Chapter Text
It was a dark night for a full moon, storm clouds racing across the night sky and threatening to unleash their anger and sorrow any moment. The pair squared off with each other, oblivious to it all as the one grasped at the words he was looking for and the other eyed him with wary curiosity.
“You’re a new face… for my heists anyway. What does a famous high school detective who specializes in homicide want with a harmless jewel thief like me?” the white clad figure inquired.
“I’m not actually… A new face that is.” The detective responded with awkward uncertainty. “I’m Kudou Shinichi now... but last we met I was Conan Edogawa.” Shinichi’s words were light, but matter-of-fact. He took a deep breath before continuing. “And if you don’t mind KID, I’d like to continue things as they were when I was Conan.”
He gave a very Conan-like smirk and added. “After all, you know you get bored without your favorite critic.”
KID didn’t know how to respond. On one hand, he words didn’t make sense. But on the other hand, it was true he hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the smaller detective in a while, and Shinichi was definitely giving off a very Conan-like vibe. And only Conan knew about his favorite critic.
“Hmm, I’m not quite sure what to believe detective. While Conan certainly doesn’t think like a typical 8-year-old, you having been an 8-year- old less than two months ago seems rather far fetched.”
Shinichi sighed, shifting his stance wearily. “It’s a long story KID, but to keep it short, let’s just say a certain organization tried to get rid of me with an experimental poison that should have killed me without a trace and instead reversed ten years of my life. It wasn’t exactly pleasant, or easy, to reverse.”
KID recalled the recent news about Kudou Shinichi’s return and speculations regarding his involvement in the miraculous takedown of a huge criminal organization that just so happened to coincide with it. It was a pretty far-fetched story, but thinking of him as a genius high-school detective trapped in a child’s body actually suddenly made a lot of things about Conan Edogawa make a lot more sense.
Hearing the tromp of the task force finally making their way up the stairwell towards them, KID sighed. “Well I suppose for now I’ll just have to give you the benefit of the doubt detective. One of these days though, you’re going to have to tell me the long version of that story.” And with a wink, he disappeared just as the officers burst through the door.
It was surprisingly easy to fall back into the ways of their old rivalry, Kaito finding it easier and easier to believe Shinichi was Conan with each new heist. After all, who else unerringly made a habit of kicking soccer balls at harmless thieves with deadly force? Or always managed to catch onto his disguise with unnerving accuracy? And he was always quick with an assist when KID needed it, in just the same, unobtrusive and subtle way Conan always was. Of course, there were the little things he knew as well. Little things that only Conan could know.
Kaito decided he liked it. Liked him . This game they played had been fun with Conan. But with Shinichi, there was a new element to the game. Something that Kaito couldn’t quite name, that made his heart race for entirely new reasons he wasn’t used to.
It was in the moments of sudden and unexpected closeness, the way Shinichi sometimes said his name, and the twinkle in the detective’s eye when he was a step ahead, and knew it.
And just when Kaito was finally getting comfortable, finally had the name for it on the tip of his tongue, it all came crashing down. One moment they were exchanging playful, harmless banter, and the next Shinichi was pushing him off the roof just as he heard the all too familiar sound of the sniper’s shot. Minutes later he was mingling with the task force as they burst onto the roof to find Shinichi lying there motionless on his stomach as the red on his back bloomed, and the blood steadily pooled around him.
A quiet and familiar beeping greeted Shinichi, easing him back into the world of the living and prompting memories of what happened.
I’m in the hospital? So I survived then…
His eyes opened slowly, and he winced and groaned at the blinding whiteness. Only the awareness of footsteps pacing back and forth beside his bed kept him from letting his eyes stay closed a while longer.
The detective glanced over to find a rather displeased KID glaring at him with poorly concealed worry.
“Why did you push me away?! You could have died!” the thief demanded, his pacing come to a stop beside him.
“But I didn’t, right? I'm alive, and so are you. So everything’s fine, it doesn’t matter.”
“But it does! You saved my life and I’m grateful, but my rule is no one gets hurt, especially you! You were this close to dying Shinichi! This Close! ” KID raged quietly, illustrating with his fingers just how close the detective’s brush with death had been.
“Well, what’s done is done and nothing can change it. I’m just glad you aren’t dead KID.” You’re more important than me… you make people smile. You make me smile… The detective kept the thoughts to himself as turned his head away and put an arm over his eyes to hide his expression.
“Yes, but… I don’t ever want to see you get hurt again.” The thief answered in chagrin.
“Why do you care so much?” Just leave me alone. You’ll get yourself killed around me.
“You’re my favorite critic, of course I care.”
“Your ‘favorite critic’ is Conan…”
“Well yes, but you are Conan.” KID countered, confused. What was Shinichi trying to get at?
“… I’m not . I lied so that I could attend the heists and you would take me seriously from the beginning. I’m not Conan.”
“Why are you lying…!?” The Moonlight Magician exclaimed, shocked and disbelieving.
“It’s not a lie. Conan died in the crossfire of the takedown.”
There was silence. KID didn’t say anything. The detective waited for a reply, but in the end a quiet swish was all he heard, and when he pulled his arm back to look at the room, he was alone. KID was gone.
Scrunching his eyes closed against the tears, Shinichi let out a shaky breath. It was for the best. He didn’t need… didn’t deserve KID worrying about him. It was better for KID to hate him for his lies and keep his distance. If only this didn’t mean he had to lose the one place he’d felt he’d belonged since returning… but maybe it just meant he didn’t even deserve that much. I'm sorry KID.
To say KID was angry would have been an understatement. He’d been convinced, thoroughly convinced that Shinichi really was Conan. And quite frankly, at this point, whether he was Conan or not hadn’t even mattered to him anymore. He’d loved being with Shinichi, felt something special for Shinichi, and been utterly terrified at the prospect of losing him. And now he didn’t know what to think. Neither equation added up.
Shinichi had either lied to him about being Conan for some unfathomable reason (why even do that? Why not just approach him as himself?), or he was lying about lying and telling an even worse lie. And for what? He’s driving you away . The rational part of his brain told him. He swatted it aside, not ready to listen to rationality. He was busy feeling pissed, and hurt, and confused thank you very much.