AN: Thank you all so much for your patience! This took me a long time to figure out, but I think I finally got it right. I hope you all enjoy it!
True to his word, three days later, Kaitou Kid paid Shinichi another visit. Again, he stifled his instinctive flinch—he'd upped the security, but nothing seemed to work. Between the two of them, Kid was clearly the better thief, not that Shinichi was going to tell him that.
Kid seemed relaxed, waiting by the window in his library. Shinichi watched him for a moment, the moonlight catching the glass of his monocle, his suit nearly glowing…
He closed his eyes, trying to focus on playing it cool. He wasn't surprised or nervous. Ethereal masked strangers broke into his house all the time.
"You know, I have a front door. You could come in a disguise if you wanted to. Unless you'd rather be dramatic?" Shinichi smiled. If he had the element of surprise, he'd probably do the same thing, actually. The thought settled him.
Kid glanced over his shoulder at him. "But this is so much more interesting, don't you think?"
"I take it you've made a decision?" Shinichi sat down, crossing a leg and leaning back.
Kid took several long, elegant strides, taking the seat across from him. Shinichi masked his surprise.
"I've decided to trust you and your Night Baron, Kudou. I won't give you my identity, and I don't expect to receive the Baron's either. However, if we're going to be working together, we'll need to keep each other updated on our movements."
Kid produced two burner phones from thin air.
"Ever the magician, I see." Shinichi smiled, accepting one of the phones. "If you don't mind, I'd actually like to introduce you to one of the members of my team. If for some reason I can't have the phone on me, I'll be leaving it in her care, with your permission."
"When should we meet?" Kid frowned, clearly making and discarding plans.
"Now, if you'd like. She lives next door."
"You're willing to tell me?" Kid looked… startled, worried even, but only for a moment.
"I am. She gave me permission first. Shall we?" Shinichi stood, slipping the phone in his pocket. "Speed dial one?"
"Yes. And let me change into a disguise." In a flash of light, he reappeared in street clothes. His face was young and open, eyes green, hair sandy brown. Likely, but not necessarily, a disguise. Time would tell.
Shinichi led the way.
Haibara answered the door when they rang the bell. She glanced between them, eyes narrowed, assessing.
"I'll allow your new thief in, but he keeps his hands where I can see them. You may have Kudou's trust, but you don't have mine." She turned her head and returned inside, leaving the door open.
"Well, you heard the lady." Shinichi shrugged.
By the time they made it to the living room, Haibara was (angrily) preparing three cups of tea. He could tell that she was putting too much sugar in his, but remained silent. If this was her revenge, he would bear it. He shouldn't have sprung this on her like he did, he knew that now.
He'd apologize again later.
"Alias," Haibara demanded once Kid had his tea. Kid froze.
"Sorry?"
"I'm not calling you Kid. Give me a name to use."
"Oh, uh, Masayoshi is fine."
"The alias from the gala," Shinichi noted to himself. Kid glanced at him.
"You remember that?"
"Of course. I'm a detective. You're wearing your hair differently, though. It was more styled before." Shinichi considered him. "Same color for hair and eyes."
"I was at a black tie event last time. No one keeps their hair styled all the time."
"Speak for yourself." Haibara rolled her eyes. "Now, Masayoshi, why should I help you?"
"We all want them in prison, so we might as well work together. The Night Baron and I are both backed by a known detective, so we're virtually in the same position, aren't we?"
"I suppose technically, but I never said I trusted Hakuba, either. I trust Kudou and about two or three other people. You're not one of them."
"I understand your concern. When he told me you lived next door, I thought he was crazy for trusting me with that so soon." Kid hummed to himself. "I don't even know your name. How much danger could I put you in when I only know that a young woman lives next door to Kudou Shinichi?"
Haibara and Kid stared at each other for a long time, seeming to communicate something without words. Shinichi said nothing, unwilling to put himself in the middle of whatever was happening. He took a sip of his horrible tea. Finally, Haibara nodded once.
"You can call me Haibara. If you can get me Kudou's wallet without him noticing, I'll acknowledge your skill, even if I don't trust you yet."
"What? Haibara!"
But Kid was already handing her his wallet as if pulling it from his own pocket. He really was incredibly talented. His hands must be insanely dexterous.
"Well, Kudou? Did you notice?" Haibara's eyes glinted.
"I didn't feel a thing, now are you satisfied?"
"No," Haibara said, tone bland, "but he is skilled, and I'm willing to periodically act as your go between if I must. If you can manage to earn my trust, I might even agree to lend you my skills."
"Am I allowed to know what those are?" Kid asked.
"No. I don't trust you yet."
Kid nodded once. "Understood. I'll see what I can do to earn your trust. In the meantime, thank you in advance. I'm sure your assistance is invaluable, even if I don't know what it is you do."
"How do you figure?"
"Because Kudou trusts you and values your judgment. Otherwise, there's no way he would let me meet you."
Haibara turned away, frowning, but Shinichi could see the faintest blush on her cheeks. Shinichi smiled, even as she stood and strode deeper into the house. Kid opened his mouth to ask something, but Haibara interrupted.
"Let yourselves out. I have work to do. I'm sure we'll speak soon, Masayoshi. And Kudou, you owe me. I expect you to be here bright and early tomorrow. Nine thirty, don't be late."
Shinichi winced. "Yes, ma'am," he called. Standing, he gestured to the door. Kid shot him a look, clearly curious. Shinichi sighed as he shut the door behind them. "She's going to make me buy her things, most likely. She's pretty mad, even compared to her normal levels of crankiness."
"Because you made her meet me in person?"
"No, because I asked her to do something risky that she didn't want anyone else to do either. She wasn't entirely on board with asking you for help, but she didn't want any of the allies she likes getting involved with you either." Shinichi was sure she'd been thinking about Ran throughout the meeting. As long as Ran was safe, they were both happy. "It's not so much you personally as introducing someone new in general, I think."
"It's just business," Kid said with a soft chuckle. "Don't worry. I understand completely; it's how I feel about you and your Night Baron. Talented or not, you both post a threat to the people I love."
"Just business," Shinichi said, sighing. He tried not to take the hit to his own trustworthiness personally. He wasn't sure he succeeded. "I wish we were in a business more suited to trusting people. I miss that. Anyway, I'm sure I'll see you around. If it's not an emergency, would it be better to text Hakuba?"
"For now, yes. We'll figure out how to best use the phones within the next few weeks, I expect." Kid glanced away, staring into space. He looked more than a little anxious. "I think I should tell you, I have a bad feeling about the next few days. I think something's going to happen, but I don't know what."
"I'll keep an eye out, then," Shinichi said easily, choosing to ignore the surprise on Kid's face. Shinichi hadn't doubted a bad feeling since he was a child. If Kid was worried, that was enough for him. "You'll be careful, too?"
"When am I ever not careful, detective?" Kid laughed at Shinichi's raised eyebrow. "Never mind, don't answer that." He shook his head. "Take care, detective. And good night."
"Good night, Kid."
Waving, Shinichi watched him walk down the street, into the moonlight. He looked so normal, like he was a real person, not an elusive thief. Shinichi wondered what his civilian persona was like, if he'd be fun to talk to. He wondered if they'd even get along without circumstances to force them together.
Shaking off the strange turn to his thoughts, he headed back into his house. Haibara expected him early the next morning, and he needed to be on his toes. Especially if Kid was to be believed, and well, someone needed to be willing to trust first. Why not him?
Haibara answered the door on Saturday and the self-proclaimed Detective Boys spilled out around her. Shinichi closed his eyes and counted to ten.
"Haibara…"
"I told them I was going to be hanging out with you today, and they all insisted on coming." Haibara smiled, devilish. "You've been neglecting them, Shinichi-niichan."
"You're not mad, are you?" Ayumi asked, voice uncharacteristically soft.
Shinichi sighed, but allowed a small smile. "No, Ayumi, I'm not mad. Of course the three of you can tag along. I'll even treat the three of you to a single dessert item, no more expensive than 10 dollars."
The kids lit up. Shinichi felt a little bad about the price cap, but he'd seen them with the professor. He rather liked having some spending money left for himself at the end of the week. (Although, after Haibara's demands, there wouldn't be much left.)
As they walked to the mall, the kids chattered ahead of them about what they were going to order. Shinichi and Haibara walked behind them, keeping an eye on their movements and the people around them. Haibara's smile was soft and fond.
"You've changed, I think," Shinichi observed. She glanced at him, arching an eyebrow. "You never would have made an outing like this even a few months ago. I'm glad."
She huffed, looking away. "Of course I've changed. Given the circumstances, how could I not? I am nothing if not adaptable."
"Well, that's certainly the truth." Shinichi grinned, teasing. "Anyway, I'm just glad you feel safe with us. You've easily become one of Ran's favorite people, you know."
Haibara's face went red from ear to ear. Shinichi smiled and tucked the response away, deciding not to bring it up. He was many things, but he tried not to be purposefully cruel. Of course, if the opportunity to tease her when she wasn't already mad arose… Well, he still had a recording of Hattori calling Kazuha his. Of course, he only used it sparingly.
Like when Hattori tried to meddle in his love life.
"Shinichi-niichan, are you dating anyone?" Ayumi asked. Shinichi shot her a wary look. Uncanny.
"I've been a little too busy with my work to date anyone, so no. Why do you ask, Ayumi?" Shinichi tried to ignore the smirk on Haibara's face. She likely knew what this was about then. Great.
"We thought that you and Ai-neechan should date," Ayumi said with a bright smile.
Mitsuhiko frowned. "I still think he and Ran-neechan makes more sense…"
Right, he still had a crush on Haibara, didn't he? Shinichi rubbed his chin as if he were considering their points. "Well, I appreciate the two of you thinking about me, but neither Ran nor Haibara wants to date me."
"What? How do you know that?" Genta exclaimed.
"Ran told him, and I've never expressed that kind of an interest in him," Haibara said. "There's no need for the three of you to worry about our love lives. In a few years, you can worry about your own."
The boys both blushed, immediately looking away, but Ayumi kept smiling. "Will you give me advice when I'm older, Ai-neechan?"
Haibara's expression melted back into warm fondness. "Of course." Before she could say anything else, they arrived at the mall. "It seems we're here." As they made to enter, Shinichi felt a chill run up his spine.
They were being watched.
He and Haibara both surreptitiously glanced around, but based on her tension, neither of them could see who it was. It didn't feel malevolent, but it wasn't exactly benign…
Sharing a worried look, they both stepped through the automatic doors. Shinichi resigned himself to remaining on edge for the rest of the afternoon. It seemed like Kid was right to be concerned. Hopefully, they could skate by without incident.
When they finally spotted their shadow, Shinichi sent Haibara and the kids to go buy their dessert. Haibara gave him a curt nod, eyes narrowed. By splitting up, they'd be able to figure out who he was after. That didn't mean they had to like it.
The man remained in place, making no moves to follow Haibara and the kids. Was he here because of Kudou Shinichi the detective or Kudou Shinichi the thief? Why was this man following him? Shinichi moved slowly to another section of the store, texting Haibara to look like he wasn't paying attention.
The man moved in his direction with the performed distraction of a tail. Shinichi stifled a sigh.
Before Shinichi could even begin to formulate a plan, a high voice called out from across the section, "Kudou! It's been too long!"
Shinichi turned, frowning, and met the eyes of a young woman with a brown bob. She hurried over to him. "It's good to see you," Shinichi said, forcing a smile. The woman showed him her palm as she clasped his arm; she'd written the number 1412. Shinichi relaxed.
"You should come to lunch with me, my treat!" Shinichi made a token protest, but she waved him off. "No, no, as your upperclassman, I insist. Were you here with anyone?"
"Yeah, a friend of mine and some kids we babysit should be in the food court," Shinichi said, falling into step with Kid. "I can let them know I'll be getting lunch with you, though. I'm sure they won't mind that much."
They minded. Kid was kind enough to invite the children along as well, while signaling to Haibara that he was Kid. They were still being followed, but it would be harder to kill six people than one. As long as they stuck together…
They lost their tail just before walking the kids home, making sure they were all safely inside before changing direction to Shinichi's house. Once they were sure they were still out of the crosshairs, Kid spoke first.
"Sorry for crashing your afternoon. I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong." Kid shook his head. "That was probably Snake, by the way. From what I can tell, he's something of an enforcer."
Haibara nodded, confirming his intel.
"You seem familiar with him."
"He's the one who's been sending people after me. If I hadn't been so clear about how much I wanted to tear their organization down, I think he would've tried to recruit me." Kid frowned. "He's willing to hurt children, so I'm glad we could make sure they made it home safe. I'll be keeping an eye on them for the next few weeks, if neither of you mind."
"The more eyes the better," Shinichi said.
"You could've let us die, and you seemed to care about them. If you hurt them, I'll make sure you suffer." Haibara didn't turn her head, and instead kept walking.
"If I hurt them, I'll deserve it."
"I've been curious," Shinichi said, changing the subject, "how did you know there was something wrong?"
Kid hesitated. "I'm not sure I want to say. It's a little unbelievable, and you are a detective."
"I'm a detective faced with the evidence that your source was accurate today, at least. I think that lends you more than a little credence."
"Maybe next time, detective."
"I'm sure we'll see you around."
As Shinichi turned up his front walk, Kid said, "Kudou, get down!"
Shinichi ducked on instinct, so the first bullet missed his head, but the next caught him in the chest. Shinichi blinked down at the bloom of red across his shirt, the contrast worrying against the blue of his shirt. As the pain registered, he thought dimly, 'So this is what being shot feels like.'
While he was staring, Kid scooped him up and rushed him into the house, Haibara close on his heels. Shinichi swayed a little when Kid set him on his feet, but managed to stay upright. Kid pressed a cloth to his shoulder and placed Shinichi's hand over it.
"Hold this, I need to close all the blinds in the house. Haibara, would you call the police and an ambulance?"
"Is that safe?"
"Kudou is a detective. Not calling the cops would be out of character and suspicious, and he needs to get that looked at."
Shinichi's vision blurred and black crept in around the edges. He suspected this was what people meant by tunnel vision. He could hear Haibara and Kid talking, but couldn't quite focus on what was happening.
"Kudou? Kudou!"
But Shinichi was already falling unconscious before he hit the ground.