#hakuba is drawn so WELL HERE

[leonawriter]

Here's one of the reasons I do think Akako/Hakuba is a good pairing, from before Hakuba even makes his first appearances.

Kaito "But, it's sad that you have to use black magic to steal someone's heart." Akako "But... but... Every kind of witch uses this kind of spell!" Kaito "Actually... it's you that's cheating... cheating on your heart, and on your feelings... For me... it's very obvious that [continued to next splash page] you have a glittery diamond hidden at the bottom of your heart."

How is that relevant to Hakuba?

Because Hakuba is someone who doesn't agree with stealing what isn't rightfully yours, therefore he'd not be happy with the idea that his feelings had been played with and controlled.

Because there's this implication that she's only doing this because she thinks she "should" be, and she hasn't yet learned that it's not how it's done, to get someone to love you. And she can't see her own feelings until she's stopped using magic to compensate for everything. She's stopped focusing on seducing everyone by the time Hakuba arrives; people are drawn to her, but less so in an unnatural way.

In other words, there's a guy here who's attracted to her, is willing to challenge her, and who she isn't manipulating into having any particular feelings, and she's someone who wants that sort of attention.

I think what makes it sweet as well, is that if Hakuba had arrived in her life before Kaito had said this to her, she might never have considered looking at him like that, because he'd be just another face who was seduced by her "black magic" - when he always would have been anyway. And yet, because Kaito did reach her first, she's able to see this more clearly... or she will, once she stops reaching for someone who isn't interested in her.

[takaraphoenix]

Seeing as it came up twice today and I feel like I haven’t done fic-teasing in ages, how about a sneak-peek to my upcoming multi-chapter KaiShin fic The White Collar Phantom Thief?

--

“Inmate Kuroba! You have a visitor!” the guard barked loudly.

Kaito was laying sprawled out on his bunk, with one arm folded behind his head, holding A Study in Scarlet in his free hand. How peculiar. He had told Jii-chan to lay low for a while, just to make sure, and his mom not to bother, not for now, not while there was still a target on his back. Aoko was still to angry with him to see him. Hakuba also seemed mad – or perhaps disappointed, Kaito wasn't entirely sure, really. Maybe both – at him, ever since they had talked briefly during the arraignment, so he doubted the detective would visit him. Akako, perhaps. Since she had put him here, indirectly. With a heavy sigh did Kaito put his book down and slowly get up to casually trail after the guard. His curiosity was piqued. Who would come to visit him in jail...? When he saw who sat on the other side of the glass, a bright smirk spread over his lips, his trademark KID smirk, but it was so much more genuine than often times. With the slow ease and grace of a cat did he slip into his seat and take the phone, his eyes drinking in the sight in front of him.

“My, my, the great detective himself. Have you come to gloat? Rub it in?”

If not for his impeccable poker face, Kaito would flinch away from the look in Shinichi's eyes alone. Those beautiful cerulean eyes that would sparkle at him with mirth and excitement were cold as jaggedly cut ice, staring at him devoid of any emotion. It made Kaito swallow hard.

“Why did you do it?” Shinichi sounded off. “Why did you let me capture you?”

“Now, don't underestimate yourself, tantei-kun,” chided Kaito, tilting his head sideways. “You are the Great Detective. You were able to capture me all on your own. No one else but you.”

“Don't,” Shinichi spat the word out like it was poisonous, his eyebrows drawn together deeply. “Don't mock me, KID. You didn't have to be arrested that day. You... You chose to. Why?”

Kaito smiled, a sad little smile, as he tilted his head. “That's for me to know and... well, for you to figure out, Great Detective. A new mystery for you to unravel, mh?”

--

Stay tuned for more coming January 29th to an AO3 near you ;D

[lisatelramor]

Seeing Double

AN: So I was glancing at the old DCMK kinkmeme on LJ for funsies and this happened. From the prompt: so saguru has twin kink from quite some time, imaging kaito and shinichi (and himself too) in some not proper situations. but because he's british gentleman, he won't admit that. well, he's lucky, because objects of his imaginations are too much observant and... not only saguru has kinks, right? 

Merry Christmas early I guess?

o*O*o

He’s reluctant to call it a kink. A kink implies that it applies to more than one scenario, and for Saguru, he’s only ever found himself hot and bothered by certain individuals in his acquaintance. He’s tried, a few times, looking at media depicting twins, but honestly he gets nothing from it. But then Saguru generally isn’t into pornography at all, people at all, unless there is something else about them that he can appreciate beyond a pleasing aesthetic.

It’s just that since meeting Kudo Shinichi, it’s been on his mind. A lot.

The attraction to Kuroba was one thing. A thrilling battle of wits, the constant one-upping, the excitement of chasing down Kid knowing that he would be met at every turn with a challenge. He’s always found competence an attractive trait, and finding a mental equal was just another weight to the scale that tipped him toward attraction. Kuroba having a pleasing face and body were certainly other things to seal that particular crush, but he hadn’t expected to fall for Kudo.

Kudo Shinichi, elusive and mysterious detective of the East. Japan’s modern day Sherlock Holmes. The frequent comparisons in the media to Holmes honestly would have drawn his attention, but when Saguru got to Japan, Kudo was nowhere in sight. ‘On a case’ as everyone seemed to agree. Saguru had hoped to meet him when he was invited to Detective Koushein, but all that he’d found there was a child who knew Kudo and an annoying Osakan detective who apparently considered Kudo one of his best friends. (Hattori Heiji did turn out to be Kudo’s friend, but, well, Saguru supposed he couldn’t fault Kudo for befriending him. There truly weren’t many people their age who could think on the same level at a crime scene as they could. He refused to admit that he was a bit jealous that Hattori had managed to befriend Kudo first.)

Saguru had eventually met Kudo properly rather than just hearing rumors about him about a year ago.

That, Saguru knows, was his swift decline into a personal state of depravity.

What had somehow escaped Saguru’s knowledge in all the time he’d known of Kudo’s existence, was that he was almost identical to Kuroba Kaito right down to the abnormal blue of his eyes. They weren’t actually identical. Kudo had a slightly more square jaw, finer hair that allowed itself to be tamed, more reserved smiles and body language. Kuroba had a wilder smile and rounder cheeks, hair that refused to submit to a comb and was forever fidgeting with anything he could get his hands on like he’d vibrate in place if he couldn’t find an outlet for his energy. But for all those differences, they could have been brothers. Could have been identical twins with a bit of makeup and hair gel, and had brilliant minds to match.

Saguru wants to say that it’s not a thing, but it kind of is. It kind of most definitely is and he’s sure that if Kudo or Kuroba ever found out that he has a crush on them both, and more specifically the concept of them both together, he’d never live it down.

The only good thing is that Kudo and Kuroba, occasional Kid heist aside, have never met. So Saguru can have his guilty pleasure picturing them together without ever actually having that bleed into reality.

He’s worked so hard on keeping his interactions with them both perfectly platonic and friendly—well, sort of friendly in Kuroba’s case—so at least he has that one blessing for this entire issue.

Until he suddenly doesn’t.

o*O*o

Kaito lets Aoko drag him to meet her new friend because a) it is his duty as her best friend to give every new person a once over and make sure they weren’t some kind of creep, and b) because he still owes her so many friend points for hiding Kid for literal years. All the friend points. Of course he also goes along because she’s his best friend and he enjoys spending time with her, but her new friend is a girl, so he’s a little worried he’d end up being the odd one out.

Naturally he invites Hakuba to avoid that. Worst come to worse he figures he can alleviate boredom by poking Hakuba if Aoko and her friend turn to girl talk. (Don’t get him wrong, he’s fine having girl talk sometimes, but he prefers to leave it to Aoko since she’s not going to look at him weird for talking about makeup choices these days).

He isn’t expecting Aoko’s new friend to be Mouri Ran or for Mouri to have brought Kudo Shinichi along for the ride.

He kind of should have been paying more attention. Then he’d have realized who she was planning to meet in the first place. Ran wasn’t the most common name.

Kaito meets Kudo’s eyes as Aoko cheerfully introduces everyone and he knows that Kudo puts two and two together in a handful of seconds. There’s this split second surprise followed by that ‘aha, I know it’s you, Kid’ face he always gets when Kaito is in disguise, only he’s not in disguise right now. Such is his luck, Kaito supposes. He can’t win a gamble when he doesn’t even know it’s going to happen.

He pastes a smile on his face. “A pleasure to meet you both,” Kaito says, bring out a flower for Mouri and, because that has Kudo’s lips twitching down like the over protective person he is, a flower for Kudo too.

Kudo takes it with a look of bemusement.

“And you know Hakuba,” Kaito says, turning to his other biggest arrest threat, “since you’re both people who chase Kid.”

Only Hakuba has a very strange expression on his face and is staring at the flower Kaito gave Kudo a bit too intensely.

“It’s good to see you,” Kudo says, and Hakuba pulls himself out of…whatever is going on in his head.

“It’s been a while, Kudo-san.”

“Wow,” Mouri says looking between Kaito and Kudo, “they really do look like each other. When Aoko-chan said her friend was your doppelganger I thought she was exaggerating.”

“See!” Aoko says. “That’s why I was so surprised by that photo!”

Kaito decides, what the hell, and plays into it, walking up to Kudo and makes a show of sizing him up. “I dunno, I think I’m the better looking clone here.”

“Excuse me?” Kudo says.

Kaito grins and leans close to poke the furrow in between Kudo’s eyebrows. “Y’see? You look too serious. A dashing smile would make you look better.”

“If by dashing, you mean manic, then yes, you fit the bill,” Kudo says, pushing Kaito’s hand away.

Hakuba makes an odd coughing sound and they both glance his direction. He’s looking away, face a bit pink. Weird. And a bit suspicious.

Kudo takes a step away from Kaito and Hakuba’s shoulders relax minutely. Hmm. Kaito glances at Kudo, but he’s already directing his attention back toward the girls. So Kaito drops back a step to walk shoulder to shoulder with Hakuba instead as Mouri and Aoko start exchanging stories about their university classes and probably stuff about their best friends being dumb boys or something; Kaito’s paraphrasing, and they do have a lot in common on that end he guesses. Again, he’s not going to take offense. Aoko has earned any irritation she has toward him, and at the end of the day he knows for sure that she loves him a lot more than she hates him or he’d have been arrested ages ago. Kudo looks content to listen as a third wheel to that conversation. Kaito’s already starting to get bored.

“So,” Kaito says conversationally to Hakuba. “You know Kudo very well?”

Hakuba glances at him sidelong. “About as well as you do by this point I imagine.”

“Harsh. I’ll have you know today’s the first we’ve met.”

Hakuba raises an eyebrow.

“…You’re never getting that verbal confession.”

“A man can hope. Besides, considering Kudo’s penchant for finding you at the heists we’ve both attended, I’m sure he already knows.”

“And Mouri-chan doesn’t,” Kaito says keeping his voice light so the girls won’t look over. “Buuuut, I guess I do know Kudo decently by this point huh? He’s a worse critic than you are. But he’s got better flair and showmanship.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You,” Kaito says with mock solemnity, “can be a stick in the mud.” Kaito jerks a thumb in his direction. “He’s serious but also an adrenaline junky.”

“Is he now.” There’s something speculative about how Hakuba glances at Kudo’s back.

Kaito smiles slowly. “Something we have in common. You know, besides our face.” He pretends to be pensive. “I could totally pretend to be him.”

“I believe I’ve read accounts where you have. Along with all those times wearing my face.”

Kaito shrugs. “I mean if you can get away with not using a mask…”

“Kudo’s going to start having more invasive pat downs at heists if you keep wearing his face.”

Kaito grins. “Hmm, are you going to be the one to search him?”

Hakuba sputters, going red and Kaito cackles as Hakuba swats at the back of his head. It’s an easy dodge.

“I don’t even want to know,” Aoko says as Kaito dodges around her. He catches Hakuba flicking a nervous glance at Kudo before scowling over at Kaito. “Kaito quit being a nuisance.”

“But that’s what I do best,” Kaito says fluttering his lashes at her.

Aoko rolls her eyes indulgently and Mouri giggles. Kudo watches like the detective he is, probably slotting away different behavioral cues and comparing them to Kid’s.  Kudo’s such a critic.

Kaito drops back to walk next to him instead, still grinning, feeling Hakuba’s eyes on him more intense than even his usual intensity. Yeah, something is definitely up there, and it totally involves Kudo. Maybe a crush on Kudo considering how red he turned. Usually he’d just brush that sort of comment off as Kaito being inappropriate.

Kaito amuses himself the rest of the way to the shopping mall by flitting between people and baiting the detectives for all he’s worth. There’s just something that gets his heart pounding about seeing two logic and law-driven people get more and more emotional.

He gets Kudo to blush once too and it’s a nice little victory.

Hakuba’s not meeting Kaito’s eye by the time they start shopping. So maybe what’s going on involves Kaito too.

Well. He has at least an hour to figure that out for sure. Kaito smiles to himself. If he saw the smile currently on his face, he’d know that it was very closes to Kid’s at his most enthusiastic.

o*O*o

Shinichi has the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. Considering he’s currently at home in his parents’ library, it’s more than a little disconcerting. Shinichi casually reaches for the improved stun-watch Agasa made for him since he’s returned to himself. It’s not paranoia when you’re an internationally famous detective that took down a crime syndicate before you turned twenty. The prickle between his shoulder blades reaches a higher level for a moment before there’s a soft laugh from the upper corner window space.

“Relax, Kudo, it’s just me.” Kid drops smoothly to the floor like he hadn’t been two floors above the ground. Or should Shinichi say Kuroba, because Kid isn’t dressed as Kid at the moment.

Shinichi lets go of the watch. “What are you doing here?” He doesn’t ask how Kuroba got in; he likely wouldn’t get a straight answer anyway.

“I wanted to talk,” Kuroba says. “One on one since we’ve finally met face to face properly.”

Shinichi rolls his eyes. “I’m surprised you weren’t worried I’d blow your cover. Considering you were there with Hakuba and the daughter of the head of Kid’s capture division.”

“Oh that wouldn’t have been a problem. They’re both in the know.” Kuroba grins. “Seeing you come clean was actually really motivating. Consider me grateful for prompting me to take the plunge and show a bit of trust.”

“Is this you showing trust as well?”

“Maybe.” Kuroba sits next to Shinichi with a grin that is all Kid. “Maybe you already had it.”

“I still try to catch you at heists,” Shinichi points out, setting his book aside.

“So does Hakuba. He’s still a friend.” Kuroba’s nose wrinkles slightly, like he never thought he’d be so on the nose about it. “Actually it’s Hakuba I’m here to talk about.”

“Hakuba.”

Kuroba leans casually into Shinichi’s personal space in a deliberate sprawl along the couch. “A-yup.”

Shinichi could move. It’s not like there isn’t more couch to escape to, or even to a different seat, but it’s Kid, and honestly he’s pretty used to him being both dramatic and lacking any sense of personal anything. He’s been picked up and carried by Kid so many times as Conan and tackled at least a couple times by Kid as Shinichi, not to mention the whole shopping trip recently, so he’s pretty much removed Kid’s proximity as a discomfort by this point. Also, he’s warm and Shinichi’s a little chilly so he’s not going to complain.  

“What about Hakuba?” Shinichi asks finally as Kuroba keeps smiling.

“Did you notice how odd he was acting?”

“During the shopping trip?”

“Unless there’s another time you’ve seen him since then, yes, the shopping trip.”

Had Hakuba been acting strange? Shinichi hums. He’d kept looking between Kuroba and Shinichi, which was a bit strange since he had to have known how similar they looked by this point. He’d known both of them for ages. Then there was the way he kept getting flustered… Although maybe that could be explained away by Kuroba’s blunt teasing. “Well, he was more relaxed and emotive than usual.”

“And?”

“And he was a bit fixated on our similarities, I think. I can’t see any other explanation for why he kept looking between the two of us like that.”

“Good, you did notice it then. I already double checked with Aoko, but I was kind of wondering what you thought about it.” Kuroba’s eyes gleam expectantly and Shinichi has no idea what Kuroba wants from him in this exercise.

“The similarities make him uncomfortable?” Shinichi hazards. Hakuba hadn’t been able to look at them directly when they were side by side for very long. Honestly in the same position, Shinichi would have been categorizing all the minute differences and finding it all more interesting than the similarities, but he isn’t Hakuba. Who knew what was going on there.

Kuroba gives him a disappointed look. “You really missed it?”

“Missed what?” Shinichi huffs. “If you mean his crush on you, that’s blatantly obvious. He was blushing every time you even got close to an innuendo and got nervous whenever you were too close to him. Although I’d think he would be better at hiding it if he’s known you so long.”

“How are you this observant and also not at all,” Kuroba sighs.

“Oi.”

Kuroba waves his indignation away. “One, Hakuba’s usually great at hiding what he’s feeling. He’s got his ‘I am a gentleman, but also brilliant and I know it’ front going on most of the time. I’m sure you’ve seen it. I mean, he acts his age with me, don’t get me wrong, we bicker a lot when it’s just the two of us and Aoko. So anomaly number one is that he wasn’t even pretending to put up his usual front.”

“And the other anomalies? I’m sure you know him better than I do if you went to school with him.”

Kuroba smirks, and it’s actually a pretty similar expression to Hakuba’s when he’s found a game-changing clue. Shinichi wonders if it’s something he’s acquired from spending so long around Hakuba. Kuroba holds up two fingers. “Anomaly number two: very little eye contact. Hakuba’s usually pretty good about not being in your face about Western ways, but he’s always been really direct about eye contact with people he has a sense of rivalry with. Me, for example. And possibly you?”

“Not too much?” Shinichi hasn’t really given it much thought.

“Either way, real trouble looking me in the eye that day. Either a guilty conscience or an embarrassed one is my bet.” Kuroba holds up a third finger. “Three, he was more put together when interacting with us individually, but much less so when we were side by side. Meaning the change in behavior is because we were both there.”

“You don’t think part of it has to do with you being Kid, do you?”

“Honestly? Not at all, which is a first. Usually everything goes back to Kid.”

“But he has to have seen us side by side at least once at heists.”

“But,” Kuroba points out, “heists are a totally different mindset and scenario, and I’m usually not wearing my own face.”

“Kuroba,” Shinichi says, nudging him in the ribs. “Just get to the point.”

“My point, dear detective,” Kuroba says with obnoxious emphasis, “is that seeing us together like that got a flustered reaction. Which, as you so helpfully pointed out, is a sign of interest.”

Shinichi raises an eyebrow.

Kuroba rolls his eyes. “Hakuba’s got a twin kink for us, Kudo.”

He chokes. “He what?!”

Kuroba smiles like he won a prize, laughing at Shinichi’s expense. “Twin kink. You noticed his interest in me, but you totally failed to notice he did the exact same things when it came to you. He’s into both of us.”

“What?”

“Seriously.”

Shinichi smacks him on the shoulder. “Shut up, I’m not used to men being attracted to me.”

Kuroba blinks slowly. “Are you kidding me, because I can think of three men off the top of my head, myself included, who’ve found you hot.”

“What?!” Shinichi flails. Kuroba does absolutely nothing to stop him from falling off the couch, grinning at his mortification.

“All those times I’ve flirted,” Kid—because he’s definitely wearing Kid’s grin right now—says, “and you’ve never noticed.”

“That was banter!”

“Banter with flirtatious intent is still flirting.” Kid leans down. “Hint. I’m flirting right now.”

Shinichi pushes him away, face on fire.

“Aww, is that a rejection then?”

“I! You!” He’s beyond sentences at the moment.

“Pity. Cuz I was going to suggest we team up and blow Hakuba’s mind.” Kuroba settles back on the couch like he hasn’t just caused Shinichi’s brain to do a record scratch. “I think that would be the thing to finally break him. I would love to see that expression.”

There’s Kid’s ridiculous, childish, vindictive glee in the giggle that comes from Kuroba’s throat. A giggle and a grin thrown Shinichi’s way inviting him to join in with it all. To joke. To… to what, flirt back?

“Do you even like Hakuba like that?” Shinichi asks, baffled. “Or me?”

“Kudo,” Kuroba says, slouching. “Kudo. I’m friends with both of you. I’m attracted to both of you. I’d be up with having fun with both of you. Now anything more than that would depend on how any of you feel.” He winks. “But trust me, interest isn’t a problem.”

Shinichi’s blush was starting to die but it flares up again under the intensity of that sincerity. Shinichi fumbles for words. “I don’t. I’ve mostly only liked Ran that way.”

“Mm, I kind of figured. You don’t react much to other people.”

It’s not a failing, Shinichi tells himself. He just. He’s not attracted to many people. He has to like them personally or they’re just another pretty face among a crowd of others, just a body like any other, and no more interesting for it. Ran was different because she was Ran, his best friend and confidante for years before anything like hormones happened. But even if he does still like her that way, it hadn’t worked out. Trust is hard to rebuild after it’s broken and he’s glad enough to have her friendship remain as strong as ever even if the romance has mostly died.

Ran’s a woman, and he’s always thought of her if he lets his mind go down routes of physical intimacies. And Kuroba is a man. A man that Shinichi knows pretty well, despite most of the time knowing him being knowledge entirely about his alter ego. Kid is a man who is playful and spiteful and creative as hell. He thinks around things instead of in patterns and loves to surprise people—in all ways. He’s, at his core, a good and caring person with a strong moral compass, criminal activities aside, and Shinichi’s come to respect him even if they can’t always agree on things. He’s someone Shinichi can trust with his life—has trusted with his life—and knowing Kuroba now, seeing the playful and cheerful side of him that gave off wonder and joy instead of Kid’s mystique, he can’t help liking him more.

They’re friends by this point. Even Shinichi can admit that.

More than that…? “You look too much like me,” Shinichi mumbles, red-faced.

“Not interested in your own face?” Kuroba jokes. “Hmm, now I feel narcissistic saying I’m into you.”

“You are a narcissist.”

“Ow,” Kuroba says, reeling back dramatically. “So cruel.”

“But.” Shinichi bites his lip, taking in the long, lean line of Kid’s body stretched along the couch. A gymnast’s body. He’s always liked athletic builds aesthetically. It’s… not actually a turn off to consider the male form the same way. He’s just never had reason to think to do so before Kuroba pointing it out. “But your face isn’t what makes you you.”

Kuroba blinks before a fond, genuine smile unfolds across his face. “Are you saying you like me for my brain, detective?”

Shinichi flushes harder. “What do you think?”

“I think you’re cute,” Kuroba says like it’s no trouble at all to put his feelings out there.  He props himself up and leans over. “Can I kiss you?”

“I’m not running away, am I?” Shinichi shoots back and Kuroba grins, keeps grinning right into pressing their lips together.

It’s just lips, no different than any other pair, but they’re Kid’s lips and they steal his breath just as much as kissing Ran had.

Shinichi licks his lips as Kuroba pulls away, like he can chase the taste of him.

“Hmm,” Kuroba says. “Yeah, that’s pretty nice.”

It’s more than just pretty nice, but like hell is Shinichi going to stroke his ego.

Kuroba dips in again. And again. Shinichi loses count of how many kisses they exchange or how they end up on the library floor, curled into each other and short of breath, heat caught between them. He just knows that at some point Kuroba laughs, eyes sparkling with lust and happiness and says, “This wasn’t even what I came here for.”

“And what was?” Shinichi says, mind ages away from their earlier conversation.

“Hakuba,” Kuroba says, kissing Shinichi’s jaw.

“Oh.” Right. Hakuba. His mind almost gets lost again in the pleasant feeling of Kuroba’s teeth nibbling beneath his ear. “Twin kink?” he says, dragging up the last thing he remembers from that line of thought.

“Twin kink,” Kuroba confirms. “What sort of expression do you think he’d make if he saw us now?”

It’s weird to think of another person while being intimate with someone, but the idea seems to turn on Kuroba, which really shouldn’t be surprising. Of course Kid would have an exhibitionist streak. Shinichi humors him though. Hakuba, watching from the couch. Hands clenched in his lap, not touching because they haven’t said he can yet, just hungry hazel eyes devouring the picture of them tangled together in front of him…

Shinichi shivers. It’s not a bad mental image at all.

Kuroba nips a little harder, drawing his attention back to him. “It would be fun,” he says, “wouldn’t it?”

“You just want a threesome,” Shinichi accuses breathlessly.

Kuroba laughs. “I mean, sure? But c’mon, detective, it’s a rush having both your attention at a heist. I can only imagine how it’d be in bed.”

Mmng. Ok, Kuroba wins whatever it is he’s trying to do here. Shinichi’s considering it. He’s considering it very seriously. From the slowly growing grin on Kuroba’s face, he definitely knows he’s won Shinichi over.

“You have to get Hakuba to agree.”

“Kudo, we both show up dressed as each other and Hakuba will throw himself at us.”

“I’m not role playing you.”

“Eh, you couldn’t act me well enough anyway.”

That’s a challenge and he scowls at Kuroba for it because Kuroba knows exactly what he’s doing, damn it. He just grins and grins unrepentantly. “I hate you,” Shinichi grumbles.

“You really don’t,” Kuroba says. He pulls him in for another kiss that Shinichi pretends to be annoyed about. Kuroba whispers in Shinichi’s ear. “If we’re going to seduce a man, we’d better get a bit of practice.”

Shinichi groans.

He doesn’t get back to reading his book that night.

o*O*o

It’s been a long day between university classes in the morning and working on an ongoing case in the afternoon and evening. Saguru had barely managed to fit in dinner between running around interviewing witnesses and he’s rather looking forward to a hot bath and some pleasure reading before bed.

He steps into his room, shedding his suit-jacket out of habit before he’s even fully in the room, only to turn and find two people lounging on his bed.

Saguru freezes.

It’s Kuroba and Kudo—or Kid and Kudo?—sitting comfortably with their backs propped against his headboard, watching him with identical smiles on their faces. Like he’s about to trip one of Kuroba’s pranks or Kudo is going to put forward the vital piece of evidence to pull a whole case together. At first glance, he can’t tell for sure who is who, though considering that one of them is wearing Kid’s white suit it should be obvious. But a second longer stare has him sure that it’s actually Kudo wearing the suit. Saguru swallows, his suit jacket slipping through his fingers.

“I expect breaking and entering from Kid, but I’m surprised you went along,” he says, keeping his voice level through strength of will alone.

Confirming his guess, the man in Kid’s suit shrugs. “He’s really convincing when he wants to be.”

Kuroba snickers, his hair tamed into Kudo’s smoother hair style and looking terribly comfortable in one of Kudo’s sweaters. “Like you don’t have a rebellious streak. You’re totally morally gray when you want to be.”

“Generally not for selfish reasons.”

“Well this is entirely selfish.”

Kudo snorts. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

“What’s going on?” Saguru asks hoarsely.

Kuroba and Kudo look at him at the same time. “We had a thought,” Kuroba says.

“And we decided to test it out,” Kudo continues.

“For example…” Kuroba leans even closer to Kudo than he was before. “How many of your fantasies is this hitting?”

Saguru flushes then pales. “You, that is I. Kuroba.”

“Relax, if we were going to be weirded out by it, we wouldn’t be here dressed like this,” Kudo says. He’s not trying to tease Saguru at all, just letting Kuroba do whatever he wants. Kuroba is definitely teasing, a smirk on the edge of his lips as he places a kiss underneath Kudo’s eye, just below the monocle. Kudo does tilt his head so Kuroba can access more skin though. It’s terribly distracting.

“We put together the clues,” Kuroba says, eyes half-lidded. “Twin kink isn’t one I’d have thought you had, Hakuba.”

“I don’t!” Saguru sputters. Both Kudo and Kuroba give him identical disbelieving looks and it doesn’t help his attraction at all. “It’s not like that. It’s just.” He doesn’t even know why their mirrored images make him feel so flustered, just that they do, and it’s only because they’re them that he’s attracted at all. “I’m not attracted to anyone that looks the same other than the two of you.” His face burns. “I.” He feels horribly vulnerable. “I find you both attractive on your own in the first place. For different reasons.”

Both of their eyes soften. “Aww,” Kuroba says. “You like us.”

“I thought that was a given,” Saguru murmurs.

“We like you too,” Kuroba says, all but draped along Kudo by now. “You don’t think I’d arrange this kind of show for just anyone do you?”

“That depends, is this an invitation or is this just…confirmation and potentially something to hold over me for the rest of our friendship?” Saguru asks, only half joking. He doesn’t think Kuroba would be that cruel, but he occasionally has a sadistic streak in his humor and Saguru can’t let himself be any more vulnerable than he already is until he’s sure that this isn’t another joke.

Kuroba and Kudo exchange a glance. “We’re serious,” Kudo says, speaking because he probably knows that Saguru will trust his word a bit more than Kuroba’s. He holds out a hand and Kuroba mirrors it. “Join us?”

“Oh.” Saguru shivers. This doesn’t feel quite real.

His feet carry him to the bed like his body isn’t under his own power and he reaches back. Two hands clasp his and pull him in, two lithe bodies bracketing his. Saguru stares at them with disbelief and wonder before Kuroba takes the initiative to lean in to kiss him. He smells a bit like hair product and Kudo’s aftershave. He kisses like an invitation, light and teasing and lingering like he’s daring Saguru to kiss back, to chase and take more than light presses of skin together. If it’s an invitation, Saguru takes it, letting himself drown in the feeling of Kuroba’s lips after years of trying not to think about them or the muscles Kuroba hides under doubled shirt layers.

It’s better than he imagined it being.

Then Kudo is there, tugging him around with a palm on his cheek. He smells like Kuroba’s cologne and if Kuroba’s teasing, Kudo is sincere, straightforward. He doesn’t hesitate to kiss Saguru deeply with a startling intensity Saguru hadn’t expected. He should have expected it. When Kudo thinks something is worth doing, he doesn’t hesitate to follow through. Saguru’s eyes flutter shut with the kiss and Kuroba at his back, Kuroba’s hand in his hair, Kudo’s at his hip. He’s not sure where his own hands are just that he’s holding on for dear life because he hasn’t been this aroused in his entire life. It’s overwhelming.

“Is that convincing enough that we mean it?” Kudo says against his lips.

Saguru whimpers, beyond words.

Kudo huffs a soft laugh against his mouth and kisses him again. Kuroba kisses the back of his neck. One of them has a hand inching up under his shirt. It’s probably Kuroba because he hadn’t even noticed him untuck it. He shivers at rough fingertips against sensitive skin. Definitely Kuroba. Kuroba pressed against his back, his leg slipped between Saguru’s own. Kudo pressed against his front, hand on his face to control the angle of their kisses. Saguru has one hand on his chest it turns out. He isn’t as muscular as Kuroba there, but Kudo’s thighs.

Saguru groans.

“Did we break him?” Shinichi asks as Saguru has to press his forehead against his shoulder before he loses himself completely.

“Hmm, maybe a little bit.” Kuroba pulls his hand from under Saguru’s shirt to rub at his side a bit less intimately. “You okay, Hakuba?”

“Mm.”

“No words?”

“Words are hard,” Saguru says. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Kuroba laughs. “You don’t have to. This is really just about doing what feels good.”

Kudo brushes Saguru’s bangs back from his face and it’s too gentle and platonic for the situation. “If this is too much too fast, we don’t actually have to do more than this. Kaito just wanted to surprise you and see how you would react tonight, but this isn’t a one-time offer.”

“Oh. That’s…” He hadn’t expected that.

Kuroba tugs on his hair lightly and Saguru looks at him. “What part of ‘we like you’ didn’t make it clear that this wasn’t just a fling?”

Saguru huffs. “Pardon me if my brain isn’t up to my usual standards. I wasn’t expecting either of you to be interested at all, let alone together. I… have spent a long time trying not to think about this sort of situation because it didn’t seem possible.”

“Because we didn’t formally know each other?” Kudo asks.

“Because you both have shown preferences for women,” Saguru points out. “And I wasn’t sure how you’d react to Kuroba.”

“My relationship with him’s not too different than it is with you,” Kuroba says. “Only less antagonistic and more random showing up with his face because I can.”

“How isn’t that antagonism?” Kudo asks, exasperated.

“I’m not pranking you,” Kuroba points out. “And you proved you had gray morals way before Hakuba did, with a flare of showmanship that made you a bit less of a critic.”

Kudo snorts. They’re relaxed around each other, like they’ve been interacting for years, and Saguru wonders how much Kudo has interacted with Kid outside of what is publicly known. He’s clearly closer to Kuroba than Saguru first thought. “He’s kind of a brat and annoying but he’s not too bad when it comes down to it,” Kudo says.

“Wow, high praise,” Kuroba says, deadpan. He curls around Saguru’s back, warm and comfortable.

It’s nice. Being here between them is nice and for all that it’s arousing, it’s soothing too. It’s been a long time since he’s been held so intimately and it’s even better with two pairs of arms. It would be hard to disentangle himself if he needed to, but he doesn’t want to.

“Why is Kudo wearing Kid’s suit anyway?” Saguru asks after a moment.

“I hoped you’d need a moment to figure who was who,” Kuroba admits. “I would have had him pretend to be me, but he’s kinda bad at acting.”

“I’m not that bad.”

“Prove it,” Kuroba says.

Kudo reaches past Saguru to catch Kuroba’s chin. He tilts his head and grins like Kid. “Who can’t act, Detective?” he says with a purr in his voice. It’s actually a pretty good impression of Kid being flirtatious.

Kuroba chuckles at Saguru’s back. “Nice try, Kid,” he says with that slight shift in voice to match Kudo’s voice perfectly, because of course Kuroba can pull it off perfectly. “I’m not that easy.”

Kudo snorts. “Aren’t you though?” he says, breaking character.

“You or me?” Kuroba asks.

Kudo shrugs. “You? You’re the one that proposed all of this.”

“You said yes.”

“I can count on one hand the people I’d say yes to.”

“Same,” Kuroba says.

“How about none of us are easy,” Saguru cuts in, “we just have specific taste and are willing to pursue it if the person we like is receptive?”

“Fair enough.” Kuroba snuggles close and Kudo rests his chin on Saguru’s head. It’s all terribly cozy and domestic. It’s a complete turnaround for a short while ago, but Saguru finds he’s kind of glad that they’re not diving into sex all at once. He likes this better even if Kuroba and Kudo did show up looking like one of his deepest fantasies come to life.

“Can you both stay the night?” Saguru asks, not wanting to move at all.

“That was kind of the plan,” Kuroba says against his neck.

“If it’s not assuming too much,” Kudo adds.

Saguru grips Kid’s white coat and Kuroba’s hand where it rests on his hip. “No, I’d like you to stay.”

“Then we’ll stay,” Kudo says.

“And maybe have some fun in the morning,” Kuroba adds with a teasing lilt to his voice.

Kudo smacks Kuroba lightly, on wherever he can reach. From Kuroba’s hitch of breath, it was probably his ass. “Nothing he’s not comfortable with.”

“I’ll consider it in the morning,” Saguru says, heart beating a bit too fast all over again. He certainly wouldn’t mind things going that route. Tonight is just… a little much after such a long day and the shock of finding them here at all.

“Good enough,” Kuroba says. He reaches over Saguru to tug at one of Kudo’s pockets, pulling out Kid’s iconic card gun. He shoots without looking and the lights go dark. “Go to sleep, Hakuba. We’re not going anywhere.”

Saguru squeezes his hand and closes his eyes. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” Kudo says, kissing his head and Kuroba’s lips on the back of his neck. He should feel trapped, but instead he feels cradled, held with affection, and safe. Saguru drifts to sleep with a smile on his face.

o*O*o

Saguru wakes to a blue-eyed face watching him with a lazy smile and the feeling of hands rubbing gently along his back and sides. …Too many hands for the person in front of him, and his memory of the night before snaps back to the forefront of his mind as he recognizes Kuroba.

“Morning,” Kuroba says.

“…Good morning.” If Kuroba is in front of him, it must be Kudo behind him, hand tracing a lazy pattern against Saguru’s thigh.

Kuroba kisses him, and he doesn’t even mind the stale morning breath.

“It’s definitely good,” Kudo says against the back of his neck. There’s the tickly of fine hair as Kudo kisses the knob of his spine at the base of his neck.

Saguru is very awake and very aroused. Kuroba can tell because he chuckles and presses his whole front to Saguru’s, matching hardness brushing against each other’s hips. Kuroba’s a bit further along than Saguru, but then he has been awake for an unknown amount of time longer.

“Have any opinion about that morning sex?” Kuroba asks against his lips.

“Please,” Saguru says and feels Kuroba’s smile turn into a predatory grin. Kudo presses close against his back and he’s as interested as Kuroba in the proceedings. Saguru doesn’t resist as hands tug at his clothing, undoing buttons and working their way along bare skin. Touch is followed by lips and tongue and teeth. It’s easy to get lost in, to surrender completely to this. In some of his fantasies, he’s the one who calls the shots but Saguru can’t say he hasn’t thought of it this way too. Thought of letting two strong willed people slowly pick him apart until he can’t string two thoughts together and can only attempt to press as much of the experience as possible into his memory.

By the time he’s lost his clothing and Kudo and Kuroba have removed most of theirs, Saguru’s a mess. There has never been someone he’s wanted as much as he wants the both of them, and they are well aware of the power they hold over him with their matching faces alone.

Kudo and Kuroba lay between his legs, looking up at him like he’s something between prey and prize and he can’t even contest that since he feels like it. He wants them to devour him. He wants them to treat him like something precious and touch them the same way. Unable to gather the brain power to do anything other than watch and hold on to the bed beneath him, he can’t look away as Kudo and Kuroba go down on him as one, like they’ve practiced this though he knows they haven’t.

Two mouths on his cock, almost kissing around it, and blue eyes looking up, teasing, taunting. He shudders and moans and is desperately relieved that his father isn’t in the house at the moment or this could be very embarrassing very fast.

They work their way up to the tip, then Kudo works back down, Kuroba fitting his lips around the head and sinking down with agonizingly perfect suction.

“God.” Saguru wants to tip his head back and just revel in the feeling, but at the same time, he might just die if he looks away.

“Not quite,” Kudo quips, “but if you keep stroking his ego he’ll think he is.”

Saguru laughs, startled but not at all displeased as Kudo grins back and Kuroba smacks ineffectually at Kudo’s shoulder with the hand not holding Saguru’s erection steady.

Yes, they’re both absurdly sexy at the moment, but they’re still themselves and Saguru feels terrily fond of them in that moment, breathless with the emotion as well as with the way Kuroba seems determined to get him to climax as quickly as possible.

“Ah. I’m going to—if you keep doing that with your to—oh, fuck.” Kuroba continues mercilessly and Kudo just grins and moves up Saguru’s body to occupy his mouth with sloppy, devouring kisses.

Saguru surrenders. They have him exactly where they want him and he’s just going to die happy there. He grounds one hand on Kudo’s back and the other on Kuroba’s shoulder—not head, he doesn’t want to control this, he’s trying so hard to not move and if he grabs his head, that will go out the window—and moans into Kudo’s mouth.

It takes three more bobs of Kuroba’s head and the brush of his cock against the back of Kuroba’s throat for him to come, body wrenching with the force of it as both men hold him down and he can do nothing but gasp and groan as Kuroba works him into oversensitivity.

Saguru pushes at his shoulder frantically. “Enough, please, for all that is holy!”

Kuroba snickers, nose pressed to Saguru’s thigh. “Everything you dreamed about?”

“Fuck,” Saguru says eloquently.

“Next time,” Kudo promises.

Saguru groans. “You’re trying to kill me aren’t you?”

“Nah, if we were trying to kill you we’d fuck each other while you watch, then tease you mercilessly,” Kuroba says, propping his arms on Saguru’s stomach. He’s still hard, they both are, and Saguru should do something about that. Just as soon as his body starts responding to his brain again.

“God,” he repeats.

“We broke him again,” Kudo says.

“Is that you saying you don’t want to exchange hand jobs?” Kuroba asks.

“Hell no, get over here.”

Saguru watches them shift just far enough away to no longer be on top of him and reach out to touch each other like they already know each other’s bodies intimately. Well, considering how smoothly this all went down, there’s a high likelihood they do know each other intimately though when this first happened is something he hasn’t the foggiest about.

There’s something perverse in enjoying the picture they make, mirror images, all flushed and panting and needy kisses pressed back and forth between bodies. If Saguru hadn’t just come, he’d probably come again just watching the way Kuroba matches Kudo’s pace as they jerk each other off, fast and needy.

It isn’t a perfect mirror though, and Kudo tips over the edge first, curling into Kuroba’s body as cum spurts over Kuroba’s knuckles. He doesn’t lose grip in Kuroba though and it’s only a few jerks more of Kuroba’s hips before he’s spilling too, silent compared to Kudo’s low moan.

God, now Saguru knows what they both look like when they come. He’s never going to be able to erase this from his mind, nor would he ever want to.

Kuroba flops back, boneless, like a particularly happy cat. “Mm, that was fun.”

Kudo wrinkles his nose at the mess and goes to grab tissues from Saguru’s side table.

“You back to the land of the living yet?” Kuroba asks Saguru, lifting his head just enough to crane his neck in Saguru’s direction.

“Mmn.” Saguru blinks heavily and accepts the tissue Kudo offers to clean any mess on himself that Kuroba didn’t manage to swallow. “More or less.”

Kuroba laughs, content. “That was great and we should all totally do this again sometime.”

“Sometime,” Kudo allows, “but only if it’s not going to interfere with work. I can’t drop everything all the time just because you want me to.”

“Would I do that?” Kuroba asks.

Kudo and Saguru exchange a long suffering look of people who have had Kuroba insert himself at Kuroba’s capricious whims into their lives on the regular. “Yes,” they say together.

Kuroba sticks his tongue out at then both. “Rude. I definitely check before I interrupt people.”

“Stalker,” Kudo says, but it’s fond, and Kuroba preens a little almost like he takes it as a compliment. It has to be the shared history of Kid’s madness at work there.

“I need a shower,” Saguru says after a long pause. It’s a comfortable pause, but one of them has to move first.

“Is your shower large enough to share?” Kudo asks, only half joking.

“Yes,” Kuroba answers for him.

“Only if we’re actually getting clean though. Regrettably, I have things I need to do today.” Saguru kind of wishes they could just stay like this longer though. Kuroba’s hair tickles against his ankle and Kudo’s hip is warm against his knee and he’d be entirely content to curl up with them and sleep for another hour, but he already slept in.

Kuroba’s the one to actually move first, stretching like the way human bodies are meant to fit together is optional. “C’mon,” he says holding hands to Kudo and Saguru. “Shower time.”

Saguru takes his hand. Kuroba gives him a bright grin.

“So, I’m taking you guys on a date sometime soon.” Kuroba squeezes their hands.

“Are you now?” Kudo asks with fond amusement.

“Yup. You saw me naked, so dates are happening.”

“How backwards. And ‘dates’ plural?”

“There’s two of you, so I should get at least two dates.”

Kudo snorts. Saguru feels something warm settle in his chest.

He can’t remember why he was so scared to consider this when it’s all he could ever hope for.

“So long as none of those dates are heists, you have a deal,” Saguru says.

“How about a scavenger hunt?”

“Acceptable.”

Saguru lets Kuroba drag him to the shower, hand in hand, and stops thinking about what a risk it could be and lets himself hope for what this could become.

*******

Basically:

Hakuba: I like attractive men who can mentally stimulate and challenge me. 

Kaito: If you’re a friend and fall into range of what I find attractive, I’d be down to mess around at least once. Gotta romance me if you want more than that ;) Bonus points if you don’t put up with my bullshit ;) ;)

Shinichi: Look, I have a very narrow list of what makes a person attractive and you’re either on it or you’re not, and if you’re on it, we’re already friends. Also, you’re probably physically fit. (Holy shit, I’m attracted to Heiji too I didn’t even realize--)

[sokikuro]

Just Hanging

Word count: 2665

The moon hung low and bright, bathing the world in its silver light. They swayed rhythmically to the uncanny beat of the earth, their bodies pressed together intimately, only their mouths were separated by a hair's breadth of distance and the air friction was the only force to hinder their otherwise eternal dance.

“Well, now I know how sardines are feeling.”

“Oh, very clever. S-sardines because of the net. I get it.” Kaito tried to sound sarcastic but probably failed miserably. His slight hysteric laugh at the end didn’t help either he guessed. He tried to clear his throat but it was rather hard in the position they were in. So he closed his eyes from the blurry image of a pair of blue ones belonging to one decidedly unimpressed Kudo Shinichi to get his Poker face back on track and took small, even breaths through his nose, focusing on just himself for a short moment. He needed to calm down if he wanted to turn their situation into his favor.

“It’s an experience you called upon yourself my dear Meitantei-san,” he tried again, hoping that his critic would forgive his earlier slip under these circumstances. He was, after all, basically caught, something that would never have happened to either of his parents. He could already hear his mother's merciless teasing.

What was he thinking? He was not caught. This just happened to be a minor setback. Nothing he couldn't handle, really.

He hoped that the detective would chalk up his little, tiny, not really worth to mention not quite loss of character up to exactly those thoughts, though.

“Smooth.” Of course he wouldn’t simply ignore it, considering he always was unforgiving towards his slips no matter how small and insignificant they have been to his overall scheme. “And it’s your trap.”

“You activated it.”

“You dodged.”

“Have you ever been hit by one of your cursed soccer balls?” Aggravating the detective probably wasn't a good move to reach his goal but he just somehow failed to take hold of the serenity that was, without a doubt, essential for someone like him.

Forget teasing, his mother would be scolding him in her uncanny way of not actually scolding him, talking in riddles and not just using double but triple meanings, so that no one that could possibly overhear could make a connection, especially a loudmouthed inspector and his violent but cute daughter.

Kaito was ripped from his short musing when he felt a silent, long drawn exhale against his lips, sending an unpleasant shiver down his spine. “Why would you even put that net there?”

“Why do you always appear on my roofs?” This time he had his voice completely under control and gave it a dash of mocking for good measure. Kaito flinched immediately, not being able to suppress the reflex caused by getting suddenly pinched in his thigh. “Someone is forward.”

“Someone went straight to bondage.” The detective answered in the same mocking tone.

“At least I didn’t plan on starting with chains.”

Silence followed the slight outburst. The swinging motion was slowly coming to an end but they started to spin a bit more around their axis, the movement not strong enough to cause them vertigo - at least for him, he wasn't quite sure about the detective, he hoped though, otherwise this would become a lot more unpleasant - and disgusting.

Kaito got aware that he digressed from his main problem and so breathed in deeply. He tried to clear his mind of unnecessary thoughts and focus on an escape plan while he strained his ears to pick up on any noises not their own. His traps could entertain his task force for only so long and he was pretty sure that he has seen Hakuba lurking around.

He exhaled slowly. If only his hands were free. A bit room for movement would also be nice, he hadn’t thought this through if he even had been thinking at all at the time. Why did he dodge this way? He needed to train on his reactions and reflexes a bit more, Aoko was due for a good teasing anyway and maybe he would even present her with some kind of long range missiles (the mop was getting boring, he could dodge that in his sleep by now, not that he wanted to test that theory).

The detective made a small wiggling motion, tilting his head a fraction, presumably to get a bit more comfortable. It simply reminded Kaito of just how close they were, made him aware of the warmth seeping into him, of a calm beating heart not his own.

A detective never should have been able to get this close to him and now here he was, stuck in a net with the smartest of them all.

Who actually owed him quite a lot. (Letting him go now and then could hardly count as a fair trade-off.)

And had his hands free. (Somewhat. More than him at any rate.)

And usually was quite reasonable. (Not like that prick Hakuba.)

And honestly was his biggest fan. (No matter how much the detective denied it.)

"Chocolate.” The simple word, ringing loud after their silence, sliced through his thought process, thankfully, he knew that he had started to go off track again.

“What?” The detective should be able to reach is back pocket that luckily contained the small stripe of metal which he had needed for his earlier trick. It should be sharp and sturdy enough to cut the net just behind his back, freeing them.

Or maybe he could even reach his card gun if he managed to get a bit more room between them. Way more effective-

“You smell like you took a chocolate bath.”

“Nothing wrong with chocolate,” answered Kaito absentmindedly. After a moment the conversation caught up with him and he mentally shook himself, his instincts screaming at him to not give anything about himself away. Why was it so hard to concentrate today? He normally had no trouble to think up a plan while holding a casual conversation full of deflections and misdirection.

“So you took a chocolate bath?” The detective sounded disbelieving, almost disgusted.

“No.” Kaito pronounced the word carefully a part of him still confused about his lack of concentration while the other part desperately tried to hide just that. “That would be too much of a waste and I don’t want to imagine the cleanup. Come to think of it-“ A slight jab to his thigh cut his grand vision and rambling off before he could talk himself into an embarrassment. He really had to get a hold on himself, and fast. The blood rushing to his head, due to gravity's merciless pull, would soon hinder his thinking even more. At least the spinning came to an overall halt as well.

“Do you live on anything else?”

Kaito raised a brow, getting slightly annoyed by the constant distraction (at himself for needing it to stop his mind from wandering to countless places, which, actually, was his norm but he usually had a perfect handle on his multitude of thoughts, not like now), nevertheless his voice sounded cheerful as he answered. “The chase.”

Another jab to his thigh. This was getting old fast. “I wonder what will do you in first.”

“Aww, is my dear Meitantei-san worried about me? How touching~”

“Idiot.” And another pinch followed. Of course. “I’m just making observations you stupid thief.”

“Why do you always have to be so violent?”

“Must be your charm. I know around fifty people that want to punch you at least once – and those are only the pacifist ones.”

Rude. Everyone loved him. Then again, he had read somewhere, that people tend to turn violent towards beings that are way too cute for their own good, for whatever reason he found incomprehensible (sometimes evolution just sucked), and he was cute, specifically if he dressed up as women, who were always cute no matter what, even if they were homicidal witches with an ego problem.

Where was he?

“Or you just don’t know how to express your feelings.” For a moment everything was still and then Kaito gritted his teeth. “Would you stop doing that?”

"You're a moron. Not everyone is as repressed as you are.” He pronounced the words almost biting, emphasizing every odd word with yet another stab in his thigh. He would end with a big bruise for sure.

“You are the one who can’t stop touching me.” What was he doing? He had no time for this. Was the detective trying to delay him deliberately? He had to be, there was no other reason for him to act this way when they were trapped in a net like, like those f-finny things. In that moment, after all he had been through for this detective, Kaito felt betrayed. He knew that they weren’t friends, they couldn’t ever be, but he had thought that they shared a mutual understanding and enjoyed each other’s presence. He loved having his favorite critic crashing his heists. What if said detective has gotten bored of his shows and antics? The thought felt like a slap to the face, a slap his brain proved unwilling to process.

"Only because you're wasting time arguing instead of freeing us!"

Wait.

"It's been what? Five minutes?"

What? "As good as I am at impersonating him, I don't have Tantei-san's supernatural time-knowing-skill." His voice sounded dead in his ears. He felt numb, barley registering the long-drawn pain from his thigh or his own words.

"Whatever!" The detective sounded aggravated, and maybe a bit... worried? "Get us out of your stupid trap or do you want to get caught like this? Which, by the way, would greatly lower my opinion of you. Caught by your own stupid trap. That's not how I want to catch you, you stupid thief. Now do something!"

Oh. OH.

The numb feeling wasn't completely gone but Kaito could feel relief and a tad embarrassment wash over him. His body, stiff and taut until now, slowly relaxed and it was then that he noticed just how on edge he really has been, how much he has slipped. Why was he always such a mess around this detective, unable to fully keep a hold on his Kaito Kid persona? One way or another Kuroba Kaito always peeked through. And yet-

"I was trying to get up with an escape plan, but someone kept interrupting me." He injected every ounce of gratitude he felt into his words, strangely not feeling like a total sap.

"Could have fooled me. I was starting to think you like having me close and couldn't bear to separate." The detective smirked tauntingly. At least Kaito thought he did.

"Which self-respecting criminal would want to have you close?" A beat of silence. "No. Don't answer that. I don't want to know."

"Moron." The word was merely a sigh. "Can we get to the part of your great escape now? Or do you actually want to get caught because you couldn't stop flirting with a detective in time?"

Kaito's thoughts came to a screeching halt.

"My dear Meitantei-san, I'm sure it's not me doing the flirting but be assured that I am quite flattered." The detective turned red, he could feel the rise in temperature. A grin slowly stretched across his face. "No reason to be shy all of a sudden, in fact I seem to be in need of your boldness." To prove his point he curled his fingers slightly. His grin widened. The detective shivered against him, either he just found a sensitive spot or he was reacting to the change in mood. Both scenarios were kind of interesting, always good to know the weaknesses of his enemies no matter how small. The heart under his other palm quickened its beating.

"Don't." There was some form of hurt in the single utterance but Kid didn't care to interpret it, there were more pressing matters to attend to, so he simply hummed in response and curled his fingers a bit more. "Maybe I just should let them find us like this."

"Oh? But that would ruin our gentleman's game, wouldn't it not? And I clearly remember you saying that that simply wouldn't do. Not to mention, it just proofs that you little detectives can't outsmart me. What a shame that must be." His grin turned sharp. "Time is ticking, Meitantei-san, what shall it be?"

The muscles of the detective's stomach clenched under his hand and a low growl came from the direction of his throat. "Fine. Tell me what to do - Kid."

He dearly wanted to taunt him for giving in so easily, sadly he had no such time. "There is a stripe of metal in my right back pocket. Can you reach it?"

The detective hesitated for a split second before he moved his left hand carefully slow from his thigh to his pocket. "I knew that piece of metal looked out of place."

"Hm, too late for that now." Kid felt the detective turn even warmer while he traced his hand up his body.

"Wouldn't your card gun be more effective?" The hand reached his hip, mirroring his right counterpart.

Kid hummed thoughtfully. "I had the same thought, but I doubt we can move far enough apart so that you can reach my front, not to mention the risk of triggering a few of my probs."

"Or the possibility of me slicing your leg and gaining hard evidence against you." The detective mused moving his hand agonizingly slow towards his back pocket. "Why is the net so restricting?"

"True, and yet such an action would be beneath you." He let his voice drop into a sultry timbre. "After all, you want to have the pleasure of catching me in the act." The hand reached its goal but remained still. Kid waited a few heartbeats. "To hinder movement of course, which reduces the danger of the captive getting hurt or using dishonorable gadgets against unsuspecting, innocent thieves."

The detective snorted. "Of course." Finally, he shoved his hand down his pocket. "It also makes it impossible to see your face."

A bang could be heard in the distance. "My, my, you make it sound like I planned this." More banging. Kid supposed they had two to three minutes before the cavalry arrived. The grip on his hip tightened as the detective pulled out the metal. "Cut the net. You can't widen it by pulling but cutting it is really easy."

The detective did as he was told. "Everything you do is planned."

"What if I did?" Just a few more cuts and he could let himself fall out. "It happens to be an honest mistake, though."

"Not from you." The words were so silent, Kid almost missed them, he couldn't dwell on them since the detective continued louder. "Am I supposed to believe that? You could have dodged every other way instead of barreling into me. Doesn't seem very smart to run along the exact same line as the thing you're running away from."

"I only hear you complain about my actions in general, not about our situation, in fact, you are obviously enjoying it." He splayed his hands against the detective's torso. "My deepest apology for having to end it."

Kid let himself fall out the hole, pushing against the detective, losing his hat in the process, reflexively he activated one of his flash bombs, landing awkwardly on his lower back with enough momentum to roll to his feet. Behind him the detective had started to curse. He ignored it and simply acknowledged the arrival of his beloved task force by throwing a smoke bomb to hinder their vision and mask his escape, only after jumping down the roof and activating his hang glider did he finally open his eyes.

Kid could feel the piercing gaze of his favorite detective following him and enjoyed every second of it.

[stillebesat]

For the Meme ask for writers: 3, 7, 10, 12, 25, 30, 36, 37

3. Is there a trope you wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole?Hmmm….the main one that comes to mind is the love triangle. 7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.Oooo this is difficult…. let’s see… :S hopefully this is prose—I’m going to go with a scene from my most recent fic A Work of Art 

Roman threw his keys in the basket by the door and pulled off his wine and chocolate stained work shirt. Kicking off his shoes, Roman tossed the ruined uniform into the washer as he moved into the tiny kitchen to grab the jug of milk from the fridge and chugged the remaining liquid in one fell swoop.

He’d buy another one tomorrow.

His pocket vibrated again in another series of alerts as Roman lowered the jug. He exhaled, tossing the empty container over his shoulder, listening to it land in the recycling can as he pulled out his phone.

Four hundred and seventy-eight new notifications.

Roman slumped against the counter, running a tired hand through his sticky hair as he stared down at the tiny screen.

Declan really wasn’t holding back now was he? Had he gone and tagged the entire world in that stupid livestream video?

As to why I like this scene. It just…feels really real and vivid to me. It’s just a snippet, a glance into Roman’s life, in what he does when he gets home from work, especially after a hard day. But I love the fact that I can picture Roman actually doing this. Taking a break from his role to just….be himself. ^^;; 

10. Which fic has been the easiest to write?

^^;; The easiest to write was�� A Sweet Discovery

It’s a fic where the idea of it woke me up at 2am and I just…wrote it. Most fics I write involve a lot of false starts, pauses in writing to figure out what I want to say and reworking it and such. But a Sweet Discovery? Nope. Didn’t have that. I wrote it from like 2am-7am and then it was done! And it was such a…well… sweet ;) feeling to have the words flow so easily. :D 

12. Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

Hmm… difficult. Very difficult. For Sanders Side I would say that Accepting Anxiety 2/2 is probably the main episode that inspires me. Though I often rewatch Losing my Motivation just to motivate myself to write. ^^;;

DCMK….The remake of Episode 1 in Detective Conan is inspiring. Movie 19 is also one I love. And in Magic Kaito 1412 it would be Episode 1 where Kid returns, and Episode 11 where KID returns the Phantom Lady’s ‘treasures’ are partial favorites of mine. 

Though really…it depends on what fic I’m working on as to which episodes inspire me most. ^^;; 

25. What do you look for in a beta?

I don’t know? ^^;; lol. I don’t really use betas. I have a close friend who I bounce ideas off of and show my writing to first before I post it to make sure it flows and makes sense, and to give me encouragement when I’m feeling discouraged….but otherwise…it’s just me critiquing myself. ^^;; heh. 

But if I were to look for a beta….hmmm….it would probably be someone who would point out continuity errors, double check grammar and punctuation (because punctuation is not my friend), and point out loose threads that I could expand on to make the story better, but also be a cheerleader… 

30. Do you accept prompts?

Should they show up in my inbox I wouldn’t say no to them. ^^;; 

I probably will never actively go out and say “Send me prompts!!” because I already have too many ideas I need to write. But I’m always game for a challenge and writing prompts are a fun challenge.

…So short answer. Yes. 

36. Which is your favorite site to post fic?

For the Sanders Sides I currently only post on Tumblr. 

For DCMK I post on both FanFiction and A03. 

…. >.> But once I get another DCMK fic written and posted, I plan to start posting Sanders Sides to A03 as well. 

37. Talk about your current wips.

*laughs* Umm….I don’t think I have time to talk about all 60 of those… >.> 

For Sanders Sides here’s fiveish: 

1. There’s my Big Bang Fic which: Shhh secret secret. Can’t talk much about it. 

2. A currently unnamed AU that I’ve drawn artwork for. Concept is ‘Cyborgs’  except instead of using robot parts, it’s parts of animals…so Creaborgs? Creatureborgs? idk. But I’m also playing with introducing creatures/aliens similar to the Egyptian Gods into this world that are the causation of humans gaining animal aspects (tails/claws/ears/wings etc.) 

3. I have a handful of various sympathetic Deceit fics in the works. Mostly focused around the other Sides helping Deceit. 

4. I also have a couple of fics in the works focusing on Moxiety where Virgil is the one to help Patton instead of the other way around. One of those is a Winged fic that I’m rather excited for. Patton getting wings unexpectedly and Virgil coming to his aid. 

5. And one fic involving Remy being his sassy self as he helps Roman and Logan find adventure in the city. –It’s set in a world of Magic and Familiars. 

For DCMK here’s fiveish: 

1. Sequel to In the Rubble. lol yes I’m still working on this, hammering out details and such and how other characters become involved. :D

2. Sidequels to In the Rubble. -A couple other short stories that will tie into In the Rubble’s Sequel.

3. A fic where Kudo helps Hakuba free KID from being trapped in a Ghostly State. 

4. Then there’s a fic where KID visits Kudo’s grave. 

5. An AU where Kogoro abandons the Detective Agency and Ran.  And Ran –in order to pay off a mountain of debts- takes over Kogoro’s unfinished cases so that people can find closure, and while on one case encounters a Delinquent Kudo (who isn’t a detective) and he ends up helping her solve a case. 

Thanks for the Asks!! :D They’ve been fun. ^^;;

[mintchocolateleaves]

Black Feather (1/??)

Notes: @bakathief and I have been talking about this Fantastic Beasts AU for weeks and I’ve finally written the first chapter!! She’s drawn art for it as well, so be sure to check her profile if you haven’t already!

Summary: Kuroba Kaito has a plan. Find the people responsible for his father’s death, branded within the magic community as a traitor, and make them pay. There’s just some things he needs to do first. (Set in the HP-verse.) Slowburn KaiShin.

The interrogation room is bland.

For a room filled with magic users, Kaito is almost insulted with how utterly mundane it is. There's a table, three chairs and four walls that have been painted grey. It feels almost like he's stepped into an old detective movie because everything is monochrome. One of the walls, he knows is charmed so that people can listen in to higher profile cases, but Kaito's doubtful it'll be used for him.

“You understand why you're here, right?” It's a younger man asking the questions – someone Kaito knows the name of, but can't quite recall. They've met somewhere, then, but it's practically impossible to drag the memory back quite so suddenly.

Two aurors – the magical equivalent of a detectives – sit opposite him on the desk, staring him down. They both wear white shirts and coloured ties. The younger has a red tie, a lower rank within the force, whereas the older man wears a blue tie. His superior then.

“Actually,” Kaito says, leaning back in his chair, “I don't have the faintest clue.”

The look he receives echoes the room. It's almost surprising how unruffled both men seem, how bored they seem by him. It bothers him, a little, mainly because people shouldn't be bored to see him. Kaito is nothing, if not an entertainer.

Kaito tears his gaze away from the aurors, surveys the room a second time. It's like the other interrogation rooms he's been in before. Except, well, he's not done anything worth being arrested, not in Japan, anyway.

“You were caught using a prohibited item,” the younger auror says, and Kaito really is sure they've met somewhere before. They seem roughly the same age, so maybe... they both attended Japan's magic academy at roughly the same time? That must be it, the auror is from Tokyo. “This prohibited item, in fact.”

He places a small cylinder onto the table between them. It's something Kaito's been working on for a while, in his attempt to blend magic and tools together. There's a button on the top that when pressed, releases a small spray from the middle, along with a small flash of light.

“I didn't know it was prohibited,” Kaito says.

He's not lying – he's spent the past few years abroad, travelling between Europe and North America. Their rules, while strict hadn't included prohibition of any of the ingredients he'd used to create the spray. Or rather, he'd not been caught for them.

“We tested the spray,” the younger auror continues – and, Kaito thinks it's strange that he's taking control, maybe he's being tested by his superior? “And it's got trace elements of veritaserum in it. Meaning this, is illegal in Japan.”

Kaito leans back. Adding a truth serum into his tool, making it possible to compel people for a few seconds to speak the truth, without the common side effects had been a good idea. And well... he'd not thought it would be illegal after he'd altered it to have no risks at all.

Frankly, they should be thanking him for the practical applications, he reckons it's going to be a massive breakthrough within the magical community, whenever she gets there. Stretching one of his legs out from beneath the table though, Kaito decides that he should probably avoid any arrogant comments whilst in the room.

Modest then, he decides, trying to decide on the facade that will get him freed most quickly.

“I've not been in the country for a few years,” truth, “I didn't know it was banned here.” Eh – technically true.

The younger auror blinks, almost shocked at the honest tone Kaito seems to project. It's not alarming to see his reaction, most people tend to react to him with preconceived beliefs that he constantly has to change when they're fully introduced. It's the pain of having the Kuroba name, he supposes.

“You've been arrested in multiple countries across Europe and Northern America,” the older auror cuts in. He's more experienced, sure, but he also seems to lack seriousness. Kaito remembers him at least, having memorised 'necessary' faces from social functions and the auror task force. Mouri Kogoro.

“You read my file?” Kaito asks. It's not shocking, although he's surprised they've gotten the files seeing as Japan holds very few extradition treaties, especially when it comes to European countries. He shakes his head, “Well, if you've read it, then you've seen that each arrest has been a big misunderstanding.”

Mouri crosses his arms, stares down the bridge of his nose at him. There's gel in his hair, not a lot, but enough that it reflects the light – not blindingly so, but enough that it makes him look slightly ridiculous. He says, “that's seems like a lot of misunderstandings to have.”

Kaito leans forward, clasps his hands together. He has to resist the urge to snap his fingers and say 'exactly, isn't it terrible being me?' and tries to look slightly helpless instead. Shrugging his shoulders, he lets out a sigh, exasperated.

“Most 'misunderstandings',” he uses his fingers to create air quotes, “only happen because people hear my surname and realise I'm from that bloodline.”

The younger auror stiffens. Kaito supposes it's because he's grown up around the rumours of the Kuroba's and the way they'd proven their names correct by staining everything associated with them black. As the family name suggests, they really do have black feathers.

“Kuroba Kaito,” the younger auror says, “son of the traitor Kuroba Toichi?”

It's like a shard of glass is being pierced into his abdomen, plunging deeper into his flesh, setting every one of his synapses on fire. Every time someone talks about his father like they know, like they have some sort of understanding of what happened fifteen years ago, it drives him insane.

His responding smile is sardonic – self-deprecating.

“That's me,” he says. Then, after a pause - “I know you from somewhere... Did you attend Mahoutokoro? I think I remember seeing you in the halls.”

He responds with a sharp nod, “I was part of the 1913 class. Kudo Shinichi.”

Ah. That's where Kaito knows him from. He'd been a year below Kaito in school – he can still remember the rumours when seven-year old Kudo had enrolled with the other first years, easily raising to the top of the class despite not having a drop of magical purity in his veins.

The rumours about him had faded months later however, when they'd turned on Kaito and the fact that his  father had 'turned white', the cuffs indicating that he'd committed treason against Japan.

“Let's get back to business,” Mouri huffs, tapping his fingers against the table. He's been tapping the entire time, against his trouser pockets – that combined with the slight yellowing of his skin around his finger nails shows that he's a chain smoker. “Most of the charges were minute things, but this one.”

Mouri withdraws his wand, flicking his wrist. A file appears on the table, summoned from what Kaito can only assume is a file room within the ministry building.

“You were arrested in England under the suspicion that you'd stolen the Chalmer's Topaz.” Mouri says, as Kaito opens the file, glancing over a case he'd already been a part of once, months ago. “The arrest was made by a Hakuba Saguru?”

Kaito crosses his arms. “I worked with Hakuba, rather unwillingly, to help him find that stone. And when it was found, I was acquitted.”

Kudo shrugs his shoulders, as if the acquittal isn't the main thing here. Maybe it's not, maybe there's some other link that Kaito doesn't know about. There's no point worrying about it now.

“The Chalmer's Topaz was stolen shortly after it was received by you and Auror Hakuba.” Kudo says – which, duh, anyone who was in England at the time would have known that. It's hardly surprising, even if Kaito was readying to board a boat into mainland Europe. “The gemstone was stolen by a thief naming himself as KID. It was then returned roughly three days later.”

“I'm sorry,” Kaito says, “but I don't see what this has to do with my bringing a prohibited item into Japan. Shouldn't I just receive a fine and have it confiscated?”

A sigh – there's nothing they can do to link him with the KID case, Kaito knows. He's read up on enough law to have a basic understanding of how interrogations and arrests can work. Plus, he's pretty certain he can't be tried for the same crime twice – and even if it were possible, the Japanese ministry can't charge him for it.

“I suppose you're right,” Mouri says, standing. “We'll check out that fine, and then you'll be able to go. You can come with us.”

Kaito follows them from the interrogation room, up some stairs to the main offices. Inside, Aurors move fluidly, connecting incidents and researching cases. One of them looks up as they walk in, raises a hand in a wave. Kudo in response waves back, although it's a smaller movement, more confined.

“While you were in the interrogation room,” Kudo says, “we verified the spells you've used on your wand. Basic protocol, to make sure no illegal spells have been used within your time in Japan.”

Or in general, Kaito thinks. He supposes he should be angry about the invasion of his privacy, but frankly, it's not like they'll find that he's used any suspicious spells. Even if they do suspect him of doing something illegal – a likely cognition, seeing as people always suspect the Kuroba's these days – they won't be able to prove it.

It's simpler to own two wands, than to try and mask the spells he uses on a single wand. It's why when they'd confiscated his Kaito wand he hadn't been worried about the aurors analysing it. If they'd taken his KID wand though...

Luckily, they'd not retrieved it from his person. And as such, he's not got to worry about.

Minutes later, he leaves the ministry building behind, skipping down steps without much of a care for anything. It'll cost him, trying to replace the main ingredient in the spray, but he's certain that he'll figure out a way to invent his way around the prohibited items.

In fact – now that Kaito knows the spray works, there's no need to continue working on it. The thieves he'd used it on before he'd been arrested, forcing them to tell the truth to the shop keeper hadn't shown any negative effects at all. Adding that to his previous subjects abroad...

Kaito nods his head. It's one project that's completed then.

That's one down at least – he can move on to other pressing inventions.

Like finding a way to infuse dragon blood into healing potions, and avoiding the scalding heat that comes with it, killing people from the inside. The healing properties of dragons mixed into a herbal potion would heal wounds from curses and dark magic much quicker than the standard spells he'd been taught in school...

(It's not like he can go to hospitals following his plights as KID... So Kaito knows he needs to figure out something else.)

Like figuring out the wavelength that ghosts are on, so he can imitate it with a spell and get in and out of buildings without having to worry about locked rooms.

Projects that will lead him closer to avenging his fathers death, to figuring the real traitor within the ministry.

“I need to find some dragons.”

~~~

[Next Chapter]

[clairekatswritingcorner]

Kaito Kid’s Miraculous Night

Part One

Part Two

Word Count: 2,696

Summary: Kaito Kuroba has been searching for the Pandora gem ever since he discovered it’s possible existence and implication in his father’s death. Upon learning some rumors from his friend Akako about gems that grant people mystical and transformative powers, known as Miraculous Stones, he decides that it’s his duty to go to Paris and investigate. Tagging along with Hakuba, who happened to be going anyway due to a case, Kaito hopes that what little information he’s been able to glean is enough of a lead to help him hunt down the most interesting gems he’s had the opportunity to target yet.

Author’s Note: This piece is an intro of sorts for an AU started by @edorazzi and I connecting the Magic Kaito and Miraculous Ladybug (PV) universes. There are some examples of ideas Josie’s drawn on her blog (which I encourage you to check out), and this was my own interpretation of a possible first encounter between Kaito Kid and the Miraculous Holders. This seems like a beginning to something, and that’s because in terms of the AU it is, but I have no idea if I’ll ever have the energy or the inspiration to plan out a full fic. (ーー;) Either way, I put a lot of work into this piece and I really hope people enjoy it.

(both parts also available on my Ao3 account, found on my blog links)

Moonlight illuminated the inky Parisian sky. Stars twinkled alongside its gentle glow, complementing the radiant city lights. A lone figure clothed in striking white perched on the edge of a building, surveying the tranquil scene. He tipped his hat backwards and exhaled softly, smiling at the moon. In a way he had come to revere its alleviating light and quiet watchfulness considering it had been his silent companion in so many ways. His location wasn’t anything special, and although there were some who would argue he wasn’t either, there was evidence to contradict that. He contemplated his next move, turning from the moon to the city. A passing breeze billowed his cape as he adjusted his monocle and leaned forward, squinting  at some of the signs and buildings close enough for him to examine.

“This is pointless,” he said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he took a seat on the building’s edge. “Akako said they liked to show up on rooftops, so here I am! I’m starting to think they really are urban legends.”

He kicked his feet, eyes straying back to the sky. “I have more important things to do, like investigating jewels!”

Only the buzz of the city replied to his disgruntled monologue, and Kaito flopped onto his back, resting his hat and hands on his stomach. He was tired, confused, agitated, and a little hungry. This was the fifth consecutive night he had stayed up to traverse the city in the hope of finding any trace of the alleged Miraculous Holders. According to Akako, they were people of dubious name and even more dubious existence who were able to utilize the power of magical gems to defend Paris from abnormal threats.

The idea of magical gems that granted people powers sealed Kaito’s decision to nag Hakuba into taking him along on his trip to Paris. Akako and Aoko had already been invited, unbeknownst to Kaito, and after the initial bitterness at being passively left off the trip’s guest list, he transitioned full force into preparing for what might be found abroad. With Akako and Hakuba at his disposal, he hoped to go into the situation with about as much information as usual. Aoko was equally likely, even if she wasn’t in on the secret, to be a capable information gatherer and keen civilian surveyor, someone who would notice the one thing everyone else overlooked.

Kaito had been fired up, ready to tackle an international clue that had the potential to wrap up at least a part of his most outstanding problems. He never planned to stop with just shattering the gem, intent on getting to the bottom of what actually happened to his father. Knocking the Pandora gem out of the equation might stir up enough trouble to get the bigwigs behind that morbid task out of the woodwork and remove Kaito’s most significant distraction when dealing with them.

He did feel a small pang in his heart at the idea that by the end of this trip, his career as Kaito Kid might be over. He had come so far and accomplished so much as Kid. He’d had so many adventures, met so many people, made so many memories. Taking up his father’s mantle had also helped him remain close to him in a way that Kaito wasn’t sure he could replace with anything else. There was a part of him that would sorely miss all of the things that being Kaito Kid allowed him to do, as well as how it made him feel. But all of that could be dealt with after he completed his main objective, and right now his leads had practically gone cold.

“Why can’t Akako just gaze into her crystal ball and find out their location or something?” he lamented, twirling his hat with his hands. “I bet she’s holding out on me, there’s something she’s not telling me. Would it be worth it to interrogate her? She’d probably get defensive…”

He sat up, resituating his hat. “Welp, I’ve still got a few more hours. Might as well retrace my steps.”

It was his only idea, and he suspected it would prove fruitless. His biggest problem wasn’t not knowing where they were, it was not knowing where it would be best to wait for them. If these people really had otherworldly powers like Akako said, for all Kaito knew they were actively avoiding him, laughing as he ran around in circles. He wasn’t the type to quit when faced with a difficult challenge, and he also wasn’t the type to go into a situation blind. He hated playing the waiting game, relying on chance, hoping that things would just come to a head in exactly the way he needed them to. It wasn’t his work ethic and, frankly, it wasn’t his style.

As though the universe had finally started listening to his mental and verbal distaste, an unusual light and crashing sounds started making a commotion a few alleys over. Kaito lept to his feet, gliding across the next few buildings before peering down to examine the unexpected scene. A fight had broken out, and it wasn’t the typical back alley brawl one might expect. Two people clad in outfits almost as peculiar as Kaito’s were bouncing around the alley like frogs, hopping and cartwheeling and ricocheting off walls in an attempt to dodge the attacks from their opponent. They, too, were strangely dressed and wearing what looked to be face paint, swinging their hands around and throwing invisible objects that appeared to actually have an affect on the physical plane.

Kaito tripped backwards, barely managing to escape the invisible object that whizzed past him into the sky. He had registered the air movement as it passed, and it’s startling explosion above him proved that there was definitely something going on beyond his comprehension. Before he could celebrate stumbling upon this unexpected jackpot, the figures from the alley made their way to the rooftops, two of them landing on the one he was standing on while the other landed opposite.

“You’re not going to get away this time!” a feminine voice barked, followed by the form of someone who looked to be wearing a ladybug themed jumpsuit. She lunged at the burly yet finely dressed person before her, their face painted in a style Kaito didn’t immediately recognize.

This opponent remained silent and knocked the girl back with what appeared to be nothing, although the force with which she was thrown and the impact indicated that she had been struck by something. Kaito rushed to her side, attempting to ensure the blow hadn’t knocked her out, but she recovered quickly and shoved him away with a strength that made him realize just how evenly matched she and her opponent were. She resumed her fighting stance before the expression on her face shifted to one of confusion, properly registering Kaito’s presence.

“What in the…who are you? What are you doing up here?”

Kaito opened his mouth to respond, but the air was knocked out of his lungs as the girl tackled him to the ground. He tried to lift his head, his vision dizzy as he realized she had seemingly saved him from another invisible blow. A black streak slashed through the stars for a moment, and Kaito chalked it up to just another side effect of the sudden impact. Regaining his composure, his expression shifted into a flirtatious smirk at his savior, his sarcastic side getting the best of him before she used his face to shove herself back to her feet.

Kaito could sense she was eager to ask more questions, but the man she was currently engaged in battle with was formidable enough to require all of her attention. Kaito stood and adjusted his gloves, realizing on closer inspection that the man with the strange face paint was actually dressed as a mime. A mime who could materialize real weapons from just his movement, apparently. That was a level of supernatural mayhem Kaito hadn’t expected to come across in his search for the mysterious Miraculous Stones.

His contemplation was interrupted again as the mime launched another attack that Kaito barely dodged, his senses finally adjusting to the situation. He pulled his card gun from its holster, firing a few shots past the mime’s eyes to create just enough of a distraction that the girl was able to kick his feet out from under him. She took a few steps back herself, panting as she shot Kaito a confused look, clearly unsure of whether this gesture was enough to determine whether he was friend or foe. The fact that she didn’t immediately turn on him at least meant that in some capacity she was grateful.

“I’ll ask you again, who are you? And how did you get up here?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Mademoiselle,” the words felt interesting, smoothly rolling off his tongue. “It appears you have just as much explaining to do as I.”

The mime was seemingly incapacitated for the moment, and Kaito wondered if she had struck him with something similarly unseen to paralyze him. He took a hesitant step forward, reminding himself to not make the mistake of portraying just how anxious or confused he really was. The girl remained still, her fists still clenched and her knees still bent should she need to strike at a moment’s notice. She did seem to give off both the look and the vibe of a flamboyant vigilante or wannabe superhero, but until he knew what her connection or knowledge of the Miraculous Stones was, or really anything more about the situation, he couldn’t be too hasty.

“I asked first, and you’re not in any position to be bargaining with me,” she replied stiffly, and before Kaito could blink something knocked the card gun from his hand. He glanced at his stinging palm before returning his gaze to the girl, her stance still guarded as she absently twirled the yoyo she had used to disarm him. “I’m not too keen on getting civilians involved in my work, and I’m even less keen on letting them get away after seeing too much.”

“What are you gonna do, hypnotize me?” he replied, eyeing the toy that he was beginning to understand was a much more formidable tool than it appeared. “I promise, Mademoiselle, I mean no harm. And I’m nothing like your typical civilian.”

“So what business do you have wandering around the rooftops dressed like a snowcone?” she persisted, tucking the yoyo in her hip pouch. “Just because you’re not typical doesn’t mean you have any right to be involved.”

“I’m in the middle of an investigation,” he explained, deciding that giving her part of the truth might help ease the tension. “You might even be able to help me out. I’m a purveyor of fine jewels and unusual artifacts. I’ve been told that there are objects in this city fitting both descriptions that have piqued my interest.”

Her fists tightened at his words, and he stopped his advance towards her. “Please, you don’t have to get defensive. I’m not in league with whoever that man attacking you was. To be honest I have no idea what kind of situation I just stumbled on or who you or anyone else is. But if you know anything about those gems…the Miraculous Stones…I would be very grateful to hear whatever you know.”  

The girl shifted her weight, tapping a finger against her arm and hardening her gaze. After everything he had just seen and experienced, Kaito was sure that she was one of the people he needed to find. He had to exercise every ounce of control and finesse that he had to ensure that she didn’t dart away and return him to his cold, blank trail.

“You want to know about the Miraculous Stones…why?”

She did have some sort of information about them then…this was going to be a difficult conversation to navigate.

“Because I’m not the only one looking for them, and I want to secure them before people with bigger and badder plans than me can.” Maybe playing the ‘I’m one of the good guys, just like you’ cards would be enough to sway her judgement. “I’ve been scouting the city for a few days now, trying to find some trace of them. There isn’t a lot of time, and after what you’ve just been through, I’d say you understand where I’m coming from almost better than me.”

The girl swept her eyes up and down him, taking a step closer, though not enough that he could reach her with an arm or leg. She brushed some of her dark hair behind her ear, revealing an earring, no, a dazzling red and black stone that shined with and otherworldly scarlet glow. Kaito felt his chest tighten as he swallowed, trying to conceal the trembling in his hands. His gaze locked onto the object that had spurred him to come to Paris, the object that could possibly be the key to unlocking not only the truth of his father’s death, but also the secret to immortality, a burden that he would cradle in and summarily shatter with his own hands.

“The Miraculous Stones are safe with their holders, and none of us are interested in passing them off to some obvious Lupin wannabe,” the girl scoffed, her gentle and soothing tone contradicting the searing edge of her remarks. “If you came to Paris to steal some gems and spark some sort of publicity grabbing controversy, your journey ends here.”

Kaito was only really paying attention to half of her words, his feet subconsciously carrying him forward as he became enchantingly overcome with hope. He had seen and held so many precious and unique jewels in his hands, peering into their empty and disappointing cores with the help of the moon that still shone like a spotlight over them now. Never had he felt so close to his goal, however, considering the magic he had just witnessed with his own two eyes. He had observed gems with magical and hidden properties before, but never ones that radiated such a stunning red glow, and never ones that had actually granted their owner supernatural powers.

He knelt before her and gracefully clasped one of her hands, pressing his lips to the back in a reflexive gesture. “Mademoiselle, although they cannot compare to the radiance of your visage, I would be honored if you would allow me to borrow the dazzling gems decorating your ears.”

The girl giggled, slipping her hand out of his grasp and re-crossing her arms, albeit this time in a much more amused manner. “You really think that’s all it takes to get your hands on these? Are you sure you aren’t new to this?”

Aside from being stunningly insulted, Kaito was at a loss for how to respond. He couldn’t remember the last time his charms hadn’t worked on someone, and in the panic of being this close to the stones that had a high likelihood of being the Pandora he had spent so many months and heists pining for, he was having trouble processing what his next move should be. He cleared his throat, giving an amused chuckle in return as he rose to his feet.

“I was under the impression we had some sort of understanding, since you were kind enough to admit that you do have the stones in your possession.” He stretched out his arm, caressing her cheek with his fingers as his eyes remained pinned on the gems glowing on her ears. “What would it take for you to allow me to examine them more closely?”

The girl’s blue eyes were unreadable and deep. He could tell from her expression that she was slightly unsettled, but still firm in her decision to keep her distance from him. That was alright, just a little more persuasion, or just the right shock, and he could swipe the gems from her ears no problem. He had especially quick hands after all. He closed his eyes, his palm nestling her cheek as he inched his face towards hers.

[lisatelramor]

Not Left To Stand Alone Ch28

It had been almost fifteen years since Saguru had last seen Koizumi Akako; she appeared to have barely aged in that time.  When Saguru was ushered into a study room, the Koizumi that awaited him had a bit sharper features and a bit curvier a figure, but her lips had the same knowing smile and she held herself with the same grace and confidence that had caught Saguru’s attention in high school. She wore a dress, something undoubtedly high end, with a scandalously low neck line, and just enough gold jewelry to skirt along the edge of gaudy. Saguru could have been anywhere and his eyes would have been drawn to her; there had always been something about Koizumi that could captivate a man, even a man like Saguru who didn’t have any interest in women physically.

Koizumi stood to greet him, her smile and once over too familiar for people who hadn’t seen each other in years. “Hakuba. I’d say I was surprised, but I could hardly miss that you’re back in Japan. I’m not surprised at all that you’ve become caught up in Kid’s mess again. Or should I say Kuroba?”

Straight to the point, then. Saguru gripped his cane, feeling off balance and out of his depth. “You know? About Kuroba?”

Koizumi’s smile had an edge of teeth. “I’ve always known. You’re not the only one who’s been covering for him over the years. Nightmare, Chat Noir?” she said, eyes glinting dangerously. One hand cupped Saguru’s elbow, guiding him toward one of the study’s oversized leather chairs. He sat on automatic.

Perhaps it wasn’t so strange for Koizumi to know. Not if she was Kuroba’s informant. As she returned to the chair across from him, Saguru’s mind played out bits of the past. Calling Kuroba from Paris, hiding Kid’s glove during the Nightmare incident. But when would Koizumi have covered for him? “...The time with the statue when Kuroba was cuffed to me,” Saguru said slowly. “Kid screamed like a girl.”

Koizumi laughed. “You always were bright.” She crossed her legs and propped her hands on her knees, leaning forward like it was a business meeting she was looking forward to. In a way, it was exactly that. “What does Kuroba need from me this time?”

Right, he was here for Kuroba. Saguru frowned. “He said something about making a new deal and that you would take care of the details. He also said he’d pay the cost, but I don’t think he’s capable of paying back much of anything right now.” For all that Kuroba was recovering and pushing limits remarkably fast, there was a certainty in him that Kuroba was running out of his trademark good luck and he didn’t have much to work with at the moment. He would be doing no favors anytime soon or trading in whatever social capital Koizumi must be working with.

Koizumi looked smugger. She gave Saguru a once over that had his face burning. There was something a bit too intense at being her sole focus, something that felt unsettlingly like attraction even though he knew it couldn’t be. “Why Hakuba, are you offering to pay in his stead? How noble.”

He snapped attention back to Koizumi’s eyes belatedly aware that his focus had been drifting. She was too amused. Entirely too calm and in control. Focus, Saguru reminded himself. Kuroba needed something from her, and that something would help Kuroba finally be free from the shadows looming over him. Saguru wet his lips. “I am offering. I get the feeling that Kuroba has been racking up too many debts lately.”

“Hmm. You’re not wrong. I’ll help you.”

“And what will it cost me?”

“You should really ask that before you make a bargain, detective.” She leaned back and some of that intensity dimmed. Whatever had been clouding his mind cleared some too, and Saguru was struck with the feeling that he was sitting across from someone very dangerous. Someone he should have asked more questions of before making a bargain, undoubtedly.

“...what did it cost Kuroba?”

Koizumi’s grin got wider and she...held out a photo from the desk? Saguru took it from her and it took him a moment to process it. Koizumi was in the picture, flanked by two identical girls who could only be her daughters. The way they held themselves, the reddish tint to their hair, their smiles eerily similar to Koizumi’s own... But their hair was messier than Koizumi’s straight hair, a bit of curl and cowlicks to it, and their eyes were closer to violet than the reddish brown of Koizumi’s. Then there was their facial structure... He passed the picture back.

“You and Kuroba...?” Saguru asked, trying and failing to keep his tone neutral.

“Don’t look so scandalized.” Koizumi returned the picture to her desk. “I needed a child and he was willing to give me one. I lucked out with two.” She gave a mock sigh. “I sadly couldn’t get him to agree to his body in the bargain, but we both got what we needed out of the arrangement.”

Oh thank goodness. He felt a little better knowing Kuroba hadn’t actually sold Koizumi his body in whatever their last bargain had been. Though that still didn’t explain why Koizumi wanted that from Kuroba or why Kuroba would be willing to pay such a price. To be honest, it didn’t explain anything really and he hated feeling like he was in the dark. Koizumi wanted a child, but didn’t want to be tied down, but she’d wanted Kuroba to be the father because of her high school obsession? And Kuroba agreed because he needed her connections? For Kuroba who valued family and paternal ties, it didn’t seem like the sort of bargain he’d ever have agreed to. “What will it cost me for your assistance?” Saguru asked again.

Koizumi’s grin settled into something with less teeth if no less smugness. She waved a hand. “Nothing tangible. The costs will even out on their own, and you’ll see soon enough.”

There was being vague and then there was deflecting, and he’d had too much of it from both Kuroba and Koizumi. “Koizumi-san, what are we exchanging?”

“Things you wouldn’t believe in if I told you, Hakuba-kun.” Her smile dimmed. For the first time, she looked serious, straightening and uncrossing her legs. “Don’t worry, Kuroba will live through this. I could hardly lose him now after investing so many years into his wellbeing.”

‘Investing,’ she said, like Kuroba was stock in a trade market. Like she was still getting something out of this bargain besides the children she’d shown him. Things Saguru wouldn’t believe in, hmm? Saguru closed his eyes for a moment. Kuroba had called her a witch before. In high school and recently, and it had never been something she’d refuted. Magic wasn’t possible and witches didn’t exist, but if they did... Well, Saguru could believe she’d be one. There was something unnatural about her and there always had been. “How did you help him before?” he asked.

“I removed the connection between ‘Kid’ and ‘Kuroba’ so to speak,” Koizumi said, still serious. “Of course that sort of thing is a stop gap. It doesn’t work if you know for sure.”

He wanted to ask for clarification, but he had the feeling he wouldn’t like any response he got. “And is that what you’re doing now?”

“A bit late for that,” she said. “I can still keep his family out of it, but it would take something big to cut off ‘Kuroba’ from ‘Kid’ again.” Koizumi held out a hand imperiously. “Your hand.”

Saguru gave her hand the same sort of look he’d give a possibly poisonous snake, but he put his hand in hers.

“Hmm.” Koizumi turned it over, looking at his palm for a moment. The hair on the back of Saguru’s neck stood up and he resisted the urge to yank his hand free and wipe it off on his shirt. Out of seemingly nowhere, she jabbed a pin into his thumb.

“Ow! What the bleeding hell, Koizumi?!”

Her grip was strong enough that he couldn’t pull his hand back. Instead, he could only stare as blood oozed up from the stab wound. Koizumi pulled a slip of cream colored paper from her pocket and collected the blood on it in a smear before letting him go. Saguru curled his hand against his chest. He certainly wouldn’t be offering it to her again in the future.

“Did you get what you needed?” he asked, letting his displeasure bleed into his tone.

Koizumi hummed again, folded the paper in half, and slid it back into her pocket. “Yes, I think that will do. You’ll be able to pay for Kuroba’s request, and you probably won’t even notice the difference at first once I take my payment.”

“You still haven’t said what that payment is or what it’s paying for.”

“Think of it this way. Kuroba gave me an heir, a future, and the lack of direct familial bond with my daughters in payment in addition to a few other things over the years. He got vitality, luck, and a better hidden identity in return.” Koizumi tapped a crimson painted fingernail against her lips. “I could take luck from you, memory, health, emotion—but you’re doing this for Kuroba, and I don’t want to disadvantage what you’re doing. So I’m taking your invisibility and with it your reputation.” She tilted her head. “You won’t be able to go back to the quiet life you’ve had in Japan so far. But I think you won’t want to much longer anyway. You are a detective after all. You were outed by a reporter, and that is never going to leave public eye now. It will be part of how the public defines you for the rest of your life.”

“It would have anyway.”

Koizumi shrugged. “It might have, it might not have. You paid with the possibility of that happening vanishing.”

Saguru opened his mouth, closed it. Every line of Koizumi’s face said she believed what she was saying. That Kuroba sent him here meant he believed it as well. They were speaking of impossibilities and intangibilities, but Saguru supposed it didn’t matter if these things were real or not. If they were, then Koizumi might very well boost their chances of success. If not, then what did Saguru lose? A few drops of blood and a bit of time, but gained peace of mind for Kuroba’s superstitious side. He’d pay more than blood for Kuroba’s peace of mind. “Fine. Are we done here?”

Koizumi snorted. She stood and walked to a filing cabinet to pull out a thick file. “Give this to Kuroba or use it yourself. It’s the most recent news I’ve gathered.”

Saguru stood to take it, careful to keep out of grabbing range. He didn’t quite trust her not to stab him with another pin. He glanced at the contents and found it full of pictures and names with brief information next to each one. Not enough to build a full case on unlike Kuroba’s files, but enough to start an investigation. He recognized a few faces from the heist at the museum.

“They’re recruiting more heavily,” Koizumi said. “They’re getting desperate and it’s making them sloppy.”

“What do any of these people have to gain joining them?” he murmured.

“Promise of power?” Koizumi shrugged. “I think it’s more likely they get people by blackmailing though. I’m sure there are plenty of people on the police force trying to escape something in their past. Or have something questionable in their habits. Or their family.” She smirked. “Really, it’s a wonder they never got Aoko-chan.”

“She’d never agree.”

“No,” Koizumi said, “she wouldn’t. It would have been funny to see them try though.”

Clearly Koizumi’s sense of humor had little in common with Saguru’s own. Saguru tucked the file under his arm. “Thank you for your assistance, Koizumi-san.”

“So formal.” Koizumi quirked an eyebrow at him. “You could stay longer. Catch up.”

Was there something suggestive in how she said that or was it all in Saguru’s head? Her body language wasn’t implicitly flirtatious, but then Koizumi didn’t need to be to make something appear suggestive. He shook his head, backing subtly for the door. He grabbed his cane as soon as it was in reach. “No thank you, I am sure we are both very busy people, Koizumi-san.”

“Of course, Hakuba.” She laughed at him silently, eyes glittering. “You will have to visit again sometime, perhaps with Kuroba. You could meet my daughters.”

Any daughter of Koizumi was sure to be formidable. Add Kuroba’s chaotic bloodline into the mix... He could perhaps see why Koizumi would want Kuroba’s genetics. The children were probably terrifying. “Another time.”

Her teeth glinted white, a real smile instead of the predatory ones she kept sending his way. Good to know his discomfort amused her. “Best of luck with your task, Hakuba,” Koizumi said, resettling into the chair she’d been in when Saguru got there. “Happy hunting.”

Saguru took the dismissal, saying something in return that he hoped had at least sounded polite. The butler that had shown him into the room was waiting to escort him out. Saguru was more than happy to leave Koizumi and her mansion behind him.

***

“In the future,” Saguru said, “you deal with Koizumi-san.”

Kuroba paused where he was carefully stretching his arms in simple exercises. He was already working to regain his mobility in them at an almost frightening rate of healing. “I take it your conversation went that badly?”

Saguru sunk into the bedside chair, shivering at the remembered feeling of Koizumi’s eyes on him. “Oh, the discussion went well. I have information and a promise that the bargain will go through, whatever that entails.” He pursed his lips. He never had manage to get all of the details. Koizumi had likely been extra unnerving in order to keep him as in the dark as possible. “However, Koizumi-san is even more unsettling than she was in high school, and I had the distinct impression that I would be toyed with like a cat torments a mouse if I let my guard down for a moment.”

“Aah, Akako-hime is like that,” Kuroba said, relaxing. “She doesn’t have any reason to torment you though.”

“How reassuring.”

Kuroba snorted. He made a slow rotation of his shoulder, only a mild grimace on his face as it pulled on muscles abused by his fall and his shoulder’s dislocation. “No worries. You shouldn’t have to see her again. I only ever visit when I have to.”

“Even though you’re the father of her daughters?” Saguru asked. He took a small satisfaction in how Kuroba flinched.

“Should have guessed she’d bring that up,” he muttered. He moved on to flexing his hands. “Yeah, the twins. I’m more of a sperm donor than anything. Akako-chan didn’t want me to be much more than that, though I’m technically their next of kin if anything happened to her and I send them birthday and new year’s gifts.” He sighed. “To be honest, the few times we’ve met they’ve been sort of Akako clones, and eeeh. I’m sure they have their own personalities under what she’s taught them, but it’s pretty unnerving. They send a letter every now and again so I know a bit about their life, and that’s all the more interest they seem to have of me.”

“That must be hard.”

“I’ve had time to get used to it.” There wasn’t any regret that Saguru could see in Kuroba’s posture or tone. He truly believed it to be an equal exchange and a worthwhile one. Hmm.

Saguru leaned back in the chair and watched Kuroba test his bruised ribs by rotating his torso. There was a definite grimace on his face. “I imagine Aoko would be upset if she knew.”

Kuroba blanched. “Hell, I’m not ever telling her if I can help it. I don’t care if it was after we were divorced, she’d still skin me for it.”

“And Takumi-kun would join her no doubt.”

Kuroba winced and stopped stretching. “Yeah...yeah...that. Wouldn’t go over well after all the other secrets.”

“What’s done is done though. Either they will learn one day or they won’t.” Saguru pulled out the file Koizumi had given him and tossed it on Kuroba’s lap.

Kuroba opened it gingerly. “Oh. Wow, she works fast. These would be the officers complicit with the bombing at the last heist. And the ones we’d want to watch when we bait the trap.”

“Exactly.”

“Then you’re really going to do it soon.” Kuroba stared down at the folder in his hands like he was seeing through it and looking at something he desperately wanted to be real. “Trigger the trap.”

“Yes.” Kuroba looked so far away that Saguru had to reach out. His fingers brushed scar-marred skin on Kuroba’s arm. Kuroba turned his unseeing eyes in Saguru’s direction, taking a moment to focus. “We’ll catch them, Kuroba.” Hot, angry, vicious certainty filled him. One way or another, Saguru would make that statement true.

“It doesn’t feel possible,” Kuroba said. He looked at Saguru’s hand on his arm like it was a particularly complex puzzle. “I’m always running by the skin of my teeth and they’ve always been in the shadows, waiting to catch my heels. I’ve been Kid longer than I’ve not been Kid.”

“I know.” Saguru’s thumb brushed along Kuroba’s arm, soothing, and he wanted to—to curl around Kuroba, protect him, hold him close and keep the doubts at bay. Kuroba was only a friend, though, and this was Japan. He was already abnormally touchy with Kuroba as it was. “If I have any power in building this future, I’ll make it so that that isn’t the case forever.”

“Retire?” Kuroba said, a ghost of a smile on his face. “A phantom thief never retires.”

“No, they become urban legends for decades to come.” Saguru followed the scars up to the fresher ones on Kuroba’s face, no longer painful, but still pink and raw looking. Kuroba didn’t pull away, looked back at him like there was nothing else in the world at this moment. Like Saguru’s words had weight to them. “You’ll get that future, Kuroba.”

“And I suppose you’ll still be teaching in that future, the two of us becoming old men with too many secrets.”

“Maybe.” Saguru should pull his hand away. He didn’t. “I might stick around to see you gain a few gray hairs.”

“Only a few?” Kuroba sounded teasing, but his eyes were so serious, asking a question Saguru wasn’t sure of let alone how to answer it.

“I’m sure you’d love to see me go bald. Both my grandfathers kept their hair though; it would be a long wait.” Saguru was only half aware of what he was saying. He just wanted to wipe that lingering uncertainty and worry from Kuroba’s face, like he wished his touch could wipe away the scars the years had left.

“If you plan to stay that long,” Kuroba said.

Did he plan to? He had no plans beyond removing the threat to Kuroba’s life. No plans beyond this teaching year. If Kuroba wanted him here, he could stay. If Kuroba wanted him, there was very little that could keep him away. “I...”

They both jumped as Saguru’s phone rang, the volume set on loud from earlier that day when Saguru had been worried he’d miss a phone call. Kuroba’s face left his fingertips as Kuroba finally pulled away. The words on Saguru’s tongue died. He wanted to call the moment back and promise he’d stay as long as Kuroba kept wanting him to be there, but there were too many important things going on to ignore a phone call.

It was Millard. “Hello?” As he answered, Kuroba repositioned himself on his bed, settling back to eavesdrop shamelessly. That was fine; anything Millard had to say was bound to be connected to Kuroba’s case anyway.

“Saguru, good, you have time to talk?” Millard was rushed, distracted sounding. Saguru could hear the sound of rain hitting metal—the roof of a car?

“Yes. You have news?”

“Found some suspicious edits and missing casefiles for some cases. All ones that’ve involved places on the list you sent. Asked around a bit too, careful-like though. I’m starting to get your old paranoia,” he said with what was supposed to be a laugh, but too strained to really be one. It was both from stress, and due to fact that the paranoia in question hadn’t appeared until Saguru had been investigating Mel’s death. He hadn’t been in a good place then. “You were right about things not adding up. Hans Yemen has a few cases where conclusive evidence was never found attached with those companies, and the missing bullet casings from Mel’s case... Well, might not have been missing if ya get my drift. I did some digging and found a digital file sent by one of the officers that did the initial write up and it didn’t match the one on file.”

Saguru let out a slow breath. “I see.” He wouldn’t get his hopes up, couldn’t dare hope that they’d get some sort of justice for Mel because if he was let down again this time, he wasn’t sure what he’d feel. Kuroba’s eyes were too knowing on him. “That’s something tangible at least. Not enough to make a case of in itself, but...”

“Something,” Millard agreed. “Jones and McLuhan are in with me. Jones works in cataloging so she’s found a bit. It’s keeping this all quiet that’s been hard. You can’t root around in your own yard long before your neighbor notices, y’know?” He sighed and there was the hazy sound of rain for a long moment. “I’ll be upfront. Don’t know if we’ll get the person that shot Mel, but I think we can at least get the people who covered it up and maybe even the people who hired the one who shot him. This isn’t going to make us any friends here, but it’s the right thing and I won’t let this go until I’ve seen it through.”

Saguru had a vivid recollection of two years ago, Mel and Millard drunkenly arguing over reality television in the London apartment living room, trying to get Saguru to commit to one of their sides despite his not having any interest in reality television. Millard gave a speech at Mel’s funeral, but Saguru had barely heard it. There was a heavy mix of the now-familiar pain of loss mixed in with grateful fondness. Why had it been so easy to forget that others hurt too? “Thank you, Millard. I know you will.”

“Right,” Millard said, gruffer, pushing away the sentimentality from a moment ago. “McLuhan wanted me to pass along that you’re invited to her usual Christmas party still, and that you’re to call sometime.”

“And those are the words she used? There isn’t enough profanity.”

“Well, she said you’re a right prat for cutting us out and if your head’s out of your ass now, you’re welcome to come back anytime,” Millard said.

Saguru snorted. That she’d cared to offer after some of the things he’d said... “Still not enough profanity,” Saguru said, “and I am not likely to be on that side of the world for the holidays, but pass along my thanks for the offer.”

“Can do. Best of luck on your end.”

“Same to you.”

Millard disconnected the call. Saguru ignored the prickling of his eyes. If he pretended, maybe it would stop.

“Sounds like good friends,” Kuroba commented.

Saguru blinked hard to clear his eyes. Kuroba hadn’t moved, though he was staring with more intensity than he had at the start of the call. “I suppose so. I hadn’t thought I still had the right to call them that.”

“That’s friends though,” Kuroba said. “They don’t let you shove them away easily.”

And yet who did Kuroba have? His coworkers? In the strangest of roundabout ways, Aoko and Kudo? Koizumi? He had Saguru now though. And Saguru didn’t just have Kuroba anymore. “We don’t,” Saguru agreed. “So don’t think you’ll be rid of me anytime soon.” It was segue enough to continue their unfinished conversation. “I don’t plan to go anywhere, Kuroba.”

“Not even to London for Christmas?”

“While McLuhan’s Christmas parties are notorious for their revelry, I think I’d rather stay here.” Saguru offered a smile. “I’ll go to London at some point, but I don’t think I will stay any longer than I need to in settling things I left undone.”

“I thought you weren’t sure what you had planned in the future.”

“I was.” Saguru placed a hand close to Kuroba’s own; close enough to imply intimacy, but not so close that it crossed that fine line he was skirting around so often lately. “I’m still not certain how long I will stay teaching or what path I’ll take, but I think it will remain in Japan from here on out.”

“You know,” Kuroba said his own hand just a bit too far from Saguru’s to feel its warmth, “I almost thought that this would scare you away.” He gestured with his left hand to the scars and his leg brace.

“It would have,” Saguru said honestly, “except you lived.”

***

There were not enough hours in the day. Since the trap plan had been solidified, Saguru had barely had a chance to rest between seeing Koizumi, contacting officers Kudo and Aoko trusted—and who were not on any of Kuroba’s lists—and putting Kuroba’s evidence into an order that would be more easily accessed for any possible eventuality to come out of this. He was seeing names and faces of individuals he had never met in his sleep, and one the closer it came to time, the more often these dreams were interspersed with memories and modifications of Kuroba’s injuries.

Kudo would play Kid. For all that Takumi had argued and debated, none of them were going to let him be bait for a criminal organization that had proven to be lethal. Saguru had covered logistics with Kudo, building up the perimeter and potential angles the threat could arrive from as tightly as if they were dealing with a Kid heist proper—more so even, because there was lethal potential if they made a mistake here that Kid’s heists didn’t hold.

It all centered around the stone that Kuroba had hidden. Unfortunately Kuroba refused to give its exact hiding place away, requiring yet another decoy. While he understood that the risk of losing the object he’d been trying to find for years was a very real concern to Kuroba, it added one more possibility of the whole operation being seen for what it was, a trap that might not even be sprung.

Now Saguru sat in an office building on the fifth floor, just high enough that he had a decent view of the museum and its surroundings. They had people all around the area, and it had been so hard to push this through official channels without alerting anyone they didn’t want to know. It had been passing documents literally hand to hand in secret like some sort of shady deal. It would all be worth it if things worked out right. Kudo’s international contacts would be watching air traffic to try and spot runners after this. But first they had to have their trap work.

It felt wrong watching Kudo moving around in Kid’s gear—a spare suit that Saguru had gotten from Kuroba’s hidden room. Kudo didn’t have quite the same fluidity or presence. He was trying, but Kuroba had been Kid for almost two decades and it was hard to match that many years of practice. Kudo made his best attempt. He strolled onto the rooftop like he belonged there, going for the agreed upon spot where he’d ‘produce’ the fake stone from an air vent. He was there and vulnerable and could be shot at any moment if things went wrong. In the first rule of things involving Kid, something would always go wrong.

“Nothing yet,” Kudo said over the headset. “Maybe they’re waiting for something flashy?”

“Don’t crack jokes,” Aoko snapped back.

“It was only half a joke. Maybe they’re waiting for a neon sign with Kid declaring he’s back from the dead. I mean he is known for his large statements.”

Kudo pulled out the stone with a flourish. Overdone in Saguru’s opinion, but Kudo didn’t have the dexterity to vanish it the way Kuroba could. Kuroba must be going crazy at the Kudo manor knowing this was going on. “Still nothing on my end,” Saguru said. There were a few pedestrians in the area, common enough despite the late hour. They’d left a restaurant, and another appeared to be a businessman who’d stayed late. No telltale glint from nearby windows. No figures that he could see with his binoculars lurking on rooftops or obvious open windows that a shot might come from. Over the headset, there were negatives from the rest of the group. Fewer people than the last heist, but a tighter crew. Kudo was moving to leave now, making one last show of looking at the gem in faint moonlight. Nothing.

Breath hissed between Saguru’s teeth. There were always other ways, slower ways, but...

A startled sound echoed over the headset.

“What?” Aoko snapped.

“Kaitou Kid,” a voice said—Takagi? Shiratori? Saguru was less acquainted with Kudo’s police friends—“in the air! He’s landing on the office building across from the museum!”

“Shit.” A double. Threat or...? Saguru tossed his binoculars aside. That was his building Kid was landing on, and he was only two floors away from the roof. “I am proceeding to the location,” Saguru said over the headset.

In his ear, Aoko’s tinny swears overlapped with other voices in a mishmash of babble that he didn’t bother trying to parse. He had his cane and two sets of stairs to tackle, but it didn’t take much time at all to reach the top with his heart hammering to press him on faster, faster. The roof door banged against the wall with the force he shoved against it. Saguru panted for breath as the white suited figure turned, monocle obscuring one eye.

Too short, suit too big, nervous body language—he could have been looking at Kuroba when Saguru first met him as Kid all over again. Wind made his cape billow with the same lucky chance for dramatics Kuroba always seemed to have. One hand tilted the brim of the top hat low to shadow his face, but Saguru didn’t have to see his face to know that it was Takumi.

Akako is basically functioning a bit like Yuuko from XxxHolic--her magic alone isn’t strong enough to protect Kaito/Kaito’s family/sever Kid from Kaito, so the universe has to shift balances to make it happen and it’s coming from Kaito. He paid with never being able to be a stage magician for increased healing abilities. (As for Akako asking Kaito for her first born children, it would totally make sense for her to want his bloodline if he’s immune to her. Plus natural luck. The spell she did to protect Kaito’s  family coincidentally also protects her daughters because Takumi was the spell’s focus, and any blood relative to him was caught in the protective spell. Aoko, Nakamori, Chikage, Kaito, and anyone else related has a higher amount of protection. ...I keep giving Kaito children in this fic. >_>;;; Sorry hun, you don’t get to know these ones. I’m not sure you’d want to.)

[mintchocolateleaves]

Basically, the person responsible for this becoming a thing knows who they are, and it’s all their fault.

Summary: Shinichi has a magic trick, and for once, Kaito is the one who needs to figure out how it’s done. (Implied KaiShin).

"Hey Hakuba," Shinichi says one day when they sit down for lunch, "you want to see this magic trick I've been working on?"

Opposite the seat Shinichi is sat at, Kaito lets out a small snicker, leaning forward on the table to glance between the detectives.

"You can't do magic tricks," the magician claims, resting his chin on his hand, "you don't have the imagination. Detectives can't perform magic."

Shinichi gives him the look, grins and shakes his head, turning back to look at Saguru. The other detective nods, waits expectantly for Shinichi to begin, watching as Shinichi pulls a pack of playing cards from his pocket - Kaito's pretty sure that they're his cards, not Shinichi's own, but well, it doesn't exactly matter.

"Just watch," Shinichi says, "I'll blow your mind with this trick."

Kaito scoffs.

Pulling out the playing cards from the pack, and shuffling them, Shinichi takes the deck and spreads them out face down. He then prompts Saguru to pick out a card, asks him to memorise it before asking the Brit to place it back into the deck.

"Kaito... Can you shuffle the cards for me?" Shinichi asks then, and the magician, watching the trick carefully, does as the detective asks. After he's satisfied with the level of shuffling, Shinichi grins, taking back the playing cards.

He pauses. "Your birthday is the 29th of August, right Hakuba?"

Saguru nods, his brows drawn into a frown.

"Okay. That means twenty-nine. Adding the digits together, makes eleven, and then adding those together is two... Add that to August being the 8th month and we've got ten. That means ten cards."

He places nine cards onto the table, moving slower with each card, dragging the moment out until he lifts the tenth card, showing it to Saguru. He asks, "is this your card?"

Saguru takes the card and lets out a small laugh. It's a mixture of astonishment and surprise, his eyes widening slightly as he takes the card from Shinichi's hand. "How?"

Shinichi taps the side of his nose and smiles. He says, "a magician never tells, do they Kaito?"

He glances at the magician, revels in the expression he notices - Kaito's lips are pursed, his own face furrowed into a frown as he tries to discover the trick, staring at the card in Saguru's hands.

"That's right..." Kaito admits.

Later, as their apartment, as Kaito is preparing tea for their guest, Shinichi shows Heiji the same trick.

"Is this your card?" Shinichi asks, holding up the seven of clubs. Heiji grins and nods.

"How'd ya know?"

Shinichi smirks, shrugs his shoulders and places the cards down onto the table. Then, taking the tea Kaito has poured, he takes a sip, flashing Kaito a smug smile.

"Am I creative yet Kaito?" He asks, "do I have an imagination now?"

After a short pause, Kaito turns to Shinichi, a bitter expression marring his usually jovial expression. He looks visibly pained as he claims that Shinichi has always been an exception to the rule, is his favourite detective for a reason, and that means he's certainly got an imagination.

"Oi, Kudo - I think tha' I got it." Heiji says, and leans in to whisper his deduction to his best friend.

"I haven't figured it out yet," Kaito mutters, "there's no way a detective could get it before me."

Shinichi leans back, smiles and nods. He says, "that's how you do it Hattori!"

He's pretty sure that he notices Kaito's eye twitching.

(Later, when Shinichi is fading into sleep beside Kaito, the magician having fallen asleep hours before, when Shinichi had been overlooking details for a case, he hears Kaito spring up, opens sleepy eyes to notice that the magician is awake, wide-eyed and alert.

"The cards are marked, right Shinichi? That's how you did it?" Kaito trips on his way out of the room, falls flat on his face as he races to get to the cards.

Shinichi grins. He falls asleep with laughter on his lips.)

"Okay," Shinichi says three days later when they all sit down at lunch. "I've got another magic trick."

Kaito lets out a groan. He bangs his head against the table as he buries his forehead in the gap between his folded arms. "No. I still haven't figured out the last one yet."

Saguru raises an eyebrow. "Really? I figured it out two days ago."

Kaito mutters swears under his breath. "Even Hakuba beat me, what-"

"Yeah, yeah," Shinichi waves the comments away. "Hakuba, the trick, want to see it?"

Saguru nods, and waits as the detective pulls out a brand new pack of cards, undoing the plastic wrapping and passing the playing cards to Kaito to shuffle again. It's a new defense, the cards, to keep Kaito from claiming that they are marked somehow. Hell - Shinichi hasn't even been holding them for any more than five seconds.

"Thanks," he says when Kaito passes them back. Like with his previous trick, he spreads the cards face down on the table, asks Saguru to pick any card he wants.

Saguru does.

Opposite him, Shinichi rubs at his temples, hesitates before asking, "Jack of clubs?"

Hakuba pales, throws the card down and asks, "How are you doing this? Is the magic spreading from Kuroba to you...?"

Kaito shakes his head. "No. No that's not possible, no-"

Shinichi shrugs, collects the cards and shuffles them again. "It's a trick Kaito, of course it's possible."

"Do it again."

Shinichi shuffles the cards, mutters 'whatever will make you sleep at night', before redoing the trick. He tells Saguru to  pick another card, before Kaito stops the trick, picking his own card instead. Apparently, the magician suspects foul play, wants to do it himself to ensure that there's no 'funny business' going on.

For a moment, Shinichi hesitates.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he watches Hakuba raise his hand to his chest, putting four fingers up.

Shinichi grins, "four of hearts?"

Kait swears, throws the card back on top of the deck, before storming out of the cafeteria. He cries, "unacceptable, they're detectives," as the door slams behind him.

Saguru glances at Shinichi, raises an eyebrow as his fellow detective collects the playing cards from the table, shimmying them back into the deck.

"How long until you tell Kuroba-kun that we've just been tricking him?" He asks.

Shinichi grins, "only until is stops being funny."

"So... never?"

A smile. "Yeah, pretty much."

All my other writing oneshots can be found here.

[lisatelramor]

Not Left To Stand Alone ch 18

The heist was held in Beika, practically in Kudo’s back yard. Saguru was less familiar with Beika’s museums although due to Suzuki Jirokichi’s obsession with challenging Kid, he had spent time in the Beika area before. Once upon a time it would have felt like stepping into a well versed role, returning to a Kid heist like this. Tonight, however, it only emphasized how much he didn’t fit in here anymore. There were police officers from all over Japan, drawn together for the sole purpose of outsmarting Kid. Saguru hung back from the chaos. He could make out Kudo examining Kid’s target on a stand, and Aoko as she coordinated the groups of officers, making sure everyone knew what their part was and minimizing the interdepartmental conflicts.

He could even make out Hattori Heiji. He’d never liked the man much due to personality clashes, but he couldn’t deny that he was a good detective in his own right. Hattori was with a group of officers most likely brought in from Osaka, arguing with a woman over something written on a paper he held. There were other detectives here as well, a man he vaguely remembered from a few heists, the infamous Sleeping Kogoro who looked too old to be caught up in all of this and almost as out of place as Saguru felt, a woman with short hair, and possibly more.

The reporters at least couldn’t get too close. Aoko had kicked them outside the police perimeter half an hour ago because they were disrupting the preparations too much. They’d pounced on Saguru when he arrived, so at least he could be sure that the school would have proof he’d attended the heist.

“Hakuba-san,” a voice said. Kudo approached, pulling Saguru out of his thoughts.

“Kudo-san.” Kudo held out his hand for a Western handshake and Saguru met it. Kudo’s grip was firm and his gaze as sharp as Saguru could remember from the brief moments the two of them had met before.

“It’s been a long time,” Kudo said. He looked back over the museum. Saguru followed his gaze. There were a multitude of cameras and sensors that Saguru knew each had separate power grids and backup generators attached. The target itself, an almost unassuming uncut ruby set into a Mesopotamian necklace, had been surrounded by traps and an electrified pedestal. Everything that could be tried against Kid probably had been done before; they’d taken to doubling or tripling the methods that had tripped him up or slowed him down in the past. There were rotating patrols that stuck with their source division so that there would be no unknown faces among them and have the best cooperation. Searchlights covered the sky and a thorough search perimeter kept people from crossing into the museum. Saguru knew that Aoko even had officers stationed in nearby buildings in the hopes of discouraging any potential snipers. Outside the perimeter were hordes of Kid fans. Not even the increased dangers of heists over the years had discouraged their enthusiasm.

“What do you think?” Kudo said.

“I think Kid is going to have to work hard to reach his prize,” Saguru said. “Although it seems unwise to have so many people from around Japan attending; Kid has always thrived through impersonations, with so many unfamiliar faces it will be much easier for him to get away with wearing someone’s face.”

“That was Nakamori-keibu’s opinion as well,” Kudo said. It took a beat for Saguru to realize that he meant Aoko and not her father, the dissonance of the title sitting oddly in his mind even if he knew that she was the inspector now. It was also odd that she went by Nakamori in her police work when Saguru was fairly certain she had kept Kuroba’s last name, if the name plate on her house was anything to go by.

There was a loud yell and Saguru frowned at Hattori as he and the woman he’d been arguing with got in a shouting match.

Kudo sighed. “I’m not sure why they’re both here.”

“Both? Hattori I am familiar with,” Saguru said, dry tone implying he would rather he wasn’t, “but not whoever he is speaking with.”

“Hattori Kazuha,” Kudo said, equally dry, but with none of the distaste Saguru held. Kudo was friends with Hattori if Saguru remembered correctly… “She’s Heiji’s wife. They’re on the outs again at the moment though.” Saguru raised an eyebrow and Kudo shrugged. “They’re hot and cold sort of people.”

“…I see.” That couldn’t be healthy.

“It works for them.” Kudo nodded toward where the detectives were starting to congregate around Aoko. “Join in the pre-heist analysis?”

“Of course.”

Kudo gave him a friendly smile. “Good to have you, even if it’s not the best circumstances.”

Saguru felt a bit bad for all those times he’d thought uncharitable thoughts about Kudo in the past. He wasn’t too bad.

The detective huddle had more people than Saguru was used to, including Hattori though thankfully he’d lowered the volume on his argument to barely audible hisses and grumbles at the edge of the group. Aoko looked around the circle and Saguru felt her eyes land on him. She frowned deeper than she had already been frowning. “Hakuba.”

“Nakamori-keibu,” he said in a neutral voice; this was not the time for familiarity.  

She gave him another hard stare, no doubt over his broken promise, before continuing her sweep of the people around her.

“As all of you know, tonight’s target is Tiamut’s Hope. This is the first time this thing’s being showcased to the world, so let’s do our best to keep it safe.” A Mesopotamian necklace of uncertain age and origins found recently in a Greek dig, of all places. Its name was callback to both Greek and Mesopotamian mythology due to the almost cult-like setup that had been found around the stone and the single body buried with it. Saguru wasn’t surprised that it was Kuroba’s target; it fit too well under his parameters. “You all know what we have set up to stop Kid, now I want you to turn your heads toward what ways he’d get past it.”

“There’s too many people,” Hattori said at once, and it was off from there, one weakness pointed out and a plan made to cover it, pin balling back and forth.

Saguru held back any observations he had. Most of them were covered by the others anyway, but he it would feel like a betrayal to Kuroba to actively help plan how to catch him these days. There was discussion of how Kid would escape if he got the stone, but despite many good points made, Saguru couldn’t shake the feeling that Kuroba would choose the glider today. The wind was steady but it was a cloudy night. All the more perfect to blend in to once he was airborne. It had been years since he last attended a heist though. Saguru didn’t know what to expect. Kuroba always strove to do the unexpected. How he had kept people guessing for almost two decades was a testament to his brilliance, and that the combined best minds around Saguru now hadn’t caught him only emphasized that fact.

The discussion broke with Aoko sending people off to different posts to best handle the problem areas they’d identified. When she got to Saguru, she stopped again.

“I promised to stay out of heists,” Saguru said. “I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t being forced into it. I am retired after all.”

“You better keep the rest of your promise,” Aoko said shortly. Kuroba remained hers to catch; it wouldn’t be Saguru who interfered with that. “I understand that you didn’t have much choice being here, but if you’re not getting involved, go watch the cameras and stay out of the way. That should be enough to give a show of joining in.”

“I will do that then.” He nodded to her and watched her center herself. He could only imagine what it must be like to throw herself into hunting the man she once loved—and still did even if the hurt and anger were stronger—month after month. Saguru couldn’t have done it.

It was a bit weird to be staring at black and white monitors instead of being in the thick of things. It wasn’t unfamiliar; he’d had plenty of cases where he’s spent hours in surveillance, but for a Kid heist? He’d always been as close to the action as possible. If not near the target, then in Kid’s path waiting to trip him up. Now he hoped Kid would escape. Looking at the sheer number of things being used against him, it seemed like it would take a small miracle for that to be possible. But he really truly hoped.

The clock ticked down toward Kid’s stated time. Saguru watched the monitors for any sign of something out of the ordinary. Kudo was near the target. Hattori on the second floor of the museum near a stairwell. Aoko on the main floor with the target. One of the unknown detectives out near the outer perimeter— Saguru frowned at the monitor. He’d almost thought he saw… Yes, there it was again, a familiar shape on the edge of the screen, barely sliding past the camera’s near blind spots. He waited for it to appear again and this time the figure couldn’t avoid the camera as well.

It was like high school all over again, Kuroba’s appearance and all. Only it was the wrong Kuroba on the screen.

***

Aoko was going to pitch a fit if she realized her son had successfully gotten past the police perimeter and into the heist proper. Actually, Kuroba would probably join her.

Saguru slid away from the monitors, calculating the route Takumi would most likely take. The only person who noticed him leave was the officer guarding the door. He’d have to point out that security flaw to Aoko at some point; hyper focus on the monitors was open invitation for Kid to infiltrate the room.

Saguru caught up to Takumi right as he was trying to get into the museum, lock picks in hand as he took advantage of a brief gap in the guard rotations.

“You know,” Saguru said, “the camera covers this spot and the door has three different alarms armed at various points along it.”

Takumi dropped the picks, slamming back against the door. “Holy shit when did you get there?!”

“Just moments after you got here from the looks of it.” Saguru picked up the dropped picks. All handmade from bits of scrap metal and wires. Impressive. Also something Aoko no doubt would disapprove of on principle. “What are you doing here, Takumi-kun?”

Takumi straightened, shoulder squaring. The stubborn jut of his jaw was all Aoko even if he still resembled Kuroba more than not. “I wanted to watch the heist.”

“I’m sure you’re perfectly capable of watching the heist from behind the police line. Or better yet, on home on your TV.”

“I want to see it firsthand!” Takumi waved a hand at the building behind him. “Kaa-san has spent half my life chasing after Kid and I’ve never even gotten to see what goes on behind the scenes. For some reason this 200th heist has both Kaa-san and Tou-san acting more stressed than normal and I want to know why.”

“So you came to the heist as clearly that isn’t going to have any negative repercussions if you got caught,” Saguru said.

Takumi flushed, hands balling into fists and teeth gritted together. “Look, I get it, it’s stupid and impulsive. I still want to know!”

Saguru shook his head, glancing at his wrist watch. Barely any time now… “Regardless of what you want, you can’t be here. If Aoko sees you on those tapes, she’s going to have a meltdown and she can’t afford to be distracted right now.”

“Maybe I could help? I mean I got this far didn’t I? And Kid’s a showman; maybe a magician’s perspective—”

Saguru caught Takumi’s wrist and started pulling. Takumi was too startled to drag his heels in, stumbling after Saguru wide eyed. “That wouldn’t work,” Saguru said, keeping calm. There was too big of a gap, the next police group should have been there, but they weren’t. Kid or someone else? “Your father was brought on a few times as a consultant for that reason and no progress was made. No offense, but he is more of a showman than you are.” Takumi sputtered, trying to pull away now, but Saguru’s grip was firm. “You got this far because something has happened to the guard pattern and luck. We’re not pushing that luck any further.”

Takumi yanked hard, almost dragging Saguru to a stop. “It’s not like I’m going after Kid! I just want to see what a heist is like!”

Saguru stopped. “Look, heists are not safe. No matter what hype they get, the injury rate increases every year. I know for a fact that your parents have kept you as far from this as possible for your own safety.”

“I know the incident rates! That’s all the more reason why—”

They froze as all lights in the area cut out. Saguru counted, waiting for the backup generators. A few lights flickered and died again, only one or two in the distance running as they should. “The generators were tampered with…” Kid or not Kid? Most likely Kid, it fit his tactics. “Come on, we need to go. The heist is in progress.”

“What? Already?” Takumi hopped a few steps after Saguru. As they spoke, Kuroba was probably already in the target room. They rounded a corner and Takumi flinched as they found the missing guard rotation sprawled across the ground. That had to be on camera unless those were tampered too… “Are they…?”

“Unconscious,” Saguru said, sparing them a once over. He could see their chests rise and fall as they breathed, not a mark on them. “They’ll wake up in a bit with nothing worse than a small headache.”

“Is that…is that normal?”

“For a heist? Yes.”

Takumi’s eyes were wide as they neared the police barricade. There was no hiding that they were there now, not when Saguru wasn’t trying to. An officer on duty noticed and moved to wave them down, but at that moment a loud boom and crackle came from behind them.

Behind them, the museum became a mass of fireworks, whizzing and exploding in multicolored lights. It was the perfect amount of dramatic that the public no doubt expected. In the sky, one of the search lights projected Kid’s caricature against the clouds much like something out of Batman.

The crowd cheered.

Everything was light and roars of sound until it was suddenly a roaring rumble and smoke, and the cheers were turning to screams. Saguru looked over his shoulder and saw a chunk missing from the corner of the museum. Not Kid. Definitely not Kid. Takumi wrenched around, trying to run toward the smoke as there was another explosion, but Saguru caught him around the waist.

“Kaa-san is in there!” Takumi shrieked, struggling.

“She has enough to worry about without worrying about you!” Saguru shouted back.

The police perimeter was broken in the chaos, Kid’s fans panicking, and it was easy to get swallowed by the mass of people, elbows and pressing bodies pushing them further and further from the museum. Saguru lost track of where they were. Everything was flashes of scared faces and Kid caricatured clothing and keeping a hold on Takumi through it all.

The mess parted and they were dumped into an alleyway. The communicator Saguru got earlier in the night was going off on his hip spouting snippets of things in a jumble that made it clear that Kid hadn’t made his escape just yet even in all the chaos. He could hear Aoko’s voice in that jumble though, so he was reassured she was alright. Takumi slumped against the wall, wrist still in Saguru’s death grip, pale and shaken. Saguru let go. There was going to be a nasty bruise on his wrist later. “Are you okay?” Saguru asked.

Takumi stared back blankly.

The communicator went off again, this time a clear statement that Kid was on the roof. Aoko’s voice. “Aoko sounds like she’s fine,” Saguru said.

“Did Kid blow up the museum?” Takumi asked.

“I doubt it. It’s not his method of operation.” Saguru scanned the sky. If Kid had been driven to the roof then it was only a matter of time until he escaped via glider. He moved down the alley toward more open roads; these were closed off around here from traffic due to the heist, but eventually they’d come to somewhere Saguru could call a cab and get them all back home safe. Takumi trailed after him like Saguru was the only thing that made sense at the moment and losing him would be losing the last tie to reality. Behind them was still a mass of panicked bodies and sirens. There were no more explosions at least.

They crossed two blocks before Saguru saw the triangular blur of Kid’s glider. It was barely visible in the cloud cover and residual smoke, but it was there. “Kid is escaping headed north,” Saguru said into the communicator.

“Unable to pursue,” came the response, Aoko’s voice a frustrated growl. “Too busy containing the mess here.”

Saguru planned to reply that it would be too late by the time they got out of the building anyway when the glider wobbled. It flew a few more feet before nose diving sharply. “Shit.” Kid was down. Kid was down probably injured, possibly dead, with the majority of the police force containing a small riot of hysterical panic. Saguru tossed the communicator away as it kept spouting updates from different police teams. Keeping it could lead everyone back to Kid and he wasn’t going to do that to Kuroba. Kid had fallen two, three blocks away at most.

Let him be alive, Saguru thought.

AN: Please don’t kill me. Also, who saw something like this coming? 

[lisatelramor]

NLTSA Extra: Dinner With the Kurobas

Set right after the end of chapter 13 when Kaito invites Saguru over for dinner.

Cooking with Kuroba was...different. As Saguru chopped a growing pile of vegetables and Kuroba put on rice and sliced meat to cook, he couldn’t help comparing it to cooking with Mel. Mel had more of a tendency to shoo Saguru off to the side and take over with micromanaging tendencies in the kitchen though. Kuroba didn’t seem to care that Saguru’s knife skills were less than perfect so long as everything got chopped in more or less similar sizes.

“So you cook,” Saguru said, as Kuroba began mixing up a sauce to go over the meal they were making.

“Obviously,” Kuroba said. “I don’t cook a lot because I’m on the go all the time—easier to just grab something while I’m out—but I’ve lived on my own for years. I’ve been cooking since I was in middle school whenever Kaa-chan took trips. You can cook too.”

“Poorly. Enough to survive off of.” Saguru finished slicing the last of the vegetables as Kuroba tossed the meat into hot oil, using long cooking chopsticks to keep it moving and cooking evenly. “Nothing special.”

“Cooking’s not your thing then?”

“No, that was always Mel’s thing,” Saguru said. Kuroba made an enquiring hum, reaching over to take Saguru’s cutting board and add the vegetables to the mix. Saguru watched, reminded of all the times he’d seen Mel wielding a wooden spoon with similar focus. “He liked to plan meals and try new things and I was always the boring one who would just make a roast and have it for the week if left to my own devices.”

“By roast, do you mean you just cooked a plain slab of meat and ate it?”

“Essentially, yes. Usually you cook it with carrots or potatoes and cabbage.”

Kuroba gave Saguru a flat look. “No offense but that sounds bland as hell.”

Saguru chuckled. “Yes, well, that’s traditional British cooking for you. Bland, and steamed, roasted or boiled. I can cook more than just sticking meat in the oven or boiling pasta.”

“I’d hope so. You wouldn’t have much variety otherwise.” Kuroba flicked his wrist, tossing the pan’s contents around a bit before adding the sauce. It hissed, bubbling and boiling quickly into a thick, sticky coating. “Set the table for me? There’s plates in that cupboard, cups in the one next to it, and chopsticks in the drawer to the right of the sink. I can handle the rice bowls.”

Saguru set the table diligently, putting Kuroba’s generic dishware with its simple floral pattern on the table at three places.

Kuroba was just filling bowls with rice as Saguru put glasses of water around the table when the front door opened. Takumi’s greeting carried in before he was even through the door. “Welcome back,” Kuroba called, filling the last bowl. “Hakuba’s joining us for dinner.”

“Hakuba-sensei?” Takumi poked his head around the entryway. He had his lacrosse uniform still on and a heavy sports bag over one shoulder, which he set down next to the pile of shoes. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought it might be nice to have company,” Kuroba said cheerfully. “How was practice?”

“Fine. I think I’ll make an alternate this year if I can get my aim just a little better. Or if someone gets injured.” Takumi scrunched his nose. “Which hopefully won’t happen.” He wandered over to the sink to wash his hands, giving Saguru a tiny nod like he wasn’t sure what the polite thing to do was when a teacher was unexpectedly in his home. They’d shared tea and stories often enough that it wasn’t too awkward though. “Kei-kun and Mirai-senpai said they’d help me work on some techniques next week though so I can be ready for the summer tournaments.”

“You’ll have to give me a list of game dates. I’ll try to make a few over the summer.”

“Sure. Oh, and I have a group report in History, so I have to meet up tomorrow with a few classmates. It shouldn’t take too long though, so we can still work on the thing with the doves you wanted to show me. It’ll just have to be in the evening.”

“I’ll make plans to have dinner at Obaa-san’s house then.”

Kuroba and Takumi moved around each other with the ease of people who shared a kitchen space frequently. Takumi even grabbed the last rice bowl to take to the table in the absentminded sort of way of habit, used to helping set the table then. Saguru felt a little out of place. He didn’t know where to sit, and surely the Kurobas had their preferred places.

Takumi solved that problem, plopping into the chair at the setting missing its rice, and Kuroba sat on the other side. It left Saguru sitting next to Kuroba.

Takumi took one look at the stir fry with the thin sliced pork stir fried in it and gave Kuroba a glowing smile. “I am so hungry after practice and this so beats the usual Friday night combini meal.”

“I’m not that bad am I?” Kuroba asked.

“About cooking?” Takumi picked up his chopsticks. “You save your cooking energy for Saturday, but nine times out of ten, Friday ends up a convenience store meal. I don’t mind, but you made ginger pork stir fry. This is great.”

“I really can and do cook,” Kuroba said, giving Saguru a serious look that almost hid the glimmer of humor in his eyes. “You’d think I only ever feed him onigiri and takeaway.”

“You’re a good cook, but Kaa-san’s tonkatsu still beats yours,” Takumi said. “Now can we please eat? I just spent more than an hour running around with a stick. I am starving.”

“We should make him wait,” Kuroba said in a loud whisper to Saguru. Takumi gave his father a betrayed look.

Saguru rolled his eyes. “As the guest, I think we should eat.”

“If you say so. Itadakimasu!” Kuroba said, cheerfully clapping his hands together. He didn’t let on that his ribs were bruised at all, not when cooking and not now as he leaned over to dish out food. It was both impressive and unnerving, because it left the question of if Saguru had missed other injuries in the past just because Kuroba was that good of an actor.

Takumi echoed Kuroba and dug into his food the second his plate was filled. Saguru took his time in comparison as Kuroba launched into an explanation of his current work project, his coworker’s lives, and various neighborhood gossip between bites of food, all unprompted. Takumi threw in a question here or there that showed he was both listening and knew who Kuroba was talking about. Saguru let the chatter wash over him, content to listen. It was a bit like family meals when he and Mel used to visit Mum, only with less pointed comments in his direction to engage him in the conversation. It used to exasperate them whenever Saguru sat back and listened; they could never quite get that sometimes he just liked to watch two people he cared deeply about interacting. It was a little different now, of course, more seeing sides to Kuroba and Takumi he hadn’t seen before, but the feeling was similar.

It was a bit of a bittersweet feeling in that similarity... Saguru turned his attention to his plate, pushing that emotion away.

“—Hakuba-sensei?” Takumi’s voice registered.

Saguru glanced up and found both Kurobas looking at him, heads tilted to the side like mirror images. “Sorry, what did you say?”

“I just asked how your day went,” Takumi said. “You had Mai-chan and Hanasaki-san from class C get into an argument in your last English class, right?”

“Yes.” The day was a haze, all caught up in worry but that had happened. “To be honest it barely interrupted the class. I sent them in the hall and kept teaching.”

“...Wouldn’t they just keep arguing in the hall?” Takumi asked.

“So long as they weren’t being a disruption, I could have cared less at that moment.”

Takumi snorted. “I can half picture it—no wonder people in class C weren’t sure what to think of it. Usually you stop, give a warning or something and mark your book, and start back up again. Aren’t teachers supposed to care when that kind of thing happens?”

“Everyone has off days. Honestly, I couldn’t be less interested in knowing who was angry at whom over some romantic interest that likely has no interest in either of them.”

“Hakuba, you mean to say you ignore the gossip mill?” Kuroba said, mock-scandalized.

“I hear it whether I want to or not,” Saguru said drily, “so no, I suppose I do not ignore it.”

“Teachers follow the gossip mill?” Takumi asked.

“Of course. Teachers gossip just as much as their student body.”

“More, if half of what I hear is true,” Kuroba said, amused.

Saguru bet he meant Erika. Their old homeroom teacher had to be one of Kuroba’s sources. Saguru was still trying to figure out all of them, but he supposed Takumi could possibly count as another.

“I’ve been in that gossip,” Takumi said with a deeply uncomfortable expression. “What do they think of me? Holy crap, I just realized teachers might talk about me when I’m not there.”

“And students talk about their teachers all the time,” Saguru said, wondering how on earth this could be news.

“They know about my life and they might talk about it.” Takumi sat back in his chair like he was having a revelation. Saguru exchanged a glance with Kuroba. Kuroba looked far too amused. “That is extremely weird, especially because I know almost nothing about my teachers. Except for you, Hakuba-sensei.”

“That is normal. We’re at school to do our jobs and be professional. You’re at school to learn and be yourselves.”

“But you’re people.”

“Yes.”

“Of course you’re people, ignore that.” He waved a hand, erasing his words in a gesture. “I know teachers have outside lives, but I’ve never really thought about it. What do they do at the end of the day? What do they do in their free time? Why do they willingly teach the mess that is high school, I mean...why?”

Saguru couldn’t help laughing. “You know, it’s not much different from our students. We go home, deal with homework, and sometimes we even see friends or do things that might be considered fun by the majority of the population.” Saguru took a sip of water and added, “Although as to why, I can’t say with full certainty that all teachers aren’t somewhat drawn to things that will give them headaches. Or at least that’s true in my case.”

Kuroba laughed at that, catching his eye and no doubt thinking of Saguru’s old habit of pitting himself against Kid despite never truly gaining the upper hand. “You’re all a little bit masochistic?” There was a teasing lilt to that that had a blush crawling across Saguru’s cheeks before he could fully control his reaction. Kuroba looked terribly smug, amusement glinting in his eyes.

Takumi’s face scrunched in disgust. “Ew. No. Stop and don’t even bring that word up.”

“I didn’t say they are masochists just that they have a trend toward—”

“No.” Takumi jabbed his chopsticks in Kuroba’s direction. “I’m going to need brain bleach.”

Saguru cleared his throat, pushing the blush down. “More honestly, I like seeing people grow into their potential,” Saguru offered, nudging the conversation back to a safe track. “High school is where interests are being discovered and dreams take first steps.”

“Huh.” Takumi glanced at Saguru and away again just as fast. “Makes sense I guess.”

“You always did look for the good sides in people,” Kuroba said.

“I feel like nostalgia gives me too much credit; I liked understanding, but whether or not I empathized with them was an entirely different story.” He hadn’t exactly been empathetic toward Kuroba’s situation back then, at least not at first. Saguru finished the last of his food. Kuroba was a decent cook. It was certainly better than anything Saguru had made since moving to Japan. “Thank you for the meal.”

“You don’t want more?” Kuroba had the rice paddle in hand, ready to scoop out more if Saguru wanted, but Saguru declined the offer with a shake of his head.

“I’m full.” Both Kurobas looked at him like they thought he should eat more. Kuroba added another scoop of rice to his own bowl, perhaps trying to prove some convoluted point. Or maybe he was just still hungry. Not everything was a mind game to be read into. “I’m not a teenager anymore.”

“You barely ate enough then,” Kuroba said, “considering how much running around you did.”

“I don’t do much running at all now, so I don’t need seconds.” Takumi’s eyes flicked toward Saguru’s cane and away. Kuroba just kept up eye contact until Saguru rolled his eyes and held out his rice bowl. “Fine, but not much. I really am full.” Feeding people had to be a thing with Kuroba. Between the random gifts of food and how he seemed to enjoy seasonal food items to their fullest, food had some meaning in Kuroba’s personal interactions. Saguru could eat a bit more if it made Kuroba stop giving him a look that resembled some of the looks he’d gotten from his mother in the last year. “I do feed myself on a regular basis, Kuroba.”

“You make one meal for the week and pack sandwiches and salads for lunches,” Kuroba said.

“It’s efficient.”

“It’s boring. You don’t even order out.”

“It cuts costs to prepare your own food.”

“Since when is money an issue?”

Kuroba had him there, it really wasn’t an issue. “It’s financially responsible.”

“It’s bo-ring,” Kuroba repeated. “And you can’t be getting all your vitamins and minerals when you eat pasta for a week straight.”

Saguru chose to be the adult here and ignore him instead of continuing a pointless argument. Even if it was Kuroba teasing him. He could see that smirk twitching at the corner of Kuroba’s lips. Saguru finished the extra rice with pointed silence.

Takumi helped himself to thirds.

“So, while Takumi’s doing the dishes—” Kuroba said.

“Hey!”

“—want to pick out a game for after dinner?” Kuroba finished.

“Nothing with playing cards,” Saguru said instantly. “I’m sure both of you cheat.”

“I don’t cheat,” Takumi protested. Kuroba snorted. Takumi kicked at him under the table, clearly missing and hitting the table leg by the way all the dishes rattled. “Well, I only cheat against Tou-san because otherwise he’d never lose. It’s a survival strategy.”

“I only cheat against you half the time. You just have bad luck with cards.”

“Yours isn’t the greatest either, or were you dealing Kaa-san good hands that time I convinced her to play poker with us and Baa-chan?”

“Point,” Kuroba said. “Aoko’s luck trumps all of ours. So, Hakuba, stay for a game?”

Saguru glanced at Takumi, but he didn’t seem to mind the thought of playing a game with Saguru if his open interest was anything to go by. There wasn’t much waiting for him back in his apartment. He set down his chopsticks, meal finished. “I’ll stay.”

“Great! Come look at the game selection.”

“Nothing that will take all night,” Takumi said, rolling his eyes at Kuroba gleefully directing Saguru to a shelf with games stacked on it.

“Well that rules out a few.”

There were a good number of games, most of which Saguru had never heard of, ranging from what appeared to be adventure games, to card games, to games that required constructing things. It was no surprise to find something like Jenga with Kuroba’s steady hands, but he had to raise an eyebrow at some of them. “Too Many Cinderellas?”

“It’s fun. You try to convince the prince who Cinderella is, and sometimes it gets pretty ridiculous,” Kuroba said, content to let Saguru make the game choice.

Saguru kept looking. There were a few foreign games in the mix, like Monopoly and—Saguru’s eye caught on a familiar box. “How about Cluedo?”

Kuroba snorted. “You’re so predictable.”

“Just because it’s a mystery game doesn’t mean I’m predictable.”

“No?” Kuroba teased. “Then you just happen to choose one of the only mystery games in the mix by chance?”

“It’s one I recognize and enjoy,” Saguru defended, pulling the box free.

“Did you know there’s a Kaito Kid version that was made locally?” Kaito said in a lower voice. “The point of the game is to figure out who is actually Kid and how the target was stolen.”

“Sounds like a fun and thematically appropriate game. We should play it sometime.”

Kuroba grinned. “Thought you’d say that. Sadly I don’t own it. Kaa-san does though. Maybe I’ll borrow it and drag her into playing a game with us.”

“Somehow I’m sure you’ll still manage to cheat. Or automatically end up as Kid.”

“Haha, very funny.” Kaito snatched the box from Saguru and cleared a space on the coffee table for the board. “Just for that, you get to be Mr. Green.”

“What’s wrong with Mr. Green?”

“Nothing. That’s the joke.”

Saguru looked at him blankly. This was the classic version of the game so Green was a conniving priest, and he honestly couldn’t see the connection.

“...You’ve never seen the movie based on the game have you?” Kuroba said after a moment.

“There’s a movie?”

“We,” Kuroba said with mock seriousness, “definitely need to have a movie night some night, because if you enjoy the game and ridiculous eighties American films, it will be right up your alley.”

“Another time then,” Saguru said. He wouldn’t mind the chance to watch a movie with Kuroba at any rate. Although he wouldn’t have thought an American comedic film would be Kuroba’s choice, but what did Saguru know?

“So you’re choosing Clue?” Takumi said, dishes washed and set in the strainer. “How stereotypical, Hakuba-sensei.”

“I know, right?” Kuroba snickered.

Saguru rolled his eyes and let them have their fun.

“It’s a fun game though,” Takumi continued. “Hakuba-sensei gets to shuffle and deal out the cards.”

“Don’t trust me?” Kuroba said.

“Nope. You’re the one who taught Shiemi and me to cheat after all.”

“I’m hurt,” Kuroba said with exaggerated dramatics. He draped himself back along the couch, one hand over his eyes. It was all very amusing until Saguru remembered that Kuroba actually was hurt, and then it was a bit worrisome, but Kuroba popped back up again when the act didn’t get him a reaction. Not too hurt to play around at least. “No defending my name, Hakuba? Some friend you are.”

“You want me to lie?” Saguru asked, deadpan. “I’m not sure my detective sensibilities will allow it.”

Kuroba and Takumi both snorted at the same time. Takumi looked away, red faced and trying not to laugh even as he seemed to find the humor embarrassing. Saguru took the chance to snag the cards.

“Let’s play to learn who killed Mr. Boddy, shall we?”

“Professor Plum, in the study with the candlestick,” Kuroba said under his breath.

Saguru was going to make sure Kuroba lost, he decided. Just because. It didn’t matter whether Saguru or Takumi won, just that Kuroba lost a game for once. “In that case be Plum.”

“Nope, I call Mrs. White.”

“...The maid.”

“Yup.”

“I’m Scarlet,” Takumi said. When both adults glanced at him, he shrugged. “I like red.”

Scarlet brought a few too many memories of Koizumi Akako to mind for Saguru’s peace of mind. “Well let’s play then.”

Cards went into the file for the eventual reveal, and the rest were doled out.

Kuroba, it seemed, was the type to take the ‘jump around the board and confuse what is really being searched for’ sort of strategist. Saguru was more methodical, and Takumi was somewhere in between their styles. Saguru was somewhat convinced that both Kurobas were substituting loaded dice at one point, but he had yet to see them trade off and honestly they might just have good enough control to get the die to land on high numbers.

Kuroba had to dramatically act out each time he made an accusation. It took a few times for Saguru to realize he was imitating detectives he knew each time, though when he made up precise times and methodology in an imitation of Saguru’s reveal method, it was abundantly clear what he was doing. It was both irritating and amusing at the same time, and the game was the most fun Saguru had in a while. No pressure, just simple challenge of trying to out-think someone else.

Takumi won in the end. It was Saguru and Kuroba’s fault for getting too involved in trying to throw each other off that they half forgot about the other player in the game.

Takumi gave them both an exasperated look as he said, “Mrs. White, in the ballroom with a revolver, now will you please stop smirking at each other?” He opened the envelope and fanned out the cards to reveal that he was right.

“I guess you were the killer after all, Kuroba,” Saguru said.

“Damn, and I was between White and Mustard.” Kuroba tossed down his cards.

“I had Mustard the entire time, I was trying to figure out whether anyone had the pipe, rope, or revolver.”

“You both have tunnel vision and shouldn’t be allowed to play games against each other,” Takumi said. “Tou-san clearly kept guessing the rope because he already had it. Now I’m going to go to bed because I asked for a game that wouldn’t take all night and you both dragged the game on forever.” He had his hands on his hips like he was the adult in the situation and it was spoiled a bit by how he kept forcing himself not to smile. “Goodnight, Hakuba-sensei,” Takumi said. “It was...pretty nice having you over for dinner.”

“Thank you both for the hospitality.”

“Stop being so formal all the time,” Kuroba said.

“It’s called being polite. You should try it.”

“Goodnight,” Takumi repeated, exasperated. Saguru could hear him mutter something about acting the wrong ages as he wandered off to his bedroom.

When Saguru glanced at Kuroba, Kuroba looked...happy. Content, like he couldn’t imagine a better way to end the day and all was right with the world. To a lesser extent, Saguru found that he felt similarly at peace. Tonight was the most he’d laughed in...well, in a long time. A long, long time.

“Kuroba,” Saguru said softly, unwilling to break the moment by speaking louder. “Thank you. Truly.”

“Anytime, Hakuba,” Kuroba said. He smiled, maybe the truest smile Saguru had seen on his face in the whole of their acquaintance. “Anytime.”

That smile made Saguru want to commit it to memory, dissect every detail of its features and hoard it close with other similarly precious moments. He probably had an equally open expression at the moment, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about what Kuroba might or might not take from an unguarded and happy moment. Let Kuroba see him relaxed along with all the rest of Saguru’s myriad of emotions.

It was Kuroba who looked away first. “We’ll still have to watch that movie sometime.”

“Of course.”

“And maybe do this again. Dinner. And a game.”

“I would like that.”

“Good.”

That would be the ideal moment to leave, probably. Saguru didn’t really want to go just yet, but the clock on the wall matched the digital one blinking next to the TV, both showing almost nine.

Saguru reached for his cane. “Goodnight, Kuroba.”

“Night, Hakuba,” Kuroba said. He busied himself in picking up the Cluedo pieces, shuffling them about. “See you maybe tomorrow.”

“Maybe tomorrow,” Saguru echoed agreeably before letting himself out. It wasn’t like either of them had to go far if they wanted to talk.