I live! Dad gets to go home soon-ish! Another couple weeks. So, yay!
Also, warning for kissing. Just saying.
(37)
Shimmer
Shinichi hadn't realized that he hadn't been without Kaito popping up somewhere in his day since—well, getting shot at a heist. He also hadn't realized how much he'd come to rely on that cheerful, frequent presence.
It wasn't a dependency. He could, had, and would again get along without Kaito being there just fine. It just—seemed a little duller, without him. Kaito brightened everything, at least half the time literally with his propensity for colorful dyes and glitter. Also, he let Shinichi indulge in his more competitive side without causing trauma to bystanders and his presence usually required a set of quick-timed reactions and fast thinking that Shinichi otherwise only had a chance to use when his life was in danger… and usually someone else had already died.
Heists didn't count. Kaito was at those, too.
He was noticing the lack keenly, probably all the more so from the fact that not only was he the only 'single' person in the villa, but that half of the others were more than a little uneasy with his presence.
His now quite habitual reactions (he wasn't sure whether to thank or curse Kaito and Haibara for that bit) of growling and/or showing his teeth when frustrated, angry, or otherwise not-sad upset were definitely not helping matters. Although making Hattori jump had been somewhat amusing, and getting Sonoko to curse at him had been downright hilarious.
Still, one night with the low-level stress of a hanging unease that he knew full well he was the cause of—he wanted Kaito. Which… was a point in favor of the relationship they were trying to build. Or, from the general feel of it, succeeding in building.
Shinichi sighed and pulled out his phone. No one had bothered him yet, and it was nearing nine—Ran probably remembered the phone call where he'd answered with slurred words, which was again Haibara's doing but she'd thought he'd been sleeping and he hadn't corrected her.
Kaito wouldn't be there for another hour or so, depending on how the roads were—Shinichi had pre-paid the taxi, which Kaito would find out later and probably be huffy about, but Sonoko had covered everyone else like she usually did for these things and it didn't seem fair to make Kaito pay when he was coming for Shinichi.
He considered the blank open message, then shrugged to himself and typed in 'SAVE ME!' with a very ridiculous emoji of a frantic figure with waving arms. The situations he tended to be in when Kaito had actually saved him made him think the silly figure was necessary, just to make it clear there was no true need of rescue.
Several seconds later, a message came back.
'pgtndjqdgts'
Shinichi blinked at the crunch of Latin letters, stared for about twelve seconds, and shook his head. Not too bad for something that had taken less than three seconds for Kaito to come up with, because typing the message had to take a few in and of itself, but simple enough that he didn't even have to write it out to crack.
A simple shift-cypher*, 't' equals 'e', add spaces and other grammar details—and he had 'Are you bored?' in English.
Respond in kind—same cypher and language, just to be snarky—and he promptly typed in 'I wish only. Everyone's being oppressively nervous,' as 'xlxhwdcantktgndcthqtxcvdeegthhxktanctgkdjh' and hit send. He did wish he was only bored—and while he certainly was bored, he was also more than a little… well, depressed, he supposed.
It wasn't that he was lying, really. He wasn't—nothing he'd said was untrue. But. Deceiving… yes, that he was doing. He'd hoped he could have left most of that behind with Conan—and, damn it, he hadn't called Jodie-sensei in a while. She and James-san had gotten the truth, because he needed them to help set up a cover story for Conan's disappearance, but they didn't know about the newer things.
And Megure-keibu did have Jodie's number. That could get awkward.
And it was easier to think on than how he was still having to perpetuate deceptions on who—and what—he was. The half-fear of half the group he was with (and sometimes Ran and Hattori startled, too) was… tiring. Not physically, but tiring all the same, and Kaito's unwavering support was something he could really use right now.
The next text seemed to have caught on to the more serious tint to Shinichi's mood, because Kaito didn't bother with any kind of code. 'You okay?'
Shinichi considered. 'Yes,' he decided before adding another text on that one's cybernetic heels, 'Not great, but I'm alright. It would have been easier just to refuse, but…' Hattori and Ran were his friends, and they wanted to spend time with him. Just because the invitation came from Sonoko was no reason to refuse—and Sonoko was a friend, too. Even if Shinichi wasn't ever going to tell her that to her face.
A slightly longer pause before a lighter text that Shinichi was pretty sure was only half-teasing. 'If I kiss you in front of everyone when I get there, are you going to hit me?'
Shinichi thought about that. Kaito's acclimation procedures were working—the quick kisses sprung on him at random times no longer brought a stir of unease and the extra-clingy behavior and occasional from-behind hugs where Kaito would lean up against him cheek-to-cheek seemed to have settled the 'too close to my face' twitchiness.
Public display was… somewhat of an uncomfortable thought, but only the embarrassing kind of uncomfortable, and Ran was the only one who knew…
Amusement at the shock value alone might make it worth it.
'You can always try it and find out,' Shinichi sent back before closing his phone and getting up. Hopefully, there would be coffee. And he should eat some actual breakfast; he hadn't had much the night before and carbohydrates were still important.
xxxx
Oh?
Kaito eyed the last incoming text on his phone for a long moment, considering implications—the lovely, interesting implications that all involved Shinichi being slightly further into this relationship than Kaito had thought.
Shinichi cared about him, he knew that. That was, in fact, a complete given—Shinichi cared about everyone, including people who had caused him and his severe harm. He even, as terribly amazing as he was, actively cared about those who'd killed people he counted friends.
Kaito also knew, however, that Shinichi cared about him more than he cared about most people. Even before they'd been properly introduced, Shinichi had proven that he didn't just care about Kaito, he trusted him. That was a distinct difference—Shinichi expected Kaito to be able to handle himself in many things and had faith that Kaito was a good person.
About ninety-nine-plus percent of the people Shinichi cared about (because he really did care about everyone), Shinichi didn't trust. Shinichi was a detective, a homicide detective at that, and had been tripping over bodies since he was a toddler. Shinichi trusted the kids, Hattori, Haibara, Agasa, and Ran. Probably Sonoko, though Kaito hadn't seen them together and wasn't sure.
For him to have trusted Kid even before meeting Kaito… well, it wasn't every day a detective trusted an international criminal, no matter what the criminal was known for. And yes, Shinichi-as-Conan had loved to badmouth him, but he was reasonably sure that Conan had always been able to tell when he was listening and only did so to annoy him.
And Conan had trusted him, no matter what he'd said, because he would never ask for help from someone he didn't in the kind of situations he had asked for help in. Not even with threats of blackmail—Shinichi knew full well that blackmail didn't generally end well. Shinichi would risk himself on a unstable deal, but never, never anyone else.
So. Add all that together with more recent developments—Kaito was inclined to think Shinichi loved him. Maybe not the same way that he loved Shinichi, but at least as much as he loved the kids, as much as he loved Haibara and Sonoko. Maybe not quite as much as Ran, but Ran was… Ran was Shinichi's Aoko, and Kaito loved Aoko with the same ferocity that he loved Shinichi, though not the passion. And since he'd spent far more time learning Shinichi than Shinichi had him—because Conan had been fascinating and those glimpses of Shinichi when he was too tired to maintain Conan had been beautifully heartbreaking. Even crime-scene-Conan hadn't been Shinichi, though he certainly had been terrifying.
It was only fair, that Shinichi take the time to learn him. You had to know someone to love them, after all. Well—to love the way Kaito loved, anyway. Shinichi had the unconditional caring type down just fine, and it blanketed the whole world. Shinichi would make a great dad.
Just because Kaito never wanted to hurt anyone didn't mean he wanted to save everyone. He wouldn't take a life—if he could, and someone was within his reach—yes, he'd save most of those he could. Snake… Snake he wasn't sure.
If it had been Snake falling before his eyes, he didn't think he'd have been able to reach out to him, not like Shinichi had Gin. He didn't hate Snake—hate was poison, and he hadn't let himself—but… he didn't have the desire to hurt anyone, but he didn't have the desire to save Snake, either.
He shook his head, redirecting his thoughts away from the darker turn. Shinichi had caught Snake for him anyway—he probably wouldn't have to worry about him anymore. And Shinichi had given him de-facto permission to kiss him with an audience!
Which was unexpected, to say the least, but if Shinichi was bored and unhappy, some kind of over-the-top distraction might be just the thing. Also, he wondered if Shinichi would allow a proper kiss this time.
He nodded to himself. If Shinichi got upset about it later, there would be apologies and chocolate involved, but when Kaito got there, there would be tongue.
xxxx
"Kudo?" Heiji eyed his friend, who'd seemed a little off since he'd gotten up. Not tired, exactly, but… worn, maybe? "Ya alrigh'?"
Kudo sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just…" he waved a hand at the rest of the room, where Kazuha was talking with Neechan and Suzuki-han but occasionally glancing over towards them worriedly and the other two guys were discussing something martial-art related intently—and also keeping space from Kudo.
Neechan's interspersed half-apologetic, half-concerned glances made it click. They were nervous of Kudo, and he didn't like it—but he wasn't holding it against them, just… looking kinda down about it.
Distraction, distraction—oh, saved by the phone. Kudo's phone very obligingly provided a distraction by buzzing once, and Kudo pulled it out to glance at the screen, and then his shoulders eased a bit.
"Good news?" Heiji asked.
Kudo shrugged one shoulder, striding towards the front door. "Kaito's taxi's just leaving. He's at the other end of the path," and Kudo put on his shoes and stepped out into the sun, wincing with a grimace but moving quickly towards the tree-shaded path.
"Kudo!" Heiji called, scrambling to put his own shoes on. He knew that sunlight wasn't deadly to the guy, but still.
"Hattori, what is it?" Neechan called from the other room, and Heiji huffed.
"Kuroba's almos' here and Kudo's gone ou' ta meet him. He ain't got coverage, though."
The sound from Neechan was interestingly like an angry cat, before a drawn-out "Shinichiiiii…" and annoyed footsteps followed.
Annoyed footsteps. Neechan managed to impart emotion into the sound of walking.
"Wait, Ran-chan!"
"Ran!"
And then more footsteps. Heiji shrugged and resigned himself to waiting a moment, and then all the other five showed up and started stepping into shoes.
"C'mon! He's gettin' ahead of us!" Heiji started jogging, and Neechan kept pace easily while Kazuha and Suzuki-han grumbled but did the same, the other two boys following without comment. Worried?
Heiji rounded a corner just in time to hear Kudo call "Kaito!" in a relieved manner, then halted entirely on seeing Kudo's expression.
He looked—happy.
"Shin-shin!" the response drew his eyes further up the trail, to where Kuroba was dropping a duffle beside himself carelessly and bounding towards Kudo in obvious delight.
That was—that meant something, but Heiji was having trouble wrapping his mind around it, and the way Kudo's fangs (Heiji was still having trouble with the fangs) caught the light was a little distracting in how not normal it was.
And then Kuroba tackled Kudo back against the nearest tree, kissing him full-on as Kudo's arms came up in an instinctive catch of an embrace.
Heiji's mind blinked.
Kuroba pressed his head forward, clearly getting in some tongue—and winced, drawing back a bit an instant before something snapped. Kudo outright snarled, flipping them around to pin Kuroba to the tree, and the kiss suddenly got a lot more involved and Heiji stumbled back a step, gaping and tripping on a root only to end up on his backside on the ground as Kudo took Kuroba's mouth in a way that belonged in a porn movie before finally pulling away, pausing to lick a smear of blood from Kuroba's lower lip.
"Watch the fangs," he rumbled, more a growl than a murmur.
Kuroba laughed, bright and breathless, "But you respond so well when I'm bleeding!"
Heiji's brain blinked again, and suddenly part of it made sense. Terrifying sense, but sense. The Kuroba kissing him part—well… yeah, okay, maybe. The Kudo pulling that in front of witnesses part, though… knowing Kudo was a vampire and watching him heal entirely too fast to be human was one thing.
Watching him lose his usual calm control like that was something else entirely, and that it was because Kuroba had (apparently intentionally) nicked his tongue on one of Kudo's fangs was more than a little disturbing.
A sputter behind him, and he was pretty sure that was Suzuki-han. "Wh-what was that? Ran, did you know about that!?"
Yeah, Suzuki-han. And good question.
"Ah, I knew Kuroba-kun had asked him out a little while ago, but…"
Kudo was leaning forward, head planted in Kuroba's shoulder as his own shoulders shook slightly, and Kuroba looked faintly panicked for several seconds before calming and giving a sheepish grin, "Sorry, Shinichi. Didn't notice the audience."
Kudo straightened up, shaking his head with a helpless sort of chuckle, "Liar. You completely set that up, didn't you?"
Kuroba gasped theatrically, placing a hand over his heart with a wounded expression, "How could you think such a thing, dearest? That I—I would be able to predict the exact moment in which our fellow retreat-goers would come tearing around the corner chasing after you!"
A faintly quirked eyebrow and Kuroba grinned, "Okay, fine, I noticed them and baited you into taking over. I'm not sorry!"
"You," Shinichi informed him flatly, "Are getting the floor tonight."
Heiji wasn't the only one to choke at the implication there.
Kuroba only grinned, "You mean you're letting me into your room? That's a first. I'm not entirely sure the floor's a punishment, comparatively."
Or… not implication? Huh. With a kiss like that one, though, Heiji felt he could be forgiven the assumption.
Kudo sighed, "You know how I am with stress, these days, and frankly you're the best at snapping me back to myself. It's safer if we share a room."
Kuroba abruptly went serious, "Right. Sorry. I forget that most people don't know how to deal with this kind of thing. Thinking of—you, house. Now. Izanami bless, Shinichi, you need to take better care of yourself!"
Izanami*, huh? Didn't seem to suit Kuroba, but Kudo… yeah, he could see her backing Kudo. He could also see her backing being part of why Kudo wasn't dead.
Damn it, he'd been trying not to think about that part!
xxxx
*I have a friend who loves codes of all kinds, especially cyphers, and we used to write letters back and forth in varying types. We started out with the simple shift-cyphers and never sent keys—if we wanted to read the letters, we had to break the cyphers. Fun fact: in English, simple-shifts are easy to crack because the most commonly used letter in English writing is 'e'. Usually, you can count letter-usage and match the one used the most as 'e', then just write out overlapping alphabets and transcribe from there. If 'e' doesn't work, 'a' and 's' are both great candidates as well. If all else fails, there's only twenty-five times you can be wrong.
*Izanami's a hell-goddess with a Persephone-styled background, though not the same. Interesting legend—anyone with interest in such things should take a few minutes to look it up.