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He blushed. He really didn’t know anything about wine. Oh Gods did he mess up? Was it a bad choice? He swallowed the bite he had just taken and felt his stomach churn. Then when he heard Hakuba had visited the Blue Parrot struggle not to vomit. The memories of Jii flashed through his mind and he had to really concentrate not to break into a sweat.

“Did you?” His voice fluxed and broke embarrassingly. What was the question? The wine? Right. He took a deep breath and put on an easy smile. His expression changed to one of ease and normalcy.

It was fake.

“I brought it from Blue. Is there something wrong with it?” He asked through the smile and the perfectly masked pain.

“Oh, no, no… it’s brilliant, actually. A very fine selection, good year from what I understand.”  Hakuba reached for the bottle to look it over, giving himself an opportunity to continue to ignore the food in front of him. "I believe that I’ve had a taste of this before– a couple of years ago in England. I remember it being quite good and, ah…“

It was completely inappropriate to bring up the cost, but the detective didn’t think that he could drink it in good conscience while Kaito was blissfully unaware. Or, well, not blissfully – the pain, as well as it had been hidden, was shared in quiet empathy. The wine was just a convenient distraction.

"It’s quite expensive, too.” He paused, lips pursing. Not wanting to imply that Kaito were poor, or that even if he was in comparison that it was at all a problem, Hakuba quickly continued. “If we’re really to drink this, we must make certain to savor every last drop. Perhaps I’ll bring out a different wine for dinner, and we can share this one afterward?" 

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He blanked and went very still. Then he laughed weakly at himself. OH Gods what was he going to say? He fell for Sherlock? At least the food came at the right moment and saved him the YEARS of embarrassment. 

He again bow his head and gave thanks for the food. Sending a side glance towards Hakuba he notice that the other was distracted by something under the table. He leaned over and angled so he could try to see what exactly it was.

If Hakuba was an expert at anything, it was hiding his phone while he researched something. What he found had him pause, though, eyes getting wide for a moment as he looked from the phone to the wine bottle again, then to Kaito, then back to his phone, then the bottle again, then his phone as he hurriedly back into his pocket. Oh. 

“…so, I didn’t ask you,” he said, voice tense as he straightened up in his seat, reaching for his water glass again, gaze shifting from what he was doing to the rest of the food as it materialized. The servants were quickly gone away again. “This wine that you’ve brought… private collection from home, or something from the Blue Parrot?”

Another sensitive topic, but this he addressed with a small, sweet smile at the end, looking to face him directly. “I used to frequent,” he added quietly for context. 

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“Adler? ” He was a little disjointed. He looked at Hakuba and heard him speak of Lupin. He chuckled. “To be honest I haven’t read Lupin. We, the current Lupin and I, don’t  exactly get along.”

He smiled and the edges were slightly cruel. “As for Adler …. I didn’t fall for her … it was -“

Surprise and curiosity had Hakuba’s attention firmly fixed on Kaito once more, and he nodded as he spoke, taking in every word with several degrees of calculation. Alas, the servants arrived just at that thought, bringing in the start of the main course. 

It was painful to tear his thoughts away, but he couldn’t help but be distracted by the flurry of movement and the situational upheaval.  "Ah, hold that thought,“ he said to his companion, reluctantly turning his attention to the staff to nod and offer his thanks to them.

So far, so good. Roast. Potatoes. Vegetables. Soon the wine joined the table with appropriate glasses, and Hakuba found himself side-eyeing the label again. So familiar… but where…? 

Attempting to be as discrete as possible, the detective slipped his phone out of his pocket and under the table, typing in the name while feigning a smile. "I suppose dinner is served… a little earlier than planned, but…" 

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“Actually is wasn’t Adler….” He grumble softly to himself. Remind him of who? He was getting a little lost. The Bosocombe Valley Mystery …. that was the only story he had only read once and for obvious reasons. After Nightmare everything was too hard to read. He fell unnaturally silent. His emotions went dark as his mind ventured to past memories.

The words reached him, but it was his observations that really caught him. Smile twitching at the corner of his mouth, Hakuba sat back in his chair and looked down at the untouched soup in front of him. Right. He’d hoped that bringing up Boscombe would thrill the thief, but…

“That’s a shame. She’s a wonderful character. Quite interesting that she was introduced so early on in the series…” Hakuba let his voice trail off as he picked up his spoon to stir the soup, half wondering if he would end up doing anything more than taste it – which he did then. A fine representation, to be certain, but… “So, ah, you’ve read Holmes. I can honestly say that I’m a little surprised. I thought I might get a lecture about the superior virtues of Arsene Lupin…” 

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He picked up his water and took a long drink. This was beyond embarrassing.

“The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle is on the list as for my all time favorite … is  ..Ascanfelofbohenam” He muttered the last bit too quickly and felt his hands tremble slightly. 

There was a brief pause before Hakuba raised a brow, head tilting with the slyest of smirks. “Oh ho ho,” he said, voice almost purring in amusement. “A Scandal in Bohemia, very good choice, Kuroba-kun. Don’t tell me that you’ve fallen for the seductive charm of Irene Adler, too~?" 

He clicked his tongue in a teasing tsk tsk tsk, winking in his direction. "My, oh my. You know, she always did remind me of…” It was there that his train of thought derailed and Hakuba hesitated half a beat before continuing as if he hadn’t started the previous sentence.

“It’s The Boscombe Valley Mystery for me. God, it’s such a perfect illustration of the human condition and the ethical shades of grey in detective work…”

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Kaito pause completely and looked up at him slowly. He was trying to back track to when exactly he had told Hakuba he had read the series. He remembered the little book locked away in his makeshift library and felt his ears grow hot.

“What …. um, A Study in Scarlet and the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.”  He answered reluctantly. Now he felt his whole face burn in embarrassment.

“The bread and soup is amazing.” He coughed and tried to levitate some of the pressure building in his chest.

Hakuba blinked, completely missing the comment about the food, leaning forward with sudden and total interest. “Ah-HAH!” he exclaimed, only barely able to keep himself from standing at once in his excitement. “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is my absolute favorite, yes! Good! God yes! Not that A Study in Scarlet is not brilliant in its own right, but – oh, oh, please, do tell, pray tell, which is your favorite in The Adventures Of?" 

Bright, sparkling eyes accompanied the question as the detective waited with baited breath for his guest’s response. Really, nothing else could be so important than that very singular moment – the moment of absolute truth!

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The question about college made him pause and remember that Hakuba was still going to return to England at some point. He swallow a soaked piece of bread and glanced away briefly angered and hurt. He turned back to him.

“I haven’t no. Its kind of hard to think about a college when you may not have a future. No?”

“Ah. Yes. Quite.”

Perfect. Offend your guest during the first course; always the mark of a successful dinner party. Hakuba leaned back in his seat, whatever small amount of appetite that he’d had suddenly gone completely. Nevertheless, he continued to tear the piece apart into even smaller pieces, letting it gradually disintegrate in his hands over the soup bowl. 

He needed another topic. Something light and pleasant. “Do you have a favorite Sherlock Holmes story, Kuroba-kun?" 

Perfect. 

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Kaito glance up at the staff then to the food and before he could say thank you they were back through the door. He bowed his head, gave thanks for the meal and barely restrained himself from tearing into the bread to quickly. Gods he was hungry. 

Although Hakuba was glad to see the healthy appetite and, he hoped, subsequent appreciation of the provided food, he was taken aback by the brief pause the other had taken, first. Kuroba wasn’t actually praying, was he? The detective tilted his head, almost forgetting his own silent prayer in the process, and mumbled a quiet ’itadakimasu’ before taking a piece of bread for himself.

“Have…”  he began to speak, tearing off a tiny portion of the bread in his hands, stomach tightening with anxiety as he considered his question. “…ah, have you decided which university or college that you’re to attend, yet?”

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“She sounds like she would be wonderful to be around.” Kaito said and lean forward on to his elbows. He expression wistful and soft. He was thinking about his own mother. Gods if she knew where he was right now she have a fit. He smiled at the last conversation he had with her. It had been about the man he was sitting with. The silence that settled around him was comfortable.

Hakuba set the glass back to the table, watching Kaito through the skewed reflection in the water. He loved that look on his face. It wasn’t one that he saw very often, but it was certainly one of his favorites.

“She is,” he said, and stole a glance at the door. The food would be arriving any moment, wouldn’t it? “I think that you would like her… other than her meddling tendencies, anyway, but what are mothers for if not to meddle?”

It was then, of course, that the two servants returned with soup – french onion – and sourdough, which they quietly set in front of the pair before whisking away to the kitchen again.

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“That sounds wonderful. I haven’t really eaten all day.” Kaito smiled and chuckled lightly. The food sounded amazing as did the prospect of coming back. He glanced around the room subconsciously remapping escape routes despite not wanting to really leave. He expression was soft and relaxed when he finally looked back to Hakuba. 
“This place really is beautiful.” Through he spoke about the room its meaning was for its owner. 

It was the expression that won him over. Hakuba tilted his head, smile hesitant as if silently asking what Kaito had meant by that. He thought he might know, but he didn’t want to dare hope. God, he really didn’t. Things had been so resolute before, and while he was no stranger to chaos theory and the inevitable variables that came with the human condition, he needed routine to function. Why did Kuroba throw wrenches – or in this case, shameless and distracting compliments – into everything?

“Thank you,” the detective said in response after a moment, deciding that he wouldn’t be able to pry a straight answer from the thief even if he were inclined to interrogate him like he used to. Like a criminal, not a guest. “I find it a tad excessive considering that there are only three people living here, but…”  Hakuba shrugged, glancing up to the ornate light fixture above the table. “My mum wanted something elaborate, and she’s not the type of person that you can say no to.”

He was quiet after that, reaching for the glass of water that had already been set out. It wasn’t exactly polite to leave the conversation on such an awkward topic, but he didn’t feel inclined to continue, opting for a moment of silent contemplation while he took a quiet sip.

It’s not as though he were playing the part of a good host, anyway.