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“I’ll try … Oh, and Hakuba.”  He smiled that lopsided tooth grin and barely brushed his hand over the others. “Thank you.”

At the door, Hakuba slipped his sandals on, barely noticing the hand contact. He glanced down, anyway, then back up at Kaito with a quirking smile of his own. “It was my pleasure, Kuroba-kun. See you soon." 

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Kaito had turned back to him just in time to see him smack into the frame. He blinked and covered his mouth in an attempt to hide the smile and laugh. pulling on the low riding sweat pants he hurried down stairs to him.

After making it down the steps and back into the living room without further mishap- pausing only briefly to glance into the kitchen where breakfast sat woefully uneaten -Hakuba hurried to gather his medical duffel and toss it over his shoulder, not wishing anything to further deter his leaving and, thus, ability to destress. 

Kuroba’s choice in clothing didn’t help matters, though, as he hesitated once the other approached.

“Good luck with your leg,” he said, forcing his gaze toward the door, which he diligently walked toward once Kaito had caught up. “Please promise me you’ll take it easy for the next little while?" 

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Kaito felt his breath hitch and all but ran to him. “Hakuba!”

Hakuba paused, glancing back with a carefully raised brow, not willing to let that hope spring up in him again- not so soon. If anyone was to keep a level head, it would be him. For now. “Yes, Kuroba-kun?" 

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He shuddered and glared and the mention of fish. “I’m pretty much good with anything and six sounds great.”

Laughing again, Hakuba all but sauntered to the doorway, shaking his head. “Splendid. I’ll see you then, Kuroba-kun.” As much as he was wary to just leave so soon after everything that had happened, there was no way that he could deny that they both could use some time to themselves, either. 

Besides, he really hated wearing jeans. 

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He chuckled. “Sounds great.” and because he wanted to say tomorrow he waited and thought about it before answering. “Is in four days good? There is still some stuff I have to take care of and I have to work.”

“Yes, I think that should do quite nicely. Around six, perhaps? I can have dinner ready for us.” Hakuba pushed up from the bed and stood, stretching his arms out in front of him with a yawn. “I remember that you have an aversion to fish, but I can’t recall if you’ve any other dietary restrictions or preferences, other than for the sweets." 

With a laugh, he looked back at him, grinning. "Do let me know if you have any requests.”

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“So I’ll be the first?~” He smirked. 

He was a little shocked. He hadn’t ever expected the detective to invite him over at all much less this soon into their …. friendship? It wasn’t like he didn’t know the Hakuba Manor. He had been in there thousands of times. ‘To know thine enemy’ and all. It was just going to be hilarious to actually walk through the front door. Blinking he placed a placed a hand to his chest and blinked. It was hot and his heart was racing just slightly. Excited? About being invited in to Hakuba’s home? 

No, it was being welcomed by him. To know that he was willing to share the same space that he could relax completely in with him. To let him share that personal side that no one else has. Kaito relaxed and smiled at him.

“Thank you.”

Hakuba laughed, mostly in spite of himself as he looked away toward the door, sheepish and wincing. “Yes, I suppose so. I was never really good at making friends, you understand, and I had a distinct disadvantage here in Japan…” He hefted a sigh. “Ah, anyway, just pick an evening and I’m yours." 

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Kaito looked at him and smiled. A small little smile that showed just a little bit of tooth and crinkled around the eyes. That was his real smile and that was some thing he didn’t get to do often. “That sounds a lot better than being alone.”

He was glad of it; it made it so much easier to let just a little bit more of the tension go, and Hakuba laughed again, shoulders hunching as he shrugged, suddenly bashful. As with most things Kuroba, the smile was infectious. “Good. I’ll… have you come over some time soon, then. Actually…”

Hakuba shifted onto his hip to pull out his mobile, flipping open the calendar application. “I have a case to work on this afternoon, but I’m free most evenings this week if you’d like to, ah, come over… It seems somewhat odd to me now that I’d never invited you before, but I guess I never really invited anyone… ever… so…" 

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“No I don’t drink after every heist.” He huffed playful. “Just some times. When the night are really cold, and the sky dark, and I come back here to an empty home.” He looked around his room for a minute and vanished into his memories some good some bad. He didn’t notice how he was slowly loosing his Poker Face with Hakuba. The emotions were playing so openly across his face.

Even that wasn’t really new for the detective, who had a collection of observations to draw from in terms of Kaito’s shifting moods and facades, though being this close to it was an experience all its own. Human intimacy was such a precarious thing. Hakuba let his smile tilt, brows creasing ever so slightly in commiserative sympathy. 

“That sounds like me, really… only, I drink scotch nearly every night, it seems… more so, lately.” He chuckled, letting his own guard an inch. “It’s a lonely world, Kuroba-kun; particularly those with duties as ours. But as we’ve established now…” Hakuba moved to elbow him good-naturedly. “We don’t have to be completely alone. Or, at least, we could share the alcohol."