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Caught on Camera

Photograph: Tutoring

"It was always so cute seeing you two studying together," Yukiko said, giggling.

Studying wasn't really what Shinichi would have called it, but he supposed that was probably what it looked like. And it was the general idea. Still, trying to study would have been a much more accurate description—and only on his part, mind you, especially if this particular photo had been taken when he thought it had…

. . . . . . . . .

When Yukiko brought up the idea, Shinichi thought it was some kind of joke.

"Mom, you know as well as I do that Kaito doesn't need tutoring," he pointed out. Kaito always scored exactly what he planned to score on his tests. It just so happened that he had decided that scoring poorly in his classes as the year was ending would get him placed in a different class next year from the Koizumi girl he still insisted was after him.

"Then maybe he's not feeling well," his mother suggested. "Unmotivated, maybe?"

Motivated, more like, Shinichi thought. Just motivated in the wrong direction.

"So Chikage was thinking maybe you could talk to him about it."

And that was why he was now seated in the Kuroba living room with Kaito and the magician's textbooks and notes spread out all around them. Granted, most of those notes consisted mainly of diagrams and scribbled ideas for magic tricks and gadgets with only short blurbs here and there on something actually related to whatever class the magician had been in at the time.

"Kai, you can't purposefully mess up your grades just because you feel like it. You still have college to think about," he pointed out for the fifth time since his arrival.

"I just have to do really well next year," Kaito reasoned.

Shinichi resisted the urge to smack his forehead. In the mean time, Kaito scooted closer to him and slid an arm around his waist.

"You're worrying your mother," he reminded the magician. "The least you can do is show her that you're studying. She thinks you might be feeling ill."

"I never spend that much time studying though. Logically speaking then, she would be more likely to think something was wrong if I suddenly started studying a lot."

"…But that was before your grades slipped," Shinichi argued. "Someone whose grades suddenly drop should be doing something about it. If you keep this up you're going to fall behind for real. I know you wouldn't like that." After all, Kaito took a lot of pleasure from knowing more than other people.

Kaito mulled this over. "I suppose… Will you stay with me if I do?" he added hopefully.

Shinichi sighed. "That is why I'm here. Though I honestly don't know what good they think me being here will do when we all know you're scoring badly because you want to," he added under his breath. Picking up a history textbook, he opened it to the chapter Kaito's sparse notations seemed to be implying was the one he was supposed to be reading. "So have you actually read any of this yet?"

The magician waved a disinterested hand. "Some of it."

"Then you can at least read the rest of it. Even you can't work out history you've never heard or read about."

Kaito made a vague noise of ascent though to be honest he wasn't really interested. But if it made Shinichi feel better he supposed it wouldn't hurt. Besides, they could cuddle while they read.

Shinichi arranged the textbook on his lap so that Kaito could read it easily from where he was leaning over the detective's shoulder.

The magician had never had much regard for the idea called personal space. But ever since they had officially become a couple, Kaito couldn't seem to keep his hands to himself. It had been creepy and embarrassing until Shinichi had gotten used to it. Now he didn't really mind as long as they were alone (the problem therein lying in the fact that Kaito didn't care if they could be seen or not, but that was just the way Kaito was).

"Are you actually reading or not?" Shinichi demanded in exasperation, snagging the hand that had been creeping behind him and depositing it on his knee instead.

"I am," the magician assured him. Shinichi had his doubts about that but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being and move on.

The hand, however, wouldn't stay put. An hour of thwarting its attempts to migrate later Shinichi snapped.

"Stop that!" He scooted away from the magician and batted his hands away (again) before leveling him with a pointed glare. "I'm trying to help you here and you're not even trying! Or maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way. Obviously I'm distracting you by being here. In that case I guess I should be staying away."

Kaito gaped at him. "What? But Shin-chan…"

"No. I've decided." Shinichi folded his arms stubbornly. "This vendetta of yours is ridiculous. If you're going to keep pursuing it, I'm not having anything to do with it. You're not spending time you should be spending studying trying to sneak your hands where they don't belong."

"I beg your pardon. I do no such thing," Kaito huffed, drawing himself up. "I always put my hands exactly where they're supposed to be!"

That earned the magician a smack on the head with the textbook by a mortified Shinichi who proceeded to drop said book on the couch cushions and stand up. "I'm leaving."

He just knew this was going to be a total waste of time. Gathering up his things, he stomped towards the door. He'd done everything he could. If Kaito insisted on being an idiot, there was only so much the rest of them could do until he realized how stupid that was.

He let out a quiet sigh, suddenly feeling a bit depressed. Hopefully Kaito would come to his senses and get over his irrational fear of Akako before exam time. It was true the girl was kind of creepy, but it had been two years and she'd never done anything that warranted Kaito's dislike for her in Shinichi's opinion. As far as Shinichi could tell, the girl just wanted to be friends. She just didn't know how to go about it since everyone else just gravitated to her with no effort at all on her part.

Well, either way, Kaito's grades were more important than whatever delusions he was entertaining himself with in regards to the poor girl. Even if that meant Shinichi couldn't see him for a while.

He paused by the door and turned back to smile at the flabbergasted magician still sitting with the open textbooks. "How about this? If you get full scores on everything come exam time, we can celebrate however you like."

And he was gone.

Kaito sat frozen on the couch, staring at the empty space where his detective had disappeared until his mother wandered in out of the kitchen.

"Did Shinichi leave already?" she asked in surprise, looking around the room. "I was hoping he would help me with the pies…"

Her son let out a groan and flopped sideways onto the open textbook Shinichi had left behind.

A moment later indigo eyes narrowed. Okay, he could admit that purposefully lowering his grades probably wasn't the smartest idea he'd ever come up with. On the other hand, he might be able to use this to his advantage. Shin-chan had, after all, basically promised him whatever he wanted if he did well (although the detective probably didn't realize just how open ended his statement had been).

Slowly Kaito's expression morphed into a wide smirk. It was time to make some new plans.

As for Akako… Well, he was sure he could come up with something different for dealing with her by the time the next school year rolled around.

. . . . . . . . .

…Kaito's grades had picked up rather quickly after that.

TBC