Conan was dimly aware of various medical professionals interrupting his sleep several more times throughout the night, but he paid it no mind. He really was too familiar with hospitals by now.

But alas, as usually happens, the night eventually insisted on becoming morning. For unknown reasons, the nurses chose to inflict this bad news upon them by leaving the fluorescent lights on in their stark windowless room after yet another 'medically necessary' check up. When Conan found that he could no longer fall back asleep, he begrudgingly sat up, yawning and stretching his uninjured shoulder.

"Morning Shinichi dearest! You look happy – did you dream about me~?" Kaito greeted him immediately, already unreasonably chipper for this time of day. Conan shot him a glare. Though pleased to see that his friend was significantly more coherent after more sleep, Conan had been sort of hoping that the whole flirting thing was just a side effect of the drugs and sleep-deprivation. Evidently not.

"I'm not happy at all," Conan lied, dodging the rest of the question. "Maybe we should have the doctors check you for brain damage."

"They're welcome to try, if they dare~" Kaito replied. Then his playful attitude faded to concern. "What about you? Your head is bandaged," he asked, lightly tapping his own head in the same spot.

Conan instinctively brought a hand up and winced when his fingers brushed against the bump he'd earned by slamming into the wall and having the stupid grappling hook fall on him. "It's nothing," he said hastily.

Kaito frowned, then noticed the bruising on Conan's neck and immediately stiffened in anger. "What are those marks on your neck?!"

"It's fine. Like I said, I took a few hits," he replied with nonchalance, subconsciously crossing his arms defensively.

"That is not just a 'hit'! You were strangled, Meitantei!"

"Ohh, look who knows so much. Why'd you even ask then?"

"Who did this to you?!"

"Doesn't matter – he's in jail now," he answered through another yawn, then purposely slouched back into his pillows and tried for a change of topic. "I could really go for some coffee right about now…"

Kaito looked like he still very much wanted to discuss the strangling, but, after another moment of apparent internal debate, he sighed and shook his head and offered Conan a teasing grin. "Yeah, well, good luck with that, darling. No doctor is going to let you anywhere near caffeine with that head injury."

"Then you could order a coffee and hand it to me when they're not looking," Conan suggested, only half joking.

"Oh? And what will you do for me in return, hmm?" Kaito asked him, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Ugg, never mind! Creep."

Kaito just laughed at him, such a happy and comfortable sound that Conan felt his irritation slipping away against his will. As a diversion, he snatched up the remote from the bedside table and turned on the TV that was mounted to the wall across from their beds.

—

Not long after the nurses had taken their breakfast trays away, the door opened again to admit a woman with shoulder-length brown hair who rushed directly to Kaito without sparing a glance for anything else.

"Oh hey Mom, what's up?" Kaito greeted her casually.

"Kaito!" she gasped, full of emotion, and grabbed his face in her hands. "What were you thinking?! Why didn't you tell me what you were planning?! I was so worried! I'm so relieved! I'm angry with you! I can't believe it! Just— Kaito!" she exclaimed, unable to articulate her complex internal struggle. She then sighed heavily and kissed the top of her son's head. "I'm glad you're alive," she said.

"Nice to see you too," he answered with a chuckle. "Yeah, um, surprise? Sorry, the showdown was kind of a spur of the moment thing, so I didn't get a chance to tell you first. So anyway, how was Tuscany? Bring me any souvenirs?"

Anger flashed across her face, then exasperation, then weariness, then finally she exhaled deeply and settled into the chair by his bed, with her back to Conan and full attention still on Kaito. "No, I didn't bring you anything. Now tell me everything. How are you feeling?"

"Just swell!" he announced cheerfully, so absolutely sure of himself that one might be tempted to believe that all those bandages were just for show. "You really didn't have to come all this way just to check on me. I've had worse," he shrugged.

"That's not why I'm here," she answered with deep gravity in her tone. He raised an eyebrow in silent request for elaboration, so she continued. "Aren't you aware of the situation you're in?"

Kaito made a show of looking around the room airily, then raised his hands palms-up in an exaggerated gesture and replied, "Well, it looks like a hospital."

"Your legal situation," she clarified darkly. "Don't you know? I had to get through a security checkpoint just to be allowed back here to see you."

He let out a long slow breath, not angry or upset, and offered her a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, I know," he said simply. "It's ok."

"No, it's not ok!" she snapped, and the railings on Kaito's bed creaked unhappily at the force of her sudden grip on them. "You can't give up so easily! We're going to fight this!"

"That's just not possible," he told her gently. "If it were only the heist notice, I might've been able to talk my way out of it. But the footage of me appearing on national TV to announce the showdown is too easy to verify. Kaitou KID set up the showdown, and Kuroba Kaito had to be rescued from it. Plus, if Snake is in custody, he'll surely tell them about Dad, and once they have reasonable suspicion, it's trivial to confirm it. Even Nakamori-keibu could figure it out at that point."

Chikage hung her head, shoulders trembling slightly. Her son reached out to gently tap her shoulder.

"Hey, it's fine. Really," he assured her. "It was always a possibility. As long as it's just me, I don't mind."

"I mind! There has to be something we can do!" she cried out. He shrugged helplessly, and she shook her head to ward off her tears. "Is there no one who can help? What about that detective of yours?" she suggested desperately, clearly grasping at straws. "You're always going on about what great friends you are, and how 'unstoppable' he is, and how much you li—"

Kaito cleared his throat loudly, sat up a little straighter, and spoke in a slightly too controlled voice. "Sure, we can ask him. What do you think, Shinichi?"

Chikage froze. Conan froze. Chikage slowly twisted in the chair to look behind her. Conan fought the sudden instinctive urge to flee for his life.

They had only ever interacted once, months ago, via webcam, when Chikage was in a good mood and thought Conan was someone else. Meeting her as himself, up close, in person, with her emotions spilling out all over the place like this, was truly terrifying. Up to this point, he'd managed to avoid detection by impersonating an inanimate object, hopelessly hoping that she couldn't see him if he didn't move. And now the dumb thief was practically telling her to look at him, like an absolute traitor.

"It's ok, Mom, he already knows everything," Kaito quickly explained.

"Define, 'everything,'" she replied in a suspiciously calm tone.

"Everything," he told her pointedly, raising his eyebrows even though she still refused to tear her gaze away from Conan.

"And how does he know 'everything'?" she asked, making Conan's blood run cold. He was not ready to tell her about how he'd impersonated her son, broken into her home, and tricked her into giving away all of their family secrets herself. Maybe they could all laugh about it someday. But that day was not today.

"Because I told him everything," Kaito lied without missing a beat, giving her a resolute look when she turned to face him. They held each other's gaze in some tense, unspoken argument for a few moments, until Chikage broke off and returned to staring icily at Conan.

"So, my son foolishly decided to trust you despite my warnings, and in return, you got him arrested," she stated, entirely ignoring Kaito's resulting protests and steamrolling ahead. "You have to fix this. Don't forget that we have leverage against you as well, so—"

"Mom! Stop! Just stop!" Kaito exclaimed forcefully, with a level of anger Conan had never heard from him before. "You're wrong! I'm the one who got myself into this situation, and he's been nothing but kind and helpful towards me! And he's already done enough for us – more than enough! Just look at the injuries he got from saving me! Look at his neck! You can't ask for more than that!"

"Stay out of this, Kaito! We both know that you're not capable of thinking clearly when it comes to him," she snapped, then demanded of Conan, "You have to help him."

"Um…" Conan's hands twisted nervously in his lap as he struggled to think of a suitable answer. It was difficult trying to find something accurate to say despite not knowing the conclusion of the matter himself, while also allowing him to keep his head attached to his shoulders after this.

"Please," Chikage added more quietly, her voice suddenly breaking to reveal the fear and hurt that had driven her anger from the start. Conan looked up at her in shock and saw that Kaito was also watching tensely for his reaction. He desperately wished that he had anything concrete to offer them.

"Well…" Conan began delicately, "I know a really good lawyer…"

"'A good lawyer'?!" she exclaimed in distaste, offended by the very idea. "That is not the kind of help we need!"

"I mean, she's… really good…" Conan said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"This—" Chikage started, but was cut off by Kaito.

"That's great news," Kaito declared firmly. "Thank you, Shinichi. I'd love an introduction to your lawyer."

"…um, you're welcome," he muttered uncomfortably, deciding that this was probably not the best time to complain about the presumptuous use of his first name, but making a mental note to address it later.

Chikage turned to Kaito again, but he shot down whatever further protests she might have. "We're watching cartoons now," he announced in a tone that left no room for argument.

—

Watching cartoons together was significantly less fun now that Chikage was completely killing the mood with her ominous scowls that stifled all humor within a hundred-mile radius. The next few hours were… uncomfortable, to say the least. So Conan would've been grateful for the knock at the door, no matter who it was.

Needless to say, he was absolutely delighted when Kisaki Eri entered the room, her heels clicking loudly on the hard floor. She wore a sharp suit, carried a briefcase, and had perfect hair and makeup, but nonetheless struggled to maintain a professional appearance due to her barely repressed triumphant smirk.

"Good morning, Conan-kun. And it's a pleasure to meet you, Chikage-san, Kaito-kun," she said.

"Hey, nice to meet you! Well, officially, that is~" Kaito answered with a cheeky grin. "So you're going to be my lawyer, Kisaki-san?"

Conan rolled his eyes at Kaito's blatant admission. Seriously, what sort of criminal greeted their defense attorney by confessing to spying on them just in case they ever wanted to steal the lawyer's identity for a jewel heist? Maybe they should go with an insanity plea.

A small smile was the only acknowledgement Eri gave to Kaito's remark, before answering his question plainly. "Dear boy, I have already been your lawyer for the past few months. Though I was not able to finalize the arrangements until last night."

"Did you get it, Kisaki-san?" Conan asked eagerly.

"Yes, I did," she replied, then gave in to the broad smile that she'd been holding back at the sight of Conan pumping his fist and yelling, "YES!"

Kaito had no idea what was going on, but seeing Conan happy was enough for him, so he brightened the room with a smile of his own. "What is it?" he asked jovially. "Do I get time off for good behavior already?"

"Well, I suppose one could phrase it that way. Though it's mostly thanks to a good deal of luck," she answered.

All three sets of eyes fixed intently on her: Conan in excitement, Chikage in apprehension, and Kaito just content to sit back and enjoy the show.

"Initially, my work on your case focused on your status as a minor and your occasional acts of altruism," she began. "Nevertheless, you still have a long list of offenses, from property damage to breaking and entering and resisting arrest. Even a pure motive is not enough to reduce your sentence by much.

"Your fight against the organization was the most important factor. It was an international group, with several members appearing on the Most Wanted lists of most developed countries. They were also closely related to an even larger and more dangerous syndicate. I discussed the matter with representatives from the FBI, CIA, MI6, Interpol, and a few others. They were willing to lend their support, but only if it could be objectively proven that your actions were directly effective in the fight against those organizations. At first, that was simply not possible.

"But last night, you played a pivotal role in bringing down the Japanese branch of the syndicate. The takedown also allowed the authorities to secure enough evidence to issue warrants for the remaining international members, who are being tracked down as we speak. But the real key to your case came from a very fortunate misunderstanding.

"As you may or may not be aware, Kudou Shinichi has been investigating that larger organization, code-named the Black Organization, during his absence over the last year. Because he was declared dead by two of their prominent agents, he is a key person of interest to the entire BO now that they believe that he survived their assassination attempt.

"And you, Kaito-kun, were mistaken for Kudou Shinichi by members of both organizations, leading to the successful arrest of two members of the BO last night. From the interrogations with those two agents, it's clear that they believe Shinichi-kun has been playing the role of Kaitou KID. This misconception will protect Shinichi-kun by allowing him to stay undercover in such a way that they won't be actively hunting him. It also provides an additional means to fight them by utilizing both the skills and reputation of KID. In light of this, the international security agencies are now desperate for your cooperation.

"The American government in particular is, well, how shall I put this…?" she said, trailing off uncertainly.

"Self-righteous and full of themselves?" Chikage filled in dryly.

"Demanding? Uncompromising? Overbearing?" Conan guessed.

"Think they own the world? Are the self-appointed arbiters of justice?" Chikage suggested.

"Can't take 'no' for an answer? Do whatever they want all the time and always get away with it?" Conan continued.

"American?" Kaito summarized, one eyebrow raised in cynical amusement.

Kisaki chuckled. "It seems you get the idea. At any rate, they have, uh… insisted on a deal with our own government. Kaito-kun will be issued back-dated papers, officially making him an undercover agent. His identity will remain secret from the general public, and his crimes pardoned, but in exchange, he will become an actual agent, assigned to cooperate with the FBI and Interpol indefinitely, until the BO is fully dismantled."

"And what happens after this 'indefinite' contract ends?" Chikage interrupted darkly.

"After that, simply put, the legal situation becomes murky. The international governments want full rights during the contract, but don't want to be involved with the litigation afterward. They were unable to agree on exact terms, so the contract does not actually specify what will happen. That means I will be able to negotiate everything in your favor. I'm sure Kaito-kun will receive more than a few job offers, likely very persistent ones, but he will have no legal obligation to accept any of them. That said, please do consider the choice carefully, as the contract is indefinite. Also keep in mind that the BO is a much more formidable enemy than the one you faced last night and has already persisted for generations."

When Kisaki finished, the silence was palpable. Conan watched Kaito in apprehension, knowing that it was a hefty price to pay for freedom. Chikage had gone pale, though whether in fear or surprise it was impossible to say. Kaito just gaped, jaw hanging open and eyes wide.

Conan clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly in his nervousness. Selfishly, he wanted Kaito to accept the deal. Yes, it was strategically a good move and would be extremely helpful, even game-changing, in the fight against the BO. But more than that… he had to admit to himself that he truly enjoyed working with the magician and wanted to continue doing so. Yet he could never ask anyone to voluntarily take on such a dangerous role, and part of him still resisted the idea of even suggesting it. It was only his unwavering confidence in Kaito's unparalleled skills that prevented Conan from lunging across the room to tear up the contract himself.

"Kaito?" Chikage prompted, causing him to snap out of his shock.

"This— this is fantastic!" he exclaimed, apparently forgetting about his injuries and the cast on his right arm as he flung his hands up in joy. "I was going to have to break out of jail to help fight those guys, and now you're telling me I can skip a few steps and just help?! And I get to be a real life secret agent? This is amazing! Do I get a cool codename too? Ah, this is the best! I can't believe it!" he said, beaming. The expression full of wonder and adoration that he directed at Conan right then could've melted steel. Conan had to hastily avert his eyes and lean forward to hug his knees to hide his expression.

Eri pulled some documents out of her briefcase and presented them to Kaito to sign, with Chikage also having to sign as his guardian.

After everything was finalized, she invited Chikage to join her for lunch. Then Eri shook Kaito's hand and promised to be in touch, and the two women left together.

The instant the door closed after them, Kaito flashed another brilliant grin at Conan. He might not have minded all that much, until the playful edge came back into Kaito's expression and Conan braced himself for another round of obnoxious teasing.

"Tantei-kun~," he began, with a very ominous mischievous tone, and yeah, this was about to get bad. "I had no idea you were such a romantic, my dear! But you know you didn't have to go to so much trouble just to ask me out, right? I would've said yes even if you hadn't repeatedly saved my life~"

Conan grit his teeth and let out a small growl. "You know that we're going to be working together now, right?"

"Yes?" Kaito blinked innocently at him.

"As in, with other people? On a team?"

"And?"

"And I'm saying that you really have to stop talking like that before someone hears you."

"Now why ever would I do that? You're just too adorable when you're flustered~" he smirked, still radiating so much contagious joy that it was impossible to be angry with him.

Conan made a noble effort anyway. "Ug! Dumb criminal! Why are you like this? Have you never been embarrassed in your life?"

"Of course not!" he chimed brightly. "Besides, what's there to be embarrassed about? Unless you mean your blatant obsession with me. You really have it bad, huh? It's cute~"

Conan shot him a dirty glare that quickly vaporized into a blank, deer-in-headlights expression at Kaito's next comment.

"Hey, Shinichi? Did Kisaki-san say that she's been working on this for 'months'?"

Conan didn't move a muscle. He was frozen in place with the cumulative effect of months worth of dreading this exact conversation. The investigation into Kaito's home had seemed like such a great idea at the time, and that whole conversation with Aoko was only supposed to be a harmless prank. He had gotten caught up in the moment, only thinking of how hilarious it was. But as soon as he'd decided not to arrest Kaito and belatedly realized that he considered him a friend, he'd immediately regretted the entire venture. Now it was an absolutely mortifying secret, and if anyone ever found out about it, he would simply die.

As far as Conan knew, Kaito had no idea that a temporary antidote even existed, so he was unlikely to guess what had happened. So Conan just needed to make sure he didn't give anything away…

"Which reminds me," Kaito said, tapping his chin in curiosity. "How did you manage to spy on me? I'm always very careful about that sort of thing."

Conan's trusty feigning-invisibility strategy that never failed to get him around crime scenes unnoticed was probably not going to work here. Not with Kaito boring into his very soul with those overwhelmingly indigo eyes of his. But maybe he'd get bored and forget all about it if Conan just stayed quiet long enough?

"It must've been before I 'met' you as myself at that heist. That's why you acted like you didn't know me, right?" Kaito mercilessly continued his casual musings.

Hmm, that was a very interesting spot on the wall over there. It looked exactly like the entire rest of the wall, except more interesting.

"Actually, you seemed really friendly with Aoko that time, which is unusual for you. You hadn't met her before, had you?"

You know what's even more interesting than the wall? The ceiling.

"Oh! Also, quick question, I was wondering how the guys who arrived after I fell asleep yesterday still managed to mistake me for you?"

Ok, time for drastic action: Conan blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Oh yeah? Well I was wondering what your mom was going to say about me before she realized I was here, and why you were so eager to cut her off before she could."

Kaito's eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened with what almost seemed like nervousness for a moment, and then he shattered the tension with another loud burst of laughter, a cheery noise that seemed to raise the temperature of the entire room. "Truce?" he asked joyfully, eyes sparkling in amusement.

"Truce," Conan agreed with a relieved sigh and a smile of his own. Kaito's cheer was seriously contagious; excessive exposure could really mess with a person.

"Great, then how about some TV? Personally, I find myself suddenly in the mood for a spy movie. What do you think, babe~?"

Authors Notes:

Next Up: Friends visit, and Conan finds he can't get away from Kaito even if he tries.