Mikau: Hi guys! I'm really sorry it took so long to get this final chapter done. Work got a little unmanageable when my coworker went on vacation. I was doing her job, my job, and a special project when any one of those would have been work enough. And then my computer somehow deleted what I had written of Chapter Six, so I had to redo some of it. Anyway. It's done now, and that's what's important. Thank you so much to all of you who have been patiently waiting for the conclusion to this fic. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: If I owned it, there would be an episode every once in a while where the gang did something that wasn't solving a mystery. You know like in the sports manga where the team plays a different sport and it's all fanservice-y. That.

…

Chapter Six: The Aftermath Part Three

Saguru was so absorbed in the case file in front of him, he didn't notice when Shinichi came in the following morning. He jumped when the other detective set a bento down on his desk followed shortly thereafter by a cloth sack.

"Sorry." Shinichi winced, smiling sheepishly as Saguru looked up. "I thought you'd heard me when I said good morning."

Saguru grimaced. "Unfortunately, no."

"Well…good morning." Shinichi tried again, feeling unbearably awkward after the events of the previous day.

"Good morning, Kudo," Saguru sighed before turning to investigate the items Shinichi had deposited. He pulled back the bag's opening with a finger to peek inside. "What do we have here?"

"The bento's your lunch," Shinichi informed. "Kaito said he'd be packing a boxed lunch for you from now on?"

Hakuba nodded, pleasantly surprised. "Oh. I didn't realize that he actually meant it."

"Oh, he meant it," Shinichi confirmed. "Look forward to quadruple the usual amount of mother henning from Kaito for at least the next few months. He's really serious about taking better care of you going forward."

A soft, appreciative smile tugged at the corner of Saguru's mouth, the warmth even reaching his tired eyes. "That's…very kind."

Shinichi tried to hide his discomfort, but he shifted slightly, and Saguru picked up on it.

"And the other bag?" Hakuba moved on quickly. The contents of the cloth sack were hidden under the floral handkerchief tied around them for presentation's sake, and Hakuba was unsure whether he should undo the whole bundle right then and there.

"Assorted baked goods," Shinichi supplied. "Kaito kind of went on a baking rampage yesterday. He sort of does that when he's…" Shinichi cleared his throat and looked away.

"Stressed out or upset," Saguru finished knowingly. "…Things are…better now?" He was almost afraid to ask about the sensitive subject.

Shinichi's ears colored, and he avoided Saguru's gaze. "Yeah. We're gonna be okay…. Thanks again…and sorry. I…" Shinichi let out a soft sigh through pursed lips. "Look. Can we talk?" Shinichi glanced tentatively up at his rival.

Hakuba blinked once in acute surprise before assenting. "Of course. The roof?"

Shinichi nodded, turning to lead the way.

As soon as the roof access door was closed behind them, words came tumbling about of Shinichi's mouth. "I know you said it was fine yesterday, but I really want to apologize again for the things that I said. I'm sorry that I meant them. I know I said I was mostly fine with the way things are between you and Kaito, but I lied. I was just putting on a tough act because I didn't want you to know how insecure your relationship with Kaito makes me feel, but—"

"—Kudo, slow down." Saguru put his hands up, trying to get a handle on the situation before Shinichi's rushed explanation could spiral any further out of control. "You don't need to apologize to me. I really did mean it yesterday when I said to forget about it."

Shinichi raked a hand through his hair as he shook his head. "But I still feel like scum now that I've got my head on straight. I mean…" He met Hakuba's gaze uncertainly. "You do know that I don't hate you, right? I know we're not super close, but I do genuinely like you most of the time, and…I do consider you a friend."

Hakuba's lips slowly spread into an encouraging smile. "Good to know we're on the same page."

"And I do want you to be okay," Shinichi continued. "It's okay for you and Kaito to spend time together, and I want you to come over and eat with us because you really do need to eat better, and you do deserve to have someone look out for you and take care of you like you take care of others. You're a good guy, Hakuba, and I don't wish you ill. It's just when it comes to Kaito…" Shinichi shook his head again with a gloomily sigh. "You're a threat, and I know that if I let my guard down or screw up badly enough, I could lose him to you."

Saguru responded hesitantly when it appeared that Shinichi wasn't going to say anything more. "I'm really sorry you feel that way. I have no intention of stealing your boyfriend from you…for what little that's probably worth."

"…Thanks," Shinichi replied half-heartedly. He pursed his lips, frowning, and the conversation lapsed into an awkward silence of just short of two minutes.

Hakuba shifted uncomfortably and was just about to ask if Shinichi needed to talk to him about anything else when Shinichi broke the silence on his own.

"Can I ask you something? Something that's probably too personal for our level of friendship?"

Hakuba shrugged one shoulder and reluctantly agreed, "Sure, Kudo. What is it?"

It took Shinichi an unusually long time to get the question out. "…Have you and Kaito…ever slept together?"

It looked like it had taken every ounce of strength Shinichi had to ask.

Saguru's eyes widened. "What?"

"Sorry." Shinichi seemed to shrink and crumple in on himself even further. "I'm sorry, it's just been driving me nuts for years now. I can deal with the physical touchy-feely way you guys are—I've grown used to that—and I can even deal with the way he smooches you occasionally, b—"

"—Kudo," Saguru firmly cut him off. "Look. I…" Saguru licked his lips, taking out his pocket watch to grip reassuringly. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before starting again. "I'm going to tell you something personal, and hopefully that will give you some peace of mind."

Shinichi nodded, beginning to look hopeful.

"Kudo, you don't have to worry about Kaito having intercourse with me. It never has, nor will it ever, happened. I'm asexual." Saguru bit the inside of his cheek and uneasily waited for Shinichi's reaction.

Shinichi's brow furrowed, his eyes narrowed, and his nose twitched. "That can't be right. I know for a fact that you've been in love with Kaito since high school, so how can you be…?"

Saguru anxiously fingered the rim of the pocket watch as he tried to piece together an explanation. "It's really not as simple as having romantic feelings for another person or not. I'm not aromantic. Just…"

Judging from the deepening lines of confusion on Shinichi's face, Saguru could tell he was only further losing his audience. He took another breath and tried again.

"Okay. Let's back up, shall we? I never thought I'd have to discuss this, and I'm not very comfortable doing so, but…there's a difference between being asexual and aromantic. I've never met anyone else like me, so I can only speak from my own experiences and what little I gleaned from the internet when I was an adolescent trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with me, but…I do feel a romantic attraction to other people. I like feeling an emotional connection to others, and I am able to enjoy activities such as kissing and holding hands and other affectionate interactions. So, yes, I am in love with Kaito, but, as I'm sure you're aware, having romantic feelings for someone can be completely divorced from sexual intimacy."

"Okay." Shinichi nodded uncertainly, slowly processing. "So you're capable of having romantic relationships up to a point, but the asexual part means that…you can't have sex? Or…? Sorry." Shinichi cringed. "I'm sorry. I know I've heard the term asexual before, but I never stopped to really think about what that meant, and—"

"—It's okay, Kudo," Saguru replied gently, feeling a little better knowing that Shinichi was trying to understand and probably feeling almost as uncomfortable as Saguru himself. "I don't think it's something most people have the occasion to contemplate. I don't think it's something people generally discuss outside of potential romantic relationships."

He cleared his throat and resumed his explanation. "I am physically capable of having intercourse, if I so desired, but…I don't desire it. Not even with Kaito. I've never had an interest in sexual intimacy, so…" He shrugged, fingering his watch. "You really have no reason to fear losing your boyfriend to me."

"Does Kaito know you—you're asexual?" Shinichi fumbled but kept going with desperate determination.

Saguru nodded. "I talked with him about it just after high school."

Shinichi took a deep breath, looking out at the sky as it all sank in. "Okay," he whispered after a contemplative silence. "Okay. So I've been losing sleep over nothing for years now, I'm a massive jerk, and I've completely overreacted."

"Please don't apologize again," Hakuba meekly requested.

Shinichi turned to face Hakuba once more with a weak smile. "Thank you. I'm sure that was weird and kind of icky for the both of us, but I really needed to hear that, so thank you, Hakuba." Shinichi tentatively held out his hand in peace.

At first Hakuba blinked at the once-familiar custom from long ago but then grinned as he accepted Shinichi's firm handshake. "You're welcome, Kudo."

"So…you should come over for dinner tonight," Shinichi suggested as they headed back to Division One. "We're probably having take away…or baked goods…as Kaito's still kind of…in a state—over something else. Not me or anything I did," Shinichi rushed to assure. "But he'd really like you to come over and eat with us. You know. To kind of reassure him that everything's okay and we're all still friends? He's probably going to come over to your place to talk after you get off work, but, if you're able, come back to the house with him for dinner."

"I think I will," Saguru answered with a smile, actually meaning it. "It means a lot to me that you're extending the invitation, Kudo. I wouldn't want to intrude on your family time."

Shinichi shrugged Saguru's doubts off. "You are Kaito's family. So I guess that makes us in-laws, right?"

Saguru considered for a minute before letting out a short laugh. "I suppose that follows. Does that mean that Aoko is your sister-in-law as well?"

Shinichi grimaced, opening the door and holding it for Saguru. "I guess so…. Man. And she's every bit as scary as Ran."

"She hasn't murdered you with a mop yet," Saguru offered encouragingly.

"Yet," Shinichi sighed.

"Don't worry." Saguru reassured with a sickly-sweet smile. "If you ever did anything that deserved death by mop, I would be the one to kill you first."

Shinichi nearly choked on a laugh. "…That's actually not a comforting thought."

…

Kaito was sitting outside Hakuba's door when he returned home that evening. Kaito—who had looked ashen and jittery before spotting Hakuba—tensed, paled, and dropped the cards he had been shuffling mid-bridge when he saw his friend coming.

Saguru stooped to help pick up the mess, and when his hand accidentally brushed against Kaito's, the magician jumped, hastily pulling back as if he'd been zapped.

Saguru paused to frown accusatorially. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

Kaito thought about lying, but he knew they'd be discussing it within the hour, so what was the point? He let out a bone-tired sigh and went back to retrieving the cards. "I had a bit of an epiphany last night. Aoko confirmed my suspicions, so I've been feeling like the scum of the earth all day. We'll talk inside."

Saguru gave this revelation a curt nod and hurried to gather the rest of the deck. This accomplished, he ushered Kaito inside, setting out the guest slippers and moving to quickly put his things away.

"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable on the couch. I'll put some tea on, yes?"

He could sense that this situation would call for tea, and the English part of him reacted instinctively.

"Tea would be fabulous, thank you," Kaito sighed, sinking into the couch like a boneless ragdoll and staring blankly up at the ceiling.

Hakuba poked his head out from the kitchen to study his beloved. He pursed his lips, taking in the dark circles, blotchy complexion, and reddish tint of Kaito's eyes. "…Kai, you look miserable," Hakuba finally decreed.

"Tea first," Kaito groaned. "Explanation in a minute. Please?"

"What kind would you like?" Saguru didn't press.

"Tie Guanyin?" Kaito inquired hopefully, then muttered, "I could use some mercy."

Saguru raised an eyebrow but did not comment. "Iron Goddess of Mercy, coming right up."

Three minutes later, Saguru set the tea things down on the coffee table in front of Kaito. Kaito reached to pour for himself, but Saguru shoed his hands away. "You're a guest. I'll be mother."

The pall of gloom lifted from Kaito's face for the first time, and he chuckled, "After nearly a decade living here, you still break into English to use that expression. You would think you'd have started saying 'I'll pour' or something like that in Japanese by now."

Saguru shrugged, filling Kaito's western-style teacup before moving on to his own. "It's part of who I am. I grew up hearing 'I'll be mother'. If we transplanted you to England for a decade, I bet you'd still say 'Ittadakimasu' before you ate."

Kaito thought about it for a moment before conceding. "That's fair, but that's something I say every day, at least twice a day. I doubt 'I'll be mother' came up with the same frequency. I just think it's a strange anachronism what with gender roles and family situations changing. The mother isn't necessarily the one that pours the tea nowadays. Some families don't have a mother, and in other cases 'mum' is too busy being CEO of her own business to pour tea. Just saying."

Hakuba nodded, smiling fondly as he raised his cup and saucer. "My mother was certainly never the one to pour. Baaya…was always…"

Kaito slipped off one of his guest shoes and reached out his leg to rub his toes soothingly up and down Saguru's calf.

Saguru laughed at himself, shaking his head. "Thanks, Kai. I still…I can be fine one minute, not even thinking about it, but then…it hits me all over again that she's gone."

Kaito smiled sadly, nodding. "It's the same way with my dad almost twenty years later."

They sat in companionable silence, sipping their tea gingerly for a few minutes before Hakuba remembered that he still didn't know why Kaito had come.

"Kai…you wanted to speak to me about something? You were looking pretty upset earlier."

Kaito took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah. I'm…pretty messed up, but the tea really helped and just sitting here, talking normally. I've been freaking out all day, but now that I'm here, I kind of feel silly for getting so bent out of shape. I mean…you don't resent me for anything, right?" Kaito sent Hakuba an inquiring but fairly neutral look.

"What?" Hakuba balked. "No. Of course not. Whatever put that idea into your head?"

"Exactly." Kaito chuckled sheepishly. "You don't secretly loath me, and you're not mad at me."

"Decidedly not," Saguru snorted. "Kaito, what—"

"—And our friendship is really strong, right? It can withstand a lot, so it's not like I have to worry about losing you as a friend," Kaito continued, realizing that it was true even as he spoke the words. "We can figure things out together and make things okay, so…everything's going to be okay, right?"

The pleading look in Kaito's eyes tugged at Saguru's heart, making it ache. He set down his teacup and moved from the armchair to the sofa next to Kaito. He cupped Kaito's cheeks in his hands, forcing Kaito to meet his gaze as Saguru demanded, "Kaito, tell me what's wrong. You're scaring me."

Kaito's lips parted, but no sound came out. He licked his lips; they quivered, and he tried again. "Why did you never tell me that you were in love with me?"

Saguru's hands dropped into his lap as his eyes widened, panic filling them. He opened his mouth and looked like he was about to deny it, but he seemed to change his mind at the last second. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and then letting it out in a defeated sigh. Looking like he was dreading the answer, Saguru asked, "Who told you?"

"Aoko told me years ago when I first got involved with Shinichi, but I wrote her off as being an insane BL shipper, since she really did see pairings everywhere she looked back then. Last night, something just clicked and I finally realized that she had been right," Kaito confessed. "You don't still have feelings for me, do you?" He held his breath.

Saguru slipped his hand into his pocket, fingering his pocket watch. "…No?"

Kaito shot his friend an exasperated look. "Saguru, if you're going to lie, get a better poker face."

Saguru sighed, meekly returning Kaito's gaze. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know." Kaito picked up his teacup and stared down into the honey-colored liquid. "…The truth, I think," he replied slowly. "I don't know. What I don't want is for you to tell me what you think I want to hear. That's not going to solve matters. Me being clueless is the problem, so we need to stop perpetuating that, at least."

"Okay." Hakuba took a steadying breath. "This isn't how I wanted this to go, but…Kaito, I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you since high school…. Is that what you wanted?"

Kaito nibbled on his bottom lip, trying to digest. "Yes and no. Why didn't you tell me?"

Hakuba shrugged one shoulder wearily, settling back into the couch with his own cup of tea, sipping at it absentmindedly. "Well, at first I thought you were straight. Then I was afraid you wouldn't return my feelings. After that, I believed it wasn't the right time because you were still going through your sexuality crisis, and I wanted to respect that and give you time. …Then there was Baaya…. By the time that stopped being the issue, you were with Kudo and I didn't want to interfere. So here we are. …Sorry," he added as an afterthought.

"Don't be sorry." Kaito set down his cup and turned to meet Hakuba's eyes once more. "You didn't do anything wrong; I did."

Saguru raised an eyebrow at this.

"I didn't realize…" Kaito made a convoluted gesture that conveyed little in and of itself. "I mean…I'm not upset with you—okay, I'm a little upset with you for not telling me, but—I'm upset with me. I've been thoughtless and selfish, and I've hurt you, haven't I? Don't lie, Saguru."

Hakuba shook his head. "It was nothing that you did. I hurt myself."

"Sometimes I wish you'd strike out at me instead of turning it all inward back at yourself," Kaito snorted. "Let me start over. I'm here because we need to talk about this, and—don't get me wrong—your feelings for me aren't the problem. The problem is that I walk all over you and take advantage of your friendship and unwittingly do things that must hurt you. That's got to stop, so…I'm here because I need you to tell me what I can do better."

"Nothing," Hakuba insisted. "There's nothing, Kai, because you're not hurting me. Everything is fine."

Kaito gave Hakuba a skeptical, unamused look.

Saguru shrugged. "Honestly. I accept the fact that all there is between us is friendship. I accept that you have a significant other with whom you wish to build a life. Yes, I do get a little down sometimes when I let myself dwell on the fact that it isn't me, but it's not as if I'm constantly miserable and spend my days pining away after you. I may be a little pathetic, holding a candle for someone so long and eschewing the idea of trying to find someone else, but I'm no tragic hero, Kaito. I'm not unhappy, and I do have other meaningful things in my life besides a romantic relationship that make it fulfilling. So long as you are not made uncomfortable by my harboring feelings for you, there is no problem between us that I can see. I don't expect anything from you, and I don't look for anything to change."

Kaito stared at his friend intently for some time before nodding in acceptance. "Okay. I believe you, but…if I ever do anything that hurts you, promise to tell me. The thought that I've been stomping all over your feelings and rubbing my relationship with Shinichi in your face for at least half a decade now has been making me physically ill all day. I really care about how you're feeling, and I never want something like that to happen…so promise to tell me, okay?"

"I promise," Saguru conceded reaching out to pat Kaito on the head fondly. "Stop thinking so hard. Everything is fine, Kai."

"Is it?" Kaito mumbled, eyes a little distant.

"I say it is."

Kaito smiled sadly. "I don't know. I love Shinichi, and this life feels right, but…I can't help but wonder if I missed a chance."

Saguru frowned. "What chance?"

Kaito sighed and rolled his eyes affectionately. "You, Hakubaka."

Saguru's eyebrows raised, getting lost in his bangs. "Sorry?"

"God, did you never stop to wonder what brought on my sexuality crisis in the first place?" Kaito teasingly kicked at Saguru's calf. "You. It was at that one heist senior year of high school at the Suzuki's charity ball. I saw you standing by yourself on the fringe of the party by the fountain in the garden, and I thought, 'He looks really handsome in that suit with the moonlight shimmering in his hair. I wonder what it'd be like to kiss him.'"

"Y-You know, you don't have to make this up to make me feel better, Kai," Saguru stammered through a debilitating blush, looking quite like a boiled lobster.

Kaito gave Hakuba's ankle a soft kick. "Idiot. Remember how late I was that night? I had to go do breathing exercises for ten minutes in the ladies' room before I could calm down enough to do the heist," he retorted in an overexaggerated pout. The teasing tone dropped out of his voice as he added, "I had a bit of a crush on you for years. I mean, it probably wasn't anything like what you felt…feel…I wasn't in love by any means, but if you had told me how you felt, I know I could have fallen for you. Who knows where we would be right now?"

"Thank you for sharing that," Saguru whispered with a wistful smile. "But I think you ended up where you belong. We might have dated for a while, but I don't know that we're a good fit romantically in the long run. You would have met Kudo and fallen in love with him just like you did."

"You don't know that," Kaito grumbled. "And I would have liked to have been given the choice."

Saguru shook his head. "You would have chosen Kudo. It's better this way. It would have hurt to lose you, to have you reject me. This way, I have you in my life without that pain."

"You don't know that," Kaito repeated sullenly.

"Kaito, would you really have been happy in a relationship without physical love? I know how important intercourse in a relationship is for you. In order for you to feel like your relationship is whole and healthy, you need that physical bond with your partner. That's not something I could have given you, and you would have felt miserable and guilty in a relationship with me without it. That's another reason I never revealed my feelings to you. I couldn't have asked you to make that sacrifice."

Kaito looked up at Saguru, studying his face attentively. "You know, when you say it like that, it makes me feel like it wouldn't have been a sacrifice. …You're a genuinely good guy, Saguru, and anyone would be lucky to have you. I really hope you find someone worthy of you someday."

"You won't be jealous about sharing me?" Saguru teased, trying to distract himself as well as Kaito from the feelings Kaito's confession aroused within him.

"Hell yeah, I'm going to be jealous," Kaito snorted. "As best friend, I have every right to be jealous. If they stick around and withstand my obnoxiousness and bullying, I'll know they make the cut."

Saguru shook his head slowly, wondering what he had done to deserve Kaito. He must have been either really good or really bad in a former life. "Well, it's a good thing I'm off the market. I'd hate to have to explain and justify your behavior to someone not already familiar with you; it would only make me look nutters."

"You're sure you don't want to try to find someone else?" Kaito gently urged, not entirely sure he wanted Hakuba to change his mind either.

Saguru shook his head once more. "My idea of a whole and healthy relationship isn't quite the same as other people's. I was being truthful when I said that I didn't want anything more from you. You already fulfill the majority of my physical and emotional relationship needs, so I see no need to go out in search of a romantic partner."

Kaito nodded, part of him secretly relieved while the other part felt secretly guilty. He didn't want to enter into a relationship with Saguru himself at present, but he didn't want anyone else to fill that place either.

"Okay, but what about the needs that aren't being met? There's got to be ways I could improve our relationship while still being faithful to my boyfriend."

Saguru considered a minute before answering. "Making a concerted effort to keep me fed is much appreciated. I was touched that you really did mean it when you said you'd make me a bento. That's something that means a lot to me, so thank you, Kaito."

"Yeah, but what else?" Kaito demanded, drawing his legs up onto the couch and hugging his knees in as he tipped his head to the side at Hakuba. "Pretend that it's your perfect world. No ifs, ands, or buts, you can have anything and everything you want. No consequences, no obstacles. What does your life look like?"

Hakuba bit his lip as he thought about it. "We live together in a small house, about the size of your childhood home. We make meals together, roughhouse occasionally like children, and fall asleep every night snuggled up around each other. On nights and weekends, we go out on dates to concerts, parks, movies, shopping. From time to time we take a weekend trip to Hokkaido or Nara or Kyoto or Nagoya. We talk a lot and simply enjoy one another's company. All I really want is a fairly simple life, Kai. I don't really see anything we can change in the real world based on that."

"You could live closer," Kaito suggested. "And get your old bed back. I liked your queen-size a lot better than the futons you have now in your dreadful little apartment."

"My apartment isn't dreadful," Saguru sniffed indignantly.

"I hate it. Move," Kaito decreed. "There's a house down the street that's for sale. I can't invite you to live with us at Shinichi's, but if you lived right down the street, it'd be easier to invite you over for dinner last minute or have more sleepovers like we used to or even just for me to drop by your place or you to drop by mine. You have the money, Saguru. Move. And get your queen-size from your father's house. A bed's more conducive to cuddling than futons."

"I can't just…" Saguru frowned, pursing his lips, flustered. "I have a lease on my apartment. I can't just pick up and move."

"You can afford to buy the house and keep renting the apartment until the lease is up," Kaito lectured, refusing to back down. "Alternatively, you can also afford to pay to get out of your lease. So you're moving closer. That's one problem solved. We're already working on meals too with your bento for lunch. If you move closer, I can invite you for dinner more often or come over and cook with you on nights when Shinichi's working late. So that's living together, snuggling, and cooking. We already roughhouse when we hang out, so I guess that's taken care of too, right?"

Saguru shook his head. "I can't believe you're seriously going through my list."

"Do we hang out enough?" Kaito bulldozed right over the comment. "I mean, I know we enjoy each other's company when we do hang out, but do we hang out enough to fit your criteria?"

Saguru pursed his lips. "Sometimes? We used to. You've been a little preoccupied with your relationship in recent years, so…I feel like even when we are together doing things, a part of your mind is with him instead of me. Things will probably improve as the situation with Kudo gets better, so I'm not entirely worried about it, but…I didn't get to talk to you about what a rough day I'd had with a kidnapping the other day because you were having a day from hell thanks to your boyfriend. I don't mean that you can't confide in me about—about anything, really. I'm there to listen, but…it would be nice if we could have less one-sided conversations about your boyfriend. I care. I really do, Kaito, but Kudo does tend to monopolize discussions lately."

"Oh." Kaito did a mental scan of conversations with Hakuba over the last month and found that, increasingly, Shinichi kept cropping up. "Sorry. I—"

"—Don't be," Hakuba quickly cut Kaito off before the conversation could take an unproductive turn. "You've been dealing with a lot lately, and it's only natural that things with Kudo have been preoccupying your thoughts. Like I said, hopefully things will clear up on their own now that you and Kudo are being proactive about your relationship pitfalls. Maybe things will similarly get better on their own between us now that we're both aware of the issues ourselves."

"And if it doesn't, tell me," Kaito sighed.

"All right," Hakuba easily agreed.

"I guess that just leaves taking trips together." Kaito pursed his lips. "Shinichi's not going to like that. I could probably go away on a weekend trip once or twice a year just us, but it's going to make Shinichi nervous. Would it be okay if he tagged along sometimes? Not every time, but just…sometimes?"

Saguru considered the proposition. "I wouldn't be opposed if Kudo came occasionally. It might be a little awkward with either Kudo or me feeling like a third wheel, depending on how things go, but the three of us generally get along well when we spend time together."

"We could always turn it into a friends' weekend and have Shinichi bring Hei-chan," Kaito suggested.

Hakuba stiffened, nose wrinkling slightly. "That…would work. I don't think I could do it more than once or twice a year, but that's a good solution."

"Hattori would probably enjoy it too, getting to spend time on a romantic trip with Shinichi, the poor sap," Kaito snickered, grinning wickedly.

"I still haven't managed to figure out if Hattori knows he's desperately in love with your boyfriend or not," Saguru sighed.

Kaito shook his head. "He's still in denial. Kazuha-chan and I had a discussion about it last time the Hattoris were in town. Shinichi and Hei-chan went off to solve a case during dinner, so Kazuha-chan and I had the opportunity to cover a lot of ground."

"I see," Saguru hummed thoughtfully. "Well. I think that pretty much covers everything as far as you and I are concerned, yes?"

Kaito thought about it for a moment. "There's nothing else I can do to make things better? You said you weren't unhappy, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you are happy."

Saguru smiled at the compassion in his friend's eyes, chuckling, "No, Kaito. That's quite enough for now, thank you. I promise to let you know if I think of anything else. I'm actually doing pretty well, if you can believe it. Things were bad for a long time after Baaya, but I feel like I'm starting to get back on my feet again. Things are improving."

Kaito skeptically raised an eyebrow. "You're sure."

"Positive," Saguru insisted, getting to his feet and gathering the tea things. "Now, if there's nothing else, come along. Your boyfriend invited me over to your house for dinner. He mentioned ordering from that new Thai place that opened up by the station."

Kaito missed a beat. "Wait. What? Shinichi invited you?"

"Indeed he did. He's trying, Kaito."

Kaito speechlessly followed Hakuba into the kitchen area.

"So things went well last night?" Hakuba prompted. "What with having to talk about us, I never got to hear about how the confrontation with Kudo went last night."

Kaito replied with the first thought that popped into his head. "He proposed."

Saguru nearly dropped one of the teacups. "Beg pardon?"

Kaito sighed, leaning against the doorjamb. "Yeah. Not the best timing, but…I told him to try again in a year or two. We talked a lot and ironed out the important things, so…I think we're okay now, if we both work on the things we promised to work on. Thanks again for what you did."

"You're welcome. I'm glad that things sound like they'll work themselves out." Saguru rinsed the cup and set it aside to be washed thoroughly later.

"Yeah," Kaito mumbled, still feeling off balance. "…Are we okay?"

Saguru turned, flicking droplets of water at Kaito. "Stop thinking so hard. You remember the time you strung me up from the chandelier in the Ekoda Museum lobby in a dress, covered in silly string, that pink goo, and glitter?"

"And you actually cursed on camera and threatened to torment me with fish as vengeance?" Kaito raised an eyebrow, not following this turn in the conversation.

Saguru cleared his throat. "Ah…yes. Well…at least it was in French, so I think you were the only one aware that I was cursing, and I believe I actually threatened to drown you in a fish tank, but…my point was that even at that point in our friendship, we were still okay, weren't we?"

"Even after you spent a week actually tormenting me with fish everywhere I turned," Kaito muttered.

"Exactly. If our friendship can survive me slipping a fish bowl inside of your locker and your house and pictures of fish into your textbooks and notebooks and messenger bag, it can survive my harboring feelings for you." Saguru set down the last of the dishes and turned to look Kaito in the eye. "We're okay, Kaito. We've never not been okay."

Kaito nodded, letting the tension dissipate and allowing himself to smile. "Okay. Good. Because you're too important for me to lose."

"The feeling is mutual," Saguru assured. "Come on. Let's go have dinner with your boyfriend."

…

When they arrived at the Kudo Manor, Shinichi met them at the door as if he had been stationed there, pacing as he waited for them to come.

"Hey. I'm home," Kaito greeted a little awkwardly as both parties looked at each other with some surprise. "Something wrong? What's going on?"

"Welcome home. Nothing's wrong. Why?" Shinichi assured.

Kaito shrugged. "You look concerned. And like you were heading out."

Shinichi's cheeks colored. "I…may have been waiting by the door for you to come home? Is everything…did everything go okay with you two? Hi, Hakuba." Shinichi looked back and forth between his coworker and his boyfriend.

"Please pardon the intrusion," Saguru spoke up with a diplomatic smile. "Everything is fine, Kudo. Thank you very much for your concern over the state of our friendship. It's much appreciated." Saguru escorted himself into the house proper and out of the entryway, politely signaling for the other two to follow. "Now, shall we make our way into the kitchen and decide what to order for dinner? I'm quite peckish, and Kaito's stomach has been grumbling for a good fifteen minutes now."

"Coming," Shinichi affirmed but hung back to give Kaito a welcome home kiss and to whisper, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Kaito confirmed with a genuine smile. "Thanks."

"I'm glad." Shinichi returned the grin, and they followed Hakuba into the kitchen.

"Guess what," Kaito piped up as he fetched the Thai restaurant menu from the bulletin board on the wall by the fridge. "Haku-chan's moving in to the house that's for sale just down the street."

"Oh really?" Shinichi turned to Saguru with an expression that indicated he wasn't opposed to the idea. "It…could be fun to be neighbors."

"Y-Yes. Well…it's not settled yet, but…I'm considering it," Saguru conceded, ignoring the puckish grin on Kaito's face.

The

End