"Expect plenty of sunshine and consistent high temperatures in the 80's for the rest of the week over the entire region. Back over to you, Ken."

Shuichi glanced outside the living room window past the television, the cloudy skies above only furthering his inability to trust anything he saw on news. Every channel was the same. The way all the newscasters maintained the same manufactured, cookie-cutter appearance. The emotionless and insincere persona's the anchors and reporters wore were all the same. The daily talk on some earth shattering political scandal or death counts from seemingly avoidable tragedy all managed to become one blob of misery for all to hear.

He hated that his family name was on the tongues of these zombies. He hated how quick the news people were to brand his father a "disgrace" and slander his name through the mud when his crime was repeated for the masses. He knew enough to know his father made a grave mistake. Even if it is deserved, hearing strangers insult the man who brought him into this world hurt. Shuichi closed his eyes and took three deep breaths, just like Auntie Kyoko showed him. Every inhale he felt his raw anger and confusion rise to the tips of his lungs, every exhale those same emotions would blow right out of him leaving only mental scar tissue and a deflated chest.

As the last of the excess air escaped his small lungs, Shuichi opened his eyes and searched for the remote controller. He already had enough of the news for one day. After a harrowing ten seconds of looking around the minimalistic room he found the remote resting on the arm rest on the other end of the sectional couch he called his bed. Shuichi huffed, annoyed that his auntie left the TV on before leaving for the day. Half asleep then, he did recall her leaving in a hurry. He pretended to be asleep when she planted a small kiss on his forehead, mustering up all his self control to stay silent as she promised him that she'll be back later tonight with his Uncle Makoto. Not that Shuichi fully believed her, his father breaking similar promises to him too many times now.

It was maybe two minutes after the front door closed behind Kyoko before Shuichi was able to keep his eyes open, mindlessly watching the news report for the last half hour or so. Despite knowing that hearing his father being brought up would only upset him worse, he still wanted to know what happened thanks to every adult around him keeping mum about details. Perhaps none of them had any even worth sharing with him, but it's been two weeks since his father was arrested and he had his doubts about there being no information. The only information Shuichi got was from the occasional news report, words he refused to believe. Unfortunately (or rather fortunately) for Shuichi his father's legal issues have not been as much as hinted during the broadcast this morning, as has been the case for the past three days now. He didn't know if he was thankful for the lack of news about his father or not, but Shuichi was already sick of thinking about it for now.

Shuichi stretched his back, yawning deeply before he crawled to the other end of the couch to finally grab the remote. He tried to remember the process to switch to Netflix, staring intently at the mass amount of buttons on the remote trying to force the memory of how Nanami-chan showed him a couple of days ago. As her calming voice repeated in the back of his mind Shuichi gently pressed the Input button the top left, the television going black before changing to a menu of different media apps. Shuichi felt triumphant as he easily selected the Netflix app and logged onto Hinata's account, knowing he already had his permission to use it.

Now came the hard part in actually finding something to watch, Shuichi scrolling down to the animation section to find something he could watch without using his brain. It was far too early to actually use it anyway.

As he scrolled through the plethora of shows with increasing aimlessness, the sudden creaking of a door opening from upstairs startled the boy a lot more than it should have. Slow, dragging footsteps creped from the master bedroom Hinata, Nanami, and Komaeda all shared on the upstairs hallway, down to the winding staircase. Shuichi glanced back behind him, Komaeda coming down the stairs in nothing but a white tank top and black mesh shorts entering his field of vision. His outfit only exemplified his pale skin and wiry frame, his white hair tangled in a mess that was not unlike how he wore it even after he showered. Komaeda reminded Shuichi of a ghost, a friendly one from those old cartoons. As Komadea reached the bottom of the steps he made eye contact with Shuichi, who looked away from his guardian as Komaeda shot him a friendly smile.

"Good morning Shuichi." He greeted as he walked towards the couch and leaned on the large piece of furniture. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Yeah, I slept okay." Shuichi responded, his lethargic body telling a different story but he didn't want to spark worry in Komaeda. Nagito studied the boy for a minute, the bags under Shuichi's eyes not matching his claims of good sleep. The last thing Nagito wanted to do was push Shuichi at all, but if there was anything he could do to help he was willing to do it.

"If you say so buddy. If you start having any issues sleeping we can see if the futon in Chiaki's den would be better." Komaeda suggested after a small pause. "I've slept on it plenty of times before, I'd even say it's better than this old sofa here." He slapped the back of the couch as he spoke, turning his attention back at Shuichi who was still trying to find a show to watch.

"M-maybe once Auntie stops spending the night with me." Shuichi murmured. "I don't like sleeping alone." He added slowly. Komaeda smiled understandably at him, Shuichi finally looking back at him and offering a weak smile back.

"We can talk to Nanami later today about it. Regardless once we get to the point where you're certain you're staying we'll be able to move you into a proper room. Then you'll have a bed to sleep on again and you won't have to worry about which sofa to sleep on." Komaeda threw all this out in a very manner of fact way, the talks of not "if '' but "when" being a detail Shuichi did not ignore. Just the mere prospect of having a bed again was a worthwhile light at the end of the tunnel for Shuichi after the past two weeks.

Komaeda clapped his hands together, his energy slowly returning to him as he moved around. "You want breakfast?" He offered, quick to move on from the conversation. As if on cue, Shuichi's stomach rumbled, his brain quickly begging for him to feed himself.

"Breakfast sounds good." Shuichi sheepishly replied, abandoning his plan of watching cartoons for the moment as he slowly jumped off the couch to follow Komaeda to the kitchen.

—

Shuichi perched himself onto a stool by the kitchen island. The walls and tile were white and spotless. All the appliances scattered around were of stainless steel and all looked to have been installed rather recently. Shuichi could tell that the kitchen was renovated, matching the rest of the sizable house around him. He watched intently as Komaeda removed bowls from one of the top cabinets and a knife and whisk out from a nearby drawer, making mental notes of their locations for future use.

Komaeda went over to the fridge and took out a carton of eggs before making his way to the pantry and took out a loaf of whole wheat bread. Was he making toast? A thought that further confused the boy as Komaeda grabbed vanilla extract and confectioners sugar.

"What are you making?" Shuichi asked, no longer able to tell what was going on as Komaeda grabbed a rather large pan from a lower cabinet.

"French Toast!" Komaeda sounded excited as he revealed his meal plans, hoping to be met with enthusiasm. Instead he was met with another puzzled look from Shuichi.

"Have you ever had it before?" Komaeda made no effort in masking his surprise as he asked. "I have an old family recipe Chiaki loves that I'm in the mood for."

"I uh… No I haven't." Shuichi admitted. His father was not a cook by any means, and rarely was around in the mornings to take him out to breakfast. Shuichi was more than happy to fill himself a bowl of sugary cereal most mornings, but had no complaints in trying something new. He knew enough of the dish to know it was sort of like pancakes or waffles.

"Oh? Well since it's your first time trying it I'll make them extra special for you then." Komaeda exclaimed, a twang of excitement settling in himself as he cracked eggs in a bowl. It was on him to make a good first impression with his cooking now. Deep down he couldn't help but feel that something will go wrong and ruin the dish and the start to both of their days. Komaeda pushed those thoughts out as best as he could, concluding it would be better to try and fail rather than give up now. If his inadequate skills got in the way so be it.

Shuichi stayed silent as he intently watched Komaeda mix the now beaten eggs with milk, vanilla, and multiple spices grabbed from a cabinet next to the fridge. As the pieces of bread were placed into the mixture and placed on the now sizzling pan the pleasant scent of the cooking toast made Shuichi's mouth water further. The aroma reminded him of pancakes but even sweeter. Komaeda hadn't said a word, his focus going completely into his cooking. Shuichi was transfixed on the process of making this breakfast to even dare speak up.

After roughly ten minutes of watching bread be dipped and cooked, Komaeda had four plates of French toast ready. He drizzled a light coating of the confectioners sugar onto the toast before running over to the spice cabinet and grabbed a bottle of expensive looking maple syrup, giving each plate a generous amount of the sticky and sweet syrup. He grabbed some strawberries from the fridge and garnished each plate before taking a step back to admire his work.

"Now I wouldn't dare call myself something as prestigious as an ultimate chef" Komaeda remarked as he covered up two plates of French toast and placed them in the fridge. "But I've been practicing my cooking a lot more lately and I think I've gotten pretty adequate at it." He didn't fully believe his own words but he had to force confidence on himself. If not for himself, for Shuichi.

As Shuichi fully took in Komaedas' self deprecated words at his own cooking skills, he stared down at the plate presented to him and thought the man was being modest. While French Toast is nowhere near a complex dish it certainly passed the eye test. The bread was cooked to a near perfect golden brown. The syrup soaked into the bread as the light coating of powdered sugar and cut strawberries at the edge of the plate made it look as if it was ordered at a fancy cafe. Just looking at the dish made Shuichi drool with anticipation.

"Wooooooow" Shuichi mouthed, his eyes devouring the toast before he remembered his manners.

"T-thank you, Komaeda." Shuichi politely thanked.

"The honor is all mine, I just hope you like my mother's recipe." Komaeda remarked, trying his hardest to wave off any credit.

Shuichi wasted no time in digging in, cutting off a corner of the bread and chewing slowly, savoring each of the flavors from the vanilla infused bread to the sweetness of the powdered sugar. Komaeda really went all out on the dish Shuichi thought to himself, finding it to taste better than it looked. While sweet, it wasn't overwhelming even with the liberal amount of syrup drizzled on top.

Komaeda felt an inkling of pride as he watched Shuichi eat, taking it as his cue to eat his portion. He took a small bite, humming in satisfaction as he captured the same taste his mother perfected back in his childhood.

"Okay I take that back, I did good." Komaeda admitted to a rare moment of pride for him.

—

"You said this was your mothers recipe, right?" Shuichi asked, having been too distracted eating to even attempt to ask sooner. He wiped syrup off his mouth and placed the napkin onto the now empty plate in front of him.

"My mother used to make French Toast like this all the time when I was a kid." Komaeda recollected. "She loved sweets, and always went all out on her pancakes too. Chocolate, whipped cream, you name it. Still got the fillings in my teeth to prove it" Komaeda opened his mouth to show Shuichi, who did not see anything wrong with Komaeda's teeth but believed him all the same.

Shuichi couldn't help but try to picture what Komaeda's mother was like. He wondered if Komaeda looked like her, messy white hair and all.

"What was your mom like?" Shuichi curiously asked.

Komaeda stopped in thought for a moment, mindful of how to describe her. Komaeda recalled what Kyoko had told him about Shuichi's past, how he unfairly lost his mother before he could have the chance to share any memories of her. It broke Komaeda's heart if he was being honest.

"My mother was someone who saw the hope in any situation, no matter how despairing it may seem." Koameda opened with. "Her optimism never wavered, treating everybody with equal kindness. She loved making people happy but she never let herself get stepped on either."

"She wasn't dumb, far from it actually. To her good triumphs over all when everything is said and done. She inspired me, still does even to this day. There's not a day where I don't think about her." Komaeda's words trailed off as he spoke, looking back at a rather sympathetic Shuichi, masked with concern over him.

"It's okay." Komaeda was quick to speak back up. "I've long made peace with hers and my father's passing."

That did little to soothe Shuichi, his youthful empathy feeling for the plight Komaeda has gone through. Underneath that laid the inkling of jealousy at Komaeda for at least having memories of both of his parents. His few positive memories of his father were cherished, but so far and few between the countless memories of nights spent alone. At least he was still alive. Shuichi had the privilege to still talk to him… at some point. That's more than he could say about his mother.

"I-I'm sorry to hear about your mother and father, Komaeda." Shuichi politely offered his condolences. "I miss my mother too. Even if I don't know her." He stated very manner-of-fact, brushing over the pang of pain inside him as he spoke his truth. It stung to say, but he didn't know what kind of person his mother was like. He didn't even know what her voice sounded like. All he knew was that she was a stage actress, not famous by any means but a dedicated thespian all the same.

It hurt not knowing her. However that hurt was often just a numbness to Shuichi, a sting that could be ignored on a good day.

As Shuichi recoiled into shyness, Komaeda was stuck not knowing what to say to him now. He knew he had to say something, do anything to comfort the distraught child. His mouth began working faster than his brain could process.

"You may not know her, but a mother's love knows no bounds." Komaeda calmly explained. He was not a religious person, far from it truthfully. Komaeda wasn't stretching his beliefs of unconditional love though. "Even if she's gone, one way or another she's watching and protecting you. There are days where the despair of her loss may blind you, but it's key to remember to hold onto your hope of better days ahead."

"What?" Shuichi exclaimed, completely baffled. Komaeda lost him again with his talk of hope and despair.

It took Nagito staring at a confused Shuichi to realize what he was saying. Komaeda was good at catching himself before going too deep with his hope monologues. He doesn't take his medication until after breakfast, taking the pills on an empty stomach often causing more problems than helping them.

"Let me rephrase myself." Komaeda sighed. "Some days are going to be rougher than others. There will be days where the memories, or the lack thereof, hurt. Those days may completely immobilize you and you won't want to get out of bed. And that is okay. I don't know if that's the case for you, especially in regards to your dad. I just want to make it clear for you now that if you're having a rough day please come to me or Hinata or Nanami. I can't promise we'll fix the pain but we will do what we can to help you. If all we can do is listen, consider us all ears."

Now Komaeda is making sense. Shuichi felt his chest getting heavier as Komaeda spoke, as he promised to be a pillar of support for him. Shuichi did have days where he would see another child with their mother and feel jealous, that jealousy often turning into pain and guilt over the jealousy in the first place. Komaeda's words were validating to him, that he wasn't selfish for hurting. He felt comfortable with going to Komaeda whenever thinking about his own parents sparked grief. Shuichi knew he was understood by him, even if he was struggling to understand Komaeda fully. Perhaps he'll have all the time in the world to find out, an idea that did bring hope to Shuichi.

It was Shuichi's to act before thinking. He carefully jumped off the stool and shuffled over to where Komaeda stood across the counter. He wrapped his body around long pale legs in a big hug, an act that caught Komaeda well off guard. As awkward as he felt after the shock died, Komaeda carefully rubbed Shuichi's back as if he was petting a dog.

"Thank you." Shuichi mumbled. "I hope I can stay here. I don't want to move anymore."

A small laugh broke from Komaeda. "I can't see why you wouldn't, buddy." He wasn't lying to the boy. Even with Kyoko and Makoto around at night for the past week or so, Nagito was feeling more and more certain about being able to take care of Shuichi. Doing so with Hajime and Chiaki seemed almost too good to be true. A chance to have a family. Nagito liked the sound of that.

Shuichi parted from his embrace after a long minute. From upstairs Komaeda faintly heard the bedroom door open, followed by two sets of feet climbing down the stairs. Hinata reached the kitchen first, wearing his worn out Mariners pajama pants and a plain t-shirt. "Good morning guys" He yawned, giving Komaeda a kiss on the lips on his way to the fridge.

"Good morning love" Komaeda fluttered. "I saved you and Chiaki breakfast, I made everyone French Toast." He said as the fridge door flung open, Hajime taking a plate and a large carton of orange juice over to the island counter.

"I thought I smelled that earlier, thank you honey." Nanami sleepily stated as she walked into the kitchen, clad in Nagito's old sweatshirt and a pair of Hajime's athletic shorts. She had to get on her toes to give Komaeda a passionate kiss. As Hinata took a sip of orange juice from the carton he looked down at the nervous child.

"Good morning, Shuichi." He warmly greeted me. As if on cue, Shuichi quickly clung onto Hinata's legs. "Good morning!" Shuichi cheerfully responded.

To say he expected Shuichi to be this affectionate would be a lie. Hinata certainly felt as if he was building trust with him, but before now Shuichi was getting comfortable at his own pace. Not that he could blame him. What happened this morning that put Shuichi in such a good mood? What did Nagito tell him? Hinata rubbed Shuichi's back in small circles, smiling at Shuichi as he stared up at him. Hinata then shot his eyes over to Komaeda, who had taken his and Shuichi's plates over to the sink and was busy washing the dishes by hand. "And you were worried you'd be terrible with kids." Hinata thought to himself.

As Shuichi let go, he turned around and saw Nanami kneeling down at him. "You're not going to leave me out, are you?" She teased, Shuichi making no hesitation to fall into her stretched out arms. Even if she used The Sims and Chao Garden as references towards child care, Chiaki was surprised at how natural it all came to not only her but both of her boyfriends. Smothering Shuichi in a loving embrace, she was at peace with this becoming a new part of normality for her.

"Good morning, Nanami." Shuichi strained, not complaining at the level of affection being given. Nanami was stronger than she looks that was made clear to him as his chest began to hurt.

"Good morning kiddo." Nanami greeted back, easing her grip. "Did you sleep well?"

Again with that question. "Uh huh" Shuichi grunted as he finally broke out of his hug. Nanami shot back up to her feet and grabbed her plate of French Toast waiting for her in the fridge.

"So what's on the agenda today?" Komaeda asked Hinata, who was digging into his plate on the counter.

"Junko's partying until Monday so I'm off the clock till she gets back." Hinata spoke between bites.

"Aww and you weren't invited?" Komaeda mockingly sighed.

"I'm her manager, not her babysitter." Hinata shuttered, recalling how nightmarish Junko is with a hangover. "But no, I don't have anything planned for today. Tomorrow I may need your help moving my desk to the library if you don't mind."

Komaeda smiled, knowing what Hinata moving his office meant for Shuichi, even if moving Hajime's old desk down to the basement sounded backbreaking. "Of course I can, I have nothing in mind for today either." Both men turned their heads to Nanami, who sat at the kitchen island happily munching on her French Toast. "What about you, Chiaki?" Komaeda asked.

She held out her hand as she chewed, swallowing before responding. "I'm streaming tonight, but not until five. Besides that all I've got planned is enjoying a lazy Saturday."

Shuichi felt the gaze of all three adults on him as he stood by Nanami. "What about you Shuichi, you have any errands to run?" Hinata joked, the humor lost on Shuichi. "I ah- no…" Shuichi bowed, unsure of what he was going to do until his aunt and uncle returned in the evening.

Nanami perked up, today sounding like the perfect day to make good on a previous promise. "Hey Shuichi, if you're up for it I think today would be perfect to play Legend of Zelda. Ocarina of Time is probably the best starting point but I still think Link to the Past is the best." She offered. Shuichi pondered for a moment, remembering her ten minute tangent on the game series when she was showing him her large game collection the other day. Given how excited she was recollecting the adventures of the sword wielding elf his intrigue was definitely sparked. Having Nanami by him to keep him company and help him if he got stuck only sweetened the deal, even if she ended up taking the controller from him again while he watched.

"I'd like that." Shuichi answered.

"Awesome, why don't you get dressed and meet me in my den. I'll have to set up the GameCube first." Nanami stated as she got out of her seat, placing her plate in the sink and giving both of her boyfriends a quick kiss before leaving the room. Shuichi stared at Nanami as she left, bowing politely and scurrying out the kitchen to embark on a new journey.

—

Komaeda sat at the island, a much needed cup of coffee in one hand. Hinata stood across Komaeda, much like how the pale man stood across from Shuichi during breakfast. Both men stared at their phones in comfortable silence, occasional lazy chuckles from Komaeda aside.

"I think Shuichi is getting comfortable here." Komaeda said without any prompt.

Hinata placed his phone on the counter. "You know I was curious about what happened to prompt him to hug me earlier. Not that I mind, it was just unexpected."

Nagito gulped down the rest of his coffee. "I told him about my parents. Felt like if he knew that I've gone through the same kind of unfair tragedy it would help him. He's a strong kid, but even the strongest of us all need a hand sometimes."

Hajime chuckled. "Heh, and you were worried you'd scare him off."

There was no disagreement there, he still remembered how nervous he was about making a poor impression when they all met him and Kyoko at the cafe a couple of weeks ago. Funny how quick things can change.

"Honestly, the thought of him staying fills me with almost overflowing levels of joy. I feel more and more confident in our ability to be guardians."

"Helps that Shuichi is already so much more mature than most other kids his age." Hajime pointed out. He often forgot that Shuichi was still only six years old.

Komaeda paused. "We should talk to Kyoko tonight, let her know we're all in."

Hinata sighed dreamily at his lover, taking his pale hand into his. "I agree."