Kiku and Alfred had slept in a nice hotel because it was there, and, really, why not? They had taken the keys to the first floor rooms—not particularly wanting to make the trek up however many sets of stairs and back down again—and had slept in the first one they had found that had two beds. Both of them slept well, having had the experience of sleeping on unwelcoming, hard floors in the recent past.

Kiku wakes up first. He lies in the hotel bed with his face hidden from the sun for a time, but even when he decides to come to terms with the fact that he is conscious, Alfred is still asleep. Kiku's throat feels like it's almost sealed shut from the grog of sleep, but he also doesn't want to wake Alfred by slipping into the lobby to grab a bottle of water.

Kiku decides to get water anyway. If Alfred wakes up, well, that's unfortunate, but ultimately it's Alfred's problem, not his. Kiku does, however, try to slip out of the room as quietly as possible.

Kiku wastes no time getting back to his and Alfred's room after getting the water, even though he does decide to grab more bottles than he had originally intended. He places a few bottles very lightly on the ground next to Alfred's bed and uses the ones he has designated for himself to wash off his face and quench his thirst. Alfred starts to stir in his bed.

"G'…morn…." It's a rather pathetic attempt at speech on Alfred's part. Alfred's hair looks like lightning, spiky and bearing the same color. Alfred pushes himself up a bit, as if trying to get out of bed, then decides that that's too much work and falls back onto the mattress.

"I brought you some water from the lobby. It's beside your bed, make sure you don't knock it over when you get up." Alfred's focus shifts to the bottles on the floor.

"Thanks," Alfred says with a yawn, obviously not ready for meaningful conversation yet.

Alfred does get out of bed. Eventually. He makes quick use of the water bottles Kiku brought him. "That kind of stuff is there in the lobby? I didn't get a good look yesterday."

"Let's go down there. There's surely something you'll be able to eat." Kiku doesn't mention that he's hungry too. Some of the stuff that he saw would have gotten his mouth watering if his mouth hadn't been so dry and hadn't tasted like morning breath.

Kiku has already ridden himself of any lingering effects of sleep. Alfred hasn't; he stumbles through the hallway grumbling. Kiku finds it more entertaining than he normally would, seeing as Alfred is typically so peppy. Any thoughts of sleep and warm, fluffy hotel beds seem to vanish from Alfred's mind, however, when the two of them reach the lobby and discover the various food items it has to offer.

Alfred is a ravenous beast when given the chance. Kiku sits back, calmly eating a muffin, watching as his companion tears through wrappers and the food inside them. Alfred had warned Kiku beforehand to take whatever food he wanted before he ate it. Kiku can now see why Alfred had given him this warning.

"So," Alfred says through mouthfuls of food (Didn't anyone ever teach him anything about manners?), "what was your life like before…you know…"

"I had a lot of family. How we were all related to one another was all kind of jumbled, but we were family. I had a cat and a dog…." Kiku stops short. He's never really known how to talk about himself.

"I had…I had two dads and a brother. A twin brother, actually. His name is…was Matthew and Dad and Papa adopted us when we were really little. I had a cat…. I just…I just wish that I had taken the time to see all of them more once I had moved out. I love them…." Alfred shoves some more food into his mouth, as if this will dull his emotions.

"The past doesn't matter anymore," Kiku says, "what matters is what's happening now. And right now we are just two people, alone together. I'm Kiku and you're Alfred. That's all."

"I miss them so much," Alfred says softly, the flow of food into his mouth slowing until it ceases completely.

"I know."

Alfred starts to eat again, but his movements are melancholy and slow. Seeing Alfred in such a state makes Kiku uneasy, but he doesn't have even the slightest idea of how to console him.

"I don't want to do this anymore," Alfred says in a voice almost too soft for Kiku to hear. Though, when Kiku questions him about his words, Alfred doesn't respond. Something starts to squirm inside of Kiku's stomach. He thinks that it may be worry.