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“Shinichi...” Kaito breathed his name against his lips, so close their lips brushed as Kaito spoke. Then he kissed him.
Shinichi wrapped his arms around the other’s neck as he kissed back. His grip tightened as he felt Kaito lay him back against the mattress, preventing their connection from being broken. The kisses were chaste, both seeking comfort and closeness rather than a more heat inducing intimacy. There would be time for that later, but for now, this was everything they wanted.
Shinichi sighed happily into the kiss.
Kaito drew back. Shinichi forced heavy lidded eyes open, looking at the other in confusion. Kaito cupped his cheek and gave him a smile.
“Shinichi, I love you.”
Shinichi blinked and felt his chest tighten.
It wasn’t the first time Kaito had told him he loved him. He’d lost count of the number of times his boyfriend had said those words. But no matter how many times he heard them, it still made his heart swell.
“I…” His voice trailed off.
Kaito gazed at him patiently, his thumb lightly stroking Shinichi’s cheek.
Shinichi pulled him back down, kissing him with fervor, trying to get his feelings across another way.
He hoped he was successful.
0-0-0-0-0
Shinichi crouched down, studying the shoe prints carefully. Something about them seemed off, but he couldn’t quite figure out what.
“Shinichi, here. Got this for you.”
He looked up and over his shoulder without standing. His eyes met Kaito’s, and he felt his furrowed brow relax. He was smiling before he even registered what the other was holding out to him.
“Coffee?” he asked hopefully.
Kaito rolled his eyes good naturedly, “Yes coffee, for my addict.”
Shinichi reached up and accepted the insulted cup. “Thank you,” he said gratefully. He inhaled the heavenly aroma before taking a sip, not worried about burning himself. Kaito had learned early on in their relationship how impatient he could be with his caffeine, and had taken to delivering him his coffee only once it had reached appropriate drinking temperatures. Sometimes he was embarrassed by how much Kaito spoiled him. But in this case, he took a sip and decided the embarrassment was well worth it.
“Love you~” Kaito answered cheerily.
Shinichi took another drink as an easy excuse for a distraction. His eyes drifted back to the prints.
“Tough case?” Kaito asked.
Shinichi sighed. “I’ve narrowed down the suspects, but haven’t been able to progress much further. Most of the evidence points towards the ex-husband, but he has a really solid alibi. I suspect he’s lying, but these footprints support his word. But there’s just something about them…”
Kaito followed his pointed finger to the footprints in the dried mud and gave them an appraising look. “They look like normal footprints to me, but I know better than to doubt your detective instincts. If you think something is off about them, then it’s probably true.”
“Maybe…” Shinichi said uncertainly.
“Well, from a thief’s perspective, I’m questioning why this person was walking around in the mud in the first place. Look at how deep those prints are, it’s as if they wanted someone to find them! But even if someone wasn’t trying to sneak around like a phantom, wouldn’t the average person still avoid walking in such thick mud? You would think they wouldn’t want to ruin their shoes.”
“Yeah, I thought so too,” Shinichi replied distractedly. The prints were rather deep at a glance, but on further inspection, it wasn’t the whole shoe print that was deep.
Wait a second…
“Kaito, would you say the heel is deeper and more pronounced?”
“Hmm? Yeah, I would say so.”
“And the stride is rather short.”
“Oh yeah, you’re right.”
Shinichi leaned forward further, resting one knee on the ground as he waved his arm. “And look: it’s a bit hard to see, but the direction the dirt has been dragged in?” he said with growing excitement, “It’s going backwards! But when you’re walking, dirt and gravel gets dragged in the direction you’re walking. Meaning the person who made these prints was walking backwards!”
He stood up and turned around, reaching out and gripping Kaito’s shoulders. “The ex-husband faked his alibi, and I know how!”
Kaito gave him a look of pride. “I knew you could do it, Meitantei.”
“Thank you for always believing in me,” Shinichi said in a low voice meant only for Kaito. Then he gave his shoulder another squeeze before turning around to find Megure-keibu.
0-0-0-0-0
Shinichi sat in his permanently reserved balcony seat watching Kaito perform. He’d already seen this particular show a few times, had even figured out most of the tricks and had good guesses for the rest, but he still liked to catch his performances whenever he had the opportunity.
He loved watching Kaito on stage. He seemed to truly come alive in a way Shinichi hadn’t seen since his time as KID. No, even more so. KID had been a sight to behold, for sure, and Kaito had clearly enjoyed his time as the moonlit phantom. But Kaito, up on stage as himself, without the masks or secrecy, without the threat to others from snipers lurking in the shadows, without the weight of his father’s legacy, Kaito shined.
He was distracted when he felt a buzz on his smart watch. He checked the notification on the dimmed screen, then let out an inaudible sigh. Looks like Hattori wanted his opinion on a case.
He excused himself as quietly as he was able. Luckily Kaito had long ago foreseen this happening and so had given him the aisle seat, making for an easy escape. Once he’d made it to the lobby, he called his friend.
“Kudou, thanks for callin’ me back,” Hattori’s voice greeted him.
“Of course, go ahead and run the details of the case by me,” he answered as he exited the theater and waved for a taxi. He knew better than to hope they could wrap this up before the show ended. Might as well head home now.
“Right, so I was out with Kazuha when this guy dropped dead right in front of us…”
“That must have been shocking; can’t imagine what that must have been like,” Shinichi said evenly as he climbed into the cab and buckled his seatbelt.
“Ha-ha, you wanna continue to joke around, or you want me to finish? So as I was sayin’...”
Shinichi listened as the cab drove, occasionally stopping the Osakan to ask a question. Once Hattori finished, they began to run through the case together.
The taxi had long since dropped him off at home by the time they’d solved the case. A glance at the clock told him it was late, and he had received a message from Kaito telling him his production manager wanted to discuss his schedule and not to wait up. He brushed his teeth and changed, then climbed into bed.
He woke some time later to someone climbing into bed beside him. He felt a familiar body spoon him from behind, and Kaito’s scent washed over him. He closed his eyes again, knowing he would sleep easier now that Kaito was home.
“Shinichi, are you awake?” Kaito’s breath tickled the back of his neck, barely a whisper.
“Hmm,” Shinichi sighed, already feeling himself drifting off again.
He felt a kiss placed behind his ear. “Sweet dreams, I love you.”
Shinichi didn’t reply, feigning sleep. But he did turn around until he was facing the other, tucking his head under Kaito’s chin. If Kaito could tell he was awake, he didn’t comment. He placed another kiss into Shinichi’s hair, his fingers tracing meaningless patterns on Shinichi’s back, lulling him back to sleep.
0-0-0-0-0
Shinichi stood outside the coffee shop, leaning against the side of the building and playing on his phone while he waited.
“Um, excuse me?”
He looked up and saw a young woman approximately his age. She was smiling, though she looked a little nervous. “Can I help you?” he asked with a polite smile of his own.
She seemed to relax a little when he smiled at her. “Are you Kudou Shinichi?”
“I am.”
“I thought so! I saw you in the news after solving that kidnapping case. I was so happy that the little girl was returned to her parents safely,” she replied.
“I was as well. When it comes to child abduction, every second is critical. We were very lucky,” he answered, continuing to smile.
The woman shook her head. “It wasn’t luck at all; it's because you’re such a great detective!”
“Thanks,” he said, feeling a little awkward but keeping his smile in place. Even just two years ago, he would have preened at the praise. But a combination of hiding while he was Conan plus his own maturity while growing up had turned him away from that kind of behavior.
“You know, I’ve always been interested in mysteries myself. Do you have any good book recommendations?” she asked. He noticed she was blinking her eyes quite a bit, more so than felt natural. He wondered if maybe she had something in her eye.
“Well, I’m personally a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, but if you want something more modern, my father’s Night Baron series is pretty good,” he answered, watching her blink rapidly in confusion. He focused on each of her eyes in turn. Did an eyelash fall in her eye? Maybe he should suggest she go to the washroom.
“I don’t mind reading something older. Do you think I would like the Sherlock Holmes books?” She asked with her arms folded behind her back while leaning towards him.
‘How am I supposed to know what she will like?’
“I’m not sure,” he answered honestly, “but there’s a bookstore nearby. You could always read the first couple pages of one of the books and see if it captures your interest.”
“Oh that’s a great idea! Would you come with me? I feel like you could help me decide.” She was blinking a lot again while twisting her shoulders back and forth.
“Sorry, but I’m waiting for someone,” he replied, his polite smile starting to feel a little strained.
“Aww, that’s too bad. Are you sure you can’t come with me instead?” she asked with a small pout.
“Hey Shinichi, sorry I’m late.” He felt an arm wrap around him briefly, a hand placed on the small of his back. Just a light touch, almost like a reassurance, although which of them it was meant for, he couldn’t say. Then the hand was gone, Kaito respecting his boundaries against PDA in public.
“Kaito,” Shinichi said in greeting, his smile coming much more naturally now.
The woman looked between them with a small frown, then she sighed in defeat. “Next time just tell me you’re taken. It would have saved me the effort.”
He furrowed his brow in confusion. Effort? What effort? He thought about asking, but she was already leaving. Kaito gave her a small wave as she left. And was it his imagination, or did he look a bit self satisfied?
“How do you think she could tell we were dating?” Shinichi asked him.
“Wait, are you serious?” Kaito asked, looking surprised by what Shinichi thought was a perfectly legitimate question, “You smile at me like that, and you ask how she could tell?”
Shinichi frowned in confusion. “Smiled like what?”
“...Nevermind. Are you ready to go?”
Shinichi thought about pressing for a proper answer, then decided it was a mystery he wasn’t actually interested in. Not compared to the plans he had with Kaito. “Yeah, let’s go.”
0-0-0-0-0
Shinichi closed his book with a snap, causing the magician on the loveseat across from him to— well not jump, his poker face was too well trained for that, but he did freeze for a moment.
“Shini—”
“Your hands,” Shinichi said crossly while gesturing at the deck of cards Kaito was playing with.
“My hands?” Kaito asked, his smile pleasantly neutral. It was a clear admission of guilt.
“Your card cutting is sloppy today.”
Kaito put a hand over his heart, giving a tear-filled smile, “So harsh! Even though we have been dating for nearly a year now, you are still, as ever, my harshest critic.”
Shinichi rolled his eyes. “Oh for the love of— here,” he moved from his chair and took the seat next to Kaito, sitting with his legs pulled up on the cushions, facing the other. Kaito pulled his own legs up and turned to face Shinichi, mirroring him, looking a little confused. Shinichi held out his hand, palm up. “Come on, right hand first.”
Kaito didn’t move for a moment before slowly resting his palm in Shinichi’s hand. Shinichi covered it with his free hand, and began to massage.
“Let me guess,” Shinichi said as he rubbed first the bottom of Kaito’s palm, “You were letting your doves stretch their wings at the park yesterday, and you ended up putting on an impromptu magic show. The show went on too long, and seeing as you hadn’t done any kind of finger warm-ups prior, you strained something.”
Kaito looked surprised, then he smiled in acceptance. “Can’t hide anything from you, Tantei-kun.”
“Idiot,” Shinichi scolded while he paid particular attention to the base of Kaito’s thumb over his palm, “I know you want to make everyone happy, but you can’t over do it.”
“But now I get to be spoiled by my adorable boyfriend, so it all works out~”
Shinichi pinched the skin between his thumb and fingers, startling a yelp from the magician. “If you want a massage, just ask. You don’t need to hurt yourself.” He moved on to Kaito’s fingers, starting at the base and rubbing each phalanx until he’d reached the tip, then moving onto the next finger. “So go on, I’ll listen to your excuse.”
“Well you see, an adorable little girl tripped and fell! Luckily she only knocked the wind out of herself and wasn’t injured, but I think she scared herself, and she started to cry. Of course I had to cheer her up!” Kaito answered.
“Right, and let me guess what happened after that. Some of her classmates came over to watch, so you had to continue doing tricks so they could see them too. And then before you knew it, you had drawn a crowd,” Shinichi replied, massaging each of Kaito’s knuckles with his thumb in turn.
Kaito nodded in agreement. “Exactly. And of course I couldn’t disappoint them.”
Shinichi sighed. “Just… try to take it easy next time. There, how’s that feel?”
“It feels good.” His tone was so soft when he said it, causing Shinichi to look up. Kaito was looking at him with so much love, it made Shinichi’s breath hitch.
“I love you, Shinichi.”
Shinichi swallowed thickly and dropped his gaze back to Kaito’s hand in his lap. “Just take better care of your hands; they are what you use to create magic. Now, left hand,” Shinichi ordered.
He could feel Kaito continuing to watch him, and he knew if he looked up, Kaito would still be gazing at him with that soft expression. But he didn’t look up, instead keeping his eyes focused on Kaito’s left hand, starting the massage process all over again.
Once he was finished, he looked at Kaito’s hand for a moment, before he turned it over and placed a kiss on his palm.
‘Please, let my feelings get through to him.’
0-0-0-0-0
Kaito laughed joyfully. “Man, Tantei-kun, I have no idea why some people say you don’t have a sense of humor. You always make me laugh,” Kaito said while leaning back against the sofa’s backrest, whipping a tear from the corner of his eye.
Shinichi shrugged, feeling pleased. “I don’t know, I guess not everyone appreciates my humor the way you do.”
Kaito chuckled a few more times, then he gave Shinichi a warm smile. “Hmm, Shinichi? I love you.”
Shinichi’s own smile wilted, and he dropped his gaze.
“Shinichi?” Kaito asked, thrown off balance by the change in mood.
“I just… it's not fair.”
“What isn’t fair, love?”
“That!” Shinichi pointed in frustration, “You, so casually throw out the L word all the time, and I can’t say it even once! It's not fair to you!”
Shinichi was prepared for any number of responses. But he was not prepared for Kaito to let out a snort of laughter.
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh,” Kaito responded, not looking sorry at all, “It’s just that you tell me you love me all the time.”
Shinichi frowned at him. “But I haven’t,” he argued, “We have been dating almost a year, and I haven’t said it even once. And I want to, I just… have trouble getting the words out.”
“Shinichi,” Kaito said patiently, “You tell me you love me without your words all the time. You say that I’m always saying the L word, but really I can barely keep up with you! Here, let me show you.”
Kaito scooted closer until he was pressed against Shinichi’s side. He pulled out his phone and held it so they could both see the screen. “Here, look at this picture Ran took of us the other day.”
Shinichi peered at the screen dubiously, then smiled at what he saw. “Oh, that photo. It’s a really good picture of you.”
“Not me,” Kaito said with a smile of his own, nudging Shinichi’s ribs with his elbow, “Look at you.”
Shinichi turned his attention from the Kaito in the photo to himself. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to be looking at exactly. It was just a normal picture of him. In the photo, he was listening intently to some story Kaito was telling, all his focus on him. He looked relaxed, with an easy smile on his face.
Actually, his smile… and that look in his eyes…
Shinichi felt his face burn.
“I didn’t realize I was looking at you like… like that!” he said, covering his red face with his hands.
“You mean like you love me~”
Shinichi groaned in embarrassment. “We were out getting ramen! Anyone could have seen me looking like a love sick fool.”
Kaito chuckled. “If that’s what you’re worried about, I have some bad news for you, love. That’s how you look at me pretty much… all the time.”
“Nooo,” Shinichi moaned, burying his face deeper in his hands.
Kaito laughed and began to rub soothing circles on his back. “Okay, maybe you don’t look at me like that all the time. You show me that you love me in other ways too.”
“Do I?” he asked without removing his hands from his face. He wasn’t even sure if he was asking because he actually wanted to know, or if he just wanted to distract himself from his embarrassment.
“You do,” Kaito assured, continuing to rub slow circles across Shinichi’s back. “Of course I noticed that since we’ve moved in together, you sleep better in my arms.”
“That doesn’t make me feel less embarrassed,” Shinichi grumbled.
“Maybe not, but it points evidence towards my case, and I know you love your evidence~” He could hear the KID-like grin in Kaito’s voice. “You also show that you love me by—”
Shinichi removed his face from his hands and turned to Kaito. “Stop, I get it! You don’t need to continue.”
“Ah, there you are,” Kaito said, cupping his cheek. “I like it better when I can see your eyes, then I can see your love.”
Shinichi frowned, then realized he was pouting, so instead he leaned forward and rested his head on Kaito’s shoulder. Kaito chuckled and wrapped his arms around him.
“You have nothing to worry about,” Kaito reassured. He placed a kiss into Shinichi’s hair. “You always make me feel so loved.”
“That’s because you are,” Shinichi answered in a small voice.
Judging by the way Kaito’s arms tightened around him, he knew he’d been heard.