Mikau: Hi everyone! I'm pretty pleased with how this chapter turned out, actually. I think it ties everything up nicely, but I'll let you be the judge of that. Not many updates this week, but next week I should have Roses and CTM. Maybe the second chapter of Caught Up in You and HP too if we're lucky. Cross your fingers. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I appreciate you guys so much: NariGray, Bunnyz-chan, Great, GeekyGenius, MeitanteiRose, and incandescent stars!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, they'd have more trips to Kyoto because I'm homesick. I saw episode 694 the other day and started crying as soon as I saw Kyoto Station and Kyoto Tower reflecting off of it. (My brother thinks I'm crazy.) I wanna go home! T.T (My parents shake their heads at me and tell me I AM home. In America. Don't listen to them. I belong in Kyoto, I tell you.) Ahem.

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Chapter Three: Resolution and Clarity

Kaito showed up early at eight fifty-two. He'd spent the morning driving Hakuba crazy before the Brit had just flat out told him to bugger off and go early before Saguru hit him over the head with something.

"Hey," Shinichi whispered breathlessly as he greeted Kaito at the door. And wasn't Kaito even more lovely in the bright light of day? Though, wait. Kid had been absolutely stunning by the light of the moon. Shinichi couldn't decide which view of Kaito he liked best, but one thing he did know for certain was that he would be perfectly content to just stare at this divine creature for the rest of eternity.

God. Had Kaito really consented to being his? Just his? Had Shinichi really made love to this Adonis-shaming man, or had it only been a dream among dreams?

"Hey." Kaito smiled, making Shinichi's chest tighten. Kaito returned the sheepish chuckle and adoring gaze, and Shinichi thought he'd just die right then and there. It was too perfect.

And then Shinichi realized that he probably looked pretty stupid just standing there in the doorway drooling over the other guy. Hopefully Haibara hadn't seen. Drat. There would be sooo much teasing if she had. Maybe he'd get lucky and she wouldn't be out fetching the morning paper at eight fifty-five like she did every Saturday morning? No such luck. He'd apparently used a lifetime's worth the previous evening when Kaito had said that he returned Shinichi's feelings. Haibara was standing on her own front porch smirking and enjoying the show as Shinichi went to pieces over just how beautiful and perfect Kaito was.

Shinichi snapped back to attention. "Hey, how are you feeling? I mean…is your body okay?" A cute strawberry red color rose in Shinichi's cheeks.

Kaito just smiled and laughed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Me? I'm fine, thanks. I mean…well…sure, I'm a little sore, but…you were gentle with me, and it was well worth a little stiffness and some minor aches. It'll hurt less once I get used to it." A sly, Kid-smirk took over Kaito's face. "Until then, you'll just have to be on the receiving end of things, Darling."

Suddenly Shinichi felt like he was going to pass out, thinking of what they had done together the previous evening. His skin on Kaito's, not a thread in between them. Was it hot in here, or was it just him?

"Hey, Kaito? I'd gladly be willing to switch positions with you next time, but…honestly, last night, I might have been a little more drunk than I initially thought. Making love to you seemed like a genius idea at the time, but—"

Kaito's smile was fading fast. "—You're not going to say that sleeping with me was a mistake, are you?" There was a quiet terror in Kaito's voice. "Do you regret it?"

"What? NO! No. Sorry. What I meant was…Even thought it was spectacular and I wouldn't change a thing, I think things happened a little fast between us," Shinichi revised, careful not to give his boyfriend the wrong idea. "I know we've known each other professionally for a couple years now, and you probably know everything about me from the times that you impersonated me, but…we've never really spent a lot of time together like this…just Kaito and Shinichi hanging out, getting to know one another. What I'm trying to tell you is that I really want to buy you some flowers and some chocolates and take you on a couple dates before we jump right back into bed again."

"Oh." Kaito nodded, eyes wide in understanding.

"I'm really serious about you," Shinichi pledged, taking Kaito's hands in his own. "I honor and respect you. I want to be your honest to goodness boyfriend, not just the guy that you sleep with. I want to do this right, so…is that okay, Kaito?"

Kaito just smiled and blushed, nodding before he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Shinichi's cheek. "I love you, Shinichi."

"I love you too." Shinichi took a step forward and took Kaito's lips in a chaste kiss. He really hoped Haibara wasn't still watching.

"Mmmm," Kaito hummed as they pulled apart. "I guess a little abstinence will just build the anticipation and make it that much better the next time we're together, right?"

"Un," Shinichi agreed, savoring the taste of chocolate and the smell of French vanilla. Everything about Kaito was sugary sweet.

"We might have to keep a bucket of water or a hose on hand next time, 'cause you're setting me on fire right now. Make me wait a couple of weeks, and we might just burn the house down," Kaito purred.

"Let it burn," Shinichi whispered, nuzzling Kaito's ear. "I love you enough to wait."

"Let's hurry up and get to breakfast so that you can get to know me and we can get a move on on doing things properly this time," Kaito urged, tugging Shinichi along.

"Right," Shinichi chuckled sheepishly, coming out of his near trance. "I want to know everything about you. It's embarrassing how little I know about the guy I'm in love with. You can tell me all about it over pancakes. This place has the best chocolate chip pancakes. They smoother them in whipped cream and powdered sugar."

"Ooh, pancakes!" Kaito began to hum and whistle happily. "I wouldn't have thought you'd like all of that sugar when you drink your coffee blacker than ink."

Shinichi shrugged, slipping his arm around Kaito's waist and waving nonchalantly at a gawking Haibara as they walked. "I don't really. I get my pancakes totally plain. I just pegged you as having a bit of a sweet tooth."

"See, you know me so well already," Kaito chuckled, wrapping his arm around Shinichi and resting his hand possessively on Shinichi's hip. "You're amazing, Meitantei."

"Nah," Shinichi laughed, letting his head tilt to rest against Kaito's and pressing a kiss there. "You're the amazing one."

"Yeah, I guess I am," the thief tittered.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "And you're so modest and humble."

"Precisely," Kaito agreed, puffing out his chest a little. "You know, I'd even go so far as to say that I am a spectacular specimen of a boyfriend—maybe the most spectacular there's ever been."

"Yeah," Shinichi agreed softly in that stupid-in-love voice.

Kaito blushed, laughing in embarrassment. "That's when people usually tell me that I'm an idiot."

"Nah. You're spectacular," Shinichi corrected. "I'm lucky."

"Silly," Kaito mumbled, blushing brightly. "I'm the one that got lucky…. Well, I guess we both did technically, but…Hey, after breakfast, wanna take a walk in a park or go play at an arcade or see a movie or sing karaoke or something?"

"You don't want to hear me sing karaoke." Shinichi grimaced. "But I'd be absolutely ecstatic to spend the day with you, Kaito. I can't tell you how hard it was for me being away from you last night."

"Really?" Kaito giggled. "Me too. I was driving my roommate batty this morning while I was waiting to leave to come over to your house. I know it was only for a handful or two of hours, but…I missed you, Shinichi."

"I missed you too."

They shared a dreamy look, eyes caressing each other. They smiled and chuckled, looking away as they went back to walking closely side by side.

"So…would you want to spend the night at my house tonight? Just having a sleepover like regular friends, you know, but…I feel kind of cheated out of our first night together," Shinichi admitted.

"I'll have to run it by my roommate, but I'd totally love that. I sort of felt the same way," Kaito laughed sheepishly.

Shinichi frowned in confusion. "You have to ask your roommate's permission?"

"My roommate is my best friend, Hakuba Saguru," Kaito explained. "He's not really quite on board yet with the whole me and you relationship thing. He's kind of taken it upon himself to act as my older brother, defender of my honor and protector of my heart. He's not convinced that you're any good for me yet, so…"

"Hn." All Shinichi could do hum in wonder. "So he's the overprotective brother-in-law that I have to win over?"

"Yep," Kaito chuckled with a shrug, nonverbally tacking a "What can you do?" on at the end. "There's also Nakamori Aoko, my self-appointed sister of sorts. You'll meet her later. There's also my crazy witch, my grandfather figure/partner in crime, and my actual blood mother…who also used to be…you know. In the 'family business'."

Shinichi blinked. "Wow."

"Yeah." Kaito cast his boyfriend a sheepish smirk. "I believe in full disclosure up front. Just so that you know what you're getting yourself into and don't come crying to me later. My little pseudo-family is as nutso as I am, but you've got mad scientists and police divisions and the Shounen Tanteidan and martial arts champions and bumbling sleeping detectives and famous people and all sorts of other weirdoes hanging around you, so I think we're kind of even."

"Hm." Shinichi pursed his lips. "Yeah, I guess so. One thing's for sure, Thanksgiving is going to be hell, and we'd better introduce each other to our 'families' gradually, one at a time."

Kaito broke out in a miniature giggle fit.

"What?" Shinichi cocked his head to the side. He didn't see what was quite so funny. He waited patiently for Kaito to regain his composure and explain.

"Sorry. It's not that funny; it's just…are you seriously considering a future with a nut job like me? The idea seems absolutely ludicrous. You're…you're Kudo Shinichi, the Great Detective of the East, the Heisei Holmes, the Savior of the Metro Police, Tokyo PD's Golden Boy….You're perfect, Shinichi. What the heck do you think you're doing with me?"

Shinichi shrugged, looking down at his feet and shifting so that he loosely held Kaito's hand in his own. "The usual, I guess. I mean…I know I'm really, really rushing things, thinking about marriage and kids and stuff like that when we've only just started dating yesterday, but…I think I'm going to marry you and have kids and grow old, and…you know…the usual." He looked up at Kaito in uncertainty. "I'm not scaring you off, am I? I know it's weird for me to say I'm in love with you and want to spend the rest of my life with you when I only just found out your name last night, but…"

Kaito smiled gently, giving Shinichi's hand a squeeze of reassurance. "Don't worry. I'm not freaked by your enthusiasm. Commitment doesn't really scare me…. I've kind of had a crush on you for a long time, and I feel like I already know you from…observing and studying you for mostly professional reasons. When it became clear that nothing was going to happen between me and this girl I've always liked—my self-appointed 'sister' Aoko—I started seriously thinking about you. Of course, I thought it would only work out if you were stuck as Conan and couldn't be with Mouri-chan anymore, but—when did you and Mouri-chan break up?"

Shinichi jumped at the sudden severity of Kaito's tone and the intense look in his boyfriend's eyes. "L-Last year. Why?"

Kaito frowned deeply. "I was just thinking… Before I was gonna say that I had long-term plans for you too, so it was okay for you to be thinking about getting married and everything, but…Haku-chan was right. You don't know me like I know you, and you're not the kind of person that would just jump in bed with and go on about loving some guy…some internationally-wanted thief that you barely knew." Kaito fixed Shinichi with serious stare, coming to a stop on the sidewalk. "Am I just a rebound from Mouri-chan?"

The gears in Shinichi's mind ground to a halt, and his jaw went slack, eyes wide. "…No. No, Kaito, of course you're not just…You're not. You're not a rebound. I love you."

"What do you love about me?" Kaito prodded, not unkindly. His voice was gentle, just curious. "You don't really know me, Shinichi, but I do seriously care for you, and I don't want you diving into a relationship with me and getting hurt just because you're all mixed up and still healing from Mouri-chan."

Shinichi's cheeks went cherry red as he looked at the ground, reaching out for both of Kaito's hands. "Okay, so maybe I'm still a little wounded from my whirlwind relationship with Ran. After I got back from Conan, we just…it was too much too fast, and we burnt each other out. I gave her everything, and…it was beautiful and passionate while it lasted, but…she was the one that came to her senses and realized that we weren't going to work out long-term. I won't say that I'm not still hurting, but I think I have come to terms with it, and I've made peace with the situation and how it is."

Kaito nodded, rubbing soothing circles on the backs of Shinichi's hands with his thumbs. "Shinichi, maybe we need to cool things down for a while. Like I said, I don't want you getting hurt, and I personally don't want to be used. I don't mind waiting for you, and I'll absolutely be there to support you, but—"

Shinichi shook his head. "—Look, maybe I'm not at my most emotionally stable right now, Kaito, but you're not just a Band-Aid. I'm serious about you, and you're not just some stranger or mere acquaintance, and you're definitely not just some thief. I do know you, and you mean a lot to me."

Shinichi bit his lip, struggling to grab hold of the right words to explain everything that Kaito had been for him, meant to him. He started tentatively. "I…these past few years…you've been a great source of strength and support to me. When I was Conan…there were days when I felt really, really down. There were times when I just wanted to lie down and give up, days when I thought I'd never be me again. There were times when I considered letting Ran go…setting her free instead of stringing her along.

"There were days when I thought maybe everyone would be better off if Shinichi were gone, but…in all of that darkness, you were always there. You with your taunts and your puzzles, your mischief and your challenges and that aggravating grin of yours. You and your heists were a safe haven for me. When I went head to head against you, you took me seriously despite my outer appearance. I was able to be myself with you. When I was chasing you down, I felt free. Free of all of the anxiety and the stress, the guilt, the lies, and even that little prison my own body had become. Whether you knew it or not, Kaito, you gave me hope and the strength to keep fighting.

"And then after things with Ran went down in flames…on the days I just wanted to curl up in the corner of my room with all of the curtains closed…I got out of bed to get the morning paper and check the news for any notices from you. Crazy enough, always on my worst days there was something—a heist notice, an article. Kaito, you've already gotten me through my darkest times. Kid's already served as my rebound from all of the crap that's happened to me these past three years. Now I'm ready for Kuroba Kaito to be my boyfriend. I think I'm ready for a real relationship with you." Shinichi finally looked up at Kaito with sad eyes only to find the other young man crying softly.

"Shinichi," he whispered, gently cupping his beloved's cheeks and leaning in to nuzzle Shinichi's face and hair and kiss him softly. "Okay. I'm sorry, Shin-chan. It must have been so hard feeling all alone. I'm glad I can be here for you in person now." Slowly Kaito's arms wrapped around Shinichi in a loose, warm hug.

"It wasn't all bad," Shinichi admitted, letting his head rest on Kaito's shoulder. "There was good stuff that happened too. I met a lot of awesome people, some good friends, and I learned a ton about myself. I'm pretty happy with the person I am now because of all of those experiences. It's made me a better man, and it's put me in a position to be with you, so…I have a feeling it's all going to be worth it. Things are really starting to look up." Shinichi put on a small, sincere grin for his darling.

Kaito smiled too, and the world seemed like a brighter place. "Geez, you're adorable," he chuckled, pulling back so that they could start walking again. "Be mine forever."

"Okay," Shinichi agreed with a rosy blush on his cheeks.

"I have the cutest boyfriend ever!" Kaito sang, nuzzling Shinichi's hair and ear. "Shin-chan, I love your vulnerable side. It makes me want to eat you right up." Kaito playfully licked Shinichi's cheek.

"Pft." Shinichi began to crack up as the dreary mood lifted. "Save it for the pancakes, Kaito."

Kaito's eyes lit up, growing to the size of golf balls. "Can I spoon-feed you?"

Shinichi blushed, beginning to squirm uncomfortably. "Not in public, Kaito. Maybe some other time."

"Tomorrow?" Kaito inquired, eyes still shinning. He was like a child begging to play with a new toy. "I'm sleeping over tonight, right, so we can make breakfast together tomorrow, and I can spoon-feed you, right?"

"I guess," Shinichi mumbled, getting embarrassed. He usually wasn't so touchy-feely/lovey-dovey.

"Aww! Tsundere Shin-chan is adorable too!" Kaito cooed, pinching Shinichi's cheek. "You remind me of Tantei-kun. He always used to make faces like that."

"Kaito," Shinichi grumbled.

"Oh! Make the grumpy Tantei-kun face!" Kaito urged.

Shinichi began to pout, playing right into Kaito's hand.

"Sorry," Kaito finally apologized for his teasing, pressing a butterfly kiss to Shinichi's cheek. "I love you," he whispered into Shinichi's ear.

And Shinichi melted, slipping his hand back into Kaito's. "I love you too."

The

End

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Mikau: Okay. That's seriously the end this time. For realz. Somehow, at the end, Kaito turned into more of the seme, even though he was uke in the first chapter. Hn. Go fig. I mostly write them reversible anyway. Well, I hope you enjoyed it, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks so much for reading guys! I really appreciate your support! Take care until we meet again!