Mikau: Hello there! Yes, I know I said updates would be slow, but depressed Kaito has been bothering me lately saying how he'd really like it if I could hurry up and give him his happy ending already. And so this week you get a Healing Process chapter instead of a Roses chapter. Sorry about that. Roses should be back next week. Anyway, just to clarify, we're back in the present now, dealing with the aftermath of chapter one. Do enjoy! (P.S: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed last chapter: patternleap, Bunnyz-chan, RyomaLovers, Baked Soap, and foreverandeveralone. I'm glad this fic is receiving so much support!)

Disclaimer: If I owned it, every once in a while it actually would be lupus. Oh wait. Wrong show.

Chapter Three: Developing a Routine

Shinichi was kind of surprised to find that Kaito really didn't have a whole lot of stuff in his apartment. In fact, the magician had failed to accumulate much in the two and a half/three years since Shinichi had helped Kaito sort through his belongings and rid himself of everything that reminded him of Hakuba just a few months after "the divorce".

"You…don't own much," the detective summarized, noting that items that Kaito had received from Shinichi made up a lot of what Kaito had collected the past few years.

Kaito shrugged sheepishly. "I mean…it wasn't all that long ago that…that Hakuba and I broke up, so…I haven't had a lot of time to get more stuff."

Shinichi refrained from remarking that three years was a very long time indeed. Instead he commented on a 3D brain teaser puzzle that had been sitting on the nightstand next to Kaito's bed. "I gave this to you for your birthday the year before last, didn't I?"

Kaito turned to look and smiled at the little elephant puzzle. "Yeah. The rest are in the drawer, but that one was my favorite, so I left it out. It took me the longest," the former thief admitted. "I couldn't figure out what the hell it was supposed to be at first. Funny. It was easy enough to take apart all the other puzzles, but putting together a wooden elephant puzzle…I don't know why it gave me so much trouble."

Shinichi didn't miss the slight twitch of Kaito's lips that told the detective that his boyfriend was lying. Though, what he couldn't figure out was why Kaito would lie about something so trivial as why he'd had trouble putting together a puzzle.

Kaito saw the look on his sleuth's face and knew that Shinichi was on to him. With a sigh, Kaito went over to sit down on the bed in front of Shinichi, grabbing the little elephant and initiating a staring contest with it.

"I can't get anything past you, can I, Meitantei? The real reason it took me weeks to put the elephant together?" Kaito smiled wryly. "Well, first of all, it was kind of a tough puzzle. There were a lot of little pieces, and I really didn't know what I was putting together until I was about three hours into it. Once I realized it was an elephant…I didn't want to put it together anymore. I wanted to throw it away, but I couldn't because it was something that you had given me. I didn't want it to be an elephant."

"You…don't like elephants?" Shinichi hazarded a guess, knowing that he was missing the key piece of the puzzle.

Kaito shook his head, giving up on his staring contest and letting his hands and the elephant drop to hang between his knees. He looked up at Shinichi and smiled sadly. "Saguru has had a stuffed elephant since he was a little kid. It's like his security blanket; it even travels between England and Japan with him. I used to tease him about it all the time, but…he'd put it by my pillow to watch over me when I was sick, and I used to snuggle with it whenever he was late coming home from a case at night. I used to hide it from him just to watch him flip. After I retired, I'd send out heist notes for the elephant, evade all of the traps and 'security' measures he'd put in place, steal the elephant, and leave him hints and riddles about where to find it…." Kaito hurriedly wiped the tears from his eyes in embarrassment. "Sorry. I know it's stupid, but—"

"—It's not stupid," Shinichi assured authoritatively, sitting down on the bed next to Kaito and putting an arm lightly around the other young man's shoulders. "It's normal to mourn the loss of a relationship and all the little things that went along with it. Obviously the elephant and the memories connected to it meant something to you. That's not stupid, Kaito."

"Thanks," the magician whispered, letting his head tilt to rest on Shinichi's shoulder.

After a minute, Shinichi asked, "So…what made you finally decide to put the elephant puzzle together anyway?"

Slowly a line of sunset scarlet spread across Kaito's cheeks and the bridge of his nose. "I really missed the elephant plushie, and I thought that…you know…this would be different, but…it'd be…be our elephant…yours and mine."

Shinichi chuckled fondly at his little magician but rushed to explain for fear that Kaito might take the laughter the wrong way. "You're really cute, Kaito."

Kaito's blush deepened, and the magician tried to hide his face by burying it in Shinichi's shoulder. "Shut up," the embarrassed magician squeaked.

Shinichi's laughter suddenly stopped when he realized that Kaito could have completed "their" elephant as long as two years ago. Meaning that Kaito had had feelings for Shinichi a lot longer than the dense detective had originally guessed.

Kaito lifted his head, looking concerned. "I didn't actually mean you had to shut up."

Shinichi forced a smile to his lips as he shoved aside this disconcerting new knowledge. "Sorry. I was just thinking about something."

Kaito's expression soured. "That's never good. I can guess what the majority of your thoughts has to do with, and I don't like it. Don't think about work when you're holding me. It's icky."

This got a genuine laugh out of our detective. "No, no. I promise I wasn't. I was just…wondering if our elephant had a name. Does he?"

"Oh." A bit of the blush came back to Kaito's face. "Uh…she. Her name's Rose. It kind of goes along with Sa…Hakuba's elephant's name, but…I thought Rose was a good name for her."

Shinichi nodded, noting the beautiful auburn shade of the wood. "Yeah. I like it. I think it's fitting…. Ready to do some packing, Kaito?"

With a little noise of assent, Kaito stood, and the boys got down to work moving Kaito out of the apartment full of bad memories.

It didn't take long to get everything into boxes. Most of it was clothing and gadgets that Kaito used for tricks. Some of the auxiliary and truly superfluous items were put in a box for donations or thrown away.

It all came down to five medium cardboard boxes—three less than what Kaito had moved in with.

Kaito looked at all of his earthly possessions with a sigh, thinking that this was all he had to show: two boxes of clothes, two boxes of magic, and one box of odds and ends he'd hoarded while lusting after a man he'd thought he could never have.

"What's the matter?" Shinichi hesitantly asked, his boyfriend's sigh making him feel uneasy.

Kaito shook his head. "It's nothing…. I just…I don't have a lot of stuff, do I?"

"No," Shinichi agreed, eyeing the boxes. "Is that bad?"

"I used to have a lot of stuff." Kaito shifted uncomfortably. "There's so little of it left…. I used to have a lot of things that I don't anymore…. Just ten years ago I was fifteen, and I had…I had…a lot of things that I don't have now…objects…ideas…people…. Now…all of my stuff fits in five cardboard boxes."

Shinichi could see where this was going, and he didn't like it. "Maybe all of your material items fit in five boxes, but I certainly don't. Neither does your mom nor the gang nor the pipsqueak squad nor our police friends nor your job nor your hobbies nor that stray cat you feed—well, maybe that one would fit but—nor you for that matter. Kaito, crazy contortionist you may be, but not even you could fit in one of those boxes and stay there forever. Your stuff is in those boxes, but your life can't be defined or restrained by them." Shinichi bit his lip and looked Kaito in the eye. "Get it?"

Kaito, who was staring at him in wide-eyed amazement, nodded.

"Good." Shinichi looked away as a blush colored his cheeks. "If it still bothers you, I'll buy you all the junk and knickknacks you want."

With a smile, Kaito placed a kiss on the underside of Shinichi's jaw. The look in his eyes said everything: "I love you. I love you with everything that I am. I wouldn't make it without you."

Shinichi's blush deepened, and, still not looking, he reached out and pulled Kaito into a one-armed hug. "It's okay. I mean, it's better this way, isn't it? It makes moving easier, and…and this way, there's nothing holding you down. You don't have any physical baggage, so you've already got a head start on a fresh start…on making a life with me."

Kaito laughed like a child, full of mirth, as he squeezed Shinichi tight. "You're wonderful, Shin-chan."

Shinichi's heart sped up, and he began to think that being with another guy might not be all that bad…so long as it was Kaito.

"So…I'm moving back into the guestroom, I'd wager?" Kaito inquired, not holding his breath for an invitation into Shinichi's bed.

"Yes and no," Shinichi returned as he lugged the last of the boxes into the foyer. He set down his load and straightened up to look Kaito in the eye. "You're not a guest. It's not a 'guestroom' anymore. You live here, and that's your room, Kaito."

"Y-Yeah?" Kaito chuckled nervously, blushing as he looked away and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear.

"Yeah," Shinichi confirmed, grabbing a different box and transporting it up the stairs and to the right, into the former guestroom. "You can do what you want with it. Paint it. Doddle on the walls. Hang posters. Put nails in the walls and hang pictures. I don't care what you do so long as you don't blow the place up or knock a wall down or anything. It's your room."

"But…can you really do that? Give me the room, I mean. Isn't this your parents' house?" Kaito asked with big doe eyes, his head tilting adorably to the left.

Shinichi nearly fell over. Oh yeah. He'd forgotten about them. Suddenly he felt a migraine coming on. Shinichi facepalmed with a sigh. "Kaito, I think they'll be too excited about my first boyfriend to care about the room. At least my mom anyway. Dammit."

Kaito blinked, cocking his head in the opposite direction. He sent Shinichi a curious look. "Will that…will that be too big of a nuisance?"

"No, no," Shinichi rushed to assure. "No, not at all. It's fine, it's just…you've met my mother…. You two are a lot alike."

Kaito nodded noncommittally, not sure if he'd just been insulted.

"No! I mean…you're both…very enthusiastic," Shinichi waffled. He bit his lip, and the two looked at each other in awkward silence for a moment until Shinichi finally suggested, "How about you start unpacking. I'll go get more boxes."

"Sure." Kaito gave Shinichi an out before the detective put his foot any further down his throat and choked on it.

Kaito began work on one of the boxes of clothes, deciding to color coordinate his closet just because he now had the opportunity to do so. He chewed absentmindedly on the inside of his cheek as he let the events of the past twenty-four hours flow through his mind like river water through a sieve.

He had to ask himself what the hell he was even doing there. This was all a mistake. Poor Shinichi. Kaito felt like such a con sneaking into Shinichi's life like this. The guy didn't even like Kaito like that. This was all a terrible misunderstanding, and if Shinichi ever found out the truth…Kaito feared he might find himself out on the street and out a best friend.

He sighed and tried to focus on what Shinichi had told him that morning. Shinichi had said that he needed Kaito to help him get over Ran, right? Right. At least Kaito's presence was serving some purpose. Shinichi had even said that he might be able to come to have feelings for Kaito, given time. So he didn't find the magician totally repulsive. Good. That was good.

But still…Shinichi still viewed Kaito as little more than a close friend. Kaito could tell that the detective was pushing himself to be warm and attentive, but it was obvious that Shinichi's affections were not natural or spontaneous. At least Shinichi was trying, though.

Just then Shinichi came back with another box.

"Look. About what I said about my parents finding out…" the detective started, rubbing the back of his neck as he searched for the right words.

"We don't have to tell them," Kaito volunteered. "I know it'd be a hassle and really embarrassing to introduce me as your boyfriend when you don't actually feel that way for me. I know your mom will make a big deal out of it, so, if you want, we can just tell them…tell them I'm having another breakdown or something." Kaito averted his eyes, not wanting to see the look of relief that was sure to wash over Shinichi's face.

Kaito was surprised when the detective was suddenly standing right behind him, resting a comforting hand between Kaito's shoulder blades.

"Yet," Shinichi added. "When I don't feel that way for you…yet. You left out an important word, masochistic idiot. And it's not a hassle. Yes, my mother is going to coo and take pictures and pinch my cheeks and say embarrassing stuff like 'Remember to use protection!' or something about grandbabies or something in that annoying upper register of hers, but… Kaito, we may not be very far along in our relationship, but we are a real couple. You are my boyfriend, and I'm going to tell my parents the truth about you. No matter how loudly my mother is going to squeal. Okay?"

Kaito smiled and nodded, not trusting his voice. These past twenty-four hours were bad for his heart. He went from the depths of despair to the highest heavens back down to hell and then right back up again. He was so happy and angsty all at the same time.

He loved this, and yet, he felt like he didn't deserve it. Once again he was a thief. This time he had stolen Mouri-chan's place in Shinichi's life…stolen Shinichi himself from her.

"So…we're cool?" Shinichi double checked.

Kaito nodded, pressing an appreciative kiss to Shinichi's jaw for the second time that day.

Shinichi tussled the magician's usually untidy hair. "I'm going to get the last two boxes. Don't overthink anything while I'm gone."

"Okay," Kaito chuckled, picking a light green shirt out of the box he had been working on.

"Then I'll help you unpack, and we can get some late lunch. Sound good?" Shinichi proposed.

"Un!" Kaito agreed enthusiastically.

After everything was unpacked and they'd had a nice lunch of sandwiches and fruit, Shinichi and Kaito curled up on the couch in the study with their respective books. Gradually, Kaito dared to inch closer and closer to Shinichi until his body was just barely brushing the detective's.

Shinichi, who had been ignoring Kaito's antics up until that point, finally turned and gave the magician a quizzical expression. "What are you doing?"

Kaito tensed. "Uh. Sorry. I was just—"

"—Lie down," Shinichi instructed, turning back to the pages.

Kaito blinked slowly, his head tipping to the side in confusion. "Huh?"

"Lie down," Shinichi repeated evenly, patting his thigh.

Kaito blinked again, wondering if he were hallucinating. "You want me to put my head in your lap?"

This time Shinichi blinked as he lowered his book and actually looked at Kaito. The puzzled expression on his face was absolutely precious. "Isn't that what couples do? You don't have to, if you don't want, but…if you didn't want to snuggle or something like that, why were you sidling up to me the way you were?"

A small grin came to Kaito's lips. "So…it's okay if I lay my head in your lap?"

Shinichi looked back to the book in embarrassment and a little bit of frustration. He was just trying to be a good boyfriend. Why did Kaito have to complicate things? "Do whatever you want," Shinichi mumbled.

Kaito had his head on Shinichi's lap in two seconds flat. The magician grinned happily and began to hum as he flipped open the book he had only sort of kind of been reading. He'd been too distracted by Shinichi.

"Stop that," Shinichi objected to the humming, poking Kaito's cheek.

"'Kay," Kaito sang and stopped obediently. He didn't want to ruin it when he had such a good thing going.

After a while, Shinichi started to relax and even went so far as to set his hand casually on Kaito's head and begin to give Kaito's scalp a massage.

Kaito closed his eyes and purred, every once in a while giving Shinichi an appreciative little mew of pleasure. He must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing he knew Shinichi was nudging him awake.

"Hungry? It's time to make dinner," Shinichi informed, closing his own book and laying it down on the stand beside the couch.

Kaito nodded and sat up with a big stretch and yawn.

They made curry together, and after dinner they headed upstairs to get ready for bed.

It was still dark when Kaito woke up, but, sure enough, his alarm clock did read eight thirty when he checked a second time. As the haze of sleep left him and the world came into sharper focus, Kaito realized that he could hear rain tapping at the windows like pebbles.

It was most likely cold and wet outside—a combination Kaito was not fond of. Hot and wet—now that was another story entirely. He would give anything to be hot and wet at the moment. It was a shame that his "boyfriend" probably didn't share that sentiment.

What would Shinichi do if Kaito attempted to crawl into his bed? Probably kick him and tell him to keep his hands to himself. Or…maybe Kaito's luck would hold out and he'd be permitted to stay and snuggle. Shinichi had been warming up to Kaito lately, trying his hardest to be a good boyfriend.

Kaito really had to hand it to the detective: for not having feelings for Kaito, Shinichi sure was faking it well. Shinichi did really care about him, though. Kaito knew that. It wasn't the way Kaito wanted Shinichi to feel for him, but it was better than nothing, and Kaito certainly appreciated the lengths to which Shinichi was going for a friend.

Kaito rolled over and looked at the clock again, only Rose the elephant caught his eye first. In her trunk she held a little notecard. Kaito raised an eyebrow as he took the note from the little pachyderm.

"Good morning, Sunshine," it started.

Kaito had to laugh because Shinichi was obviously feeling snarky and sarcastic this lovely morning.

"It looks like your smile might be the only glimpse I get of sunlight today."

Kaito's face went up in a flaming blush. He knew Shinichi was forcing himself to be sweet, but Kaito was beginning to not really care because Kudo Shinichi had actually just written that sappy, romantic crap for Kaito's sake!

"The NHK weathermen say it's going to be sucky all day. Go figure. So if you go out, don't forget an umbrella! I don't want you getting sick. (Read as: I don't want to have to take care of an idiot with a cold. Wait. Do you even get colds?)"

Kaito had to chuckle at this one. "Why, Tantei-kun. You really do care, don't you?"

He played around with the idea of going out to play in the puddles to see if he could catch a cold. It'd be nice to have Shinichi nursing him back to health. He pushed the thought away in favor of going back to Shinichi's message.

"Anyway, I got called out on a case early this morning (Again, go figure). Breakfast and lunch are ready for you; you just have to heat some stuff up. (You can use a microwave, can't you? I mean, not even you are that helpless.)"

Kaito rolled his eyes. He secretly liked it when Shinichi teased and bullied. To other people, it might come across as mean or borderline verbally abusive, but Kaito knew that the detective only baited, badgered, and belittled because he cared. Anyone else Shinichi would be fairly proper and polite with. You knew Shinichi truly cared about you when he dropped the pretenses and told you flat out that you were a moron. Shinichi's insults to Kaito's intelligence only meant that he worried.

"So make sure you eat," Shinichi's memo continued. "I told Rose to keep an eye on you, so I'll know if you eat or not. Don't think I won't. I bribed that elephant with peanuts to get her to spy on you, so don't think she won't tattle."

Kaito eyed the little elephant in suspicion. "Traitor. You'd seriously sell me out for peanuts, Rose? I thought we had a relationship built on mutual trust and understanding. Fickle, fickle Rose. How fast you turn. …It's okay. I like your Daddy better too, but just remember that Mommy was the one that made you. Mommy painstakingly brought you into existence. Mommy was the one that labored over you for hours on end. Seriously. Do you know how long it took me to put you together, Rose?"

"I can't help it. Daddy's hot…and I like peanuts." Rose didn't answer in so many words, but Kaito had this feeling that, if she could respond, that was what she would say.

"Daddy is pretty hot," Kaito mused. "Hmm…" He shook his head to clear his thoughts and then went back to the note.

"I don't know when I'll be home, but if you need anything, the Professor and Haibara are right next door. Go eat dinner with them if I'm really late. Have a good day, Kaito, and remember to have a smile waiting for me when I get home. I have a feeling it's going to be a pretty grim day, so I'll probably need it."

Kaito put the note down on his nightstand and forced himself to get up and get dressed. He didn't particularly feel like eating a full meal. Generally he snacked on this and that throughout the day, never actually stopping for the three square meals he was supposed to be getting. Maybe that was why he was so thin and short. He hadn't eaten properly when he was a growing boy, and now he was but a slip of a young man.

Kaito didn't feel like eating, but…Shinichi had made him breakfast. SHINICHI had made him breakfast. Shinichi had made him breakfast.

In the fridge was a little bowl of miso, some rice, some fruit, and a sweet tofu dish all ready and waiting for Kaito to eat them, and the magician would be damned if he wasn't going to eat at least half of everything that his wonderful boyfriend had taken the time to make for him before rushing off to some grizzly murder scene at some ungodly hour of the morning in the pouring February rain.

As Kaito suspected, he was unable to finish the majority of the meal, but he rewrapped it all and put it back in the fridge until Breakfast Part Two two hours later.

The storm only worsened as the day wore on, so Kaito stayed indoors and busied himself with a new magic trick he'd been working on lately. That managed to pass a few hours, and then he had lunch: croquettes (one crab and one kabocha), a no-frills salad, some mixed fruit slices, and a little cup of flan for dessert. Like with breakfast, Kaito broke up his meal into two parts, since his stomach just wasn't used to receiving adequate amounts of nutrition.

It was about three o'clock when Shinichi called to ask about Kaito's day and to say that he'd probably be home by seven.

"So go eat dinner with the Professor and Haibara, okay?" the detective instructed, sounding utterly exhausted. It must be a truly challenging or heinous case to have Shinichi sounding so drained.

"I'll wait and have dinner with you," Kaito replied, wanting to eat with his crush. "I'll make you something. What do you want?"

"Kaito, you don't cook," Shinichi informed him. There was a fond eye roll in his voice.

"Even I could make something simple like…like onigiri," Kaito argued with a bit of a pout.

"Don't worry about it, Kaito. Go eat dinner next door," Shinichi urged, not wanting Kaito to have to go through the trouble. "I'll have cereal or something when I get in."

"…Okay," Kaito finally replied, even though he had no intention of relenting.

"I'll see you when I get home, Kaito. Make sure you eat dinner," Shinichi stressed, sounding a whole lot like a mom.

"I will. Don't work too hard, Shin-chan."

"Thanks," Shinichi replied with a tired smile.

The call ended, and Kaito knew what he had to do in order to win Shinichi's heart. Kaito had to learn how to cook. In order to be of use to Shinichi, Kaito had to become a homemaker. If he could create a place of refuge from all of the murder and evil in the world for Shinichi to come home to…if Kaito could make a haven where Shinichi could go at the end of another day of debacles and debauchery…Kaito would have a place in Shinichi's life. Kaito would have a purpose.

It'd been so long since he'd had a purpose…a goal. It'd been since Pandora. Sure, there was always the dream of becoming a famous magician and living happily ever after with his husband/wife and five kids, three dogs, two cats, white picket fence, and minivan, but…this seemed like a concrete step in the right direction towards the life that Kaito wanted.

And so he shoved his phone in his pocket and headed for the library to try to find some cookbooks. He was really hoping that there was one entitled "How to Make All of Shinichi's Favorites for Complete Idiots".

It was six o'clock in the morning, and Shinichi really felt like murdering his phone for waking him up with its incessant vibrating. He'd put the phone on silent, so why wasn't it being silent?

With a low growl from deep within his throat he rolled over and reached out a hand to paw at the mobile until he succeeded in obtaining it.

"Hello?" If it had been anyone else calling, they would have immediately hung up in terror at Shinichi's venom-dripping, blood-curdling snarl.

"Good morning, Kudo. I'm terribly sorry to bother you at such an early hour." But then, Hakuba Saguru was used to dealing with pre-coffee Shinichi. "There's been a case, and Megure-keibu wishes to bring you in. It's fairly high-profile."

"Is it a murder? If someone's dead, they can wait until nine o'clock—a decent hour of the morning," Shinichi snorted, kicking off the covers and dragging his feet out of bed.

"Kidnapping," Hakuba replied gravely. "Someone broke into a home and snatched a child right out of bed. We have a note the kidnapper left saying that they would call with their demands at seven o'clock. Forensics is doing a preliminary investigation to see if we can't get some kind of trace or fingerprint evidence, and I've looked the scene over myself, but…apparently I'm not good enough. Megure wants you."

"Yes, yes. Kudo Shinichi—the much sainted Tokyo PD's golden boy. Right," Shinichi sighed. Sometimes he wished that Division One would just accept Hakuba already. "Give me the address, and I'll be over in an hour. I have to make breakfast first."

Hakuba's brow furrowed. "You mean coffee? Don't you usually grab a piece of toast, make some coffee and come right over? Since when do you take time to take care of yourself in the face of a case? Are you sick, Kudo?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes. Sure he could go days on coffee alone when he was working on a case, but he wasn't that bad…was he? "Not my breakfast, Kaito's," he grumbled without thinking. His brain still wasn't functioning at full capacity. He hadn't had coffee yet.

"K-Kaito?" Hakuba stuttered, that dreamy tone to his voice. He said the name as if it were sacred. "Is Kaito staying with you again? Is he alright? How is he? He hasn't had another breakup, has he? I thought you said he wasn't dating anyone! You haven't gone and let him go to bars to be picked up by random sleazebags, have you? You're supposed to be taking care of him! We both know he's a miserable failure at caring for himself. Has he—"

"—Which is why I'm making him breakfast and lunch before I go," Shinichi cut in before the tirade could go on for hours. "How's your wife, Hakuba?"

Shinichi could almost hear the gears in Hakuba's head grind to a halt as Shinichi threw that monkey wrench in.

"…My wife? Fine, I should think. How is Kaito?" the police detective demanded.

"That ceased being your business nearly three years ago. I'll see you in an hour." Shinichi hung up in a huff.

Sometimes he really despised that blonde git. What right did he think he had to even say Kaito's name after what Hakuba had done? Sometimes Shinichi wanted to hit the guy…with a sack of bricks.

At the same time, Shinichi kind of felt sorry for the dumb blonde. Hakuba still truly loved Kaito with all his heart. He often asked about how the magician was doing and requested that Shinichi do this or that for Kaito. It was uncanny, Hakuba's ability to determine exactly when Kaito would run out of some key item. Whenever Hakuba sent Shinichi over with something, Kaito would always remark that he had just used the last of his.

Hakuba continued to pay some of Kaito's bills in secret. Shinichi didn't think Kaito was aware that you had to pay for the water or electricity that you used, the fee for the garbage disposal, or even the NHK payment. Hakuba called it alimony—spousal support.

Shinichi felt bad for the blonde—obviously he and Kaito suited each other. They had a very symbiotic relationship. It was frankly kind of tragic that Hakuba had given Kaito up (supposedly for Kaito's own sake) only for Kaito to end up miserable and Hakuba to end up with a woman who Hakuba freely admitted had married him out of spite for Kaito more than anything.

Sure, there was some genuine affection there, but Aoko had agreed to the union in order to assist in her climb to the position of Superintendent of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and to get back at her once best friend who she believed had lied, cheated, and utterly betrayed her.

Funny how secrets had torn the once loving relationship between Aoko and Kaito apart just as they had with Ran and Shinichi himself.

Shinichi was about halfway through making Kaito's food for the day when he realized that he had never gotten the address from Hakuba. He sighed, hanging his head as it dawned upon him that he would have to swallow his pride, push down his anger, and call the Brit back.

It was an absolutely horrible day—the worst Shinichi had had in a long time. First of all, it was cold and wet and gloomy. Second of all, Hakuba was grumpy and insistent. That meant that Shinichi was pestered and prodded until he spilled the details of Kaito's condition. Stupid stalkerish ex-husband. Thirdly, the parents of the kidnapped child were panicky and uncooperative. Fourth, the kidnapper got grouchy when he realized the police were involved. Fifth, the kidnapper found the bugs that had been put in with the ransom money. And sixth, even though the money had been paid, the kid must have seen the kidnapper's face; they found the kidnapper's truck, and inside was the little boy's body.

Tons of paperwork and a veritable manhunt ensued. They caught the guy—one of the servants, of course—but that didn't bring the boy back to his parents. Another innocent life snuffed out in pursuit of greed.

By the end of the day, the whole team was soaked, starving, and utterly disheartened. The boy's death weighed heavily on their shoulders, and it was absolutely draining.

It was seven twenty by the time that Shinichi dragged himself through the front door of the Kudo Manor, letting out a weary, "I'm home."

"Welcome back!" Kaito sang happily, bounding up to Shinichi with a bright and cheery grin. "Rough day, Honey?"

With a very weak smile, Shinichi nodded, shrugging his drenched coat off.

With an elaborate gesture, Kaito magicked a big, fluffy towel out of thin air and draped it over Shinichi's shoulders. He pulled it up over Shinichi's head and ruffled the private eye's hair dry.

"I made you dinner," Kaito added softly as he wrapped the towel back around Shinichi's shoulders. "Nothing special—just some steamed rice with veggies and egg. I figured it would be better than cereal. I don't really cook, so, if it tastes bad, you don't have to eat it…."

Kaito continued, rambling on as Shinichi looked at Kaito's hands, still resting unconsciously on Shinichi's shoulders, loosely holding the towel in place. Kaito's fingers had more than a few bandages on them—covering burns and cuts.

A magician's hands were his livelihood—precious tools vital to his art. Even in his state of fatigue, Shinichi could appreciate what an act of love Kaito's making him dinner was.

Shinichi leaned in and brushed his lips to Kaito's temple, effectively shutting the magician up. "If you made it for me, I'm sure it'll taste wonderful. Thank you, Kaito."

"Y-You're welcome." Kaito began to beam. "Uh…you'll probably want to take a shower first. You go on in. I'll bring you a fresh towel and some pajamas to change into."

Suddenly Shinichi's day wasn't seeming quite so bad. Sure, it had sucked royally up until that point, but things were starting to look up. At least he got to come home to a warm meal and someone who loved him. Kaito's grin had done a great deal to warm Shinichi's chilled bones.

Before, Shinichi would have come home, peeled off his sopping clothes, eaten some cereal, crawled into bed, and woken up with a cold the next morning. Not a pleasant experience. Now, Kaito was there to greet him, to make him dinner, to cuddle on the couch with him afterwards (if you could call the awkward way they sat together cuddling)….

Shinichi was beginning to like this whole boyfriend thing. Sure, Kaito was no Ran, but he had his own charm points that might end up being just as good.

…...

Mikau: Question: anybody recognize Hakuba's elephant plushie? When I was fifteen and actually read fanfiction, I used to love an author called Icka M. Chif. She's not on ff anymore, but I think she's still around. She had Hakuba have an elephant plushie called Sir Stinky that I had a certain amount of affection for. Alluded to completely without permission.

Anyway, I feel like there's some really good chemistry between Shinichi and Kaito in this fic. They're so awkward and cute, but they're playing really nice with each other for me lately. Usually they fight me a little more, so this has been good. Look forward to next chapter where the bond between the two is tested when Ran comes back. Because apparently she didn't know that she and Shinichi had officially broken up. Yes. Think about that and wait in anticipation for another week. Sorry. I'm a little evil, aren't I? I promise that I do in fact love you guys. And Kaito. Poor Kaito. What am I doing to him? Anyway, thanks so much for reading, and please leave me a review and let me know what you thought.