Prompt: "would you mind writing shinkai where (probably through some accidental/unintentional situation) shinichi finds out about kaito's ichthyophobia? like not just in a silly way i guess, but where it's addressed in a slightly serious manner (plus some fluff)?"

Requestor: atti-cuss

Pairing: Shinichi x Kaito

Note(s): This was actually rather difficult for me to write, considering that as far as I know (which, to be honest, isn't very far), Kaito's ichthyophobia has generally been played for laughs and never really addressed as a serious issue in canon.

But here goes nothing, I guess~!

Ichthyophobia

Shinichi desperately hated himself.

He should've known, really. He was one of the best detectives of his generation. And he had noticed a few little things – Kaito flinching at the mention of sushi bars, Kaito cringing when Shinichi suggested going to that new aquarium, Kaito refusing to go into the pet store that one time – but he hadn't come to the conclusion he should've.

"Kuroba?" he tried, tapping on the door of the guest bathroom. "Kuroba, I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

Behind the door, there was a muffled sound of movement. "I understand, Kudou," Kuroba's voice came floating back, slightly tearstained. "I'm fine, really. You can go."

"Are you really, though?" Shinichi asked, feeling five kinds of helpless. He berated himself mentally. If only he hadn't bought the sushi for Ran's going away party… or maybe he could've put it somewhere else instead of leaving it on the kitchen table? There was so much he could've done to prevent this.

"Yes," Kuroba answered. Shinichi could picture it – Kuroba hugging his knees to his chest and leaning against the bathtub, swiping remnants of tears off his eyes – and the thought bit at him, jaws snapping. What was Shinichi supposed to do? What could he do?

"Could you –" Shinichi swallowed. "Could you open the door, please?" He ran a hand through his hair when there was no immediate response. "Please – please, open the door, Kuroba."

A short silence, and then footsteps padded towards the door. Shinichi took a step backwards, relief washing through him in a torrent as the doorknob turned and the door yawned open slowly.

A sliver of Kaito's face appeared in the gap between frame and door. His eyes were heartwrenchingly puffy and the slightest bit red. Shinichi couldn't help but wince at the sight. Kaito's voice wavered as he said, "Hey."

"Hey," Shinichi managed to choke out. He reached out slowly to push the door open farther. "Can I come in?"

Kaito looked away. "It's your bathroom."

"Right." Shinichi wondered if it would be appropriate to laugh at a time like this. He decided it wouldn't and opted for a faint smile instead. "Excuse my intrusion."

Carefully, he stepped past Kaito into the bathroom. Their shoulders brushed. Kaito seemed to shrink back. Shinichi's chest seemed to constrict.

Shinichi cautiously sat down on the floor, his back to the bathtub. Kaito peered down at him, confusion written across his face.

"I won't bite," Shinichi told him, patting the spot beside him. "Sit down."

"Mm." Kaito hesitated for a moment longer before he folded himself up at Shinichi's side. His profile cut a delicate shape against the wall, even as his eyes darted away from Shinichi and he turned away, just a little.

"Just a little" hurt quite a bit more than just a little.

There was a pause before Shinichi, very quietly, said, "I'm sorry."

"What?" Kaito blinked and looked over at him. "Why are you apologizing?"

"It's just…" Shinichi's hand found its way to the back of his neck. "It's my fault, isn't it? I should've been able to see how uncomfortable you were whenever I mentioned something related to, um, aquatic creatures. I'm a detective. I've made accurate deductions off of less information. I just – didn't see it, and that's why I couldn't save you from having to go through all this. It's my fault, so I'm sorry."

Lips parted, Kaito just stared at him. "That really… wasn't what I was expecting."

"Huh?" Shinichi blinked, his stomach dropping. "Were you expecting me to say more –"

"No, no," Kaito quickly hurried to reassure him, finally meeting his eyes. "It's not that. I was…" He shrugged. "Usually, when people find out, I get a more… disbelieving reaction."

Shinichi frowned. What could he –

Oh.

Understanding only made his frown sharper and deeper.

"Because, you know, it's an irrational fear to most people. Fear of heights – that makes sense; you're scared of falling. Fear of the dark – that makes sense; you can't see anything. Fear of closed spaces – that makes sense; you could get trapped," Kaito went on, misinterpreting the scowl on Shinichi's face. "But fear of f-fish? What can they do to you? Why would anyone be scared of them?"

"That's a horrible reaction," Shinichi was saying before he could stop himself. "Why would anyone mock someone else's fear? That's incredibly insensitive."

A mirthless laugh escaped Kaito. "Oh, they don't openly mock it. But inside, they're thinking that it's stupid, and I have to agree. It is a stupid fear, and it's embarrassing whenever someone finds out." His hands clenched at his sides, and Shinichi noticed the motion immediately.

He reached down to pick up Kaito's hand, feeling Kaito jerk in surprise, and gently uncurled each finger. Looking up, he met Kaito's gaze steadily. "It's not a stupid fear," he said, enunciating carefully in an attempt to make sure every syllable of his words was understood. Kaito's eyes were saucer-wide, brilliant indigo, and Shinichi fought not to be dragged into them. "It's a perfectly legitimate fear. And it isn't something you should be embarrassed about. It's part of you, and it's just as beautiful as the rest." Very lightly, he kissed Kaito's palm, then let it settle back to the ground.

The expression on Kaito's face was difficult to read – there was a little surprise, a little warmth, a little bit of his heart – and Shinichi tried to burn it into his memory.

"Thank you," Kaito said in a half-whisper, and the corners of his mouth lifted just a little, and as they stood, his hand found its way back into his. "Thank you, Shinichi."

Shinichi noticed the use of his first name and smiled a little to himself. "You're welcome, Kaito."

Sap sap sap. Sap sap? Sap.

Anyway, I hope that was satisfactory (?), atti-cuss, and that I didn't make any of you cringe to death with the amount of teeth-rotting fluff this contains.

And wow, we're nearing the end of my request list! We've got five more left before I actually have to start thinking about fics to write!

A special note on the next fic: It's a crossover with BBC Sherlock, and as such, I'm going to post it under the crossover section. If you're interested in the fic but you don't follow me, you might want to check up on the BBC Sherlock/Detective Conan archive on Monday.

That's it for now. Love you! - Luna