Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.
Pairings: Kaito x Shinichi
WARNINGS: Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned
AN: No, I have not forgotten about this story. It's just very hard to write so progress is very slow.
With Each Season
By V. Shalyr
2. Fall
Shinichi hadn't known what to expect when Kaito ushered him up to the front door of his mother's house. It was a weekend and Kaito had decided it was a good time to pay a visit home, bringing his new boyfriend with him. It was hard to imagine what kind of woman had married the first Kaitou KID and been the mother of the second. Whether or not she officially knew, he couldn't believe that she didn't at least suspect.
What he definitely hadn't expected was for the woman who opened the door to pull him into a tight hug and exclaim, "It's so good to see you again, Shin-chan! How's your mother?"
Again? When had the first time been? "My mother?"
"Kudou Yukiko," the woman elaborated, smiling warmly. "We met when she was studying with my husband."
Ah, that would explain it. Now that he thought about it, he did seem to recall meeting the man once, but it was such a long time ago and he'd been so young. He glanced back at Kaito, wondering if the magician had known this, but the magician was wearing that thoughtful, enigmatic smile of his that was almost impossible to read.
"She's doing very well, Kuroba-san, thank you. Last I heard, she and Father were still in America but thinking about going to Paris."
"She always did talk a lot about traveling. And just Chikage is fine." She beamed and stepped back to let them into the house. Once the door was shut behind them though, she gave her son a disapproving look. "Kaito, you really should come home more often. I hardly see you anymore. I thought we talked about you having dinner here with me every Friday."
"School work's been pretty unpredictable." Kaito gave his mother a bright and slightly apologetic smile. "At least I'm here at least once every two weeks, right? Even if it's not always Friday."
It was better if he didn't keep routines.
"You never told me why you couldn't make it last week, and after you said you'd come."
"Ah, sorry about that. A friend of mine got in a car accident and landed himself in the hospital. It was hard to think about much else."
Actually, it had been one of the officers in his taskforce, and it had been a stray gunshot from a would-be assassin and not a car. Kaito had been too furious to sit down and have a proper dinner with his mother. He'd been prepared to sneak into the hospital but Shinichi had talked him out of it, instead going in himself to make sure the officer would be all right. The whole incident had upset Shinichi too, mostly because it hadn't really sunk in until that moment that there were people out there who wanted the thief dead and were willing to get their hands dirty to accomplish it. Kaito might have considered there to be a difference between people shooting at KID and people shooting at Kaito, but Shinichi just couldn't see it that way. You didn't become a different person just because you put on a hat and a monocle. A change of clothes, a change of personality, a change of names—none of that could change the fact that if one got shot, the other would also bleed.
"So what are we eating today?" Kaito asked, smoothly changing the topic.
"I made some of your favorites," Chikage answered before turning back to Shinichi. "Is there anything you don't eat?"
"Everything's fine."
Rubbing his hands in an exaggerated show of enthusiasm, Kaito bounded towards the kitchen. "Great, then we're all set."
Chikage watched her son go with a slightly troubled smile that made Shinichi wonder if she knew or at least suspected that her husband's death had not been an accident. Granted, he could have been reading too much into things with his own experiences with the magician mixed in. After all, there was always so much for a mother to worry about when it came to her children. All the same, Shinichi felt compelled to clear his throat—albeit a bit uncomfortably—and say, "He's working real hard. I'm sure everything will work out."
After the words had left his mouth, Shinichi wondered briefly what he meant by them. But Kaito's mother just smiled as though she understood even if he didn't.
"I suppose things usually do with him. Thank you. It's been awhile since I've seen Kaito this much like himself."
All in all, it would turn out to be quite a pleasant evening, definitely the easiest encounter Shinichi would have with the people in Kaito's life. Chikage chatted amiably with Shinichi about his parents, school, and all the normal things families usually talked about that Shinichi's own rather abnormal family seemed to have missed out on growing up.
And Kaito, he was just happy to be sitting there at the table enjoying dinner with two of the people he cared for most in the world.
.
"Kudou? What are you doing here in Ekoda?"
Shinichi had to force himself not to jump at the question. He'd known Hakuba was going to be there, Kaito and he had discussed everything in great detail and even run practice meetings, but it didn't make him any less nervous. Taking a deep breath, he tried to remember the advice Kaito had given him. Don't rush to explain, the magician had said patiently, talk when you're ready and make the pause seem natural.
Easy for him to say.
"Hey, Hakuba," Shinichi greeted, turning away from the bakery he'd been standing in front of to glance at the approaching detective. "My parents are here to see an old family friend and I'm supposed to pick something up on the way."
Almost all true—the best kind of lie, according to Kaito. Personally, Shinichi didn't think you could have a "best" kind of lie. And turning what was practically the truth into a lie or at least a deception felt almost sacrilegious. At the same time, he agreed that they needed some way to introduce one another into each other's lives. Shinichi's friends and family weren't really going to be a problem. But Kaito's in particular had taken some planning. It was almost ridiculous how many people in his life were related to or involved in law enforcement. It felt like Fate was playing one huge joke on them all, or maybe it was just KID—not that it really mattered in the end.
Shinichi could still hear Nakamouri Aoko ranting about "that stupid thief" and his "stupid fans". On the bright side, he hadn't really had to say much during that particular encounter. On the down side, he'd never felt so completely awkward and he could not for the life of him understand how Kaito could just smile and laugh as though it had nothing to do with him.
Turning back to the cakes in the window display, which were easier to look at than Hakuba anyway, Shinichi added, "I don't suppose you have any recommendations?"
Somewhat taken aback, Hakuba joined him in front of the glass, eyeing the rows of creamy confectionary with uncertainty. "I've never been to this bakery, but I've heard that the chocolate cake is quite famous."
Mentally, Shinichi smacked a hand to his forehead. Of course Kaito had directed him to a place known for its chocolate cake. Chocolate seemed to be the magician's favorite flavor for everything.
"Ah, thanks. I guess chocolate cake it is."
The British detective was still standing outside when Shinichi emerged ten minutes later, the cake carefully placed in a plain white box inscribed with the bakery's name in fancy, golden letters. And as Shinichi started down the street, he fell into step beside him.
"I didn't know your parents were back in Japan."
Unfortunately, there was no need for Shinichi to fake his grimace. He hadn't known his parents were back in Japan either until about half an hour ago when he'd woken up in the back of their car on the road to Ekoda. Sometimes, Shinichi really hated being a heavy sleeper, but it had been a necessary survival skill before his parents had left on their travels around the world. Peace and quiet weren't exactly parts of their vocabulary. And neither was restraint with the way Yukiko had squealed over her son when she informed him that his boyfriend had instructed them to drop Shinichi off at a bakery because Hakuba would be near there that afternoon and it was about time they put their story into action. And she asked him why he hadn't told her that "Toichi-sensei's son" had asked him out.
Kuroba Toichi.
Shinichi had looked the man up after Kaito's brief introduction. He'd been quite a famous magician in his own right, even before KID had appeared upon the world stage, and remained much beloved despite having died fairly young due to a "terrible accident" during one of his shows. Yet as with any celebrity, it proved difficult to find any solid, useful information about the man himself. And asking his parents seemed little better.
"He was a very good teacher," his mother had replied wistfully and with more than a spark of mischief in her eyes. "We always did have a lot of fun."
And if anything, his father's answer had given rise to more questions than answers. "He was a very…interesting man."
Like Shinichi couldn't have guessed that on his own. In the end, Shinichi wasn't even entirely sure why he tried so hard to find information on Toichi. Maybe it was just part of being thorough, as he'd learned to be when it came to working on his cases. Or maybe it was how important the man seemed to have been—and still was—to Kaito. Somehow, it felt as though you needed to understand both magicians if you wanted to really know either one of them. Yet perhaps it worked the other way around too.
Because in pictures of Kuroba Toichi, Shinichi recognized Kuroba Kaito's enigmatic smile. And KID, who was so much a part of them both, had remained more or less untouched by the passage of time. Such was the way of legends.
"They only just flew back from Paris," Shinichi explained, pausing on a street corner to wait for the light to change.
"Mm." Hakuba's brows furrowed as they crossed the street and started towards what was increasingly becoming a familiar neighborhood. His expression only clouded further when Shinichi stopped in front of an all too recognizable house. It wasn't that anything in particular about its exterior made it terribly unusual, only Hakuba had seen it too many times in his efforts to prove KID and one of its occupants one and the same. "You said the people who live here are old family friends of yours?"
"Yes?"
"How long have you known them?"
At this, Shinichi turned to regard his fellow detective with raised eyebrows. "Well, Kuroba Toichi was my mother's teacher back when she was still an actress, if you must know. Though I've only just recently gotten acquainted with the family myself. Why?"
"Have you met their son?"
"You mean Kuroba Kaito."
Hakuba nodded slowly. "He's…a classmate of mine."
"Really? Must be a pretty interesting class then."
"…That's one way of putting it I suppose. So you've met then."
Shinichi nodded. This was starting to feel weirdly like an interrogation. "Is there a problem?"
The other detective opened his mouth, hesitated, and closed it again. He seemed to struggle with something for a moment then gave his head a hard shake. "You know that he's a Kaitou KID fan?"
"Yeah?" Shinichi could guess where this was going.
"…Don't you think he's… a little suspicious?"
Yes, but Shinichi didn't have to be a detective to realize that was not the right answer. Instead, he shrugged and did his best to look confused.
"He's pretty eccentric, but then I've met a lot of magicians and it seems to be a trend."
For a long minute Hakuba said nothing, obviously unsure how to continue but determined nonetheless not to let the matter drop. Probably the worst kind of combination really. But before any more warnings or awkward questions could be exchanged, Kaito came bounding down the driveway towards them.
"Shinichi, I'm glad you could make it." Slinging an arm over the detective's shoulders, Kaito glanced at the other detective with raised eyebrows. "Ah, Hakuba, I see you're back from England. That certainly didn't take very long."
"Keeping track?"
The magician rolled his eyes. "Hardly. Aoko's been marking off the days on her calendar though, so you'd better hurry over and see her. If you'll excuse us, Shinichi and I are expected back inside."
Shinichi was more than happy to let Kaito lead him back up the driveway, only glancing back once before stepping through the front door. Hakuba hadn't tried to stop them, but the look in his brown eyes was sharp and suspicious. He wasn't going to just let the matter go, Shinichi knew, but they would cross that bridge when they came to it.
"Kaito?"
"Hmm?"
"Next time, how about you just disguise yourself as me and you can deal with Hakuba?"
"Mm, I could do that. But in order for things not to seem suspicious, you might have to pretend to be me and put in an appearance. He's just that kind of nuisance. Would you really be able to do that?"
"…Never mind. I prefer just to have to be myself." He'd had more than enough of pretending to be someone he wasn't.
"I thought as much."
It was strange to realize at moments like that—despite all the mischief and the madness—how serious a person Kaito really was. Life itself was like one giant performance and all his seemingly random actions or crazy ideas all part of some carefully calculated strategy in a high-stakes game where he was the only one who knew all the rules. He had so many faces, so many masks, and yet at the same time they were real too, different degrees of real perhaps but real nonetheless because that was all part of the act.
And Shinichi thought his own life was complicated. When all was said and done, what surprised him wasn't that Kuroba Kaito was a bit insane. No, what surprised him was that he hadn't gone completely mad a long time ago.
.
"Your house is way too big," Kaito decided, dumping the last pile of fallen leaves into the large plastic bin.
"Tell me about it."
Shinichi wiped the sweat from his eyes and sighed. Leaning against the handle of his rake, he stifled a yawn. "Thanks for the help."
"Mm, no problem. But seriously, let's invest some time in finding a good gardener for next time autumn rolls around."
"More like five good gardeners at least."
"Good point. We'd better start looking early." Kaito grinned wistfully. "Too bad we can't just duplicate ourselves or turn back time to get the work done faster."
Granted, if he did have the power to turn back time, he'd have better things to do with it than gardening. Funny, once upon a time, he would have given a lot for such a power. But somewhere along the way he'd learned or understood or accepted that life didn't work that way. If people really could turn back the clock, they'd only end up running around in circles.
They put away the gardening tools in the back shed and Shinichi shut the door behind them, leaning back against it and breathing in deeply, enjoying the cool afternoon breeze. "So are you going to tell me now what exactly all those huge boxes and sacks in my living room are for? I mean, I don't need the space or anything, but they are kind of in the way."
He'd had to climb over half of it just to get to the kitchen that morning and make himself a cup of coffee. He might have been grumpier about that except he'd arrived in said kitchen to find his boyfriend had already made him coffee. And it was hard to be annoyed when Kaito greeted him with a good morning kiss and sat him down in front of what he'd bought them both for breakfast on the way over.
"They're for the Halloween party of course."
Ah yes, of course. How could he forget? They'd only spent the past three weeks talking about it and making plans. Kaito had insisted that it would be the perfect way to introduce himself to Shinichi's friends. The invitations had not yet been given out and Shinichi was already dreading it.
"And you're really going to meet my friends dressed like—well, like you?"
A small puff of smoke and Kaito was suddenly balancing a monocle on his finger. He flipped it onto his nose with practiced ease and grinned, indigo eye gleaming behind the single lens. "It's not as strange as it seems. I am KID's greatest fan."
"…You're crazy."
"Not yet, Shin-chan, not yet." And that was the whole point really.
.
Shinichi couldn't quite decide what the expression on Ran's face was when he handed her the invitation. Kaito had had all the cards printed on thick, orange paper, the letters drawn in spidery golden letters draped over with spider webs and festooned with spiders.
"Um, Shinichi, are you feeling all right? You're sure you aren't coming down with a cold or something?"
Shinichi blinked, utterly confused. "What are you talking about?"
"You're throwing a party."
"Er, yeah?"
"You never throw parties, Shinichi, you avoid them. Your parents aren't home, are they?"
They were, but this was really just his equally crazy boyfriend being himself. Still, he couldn't tell Ran that, at least not yet. Or maybe he could? He could only imagine how mad at him Ran would be if he let this kind of thing be a surprise for very long. Relations between the two of them had gradually smoothed out in the past couple weeks. They may not be as close as they used to be, but she was still one of his best friends.
"Well actually, it was Kaito's idea. He's sort of—kind of, uh, my boyfriend..."
His last words trailed off into a mumble and it took Ran a moment to sort it out in her own head. Then her eyes went wide.
"Shinichi, did you just say what I thought you said? You have a boyfriend? Since when?"
"Just a few months ago," Shinichi said hurriedly, hoping she'd let the matter drop.
She didn't. They'd barely had any real time to just talk to one another since Shinichi had come back, or more like they hadn't really had anything to talk about. There was no way she was going to let this opportunity slip by them.
"Who is it? Do I know him? You know you have to introduce us, right?"
"He's a magician. We met at one of his shows." That was technically true. KID heists were pretty much magic shows, just different from the usual variety seeing as the star was wanted by the law. "You don't know him but he'll be at the party. We kind of wanted to use it as a way for him to meet my friends. It's not really a party exactly and you don't have to wear a costume or anything either."
He had had to work very hard to get Kaito to agree to that, but he was sure it had been worth the effort. He rather suspected that it was his dignity that he had saved, at least for this year.
"Oh." Ran considered this for a moment then smiled. "I'll be there then. Um, is—is it okay if I bring Eisuke?"
Shinichi nodded, relieved. This entire conversation could have been a lot more awkward than it was turning out to be. "Sure."
Hondo Eisuke. He and Ran had started going out about two weeks ago once the boy had finally scraped up the nerve to ask her. Shinichi supposed she could have done worse. Eisuke might have been a total klutz capable of constantly tripping over his own feet, but no one could accuse him of being a bad person.
"Are you going to invite Sonoko?"
Shinichi winced at the mention of the other girl. It hadn't taken very long for the two of them to decide that that probably wouldn't be the best idea. "Uh, no. It's just… Kaito's a huge KID fan and… Well, I'm sure you'll understand."
When Ran and Eisuke arrived at the Kudou Manor on Halloween and a figure clad all in white came pelting down the pathway to save the cake Eisuke had been carrying before it could die a messy death upon the grass, she definitely understood. Of course she'd been half expecting something like this. Shinichi had told her that his boyfriend was a magician and a KID fan, and on this day when people could pretend to be whatever they wanted, the fact that he might have come to the party dressed as the thief he professed to admire really wasn't that strange. But… But at the same time, even a fool could probably tell that this particular impersonator wasn't just any ordinary young man in a costume. What she hadn't counted on was the fancy acrobatics and the way he grinned when he spotted her and bowed, balancing the cake in one hand so he could conjure up a yellow rose for her with the other. Whoever he was, he really brought the costume to life.
Ran accepted the flower, laughing and feeling just a bit embarrassed. "I guess you must be Kaito, right?"
"Guilty as charged!" The magician straightened up and offered her a charming smile that left her a little dazzled. "And you must be Mouri Ran. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Yes, Ran reflected, Sonoko would have been totally blown away and she kind of doubted Shinichi wanted to have to spend Halloween fighting with her over his boyfriend. Not that Sonoko would stand a chance really but still, people had to draw the line somewhere.
"Shin-chan has said a lot about you. You know, you look remarkably like a friend of mine back in Ekoda. With a few touches, you two could practically be twins. I should introduce you sometime."
"Really?" Ran wasn't exactly sure what to say to this. "Um, I guess I'll look forward to it then. Oh, and this is my boyfriend, Hondo Eisuke."
"Ah, yes." Turning to the other young man who was glancing between Kaito and Ran with a look of helpless confusion, the magician smirked, his visible, indigo eye alight with mischief. "No worries, Hondo-san. I'm not trying to make any moves on your girlfriend. It so happens that I already have a significant other that I'm very happy with."
Eisuke's eyes widened behind his glasses and he stuttered, looking increasingly flustered while Kaito metaphorically sat back and observed the effects of his comment with amusement. At least until Shinichi's voice rang out across the front yard.
"Kaito? What are you—oh. Hi, Ran, Eisuke. Are you all going to just stand out there all day?"
"Coming!" Kaito called back. Turning back to their guests, he added cheerfully, "You're the first ones here, which means you get first dibs on the cookies. Shin-chan just baked them so they should be awesome. Would either of you like to help me mix colors for the icing? And we've just got a few more things to, ah, prepare before everyone else arrives."
Well, honestly, he was preparing everything for one unsuspecting detective in particular. But Ran and Eisuke didn't need to know that. Oh yes, Kaito absolutely loved Halloween.
.
"I thought you said you were going to wear a costume."
Hattori Heiji scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed under his girlfriend's disappointed gaze. "Er, sorry. I was planning on it but things just kept coming up. By the time I managed to get to the costume store, they didn't have anything suitable. And then one of the other customers passed out and—"
Kazuha raised her hands to cut him off, shaking her head in exasperation. Her ponytail swished with the movement, strands of loose, brown hair catching on the semi-transparent fabric that adorned the wire frame of her wings. "Okay, I get it. Honestly, I think we should go shopping for some kind of talisman against evil for you. A single good luck charm doesn't seem to be enough."
"Er, right. Maybe another time."
Turning back to the front door of the manor, Hattori frowned. They'd rung the doorbell several times in the last five minutes and still no one had come to open the door. "I wonder what's taking them so long. Hey! Anybody home?"
This time, instead of going for the doorbell, he pounded directly on the door. Maybe the bell wasn't loud enough or something. But at the hollow strike of his knuckles against the wood, the door gave and swung slowly open with a loud creak that spoke of hinges badly in need of oil. The pair blinked and stared into the dark entrance hall, an unspoken sense of unease settling over them.
"Er, Kudou?"
No answer came. Instead, there was a flare of light as several lanterns burst into life about the foyer, casting a dim, orange glow about the room. Hattori gulped, wondering if they'd arrived at the wrong house. But that wasn't possible. I mean, the Kudou mansion wasn't exactly easy to overlook.
Kazuha stepped closer to him, eyeing the open doorway a little nervously. "Um, should we go in?"
"I suppose we might as well," Hattori muttered, taking her hand. "But stick close and be ready to run."
"It's probably just a Halloween thing," Kazuha decided, squaring her shoulders. "You've seen some of the other houses around here. I mean, that is what people do on Halloween these days."
"Yeah, but I didn't think Kudou was one of those people. I just hope nothing bad's happened to him or anything. Hey, Kudou! You home?"
He half expected someone to say "no" but nobody did.
They had made it halfway towards the doorway Hattori seemed to recall leading to the kitchen when the front door creaked shut again behind him. Glancing back over their shoulders, their eyes widened to see a line of light running across the wood, slowly spelling out the word "welcome".
Well, that certainly wasn't normal. This was starting to feel weirdly like a scene out of a horror movie. Granted, the lives of all the up and coming teenage detectives of the era seemed to be bursting at the seams with scenes from horror movies. The problem was that most of those tended to be true.
"Kudou!"
So could you really blame him for lashing out when a ghostly figure clad in white dropped from seemingly nowhere behind them and said "boo"? Hattori's fist swung through the air on reflex but the new arrival easily dodged it and, also out of reflex, grabbed his extended arm and yanked, tipping him off balance and sending the surprised detective sprawling. Kazuha shrieked, but then the lights came on and Ran was by her side, holding her shoulders and exclaiming for her to calm down.
"We're so sorry!" Ran said, looking flustered as several other people crowded into the room. "Kuroba-kun had everything planned out and we didn't think it would be any trouble playing along."
Hattori groaned, rubbing the back of his head as he sat up. "That was some welcome."
The young man who had thrown him stepped up to his side and offered him an apologetic grin. "Sorry about that. It was self defense."
"Nah, don't mention…" Looking up at the stranger, Hattori trailed off, his mouth gaping. If he hadn't known better, he would have sworn it was the real Kaitou KID standing in front of him. But then he'd seen more than enough people dressed as the infamous thief on his way here. The man was just that popular. "I don't think we've met. You would be?"
"I'm Shin-chan's new boyfriend," Kaito declared cheerfully without missing a beat.
Heiji laughed, obviously not believing him. "Right."
"Oh, I assure you that I'm perfectly serious."
The Osaka detective blinked then looked at Shinichi who tried not to look too embarrassed while he confirmed, "He's serious."
This time, Hattori's jaw hit the floor. There were just so many things that didn't make sense about those few short sentences, starting with "boyfriend" and "Shinichi". Apparently enjoying his shock, the stranger took off his white top hat and swept him a polite bow.
"Kuroba Kaito, at your service, Kaitou KID's number one fan and soon-to-be best magician this world has ever seen."
"Well that's very modest of you," Hattori said, raising an eyebrow as he got to his feet.
"Of course." Kaito smirked and put the hat back onto his head, indigo eyes gleaming behind his monocle. "I am the epitome of modesty."
Beside him, Shinichi snorted and Kaito's smirk widened.
Soon after that, the Shounan Tantei arrived, all in costume and ready with empty pillow cases for maximum harvest. They chattered excitedly over the decorations Kaito had put up around the manor and, after a quick tour, gathered beside the front door to wait for the magician.
"Hey, Shin-chan, I'm taking the kids out trick-or-treating. You know how to find me if you need me. See you in a few." And with a wink, Kaito was gone, leaving Shinichi to finish up the conversation he knew he and Hattori would have to have sooner or later.
The two detectives fixed their own plates of food then sat at the table a little apart from the others. It was the first time Kazuha had met Eisuke and Ran was happily engaged in introducing them to one another. They listened to the three of them converse for a good few minutes before Hattori finally broke the silence.
"I know he said it was a costume," he said slowly, "but are you sure he's not really KID?"
Shinichi gave his friend a completely deadpan look. He wasn't much good at acting, but it wasn't hard to muster the right kind of incredulity when he stepped back and thought—really thought—about the situation. "You're asking me if I'm dating Kaitou KID?"
The other detective opened his mouth then shut it again and shook his head. "Nah, you're right. That's ridiculous."
Funny really how many things in real life actually were.
.
It was long past midnight by the time everyone else had gone home. Kaito and Shinichi had made sure the three children made it back safely then set about cleaning up the remnants of the small party.
"Was the magic show really necessary?" Shinichi asked, rinsing the particles off the last plate and placing it into the dishwasher.
Kaito chuckled, exchanging the dirty tablecloth on the kitchen table for a clean one with a wave of his hand. "No, but the children loved it."
That was true. They'd especially loved the part where Kaito had conjured several chocolate bars out of seemingly thin air and handed it out to them.
Starting up the dishwasher, Shinichi dried his hands and sank tiredly onto one of the kitchen chairs. "I wonder when my parents will be getting back."
Kudou Yuusaku and his wife had left for a Halloween party of their own earlier that afternoon.
Kaito shrugged, dumping the last plateful of candy wrappers into the trash can. "Who knows? Think they'd mind if I stayed the night?"
"Probably not. You three seem to get along frighteningly well."
"Frighteningly, huh?" Washing his hands, Kaito surveyed the now pristine kitchen one last time and whistled. "We make a pretty efficient team, Shin-chan. There's still some coffee left. Do you want to finish it?"
"Sure, why not?"
Pouring the leftover brew into two cups, Kaito brought it over to the table and sat down across from him. He took a sip from his own mug before making a face and going for the sugar.
"I'm not sure Hattori's entirely convinced, you know."
Kaito observed his detective over the rim of his cup, wondering why he looked so troubled. "Honestly, I wasn't expecting him to be. But it's enough. Hakuba's the same way. It doesn't matter as long as there's no solid proof. Besides, he's a good friend of yours. Don't you trust him?"
"I do. It's just…" Shinichi looked up and Kaito suspected that perhaps it was something else entirely on his mind. "How long can this all last? It's just my friends today. But what about tomorrow or the day after that? You can't hide from them forever. What if they find out? What if someone figures out who you are, someone that we don't know or can't trust? What will you do then?"
So that was what was worrying him. The magician couldn't say he hadn't considered the same questions many times himself, though it felt almost surreal to be sitting here actually talking to someone about it. People so rarely realized how much ofa luxury it was to be able to talk about things with anyone.
Still, touching though it was to know that Shinichi worried about him, he'd really rather his detective not stress himself out over things that neither of them could change. So Kaito just grinned his mysterious, razor-edged KID grin and gave him the only answer he'd been able to come up with himself. "Then I guess I'd have to disappear."
The magician said it so casually. And yet for some reason, the answer made Shinichi feel oddly cold inside. Because he knew by now that Kaito never said anything without reason.
"Where would you go?"
Kaito shrugged. "Don't know, just Away until it's the right time to come back."
"And you'd come back," Shinichi repeated, half asking and perhaps half looking for a promise.
Kaito's grin softened into a smile and he moved around the table to draw the detective into a kiss. And Shinichi hoped that that was his way of saying yes.
.
"Shin-chan!"
Shinichi's eyes widened but he didn't have any time to hide before his mother pounced on him, smothering him in a bone-crushing hug.
"Be a dear and go shopping with Mommy today, won't you? You're father's being such a bore."
Prying himself out of his mother's clutches, Shinichi sighed. "Do I have a choice?"
His mother had been giving his father dirty looks ever since they got back from that Halloween party a week ago. Shinichi didn't know what had happened but it was easy enough to guess. Yukiko routinely accused her husband of cheating on her and her foul mood would persist until she saw fit. And her favorite pastime while she was still angry was to rant to her son about "his father's" many faults. It was futile to resist. Though Shinichi firmly believed her accusations were nothing more than paranoia, he still had to wonder sometimes just what his father did to give rise to such complaints. His mother was a lot of things, but she wasn't an idiot.
Yukiko pouted. "Don't make it sound like such a chore. Now, go get ready and meet me outside in ten minutes."
"Okay, okay." Polishing off the last of his coffee—er, breakfast—Shinichi dragged himself up to his room to change. On the way, he picked up his cell phone and, after some consideration, texted Kaito.
'Mom's making me go shopping with her. Save me.'
The magician's reply came back almost immediately. 'Are you sure? You could use a wardrobe change.'
Shinichi rolled his eyes at that. 'Well, at least don't leave me alone with her.'
There was a pause before Kaito wrote back and he could just imagine the magician laughing at him. 'Can do.'
Kaito didn't ask him where they were going, Shinichi noticed, and he wondered idly if the magician had bugged him. Or maybe he was actually somewhere close by and intended on catching them before they left or following them to their destination. Oh well, better not to dwell on it. Dating KID could really make a person paranoid.
Kaito didn't put in an appearance until his mother had parked her car with a screech of protesting tires. Shinichi silently thanked whatever god was listening that he was still alive and stumbled from the passenger's seat, hoping he wasn't going to be sick. Good thing he hadn't really eaten anything beforehand. The next thing he knew, familiar arms caught and steadied him and the person was rubbing soothing circles on his back.
"Careful there. You look a bit green."
"I owe it to my mother's driving," he muttered, relaxing into the touch.
"Ah, that bad?"
"You have no idea."
"Kaito-kun!" Yukiko exclaimed, getting out of the car as well and beaming. "What a delightful surprise. Will you be joining us then?"
"Yes, if you don't mind the intrusion."
Shinichi didn't have to look to know that Kaito was giving his mother one of his best winning smiles.
"Of course not! It'll be a regular family outing. And you two make such a cute couple."
Shinichi groaned into Kaito's shirt. Her enthusiasm always spelled bad things.
The shopping spree began normally enough. Yukiko ushered them into the first store they saw and began trying on different outfits and demanding their opinion. Luckily, Kaito seemed to know all the right things to say. He agreed and disagreed with her over all the right things and flattered her shamelessly every other sentence. Watching from the sidelines, Shinichi found himself wondering idly if his father ever acted like this and if that was why his mother got so jealous. Not that he was jealous or anything—of course not. As long as Kaito could keep his mother's attention off of Shinichi himself, he was happy. The problem was that somewhere along the way, the magician seemed to forget that he was there to "help" Shinichi and joined his mother in scrutinizing said detective with a speculative look that made him want to find a dark corner to hide in. The next thing he knew, he was being ushered into one of the empty dressing rooms with such a massive pile of clothes in his arms that he couldn't even see over the top.
"Kaito," he found himself whining—yes, whining, which just went to show how desperately he did not want to have to try all of these outfits on, "you're supposed to be helping me, not helping my mother torture me."
The magician put on an expression of utter astonishment, which Shinichi was sure was a hundred percent fake. "Torture is such a strong word, Shin-chan. And I am helping you. Your wardrobe needs lots of help. Don't look so horrified. I assure you I've got very good taste."
"In what?"
"In everything," Kaito said matter-of-factly. "But in this case, I'm talking about clothes. Now go try them on. Unless you want my help?"
Shinichi mulled over his words for a second then made a mad dash for the dressing room before Kaito could decide that he wanted to change the detective's clothes for him. He didn't need this turning into a magic show. The last thing he wanted was for the entire store to participate in the compilation of his new wardrobe.
Thankfully, it turned out that the magician really did have pretty good taste. Perhaps because of his own athletic tendencies, the garments he picked out tended to be fairly comfortable as well as presentable. He had an eye for more formal wear that didn't chafe or feel too restrictive.
Ten outfits later, Shinichi had only vetoed one set for being a bit too clingy for his comfort, one for being a tad too flashy, and one for being… Well, something he wouldn't be caught dead in. Overall, he was starting to feel almost comfortable with this particular shopping experience.
That was until he picked up the next article of clothing to discover that it was, in fact, a dark blue dress.
"Kaito!"
He could just hear the smirk in Kaito's voice when he replied—he didn't even have to look to know what Shinichi's shriek was about. "Hey, believe it or not, that one was picked out by your mother. Not that I wouldn't love to see you in it."
"Mom!"
.
It wasn't until November that Shinichi's parents finally, finally left again to resume their travels around the world. Yes, Shinichi loved them. But really, he could not have been happier to see them go.
As the two departing figures at last disappeared beyond the gate amidst the crowd of the airport, Shinichi let out a relieved sigh.
Kaito chuckled, draping an arm across his shoulders. "Peace and quiet at last?"
"Not with you around," Shinichi muttered, but he couldn't help but smile. No more crazy shopping sprees. No more being dragged around to meet his parents' crazy friends. No more impromptu family vacations or seriously not funny family pranks, at least not until the next time his parents decided to visit home. Yes, life was definitely looking a lot better right now.
"I don't know. I kind of like having your parents around," Kaito mused. They started to move towards the doors leading to the parking lot but paused before one of the giant windows that let people look out across the runway lined with lights to make them visible despite the darkness of the night.
Shinichi would have snorted at this comment but stopped himself. Honestly, he supposed it was easy to understand why. For the longest time, Kaito's own family had just been him and his mother. Things could never really be quiet with the magician around, but maybe it just wasn't quite the same thing. Family meant something different when you knew what it was like to lose it. So instead, he only said, "They'll be back."
Most likely sooner than Shinichi would like. His parents tended to have great timing that way.
"Hmmm."
Kaito examined their reflections upon the glass with an oddly distracted look in his usually unreadable eyes.
"It would be about Thanksgiving right now in America."
Shinichi mumbled an agreement, unconsciously leaning closer to his partner's warm side. Maybe he should have worn a thicker jacket, but he hadn't known how late his parents' flight was going to be until after dinner, which they had eaten out. By then it had really been a moot point.
"So what are you grateful for, Shin-chan?"
"Other than the fact that my parents will be spending it in America?"
"Yes, other than that."
Shinichi blinked rapidly. Staring at the runway lights was starting to make his vision go blurry. It really did suddenly seem so quiet with his parents gone and his body seemed to decide that this was its cue to relax. Not that Kaito wasn't more than worthy of wariness himself, but well, there wasn't anything anyone could do to stop the master thief from doing whatever it was he wanted so what was the point in fretting?
"I don't know," Shinichi said finally in answer to Kaito's question. "I guess I'm grateful that life seems to finally be getting back to normal. I'm glad that everyone's happy, and that I haven't had a murder case in two weeks."
Kaito made a strange sound in his throat at that last one but refrained from making any comments. He still thought there was something strange about how many murders his detective ran into on a regular basis. That police officer's suggestion of seeing an exorcist—which Shinichi had told him about once when they were discussing his time as Conan—was definitely starting to sound a lot less ridiculous than one might think. If only he could convince Shinichi to give it a try. The last time he'd brought it up though, Shinichi had simply retorted that if Kaito's own ridiculous good luck didn't balance him out, he doubted an exorcist would be any good. Then again, maybe the fact that he hadn't had a murder case in two weeks meant that the magician was indeed having a positive affect on the matter.
"What about you?"
The magician hummed thoughtfully. "Ah, where to start? There are always so many things. I'm grateful that I have you here with me."
Shinichi snorted turning his face away in an attempt to hide the color rising in his cheeks. Kaito said things like that all the time, but he didn't think he would ever get used to it. "Thanks, but you don't win points for being charming with me."
The magician laughed and Shinichi could feel the reverberation of it in his chest when the magician moved to pull him into his arms. It was oddly comforting really.
"Think what you like, but I'm being quite serious." Kaito lapsed into a contemplative silence for several more minutes and the detective shifted just a little nervously in his grasp, wondering what was on his mind. When Kaito finally spoke again, the words were murmured so quietly into Shinichi's ear that he almost didn't catch them despite their close proximity. "And I guess I'm just grateful that I'm alive."
That comment could mean so many things, Shinichi thought. For a person down on his luck, it could be seen as rather optimistic in its way, looking forward, looking up. For someone really in love with life and living, it would merely be a reaffirmation of all life had to offer. But to Shinichi's homicide detective mind, the comment was imbued only with a sense of relief, a morbid reminder of the dangers always lurking on the edges of the lives they led.
He didn't say anything though, just let himself be steered towards the parking lot and the car that would finally take them home for the night that was rapidly turning into early morning. Because Shinichi was very grateful for that too.
TBC…
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