Spare the Rod

A Detective Conan Fanfiction

By AllietheEpic7

Warning: This story is rather graphic. If any of the following things trigger you, please x out of this story. My viewership is nothing compared to your mental health.

Triggers: Graphic torture, drowning, mental manipulation, emotional manipulation, slight brainwashing, threats against family members, abuse, murder.

Chapter 1

Kaito's head was yanked out of the water, sputtering and hacking, trying to clear his lungs. His tormentor—Irish—threw him to the ground. Another kick sent him sprawling. Kaito shivered against the floor, the cold latched deep to his bones. It was almost strong enough to outmatch his hunger.

He was expecting another blow. He didn't expect Irish to tip the tub over and spill the water all over his tiny cell. Kaito flinched as it soaked his blood-spattered suit. Irish sneered down at him and Kaito glared back, jerking his head out of the water, already several inches despite the drain in the floor.

Irish grabbed the tub and, after stepping through the doorway set a few inches above the ground, slammed the heavy metal door shut. Kaito pushed himself into a sitting position, muscles screaming in pain, and huddled into a corner. His body wracked with shutters and his breath could be seen. He curled in on himself, watching as the water disappeared down the drain. Most of him was soaked at this point and if he looked close, his fingers and toes were turning blue.

He hadn't… he hadn't even asked him any questions.

How long had he been here? It felt like a long time. A week? A month? No! He shook his head. No, it couldn't have been a month, someone would have found him by now! Nakamori-keibu, Aoko, hell, he'd even take Hakuba or Akako at this point! But no… he was all alone here…

Oh God, he was so cold!

What did they even want from him!? He was just a thief! When they captured him, he'd expected to be killed, but this!? Why…

The door swung open again. Kaito expected Irish again—had hours passed so quickly?—but it was a boy his age. The boy jumped into the cell, bag hitting his side and paying no mind to the freezing water soaking his shoes. He could only watch as the boy reached into the bag and brought out… a silicone packet. Huh. He'd been expecting a gun. The boy squeezed it and tried to put it near his face. Kaito flinched away.

The boy drew back. "I need to put these against your arteries," he explained. "You have hypothermia. It will help. It's warm, see?" He placed the packet in his hand and Kaito nearly whimpered at the immediate rush of heat. He wanted to hold it longer, but the boy took it away only to put it up against his neck. Squishing the packet against his head and neck, Kaito tried to smile in thanks, but his lip split again and blood ran down his chin.

After activating four more packs and placing them on the other side of his neck, his armpits, and between his legs, the boy used a towel to dab gently at his split lip. Lost in his new world of warmth, Kaito was still mind enough to flinch. The boy grimaced. "Sorry!" He draped the towel over Kaito's head and started patting his hair dry, taking extra care not to hurt him again. Kaito wanted to tell him it was okay—no matter what Irish did, he'd never been struck in the head hard enough for a concussion. They wanted him for something. The split lip was left over from an earlier escape attempt. He'd stopped doing those now. He knew better than to try and escape.

Hair as dry as it could get, the towel was wrapped around his shoulders and neck, keeping the packets in place. Kaito was deliriously warm and cold at once, the water still soaking his pants making him shiver. The boy frowned. "I'm sorry. The drain is only partially open—I can't change that, even if I knew where to look. At least you're shivering."

"'s okay," Kaito could barely speak. He did nothing but scream with Irish. How long had it been since he'd spoken?

"No, it's not," the boy whispered. Kaito studied him; why did he sound so heartbroken? The boy wasn't the one trapped here. "This isn't right." He grabbed Kaito's hands in his and started rubbing them, trying to get the feeling back in them. "You don't deserve to be here."

"Who're…" Kaito tried to ask, but he wheezed out a cough. "Who're…"

"My name is Shinichi."

Shinichi had incredibly blue eyes, Kaito noticed as his coughing fit subsided. Almost like a sapphire. He'd stolen jewels that paled in comparison to Shinichi's eyes. Shinichi pressed close to Kaito and hugged him. Shinichi muttered in his ear, "I'm sharing my body heat with you." Kaito had never heard something more reassuring. So he hugged back as best he could, reveling in both the warmth and body contact.

Kaito didn't know how long it was, but next thing he knew, the last of the water was gone and Shinichi had removed the towel and was patting him down. It didn't do much—the towel ended up soaked quickly and Shinichi threw it back into the bag in disgust. But Kaito was fine with that. The packets and Shinichi's body heat were amazing already. At least, they were until Shinichi said, "I'll have to leave soon."

"What?"

"Irish will be back soon. I fear what he'd do to you if he discovered us together."

"Me!? What about you!?" Kaito struggled to stand, but Shinichi gently pushed him back down.

"I managed to disrupt the camera in this room, but he'll be here soon. I'll… I'll come back as soon as he leaves though," Shinichi bit his lip. "Kaito… I need to take the heat packs."

He nodded. Of course. Irish would know for sure that someone had been here and Kaito… he wouldn't risk Shinichi like that. Not him. Not the only good thing he'd found since he'd been taken. "Go," he croaked. "Don't get caught."

Shinichi smiled and Kaito decided, then and there, that he wanted to see that smile every day of his life. "I won't. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Then he was alone again. Kaito leaned his head against the wall and tried to sleep some before Irish arrived. His dreams were haunted by sapphire eyes.