If you ever wish to see it again, come to the place of our first battle. I'll be waiting outside when the time reads my name. Don't be late! 3

Shinichi resisted the urge to crumble the paper and throw it away. Just because he had been too busy to go to any heists since he'd returned did not make this necessary. What could he possibly want? And besides, how was he supposed to make it up to the thief if he didn't even know what he looked like?

Irritable, but resigned, Shinichi grabbed his keys and left his apartment.

All he wanted to do today was read his new book and relax. Was that too much to ask?

Shinichi settled in to wait outside the Ekoda clock tower at 2:00 p.m. In 12 minutes, at "14:12," the thief would probably reveal himself dramatically. Shinichi could then ask for his book back and head home for the rest of the day.

Shinichi glanced about, people watching as he waited. One person was having an affair. One woman was just out of a breakup. Three people were irritated that someone had joined their outing, presumably uninvited. One person was…

Hakuba Saguru? What was he doing here? Wasn't he usually in London?

Hakuba met his gaze and looked equally surprised. He walked quickly over; his companion followed at a more sedate pace, looking smug. Shinichi narrowed his eyes.

"Kudou, isn't it?" Hakuba asked.

Shinichi tensed somewhat when he realized that he'd only met Hakuba as Conan. Right. Awkward. Unless… He wasn't sure whether or not Hakuba knew that he was Conan. Damn.

"That's right. I believe you've met a, uh, family friend of mine. Edogawa Conan?" Shinichi waited for a sign of recognition before he smiled through his discomfort. "Conan, uh, told me all about you; you really made an impression on him."

"Is that so? How is he, by the way? He was very bright for a boy of his age." Hakuba looked curious, considering him closely. No doubt picking up the similarities, though he seemed to shrug them off. Too bad.

His friend looked like he was having a good time, relaxed while he watched their exchange. The guy was really rubbing Shinichi the wrong way. Nearly his height, messy brown hair, light eyes, cheeky grin… Shinichi was missing something vital.

"Hey, Hakuba, who's your friend?" the guy asked, nudging Hakuba's shoulder with his. Hakuba frowned at him, narrowing his eyes. Hakuba looked at his friend like Shinichi had seen him look at petty criminals. That was interesting.

"Kudou Shinichi, this is my… friend, Kuroba Kaito. Kudou is a detective," Hakuba told Kuroba sternly.

"Kudou… You don't mean that guy who was in all the papers a while ago, do you?" Kuroba asked. The way he was grinning led Shinichi to believe Kuroba already knew exactly who he was. Also interesting. "And Conan was that kid who went up against Kaitou Kid, right?"

"That was me, and that was my cousin," Shinichi agreed. He glanced at his watch; 2:15 p.m., so that thief should already…

Unless…

"I believe we've met before, Kuroba," Shinichi said, considering.

"No, surely I'd remember meeting such a famous detective," Kuroba teased.

"It would have been here, actually. A few years ago, but I'm sure it was you." Kuroba winked at him when Hakuba turned to face Shinichi. That sneaky son of a bitch… First he steals the one thing Shinichi wanted to do on his day off, and then taunts him? "Yes, I'm absolutely sure. You were at the Kid heist. I'm fairly certain I saw you there."

"You've been to a heist, Kudou?" Hakuba asked, looking both interested and deeply suspicious.

"Only the one," Shinichi shrugged. "After that, a pretty big case came up, and ever since I solved it, I've been swamped with work. In fact, today is the first day off I've had in weeks."

Kuroba froze.

"That's too bad. What are you doing out here on your day off?" Hakuba asked. "We're not keeping you from anything, are we?"

"No, not at all," Shinichi waved away his concerns, looking at Kuroba. "I was just going to stay in and read a new book today, but it turned out I'd lost it, somehow. I was considering buying a new one after getting a late lunch."

"Would you like to join us then? It wouldn't be any trouble," Hakuba suggested. "I'd love to hear about the work you've been doing lately. I'm sure it must be interesting."

"Mostly murders, to be honest. They don't make for good lunch conversation, I've been told." Shinichi grinned. "Since it's you, though, I don't think it'll be as much trouble. Although you have to tell me about the recent Kid heists."

Kuroba looked pleased from where Shinichi could see him in his peripheral vision.

"You're interested in thieves?" Hakuba asked, sounding surprised.

"Conan told me a lot about Kid, and evidently the reverse was also true. Ever since I got back I've been receiving heist notices in the mail," Shinichi said, keeping his voice airy. Hakuba glared at Kuroba. So everyone knew, then. That was fun. If only Hakuba could figure him out.

"It's a shame you've been so busy," Hakuba said. "I would have loved your assistance. You said you lost your book?"

"Oh, yes. I believe it likely flew out the window," Shinichi said, not looking at Kuroba. "I could have sworn I left it by my chair, but it was gone this morning."

Hakuba, when Shinichi glanced at him, no longer looked annoyed and suspicious, he looked… thoughtful. He met Shinichi's eyes and considered him for a moment.

"The two of you wouldn't mind if I left, would you? I've just remembered some business I must attend to." Hakuba said, glancing between him and Kuroba. Shinichi raised an eyebrow. "Kudou, you and I will have to reschedule, maybe some other lunch break, alright?"

"Of course," Shinichi assured him.

"I don't mind," Kuroba said, sounding satisfied. He was the cat that ate the canary; Shinichi wasn't sure whether or not he was the canary.

Hakuba left them with another apology and a bow, and then they were alone on the street.

After a moment, Kuroba said, "I suppose I should have realized that work must have picked up now that you're no longer a child, but it honestly didn't occur to me. My apologies."

"Why did you call me all the way out here and give up your identity?" Shinichi asked.

"I missed you," Kuroba said. Before Shinichi had much time to dwell on the admission, Kuroba continued. "As for sharing my identity… It didn't seem fair to know your secrets and not share my own. Especially not when I want to be able to see you outside of heists."

"What?" Shinichi blurted, his feet catching on the pavement. Kuroba placed a steadying hand briefly at his back before pulling away again.

"Like I said, I missed you. And if the older you can't attend heists, I figured I'd find some other way to see you." Kuroba hesitated before adding, "Although, I thought you were just avoiding me. It hurt."

Shinichi wasn't sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, he felt bad. He and Kid had reached a kind of accord while he was Conan. They were both wearing masks and didn't have to pretend otherwise when they were alone. They'd had a give and take, and heists were the best part of being Conan. On the other hand, Kid was a strange thief to miss having a detective around.

Either way, he supposed Kid deserved the truth. Kuroba deserved the truth.

"I tried, you know," Shinichi said. "I solved each riddle and planned to go, but someone was always getting killed in some strange manner that required my assistance. Or on the way to the heist."

"Seriously? You tried, and then people would die, just like that?" Kuroba asked, looking incredulous. Shinichi shrugged.

"One of them was a suicide. He landed across the street when I was walking to the hotel the heist was at. He'd tried to make it look like a murder."

Kuroba paled, his nose wrinkling in distaste.

"Only you, detective." Kuroba sighed. "Well, if you were trying, that means we just need to plan for the Death God Factor. Now that we have each others' phone numbers, we'll be able to plan ahead," Kuroba said cheerfully.

Shinichi pulled out and flipped open his phone, checking his contacts. Sure enough, Kuroba Kaito was entered, complete with a picture of the Kid doodle as his icon. Shinichi shook his head, pocketing his phone.

"What's up with Hakuba, by the way?" Shinichi asked. "I didn't expect him to leave so quickly."

"I like to think he's designated himself as my unofficial wingman, but I'm pretty sure he's officially Aoko's." Kuroba laughed.

"Aoko?"

"Ah, she's Inspector Nakamori's daughter. I used to think I'd ask her out when I was done being Kid," Kuroba trailed off, sounding wistful. Shinichi understood the feeling. "As it happens, she joined the police academy, and I'm not ready to end my father's legacy."

"So Hakuba is her wingman, but why would he be acting as yours? What does this situation need a wingman for?" Shinichi asked. He didn't think either of them was ready to reminisce about lost love. He knew he wasn't.

"That's going to be my secret for now, I think. You'll have to come to a heist and ask him yourself," Kuroba cackled. "And now, I must leave you. I have a heist to plan. I'd walk you home, but I have a lot of work to do to make this one spectacular," Kuroba winked at him.

"I told you, something always comes up."

"This time, nothing will, I promise," Kuroba assured him. He turned to walk away before spinning about. "I almost forgot," his hostage appeared in his hands with a quick burst of smoke, "to return your book. Thank you for meeting me, Kudou. It was a pleasure to see you again."

Shinichi took the book, somewhat bemused as Kuroba walked away. Shaking it off, he held the book close and turned to walk home. He had the rest of the day to finish his book, and that was time he wasn't going to waste.

True to his word, somehow, Shinichi had a day off on the day of his heist and did not run into a single crime. Shinichi wanted to be more surprised, but Kid was known as the "Miracle Magician" for a reason. In any event, he was settled somewhat happily at the scene of the impending heist, eyes out for Kid.

Nakamori hadn't exactly been pleased, but Hakuba had vouched for him. After several minutes of arguing, Nakamori relented and Shinichi was allowed to stay. Several officers stuck around to ask about rumors they'd heard, which Shinichi begrudgingly confirmed or denied.

Once Shinichi was alone again, Hakuba made his way over from where he'd been examining the jewel.

"I'm sorry for my behavior when we met the other day. I've learned that when Kuroba is involved, it's best to not get in the way of what he wants." Hakuba stood beside him, but kept his eyes on the room.

"Do you know why he would call you his 'unofficial wingman'?" Shinichi asked. "He seemed amused by it, but refused to answer me."

Hakuba chuckled.

"I wish you could have seen him at the heists you couldn't attend," Hakuba said. "Though he was worse the day after. It wasn't until I saw you the other day that I understood the connection."

"How do you mean?"

"He pouted. I've never seen him so out of sorts, not even before he decided against dating Ms. Nakamori. He spent a lot of time scowling at the news—normally, he reads heist coverage, but he checked the reports on recent murderers caught." Hakuba considered one of the police officers longer than the others before moving on. "I was actually wondering why he hadn't confronted you about it, especially after… Well, it occurred to me that this was a lot of trouble to go to for a one-time heist attendee, but… You aren't a one-timer, are you?"

Shinichi smiled wryly. Hakuba only nodded, and the topic seemed to pass without another comment. Shinichi was relieved that Hakuba had no questions for him, no interest in the hows or whys. He was just glad he wasn't going to have to lie about everything.

"Somehow, I'd never expected a confrontation," Shinichi admitted after another beat. "I did try to attend, but something always came up. I definitely didn't expect him to miss me."

"I doubt he expected it either," Hakuba snorted. "I'm glad you figured it out so quickly, though. It sucked being the only detective who knew."

"So, you're still trying to catch him?"

"As much as you are, I'd bet."

Shinichi and Hakuba smiled at each other. Shinichi caught sight of some suspicious movement on the outskirts of the room and nudged Hakuba's shoulder, nodding to it.

"I was wondering where he'd gone."

"I'm surprised he didn't bug one of us. The privacy was nice." Shinichi shifted his stance, eyes on the prize.

"He can be surprisingly thoughtful sometimes," Hakuba said, equally focused on the increasing activity. "It helps that you're his favorite, I'm sure."

"What?" Shinichi asked, but chaos had already snapped into place with a smokescreen and a blackout. Shinichi shook off the strangeness of being a thief's favorite and fell into the heist. Once he started running, it was easy to forget about everything outside the chase.

Shinichi grinned.

"Bothering me at work now?" Shinichi asked, not looking up from the notes he was taking. Luckily, he worked from home, even as a consultant. The case was almost over with, all he had to do was go over the alibis once or twice more, and he should have everything he needed.

"I wanted to eat lunch with you," Kuroba said, sitting down on his couch.

"Any particular reason?" Shinichi was pretty sure the wife of the victim did it, but he wasn't quite sure when…

"Well, you came to my heist, and you played a very strong game with Hakuba…"

"Uh-huh." It was definitely the wife. But how did she get from one side of town to the other…?

"…But you haven't been responding to any of my texts, so I figured I'd drop in and visit, because I started missing you again."

"She changed the time of death," Shinichi exclaimed, pulling out his phone. "I'll try to reply more often in the future, then," Shinichi told Kuroba as he dialed Megure's number.

"She changed the time of death," Shinichi said when he picked up. "No, the wife. She used a heater to make it seem like the death was earlier than it was. Yes, I'm sure. There should still be evidence on the jacket she was wearing that night. Yes. Yes, I'll bring my notes in after lunch. Good bye."

"Now that you're done, you can eat with me," Kuroba grinned. "I brought ramen from a great place down the street."

"That sounds great," Shinichi said, sitting down beside him. "I haven't eaten since this morning."

"Good thing I came by then," Kuroba preened. Shinichi tried not to laugh as he accepted the bowl. It was like Kuroba thought he would have forgotten to eat. (Takagi and Satou probably would have reminded him. Probably.)

"So, you were working on putting together your first professional magic show, weren't you?" Shinichi asked after his first bite. "How's that going?"

Kuroba beamed at him.

"You read my texts!"

"I read all of your texts; I just get caught up in things before I can reply."

"Lucky for you I can keep up a one-sided conversation!"

Shinichi snorted, shaking his head and taking another bite. Shinichi wasn't planning on telling him, but Kuroba was probably the fastest friend he'd made since meeting Ran as a child or the detective boys as Conan. Haibara had taken a long time to warm up to him, and Hattori had been antagonistic before he gradually cooled off (and stopped making every case they worked together into a competition).

Having a friend so easy to get along with was… nice.

"The last time I saw that smile…" Kuroba said slowly, leaning toward him, "was when you were mentoring those kids of yours a few weeks ago."

"Were you spying on me?" Shinichi blurted, trying to draw attention away from the fact that he'd been smiling at all.

"I was planning on taking you to lunch, but you were with your kids, and I figured it was too soon to meet the family," Kuroba teased. Shinichi blushed in surprise. "But that smile you had just a minute ago, that was your fond smile. You're fond of me," Kuroba pressed his hand to his cheek, batting his eyes.

"Hardly," Shinichi rolled his eyes. "This ramen is just that good."

"No, no, it was definitely me," Kuroba insisted. "You don't need to be embarrassed, Kudou. I won't tell anyone. Well, except probably Hakuba. I like flustering him slightly less than I like flustering you."

"I suppose that's because I'm your favorite?" Shinichi asked. He'd been curious since Hakuba had used the word at the heist. And maybe this way he could fluster Kuroba for a change.

"Obviously," Kuroba said.

Or Kuroba could just answer in his usual cavalier manner. That was fine, too.

"Any particular reason for my being your favorite?"

"That would be telling, detective. There wouldn't be any challenge if I just told you." Kuroba snickered to himself. "Consider it a puzzle for you to solve."

Shinichi rolled his eyes again, but laughed. "Yeah, fine, that sounds fair. You'll tell me if I guess right?"

"Of course. Would you like to start now?"

"Maybe later. I need to think about it."

"Then, in that case, I can tell you about my magic show, since you asked." Kuroba said, putting his empty bowl on the table before launching into his descriptions of the set-up and the other magicians performing.

Before he left, Kuroba managed to pull a promise from Shinichi that he would attend opening night. Shinichi was looking forward to it. He'd always enjoyed magic shows, even if he liked to look for the trick behind them.

The more time Shinichi spent with Kuroba, the more time he wanted to spend with him. It was strange. There weren't many people he wouldn't mind seeing every day, but somehow Kuroba had become one of them. In fact, the only other person he liked seeing as often as possible was Ran, and he'd been in love with her before just loving her.

There was probably a connection there that Shinichi was struggling to make. He didn't want to jump to a conclusion without more information, but the possibility was looking more likely than not.

Shinichi frowned at his coffee.

"Sorry, I'm late," Ran told him a moment later, falling into her seat with a sigh. "I got held up in class. Were you waiting long?"

"Not at all," Shinichi smiled. "It's strange being on this end of things."

Ran laughed.

After that, they fell into the usual catch-up conversation. After darting from topic to topic—classes and cases, mostly—they eventually got onto the topic of love lives. Ran was crushing on someone on her karate team at the university, but wasn't sure he felt the same.

After assuring her that she should consider asking him to get coffee or lunch, Shinichi hesitated. Ran noticed immediately.

"Could it be you have your eye on someone new, Shinichi?" she asked, leaning forward with a wide smile. Shinichi blushed, coughing.

"I—maybe?" Shinichi scratched the back of his head.

"Well, go on, tell me everything, and maybe I can help," Ran encouraged.

"We met on a case ages ago, and then we kept running into each other. Eventually we started hanging out, getting lunch, that kind of thing. I get texts all the time and my response time isn't a problem. I laugh more when we're together, and I'm always on my toes…"

"Shinichi," Ran breathed, wide-eyed, "Shinichi, I think you've actually been dating this person for a while. Your face looks just like Sonoko when she's describing Makoto."

Shinichi blinked. That… actually made a lot of sense. He was always dropping by because he missed him. He brought him his favorite lunch on days the case had been particularly bad. Hakuba was always leaving whenever Kuroba showed up, like he didn't want to get in the way. Kuroba's wingman comment…

"I think you're right," Shinichi said, still thinking about it. All the evidence pointed in that direction. Was that why he was the favorite then?

"Who is this person who managed to stealth date you?" she asked, looking deeply amused. "It's not just anyone who could slip that past a detective's notice."

"His name is Kuroba Kaito. He's an aspiring magician."

"Hmm, and you met this boy on a case?"

"More than one, yes."

Ran gave him a long, considering look. She seemed to be weighing what she knew, trying to come to a logical conclusion.

"If the lunches and hang outs are recent, that means the cases must have occurred when you were… shorter, which means I've met him," Ran declared. Shinichi blinked in surprise, but nodded. "And if it's a boy we've met multiple times that keeps you on your toes…" She trailed off before shaking her head firmly.

"You were doing well, why not guess?" Shinichi asked.

"It's just so crazy, but I know I haven't met anyone called Kuroba and certainly not multiple times, so the only person it could be…" Ran sighed. "This is ridiculous, but do you have a crush on Kaitou Kid?"

Shinichi tried to suppress the blush, but he could feel his ears burning. He smiled somewhat shakily. Ran's eyebrows shot up.

"No, really? I got that right?"

Shinichi nodded, covering his face with his hands.

"I wasn't really sure until a little while ago. About the crush, I mean. He introduced himself to me before the lunches."

"And you're okay with him being a thief?"

"He's not much of a thief, really. He was getting revenge for his father, and now he's keeping the legacy alive. When he makes a name for himself as a magician, he'll probably stop," Shinichi shrugged.

Ran snickered, "You like it, don't you. I remember the way you looked when you heard there was a Kid heist coming up. You've been having a blast, I bet, getting to flirt in your own unique way."

Shinichi spluttered and dropped his hands, "R-Ran, I haven't been flirting during heists, that's—"

Shit. He'd absolutely been flirting during heists. He dropped his head back into his hands with a groan. Heists were like their foreplay, shit. Ran laughed long and hard.

"You should ask him out properly."

"I need to find a way to surprise him. Something so cavalier, he'd never see it coming."

"You could always kiss him hello. That would surprise anyone."

Shinichi grinned at her.

"You're the best, Ran. And thanks for not, well…"

"Threatening to call the cops on him?" she asked, still giggling to herself. "I want you to be happy, Shinichi. And I want to meet him soon, you know."

"I know," Shinichi agreed. "As soon as I have the night off next. We can get dinner. Maybe you could even bring your crush," he winked.

She waved him off, blushing, "Go home, Shinichi. And answer your text messages. You've gotten half a dozen since I sat down."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll call you later, alright?"

"You better. Keep taking care of yourself. And good luck."

The next time Kaito came over, Shinichi was in the middle of taking notes, speaking with a woman about her alibi. He smiled at Kaito briefly before focusing once more. (It was hard, his heart pounding a distracting beat in his chest.)

"Thank you for your time. Yes, you've been a big help. Thank you. You, too." Shinichi hung up, noting down what the woman had told him about a suspect's alibi. There were ways around it, but it seemed unlikely.

The man hadn't even thought to ask the clerk if she remembered him, which was suspicious for an entirely different reason. He was probably covering for someone…

Shinichi sighed. No use thinking about it now. He'd let it settle before coming back to it.

He stepped around his desk and settled onto the couch beside Kaito, accepting the takeout with a tired smile. He leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to Kaito's lips, before leaning back and opening his box.

When he snuck a glance, Kaito was grinning somewhat dopily, his cheeks red. Shinichi smiled, turning back to his food.

"I figured out why I'm your favorite," Shinichi told him, poking at his food.

Kaito pulled the container out of his hands, setting it on the table. Shinichi raised an eyebrow. Kaito just kept smiling, cupping his cheek.

"I thought I was going to have to ask you out on an actual date," Kaito mumbled, leaning in to kiss him lightly. "I wasn't sure you were even paying attention."

"I was gathering information," Shinichi said. Kaito kissed him. "I wanted to be sure."

Kaito kissed him again, longer this time, a little deeper, licking playfully at Shinichi's lips before pulling away. He bumped their noses together.

"And you're sure now?"

"Very."

Shinichi was only a little annoyed that their food got cold. They had a microwave, after all. And really, it wasn't like it was a hardship, kissing Kaito. Although… getting back to work was going to be somewhat… difficult now.