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“Happy new year, Meitantei.” The smooth voice drifted across the rooftop to Shinichi, who jerked instinctively before relaxing just as quickly. He stayed leaning up against the railing, looking out across the city at the displays of fireworks (far away, of course, because at least Ran and Sonoko had been nice and ensured the location would not be having any gunfire-like fireworks kicking off nearby). Soft footsteps approached, and in a moment a not-white suit wearing Kaito KID stepped alongside Shinichi to lean against the railing, a red rose spinning around his fingertips like he wasn’t even touching it. Shinichi took a moment to look him up and down out of the corner of his eye- he fit in perfectly with the relaxed formal look, but without anything that stood out too much.

“Somehow I’m not surprised that you snuck into this party somehow.” Shinichi said, tone dry. But the smile quirking the corners of his lips gave him away (Well, if him pulling his arm back to invite KID closer to his personal space wasn’t enough of a give away, not that he would ever admit that he was excited to see KID).

“Not even a happy new year for your favorite thief?” KID pouted, even as he held the rose, stem out, toward Shinichi. Shinichi rolled his eyes at KID’s words even as he accepted the rose with a nod of his head. Their usual exchange. (When had it become usual and familiar like this?)

“Happy new years, idiot.” Shinichi said, carefully tucking the rose into the empty front pocket of his blazer. He closed his eyes slightly against the bright explosions of light on the horizon. “Thank you. For the rose, and for your company.” He murmured softly, feeling the heat crawl up his neck even at that little bit of frank honesty that he let slip through the usual bantering. KID grinned a huge smile, knocking his shoulder into Shinichi’s gently.

Oh, if only they could meet and hang out like this more often. The sound of the party echoed behind them through the propped open door, voices laughing circles around the upbeat music that had already kept the energy going for hours, but despite those flashing lights and noises this moment felt very private. (It almost felt too good to be true, and not just another dream.) It was like their own little world, the string of lantern lights that gave the balcony its atmospheric lighting bobbing slightly overhead as a breeze traveled across the patio.

KID shivered, the tremor strong enough it transfered through where Shinichi had left hiss arm pressed against KID’s. He was only in a shirt, while Shinichi had at least thought to bring his blazer. And, well, it took only a quick moment more for Shinichi to slip it off and tuck it over KID’s shoulders. (It was almost too large, what with Shinichi having wider shoulders, but KID looked good in it anyway.) Shinichi saw the blush and surprise crawl its way across KID’s face, before he finally paused. KID was bare-faced, and the fact that he could see him blush at all meant that this was his face. (KID’s face. KID’s real-)

“I figured it was time for us to properly meet.” KID said with a grin as he took in Shinichi processing his face, worry only holding onto the edges. Shinichi’s heart thudded. (He trusted him enough, and knew that the trust went both ways.) “Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinare, at your service. I’d give you a rose, but I already gave it to you.” He huffed a laugh, one hand coming up close to his neck to pinch the jacket tighter around himself. His eyes flickered between the skyline and Shinichi’s face.

Shinichi laughed. It was a lighter laugh then he had done for years, he realized. Without waiting, he reached forward and grabbed KID’s- Kuroba’s free hand in his own.

“My name is Kudo Shinichi. It’s nice to finally meet you, properly.” Any last bits of anxiety melted from Kuroba’s face, lighting up in a strong blush as he watched Shinichi press a kiss to the back of his hand.

“Shinichi!” They both jumped a foot in the air, whipping toward the voice that called out to them. Sonoko stood with her hands on her hips. “And just what are you doing out here with my hired performer who is going to miss his starting queue?” She tilted her head to the side, one eyebrow going up as she finally started processing how close they had been standing as Kuroba’s hand slipped from Shinichi’s.

“Performer, ey?” Shinichi whispered, pieces finally clicking together as to how and why he was here.

“Oh sh-“ Wide eyes met Shinichi’s own. “I’ll catch you again later, alright?” With a little flourish, Shinichi found his jacket resting on his own shoulders and Kuroba heading back inside with a small bow to Sonoko. (The silhouette Kuroba cut with that indigo dress shirt was so familiar to KID and yet so much more comfortable.) She eyes Shinichi suspiciously before turning on her heel and heading back in herself, the show evidently more important then grilling her friend about what she had walked in on.

If Shinichi found himself back inside as well to stand and watch the performance, and then was tucked into a far corner with said performer for the last few hours of the party, well. That’s between the two of them.
  
…At least, that’s how it would have been, if they hadn’t been at a party full of detectives and nosy friends. Shinichi had parked himself along the outside of the crowd to watch Kuroba’s dazzling performance (the whole thing being ‘inspired by Kaito KID at Suzuki-san’s request’ made Shinichi roll his eyes more then once, especially when the top hat made a quick appearance). With the close of the performance, he struggled to cut across toward the stage due to people mingling following the last of the confetti hitting the ground, clearly waiting for the music to continue. His progress at wiggling between inebriated people stopped when hands caught his arm, pulling him out of his path.

“So, what exactly was that out there?” Sonoko asked, pushing too much of her weight onto Shinichi’s arm as her words slurred slowly from the alcohol everyone had been partaking in. He had to take a step back, trying to avoid bumping into anyone as he braced for the extra weight.

“Whatever could you mean?” Shinichi asked, tone dry. He looked around, trying to spot plan an escape, but across the room at the base of the stage where the DJ was taking back his place he spotted Kuroba being cornered by someone who he recognized after a minute as Hakuba Sugaru. Shinichi was surprised, not expecting the two of them to know each other, but he could also just be dissecting his magic tricks like any self respecting detective could try. (Well, maybe Shinichi wasn’t that self respecting anymore considering he had stopped trying to do that and just enjoy the magic. Outside of KID heists, anyway.) Kuroba kept looking over Hakuba’s shoulder, and soon they made eye contact. Kuroba’s face lit up before he rolled his eyes toward his companion.
 
“I wasn’t doing anything suspicious, idiot.” He said flatly, his face falling back into a poker face while leveling Hakuba with a stare. Now that he knew where Shinichi was, he just had to get away from Hakuba. “I was introducing myself to people.”

“Oh, I wasn’t aware that Kudo-kun was considered people and not just a person.” Hakuba said lightly, betraying the tracking he had been doing of Kaito in the time since he had arrived late at the party.

“I didn’t realize my security detail was in attendance today.” Kaito snapped back, rocking back on his heels as he finished shoving the last of his props back into his bag. “C’mon, Hakuba. Am I not allowed to just be myself?” Hakuba blinked a couple times, eyes narrowing. “I know, I know, ‘not when it involves a detective.’” Kaito did a very crude imitation of Hakuba’s voice, trying to signal how annoyed he was. “Get off my back for one night, will you?” Hakuba’s jaw dropped as he put together the pieces.

“You’re
flirting
with him? C’mon, Kaito you should know better than anyone else to be that much of an adrenaline seeker-“

Kaito ran out of patience. A slip of the hand and suddenly Hakuba was showered with glitter, a puff of smoke blocking his eyeline just enough that Kaito was able to slip away from him while he spluttered and kindly shared his newfound glitter with the bystanders around him when he shook his head like a dog.

Hakuba’s cries of “Kaito!” followed him through the crowd as he slipped through the growing dance floor as the music kicked back in.
 
“Since you and Ran cut things off, you haven’t been interested in anyone!” Sonoko was saying in a voice much too loud for Shinichi’s preference. He opened his mouth to make some sort of an excuse, when another voice cut in. (Great, more people and more questions. He lost sight of Kuroba as people moved.)

“Kudo’s interested in someone?” Hattori Heiji leaned backwards out of the circle he had been talking in, twisting to look over his shoulder at Shinichi and Sonoko. Shinichi glowered, hoping it covered over the red creeping back up his neck.

“Yeah, he was getting mighty close with Kuroba-kun, the magician I hired to do a performance. Out on the balcony.” Sonoko nodded her head twice like that was affirming the words and making them true simply by force of will. (Of course, it was true, but Shinichi really didn’t want everyone knowing this).

“A dude?” Hattori asked, eyebrows raising. “Nothin’ wrong with that,” he said hastily as Kazuha, who also was eavesdropping now, elbowed his side, “just surprising to me considering how head over heels you were for Ran.”

Shinichi opened his mouth to defend himself,
it’s the person not their gender,
but snapped his jaw shut when he realized saying anything right now would be as good as confirming his (obvious) interest in Kuroba. Instead he just shrugged and plucked a random drink off a tray offered to him by a passing waiter when he made eyecontact with them. He chugged it quickly before he could second guess if it was a good idea to get drunk while he was trying to keep his mouth closed.

Sonoko was starting to ask another question when she was cut off by Kuroba smoothly stepping in front of Shinichi, hands clasped behind his back and heels clicking together as he brought himself to a stop. Shinichi glanced back at where Hakuba was brushing glitter out of his hair onto the floor and suppressed a smile.

“Suzuki-san, could I steal Kudo from you for a little bit?” Kuroba asked with a bright, disarming smile before his eyes flitted over to Shinichi, a possessive and intense edge taking over. (But of course, wasn’t he attracted to that intensity?) Shinichi found himself licking his lips instinctively, just to see Kuroba’s eyes dart down to watch.

“Well, I guess I can’t stop you.” Sonoko said, remembering her manners in the face of lesser known company. “You’re off the clock now, technically speaking. Both of you.” She laughed to herself, but she did pull her hands away from Shinichi’s arm.

Shinichi glanced back at at Hattori and Kazuha, who both stared at Kuroba with openly surprised expressions.

“Doesn’t he look too much like you?” Hattori asked, though he quickly withdrew and pulled back from Shinichi as an arm snaked around his waist. Shinichi caught the tail end of the raised eyebrow Kuroba sent Hattori when he looked over, hand tightening minutely.

“Point taken.” Hattori breathed, eyes settling on their differences, much more obvious with them side by side.

“C’mon, Kuroba.” Shinichi murmured quietly after turning his mouth toward Kuroba’s ear. He waved to Kazuha and Hattori, and let himself be steered away. With the weight of Kuroba’s focus fully on him now, Shinichi couldn’t help the shiver of excitement that went down his back.

“Let’s get to know eachother properly, shall we?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Happy new year, Ran.” Shinichi put his phone to the table, face upturning toward Ran. He had a bright smile, one larger then she expected from him before noon the day after a late party that he had to be bribed into attending with the promise of a new special edition Sherlock Holmes book he wanted. Ran slipped her jacket off, folding it in half before pushing it along the booth beside her as she slipped into her seat. Not only was his smile bright, but he was here before her, menus already spread out on the table and ready to be looked through. She expected to have to wait until he showed, since the reservation was in his name. She was pleasantly surprised.“Yes, Happy new year!” Ran replied with her own smile. “Although it’s not like we didn’t ring the new year in together.” She wouldn’t admit that the memories were a bit hazy, but she still remembers the cheers and raised drinks in their circle of friends as the timed ticked into the new year. She did remember Sera leaning against her arm, big smile and a chuckle just for her own ear. And she remembered Shinichi escaping out to the balcony soon after, citing the loud music as too intense for him. That was the last time she spotted him for the night.The cafe was busy around them, many of the tables and booths around their booth filled with laughing couples and groups. Even more were walking through the door, noses pointed to the air as they smelled the coffee and fresh baked goods that invited them in from the street.“No better way to start the year then with some good food.” Shinichi said absently, head bent down over the menu as he considered his options. Ran mimicked him, though she didn’t miss the way his phone kept buzzing on the table next to him. She could tell he was trying to ignore it, though finally he huffed and silenced his phone before tucking it into his pocket. Who was messaging him like that? Perhaps Hattori. She rolled her eyes mentally; why wouldn’t this fool ignore his best friend.“Your drinks.” Ran jumped as the waiter stopped at the table, placing a cup of coffee in front of Shinichi and some sort of fancy looking holiday special in front of Ran. She nodded her thanks to the waiter, and they quickly placed their food order while they still had attention, Ran choosing the first thing that jumped out at her as interesting on the menu.“Sorry, I took the liberty of ordering a drink for you. Figured I’d get that going at least even if food takes a little while.” Shinichi said, gesturing at the whip-cream topped cup. “I hope it’s not a bad choice. I can’t remember the name, but it’s their peppermint mocha special.”A small bit of Ran wanted to make a comment about needing to eat healthier, but the hopeful look he had while staring at the drink made those words die on her lips. A little treat now couldn’t hurt, especially considering the slight hangover hanging around from last night. She took the warm cup in her hand, laughing a little as she had to slurp through the wipped cream to get some of the drink.“It’s good, thank you!” She nodded her approval of the choice. Ran surveyed Shinichi over her drink as she took a second sip, really taking in how he looked. He didn't look well rested, if anything he kind of had the look of someone who hasn't slept. But his clothes were well put together, and there was even a blue and white thin stripped scarf folded up carefully on top of his jacket. She paused. It wasn't one she recognized, and he normally wouldn't wear one without being nagged to.She folded her arms slightly, leaning forward on the table. Ran was no detective, but she’s been around them all enough that she had sharper eyes then normal. And she could tell that something was different with Shinichi. And she was going to find out what.“Did you get any sleep after the party?” She asked casually, propping her chin into the palm of her hand. Shinichi blinked, and had the humility to look a little embarrassed.“No, not really.” He admitted, eyes flicking to something over her shoulder and back. “What about you? I couldn’t find you before I left.”“Oh, well. I ended up staying with Sonoko. She had people to clean up, but she wasn’t quite in any state to be left alone and I think Makoto was a bit embarrassed at having to deal with her himself. She insisted I stay over, anyway.”“Oh, that explains the outfit.” Shinichi said with a small nod to himself. Ran flushed a little.“It’s not too far off from what I’d wear usually.” She defended, self consciously pulling on her sleeve a little.“Oh, no I don’t mean that. It’s just the brand. I recognized the logo and it’s one of the places you look at but never usually step into to shop through.” Ran could feel her cheeks warming a little at his observation. It was true, when Sonoko offered Ran to take clothes from her wardrobe, she did gravitate toward familiar brands over the fancier high-price ones. Not that Sonoko owned much that Ran would, but Ran had at least recognized this one.“Well, it’s out of my price range.” She mumbled. Shinichi just shrugged lightly, absently stirring his coffee a couple times before lifting the cup to his lips.“It suits you.” Always with the soft compliments when she wasn’t expecting it.Hang on.The conversation lulled for a moment as they both sipped from their cups, and Ran thought about it while watching him observing others around them, ever on guard. Shinichi hadn’t complimented her like that since before they broke up. Ever since they broke up, he always had this air of guilt hanging around him. Even though it was a mutual decision in the end, she knew he felt guilty about making her wait for her while he worked on that big case, just for it to go nowhere. Just for Conan-kun to go home.That’s what was missing. More then something being there that wasn’t before, he had shed the guilt he brought into their every conversation, even the conversations they were having last night. It wasn’t that he had a new light in his eyes, it was that he no longer was hiding what light he had. Something must have happened, and Ran was itching to know what.“Shinichi-“ Ran started, his head jerking back toward her from wherever his eyeline had drifted to just as her ringtone cut through her words. “Ah, sorry.” She pulled the phone out, seeing Kazuha’s name on the screen before she accepted and raised the phone to her ear.“Kazuha-chan?” She asked, and Shinichi’s eyebrows went up.“Ran-chan!” It wasn’t Kazuha’s voice that met her ear, but Hattori’s. “Have you seen Shinichi at all today? He’s not pickin’ up my calls.”“Shinichi, did you know you’re ignoring Hattori-kun?” Ran asked with a small laugh. Shinichi scowled, but she could tell it was in good humor. “He’s here with me. We’re getting a late breakfast.” She said to Hattori.“Well it would’ve been nice of him ta let us know he wasn’t kidnapped or somethin’.” Hattori replied, loud enough Ran was sure Shinichi could hear him. Curious as to why he was thinking that Shinichi could be kidnapped, though. “Could I talk ta him for a quick second? I don’t want to interrupt too long.”“Yeah, yeah. Happy new year, Hattori-kun.” Ran replied, handing the phone over to Shinichi. For his part, Shinichi only scrunched his nose before taking the phone without a fight.“Yes, I’m fine. I’m fine, I made it home without issue.” Hattori was yelling something at Shinichi, though Ran was really only able to catch the words ‘stranger’ and ‘dangerous’. Shinichi was meanwhile rolling his eyes, one finger tapping on the table until Hattori’s voice finally quieted down, though not before Ran heard the word ‘murder.’ “No, I wasn’t planning on working today. Can’t you figure that out yourself? … Call Hakuba then and ask him.” He heaved a sigh, pressing a palm to his forehead. “Yes, I know you have a train home later. Fine, okay. I’ll see you later, but I am not interrupting our breakfast for once. You’ll see me once we’re done. Text me where to go and I’ll let you know when I’m on my way. ‘Kay, bye.” He hung up the call and handed it back to Ran.“Normally you’re the one running into cases. I’m surprised you haven’t today yet.” Ran said, tucking her phone away after turning it onto vibrate. On the contrary, Shinichi was pulling his phone out and typing something up. He hummed while he typed, then looked back at her as he finished.“That’s true. I guess I have a lucky charm or something today though. Not that it’s protecting me from Hattori’s bad luck.” He left his phone on the table this time. “That explains some of the weird texts he was sending before, though.”“Why weren’t you answering?” Ran asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. She knew it made him more likely to answer her questions when she did that. He had called her a puppy for doing that, once. Sera liked it too, said it gave her a nice girlish charm that offset all the maturity she had.“Well, someone decided it’d be funny to name all my contacts the same name. So I’ve kind of just been going off context clues when people text me as to who they are. He wasn’t helping with all the weird questions he was asking without saying it was for a case.” Ran couldn’t help the surprise she felt.“You let someone touch your phone for that long?”“Let is a strong word.” Shinichi’s reply was dry. A burst of laughter came from the booth behind Ran, and she waited for it to calm down, though Shinichi kept talking. “-nothing bad came of it anyway, so I guess I can’t be too mad.”“Hopefully you sort it out pretty soon then.” Their food arrived.Shinichi took what he told Hattori to heart; he didn’t rush through their meal together, even patiently waiting while Ran chose extra desserts to have packed up and brought home. Ran felt a little rushed, but he reminded her that it was okay to slow down.“What if Hattori-kun is in trouble?” She asked, popping another bite of fluffy cake into her mouth. He shrugged.“To be honest, it didn’t sound like the murder just happened so it’s going to be a longer case anyway.” He gestured to his phone, which he had been checking a little bit here and there. “He’s been sending me photos and things anyway to keep me up to date before I get there.”Yes, Ran had seen those notifications popping up, but she also saw another number texting Shinichi quite frequently. She remembered her mission to figure out what had happened between last night and today.“Are your parents going to be back in town anytime soon?” She asked, wondering if maybe his mother was trying to coordinate something.“Oh, I’m not sure. They usually show up unannounced.” He shrugged. “Dad has been doing well on actually making his deadlines lately so maybe he won’t be so scared to come back.”Ran hummed in agreement, scraping the last bit of frosting from her plate. She wasn’t quite sure why he was happier and relaxed, but in the end did it really matter that much? It was just good that he was making some sort of progress. It’s been too many years of watching him be haunted by his demons. And maybe she felt a little weird interrogating him over being happy. She didn’t want him to withdraw again, after all.Finally they stood from their booth to leave after Shinichi paid. Ran stretched her arms up, sighing. She had to take a step forward again as the person sitting behind her also was getting up, moving to the register to pay for his meal while cramming a beanie on his head.“I best get home then, and you along to your case. Thank you for the new years meal, Shinichi.” Truly, it had been one of the best times hanging out together in the past few years. Shinichi smiled, leading them outside into the biting wind. He tucked his nose against the scarf.“You deserve it, Ran.” His face dropped into an expression she knew meant he was thinking too hard about it. After a moment, though, it cleared back up. “Do you want me to walk you home?” Ran shook her head, holding some of her hair behind her ear as the wind blew.“No, it’s not that far and I need to get groceries on my way back anyway. You go meet up with Hattori, alright?” She already started running through the shopping list in her mind, double-checking and triple checking her dinner plans.“Alright, Ran. Happy new year, yeah?” They waved their goodbye’s, Shinichi long ago no longer giving proper bye’s because of a fear he admitted to having at it being a final goodbye. Then, Shinichi double checking the address on his phone before turning and walking the opposite way of Ran.A couple steps down the sidewalk, Ran stopped and turned to watch him. She was very surprised to see someone fall in step with him, and she raised a hand to call out to him when she saw the arm slipping around Shinichi’s waist and him turn to the person. He had his signature annoyed look plastered on his face as he tilted his chin up a little to stare properly at the other man, but she could see how pleased he was under the surface. This other man was slightly taller then Shinichi, a mop of messy hair spilling out from a beanie that looked to be holding on for it’s life.While she stared, Shinichi puffed up his cheeks and then said something in mock annoyance. The other man just threw his head back with a laugh, a laugh she could still make out and felt familiar somehow, and then he rubbed his cheek against Shinichi’s head.Like pieces of a puzzle falling into place and finally showing the full picture, Ran realized what she was looking at. So, he did find someone new. He could let go of his guilt, because he was able to move on.Shinichi put his hands to the other man and pushed him away, but she could see it was light and teasing, the corner’s of Shinichi’s mouth upturned as he caught the stranger’s laughter. And then someone stepped inbetween them, cutting her line of sight. With a sigh, she turned back toward her own home, letting her feet start walking her there as she adjusted her own scarf and tucked it in tighter around her.She didn’t feel as hurt as she thought she might be, when she thought about this happening before. It’s always interesting how feelings grow, and change. If anything, she felt relief.He was able to move on. So maybe it was time for her to move on, too.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Heiji tapped his foot on the ground impatiently. Kudo had texted that he was (finally!) on his way, but Heiji was stumped and would really appreciate if they could get this crime scene done and over with so Kazuha didn’t skin him for making them miss their train. Though, he supposed, at the end of it all it wasn’t that bad of a thing that Kudo was prioritizing Ran-chan. He had left that poor girl high and dry too many times previous.

“Hattori-kun,” Takagi-keiji started, looking over his shoulder at the grumpy Kazuha stomping her feet in the cold, “You don’t have to hang around if you need to go. You said Kudo-kun was on his way, right?” Heiji waved off his comment.

“I told her ta go back and stay warm but she insisted on staying. I’ll see it through at least until Kudo gets here ta give him the rundown. He should be here soon anyway.” Heiji said, looking up and down the road. Stupid Kudo and his stupid new ‘friend’ who took him away last night and made Heiji worried that something could’ve happened to him. Especially with that one single text of “He’s fine :)” that was very much not sent by Kudo from Kudo’s phone.

He spotted two heads coming around the corner and down the road toward him. He almost looked away, expecting Kudo to be alone, before he did a second look back. Nobody should be able to get over here at the moment because of the police tape while the scene got photographed and investigated. So why was Kudo walking toward him with a stranger at his side?

No, not quite a stranger. This was the man who Kudo left with last night. In the light of day, Heiji could see him clearer. A little taller than Kudo, a beanie precariously perched on top of hair that was highlighting more blue-back then sunbleached brown like Shinichi’s next to him, arms pulled up and tucked behind his head while he grinned at a Kudo who was rolling his eyes and smiling despite. They were both bundled up in jackets, Kudo’s nose tucking down into a scarf at the next gust of wind.

“Kudo!” Heiji called, raising his hand in greeting. Kudo made a beeline over, his companion trailing behind. He looked exhausted. Out of the corner of his eye, Heiji saw Takagi-keiji wince like he wanted to complain about too many people standing around the crime scene. “Got a little ghost trailing you right now, I see.” He couldn’t help remarking as he slid his eyes over to the man following Kudo. The stranger met Heiji’s eyes, so strongly neutral that Heiji felt uneasy. There was no way this man could be so perfectly neutral about this, especially when following around Kudo. Heiji narrowed his eyes. He didn’t trust this man, not one bit. Though his memories were fuzzy, he remembered that possesive glint in his eye last night as he nearly laid his claim on Kudo last night. And then they both disappeared for the rest of the night. If Kazuha hadn’t been so distracting, Hattori would have been trying to track them down.

He felt a twinge of guilt that he hadn’t tried anyway, for the sake of his best friend.

“Kaito won’t do anything.” Kudo said with a huff, observing their staring match. “Before you get into asking questions I don’t want to answer while you’re standing over a bloodstain on the sidewalk,” Heiji looked down and realized his toes had in fact nudged very close to the dark brown stain, “I have known Kaito for a lot longer than just last night. We just happened to reconnect last night.” ‘Kaito’ chuckled, the sound coming out in a kekeke manner that reminded Heiji of cartoon villains.

“Sure, I’ll pretend to believe that for now.” Heiji rolled his eyes, even if the bit of information soothed his immediate anxiety. He had to trust that Kudo wouldn’t be that stupid to wander off with a total stranger that he couldn’t protect himself from. Well. Let’s not examine that thought any closer.

“C’mon, Hattori-kun, you’ll warm up to me.” Kaito said with a big smile. “Kuroba Kaito, magician, at your service.” With a flick of his wrist, he suddenly holding a silk yellow rose out to Heiji. Cocking an eyebrow, Heiji accepted it begrudgingly.

“Keep Kazuha company?” Kudo asked to Kuroba, twitching his eyebrow and jerking his head in her direction. Heiji felt like he was watching a whole silent conversation that he couldn’t understand pass between them before Kaito grinned a wide, shark-like grin. It tugged at the edges of Heiji’s memory, like he should recognize that smile from somewhere.

“Got it, Meitantei. Go get ‘em.” Kuroba bent slightly and pressed his cheek to the top of Kudo’s head before he could complain, dancing away with a quick wave before stepping around police tags over to Kazuha who watched with big eyes. Heiji watched long enough to see him offer her a rose, trusting her ability to hold her own if anything did happen, before turning back to Kudo with raised eyebrows.

“A magician? Are you really still that starstruck with KID that you found yourself your own one?” Heiji ribbed. Kudo’s face looked utterly unimpressed, but Heiji could see his ears slowly reddening. “I’m still not impressed with your little disappearing act.” Kudo was sullenly silent, reminding Heiji of how he’d sulk as Conan. Fine. Heiji would just have to figure this Kuroba out on his own. “Whatever, we have ta get a move on. So, the attempted murder.”

And he soon lost himself in his work, trying to explain everything that he had gathered and seen so far. Attempted murder victim was accounted for and at the hospital, prospects looking okay for a recovery, though they had been bleeding out on the sidewalk for a good bit before being found. The nearly murder weapon was found disposed of in a nearby trash can, and was going to be sent off to look for fingerprints but Heiji figured they wouldn’t find anything. He was more interested in the grey fibers that had been caught in the lower teeth of the knife, since it didn’t match anything that the victim was wearing.

They both paced back and forth, pointing out where the blood had splattered and figured that the victim had been stabbed on the other side of the road, tried to cross it, and was tackled down to the ground where they stayed, potentially from being knocked out over choosing to stay still. Kudo suddenly raised his head from where he was pondering some scattered stones and scuff marks on the curb, looking at the buildings around them.

“No security cameras that we spotted earlier.” Heiji said, following his gaze.

“How about ones pointed at the door inside the stores?” Kudo asked, pointing at the relevant stores. None of them were open currently.

“Worth following up on.” Takagi-keiji said, making both of them jump as they had forgotten he was there. He was marking the notes down on his notepad. “Wherever the culprit went, they’ll either turn themselves in or we’ll find them in a few days.” He eyed up the two in front of him with an unimpressed expression. “You both should just head on out while we track this down. You’ve got ones waiting on you, and you’ve already gone over everything. I don’t think you’ll learn too much more staying out here in the cold. The wind warning is lasting the rest of today.”

Heiji wanted to fight against that, but Kudo nodding in agreement surprised him.

“He’s right. We need that footage to get an idea of where to carry on further from. There likely isn’t any immediate danger for us, since this wasn’t a serial stabber. I really do think it was a spur of the moment decision they made.” He put his chin in his hand, falling into silence as he thought. Heiji thought he saw him trying to suppress a yawn. “And anyway, this isn’t your turf. You have a train to catch soon. I’ll see you off, yeah?”

“Yeah, alright. Thank you for ta help, Takagi-keiji.” Heiji bowed to the inspector, who had a very relieved look, before he and Kudo wandered back over to where Kazuha and Kuroba were in conversation. Upon them approaching, Kazuha broke her sentence off with a small guilty grin like she was being caught doing something she shouldn’t be doing.

Heiji noticed two cups in her hands, one of which she passed over to him quickly.

“It’s hot cider!” She said with a bright smile. “Kuroba-kun spotted a cafe selling it and got us all some.” Kuroba was hooking his arm through Kudo’s, handing the detective his own to-go cup. The brief, soft look on Kudo’s face was strange to see, but nice. Still, Heiji kept half an eye on Kuroba. He couldn’t bring himself to trust him. Even if Kudo wasn’t complaining as he got briefly fussed over, scarf being pulled tighter and tucked in around his head while he took a sip of his own drink. A brief, small shake of Kudo’s head and a low murmur following these touches had Kuroba backing off to a more respectable distance, one hand tucking into his pocket while one bare hand stayed tight around a cup.

Heiji didn’t remember Kudo wearing those knitted gloves before while looking over the crime scene. Maybe he put them on while were rejoining their companions.

“We should have just enough time to get to the train station.” Kazuha said, checking her GPS tracking on her phone. Heiji quietly grabbed the suitcase from her, pulling his own backpack back on. Least he could do after making her wait in this cold.

“You good to walk that far?” Heiji asked Kudo quietly. Kudo chewed his lip for a moment before nodding. Kazuha caught his nod, and soon the four of them started down the road, following her instructions.

Turned out, both Heiji and Kuroba liked to talk a lot. They prattled back and forth as they walked, commenting on little things like a motorcycle they saw pass or a particularly gaudy holiday display in the window of a store. Heiji was trying to keep his walls up, keep an eye on everything Kuroba was doing, and yet he seemed so wildly innocent and disconnected from malicious thought that Heiji unconsciously found himself drawn into conversation with him.

And yet, once he pulled himself back from that comfort, Heiji caught the way Kuroba carried himself. He was almost on a spring, eyes drifting around constantly in a show of interest in the surroundings, but even Heiji could pick up on the intensity of his focus. There really was something weird about him. No normal person was this hyper vigilant. And yet, at the same time, there was something oddly familiar about the way he was moving. Something in the way his shoulders were set, his steps shortened to match the pace of their accidental leader, Kazuha.

Kuroba was mimicking how Heiji walked. Heiji stopped short, dropping behind the group for a second as he stared at Kuroba from behind. Kudo cast a look over his shoulder at Heiji, but just kept walking after a moment. Like he knew that Heiji was thinking hard about this. Like he knew what conclusion Heiji would end up at. Heiji felt a spark of anger. He didn’t like being dismissed like this by his best friend. Who was this stranger that felt like he could just waltz right into Kudo’s life like he had been here all along? Like he already knew all of Kudo’s ticks and comforts and-

Wait.

Kurobaa called Kudo meitantei before. Not just anybody did that. In fact, Heiji could only think of one person who had called him that instead of some longer title or simply ‘detective.’ Kuroba was taller than Kudo though, with narrower shoulders, though it wasn’t hard to pad shoulders out was it? And they were similar, having plenty of differences though side by side at a distance they could pass for brothers. He was a magician. There’s no way that Kuroba actually was-

“Yup.” Heiji started, realizing that all of a sudden, Kuroba was standing next to him, not up ahead with the others. Kuroba looped an arm around Heiji’s shoulders, dragging him forward and making him start walking with him. But Heiji could see it wasn’t Kuroba’s easy-going smile that greeted him, but a sharp performer’s grin that he always associated with- “He knows.” KID’s stopped Heiji’s thoughts in their tracks. “He knows, and if you want to deny your best friend some joy in his life, go ahead. Say something to Kazuha, to the police. See how far it gets you.” His voice was low, threatening. Heiji took a deep breath, inhaling a strange strong scent of chocolate and citrus and wood.

“Don’t you-“

“I helped bring down the Black Organization.” That made Heiji fall silent. KID’s voice softened. “I know Shinichi’s secret. He knows mine. You know mine now too.” And now Heiji could see the stress tightening his face even while his eyes were fixed on their companions ahead.
KID was scared of Heiji knowing
. “I have a vested interest in keeping all of you alive, and to keep Shinichi happy you should have an interest in keeping me out of jail.” He adjusted his arm on Heiji’s shoulders. “Well, the FBI has promised interest in keeping me out too because of my assistance.”

That gave Heiji something to chew on. Helping take down the black organization… he cast his mind back to that fateful night when they all were a part of the raid with the FBI. Wasn’t there someone who had grabbed Kudo, still Conan, out of the way of danger at the last moment? Used their own body to defend the little detective from a bullet? Someone who was referred to in passing terms as ‘a friend’ even when they still cracked open a safe rigged to explode while blood dripped down from the bullet wound? Heiji stared at Kudo as they slowly caught up, trying to wrap his mind around the current situation.

Kudo looked happy despite the exhaustion. Like, genuinely happy. Not just the type where Kudo was pretending to make things easier for the people around him but really was suffering underneath it all. Like a weight he had been carrying was lifted up and off his shoulders. KID’s arm tightened around Heiji’s shoulder, but his mind was made up. The only time Heiji would be willing to take a bullet for someone like that would be for Kazuha, who he had been in love with for years.

“If you hurt him I will be the first to say ‘I told you so’ to him. And then hunt you down for it. So you better keep him happy, Kaito.”

In a flash, KID was gone and Kaito was back, a bright happy smile on his face as the tension bled from his shoulders. He didn’t even seem to care about the slip with his first name. He gave Heiji a pat before his arm slipped away and he skipped the last few steps to catch up to Kudo. Kazuha gave Heiji a puzzled look but he just nodded his head in reply.

He didn’t miss the way Kudo’s hand sought out Kaito’s briefly for a squeeze.

They reached the train station with a few minutes to spare after Kaito showed them a couple of quick alleyway shortcuts (“No new cases down these, I promise.”) Kazuha dragged Heiji to buy a couple of quick snacks since they’d be on the train for a while, and when they came back Kudo and Kaito had their heads close together as they talked in a moment of quiet intimacy, oblivious to the world around them. Kazuha paused, stopping Heiji.

“Do you think-?” she whispered hard to Heiji. He chuckled.

“Oh yeah, they’re dating.” He replied. “Not ta worry. I think it’ll work out better than anyone would expect.”

“Oh.” She had a mix of emotions dancing across her face. “I wonder if Ran knows.” The words were breathed softly. Heiji shrugged.

“She’s moved on from him anyway.” At least, that’s the feeling he was getting when last night he spotted her and a particular detective huddled together, the girls sharing drinks and gossip like they weren’t aware of the party around them. Kazuha hummed gently, sounding unconvinced.

Kazuha and Heiji rejoined the two, Kudo looking almost guilty at the way they had been caught whispering together. Heiji raised his eyebrows at Kaito, jerking his head a tiny bit. Kaito got the message and split away to engage Kazuha with some chatter to give the two best friends a little privacy.

“So I was a little off the mark saying you found a magician
replacement
, wasn’t I?” Heiji said with a laugh. Kudo tried to smile and laugh with him, but Heiji could see the tension there still. “I told him ta treat you right or I’ll hunt him down.” He bumped his shoulder into Kudo’s trying to relieve some of the tension.

He was getting used to the idea. All those times Conan was at the heists and trying to capture KID, just to turn around and ask for his help or help him out… They had a mutual sort of understanding going on for longer then Heiji realized. The pieces were only beginning to click together now. And if part of getting through all of those challenges and struggles that bogged Kudo down was to be close to someone who knew, who could relate, well. Heiji couldn’t say much about that. And anyway, KID hasn’t done any heists in Osaka yet. No holding back if he showed up there, but Tokyo wasn’t Heiji’s field to play in anyway.

“Oh I’m sure you’ll have fun trying to hunt him down.” Kudo said with a roll of his eyes.

“Sure.” They both knew it’d be hard, unless Kaito wanted to be caught. Which Heiji had a sneaking suspicion after everything they went through and literally being shot while protecting Kudo as Conan, Kaito would feel guilty if anything happened and might be willing to suffer a little punishment. “Happy for ya, though. You deserve someone who can understand ya like that.”

Kudo’s surprise at Heiji’s sincerity was painted all over his face. Heiji laughed.

“It’s not like I need your permission or anything.” Kudo mumbled, but Heiji caught the smile he buried into the scarf pulled tight around his neck.

The train slid into the station, the loudspeaker announcing its arrival.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

This really, truly, had to be a dream. Kaito had to keep from bouncing on air itself with every step as he and Shinichi turned away from the train taking Heiji and Kazuha home. Having this stunning and breathtaking beauty that was Kudo Shinichi at his side was truly pinchworthy. Though… Looking closer at this beautiful face mere inches (inches!!) away, there were some definite strong indicators of sleep deprivation puffing out under his eyes, only highlighted by the weak sunlight that bathed them outside the train station.“Shall I walk you home?” Kaito offered, small head tilt accompanied with a hopefully innocent smile. The dry look he got in reply delighted him to know he was seen right through.“I should be getting on the case as soon as possible.” Damn detectives and their love of ‘the case.’ Kaito took a deep breath. He didn’t want to bring it up, but he knew that Shinichi was dealing with a pain flareup too because of the lack of sleep, though the way he carried himself made Kaito sad with how used to it he was.“Didn’t you hear Takagi-keiji?” Kaito slipped quickly into Takagi’s voice. “’Let the police do their job and head on home.’” Shinichi cracked a smile, then winced with a pained look on his face.“Okay, weird to hear his voice out of you. Fine, yes, he did say that. But-““I want you to get some rest, not whatever evil idea you have in your mind about my intentions.” Kaito felt his phone buzzing in his pocket again, just like it had been on and off for the past hour. He ignored it. “I want to make sure you get home safe and aren’t thrown into another case before you get your beauty rest.”“Two cases in one day isn’t that likely.” Shinichi complained, though his feet did turn his body toward home. Having not been told no, Kaito fell into step beside him. He considered this a success. “It’s hard for me to sleep during the day.”Kaito was not going to verbalize the very strong thought he just had about becoming a human weighted blanket in order to force his dear detective to stay in bed and rest as long as possible. But the thought was there nonetheless, and potentially a future idea. As long as weight didn’t worsen his pain.“Well, did you hear about the experiment Mythbusters did-“ And Kaito went into a full explanation of how even just laying down was worth it until Shinichi’s eye-rolling was persistent enough that Kaito couldn’t keep from laughing, cutting his own words short.“If you go into that explanation again maybe it will help me sleep.” Shinichi was lying, the poorly supressed laughter breaking his single-note tone.They fell into a companionable silence which saw them all the way from the busy main streets and into the residential ones of Beika. Kaito bumped Shinichi’s shoulder gently, like a reminder to himself that this was real. But he tried to resist more bumps, especially after Shinichi had asked him to withdraw touches earlier. For what it was worth, Shinichi didn’t seem to notice or react to the one light bump.At least he seemed to have kept on the gloves Kaito slipped on him earlier. He didn’t need his detective’s slender fingers getting frostbitten or chapped in this cold wind.“Hey.” Shinichi’s voice grabbed Kaito’s attention as he turned toward him. Yep, still beautiful. Still felt like a dream. It took too much willforce to not reach up and pinch his own cheek to make sure. “Give me your hand.” Kaito dutifully pulled his hand out of his pocket, offering it palm-side up to Shinichi. Shinichi grabbed Kaito’s hand with his own, shoving both of them into his coat pocket. Kaito couldn’t hold back the delighted smile.“You know you could’ve asked at any point to hold my hand, Meitantei.” Shinchi’s ears were turning bright red despite the nonchalance he was trying to project as he kept his eyes locked on the horizon.“You should call me something ot- uh, different then that.” Shinichi’s tongue stuttered a little. “It’s too much of a giveaway.”“Hmm?” Kaito squeezed Shinichi’s hand lightly, voice dropping quieter. “What should I call you then? Cutie? Sunshine? Kitten?” Shinichi’s face really did burst out bright red and he shoved Kaito with his free hand. Kaito went with it, dragging Shinichi along with him as he stumbled on the road. He aimed for a pole, letting his shoulder stop his stumbling while he used his own body to cushion Shinichi’s own dragged-along movement.“I didn’t mean a pet name, idiot.” Shinichi sulked as he got himself back upright properly. “Just call me Shinichi.”“Okay, Shin-chan!” Kaito smile hurt his face. This time Shinichi did remember to detach their hands before he gave him a two-handed shove. Kaito’s laughs echoed along the street as he staggered back from the not very strong shove. Shinichi strode away, the last few step left to his house’s gate. Kaito could see the back of his neck was even red. Guess he wasn’t that used to being embarrassed.Shinichi swung the gate open, and stepped through, holding it open behind him with a practiced hand. Kaito stepped through with only a moments hesitation. His phone was buzzing in his pocket again. He really should’ve just silenced the thing.“Inviting me in with you?” Kaito asked softly, leaning in while blowing air teasingly on Shinichi’s cheek. Out of the corner of his eye, Kaito didn’t miss someone watching them from the window next door from Agasa’s house. Likely the little lady.“You may as well.” Shinichi said with a sigh like Kaito had invited himself in and it wasn’t Shinichi’s decision to invite him in. “You should have a warm drink or something first before getting home.” He tucked his nose into the scarf that Kaito had lent him despite there being no wind. All it achieved was showing more of his red neck.As Kaito followed the few steps from the gate to the front door, he tried to calm his heart down. He knew they couldn’t rush this. He didn’t want to rush this. Sure, they’ve known each other for a long time, but they didn’t really know each other. They both knew the faces they had to put on because of the situation they were in. And Kaito didn’t want this to just be some sort of whirlwind romance that burned bright but fast. He wanted whatever connection they had to last. He stumbled a little, jerking to a stop and taking a half step back when he realized he had followed too closely.Shinichi slid the key into the lock, but his eyes were watching Kaito over his shoulder. Not just watched, no- Kaito was being observed and investigated.“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” The words were careful, flattened out. He was hiding something of his own in those words. Kaito took a deep breath. Communication. They needed that.“I am more than happy to come in if you’re inviting me, m- Shinichi.” Kaito dropped a little bit of the forced brightness of his smile, letting it soften. “I don’t want to overstay my welcome, or make you feel like you have to accommodate me. I know you’re more of an introvert, and you’ve hardly had time alone for,” he checked the time, “like sixteen hours.” He felt himself fumbling with the words a little, but he tried to be as honest as possible. Shinichi tilted his head, but turned back toward the door and fumbling with the key until it was unlocked. He didn’t speak again until they were standing inside, the door clicked shut behind them.“You aren’t draining to me, really.” His voice sounded loud inside the quiet and enclosed vestibule. They both kicked off their shoes, sliding on slippers. “But I guess… I’m worried that once you leave. This will have all just been a dream. Or a nightmare.”“Is knowing me that bad, m- Shin-chan?” Kaito teased gently. Shinichi’s movements were slow as he pulled his jacket off, and his reply came out just as slow and careful.“No, not nightmares. But I have had dreams in which I’m the happiest I’ve been in years just to have it all taken away from me.” His words felt small; his back was to Kaito, shoulders hunched, but he could see the hand still holding the jacket was turning white from how tight his grip was.“Can I give you a hug?” Kaito asked, just as softly as Shinichi had been talking. He hardly waited for a nod, Shinichi turning to face Kaito before Kaito dropped his own jacket and wrapped his arms around Shinichi, drawing him in so he could press his cheek against his hair. Shinichi slowly relaxed into the hug, and Kaito dimly head his jacket hit the ground, soft fingers feeling around his back.“I’m not going anywhere, Shinichi. I’m here with you, and I don’t want to leave you alone.” He murmured. “I know words don’t always mean a lot. Here, look-“ He pulled out his phone, swiping past all the missed calls from his mother before finding his text conversation with Shinichi. “See, you have my number. So even if I’m not here, you can always text me or call me. This is my number, not just a burner number, alright?” They could hear Shinichi’s phone vibrate in his jacket pocket as he got Kaito’s text. Shinichi sighed, slowly relaxing more and sinking into the hug as Kaito returned both arms around him. Kaito could swear that he heard him humming gently.“Just don’t ignore my calls like you’re ignoring your mother.” His voice was muffled by Kaito’s collarbone.“She just assumes I’m available all the time. If she was around and wanted to do New Years together she should have said so sooner.” Kaito complained, whining a little. Kudo laughed against his chest before pulling away.“Well, while the water boils you should call her back so she doesn’t keep trying or tracks you down or something.”“Fine, fine. You’re smart and right like usual.” Kaito patted Shinichi’s head, though Shinichi swatted away his hand and rolled his eyes before heading off toward the kitchen. Kaito was glad to see he looked more relaxed now.Stopping to straighten their shoes (okay, hide his shoes in the cabinet just in case) and hang their jackets and scarves, Kaito headed to the living room where he and Shinichi had spent hours facing each other cross legged on the couch, talking the night away just hours previous.There were nine missed calls. Kaito took a deep breath before he called his mother back, tapping his leg nervously. He spotted a pillow on the ground and stooped to pick it up, tucking it back onto the couch where it belonged. He spotted another out of place pillow with a blanket pooled on top.“What are you doing at the Kudo Manor right now, Kaito?” His mother picked up on the second ring, tone clipped and tight with anxiety.“What are you doing stalking my location on New Years day?” Kaito’s reply was equally clipped as he pushed the pillow back into place with probably more force than necessary.“Well I got in this morning and your bed was empty and Aoko said she didn’t see you come home at all. Why didn’t you tell me that you had a job? And why didn’t you come home or take any of my calls? It’s almost four.” Kaito fumbled with the blanket, trying to fold it carefully with only one hand.“I did tell you, I texted you that I had plans.” Kaito had to remind himself to try to calm down. He was acting a bit like an angry teenager. “I wish you would think to give me the same communication you’re demanding from me. When I did tell you. I had no clue you’d be back in town.” He sighed.She was silent, but he could hear her rustling something.“Are you around longer than just today?”“I’m around all week.” Her tone was flat, like she was trying to force the anxiety out of it. Kaito couldn’t bring himself to have sympathy for her after her being so detached for so many years. He grabbed up the snack wrappers, shoving them all back into the convenience store bag.“Alright, well I might be back tonight or I might be back tomorrow. Let’s plan something for tomorrow if you haven’t had something else come up. And stop tracking me, that’s creepy.”“Fine. We can talk when you’re home.” Kaito rolled his eyes. Whatever interrogation she thought she was going to do to him wasn’t going to happen.“See you then. Happy new years.”“Happy new years, Kaito.”He scowled down at his phone, taking a moment to look through it and delete the tracking app yet again and disable his location tracking in the phone and service provier itself. For good measure, he turned on do not disturb. He threw an eye around the room to see if there was anything else messy left behind before he grabbed the garbage and turned on his heel to head to the kitchen.Shinichi was pouring liquid from a pot into two different cups, his back to the doorway as Kaito stepped in. Kaito quickly tossed the trash, then slipped onto a stool and melted onto the island with a heavy sigh.“Absentee parents can go suck it.” Shinichi said mildly. Kaito huffed a laugh.“Yeah. But we both are nepo babies who can’t complain too hard.” And Kaito was heavily aware of how his mother was covering his tuition for me.“I only live here right now myself because they asked me to.” Shinichi turned from the counter with the cups, sliding a dark blue mug over to Kaito. “I already make enough commission working with the police that I could afford rent if I wanted to.” Kaito pouted briefly, but accepted the warm mug happily, wrapping cold fingers around to absorb the warmth. “I might do that anyway. Rent a place and just come back here once a week or so to check on this place.”“Can’t lose access to the library that’s here.” Kaito raised the cup to his mouth, giving it a light blow before taking his first sip. It was hot chocolate with jut a touch of cinnamon- delicious. Shinichi hummed in agreement as he slid into the stool next to Kaito.They sipped their drinks in silence for a few minutes, shoulders pressing up against each other. Kaito realized after a few minute that Shinichi, instead of having coffee or hot chocolate like Kaito expected, was actually just drinking milk.“I didn’t take you for a warm milk type of person.” Kaito said with a grin, mentally fistpumping when the predicted red ears shone.“I got used to it as Conan, I guess.” Shinichi mumbled. “Ran would make it for me when she caught me up.”“Yeah.” Kaito felt a slight stab of jealousy. That was something his dad did for him. His mother just gave up on him.“Don’t get too far in those thoughts.” Shinichi said softly. Kaito blinked, realizing Shinichi’s hand was gently cupping Kaito’s cheek. “You’ll get old if you keep frowning like that.”“Oh thanks.” Kaito stuck his tongue out at him. “I know I have to avoid that since you keep me around for my stunning beauty.” He mimicked flipping long hair over his shoulder.“Oh yes, as if you don’t look just as sleep deprived as I do.” Shinichi had a questioning eyebrow raised. Kaito couldn’t take him seriously with the cup of milk in his hand. Shinichi didn’t remove the hand from his face, though.Once again, Kaito was questioning how he got so lucky, to have those blue eyes focused on him with that soft, sparkly look. He could die happy after today, that was for sure.“There you go.” Shinichi breathed, a small smile twitching the corner of his mouth.“Hmm?” Kaito hummed questioningly as Shinichi finally pulled back.“Don’t worry about it.” Shinichi said. Kaito was worried about it. “Well, if you’re not in a rush to leave… Watch a movie with me?”Kaito had never agreed to something faster in his life. And that’s how they found themselves showered and tucked side by side in Shinichi’s bed, laptop propped up on Shinichi’s lap as he chose a movie for them to watch. Kaito itched to cuddle him, but kept his respectful distance. He was worried about pain again after seeing Shinichi have to brace himself before climbing up the stairs.“Any preferences?” Shinichi asked, scrolling through the recommended titles.“Something that won’t make your mind wake up and start thinking too hard.” Kaito said, tapping the side of Shinichi’s head. They finally agreed on an animated movie they had both seen before, hoping that would keep either of them from staying too awake.Kaito could feel the sleepiness creeping at the edges of his mind, but it was more distracting that he was in the same bed as Shinichi. And that Shinichi, after huffing, dragged himself closer to Kaito and claimed his shoulder as a pillow. Kaito could smell Shinichi’s shampoo, a soft oat scent, despite his hair having been blow dried.Yeah, maybe it was Kaito who died and went to heaven. To have the fluffy cloud that was now Shinichi’s hair up against his cheek as he eased his arm around Shinichi was too good to be true. He had to be dead. He had never been this lucky before in his life.Slowly, his eyes drifted shut. A last minute thought, he draped his other arm around Shinichi too, locking his hands together. Hopefully, even if he wasn’t going to fall asleep, that would keep him from trying to get up too soon. Because soon, Kaito lost the war against his own sleep, and drifted off to the sounds of the movie and Shinichi’s steady breathing next to him.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Tagaki-keiji and Shinichi scooted their chairs on the linoleum floor, trying to lean closer to the small monitor they had been given to review the security footage received from the stores. Only a couple of them had any camera footage, and they weren’t expecting to see much with the over-exposure outside the dark stores. But they would look for what they could get.They watched the footage in received order, Takagi keeping it playing at a slower speed then he usually would. Shinichi was suspicious that he was doing this to keep them inside because he noticed the stiff way Shinichi was walking earlier when he arrived at the station. That stiffness, to be fair, was entirely his fault. Even though the ground was frozen, he let himself be run around the football field yesterday by the kids (and it definitely wasn’t a way to try and keep his mind off of Kaito, who had left to meet up with his mom after their breakfast).As more footage of people walking past the store in silent, rapid movements that accompanied slightly accelerated footage, Shinichi’s phone kept buzzing in his pocket.“I’ll keep an eye on the footage if you want to check that.” Takagi-keiji said with a raised eyebrow, glancing at Shinichi out of the corner of his eye.“It’s probably just Kaito.” He replied absently, eyebrows furrowing slightly. Didn’t he already see that person walk by once before?“Just check it, please?” Shinichi blinked a couple times. Right. Buzzing like that could be annoying to other people. (To him it felt like a soft balm, a reassurance that the past few days haven’t just been a dream. But not everyone could understand that, or need that.) He leaned back in his chair with a hummed agreement, pulling the phone from his pocket.He was surprised to see that Hattori was calling.“Sorry, actually I should take this.” Shinichi’s chair scraped on the floor as he stood, taking a couple steps away so he could lean up against the wall. (Was something wrong? Was he hurt?) His eyes darted around the room, but at the moment it was abandoned beside the two of them.“Hattori?” he answered, trying to keep his voice low. Hattori didn’t seem to get the message, and in miliseconds Shinichi was yanking the phone away from his ear with a wince.“I’m starting ta regret being so kind to ya boyfriend there, Kudo!” Hattori’s voice rang out into the otherwise quiet room. Takagi’s head whipped up, fast enough Shinichi was briefly worried about his neck dislocating, wide eyes staring at Shinichi. “He’s downright interrogating me and it’s getting on my nerves!”“Oi oi, keep your voice down!” Shinichi hissed, feeling his ears warm beyond comfort. “I’m at work and the whole floor can hear you with how you’re yelling. And he’s not my boyfriend.” He turned his back to Takagi, pacing back and forth.“Ya kidding me, Kudo? He’s practically crawling inta your pants.” Shinichi flushed more, but was thankful that Hattori seemed to have reduced his volume somewhat.“Okay well like, not officially but c’mon what are you calling me about this for?” Shinichi stopped and pressed his forehead against the wall when his knees started protesting the pacing.“Ya gave him my number and let this happen!”“That is a bold accusation when you know he stole my phone before.” Shinichi heard someone shuffle into the room behind him. He lowered his voice a little more, pressing his forehead harder against the wall like it would help chase away Hattori’s annoyance. “I can text him to leave you alone if you want-““Do you even know what ta ass is asking me about? He should just be talking ta you directly about all of this, but no-“ He was gearing up for a long rant.“Hattori. I’m at work.” Shinichi tried to interrupt.“Hey, you don’t get to try ta shut me up. You caused this problem because you just so happened to find the one person who could help you with your stupid magician kink-““Oh no you must be going through a tunnel or something, you’re breaking up.” Shinichi said loudly, pulling the phone away from his ear. “Oh no, how terrible. I’ll call you back when I’m not in the middle of work.”And he hung up.He stayed there for a second, forehead pressed against the wall. (Oh, there was no way he was going to be getting out of this conversation, is there?) Steeling himself, he finally turned back around. Whoever had entered before had left without him noticing, and Takagi was staring at him with his eyebrows raised practically to his hairline.The silence was loud. Too loud. Shinichi’s phone buzzed against his palm, screen lighting up.“So bringing him to a crime scene didn’t scare him away, huh?”Shinichi buried his face in his free hand, wishing that he could just slide through the floor and disappear. He was not expecting the first person outside of his close circle to figure out that he was… seeing someone would be Takagi-keiji. (Because, yes, it wasn’t exactly official at this point since neither of them had really asked and he didn’t want to assume-) His phone buzzed again.“I’m silencing this infernal thing.” Shinichi groaned, opening his phone back up to silence it. He only briefly glanced at his texts as he did this. Hattori: DON’T HANG UP ON ME KUDO CALL HIM OFF OR I’LL TE….Kaito: Heiji is sooo touchy~ :PRan: At the bookstore with Sera, do you think Conan would li… His stomach lurched a little. What a mess of messages. He typed a quick reply out to Ran (he couldn’t dwell now on how his former guardian still thought of Conan, buying him gifts and shipping them despite the high prices to the house Shinichi’s parents owned in the US to collect until Shinichi one day could bring himself to visit and deal with it all-) before shoving the phone deep into his pocket like he could bury it from ever reaching his eyes again while he had any memory of what just happened on his mind. He seated himself back by the monitor, refusing to look directly at Takagi as he did so, shifting uncomfortably as the folding chair pressed against his bones.“Can we just focus on the footage, please?” Shinichi felt like begging.“Sure, sure.”Still, it was Shinichi struggling to focus on the clips even as Takagi replayed the footage he had missed while taking the call.“Same person.” Takagi pointed out, pausing the feed.“Our victim, I think.” Shinichi compared the blurry outline to the description of the clothes they had. They continued the feed, and not even a minute later he was walking back the other way.“He’s pacing in front of all the stores.” Shinichi made the connection to the person he had seen twice in the other camera’s footage. “Probably from alley to alley. Waiting for someone?” The footage kept playing.Next time their victim walked up, someone else ran up and intercepted him. They talked for a moment, half of their victim and all of the second person blocked by the solid front door of the store.“That’s not very helpful.” Shinichi leaned forward like he could see through the door.“Wait-“ Takagi pointed, like Shinichi didn’t also see them both move to the window, cupping their hands to stare at the window display of jewelry.“This new person!” Shinichi paused the footage quickly, squinting at the screen. “Grey gloves..”“What does that have to do with this?”“This could be our attacker.” Shinichi said, quickly outlining how Hattori had noticed the grey fuzz caught on the edge of the serrated section of the knife blade. This new person, this potential attacker, had a matching grey hat pulled far down over their head and a black mask blocking most of their face. With a puffy black jacket, it was hard to make out any distinguishing features about them. Bringing the footage down to normal speed, Takagi and Shinichi watched closely what happened next.They were talking, pointing at things on the display for no more than thirty seconds before the potential attacker took a step back, gesturing wildly. Their victim turned toward them, crossing his arms.“Argument. About something.” They argued back and forth for a few minutes before finally the companion threw their hands up in the air and started walking away.But they didn’t get very far.The “victim” tackled them out of nowhere, driving both of their bodies out of view of the camera. But when they went frame by frame, it was quite obvious that it wasn’t the companion who had a knife in their hand, but the victim himself. Holding the knife blade pointed down.The “victim” suddenly was stumbling back into view, his hand still on the knife. That was now buried in his shoulder.Takagi and Shinichi looked at each other.“Did he really just-?”“I think so.”They looked back at the footage. Because it happened out of view, they couldn’t be 100 percent sure. But it kind of looked like their victim stabbed himself when he tried to tackle the other person.“That’s a new one.” Shinichi shook his head. “Oh, dude no-“ He watched as the man wrenched the knife from his own shoulder, staggering. And then there was the companion again, hands trying to steady their would-be stabber, one hand trying to peel the knife from his hand as it was raised in the air once more. They flinched toward the “victim,” the blade passing close to their head and instead sinking into the thick grey scarf.The scarf ripped, the knife loosening from the “victim’s” grasp and falling to the ground. The “victim” turned and ran off the curb, and the companion hesitated before following.A few minutes later, they returned, shakily grabbing the knife and then walking off in the direction they knew the alley where it had been found was.“Well. That was an interesting watch.” Shinichi nodded mutely, watching Takagi scribble away with his notes.This was… an interesting case. And he kind of wasn’t in the mood to be dealing with it. So the one who was bleeding out and rescued was stabbed, yes. But was it by himself? Or by the companion? They would be hard to find, dressed like that. And it would be their word against the victims.“We need to wait for him to wake up.” Takagi said, snapping his notebook closed suddenly. “No damning evidence, no quick details to give to find this person.” He stretched back over the chair, groaning as his back popped. “Hate these chairs. Anyway, not much more we can do with it at the moment. And we don’t have any other work lined up for you right now. You should capitalize on this time to see this new boyfriend of yours.”Shinichi’s ears flamed right back up. He stared at the wall he had been leaning against before.“He’s not-““Are you really sure about that?” Takagi laughed.Shinichi hated how easy he was to read sometimes.“We have only been interested in each other for two days, Takagi-keiji.” Shinichi tried to emphasize his title so he’s leave him alone.“But you’ve known him longer.” Takagi seemed to not notice the full title usage. “Anyone with two eyes could see how smitten he is, and how protective he is about you. You’re lucky.”“Lucky.” Shinichi huffed a little through his nose. “I guess yeah, this is one of the few times I’d say I’m lucky.” At least, that’s what other people would say. (He would consider it lucky that he wasn’t killed by his injuries in the past. Many say it was unlucky he was hurt at all.)“And anyway, he’s waiting for you right now. In the lobby.”“He’s what.”Takagi laughed at Shinichi’s flustered state as he scrambled for his phone. He quickly skimmed through the texts he had gotten and not replied to, frowning.“He didn’t say that to me.”“Oh, no, he sent a note up to you.” Takagi brandished a card that looked suspiciously similar to the cards that Kaito KID would send between his fingers. “You were on your phone call when it was delivered.”Shinichi snatched the card, but it was just a fancy letter K followed by the doodle of a rose.“And how did you figure out who it was from?” Shinichi’s voice was dry. “My last name starts with a K too. For all you know, it’s a threat.”Takagi stared at him with a ‘seriously?’ expression. Shinichi rubbed his arm.“Just get down there.”Takagi pushed him to leave but ended up following him all the way down, the pair only stopping long enough to scoop up Shinichi’s bag, Takagi claiming he was meeting Sato for lunch. (It was too late for lunch, and Shinichi saw the crumbs on his desk, but whatever.)Shinichi could feel his ears burning with embarrassment when he realized just how many people were down here. The receptionists, Sato, even Megure-keibu. Why did the lobby have to be a gathering place now of all times??“Shinichi!” There was that soft voice. Shinichi honed right in on Kaito, who was hopping up out of one of the uncomfortable chairs that were hardly better then the folding chair he had just vacated. He felt some of the stress slide off his shoulders. It’s Kaito. He could trust him. (Maybe it was dangerous to be this trusting so soon. That’s what Hattori would be saying right about now. But Shinichi could only give in to the comfort.) “I didn’t think you’d actually pay attention to my message.”“We reached a stopping point.” Shinichi replied as he crossed the room to Kaito. “I didn’t know you’d be by today. You should have told me.”“Where’s the fun in not surprising you?” Kaito asked with an only-slightly wicked smile. “And anyway, I couldn’t leave you hanging without a proper first date!” With a flick of his wrist, he made a red rose pop into existence. (Slight of hand, it’s just slight of hand. But coming from him, isn’t it so nice to just be surprised by it?) Shinichi’s ears burned red hot, but he still took the rose with a murmured thanks and gave it a sniff.Shinichi could hear the telltale sound of Sato slapping Takagi’s shoulder behind him. Shinichi rolled his eyes, tucking the rose through one of his button holes.“You’re going to make me the gossip of the office.” He murmured, turning his head only a little. He could see Megure-keibu staring at them with a dropped open mouth.“Mmmm, well they should all know that you’re taken.” Kaito’s voice matched Shinichi’s low tone, but rumbled with something more. Something possessive.“Don’t go scaring all my coworkers now.” Shinichi could see the receptionists out of the corner of his eye as well. (Those dang receptionists. They were always stalling Shinichi, asking him inconsequential questions when he was just trying to get upstairs and get to work. He had been told they were flirting. Maybe this would stop them.)“But I suppose a kind gift like this deserves a proper thank you, doesn’t it?” Shinichi said, unable to fight the grin twitching the corners of his mouth. Kaito raised a questioning eyebrow.Shinichi stepped closer to Kaito, letting his hands reach out and rest on Kaito’s hips. Then, with a small rock of his weight to the balls of his feet, Shinichi reached up and pecked Kaito’s cheek with a small kiss.Kaito promptly pinked, the blush spreading across his face just as rapidly as the big grin that stretched his lips.“And you are acting like I’d be the one to do something scandalous.” But he sounded absolutely delighted. Kaito’s hands slipped around Shinichi’s waist, fingers in a gentle, unconscious pull of wanting them to be closer together. (Shinichi liked this. He liked Kaito’s long fingers holding him, liked being close enough to feel his breath fanning across his face. It was weird to like something like this. Isn’t it? Maybe not.) Shinichi tilted his head to the side, mimicking an action he noticed Kaito doing.“A proper date, you said?” trying to keep his eyes from flicking down to Kaito’s lips, Shinichi focused on pouting his own. “What do you have in mind?”A cough cracked out from behind them from someone choking on something probably, but Shinichi found himself too focused on Kaito in front of him. Kaito’s eyes went over his shoulder though, a smug little grin taking over momentarily. Then, his focus was back on Shinichi.“How often do you go to arcades?” Kaito tilted his head to match Shinichi’s.“Not that frequently, to be honest.”“Well, let’s see how quickly your incredibly smart brain can figure out the best strategies for some crane games, hm?” He tapped the side of Shinichi’s head softly before leaving his hand there.“Sounds fun.” He closed his eyes. Kaito’s palm was so warm.“And then we can end the afternoon with a bowl of deliciously salty ramen from my favorite local place while I dramatically ask you to be my boyfriend.” Shinichi opened his eye just enough to peek through his lashes.“And what if I beat you to the punch?”“Hm.” Kaito pulled back his other hand from Shinichi’s hip, placing it on his chin in a thinking gesture a la Conan. “Well, then I’ll have to improvise. I wonder what other kind of heartfelt confession I can come up with while there’s too much broth sloshing around in my stomach.”Shinichi didn’t try to supress the bubble of laughter that came out of him. Kaito looked so very serious about that. That combination of mock (or true) seriousness with some absurd statement was something he hoped he would never get tired of. He pulled his hands away from Kaito, fingers trying to linger, turning to pull his jacket on.“Takagi-keiji,” He called, “Text me if we get any information about the case, yeah?”Takagi, who was in the line of people shamelessly watching (and looking the least surprised out of them all) just nodded.“Go on, have fun.”“But not too much fun!” Sato called. Shinichi just rolled his eyes, throwing out an absent-minded wave. Kaito took his hand, and together they stepped out to the street.   Bonus: “There’s no way-“ The first receptionist whispered.“But he didn’t flinch away-“ The other one covered her mouth, eyes welling with tears.Sato elbowed Takagi, rolling her eyes at the gossiping receptionists. He nudged her back, jerking his head toward Megure-keibu. Megure, for his part, was blinking rapidly and still staring after the two love-struck young adults who had just waltz out onto the street.“Kids these days.” Sato said, shaking her head. “Good for him. Bad on you for enabling him skipping out on getting work done to go on a date.”She gave Takagi a light whack on the arm with the rolled up report in her hand. He held his hands up.“To be fair, we did actually reach an ending point on that one case. And we pay him enough commission each month it’d help the budget if he gets a couple less this month.” Takagi soothed. Sato gave him another whack.“When did Shinichi grow up?” Megure-keibu wailed.   Bonus Bonus: “Shinichi? What are you doing here?” After almost colliding with each other, Ran looked wildly between Shinichi and Kaito (who had just emerged from the Arcade after a couple successful hours leaving Kaito weighed down with bags of plushies, figures, and toys).“Ran!” Shinichi took a moment to take in how she had Sera’s hand in her own. “What are you doing here?”“I’m on a date!” Ran was breathless.“Wh-““What a funny coincidence, we are too.” And there was Kaito at his side once more, arm sliding across Shinichi’s back so his hand could rest on Shinichi’s waist. (No doubt his favorite way to stay attached to Shinichi’s side, considering how often he was just doing it inside of the arcade. How he was holding all the bags with only one hand was anyone’s guess.) “Mouri Ran, right? I’m Kaito Kuroba.”Sera was staring open-mouthed for a moment, before she started cackling.“I guess neither of you need a beard anymore, huh?”“A what?” The other three echoed.“Don’t worry about it!” Sera flapped her hand. “Anyway, I’m Masumi Sera. We haven’t met anywhere else before, have we?”Kaito’s fingers tightened around Shinichi’s waist.“No, I don’t think so.” He said evenly. (Shinichi could imagine the memory of getting absolutely demolished by Sera going through his mind right now, and it was hard to keep from laughing.) “Unless we ran into each other on New Years? I was the magician performer that Suzuki-san hired for her party.”“That could be it.” Sera didn’t look convinced. “Well, we were on our way so we should let you be on yours. Let’s have a double date another time!” And she quickly dragged Ran off despite her complaints.“Please tell me she won’t be able to figure out who I am.” Kaito said as soon as they were out of earshot, desperation coloring his voice despite his maintained poker face. Shinichi let himself laugh.