Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Lure

Chapter 43 - A Time of Thanksgiving

"I can't believe it all came down to a question about the chemical formula of knockout gas," Shinichi said, shaking his head in bemused incredulity. "I mean seriously, if there was a question custom made for you, that would be it."

"Well~, to be fair, there is more than one type of knockout gas," Kaito replied with a smug grin. "But I see your point."

The trivia wars had raged all through the evening and well into the night with the many attendants of the event determined to trounce the authors team because they were favored to win. Round after round of difficult questions were brought out to stump the masses and test the confident and the cocksure. Points were scored on both sides. Through the combined efforts and determination of the non-author teams, their side had worked their way all the way up to a tie breaker with the by then extremely exhausted author team.

And who better to lead that final charge than Kudo Yukiko! Once famous actress and her detective son as well as the son of the man who had taught her everything she knew about disguises and the art of impersonations.

So there, with the night outside already giving way to morning, the final rounds came and went in a clash of random factoids and obscure knowledge, and the answer that finally claimed victory for the non-author troupes?

The chemical formula of knockout gas.

"It was poetic," Chikage mused from where she had joined the audience sometime after the midnight hour. And she laughed, wishing with all her heart that Toichi could have been here too.

Yukiko was still in high spirits and lording her victory over her husband. After all, the man was such an insufferable know-it-all all the time. It was about time she got to take him down a peg or three.

With the dawn of Thanksgiving day, however, the festivities quieted quickly as people rushed to pick up any last minute supplies they might need and headed home or to the homes of relatives and friends. Yukiko dispatched her husband to go pick up the food they had preordered for the occasion and insisted that the boys go back to their room to grab a few hours of sleep so they wouldn't be dead on their feet when they came up to her and Yuusaku's suite that evening. A combination of jetlag and a very long day meant that neither boy was in much of a mood to argue even had they felt inclined to do so.

Yet, tired as he was, Shinichi was certain when he lay down that he was too nervous to sleep. But, with his head tucked under Kaito's chin and the magician's arms wrapped securely around him, he discovered that he was wrong.

That didn't mean he wasn't still nervous when he woke to Kaito gently shaking his shoulder.

"Better get changed," the magician said. "They said to come at four, right? We have fifteen minutes."

Shinichi couldn't suppress the groan that escaped his lips. He would have liked nothing better than to burrow back into the blankets and forget all about going anywhere, but alas, he knew better. So he got up and changed.

"Relax," Kaito said soothingly, stepping up behind Shinichi and gently massaging his shoulders as they looked at each other in the hotel room mirror. "If I'm not nervous, there's no reason you should be."

"Theoretically," Shinichi muttered, but he did relax under Kaito's ministrations.

Even he wasn't sure why he was so nervous, he admitted as they headed out. As he had told Kaito, he wasn't worried about his parents disapproving of his relationship with Kaito. If anything, he was more worried about his parents totally embarrassing him in front of the magician. They were just that sort of people, he thought grumpily. His mother in particular had always seemed to derive an unwholesome amount of enjoyment from sharing all his most embarrassing moments. At least it appeared his parents weren't in the middle of one of their spats. That would have been awkward. He just couldn't predict what his parents were going to do, and he supposed that that was the root of his worries.

Before he knew it, they were at the door to his parents' suite, and Kaito had already knocked.

The door flew open to reveal Yukiko's beaming face. "You're here!"

She pulled them each into a quick hug then waved them inside. "Yuu-chan! Come say hello."

Kudo Yuusaku emerged from one of the suite's other rooms to greet the two guests with a smile. He gave Shinichi's narrow shoulders a squeeze.

"I'm glad to see you're looking well," he said. "And you must be Kuroba Kaito." The author extended his hand to Kaito. "We weren't entirely certain you would come."

Kaito didn't miss the emphasis that the man placed on the word 'you'. Was the man suggesting that he thought Kaito wouldn't have the courage to show up as himself? The thief was mildly offended, but he supposed he couldn't entirely blame the man for the thought either. If he hadn't known right down to his bones that he was more serious about Shinichi than he had ever been about anything, he might have considered doing just that.

"It only seemed right," Kaito replied, meeting the older man's gaze head on. "Since Shin-chan's already met my mom, I figured it was time I introduced myself to you two." He was here to stay, his eyes said, the message fierce and unshakeable.

The two men continued to study one another for another, intense long moment, each reading and measuring what he read in the other's face. Well aware of what was going on, Yukiko kept her son distracted by smothering him with more hugs and questions about everything and anything that came to mind.

Eventually, Yuusaku nodded and offered Kaito a smile. "It is truly a pleasure to meet you. Now come, no point standing here in the doorway."

The elder Kudos ushered the boys to the suite's dining table, where they poured the two cups of bubbling cider.

"We'll start heating the food once Chi-chan gets here," Yukiko declared. "But there's fruit and cheese if you're already hungry."

"Will anyone else be coming?" Shinichi asked.

"Not tonight," his father replied. "We thought we should keep tonight for the family."

Catching his father's inclusion of the Kurobas in the mention of family, Shinichi felt a knot he hadn't realized he'd been carrying unraveling. In that moment, he realized that part of him really had been worried about what his parents might think of his relationship with Kaito. He had meant it when he told Kaito that he didn't believe they would mind, but that didn't mean that he hadn't still worried.

He didn't spend much time with his parents. He had difficulty understanding the way they thought. They were simply too different from him. At times, they seemed to be living in an entirely different world from his. But, for all that, he cared about them, and, deep down, he had every child's longing for the approval and acknowledgment of his parents.

Not sure what to say though, he was glad when Chikage chose that moment to arrive. Yukiko welcomed the other woman in with every bit of the enthusiasm she had shown when welcoming her son and his beau. The two women immediately fell to chattering, catching one another up on recent events and reminiscing over old times. They soon drew Yuusaku into those discussions.

Both Kaito and Shinichi listened with rapt attention to the stories the three shared about Kuroba Toichi. Kaito was eager for any information about his father, and Shinichi was eager to earn more about the man who had meant so much to the man he loved—who had shaped Kaito into the person he was and passed on to him his legacy. Though the man had had only eight short years with his son, Shinichi had no doubt that Kuroba Toichi had been the single most influential person in shaping Kaito into the man he was today. And for that, Shinichi thought, he owed the man a great deal.

Cliché as it sounded, Kaito had changed his life for the better. It wasn't about big things. Literally speaking, Shinichi supposed, his life was proceeding much the same way it would have even if Kaito hadn't stolen him away that night and he hadn't accepted the thief's proposal. But Kaito had helped him accept the unexpected turns and mistakes that had led him to this path and make peace with the past.

He owed Kaito a lot too.

He just hoped that he had done—could do—as much for Kaito as his magician had done for him.

As though sensing that Shinichi was thinking about him, Kaito glanced his way. The magician flashed him a smile full of mischief and warmth that had Shinichi smiling back, heart fluttering. Then he caught his mother watching him and blushed, ducking his head.

The oven pinged, and everyone rose to help set the table and bring out the various dishes. The turkey, for turkey it was, had to be carved, and Kaito exhibited astonishing skills with a knife at the carving of it that Shinichi secretly found slightly terrifying. For the thousandth time, he thought how fortunate the world was that Kaito had no desire to turn his formidable skills to more dastardly crimes. Then the wine too was poured, and the mashed potatoes drizzled with gravy, and the aromas of the feast had every one of them thinking of nothing else.

It was much later, as the laughter and festivities were winding down, that Shinichi found himself seated next to Kuroba Chikage, who smiled at him.

"You make him happy," she told him in a voice so soft that only the two of them could hear. "Calmer too. I'm glad you two met."

Shinichi wondered in some amazement whether the woman had read his mind. Her words warmed him though, and he returned her smile, both pleased and grateful.

Later, as Kaito and Shinichi were preparing to leave, Yukiko pressed a parcel into Shinichi's hands. "An early Christmas present," she declared with a wink. Then she hugged him again, tighter than before. "It really was good to see you."

Shinichi sighed and hugged her back. "It was good to see you guys too," he said, and he meant it.

"Oh, and Shin-chan," she said, catching Shinichi's arm before he could step out the door. He turned to look at her questioningly, and she smiled. "I'm glad you're happy. We both are."

"You know," the magician mused as the two of them made their way back to their room. "Your parents aren't nearly as crazy as you made them out to be."

Shinichi could only laugh, half in relief and half in bemused wonder that everything had gone so well.

-0-

Back in the elder Kudos' suite, the three adults sat on the couches in the sitting area with glasses of wine in hand.

"Young Kaito-kun really has grown up well," Yukiko remarked with a giggle. "He's just like his father."

"He is at that," Chikage agreed with a fond if mildly exasperated smile. "Too much so sometimes. I was worried about him for a while," she admitted. "He was getting restless. I suppose it was only to be expected. He's set himself up to complete a task that may very well have no end. Anyone would be frustrated after a while…" She sighed, lifting her wine glass for a sip. "I was afraid he'd start getting careless."

"He certainly is a confident one," Yuusaku commented. "But steady, I think. I doubt you have anything to worry about."

The former Phantom Lady nodded gratefully to the author. "I hope you're right." Then she smiled, the expression bright and mischievous. "In any case, he's got Shinichi-kun to focus all that excess energy on now. It's been good for him."

Yukiko smiled softly. "For Shin-chan too." Her smile grew a touch sad. "He never talks to us about things, but I know he's been under a lot of strain. He always takes too much on himself. I'm glad he's found someone he can trust who can look out for him."

Sharing knowing looks, the three refilled their glasses and toasted one another and to the children they loved who were all grown up.

-To Be Continued-