-FIRSTS-
Disclaimer: The works of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.
Warning: KaiShin relationship.
Warning II: MATURE CONTENT
A/N: Look, there is story. Not just sappy moments.
First Attempt
Shinichi woke up with a nasty crink in his neck. He stretched and dislodged the blanket that was placed over him sometime during the night. He had been up late trying to analyse the data to determine where Mazcal could be held. Tokyo was big but with the help of the FBI, he narrowed to the few possible districts for holding the agent. He looked at the large grandfather clock in the library, it was eight in the morning. Only twenty-eight hours left before the hunt, there was not much time. He had notified the FBI immediately after they got home, Kaito had not tried to dissuade him from his work and had been helpful with the coffee run.
He took the empty cup to the kitchens, surprised to see Kaito standing at the stovetop preparing breakfast.
"What are you still doing here? Don't you have school."
"So do you. But it hasn't stopped you from staying home today to work on that case of yours." Kaito set the plate down on the table then redirected Shinichi to the adjacent seats. He took the empty mug and replaced with a new steaming cup. His detective was doing an impression of those creatures from the deep, an expression that he would have taken advantage of for the sheer cuteness if it didn't look so much like those things.
"But...but..."
"It seems your not awake yet." Kaito stepped behind the detective, placed his hands on the shoulders, to seat the detective down. "Eat."
"But...but..."
"You're usually more eloquent than this My Love." He walked back towards the counter for his own drink. Smiling, he sat down next to his detective to eat his own share of beacon and eggs. There was always something sweet in Shinichi's confused face.
"You shouldn't stay with me today." Sighing, he tries to encourage Kaito to leave. There's just too much to be done and very little time. Not only that, but Kaito is taking a risk by being here. Those People will associate them together.
"I said it yesterday but I'll say it again as many times as needed. I'm staying with you." He took his knife and sliced out a small portion of his own food. He held his fork, with the small bite, in front of Shinichi. "Now, either you start eating or I'll be feeding you." There was a creepy smile on his face.
Shinichi looked between his plate then the fork, but before he could make a decision, his mobile rang. He quickly rushed out of the kitchen towards the library, catching the phone on the third ring.
"Kudo-kun? Do you have any news for us?" It was Jodie on the other side.
"Three more possible areas, mostly warehouses and storage facilities. If we still have nothing, we'll have to start with the commercial districts. Did you get in contact with the CIA?" He marked off a large number of circled buildings. "I'm beginning to think they're not in the Tokyo district. But we don't have the time."
"There's still no word from CIA, but inter-departmental communication is always a pain. What about your end? Were you able to contact the Japanese?"
"If I did, I run the risk of being discovered by Them. And I wouldn't have to do that, I'm sure someone else is on it." Shinichi contemplated what else he could do. Going out today is high risk, what if they couldn't contact him when they needed to.
"We'll be in your neighbourhood after lunch. You think you can make some time for us?"
"I'm at home. You can drop by anytime. Do you have more information?"
"We picked up some noise when walking around. It could be useful but it's not safe over the phone."
Jodie generally described the neighbourhood they had been searching, talking about the people they saw. But it was nothing specific. After some mindless chit chat, they hung up and Shinichi collapsed onto the high back chair. He leaned back, closing his eyes, as he pondered about his next move. All of a sudden, he felt a weight on his lap. He jolted, eyes snapping open in an instant with traces of fear. He visibly relaxed when he realised it was only Kaito.
"You're giving me a heart attack."
Kaito pushed a fork full of food into Shinichi's open mouth.
"!"
"I did warn you. Either you eat on your own or be fed by me." Kaito snapped his fingers. In a puff of smoke, Shinichi was tied up with colourful ribbons. "Now say Ah."
"Kaito." He was shoved with another mouthful.
"Not what I said, but close enough."
Shinichi resigned himself to his fate of being tied and force fed. He was rewarded a passionate gift, for being so complacent, as he was untied.
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Lunch passed without much fanfare, and this time Shinichi finished his meal properly (Kaito had pouted at not being able to repeat this morning's actions). He thought Jodie would stop by, but he worked through early afternoon with only Kaito popping in and giving him company with his magic tricks (all silent and smokeless to not distract the detective, but he did not know that just being in the same room was distracting enough). Kaito was in the middle of fixing them a snack when the doorbell rang. Shinichi was too engrossed in his research to have noticed.
When Kaito opened the door, he was meet with a face-full of brown hair burying into his chest.
"Shinichi." Ran sobbed, holding Kaito tight.
"He's in the library. I'll bring you to him." Kaito did not have the heart to dislodge the karate master (that and he still valued his life, he couldn't predict what she would do after she had found out her mistake, especially since she seems to be emotionally unstable. It could either be mass embarrassment or intense pain for Kaito).
"Ran?" Shinichi was quick on his feet when Kaito called out. He abandoned his work in concern. It was unlike Ran to crumble like this, and even Kaito knew it could be serious. He exchanged a look with Kaito, who shrugged and went to grab them all drinks.
"Talk to me Ran." He rubbed circles on her back as she clung onto his shoulders and cried. Tears quickly soaking through his shirt.
When Kaito returned, with drinks and a box of tissue in hand, Ran was still no better. They decided to sit on either side of the girl, to see if forming a physical shield around her from whatever has caused this would be helpful. It was clear that she came straight here after school. So whatever had happened would be related to her friends rather than the worst case scenario, something to do with her parents. They sat like this for a while, with Shinichi holding onto her as she sobbed and Kaito as a silent witness.
After minutes of sobbing, Ran finally managed to dry her tears somewhat and tried to apologise to Kaito. Her eyes were still puffy and red but it did not detract from her beauty and strength.
"Don't worry about it. Everyone is bound to mistake us every now and then." Kaito gave her a grin as he handed over the cup of tea.
"Can you tell me what happened?" Shinichi tried to breech the subject again.
"Eisuke." Ran muttered into her cup. "It's stupid really. I shouldn't be so upset but..."
"What happened to him? Is he in some kind of trouble?" Shinichi's immediate thoughts were on The Organisation, thinking they must have done something to the boy.
"No. It's...we broke up." Ran started to tear up again, and it was Kaito who first noticed the signs. He did what any friend would do and gave her a hug. It did not stop the onslaught of tears but she now has a shoulder to lean and cry on.
Kaito could feel a cold rage building up from Shinichi, who stood up abruptly and marched to the large wooden desk. He grabbed the mobile from the edge of the paper pile and instead of calling from his phone, he marched out into the foyer. Kaito stayed to comfort the distraught martial artist, patting her back and muttered the customary "there, there. Cry it all out" and "he's not worth it" also "you can do much better than him". Not that any of it makes a difference to Ran, who was starting to wail. Kaito would have thought she would be more comfortable with Shinichi, even though the detective is not that sensitive to emotions in general. But Ran seems to like being comforted by Kaito, probably because he looks enough like Shinichi but isn't someone like a little brother to her.
Outside, Shinichi jabbed the phone numbers into the number pad, tapping his feet impatiently as he waited for someone to pick up. He might not be Ran's family by blood, but with the amount of time spent together, he might as well be.
"Hello?" There was hesitance in the voice, no doubt from recognising the number.
"You better have a darn good reason for me not to commit murder over the phone Hondo." He growled through the phone.
"I had no choice, the trainers were calling me back. I had to leave so I might as well do it right. I'm not like you Kudo-san." Hondo's voice sound so far away. By the background sound, Shinichi guessed him to be on the streets or on public transport.
"And what do you mean by that? Are you saying I led her on for the sake of saving my own skin?" Shinichi lowered his voice just a fraction, sounding more like the tone he used to question criminals.
"No!" He could hear Hondo was definitely scared, at least enough so that he was aware he might have said something wrong. "I mean, unlike you, I don't have a bond strong enough with Ran-san that she'll want to wait for me."
"You two had been together since that school trip, I think that's a bond strong enough to at least tell her the truth." Shinichi sighed. He really didn't want to play the relationship counsellor but it seems the boy had no idea he had messed up.
"If you couldn't even tell her about your incident, what hope do I have for telling mine?" There was a sound of a PA speaker loudly announcing the boarding time in the background.
"My situation was different. I actually had reason to not tell anyone. You on the other hand, have enough protection and distance from everything that it would be fine to tell her. Only you're not brave enough to do so." The cold, calm anger returned. "I gave you two my blessings because I thought you could take care of her the way that I wasn't able to, do you even love her or was I wrong to judge your character?"
Silence except for the sound of a busy airport terminal.
"You have thirty minutes to come here to my house and apologise to Ran to tell her the truth. I know where you are and where you'll be going. Heck, I can even deduce which case you'll be handling. I can either find you and drag you here or you can come here in your own accord. Which is it Hondo?"
Shinichi felt another presence close by, he turned around to see Kaito supporting Ran by the door frame. He guessed they must have a least heard the last past of the conversation.
"I can't Kudo-san. The flight is about to take off. I need to be going..."
"Coward!" Cold rage turned into a violent flame, lashing out instead of the deadly calm. "You'll have one more chance to say your piece." He passed the phone over to Ran. The pair stood guard over Ran who seems to be trembling as she held the phone to her ear.
"Eisuke?" She whispered, as though the sound would chase him away. There were traces of sorrow in her voice.
"I...I...I'm sorry Ran-san. But we're really not meant to be with each other. Good bye."
"Please, Eisuke, at least tell me what is wrong. We can work things out. We've handled long distance so..." Ran sobbed, holding the phone like a life line. It seems the other end had been cut off. She collapsed into the ground like a heavy sack, sagging her shoulders as she wept. Shinichi stepped closer, bracing her shoulders as he hugged her. She immediately latched on, crying into his chest. The handset laid forgotten on the ground as the pair of boys watched the once strong martial artist cry her heart out.
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Kaito managed to put Ran into the guest room as Shinichi called Kogoro to tell him where Ran was in case he worried. Which he did like any parent would, but knew Shinichi could take care of this so he left his daughter in his temporary care.
"Kaito." Shinichi was emotionally exhausted. leaning into the magician as they sat on the sofa in the living room with the tv as background sound. Kaito wrapped an arm around him while pulling him tighter into his embraced. Shinichi sighed in comfort, eyes closing a fraction as he leeched off Kaito's calming aura. He may have experience when he was Conan to know how to deal with an emotional Ran, but he had never seen her so upset before. Does that mean she was never this invested in Shinichi or was she so certain in his abilities that he would return to her.
"She'll be fine. She's a strong girl. It will take time for her to bounce back up but she will eventually." He patted the hair, coaxing Shinichi to relax. "We'll be there for her when she needs it."
Kaito's nature and personality meant he became quick friends with Ran, both having a common topic (Shinichi) to discuss over tea and cakes. He too was worried about the girl but also knows that matters of the heart takes time to heal.
The pair stayed in the same position, with Kaito enjoying the smoothness of Shinichi's hair and Shinichi succumbing to the comfort of touches. His eyes slowly droop, head already fallen onto Kaito's lap. But before his eyes could fully close, he remembered something important.
"Shit!" Shinichi suddenly jolted up, narrowly missing Kaito's chin. "The case! How much time do I have left."
"Calm down Shinichi." Kaito took Shinichi's face in his hands, forcing the detective to look into his eyes. "Talk to me. What do you need done? I'll help you."
"No...it's...I can't...it's bad to have you involved." Shinichi closed his eyes, forcing the disastrous images of a broken thief away from his imaginative mind. His own organisation is unlike KID's tame one. It would most likely result in mass injury and he does not wish to include Kaito into the body count.
"You've just seen how bad secrets and cases can affect a couple. Do you want us to end up like that?" He whispered softly, resting their foreheads against one another. He knew it was low to bring up what just happened but if it got Shinichi to talk, then he'll deal with it. "Please stop pushing me away thinking it is for my own good." Lightly, he pressed his lips on Shinichi's temple.
Shinichi slumped into Kaito's hands as though surrendering to the heavy weight on his shoulders. Kaito embraced him as they fell back into the sofa. He waited for his detective to start telling his tale.
"Yesterday..." Shinichi began to recount what he heard, the various signs he had been seeing, including the bomb in the amusement park, the strange ring, the feeling he had at Shirahama, ending with the time limit to save two agents.
"You should have told me that sooner." Kaito gently removed his legs from underneath Shinichi's head. During the tale-telling, Shinichi moved himself into a more comfortable position, laying on Kaito's laps and allowing his magician to play with his hair. Kaito walked over to the nearest window, opened it to the fullest extent, and whistled loudly. Shinichi peered over the armrest to see Kaito grinning back. Moments later, there were loud flapping noise and a large flock of doves entered the room.
The birds roosted on nearby surfaces, eyes attentive on Kaito who produced a large map and placed it onto the coffee table. He then took out two boxes of tack pins, one with the standard round head and another with a triangular head, and placed them besides the map.
"Nara, Kara, Roro." Three of the doves came down from the chandelier on the ceiling. "North of station. We're looking for black." He gave each bird a scratch on the stomach, pointing at an area on the map, before directing them out. "Hime, Sora, Gai. You three take South of park..."
Kaito continued to relay all the instructions to his birds and in ten minutes, all the doves (with the exception of two on Kaito's shoulder) have flown back out leaving only a few feathers on the ground.
Shinichi was gobsmacked, jaws hanging open. Kaito lifted Shinichi's jaws, closing it, then snickered.
"I know I'm awesome but if you continue to open your mouth like that, I'm going to take that as an invitation."
"That..." Shinichi sat back up straight, still trying to figure out what happened.
"I told my birds to go look for suspicious activity and people. You might have the police looking but a bird's eye view gives us so much more information. They'll report back before sunset, we should know by then. But in the meantime..." Kaito left off with a slow creeping smile, one that left Shinichi sinking further into the sofa as Kaito approached. "You need to be punished thoroughly for your actions and secrets." He placed a knee on the sofa seat, both arms trapping Shinichi in his seat.
Not wanting to let Kaito have all the fun, Shinichi tugged at his magician's shirt, pulling him closer. Logically, he should be looking for Mazcal and trying to track Kir but Kaito's overwhelming floral scent of warm cinnamon made it that much harder to concentrate on any type of logical thought. He truly was a thief with abilities to steal anything.
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By dusk, all the doves had returned and the map was stabbed with a multitude of pins (Shinichi noticed the some of the locations were coloured, he deduced that this was no standard map). He went back to the library to retrieve his own annotated map and compared the two. Many of the locations he had identified had been checked out by the spy doves, with the exception of two houses, three offices, and a warehouse.
"Do the pins have meaning or were they randomly chosen?" Shinichi was trying to find correlations on the map.
"Love, you should know me." Kaito called from the kitchen stove.
"Yes... this means it does have meaning. Care to tell me?"
"Well..." Kaito took the plates of food to the coffee table with a sly smile. "What do I get?"
Shinichi sighed. Why did he assume Kaito would volunteer the information? He walked over and decided to interrogate the information from him. Once the food was safely placed on the table, he dragged his thief over to the sofa and pulled him into his laps.
"Kai..." He toned his voice slightly higher than usual, he added a small pout for effect. "Would you like to tell me?" With one arm around his thief's waist, he used his other hand to trace circles on his thighs. Light, feather touches that were starting to have an effect. But just in case, he added an extra dose of sweetness by peering through his eyelashes.
Kaito was curious at what his detective would do to him and decided to play the game. He sat on Shinichi's laps, that in itself wasn't so strange but it was rare for his detective, then played on his thighs. He had not expected the touch and it was through sheer training that he managed to re-compose his Poker Face. He remained silent, waiting and wanting more from Shinichi.
Sensing his thief not wanting to talk, Shinichi had to take things up a notch. He moved from the lower thighs, slowly trailed up along the side, then rested his hands just above the waistband of the pants. His hands had sneaked a touch of flesh, thumb stroking the warm skin.
"Kai." He tried again, this time whispering into Kaito's ear softly. "I would really want to know. Please tell me?"
Kaito had to close his eyes to help regulate his breathing. Whereas Shinichi had a weakness for his eyes, his weakness was the detective's voice. And especially when it starts to beg, he rarely could control himself. He wonders how long he'll last.
"Please?"
Kaito felt a hand cupping his face, fingers playing with the strands of hair by the ears and thumb stroking the cheeks. Shinichi's warm breath by his ear and the hand on his waist was cracking his control. He opened his mouth, as though to say something. But then, he froze midway and took a large gulp of air instead.
Shinichi knew he was close, he repositioned Kaito so the thief would be straddling him instead of sitting sideways. With the new position, it was easier to pull their bodies together so their chest would only be millimeters away and nose barely just touching.
"Kai..." There wasn't any need to say more. Even though his thief had closed his eyes to not allow Shinichi to observe his emotions, his quickened pulse and harsh breathing said it all with extreme clarity. Although a little more teasing wouldn't hurt. So Shinichi let his hands sneak back under Kaito's shirt, one hand on the waist and the other moved slowly up the spine. Fingers applying just enough pressure to feel its presence but not enough to register what caused the sensation. He felt his thief stilled and let out an involuntary shudder, knowing he won this game.
"Shin...i...chi." Kaito could not hold back his impulse and attempt to grab his detective for a much needed kiss, only for him to turn his face at the last moment. Another hand stopped his attempt and was placed on his mouth.
"Tell me first?" Mirth apparent with the confident grin.
Not wanting to let the game go so soon (and not wanting Shinichi to think only he has control of the situation) Kaito started to lick the palm on his mouth, eliciting a startled "eep".
"Kai...Kaito..."
It was good to know that whatever had transpired had not only affected Kaito.
"I'll only tell you if you pay me." He mumbled into his hands, mouth turning up into a grin.
"You drive a hard bargain, thief." Shinichi removed his hand and Kaito immediately attacked the exposed neck. Sucking and kissing the soft, pale skin causing Shinichi to moan.
"Not just any thief, your thief." Kaito pulled back and proceeded to meet Shinichi on the lips, kissing him senseless. Dinner lain forgotten on the table to cool in preference for some dessert first.
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By the time the doorbell rang, both their clothes were in disarray. Shinichi hurriedly straightened his appearance before answering the door.
"Jodie-san, Camel-san, Subaru-san. What a surprise." He was still trying to placate his hair, which Kaito had messed up during their little session (it was strange, no matter what Shinichi did, his hair would never become messy but whenever Kaito had played around with it, it becomes a bird's nest).
"Sorry to drop in on you so late Kudo-kun, I cooked more than enough curry earlier and was wondering if you would like to take some."
"We were in the neighbourhood and met Okiya just outside your gates." Jodie held up a paper box one normally receives from a bakery. "We brought a big cake to share."
"Ah, where are my manners. Come in." He moved away from the door, allowing the three adults inside. It was good to know they coordinated their story, just in case someone was eavesdropping nearby.
"Shinichi? I'll just be taking dinner up to Mouri-chan." Kaito appeared from the doorway, holding a tray of steaming rice, miso soup, and a plate of stirfry.
"We'll set up in the lounge, the map's there anyways." He directed his guests towards the sitting area (where they had just been frolicking that afternoon). He went back to the kitchen to grab cutlery and cups as the three examined the map set out before them. Kaito was quick to return to help Shinichi. "How's Ran?"
"Not doing too good. She refused to eat or respond to my knocks on the door. I've left the food outside her door. I don't want to barge into the room and make her feel threatened. Roro is with her and he'll fly down if something happens." He grabbed a few tall glass from the upper shelves. "I've left a bottle of water and some aspirin on the tray. She's bound to have a headache when she decides to wake up."
"I'll go up to check on her first. Do you mind...?" He glanced over at the tray of drinks.
"I'll entertain your guests. You should make sure Mouri-chan isn't hurting herself."
It seems the three FBI agents were engrossed in trying to decipher the map to notice Kaito's approach. Then again, he is a thief and sneaking about is second nature to him. The only person that could somehow catch him in the act so far, and someone who isn't a magician or related by blood, would be Shinichi. He always had an uncanny ability to spot Kaito (with the exception of when he just woke up and without the first cup of coffee).
"Can I help you with anything?" He startled the three adults. Jodie jumped and Camel reached for his breast pocket. Okiya did not have such a visible reaction, though he did tense his muscles.
"This is..." Jodie gestured to the map.
"Reconnaissance." Kaito was unwilling to say anymore, not wanting to reveal all his secrets. He glanced up at the doorway just in time to see Shinichi entering the living area. "Shinichi, come and join us, I was just about to explain the meaning of the pins. You don't want to miss it do you?"
Shinichi blushed a vibrant red at the keyword, tripping on his own left feet as he passed the three agents. He stumbled into Kaito's opened arms.
"Careful there." Kaito braced his detective before pulling themselves onto the sofa, it earned two strange looks. The other three took seats on the surrounding chairs. It was clear that the three adults weren't sure what to make of Kaito, whether to trust him or hide things from him.
"You can trust Kaito, Jodie-san." As though reading their thoughts, Shinichi vouched for the magician. "He's not evil."
The adults shared a look between them before starting to relax. When they seemed suitably comfortable, Kaito began his explanation.
"The triangular pins doesn't mean much here. Though we might want to keep an eye out for ones that are red. The circles means suspicious activities has been spotted; green for activities committed, amber for badly dressed people specifically those in monotone, and red for people dressed in black and acting suspicious."
"How do they know...?" Shinichi started to question but instead was met by a devious smile.
"A magician never reveals his secrets." Kaito pressed a finger on Shinichi's lips to silence him.
"Then we're left with fewer places to search." Shinichi stared at the map, absentmindedly eating his dinner. He directed his next question to the three agents. "Have you heard from the CIA yet?"
"No, they're unwilling to share anything with us." Jodie bit furiously on her fork to vent her frustration. "Can't they see we're working towards the same thing?"
"There's no need to be upset Jodie." Okiya placed a calming hand on her shoulders. "Rivalry between departments are common. Especially between ours."
"Akai-san is right Jodie. James told us to try and find the Japanese agents, for information and to establish better ties with the Japanese law enforcement."
"How can the two of you be so calm?" She stabbed her fork into the cake. Shinichi thought he heard the cracking of china at the amount of force exerted.
"What about the noise that you said you've heard?" He tried to redirect the conversation.
"It was mainly to do with sightings of our dearest actress. Some of our interviewees mentioned seeing the blond actress walking around town. Then there is the rumour of someone offering a huge reward for finding a piece of jewelry."
"Strange. Shouldn't people go to the police for stolen, or lost, jewelry?"
"That's normally the case, but apparently, the people looking for it are from the yakuza."
"It is possible," Okiya offered his two cents, "that it is not an actual piece of jewelry, but something more important. Or maybe they're looking for the person who's owning the jewelry."
"Anything else that seemed strange on the streets?" Shinichi grabbed a nearby sheet of paper. He looked around for a pen and was presented with one at Kaito. Muttering his thanks, he began to jot down all the different things, rumours and conversations the agents have heard on the streets. At the end of their report, Shinichi filled both sides of the A4 paper with his tiny writing. He scratched his chin as mental connections were made in his mind. Suddenly, he stood up and purposefully walked over to the phone in the foyer. The three guests looked on with confusion while Kaito offered them something else as a distraction.
Out in the foyer, Shinichi dialed a string of familiar numbers. He would have used his mobile but it might raise alarms for the recipient.
"Megure speaking." The officer's voice was crisp and clear after working hours. But Shinichi could still hear the sounds resembling a full police station. There must be some high profile case going on.
"Megure-kiebu, sorry to bother you so late. Are you busy?"
"Shinichi-kun, is something wrong? You stuck at a murder scene? I'll see if I can spare someone..."
"No, no. I'm fine. I'm at home but I'm working on something that I wanted to check some information with the police." He needed to calm the fatherly figure down. Ever since he came back and started to help out with the police again, the older man had been overly concerned about his health and safety because he had disappeared off the radar for such a long time. It was understandable to think that he was caught up in something disastrous and Shinichi had been trying to tell the inspector, and the rest of the police force, that he was fine (though none listened, and with good reasons too).
"Sure, what is it you need? We're working on a murder case right now, if you need information it might actually be best to come down to the station."
Being a part-time consultant does have its perks. One being access to the police files.
"I don't think it's a good idea for me at the moment. But I just want to know, has there been a sudden increase in petty crimes today? Or false reports or leads?"
"Hmm...now that you mention it. Division 2's Nakamori had been complaining about an influx of reported thefts..." He trailed off, muttering slightly how the other inspector was borrowing some of his staff for his investigations. "Ah, Sato-kun and Takagi-kun just came back, wait a moment Shinichi-kun."
The inspector didn't wait for a reply. Shinichi listened in to the conversation.
"How was the lead?"
"Another blank Keibu. That's the fifth one today. And it's not even related to our case. Why are people always assuming murder when they hear a scream?"
"Sato-san, it was all in the same neighbourhood though not all at the same time. Those people must be really insane to party so hard for the whole day."
"I have half a mind to arrest them just because they were causing a disturbance Takagi-kun. They're wasting our time when we have a possible serial on the loose."
"Maa, maa. The two of you did a good job..."
"Wait, keibu. Which areas were these reports?" Shinichi had to ask knowing it was rude to interrupt.
"Shinichi-kun? I'll hand it over to Sato-kun. She can fill you in on that."
There was a rustling on the speakers.
"Kudo-kun, it's Sato. You wanted to know which areas right?" She listed off the five location. From the top of his head, he knew they were clustering around a particular residential district.
"Was that all you need Shinichi-kun?" Megure was on the phone once more.
"If you send over the information about the serial killer, I think I might be able to help." He feels bad for taking up their time. Besides, he can easily work on two cases simultaneously.
"No, no Shinichi-kun. You're on your final year of school. You should concentrate on that. And you're already working on a case. You shouldn't over work yourself. Remember last time? You nearly collapsed during the criminal chase? We wouldn't want a repeat of that."
"That was only one time, keibu." He tries to defend himself. That particular incident happened before he officially met Kaito and he needed something to stave off the boredom and depressive thoughts.
"And that's one too many. How could I face your father if you injured yourself?"
"Sorry keibu." In some ways, the inspector was more like a father than his own father. Probably because Shinichi spends more time at the station than at home ever since his parents left to globe trotting. The TMPD somehow adopted him as their own.
"Don't overwork yourself ok? We'll call you if we really need your help." There was a finality in his tone that did not allow for arguments. Shinichi had no choice but to agree before hanging up.
"Anything useful?" Kaito approached the standing detective who was impersonating a hall statue. He laid his head on the shoulders.
"We might have a potential." The smirk was back in its rightful place. Shinichi was exuding confidence by the bucket and it made Kaito tingle just looking at those bright eyes. "But first, how do you feel about escorting Ran back home with me and we'll grab some tea and cake at Poirot's."
Cryptic and KID-like, Shinichi managed to control his voice so that it sounds like a replica of his alter ego but still retaining that detective quality. Kaito was definitely a sucker for the voice as he nodded eagerly. They went back to the living room and hashed out a quick plan with the three adults, who promised to act at dawn instead of immediately because Shinichi needed to "inform some people for backup".
Ran choose the moment the three adults leave to walk down the staircase.
"Um..." She hesitated with an arm full of tray and empty plates. Roro flew away from her shoulders to land on Kaito.
"Ran, how do you feel?" Shinichi approached the girl, relieving her of the tray, as he guided them into the kitchen.
"Sorry for imposing on you Shinichi. I...guess it was just the shock..."
"Ran, you're a sister to me. It's not imposing if we're family." He reached out to pat her head much like a parent would to a child.
She looked towards Kaito who was washing up the cups by the sink.
"Sorry for latching on to you this afternoon. I must have made things awkward."
"Don't apologise Mouri-chan. I'm glad I could help. Can never leave a woman crying." He dried off his hands before walking over to give Ran a bear hug. "We'll be here when you need us. That's what family and friends are for."
"Thank you. Both of you."
The remained standing in a group hug in the middle of the kitchen area. It had felt like they truly were a family.
"Oh no. I forgot to tell dad." She struggled out of her brothers' hold.
"I called the agency. Ojisan knows. But we can escort you back right now if you think you're up to it."
"I'm not that fragile Shinichi."
"Normally, I would agree with you but after seeing you this afternoon, I won't take the risk." He laid a hand on her back and directed her out of the room towards the foyer.
"I gave to agree with Shinichi. I would rather see you safely back home." Kaito opened the door, her bag was already in his hands.
They escorted Ran back, despite her complaints and grumbling. Her father met them at the door and had gave the boys a critical look, as though to check whether they took advantage of his daughter. Satisfied that neither squirmed underneath his gaze, he thanked them and surprisingly acted more like parent than Shinichi had ever seen.
"Just goes to show how protective Ojisan could be..."
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"Good evening Shinichi-san." They bumped into Azusa on the entering the cafe. She let out a charming smile. "I was just about to leave but I'll take your orders first."
Leading them to a booth by the window, she took the order for coffee and cake before waving goodbye.
"Next time, come here earlier. I want to hear about that other boy." She have Shinichi a playful wink. Blushing, he tried to hide it behind his hands. Every woman in his life wanted to know about his love life.
"Azusa-san is quite the character." The one who delivered their orders, Amuro Tooru, commented offhandedly. "Tell me when you leave ok? It's only me manning the cafe now since the owner left early on an emergency."
Kaito was glaring at the cup saucer when Amuro left their table. He was about to reach out before being stopped by Shinichi's hand on his wrist. His detective shook his head, knowing there was a bug underneath. Kaito let out a puff of air to show his displeasure, he was comforted by Shinichi's casual caress of his hand.
"I can't believe it was hiding in plain sight after all this time." Shinichi commented, hands maintaining skin contact. Kaito realised that whenever Shinichi needed a distraction, he would take hold of Kaito's hands and start to play with it. Kaito made no move to dissuade his detective, having quite like the look of satisfaction on Shinichi's face every time his fingers brush against the palm.
"You were always good at scavenger hunts." He complimented, earning a delightful tinge on his detective's face. He resisted the urge to lean over the table and instead took up the fork and began to eat their shared piece of cake.
"It was sheer luck that I stumbled across the sudden influx of faulty police reports. Really, why would someone want to hide in a residential district?"
"Probably they thought they wouldn't make much sound. Hardly would the police look or patrol there unless there are reports of criminal activity in the area." Kaito cut off a piece and held it towards Shinichi's mouth. He hesitated for a second, giving Kaito a look, before accepting the sweet dessert.
The pair acted like a couple out on a date. However, Kaito knows that this is all a show to leak information. He wasn't sure why Shinichi wanted their waiter to hear this but he can guess it had to do with the backup his detective was planning. It was a plus that it allowed Kaito to share a cake with his detective.
"To hide a bottle of liquor there and inviting a group of fans to the party? I'm wondering if they'll run out of alcohol." Shinichi gave a playful lick at the end of the fork. His mouth had a chocolatey outline that Kaito was dying to help clean up. "Too bad there was only a single type of alcohol. Have you ever tried Mazcal? I heard it is a Mexican distilled alcoholic beverage, not as common as tequila but well known in Japan."
"Don't tell me you drink." Instead of attacking his detective, he opted for licking the fork for the remnant chocolate.
"Kaito, I'm underaged." Another blush from Shinichi, this time due to Kaito's actions. Kaito grinned, flashing tooth, at the obvious discomfort he was causing his detective.
"Pity. I would love to see you drunk. I wonder what type of a drunk you are..." He sliced off another piece for himself. He took one bite before Shinichi made a grab for his wrist and ate the rest of the cake on the fork. His detective slowly pulled the fork out of his mouth while maintaining eye contact, as though daring Kaito to move and take action. His tongue licked off the rest of the chocolate icing on the fork, mouth turning into an upturn smirk them he saw the dilation of Kaito's pupils.
"But I would rather see you drunk." Kaito was having a flashback of their Onsen trip. He had already forgotten the original intention of coming here.
The teasing was too much to handle and Kaito's grip on his control was loosening. He knew it was wasteful to leave the cake but there is a more delectable dessert to be had and there was no time to waste on that. He imitated Shinichi's voice and called out to Amuro, leaving cash on the table before tugging his detective out the door.
Instead of heading straight back to the Manor, Kaito pulled them to the nearest park. He pushed Shinichi towards the shadowed grove and smashed their lips together. Desperate and needy, but not entirely inelegant, Kaito pushed through the warm flesh tasting the sweetness of chocolate and bitterness of coffee at the same time. Shinichi had not complained but moaned into their kiss.
"Ka...Kai...to," he managed to say between attacks. Shinichi had tried to resist for a grand total of two seconds before succumbing to the heat. Both his hands were trapped inside his thief's, one secured behind his own back, and the other on Kaito's waist.
"Now now Meitantei. Don't make too much sound or people will call the police on us." He whispered into Shinichi's ear, leaving with a tiny bite that elicited a yelp of surprise.
"We...we...shouldn't...not here..." Incoherency caused by Kaito's administrations were a hazard for Shinichi. "People...will...n..."
Kaito trailed kisses down the neck. Dexterous hands began to unbutton the first few buttons of Shinichi's shirt to reveal more skin. Lower and lower he went, following the trail of shirt edge. He needed to taste more of his detective.
"Ka...i...to." The heat went up to Shinichi's brains as he panted. "Please."
Kaito let out a soft chuckle. Hands stilled at the waistband of Shinichi's pants. The pleading voice was music to Kaito's ears.
"Not so soon." He moved back up. Hands not moving an inch away from his detective's hips. Shinichi tried to move closer for the much needed skinship.
"Pl...please?" There was a tinge of whine in his voice intermingled with his pleading. He needed to feel Kaito, needed some sort of release from the heat.
Kaito stood just between Shinichi's legs, not touching but the heat could be felt easily enough, he made sure Shinichi couldn't move an inch against the tree at his back.
"Only if you promise to stop with the secrets." Kaito pressed forward, leaning gently on Shinichi's chest, legs resting against Shinichi's thighs.
"A...any sort of...promise I make..." he hitched a breath, suddenly forgetting how to breathe as Kaito leaned in closer. His scent was intoxicating, "...it...would...you won't want to...believe...when it's made...in such a haze..." Shinichi struggled against his thief. Only he can drive Shinichi to such a frenzy.
"You're still thinking clearly, this means you'll still remember any promise you make." Kaito laid another kiss on Shinichi's collar bone. "So?"
"I...can't...not when...like this..." Shinichi was losing fast. Logical thought slipping out and sooner or later, he'll just about do anything or agree to everything Kaito has to offer. There was still one secret that he was unwilling to tell his thief, one that involved his time captured by Goldberg.
"Hmm..." Kaito hummed against the soft skin. He too was fighting a losing battle. It might start off as teasing, but now it turned out to be real and even Kaito was desperate.
"Pl...please...?...Kai...?" That was the last straw for Kaito. Whenever Shinichi uses that name, in that tone, Kaito knew he would submit to his detective's demand.
"Very well My Love. I'll bring down the heavens for you once more." Husky tone, drowned out in the echoes of lust, obeyed the commands of his beloved.
They ignored the fact they were at a public location, even if they were hidden within the dense cluster of trees. They at least kept their voices down to minimize the chance of discovery. The grass was itchy, there were small rocks buried in the soil, but both felt only the suppleness of flesh and comfort of skin as they lose themselves to the heat between them. The moon was once again their witness at their completion of one-another.
"There really should be a limit to how far we're taking things..." Shinichi commented as they laid on the ground, wrapped in the white cape. "Is this part of KID's uniform?" It felt like he may have defiled the sacred white fabric.
"It's something I picked up from the costume shop. This is made of cotton, much softer and lighter than the KID cape." Kaito placed a gentle kiss on Shinichi's lips, which was replied with passion. "And besides, you enjoyed it as well. Being able to let go of that iron clad control. You were the one who showed me no mercy by teasing me."
"..." Shinichi turned his head away to hide his embarrassment.
"Think of this as part of your punishment from this afternoon. Or actually, yesterday afternoon since it's past midnight now." With a poof of smoke, both were dressed and the white cape disappeared to where it came from. "We shouldn't stay here, you'll catch a cold." He offered a hand to pull Shinichi up.
"I'll get you back for this."
Kaito let Shinichi have the last word. It had been fun, frolicking out here in the shrubbery. And he knew his detective won't be allowing him a second taste at this, but he'll always have this memory to fall back on.
-TBC-
