Mikau: Hi guys! Good to see you! Are you all keeping warm? We got some heavy snow on Sunday, and now the temperatures are ridiculously cold (comparatively, anyway). I know a lot of the US is really suffering from crazy temperatures, so I recommend that you all stay inside and read fanfiction. Yes. Go back and reread your old favorites. Run along now. Oh wait! But read this first! Haha. Anyway, thanks so much to my reviewers from last chapter: Bunnyz-chan and MercheGlee!

Disclaimer: Let's be honest—I own nothing. I'm not even caught up on Conan. I'm back at episode 523. Though, I have watch all 523 episodes in their entirety and some episodes around 650-666 that were airing while I was in Japan. I'm catching up quickly, though.

…

The Figure Eight

"I would have thought you'd been skilled at ice skating, Kuroba," Hakuba replied off-handedly once they'd returned to their room at the lodge the first night of the annual fieldtrip.

Kaito shrugged, trying to keep up appearances. "I could skate, if I wanted to."

"Oh? Then I suppose I won't bother asking you if you'd like me to show you how," Saguru chuckled. "You can surprise me tomorrow by beating me in the skating competition."

"You bet I will," Kaito snorted, his competitive streak getting the better of him.

"Really?" Hakuba pressed. "If you're so confident, you won't mind giving me a preview…. Or are you chicken?"

There was something about the blonde detective that really got Kaito hot under the collar. "You bet I will. Just say where and when. I'll skate figure eights around you, useless detective."

"Good. Grab your skates. The rink should be empty at this time of night." Saguru tried to contain a self-satisfied smirk. The pieces of his plan were just falling into place.

"S-Sure." Kaito was losing bravado fast.

…

"Well?" Hakuba gazed expectantly at his classmate. "Are you going to join me out on the ice?"

"Give me a minute," Kaito grumbled, taking a tentative step forward and promptly landing on his bottom.

Saguru smiled fondly at his rival. "I could teach you, you know, if you'd like."

"I know how to do it. I don't need anybody—especially you—to teach me," Kuroba snapped, struggling to his feet only to wobble and collapse again.

"You want to impress Aoko-kun tomorrow, yes?"

"Yes," Kaito mumbled.

"Then let me help you," Saguru urged, offering his companion a hand up.

After a moment of indecision, Kaito tentatively reached out and took the proffered hand. "It's not like I need your help, you know. I can do it myself."

"Right." Saguru smiled softly as Kuroba slipped yet again.

This time Hakuba reached out and caught the other teen, steading the brunette.

"Bend your knees slightly, Kuroba," Hakuba instructed.

Kaito gulped, bending his knees while using the detective for support. How embarrassing was it to be clinging to his rival?

"Good," Saguru whispered, his breath making strands of Kaito's hair flutter. "Now keep them bent. All you have to do is find your balance."

"Mmhm." Kaito nodded, shifting his weight slightly so that he wasn't leaning on Hakuba as much.

"I'm going to let go, and you're not going to fall. Okay?" Slowly Saguru removed his hands from the smaller boy's waist, and Kaito let go of Hakuba's shoulders.

It took a minute for Kuroba to find his balance, but he remained standing without Hakuba's assistance. A satisfied smirk spread across his lips.

Saguru grinned at his pupil's progress as well. "Very good. Now we'll try moving." The detective placed a hand at the small of Kuroba's back. "You see those serrated edges on the front part of the skates' blades?"

"Yeah?" Kaito tried not to be too preoccupied with the familiar, intimate contact.

"Those are the breaks. Now, if you're ready, push off. Don't worry. I won't let you fall."

"O-Okay." Kaito took a tentative glide forward, wobbling a little, but Saguru moved with him, always keeping a hand on him for support.

After they had gone around the rink a few times without much incident, the reassuring hand was taken away. "Good, Kuroba. Now you do it by yourself. Don't worry. I'll be right beside you."

"Got it." Kaito pushed forward with more confidence this time, and they went around the rink again, albeit a little more slowly.

Saguru was just about to comment on how well his student was doing when Kaito lost his balance and ended up on the ground. Hakuba held out his hand with a chuckle. "Well, that's not bad considering you couldn't even stand up straight thirty-two minutes and seventeen seconds ago."

Kaito snorted, taking Saguru's hand and pulling the other teen down on the ice with him.

Saguru toppled, landing awkwardly on top of the other teen.

"Oooww," Kaito groaned as they butted heads.

"Well, that's rather your own fault, isn't it?" Saguru laughed. "Serves you right."

"Bite…" Kaito gulped when he looked up and realized that Saguru's face was inches from his own. "…me."

"Gladly." Hakuba smirked evilly, leaning in and gently nipping Kuroba's earlobe.

Kaito's mouth fell open and all the blood that had been pooling in his cheeks rushed down south.

"Hn," Saguru hummed softly as he observed the state his actions had put his rival in. "Is that really all it takes to shut you up? I'll have to remember that."

"Bastard!" Kaito spit scooting backwards away from his tormentor.

"I'm sorry," Hakuba replied with sincerity, gently putting a hand on the other teen's shin. "I was just teasing. I didn't mean to embarrass you, Kuroba. I…"

Kaito held Saguru's gaze for a minute, learning things from the look in those eyes that he really hadn't wanted to know. Kaito nodded and struggled to his feet. "The reason you try to keep Aoko and me apart…isn't because you like Aoko, is it?"

Saguru stood and sighed. "Correct. I really have no interest in Nakamori Aoko. She's a sweet girl, but…you know."

"Yeah." Kaito blushed. "If we're being honest, Aoko and I probably aren't going to work out either…. Hey, I'm not promising anything, but…teach me how to do a figure eight?"

Hakuba smiled in relief. Kuroba seemed a bit uncomfortable, but at least Saguru hadn't been rejected outright. "Of course."

…

Mikau: Honestly, I don't ice skate much, but I find it enjoyable when I do. I'm not very good, but what the hey. I've never been skiing before, though. I'll be going next Wednesday, weather permitting, and I'm excited! And a little scared. I'm diabetic, so I have to be careful that my bloodsugar doesn't drop too low because I could pass out and die. No kidding. I'm super excited for the actual skiing, though. This year I'm going to do a whole bunch of cool stuff. I know I'm only twenty-three, but I'm going to start crossing items off my bucket list like skiing, traveling Europe, staying the night in a haunted house, taking dance lessons like ballroom, latin, and pole, and more! It's going to be an awesome year. Uh, anyway, thanks so much for reading, and please review! Take care!