Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed.

Pairing: KaitoxShinichi

Chapter Rating: M

Collection Summary: No matter where or what they are, their lives are always entwined. KaiShin stories in fantasy settings.

Chapter Summary: Working for a magician comes with certain hazards.

Note: This would be set after Chasing Shadows.

Work Hazards

[Castle Verse]

When Kaito had told him that he had decided to replace the cabin that Aoko had burned down with a stone tower (to hopefuly reduce the chances of the same thing happening again in the future), Shinichi had expected that the place would be unavailable for a long time. Then the building had been completed in record time, and Shinichi had had serious misgivings about its stability. Now that they were here though, he was pleasantly surprised.

The tower stood in the heart of a lovely, flowering meadow that no longer showed any signs that it had once been the target of an irate dragon's wrath. The building itself had five floors. The ground floor was a cool and roomy storage chamber where the special herbs and other ingrediants gathered from this particular forest were stored after they were collected and prepared and before they could be transported. The second floor consisted of a kitchen and sitting room. Guest quarters were on the third floor, and the entirety of the fourth was the master bedroom. The last and highest level of the tower was Kaito's workroom. While having the workrooom at the top of the tower meant a lot of things had to be carried up and down several flights of stairs on a regular basis, it was still the most logical arrangement because any volatile spells worked up there that went wrong would only blow the roof off.

"Like it?" Kaito asked after he'd shown Shinichi all the floors.

"It's nice," Shinichi said. "A lot more comfortable than I expected."

"What, were you picturing some drafty, cold tower?"

"Well…sort of," he admitted. "So is it just the two of us this time?"

"Yep. We only have two objectives this time. We'll be making Hearth Potions. We'll get those started today, since they'll need to simmer for the whole week before we can bottle them. Once we've got them started, we can spend the rest of the week harvesting Lunar Berries. Should be a nice, relaxing week."

"What're Hearth Potions?" Shinichi asked, curious. "I've never heard of them before."

"They're a powerful restorative. They can cure a wide variety of ailments, but their most commonly used by pregnant women to ensure healthy babies and a safe delivery."

"I see. Are they hard to make?"

"Well, the process is delicate, which is one reason we're making them out here. Fewer disturbances and all that. Though I'd call the process more time-consuming than difficult. That, and the ingrediants are pretty rare. Speaking of which, it seems my order was already delivered."

"Your order?" Shinichi followed Kaito's gaze to where half a dozen flower pots stood in a row along the tower wall next to the door. Each pot contained a small, rather fragile-looking plant with a long stalk much like an orchid's from which there hung a cluster of pink, bell-shaped blossoms.

"These are the only ingrediant that don't grow near here. So I had some delivered. Let's have brunch first. Then we can get to work."

They headed into the tower, where they found the pantry already fully stocked. Shinichi made them pancakes, bacon and eggs while Kaito went around opening all the windows to let in the warm, late summer breeze. Then they sat down to a comfortable meal. The day really was off to a perfect start.

"There are a few ingredients that have to be fresh, so I'll be heading out to get them. It may take a few hours," Kaito said once they had finished. "Could you get these ingredients from the store room and take them up to the workroom?" He pulled a list out of thin air and handed it to Shinichi. "When you're done with those, I'd also like you to carry those potted plants outside up there too. Be really careful with those. If you jostle them too much, the pollen will get everywhere."

"Is it poisonous?"

Kaito laughed. "What? No. It's nothing like that. It's powerful stuff, but it's harmless."

Figuring that that meant the pollen had strong magical properties, Shinichi didn't bother asking more about the potted plants. Instead, he took the list and read it over to make sure he recognized all of its contents. It wasn't until later that he would realize he really should have asked Kaito for details.

It took a good hour to locate all the ingredients on the list Kaito had given him, measure out the required amounts, and carry it all up o the workroom. It wasn't until everything else was accounted for that Shinichi set about moving the potted plants.

He got the first three plants up to the workroom without any mishaps. Climbing all those stairs without jostling the flowers wasn't easy though. By the fourth pot, he was beginning to get a little impatient. Having already successfully moved three plants without issue, he felt comfortable moving a little faster. He had made it to the third floor when his toe caught on a step and he stumbled. It was a tiny stumble, but the tall, thin stalk of the plant he was carrying shook, and the air instantly filled with a cloud of glittering pollen. Shinichi would have been amazed by the way the pollen shimmered as though with a light of its own if he hadn't been busy sneezing. As it was, he had to clutch onto the pot tightly to keep from dropping it while he sneezed several more times. Each sneeze sent new tremors through the plant, which led to more pollen, which naturally caused more sneezing until Shinichi managed to half fall, half lower himself to the ground so that he could set the pot aside. Then he turned away and took several deep, gasping breaths while pinching the bridge of his nose. Finally, the sneezing fit subsided.

Relieved but also slightly worried, Shinichi spent a long moment sitting there on the landing, assessing how he felt. After all, Kaito had warned him about not shaking out the pollen. Other than a faint dizzziness, however, Shinichi didn't feel any different. Well, Kaito had also said the pollen was harmless. Shrugging, Shinichi got back to his feet, retrieved the pot, and proceeded with much greater care towards the workroom.

However, the dizziness didn't go away. If anything, it grew stronger. With it came an odd queasiness in the pit of his stomach. By the time he managed to get the last pot up into the workroom, Shinichi felt like he was swimming through a heat haze. His thoughts and the world around him seemed to be spinning slowly, and his senses felt both sharper and duller than they should be at the same time even though he had no idea how that was possible.

Could Kaito have been wrong when he said the plants weren't poisonous? But no, Kaito wouldn't make that kind of mistake.

Swaying unsteadily on his feet, Shinichi descended the stairs from the workroom with one hand on the wall. Maybe a shower would help clear his head. The thought came and was quickly dismissed. He wasn't sure he could make it through a shower at the moment. Instead, he staggered to the large bed in the master bedroom and collapsed onto the covers.

A nap. That was what he needed.

Shinichi didn't know how long he lay there drifting in and out of consciousness. All he knew was that what finally dragged him back to the present was the heat. He felt like he was burning up.

He groaned into the pillow. It was late summer, but this was ridiculous. He rolled over, trying to find a cooler spot on the bed. It didn't help. Fumbling with the buttons on his shirt, he undid them. That didn't help either. It was as though there was a fire creeping under his skin. He rolled over again, his breathing beginning to come in shorter gasps.

That was when he noticed something he realized he should have noticed sooner and suddenly thought he knew exactly what kind of power those stupid flowers had. After all, there was no other possible explanation for the fact that his pants were currently uncomfortably tight, and the whole room had become hot to the point of suffocating despite the light breeze coming in through the open window.

Turning over again, he lay there spread-eagled on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and contemplating what he should do next and how he had landed himself in this ridiculous situation.

Fifteen minutes of boring holes in the ceiling with his eyes did not, however, do what he had hoped and make the…problem go away.

He let out a frustrated groan. There was no way he wanted to still be in this state when Kaito got back. It was just too embarrassing. But the only way, it seemed, that he could get rid of the problem if calming thoughts weren't working was to deal with it himself.

Even thinking about it made Shinichi blush. Still, the faster he got it over with, the better. And then he could forget that this had ever happened.

Despite having made up his mind, it was another few minutes before Shinichi moved to shimmy out of his clothes. It would have taken even longer if he hadn't been worried about Kaito showing up. Blushing madly, he lay back down on the bed, trying very hard not to think about how embarrassing this was as he began to stroke his own arousal. He shuddered and swallowed a moan. But something just didn't feel right. His hand began to move faster of its own accord as the ire inside him grew. His hips twitched as he found himself panting for breath, but the sense of wrongness only intensified along with a desperate yearning that coiled in the pit of his stomach.

He wiggled around on the bed, pressing his hips and bottom into the mattress as he squirmed in increasing discomfort. None of this felt right.

He wished it was Kaito touching him. An image of the magician's smirking face flashed through his mind, and he shivered. That was what was wrong. Kaito's hands were slightly larger than his—more calloused too, considering he was always tinkering whereas Shinichi spent most of his days with books.

Shinichi groaned again. Thinking about Kaito was only making things worse, but he couldn't seem to stop. He wanted to feel Kaito's hands on his skin. To feel the magician's lean, strong body against his—moving inside him—

Shinichi whimppered. He had to do something or he was going to lose his mind.

Getting to his hands and knees, Shinichi crawled over to the edge of the bed and reached for the nightstand drawer. He rummaged around its contents until he found a bottle of massage oil. Relieved, he twisted off the top with shaking fingers and squeazed a generous amount onto his palm, coating his fingers. Then he lay back down again and spread his legs.

One hand returned to its earlier stroking of his erect member while the other sought out his twitching hole. He pushed one finger then two inside. A quiet moan left his lips. Bending his knees and spreading his legs wider to give himself better access, he began thrusting his fingers in and out in time with his other hand. He could feel the pleasure building with the heat, but his fingers couldn't seem to find the right spot. Biting back a frustrated whimper, Shinichi pushed his fingers in deeper as the hand he was stroking himself with sped up.

He came over his own hands with a stifled cry, but rather than dying down, the heat in his body only seemed to grow more intense. An almost desperate whine escaped his lips as he squirmed about on the bed.

What was going on? He felt even worse than he had before. He was still painfully hard, and the heat inside him felt like it would consume him alive, and all he could think about was how none of it had felt right.

"It seems someone didn't listen to my warning," an all too familiar voice said. "Although I must say, I'm rather glad you didn't. That was quite the show."

Shinichi would like very much to just die now.

With his eyes squeezed shut, Shinichi wished really hard that the ground (or should that be the bed?) would just open up and swallow him whole.

It did not oblige.

"Now, now, no need to be like that." Kaito's voice drew nearer.

Shinichi immediately grabbed a pillow and tried to smother himself with it.

"Oi." Hands tugged the pillow from Shinichi's grasp. "That's not going to help anyone."

Shinichi cracked open one eye to peek at Kaito then quickly shut it again. Seeing Kaito leaning over him had sent a renewed wave of heat pulsing through his body.

I'm not here, he thought fiercely at the world in general. I'm not here. This is not happening. It's just a dream. I'm going to wake up any moment now.

Long, calloused fingers caught his chin in a firm but gentle grip. "Honestly, Shin-chan, I'm sorry about teasing you. You know you have nothing to be ashamed of, right? Though I must admit, it's cute how you can still be so shy about such things after all this time."

"I thought you said you were going to stop teasing me," Shinichi grumbled, but he relaxed as he felt the mattress dip as Kaito slid onto the bed next to him. An excited shiver raced up his spine as he sensed that the body next to his was also bare.

Kaito chuckled, leaning down to brush his lips over Shinichi's. "Sorry. Couldn't help it," he murmured before catching Shinichi's lips in a second, much more passionate kiss as he ran his hands down Shinichi's sensitive body.

Shinichi melted under him with a quiet moan that became a whine of protest when Kaito broke the kiss. Big blue eyes blinked pleadingly up at the magician from a flushed face.

"Don't worry," he crooned. "Doctor Kaito knows how to make you feel better~."

Sitting back a little, Kaito glanced around. He plucked the bottle of massage oil from where it lay on the covers and coated his fingers in the sweetly scented oil. Then he spread Shinichi's legs farther apart and moved to sit between them, noticing how Shinichi was trembling slightly with barely suppressed need, and pressed two fingers into his beloved's already slick entrance. The way Shinichi clenched eagerly around his fingers made Kaito's own achingly hard member throb in anticipation. He hadn't thought it was possible for him to get any more aroused after getting to watch his adorable Shin-chan touch himself so wantonly, but apparently he'd been wrong.

Shinichi's breath left him in a quiet moan of pleasure as Kaito's fingers began thrusting in and out of him. Reaching out, he pulled Kaito down for a slow, heated kiss. Tongues met and tangled.

Kaito eased a third finger into his lover's tight hole, pressing in deeper until he found that spot that made Shinichi gasp and buck under him. Smirking, he continued to paw mercilessly at that spot, delighting in the way it made Shinichi mewl and writhe in pleasure.

Shinichi tossed his head against the pillows with a gasp, baring his neck to Kaito's hungry mouth. He tangled his fingers in Kaito's messy brown hair.

"Kai, p—please," he whimpered.

Kaito hummed against his throat. "It's okay," he murmured, trailing back up to Shinichi's lips and capturing them in a deep kiss as he removed his fingers and replaced them with his throbbing cock.

Shinichi moaned as Kaito thrust slowly into him, prying apart his sensitive walls to slide in deeper. He could feel himself stretching to accommodate the intrusion until Kaito was finally fully sheathed inside him. The sensation of being filled by the magician's hard length made his toes curl. Tingles of pleasure raced along his nerves. This was it, he thought dazedly as a contented sigh escaped his lips. This was what he'd been missing.

"Like that?" Kaito teased. "Well, we're only getting started."

Pulling out, he thrust himself all the way back inside in one firm, demanding stroke, filling Shinichi to the brim and thrusting hard against Shinichi's sweet spot. Shinichi's back arched as a cry of pure pleasure tore itself from his lips.

Kaito relished the feeling of Shinichi constricting around him each time he thrust against that spot that made Shinichi arch beneath him. And those delicious little gasps and cries of pleasure only turned him on even more. Any thoughts he might have had about anything and everything but Shinichi had completely fled his mind. All his attention was focused on the lithe body arching under his—that deliciously hot passage wrapped tight around his pulsing cock.

"Harder," Shinichi gasped, blunt fingernails scraping down Kaito's back.

He felt more than heard the magician growl. Then Kaito was pounding into him faster and deeper than before, and what little there was left of Shinichi's coherent thoughts melted away, and all that was left was Kaito.

He was completely unaware of the pale scratches his blunt nails were leaving down his magician's strong back. All of his being was focused only on the feeling of Kaito's body pressed flush against his—thrusting into him again and again and again, touching all the right places inside him with each thrust. Caught by the relentless waves of pleasure coursing through his body, Shinichi writhed and moaned in breathless ecstasy.

He didn't want it to end. But the stimulation soon became too much, and Shinichi came screaming his magician's name as his rear constricted around said magician's pulsating cock. With a sound somewhere between a growl and a moan, Kaito grabbed his lover's hips and sped up, pounding mercilessly into Shinichi's willing body until he too came, releasing his hot essence deep inside his beloved. Shinichi's entire body shuddered at the sensation of having Kaito come inside him, filling him with his very essence. And another moan of contented pleasure escapes Shinichi's lips.

This was what he had been craving all day. This feeling of being utterly and entirely Kaito's. Of being whole.

A warm, contented silence fell over them as they lay there together, riding out the last waves of pleasure from their lovemaking. Once they had both caught their breaths, Kaito moved to pull out of his lover, but Shinichi let out a whine, and the legs wrapped around Kaito's waist tightened, keeping him inside.

"Don't go," Shinichi murmured, eyes still closed.

Kaito's lips quirked into a wry smile as he settled back down, propping himself up on his elbows so he could examin Shinichi's face. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

Dazed blue eyes slowly blinked open to gaze up at him. There was a long silence as those eyes cleared, and Kaito thought he could actually see the gears turning in Shinichi's head as his mind cleared. The pink blush that had faded earlier slowly crept back into Shinichi's cheeks.

Shinichi opened his mouth then shut it again. "Those flowers," he started again and stopped, clearly not sure how to proceed.

Kaito chuckled. "I did warn you. Its nickname is the Lovers Bell for a reason."

"You never told me that," Shinichi huffed.

Kaito blinked at him innocently. "I didn't?"

Shinichi was not impressed. "No."

"Oh. Well, now you know. The pollen affects everyone a little differently, but it always causes an intense need for physical intimacy with the person you love. Only children, the elderly, and those who have no one they're romantically attracted to are immune. Oh, and the effect only gets worse if you try to do something about it yourself." He smirked at Shinichi's mortified expression. That embarrassed face was just too cute, so he leaned forward to steal another kiss. "I just had a great idea," he murmured slyly, nibbling on Shinichi's lower lip. "Let's bring one home with us. It would be much easier to teach you everything you should know about it if we had one on hand."

Turning bright red, Shinichi spluttered a vehement protest and tried to squirm out from under Kaito with half a mind to go throw the aforementioned plants, pots and all, out the window. All he managed to do, however, was to remind them both that they were still in a very intimate position.

Kaito made a low, guteral noise in the back of his throat as he felt Shinichi spasm around him. "Asking for more already?"

"Kaito," Shinichi half squeaked, half whimpered as he covered his face with his hands. He was suddenly acutely aware that Kaito was hard again, and he realized with renewed embarrassment that Kaito wasn't the only one.

The realization made his hips rocked in instinctive response as the muscles in his rear clenched around the hard length inside him. An involuntary moan escaped his lips, and he blushed harder.

Kaito chuckled. "No need to be shy." Brushing Shinichi's hands away from his face, Kaito leaned down to brush a soft kiss across Shinichi's lips. Then he smirked, indigo eyes gleaming in a way that made Shinichi's breath hitch in his throat. "Looks like it's time for your next treatment session~."

-0-

"Those flowers are awful," Shinichi grumbled into the mug of hot chocolate he had cradled in his hands. He was curled up on a very plush armchair that Kaito had conjured into the workroom for him and watching the magician mix up the Hearth Potions.

Kaito laughed, dropping a handful of golden berries into each of the six simmering pots. "Oh come now, that's a bit harsh, don't you think? You can't say you didn't enjoy yourself. We both know you did."

Shinichi blushed and glared. "That's not the point. They're dangerous."

"Maybe a little," Kaito conceded. "But not as much as you might think. After all, they only enhance a person's own natural desires, and they can't make you feel anything for someone you don't already have feelings for, so it's not like you can use them to take advantage of people."

"Yeah, well, what if someone got a whiff of that pollen but the person they liked didn't return their feelings? What are they supposed to do then? It would be torture."

"Oh." The magician paused then returned to stirring the brews. "I didn't think of that. You're right. That would be pretty terrible. Well, I've heard there's an antidote. And I believe the effects do wear off over time without being dealt with if you can bear with it. It just takes a lot longer. You could probably take a powerful sleeping draft and hope it's over by the time you wake up."

Shinichi snorted. "Like I said. They're awful."

"I still say you're being too harsh. Their medicinal properties more than make up for any inconveniences they cause. Besides, they only grow in one small area, and the village that harvests them have been doing so forever. They know what they're doing."

"And what about those?" Shinichi nodded towards the potted plants lined up by the wall behind a shimmering magical barrier. "If they make such amazing medicine, I imagine lots of plants get exported. And if they're so rare, most people probably wouldn't know what to be careful of."

"No need to worry there either. The plants need the natural energies of their native land to thrive. If removed, they lose their magical properties after about three to four weeks. And the seeds won't sprout new plants elsewhere either."

Shinichi sighed. "Well, that's something to be grateful for at least. I guess that means it wouldn't do much even if you did take one home, huh."

"Not after the first week or so, no. Does that mean you'd be okay with me bringing one back?"

"Absolutely not. Don't even think about it."

"You realize I'm the master here. If I want to bring one back, you can't stop me~."

"Maybe not. But I can make sure the chefs cook nothing but fish for the next month."

-End of Chapter-