Prompt: "Could you do a confession fic with KaiHaku?" / "Kid confessing to Hakuba during a heist with a kiss or something similar"

Requestor(s): Bunnyz-chan / Uxie22 (respectively)

Pairing: Kaito x Hakuba, slight hints of HeiShin (it crept in, somehow…?)

Note(s): I will admit that I struggled A LOT with this fic. For some reason, I'm not good at writing Hakuba or Kaito when Shinichi's not involved in the equation, probably because I'm primarily a DC fan before an MK fan. Eek.

Not Rivals

"You really like Kid, don't you?"

Hakuba blinked at the detective in front of him. "What?"

Shinichi shrugged, glancing towards the display case. "Well, I don't know. You seem really invested in him." He grinned. "You always go his heists, and you're always reading up on him… It just sort of seems like you really like him, is all."

Looking at him askance (what was that supposed to mean?), Hakuba sighed. "No, that's not it at all." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I despise Kid. That's why I'm constantly chasing him."

"Really?" The glance Shinichi cast him was slightly disbelieving. "Well, you know what they say about love and hate."

"What do they say?"

Smirking, Shinichi answered, "They're the same thing."

Before Hakuba could protest, he walked away, heading towards where that tan Osakan friend of his was glaring in Hakuba's direction. Hakuba waved, just to be annoying, and enjoyed the tan detective's spasm of anger, which Shinichi fought to contain with a hand on the shoulder and a pat on the back.

Leaning against the wall behind him, Hakuba sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He could sort of understand why Shinichi might think that, considering that even he knew and recognized that his behavior regarding Kid was rather – um, obsessive. But he just – he just wanted to know Kid, a little more. Especially since someone wouldn't admit that he was Kid –

"Hey."

Starting, Hakuba looked up just in time to see Kaito walking towards him. "Oh. Kuroba-kun." He blinked and peered away. Kaito always set him on edge, especially at Kid heists. Mostly for the obvious reason of him being Kid, no matter what he said in his defense.

(But if Hakuba let himself think about it for too long, he might have wondered why Kaito's refusal to confess to being Kid bothered him so much. Was it just because he sort of wished Kaito trusted him enough to admit that he was Kid?)

(Which was a horrifying thought, and Hakuba desperately did not want his thoughts to go in that direction. Because then maybe what Shinichi had said might be a little more true, and Hakuba just didn't know how to react to that.)

"Yo." Kaito waved. "That's not a very polite greeting, Hakuba. Can't you say something nicer to someone you've known for, what, five years?"

"I could, but why would I?" Hakuba smiled faintly. "We're not friends, after all."

Which was a complete lie, to be honest. They'd grown close enough over the past couple of years that Hakuba might actually venture to say that Kaito was his best friend. But it had stayed their unspoken agreement – aloud, they were still rivals.

A strange expression overtook Kaito's face for just half a second, something like a mixture of disappointment and despondency – and then it was gone, replaced by his usual manic grin. "That's right!" he sang. "Well, I'm just going to go check in with Kudou and Hattori, rival." He threw Hakuba a wink before prancing off, swinging his arms merrily.

Hakuba stared after him, feeling as if he'd said something very, very wrong.

Kid was 14.05 seconds late, Hakuba noted as the man in white appeared on top of the display case in a puff of pink smoke.

"Good evening, my detectives!" Kid called, waving his arms and cackling madly.

Nakamori shouted something – probably an unnecessary "Get him!" – and Kid beamed before he hopped lightly to the ground, knocked the glass off the display, and picked up the Starlight Sapphire. He dropped into a deep bow just as task force members converged on him. "Thank you for your time!"

A blinding light flashed through the hall, and Hakuba squinted reflexively. When he could see again, Kid was gone, leaving stunned police officers and a red-faced Nakamori.

Well played, Hakuba thought to himself, and slipped out of the hall, heading for the rooftop.

The door to the rooftop was unlocked, thankfully, and Hakuba leisurely pushed it open to step out. Gusts of wind immediately assailed him, and Hakuba brushed his hair out of his eyes.

On the far side of the rooftop, a figure paused, one hand lifted to the sky. "Tantei-san."

"Hello, Kid." The door shut behind him, and Hakuba leaned against it. "Kuroba-kun."

"Are you still going on about that?" Kid turned, lowering his arm. Moonlight flashed off his monocle.

"Yes, actually," Hakuba answered, lightly. He crossed his arms over his chest. "It pains me that you feel the need to lie about it when I'm clearly correct in deducing that you're Kid."

"Does it, now?" Kid's voice was hard to read – not quite blank, but with riddled with emotions that Hakuba didn't quite know how to place. "Do you really care about who I am? Or are you just interested in pursuing the legend, the myth? Claiming the glory when I'm behind bars?"

Hakuba blinked in surprise. If he had to name exactly how Kid's voice sounded, he would call it – hurt. But that would be ridiculous, so... "What are you talking about?"

"You see us as rivals, don't you?" Kid pocketed the sapphire, slowly advancing on Hakuba. Even at this distance, Hakuba could see the little bits of Kuroba Kaito peeking through his façade – the same swing of his hips; the same set of his jaw; the same everything, just tucked away underneath the suit and the monocle."Even after five years of pursuing me, we're still rivals."

He was only a few feet away from him now, and Hakuba swallowed hard, trying to distract himself from the faintly broken smile on Kid's lips – so unlike his usual smile. So wrong.

"Does that really matter?" he tried, fighting to sound dismissive. "Does it matter if I have other reasons for chasing you? It's the same result in the end, isn't it?"

"That's true." Kid finally stopped. His cape whipped through the air behind him. "It's the same result, sure. Prison. And to Kid, it doesn't matter. You're just another critic." His voice dropped in volume. "But to me, it does."

Hakuba's breath actually caught at that, because what was Kid saying? To the phantom thief, it made no difference, but to him, to Kuroba Kaito, it mattered what Hakuba saw them as?

"I'm not quite sure I understand your meaning," Hakuba finally said, quietly. "Are you saying that…" That you care? That I'm something special? That... that...

"That you matter to me?" Kid's – no, Kuroba's – eyes were blazing with defiance. "Yes, I am. Is that a problem?"

"I…" Hakuba trailed off as Kuroba took another step forward. He was just a man in a cape and a hat and a monocle, at this point. Every bit of Kid had been stripped from him, leaving Kuroba Kaito, Hakuba's former classmate and – and friend. "Not… really. Considering," he forced himself to take a breath, "that you matter to me as well… Kuroba-kun."

It wasn't an I love you, not really, and it certainly wasn't the most eloquent confession, but Kaito's eyes still warmed, just a little.

"That's reassuring," he murmured before he leaned in and kissed Hakuba, softly, gently.

When Kuroba pulled back, Hakuba stared at him for a moment longer before letting out a breathless laugh. "So."

"So," Kuroba repeated, smile stuck in place, and Hakuba breathed out hard.

"So... not rivals, then?"

"No," agreed Kuroba, reaching out to cup Hakuba's cheek. "Not rivals."

...Hahahaha (shoot me please)

On that entirely happy note, hope you enjoyed this terrible rendition of a KaiHaku confession, Bunnyz-chan & Uxie22...? *cough* Yeah, I really don't know how to write these two...

Anyway, I'll be back soon with a KaiShin/ShinKai "confession in a letter" (although it turned into "confession in letters" but oh well) fic~! Until then, stay lovely, my dears! - Luna