Disclaimer: I don't own DC or MK.

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"So, I know it's been a few weeks since you started this but… why are you two sharing lunches?" Nakamori-chan peered down at the two teens sitting at the picnic table under the oak tree.

"Kuroba is completely uncultured," Saguru explained at the same time as Kuroba said, "Hakuba has no taste for good food."

"Ah," she replied, still looking skeptical. "Is sharing lunch… normal in England?"

"Not especially," Saguru answered.

She tilted her head, obviously trying to choose her words carefully. "In Japan, that's more something that girls do. Or couples."

"Geez, Ahoko, way to be judgmental. Hakuba's not a woman, he's just effeminate."

"Says the one who clutches my arm like we're in a haunted house every time we pass a sushi restaurant," Saguru snorted. "And I am not effeminate."

Kuroba made a face at the detective. "Welcome to the town of Unable to Take a Joke, population: you. No need to take everything so seriously."

Saguru ignored him. "To be clear, Nakamori-chan, we are having a friendly competition between Western and Eastern foods."

Kuroba pretended to be miffed. "You threatened to bring in fish and chips. Nothing friendly about it."

"For someone who goofs around all the time, you're not any better at taking jokes than I am. Remember, I can't kill you off with seafood yet; we still haven't finished the physics project."

"Workaholic. Hey, Aoko, do you want the mashed potatoes from my half of Hakuba's lunch?"

She smiled. "Aoko would love to try Hakuba-kun's cooking." Sitting down next to them, she wrestled the unused fork from Kuroba and began to eat the side dish.

"Now that I think about it, Kuroba, maybe we should have an outside judge for our contest."

That all too familiar crocodile smile spread across the prankster's face. "I'm not really sure that would be fair to you, Haku-chan. Whoever we picked would know going in that if I lost, he or she might end up being at the center of my attention." The unspoken implication was that no one wanted Kuroba Kaito to focus his trickery on them.

"Don't be a bully, BaKaito."

He looked offended at his childhood friend's order. "I never said I would prank those people, just that they probably think that I'd do something. I'm not a sore loser. Plus, I'm going to win." Saguru grunted, unconvinced.

Nakamori rolled her eyes, then changed the subject. "Aoko's going out for karaoke on Saturday with the girls and Hana-chan's been talking up your huge vocal range. Only Akako-chan hasn't heard you sing yet, Kaito, and we don't want to keep talking about it because she hadn't transferred in yet the last time you came with us. Would you come and sing for a bit?"

Kuroba looked thoughtful. "On Saturday Haku-chan and I were planning to go to the magic show at the auditori –"

"There you go again making plans without asking me. You can't do that, Kuroba."

"Baaya said you're free." Saguru made a mental note to ask her to stop telling Kuroba his plans. "So, Aoko, Hakuba and I can meet up with you girls after the show, which ends about 8:30."

"Great!" Then, guiltily, she looked at Saguru. "Are you okay with that?"

Saguru had no doubt he'd be dragged there even if he protested, but given his belief that Kuroba-kun was Kaitou Kid – who was notorious for changing his voice – he reckoned that the magician's singing was fairly good. "It would be a pleasure to join you all."

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Saguru probably should have expected that Kuroba would know all of the magicians from the various acts that performed during the show. There hadn't been too many other audience members in the balcony seats, so Kuroba kept up a running commentary the whole time about the history of each performer and his or her specialties and which tricks they'd invented.

" – And then Kishimoto-chan was in the US for a couple of years, in Las Vegas, and she and her husband came back last August for the annual Japanese magic convention in Tokyo. She and Sakurai-san partnered up for a few months and since it worked out well the Kishimotos moved back to Japan and –"

"Kuroba, are you even watching the show?"

"Of course. But if I didn't say something, you'd sit here and deconstruct all the tricks, which wouldn't be any fun. The point of a magic show is to make people happy. Plus, most magicians are fascinating people. I love talking about their work." Kuroba was distracted for a moment as the final act ended and the audience began to applaud. He whistled loudly and clapped unreservedly. "C'mon, I wanna go say hi to everyone backstage."

"I could just stay –"

"No, you're coming too." Saguru followed Kuroba downstairs and through the twisty hallways that led to the wings. No one tried to stop them as they mixed in with the entertainers. Kuroba greeted people he recognized with a cheerful demeanor and congratulated them on a spectacular show. Saguru spent a good deal of the time envisioning all the ways in which he could hide Kuroba's body; his classmate made a point to introduce every magician and assistant to Saguru, encouraging them to talk while he caught up with the next person he spotted. Following that experience, the two wandered over to karaoke, catching the girls just as they entered the building.

Kuroba wasn't just good at singing, he was phenomenal. Saguru was swept away by the sound, amazed that it wasn't altered by a recording studio in any way. If Kuroba ever decided to give up performing as a magician, he would have his pick of managers in the music industry. Kuroba could sing bass for any choir in the country, and Saguru loved the teen's tenor even more. It was divine, hypnotic, appealing on every level.

But of course Saguru wouldn't tell him all of that. The magician didn't need an ego boost.

When the eight girls were ready to go back to Nakamori-chan's for their sleepover, Kuroba and Saguru split off for another train. The magician couldn't sit still during the ride, and hauled Saguru off enthusiastically. "Kuroba, this is the wrong stop. We still have half a dozen more until your house, and then several more until mine."

"We're not going home yet." He waved his hands and two small slips of paper appeared. "There's a detective movie premiering at midnight at the cinema. It's not Sherlock Holmes, but it's supposed to be good."

"You're taking me to a movie?"

"Are you protesting a detective film?" Kuroba asked in an echo of Saguru's earlier comment. "I dragged you to a magic show today, so I figured I'd return the favor."

"Oh… thank you. A mystery film sounds fantastic."

Kuroba bought popcorn and a large drink to share. When Saguru had looked askance at the single cup, he said, "What? It's not like we haven't shared ice cream before. My germs aren't going to kill you." Saguru had no real argument for that defense, so he offered to hold the popcorn and they got in line to have their tickets punched.

"Hakuba? Is that you?" Saguru turned around to see a familiar bespectacled child a few patrons behind them.

"Edogawa-kun. Pleasure to see you, as always." His eyes flicked over to Kudo's token "adult", Hattori Heiji. "It's been a while, Hattori-kun."

"He snuck me out from the Detective Agency," Kudo admitted. "We're going to an event tomorrow in Beika so he's crashing at my house –" meaning the Kudo family home "– and we got bored. Figured a detective movie could be interesting."

"Like we'll be able to watch the whole movie without someone dying," Hattori sighed. Then he gestured past Saguru. "Who's your friend?"

"My apologies. Hattori-kun, Edogawa-kun, this is my classmate Kuroba Kaito."

Kuroba nodded politely, hand wrapping around Saguru's arm so he could lead the detective forward while the line moved. "Nice to meet you, Hattori-kun." He tilted his head as he regarded the temporarily shortest teen. "Edogawa-kun, I believe I've seen you before, with Jirokichi-kaichou at Kid heists." Saguru muffled a snort but didn't make a comment since he'd have to spend the next two hours in a dark theatre with Kuroba, who would undoubtedly have his revenge for any Kid-themed remarks. "Pleased to meet you personally at last. Haku-chan has told me that you're very talented for your age."

Kudo studied Saguru for a moment, as if judging how much he'd told Kuroba about Edogawa Conan, then looked back at the magician. "Thank you, Kuroba-niichan."

Kuroba picked two seats in the very back of the theatre and, amazingly, kept quiet through most of the show. It wasn't the greatest mystery film ever made – more of an adventure, actually – but it was entertaining and Saguru enjoyed the twists even when he saw them coming. During the Bond-esque scene with the accomplice being tossed into the piranha tank, he heard a whimper from Kuroba. Saguru felt a pang of guilt, since the magician was only here because of him. Wordlessly he slipped his hand into Kuroba's and gave it a light squeeze. It seemed to calm him down.

By the end of the movie, Saguru was blinking rapidly to keep awake – not because of the late hour, but because days with Kuroba always turned out to be very full and incredibly exhausting. Saguru didn't remember much of the cab ride home. As soon as the detective had given the driver his address and settled into his seat, Kuroba began singing quietly to fill the silence. It was in a language that Saguru didn't know, but it sounded a little like the Korean he'd heard. The song felt soft and soothing after the long day, and Saguru found his eyes falling closed to the sound of Kuroba's ethereal tenor.

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Saguru ran into Kudo again a few days later in the Beika mall. "What brings you here?" the small detective asked.

"I'm looking for a birthday present for Baaya. You?"

"Party decorations. My parents are coming home for the week. Since I know my mother will want to drag 'Conan-chan' to social events across the city, I'm making solid plans which she can't cancel."

"Very passive-aggressive." Saguru smiled. "So, party decorations?"

"I'm inviting Hattori, Agasa-hakase, Haibara, and the kids to watch the international soccer match. Honestly, the decorations are superfluous since we're just hanging out, but time spent putting them up is time not being captured and dressed like a little girl." Hakuba chuckled with him. "Feel free to drop by if you're not busy this Saturday. Oh, and you're welcome to bring your boyfriend."

"My what?"

"Boyfriend." He looked amused when Saguru didn't react. "Significant other. Sweetheart. Beau. Kuroba." There was an undertone of "duh" in the statement.

Saguru paused for a long moment, thinking about how the other detective could have come to that particular conclusion. Things had changed between the magician and detective recently, but they were just friends. Except, of course, for the (all-too frequent) moments when he wanted to strangle the trickster. "Significant other?" Saguru hadn't noticed any sign that Kuroba was even into guys at –

Wait a minute. Wait a goddamn minute.

Events started to connect: Kuroba had invited Saguru over to his house alone and basically watched the detective do a strip tease before putting his hands all over him. Kuroba had introduced his family and magician friends to Saguru like a man presenting his girlfriend for approval. He'd made sure to get in good with Saguru's family too. They exchanged lunches on school days, which Nakamori-chan had even pointed out was a couple's activity, and Saguru was over at the Kurobas' house at least once a week for games. Kuroba had slept in Saguru's bed and had a habit of making suggestive comments and being physically close with him. Their after-school excursions around town, including trips to the ice-cream parlor and the cinema, could be seen as dates.

Kuroba-kun was so entrenched in Saguru's life that it was almost absurd that the detective hadn't noticed before. All at once Saguru started laughing and couldn't stop, even when Kudo looked at him like he was a mental patient. "That sneaky little bastard."

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"You've been busy." Saguru couldn't squash the small bit of satisfaction that came from seeing Kuroba jump. Praise Kuroba-san for letting him into the house without informing her son.

"Part of being a performer," Kuroba replied with a smile, waving a deck of cards in one hand and shuffling the miscellaneous props around on his desk with the other. "We're always busy."

"That. Is not what I meant."

One of Kuroba's eyebrows arched. "What are you talking about, then, Hakuba?" Probably sensing that this wasn't going to be a quick I-was-in-the-neighborhood-so-I-dropped-by conversation, he set down the cards and sank gracefully onto his comforter.

"You're a slippery creature, Kuroba Kaito."

He chuckled. "You're just discovering this?"

"You've been courting me." Kuroba's gaze locked on his, both eyebrows raised now. "For months." At least two that Saguru was aware of; who knew how long this had been in the making? When the magician didn't speak, Saguru continued, "You were so patient about it, adding one activity at a time, one introduction at a time, until you became the linchpin of my social life."

"What are you going to do about it?" It was almost a dare, the way he said it, and Saguru heard that little bit of coyness in Kuroba's tone.

Saguru didn't answer. "You still drive me insane most of the time."

"You'd never have fun if I didn't show you a little bit of crazy sometimes."

"You don't ask me before making plans."

"If you didn't actually want to go, nothing I could say or do would change your mind."

"You planned this entire thing, from the first time I went over to your house."

"Recognizing subtlety and complex schemes is a necessary skill for a detective. I was just helping you practice." He coughed significantly. "Though, to be fair, not all of it was terribly subtle."

"How long have you been telling people that we're dating?"

"I haven't. I figured you should be the first to know."

"So people have just been assuming that from watching us?"

Kuroba grinned. "Reckon so."

Saguru rubbed his temples and let out a chuckle that was half self-deprecating and half genuinely amused. "I had no idea."

"And it was both frustrating and utterly adorable. So I'll ask you again, Haku-chan: what are you going to do now that you know?"

"Mmm. I haven't really decided."

"We could try a kiss, to see if you're interested," Kuroba suggested slyly. The trickster thought he was in control here, Saguru realized. That wouldn't do.

Saguru bit back a smirk as an idea came into his head to take the offensive. "Oh, Kaito-kun," he purred. He got to watch the unassailable Kuroba go pink in the cheeks. Saguru stepped closer and leaned down until he was breathing in the magician's ear, hands resting on the bed. "I'm not sure you'd want that."

"I'm wooing you. Of course I want that." Kuroba's voice was a little unsteady, and he'd shivered when Saguru murmured into his ear.

Saguru let his smirk loose. "What if I left marks?" he whispered. "You'd have to cover them up for the next heist, but even with makeup, the taskforce and I would still be able to see them. Wouldn't that be a risk?"

"I'm not Kid," Kuroba lied, a little out of breath.

"Uh huh." Having succeeded in flustering the magician, Saguru backed up abruptly and surveyed his work. Kuroba looked even more fetching with a bit of a flush on his face. And the detective agreed with Kuroba's egotistical assessment that he was incredibly attractive. Saguru could definitely see himself growing to crave that smile. Their friendship was already solidified, and with how touchy Kuroba was normally, dating him wouldn't be that much different.

"What, you're not going to do anything after saying that?" In a blink, Kuroba had jumped up from the bed, hands on hips.

"Are you admitting that the thought of a couple very visible hickeys was appealing?" Saguru had speculated that the Kaitou Kid liked a little danger, and it seemed he was right.

"Aren't you going to take responsibility for your words?"

"Why do I have to be the responsible one? You started this." Saguru relaxed, falling back into the verbal tennis match that he and Kuroba were so familiar with. It was less an argument and more a competition.

"Sorry, but who's the one who came up to my bedroom when he figured out that I've been slowly romancing him?"

"Who already fell asleep in my bed?"

"I did," Kuroba answered, even though it was a rhetorical question. He looked damn proud of himself, and Saguru laughed, breaking the confrontational mood.

He ruffled the prankster's hair. "Shameless flirt."

"Yes to both of those adjectives."

Before Kuroba could restart the verbal game, Saguru leaned down and pecked him on the lips, short and sweet. "There. You got your kiss. You're going to have to ask me on a real, proper date if you want another one. None of these stealthy not-dates you've been orchestrating."

Kuroba nodded. "Haku-chan, will you go out with me on Sunday? I was thinking we could go rock-climbing and have a picnic afterwards."

Saguru opened his mouth to answer, and then paused, suspicious. "Did Baaya already tell you that I'm busy Friday and Saturday?"

"Yes." Shameless indeed.

Saguru sighed. "You have to start coordinating with me from now on."

"I can do that."

"Good. To answer your question, Kuroba, yes, it would be a privilege to go with you on Sunday." He hadn't been to a rock-climbing gym since the birthday party he'd attended in elementary school. Kuroba was sure to work off lots of energy on the rock wall, so maybe Saguru wouldn't end up with an overly bouncy magician during their picnic.

"Awesome. And now that I've asked you on a real, proper date…" Kuroba cupped both hands around Saguru's face. With a gentleness that Saguru was unaccustomed to seeing from him, the magician leaned up until their mouths touched. Mmm. Kuroba's lips were softer than clouds on a summer day. They were warm and alive and provoked something like butterflies in his stomach. The kiss was sweet, like the first time tasting peppermint in a candy store, and it was slow, like a silent film played at half-speed to make the final scene last longer.

Saguru found himself stretching forward when Kuroba pulled back. That had been… nice. "I'll see you Sunday, then." Right now he had other obligations and should be getting back to them.

"Pack lots of water. I'll take care of food and the equipment."

"Equipment?" Saguru frowned. "I think most rock-climbing gyms provide the harnesses and climbing shoes for you."

Kuroba cocked an eyebrow, not even attempting to hide the grin on his face. "My darling Haku-chan, who said anything about rock-climbing indoors?"

That meant real cliffs.

Kuroba Kaito and real cliffs.

Kuroba Kaito and real cliffs and a picnic on top of said cliffs.

Kuroba Kaito, who never did anything halfway. "This is going to be one hell of a first date, isn't it?"

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From Meri: Thanks for reading! Please leave a review, even if it's just a line you liked/disliked. I wrote the last scene for this fic eight times, no exaggeration - Kaito wanted all the fluff and I was fighting to keep it playful like the rest of the story. Please tell me how I did. Every bit of feedback helps my writing :)