Archive of Our Own

The sound of the ringing bell greeted Shinichi as he made his way inside the near-empty cafe. It is to be expected, he supposed, as a quick glance at his watch would inform him that it is barely seven in the morning. In fact, he was actually quite surprised to find that there was a cafe near his apartment building that is already open at this time of the day, albeit the only other present in the room aside from himself is one waiter standing behind the cash register.

His appearance must have surprised said waiter as the man eyed him curiously while maintaining his action of polishing a glass. It wasn’t until Shinichi moved closer to the register that the waiter paused to greet him.

“Good morning and welcome to the Blue Parrot. What would you like to order?”

Shinichi scanned over the menu for a while before asking, “Is your breakfast menu ready yet?”

“The coffee shouldn’t be a problem but everything else will take some time to prepare,” the waiter replied, before adding, “All of our cakes are ready though.”

“Two coffees then. Do you have lemon pies?”

“No.”

“What do you recommend then?”

The waiter pondered on the question for a while, glancing back and forth between the cake display and Shinichi, before finally coming up with an answer.

“The red velvet one is our current best seller since it’s our newest product. If you are not a fan of sweets, I’d recommend our classic coffee cake or dark chocolate muffin.”

“Then I’ll take both cakes.”

“Cool.”

The waiter handed him the receipt before telling him to make himself comfortable since it’ll take some time for them to prepare the drinks. Quickly, Shinichi made his way to one of the tables situated near the window and settled himself on the armchair. He doesn’t have to check his watch to know that it is still too early for him to even consider commuting anywhere, be it the campus ground, his family home, or even professor Agasa’s house.

Really , Shinichi thought to himself as he took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose, why didn’t I just go back to bed?

He was about to take out his laptop and go through his paper one more time before finally sending the final version of it to his professor when he saw two cups of coffee placed on the table in front of him. When he looked up, he found himself staring at the waiter, who was still holding a tray with two plates of cakes on it. The waiter smiled at him before settling the two plates on the table as well.

“Is there anything that you’d like to add?”

“Actually, yes,” Shinichi said and the words came out of his mouth faster than his brain could process them, “Are you busy right now?”

“Well, as you can see-” the waiter gestured to the room, “- you are currently my only customer.”

“I can see that,” Shinichi replied. “What time does the cafe get busy?”

The waiter glanced quickly at his watch. “It should be in about an hour from now. Why?”

“Do you have anything that you need to tend to right now?”

“Aside from conversing with my only customer, no,” the waiter shook his head. “Why?”

Shinichi clapped his hands together. “Great, you can help me finish one of these cakes then.”

The waiter laughed. “Are you serious?”

“Absolutely,” Shinichi nodded his head before gesturing towards the seat across from him. He added, “You said it yourself earlier, right? The cafe won’t be busy for another hour and I doubt your manager is here for you to worry about.”

“What makes you think I’m not my own manager?” the waiter replied as he took a seat across from Shinichi.

“I’ve been to this cafe often enough to know that you’re not,” Shinichi replied before taking a bite of the coffee cake.

The waiter raised his eyebrow upon hearing his words. “Then why do you still ask for cake recommendations?”

“Simple. I never ordered any of the cakes here and usually came during the time when the breakfast menu was ready to be ordered.”

“What are the odds,” the waiter stated as he ripped open a sugar packet and poured its content onto one of the coffee cups. The process is repeated three more times before he finally settled on stirring his drink and taking a sip from it.

Shinichi found himself cringing over the idea of having to consume an overly-sweetened beverage. “That’s a lot of sugar packets.”

“I like sweets,” the waiter replied. He took another sip from his coffee cup before asking, “So, do you do this to every waiter you encounter, or is it just me?”

“Every other waiter.”

“Pity. I was starting to think I was special,” the waiter replied, flashing a quick wink at him and taking a bite from the muffin.

A soft laugh escaped from Shinichi’s lips. “Well, you’re quite special for opening your place so early in the morning so I’ll give you that.”

“Anything for our loyal customer,” the waiter said with a smile on his face. A smile that Shinichi was sure he had seen before in a much different setting.

A moment passed before curiosity got the better of him,

“This is going to sound really weird but have we met somewhere before?”

The waiter pondered on the question for a while, seemingly observing Shinichi’s face in the process, before shaking his head in response. “Not that I recall. Why?”

“I feel like we’ve met before but maybe I mistook you for someone else,” Shinichi explained before asking, “By any chance, do you go to Tohto University.”

Much to his surprise, the waiter nodded his head. “We’re probably lab partners or classmates then”

“Highly unlikely,” Shinichi shook his head. “I study law so there is not much lab work needed there.”

“Well, we might still have passed by each other on campus or you actually mistook me for someone else,” the waiter responded. “Law, huh? That’s interesting. I thought someone like you would’ve taken forensic science, criminology, or something similar.”

Shinichi raised his eyebrow upon hearing that. “Why would you think that?”

“Aren’t you the famous detective, Shinichi Kudo?”

“Ah.”

In hindsight, he should have expected that. Ever since he returned to his original body, he has slowly taken up cases as Shinichi Kudo, the high school detective, instead of as Edogawa Conan once again. Although some of the works often interfered with his classes, it was still enough for the media to be interested in his works as the “Detective of the East” once again.

“So,” the waiter paused to take another bite of his cake. “Why law?”

“Are we doing 20 questions now?”

At this, the waiter simply laughed, and once again, Shinichi is sure that they have met and interacted before. “Hey, I can always go back and do my work, you know?”

“This place won’t be crowded for a while,” Shinichi said, repeating the waiter’s own words.

“I could still be doing other stuff.”

Shinichi laughed. “Fine, fine. I chose law because, as much as I enjoy solving cases and mysteries, I realized that not all criminals are punished accordingly. Those who have a lot of power and money would be able to easily have their sentences lowered even if they committed worse crimes compared to those who did not have similar resources. There were also cases where an innocent person is blackmailed into admitting a crime that they have no knowledge about while in court. From there, I thought it would be good for me to study the law to make sure that kind of thing didn’t happen.”

“How very noble of you.”

“I’m going to take it as a compliment,” Shinichi retorted. “What about you? What’s your major?”

“Computer engineering. It’s nothing interesting.”

The discussion went on for a while as Shinichi found his conversation partner to be quite receptive to his words and vice versa. It wasn’t until they both heard the sound of the ringing bell that signaled new customers coming in that the waiter finally stood up from his seat to return to his position.

“Thanks again for the coffee and cakes, detective.”

“Anytime, Kuroba.”

“Good evening, detective.”

At the mention of his title, Shinichi turned his attention away from his laptop screen to his left. The sight of a hooded figure leaning against the door of his balcony caused the corner of his mouth to crook upwards.

“Evening, KID.”

“May I come in?” the hooded figure asked.

Shinichi nearly laughed in response considering the fact that the thief had already broken into his room in the first place. Still, he appreciated the gesture and replied, “You may, but let’s talk outside. The weather is nice.”

“As you wish,” the thief responded.

The two of them each took a seat on the balcony chairs and Shinichi watched as the thief took two cans of coke out of thin air. “Want one?”

Shinichi nodded his head as he took one of the cans. After taking a sip from it, he asked, “I trust you’ve returned the gem to its rightful owner.”

“Of course I have. What do you take me for? A thief?”

That one did the trick and Shinichi found himself trying his best not to choke on his drink. The thief, on his part, flashed a grin at him and asked, “So, what did you think about my trick yesterday?”

“Once you’ve walked on air, it’s hard to go up from there.”

“My biggest competition is myself,” KID sighed, dramatically.

The two of them continued to discuss the last Kid’s heist with Shinichi explaining his deduction behind KID’s tricks and the thief nodding his head in response and occasionally quipping back. After a while, they settled in sitting in silence and Shinichi watched as the moonlight shone on the thief’s face. They’ve moved past the stage where the thief would wear a different face each time they met but have yet to reach the stage where Shinichi can freely stare at the thief’s eyes. Still, he respected the thief’s decision.

If someone were to tell him many moons ago that he would spend a good portion of his nighttime conversing with the phantom thief, Shinichi would laugh at the idea. Their relationship didn’t exactly start off on the right track, with Shinichi pointing a gun at the thief when they first met during the clock tower heist in Ekoda and causing the thief to swim in cold water when they met again as Edogawa Conan and KID the Phantom Thief. It took another few months before Shinichi decided to entertain the idea of conversing with KID by leaving his own version of KID's card during every heist.

They had their first proper conversation, with no police forces around, on the rooftop of Shinichi’s family house one night after KID’s latest heist. Against all odds, they instantly clicked and Shinichi found it easier to talk to KID compared to anyone else, save for maybe Haibara Ai but he would never say that to her face. When he finally returned to his original body, KID congratulated him and wished him luck. 

When Shinichi asked him to stay because KID’s words sounded a lot like a farewell and perhaps he was not yet ready to say goodbye to one of the two people in the world that really understood him, the thief complied and their relationship continued to this day.

“I saw the young lady from the detective agency at the heist yesterday,” KID said, breaking the silence between them and snapping Shinichi out of his train of thoughts. He added, “Should I take it as a sign that you two have patched things up?”

Shinichi nodded his head in response. “We have.”

His relationship with Ran could never go back to what it was. When she asked him for time and space, Shinichi gave them to her without ever entertaining the idea of them being friends again. Still, Ran is Ran and after several months, Shinichi woke up one day to find a plate of warm lemon pie sitting on his doorstep. He took it as a sign to start their friendship again from the beginning and the rest is history.

“I’m happy for you,” KID said with a smile on his face as he lightly tapped Shinichi’s shoulder.

“Thank you, KID.”

Silence fell between them once more before Shinichi decided to ask the same question that he’s been asking every time the two of them meet. “How are things on your end, by the way? Are you any closer to your goal?”

KID scoffed. “I wish.”

“I could help you, you know?” Shinichi said, repeating the words that he had said a couple of times before. “You don’t have to do this by yourself.”

Let me help you. Let me stay with you, the detective thought as he watched the thief smile at him before turning away to face the moon.

“I appreciate that but I can still manage on my own for now,” KID too, repeating the words that he has said many times before, taking Shinichi’s left hand into his and giving it a light squeeze.

Shinichi didn’t ask if KID would like to stay for the night. He never had to and yet, Shinichi would find himself being awoken near dawn with a light kiss on the forehead before the thief bid him farewell. That’s how their relationship went on for a while until the thief suddenly disappeared just before Shinichi realized that he was in love with him.

At some point, Shinichi decided to move out of his family home, the one place filled with so many memories of the time he shared with the thief, and into his own apartment. Still, he continued to wait for the day the thief would finally return. His prayer was finally answered when a card with KID’s signature was sent to a jewelry exhibit earlier that year. The heist happened, the gem was returned not long after it was taken, and the thief once again eluded the police force. Everything was just as it was before, with the exception of the thief no longer showing up at Shinichi’s place after the heist.

He knew if he wanted to, he could easily catch the thief in the act but what good would it do for their relationship? The thief must have a reason for not wanting to contact him again and whatever the reason is, all Shinichi can do is respect it. Should one day the thief ever decided to resume contact with him, Shinichi would welcome him with open arms.

That day, however, has yet to come.

Shinichi didn’t make it a habit to visit the cafe in the early mornings but he found himself doing just the same. He justified his actions by saying that the quiet atmosphere allowed him to focus better on his paper and works, and not because of Kuroba’s presence. Whenever Shinichi arrived at the cafe, the waiter was always there to greet him, no matter how early the time was. At one point, both of them learned that they live in the same apartment building just above the cafe, with Kuroba’s unit located two floors above Shinichi’s.

“No wonder you’re always ready for morning work. You don’t even have to commute!” Shinichi said, before taking a bite of his pancake.

“Well, I can’t handle the evening shifts anyway so I have to compensate for it,” Kuroba explained.

“Because of your shows?”

Kuroba nodded. “I also have classwork so morning shifts just work better for me.”

Somehow, the arrangement works well for both of them. With Shinichi spending most of his day working on his papers or other detective work and Kuroba’s own schedule, the two of them rarely met outside of their regular breakfast session. It wasn’t until Shinichi decided to text Kuroba one day to ask if he’d like some of the food Ran made for him for dinner that they both realized they could meet at night as well. One late dinner session led to another and now Shinichi can often find himself sleeping on Kuroba’s couch in the morning and vice versa.

“Do you want to have breakfast here or at the cafe?” Kuroba— Kaito asked him after their first sleepover at his place as a result of mid-term exams.

“Anywhere as long as it has coffee,” Shinichi replied, still feeling groggy from lack of sleep.

Kaito, on his end, chuckled at the detectives' habits.

“Cafe it is then. Up we go,” he said before lifting Shinichi and carrying him bridal style, much to the latter’s amusement.

The sleepover served as a catalyst for their relationship as Shinichi found himself spending more and more time with Kaito. They would watch movies together at each other’s apartment units or the cinema, go to the bookstores to catch the latest mystery novel release, visit galleries and art exhibitions, and many other activities. Strange as it is, Shinichi found it easy to talk to Kaito. In fact, he was close to entertaining the idea of telling Kaito about his past as Edogawa Conan when something else caught his attention.

The two of them were currently on their way to the movie when Shinichi caught a glimpse of the news as they walked past an electronic store. He stopped in his track when he heard the news anchor announce a new challenge from Suzuki Jirokichi to catch the phantom thief once and for all. The news must have caused him to zone out as he didn’t even realize Kaito was calling his name until he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

“You okay?” Kaito asked him, worry written all over his face. “Should we go back?”

Shinichi quickly shook his head. “It’s fine.” He said, pointing at the TV. “I was just surprised.”

“Oh, that,” Kaito replied, turning to face the TV screen as well. “I thought you were only interested in murder cases.”

“I’ve attended several of KID’s heists in the past before,” Shinichi explained.

“You’re blushing, detective,” Kaito said, as he lightly poked Shinichi’s cheek. “Got a crush on him or something?”

“Or something,” Shinichi mumbled as both of them resumed their walks.

“Oh, now you’ve got to tell me about it,” Kaito said. When Shinichi responded with a frown, he added, “Only if you want to of course.”

Perhaps it was the build-up after months of not seeing the thief nor having anyone that he can talk to regarding the matter, perhaps it was Kaito's welcoming presence, or perhaps it was the combination of everything altogether but Shinichi soon found himself unable to lie.

“I adore him.”

The plan to watch the movie had long been discarded in favor of some needed confession session. When he’s finally finished talking, both of them have gone through several cups of coffee and cake slices.

“Can I say something or do you just want me to listen and offer support?” Kaito finally asked.

“You can.”

“Why didn’t you try contacting KID after he showed up again?”

Shinichi let out a sigh. “I was afraid he didn’t want anything to do with me anymore. Since he left so suddenly, I figured this isn’t what he wanted so I decided to not intrude.”

Kaito nodded in response, seemingly able to understand Shinichi’s state of mind. “Would you hear him out should he ever decide to contact you again?”

“Of course,” Shinichi replied. “I can’t believe I’m saying this considering my line of work but he’s my friend.”

“I see.”

“Truthfully, I was a little angry when he just showed up again after leaving so abruptly but after a while, I think I was mostly just worried about him. I just hope he’s doing well,” Shinichi explained, before adding, “You probably think it’s funny for a detective to give well wishes to a thief.”

“No,” Kaito said, shaking his head in response. “You’re a great friend, Shinichi.”

“You too, Kaito,” Shinichi said.

They stayed at the cafe for a little while longer before walking back to Shinichi’s apartment to have dinner together. When it was time for him to leave, Kaito snapped his left fingers and conjured a red rose out of thin air before giving it to Shinichi and saying,

“Have faith, detective. I’m sure KID would be happy to know that his favorite critic is waiting for him.”

It wasn’t until after he placed the rose inside a nearby vase that Shinichi realized something important— there is only one person who refers to him as a critic other than Kaito.

“So, let me get this straight. You’ve been spending a lot of time with this guy called Kuroba Kaito, who is around the same age as you, could pass as you, and is apparently also a magician, and just going off that: you think he’s Kaitou KID?”

Shinichi clicked his tongue over Haibara’s words. “I don’t like how you word it but yes, that’s the gist of it.”

Haibara, on her end, merely laughed at his response. At the moment, the two of them are having brunch together at the professor’s place. Unlike Shinichi, Haibara never even considered taking the antidote for herself and thus continued her life as Haibara Ai, the adopted daughter of Agasa Hiroshi. Still, both of them maintained their friendship as is, whether he is willing to admit it out loud or not, Shinichi does miss the days he used to spend with the detective boys. Additionally, Haibara is the only person he knows that won’t hesitate when it comes to advice and words in general so she’s the perfect person for Shinichi to talk to regarding his theory on Kuroba Kaito.

“Well, you don’t exactly have any concrete proof now, do you?” Haibara asked again. “If you have any, you would’ve said so in the first place, or are you going to say something like, ‘my heart just knows that it’s him!’”

“There isn’t anything concrete for now,” Shinichi said, huffing as he crossed his arms. “I spent a lot of time with that thief. I know it’s him. I know they’re the same person.”

“Hm,” Haibara merely hummed in response before taking another sip from her cup of tea. “Well, then I’m looking forward to seeing physical proof the next time we meet.”

“Oh, you best believe it!” Shinichi stated, with a smile on his face.

Upon hearing his words, his conversation partner shook her head in response. “Kudo, where do you plan to go with this?”

“What do you mean?”

“I need you to be honest here, not for me but for yourself,” Haibara paused momentarily to take a deep breath before asking, “Are you sure you’re not just projecting your feelings for the thief to this unsuspecting stranger?”

Shinichi raised his eyebrow. “What are you implying here, Haibara?”

“I don’t know Kuroba Kaito or Kaitou KID as well as you do but I don’t think it’s right to try to get close to someone and yet constantly see them as someone that you want them to be instead of who they actually are. You out of all people should know what it’s like to be seen as someone that you’re not.”

“Haibara.”

“There’s also the probability that Kuroba Kaito is Kaitou KID. If that happened, what would you do? Will you be able to turn him in?”

“Of course,” Shinichi stated, as quick and firm as he can.

Haibara shook her head. “I don’t think you can.”

“Well, you’re wrong.”

That earned him a chuckle from the strawberry blonde. “You seem to know what you’re doing so I’m just going to look forward to the pieces of evidence to prove your theory.”

True to his words, Shinichi began to pay more attention to Kaitos’ words and mannerisms in order to confirm his theory. For the first few weeks, he found himself trying to draw the connection between Kaitou KID and Kuroba Kaito only to be met with no solid proof. Aside from Kaito’s physical similarities to Shinichi and the former’s skill in stage magic, there isn’t anything that can connect him to the phantom thief. At some point, Shinichi began to wonder if there’s some truth behind Haibara’s words, that he has been projecting his feelings towards the thief to an unsuspecting stranger.

Do I like spending time with Kaito because I like him or because I want him to be Kaitou KID? Shinichi thought to himself.

The thoughts consumed him to the point where he wondered if he should attend to KID’s heist for fear of not being able to concentrate on the job. In the end, he decided to come and witnessed the accident. Apparently, one of the traps set to catch the thief malfunctioned and injured several members of the police force. Though Shinichi could not see the thief clearly, judging from his movement, he was sure that the thief was also injured. In the end, the thief managed to escape, the gem was returned, and Shinichi went back to his apartment feeling tired and confused as per usual.

When he walked into the Blue Parrot cafe the next morning, the tiredness had yet to leave his body and it took him a while to notice the bandage wrapping Kaito’s right hand.

“What happened there?” Shinichi asked.

“Burned my hand while trying out some new tricks for my next performance,” Kaito swiftly replied before placing two cups of coffee and two plates of cakes on the table.

“Shouldn’t you be resting then?”

Kaito merely waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. “It’s fine. I can still work.”

“How? Your right hand is injured.”

“Like this,” Kaito replied as he perfectly spun a spoon using his left hand before using it to take a bite of his tiramisu cake.

Shinichi lightly chuckled in response. “Show off.”

“Part of the job, detective,” Kaito responded. “So, how was work? Did you go to the heist?”

“I did. There was an accident and some police officers got injured. I think the thief was injured as well but I’m not sure.”

“You’re not sure?” Kaito asked, reiterating his words.

“There was a lot of smoke.”

Kaito nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation. The conversation went on for a while until he excused himself to tend to the newly arrived customers. From his seat, Shinichi observed as his friend worked swiftly using only one hand, a non-dominant hand at that. While ambidexterity is not something that cannot be trained, the chances of two ambidextrous people who seemingly injured their dominant hands in a close timeframe seem close to zero.

The first clue , Shinichi thought to himself as he walked out of the cafe feeling more energized than he had ever been in the last couple of weeks.

The second clue came up while the two of them were lounging in the living room of Shinichi’s apartment. They’ve just come back from watching a live circus show with the detective boys and were discussing just how Kaito managed to not only score several VIP seats but also backstage passes.

“I know the owner and have worked with the crew back in Vegas,” Kaito said, before muttering a quick thanks when Shinichi handed him a can of coke.

“Wait, you’ve performed in Vegas before?” Shinichi asked. When his question was met with a nod from Kaito, he asked again, “Seriously? When was this?”

Kaito pondered on the question for a while, seemingly trying to recall the exact timeframe before saying, “Around two years ago, I think. I actually just returned to Japan earlier this year. Have I not mentioned this before?”

“Nope,” Shinichi replied. “That’s amazing!”

The compliment earned him a soft smile from Kaito. “Thank you,” he said, “Initially, I was doing it because my mother’s friend asked me to cover for someone else. They said that it was just going to be at a small venue and a one-time thing. Boy, was I tricked!”

“Was it a big venue?”

“Oh yeah!” Kaito chuckled. “It went well though so all is fine. That’s basically how I got my start there.”

They continued to discuss Kaito’s past shows and Shinichi learned that the reason why he went to Vegas in the first place is because of his mother’s health condition. He was also surprised to learn that Kaito had actually earned his bachelor's degree before he went to Vegas and the reason why he’s still going to university is that he’s currently pursuing a master's degree in cybersecurity. It wasn’t until Shinichi saw a picture from one of Kaito’s past shows that something clicked in him.

“You said you left Japan two years ago?”

Kaito nodded. “What’s up?”

“It’s nothing. I was just reminded of a friend of mine who also went away two years ago.”

The friend in question is, of course, Kaitou KID as Shinichi managed to recall that there was a period of time when the phantom thief was inactive. It just so happened that that period of time coincided with the time when Kuroba Kaito left the country. To top it all off, the heist didn’t start again until some time this year, around the same time as when Kaito returned to Japan.

Shinichi looked up from the collection of photos and was about to ask Kaito something when he realized that his guest had left the living room. Quickly, he rose up from his seat and made his way to the balcony to greet him. Somehow, the image of the other man’s face painted in the moonlight made him stop in his tracks.

It’s hard to separate the image of the moon from Kaitou KID and his sharp features, as the thief seems to enjoy basking in the moonlight. However, there isn’t a trace of that on Kuroba Kaito’s face at the moment. His features are soft and there’s a hint of melancholy written on his facial expression. Still, despite it all, Shinichi found his heart to ache just as it used to do whenever the thief was around.

“Hey,” he eventually greeted Kaito with a light tap on the shoulder. “You okay?”

Kaito flashed him a smile and Shinichi is sure his heart must have stopped beating for a split second. “All good. Did you finish going through the photos?”

“Sort of,” Shinichi muttered.

“That’s good.”

For a moment, the two of them stood in silence and watched as the city began to come alive at night. The night breeze isn’t cold enough to require additional layers but it’s enough to make their stay outside enjoyable. After a while, Shinichi decided to break the silence and asked,

“Did you have fun performing in Vegas?”

“Yes,” Kaito quickly replied. “It was some of the best times in my life. I learned a lot, both as a person and as a performer.”

“Then what made you decide to come back to Japan?”

A soft chuckle escaped from Kaito’s lips. “It’s silly.”

This piqued Shinichi’s curiosity. “Okay, you definitely have to tell me now.”

Kaito laughed again, slightly louder this time. “It’s really stupid so you’re not allowed to laugh, okay?”

“Cross my heart.”

“I just missed home,” Kaito stated. “It’s silly, right? Especially since my mother was the reason why I went to Vegas in the first place but Japan is my home and I missed it every day while I was away.”

“And you don’t miss your mom?”

“She misses Japan too so she’s here most of the time now,” he explained.

Shinichi nodded. “It’s quite a bold move to leave what I’m sure must have been a successful career in Vegas.”

“A difficult move,” Kaito muttered. “Still, I have things to do here and people to meet so I don’t have any regrets.”

“People to meet?” Shinichi asked.

“People like you,” Kaito responded by lightly tapping Shinichi’s nose. “Let’s go back inside. It’s getting cold out here.”

Shinichi chooses to believe Kaito despite his body feeling nothing short of warmth from the simple touch.

The next set of clues came to Shinichi in similar manners as the first two, which means it came when he least expected it. Sometimes it’s something that Kaito said while another time it was the way he performed a certain action that made the gears in Shinichi’s brain turn. At the same time, the more clues he gathered and the more confirmation he received for his theory, the more conflicted he feels about the whole ordeal.

There’s also the probability that Kuroba Kaito is Kaitou KID. If that happened, what would you do? Will you be able to turn him in?

The question once asked by Haibara lingered in his mind. Would Shinichi be able to turn Kaito to the police? Scratch that, would he even be able to confront his friend about the situation itself?

There’s also the whole thing where Kaitou KID left abruptly two years ago and broke off all contact with him. Would Shinichi be able to confront Kaito about that issue as well, especially after knowing the reason behind Kaito’s, and also possibly Kaitou KID’s, sudden leave from the country?

All these thoughts going on inside his head have caused Shinichi to lose sleep. While he’s lucky enough that most of his remaining classes this semester are afternoon classes, he often finds himself arriving at the Blue Parrot cafe way past the opening hour. This means that he often missed his regular breakfast sessions with Kaito, which just worsened his mood even further.

“You look like shit,” Haibara greeted him, before stepping aside to let Shinichi enter the house.

“Thanks, I feel like one,” Shinichi grumbled as he made his way toward one of the sofas in the living room.

“And you’re here to talk about it, I presume,” Haibara said, before placing two cups of tea on the table and sitting on the armchair next to him. “So, how are things?”

“Just peachy.”

“We ran out of peach tea. That’s chamomile.”

“Ha ha,” Shinichi muttered, before taking another sip from his cup of tea. “At this point, I’m 99.99% sure that my theory is correct.”

“And why is that a problem?”

“Because my theory might be correct and I don’t know what to do about it,” Shinichi grumbled. “I need advice here, doc.”

The doctor in question replied, “Ever considered just living with it?”

“You speak as if you don’t know anything about me.”

Haibara nodded her head in response. “That’s true. You would never miss a chance to gloat about your proven theory to anyone, would you?”

“Why are we friends?”

“Because I’m the only one who can tolerate you,” Haibara stated, matter-of-factly, before adding, “Well, maybe I can add that Kuroba guy into the equation as well. Is that box perhaps a gift from him?”

At the mention of the box, Shinichi turned his attention to the object that he has been carrying ever since he left his apartment building and is now sitting next to him on the sofa. “Oh, yeah. This was from him. He also gave me this.”

Haibara’s eyes watched as Shinichi placed two pieces of paper on the table. “Two tickets for a magic show. I assumed it’s his own show then?”

Shinichi nodded his head. “He asked me to bring a friend.”

“The show is tomorrow evening.”

“I know.”

“And you couldn’t have told me this earlier?”

“Nope.”

Haibara let out a sigh. “Fine. I suppose I should go ahead and meet this Kuroba guy myself.”

“I’ll pick you up at four tomorrow then.”

When Shinichi and Haibara arrived at the show venue the next day, they were both surprised to see the place. For a show that is supposed to start at seven in the evening, there’s already a huge crowd of people surrounding the place when the clock has yet to turn to five. Thankfully for both of them, Kaito seemed to have anticipated the crowd beforehand and was the one who advised Shinichi to arrive at the venue earlier.

“He gave us backstage passes too apparently,” Shinichi said as both Haibara and he were being escorted by a security figure.

“Maybe we should’ve brought a bigger bouquet after all,” Haibara said, eyeing the bouquet of sunflowers currently held by the detective.

“The dressing room is just around the corner. Now, if you’d excuse me, sir and madame,” the security figure bowed and took his leave at once after explaining the layout of the hallway, a gesture that is quickly returned by both Shinichi and Haibara.

As the two of them walked closer and closer to the dressing room, Shinichi begin to pick up several voices.

“Darling, did you even brush your hair this morning? You look like a mess!” said a woman’s voice.

“I did- Ow! Aoko! Stop tugging my tie! It looks fine as it is!” said a voice that clearly belongs to Kaito.

Another woman’s voice came, “It’s crooked, you idiot! Hold still!”

“Seriously, you two should just join Jii-chan and wait at your seats- Ow! Mom! Enough with the flash, please!”

The sound of laughter came, followed by a woman’s voice saying, “Blame the camera, dear.”

“You’re the operator of it,” Kaito said and Shinichi didn’t fail to notice the exasperated tone in his voice. “Seriously, you three. You’re making me nervous!”

“Aw, you’re going to do great, Kaito,” the second woman’s voice came.

“Thank you, dear Aoko. Now, what time is- Oh! Shinichi! You made it!”

At the mention of his name, Shinichi soon found four pairs of eyes staring at him and his companion. He cleared his throat before introducing himself as well as Haibara and handing the bouquet to Kaito.

“This is lovely. Thank you so much, Shinichi,” Kaito said, before introducing the three women in the room. “Shinichi, Ai-chan, meet my mom, Aoko, and Akako. Mom, Aoko, and Akako meet Shinichi and Ai-chan.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” the woman named Akako said, as she shook hands with both Shinichi and Haibara.

“Kaito has spoken so much about you!” Aoko said enthusiastically.

That earned an eyebrow raise from Shinichi and an exasperated sigh from Kaito. Still, Shinichi decided against saying anything and turned his attention to greet the last woman who he assumed is Kaito’s mother. They have the same eye shape and eye color but overall, the two of them looked nothing alike. Kaito must have taken after his father.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kudo-kun,” the older woman said.

The group conversation in the dressing room didn’t last long as the three women soon excused themselves to go to their seats. Haibara decided to follow along with them once they found out they were all seated next to each other. Once it was just the two of them, Shinichi found himself noticing several things about Kaito. For one, despite the fact that they’re both wearing all-black suits, he felt significantly underdressed compared to the magician.

“Nervous?” Shinichi asked, watching as Kaito placed the sunflower bouquet delicately on one of the tables.

“Of course,” Kaito replied, much to Shinichi’s surprise. “It’s my first time performing on such a large scale in Japan after all.”

“First to many, I hope.”

“I certainly hope so,” Kaito said, smiling at him.

They have a conversation before someone informed Kuroba that he is needed backstage. After exchanging a quick goodbye, Shinichi quickly makes his way to his designated seat and sits right next to Haibara. The moment the clock struck seven, the lights went dark except for the one spot in the center of the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Kaitos's voice can be heard booming through the hall. “It’s show time!”

A group of doves flew from the back of the hall into the center of the stage before finally disappearing to reveal the main attraction, Kuroba Kaito the magician. Loud cheers erupt from the audience and continue to grow louder as the show went on. Shinichi, on his part, is in awe of everything and is happy to see a similar expression on Haibara’s face.

“He’s amazing,” the young lady said after Kuroba successfully performed another conjuring trick.

“I know,” Shinichi murmured.

Eventually, the show reached its climax and the lights were once again turned off. When the light is finally turned on again, Shinichi can feel his heart stop beating for a moment. There, floating so many feet above the ground is Kuroba Kaito, now clad in an all-white suit, cape, and top hat.

“Kudo-kun.”

Shinichi nodded, seemingly able to read Haibara’s mind.

“It really is him,” she said again.

“I know.”

Once Kuroba Kaito bowed for the last time and left the stage, Shinichi quickly made his way out backstage. He needs to see Kaito right now. He needs to know the truth and whether or not his theory is right. There are so many things that Shinichi would like to say to Kaito and yet he finds himself stopping in his tracks once he sees the crowd of reporters surrounding the backstage door.

“We should go back,” Haibara finally said to him.

Shinichi nodded his head and the two of them made their way out of the hall. The journey back to professor Agasa’s house was quiet and Shinichi finds himself reluctant to return to his own apartment. He was about to ask if it’s possible for him to stay over when Haibara said,

“Kudo-kun, I have something to tell you.”

“Okay,” is all Shinichi could say at the moment.

The two of them make their way to the living room once more and Shinichi takes note of the light coming from professor Agasa’s laboratory. Once they were both seated on the sofa, Haibara let out a sigh and begins her explanation.

“Yesterday, after you shared your findings on Kuroba Kaito, I did some research myself. As you know, the earliest recorded case of Kaitou KID happened before you were born. Since Kuroba Kaito and you are around the same age, this would mean that there was someone else who held the title Kaitou KID before Kuroba. Keep in mind that this is all under the assumption that Kuroba is Kaitou KID or at least the current holder of the title.”

Shinichi nodded and gestured for his friend to continue with her explanation.

Haibara continued, “I looked into Kuroba Kaito’s past and found out that his father is the famous magician, Kuroba Toichi, who passed away several years ago. After his passing, I noticed that there was no heist notice sent by the phantom thief. From there, I conclude the high possibility of Kuroba Kaito taking the mantle of Kaito KID from his father.”

“I see,” Shinichi murmured. He remembers Kaito talking about his father once or twice but somehow failed to make the connection between that and the past instances of the phantom thief. He wondered if his feelings for Kaito might have clouded his judgment and obscured his views.

“I could go on about the rest of my findings but I think you and I both know the truth at this point,” Haibara stated. “My question remains, though. What do you plan to do about it?”

For a moment, silence fell between them. It would be so much easier for Shinichi if he didn’t have any feelings for both Kaito and KID. He could easily confront the guy about it and decide his next steps from there. It’s difficult when he has to take his own feelings into the equation.

Seemingly able to sense his plight, Haibara slides her phone on the table in Shinichi’s direction. “Check out the news, Kudo-kun.”

Shinichi can feel his eyes widen as he reads the headline written on the page. “That guy.”

“I think you know what you should do for now,” Haibara said. “For now, rest. You look awful.”

The detective nodded his head. He has to gather his energy for tomorrow. After all, he has a heist to attend to.

The heist went on as it usually does, with the phantom thief taking the police and the general audience by surprise despite the heist notice being sent prior to the event. Soon, Shinichi finds himself rushing towards the rooftop of the building to catch the phantom thief while the police team is still falling over themselves thanks to the distraction set beforehand. It took all the energy he had in his body to climb up the emergency stairs but Shinichi is determined to confirm his theory.

I need to see it, he thought to himself as he climbed up the last few steps left. I need to see him with my own eyes.

When he slammed open the rooftop door, the detective was nearly blown away by the strong night wind. Still, he perseveres and continues to move forward as his eyes locate his target. There, standing on the rooftop ledge is the phantom thief himself in all of his glory. Seemingly able to detect Shinichi’s presence, the thief turned around to face the detective.

“Detective.”

A different voice, Shinichi thought to himself though he quickly dismissed it since he’s more than familiar with the thief’s disguise skills.

“Long time no see, KID,” the detective said as he made his way closer to the moonlight magician.

“Is that so?” KID said, softly as if it’s not intended to be heard by Shinichi. “Well, detective, I’d love to stay and chat but I’m afraid I have overstayed my welcome.”

As if on cue, the rooftop door was once again slammed open to reveal a team of police officers. Before Shinichi could say anything, the thief made his way out by jumping off the rooftop ledge without a glider. The detective is about to brush it off as yet another one of the thief’s tricks until he sees a flash of panic written on the thief’s face before the latter disappears into the night.

There is a problem with the glider, the thought keeps running through Shinichi’s head as he runs past through the sea of people. He has to go back to his place. He needs to make sure that the thief- no, Kaito makes it.

The journey back to his apartment took way longer than Shinichi expected and he almost wished he was back in his “old” body so he can simply pass through the crowd using his skateboard. Nevertheless, he managed to arrive back at his own apartment building with minimal traffic violations. Quickly, he rushes towards the elevator and presses the floor number for Kaito’s apartment unit.

Once the elevator door opened, Shinichi wasted no time running toward Kaito’s unit and practically bangs on the door. At this point, he doesn’t even care if Kaito is KID or not. All he cares about is Kaito’s safety and wellbeing. He needs to know that the other man is safe and not at all injured and he needs to see it with his own two eyes.

“Shinichi? What are you doing here?”

Before he can stop himself, Shinichi finds himself pulling Kaito into a hug. Kaito is safe. His friend is safe. Shinichi might be wrong about his theory but Kaito is safe.

“Shinichi, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

At the second mention of his name, Shinichi quickly pulls himself away. “I just- I just-.”

I just needed to see you. The words are on the tip of his tongue yet Shinichi finds it surprisingly difficult to utter them. Thankfully for him, Kuroba seems to be able to sense that there’s something wrong with him and says,

“Well, come inside first. It’s not good to talk in the hallway.”

Shinichi nodded and followed suit, making his way into Kaito’s unit, something he has done several times before in the past yet somehow feels different tonight. The two of them make their way past the living room and towards the kitchen area, where Kaito gestured for Shinichi to take a seat on one of the kitchen island stools.

“I’ll make you some tea,” is what he said before turning away from Shinichi and facing the other side of the kitchen.

Had Shinichi turned his attention away for even a second, he would have surely missed it. There’s an open wound located on the right side of Kaito’s body. An open wound that looks as if it was hastily treated. An open wound that looks fresh enough as if it was made just very recently.

“I hope you like peach tea because-“

Azure met indigo as Shinichi places his hands as gently as possible on the right side of Kuroba’s body, causing the latter to immediately stop his words. Shinichi could search for confirmation in Kaito’s eyes but at the moment, something more important occupied his mind.

“Do you have a first-aid kit?” the detective asked.

The magician nodded his head and pointed towards the living room area. “In the cabinet under the TV.”

“Okay.”

The two of them didn’t say anything as they made their way toward the living room area. Once the first-aid kit was in hand, they both sat on the sofa and Shinichi began his work. For what it’s worth, the wound does not seem to be very deep and it didn’t take him long to properly clean and bandage it. Kaito, on his end, remains quiet, aside from the occasional wince. Once he feels like he’s done, Shinichi moves back slightly to further observe the now-covered wound.

Silence fell between the two of them and Shinichi began to wonder if coming to check on Kaito was a mistake after all. Relationships are fragile things and, out of all people, Shinichi himself should have known this. However, as he looks at the bandages wrapped around Kaito’s body once again, Shinichi decides that no matter what the outcome of tonight’s event is, he’s glad he could at least help Kaito in some way.

“Do you want to stay the night?”

Once again, their eyes met as Shinichi looked up to meet Kaito’s stare.

“Are you sure?” he asked, careful as to not further disrupt the balance.

“I’m sure.”

There isn’t much to be said as the two of them step inside the comfort of Kaito’s king-size bed yet Shinichi recalls feeling nothing but peace as he closes his eyes and lays down next to Kaito.

When Shinichi opened his eyes in the morning, it took him a couple of seconds before he finally remembered where he was. The bed is empty aside from him but he can smell the faint scent of something cooking in the kitchen thanks to the slightly opened door. The memory of the previous night’s event is still fresh in his mind as he made his way out of the room and to the kitchen area.

There, sitting on one of the dining chairs is the homeowner himself. With a smile on his face, Kaito used his left hand to wave at Shinichi before greeting him.

“Good morning, detective.”

A small smile made its way to Shinichi’s face as he heard Kaito’s voice, the same voice that greeted him on the rooftop of a museum just last night.

“Good morning, Kaito,” Shinichi said, as he took a seat on one of the chairs across from Kaito.

For a moment, the two of them merely stare at one another, not exchanging a single word nor paying attention to all the breakfast food laid out on the table. There isn’t a manual to confront your friend for their supposedly criminal activities, although Shinichi wishes there was. It took him a while but he finds himself finally able to answer Haibara’s questions.

There’s also the probability that Kuroba Kaito is Kaitou KID. If that happened, what would you do? Will you be able to turn him in?

No , Shinichi thought to himself, I won’t be able to turn him in . He is sure of that which prompted him to be the first to break the silence between the two of them.

“Whatever happens here will stay between the two of us,” he stated, before adding, “I won’t force you to explain anything to me but I thought I should let you know that I will never purposely harm you in any way.”

Kaito smiled at him and Shinichi could feel his chest tighten. He wasn’t able to properly process his feelings last night but after seeing the phantom thief once again, he came to a realization.

Shinichi Kudo is in love with Kaitou KID and, if his theory is correct, Kuroba Kaito.

“Thank you, detective, for your understanding and also your help last night,” Kaito said. “Now, I supposed you must have your own suspicions or theory so I’d like to ask you - how should we go about everything?”

“Let’s go through it from the very beginning.”

Their beginning and first encounter are not on an early morning at the Blue Parrot cafe, but in the middle of a heist at a clock tower. Ever since that day, the two of them have taken different roads, only occasionally meeting whenever the occasion arose. There was a farewell somewhere in the middle of it all before the roads crossed once again. This time not as a detective and a phantom thief but as Kudo Shinichi, a university student who woke up too early one morning, and Kuroba Kaito, a waiter who is always ready to greet his customer even in the earliest morning.

“Did something happen to your glider yesterday?”

“Yes, it malfunctioned. My phone died and I couldn’t operate it hence I had to make an emergency landing. That was how I got my injuries.”

“That would explain why I couldn’t call your phone. How did you make it back here then?”

“My assistant saved me.”

“In such speed?”

“I’ve had years of practice, detective.”

Silence fell between them once again, though this time it was slightly less suffocating than it was better. Still, Shinichi finds himself having difficulties uttering his words. He has so many questions and yet, how is he supposed to find the answers to them if he cannot even ask the questions in the first place?

“I never got to properly say this but I’m sorry for leaving so suddenly years ago.”

Shinichi blinked. Once. Twice. Eventually, he settles and says, “There’s no need to apologize. I know what happened.”

“You deserved a proper farewell.”

“We didn’t have a proper communication channel back then. Also, I moved out of my old place.”

“Then I thank you for your understanding once again.”

There isn’t much to say afterward and the two begin to have their breakfast in silence. Once they finished up, Shinichi watched as Kaito lifted the plates and made his way to the sink, Shinichi found himself wondering where they should go from here. A sigh escaped his lips as his eyes met his watch and he cursed himself internally for having a scheduled meeting today.

“Oh, Shinichi, do you need anything else?”

His legs had carried him all the way from the dining table to the sink, where he now stood right next to Kaito. Before he could control himself, faster than his brain could process his actions.

Kaito smells nice , He thinks. Really nice.

His lips; have they always been this perfect? And his eyes— was it his imagination or were they a little brighter than they were earlier?

A beat passes. Then two. Finally, he closes the distance between them, Shinichi tastes Kaito’s surprise only for a moment before they settled into a rhythm as their lips are molded against each other. Seconds passed with only the sound of sharp gasps and slicked lips getting reacquainted. It was clear that neither wanted to stop.

Still, Shinichi pulled away.

“I have to go,” he mumbled, softly as if afraid of ruining whatever it is they have between them.

“I know,” Kaito replied.

“Dinner tonight?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

There are still so many things that they have to discuss, namely, where should they go from here on out. Despite it all, Shinichi finds himself feeling more at peace than he has ever been before. His theory turned out to be correct, Kaito still wanted to see him, and Shinichi could finally move again.