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He shrugged, smiled just a bit more, and pressed his shoulder against his. “What can I say, she kissed me at birth.”

Hakuba laughed again, relieved that Kaito seemed to be in better spirits, and rolled his eyes. “God, of course…” he said, teasing still as they reached the room. There, Baaya waited for them, cake set out on the wet bar counter, two pieces already cut. 

“It’s about time,” she said, arching a brow at the pair. “How you can stomach so many sweets with so little actual dinner, I don’t know, but…”  Baaya sighed, waving her hands dismissively. “You’re nearly too old for me to tell you what to do anymore, Young Master, so do as you like, I suppose." 

"Oh, Baaya…" 

"Well come on, then, get your cake so I can get back to Kitchen Nightmares.” 

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Kaito felt the bump and looked up to him. “You have nothing to apologize for. I … I tried to make light of a situation that was way to sensitive. All you did was put me in my place. As for making a muck? Aren’t I the king of that?” He smiled lightly at the end.

“Actually, I rather thought that you were the king of pulling things out of your ass and making them work out for you, anyway.” Hakuba stayed close despite his jab, hoping that his tone would convey the teasing he’d meant it to. “I mean, after all, we’re supposed to be enemies but we’re soon to be drinking wine and eating chocolate cake that, yes, I made especially for the evening, thank you very much Baaya for spoiling my well-guarded secret." 

He sighed, but the little smile that had come to his face stayed. 

"Lady luck seems to be smiling upon you once more, Kuroba-kun, if I’m permitted to say so." 

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Kaito winced. He couldn’t really help that. It was the way he dealt with his nerves. He was just trying to bring light to the situation.

“Sorry …I just…”
He shifted his hand to the neck of the bottle and refrained from moving it anywhere else by tucking it close to his chest. Over exaggerated yes but somehow necessary with the detectives words. He began to walk down the hall subdued and quiet. 

Hakuba sighed, shoulders sagging again. He hadn’t meant to make him feel bad, but it was difficult not to lash out so critically when he was embarrassed. Frowning, he hurried to catch up to him and made sure to bump into his shoulder, little frown on his face, but eyes hopeful.

“Ah, I’m… sorry,” he said after a moment. “Like I said earlier, I’ve just been making a muck of everything all evening… well, month, really. Forgive me?" 

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Kaito felt the laugh bubble and he had to work really hard to not let it out. “Which part? The one where I hoped you’d offer your bed or me asking you if you were alright?” He smirked. The detective just made it so easy for him to tease the crap out of him. 

Hakuba pushed himself away, though he hadn’t meant to be quite so forceful about it, and adjusted his suit jacket with a pout. “The former,” he said, once more cursing his fair english complexion. “One moment you’re talking about tabling emotionally complicated discussions, the next you’re joking about sleeping in my bed?” 

The detective shook his head, running a hand down the side of his face and over the side of his neck in a desperate attempt to dispel his nerves. “Baaya is bringing us cake. You… you stop that. A-and be… be careful with that wine. I swear to god if you drop it, I’ll be forced to lick it off of the floor.”

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Kaito had felt him stumble into him. Tossing the wine up into the air he spun quickly and caught the detective, turned him into his chest and caught the wine as it came down in a matter of seconds. If he was honest he would have let the wine hit the floor. He didn’t care about that he was worried for Hakuba in his arms. 

“Are you alright?” He asked concerned and a little smug just to hide his frantic heart.

It took several seconds for the detective to start breathing again, and when he did, it came out as a shaky gasp. He glanced up at Kaito,  whom he had his arms wrapped TIGHTLY around, then pulled back in embarrassment to look for the wine.

“Y-yes, I’m… I’m fine,” Hakuba said, both relieved and mortified as he looked away, attempting to straighten up on his own two feet. As if he hadn’t just been so incredibly clumsy and ridiculous and… god. “Pardon, what… what were you saying?”

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“A guest room, Hakuba, and here I was hoping that you’d invite me to share your bed.” Kaito purred and grinned at him. The wine on resting on the tip of his finger from the cork.

“Ah– what?!"Hakuba stuttered, mind blanking at what he HOPED was a tease, but stumbled and tripped, anyway, right over his own feet. And into Kaito. Which mortified him for several reasons all at once: the lack of grace on his part, the sudden physical contact, the fact that the expensive wine bottle was in such a precarious position, and that they were all headed for the hard marble floor. 

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He continued to smile as he walked down the hall. The wine was teetering on the very tip of his finger by the edge of the base.

“I’m willing to drink but not a lot. I still have to be able to make it back home tonight.” He laughed and watched the bottle. 

Watching the wine bottle made Hakuba nervous, but he did his best not to comment, simply grimacing every time it wobbled dangerously. If anyone could get away with that sort of handling, it was Kaito, but even so… 

“Ah, well, once we open it, we’re going to have to enjoy every drop… it is a seven hundred dollar bottle of wine, you know… and whether that means I take the lion’s share – which I would not be averse to – or you stay in a guest room, we simply cannot let it go to waste." 

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“Thank you.” Kaito began and took up the bottle. “You’re not the only with an out of element feeling. I brought a Seven hundred dollar bottle of wine because I thought it was something you liked." 

He smiled at him, quick and easy. “So why don’t we agree that tonight was a royal mess, curl up together on the couch, watch a movie and call it a night. We’ll handle what all of this means in the morning after some sleep. Cause right now we are both too sensitive to each other. Deal?”

He spun the bottle on the flat of his palm and walked past him. 

It took several seconds for Hakuba to process what Kaito said, confused by just how simple he’d made it all sound. How easy. As if the drama weren’t broiling, as if his feelings weren’t torn into pieces and building up and such a mess all at once. He watched him as he walked past, blinking, and found himself nodding. 

"That… that sounds like a splendid idea, Kuroba-kun. Deal." 

He jogged to catch up with him, attempting a smile as he moved to pull in front, hopeful and a little more exuberant than moments before. "I do like the wine, though, and again, I am more than happy to drink with you if you’re willing…" 

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He nodded and walked in. The bottle was exactly where he left it  on the table. Briskly he moved towards it a picked it up, then put it back down again. 

“I’m sorry. I just reacted. I … was running on pure emotions and went for the kiss. I didn’t mean to askew your plans for tonight. I wanted this to go great too. Funny thing is that plans around me have a way of …. I wanted to kiss you, still do but if you want to take it slow and start off as friends then okay. I’m okay with that.” He turned and faced him. “But I have to know, Hakuba, in detail, what you want from me? What do you need from me? Before anything else happens I have to know.”

Once again, Hakuba found himself surprised. And disoriented. He stopped where he was, just a few feet from Kaito, to stare at him. There it was, the need and the chance for clarification. Kuroba had put the ball in his court, though for what reason he couldn’t fathom. 

Hesitating, he lifted a hand to run through his hair, gaze dropping to the floor. “It’s all just a little overwhelming, Kuroba-kun…” Then came a sigh as he dropped his hand, helpless. 

“One moment, I’m coming to you, whom I believe detests me, for advice… because I can’t decide what to do with myself… only to find out, tonight, that we’ve both been harboring secret feelings of affection and adoration… and now here you are in my bedroom." 

Hakuba looked back at him and shrugged, nervous frown. "I’m terrified, honestly. I never thought I’d have the chance to… to tell you, much less kiss you, and… what am I supposed to say? I’m just as lost as you are… wanting, confused; needing, reluctant; elated, despairing. Relieved that you want to talk, so very, very scared that I’ll say all of the wrong things, just as I have all night… just as I did at your home, and after the heist… And then the monocle, I wanted to protect you, not hurt you… God, it’s a mess!" 

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Because he wanted to hold his hand and because Hakuba was still nervous around him Kaito stuffed his hands into his pockets. At the others words he found himself whipping his head around to look at him. What was that supposed to mean? Did he want to wait before they …. He messed up again and now Hakuba was apologizing for nothing. Refraining from tearing his hand into his bangs and degrading himself he kept uncharacteristically quiet. 

The silence was a bad sign, and Hakuba frowned, finally glancing at him. “Ah…” But what could he say to fix it? Which specific thing, of the very long list of wrongs he’d done that night, was Kuroba upset about now? 

Heaving a sigh, Hakuba turned back to look ahead again, his own hands finding their way into his pockets. Miserable, guilty, ashamed, feeling chided in the wake of the lack of response. 

Things had been better just before Baaya had interrupted. Dangerous, but better. He didn’t know how to feel or what to do and that, in and of itself, was frustrating enough, but to have Kuroba wrapped up in it and all of the stress from everything else… god he wanted that wine. Alcohol always made things a little bit easier to deal with. 

He fumbled with his keys, pulling them from his pocket once they got to the door. Two locks later, he looked back at Kaito, then gestured for him to go in first. “After you."