How We Met

"How did you meet your husband?"

It's the kind of inane question that's always asked during bored conversations at social occasions. But it always makes her smile.

Which meeting? The first time they spoke, in that darkened room, police sleeping on the floor, both of their hands hovering over the jewel, fingers brushing, causing both of them to freeze? He must have known who she was, because he moved his hand to take not the jewel but her hand, kissing it before he vanished into the darkness.

"No gentleman ought to deny a lady her treasures."

It made her blush, in the dark; such manners in such a strange situation, between the most unlikely of people. Of course, he'd only backed off because he knew who she was, she was sure; knew her MO, knew that the jewel must be fake.

Even so, she could still feel a tingle in her fingers. Later, having redonned her cop disguise and leaving with the rest, another officer winked at her. In later years, with bright smiles and joking tones, he'd comment that someone one-upping him like that had been the hottest thing he'd ever seen.

Or was it the first time they'd worked together, bringing down that corrupt museum, always in disguise, all words cryptic and triple-layered, but that undercurrent, that interest, that desire, present beneath it all?

Or was it the first time they'd seen each others' true faces? Neither had expected the other to be at that gallery, taking different targets, of course. She certainly hadn't expected the man with the gun, the man in black. The Phantom Thief was a gentleman, as ever, the one who took the bullet. She hijacked the man's own glider, flew him back to her hideout, wrapped up the bullet wound that she was certain in his civilian self couldn't explain, and couldn't resist a look at his true face.

When he awoke, she was enough of a lady to return the favour.

When a friend called and asked why he wasn't at his place the next day, he explained it away by saying he'd had a wild night with a girl. A most incredible girl…

In the eight years since she became a widow, Kuroba Chikage has rarely been asked how she met her husband. Those who do are surprised by how she smiles, even when she has such a simple, seemingly mundane answer.

"We met at work."

xxx

So when I was in India, my muses had a weeklong obsession with Toichi x Chikage. I spent ages sitting in the sun, scribbling down a random collection of oneshots about them. I had a whole elaborate headcanon going, based largely on Chikage's brief appearance back in MK chapter one and the fleeting references to the Phantom Lady in DC. Then I got back and a twoshot of MK chapters immediately made half of my headcanon impossible :P I dithered about whether to post these anyway for a couple of months, and yesterday went "screw it, might as well, maybe it will make my muses interested in DC again *gives the stink-eye to Spirit Detective* Well, even if it doesn't, it'll be fun to post a few oneshots about one of my favourite couples. Basically, all oneshots were written before the twoshot about the Phantom Lady. This is my headcanon.

Also, MAJOR LOVE for MK episodes two and three. I'm so happy that they animated "Kaitou Kid's Busy Day", because Kaito and Aoko are all kinds of adorable, especially in the ice-cream scene at the end. SHIPLOVE! And apparently episode four is going to be based on the chapter where Akako appeared... :DDDDD

Magic Kaito does not belong to me. I just borrow the characters, play dress-up and tea party for a bit, and then try to sneak them back to Aoyama Gosho's room before he notices that they're gone.