Compared to Manjoume's room and even his house, it was pretty bare and plain. "I hope you like it."

Manjoume's eyes wandered around the room. He ran a hand on the dresser, probably looking for any dust on it. Daichi was sure that he and his father had gotten it all. "It's fine. Besides, it would be rude of me to make a comment about it." Manjoume stared at his hand for some time before tucking it behind his back. "Sorry… That was rude of me…"

Daichi shook his head. "Oh, no. Don't worry about it." He wanted to reach out and place a hand on his shoulder, anything to comfort Manjoume even a little bit. "I'll be up in my room if you need me. It shouldn't be too hard to find. I'll be the first door on the left of the stairs."

He nodded. "Thank you, Daichi," Manjoume muttered. "Really… I appreciate it…"

"You're welcome," Daichi said, smiling. "Have a good night, Manjoume."

Daichi left the room, closing the door behind him. The moment it clicked shut, he took a gasp of air. He hadn't expected to hold his breath during his interaction with Manjoume. It wasn't uncomfortable, but Daichi wasn't sure what it exactly was.

It was something, though.

He didn't have the energy to debate about it, though. What Daichi needed right now was a bit of sleep.

It was eight in the morning by the time Daichi woke up.

Outside his window, he could see snow falling, signaling that he would have to shovel the sidewalk soon. Daichi didn't want to leave his warm covers. He buried himself further under them, sighing as they grew warmer with the rising heat.

What brought him to attention was knowing that he had to cook breakfast. Daichi tossed the covers off and slipped into his slippers.

The smell of bacon and pancakes reached him as he made his way downstairs. It couldn't have been his mother that made it. After all, she never had the energy to do anything in the morning. Usually, she spent some time sleeping in, something that she deserved. It couldn't have been his father, either, since he should be at work by now.

Slowly, Daichi made his way to the kitchen. There, he found his mother sitting at the table with a plate of food in front of her. Jun was at the stove, cooking as if he belonged there. This was a sight that was hard to believe.

"Good morning, sweetie," his mother greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, actually," Dachi answered. He was still a bit skeptical by the scene before him. Perhaps he was still dreaming and he refused to wake up from it.

"Go ahead and sit down," Manjoume said as he flipped a pancake. "I'll serve you."

Following his instructions, Daichi sat at his mother's side and watched Manjoume. There were many things he knew about him, but he had no idea that Manjoume could cook. He was just full of surprises, wasn't he? On his mother's plate, there were different delicious things like pancakes and French toast on it. It was pleasant for Daichi to see his mother eating so much.

Manjoume set a plate in front of Daichi. "Hope you like it."

Looking at his own plate, Daichi could see that there were pancakes, French toast, bacon, eggs, and hash browns on it. He had no idea that things like this were littering around their kitchen before today. His mother rarely had the energy to make anything this big for any of their meals. When it came to holidays, they went to his grandmother's who did all the cooking with his father.

Picking up his fork, Daichi went through each bit on his plate, tasting them all. They were delicious. The last time that he ate like this was when his father brought them to a conference out of the city. The hotel they went to was amazing and served them many dishes. What Manjoume prepared was even better than those chefs.

"This is absolutely amazing!" Daichi complimented. He looked across at Manjoume as he sat down. "I never thought you were a good cook."

"It's not a big deal," Manjoume muttered.

Mrs. Misawa reached over and patted Manjoume's arm. "He's such a sweetheart. I came downstairs for a bit of a relief from my bedroom, and he came walking through the front door with arms filled with groceries. Manjoume even prepared a small plate for your father before he left. Why, he even had lunch prepared for him, too!"

Daichi would have never expected that his mother would make Manjoume blush. There he was, though, hiding a red face behind his hand.

"Mom," Daichi urged. "You're embarrassing him."

His mother laughed. "I'm sorry, dear. I'm just so amazed by him!"

Daichi groaned, burying his own face in his hands. He was far from jealous since he was just as amazed by Manjoume's talent. He was, however, suffering from secondhand embarrassment on his behave. "Mooooooom…" Daichi groaned.

"I believe this should be my cue to go and get some rest," Mrs. Misawa commented, standing up. "Enjoy your day, sweethearts. I'll be upstairs if you need me, okay?"

Daichi listened to the sound of his mother leaving the room and up the stairs. He picked his face up and looked at Manjoume. His face was still red. "I'm sorry about her, Manjoume…"

"It's… fine…" Manjoume answered. "Just eat, okay? Don't mention it again."

Without another word, Daichi continued to eat. He enjoyed the tastes of all the different foods. They ate in silence, a very uncomfortable one at that. The dishes were emptied of food and Daichi picked up his own plate and his mother's. Manjoume finished his own meal just as Daichi returned to bring his plate to the sink.

Manjoume slouched in his seat, his fingers folded on his stomach. He looked bored. "So, what is it that you do here when you're not at school? Or following me around?"

"Well…"

Daichi didn't have anything.

He was a simple teenager of a middle-class family. Anything that Manjoume could do at his own house was ten times more interesting than what Daichi could do in his home. All he did every day was clean the house. It had become monotonous and he usually finished within an hour, but it was something to do. Cleaning wasn't interesting, though, and Daichi knew it wouldn't be for Manjoume.

"I usually clean and take care of my mother. If I'm not doing either one, I'm practicing Duel Monsters with myself."

Manjoume gave him a surprised look. "You're learning to play Duel Monsters? I would have never guessed that an egghead like you would be interested in the game.

Daichi smiled, deciding to ignore Manjoume's comment. "I'm learning from friends at another school and Asuka has shown me a few things, as well. I'm not that great at it, but I built the best deck with what I could. There are still a few tweaks that need to be done to it. I'm working on those slowly."

With a frown, Manjoume placed his chin in his hand and leaned forward. "Can I see it? Maybe I can help a little bit.

Manjoume was one of the best Duel Monsters players in the country. Daichi had seen the various awards and trophies he received from competitions. He wouldn't admit that he had read quite a few articles in his spare time before going to bed. If Manjoume could give him any advice, it would mean something and Daichi could get better.

Maybe it even meant that he could beat Judai one day.

"Let me just grab the deck from my room," Daichi answered.

"I'll be in the living room, I guess…" Daichi heard Manjoume mutter as he left.

Daichi went straight to his room and grabbed the deck off his desk. It felt heavy in his hand as if his growing relationship relied on it and it alone. He hoped that it didn't make or break the situation. Manjoume was a critical person and that could mean disaster for Daichi if he found something dissatisfying.

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of such thoughts. He needed to stop thinking about Manjoume like that. Right now, he was here in Daichi's home to get away from his brothers. Manjoume had done things in his home that he didn't have to do. The least Daichi could do was stop thinking about him like he was the worse scum on the planet.

Returning to the living room, Daichi saw Manjoume's mop of hair peeking out from the couch cushions. He moved around it and started to clear off the coffee table. Manjoume helped, moving some items beside him on the couch.

"Thank you again for giving me a hand," Daichi said as he sat down on the floor.

"Yeah, yeah," Manjoume muttered, holding out his hand. "Let me see it."

Without another word, Daichi handed him the deck. Manjoume went through the cards slowly. There were some occasional frowns and nods of his head. Daichi only ever heard one pleased "hm" come from Manjoume.

"You have a good strategy going on here. There are a few cards that can be replaced with better ones, though," Manjoume commented. "There are cards even better than the ones you picked. They'll even be much better suited for the idea you have going on here."

"Do you happen to remember their names?" Daichi asked. He was ready to absorb any information that Manjoume could give him. Anything that he could give Daichi would be a huge asset to him.

Manjoume didn't say anything.

He stood up and left for the guest room. Within a few moments, he returned with a suitcase. Daichi wasn't sure what it was or even when it had been brought to the house. It wasn't with Manjoume when he first arrived last night.

Manjoume set it on the couch and opened it. Inside were neatly stacked and filed Duel Monsters cards, all sorted by name and type. He leafed through them and pulled out a few cards. Then, he picked up Daichi's deck and went through it, dropping cards that he deemed unworthy. Once it was done, he slipped the new cards into the deck and gave it a shuffle.

"These should do just fine," Manjoume said, holding the deck back out to Daichi.

Daichi took the cards carefully. Manoume had never given him anything before besides a meal and a whole lot of trouble. It was so strange to see him do this or him. "Thank you, Manjoume. You are truly kind."

"Don't mention it." Manjoume leaned back in his seat, glaring at him. "No, seriously, don't mention it. I don't want anyone else to know that I'm generous enough to give cards away. They'll come breaking my door down if they did."

"Oh, don't worry about that." Daichi smiled at him. "I wouldn't want to tarnish your perfect reputation, after all. What would the media say?"

Manjoume rolled his eyes. "Right… Well, let's keep it going. There's still a lot more work that needs to be done to your deck. It's not even close to being done yet."

For the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon, Manjoume helped Daichi with his deck. They did a few practice duels, something for Daichi to try and work the bugs out of his deck. He never came close to beating Manjoume, but he was able to chip away at a few life points. It was a feat that was impressive to Daichi. Manjoume never made a comment about it.

They finally put their decks away tired from the constant duels.

Daichi stood up and walked to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and looked over the contents inside it. Since it was his turn to cook dinner, he had to figure out what they would eat. After Daichi realized there was nothing appetizing to offer, he closed it with a sigh. It wasn't ideal, but he needed to do some grocery shopping before dinner.

He passed Manoume, who was staring up at the ceiling and looked bored and made his way up the stairs.

Reaching his parent's room, he knocked a few times before opening it. "Mom?" Mrs. Misawa was reading a book and she looked at him over the rim of her glasses. "I was wondering if there was anything specific that you would like to eat for dinner."

She hummed, closing the book on her index finger. "Perhaps some Somen Chanpuru? I'm in the mood for it, now that I think about it. I feel like it's been a while since we've had it."

Daichi frowned. The dish his mother wanted wasn't exactly easy. It was just a vegetable and noodle stir-fry, but he wasn't exactly in the mood to make it. His mother wanted it, though. Daichi might as well make it and make her happy.

"Alright. I'll be going to the store then," Daichi said. "Will you be okay for a while?"

"Of course," Mrs. Misawa assured. "Go on. I should be fine for an hour or so."

Daichi smiled at her. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

He closed her door and went back to his room. Daichi dressed in some simple sweats and a sweater, just so that he could be warm from the bitter cold. As he left his bedroom, he thought about leaving Manjoume alone in the house. However, he didn't think that wouldn't be the best thing to do. Manjoume could feel uncomfortable being alone and he didn't want that.

Would Manjoume want to go with him? Would he mind?

There was only one way to find out.

Daichi returned to the living room, peeking his head inside. "Manjoume, I'm going to the market. Would you like to come with me?"

Manjoume looked over at him, his head peeking out from the couch. He had a thoughtful look on his face, his mouth twisting from frowning to pouting. With a sigh, he stood up and stretched his arms above his head.

"Sure. Why not. I'm sure it'll be 'fun'," Manjoume said. He wasn't able to keep the sarcastic tone from his voice.

Daichi didn't mind, though. He knew it had to be hard for Manjoume to adjust living in such "boring" conditions. Maybe he'd adjust after a day or so in the Misawa home. Only time could tell.

After getting dressed in their warmest coats and boots, they headed out the door. The cold hit Daichi in the face and he suppressed a shudder. From the corner of his eye, he could see Manjoume violently shudder, wrapping his arms around himself. He briefly wondered if he should offer him a heavier sweater, but Manjoume was already walking before Daichi could try.

The walk to the store was silent. It was only six blocks away, but a lot could have been said during so. Manjoume didn't say anything and Daichi didn't force him to. After all, it seemed that he was more concerned with trying to keep warm than to have a conversation. Talking wasn't that important, anyway.

The market was warm as they walked through the automatic doors. Manjoume seemed to relax, lowering his arms to his sides. Daichi pulled off his hat and grabbed a basket, twirling it in his hand briefly.

"What do we need to get?" Manjoume asked.

"Just a few things," Daichi answered. "I'm sure with you helping it'll go by faster."

But when Daichi looked back at Manjoume, he had a feeling it wouldn't be true. Manjoume looked confused by everything around him. The hustle and bustle of all the people who were busy trying to get their ingredients for their own dinners must be too much for him. For all Daichi knew, Manjoume could have never been inside a supermarket before.

"I seriously doubt that," Manjoume muttered.

They walked up and down the aisles, grabbing the ingredients that they would need to make dinner. Manjoume continued to look at everything, looking as if he was overwhelmed by such an everyday task. Daichi made sure that he got what they needed quickly so that things didn't get worse for them. He didn't want to think what might happen if Manjoume was in the market any longer.

Their items were paid for and they were back on their way to the house. They each held two bags, something that surprised Daichi when Manjoume grabbed them. He seemed awfully quiet as they walked home. He was quiet before, but this? This seemed different and Daichi couldn't figure out why. The only thing he could guess was that Manjoume was going through shock.

Manjoume had been staring at his feet for some time now, a frown on his face. "Is it always that hectic?"

"It is," Daichi answered. He tried to keep the laughter from his voice. "Have you never seen shows with people shopping?"

"They're clearly watered down so that you only need to focus on the characters." Manjoume rolled his shoulders and let out a sigh. "I don't think I ever want to do that again. You're going to the store on your own from now on."

Daichi laughed. "Honestly, I think you did well for your first time. You were even helping me to find what I needed. I think you even got the best tuna in the store for a reasonable price."

From the corner of his eye, Daichi could see Manjoume blushing, his face turning scarlet red.

"It's not a big deal…"

"It is to my mother. Come. Let's get dinner ready."

Manjoume gave him an incredulous look. "Excuse me? You want me to help you cook?"

Daichi tilted his head to the side. "Do you not want to? I won't force you if you don't want to."

"Do I look like I want to help?" Manjoume asked. He bit his lip at how harshly he sounded. "But… I guess I can help. … I guess…"

He smiled at Manjoume. It was nice to see this soft side of him. Even though Daichi didn't see it much, it was still nice to see. Maybe, just maybe, it was a sign that things were changing between them.

"Then let's go and cook something everyone will enjoy."