...

Naomasa didn't want to be here. He should be out trying to find leads on Izuku's whereabouts. His missing ward had been gone for days and no one had any leads. It wasn't just Izuku that was missing either. Aiden, the silver winged peregrine falcon had also disappeared. There was little doubt in his mind it returned to Izuku.

Every hero who had worked on bringing them in had been out searching for Izuku. They knew he cared for the child and would do anything to help him. The problem was that they were worried their own wards would take off too. So they had to set up a rotation on who would keep an eye on the kids.

Now however he was pulled into the case of Kaitou Kid. The main detective of the Phantom Thief case had asked for locals specifically. This meant as the senior detective Naomasa was brought in. Detective Nakamori was a good man and they had worked together before. Normally he would be happy with the distractions from his normal work. But he couldn't focus with Izuku still missing.

Nakamori was understanding for his part in it. He tried his best to keep Naomasa occupied and had his own informants keeping an ear out for information. That made him feel slightly better. If there was one thing about being part of the Police Force was that they looked out for their own.

One good thing about being on a Kaitou Kid investigation was it might just might lead him to his kid. Izuku had an interaction with Kid once before. It was a little past eleven in the evening now and they had less than an hour before Kid would show.

All around him were civilians in Kid memorabilia. It was suspicious that the store had all of this on hand. It made him want to question the owner but Nakamori held off. They would after Kid showed up not right now.

Naomasa was in plain clothes patrolling the crowds. He was looking for anyone who looked suspicious. So far it had been too crowded for him to pick anyone out.

A familiar screech sounded above him and Naomasa's head shot up. Far above him was a bird one that could have been ignored except when it turned in the sky its wings wished silver. Aiden. If Aiden was here that meant Izuku had to be as well. But where?

Onyx eyes scanned the crowd looking for familiar green hair. There were too many people and he couldn't see all of their faces. Many wore hoodies with the hood-up obscuring features. He had to be here though.

Into his comm, he said, "Nakamori, the King of Thieves is here."

Several colorful curses were given over the commlink. Then the man asked, "Are you sure? Did you see him?"

Naomasa glanced up at the circling falcon and said, "I'm positive. No one else has a bird like that. He's here somewhere."

...

This was stupid. Izuku knew it was stupid but Kaito didn't want to listen to him. He saw Aiden as another pair of eyes on the streets. So Izuku was walking through the crowded streets waiting for his moment with Aiden overhead. His partner was keeping an eye on their backs and would alert them if there was a problem.

Once Izuku thought he saw Tsukauchi in the crowd but that was impossible. There was no way the detective would still be looking for him. Not when he didn't want Izuku to begin with.

Carefully he made his way back around to the front of the crowd. Police were lined up stopping the crowd from getting too close to the tree. He eyed the tree where he planted the small explosives earlier. They weren't visible unless you knew exactly where to look. Everything was going exactly to plan.

In his ear, Kaito said, "Five minutes. Are you ready?"

"I'm in position," he muttered just loud enough to be heard on the comm.

"I'm also in position," came Jii's own voice.

That man was somewhere in the crowd as well. Izuku had not seen him during the last hour. He was even more skilled at hiding in plain sight than Izuku.

A screech caught his attention. He gave a quick discrete glance to the sky and saw Aiden circling. There wasn't anything in particular that he saw that could have caught his partner's attention. His guard was up even further now.

The two-minute warning was given a moment later. Aiden screeched again and this time he heard it. The humming sound of a helicopter was heading towards them. That would be the fake Kaitou Kid then. Interesting way to enter and likely exit the scene.

When his head came back down he noticed a dark-haired man staring at him. That was Detective Nakamori if he remembered correctly. He was Kaitou's constant chaser. Why was he staring at Izuku?

Izuku decided that it was time for him to move to a different position. If the detective recognized him it could end in trouble for him. He tried to slip back into the crowd as the one-minute warning sounded in his ear. The helicopter was coming closer and he could see a ladder extending down with a figure in white. That was the fake.

Around him, others began to notice the fake too. They began calling for Kid excited for him to steal the jeweled star. Izuku watched as the fake thief clumsily dropped onto the tree and nearly fell off. How they could think this was the real Kaitou Kid he didn't understand.

A quick glance around told him that several of the officers from the line had disappeared. Aiden screeched again before flying low around the tree. Izuku instantly understood. They had gotten inside of the tree. He could only hope they didn't disrupt the plan.

With fascination, he watched as the fake began to give a small speech before trying to get back on the ladder. Then hands come out and grabbed the man by his ankles. It only took seconds for the officers to secure him. The fake dropped the star forcing the owner to jump and grabbed it. Around him, sighs of disappointment could be heard. Everyone thought it was over.

Nakamori and the officers began drawing the fake down the tree. A small explosion went off at the top. It gave cover smoke and Kaito appeared. Confusion could be felt in the air now.

"Kid?!"

Kaito said in his usual show tone voice, "Merry Christmas, Detective Nakamori."

Around them, the crowd erupted. Instinctively they knew who the real Kid was. The fake didn't have the natural charisma that the real one had.

"Which is the real one?" Asked Nakamori.

The owner stumbled, "Impossible."

Kaito replied his lips twitching into a smile, "I came just as the advanced notice stated."

Nakamori said, "Impossible."

The true Phantom Thief said touching a hand to his top hat, "It's Christmas Eve, Detective Nakamori. A night where miracles can happen."

The females in the crowd became nearly unbearably loud at that point. Izuku hid a wince and tried not to cover his ears. Maybe he should have stayed on a nice rooftop. Far away from the loud humans milling about. Izuku grabbed the button that would set off the small explosives.

Nakamori growled, "With a cheesy line like that he must be the real Kid! Get him!"

Kaito interrupted, "Uh oh. How about I give you a Christmas present?"

Right as he snapped his fingers both Izuku and Jii hit their buttons. Small explosions went off all around the tree. It knocked the tree over so that it came crashing down onto the store. Once sure that he was done he began moving through the crowd. Staying any longer would be dangerous for him. It would likely end with him being caught.

Only to be stopped by a hand on his shoulder pulling him into an alleyway. A growl escaped Izuku as he spun to face the owner of the hand thinking it was Tsukauchi or another officer. Only to find a man who towered over him. He had to be over six feet tall. Like Izuku, he was wearing a dark hoodie and its hood was pulled up covering his face.

Izuku snapped, "Who are you? Let go!"

There was a rumbling laugh from the figure. Shining ice blue eyes caught his green ones. Izuku felt drawn into the eyes and as if he should know this man. His silence caused him to laugh again and a bright blush rose up his face.

Izuku opened his mouth to tell the man to go fuck himself until he caught sight of a pin. Unlike the others, he had seen it was not copper or silver. This one was exactly like the pin in his own pocket. Falcon inscribed into gold.

Gaping like a fish he knew who stood in front of him. This had to be the Thief Lord and Leader of the Phantom Thieves. Was this man angry with him? Glancing around he tried to find a way to escape. The problem was that he could only go back into the crowd. If Nakamori had recognized him that was where they would be looking. What was he supposed to do?

The man said with a small smile making its way onto his face, "I am the Thief Lord of the Phantom Thieves."

Izuku opened his mouth to tell the man to go fuck himself. Then his eyes trailed back to the pin. What did that mean?

The smile widened and Thief Lord said, "I have the answers you have been searching for. We should speak but not here. Too much of a chance of being overheard."

Almost as one, they glanced to the rooftop across the street. It was a clear spot that would allow them to see anyone who approached. It was also undamaged and allow for quick escapes should that be what Izuku decided.

Above them the dreary sky that had hung over them all finally let its contents fall. Light snow began to fall.