Archive of Our Own ^beta

The first time Kaito started thinking about his life differently was when he first saw Morita; Yagami was going to walk Mafuyu back to a cab and Kaito had noticed from the agency’s window the tense scene going on outside when two men seemed to be harassing Yagami. When Kaito had seen Morita close up, he said that if he was a chick, he’d definitely be into the man.

“You don’t need to be a woman to be into him,” Yagami stated simply. Kaito had never thought of it like that, just always thought that as a man, he was supposed to just like women and find them attractive. He didn’t know it was okay to possibly think of men in the same way.

He didn’t think much more on it after that night.

The second time he definitely thought of things differently was when Sugiura had come into the fray. He had removed his mask, revealed himself to both Yagami and Kaito. The older man was shocked that this smug, overconfident man was stupidly attractive; he assumed it was some ugly nerd who thought way too highly of himself behind that mask. 

He wouldn’t admit it, but it was nice to have Sugiura on the team; he was smart and nice to look at, though the fact that he pushed Yagami and asked him close, personal, hurtful questions just rubbed the ex-yakuza the wrong way. 

Yagami had enough trouble as it was, Kaito wouldn’t dare let anyone speak to his partner as Sugiura did.

The third time Kaito started thinking about where he was in his life, it’s when his middle school friend had run into him, tried to get Kaito to do some dirty work with him. Kaito had started to suspect shit was up, but played along so he could get more evidence before he’d make a move.

But then Yagami was sniffing into it and making things weird and it was pissing Kaito off. They’d finally fought for the first time in twenty years and Yagami kicked Kaito’s ass. He was no longer that scrawny punk that kept trying to go for Kaito even when he was battered and bruised. Yagami had become a man and stood his own, gracefully moved about while Kaito charged at him with all his strength.

Yagami was so happy by the end when Kaito admitted to their partnership. 

Kaito wanted to see that smile more; everyday if it could be helped. 

When Kaito had finally came to terms with himself, he nearly lost his friendship with Higashi.

The AD-9 case was over and it had been a month since everything had gone down at the ADDC. Both Yagami and Sugiura were okay now from their involvement with Kuroiwa and Shono; Yagami had a horrible concussion from his fall, plus the stress on his body and internal bleeding gave Kaito quite a scare. Sugiura had gotten shot, used any bit of strength he had left to film once Shono had gotten up to perfect his drug. It looked dicey for the young man, but he made a full recovery. 

Kaito was at Charles; with Hamura in jail and the Matsugane Family practically gone, he had the freedom to spend time with Higashi again. Charles was a shadow of what it had once been when Kaito and Higashi ran the place, but the ex-yakuza knew that his kouhai was doing everything in his power to do right by the arcade.

The usual clerk was gone; Higashi had him working long shifts as the case went on, so he figured the man could use a break. The clerk had been quiet and willing to do whatever Higashi needed, he deserved some time to breathe, maybe take in what had happened with the Family. So Higashi stayed behind the front desk, Kaito seated on the nearby bench. They were both smoking. 

“I’m seeing someone,” Higashi announced. Kaito looked shocked; in all his time with Higashi, the younger man never really seemed interested in anyone. Higashi joined in with the family in his late teens and it just always felt odd to Kaito that his eye never wandered. 

“Really?” Kaito asked. Higashi wasn’t what he would really consider a people person. He ran the arcade, was great with kids, but not really sociable. Higashi did his best, socialized when he needed to, but he mostly seemed to stay by himself with only his thoughts and cigarettes for company. “That’s great, Higashi. She hot?”

“Seriously?” Higashi’s eyes narrowed. “That’s really your first question about someone I’m seeing; are they hot?”

“Well… yeah?” Kaito was rarely caught in Higashi’s crosshairs, but it was scary when he was. He didn’t think the question was so bad; physical attraction was very important as far as Kaito was concerned. Higashi sighed, rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, he’s hot,” he replied. He took a drag of his cigarette. “It’s a guy, aniki.”

“Seriously?” Kaito was shocked. Higashi just didn’t seem like the type to be into men, not that Kaito even knew what that type was. He supposed it made sense; when Kaito and some of the guys would hit up cabaret clubs, Higashi never went with them. Kaito just assumed he was too shy. “Why?”

“Excuse me?” Higashi sounded angry, but he was trying to stay calm. “Why not? I like him; he challenges me and doesn’t care when he gets blowback for speaking his mind. He’s the opposite of me; he’s not afraid to show who he is or be vulnerable. I’m pretty bad at that kind of thing, so it’s nice that he can be so honest and open.”

“Oh,” Kaito shifted on the bench. Higashi would be entranced by something deeper than surface level shit like Kaito was into; it’s just the kind of man Higashi was. He was multi-layered and a deep thinker even though he would probably deny it all. “It’s weird.”

“Get out of my arcade,” Higashi said.

“Huh?” Kaito was taken aback. Fuck, did he say that last part out loud?

“Get the fuck out of my arcade,” Higashi repeated. “I’m trying to share myself with you because you’re important to me, and you’re just mouthing off because it’s a guy? Fuck you, I should’ve just kept it to myself. Get the fuck out of here!”

Kaito stared at the other man. Higashi was mad and Kaito knew he had every right to be. He wasn’t trying to start anything, hadn’t meant to even say it, but he knew it was hurtful. Just because it was different to Kaito, it wasn’t wrong. It was just unexpected and Kaito wasn’t sure what to do with the sudden information.

He put out his cigarette and got up to leave. He glanced at Higashi, saw the man had already gotten another cigarette. Higashi was stressed out beyond belief at this point; he was left to figure out how to keep Charles afloat by himself and what little customers he had, the Family he had dedicated half his life to was gone and he was left to get his life back in order, and now he felt judged and ridiculed by the man he cared so much about.

Kaito sighed, walked out of the arcade. He nearly ran into Sugiura as he went up the stairs, the younger man jumping to the side to avoid their collision. 

“Sorry,” Kaito said. He smiled when he saw it was Sugiura; he hadn’t really seen him since the whole ADDC ordeal. He’d heard about him from Yagami; Sugiura had gone to visit Okubo and sometimes helped Yagami here and there with cases if he needed someone in the shadows. It was nice to see someone friendly; Sugiura was a huge sight for sore eyes. “If you’re here to play games, Higashi’s in a bad mood, so just… be careful.”

“Really?” Sugiura glanced over Kaito’s shoulder. Sugiura and Higashi barely got along when Sugiura was first brought in; Sugiura thought Higashi was too self-important and Higashi thought Sugiura was too cocky and annoying. Kaito knew they eventually settled their differences, but he also knew that Sugiura was great at rubbing people the wrong way. 

“Yeah,” Kaito sighed again. Sugiura smiled at him, it did help to brighten Kaito’s mood a little. “I, uh… said something stupid. So don’t mention me, okay?”

“I usually don’t,” Sugiura grinned. “What’d you say? Higashi-san always seems to be in a bad mood, but you’re probably the only person he never seems to have a problem with. Was it so bad?”

“Kinda,” Kaito didn’t wanna get into it; Higashi was opening up about himself, trusting Kaito with a part of him he couldn’t just be so forward about, and Kaito of course was his usual self, stuck his foot straight in his mouth like he always did. “It’s not just what I said, but what it meant. I was being insensitive.”

“Must’ve been bad if you’re thinking about it,” Sugiura shrugged his shoulders. This was exactly the kind of attitude Kaito knew Higashi didn’t need, but he knew Sugiura meant well. Kaito sighed. “Hey, come on. Just give him some time; he really looks up to you.”

“Yeah,” Kaito figured he’d let Higashi cool off and he would bring the younger man a care package or something. It’s what he always nagged Yagami about when the man needed something from the Genda Law Office; getting sweets to stay on their good side. Higashi wasn’t into sweets, but Kaito would get him some good, expensive beer and a bunch of cigarettes; he still had leftover money from all he’d earned at Koi Bride a couple months back, so money was no issue. “Hey, thanks for listening, Sugiura.”

“I mean, with being on Higashi-san’s bad side, you need someone to listen to your troubles, right?” Sugiura grinned. He seemed so amused about the situation that if he weren’t being so nice about everything, Kaito would be even more upset. “Yagami-san would probably be better with advice, though.”

“He’d tell me it was my own fault,” Kaito had known Yagami for twenty years; the man was practically his conscience at this point. The thoughts in his head sometimes even sounded more like Yagami’s voice than his own; mostly the smarter thoughts. 

“Because it is,” Sugiura agreed. He gave Kaito a pat on the shoulder before going down the stairs and into the arcade. Kaito looked back, saw the big smile on Sugiura’s face as he faced the desk. 

He sighed and made his way out of the building.

When he got back to the agency, Yagami was sitting at his desk, cigarette in hand. Kaito put down a coffee he’d gotten for the man; he figured he’d treat them both because he was just feeling so shitty.

“Oh, thanks Kaito-san,” Yagami smiled, put out his cigarette and took a sip. “Did you do something new with it?”

“Put in some creamer. You always drink that shit black, figured you could use something a little sweet in your life. You deserve it,” Kaito explained. 

“Huh,” Yagami swirled the cup, took another sip. “That’s very thoughtful of you, Kaito-san. Everything okay?”

“I’m always thoughtful!” Kaito exclaimed. Yagami laughed. Kaito felt like he was trying to start a fight. Or maybe Kaito was still reeling from getting kicked out of his old stomping grounds. He sighed. “I’m trying to be more thoughtful.”

“Hmm,” Yagami swirled the cup again and took another sip. “Well, thank you for trying. I’m excited to see the end result.”

Yagami had a deadpan delivery sometimes; Kaito never knew whether he meant things or not. Sometimes it fell into both categories, but sometimes Kaito had a hard time figuring out if Yagami was just messing with him or not. 

“Any plans for the night, Tabou?” Kaito asked. He couldn’t just languish in his earlier stupidity forever; he knew he’d have to make up with Higashi eventually, but he’d need to let the man cool off first. Yagami sitting at the desk and taking a breather meant they had no jobs to do. 

“No,” Yagami replied. “Mafuyu called, asked if I wanted to get some drinks, though.”

“Man, you really have to stop playing with her feelings,” Kaito stated. Yagami sighed.

“I’m not. I said no,” he said. Kaito furrowed his eyebrows. He thought Mafuyu was nice and cute, couldn’t understand why Yagami just wouldn’t get with her. They’d dated once upon a time, though the whole thing with Okubo really messed him up to the point of quitting his job and breaking things off with Mafuyu. 

Kaito never understood when Yagami first told him the news, that night over drinks at his place. He knew that Okubo turning around and killing Emi had messed Yagami and his belief in not only himself, but the justice system up. But why did he need to leave Mafuyu too? She was happy to be by the man’s side. Though Yagami had been so distraught and it sometimes felt like he was somewhere else entirely, so he probably wanted his space.

But Yagami was doing better now; he had all kinds of friends and so much damn confidence; he felt good about what he did and made a promise to follow his heart and his sense of justice. 

“You and Saori-san continue to act like it’s not playing with her feelings to keep trying to force them onto me when I’m not interested,” Yagami put the cup down, sat back at the desk. “She’s a great woman, but is it fair to either of us when only one party is interested?”

“I guess not,” Kaito muttered. He really only wanted to see Yagami happy and Kaito felt like having a cute girl on his side would help with that. Kaito was engaged a long time ago; having Mikiko around was fun. 

“She still insists I leave my detective work to become a lawyer. Could we be happy if she doesn’t even think well of my job, which she knows I care so much about?” Yagami continued. He was on one in Kaito’s opinion. 

“She’s only trying to make sure you’re happy,” Kaito didn’t know why he was pushing so hard about it. Yagami wasn’t interested and Kaito trying to make him see Mafuyu’s side of things wasn’t going to change it. Besides, Yagami was so much smarter and already knew Mafuyu had always meant well. 

“And I am, as a detective,” Yagami said. He sighed. “Kaito-san, do not make me out to be the bad guy in this. Mafuyu is a big girl, she can handle rejection. Do you think I can handle it when so many people try to act like they know what’s best for me without even seeming to consider my feelings?”

“No,” Kaito muttered. It was his biggest issue when it came to others; he thought he knew what was right, but he never considered that maybe he didn’t know everything and he was, quite possibly, wrong. Kaito knew what he knew, found it hard to see from other perspectives. “Sorry, Tabou.”

He didn’t want Yagami just as mad at him as Higashi had been. If Kaito and Yagami ever had a bad falling out, he wouldn’t know what to do about it. Ever since Yagami threw that first punch twenty years ago, the two had bonded. For better or worse, Yagami was a part of him now. 

“Sometimes I think you’re trying to get rid of me when you keep trying to bring up Mafuyu,” Yagami said. He sat back down at the desk, coffee still in his hand. Kaito’s coffee was getting cold; he was fully intent on Yagami. The older man put his own coffee on the desk.

“I just…” he didn’t even know where he was going with it. He was just pushing his own desire onto Yagami? No, it was something more. Yagami just seemed so much happier back before everything happened three years ago. 

But in the past year, the last two months especially, Kaito had become aware how much everything had hurt Yagami and he just couldn’t take the pressure anymore. Everyone told Yagami it wasn’t his fault, and the guilt became too much because he didn’t believe them; he refused to just take what everyone said at face value anymore.

“You just?” Yagami asked. Kaito forgot he was speaking. 

“I just never knew how much you were hurting,” Kaito said. “You were some hotshot lawyer with a cute girl that seemed to like you. You were getting murder acquittals and recognition. You were living what I really thought was a great life, and it felt like that night Terasawa-san died changed everything. So I guess I just thought maybe if you had some of that life back, you’d be happy again.”

“I don’t want to live that life, Kaito-san,” Yagami murmured. “I just did what people wanted me to do, accepted what they told me without questioning any of it. And a woman died because I never looked deeper into something that stared me right in the face.”

Yagami wasn’t even happy; just tried to be for everyone else. And Kaito just took it all at face value because it would’ve made him happy to have the big lawyer life, the money, and the cute girl. It’s what his parents would’ve loved for him. 

“If it’s any consolation, Kaito-san, I am happy now,” Kaito looked at the other man. “I have my bad days, like anyone else. But I don’t hate where I am. And I get to spend every day with you.” 

“Tabou, come on,” Kaito waved his hand dismissively. He looked at Yagami. He’d gone from that scrawny little punk that was always taunting Kaito to a lean, elegant man that only fought when he was either threatened or it mattered. Despite everything that had happened in Yagami’s life, his eyes still shined bright, even twinkled in the bright lights of Kamurocho. His nose was slightly crooked from when Kaito had broken it so long ago, but it was an imperfection that Kaito loved and cherished. There was something kind of cute about it and it fit Yagami’s face.

He was getting weak and mushy for Yagami. And he was remembering what Yagami had said to him after Kaito had made that comment about Morita. 

You don’t need to be a woman to be into him. 

And he understood why Higashi had gotten so angry over Kaito’s response; being into men was just a natural thing, but for Higashi, he still had to keep his mouth shut over something that, in reality, was just who he was. 

And after being reunited with Kaito, Higashi felt safe enough to divulge his feelings to the older man. And rather than just be happy for Higashi, Kaito just asked stupid questions and acted like it was some weird thing. And truly, he didn’t even think it was weird; it just felt weird he’d never put it together that maybe there’d been a reason Higashi just never seemed interested in anyone. He was a yakuza and would get the shit beat out of him if he’d ever been found out, of course he was going to keep it to himself. 

Kaito was so stupid. He didn’t use his words to tell Higashi what he meant; Kaito always lumbered through everything and then resorted to being hurt when he was misunderstood. But he had hurt a man who meant so much to him. 

“I’ve gotta go,” Kaito said. He turned and left the agency before Yagami could respond. He needed to apologize to Higashi, and honestly, it was a good reason to get some fresh air into his lungs so he could stop thinking of that stupidly attractive dork he called his partner. 

He hated how confused he felt over Yagami. It felt right, but it’s something he tended to just push way back behind things in his mind. It wasn’t normal, and normal was all Kaito wanted to be for once in his goddamn life. 

Though when he had the opportunity to be normal way back when Mikiko was still in the picture, he ran screaming from it. It was normal, but it never felt right. And even though he was happy, he took every chance to run away from it. 

But now he’d make sure he didn’t run again. Right now, he was just taking his time to make everything right.

He made his way to Charles not even sure what his plan was. Higashi had no qualms kicking him out and Kaito had to admit it broke his heart a little. But he had to keep it in perspective and remember that Higashi only did so because Kaito was being rude, and not in the cute, charming way Kaito always told himself he acted.

When he got in, Sugiura was on the bench talking with Higashi. Higashi was no longer smoking and it reminded Kaito that whenever the ex-thief was around, Higashi tended to ditch his cigarettes. It was actually pretty nice; Sugiura seemed to hate smoke. Higashi seemed to be getting back to who he was as more time passed; kind, considerate, but still with an edge to him if you looked deeper.

He looked like he had lightened up a bit; he was smiling and animated as he spoke with Sugiura. It’s like Higashi could hide that angry man he was and put on the front that he was okay. It both made Kaito sad, but also happy that Higashi had learned that not everything had to ruin his day.

Kaito walked to the front desk. Higashi turned to him, an icy glare on his face. It was like looking at the stranger that had stormed into the agency months ago; the Higashi that was doing everything in his power to help keep the Family from falling fully into Hamura’s hands.

“I told you to get the fuck out,” Higashi said. Sugiura looked at Kaito, then back at Higashi. Kaito was glad that at least, Higashi’s bad mood hadn’t moved on to being mean to Sugiura; Kaito thought he was a good kid that didn’t deserve it, especially with everything he’d been through in the last couple of months. 

“I need to apologize,” Kaito had wanted to get Higashi stuff to go with the apology, but the man wasn’t swayed by material things like Kaito was. The whole problem was that Kaito was only looking at everything from his perspective and not even opening up to things that went against what he thought he knew. 

And he was supposed to be a detective, dammit. 

“Why, because Yagami said it would help out?” Higashi asked. He was angry and hurt, Kaito knew Higashi wasn’t going to just let it go, not that he expected any less; Higashi had a short fuse, but it was generally lit when it mattered. 

“Because I know that everything I was saying wasn’t taking you and your feelings into account when you were finally opening yourself up,” Kaito replied. Higashi had even said he was bad about opening up and being vulnerable, and it just didn't get through Kaito's thick skull at the time. Higashi turned to Sugiura.

“You mind stepping out for a bit, Sugiura?” the older man asked. Sugiura smiled and got up, left the arcade. Higashi turned to Kaito. “Wish you’d been more thoughtful before.”

“I do too. I’m sorry I’m such an idiot,” Kaito meant it. He knew he always spoke badly, and worse, he was always such an ass when anyone brought it up; he hated to be reminded of his shortcomings, yet he never really did anything about it. “Everyone even tells me to my face how much I can’t shut my damn mouth, and instead of doing anything to prove them wrong, I just get mad and punch things.”

“Have to admit, it also makes you… well, you,” Higashi sighed. 

“Yeah, but eventually everyone’s patience runs out. Yours did,” Kaito would’ve just run with the praise any other day, but he couldn’t keep refusing to grow up. He was thirty eight yet still acted like a damn kid when it actually mattered. “I’m sorry, Higashi. It all took me by surprise; the fact that you’re even seeing someone, that it’s a guy , that you were telling me. And instead of talking it through, I just said dumb shit and asked stupid questions. You were finally opening up, trusting someone with your secret, and I just… made you feel like shit.”

He cared about Higashi and was happy to be the one that the man was confiding in. Higashi was always so quiet and reserved in the past, it worried Kaito sometimes that he never seemed to get along that well with anyone. And maybe a little bit of Kaito was happy he was so special. 

“I bet Sugiura would’ve been nicer about it all,” Kaito continued. He had to admit that after getting kicked out of his old arcade, he was a little jealous that Higashi could look so happy around anyone else so soon after the fact. Sugiura definitely would’ve been nicer. Probably would’ve congratulated Higashi, asked some good questions. He wouldn’t have made Higashi feel like he was a freak.

“I’d hope he would be nicer about it,” Higashi said. “He’s the guy I’m seeing.”

“What?” Kaito asked. Sugiura, really? Thinking about it, it made sense. Higashi didn’t seem like he had many friends, and of the ones Kaito knew of, Sugiura was the only person that could be considered hot. And he really was the opposite of Higashi. “When?”

“I guess it started after you and Yagami left me to keep an eye on him,” Higashi said. “To be honest, in that month we waited for Ayabe’s trial, he kept coming over here and trying to talk. He was pretty annoying and insistent, but I guess he just didn’t know how to create romantic atmosphere. Not that I really know how to, either. We’ve just been taking it slow, working to just get back to being normal people again.”

Higashi smiled. It was warm and sincere; something Kaito hadn’t seen from the man in quite some time. 

“It’s nice to have someone I can message if I just want to bitch about Suzuki forgetting to empty the hoppers,” Higashi added. “He tells me when he forgot to get vegetables for dinner, or something he wanted to pick up from the store. It feels normal to just talk about the dumb little things and not worry about sounding stupid because I know he’ll like me anyway.”

“Oh,” it sounded nice. It sounded just like the Higashi that Kaito had known before he’d been expelled from the Family. “Well, you know, I don’t care who you date as long as you’re happy, Higashi. And I really mean that. I just… it got me thinking.”

“About how weird it is,” Higashi muttered. Yeah, he was still hurting. Higashi was kind and sensitive when he’d joined in with the Matsugane Family and a lot of the guys outright laughed at him over it. Kaito fought them, found Higashi’s attitude refreshing. He took the younger man under his wing and Kaito knew it’s why even to this day, even when he was no longer yakuza, Higashi still considered him his aniki. 

And he felt like the aniki that understood Higashi so well now thought he was some freak. And it’s never how Kaito wanted Higashi to feel.

“I was thinking about something Tabou told me once,” Kaito replied. Higashi stared, waited for the older man to continue. “He said I didn’t have to be a woman to be into a guy, and I guess I just never considered things like that.”

“Well, if you don’t like men, why would you?” Higashi asked. 

“But when a woman likes men, it’s not so weird, right?” Kaito questioned. “I don’t know, my parents always told me I had a natural charisma and that a lot of girls loved that kind of thing. So I guess I just thought it’s how things were; a guy and a girl. You never see two guys just being together.”

Higashi sighed, grabbed a cigarette from his pocket. With Sugiura gone, he probably felt free to smoke again. 

“It’s nice of you to not smoke in front of Sugiura, you know,” Kaito commented. He had noticed it before, the night Kuroiwa had surprised them at Charles. Higashi and Kaito desperately needed a smoke after their fight, but once Yagami and Sugiura came in, the younger looking absolutely miserable, Higashi quickly put his cigarette out. 

“His sister’s body was burned to get rid of any evidence that indicated Shono,” Higashi said. “He told me before how devastating it was that they had no body to bury. So, you know, he has a thing about fire. I like cigarettes, but I like him more.”

“But even before we knew about who he was and his sister, you didn’t smoke in front of him,” Kaito stated. Higashi sighed. 

“Yeah, well, I got an earful over it when we were supposed to be at that batting center,” he replied. “I put the cigarettes away pretty fast, but he was still on my case about how bad smoking is for me and how it eats away at my lungs and takes years off of my life. He’s really fucking annoying about shit sometimes, so I try to be good.”

Kaito laughed. It did sound pretty normal. Kaito had to admit, he was happy Higashi was getting his life back. When Kaito was kicked out of the Family, his world felt torn apart because he’d dedicated all of it to Matsugane. He had no idea what to do with himself, so he mostly spent his time watching TV in his apartment or playing whatever dusty, old video game console he still had laying around. 

Yagami came around whenever he didn’t have work which, honestly, was a good amount of the time. He cleaned Kaito’s apartment, made sure he had vegetables because Kaito mostly treated himself to comfort meals with a lot of meat and didn’t know how to cook. He took Kaito drinking and the man had forgotten how much fun it was to be with Yagami again.

There were gaps in all the years they’d been together; Yagami was going to school and working on becoming a lawyer while Kaito was on jobs for the Matsugane Family. They ran into each other here and there, but they were both usually too busy to do anything together for quite some time. 

So that night at Bar Tender, when Yagami asked Kaito to work with him for the Yagami Detective Agency, Kaito was thrilled to have something in his life again, plus he’d have his best friend back by his side. He didn’t realize how much he truly missed the man until he was back in his life consistently.

“I’m sorry I said it was weird, Higashi,” Kaito finally said. “It’s not weird and you’re not weird.”

“Well, I’m glad you thought about it,” Higashi replied. He smiled at Kaito. “Kinda weird you even did, but it’s a nice change. Maybe being a detective did some good for you. Maybe Yagami’s not as bad as I thought.”

“Wow,” Kaito smirked. “Are you finally admitting that my partner is worthy of praise?”

“I watched him save you from losing a finger after Hamura got you expelled from the Family,” Higashi said. “He saved Sugiura when he was in danger too, even did everything he could to turn things around for that case. I might not like him, but I can admit that he’s a good guy. And honestly, you seem like you’re an even better man now that you’re with him so much.”

“Don’t say something like that,” Kaito groaned. At least when it was just Kaito and his thoughts over Yagami, he could pretend it was just him thinking too much into things that he liked to think weren’t there. But when Higashi said dumb shit like Yagami made Kaito a better man, it just made it all seem too real. 

Footsteps drew Kaito out of his reverie. Sugiura had come back, bag in his hand. He walked up to the front desk as Higashi hurried to put out his cigarette. Sugiura smiled and handed Higashi a carton of cigarettes.

“Cigarettes?” Higashi asked. Sugiura smiled. “You told me how bad they were for me and how I’d die if I smoked so many.”

“But you like them and if a cigarette helps get you through the day, I can’t make you feel so bad about them,” Sugiura explained. “Oh, Poppo had my favorite ice cream, too!”

“Great,” Higashi smiled. “We should have some later.”

“You don’t like ice cream, Higashi-san,” Sugiura said. 

“I don’t, but you do. Figured we could share a moment,” Higashi agreed. He looked Sugiura in the eye, smile still on his face. Higashi had said he wasn’t good at setting a romantic atmosphere, but Kaito knew that look. Higashi was being flirty, and truthfully, he seemed damn good at it. Kaito never realized before that Higashi had grown up to become such a man. 

Kaito got up. 

“You leaving, aniki?” Higashi asked. He was turned to Kaito, as was Sugiura. 

“Yeah. You two have plans, can’t stick around forever and be an awkward third wheel,” Higashi laughed. Sugiura smiled, looked at Higashi. “I really did just… want to apologize. I had some pretty eye-opening thoughts, had to strike while the iron was hot.”

“Eye-opening, huh?” Higashi asked. He grinned. “Yagami come onto you or something?”

“Whoa, Higashi-san!” Sugiura exclaimed. He was blushing and Kaito went back to his thoughts when Sugiura first revealed himself; he was a really good looking guy. He was pretty young though, for Kaito at least. “Does Yagami-san like you, Kaito-san?”

“Guys,” Kaito groaned. He’d been with Yagami for a year now, never saw the man with interest in anyone. Thinking about it, he wasn’t even sure if he’d had a lot of interest in Mafuyu years ago; he never talked about her or acted interested even when Kaito asked questions. He knew Saori introduced them, wondered if dating Mafuyu was one of those things Yagami had done because it made Saori happy. 

He wouldn’t do that, right? 

But when he’d left his job, it didn’t mean he had to break up with Mafuyu. If he told her he needed space, surely she would’ve left him to pick up the pieces of himself, right? 

Kaito actually wasn’t sure, really. Mafuyu meant well, but Kaito knew it did hurt Yagami that she didn’t seem to understand why his work was so important to him, even went as far to say detective work didn’t suit him. He had mentioned during that night at Shono’s secret lab how she seemed shocked at how dedicated he was to the case, and even thought he would give up after Murase had been taken as another experiment and killed. 

Yagami admitted that it hurt him that she couldn’t see how important it all was, how hard he’d work to get to where he was, and how dedicated he was to doing what it took to get justice for so many who were wronged. He thought if she cared so much for him, wouldn’t she try to see all he was trying to accomplish?

Kaito thought at the time that Yagami was just angry and hurt about everything that had occurred and was choosing to focus on Mafuyu because she was safe, but now Kaito wondered if maybe someone so close doubting Yagami’s passion and hard work just became one more difficult reality for the man. After Shintani’s death, Yagami said that even Genda felt he should come back as a lawyer.

Kaito felt like no one understood how hurt Yagami was and just wanted him to be okay, and now he knew why the younger man had left everything behind; the pain was too much and being around people who didn’t seem to understand how much hurt Yagami was going through had become too much for the detective. Kaito might not have gotten everything back then, but he knew that Yagami was hurting, tried to be there for him if he needed someone. Or if he didn’t, tried to give the man his space.

“Kaito-san?” Sugiura’s voice broke down Kaito’s thoughts. He lost track of where he was again. Being thoughtful really took a lot out of you and Kaito had to admit he had respect that Yagami could keep up with it all the time. “Should we not have brought up Yagami-san?”

“No, we definitely should have brought him up,” Higashi smirked. 

“Shut up,” Kaito muttered. Higashi chuckled, Sugiura laughed as well. Kaito felt like these two could be a terrible combination if they used their powers of getting under someone’s skin for evil. “Enjoy your ice cream together.”

Kaito left the arcade, saw it was starting to get dark. He could go out somewhere, get a drink or three before heading home to his dinky apartment, but he had just kind of left Yagami without a word and felt like he owed his partner more than that. 

He took a turn, made his way back to the Yagami Detective Agency. He wasn’t even sure what he’d do once he got there; their jobs were looking slim these days. But he had just left in the middle of a conversation with his partner and they’d left it in a weird spot for Kaito; Yagami implied his happiness in spending so much time with Kaito, and it sent the older man into an existential crisis. 

He could leave it and come back the next day like it hadn’t happened, but it would just come up again, Kaito was sure. 

He got to the agency, went up those stairs for what seemed like the ten thousandth time, and let himself into the room. It looked a little neater, not that Yagami ever really made a mess, though he had a tendency to let their dishes pile up. But it looked like he’d finally cleaned them; they were drying in the dish rack.

“Kaito-san,” he said. Yagami was still at the desk, cup of coffee in his hand. “You left your coffee here, so I drank it. It tasted a lot like mine; did you make them the same on purpose?”

Kaito grinned sheepishly. He might have done them the same, though he didn’t think much of it. 

“You know, we’re partners. Just sharing a part of myself with you,” it could’ve come off as flirty, or it could’ve just been Kaito overthinking it. Yagami laughed, took a sip of the coffee. “I see you did some cleaning. Just been sitting here drinking my coffee?”

“You told me when I got out of the hospital that you’d prefer if I took it easy,” Yagami shrugged his shoulders. “We have no cases, so I’m doing just as you asked. I always listen to my partner, after all.”

He stuck his nose where it didn’t belong even when Kaito worried that it was overkill. But Yagami only did it when he truly believed it was necessary. He followed his own sense of justice and saw it through to the end.

And god, Kaito would stick by him because he believed in this man and wanted to keep him safe.

“It’s getting dark, isn’t it?” Yagami looked out the window. He finished his coffee, threw the cup into the trash can. He smiled and looked at his partner. “Wanna go out for drinks?”

“I– I thought you didn’t want to go out,” Kaito said. Yagami blinked and cocked his head. “Mafuyu invited you out, you said no. Figured you just wanted to just have a quiet night in.”

“I don’t want to go out with her,” Yagami stated. Kaito laughed, was already imagining how much Saori would be fuming if she overheard anything Yagami had ever told Kaito about Mafuyu. But Kaito knew Yagami had a point in what he’d said earlier; it wasn’t fair for Saori, or Kaito for that matter, to keep hounding Yagami about Mafuyu when he’d made his feelings clear, nor was it even fair to Mafuyu. 

“But you wanna go out with me?” Kaito asked. He and Yagami had fun drinking; they sometimes hit up karaoke bars and Kaito always made Yagami sing corny duets with him. Yagami was an amazing singer, but he denied it every time Kaito told him so. 

Yagami got up from his seat, walked in front of Kaito. He reached up, pat the older man on the cheek. 

“Always,” Yagami stated. He was being very forward. Since the day they had officially declared themselves partners, Yagami was less subtle and tried to make sure Kaito knew where they stood. “We’ve known each other for twenty years now. For better or worse, we’re kind of stuck with each other now. And I’m lucky to still want to spend my nights drinking with you.”

“Tabou,” Kaito murmured. He’d been fighting so many feelings for a long time now; every time he thought maybe Yagami wouldn’t mind some friendship and company in the past, Kaito decided against it and went to go hit up a cabaret club instead. At least for a time, he had Matsugane or Mikiko as an excuse not to go check in on the man, go out and have a night on the town.

But now his only excuse now would be that he was too scared to just take what was in front of him; Yagami was being very clear about his feelings because Kaito knew he was an idiot and could misread his partner, so the detective was trying to be obvious. 

And fuck, Kaito had nothing to lose if he indulged, right?

He cupped Yagami’s face in his hands, leaned down and brushed his lips against the other man’s. He could feel Yagami smile before kissing him back. Kaito felt aggressive, nearly smashed his tongue against the other man’s lips before Yagami obliged. Kaito felt the other man laugh, didn’t really give a shit as he moved his hands to Yagami’s waist. He rubbed up and down the slender detective’s sides with his hands as they kissed, tried to remove the jacket Yagami would never be seen without. 

Kaito scoffed when he first saw Yagami in that jacket; it seemed like a lot of money for a detective who could barely make rent, but Yagami insisted that it put his outfit together. Now Kaito was happy Yagami didn’t take him seriously over it because the man looked damn fine in the thing. But now Kaito wanted it off. 

“Kaito-san,” Yagami whispered as they broke apart so Kaito could move down to his neck.

“What?” Kaito asked. Yagami Takayuki, Kamurocho’s finest detective and killer of intimate moments. They had a good thing going, what did the man want? 

“Drinks,” Yagami said. Kaito opened his mouth, but Yagami took his hand, laced their fingers together. “I don’t know about you, it’s been quite a while for me. I think we’d both be a little more comfortable with something in us, hmm?”

“I guess,” Kaito mumbled. Yagami ruined their moment because he was nervous? Kaito could be gentle, he didn’t really see Yagami as the bashful type.

“If we go to your place after, there’s an actual bed too,” Yagami grinned. 

“Tabou!” Kaito threw his arm around his partner’s shoulders and Yagami laughed as they left the agency. “You really know how to set the mood.”

“It helps that you’re so thoughtful now and can take it in,” Yagami said. Kaito rolled his eyes, gave Yagami a kiss before they left the building. He wasn’t wrong. If Yagami had ever tried being flirty in the past, it either went right over Kaito’s head or he pretended to take it a whole different way. 

But somehow, it felt right now. He didn’t have to talk himself out of thinking more about Yagami than being just his friend, and he didn’t need to force himself to be anything or anyone he wasn’t. Going to the bar with Yagami, making plans to do whatever the night brought them, it felt right. 

And Kaito hoped that he and Yagami would keep what they had going on for at least another twenty years.