When the usual birthday card from him didn't arrive, he thought nothing of it. He himself forgot his own birthday on a regular basis, after all. And so, he pushed the information to the back of his mind and promptly forgot about it. When the Christmas card was also missing, he re-dug the memories and contemplated it. Perhaps he'd lost the address, he wondered vaguely and brushed it aside once more. It didn't really matter; it wasn't like he himself was much for celebrations, anyway. He just barely remembered to send out his own cards.

In a burst of curiosity, he phoned the boy's mother, only to discover that the boy had lost touch with all his old friends and relatives. He frowned as he disconnected the call, but, once again, merely brushed it aside. It wasn't his business. Until that day…

--

"Shin-chan, I'm soo glad Ran-chan's coming back. And from college! A girl with a degree is just the thing you need, Shinichi." Kudo Yukiko crowed over her 27-year-old son.

"Ran and I broke up six years ago, 'Kaa-chan." Shinichi reminded her, flipping through the files on his mahogany desk. Becoming a successful businessman, owner of a very large scientific corporation, was quite an accomplishment, especially at his age, but the workload seemed never ending.

"Old romances never loose their flame!" Yukiko insisted. "Besides, if I remember correctly, you two split because you wanted her to focus on her career."

"So? It's over between us, Mom. Now, if you please, I have much work to do and would appreciate it if you'd leave." He snapped. As soon as the blonde was out of the room, he buzzed his secretary. "Takagi, get me some aspirin."

A minute later, the door opened and a slim man with dark hair handed him a bottle. Takagi Wataru retrieved a glass of water, frowning when his boss promptly swallowed four pills.

"Sir, you really shouldn't-"

"I've got to meet with someone I don't really want to see. I just hope four aspirin is enough." Kudo Shinichi sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair. "Did you ever have to deal with crazy parents, Takagi?"

"Only yours, sir," As if realizing what he'd just said, the poor man clamped a hand over his mouth, going bug-eyed, "I mean – "

Shinichi snickered. "Yeah, I'd say they're enough." He sighed once more, closing the manila folders and handing them to Takagi to file. "Guess I can't delay this for long." He muttered, grabbing his coat and heading out the door. "Lock up the office for me, I'll be out late."

"Yes sir." Takagi bowed to Shinichi as his boss left.

--

"Hey, Kudo!" A dark-skinned man waved at Shinichi as he exited his black Rolls Royce Corniche, running towards him. "How've you been? I heard about the contract deal on the news. You gonna accept?" He asked, referring to a huge business contract proposed to his friend's company.

"Maybe," Shinichi smiled slightly and greeted his friend. "How'd you end up around here, Hattori?"

"Ah, Kazuha's meeting Mouri-chan and coming here." Hattori Heiji grinned. "Looking forward to seeing Mouri-chan?"

Shinichi shrugged. "So, what's it like, happily married and all that?"

Heiji's grin widened. "It's just as good as they say. Kazuha and I have only been married about a month now, but it's been the best month of my life."

Shinichi smirked, "Yes, and I'm sure it had nothing to do with the honeymoon. Caribbean, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, thanks to you. Probably the best gift we got." Heiji clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Ah, there they are. Kazuha," He shouted and waved down two brunettes.

One of the girls' smiles brightened as soon as she saw Hattori's companion. "Shinichi!" She shouted and launched herself into his arms.

He stumbled slightly, catching the girl in his arms. "Whoa, Ran, calm down!"

"Oh, Shinichi, I'm so happy to see you!" She reached up and pressed a kiss to his lips.

When she released him, Shinichi quirked a smile, albeit a slightly strained one, and said, "We'd better get going if we want to beat the rush. The restaurants will start to get crowded real soon."

"Alright." Kazuha smiled at him and reached around to kiss her husband. "You have a good day?" She asked him.

"Oh, alright. It was kind of dull. One of the workers nearly had a beam fall on 'em, but managed to get out of the way in time." Heiji shrugged.

"That's what you call dull? What happens at the construction sites when it's not dull?" Shinichi raised a brow, allowing his arm to be taken by Ran as they walked. Hattori laughed.

After lunch, the four of them decided to go shopping together, the girls immediately taking charge. While their fairer counterparts were immersing themselves in clothes, Shinichi pulled his friend away.

"Hey, Kudo, you okay? What's wrong?"

Shinichi sighed. "I dunno what to do, Hattori. Ran…Ran wants us back together, but…"

Hattori looked slightly alarmed. "Well, what's wrong? Are you just…not interested, or…"

"Not interested, I guess. I mean…Ran's special to me, but…it's more like…siblings, family almost, but not…"

"Lovers? Well, just tell her." Hattori shrugged. "She'll understand."

"How can I, seeing her like that? She's happy thinking that it's the same as before…but…I can't explain it really, but the feeling's – gone, just gone."

"Well…I dunno, Kudo. I'm not good with words, you know that, but I'd say just talk to her. Sure, she'll be sad, maybe mad, but that's the way life is."

"Yeah," Shinichi sighed, "I guess it is."

--

When the group split up and Shinichi escorted Ran to her new apartment, he decided now was the time. He cleared his throat and began, "Ran, we have to talk."

She turned her angelic smile on him. "Alright, come on in." She opened her door and let him pass her.

He gulped, "Well, see, I… I don't want – mmph!" He was cut off when she kissed him hard, her arms winding around him in a tight embrace. He wrenched himself free, and hurried to the door. "I'm sorry, Ran." He whispered before leaving the building.

He ran for quite a while before he realized he was lost. Glancing at the buildings on either side of him, he wasn't able to recognize the general area. Judging from the worn down quality of many of the shops, he was probably in downtown, somewhere in the poorer avenue.

He walked for about another hour but still couldn't seem to find his way around. Now, he was getting tired and hungry and the last thing he wanted to do was think. He slipped into the first place that looked hospitable and was immediately welcomed by a big man in a tux.

"Is this your first time here, sir? Perhaps you'd like a menu? Or maybe chef's choice? I can guarantee you'll like what you get." He asked, eyeing Shinichi's well-tailored suit.

"Hnn? Yeah, sure." Shinichi nodded vaguely, blinking sleep from his eyes. The big man called out a name Shinichi couldn't catch and soon, a brunette man slide into a seat across from him.

"So tell me, what are you doing in a place like this?" A smooth voice asked.

"Tired." Shinichi mumbled. The man snorted in amusement. "Feel like shit. How do girls always do that?"

"What?" The man asked, vaguely surprised.

"Make you feel lower than dirt, even when you've done nothing wrong."

The man quirked a smile. "Yes, they do have a certain knack for that, don't they? I presume that's the reason you're here? To get away from the confusion?"

"Hmm, maybe. Where exactly is here?" Shinichi asked, eyes drooping.

"Club Delicacy. You didn't know?" There was surprise lacing the tone, but he supposed that was understandable.

"No, just walked into the best looking place on the street. I don't feel like going home…"

"Well," The man said, "I suppose that can be arranged. Quite frankly, you do look like you're dead on your feet, so I'll see what I can do." Feet shuffled away from the table he was currently seated at and all he could hear were the distorted voices from tables around him. He really was so very tired…

Footsteps approached the table, but Shinichi could only perceive it as if in a dream. He watched in a daze as a large form grabbed his arm and tugged it over his shoulder, noting only that the man smelled good, like roses, almost. He was vaguely aware of moving to another location, but he couldn't identify anything about the shapes dancing around him. Finally, he felt a soft pillow on his face and snuggled into it. He drifted off completely now, unaware of the man he'd trapped underneath him.

--

When Shinichi woke up, the first thing that came to mind was that he was comfortable on his oddly shaped pillow and that he didn't want to move. The second thought was that his pillow smelled very good and vaguely familiar. The third thought never got the chance to process, because his pillow suddenly shifted. Pillows do not move.

Shinichi groaned and opened his eyes, wincing at the light that penetrated his eyes. He turned his head and was treated to the sight of his own face staring back at him. He yelped and jerked away, falling off the bed and landing on the floor with a loud crash.

"You okay?" The man asked, leaning over the edge of the bed.

"Uh…"

"Sorry about the room," The man continued, "I couldn't get you very far in the state you were in last night. You were practically a zombie, half asleep before we even got to the door. When we got in, you fell right over, pinning me down. Sorry."

"Right…who are you?"

The man grinned. "How much do you remember of last night? You walked into Club Delicacy, complained a bit, and conked out."

Shinichi nodded. That correlated with what he remembered, but… "You still didn't tell me you're name."

"Kuroba Kaito." He smiled at him.

Shinichi blinked. "Kuroba…Kaito? Seriously? How the hell did you end up a host?"

"Uh…do I know you?"

"Kudo Shinichi. We've met in the past."

"Oh, yeah, the kid of Dad's friends…how've you been?" Kaito smile awkwardly.

Shinichi cocked an eyebrow. "Let's skip the pleasantries, shall we? Where in hell have you been? Your mom said you'd cut ties with everyone. What's going on?"

Kaito sighed. "I was hoping it'd take longer to find me."

"Well, I wasn't looking, if that's any consolation."

He gave a shallow laugh. "Thanks," He said dryly. He let out a slow breath, "Well, I may as well tell someone the whole story. 'Least you aren't directly involved." He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. "Have you ever had your heart broken, Kudo-kun?"

"No, but I think I just broke someone's heart."

"Ah, the 'lower than dirt' girl, right? Love to here about that later." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, the girl I loved…she was my friend for ages and, well…uh, she dumped me…"

"And you ran away?"

"Oh please, don't give me that condescending tone. Yes, I ran away, but not just because of that. I got…bored…everything just seemed so…uninteresting…so I left. I met someone in a bar and they helped me get started. I wound up working in Club Delicacy. It may not be the best profession, but it pays well."

"Amazing," Shinichi mumbled dryly.

Kaito shrugged. "Yeah, well, no one's perfect. So, what about you? The 'lower than dirt' thing still sounds pretty interesting."

Shinichi sighed. "Well, I can't imagine why I'd tell you, but, hey, why not? My childhood friend and I went out a few years back, until I broke up with her so that she'd focus on her career, becoming a lawyer. Now, she's out of school, degree and all, and ready to get back together again."

"But?"

"But…I'm not so sure I want to. I don't think I love her anymore…" He murmured.

"Ah. But she still wants to stay with you?"

"Yeah…and I think I broke her heart…great, now I feel even more like crap."

Kaito chuckled. "Yes, girls seem to be good at that." He frowned in contemplation, watching as Shinichi threw together what was left in the small kitchen to make them breakfast. "Hmm, sounds like you need some help."

"Yeah, no kidding, but what can I do about it?" Shinichi grabbed a box of cereal and passed it to him.

"Find a new girl?" Kaito suggested, grabbing a hand full of he cereal.

"Easier said than done."

"Hmm, well, you deal with that, I gotta get back to work soon." Kaito grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. "Feel free to stick around for a while – I live alone – but, you've probably got your own work to attend to."

Shinichi nodded and bade him good-bye.

--

When Shinichi strolled into his office that morning, he was treated to the sight of a young strawberry blonde lounging in his chair.

"You mind?" He growled, bad mood already showing.

She spun the chair around to face him fully and smirked. "Having a nice day so far, I see."

"Did you need something, Shiho?" He ground out, setting his briefcase on the desk and sorting through the files.

"My report," She handed him a manila folder.

"Yes?"

"What? I see no reason to dictate the report when it's all in writing there anyway. Besides, you don't seem to be in a listening mood." She rose from the chair and guided him to it. "I heard your girlfriend was out of college. How'd it go?"

"What?"

"Your meeting, of course. You did talk with her, didn't you?" She pursed her lips and scanned over a few of the documents scattered around his desk.

"Shiho –" He growled. He was cut off by a vibration in his pocket and he pulled out his phone. Stifling a groan, he flipped open the phone, only to find it missing from his grasp.

"Hello?" Shiho's flowing voice asked.

"Shinichi?" A timid voice asked over the line.

"Yes?" She smirked at the boy, propping herself up on the edge of his desk.

"Um…" The line quickly disconnected.

"She hung up." Shiho shrugged.

"Shiho, Cut it out! Great, now she'll lecture me later. Dammit, thanks a lot."

"Your welcome. In any case, you should really consider finding a girl that's less…jealous."

"Yeah, uh, easier said than done. Now please, don't you have work to do?"

"Sure." She smirked at him one last time before leaving the room.

"Ugh." Shinichi groaned. "I give up." He muttered and opened the Advil bottle he'd left there the previous day. Today was not looking well…not looking well at all.

--

When the newest customer strolled through the door to Club Delicacy, a unique hush seemed to follow him. Kaito looked up from where he was entertaining one of his regulars and was surprised to feel angered by the eyes that followed the man, especially Kaito's biggest rival within the club, Kusuda Rikumichi, who eyed the new guy with a certain predatory fascination. Before he knew what he was doing, Kaito had excused himself from Yumi's company and slid into the seat next to the customer.

"Fancy meeting you again, Kudo-san." He purred, sending a glare Rikumichi's way.

The man spared him a tired grin. "Hello."

"You seem troubled," Kaito noted, pouring them both a glass of the champagne Shinichi had ordered. Kaito noticed a steaming Kusuda out of the corner of his eye and smiled.

"Yeah," He sighed. "Ran's jealous of a friend of mine because she grabbed my phone when Ran called and answered. Ran just keeps ranting on and on about it and won't believe that she's just a coworker. Seriously," He groaned and downed the champagne.

Kaito sighed sympathetically. "Is that really a problem, though? If this Ran is the childhood friend/ex-girlfriend you were talking about, why not just let her believe you and your friend are going out?"

"Oh, I would, except then Shiho – uh, that's my friend – would probably make me grovel just for the hell of it before she'd help and then my wallet would never recover."

"Is she that bad?"

"No, she's just sadistic as hell."

"Ah. But you know, even if she isn't the one you use, it might not be a bad idea to have someone pretend to be your lover. After all, you're technically not going out with her, so you have every right."

Shinichi refilled both their glasses. "Maybe. Thanks for the advice, at any rate. 'Guess I just needed someone to talk to. Thanks." He smiled and rose, handing him and extra twenty. "You look like you could use some pocket money."

Kaito grinned. "Well, I'm not one to turn down charity." He escorted Shinichi out of the building and flagged down a cap for him. "Have a good evening, Kudo-san."

Kaito smiled softly as the cab drove off. It was kind of nice, reconnecting with his old life, even if there were some major differences. For one, Kudo was much more familiar to him now than some old family friend that received a couple of holiday cards every year.

He was still smiling as he went back in and attended to his other customers. When closing time came, he was approached by a handsome man with deep black hair.

"Kaito?" The man asked.

"Hey, Jinpei," He sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"Ready to go?" He asked, flagging a cab down for the two of them. Matsuda Jinpei had been Kaito's friend from the very first time he ever walked through the doors to Club Delicacy. The two of them had assembled their pocket money and bought an apartments near each other, attempting to lessen the cost. They'd been the best of friends ever since. Kaito nodded and entered the cab, holding back a yawn. "What was with your little demonstration this evening?"

"I don't know what you mean." Kaito sighed, leaning against his friend and closing his eyes.

"Your new customer, Kaito. The one Rikumichi was eyeballing before you entered the scene."

"Oh, that. He's an old family friend that just needed some advice."

"Right," Matsuda sounded disbelieving, but let the matter drop.

--

When Shinichi strolled into his office the next morning, the sight that greeted him almost sent him running straight for the Advil. As it was, he called Takagi in to explain just why he'd let Ran and his mother in his office at the same time.

"Sorry sir, but they wouldn't take no for an answer." The man said quietly. Shinichi sighed and shooed him away, clearing his throat and calling the girls' attention to him.

"Shin-chan! What's this I hear about you cheating on Ran-chan!? You'd better have a good explanation."

The boy sighed. "Look, Mom…for one, that wasn't my girlfriend. For two, it wouldn't be cheating because we aren't going out in the first place!" He growled. His eyes softened when they landed on Ran and he said, "Look, I'm sorry, but I just don't…I think of you as a sister, okay?"

"That wasn't how you felt before!" She accused, teary-eyed.

"No, it wasn't, but things have changed since then. I…" He thought back to what Kaito had said. "Have someone pretend to be your lover." Well, it sounded like a good idea. He'd just have to leave the finding someone part 'til later. "I met someone." He said. "We're going out. I'm sorry Ran, but…"

The girl glared at him. "You – you waited until now to tell me? You asshole!" She swung her arm out a slapped him. "I'm not breaking up with you." She said evenly. "I don't care who this other person is, you're mine!" With that, she stormed out of the room.

Kudo Yukiko watched her go sadly. "Shin-chan…" She sighed. "Well, you've got to at least introduce this new girl to us, okay? Bring her over for dinner!"

"Tonight!?" Shinichi chocked. Where was he supposed to find a date by tonight?

"Of course! See you then!" She giggled and danced outside. Shinichi just groaned. What now?

--

Shinichi worked through his lunch break in order to get off early this evening. He still didn't know what to do about his parents, but he figured he had at least two hours to find a girl. Now, how do you tell a girl that you want them to pretend they've been dating you for at least a while?

Shinichi stood outside a familiar bar. 'Well, by finding someone who's not a girl, of course. Now…how do I tell a boy I need them to pretend that?'

No matter how hard he thought, Shinichi could only come up with one idea to fool his parents. He didn't know very many single girls in the first place and even fewer who would be willing to pretend. But…well, if he could just convince Kaito to help him…maybe it would work.

Sighing, he entered the establishment. The same man who'd greeted him the very first night he'd been here welcomed him now, waving him to a seat. "The usual?" He asked, flagging down the wild-haired brunette. Kudo nodded.

"Hello again, Kudo-san." Kaito grinned at him. "Here for girl advice again? Or rather, anti-girl advice?"

"Indeed. Um…" Shinichi internally scowled. What was he getting nervous for? He could confront a hundred agree employees in a single hour, why couldn't he just ask this man one simple, stupid question. "You said before…that I should get someone to pretend to be my lover. Well…" He gulped. 'C'mon, spit it out, Kudo.' He ordered himself. "how much would it cost to get you to take up the role?" Frankly, he was astounded his voice wasn't shaking.

Kaito's eyes went wide. "Me? Wouldn't a girl be a better choice?"

"Well, yeah, but…I don't know any girls that would be willing to help. Well, except Shiho, but I sorta told Ran that Shiho most definitely wasn't my girlfriend. So…"

"So you're asking me instead. What exactly would the role entail?" Kaito questioned.

"My mother invited myself and my 'lover' over to dinner tonight, so at least that. There would probably need to be shows for Ran as well."

"Tonight?" Kaito sighed. Was he seriously considering this? But… "Oh, what the hell? Its been ages since I've had any sort of excitement anyway. Faking as your lover could be fun." He smiled. Shinichi lit up.

"Thank you."

"Since this will involve missing work, we'll discuss my fee later. But for now, I suppose I'll go sweet talk Chaki-san in hopes of getting time off."

"That the owner?"

"Yup." Kaito sauntered off. Ten minutes later, he came back with a triumphant grin on his face. "As it just so happens," He laughed, offering a hand to Shinichi and guiding him out the door, "my services here are no longer needed tonight. So, where are we going to meet your parents for dinner?"

Shinichi waved down a cab. "Their house." He paused to give the driver the address. "My mother is an excellent cook and loves to show it off whenever she can. Expect lots of attention tonight."

"Doesn't sound too bad. I happen to thrive on attention."

--

When Yukiko opened the door, thrilled at the prospect of meeting her son's new love, the last thing she expected to see was a twin of said son. "Um?"

"Evening, Mom." Shinichi said. "This is Kuroba Kaito. You remember him from a few years back?"

"Toichi's son? Oh, I haven't seen you since you were seven!" Yukiko squealed. "You look so much like Shin-chan, its amazing!" She giggled, beckoning him in. "But Shinichi…I thought you were supposed to be bringing your girlfriend."

"Ah, yes, well…I never actually said it was a girl." He mumbled. Kaito snickered.

"You mean – you two are dating!? Oh, that's wonderful! You should have told me sooner!" Her squealing rose in pitch, making Shinichi wince and Kaito look at her in awe.

Her husband came into the entry way. "Shinichi?" He paused staring at the scene in front of him. Yukiko was glomping two young men, both of which looked like his son.

"Yusaku, look! Shin-chan is dating little Kaito! You remember, Toichi's son."

"They are…dating?" The Kudo Yusaku did not look happy with this revelation. "Yukiko, you left dinner cooking." He sighed.

"Oh! Well, Kaito, why don't you come with me and we can chat, okay?" She dragged him along. Before Shinichi could leave, however, Yusaku grabbed his arm.

"We need to talk, son." He said calmly, his voice cold. He brought Shinichi to the library/study and glared down at the boy. "I suppose you realize that your claimed lover is male?" He asked. Shinichi scowled. "Good. Now explain why you saw fit to date this young man." He ordered.

"Look, Dad – " Shinichi's scowl morphed into a glare. "What the hell does it matter who I choose to date? You've got no say in the matter!"

"I do when you've chosen someone who can't even bear you an heir! What happens to the company when you die, Shinichi?"

"Hopefully that's a few years off. Besides, if all else fails, I'll just adopt!"

"Kudo Scientific is not a company you can just pass down to some random kid!" Yusaku half-yelled.

"Well then, you produce another heir! Besides, it's not like Kaito's the last person I'll date for the rest of my life. It's not like we're married, Dad."

"That's right, you're not. Because you're going to marry Ran-chan because she can give us heirs!"

"Who cares!?" Shinichi hollered, "I don't give a shit about heirs, Dad. I'll date whoever the hell I want so just stay out of it!" With that he march out of the room to join his mother and boyfriend in the kitchen.

Kaito, who had heard raised voices, looked at him in concern. "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure." Shinichi sighed, throwing himself into a chair. The Kudo males spent the rest of the evening pointedly ignoring each other, much to the distress of the other two dinner mates.

--

Note: I don't know anything about host clubs, so most of the stuff involving it is guesswork.

Disclaimer: I no own.