Formatting notes: the ~C~ is a scene break, and Kaito's texts are on the left this time.
"All I can think of right now is telling my other friends about your cool new game console and listing all those random features that really shouldn't be on a kids game console— just imagining their faces if they found out my new best friend is a weaponized six-year-old—"
"Technically seven now."
"—it's hilarious! Wait…seven?"
"Yeah, my birthday was March fourth, so I'm seven now."
"Wh—Taanteeii-kuun!" Kid wails dramatically, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't think about it?" Conan shrugs, ignoring the thief pretending to be wounded and flopping sideways onto the grass. It's technically true—he'd forgotten until a few days ago that 'his' birthday was changed to be in March, and only remembered because Agasa-hakase had apologized for the 'late' birthday present from his parents. "Don't take it personally, it's not like I told everyone else." Conan rolls his eyes at the thief.
"That doesn't make it better," the thief retorts as he sits back up, adding, "Actually, that's much worse. Are you telling me no one celebrated your birthday?"
Conan blinks at Kid in confusion, "Yes? I mean, my parents asked Hakase to make a present that they'd had the idea for, so this" he gestures to the new gadget Kid had been joking about, "was technically a birthday present, even though it was late because Hakase ended up adding extra features."
"Even your parents didn't?! Did they at least call you?" Kid demands.
"What? Why would they call me?"
Kid chokes and splutters, "You—tha—wh— Why would your own parents not wish you a happy birthday?"
"…Why does it matter so much to you?" Conan asks. (He can't exactly tell Kid that his parents didn't call because his actual birthday isn't in March.)
"It's your birthday! Tantei-kun, with the number of rumors I hear about you getting hurt, I'd think living through another year should definitely be something you celebrate."
Conan smiles wryly, "I suppose I can't argue with that logic."
"Good! Now you just have to tell your neechan you forgot to tell her when your birthday was."
Wincing, Conan replies, "Really? It's not a big deal, Kid—"
"If you don't at least tell your neechan, I will hold a heist just to give you your birthday present."
"You wouldn't," Conan says warily.
Kid grins sharply, "Don't be too sure of that, brat."
"You know the Taskforce would just confiscate the present as evidence," Conan argues.
"Oh, they'll check for fingerprints and DNA, sure, but I know my audience," Kid smirks at him, "As long as I tell them it's a birthday present and make a fuss over you needing to get at least one present, half of them will feel so bad about having to take it away from you to check it they'll go out and buy you presents themselves to make it up to you until they can give mine back. They might even get your Division One friends in on it, to hold a big belated party for you."
"Please don't, I get it, I'll talk to Ran-neechan okay?" Conan stops the thief before the plotting can get any more out of hand.
"Do you really hate parties that much, Chibi?" Kid asks, frowning at him.
"Huh?" Conan frowns back at the thief in confusion, "I just don't want you trying to guilt everyone I've ever met into giving me stuff because they feel bad for me. I don't hate parties, but they're not exactly my idea of fun, either."
"Right, right, forgot who I was talking to for a minute," Kid teases.
"What is that supposed to mean," Conan narrows his eyes suspiciously. If Kid calls him a—
"You can't bear being forced to put down your books and mysteries, unless it involves your hellish soccer skills," the thief grins fondly at him, and Conan blinks in surprise.
"Oh."
Kid's head tilts slightly, "What did you think I meant?"
"Nothing," Conan says, ducking his head and pulling up a handful of grass to fiddle with and give himself an excuse to not meet the thief's eyes.
"Tantei-kun, please don't lie to me," Kid says quietly.
"Sorry," Conan grimaces, letting the torn-up blades of grass fall back to the ground. "I just—" he sighs and reluctantly meets Kid's gaze, "I was expecting you to mention the rumors about…how often I find cases."
The thief's expression freezes, and he lets out a flat, "Ah," before his expression turns determined and he declares firmly, "Tantei-kun, even if you had to solve a case every time we met, I'd still be your friend."
Conan stares back blankly, blurting, "But you hate murders," before his brain can filter itself.
"Tantei-kun, if you start telling me you actually believe that you're a death god or cursed or somehow summon homicide cases, I'll start thinking you're an impostor."
Conan snorts in a moment of startled amusement, "That's ridiculous. There's no possible way I could cause something like that, and even if magic was real, wouldn't that be a stupid thing to curse someone with? There should be way easier ways to inconvenience someone without being so weirdly specific as 'I will force you to encounter murder cases multiple times a week'."
Kid sputters and starts laughing, "Tantei-kun, really? Multiple cases a week and it's only an inconvenience? You don't even get paid for solving them!"
His lips twitch into a smirk as he replies, "Well, they technically could, since I don't think there's a minimum age requirement to be an official consultant…but I doubt Megure-keibu would agree to it."
"No? Whyever not?" Kid asks jokingly.
"He's annoyed enough by so many detectives in Tokyo running around solving cases and making his paperwork more complicated, having to pay them too would be over the line."
Kid starts laughing again, "Oh, I see how it is, it's all the paperwork's fault!"
"I guess that's one good thing about being seven," Conan muses, "I don't have to fill out paperwork for cases."
"Magician's assistants don't fill out paperwork either, you know," Kid says slyly.
He gives the thief an unimpressed look, "You say that like you think it would make me change my mind."
Grinning, Kid replies, "One of these days, Tantei-kun, I will get you to learn a magic trick."
Conan scoffs and rolls his eyes, "Good luck with that, stupid thief."
"Thank you for the encouragement, it's nice to know you want me to succeed," Kid teases.
"Oi, you know that's not what I meant," Conan protests.
"Too late now~" Kid singsongs cheerily, "Your moving words have been etched in my memory."
"I'll give you moving," Conan reaches for his belt to deploy a soccer ball.
"Oh look at the time I'll let you go talk to Mouri-chan bye Chibi!" Kid says rapidly, disappearing in a cloud of smoke the next second.
Conan shakes his head at the dissipating smoke and stands to head back to the Agency, mentally bracing himself for Ran's fussing about missing his birthday.
~C~
Later that week, Conan returns to his room to find a white box with a blue ribbon tied around it sitting on his futon. The note-card tucked neatly under the bow reads 'Happy Birthday Tantei-kun' in Kid's familiar handwriting. He unties the ribbon and blinks in surprise as the lid of the box slowly starts to rise. Taking off the lid reveals a soccer-ball patterned plush, and Conan impulsively reaches out to squish it. The plush feels ridiculously soft, and when he pulls it out it expands to almost twice the size of the box. Absently wondering how long it took the thief to stuff the plush into a box half its size; he pulls out his phone to text a simple 'thank you'.
(ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧You like it then?
I think it's funny you gave me a soccer ball.
After all the talk about 'evil spheres of doom'.
This one's a cute sphere of doom
Doesn't count
Don't be so sure about that
(∩︵∩) You would use my own gift against me?
After I made it just for you! ｡ﾟ･（;﹏;）･ﾟ｡
You're so dramatic.
Fine, I won't bring this one to heists
Actually I think you should,
That would be adorable
It would take too much work to clean
I'm not sure if you're insulting me or my dyes,
but I'm still offended
Both
You're so cruel to me
Just reminding you I'm not cute
Whatever you say, Chibi
Ugh
I'm going to sleep
(＾ω＾) I'll let you enjoy your present!
Conan rolled his eyes and shut off his phone without responding. (Even if he did decide to sleep with the stupidly soft plush under his arm, the thief didn't need to know about it.)
A/N: So I thought I was done with this yesterday, and then I decided to add an extra 300 words when I was editing XD
This chapter was not written during NaNoWriMo, but the next chapter was. So that should be out soon-ish? (still TBD because I don't remember how much editing it needs.)
Hope y'all enjoyed the fluffy chapter!