Under the Milky Way

by Kelun

Everything came together to make the boy in the newspapers into the boy waiting on the rooftop with windy hair and cloudy eyes. Kaito expected Conan Edogawa, but found Shinichi Kudo. / slash/mpreg/

5. plastic love - night tempo

Some of these chapters are 7K, others are 16k. Yeah, idk. Idk why I'm always updating and changing it, either. It's a living story; you should probably just come back every couple years and see what's changed haha

---

Shinichi swore up and down that he wasn't avoiding Ran.

Except he kind of was.

Or he had been. He'd failed about thirty minutes ago when she'd stealthily pounced on him after school ended and all but dragged him over to a nearby bubble tea shop.

"There is a Kaito KID heist tonight, and you are going to be there." She commanded severely, pushing a taro bubble tea into his hands.

Shinichi stared up at her blankly.

Ran just sniffed, dropping into the seat across from him.

"I have homework to do," he replied, stubbornly.

She raised a brow at him. "You haven't done your homework at home since you were five, Shinichi. You could sleep through every class and still pass with flying colors."

Shinichi scowled. Damn it she was right.

"Well, whatever. Why should I go?"

"You really don't want to go?" Ran looked at him incredulously, slurping down her own bubble tea.

"No," Shinichi lied. Well, sort of lied. The logical part of him didn't want to go. The emotional part of him wanted to be there more than anything.

"Why not? It'll be fun." She cajoled.

Shinichi stared at her skeptically. "When have you ever considered them fun?"

"I always thought they were exciting," Ran insisted, as Shinichi spared her a flat stare over his own bubble tea.

"Don't you?" She prodded, in a tone that was far too leading.

Shinichi narrowed his eyes, knowing what this was about. "Why do you want me to go so badly?"

Ran hesitated for a moment. She appeared to realize he'd had her figured out since they had gotten into the teashop, sighing. Then she frowned, and spared him a level look. "You can't avoid him forever." She pointed out.

"I'm not—

He closed his mouth when met with her unimpressed glare.

"What does it matter?" He crossed his arms stubbornly.

"It matters." She said, seriously. "Please Shinichi, just come with us."

"Us?" He echoed, alarmed.

"Just Sera and I—no Sonoko, I promise." She elaborated hastily. "I'll even make excuses for you if you happen to 'get lost in the crowd' okay?"

Shinichi flushed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

She ignored him, leaning in close and grabbing his hands. "Promise me, Shinichi. Running away isn't going to solve anything—for you or for him."

Shinichi cursed his luck. Why the hell did Ran have to figure it all out?

"I make no promises." Shinichi replied at length. "But I'll think about it."

She nodded, smiling slightly. "Good. I hate to see you this way, and I know if you don't work through whatever you're going through and come to a decision, you're never going to be able to move on."

Ran was right, of course. And it wasn't like Shinichi to run from his problems.

Then again, all the problems he'd ever had only required logic and determination to solve. He'd never had to find his way through this complex emotional rat maze called love.

But where was he supposed to move on to? What was he supposed to do?

-x-

Shinichi stared up into the brilliant display of lights suspended in the middle of the intersection, scattering off the crowd and the buildings like tossed diamonds, and cursed his life.

It was a truly beautiful sight, though, regardless of his bad mood—even if it was causing the worst traffic jam in the history of Tokyo city.

The police were working double time to direct traffic towards detour routes, shepherd the endless crowds out of the taped off area, and scour the landscape for the infamous thief.

It was as chaotic as always; and as always, Shinich found there to be something magnetic and enchanting to the atmosphere around him, so lit with energy it seemed to tingle against his skin. Only Kaito KID was capable of this; the whole city was bright with excitement, chanting his name. The crowds were full of people of all ages. To Shinichi's surprise an elderly couple had parked themselves right next to him, commenting on all the pretty diamonds and jewels encased in the suspended metal fortress, and how exciting these heists were. Shinichi would have expected them to be cursing all these young people and especially this young thief, but instead they actually seemed to be having a good time. That was to say nothing of all the little kids running around in their Kaito KID costumes, or the fangirls with their 'Marry me, Kaito KID!' signs waving proudly in the air. There were even people on dates, coming to watch the show together.

"This city doesn't even need taxes," Shinichi commented drily, "They can probably make double the money from one Kaito KID heist alone." The sheer amount of people who came into the city for a Kaito KID heist was absolutely mind-boggling.

The train ride in had been jam packed with people coming to the Kaito KID heist. The station was overflowing—and everyone from the merchants selling glowing light-up wands and candy to the taxi drivers ferrying people to the event were benefiting from it.

"People do love to come to these things," Ran agreed, looking around in awe.

Sera stuck her hands in her pockets. "It's free entertainment—KID is practically a public service. Look at all the news outlets around!" She marveled, grinning widely.

Shinichi darted a look through the crowds warily. The last thing he needed was a stampede of reporters all running towards him for a quote.

By the time the lights flickered and deafening cheers rose into the air, Shinichi had managed to get separated from his two friends by the sea of people. He looked around, but couldn't see either of them. It would be impossible to, anyway, with the truly amazing amount of people crammed into this small city intersection. He looked down at his phone; whatever KID was planning involved messing with the reception. He wouldn't be able to tell Ran or Sera where he was.

Shinichi sighed, dragging his feet. He knew he should use this opportunity see KID, but the rest of him wanted to use this opportunity to get out of here as fast as possible, hopefully without the thief even knowing he was here.

He looked back to the massive dome suspended in the intersection, looking like a brilliant glass sun.

Then he shook his head, deciding to go home.

He was about to make good on that promise, when something small ran straight into the back of his knees.

Fortunately years of athletics had him maneuvering around to catch the mysterious offender and manage to keep them both from tumbling to the ground.

To his surprise it was a little boy, dressed up in the cutest Kaito KID outfit he'd seen yet. The hat was far too big for him, practically covering his eyes, but he'd gotten everything right even down to the monocle.

He was also crying profusely.

"Oh no…" Shinichi knelt down. "Are you okay, bud?"

The little boy made a vague noise of dissent.

Before he was Conan he probably would have known what to do with the kid as much as he would know what to do with a diseased panda, but after being turned into a small child for so long he had become surprisingly adept at handling them. "What's wrong, kiddo? Are you lost?"

"Yes," he cried, rubbing fiercely at his eyes.

Shinichi smiled sympathetically, removing the monocle for him and wiping away his tears. "Hey come on, you don't need to cry. We'll find your parents, okay?"

The boy sniffled loudly. Shinichi pushed the hat out over his eyes, revealing big, doe-like brown eyes. They blinked at him, tearfully.

"Can you tell me who you came here with? Do you remember where you last saw them?"

"Mommy doesn't know I'm here." He confessed, sadly, looking down at his feet.

Shinichi's eyes widened in horror. "Your mother doesn't know you're—you're not here with your parents?"

He nodded silently.

"What about friends or anything?" He pressed gently.

The little boy shrugged. "Mommy won't let me go. I wanted to see Kaito KID! But then—" He burst into another onslaught of tears. "I just want my mommy."

The detective flashed him another reassuring smile. "Okay then. Let's go find your mommy, huh? Can you tell me where you live?"

"I live by Shibuya station," he sniffled out with a hiccup.

"Shibuya station?"

Shinichi blinked. Damn that was far. How the hell did this kid manage to get all the way to this side of town? Well, he supposed if there was one thing he'd learned as Conan, it was to never underestimate the amount of trouble kids could get themselves into.

Well, he'd just have to apologize to Ran for running off later. It looked like his night was booked solid with neither sleeping nor Kaito KID heists. He had a little thief to escort back home.

He hauled the little boy into his arms, deciding it would be far faster to just carry him. The boy looked exhausted from all the stress and crying, not protesting at all.

"Okay, Shibuya station it is," Shinichi announced. "So can you tell me your name, little thief?"

He smiled shyly. "My name's Rio."

"Hi Rio," Shinichi smiled back. "I'm Shinichi. Are you a Kaito KID fan?"

The boy nodded eagerly. "I love KID! He's the coolest." Then he paused. "Are you a Kaito KID fan?"

Shinichi blushed a bit. "Err… yeah. I guess I am."

Rio beamed at him. "I want to be just like him when I grow up!"

Shinichi grimaced. "Well, maybe not that. You don't want to really be a thief, do you?"

Rio appeared to think on this deeply. "I dunno." He stuck his thumb in his mouth. "Stealing is bad."

"But KID isn't bad?" He asked, gently.

Rio continued to suck his thumb, considering. "I dunno." He repeated.

The detective laughed. "That's okay, I understand. You don't really like him because he steals though, right? It's because he pulls off those magic tricks."

"Yeah!" Rio enthused. "His tricks are always so cool!" He paused then, looking crestfallen. "But mommy doesn't like him. Because he's a thief. That's why she doesn't let me go."

"That, and they're probably far past your bedtime, huh?" Shinichi pointed out, drily.

Rio nodded, leaning his head against Shinichi's shoulder. The detective adjusted his hat so it wasn't poking him in the eye, staring down at him fondly.

"Mommy will be so mad," he mumbled into Shinichi's shirt.

That was probably a severe understatement.

"She'll only be so mad because she was worried about you," Shinichi chided softly. "But she won't be mad if you say you're sorry and promise not to do it again, okay?"

Rio's bottom lip wobbled. "But I don't want to promise to never go again," he whined.

Shinichi shook his head. "Well then we'll just have to convince your mother to come with you next time."

The boy looked skeptical. "We will?"

"Sure," Shinichi nodded. "I'll tell her that KID heists aren't really just heists. Everyone goes to them; from grandparents to married couples to little kids and families and all sorts of people. And they don't go because of the stealing, right? Everyone just wants to spend time together and do something fun."

Rio blinked at him. Most of that probably went right over his head, but Shinichi had a feeling he really was going to convince this kid's mom to come to Kaito KID heists. When the hell did he start being that moron's advocate?

"Okay." Rio agreed, finally, as he dropped back onto Shinichi's shoulder, looking exhausted. "I'll say sorry." He decided, with a defeated pout.

Shinichi grinned at him, ruffling his hair. "There's a good boy."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, as the dwindling cheers from the crowd drifted off into ambient city sounds, downtown oddly deserted with everyone over at the KID heist.

He was still running an absent hand through Rio's hair, and when he caught himself doing it he blinked in surprise and dropped his hand. To his endless relief he didn't feel uncomfortable at all with this little boy drooling all over his shirt. It felt natural. Easy.

Hopefully it would be this easy when he had his own.

Shinichi swallowed with difficulty. Whatever light relief he'd felt dissipated at the thought; just thinking about his future tended to make him feel sick and despondent. He shook his head, trying to clear out all the fear clamoring in the back of his head before it threatened to overwhelm him. He should just take it one step at a time—on the bright side, he was clearly very good with kids. He had never minded them to begin with, and after all his experiences as Conan he tended to understand them and relate to them better than most other adults.

He looked down at Rio, only to find his eyes drooping sleepily, as he lost the battle against sleep with one drowsy blink at a time. He couldn't help but wonder if his own child would fall asleep this easily. Or would they pout and whine and cry at every announcement of bedtime? For a while there was nothing but the sounds of his even breathing. The night was silent.

Almost silent.

Shinichi wasn't fooled in the slightest.

He stroked the boys back idly, adjusting him some so he wasn't cutting off his circulation.

"You're really good with kids," a low voice commented from behind him.

Shinichi was not surprised in the slightest to hear it, although he was surprised the thief spoke first. He'd thought he'd have to lure the criminal out somehow. "Don't you have jewels to steal?" He returned, dryly.

"I already stole them. Well, most of them." The thief retorted, walking in step with him. He turned to the detective with a cheeky grin. "One of them ran off before I could catch them." He said, pointedly.

Shinichi snorted. "Well, one of them is booked for the night. They send their sincerest condolences, but they had a more pressing engagement."

KID laughs heartily at that. Shinichi averts his gaze, smiling slightly at the sound of the thief's genuine laughter.

"Yeah, I can see that." KID agreed, softly. He tilted his head, peering down at the sleeping thief in Shinichi's arms. "Where did you pick up this little thief?"

"He got lost in the crowd." Shinichi answered vaguely. Then he added, "Speaking of jewels, you better put those gems back where you found them," Shinichi said, seriously. "You are an awful influence on kids enough as it is; don't go teaching them to actually steal things as well as pull pranks on people."

Kaito gasped, affronted. "These are more than just silly pranks, meitantei-kun." He sniffed. "And for the record, I have an equally exciting heist planned to return them."

"Is it still a heist if you're returning the items?" Shinichi wondered aloud. Then he shook his head. "Well, either way, this kid thinks you hung the moon or something, so try to be a good influence, okay?"

KID said nothing to this, looking down at the boy contemplatively.

He had to admit, looking down in the middle of his grand entry only to see Shinichi had disappeared from between Ran and Sera had been a disappointment. He'd been so excited to see the detective there, finally appropriately dressed for the weather in a jacket and scarf, wedged between Ran and Sera. He wondered if the boy was just here as part of the crowd, or if he'd sneak away after to find the thief. This heist was a complicated one, but he was sure Shinichi would be able to figure it out.

But then he had disappeared.

Kaito waited until he had safely lost the police before he tried to search for him. Turned out Shinichi hadn't gone all that far—by the time Kaito caught up to him he'd just started walking away from the crowds.

To the thief's surprise, he realized Shinichi wasn't alone.

There was a little boy in his arms. Kaito blinked. A little boy dressed up as Kaito KID. He could have melted from the adorableness of it all. Half of him thought it was the cutest thing ever—the other half didn't know how to feel, a strange heat pooling in his stomach at the sight. And Shinichi was just so good with him; wiping away his tears, gently scolding him for running away from home without telling his parents, rocking him to sleep.

Kaito hadn't expected the detective to be so good with kids. The boy was so aloof and distant with most people, but with kids he clearly warmed up to them easily. He wondered if it was because Shinichi had so much experience with young kids after being Conan. That was another thing he didn't know how to feel about.

At any rate, the sight of Shinichi with a little thief curled up in his arms was almost too much for him. There was a painful longing in his chest, one he didn't know what to do with.

"He's a cute kid," he remarked, mainly because Shinichi had stolen all the thoughts out of his head, and he couldn't think of anything else to say.

Shinichi smiled down at the white-clad bundle in his arms. It was a little too much for Kaito; he stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away with a slight blush.

"Yeah he is, isn't he?" Shinichi agreed idly, looking deep in thought. When Kaito chanced a glance back at him he was staring down at the sleeping child with a forlorn expression.

"And a troublemaker, too." He added after a beat, turning a level look towards Kaito. "I wonder why."

Kaito put his hands up in the air. "I can't help being so popular!"

Shinichi looked unimpressed with that response.

Kaito grinned cheekily, moving on closer to playfully nip at his ear. "And don't even front—I heard you earlier. You're my fan, huh?"

Shinichi flushed scarlet. "I wasn't about to tell him I thought you were a shameless, arrogant and narcissistic bastard."

Kaito laughed loudly at that. "Oh? So you're saying you don't like me at all?"

Shinichi was just so hilariously easy to tease. He frowned at Kaito darkly. Kaito just blinked at him innocently, waiting for an answer.

"I didn't say that," he hedged, blushing.

Kaito's face split into a victorious grin. "You like me," he teased, moving to block Shinichi's path and grab his hips. Shinichi scowled up at him, cheeks red. "Admit it."

"Why the hell would I like you?" Shinichi retorted, refusing to give in.

The thief was not deterred in the slightest, leaning in to brush his lips against the shorter boy's. "Hmmm, that is the question, isn't it?" He murmurs.

Shinichi's eyes lowered as the thief sealed their lips together. As always, it was more than enough to take his breath away. His eyes slipped shut as he felt the thief's tongue lick into his mouth, tilting his head slightly to give him better access. The hand on his hip tightened, and then the criminal was pulling them flush together. Or as close as they could get with a sleeping child in between them.

Shinichi pulled away with a gasp. He looked down at Rio, relieved to see the boy was still asleep.

He turned an annoyed gaze towards KID, who actually looked a bit sheepish, as if he had also forgotten the boy was there.

Shinichi scowled, more annoyed with himself than he was with the criminal. Hadn't he told himself he was going to break this off? That they were already getting too attached to each other, and it would be better to break it off while he still had the presence of mind to do so? He wasn't even sure if that was the case, though. He had a feeling he'd fallen off the point of no return a long, long time ago.

"Yeah, okay, bad idea." Kaito agreed, when he saw Shinichi's expression.

"Very bad idea," Shinichi was quick to concur—if Kaito thought he was frowning over the idea of making out in front of a little kid, and not frowning over the idea of breaking up with him (could they even break up? Did they even really have a relationship to break up from?) then Shinichi wasn't going to tell him different.

KID smirked widely. "What a shame," he said, darkly. "I have handcuffs in my pocket, you know."

Shinichi blushed red, biting his lip as heat pooled in his stomach. Now he decided to finally bring them? What awful timing.

Shinichi pushed down his arousal, frowning crossly. "No dirty thoughts in front of children."

"How am I supposed to help that?" Kaito complained.

"I don't know—keep it to yourself, you perverted thief." Shinichi retorted hotly, moving to walk around him and continue his trek to the station.

The thief grinned roguishly, blocking his path. "But you like it, don't you?" His eyes glittered in the night, his stupid smile doing stupid things to Shinich's heart—and other places. "You never seem to complain whenever we're—

"Kaito!" Shinichi hissed, flushing slightly. "What did I just say—

He was abruptly cut off when the bundle in his arms that they'd both totally forgotten about stirred awake with all the noise.

"-'nichi?" He mumbled, sleepily, shifting slightly in his grip.

Shinichi's eyes widened in dread. "Uh—

Rio pushed away from his shoulder, turning in his arms to paw at his eyes. He yawned as he blinked sleepily out into the night, expecting to see Shinichi, not a person dressed up just like him.

The little boy's eyes widened when he came face to face with Kaito KID.

His mouth dropped open slightly as he stared.

Kaito floundered, wondering what to do. Unlike Shinichi, he wasn't actually all that good with kids unless pranks were involved. He smiled awkwardly. "Uh, hi there."

Rio's eyes were wide as saucers. "Kaito KID!" He cried with delight.

He turned around to tug at Shinichi's jacket. "Shinichi! Shinichi!" He said with excitement. "Look! It's Kaito KID!"

"Oh, I know." Shinichi agreed wryly, the sarcasm going right over the little boy's head.

Rio just continued to stare up at Kaito with a look of pure joy. Kaito was a total loss for words.

Fortunately Shinichi was here to save the day. "Why don't you say hello, Rio?" The detective whispered into the boy's ear, smiling kindly, his gaze flickering to Kaito's with a secretive smile, making the thief's heart skip a beat.

Rio looked shy all of a sudden, moving to hide himself underneath Shinichi's chin. "Hi," he said, in a small voice.

Kaito grinned widely, unable to handle the cuteness of it all. "Hello there, little thief." He replied, ducking in close so he could meet the little boy's gaze. "I'm Kaito KID. What's your name?"

Rio blinked at him with big eyes, thumb in his mouth. Then he gifted him with a shy, tiny smile. "I'm Rio." He said, before he hid back in Shinichi's neck.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Rio." He continued quietly, heart melting. "Shinichi says you're a fan of mine. Is that true?"

"Shinichi?" At the other boy's name, Rio pulled away to blink up curiously at the detective. "Shinichi is friends with Kaito KID?"

Shinichi looked flustered. "Sure, yeah." He managed to squeak out. Friends. Yeah okay let's go with that. There was no way he was going to explain to this little boy the meaning of casual fuck buddies.

And to be honest, he wasn't even sure if that was what they were, anymore. It sounded weird at first, but now that he'd said it aloud, the title seemed to fit. Friends. They were friends.

"Shinichi is a very good friend of mine." Kaito smirked tellingly, glancing at Shinichi with a dirty look. Shinichi blushed, scowling.

"Are you going to be my friend too?" Kaito leaned against Shinichi's other shoulder, taking the opportunity to grab the detective by the waist and pull him closer. Shinichi rolled his eyes, but made no protest.

Rio's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Really?" He covered his mouth with a gasp. "Me?"

"Yeah," Kaito grinned at him charmingly. "Let's be friends, okay?"

Rio nodded ecstatically, beaming up at him with stars in his eyes.

'Okay!"

When he looked up, Shinichi was watching him with warm blue eyes, a tender smile playing on his lips. Kaito swallowed dryly, caught in his gaze.

Kaito felt his breath catch.

Suddenly, he came to realize what he knew all along.

He was in love.

-x-

Predictably Kaito had to leave soon thereafter, what with being in the middle of a criminal act and all. Shinichi had no idea where this bubble of fondness for the thief had come from, but to his chagrin it didn't disappear with the thief's departure.

His little thief probably wasn't helping, talking a mile a minute about Kaito KID. Rio was no longer sleepy in the slightest, asking Shinichi all sorts of questions with big, sparkling eyes. The little boy was utterly enchanted after meeting his hero.

The last thing Shinichi wanted to do was sing Kaito's praises, but he wasn't about to ruin the child's exciting night. Fortunately Rio was more interested in knowing things like KID's favorite magic trick (Shinichi didn't know), his favorite color (he also didn't know), his real name (he definitely didn't know)—so pretty much, a whole lot of questions Shinichi couldn't answer. But that was better than the alternative, which were questions Shinichi could answer, like when they met, why they were such good friends, and what they did every heist…

To his lack of surprise he had to talk Rio's mother off the ledge when they arrived at his house.

The woman looked haggard and furious, dressed in scrubs that clearly denoted a hospital night shift, expression weary and worried as she opened the door.

"Rio!" She scolded angrily, although relief was evident in her eyes.

Rio took one look at her and started crying.

Shinichi silently bemoaned his life.

"Where have you been?" His mother continued, livid. "I looked everywhere for you! When Tachibana-san said she stopped by and you weren't here I almost had a heart attack! Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Rio shook his head, sniffling.

His mother's angry expression crumpled some at the sight, as she sighed tiredly. Then she directed her attention towards Shinichi. "I'm so sorry young man. I hope he didn't cause you too much trouble." She apologized, sounding both exasperated and exhausted.

"Not at all." Shinichi assured. "He was very well behaved."

"Well behaved." She snorted. Then her gaze narrowed into deadly slits, as she gasped. "Rio, what are you wearing? Were you at the KID heist?!"

Shinichi cringed.

"You went all the way downtown?" She whispered in horror. "What were you thinking? Something could have happened to you! You could have been kidnapped! Rio! How could you do something so foolish?"

Rio sniffled again. "I'm sorry!" He wailed, as he burst into another fresh set of tears.

Shinichi let out a long breath.

"That stupid thief again," his mother cursed. "What have I told you about him? You're never going to one of those stupid things again, do you hear me?"

Then she rounded on him. "And you! Don't tell me you subscribe to this nonsense as well! Were you at the heist as well?!"

Oh, you have no idea.

"Not… entirely, no." Shinichi hedged, before smiling perfunctorily. "I work with the police."

"The police?" She whispered in horror. "Rio, are you in trouble?"

Rio turned to him with stricken eyes.

"Not in the least." Shinichi assured. "He was just lost, so I escorted him home. Really, ma'am, it's no cause for concern…"

"No cause for concern?" She repeated, incredulously. "He could have been killed! A place like that is no place for a child, especially alone at night!"

"Well that I agree with," Shinichi segued smoothly. "But what I meant to say is there's no harm in watching the heists. That's perfectly fine, as far as the law is concerned."

"It's a criminal act!" Rio's mother snorted.

Shinichi smiled. "Well, that's not untrue. But it's become quite a draw for the city's tourism. They're quite popular, you know."

"I've no idea why," she sighed, shaking her head.

He laughed. "You and me both." He agreed. "All the same people tend to like them quite a bit. I understand it's not for everyone, but it might be nice to try it out at least once. Have you ever been?"

She gave him a skeptical look. "I like to stay away from those spectacles."

"They are rather dramatic." Shinichi conceded with a wry smile. "But I think that's half the reason people like them so much. Right, Rio?"

Rio looked up at him, smiling shyly.

Rio's mother raised a brow at him, folding her arms. "Don't tell me you're a fan as well." She said, blandly.

"I'm occupationally obligated to say no," he answered, making her smile slightly. "However, I can at least say he's quite clever, not to mention entertaining. It's not the worst way to spend an evening together, certainly."

He looked down at Rio, who had stopped crying. "What do you think, Rio? Will you be a good boy for your mother from now on, and only go to a Kaito KID show when she's with you?"

Rio nodded eagerly.

His mother looked like she didn't quite know what to say. "I don't know…" She hesitated.

"Please, mommy?" Rio turned to her with big, wet eyes. "Please? Please? I promise I'll be good!"

His mother still didn't look entirely convinced, but just as Shinichi had assumed, she appeared to be caving slightly. Her eyes softened at Rio's beaming expression. Shinichi had the feeling they didn't get many opportunities to be together—he'd had the suspicion since he'd met the boy. Children weren't normally so unruly without reason, and the fact such a young child was able to escape from their house and make it all the way downtown without anyone aware of it meant he probably spent a lot of time alone. Seeing his mother in person had only solidified his suspicion.

"I'll think about it." She decided, noncommittally. "I suppose if even the police don't seem to mind him all that much, they might not be all that bad."

Outwardly, Shinichi smiled. Inwardly, he wondered how livid Nakamori-keibu would be to hear that.

-x-

Kaito was in love.

And all he could feel about this was pure, unadulterated panic.

He was in love with Shinichi Kudo.

A part of him wasn't particularly surprised; who wouldn't be in love with the boy? He was… amazing. He was clever, witty, and blessed with a sharp, analytical mind that could pick apart anything; he was so beautiful it hurt to look at him sometimes; he was prickly and moody and mean, and he was shy and skittish and sweet. And just seeing the boy with little kids did funny things to his heart, apparently. Those moments beneath all the confidence and cheekiness were precious things Kaito would never trade for the world, the hesitant, vulnerable look when he let down all his barriers, just for a second or two, before that incorrigible mask of his slipped back into place. He was the most enchanting creature Kaito had ever laid his eyes on, and he was captivated, so stupidly in love with him no wonder everybody knew it.

He was in over his head.

(everybody probably knew that too)

He had to see the detective again, see him as only the infamous Kaito KID could.

He spared a brief moment to wonder what the rest of this city was thinking about all these heists; they probably would never realize Kaito KID was stealing all this stuff because he was trying to get into the pants of a certain detective, but it must seem strange nonetheless. He shrugged. Well, whatever, the fans ate it up, and no matter how much he angered the police he knew the city was more than happy to have him around for a bit longer—Kaito KID did wonders for local commerce, and the city was never above using an illegal event to squeeze out more tax money.

At any rate, he chose an exhibit of ancient Chinese jewels currently on display at the fine arts museum, planning a merry chase for the police that was both dramatic and outrageously long, if only to give him more time with his little minx.

Kaito had to admit, it was always thrilling to plan a heist, Shinichi or no. Seeing his notes light up on every television, every news broadcast, every magazine and newspaper; seeing social media go crazy over him. Maybe Shinichi was right—it probably wasn't good for his already inflated ego. The detective might roll his eyes and reprimand him for being so extravagant and outrageous, but that never stopped him from letting Kaito pin him to the wall and ravish him.

Except, he had made it to his destination, and there was no delectable detective in sight.

He stilled for a moment, wondering if his plans were finally too complicated for the detective to solve. He snorted. That was ridiculous. But the other option was that either Shinichi was running late… or he wasn't going to show up at all. He turned his head into the distant lights, listening to the sounds of the crowd and the police, drowned with distance and silence. Was he really not going to come? He'd been… evasive, lately. As if he was pulling himself away. And that terrified Kaito.

Maybe the intimacy was too much for the boy. Too much, and not what he wanted. Shinichi had never said anything about wanting a relationship; about wanting anything else but easy sex. Kaito had never had any qualms in providing that, but it made him wonder if he was the only one feeling this way. Feeling like he wanted more than that. And Shinichi had never gave any indication that he wanted feelings at all. Maybe Shinichi was done with him.

Just as he was about to really work himself into concern, he heard a shuffling noise, and then the rooftop door squeaked open, and a very familiar form stepped out from behind it.

Kaito smiled into the darkness, shoulders relaxing as all the tension left him. "I thought I was going to have to hunt you down again."

Shinichi answered his smile with a small one of his own, shaking his head. "Figured I'd save you the trouble."

"You know, you're going to hurt my feelings if you keep leaving me hanging, meitantei-kun," he pouted.

Shinichi looked up in surprise at that, undoubtedly able to catch the honesty beneath the teasing tone.

"I'm not meaning too," he protested, hotly, "I just…" He looked down, blushing furiously.

Oh. Well this was interesting. Kaito pushed off the railing, stalking closer to his prey. "You just what?" Kaito prodded gently.

"I'm—tired." He was so red Kaito was actually concerned he might have a fever.

"Have you been sleeping?" He sighed, exasperated.

"Yes, I swear," Shinichi rolled his eyes. He fidgeted nervously, pulling at the drawstrings of his coat, running his fingers through the fur lining. "But, I don't know. I'm really tired, and kind of sore, and I don't…"

Finally his gaze meets Kaito's, unguarded and nervous. "I don't really want to have sex." He blurted out, looking mortified beyond belief with himself.

Kaito blinked a couple times, not expecting that.

"But I wanted to see you anyway," he continued, surprising Kaito even more, his expression naked and bare.

Kaito shook his head, grinning brightly. The boy always had a way of surprising him, didn't he? There was nothing Kaito wanted to see more than this look; quiet and intimate and so exposed, so vulnerable. It made him want to wrap him up in his arms and never let him go. He felt so warm and content, knowing the detective trusted him enough to tell him this.

"I always want to see you." He said, stepping close enough to tug the boy into him by his hips, nosing into his hair.

Shinichi curled his hands into the lapels of his suit, leaning in to place a small, sweet kiss at the base of his neck. Kaito swallowed with some difficulty, those lips doing terrible things to him, as always. But, Shinichi had said no sex, and Kaito was perfectly capable of enjoying the boy without that. In fact, he didn't really mind it at all.

"I saw what you did, you know." Shinichi huffed, as he pulled away with a fond look of exasperation.

"Saw what?" Kaito blinked—confusion genuine.

"With our little thief friend," Shinichi elaborated, raising a brow.

Kaito laughed. "Oh, you saw that? I did tell him we were friends, didn't I?"

He'd been so happy to see a little familiar boy dressed up as Kaito KID, tugging his haggard and vaguely exasperated mother around the crowds. Kaito had no idea what Shinichi did, but he had clearly managed to change the woman's mind, and Kaito wasn't about to let the opportunity go to waste.

In the midst of all the chaos, he managed to swoop down and say hello. Rio was absolutely delighted to see him—his mother was not.

Especially not after he pulled a rabbit out of his hat for the little boy—and then let him keep the rabbit.

"I don't think friends normally give each other surprise animals to keep as pets." Shinichi replied, flatly. "And why the hell did you have a bunny, anyway? Where did you even keep that thing?"

Kaito just grinned roguishly, leaning in close to kiss the tip of the detective's nose. "A magician never reveals his secrets." He returned, eyes sparkling.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "I probably don't even want to know."

The detective stood on his toes then, moving to bring his lips against the thief's. Kaito made a pleased noise in the back of his throat as he tilted his head, deepening the kiss. Damn it, Shinichi had said no sex, didn't he? It wasn't as if that was all Kaito cared about or anything, but it was very hard not to think about it when the other boy was flush against him, kissing him roughly with teeth and tongue.

"It was sweet, though," Shinichi said, against his mouth.

"Hmm?" Kaito hummed, distracted.

"What you did," Shinichi elaborated, smiling at him softly. "Saying hi to him."

Kaito blushed slightly. "Why wouldn't I? He's a nice kid."

Shinichi just shook his head, pulling the thief in closer again, locking their lips together. Kaito pulled him even closer, making a pleased noise when Shinichi's tongue licked against his own.

Then he pulled away abruptly, and Kaito had to take a moment to compose himself. In the meanwhile, Shinichi did not look disheveled in the least; actually he looked smug.

Kaito realized why when the detective held up a gem in his hand, studying it in the moonlight.

He turned to Kaito with a smirk. Kaito just glowered at him, although he was secretly impressed the detective managed to get the drop on him so easily.

Shinichi only grinned wider at his nonplussed expression, returning his attention to the jewel.

"This one is actually really pretty," he observed, looking surprised.

Kaito tilted his head. "You think so?"

He'd stolen a lot of jewels, and he'd more or less given them all to a disgruntled Shinichi to return to the police before morning. Shinichi had never expressed an opinion on them either way, usually taking them off his hands with little fanfare, more engrossed in… other things. This was the first time Shinichi had actually given any of the gems any kind of consideration.

"Yeah—I like how it seems to change color with the lighting." Shinichi confessed, turning the gem in his hands to watch it absorb the colors around them.

In regular light it was such a pale green it looked clear; in sunlight it took on a more citrine hue, and in the darkness it looked as if it was dipped in seawater.

"Just what you like, huh?" Shinichi continued, as he took one last look before stuffing it in his pocket.

Kaito blinked. "What do you mean?"

"You only steal jewels that change colors on the full moon." Shinichi noted, off-handedly, surprising the thief.

He shouldn't be so surprised, though. Shinichi was perhaps the sharpest person he knew; it went beyond being clever or intelligent. The boy never missed a thing, his eidetic memory able to recall even the subtlest of clues. It was more than just being observant, too. His ability to find all the pieces, no matter how small or irrelevant they may seem, fit them all together and come to a conclusion was unsurpassed—it was the reason he was so sought after, and it was the reason he could see through Kaito so easily.

It made Kaito wonder why Shinichi never tried to figure out his identity.

He was a magician, so he knew how to keep things well hidden. But they spent far too much time together and knew far too much about each other. He was sure he'd slipped up at some point. Or at a lot of points. Either way Shinichi had never made an effort to figure him out; he never asked leading questions, never tried to take off his disguise and see him, never tried to reveal his identity.

And he wondered what that meant.

Did that mean the detective simply didn't want to know? That he didn't care enough to want to know Kaito KID's real identity? Or maybe he just wanted the thief, and not the person behind the magic.

Kaito had no damn idea.

Finally, he shrugged, pulling himself away from his worrying thoughts. "That's true."

Shinichi frowned, taking his clipped response the wrong way. "I'm sorry," he said, hesitantly, causing the thief to look up in bewilderment. What was he apologizing for? "I… didn't mean to pry."

Kaito shook his head, smiling slightly. "It's fine," he reassured, genuinely. "I trust you, Shinichi."

That… actually wasn't what he'd meant to say, but mortification aside it was clearly the right thing to say; Shinichi's expression softened, as he returned the smile.

The detective didn't say anything, closing the distance between them again, letting himself get lost in the feel of Kaito's hands, the lips brushing against his own, the heat radiating from him that warmed Shinichi all the way down to his toes. The thief closed his eyes, following Shinichi's lead and getting equally as lost in the detective.

He had made sure to give himself ample time to spend with the boy, and he had to admit, spending it all just standing with his arms around him, breathing him in, was exactly the way he wanted to spend it all.

-x-(18)

Frigid air, and Nakamori-keibu's voice so loud it reached hell and back, the stars above tossed upon the dark sky like diamond lancets. A handful of officers, skittish, holding their guns close. A jewel in the center, tiny, but bright enough to light the entire room.

The top of the museum was made entirely of glass; the only way off of the roof was by the trap door exactly beneath Nakamori's feet.

Shinichi coughed into his arm, burrowing his hands into his fluffy jacket. Ai made him go shopping again. He most certainly would have complained, if not for the fact that he needed more jackets. He didn't have a bump yet—Ai said he most likely wouldn't have much of one at all—but the retaliation was that his stomach hurt all the time, and tingled every time it was touched. A certain thief had took keen notice of this, and had ruthlessly plundered his latest weakness.

He blushed at their last encounter, the way the thief had held him all night long.

Kaito KID had been acting different.

Instead of the usual, impersonal, almost frenzied meeting of lips and bodies on whatever horizontal surface they could find, there was now an equal chance of then ending up on the ground in an almost…intimate manner; Kaito cradling him almost delicately and moving inside him so soft and slow that even the mere memory of it had Shinichi blushing furiously. Or, the time they didn't even have sex at all—and it was even more intimate than anything else they'd ever done. All the times they'd just done nothing but talk, laughing easily and fitting against each other as perfectly as friends as they did as lovers.

He was… avoiding the thief, honestly. Not very effectively, but the intention was there al the same.

He didn't know what to do with all these feelings, so he was shying away from it—from them. He wanted to crawl away from here, to run away. Why did he even decide to come? Anxiety and anticipation shivered up his spine; he wanted to see Kaito, of course. But he felt as if he shouldn't. He kept telling himself this—and then doing it anyway.

Shinichi frowned, taking a shuddering breath.

Tonight should be the night.

He had to break it off.

"We've got two minutes everyone! Get in your positions! Don't let that damn bandit get in here!"

Shinichi winced at the loud voice from his earpiece, gingerly plucking it out before it caused permanent damage or something.

KID had sent out some elaborate notice to the owner of the museum five days ago, with his usual rhyming riddle and little cartoon version of himself, explaining how he'd magically appear on the roof where it was being kept, getting into the chamber without breaking the glass or using the door. He told himself to stop being so ridiculous and just go, instead of sitting around practically going crazy with indecisiveness. He still wasn't sure if he was glad he went or not.

He felt awful, knowing what he was about to do.

For the populace, and for the police, the task seemed daunting and they looked to the skies to find Kaito's paraglider.

They wouldn't find it.

Shinichi sneezed.

The genius detective already knew where he was, and it certainly didn't take a genius to figure it out.

The allotted time came to its beginning.

A lapse of white in the distance had the police standing to attention to a skyscraper to the far left, and while everyone was distracted Shinichi felt a slight stirring from behind him as one of the officers moved to the center. The thief even had the gall to cop a feel, before smoke erupted and shouts and Nakamori's ferocious voice booming out orders were added to the mix. Shinichi didn't do anything, just stood there and breathed in the smell. It was the same scent that clung to Kaito's clothing.

The smoke cleared and Kaito KID was standing on top of the jewel's case, bauble in hand.

The police made a move to grab at him, but he leapt out of the way and jumped through the glass, descending in a rain of shards into the dizzying drop below, the police scrambling to the broken opening to peer down. Suddenly, the wind picked the thief up and he came into view once more, handglider opened and already making his getaway.

"Everyone!" Nakamori-keibu wrenched the trap door open. "Hurry! After him!"

The police dived into the opening in a jumble of bodies, and eventually Shinichi was left alone on the roof top, glass at his feet and the chanting of Kaito's fans in the distance.

"You're not very sneaky, you know." He said aloud, conversationally.

The thief sighed.

Behind him, the shifting of a panel was heard and the thief appeared from his spot behind a mirror trick reflecting the portrait of skyscrapers and jumbled masses of bodies flying Kaito KID banners.

"You're the only one who thinks that."

Shinichi shrugged, smiling slightly—but there was something sad to it, something that looked a lot like regret. Kaito didn't like the look of it at all.

"Maybe I'm just the only one who's smart enough to figure you out." The detective replied easily.

The thief made a noncommittal noise, walking over to grab the detective from behind, resting his hands on the other boy's hips as he pressed his lips into that unruly nest of hair.

Shinichi found himself at a loss for words, staring sightlessly into the dark swirl of stars.

They stayed like that for some time; Shinichi felt his stomach flip over again, as he felt himself grow cold at the knowledge of what he was about to do. What he should do. He could feel the warm lips in his hair, and it made him want to cry. He bit his lip fiercely, almost hard enough to draw blood.

The thief tightened his arms around him, turning his head to brush his lips against Shinichi's ear.

"What are you thinking?" The thief murmured; his tone was soft, but his eyes were sharp and scrutinizing, observing him closely.

Shinichi turned around so he was facing the thief, so close their noses almost touched, and he could feel the warmth of Kaito's breath on his cheeks. His eyes were wet, to his dismay. Kaito frowned at the sight of him, pale and shaky and looking so lost.

"Shinichi?" He asked, worry evident. "What's wrong?"

The boy shook his head vehemently. "It's nothing," he lied, forcing himself to smile. "I'm fine. I just… have a lot on my mind.

His worry grew tenfold at that. He frowned deeply, but didn't press the detective for more. The boy looked scared, and quite honestly it was making a certain amount of fear crawl into Kaito too. He didn't like the look of Shinichi's expression at all. It looked so… final. Something about this whole encounter felt final, and it scared him to the bone.

He kissed the boy soundly on the mouth, as if to forcefully remind them both why they were here, what they felt for each other. Because he knew he had feelings for this boy—he knew he loved him. And he knew Shinichi had to feel something for him too. He didn't know if his affections were retuned as deeply, but he knew Shinichi liked him. Shinichi let him in, he opened up to him in a way he didn't for anyone else, he had a smile that was reserved purely for Kaito, and there was an undeniable warmth in his eyes every time he looked at the thief.

And that scared him as much as it elated him.

Of course he was happy Shinichi liked him back. He was happy, but there was something bittersweet to it, too. Regardless of how they felt for each other, there was just too much separating them. They had their whole lives spread between them; an infinite channel Kaito didn't know how to cross. Didn't even know if he could cross.

He didn't know how to reach out to the other boy—all he knew was that there relationship couldn't go on like this anymore.

They were at an ending. This was ending, and they both knew it.

As much as neither of them wanted to acknowledge it, as much as neither of them wanted to let go, it was inevitable.

Shinichi swallowed with difficulty, his chest feeling too tight when he caught sight of KID's expression. Shinichi didn't say anything about it at first, just wrapping his arms around Kaito's neck, already knowing what was going on here, as much as he didn't want it to.

Shinichi squeezed his eyes shut. Did KID already know what he was going to say?

"Shinichi," the thief started, quietly. Shinichi opened his eyes. "What are you thinking?"

He felt his throat dry, his heart clenching as he struggled to find something to say. "I… I wish I knew." Shinichi confessed, honestly.

He wanted to end this now: he never wanted to let the thief go. He didn't know what to feel, if there was even a difference at all.

"What are you thinking?"

Shinichi turned the question around.

He wasn't prepared for the answer. Crisp air closed in around them, hushed and swelled like the breathless anticipation of a stage with dimmed lights, just before the opening.

"I'm thinking that I love you."

He found his mouth opening in surprise, his grip on the thief growing limp with the advent of his shock. He could do nothing but watch the thief with wide eyes, staring blankly into the handsome visage, unable to find purchase onto anything.

"You—" He stared in awe. "You… love me?"

Kaito took his surprise in an entirely different way.

He smiled sadly. "You don't need to say anything, Shinichi." He stepped out of the boy's limp hold, moving towards the broken opening in the glass.

Shinichi snapped out of his reverie as the thief neared the edge.

"Wait—" He gasped out, reaching for the thief, fingers ghosting against his cape. "Kaito, hold on—"

But the material slipped through his fingers, and he ran to the edge where he looked down, chest heaving, sight meeting nothing but the glimmering of faint street lamps and the sheer vertigo of the drop, Kaito nowhere in sight.

-x-

Weeks rolled by, and heists followed, none of which Shinichi attended.

Kaito's words stayed in the back of his mind, stirring and twisting and always in reach whenever Shinichi closed his eyes, the thief's voice, soft and luring…

The thief disappearing into the night, without giving Shinichi time to think, let alone answer.

Maybe that was KID's way of saying goodbye—laying his emotions bare for Shinichi to see, but not to reciprocate. Shinichi thought he had the right idea.

It was better this way.

But that didn't make it hurt any less.

"You claim you aren't running away," Haibara began lightly, Shinichi would have called it teasing, but hah, as if Shiho was capable of such a thing. "Yet here you are, yet again."

Shinichi shrugged evasively. "It's a quiet Saturday night." On this side of town. At a certain museum five train stops away…

Ai plopped herself onto the couch next to him, small child hands swiping the remote out of his hands. The channel, which had been a rather soothing Discovery/National Geographic-esque documentary on the various types of whale mating calls, was quickly changed before Shinichi could protest. Ai skewered him with a look as if goading him to rebuke her, and he narrowed his eyes. If he yelled at her to keep the channel, he would be admitting, a) he was fascinated in whale culture (which she would hardly believe) b) he was obviously avoiding something on the TV and c) he was avoiding life in general.

Instead, he turned around and pouted.

Ai switched the channel to the news, where a woman's voice ecstatically explained the latest at the Kaito KID heist.

Shinichi had been hesitantly invited to i by Ran; he hadn't told her anything more about his relationship with the thief, so she didn't know where the two stood. Turns out they stood nowhere—there was no relationship to speak of, anymore. He declined, making up some bullshit or another about copious amounts of homework (as if that had ever stopped him before). Ran obviously realized he was deflecting, but was tactful enough not to push the subject with him.

Sonoko, on the other hand, was ready to roll her sleeves up and grapple him into a body bag to get him there. Apparently, she was under the impression—and for once, it was spot on—that if Shinichi was by her side, KID would eventually make an appearance.

Of course, in her head, the scenario was probably more along the lines of using Shinichi as bait to lure the thief in, before snatching him with her talon-like claws and divesting him of his clothing, and then partially molesting him in front of everyone with much public indecency. In reality, the thief would probably end up doing that to him.

Shinichi's chest throbbed.

Or would he?

The thief might not even spare him a glance.

So here he was.

Hiding.

Again.

"I'm hiding from Sonoko, if you must now." He answered in clipped tones. A half-truth.

Ai laughed. It was almost terrifying to hear. Mainly because he knew it was at his expense. "Who are you trying to fool? Me, or you?"

He grumbled.

She decided to change the subject. "Are you taking those prenatal medicines I gave you?"

"Yes." The thought of the baby once again made him cringe. He had been trying not to think about it, even though the reality of it all was about to crash down on him. Well, at least this way, with his relationship with the thief completely over, he wouldn't have to tell him. At least there was some kind of silver lining to all this.

Except then he would have to live with himself knowing that he did that to the other man. And not just Kaito, but this baby too. One day he would have to look into a little child's eyes and lie to them. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling a burn in the back of his nose, signifying the horrifying prospect of tears. He couldn't help but imagine the future he was throwing away—Kaito, ducking in close to smile and whisper to a little child, just like he had all those nights ago with Rio. He'd said Shinichi was good with kids—did he not realize he was too? Kaito would make a great father.

The detective pressed the heel of his hand hard against his eye, taking a deep, shaky breath.

This was, of course, if it was actually born at all. From what Haibara could tell it looked fine, but they both knew that wasn't much of an indication of anything.

"You're getting upset again."

"I can't help it." He mumbled helplessly. "Every time I think about it I—

"Everything at this point is completely out of your control." Ai, always the voice of reason. "Just relax. Would it help you if I said tightening yourself up like that was bad for your stomach muscles, and therefore squishing your baby?"

"H—Huh!?"

"I'm kidding." Her voice was so flat, for the life of him he couldn't tell whether she was being facetious or not.

He frowned. "It was a bad joke." Not to mention illogical. To that end though, the same could be said about everything in his life right now. Ai could say his hair would turn blue permanently and he'd be half inclined to believe her.

They lapsed into silence.

Footage of the latest minutes of the KID heist filtered in. A close up of Kaito's face, obscured by his hat and monocle, but the smirk was clearly visible as was the clarity of one bright azure iris, between strands of dark hair whipping in the wind. Shinichi's resolve faltered at the melancholic glimmer in the thief's eyes. It was already Eleven thirty—the time he claimed he would steal the jewel. But there he was, on the rooftop…not going anywhere, studying the crowd solemnly.

Shinichi swallowed.

He had a pretty good hunch as to why.

(Sometimes he hated how he was always right)

-x-

Kaito woke from his uneasy sleep with a low grumble, blinking blankly out at the classroom.

Then he scowled, feeling something stick attached to his forehead.

When he peeled the sticky note away and turned it over to look at it, he scowled further. In the familiar big, bold handwriting of a certain witch, read;

"KAITO. DON'T BE AN IDIOT."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He groused, looking around the classroom for the witch in question.

He was thankful for all her help, seriously, but he was not in the mood for this today—in the same way he wasn't in the mood for anything these days. And unfortunately, Akako was totally, one-hundred percent right.

Kaito was an idiot.

He thought it would be better this way.

It wasn't.

He didn't think he'd made a bigger mistake in his entire life. He didn't even know why he had said that—what did he want to happen, by telling the detective that?

He had found his breath completely taken away by this breathtaking boy, once again, and suddenly all his thoughts had left him as well, leaving him at the top of that silent tower with nothing but his raw feelings. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that this boy held his heart in his hands, and in that moment it seemed perfectly reasonable to tell him so.

How Shinichi thought about it, though, Kaito had no idea.

He probably would never know, either, considering he'd pushed the boy away immediately after. And Shinichi was anything but stupid; he could take a hint when it was thrown at him. He was fully aware when Kaito was pushing him away, and ever since that night he'd made sure to stay away.

In that moment, he'd decided the best option would be to let it end like that. They couldn't keep doing this to each other. Holding each other close and yet so far away.

All of a sudden he felt a hand whack him upside the head.

"A—Akako!" Kaito sputtered, with wide eyes.

She stared down at him, unimpressed.

"You were an idiot, weren't you?"

Kaito looked like he might argue with her on that one, before all the fight left him and he deflated.

"You don't need a satanic friend to figure that one out." He groused in agreement.

Akako pinched the bridge of her nose. "How do you two mess everything up, despite all my help?" She bemoaned.

Kaito scowled. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Do I have to make another visit to your detective? Are you both really this dumb? Or is it just you?"

Kaito sprawled upright at that, gaping. "Another visit?" He echoed. "What do you mean?"

Akako ignored him. "You know, I might seem perfect and omniscient and omnipotent all the time, but there's only so much I can do. The rest is up to you two."

Kaito frowned at her. "What are you talking about?"

Akako looked deeply aggrieved. "Your future," she said, impatiently. "Is changing."

Kaito blinked. "…And?"

"And, that's not good!" She retorted, before pausing, as if something occurred to her. She frowned slightly. "Or… is it? I don't know, Kaito. What do you want in your future?"

Kaito stared up at her, mirroring her frown. "I… Well…" What did he want?

Akako sighed, plopping herself onto the side of his desk. Above them the school bell chimed yet again, reminding all students that the school day was over. Neither Akako nor Kaito acknowledged it.

"For a while now, I've been seeing a few different futures." She began, folding her arms. "And only one of them ends with you and that detective boy together. And quite frankly, it's also the one with the slimmest chance of succeeding."

Kaito's eyes widened.

"However, for a while now it's seemed like it would work out anyway," she continued, sighing. "I'm not sure what changed. But you show up one day looking as if someone has taken away all the sunshine in your world, and the next thing I know, that future is gone entirely."

Kaito leaned back in his chair, stunned. He blinked again, before frowning deeply. "So… it's over?" He murmured, looking forlorn.

"It doesn't have to be." Akako stressed, leaning closer until she could poke him in the chest. "Fuck the future. The future is what you make of it, not necessarily what I see in my head. You can change it back if you want to… but you have to be willing to want it. You have to try."

Kaito nodded wordlessly, still looking deep in thought.

Akako leaned back then, raising one cool, manicured brow. "Well? Are you going to try? Or are you going to let things end this way?"

Kaito's gaze flickered up to her.

"Let's do it." He said, determined.

Akako smirked, pleased to see a familiar fire light in the thief's eyes—one that had been missing these past few days.

She very casually left out the fact that it took two people to create the future he wanted, and she had a feeling Shinichi would make it happen regardless of what Kaito did. But it was better to stack the cards in your favor, wasn't it? May as well give the thief some motivation as well.

-x-

"Are you going to tell me why I'm here?" Shiho drawled, bored.

"Moral support." Shinichi retorted, in a clipped tone.

Shiho stared at him coolly. "You need moral support from a six year old child?"

"Don't try to pull that on me, Shiho," Shinichi snorted. "Anyway, I just need you to be here unless I need an… expert's explanation."

Ai spared him a narrowed glance at that. "Why would you need my explanation?"

Shinichi shrugged, keeping his gaze steadfastly forward. "I'm telling him."

For a moment, Ai said nothing, walking silently beside him in the direction of the Miraki building, in the heart of downtown. Then she squawked.

"You're telling him?!" She repeated, eyes wide.

Shinichi nodded grimly.

They were silent once again, as Shiho turned a stunned gaze to the quiet street around them. She definitely hadn't expected that. Shinichi had been ostricthing his way out of his feelings ever since this whole debacle started, and she'd assumed she would either have to leave him as is or eventually pull his head out of the sand.

To be honest, he'd done an admirable job handling himself thus far. She doubted many people could handle this situation the way Shinichi did—both with stoic grace and sullen defeat, although she wasn't even sure how he managed that either—especially when adding Kaito KID into the mix. Shiho hadn't told Shinichi about her conversation with high-schooler Kuroba Kaito. She didn't want to get too mixed up in their affairs, and for some inexplicable reason she expected the thief to do right by Shinichi. The boy looked stupidly in love with the detective, after all.

"I just… I know it's over," he said, sounding oddly vacant. "But I don't think I could live with myself without telling him."

Ai scrutinized him, frowning. "Why do you think it's over?"

Shinichi shrugged, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets. "Because there's nothing left," he said, vaguely. "There's nothing left for us. I don't think I can do this anymore, you know, all the secrets and silence and, you know, total lack of commitment."

Ai made a noise of understanding. "You want more."

Shinichi nodded miserably. "But there is no more." He conceded. "This is it. This is all I can ask for. So it's better this way."

The young blonde girl gave the detective a long look, frown deepening. The silence bled into distant noise as they neared the scene of tonight's heist.

"What if there was more?" Ai asked, hesitantly.

"Like what?" Shinichi returned, lifelessly.

Ai looked away, brow creasing thoughtfully. "Ask me again after the heist," she decided on. "If tonight doesn't work out the way you want it to, ask me again."

Shinichi's blank gaze melted into a curious look at that, but Shiho refused to elaborate. If Shinichi and that stupid thief didn't work out their problems tonight, than Shiho would strong arm them both out of their own stupidity.

Shinichi left Ai in the crowd with Ran and Sonoko, avoiding Ran's worried gaze as he fled into the night.

He felt nervous in a way he hadn't in a long time, as he used the maintenance elevator to climb to the top of the building.

The Miraki company's new headquarters was actually a trio of buildings connected by skywalks the next block over. KID's note had hinted that he would descend from the center and drop down into the courtyard where the gem was being held. The way he'd phrased it would have most people assuming the thief would stay in the building complex. In reality he would be conducting the whole heist from the former Miraki headquarters, just a short walk away.

Shinichi shook his head with a sad smile. How typical. The thief just loved to pull stunts like this, knowing full well it would infuriate the police when they realized how easily he'd played them.

He really ought to stop messing with them so much, Shinichi thought, as the elevator carried him up the side of the building, giving him a wide breathtaking view of the city streets below. The city might not mind him so much, and the crowds might love him, but that was no reason to give them so much trouble.

Then again, he supposed that was half the reason these heists were so entertaining.

The detective shook his head, then. What business was it of his, now? He wasn't part of the investigations anymore, and after tonight, he and the thief would no longer have any business together.

The thought made him maudlin as he exited the elevator, tugging his jacket close around him as he was buffeted by the cool night air.

Shinichi blinked, finding himself unwillingly impressed.

A garden rooftop.

He strolled around with an impressed eye, privately wondering why the thief never bothered to pick one of these before. They were all the rage with the environmentalists, popping up all over the place around the city. Shinichi had never actually been on one, and he had to say, it was far superior to the rooftops Kaito normally chose.

He walked around the center fountain, sharp gaze catching on an almost unnoticeable post, holding up hanging flower beds. Nestled on the top was one beady camera eye, surveying the whole roof. Ah, that was probably why he never bothered with these fancy buildings. They tended to actually care about security.

Shinichi wondered why he'd picked this building tonight, then.

He eventually made his way to the patio tables, a glinting light on one of the tables catching his eye.

He wandered over to it, somewhat surprised to find it was a gem KID had stolen previously. The thief was using it as a paperweight for a note held underneath it. Shinichi picked it up with wide eyes.

Don't leave just yet.

It said, the note unsigned.

It didn't need to be signed. Shinichi put it back down on the table, frowning slightly. It was clear KID had anticipated his attendance.

Shinichi felt his stomach flip over. Maybe KID wanted to get some closure, too.

It was only fair, the detective reasoned. KID was just as caught up in this as Shinich was. The detective closed his eyes, feeling his heart constrict as he remembered the thief's words from all those nights ago. Kaito deserved to have a chance to say what he wanted to say as well.

Even if Shinichi didn't want to hear it.

-x-

The following week found Kaito making an elaborate display, creating such a large event that the police had no choice but to air it on every channel, every radio station, every newspaper, until there was no one who didn't know of the infamous Kaito KID's next plan. After careful decoding, the police were able to decipher that the thief would be striking on the full moon that was set for that Wednesday, setting his sights on the illustrious and luxurious "Prestige" a whopping jewel the size of a fist.

Kaito had no intentions with the jewel.

He had every intention with Kudo Shinichi.

Shinichi just didn't know it yet.

The detective checked his watch again. Two hours had gone by. He couldn't remember the last time he'd stayed up so late. It was quite unlike the thief to host a heist so late into the evening—or so early into the morning, rather. His peak attendance tended to level out in the early evening, so unsurprisingly the majority of his heists tended to take place during those hours.

A midnight heist was rather anomalous.

A two in the morning heist, even more so.

Shinichi sighed, shaking his head.

Maybe KID wasn't coming. Maybe he'd gotten held up, for once in his life. Maybe the police were finally doing their damn job.

Maybe he'd gotten cold feet.

What business was it of his, anymore?

Shinichi looked away from the view, feeling his eyes burn a bit, and cursing himself for it. Whatever. This was stupid. He should get back down there and find Haibara before she fell asleep on her own feet. If she was even still down there. Most likely the scientist had gotten fed up hours ago and left, like the rest of the crowd should have done.

He paused by the entrance to the elevators, turning around to lean against the door and spare one last look into the dazzling lights beyond.

He would miss these views. He would miss the way the brilliant lights lit up against the thief's form, obscuring his features, turning him into a painting of night and movement; the way everything felt so removed up here, where nothing could touch them. The way it felt to stand up here with the thief right next to him.

"It's a breathtaking view."

"Isn't it?" Shinichi stared out into the distant lights, the unfurling crowd beneath them sprawled out like a sea of lights, twinkling as brightly as the night sky above.

"I wasn't talking about the city."

Shinichi's chest seemed to shrink in on itself. The detective bit his lip, slowly turning around to face the thief.

He looked dashingly handsome—as always. Shinichi wished he didn't have to notice that now.

Kaito titled his head. "You weren't planning on leaving early, were you?"

Shinichi didn't even bother to deny that, looking away with a complicated expression.

"Shinichi…"

The boy turned to him with wide, grave eyes. He bit his lip. "Sorry…" He said, quietly. "I just…I didn't know if you wanted to see me."

Kaito was at a loss for words for a moment. Then he just shook his head, smiling sadly. "I always want to see you," he confessed, and yet, it sounded so disconsolate.

Shinichi just shrugged. "I figured you weren't coming."

Kaito looked surprised. "Not at all," he assured. "I was held up."

Shinichi's face split into a disbelieving smile. "The police actually managed to give you trouble?"

"You may have been onto something when you said my exits were getting sloppy." KID shrugged. "In my defense though, I was a bit preoccupied."

Shinichi's good humor left him at that. His smile fell away. "You were looking for me, then?"

"Yes." The thief's answer was immediate. "I… couldn't let that be the last time I saw you."

Shinich nodded wordlessly, finding himself unable to come up with anything to say.

Kaito stepped closer, until he was once again in the detective's space. Shinichi let him, despite the fact half of him wanted to push the thief away, while the other half wanted to pull him closer.

"You don't have to say anything," the thief began, quietly. "Just listen."

Shinichi stared up at him in surprise, nodding slowly. "Okay." He agreed, softly.

"If you don't want to continue this anymore, I completely understand, because to be honest, I don't really either." Kaito started, much to Shinichi's dismay. He'd known this was coming though, hadn't he? He'd prepared himself for this. Or he thought he had. Shinichi closed his eyes.

"I—I want to see you all the time, not just when I want to steal something." He continued, causing Shinichi's gaze to snap open in shock. "I want to be with you, all the time. Don't get me wrong, I still want what we have now… I just want more."

His hand brushed against Shinichi's cheek, turning the detective's wide gaze towards his own. "I want you, Shinichi." His burning blue gaze was so intense, it seemed to sear away at all the thoughts in the detective's head.

"Kaito…" Shinichi started, slowly.

It was on the tip of his tongue to agree—to admit that he felt the exact same way. But a bigger part of him reminded him of all the reasons it couldn't happen, regardless of what they both wanted.

He closed his mouth, gazing up at the thief regretfully. "You don't even know me." He pointed out, quietly.

"I don't?" Kaito returned, grinning.

Shinichi's gaze flickered up to him, nonplussed.

"I think I know more than you know." The thief continued, making Shinichi frown with irritation.

"I don't care what you think you know," he rolled his eyes. "There's just too much—

"What happened to Conan?"

Shinichi sucked in a breath, eyes widening.

"You…" He swallowed with no small amount of difficulty. "What are you—

"Isn't it funny that the day he left, was the day I met you?" The thief mused, still grinning.

Shinichi searched his eyes, which were, for once, completely open to his interpretation. Truthful, genuine. He wasn't playing games.

"How did you find out?" He wondered, eventually.

"You're friend Shiho."

"Ai-chan?" A puzzled, startled look on the detective's face.

Ai-chan? Oh…that other girl had called her something like that.

"Why would she tell you?" He asked, genuinely perplexed.

Kaito shrugged. "She said you genuinely cared for me." Or something like that. "I guess she wanted me to know."

"That's not really her place to say." The detective grumbled under his breath. Even if it was totally true. And it would certainly explain why she hadn't kicked up that much of a fuss when he'd asked her to tag along—and why she had requested he speak to her after he had this conversation with the thief, regardless of the outcome.

Way to stack the deck in your favor, Ai-chan.

Kaito sighed.

"We haven't really been very upfront with each other, have we? We've both kept our secrets."

Shinichi bit his lip, looking away. He was quiet for a moment, and the silence terrified Kaito. His hands gripped the boy tighter, as if unwilling to let him go.

But he knew he would, if that was what Shinichi wanted.

He'd have to let go.

"I would never ask you to tell yours to me," Shinichi confessed, in a small voice. "Not if you didn't want to."

Kaito paused for a moment, before gently tugging the detective's chin, until the other boy had to reluctantly bring his gaze towards his own. "What if I wanted to?"

Shinichi blinked, shock covering his features. He swallowed. "Then… then I guess I'd want to know."

He stared deeply into Kaito's eyes. "…Would you tell me?"

"I'd tell you anything you want." Kaito replied, earnestly. "I don't want secrets anymore. You can ask anything you like."

Shinichi looked away, features inscrutable in the dim light. He turned back to Kaito with glowing eyes. "Why don't you ever call me?"

Kaito blinked, not expecting that. "Huh?" No demands for his identity? No questions on why he steals priceless gems? His aims? His motivations? This was his first question?

He looked down at the detective, who was blushing slightly. "I know you have my number." He added, mutinously. "You send me those stupid notes of yours often enough."

"They're not stupid, they're practically poetic!" He retorted on instinct, causing the detective to roll his eyes. Then he caught up to the rest of the detective's words. "And… well, yes, I do have it. But you never gave it to me."

Shinichi's gaze turned unimpressed. "You're a thief, aren't you? Since when do you ask for permission to take anything?"

Kaito grinned. "Since I met you."

Shinichi just shook his head, exasperated. Then his irritated expression gave way to something far softer. "You can call me… you know." He whispered, quietly. "Whenever you want to."

Kaito found himself taken aback by the quiet confession. He smiled softly. "Ok."

"And you don't have to pull off some ridiculous heist every time you want to see me." He added, shaking his head. "You can see me without stealing things; the city would probably thank you."

The thief said nothing for a moment. "As Kaito KID?" He asked, quietly. "Or as myself?"

Shinichi blinked, blindsided by the question.

"Either." He answered, after he'd gotten over his surprise. He looked to the thief questioningly. "Would you want to?" He asked, nervously.

"I always want to see you." Kaito answered, simply.

Shinichi's mouth parted open slightly, his eyes going wide. "Oh." Then he smiled. "Me too."

They stared at each other for a moment; Shinichi couldn't read anything into his expression, but all the same it was so intense and overwhelming he felt like he had to say something to break the silence. "So, no more stealing jewels then, right?" He said, smiling slightly.

"Hmm… yeah, maybe not." Kaito returned, pretending to think about it.

Shinichi shook his head, not surprised in the least with that answer. He leaned in to give the thief a quick peck on the lips, one the thief eagerly returned.

When he pulled away, he was holding the jewel in his hands, smirking.

Kaito looked down at his empty pocket, and then at the detective. "Are you sure you're not the thief here?"

"You fall for it every time." Shinichi rolled his eyes. "And I thought your invitation said you weren't stealing any jewels this time."

"I can't help it." He protested. "It's big. And shiny."

"Why do you steal them?" Shinichi asked carefully, as he tucked the colossal item in his coat pocket—an action Kaito didn't protest in the least. "Jewels, I mean. You always return them."

"Because I'm a thief. That's what I do."

Shinichi spared him a nonplussed expression, crossing his arms.

"I'm searching for something." Kaito hedged, not wanting to tell the truth, but not wanting to lie. He'd never actually had to explain it to anyone before, but all the same he meant what he'd said; he didn't want any more secrets. And that included his own. And what kind of impression would he be making if he didn't answer the question? He knew all of Shinichi's secrets. Conan's. To think, that his Tantei-kun and his Shinichi were one in the same. If that wasn't fate, he didn't know what was.

"Immortality." Shinichi echoed, from what seemed like a lifetime ago.

Kaito nodded. "Sort of." He pulled the boy closer, one hand in his soft, feathery hair. "It's called the Pandora Jewel. In the light of the full moon, it's supposed to glow red, and reveal a hidden gem inside it."

"A doublet?" Shinichi mumbled against his shoulder.

"Yes. It's supposed to shed tears of immortality during the reign of a certain comet."

Shinichi hummed thoughtfully against his shoulder. "And what do you plan to do when you find this, Pandora Jewel?"

"Destroy it." He answered immediately.

They lapsed into silence. Shinichi thought the whole thing very noble of the thief. Of course, that wasn't to say that the thief was some sort of knight in shining armor. He could be a downright arrogant asshole whenever he wanted to, he drove the police crazy, he was perverted, and could be kind of a jerk—never to Shinichi, but mainly to the police, and his fans—at times. But it was so damn obvious to see he that wasn't all he was. He was more than just a thief.

Shinichi pulled away from him slightly, not enough to actually leave the circle of his arms, but enough smile up at him. "Thank you," he said, smiling. "For telling me."

Kaito shrugged. "I wanted to… explain it, I guess. I don't want secrets anymore."

He wondered what was the right way to say this. Kaito had never been good with words, and he certainly had never been one for tact. His relationship with a certain detective stood in testimony of that.

"Listen, Shinichi…" He trialed off when the detective's bright gaze settled on him fully, feeling a little overwhelmed. He steeled his determination, that same blue gaze both intimidating him and pushing him forward.

"Yeah?" Shinichi replied, shaky and uneven. The thief might not know it, but he was having the same effect on the detective as Shinichi was having on him.

"I want you to be mine, okay? I meant what I said. I want everything about you."

His chest felt tight, his stomach tied in knots. The feeling only got progressively worse the longer Shinichi didn't reply. The boy's gaze was focused on the ground, an inscrutable expression on his features.

"Could you…" He finally looked up; the full bloom of sky colored eyes took the thief by siege. "Could you say it again?"

"Say what?" Kaito asked nervously, feigning ignorance.

Shinichi flushed. "What you told me… last time."

Kaito flushed. "I—I love you." Shinichi's gaze flickered to his face. There was nothing but sincerity in those blue eyes.

He stepped closer to the boy, enveloping him in warm arms. "I want you to be mine, Shinichi. "

Shinichi melted into the warm embrace, loving the way they seemed to fit together so perfectly, the way the thief kissed him so soundly. Kaito broke away to trail kisses down his neck, fixating at the hollow of his throat. There'd be another mark by the morning. Every time one would fade, there was another, just as demanding, just as claiming.

"I already am." Shinichi scoffed, but he was smiling. The thief didn't need to mark him to prove it, either.

The thief had him leaning backwards into the table so suddenly Shinichi had hardly noticed, one hand in the tousled hair, the other grappling at the table, where the thief's hat and monocle had fallen haphazardly. Had he already taken them off? Shinichi couldn't be bothered to care either way. They wrestled for dominance, the detective trying to gain balance as he was pushed back further onto the table. He ended up colliding with the vase of flowers.

The flowers immediately tumbled to the floor, vase shattering, petals carried away in the pooling water.

"Shit." Kaito mumbled in Shinichi's mouth, hands already attempting to work down the buttons of his coat—why were there both buttons and a zipper?!

"Fuck the flowers." Shinichi waved him off, pulling him closer until the two fell backwards onto the table.

The two pulled apart and watched each other, catching their breath.

And then Kaito was already on him again, mouth relentless against his and tongue working magic, pulling him flush against him and they were really just about to get to the good part when Shinichi pushed him back.

"Kaito—hold on." He was panting breathlessly, looking quite stricken and almost miserable.

Kaito was immediately concerned.

"We can't…" Another breath, and a shaky intake. Kaito had both hands holding protectively to the boy's forearms, hoping he wouldn't fall limp to the ground. Was he getting sick again? "This relationship you want… we can't…" Shinichi took another breath. "There's really something I need to tell you."

"Anything." He responded, hastily, breathlessly.

He had thought that to make this relationship work, he'd be doing all the talking, and he'd have to plead with Shinichi to accept him. He hadn't thought that, perhaps, the boy had other secrets aside from Conan.

Shinichi looked away, hands grasped into the fabric of Kaito's coat and face flushed, brows knit and eyes light and Kaito's concern increased ten fold when he could see the watery sheen in those perfect sky blue eyes.

"Did Haibara tell you about…the Apotoxin?"

Kaito tilted his head, a fixture of worry, concern, helplessness and the unrelenting need to brush the boy's fears away mounting in his stomach and finding an outlet in rubbing his thumbs on Shinichi's forearms.

"Yeah, why?"

"She probably didn't tell you… one of its side effects, did she?" His eyes drew back to him, and there was a wide, fixation of fear and alarm a dreading of what—Kaito's reaction?

"Just the one about body size." Kaito became increasingly more worried by the second, a feat he wouldn't have thought possible considering how concerned he was now. "What's wrong, Shinichi?"

"I'm—

If Shinichi was at a loss for words, there was a desperate problem.

His hand made his way into the inside of his shirt, to the warm but unremarkable skin underneath. He could hardly consider it a bump, just a very insignificant curve in what used to be the flat lines of his stomach. Reluctantly, he brought Kaito's to do the same. The thief was alarmed by the pure terror in Shinichi's expression, how he wouldn't meet the thief's eyes, how he looked so small and frightened, as if he expected Kaito to run. His brows creased in concern, and he was just about to ask what was wrong when—

His breath left him.

His hands trembled against the warm skin of the detective's stomach.

There was a—a movement. Not like a kick or anything as grand, just a slight stirring, like something small but no less important—

A thousand emotions and a millennium's worth of words left him and struck him like a whirling maelstrom that couldn't even possibly be described. There was just an overwhelming tidal wave of surprise and confusion.

"Pregnant." The boy finished after a moment, but all Kaito could hear was a ringing silence against the movement of flush lips.

His eyes trailed with wonder from their hands entwined on his stomach, to the detective's face. His expression was fearful, he stared back at Kaito with a gaze full of trepidation, but behind that was a cautious and calculative look, as if he was already expecting the thief's answer.

Well, that would make one of them at least, because as of now Kaito didn't know his answer.

Kaito didn't even know what to say.

He hoped that kissing the other boy senseless would at least convey some of his thoughts, and perhaps relieve the onslaught of emotions that had taken him by storm.

It helped.

Sort of.

They broke away, and Shinichi's eyes fluttered open. "You're not mad…?" He asked, dazedly.

Kaito shook his head vehemently. "Why would I be mad?" His eyes softened. "Of course I'm not mad, this isn't a bad thing… It's just…. Surprising, is all."

Shinichi was looking up at him with wide, open eyes and Kaito didn't know what to say. Again. The detective really had that effect on him.

He swallowed, smiling sheepishly. "And a bit confusing, maybe." He added, after a beat.

Shinichi blinked once, looking both incredulous and amused. "That might be an understatement." He acknowledged, before frowning thoughtfully. "I—I don't really know how to explain it. The Apotoxin is permanent, and irreversible."

Kaito's eyes widened at that. Permanent?! Had that little girl covered this already? She might have, but for some reason hearing it from Shinichi made it sound all the worse.

"So in order to undue it, I had to re-create all my DNA from the ground up." He rubbed the back of his head. "Ai-chan said there are a lot of things that can go wrong with that, so I should be thankful this is all that happened."

His chest constricted at the idea of something happening to Shinichi. Something other than—than this. He pulled the boy closer, studying him with a slight frown. "But you're okay? Right? You're not—" He swallowed, fearful. You're not going to die, are you?

But he couldn't manage to make the words come out of his throat. The idea was too terrifying to contemplate. And quite honestly, since he'd learned what happened to Shinichi, it was a plausibility that kept turning in his thoughts no matter how much he tried to avoid it. The thought haunted his dreams, his thoughts, his waking hours; what if Shinichi was dying? What if he was sick—really sick, not just a cold or whatever Ran had shrugged it off as, but something actually deadly, something caused by the antidote, or the actual toxin itself, or a thousand other things.

"Nothing's like, really wrong though, right?"

He shook his head, smiling. "No, nothing life threatening."

Kaito breathed a sigh of relief, holding him closer.

"You know," The detective began, still in a dazed stupor, hands reaching to draw into tousled, dark hair and trail down the side of the thief's face. "I don't think I ever got your name."

Kaito flushed.

He had completely forgotten about the subject of his identity.

(But really, who could blame him?)

"I'm Kuroba Kaito," He said with a flourish, bowing slightly and producing a bouquet of pristine white roses. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance." He handed them to the boy sitting on the table.

Shinichi took them gingerly, smiling slightly. The thief thought he was so clever, didn't he? They appeared to have been conjured out of thin air, but Shinichi knew they'd actually just surreptitiously been picked up from where they'd fallen to the floor.

Then he looked up, staring into a pair of vaguely familiar blue eyes. His eyes widened when he realized the thief had managed to completely change his appearance while Shinichi was distracted by the flowers—in front of him was a boy his age, dressed in a high school uniform. He blinked, stunned at the transformation. He couldn't be any older than Shinichi. He certainly didn't look it, uniform and all. And he also looked oddly familiar…

"Have we met before?" He asked, with no small amount of wonder.

Kaito could have laughed if he wasn't so relieved.

"I think so." He grinned back, pulling the boy closer so that his hands could press into the small of his back, a swift movement that had the detective once again flush against him, where he should be.

"Kaito—!" The boy gasped in surprise.

He called him Kaito.

And he knew it was his name.

The thought made him even more giddy.

The protest fell on deaf ears as the thief dropped to his knees and pressed an ear to Shinichi's stomach, unmoving, eyes closed, grabbing the detective gently by the hips to bring him even closer. Shinichi made a vague protest, but ultimately didn't stop him.

Eventually he turned his head back to plant a soft kiss to the skin of his abdomen, before drawing himself back up to his feet.

Shinichi smiled softly at the roguish grin on the boy's face. He looked more then ecstatic, glowing, even, pressing his hands into Shinichi's sides as if he really wasn't quite sure he was dreaming.

"It's crazy, isn't it?" He said airily.

Kaito shook his head, that smile still stuck on his face. "Nah, it's a miracle."