DCMK || KaiShin || DCMK || The White Collar Phantom Thief || DCMK || KaiShin || DCMK

Title: The White Collar Phantom Thief – The Secret of Pandora

Fandom: Detective Conan / Magic Kaito

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Gosho Aoyama for he created the awesomeness that is Kaitou KID. Ah, and Detective Conan, too. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Tags: m/m, future fic, post-Conan Shinichi, secret reveals, slow-burn, hurt/comfort, canon-typical violence/death, canon-typical magic, canon-typical crossdressing, fake relationship, fluff, adoption, found family, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, f/f, m/f

Main Pairing: Kaito/Shinichi

Side Pairings: Sera/Ran, Saguru/Aoko, Heiji/Kazuha, Makoto/Sonoko, Takagi/Sato

DC/MK Characters:

Task Force: Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou KID | Tsukino Guinevere, Kudou Shinichi, Hakuba Saguru, Nakamori Aoko, Hattori Heiji, Sera Masumi, Koizumi Akako, Furuya Rei | Amuro Tooru | Bourbon, Akai Shuuichi, Takagi Wataru, Sato Miwako, Jii Konosuke

Others: Mouri Ran, Suzuki Sonoko, Kyogoku Makoto, Tooyama Kazuha, Suzuki Jirokichi, Nakamori Ginzo, Megure Juzo, Mouri Kogoro, Kuroba Chikage, Kudou Yuusaku, Kudou Yukiko

Detective Boys: Agasa Hiroshi, Haibara Ai, Yoshida Ayumi, Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko, Kojima Genta

Black Organization: Gunther von Goldberg II | Spider, Snake, Rose

Summary: Akako gives Kaito a prophecy: If KID is not captured by the demon of light, both of them would die and only if he gets captured will he be able to reach his goal. Kaito would rather go to jail than risk Shinichi's life

With Kaitou KID gone, Snake starts going after the jewels more actively and people get killed. It doesn't take Shinichi long to see a connection to KID – and that this is the last branch left of the BO he had taken down.

Shinichi forms a special task-force to end the BO for good. And for that, he needs Kaitou KID's help.

The White Collar Phantom Thief

The Secret of Pandora

Case 12: Kuroba Kaito's Feelings for Kudou Shinichi

Shinichi took a deep breath, his knuckles white where he was clinging onto the sink. Today was the day. He had given Heiji solid advise. Not to waste too much time. What was he doing, wasting his own time yet again all over when he knew better? He was living with Kaito, seeing his thief every day. And every day, Shinichi could feel himself falling a little more. Discovering more of these small habits of Kaito's that made Shinichi's heart speed up. He'd spent an unreasonably large amount of his time watching Kaito shuffle cards. The dexterity of those hands! How smooth and cunning he was. It was absolutely hypnotizing.

All this pining had to end. He needed to stop wasting his own time. However, he also wasn't ready to get his heart broken just yet either. So he'd come up with a very simple plan. Today, he was going to watch Kaito like a hawk. Every little thing he was doing.

And he wasn't just going to watch like a love-sick puppy. No. Today, he was going to watch Kaito like a detective. He was going to look at this as a case. The case of Kuroba Kaito's heart. Which sounded painfully sappy and Shinichi was definitely not going to say that aloud to anyone.

All he had to do was remove himself from the situation, try not to be himself, not be his pining self. Instead, he wanted to look at their interactions as an outside observer. As a detective, gathering clues. No personal bias based on his own feelings, no selective blindness for what was really going on – yes, he had been made aware of the fact that he was mildly dense when it came to people having feelings for him, apparently. Not today, today he was going to be acutely aware of everything that might indicate romantic feelings. Or at least he hoped so.

That was, of course, simpler said than actually done. While his mind was so analytic and picked up clues so naturally, when it came to inter-personal relationships, he had always lacked this ability to a degree. Mostly because he found it hard to take people's feelings into consideration there. He still remembered quite vividly how awkward it had been when he'd first met Ran. He'd tried to relate, tried to cheer her up, but... in his very own brand. Something that seemed to repel most people, in his experience. Ran hadn't been one of those people. Neither seemed Kaito.

After all, Kaito didn't let himself be pushed away. Not even by Shinichi trying to arrest him – not even by Shinichi actually arresting him. Regardless of how rude or dismissive (or... physically violent) Shinichi had been, Kaito would always return for more, with a cheerful smile.

Which could be interpreted as a clue to Kaito's feelings. However, Shinichi had done his homework beforehand. Every good investigation needed some background research too. It seemed that coming back for more pain was just Kaito's MO with everyone he cared about.

Aoko? Who would hunt him with a mop or a fish? His very best friend, his go-to person. Hakuba? Who tried to arrest him, more seriously than even Shinichi? Sure, Kaito acted like the Brit was a pain in his ass, but he was also undeniably one of Kaito's best friends. Nakamori? Who also tried to arrest Kaito and chased him with a whole task force? Was like an uncle to Kaito, had been like family ever since Toichi had died and had done the brunt force of raising Kaito ever since Chikage had left Japan. Even Akako, who sounded like Kaito's arch-nemesis, was actually a friend.

So seeking out pain and those who actively hunted him was just... a Kaito-thing, it seemed. It wasn't exclusive to Shinichi, it wasn't something that indicated romantic feelings.

Today, Shinichi was going to gather all real evidence about Kaito's potential feelings. Be those amicable, friendship, co-workers, or something romantic. He was looking for the one truth, not for what his heart wanted to be true. Which was new to him too; usually, the truth was what Shinichi's heart wanted. In this case, he... he wanted Kaito to want him back. He had a bias, an outcome he desired the most, and he knew this kind of bias could ruin a good investigation.

/break\

"Who is the prettiest kitty in all of Japan? Yes, you are, Kid-chan, yes, you are! Good girl!"

Shinichi furrowed his brows as he entered the living room. Kaito was holding Kid-chan in front of him, swinging her gently back and forth while the kitten meowed softly.

"What are you doing to my cat? She isn't a sack of potatoes!"

"But she likes it," Kaito turned the kitten around to show Shinichi, swinging her again. "See? She would have scratched me by now if she didn't like being swung back and forth!"

Mh. Suppose Kaito had a point there. Reaching out, Shinichi petted Kid-chan between her ears. She mrewed softly, looking at him. Yeah, she was definitely enjoying whatever this was.

"You are a very strange cat," declared Shinichi.

"No—o, she is a perfect cat!" Kaito wailed. "The bestest girl!"

Heaving a sigh, Shinichi tried not to smile too hard at the thief's silly antics. Not today. Today, he was going to be focused. He had planned this day to put them into perfect situations to give him potential clues. Their first stage was a zoo visit with the Detective Boys. It was meant to put Kaito into the Guinevere persona and give Shinichi the chance to watch out for what flirty Kaito's behavior was exactly, and whether or not the thief would look genuinely flustered. That, Shinichi trusted himself he could actually determine. He had enough expertise with Kaito, after all. Still, just to make sure, he had invited a second set of eyes along. Someone he trusted more to not make too much fun of him (as he expected Hattori to do).

"Shinichi-nii-san! We are all ready for the zoo!"

Ayumi's cheerful voice was followed by the stampede of Detective Boys running in. The last one to follow them was a happily smiling Aoko. The greatest Kaito expert Shinichi knew. A perfect set of additional eyes, plus a dear friend whose judgment Shinichi trusted.

"Nakamori-san," Kaito blinked repeatedly. "Oh, I didn't know you would come too!"

"Shinichi-kun asked me if I wanted to come along and help you two watch over the children," Aoko smiled. "And how could I say no to seeing the elephants?"

"And the giraffes!" Ayumi added in excitement.

Shinichi smiled at them before turning toward Kaito in his Guinevere-get-up – wearing a beautiful summer dress today, with lavender flower patterns, the dress making Kaito's legs look ridiculously long. Slipping a hand into Kaito's, Shinichi pulled the now startled thief closer.

"I thought we might get distracted with each other too much, Gwen-chan," Shinichi offered. "So I thought it'd be nice if Aoko-chan could take care of the kids for a bit so we have some alone-time?"

Ayumi giggled at that, while Haibara rolled her eyes. Another set of eyes to be taken along, though quite honestly, Shinichi expected a whole lot of mockery from her if she knew about his plan for today. So she wasn't in the know. Aoko would be consulted by the end of the day though.

/break\

Genta was loud and eager when they reached the pandas. Understandable, those were some most impressive and delightful animals! Kaito himself had problems holding back, but then as Gwen, he could fawn over the cute animals all he wanted. And he could hold hands with Shinichi while doing so. Whatever he had done to deserve today, he was going to thoroughly enjoy it.

"Tehehehe, this one looks like Genta-kun!" Mitsuhiko pointed at one panda. "It even has the spot!"

That was... true. There was some miscoloring on one of the pandas that resembled Genta's bald spot. Shinichi chuckled and let go of Kaito's hand to instead kneel down with his phone out, taking a picture of Genta and panda Genta together, upon Ayumi's insistence.

"Can we go to the aquarium next?" Ayumi asked with eager eyes.

Kaito froze up with dread. What an absolute nightmare. A whole room with all the walls filled with fishes. Terrifying. Shinichi stepped back to him and took his hand.

"Gwen-chan isn't a big fan of fishes. Aoko-chan...?"

Aoko nodded her confirmation. "I'll take the kids to the aquarium and meet you guys later."

Relief filled Kaito and he let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Even as the kids ran up ahead, Kaito could still feel the warmth of Shinichi's hand in his own. Right. They were still in public. Kudou Shinichi still played the part of the fiance.

"So, where would you like to go instead?"

"Well, we'll do most of the animals with the kids once they get back, so why don't we take a break and go to the café?" Kaito suggested. "I'm feeling a little hungry."

Shinichi nodded his agreement and the two headed over together, sitting at a small round table outside so they could enjoy the good weather and keep an eye on the aquarium's entrance to see when the kids and Aoko would come back out. They placed their orders and waited in silence. Something about Shinichi seemed off today, though Kaito couldn't place his finger on it.

"What's on your mind, Shin-chan?"

As always, there was that cute nose-wiggle from Shinichi, but at least he didn't protest the nickname when they were in public. After all, why should a loving fiance not use a cute pet-name on her man? Kaito liked getting away with it, it gave him a particular sense of glee.

"Mh?" Shinichi looked at him in mock confusion. "Just the next heist."

Right. Well. Kaito kind of believed that, especially with the way the last heist had gone. One of his hands slipped down to his injury without him intending to. It had been too close a call even for Kaito's liking. And he knew how much he had worried Shinichi.

"I was thinking this weekend," Kaito offered after a moment.

"Are you-" Shinichi cut himself off, glaring at Kaito's injured side.

Are you sure you should try it already? Are you really healed enough for this? Are you out of your mind? Kaito wasn't sure how to answer any of these options. He was worried too, but worry couldn't tie him down. He had to get back on the horse and he wanted all of this to finally end. The more time he took to just lay around and do nothing, the longer all of this was going to take.

"We don't have any other plans, do we, honey?" Kaito asked in his fake chipper Guinevere voice. "Might as well get this out of the way, don't you agree?"

Shinichi cleared his throat. "You're right, of course... darling."

Oh. Oh, a nickname. Kaito was glad for the make-up that covered his cheeks because hearing Shinichi call him 'darling' definitely made him feel all kinds of giddy and excited. Their food arrived, stopping them from continuing this conversation, which was just as well for Kaito. He was sure they were going to argue about this more at home later (Shinichi loved arguing with him whenever he disagreed with one of the thief's choices. Kaito found it delightful).

"Mh, this pie is delicious," Shinichi made a pleased noise and then suddenly held up a fork full of pie for Kaito. "Would you like to try some?"

Kaito was too stunned to answer, but he did manage to open his mouth. Try Shinichi's pie, from Shinichi's fork, which had been between Shinichi's lips? Oh, don't go there, Kaito. Not the train of thought to be had in public. Closing his mouth around the fork, Kaito tried the pie. Mh. Good.

"Oh my, aren't you two a lovely couple?"

Kaito and Shinichi turned toward the source of the voice. An elderly woman sitting at the table next to theirs, smiling at them. Shinichi blushed a cute pink, but... he still reached over the table to take Kaito's hand, wrapping his fingers around Kaito's wrist. Kaito's heat was racing in his rib-cage.

"Thank you," Shinichi smiled at the stranger. "We are in the middle of planning our wedding."

"A wedding! Oh, I love a wedding. I'm sure you will be a dashing groom."

The elderly woman giggled to herself and Kaito found himself agreeing with her. Shinichi would make a great groom, in a well-tailored tux. Mh. Also not a good train of thought.

/break\

After the kids got back from the aquarium, they nearly fell over each other in their eagerness to tell Shinichi all about the best fishes they had seen. It was different from being Conan, but he was grateful that he still had a role to play in their lives. The three adults went to take the kids out for ice-cream, where Shinichi didn't miss his opportunity to let Kaito try his ice-cream too.

They walked the kids home and parted ways with Aoko, with Haibara being the last one to be dropped off. There was silence stretching on between them and Shinichi could feel Haibara's inquisitive gaze. Shinichi proceeded to ignore her, well-aware that he was most likely going to face consequences for it. Better than to try and explain anything right now, with Kaito here.

"Good night, Haibara-chan," Kaito offered his sweetest Guinevere-smile.

She countered with her sweetest (read: creepiest) smile to him, waving happily at Kaito and Shinichi. Man, that was never going to stop freaking him out. Her acting like a precious little child. He heaved a sigh when it was finally just him and Kaito again.

"I am sta—arving, Shin-chan," Kaito sighed. "Pie and ice-cream does not make a meal."

"Would you like me to order us something?"

"Ye—es," Kaito grinned gleefully. "I'm gonna hit the shower, you know what I like."

"Sushi, right?" Shinichi smirked at the vicious glare he received.

"Ha, ha, ha. You think you're so funny, mister, but you are not."

It was weird, Shinichi felt so... warm? After the day they had spent together, he felt oddly pleased. He went ahead to the kitchen, picking the take-out menu he knew was Kaito's favorite and calling to place orders for their food. A shower actually sounded like a good idea. It had been hot outside, he'd sweat some and felt mildly uncomfortable. Going upstairs, he shed his clothes and headed to his bathroom. A shower also allowed him to sort his thoughts a little.

He had caught Kaito off-guard a couple of times today, which had been the goal. That was the only way to get a truly genuine reaction from the thief. Not give him a chance to put his poker-face in place. He had also tried to be more... daring. Usually, he left the cutesy behavior up to Kaito, not taking the initiative when it came to romantic gestures. Today, he had gone out of his way to hold Kaito's hand, to hand-feed him, to pay him compliments and use pet-names.

Admittedly, the hand-holding had served another purpose too. He'd been taking Kaito's pulse. Sure, the thief could fool any lie detector if he set his mind to it, but he wasn't aware that he was being tested and Shinichi just... He just needed to see if he got a genuine reaction out of Kaito, if he could feel the thief's pulse jump, or if being flustered was an act, a part of Guinevere.

Now came the last part. The part he was the most embarrassed about. After his shower, he took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He was only wearing a towel around his waist. He'd been thinking about how to make this one look natural and a shower was the perfect excuse. For a bit, he waited in the doorway, listening closely. He'd heard when Kaito had finished his shower and had returned to his room. Now, Shinichi was listening for the doorbell.

Once he could hear it, he walked over to Kaito's room, knocking briefly and sticking his head in. "Kaito? Can you go and get our food? I'm just getting dressed."

Kaito turned toward him at that, at first looking confused. Then he took in Shinichi's appearance and his eyes widened. The more his eyes widened, the more his cheeks flushed. But then there was a change in his expression. The flustered look made room for something else. His pupils blew and his gaze became much more intense as he stared Shinichi down. This was... hunger. Pure, undeniable hunger. Kaito looked ready to pin him to the wall and ravish him right then and there.

Well... that answered the last question. The question on whether Kaito liked him for his mind alone, or if he also found Shinichi physically attractive. Closing his eyes for a moment, Shinichi tried to calm himself down. When Kaito gave him an affirmative noise, Shinichi practically fled into his bedroom to get changed. Okay. Okay, okay, okay. This was it. The nail in the figurative coffin.

He had gathered all evidence today, on top of all his observations of the past. Observations he had thought were tainted by a personal bias. Running them through his mind again today though? Everything fell into place and many of the thief's actions that had never quite made sense to him before suddenly made so much more sense. Kaitou KID had feelings for him.

There had only been two possible outcomes for this investigation and yet Shinichi didn't feel prepared for this at all. What was he supposed to do with this...?

/break\

Today had been an utterly strange day, through and through. It had also been a day that truly tested Kaito's patience. Like living with Shinichi wasn't temptation enough already. Taking a deep breath, Kaito tried to push the mental image of shirtless Shinichi way down in his mind so he would be able to concentrate on eating dinner without drooling over his detective. He went ahead to set the table for the two of them, putting the take-out containers between them.

"I know you noticed that I've been distracted all day," Shinichi said when he entered the kitchen. "I've been distracted by a tricky case that I've been trying to solve."

"A case that's tricky to you?" Kaito raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Must have been quite the cunning culprit then. But you solved it? I can see the smug, pleased little grin."

Shinichi cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed by that description. Well, it was correct so Kaito wasn't going to take it back. The two of them sat down together and started eating.

"You're the culprit," Shinichi offered after a few bites.

"Mh?" Kaito coughed, swallowing his food wrong in surprise. "Excuse me? I didn't even send the notice for the Red Moon heist out yet! I didn't do anything yet!"

"Oh, but you did," Shinichi looked at him with so much seriousness that Kaito, despite knowing he hadn't broken the law lately, started to feel guilty. "You stole something very valuable."

"I swear I didn't," Kaito blinked repeatedly. "What did I steal?"

Shinichi stared him dead in the eyes. "My... heart. Oh, I can't believe I actually said that. That was way too cheesy. Forget I said that. Just... forget it, please."

He groaned and covered his face in embarrassment. Wait, what? Kaito blinked repeatedly.

"Wha—at is happening here? What am I missing?"

"What are you missing...?" Shinichi looked up at him with a near-glare. "You were missing that I'm in love with you, stupid thief. I've... I've spent all day, trying to determine whether my feelings are returned by you or not. My deduction led me to believe that you're... also having feelings for me."

Huh? What? Kaito blinked again. Was he hearing this right? Had he died, accidentally, and gone to phantom thief heaven? Shinichi was still staring at him, waiting for a response.

"Wait. You actually... You love me? You love me? You love me?"

"Yes. To each of those versions," Shinichi heaved a sigh and turned to look away from him. "When you got... When you got shot. I was so worried. It made me see things in a different... light. And I've been thinking about how you may feel. I didn't want to... confess, without being sure."

"So you... I..." Kaito stared at him in awe. "I love you. Yes. Yes, I love you."

Despite how sure of himself Shinichi had sounded, Kaito could see the relief, the way the tension left Shinichi's shoulders when he heard these words. Kaito practically leaped over the table to tackle Shinichi in a hug, pausing only half an inch from Shinichi's lips. Shinichi took the question from him by simply kissing him. It was a tender touch of lips and nothing more. But oh dear. Kaito was kissing his Great Detective and his heart couldn't be beating any faster.


Author's note: Sooo I know I said there'd be a heist this chapter. But. Shinichi decided to instead investigate Kaito's feelings, since he gave Heiji such good advise and he knows he should listen to it too v_V SO! There ya go! The ship managed to sail within 2022 :D Heist next chapter though ;)