Mikau: Hello again! Thank you so much for sticking with me! Here's the second and final installment. Much appreciation to my reviewers from last time: AngelsBeast and Guest (Thank you so much! I'm really glad you enjoyed it! ^o^ I think these two are cute together and actually good for each other, so I'm happy that you liked reading my interpretation of the pairing.)! And now on with the show!

Disclaimer: DCMK is the intellectual property of Aoyama Gosho, and this fic was requested by Crimson Amarone on Poirot Café for the Secret Santa exchange.

…

Part II

"Here. Let me get that," Kaito offered, taking the dishes from Ran as she started to clear the table after dinner.

"I'll wash them later, so just leave them in the sink," Ran instructed. "I won't have any guest of mine doing dishes."

"I don't mind," Kaito assured with a winning grin.

To which Ran firmly asserted, "I insist," in such a manner as to nip further protestations in the bud.

"As you wish, Buttercup." Kaito yielded with a salute and turned to escort the dishes to the kitchen sink.

Ran began gathering a second armful of flatware and cutlery only to be interrupted by her father reaching out and resting a hand on her forearm. She looked up at him, raising one eyebrow slightly.

Kogoro's countenance was hardened into a rare serious expression. "Hey."

"Y-Yes?" She blinked, wondering what this could be about.

Kogoro glanced towards the kitchen where Kaito had gone before turning his solemn gaze back at Ran. He lowered his voice and asked, "You really like this guy? He makes you happy?"

Ran looked taken aback for a moment before breaking out in a warm laugh and a soft smile of pure joy. She nodded. "Yeah. I love him."

Conan's heart clenched, and he tried his best to keep his eyes trained on the table in front of him. He didn't want to see her smile like that when thinking of anyone other than Shinichi.

Kogoro's expression darkened. He bit his lip. "And…it's not just 'cause…because he looks like you-know-who, right?"

Ran shook her head and laughed again. "No. Kaito's wonderful in all of his own ways. I may have originally taken an interest in him for his face, but he won me over on his own merits…. And now I love him," she whispered with a wistful smile. "He may have his own set of vices, but he's honest with me, and he's reliable. When it comes to me versus other things in his life, he always picks me. I know I'm important to him, that he loves me too. I don't have to wonder if some case is more exciting than spending time with me or if he cares more about Sherlock Holmes than me. Kaito's dependable, affectionate, and considerate, so, even though he has his faults, he makes me happy nine times to one. And the problems that we do have, we can work out as a couple. I feel like I can work together with him as a team to overcome both of our shortcomings, and I think that's the key to a successful, happy partnership, so…" Ran ended with a shrug and the dopey grin of one that knew what it was to love and be loved.

Kogoro nodded, satisfied with her answer, and let go of her arm.

"If Ran had any 'shortcomings', anyway," Kaito chuckled as he came back into the dining/living area for another armful of dirty dishes. "But other than that, I think she's got it spot on." Kaito turned to wink at his beloved. "And I love it when you wax poetic about me, Honey."

Ran rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to protest.

Kaito headed her off at the pass. "If you're about to say that you consider your temper a shortcoming, you should know that I think it's adorable. I like being bossed around, and I enjoy it when you threaten me with bodily harm."

Ran shook her head and sighed, piling dishes on top of the ones already in Kaito's hands. "Stop eavesdropping and mindreading already." She gave him a playful shove in the direction of the kitchen. "You're lucky I don't really put you to work."

Kaito shrugged, smirked, and dutifully carried out his task.

"I heard that," Ran snorted with a frown of disapproval.

"What?" Kaito pouted. "I didn't say anything." At least not out loud. He'd really wanted to comment about her "putting him to work" on a mattress or something, but he hadn't thought it proper or advisable what with the lady's father (who could judo-throw him through a wall) and a ten year-old (who could be just as deadly and overprotective) present.

"No, but you thought it," Ran scolded.

"Now who's the mind reader?" Kaito chuckled, heading for the kitchen.

Ran shook her head, grabbing the last of the dishes with a smile that Conan was doing his best not to notice.

"Hey, Ran, do we have any Christmas cake?" Kogoro inquired, pulling out his almost empty cigarette pack and lighting up.

"No. Why?" She paused to raise an eyebrow at her father. "The other day when I asked, you said you didn't want any."

"Because I was going to go to a Christmas party where there would be cake served by beautiful young women," Kogoro grumbled. "Can you go get some from the store? I'm sure the convenience store down the street will still have some."

With a heavy sigh, Ran shook her head and acquiesced. "Sure, Dad. Let me finish clearing the table, and I'll go."

"I'll go with you," Kaito gladly volunteered.

"Oh, no you don't," Kogoro decreed. "You're staying here so we can have a little chat."

Kaito waved away the patriarch's protest. "We can chat whenever you like, but I don't like Ran going out by herself at night."

"I feel sorry for any crook that tries to bother her," Conan snickered. "The poor dope will only land himself in the hospital."

"True," Kaito hummed reluctantly. "But—"

"—There. That settles it," Kogoro cut him off. "Ran will go get the cake, and Kaito-kun will stay here and get grilled."

Conan inwardly winced at the fact that his rival had gone from being "Kuroba-brat" to "Kaito-kun" in one sitting while Shinichi himself had remained "that detective brat" (or even "that Kudo brat" if he were lucky) for over a decade now.

"Dad, be nice," Ran instructed with a warning glare as she went to deposit the last of the dishes into the kitchen sink.

"I'll be fine, Ran," Kaito reassured her, confident in his abilities. "Chatting is my specialty."

She gave him a gauging look before glancing between him and her father.

"Seriously," Kaito reaffirmed, going over to the coat stand and grabbing hers, holding it up for her.

Ran sighed. "Oh, all right." She reluctantly slipped on the coat. "Just be good."

"I will," Kaito promised.

"All of you." She cast a look at her father and Conan (who each mumbled "Yes, Ma'am"s of their own).

"Be safe, Hun." Kaito reached out and tenderly stroked her cheek.

"I will," Ran assured, placing her hands lightly on his shoulders and leaning in for a quick kiss.

Conan tried not to stare in despair. Because they looked like a husband seeing his wife off to work in the morning.

"I'll give you your present when you get back, so don't take too long, okay?" Kaito offered an incentive.

Ran rolled her eyes playfully. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"It's our first Christmas together as a couple. Of course I had to get you something," Kaito snickered. "I know you. If I didn't, you would have told our children and grandchildren and generations to come about how I didn't get you anything for Christmas our first year together."

"I'm not that petty," Ran sniffed indignantly.

"You still complain about the birthdays and Christmases that Kudo messed up on," Kaito reminded. "I'm not taking any chances. Now go and get the cake and hurry back so I can give you my awesome gift. I love you."

"Love you too," Ran chuckled, waving goodbye to her family as she turned to go.

It left Conan wondering if he'd really been such a bad boyfriend as all that. It wasn't exactly his fault that he'd been trapped in the body of a child for all of those years, unable to be the man that Ran wanted and deserved in her life. …Except for the part where it was his fault in the first place that he'd snuck off during their trip to Tropical Land to pursue suspicious characters instead of putting Ran first, spending time with her. Funny how that one mistake had compounded…and now here they were. Shinichi was Conan for the rest of his life, and Ran was moving on, finding happiness.

If only Shinichi had been able to truly appreciate what he'd had. But he'd been young and impulsive, never dreaming that his curiosity and his ego would get him into trouble.

"So shoot," Kaito challenged as he sashayed like a snooty cat back over to sit at the table. "Ask me anything."

Kogoro eyed his daughter's suitor warily. "…What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

Conan couldn't wait to see what heist the former thief was about to confess to.

Kaito's face paled, and a tortured, penitent expression took over, but he didn't hesitate in the least as he responded, "I lied to someone who trusted me."

Kogoro raised an eyebrow skeptically. "That's the worst of it?"

Kaito looked away, ashamed. "She trusted me. She believed in me, and I let her down. I looked her straight in the face and lied. What could be worse than being a lowlife traitor?"

Kogoro studied the suspect as he puffed on his second-to-last cigarette. "You lie a lot?"

"I used to," Kaito confessed, still looking down. "To everyone, really. I didn't think I had much choice in the matter, and if anyone found out and told Aoko the truth…"

"But she found out anyway," Kogoro conjectured.

Kaito nodded, indescribable agony etched into his features. "I thought I was protecting her…her happiness, by not telling her, but… I learned the hard way that always trying to shield and protect someone, keeping the harsh truth from them, is no way to have a real relationship. I only realized too late that it's about honesty and teamwork."

Conan was unable to look at the magician who had stolen the heart of the woman Shinichi loved. The words leaving Kaito's lips struck too close to home. …But he still couldn't believe coming clean to Ran would have been the right decision.

It started out as an attempt to keep her out of danger, but even though it had ended up with her life in peril anyway, Conan still had thought it better not to tell her. If the truth came out, Ran would live like he did, in constant fear. Conan hadn't wanted that for Ran, so, in that way, there was a difference between Shinichi's case and Kid's.

"Have you ever lied to Ran?" Kogoro inquired, fixing Kaito with an intense stare.

"No," Kaito replied firmly, raising his head and looking Kogoro right in the eye. "Even about the unsavory secrets of my past, my parents, my failures, my shortcomings…I've always told Ran everything, ever since the moment I decided I wanted her in my life."

Kaito's gaze was unwavering as he continued, "After things blew up with Aoko, I swore never to lie to the people I love again." His voice softened. "Sixteen to eighteen were the worst years of my life, and I lost a lot during that time. At the beginning of college, I decided to change, to put all the bad stuff behind me. Since then, I've tried not to do things I'd have to lie about. I wanted to be able to share my life with others; I didn't want to hide or feel ashamed of myself anymore, so…"

Kogoro nodded in understanding and approval. "Well, it sounds like you're making good on your resolutions, and if you've told Ran everything and she's accepted it… Well, I guess I can accept you too. You seem like a good kid, Kaito-kun, and, so far, I like ya, but we're talking about my baby girl here, and she's been hurt bad before."

"I know," Kaito whispered. "She's told me."

Kogoro's face hardened. "Look, Ran is one of the best things I've done in my life, and I won't see her hurt like that again, understand?"

"Yes, Sir." Kaito quietly nodded.

"She deserves to be happy, so I want to see her smiling and laughing when she's with you, okay?" the loving father instructed.

"Yes, Sir." Kaito repeated with a warm smile.

"And know that I reserve the right to kick you out of my daughter's life at any time if you hurt her," Kogoro threatened. "Hurt her, and I will make you pay."

"I understand, Sir," Kaito replied solemnly.

"So," Kogoro sighed. "Before I give you the okay to date my daughter, I have to know. You two have only been dating for a few months, but you're already acting like newlyweds and talking about marriage and all that. Ran's obviously serious about you, but I have to know: are you serious about her? What exactly do you want from my daughter?"

"Sir, your daughter has been nothing short of a miracle to me, and I am completely serious about her," Kaito insisted with enough earnestness to move even the staunchest skeptic. "As for what I want…Ran and I are pretty much on the same page in that regard. We want a family."

Kogoro's brow creased.

"Not just kids, and not right away, either," Kaito clarified. "We've talked a lot about growing up and our first failed romances. Those are kind of the points where we really connected at the beginning. We were both under the impression from an early age that we were going to marry a certain person, and we both poured all of our emotional energy into those relationships. So when they failed, we were crushed and convinced we'd never find love again. I personally thought I'd never be happy again after Aoko, but…then I met Ran, and we were able to trust each other, help one another heal, and fall in love a second time. We've both had similar traumas, so it's easy for us to relate.

"And then there's our family lives. Nothing against you, Sir," Kaito quickly assured, "but Ran feels like she never really had a cohesive family like other kids. You know what your relationship has been with your wife; I don't need to tell you about that, but it was hard on Ran growing up…even now."

The trenches in Kogoro's brow deepened, and the hard line his mouth had set into faltered with the twinge of guilt Kaito's words evoked.

"And for my own part," Kaito continued softly. "I already shared with you that my father was murdered and my mom hospitalized soon after. When she got out, she started traveling the world, and I haven't seen much of her since, so…" He looked Kogoro full in the face, hoping the older man would understand. "What Ran and I want from one another is the security and stability of a family. I want to live my life with her by my side, knowing that she's got my back and will support me through whatever I'm going through."

Kogoro looked away and gave a little snort. "This isn't a fairy tale, kid. All that romantic crap you see in the movies doesn't exist in real life. What are you going to do when you face financial difficulties? Sickness? Stress from work, temptation to commit adultery, and the pressures of raising kids? You talk a big game now, Kaito-kun, but what happens after the honeymoon's over and two real-life people have to go out there and make a marriage work? It's no walk in the park. I'm warnin' ya now," Kogoro cautioned from his own life experience. He'd been young and in love once too.

Kaito's expression remained set in determination. "I'm not shy when it comes to hard work. I think any problem can be overcome with honest communication…and maybe some therapy, if necessary. I expect to have to work in this relationship. I want to work together with Ran to make a life together. I'm kind of expecting to get frustrated and fed up and angry from time to time, and I know that Ran's going to want to murder me on occasion too. Like you said, we're actual human beings, complete with flaws and shortcomings. I go into this knowing that I'm going to struggle at times, but I still want to try."

Kaito's voice lowered and softened into a wistful murmur. "I've wanted a real family my entire life. It's been my dream to find a place I belong and people who love me. Anything worth having is worth fighting for and struggling to keep."

Kogoro sighed heavily as he got to his feet. "Kaito-kun, you're a starry-eyed dreamer. I hope life doesn't beat that out of you."

Kaito blinked, looking up apprehensively at his future father-in-law as Kogoro lightly patted him on the head.

"As you know by now, Ran makes her own decisions, and if she's let you into her life, there's no way I could kick you out against her will," Kogoro confessed, running a hand through his hair. "You don't need my permission to date my daughter, but I'll tell ya, I'm glad that you seem to want my approval. Just…" Kogoro gave Kaito another solemn look. "Be careful with her. Ran's tough as nails, but there are places where she's fragile too."

"Yes, Sir," Kaito chuckled with a soft smile. "Thanks."

Kogoro shrugged, going back to his usual aloof demeanor. "All right. You kids behave. I'm gonna go around the corner to the vending machine to get some more smokes. I should be back by the time Ran gets here with the cake, but, if not…tell her I just wanted some fresh air. She's been getting on me about how much I smoke and lung cancer and all that lately."

Kaito gave a playful salute as Kogoro headed towards the door, grabbing his coat and leaving without much ado.

The door shut with a muted click, and then silence reigned in the apartment.

Kaito bit his lip, tentatively casting his gaze upon Conan. "So," he hummed. "I guess that just leaves you and me."

"Yeah," Conan sighed, letting the full weight of his disenchantment show.

Kaito sighed. "Look, Tantei-kun. I know you don't like me right now…. You've never liked me, and that's okay. You don't have to, but let's just agree to get along for Ran's sake, okay? Because I love your big sister, and we both mean a heck of a lot to her, so—"

"—You have no idea," Conan muttered heatedly, glaring his rival down. "How the hell do you think I feel seeing Ran with you? We may have done some good together, but you're still just a criminal, and you don't even know the first thing about me, Kid, so do me a favor and don't patronize me, okay?"

Kaito remained silent for almost a full forty-five seconds, trying to determine the best way to approach the situation. "Conan-kun, that part of my life is over. I know you've seen a lot of bad stuff with your cases, and I know in your mind I'm a 'bad' guy, but people can grow and change for the better. I had my reasons for what I did, and they were good enough to exonerate me in Ran's eyes. I don't mean you have to forgive me and condone what I did, but…"

Kaito stopped, seeing that Conan was only drawing further away, crossing his arms, deepening his frown, and refusing to even look at Kaito.

"…I'm sorry," Kaito whispered. "Ran's important to me, and I just want her to be happy. When Ran and I get married, you and I are going to be brothers. We're gonna have to be around each other a lot, so…"

Nothing Kaito said seemed to be helping.

He sighed, chewed on the inside of his cheek, and then tried again. "I know you're young, so you might not fully understand this, but I know what a genius you are, Tantei-kun. You're mature enough to get things that other ten year-olds can't, so…"

Kaito took another deep breath and explained. "I hid the truth about Kid from Aoko in order to keep her safe from those trench-coats with guns that were always taking potshots at me. That really blew up in my face, and after things ended, I was a lifeless mess. Hakuba did his best to keep me alive, but, other than him, I didn't have anyone in my life that gave a damn about me. Your parents may have been kinder and less intentional about it, but you know what it's like to have your parents walk out on you.

"…I'll tell you a secret—my dad's not dead. He faked his death and then went off to travel the world, leaving my mom and me to think he was gone for good. And then my mom abandoned me too. I grew up thinking no one gave a shit about me except Aoko and her family, so I clung to that. When I screwed up and lost that too…"

Kaito shook his head, a grief-ravaged look on his face.

Conan reluctantly snuck a glance or two at his nemesis.

"That was the low point of my life. I didn't want to live anymore," Kaito whispered, and Conan had to scoot a little closer to hear him. "Ran saved me. She cared about me. She had suffered her own trauma too, and with her help I was able to put my life back together and start looking forward to the future again. Ran is my second chance. She's the second chance that I didn't…don't…deserve but so desperately needed. She picked me up off of the garbage heap, cleaned me up, and made me feel like new again…. So I want to do everything possible to keep her smiling. I love Ran, and I—"

"—I love her too, dammit!" Conan hurled in fury at his enemy. That was it. He'd heard enough, and he couldn't take it anymore. "I've loved her for almost twenty years! So what do you want me to do, Kid? What do you want me to say? 'Oh. Okay. You're here now, so I'll just let you take Ran away from me without a fight. I'll just get over my feelings for her overnight and be bestest best friends with you, the guy taking her away from me'?" he scoffed.

"Conan-kun," Kaito started in a calm, reassuring voice.

"That's not my name," the shrunken sleuth growled like a rabid wolf.

Kaito's eyes widened at the heat and the fervor, the hatred blazing in the normally level-headed boy's eyes.

"It's Kudo Shinichi. Kudo Shinichi trapped in this f-ing child's body for the past four, torturous years, watching Ran suffer and slowly drift away while I was right here, unable to do a damn thing to help her," Conan hissed, the frustration and regret coming back all over again.

"And you expect me to be civil to you?" Conan glared at the wide-eyed, pale-faced Kaito. "You're taking my place, pushing me out. And there's nothing I can do but watch my old life go down in flames around me."

They sat there in tense silence for two or three minutes as Kaito struggled to sort through all he'd been told. There was so much to consider: did he believe Tantei-kun's assertions? If yes, then what? What was he supposed to do? Was he expected to just give up Ran? Roll over and play dead like a dog? He wasn't relinquishing his claim without a knock-down, drag-out cat fight.

"What do you want me to do?" Kaito asked quietly, respectfully, facing his challenger.

Conan paused and stared at Kaito. He hadn't been expecting such a calm, level response to his outburst and, frankly, fantastical revelation. He looked down at his hand, fingers drumming repetitively on the table.

"I don't know," Conan replied in a jaded tone. "Part of me wants you to back off and give Ran back, but…there is no going back, is there?"

"…I don't think so," Kaito whispered, holding his breath that his honesty didn't trigger another flare-up.

Conan sighed heavily, running a hand slowly through his hair. "I mean…if she's supposedly over me, dragging Kudo Shinichi back into her life at this point will probably do more harm than good. Apparently I wasn't a good boyfriend anyway, even when Ran and I were together, so—"

"—That's not true," Kaito cut in. "Knowing the circumstances now, I'd say you did the best you could. It's just that the universe and your love of Sherlock Holmes conspired against you and Ran."

Conan's chin dropped to his chest with a sigh of despair. "Yeah. And now she's happier with you…and I'm miserable."

Kaito chewed pensively on his lip for a short while before he answered, "Because you haven't moved on and found your own happiness yet."

Conan sluggishly raised an eyebrow at Kaito. He felt so drained.

"I mean…" Kaito fidgeted almost imperceptibly. "Like I just finished telling you a minute ago, after my breakup with Aoko, I was majorly depressed and ready to throw in the towel on life, but… Maybe your second chance is still to come. Maybe you can make something good, a new life for yourself, out of this seemingly bad situation."

Conan stared thoughtfully at Kaito for minutes stretching into minutes as he considered the magician's words. Finally he sighed, "Stop being so nice and supportive. I want to hate you as the guy who stole my soulmate. It's hard when you make me see you as a fellow human being with baggage. Could you go back to being a silver-tongued ladies' man with a bad personality and zero redeeming qualities?"

Kaito chuckled, shaking his head. "Sorry. And it's better for me if I don't. I mean, I'd rather we peacefully coexisted."

"For Ran's sake," Conan muttered, shaking his head and trying to compose himself. "Okay. I'll play along. I don't want to cause Ran any more pain."

"Kudo…" Kaito attempted to formulate the best way to convey his thoughts. "Ran told me that when things were bad with her because of…because of Kudo Shinichi, she always managed to hold herself together for Edogawa Conan. Your relationship might have been the root of her pain, but you being there for her as her little brother… She told me she'd never have made it without all of your love and support. The sweet ways you'd try to cheer her up when Kudo let her down, the things you'd say and do for her… Kudo, you weren't only a burden to her, so don't think like that. You're an important member of her family that she needs in her life."

Conan sighed yet again, wanting to give his head a good thunk against the wall. "Again. Stop with the encouragement. You have no idea how low it makes me feel getting consoled by the new boyfriend. I don't want you to be a decent guy. I want to be able to hate you as a philandering scoundrel."

Kaito shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry. No can do. I'm deceptively monogamous for all my flirting skills. And I'm happy that way."

Conan gave a snort of laughter, shaking his head slowly at his former mental sparring opponent. "All right. You win…Kuroba."

Kaito grinned, for it was a win indeed. "Does this mean I should call you 'Edogawa' now? I guess I can't very well go around calling you 'Kudo' in front of Ran, can I?"

"Call me what you will."

"Shinigami-chan?" Kaito risked teasing.

Conan glared. "I'll have to kill you."

"I could call you 'Shin-chan' for short!" Kaito was on the verge of a cackle. "It would almost be like calling you your old name. Neat, huh?"

"Not neat," Conan snapped icily. "My mom calls me that, and I hate it. You're making me hate you again."

"At least you're not all depressed and sulky anymore," Kaito remarked with a snicker.

Conan stuck out his bottom lip in a pout, just to prove Kaito wrong.

Kaito was about to heckle his future brother-in-law some more when the apartment door creaked open and Ran walked in.

"I'm home!" she called.

Both boys greeted her with a "Welcome home!" as they scrambled to their feet to meet her at the door.

Conan scowled. "Kuroba, why are you saying 'okaeri'? Shouldn't you be saying 'ojamashiteiru'? This isn't your house."

"I could say it's not yours either, but…that would be a lie." Kaito gave a carefree shrug as he strutted over to his girlfriend.

Ran frowned as she set the cake down on the table. "Conan-kun, you shouldn't speak to Kaito so informally."

Conan started to get sullen, but Kaito nipped it in the bud: "It's totally cool. We talked and came to an understanding while you were out. We're good."

Ran's face seemed to brighten at that…but it might have just been the usual flush of the frigid winter air rising in her cheeks. "You did? Oh, good! I'm so glad to hear that! I had hoped you two would get along."

"Kind of hard with our history of cat and mouse games, right, 'Natural Predator'?" Kaito chuckled, coming over and helping Ran with her coat before giving her a quick smooch. "Welcome home, Hun."

Ran's eyebrows pinched together. "Conan-kun…knows about you?"

"How your boyfriend is an international jewel thief?" Conan snorted with a very fitting prepubescent eye roll. "Yeah. I had him pegged from the start."

Ran's face paled.

"Don't worry; we're cool," Kaito reassured, slipping his arm around her waist as they walked together back over to the table.

"Yeah," Conan sighed. "So long as he doesn't steal anything else. If so, I'm gonna track him down, but…as it stands, I think he's done more good than harm. I mean, he's returned everything to the proper owner, and he exposed a lot of corruption, saved a lot of lives, dogs in safes…so…" Conan reluctantly admitted. "If he breaks your heart, I'm going to make sure he gets the maximum sentence for his crimes, but, until then…"

Ran went straight over to her little brother and gave him a big kiss on the forehead. "Thank you, Conan-kun." She pulled back slightly but remained at his level. She looked him in the eye and smiled, seeming to glow and sparkle. "I can't tell you what it means to me, my family getting along well together."

Conan couldn't help but smile back regretfully. "Thanks for letting me be a part of that family, Ran-neechan."

"But of course!" she laughed, brightly and innocently like the pealing of wedding bells. "Conan-kun, you're my precious little brother who I can always count on because you're always there, whenever I need you."

A genuine smile gradually cracked through the sadness. "Thanks, Ran-neechan."

She patted him gently on the cheek before straightening up and looking around. "Where's Dad?"

"He told me to tell you he stepped outside for some fresh air," Kaito answered, technically not "lying" but merely stretching the truth.

Ran rolled her eyes with a sarcastic snort. "More like he stepped outside to buy more cigarettes."

It was just then that the man in questioned stepped through the door with the cigarette pack blatantly bulging in his pocket as soon as his coat was removed.

"You know what I told you about lung cancer, Dad," Ran scolded before the man could even get an "I'm home" past his lips.

"Come to the table and have some cake," the true master of the house instructed, and Kaito, Conan, and Kogoro quickly fell in line.

When they had taken their places and received their allotted serving of cake, Kogoro nudged Kaito's elbow. "Oh, yeah. Didn't you say you were giving Ran her present after she got back with the cake? What is it?"

"Dad," Ran scolded.

"It's fine." Kaito laughed as he waved Ran's concerns about propriety away. He clapped his hands, and a handkerchief appeared. He set it down on the table, counted to three in Engrish, and then lifted the piece of cloth with a flourish, leaving behind a box like those from a jewelry store.

Kogoro and Conan both scrutinized it carefully. It was too big to be a ring box, so they weren't too concerned, but…

Ran's eyes grew as wide as five hundred yen coins, and her jaw dropped. She looked at Kaito and nearly shrieked. "Kaito, you shouldn't have! This is way too much money! Take it back! You have to pay for university, and it's the thought that counts!"

Kaito only laughed and shook his head. "It's fine. I didn't pay for it."

Conan glared, opening his mouth to admonish.

Kaito cut him off at the pass. "I made it."

Now it was Kogoro's turn to react. He gave his daughter's boyfriend a suspicious look. "You made it? What do you mean you made it? Is it, like, some arts and crafts bead project or something?"

Kaito reached out and pulled off the lid, revealing a marvelous ruby necklace accented with diamonds.

Ran gasped in awe while Conan and Kogoro's eyes bulged in shock.

"It's kind of a family hobby, fine arts. My mother specialized in old masters while my father and I lean more towards gemology. I especially enjoy creating replicas. Like this one. It's a copy of a necklace given by a Russian Tsar to his intended as an engagement present."

"So it's a forgery?" Kogoro was still gaping at the necklace, even as Kaito took it up and put it around Ran's neck. "Isn't that illegal?"

Kaito wagged his finger. "This is a replica." He grinned as he admired his gift adorning his own intended. "It'd only be a 'forgery' if I claimed it was the real deal and tried to sell it or otherwise derive profit from it."

Conan still looked skeptical.

"It's gorgeous," Ran cooed, gently fingering the synthetic gems. "Oh, Kaito…"

Kaito beamed as he leaned in for a short kiss.

Still Conan glowered.

Kaito sighed. "Easy, Edogawa. It's not even a good replica."

"It looks pretty good to me!" Kogoro scoffed.

Ran inspected her necklace closely before weighing in. "Yeah. I'd say so too. It's absolutely stunning. They look fit to be royal jewels. I mean, every gem is perfect, Kaito."

"It's too perfect," Kaito explained. "No authenticator worth his salt would be fooled by this piece."

"Oh." Conan nodded in understanding.

Kogoro's brow twisted into a knotted frown. "Why not? I don't see what the problem is. What's with that knowing 'Oh', pipsqueak?"

"The piece looks brand new," Conan started to elucidate, pointing out the setting as well as the gemstones. "It's bright and shiny, and all of the jewels are flawless. If this were really supposed to be a forgery, Kuroba would have aged the piece, maybe had a few stones missing. I mean, this was supposed to have belonged to a Tsarina of Russia. I don't think a piece like this would have survived in its entirety through the revolution."

"Correct," Kaito sang like a gameshow host. "It's said that while trying to escape, the Tsarina and her children lined their clothing with jewels. This necklace never would have made it out in one piece. If I wanted to be super convincing, I would have said to a theoretical buyer that only some of the original stones had been recovered. I would have been a little heavy-handed and gotten an old gun from the period and shot up some of the stones. That way I could say that they were obtained off of the Tsarina's body and had only been brought back together into one piece recently. It would have lent credibility to the piece."

"Also, if he were trying to pass this off as the real deal," Conan continued, enjoying being knowledgeable. "He would have put some flaws in the stones. Real gems have flaws whereas synthetics…"

"So there's no fear of it being mistaken for the real thing by anyone who knows what they're talking about." Kaito tried to hold in a preen, but some of his ego leaked through. "It's still a really nice necklace, though. From this humble magician to his princess intended."

Ran laughed as she waved Kaito's syrupy mush away. "Oh, just eat your cake, Kaito."

"Will you feed it to me?" The compulsive flirt couldn't resist.

Kogoro cleared his throat. "Her father is present."

Kaito grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Sir."

"Hey," Conan broke in, trying to maintain a cheery Christmas atmosphere. "Since Kuroba and Ran-neechan didn't get to go on their romantic date, shouldn't we do some fun things around the house to make up for it? I feel kind of bad that Ran-neechan didn't get to eat expensive food or ride in a horse-drawn carriage or anything."

Kogoro pursed his lips. "Well…we could play charades or Trivial Pursuit or something." He shrugged. "I don't know. What do people usually do on Christmas Eve?"

The crowd was silent. Conan had never really done much, even as Shinichi, on Christmas Eve. He'd attended parties at the Professor's with the Tanteidan the past three years, but…

Ran and Kaito refrained from remarking because the only answer that came to mind was "date".

"Is there a Christmas special on TV?" Kaito tentatively inquired. He was painfully aware that the Nakamori's annual Christmas Party was going on, but… "When I was really little, my mom and dad and I would watch Christmas specials, eat cookie dough, and each open one gift."

"Eat cookie…dough?" Kogoro raised an eyebrow at his future son-in-law.

Kaito nodded. "Well, we started out making cookies for Santa, but…we never managed to get the dough onto the cookie sheets to go in the oven. Between my mom and me, we ate it all."

"I'm not surprised," Conan sighed. "I wouldn't be opposed to making actually cookies while we watched Frosty or something."

"Not Frosty," Kogoro groaned. "That song gets in your head."

"How about The Grinch!" Kaito cheered. "I've always liked The Grinch."

"You would like the guy that sneaks into people's houses at night and steals stuff," Conan muttered, going over and turning on the TV.

"If nothing we want to see is on," Ran suggested, "we could always watch The Nightmare Before Christmas. I have it on DVD."

Kaito and Conan's eyes lit up, and they proclaimed in tandem, "I love that one!"

"Excellent!" Ran chuckled, enjoying their enthusiasm. "And what kind of cookies do we want to make?"

"We don't have any dough, do we?" Kogoro hummed. "You'll have to make them from scratch, so I guess it'll be just whatever we have lying around."

Ran pursed her lips and got up to go look in the kitchen cupboards. The two "children" followed her excitedly.

"I don't care as long as there's chocolate involved," Kaito tittered.

"Lemon drop cookies would be good, if you could make them," Conan shared his input. "If not, maybe coffee-flavored?"

"Who makes coffee-flavored cookies?" Kaito gawked at the detective in disgust.

Conan snorted. "I do."

"You really are ten going on forty," Kaito snickered in return as he helped Ran take inventory.

"And you're twenty going on five," Conan countered, making Ran crack up.

"Touché, Conan-kun," she chuckled.

Kaito stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. "Raaaan. You're supposed to be on my side."

Ran just laughed. "What? You started it, and can't you defend yourself from a ten year-old, Kaito? Besides, I wouldn't have laughed if it weren't true."

"My lady, you wound me." Kaito drew in a sharp inhale and pretended to go faint.

Ran just rolled her eyes while Conan smirked.

As it turned out, the only viable cookie options they had were chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin.

"Raisins are for old people," Kogoro scoffed.

"Dad, those are prunes, you're thinking of," Ran sighed in mortification.

"Whatever. They're still gross," Kogoro sulked like a small child.

And so they ended up making a batch of chocolate chip cookies in the end. Of the dozen they started with, only eight made it to the oven.

"I hope you get a stomach ache and throw up," Conan taunted the cookie dough thief. "That's unnatural."

"It's delicious," Kaito corrected, licking his lips.

Ran came over and wiped the last remaining smear of dough from his face. "Behave, children. I thought you said you two came to an understanding?"

"This is our understanding," Kaito laughed wryly. "The back and forth banter helps us to tolerate one another."

With a shrug and an eye roll, Ran set the timer. "Boys."

After the cookie baking adventure, all four of them headed downstairs to the detective agency to sit on the couches around the coffee table and play a game of cards.

"You've got to be cheating," Conan hissed to Kaito under his breath when Ran got up to get them more hot chocolate.

"Hm? Why do you say that?" Kaito grinned like the Kaitou Kid himself.

"Because I'm cheating, and you're still kicking my you-know-what," Conan sniggered.

Kaito only grinned wider. "We could play Mao, if you think you'd fare any better."

"I don't trust you with a standard deck. I'd rather play Uno since there's less chance of you screwing with things," Conan grumbled.

"How do you know he doesn't have an Uno deck or two hidden in one of those interdimensional pockets of his?" Kogoro chuckled.

"Good point," Conan sighed.

"What about Candy Land?" Kaito suggested. "Even I would be hard pressed to cheat at Candy Land."

"One game of Candy Land, and then I want to play charades!" Ran cheered as she came back with the hot chocolate. "Who wants marshmallows?"

"Oh! I do!" Kaito's hand shot straight up, his enthusiasm only rivaled by Kogoro's.

Once the marshmallows were doled out, they settled down to play Candy Land. And it was pretty obvious that either Ran was a Candy Land card shark or Kaito was somehow cheating to make his girlfriend win.

While Ran executed her celebratory dance, Conan glared at Kaito. "How did you even do that?"

Kaito shrugged. "Charades time."

Charades went marginally better than Candy Land with Kaito able to guess Conan's "Irene Adler" and "Bridges Over Madison County". No one got Kogoro's "Dolly Pardon" or Kaito's "Great Gatsby". Ran dominated with her "Queen of England" and "Jurassic Park".

The party games occupied the group until about ten thirty, and it was then that they all piled onto the couch (Kaito on the end, followed by Ran, and Conan on Ran's lap with Kogoro capping off the other end) to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas.

They were barely thirty minutes into the movie when Kogoro drifted off to sleep, and Ran followed him a little more than fifteen minutes later, leaving Conan and Kaito to finish out the movie on their own.

"So…" Kaito whispered as he attempted to shut off the TV as quietly as possible. "It's a little past midnight. Should we wake them up?"

Conan shook his head, lightly laying his head to rest on Ran's chest. "And if you want, you can stay over. Provided you're on your best behavior. It's late and the trains will stop running soon."

"If you don't mind," Kaito chuckled softly, tipping his head to use the back of the couch as a pillow.

There were some minutes of silence before Kaito broke it with a gentle call of "Hey, Edogawa?"

"Hmm?" Conan kept his voice at a whisper so as not to wake Ran…as if anything could wake her, seeing as she was sleeping soundly through her father's fog horn snores.

"Sorry. This is a little personal, so feel free not to answer, but…why did you never tell Ran about your situation? If you haven't noticed, she's freaking awesome; I bet she would have stayed with you and you two would have worked things out."

Conan's expression darkened, but he decided to answer. "I couldn't tell her for the same reasons you couldn't tell Aoko-san about your secret. It's too dangerous for her to get involved, and she's happier not knowing."

"…One more: how exactly did you…? Shrink?" Kaito pushed his luck, hoping he'd get another answer.

"You don't need to know. You've retired from Kid and gunmen in trench-coats, haven't you? Stay retired. Be normal, and stay out of this so that you can make Ran happy," Conan instructed firmly, not wanting to do anything more to get Ran wrapped up in his fight for justice.

"…Okay," Kaito sighed, giving it up for Ran's sake. Something in Conan's voice told him that Conan was caught up in something deadly serious.

Quiet reigned between them once again, and, after a few minutes, Conan was the one to break it. "Hey. So…normally when people find out about the whole shrinking thing…they flip out a little more than you did. I mean, you didn't even question it; you just accepted it as if something like that wasn't the least bit…unusual, to say the least."

Kaito shrugged and tried to keep his chuckle to a minimum. "Edogawa, I'm from Ekoda where we have witches and mad scientists and creepy robots. I spent two years of my life searching for an ancient gemstone rumored to grant immortality when held up to the full moon. And then I actually found the rock. I can accept your whole shrinking thing pretty easily because it answers more questions than it raises for me. Now it makes sense why you're so smart and can use a gun and drive a motorcycle and a car and an airplane. So, yeah."

Conan blinked and stared for a bit before giving a light snort. "Huh. Did you say witches? Because that's impossible. You mean wiccans? Those are a little different. And when you say that the gem 'cries'…you don't actually…"

Kaito pursed his lips as he watched his friendly rival struggle to wrap his mind around everything Kaito had just said. He grinned. "Just kidding, Tantei-kun. I have a very open mind, an excellent imagination, and I read too many comic books. And also, it makes sense, you being my age what with all of your knowledge and skills."

"Oh," Conan sighed in relief, chuckling nervously. "Ha. Funny. Right. You had me going for a sec there."

Kaito just smiled. Kudo had it hard enough. No need to rip apart his perception of reality on top of it. "Good night, Edogawa. Merry Christmas," he chuckled, closing his eyes and inching closer to Ran so he could rest his head against hers.

"Good night, Kuroba," Conan whispered. "Merry Christmas…. And thank you for not being a self-centered, womanizing jerk."

Kaito slowly peeled an eye open. "You're welcome?"

"…Take care of Ran for me, okay? Or else I'll make your life hell."

Kaito almost laughed. Overprotective little brother Conan/remorseful ex-boyfriend Kudo was kind of cute…and kind of sobering. But Kaito didn't need a warning not to screw things up with Ran. He'd learned his lesson with Aoko.

"Understood, Tantei-kun. And I accept your truce. Friends?"

Conan pursed his lips. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Kuroba."

"Maybe tomorrow?"

Conan frowned disapprovingly.

"…Or maybe the day after that? Boxing Day is a fabulous day to come together and—"

"—I just decided to tolerate your existence and allow you to date the woman I love today. I think it's going to take a while for me to do any more than tolerate," Conan grumbled.

"Okay then. I'll just put us down for friends the day after tomorrow, and then maybe by New Years we'll become bffs," Kaito planned with a hint of mischievous excitement in his voice.

Conan literally bit his tongue to keep from lashing out at the joker. "…Go to sleep before I kill you, Kuroba."

"Right…. Thanks," Kaito whispered, sounding utterly earnest for once.

Conan tried not to squirm as he reluctantly responded, "You're welcome." He got the feeling that Kaito was thanking him for more than just his patience with Kaito's tomfoolery.

But Kaito made no acknowledgement of Conan's words. He had both eyes closed and his head nestled up close to Ran's.

There was a slight twinge in Conan's chest because Kuroba and Ran looked good together. It kind of gave him a glimpse at what it would have looked like, Shinichi and Ran, but… He couldn't let himself think about such things. That bridge had burned and been torn down, and now a shopping center had been constructed where the bridge once stood.

He had to make himself believe that things were okay like this, maybe even better this way. Ran was happy with a guy who was crazy about her. And Kuroba was a good guy…for an ex-jewel thief. At least he had time for her, respected her, and treated her as well as she deserved. They made it work.

And maybe Kuroba was right about there being a second chance out there just waiting for Conan. Maybe he could use this opportunity to do his life over and find happiness.

Conan closed his eyes with a sigh. He'd think about it more tomorrow and decide whether or not to adopt a positive life view in the morning after he'd opened his presents. For now, he was exhausted from all the activity of the night. He'd make a decision after he'd rested…if he could rest; Old Man Mouri was beginning to snore even louder.

Eventually he did find his way to dreamland.

And the apartment was quiet as the Christmas tree glinted in the pale light of the moon streaming in through the cracks in the blinds. The shops and houses were dark as the town drifted off to sleep, and snow fell silently on Beika.

The

End

…

Mikau: You know, all throughout the writing process, I was really stressing about this, thinking it was crappy, but now that I look back on it, I really like this piece. At least there are parts that I'm really happy with. So, on the whole, I'm satisfied with how this story turned out. I hope you liked it too. Thanks a bunch for reading, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!