Erm... yeah, I won't deny it. I just wanted to write a kitten fic. And then I accidentally made it... metaphor-y.

Anyway.

Standard warnings apply (ShinKai = shounen-ai, grammar mistakes/typos - this one was written in literally thirty minutes) and standard sappiness!

Hope you enjoy! - Luna

Of the Feline Persuasion

Kaito stared.

Shinichi stared.

The kitten mewled.

At the soft sound, Kaito managed to unfreeze, blinking rapidly. "What…" He cleared his throat and tried again. "What is that?"

Looking scandalized, Shinichi cuddled the kitten to his chest. "It is a kitten," he answered stiffly, and Kaito just nodded, unsure of how he should react.

"Right. You're holding a kitten." He paused. "In our dorm room. Where there are no pets allowed?"

"Congratulations, you have eyes," Shinichi said calmly, stepping inside their room and shutting the door behind him with a definitive click. Kaito only now noticed that he (and the kitten) was sopping wet, smelling strongly of damp grass and storm fronts. There was a leaf stuck in Shinichi's fringe. Kaito resisted the urge to reach over and pluck it out.

"Are you going to explain to me why you brought a kitten back into our animal-free dorm?" Kaito wondered. "Or should I just assume that you're interested in starting an animal shelter?"

"Maybe not an animal shelter. Maybe a cat sanctuary," was all Shinichi said in response, and Kaito didn't move as he set the kitten down gently and stripped off his wet shirt. The leaf in his hair drifted onto the ground.

Kaito glanced away, because no need to get caught ogling his straight, exceptionally attractive roommate/formal rival/current love interest, right?

Right.

He was distracted by the thought of Shinichi changing not five feet away from him when the kitten rubbed up against his leg, purring softly.

Startled, Kaito glanced down at it. It blinked wide blue-purple eyes at him, and Kaito could sort of understand why Shinichi had picked it up. It was sort of cute – white fur (he assumed it was white, because it was sort of hard to tell underneath all the dirt clinging to it) and those huge eyes glowing like little lanterns.

"But seriously, Kudou. Why did you pick up the cat?" Kaito wondered, bending over to pick it up. It mewed softly, and he smiled a little.

Shinichi, who had just finished tugging on a sweatshirt, glanced over at him. "Why? Well…" He trailed off uncomfortably, and Kaito frowned at him.

"If we're going to keep the kitten, you should at least tell me that much." Kaito cradled the kitten against his chest, looking up to meet Shinichi's eyes. "As you know, pets aren't allowed in the dorm. We're breaking rules here."

"You said that already," Shinichi reminded him wearily, sitting down heavily on his bed. Kaito was suddenly aware of how exhausted the detective looked.

Setting the kitten down – it scampered off, possibly to inspect Shinichi's wet clothes, which were lying on the floor by his bed – Kaito crossed the room to inspect Shinichi's face. He resisted the urge to place his hand on Shinichi's cheek, knowing how uncomfortable he would probably make Shinichi feel.

The magician frowned as he examined the tired gleam in Shinichi's eyes and the way his eyelids seemed to droop. "Are you okay? You look awful."

The detective smiled dryly. "Well, I did spend about twenty minutes chasing that damn kitten around campus because it wouldn't come to me."

Kaito's eyebrows shot up. "Twenty minutes?!" He glanced out their window. It was storming violently, winds howling wildly and rain audibly splattering against the ground. A leaf slapped against the window with a solid smack before peeling off and spiraling away.

"Yep. I knew it wasn't anyone's kitten because it doesn't have a collar and it's really thin, as if it hasn't eaten in a while. And you know, there's a thunderstorm coming. So I wanted to make sure the cat would be okay. But it didn't want to come with me; thus, I had to chase it." Shinichi ended his explanation with a shiver, swiping a hand across his face.

Sighing exasperatedly, Kaito placed his hands on his hips. "Kudou, it's not as if the cat can't take care of itself. It's probably been through a bunch of storms already. You didn't have to bring it back."

Shinichi looked at him oddly. "Are you telling me I should've left a kitten out in the cold?"

Aaaand now Kaito felt bad. Like a kitten murderer or something. "No, I'm just saying you didn't have to bring it into our dorm." He glanced at the kitten, which was now digging its claws into Shinichi's jacket. "But mostly I'm just… surprised. I wouldn't have thought you'd bring a kitten back when the rules say you can't."

"I'm not sure how I should be taking that."

"Just…" Kaito exhaled, resigned. "Okay, okay. I get it. You couldn't just leave a kitten out in the storm. Just, somehow, that seems… out of character. For you."

"Shut up," Shinichi grumbled, flushing slightly. "Just because I bring murderers to justice doesn't mean that I'm not allowed to rescue kittens."

"I don't know, Kudou," Kaito said slowly. "I mean, it makes sense and all, but I just wouldn't expect you to do this kind of thing. Saving a kitten and all that…" He shook his head slowly.

"It was because it reminded me of you!" snapped Shinichi. His eyes flared with frustration. "That's why, okay? I couldn't stand the thought of leaving you out in the rain, even if I'm not supposed to want to keep you and it's not allowed and I'm breaking some rules!"

Kaito gaped at him. "What?" What was that supposed to mean? Didn't it imply that Shinichi –?

Blinking quickly, Shinichi focused his gaze on his lap. "I mean, it's white. Like your Kid suit. Its eyes are almost the same color as yours. I had to chase it to get it to cooperate." He laughed wryly, the sound low and strained. "It's stupid, I know. I should've just found it a box or something. But…" He dropped his head into his hands weakly. "I just couldn't."

Speechless, Kaito looked at the cat, which was now nosing obliviously around underneath Shinichi's bed. "You… want to keep me?"

Shinichi forced himself to look up, expression hopeless. There was something very to hell with it in his eyes, Kaito thought. Something like torment. "Unfortunately, yes. It's not exactly fun being in love with you, you know. Being this close and unable to do anything about it. Sorry you had to find out about this." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I'll ask for a transfer. You won't have to worry about getting in trouble for the cat." He started to reach out to scoop up the kitten, who was nuzzling his foot curiously.

Kaito's hand shot out and grabbed Shinichi's wrist. Scowling, the detective looked up, ready to yell at him to let go, when Kaito very calmly stated, "I sincerely do not care if we get in trouble for the damn cat," and kissed him.

Shinichi was still cold underneath Kaito's touch, and Kaito frowned a little at that. He dragged Shinichi upwards, wrapping his arms around his neck. Shinichi made a muffled sound and suddenly his hands were on Kaito's hips, holding him steady. The places his fingers touched seemed to warm, despite that Shinichi's hands were cool.

They broke apart a second later, Shinichi's wet bangs clinging to Kaito's forehead. Kaito was pleased to see that Shinichi was smiling a little.

"Don't worry about the kitten," he whispered breathlessly, and Shinichi's smile grew wider.

They were startled when something brushed past their legs. Jerking, Kaito let go of Shinichi, looking down to find the kitten curled up against his ankle.

The two stared at it.

"Think we could make it our first child?" Shinichi offered, smirking, and Kaito only laughed.

The kitten mewled.

BECAUSE KITTENS.

*cough* Anyway, uh, hope you enjoyed my failed attempt at writing a cute kitten fic. It seems as if there's one of these for every pairing in, like, every fandom, so I thought I'd add one to the ShinKai list. Because again. KITTENS.

Uh, well, that's it for now. Drop me a review if you enjoyed the fic even a little, k?

See you around, my darlings! - Luna