Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the twenty-seventh chapter of this story!
As per usual I offer sincere thanks to both my partner and NobodyInParticular123456 for doing awesome work with beta-reading this!
This chapter is much better thanks to you guys~!
But, without further ado...
Please enjoy and review!
The surface Kaito lay on was uncomfortably hard, but the warm, fluffy blanket covering most of his body more than compensated for the inconvenience. The tiny jabs he was subjected to at times didn't really disturb his slumber either. That is, until one of those pierced him in between his ribs, causing Kaito to groan and stir. He might have fallen back into the blessed oblivion of sleep, but the movement apparently caused the blanket to get excited, increasing the intensity of its jabs. The blanket also started cooing.
Despite that, he wanted to take his time, slowly waking up and taking in all the sensations around him. To relax and ignore the obvious. Focus solely on the texture of the boards underneath him, with the crusty patches covering them. Notice the smell of the fresh breeze coming in from the cracked window, breaking through the musty air around him… But he found it impossible to keep calm, when all he could perceive was the shape of each individual toe relentlessly jabbing into his body…
Who was he kidding..? It's not like he could focus on that either.
Kaito squirmed, trying and failing to contain the painful laughter forced out of him by the constant tickling. He rolled onto his belly, while trying to shield his sides from the assault with his hands. He felt one of his attackers moving on towards his head. Kaito tried shaking it off, but to no avail. The persistent creature marched over his spine, rapidly hitting him over his skull with its wings for balance as it scratched Kaito's nape and started digging its tiny claws into his hair until the assaulter reached its intended destiny.
Kaito tried curling into a ball, hoping that the added tension would at least alleviate the tickling in between his ribs, but it seemed to have annoyed the attacker on top of his head. Two parts of its tiny beak clamped down over Kaito's ear and the relentless creature started beating its wings, as if it intended to rip its prey apart.
That, or to force Kaito to concede defeat and finally get up.
Yeah, it was most likely the latter.
Still giggling, he pushed himself from the floor to sit up. "Ok, ok! I'm up! You win!" he cried out with a pout and reached with his right hand to rub his eyes, leaning back on his left while the room filled with victorious coos and the rustle of numerous feathery wings fluttering around him.
In the midst of those celebrations, the attacker from Kaito's head belatedly let go of his ear and slipped down onto his left shoulder. However, instead of continuing the attack or doing anything to boast its victory, it only pressed its tiny little head into his cheek, accompanying it with soft coos of affection.
Kaito cracked open his eye and glanced down at the bird, his sour expression melting into a soft smile at the sight before him. The golden threads of morning light coming through the window reflected off the dove's feathers, giving her a pristine shine. The dust particles, dancing in the air, shone like diamond dust, making both the white, fluffy ball on his shoulder, as well as her friends flying around them, look like little angels, incapable of doing any evil.
He huffed a laugh. As if he didn't know any better. Also, there wasn't even any use in trying to act cool or serious in front of those little devils, was there? They never cared for his poker face whatsoever. But he never really needed it with them either. They never seemed to judge him or be burdened if he showed any of his real emotions. It was refreshing to feel like he didn't need to put up a front.
He reached to wrap his hand around the tiny bundle of feathers from his shoulder, carefully cuddling the dove. "Good morning to you too, Jouka-chan 1)~"
The bird cooed back as if responding, and rubbed her head over Kaito's cheek again. He wasn't surprised when he recognized that it was her. She was not only his oldest bird but probably his smartest one too. She was the first dove gifted to him by his father…
Kaito's shoulders sagged at the realization that he probably shouldn't be thinking of Toichi like that anymore. Or rather, he never should have had to begin with. No matter how much he didn't like it, he knew that Chikage was right. Because if there was one thing that Kaito was sure of in his goddamned, lie-filled life, it was that Toichi loved his wife more than anything in the world. Meaning that there was no way he would ever willingly betray her. Which in turn meant that Kaito was not a 'Kuroba'. Not really at least. It was a hard pill to swallow. Kaito had built his whole identity around that family name. He not only took pride in it, it was his cornerstone and sometimes the only solace when things got hard.
Now, it felt like he had nothing left…
Deep down he understood that it wasn't really that big of a deal. After all, it wasn't like he was the first kid to ever learn that he was adopted. It wouldn't even be the most earth-shattering secret he found about himself or his family. All he had to do was to just get over it and accept the new reality. But he couldn't exactly help how he was feeling right now. Especially with how poorly things had been playing out for him recently.
He really needed a break, didn't he? But it's not like he had the time for it…
Jouka shifted nervously in Kaito's hand, making him smile at her and rub his thumb over her soft feathers. With his free hand he fished out his phone and upon noticing the hour, sighed. While he didn't need to leave immediately, there was still a lot he had to do before he could go. He couldn't afford to be brooding like this.
After a full night (well, most of it at least) spent on the aviary floor, there was no way that he would go out without a thorough bath! He glanced down at his sleeve and grimaced at one of several white blotches staining it. He really hoped that past Kaito was smart enough to wash his spare uniform… On top of that, he still had to forge a doctor's prescription excusing him from PE or figure out another way to skip the lesson. While his leg wasn't acting up too much, he really should be more mindful of the remaining stitches.
Despite knowing all that, Kaito didn't move from his spot. Even though he'd barely woken up, he was already feeling numb and exhausted. Going to school was the last thing he wanted to do right now. Just thinking about going through the day while acting like his usual cheery self made him feel sick. Especially when everyone around would keep on unknowingly rubbing the salt in by calling him 'Kuroba', as if mocking his predicament. And he could bet that Saguru was going to be keeping a close eye on him. There was no way he would miss any potential cracks in Kaito's poker face. Which might lead the guy to start asking uncomfortable questions, ones that Kaito wasn't sure he wanted to answer. Not today at least. Maybe not ever.
To make matters worse, he should probably expect Aoko to keep avoiding his gaze. Rightfully scared of him and silently reminding what he had done to her. He knew that he deserved it but didn't know if he could handle dealing with the guilt on top of everything else.
Kaito sighed again, feeling like curling back on the floor and just going back to sleep. Not that he expected that it would solve anything, and it would most likely only trigger another 'attack', so instead he just kept sitting there, pointlessly staring at the phone.
Meanwhile, the doves around him were restlessly tapping on the boards, hilariously bobbing their heads as they tried to get their master's attention. One of them eventually chose to fly up and land on the phone in Kaito's hand. Unfortunately, her claws missed the edge and she started scratching the smooth surface of the screen while frantically flapping her wings until she slid down onto his thumb. Kaito snorted as she puffed her feathers in a display of pure annoyance and glared at the phone. Anticipating what she was planning, he quickly flicked his wrist, flipping the device out of her reach and into his sleeve before she managed to peck at it in retaliation.
"Careful Aya-chan~! I don't have a spare screen to fix it if you break it." he admonished her with a serious tone but cracked seeing her give him a side eye and coo back. "Pff~" he looked around at all of his birds, earning more excited coos. "What do you girls think? Should I play hookie for today?"
It would be easy to convince himself to do just that, and he was sure that his doves would greatly appreciate it too. In the end, it wasn't like he had planned a heist anytime soon, or any other KID-related activities, so it shouldn't really be that risky in regards to the rumors of his, along with Aoko's and Saguru's absence on Friday, which he was trying to disperse. And as for dealing with the teachers, he could simply give the school faculty a call using Chikage's voice to excuse his absence.
But the final exams of the semester were right around the corner, and with how much he had already slacked off due to his nightly activities, he most definitely shouldn't be skipping class now. Not to mention that it wouldn't really help him hide from Saguru that he was going through something. The guy might even decide to pay Kaito a home visit where it would be even harder to deflect his questions than in public.
As much as he didn't like it, it wouldn't be the first time he would be forcing himself to do something he didn't want to. He just had to suck it up and stick to his poker face. Then again, maybe it would help him clear his head? It's not like mulling over questions he had no hope of ever answering would do him any good. If he managed to push through for long enough, the pain should lessen and become more bearable. At least that's how it usually worked, so it was worth a try.
Jouka bumped her head on his thumb, as if trying to remind him that he should continue petting her. He looked down at her and scooped her up from his shoulder into his palm. With an impish smirk, he proceeded to wiggle his fingers over her chest feathers, paying her back for the ticklish assault he was subjected to earlier. The bird opened her beak and raised her wings threateningly but Kaito only snorted at the display and threw both her and Aya into the air, forcing them to take flight.
He followed them with his gaze and glanced at a few others, who were tapping their feet restlessly on top of a shelf. They were probably expecting him to take out some treats that he kept in the drawers there. He smiled softly and got up, deciding that a little spoiling wouldn't really hurt, even if he had to make it brief. As he got closer to the furniture, the birds started flying around and cooing with excitement, already knowing well what to expect. Kaito shooed away a particularly sneaky dove who tried to slip into the drawer as he opened it and reached in for a handful of peeled sunflower seeds. He turned around to push the drawer closed with his back, while rolling the treats in between his fingers.
Kaito waited patiently for all of the doves to settle down and await instructions. While the birds he had for a couple of years reacted nearly immediately to his body language, roosting obediently on the best spots, it was more of a struggle for the younger ones. As time ticked away, the sitting doves grew more restless - some attempting to prune their feathers for comfort, while others tapped their toes in place or beat their wings without actually taking flight.
Kaito decided to take pity on them, and once there was only one dove still unable to sit still, he gently grabbed her and placed her onto the shelf next to him. He took a few moments to pet her feathers to help her calm down and took a step away before finally letting out a particular whistle. On his command, all of the birds took flight immediately in a flurry of floating feathers, obstructing his vision. With a laugh on his lips, he threw the seeds in the air allowing the doves to try and catch the treats. He was pleased to see how many managed it, leaving only a few of the birds scrambling on the floor to get some.
With a satisfied hum, Kaito reached for another handful of seeds and laid them out on the floor and shelfs to make sure that all got their fill. While the birds were busy gracefully eating, he took out the water containers from the cages and walked out of the aviary to fill them up. On his way back, he also grabbed a bag of feed, to make sure that they also had something more proper to eat during the day.
With that out of the way, he set a few alarms on his phone to help him keep track of time while exiting the aviary again and hastily going into his own room. Doing his best to ignore the huge painting on the wall, Kaito checked his closet for a spare uniform. He grimaced, finding only one which was laying discarded on the floor. It was still in better shape than his current one, so he grabbed it, along with a fresh shirt and a pair of shorts. In the bathroom, he threw the uniform in the washing machine for a quick rinse and tumble. Hopefully it would fully dry while he drove to school. Hastily, he filled a washing bowl with water and detergent to soak the filthy clothes from his back to have an easier time cleaning it later. With that out of the way, he was finally able to scrub himself, taking extra care to wash his hair.
The first alarm went off, so with a ping of regret and the last rinse, he shut down the water and did his best to dry himself up with a towel. With hair still dripping down his back, he glanced at the timer on the washing machine, making a mental note of how much time it still needed and put on the shirt and shorts. Hurriedly, he also redressed his injury that had become visible again after his Sunday exploits, but he didn't really bother with disinfecting it or looking it through. Hopefully he would have time for it later. Maybe at school? He made a mental note to pack some disinfectants and bandages as he returned to his room. Once there, he rummaged through his desk for the notebook he had snatched from a doctor's office in the past. There weren't many pages left in it, but that was something for future Kaito to worry about.
He clicked his tongue noticing that he had run out of pages with official stamps on them, so he took a red ink fineliner out of his drawer as well. He pushed away the now cold ramen cup, trying to ignore its existence, and instead carefully pulled out an expired doctor's note that he kept hidden in the pile of papers on his desk. He smoothed out the creases, looking carefully over the old stamp. With a soft hum, he laid down the note and got to work, carefully copying the seal with the fineliner onto the empty page 2).
Another alarm went off while he worked, but he ignored it so as to not lose focus. By the time he finished, the last alarm went off, so he quickly shut it down before adding a fake prescription on the dotted line, underneath the 'stamp' asking the teacher to release him from PE. Once he finished, he carefully inspected his work against the original one. He grimaced slightly. The handwriting wasn't a perfect copy, but it wasn't like it would be examined that closely by the teacher. Deciding that it was good enough, he shoved it unceremoniously into one of his school notebooks and quickly packed for the day.
After glancing at the time, he basically ran out of his room, grabbed the still damp uniform and hastily pulled it on, ignoring the unpleasant sensation. He barely remembered to grab the first-aid equipment and shove it in his bag.
There was no time left to eat anything anymore, so, with his school bag in hand, he just jumped down the stairs. On his way out, he only grabbed the bike keys from the kitchen table and basically flew out of the front door. It slammed shut with a dull thud behind him, leaving the house eerily silent aside from the quiet, sweet coos of the doves left alone.
1) Sadly, up until now Gosho-sensei had not given us any names for Kaito's doves, so all of them are made up by yours truly:
'Jouka', (or rather 'Jōkā' - but I'm too lazy to use special signs - if I wasn't I would have been writing 'Kaitō KID' instead of 'Kaitou KID' xD) is Japanese for 'Joker' - I figured that baby Kaito wouldn't have been very ingenious when it came to naming xD
'Aya' is a play on words, sounding close to 'ai' which is japanese for 'love' - this is just a name I came up with in a different story for one of Kaito's doves and it grew on me xD
2) Funny story - I actually had a friend who I saw doing this, so I can confirm that it is possible (as mind blowing as it is!)
I'm kind of back - still hobbling with a cast on my leg but recovering pretty well! Hopefully I'll be able to get back to you guys with the next chapter before I start my rehabilitation starts and sucks out all of my desire for life and all that xD
But enough about me ;)
If you liked the chapter or have anything to say about it please do consider leaving a comment - reading them makes my day, so I would greatly appreciate it! :D
Hope to see you next chapter *bows*