As soon as he was alone, Kaito dropped his smile, sitting heavily on the front steps to his apartment building. He was glad that they were all happy, but he was still lonely despite everyone's best efforts. He supposed the lies he had to tell had something to do with it.
Kaito sighed.
"I'd always wondered if it was just an act. I suppose you aren't always as energetic as you seem, Kid," a familiar voice said from his left, likely someone on the other side of the steps, standing in the shade. When he glanced over, he laughed humorlessly. It figured that his favorite detective would see him feeling so down.
"Yo, detective. How'd you know it was me?" he asked, only vaguely interested. If Kudo was planning on doing something with the information, he would have already, after all.
"My parents knew the original Kaitou Kid," Kudo supplied readily. "After you lent me a hand, my mom told me what she knew."
"Your mom…" Kaito thought for a moment, a face coming to mind. "My dad and I had lunch with her when I was little. I think I gave her a flower."
"She mentioned," Kudo confirmed. He fell silent for a time, long enough that Kaito was sure the conversation was going to be dropped.
"Do you have your card key on you, by any chance?" Kudo asked.
"Not that I really need it, but I do, why? Did the detective lose his somewhere?" Kaito teased, pulling his card out anyway. He held it briefly aloft.
"I left it on the counter," Kudo said, sounding annoyed. "I called my roommate, but she told me to, well. I probably shouldn't repeat what she said in public, actually."
Kaito snorted.
"The great Kudo Shinichi, laid low by a troublesome roommate," he laughed. Something Kudo said caught his attention abruptly. "Wait, we live in the same apartment building?" Kaito asked, turning to look at him again.
Kudo stepped around the railing, raising an eyebrow.
"You didn't notice?" Kudo asked. "I figured you weren't introducing yourself, because you already knew who I was. We live next door."
Kaito froze. All this time, he'd been living next to his favorite detective? He'd picked the apartment in such a hurry—a show was rapidly approaching, and he needed the work space—he'd forgotten to check out his neighbors. He was getting sloppy.
"You should come over for dinner sometime," Kudo offered absently, as if he offered a seat at his table to thieves he had a longstanding rivalry with every day. He stepped around Kaito to wait by the door. "Haibara enjoys cooking for more than two people. She'll probably figure you out pretty quickly, but I wouldn't worry about it. She thinks you're interesting."
"You live with the little scientist? What happened to Miss Mouri?" Kaito tilted his head until he was looking at Kudo upside down and blinked up at him.
"Ran? She's dating a mutual friend. And, yeah, I live with Haibara. She's still technically 10, so she can't live alone yet. She insisted on joining me." Kudo shook his head. "Now she's always harping on me about proper nutrition."
"Hence dinner," Kaito smiled. Kudo just nodded, shrugging.
Kaito pushed himself up and swiftly unlocked the door. They walked up the stairs to the second floor in a comfortable silence while Kaito considered the offer. He liked Kudo and, while the little scientist was intimidating, he really wasn't planning on doing much more than wallow in self-pity tonight. Dinner with a rival and someone who made him nervous was probably an improvement.
"I think I'll take you up on your offer," Kaito decided, pausing outside his own door.
Kudo grinned, "I'll tell Haibara to cook for three. We usually eat at around 6:30. Don't worry about bringing anything."
With that, they both nodded once more and stepped into their own apartments. Kaito leaned back against his door and just looked at his living space for a long moment. His usual clutter was spread around any available flat surfaces, half-made magic tricks and gadgets littering the room. He had pictures of his friends and family on all of his shelves; the poster of his father hung in his workshop.
There were dirty dishes from tea and his breakfast piled in the sink—he'd shooed Aoko out before she could notice them. After hanging his keys on their hook and depositing his phone and wallet in the dish beneath it, he stepped into the kitchen with a sigh.
As he washed his dishes, he wondered about what Kudo might be doing now. He was a detective, so he could be working on cases, or he could be helping the little scientist cook…
It must be nice, not living alone…
At 6 exactly, Shinichi heard a knock at the door. He rolled his eyes fondly. Haibara glanced over her shoulder at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Finally, someone who arrives early to things."
Shinichi snorted, but opened the door, startled by a large and very colorful bouquet. Kuroba peeked at him from over the top, grinning.
"I know you said I didn't have to bring anything, but I wanted to."
"We're keeping this one, Kudo. He's a gentleman." Haibara called from the kitchen.
"Yeah, yeah, Haibara." Shinichi gestured inward, stepping out of the doorway. "Please come in, Kuroba, and thank you for the flowers." Shinichi accepted the flowers, quickly moving through their apartment to find a vase.
"You can go ahead and have a seat at the table if you'd like," Shinichi said, rifling through a closet.
"Vases are in the closet with the towels," Haibara supplied. "And Kuroba, why don't you stir this for me? I have other things I need to be preparing."
"Yes, ma'am."
Shinichi was relieved that they were getting along. He was sure that Haibara was analyzing him, but that was to be expected. He wondered how long it would take her before she figured it out for sure. He'd kept Kid's identity to himself, even when he moved in next door.
He'd told Haibara that he and Kuroba had gotten to talking outside about this and that before Shinichi extended him a dinner invitation. Haibara was always complaining about not having people over.
When he finally found their vase, he filled it with water from the bathroom sink and placed the flowers gently into it. Job done, he returned to the kitchen with their new bouquet.
"Table," Haibara told him, not looking away from her chopping.
Shinichi set it as their center piece and considered it for a long moment. He pressed it toward their unused fourth chair, satisfied that everyone's sightlines would be clear.
Kudo, set the table. Kid, strain the noodles."
Shinichi watched Kuroba's face as the realization hit. For just a moment, no more than a second, his face was slack, amazed. He frowned at her as he set about doing as she asked.
"Kuroba, you mean."
"Hm? Yes, that, too. Kudo, plates."
Kuroba looked perplexed, shooting a curious look at Shinichi. Shinichi just shrugged and set the table, listening happily as Haibara questioned Kuroba about what he did.
"I'm a magician, actually, but I work part-time at the flower shop down the street."
"Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays," Haibara said, stirring the sauce quickly, frowning at it in concentration.
"What?" Kuroba looked thrown.
"We know the comings and goings of everyone in the apartment," Shinichi admitted. "It, uh, pays to be prepared. You also have tea with your friends on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Tuesdays, it's two girls and on Thursdays, a girl and boy."
"How did you gather all this without me noticing?" Kuroba asked, looking warily between the both of them. Shinichi and Haibara shrugged. "Well, let me know if you ever suspect something… bad is going on."
"Of course," Haibara and Shinichi agreed easily.
And with that, the three of them settled down to dinner.
After the first dinner, Kaito wandered into their apartment between 5 and 6 most evenings. Sometimes he helped with dinner, others he just chatted with whoever was already home. Kudo worked very strange hours, he learned. Although, despite that, he was always home for dinner by 6:30, like clockwork.
Kaito had always assumed he would work for the police department one day, but instead he was working as something of a consultant and private eye. He picked up the odd case from civilians and worked as a consultant with the police department when called. He seemed… happy.
Kaito noticed, as the days went by, that his neighbors had their own schedule of sorts. Haibara, still in school, spent most of the day there or out with her friends. On Fridays, those friends came to dinner as well—Kaito ended up bringing his own chairs over, so everyone could sit at the table together. The Detective Boys were taller than the last time he'd seen them, but just as energetic.
Kudo always looked fond when he thought they wouldn't notice and spent most dinners telling them about recent cases, asking them what they thought had happened before explaining his deductions.
Whenever the mood got too dark, Haibara would shoot Kaito a look and, on her cue, Kaito would perform some brief and colorful magic trick, drawing attention back to dinner and away from death. The kids were always amazed and usually asked when his next show would be.
Some nights, dinner was cancelled so that Haibara and Kudo could eat with Miss Mouri. Kaito usually holed himself in his workshop on those nights, heating up leftovers at most. All in all, though, Kaito was happier now that he'd begun spending time with Kudo and Haibara. It was lucky he'd moved in next door to them.
When Shinichi walked into the apartment building, he almost ran into someone on their way out. He barely sidestepped and regained his balance before glancing up from his notebook.
"Oh, Kuroba," he greeted, smiling and pocketing his notes. "Heading out?"
"Yeah, getting lunch with Hakuba," Kuroba nodded his head over his shoulder. Shinichi waved at Hakuba, not dropping his smile. Hakuba looked floored. Shinichi turned back to Kuroba—best to give him time to adjust, Kuroba obviously hadn't mentioned that they were friends yet.
"Haibara's in the mood to experiment today, by the way. I think she was thinking about French."
"Sounds great!" Kuroba grinned. "It's been a while since I ate something new."
"I'll let her know. Oh, and I'll make sure she keeps things, uh, land-based, yeah?" Shinichi said. Kuroba nodded, looking relieved.
"Kuroba, you live near Kudo?" Hakuba asked. Shinichi turned his attention back to him. He looked less shell-shocked, but only just. Really, he had no right to look so surprised when he, also a detective, was friends with Kuroba.
"We're next-door neighbors," Kuroba said. He winked at Shinichi.
"How long have you been—" Hakuba stopped himself, frowning. "You're buying lunch today, Kuroba. It was good to see you, Kudo. We should catch up later." With that, Hakuba walked out the door. Shinichi and Kuroba watched him for what felt like a long moment.
"You never told him, huh?"
"It never came up."
"If he wants to come to dinner, he can. Haibara won't mind. Text me if he wants to, though, so we can set a place for him."
"Roger that. See you later, Kudo." Kuroba grinned widely at him.
Shinichi waved him off before continuing his walk upstairs.
"Kudo said you're invited to dinner," Kaito told Hakuba when he caught up to him.
"How long have you been having dinner with Kudo Shinichi?" Hakuba demanded, clearly vexed.
"A month, probably."
"And you just thought, 'I don't need to tell any of my friends about this new development in my life,' is that it?" Hakuba was still refusing to even look at him, staring resolutely forward as he practically stomped toward their favorite café. Kaito frowned.
"I would have, it just… never came up." Kaito hesitated. "For a while, I guess I wanted to keep it to myself, something just for me. But it doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon, so…"
"I can't come to dinner tonight, but I'll let you know when I can. Aoko will want to come, too, you know." Hakuba was walking more normally now, the fury passing. Kaito smiled.
"I'm sure Aoko could come, too. Kudo's roommate likes cooking for larger groups." Kaito paused, thinking, before continuing. "Fridays won't work, by the way. Unless you want to bring an extra table."
"How many people does Kudo have over for dinner?" Hakuba asked. He seemed surprised, like he thought Kudo didn't have many friends.
"On Fridays, there are six, including Kudo and I."
"That's… quite a lot. Who are the other three, if I might ask?"
"Oh, they're friends of Kudo and Haibara's. They're detectives of a kind, actually." Kaito grinned wickedly as the color drained from Hakuba's face.
For some reason, Hakuba always looked nervous when Kaito brought up seeing other detectives. If he asked, Hakuba would probably say something about not wanting him caught unless it was by him—it would sound weak to them both.
"One of these days, you're going to give me a heart attack, Kuroba."
"You're just lucky that Osakan detective hasn't come to visit. I think he's due for a trip over soon, actually. Maybe your dinner will match up with his!"
Hakuba pressed a hand to his face and groaned. Kaito laughed.
The more time Kuroba spent in their apartment, the more Shinichi grew to expect him when he got home in the evenings. When Shinichi caught himself wondering how Kuroba's day had gone, if he'd finished a new trick today, if he'd helped Haibara make dinner, Shinichi stumbled on the steps up.
He'd always considered himself and Haibara a strange kind of family unit, but Kuroba was… different. He just wasn't quite sure in what way. They were friends, all three of them, so where could the difference have cropped up? He decided to leave the questions for later. He was hungry.
When he opened the door, Kuroba was in the kitchen with Haibara, juggling ingredients as he told her a story.
"And then he totally shot at me, can you believe it?" Kuroba caught the things he was juggling and grinned over at Shinichi. "Welcome home. I was just telling Haibara about the first time we met. You know, when you shot at me."
"I shot near you, don't exaggerate," Shinichi chided, putting his keys and wallet away, toeing out of his shoes. Shinichi wasn't sure how he felt about the way his heart stuttered when Kuroba said, 'Welcome home.' It wasn't anything special; it wasn't.
"Somehow, I'm not surprised. Pre-Conan Kudo always seemed like that kind of person to me." Haibara turned back to dinner preparations with a sly smile.
"Hey!" Shinichi protested, even as Kuroba nodded thoughtfully.
"He hasn't changed all that much, but he does seem a mite less reckless. Less fun, too. He hasn't been to any of my recent heists. Not even one," Kuroba pouted.
"It's a bit weird to have dinner with you and go to a heist like we aren't friends, Kuroba. I know Hakuba can manage it, but I really don't want to arrest you."
"He still solves all the notices," Haibara supplied absently.
"Traitor."
"I knew you still cared, Great Detective!" Kuroba winked. "You could always come and watch, you know. I could baffle the taskforce by giving you the gem. That would be fun."
"Ayumi would be ecstatic if you took her," Haibara reminded him. Shinichi sighed, shaking his head.
"Ganging up on me was bad enough, but bringing up Ayumi? Low, Haibara. Even for you." Shinichi snorted, setting the table before she could ask.
"I speak nothing but the truth. And I don't even have to look at Kuroba to know that he would also be ecstatic if you went to his heist."
"She's right. Ecstatic enough that I might even make you both dessert for our next dinner."
Shinichi laughed, "Alright, alright, I get it. Ayumi and I will be at the next heist, barring a conflict with another case. Acceptable?"
"I'm satisfied." Kuroba twirled his way to the table, setting food dishes down, whistling a cheery tune. Shinichi wanted to kiss his smile.
Wait, what?
Kaito stepped off the fire escape into his apartment, sighing happily. He hadn't felt so satisfied after a heist in a long time. The gem still wasn't what he was looking for, but Kudo had looked so happy… He and Ayumi had spent the entire night observing, occasionally discussing how the trick might have been done.
Kaito got to listen to them through the whole heist through the bug he'd placed on Kudo's jacket before he got started. Kudo had rolled his eyes and said nothing, only blushing faintly when Kaito had breezed past him.
Kudo looked very cute when he blushed like that.
Kaito hesitated in removing his tie, frowning in concentration at his jacket, already hanging. Kudo had always been attractive, Kaito supposed, but it had just been one of those things he noticed about people before.
Hakuba and Akako were objectively attractive, but Kudo was cute.
This was a new development. Kaito weighed it in his mind as he changed into sweatpants and a tank top. It wasn't a bad thing, he decided. Kudo was a good person and his friend. Nothing would come of it, probably, but there were worse people to develop a crush on. He'd just keep it to himself. No need to bring it up and make Kudo uncomfortable.
Shinichi was very uncomfortable.
It wasn't Kuroba's fault, but ever since he attended this last heist, Shinichi couldn't stop thinking about it. The way the moon flashed off his monocle, the sharp grin, the laugh… It was all he could do to focus on work anymore.
He wanted to be able to focus, but on the other hand…
"Tough case?" Haibara asked from the doorway. Shinichi snapped back to reality, ears burning. "Or maybe… you were distracted by something else?"
"Of course not. I'm just trying to figure out how to tell this woman that her ex-husband stole her cat," Shinichi said. What a lame excuse, Haibara would never believe him.
"One of them must have done something out of the ordinary for you to be blushing like that. Care to share?" she smirked. She knew something. He wasn't sure what or how, but she knew.
"Out with it. You're here for a reason, so go on," he said, trying to ignore how smug she looked.
"Ayumi's family has invited me to dinner, so I'll be gone tonight. You and Kuroba will have to fend for yourselves for a change." Haibara considered something for a moment. "Maybe stick to something simple. I expect the apartment to be in one piece when I get back."
Shinichi rolled his eyes, but agreed to be careful when he was cooking. He'd probably make noodles for dinner. For Kuroba and himself.
Alone.
Oh, dear.
Kaito hesitated outside the door, one hand raised to knock for a frankly ridiculous length of time. It was just dinner, same as any other night. Haibara would be there. Everything would be the same as it always was. He knocked before he could lose his nerve (or return to his apartment and change clothes for the fifth time).
"Door's unlocked," Kudo called. Kaito hesitated. That was… weird. Normally Haibara called him in, or Kudo opened the door.
When he walked in, toeing out of his shoes on the way, he understood the difference.
Kudo was cooking.
"I knew you could cook, I think, but I don't think I've ever actually seen it for myself," Kaito admitted, trying not to admire the way Kudo's shirt accentuated his broad shoulders and trim waist.
"Haibara enjoys it more than I do, but she's eating dinner with Ayumi and her family tonight." Kudo hadn't looked up for more than a couple seconds at a time, focused on the ingredients in front of him. Kudo must have been standing over the boiling noodles for too long, given how pink his cheeks were.
Kaito had to force his mind away from the memory of brushing past Kudo and sparking that same cute blush.
"Guess it's just the two of us tonight," Kaito said, stepping into the kitchen and beginning to set the table. He'd really been hoping for Haibara to act as a buffer. Without her, his crush was only going to get in the way of things. He'd just have to do things like he had with Aoko—conceal, conceal, conceal. This was going to be a long night.
Dinner was awkward. Shinichi wasn't sure he had ever been more uncomfortable at a dinner in his life, except for a few times as Conan, maybe. It just wasn't fair. They were friends, but for some reason, neither of them could keep the conversation going. Shinichi knew what his problem was—that shirt was the exact shade of blue as the shirt he wore as Kaitou Kid. It was distracting.
He was so sure that he'd be able to rely on Kuroba to keep him on track, but something was off for Kuroba too, it seemed. Occasionally, Shinichi was almost certain Kuroba was looking at his mouth, but he always looked away too soon for Shinichi to be sure.
Kuroba was still spacing out slightly, his cheeks growing pinker as the night went on. Shinichi felt anxiety gnaw at his gut when he made his decision. He would never be sure unless he asked. He wasn't originally going to bring it up, but the last time he waited to say something, he'd been turned into a child. There probably wouldn't be a better moment than now.
"Kuroba, you're not seeing anyone right now, are you?" Shinichi asked before he could lose his nerve. Kuroba blushed harder, startled out of his thoughts.
"What? Sorry, I kind of spaced out for a second there," he winced.
Shinichi took a focused breath. "Are you dating anyone right now?" he repeated.
Kuroba shook his head, his hair fluffing up a bit with the movement. His eyes were wide, and the blush hadn't faded. Shinichi wasn't sure if that was a good sign, but it was better than nothing.
"Then would you like to go out some time?"
"With you?" Kuroba asked.
Shinichi raised an eyebrow.
"Of course it would be with you, sorry, I just—" Kuroba stopped for a moment frowning at himself. Shinichi was about to back down, but Kuroba took just a second, as if to collect himself, before continuing, "Yes, Kudo, I would love to go out with you."
"Good, great," Shinichi sighed. "I was worried you'd turn me down flat, to be honest."
"I've been thinking about kissing you for days."
"Did you know that I am inexplicably attracted to you when you wear your ridiculous Kaitou Kid outfit?" Shinichi countered, unthinking.
"What, more than usual?"
Shinichi laughed, covering his face with his hands. He should have expected that. Kuroba was always quick to bounce back.
"But, you know, I could always… That is, I wouldn't mind coming to see you after heists, if you were interested." Shinichi peeked at Kuroba; the expression on his face—shy, somehow—was just too cute.
"Haibara shouldn't be back for another hour," Shinichi told Kaito, standing to put their bowls in the sink. "If you wanted to, seeing as it's been days, we could kiss for a while."
Kaito's plates clattered into the sink as he grabbed Shinichi's hand, pulling him over to the couch. Shinichi laughed. Kaito made an almost wounded noise before grabbing his face and kissing him without much precision.
Shinichi tilted his head, trying to help gentle it somewhat, but they just ended up toppling onto the couch. Shinichi caught himself, one arm on the back of the couch and his knee pressed close to Kaito's thigh.
Still kissing, they rearranged themselves and kissed lazily, losing themselves to it.
"Ran owes me money," Haibara said upon what Kaito thought must have been her entrance. Kaito and Shinichi split apart guiltily, staring at the imposing figure she cut, leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. Kaito could practically feel the heat from Shinichi's blush on his own cheeks.
"You guys were taking bets?" Kaito asked, still running his hands over Shinichi's back, tucked under his shirt.
"Of course. Hakuba and I are splitting the pot."
Shinichi groaned, tucking his head against Kaito's shoulder. Kaito laughed.