Cast: Kuroba Kaito/Kaitou Kid, Kudou Shinichi, Mouri Ran, Nakamori Aoko, Hakuba Saguru.

Pairings: (reversible) Shinichi x Kaito, Aoko x Hakuba.

Warnings: a bit graphic (although the T is a bit of a safety rating), mild language, drunk!Shinichi, OOCness, plot holes I'm too lazy to correct & possible grammar errors/typos.

Notes: So… hi. I'm taking a (long) break from Semantics and Club Aphrodite to write this. This idea hit me quite randomly and I thought it might be cute to write out. It reminds me a bit of Ten Ways to Say I Love You, so if you liked that one, you might like this one too, although this one is definitely a lot more lighthearted & fluffy. :3 Enjoy! – Luna

Mint and Dark Chocolate

I.

The first time Kudou Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito kissed, it was a complete accident.

Nakamori Aoko, Kuroba Kaito's best friend and current irritant, growled at him. "Idiot Kaito, come on! Stop being such an idiot! Hakuba-kun's a good person and you know it!"

Kuroba Kaito, a messy-haired teenager dressed in gakuran and a scowl, groaned, slinging his school bag over his shoulder. "You can't be seriously considering him, can you? That English bastard is constantly accusing me of being Kaitou Kid!"

Aoko hissed out a breath, glaring at Kaito's profile. The two of them were walking home together through the city, and Aoko had made the mistake of bringing up their blond classmate and the fact that he had asked her out.

Kaito grimaced, knowing that Aoko was now sincerely regretting bringing up Hakuba. Shifting to make eye contact, he insisted, "You know he's a damn bastard, Aoko. What else is there to say?"

Huffing, Aoko exclaimed, "You're just prejudiced! And anyway, I refuse to let you of all people to dictate my love life, for God's sake!"

Letting out a scoff, Kaito muttered, "Just because we dated last year…"

"Dammit, Kaito, that's not it!" wailed Aoko, glaring heatedly at her surly best friend. "It's not because we went out a couple times, it's because who I date now has nothing to do with that!"

"I wouldn't care if was anyone else, but does it really have to be Hakuba?" Kaito snapped, swinging his bag fiercely against his back. "Couldn't you find someone who's less of a bastard?"

A tint of pink spreading across her face, Aoko half shouted, "Well, did you ever even consider that I might be in love with Hakuba?!"

Kaito's mouth dropped open, his brain died, and both of his arms went slack. The only part of his body still functioning was his legs, which continued walking. "Did you just say –"

Aoko's eyes flickered away in embarrassment. They suddenly widened as she belatedly warned, "Kaito, you're about to walk into –"

"What? Huh?" Blinking himself out of his stupor, Kaito made the mistake of turning back to face the road…

…which in turn led to him walking smack into a guy who happened to be facing forward and was around the same height as him…

…which meant he was now kissing a random guy.

It took both of them about ten seconds to realize what was happening. Face going scarlet, Kaito leapt backwards, stammering madly. The guy did likewise.

Aoko and the girl who appeared to have been walking with the guy gawped, jaws dropped. A full minute of silence followed, along with the simultaneous thought of What the hell?

The unfamiliar girl was the first to puncture to silence. "Oh my God, we're so sorry!" she yelped, blushing four shades of pink. "Shinichi, apologize!" she commanded, nearly strangling her violently red companion.

The guy, apparently named Shinichi, choked before managing a very faint, "Sorry." Clearly he was still freaking out, and Kaito himself was having his own issues speaking.

"Uh – um – that was our fault as well. We weren't facing forward either," stuttered Aoko, recovering and blinking very quickly in a feeble attempt to draw attention away from her bright red cheeks. She nudged Kaito with her elbow, giving him a venomous glare.

"Yes, it was… uh…" Kaito coughed awkwardly, avoiding making eye contact with the guy. After all, it wasn't every day that you got kissed by a stranger of your same gender in the middle of a sidewalk.

"No, I shouldn't have been occupying his attention until the last second," the other girl quickly disagreed. Kaito frowned, embarrassment momentarily forgotten. Upon closer inspection, she looked quite similar to Aoko – a slightly different hairstyle, slightly different colored eyes, but overall quite similar.

The Aoko lookalike was staring at him oddly now – Kaito swallowed underneath her scrutiny – and as if reading his mind, she said, "Hey, you look just like…" She peered at her friend, then back at Kaito. "You look just like Shinichi!"

"Huh?" Both Aoko and Kaito immediately took a closer look at the guy, who blinked and looked up, forgetting his mortification.

Shinichi – whoever he was – did, in fact, look quite like Kaito. Kaito personally thought Shinichi was quite attractive, though he couldn't tell if he was being narcissistic or not.

Still, there were still differences. The Shinichi person had hair two shades darker, and Kaito could see the bluer hue of his eyes if he looked hard enough. He was also a little taller, though quite clearly their lips were at about the same height.

Shinichi, whoever he was, squinted at Kaito. "You're right, we do look alike," he remarked, slightly surprised. His gaze slid over to Aoko and his girl, and his eyebrows shot up. "And you two look alike as well. Seriously, what are the chances?"

"Well this is surreal," remarked Kaito, eyebrows lifted in an are you serious sort of way. "I'm Kuroba Kaito, by the way." Motioning at Aoko, he added, "She's Nakamori Aoko."

"Idiot Kaito, I can introduce myself," grumbled Aoko before pasting on a smile for the other pair. "Yes, I'm Nakamori Aoko."

The guy, Shinichi, nodded. "I see. I'm Kudou Shinichi."

Something shifted and clicked into focus in Kaito's brain, sharpening to sureness. Could it be…? Leaning forward, he asked almost conspiratorially (to Aoko and the other girl's bewilderment), "You're that famous high school detective, right?"

Rolling his shoulder back resignedly underneath the strap of his book bag, Shinichi nodded reluctantly. "Yes, I suppose you could say I am…"

Kaito sucked in a breath. The guy standing in front of him was the adult form of tantei-kun? The shadow of a smirk flitted across his face. Finally he was reunited with his absolutely darling detective. It was almost tearjerking.

Really, he was definitely going to enjoy baiting the detective from here on out. He had to hold back a manic laugh.

Meanwhile, back in the world of the sane, Shinichi's friend was smirking. "He's a famous high school detective who has to take a year's worth of finals," she said, grinning even wider at the irate expression that overtook Shinichi's face.

"Huh? Why?" Aoko wondered, puzzled.

"He…" Kaito almost began explaining how Shinichi had a slice of his life missing as time spent as Conan, but he quickly shut up upon realizing that he would probably draw quite a bit of suspicion onto himself if he did. "Why is that, Kudou?" he asked innocently, smiling overly brightly and eliciting a concerned glance from Aoko.

Shinichi opened his mouth to explain, but the girl cut in. "He missed an entire year off on a case," she grimaced. "He's super behind, but the teachers said he can probably just take the finals to make up his grades since he was a straight-A-plus student before he left." Flushing slightly, she added, "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Mouri Ran, Shinichi's…" She trailed off, glancing at him.

Staring at her blankly, Shinichi finished, "Childhood friend," as he checked his watch.

A dark storm cloud clouded Ran's face as her lips tightened. "Yes. Childhood friend," she agreed, although Kaito could easily see she wasn't all too pleased by the label. Forcing a smile, she said, "Well, it was very nice meeting you, Kuroba-kun, Nakamori-san."

"Just Aoko's fine," Aoko quickly told her.

Ran nodded. "Aoko-chan, then. We'll see you around." Tugging on Shinichi's arm, she urged him forward and he trailed after her, but not before he glanced back over his shoulder.

"See you, Nakamori-chan." A slightly weighted pause and an almost… challenging smirk thrown in Kaito's direction with a careless nod tacked on like an afterthought. "Kuroba."

With that, the detective and his "childhood friend" strolled off, Aoko watching. "They're a nice couple, don't you think?" she noted, smiling and oblivious to the inner turmoil that Kaito was now experiencing. "Let's go."

Kaito agreed mutely and obeyed, following her down the street. Questions and – okay, fears – were going through his head on spin dry, confusing and disturbing.

Did that clearly prepared, mocking "Kuroba" mean that Shinichi already suspected him?

II.

The second time they kissed, it was through latex.

Kaito was mind-numbingly bored.

He was deciding this as he stood off to the side of the room, watching couples swirl about on the dance floor in a smear of skirts and giggles as soft instrumental music flooded the room.

Yesterday, when he had heard that the Suzuki Financial Group would be displaying a prized family jewel, the Nymph's Tear, in a week's time at their club, Kaito had immediately decided he would take it. After all, playing with Jirokichi was rather fun.

However, knowing that tantei-kun had returned and now had much longer legs, Kaito had decided to stake out the Suzuki Financial Group's club, where the jewel would be displayed, in order to learn more about the building structure and possibly set some snares.

Unfortunately, that meant sneaking into the high-class party being held at the club, as it was probably the best cover he could get.

In order to attract the least amount of attention, he'd disguised as a random girl brought as someone's date. The party had been short-notice, after all, and he hadn't had time to observe any of the genuine attendees' behaviors closely enough to disguise as them. It made more sense to disguise as a girl, anyway, since there were more male guests.

Still, Kaito was grumbling behind his latex mask, flipping a stray bit of his brown wig over his silk-clad shoulder. While he didn't mind being a girl all too much, the various guys eyeing him were becoming kind of unsettling. He hurriedly brushed off the feeling and returned to watching the dance floor.

So far, he had concluded that the club didn't have too much security, though that would probably change once he had sent out his heist note. From what Kaito had seen, the structure wasn't terribly complicated, which was good, because it limited the number of traps that could be set.

Well, time to set up my own traps now, he thought with a mental cackle, moving towards the hallway.

"Hey! Wait!"

Startled, Kaito turned to see none other than Kudou Shinichi storming towards him, wearing a black suit and an extremely irritated expression.

Kaito nearly let out a squeak. "Y-Yes?" he stuttered in a girlish tone. What the hell is tantei-kun doing here?!

Then again, he and Ran were friends with the Suzuki girl…

Shinichi only cast him a quick glance before stalking past him. Sighing in relief and slight embarrassment, Kaito saw him approach a beautifully dressed Ran who was standing behind him, pouting and glaring ferociously at Shinichi.

The two stood off to the side, appearing to have an intense argument over something. Shinichi was pinching his nose bridge, eyes shut, as Ran shouted at him, blushing hard and looking frenzied.

Kaito watched, at a loss for words. Looks like even the great detective loses his cool. Smirking, he exited the main room and glanced around the lobby area. Other than a few guests milling around, it was fairly deserted.

High heels clacking against the marble, Kaito hurried into one of the darker corners of the entry, glancing around frantically before locating a well-hidden vent on one of the walls. Pulling a screwdriver out from underneath his dress, he briskly unscrewed the vent's cover and removed it. Placing it on an ornamental table to his right, Kaito extracted a detonable sleeping gas bomb from one of the concealed pockets of his dress and quickly pressed it to the inside of the vent.

Replacing the vent covering, Kaito stepped back and admired his work. He turned around, smiling, just in time to see Shinichi march out of the main room, scowling darkly.

Eek! Tantei-kun! Kaito inwardly shrieked.

As if somehow magically hearing, the detective looked over, spotting Kaito. The expression on his face morphed into one of slight curiosity, and he changed courses, heading straight for Kaito.

Kaito could only grit his teeth and hope his disguise would hold up. Running would be far too suspicious, and Shinichi was approaching far too quickly for any kind of escape, really.

Shinichi arrived a second later. "Hello, miss," he greeted, giving a violently… charming smile.

Blinking, Kaito nodded. That's unexpected. Wouldn't think tantei-kun could be charming. "Hi," he replied demurely, shuffling his hands around his sides and lowering his (fake) eyelashes as he forced off a coy aura.

"Who are you here with?" Shinichi inquired, leaning casually on one leg.

"Oh, I'm here as Tanaka-san's date," Kaito answered sweetly, twirling a silky tress of hair around his index finger. "And you…?"

"I'm a friend of Sonoko, the Suzuki family's youngest daughter," explained Shinichi. "She made me come."

"I see," Kaito stated. "I'm Itodou Katsuki, by the way."

He mentally slapped himself upon realizing he had just used one of his favorite Kid aliases –Itodou Katsuki was an anagram of Kaitou Kid*. Hopefully the detective wouldn't notice, though Kaito secretly knew the chances of that were pretty low.

Shinichi's azure eyes narrowed just the slightest bit, so little Kaito wondered if he was imagining it. "I'm Kudou Shinichi."

"Ah, that famous high school detective?" Kaito – er, Katsuki – beamed radiantly. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Why thank you," laughed Shinichi brightly, and Kaito recoiled slightly, a shocked smile twitching across his lips. The usually calculating and composed detective certainly could act alluring at times. It was quite enthralling, really, to find that he had such magnetism.

Even so, Kaito knew he needed to get away from Shinichi before he started suspecting anything. How can I do this without being obvious?

"Well, I'm sure Tanaka-san's looking for me right now," Kaito attempted, peering around the lobby with a concerned air. "If you would excuse me, Kudou-san…"

"Oh, don't worry, Itodou-san, I'm sure it's okay," disagreed Shinichi, cutting off Kaito's escape route as he shifted to one side nonchalantly. "I'd like to keep you just a little longer. It's not every day I meet a beautiful girl, after all." His eyes were playful, and his smile was perfectly bashful.

Wow. Tantei-kun's got his act down, Kaito thought as he ducked his head embarrassedly. "Stop it, Kudou-san, there's no way you could mean that," he insisted, mentally cringing at the feminine pitch of his voice.

"Don't say that," came the response, and Kaito slanted a look up to see Shinichi smirking. "Oh, but I almost forgot why I came over here in the first place. I was just wondering, Itodou-san, why you were here in this dark corner?" He examined the corner with eyebrows raised. "It's not a particularly pretty part of the club, is it?"

"I know; I was just curious about this table," responded Kaito, motioning at the decoration to his side. "I thought it was pretty from afar."

"Really?" Shinichi asked, his voice neutral as he stepped closer to Kaito, who held in a breath as he backed up against the wall. "I thought you might be more interested in this vent." He motioned at the aforementioned vent, gaze slipping back down to Kaito's disguised face.

Dammit! He knows! swore Kaito, fighting to keep his expression perplexed. "Really? Why would I be interested in this vent?" he wondered, expertly keeping his façade up.

"Well, for one, it's a great place to hide smoke bombs, or perhaps sleeping gas bombs. I heard they're going to be showcasing the Nymph's Tear here in about a week," explained Shinichi conversationally, even as he moved closer.

"Oh, is that so? But bombs?" stammered Kaito, trying to hide his discomfort.

A predatory smirk tugging on his lips, Shinichi nodded, now only a few inches away from Kaito. "They would be useful for a heist, wouldn't you say… Kid?"

Two thoughts crossed Kaito's mind. One, he was so totally screwed. And two, Shinichi had really, really, really blue eyes. They reminded Kaito of a pair of sapphires or something.

"So, Kid, what do you say?" queried Shinichi, leaning in as his arms lifted slightly from his sides. He clearly had intentions of catching Kaito by holding his arms or something, and Kaito didn't find that idea to be very appealing.

So he did the only thing he could think of.

Batting his eyelashes, Kaito whined, "What are you saying, Kudou-san?" before leaning in and kissing the detective square on the lips.

Shinichi's reaction was perfect. He gave a shocked sound that was muffled by the latex of Kaito's mask, arms falling as he backed up, and Kaito took the chance to disengage and dart past him, cursing his heels but still making fantastic time.

"Sorry, Kudou-san, I've got to go!" he called over his shoulder, grinning at the openmouthed detective, who didn't even try to give chase and instead stood gaping after him.

It wasn't until he was out of the club, trying to control his breathing and yanking off his mask as he stood in a park bathroom, that it registered that even through the mask, Kaito had been able to taste the blend of mint and dark chocolate that was Kudou Shinichi.

III.

The third time they kissed, it was due to Sherlock Holmes.

Sinking down in the chair, Kaito glared at the British man across from him. "So tell me again, why are you here?"

The British man – Hakuba Saguru – simply grinned that infuriating grin he knew pissed off Kaito like nothing else. "Aoko invited me to come with here."

"I see it's just 'Aoko' now, huh?" grumbled Kaito, sliding down even farther.

"She is my girlfriend, after all," said Hakuba airily, laughing at Kaito's silently livid expression.

The two of them had been invited to the Kudou mansion out of the blue. Kaito had received a call from a very annoyed Shinichi, who had informed him that Ran had planned a get-together at his house without his permission and was now threatening to dismember him with her karate if he didn't invite some people to it.

Naturally, Kaito had agreed to come. After all, he didn't really want tantei-kun to die just yet, and he was admittedly a little interested in what Shinichi's house looked like.

(Kaito had found Shinichi's house to be more of a mansion than a house, complete with a gate and two gigantic stories. Upon interrogation, Shinichi serenely explained that his parents were both pretty famous and had bought him a mansion to live in while they traveled the world as if it was perfectly normal.)

He had, though, been highly nettled when he'd discovered that Shinichi (or Ran, really) had also invited Aoko, who in turn had invited her boyfriend. Aoko and Ran were in the kitchen, preparing dinner and chatting while Shinichi had, rather antisocially, disappeared off to somewhere.

That had left Hakuba and Kaito sitting at Shinichi's dining table, having a rather stilted conversation. Snatches of Aoko and Ran's voices drifted toward them, but the silence was too heavy to be deterred by them.

Kaito leaned up on one elbow, sending the blond a malicious glare. "How's Aoko doing?" he finally asked, grudgingly and gruffly.

"She's well. You know, if you weren't Kid, I'm sure you could get a girlfriend of your own," Hakuba told him, grinning wickedly at Kaito.

"You better treat Aoko well. And shut up, Hakuba. I'm not Kid," grumbled Kaito, rolling his eyes.

"Of course you aren't," the blond detective agreed in a way that meant he wasn't actually agreeing.

"No, seriously. Cut it out," persisted Kaito.

"Why should I, Kuroba-kun?"

Choosing to send him a glare instead of replying, Kaito pulled himself into a sitting position. Silence resumed, although this time Aoko and Ran appeared to have left the kitchen from the lack of interfering chatter.

Leaning back in his chair, Hakuba unconcernedly asked, "So, Kuroba-kun, when's the next heist?"

His nerves beginning to wear thin, Kaito half yelled, "Seriously, dammit, stop!"

"Make me," the detective commanded smugly, apparently pleased with his burning of Kaito's short fuse.

"What could I do that would make you stop, bastard?!" demanded Kaito.

The blond paused to think. "Let's see…" A particularly horrific idea entered his mind, obviously apparent as he smirked malevolently. "You could kiss Kudou-kun."

"What the hell?!" Kaito had to force down a blush at the notion. A thought suddenly sparked, and he whirled on the beaming Englishman. "Did Aoko tell you about…?"

Hakuba nodded enthusiastically. "She did."

"Dammit, Hakuba. No, I will not kiss Kudou," snapped Kaito. "That was an accident."

Settling back, Hakuba said breezily, "Well then, you'll just have to deal with me knowing your secret identity, Kid."

"Good God, Hakuba, I'm not –"

The sentence was left unfinished when the dining room door flew open and the man of the house strolled in, wearing a businesslike expression.

Giving a surprised, acknowledging nod, Hakuba greeted him, "Ah, hello there, Kudou-kun. Something wrong?"

Shinichi sent him a curt jerk of the head. "Hakuba." He turned and focused on Kaito, who found himself cowering underneath the detective's penetrating stare.

"Kuroba. I apologize in advance," he told the eyebrow-raising magician.

Before Kaito could even say anything, Shinichi leaned in and pressed his lips against Kaito's, gently brushing them lightly back and forth. Kaito froze, eyes the size of platters. What the hell?

Across the table in his periphery, he could see Hakuba nearly having a seizure, and the sight was enough to make him join in, kissing the detective back and grinning at Hakuba's reaction.

Shinichi pulled back a few seconds later, giving Kaito a brief nod before sprinting out of the room, shouting, "Hey! Ran! I did it! I kissed Kuroba! Now you have to give it back! That's a first edition copy of The Sign of Four! And it's signed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle! Do you know how much that cost?! Give it back! Dammit, get over here! What?! You were joking?! Whatever, just give it back!"

Kaito sat wordless for a second, unconsciously licking his lips and in turn tasting dark chocolate and mint. Hm. That was odd.

Wearing an evil grin, he refocused his attention on Hakuba, who looked like he was about to pass out.

"Want to stop saying I'm Kid now?"

IV.

The fourth time they kissed, it saved their lives.

Kaito stood on the rooftop of the Suzuki Financial Group club, wiping his damp temples. Tantei-kun sure made tonight difficult, he thought wryly.

First, the returned detective had unmasked him five minutes before expected, leading to Kaito needing to get away from him and change disguises. He had returned just in time, but Shinichi had been standing at the place Kaito himself had planned to be, forcing him to improvise and get the jewel from a different direction.

That had led to Nakamori spotting him rather quickly, which led Kaito to reveal himself and take off for the rooftop. He luckily managed to lose about ninety-five percent of the Kid task force with a decoy and various setups, but the trap he had specially designed for Shinichi had been deftly avoided, which had forced Kaito to rather gracelessly knock Shinichi out with sleeping gas on the stairs to the rooftop.

Sighing, Kaito wrenched the Nymph's Tear out of the inside of his suit jacket. Lifting it to the moon, he squinted at the blue light that filtered through the dazzling sapphire. And to make this night even better, this isn't Pandora.

Glancing about as wind ruffled his hair, Kaito scanned the rooftops and streets for an appropriate getaway route. Seeing as most everyone was knocked out inside the club, he took his time, locating his house and checking the air current.

As he stared hard at the horizon, trying to determine if a northeasterly route would be better than just a northerly one, Kaito caught sight of a flash of light off in the not-so-distant distance.

It took Kaito less than a second to realize that the flash of light signaled a gunshot. Eyes widening, he jerked to the side just as a bullet pinged against the rooftop door. What the hell? Is it…?

Narrowing his eyes, Kaito could barely make out the outline of a man about five rooftops over, aiming what appeared to be a sniper rifle at him. It didn't take much of a stretch of the imagination to recognize him as Snake.

That bastard still hasn't been caught?!

He weighed his options. He could go back into the club, but that would mean endangering everyone inside. If Kaito knew one thing about Snake, it was that the man didn't care who he killed, as long as he got his target. He could try to fly off using his hang glider, but the wind had changed directions and was now heading toward where Snake was positioned, which meant he ran a higher chance of getting shot. He could try to disguise and get to a different rooftop, but it would be pretty obvious if Kid disappeared and a random security guard popped up a building over.

His fingers clenched.

What am I supposed to do?! Kaito mentally panicked.

He could see Snake re-aiming, the barrel of the gun gleaming in the moonlight…

Suddenly, Kaito heard a soft clank at his feet. Looking down, he spotted one of his smoke bombs. But I didn't… he thought, befuddled by its appearance.

A thought suddenly occurred to him, and Kaito's eyes widened. Wait, could it be…?! He woke up?! He turned toward the rooftop door, which had somehow crept the slightest bit open. But how… Did he get it from one of the traps…?!

Pink smoke enveloped him as the bomb exploded, opaque and spreading quickly through the air due to the wind. The rooftop door swung fully open and Shinichi burst onto the rooftop, ducking into the smoke. "Hurry," he ordered lowly, half dragging Kaito to the edge of the rooftop.

"What – tantei-kun –" stammered the thief, but Shinichi glared a shut up at him and literally tossed him across the street, onto the rooftop over. Kaito didn't even have time to gasp before his back connected with the rooftop and the air was knocked out of him. The detective arrived a second later, managing to roll a bit more gracefully.

The new rooftop appeared to be a rooftop garden, if the planters brimming with wilting tomatoes and basil plants were any indication. Shinichi wasted no time in checking the door, swearing angrily upon discovering it was locked. Looking back at the club's rooftop, he swore even more violently as the smoke began to thin out.

He turned to a gaping Kaito. "Disguise. Now," he demanded curtly.

"There's not enough time," Kaito answered despairingly, crawling over to the storage shed by the rooftop door and leaning against it forlornly. Well, seems like both tantei-kun and I are going to die now…

Letting out a supremely aggravated growl, Shinichi hurried back over to Kaito, eyes shining in the moonlight. "Don't move," he instructed shortly at Kaito's look of confusion.

Wordlessly, the detective kneeled and quickly pulled off Kaito's hat, monocle, cape, and jacket, ignoring the magician's muted protestations. Checking on the smoke – which was pretty much all gone – he turned back and repeated, "Don't move," before leaning in and kissing Kaito.

It took Kaito a second to realize that Shinichi was straddling him – his cheeks flared – and had wrapped one arm around Kaito's back, pressing their chests together. His other arm was bent up as his fingers wove through Kaito's hair, occasionally drawing downwards to press against Kaito's cheek.

Kaito frowned. What the hell?! What's he doing?!

Well, it wasn't really like he minded it – in fact, he kind of liked it. The detective tasted good and he was actually quite skilled at kissing. Not to mention that after kissing Shinichi so many times already, Kaito had to admit he didn't find the idea all too odd anymore.

Also, he had just noticed that his own arms had unconsciously snaked around Shinichi, tracing from the defined shoulder blades down the curved arch of the back, and that his eyes had slipped shut long ago as he lost himself in the contact.

Huh. Fancy that.

He was forced from his Shinichi-induced haze as he heard a strangled shout from the rooftop where Snake had been. He opened his eyes (but didn't pull away) to see a band of shadowy figures restraining the man, as well as hear his startled protests.

Shinichi's marvelously blue eyes flickered opened, and he stood up. The Kid hat fell into the thief's lap, extremely smashed and deformed.

Huh? Kaito blinked for a second before the revelation of why the detective had done what he had hit him. He smirked.

"My, my, tantei-kun, you couldn't think of anything else, could you?" taunted Kaito. "You took off my hat, stuffed in my jacket, cape, and monocle – probably my most defining features from this distance – and kissed me – to cover my face – while hiding the hat between us? And you even tried to change my hair with your hand?" He grinned. "Oh, and you figured that Snake wouldn't think I was one of the two 'random' guys kissing on an apartment rooftop? I must congratulate you on your quick wit, tantei-kun."

"Shut up," grumbled Shinichi, not looking even remotely abashed. "I just saved your life, you know. It's a miracle that it even worked that well. Anyway, I just wanted to stall for time. I called the police once I heard the first gunshot. Never thought a low-ranking Black Organization member* would pop up at a Kid heist."

"Wait, what? Black Organization?" asked Kid, straightening out his hat and the rest of his clothes.

"Yes, the people who have been after you are part of a different sector of the crime syndicate I took down before I came back as Shinichi," affirmed Shinichi, running a hand through his hair. "They managed to avoid capture, but now that we've got him – the guy you call Snake – we're probably going to get the rest, no problem." He cast Kaito a sidelong glance. "And I see I was right."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Kaito carefully replaced his monocle over his eye and smoothed out his cape one last time, rising to his feet to raise an eyebrow at the detective.

"My suspicions were right. You are Kid, Kuroba."

Dammit! "What are you talking about, tantei-kun?" sang Kaito, though he could feel his stomach dropping.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Don't even try to get out of this one, Kuroba. I touched your face earlier, and it's real skin. You're not wearing a disguise, and it's pretty obvious that you're Kuroba Kaito. You owe me an explanation, got it?" He checked his watch. "Well, I've got to go. Inspector Megure's probably wondering where I am right about now."

Kaito stared after him as Shinichi calmly pulled out his cell phone, making a call. "Yes. I'm on the apartment roof by the club. No, I'm not going to explain why. Just come get me – the door down into the actual building is locked, so you'll have to get the manager to open it from the inside. Okay? Okay. See you soon."

He turned around to see Kaito still watching him. "What the hell are you doing? I don't think I broke your hang glider earlier. Go," Shinichi said, waving a hand at him dismissively.

…What?

"Aren't you going to turn me in?" questioned Kaito, raising a disbelieving eyebrow.

Shinichi stared at him blankly. "What?"

Mentally facepalming, Kaito elaborated, "You know, turn me in to the police? I'm a criminal, a thief, a person who does illegal things…?"

"Huh? No," replied Shinichi, looking bewildered. "Why would I turn you in when I just saved your life? And anyway…" He appeared to hesitate. "You're a friend, Kuroba. A weird and sometimes annoying friend, but a friend."

Surprised, Kaito could only manage an awed, "Tantei-kun…"

There was a sudden knocking on the roof door, and Shinichi shot him a go look. Kaito swallowed, nodded, and opened his hang glider, taking off.

As the wind kissed his face, rushing past him, Kaito had to fight the urge to smile.

A friend, huh?

V.

The fifth time they kissed, it was because of a knowing friend, a bottle, and Pocky.

"Dammit, Aoko, why are you making me help with your birthday party setup?" complained Kaito as he threw a tablecloth over Aoko's dining room table, not bothering to fix it when it fell wayward.

Aoko rolled her eyes, leaning quickly out of the kitchen to pull the tablecloth taut. "Because I can't let Saguru see me looking like this, and there's no way I could ask Ran-chan or Kudou-kun for help, after all. I don't know them well enough." She broke off, retreating into the kitchen and resuming her cutting of various fruits. "Well, and…"

"And?" prompted Kaito, entering the kitchen and rooting through Aoko's cutlery drawer for the beginnings of place settings.

Biting her bottom lip, Aoko sighed. The rhythm her knife beat against the chopping board slowed. "I just wanted to talk about something."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere. You might as well get started," muttered Kaito, rummaging around for a pair of matching chopsticks.

Setting down her knife, Aoko wiped her hands off on her apron. "Kaito, don't freak out, but I just wanted to talk about Kudou-kun for a second."

"Talk away," Kaito said, grinning triumphantly as he successfully matched five pairs of chopsticks. "What about Kudou?"

"Kaito, this is serious. Look at me."

Huffing, Kaito set down the chopsticks and turned to make eye contact. "Yes, dear Aoko?" he asked saccharinely.

"We never really properly discussed what happened when… when we first met Kudou-kun and Ran-chan, you know?"

"When we first met…?" Realizing what Aoko was trying to convey so implicitly, Kaito nodded. "You mean when Kudou and I accidentally kissed? That?"

Going pink, Aoko gave a small bob of the head. "I mean, maybe it's just because I'm a girl –" (she glared at Kaito as he gave a probably smirk) "– but I think I'd be really annoyed if my first kiss got stolen by a random girl."

"Huh?" Blinking, Kaito stared at his best friend. "What do you mean?"

She gave him a bemused look of her own. "That time when you bumped into Kudou-kun – that was your first kiss, wasn't it?"

…Oh.

"I guess it might've," Kaito finally answered softly, his fingers reaching up to ghost over his lips. "Yes, it was."

Regarding him with an expression of caution, Aoko carefully inquired, "And doesn't that make you angry?"

Without thinking, Kaito refuted, "No, it actually makes me happy." The second the words were out, his eyes widened. What?

Aoko herself was round-eyed. "Wait, what?" She searched his eyes with her own, trying to discern whether or not Kaito was joking.

"No, really. I'm honestly glad it was Kudou," admitted Kaito, feeling a load that had gone previously unnoticed lift off his chest. "I… I don't know why, but I don't mind that it was him."

Seeming at a slight loss for words, Aoko questioned, "Did you care the other time you two kissed?"

"The other times – I mean, time?" At Aoko's disbelieving but affirming nod, Kaito shook his head. "That… I didn't mind. I actually kind of… enjoyed it."

Aoko sank to the floor, staring up at Kaito with incredulously large eyes. "Oh my God. Oh my God, Kaito, do you know what this means?"

"Hey, don't act like that. Kudou tastes good and he's pretty good at kissing," said Kaito, kneeling beside her.

Watching him, Aoko pointedly told him, "Kaito. I don't need to know that." She drew in a long breath. "You do know that Kudou-kun's a guy?"

"Yes." Well obviously Shinichi was a guy. Kaito was starting to wonder where Aoko was going with this.

"And you're a guy."

Kaito blinked. "Are you questioning my masculinity?"

"No." Aoko rubbed her forehead. "You admitted you liked kissing him."

"I think I did, yes."

"And you're a guy."

"We just went over this."

"And he's a guy."

"Aoko, what's the point of this?"

Aoko slanted him a look that meant Oh my God, you are an idiot. "Kaito, generally when you enjoy kissing someone and say they taste good, it means you're in love with them."

Kaito's brain swiftly committed suicide. His jaw dropped, and he sat down hard on the kitchen floor. "You mean to say that I'm…"

Nodding, Aoko smiled gently. "Now do you see why I was kind of freaking out?"

"Wow." Kaito grated his thumb against the bottom edge of his face. "I'm in love with Kudou." While his words were shaky, uncertain, almost joking, something inside of him clicked into place. Took you long enough, idiot, the voice seemed to say in a very smug tone, and Kaito instinctively pressed a hand to his hairline.

He turned to see that Aoko was watching him carefully. "Kaito…"

Grinning, Kaito remarked, mostly to show how unruffled he was trying to be, "I guess I could never fall in love the normal way, huh? I am Kuroba Kaito, after all."

Aoko's concerned expression dissolved. "I guess not, huh?" she agreed with tenderness only a best friend could have.

"Let's get ready, okay?" Kaito rose and continued sorting out chopsticks. I'm in love with tantei-kun, I'm in love with Kudou, I'm in love with Shinichi…

By the time Hakuba arrived an hour later, Aoko's dining room was perfectly arranged, the chairs aligned neatly around the food-laden table, the decorations impeccable on the walls and ceiling, and the lighting bright and cheerful.

The half-English man whistled as he entered the room. "Not too bad, you two." He gave Aoko a special smile, shyly offering a small, tidily wrapped box, and Kaito gagged mockingly as Aoko beamed back and accepted it, throwing her arms around the blond detective.

Two minutes hadn't passed before the doorbell rang again. Aoko, who was putting the finishing touches on her fruit salad, called, "Hey, Kaito, could you get that?"

"Why aren't you making the bastard do it?"

"Kaito, it's my birthday and I'm holding a knife. Do what I say."

"God, you're scary." Rolling his eyes, Kaito headed for Aoko's entry area. Pulling open the door, his mouth opened slightly at the sight that awaited him on the other side.

Shinichi was standing there, wearing a slate gray shirt and form-fitting jeans. While the outfit itself was simple, it marked one of the few times Kaito had seen the detective out of his school uniform, and his casual appearance was refreshingly striking. Coupled with the fact that Kaito now knew he was in love with the detective, it was enough to make Kaito's heart skip a beat.

It took Kaito a full three seconds to register that Ran was standing beside Shinichi, wearing a scarf that matched Shinichi's shirt.

The couple-y quality of their outfits quickly annoying him, Kaito gave a smirk. "Hey you two," he greeted, stepping aside to let them in.

Once inside, Ran unwound her scarf (much to Kaito's pleasure), set down her gift, jerked off her boots, put on a pair of house slippers, and picked up her gift once more. "Hi, Kuroba-kun. Where's Aoko-chan?"

"In the kitchen with the bastard. Gifts go in the dining room. Have fun," he replied, and she gave him a last smile before running off.

Focusing his attention on Shinichi, Kaito swallowed. The detective had leaned over to pull off his own shoes, and the view was more than just nice. He quickly pulled his gaze away before Shinichi noticed.

"Hey, Ki – Kuroba," Shinichi finally said after locating his designated slippers and slipping them on. "Good to see you again."

Kaito nodded, remembering that the last time he and Shinichi had met up, Kaito had been explaining his reasons for being Kid. "Let's hope today's subjects are a little less heavy, right?"

"Just a little," agreed Shinichi, ambling slowly towards Aoko's dining room with Kaito trailing after him. "Hey, do you think a Kuraki Mai CD is a good present for Nakamori-chan?"

"I think so. Her favorite's Two-Mix, though," Kaito told him as they arrived in the dining room.

Shinichi cracked a smile. "I met them once. As Conan, that is."

"I see."

Adding his present to the growing pile at the end of the table, Shinichi chose a random seat and plopped down. "What did you get her?"

Grinning, Kaito motioned at a wrapped object leaning up in the corner. "A mop."

The detective quirked an eyebrow. "Should I ask?"

"If you want," Kaito sang.

"Then no, I won't."

"You're no fun at all," Kaito murmured, sitting down across from him.

Counting the number of chairs, Shinichi frowned. "Wait, are Hakuba, Ran, you, and I the only guests?"

"Yep. Aoko wanted to go small, and she said we're her closest friends at the moment."

"Huh. Weird. Ran always seems to go all out for her birthdays," commented Shinichi offhandedly, glancing around the room.

"You'd know, wouldn't you?" The bitter statement was already hanging in the air before Kaito could restrain himself, and he bit his tongue in irritation.

Sure, he was in love with Shinichi, but damn it all, he didn't need to act like a bastard!

Casting the magician a sidelong glance, Shinichi nodded and leaned back. "I guess I would. I've known her since forever, anyway. Isn't it the same with you and Nakamori-chan?"

"Huh? Oh… yes," Kaito stuttered, not expecting the tables to be turned on him. "I have known Aoko for a long time. We're like brother and sister."

"I see," commented Shinichi, and Kaito peered over at him, slightly mystified at the briefness of his tone.

They were saved from awkwardness as Ran, Aoko, and Hakuba entered the dining room. Aoko instantly claimed the seat at the head of the table, Hakuba sat to her right (unfortunately beside Kaito), and Ran seated herself at Shinichi's right.

"Thanks for coming, you guys," Aoko thanked, receiving a chorus of variations of "Happy birthday, Aoko" in return.

She blushed. "Well, as for what we're going to do now, I researched some party games. I found some that are popular in the States, and some I made up on my own." Clearing her throat, Aoko glanced around the table timidly. "The first game is Truth or Dare."

Kaito felt his face drain of color. He had heard a lot of rumors about this particular game and how it was notorious for causing a ton of embarrassment. However, at the hopeful look on Aoko's face, his only remark was, "Okay, let's do this."

"Aoko, how about I start?" Hakuba suggested, and Aoko nodded.

"Truth or dare?" she asked.

"Truth," Hakuba quickly selected.

"Anyone have a good question for Saguru?" Aoko questioned, looking across the table.

Kaito raised his hand, smirking at the way Hakuba's eyes bugged out in horror. "I've got one. Hey, Hakuba, are you secretly infatuated with me and that's why you always harass me about being Kid?"

"I wouldn't be surprised, personally. He always did strike me as a bit… flamboyant, if you know what I mean," Shinichi whispered to Ran in at a purposefully loud volume. She giggled, and Hakuba went red.

"Like hell, Kuroba," the blond detective growled, though it was hard to take him seriously when he resembled a tomato.

While Aoko looked like she was fighting back her own amusement, she patted her boyfriend on the shoulder and gave him a consoling, "It's just a game, Saguru."

"I'll go next," Shinichi volunteered.

The birthday girl observed him for a second before giving a, "Okay. Truth or dare?"

"Truth, I think."

"Then I've got a question for you, Kudou-kun."

Oh God no – is she going to ask him if he's in love with me?! Kaito mentally freaked, sending Aoko a frantic abort mission glare.

Ignoring the fact that Kaito's eyes were incinerating the very air around her, Aoko continued, "Kudou-kun… is the person you're in love with in this room?"

The air seemed to thin as both Ran and Kaito went wide-eyed, watching Shinichi's every move.

"Really? That's your question?" Heaving a sigh, Shinichi tilted his head back, watching the ceiling. "While I'm not sure I'm in love with them… yes, the person I think I'm in love with is in this room."

Kaito's breath caught, and he hurried to hide the small, chocked sound behind a cough. So I've got a chance?

"Who is it?!" Aoko demanded.

Shooting her a no glance, Shinichi rolled his eyes. "I'm fairly certain I don't need to answer that. Let's move on."

Aoko clenched her teeth over her bottom lip, clearly worrying. She did, however, try to move on. "Um… Ran-chan, how about you? Truth or dare?"

Ran laughed. "I don't know what you'd make me do, so truth."

Appearing to think for a second, Shinichi raised his hand. "I've got one. Have you ever licked anyone?"

There was a fairly awkward silence before Ran reached over and smacked him. "What the… what kind of question was that?!" she yelped, blushing violently.

"Hey, it's a legitimate question!" shouted Shinichi underneath her assault. "Just answer it, dammit! And stop hitting me!"

"No! Of course I've never licked anyone, you mystery freak! Have you?!"

"Well…"

Aoko, Hakuba, and Kaito, who had all been watching the display, all simultaneously cleared their throats. "I think that's enough, Mouri-san," Hakuba told her calmly, cringing.

"Ah… okay," Ran stammered, letting go of Shinichi.

"So, Kaito, it's your turn. Truth or dare?" Aoko queried with forced cheer.

Kaito shrugged. "Since I'm concerned as to what some of you –" (he looked pointedly at Hakuba) "– might ask if I pick truth, I'm going to break the mold. Dare."

At once, Kaito knew he had picked wrong, if the evil smirk on Aoko's face was any indication.

"Okay. I dare you to play the Pocky game with whoever the bottle chooses."

"What? Pocky game? Bottle?" Shinichi asked confusedly, eyebrows furrowing.

"Dear God, Shinichi, don't you know what the Pocky game is?" Ran rolled her eyes at her best friend's apparent ignorance, still flushed. "The people playing have to eat a Pocky stick, one starting on each side, and whoever breaks off first loses. If neither pulls away, well… they kind of end up kissing."

"…Oh." The detective looked vaguely startled. "Well, what's the part with the bottle?"

"It's from the game 'spin the bottle,'' Aoko explained, pulling an empty wine bottle out of God knows where. She set it down on the table. "I'll spin it, and whoever it lands on has to play with Kaito."

From the look in her eyes, Kaito could tell this was not going to end well for him.

With precisely measured force, Aoko gave the bottle a gentle spin. It rotated a few times…

…and as Kaito predicted, it landed on Shinichi.

The detective blinked. "Oh. Okay."

"Here you go," Aoko sang, sliding a box of Pocky to Kaito with gleaming eyes.

Kaito gave her a highly annoyed glare and ripped open the box, heart pounding. This is going to awkward, he decided as he unsheathed one of the chocolate-covered biscuit sticks.

"Oh, and if you lose, the punishment is that you have to kiss whoever's sitting next to you," sang Aoko.

Kaito's gaze snapped down to Hakuba, whose extremely freaked out expression reflected his. "No way in hell," he muttered before returning his attention to Shinichi, who was pointedly avoiding Ran's eyes.

"Okay – go!" Aoko seemed far too happy about this, and Kaito made a mental note to give her a piece of his mind later.

"Ready?" he asked Shinichi, who simply nodded.

Extending the chocolate side towards Shinichi, Kaito clamped down on the naked part with his own teeth. Taking a small bite, he felt his heart rate jump as Shinichi did the same.

Dammit all. There is no way I'm going to kiss Hakuba, but…

Distracted, Kaito nearly broke the Pocky when he realized that Shinichi had already eaten up to a few centimeters away from him.

The detective made slow eye contact – scalding azure – and lifted his eyebrows, as if to say, Well?

Firming his resolve, Kaito bit a little further before wavering. He closed his eyes and breathed out shakily, preparing to break off. Seriously… I can't do this… Maybe I can get away with kissing Hakuba on the hand or something?

Shinichi rolled his eyes before chomping into the last part of the Pocky stick. Kaito's eyes flew open as soft lips pressed against his own, tongue prying his surprised mouth open and invading the inside, sweet and gentle, stealing the last traces of chocolate and biscuit. A second later, Shinichi pulled away, leaving a lingering sensation of warmth… and the slightest suggestion of mint and dark chocolate.

Turning to face the madly blushing two girls and a Hakuba who looked like he was about to die, Shinichi gave a weary, "Happy?" and sat back down.

Kaito didn't miss the way his tongue swiped out to lick the remaining crumbs and chocolate off his lips.

VI.

The sixth time they kissed, it took the whole cup of coffee for him to realize.

"Kudou?" Kaito stared out his open front door, which he had only pulled open a few seconds earlier.

Kaito had been prepared for a slow night of general research for his next heist, and he had just finished pouring a cup of coffee and settling down in his desk chair when his doorbell had begun to shrill relentlessly.

When he had unraveled himself from his chair and responded to the doorbell's persistent ringing, coffee in hand, he had been more than shocked to find a certain detective slouched in a position that barely qualified as standing on his doorstep. It was even more surprising and bewildering once Kaito factored in that Shinichi looked dead on his feet.

Shinichi lifted two fingers weakly in a feeble salute. "Hey, Kuroba."

"What the hell are you doing here? It's late," Kaito demanded in a hushed whisper, glancing around as if his neighbors would really care if he let in an exhausted detective.

"It's nine o'clock, Kuroba. Hardly what I'd consider late." Shinichi observed Kaito quietly for a moment. "Are you going to invite me in or what?"

"Huh? Oh… sure," Kaito stumbled, widening the door and wisely swinging his coffee-toting hand out of the way. "Come on in."

Giving Kaito a grateful smile that made him struggle to mask a blush, Shinichi stepped into Kaito's house, stopping to look around once inside. "Nice house. Are your parents…" He flinched at the apparent insensitivity of his mistake, flushing slightly. "I mean, is your mom home tonight?"

"It's fine, Kudou. And no, she's in Paris right now with some friends," Kaito answered, having to smile at Shinichi's obvious embarrassment over possibly offending him. However, the smile disintegrated as the revelation that he was alone with Shinichi in his house dawned upon him.

…I think this is the first time I've ever been completely alone with him.

It was undoubtedly the first time Kaito had ever felt this worked up about him, at least.

Gulping down his nerves, Kaito collected a pair of house slippers from the storage cabinet by the door and extended them to Shinichi, who accepted them with muttered thanks. Watching him lean over to pull them on, Kaito wondered, "What's wrong, anyway? Something with Ran-chan?" He tried to come off as casual, but ended up hoping madly that Shinichi hadn't detected the forced quality of the words.

Straightening up, Shinichi shrugged. "Nothing more than the usual, although… never mind." Sensing that Kaito was less than satisfied with his tentative, roundabout answer, Shinichi said, "I was just at a crime scene near here, and we finished up late. I thought I might come here, since it's closer than Beika, and beg one night's lodging off of you. Can I?"

"Ah. I see. In that case, sure. We've got an empty room, anyway. For now, you can go take a bath. The bath's first on the right once you go straight up the stairs. I'll get a towel and change of clothes for you." Kaito started for the living room.

Following him, Shinichi questioned, "Where are you going?"

"I've got a heist to plan. Well, first I need to find a new target," informed Kaito. "I was just going to put down my cup and start getting your bath stuff ready." He set down his mug and was about to head off when he noticed that Shinichi was eyeing the coffee rather covetously.

"Oh. Want some?"

Giving a shameful smile, Shinichi nodded. "Kind of."

"Go ahead. I'll start getting the stuff ready." Kaito trudged off, leaving Shinichi in his living room. He selected a towel and a set of pajamas for the detective, deposited them in the bath, and returned downstairs to find Shinichi sitting calmly at his computer, tapping away.

Detecting Kaito's presence, Shinichi glanced over. "Back already?" He slid the computer chair back and stood, stretching. "I'll head up, then. Oh – I found a jewel for you already."

"Really? I'll take a look, then," Kaito responded, at a loss for words. While he knew the detective didn't care that he was Kid, it was an entirely different matter that he was willing to help Kaito plan out an (illegal) heist.

And somehow, that made Kaito ridiculously happy.

"No problem. Thanks for having me tonight," Shinichi thanked, appearing to not notice Kaito's small crisis.

Kaito waited until his footsteps were up the stairs before he sat down, right hand searching for the coffee mug handle absently. Shinichi had left an article on the Fairy Amethyst onscreen, and Kaito perused the font with eyebrows slanting down, pressing the rim of the half-empty mug to his lips unconsciously.

I'm impressed. Shinichi knew what he was doing, Kaito thought, inwardly a bit shocked that the detective had been able to locate such a viable target in only a few minutes. The Fairy Amethyst was slotted to be displayed at the Ekoda Art Gallery in two weeks' time, was known for its bright multicolored sheen, and in two weeks, it would be a full moon.

Belatedly realizing that he had been reflexively downing the coffee and had drained the mug dry, Kaito disengaged the cup, setting it down on the desk.

It was then that Kaito realized he had drunken from the same part of the cup as Shinichi had.

…Which meant they had just shared an indirect kiss.

Going the slightest bit pink, Kaito stared at the innocent-looking mug sitting on the desktop for a long second before dropping his head on the desk, banging his head against his computer keyboard in frustration. "Why couldn't it have been a normal kiss?!"

VII.

The seventh time they kissed, he convinced himself it was the alcohol's fault.

Shivering in the November chill, Kaito broke into a brisk walk, hurrying down the sidewalk towards the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters. He had received a call from Ran, who told him that the first division of the police was holding a rather large party to commemorate wrapping up a particularly difficult serial murder case and that he was invited to come celebrate with them, despite not being involved.

After hearing that Shinichi had been the chief solver of the case, Kaito had immediately bundled up and grabbed the train to Beika. While he didn't really care about the solving of the case (although obviously he was glad it had been), Kaito was excited to at the possibility of getting to see Shinichi again and maybe get a little closer to him.

He sighed as he arrived at the bottom of the front steps of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters, a small cloud of translucent white exiting his lips at the action. How ridiculous can I get, being so excited over this sort of thing? Do I really have it that bad for Shinichi?

Well, it was becoming obvious that he did, Kaito thought dryly as he climbed up the steps and pulled open the front door, letting himself into the warm, bright atmosphere of the police headquarters. He looked around the lobby, searching in vain for some sort of posted directions towards the first division.

"Oh, are you here for Division One's party?" asked the previously unnoticed receptionist politely, appearing to correctly interpret Kaito's lost expression.

"Ah… yes," stuttered Kaito, grinning uncomfortably.

"Division One's located on the third floor, so if you go there, you'll probably be able to find it pretty easily. I hear it's a pretty insane party," the receptionist laughed, eyes dipping over Kaito slowly.

"Hey…" she called doubtfully as Kaito bowed and headed for the elevator. "Are you, by any chance, related to Shinichi-kun?"

Starting, Kaito pivot around to stare at the girl. "Huh? Kudou Shinichi? No…"

"Ah, so you know him?" A smile bloomed across the receptionist's face, and her eyes adopted a dreamy cast. "Isn't he amazing? All the girls around here are enchanted by him."

Feeling a sharp pang, Kaito handed her a bland smile and matching nod, hitting the elevator call button and willing it to arrive.

He should've figured Shinichi was popular around the police headquarters, considering his looks and his intelligence, but to feel it firsthand was something entirely different. Kaito expected the man himself had no idea about it, too. Or maybe he did, and he maybe he enjoyed the attentions of all the girls…?

Whatever. Kaito didn't want to think about it. The elevator doors slid open, and Kaito boarded, tapping the button for the third floor.

By the time the doors reopened with a ding, Kaito had put on his finest Poker Face, smiling widely as he surveyed the Division One headquarters. The place was packed, and Kaito could barely think above the music blaring from an unknown source and the disturbing smell of alcohol thickening the air.

Spotting a glimpse of brown hair that Kaito hoped and prayed belonged to someone he knew, Kaito shoved through the mass of people, scattering apologies and stepped-on toes in his wake, finally emerging on the other side a minute later. Thankfully, the hair was Ran's, and, upon hearing Kaito's approach, the girl turned, wearing a small smile.

"Hi, Kuroba-kun," she said softly, her expression melting straight into pained indifference.

"Ah, hi," Kaito returned, unsure of what he was supposed to be saying. For some reason, Shinichi's childhood friend had a very unusual air about her, one that made Kaito feel like he was on thin ice with her. What the hell?

Seeing that Shinichi was nowhere near (and trying for a change in mood), Kaito questioned lackadaisically, "Um… where's Kudou?"

Ran pointed towards the middle of the room, where it appeared the heaviest drinkers were crowding. "He's there."

Kaito quirked an eyebrow. "Why's he there? Aren't there a lot of people drinking right there…?"

"Yes, they all ambushed Shinichi and gave him drinks, despite his protests that he's underage, calling him the hero of the night and whatnot."

At Kaito's face of surprise and exasperation, Ran shrugged, partially aloof. "I wasn't in a position to stop them myself, and Shinichi can probably take care of himself." Mouth twisting in an peeved manner, the karate champion leaned closer to Kaito, switching topics abruptly. "Look, can I have a word with you, Kuroba-kun?"

Blinking, Kaito gave a wordless nod. Face tightening, Ran turned on her heel and wove expertly through the mob, leaving Kaito to scramble after her, losing her amid the throng within seconds. Seriously, what's up with her?

It was a few minutes later that Kaito caught up to Ran outside of the headquarters, in a small corridor that lead to some bathrooms. She was leaning against one of the walls, arms folded across her chest, teeth clamped firmly down on her ruby red lower lip as she tapped one stiletto-clad toe with pointed clacks. Kaito only now noticed that she was looking especially pretty tonight, sheathed in a red cocktail dress and wearing heavy eyeliner that lent her enough years to pass as twenty.

"So…?" Kaito asked, breathless from exertion as he bent over, hands on knees.

"You're in love with Shinichi, aren't you?"

Kaito's heart stopped, and he straightened up slowly, making eye contact. "…What?"

Ran closed her eyes, as if begging with God to give her patience. "You're in love with Shinichi, aren't you?" she reiterated.

"What the – how did you get that idea?" scoffed Kaito as his heart rendezvoused with the soles of his feet. What's she trying to do…?

"Even if you won't admit it, I can tell. You're in love with Shinichi, aren't you?"

Unsure of how exactly he was expected to answer that kind of rhetorical question, Kaito let out a weak laugh. "Secret's out, huh?"

"As I thought." Ran readjusted the straps of her dress, opening her eyes. "As you know, I'm Shinichi's best friend. And as you probably also know, I was in love with him for years."

"…Uh huh," Kaito agreed, though he hadn't known that, and it was doing a number on his thinking. If she's been in love with him for so long, then he's probably been in love with her as well. Otherwise, why would he stay friends with her? He must've realized by now… and he doesn't mind.

"So clearly, I can't just let anyone have him. He's way too important for me to do that, you know. Understand?" Ran gave a red and white smile that Kaito would describe as "on the rocks". Leaning off the wall with a scrape of heels against linoleum, she said lowly, "Hurt him and I will pay you back. In full."

"I… see," Kaito murmured, knowing she was completely serious about the threat.

"You do? Good," Ran beamed, her normal attitude restored. "Good to see that's cleared up. I'll see you later, Kuroba-kun!" She skipped off down the hall, disappearing around a corner.

Kaito stared after her. "So I've got a rival now, huh?" he whispered to himself. She'd probably win anyway, but I guess she couldn't help herself from doing a little threatening.

He turned to reenter the party, but stumbled backwards when a man staggered out, clearly drunk and clearly not thinking (or walking) straight.

It took Kaito a good minute or two to recognize him as Shinichi.

Goddamn.

"Whoa… Kudou, you okay?" He hurried towards the detective, gripping him by the shoulders.

Shinichi crinkled his nose, a slightly senseless smile growing on his lips. "Kai~to, is that yo~u?"

Nearly blushing at the random use of his first name and the way Shinichi sort of sang it, Kaito rolled his eyes and hoisted him into a more upright position. "You're completely drunk, aren't you, Kudou?"

"Too many bourbons," muttered Shinichi. "They kept forcing them on me, even though I'm underage. Couldn't take no for an answer." He coughed, one hand tugging on his already partially unbuttoned shirt. "Wow, it's really hot in here. It's hot in here, isn't it, Kaito?"

"Kudou," growled Kaito, removing a hand from the detective to scrub at the inner corners of his eyes. While the sight of a hot and bothered Shinichi pulling off his shirt was more than welcome in the recesses of Kaito's imagination, it was quite less welcome in a random hallway in the police headquarters.

"Yes?" blinked Shinichi, dark eyelashes flashing up and down over brilliantly azure irises.

Okay. This is bad. "I'm going to get you home, Kudou," Kaito announced after making a snap decision, dragging Shinichi towards the elevators.

"Huh? Already? Didn't you just get here?" slurred Shinichi, appearing perplexed. "Are you scared they're going to get you drunk too?"

"No, I'm scared someone's going to take advantage of your drunk ass and force you into something I don't even want to think of, idiot!" snapped Kaito, doing his best to avoid making eye contact with him. He smacked the elevator call button. Please come soon. I don't know what I'm going to do with him. Or to him, actually.

"Hey, what kind of 'taking advantage' are you talking about? Extortion? Blackmail?" wondered Shinichi, allowing Kaito to pull him into the elevator. "Becoming an accomplice in a crime?"

"Shut up," Kaito told him, trying his hardest to not look at the detective hanging off his arm.

"You're acting pretty mean," remarked Shinichi. "Weird."

Kaito made the mistake of looking down him with intentions of giving him a sharp glare, but the sight of Shinichi – who was staring up at him with wide, questioning eyes, hair just a little out of place with pink worked up in his cheeks, shirt left partway open – was enough to make him swallow and force himself to look away. "Whatever, Kudou."

"It's not whatever, Kaito," Shinichi insisted as the elevator stopped descending and the doors parted. The lobby receptionist looked up, eyes widening at Shinichi.

"Oh… Shinichi-kun…" she stammered, blushing at his more than unusual appearance. "Leaving so soon…?"

Shinichi lifted his head off Kaito's shoulder. "Ah, Hanako-san. Yes, Kaito here's taking me home."

"Ah… okay," Hanako nodded, glancing over at Kaito. "Is he…?" she asked in a concerned undertone, and Kaito could only nod as he slogged along.

"They were drunk themselves and forcing drinks on him. He couldn't fend them off," he explained as he propped the front door open and shoved Shinichi through, ignoring the icy blast of wind that whooshed past him. "I'm going to get him home."

"Wait, but…" The door closed on the woman's words, isolating them back inside, and Kaito readjusted Shinichi over his shoulder, shuddering in the cold. "Thank God you live near here," he muttered under his breath, starting down the sidewalk.

"Ri~ght?" Shinichi was no help, doing no more than dragging his feet and slowing Kaito down. It was a stressful twenty minutes later that Kaito, panting, arrived at the Kudou mansion, skin layered with sweat.

"Keys," he commanded unceremoniously, glaring at the detective and extending one hand expectantly, and Shinichi raised an eyebrow, tongue darting out across his lips as he dug around for his key ring.

Gulping at the oblivious action, Kaito looked away, pulling back his hand once he felt the keys on them. He opened Shinichi's front door and yanked its owner inside, bumping the door shut behind him with a neatly aimed kick.

"We're going upstairs, Kudou," he told him. "Are you sober enough to walk up the stairs?" Receiving an affirming nod, Kaito herded Shinichi towards the stairs and stood behind him, waiting for him to move. "Walk."

Shinichi hazily lifted one foot, letting it hover in midair above the first step, and Kaito tsked, kneeing him gently in the back. "Come on, Kudou. Let's get going."

Climbing a few more steps, Shinichi stepped and leaned over to look into Kaito's eyes, gripping the hand rail. "Kaito, don't call me Kudou. That's cold."

"And that's dangerous," Kaito retorted, trying to simultaneously not look at Shinichi and get him to stand upright. "You're really weird when you're drunk, Ku…" Seeing the annoyed twitch of Shinichi's left eyebrow, Kaito gave him, flushing slightly as he said, "…Shinichi. Now would you please stand up like a normal human being?"

"You said it," cheered Shinichi, straightening and moving to climb up the rest of the stairs. However, almost as if testifying to his current state of being, he missed the step and somehow managed to fall backwards, lips parting in surprise.

Dammit it all! "Watch out!" Kaito yelled, hurrying to intercept him but having no idea how to do so within the span of one second he was actually falling.

Shinichi landed on top of him with a painful press of elbows and knees, making Kaito wince, eyes closing on reflex. Ow… He groaned, and Shinichi shifted around above him, making Kaito open his eyes slowly.

He found himself staring directly into Shinichi's very close face. The detective's eyes, painted vivid blue, were half-lidded and framed by the tips of his bangs, and his lips, smooth and lightly pink, were the slightest bit parted.

"Kaito," Shinichi breathed, lips so close they ghosted over his. Kaito shivered at the way his name left Shinichi's tongue in a highly sensual, impossibly smooth sound, caressing his face and turning it slightly pink.

"Um, Kudou?" he managed, although it was getting rather difficult to breathe. He was acutely away that Shinichi was straddling him, and his heartbeat was pounding throughout his entire body. Oh God. Seriously? This is what happens when Shinichi gets drunk?

Shinichi pressed his mouth lightly against Kaito's in an action that was not quite a kiss, and the magician shuddered, eyes jumping wide open. "!"

"At a moment like this, isn't my first name more appropriate?" whispered Shinichi sexily, leaving Kaito paralyzed on the floor. "Isn't it, Kaito?"

"Shinichi…" stammered Kaito, unsure of where exactly this was going.

Well, of course he had some hopes, dammit, but Shinichi was drunk, after all, but…!

"See? Isn't that much better?" Shinichi smirked, and Kaito flinched at the breathy quality of his voice. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, Shinichi's…

"Uh, could you st –" His halfhearted protest was silenced as lips pressed against his, tongue easily slipping between Kaito's lips and parted teeth. Kaito's brain melted at the contact, the familiar, faint hint of mint and dark chocolate – though heavily masked by the overwhelming flavor of alcohol – flooding his mouth.

Something in his mind shut down, telling him it was just easier to let Shinichi take over, and Kaito relaxed, arms hesitantly lifting to pull lightly down on Shinichi's shirt.

The contact broke when Shinichi pulled back, rolling off of Kaito. There was a long moment of silence, during which Kaito tried to regulate his breathing and Shinichi simply lay there at the foot of the stairs.

"…Sorry."

"Huh?" Kaito reacted at the unexpected word, looking over quizzically at Shinichi, who was smiling apologetically.

"Forcing something like that on you… I'm sorry," the detective elaborated, shrugging. "I think I might be drunk."

"Maybe," snorted Kaito, fighting off the wave of melancholy that swamped him upon noticing Shinichi's actions were simply because he was drunk out of his mind. "It's fine, I don't care. Let's just get you to bed, okay, Shi…" He swallowed. "…Kudou?"

"All right, Kaito."

VIII.

The eighth time they kissed, they blamed it on an unfortunately placed decoration.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Kaito called in English, grinning at his astounded audience of over a hundred partygoers and the Kid taskforce. He stood suspended above the glass case housing the Rejoicing Angel, currently on display at the Suzuki financial group's annual holiday party. "Thanks for the present, and I look forward to next year's heists!"

"You bastard!" yelled a voice that sounded rather like Kaito's favorite blond detective, and Kaito easily pinpointed his location, standing beside a glowering Aoko. "Get down here!"

"Why, hello there, tantei-san! I'm afraid I must postpone our rendezvous until later," sang Kaito, and he disappeared in a flash of rather appropriate mistletoe sprigs, quickly snagging the Rejoicing Angel before hurrying into the crowd in his Kuroba Kaito getup.

I don't know why they thought showing the jewel at a highly populated Christmas party would do them any good, Kaito grinned to himself as he hurried over to where a highly enraged Hakuba and an equally annoyed Aoko stood. "Did you guys see that? Kid's awesome!" he squealed, his smirk only widening as Hakuba's frown deepened and Aoko gave him a look aimed to kill.

"Shut up, Kuroba-kun," grumbled Hakuba. "Damn thief…"

"Come on now, Hakuba! You can try to amuse yourself in some other way instead of your usual Kid stalking!" Blinking in wide, exaggerated surprise, Kaito got up on his tiptoes and patted down the top of Hakuba's head, dropping a sprig of mistletoe as he did so. "Hey, you've got mistletoe on your head."

"I do not –!" Hakuba snapped, but not before Kaito managed to put one on Aoko's head as well.

Pretending to take it off Aoko's head, Kaito said in amazement, "You've got one too, Aoko. You know what this means, right?" He smiled wickedly. "Go on, you two."

Blushing, Aoko stuttered, "Shut up! Of course I know!" before quickly kissing Hakuba on the cheek, flushing even harder. The British detective did likewise, hand instantly reaching up to press against the spot Aoko had kissed.

"Aw, how cute!" trilled Kaito, clasping his hands mockingly.

"Shut up, idiot Kaito! Don't act like you're exempt!" half shouted a pink Aoko, waving at the light fixture hanging directly above his head.

"Huh?" Kaito looked up, blinking, to see that one of the mistletoe sprigs from his earlier event had fallen into the open end of the lamp. Oh. Oops.

He let out a superficial laugh, waving at his best friend dismissively. "Don't worry about that, Aoko, there's nobody else underneath it –"

"Hi guys."

Eyes widening, Kaito whipped around just in time to witness Mouri Ran approaching them. "No, don't come here!" he commanded, but not before Ran stopped beside him – underneath the mistletoe.

"What's wrong?" Ran questioned, blinking confusedly at Kaito's unusual actions as Aoko and Hakuba watched on, wearing matching smirks.

Damn it. I do not want to kiss her. Kaito sighed, steeling himself to perhaps give her a kiss on the hand or cheek –

"What's up? Why do you all look so put out?"

This is not what I need. Kaito turned just in time to see Shinichi strolling towards them, looking vaguely baffled.

Kaito flinched away, quickly moving to face forward. "Hey, Sh – Kudou."

While Kaito was finding it extremely difficult to forget what had happened the night he'd tried to play the Good Samaritan and get Shinichi home safely, Shinichi had been carrying on normally. It had taken Kaito a while to realize that the detective probably didn't remember any of what had transpired that night, since he'd been so sloshed. The only sign that he remembered anything was that he had continued calling Kaito by his first name, and that had started long before the kiss had.

Thus, Kaito had decided to try to play it cool and act like nothing had happened…

…but that didn't work. Like, at all. Every time he looked at Shinichi, he either remembered that night or remembered that he was desperately in love with him, which reduced him to an awkward mess. It was disturbing, that he, the great Kaitou Kid, was having problems acting.

After that, Kaito had vowed that he'd try to keep away from Shinichi. If he didn't see him, he didn't have to act strange, right? Never mind that it made Kaito's head hurt to stay away from Shinichi – this was for the best. Shinichi probably didn't love him, and he would probably only be concerned by Kaito's off behavior.

This is the first time we've talked in a week, huh? Kaito dully thought, purposefully keeping his face away from Shinichi. I didn't know he was coming to this party…

"So? What's up?" Shinichi's voice brought Kaito back to the present, and he instinctively glanced over at him. Shinichi looked good, and he probably knew it, Kaito thought grudgingly. He was wearing a dark suit paired with a tie the exact same shade as his eyes, with his hair gelled back slightly.

"Oh, Ran-chan and Kaito got caught underneath the mistletoe!" hummed Aoko.

"Ran and Kaito? Underneath the mistletoe?" Something in Shinichi's face changed, and he looked up. "I see. That's from Kid just now, right?"

"Uh, yes," Kaito muttered, refusing to meet Shinichi's eyes, despite that he could feel Shinichi's gaze burning into his shoulder. "I guess it fell there."

Hearing Ran interject a, "Hey!" Kaito lifted his sight to see that Shinichi had pushed Ran out of the way, standing in her old spot.

At Kaito's horrified expression, he shrugged. "I can't let you kiss her, after all."

Kaito held back a sigh. So he's only doing this so I won't kiss Ran? Really? "Do what you want, then," Kaito agreed, looking off into the distance to feign a lack of care, although his heart rate became erratic.

Dammit, I know he's only doing it for her, but even so…

Shinichi nodded. Without any further explanation or warning, he briskly leaned in and gave Kaito a light peck on the lips.

Unfortunately, Kaito's lips – his entire body, really – remembered Shinichi's far too well, and he flushed slightly as memories of what Shinichi's lips had done to his in the past claimed his mind.

Seriously, brain? Is that really necessary?

"I'm going to get something to drink," Kaito gruffly announced, turning tail and hurrying away, ignoring his friends' protests.

He needed something to wash the faint taste of mint and dark chocolate off his lips.

IX.

The ninth time they kissed, it was amidst chiming and fireworks.

Kaito sat sulking by a large bay window, staring into his virgin cocktail. Why oh why had Aoko (which meant Hakuba as well, by default) dragged him to this New Year's party? She'd shown up at his house at ten o'clock, demanded he get dressed, and made Hakuba drive both of them to a high class bar/restaurant an hour away. And once they'd gotten there, she'd run off with Hakuba the second they'd arrived and left him by himself.

Who cares about the new year, anyway? he thought irately, staring at the window, which was reflecting the busy, brightly lit inside of the bar. It's just another sign that time's passing by…

Laughing a little at his own cynicism, Kaito rested his chin on the heel of his hand. Usually, he was never this depressed and definitely not during New Year's festivities, but this year, he was more than a little disheartened. It sort of made sense – he had always found New Year's to be quite romantic, and this was the first year he was dealing with an unrequited love.

"God, I'm pathetic," he murmured aloud, downing his cocktail.

"What makes you say that?" At the familiar voice, Kaito nearly spit out his drink, whirling to see Shinichi standing a few feet away, eyebrows raised and a playful smile on his lips.

"What… you…" he sputtered, befuddled, before it hit him. Damn that Aoko! She set this up, didn't she?

"Yes, I'm here." Shinichi pulled out the chair across from Kaito and sat down. "Is there any particular reason Nakamori-chan sent me over here?"

"Of course not," Kaito insisted, giving a playful laugh. "She's just screwing with me."

Shinichi slanted his head to one side inquisitively. "How so?"

Surveying Shinichi's perfect eyes – damn, I've got it bad – Kaito shook his head. "You don't need to know. Really." He focused his gaze down into his cup, a sigh unthinkingly escaping him.

"If you say so –" Shinichi's sentence was interrupted by the chime of the bar's clock, announcing the countdown to the new year.

"Oh great. Just another year down the drain," Kaito mumbled.

"How could you describe it as 'down the drain'? I'm hurt." The second and third chime rang off, and Kaito glanced confusedly at the detective.

"Why?" Fourth chime.

A smile. Fifth chime. "Think about what happened this year." Sixth.

Frowning, Kaito tried to do as Shinichi had said. Seventh. "Seriously, Kudou, what are you talking about?" Eighth.

"Well, we did meet each other, didn't we?" Ninth.

Kaito couldn't stop staring, entranced by the blue of Shinichi's eyes. Tenth.

The blue softened. Eleventh. "And by the way – at a moment like this, isn't my first name more appropriate?"

Twelfth.

A scrape of chair legs backwards against the floor, and lips were pressed against Kaito's. It took him a moment to realize that Shinichi had stood up and was kissing him – heartbreakingly soft and calm and pure.

It took him another moment to realize that to his left, fireworks were going off – bright white and azure and crimson and ochre and beautiful, painting the dark, silky canvas of night with splashes of fleeting color.

Shinichi pulled away, trying to give him a chance to admire the fireworks – but Kaito couldn't help but admire the azure of his eyes, brighter than any of the fireworks going off.

"Nakamori-chan chose this space specially for its view of the fireworks – not many places in Japan set off fireworks for the new year – and its following of the western 'kiss at the midnight of the new year' tradition," Shinichi explained, and Kaito looked away.

"So this was just because I was closest to you, right? And you wanted to follow the tradition," Kaito commented. And just when I thought maybe, just maybe…

X.

"Goddamn, you are dense."

Kaito's gaze snapped up, and he gaped at Shinichi, who was rolling his eyes. "Huh?"

Shinichi sat back down primly, rolling his eyes. "You. Are. Dense," he enunciated clearly.

Sighing, Kaito dropped his face onto the table, turning to watch the tail end of the fireworks show. "That's really helpful."

"Hey. I don't know what you've assumed about me, but as a detective, I can pretty much guarantee whatever notions you've got aren't completely true."

"Really? Try me."

Shinichi leaned forward, dropping his face onto his hands. "You think I'm in love with Ran."

"And you aren't?" asked Kaito as the last firework died out.

Staring at him, Shinichi gripped his forehead, letting out a groan. "You are seriously dense, Kaito."

Scowling, Kaito nodded, "Yes, yes, I know. I'm just an idiot."

"Kaito. Look at me."

"Kudou, you've already taken enough from me, gotten my hopes up so many times it's ridiculous. Would you mind letting me get away with not looking at you?"

Growling, Shinichi reached out and forced Kaito to look at him, turning his head so they were face to face. "Kaito, would you please listen to me?"

Pulling free of Shinichi's cool touch, Kaito leaned back. "Fine. Talk."

Shinichi eyed him tiredly. "Look, Kaito…" He seemed to be struggling with himself, and Kaito wasn't in the mood to throw him a lifesaver.

"Could you just tell it to me straight?" Maybe a straightforward rejection will be easier to heal…

"Okay then. Kaito, I love you."

It took Kaito a full minute to process what exactly Shinichi had just said, and once he had, his reaction was to blink madly and turn pink. "Excuse me?"

"Kaito. I love you."

"I'm not going to look for any double meaning in that, so could you please just –"

"Good, because I wasn't planning on putting any in." Shinichi's irises seemed to brighten, the color sharpening. "I love you, Kuroba Kaito."

"But what about Ran?" The question was spilling off of Kaito's lips before he knew it, and with it came a barrage more. "And how she threatened me? And you not wanting me to kiss her so you kissing me underneath the mistletoe? And… and… you can't. Not when I've…"

"Ran is my best friend, and I love her like a sister. I don't know where you got the misconception that I'm in love with her. Although she herself was in love with me for a long time and only moved on recently." Shinichi tipped his head to one side. "What did she say when she was threatening you?"

"That she was in love with you and if I hurt you, she'd pay me back," returned Kaito, the words bubble out even though he tried to hold them back.

"I think you misinterpreted that one, Kaito. She meant that she had been in love with me – past tense – and didn't want me to get hurt." Shinichi blushed. "As for the mistletoe… I couldn't have the guy I love kissing my friend, now could I?"

"…Oh." Kaito drew in a long breath. "So does that mean that… that you actually…?"

"Of course. I might not have loved you from the start, but now… now I do." A slight pause. "If you don't, then that's okay, of course –"

"Don't be ridiculous. I love you, Kudou," blurted out Kaito, going slightly pink.

Looking pained, Shinichi said, "And about that… at a moment like this, isn't my first name appropriate?"

Something about that familiar phrasing struck a chord within Kaito, and he demanded, "That's what you said that time when you were drunk –!"

"Well, yes, I was drunk at the time, but I still fully knew what I was saying," Shinichi told him, blinking.

"Then why did you not bring it up afterwards?!" Kaito half yelled. "It would've saved us a lot of heartbreak, you know!"

"I didn't because you didn't bring it up, and I figured that you didn't love me and didn't want to think about it…" stammered Shinichi.

"…We were both dense," grumbled Kaito, covering his face with his hands embarrassedly.

Shinichi smiled, stretching a hand across the table to gently separate Kaito's hand from his face. At the comfortable feeling Shinichi's cool fingers brought, Kaito let out a reassured breath. He jumped, however, when he felt Shinichi's lips press against the back of his hand.

"Shin… ichi…" he shivered.

"Yes?" Shinichi whispered, softly pulling Kaito across the table by his hand. For the second time that night, he pressed his lips to Kaito's, and Kaito didn't resist.

Finally they broke apart, and Shinichi gave him a quizzical look. "Any more questions?"

Feeling Shinichi's breath on his lips and swamped by the azure of his eyes, Kaito had only one.

"Why do you taste like mint and dark chocolate?"

The tenth time Kudou Shinichi and Kuroba Kaito, they were completely, madly, ridiculously in love.

* = When "Kaitou Kid" is written in hiragana, it takes the characters ka, i, to, u, ki, tsu, & do. Not going to get into why (Japanese pronunciation & double letter stuff), so if this part was confusing, I'm sorry. Some knowledge of Japanese is necessary.

** = Just go with it. I know Snake and his gang aren't supposed to be related to the Black Organization, but... please just go with it.

FINALLY IT'S DONE OMG THIS TOOK SO LOOOOONG OMG IT'S SO OOC TOO WHAT THE HELLLLLL *dies*

So I had literally no idea what to title this and/or how to end it, so... I was like, "Hey, I keep repeating that Shinichi tastes like mint and dark chocolate (who knows where the hell I got that idea, heh), so why not use that?"

Hm... my personal favorites of this to write were four (Snake) and five (Pocky), despite both of them being riddled with plot holes (fridge logic!). Those were fun to write, because I'm a weird person who enjoys that sort of thing.

If you don't mind, drop a review with your favorite part(s) of this fic, k? But if you didn't like it... uh... sorry...?

GAH. Now I have to go write more for my other fics. *dies again*

Anyway, hope you liked it~! Until later, my darlings!

- Luna