OMG ANOTHER ONESHOT. Dammit. I'm sorry, anyone who's following Gem of a Person or A Sonata and a Smile.

So this fic takes place in an AU, but it's explained in the story itself, so I won't bother trying to describe it now. Also, the fic is written pretty casually & OOC-ly this time around because I feel like it fits the plotline better. Anyway, hope you like it! – Luna

Roses

The roses were a deep, sensual red that slowly morphed into a light, elegant pink. Even from where Kuroba Kaito sat a few feet away, he could see that the delicate, paper-thin petals were silky smooth and almost glossy with health. The slender stems had been painstakingly removed of thorns, leaving behind smooth, narrow necks that stretched up into gorgeous ruby heads.

They were beautiful, perfect even… and it was annoying Kaito to no end.

When Kaito had arrived at his class at Teitan High School earlier this morning (he'd switched from Ekoda nearly six months ago – he had undergone an unfortunate falling out with Nakamori Aoko over her discovering his night job) the last thing he had expected to see was a dozen red roses carefully arranged in an shapely, blown glass vase. While it was a bit strange to see such a thing in a drab classroom, what had surprised him even further was the fact that the vase was sitting on one Kudou Shinichi's desk, which was currently vacant.

Upon closer inspection, Kaito had discovered a small white card attached to the side of the vase.

And it read I love you on it.

In an extremely flowery script.

Yes, Kaito understood that Shinichi had fangirls who were all insanely in love with him, and yes, he knew he was being irrational and all that, but damn it all, those roses were seriously pissing him off.

Like, seriously. Did it have to be roses? Because those were Kaito's trademark. How dare somebody use them to confess to Shinichi! And confessing to Shinichi was… bad?

…Okay, he didn't actually know why he was so upset about the roses. But they were extremely irritating nonetheless.

Kaito didn't even realize he had been glaring at the evil, evil flowers without blinking for about five minutes until he felt a tentative, light tap on his shoulder. Starting, he glanced up into the pretty face of Shinichi's childhood friend, Mouri Ran. At this particular moment, the pretty face was twisted with concern and slight fear.

"Um, Kuroba-kun, are you okay…?" she asked awkwardly.

"Huh? Yes, of course I'm fine," Kaito replied. Looking around the classroom, he noticed that many of his classmates were staring at him wearing expressions quite like Ran's. "Why do you ask?"

Ran flinched. "Well, ah…" She peered over her shoulder at her best friend, Suzuki Sonoko, as if asking for help. The blonde only rolled her eyes and flapped her hand at the karate champion as if to say go on.

Turning back to Kaito, she explained, "We – the class, that is – were kind of worried that you, uh, might be trying to set Shinichi's roses on fire." Sensing the magician's bewilderment at the suggestion, she quickly added, "With your eyes."

"Oh." Kaito blinked at her. "Was it that noticeable?"

Ran blinked right back at him. "Wait, you were actually trying to set them on fire?"

"Yep," Kaito nodded. Ran only managed to look even more disturbed.

"I… see." Hesitantly, she questioned, "Ah… do you want to tell me why?"

Observing her, Kaito thought about it. Maybe it would be a good idea to try to talk about his, uh, concern regarding Shinichi. Ran, having known Shinichi for so long, might've appeared to be a rival, but knowing that she was in a faithful long-distance relationship with some bespectacled guy she always talked about, Kaito decided he could trust her. And she might have an idea about who gave the roses to Shinichi.

"I could," Kaito told her.

With a short nod, Ran seated herself in the desk beside Kaito's and propped her head up on her chin, watching him alertly. "Go ahead. What's wrong, Kuroba-kun?"

Leaning in, Kaito said lowly, "I have no idea why, but I'm really annoyed about the roses." He paused to think for a second before correcting, "Well, annoyed by the roses, maybe."

Ran slanted her head to one side quizzically. "Do you know if there's a particular reason?"

Kaito shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I just feel kind of upset that somebody confessed to Kudou using roses of all things. I mean, roses are my thing, you know?" He sighed. "I just… nobody should confess to him with roses. Unless the person confessing is, like, I don't know… me or… or something."

Staring at him as some kind of thought dawned on her, Ran blushed and shifted uneasily. "Kuroba-kun… did you ever consider that you might… like Shinichi? As in, more than a friend?"

"…No."

Smiling uncomfortably, Ran nodded and excused herself with a, "Do that, okay?" before skipping off to rejoin Sonoko.

Do I like Shinichi? Kaito wondered, leaning back in his chair. Sure, his heart rate always got sort of erratic whenever Shinichi got too close, and he thought Shinichi was drop-dead gorgeous, and he called Shinichi by his first name inside his head, and he really, really, really liked being around him…

"What the hell, it totally sounds like I'm in love with him," Kaito grumbled, eliciting a few worried looks from his classmates.

He sank down in his seat, taking deep breaths. If Kaito was in love with Shinichi, didn't that mean he was a lot less straight then he'd previously thought?

An image of Shinichi's face chose that moment to lodge itself firmly in his brain, making him shiver.

…Probably.

Letting out a groan, Kaito dropped his head onto his desk.

Okay, fine.

He was totally in love with Shinichi. Fact accepted.

The red of the roses caught his eye again, and Kaito lifted his head long enough to resume glaring at them.

Seriously. How dare someone use his flower to confess to Shinichi? He was definitely going to ship that person to Nigeria next chance he got.

Wait, but what if Shinichi saw the note and actually decided to give the girl a chance? What if he actually started going out with her?! Oh God, what if they got married?! What would happen to Kaito then?!

It was at that precise moment that Kaito's brain was collapsing – let's face it, it had been way too overloaded with weird discoveries and imaginary scenarios to function any longer – that the classroom door slid open and Kudou Shinichi himself strolled in, oblivious to Kaito's plight as he sat down in his seat. "Hey, Kuroba," he greeted, grinning before glancing at the roses.

And reading the note.

And looking vaguely surprised. And vaguely… interested.

Damn it.

Kaito stood abruptly and grabbed Shinichi rather roughly by the arm, catching the detective by surprise. Without waiting for a response, he dragged Shinichi out of the classroom, right past their teacher, who had just entered.

Ignoring her and Shinichi's protestations as well as the fact that class had just started, Kaito slammed the door behind him, half-threw Shinichi against the hallway wall, and stood motionless in front of him with a frown.

Shinichi blinked once. Twice.

"…Kuroba?"

Wordlessly, Kaito pressed his lips against Shinichi's, earning himself a jolt of surprise and a puzzled "mmph?!"

Shinichi was suddenly quite aware that Kaito's knee had suddenly made its way between his legs and that his own hands had somehow ended up threading through Kaito's hair. He had no idea when that had happened, honest.

He also was aware that Kaito tasted sweet and spicy – something like vanilla and cinnamon? Whatever it was, Shinichi didn't mind. He actually rather liked it.

Kaito finally pulled back a minute later, indigo eyes uncharacteristically dark and grave as he watched a fairly confused (but fairly satisfied) Shinichi.

"Shinichi," he said, businesslike, and Shinichi swallowed at the way his given name sounded from Kaito's lips.

"Yes?"

"I love you. So don't go out with the roses girl. And don't marry her."

On that rather odd note, Kaito removed himself from Shinichi's person and ambled back into class nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just partaken in a rather steamy session of making out.

Trailing after him in a haze, Shinichi entered the classroom, nodding his apologies to the teacher before sitting down in his seat.

Staring at the roses still on his desk, he wondered whether or not he should tell Kaito they were a prank from his mother.

Tasting vanilla and cinnamon lingering on his tongue, Shinichi hid a grin as he placed the roses on the floor.

No, he definitely shouldn't.

Because face it, Yukiko would totally send Shinichi roses at school to embarrass him. (That is, if I've correctly assessed her character.)

But anyway, apologies for the OOC Kaito T_T. But I've finally assigned him a (headcanon) flavor! :D Shinichi will be mint and dark chocolate, and Kaito will be vanilla and cinnamon!

...Okay, I'm going to go now. Review? - Luna