Author's notes: Okay. I admit it. I'm a big liar. More late updates, apologiessss. ; ; If only the summer holidays would hurry up and get here already. (Still a week left, ugh.)

It couldn't have been a more beautiful day. The sun was out, warm and welcoming, only a few colonies of clouds could be seen - pure white puffs lazing by peacefully...

Yet something was wrong. Something didn't feel right. Conan-. No, Shinichi stared forward in bewilderment at the one he was facing, standing opposite from him. Ran? What was she doing there? What is she wearing? Is that a...? Yes. It was a wedding dress. They were... Getting married?

"I do." Were the first words the detective heard from the previously silent and somewhat foggy vision. Did Ran say them? No, he did!

Alarm bells were ringing in his mind but the scene continued regardless. He wanted so badly to turn around and look for Kaito, call out his name, anything, but he couldn't even control his own body. Something like this would've, previously, been so positive to him but was now turning out to be his worst fear. Shinichi knew he didn't want this. He really did love Ran, she meant a lot to him, but as a friend only.

The young adult detective's heart rate escalated as the pastor proclaimed the last few words, finalising the ceremony.

"I now pronounce you, man and-"

NO!

Conan shot out of his bed, the volume of his own voice startling him into the waking world. Breaking into a cold sweat, his vision flashed from left to right, taking into account his surroundings. It was only his room.

Oh. It would be difficult to top the relief he felt yesterday after KID's escape from his young group of "super-sleuths", but this came pretty darn close.

Gradually he slid back into his sleeping haven again. Judging by the fact it was so dark he could barely see, it was probably the middle of the night. Great... The chibi-tantei mentally remarked sarcastically. If it wasn't over psychoanalysing KID his mind kept him awake with, it was nightmares. Wonderful. What time had he gone to bed anyway? Ah. Right. He had fallen asleep on the couch whilst his friends went searching for his football. Flicking on his watch light, it was clear they'd found it too, the empty place in his shelf very apparent. Well, despite the annoying fact they hadn't returned it, at least these memories meant he had still had a reasonable amount of sleep. The spike-haired girl had probably returned him to his room after she and Mori got back, which was considerate of her. Sighing for approximately the 100th time that week, the child-in-appearance shook the girl's memory out of his mind. Matters were complicated enough as it was.

Ugh. Speaking of complicated... Ah, yes. What other trouble had his loving 'enemy' caused? Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out both his alter ego's and his own phone. Leaning bank and sinking into his pillow, the overworked case-solver re-tucked himself under the blanket covers and paused to consider whether he should bother checking either of the calling device's messages. It's not like I'm going back to sleep anyway, I suppose. Reluctantly agreeing with that thought, Conan pulled out his younger-form's phone first, often preferring to use it due to the simple fact it was newer. Feeling a bit more relaxed now, as the memory of the dream continued to fade, he held the on-button in place whilst the small machine's screen blinked into life. A dim light welcomed his tired eyes and casted a shadow in the shape of his small figure, illuminating him within the darkness. Going through the usual motions to reach the stored inbox, he reached for his glasses by the bedside table - not necessarily needing them but becoming so used to his eye accessory that it provided a bit of comfort. A bit of normality - well, his kind of normality - in what seemed to be an ever increasing, complicated mess.

"You have 1 new message. View/Ignore" His phone unemotionally informed him through the plain, typical pop up message box.

To most, it probably wouldn't be much of a surprise. After all, why would someone ask for number (or in Kaito's case, "steal" it) if they weren't going to send anything? Regardless, Conan was unprepared and felt a spike of anxiety in worry at what the troublesome thief could've wrote. Hesitantly, he tapped view and waited a brief millisecond for the text to appear.

"Hi, tantei-san!" It began, the moonlight magician's enthusiasm seeping through his words, the other's well-known voice clear in the young detective's mind as he read further on. "Which phone would you prefer I call you on? P.S. here's mine, if it doesn't show up on your phone: [numbers]."

Relieved, though he wasn't sure what exactly he was worried about in the first place, the tip of Conan's thumbs hovered over the letter keys - preparing to type something up. Hmm, hang on, perhaps I should wait until tomorrow. I doubt he'd appreciate receiving a text at... A quick glance at the digital time on his mobile confirmed the partial-insomniac's suspicions - it had just gone 2am. But then again, Kaito's had been sent pretty late too, not longer than an hour ago, and it was pretty clear he was used to being up in the early hours of the morning. Ah. What the heck. Bored and unable to get anymore rest, he shrugged off his concerns and began tapping up a reply.

"This one, since it's a more recent model and I have to always answer Shinichi's with his voice. And, uh, thanks..." The child-in-appearance scratched the back of his head awkwardly, pausing in thought but drawing a blank on what else to say. Though he used to text quite a bit back in high school, when he was Kudo Shinichi, that was some time ago now and he usually just utilised his group's customised detective badges to communicate from a distance. Not to mention Conan found it difficult enough to talk to the other verbally, never mind hold up a conversation in writing. Trying not to think of it as a big deal, why would I care what that thief thinks anyway, he pressed 'send'.

"Ah, what am I doing..." He mumbled to himself, lying a greater fraction back and setting his phone down by his side. "I can't be doing this with Kaito. What is our relationship now? Are we- are we dating?" The mere mention of the word had Conan straight back up again, heat ascending to his face in a matter of moments.

Shaking his head fervently in denial, though logically what else could it really be, he tried to force out those intrusive thoughts. It had all happened so fast. One minute he was all geared up ready to put his former-enemy behind bars for breaking the law, like any detective worth his or her salt should, and the next they were sharing text messages in the middle of the night like close friends. In fact, just by not informing the authorities of the infamous crime-doer's whereabouts, wasn't he himself going against the legal system? This needs to stop-.

But, as fate would have it, before he could let his morals interfere with his heart's wishes, a certain sound brought that train of thought to a screeching halt. It was his phone vibrating against the bed - signalling that Kaito had some more words for him. After a few surprised blinks, he reached for the object and flipped it open, scanning the reply before him.

"Oh, hey, you're up too? Ha, I expected frowny, brooding detective types like you to need to catch up on their beauty sleep." Conan disapprovingly furrowed his brows at this. If it wasn't for your damn stunts, I would be... "How're you, anyway?"

Although it wasn't exactly an abnormal thing to ask, the chibi-tantei was slightly taken aback. It was... Odd to have such an ordinary, genuine question from the often devious and cunning magician.

"Ha, ha. Very funny." His sarcasm evident even through the typed letters. "Also, at least I'm not like a certain nocturnal magician, who's been up since 1am. And, eh, if you minus all the worry you caused yesterday then I'm fine." Hm. Well, that wasn't so hard. Though he couldn't shake the feeling this wasn't right, he reasoned, it wasn't exactly wrong either.

After all, they were just talking. That's all. In fact, it was kind of nice. Swapping verbal - or in this case, written - blows with his arch-rival was something he did privately enjoy and something they didn't get to do too often (given that the few and far between moments they did speak to one another were when Kaito was committing a crime, which meant the believer-of-only-one-truth had a duty to stop him). Even now that the criminal magician had made it his favourite hobby to do certain things to Conan under the bed sheets, still most of their dialogue remained a hazy memory in the younger-in-appearance's mind thanks to all the physical sensations the other had assembled within him during those seemingly brief periods. Certainly, this was a rare moment. Not only due to the reasons stated previously but also because, for Conan, this may be in fact one of the first times he'd been able to idly chat to someone of a similar intelligence level to himself without some sort of competition going on (i.e. what his conversations with most of his fellow detectives were like).

"Hey, dazzling magic like mine takes a great deal of planning - not like you nosy clue-hunting lot would understand." Appeared the reply. "And you're fine, huh? Then perhaps it's a good time for me to pay a little night visit and make you feel even better?" N-night visit? Oh no, please don't tell me he's serious...

"No! That's not necessary at all." As much as he wanted to retort to that initial comment, Conan hastily sent the short text, fearing that his eager rival would've already set off for his home.

"Got'cha! I was only kidding. You should come over to my place sometime, though, you know."

And so their conversation continued. Kaito was pretty quick with his responses, so Conan need not wait long for any replies. Though his lover was as teasing as always, Conan still found himself being cheered up and - despite a lack of physical presence - the hours of the new day passed quickly. It was then his former-enemy, more seriously, again suggested they meet up.

"Hey, it's almost morning. Unless you're busy, feel like paying me a short visit?" He light heartedly suggested, as if they were any other couple, without all the complications the two had. "I'm sure you've already figured out where I live."

"Well, I... I'm not busy." Hm. That was true enough. Unless any cases popped up, he'd be free the whole day. Sure, he could spend it with his friends, but he really didn't want to be confronted about the whole ball thing right now. Plus, there was Ai to worry about, who was becoming increasingly more sharp about what exactly was going on with the little detective. "But what if someone sees me going over to your house?"

"Ha, I'm not worried. But, if you're concerned about your safety, the option of me picking you up is still available."

How on earth can he be so relaxed about this? The child-form of Shinichi wondered, figuring his rival was an ultra-cautious maniac seeing as no one had ever found evidence proving he was KID. Ah, well... His options were pretty limited anyway. It was either have his fellow 'detective boy' members drowning him in questions or spending the day with the other. Of course there was the cognitive dissonance he felt at willingly falling into his definitely-not-lover's arms but, that too, seemed preferable to the alternative.

"I have no idea how you weren't caught from day 1 with that frivolous attitude of yours." Pushing the covers off him, the sound of the birds chirping outside proving it was indeed morning, he noticed his shoes placed neatly at the end of the bed. Sigh. Why did the girl he used to love have to be so considerate? It just enhanced the guilt he felt at doing all this.

"So, I take that as a yes?"

"...I'll be there."

Thereafter, he clicked his phone shut, and got to the task of changing yesterday's clothes he'd slept in. Glancing at his watch, it was very early indeed, which hopefully meant no one would be around. He sincerely was just running away from all his problems right now; the chibi-tantei disappearing for a day wasn't going to help his case with Haibara at all. Or Ran for that matter. Regardless of all that, as well as his own reluctance to confess what was truly going on between him and the thief, Conan just couldn't help but be drawn to him. It was wrong, it was dangerous, but - a teeny tiny part of his mind argued - that's what made it so appealing.

~ text ~

Hah! I can't believe it. Were KID's giddy thoughts, as he adorned his pure white cape and usual garments necessary to complete his alter ego's persona. I just can't believe it! He actually agreed to come. Even after his blunt confession the other night, and the child-in-appearance's passive acceptance of it, so much about their relationship remained uncertain. The fact that, however reluctantly, his lover was reciprocating some of his feelings was a real relief to the now fully-dressed crime-doer. He didn't need to but, somehow, KID just seemed to be closer to his real self then typical old Kaito Kuroba. Plus, a thief and a detective sounds much more poetic than just a student and one, right?

"Huh... I'm going to be the host this time." He murmured aloud to himself, pausing to consider what this meant for him. "Wonder if I should prepare something?"

Well. Conan probably would be pretty hungry but it wasn't as if he had enough time to make anything particularly, other than a sandwich or two. Ah, if only we could just go out and eat like your everyday average couple. Then it'd be a date. That was true enough. It wasn't as if the infamous Kaito KID and his ultimate rival could just waltz out into the street without the police being notified. In that case, it wouldn't just be himself who suffered the ramifications of those actions either; the child-in-appearance would be put under scrutiny. Though he wasn't entirely sure what had happened with Shinichi, he knew by how cautious his former-enemy was bad publicity wouldn't help his situation.

"Wait a minute." Who said they had to go out as thief and detective? How could I forget!? I don't have the title of 'master of disguise' for nothing. Then the only question was little Conan. Eh, it'd probably be easy enough for him to make the other unrecognisable as well. With all the dangerous cases that kid seemed to be involved in, he'd honestly be surprised if the child-form of Shinichi had never passed himself off as someone else - though they'd probably have to be of a young age.

~ text ~

Having freshened up at home and snuck out successfully, the only task that remained for the chibi-tantei was to reach his lover's-. No. Friend's- Still no. Rival's (yes) living place. Fortunately it was only a short distance away and, like KID had assured him, the streets were relatively empty. Not much of a shocker, really, considering the sun was still in the process of rising - making it still fairly dark. Not that it worried Conan, however, who had the typical artillery at his disposal - belt, shoes, bow-tie, glasses, etc. - and would readily use it given an opportunity. Heh. Even Kaito knew his camouflaged weaponry was a force to be reckoned with; especially since he'd seen (or, more precisely, felt) for himself exactly what the combination of Conan's belt and power up sneakers, in particular, could do and had found himself being smacked in the face with a well-aimed ball on plenty of occasions.

That gave him a good bit of satisfaction as the small detective passed the place he'd yanked the magician aside, in that alleyway, when he was on his way back from school. Yes. It certainly wasn't far now. The thief was right about one thing - Kudo did know where his house was. It just seemed so obvious to Conan, figuring out where a person had been from examining minor details present on themselves or their clothing. Even with just a brief glance, such as when he'd stuck on a tracker (which unfortunately was probably either left at that girl's house or out of commission) on the other, it was obvious to him the type of ground Kaito had walked on. Indeed, minute details were as clear as day to the intelligent physically-a-child, which meant it took little time to identify the other's house by comparing the other front gardens within the area.

Approaching the door, his pace slowing a fraction in apprehension at how the law-breaker would decide to greet him, the child-in-appearance eventually reached the entry way and delicately knocked, awaiting a response. Rather than an immediate 'hello', he saw the handle turn and the door creak open a fragment, enough for him to get inside. Hm. Perhaps more careful than I thought. But, as soon as the chibi-tantei stepped inside, Kaito provided him with a proper welcoming.

"Kudo-kun!" Shutting the door as soon as his lover entered; a big grin was etched on his facial features, not dissimilar from the one his cocky doodles usually had. Jerking his little lover's body off the ground and into a tight embrace, unable to hold off his desire for a physical interaction after all those hours of pure virtual typed communication.

"Agh, KID!" Was the flustered reply, surprised - though he shouldn't be by now - by his rival's incredibly enthusiastic manner.

Still with the younger-in-appearance in his arms, in his opinion where the other belonged, he used that old trick he'd done with Aoko all those years ago. Simple, be that as it may, it was a nice one he liked to use outside of heists. As if from nowhere, a scarlet rose materialised in his gloved hand, held for Conan to take.

"I offer you my most courteous greetings, tantei-kun." Kaito's tone as smooth as silk, his grin lessening into a pleasant smile.

"Oh... Er, thank you." The child-form of Shinichi took it gingerly, sure to avoid any thorns, until he noticed there weren't actually any attached. ...Considerate. As much as he wished it weren't so, Conan just couldn't control the warmth rising to his cheeks, letting KID know the true underlying emotions stirred thanks to all this. Ever since the first night it all began, his heart seemed to speed up whenever they was close to one another. In fact, thinking over it, perhaps before it did as well. Back when he was actually doing his job as a detective, though then he could merely owe it to the thrill of the chase and challenge; the same reason couldn't really be used here.

"Very welcome, Kudo-kun." The thief went on, feeling wholly content with the situation. Whether Conan admitted it or not, he had come of his own free will, and - for the moment - that was enough. His body language told Kaito all he wanted to know, anyway, though a verbal confirmation would definitely be appreciated.

And, for a short while, there was silence. Not an awkward one, no, more peaceful. There were times when no real words had to be said to get one's thoughts across and this was one of those such moments. KID was grateful just to have the chibi-tantei there and the glasses-wearing-boy, in return, was relieved to be briefly away from his problems and not deal with all the suspicion building up around him. Not that it was unfounded, or that what he was doing wasn't wrong, but still he'd prefer to keep it uncertain. Vague. That way he didn't have to face up to his feelings and the fact that they were well past the budding stage and already had begun blooming.

But it couldn't last forever. Fleeting moments of escape were just that: fleeting. And, whether he liked it or not, the conflicted detective would have to admit to it eventually. For example, right now, when the one now loosely holding him finally spoke up.

"So, tell me, what made you agree to come here?"

Author's notes: Wahh, I wish I knew Kaito's phone number! (Well, if he were real that is...) Drop a review if you enjoyed, every time I see one it really motivates me to get a bit more writing done. ^^ (Can't thank you all enough!)