The door slid open, revealing a far too familiar figure.
Shinichi sucked in a breath, waiting for what was to come.
The sound of the heart monitor grew like that small but constant buzzing in the summer air. How strange it was when one could reminisce summer in the heart of December's winter days.
"Shin-chan"
"Kaito"
Cerulean and indigo met. They started, like every other visits Kaito had. After a dangerous case of homicide, abduction or arson, this was where they'd always end up.
-Still, Shinichi was damned if he let this one turn out like others. Clutching the bedsheet tightly, he took a deep breath,
"I'm sorry,"
Kaito, as expected, didn't see the apology coming. His posture stilled, probably not knowing how to react.
Shinichi didn't say anything else. He sat, watching the emotions dash fleetingly across those indigo orbs. Its owner lowered the bouquet of flowers in his palm, eventually letting out a small laugh,
"I was actually sitting out there preparing for the worst verbal sparring of my life. I didn't expect you to admit defeat right away, Shin-chan. What a letdown."
Shinichi went red, glaring at Kaito's playful (and relieved) expression.
"W-Well, I admit that I'm wrong this time-
"Only this time?" Kaito raised an eyebrow, voice monotone.
"-and some others" Shinichi grudgingly said, clearly displeased with the magician's smug expression. The detective sighed, continuing "But we've only got five days left together, so I thought there are things more important to talk about."
Kaito's expression softened. He finally remembered he brought a little gift with him.
"Here you go, Shin-chan. A token of good luck for the honest one."
Kaito put the bouquet in the vase next to his bedside. Shinichi smiled at the blue petals glittering in the warm hue of midday.
"Really, how do you even find the time to dye all of these?"
Shinichi's question had somehow offended Kaito.
"What are you talking about? These are grown in nature!"
At Kaito's fake hurt expression, Shinichi only shrugged, "I'm not a detective for nothing, Kai. It's ink, right? Really, if it's to wish me a speedy recovery, you could've just gone with some chrysanths"
…Or you could just come with your wits and banter, Shinichi thought off-handedly.
"It's not just because of that, Shin-chan" He quickly slipped into what could be considered a part of his nighttime persona. "How could I present my favorite critique with such a boring bouquet?"
"I wouldn't call it boring. It's just normal"
"The same thing" He replied, without missing a heartbeat, eyes dancing with mirth.
Shinichi realized that he really missed this, whatever it was. Or it was just that he missed having Kaito around, and then he started thinking that maybe being transferred to the hospitals once in a while wasn't so bad if he got to spend more time with Kaito like this. Undoubtedly, the magician would be mad if he heard that.
Ah… How things have changed. He mildly remembered being particularly annoyed when the magician kept popping out from all places in the Kudo's manor to discuss trivial matters in his KID's suit. But bothered as he was, Shinichi always accompanied KID with his musings whenever possible. Maybe that should have been the first sign to how he was utterly head over heels for the Heisei Lupin.
Shinichi shook his head, wondering how on Earth he could've missed all of that.
"Shin-chan, you look like someone just put a ban on coffee" The magician halted him from his line of thinking with a chuckle. The shade of indigo in his eyes brightened with amusement, coloring his already handsome feature.
God help me, I'm in SO deep;
"I just know that I'm going to be forced to stay here for a while" Shinichi came up with something light-hearted, mentally patting himself on the back. "I'm going to grow a garden of mushrooms in here" He deadpanned.
"What are you talking about, Shin-chan? You've got me here to entertain you…" He commented, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And it's been too long since I got to talk to you like this again so you're not getting rid of me so soon" Kaito's voice softened into something that resembled silk and chocolate, melting the detective's insides.
Be quiet, heart… Shinichi commanded, clutching the bedsheet a little too tightly while using his already unreliable mind to calm down. He's being a good friend …
"I miss you too, Kaito" Shinichi didn't realize he had blurted that out loud until the magician was looking at him like he grew another head.
"I was expecting 'Idiot. We just talked last week' or something more Shin-chan-ish" Teased Kaito, the first part was delivered perfectly in Shinichi's voice, "My… You're just full of surprise today" He chuckled playfully, the sound echoing in the detective's head like chime bells and everything else wonderful in the world. Well, it wasn't at all helping the flustered detective.
Before Shinichi even had the chance for a comeback, the nurse invited herself in to inform that visiting hours were over.
"That just sucks", pouted the flamboyant magician, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Shin-chan"
"Yeah", as disappointed as he was, the Heisei Holmes also said his goodbye, "See you soon, Kai", delivered with a small smile.
And Shinichi had thought that was over for today but oh, how wrong he was. He didn't really think anything in particular until Kaito leaned down and as casual as ever, he pressed a quick kiss upon the detective's thin wrist, sending him a childlike grin…
"W-What was that for?" He pulled his hand back from the warmth, voice going a little too high for his own liking…
"So it'll heal faster"
Shinichi felt himself reddened even more (if that was even possible). It was totally illegal how he was still so weak against everything Kaito did.
The magician didn't elaborate any further as he was gone with a small wave and a wide grin.
The Heisei Holmes stared at the doorway long after the footsteps had faded, until it was just him, the empty room and his thoughts that had been running wild since Kaito walked in.
He looked at his wrist. The spot that Kaito had traced his lips over hadn't stopped burning…
"Rina, I'm a coward, aren't I?" He conversed fondly, feeling a sudden lost when there was no snarky answer that followed, not that he needed one to know…
He was a coward and he was determined to have these sentiments buried deep beneath the sway of everyday lives, hoping one day it'd disappear as if it had never once been there…
Shinichi placed a kiss on his injured wrist, calming down the searing heat left behind by the handsome magician.
…Perhaps it was also to settle down his aching heart.
…Perhaps it was the last hope for him to forcefully seal away this unrequited love.
Shinichi looked up at the calendar, silently counting down the hours, the minutes and the days he had left to enjoy the face-to-face conversations with his favorite magician. As expected, it was too short.
"Shin-chan, you've been boring holes through the wall for a while now. Care to tell me what it had done wrong?" Before Shinichi could come up with something believable, he was interrupted by Kaito's sudden weight against him. The Heisei Lupin bumped their shoulders together in the process of trying to get a clear view of his critic's dilemma. Though it was a careless action, the detective next to him was hyper-aware of it all.
Warm… Shinichi's mind unhelpfully provided... He could practically feel Kaito humming in question before flicking his fingers, "It's the calendar, isn't it? I get your feeling, Shin-chan…" He nodded, patting the Heisei Holmes on the shoulder, leaving the raven more confused than anything. "The person whose birthday is on this month is not going to be happy with that plain picture plastered on their special day" The magician, in all of his seriousness, elaborated.
"What are you talking about?" Shinichi uttered in a fit of giggling, brilliant blue eyes glittering. "Well, it's still better than the one with your face plastered on it"
"Hey! I'll have you know that the batch sold out in a day" Kaito reacted almost immediately, coming to the defense of his other persona. The product in discussion was a wall calendar that featured the great magician of the moonlight no other than KID and Kaito, being his other identity's big fan with an ego the size of Russia, bought the thing on the spot. Shinichi still wondered to this day how he was so unabashed about it all. "Oh that reminds me, there was one with you on it, Shin-chan" He continued.
"Please tell me no one bought it", deadpanned the detective.
"I bought it" The magician next to him replied without missing a heartbeat, seeming a little too proud of the feat (if it was even considered so).
Shinichi groaned, burying his face in his palms. Still, the image of the handsome magician with a big smile on his face lining up in the queue most likely full of women was strangely endearing to the detective.
"That's just like you, Kai", it had slipped out from Shinichi as more of his usual comment than anything-
"You're the only one saying that anymore, Shin-chan", said the magician…
-but the small silence that followed, and accompanying the smallest of flinch from him told Shinichi that he might have stepped on a landmine.
"Kaito… Is something wrong?" The Heisei Lupin might have fooled others with his light-hearted laugh but not Shinichi, who was one of those few who could see through the other. And Kaito knew better than keeping up a façade in front of his observant critic. His laughter slowed as he leaned against the detective,
"Well… Aoko accepted "me", Shin-chan, which is a miracle in itself but she still doesn't like the KID business" He managed a forced smile, continuing, "She asked me to fill in the details about the "heists" I set up and…" He paused, staring at the space ahead, perhaps recalling the memory…
Shinichi could somewhat imagine where this was going and he wouldn't blame Aoko for it considering their circumstances.
"…She always looked a little loss at what to say" and Shinichi knew it wasn't all, "It's like she's trying to distinguish between KID and I. I know that's my fault, though", Kaito huffed, frustrated, "The secret that stays secret for too long inadvertently makes me seem different to her"
The young detective knew that feeling all too well, in fact. Years of lies and deceits could change a person in their entirety. They certainly did a number on him. Because of that, he had an answer to Kaito's distress,
"… She just needs time, Kaito", Shinichi gently bumped their shoulders together, catching the said magician's attention. Indigo shades locked sapphire hues in a stare, their owner still moping,
"Do you really think so, Shin-chan? It's not because she doesn't agree with my method of doing things?"
"If she wasn't comfortable with it, she would have said something earlier, don't you think?" The detective comforted, contemplating his own words… But again, I don't know that for sure. I don't know HER for sure…
"Even if it's wrong, I can't stop, Shin-chan. As long as there are still people out there hunting lives for Pandora, I can't stop" Calmly, Kaito spoke. He spoke with stance and belief. He spoke but it was not for anyone to hear. It was a reminder that as long as the legendary gem was out there, Kaito wasn't going to leave his top hat, cape and monocle behind.
"I understand, Kai…" the detective simply said… And he hoped that it was enough.
Shinichi resisted the urge to reach out to ruffle Kaito's hair when the other's head hit his shoulder, brown locks brushing his neck… He couldn't exactly blame the magician for falling asleep, though, since the film was indeed boring. The detective shook his head at the drama unfolding on screen. Half-way through, Shinichi was sure it was the maid that did it. He also had the motive and murder weapon all figured out so to say it was uninteresting was an understatement. Shinichi tuned out the sound of the television as he relaxed, his neck hitting the cushion, taking in the coziness and giddiness that just suddenly bloomed inside of him. He hadn't felt so comfortable in such a long time.
"Kaito… wake up…" Shinichi softly called, chuckling ever so lightly when the magician let out a small groan, clearly giving in to his tiredness. Still, he was commendable lasting almost an hour of such a cliché film. "See, I told you we should've picked something you like…" Shinichi said to the sleeping magician, expecting no sort of reply.
Shinichi was discharged just today and Kaito, having heard of the news, had dragged the detective left and right and miraculously, nothing happened (as in body count: 0). Shinichi mentioned it somewhere in the middle of their lunch to which Kaito looked up from his chocolate cake and just stared at the detective dead in the eye and said "Don't jinx us, Shin-chan". The Heisei Holmes held back a laugh at the memory. At one point, Kaito was determined to chuck a big piece of chocolate cake down his mouth and hope his throat can somehow accommodate. One part of the detective still thought it was a mystery how Kaito didn't choke and the other part couldn't for the life of him explain why he still found that sight of the eccentric magician attractive.
"You're right, Rina. Love makes humans crazy" Just like a habit, Shinichi turned to his right and conversed, only to be (once again) reminded that there wasn't anyone there. Shinichi sighed, shaking his head at his own ridiculous behavior. It was the third time today...
Well, still an improvement from yesterday, I guess… if I don't count the time I turned my head to the side…
Shinichi didn't know that their small conversations had become a routine for him until he started talking to her even though she wasn't there. It seemed Shinichi wasn't excluded from the rule of human's nature. He, too, was blind to gradual changes. He turned to the soundly asleep magician and pondered if the same thing can be applied. When did Kaito stop being just a best friend and turned into a person he couldn't live without in his heart?
No, Shinichi remembered the moment when he noticed he had fallen. Hard. It was a normal day and a casual hangout for the both of them… if he didn't count the small change in Kaito's dessert. Shinichi fleetingly recalled his bubbling curiosity and asking the upbeat magician why lemon pie instead of his usual brownies.
"I just want to know why my critic adores lemon pie so much…"
"And? What's your verdict?" The said magician was already halfway through the slice so Shinichi figured he was more than ready to give his opinion.
"At first, it leaves a sour taste on the tongue but once you've gotten past the outer layer, the inside is unexpectedly sweet and soft. There's a distinctive flavor in there that I can't put my finger on as well" Kaito commented, closing his eyes as if to accurately wrap his mind around the flavor. "Well, I'm sure I can figure it out in a few more bites" Satisfied with his discovery, the magician took another bite of the said dessert, "All in all, it reminds me every bit of you, Shin-chan"
…followed by a stunning smile that can blind the whole universe.
Shinichi giggled into the blanket wrapped around the both of them, wondering if Kaito remembered it as vividly as he did. The detective also wanted to shake his head at his sudden recognition then… His brain had short circuited and his exact thought was: …Oh no. Because it stood to reason that thinking your best friend was cute (charming, gorgeous, amazing) was the first sign showing you were screwed in more ways than one.
"Hey, what if I asked him for his hand in marriage at that time? Do you think he'd accept?" Shinichi half-heartedly joked, glancing at the space beside himself, realizing for the umpteenth time that he was alone with Kaito…
Ah…But I bet she'll say no. She's usually right about these things… the Heisei Holmes caught himself thinking, letting his mind wander down the memory lane once again.
Oh, Shinichi did try the brownies that Kaito loved so much. He was consumed with so much sweetness with just a bite that it was slightly dizzying but it wasn't just a bland taste of sugar alone but bursting with honey and chocolate mixed together that felt just right. There was touch of bitterness in there that was only visible on the third piece and Shinichi appreciated the small diversity of flavor nonetheless. There was something very familiar about it and it only took him a moment to realize that the dark, rich and sweet flavor that melted right into him had reminded him of Kaito bites after bites. That was probably why he was able to finish the slice without feeling the need to cleanse his mouth.
…Maybe he had been in love ever since the first time their eyes met. The raven squashed the thought as it came because he still liked Ran at that point. Maybe he would still be had the brunet didn't come crashing into his life. Literally. You could say "landing" but that would be putting it lightly.
There was a heist around Beika that night, not that Shinichi had cared at the time. He was stuck as Conan and had just said his goodbye to Ran, telling her not to wait anymore, and he was sure she would be drowning herself in tears so returning to the agency was not his option. The only place that he could return to that would distract him from his own dilemma was the Kudo Manor. And sure enough, an injured phantom thief fainting on his balcony proved to be a great distraction. The white-clad gentleman wasn't even conscious to give Shinichi a reason why he was there, but the detective supposed a bullet wound was sufficient as a story itself.
Shinichi silently marveled at his own ability to cope. Normally, if Kaito KID was in your house bleeding and on the verge of death, you think you'd be stunned for a while. But then again, maybe that was why the moonlit thief had picked this specific manor to make his landing. Shinichi wasn't exactly "normal" per se so he was able to immediately get down to treating the wound much thanks to Haibara's guidance (she had to sit him down and tell him how to deal with these things in case he ever catch himself injured without her around).
By the time the thief's breathing settled down, Shinichi had been pretty much too tired to actually think about anything else.
"Tantei-kun, how about we form a truce for a short while?"
Suggested the phantom thief after both of them had been conscious enough for a small exchange and the detective didn't have any reason to refuse, really. Thus, the deal was sealed with a quiet breakfast (…and Kaito nagging for a cup of hot chocolate).
Come to think of it, it was probably the thief's occupying his mind during those days that he got himself together so quickly. There were still some heavy moping that took place but admittedly, having an always-scheming magician next to you, you ought to snap out of it fast enough before he throws a bucket of paint on your head.
The detective quietly chuckled, taking a sip of coffee from his mug, which never failed to remind him of when Kaito replaced all of his beautiful white mugs with the disasters that had "I love Kaito KID" written on them. It was at that point in their friendship that Shinichi no longer bothered and just closed the cabinet with a deep sigh, taking the "Happy KID's day" note with him.
The sudden music that played cut his daydream short as the raven blinked at the TV's bright screen, grimacing at the sudden light-filled theme that was the direct opposite of the dark room.
-'Astro, you know I can't accept your feelings. Let's stay as friends'
The second love interest, Astro Allium, was turned down, expectedly, if the constant lingering gazes between Penelope Asphodel, the third daughter of the Asphodel's family and the private detective, Lapis Skylark, was any indication.
…Shinichi couldn't help feeling a bit of pity. He hadn't been paying attention but supposedly, Astro must be really infatuated with Penelope since he was pursuing a relationship that his entire family was against The Asphodel and Allium have been rivals for years, if the description on the disk cover was to be trusted.
Friends… That must have stung a lot…
The Heisei Holmes watched the changes in Astro's expression, contemplating his own situation. He admired the guy's resolve, nevertheless. Worst case scenario, he wouldn't even be able to talk to Penelope anymore. That was why, Shinichi, on the other hand, was a coward through and through.
-'You can't possibly be thinking about running away with Skylark… He's just a detective. He won't be able to take care of you', his voice cracked a little, no longer able to keep up the calm façade
Shinichi held in a laugh, suddenly reminded of that single comment from Kusarina.
What was it… The detective hummed slightly,
With an unnecessarily repulsed expression, she clicked her tongue and went "Humans are disgusting. When they can't get something, they just have to make sure others can't, as well"
Personally, Shinichi thought the comment was a bit too harsh, considering that it was directed at a cheap romance-drama film. Still, looking at Astro's desperate attempt at putting Lapis down, her words seemed to hold some truth in them.
-'But I love him, Astro...' She then smiled, facing Astro's contorted expression with a radiant smile, continuing, 'It's amazing what love can do, huh?'
Cerulean eyes unconsciously drifted to the magician, their owner shaking his head… You have no idea, Penelope
From time to time, Kusarina still brought up the purple necktie incident to remind Shinichi of what an idiot he had become over something mildly trivial when it came to Kaito.
"This was a bad idea," The detective murmured to himself repeatedly, hurried footsteps resounding against the wooden floor of the shop, his blue eyes darting over the glass cases, trying to pick out another tie in replacement of his lavender one.
"This is ridiculous" the spirit besides him trailed along, matching his steps, sighing. "I think that tie looks fine, detective. There's no reason to do this" Confused, she consoled, watching him hurrying around.
"It's not about 'looks'…" Going a little pink, he looked around before answering in a small whisper, pausing in the middle of tie-hunting, "Last time, Kaito said that purple fitted me well. And if I suddenly wear this one, wouldn't it look like I'm trying to…" Shinichi didn't finish. He deemed it unnecessary.
…The Heisei Holmes found it kind of funny that she never mentioned that single comment at the end, when the detective could finally calm down after putting on the green tie he bought. Maybe it was her own brand of empathy towards his dilemma,
"Shinichi, he didn't even detect anything wrong that time when you slipped and said, and I quote "I really like your smile"… What leads you to thinking that he'd notice you changed your tie?"
…Her statement held a bold truth in it. Come to think of it, he never had a chance to give her a reply, seeing as Kaito had arrived not a second later-
Out of nowhere, the melody started once more, piano keys jammed together beautifully to amount to a perfect confession scene. It seemed to be the ongoing pattern of this romantic thriller.
-Estrella Starlace, probably the most relatable character out of everyone, stood in front of Astro, tears streaming down her face, her calm façade rapidly falling apart,
"I've always known that you love her. That's why I told myself not to expect anything, but it's useless. I always ended up overthinking every little thing that you do for me. I've had enough… " She managed between sobs,
"Star…" Astro was admittedly dumb-founded, not knowing what to do with the crying Estrella.
"…I like you, Astro" she meekly choked out, "I like you…"
Astro's expression softened as he pulled Estrella into a hug, "I know now, Star…"
"I like you so much…" she continued, eyes red and voice hoarse, "I like you"
…Shinichi vaguely recalled reading somewhere that if you believe something hard enough; it will become reality as the universe always works in your favor. Shinichi, being the realist that he was, wasn't wholly convinced. It wasn't so much as if you believed you could fly, you would grow a pair of wings but more along the lines that if you were that desperate about it, you would find a way. Evidently, humans didn't grow out wings. Instead, they have airplanes. To Shinichi, or at least to that logical part of him, it was all about effort. Estrella stayed by Astro's side from start till end, devoting her whole being to him, thus earning his trust, and in the future, probably his love, as well. But even then, did it always work that way? No. It didn't… Effort could still fail you, especially in feelings. However, when Shinichi looked at Kaito and his amethyst eyes, Shinichi wanted to believe that if he tried hard enough, Kaito would fall in love with him. He wanted to believe that maybe, if he repeated it enough times, it would come true-
Shinichi was suddenly startled by dark brown locks tickling his neck as their owner shifted, leaning even closer, showing no sign of waking up.
"Chocolate cake…" he happily murmured in his sleep, causing Shinichi to break into a small fit of giggle. It was just like Kaito.
Shinichi stared at the TV screen, then back at the magician, contemplating. The film was heading to its finale, so it was probably the right time to wake him up. Shinichi's shoulder was gradually falling asleep as well.
-The end was, indeed, in sight as Lapis had decided to propose to Penelope in the middle of a ball.
'Penelope, will you marry me?'
Shinichi silently watched the scene play out as (predictably) Penelope busted into streams of tears, a string of 'yes'-s falling from her lips as the two characters both leaned in for a hug. It seemed like the film was reaching its conclusion. A happy one.
"Shinichi, do you think you could've had a different outcome had you insisted Kaito on not confessing?"
Fleetingly, her words echoed through his mind, accompanied with amber, ashes and dust…
-The scene cut, jumping to the ceremony everyone had been anticipating.
Penelope broke into a smile; happiest, more gorgeous than she had ever been in a snow white dress as she walked down the aisle, just a moment away from 'happily ever after'.
…Shinichi would be lying if he said he hadn't selfishly thought of it. But confession or not, feelings were all that mattered. Even if he had stopped Kaito, it would only be a delay to an inevitable happy ending.
-Lapis and Penelope never left each other's gazes, drinking in one another's expression
Vows made, prayers told, rings exchanged, Penelope Asphodel, now Skylark, stared into her beloved's eyes, ready to be whisked away in a fairytale ahead.
…Everyone loved happy endings, himself included. Maybe it wasn't "all around" happy. Astro, even as the story reached its final stage, still held on to his unrequited love for Penelope and had tried to separate Lapis from her. Shinichi refused to be Astro. He refused to be an antagonist in his own story. Cerulean eyes stilled on the screen, as if entranced, their owner bitterly laughed. He was already becoming unsightly from the unfounded bout of jealousy; he just really didn't want to sink any lower than this.
-'You may kiss the bride', and that was maybe what they had waited all ceremony to do – a kiss to intertwine their fates together, forever.
"Shin-chan?"
Beside him, the magician shuffled to a wake, sleepily rubbing his eyes.
"I told you we should've picked something else. You slept through most of it", Shinichi said the thing he had been waiting the whole film to say to the Heisei Lupin, partly amused.
"Hey! I at least know the maid did it…" Kaito came to his own defense, "Did she?" He then added a moment later, turning to Shinichi to look for his confirmation,
"She did. It was really obvious, though" Shinichi sighed, a little disappointed that the mystery turned out to only be a bait, "Well, the rest are just poor attempts to make us cry" He then shrugged, turning to face the magician, only to be greeted with a concerned stare,
"Shin-chan," The atmosphere around them grew silent as the credit rolled, "Is something wrong? You look a little…" Kaito didn't continue, worried eyes glued to the detective's surprised ones.
Shinichi really didn't know what kind of face he was making that warranted the question…
"I'm just kind of cold, no big deal", the Heisei Holmes, with all of his brilliance, wasn't sure what Kaito wanted to hear, so he decided to settle for something trivial. Maybe his thoughts affected him more than he was willing to let on, even to himself. Before he could elaborate any further, Kaito engulfed him in a hug, wrapping the blanket around him in the action. In that moment, Shinichi came to understand why Estrella was so inclined to reject Astro's comfort. Trapped in the arms of the magician, the detective felt like a puddle of liquid put in a tiny container on the verge of overflowing. Everything that he shouldn't say at that moment was threatening to spill.
"Your body's temperature is super low, Shin-chan… Even worse than Aoko's" He started, his voice had gone back to its usual cheerfulness, calming Shinichi down a little. That said, nothing could be done about his rapidly beating heart, though.
…"I've always known that you love her"
"Maybe yours is just too high"… or too warm, his mind unhelpfully supplied. Shinichi allowed himself to be indulged just for a little while, engaging the magician in a light-hearted conversation as he slowly relaxed. His eyelids fluttered shut.
... "That's why I told myself not to expect anything"
The magician chuckled at his comment, intertwining their fingers together to keep the detective from the chilly air, "That's perfect. We cancel each other out", he then said, erupting a small laugh from Shinichi.
"'cancel'? What is this, some sort of cheesy superhero movie?" Shinichi threw in a casual comment, more to distract himself from the hand around his than anything…
… "-but it's useless. I always ended up overthinking every little thing that you do for me"
"I can be the Flame Master, and you can be the Ice Lord… How about it, Shin-chan? Want to rule the world together?" The Heisei Holmes couldn't help but turn a little red. A part of him wanted to shake his head because of course the magician would love the idea of superpowers, and the other part of him hated himself for thinking the last line would be a romantic marriage proposal.
… "I like you"
"Don't you mean 'save' the world?" Shinichi managed to give a comeback, all the while wondering if he could just melt right then and there, inside of Kaito's arms.
"But that's too typical, Shin-chan", he could practically feel the whine in the magician's voice.
… "I like you so much"
"And you never do typical…" The detective smiled as he said, feeling his body growing warmer by the second.
"You know me best, Shin-chan~", Kaito said with a hint of playfulness, pulling the detective even closer.
… "I like you"
Silence once again settled over them, only to be broken just a second later by the Heisei Lupin's soft sigh. He didn't say anything for the longest of time, only tightening his hold on Shinichi's hand. The detective, a little weirded out by Kaito's action, blinked his eyes open.
"Shinichi…" he started, as the raven tensed, realizing that maybe the magician wasn't buying his earlier lie at all, "There's something that you want to tell me, right?"
… "I like you"
"…What makes you say that?" the detective looked at the space ahead of him from the magician's shoulder, pondering what his perceptive amber-eyed companion would advise him to do in this situation. Nevertheless, he was more than glad that he wouldn't have to look straight into those indigo eyes and make up something believable. Shinichi was never a good liar.
The magician shrugged, lightening up the mood with his cheerful reply, "I'm your best friend, Shin-chan. I just have to take one look at you to know what you're thinking", followed by a triumphant hum.
… "I like you"
The detective offered a snort in return. Although amused, he didn't find it in him to entertain the thought.
"I won't force you to say it if you don't want to, Shin-chan. Just take your time…" he lowered his voice in a more serious tone, reassuring the detective with a pat on the back.
… "I like you"
Shinichi nodded wordlessly, welcoming the comforting gesture. Ocean blue eyes once again leveled his gaze at the vacant space ahead,
"Shinichi, what does 'happily ever after' entails?" Moonlit eyes wide, she voiced, watching the cheesiest rom-com ever come to an end…
He never did seriously sit down and give it a thought. But right now, he would be able to give her an answer…
For Penelope, it was a pair of rings, vows, and a bind to Lapis forever and ever.
For Estrella, it was her freedom from her duty, her father's dignity regained, and Astro's everything.
For Astro, it was his mother's love, his family's conflicts resolved, and Penelope's affection.
For Shinichi, what he had was nowhere near 'happily ever after', but it was enough. He didn't need something as grand as a wedding, as concrete as a ring, or as eternal as a vow. His happiness was a pair of indigo eyes, a dazzling smile, and a witty remark. His happiness was Friday nights binge watching terrible mystery thrillers together. It was cringing over each other's drink choice at every chance. It was trying to write a heist note together and arguing for hours on how it turned out. It was right now, when he had the other in his arms, without having to worry about anything else.
…It was messy, chaotic, unconventional, but, Shinichi decided, it was the closest to 'happily ever after' he'd ever have.
I'm really sorry that it took like a year for me to update. I was really happy with how it turned out, and I hope you guys are, too. Hopefully, the next chapter would be not for long since summer break is coming soon. But don't hold me on that. I'm really no good with keeping up with self-made deadlines. Also, thank you for all of your support. I really appreciate it.
Well, as always, I hope you had fun reading!
-Crystalette