Warnings: My terrible attempt at writing a marginally more realistic romance fic (but only marginally), some blood, inaccurate medical information because I'm not anything even vaguely related to a doctor, plot holes the size of Canada, grammar mistakes / errors because no way am I struggling through 16k+ words of my own awful writing to read it over, shounen-ai, etc.

Pairing: slow-burn Shinichi x Kaito

Cast: Shinichi, Kaito, Haibara, small appearances from Jodie, Nakamori, and Snake

Rating: Rather T-rated, I'd say. There's a shower scene and all. (Oops, spoilers?)

Notes: Well, I know I usually write fics in which Kaito and Shinichi are already friends and know each other well, but I wanted to try this out. Basically, this fic begins with their interaction reflecting the way I perceive their current canon relationship without slash goggles – they're rivals, they don't like each other, and that's it.

I honestly didn't mean for this to become this long, but I was trying to get the pacing right and it just kind of… grew. A lot. And the pacing didn't even end up that well done. Sorry about that.

Also, title has absolutely nothing to do with the fic, to be honest. I had no idea what to call it, so I picked a random song ("Just Let Go" by Mae), stole the title, and called it good.

Anyway, hope you enjoy! – Luna

Just Let Go

Shinichi raked a handful of hair out of his face, stuffing his free hand into his pocket as he walked along the sidewalk. The cold Tokyo night air brushed teasingly against his cheeks, and he sighed, his breath a puff of white. Glancing up as he passed out from underneath a square of light cast by the nearest streetlight, Shinichi smiled in silent reverence of the star-studded sky. It was a beautiful night.

One that was somewhat tarnished by the earlier Kid heist, at which Shinichi had been unsuccessful in bringing Kid to justice. The smile melted straight off his face at the thought of the phantom thief. He scowled, walking a little quicker. The damn thief was so smug about everything, too – he could almost see the man's classic shit-eating grin now, just remembering the heist. Shinichi clenched his jaw against both the thought and the wind, which had begun to pick up.

He was striding past the dark mouth of an alleyway when he heard the sound of movement – a shift of cloth against cloth, of shoe to concrete. A dangerous sound.

His heart began to pound louder in his chest.

Stopping short, Shinichi send a cautious glance over his shoulder. Murky shadows spilled like ink across the concrete, effectively concealing whatever had made the sound. He peered back over his shoulder. The street was completely bare save for a few uninhabited cars lining the curb, which made sense considering that it was about one in the morning.

Returning his attention to the alley, Shinichi weighed his options. He could go charging into the alley to save whatever damsel in distress that may be there and possibly get mugged for his trouble, or he could run and try to get home before he was forced to confront whoever was there.

The second option was clearly the more logical of the two, and Shinichi was about to break out into a sprint when he heard a faint wheeze, something like a cough and a choke mixed together.

He frowned, momentarily disarmed. That – wasn't a healthy sound.

Could it be that the person was injured…?

Now Shinichi wasn't sure what to do. He still felt the hair on the back of his neck standing up and adrenaline pumping through his veins, but it wasn't in his nature to leave someone who was potentially wounded in an alley on an icy winter night.

Battling with himself, Shinichi almost missed the second sound – a damp, bloodstained gasp that was definitely not anywhere near the same category as well.

And that decided it for him. Reaching for his tranquilizer dart watch (thank God he hadn't had to use it at the heist and that he'd kept it even after he'd returned), Shinichi crept forward cautiously, listening to the faintly growing louder pants and rasps. He frowned. For the person to be sounding like that, they must be sustaining some kind of abdominal wound or damaged organs.

He stepped a little farther forward. The vague, blurry silhouette of someone slumped against the wall was visible in the dark. Shinichi counted to one, two, three, blood roaring past his ears, and turned on the flashlight on his watch. Golden light splashed over the person, making them wince and cover their eyes.

Shinichi nearly fell over at the sight.

The Kaitou Kid was sprawled out on the alley floor, a carnation of blood across his side and pain written across his face.

Panting, Kaito dragged himself into a sitting position. He felt – cold. Freezing. Below zero. Was that normal?

He blinked hard, breaths loud and labored in the stillness. One hand lifted to press against his stomach, drawing away glistening with dark liquid. Kaito tried to school his breathing as horror pervaded his mind and numbed his fingertips. He'd been lucky to get away from Snake and the others, but the fact that they weren't pursuing him meant that they thought he was as good as dead.

The thought was not comforting.

His chest seized, and Kaito winced reflexively, almost crying out as the motion caused his wound to only twinge more. He forced himself to calm down. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.

As Kaito tried to stay calm, he tipped his head back, ignoring the way his scalp scraped against the wall behind him. The sky was painted in varying shades of dark blue, from midnight to royal to cobalt, and the stars sparkled like a handle of diamonds thrown across silk. It was a beautiful night.

But he was going to die, wasn't he?

Kaito's eyelids dropped shut at that, his hand falling to his side. He didn't bother trying to stay quiet anymore – the revelation that yes, he was indeed going to die right now, brought a strange kind of peace. He was going to miss everyone – his mom, Jii, Aoko, maybe even Hakuba and tantei-kun (he must really be dying to consider missing them) –

The sound of footsteps echoing down the sidewalk suddenly cut into his thoughts, and Kaito froze, eyes snapping open as he automatically tried to be as still as possible. Oh no, what if Snake had sent out someone to find him -

He realized that it was okay. There was nothing anyone could do to him anymore, when he was already on the edge of dying anyway.

So he continued trying to breathe and almost didn't care when he heard the footsteps falter for a second. He had been heard. And that was okay.

What are you going to do? Kaito wanted to call out, but he couldn't really breathe, so he decided not to.

There was a moment of hesitation, a few couple tentative steps as if the person was going to break out into a run, then a long pause.

And then there were footsteps coming towards him, measured and quiet, and Kaito just sighed, though the action sent burning ashes spiraling through his chest. So they were going to finish him off. He might as well just –

Suddenly there was a light in his face, and Kaito flinched (ow) and reached up one hand to cover his face.

But not before he caught a glimpse of the person standing in front of him. His eyes widened with shock.

Kudou Shinichi, his recently returned rival and possibly the last person he was wanted to see, was standing there, gaping down at him.

For a second, Shinichi couldn't do anything but stare, his jaw hanging open. This was – that couldn't be – what was going on –

And then Kid moved, a soft, muffled sound spilling from his bloody lips, and Shinichi unfroze, jerking into motion. He directed his flashlight away from the phantom thief, stepping forward. Despite how much he despised the phantom thief and despite their vastly differing opinions on various laws, Shinichi had his standards. A life was a life, and he wasn't going to let Kid just die. Hell, he didn't let murderers die.

"Kid? What the hell happened to you?" he demanded lowly, kneeling to inspect the man's wound. A frown pinched his face when he saw the location of the wound. Not good.

Kid's lips parted, but he couldn't form any words, his ragged breaths whistling slightly as they passed through his teeth. His eyelids began to sag.

"Damn," Shinichi muttered, glancing around. He grabbed Kid by the arms and shook lightly, trying not to jostle the injured man yet trying to keep him awake. "Don't fall asleep, dammit."

Eyes free from the blasted Kid monocle (where had it gone?) were hazy as they tried to focus on Shinichi's face. "Mm," Kid managed to get out, breathing slowly increasing.

Shinichi swore, loudly, as he frantically tried to think of a solution. He racked his brain as he reached for Kid's wrist, fumbling to take his pulse. It was weak, slow. Not good. "Is the hospital okay?" he asked, meeting Kid's eyes.

"N-Not good," Kid breathed. His eyes were beginning to glaze. They only had minutes before Kid was beyond help. "I – identity. They… can find."

"Shit," Shinichi hissed. That was true. He couldn't do that – this clearly involved some foul play, and Kid wasn't going to be safe at a hospital – they'd find him – not to mention Shinichi didn't know his civilian identity, and Kid sure as hell wouldn't tell him –

Think, Kudou, he directed himself, forcing his breaths to even out. First and foremost, he needed to get Kid medical attention. Casting a quick glance towards the entrance to the alley, Shinichi bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, considering all his options furiously. His house was only a few minutes away, but did he have supplies? Was there anyone who could –

"Haibara!" he gasped aloud, the idea coming in a flash, and Kid's gaze flickered towards him before sliding away, unable to concentrate. His chest rose and fell shallowly. Bad sign.

Swallowing hard, Shinichi gripped Kid by the shoulders and lifted him off the wall, ignoring the way Kid's breathing hitched. He tried to avoid the bullet wound, pulling Kid across his back awkwardly and starting off down the street.

"Kudou-kun, I'm not a goddamn doctor! I'm a chemist!"

"Close enough! I can't take him anywhere else, Haibara! There are clearly people after him, and they'll just target him again!"

"I can't do this, Kudou-kun! Wait until the professor gets back from his convention!"

"Dammit, Haibara, the professor's not going be back for another two weeks, and anyway, you know more about the human body than he does! We can't wait – he's going to die if we don't do anything!"

"For the love of God, Kudou-kun, why do you even care about him? Isn't he your rival?"

"Yes, but I don't want him to die!"

"Oh, right, you're Mr. Morality. I forgot."

"Haibara, this is not the time."

"What do you want from me? I'm a chemist, Kudou-kun! I can't perform surgery on someone!"

The sound of an unusually angry female voice shouting loudly made Kaito's eyes shudder open. He inclined his head towards the sound, his hair rustling against his ear. Through clouded, wavering vision, he could make out the sight of a small, light-haired girl arguing with Kudou, who was waving his hands and gesturing over at Kaito.

His back was pressed against a hard surface, and if Kaito had to guess, it was a kitchen counter. Not reassuring in the least.

He wondered where Kudou had taken him. It seemed that the detective had at least heeded Kaito's warning about not taking him to a hospital, but Kaito knew that the chances of him surviving without professional treatment were low.

Kaito coughed weakly, his chest seizing, and both the short-haired girl and Kudou's attention instantly flew to him.

"Please, Haibara," Kudou begged, his voice uncharacteristically panicked, and the girl – Haibara – didn't move, eyes fixed on Kaito's feebly shivering body.

"Haibara," Kudou repeated, his voice tight, and she finally snapped, stalking towards Kaito, a veritable three-foot inferno of loosely reigned fury.

"Dammit," she swore, muttering the word underneath her breath like a mantra as she dug around through a drawer. "I'm going to regret this, Kudou-kun."

"Not if you save his life." There was a distinct note of relief in Kudou's voice that even Kaito could hear.

"But if I kill him, I will," Haibara retorted fiercely, finally emerging with a syringe in hand. She loaded it with practiced ease. "Don't put me in these kinds of situations ever again." Her voice wavered as she gripped the syringe tighter. "I've already had to live knowing I've killed so many, Kudou-kun. I don't want to have to add another."

Kudou didn't speak for a second before he tentatively asked, "What's in the syringe?"

"Anesthetic," she replied shortly, glaring at Kudou, who fell silent. She approached Kaito cautiously, eyeing him as if he were a wild animal. "Dammit," she muttered one last time before Kaito felt a slight prick at his wrist and everything faded to black.

Kaito's head was pounding as his eyes flickered open. Where –?

Sluggishly, he tried to turn his head, succeeding until his stomach gave a sharp, unexpected twinge of disapproval. He gasped, vision swirling for a vertigo-inducing few seconds, before he managed to swallow and refocus, clenching his jaw against the pain.

To his right, there was a bag of… something attached to a pole. Tubes appeared to be sprouting out of the bag, leading down and out of sight. Kaito squinted at it. It looked rather shoddily assembled, and he knew it was supposed to be an IV, which did not do anything to assuage his fears that he wasn't going to die anytime soon. He shifted his arm, now feeling the IV taped to his wrist.

Beyond the makeshift IV lay a kitchen, one whose sink was filled to the brim with various bladed instruments and red-stained towels. The smell of stale blood was faint in the air, and Kaito felt momentarily sick.

Focus on the positives, Kaito, he tried to tell himself. You're alive… and in one of tantei-kun's friend's houses.

...Actually, I'm not sure if that's a positive at all, actually.

His thoughts were interrupted when there was the sound of a door opening at a distance and light footsteps approaching. Instantly, Kaito was on guard, his muscles tensing on reflex.

Unfortunately, that just made his stomach give an angry burst of pain, and Kaito drew in a sharp breath, his eyesight swimming. "Shit," he ground out, his teeth creaking ominously as his jaw tightened and his eyes screwed shut.

A small hand appeared out of nowhere, pressing against his forehead. Kaito forced an eye open to find Haibara hovering over him, a deep, far-too-mature frown on her face.

"Damn it," she growled. "He's lost too much blood. We need some kind of isotonic solution." When she noticed how hard Kaito was breathing, she let out a shaky breath. "Where's Kudou-kun with the morphine, for the love of God?"

As if summoned by her words, Kudou banged straight through the door and ran towards them, panting. Kaito couldn't see clearly enough to make out his expression, but he could see that he was carrying a bottle of something.

"Finally!" snapped the girl, snatching the bottle out of his hands. "Why the hell did it take you so long?"

"They don't just hand off morphine to anyone, Haibara," Kudou countered, but there was little bite in his voice. "What do you need me to do?"

"Get me some isotonic fluids. Eight times saltier than normal saline. We need to give it to him intravenously to treat the blood loss," she told him irritably. "Until then, we're just going to have to dope him up."

Kudou just nodded and ran.

Haibara turned back to Kaito, who was clutching at his stomach as the pain intensified. He noticed that his abdomen was bare but bandaged, making him wonder where his Kid suit had gone.

"Do you hear me, Kid?" she said, her voice low and almost soothing. "You're going to be just fine, okay? You're going to be all right."

You're going to be all right.

Kaito desperately wanted to believe her.

Shinichi dragged himself out of the guest room, rubbing his eyes as a wide yawn forced his jaw open. He'd only gotten a few hours of sleep, as Haibara had kept him running around to get supplies for Kid for the better part of the morning, and now he was exhausted.

He stumbled out into the kitchen, where Haibara had fallen asleep at the counter. Smiling a little at the uncharacteristically unguarded display, Shinichi patted her lightly on the head. She had worked so hard trying to save Kid's life, and he was inexpressibly grateful.

"Hey, tantei-kun."

Startling a little at the sound of a rough voice, Shinichi whirled around to find Kid watching him, eyes partway open. They were colored a bleaker shade of blue than usual, defenseless without the usual monocle, and contrasted sharply with his pale skin.

"Good morning, Kid," Shinichi replied, not unkindly, but without an excess of warmth. He advanced on the bed, watching the phantom thief warily. He wouldn't put it past Kid to try something flashy in an attempt to escape.

The foot of the bed creaked as Shinichi sat down. Up close, Kid didn't look any better – his skin was almost translucent with how drained of color it was, and his breathing was ragged around the edges, catching every now and again.

"How are you feeling?" Shinichi asked carefully. He wondered how much morphine Haibara had given him. He decided not to add any to avoid an accidental overdose.

Kid leaned back, closing his eyes. His tone was dry as he answered, "Like I got shot."

"How surprising." Shinichi twisted his hands in his laps. He felt awkward, not knowing what exactly to say or how to interact with the wounded man.

After a long, dragging silence, Kid quietly inquired, "What did you do with my suit?"

Shinichi hesitated for a second before he admitted, "I – I had to cut it off of you." Memories of Kid's bloodied skin, the gaping wound marring his well-defined abs, the weak flex of muscles as Shinichi sheared away the bloodstained jacket, made him grit his teeth. It wasn't as if he was a huge fan of the gentleman thief, but seeing anyone like that was enough to set Shinichi a little on edge.

When Shinichi finally brought himself to look back at Kid, Kid was watching him with half-lidded eyes. "I see." He didn't elaborate.

"I…" Shinichi cleared his throat. "I need to know about what happened to you. Otherwise I don't know how I can help."

"I don't need your help, tantei-kun." Kid's voice was quiet but unexpectedly strong. "You've done enough."

Shinichi couldn't help but glare at that. He knew Kid was prideful, and at the moment was probably nursing a fairly wounded ego, but this was a matter of life or death. "I saved your life, Kid," he reminded the man, his voice coming out a little sharper than he had intended.

"And that's enough," Kid responded evenly, though his eyes were on the verge of ignition. "I didn't ask for your pity, tantei-kun."

"You –" Shinichi wanted to yell at him at this point, but he forced himself to calm down. He exhaled harshly. "This isn't out of pity. I just want to – to help you, that's all. I mean, clearly…" He trailed off at the look on Kid's face, which was a mixture of confusion and doubt. "What?"

Kid just shook his head. "You're joking, right, tantei-kun? Why would you want to help me?"

I'm your rival, was the unspoken part of Kid's words. We don't talk. We're not on good terms. We're not friends.

There was something about the way Kid seemed so determined that Shinichi didn't care about him at all that rubbed the detective the wrong way. Was he not allowed to perform a human act of kindness? Did everyone see him as some murder-solving machine who didn't have emotions or the capacity to care if someone lived or died?

With a scrap of foot to floor, Shinichi stood. "I'm a detective, Kid," he said, his voice painfully dry. "We don't let people die, not even murderers. I guess you wouldn't understand that."

There was some frayed emotion, something odd, almost like hurt, in Kid's eyes when Shinichi cast him one last indifferent glance, but there was ice in his voice as he answered dangerously, "That wasn't what I was implying."

"Wasn't it?" Shinichi didn't wait for a response. "At any rate, you won't be able to leave here for at least another two weeks. Whenever you're ready to stop acting like a child and accept my help, I'll be waiting." He turned and stalked back to the guest bedroom, fuming.

Kid could get to him like no other.

It was around two hours later when Haibara, still slouched at the counter, finally woke up, pulling herself into an upright position and running a hand through her hair. She squinted at Kaito, almost uncomprehendingly, for a long second before she let out a groan and dropped her head onto the counter.

"I can't believe Kudou-kun actually asked me to do surgery on the Kaitou Kid," she grumbled irritably. She washed her hands, Kaito watching her carefully, before she trotted over to eye him dubiously. "Well? How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. Thanks for before." Kaito shut his eyes. She didn't need to know that he had spent the past two hours thinking about how the whole situation with Kudou.

To put it bluntly, he didn't want Kudou's help. First of all, he didn't want to inconvenience Kudou, because then he'd own Kudou a favor and that was a dangerous place to be, and second of all, he didn't trust Kudou. The man was a detective, after all, and the only intent he had ever displayed involved "bringing Kid to justice" (turning him in the police). Kaito was half sure that Kudou was planning on throwing him in prison once he was well enough to move.

"I assume you've already talked to Kudou-kun?" Haibara queried, breaking Kaito's thoughts. "You seem… more subdued than I'd expect from the great Kaitou Kid-sama."

"Yes, well, there's currently a hole in my stomach, young lady," Kaito told her, a little bit defensively.

Haibara just blinked at him, her eyes unreadable. "I am aware. I'm the one who dug the bullet out of that hole."

"Right." Kaito suddenly felt very tired. "You're like tantei-kun, right? You're actually older than you look."

"No, you just let a ten-year-old operate on you," she answered sardonically, crossing her arms over her shirt. Kaito could pick out a fleck of blood on her sleeve. It made him a little nauseous. "Of course I am." She paused, eyeing him carefully. "You do know about how Kudou-kun took down a crime syndicate before he returned?"

Huh? "No…?"

"Well, he did. I used to be a part of that organization. I was the chemist who made the poison that turned the two of us into children."

"O-Oh." Kaito stared. He couldn't help it. Sure, the little blonde girl had always seemed rather mature and in possession of a rather frosty nature, but to find out that she had worked for a crime syndicate –

Haibara cleared her throat, drawing Kaito's attention back to her. "So if you're worried about involving Kudou-kun in your drama, keep in mind that he's taken down a criminal organization. He can handle himself."

Kaito wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he just nodded and looked away. He still didn't want to involve Kudou, but he was starting to wonder if he even had a choice anymore.

Sighing, Haibara leaned over to his IV bag, closing the IV clamp and swabbing the port carefully before she reached for the jar of morphine. She leveled him with a blank stare as she uncapped the needle, preparing to add morphine. "I don't suppose I'll be able to change your mind, but I just wanted you to know. Kudou-kun's not unreasonable – I'm sure he'll be able to set aside his personal beliefs to help you. He's not cruel enough to turn you in just yet."

"Just yet." Kaito couldn't help but laugh wryly as he repeated that. He cast Haibara a slightly disparaging glance. "But once this is all over, I'm sure I'll be fair game."

There was something like irritation in Haibara's eyes as she studied him, brow furrowing, but she didn't say anymore before she reopened the IV clamp, set down the jar, and began to leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

"To sleep," she called curtly over her shoulder. "Get some rest and don't move."

"As if I could," Kaito muttered under his breath, but he settled in against the pillows anyway.

It was around lunchtime when Shinichi was forced to reenter the kitchen, due to the fact that his throat had begun to hurt from the lack of liquids and his stomach was grumbling in protest. He sighed as he rounded the corner and the hallway opened up into the kitchen/Kid's recovery area. He'd had a far too stressful night.

Studiously avoiding Kid's gaze, Shinichi stepped into the kitchen and began clattering around, searching for Haibara and Professor Agasa's tea supply. Where was it? Slamming cupboards shut and open, he almost missed the low voice that sounded all of a sudden behind him.

"I'll accept your help."

Freezing at the declaration, Shinichi forced himself to swallow, his throat grating excruciatingly. So Kid had finally come around, huh?

He shut the cupboard and turned around, pressing his back against the counter. "You will?"

Kid was propped up, sitting upright on his bed. His eyes were focused – well, more focused than before, at least – as he watched Shinichi, though his skin was a sickly pale color and the blankets bunched at his waist did little to hide the lightly bloody bandages bound tightly around his stomach. "I don't trust you, tantei-kun, but it seems I don't have a choice anymore."

An acidic remark rose on Shinichi's tongue, but he bit it back. The last thing he needed was to let out some pretentious comment and regress their tentative agreement. Instead, he opted for a short nod. "I understand."

"Really?" Kid actually gave a smile, something genuine and fragile, and Shinichi had to blink a few times. He'd never expected anything short of a snarky smirk from Kid, but it seemed the phantom thief was already intent on proving him wrong.

But smiles looked good on him, Shinichi concluded inwardly. Natural, almost, and effortlessly cheerful, the way one corner of his mouth turned up a little higher than the other and his eyes (indigo? Shinichi had never noticed before) seemed to sparkle. Like he had a face that was meant to smile and be happy.

He decided to stop thinking before his thoughts got any weirder.

"Right." Without taking his eyes off of Kid, Shinichi opened the last cupboard to find a box of jasmine tea wedged in among a plethora of other containers. He pulled it out from between a jar of instant coffee and a can of matcha green tea powder, setting about to make tea.

Once the kettle was on and boiling, Shinichi crossed the room to sit at the foot of Kid's bed for the second time that day. "So where are you going to start?" he asked as agreeably as he could manage.

Kid managed a shallow nod. "Maybe I should start with the first Kid."

Shinichi nodded in comprehension. "So there was a different Kid." The theory of multiple Kids had arisen when Shinichi had noticed the large time gap that had occurred between a few of Kid's heists and the fact that the most recent Kid didn't appear to be any older than Shinichi himself was (though he was a master disguiser, after all).

"Yes." Kid's eyes smoldered. "My father was the original Kid. He was killed after he got involved with a criminal organization targeting a mythical gem called Pandora, which is said to give immortal life. My father was trying to find the gem before the organization could. They murdered him."

"Oh." Shinichi didn't know what to say. He stared down into his lap. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, tantei-kun," Kid said with a hint of bitter amusement in his voice. He leaned back on the pillows, shutting his eyes. "It's not as if you're the one who murdered him."

Something about how simultaneously resigned and edged his voice sounded made Shinichi lift his face and scowl at him, a wave of exasperation crashing over him. Here he was trying to act somewhat decent, and Kid was making it difficult on purpose.

He forced down the thoughts, though, when he realized just how self-absorbed he sounded. Kid was telling him about how his father had been murdered, damn it, and Shinichi was making it all about himself.

Pathetic.

"I suppose you're right, but I'm still sorry," he replied regretfully, startling a couple blinks from Kid. Clearly, the magician had expected something else, probably some volatile explosion or an angry word or two.

"Uh, right," Kid stammered after a second of heavy silence. "I inherited the job a number of years ago – right about when I was sixteen. Four years ago or so."

"Hey, we're the same age," Shinichi blurted out, then mentally facepalmed. Kid was doing an excellent job impersonating a bewildered puppy, head tilted uncomprehendingly and eyebrows lifting slightly.

The detective coughed, flushing at the awkwardness. "Sorry. Go on."

"O-Okay." Kid seemed a little thrown off, though, and it took him a second of controlled breathing, his chest rising and falling rhythmically, to find himself again. "I continued on his legacy, stealing jewels and checking for Pandora every time. I got threats from the same organization, but I was determined to continue on. I was targeted a good deal, but I always managed to evade them. Until last night." He sighed. "I managed to get away from the gallery, but I collapsed in the alley, where you found me, tantei-kun." He paused. "I'm also fairly certain that they'd realized my identity – they addressed me as 'that blasted magician's son,' and they knew my father's civilian identity."

Shinichi was silent for a moment, processing the information. "I think I've got it. They think you're dead, right?"

Kid shrugged, then winced and grabbed at his stomach when the motion clearly irritated his wound. "W-Well," he wheezed, and Shinichi looked around desperately for some way to help alleviate the pain, "they didn't send anyone after me, so I assumed they thought I w-was dead."

He straightened just as Shinichi found a bottle of painkillers, shaking his head when Shinichi extended them towards him. "I'm fine," he rasped. "It – passes. The morphine helps, too."

"I'm just going to let Haibara deal with the morphine. I don't want to give you an overdose, and I don't know the last time she gave you some." Shinichi set down the bottle on the nightstand, rubbing a hand through his hair.

What could he do with this information, he wondered? If the organization targeting Kid had assumed him dead, it would be for the best, but Kid would need to go into hiding until Shinichi took them down. This organization seemed as if it might be international, so he could probably get help from the FBI, but he needed some kind of plan to lure these mysterious people out.

A thought struck him. What if he were to –

"Tantei-kun?"

"Huh?" Shinichi blinked, realizing that Kid was frowning at him in concern and that he'd been silent for nearly two minutes. "Oh. I was just – just planning. I think I might've come up with something."

"Really?" A flicker of interest passed through Kid's eyes. "What is it?"

"I – I can't tell you yet," Shinichi told him, though he knew it wouldn't matter either way. Kid didn't care enough about him to even try to dissuade him, anyway, but he needed more time to plan this out – at least a week or two to organize it all.

But still, he didn't miss the look of annoyance in Kid's eyes as he relaxed back on the pillows. "All right, then."

Swallowing back his regrets, Shinichi jumped a little and rose at the shrill sound of the kettle suddenly shrieking. "You're going to need to go into hiding for a bit, okay?"

Indigo eyes burned. "I don't think I have a choice. I'm bedridden for two weeks, remember? And I doubt you or Haibara-san will let me anywhere near a phone. Everyone will assume that I've gone missing, both Kid and… my… real identity."

The restrained fury in his voice made Shinichi scowl, but he didn't make any comment other than, "That's right."

With that, he headed for the kitchen, the particulars of his next operations slowly coming into focus and his throat aching for tea.

Kaito blinked down at the bowl in his lap, borderline horrified but mostly confused. He'd dozed off after talking to Kudou, but had awoken at the smell of something cooking.

Something, which had turned out to be rice porridge. That Kudou had cooked.

He gulped. The contents of the bowl that Kudou had unceremoniously plopped into his lap looked innocuous enough, but anything cooked by his rival made him take pause.

Kudou, who was standing beside the bed with a ladle clutched in one hand, crossed his arms over the front of the (strangely cute) ruffled pink apron he was wearing. Kaito wondered where he'd gotten it, marveling at the oddly domestic aura Kudou somehow managed to give off.

"I didn't poison it, Kid," Kudou grimaced, his face vaguely weary. He seemed to have been expecting this reaction, though. "We just saved your life. Why would I try to kill you with my cooking?" He gave a sardonic smirk. "Waste of morphine."

"R-Right. Of course, tantei-kun," Kaito agreed, though his eyebrows were climbing up his shoulder. He was hungry, but he kind of didn't want to brave it. Who knew how bad Kudou was at cooking?

The detective glared at him for a few seconds longer. "This is what I get for trying to be nice," he muttered, casting Kaito a glance of longsuffering. He returned to the pot and scooped out some into another bowl. When he didn't begin to eat it, and Kaito sent him a look of bemusement, Kudou rolled his eyes. "I'm going to see if Haibara wants any."

As Kudou padded off, Kaito heaved a sigh and lifted the spoon. The porridge stared back at him, as if daring him to eat it.

With one last flinch, he put the spoon in his mouth.

His eyes flared open as he swallowed. It – wasn't too bad, actually. Surprisingly.

Who knew a heartless homicide detective could actually cook?

"I see you tried it."

Kaito looked up at the sound of Kudou's voice. The man was leaning against the doorway, wearing a smug grin. His hands were empty, confirming that Haibara had indeed wanted Kudou's porridge.

"It's surprisingly… edible," he found himself admitting as he took another spoonful, and Kudou laughed. The sound was startling, brightly so, and Kaito instantly wanted to soak it in, hear it again, commit it to memory. He rarely ever heard a real laugh from the detective, only mocking chuckles and the occasional derisive snort, and the novelty of hearing one was intriguing.

It wasn't that Kudou had a nice laugh or anything, of course.

The sound of pots clattering pulled Kaito from his increasingly disturbing thoughts. Kudou was beginning to put away the cooking utensils. "Thank you. I'm honored to get a compliment from the illustrious Kaitou Kid-sama."

"You're welcome, tantei-kun." Kaito swallowed another mouthful of porridge. "How did you learn to cook, anyway?"

"Living alone means I have to cook for myself. Ran taught me some basic stuff back when my parents first left," Kudou explained as he placed the lid back on the pot and moved to begin washing the tools still strewn haphazardly in the sink.

"Did she get you the apron, too?" Kaito couldn't help but tease.

Kudou had the grace to blush. "Unfortunately, yes. But shut up."

"Sure, tantei-kun," Kaito sang, lifting another bite to his mouth and grinning when Kudou shot him a venomous glare.

It wasn't till he was at the bottom of the bowl that he realized he had just had a normal conversation with Kudou Shinichi.

"We need to change the bandages," Haibara announced the following morning.

Shinichi was sitting at the kitchen counter, a few case files open in front of him. He'd called in sick to the police headquarters, since he wanted to keep an eye on Kid. He still had his doubts that Kid was just going to sit back and listen to Shinichi's orders so easily. And though the initial tension between them had lessened, he still didn't trust Kid entirely.

At Haibara's proclamation, he looked up, frowning when he saw the backpack strapped to her shoulders. "Aren't you going to do that? Where are you going?"

Haibara, who was propped up in the doorway, shook her head. "Yoshida-san, Tsuburaya-kun, Kojima-kun, and I are going to go camping for the next few days." She glanced at the clock. "I'm supposed to meet them at Yoshida-san's house right now, actually."

Nearly dropping his files, Shinichi stared. "What? You're going to be gone?"

"What?" Kid blinked in confusion. "You're leaving?"

"Mmhm." Haibara nodded. Her smile was more than a little sadistic. "You two will be here for a bit by yourselves. I'll be camping for about five days, and then I think Yoshida-san's family wants to take me with them to Hokkaido, so I might be gone for three or four more days. Actually, you probably shouldn't expect me back for the next week and a half or so."

"B-But I can't – what if something happens? What if he reopens his wound?" Shinichi gawped.

"That's your problem," Haibara replied airily. "Your timing was terrible. You brought him here right before I planned to go on vacation. That's all." Peeling herself off the wall, she walked calmly over to the counter, digging a slip of paper out of a drawer along with a ballpoint pen. "Don't worry, I'll leave instructions. But basically, I've been giving him eight milligrams of morphine per twenty-four hours, though you might need to up it as time goes on. You know, tolerance and all that." The pen stopped moving for a second. "You're also going to need to bathe him."

"What?"

"You have to change his bandages daily, like I said. But you're also going to need to bathe him. Get a basin of water, some soap, and a couple towels and all that. You know."

"Do I get a say in this?" Kid piped from where he was sprawled, and Haibara shot him an icy stare.

"Unless you're magically able to stand by yourself and clean your own bullet wound, I'm going to say no. Kudou-kun will take care of it."

Shinichi fought to swallow down his horror. He shared a look with Kid, who didn't look any more thrilled than he was. Bathing Kid meant that Kid would have to be naked, right? And thought Shinichi wasn't exactly a prude, he didn't quite want to see what Kid… had to offer.

...Oh God, he managed to make it worse.

Haibara finished writing, exhaling cheerily. She was way too happy about this, Shinichi decided. Way too happy. "Well, I'm going to go now. You two have fun."

Her footsteps seemed to echo ominously as she headed for the front door, shutting the door on an awkward silence between detective and thief.

"S-So." Shinichi finally broke it, turning around to look at Kid. "Do you – now? Or later?"

Kid, whose face had gone a little pale, coughed. "Er – now's… fine."

"R-Right." Shinichi stood, feeling unbalanced. "I'll go get the basin and all that. You just… lie there."

"Got it."

Scuttling away, Shinichi cursed his luck as he searched under the bathroom sink for a washbowl. He found one, to his combined delight and chagrin. Why did he get stuck with this kind of job? He… ugh, no, he just couldn't think about this.

Turning on the tap, Shinichi rummaged around for three clean towels as he waited for the water to heat. Once it had, he filled the basin and picked up a bottle of soap before heading back out towards the kitchen.

Kid was still slightly white when Shinichi set down his baggage by the side of the bed. He winced when Shinichi placed his hands on his hips, watching him.

"Okay, strip," commanded Shinichi, holding back a blush at his own words. In context it made sense, but out… ick.

Sensing his discomfort, Kid pulled himself into a sitting position, careful to not dislodge the IV in his right wrist. He was still shirtless. Once he had settled, he gave Shinichi a hopeful glance. "Can I keep my underwear on?"

Shinichi nodded so fast he worried his neck would snap, relief blossoming in his chest. "Yes. That would be perfect. Yes."

"Okay." Kid seemed to let out a thankful breath as he peeled off the sweatpants he was wearing, a pair that Shinichi had given Haibara when she'd asked for clothes after she'd finished the surgery. His shoulders weren't as broad as Kid's, so he hadn't bothered offering a shirt, deciding it'd be too uncomfortable of a fit. Kid sat almost entirely naked save for a pair of boxers, his face somewhat red as he shifted anxiously.

Good to know Shinichi wasn't the only one suffering.

Biting his bottom lip, Shinichi dampened a towel and squirted soap onto it. He felt Kid's eyes on him as he kneeled at Kid's feet, grasping Kid's ankle lightly as he swept the towel up Kid's left calf. It was hard not to notice how artistically defined his legs were, the muscles smoothly crafted underneath the tanned skin. Shinichi wondered if he worked out, then decided he didn't; the muscles probably came with the night job.

The hand holding the towel paused at the curve of Kid's knee, taking care to clean it as thoroughly as possible. Shinichi's fingertips accidentally brushed against the back of Kid's knee, and he was surprised when he felt Kid jump. So Kid was ticklish?

He glanced up. Kid's face was nearly on fire, and Shinichi almost smiled at that, because who got to see Kid this flustered? It was definitely a first.

"Sorry," he said aloud, though, and Kid just swallowed.

"It's fine."

Shinichi wondered if Kid was ticklish anywhere else as he moved onto his right leg. As he dragged the soapy towel up the inside of Kid's leg, he wondered if Kid was ticklish anywhere else.

The question went unanswered, though, because Kid was on guard now, taking care not to jerk when Shinichi purposefully let his fingers wander behind his knee again. Shinichi smiled to himself – even though Kid wasn't moving, he could feel Kid's muscles tensing and straining. Trailing his fingers in leisurely circles along the curve of calf to thigh and feeling Kid shiver just the slightest bit, he wondered how far he could push Kid before Kid was forced to start laughing.

But Shinichi relented, trading the soapy towel for a dry one, which he wetted and used to swipe the soap off of Kid's legs. He used the last one to dry him off, motions businesslike and stiff. Kid relaxed at that.

Shinichi reached for the soapy towel again and began to wash Kid's upper body, though he was careful to avoid the bandaged area. As he laved Kid's biceps and rounded his elbows, he silently admired Kid's hands. He had beautiful hands – well-proportioned, deft hands that were slightly roughened from what Shinichi guessed was a lot of magic practice, but hands that were still recognizable as those of an artist.

He finished washing and drying Kid's arms and shoulders a moment later, drying them off as gently as he could. Once he had, he sucked in a breath. This was the hard part.

Setting aside the towels, Shinichi rose to his knees, meeting Kid's eyes. "Ready?" He motioned at Kid's stomach, and Kid just nodded, though Shinichi detected movement in his cheek that meant his jaw was clenching.

With gentle fingers, Shinichi tugged the bandages off, unraveling them slowly. He saw rather than felt Kid's abdominal muscles clench underneath his hands. Instinctively, he used one hand to soothe Kid, pressing sympathetically against his chest.

Kid stiffened under his touch, but when he realized Shinichi had no ill intentions, Shinichi felt the tension seep out of him.

Suddenly realizing just how awkward it was to have a palm pressed against Kid's chest, Shinichi quickly dragged his hand off, busying them with loosening the last bit of bandage.

When the bandage finally fell off, pooling on the bedspread around Kid's hips, Shinichi's breath hitched. The wound was ugly, red and crusted with blood, the jagged cuts around it a testimony to Haibara's less than professional surgical skill.

He swallowed down his dismay, though, and set to work cleaning the wound. Kid flinched away from his touch a few times, but Shinichi settled a hand on Kid's waist and held him in place. Kid's skin was warm to the touch, and Shinichi sincerely hoped he wasn't getting an infection.

Once he figured he had done a good enough job, Shinichi sat back and breathed out. He flicked an eyebrow upwards at Kid, whose gaze was glued to him. "You okay up there?"

"Mm." Though his face was no longer flushed and was more drained that anything, Kid nodded, and Shinichi took that as a good sign.

"Well, I'm going to bandage it back up now," he said, reached for the roll of bandages on the nightstand. He unscrolled a good length and held the end against one of Kid's hipbones, carefully straightening the bandage against Kid's skin.

But when he hit Kid's other hipbone, he paused. He needed to wrap it around the back, of course, but that would require getting closer…

I can't exactly leave his wound uncovered, can I? Shinichi thought wryly, and scooted closer, forcing Kid to part his legs and let Shinichi come in close. Ignoring Kid's sound of bewilderment, he turned his head, placing his ear against Kid's chest as he used one hand to pull the roll of bandages around Kid's back. He was mindful of Kid's injury, keeping a good distance, but for a moment, all he was aware of was the steady thrum of blood underneath his ear, signaling that Kid was still alive.

Though his heartbeat was a little fast, Shinichi realized with some confusion.

He pulled back to grab the roll again and continue wrapping, warily avoiding Kid's questioning gaze as he continued to bandage Kid's torso. He was forced to press his ear to Kid's chest a few more times to loop the bandage back around, and each time he noted the slightly erratic rhythm of Kid's heart.

Once the bandaged area reached just underneath Kid's pectoral muscles, Shinichi scrabbled around for scissors and cut the end, securing it amid the layers.

He leaned back on his haunches and finally allowed himself to look Kid in the eyes. "Done."

"Right." Kid was a little flushed, and he had to glance away from Shinichi. "Thanks, tantei-kun."

Shinichi had a strange moment of emotion at the words. Usually, he couldn't care less what Kid called him, but he found it almost irritating that the man was calling him tantei-kun when he'd just washed him.

"I have a name, you know."

"Hm?" Kid looked at him, startled by the unexpected exasperation in Shinichi's voice. "Tantei-kun?"

"I'm not just a detective, you know. I'm a person." Shinichi couldn't quite pinpoint why he felt this annoyed, but he did, and something was boiling in his stomach as he looked at Kid frankly.

Kid blinked at him, his eyes questioning, but suddenly, they softened and he smiled. "Of course you're a person." He paused. "Shinichi."

There was something in the way Kid said his given name, plain and lacking an honorific, that made Shinichi's heart lose its footing for a second and a flush almost lift to his cheeks. Thankfully, he managed to hold back the blush, instead just huffing as he dusted off his pants and straightened. "Thanks for your acknowledgement, Kid."

"You're welcome, Shinichi."

There it was again, the heart-tripping, blush-inducing… thing that Kid did. Shinichi tried to ignore it as he picked up the towels, soap bottle, and basin and fled to the bathroom.

"No, you have to hold it like that, so the rose can move easier."

Shinichi scowled at his own hand, more specifically at the rose that was stubbornly refusing to pop up as Kid's always did. "This is stupid."

Kid smirked, reclining lazily. "Really? You're the one who said that anything a stupid phantom thief could do, you could do as well."

"Yes, well, I meant anything but magic. That's your area." Shinichi tried again. The rose seemed to wilt, and he glared at it, tossing it at Kid's grinning face.

"Hey, I'm the patient here. Don't go throwing flowers at my face." Kid plucked the rose from his face, his smile positively devilish.

Frowning, Shinichi crossed his arms over his chest. "I can do whatever I like."

"Oh, stop pouting. Here." When Shinichi looked back over at Kid, the rose sprung into his face from Kid's hand.

"For you, my darling Shinichi-chan."

"Wow, thanks ever so much." Snatching it from his fingers, Shinichi huffed and sat back on his heels. He shot an enraged glance at the rose. "I seriously don't get this."

"You can do this. It's not that hard," Kid laughed, reaching out. Shinichi jumped when Kid's fingertips brushed his, position them over the stem on the worn rose. "Here, hold it like this and flick your thumb that way. Upwards. Good."

When Shinichi finally manage to present Kid with a rose, he couldn't help but laugh as Kid smiled his cheerful smile and accepted it from him.

"Why thank you, Great Detective."

"You're welcome, Phantom Thief."

Kaito was completely bored. Sixth day of being stuck in bed, and he was going absolutely stir-crazy.

He glanced over at the hallway, willing someone, anyone, to come to him. Actually, where was Kudou – no, Shinichi? (He had asked to be addressed by name, after all.)

The man had proved himself to be decent enough company with yesterday's discussion on the mechanics of hang gliders, but he'd been holed up in the guest room for nearly a day now. Kaito wondered what he was up to. They hadn't talked about Shinichi's plan for taking down Snake and his organization, so maybe Shinichi was still working on getting his plan outlined?

As if summoned by the power of his thoughts, the door to the guest room yawned open and out stepped a rumpled Shinichi, rubbing the back of his head sleepily.

"Took you long enough. I'm bored to death," Kaito called, and Shinichi's head snapped around, the detective sending him an iron-melting glare. "What were you doing in there, anyway?"

"Leave me alone, Kid," Shinichi grunted, though he did walk towards Kaito anyway. The bed complained when he sat down on it, but both Shinichi and Kaito ignored it.

"What do you want from me?" Shinichi asked, leaning on one hand. His azure eyes were amused, sparkling slightly.

Over the past couple of days, they'd gotten acquainted, and Kaito had learned more than he would've thought possible about the notoriously calculating detective. He had gone out with Ran for a year before they'd had a mutual breakup, his favorite color was red, his birthday was May 4, and he inexplicably didn't like persimmons.

In comparison, Kaito hadn't told him anything he could avoid, although he was sure Shinichi had deduced quite a bit from his mannerisms. He still hadn't told Shinichi his civilian identity, and Shinichi hadn't pressed.

It wasn't really a matter of trust anymore, Kaito knew. It was just – he felt as if his civilian name was the only thing keeping him and Shinichi from being friends. He knew… he knew they weren't rivals anymore, of course – their rivalry had dissipated somewhere along the third sponge bath – but he didn't want to cross that line just yet. Not when he still had the slightest lingering doubt.

But now, Kaito just shrugged a little. The action didn't tug at his wound too much, thankfully. "I don't know. Entertain me."

Shinichi glared. "Thank you for giving me so much to go on."

"You're welcome."

Rubbing the back of his head, Shinichi scanned the kitchen. "Hm… I've got case files. Want me to read them to you and show you the photos of the crime scene?" He laughed when Kaito glared at him pointedly.

"Preferably not, thanks."

"Well…" Shinichi sighed, expression troubled for a moment before it brightened as a though seemed to occur to him. "Oh! I've got an idea." He took off running down the hall, coming back a second later with a book in his hand.

Kaito squinted at the title, which he couldn't quite make out. "What's that?"

Shinichi grinned and extended it to him. It was a copy of Arsène Lupin, which made Kaito's eyebrows raise as he shot Shinichi a bewildered look. The detective smirked. "I don't know why, but Haibara has a copy of this. I think she might have a thing for gentleman thieves, so you might want to be careful."

"Thank you for the advice, Shinichi," Kaito said, rolling his eyes as Shinichi laughed.

"You're welcome. Do you want to read it?"

"Well…" Kaito thought about it. He'd read all the Arsène Lupin books many times over, but he did like the series. On the other hand, he was sort of tired, and sitting up would take some work…

"Uh…" Kaito looked over at Shinichi, who wore a hesitant frown as he shifted awkwardly. "If you don't want to sit up, I could read it to you…?"

Kaito gaped at the proposition. Shinichi would read it to him? Shinichi, the person who despised gentleman thief, if his (former) rivalry with Kid was any indication? That same Shinichi would actually sit down and read Arsène Lupin to him?

Sensing his confusion, Shinichi hurried to backpedal. "J-Just – never mind. Here, I'll leave it here for you –" He cut off abruptly when Kaito grabbed his wrist. "Kid?"

"It's fine. You can read it to me." As an afterthought, Kaito added, "Please."

Shoulders relaxing, Shinichi tentatively loitered for a second before he sat down at the foot of Kaito's bed. It was starting to become Shinichi's designated spot – Kaito had begun to keep his legs out of the way. "Okay, then. Just so you know, I've never read this before."

"I had a feeling, for some reason."

"Shut up or I'm leaving." Without giving him a chance to retort, Shinichi opened the book and cleared his throat pointedly. "'Chapter One: The Millionaire's Daughter. The rays of the September sun flooded the great halls of the old chateau of the Dukes of Charmerace…'"

Kaito allowed his eyes to shut, drowning in the warmth of Shinichi's voice. Rather surprisingly, it was smooth and enchanting, the way each syllable rolled off of his tongue and wrapped around Kaito, snug and warm.

He let himself fall through it, listening to the cadences and inflections of Shinichi's voice as Shinichi read about Germaine Gournay-Martin and how many crosses to send to the Duchess of Veauleglise and his voice was calming and soothing and Kaito could get lost in it so easily.

When he was about to fall asleep, Kaito murmured, "Shinichi?"

Shinichi's voice stopped reading, and the magic was almost broken, but Kaito reminded himself that Shinichi was still at his side and it was all right.

"Yes, Kid?"

"I'm Kuroba Kaito."

There was a pause.

"I understand, Kaito," Shinichi finally said, and then, "'Germaine, who was feeling too important to sit still, was walking up and down the room…'"

Kaito drifted asleep to the sound of Shinichi's voice.

It was late that night when Haibara unlocked the front door and struggled inside, lugging her bags behind her. She sighed in relief once the door shut behind her, turning the deadlock. She did adore Yoshida, but forcing Haibara to buy this much was ridiculous. Haibara's luggage had doubled.

She was about to flick on the lights and check up on her patient when she realized how quiet it was in the house. That, combined with the fact that the lights were off, was enough to give her pause.

Moving as silently as she could, Haibara crept forward, squinting to accustom her eyes to the darkness. All she could make out were dull, blurry shapes, and she scowled as she bumped into the kitchen counter hard enough to bruise. Great, just what she needed.

A few more moments of fumbling later, and Haibara had made it to Kid's bed. She narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the shape of the thief, but her eyebrows jumped up her forehead when she finally realized the scene in front of her.

Kid was asleep, his chest rising and falling regularly underneath the blankets. But more importantly, Kudou was kneeling beside the bed, also asleep. His torso was sprawled flat over the bed, on Kid's lap, as if the two of them had fallen asleep in the middle of a conversation.

What was possibly most surprising, though, was that Kid had one hand threaded loosely through Kudou's hair, tugging him a little closer. Haibara had the feeling that he must've done it after Kudou had fallen asleep, considering that she sort of doubted Kudou would just let him do that, but somehow, the scene was still incredibly striking.

She allowed herself three seconds to smile before she turned and headed for her own room.

It would be best not to disturb them.

Shinichi tapped his pen against his bottom lip thoughtfully, staring down at the paper sitting on the desk in front of him. He'd already scratched out a few lines (actually, much more than a few), and he was starting to get a headache.

"Who knew it would be this hard to pretend to be Kid?" he muttered to himself, crossing out his most recent addition with two slightly crooked lines. In a fit of uncharacteristic frustration, Shinichi balled up the paper and tossed it at the wastebasket standing sentinel by his door. He missed by a good foot.

"Ugh." Shinichi let out an annoyed growl, yanking open his desk drawer to pull out a fresh piece of paper, using a bit more force than strictly necessary. But he'd been at this for an hour, and it was justified in his eyes.

There was a light knock at the door, and Shinichi whipped around just in time to see Haibara push open the door. One of her eyebrows was raised questioningly.

"Kudou-kun, are you okay in here? Kid is wondering what's up with you."

Holding back his anger, Shinichi let out a loud sigh and nodded. "I'm fine. Just… the plan, and all." He waved a hand unhelpfully, trying to illustrate his point.

At that, Haibara's eyebrows dropped, and she stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. "Are you working on the note right now?" she inquired, her voice pitched low and cautious.

Nodding, Shinichi let his pen fall against the paper, dotting it with tiny pen marks. "That's right. I have no idea how to do this – it's hard to make it sound like him."

"I imagine," Haibara agreed, leaning against his closet door. Her eyes were calculating as she gazed at him. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Kudou-kun?"

"It doesn't really matter at this point, Haibara." Shinichi grabbed a fistful of his hair, leaning back so far in his chair that it creaked in protest. "I've already got everything set up with the FBI. Hell, even the Kid task force. I can't back out now."

Haibara's gaze didn't waver, though. The light in her eyes didn't dim. "Have you told Kid about this?"

"This, meaning the plan?" Shinichi dropped his head tiredly. "No. I didn't. At first, it was because I thought he'd tried to interfere somehow and because I didn't have it planned out all that well. But now, I just…" He heaved a sigh. "I don't know. I don't want him to know."

"You don't want him to worry." It wasn't a question.

Shinichi cast her a mystified glance. "Not… really, I just…"

"No, you're not telling him because you know at this point in your relationship, he'll try to stop you from carrying out the plan. And you don't want that, because you know you won't be able to go if he's begging you to stay. And during the operation, you'll be thinking about how he's sitting at home, worrying about you frantically, and you won't be able to concentrate." Haibara gave a really, Kudou-kun sort of look. "Don't think that just because I'm not a self-proclaimed detective, I'm not observant. I've got eyes, Kudou-kun. I see the way you two look at each other. I know you've… seen his better sides."

Opening his mouth, Shinichi was about to launch into denial of whatever Haibara was implying, but somehow, all he managed was a resigned, "I just don't want him to know, okay?"

Haibara's expression didn't change, but she did exhale a little too long. "Whatever you say, Kudou-kun."

Once the door shut behind her, Shinichi turned back to the paper in front of him. Picking up his pen again, he thought for a moment before he began to write.

Kaito had grown used to seeing Shinichi emerge from the bathroom carrying the usual basin and towels, but today, when it happened, something twisted inside his chest. It wasn't that he still didn't trust Shinichi – no, he could probably abandon all semblance of being rivals with him at this point – but lately, he'd started being really, uh, aware of Shinichi.

Like – the way Shinichi's eyelashes brushed his cheeks just the slightest bit when he blinked, the way Shinichi's eyes were like miniature lakes locked in irises, the way his laugh was comparable with every single good sound in the world, like symphonies and angel choirs and piano music all put together.

Like – it was really, really weird, and Kaito didn't know what to do about it.

But for the most part that was fine, that was good, except when Shinichi was tasked with giving him baths. Not when that meant Shinichi's hands on his bare skin.

So today, as Shinichi was strolling towards him, Kaito blurted out, "I think I can bathe myself now, Shinichi."

Shinichi raised an eyebrow, a little perplexed but not too suspicious. "Oh, really?"

"Uh, yes. I mean, I haven't tried standing up for long periods of time, but I honestly feel strong enough," Kaito scrambled. He wondered if it was true.

"Mm." Shinichi didn't look entirely convinced. "It's only been ten days since you were shot."

"And I feel fine," Kaito hurried to remind him. "I'm sure Haibara-san will agree that I'm well enough."

"Haibara would?" Shinichi was skeptical, but the basin and towels hung lax from his arms as he dropped them. "Well, okay."

Kaito thanked whatever god might have been watching over him. That is, until Shinichi continued.

"But I'm going to supervise you in the bath."

"What?"

"And I'm still going to clean your wound and wash your back. I don't know if you can do that on your own," Shinichi continued. He had resumed walking until he reached Kaito's bed. Setting down the basin and towels, he smirked at Kaito as he pocketed the roll of bandages. "Let's get you up, then."

Damn it, Kaito thought despairingly, even as he nodded mutely and flipped back the covers. He couldn't back out now, because it would look so incredibly suspicious, but seriously? Somehow he'd managed to get himself into a worse situation where both he and Shinichi were going to be naked and oh God he needed to stop thinking about that.

Carefully removing the IV from Kaito's wrist, Shinichi watched Kaito intently. "Ready?"

"Yep."

Still, when Kaito first set foot on the ground, he nearly fell over, grabbing onto Shinichi's shirt to stabilize himself. He nearly collapsed, leaning heavily on Shinichi. "Whoa," he muttered, feeling slightly dizzy.

Shinichi caught him by the elbows, gripping him in a firm but gentle hold. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked, slight concern flickering in his azure eyes, and Kaito forced himself to look away.

In the most blasé voice he could manage, he reassured, "It'll be fine. You worry too much."

"Really?" Shinichi quirked an eyebrow, but didn't comment any further. Removing his hand from Kaito's elbow, he wrapped his arm tightly around the magician's waist, doing everything but carrying him as they started down the hallway.

Haibara glanced out of her room as they passed by. Her eyes widened at the sight of Shinichi half-dragging Kaito down the hall to the bathroom. "Is there something I should know about?"

"Kaito wanted to take a shower today. He thinks he's strong enough for it," Shinichi explained, head turned painfully over his shoulder to tell her, and Haibara blinked.

"I really can't get used to you calling him 'Kaito,'" she mumbled before giving the two of them a sharp nod and withdrawing back into her room. Kaito heard her move around a little before settling down.

"I guess that's Haibara's stamp of approval," Shinichi remarked as he opened the bathroom door and very carefully removed his support from Kaito. For a horrifying, stomach-dropping moment, Kaito was afraid he was going to fall over, but he managed to keep his balance and stand straight.

"Take your clothes off," Shinichi said calmly, and Kaito really wanted to punch him in the face because oh God, delivering that kind of line that calmly should be illegal.

But he did comply, very awkwardly tugging his shirt off over his head. It had been a painful fit, considering that Kaito had the lurking suspicion that his shoulders were wider than Shinichi's, and he rolled his arms back and forth, enjoying the lack of restriction. He inwardly cheered at the way his wound only gave a small twinge of discomfort at the motions.

Glancing over, Kaito was just in time to see Shinichi quickly look away and begin pulling off his own shirt, dragging it off over his head. Kaito tried to stop staring, but damn, detective work must have had its benefits, because Shinichi was toned. He wouldn't have really expected it from him, but he really did have washboard abs.

"Come over here," Shinichi commanded, and Kaito did as he asked. Shinichi's hands worked skillfully at the bandages around him, pulling them off and depositing it by the door. He couldn't help but admire Shinichi's hands – the fingers were slender and nimble, though not as fast as Kaito's. He wondered what they would feel like –

Not the time, Kaito grumbled to himself as he stepped away and began to remove his pants. He couldn't help but hesitate, hands at the waistband of his pants. Getting in the bath meant – meant being completely naked, after all –

He chose that moment to look over at Shinichi – and instantly regretted it. Shinichi had already pulled off both his jeans and his boxers, and his back was to Kaito as he gathered up his clothes, probably to fold them up and set them aside. The muscles in his back rippled as he bent over to collect his shirt off of the floor and farther down – oh God that – that. Should definitely be illegal.

Shit. Kaito was having a very difficult time unpinning his gaze from Shinichi.

His hands managed to undo his pants and yank them off by the time Shinichi turned around, though, and Kaito jerked his eyes away in time to preserve what was left of Shinichi's modesty.

"Are you ready?" Shinichi asked from behind him, and Kaito sputtered something that hopefully sounded like Japanese.

"Okay. I'll fill the bath. You start washing up." There were footsteps across the ground behind him as Shinichi headed towards the bathtub located at the far side of room and a sputtering cough as the faucet opened.

Kaito headed for the showerhead, turning it on and reaching for the soap mechanically. His brain had almost shut down, but he still managed to wash and rinse his upper chest, arms, and legs.

The sound of running water faded as Shinichi shut off the tap and waited for Kaito to finish. "Are you ready?" he questioned.

"Uh, sure." In a flash of inspiration, Kaito grabbed a towel off the rack by the shower area and wrapped it around his waist.

Upon second thought, he reached for another and tossed it blindly in the direction he assumed Shinichi was.

There was the sound of a muffled thump, and then Shinichi indignantly asked, "Why did you just throw a towel at my face?"

"Put that on," Kaito said, keeping his back towards Shinichi. He fought back a flush. He could pretty much hear Shinichi blinking in confusion.

"Well, okay," Shinichi finally agreed, and Kaito was unspeakably relieved as he turned back around. Shinichi appeared in his line of vision, towel tied securely around his waist.

He smirked maliciously at Kaito, advancing on him calmly. "I wouldn't have expected you to be a prude, Kaito."

"Shut up," grumbled Kaito, flushing. He decided it was definitely just the heat. "I just think you should save yourself for someone important, that's all."

Shinichi stared. "So you're just… girly?"

"Leave me alone," Kaito groaned, momentary discomfort forgotten for a second. "Don't you have a job to do?" He gestured down at his abdomen, and Shinichi just laughed.

"Right, right," he concurred before stepped forward and pumping soap onto his hands. Kaito watched, mesmerized, as Shinichi placed his hands on Kaito's chest, working soap along his skin. His hands were warm and soft, comforting, almost, as they moved slowly downwards, pausing at the bullet wound.

Kaito almost winced as his fingers circled the wound, gently rubbing at the dry skin. He felt his throat close as Shinichi glanced down at him, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"Kaito," he murmured, his fingertips wandering away from the injury to flutter lightly at his sides. The growing seriousness in the azure eyes solidified Kaito's fear that his heart was about to beat out of his chest, even as his head screamed at him to get a grip.

"Yes?" he managed, and Shinichi moved forward, just a little, his thumbs drawing ovals on Kaito's hipbones.

The detective took a breath. "I thought I should let you know that tomorrow night, the plan is going to be put into action, and I'm going to –"

It was at that exact moment that there was a knock on the door and Haibara's voice calling, "Hey, Kudou-kun, did you remember to take bandages in with you?"

The two of them jumped apart, although Shinichi more sort of leapt backwards while Kaito startled badly, almost slipping. The tension was broken, and Shinichi was peering at him with a distressed glaze to his eyes.

"Are you okay in there?" Haibara called.

"Uh, yes," Shinichi yelled back. "We have the bandages, too. Don't worry about us."

"Okay, good," she returned. "Sorry to bother you."

Her footsteps pattered off, leaving two men looking everywhere but at each other.

"I – I'll get in the bathtub now," Kaito muttered, and Shinichi studied the door very carefully.

"R-Right. I'll just… wait outside, then."

Kaito pulled off his towel at the edge of the tub and slid in. The water was warm against his skin, but not nearly as calming or welcoming as Shinichi's fingertips.

He heard the sound of clothes rustling before the door opened, then shut, leaving Kaito sitting in silence.

The clock read 12:03 a.m. Shinichi was standing by Kaito's bed, looking down at him with a mixture of affection and dismay swirling in his stomach.

"Bye."

The single syllable seemed to echo throughout the midnight calm, making Shinichi bite his lip.

Kaito's hair was silky and dry underneath Shinichi's fingers, and Shinichi gritted his teeth as he pulled his hand free and took a step back. Kaito just mumbled something in his sleep, rolling onto his side.

The room was dark as Shinichi made his way to the front door, tugging his baseball cap farther down on his head and throwing his face into shadow.

He cast one last glance at where Kaito was lying, fast asleep. He really wished he'd told Kaito what was going on, but he just couldn't bring himself to, for the reason he'd told Haibara, and maybe for her reasons as well.

"I'm heading out," Shinichi whispered to the quiet room. "I'll be back soon."

The door clicked shut behind him, and Shinichi inhaled deeply before he started down the street.

It was dark and quiet when Kaito's eyes opened and he scowled. What time was it?

Groping around, he managed to tilt the alarm clock on the nightstand so he could read the display. 11:57 p.m. He'd only been sleeping for two hours.

Cursing whatever had made him wake up so suddenly, Kaito rolled back over and closed his eyes, trying to find the tail end of his dream. It was too early for this.

But something was gnawing at him, something like instinctual fear, and Kaito discovered that no, he was not going back to sleep. Just great.

He was about to get up and begin howling at the unfairness of life when he heard a door creak open, somewhere down the hall. Kaito frowned into his pillow, quickly closing his eyes and feigning sleep. Was it Haibara? She usually didn't get up in the middle of the night.

Footsteps padded towards him, and suddenly there were fingers winding through his hair, feather-light and almost dreamlike. Kaito instantly recognized the hand – it was the same hand that had traced his skin, whispered over his bullet wound so many times. It was Shinichi's hand, and it made Kaito flush in surprise.

"Bye," Shinichi's voice said quietly, somewhere over Kaito's head, and he wanted to open his eyes and demand what Shinichi was talking about, but he was paralyzed. Having Shinichi's hand laced through his hair could do that to a person.

A few seconds more, and Shinichi pulled away. Warmth receded from Kaito as Shinichi moved off towards the door silently.

Kaito heard the sound of the door opening, and then it seemed Shinichi hesitated for a second before he whispered, "I'll heading out. I'll be back soon."

The door shut, and Kaito felt his chest constrict.

He didn't move for a long couple of minutes, mostly because there were too many questions clogging his head, and it didn't help that he could almost feel ghost versions of Shinichi's hands lacing through his hair. What was going on? Was Shinichi just going out for a walk or something? He seemed too solemn for that, and there was the small fact that it was midnight –

And then a thought struck him. Yesterday, in the bath.

"I thought I should let you know that tomorrow night, the plan is going to be put into action, and I'm going to…"

What, Kaito wondered, was Shinichi going to do?

He sat up, his stomach giving a feeble complaint, which he ignored as he struggled to stand. Haibara would know, right? Shinichi hadn't told Kaito anything about his plan, but Haibara… maybe she knew something about it…?

Gripping the edge of the bed for support, Kaito pulled himself into an upright position, careful to allow himself time to stabilize before he began the long trek down the hallway to Haibara's room.

Haibara, awake at her desk, looked up in confusion when she heard Kaito coming. Her eyebrows leaped. "Kid! What are you doing?" she demanded, nearly running over to support him as best she could at her diminutive height. Her eyes flashed. "Why are you out of bed this late at night?"

"I…" Kaito gave himself a second to catch his breath. "Shinichi came past my bed and left, and I just wanted to know where he was going."

Even as Haibara froze in her attempts to hustle him back to bed, the blood draining out of her face and her jaw tightening, she managed to continue glaring. "He really didn't tell you," she mumbled, her hands falling from where they'd been pressed to Kaito's back.

"Didn't tell me what?"

Haibara eyed him for a second before she motioned for him to come into her room. "Sit down." As Kaito nearly collapsed onto her bed, she watched him, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Are you going to tell me?" Kaito asked after a long pause.

"Yes, but I just…" Haibara trailed off, rubbing her mouth in a way that made her appear much, much older than her ten physical years. "I don't know if he would want me to."

Kaito was beginning to feel something like worry bubbling up in his barely-healed stomach and his eyebrows creasing ever so slightly. "Is Shinichi involved in something bad?"

"Not bad, really, just…" She paused, the skin around her eyes tightening. When Kaito gave her a look that simultaneously begged and threatened, she sighed. "Okay, fine. He's involved in something rather dangerous."

"Dangerous? What?"

"His plan. The one that's supposed to take down the organization that's targeting you." Haibara shifted, clearly ill at ease. "They needed something to lure them out so they could be arrested. I wouldn't worry too much," she added quickly when Kaito's expression started to darken, "both the police and the FBI are watching his back."

"But what's he going to do?" asked Kaito, his voice sounding wildly disturbed even to him.

"Well…" Haibara sighed. "He's going to impersonate you, Kid."

Jodie Starling was sitting on the bench opposite the door to the men's bathroom, laughing very loudly in her exaggerated American way as she gave Andre Camel a playful push, when Shinichi passed by. He made every effort not to look at the two of as he pushed the door to the bathroom open and went inside.

The bathroom was empty, thankfully, and Shinichi made his way into the stall farthest from the door. Pulling the duffel bag he'd been carrying off of his shoulder, he unzipped it and stared down at the white material of the Kid uniform. It was probably the best fake he'd ever seen, which made sense, considering he'd seen the real thing up close.

At his hip, his phone vibrated, and Shinichi pulled it out to find a text waiting for him.

We're in position. Are you ready, Cool Guy?

Shinichi wondered if he really was as he typed back an affirmative (Yes, let's hope for the best)and slipped it back into his pocket. As he began to tug off his shirt and replace it with the silky blue button-down sitting in his bag, he realized that his heart was pounding madly in his chest.

His phone gave another buzz, and Shinichi checked the screen to find another text from Jodie.

Are you sure you want to go through with this? You could just leave it to us. You're a civilian, after all.

He didn't hesitate this time as he answered, I know. But I'm going to do this. For somebody else's sake.

Kaito raced down the street, his wound blazing and his breath choking out of him in jagged pants, but he couldn't help it.

He mentally swore at Shinichi. How stupid could he get? He was going to willingly put himself in that dangerous of a position? Didn't he realize that these were the same people who killed Kaito's father and almost killed Kaito himself? Even with the FBI involved, it was still risky business. And why would he even get involved when he was a civilian?

Stupid moral code, Kaito grumbled mentally. Stupid moral detective.

His footsteps slapped against the concrete as he clenched his jaw and kept running, one foot in front of the other. What had Haibara said, again?

"He sent out a heist note a few days ago. Supposedly, it's for one a.m. at the Beika Art Museum, and he's targeting the Emerald Empress."

She hadn't been able to stop Kaito from leaving after that.

Panting, Kaito ground to a halt at the end of the street. He glanced from left to right, trying to figure out which way led to the museum. Damn it. He didn't know Shinichi's neighborhood or Beika that well. Just what he needed.

Racking his brain, Kaito tried to remember where Shinichi's house was relative to the art museum. If he recalled correctly, the art museum was… to the left?

Kaito turned the corner, stomach throbbing angrily, and began running even faster.

The art museum was a mess of police cars when Kaito finally reached it, sweat glazing his forehead and neck. In the back of his mind, he recognized most of them as belonging to the Kid task force. He was somewhat distressed and surprised to see the masses of people standing in front of the museum, waving pro-Kid signs and cheering loudly. Why were there civilians there?

He was mostly concerned about getting past them and finding Shinichi. The entrance was being closely guarded, and he doubted they'd let him through, considering the throngs of fans that had shown up.

Then again, he was the Kaitou Kid. With practiced ease only slightly hindered by the shooting pain in his stomach, Kaito edged around the group and headed for the less guarded service door. There were only a couple officers posted there.

Adjusting his face into an expression of pain, Kaito staggered forward, stretching out one hand desperately. "H-Help me," he gasped, flailing a little. "My stomach – I'm going to die –"

The two guards glanced at each other, seeming to come to an agreement as they shot forward to grasp Kaito by the arms. "Are you okay, sir?" one asked, and Kaito gave him an apologetic smile before he twisted out of their hands and struck him neatly in the Adam's apple with his elbow. The force of the blow was enough to make the guard black out, and he crumpled instantly.

His partner barely had time to stammer, "What the –" before the heel of Kaito's hand connected with his chin, snapping his head back and sending him careening for a moment before he fell over, unconscious.

Kaito sent them twin looks of regret. "Sorry about this," he murmured as he stepped past their prone bodies. "I didn't have any sleeping gas. I'll pay your medical fees, if you want."

The service door was locked – but not for long. Kaito shut it behind him, breathing in deeply. His somewhat strenuous actions had irritated his bullet wound, and he winced, putting a palm to it to try to soothe the burn.

But the thought of Shinichi made him grit his teeth and keep going. Kaito hurried up the service stairs, reaching the second floor of the museum in moments. The room that the stairwell opened up into was empty, save for a jewel-free display case waiting primly in the center of the room. Swearing internally, Kaito looked around frantically for any trace of where Shinichi had gone. It seemed the heist was over now –

There was a sudden, startling bang from overhead, and Kaito lurched, his gaze instantly moving to pinpoint the sound. They were on the roof?

His insides instantly chilled at the thought that the sound was a gunshot. Panic filled his veins, icy and fiery at the same time, and he sprinted across the room to the door marked Rooftop Viewing This Way.

Nearly flying up the stairs, Kaito shoved the door open, breathing hard as he stepped onto the rooftop. "Shinichi –" he began to call, then stopped, drawing up short.

Shinichi's back was to him, clad in white with the cape billowing out behind him in a way so familiar that it made Kaito's heart wobble for a moment. His shoulders were broad and strong, his posture still and calm, and it was so surreal to see Shinichi dressed as Kid that Kaito had to take a breath.

And then his gaze slid past Shinichi, and he had to bite down hard. Snake was standing there, gun pointed directly at Shinichi's heart, and there were so many behind him, so many other armed men in black, that Kaito flinched.

The door to the rooftop slammed shut behind him.

It was at that moment that Shinichi turned around and spotted him, his eyes growing wide behind the monocle. "Kaito –" he gasped, clearly surprised.

Snake jerked. "Kaito? Wait, doesn't that mean –" His gaze flickered from Shinichi to Kaito, mouth falling open before his jaw shut and his eyes turned murderous. "The hell is going on here?! You were trying to trick us!"

Shinichi's lips parted. His eyes, azure behind the monocle, were still focused on Kaito, who couldn't bring himself to look away. "Kaito, why did you come? Did Haibara tell you?" he asked lowly, and Kaito nodded.

"Shinichi –" he started, but Snake interrupted.

"I don't have time for this shit!" he bellowed, cocking his gun. His aim shifted from Shinichi to Kaito, clearly unsure of what to do. Kaito's chest clenched. No, not Shinichi –

He reached out, almost as if to pull Shinichi back, but Shinichi gave him one last look before he turned back around and said loudly, with insurmountable calm, "Now."

The single syllable was barely out of his mouth before there was the sound of gunshots, coming from all directions, and Kaito inhaled sharply at the sudden cacophony of sounds. He was about to throw himself at Shinichi and take him to the ground when he realized that the gunshots weren't coming from Snake and his men – in fact, the shots were directed at them. The men were grabbing at their arms, howling in surprise mixed with confusion. What was –

Realization hitting him, Kaito whirled around, noticing the number of rifle barrels protruding from the windows of the surrounding building. When he squinted at one window in particular, he managed to make out the letters FBI across a vest.

"This is –" he managed before Shinichi was grabbing him around the shoulders, holding him tight to his chest.

"Why the hell did you come, Kaito?" he demanded into Kaito's neck, though his voice was alight with something closer to frustrated worry than pure fury. Drawing back, he met Kaito's eyes. "It's dangerous, you know!"

"I just heard that you were going to do this, and I had to try to stop you." Kaito bit his lip. "This is crazy."

Shinichi's eyes were aghast. He reached up and removed his monocle, and Kaito almost sighed in relief at being able to see those clear azure eyes unhindered.

"Haibara did explain that I had the FBI backing me up, correct?"

"Yes, but still –" Kaito was cut off by a particularly loud cry from the other side of the rooftop. He glanced over, almost afraid of what he'd see.

To his horror, Snake was still standing, though he was wavering on his feet. He was bleeding profusely from one arm and one side of his stomach, but his expression was fierce as he glared at the two of them.

"Damn you!" he shouted, and it was as if time had slowed down as he raised his hand, still clutching his gun, and aimed it at them.

And fired.

Kaito was suddenly all too aware as Shinichi's hands tightened on his shoulders as they threw him backwards, out of the way. And he was even more aware when Shinichi's body shuddered as the bullet struck him squarely in the chest, dropping to the ground.

Time abruptly sped back up, and Kaito was gasping. He barely noticed when Snake went down, one of the snipers catching him in the leg. He was too busy flying to Shinichi, dragging Shinichi onto his back.

"Shinichi? Are you okay? Shit, shit, shit!" Kaito was fighting back tears as his hands, shaking violently, tried to drag Shinichi's away from where they were clutching against his chest. Shinichi couldn't die like this. He just – just couldn't. That wasn't what was supposed to – to happen, shit –

Shinichi just shook his head, a feeble smile working its way across his face as he tried to still Kaito's hands. "I'm fine, Kaito –"

"Like hell you are! You just got shot in the chest!" Kaito half-shrieked, ripping his hands out of Shinichi's and scrabbling all the more.

"N-No, it's okay." Shinichi gently pushed Kaito's hands off of him, rising into a sitting position. Before Kaito had a chance to yell at him to get the hell back down, Shinichi yanked his jacket and shirt open…

…revealing the bulletproof vest he was wearing.

All at once, the air seemed to disappear from Kaito's lungs, and he fell forward, his forehead hitting Shinichi's shoulder hard. "God. You scared me so – so damn much. Shit," he breathed, horrified to find that his voice was damp. "You're not allowed to do that anymore."

A hand ghosted down Kaito's back as Shinichi laughed a little. "I'll keep that in mind."

And somehow, both of them managed to forget that they were on a rooftop with members of a criminal organization moaning to death only feet away, that it was one thirty in the morning and freezing, that there were FBI agents watching, as Shinichi wove one hand through Kaito's hair, tugged his head back just so, tanzanite eyes sparkling in the moonlight, and pressed their lips together, Shinichi's Kid hat falling to the ground as their foreheads touched, and oh.

Shinichi's lips were a little chapped and the slightest bit rough, but Kaito couldn't breathe at how soft and warm and comforting they were. He delved deeper, flicking his tongue over the roof of Shinichi's mouth, his teeth, his tongue, trying to taste and feel and know as much of Shinichi as he could. Shinichi hummed into his mouth, reciprocating with enough fervor to draw a low moan out of Kaito's throat and send him surging forward, looping his arms tightly around Shinichi's neck. He felt Shinichi smile against his mouth.

They broke apart at an awkward cough that somehow managed to be heard among the static in Kaito's head. A blonde woman was standing beside them, face tinged red as she smiled uncomfortably down at them.

"Uh… hi, Cool Guy."

"Hi, Jodie," Shinichi answered, grinning despite his blush. Kaito was suddenly aware of the fact that Shinichi's hands had somehow managed to migrate down his back and settled on his hips. His hands felt overheated, a little too warm even though Kaito's clothes, and he flushed at the thought. He suddenly felt a bit warm under the collar.

"A-Ah… Ka… Kaito-k-kun?" stuttered someone behind Jodie, and Kaito winced visibly as Inspector Nakamori stepped out, flushed and clearly embarrassed.

"H-Hey, Inspector Nakamori," Kaito stammered, trying to smile at his childhood friend's father.

"Er… okay," Inspector Nakamori managed. "A-Aoko's been really worried about you, you know. Where have you been?"

Kaito exchanged a glance with Shinichi, who looked perplexed that Kaito appeared to know the head of the Kid task force. "I've…"

"He's been with me," Shinichi said, drawing attention back to him. At Jodie and Inspector Nakamori's incredulous stares, he informed them, "They mistook him for Kid's civilian identity and shot him by mistake when he was leaving the last Kid heist. I don't know where Kid is, but I found Kaito and took care of him."

The story didn't sound all too convincing to Kaito's ears, but the way Shinichi explained it, sounding levelheaded and as if he were absolutely certain he was telling the truth, was admittedly convincing.

"I… see." Inspector Nakamori was still wearing an expression like he'd swallowed a nettle, but he seemed to accept the explanation. "I'll tell Aoko you're all right, then. How's your, uh, bullet wound?"

One hand dropped from Shinichi's neck to clutch at his stomach. Kaito was suddenly aware of the fact that his stomach was aching rather badly – the adrenaline numbed it in the heat of the moment, but now the pain was a little overbearing.

"Not… extremely good," he admitted weakly, and Shinichi made a sound of horror.

"We're getting you home," the detective immediately decided, sliding one arm behind Kaito's knees and repositioning the other at his back. Despite that Kaito was beginning to protest at the realization of what Shinichi was doing, he lifted Kaito, bridal-style, cape flying out behind him.

"O-Okay," Jodie blinked. She glanced at the black-clad men still squirming on the other side of the rooftop. "Do you just want us to clean this up, then?"

"That would be appreciated," Shinichi commented, ignoring his armful of struggling magician. "I need to get this home, so…"

She nodded. "Well, get home safely. We'll need both you and, uh, Kaito-kun to give testimony later on, but you're free to go now."

As Shinichi nodded and started towards the door back to the rooftop, Kaito heard Inspector Nakamori mutter, "I guess I know now why Kaito-kun never went out with Aoko."

"It's really not that bad," Kaito protested as Shinichi drew the blankets up over him.

"Let's just pray you didn't reopen it," Shinichi frowned at him, kneeling beside the bed as he reached for the painkillers. He was still wearing the Kid outfit over his bulletproof vest, and Kaito reached out and trailed one hand over his shoulder. The bulletproof vest was stiff and unyielding under his touch.

"You know, I was wondering why your shoulders seemed a little broader than usual," he muttered, and Shinichi blinked at him.

"Did you say something?"

"Nothing," Kaito answered, accepting the painkillers as Shinichi walked to the kitchen to get water. He swallowed them once Shinichi returned.

Shinichi laid his face on the pillow beside Kaito's. "You know… I just felt like I should let you know that I have… romantic intentions towards you."

"Really? I had no idea. Kissing me in front of a ton of FBI agents and murderous members of an evil organization wasn't enough to tell me that," Kaito commented breezily, laughing breathlessly when Shinichi glared.

To apologize, though, he picked up Shinichi's hand, running his thumb across the detective's knuckles. "I understand," he said. He paused. "And I love you too."

"W-Who said anything –" Shinichi spluttered before he deflated at the look on Kaito's face. "Okay, fine, I do love you. Way more than I should."

"Wow, I guessed right."

"Enough of that," Shinichi grumbled, dropping a kiss on Kaito's lips. "Go to sleep. You need to sleep and get better. I doubt you want to stay on bed rest for much longer." He grinned unexpectedly. "Although you're going to be on a different kind of bed rest soon enough, if you know what I mean."

It took Kaito a second to understand what he meant, and once he did, he colored bright red and punched Shinichi in the arm, eliciting a squeak. When Shinichi shot him a look, he muttered, face still flushed, "Shut up, Shinichi."

"Why should I?" laughed Shinichi before he sobered, kissing Kaito lightly on the cheek. "But really. Go to sleep. I'll stay right here."

A comfortable silence filled the air, filled with just the sound of their breathing and the clock ticking quietly.

Right before Kaito fell asleep, he murmured, "Shinichi?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad that it was you who found me in that alley."

Kaito could almost hear the smile in Shinichi's voice as he agreed, "Me too."

*dies quietly*

The beginning of this fic was sort of fun to write, and then it slowly got to the point where I wanted to tear my own eyeballs out and go on a rampage. But I finished it! *dances around in circle* I hope this means my writer's block has been cured. T_T

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this monstrosity (a little? A tiny bit? Maybe…? *shrinks back*) and drop me a review if you did~!

Hope to see you all around soon! Love you! – Luna