title: fifty-two pick up
"How did you meet Kaito, anyways?"
"Oh, you know, the usual. There was a kidnapping case and we both got involved…" Ran looks exasperated, but you just shrug and say, "At least it wasn't a murder case."
…
"Can I kidnap you? I want to test out a theory."
Anyone else would probably be a bit freaked out if that question came up in casual conversation. You don't even bother looking up from your book. Kid waits patiently for an answer, browsing through shelves of books, pausing every now and then to leaf through a novel.
Eventually you ask, "How long do you need me for?"
"Two days, maximum."
"Why?"
You finally glance up at the thief. Kid just smiles his usual mystifying smile and shrugs in a way you know means you won't be getting an answer. "Fine. But make it tomorrow, I want to finish these last few chapters." Kid's grin flickers into something real for a moment, then he bows and vanishes abruptly.
You roll your eyes at his theatrics and go back to reading your book, a smile tugging at your lips.
...
The doorbell rings at a surprisingly reasonable hour. You're awake and caffeinated and in a reasonably good mood by the time you open the door. Kid is standing outside in casual clothes, a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. You wave him inside lazily.
He follows you into the living room. You pick up your mug of tea and settle back into your armchair. Kid sits crosslegged on the couch. You take a sip of tea and ask, "Do I need to pack anything?" He points to a backpack resting near your feet.
"You're all set."
"Ah. Packed for me, I see?"
"I am nothing if not efficient."
...
"Where are we going anyways?"
Kid shrugs. You grumble a bit, but continue trailing along behind him.
The city streets are busy. People chatter as they pass by, bags heavy on their arms. You have no idea where you are, aside from the fact that you're pretty sure that you're somewhere in the city of Ekoda. He turns a corner into a sunlit alley. Kid unlocks the door to one of the shops and walks in like he owns the place.
You soon realize that he does, in fact, own the place.
He leaves you wandering around the store and comes back wearing a middle-age woman with messy brown hair and long nails. Her face is average at best, nothing like the high-class beauties Kid usually prefers to imitate.
"Who's she?"
"Leona Toussant. Immigrated from France a few years back. Her accent is absolutely horrid." He switches voices flawlessly, slipping into her accent like it's a well-worn pair of sneakers. You wince. He's right. It's pretty bad. "One of my more well established personas."
"And why am I meeting her?"
"Because this is the only safe house I have nearby?" Kid quirks a smile, an isn't-that-obvious expression on his face. "I didn't think you would want to drive for hours. Was I wrong?"
"No. You were right." You set down the statue you were looking at. "I've never been one for long drives, not unless I'm the one driving."
He grins, and it make your insides knot up in a familiar and pleasant way despite the unfamiliar face he's using. You admit to being a bit dazzled.
...
Your attraction to him wasn't completely unexpected. He's a living, breathing puzzle. And it's not like you could ever resist a challenge. The fact that his smile creates violent butterflies in your stomach is simply an undesired but not unexpected consequence. It was always within the realm of possibility.
...
Kid has you help out with the shop.
He says that he's running a bit late with delivering orders. You box bizarre items and label them accordingly. Kid comes in every once in a while and talks to you about nothing in particular, explains how he got a hold of some of his stranger merchandise.
Then he goes back and greets customers with varying levels of enthusiasm and familiarity. He occasionally responds in a language you recognize as French. You let the chatter was over you as you continue to package boxes and the day passes by peacefully, not a word you would have ever associated with Kid before today.
…
It's close to seven when he finally flips the closed sign.
Strangely enough, there's traces of nervousness on Kid's face when he turns to you. Your first instinct is to ask questions, but you squash the urge. He'll tell you when he's ready to.
He leads you up the staircase in the back room. Upstairs there's a decent sized living room attached to a tiny kitchen, two doors on opposing walls, and a whole boatload of knickknacks. He motions for you to sit down before heading to the kitchen. A kettle and two mugs appear on the counter.
"Is green tea okay?"
"Yes. Thank you."
Kid sets a mug in front of you and settles into the chair opposite you. You let the tea warm your hands as you wait for him to say something. The silence stretches out comfortably as you sip your drink.
There's a flash of light and a swirl of smoke. You look up and see a man who looks a lot like you in a lot of ways, with messy brown hair that's a shade or two lighter than yours and laughing blue eyes that you could swear are almost indigo. He smiles uncertainly at you, and it clicks into place. This is Kid's true identity.
"Hi," he says.
"Hello."
You continue to drink your tea in silence. He continues to stare at you anxiously, as if waiting for some sort of response. You just raise an eyebrow in his direction.
Finally, he asks, "Aren't you going to say anything?"
"Should I?" You realize that this is a huge act of faith on his part, and you're grateful, but you don't think that's what he wants to hear "I don't know what you want me to say."
"I… I don't know."
…
He introduces himself as Kuroba Kaito. Magician. Thief. He refuses to let you call him by his last name.
You listen quietly as he tells you about himself. The gaps in your mental picture are filled in slowly but surely. You learn about his mother. His father. His doves. His best friends. His bizarre dislike of chocolate.
He talks for hours, well into the night, but you don't mind listening.
Eventually you both fall asleep next to each other on the couch, a photo album open between you. When you wake up, at the ungodly hour of 7:00am, Ki─Kaito is pressed up against your side and the photo album on the floor at your feet. His head is on your legs and his hands are curled in your shirt.
You can't bring yourself to be annoyed, even when you discover that he's drooled on your lap.
...
"So, you kidnapped me because you wanted to introduce yourself?"
"Among other things."
"Other things?"
"That's for me to know, and you to find out. Later."
…
It's Monday. Kaito leads you outside dressed as his normal self, a pair of tinted sunglasses clipped to the front of his shirt. He's whistling the opening to a newly released anime, twirling a set of keys on one finger.
"What about the store?"
"We're closed on Mondays, Wednesdays, and holidays," he informs you.
"Oh."
You follow him as he winds his way through the street. He chatters quietly about the people and the places you pass by. You occasionally interrupt to ask a question, but otherwise you're happy to let him talk. Kaito's endless monologue is a nice change from Kid's mystifying silences.
Eventually he stops at a park and heads through the gate. The path winds back and forth throught the trees until it opens up into a kind of courtyard. There are couples strolling through, teenagers skateboarding, women on bikes. "Where are we?"
"I perform here a lot."
You eye the playground at the far edge and roll your eyes, "Kid performing for kids?"
Kaito looks ridiculously pleased. "Exactly, Detective."
"Drop the nickname, Kid."
He smiles.
...
Kaito bounds up to you after the show is over, as happy as you've ever seen him.
"That was amazing," you say earnestly.
"That's pretty high praise coming from you." He's regained his ridiculously pleased expression. "But I wouldn't expect anything less from my favorite critic."
"I thought Hakuba was your favorite."
"Hakuba is my best friend, true, but his creative vision is seriously lacking. You actually appreciate my art." That's true. You're pretty fond of Kid's particular brand of chaos. He smiles at you, nothing like Kid's smirks, and you feel lightheaded and shaken up. "Besides, I like performing for you."
You tell yourself very firmly not to read into the comment.
…
"Kaito."
"Hm?"
"What are the 'other things' you kidnapped me for?"
"Nothing important," he says, waving his hand airly. You read the lines of tension written across his shoulders and wonder what is it that's gotten him so worked up. "I'll tell you later."
"I'm going home tomorrow," you remind him. "Exactly when are you planning to tell me?"
"Later," he says insistently.
"Just tell me. It can't be that bad."
Kaito gets up from the couch and begins to walk in aimless circles, shuffling as he goes, humming a tune you don't recognize. This goes on for several minutes until he finally stops and looks at you. The cards are tossed in the air with a careless wave of his hand. They scatter across the floor.
"How do I express how ridiculously attractive I think you are without making things awkward?"
He says the words flippantly, but he's wringing his hands together and biting his cheek and his eyes are wide. Your heart rate speeds up dramatically. You spend several seconds thinking up an intelligent response. Kaito has drastically decreased your thinking speeds with his confession.
"I would really like to date you."
"…Wow. Okay. That was easier than I thought. I expected more witty banter."
"You're stalled my brain," you admit. "I would be bantering with you if I was capable of it."
"Good to know. Anyways. Uh. D'you mind helping me with the cards..?"
1. ran has her suspicions about where shinichi went during those two days, and who kaito is, but she never says anything when she finally puts it all together. after all, kid the phantom thief is just about the only person who's ever been able to keep shinichi entertained.
2. shinichi casually mentions to hakuba that kaito considers him his best friend and hakuba goes bright red. he's never really had a best friend before. later hakuba goes to talk to kaito about it and kaito is totally incredulous like, "you didn't know?" bc yeah they fight, but hakuba is right up there w/ aoko in terms of friendship. then he goes out of his way to do ridiculous best friend things w/ hakuba while aoko giggles in the background.
3. almost every milestone they have has been marked in some way by a game of 52 pick-up. kaito was shuffling when shinichi finally worked up the nerve to kiss him. kaito was shuffling on their first date and he was so nervous he kept dropping cards until he finally just flung them all in the air. their new apartment was christened w/ kaito hiding cards everywhere. and y'know the stupid cliché where ppl think it's romantic to have sex w/ rose petals on the bed? guess what kaito used instead. (you guessed it, cards. what a nerd. shinichi laughed for like, a week.)