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This gallery contains 1 photo.
KID starts to configure a plan in his head quickly. His face never gives any change. “Tantei-san, why would I start running? You going to call up your friends?“ he questions, trying to buy a bit more time. There were very few exits that would allow him to get outside. A couple of tricks coming to mind in order to get past the detective.
"Oh no, no, no, my dear Phantom Thief!” Hakuba laughed, shrugging his shoulders – slipping the hand free from his suit jacket to reveal a pair of silver handcuffs.“This is between you and me… I’d hate for this opportunity to be squandered by Nakamori-keibu and his team. After all… I don’t get the opportunity to attend to your heists very often these days.”
Hakuba tilted his head, smile broad and confident. “So what’ll it be, Kid? Are you going to run? …or are you going to let me catch you?”
Damn, It really is Hakuba…
Kaito nodded his head to show that he understood the detective and waited as he felt the bed sink in beside him… Feeling the detective’s fingers work efficiently at the knots of the gag, it was not long before it was removed. Finally… Swallowing down saliva, Kaito cleared his dry throat before attempting to speak after listening.
“What do you mean if I meant to be…” On Hakuba’s bed?! Kaito’s eyes widened slightly behind the blindfold, surprised. “Of course n—" He broke off again… because of an overwhelming desire to… kiss the detective?! What… in the world… is going on?!
His breathing shallowed and his heart started to beat wildly against his chest.“Kiss me, Hakuba-san…” Kaito murmured out softly, unable to stop himself… His lips felt dry and he wetted them with his tongue as he waited blindly for the other man’s response… in anticipation and trepidation…
No… I did not just say that…
To be fair, Hakuba had heard much stranger things from people in his bed, but he hadn’t expected it from Kaito. Especially not when the teenage thief usually spent his time antagonizing the detective. And lying about who he really was. And generally being a completely obnoxious individual in general. And all while the detective had tried to be his friend and confidante! Sort of. At least, in a way.
…Perhaps.
All the same, though… to be caught in this situation was a little too convenient to be a mere trick. The detective looked Kaito over again, lips pressed into a thin line as he considered his options. Hm.
With the faintest of smirks, Hakuba leaned in to press his lips to Kaito’s, but only for a brief moment. It was gentle, it was sweet, and- he hoped -safe. That accomplished, Hakuba pulled back with a wide, victorious grin and reached to remove the blindfold.
“There we are, then, Kuroba-san. Let’s see if we can’t get these tethers from you, shall we? I don’t know how you managed to tie yourself up, but I suppose I’m just the detective, while you’re the magician…"
Keep it Together
Figures he would. Oh well, it wasn’t exactly the most practical plan to get someone to take their pants off. Honestly that wasn’t the intention of her saying so at all, but if quietly musing over private innuendo kept her cool, it was worth the shot. Haha. Shot. Wait no wrong train of thought, that’s definitely the opposite of distraction. “I think it’s funny how saying ‘don’t worry’ almost never makes someone stop worrying. Like ever." Seriously, when was the last time someone said ‘Oh don’t worry about it! Haha’ and you didn’t follow up their words by immediately going ‘oh shit they’re mad oh no i screwed this up oh no did i leave the tv on did I schedule the recording for say yes to the dress tonight shit i didn’t did i’. Well maybe he doesn’t worry about say yes to the dress, but still.
The prompting to call her. Hm. Being friends with a telepath immediately opened the doors to speculating that he’d come to for a slight empathic connection over the past few months with her, but honestly, she hoped, and it was more likely, just the mysterious, fickle thing called “fate” that came to save her this time. “Hakuba-kun, the odds of you ever disturbing me are very slim, at least when it comes to talking to me. I’m dreadful at starting conversations, but I feel very assured when others check up on me, or tell me about their day, yada yada, boring little details.
I’m kind of like a fifties housewife. I get excited to answer the phone and clean to keep myself occupied. Except. Y’know. The whole getting shot thing, I don’t know if that’s considered part of the stereotype." See even now she wasn’t very swell at making small talk. At least now she could sensibly blame some serious stressors for the fumbling.
"Ah- yes, I took care not to rest until I was certain all of the debris had been extracted— I was in the midst of contemplating how to best cauterize the wounds when the hypovolemic shock set in.
Needless to say, I didn’t get very far." And to be honest, she wasn’t very keen on her idea for stopping the bleeding, either. It was a survivalist fix that most would resort to when it came down to no other option- her lighter was in her pocket, so it wouldn’t have taken much travel to do so. Pop off the rod from the towel rack, put the flame to the metal until it’d become borderline malleable in heat, apply to wound…
She’d had to burn another, similar gash shut before. Don’t try it kiddies. Ever.
Ever. "I didn’t exactly trust my hands for stitching at the time, either.”
The small talk and details were encouraging, and they satisfied the detective for the time being. Hakuba removed a good deal of blood, both dried and fresh, from the area, and considered strategic maneuvers for the procedure at hand.
“If it’s all the same to you, I’ll suture the wounds. This particular kit isn’t equipped for cauterizing, though I could manage in a pinch…” Honestly, though, it wasn’t something that he enjoyed doing. The scent of burnt flesh just… Well, Hakuba didn’t like to deal with when it was avoidable.
From the bad he withdrew a compact of phials and a pouch of individually wrapped needles. Hakuba looked to Emi’s face to offer a faint smile as he prepared his tools, selecting one of the glass tubes and setting it aside, then tearing open one of the packets.
“Oh and I should ask… have you had anything for the pain yet, and are you allergic to any medications that you are aware of?"
Really, if it weren’t for the very high probability of early burnout, Saguru could have been a fine doctor. At least for a very short time.
Moonlight Visitor
For all the teasing and baiting, he would be lying if he said that he had expected Hakuba to actually go through with the request. Not even when that hand traced along his cheek and jaw did he allow himself to believe it, gazing up at the detective with a hint of curiosity and teasing, playful – and part serious – expectancy.
And then lips descended upon his own, warm, soft and altogether Hakuba.
The thief’s breath caught in his throat – and maybe, just maybe, there was a brief flicker, a flash of a sensation, of his heart seeming to skip a beat, filling his chest with confusion and realization.
Eyes sliding shut, the corners of his lips twitched into the slightest of a grin and he gently pushed forward to, a little cautiously – and almost, seemingly, shyly, if a person didn’t know him better – return the liplock.
Fingers reached out to curl into Hakuba’s shirt, tightening slightly in an unconscious attempt and want to prevent him from moving away. Not even when the kiss ended and their lips parted did the thief let go. Instead, he chuckled quietly and swiftly leaned in to steal another kiss from the detective, before smoothly – reluctantly – taking a step back and tipping his hat forward to hide the flush blooming on his face.
“I suppose that was adequate enough. For now.”
Adequate. For now. Hakuba chuckled softly at the evaluation, unable and unwilling to hide the pleased amusement that he felt. True, his own cheeks were rosy in that moonlight, but for once he wasn’t embarrassed by it. With space between them, the thief no longer touching, Hakuba slid his hands into his trouser pockets, and shuffled his weight from one foot to the other. He didn’t want to scare the thief off.
“Not impressed?” he asked, light and teasing. Playful. “Kaitou-san, if you need further demonstrations, I’d be more than happy to provide…"
He let his voice trail as he turned his head to the window, the corner of his mouth twitching to turn that smile into a lopsided smirk. The foreign detective had, thus far, managed to keep his wits about him, but it was difficult to ignore the thrill. Kaitou Kid… Those lips every but as wonderful as he’d imagined. And those hands at his chest… He allowed himself a small, contented sigh to go with a shrug of his shoulders.
"The lock to that window is easily picked… and I’ve no intention of changing that any time soon. In case you were wondering."
“It’s fine, honestly.” Akira waved off the apology with practiced false ease. “And you’ll be fine. People of all ages here.“ Students their age, an elderly couple, a pair in their late twenties wearing matching shorts and shirts, all lined up on their mats, driving the kinks from their necks as the class began. “We’ll start in child’s pose, then up to downward dog, and so on.” Sure enough, the instructor (whose name, she announced, was Carol, pronounced Car-roll) laid on her black mat to demonstrate child’s pose, and then stood to watch the students replicate her pose. Akira smiled at Hakuba. “Easy-peasy,“ she whispered as she laid down on her (teal with pink polka dots) mat, “Lemon-squeasy.”
Next was upward dog, in which one stretched out from child’s pose and bent their spine and head towards the heavens, balancing with one’s hands. Hakuba’s spine crackled like bubble wrap.
Then downward dog, in which one reversed upward dog and walked their hands backwards to their legs, bum in the air, stretching the spine and legs as one did so until one was fully upright.
“Tree position can be tricky for newcomers, so use a wall for support if you don’t trust your balance,” Carol advised. She lifted one leg and held it on the other’s inner thigh with ease, lifting and clasping her hands above her head. “Think spring. You are a tree; your arms are your branches swaying in the breeze.“
Akira glanced at Hakuba as she assumed the position and saw the slight grimace on his features. He’d done fine with the basics, but she had no clue as to how his balance fared. Hopefully fine.
Hakuba wasn’t an athlete. He never had been. Jogging every other day and playing tennis on the weekends at the club suited him just fine. The occasional Kaitou KID heist added more cardio. He was physically fit, but he wasn’t exactly what one might call… flexible, for varying definitions of the word. All the same, he was familiar with stretches and, despite how tired he felt, his body responded well to everything he’d asked it to do. Awkwardly in some cases, yes, but he had managed. Mostly by looking to Akira for help and copying what she’d done.
For the tree position, the detective opted to not use the bar. Of course. Why would he need to? He took a deep breath and moved into position, watching the others around him carefully, and matched their movements.
Somehow, perhaps miraculously, he once again pulled off the movement, and held the pose. His form was technically… sound? At least it didn’t look like he was going to hurt himself, though there was still vast room for improvement and increased flexibility and range of motion. But he had done it – mostly – and allowed a triumphant smirk, holding the pose as ordered. Hakuba glanced to his side, nodding at his acquaintance and classmate.
"What’s so hard about yoga, anyway?” he whispered, very unlike a tree.
Then the order was given to switch legs. Hakuba pulled himself out of the pose and then attempted to replicate it with his other, non-dominant, leg in the lead. This was considerably more difficult and proportionally more shaky than the previous attempt. The question was – could he hold it?
The answer was no.
Fortunately, he caught himself with a stumble. No injuries, just awkwardness, and, flushing, adjusted his position on his mat to try again, hoping that no one was staring. Whether or not they were, Hakuba felt that looming feeling of eyes staring, and wished, more than most things, that he was home and hiding from the world.
Six more have entered the bakery.
Karin’s smile only widened at his enthusiasm, her heart nearly melting into a little puddle in her chest. This kind of reaction was what she lived for.
“First one’s on the house, Hakuba-san. Anything for an eclair enthusiast.”
She prepared his order, placing the eclairs carefully on a light blue china plate, somehow managing to do this all one-handed. It only took her a few moments to get it all together, and as she handed it to the young detective, she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at his remarks.
“Seventeen, and a detective already? Have you been invited to Hope’s Peak as well? Sounds like you deserve it.” Pouring the milk into a tall glass, she continued. “Break ins, huh? Is there anything I can do to help you?“
"Ah, thank you very much, Kanoya-san!” Such good fortune that he should try this shop first. The detective looked very pleased indeed as he watched Karin move about, handling the order with care and professionalism. He could very easily respect that.
Hakuba leaned on the counter while he waited, pulling back only when the plate was offered, and took it in his hands with a grateful nod. “Ah. Hope’s Peak? I had considered it, but I travel far too much for that to be in any way practical… I’m between Japan and London at any given time, unfortunately. Are you very familiar with the school?”
There was the case to consider, too, but it could wait. He still had a couple of days before his report deadline, after all.
“Bring a robe, too! Let’s just hope Akako doesn’t decide to mess around with said heist.”
“There are very few things that I am willing to ‘coslplay’ for… and this is one of those. I’ll bring an entire arsenal to make sure that your detectives are adequately equipped for this task.”
…
“Also, Koizumi-san… yes, let’s… hope that she stays far, far away.”
“It’s a good thing I keep the appropriate scarf in my closet or I would feel quite under-dressed to go to this heist…"