Who We Were Before

Comfort

Shuichi kept true to his promise not to pry about what happened, which Kokichi was very thankful for. Even after the 2 of them were back in the safety of the apartment and the luggage cart had been returned to the hotel with many apologies from the taller boy, the taller boy kept his words to himself.

Shuichi could tell Kokichi was still deep in his thoughts as they put away the groceries in a comfortable silence. His eyes were unfocused as he picked up another bag, his body seemingly on autopilot as his mind wandered elsewhere.

There were no tears, no shaking like many of Kokichi's other breakdowns he had witnessed since leaving DR HQ, just a blank stare and a slight frown, eyes dull and devoid of their usual sparkle.

Somehow it was even worse to watch than his usual breakdowns.

Kokichi of course knew that Shuichi was watching him. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. He was pretty much completely recovered from his little panic, but he couldn't focus on the task at hand when he saw those beautiful golden eyes filled with worry. He was relieved when Shuichi's phone chimed and the detective's attention was diverted away from him.

"Who was that Shumai?" He asked, using the opportunity to wrap his arms around Shuichi's neck from behind, hopping onto the taller boy's back to get a glance at his messages. His roommate simply gave him a fond smile and ruffled his hair, glad to see he was back to his normal self.

"Oh it's just my parents. We've been trying to find a time and place that I can meet them but since I'm so easily recognizable we haven't been able to figure something out. They're both free tomorrow after we get back from Miu's, but finding a place is the real issue."

"Why don't you just bring them here then?"

"You'd be okay with that? I know you're not exactly fond of strangers." Kokichi hopped off his back to talk to him face to face.

"It's not like they're strangers per say. They're your parents for crying out loud! And due to my memories and the fact we've apparently known each other since we were in diapers, they're probably basically my parents too."

That made Shuichi pause for a second. "What do you mean by due to your memories?"

Kokichi froze and his eyes widened as if he hadn't even realized what he had said until then. Shuichi was about to open his mouth and take it back but Kokichi held up a hand for him to stop.

"I don't have any family Shuichi. At least not in this set of memories." His gaze turned toward the floor, a sad look in his piercing purple eyes.

"My parents died when I was really little and I spent most of my life in an orphanage. That's where I met...my new family..." His voice trailed off as he reached up toward his neck again, grasping something that was no longer there. Shuichi gasped as he saw a few tears escape his friend's eyes.

"Anyway," Kokichi continued, reaching up to wipe away the escaped tears before plastering another fake smile on his face. "Something tells me I'm not just an orphan in this set of memories. I can't find any information on my parents and I didn't see any contacts belonging to them in my phone. If I'm right, then your parents are the closest thing to family that I have left."

He looked up at Shuichi, his purple eyes still misty with small tears. "So I want to meet them too Shuichi. If I do still have family left then they'll know where I can find them. And if I don't, well then they're all I have and I'll just have to marry you and force my way into the family myself!" He grinned and giggled at Shuichi.

"Besides, there's something I've been wondering about for a while now and if my hunch is right then I think they'll have the answer I'm looking for."