A/N: Okay, what does people say when they want to pay after eaten dinner? Tab, bill, note, check?
This chapter was really hard to write since I wanted time to pass, and I think it came out a little bit weird... o.O''

Warnings:
Strange English, OOCness

Uploaded: 2012-07-19
Revised: 2014-09-16
Chapter rating: K+
Words: 3,800

Chap. 39
One Problem, Two Problems, Heart Problems

Shinichi groaned as he woke up with the worst headache he'd ever had.
"Good morning," Haibara said and the detective glared at the child sitting by the side of his bed, not caring how long she'd watched him sleep, "how much do you remember from yesterday?" Shinichi sighed and thought back on the day.
"I remember everything, up until I went to bed after the heist," he answered in a weak voice and massaged his forehead when he sat himself up, "do we really have to experiment today? I'm not feeling so good."
"You remember the heist yesterday?" the faux child asked in suspicion.
"Yes,"
"What's your name?
"Kudou Shinichi,"
"What day is it?"
"Monday,"
"Wrong," Haibara answered amused, "it's Tuesday. It seems like you lost the entire day."
"What?"
"We've already done the experimenting. The short version goes like this; I gave you around a decilitre of a 2% alcohol solution and you passed out on the settee. A gentleman in white came by and I'm guessing that you told him about the Apoptoxin, since he was talking about the cure and then asked about my real name, but I don't know how much you told him." Shinichi stared at her in horror; what had he said to the thief? Had he told him about Pandora? His feelings? Had he attacked him? Touched him inappropriately? Pandora? Shinichi blinked in confusion and felt a bit lonely.
'Pandora?'
"Pandora's not answering," Shinichi muttered and lay down as he closed his eyes. He immediately found himself in the gem's library and saw the person lying on the floor.

"Pandora!" he called out and ran to his side. Shinichi fell to his knees and shook the gem. Pandora scowled at him when he opened his eyes. "Pandora, are you okay?" the detective asked concerned and the gem blinked confused, "say something!"
"Dolphins are the only water-living animal that has sex for simple pleasure," the jewel grinned in amusement as Shinichi stared at him perplexed.
"Why do you know things like that?"
"Because you're secretly a pervert,"
"Shut up,"
"First you want me to talk and when I do you tell me to be quiet. You're very hard to please,"
"You seem to be fine," Shinichi muttered as he sat down beside the gem, "do you remember anything from yesterday." Pandora's eyes darkened from the question and his smile vanished.
"Not much, but I do remember the pain after you drank the alcohol and effectively made me faint, and then the agony we felt when I woke up again. It was almost like we were dying," the gem sighed and gave him a serious glance, "I felt how the alcohol activated the toxic substances in the cure, if Haibara had given us anymore we would've died. Never drink. Ever."
"Deal," Shinichi smiled revealed and shook Pandora's hand, glad that the jewel was well.

Kaito shuffled a deck of cards without making a single sound, knowing exactly where each and every card was. He smirked and sent a glance back at the Brit who was busy with taking the teacher's notes and smiled; Hakuba had begun going out on 'Catch Kaitou KID'-dates with Shinichi, and the magician found them hilarious to watch since neither of the detectives actually wanted to catch him. Hakuba obviously wanted to protect him from Shinichi, while Shinichi wanted to go to the heists for the sole purpose of entertainment, but their plans were elaborate and always had at least one escape route if neither of them messed up the plan from the start and he could only imagine what would've happened if the detectives actually were interested in catching him.

Kaito had been running through every memory he had of Tantei-kun, and begun thinking of the lost child as a teenager instead, but Shinichi was much more of a challenge compared to his smaller form, since he could take over a heist and direct the officers to where he wanted them, much to Nakamori's ire. The first heist after Kaito had found out the truth about Tantei-kun Shinichi had been jumpy and in the end asked him about what had happened during the Monday. Kaito had told him everything, except the detective's confession about his sexual orientation, since he didn't want to embarrass him by telling him what he told in confidence to a 'friend'.

The thief sighed lightly as he stared out thought the window thinking about Shinichi. He'd noticed how the detective smirked during the heists, just before he made a move, and Kaito loved that smile that made him shiver; it was a promise of a challenge and a rush of adrenalin. The mere thought of him made the thief's heart beat faster and he pulled out his phone, where there was a newspaper with a challenge from Jirokichi to Kaitou KID, but instead of reading the challenge again he opened a new page, placed his headphones into his ears and listened to the Detective of the East's interview where a journalist called Kameko asked him questions about his cases and personal life.

The detective had gone from helping with one case to two or five cases each week, and he didn't even want to get paid for it. Kameko also asked if he was single and he only answered that he had a lot of things going on in his life and currently wasn't looking for a partner, but what was the most interesting part was when she started asking questions about his opinions of Kaitou KID.

"What are your thoughts of Kaitou KID? How would you describe him?" the female voice asked.
"Well, first and foremost I would say that he's a showman. He's theatrical, highly intelligent, likes challenges, likes to play on people's feelings, and seems to always be happy. He knows himself enough to be able to perform unbelievably dangerous stunts without too much danger. He's thorough in his investigations of people and can become any person whether they're a man or a woman. I wound think that if you are on the Kaitou KID taskforce and has a secret, KID already knows about that, and I imagine that he already knows everything that happened during my time with the FBI. Now that I think about it; he would probably make a good detective." The woman laughed.

"Like you would make a good thief?" she joked and Shinichi laughed, causing Kaito to smile. It was something about that laugher that made Kaito want to grin in happiness.
"Oh, no. I would be caught the moment I entered the building," Shinichi asserted, but Kaito knew different; if the detective really tried he would probably become a great thief. Not as good as a crime announcing Kaitou without help, but he could probably get what he wanted.

"Kaitou KID thinks highly of you, doesn't he? I mean, he calls you Meitantei, instead of Tantei."
"I don't know, maybe... A friend of mine used to call me Meitantei whenever I did something stupid. I hope that he isn't ironic," Shinichi joked and Kaito sighed again, still smiling happily; he didn't know how many times he'd listened to that interview, but he loved the way the detective spoke of him.

"What do you think Kaitou KID's real identity is like?"
"Hmm, a tuff one, since I don't like to theorise without evidence," Shinichi paused for a moment, "I think he's actually younger than what everyone seems to think. Maybe lonely, given that he has a big secret that he can't let anyone know, which could force him to push everyone away or not let them close to him. Or he might have a partner who supports him. Given a consideration to the kind of traps he uses I would say that he's a trickster, or has been one; no one can come up with that kind of traps without a mischievous side. He probably is a person who cares a lot about the people around him, whether he interacts with them or not, given that he holds very hard on his 'no one gets hurt'-policy."

"There have been a lot of rumours surrounding the both of you, so I have to ask; would you date someone like him?"
"I don't like that question," Shinichi immediately replied, "it doesn't matter what I respond; if I say 'no' people think I'm lying and if I say 'yes' it's a publicity stunt. He has an interesting personality, yes, but you have to realise that everything I just told you is what I think he's like, and if you ask Nakamori-keibu or detective Hakuba, you will find that their thoughts probably differ from my own. But you are essentially asking me what kind of person I would date, so I'm going to say; a kind person. Does that description fit Kaitou KID's real identity? I don't know, but probably."

Kaito listened to the interview as school ended and the students walked out into a white world; thick snow was falling, obscuring one's eyesight. The thief disguised before he exited the building and followed the blonde detective through the whirling snowflakes to wherever he would meet up with Shinichi.

The thief entered the large restaurant and seated himself a small distance from both the detectives; he didn't want to be too close to them since they would be discussing their plans and it would ruin the surprise for him if he heard what they said, but he still had the trouble with his brain automatically reading their lips.

"Fine weather, isn't it?" Shinichi grinned at the snow-covered detective once they sat down and the Brit sighed.
"Yes, really nice. I'm just happy that I didn't blow away," he stated and picked up the menu, "how's things going in school?"
"I finally have the same schedule as everyone else, so it goes great," Shinichi smiled and selected what he would eat, "how does it go for you?"
"Good, but I haven't been forced to catch up on two years of school."
"Yea," Shinichi mumbled and then smiled, "I read about you in the newspaper. That was a hard, high-status case you had. You solved it impressively fast."
"Thanks," the Brit said and smiled for the first time since he'd come inside, "how did you get away from the reporters today?"
"Oh, I used the snowstorm," the Detective of the East smirked, "my jacket can be turned outside in and has a different colour on the inside. I ran away from them, then changed the colour and passed them with the hood on." Hakuba chuckled at the simple trick and sent the detective an amused glance.
"How are things between you and Mouri-san?"
"Ran's mostly ignoring me, but we've started to say hello, and exchange a few words. I think that her friend hates me more than she does," Shinichi disclosed, "how about you? How are things going with your girlfriend?"
"Oh, she's fine, we're fine," Hakuba answered avoiding and Shinichi glanced over the menu.
"You haven't even told me her name," he stated, aware of the fact that the Brit would feel forced to tell him, and just like he predicted he saw how the other's eyes narrowed a little as he looked up. Shinichi forced his facial expression into an open and genuinely interested look.

"Aoko," Hakuba revealed and the Detective of the East saw how he felt uncomfortable, "Nakamori Aoko."
"Nakamori-keibu's daughter?" Shinichi asked, already knowing who she was.
"Yes," Hakuba answered and wanted a change of subject, but before he could change Shinichi spoke up.
"Is she anything like her father?"
"Yes and no, she can be loud and she has a strong sense of justice, but she doesn't curse much," the Brit smiled down at the menu while his voice grew warm, "she's really understanding and completely wonderful, and her food is to die for; she's so perfect that I don't deserve her."
"You know, you could bring her along," Shinichi smiled and panic flash past the other detective's face, but Shinichi pretended like he didn't see it, "it's not like I'm going to flirt with her."
"No, I-, I mean; sure. I'll ask her the next time," Hakuba smile strained; he would not invite Aoko. He didn't want the detective too close to him, since if Aoko showed up, Kuroba would one day follow and Kudou would probably realise who he was within minutes after meeting him. The only problem was that they had actually begun to become friends for real and Saguru wasn't sure how long he could stay close to the other without being forced to let him meet Aoko.

Shinichi frowned as he hid behind the menu; he'd already decided what he was going to eat, but now he understood that the Brit didn't want him to meet Nakamori-san for some reason, and the only reason he could think of was Kaito. Hakuba wanted to catch the thief by himself and he didn't want Shinichi to steal that fame, and that explained the friendly competition they had had during the two cases they'd got because of Shinichi's 'curse', as Megure had commented. Hakuba was evaluating him in order to decide how big of a threat he was, but if the Brit didn't let him meet Nakamori-san, how would he befriend Kaito? Shinichi bit his lip; he would have to let the him know that he wasn't a threat by allowing the other detective to solve a few cases, otherwise he would be forced to overstep the boundary for their friendship and show up at their school without an invite in order to meet Nakamori-san. He could say that he didn't want to keep them from each other and then whisper to her what Hakuba had described her like, and she would be thrilled. Who didn't want to hear their loved one describe them with the words; "Completely wonderful and so perfect that they don't deserve them"?

"Have you decided?" a waiter interrupted their thoughts and both of the detectives twitched.
"Yes," Shinichi answered first and ordered, unaware that the thief was watching them, since the noise around them had made Pandora unable to identify anyone.
Kaito stared at them in interest while he waited for his food to arrive; they were both acting very strange, throwing suspicious glances at the other and looked like they were feeling bad about it. The air around them lightened up once they started to discuss their plans and the thief ignored them to the best of his abilities after he received his food.

Halfway through the meal Kaito could tell that a heated discussion about the plan broke out between the two detectives; neither raised their voice, but both of them were leaning slightly forward and stared at the other with a hard gaze while speaking, until Shinichi relaxed and scratched his cheek, looking sheepishly while saying 'sorry, you're right'. Hakuba sighed and then smiled as he continued to speak, but Kaito immediately looked down to his food, and found it gone, so he ordered desert.

He ate the cake slowly and glanced up at his targets only to see Hakuba accidently spill out his glass of water causing Shinichi to become wet. Kaito raised a mental eyebrow; the Brit seemed strangely jumpy as he dried the black haired teenager's sleeve, while repeatedly saying how sorry he was.
"Hakuba," Shinichi said and grabbed into the other's wrists, "calm down; it's only water." Kaito felt how the heat of jealousy flared up from inside him from the way Shinichi smiled at the detective, and then reality hit him in his face with all of its strength. The thief swallowed thickly and watched how Hakuba sat down again, looking thoroughly embarrassed over his actions and excused himself multiple times, causing Shinichi to laugh while his eyes glittered in amusement.

For once Kaito didn't know what to do; he was a thief who was having a crush on a detective, which was bad for self-preservation and freedom.
'But,' the little voice belonging to his feelings said in his head, 'he's bisexual so you have a chance.'
'However,' the logical part of him grumbled, 'the detective's in love with someone else, and you are a criminal.'
Kaito bit his lip and stared down on the last piece of cake, for once in his life feeling like he didn't want it and suddenly all of his actions seemed a lot less innocent. He let the detective come close and cuff him, because he enjoyed the challenge of getting away or the intimacy? He tied up the detective and ruffled his hair, because he wanted to tease him about being Tantei-kun or because he wanted to see him tied up and to touch him? Kaito blushed; he'd kissed the detective's cheek, touched him inappropriately, even sat in his lap and whispered things in his ear. How long had he been in love and dismissed it as the spur of the moment? What did the detective think about all of his advances?

'He likes to play on people's feelings. I wound think that if you are on the Kaitou KID taskforce and has a secret, KID already knows about that,' Kaito blinked at the memories and ate the last piece of cake; the detective thought he knew about his bisexuality and teased him about it? That wasn't very gentleman-like. The thief sighed depressed; why did he fall in love with people he couldn't have? He would just have to hope that the crush would blow over, just like it did with Aoko after he gave up on her, and his feelings explained why the detective gave him such a rush during the heists; not only was Shinichi good at what he did, but he also had the thief's heart in his hands.

Kaito glanced up towards the detectives and blinked in confusion; their seats were empty and the detectives gone. The thief raised his arm and waved a waiter over.
"Could I have the check, please?" Kaito asked and sent the empty seats a glance, not understanding how he could have missed them.

The thief later found himself at the Kudou mansion for the simple reason that he didn't want to go home, but when the detective stretched himself after finishing his homework and opened the violin case Kaito broke into one of the guestrooms on the second floor. Silently, he made his way downstairs and listened to the melody; it was a sorrowful piece, full of pain and loneliness, and it made Kaito want to break down in tears, but he forced the feelings back as he stood on the main floor, listening closely to every note and wondering why the detective didn't play more often.

The thief sneaked up to the library entrance and caught a glance of the detective with his eyes closed, playing the song to himself and Kaito felt his heart beat faster; Shinichi was so beautiful, but suddenly he tensed, stopped playing and opened his eyes.

"So, what can I do for you, KID-san?" the detective asked as if thieves showing up and interrupting his violin performances was normal.
"You're a good violinist. The song makes me want to curl up in my bed and cry. What is it called?"
"Thank you," the detective said while placing the violin back in its case and sat down behind his desk, flashing the thief a polite smile, "how may I be of service?"
"Not going to tell me, huh?" Kaito muttered and sighed, "I want Pandora."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't play games with me; I know that you know where it is."
"What do you want with Pandora?"
"I'm going to destroy it," Kaito asserted and the detective frowned.
"That's right, I forgot," it didn't sound like the detective really had forgotten, more like he just wanted to remind the thief, "do you remember what I told you as Conan?"
"That I can't get it without killing? There must be a way around that."

"How I wish it was," the detective mumbled sadly and pulled open the drawer in the desk. Kaito tensed once he saw the revolver in the detective's hands, but knew that he would never hurt him. Shinichi stood up, holding the gun on its side with both hands and walked up to the thief. Kaito was prepared to run and he concentrated on his poker face when Shinichi handed him the gun. Confused, he took it without placing a finger on the trigger and watched in horror how the detective positioned the barrel over his own heart.

"Are you willing to pull the trigger?" Shinichi asked quietly with a determined gaze and placed both of his hands over the thief's, squeezing it lightly, "if you are, then do it. But until you are willing to kill me you're not prepared to destroy Pandora." Kaito stared into Shinichi's eyes, trying to see if it was some kind of screwed up joke from his side. They stayed like that for a moment, watching the other in silence until the detective's eyes grew warm, causing the magician's breath to catch in his chest.

"I can't kill," Kaito breathed and stared into those blue eyes, feeling how he almost swooned when the detective smiled gently; he was lost in the other's eyes while Shinichi gazed back, both lost in the feeling of love which cruised through their veins.
"I know, that's why I told you," Shinichi mumbled while he glanced down to the gun and their hands. When he looked back up Kaito realised that the detective could probably tell what he looked like, but he couldn't bring himself to actually care.
"I-," Kaito said and swallowed nervously; should he tell him? Could he tell Shinichi that he loved him?
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-, I-, you make me so confused," the thief complained and sighed heavily, hearing the detective chuckle lightly as he released his grip. Kaito immediately felt the loss and glared at the gun in his hand like it was at fault while the detective returned to his desk.

The thief forced out a smile before vanishing in a puff of smoke and Shinichi began reading through his homework, blushing and sending glances to his hands; had the thief begun falling for him? Or didn't he care about holding hands with a detective and a gun? The detective stared down on the paper, not really seeing it and realised that the thief probably didn't care, and even if he did it was unlikely that it would show through his poker face. Shinichi looked up, locating the revolver lying on a shelf by the books and sighed heavily; the plan was taking longer than he expected and his heart was twisting in pain every time he thought of the phantom. He really needed to pressure Hakuba into letting him meet Kaito, since he would be happy to simply be in his presence, at least for a while, but when that wasn't enough he would have future problems.