DCMK || KaiShin || DCMK || Meeting the Professor || DCMK || KaiShin || DCMK
Title: Meeting the Professor – How Old Friends Lead to New Love
Fandom: Detective Conan / Magic Kaito
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Gosho Aoyama for he created the awesomeness that is Kaitou KID. Ah, and Detective Conan, too. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Tags: m/m, fluff, meet cute
Main Pairing: Kaito/Shinichi
DC/MK Characters: Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan, Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou KID, Jii Konosuke, Agasa Hiroshi, Haibara Ai
Summary: Jii had told Kaito that a professor made his gadgets and that he would meet the man one day. Now, that day finally arrived. Only that the professor didn't come alone, no, he was stalked by two concerned shrunken teens.
Meeting the Professor
How Old Friends Lead to New Love
"I don't really think we have to follow the professor," pointed Shinichi out.
Haibara raised her eyebrows. "He's meeting some mysterious client that he has never mentioned before and you think I am going to let him walk in there all on his own?"
"He's old enough to know what he's doing. Mostly," argued Shinichi regardless.
"Then what are you doing here, Kudou-kun?" asked Haibara.
"I just came along because the alternative was being alone with uncle."
Which was the truth; Ran was on a girls-only trip with Kazuha, Sera and Sonoko, paid by Sonoko. At first Shinichi had perked up, because Suzuki paying for any get-away usually entailed Sonoko's uncle and a KID heist, but after he learned that it was just a girls trip, he lost interest. And, for once, Ran also didn't want to take him alone. She trusted Kogoro to watch over Conan. Which translated to Shinichi declaring he'd be spending his time with the professor. Because Shinichi wasn't ready to babysit Kogoro for an entire weekend. That sounded too exhausting.
So when he walked in on Haibara and Agasa arguing because Agasa was supposed to meet up with a mysterious client of his, Shinichi decided to tag along. Apparently, the client wasn't a mystery to Agasa and Agasa insisted that he didn't need them to accompany him. Which had only made Haibara even more suspicious. This time around, Shinichi didn't really see a mystery here though. He'd known the professor longer than Haibara and all his life, he could remember the professor doing odd jobs here and there, inventions or repairs. This wasn't really unusual.
"But a long-time client who now wants to meet in him person," argued Haibara once more. "How are you not more paranoid about this? You know they are still after me. What if they're luring the professor in to use him against me? We've had a problem with pictures of me leaking before."
He hated that her paranoia wasn't entirely unfounded. There went his afternoon. The two watched how the professor entered a pool bar, the sign above it claiming it to be the Blue Parrot. Shinichi vaguely remembered having been here before, during a case with Kogoro. Mh.
/break\
Kaito was super excited. He'd been wondering about the genius behind his gadgets before and Jii had assured him that the person was trustworthy, had already worked with Toichi. Still, Kaito wanted to meet them. It was important to him, after all, this person was in on his plans so he needed to know them. Jii arranged a meeting at the Blue Parrot. Until the professor arrived, Kaito and Jii busied themselves with a game of pool. And then the bell rang above the door as it opened.
"Hiroshi-san," Jii smiled as he put away the cue and walked over. "Good to see you."
"Konosuke-kun!" the professor laughed lightly as the two hugged.
The professor. Oh. Not just any professor – but tantei-kun's professor. Kaito took in the round, elderly man and it felt as though the pieces were falling in place. This made perfect sense, the more he thought about it. His card-gun and hang-glider. Tantei-kun's stun-watch and bow-tie. Of course did these strange, wondrous gadgets come from the same crazy mind.
"Huh," Agasa grunted surprised. "He is... much, much younger than I expected."
Oh no, this wasn't good at all. Tantei-kun's professor now knew his face, knew that he was Kaitou KID. This was a recipe for disaster and Kaito's eyes immediately found the nearest exit... just to see tantei-kun himself sneak into the bar. This was getting worse by the minute.
"I really didn't expect Kaitou KID to be Shinichi-kun's age," Agasa furrowed his brows.
Officially the worst day in Kaito's life as he watched tantei-kun's brilliant, blue eyes widen in surprise and zoom in on Kaito. Those eyes, they were scary, they could paralyze one. Especially like this, because they were absolutely dissecting Kaito, taking him apart slowly – cataloging everything. Kaito could just picture it, how tantei-kun was slowly putting it together. Taking in Kaito's face, seeing the similarities, maybe recognizing Kaito's eyes from every single time they had interacted when Kaito wasn't in a disguise, comparing his body-shape and posture.
"...It is an honor to finally meet you, professor, but I am currently experiencing regret," Kaito didn't look away from tantei-kun, even as he addressed Agasa. "I'm Kuroba Kaito, it's a pleasure."
"Ah," Agasa made an understanding noise. "Kuroba Toichi's son, yes? That..."
Under different circumstances, Kaito would have indulged that thread of conversation, but he just couldn't look away from tantei-kun. The shrunken detective huffed to himself and left before Agasa even noticed. What was Kaito supposed to do with that...?
/break\
"Breaking and entering is illegal, you know."
KID chuckled as he stepped out of the shadow into the living room. Shinichi was laying wide-awake on the futon on the ground. All his thoughts had been centered around the thief anyway, so he was perhaps even a little relieved that the real deal had decided to visit him.
"If that were the worst of my crimes, I don't think we'd have a problem."
Shinichi sat up, his eyes drinking in the sight of that tacky, stupid white outfit. "Is there even still a need for that... Kuroba-kun?"
The thief winced and then, in a puff of pink smoke, changed his costume into more casual clothing. Revealing his face. Pretty face. Quite similar to Shinichi's, yes, but also different enough. The more Shinichi stared at his face, the more differences he could spot.
"What will you do with that, tantei-kun?" asked the thief, sounding unusually vulnerable.
"What am I supposed to do with that?" Shinichi grunted softly and shook his head. "Nakamori-keibu, I found out KID's real identity because I followed the professor who created my secret high-tech gadgets and who apparently also created KID's gadgets. Yes, that sounds convincing."
"So what?" KID grinned relieved and tilted his head a little. "My secret is safe with you?"
"As safe as my secret is with you," replied Shinichi, much more honest than he wanted.
Silence stretched on between them for a few moments, until KID seemed ready to leave. "You know, if you ever feel like... playing a game of pool, you could drop by."
/break\
It became a Friday afternoon tradition for Shinichi and KID to meet at the Blue Parrot after school. The first time, Shinichi had gone because he'd been exhausted and just wanted a break from being Conan, and to his surprise, KID was actually there. Sometimes, others were at the bar too, but more often than not, the two had the privacy to drop all facades. The real KID was very similar to the persona Shinichi had met during heists, but he was so much more. And what crush Shinichi had been suppressing and denying so far grew to a size he could no longer ignore.
"The professor asked me to pass this along while I'm here."
Shinichi slid a package over the billiard table and Kaito raised a curious eyebrow. A very KID-like grin spread over his lips as he accepted the package. Horrible, annoying nuisance. Why did that grin make Shinichi's heart flutter that much then? He had really bad taste in men.
"My, my, tantei-kun, aren't you an accomplice then? By giving a criminal important gear."
"I only delivered a package for the nice elderly man so he wouldn't have to go all this way," he laid heavy on the childish chirp. "I didn't open the package, I have no idea what it could possibly be."
Kaito snorted out a laugh as he let the package disappear. "I trust you figured the riddle out, mh?"
"I'm not running my conclusion by you just yet," Shinichi narrowed his eyes. "That takes away the fun and besides, knowing you, you probably have at least three alternate plans that you could tackle just to prove me wrong and annoy me, sneak thief."
Kaito grinned entirely unapologetic before picking up his cue again.
/break\
Kaito loved Friday afternoons. They became his new favorite time of the week. Granted, they didn't always make it. Sometimes, Kaito was kept too busy, other times tantei-kun couldn't come. Mostly because of a random murder that had occurred. Still, Kaito found himself eagerly waiting as the afternoon stretched on longer and longer. These meetings were so different from heists, so casual. He got to know Kudou Shinichi, to a level he never thought he could. And that wasn't good, because he'd been falling for that brilliant mind even before they got to spend casual time together.
"Sorry I'm late. I had... something to take care of."
That wasn't tantei-kun's voice. Or, at least not the shrunken version. That was a voice Kaito had impersonated on multiple occasions already. His head snapped up in utter disbelief as he watched Kudou Shinichi, fully sized, walk into the bar. So pretty. Kaito blinked repeatedly, wondering if he had fallen asleep and was having a silly dream of sorts.
"What..." Kaito trailed off, unsure what the question even was supposed to be.
"Kuroba-kun," Shinichi had never used his name before, he only referred to him when it was just the two of them and he could get away with KID or 'sneak thief'. "It's a pleasure to properly meet you. After all this time. Hello, I'm Kudou Shinichi."
Kaito's heart fluttered in excitement as he drank in the sight. "You are... But why... I mean. Why did you still come if you got your body back...?"
To his complete surprise did Shinichi actually blush. And oh no, the detective looked even prettier when he blushed like that! Wait, why did Shinichi blush at that? Kaito frowned confused.
"It's hard to deny at this point that we have become... more than enemies on different sides of the law, or rivals..." Shinichi rubbed his neck awkwardly. "We've become friends. But I was... wondering if... Can we keep doing these meetings? Even if I don't have to pretend to be Conan anymore and don't need a break from being Conan? Can we... maybe... do this as... dates...?"
The blush on Shinichi's cheeks turned darker and darker and Kaito couldn't believe it. "Yes! Yes."
In utter excitement did he sweep the detective off his feet and kissed him lightly. Yes.
~*~ The End ~*~
Author's note: While I managed to bring in the "it's the same professor and the boys learn that truth" angle before, I wanted to write a fic that hinges on it for a while now so I'm glad I finally got around to it!