Work Text:
It all started with a bento-box on Shinichi’s work desk that had signs of being tampered with. It had a cute design on it, something he had learned afterwards when his colleagues had approached him about it. The food inside had been arranged neatly with flower and heart shapes, nothing that he could recall Ran had ever done for him. He hadn’t actually seen the lunchbox himself, only the photos of it, taken by his fellow police officers who immediately worked the case.
When the bento was discovered on his desk while Shinichi himself had been at a case location, Satou had made a fuss about the cute bento. Shiratori and Takagi had conspiratorially discussed who it could be from since there wasn’t a note attached to it. Something they took further when someone from the lab had walked by and mentioned it could be poisoned. They had tested it to get a funny story for Shinichi when he got back, but the results had been positive for poison.
Within minutes, Shinichi had been called back to the station for consultation. Naturally, he had forced himself onto the new case. The thing was, there wasn’t much to work with. None of the security cameras caught any intruders at the station, and no fingerprints were found on the box.
Shinichi had been racking his brain in the investigation room, trying to figure out who might want him dead. It had, tragically, turned into a rather long list consisting entirely of convicts that Shinichi had put away or relatives of theirs. But he supposed it was natural in his line of work, putting people behind bars was bound to make enemies.
Hattori had burst into laughter when he’d seen the photos of the bento-box before turning serious. They’d spoken late into the night over the phone, trying to narrow down the list of immediate suspects that Shinichi had compiled at the office. He had actually put his mom’s name down on the list. She had been downright murderous when he missed a huge gala he promised he would attend with her. She was also the only one he knew that would make that kind of cutesy themed lunch. But considering his parents were still in Argentina, and since he didn’t actually think she would murder him, he crossed her name off the list a minute later.
They hadn’t made any leeway working together, and it was with an apologetic tone Hattori had bid him good night and to be careful. “Call me if it happens again, I’ll try to see if I can take some time off work if you really need me,” he’d said to which Shinichi had scoffed. Then he thanked his friend for helping out with brainstorming ideas.
Predictably, Ran had become terribly anxious when she heard about it. Shinichi hadn’t even been the one to tell her, instead Sera had told her girlfriend about it, who in turn had phoned him immediately to interrogate him. Shinichi suspected Sera had heard it at the station before he’d been able to go back there, because Ran called him while he was still in the car on his way. He had to calm her down, despite not knowing all the details himself. “Just, be careful will you? You are a much more well-known target now,” she had whispered before she hung up. Her tone reminded him of her harried face when he still had been Conan, just before the big takedown mission when he had planned to tell her everything.
The next day, he, Ran and Sonoko had met up for lunch where Shinichi felt forced to tell them that everything was fine. Sonoko had gotten a bit too much joy out of the story though, much to Shinichi’s dismay. “You have so little charm to you, that a simple gifted bento from a possible admirer was tested for poison?!” It wasn’t as if he tried to scare people off, he just didn’t like beating around the bush and sometimes came across as blunt.
For the most part, his friends reacted in a predictable way. They became worried, asked for details, asked him to be careful and then spammed his phone with requests for updates about the case and his health and safety. The Detective Boys were adamant about cracking the case, but Haibara quickly told them off since they were in the middle of exams. It was predictable.
The one person who surprised Shinichi with his reaction, was Kaito.
It wasn’t even that weird of a reaction, it was just that it was Kaito who had the reaction. They had only known each other for a few months, after all. Ran and Sonoko had befriended Aoko Nakamori when they attended a KID-heist that Jirokichi had arranged in order to attempt to capture the thief. Shinichi hadn’t been to a single one since he returned to his original size, so he hadn’t been there to meet her. The girls’ friendship had grown during their university days, and he had on occasion run into her.
Then, a year into his work as a police officer, Ran and Sera had a small party for their friends where they revealed to everyone that they had officially begun to date. That’s where he met Kaito, dragged along by Aoko since her boyfriend apparently couldn’t make it that day, an apparent magician with many tricks up his sleeve.
Kaito had taken him by storm, utterly bewildering him as he presented him with a blue rose. “Kuroba Kaito at your service, you may call me Kaito! Is it okay if I call you, Mine?”
Poor flirting skills aside, there was something to the man that interested Shinichi, and much to Ran’s delight, he had accepted the rose. Of course, he had declined the offer to be called ‘mine’ by Kaito. However, it seemed Kaito was allergic to calling him by his last name, so he quickly had to get used to being called ‘Shinichi’ by an almost stranger. Not that they stayed strangers for long.
Every morning he would wake up to a ‘good morning!’ text from Kaito. Sometimes there’d be a picture, but almost certainly there would be a tiny heart added to the ‘Shin-chan’ that would be at the end of the greeting. Then there were the continuous line texts that would arrive sporadically through the day.
In the beginning, Shinichi had been bad at responding. Neither Ran nor Hattori would text him that much, and he had more important things to focus on while at work. He quickly had to change his tune when Kaito began to pop up everywhere, bothering him and pestering him. “Tough love,” Takagi had called it while Satou told him that he’d found a great friend that could actually pull his attention away from murder.
Something that Haibara also had noted when they were out with the Detective Boys. While Shinichi usually gave the kids all of his attention, every buzz of his phone broke his concentration. Kaito was fitting himself into Shinichi’s everyday life like a glove. He was a spirited and cheerful man, and Shinichi was deeply grateful to have him in his life. With so many traumatic memories from his late teens, hanging out with Kaito who was a ray of light made it easy to forget the past and just enjoy the present.
Which brings him back to the case at hand. Someone had tried to poison him, and Kaito had reacted badly to that. No longer smiling, no longer laughing or joking around. Kaito had immediately demanded access to Shinichi’s home to stay with him. “Extra security,” he’d explained when he came over with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder. It had barely been an hour since he had called Kaito to tell him about the situation, and Shinichi had to wonder how Kaito’s presence would add to his security.
Nonetheless, he’d been unable to tell Kaito otherwise, and the magician had set up camp in the living room. Apparently security measures had been taken, not that he had noticed them himself. Unfortunately, Agasa-hakase hadn’t been as lucky and was stuck to the wall in the entryway for an hour until Shinichi managed to get him free. Something about the trap jogged a memory and a familiar feeling, but he’d been more occupied with getting the doctor down from the wall than following that trail of thought. Kaito hadn’t been at home to explain the trap or help out, and when he came home he had laughed it off.
Shinichi didn’t mind having Kaito over, it had become a normal occurrence since they met. The man had found a way to nestle his way into Shinichi’s life without Shinichi even feeling like he needed to question it. Rather, he was wondering what his life had been before Kaito; dreary was the word.
Despite the fact that the trail on the lunchbox went cold within a week, and nothing else occurred, Kaito refused to leave the house and Shinichi. “If I had known you were this bad at taking care of yourself, I’d have come over much sooner!” he had complained while throwing together some ingredients for dinner. Kaito was a good cook, so that evening, Shinichi had only nodded and agreed while stuffing himself with good food.
In a matter of two weeks he became accustomed to arriving home to Kaito after work. Either they would order take out, or Kaito would cook for them both. Some days they would hang out with the girls, other days they spent in the living room, simulating problems and solving them. And just as he was starting to relax and forget about the poison attempt, the second incident occurred.
***
Kaito was an adamant KID-fan, and he’d forced Shinichi to join him, Aoko, Ran and Sonoko to a heist. “We cannot not go, Shinichi!” Kaito had whined pathetically while eating breakfast. He had handed Shinichi the newspaper with the published notice from KID alerting the media of his fullmoon heist of the Eye of the Lake.
The jewel had been located in the north of Spain, in a submerged town that recently resurfaced due to the drought. The deep blue tones of the stone were said to change in the light, and many stories Shinichi read online believed the stone to be the cause of the town going underwater for so long. Which was strange on numerous levels, considering it had been found after the town reemerged from the water, and the submersion of it had been a planned project from the start. But he assumed those rumours were more… poetic, as Sonoko had raved.
Shinichi would’ve assumed they would go there together, but at the last minute all girls cancelled on them, as their respective partners were able to spend time with them. A loss really, since the exhibition hall turned out to be a very nice place. It was fittingly enough next to the sea in the Tokyo bay, with open-air decks stretching out over the water. With the approaching nightfall, the sky had turned a wonderful shade of orange.
“A lovely evening and place for a date, isn’t it?”
Shinichi startled and turned to face Kaito who kept his distance from the railing. He pondered on the question for a bit before grinning. “I think Sonoko would be rolling in her grave if she found out she could’ve taken Kyogoku here for a date. But I guess she doesn’t want to see her KID-sama while he is here either.”
Kaito looked a bit stunned for a moment, but laughed nervously and looked away. “Indeed, it could be bad for Kyogoku-san,” he joked.
A snort escaped from Shinichi. “More bad for KID, I suspect. If Kyogoku got his hands on him, he’d be food for the fish in the bay.” He winced as he finished the sentence, all of a sudden recalling Aoko mentioning there should be no fish-talk around Kaito. “Sorry,” he lamented as he took in Kaito’s reaction. Shinichi went closer to put a, what he hoped, calming hand on Kaito’s shoulder.
The man in question had turned a couple of shades paler than normal. “Ahaha, no worries at all, Shin-chan,” Kaito laughed. “Give me a kiss and we’ll call it quits?” He winked at the detective who flushed a bright red.
“Idiot,” Shinichi mumbled and shoved Kaito to the side before heading inside the exhibit hall. He could hear Kaito following him with laughter but refused to look at him. The magician would throw him those kinds of comments every now and then, so it wasn’t anything unusual. What Shinichi did consider unusual though, was the way his heart had begun to skip a beat everytime Kaito did.
A hand grabbed onto his, and he looked up to see Kaito holding onto him.
“Don’t get lost in the crowd,” Kaito murmured. And it had indeed become a lot more crowded, despite the police’s insistence on keeping visitor numbers low. Shinichi recognised Nakamori-keibu going around yelling orders to his subordinates. Several of them had red cheeks, and he suspected they’d been exposed to the pinched-cheek-check.
“How long is it until showtime?” he asked Kaito, who looked at his watch.
“About fifteen minutes left now. We should try to get a good spot so we can see KID-sama in action!” He started to pull Shinichi in the direction of the night’s main character. It was already cramped around the sectioned off area. The police had ordered a three metre area to be free around the jewel case, and they were wearily keeping people behind the rope.
Kaito and Shinichi kept close to one another, and Shinichi began to wonder if it really was a good idea to be here. He had avoided anything related to KID, because that had mostly been something he did as Conan. And well, he didn’t really want to capture the thief either. Shinichi would almost consider the Moonlight Thief a friend, although that was messing with his morals.
“Ah, Shinichi.”
Looking up, Shinichi saw the awkward look on Kaito’s face. “What’s wrong?” he asked and looked around to see if there was anything in the crowd that could be causing the discomfort Kaito seemed to be having.
“Oh, it’s nothing really,” Kaito mumbled, “but I really need to go to the toilet. Like, right now. In fact, I got to rush!” In a second, Kaito had whirled away, leaving Shinichi startled. He took up his phone to see it was only three minutes left until KID’s arrival.
“Hope you’re quick, Kaito, or you’ll miss your idol,” he muttered. He moved a bit further from the centre, towards the public restrooms so that Kaito would be able to find him easily.
All too soon the lights were cut, and a pandemonium of cheers erupted while policemen were frantically trying to determine where the thief would appear. Above it all, Nakamori-keibu’s voice could be heard yelling commands. Shinichi was impressed, he’d never heard his own boss, Megure-keibu reach that volume.
“Ladies and Gentlemen!” All of a sudden, spotlights were aimed at a platform on the wall, and with a sweep of his arms, Kaitou KID appeared to meet his delighted fans.
Shinichi zeroed in on the thief and couldn’t help the wide grin that spread on his face. He threw a glance backwards to see if Kaito was back before giving all his attention to the man in white. For a moment, he almost thought KID was looking at him as their eyes met. But less than a second later, KID’s gaze was sweeping across the room.
It was laughable, really, the theft division’s attempts to catch the jewel thief. But the detective didn’t really mind that as he ran after the thief who had taken his loot without any issues.
Avoiding traps and obstacles became easier when he had managed to pass all fallen officer’s in front of him. Shinichi would’ve felt guilty over not helping if it wasn’t for the fact that he knew none of them were harmed in those traps, other than their pride. But he had on good authority; the division responsible for catching KID had set aside their pride years ago. And it certainly showed. Kaito would laugh his ass off if he saw this, Shinichi noted.
He ran up the stairs to the third floor and took a left turn, glimpsing the cape disappearing around another corner.
When he turned the corner as well, he arrived to an open door leading to the terrace above the one he’d been on with Kaito. No one was on the deck, and he carefully stepped out looking for the thief. By this time, the sun had completely disappeared over the horizon, but the lanterns on the deck shed light where he walked. He walked towards the railing and looked around for any indication that KID had flown the coop.
“So, the mighty detective has come to see me, at last!”
Shinichi turned around and looked up from where the voice had come from. There, standing on the rooftop above the entrance, KID was holding the jewel up in the moonlight. A grin painted his face with mischief, and the look he sent Shinichi’s way was thrilling in a way that Shinichi couldn’t remember experiencing as Conan.
“Hello, KID.” He relaxed his pose a little, meeting KID’s grin with a matching one. “Tired of running now? I’d have thought you would be long gone by now.” Below him, the sound of waves against the lower deck could be heard.
KID played with the jewel in his hands, adopting a mocking frown. “I’m hurt by how little you seem to think I care about you, naturally I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to you.” His eyes thinned and scanned the deck. “After all, it’s been such a long time since I saw my precious little detective. What is it like, having your body back? Did you miss me?”
The wind picked up as shock travelled through Shinichi’s body, and he had difficulties forming words. “...How?”
“How did I know?” KID crouched where he stood. “Why, there can only be one person in the world with such a lovely pair of eyes as yours.”
That was not what Shinichi was expecting to hear. Perhaps a spiel on how KID somehow had managed to get a hold of his DNA, overheard a conversation or perhaps even read FBI reports on the takedown of the Black organisation. His mind flashed briefly to a moment in time where Kaito had complimented him on the same thing, saying they looked clearer than a blue sky. Very unlike the one they had above them at the moment, where dark clouds were beginning to cover the stars.
Heat climbed up his cheeks, and he fumbled for something to say. “Oi, what do you think you’re saying?!” It was really getting hard to make himself heard over the wind. Even KID looked slightly disturbed by the force of it.
“Well,” the thief began, “I suppose I’m saying I’ve missed you, and hoped that you would come to more of my heists.” KID ducked his head, “It’s more fun with proper competition. Unlike my dear Nakamori, you’re special.”
“Are you… are you coming onto me?” Shinichi asker, completely aghast. His thoughts were racing, and for some reason, Kaito’s smiling face was on the forefront of it all. Whilst he for some reason felt elated by receiving this attention from KID of all people, he also felt guilt, which wasn’t pleasant at all.
The thief seemed to consider what to say. “I mean, if by ‘coming onto’ means I would like to climb you like a tree, then yes?” He shrugged, “but I’m not abo-”
KID stopped talking abruptly for better or worse. Shinichi would’ve been thankful if it wasn’t for the look of terror on the man’s face. “Wha-” He didn’t get the words out before something grabbed him from behind. Weird, there was nothing behind him other than the railing.
It pulled him backwards, and he could see KID running towards him with his arms stretched out. His hat had fallen off as he rushed forward, and Shinichi couldn’t help but project Kaito’s face on KID’s. They looked very similar, he concluded, almost too identical. Then his body was forced over the fence and he could feel himself freefalling from the third floor and into the bay.
***
The water was freezing and the impact punched the air out of his lungs. No one Shinichi had ever known had recommended taking a dip in the sea in the middle of march. He would not either.
Whatever it was that pulled him wasn’t letting go. His arms were locked to his sides and he was dragged deeper and deeper. He briefly wondered how deep the bay even was before his mind caught up with his predicament.
He began to struggle against the thing wrapped around him. The… arms(?) tugged tighter, effectively immobilising him. Panic started to set in and Shinichi couldn’t breathe.
The cold was numbing, but his lungs were burning. He arched in the hold and desperately tried to break free. He couldn’t see anything, not even which way the surface was. Was this how he would die? Never before had he wished so badly to have his stun-gun wristwatch on him. Or maybe Kaito, he always seemed to be able to get out of trouble. Except he hates fish, so he’d probably be useless in the water.
Dizziness started to set in, and Shinichi lethargically kicked back – and suddenly he could feel the grip around him loosen. Another push and he was all of a sudden free! The thing that had held him drew back and he feebly tried to get his bearings.
It was so dark and so cold. He couldn’t make sense of where to go, and the pain in his lungs was incapacitating, making it impossible to think. He was drifting.
He could see Ran’s face flash through his mind, accompanied by the detective boys, Hattori and his parents. Was this how they said life flashes before your eyes when dying? Was he dying? Why wasn’t he seeing Kaito’s face then? The man had definitely impacted his last few months to warrant a place in his hallucinations. Shinichi wanted to see his face.
And then he did. Shock flooded his systems when a hand grabbed his arm, and Kaito’s face filled up his view. It was all he could see, and with a stupidity that must be due to lack of oxygen to his brain, he opened his mouth. “Kaito?” And the water flooded him.
The pain was unbearable. He thrashed against Kaito’s grip on him until he was pulled in closer to Kaito. Everything was going faint until Shinichi’s focus zeroed in on a new sensation. Air.
Breathable air was flowing into his lungs and his brain struggled to understand how. Then his senses noted another sensation, the press of warm lips pressed against his.
Stunned, Shinichi opened his eyes that had closed at some point. Kaito was the source, harshly pressing down on Shinichi’s mouth and forcing the oxygen into him. Then it cut off, and a hand replaced Kaito’s lips, holding his mouth closed. He could feel Kaito beginning to pull him up, but his body was too heavy to help out. Then he felt another hand get a firm grip on his arm, dragging him upwards with much more force than Kaito had been able to.
Shinichi lost his consciousness the moment he was hauled up on the lower deck.
***
When Shinichi opened his eyes blearily, it was to the sterility of a hospital room. He was hooked up to a machine that measured his pulse, and he realised he had a massive headache along with a clogged nose. His head felt thick and his body was sore, he concluded he had the symptoms of a cold. The room was sparsely decorated, he noted, but in a chair next to the bed was Kaito. Shinichi blinked, it occurred to him that he had never seen Kaito asleep. Whenever he stayed over, Shinichi had been the first to fall asleep and last to wake up. But at the moment, he was more concerned with why he was in the hospital rather than seeing Kaito asleep.
"Kaito?" he slowly sat up, careful not to jostle any of the equipment. However, he was startled badly when Kaito jumped out of his chair and fell back again.
"Shinichi! You're awake?!" Within a few seconds Kaito was poking and prodding him. "Does anything hurt? How are you feeling?" Worry etched the frown on his face and he took hold of Shinichi's hand.
Something squeezed Shinichi's heart, and he shook his head. "I feel like I'm sick. Is that why I'm in the hospital? I can't remember getting here."
Kaito blinked in surprise, then looked at the door that remained closed. "No, not exactly. Wait, let me alert the doctors first." He went outside for a moment before coming back in again. "I told a nurse that you're up, he'll tell the doctor." He sat back in the chair and focused his gaze on Shinichi. "You don't remember anything from last night? We were at a heist."
The daze in Shinichi's head made him feel fuzzy and warmer when he met Kaito's eyes. His face was worried, and seeing that made a scene flash before Shinichi's eyes. It was so similar. Memories of yesterday were coming back in bits and glimpses. "I... Kaito?" Running along a corridor, standing before the moonlight thief, being pulled into the water. Seeing KID lose his hat and bearing Kaito's face underneath. Drowning. "What the he--"
The door opened, and he abruptly discontinued that sentence. The doctor came in with a clipboard and looked over the machine, she also checked his pulse manually and listened to his lungs. "How are you feeling, Kudo-san? I am Asagi Masako, your doctor. Any pain or difficulties breathing?" She checked the chart and jotted something down. "You have a slight fever, there’s no indication of fluid in your lungs, and nothing showed on scan when you were brought in by the ambulance."
"If I disregard my headache and some other cold symptoms, I feel okay. It is difficult to breathe through my nose," he said almost petulantly. The doctor smiled at him and seemed to relax, even Kaito slumped down deeper into the chair, hiding a smile behind his hand.
"That's good to hear," the doctor responded and wrote in the journal she was holding. "Those will go away with rest. Can you remember what happened? The police would like to speak to you when you feel able to."
"Ah, yeah. I'm a police officer myself, are they here now?" Shinichi figured it might be easier to do it when he came into work, but if there was someone waiting...
"Oh, no." The doctor shook her head, she pressed a button next to the bed. "The policeman who came in after the ambulance only asked us to tell you to come into the station and give a report when you were feeling well, he left after that."
"It was Nakamori-keibu," Kaito chimed in, “He was the one who helped to pull you out of the water. He sat up and leaned forward, "I'm sorry doctor, if he's alright, may I ask when he could go home?"
Shinichi wasn't surprised to hear that, the police chief was very caring about his fellow officers. "How long have I been here?" He realised he didn't actually know how long it had been. He glanced at the window, it looked rather dark outside. Asagi-sensei checked the charts again, "You came in soon after eleven last night. It's been about five hours since then, so it's still in the early hours. It's good that you woke up so quickly, but spending that time in the water has given you a nasty cold." She clicked her pen when a nurse knocked on the door and entered.
"Everything alright in here? Can I help with something?"
Asagi-sensei turned to him, "Matsugawa-san, good timing!" She turned back to Shinichi and seemed to ponder on something. "We have administered paracetamol for pain and to lower your temperature. Other than that, the only thing you seem to need is rest. You are welcome to stay here for the rest of the night, but it appears there's no need for us to do anything else or keep monitoring your stats. We could release you right now, if you both would like to go home? If so, Matsugawa-san will help you."
Shinichi didn't have any time to respond, Kaito was quicker. "He'll stay the rest of the night!" He shot Shinichi a slight grin and turned to the doctor and nurse. "He's not good at resting at home, and a few more hours of sleep will probably make it easier to go home later on."
Shinichi blushed and sank deeper into his pillow. He hadn't really had the energy to leave the bed right now, and it seemed Kaito had noticed immediately. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to stay here til the morning," he said to Asagi-sensei. She smiled, "Of course it is. We'll just disconnect you from the machinery and you can go back to rest."
When Matsugawa-san wheeled out the machine, Asagi-sensei followed him. She turned in the door before closing it, "Just press the button if you need something. And rest well, the both of you. My shift ends at seven, so in case you leave after that, rest well and you'll be fine. Have a good week."
Thanking the doctor, Shinichi turned to Kaito again. Kaito winced visibly and seemed to grow smaller with every second that Shinichi glared at him.
"So, care to explain yourself, KID?" He wasn't actually angry at Kaito, but at himself for being so clueless this entire time. It was the fact that Hattori hadn't seemed to suspect anything either that calmed him. In retrospect, it wasn't even too surprising. Kaito was a genius magician, and so was KID. They both had a flair for dramatics and seemed to thrive on pranking people. Shinichi concluded that he simply must've convinced himself there were no similarities since he'd grown attached to Kaito so quickly, which really should've been the thing to clue him in on the fact that there was more to him than Shinichi could see. After all, he had a tendency to be averse to new people after his experience with the Black organisation.
Kaito cleared his voice, "Don't you think what happened to you is more important?" He was looking out the window rather than at Shinichi. "I mean, I wasn't aware there were sea monsters living in the bay."
Hearing that did come as a shock, was that what had pulled him down? Nonetheless, Shinichi would much rather hear why Kaito was... moonlighting as a jewel thief. To think he even had the time to do that while completing his master's in engineering, a suddenly even more appropriate and logical degree. He massaged his forehead to relieve some of the tension of his headache. "No, tell me why you've hidden your side job from me until now. You apparently already knew I was Conan anyhow, so why not tell me you were KID? You know I wouldn't have turned you in given our history," he closed his eyes for a moment, waiting for Kaito to answer.
There was a bit of rustling, and he heard Kaito move around before a weight was added on the bed next to him. "Oh, what sort of history is that?" Kaito laughed, seemingly having regained some of his self-confidence. Shinichi kept quiet though, hoping Kaito would continue.
With a sigh, Kaito laid down next to Shinichi, making him scoot over in the bed. “It’s a long story, and I’d really rather not tell you the whole version while in a hospital. Short version? My dad was killed by a similar organisation as yours. They were never caught, and I want to stop them. They were after a specific jewel so I’m–”
“Trying to get it before they do,” Shinichi finished. He felt a mild horror about hearing there was another criminal organisation out there who would go as far as murder to get what they want. “Why are they looking for a stone?”
Kaito huffed out a laugh, “It’s not just a stone. Apparently it is a jewel that will grant immortality to the owner once the Volley comet goes by earth. They say that it will glow red under the moonlight, which is why my heists are held on the evening of a full moon.”
Shinichi hummed in response. Kaito had begun to press down on his hand, massaging it while talking. It made Shinichi feel more sleepy than the medication was already making him. “And you couldn’t have told me this before?”
“Well, I must admit I found the idea nerve-wracking. I couldn’t predict how you would respond to finding out that I was… dabbling in less than legal activities.” Kaito snorted at his own choice of words. “Though, I had actually decided on telling you. I wanted to do that earlier tonight, on the deck with all those stars in the background. It was weird how all those clouds suddenly appeared, the weather forecast said it would be a clear night,” he complained. “And if you’re wondering how I knew it was you, I spied on you talking to the little lady who’s also been turned tiny.”
It was a struggle to respond to that, Shinichi was warm and tired which made a powerful combo in getting him to fall asleep. Kaito seemed to notice that and shuffled around on the bed so he could snuggle under the blanket.
“Let’s talk more in a few hours, okay? We need to talk about what happened as well,” Kaito said as he patted down the blanket. “You need rest.”
The suggestion was too enticing to deny, so Shinichi finally allowed himself to relax and instantly dozed off, oblivious to the peck on his cheek.
***
When he woke up in the morning, Kaito was sitting on the chair next to him again. He was reading a catalogue about healthcare, probably one from the waiting area. His hair looked like a rat’s nest, worse than usual, but he looked like he got a good few hours of rest.
“Hello there, Sunshine! How are you feeling?” He stood up and came over to put a hand on Shinichi’s forehead. “Seems like your fever has gone down, which I know it has because the nurse was here earlier to check it!”
Shinichi blinked and slowly moved to sit up in the bed with Kaito’s help. “Still feel a bit sluggish, but more clear-headed. I think I’m good to go home,” he said while looking around. Someone had changed his clothes, probably when he came to the hospital. Now he wanted to change into his own.
Kaito seemed to read his mind and went to get a paper bag standing by a wall. “Here you go,” he said and pointed to a door. “There’s a toilet in there, you can change in there. Asagi-sensei's work ended about an hour ago so she isn’t here. I'll go see if I can find the doctor on shift, tell them we’re ready to go home. Unless…”
“Unless what?” Shinichi looked at Kaito with confusion as he stood next to the toilet door, ready to go inside.
“Unless you need my help in getting dressed, of course!” Kaito winked at him and blew him a kiss. “Just kidding! I’ll go now!”
Shinichi’s heart was beating erratically as Kaito left the room. Unbeknownst to him, Kaito was having a similar experience.
Leaving the hospital wasn’t too much of an issue. To Shinichi’s surprise, Kaito’s car was in the parking lot so they didn’t need to take public transit or catch a taxi.
“I asked Jii to drive it here last night when the doctor had confirmed you’d be okay. I think he did it in the morning though. But it’s good, now we can talk about what happened.”
“Yeah, that’s good. Think you could take me to my work as well? I need to write a report on what happened.” Shinichi took the passenger seat and leaned back. Maybe they could get some coffee on the way, he could use the caffeine. When he didn’t get an answer he looked up to see Kaito wearing a bright smile and furrowed brows. “Kaito?”
Kaito sighed and sat down behind the wheel. “You realise you’re sick right? You don’t need to do this immediately.”
Shinichi stared at him, “Kaito, you’re thinking like a civilian. This is a second attempt at killing me, any clues we can get can lead us closer to an arrest.”
“Pfft, I could totally protect you,” Kaito scoffed. “But I get what you mean, it would be nice to get this over with.”
“Would you be able to protect me?” Shinichi asked, looking over as Kaito left the parking space. “What was it that pulled me down last night? I couldn’t tell myself.”
A visible shiver ran through Kaito’s body, and his face turned decidedly green. “Uhm, honestly? Looked like a.. a..” he cut off short while clutching the gear shift tightly. “Giant octopus…” he breathed out slowly.
For a few seconds, Shinichi’s brain function seemed to halt. “But that’s…”
“Ridiculous and disturbing, I know,” Kaito interrupted. “But you didn’t see what I saw, several long tendrils shooting up from behind you and dragging over that railing!” He sounded almost hysterical. “I didn’t know what to do, there was no one else around. I screamed for Nakamori to come and then I threw off my outfit and went after you…” When they stopped at a red light, Kaito looked over at his passenger. “It was so dark in the water and you were so deep, I could barely find you.” He shuddered.
“I’m sorry,” Shinichi said, not really knowing how to respond.
They spent some time in silence after that, before Shinichi came to a realisation. “Thank you, by the way. For jumping in after me even though you hate sea life.” He smiled wryly at Kaito who shuddered again and grimaced.
“Well, I hate the idea of losing you even more,” Kaito confessed, matching Shinichi’s smile.
“And I’m very grateful for it. You said Nakamori helped me out as well? I should send a basket of flowers.”
Kaito hummed in response. “He reached the deck just as I jumped over the railing. He told me that he’d gotten the officers who weren’t incapacitated to go down to the lower deck and call an ambulance.” They took a left turn that got them out on a main road. “Then it seems he also jumped after you, you’re loved, oh Great Detective~” he grinned, much more genuine.
“As if, he couldn’t have known I was in the water if he arrived much later. He went after you, most likely.” Shinichi fiddled with the thermostat in the car to raise it a little.
“Could be right, makes sense.” Kaito took the opportunity to pass a bus at a bus stop. “Nonetheless, the police didn’t see the creature and I said you fell over the railing.”
“You lied?!” Astonishment coloured Shinichi’s words. Then he waved his hand placatingly, “never mind, I wouldn’t have believed you either if I hadn’t experienced it first hand.”
He wasn’t sure what to put in the rapport, or what he would say to his colleagues. No doubt they already knew about this.
They did know, which Shinichi found out as soon as they entered the station and he was bombarded with questions about the incident, and why he came into the station if he was sick. The latter type made Kaito give him a meaningful look that he ignored.
“No, I didn’t actually fall. I was pushed, but I did not see who it was.” Shinichi explained tiredly as he sat down by his desk. “Kaito didn’t either, but he saw me go over.”
“It’s good that you did, who knows what could’ve happened otherwise,” Satou remarked. She smiled warmly at Kaito and ruffled Shinichi’s hair, much to his dismay. “But this marks the second attempt on your life, we need to step up our game.”
“Indeed,” Takagi agreed. He shuffled some papers around, “We talked to the inspector in charge of catching KID. His officers investigated the scene but found nothing, none of the cameras on deck were working during the heist so there’s no video evidence either.” He looked at Shinichi, “You said that KID had already left?”
“Yes, that’s why I was looking out from the bay. Appreciating the city landscape on the other side of the bay while waiting for things to calm down,” he replied drily. “Whoever it was, they must’ve climbed the balcony. I don’t believe they could’ve sneaked up on me from the side.” Shinichi turned to Kaito, “Could you get me some coffee from the break room?” He was having insane cravings for it.
“You can’t be serious,” Kaito looked genuinely appalled at the request. “You are sick, we should be going home so you can get some rest!” He placed both his hands on Shinichi’s cheeks, gently caressing them.
Shinichi caught Satou mouthing ‘we’ to Takagi and felt his cheeks warm up.
“I think your fever’s gone up,” Kaito complained. “And you have the audacity to ask for coffee?”
Oh right, he wanted coffee. He grabbed Kaito’s hands and looked up at him, “Please?” He wasn’t sure it’d have the same level of effectiveness as when he used to be Conan, but Kaito startled and looked away.
“Fine,” he muttered and stalked out of the office in search of coffee.
A whistle came from Shinichi’s two colleagues, and when he turned around they were both grinning at him. “Seems like you have him wrapped around your finger.”
Takagi came around the desk to check his forehead. “You don’t seem to have too high of a fever, Kuroba-kun is probably exaggerating because he’s worried.”
“I know, I don’t feel as bad anymore,” Shinichi admitted. “But it doesn’t bother me.” It was kind of nice actually, Ran didn’t worry as much when he got a cold nowadays and his parents hadn’t done it either for much longer. Though, his mom did occasionally seem to like babying him when he had a fever, but more to her own amusement.
“I bet you like it,” Satou said out of nowhere. He didn’t have time to counter that as Kaito came back into the room.
“Here you go,” Kaito said as he handed the cup to him, “Darker than your soul. I also found this blanket there, here, have it.”
“Just the way I prefer,” Shinichi laughed. He took the cup and let Kaito envelope him in the blanket. In the corner of his eye, he saw Satou share a knowing look with Takagi that made him feel more vulnerable than he expected. He cleared his throat meaningfully with a glare their way just a moment before giving Kaito a smile.
“So how much more info do we need to catch the one doing this? If it’s the same person, I mean?” Kaito asked as he flopped down on top of the desk Shinichi was sitting by.
“Well,” Takagi began hesitantly, “If we ignore the fact that we shouldn’t be talking about an active case to a civilian, we don’t really have a lot to go on even now.” He went to another desk and started typing on the computer. “We cross checked the events in the database but have found no matches so far, so this isn’t the work of a serial killer.” He paused, “At least none that has been discovered.”
Satou looked over Takagi’s shoulder at the monitor. “We’ll have to wait for more lab results from last night. And since nothing was found on the lunchbox, and none of us who were working actually saw the person who left it, there’s not a lot that we could do.” She looked over at Shinichi and Kaito and continued with a wry tone, “Other than issuing you with a bodyguard, I suppose. But it seems like that position is already filled.”
Arms wrapped around Shinichi’s neck, and suddenly Kaito’s cheek was pressed against his. “Of course it is!” Kaito’s confidence seemed to waver after that, “But I was just barely in time last night. It could’ve ended so much worse than it did.” He let go of Shinichi and went over to the window looking out over the main street. Shinichi couldn’t help but pick up an eraser and throw it at Kaito’s head.
“Ouch!”
“You’re so stupid for a self-proclaimed genius. I was the one who was careless last night.” Shinichi sighed and put down his now empty cup, bringing the blanket with him as he stood up. “I don’t have much else to report about the incident, I’ll be back tomorrow for a follow up–”
“If he’s healthy enough,” Kaito quickly interrupted.
Shinichi rolled his eyes with a fond smile, “And then we can go over the situation again. Does that sound alright with you?” He looked at his fellow detectives.
Satou gave him a thumbs up. “Naturally! Leave this to us. Kuroba-kun, make sure you get him home in one piece.”
“Take care, Kudo-kun. Rest up well!” Takagi added.
“Thanks, I will,” Shinichi replied while folding the blanket. He put it on the chair he’d used and went for the door. Kaito followed him with a “See you!” to Satou and Takagi who waved at them.
On their way out of the station, Shinichi slowed up and grabbed Kaito’s hand, stopping them both. “Hey, I realised I didn’t say thanks for saving me, so, thanks.” He met Kaito’s gaze with earnestness, hoping his gratitude would be conveyed properly. Then he released Kaito’s hand and passed him. He noted Kaito stood still for a few seconds before following him again.
“Oh well, you paid me back already, I guess,” Kaito grinned. “Though I wouldn’t mind getting a kiss for real too.”
The detective stumbled as he walked and stared at his friend. Instantly, his mind replayed the moment when Kaito had shared air with him under the surface. “That wasn’t a real kiss,” he argued seriously. “You’d know if I was giving you a real kiss,” he mumbled under his breath. Which was an odd thought, but a little appealing at the same time. One he realised he might have to explore further when he didn’t have a cold. Or someone trying to kill him.
***
When they were in the car on their way to his mansion, Shinichi realised he didn’t know what had happened to the jewel. He mentioned that to Kaito who grinned widely. “I slipped it into Ossan’s pocket when we were waiting for the ambulance. He realised it when we were at the hospital while you were in for a scan.”
“That poor man, what would Nakamori-san say if she knew what you’re putting her father through?”
Kaito stiffened, but kept driving. “Well,” he began, “My hope is that she never finds out. That I find the gem, retire, and things go back to normal.”
Shinichi scoffed, “Nothing can be normal when you’re around Kaito, that’s not how it works.” He got laughter in return.
“I’m taking that as a compliment!” Kaito looked more relaxed again.
When they had parked the car and Shinichi stepped out he knew something was wrong. There was nothing solid to base the feeling on, it was sunny and even some flowers had begun to sprout. He could hear the hum of some kind of energy in the air. Walking side by side up to the front door, he kept glancing around for any indications of an intruder.
“Kaito, are you also sensi–” Shinichi was unable to finish the sentence as Kaito pushed him to the side.
“Get down!”
Something singed the top of his head, presumably aimed for his face. Shinichi stumbled back up, trying to find the perpetrator. Before he did, however, another fireball was flying towards his face, quickly joined by yet another one as Kaito kept warding them off with his arms. It was ridiculous, Shinichi concluded. Fire could not fly, and it certainly could not be thrown.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” Kaito yelled at someone as he kept shielding Shinichi. He was looking up at the sky, face seething with anger.
Shinichi followed his line of sight and froze when he actually could comprehend what he was seeing. A girl was sitting on a broomstick, hovering high up in the air. In her hand, a spark from thin air turned into a ball of fire that blazed. When her eyes met Shinichi’s, they narrowed in irritation, and she threw the fireball at him with frightening ferocity.
This was impossible, he thought faintly. There was no way he could explain this with science, but it was happening right in front of him in the middle of the day. Perhaps it could’ve been explained as a fever dream, however, that did not explain why Kaito could see her as well.
“Oi! Quit that Akako, what did he ever do to you!?”
“You know this person!?” Shinichi cried out in disbelief. He wasn’t one to be shocked by things, normally, but there was no way he could call this situation normal.
Kaito looked back at him with a wince, “Maybe? How angry will you be if I say I do?” He took a new position, directly in front of Shinichi to cover more of the detective’s body.
The girl halted her attack, only to screech at Kaito. “Move out of the way, Kuroba-kun! He’s the only one I’m after today.”
“Why are you after me? I don’t recall having met you before!” Shinichi cut in, his brain was working overtime, trying to fit the girl into anything logical while being dizzy. His fever had surely spiked from the stress, and he found himself longing for bed.
The girl scoffed, flying closer but kept her altitude. “You are the man of light, yet it seems you’re still in the dark. You are an obstacle, one which I must purge.”
This seemed to cause Kaito to realise something. With astonishment in his voice he asked her, “Akako, are you the one who tried to drown Shinichi yesterday? And poisoned the bento?” Anger increasingly laced every word.
“Like I said, he needs to disappear for my schemes to come to fruition,” she replied haughtily. “It was easy to teleport the bento into the station. And the sea monster in the bay is the pet of someone I know that owes me a favour.” Her demeanour had Shinichi on edge, it felt like he was standing in front of Haibara, but a powered up version. “He is standing in the way for you to fall in love with me!”
Perhaps a less intelligent version of Haibara. Wait, what? Bewildered, Shinichi could only get out a “What?”
Kaito’s response was to groan. “Are you serious? I thought we got over this years ago.” He was gesticulating wildly. “I’ve told you, I have no interest in you! Even if you are a super powerful witch.”
The witch(?) yelled angrily, “Because you’re in love with him! Naturally you wouldn’t be interested in me then!”
It was a wonder that no one had left their home to witness the spectacle. Sure, there was no fire being thrown at the moment, but a person flying on a broom should garner some attention. She was very pretty, and her skirt swayed gently in the wind.
Shinichi noted all of this as his feverish brain processed what she had said. Was Kaito really in love with him? He looked at the magician who was glaring daggers at the witch, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks. That didn’t sound too bad.
“Well that may be so, but there is no way I would ever be interested in you even if he was gone!”
Oh my, was that just a confession Shinichi heard? He grabbed Kaito’s arm and forced his head to look at him, “Is that true?” He blinked rapidly as Kaito blushed a deep red.
“What does he have that I don’t!?” Akako the witch screamed, and the fire in her hand seemed to blaze up. “I am beautiful, smart, powerful! There is no way you should be able to withstand my charm! I’ve gotten stronger since our high school days.”
With a tug, Kaito pulled Shinichi into his arms, effectively hiding him from sight. “There is no way you could ever be as smart as this guy, Akako.” He shook his head disappointingly. “And Shinichi is kind and considerate, two words that I would never associate with you on a general basis.” One of Kaito’s hands took a hold of Shinichi’s chin and pushed it up, so Shinichi could see the witch again. “Look at this face, Akako. There is no way I could not fall for this face! His bright blue eyes, cheeks and jaw, even that grin of his when he has solved a case! No one can be more beautiful than Shinichi!”
“Who do you think you are?!” The witch screeched.
The compliments from Kaito rained over him, and they made Shinichi uncomfortably warm. He’d heard similar things from others, but not with the same intensity Kaito was sharing them. His mother, especially, could gush about his looks sometimes when asking why he didn’t have a partner yet. For all of his life, he had never considered it a bad thing, until now. Shinichi was, unfortunately, very handsome. And a witch wanted him dead for it? Because Kaito was attracted to him instead of her…
“My life is a circus,” he mumbled to himself. Shinichi extricated himself from Kaito’s embrace, but kept one hand on him to steady himself. “Miss?” He locked his gaze on the witch. “I’m afraid Kaito doesn’t deserve you.”
The statement startled both Kaito and the witch into silence. Kaito looked at him in confusion, and his acquaintance hovered closer with a frown.
“Explain yourself, Kudo-san,” she demanded. She distinguished the flame and flipped her hair back.
Shinichi sighed, looking for his mother’s actress genes. “As you said, you are very beautiful, and seemingly very powerful. Yet Kaito refuses to understand that? He must have caught a strain of stupidity that is worse than I thought,” he amicably tried to reason with the witch. An indignant protest came from Kaito, but Shinichi silenced him.
“Seeing as he doesn’t seem to want you despite this, the only conclusion I can reach is that your charm is protecting you from him. Purposefully avoiding to ensnare an incompatible match.” Shinichi knew his mom would be proud of the bullshit he was spouting.
Kaito didn’t seem to like being berated, surely it made his ego inflate a little. “Okay, that is so not–”
“That sounds reasonable,” the witch cut him off. She regarded them both in silence for a bit. “Indeed, Kuroba has always been… thickheaded.”
Shinichi elbowed Kaito when he made a hurt noise. “Exactly,” he agreed quickly. “Not being able to have him is for your own good, he’d bring you down.”
“Hmmph, I see why you are called the Detective of the East. You seem to be able to reason with the truth easily.” Akako stared at Kaito. “I suppose I am better off without you.” Her glare switched to Shinichi. “Very well,” she said, “You are no longer a pesky menace. Rest assured, I will not go after your life again.”
“What will you do to compensate him, huh, Akako!?” Kaito grumbled. “What if he had died?!”
“That is of no consequence to me,” the witch actually put her nose up in the air. “Be glad that I won’t eliminate you both.” She regarded them both curiously, “You can repay me by inviting me to your wedding.” And then she had the gall to fly away without another word or apology.
The detective and the magician stared after the girl who disappeared as quickly as she had come.
“I can’t believe this.” Kaito seemed rather appalled. “She is utterly insane!”
“I can’t believe this,” Shinichi repeated. “Does magic actually exist?”
“Shinichi, I’m hurt. I thought I had proved to you that magic exists by now?” Once again, Kaito pulled him into his arms, sighing in relief. “It’s good to know what was happening, even if it was that idiot who was behind it.”
“How do you even know a witch?” Shinichi was keen to learn that tidbit of information. Haribara was the closest thing to a witch he’d ever encountered, and she only wielded science.
“Long story, classmates in highschool. Aoko and her are friends.” Kaito complained as he helped Shinichi to the door of the mansion.
A witch and a moonlight thief, Shinichi though. Aoko really had some strange friends. With Kaito’s help, he was able to reach the sofa without any issues. He really needed that rest now, and he suspected he would not be able to go into work the next day.
Kaito went to the kitchen, and Shinichi could hear him tinker. For a moment he closed his eyes, only to open them as Kaito sat down next to him. He must’ve fallen asleep. A tray had been placed on the coffee table with sandwiches and, god bless, coffee. There was also some pain relief and a thermometer.
“You feeling up for some food?” Kaito asked softly, reaching over to feel Shinichi’s forehead.
His stomach answered for him, giving Shinichi no way to deny it. Kaito laughed, and the sound gave Shinichi goosebumps and left him almost breathless. “Do you really love me?” he asked again. Kaito hadn’t really responded the first time, and he wanted to be sure.
“How could I not?” Kaito blinked at him and blushed. “I didn’t lie to Akako, you know.” He reached for a sandwich and bit into it, giving himself time to respond. “When I realised Aoko had befriended your friends, I made sure to be able to meet you as well. Then I wasn’t about to let you slip through my fingers again.” Kaito sighed before continuing. “Those years after you got your body back when I couldn’t see you were awful, no one else is able to match you in banter.” Kaito seemed to look at Shinichi in a daze, “There is no one who is as perfect for me as you are.” There was fear in his eyes, but also eagerness.
Shinichi felt fuzzy inside, like he was floating. He grinned, “There’s no way I wouldn’t fall in love with you either, I guess.” Kaito’s eyes widened and Shinichi took Kaito’s hand and squeezed it. “You were the one to show me magic exists, Kaito. There’s no other way to explain how you make me feel, like I’m about to fly. It’s exhilarating.”
Then he leaned forward and cupped Kaito’s face. “Sorry if I get you sick,” the detective said and kissed his thief.