Hello!

I wrote this fic as part one of my Christmas gift to my friend and fellow author Dalantis. The main theme is friendship but it came out a bit more angsty than I thought it would at the beginning… ^^' Oh well.

That said, this is about the friendship between Conan and Kaitou Kid (I consider all the movies to be canon) and about ours if you squint. XD The original title is In spite of the distance, physical in our case. I was going to go with it but this one fitted them better so well. :/ Keep the original one in mind :)

Hope you enjoy :)

Même si tout nous sépare

How on Earth did it come to this...?

As Conan glanced up at the beautiful night sky, he couldn't help but let his mind wander over the question that has taken over his mind since that fateful night all those months ago as his blue eyes trained on the full moon shining down on him.

It hadn't been a year yet since they officially met but he felt such a strong connection with the other than the time itself seemed like a lie. If he was told that they had actually known each other all their lives, he wouldn't even bat an eye. That's how deep he felt about the other and how well they knew each other's habits (even if in the other's case, he had to if he wanted to impersonate him without being called on it).

If there was such a thing as love at first sight, the same could be applied to friendship, right? It was the only plausible explanation Conan could come up with right now. Ever since they met on that rooftop that one fateful night, he had known that he wouldn't be able to get away from him, the Magician under the Moonlight. His existence itself was a mystery and Shinichi was never one to turn down a mystery when he was met with one.

Another thing he enjoyed about their more than ambiguous relationship was that he didn't have to pretend. He didn't have to pretend to be Conan, a kid way too young to know as much as he actually did but didn't have the pressure of living to the expectations people had of Shinichi - not that he felt any pressure from them, he actually enjoyed having people depending on him and proving them right for doing so, it was just that somewhere along the line, it had become easier to be Conan than to be Shinichi, to be himself. If he even knew exactly who that was anymore.

Who was he?

Was he Conan, a seven-year-old as the appearance that the APTX-4869 had forced upon him let people think? A child without a care in the world who didn't know how the world worked out yet? Or was he Shinichi, as his brain and mind constantly reminded him of the memories of his original childhood and the experiences he had growing up alongside his longtime crush and best friend Mouri Ran?

Honestly, he wasn't sure how to answer that and maybe it was because he was neither of those two. He wasn't Conan, supposedly innocent and unknowing of the world, but he wasn't the Shinichi that everyone remembered either. Shinichi's time had stopped that fateful night at Tropical Land when his curiosity got the better of him and he just knew that he'd never be the same again. Not after experiencing such a thing, not after meeting the Crows.

But each and every time he had gotten the chance to actually go back to the body that matched his intellect, the people around him expected him to be that guy, the one who naïvely thought he could right every single thing in the world with his superior mind alone, without needing anyone else's help.

Well, he wasn't that guy anymore. A wry smile stretched his lips as the thought occurred to him that maybe the Crows had succeeded in their murder attempt in the end since that Shinichi had certainly died that very night.

Then, just who on Earth was he supposed to be? ...who indeed.

...who am I?

Blue eyes stared into nothingness as their small owner let the seemingly innocent question sank into his mind. Even newborns had an identity the moment they came into the world. How come he couldn't even have one of his own? Was that really too much to ask for?

...maybe it was. He wasn't supposed to exist after all. Shinichi had been missing for such a long time now...he wasn't sure Shinichi would even have something to come back to if he ever got out of this mess. What if Ran moved on like he feared she would after each new disappointment she was met with when he couldn't be there with her, when he abruptly left her alone because his time was up, when she could barely reach him with a phone call anymore? He couldn't even imagine it without feeling an intense burn in his eyes and chest like his heart was being torn apart so he didn't know how he would feel if that actually occurred. The worse was that if it actually did happen, he'd have to watch it happen, unable to do anything to stop it. No empty promises would be able to keep her waiting for him if she decided on it.

Dread settled at the pit of his stomach as he decided to let that thought disappear into the farthest corner of his mind. Mulling over how powerless he was at that moment wouldn't do him any good. The only thing he could do was literally watch how things would unfold.

...he really hoped things wouldn't come to that though.

On the other hand, his parents and professor Agasa seemed to take his predicament really well so he didn't think they would be that distressed if they found out that he was to be stuck like this and forced to go back to his actual age naturally. He knew that they didn't mean any harm and were trying to help him as much as he allowed them to (which wasn't much in his parents' case and if his pride allowed it, maybe he would have admitted that their help would have been precious in his current situation, maybe he would have been back to his body already but he'd never know) but he also knew that they really were just thankful that he was alive. Which he was thankful for as well. When he wasn't having an existential crisis that is- which happened pretty often if he was being completely honest with himself.

The feeling of a cold barrel being pressed against the back of his head brought him out of his mulling and he let his eyes close, focusing back on his present surroundings and letting the question find an unused corner of his mind, ready to come out at the next chance it got.

"Drop the gun, Kid." the smaller boy said without bothering to turn around or adopt the cheerful tone that was Conan's as he slowly let his blue eyes open once again.

That was one of the things he liked in their relationship. He didn't have to be anyone but himself, whoever that was. He could be as intelligent as he really was without worrying about people trying to blow his cover up or about the Crows closing in on him, finally realizing that he wasn't as dead as they would have wanted him to be. He was just himself, no masks, no lies, just some untold truths that neither of them asked for. He appreciated that too and he knew that Kid did as well - or rather the taller boy who was now pulling his card gun away from his head. He felt like the guy he was interacting with so much was neither fully Kaitou Kid, neither fully his civil persona, just himself like the detective was, somewhere in between the two identities.

"Tch, you're no fun." the magician said as he made his card gun disappear in a flourish.

A smirk stretched the detective's lips this time as he allowed himself to turn around, knowing that he wouldn't compromise the other's identity in doing so since his face was always half hidden with shadows anyway and frankly, he had wondered before if that was just the night trying to keep his secret secret or him just being that skillful. The more logical part of his mind leaned towards the second option but he wouldn't be entirely surprised if it was the first one. There was just something about him that made him want to believe in the supernatural sometimes...and his own mind never failed to remind him that he would be a shame to his beloved Sherlock Holmes' name if he ever did since it just wasn't possible.

(A month later, he met Koizumi and was forced to reconsider his position towards the supernatural after becoming its victim. No kind of logic would ever be able to explain what happened to him and frankly, he didn't even want to think about it. Ever.)

"Kid." he said instead of acknowledging the magician's previous statement to which said magician responded with the nickname he had decided on for him ever since their first meeting "Tantei-kun."

Blue clashed against indigo as they stared at each other for a long moment, none of them wanting to break the silence immediately before Conan let his eyes fall back onto the moon.

"So, what brings you here?" the small boy asked conversationally even if he already knew the answer.

Tonight had been a heist night - if you could even call it that given the fact that he hadn't actually stolen anything and only came to have fun with his squad before Christmas, taunting them with a heist note that didn't actually point to any physical target if deciphered correctly(despite the ruby called The Eye of the Bird currently being exposed in the building). Needless to say, the only person who had succeeded in understanding that was a little blue-eyed detective and they both knew he would be the only one to do so given the references Kid had used in his note. Personal references about the story only the two of them could understand. (When the sun becomes the moon and the clouds give way to the stars, the dim light isn't as dim as should be. A little bird trapped in a cage can never free itself from the nightmare summoned upon itself. Let us wander over the endless land as the red path leads the way.) And so, he had decided to simply enjoy the commotion from the sidelines, letting himself enjoy the tricks that befell unto the poor policemen without being part of the chase.

Unsurprisingly, Kid ended up getting away and was now standing in front of his longtime frenemy, pouting a bit as he spoke up. "You didn't join tonight. I had so many things prepared for you." Kid said instead of answering and Conan felt a shiver run down his spine as the comment sank in. He never wanted to thank anyone as much as he did right now for blessing him with the desire not to attend as a chaser tonight. He could very well picture an amazingly more embarrassing ending to this night if he had decided otherwise.

"How sad." Conan commented in an emotionless voice as he kept his face void of the sudden wave of relief he was currently going through.

"Right?" Kid retaliated and if he didn't know better, Conan would have described the tone he used as whiny- who was he kidding. The guy was definitely whining. But by now, how sad as that was, Conan was mostly immune to his antics. "You have to make it up to me!" Kid added with a pout sitting on his lips as Conan gave him the blankest stare he could muster.

"Right." Conan deadpanned unconvinced and unsure of just how Kid was going to do that- on second hand, it didn't matter. He didn't want to know.

"Good." Kid nodded in satisfaction, ignoring the obvious lack of enthusiasm in the smaller's voice and already planning how he would claim his compensation. Conan could already smell trouble.

He was about to say as much when they noticed the shouts getting closer from their current position on the rooftop. Looked like the squad had finally noticed that they were chasing a fake Kid and that the real one was possibly still in the building. It was only a matter of time before they decided to check the rooftop.

"I would have kept you company for a little bit longer but it seems like I must take my leave soon." Kid stated with a glance to the only door leading to the rooftop and sure enough, rushed footsteps climbing up the stairs could be heard, getting louder with each passing second. "Rest well tonight." he greeted before making his way towards the edge, turning just in time to wave to his squad led by the unamused Nakamori-keibu who loudly roared a frustrated "KID!" just as the magician let himself free fall from the building, soaring across the night sky a few seconds later.

Hidden in the shadows (he didn't want to be called out by Nakamori-keibu and given a lecture about not trying to catch Kaitou Kid tonight since he wasn't part of the chase), Conan silently pondered over the parting words Kid had left him with.

Why did he feel like he would see the guy much sooner than he was comfortable with?

Conan didn't know if he should be happy or distressed over the whole situation.

As he had expected, Kid had shown up at the detective agency's door the next day. What he had not expected was him showing up as Shinichi. While Ran was around.

Needless to say, it had all gone downhill from there.

*Flashback*

"I'm coming!" Ran exclaimed as she walked to the agency's door, throwing a glare at her half-drunk father on the way and silently wishing for the hopefully future client not to flee at the sight. As she turned the doorknob, she plastered on a welcoming smile before promptly proceeding to freeze on the spot.

Conan turned away from the news playing on the TV to give her an inquisitive look before glancing at the door obscuring his sight and preventing him from quenching his curiosity.

After a few more seconds, the silence was broken by an awfully familiar "Yo Ran." in an awfully familiar voice. His voice. His teenage voice. He had a bad feeling about that.

"Shinichi!" Ran exclaimed happily as she beamed at him before pulling her longtime friend into a bone-crushing hug.

'Shinichi' let her do so for a few moments, returning her embrace before pleading for much needed air. His chest was basically being constricted by the karateka and he hadn't planned on dying from a hug. Even if it would have made a few people have a good laugh at his funeral.

Ran immediately loosened her hold and gave him a soft look before completely pulling away from him, taking a few steps back to fully look at him, still in shock over seeing him at her doorstep.

From where he was observing the scene with wide eyes on the couch, Conan felt dread settle at the pit of his stomach. This wasn't going to end well.

"I can't believe you came..." Ran murmured, still unable to look away from the guy gently smiling at her. "You said you couldn't come back before a while because of that extremely important case which you were working on." she added and Conan let his mind wander to yesterday's phone call.

Ran had called him in the afternoon to invite him to a private gathering Sonoko had some invitations for since she knew of his interest in the Stradivarius which would be presented. Sonoko had even managed to have the permission to play it a little and she had generously offered to let Shinichi play instead. Needless to say, Ran had been super excited to tell him the news and super disappointed when Shinichi had told her that he couldn't come. He doubted Haibara would give him an antidote for that and he had no other way to go back to his body for a long period of time otherwise he would have done so a long time ago.

After that, she had complained about him never coming home anymore and he had apologized, saying that he really couldn't leave this case unattended to which Ran had countered that he should just leave it to professionals if he wasn't going to be able to solve it anyway and Shinichi had lost it. It had evolved into a fierce argument and they had hung up mad in a really bad mood. Which had led to Conan feigning sleep in order to avoid seeing Ran before cooling off a bit.

That's why she was even more surprised upon seeing 'him' at the door. But if he knew Kid as well as he thought he did, he had absolutely no intention to spend time with the girl. He had come for Conan. And he couldn't have had a worse timing.

"Well, I took a small break from it to come and spend some time with my little cousin." Shinichi said as he glanced at Conan who was still staring at them in morbid fascination and he must have seen something in his eyes because he immediately looked back at Ran whose face was now ominously blank.

The tension in the air was almost palpable now before Ran broke the silence.

"...what ?"

*End of flashback*

Which led them to now, Kid being subjected to Ran's death glare without knowing where he had gone wrong and Conan observing his soon-to-be murder from the sides. He didn't really know what to feel since on one hand, it would teach Kid a lesson about disguising as himself and messing around with people (not that he'd be able to do much six feet under but well...) but on the other hand, he didn't actually want the guy to die. That and it was even more disturbing since the person who would die was technically himself.

The poor guy didn't even know what he had done. For his defense, he couldn't have known that one of the argument that Shinichi had made was specifically that he'd visit Conan over her any day if he actually had the chance since she was being so annoying about it while the child never complained even if he actually saw him less than her. He had even added that he was a much better company than she ever was in his fury and had immediately regretted saying it but it was too late to take the words back and his pride wouldn't allow him to anyway.

Let's just say that she wasn't too pleased with the comment and had retorted with some mean things herself before hanging up on him which only made him even angrier. And now, here 'he' was, actually coming to see Conan over her like he had said he would.

...

Yeah, it was easy to see how she would take that.

There was a little hint of panic in Kid's eyes when he exchanged a look with Conan, silently pleading him to save him from his upcoming doom but the latter just gave him a blank look in response. It was kinda reassuring to see that Kid hadn't been listening in to his calls though. Even if him not doing it was the very reason why he would end up murdered by the hands of his irked best friend.

Another problem arose in his mind as Conan watched Ran silently fuming and wholeheartedly glaring at the poor lad. What was he going to do after the deed was done? Was he going to help Ran cover it up or actually call the police to have her arrested?

He didn't really want to have to choose between those two options so he finally decided to intervene and save the guy.

"Shinichi-niichan!"

Kid's gaze flew to him in relief as the little boy ran all the way to him in feigned delight and if he didn't know better, Kid would have thought that he was actually oblivious to the whole tension between his Ran-neechan and his Shinichi-niichan.

"What are you doing here?" Conan asked without giving him any time to reply after asking to be lifted with his arms wide open to which 'Shinichi' happily obliged. Again, he didn't let him answer, continuing with his questions. He was the definition of an excited child. "Did Mom actually call you?" Conan added tilting his head to the side inquisitively and pausing for a second as if to actually consider it before talking again. "I shouldn't have told her that I missed you. I'm sure you were busy with a case..." Conan said quietly as he looked down, emitting a downcast mood as if he was actually regretting saying anything to his mom even if he was really happy to see him. This time, he let the silence hang for a few more seconds before whispering a quiet and teary "I'm sorry..."

At that, Ran melted a bit, all previous resentment towards Shinichi momentarily forgotten as she took a step closer and caressed Conan's hair in a comforting manner.

"Don't say that Conan-kun..." she said as she placed a little kiss on his trembling cheek. "You're allowed to miss your cousin. And it's alright to want to spend time with him." she added in a tender voice.

Conan looked at her for confirmation with unshed tears in his eyes and Ran immediately reached out to him, gathering him in her arms instead as he buried his face in her neck. She comfortingly hummed against him before giving a look asking for confirmation to Shinichi.

"Right?"

"Of course, it's alright. I couldn't stay away knowing that my cousin was missing me so bad that he actually cried to his mother about it." Shinichi stated in a caring voice and Conan flushed a bit at being exposed like that.

That finished Ran, all trace of anger forgotten as she entirely focused on her armful of Conan.

"Well, he's here now, isn't he?" she asked the faux child who was sniffing against her. He meekly nodded against her neck and Ran smiled down at him. "You can spend time with him today."

At that, Conan jumped backward to look at her in surprise. "B-but you were waiting for Nii-chan too Ran-neechan...I know you missed him too. You should spend time with him instead." Conan finished as he looked downwards once again.

Ran melted at that before assuring him that she was fine and that she'd spend time with him another time.

"...are you sure?" Conan asked, still uncertain about this whole thing.

"Yes, I'm sure." Ran confirmed with a nod and Conan beamed at her before going in for a hug, encircling her neck with his little arms.

"Thank you so much Ran-neechan!"

Kid just watched how easily the boy manipulated his longtime crush's feelings - or rather how he had changed their focus before the boy reached out for him again and Kid easily complied, taking him into his arms as he affectionately ruffled his hair, earning himself a bright grin from the boy. He returned it with one of his own and they soon excused themselves and promptly proceeded to leave the agency.

As they reached the street, Conan turned to wave at Ran who was smiling down from the window before they continued their walk, Conan still in his Nii-chan's arms, beaming like a freaking sun. However, as soon as they turned the corner, he dropped the act and promptly demanded to be let down.

Kid quickly obliged and proceeded to stare at him in awe for a while. The small boy was flapping nonexistent dust from his pants, completely emotionlessly and nowhere near the kid who was almost crying over his Nii-chan earlier. When he was done, he glanced around for a bit and satisfied with seeing the streets empty save for two persons walking on the opposite lane, he lifted his eyes up to meet Kid's.

"You really should thank me for saving you. What were you thinking showing up as Shinichi like that?"

"Well, thank you, my savior." Kid started with a theatrical bow, "I didn't know that she would react that way." Kid added with a shrug, completely unrepentant about the whole ordeal.

"Obviously..." Conan muttered with a slight curse under his breath before clearing his throat and changing the subject. "Anyway, why are you here?" He already had a good guess about that but well.

Kid grinned down at him before crouching and ruffling his hair, earning himself a glare from the boy now fixing his hair which he totally ignored. "I came to spend time with my favorite cousin of course! I didn't know you missed me so much though. It all adds up well." he declared, and Conan only looked at him blankly. "By the way, have you ever thought about becoming an actor? Or better yet, you could become my assistant. We would make a really great pair." Kid said thoughtfully as he brought his hand to his chin.

"Well, I have to act all the time and it helps that my mother used to get me to practice it. It really comes in handy recently." Conan shrugged before adding "Did you forget the whole trying-to-arrest-you-and-working-with-the-police thing? We kind of stand on opposite sides of the law in case you hadn't noticed yet."

"Oh, please. You can't tell me that you never did anything that was against the law." Kid countered and the detective looked legitimately offended.

"I only do when it's necessary to solve a case! Or save a life! It doesn't compare to you deliberately doing it to have fun with your squad." Conan retorted and Kid didn't even have the decency to look ashamed.

Going against the law had become part of the fun even if his main goal when starting this whole thing was laudable really. Catching the Crows and putting his father's murderers behind bars was worth every single thing he had done. Even if most would say that he should have gone to the police instead and work with them under the law, he knew that this was no way to catch them. And Conan knew it too. Even if he had decided to go another way around it, he still worked undercover without relying on the police. It would have been pretty useless and counterproductive since They had agents in it and he probably would have been dead by now if he had. That much, they agreed on. Going to the police wasn't the solution. And Kid liked the kid even more since he didn't hesitate to break the law if needed.

"They have a job thanks to me." Kid stated and Conan gave him a deadpanned look. He couldn't really counter that since he was right but he couldn't agree with his logic. He would much more prefer having to find another job than having criminals running free.

He was about to say as much when Kid continued.

"Anyway, let's get going." the magician said with a bright grin and Conan just stared for a moment. There was no going against him and he guessed this was the compensation he had been talking about the day before.

With a defeated sigh, Conan ran a hand through his fringe before looking back up at his teenager self. "At least, change into something else. Some people think I'm dead and I'd like it to stay that way." he declared before starting to walk ahead of his counterpart.

He was soon joined by his changed companion and Conan glanced at him only to take a double take.

He was now walking side by side with his fellow detective Hakuba.

...what the heck? Couldn't he have chosen a less noticeable disguise? And as if the blond hair wasn't attracting enough attention on its own, he was actually wearing the full Sherlock Holmes regalia, hat included.

Worse was that the guy was actually grinning down at him.

"You can't be serious." the detective let out as he reminded himself that he had just saved the other so it wouldn't do to kill him himself as the seemingly oblivious guy's grin just grew wider in response.

...why was he even hanging out with that guy again? Conan gave that question a serious thought as he stopped to massage his temples in complete exasperation. Had it been the real thing, he probably wouldn't have reacted that way but having the 21st century Lupin whom he knew actually didn't like Sherlock Holmes all that much dressed like a hardcore fan with his fellow hardcore fan's face plastered on was just disrespectful and a really bad joke.

When he felt like he wasn't going to explode at the guy anymore, Conan lifted his head and declared firmly "A simple change of clothes and a cap would have sufficed. Change." in a voice that indicated that it was more of a demand (bordering an order, really) than a friendly suggestion.

Despite his earlier cheekiness, Kid only grinned more as he did as requested, clearly enjoying himself the whole time.

This was going to be a long day.

"...where are we going?"

Kaito turned his blue eyes (he had put the contacts back in just in case) to the faux child who was looking at him inquiringly. He grinned at him as he gave him a playful wink.

"You'll see." was the only answer he got as they continued their travel, getting farther and farther away from the downtown.

"...you can't be serious."

Conan stared at the amusement park standing tall before them as he stood next to a grinning Kaito. Given the shit-eating grin on his doppelgänger's face, the guy was being completely serious.

Kid had taken him to Tropical Land.

He knew his past history with the park. Nothing good had ever come out when he came here. He knew it. And he had taken him there. Without any case to solve or person to save. Just because he felt like it.

"...I'm going home." Conan declared as he turned on his heels, and prepared to walk away.

"Wait!" Kaito exclaimed as he launched towards the small detective and blocked his way. "Don't leave just yet, I didn't even show you anything yet."

"I saw plenty. I'm leaving." Conan repeated, dodging the guy as he went.

Kaito easily blocked his way once again and Conan quietly cursed under his breath. Kid had barely made a step to block him. Why were his legs so short again? Oh yeah, because he had been shrunken. In that very park.

Sending a blank look up the magician's way, Conan elaborated.

"Given my past history in this park, I have absolutely no desire to actually come here when I don't have to. Can you please let me leave? Or at least, could we go somewhere else?"

Kaito sent him his best kicked puppy eyes as he pouted. "I know you don't have only good memories of this park but you have good ones as well, right?"

Conan looked at him in silence as he let his mind take him back to his (friendly) date with Ran. He had had fun until someone got beheaded. He had even thought to confess but things hadn't gone that way. And the second time he remembered coming, it had been to save Ran from a crazy doctor who was killing police officers. ...yeah, not exactly thrilling memories (at least not the good way).

But he had happy memories at the park if he put aside the dark ones and the fact that he kinda died there.

A sigh went past his lips as he took another look at the guy still giving him the puppy eyes. He knew a lost battle when he saw one. That and he kinda had a soft spot for the guy - not that he'd admit it anytime soon.

Conan let the silence hang around them for a few more moments before he sighed once more and turned back towards the park.

"Lead the way."

"Wow..."

A shuddered breath left Conan's open mouth as he took in the view. They were now standing at the top of the highest attraction and they had a view on all of the park.

("Are we even allowed to be there?" Conan had asked dubiously to which Kaito had responded with his own version of an innocent look...which would have probably worked better if not for the huge grin threatening to take over his face. "Well, I never heard that it was forbidden." - "Somehow, I think that's because they thought no one in their right mind would actually come up there...and I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have stopped you anyway."- "You know me so well." Kaito had shamelessly admitted to it with the face of a proud father.).

"It's- it's really beautiful." Conan murmured in awe.

"Right?" Kaito easily agreed as he allowed himself to enjoy the view for a few moments as well.

The silence that fell on them was comfortable and Conan let himself fully appreciate the slight breeze that was running through his hair. He was about to close his eyes to immerse himself, even more, when he heard the thief clear his throat.

Conan's blue eyes flew to him in question as he watched the boy stretch and take out some equipment. (He wasn't even sure when he had taken it there but that was beside the point.) Conan's lips parted to voice his confusion but the boy beat him to it.

"Okay, let's get going."

And Conan's mouth promptly fell open in surprise. "What?"

Kaito looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to get up as he placed a cape over his shoulders - and not any cape. Kid's cape.

"Well, it's time to go to the place I wanted to show you." Kaito explained with a raised eyebrow only to be met with the confused stare of his little friend.

"I thought this" Conan started as he flew an arm over the park they could see from here to accentuate his point "was what you wanted to show me."

"Well, not really." Kaito replied and Conan's eyes widened in a 'Why did we even come here then?' way. "This part was just for you to overcome your fear. It's good to overwrite bad memories with good ones." he answered the unspoken question as he crouched to the small detective and opened his arms for him. "Now come on. The sun is starting to go down so flying should be alright now."

However, Conan had yet to move a single muscle, opting to stare blankly at the magician instead. Really? That was the only reason they came here? He just couldn't believe him. ...and if he was being honest with himself, he felt oddly touched at the gesture. He didn't think Kid would go to such lengths for him.

But that didn't mean he would just go up into his arms like that.

"Come on." Kaito whined a little as he urged the little boy, "We're going to miss it. Don't you trust me at all?"

Conan considered it for a few moments. Admittedly, he trusted the magician with his life.

Without a verbal response, he walked up to the crouching teenager and let himself be enveloped in his arms before Kaito straightened up, lifting him up in the process.

"Let's go." he said with an excited grin as he stepped towards the edge and Conan started to have second thoughts about this whole thing.

"You know what, I changed my mind. Let me do-"

Conan never got to finish his sentence as the free fall and the adrenaline that came with it cut him off. He had seen Kid do it many times but had never experienced it himself so if he thought it was a little scary, who could blame him? The ground was getting closer and closer and little memory flashes appeared in his mind. Was this what people saw before dying?

The boy forcefully shut his eyes but instead of the hard concrete, he felt a strong wind lifting them both and sending them soaring into the skies.

A few seconds passed before Conan slowly opened his eyes which flew open in amazement at the scenery scrolling under them. Everything seemed so small from that distance and the busy city noises barely reached them at all. Flying really was breathtaking. He had flown with Kid once before but he had been way to preoccupied with the whole mess going on aboard the ship he had been thrown off of to actually take the time to enjoy the feeling.

He could understand what Kid liked it that much. The feeling was...addicting.

Too soon, they gracefully landed on a skyscraper's rooftop and Kid retracted his wings. Letting the boy down, he then made his way to the edge and took a seat, inviting his companion to do the same.

Conan carefully joined him and with his feet dangling in the air, he let his eyes roam over the sunset, painting the whole city with its delicate orange light.

Conan didn't have the words to precisely describe this moment so he decided not to and simply settled for enjoying the view.

The silence was comfortable as they both let their eyes grave the picture in their memory and Kaito lightly kicked his legs in the air. After a while, he finally broke the silence.

"I come here when I want to think and escape from reality for a while." Kaito said quietly, eyes still tracing the contours of the buzzing city. "It's quiet up here and it feels like we're a bit out of the world." he explained before glancing at the peaceful detective who nodded at his words, his eyes softening as he looked at the taller boy.

He didn't think that the magician would share such a place with him. Had he noticed his wistfulness the night before? Was this why he was doing this? Probably, but still, he wasn't obliged too. And that only made the gesture that much more heart-warming.

That was exactly why he would never be able to hate the guy or fully consider him as a criminal. How could he when he cared about him like that, making sure that he would still be able to go through the day even with all the shit that happened on a daily basis.

So what if they weren't meant to be friends? They did sit on opposite side of the law hence had a lot of things that were meant to separate them but they had just as many things (if not more) that brought them closer. That and they were both really good at defying fate and destiny. He had escaped from a sure death more times than he was comfortable admitting and Kid liked to go against people's expectations so they added up just well.

A friend, huh...

As Conan let his eyes fall back on the city, the thought occurred to him that in spite of everything separating them, they would certainly be lifetime friends. The thief had wiggled his way into his heart and he could barely imagine a life without him anymore.

When he had first met him on that rooftop, he knew he had felt something. If love at first sight was a thing, the same could happen with friendship, right?

I believe that such a thing is possible, there are people you meet and just know that you friendship will last through the years and I felt that with you, Dalantis. Cheers to the many years to come! Let's stay friends though it all ^

Merry Christmas x)