A/N: Written for Unyielding Chaos's 5 Stages of Love Challenge on SHINE. A series of drabbles about Kaoru and Arai's relationship.

First comes denial

It took a while for Arai to realize that he was in love. Perhaps it was because he'd never had the slightest suspicion of it being so. He'd always valued his friendship with Kaoru-kun, but never had he imagined, well, love.

The first time they'd talked, they were fifteen, somewhat rivals for love, but that was a very loosely used term. Kaoru was simply rooting for his brother, who regarded Arai as the Hated Enemy for Haruhi's Heart. Arai, meanwhile, genuinely saw them as very funny people and suspected nothing on either's behalf.

But that was then, and now it was something quite different.

Kaoru could be very energetic despite himself, always with one philosophical idea or another lingering in his mind as they talked over coffee, to which Arai would find himself agreeing to, and, once thinking, he is kind of cute.

Of course, it took many, many talks and drinks later for Arai to even view Kaoru as more than a friend. Like Haruhi, he was a bit dense when it came to romance. Until then, it'd been, plain and simple, denial.

Not that Arai would ever admit it.

then comes anger

Arai wouldn't have thought that he was angry; he was too subdued for that, and anger was too strong of a word. No, it was more like confusion. He wasn't sure why he felt so confused, and that, in a way, led to anger. So he was angry then. Sort of. In a way.

Confusion, confusion. Oh, why couldn't he understand his own feelings better? Kaoru called him natural. Arai would have called himself clueless.

This so-called anger led to drinks and drinks led to hangovers, so if Arai would ever be called upon to explain love, he'd say Love is one gigantic hangover.

It was philosophical in a way. Kaoru liked it. Still, when all he could see was red, red hair and feel lips pressed against his, Arai would think he was angry. Or confused. One way or another. Or–

Or, maybe, that's just what he tried to convince himself of.

before the bargaining begins

The deal was sealed quickly. Kaoru didn't give Arai any chance to go over it again. Once he'd signed it, it was snatched away by the grinning redhead.

"That's it," he said.

Arai wasn't quite sure why they were signing a contract in the first place. After all, they were only talking about a relationship, not a merger or a deal for big-name companies.

Still, Kaoru insisted that they do it this way, and Arai, being Arai, blindly agreed. The contract spanned a total of a hundred some pages, prompting Arai to wonder how in the world Kaoru managed to finish this in a day's time.

The answer came to him quickly. Secretaries.

He groaned.

Having a contract was silly in some ways, but it also set rules for their relationship, Kaoru had previously mentioned. Arai thought that it made sense, in a strange, convoluted way.

Therefore, it probably wasn't a good thing that he hadn't thoroughly read every single clause listed, especially those labeled under the term After Dark Regulations…

initiating an anger of sorts

Their first fight came as a shock to Kaoru. He hadn't thought that he would insult Arai like that, really. He'd never thought that he would hurt his feelings, and eventually, he realized that perhaps it was because boundaries still stood between rich and common.

Because after all, he'd never expected Arai to become so touchy about sales and bargains. How was he supposed to know that Arai practically worshipped the holy deities of the half-off sale? If there even was any in the first place.

He wondered where Arai might have gone so he could apologize. It had been slightly wrong on his part after all. Arai wouldn't stay mad for long though; he never did. Still, Kaoru found it funny how Arai could be so livid and forgiving at the same time. He would be angry one minute and placid the next.

In the end, he didn't have to go anywhere. Arai was back within moments, large brown bags in his hands. Apparently, he'd found another sale, and that made everything better.

and finally leading to acceptance.

At the end of the day, none of this mattered. Denial, anger, even making that contract? None of that mattered. He was happy, and that made Kaoru happy.

It didn't take much for Arai to be full of giddiness. Just a good deal for apples at the grocery store was enough to make him light-hearted. Kaoru pensively took note.

Other than that, they shared a healthy relationship. Sure, it would never be considered a marriage; Hikaru had once deviously noted that they had all but the license.

Kaoru didn't really care much for that. Arai hadn't been what he thought to be at first, and that had been a mistake. Arai was Arai, and that was enough for him, he decided.

And so, with Arai's messy head of hair resting on his chest, Kaoru reflected how lucky he was indeed, and as he too flitted off into sleep, he could hardly contain a smile stretching from ear-to-ear. Though he initially hated the fact that some things could be too far out of his reach, there was now an acceptance of life's mysteries, from a brown-eyed, brown haired girl from so many years ago to the sleeping boy next to him now.

It was a good life, he thought.

END

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