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

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

To Light a Hearth

[Nature of Love series]

Part 7

"You're going to make dinner?" Shinichi asked, eyeing his mate with great trepidation.

"Consider it my thank you for spending all that time practicing with me," Kaito replied.

"I didn't really mind. You were right that learning more about the bond can only help us in the long run."

"That may be so, but I know it was stressful, and you're tired. Making dinner's the least I can do."

"But…"

"Oh come now. There's no need to look so worried. Tell you what. You can pick the recipe. And I promise not to deviate from it in any way. Magician's honor."

Shinichi's worried expression didn't change. After all, he knew his alpha too well. Logically, someone as good at chemistry as Kaito should be at least a decent cook if given the right recipes, but Kaito was Kaito, and he couldn't seem to resist adding his own twists to recipes on a whim—usually to less than tasty results. And don't even get Shinichi started on what he did to the appliances!

There was a good reason Chikage had banned her son from her kitchen.

On the other hand, he really didn't feel like moving. And he always found it difficult to say no to Kaito when the magician looked at him the way he was doing so now with those eyes so full of love that it made Shinichi's very soul tingle with warmth.

"Just promise to stick to the recipes," he said, surrendering.

"To the letter," Kaito assured him.

The magician was as good as his word, so dinner turned out to be pleasantly edible. It also turned out to be a little more exciting than your average dinner because, though he had promised not to deviate from the recipes, Kaito had not promised not to make a production out of the cooking process. So there was a lot of juggling and conjuring and even a little fire breathing (after which the state of the food became a secondary concern, and Shinichi was just grateful that the house hadn't caught fire).

Afterward, he conjured piping hot chocolate out of seemingly empty mugs for the two of them to enjoy while they cuddled on the couch and watched a movie.

Shinichi dozed off halfway through the movie, drifting in and out of slumber wrapped in a warm, fluffy, bubbly contentment that seemed to make all the world seem soft.

When he woke, it was to the soft sound of music. Groggy and still half asleep, he sat up on the couch, noticing that he was alone but knowing because of their new bond that his alpha was still nearby.

When he opened his eyes, it was to see that the curtains had been thrown open so that he could see the star dusted sky shining over a field of untouched snow. Backed against that ethereal landscape was a shadowy figure clad in a familiar white suit.

Shinichi blinked slowly. He felt like a person in a dream. All the world was silent and still—holding its breath.

Then that figure stepped towards him, silent and graceful like mist and moonlight given form, and offered him a white gloved hand.

"May I have this dance?"

Moving like a soul entranced, Shinichi took that proffered hand and let it pull him to his feet and into the arms of this phantom of silver and shadows with eyes that pierced straight through him.

Shinichi was rewarded by a flash of a razor-sharp grin that made his breath catch in his throat, and his heart skip a beat. Then the thief was pulling him into a slow but graceful dance as the music and the moonlight eddied and entwined around them, weaving thoughts and dreams into motion and truth and a moment where time stood still.

Then the music was winding down, and they stood swaying to its fading notes with their arms around each other.

Shinichi closed his eyes and relaxed fully into his thief's embrace, a soft smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"I didn't know you'd packed your KID gear," he said. "There isn't some jewel on show somewhere near here that I haven't heard about, is there?"

Kaito chuckled, the sound so quiet that it was less a sound and more a vibration through their bodies. "Nah. I just like to be prepared."

"What, in case someone shows up on Christmas with a diamond ring?"

"Or to sweep my dear Shin-chan off his feet," the thief replied. Even with his eyes closed, Shinichi could hear the cheeky grin that accompanied the words.

"If you need your suit to do that then you're losing your touch," Shinichi informed him with a sniff.

"Ah, but I know you like it when I wear my suit." He let his voice drop into a low, seductive purr that tickled Shinichi's ear and sent pleasant shivers up his spine. "Don't you?"

Blushing, Shinichi hid his face in the crook of Kaito's neck, grumbling. "You should watch it. If your ego gets any bigger, you won't be able to wear that fancy hat of yours anymore."

Laughing, Kaito spun Shinichi around and into a dip. Grinning down into his mate's startled blue eyes, he dropped a kiss on Shinichi's lips before setting his detective on his feet again. "You know, I knew the first time we met that we had a connection."

"What, on the hotel roof?"

"No, silly detective, at the clock tower."

"But we didn't actually meet that time."

"Not face to face," Kaito agreed. "But I didn't have to see you to know you'd be special. You were—are—the best challenge I ever had. I was really disappointed when you didn't show up again the heist after that."

"Well, to be honest, I wasn't all that interested in thieves back then," Shinichi said.

Kaito put on a mock wounded expression. "I thought I'd made an impression."

"You did," the detective assured him. "I thought it was sweet that you were trying to protect the clock tower. That's why I didn't tell anyone what you'd written."

"I suppose that's something." Kaito heaved a melodramatic sigh and leaned down to press his forehead to Shinichi's. "I take it I made a bigger impression on that rooftop."

"You might have," Shinichi hedged, blush darkening a shade. In truth, he knew he would never forget that moment when he first saw Kaito in full KID costume descending from the sky in a flutter of white cape with that shark's grin that mocked the world for its ignorance. That moment was seared forever into Shinichi's memory.

Some part of him had felt drawn to the thief even then, though it wasn't until much, much later that he had acknowledged the attraction even to himself—and it had taken even longer than that for him to accept it.

"Aww, come on, you can be honest," Kaito teased, arms tightening around Shinichi's waist to pull the detective just a little closer.

"Okay, fine," Shinichi relented. "You did make an impression. I was intrigued by your riddle. It's not every day a criminal lays out his entire plan and hands it over to the police before he acts. I couldn't decide if you were a genius or insane."

"Oh?" Kaito asked, amusement dancing in his eyes. "And your verdict?"

"Both," Shinichi declared before offering the alpha a small, shy smile. "But…I'm glad. That you're you, I mean."

The magician blinked. Then his eyes softened, and his razor grin softened into a warm, heartfelt smile. "I should be saying that to you." Closing what little distance there was between them, he captured Shinichi's lips in a kiss so tender that it stole Shinichi's breath away and left him clinging to Kaito for support.

"I think," the thief murmured against his lips, "perhaps we should leave the talking for later."

Shinichi's response was to pull the magician down into another, more heated kiss.

Kaito made a pleased noise in the back of his throat. Then, in one swift, sure, move, he swept Shinichi off his feet. The detective let out a halfhearted protest that only made his alpha grin. With Shinichi cradled in his arms, the thief strode into the bedroom and kicked the door shut behind them.

-To Be Continued-