Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Rating: M

To Light a Hearth

[Nature of Love series]

Part 4

In truth, Shinichi hadn't really known what to expect when he had finally gathered the courage to accept Kaito's proposal and bond officially. Oh, he'd heard plenty of stories ranging from Sonoko's fairytales to unvarnished, scientific descriptions.

There were those who saw bonds as mystical things or the ultimate romance. And for some, perhaps it was. But it could also be said that a bond was merely a strong, empathic link that would bind an alpha and an omega together for the rest of their lives whether they wanted to be or not.

Biologically, such bonds were considered a necessity for stabilizing the otherwise more unstable and unpredictable natures of alphas and omegas alike. It grounded them and kept them balanced.

It was a bridge—a focus for the alpha and omegas' natural empathic abilities.

But it was more than that too for bonded pairs who were truly in love.

It was a sense of completion and the knowledge that you were not and never would be alone. It was the understanding that there was someone you could always trust from whom you could never hide.

So maybe there was at least a little something to all that hype people like Sonoko made of the whole thing.

For all the talk and studies and speculations on the subject of bonding, however, Shinichi had heard very little on the specifics of the process (beyond what everyone was taught in school anyway: that it occurred naturally when an alpha and an omega mated while the latter was in heat unless one or both partners were taking the preventative medications meant to block the bonding process). Shinichi had never even imagined that he might actually be able to feel the bond forming—but that was exactly what was happening.

He could feel the connection. It filled a space in his mind that he had not even realized was missing something until now. Every touch, every kiss, every time they made love, that sense of connection grew stronger and more certain—the pieces of a puzzle snapping into place.

He was more aware of Kaito than he had ever been before—could feel his presence in ways he hadn't even realized were possible.

It was a little frightening, but it was also wonderful and intoxicating.

Lying there in the protective circle of his alpha's arms, he could feel the heat stirring inside him again. It was thrumming through his veins and pulsing under his skin. He shifted without any conscious thought to press his nose more firmly into the crook of Kaito's neck, inhaling his alpha's scent. The sensations humming through his body intensified, sending a full, convulsive shudder through his lean, lithe frame.

He wanted to be closer.

He wasn't really sure which one of them moved first. Perhaps they had moved at the same time. Their mouths found one another's in a passionate kiss that sent tingles all the way to the tips of Shinichi's fingers and toes. He moaned softly into the kiss as he felt his magician's calloused hands running up and down his sides.

One of the detective's own hands slid over Kaito's chest, tracing the contours of his muscles before eventually finding its way down to the alpha's half-hard cock and began teasing him to full arousal. Kaito made a noise of approval in the back of his throat, and his hands slid down the length of his detective's slender frame to grope his bare behind. Shinichi gasped, and his hand tightened around Kaito's length.

The hands gripping Shinichi's bottom began roughly kneading his buttocks, and the detective's gasp turned into a groan. The next thing he knew, he was straddling Kaito's hips right on top of the magician's erection, clinging to the magician's shoulders as the strong hands still groping him ground them together.

Shinichi broke the kiss with a groan that was half pleasure and half frustration.

"Kai, wait," he gasped. "I—I want you to come inside me."

Kaito made a noise that was half groan, half laugh. "Do you have any idea," he said, voice low and rough with lust. "What it does to me when you say things like that?"

Shinichi blushed at both the promises he heard in Kaito's voice and his own brazen behavior, but the aching need growing inside him had already pushed aside any and all his reservations.

Another wave of heat pulsed through the omega's body, escaping his lips in a soft moan. All embarrassment forgotten, he moved to position himself over his alpha's rock hard cock, pausing when he felt its tip touch his entrance. The contact sent a shudder of excitement through Shinichi's body, and he found himself swallowing a whimper. He took a deep breath then began to lower himself onto Kaito's waiting erection, guided by the magician's hands on his hips.

It was thick and hot and exactly what Shinichi was craving. He forced himself to relax around the intrusion as it eased into him inch by hot, hard inch. The growing strain in his bottom as his alpha filled him made Shinichi's inner omega purr. He slid down over and around that hot, pulsing length, taking it into himself in its entirety.

Shinichi was panting hard by the time he was fully seated, eyes squeezed shut and cheeks flushed.

Lying back against the pillows, Kaito watched in hungry fascination. The raw, unguarded expression of desire and pleasure on Shinichi's face as he impaled himself on Kaito's erect member was one of the most arousing sights the alpha magician had ever had the privilege of witnessing. The knowledge that those expressions were for him and him alone only served to turn him on even more for all that he would have said that was impossible. Kaito's pulse sped up as his grip on his detective's hips tightened.

Blue eyes hazy with lust fluttered open and met Kaito's intense stare. The look in his alpha's indigo eyes made Shinichi's breath catch in his throat as his pulse jumped, and he clenched reflexively around the hard length sheathed inside him. The omega couldn't help the surge of satisfaction he felt when Kaito's breath hitched.

Bracing his feet on the soft mattress and his hands on his mate's bare chest, Shinichi lifted himself up until only the tip of Kaito's cock was still inside him. Then he lowered himself again, taking that delicious length back in: up and down, in and out. He had just found his rhythm when Kaito suddenly bucked even as his grip on the omega's hips tightened, jerking him down.. A scream tore itself from Shinichi's lips as Kaito rammed into him hard and fast, and the detective saw stars.

The force of the thrust nearly dislodged Shinichi entirely, but then gravity and Kaito's hands were yanking him back down, driving the thief's cock deep into Shinichi's eager body once again.

Shinichi found himself responding to his alpha's silent demand practically without conscious decision. Coherent thoughts crashed as the traffic signals in the omega detective's head all switched over to pure instinct. Soon, he was riding Kaito's thrusts with a wanton enthusiasm that had Kaito absolutely enraptured. This was a side of his detective that he usually only got to see when Shinichi was in heat, and it never failed to send a spike of arousal coursing through his veins.

Shinichi came first with a loud cry that went straight to Kaito's cock. That delightful sound and the feel of his detective rapidly constricting around him pushed Kaito over the edge as well. Shinichi moaned loudly as he felt his magician coming hard inside him.

He collapsed on Kaito's chest with the alpha still inside him, eyes closed and gasping for breath like someone who had just run a race.

It was several minutes before his heart rate finally calmed, and he became aware of the calloused hands rubbing soothing circles on his back. Smiling, he nuzzled his face into the crook of Kaito's neck.

It was some time before they finally got out of bed—which, of course, was the luxury of being on vacation. But even in heat, Shinichi balked at the idea of actually spending the entire day in bed, so get up they did.

Since they had spent most of the previous day cleaning up the building, they decided to spend this day actually exploring its contents. They discovered a large, locked cabinet packed with DVDs, another filled with board games, and a third with video games. The last led them to unearthing a variety of game consoles (still in their boxes as they must have only recently been purchased just for the bed and breakfast) and even a karaoke machine (which Kaito seemed to be delighted by but which Shinichi had no intentions at all of trying).

Not wishing to overstep, Shinichi sent Sonoko a text inquiring as to whether they could use the obviously brand new entertainment systems. He had just put his phone away when it buzzed with a return text.

He looked at it and blushed.

"What did she say?" Kaito asked, curious.

"She says we should try them all if we can," Shinichi replied. "The electronics have a thirty day return policy, so she'd appreciate it if we checked to make sure they all work. Though since they only bought the stuff last week, we can also leave any we don't feel up to testing for the others to try once they get here."

"If that's all she said, why are you blushing?"

Shinichi's blush darkened, and he turned away quickly to pick a gaming station. "No reason."

Kaito didn't buy that for a moment, but he decided to be charitable and not press the matter. He could always steal Shinichi's phone later if he wanted to sate his curiosity.

So they had a simple lunch and spent a pleasant afternoon playing racing games. They were each winning about half the races until Kaito's hands decided that there were other buttons they would prefer to be pushing. That was when the NPCs began an incredible winning streak. Granted, at that point, neither real player was paying any attention to the game.

-0-

The cake that Kuroba Chikage had made to celebrate their bonding was a true masterpiece of a baked good. It was not particularly large because it was meant for only two, but it was beautiful. On the outside, the cake was covered in a smooth layer of dark chocolate. A pair of white chocolate doves decorated its top. The two were surrounded by a ring of perfect, white chocolate roses, whose delicate leaves and stems traced an intricate pattern down the sides of the cake. Nestled in amongst the roses was a scattering of bright red cherries that glowed like rubies, making for an incredible contrast.

It was such a work of art that both Kaito and Shinichi simply sat and gazed at it in awe for several long minutes after they had removed it from its carefully packed box.

"Almost," Kaito replied with a wry grin. "But it'd be more of a shame to not eat it. And it would upset Mom. But we should totally take pictures."

The cake turned out to be every bit as lovely sliced. When cut, it revealed three perfect layers of chocolate cake of three different shades of brown from light to dark. The lightest of those layers had a faint, cherry pink tint. Each layer was separated by a thin band of white marking out the adjoining layers of cream.

"Wow," Shinichi breathed.

"Definitely," Kaito agreed.

More pictures were taken. Shinichi thought with some amusement that they were going to have an entire album of cake photos by the time they even started eating their dessert.

When they finally did take a bite, however, it was to discover that the cake tasted even better than it looked—which, Kaito noted, was in some ways the most amazing thing about it.

Afterward, Kaito poured them each a glass of wine.

Catching Shinichi's eye, he raised his glass, a soft smile playing about his lips.

"To a full and fulfilling future," he said.

"Together," Shinichi said, returning his smile.

"Together," he agreed.

Their glasses clinked.

-To Be Continued-

Note: I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving!