When the Travel Bug Bites

By Addy01

Summary: Lost in the road of life, Shinichi starts travelling and discovers hilarious YouTube vloggers, Instagram, and a world outside of Murders and Mysteries. Along the way, he makes friends with Google and Kaitou KID; and finally understands why his parents left Japan to travel all those years ago. On the other side, Kaito just wants a friend in Shinichi. For Poirot Café 6k-8k Writing Comp #3: Travel. Two-shot.

Note: Special Thanks to Semi-Retired Writer for being such an awesome Beta! Special Thanks to Boogum for providing wonderful inputs so that the story actually flows rather than becoming into a half-a** pathetic work with OOC! Check out their profiles on FFN!

Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Shinichi couldn't breathe; his chest constricted with unexplained anxiety. There was a low, volcanic rumble within him, threatening to rise and overwhelm him.

Goosebumps rose on his skin as a cold chill encased him, leaving him exhausted and creating havoc throughout his body. Despite knowing he was in the vast Kudou Mansion, he felt trapped, almost claustrophobic.

As time went on, it had become increasingly difficult to withstand these…attacks. They blinded him, restricted him, forcefully directed all of his focus to the panic as it slowly but surely encompassed him.

He couldn't speak. He couldn't think. He just knew he had to get away.

Arriving at the airport, he had asked for the very first flight out of Japan, which turned out to be to South Korea.

There hadn't been much of a plan due to this state of trepidation, which had made his only thoughts those that focused on the fastest possible route of escape.

It wasn't until he was seated on a bench at the park near his hotel that his mind allowed him to reach a calmer state. His feet had led him here from his aimless wandering around the city. His dazed eyes weren't taking in any of the view, his mind obviously occupied to anyone who passed by.

Dysphoria still lingered in his system, as if waiting to consume him again when he was least prepared for it and his thoughts were still a mangled mess.

That had been reckless and irresponsible of him, taking off the way he had.

'I should have told someone...Or written a note...or something.'

However, having his phone in his hand, he didn't make any move to contact anyone. Occasionally, the thought to let his friends know what had happened crossed his mind, but those thoughts left him as quickly as his anxiety took over again, and once again, he was trapped in his whirlwind of scattered thoughts and depression.

Shinichi felt trapped. For the first time in his life, he was left without a direction, a purpose. All of his energy and excitement for his work and for mysteries had suddenly evaporated as the heaviness descended into his heart, weighing him down like countless boulders on his shoulders. It felt if he was being grinded down slowly...so slowly, that he hadn't noticed until he was already gone.

He didn't know how long he sat there, his mind abandoning him in his woefulness and abjection, but he did know that it was a scream piercing through the air that brought him out of his stupor.

Shinichi had reacted on instincts honed through years of charging into danger and leaped out of the bench, (God, he wasn't ready for this. Not yet. So why was he reacting like this?!) bracing himself for the mystery once more.

But all the people were scurrying away… from a puppy?

A puppy that couldn't be more than six months old, was being walked on a leash by a couple . With his tongue hanging to the side and his tail wagging with excitement, it was the epitome of fluffiness and cuddle. Shinichi could see reason to fear it.

Yet, the crowd reacted like they had seen a corpse, scuttling back, keeping their distance. 'And I should know,after seeing those bloody curses everywhere…'

Despite the juxtaposition - or perhaps it was because of it, if he was honest), Shinichi was intrigued, though it was accompanied by self-loathing, condemnation and disparagement for 'not being able to leave a God-damn mystery alone for once!'

He started typing the enquiry on his phone, operating on autopilot at this point, his mind starting to drfit back once again to the depressed hazed state. 'Focus, Shinichi! Focus!'

Distracted by his internal turmoil, he hadn't realised where his search had led him until a video started playing in the background and making its way into his consciousness:

"…I entered the lift with my dog, Snuggles, where my neighbour from the ninth floor was already in. Like, usually, I'll carry Snuggles to put my neighbours at ease, but today I didn't bother, I was so sick of them treating dogs like a freak or something! And Snuggles was just seating there on the floor, staring at my neighbour, and she just suddenly backed into the wall and started climbing on to the handrail…."

Struck by the ridiculousness of the video, Shinichi couldn't contain his mirth, and a giggle escaped from his lips.

He didn't know what he actually found funny in the video. Nonetheless, his giggles became a full blown laughter, and not long after, as if the dam had finally, finally, burst, his laughter turned into hysterical sobs.

He was finally able to let it all out.

It was probably the accumulation of years of stress - guilt, anger, regret - bottled up inside that led him to this moment.

After the fall of The Organisation and upon returning to his original body, Shinichi immediately turned all his attention to catching up on school and later, work, trying his best to re-build his life that was left in shambles. However, the equilibrium he'd been trying to return to was always slightly beyond his reach.

Maybe it was the disconnect he had with his peers that only widened after the experience he had gone through. Or perhaps it was the overwhelming need to constantly be useful, a sense left over from his time as Conan, when he'd always felt limited and constrained by his situation.

Or the fact that he was subconsciously trying to erase the two years he was trapped in a child's body, willing it to disappear, trying to wash away his mistakes and rewind the clock.

He hadn't let himself rest, punishing himself for the mistakes made as a folly teen and chasing blindly after a goal that remained elusive, because he had no idea what was it he was actually running towards in the first place.

'Maybe that was my mistake', he mused, now that the waterworks had finally ceased and his mind was clearer than it had been in months. He hadn't realised that he was drowning, gasping for air,'

Shinichi sighed, catching his breath and clearing his thoughts once more.

'Guess I can google for a place to eat,' he thought, turning his attention to the sky, which had turned pitch dark, and opening up a browser in his phone. 'Now, which suburb am I in again?'

He ended up staying in Korea for a week.

After he finished his first dinner recommended by a nifty app he found called Zomato, he contemplated on his situation and decided he needed to stay away from Japan for a while.

By then, Shinichi's phone had buzzed continuously with the influx of messages and calls. Concerns about him not turning up for his appointments had led to a full-blown panic that had gotten the police involved.

He hadn't been aware of alarm he had caused. Well, he was aware of it, but it just hadn't really registered in his mind till he finally took note of the avalanche of panicked calls and messages that piled up during dinner.

A quick call to Meigure-Keibu immediately resolved the situation. However, the Inspector's understanding and empathic response, rather than the tongue-lashing that Shinichi had been bracing himself for, had sent even more alarm bells.

He may have been more of a mess that he had initially thought, especially since Meguire-Keibu implied that his…breakdown… was a long time coming, advising him to "just take as long as you need, Kudo-kun."

If he really was in such a bad state…even if he hadn't wanted to run away, Shinchi would need to find a way to…'fix' himself somehow.

Without much of an itinerary, he had taken to continue aimlessly roaming around the city, taking his time to contemplate on his life and the choices he had made so far.

Shinichi hadn't made much headway to his situation, other than that the realisation that he was a total idiot. He may have stumbled upon the root of his problem, but he was nowhere near a solution.

He wasn't ready to go back yet….No, he wasn't ready for Japan yet.

So, on the last day, he booked a flight to Hawaii.

Surfing had been … a total flop, and in more than one way. Google had lured him to take up the sport (the scenic, photoshopped pictures on the tourism website had been rather alluring), and Shinichi thought that a change of pace could do wonders to his mood.

Maybe he should have done something else on hindsight.

He had hoped the strenuous activity could distract him from his relentless, self-deprecating thoughts for a while, but it just compounded the feeling of uselessness and frustration that started plaguing him again since he left Korea.

Just as he planned to throw in the towel and call it a day, a very familiar voice called out him.

"Yo! Tantei-kun! You need to widen your footing to get your balance right! Otherwise, you'll just keep falling!"

Jerking with surprise, Shinchi turned around. He was not expecting to hear any Japanese while he was there, much less someone calling him that nickname – and there's only one person who ever calls him that - and was met with a pair of indigo eyes that he'd recognise anywhere.

"K-kaitou K-KID! W-what are you doing here?" He exclaimed, unable to contain the shock in his voice.

The last time he'd met KID was like all his meetings with the thief since the fall of the organization, with the thief was waiting by his bedside window to passed his birthday wishes and vanishing as quickly as he'd come.

To be meeting him out in the open like this…

"And hello to you too~, wasn't expecting you to be here as well. I am here for work and was just taking a break…And lo and behold, look what I found! And my, I have to say this: You look very dashing in that surf suit, Mentantei~."

"…What kind of job exactly?" Shinichi quirked his eyebrow in question, ignoring the flirtatious comment altogether. He was long used to this treatment; time hadn't tamed the thief's flirtatious tendencies in the least.

"Silly Tantei-kun, I assure you, my visit here is purely legitimate…. and legal."

"…"

"Besides, my night-time persona hasn't been active in years, Tantei-kun. You know that~!"

There was a pause as Shinichi narrowed his eyes, before finally conceding, "Alright, was just surprise to see you here."

"Hmmm, looks like a critic's always going to be a critic," Kid let out a melodramatic sigh, before quickly turning it into a smirk that had set Shinichi instinctively (more out of habit really) on edge. "Anyway, if you could spare the time, I'll be performing at that hotel tonight." He gestured to the hotel behind himself with a flourish. "Do drop by. I would love to entertain my favourite critic again after all this time~!"

Then Kid walked away, back towards the hotel. But not before turning back and shouting at the top of his lungs, in English this time.

"Remember! Keep those nice and supple legs of your wide open!~" and promptly disappeared into the crowd.

"…"

What wouldn't Shinchi do to get ground to swallow him up whole right now.

His name was Kaito. Kuroba Kaito.

After all those years of trying to pry it out of the thief, it was really weird to have Kaitou KID's name handed to him on a platter just like that.

Or in this case, it was served on a brightly-lighted, neon signboard, with a cartoon caricature of magician that's not unlike KID's old signature.

It was clear for all to see, displayed right outside of the restaurant where the magic show was hosted. Shinichi pondered on KID and his eccentricities as he took a seat at the very back of the restaurant. (It was a full house, and he came just in time to grab the last seat available.)

Kaitou KID had helped with the demise of the Black Organisations, motivated by Snake being in the league with the syndicate, and since then, they kept periodic contact.

Or rather, KID had taken to visiting Shinichi whenever he felt like it. Once a year, on the anniversary of the arrest of the crows at the roof of the Kudo Mansion; and for any major events or achievements in Shinichi's life that KID felt had warranted a visit. Graduation, birthdays, a trip to the ER…

And one memorable moment where KID had sought Shinichi out because the love of his life abandoned him… that had been really weird, and Shinich would rather not think about it…

These meetings were always short, sporadic and to the point, and always felt more like obligatory catch up sessions than anything (or it was on Shinichi's part, seeing as how the ex-thief never stayed no more than a minute each time).

Now though, it seemed KID was aiming to change that, bumping (it's never a coincidence with KID) into him in broad daylight and inviting him to his magic show.

There had been excited chatters about the up-and-coming (and law-abiding) magician at the precinct when Kuroba Kaito made his debut. (Shinichi, obviously, hadn't been paying attention then - swarmed with a triple homicide that may be the works of a serial killer instead - or he would have found out about KID's identity much, much earlier.)

According to Shinichi's quick Google search, the magician had taken the world by storm with his revolutionary performances and had been crowned the greatest magician the world had seen since Kaitou KID.

Oh, the irony!

The lights dimmed at that point, pulling Shinichi away from his thoughts, and the Hawaii-themed magic show began. Who would have thought that the performance hadn't turned out as cliche as it sounded despite it involving pineapples, hula hoops and surfboards…

Well… it's Kaitou KID they were talking about.

"Glad you came, Tantei-kun~" The performance had ended, and Shinichi, absorbed in working out some of the more complex tricks - and in awe of the performance, not that he'll ever tell KID- hadn't noticed the magician's approach.

"Hope you don't mind me joining you for dinner." Pulling out a seat for himself, KID sat down as the waiters placed their meal on the table.

"Well, with the way you've presumptuously taken your seat, it looks like I won't be able to get rid of you anyway…"

"Bingo! You know me so well~! Let's get started then, shall we?"

"Get started with what, exactly?" Shinichi asked, without missing a beat, and started slicing through his fish and chips (Zomato had recommended it, they were by the ocean after all).

"Ask questions, getting to know one another. You know, the whole shebang..." Kuroba speared his fork into his steak, and started sawing through it. Wasn't Shinichi glad he hadn't ordered the steak in the end...

"…is that really what this is all about?" 'You meeting me out in the open and finally revealing your identity to me…'

"Of course it is, what else could it be…not everything I do has an ulterior motive… Well, not anymore anyway."

"… I never know with you." 'Like how I never know why you visited all those times.'

"Oh! It hurts, right here, Tantei-kun~." His mocking expression transformed to that of a wince as he bit into the steak, before continuing, "But really, that's all there is. I'll even let you have first go with the questions.~"

Shinichi paused…. He had a lot of questions. Like why did KID always sought him out in the first place; why was he trusting Shinichi with his identity now of all times; what was with the visits…

You know, the usual, normal questions any sane person would ask given the opportunity.

So, Shinichi was mortified when another question that had been on his mind escaped his lips instead.

"Okay. Well, it's been bugging me the whole afternoon… but is Kuroba Kaito just your stage name? I mean, it's not really your real name, is it? The Magic Cafe Forum has been debating about it for quite a while now, and no one seem to be able to confirm anything…"

KID blinked his eyes in astounishment…and then, as if he finally registered the question, started laughing, hard, to the point where the table started shaking. A couple heads had even turned, curious to see what the commotion was about.

"Well, well. That was very unexpected of you." KID managed to wheeze out a while later, after getting his laughter under control. "Seems like you're still able managed to surprise me after all these years, and I thought I had seen it all!"

"Oh, shut up." A blush creeped onto his face, embarrassed.

What? He had really been curious about it.

Yes, his name was really Kuroba Kaito, he couldn't help that his father had a sense of humour. Yes, he had been working as a magician since his very last heist, he hadn't considered any other career alternatives. He didn't need to.

Yes, Shinichi ("Oh, still such a critic, Tantei-kun.") was spot on with his deductions on the magic tricks, except the last one, the detective would need to think about it a little more.

And No, he'll stick with his overcooked steak, thank you very much. Shinchi can keep his own f-f-dish to himself.

While Shinichi had initially intended to gloss over the reason for his trip to Hawaii, sometime during the course of the conversation, a slip of a tongue (or was it the magician's ability to manoeuvre the conversation) had him admitting his "predicament" to Kaito (who had insisted on being called by his first name, what with their shared experience and all; and had taken to turning temporary deaf if Shinichi had called him by anything else).

Not in so many words, but enough for the magician to get the gist of it.

He had been understanding, hadn't pried any more than Shinichi was willing to reveal, and gave some parting advice before moving on to other topics:

Seems like it's a good time as any for you to take a break.

The rest of his conversation with the magician had been easy. By the end of the evening, his shoulders had slacked ever so slightly, his breathing leveled, and even though the topics they had discussed were light, Shinichi had felt some weight fell off his shoulders. When was the last time Shinichi had just… relaxed?

Shinichi had intended to return to Japan after his stay in Hawaii, but maybe he could consider extending his travels just a little bit longer.

With that shift in mindset, he had taken Google's recommendations (of the top ten things to do in Hawaii) like a duck to water, and spent the rest of his two weeks in Hawaii relaxing and enjoying himself.

The pictures on the pamphlets and online didn't do justice to the underwater view he was treated to while scuba diving. And his suntanning session allowed him to explore the wonders of youtube. Most of his attention drifted through other hilarious youtube vloggers and cute cat videos. As the sun's rays beat down on his skin, he wiggled and sank into the sand until it moulded to his torso.

After that breather, Shinichi finally brought himself to reply to his friends' and family's messages. (It said much about his state of mind this past couple of weeks that he wasn't able to bring himself to soothe their worries.)

His phone call to Megure-Keibu was enough to settle most of the panic that night. The messages had then shifted to a myriad of worried 'Are you okay? Have you been eating? Coffee isn't a substitute for a meal! Don't kill yourself after all the effort I put in creating the cure, Kudo-kun. Don't get you want us to visit Shin-chan?'

He had managed to persuade his parents (more like his mother really), not to fly to Hawaii to meet him. Shinichi appreciated the gesture, but he reckoned that he'd need more time for himself, which was what he had been sorely lacking before.

While he didn't think his mother understood, he was glad that his father stepped in to reel her in, since they didn't appear in his hotel room the next day after his conversation with them.

He had also bumped into Kaito a few more times, though those weren't coincidences, no matter how much the magician tried to make it out to be.

It became obvious to Shinichi that it was KID's not-so-subtle way to check up on him. The magician had probably heard of his impromptu sabbatical, and made arrangements to have his magic show in Hawaii in the first place. It certainly wasn't the most common of places to host a magic show.

(The magician was definitely stalking him, he had appeared in his hospital room the few times Shinichi had been admitted when the cases turned for the worse.)

Kaito hadn't tried to do more other than provide a comforting presence to Shinichi who, between being a great listening ear, and an engaging story teller narrating his past exploits by re-enacting some of the magic tricks on the spot, did a great job in setting Shinichi at ease. A far contrast to the attention-seeking persona he had expected from the ex-thief– which was a pleasant surprise.

It was a refreshing change, being able to hang out with someone that didn't involve cases - the Police - or murder - Hattori - or reiterations of his inadequacies and shortcomings - Ran or Haibara.

Shinichi didn't know why the magician had bothered, but it wasn't a pressing enough mystery for him to solve, not when he seemed sincere in his endeavour to be a friend to Shinichi.

Between KID and the break he was finally able to take, hopefully by the time he was ready to go back to Japan, he'dbe as well as he promised his friends he was.

Just as he was debating on whether he should finally head back to Japan, Shinichi received a text from Kaito. 'Better get use to thinking of him as Kaito too, it won't do to call him KID in public.'

That's when he found out that he already had the magician's number on his phone… He could have sworn they hadn't exchanged numbers, so when did he have the chance to pick his pocket? Much less had the chance add his contact in?

Filing that to the pile of many little mystery about Kaito for future perusal, he read the message:

I would recommend heading to Vancouver, Canada next. \(^_^)/They have the most spectacular view for sky diving the last time I tried. (^o^) And of course, you have got the try their maple syrup! (^(エ)^) – KK

"Should have pegged Kaito as someone who uses emoji." He thought as he typed back a reply.

Thanks-KS

Then, Shinichi discovered the holygrail that was Airbnb.

He met up with a very nice middle age bachelor, who'd had leased out his extra room on the website. He had been warm and welcoming, and promptly rattled a list of things to do and places to go, as if he'd more than enough practice it. (He probably did, since he had joined the website two years ago and had at least 200 or so visitors to his humble abode.)

As he settled into this room, his thoughts drifted back to the time he had spent with the magician (which had been happening in increasing frequency this days).

Funny how things became so much clearer now that he had taken to time to stop and think.

He had thought that when he finally defeated the Black Organisation, he'd subconsciously thought that he'll be able to pick up where he left off, as if nothing had happened. That had been the plan in the beginning: put the bad guys in jail, return to his own body, win the girl's heart and get on with his life.

But of course, things never turn out the way you expect.

He and Ran never got together, the lies between them had created too big a wedge to salvage any form of romantic relationship, though they still remained steadfast friends; it took several more years to seek all the remnants of the operators after the last big strike at the main branch of the black org, and a few more to put them all behind bars; and he certainly wasn't able to get on with his life, being far too damaged by the experience to return to status quo.

And Shinichi hadn't taken the time to internalise all these before steamrolling ahead. No wonder he had burnt out… and it's probably a wonder that he had lasted as long as he did.

The more he talked with Kaito, the more he realised how dull he had become, with only work, murder and guilt only for company these days.

He had finally come to terms with the fact that his life had turned out differently than he had planned. And he could live with that. His experience changed him, and while he had made mistakes, it wasn't something that he should be trying to rectify, but embrace it as a learning experience and moved on.

Having those realisations shaved off more weight off his shoulders. He definitely didn't feel like a single straw would break his back anymore.

Now, all need to do was to figure out what he wanted in his life.

No pressure.

He had met up with Kaito a lot earlier than he expected this time.

Initially, he had planned on visiting/meeting up with the magician at his Magic show that was planned for in a few days' time. Probably why Kaito had suggested for him to come to Vancouver in the first place

But, of course, he beat Shinichi to it.

Shinichi had made arrangement to try sky diving (No, not just because Kaito, Google had suggested it too) and was to take the three o'clock morning charter bus that will bring them to the site that's three hour away – to catch a view of the sun rise as they plummet from thousands feet in the air.

Shinichi had promptly fallen asleep once he sat on the bus, and had been surprised to feel a warm object (was it paper? cardboard maybe… it's starting to burn a little) pressed against his check. He had opened his eyes, squinting against the bright overhead lights and looking into a pair of very familiar blue eyes. He took a couple more blinks to clear the dandelions his brain, just to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"K-kaito?" (It certainly didn't take Shinichi long to get use to calling the magician by his first name.)

"Hey there sleepyhead, rise and shine~!"

"W-what are you doing here?" 'Was this becoming a trend? Him being flabbergasted and tongue-tied whenever he met up (however unexpectedly) with the magician?'

"To sky dive of course! Had it planned for ages. Being a successful full-time magician doesn't leave me much chance to hang glide anymore, so I have to make do with this."

It probably said a lot about Kaito's expectations and concept of normalcy if sky diving was something he had to "make do" with, of all things.

"But you said you had sky dived in Vancouver before, haven't you? So why are you doing it again at the same place?"

"It is the only time I could fit into my plans." he shrugged. "Though I am very surprised and flattered by you, Tantei-kun, I didn't expect you to follow my recommendation, seeing as you only gave me a one word reply." Kaito had then clasped his hands, pouting.

'Was that actually a tear at the corner of his eye?'

"Well, I'm sorry for not being a good conversationalist when it comes to texting?"

"Is that a question or a statement?"

"Statement."

"Alright, I suppose you're forgiven. Anyway, here's coffee for you~." That's when Shinichi realised that the heat source had been a take-away coffee cup that the magician had pressed on his cheek.

He was about to thank him when Kaito continued "And you're so adorable when you sleep! You were so dead to the world that you didn't realised that I have been poking you for the last thirty minutes!"

"The last thirty minutes?! … That's how long since we arrived?"

"Nah… we've only been here for the last ten. I was the first to get off to grab the coffee…. guess you really didn't know I was sitting beside you the whole ride here." And there was that annoying smirk graced his lips. "Better get going, everyone's alighted." True enough, as Shinichi looked around, the whole bus was empty except them.

He really hadn't noticed anything.

"Guess the word at the precinct was true, you really can't function without coffee, can ya~?"

"Let's just get going," ignoring the magician, Shinichi took a sip from the coffee and made his way out of the bus.

Really, if he wasn't so non-functional right now, he would have just died of embarrassment there and then.

He was sure that Kaito was stalking him and had arranged all of…'This'.

By 'This', he meant that Kaito had all the necessary paperwork to prove that he was a trained and certified tandem sky-diver – 'Thank goodness I brought them with me today~'; and made arrangements for them to take a charter plane for themselves (The first plane had been inconveniently been too full - a system error had caused an overbooking and an instructor short) – 'Oh, what a coincidence~'.

How did the magician managed to wring that out of the skydiving company, Shinichi never found out.

He had considered (and tried) to protest the arrangement, but the magician had weaved his magic on everyone by then. So his complaints died on his lips and he was shuffled onto the smaller plane without much hurray.

Now here he was on the plane, thousands of feet in the air, trying to settle the rumble in his belly – Was it fear? Was his life flashing before his eyes? No, Shinichi, it's just nerves. Was that a videographer? Where did he come from? He certainly hadn't paid for one. Shinichi couldn't help but think how quickly he'd become used to the magician's eccentricities.

What exactly had he unwittingly signed up for when he 'accidentally' made friends with the thrill-seeking Kaitou KID? Especially now, when the magician hadn't bothered to school his face and had been radiating with excitement, his scheme (no doubt there was one) at the edge of fruition.

Definitely had planning something involving more than sky diving.

As he prepared for his jump with Kaito, he kept telling himself (only partially successfully) that he's probably the safest sky diving with the Kaitou KID, no matter what happened. (There was very little things he's willing to lie about. This was, unfortunately, one of them.) On the off chance the parachutes failed, Kaito liked his Detectives enough to keep them safe, right?

Especially since he wouldn't put it pastthe magician to hide his hang glider inside the already bulky sky diving suit he was wearing.

And he was proven right when, at the last hundred feet, Kaito pulled another trigger that discarded the parachute and released a white hang glider that's big enough to accommodate two passengers.

Shinichi so totally pegged him.

He stumbled upon another delightful discovery whilst lazily shifting though the restaurants that his Airbnb host had recommended.

Google had led him to an amazing compilation of food photography – food porn had been the term used to describe this brilliant phenomenon.

He hadn't never been interested in food or eating before, viewing it more as a sustenance and another issue for his friends (mainly Ran really) to pester him about.

But as he continued browsing through the delectable photos, unable to tear his eyes away from the oh so delicate and aesthetically pleasing view, he couldn't help but think that Sherlock Holmes would have been much more interested in consuming sustenance and less on drugs if he had these pictures to tempt him with.

Shinichi had subsequently added a mobile apps, Instragram, to keep up with this new food-viewing addiction. At least he had a better idea why Hattori had been all crazy about following food trends and dragging him across Japan to try them.

Now that he had his phone in his hand, he couldn't help but think about all the pictures he had taken these past few days. He had started on a whim, after feeling inspired by the 'food porn' he was admiring while waiting for his food. (It was delicious as promised, and left a review at Zomato saying as much).

Choosing one from breakfast this morning with Kaito – the magician had dragged him for breakfast the morning after his show - he fiddled with the filters, 'So hard to decide!", before settling with one called, lark, which fit the mood rather perfectly.

He posted it with hashtags as well – which was what he was supposed to do, wasn't it?

KudosforShinichi #food #foodporn #cafe #cafefood #brunch #bakedgoods #lemonloaf #coffee #Revolvercoffee #vancouver #holiday #meal #Kudogoestraveling #KudoinVancouver

And ended it with one last tag:

MagicKaito

Shinichi couldn't help but smile when he received this notification an hour later:

MagicKaito KudosforShinichi, nice name. Didn't know you had a sense of humour underneath those porcupine spikes of yours! Anyway, here's a little belated #birthdaypresent from me to you. Because, no, you hadn't ordered for the videographer, I know you were wondering about it. :D #maythefourthbewithyou #mayfourth #happybelatedbirthday

Above the block of text was a video instead of a picture that's usually posted. The image flickered to the start of the video, which depicted his sky diving endeavour a couple days back.

Kaito had just tilted them off the plane, and they were pulling away from screen before seemingly hovering air. Arms spread out, mouths wide open as if screaming, though there's no audio because the mute icon was on. The skin and lips on their faces flapped with the wind as they continue their downward journey to the ground. Then, clip looped back to the beginning and start reeling again.

'Ah… that explains the refund on my card.'

An onslaught of messages came after that. His friends, who had been tip-toeing around him the last couple of weeks (not without reason of course), had probably decided if he was well enough to go skydiving, he was well enough now to be harassed, and started sending him messages inquiring about his travels (he had continue to document his adventures on instagram after that) and health. In the process, Shinichi started reconnecting and touch base with them.

Among the chill banter with Hattori, Ran's sincere queries on his travels and the berating that he'd gotten from Haibara about his health that didn't quite hide the relief she felt for his well-being, Shinichi thought that maybe his heart was starting to feel whole again.

Shinichi's next destination was Florida. And yes, Disney World was on his agenda.

You couldn't blame him, he had missed out on it on his last trip to the States. Or you maybe could, since he had been the one to reject his mother's multiple offers to bring him there in his attempt to be mature.

(Funny how the things he did to make himself look mature just made him even less so.)

The rides had been fun enough - you'd lost the thrill of most amusement rides after being thrown out of a blimp without a parachute -, and since he came just before the summer season, he managed to avoid the horde of school children, so the park wasn't too crowded (that had been the sage advice given to him by Google).

He had, of course, continued posting on his account:

KudosforShinichi #KudoinFlorida #Disney #Disneyworld #WaltDisneyWorld #ridesareforkids #notexcitingenough #gladitisntcrowded #cottoncandyismynewfav

What made the whole trip perfect - and wasn't that a surprising self-reflection-, was when Kaito had made a surprise appearance as a one of the closing acts of the Main Street Electrical Parade.

Shinichi hadn't realised he had come to look forward to Kaito's unexpected appearances on his trips, until he sighted him, and let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding.

"So, did you like it?" The parade had ended a short while ago and the crowd was moving towards the exit. Shinichi had lingered behind, partly to avoid being squashed by a herd of families who seemed to be rushing to get their kids in bed (a valid concern, since Shinichi actually witnessed said family trampling on a poor soul in their haste), and partly because it was becoming a trend for them to catch up after the magician's last performance.

"… Yes, you really never do the same act twice do you? This one's different from the one in Hawaii and Vancouver."

"So glad you noticed~!"

"Not challenging Thruston's third principle anymore?"

"If I ever do, it'll only be for you ~," Shinichi could feel a blush creeping onto his face, flattered by the thief's implied praise. He coughed, in an effort to hide the redness in his cheeks. It had been a long time since he had had a compliment being directed at him in his presence, even if it was rather back-handed.

"Well… anyway, I think it's really impressive, tonight's show, I mean." Shinichi said, returning the favour.

"Thank you! So finally the day has come when a critic has finally praised me for my work! The next step is just to get you over to the dark side!" the next moment Shinichi found himself in such a tight embrace that he was starting to see stars.

"Stop it, please."

"Alright, since you asked so nicely." the magician conceded, loosening his hold on the detective, "Anyway, let's grab something to eat, I'm starving."

This time, Kaito hadn't bothered to make their next meeting a coincidence, and had greeted Shinichi when he opened the door to the apartment he had booked on Airbnb.

"Good morning, Shinichi~!"

Shinichi hadn't bothered replying, his raised eyebrow said it all. This was way too early for him.

"This is my apartment."

"…"

"You know that it's illegal to Airbnb in New York right? "

Oh… he hadn't known

His face must have said it all, as the magician continued without skipping a beat, "I reckoned that's the case, so I thought I made arrangements to make sure you don't accidentally commit any crime!"

"…"

"And maybe I just want to spend some time with my new best friend, since most of my acts and tricks are inspired to 'Wow' you in the first place~!"

Kaito's smile widen a tad upon noticing Shinichi's blush. Shinichi hadn't known the magician had hold him in such high regard.

"Come on in! Let me give you the grand tour!"

Kaito had spent a lot of time with Shinichi lately. Oh, there were stretches of time when the magician disappeared, presumably preparing for his next act. (He was having it at Broadway this time), leaving Shinichi alone to explore the city.

Instagram had become the bridge connecting him back to his friends. Shinichi was not an expressive person by nature. So sharing anything verbally with his friends was something he was still getting the hang of– Ran can attest to this, as the one who had been constantly complaining about his lack of communication for the longest time.

His daily chronicles became a gateway for Shinichi and his friends to ease into conversations that would have otherwise been left stale. Especially after the way he had pushed his friends away.

To think that he had to be at the other end of the world before he started to be reconnected with his friends. Guess he wasn't such a good friends after all.

Though Hattori had been rather nice about it. Or not

It's okay Kudo, someone has to be the one to go through a quarter-life crisis!

He had blocked Hattori on Instagram until he apologised. That Ba'rou, he hadn't even lasted three hours.

Here he was now, getting himself comfortable on his seat for the eight-hour flight to London. He was about to start attempting the Sudoku challenge in the flight magazine (he like to see if he could complete it before take-off, just for the heck of it), when an overly familiar figure caught his peripheral view. Wasn't this getting old?

"Kaito?" Shinichi inquired, keeping his tone as even as possible. He wasn't going to give the magician the satisfaction that he was still caught by surprise by his appearance, even if he was starting to get used to them.

"Looks like you could use the company." Kaito said as he set his bag into the overhead compartment.

"Hmmm, I don't know, I am doing alright by myself so far." Turning his attention back to the puzzle.

"Oh come on Shinichi! You know you love my company~!"

"I wouldn't be sure about that." Scribbling in a nine in the top right most box. And where's the next nine...

"Oi! That hurt! Right here" he pounded his chest and clenching his heart as if wounded.

"Sure it does," trying his best to reply nonchalantly. It wouldn't do for the magician to find out that Shinichi had already made his decision.

"Anyway, I have a decent grasp of various European languages, you'll be surprised by what you can pick up after doing so many tours in Europe. I am sure you'll want to travel beyond London afterwards." Kaito continued on, totally not put off my Shinchi's apparent lack of attention. Probably because Shinichi had gotten the whole puzzle wrong already…Bummer.

Shinichi pretended to ponder a little longer before turning away from the magazine and answering, "Well, I suppose. Now that you mention it, having a translator could come in handy. Looks like you could be useful after all."

"Oi! Is that only reason why you're agreeing?" A twenty-four-year-old grown man like Kaito shouldn't be able to pull off such a pout and be successfully at it. The universe was just plain unfair.

"Probably," Shinichi's lips twitched slightly, trying his best to keep the smile off his face.

"Oh Shinichi, I never knew you were such a tease~"

"What about your tour?"

"Ah, about that… would you mind if we take a few detours along the way?"

"Sure…Wait a minute…I know that look. You are going to make me your assistant, aren't you?"

"Maybe~?"

"Oi, oi," Shinichi sighed, before continuing, "so you're going to challenge Thurston's first rule, then?"

"It doesn't count with you!~"

"Huh?"

"Well, even if you'd figured out my tricks so far, you never told a soul about it, People are still clamouring for me to replicate some of KID's most daring stunts…"

"It just never came up?" That excuse sounded weak even to his ears.

"Hahaha, I'll make a great magician out of you, Mententai~."

To be continued…

Video Clip segment – inspired by one of Simon and Martina's earlier youtube clip. They are hilarious. Go check them out on youtube. They also have the most adorable Pekingese Dog with blue Mohawk and the sweetest Scottish Fold Cat.

Definitions

Keibu – Inspector

Tantei – Detective

Kaitou KID – Phantom thief KID

Mentantei – Great Detective