Disclaimer: I don't own DC or MK. This was written for a prompt on the 9th annual DCMK Kinkmeme (though I don't have much kink going on here) about role-reversal for Kaito and Saguru. I figured I'd post it here now, before I forgot. Hope you like it!

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Hakuba had stopped coming to heists. Kaito couldn't quite put his finger on why that bothered him, but he'd been so distracted thinking about it that he didn't notice Aoko waving one of those soulless terrors of the ocean in his face. Then she'd gotten worried and called his mom to ask if he'd been eating properly. Kaito waved it off, claiming school stress and late nights playing video games.

What's wrong with Hakuba? The fair detective acted normally during school hours, and Kaito, as Kid's "biggest fan", should be happy about this turn of events and couldn't ask for a reason without drawing suspicion. Was Hakuba trying to make him relax and slip up? The Task Force was as competent as usual (which was to say, not) so he'd been making heists less elaborate, with easier riddles and quicker exits. He'd even lined up a heist for the white knight piece of Japan's greatest chess master, which was set with a red jewel in its forehead. After Hakuba had failed to attend that one, a blatant call-out to the missing teen, Kaito decided that he needed to do some serious snooping.

The next day as the last bell rang, Hakuba left promptly, walking quickly towards the police station. Kaito donned a disguise and followed him in to see one of the junior officers handing him a stack of files. Hakuba smiled and thanked her. Next stop was a coffee shop to read the files, which Kaito couldn't decipher even when he switched costumes and passed by dressed as a waiter. Was it coded, or was that just very poor handwriting and a jumble of technical jargon? Hakuba stayed there until it closed, and the following afternoon made a bee-line for the library. Kaito's heart lifted as the half-British detective moved towards the gemology aisle, but sighed in frustration as Hakuba passed it by to keep walking towards the chemistry section. A quick peek revealed that he was studying cell death. Why? It was driving Kaito crazy. Didn't Hakuba come to Japan to face the Kid? Shouldn't he be putting more attention into that? What was this, a science project? Class 2-B didn't even have any chemistry assignments right now.

Hakuba was there for an hour or two before taking a bus to Beika. This must be his real destination, Kaito decided, but was surprised when the detective sat down on a park bench, notes in his lap, watching some kids run around on the playground. Kaito tried not to shiver when he recognized that distinctive cowlick and red bowtie. After a while Hakuba stood up and walked through town, stopping at a grand-looking house and ringing the bell at the gate. After a long wait, he rang again. Still, no one answered, but Kaito noted that Hakuba didn't look surprised or even disappointed.

Kaito rubbed his temples on the train ride back to Ekoda. It obviously all meant something. Hakuba was nothing if not methodical. When he was on the trail of a case, it was to the exclusion of all else. As one of Hakuba's targets, Kaito could verify that. Kaito sprawled out on his roof, looking up at the stars, and tried to puzzle it out. Hakuba was working on a case, but he was allowed to remove the files from the station and carry them around. Probably an older case, then. Something to do with chemistry, going by the content studied during his visit to the library. It may have had to do with the owner of the house in Beika… or maybe Hakuba had gotten the wrong door. Ah. That was a thought. The house right next door belonged to that nutty professor who armed Tantei-kun with very little concern for the boy's safety. So this was about Edogawa-kun. The park visit made more sense, then.

Hakuba was working on one of Edogawa's cases, or maybe studying Edogawa himself? That had a solid feeling of rightness to it, and Kaito's intuition was exceptional. Kaito felt himself getting angry: Hakuba was neglecting the Kaitou Kid to go chasing after another detective? That wasn't right. Detectives were supposed to have eyes only for their thieves, were supposed to think about them and chase them and exchange witty banter and promise another meeting at the end of the night. Hakuba did not belong to any damned detective, pint-sized or otherwise; he wasn't allowed to have room for anything inside him other than Kaito.

And in a fit of pique, Kaito decided that he was going to go tell him so. Dressed in his white costume, he flew over to the Hakuba residence (twenty-four windows, three doors, no street surveillance cameras) and picked the lock for Saguru's window like it wasn't even there.

Hakuba looked up from the papers on his desk, a knowing smile stretching across his face when he spotted the thief. "Good evening, Kaitou. I've been expecting you."

Kaito's mind stuttered for a moment as he processed the very unexpected reaction. "I doubt it. I didn't even send a heist note," he replied, settling onto the windowsill. "How would you, who have been out of the game for several heists now, know what I'd be up to?"

"Because I know you, Kid, and you thrive on attention. It was child's play to deduce what you would do if I stopped giving it. I knew it would only be a matter of time before you confronted me, and since I've been working on a case anyway, the break from heists has given me time to work on it. Two birds, one stone, and all of that." The grin widened. "I bet it annoyed you to no end when I didn't appear two nights previously. No white horse to defend the heist target?"

Kaito had never felt so predictable, but kept his poker face intact. "I wasn't troubled at all, Tantei-san, but thank you ever so much for being concerned."

"I know you've probably been following me the last few days in order to determine my activities. What have you deduced about this case of mine?"

Kaito gritted his teeth. "Deductions are for detectives, Hakuba-tantei, not thieves. We create the mysteries."

There was a long pause. "Are you… pouting?" Hakuba's face vacillated between surprised and amused.

"What, no!"

"You are. It's adorable."

"Adorable?" Before Kaito could shriek that he wasn't pouting, dammit, Hakuba crossed the room in a few steps and kissed him, one hand slipping into the hair underneath the top hat and the other sliding around Kaito's waist. Hakuba smelled like vanilla shampoo, a scent that Kaito wasn't entirely opposed to. He kept his hands firmly on the windowsill but leaned forward into Hakuba, trying to memorize every crease in his lips. He ran his tongue over them to that effect and they parted. Hello, tongue; fancy seeing you here. He made a negative sound when that other tongue left his and Hakuba's mouth travelled along his cheek, but ended his protests when the detective stopped to suck on his earlobe. This whole Kid costume was suddenly way too hot – couldn't he just take off a couple layers? No, the reasonable, analytical part of him was saying, so he sighed and let Hakuba continue.

The detective ran his teeth over Kaito's ear but didn't bite down. "No marks tonight," he said by way of explanation. That heavily implied that there were going to be future nights when he did leave marks, and Kaito shivered. Hakuba pulled back, cupping Kaito's cheeks and running his thumbs over Kaito's face. Hypnotized, the magician felt his eyes falling closed at the action. Hakuba kissed one cheek and then separated from him. Kaito opened his eyes to see the detective smiling fondly. "I'm glad we had this conversation – I've been looking forward to it for some time. Good night, Kaitou." He walked back over to his desk.

"Don't think I forgot about why I came here," Kaito warned, though mentally he was scrambling to pull together some semblance of a reason for the visit. All he could remember was that it was something about Hakuba needing to pay more attention to him. Attention. Mmm. Right, heists, and Hakuba not attending. "Er. If you miss any more heists, I'll…" and he tried to think of an actual threat. Nothing was coming. "I'll think of a particularly inconvenient prank for you."

"I'm trembling," Hakuba responded, picking up his pen and making a note on his papers. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kuroba."

Kaito hadn't lost his wits entirely. "I'm not Kuroba Kaito. You won't see me until the next heist that you attend."

"Uh huh. And would it bother you if I spontaneously pushed Kuroba-kun up against the lockers and kissed him breathless?"

Poker face did nothing to hide the heat creeping into Kaito's cheeks. "I don't remember actually going on a date with you ever, so you're free to do as you like in your love life." His gaze narrowed. "But as a detective, you belong to me. No other thieves or pesky detectives – mine alone."

"I could live with that."

Kaito was halfway home before he realized his monocle was missing. In a panic, he searched his pockets, only one hand flying the glider. Did I even put it on tonight? I did, I think. Where is it, then? In his front jacket pocket there was a round weight. He pulled it out, but instead of his monocle he held a familiar pocket watch. Well. Hakuba had more skills with sleight-of-hand that Kaito had expected – it must have happened when he ran his fingers along Kaito's face. Interesting. There was a note taped to the front: "I'll wipe the prints from yours, and I expect to trade you back for mine." Kaito grinned. Kid couldn't perform without the entire costume, now could he? That meant he'd be seeing Hakuba again soon, in a time and place where Kaito wasn't investigating the detective and Hakuba wasn't stealing from the thief.

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From Meri: I like this slightly-manipulative Saguru. He got Kaito exactly where he wanted him just by creating a puzzle for the magician.

Please leave a review, even if it's just a line you liked/disliked. I love hearing from you all, and it's good for my writing.

To any of y'all following The H-K Files - I've been fighting with the latest case for months, and I might leave it alone and write another to get some distance. Summer is super busy for me, and I'm sure for all of you as well. I just wanted you to know I'm still planning to write more cases :D