Ladies and gentlemen! I humbly welcome you to the next story of this series!
It's easy to watch KID on the screen, sit back and enjoy. It's also easy to just chase him around, doing your best to catch him. But it does get complicated when you interact with him and have him help you. But can you really call a friend somebody who hides behind a mask?
Time in F&H – night between chapter 6 and 7;
Characters in the story – Kudo Shinichi;
Genre – emotional exploration, friendship;
Warnings - none;
Background information – There was a heist a day before, which inspired Heiji to ask Shinichi a day later what were his thoughts about KID and if he still wanted to capture him.
So without further delay…
Please enjoy and review! :)
Story 4: Who are you?
Shinichi turned restlessly in his bed, casting a jealous look at Hattori and Kogoro. He gave a heavy sigh and, resigned, returned to what his mind has been turning around throughout the whole day. The question Hattori unconsciously touched with his questions about KID. What actually was their relationship nowadays anyway? Were they rivals? People surely seen it that way, with the 'KID-killer' nickname and all, but it didn't feel right. Not really. It never felt like rivalry with the kaitou when they matched their wits. Not anymore at least. It was more like playing tag. Nothing more than playing an innocent game, with somebody who could inspire him to exert his mind, like no other did. So was he treating the thief like a friend?
The detective turned on his futon. It didn't feel right at all. He wouldn't even call KID a colleague really. They definitely were acquaintances. They both knew enough about one another, but friendship required a lot more. It required trust. And did he trust the thief? Shinichi bit the inside of his cheek. He would be lying if he denied that. The kaitou did look out for him, went out of his way to make sure he and his friends were safe, jumped after him to catch him, apparently without much thought for himself. And he did keep his secret safe, even lending a hand to help with keeping it that way. And also, using it to taunt and annoy Shinichi… Conan shot an unimpressed glare at the innocent closet before him. He let out an irritated sigh. Then again, some did like to tease more than they should. He smirked at the tanned teen, peacefully sleeping beside him, recalling how they teased each other.
So yeah – Shinichi did trust the international thief… no matter how insane it sounded. But friendship needs to be mutual, right? So, did the kaitou trust the detective? He turned it around. Could KID trust him? The boy grimaced and stirred on the futon once again. Their situation surely did put them in metaphorical shackles, although KID did throw in bits and pieces about himself every now and then. Shinichi usually didn't think much of it, but maybe… it was a form of trust? Extending a hand towards him? Or maybe testing what he would do with the knowledge? And he didn't do anything with it actually, just kept it for himself.
They definitely had something quite unique going on there. And Shinichi couldn't honestly say he didn't like the smug kaitou, no matter how full of himself he was. He was fun and cheerful and… made the detective feel safe, when he knew KID was covering his back. Because if one thing was obvious, it was that the thief would give him a hand, if Shinichi needed it, even if it would put him in danger. Which surfaced a very uncomfortable question. Would Shinichi do the same for KID?
He usually preferred to avoid the question. And it was hard to imagine a situation where it could be tested anyway. In the end, he was sly enough to not let himself get captured and everybody basically loved the guy. But it wasn't quite true. Shinichi recalled the situation he's gotten himself into with Kogoro and Heiji, when they walked around with bombs attached to their hands, having the kids, Ran and Kazuha held hostage. Back then, KID was hunted for what he'd witnessed by accident. The kaitou managed to solve his part of the problem and lent them a hand with their part. But it wasn't hard to imagine that he could get into similar trouble again.
Would Shinichi help the thief if he came to him asking for it? Without prying into his personal space? He cast a questioning look at the ceiling. Yes, he definitely would. Even if for nothing more than that he simply owed it to KID. But what if a situation would be more complicated and put Shinichi in a conflicted situation? What would he do if, for example, the kaitou was about to get captured by the police? He was a criminal and by all means, he deserved to get captured. Even if Shinichi didn't really want that to happen, it was KID's gamble. Would he be willing to lend the thief a hand? Even if he wouldn't ask for it? Just out of his own free will. Only in order to have the opportunity to play tag some more, knowing that one day KID won't return his heist target.
He turned on the futon again, looking distractedly at the space before him, imagining a world without KID. He let out a breathless chuckle and closed his eyes. Yes… he would at least try to help the thief. No matter how much he would come to regret it later on. Simply because KID didn't deserve to get locked away and that Shinichi didn't want to live in a black and white world. He let out a light sigh and allowed his mind to drift away to the dream world, where he could chase after the thief once more and then hear him laughing with Ran, Kazuha and Heiji on their way to the bus stop.
*bows* See you next time~