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♠︎×♥︎
It was their anniversary, their 3rd year anniversary to be precise.
It's been 3 years since Shinichi swallowed APTX 4869 and returned from being Conan. 3 years since he faced Ran, confessed and told her about all that's happened. 3 years since the B. O. take down where Shinichi got a wonderful souvenir of 2 shots to his shoulder and stomach. 3 years since Kaito Kid announced his final heist and retirement.
3 years since Shinichi and Ran got together.
Now here they were, dining at a 5-Star Revolving Restaurant named 'Arsene'. It was meant to be romantic, meant to be perfect but Shinichi was an hour late, he didn't prepare a present or gift while Ran had a hand-knitted scarf carefully wrapped in Shinichi's favorite Sherlock-themed gift wrapper.
The detective could feel the disappointment like a miasma peeling off Ran when he staggered into the restaurant, sweaty and panting.
"Sorry I'm late! I stumbled upon Inspector Megure and a case, they looked so stumped I had to help," Shinichi apologized breathlessly, collapsing on the seat in front of Ran. Said karate champion let out an absent minded hum in response, violet gaze stuck on the moving scenery outside the glass windows.
The rest of the night went as expected, dinner was quiet except for the apologies Shinichi belted out for being late, forgetting to get a gift and overall just being a bad boyfriend.
Needless to say, Shinichi slept on the couch that night listening to the faint sobs that echoed from his shared room with Ran.
♠︎×♥︎
"Dude, ya're like... On the brink of breakin' up, right now." The Osakan said with a horrifyingly amused expression, as Shinichi told him what happened the other day.
"I just don't know anymore, Hattori," Shinichi exhaled, head lolling down and banging against the wooden table. "I want to make her happy but I just don't know how, I always end up being late and ruining everything," The Tokyo Detective let out a soft groan, feeling the guilt wrenching his stomach.
There was a moment of silence before Hattori decided to speak up again, albeit quite hesitantly so.
"There's one thing," The dark-skinned male started, watching as Shinichi perked at the words, hopeful eyes staring at him and Hattori had to physically suppress himself from saying an advance apology, "There's this guy I know, 'e helped me and Kazuha get together, in like a week." Hattori trudged on, expression turning grimmer and grimmer with every word.
"He's a matchmaker, just a lil' bit from Beika."
"Hattori, I'm not looking for a new relationship, I want to fix my current one before I ruin everything." Shinichi stated in a flat tone, face twisting into a blank mask.
"Just listen, will ya?! I know that much and this guy, he 'elps people find relationships and helps fix relationships." That made more sense than it should have, Hattori slipped over a calling card.
"Aphrodite's Love, Matchmaker."
"Just look for a guy named Kuroba, eh?" Hattori said, placing down a payment for his drink before bidding him goodbye.
'Matchmaking huh....' Shinichi stared at the pale pink calling card for a few minutes, how could he trust a stranger with his relationship? He couldn't just give that responsibility to just anyone. He felt bad for not following Hattori's advice since he seemed like he was really worried for Shinichi and Ran but this was something Shinichi wasn't planning on doing.
♠︎×♥︎
Four days. It's been four days since Ran last talked to him and she's been leaving their shared apartment so many times as if to avoid Shinichi. The detective was on the brink of despair because he didn't know what to do and frankly he wasn't making any moves at all. It scared him and a certain pale pink card resurfaced into his memories and he was horrified to find himself asking directions for 'Paris Street, 14th Avenue.'
It took 30 minutes to find the little shop, adorned with hearts and tiny cupids. The shop was mounted with white cursive words written in English, spelling out 'Aphrodite's Love'. It was secluded, the front walls were pale pink and the main wooden door was white with a pastel doorknob. It wasn't the type of shop Shinichi would willingly visit but desperate times call for desperate needs.
Opening the door, Shinichi stepped in with the small chimes of a bell. The interior was far cozier than the outside, he was first greeted by a lounge with beige walls and a normal sofa situated across a small countertop for the concierge, further back seemed to be a few private rooms where couples or singles could talk one-on-one with the matchmakers. A flat screen TV was mounted on the wall, playing a movie (Love Actually, Shinichi noted) and a few greenery stood proud and tall at the corners of the room.
It seemed to be a slow day, seeing how barren the place was and how not a single staff was in sight. Until one of the private room doors yawned open and out came a young man, close to Shinichi's age, furiously patting down his hair and wiping away what seemed to be traces of drool.
"Sorry, sorry! I took a nap since I thought no one was coming!" The voice was laced with sleep, drowsy and hurried as if trying to wake himself up faster. The owner of the voice was a young man, chestnut brown hair standing in a disheveled fashion even when patted down, eyes that seemed to hold the seas and reflect the sky at the same time. 'Indigo'Shinichi observed as the man fixed his crumpled clothes, straightening out his pale pink tie that had a heart clip attached to it. Despite the obvious drowsiness, the man could pass off as a model.
"Uhm," Shinichi started, blinking a few times in surprise, "I'm looking for a guy named Kuroba? My friend, Hattori Heiji referred me to this shop."
"That's me! Kuroba Kaito~!" The male, Kuroba stated with a chirp, all traces of sleep gone as if he never slept at all. "What brings you to this drab part of town? Looking for a quick hookup? A casual relationship? Perhaps the long haul?" Kuroba chattered on, as he produced a couple sheets of paper that seemed like forms.
"Actually, I'm here to ask for advice. I'm in a relationship, you see." Shinichi answered, watching as Kuroba momentarily halted, nodding slowly and was that disappointment in his indigo eyes? Nevermind, it's gone. Must have been a trick of the light.
"Okie dokie! I'm guessing your girlfriend is feeling under appreciated and you don't know how to work with that, am I right?" Kuroba asked, guiding Shinichi into one of the private rooms.
It was simple, a plush white couch sat in front of a coffee table across it was a single arm chair where the matchmaker sits at, a desk was at the far side of the room. A water dispenser stood at the far left while candies and other treats littered the coffee table.
"Yeah, unfortunately so." Shinichi mumbled gravely, taking a seat on couch. Kuroba laid down a few papers in front of him, spiriting away a few empty wrappers and what seemed to be newspapers covering recent murder cases.
"Tell me more about your situation." Kuroba hummed out, resting his chin on his propped hand. Shinichi told him the lite version, about the anniversary dinner and what not.
"You sir, need some serious improvements," Kuroba commented with an unamused face, "I can't imagine anyone who would date someone like you!" The matchmaker exclaimed with a shake of his head to which Shinichi glared at him.
"Okay, I'm in. I'll help, just need for you to fill out a few forms then we can start tomorrow~." Kuroba gestured to the pieces of paper laid down in front, asking the usual Name, Age, Gender, Birthday, Contact Number, Love Troubles, Love Interest, Solution Wanted yada yada yada.
The detective filled all the blanks up, signing his signature at the very bottom and gave the papers to Kuroba. "Okay! We're all set~, we officially start tomorrow!" Kuroba took the papers and placed them in a folder, standing up and reaching a hand out for a shake.
Shinichi accepted it and found himself slightly smirking, after the general agreements Kuroba escorted him out of the room and out of the shop with a 'see you tomorrow, Kudo~!' To which Shinichi responded with:
"Yeah, see you soon.... KID."
Exiting the shop, Shinichi smirked a little wider as he left behind a screeching and panicking Kaito Kid.
♠︎×♥︎
The next morning Shinichi woke up to deafening silence, making the detective smother his face against his pillow and let out a small groan.
The evidence was clear, Ran's clothes that were neatly folded were gone from her side of the closet, her favorite mug was gone too, her indoor slippers were untouched meaning that she had come in a hurry. Most probably overnight while Shinichi slept, judging by the hasty muddy footprints Ran had taken the Beika park route, meaning she was probably staying with her dad. Which spelled out disaster in 10 different languages to Shinichi, he did not want to anger an entire family of martial artists.
It took 30 minutes for Shinichi to do his morning routines before he set off for Paris Street.
When the detective arrived, he was immediately ambushed by a certain brunette who maneuvered him towards the farthest room and promptly sat him down on the couch.
"How in the world did you know that I'm Kaito Kid?" Said ambusher hissed out, standing in front of him with a panicked expression, kinda cute actually.
"Seriously Kid? A monocle doesn't technically hide much," Shinichi drawled out with a roll of his eyes, 'And remember the time you were with the Detective Boys in Trap Island? Yeah, that monocle didn't hide anything.'
"B-But..." The thief stuttered, eyes wide and mouth agape. The detective mentally noted that surprise suited the thief for a change, it was refreshing to see anything other than that unreadable smirk on his face.
"I'm not gonna turn you in, you're retired, if I arrest you now it'll be like spitting on your grave," Shinichi offered with a small smile, watching as Kuroba's shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, "And more importantly, you still have to help me with my problem. I have the payment ready."
"Give me the payment, after you're married for life with your girlfriend." Kuroba said with a pout, collapsing on the seat across Shinichi's spot, "But how did you see my face? Every shot published on the news were all blurry body shots?" Well shit.
With an awkward cough, Shinichi fumbled to answer, "My cousin, Conan took a photo and sent it to me while I was away on a big case." Kuroba cussed under his breath, something about 'sneaky tantei-kun' and 'never inviting him to his heists ever again' and Shinichi swore he needed to bite his own tongue to hold back a bark of laughter because 'Tantei-kun' was literally right in front of him .
"Okay, Meitantei. Let's start on your problem," Kuroba said with reluctance, fishing out a notebook, Shinichi didn't quite like the nickname he gave him but he was suspicious of Shinichi and Conan already, he couldn't risk it any further.
"First order of business!" Kuroba sucked in a breath, lacing his hands together as a grim expression settled down on his fine features, "When was the last time you did something remotely romantic for Mouri-chan?" Shinichi was about to answer the anniversary dinner he planned for them but Kuroba quickly interjected with a 'Excluding that disastrous anniversary dinner!' And the detective's mouth shut with an audible 'clack!'
Gazing at Shinichi forlornly, Kuroba flipped a few pages on his notebook and began jutting down notes. "Did you just write down 'hopeless idiot'?" Shinichi hissed out, resisting the urge to pout. "Yes," Kuroba replied with a hint of a smirk, snapping his notebook shut and standing up to which Shinichi followed in suit.
"You're coming with me," Kuroba ordered, grabbing the other male's wrist and leading him out of Aphrodite's Love and down the street. "Are you taking me home, KID?" Shinichi asked with a smirk, causing the thief to bristle and shush him harshly.
♠︎×♥︎
True to Shinichi's question, Kuroba led him to a decent apartment complex with a lobby, and good security. Kuroba's apartment rested on the 14th floor, beside the quietest neighbors Shinichi has ever heard. "Enter," Kuroba said with flourish, opening the door to his apartment and Shinichi was slightly hesitant to enter. "Oh come on, there are no traps, those types of stuff are reserved for when Hakuba comes over."
"You're friends with Hakuba Saguru?" Shinichi exclaimed, eyebrows raising up to his bangs. Just how many detectives did KID know? "And Inspector Nakamori's daughter too," Kuroba added nonchalantly, brushing pass him and into the living room. "Your life is so convenient." Shinichi commented with a snort, surveying the apartment from the doorway.
It was rather normal, white walls with polished furniture. A 35-inch TV mounted on top of a simple table that contained a few books about magic, deception and the like. A simple white couch sat adjacent from the tv, with two lovers' seat on either sides of the couch. By the window sat roses of different colors and beside it was a nightstand with a a watering can, it was incredibly normal and it unnerved Shinichi a bit. I mean come on, this was Kaito KID he was talking about, the elusive thief uncatchable and daring. He expected his hideout to be darker and more Batman-esque.
"Are you just gonna stand there or do you wanna take a seat?" Aforementioned thief asked from the couch, fetching something from the shelves that looked suspiciously like movies. Shinichi graciously took the couch, feeling stuff and out of place with the rest of Kuroba's items.
"Make yourself at home, I can literally feel myself stiffing up just from looking at you." Kuroba commented, taking a spot beside him. "Oh? I didn't know you swung that way, KID." Shinichi retorted with a sideway smirk, watching in delight as the thief choked on his own saliva and flushed a satisfying color of red. "Shut the hell up, you're dating someone!" The thief reminded him with a growl and oh, right Shinichi was here to get help about Ran.
"Now, if we could proceed onward. I propose an idea that might help," Kuroba held a smirk that spelled disaster, as he held out a huge stack of movies in front of him.
"Chick flicks? Seriously, KID?" Shinichi groaned out with horror, watching as Kuroba popped in a disc in the player and took a seat beside him.
"Easiest way to study romance," Kuroba said with a cackle, poofing himself a bowl of popcorn and clapped to dim the lights. So the place was like the Bat Cave.
Grumbling, Shinichi made himself comfortable as Titanic began to play on the screen. 30 minutes into the movie, the detective was sure that some of his brain cells have died.
"This is so improbable, how can a man just win a game of cards and score himself a ticket to one of the most prestige and not to mention expensive cruise? And happen to meet a rich lady and fall in love in the course of a few hours?" Shinichi drawled out with furrowed eyebrows, fingers itching to press the power button on the remote just a few feet away from him, "Shhh. Jack saved Rose from committing suicide, look at the romance not the logic!" Kuroba chided with a mouthful of popcorn.
Three movies later, Shinichi decided that it would be better to sleep it through. He had been practicing a new trick involving sleeping with his eyes open, maybe he could fool Kuroba. He was on the verge of sleep when a sharp jab to his rib jostled him awake.
Kuroba pointed at the screen and let out a shrill 'Pay Attention!' As the lady on screen began to sing, Shinichi cringed as he watched. The love interest, or so he assumed seemed to be equally as disturbed as Shinichi was and it made the detective pity him a bit.
'It's not enough to take the one you love for granted. You must remind her, or she'll be inclined to say...'
The premise of the song was rather funny, it was catchy and the lyrics did hold some meaning but Shinichi didn't understand why women were just so insecure about so many things,
"How do I know he loves me?"
It took Shinichi a moment to realize that there was a tiny voice singing along to the song, glancing to his side he found Kuroba singing along underneath his breath. Subconsciously so it seemed, as Kuroba's gaze was fixated on the screen and he was more or less just mouthing the words save for the tiniest sounds that escaped his lips.
For the rest of the movie, Shinichi found himself paying more attention to Kaito's soft singing than the actual movie itself.
"So! I hope you learned a few romantic things from those movies," Kaito chirped out as the last movie ended and Shinichi was tired, and hungry.
"I still don't understand the need for overly grandiose confessions of love," Shinichi answered, raking a hand through his hair with a sigh. Kuroba paused for a moment before answering, "I don't think they do it for the need to do it. When you're in love, you just end up doing things like that towards the one you love, it's a natural thing."
'Then pray tell, why don't I feel the need to do those things to Ran?' A voice in Shinichi's head inquired.
"It's almost dinner time, I'll go whip us something up," Kaito said while he stood up and stretched, showing a peek of the creamy expanse of his abdomen. Unconsciously, Shinichi gulped.
"Y-Yeah," He stammered out, fixating his gaze towards the window showing the darkened sky outside. It took only 20 minutes for Kuroba to whip up a beef bowl dish with a side of tamago rolls. "Lemon juice? Coffee? Tea?" He asked, holding said packets up to the detective, "Coffee, black." Shinichi said, taking a seat down at the glass dinning table. Kuroba sputtered as he turned to make Shinichi's drink, coming back with two cups. One cup of black coffee and the other a cup of hot chocolate.
"Itadaki~," Kuroba sang out, taking his chopsticks and digging in. Shinichi mumbled a small 'thank you' before he started eating. He almost felt guilty for how fast he wolfed down the contents of his bowl, what can he say? The thief can really cook.
After dinner, they fell into a companionable silence. Kuroba did the dishes while Shinichi tidied up the table and the living room's coffee table (that was littered with popcorn seeds, goddammit Kuroba).
"So, Meitantei," Kuroba started as soon as they finished cleaning up, "It has occurred to me that you are mentally challenged when it comes to romance so I'd like to ask permission to take direct measures." Shinichi decided to forgo the insult thrown at him because it was rather true, what worried him was the direct measures that Kuroba was planning on taking but hey, what was another risk?
"Go ahead." Shinichi said, nodding his head and watching as Kuroba's face morphed into one akin to the type of face he wore during heists.
"Perfect."
Shinichi tried not to shiver at the low tone and how Kuroba rolled out the 'r'.
Good lord, he hoped that Ran could forgive him soon.
♠︎×♥︎
The next morning, Shinichi woke up to the sound of his ringtone blaring beside his ear. Weird, he swore he set it on silent last night.
Blinking the sleep from his eyes and biting back a yawn, Shinichi reached for his phone and took a peek at the Caller ID, to which he let out a small yelp and literally fell off his bed in haste to press the answer button.
"H-Hello, Ran?" Shinichi stuttered out, grimacing at how his voice was laden with drowsiness.
'Shinichi?' It was Ran, Ran was calling! And yet, Shinichi found himself mildly disappointed that it wasn't phantom thief.
'I—, thank you for the flowers! They're beautiful!' Ran squealed out from the other side, and Shinichi had to do a double take. Flowers? What? When? How?
"Y-Yeah, I'm glad you like it." Shinichi managed to stammer out, clearing his throat to rid himself of any sleepiness.
'Did I catch you at a bad time?' Her voice was laced with slight worry, to which Shinichi immediately alleviated.
"No! Not at all, just a little tired." The detective said with a small laugh.
"Oh! My partner is here, we have to finish an assignment by tomorrow. Talk to you later Shinichi," The sound of the door opening could be heard from the other line, "And thank you for the flowers, they really brightened up my day." Her voice was soft with the slightest smile tailing it. Then the line went dead and Shinichi felt slightly lighter than he had in weeks.
Shinichi did his daily routine a little faster today, as he was out of the door a mere 10 minutes later. He had a phantom thief to talk to.
"If you're planning on making a move, I'd appreciate it if you confided with me first." Shinichi growled out, as soon as he plopped down on the familiar couch of the private room, glaring at the back of Kuroba's head as he fetched a checklist. "If I did, you'd be an awkward mess," Kuroba retorted with a hum, gracefully taking a seat in front of him.
"But you gotta admit, it worked like a charm," The stupid smirk was plastered on Kuroba's face again and Shinichi wanted to kiss it off so much—
The detective froze and stared forward with a horrified gaze, "What? Is there a roach on the wall? They appear sometimes but mum just had this place cleaned last week." Kuroba said, looking back at the wall where Shinichi's gaze was locked on.
Did he just entertain the thought of kissing Kuroba Kaito, the Phantom Thief 1412? Oh god, he felt sick. 'Not in a bad way though' A voice chimed out in his head.
"Soooo, I was thinking of a few things to do today but you look like you need some sleep and some meat in your stomach." Kuroba said with a raised eyebrow, looking at Shinichi's pale face devoid of any color. Shinichi snapped out of his daze and shook his head, "No! Keep going, I slept fine last night and I ate dinner with you!"
"How about breakfast?" Kuroba inquired.
"....."
"Just as I thought," The brunette let out a small sigh as he scrubbed his face with his left hand. "Dear, come with me," Kuroba said, holding the door open for Shinichi, who was definitely not blushing at the pet name. Since when did he use pet names? ........ Well, Kaito Kid was fond of pet name.
Kuroba took him to a simple family diner, with glass walls upfront, brightly painted furniture and huge menus adorning the interior. The moment Kuroba stepped in, the waitress was there to welcome him, chirping and overly cheerful. The ex-thief responded with a yellow rose and a kiss to the waitress' hand, Shinichi found himself with furrowed eyebrows and a small dip to his lips.
"They serve the best yakisoba here!" Kuroba exclaimed, sliding into one of the many tables and accepting the menu that was given to him. "I'll have the yakisoba, double chocolate chip pancake and a chocolate smoothie!" He ordered, while Shinichi raked his eyes over the menu. "Uhm, Omelet Rice with a cup of coffee please." The detective ordered, handing over the menu to the blushing waitress. Must be overwhelming to see a duplicate of your crush Shinichi thought bitterly before catching himself.
"You seriously need to eat more," Kuroba nagged out once the waitress left. "Shut up." Shinichi grumbled out, crossing his arms and leaning back against the red cushion.
"So, I do have a plan for what we're gonna do next." The matchmaker said, taking out the same notebook from the other day and flipping to a bookmarked page entitled 'Shinichi's Love Woes'. "Do you sing?" He asked, to which Shinichi replied with a flat 'No'. "Darn, I was gonna assist you in a serenade." Shinichi's face twisted into a painfully disgusted expression, "Fine, fine. How about me disguising myself as you then serenading her?" Shinichi promptly stomped on his foot causing the magician to let out a pained moan.
"Bad idea, worth a shot but bad idea," Kuroba moaned out, shooting him a pained glare.
"You are not disguising yourself as me again, I heard from Conan about the times that you disguised yourself as me and I'm not pleased about it." Shinichi grumbled out.
"Sorry 'bout that but I saved Tantei-kun a bunch of times during those situations!" Kuroba defended with a pout, falling quiet when the waitress came with their food. They began to eat, quietly but it was short lived.
"Do you talk to Mouri-chan on a daily basis?" Kuroba asked as he devoured his pancakes in a few seconds, "Of course." Shinichi answered with a nod, "How so?" The thief threw back, "Like good morning, love you, good night..." The detective trailed off as he found it harder and harder to think of conversations he's had with Ran.
"You are hopeless." Kuroba reiterated with a snicker, taking out his notebook and jotting down a few lines. "Okay, since you can't seem to hold a proper conversation with Mouri-chan. You'll practice with me, startiiiiing now!"
"Shinichi," A false falsetto, higher than a male's voice and sounding very much like Ran's voice but Shinichi found himself wishing that Kuroba said his first name in his own voice.
"This disgusts me," Shinichi said with a scrunch of his nose.
"What are you talking about, darling?" Again, using Ran's voice.
"I refuse to work with you if you keep using my girlfriend's voice and Ran never calls me darling!" The detective said and finally, the magician dropped the Ran voice.
"Okay fine, we'll go with my smooth and suave voice then," Kuroba said with a pout, expression shifting and rearranging to create a loving mask. "Dear," He started in a soft tone, it almost made Shinichi blush.
"How was your day?" Kuroba spoke in a loving tone, soft and tender as if he was talking to the most fragile thing in the world. Shinichi found himself melting at the tone.
"I just woke up literally 40 minutes ago, how do you think my day went?" Shinichi replied with a raise of his eyebrow, congratulating himself for keeping a steady voice.
"Care to retell your morning?" Kuroba now spoke in a honey-laden voice, batting long eyelashes towards Shinichi's direction.
"I woke up, did my morning routine and then went to Aphrodite's Love." Shinichi said with no room for more conversation, causing the other party to thunk his head against the wooden table with a loud groan. "Kudo, make my life easier!" He whined out, running a hand through his messy hair.
"Well, sorry." Shinichi grumbled out, finishing his meal and coffee.
"Hey," Kuroba seemed to have composed himself, "Try to talk to her okay? A little chit-chat just to show her that you're genuinely thinking about her, yeah?" Kuroba said with a soft smile. "Also, here's my phone number if you need a quick pick-up line to use on her." Snickering, Kuroba slid over a paper with a number scrawled on it.
"I'd expect improvement by tomorrow but since it's you I'll manage my expectations," He added with a bark of laughter, causing Shinichi to glare weakly because he had a point and he himself wasn't quite sure if he could pull this through. "You look so miserable, here. I'll write down tips and I want you to call Mouri-chan and talk to her right now." Kuroba said, placing down his notebook and flipping to a blank page.
Shinichi followed automatically, pressing Ran's number and waiting for her to pick-up.
"Hello, Shinichi?" Ran picked up after the second ring, Shinichi's eyes darted to Kuroba who immediately began to furiously write on his notebook. "'Say that you're calling to check on her.'" The note said.
"Hey, caught you at a bad time? I just wanted to check up on you, y-you know since I haven't seen you in a while." Awkward, forced and overly cringey.
"I-I'm fine! A little lonely but recovering, thanks for asking!" Ran answered with a bright tone, her smile was evident through her voice.
Kuroba thought for a moment before writing once more, "'Say that you miss her and that it's lonely in bed.'"
Shinichi blushed a bright crimson and sputtered, hacking and choking on his own saliva. "O-Oh? That's great, well I wouldn't want to stall you. Bye!"
"Shinichi, wait Shin—" Shinichi pressed the red button in haste, placing his phone down and dutifully ignored Kuroba's piercing gaze. "Not a word," The detective muttered, sinking down on his seat.
"You make me doubt my success rate," Kuroba said through a snicker, shaking his head, brown locks bouncing with the movement, "Since Operation Phone Call is a failure, I'm gonna have to go with my Plan B." The magician brought out a bottle of gel, the first thought that crossed Shinichi's mind was lube and he had to smack his self for that.
"Excuse me for a moment," Kuroba stood up and went to the bathroom, bottle of hair gel in hand.
3 minutes later, 'Kudo Shinichi' walked out of the bathroom and gracefully walked back to where the real Kudo Shinichi sat at, "No." Shinichi said with horror, looking at his doppelgänger who looked mildly satisfied with himself.
"Give it a shot, it'll be romantic and she'll love it," Kuroba said with a smirk, his eyes twinkling with an unspoken challenge and determination. If Shinichi thought that said eyes looked mildly sexy, well that was his little secret.
"I'm gonna wait for this to blow up in your face," Shinichi said with a groan, to which Kuroba replied with a laugh and a quick "The only one who's gonna blow you is Mouri-can and that's for nighttime," as he sauntered out of the restaurant.
Shinichi had to pay for the cracked glass at the window pane, as he threw the notebook Kuroba left.
As expected, Ran called him 30 minutes later.
"Shinichi, why is there a duplicate of you singing sappy love songs at the front of Dad's office?" Ran's voice was shrill, coated with embarrassment and flattery.
Shinichi promptly received a text from Kuroba saying "Go with it, say that since you suck at singing so you hired someone that looks like you to serenade her."
"I thought that it might brighten your day up and since I can't hold a tune for life, I hired a singer." Shinichi parroted in a sheepish tone, scratching his head as he heard the soft strums of the guitar from the other line as Kuroba began to sing the next song.
"O-Oh, I appreciate it but you didn't have to do all of this!" Her voice was mildly annoyed, as if the grand gesture didn't mean much to her which irked Shinichi because he had been trying to keep their relationship together and his girlfriend was mildly annoyed at one of his attempts to reconcile them.
"Well, what if I just wanted to do something romantic for a change." He grumbled sulkily, a frown etched on his face. Faintly, he could hear Kuroba belting out a cheesy line in his smooth voice and the idea that he was saying those cheesy lines to Ran sort made Shinichi uncomfortable, he didn't like it, not one bit.
"Sorry if I disturbed you, I'll call the singer back." The detective said with a slight undertone of a growl, hanging up on Ran for the second time that day. "Excuse me, can I order another coffee please?" With a sigh, Shinichi let his head fall on the smooth tabletop. What was wrong with him?
"I'm starting to think you want this relationship to fail, Meitantei." It took Kuroba only 10 minutes to change back to his normal self, coming through the restaurant entrance with a grim expression. "I saw Mouri-chan's face you know, she was pretty sad when you hung up on her for the second time today," Kuroba collapsed on the seat in front of him, rubbing the nonexistent crease lines on his forehead.
"Look, today hasn't been so peachy so can we move the matchmaking to some other day?" Shinichi gritted out, hands balling into fists. "Okay fine, I'll drop it for now." Kuroba said with raised hands, eyebrow raised with curiosity.
"Do you wanna go back to the apartment and watch a few more chick flicks?" Kuroba asked slowly, to which Shinichi stuck his tongue out to, "I'd rather die than watch Titanic again. They could have taken turns on the raft, or maybe even found another raft to stay on."
"Okay, Meitantei. Whatever floats your raft," Kuroba looked way too amused, it made the former want to smack him and at the same time smother him with kissed. Ugh. He was going crazy.
"How about we just talk?" Shinichi offered with a sip of his cold coffee, Kuroba nodded and began.
"So, what was this big case you went on? What type of case would keep the Modern Holmes away for years?" He pressed and Shinichi involuntarily shrunk back.
"It was a criminal organization, I had to go undercover since they thought they killed me," He explained as smoothly as possible, "How about you, why'd you stop thieving? Change of heart? Finally realized that what you're doing is illegal?" He countered.
"I stopped because I found what I was looking for," Kuroba answered quietly, a small genuine smile lighting up his features. "The only gem Kaito Kid never returned." Shinichi stated, remembering the headlines of multiple newspapers. "Bingo~, I destroyed it after I stole it and along with it the crows that have been pestering me disappeared too, I think I ought to thank you for that."
"Crows? People were after you?" Shinichi asked with a surprised look. "Uhm duh? Who do you think you're talking to? This is the elusive Kaito Kid you're talking to, of course there's gonna be at least two or three people with their scopes on him."
"They tried to kill you?" Oh wow, did he just growl? Shinichi felt oddly enraged at the thought of people hurting the thief.
"Calm down, I always managed to pull through," Kuroba cooed out, an attempt to calm Shinichi down.
"Moving on...." They chattered for what seemed like hours, judging by how the sun began to dip down and the sky gradually darkened. They conversed until their throat went dry and Shinichi could tell that neither of them minded it and that fact seemed to make Shinichi smile wider than he's had in the past few days.
"Um, sirs? It's closing time..." The waitress trailed off shyly, pointing at the 'Closed' sign and the furniture that were upturned and the other waitresses were tidying up.
The two sheepishly shuffled out after paying for their third order of drinks. "Okay, see you tomorrow Kudo!" Kuroba called out, waving a two finger salute as he walked away.
"Yeah, see you soon Kaito," Said thief halted his steps, Shinichi blinked in confusion, "Kudo, here's a tip in romance; Only call your love by first name, the rest by last or else people might misunderstand."
It was stupid but it felt right to say Kaito's first name so try as he might, Kuroba was now Kaito in his head.
♠︎×♥︎
The next day, Shinichi woke up to the sound of knocking on his door.
"Ran? Is that you?" He called out with a yawn, staggering towards the door and opening it to reveal a casually dressed thief, wearing a loose plain grey tee and simple ripped jeans. "Well, I get it why Mouri-chan decided to go live with her father," He was snickering, indigo gaze raking up and down his Sherlock Holmes themed pajamas, now Shinichi felt a little conscious.
"Dress up, light and casual," Kaito ordered, walking into the apartment as if he owned it, "You're going on a picnic date." Shinichi had to let out a small groan as Kaito ushered him to the bathroom.
A while later, Kaito escorted him to a very secluded part of a park. There waited Mouri Ran, dressed in a white sundress adorned with flowers. She looked beautiful and almost goddess-like. "Go! I'll be surveying from those bushes over there, if you have some trouble, signal me." The thief disappeared into the bushes, while Shinichi made his way over to Ran.
The set up was simple, a large checkered picnic mat was set on the grass while baskets and plates littered the top, a pitcher of water and tea were stationed at the side, while the baskets held sandwiches, cakes and biscuits.
"Hey," Shinichi greeted, sheepishly taking off his sneakers and settling down beside Ran.
"Hi there," Ran greeted with a light blush, scooting over to give him some space, "What brought this up all of the sudden?" She asked with a laugh, gesturing to the heart shaped bouquet that was placed beside her, along with a box of chocolates, "Yesterday, you sent someone to serenade me and now you're inviting me to a picnic date? It's almost as if you aren't Shinichi anymore." Said detective twitched, pointedly staring at the innocent bushes where Kaito was visible from his spot. "I had some help but I promise, my intentions are genuine," He answered with a soft smile, pouring himself and Ran a cup of sweet tea.
"But still, where'd my dense Shinichi go?" Ran teased and for a moment, the two fell back into a familiar tense. Back before they started dating, where they'd just tease each other and goof around. Kaito seemed satisfied too, as he hasn't whipped out a whiteboard with advice on it yet.
The date went on steadily, Ran fed him a few slices of lemon pie while Shinichi shyly gave her the last biscuit. Shinichi took a quick glance at Kaito to see if he was still looking but the thief seemed to be busy texting someone else. The thief had a huge genuine smile etched onto his face as he typed a reply to the mystery person and Shinichi's stomach dropped.
Kaito had someone special to him, someone who made him smile and be overall happy, someone who obviously wasn't Shinichi.
The last thought shouldn't have bothered him but it did, Ran seemed to have noticed his far-off gaze and tried to catch his attention but Shinichi could only do it half-heartedly as he watched Kaito let out a string of silent laughter at whatever the mystery person sent him. "Shinichi? You've been acting weird the past few days, are you alright?" Ran asked with the frown, looking up at him with concerned eyes.
"Just peachy," He grumbled, tearing his gaze from the thief and down onto his plate filled with his favorite lemon pie. Ran's frown only deepened as she pressed on, "What in the world is wrong with you, acting sweet then suddenly going cold and harsh? It confuses me, Shinichi." Hints of anger and frustration, no doubt brought upon by Shinichi's sour mood. "Well, maybe I'm tired trying to pretend to be someone I'm not," He interjected with a short glare, to which Ran flinch back from.
"I'm gonna go, I don't want to spend another second with you," Ran said with a frown and a glare, standing up and strapping on her sandals, "You aren't my Shinichi," She concluded with a frown, running away from the picnic sight.
"Maybe I'm not but I sure as hell know that this is the real me," He mumbled watching as Ran's figure disappear behind foliage and trees. Kaito emerged from his hiding spot with a horrified expression resembling a gaping fish.
"What was that about?!" He hissed out, phone still in hand and halfway through a text. 'Nakamori Aoko' it read and Shinichi's frown deepened further at the thought that it was a girl that was making Kaito smile.
"She started spouting stuff about me not being her Shinichi and that I'm two-faced and I just, I'm tired of pretending to be someone I'm not. I'm not a romantic and I feel bad for Ran but she's expecting too much from me," The more Shinichi explained, the more Kaito began to face palm until he hit his fourth face palm where a red mark started to form.
"Meitantei, I would like it if you didn't tarnish my 100% success rate. It's literally the slogan of our little shop and no one likes the ring of '99.9% success rate' because that's what every evil bacteria cleanser advertises." Kaito looked very tired but that didn't stop him from scribbling down on his notebook.
'Maybe I don't want it to succeed anymore.' A voice echoed out and Shinichi felt dread, dread over the fact that he was entertaining the thought of breaking up with Ran.
"You better say sorry to her, I'm gonna go through my Plans C all the way to Z because this operation just showed me how hopeless the situation is. Gods, almost as if you want to ruin my reputation."
The magician disappeared with flourish, leaving behind a single dark rose.
Stubbornly, Shinichi did not apologize to Ran and went on days not seeing Kaito and he could decide that not seeing Kaito for a day was way worse than not seeing Ran for a year.
Now going on the fourth day of not seeing Kaito, said man wasn't even at Aphrodite's Love. Some guy named Watanabe was filing in for him apparently and whenever he checked his apartment (yes he remembered where it was) he wouldn't be there. It irked the detective and now here he was looking down at his phone, finger flying over the screen he sent a message.
The clock ticked on for what seemed like eternity, until Shinichi finally heard a ding.
Shinichi let out a small snort, it flattered him to see that the thief had so many plans dedicated to helping Shinichi.
What could have possible kept Kaito so busy that he had to ask someone else to fill him in at work and keep him away from his Kid Cave (yeah, that's the apartment's name now).
He could almost see Kaito actually winking at him as his eyes ran over the text again and again. Just what was he planning on doing? It must be a formal event seeing how Kaito asked him to dress in a tuxedo, meaning it could only be a big event or a party. Dinner, so he assumed as Kaito would pick him up at 6.
Damn, the last time he wore a tux was months ago and it was just to step in for Sonoko at a welcoming party for old business men. He literally had to brush up his tux.
It took Shinichi an hour to get ready, as he fumbled with his attire. It was rather similar to the elementary attire he wore as Conan, with a black suit, a white dress shirt and a simple red tie, slacks and polished shoes. Right on cue, exactly at 6 o'clock the doorbell rang. The detective swing it open to reveal a sharply dressed Kuroba Kaito.
Said thief wore an unbuttoned dark blue suit, bordering black save for the hints of the deep ocean reflecting on it, underneath it was a crisp black button up (top two buttons undone to show his collarbone god he wanted to lick it) with a cerulean tie messily tucked into his breast pocket, Kaito's hair was slicked back, save for the stubborn cow licks that rebelled against it and gently framed the top of his head. To top it off, he wore a monocle a freaking monocle. Overall, the man that stood before him looked like a messy formal sex god just waiting to be ravished.
It seemed that Kaito was equally stunned at his appearance too as he gaped and froze for a few moments, eyes hastily scanning him from top to bottom and back again. "W-Well, Meitantei. You look ready," His voice cracked at the start and Shinichi found himself smirking, "You did tell me to wear my best tux." He chimed out, stepping out of his apartment and into the hallway with Kaito.
"Touché, come with me we're picking up Mouri-chan," Kaito led him out of the apartment complex and towards a sleek black Mercedes Benz waiting at the front. "I'd like to inform you that this is one of my mum's cars so if you decide to get frisky on the way to or from the venue, I suggest you hold it back because I want to live to a tender age of 142," Kaito informed, sliding into the driver's seat and motioned for him to get into the back, "Not gonna hold the door open for me?" Shinichi asked, crossing his arms, "Haha, very funny. Get in, we're behind the clock."
The drive was smooth and fast, Kaito knew the quickest route to Mouri Detective Agency where a beautifully dressed Mouri Ran waited at, although her expression was quite grim not a surprise judging by the way they parted the last time they got together.
"If this is just gonna blow up on us again, I'd rather decline," She said as Shinichi got out of the car to greet her with a bouquet of daisies and cornflowers (courtesy Kaito), "I want to make things work, I want us to be together," Shinichi said through slightly gritted teeth, offering the flowers to the girl and holding the door open for her. The entire ride was silent, with Ran looking out the window and Shinichi burning holes at the back of Kaito's head.
"Mr. Kudo, Ms. Mouri. We have arrived," Kaito called out, pulling up at a large formal venue with a sign at the front saying 'Kings and Queens' Ball', couples were coming in to the place like moths to a fire.
Shinichi was the first to get out, once again holding the door open for Ran, who quickly brushed past him and went ahead. "I'll park the car and will join you later, for now talk to her, apologize and for the love of God dance with her," Kaito said pushing the brakes down and driving to the parking.
Easier said than done, once Shinichi joined Ran they fell into an uncomfortable silence by the entrees area. The detective didn't know what to say since he was still quite offended by her words and he wasn't so keen on apologizing first. "You know," Ran began, breaking the silence like an knife, "I was really surprised when I found a handwritten message from you by the doorstep, I didn't peg you as the handwritten letters type," For what seemed like the millionth time, Shinichi cursed Kaito for his independent moves. "I thought you'd like that a lot more," He answered in a low voice, eyes scanning the room for a familiar ex-thief.
"I did," Ran agreed with a nod, "But they weren't your normal words, you know? It felt as if they weren't coming from the heart and they seemed flowery," she added with a tight lipped smile.
"Dance with me." She asked, holding out a gloved hand for him to take. Which he did, leading her to the dance floor.
They danced, in sync. Perfectly fitted against each other like a jigsaw puzzle, Shinichi led the dance while Ran followed. Not a single beat was missed, it was in simplest terms just perfect.
And yet, Shinichi's eyes were far from the woman in front of her. Azure eyes were looking everywhere but her, as if searching for someone else.
"Ladies and gentlemen! It's that time of the night, we're gonna do a mix and match and we'd like everyone to pick a different partner! No cheating, don't take the fun away~." The MC boomed out, as the crowd began to mix and mingle.
Amongst the crowd, Shinichi finally spotted a familiar spiky haired male. Making his way towards him with Ran in tow, he came to a halt in front of Kaito,
And a beautiful lady who had her arm wrapped around Kaito's arm.
It shouldn't have felt that painful, Shinichi hazily mused out as Kaito's expression changed into one of horror at the sight of the detective.
It shouldn't have felt that painful to see Kaito with a lady who was so petite and feminine that Shinichi couldn't possibly compete against.
And yet, his heart was a freaking traitor as it decided to dehydrate itself and shrivel up, half an inch to death.
"Oh, Hi there!" Kaito greeted, as if he didn't know Shinichi. Which must have been an act as the lady beside the magician raised an eyebrow before eyes twinkled in an understanding way. "The MC didn't say that it had to be a specific male to female pair and I'd feel sorry if another lady else were to dance with Kaito so I'll dance with your lady date over here," Kaito's date (that was so not suppose to hurt) chirped out, taking Ran's arm to which she replied with a small 'Aoko-chan!' Huh. They knew each other. What a small, small world it was.
The ladies disappeared in a flash, mingling with the crowd as the next song began.
"Oh my god, I swear this wasn't part of the plan, damn Aoko." First name basis, great. Shinichi could clearly remember what Kaito said about first names and this just further worsened the detective's mood.
"We can go wait out the dance at the buffet table," Kaito offered, pointing at the buffet table with a distressed expression as he watched his perfect plan crash and burn into smithereens. Something about Kaito's unwillingness irked the detective and he found himself dragging the magician to the dance floor.
"Hey! What if Mouri-chan sees us?" Kaito exclaimed with a squeak, heels digging down onto the tiled floor in an attempt to stop Shinichi from dragging him. "Well, Ran looks rather happy dancing with another girl so I'll take my chances and try to make her jealous as well," Aah, the slight disappointment that appeared on Kaito's face did bad things to his heart and mind.
"R-Right, I guess we could try Plan J," Kaito agreed, rather shakily as he moved to lead the dance. "Oh no you don't," Shinichi quickly maneuvered the two, placing both hands on Kaito's waist to pull him closer. The red that appeared on Kaito's cheeks was very satisfying, and really cute.
"O-Okay," Kaito took a few deep breaths, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'Poker Face' underneath his breath. The magician begrudgingly looped his arms around Shinichi's neck and the detective tried to ignore how perfectly they fit together.
The song was slow, the singer sang the words out in long drawls with jazz accompaniment. Just further adding more romantic vibes to the dance and Shinichi found himself enjoying it even more.
Pulling Kaito in as discreetly as possible, Shinichi found himself relaxing to the warmth in front of him. Finding himself lost in the music and the sight of a flushed Kaito, before he knew it the song had ended and Kaito had led him back to a rather happy looking Ran who was chatting with Aoko by the juice section.
"Well, I'll take my date now," Kaito announced, wrapping an arm around Aoko's waist. Shinichi tasted something bitter like poison in his mouth at Kaito's words. "Excuse us," Kaito said, sending Shinichi a long complicated gaze before leaving with Aoko.
"Do you still want to dance?' Ran timidly asked, fidgeting with her scarlet red dress.
"Yeah, sure. Let's,' Shinichi agreed absentmindedly, leading Ran to the dance floor once again.
They danced for a grand total of 3 songs, all of which were similar songs to the one he danced with Kaito to but all felt wrong, for one thing Ran was a tad bit too short for him, and her arms were rather thin unlike the slender and lithe arms that he wanted. Come to think of it, he didn't know he had a specific type in partners. Huh.
Shinichi tried to find Kaito in the dance floor but to no avail, the magician was no where in sight and neither was his date. By the end of the 3rd song, Shinichi excused himself to the bathroom. Passing by what seemed to be a bar and that was where he spotted a familiar mop of spiky brown hair. "Kaito?" Shinichi called out, approaching the figure. Upon closer inspection, he found 13 shot glasses lined up in front of him and a very worried looking bartender.
"—Nichi?" Kaito slurred out, head turning to face him. His cheeks were red and indigo eyes were unfocused, the gel that previously held parts of his hair back had completely disappeared, returning his bangs back to their original messy glory. "You should be with Mouri-chan right now! The last dance might come up and you shouldn't miss that if you want this plan to succeed!" He called out, motioning the bartender to bring him another shot.
"That isn't important right now, you're drunk and you will crash yourself into a tree if you try to drive yourself home tonight." Shinichi hissed out, shooing the bartender (who looked semi-relieved) away.
Kaito grumbled as he thunked his head against the marble countertop, mumbling things Shinichi couldn't hear. "You're coming with me," Shinichi haughtily said, lifting the drunk man to his feet and dragging him out of the venue and down the streets. "But Mouri-chan!!" Kaito exclaimed in horror, "I've bailed on her a few hundred times already, another one won't hurt," Shinichi stated, walking towards the direction of Kaito's apartment. "Not when you're on the verge of break-up!" The magician fired back, seemingly offended. "You're more important right now!" Shinichi growled out, dragging the magician by the wrist.
Said magician halted to a stop, and Shinichi had to look to make sure that he hadn't passed out while standing. "What? Need to vomit?" The detective asked, looking around for any convenient bush they could terrorize.
"Stop giving me mixed signals like that." Kaito's voice was soft, too soft. As if frail and fragile, ready to be broken.
"I'm not," Shinichi disagreed and oh how wrong the words tasted on his tongue, "I'm just worried about you and I don't want you dying from something like a drunken car crash." He added, watching as Kaito's eyes glazed over with unshed tears before blanking into an unreadable mist. "Yeah, you're right," The magician agreed and fell into silence, letting Shinichi drag him all the way to his apartment.
By the time Shinichi found Kaito's spare key (hidden literally underneath the doorknob, spray painted brown to match the door's color and slotted to perfectly blend with said door) Kaito was half passed out.
Shinichi managed to get the thief into bed, stripping him of his suit jacket, shoes, socks and neck tie. Deciding that he couldn't strip him any further, Shinichi opted to leave but a short tug on his sleeve prevented him to.
Kaito looked at him with a drunken haze, eyes half-lidded and droopy. "Please stay, just for tonight," he whispered almost brokenly, and Shinichi could only comply, laying beside the man and promptly wrapping him in a hug.
"I want this to all be over," Kaito whispered at the brink of sleep, "So that I don't have to deal with all these emotions..." And just like that he was asleep, leaving Shinichi with his thoughts and regrets.
♣︎×♠︎×♥︎
The next morning, Kaito woke up with a pounding headache and no memory after his dance with Shinichi.
With a groan, the magician lifted himself up, overly sensitive to the light streaming from his window. "Never gonna drink again," He mumbled to himself sullenly, staggering to his feet and making his way to the bathroom to freshen up and probably throw up a bit.
How did he get back home? He swore he was spending the night whining to Aoko about how unfair Aphrodite was to him and how stupidly sexy Shinichi looked in his dark suit.
Trying to recollect his memories from last night, Kaito bounded to the kitchen to chug down lots of water and prepare breakfast. What greeted him was a little unusual, a bouquet of Yellow Pansies and Sunflowers laid at the countertop and a small box of chocolates too. "Who?" Did someone break into his house? Was it a stalker? Did he even have stalkers? Then could it be Hakuba, finally realizing how big of a douche he was and came apologizing?
Cautiously approaching the gifts, Kaito peered down at it with suspicion. A small card rested amongst the flowers, written in cursive English saying "Apology Flowers". Apologies for what? Was his last idea actually correct? He went behind the countertop and towards the kitchen, opting to first eat and found a handful of sticky notes littering his fridge. "Whom the fuck would do such a thing," Kaito mumbled to himself, mildly surprised. He took a good look at each and every one of the notes, finding the handwriting rather familiar.
Good morning, I assume you don't remember anything from last night so I left a short summary here:
You got drunk last night, I took you home. The end.
- S
Oh yeah, Kaito couldn't faintly remember downing a buttload of alcohol when Aoko decided to leave him alone with his petty thoughts. He considered himself a moderate-weight drinker but apparently, 13 shots of vodka was enough to bring down the great Kaito Kid. Ugh. His head hurt, who in the world was 'S'? Saguru? No, he didn't tell Hakuba about the dance. Not unless Aoko betrayed him again and told the London detective.
Ran called me early so I can't be there to wake you up, make sure to drink lots of water and eat some food. Drink some aspirin too!
- S
Oh. Ooooh. 'S' meant for 'Shinichi' and Kaito's stomach promptly twisted in a rather painful way. He silently prayed to God that he hadn't said anything that could potentially ruin his friendship with the detective. It was bad as it to lose Tantei-kun, he couldn't lose Tantei-kun's cousin too! Although the message did make Kaito feel a little giddy, Shinichi took the time to coddle him before he went back to his girlfriend.
The forecast said that there's a 90% chance of rain so don't forget an umbrella, I don't want to take care of a sick thief.
- S
Nice, he missed the news on TV so this note was rather helpful.
I bought Apology Flowers (sunflowers were a recommended apparently due to the weather) for ruining your plan last night and for generally not being there to take care of you.
- S
Eyes finding their way back to the flowers on the countertop, Kaito swallowed the lump that formed on his throat. "Stupid Detective, doesn't he know what those flowers mean?" He whispered to himself with a tightened grip on the notes.
Did you know you drool in your sleep? It's really cute I got drool all over my shoulder last night.
What the absolute, all loving fuck.
Did Shinichi just call him cute? Did Shinichi just imply that Kaito passed out on his way to the apartment? No wait, calm down. Bits and pieces of his memory from last night was coming back and he could safely assume he didn't pass out on a random sidewalk as he remembered Shinichi dragging him by the wrist. So did that mean that they slept together? No, goodness Shinichi was dating someone else dammit!
It wasn't right for someone to crush on someone who's already irrevocably taken! Kaito needed to get a grip before he ruins his reputation and career. Despite the dull ache that his heart give him at the thought of Shinichi with Ran in his arms, all lovey-dovey and smooching and ugh, he didn't need this type of drama.
Grabbing his phone, Kaito quickly speed dialed a certain woman. "Aoko? I'm gay and I don't know what to do, I hate this unrequited love. Why did it have to be him of all people?! He keeps giving me mixed signals, I want to commit harakiri. Aokooooo," And so started the daily whining of Kuroba Kaito.
♣︎×♠︎×♥︎
After an entire hour of whining to Aoko, Kaito finally bid her goodbye much. Ready to go to work and probably see Shinichi. God, if it wasn't for his amazing poker face, the magician might have cried in front of the detective already.
It's been a grand total of a few weeks since the detective entered his little shop and Kaito can safely assume that the man is the most confusing individual on earth, maybe even in the universe. The magician wasn't that stupid, he knew it when someone was trying to send signals to someone else. He was a matchmaker for god's sake, he had to be keen to those types of things. Shinichi, wasn't an exception except for the fact that he was indeed dating someone else already and that the signals that Kaito picked up were most probably were born from his gay ass mind.
"Should I wear the KID shirt or plaid?" He mused to himself, looking between the two shirts. If he wore the KID shirt, Shinichi would be bemused and would think that Kaito wanted to get arrested and if he wore the plaid he'd look like a character in Supernatural.
He went for the plaid, wearing it fully unbuttoned with a simple loose white shirt underneath and simple jeans. Yes, he knew that Shinichi would always stare if he showed some skin and frankly, Kaito didn't mind the attention.
Setting off for Aphrodite's Love, Kaito hummed out a simple tune as he greeted a few people he passed by. The old lady by the flower shop, the carpenter who had a wife and 3 kids, the waitress at his favorite restaurant. Aah, Kaito envied how simple their love lives were.
Finally arriving at his little shop, Kaito entered, punched in his time card and went into his private room. Only to find one Kudo Shinichi, dressed in a casual jacket and white shirt and God Kaito wasn't ready to face him yet.
"You should be resting right now," Shinichi spoke up with a raised eyebrow and Kaito felt a small pang of need hit his chest. "No can do, Meitantei," Did he just squeak? He'll blame that on the alcohol, "I have another plan in mind for you and Mouri-chan, the last one in fact." Kaito started, looking down at his notebook that was flipped to a plan named 'Plan Time Travel' as he was planning on recreating their 3rd Anniversary Dinner and making things right. It was supposed to be foolproof, I mean what could go wrong in a enclosed restaurant?
"You'll be going on a dinner date with Mouri-chan at Arsene, it's absolutely foolproof. The one thing that can fuck this up is a murder." Kaito stated, finalizing his plan for tonight.
"What if I don't want to go through with this plan?" Shinichi asked in a serious tone and Kaito had to prevent himself from committing homicide.
"I'll force you to," Kaito answered with a huff, moving further away from Shinichi as the detective crept closer to him.
"What if I don't want to be with Ran anymore..." The detective whispered in a husky tone, azure eyes locked on Kaito's figure and said magician just wanted the earth to swallow him whole and burn his body in magma.
"You can't!" Kaito exclaimed with a shake of his head, "Mouri-chan loves you, you can't just play with her feelings." He added, indigo eyes reflecting fear and slight desperation.
"Plus you hired me to keep you together remember? You signed a contract!" Kaito added in a frail attempt to back up his plea. "What contract? Oh you mean that one?" A long slender finger pointed at the torn papers on the desk and Kaito could only gape at it.
"What if I don't love her anymore," Shinichi whispered, now standing just inches from Kaito. Looking at him with half-lidded eyes that reflected love(?). "What if I want someone else now?" He continued, one arm wrapping around Kaito's waist while the other reached up to cup his cheek.
No, no, no. This was wrong, it was definitely wrong as Shinichi slowly leaned forward, eyes closing as he brought his lips closer. Kaito found himself following in suit, taken by the gentle embrace he was cased in.
And then he remembered Mouri Ran, sweet and perfect. In love with Shinichi and is Shinichi's true love and Kaito found himself pushing the detective with all the force he possessed.
"No!" He exclaimed, watching as Shinichi's expression morphed from dazed to shocked. "It's just a phase Kudo," Kaito mumbled, hands trembling slightly. Moving to exit the room, Kaito allowed himself to halt at the doorway for a few seconds to say "Arsene, 7 pm sharp, don't be late and don't mess things up. This will be the last and I'll be off your case," before leaving as quickly as he could, headed for Ekoda and towards Aoko. He needed beer, and the largest chocolates he could get.
♣︎×♠︎×♥︎
The moment Kaito left, Shinichi felt his entire being shatter.
Was he mistaken? Was Kaito really just a phase? Was all those feelings and emotions just a figment of his imagination brought upon by a sexual awakening of being Bisexual?
Shinichi wasn't sure but he knew that he felt numb. Holding Kaito was so perfect, the warmth the magician gave him was unlike anything else. He wanted to hold the magician but more than anything he wanted to kiss him and tell him that he loved him but after seeing the horrified look on the aforementioned man's face, Shinichi had to digress, he didn't like the way Kaito's face twisted painfully with doubt and fear.
Absently looking at the clock, Shinichi still had an hour and a half before he had to go to Arsene. Might as well prepare for the last date.
The restaurant was just as he remembered it, revolving and absolutely drab. Don't get him wrong, the place was fancy and loaded with lots of fancy things but it lacked luster, it lacked a certain magician.
He arrived 30 minutes early, with a bouquet of purple hyacinths and striped carnations. The flower shop lady had given him a sad long gaze as she prepared his bouquet, he had handpicked the flowers too. Knowing Ran, she held a lot of knowledge about flowers and hopefully the message will come across.
Sitting at the designated table (draped with a white table cloth, red petals were scattered over it, candles were unlit but overall very romantic), Shinichi waited until he heard familiar footsteps approaching him. Turning his head, he greeted Ran with a light smile, standing up to offer her his bouquet. Judging from her soft smile, she understood what the flowers meant.
The two took their respective seats as the waiter served the first course, and the two are in silence. They were halfway through their main course when Ran finally spoke up.
"You know, I really thought we could work," She mused out, placing down down her utensils and dabbing her lips with a napkin, "I really did, back then when we were still teenagers chasing after the idea of love," Her violet eyes were dull with sadness but behind it was a glimmer of hope. "But the past week and even the past few years showed me that we just don't belong to each other," She said with a slight quiver, hands lacing together in a tight grip.
Shinichi couldn't speak, a lump on his throat prevented him from doing so.
"So I'm going to let you go," Ran said with a soft sob, lips curling up into a broken smile. "I realized that we didn't love each other like that," her voice was gradually softening as she looked down at her lap, "But we're still friends okay? Don't think you're getting me off your back anytime soon."
Then they were fine, as if the chains that held them back were finally broken and Shinichi was able to smile truthfully at her once again. "Best friends," Shinichi agreed with a smile watching as Ran shot him a dazzling smile back, "You have somewhere else you have to be right?" Ran said with a knowing smile and Shinichi thanked the gods for giving him such a perceptive best friend. "Go get him, Mystery Otaku." Ran exclaimed, giving her blessing of sorts as Shinichi got up, threw her one last glance before running out of the restaurant.
A few minutes after Shinichi left, Ran let out a soft sigh as she looked down at her plate. It was over, she was free. The conclusion they came upon was mutual and true but Ran couldn't help but feel rather empty.
"Is this seat taken?" A feminine voice piped up from in front of Ran and the karate champion found herself smiling wider than she's ever done. "No," Ran answered through a small giggle shaking her head and watching as her lookalike sat down.
"Nakamori Aoko, matchmaker extraordinaire. You seem to be suffering from a break-up," The lady joked out with a small laugh, sliding over a piece of paper towards her.
"Well then, Ms. Matchmaker. I'd like for you to match me with a certain someone." Ran asked, taking the piece of paper and scribbling on the back of it, "Oh? Who may I ask is this person?" She asked, drumming her fingers against the table as Ran handed her over the piece of paper. Looking down at what she wrote, the lady blushed a bright red before beaming at the karate champion.
'Nakamori Aoko'
♣︎×♠︎×♥︎
As soon as Shinichi left Arsene's, his immediate route was towards Kaito's apartment. He ran faster than he's ever had before, he needed to see the magician, most preferably soon.
Arriving at the apartment, Shinichi knocked on the door a couple of times to no avail and decided to use the spare key that was smartly moved from the last place where it was stuck to. Entering the apartment, he found it barren and devoid of the magician and so he locked it up and went running once more.
Where would the magician go? He checked everywhere, the flower shop, the restaurant they ate at, everywhere but he couldn't find the magician. Where in the world would one thief go?
There was one last place Shinichi hadn't checked yet, he doubted that the magician would be there given what happened earlier that day but it was plausible. Shinichi took off once more, heading to the direction of 'Aphrodite's Love'.
Bursting through the doors, Shinichi went straight into a certain private room and true to his assumptions, he found Kaito standing by the couch. Said man turned around at the sudden slam of the door, Shinichi watched as horror quickly appeared on the magician's face.
"S-Shinichi? What the hell? I told you not to ruin this one date," Kaito whispered, backing up as the detective quickly went up to him and pulled him into a hug.
"Mouri-chan!" Kaito reminded him with a squeak, hands trying to push the other to no avail. "Broke up with her," Shinichi simply said, watching as a play of emotions crossed Kaito's face. Hope, despair, horror, sadness, pity, love, desire.
"B-But you wanted to stay with her," Kaito tried to argue back but Shinichi only tightened his grip around him and shushed him with a kiss. Deep and loving, one of Shinichi's hand snaked behind Kaito's head, pushing him closer. The magician stiffened for a split second before melting into the kiss, returning it with equal love and desire.
Shinichi pulled back with a pant, "I wanted my Happily Ever After but I knew it wasn't with Ran and she also knew that she wouldn't find it with me, we reached a mutual understanding and broke up." He mumbled, letting his forehead touch the other's forehead.
"I was too stupid to not realize that I've been looking for someone else for 3 years, maybe even more." Shinichi explained with a bitter chuckle, watching as Kaito's expression changed to surprise and hope.
"I've been looking for an elusive thief who likes to play with an elementary detective and puts others before himself." Shinichi confessed with a sweet smile, watching as Kaito returned it with his own dazzling smile, "About time you realized," Kaito whispered as he leaned closer as he whispered three words that ignited a flame inside the detective.
'I love you'
♣︎×♠︎
Days later, Shinichi found out that Ran had gotten together with Nakamori Aoko, who she revealed to have loved for a long time now. Kaito, also revealed that he had given Aoko the address to Arsene, knowing that Aoko liked Ran and was silently hoping that Ran would dump Shinichi for her.
"Why were you at Aphrodite's Love?" Shinichi asked one day, as he prepared Kaito his morning hot chocolate. Kaito sputtered, blushed a vibrant red and replied in a soft tone, "It's the place where we first met..." And Shinichi could only snort.
"Darling, we have 3 first meetings." Shinichi revealed with a chuckle, pressing a quick kiss on Kaito's forehead before he went to freshen up, "Wait what?! Three?" Kaito called after him in confusion. He only remembered meeting Shinichi at Aphrodite's Love unless....
"You sneaky bastard, Tantei-kun!!!" Kaito screamed out in realization, now it all made sense! That disastrous Clock Tower Heist, Shinichi's offhand comment about seeing his face, Conan disappearing and Shinichi appearing as if they switched places. Goddammit! Kaito was an idiot.
Now the magician felt stupid, how did he not notice?
The magician was halfway through his revenge plot when he decided to drink his chocolate. It was the perfect ratio of chocolate, sugar and creamer, with just the slightest hint of honey. Just like how Kaito loved it, and then it hit him.
The yellow flowers that adorned almost every corner of the apartment, the sticky notes that Shinichi loved to write him, how the towels were warmed before Kaito took a bath, how Shinichi lets Kaito take most of the blanket when they sleep, how Shinichi seemed to love wearing the same purple-blue shirt whenever Kaito was around.
The person of interest emerged from the bathroom with a towel slung around his neck, hair dripping wet from a quick shower. "Is something on my face?" The detective asked with a raise of his eyebrow, hand flying up to his cheek. "No, nothing," Kaito mused out with a huge smile.
"Was just thinking about how much I hate you." I love you.
"I know." I love you too
He's your love.