phantom-thief-kid:

“Yeah, it’s fine.” No need to be spiteful. He was just hoping the storm cleared before nightfall. Sudden glowing red eyes would be a hell of a lot harder to explain and would probably involve dropping the charade about not being KID. (His colored contacts would be arriving in a few days and time travel wasn’t something he could do.)

“Anyway, aside from being a postman, what’ve you been doing as of late? I haven’t really seen you around within the past few weeks.”

Post…man? 

Now that Hakuba thought about it, he had been delivering quite a few envelopes to people. He frowned again, but it was more of a feigned pout than anything serious. The detective finished very carefully removing his suit jacket and looked for somewhere to hang it.

“Oh, you know… fighting with Hattori-san… gathering evidence for cases. I went home to London for a while, as well… An… ah, emergency, of sorts. May I set this somewhere?" 

phantom-thief-kid:

Kaito shrugged. “It’s fine. Detectives gotta do what they gotta do.” But he was still curious about the incontrovertible evidence. Did he leave fingerprints? Get caught on camera? He thought that the only evidence he left was in the realm of ‘suspicious, but still just circumstantial enough that he could wiggle out of it.’ And then there was the question of why Hakuba didn’t use it against him. But it was unlikely Hakuba was going to talk.

He sat back down. “C’mon and relax a bit. You’re so uptight sometimes.”

The uncertain, almost worried expression turned to a dry frown. “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to relax after having been accused of being uptight.” But the change of topic did help Hakuba to loosen up some. 

He shivered, looking himself over again, and reluctantly began to pull his suit jacket away. It was heavy with rain water, and he wondered just how much of his belongings had been damaged by the storm. 

“Is it really all right for me to stay put for the time being?”

phantom-thief-kid:

Kaito blinked. Wait, what? Hakuba looked so pitiful right now. If it was about that question of why he wasn’t currently languishing in a jail cell, Kaito really would like to know what was going on. “Why’re you apologizing?”

“I don’t… I can’t…" 

Hakuba chewed on his lip. It bothered him that he didn’t have an adequate answer for the proverbial elephant in the room. But more than that, it bothered him that he’d managed to upset Kaito. After his more recent interactions with Hattori, the trend of confrontation was difficult to ignore. Perhaps he was the problem, not others. 

Frustrated, he brought a hand to his face and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his eyes.

"It makes sense that you would deny it, even to me, if it were true. I should stop badgering you about it. I’m… sorry that I’ve been… difficult." 

phantom-thief-kid:

Kaito had kept his pokerface up, but he was a bit irritated. Maybe it was the sarcasm and how Hakuba had him in a corner; the latter is a very bad thing for phantom thieves and left them wary and guarded. “If I am KID, than why haven’t you turned me in, if there’s so much insurmountable evidence?”

He went to get a phone. The thunder was still booming out and, when he picked up the phone, Kaito noted the dead silence on the other end. He headed back over to Hakuba. “Phone lines are down. But, uh, yeah, I’m free then.”

The question stunned the detective to silence, and when Kaito returned, Hakuba’s gaze was fixed on the floor. Suit jacket soaked, hair tangled and damp, and the almost morose frown on his face made him look almost like a dog who’d been reprimanded for tracking mud in. 

After a moment, he shifted his gaze to Kaito again, hesitantly, before nodding.

“Ah.. I’ll let my father know, then… thank you.” His voice and tone were quiet, polite. “And, ah, in that case… might… you have a spare umbrella? It seems that mine was built for the gentle English rain, not…" 

Hakuba winced as shaking thunder cut him off, and he turned his attention back to the floor, fidgeting with the towel in his hands. 

"I’m sorry, Kuroba-kun.”

phantom-thief-kid:

“Good. I don’t want him shooting the entertainment.” The relief was short-lived however.

…Ohcrap. Backpedaling time. “How many times do I have to say it? I’m not KID.” Though, really, given that whole mess with Janus shooting him and how Nakamori found out, he wasn’t really sure if Nakamori had told Hakuba. Or if Hakuba had visited when he was high out of his mind on pain medication. If either were the case, he may as well just end the charade.

Fortunately for Kaito, no one tells Hakuba anything. Ever. Especially when it’s important. 

The woefully unaware detective sighed, expression turning dry, then irritated, and it took him a moment to force a painfully neutral appearance, which he did with a sigh.

“Right. Of course. Despite the insurmountable evidence and your consistent missteps, coupled by correlating behavior, you’re not KID. My apologies; I must have forgotten. It must be why I haven’t turned you in yet." 

He pulled the towel under an arm and retrieved his cellphone again, frowning.

"If you’ll allow me to use your phone, I can call for a car. My mobile appears to be out of service- damn this storm. As for the dinner,” his tone abruptly changed to something more even, calm. Professional. “Are you free next Tuesday evening?" 

phantom-thief-kid:

Regardless of audience, there would be much fun to be had and smiles were something worth making. He put the letter away with a flourish of a puff of smoke.

“I agree to it, but I have two questions. Does your dad have a gun and does he have it on him normally? I ask this because I have a few ideas for openers and I’d rather not get shot because he’s like that Delon guy.” (Shot again, more like). And he just slipped up a bit and referenced something he shouldn’t know. He cursed internally.

The puff of smoke garnered a roll of Hakuba’s eyes, but he otherwise didn’t react. To that, anyway. On the subject of his father and Delon, however, he sighed and returned to the work of toweling off his hair. 

“He carries a firearm, yes, but… He’s a very careful, deliberate man. Not like that hothead Detective Delon. You needn’t worry about that. Every one of his actions are calculated through algorithms so complex that even I don’t understand it at times." Hakuba pulled the towel off, revealing a messy mane of sandy blond. He combed through it with his fingers.  

"One thing I can say for certain, is that he will not shoot unless he absolutely has to… and it takes a lot to get him to that point.”

He couldn’t resist a lopsided grin, then. “But… aren’t you used to dodging bullets by now?" 

phantom-thief-kid:

Kaito blinked and took the envelope. “Really?” He split in an ear to ear grin. This would be quite a lot of fun. “…I’m guessing I have to keep it classy and a bit less… exuberant than usual, given the crowd.”

(And there’d be some problems with how he preferred white suits. Still, he could make that a part of the act, KID appearing to crash the event and revealing it’s just the magician they hired. Oh, delicious irony.)

“So, what’s the charity event for, anyway?”

“Ah… let me check.”  Hakuba retrieved his mobile next, pulling up a scheduling application. “Ah, yes. The Foster Care event. An independent group has been sponsored by my father’s department… I don’t think that children will be there, but it’s likely that those graduated from the program will attend. That said, you should have mostly free reign…”

The detective put his phone away, then dragged the towel over his head again.

“I’m to invite you to dinner in the next week or so, so that you two can go over the details… Assuming you agree, of course." 

phantom-thief-kid:

Kaito let him have it, then headed back over to the couch, looking under it. Nemea was still there, her fur puffed out and eyes wide. When he tried reaching under, she took a swipe at him, spitting. Okay, leaving her be for now…

He straightened up and sat on the couch. “So, who’s the letter for?” Hakuba was analyzing him earlier, from the look in his eyes, but it was prudent not to comment on that. Detectives seemed to be inclined to do that a lot, anyway, so it’d be redundant.

Hakuba dried his face and hands before anything else, glancing toward Kaito on the couch when he started on his hair. The rough tousling muffled the sounds of the rain, the cat, and Kaito’s question – which he only caught as an after thought. 

“Hm? Oh! The letter… It’s for you, actually." 

He draped the towel around his neck and over his shoulders, reaching into his damp suit jacket for the envelope, crossing the room to approach the other teen. What he pulled out was, indeed, an envelope – but a damp, creased, and somewhat dog-eared one. Still, it was sealed, and he offered it to Kaito. 

"Ah.. sorry about that. It’s from my father. He’s been put in charge of planning another charity event and would like to know if you’d be interested in helping with the entertainment. Details of the event and payment are specified within." 

phantom-thief-kid:

Kaito was now curious. A letter? For who? “I really wasn’t doing anything. It’s not a problem, but you should probably dry yourself off before you catch a cold or something.”

Another boom of thunder pealed, much louder this time. Nemea bounded off the couch and hid under it. “And I’d be an inhospitable host to kick you out to run around outside in this weather. Nobody would even let their dog out in this weather.” (…Shit, his nights working as KID seemed to have started really messing around with his vocabulary.)

Despite that, Hakuba had to admit that he was impressed by Kaito’s ability to keep up the act, even though he knew that they both knew that the detective knew the truth. It left him feeling just a little bit hurt, but he pushed that away. After all, Kaito was doing what he had to in order to survive, wasn’t he? And Hakuba could understand that. 

Besides, it was far more interesting to observe how Kaito now felt unnatural when compared to his caped alter-ego. The confidence and refinement was still there, but latent. He wondered if this was a conscious decision or if the thief had stolen a far more valuable prize, right under Kaito’s nose…

“I suppose you have a point there…”  Hakuba sniffed, then looked down at himself again, frown returning. “Well, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d very much appreciate the chance to dry off. Thank you, Kuroba-kun.”

The detective removed his shoes first, then socks, and stepped away from the door, reaching out for a towel.

phantom-thief-kid:

Kaito got up, putting his phone away. Huh, who could be here at a time like this? He opened up the door to a drenched Hakuba. The sight was rather on the surprising and somewhat pathetic side. “Come in.

“Get caught by the rain? …Excuse me for a moment.” Kaito went to get a few towels. One of his detectives getting pneumonia wouldn’t do. He came back, several towels in his arms.

Pathetic, indeed. The normally so well-kept detective stepped in when invited, and made sure that the door was closed against the storm before moving further in. Hakuba stayed at the door, however, dripping, disheveled, and displeased. 

“Ah, thank you… I don’t want to track anything in through your home, I just came to deliver a letter.”  Hakuba inclined his head curiously when Kaito returned with the towels, managing a faint smile of gratitude. “I don’t want to waste too much of your time…”

But he really wanted a towel. Or two. And tea. But he wasn’t about to say that out loud.