A/N: Every story has as many sides as there are people, and perhaps even more. This time, Kid's perspective adds a twist. I wonder, is it what you were expecting? Reviews appreciated. Writing this proved far more annoying than I thought it would be. Remind me to never do Rashomon again.
It was surprisingly quiet. The hubbub of the day had finally quieted down to a muted murmur, as people settled in for the night. Once news got wind of the fact that the killer bacteria was a hoax, the streets of the Kansai region became lively again, families scrambling back just as eagerly to their abandoned homes, seeking out the familiarity and safety of their relatives and friends. It was almost as if the very air was heaving a collective sigh of relief, brushing the anxiety away with a warm breath.
Chains clanked in protest against the invading breeze, covering the light noise of his shoes as he landed on a small water tower. His monocle charm swung, head moving to survey the facility. Machinery lay sleeping where they were left, as the workers had fled earlier. Loose tarps billowed in the wind, for the moment forgotten. The place seemed even more quiet in the darkness, and Kid felt it was a mixed kind of blessing that the panic had scattered the people so far and wide. It seemed that his impromptu meeting would be relatively incident-free. Provided Tantei-kun decided to show up, rather. He wasn't even sure if he would or not - he was fully aware of the incredibly short notice. Even so, there were some things he wanted to talk to him about.
A metal staircase provided him with an easy path down, and he curled his way around the structure, pausing midway to regard the labyrinth at its core. With a flash of white across his face, he twisted his way into the depths, and curled into a comfortable kind of nest. Perhaps less comfortable than one of the dirt piles, but he could play here. Catching his weight with the crook of his wrist, he hauled himself up to his waist, and allowed himself to hang for a moment before flipping up with a flourish. He grinned, and set himself into a makeshift cape-hammock, letting his feet swing in lazy arcs.
Leaning back, he heaved a huge sigh. Gods, today was more than just exhausting, it was like waging all out war. Biochemical weapons, hired mercenaries, and bombs, oh my. Toss in undercover criminals and an elaborate scheme to steal national treasures, and you had a full plate. He should have known that adding Tantei-kun into the mix would cause things to get all shaken up and convoluted the way they had. Sometimes taking the old man Jirokichi's challenges were far more risky than he probably intended them to be. Things were never easy around Tantei-kun.
Flipping, he hung from one of the metal bars by his knees, enjoying a solid crack from the bones in his back as the position pleasantly pulled on his muscles. No doubt, he would be sore for a few days. He had to resort to some of his more creative gymnastics maneuvers when the airship had suddenly lurched. It was not normal for the ground beneath you to suddenly turn on its side, and he somehow knew the entire episode was all Tantei-kun's fault. He was a walking disaster magnet. Well, in the end, it made his job relatively risk-free when it came to snatching the jewel, even if it wasn't what he was looking for. To have all the officers so conveniently tied up in ropes was an unexpected bonus to tonight's heist.
A scrape of rubber sole against gravel caught his attention, and glancing over, he saw the bobbing head of the subject of his thoughts. Glasses flashed as Tantei-kun shot his head back and forth in quick, measured sweeps. He grinned. For all he professed about being a detective, he still had a knack for snooping around places he shouldn't be, and Kid imagined it might get the runt in some serious trouble one day. More serious than usual, anyhow.
Bemoaning the fact he had no more time for relaxing on the monkey bars, he knew it was time to put on his game face. With a grin, he pulled himself upright and into a low crouch before calling out. "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up, Tantei-kun."
Blue eyes fixed on him and narrowed. From his vantage, he could see the slight quirk of an eyebrow, and a small smirk form. That was as much a greeting smile as anything. He turned towards Kid, and casually slid his hands into his pockets. "I had other plans, you know."
Kid wondered momentarily if there was another case he had dragged him away from. Somehow, he wouldn't be surprised. "Nice to know you could spare the time." He hopped as he made his way through the metal maze. It seemed to him, Tantei-kun was inevitably working on one case or another. Tantei-kun was anything, if not a busybody.
"Any chance to capture a criminal is as good as any." Kid clucked his tongue, admonishing Tantei-kun for his overeagerness. He went through great pains to find a remote location that wouldn't have any promise of random corpses cropping up. Not such a shabby place, given the short notice and unfamiliar locale, but then again, Kid prided himself on scouting out good locations for a variety of purposes. Tantei-kun should at least trust him for that.
"So you say." He reached the edge and allowed the weight of his cape to pull him back, covertly stretching the kinks out of his arms and legs. A strange little chuckle drew his attention, and he saw Tantei-kun giving him an odd look. He tilted his head and shot Kid a lopsided quirk of a grin.
"Why'd you call me out here, Kid?"
"Hmm, why indeed." He mused this over for a moment. Plainly put, he wasn't entirely sure what the right question was that he wanted to ask. There were many episodes about today he wanted to talk about, but he supposed, above all, there was that one burning question that was still more feeling than words. An unease, something off, something just not right, something akin to unfinished business. He had to make sure, to confirm, because it was unsettling, even if undefined. It was hazy and uncertain in his brain, so since the words were not forthcoming, he opted for a more general response. "Curiosity, perhaps?"
"Curiosity? You're like a cat!" He tensed as Tantei-kun drew himself into an aggressive pose, flaunting that abomination of a belt. A flicker of pink, and he watched as he licked his lips, like a hungry predator. If anyone resembled a cat, it had to be Tantei-kun. Well, a kitten, more like. The mental image was funny, in a way.
"I always land on my feet in the end."
His face scrunched into a variety of expressions before leveling out into one that was decidedly unimpressed. "Not from what I've seen. Your landings suck."
Kid frowned internally. That was decidedly rude, and entirely not his fault. It was unfair, and something Kid never wanted to have happen again. He had a reputation to maintain, after all. "Ah, that. I was distracted. You had me captured in your hand and all." His smile was smug, fully intent on hackling the brat for the insult to his pride. No way was that an unintentional slip of the hand - it felt way too good to be accidental. Was he trying to force Kid to drop him?
It was an interesting sort of progression to watch, and it worked almost like clockwork. One beat to process, another beat to freeze in shock, and a third beat to rise in color. That strange swirling thought in his head came more into focus, and Kid blinked as it pressed for dominance. Free hand flailing, his other twitched in rhythmic spasms over his belt buckle as Kid watched the usually calm and collected Tantei-kun succumb to a fit of embarrassment. Any other situation, and he might have found it absolutely obscene. "I had no intention - I didn't mean to - that was a mistake - I had no choice! Sorry!" His uncontrolled sputtering culminated in a low bow of his head.
Kid blinked again at the odd, almost comical performance. That went entirely different than he anticipated. He had expected Tantei-kun to be embarrassed, sure, but figured he'd then spout off his usual smartass retorts, turning the conversation back to the witty quips and verbal swordplay that defined their unconventional friendship. What he was not expecting was an apology. The curious thought brimming in his mind finally became crystal clear. A hypothesis he wasn't sure he had, suddenly screaming for confirmation, and he knew now why he had called Tantei-kun out for this late night conversation.
He slanted his eyes at the bowed head, and silently hopped to the ground, making his way closer. Multiple times in the past, he'd let Kid escape. Multiple times, he'd placed trust in him. Even today, he made no move to prevent Kid from taking the Lady Sky. Even now, he blindly followed the personal invite, and alone to boot - not a sign of police anywhere. He was giving Kid special treatment. Why?
Suddenly, the grope earlier that day made so much more sense, and the resulting apology. The impulsive, angry, and jealous chase he'd given Kid as he pulled away from an aborted kiss with the Mouri girl. The comfortable ease, and leniency he commonly gave him. His failure to alert the police, despite numerous opportunities.
Could it be that Tantei-kun, like so many others, had fallen under Kaitou Kid's spell? He had full confidence in his charm, but to win over a detective? Moreover, his toughest critic? Tantei-kun let his hands drop to his side, looking for all the world like a defeated little puppy. Kid flushed a bit in amusement, and gave a soft little cough to stifle a chuckle. It was a shaky theory at best, but…
"Given the situation, it was understandable."
Indigo eyes watched carefully as he shifted under his gaze. He was definitely uncomfortable, and was licking his lips in nervous little spurts. "You could have dropped me. I might have been able to grab one of the handholds."
Kid frowned at the diversion tactic. "Not a chance." White gloves reached out to inspect the wrapping around Tantei-kun's head. He did feel bad that he had been hurt during his heist, though. Squatting, his hands ghosted over the gunshot wound in his arm - and here Kid was thinking the guy could take care of himself! Small shoulders visibly tensed, and Kid could feel the eyes on him as he moved, causing him to hide a grin. Was Tantei-kun being self-conscious? "A lightweight like you would have gone flying again. No way was I going to let go."
"Not my fault I'm like this."
"Hmm." He suspected that probably had something to do with the reason behind his shrunken form, and had no desire whatsoever to open that can of worms. He had enough of his own problems to deal with. Shrinking had nothing on murderous crazies hunting for mythical jewels and immortality.
His fingers raised up and he looked more closely at the bandage on Tantei-kun's cheek. It really was a cute little thing the Mouri girl had done, writing that inscription, and Kid wondered if Tantei-kun knew anything about it. Absently, he let his hand hover close to the skin, curious if there were any other wounds he had picked up today. Belatedly, Kid realized he was all but caressing his cheek. Pink exploded over the small features, and Kid watched in mild fascination as it coursed down his neck. Behind the glasses, Tantei-kun's brow furrowed lightly, and he unconsciously pursed his lips. If that wasn't telling, he didn't know what was.
There was definitely something going on there.
"You know, it was no lie when I said I was curious. It seems I have my answer, but it's merely made me even more curious." Kid regarded Tantei-kun with a considering eye.
"What the hell are you talking about, Kid…" He tried dismissing him by shoving his hands into his pockets.
"This." He ignored the petulant dismissal, and pointedly slid a thumb across his cheek, noting the flinch he tried disguising with a sigh.
"None of the wounds were that serious. I was only grazed, so don't think this will slow me down." Dark eyes raised up and challenged him. Something inside fluttered in a familiar kind of dance. That challenge was what lay at the heart of everything between them, the very core of things. It's what pushed Kid so hard, so he was glad Tantei-kun wouldn't let an injury deter him. "Unless you mean your prank. 'Shin'ichi love'? Not sure what you were planning with that one."
The band-aid was not meant to be any kind of prank, but he found it amusing Tantei-kun thought of it that way. Again, that same flicker of pink as he licked his lips, and Kid wondered if he was even aware he was doing it. Given what he knew now, it was like a blatant invite. A leer grew on his face as the idea popped into his head. Well, if he was under his spell, he might as well indulge the brat. All things considered, it might make future heists both more interesting and a bit easier, so embracing his spontaneity as he usually did, Kid leaned forward.
It wasn't until after he pressed his lips to Tantei-kun's that he realized, mental facilities aside, he was in a seven year old body. Kid flinched when he felt the nervous flicker of a tongue. It was so shocking, Kid was at a total loss as to what to do. Tongue thwarted, Tantei-kun leaned and gave a weak grunt of annoyance which vibrated indecently into Kid's mouth, and sunk into his chest. The entire exchange made Kid embarrassingly lightheaded. Tantei-kun had just tried to French him!
When he finally remembered himself, a sharp intake of air was all the warning Kid had to avoid the arm that violently swung out and around. "Kid, you-!"
Tantei-kun was all but glowing, and futilely trying to hide it behind his fingers. He laughed at the feeble attempt, effectively hiding his own breathiness, and beat a hasty retreat. "Definitely curious."
From the corner of his eye, Kid could see him reaching for his shoe, and quickly spirited his card gun from its hidden holster, firing off a warning shot. Everything came to a standstill at that point, blue eyes aghast, and pinned on him.
"What's the big idea, Kid?" The voice was venom, and he knew it had everything to do with his haphazard shooting. It was probably only his innate aversion to hurting people that spared Tantei-kun's fingers from accidental maiming. Using all his willpower, he forced himself to still, allowing the remnant adrenaline still singing in his veins to slow down and die.
He took a deep and slow calming breath, willing his hands to stop shaking - it had been a long, long time since his aim was so compromised. When he felt he had enough control, he allowed himself to settle into a more comfortable pose. "You can consider this making things even." Things were certainly going to be interesting in the future, if Kid had anything to do with it. Tilting his head, he grinned at Tantei-kun, and darkly added on his promise. "A down payment."
"That was an accident."
Kid knew better than that. Disregarding the fact Kid initiated the kiss, it was intended to be a teasing peck, not some make-out session. Tantei-kun had so shamelessly earned retribution, trying to molest him twice in one day. He cooed his reply. "Take responsibility. You were the thief this time."
And with that, he blinded him before taking the opportunity to dash away. He vaulted himself over the rail entry, and made his way around a few corners, pausing in a darkened alley to pull himself into a disguise. The nearby wall served as an effective support, as he let himself slump against it unceremoniously.
His knees pulled up, and he wrapped his arms around them, curling around himself. He felt dirty, sullied. Like a piece of his innocence had been ripped away, raped and twitching in a corner of his mind. There was nothing wrong with Tantei-kun, aside from the fact that he was, in all appearances, a child. Kid should not be having unbidden reactions to a runt, even if he was fully aware that Tantei-kun was anything BUT a runt. The playing field was supposed to be his, and the rules were supposed to be his own. How dare he go in and toss in his usual wrench and twist things up. A detective, a non-child, and crushing on an international criminal. Usual screwed up fare for Tantei-kun. His forehead fell onto one knee. He was absolutely mortified. He'd grown to like the little nuisance, too.
Indigo eyes slid up to glare at the wall opposite him. He would cause Tantei-kun as much embarrassment as he could, daring to even consider accosting the Kaitou Kid while in such an inappropriate body. Oh yes, he would cause him to regret dragging Kid into his messed up little world. He would tip his reality so far sideways, he wouldn't even know which way was up anymore. With that promise in mind, he pulled himself up, and disappeared into the night.