Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Rating: M

Genre: Romance/Humor

Warning: Will contain smut later

Chapter: 1/3

Summary: Now that he and Kaito are officially bonded, Shinichi feels he should learn more about what it means to be mated. With that in mind, he accompanies Ran to a conference on relationships—where he unexpectedly runs into Kaito, who is scoping out the venue for an upcoming heist. The surprise encounter throws both their plans off, but neither of them is complaining.

Note: This series uses my version of the ABO setup.

Chronology: This series has too many installments now to list. This one is set after they officially bond in "To Light a Hearth" but before they graduate university.

Perfectly Unplanned

[Nature of Love series]

Part 1

"Um… Why are you dressed like that?" Ran asked, staring first at the hat pulled low over Shinichi's face then at the round glasses shielding his eyes. Those glasses gave her a moment of déjà vu. It was like seeing Conan again, only a few years older. Which, she reminded herself, was pretty much exactly what she was looking at. Even after all this time, it was kind of a strange thought.

Shinichi turned mildly pink under her scrutiny and tugged self-consciously at the bill of his baseball cap.

"No reason," Shinichi said quickly then cringed. Even he could tell that the lie was lame.

Ran's raised eyebrow only made him squirm more.

"I just don't want to have to deal with nosy people," he blurted out finally.

Ah, so he was in disguise, Ran thought. Which, she supposed, made a sort of sense.

Shinichi was deeply averse to being questioned about his love life. But the problem with being a celebrity (especially a celebrity who had publicly announced that he wasn't looking for a mate despite being an omega) was that your love life was going to be discussed by total strangers whether you wanted it to be or not. And being recognized at the conference that he and Ran were attending would definitely fuel the fire.

The conference in question was a collaborative effort by numerous research and education groups and organizations in the social sciences. It was centered on the study of romantic relationships and aimed at helping those like Ran, who were aiming to go into or already practicing counseling and related fields, expand and deepen their understanding. The event included presentations, panels and workshops on a wide range of topics.

As an aspiring relationship counselor, Ran was one of several students in her department to receive invitations to the conference, and she was allowed to bring up to two guests of her own. She had been rather surprised when Shinichi had asked her if he could tag along as one of her guests, but she had agreed readily because he was one of her oldest friends, she hadn't been planning to bring anyone else, and she felt the experience would be good for him. She just hoped that his attendance didn't mean that there was going to be a murder at the conference.

Now though, Ran wondered why Shinichi had wanted to come, especially if he was so worried about being recognized that he'd put on a disguise.

She wondered whether she should tell him that it wasn't much of a disguise. But since she thought he was being silly, she decided not to bother.

"Let's get checked in," she said instead, turning and starting towards the hotel's front doors. "Then we can pick up our conference passes."

Shinichi trailed after the beta, doing his best to look as anonymous as possible, which was a little difficult when he felt the urge to tense up every time someone so much as glanced in his direction.

Ran walked right up to one of the long, granite counters to speak with the receptionist there. In no time at all, she had acquired the key cards for their room. Then they were directed to another counter where they were given a questionnaire to fill out while the people managing the table got them their passes.

The questions on the survey were simple enough, but the last made Shinichi hesitate.

What are you hoping to get out of the conference?

He knew Ran was wondering the same thing.

He stared at the question for a long moment, pen hovering. He considered just leaving it blank. But he realized just how ridiculous he was being and changed his mind.

I want to learn more about bonds, he wrote. It was an extreme simplification, but, at its root, it was the truth.

There was going to be a series of seminars on "The Bond Effect: Alpha and Omega Psychology" which was going to be covering a range of topics from the truths and myths about bonding to the maintenance of healthy relationships. Shinichi wasn't at all sure how much of it would really be applicable, but he still felt as though he should take a look. It seemed like stuff he should learn now that he and Kaito were officially mated (the thought made him blush).

He and Kaito had been together for several years now, but they had only just completed their bond this past Christmas.

In truth, being bonded hadn't changed much for them—nor had they really expected it to. It was simply a cementing of all that they had already determined and established between them.

Still, though they were both more than content, Shinichi couldn't help but wonder if there was anything, well, more he should be doing. After all, he would be the first to admit that personal relationships weren't his forte. And yes, he knew that Kaito loved him just the way he was and wouldn't ask him to change anything even if he could, but that was precisely why Shinichi wanted to learn more about what it meant to be a mated omega. He wanted to be the best mate he could possibly be. Kaito deserved his best.

And where better to learn about being a good mate than a conference on the study of relationships?

So here he was.

Although he had to admit that he had a second reason for wanting to attend the conference as well.

Ever since Christmas, his cycles had been going haywire. There had been numerous instances over the past several weeks when his body had gone unexpectedly and violently into what Shinichi would have thought was heat if he hadn't known it wasn't. The timing had been all wrong, and he hadn't felt it coming. Those bouts hadn't lasted as long as a proper heat would have either. While they'd lasted, however, they had been every bit as intense as the real thing. This was a problem because, as was the case with pretty much all omegas, being in heat always made Shinichi's mood and thought processes go a bit loopy.

In fact, just a little while ago while beset by one of these not-exactly-a-heat-cycles, Shinichi had found himself deciding on a whim to surprise Kaito by putting on one of the embarrassingly provocative costumes that Sonoko had given him for Christmas. And boy had Kaito been surprised. And delighted. His appreciation had rendered Shinichi unable to walk without limping the next day (luckily, or by design, a Sunday)—which Shinichi would never admit had been just what he'd wanted.

Of course afterward, Shinichi had been horribly mortified by his own behavior. No, he didn't regret it (not that he'd admit that either), but it had worried him. He'd never liked how being in heat addled his thoughts, but at least he'd been able to schedule around his cycles. Now…

He wasn't sure if something was wrong with him or if this was some side effect of bonding that he'd heretofore been unaware of. He was kind of afraid of the answer, but not knowing was driving him nuts.

Ran led the way to the side of the lobby where they wouldn't be in the way and unfolded her copy of the program. "Let's see, today's events… 'Media Influences on Modern Relationships' and 'Technology and Growing Isolation' both sound interesting. Oh, and I'll definitely want to go to the 'Dos and Don'ts for New Counselors'. Other than that, I'll just pick something at random. What about you? Do you want to come with me or did you want to go somewhere else?"

"Well, I…guess I can go with you to the media one first," Shinichi said, perusing the day's schedule as well. "Then we can get lunch. After that though, I might go look around by myself."

Curious, Ran skimmed over the afternoon events again and noted that a lot of the alpha and omega centered presentations were then. Ah, so that was why Shinichi wanted to go off on his own. She wondered which of those presentations or panels he'd come for. But she knew she wouldn't get a straight answer if she asked, so she didn't bother.

-0-

Kaito surveyed his hotel suite. It was clean, spacious and stylish. A week here would be enjoyable. If only Shinichi was here with him. Then it would be perfect.

Kaito was to perform at several nearby hospitals, nursing homes and orphanages in the next few days. He had asked Shinichi if the detective wanted to help him out or at least accompany him, but Shinichi had declined, saying he had agreed to go somewhere with Ran (he hadn't said where though, Kaito mused. When the alpha had asked, Shinichi had diverted his attention by asking when the orphanage show would be. Since that one was the last, Shinichi had said he'd try to make it. The detective did, after all, have quite the soft spot for kids).

Still, that left Kaito with a lot of space to himself until then. He also had some time to kill since the first show wouldn't be until the morrow.

But naturally that was why Kaito had selected this hotel.

It was a very prestigious hotel that would, in a few month's time, be hosting a very prestigious jewelry show. One that the Kaitou KID had an interest in

He grinned as he began putting on the disguise he'd chosen for operation "Learn the lay of the land". The fact that there was a huge conference being held at the hotel this very weekend had been pure and simple luck. It meant he had an easy way to wander all over the place without needing to disguise as a specific person. So he'd been able to create his own persona—one from out of the country who could wander and get lost in all sorts of unlikely places without drawing suspicion, heh.

Double checking that the wig was on right and that his green contacts were in, Kaito grinned at his own reflection.

A tall, athletic man of mixed Japanese and Caucasian descent in his late twenties wearing a gray suit and a magpie-patterned tie that would be much more memorable than anything else about him grinned back. He had a conference nametag on his lapel announcing him to be Dr. Shirota Kidd (he was looking forward to seeing Nakamori blow a gasket over that in a few months' time if the man actually bothered to look this far back for a trail come heist time).

Now. Time to start his reconnaissance.

And if he happened to come across some interesting presentations at the conference, well, there was a reason he'd made sure he had lots of extra time. He loved Shinichi to bits, and he was of the opinion that, now that they were properly bonded, life was about as close to perfect as it was humanly possible to get. Kaito could honestly say that he was happier now than he had ever been before, and he knew Shinichi was happy too (which was itself something to be celebrated), but he also knew that Shinichi still worried on occasion (Shinichi always did have a tendency to over think. That was great when you were uncovering and solving complex homicide cases, but it could get in the way when it came to simple, everyday life). Kaito fancied himself quite good at soothing his detective's concerns, but a few tips from some actual counseling experts wouldn't hurt.

This, he mused as he headed for the door, was how you got things done. You never let an opportunity go to waste, and you multitasked whenever possible, even while traveling (or perhaps especially while traveling? He'd have to think more on that).

Speaking of Shinichi, he had the strangest feeling that his detective was nearby. His omega was supposed to be meeting him later in the week, but Kaito hadn't sent Shinichi the riddle he'd written for the location of his hotel yet. And Shinichi was supposed to be doing something with Ran as well as finishing a report for one of his classes. Had there been a case in the area?

-0-

Shinichi tugged the bill of his cap down again. He felt like everyone was sneaking looks at him. He knew this was likely untrue, and it was most likely just his paranoia combined with his embarrassment at being here at all making him jumpy, but the knowledge didn't make the feeling go away.

Then Ran helpfully—or unhelpfully, depending on who you asked—pointed out that he was attracting stares because he was behaving like a suspicious character.

The realization that Ran was right didn't make Shinichi feel any better. It did, however, make him stop fidgeting.

"Are you sure you want to split up?" Ran asked as they left the hotel dining hall where they had just finished having lunch.

"I'm sure," Shinichi insisted. "Really. I'll text you if anything comes up."

Ran still looked dubious, but she nodded. "Alright then. I'll be having dinner with the other professors and students from my department who're attending the conference, so don't wait for me to eat dinner."

"Got it."

"And you better not skip dinner just because I'm not there even if you end up running into a case," Ran added, eyes narrowing in a warning glare. "And I mean a proper dinner."

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. Jeez Ran, I'm not six anymore. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can," she said tartly. "The problem is that you often don't."

"…I promise I'll eat a proper dinner even if I run into a case."

"Good." Ran checked the time. "I'm going to have to go if I want to make it to the start of the next seminar."

Shinichi bid Ran farewell and watched her hurry off before pulling out the conference schedule and building map.

The lecture that he was the most interested in, one on the mating bond's effects and related misconceptions, wouldn't be starting for another hour, so he had some time to kill. He should still start heading in that direction though as the building was quite large and there was the potential of getting lost.

Since he had the time, Shinichi ended up sitting in on a rather interesting if unexpectedly technical discussion on the interplay between scents and alpha and omega behaviors. The subject turned out to be a great deal more complicated than the detective had ever imagined—including the interesting fact that there were things that alphas and omegas picked up even when scents were masked (which explained little things like how, even though they did on occasion form close friendships, alphas were never physically attracted to other alphas or omegas to other omegas). It had also been proposed that at least part of the empathic abilities of alphas and omegas alike were tied to these subliminal signals and not psychic in nature at all (naturally, this did not include bonds, which had to be truly psychic as they spanned all distances, and no nose was that good).

Shinichi left the panel considerably enlightened with a package of scent samples that demonstrated how the olfactory cosmetics of scent maskers could make said samples smell the same yet be unable to hide other innate information (in other words, all the scent samples gave off the aroma of pineapples and couldn't be identified as an alpha, beta or omega, but Shinichi knew after only a cursory sniff of each that one was from a child, one was from someone who was in high spirits, and one was from someone older who was nevertheless very fit. It was really quite bizarre).

The lecture on bonds that Shinichi had set his sights on was being held in one of the larger rooms. He arrived just as it was beginning to fill.

Fighting the urge to tug at his hat again, he chose a seat near the back of the room and sat.

Coming early soon proved to have been the right idea as the room filled. A handful of audience members even ended up sitting on the floor along the walls. Several, he noticed, had brought notebooks. Then again, a lot of them were probably students studying this sort of thing.

He couldn't help but wonder if anyone else in this sizeable audience was here for the same reasons he was. Then he wondered if he should pull out his own notebook and try to look like he was a student studying this topic too. But the only notebook he had on him was the one he used for cases, and he didn't particularly want to write notes on this in that notebook. After all, he sometimes had to share that notebook with the various detectives and police that he worked with, and having any of them see notes on this in there would be mortifying.

Realizing that he was getting fidgety again, Shinichi was very relieved when the presenter took the stage and her microphone crackled to life. The woman introduced herself and the topic of the day's lecture before launching into her presentation.

"As I am sure that many of you are aware, there are many myths and misconceptions about the bond that forms between an alpha and an omega when they mate," she said. "This is only natural considering how little we still truly understand about the bond. In the past, it was often considered a mystical phenomenon. This view is one that prevails in many places and among many communities even now. Some of this is due to the way our modern media likes to romanticize the bond, but it is also due in large part to the fact that, even now, our ability to actually study the bond phenomenon in a scientific way is very limited both because of its psychic nature and because it would be irresponsible to experiment with something that has such a powerful influence on a person's life. We have, however, been able to confirm and disprove quite a few popular presumptions through observation. Today, I will be going over the most prevalent of those presumptions and the related facts and fiction.

"One—perhaps the most—common misconception that causes concern and fear of bonding in un-bonded individuals is the belief that bonding reduces an individual's independence. However, a healthy bond, meaning one that is formed intentionally between a loving couple, actually results in the opposite. A bonded pair will stay connected—and aware of that connection—even if they are on opposite sides of the globe. That is why the loss of independence is an unfounded concern. While it is true that alphas and omegas in the midst of courting often grow agitated and restless when separated for long periods of time or when their partner of interest is with others, studies have shown that such anxieties decrease drastically after bonding—excepting when the omega is in heat. This naturally has a positive influence on all other aspects of the individuals' mental health. In fact, bonding tends to make both alphas and omegas more confident, less temperamental, more focused and generally more optimistic."

Shinichi found himself hiding a smile behind his conference guide as he tried to imagine how Kaito could possibly become more of any of those things. His alpha had always had a cheerful, laid back disposition. Kaito had also never lacked focus, and frankly he was as cocky as they came. And Shinichi wouldn't want him to be any other way.

The very closeness that made the bond such a gift to those who were in love, however, was also what made it a curse to those who accidentally wound up bonded to people they didn't like. The forced closeness made it so that it was impossible to get away from one another's flaws until those flaws were all that they were. On top of that, bonding meant losing a great deal of your privacy even inside your own head. So that flawed annoyance would be constantly in your space and you in theirs in a way it would be impossible to ignore. Distance could help a little, but no amount of it could actually break the connection. It would be hell. It was no wonder that those who landed in such unhealthy bonds usually went mad or developed other maladies born of long term stress.

Shinichi cringed inwardly as the presenter gave a few examples from real life cases and explained why it was not even remotely true that bonding helped people fall in love (as, apparently, a recent drama Shinichi had heard named but never watched had depicted). He'd known most of this already because it was one of the things they made absolutely sure that every child learned in school before they hit puberty to try and ensure as few people suffered unnecessarily as possible. But now that he was actually bonded and knew what it was like, he had a whole new level of understanding for the warnings.

On the bright side, apparently bonding by accident did not happen nearly as easily or often as was commonly feared as, though alphas and omegas could act rashly when influenced by one another's pheromones, that influence only stretched so far. Humans were thinking creatures after all, not mindless beasts.

"There is also a misconception that goes the other way, however, where people believe that, once bonded, a relationship will maintain itself," the presenter went on. "This assumption has led many couples to need counseling. The situation naturally differs from couple to couple, but the essence of the issue is that, while a bond enables a couple to connect with each other on a deeper, semi-psychic level, it does not actually enable mind reading. The bond is not a substitute for good communication."

That was good advice, Shinichi mused, making a mental note of it and the time for the lecture on the morrow that would be focused on the building blocks of good communication.

From there, the presenter moved on to other common but unfounded concerns people had about bonding as well as concerns that should be considered but often were not.

It was all rather interesting, and Shinichi soon found himself forgetting to be self conscious.

-0-

Kaito was enjoying the conference. He'd always been a people watcher—it was essential for good acting to understand the way people ticked after all, not to mention all the little nuances of human interaction and behavior. As such, he was gaining quite a lot of insight from not only the contents of the conference but also its attendees and even choices of topics.

Since he was partly there to explore the premises, he ducked in and out of numerous events, lingering slightly longer in those he found more interesting.

He particularly enjoyed the humorous presentation by a retired psychologist on the strangest situations he'd encountered during his career, the panel on recent trends in alpha, beta, and omega courting behaviors, and the mock counseling sessions where the facilitators had enacted several scenarios and asked the audience to suggest solutions. Kaito had even participated in that last one (and been applauded for some of his ideas, heh).

One of the ballrooms that he knew would be used for the jewelry exhibition in a few months was currently serving as a dealers' room. Most of the merchandise revolved around books and educational materials. Kaito was amused to see that those materials included a large body of romantic literature, movies and music, though, in retrospect, that made a lot of sense. There were also less directly relevant wares such as a variety of accessories, scents, grooming products, and chocolate.

Kaito was considering buying something when he spotted someone familiar passing by through the open ballroom doors.

He did a double take. Making a mental note to come back to the dealers' room later, he hurried out into the hall and scanned the crowd.

There, turning into a room farther down the hall, was Mouri Ran.

Suddenly it made a lot of sense that he'd been feeling as though Shinichi was nearby. He was.

What a pleasant surprise.

A grin spread across Kaito's face.

Now, where would his detective be?

-0-

A shiver ran up Shinichi's spine, and he stiffened.

Someone was watching him.

Surreptitiously, he looked around the presentation hall, but he saw nothing amiss. Was he just being paranoid again?

He scanned the room again to much the same results.

And that feeling of being watched had gone.

Okay, it had probably been his imagination then. Chiding himself for being so jumpy, Shinichi turned his focus back on the speaker.

The presentation had now moved on to the alphas' and omegas' respective cycles beginning with the common knowledge that omegas in heat and alphas in rut tended to experience an amplification of certain of their natural urges. For alphas, these tended to include their need to show off and mark their territories. For omegas, these generally included the need to nest and to seek out the mental and physical companionship of a suitable mate. These needs expressed themselves in a variety of ways that could differ from individual to individual, but they were always strengthened by the heat and rut cycles.

"It has been said that some of these urges grow stronger after bonding, but this is another misconception," the lecturer continued. "It would be more accurate to say that they become more focused—are given a direction, if you will. This results in the impression that the urges have changed when they really haven't. Although I understand that this may be considered a matter of semantics as such things cannot truly be measured except according to the feelings of those involved. These changes have been observed in courting couples who have not yet bonded though, so I would still argue that it is not a direct result of bonding. What bonding does affect is timing."

Shinichi leaned forward slightly. If there was an explanation for his problem, it would be here.

"It has long been well known that the pheromones that omegas emit while in heat cause alphas to go into rut. It is equally accepted that the same does not happen in reverse—though note that this does not mean omegas are unaffected by an alpha's scent. The effects are simply different. In any case, with bonded couples, it has been observed that the alpha's rut does in fact induce changes in the omega partner's body that results in a state nearly identical to being in heat. The difference between this state and a true heat cycle is that it doesn't produce mood swings in the omega, male omegas are unable to conceive during it, and it lasts only as long as the alpha is rutting, so a day or so instead of the three to seven of a standard omega heat cycle."

Shinichi frowned. There were similarities, but that wasn't it. And it wasn't just the little differences in the effects she was describing. He was a detective. He'd have noticed the pattern if his, er, moments were coinciding with Kaito's ruts. It was precisely the lack of pattern (and therefore predictability) that was causing him concern.

Oblivious to his worries, the presenter went on. "This state can, however, become the real thing if it happens close enough to the omega's natural cycle. This led to the theory—which has now been proven—that these interactions between bonded couples eventually causes the two's body clocks to synchronize. This doesn't change the frequency of cycles, naturally, but they, for lack of a better turn of phrase, become aligned."

Shinichi wondered how long that was supposed to take. It would save some time.

…And that was probably the wrong sort of thing to be thinking, wasn't it? He could all but see Sonoko rolling her eyes. She would no doubt then proceed to give him that snide look of hers as she asked, "Are you trying to say you don't enjoy spending time with Kuroba-kun?"

And she would ask it in that way that made it perfectly clear she was talking about the time they spent in bed.

Shinichi blushed, half in response to the imaginary Sonoko's suggestive tone and half because he very much enjoyed the things Kaito did to him in bed (and quite a lot of other places outside of bed), but talking about such things was another matter altogether. Some matters were, in Shinichi's opinion, meant to stay private and no one's business but those directly involved (whatever those crazy people like Sonoko believed).

Then Shinichi's brain caught back up to his ears.

"—mistakenly believe that they are going into heat with a greatly increased frequency."

Shinichi blinked. Wait, what?

"What they are experiencing, however, are merely heat-like symptoms which are easily triggered in an omega's body during this adjustment period. That is why this adjustment period is often referred to as the honeymoon period. How long this honeymoon period lasts is dependant on how quickly it takes the omega's body to fully accustom to being bonded and the hormonal changes that come with it. This usually takes a couple full heat cycles."

Shinichi felt a wave of relief. So that was what it was.

It was nice to finally have an explanation. It was also a relief to know that the problem would eventually solve itself.

He let out a quiet breath of relief then stiffened abruptly. He was being watched again. And this time, he was almost certain it wasn't his paranoia running away with him.

But who was watching him and why?

-0-

He'd found Shinichi.

His detective was attending a lecture on the effects of the mating bond. Kaito found that he wasn't surprised. He was, however, very amused that Shinichi seemed to be in disguise.

It was a rather weak disguise.

He hid a smile as Shinichi's face scrunched into a cute little frown just before he looked around. Realizing that the omega must have sensed him watching, Kaito averted his gaze. His detective always had been good at sensing when he was being watched.

He kept part of his attention trained on his omega as he listened to the lecture though. He noted with interest the way Shinichi had perked up and leaned forward when the presenter started into the topic of cycles. Listening to what the woman had to say, however, he suddenly thought he understood.

It also explained a few things he'd been wondering about himself.

He'd noticed some oddities in Shinichi's behavior since they'd bonded. He hadn't quite been able to put his finger on it until the unforgettable instance recently when he'd returned home to the shock of his life (okay, slight exaggeration there, but seriously, never in a million years would Kaito have expected Shinichi to welcome him home dressed in a frilly little maid outfit that had clearly been tailor made for playing naughty bedroom games in). Even remembering how adorably sexy his Shin-chan had looked all dolled up and blushing was making Kaito hard.

Kaito licked his lips at the memory. That had been a very enjoyable evening (and night—and following morning, for that matter).

It had also had Kaito double checking the calendar to see if he'd somehow gotten his dates mixed up and forgotten that Shinichi was going into heat. He'd found, however, that no, he hadn't gotten his dates mixed up. Nor had he identified any special occasions. So Kaito had chalked it up to perhaps a combination of his omega finally letting loose a little and a post-bonding high (Kaito had certainly been feeling a bit of that himself).

And maybe that had been part of it. But this explanation filled in the rest.

He certainly was learning all sorts of interesting things from this lecture, Kaito mused, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. And oh, but he was going to enjoy making use of it.

-To Be Continued-