Prompt: "How about like a kaishin (or shinkai whichever) thing where embarrassedandawkward!shinichi introduces kaito to his parents and basically yukiko gushing about their wedding"

Requestor: incandescent stars

Pairing: Kaito x Shinichi/Shinichi x Kaito

Note(s): May be cavity inducing. Apologies.

Symbolism

Shinichi had been putting this off for a very, very long time, he knew. Far longer than he probably should have, as a good son and significant other.

But somehow, the prospect of introducing Kaito to his parents was terrifying enough to make him procrastinate for four months, dodging Yukiko's questions and convincing Kaito to go on trips with him whenever his parents were back in Japan.

However, the day had come. Unfortunately.

He dropped his head onto the kitchen table as Yukiko flitted about, flailing excitedly and Yuusaku leaned against the kitchen table, watching her with fond amusement.

"Yay! Yay! We're finally meeting Kai-chan!"

"You're already calling him Kai-chan?" Shinichi groaned into the table.

"Kai-chan! Kai-chan!"

"It appears so, Shinichi."

"Oh, great."

Shinichi was contemplating suicide when the doorbell finally rang. He shot into a sitting position, heart racing frantically.

At his side, Yukiko's flapping intensified. "Kai-chan's here!"

Bolting for the door, Shinichi barely reached it before his mother did. He threw open the door to reveal a startled Kaito, who blinked as Yukiko lunged at her son, tackling him to the ground. "Shin-chan, that's so rude!"

"Ack," Shinichi managed intelligently before he collapsed.

"Um…" Kaito stared as Yukiko climbed off of Shinichi and beamed at him. "Are you… Kudou-san? Shinichi's mother?" He bowed slightly, still bewildered but doing a good job of hiding it. Shinichi mumbled an affirmative into the floor, picking himself up weakly.

"Yep!" Yukiko nodded, hands clasped to her chest. She turned to look at Shinichi. "Kai-chan is such a gentleman!"

Kaito gaped. "Kai… chan?"

Yuusaku took this opportunity to appear behind his wife and son, smiling genially over their heads at Kaito. He dropped a hand on Yukiko's shoulder, effectively corralling her. "So you're the Kuroba Kaito we're heard so much about?"

"Y… Yes." Kaito sent Shinichi a look that read what exactly did you tell them? Shinichi shrugged in a way that meant things? I don't know?

Meanwhile, Yuusaku was nodding as he looked Kaito up and down. "Oh, you're definitely Toichi and Chikage-san's son."

"You know my parents?" Kaito asked. The rigid smile he'd donned earlier seemed to relax a little. He took a half-step forward.

"Oh, yes," Yuusaku laughed. "We were very close. Yukiko here took disguising lessons from your father."

"Really?" Kaito's expression was bright. Shinichi breathed a sigh of relief.

Yukiko interrupted their conversation with a cheerful, "Well, come inside, come inside! We have so much to discuss!"

"Like what?" Shinichi muttered, but he followed his mother obediently towards the living room. Yuusaku clapped Kaito on the arm, stepping aside to let him in.

As Kaito traded his shoes for slippers, Yuusaku casually remarked, "You do know that if you ever hurt my son, you'll have hell to pay?"

Kaito paused in his actions. "Sir?"

"I can make you disappear. Nobody will find you for a very, very long time. Have you read any of my novels? Those are just some examples of what I could do."

Kaito froze, slowly looking up to meet Yuusaku's gaze. The man smiled calmly, as if he hadn't just threatened Kaito with painful murder.

"Uh… yes, sir."

"Good. As long as you know that." Yuusaku nodded in the direction of the living room, where snatches of Yukiko and Shinichi's conversation could be heard. "Go right on ahead."

"Right…" Kaito awkwardly shuffled around him and nearly ran for the living room. This was what he got for falling in love with a detective with a mystery-obsessed family, wasn't it?

In the living room, Shinichi and his mother were sitting on opposite sides of the coffee table, Yukiko chattering away while Shinichi slouched.

He looked up when a pale-faced Kaito came in. "Hey."

"Hey." Kaito smirked at him as he plopped down next to him. "What – exactly happens in your father's novels, by the way?"

"Uh…" Shinichi shrugged. "Murders, I guess? I mean, Night Baron is a psychotic killer and all."

"So… specifically, what kind of murders?"

"Hangings, beating, gunshot wounds, possibly vivisection. Maybe burnings at the stake." Shinichi frowned at him. "Why are you suddenly taking so much interest in my dad's work, anyway? And why are you so pale?"

"No reason," Kaito gulped as Yuusaku entered the room, all grins and good cheer.

"So? What are we talking about?" he asked, settling into the spot beside his wife.

Shinichi opened his mouth, but Yukiko was faster. "Dates! Dates, of course!"

"…What?" Shinichi exchanged a puzzled glance with Kaito. "You… want to know about our dates?"

"Oh, no, silly," Yukiko giggled, leaning forward. Her eyes were sparkling. "Dates for your wedding, of course!"

Very vaguely, Shinichi was aware of his face turning several trillion shades of red.

Beside him, Kaito was in a similar situation.

"Yukiko," Yuusaku sighed, gently chastising, "don't push them. They'll decide on a date when they're ready."

Yukiko puffed out her cheeks. "Aw, but I wanted so much to help them plan it!" Her face gained a dreamy glow. "Just think about it, Yuusaku! They'd look so handsome in suits! And what about the flower arrangements? Wouldn't lilies and roses look gorgeous? And their first dance would be so romantic!"

Finally finding his voice, Shinichi stammered, "What are you talking about, wedding? We're not – we're not going to…"

"Like he said, we're not…" Kaito froze when two pairs of eyes turned on him, and he suddenly had the feeling that he was being devoured by wolves. Very wisely, he shut up.

Oblivious, Shinichi continued on, "And don't you realize that in Japan, we can't get married?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, sweetheart," Yukiko waved him off, rolling her eyes. "It's the thought that counts, right? And if you really care, we can go to the States."

"But when we come back, it would be invalid, wouldn't it?"

"It's not the legality of the matter, Shin-chan," Yukiko tsked. "It's the symbolism."

"The… symbolism." Shinichi blinked. "Um."

"To show that your love would last forever," Yuusaku interjected. He wrapped an arm around Yukiko and pulled her close. "Like ours." He kissed her lightly on the temple, and she swooned dramatically.

Shinichi cast Kaito a glance, and Kaito instantly read the uncertainty in his eyes. "But I don't… Kaito doesn't…" he trailed off, hastily looking back at his parents.

"What, are you saying you wouldn't marry me?" Kaito stared at him, his stomach doing a funny twisting-knotting-dying thing.

"No, I'm just…" Shinichi blew out a breath, still refusing to meet Kaito's eyes. "You wouldn't want to marry me, right?"

"Who said anything like that?" And suddenly Kaito couldn't see anyone in the room but Shinichi, Shinichi with the flush crawling up his neck, Shinichi with the fingers knit in his lap, Shinichi with the glint in his eyes.

"Well…" Shinichi finally turned his head to face him. His eyebrows were drawn together. "Would you marry me?"

"Of course I would." Kaito blinked at him askance. "Did you really doubt it?"

Something spread across Shinichi's face, and it took Kaito a second to realize it was relief. "You would?"

"Yes."

Across the table, Yukiko squealed. "So what about the twenty-sixth of June?"

And that's how Shinichi and Kaito somehow ended up engaged.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the fic, incandescent stars!

On a somewhat related note, I have discovered that I'll be without WiFi for a week (the reason why is a long story, really). So I won't be able to post again until next Thursday.

Well, see you all in a week, my dears! - Luna