Just Another Morning

Standing in front of the coffee table, Kaito took a step back with arms akimbo. He tilted his to aside and peered at the display which was laid on the wooden surface of the low furniture. Something was amiss, he thought, but he just could not pin down the flaw.

At the crack of dawn the magician had already taken a quick shower, shaved his stubble and clothed casually in black singlet and beige sweatpants. After giving his sleeping sweetheart a kiss, he sprinted down the stairs and headed straight to the kitchen. Spending an hour or so bustling around the kitchen, Kaito meticulously arranged the food on the platter and attempted to make an impressive breakfast layout. But somehow, his artistic endeavor did not turn out to be his version of a perfect breakfast.

Just what's wrong?

Comically, the magician squatted in front of the morning meal and his eyes were utterly focused. With his chin rested on his thumb and index finger, he was kind of mimicking somebody. Another minute had passed and the sheer perplexity that was haunting Kaito refused to make its exit until…

Ah—yes!

So that was missing.

Kaito swiftly snapped his fingers and a beautiful red rose appeared. Soon after he placed the delicate flower beside the platter, he stood up to admire his artwork once more.

"Perfect!" he clasped his hands together. Humming his favorite song, Kaito removed the apron and took a glimpse at the huge pendulum clock which was parked at the corner of the hall.

"It's time to wake him up…"

Leaving the coffee to brew, Kaito enthusiastically mounted the stairs. The day was still early and he presumed to be greeted by the lovely view of his lover, Shinichi snuggling adorably under the quilt. Instead, upon arriving at the door of their room, he saw the detective was sitting cross-legged on their queen-sized bed with a book in his hand. Kaito's heart fluttered in warmness; Shinichi was wearing one of his white shirts along with a pair of dark blue shorts which had conveniently exhibited his beautiful legs. Judging from the refreshing look and the subtle lavender scent of their shampoo, there was no doubt Shinichi had already taken a shower but somehow, the detective stayed glued to the bed with a noticeable frown on his face.

Though Shinichi had long aware of Kaito's presence, he did not bother to acknowledge him and carry on with whatever he was reading. Kaito, however, was not perturbed by Shinichi's behavior. He walked towards Shinichi, bearing a rather sly smile on his face. Sitting at the edge of the bed in a carefree manner, Kaito leaned forward and placed a ritual morning kiss on Shinichi's lips. Still very much sullen, Shinichi nevertheless responded to the kiss ardently. But once they broke away from the kiss, the detective went back burying his nose in the book.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Kaito greeted, grinning in such a way that Shinichi could easily picture even without looking.

There was yet a reply. Seeking for some adventure, Kaito tested the water by moving stealthily nearer to the detective and wrapped an arm around his waist. When Shinichi did not make any fuss, Kaito rested his chin on his shoulder, as if wanting to have a share of the book. The pair remained silent and the only thing that was heard in the room was the occasional sound of pages flipping. Kaito squinted at the small printed text before him, wondering why Shinichi's eyesight had never seemed to go bad despite of the countless tedious readings of files, books and information. But recently Kaito remarked that Shinichi had cut down on leisure reading. Just like the book he was currently holding, the last time Kaito saw him reading it was three weeks ago.

Perhaps the detective was prioritizing the time he could spend with the magician even at the expense of his precious hobby?

Caught in an enthralling string of speculation and reasoning, Kaito smiled dreamily to himself and failed to notice Shinichi had been observing him for quite a while. The detective narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized Kaito; the uncanny mien of his boyfriend was absolutely disturbing. Even as Shinichi had put the book away, Kaito continued to stare into the blank space.

"Kaito? Kaito!"

The magician jolted from his reveries and turned to Shinichi with a flustered look. Throwing Kaito a dull face, Shinichi crossed his arms displeasingly.

"I don't really want to know what were you thinking, Kaito,"

Overjoyed that Shinichi had finally decided to talk to him, Kaito smiled brightly, grinning from ear to ear. "Nothing but you, Shinichi,"

Looking away, Shinichi clicked his tongue to show his contempt but the vivid blush on his fair cheeks had expressed to Kaito the otherwise. Could not resist Shinichi's cuteness, Kaito drew him nearer and kissed his forehead.

"Breakfast is ready, sweetheart,"

"And I'm supposed to be angry at you,"

"And why is that so?"

"I don't think I need to elaborate why I'd to crawl to the bathroom this morning, sit on the edge of the bathtub for a shower and was confined to the bed to wait for the culprit to help me to move around,"

Kaito insensitively let out a soft laughter, earning him a glare from Shinichi. From the very start Kaito already knew the reason behind Shinichi's moodiness. He also knew Shinichi was not angry at him but simply trying to channel out his morning tantrum. Oh yes, they had fun last night, so much fun that Kaito, without restraint, had gone a little overboard.

"I can't believe you've the guts to laugh now!" gritting his teeth, Shinichi grabbed Kaito's mandible and shook the magician's head from side to side. "You pounded me like a wild beast last night and now I can't even walk!"

"Sweetheart…" Kaito caught Shinichi's hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. He looked straight into Shinichi's eyes, causing the detective to blush fiercely; Kaito had this very, very lewd smile on his face. "…as I very clearly recall, you didn't do anything to stop me, on the contrary, you—"

"Help me down for a cup of coffee," Shinichi bade, encircling his arms around Kaito's shoulders and pouted like a child. Whatever Kaito was about to say was Shinichi's last verdict and he had nothing to defend himself. Smiling triumphantly, Kaito passed an arm under Shinich's knees and lifted the detective up.

On the way descending the stairs, the pair made no conversation and indulged themselves in the physical closeness they shared. Taking a glimpse at Kaito's charming face, Shinichi rested his head on his shoulder and pondered in silence; Kaito had always enjoyed carrying him around whenever opportunity arose. And each time, Shinichi could not help but to feel a little envious towards Kaito. The athletic magician could easily carry Shinichi and run up the stairs without getting breathless. Although in comparison Kaito was sturdier than him, by standard, Shinichi was not exactly the petite type.

"Kaito, am I not heavy for you?" Shinichi asked abruptly as Kaito was approaching the living room where the breakfast was set.

"Hm? Well, I wish you are but…no, you're not,"

Shinichi furrowed his brow and wondered what he meant. He wanted to probe the magician further but a glance at Kaito's expression had informed him that his boyfriend wished to drop the subject, hence Shinichi discreetly obliged. It was not important after all, maybe.

With much care and gentleness, Kaito lowered Shinichi onto the couch, mindful not to put too much pressure on the...well, sore area. Shinichi winced in pain, shifting his bottom several times to find a comfortable sitting position. His boyfriend who was now kneeling before him was not happy with his condition. Trace of guilt seeped into his face as he stretched out his hands and rested them on Shinichi's hips.

"Shinichi, I'm sor—"

"Is not like we can do it every day, besides, I want it just as much as you,"

Stupefied, Kaito widened his eyes with a faint shade of red across his cheeks. He did not expect Shinichi could say those words without batting an eye. "Ump, well, yeah, but…"

"I'll be fine," Shinichi assured his boyfriend. "So for now, may I have my coffee, please?"

"Yes, you may but meanwhile, start eating first and I'll join you later," giving Shinichi a quick kiss, Kaito stood up and strode to the kitchen.

Shinichi sat alone on the couch and adjusted his posture over and over again. Finally found an ambiguously reasonable but not quite comfortable position, he straightened his back to ease the tension along his spine. The awkwardness he felt had further compromised his appetite. But though the luscious breakfast on the table was not able to rouse his hunger, he was not blind to Kaito's painstaking efforts. The presentation of the meal was very beautiful and Shinichi shook his head with a smile when he saw the red rose beside the platter.

"Meticulous as always…" Shinichi picked up the fresh flower and inhaled its sweet scent, picturing the man who he was so madly in love with summoning the rose from nowhere.

"Sweetheart, why aren't you eating? The breakfast is turning cool," Kaito walked out holding two cups of coffee and offered one of the them to Shinichi. The detective promptly took it and gave the steamy beverage an appreciative sip.

"The food doesn't suit your taste? I can cook another set for you,"

"No, Kaito. The breakfast is perfect but it's just that…I don't feel like eating at the moment…"

Disregarding Shinichi's utterance, Kaito took his seat on the carpeted floor instead of joining Shinichi on the couch. The detective was a little upset at first but his dismay had instantly turned into bashfulness the moment Kaito extended out his hand at him. In hesitation, Shinichi took Kaito's hand with a shy smile. He moved slowly from the couch to the magician's lap and settled cozily. A sigh of relief escaped from Shinichi's lips; sitting on Kaito's lap had substantially reduced the pain. As Kaito took the remote control to turn on the television, Shinichi leaned back on the magician's chest and took another sip of coffee.

"I didn't know there's a rerun of this series at this time,"

"I recorded it, but didn't manage to catch the third episode though,"

"No, this is good enough," emptying the first cup of coffee, Shinichi reached out for the second one. "It's not hard to catch up with the storyline,"

Shinichi's voice trailed off into silence as the show went on. The intensity of the plot had fully captured his attention. Seizing the opportunity, Kaito took the coffee away and placed it at the far corner of the table. When there was no sign of protest from Shinichi, Kaito's heart leaped in thrill. Without making much noise or movement, the magician sliced the food on Shinichi's platter into bite-size pieces and held it up to Shinichi's mouth. Shinichi ate the food without a word; his eyes were starkly fixed on the television screen.

Ecstatic over the favorable outcome of his plan, Kaito eagerly but at the same time, stealthily fed Shinichi like a bird nourishing its young. Whatever Kaito was doing, Shinichi was terribly yielding. Even as Shinichi was fumbling around the table for the coffee, Kaito could smoothly retract his hand back and interlocked their fingers together to keep his hand away from the caffeinated drink.

"The bacon tastes good," Shinichi commented out of the blues as Kaito was nibbling one end of the sausage. "Isn't it the usual one? You added something?"

"Yes…but just a bit of spice and I'd never thought you'd notice it, Shinichi. You usually never bother with the food you're eating," to prove his point, Kaito fed Shinichi his half-eaten sausage and the detective savored it imperturbably.

"How could I not notice that you substituted the cooking oil with fresh butter, the eggs were perfectly three quarter cooked, you toasted the bread using the hot pan instead of the toaster and…" turning his body around suddenly to straddle on Kaito's lap, Shinichi put his hands on the magician's shoulders and gripped them firmly. "…somebody is celebrating inside because things had gone his way, apparently"

"W-what are you talking Shinichi, I don't quite understand, haha…" averting his eyes from Shinichi, Kaito laughed in nervousness. He started to hate himself for forgetting that his detective lover had inborn extra sensory receptions.

"Pounded me like crazy to make me sit on your lap so that you could handily feed me and distract me with my favorite show...you were going to such extent of getting me to finish my food. I really don't know which is crazier, Kaito. Your creepy plan or…" Shinichi tilted Kaito's head and drew him closer for a smooch. "…I'm still so in love with you despite of your creepiness,"

Kaito closed the gap in between their lips once more to allow the kiss to linger a little longer. Just before they parted for air, Shinichi vaguely heard Kaito murmuring 'I love you,'. He wanted to reciprocate his feeling but when he saw the heavy-hearted smile on Kaito's lips, he halted.

"Kaito?"

Wearing that smile still, the magician took a moment to cherish the sight of his lover clothed in his shirt and he lifted his hands up to straighten the cotton material that was covering Shinichi's lean torso. Then, in a most placid manner, he wound his arms around Shinichi's waist and buried his face against the detective's chest.

"I was desperate, Shinichi," Kaito muttered. "The last time you wore my shirt, it didn't look this big and you weighed like a feather when I carried you this morning. I know it's because of the case you're handling but still…"

"You're sure it's not you're the one building up muscle?"

"Shinichi, I'm very worried about you,"

"I know, but the weight loss is not as bad as you think,"

"You're not eating well these days,"

"From now on I'll…or at least till I'm done with my case," fingering Kaito's scalp, Shinichi placed a kiss on the crown of his head. "I'll take care of myself for your sake so stop all your crazy plans already. It's not going to work next time,"

Kaito pulled away slightly to kiss Shinichi and whispered softly into the lips of his lover.

"Deal, sweetheart,"

-END-

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!