Yukari quietly watched the man and woman work on the floor, tearing it up. A part of him felt like a shackle had been released. That whatever was weighing him down in that room had finally disappeared.

"Kuroh." Yukari called out.

Kuroh poked his head out of a room then walked over to him.

"What?" he asked.

"I want to get in contact with my family. Help me." said Yukari as he leaned against the door frame.

"Are you sure? They literally dumped you here and haven't visited at all to even check on you! And I'm definitely not counting that time your uncle visited." said Kuroh, forgetting Yukari drunk told him.

"How do you know about that?" Yukari asked with wide eyes.

"Thank your drunk self. I know all about it. They're not family, they're monsters." said Kuroh, fuming.

"Even still, I want to get in contact. I want to start with my parents. I want them to see how well I'm doing." said Yukari with a faint smile.

"Do you know their names? Address? Anything I can go off of?" asked Kuroh, deciding to help him.

"Mishakuji Saotome and Mishakuji Ryo..." Yukari muttered, their names tasting bitter in his mouth.

"No address?" Kuroh pressed as he wrote their names down. Yukari shook his head. They most definitely had to have moved since being sent here. "I see."

Yukari fiddled with his necklace as he continued to watch them work. Things were looking up for him.

༘⋆ ༘⋆ ༘

Yukari eyed the shelves up and down, wondering which was a better buy. He usually let Kuroh do the shopping, but he wanted to try doing things himself for a change. He finally picked one then showed Kuroh.

"Correct. Your first try too." Kuroh commented.

Yukari clapped happily before adding it to the cart. He must've gotten his mom's skill of smart shopping. Kuroh continued to test him, finding himself praising him more than reprimanding him.

"We should do this more often! No, every time!" said Yukari excitedly.

"You're like a child going to a playground for the first time." joked Kuroh, loving this side of Yukari. He looked at the man before him with gentle eyes. "I wish you looked at me the same way you look at Adolf."

They finally picked up everything on their list and went to stand in line. Kuroh took over for paying and told Yukari he'd explain it all to him and help him remember. Yukari turned around then stared wide eyed. He swore he just saw Adolf.

"Stay here." said Yukari before heading off towards where he thought he saw him.

He reached the end of the aisle and hastily looked around. No one. He looked into the next aisle and spotted who he saw. It couldn't be Adolf. He never wore his hair up. He wouldn't be kissing another man in a supermarket. Yukari turned away then rubbed his eyes. He was seeing things. He shook his head and hurried back over to Kuroh. Adolf couldn't be there.

༘⋆ ༘⋆ ༘

Adolf sighed heavily as they set the snacks down on the table. Soon their peers started to swarm it, barely leaving anything for them.

"You were right. That place was practically empty." said Mikoto as he put his car keys away.

"Of course I'm right. Anyway, hurry up and eat. We gotta get back to work." said Adolf as he took the hair tie out to redo it.

Mikoto opened a bag of cookies then held one up for Adolf to eat. Adolf politely declined, remembering his promise with Yukari.

"Not feeling sweets? That's fine." said Mikoto, placing them aside before leaning in close to Adolf. "I'd prefer a kiss anyway."

Adolf bit his lip as Mikoto slowly leaned in. He looked around then placed a small notebook in between them. Mikoto opened his eyes and frowned heavily.

"I'm sorry... Let's not do this anymore. I can't be okay with this kind of relationship... It's not fair to you." said Adolf quietly, finally voicing his thoughts. "Let's break up. There's nothing else that needs to be said."

"Addie-" Mikoto started but was told to call him Adolf. "Adolf, am I doing something wrong? Or is it really impossible for you to like me back?"

"There's nothing else to say, Miko. I'm heading back." said Adolf, quickly walking past him.

"Add- Adolf!" Mikoto called out after him.

Adolf started walking faster, ducking into a room and hiding. He covered his mouth, completely in awe at himself. Did he really just break up with his close friend for an ostracized person who he still knew so little about? No matter how he looked at it, it was a dumb move. He hoped he wouldn't regret it later on.

༘⋆ ༘⋆ ༘

Yukari marveled at the sight before him. Most of the floor had been completed and they had started a bit getting the wallpapering ready for the next day. He made a mental note to study up on home furnishings. He happily walked over to Kuroh's room and found him nose deep in his computer.

"What's got you so focused?" asked Yukari curiously.

"I'm close to locating your parent's address but something isn't right..." muttered Kuroh.

"Did you check spelling?" Yukari suggested. Kuroh looked at Yukari then back at his screen. He tapped backspace then started typing. "Did you did misspell something."

"I have the address. When do you want to go?" asked Kuroh.

"Tomorrow. There's no reason to wait. I've practically waited for years if you think about it." said Yukari with sarcastic laughter. "I want to get there early in the morning."

"You're insane... What makes you think they'll just let you mosey in?" Kuroh countered.

"I'll break in if necessary." responded Yukari. "Anyway, did you check the mail today?"

"Right! A vibrant letter came for you." said Kuroh, leading him to the mail.

Yukari opened it and started to read. He wanted to scream in delight. He was going to be on national TV. He didn't know why he was chosen to go on and not someone else, but he was still excited to be on the show. Were they interested in his collection? Kuroh looked at it and had doubts.

"Do you really want to do this?" asked Kuroh.

"Why not? Refusing to go would make me look bad. I'm trying to better my image." said Yukari with a shake of his head.

"Then I'll come with you. I don't trust them." said Kuroh with pursed lips.

Yukari smiled happily then gave him a hug. Luck was completely on his side.

They heard the doorbell and Yukari had dashed downstairs without Kuroh, who trailed behind him. Yukari opened the door then froze. Kuroh watched Yukari run past him, covering his mouth. He neared the door and saw a perplexed Adolf.

"Did something happen...?" asked Adolf curiously.

"I could ask you the same thing. I warned you, didn't I? Hurt him again and I'll make your death look like suicide." said Kuroh, cracking his knuckles.

"Wait! I didn't do anything. I haven't seen you both since last night..." reasoned Adolf, afraid of how he'd kill him.

"I'll ask Yukari to see if you're telling the truth." said Kuroh, closing the door and leaving Adolf out in the cold.

Adolf sat on a step as he waited. Why did Yukari's smile fade so quickly? Why did he look as if he was on the verge of tears? He checked his phone and saw he had yet another missed call from Mikoto. Did he really want to hear what he had to say? Or did he have one final request before coming to terms? Mikoto wasn't important now, right now it was about Yukari, the person he had become smitten for.

He heard the door open and turned to look. Kuroh held a knife in hand. Was it really the end for him?

"Kari says you can come in. He insisted you stay for dinner. Have you eaten?" said Kuroh as he stepped aside for him to enter.

"No, actually. I was planning to spend the night." said Adolf with a smile.

Kuroh tightened his grip on the knife. It was just one night. There was no way he'd decide down the road to stay permanently. He noticed Adolf started ascending the stairs.

"Where are you going? Upstairs is off limits until bed time." Kuroh barked, pulling him down the stairs.

"Since when?" asked Adolf in confusion.

"Yukari doesn't want to see you. He's afraid of committing in front of you." said Kuroh as he sat him down at the dining table.

"Does he have a stomach bug...?" Adolf asked with worry.

"Yeah." said Kuroh. "You apparently."

Adolf raised an eyebrow as Kuroh started preparing food to cook. His phone started to vibrate, a familiar name appearing on his screen. He finally decided to answer.

"Why aren't you home?" Mikoto asked as Nagare stepped aside to let him in.

"Didn't Nagare tell you? I'm staying at a friend's." said Adolf, moving from the dining table to a more secluded spot.

"Which friend? I've called all of them and they all said you weren't with them." lied Mikoto, trying to get him to slip up.

"You wouldn't know her. We've only became friends recently and I haven't told you about her." half lied Adolf, as he did indeed make a new friend.

"When can I meet them? A friend of yours is a friend of mine." said Mikoto, wanting to know who this woman was.

"Adolf, I could use some help." Kuroh shouted, unaware of the situation.

"Isn't that a guy's voice...?" asked Mikoto suspiciously.

"It's her brother. They live together." said Adolf, quietly gesturing for Kuroh to stay quiet.

"Well, I'd still like to meet'em one day. Sorry for stopping over like this. Kind of wanted to give you something." said Mikoto, giving the box to Nagare. "See you at work."

Adolf exhaled loudly then noticed Yukari slowly descending the stairs. They locked eyes and Yukari dashed up the stairs as fast as his legs would carry him. He looked around him before heading upstairs as well, ignoring Kuroh's rule.

"Yukari, come out!" said Adolf, opening each door and looking inside for him.

Yukari kept his hands over his mouth as he curled into himself in the closet. He did see Adolf in that supermarket. That was him kissing another guy. The thought of it made his urge to regurgitate even higher. Adolf continued to call out to him until he could no longer hear it. He poked his head out of the closet then quietly sighed. Adolf wasn't in the room.

He slowly wobbled to his feet then found his body being seized from the side. He looked and saw Adolf looking at him with a cheesy grin. Yukari bit down hard on his lip.

"Please, let go..." Yukari whispered, feeling his stomach churn uncontrollably.

"Huh? Why? Are you really sick?" asked Adolf worriedly.

Yukari wasn't given a chance to reply as the contents of his stomach ended up on the floor, some of it getting on Adolf's sleeve. Yukari sank to his knees as tears poured out of his eyes, his stomach threatening to release more of its contents if prompted.

"I'll go get Kuroh..." said Adolf as he hurried out.

Yukari's body shook, unable to handle the fact Adolf had seen him in such a terrible state. He was probably, no, definitely disgusted. Kuroh and Adolf entered the room, the both of them cleaning up.

"I told you not to come up here. Why don't you ever listen to me?" Kuroh fussed, scrunching his nose at the smell.

"I was worried and wanted to see him... Is that so wrong?" asked Adolf as he glanced at the crying Yukari. "Can't I be there to comfort my loved one if they aren't well?"

"Just go get him cleaned up. I can do this alone." mumbled Kuroh, taking Adolf's mop.

Yukari finally lifted his head, sniffling and wiping tears. He really had two of the best people in the world as close friends.