Despite how intertwined their lives were now, it was rare that Rody ventured all the way to the hero's office. It was out of his way and the winged hero wasn't readily available. Roro and Lala had practically begged him to take them along, but they had school and he cared more for their future. So he left them behind and took a train to his destination, stretching his arms as he exited out onto the streets and made his way to the agency.

" Jeez, it's so busy" he grumbled, Pino letting out the tiniest sigh of agreement as the duo moved through the crowds. Eventually, he made his way to the agency, entering the building calmly before pausing at a familiar sight.

" Eh? What're doing all the way out here on a school day?"

When Mark wakes, there isn’t anything notably different about his surroundings, in the grogginess of morning. A nice bed, in a nice room… until that room’s odd familiarity sets in. Mark’s own room. In the Manor. His room… but not quite ?

… Isn’t the decor different than this ? Surely, he’d rearranged the curtains from that, at the very least. They haven’t looked like that in years ! A surprise redecoration by Benjamin while he’d been gone, perhaps, and Mark simply hadn’t yet noticed ?

A confused walk down the stairs later, he’s greeted by Benjamin with a polite good morning, and a glimpse of a sight of the dining room — with Harper standing near the table.

They pocket the phone they’d just been checking, shoving it into their sweater as they begin walking. Walking, in the direction of Mark. A simple glance over, and a bit of a smile. “ Morning, Mark ” drifts over as they pass into the next room, moving by Mark to go on their daily routine.

The lightest shuffling of feet indicates their first session is done. An attempt to be silent is made, but they both know Minato can hear him. The door slides open carefully, a small hand holding the edge as the white-haired boy strides out of the room. His eyes remain passive, mask securely over his mouth with little sound leaving him. For a brief moment, he locks eyes with Minato but eventually just leaves the small building without another word.

Less lonely... Yuuri never saw it that way. He had the opposite experience, actually. When he looked at the night sky, he couldn’t help thinking about how small he was, and how if something like soulmates or meant to be existed, how would Yuuri ever find it? 

That feeling of being small didn’t go away, when they came upon the market. Yuuri knew it would be big - he had done plenty of research, before moving - but nothing could have prepared him for the reality of it. Yuuri was thankful, that Viktor was holding onto his hand. He was already afraid that they would get separated, and Yuuri would be lost and alone in a new country, where he didn’t speak the native language. 

“Huh? Oh, yes, I do. I’ve helped my mom make it plenty of times.” Hopefully they would be able to find what they needed. Yuuri was already overwhelmed. “Pork, breadcrumbs, eggs, green onions and rice... If we could find a stall that sells spices, that would be helpful; I don’t want it to turn out too bland.”

————————

Vitya’s pale eyes, all aglow, cast a glance Yuuri’s way. He still couldn’t quite get a clear reading on this boy, and he was relatively emotionally astute. He knew Yuuri must be nervous, there was no doubt about that, so perhaps that was causing him to cocoon in upon himself. Being in a country so different from his own must be at least minorly terrifying, but...well, he was not alone. Vitya was right there next to him, to ensure that he would be kept safe and sound.

“Are you close with your mother?” the silverette inquired casually, making sure now to keep the conversation in familiar territory sonas not to make his partner feel uncomfortable or pressured in any way. They approached a meat vendor, but the tent was absolutely bustling. It was even more difficult to keep warm as they stood in line, so Vitya stepped just a little bit closer to Yuuri to share their collective warmth- he wondered if Yuuri noticed.