Shinichi stared at the rose in his hand, as if demanding it give up its secrets. The rose, being a flower and thus unable to speak, of course revealed nothing. He let out a sigh.
"Shinichi, that's the fourth wistful sigh in 30 minutes."
He jolted in surprise, having forgotten about his mom. She had surprised him by showing up at his off-campus apartment unannounced and had promptly let herself into his bedroom with a large rolling suitcase behind her. He had a sneaking suspicion that that suitcase was full of clothes for him and that she was currently reorganizing his closet. Well, his mother did always have good taste; it was probably okay to let her do whatever she wanted. At least that was what he originally had thought, until he forgot that she was there.
"It wasn't a "wistful" sigh, kaa-san, it was just…a perfectly normal sigh," he finished lamely.
She gave him a look that said she obviously didn't believe him, and he knew he was in trouble. "That's a beautiful rose, Shin-chan. Where did you get it from?"
"From Kai-Kuroba," he finally answered.
She immediately brightened, "From Kuroba-kun? That's great, Shinichi! I know you've been pining for him for the longest time."
He immediately felt the tips of his ears grow warm and quickly moved to correct her, "I have not been pining for him!" She gave him a flat look, and he winced. It was the same look that Ran and Haibara would sometimes give him when he got caught in a lie, and it promised pain if he tried to continue.
He quickly backpedaled. "Alright, maybe I have a small crush on him. It doesn't matter anyway, he doesn't like me like that. And don't even try to tell me that this-" he gestured at the rose- "means anything, because he gives red roses to pretty much everyone. It's practically his signature trick. It means nothing that he gave one to me."
Yukiko frowned, "How do you know he doesn't like you like that? Have you talked to him?"
"I haven't," he admitted but continued stubbornly, "but I feel like by now I would have seen something, anything that might hint that he feels the same way. But he only treats me like a friend. A close friend, but nothing more."
"Maybe he's hiding his feelings because he's afraid you might not feel the same way?" She offered.
Shinichi felt like he could laugh. Did she even realize how absurd her statement was? "Kuroba would never be afraid of something like that; he's way too confident. And even if someone he liked didn't return his feelings, I'm sure he wouldn't have much trouble moving on."
"Because he's popular?" Yukiko asked.
Shinichi snorted, "That's a bit of an understatement, and of course he's popular. Not only is he attractive, but he also has genius level intelligence, and he's a nice guy. He makes friends with everyone he talks to and is always making people laugh. His magic is so amazing that I even find myself getting caught up in it sometimes. His smile is stunning and will instantly brighten your day, and he has the most beautiful laugh I've ever heard."
"Shinichi," Yukiko said, voice full of pity.
He played back everything he had said trying to figure out what had caused her tone, then felt his whole face heat up. Had he really just been gushing about Kaito to his mom?
"That sounds like more than a crush to me. I think you might be in love with Kuroba-kun," she said gently.
Shinichi was at a loss for how to respond. His mom was usually so bubbly and constantly teasing him that he often felt like the roles were reversed when he talked to her, as if he was the parent and she was the child. It wasn't that he had never had a serious conversation with her, but he definitely wasn't as practiced on how to handle his mom when she was being serious.
"Can we just drop it for now? Please, kaa-san?" he pleaded.
She pouted, "Shin-chan that is not fair! You got your looks from me, you aren't supposed to use your 'Conan face' against me!"
Shinichi inwardly frowned in confusion, unsure what she was talking about. What did she mean by his "Conan face?" She must be talking about the face he sometimes gave police officers to convince them to him look at a crime scene during his time as Conan. Well, it looked like she was going to drop the conversation so he decided not to question it.
"Well I did have another reason to visit other than freshening up your wardrobe," she started, and Shinichi sat up a little straighter, sensing danger. "Remember that case you were on two months ago where you needed to get into that party so you could question the suspect? And I helpfully called in a couple favors to get you an invitation?"
Shinichi frowned. "Yeah it ended up being a waste of time. After monitoring and talking to the suspect, I determined he was innocent."
"I wouldn't call it a waste of time. You were able to eliminate another suspect, and you did end up finding the true culprit in the end, didn't you?" Yukiko asked, smiling at him sweetly.
Shinichi's frown deepened, not liking where this was headed, "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Yukiko's smile widened, and she continued just as sweetly, "Good, then I'm glad I was able to be of help. And I know that you appreciate my help so much that you want to return the favor. Lucky for you, I know just how you can do it! A friend of mine is about to release a new clothing line and has a modeling shoot this Saturday for the debut, but his model had to suddenly cancel. It would be difficult for him to find a replacement on such short notice. That's why I just texted him to volunteer you as the replacement model!"
"Kaa-san! You can't just volunteer me without asking first," he protested.
She crossed her arms over her chest and replied, "If I had asked first you would have said no. And I already checked the planner on the desk in your room, so I know you're free this Saturday."
Shinichi sighed, knowing he had already lost. "Fine, send me the details later."
0-0-0-0-0
"Hey Shinichi, I have a question for you!" Kaito called out cheerfully.
Shinichi startled at his name and fumbled his text book, nearly dropping it. He gave Kaito a scowl, "Kuroba, I've told you a dozen times to stop calling me Shinichi."
Kaito laughed, "But you always have the cutest reactions! And it's not like I can call you tantei-kun in public. Everyone knows that was KID's nickname for you. But we're too close for me to keep calling you Kudo, so naturally I'll just call you Shinichi. I already told you you could call me Kaito in return."
Shinichi felt his face heat and attempted to hide it by acting like he was rearranging his books in his bag. He had tried so hard to keep them on surname basis. He couldn't let Kaito know how his heart would race every time the magician said his name, or let Kaito hear the longing in his own voice when he said Kaito's name. But he knew he wouldn't be able to keep it up forever. It would start to look weird if he kept insisting. Instead, he cast around for a distraction and remembered Kaito's first statement.
"What was your question?" He asked.
Kaito looked…well if it had been anyone else, Shinichi would have said he looked nervous. His smile was a little strained, and he looked down for a moment before looking back at Shinichi. He flicked his wrist and made a rose appear, but the movement was, at least by Kaito's standards, almost sloppy. Shinichi stared, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him.
Kaito offered him the rose and asked, "I was wondering if you weren't doing anything this Saturday, if you might want to go out somewhere with me?"
Shinichi's heart skipped a beat before he shut those feelings down. Kaito invited him out to places all the time. It wasn't like he was asking him on a date. But still, even if it wasn't a date, he always enjoyed spending time with Kaito. He opened his mouth to immediately agree, then remembered his promise to his mom. "Ah no I can't this Saturday, sorry."
Kaito's smile fell, and Shinichi almost pulled out his phone to contact his mother and tell her he was no longer available, but he stopped himself before he could do it. With the weekend just around the corner, if he canceled now, there was no way could his mom's friend find another model on even shorter notice. He didn't want to do something like that to them, even if he had never met them.
Kaito smiled again, though it looked even more strained, "Don't tell me you have a hot date?"
Shinichi huffed, "Nothing like that. Mom just roped me into helping her with something."
Before Kaito could reply, someone called out to him. Both boys turned and saw a young woman Shinichi vaguely recognized as one of Kaito's classmates from one of his other classes. She was accompanied by another young woman. "Kuroba-kun! This is my friend Kiki. I was telling her all about your magic tricks, and she thought you sounded absolutely amazing! Maybe you could show her a trick?"
"But of course!" came Kaito's automatic reply. His previously strained smile was gone, replaced by a showman's grin. Shinichi saw the familiar flick of his wrist and quickly turned away, but he still saw the rose appear out of the corner of his eye. It had become habit for him to turn away. He couldn't bear to watch Kaito give a rose to someone else right in front of him.
'See? You really aren't special to him,' he told himself while he gave a dejected look to his own rose.
He sighed and decided to go ahead to his next class while Kaito was distracted, not wanting to watch him flirt with the girls any longer.
0-0-0-0-0
"You must be Kudo-kun! You look so much like your mother, I recognized you instantly. Thank you for agreeing to be my model on such short notice," a man vaguely his mother's age greeted him. Kurosawa, he thinks the name was.
Shinichi nodded in return, "I hope I'm able to help. I'm afraid I didn't inherit much of my mother's skills with acting or modeling."
"Nonsense, you used to be in the newspaper all the time when you were in high school. I know the camera loves you, and nobody would reveal the murderer like you did unless they had a natural dramatic flare," Kurosawa said, waving away Shinichi's concerns.
Shinichi grimaced and scratched his cheek in embarrassment, "I don't really do that anymore. I was a lot less mature back then, but I've grown up a lot in these past few years."
"Hmm true, ever since you came back from that major case, you aren't in the newspaper anywhere near as often, and when you are featured, you don't showboat like you used to. Still, I just know you'll do great today. You don't have anything to be concerned about. My photographer is an old friend and can work with models of all experience levels. He'll be able to direct you to get the best shots," Kurosawa reassured him.
Shinichi felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. Even if he was only here because his mom had forced him into it, that didn't mean that he didn't care how the photoshoot went. It wouldn't be fair to Kurosawa if he didn't give it his best effort.
"So should I go change?" Shinichi asked.
"Right! Let's get you into hair and make up first, then I'll show you what you will be wearing," Kurosawa said with a pleasant smile.
Hair and makeup fortunately didn't take long since they were going for a natural look, but Shinichi still inwardly sighed at how long it took. He would much rather being doing something else right now. He still felt a little disappointed that he had had to turn down Kaito's offer to hang out, then scolded himself for being ridiculous. It wasn't like he didn't see the magician nearly every day, including days they didn't have any shared classes. He sighed again. He really had it bad.
"Who are you thinking about?" Kurosawa said from behind him while the makeup artist put on the finishing touches.
"Excuse me?" He asked.
"You keep sighing, but it's a sigh of unrequited love rather than a blissful sigh of someone in a new relationship," Kurosawa explained.
Shinichi was glad for the concealer hiding the embarrassed flush on his face. It wasn't usual for a stranger he had just met to ask him something so personal, but then he remembered this was his mother's friend so he was bound to be a little eccentric himself. "Just a friend," he answered.
"But a friend you like?" Kurosawa prodded. Shinichi couldn't stop his eyebrows from raising in surprise at the man's bold question. Kurosawa must have caught the action in the mirror because he quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have pried. I just thought it might help you to have someone to talk to about it, and sometimes it can be easier to talk to a stranger rather than someone you know."
Shinichi remained quiet for some time before he finally answered, "It doesn't matter. He's probably straight anyway."
Kurosawa gave him a sad look of understanding, "I see. I'm sorry to hear that."
Thankfully the makeup artist finished at that moment, and Kurosawa let the conversation drop. He led Shinichi to an adjacent room where a few articles of clothing were hung up. "You can start with this one," he said as he pulled down the first outfit, a smart looking sport jacket with a simple collared shirt and a pair of slacks. It honestly wasn't too different from what he often wore on a day-to-day basis, except for one major difference; the pocket square was rainbow colored.
He looked around at the other articles of clothing he was to model. A blazer, and the inside was lined in rainbow. A pair of slacks with the cuffs rolled up, the bottom cuffs rainbow colored as well. Every outfit he was to model had something rainbow on it somewhere.
"Ah, did your mother not tell you that my new clothing line is Pride themed?" Kurosawa asked, correctly interpreting the confusion on his face.
"No, she didn't," Shinichi answered truthfully.
Kurosawa slumped a little, "I should have guessed. I hope this isn't an issue for you. I understand if you don't feel comfortable and would rather cancel."
Shinichi shook his head, "It's fine, I don't mind."
"Are you sure? I would never want to force someone out of the closet before they're ready," Kurosawa offered.
Shinichi gave him a reassuring smile and took the sport jacket out of his hands, "I'm sure. I'm not exactly in the closet anyway, I just don't really feel the need to make some big announcement. Where should I go to change?"
0-0-0-0-0
Ran and Sonoko chatted with each other amicably while Shinichi trudged along behind them. They had woken him up way too early this morning so that they could drag him to a cafe for breakfast before their morning classes. At least cafes were also known for their coffee. Once they made it to the cafe, the girls each ordered themselves a breakfast sandwich. Shinichi tried to order just a coffee, but a glare from Ran had him adding a muffin as well. Once their orders were in, they went to find seats.
"So did you do anything fun last weekend?" Ran asked.
"Not really, just a modeling shoot that mom extorted me into doing," Shinichi answered, then immediately realized his mistake. He blamed it on not getting his coffee yet.
"You did some modeling!? A detective geek like you?! Who would want you to model for them?" Sonoko yelled.
"What kind of modeling?" Ran asked.
Shinichi shrugged, "I don't know, just some clothes. Oh here, actually the photographer sent me a couple of the pictures that he finished editing. The final photos should be ready for advertising use by the end of the week." He handed Ran his phone with photographer's email pulled up.
Ran took the phone and began swiping through the photos, Sonoko leaning over her shoulder to look as well. "Wow, these look really good, Shinichi! If you weren't interested in detective work, I think you could be a model."
"Don't give the detective geek too much credit, I bet he just had a really amazing photographer," Sonoko teased.
Shinichi frowned, not wanting to agree with her. He was saved by his coffee arriving at the perfect moment. He busied himself by taking a sip, careful not to scald his tongue. When he finished, he looked back up and saw both girls had twin thoughtful looks on their faces.
"What?" He finally asked.
"It's just…these clothes are all Pride themed, aren't they?" Ran asked.
"Yeah, so?" Shinichi asked confused.
"She's asking if you are finally coming out of the closet," Sonoko blurted out directly.
Shinichi frowned and corrected them, "I'm not really in the closet. I just don't go around yelling about stuff that isn't other people's business."
"True, but have you ever told anyone else?" Ran asked.
Shinichi shrugged, "No, but nobody has ever asked either."
A thought seemed to cross Ran's mind, "Shinichi, have you told Kuroba-kun?"
Before Shinichi could answer, the rest of their order arrived, and Ran's question was forgotten as the girls dug into their breakfast sandwiches and Shinichi picked at his muffin. Shinichi thought that might be the end of it, but Sonoko brought it up again as they were walking to campus.
"Still, it's kinda funny, isn't it? You and Shinichi dated each other for a couple of months, but instead of getting married like everyone thought you would, you mutually decided to just be friends. Maybe you turned each other gay!" She exclaimed.
"Sonoko, I know you didn't mean it, but you shouldn't say stuff like that. It's a bit offensive," Shinichi said, feeling a small spike of annoyance, "And you know I'm not gay."
Sonoko's eyes widened as she realized what she said. She looked genuinely regretful and threw herself onto Ran's shoulder and hugging her middle. "Ran! I'm so sorry! I promise I didn't mean it, please forgive me!"
Shinichi looked at her feeling exasperated while Ran patted her head. He was the one that had been insulted, why wasn't Sonoko apologizing to him? Still, he couldn't bring himself to stay angry with her. He could tell she really was sorry.
"Kudo? What's all this?"
Shinichi turned around and saw Kaito. He must have also been heading to class when he happened upon them.
"Oh, good morning, Kaito. Nothing important, just the usual," Shinichi answered with a frown. Something seemed off, but he wasn't sure what it was. He waved to Ran and Sonoko, "I'm going to head to class now. See you guys later."
He turned back to Kaito and they both walked to class in silence. They didn't always talk — Kaito was the type of person that Shinichi could comfortably sit in silence with. But there was some kind of tension between them this time.
'Is he upset that I couldn't hang out with him this weekend?' He wondered, then shook his head. Kaito wasn't the type to get upset over something like that.
"So Kudo, did you finish helping your mom last Saturday?" Kaito asked.
Shinichi frowned. Something about Kaito's question was wrong. He answered somewhat distractedly, "Yep, all finished. I was only needed for the day. So if you wanted to hang out this weekend instead, I'm available?"
"I'm afraid I'm not available this weekend," Kaito answered.
Shinichi shoved down his feelings of disappointment, "Guess we just keep missing each other, huh?"
Before Kaito could reply, the instructor entered and began class, putting an end to their conversation. The lecture passed somewhat slowly for Shinichi, part of his mind still wondering what it was about Kaito that seemed off to him. When class finally ended, he was surprised when Kaito shoved his things into his bag and bolted out of his seat, with speed that reminded Shinichi of KID running from his task force.
"Sorry Kudo, I gotta run. I'm going on ahead," Kaito yelled back at him, barely looking over his shoulder.
"Oh okay! Um…bye," Shinichi called back, but Kaito was already gone. Then Shinichi realized what had been so strange about his conversations with Kaito.
He had been calling him Kudo the whole time.
0-0-0-0-0
After that, Shinichi noticed he wasn't seeing Kaito as often. They only had the one class together, but that didn't stop them from seeing each other often, even on days without a lecture. Kaito would normally even wait for Shinichi's last class to end so that he could walk Shinichi home, even though Shinichi's apartment was a slight detour from Kaito's own home. But lately Kaito wasn't around, always claiming that he was busy.
"I think he's avoiding me," Shinichi said dejectedly.
Ran reached across the cafe table and gave his hand a comforting pat, "Have you done something to upset him recently?"
Shinichi shrugged, "Nothing I can think of. He invited me to hang out with him last weekend, but I couldn't because I was busy with that modeling shoot. But I don't see why that would upset him enough that he would avoid me."
"No, that doesn't sound like him at all," Ran agreed, then continued, "You really can't think of anything else?"
Shinichi gave another shrug, "Not really. But it's me, right? We both know I can be a bit…"
"Emotionally dense?" Ran supplied.
Shinichi's shoulders slumped, "Yeah. I'm sure I must have done something without even realizing it.
"Maybe you didn't do anything at all and this is all just some kind of misunderstanding?" Ran offered. She didn't get much reaction, so she instead said, "Well, I'm sure whatever it was, Kuroba-kun will forgive you soon. He isn't the type to hold grudges, and he cares about you too much to continue avoiding you."
Shinichi took a sip of his coffee to distract himself from the way his heart had raced when Ran said Kaito cared for him. 'Yeah, cares for you like a friend,' he told himself.
"Ah, is it really already that late? Sorry Shinichi, I gotta run. Sera is taking me out tonight, so I need to go home and get ready," Ran said.
He gave her a small wave, smiling a little despite still not having received any answers to his problems. It was sweet that even after dating for so long, Ran still put so much effort into her appearances before her dates with Sera. She really didn't have to try so hard, couldn't she see that Sera was clearly head over heels for her? It really was funny the way some people could be so blind to how their loved ones felt about them.
0-0-0-0-0
A few days later, Shinichi was distracted from the Kaito-avoiding-him issue by another problem. The advertisements for the clothing line he had modeled had finally been published.
He wasn't one to pay much attention to fashion, choosing instead to wear whatever his mother stocked his closet with (vetoing some of the stranger items, of course. He didn't care how many dresses his mom put in his closet, he refused to wear any of them. When his mom had pointed out that he use to not mind wearing dresses, he had in turn pointed out that that had been when he was four years old.) So he didn't really know the names of famous brands or designers, and had never really cared to.
Well, apparently the designer he had modeled for was rather famous. Famous enough that his ads were everywhere. Shinichi had first spotted himself on the front cover of a fashion magazine that was being sold at the train station. It was the type of popular magazine that was sold at every store and conbini. Then he noticed another ad featuring himself on the side of the bus stop. The strangest location of all had been the large billboard at Shibuya crossing. Just how famous was this designer? Surely someone that could afford to rent a billboard at Shibuya crossing could have found a better model, no matter how last minute it was? Well, he really didn't know enough about the fashion industry to know how accurate that was.
When the advertisements first came out, he had gotten quite a bit of attention for them. Some of it was curious classmates asking if he was giving up detective work to be a model instead. Some of it was from other people hoping he could get them an in into the fashion industry. He politely informed the former and the latter that, no, he wasn't giving up detective work, it was just a one time thing, and they all eventually left him alone once they were satisfied with his answers. Others noticed the clothing itself, more specifically the Pride theme, and tried asking him very pointed questions. Being more the private type, Shinichi had quickly and immediately shut those conversations down.
So what if he wasn't in the closet, that didn't mean he wanted to discuss his sexual orientation with total strangers. So no, he didn't mind wearing the Pride themed clothing, but that also didn't mean he was suddenly okay with people asking probing questions. Didn't they have better things to talk about than what labels he fell under?
Things came to a head when Kaito cornered him in an empty hallway before class one day and shoved one of the magazines under Shinichi's nose. "Kudo, what is this?" He demanded.
Shinichi took a step back so that he was no longer looking almost cross-eyed at the magazine, and saw a picture of himself modeling. He felt his cheeks warm when he saw which picture it was in particular. The picture was of him wearing a pair of gray swim shorts with a print of rainbow colored tropical flowers on them, and white shirt with all of the buttons undone. The green screen he had been posing in front of had been replaced with a beach scene. It wasn't a bad picture; actually, it looked really good, which was practically a miracle considering he had been especially embarrassed for those shots. That photographer really deserved a raise.
"That? I owed mom a favor and she roped me into doing some modeling to help out a friend of hers. Why does that make you upset?" Shinichi asked in confusion.
"Why am I upset? It's because of what you're wearing, obviously!" Kaito almost shouted.
Shinichi suddenly felt cold. As if detached from the situation, he heard himself ask, "Why would what I'm wearing be an issue?"
"I should think that would be obvious, Kudo. You shouldn't be wearing that clothing. It's not right," Kaito answered.
Shinichi felt like he had been slapped. So that's how it was. Kaito was homophobic.
He didn't reply, and eventually Kaito got tired of his silence and left. Feeling a bit numb, Shinichi turned and walked in the opposite direction. He wouldn't be going to class that day. Hell, maybe not tomorrow either. After his heart had been shattered like that, he wasn't sure he would find the strength to leave his apartment ever again. Not only was Kaito straight, but he was also clearly homophobic.
Once he finally made it back to his apartment, Shinichi finally let the tears fall.
0-0-0-0-0
After a week, Shinichi did eventually return to class thanks to his friends' efforts. Not just Ran, but also Sonoko and Sera. Even Hattori came to visit him taking a break from his own coursework to try to cheer Shinichi up. He really didn't know what he would do without friends like them. So for their sake, he could at least return to class.
He was fortunate that his teachers were willing to let him make up the work he had missed without it affecting his grades. "Well, of course I can let you make up the work, Kudo-kun. It's pretty obvious that you were sick. You're as pale as a ghost and those are some pretty impressive bags under your eyes. I'm just glad you didn't come to class and get the rest of my students sick!" one of his professors told him.
"Thank you," Shinichi answered without bothering to correct him. Maybe he hadn't been sick, and he certainly hadn't been contagious, but technically he hadn't been well either.
"Actually you still don't really look so good. You look a little thin too. I know it can be unpleasant to eat when you're sick, especially if you're nauseous, but remember it's important to give your body proper nutrition. Are you sure you're ready to return to class?" The older man asked.
Shinichi took a few more minutes to assure his professor he was fine before grabbing the small stack of makeup material and repeating the process with the rest of his instructors. Fortunately he didn't have that much work to catch up on. University didn't tend to assign as much homework as high school, putting more emphasis on quizzes and tests, and he had only been out for a week, so he only had a few tests he had to make up.
As he exited his last instructor's office, he was caught off guard when he bumped into Kaito. He stumbled and would have fallen if Kaito hadn't caught him with his quick reflexes. Instead of immediately letting go, Kaito held Shinichi against him, and Shinichi cursed his stupid heart for the way it was racing. He clearly didn't have a chance with Kaito, why did he have to still be in love with him? With great effort, Shinichi managed to pull himself away.
"Are you alright?" Kaito asked.
"I'm fine," Shinichi answered, refusing to look Kaito in the eyes. He didn't think his heart could handle it right now.
The silence stretched awkwardly for a moment before Shinichi finally said, "Thanks for catching me. I should get going." He tired to walk past Kaito but stopped when the magician blocked his path.
"Wait! Don't go yet. I haven't seen much of you lately. I heard you were sick? I hope you're feeling better," Kaito said, looking a little hesitant.
Of course Kaito couldn't help but worry about him. The guy really was too nice. "I'm fine," Shinichi repeated.
Kaito studied the bags under his eyes, clearly thinking that Shinichi was lying, but didn't call him out on it. Instead Kaito said, "I've missed you lately. Do you want to head to the library together? Maybe I can help you with some of your makeup work."
Shinichi hated the way his heart picked up in hope. He wanted nothing more than to agree. Maybe he and Kaito could just pretend that their last fight had never happened? Maybe they could continue like they had been? But he knew he couldn't do that.
"What about what you said before?" Shinichi asked.
Kaito frowned, clearly knowing exactly what Shinichi was referring to. "I still don't think it's right, but I'm willing to move past it."
Suddenly Shinichi felt hot with anger. He seethed, "Well how noble of you, but I'm not sure I can. I never thought you of all people would be like that. I don't think I can just go back to how things were before when I know how you feel about people like me."
Kaito's brow furrowed in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"I mean I can't continue to hang out with a homophobe!" Shinichi answered before stomping past him.
"Wait, Shinichi!" Kaito said while hurriedly grabbing him by the elbow, "I think there's been a misunder-"
"Kuroba-kun! There you are!" One of Kaito's teachers suddenly interrupted, "Did you forget that my office hours end in 15 minutes? If you had a question about today's lecture, you had better ask now or wait until Monday."
"Yes! Professor, I'm sorry could you just give me a moment?" Kaito asked.
Shinichi pulled his elbow from Kaito's grip. He pulled in his anger, not wanting to cause a scene, and replied as evenly as he could manage, "It's fine, Kuroba. We're done here."
Then he left before Kaito could say anything else.
0-0-0-0-0
The next couple of days were pretty hectic. Kaito kept trying to talk to him, but Shinichi just couldn't. He knew if Kaito asked, he would give him anything, including over-looking his homophobia. So his time was spent going to lessons and dodging Kaito. In their shared class together, he had taken to arriving at the last possible minute and being the first to leave, to not give Kaito any time to talk to him. Since the class didn't have assigned seats, it was easy enough to sit elsewhere. Kaito was clearly growing frustrated, and Shinichi knew he would surely look for him at his apartment. Simply not answering the door wasn't an option, there was no way a simple apartment lock could keep out the retired Kaitou KID. So he started sleeping in capsule hotels instead.
"Maybe you should just see what he has to say?" Ran tried gently, "Kuroba-kun really doesn't seem like the type to be homophobic. Are you sure this isn't some kind of misunderstanding?"
Shinichi glowered at his coffee, "He told me that wearing those clothes in the modeling shoot wasn't right! What else could he have meant by that?"
"Don't know," Sera said with a one shoulder shrug, the other arm wrapped around Ran's waist, "That's kind of the point of seeing what he has to say, isn't it?"
Shinichi huffed but couldn't refute her statement, so he remained silent.
"Shinichi, what if this is just all some big misunderstanding? I know you miss Kuroba-kun. You're going to class again, but you still barely eat or sleep. If you and Kaito make up, then all of this will be behind you, and you'll feel so much better!" Ran reasoned.
Shinichi sighed before answering, "But if he is homophobic, my heart is going to break all over again. And I don't know if I can handle that right now."
"Oh Shinichi," Ran said with pity.
"Hey, Kudo. I hate to cut this short, but I think they've found you," Sera cut in and nodded her head to gesture behind Shinichi's shoulder.
Shinichi turned around and cursed. Making their way towards the cafe's outside seating area were half a dozen reporters. He tried to discreetly stand up and leave, then cursed again when he realized he had forgotten to put on the ball cap he had stolen off of Hattori. One of the reporters spotted his familiar cowlick, and, like a pack of animals noticing their prey, they all began to move in his direction.
Shinichi waved a hurried goodbye to Ran and Sera and tried to run walk as fast as he could out of there. It had taken a few days after his modeling photos had been released for the reporters to take an interest in him; they had been too caught up in some scandal involving an actress prior to that. But once news of the actress dried up, they he set their sights on him. Being the son of a famous author and ex-actress, plus his own fame as a teenage detective, already made him a worthy topic of discussion for the news whenever he did anything interesting. And apparently modeling Pride themed clothing made him very news worthy indeed. Now he couldn't seem to go anywhere without a pack of reporters stalking him.
"Kudo-san! Kudo-san! Over here!"
"Just one interview, Kudo-san! We promise it will only take 45-no, 30 minutes of your time!"
Shinichi ignored all of them as he had been the every other day they had followed him. He knew from experience that he couldn't say a single word to them, not even to decline an interview or tell them to go away. It only seemed to encourage them.
"Kudo-san! Is it true the reason your relationship with Mouri-san didn't work out was because you're actually gay?" One of the more bold reporters called after him.
Shinichi halted, feeling his anger spike. He turned and gave the reporters a look that had all of them taking a step back. "No, my relationship with Ran did not fail because I'm actually gay. Our relationship ended because we both decided we worked better as friends. And for the record, I am not gay! It seems that everyone has forgotten that bisexuality is a thing. Just because a person is dating someone of one gender, and then shows interest in another gender, doesn't mean they have "turned" gay or straight or anything else. It means you should stop making assumptions about someone's sexual orientation! So, to set the record straight, I'm not! I'm bi!"
He was panting by the time he finished. The reporters all blinked at him, looking a bit cowed by his outburst. Shinichi straightened out his clothing, feeling a little embarrassed now that his anger was fading. He turned around to leave, casting a quick look over his shoulder. He was happy to see that none of the reporters made any move to follow him. He sighed in relief and continued walking.
He walked past an alley but didn't turn his head to look down it as he passed. If he had, he would have seen Ran and Sera who had quickly ducked into the alley to hide from Shinichi after they had both stood behind him during his outburst, cracking their knuckles and giving the reporters intimidating looks that promised pain if they continued following their friend.
0-0-0-0-0
Shinichi woke slowly at first. He tried to bring a hand to his eyes to rub the sleep from them, then frowned when he couldn't. Then it clicked that he was restrained. His eyes snapped open, suddenly wide awake.
"Finally awake are we?" A familiar voice said.
Shinichi felt himself relax, despite himself. If his captor was Kaito, then he wouldn't be harmed. At least not physically. He looked around and saw that he was still in the same bed he had originally gone to sleep in. A glance at the clock told him he had been asleep for about 2 hours. Kaito was sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at him with a pleased smile. He looked up and saw that his hands were cuffed to the bed's headboard. Wait, where those handcuffs fuzzy and pink?
"Aren't they cute? I found them here in the room. Thought they would work great to keep you here until you and I have a chance to talk. I must admit, I never would have thought to look for you in a love hotel, Shinichi," Kaito teased.
Shinichi glared at him, "The capsule hotels were getting pretty loud with all of the snoring, drunk business men, and love hotels are still cheaper than regular hotels. Considering I would rather not borrow money from my parents right now and have to explain things to them, I decided the more affordable love hotels was the preferred option. How did you know where to find me?"
"Mouri-san told me," Kaito answered with a cheeky grin.
Shinichi narrowed his eyes, "Why would she tell you? She would never rat me out like that."
"She would if she was worried about you and thinks it's for your own good," Kaito answered.
Shinichi hated to admit that he was right. "She still thinks this all might be some kind of misunderstanding. So I guess she wanted to give you a chance to talk to me?"
"Yes and no," Kaito answered, "She wasn't going to give me a chance without first verifying it for herself. She never would have let me talk to you if I didn't first get her approval. I had to explain everything to her. You really have yourself a great friend."
Shinichi blinked as the words finally sank in, "But you're here now, which means that she told you where I was. But if she told you, that means…"
"She approves," Kaito answered. He leaned over to remove Shinichi's handcuffs, then helped Shinichi sit up. Once Shinichi was sitting up, he kept holding on to one of Shinichi's hands, his thumb tracing small circles over the back of it. He continued, speaking more softly, "Once I explained to her that this has all been one embarrassing miscommunication, she agreed to let me talk to you."
Shinichi looked at their linked hands, feeling entranced. He felt something like hope rising within him. It was so strong, he didn't try to beat it down, didn't think he could even if he tried. He brought his knees up to his chest but didn't take his hand back. He looked up, meeting Kaito's eyes, letting him know he could continue while silently begging for him not to hurt him again.
Kaito seemed to understand and gave his hand a small squeeze. With his other hand, he pulled out another magazine, this one with Shinichi on the front cover. The text underneath read "Kudo Shinichi Comes Out of the Closet As Bisexual"
"You are bisexual," Kaito stated.
"Yes? And?" Shinichi asked clearly confused.
"Shinichi, I'm not homophobic. I'm gay," Kaito answered with a chuckle.
Shinichi sucked in a breath, "But…I thought…"
Kaito just shook his head, "That day when I walked you to class, I overheard part of your conversation with Suzuki-san, but all I heard was you yelling that she had said something offensive and that you weren't gay. I was disappointed because I thought you meant that you were straight, and that you found it offensive to be called gay, as if it would be so terrible to be gay."
For a moment, Shinichi's brain halted at the part where Kaito said he was disappointed when he thought Shinichi was straight, but he forced himself to not think about it yet. "No, the reason I was angry with Sonoko was because what she said was bi-erasure."
"Yes, I understand that now with the full context. Ran helped me out with that one," Kaito answered.
"But then, when you saw me modeling the Pride clothing, you were upset."
"I was upset at what I thought was a straight person in Pride clothing," Kaito answered, "I thought to myself 'couldn't they even get a model that was part of the LGBT community'? Or did they just choose you because of your pretty face?"
Shinichi felt his face redden at Kaito calling his face pretty. He dropped his gaze back to his and Kaito's still linked hands. "So that's why you were upset," he said in realization.
"Yes. Not because I'm homophobic," Kaito said with a small laugh.
Shinichi felt his receding blush return. So it had been a misunderstanding after all. To think that all that hell he had been through over these past few weeks could have easily been avoided if things had gone just a little differently.
"I'm sorry for making assumptions, but I am really happy to find out that you're bi," Kaito said, and even though Shinichi wasn't looking at him, he could still hear the warmth in Kaito's words.
Shinichi looked at him in confusion, "Why would that make you happy?"
"Because that means I have a chance," Kaito answered.
For a moment, Shinichi forgot how to breath. He froze, as if afraid that if he moved, he would accidentally break whatever spell was going on. Kaito couldn't be saying what it sounded like, could he? "You mean you-"
He didn't get to finish his statement before Kaito gave a tug on their linked hands to pull Shinichi closer, and then Kaito was kissing him. One hand wrapped around the back of Shinichi's head, holding him close and controlling the kiss, and Shinichi felt himself melt into it. His hands came up to clutch at Kaito's shirt keeping him just as close. Shinichi's eyes had fluttered shut and the kiss was even better than the ones he allowed himself to dream about. Kaito's lips were warm, his grip on him firm but gentle. Kaito's lips moved against his eagerly, and he was elated to find that Kaito seemed to be enjoying this just as much as he was.
Strong arms were suddenly pulling Shinichi into Kaito's lap, and Shinichi gasped in surprise. Kaito pounced at the opportunity to deepen the kiss and Shinichi let out a small moan of appreciation when he felt Kaito's tongue enter his mouth. That talented tongue roamed his mouth, and Shinichi felt a bit dizzy, his arms clutching Kaito tightly.
They finally parted, both breathing hard. Kaito said in between breaths, "I've been wanting to do that for so long."
One of Shinichi's hands came up to rest on the back of Kaito's head, and his fingers played with the other's hair. Kaito hummed approvingly. He could still hardly believe that he was allowed to do this. "You have?" He asked.
Kaito nodded, "I've liked you since before KID retired. Meeting and befriending you in university was like a dream. I had actually just worked up the courage to ask you on a date when you had the modeling shoot."
"That was going to be a date?" Shinichi asked bewildered.
Kaito laughed and nodded, "I was going to give you a full bouquet of roses and finally confess my feelings. Actually here, I got you these." He gently eased Shinichi off his lap and leaned down to reach for something on the floor. When he sat back up, he was holding a bouquet of roses. He offered them to Shinichi. "I guess I'm doing things all in the wrong order, but you've always had a way of making my plans go out the window. So let me try again. Shinichi, I like you. Will you go out with me?"
Shinichi accepted the roses with a soft smile, "I would love to, Kaito."
The smile Kaito gave him was even brighter than the sun. Shinichi studied the roses as an excuse not to look at him for too long. If he continued looking at that smile any longer, he might do something really embarrassing, like ask Kaito to marry him before they had even had their first proper date. "You know, I never once realized that you might like me as more than a friend."
Kaito looked confused, "Really? But I was constantly trying to treat you like you were special to me. I walked you home every chance I got, I spent as much time with you as I could, I sent you good morning and good night texts every day, I was constantly giving you roses…"
Shinichi's face was steadily growing warmer as Kaito spoke, but he cut him off when he heard the last one, "But you give everyone roses. It was hardly something special you did just for me."
Kaito looked at him incredulously, "Shinichi, I only ever give real roses to you. All the other ones I hand out are silk flowers. Completely artificial. Didn't you notice?"
Shinichi opened and closed his mouth a few times before he finally admitted, "No I never noticed."
"Huh," Kaito said in surprise, "I would have thought someone as observant as you would've noticed that immediately."
Shinichi's blush deepened, "I might have been a little jealous when you gave other people roses, so I always turned away when I saw you performing that trick for someone else."
Kaito was silent for a long moment, and Shinichi was starting to grow worried. He was just about to speak when he felt Kaito tackle him. He yelped as he fell back against the bed, moving the roses out of the way just in time. He didn't have any time to collect himself before Kaito was kissing the daylights out of him. "You are so adorable," Kaito said between kisses, "I can't believe you were jealous."
When they finally parted Shinichi said with a chuckle, "I can't believe our confession and first kiss was in a love hotel. We can never tell anyone else about this. Do you want to get out of here? I have tomorrow off and I wouldn't mind sleeping in my own bed tonight."
"But you already rented out the room, it would be a waste not to take advantage of it. And it comes with all of these great toys we can use! Did you know there's a maid outfit in the closet that looks like it would fit you perfectly?" Kaito teased.
Shinichi playfully smacked his shoulder. "Idiot, I'm not going to put out before we have even the first date. Now take me home. Lucky for you, I'm willing to cuddle before our first date, if you want to stay the night that is," he finished hesitantly.
Kaito gave him another warm smile and took his hand again, linking their fingers back together, "I would love to. After finally confessing to you, I'm not quite ready to let you go yet. I'm afraid that if I go home and go to sleep now, I might wake up tomorrow and think it was all a dream."
Shinichi gave him a peck on the cheek, his heart jumping joyfully that he could do such things, and from the look on Kaito's face, he was just as happy. "Alright, then let's get out of here."
Kaito lead him to the door, their hands still linked. Before exiting, he turned and gave Shinichi a playful smile, "Do you still have the contact information for the fashion designer? I want to get that picture of you in the beachwear blown up and framed. And maybe he has some more photos that didn't make it into the advertisement that he would be willing to give me."
Shinichi playfully rolled his eyes, but he smiled when Kaito swooped in to steal a kiss. Thinking back to modeling shoot, he wondered again at the famous fashion designer that somehow couldn't find a model, an opportunity that real models would surely kill for, or at the very least cancel other prior engagements to make time for. He wondered if maybe his mom had arranged all of this as a way to get him and Kaito together. She couldn't have, right?
Looking up into Kaito's smiling eyes, he decided it wasn't important right now. Besides, if his mom had arranged all of this, that would mean he owed her another favor.