#dcmk-secretsanta

Instead of his paltry selection of food and possible gifts, there was all manner of sweets and cookies along with a few more questionable items. Like the several gallons of bleach stored on the bottom and the dozen or so ice-packs tossed in beside the milk and bags of candy. Not to mention the meters of electrical wire and large gardening shears stuffed below two tubs of icing.

Perhaps it was just the string of cases he’d solved that week or the amount of times he’d been by the police station recently, but Shinichi had to wonder what murder could possibly be committed and then covered up with the contents of his new shopping cart. Bleach to get the bloodstains out, ice to possibly preserve the body before it’s disposed of, without even getting started on a possible purpose for the gardening shears.

He needed to find whose cart this was, if only to satisfy his own burning curiosity and get his stuff back. Throwing his weight against the handlebar, he made it to the end of the aisle and looked around. If he were the culprit, where would he go? Based on the items already picked out, not toward the dairy section or the snacks. Household cleaners were also out of the running and the perpetrator likely hadn’t been done shopping yet since the cart had been facing away from checkout.

Shinichi sighed and headed to the right, the wheels on the cart squeaking in protest at the sharp turn. How had this even happened? He’d turned around for barely a few minutes and someone had managed to bumble around enough to steal his stuff from right under his nose. He let his guard down for a second and this is what happens.

Checking the aisles he passed, he’d begun to doubt whether he’d picked the right direction when he got to the toy area and saw his cart parked in the middle. And there was the thief, picking through his items with a look of confusion.

If Shinichi was being honest, he could have been stuck with a much worse-looking shoplifter. The scarf tucked under his chin and the brown hair sticking out from under a striped blue hat, Shinichi found the image rather endearing. His thief looked up at the rattle of wheels and grinned when he saw Shinichi.

“There it is! I was wondering if I’d forgot what I’d put in my own basket,” he said, rolling the cart over. “Don’t know how that happened, I just noticed myself.”

“I can’t fathom how you managed that either. That’s quite a talent,” Shinichi agreed.

“Why thank you, I didn’t do it on purpose but at least I’m apparently good at it. I’m Kaito, might as well tell you my name in case you decide to arrest me,” Kaito said with a grin. He pushed Shinichi’s cart toward him and pulled his own forward to turn it around.

“It’s my day off anyway, so don’t worry.” Shinichi took his cart back, finding himself a little loathe to end the conversation just yet. “Name’s Shinichi. I have to ask, what are you planning on doing with all that bleach and those shears?”

Kaito shrugged, leaning on the handlebar of his cart with his head propped up on the heel of his hand as he watched Shinichi intently. Unused to such close scrutiny, Shinichi felt like he should fix his collar or try and look more presentable.

“Oh, I have some bed sheets I need to clean because I got dye all over them and I like to make my own christmas lights.”

Shinichi looked at Kaito and he could believe it. The mischievous smile, the calluses on his fingers and the obvious sweet tooth, Kaito seemed like the type of person who would have fun with dyes and messing around with electrical wiring.

“Those sound like some interesting hobbies.”

“They’re good for coming up with new magic tricks. What do you do for fun?”

“Solve murder mysteries,” Shinichi answered reflexively before he could consider that that might not have been the best way to phrase his reply.

“So you’re a detective?” Kaito’s eyes lit up and Shinichi was just a little bit enamored by the sight.

“Yeah.”

“Does that mean you can deduce everything about a person from just a look?” Kaito seemed to be daring him with his smile and Shinichi was never one to back down from a challenge. Plus it was better than admitting that his first thought after finding his cart missing had been about what kind of killer would buy those things.

“Most of the time, some people are harder to read.”

“What am I?”

“You’re... cute,” Shinichi said and when Kaito’s jaw dropped a tad, he wondered if he’d gone wrong. Before he could correct himself, Kaito reached out a hand palm upward across the expanse of their pushed together carts. Shinichi stared at it in confusion until Kaito flicked his wrist and suddenly held an egg decorated with swirls of black.

“Eggcuse me, who said you could be charming in the first few minutes of meeting?” Kaito asked, balancing the egg on the tips of his fingers.

“Wh- I… Wait, I’m charming?” he asked, taking the egg gingerly and looking between its intricate design and Kaito. He felt like his attempt at flirting had been turned on its head but he found he didn’t mind it much. Something about the pattern on the egg caught his attention and as he turned it over in his hand he noticed the numbers hidden in the curlicues.

“Do you give your phone number to every detective you meet?” He met Kaito’s gaze with an amused smirk, his mind still puzzling over how he could have done it.

“No, just the ones I’m interested in.”

“Interested in what?”

“Going out for coffee? A date? Take your pick, detective, I’m sure you’ll come up with something. Give me a call when you do,” Kaito said, waving jauntily as he headed down the aisle. Casting a last glance over his shoulder, he winked and disappeared around the corner.