-FIRSTS-

Disclaimer: The works of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.

Warning: KaiShin relationship.

Future Warning: Ratings may go up (in probably 4-5 chapters' time. Still trying to figure out how far a T rating could go)

A/N: More relationship development.


First Date

Kaito tugged on his shirt and smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkle on his jacket, he gave his shoulders a customary swipe to clear it of any dust and lint. Holding tightly onto the single red thornless rose in full bloom, deciding to go for the traditional flower to set the mood, he rang the doorbell. Shifting between his legs, he would not admit that he was nervous, but he was definitely excited and buzzing with anticipation. Although he did say he would be coming over in the morning, he briefly wondered if 9am was too early and if Shinichi was awake.

He tried to keep still, to ignore the urge to fidget, but the wait for Shinichi to answer the door was even more unbearable than when waiting for his heist to start. He wondered if Shinichi would still suddenly say this was all a mistake, that he had a lapse in judgement yesterday when he texted. Kaito was insecure, a very rare thing for him to feel. Before his nerves got to him, Shinichi opened the door. He was clad in loose fitting pajamas, trousers just hanging onto his hips and the shirt's top button was undone, revealing the pale skin underneath.

"Kaito?" He covered up his yawn with his hands, blinking the sleep away from his eyes. Kaito kind of liked how his eyes were still clouded over, unfocusing but still retaining that sparkle he often saw during deductions.

"Morning Shinichi." He smiled and greeted brightly, relieved that his voice decided not to fail him. He presented the flower to Shinichi, who looked between the rose and Kaito a couple of times before taking it between his fingers with a light blush on his face.

"Thanks." He said as he ducked his head to hide the embarrassment. "Would you like to wait inside? I'll just wash up and be with you in a few." He opened the door further to let Kaito into the threshold.

Although Kaito has been inside the mansion before, the feeling of being invited in left butterflies in his stomach. He was offered slippers and told he could make himself at home.

"No doubt you've been here many times, you know the layout already. Just don't come upstairs." Shinichi requested as he placed the rose on the small table by the stairs. "And next time, I'd appreciate it if you put everything back to its rightful place when you're finished with it. It took me a while to locate my pillow." Shinichi's eyes were kept glued on the stairs in front of him as he said that. His voice held no tone of admonishment, it was as though he was commenting the weather.

Kaito scratched his cheeks in embarrassment. In his haste yesterday, he had forgotten about that. At least Shinichi had not said anything about not allowing Kaito further attempts at breaking and entering (or maybe it was because Shinichi knew it was futile to convince Kaito to stop). However, he would behave as a gentleman would for today and not enter where he was told not to (he makes no promises for the future).

Looking at the lonely bud, Kaito went in search for a vase to hold it in. He had nothing to do in the meantime, might as well prepare a cup of coffee while he was in the kitchen. The detective's love for caffeine is common knowledge, the challenge for Kaito would be to create the perfect cup of java.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

As if summoned by the coffee, Shinichi entered the kitchen, freshly dressed in shirt and slack ensemble. Kaito has to admit that he quite like the smart-casual look on the detective. 'They do say the suit make the man.'

"Is there something on my shirt?" Shinichi took the cup from Kaito's outstretched hands. He glanced down a the shirt. "Am I overdressed?"

"N-no." He stuttered uncharacteristically. His brain was not being cooperative the moment he realised they were dressed quite similar, like in a couple's outfit. Both were in casual, dark coloured pants, though Kaito's was leaning towards jeans, with a light coloured shirt of the same cut and tone. The only difference right now was the jacket, which Kaito's are folded at the sleeves. He could see a jacket of exact same shade draped on the back of one of the chairs.

"Do you have a plan for today then?"

"Of course. We'll have breakfast first then we can take a short boat ride along the Teimuzu River, which should bring us to the Science Museum. They are having a special exhibit that I think you'll be very interested in. For the afternoon, I'll leave it as a surprise for now." Kaito was sure Shinichi would really appreciate it.

"Breakfast?" Shinichi looked at the drink in his hands.

"Coffee doesn't count." He took away the empty cup. "I know a place by the river that has a good selection on their breakfast menu." He helped the detective into the jacket before ushering him towards, and out of, the front door.

"My wallet and keys." Shinichi exclaimed, barely holding the door. Though he was not really afraid of being locked out since the master thief was with him.

"Check your pockets."

Patting himself, and finally satisfied with all his belongings, he locked up the door. It was a nice day for a walk and he was really looking forward to a day out with Kaito. His face burned at the thought but he pretended nothing was wrong as he followed the magician-thief.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The atmosphere between them was amiable, Kaito providing nearly all the conversation with Shinichi injecting a few comments every so often. But Kaito felt there was something bothering Shinichi as he led them away from the cafe after their breakfast. The detective hadn't been saying much, his attention was preoccupied on something other than Kaito and he was feeling a bit left out because of this. He was halfway through his anecdote on one of his earlier pranks on Hakuba when he felt a sudden tug on his wrist. Looking down, he saw it was connected with the detective.

Shinichi wanted to jerk his hands back when Kaito took notice. But Kaito was quicker and interlaced their fingers together. He gave the detective and encouraging smile before launching into another anecdote, feeling more confident now that the detective relaxed in his grip.

They continued their walk towards the pier with linked hands, ignoring the looks they were receiving. Too much in their own world to care about the surroundings. Both were drunk on the others' presence to take notice of where they were going, therefore nearly missing the small ticket booth.

After buying the tickets, Kaito paying for both as he was the gentleman, they took seats on the outdoor deck and settled in for the wait. It would be chilly when the boat starts its journey but that just gives them more reasons to be sitting closer than normal.

"Penny for your thought?" Kaito asked, missing slightly how their hands fit together since sitting down made it difficult to hold hands, especially with the bothersome handrests in between seats. His eyes were drawn to the detective's profile as the sapphire eyes were focused on the surrounding scenery.

"Just enjoying the calmness of the day." Vibrations were felt as the boat pull out of the pier. The detective's face relaxed, contentment clearly visible. "I know it's only been less than half a day, but to not have encountered any sort of crime the moment I stepped out of the house is...different."

"The good kind I hope."

"Yes. Relaxing, I suppose. Just not really used to it." Shinichi rubbed his hands together, now that they have set sail, the deck became quite windy. After the antidote, his immune system was shot and sensitivity towards temperature was skewed.

Kaito saw this as an opportunity and took the detective's hands into his and started rubbing them, generating heat in both the hands and the cheeks. He brought the enclosed hands up and blew warm air on it, noting how the detective's eye widened but not taking back his own hands. He was about to say something when a young child suddenly burst onto the deck then promptly fell on his front. The child would have fallen overboard, being small enough to slip through the gap between the railings and the floor, if Shinichi had not reacted quickly enough to snatch the child back. Tears began to well up at the eyes, threatening to spill out. Shinichi scooped the child into an encompassing hug, enveloping the small body. The child had not made a single sound except hiccups and the occasional sniffles.

Shinichi had developed a soft spot for young children after the Conan incident, not being able to deny them of many things. So, when the child's tears started spilling, he picked the child up and set him onto his laps. Visually, he checked for injuries, noting that the only injury was the scraped knee. He made shushing noises to try calm the child down. Kaito was being helpful by producing a wet tissue to clean the small injury and a plastic bandage that was promptly stuck to prevent infection.

"Where are your parents?" Shinichi asked softly once the child calmed down slightly (with the help of Kaito, who had one of his doves present the child with a wrapped candy).

The child shook his head and held onto the detective tighter. Shinichi looked towards the door leading to the hull, most likely the parents were inside and the child fooled them into thinking he was only going to the toilet.

"Kaito?" He tried lifting the child off his laps to pass to the magician so that he could go find the parents. But the child would not budge, only tightening his grip to the point were Shinichi could actually feel the shirt stretch across his back.

"I'm on it. You take care of him." Kaito smiled and ruffled the child's hair as he stood up. He left a pair of doves in his place.

The child's eyes followed Kaito as he disappeared into the indoor area of the boat. Meanwhile, Shinichi is trying to coax the child to talk by first introducing the doves. There was evident interest reflected in the child's eyes.

By the time Kaito exited out of the hull with the worried parents in toll, Shinichi had managed to have the child laughing again. There was a dove sitting on top of the detective's head, making it a similar hairstyle to Kaito. The other dove was making herself comfortable on the shoulders. It seems that Shinichi was telling quite an animated story, Kaito hoped it was kept PG and without the usual blood and gore. On an impulse, Kaito took out his phone and snapped a picture.

The parents were relieved to find their child safe and they had continuously thanked and apologised to the pair for at least five minutes. They made the detective-thief pair promise to visit them in Shirahama, where they owned a small onsen ryokan. The parents were quite insistent and even went as far as exchanging phone numbers to ensure their guests would come.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Never would have thought you'd be so good with children." Kaito said after they parted way with the family. They were now walking the short distance from the pier to the Science Museum.

The path was quite deserted as they were still early. The trees lining the sidewalk had just been freshly watered and was glistening under the sunlight. The two were leisurely strolling, taking in the sights of the surrounding, shoulder to shoulder. The peaceful atmosphere made the place seemed to be outside of the bustling city.

"You would have too if you went through the Conan experience."

It was nice for Kaito to be able to hear Shinichi discuss about his time away without sadness or regret. There was even slight nostalgia on the detective's face.

"Do you miss the children?" He venture to ask.

"Some." Shinichi looked up at the blue sky. Hands shading his eyes from the morning sun. "They were tearful to hear Conan had to leave. We've decided not to let them know the truth, and hope they won't draw conclusions when they're older. But knowing those three, I should be expecting them to confront me in their late teens. I don't think they'll forget Conan this easily."

"You made quite an impression. Not only on those children, but on a lot of people who's made connections with Conan."

"Including you, right?" His smile was confident with a slight hint of a smirk.

In an instant, Kaito enveloped the detective in a hug, startling and nearly tripping Shinichi.

"Kaito!" Not that he was skittish about public displays from the magician, he figured that Kaito would be the touchy-feely kind of person, but it did come as a surprise.

They stayed still for a long moment before breaking contact, though hands remained intertwined.

"So what's so special about the exhibit?" Shinichi ventured and ask as the neared the museum.

And, as though the world was also into the same theatrics as Kaito, a banner showed itself through the winds, fluttering in the distant sky. Kaito gestured to the entrance then magically produced a pamphlet for Shinichi.

"The Science Of Deduction?" He questioned, not having heard there would be a Holmes related event in town.

"It's not exactly Sherlock, but it's close enough." Kaito seemed to have read Shinichi's mind. "Scotland Yard is doing a travelling exhibition, from their own police exhibit. I thought you'd enjoy seeing the development of forensic science..."

"If nothing else, the science museum is entertaining in itself." Shinichi gave Kaito a blinding smile. To Kaito, it was as though the sun was suddenly brought before him. He never would have thought an emotion can be so dazzling. "I haven't been here since junior high, they should have swapped out some of the exhibits."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Even though Kaito held no particular interest in crime fighting, he is a part-time thief after all, he can still appreciate the artistry that went into the dioramas. Added to that Shinichi's voice in explaining how they were used for training purposes and visualisation, Kaito was entranced (definitely not because of the topic, but due to the detective's intonation. Although it was soft, it could still be heard inside the busy and child-filled museum). They also managed to draw in quite a crowd as well (Kaito noticed a tour guide and their customers were walking the same trail as they were, and not so discretely listening into Shinichi's explanation). Even as they exited the special exhibition, the other visitors still lingered around and trailed after them, asking for autographs and a chance to shake hands with the Heisei Holmes. The audience were hard to satisfy and the two were left on their own after two full hours of standing.

Instead of heading into the main exhibit area, they decided to grab lunch at the museum cafe.

"How you can fit that in you after a large lunch is really beyond my deduction." Shinichi signalled at the large parfait sitting on the table. He held onto the mug of coffee like it was treasure to be guarded from bandits.

"Desserts are different, they go in another stomach. How you stand drinking the contaminated motor oil is beyond me as well." Kaito took another spoonful of his frozen delight. Then, as though to spite him (probably for the insult to coffee, yes, Shinichi is quite protective of the coffee) Shinichi took the decorative cherry from the mountain of cream and savoured it in a manner that Kaito thought should be illegal. "Shinichi." He whined. He was trying to act the gentleman but any more of such actions from the detective, he might not be able to hold liable for his own actions.

Shinichi then acted as though he didn't know what Kaito was moaning about. He cocked his head to the side as he licked off the remaining cream from his lips ever so slowly.

"You're vindictive." Kaito nibbled on the metallic spoon while trying to focus back on his dessert. His determination on the icy treat caused a muffled laugh from Shinichi.

"Come on. When you've finished that, we can go look at the rest of the displays."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kaito knew he was staring, but he could not tear his eyes from Shinichi's face in the setting sun. After the museum, they went to the arcade to have some fun. Shinichi trounced Kaito in the shooting games but the situation was reversed when playing the music rhythm games. They went to the racing simulators, where there was an equal number of wins and losses between them (they managed to draw in yet another crowd of people during one of the races). They decided that it was a draw and before leaving the arcade, they each tried their hands at the crane games. Shinichi never having much luck, though his coordination was near perfect, wasn't able to pick up any of the prizes. However, when it was Kaito's turn, he picked up two gifts; a pair of identical phone straps that now proudly hangs on each of their phones.

Shinichi lifted his phone up, admiring the little plastic form glinting under the evening sun. There was a tiny playing card with the ace of spade and a small green clover.

"I've never managed to grab anything from those cranes. It's always about luck with those things and with what little I have, it's really no wonder..." Carefully, he placed his phone back into his jacket pocket. Shinichi glanced down at the exact same strap now dangling from Kaito's pocket.

"Well, with me around, it'll be sure to change."

"It already has." Shinichi ducked his head away from Kaito and said it so softly that Kaito nearly missed it. It seems the detective has the habit of whispering when embarrassed.

"The day's not over yet." Kaito firmly pulled Shinichi forward. "I've still got dinner plans, then the late night movies!"

Kaito wanted to make this day memorable, though every location he chose might be cliche, it was also something normal. He realised Shinichi barely experienced any sort of normal teenage oriented outings, especially ones without crimes, so his main purpose of this date was to give the detective the chance to do things a normal teenager would do and experience. Seeing the relaxed look on the detective's face just makes the day worth more.

"Thanks Kaito." The smile Shinichi gave him was only diminished by the peck on the cheeks. Kaito wondered if humans could self combust from such actions. He smiled dopily, not minding one bit the look he was receiving from Shinichi as he guided them both towards the restaurant.

-TBC-


Flower meaning:

single red thornless rose in full bloom: "I Love You" & "Love at first sight"