The very act of going into town was an ordeal. Tristan was used to grabbing a bag and taking a bus to head off, but that was not the case with Hibiki's family. An entire entourage of personnel was required to come along: including all three personal assistants and a swathe of bodyguards. He wasn't certain if this was something standard for all billionaires, or if travelling like a military convoy for even the most miniscule distances was a thing only Hibiki's family did. Either way it was a strange experience to find himself on the other side of Hibiki's security detail.

At least there were only four of them sharing the same car. Hibiki's father drove the three of them, which made things appear more ordinary. If he didn't think about it too much, Tristan could nearly forget the two cars behind them – but not quite.

It took only a few minutes to drive into the town of St. Moritz. The sparkling luxury he had witnessed the evening before was reaffirmed once more in daylight. High-end stores nestled in the centre's Alpine townhouses reminded Tristan that this wasn't just an ordinary town. Although perhaps in Hibiki's world it was.

They parked in an underground garage, which gave them easy access to the main streets. As the car came to a halt, the entourage rolled up beside them. Although the personal assistants and security got out, they remained at a polite distance until Hibiki's father called upon them.

Tristan just went with the motions, having a quick exchange of goodbyes with Hibiki and his mother before following Hibiki's father. A bodyguard and PA trailed them in turn.

"Are you excited to go skiing? Hibiki is very good at it, so he'll teach you well." Hibiki's father asked him, as he was led into a large store full of sportswear: the main floor was for winter sports, with a few nooks here and there for golfing and other outdoor sports that he presumed were more popular in summer.

"I have never been, but I'm curious to learn." Tristan answered, trying not to pay too much attention to the colourful gear stalled out – the price tags in particular. Although Hibiki's father appeared nice enough, he was still nervous, only exacerbated by the desire to both impress and not be a hindrance. It seemed the man caught on to his nerves, but mistakenly took it for being scared of skiing.

"It's not so difficult, and once you're out in the mountains the view is wonderful. But first we have to get you what you need." Hibiki's father said, making a single confident gesture towards a store clerk behind the register that hadn't been paying much attention until then. It startled Tristan somewhat that he'd just demand the woman to come up to them without so much as a second glance, but she darted up with a smile regardless.

Before he good and well knew it, Tristan was wrapped up in a back and forth of fitting and choosing – whilst on the inside he was still stumped by the disregard for price tags. His worry appeared to dawn on Hibiki's father too, who sat down on one of the provided benches near the fitting room and gestured for him to sit down too. Hesitantly and very aware of his own body he sat down as quietly as he could. 

"Are you alright?" The man asked with a forthcoming look, which while serious still conveyed sympathy. He shifted slightly and nodded, pretending to check out the sleeves of a very warm, grey jacket he had tried on. It was rather obvious he wasn convincing anyone, which left him even more downtrodden as he knew it'd disappoint, or perhaps even insult this man who'd been so kind to take him along.

"You know, Hibiki told me and Suzume about what has happened. We were there when he left for you." The man said, leaning in with a faint but kind smile, in an attempt to break through his anxious reservedness. Although he felt the urge to run and hide, so he wouldn't have to be confronted with neither the topic nor his own need to never impose on anyone, he forced a glance up. And somewhere the idea that Hibiki would run to come to his rescue did resonate in his chest, like a soft glow from under dark waters.

"Has Hibiki had the chance to tell you what happened to him?" The question took him off guard, as he hadn't expected Hibiki's father to bring up struggles of his own. He couldn't help but wonder where the conversation was going. With his curiosity piqued, he nodded slowly.

"A little bit. About the kidnapping and,- his brother…" He nearly whispered the last words, well aware that it was a sore topic – the mention made Hibiki's father look away, staring intensely at a corner that hadn't done anything to deserve such treatment for several long seconds. To be in the mere vicinity of such distraught ached, as if the loss and anger radiated out. 

"I'm very sorry." He said softly, and he truly meant it. He could barely imagine how different things would have been, and he distinctly recalled the moment he had found Hibiki alone and afraid in the alleyway on his birthday. 

"You don't know what he was like before." Hibiki's father continued, clearly reminiscing about something only he knew. "How intelligent and incredibly kind – and even though we got him back, for a long while it seemed like we'd never get him back." Hibiki's father sighed as he leant forward and folded his hands over his knees. There didn't appear to be a point, but rather a memory that needed to get out.

Tristan nodded, understanding, but certain that he would never really know what it was like. The few glimpses he had had of the scope of Hibiki's trauma, were disconcerting on their own. Not to speak of actually living through its cause.

"For years we struggled to work past it. But slowly he came back to us. And then somewhere along the way, you came into his life too." Tristan wasn't sure what to think of those words, and whether they were an accusation or not. The tone was friendly, but his anxiety expected the worst.

"I know in our… eagerness to protect Hibiki we haven't done right by you, and Suzume and I didn't know what you meant to him. It is difficult across distances, but we should have paid more attention. When Kazuo informed us, and when he spoke of you we believed you were just a friend. But seeing you with Hibiki this morning, there was a happiness in him that I never thought to see again."

Hibiki's father sighed deeply, and then let out a very soft chuckle.

"I'm probably sharing far too much, I don't want to put this all on you. But, I do want you to know that the two of us, me and Suzume, want you to feel included." Despite the serious tone of the conversation, Hibiki's father smiled at him. The words did reassure him, and the knowledge that he was supported allowed him to push aside his nerves.

"Thank you." He nodded and smiled back, before glancing back at his lap whilst processing what that acceptance truly meant. "I'm very grateful for that. My,- well… I don't think my parents would be so quick to understand."

"Maybe one day you'll know this yourself, but there are very many people that have their opinions on what parents should want for their children, and it took me a very long time to understand that none of it is as important as what your child wants – and it is very obvious Hibiki wants you."

Tristan nodded and smiled, even though his mind was still unravelling everything said before. 

"And we wanted to offer you and Hibiki dinner together on the last day, just the two of you in the penthouse. If you didn't already make plans yourself."

Tristan shook his head, and smiled at the thought of dinner together with Hibiki. He didn't want it to seem so very obvious, yet couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy as he imagined what it'd be like – and then an idea dawned on him.

"Does Hibiki already know about it?" He asked, a bit more enthusiastic now he had a plan of his own to add on.

"Maybe, I don't know if Suzume has told him. Let me ask her." Hibiki's father took out his phone, and began writing. "What's your idea?"

"Well, if he doesn't know yet, we can make it a surprise for him." Tristan said, and he was answered with an amused chuckle as Hibiki's father approved.

"Well then we can plan this better. What do you think would work best, romantic? Casual?"

"Romantic." He said without a second thought. "I want to thank him for helping me and bringing me here. So romantic is better for that."

Hibiki's father took a few notes on that, and nodded with a smile.

"And I'd like to buy him a gift,- myself." Tristan continued more firmly. "Probably chocolates." He smiled to himself as his plan was coming together.

"There is enough time to do that." Hibiki's father said with a quick glance at his watch. "We can get chocolates, and how about a good suit for the occasion?" 

"Are you sure?" He asked, knowing well enough that suits were costly. A part of him didn't really want to resist, as the idea of dressing up nicely for their dinner allured him – but he would be polite about it nonetheless.

"I have never managed to get Hibiki willingly into a suit, no matter how I tried. So at least now I have the opportunity."

Tristan nodded, accepting the proposal and pushing aside the concerns about money. In a way it was easier since it wasn't really for him, insofar that him looking good would be a gift to Hibiki. 

"Well then." Hibiki's father said as he slapped his hands down onto his knees and stood up. "Are you content with this?" He pointed out the arrangement of skiing gear they had sorted out.

"Yes." Tristan nodded and smiled.

"Then let's get to more important business." Hibiki's father grinned in a manner somehow very familiar to him, and he could only imagine the horror Hibiki would feel knowing that grin was used in relation to buying a suit.

Whilst they walked along the snow-covered streets, Tristan thought of ways to make their dinner go well. It felt nice to do something like that, even if it was with a bit of help. Guided by Hibiki's father as to what was possible, he requested red flowers and candles, knowing that was Hibiki's favourite colour.

He noticed Hibiki's father smile whilst he was in the midst of suggesting a dessert with strawberries. A bit of worry shot back into him, as he realised he'd been rambling.

"Er,- sorry, I'm talking a bit much." He said quickly, only to be answered by a firm shake of the head.

"You know a lot about what Hibiki likes." The man answered, still smiling. A slight blush crept up on his face, realising that he hadn't been embarrassing himself, but rather giving away how much he liked Hibiki.

"I do…" He nodded with a slight smile. "I mean, he's pretty adamant about it."

"He sure is." Hibiki's father nodded, before pointing out a particular high-end store. "We should be able to have something made for you there."

Tristan resisted the urge to gulp, as he realised in full what he'd agreed to. He hadn't even factored in the possibility of the suit being tailored and fitted.

If there was one thing he had to give Hibiki's father credit for throughout everything, it was that he was undeniably thorough – much to his dismay. Everything down to his cufflinks were meticulously selected, as over the course of two hours they pieced an outfit together to perfection. The suit itself was simple enough: a black jacket with silver buttons, atop a similar waistcoat and slacks. It was still loose in some places, but a store clerk with Swiss Francs in his eyes reassured him multiple times that it would fit immaculately.

He'd have been more than happy with that, but Hibiki's father had grabbed this one chance with both hands. Despite the time it took, he began to enjoy it as well. At first he had been hesitant to go against the suggestions of Hibiki's father, but more and more he realised the man was helping him make choices rather than make choices for him – he just had to be a bit more certain about what he wanted.

At first he'd thought about red accents to match the earlier requests he had made for their dinner, but that didn't feel right. Perhaps it would have been right for the setting, but not for him to wear. So after some searching, he went with a light grey and silver.

He picked a white dress shirt, with decorative silver tips attached to the corners of the collar to weigh them down. After much reassurance from Hibiki's father, he also picked out a set of modern silver cufflinks to match. A grey silken tie finished the look, and when he took a final glance in the mirror he was amazed by his own appearance. He took a picture just so he could show Anya.

"That looks very good." Hibiki's father said as he stepped out, and he nodded in agreement.

"I think it's perfect." He grinned, unable to stop himself from glancing down at his clothes. It made him feel confident, and he could only imagine the look on Hibiki's face when he saw him like this.

"Then we should be done." 

He nodded again, a little disappointed that he had to take the suit off. And moreover, worried about the number that would pop up at the register.

Despite the massive amount of money just spent on him, he chose to ignore his hang-ups about it. And sure enough, it became easier to do each time as more and more it dawned on him that not spending would have just as little impact. 

He remembered what Hibiki had told him, about money simply existing to him like air – and at the time it had felt like a hyperbole, but now he understood better what he meant. While it was unfair that he had been struggling to breathe his whole life, that didn't mean that Hibiki's family holding their breath would do any good. He just had difficulty with getting out of that mindset, not entirely unjustified, but it wasn't the right thing to worry about in those moments.

If anything he felt a bit more secure about buying his own gift for Hibiki. Because in a strange way, despite chocolates being far less costly, it was worth a lot more to him – there was more to it than just a price tag. It was a promise that he'd make Hibiki happy too.

With glee he picked about two dozen swiss chocolates from a small store tucked away in a quaint alley. He made sure to include the sweetest flavours he could find, mostly of fruit, and in particular strawberries. Just because he could, he added in a small chocolate rose.

After he'd paid, he was handed a small bag with the box of chocolates. With a smile he took it, and wouldn't let go of it. Each step on the way back to meet up, he felt the little bop of the bag. It made him grin, giddy at the thought that he'd finally do something special too.