Just to let you guys know there are two time jumps in this chapter. The first is about four hours while the second is about three weeks. I know I could have filled those gaps in, but I liked how I had written the second time skip and didn't want to change it too much. As for the first, I was going to fill it in, but I got bored writing in random conversation pieces. I've tried writing parts that don't interest me before and since I'm trying to make this better not worse, I made the executive decision to leave a bit of a gap. I have done my best to get it to flow, so please keep that in mind as you read this chapter.

Warning: Slight Ran bashing. Bad Language

Shinichi!" A furious voice growled.

Said boy looked up, the colour draining from his face as he met the eyes of his greatest fear. An angry karate champion towered above him, an aura as dark as Gin's soul surrounding her as she cracked her knuckles.

"H-Hey Ran." He stuttered leaning back, never more grateful for having a table between them as he did now. The look in her eyes sent a shiver down his spine.

During the recovery process and then being swept up by Kaito's magic, he had completely forgotten about his other childhood friend, Ran. Sweet but violent Ran who had been patiently waiting for him to return…crap.

'Oh shit, you're on your own buddy, make sure she doesn't break too much' Pandora told him seriously before dropping the connection.

'Traitor' he thought, wishing he had a jewel of his own to hide in.

"You're looking nice, done something to your hair?" He smiled nervously, judging by the narrowing of her eyes, that was a bad move. She growled. Yep, defiantly a bad move.

"I was gonna call, promise." He blurted out "I've had a lot on since I came back and to add to that I was poisoned my last day on the case, today is the first time in two months I've been out. I swear I was going to visit you tomorrow" He panicked, a nervous sweat breaking out on his brow. Now was not a good time, his body still wasn't ready to cope with the amount of stress she would unload on him.

"You bastard, I wait two years for you and this is my thanks?! Don't think pretending to look sick is going to save you from the beating you so rightly deserve" Sneered his childhood friend, raising her fist up.

His eyes widened. If Ran hit him now it would kill him, he was not ready to deal with dying and waking up a few minutes later. No thanks, that can wait till another time. Fuck! What was he supposed to do?! Damned if he does Damned if he doesn't, he knew now that no matter what he said she would just view it as an excuse.

Shinichi was so caught up in his inner panic that he didn't notice the concerned look Kaito threw him before offering himself as the voice of reason.

"Excuse me Miss" Kaito broke in "But Shinichi is telling the truth, he really has been poisoned and is still currently suffering its effects" His voice was like ice, eyes burning with rage as he caught the first flying at Shinichi.

"Keep in mind Karate is a sacred art, it's not to be used in unjust violence or petty revenge, it's for show and saving others, not for you to use as a means to get your feeling across" He lectured, pushing her arm away from them.

The detectives head whipped around to look at the usually calm magician like he was Jesus himself. A look of hero worship on his face as his saviour faced the mighty dragon alone. If they were dating Kaito would have gotten lucky that night.

'You're practically dating at this point. Go and make nieces and nephews' Pandora chimed in happily.

'Fuck off' he snarled embarrassed, was nothing sacred anymore? He couldn't even make comments in his own head anymore without someone commenting on them. He internally wept for the days he could think in peace, not paying attention to the standoff going on in front of him.

The girl turned to see an emotionless boy with Shinichi's face staring at her with cold eyes, promising her the world of pain if she so much as attempted to get near the detective again. The anger she felt at Shinichi cooled slightly at the others look, taking a calming breath, she turned back to the boy she was in love with.

Actually, looking at him this time she saw that he spoke the truth and Shinichi really was ill. She felt horrid, she was about to hit someone she was supposedly loved while he was sick. She realised she needed to leave and cool down, he did say he was coming tomorrow.

"Please forgive my interruption" She bowed "I'll leave you now, but you had better come see me tomorrow Shinichi" She warned lowering her stance.

"Huh?" Shinichi blinked a couple of times before snapping back into the realm of the awake "Oh, yes, I will, I'll be with you around lunch time" he promised hurriedly. Crossing his heart. Praying she didn't make an even bigger scene for his delayed reaction. When it came to Ran's temper, he really did have the worst luck, always stepping on a primed landmine when with her.

With nothing more to say, Ran bowed once more before turning swiftly on her heel and headed towards the door. Strides long and purposeful. When she was half way across the room she stopped suddenly "Oh, by the way" she added, turning back to face them, earning pretty much everyone's attention at her raised voice and rude actions "Nice tat and piercing." She grinned cheekily, giving him a wink "Very bad boy, its sexy" She called out, laughing as she turned and walked out the café, knowing she had been successful in her endeavour of embarrassing him. She may have agreed to meeting tomorrow, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to take the opportunity to torment him in the meantime.

The detective groaned, hiding his face in his hands, tips of his ears red. "I'm sorry about that, she has anger issues…. but don't say I ever said that!" He hastened to add, a look of panic settling across his features that his comment may find its way back to her. "As you know, I've been gone two years working the case so she's a little on edge. Doesn't help she's in love with me and expects a confession" The footballer explained embarrassed, a note of resignation to his tone.

"Nah, it's okay, my friend is exactly like her, only she uses a mop instead of her bare hands." Kaito waved off. He could understand having a violent friend who was volatile, although understanding didn't equate to accepting. If he saw her acting that way again, he would give her a very strong talking too. It was unacceptable to treat someone in such a way. He'd heard stories of their relationship, of how abusive and manipulative she could be.

While Aoko was quick to bring out the mop, she never used violence to make him do something he didn't want to do and had certainly never threatened him with grievous bodily harm to get her way. Shinichi may not see it, but the way she treated him was wrong and he was dead set on making her see the errors of her way.

"Soo, you gonna confess tomorrow then?" He leaned forwards, wiggling his eyes brow. Steering the conversation to safer grounds as well as to answer a question that had been bothering him since he heard the rumours surrounding the detective and the Mori girl.

Shinichi blushed before looking away, a sad look entering his eye. Upon seeing the look Kaito had a momentary panic that he had unintentionally just made the situation worse but relaxed at the detective's words.

"No, just the opposite actually. I have to tell her that I don't return her feelings" He sighed, slumping on himself a little in defeat. Kaito knew that look very well. That was a look of a man about to do something painful.

"Oh, I'm sorry man, mind if I ask why you think you guys wouldn't work?" He asked, trying to keep the hope and happiness out of his voice at the news. He had a rough suspicion to go off on as to why they wouldn't work. He thought back to the night they met in that dinner and the observation he had made. He really hopped that observation held up and had some truth to it.

"I'm gay" Shinichi stated bluntly, seeing no point in sugar coating it. He'd already realised Kaito knew he was, he was just looking for confirmation at this point, no sense in dragging the inevitable out.

Kaito's heart soared at the news and had to stomp down the happy squeal he wanted to release. This meant he had a fighting chance at wooing the detective properly. He didn't think he had heard any news better than that before and doubted he ever would, baring a few things like actually asking him out or proposing but they were a little far in the future yet for him to bask in the prospect. All that was left now was to inform his darling that he too partook of men.

"Well ain't that just the funniest, I'm gay too" The prankster laughed merrily. Shinichi giggling softly along with him, shyly looking at the magician in front of him. Feeling elated they were finally making some progress. They had gotten one problem out the way, all that was left now was the suitable length of time between being friends to becoming lovers.

'Score! looks like your chances just went up by ten. He's gay and protective of you, we're on to a winner here' Pandora cheered.

'Buzz of traitor' Shinichi snarked. Tuning back into Kaito excitedly talking about the plan for his latest show.

They bounced ideas of each other on what the performer could do in his next performance. Halfway thought a sentence he cut off and gave Shinichi a confused almost accusing look. Lost as to why that looking was being directed at him, he asked the other what was wrong, the answer he got back shocked him.

"Your story about the case earlier. You never said anything about Conan or that detective friend who was with you the night we met" Kaito pointed out, suspicion swirling through those gorgeous eyes.

Shinichi had a deer caught in head lights moment, brain short circuiting. Shit, he had forgotten about that.

"Because I didn't know how much you knew on Conan, so I didn't want to confuse you by mentioning him if you didn't have many dealings with him" he stammered out, amazed at his own lying capabilities.

"I know Conan isn't his real name and I know he's not originally from America like he made out. I also know he was in contact with you" Kaito listed off.

"Okay, you're right about his origin and name being wrong" Shinichi said slowly, holding up his hand when he saw the other go to talk. "I won't give you where he is really from or his name so don't ask" he said sternly, mind racing ahead to come up with a plausible story.

"I met him on one of the cases I took to keep an eye on the org. His parents had been murdered by them" he lied, making a conscious effort not to do any of the tell-tale signs that would give him away.

He had always promised himself that he would never outright lie to Kaito, but the magician was making it difficult. There wasn't a way he could explain Conan's presents without giving the game away, so a complete lie was the only option left, he just really hoped Kaito didn't hold it against him when the truth did eventually come out.

"I worked the case and I noticed how intelligent he was. He had hidden himself the moment he heard a commotion downstairs. Which meant the org were on the lookout for him." He glossed over, internally wincing at how choppy it was coming out but kept it together and soldiered on. "At the time I wasn't working with the FBI, so I didn't have anyone I trusted enough to go to with him. So instead I took him into hiding with me. Sooner than I would have liked, it became clear doing it that way simply wouldn't work" Shinichi made sure he conveyed his upset and frustration at the situation.

"Being on the run is no life for a child. He needed somewhere safe and stable, where he would have people to talk to rather than just myself, so we worked out a plan. I sent him to live with the professor. That way I could keep an eye on him, he had somewhere stable to grow up and he could keep tabs on my loved ones for me. Not to mention, at the time it was the safest place for him to be. The house was large and has top notch security as well as having enough bell and whistles to distract someone intent on causing them harm." Shinichi picked up his drink and took a sip, biding his time.

Curious as to know what Kaito was thinking, Shinichi profiled him and was surprised he was eating the story up, not seeing the signs of deceit. He must have been worried about the child to miss such obvious plot holes, now he felt even worse about this then before.

"The system worked perfectly for us. The org wasn't looking for him in that district of Japan, so we only had to add fake glasses, give him a new name and he was all set." Shinichi rambled.

"But how did he end up with the Mori's if he was originally intended to stay with the professor?" Kaito cut in, looking lost.

"It was an accident that worked in our favour. The night I sent him to the professors was the night Ran went looking for me there. She came across Conan and in the professor's panic -because let's be honest he sucks at lying- he told her he was meant to look after him, but he was struggling as he didn't have the time nor the means to do that at that moment. Ran sort of volunteered hearing the professor was a little busy and took him home with her. The arrangement kinda stuck after that. Not that I minded, it meant he would be well looked after as well as being close enough to save her if things took a turn for the worst." He mused thoughtfully.

He'd hated when the professor had done it without consulting him, but he could admit now that the plan had merit. He wasn't saying it was a good one, it had thrown Ran and by proxy her father right into the heart of the mess he had made, placing her on a higher danger level then he was comfortable with, but it had been necessary. He had needed the access Ran's farther provided in being able to work on cases that connected to the org. He just wished it hadn't worked out that way.

"The only problem with it was, it put Conan on the same walk way as Heiji who took an instant liking to the kid." Shinichi carried on. "Given Heiji's deduction skills it didn't take him long to work out what you did and track me down, offering to help. I kicked against it at first, I didn't know this hot-headed teen, who knew nothing about me or the situation I was in but was butting his head in on my investigation anyway. Not to mention I knew nothing of him but a few accomplishments printed in the paper and the reputation of his farther as well as having Conan's word he was okay. Which if I'm honest wasn't a lot to go off of, he may have been intelligent, but he was still a kid and kids trust way too easily these days" he pointed out factually, supressing the smile that was tugging at his lips as he pretty much degraded himself. He really had fallen in the world to get to this point.

"Thankfully Heiji was able to prove himself quite adapt at piecing things together and having fast reactions to the puzzles we solved, so it was an advantage to have him by my side. With him and Conan keeping an eye on my loved ones, I was really able to throw myself into the case without having to worry so much about them, which in turn helped speed up the whole catching process." He said jovially, looking pleased things had worked out that way. Smiling diming slightly as he went on to tell him about how he'd had to say goodbye to Conan permanently.

"However, when the org was taken care of and I told the FBI of him, it was pointed out to me that he couldn't remain with me. I'm not old enough to be a responsible carer. Not to mention the danger I get myself into regularly. So, we all sat down and talked. It was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, having to tell Conan he couldn't stay with me and that we had to say goodbye." Seeing the tears in Kaito's eyes made him feel tearful but for a whole different reason entirely.

He was hurting the person he was in love with, was lying to his face in the most painful way possible. He felt trapped, could feel the dishonestly eating away at him, multiplying his guilt tenfold. Nothing he could do after this would fix what he had done. No explanation could wash away the hurt he was causing now, when Kaito discovered the lie. He just hoped Kaito would be understanding as to why he was lying right now and gave him the chance to rectify it. If not, he didn't know what he would do.

What he didn't know was that time was drawing ever nearer, not letting up in the reins as it galloped towards him. Soon he would be facing that problem head on with nowhere to turn and no guiding hand to help him.

Ooo0ooo

A few hours later and a much lighter, happier conversation, Shinichi found himself back home, leaning against the door with a dreamy sigh, the sadness of the day long forgotten, being over shadowed by the feelings Kaito stirred up in him.

'Shinichi and Kaito sitting in a tree K.I.S.S.I.N.G' The mythical jewel sang giddily, popping into existence beside him. 'I can't wait to tease you like this in the years to come' she rubbed her hands together gleefully, already working on some material to use as they spoke.

At her comment Shinichi lost his smile, it running away like a frightened mouse, taking on a sad droop in his shoulders and desolate look in his eyes "Even if this relationship does go somewhere, there is no guarantee that he would want to live forever, let alone with me, Pan-Chan." The ever-logical detective sighed sadly, forcibly shaking the gloom away when he realised how pessimistic he was being.

"Oh well, I got you to keep me company. I might as well enjoy my time with him, ne?" He faux chirped, avoiding looking into her eyes while he walked on ahead. Refusing to let the facts of life get him down again, he'd had enough sadness for one day, what he needed now was to focus on the positives, even if it didn't feel like he had many of those left.

Pandora watched her guardian scamper off in search of He-Chan with sad eyes. Heart feeling heavy when she realised he was keeping so much locked inside still. She'd thought they had sorted this out when he was still Conan, but she had been wrong. He was still afraid of being alone, of not being chosen or put first for once. She hadn't noticed how much he had taken on from those around him. She had been naive to think things like that could be fixed so easily.

When she watched Kaito, she always saw the love for life he had, only really paying attention to how free and happy he looked, always thinking to herself that he would be happy at the chance of ever lasting life. It was only now, after the talks he'd had with Shinichi and Shinichi's own reaction to the development had given her pause. Doubting thoughts beginning to creep in, being mirrored in Shinichi's mind, creating an echoing loop between them.

He won't want the life she would find herself thinking Kaito won't want to remain caged to Shinichi forever her subconscious would whisper to her. She'd hoped if she had ignored them, left them unaddressed then they would go away, that maybe Shinichi's thoughts of positivity would drive them out. When neither happened, she began to lose faith and was unsure how to move forward. With Shinichi now giving voice to those thoughts she found herself at a loss of what to do. So, she did what she always did when a situation was looking impossible. She prayed to her creators for guidance and help. Asking for one small miracle for a miracle worker.

'Oh Mother, oh Moon, if you can hear me, please let it be. Let the Magician of the Moon Kaito and the Detective of Justice Shinichi be destined for one another' she prayed desperately, looking up. She stayed like that for a few seconds, waiting to see if her prayer had been heard, before becoming distracted by her BFF's tinkering laugh of delight, she chased after him, joining in on the fun.

High up in the sky, Mother moon and Lady Luck heard her desperate plea and began to set a plan in motion that would re-write fate as we know it. After all, nobody deserved to live out their life alone.

Ooo0ooo

A few weeks went by, full of cases and moments were Shinichi and Kaito devoted their time to one another. Soon that time of the month came and Kid sent out another heist, scheduled to take place that weekend in the Beika astrology centre, which just so happened to coincide with the display of the Sapphire Star.

In the weeks leading up to the heist, Kaito and Shinichi would often be found together, bent over a shared cake or a book of some description, laughter and smiles ever present. Soon they found themselves spending every free moment they had together, making time in their busy schedules to either pick up food or for a brief conversation. When they couldn't find a way around work, they settled for texting each other updates along with funny anecdotes, things normal people found trivial but to them meant the world.

Soon the crushes they had on each other began to evolve, slowly falling in love with one another. Becoming each other's main support and point of contact, more so for Shinichi after him having to confess to Ran that there would be no "us" as he was gay. It had been a difficult time for him, having to hurt his sister like that, but Kaito helped and they were on the road to recovery, relationship stronger for it.

It also meant Ran had actually had a chance to officially meet Kaito and she instantly picked up the chemistry between them. Once she had a chance, she pulled the detective aside and gave him the thumbs up, approving of his choice. Which was a weight of his mind. So, with everything back on track and how it should be, the two relaxed, which should have been a sign that something was going to go wrong. They had never had a quiet day in their life, so why they thought it would suddenly change now was a mystery and a little naïve, but don't you think after all they had been through, they deserved a little naivety and the innocents that goes hand in hand with it?

It was during that week however that disaster struck and reality snuck back in, derailing their fairy tale plans. With only two days to go before the heist they really should have expected something to come crashing in, but they hadn't and found themselves unprepared for the trouble they had unknowingly walked into. Although it was safe to say, this time it was all Shinichi's fault. How you may ask? well it was simple, he forgot to mind his words and it resulted in him revealing one of his most closely guarded secrets.

It was during the introduction to Kaito's feathered family the problem arose. The act of meeting Kai's doves was a very important step in their relationship and he was nervous. Nervous because he knew at least two if not more of them would recognize him as Conan, it would be impossible for them not to since they saw things differently than humans.

The chance of meeting them came about spontaneously like many things around Kaito did. It was late afternoon on an ordinary Tuesday when Kaito decided to do the all-important introduction. He had gone to Shinichi's and let himself in, just like he had many times before, not thinking anything of it.

Once he'd reach the second floor, he felt a nervous excitement building in the pit of his stomach. This was probably the single most important meeting he would ever do with Shinichi, bar the parents of course. With that thought in mind he hurried to the library where he knew his darling was residing for the day. - He had taken the liberty of checking beforehand, just on the off chance the detective had been called out on a case- His treasured feathered friends hidden in the many pockets his clothing catered for.

Upon entering the Library Kaito released the doves with his regular showbiz panazz, 'ever the performer' Shinichi rolled his eyes fondly.

"Tada!" Kaito sang, throwing his arms wide open theatrically, twelve doves flocking out from their hiding places. Waiting for the applause he felt he rightly deserved. Instead he found he got a rather different response, or at least his doves did.

"Heart-Chan! Miyuki- Chan!" Shinichi cried out, giggling as he was dive bombed by two very happy doves. Previous anxiety forgotten. He hadn't realized how much he had missed cuddling with them each week until they were in front of him, nuzzling to his neck once again.

"Hey girls, I missed you too, tell me, have you been behaving yourselves?" He asked with a serious expression. The doves shook their heads in sync.

"That my girls!" He praised giving them a sunflower seed each and a gentle stroke down the breast. Admiring the soft, silky quality of their feathers. Soon finding himself a perch for the other ten doves, all asking for treats and fusses. Since his time as Conan he had made a habit of carry bird seed or some treats in his pocket for them, it seemed that habit had carried over to his time as Shinichi as well.

"Uh wha-uh ha" The magician was rendered speechless, which was a first for him.

He couldn't understand it. Miyuki and Heart were two of his wariest doves, they trusted no-one and were only close to him, even his own mother had trouble interacting with them. And yet, here they were, chumming up with a detective they had supposedly, never met.

He just couldn't fathom the personality change of his two most loyal doves. Oh, and let's not forget the detective knowing their names, how on earth did he know that?! There is no way he could have deduced their names, they had nothing identifying about them to a stranger, looking like any old ordinary dove. He should not have been able to correctly deduce their names.

Kaito racked his brain, trying to come up with a reason to explain the friendliness. Out of anyone who should have had such a warm welcome it should have been Conan. After all Heart was his surveillance on the boy and Miyuki…was…

The flummoxed magician was distracted by a strange movement the detective was doing. The detective was holding Miyuki on his index finger and carefully spreading her left wing, gently moving the pure white feathers to one side, revealing a scar. But he shouldn't have known that was here, Conan was the one to save her and nurse her back to health. His mind went into over drive, suddenly a snippet of their last conversation played over in his mind.

"Is your name really Conan?" He heard an echo of himself ask.

"No, it's not. Just like Kaito Kid isn't yours" The childish voice whispered in his ear.

A contemplating look crossed his face, it would make sense the detective knew of the scarring if he and Conan were close, but he didn't see that being the actual reason. While it may be true he could have told him of the shooting, he doubted he would know the intimate detail of the exact position of the marking.

Another Conversation but this time with Shinichi came to mind.

"Do you believe in magic" He asked

"Yes, I believe in magic"

And those words "Yes, I believe in magic" those words were telling, there was something in them, it was niggling at the back of his mind. It was said as if there was no other option, like the choice had already been made for him, definite and unbudgingly. It was more than just seeing magic in person, it reminded him of something Conan had once said.

"Pieces of jigsaw, even though they are small and different, if you rotate them different ways, never stop trying until the end, eventually they will fit" Conan's voice told him seriously.

So that's what Kaito did, he took all the pieces he had, the bits that were too jagged to fit anywhere, and turned them in different directions until they slotted into place. Just as his picture was coming together he heard something that gave him pause.

"How's Nuri been?" Kaito's keen ears picked up Shinichi's whisper to Heart-Chan.

The thief felt like all the air had been knocked out of him. That one-word, Nuri, had that niggling feeling bursting forwards, the picture becoming more and more defined. Kudo Shinichi was or had been Conan Edowaga and had lied about it.

"Poison" He uttered aloud, thinking back to when they first met. Shinichi who had been watching the emotions play out, turned away guiltily when he saw the realisation enter his eyes.

"You know, don't you?" Shinichi looked at him with guilty eyes, tone certain.

"How?" The magician demanded, taking the seat in front of the detective so he could gage when he was being lied too. They had covered this story once before, only he hadn't been looking for deception in it. He wasn't going to making the same mistake twice.

"A criminal organisation was trying to create a pill that granted immortality, instead what they created was an untraceable poison with a rather rare, unique side effect. I was one of the very lucky few who the side effect effected, turning me into a child." He answered meekly. Keeping his body language open and non-threatening as possible. He didn't want to make it worse by accidently challenging Kaito in some way.

"Tell me everything. Why it happened, the case you were on, how you changed back. Tell me all of it and leave nothing out." Kaito instructed, leaving no room for argument. "The truth this time" he added, just so the detective couldn't weasel his way out and say he had.

So, Shinichi did just that. Told him how he witnessed a blackmailing and was caught. How when he woke up he was in a body of a child. Told him of meeting Shiho who was now Ai. Went on to tell him how he met members of the FBI and secret service, helping them on the investigation.

Explained that he promised to protect Ai and put the villains behind bars while she created the antidote. The detective then opened up about the dark times, when he lost all hope of becoming himself again or when the bad guys got away time after time, with no end in sight. Just a repetitive loop of getting close and having them slip through his fingers again. Even admitted that attending Kid heists brought light into his dark world and gave him hope.

Informed the magician of all the failed attempts at a cure. How nine months ago, he got a long-awaited opening and crushed the black org for good. Finally, he told him of the success Haibara had, only for his body to begin failing during the transformation. That by some miracle he pulled through, but by then the damage had been done.

When it was over and he had run out of words to say, the story coming up to date, expertly missing out the involvement of Pandora. He looked nervously to his crush and waited for his verdict, whether he would believe him or not. Jumping when Kaito groaned into his hands.

"That means you won our bet since you found out my identity first" He moaned into his palms.

Shinichi burst into hysterical laughter, tears falling free "I'll have to get back to you on my wish" he gasped between giggles. Heart-Chan and Miyuki cooing with him in their version of a laughter.

"I shall await your request Mon tout" He grinned, basking in the unrestrained laughter.

He was still angry about being lied to and it would take a while for him to trust in the detective's words again but he understands why he was lied to. The detective had been scared and his story wasn't the kind you could listen to and not be changed by. It was a daunting prospect telling someone a story that was hard to believe never mind having to open yourself to their speculation on how you handled the situation. So he understood, he really did.

And it wasn't like the detective wasn't remorseful about what he had done. The way he carried himself pointed to him being apologetic. When he thought back to the time Shinichi had told him the story, he now realised that the look in the detective's eye had been self-loathing. He was regretting having to lie and hating himself for it.

Knowing all this made it easy for the magician to forgive his detective. After all, that what love is. Its forgiving someone of their past transgressions – Within reason that is. Plus, it would be really hypocritical of him since he had been keeping a secret of his own, it just so happened the detective already knew of it and had hinted that upon their first meeting. If you really thought about it, Kaito had no reason to be angry, he now knew the truth and didn't have the fear of his own secret hanging over them, preventing him from making a move.

He was rather glad the detective had forgotten to filter his words, without it he wouldn't have learnt the real story. Which was something would have needed to deal with before they could even think about getting together. Now that the secrets were no longer there, restricting what Kaito wanted to do out of misplaced guilt. He felt lighter and free, like he now had a shot at winning the detectives heart. But for the moment he would enjoy the unguarded laughter the other was releasing, there was time yet to put his plans into action and when he does the genius won't know what hit him – in a good way of course.