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Looking back on it later, Kaito wouldn't be able to believe he'd forgotten about the necklace.It was an embarrassing oversight. What kind of self-respecting phantom thief failed to check their disguise before a performance? And okay, usually his mom wasn't on the lengthy list of people he was keeping secrets from, but Kaito's entire existence was basically one long series of overlapping lies. He really should have taken a second to look in a mirror before video calling her.Instead, he'd been running late (damn Shinichi and his tendency to trip over murders when they were supposed to be having lunch together), so he'd barely had time to drop himself into the chair and summon a practiced smile to his face as the call connected."Hey, Kaa-san," he said breathlessly. If he hadn't been so busy trying to look normal, Kaito probably would have noticed the way her eyes went immediately wide upon seeing him. Mistake number two. "How are y-""Kuroba Kaito, what have you done?"Kaito's smile froze. "I- what? What do y-""Like you don't know!" She stabbed a finger at the screen. "How dare you tell me like this! This isn't funny, Kaito!""But Kaa-sa-""Don't you 'kaa-san' me!" To Kaito's horror, his mom's eyes began to well, her perfectly made-up face crumpling in distress. "How could you do this? To your own mother! "Kaito was so lost. "What the heck are you talking about?""About the fact that you got engaged, Kaito!"And that was when Kaito remembered."Oh, oh shit, that's not-"One of his hands moved before he could think better of it, curling defensively around the silvery pearl resting just below the hollow of his throat. More tears spilled down his mom's cheeks at the sight."Kaa-san, it's not what you think!" Kaito protested, fighting to be heard over the rising sound of her hysteria. He was getting dirty looks from the people sitting in the café behind her. "I'm not engaged!""Then why are you wearing a pearl?" she demanded, eyes flashing wet fire. "You'd never accept one unless it was a courting gift!"Kaito grimaced, unable to deny it. He might have been earthbound for far longer than he'd lived under the sea, but it still went against every fibre of his being to think about a pearl as anything other than a declaration of intent.His mom caught his reaction, because of course she did."I knew it!" She leaned in close, scenting blood in the water. "Who is it? Tell me now, Kaito, or I'll be on the first flight back to Japan to force it out of you, just see if I-""Kaa-san, stop!" Kaito was appalled to feel his cheeks heating. Poker face, poker face, come on, poker face. "I'll explain, okay? I'm sorry."She sniffed, the waterworks finally easing as her upset gave way to offended dignity. "You'd better be. Honestly, Kaito, accepting a pearl without telling me? I raised you better than that."Personally, Kaito thought that was debatable, but this was hardly the time. "I'm not engaged," he repeated instead, as firmly as he could. "It's just a present."Her eyes narrowed. "From someone you're dating."Kaito nodded. There was no point in trying to lie - she'd never believe him. "He doesn't know what pearls mean for us, though. It's definitely not a proposal."The look he earned for that made him feel all of three years old. "Then why did you accept it?"He couldn't have kept from remembering that moment if he tried.
Shinichi's expression hovered somewhere between shy and insufferably smug as Kaito stared longingly at the necklace dangling from his outstretched fingers.
"The first time we met, it was over a pearl," Shinichi said. "And you're not subtle about how much you like them. I thought you should have one of your own."
"You trying to buy my affections, Meitantei?" Kaito managed. It was definitely Shinichi's fault that he found smugness so attractive these days. "It would have been more romantic if you'd stolen it for me. Or, better yet, stolen it with me."
Shinichi shrugged. "Wouldn't want to muscle in on your territory, thief."
Kaito really shouldn't. "I ca-"
"You don't have to have it if you don't want to. I just thought it would suit you." Shinichi's heartbeat was erratic and nervous in Kaito's chest - more honest than his words, as usual - and Kaito was officially doomed.
He blinked back to the present to see his mom watching him, her expression intent."I-" He swallowed hard. "Because he's the one I... I..."His mom's eyes went wide again. "Oh, Kaito!" A hand covered her mouth, and Kaito could see her fingers trembling. "Really? You've chosen someone?"Throat dry, Kaito could only nod."Do they know?" she asked, words spilling out fast enough to trip over each other. "Did you tell them who we are? Where we're from?""Not everything. But... enough. Yes.""And you didn't tell me?!""It was complicated!" Kaito protested, expression collapsing into a pout that he'd never have permitted himself with anyone else. "And it's still... new. I didn't want to subject him to you until we were a bit more-" He waved a hand, at a loss for a word."Hmm. Well, it's too late for that now. Who is it?"She was absolutely going to be on the first available flight to Japan. Kaito couldn't decide if the ball in his chest at the realization was happiness or horror."Kaito?"He slouched in his chair, feeling obscurely persecuted. "Kudou Shinichi," he mumbled. "Japan's Great Detective of the East.""Oh dear," she said, and his stomach dropped right down to his toes in the heartbeat before he recognized the decidedly mischievous twinkle in her eyes. It was a look he was extremely used to seeing in the mirror on a heist night. "I suppose I should have expected something like this. You always did take after your father."Kaito blinked. "Wait, what?""I'm assuming you two haven't told Yusaku-kun and Yukiko-chan yet?" she continued, ignoring him completely. "We'll have to arrange for them to return to Japan so we can all sit down and have a talk about the plans."Well, that sounded ominous. "Plans for what?""For your engagement party, of course! What do you think, Kaito? A spring wedding?" She tapped one perfectly manicured nail against her chin. "Hmm, it'll have to be a long engagement - you're both going to want to graduate first, I'm sure.""Kaa-san!" Kaito wailed. "I already told you we're not engaged!"She waved a dismissive hand. "You're soul-bonded, Kaito. If Shinichi-kun thinks he can get away with not doing this properly, he's got another thing coming.""But, that's not-""Kaito." Her voice was stern, but the look in her eyes was gentler than anything he could remember seeing since before his dad died. "You chose him. And judging by that," - she darted a significant look at the pearl hanging from Kaito's neck - "he's chosen you right back. So stop complaining and let me be happy for you, okay?""Are you?" he asked in a small voice that Kaito hardly even recognized as his own.Her smile - soft, loving and a little sad - was a balm on wounds he hadn't even realized needed soothing. "Of course I am. I've always hoped you'd find your person. You've followed your heart, which is all I ever wanted for you."He smiled back, fragile but real. "Thanks, Kaa-san."His mom returned to the topic of wedding plans then, and Kaito let her, feeling strangely light. His fingers drifted back up to his chest as he listened to her chatter on, brushing against the cool surface of his pearl in an absent habit that he'd not bothered to train himself out of yet.He caught his mom's eyes lingering on that motion more than once, but - oddly - didn't feel the urge to sit on his hands to avoid the temptation. It was kind of a nice to be seen, sometimes. Shinichi had taught him that.And he'd never been any good at lying to his mom, anyway.~fin