Shinichi stood in the crowded museum gallery, alone in the crowd. The police officers rushed around getting into place, mostly ignoring him. They were well use to his presence, even if it had been awhile since they had last seen him. Shinichi checked his watch for the dozenth time within the past hour. 10:55, only 5 more minutes until Kaitou KID was to show.

Shinichi exhaled, feeling impatient. It felt like time was moving extra slow tonight. He needed a distraction for the last 5 minutes. He should have more than enough time to take his vitals once more.

He pulled out a small pocket notebook and flipped to a blank page, then started the process by taking his pulse rate. He moved smoothly through the process, being well familiar with the routine by now, having done so numerous times for Haibara over the past few weeks.

It had started a few weeks ago when Haibara had told him she had created an antidote to the apotoxin, but was reluctant to give it to him immediately. Her concern was that the final antidote would be much harder on his body than the previous temporary cures she had made in the past. The cure could severely damage him and shorten his life span, or even end it. But Shinichi was still determined to try, so Haibara came up with a compromise. Instead of producing a final antidote, she made numerous temporary cures, each one lasting a progressively longer duration, the idea to let his body slowly adjust and build up strength for the eventual final cure.

The first one had only lasted an afternoon and he had stayed at the professor's house the entire time under strict observation, though even if he had been allowed out he wouldn't have been able to do more anyway. The first temporary cure had sapped his energy, and even the most menial tasks left him exhausted. It hadn't been the most encouraging to say the least, but he needn't worry. He took that temporary cure twice more over the course of a week; by the final time his energy levels felt barely affected. When Haibara was satisfied, she would increase the temporary cure's duration.

As the duration of the antidote's effectiveness grew longer, Haibara increased his activity. Sometimes the tasks were as simple as kicking around a soccer ball, other times they were more strenuous, such as running on a treadmill or lifting weights. The idea was to challenge his body to further increase his strength and prepare him for the final cure.

Which was why he was currently at a KID heist.

Okay, maybe Haibara hadn't actually given him permission to attend the heist. But she did want him to challenge his body and he was going crazy staying cooped up in the professor's house. So figuring he could kill two birds with one stone, he had wished Haibara a good night and headed to his house to rest, then snuck out to the KID heist.

He wasn't nervous, not at all. Sure, it had been two years since the Black Organization had poisoned him shrinking his body to that of a child's. Two years since he was forced to go into hiding. Two years since he had last seen his best friend, Kuroba Kaito.

Not seeing Kaito for two years may have been the hardest part about being Conan. They had met when they were ten years old and their schools had gone on a joint field trip to the aquarium. Somehow, and even to this day he wasn't completely sure how, he ended up being the one to hold Kaito's hand, leading him through the aquarium and covering his eyes when it too scary for the other student. They had been friends ever since.

Then Conan happened and he had been forced to hide his identity from everyone he knew to protect them. Even Kaito didn't know Conan's true identity. He was sure Kaito could take care of himself, but if anything happened to his friend…it was best to be cautious and keep Kaito in the dark.

But the Black Organization had finally been taken down, and Haibara's temporary cures were showing promise. Maybe he was being impatient and more than a little reckless, but he couldn't wait any longer. Tonight would be the first time he had seen Kaito face to face as himself, and not hiding his identity as Conan, in two years.

So no, he wasn't nervous at all.

Okay, maybe he was a little nervous.

He finished taking his vitals, all within normal limits, and put away the small notebook. A glance at his watch told him the heist was due to start within the next thirty seconds. His heart quickened, and he silently started counting down.

At eleven o'clock exactly, there was a small pop noise and glitter began to rain down from the ceiling. Laughter echoed around the room, seeming to come from everywhere at once. Doves appeared carrying ribbons of cloth in their beaks, flying circles around the room.

"Find that thief!" Nakamori-keibu bellowed at his men, and Shinichi sighed as officers began to scramble around in confusion looking for the thief.

Shaking his head, Shinichi turned his attention back to the display case that housed KID's target; a large, blue gem called the Mermaid's song, only to see that the gem was gone. He blinked in confusion and turned his head looking for the thief. Nobody else seemed to have noticed yet that the gem was missing.

"Looking for me?" a voice whispered into his ear.

Shinichi jumped like a startled cat and turned around. "KID," he hissed while rubbing his ear.

"Detective, what a pleasant surprise to have you at my show after your long absence! Welcome! I trust you are enjoying yourself?" KID asked with a showman's bow.

Before the detective could answer, Nakamori had finally spotted KID and roared an order at his men, sending a stampede of officers in Shinichi's and KID's direction.

They were surrounded and there wasn't anywhere Shinichi could escape. He tensed preparing himself to be tackled. KID obviously had other plans and pulled him against his body. "I have a better idea," Shinichi felt more than heard KID say. KID tightened an arm around Shinichi's waist and the other arm threw his cape over both of them. Shinichi felt his feet leave the ground and he instinctively threw his arms around KID's neck, holding on as they were both lifted. When the cape dropped out of his line of sight, Shinichi saw they were now on the loft of the second floor overlooking the gallery.

"Invisible wires?" Shinichi asked while inspecting the ceiling looking for evidence of the trick.

"Or maybe it was magic?" The thief answered with a chuckle.

Shinichi lowered his gaze from the ceiling, ready to protest, but his words died on his lips when his eyes met the thief's. He was looking up to meet his eyes, and he realized his arms were still wrapped around KID's neck. Shinichi felt his face grow warm, embarrassed that it had taken him this long to notice. He pulled back and grabbed the handcuffs from his back pocket, "Thanks for saving me from the task force dog pile, but don't think that means I'm not going to catch you."

KID gave a razor sharp grin, "Oh, you can try."

Shinichi lunged and KID ducked out of the way with a laugh. He threw down a smoke bomb and used the cover to flee. Instead of waiting for the smoke to clear, Shinichi ran in the direction he remembered the stairs being in, his arms in front of him to stop him from running into anything.

He was quickly out of the cover of the smoke and continued running for the stairs. He could hear KID some flights up, making for the roof. Shinichi followed as fast as he was able, leaping over the occasional trip wire or glue trap. He could hear task force members below him, getting tangled in the traps.

It was a long climb to the roof and by the time he reached the top, Shinichi was breathing heavily trying to regain his breath. KID on the other hand barely showed any signs of being tired, most likely because he hadn't had to put as much effort into dodging booby-traps since he knew their locations.

"Impressive, detective. I see even after your two year hiatus, you still have no trouble keeping up," his tone was mocking, but it turned soft, "I didn't realize you were back in town."

Shinichi's own voice softened as well, "I only just arrived, but I'm afraid I'm not here to stay. I still need to wrap up this case I'm working on."

"You mean the secret case you've been working on that you can't tell your best friend about?" KID questioned, arms crossed over his chest.

Shinichi winced, "You know I would tell you if I could…"

"Yeah, yeah. It's for my own protection that you can't tell me," KID's tone clearly indicated what he thought of that. It was obvious this wasn't their first disagreement on the subject. "But this case, are you almost done? When do you think you can come home to stay?"

"Soon, very soon," Shinichi promised.

KID nodded, "Okay, but when this case of yours is over, you better tell me where you have been these past two years."

Shinichi opened his mouth to reply, but snapped it shut when he felt a familiar jolt of pain rack his body. 'No, no, no! I should still have another two hours,' Shinichi thought furiously.

"Shinichi?" KID called out in confusion and a hint of concern.

The clouds parted revealing the full moon, bathing the entire roof top in moon light. Shinichi turned his back to the thief, trying to hide himself as he tried to think what to do. Steam started to rise from his shoulders and he couldn't stop a sound of pain from escaping.

"Shin-chan!" Now KID was definitely concerned. He closed the distance between them and rested a hand on Shinichi's shoulder. "You're burning up. Is that steam coming off of you?"

"Stay back!" Shinichi called out and shrugged the hand off his shoulder. He swallowed another groan of pain; he turned back to the staircase and ran.

He had caught the thief by surprise and made it down a full flight of stairs before he heard KID following him. He bit back a curse and opened up one of the doors to exit the stairwell and enter the floor's hallway. He had to find a place to hide. Already his clothes were becoming too large for him as his body shrank, and the pain of the transformation was making it hard to move.

He tried a couple doors and found the first three were locked. He tripped on his pant leg, and he impatiently kicked off his pants. The suit-jacket with the too long sleeves came next. He continued on in just his now oversized shirt and tried another door. Thankfully this one opened. He quickly ducked inside the empty office and locked the door behind him, settling against the door in the dark, trying to catch his breath. The transformation was almost complete by this point and he settled down to wait.

He heard the stairwell door open and knew KID had followed him. His clothes! He had left them outside. He double checked the lock and stayed silent, hoping KID would think he had gone father down the hall.

He heard the footsteps pause and the rustle of cloth being moved. KID had reached his clothes and was probably picking them up off the ground. That meant he had to just be outside the door. Shinichi, now Conan held his breath, not even daring to breath. At least it seemed his body had finally finished shrinking, and the pain was receding.

"I think I know what's going on here, but I would love it if you came out to confirm my theory," KID said.

Conan swallowed and tried to silently move away from the door and further into the office.

"It's no use hiding, I know you are in there. There's a sock closed in the door."

Conan scowled and looked down at his bare feet. He knew he had lost his shoes and socks in the scramble to hide, but hadn't realized one had been closed in the door. He might as well have left a flashing arrow pointing to his hiding spot for KID.

"Listen, you can trust me. I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to know the truth," KID said, sounding like he was leaning against the door.

Conan sighed and began to shuffle back to the door, preparing to open it. It was no use hiding anymore, KID could pick the locks any time he wanted. He reached for the door handle but paused when KID continued speaking.

"I think I know why you have been gone for the past two years, and why you felt like you had to hide the truth from me, the truth of your new identity. But now I've figured out your secret. I just hope you understand I only want to help. I also want you to know I don't blame you. It's not your fault that you are…"

Conan stopped with his hand on the door knob and closed his eyes, waiting for KID to say it, for all of his secrets to be revealed.

"…That you're a werewolf."

Conan's eyes snapped open and he couldn't stop the bubble of laughter from spilling out.

"A werewolf? You think I'm a werewolf? That's the most ridiculous thing you have ever said!" Conan laughed. He couldn't stop.

KID snapped out of his initial shock and picked the lock on the door. He stopped and stared when he saw Conan, clearly thrown off from finding a child in Kudo's oversized shirt instead of a werewolf. "I don't understand," he gaped causing Conan to laugh harder. It wasn't often he saw KID this confused.

Conan finally finished laughing and replied, "Take me back to the Kudo manor and we'll talk. You need to get out of sight anyway. Don't forget you are currently in the middle of a heist."

KID had no choice but to obey.

0-0-0-0-0

"So you're actually the tantei-kun that's been chasing after me for the past two years?" KID asked in disbelief.

Conan pulled out his glasses he used for his flimsy disguise and put them on, "Do I look more familiar now?"

KID groaned, "I can't decide what's worse, that you used the Clark Kent disguise, or that it actually worked."

Conan snorted, "I can't believe you thought I was a werewolf."

"Considering you didn't start showing signs of your transformation until the full moon came out from behind the clouds, plus the clothes I found, it made sense. It would have also explained your disappearance for the past two years. You had to go into hiding while you learned to handle your new furry little problem. It even explains why you kept it a secret from me," KID reasoned.

"Just one flaw in your deduction, detective Kaito, werewolves aren't real," Conan replied.

"We don't know that for sure. I do go to school with a witch, you've even met her yourself. (He ignored Conan grumbling that he had never agreed that Akako was a witch.) It wouldn't be that farfetched for werewolves to exist too," KID answered.

"I suppose I can agree that werewolves might not be any more strange than a pill that can turn a 19 year old back into a 9 year old," Conan conceded.

KID shook his head, "I just can't believe you didn't tell me that you were Conan. I was so worried about you! I told you that I'm KID," he whined.

Conan gave him an unimpressed look, "You never told me you were KID, I figured it out for myself. You only told me your reason behind it after I figured it out."

"Details, details," KID waved dismissively, "but in the end, I was glad you knew so that you could help me keep an eye out for Snake. But Shinichi, just…please, don't do something like that to me again. Don't hide something this big from me. Don't disappear."

Conan nodded, "I won't. I promise."

0-0-0-0-0

He went to the professor's house the next morning to see Haibara. She immediately began examining him while he recounted last night's events.

"Everything was going fine until I turned back to Conan two hours early," he told her.

"I don't find that surprising, I can only estimate how long the temporary cures will last. For me to be off by 2 hours is no great surprise to me. It's why I always tell you to be somewhere safe during the last 2-4 hours of the cures effectiveness. It's also why I never would have let you go to a KID heist had I known," she glared at him.

"Okay, maybe I remember you saying that," Conan admitted.

"Well hopefully you won't forget it again. Next time Kuroba-san might not be around to save you if you suddenly shrink early," she told him sternly, "I have the next temporary antidote ready, but I want you to wait a few days before you take it to give your body time to recover."

Conan thanked her and left, walking back to the Kudo manor quickly to avoid being spotted. He shut the door firmly behind him and looked up unsurprised to see the figure waiting for him. "I suppose you were ease-dropping?"

Kaito stepped out of the shadows, "The listening device is under the collar of your jacket."

Conan felt along his collar until he found the small little device and removed it, unfazed, "So why are you here?"

Kaito held his hand over his heart, feigning hurt, "You wound me, detective! Do I need a reason to visit my best friend?"

Conan gave him a deadpan look, "If your best friend is Kudo Shinichi, then no of course not. But I'm Conan right now, and people might find it strange if Shinichi's friend suddenly showed interest in Conan without ever having officially met. Plus I can't be seen by anyone. Everyone thinks Conan went to join his parents in America. I couldn't juggle Conan's life and taking the temporary cures at the same time."

Kaito pouted, "Fine, I guess I'll wait to drag you out until you take the next temporary cure. I was planning on being there the next time you take a cure anyway. I can help make sure another near disaster like the one last night doesn't happen again."

It was Conan's turn to pout, "I don't need a babysitter."

Kaito ruffled his hair playfully, "And I won't be. I'll simply be a good friend watching your back."

"Fine, I'll text you the next time I take one of the temporary antidotes," Conan said.

Kaito nodded and stepped past him toward the TV room, "Good, glad that's settled. So how about a movie? Have you added to your collection since the last time I was here?"

Conan's frown deepened again, "What are you doing? I told you Conan and Kaito can't be seen together."

Kaito raised an eyebrow, "And we won't be. I'll just hang out with you here, at your house. You were planning on hiding here alone anyway, I can spend time with you here just as easily as I could at a cafe or park. So let's go."

Conan felt warmth spread through him, "I guess I'll get the popcorn."

He really had missed his best friend.

0-0-0-0-0

From that point on, Kaito was always there when Shinichi took a temporary cure. He would drag the detective out of his house to try a new cafe, go to festivals, walk the park, or wherever else Kaito chose to drag him that day. He also would visit Conan on his days in-between taking temporary cures when he was able. Basically, their friendship had picked up where it left off before the Conan incident happened. Whenever he took a temporary cure, Kaito always made sure to keep track of Shinichi's condition, and he always made sure they were both safely back in the Kudo manor well before he was due to transform back into Conan.

He always tried to get Kaito to leave before his transformation, but the stubborn thief would always insist on staying. Shinichi knew Kaito just wanted to make sure he was okay, but he hated that Kaito would see him during those painful times. Kaito would always sit stoically in a chair, elbows on his knees, his mouth a thin, hard line. It had to be hard for Kaito to see him like that, he knew it would be for him if their situations were reversed.

But speaking of Kaito, there was something a little different about him. He seemed more prone to casual touching than Shinichi remembered. A hand placed on the small of his back here, a gentle touch to his arm there. Shinichi tried to rack his memory from two years ago. Had Kaito always been like that?

But he didn't really mind the touches. Kaito was his friend, and friends often did things like casual touching. It was just that the touching made him feel strange. It was like his skin would tingle where Kaito touched him. Maybe it was due to the temporary cures, like a hypersensitivity reaction?

As for the temporary cures, he had started to notice more side effects after taking them. He was reluctant to tell Haibara in case it put a setback on the final antidote, but he had already waited this long, he could wait a little longer if it meant not taking unnecessarily risks with his health.

"Sometimes after taking the temporary cure, my heart rate speeds up for a short period of time. Or my chest will feel tight and it feels harder to breath," Conan told her.

Haibara made a note before asking, "Can you describe what you are doing when you noticed the symptoms? Give me as much detail as you can remember."

"Well the last time it happened was yesterday. Kaito took me to a festival in a nearby park. It was pretty crowded and looked like we could easily get separated, so Kaito took my hand and lead me through the crowd. It was about that point that I noticed my heart rate speeding up."

Haibara stared at him, as if waiting for him to say something else. She had a strange look on her face that he couldn't decipher. Finally she spoke up, "I see. And the chest pains? The difficulty breathing?"

"Most recently it was at the end of the day yesterday, Kaito and I were sitting on a bench watching the ocean and talking. Nothing unusual," Conan answered.

"What were you talking about?" She asked.

"Uh, it's a little personal, actually," Conan answered with a blush.

"Any detail could be important," Haibara pushed.

Conan looked away, his blush growing, "Fine. Kaito was just telling me how he was happy that he met me, that I was very important to him, just stuff like that. Then suddenly I felt my chest tighten and it's hard to breath. I didn't tell Kaito because I didn't want him to worry, but I figured I should mention it to you."

Haibara was frowning, but it looked forced, as if her face wanted to make a different expression, "I'm glad you told me, but I don't think it's anything to be concerned about."

Conan relaxed, "I'm glad you think so."

Haibara coughed, and her expression was still weird when she answered, "But Kudo, do please tell me if the symptoms persist or if any new ones arise."

0-0-0-0-0

"Tantei-kun! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Kaito answered the phone sounding happy as usual.

"Kaito, my body is ready," Conan answered.

Kaito suddenly made a chocking noise.

"Kaito?" Conan asked in concern.

"I'm fine," Kaito answered still sounding strangled, "But what did you just say?"

"Haibara said my body is ready for the final antidote to the apotoxin," Conan answered.

Kaito was silent, then finally asked, "Today?"

"Yes," Conan answered.

"I'm heading to you know. Wait for me," Kaito answered before hanging up.

Conan stared at the phone in his hand, "Idiot, of course I'll wait. You didn't have to ask."

Kaito made it over from Ekoda in record time. Most likely he had already been on his way when Conan had called, probably for another movie night. Once he arrived, they walked to the professor's together.

Haibara answered the door and didn't seem surprised in the slightest to see Kaito, "Good, you're both here. Kudo, let's get started."

She led them to her lab in the basement. Conan stepped behind a screen and changed out of his clothes and put on an oversized robe. It would cover him when he transformed and was made from a light, airy material that would hopefully not add to his discomfort once the heat from the transformation began.

He stepped out from behind the screen and told his companions, "I would like some privacy this time, it's that's aright."

Haibara had warned him that this transformation would be the worst of them all. While he trusted and cared for both of them, he didn't want them to see him go through that. Better if their last memory of Conan and their first memory of Shinichi's return was him being strong.

Both nodded and Haibara gestured to the medication dram sitting on the desk. Inside was a single white capsule. Then she turned to leave.

Kaito followed, but hesitated for a moment at the bottom of the steps, "I'll just be upstairs."Then he ascended the steps as well.

Once they had left, Conan turned to the dram and removed the pill. He looked at it in his hand and couldn't quite stifle the dread he felt. He had taken numerous temporary antidotes at this point, but he would never grow use to the pain he always felt during the transformation. And this one was supposed to be worse than all the previous times. At least it would also be the last time.

He swallowed the pill and followed it with a gulp of water, then he waited. It wasn't long before the pain started, but he wished it was just the pain that he had to contend with. He could feel his bones rapidly growing and shifting, his skin feeling like it was barely keeping up with the rapid growth. It felt like he was shooting up from the ground as his legs grew longer. The sudden increase in height caused him to lose his balance and he fell to his knees. The pain was immense but he couldn't scream. He struggled to breathe for a moment as his body grew faster than his lunges before they caught up.

It felt like it lasted an eternity but in reality was probably only a few minutes. Once the transformation was complete, all Shinichi could do for a moment was stay on his hands and knees and focus on breathing. Sweat dropped down his face, and small tremors ran throughout his body. He picked up a hand and studied it, taking in the long, thin fingers that could never be mistaken for a child's hand. The hand was attached to a slim but strong forearm. He stood slowly, feeling the muscles in his calves work, strong from years of soccer practice. There was no mistake, the cure had worked.

"Kudo, are you still alive down there?" Hiabara called from the top of the steps.

"I'm fine. You can come down now," Shinichi called back. He heard the stairs creak as Haibara and Kaito descended and joined him in the lab. He turned to face them, "How do I look?"

As he turned, he felt the robe slip down one shoulder, but didn't bother to fix it. He was still panting a little from the pain of the transformation, and he could feel a drop of sweat slide down his neck only to disappear beneath the robe. He was sure he looked like a mess, which probably explained why Kaito was staring at him the way he was.

"Are you okay, Kaito? Do I really look that bad? I just need a quick shower and I should look much better," he finally asked, feeling self-conscious.

Kaito swallowed before answering, still staring, "N-no, you look great."

"You sound so convincing," Shinichi said sarcastically, "Alright I'll be right back. I'm going to use the professor's shower to get cleaned up. Haibara, could you wait to check me over until I get back?"

For some reason, Haibara clearly looked amused. She was also looking at Kaito. "No that's fine, go ahead and clean up."

Shinichi nodded and made his way up the stairs.

0-0-0-0-0

After cleaning up, Haibara performed a short exam, then dismissed him. She turned to Kaito, "I don't mind if you drag him off somewhere, but he might tire quickly over the next 24 hours so keep that in mind wherever you take him. He probably won't speak up if he starts to feel tired, so make sure you keep an eye on him. And I would recommend getting some food in him."

"I'm right here, you know," Shinichi grumbled.

Kaito gave him a broad grin, his strange behavior from earlier gone, "Come on, Shinichi. Let's go celebrate."

That was how Shinichi found himself wandering a street fair with Kaito. The roads were closed to traffic and vendors had set up booths selling street food, souvenirs, trinkets, and jewelry. Some booths had games, and there was also a stage for performers to sing and dance.

The streets were a little crowded, though not packed. Some children ran past them and Shinichi stopped mid-step to prevent himself from bumping into one of them. The sudden stop caused him to fall back against Kaito.

"Whoa there, I've got you," Kaito's hands rested on his shoulders, steadying him.

"Thanks," Shinichi glanced back at Kaito. This close to Kaito, he realized that they were no longer the same height. At some point over the two years since he had been Conan, Kaito had grown and was now about a head taller than him. His shoulders were also broader too. When Shinichi had first been poisoned, he and Kaito had both been 17 years of age. It seemed Kaito had grown a lot in the 2 years since he had been Conan.

He frowned slightly when he noticed that Kaito had a strange look on his face again. What was with that expression? He was about to ask but Kaito spoke up first, "Are you thirsty? How about we get something to drink?"

Shinichi nodded and Kaito steered them to the nearest refreshment booth.

A man was running the booth and he looked to be a couple years older than the both of them. He glanced up as they approached and when he saw Shinichi, he seemed to freeze in place.

"I'll have a lemonade, please," Kaito told the worker.

The man completely ignored Kaito and turned all of his attention to Shinichi instead. "What can I do for you?" Then he had the audacity to wink at him.

Shinichi blinked at the obvious flirting, unsure what to do."Uh, just two lemonades please," he requested while holding out his money.

"No charge today, it's on the house," the man winked again. He reached under the counter and grabbed two cups of lemonade. He thrust one in Kaito's direction, not seeming to care that the liquid sloshed around and nearly spilled. He gently placed the other directly into Shinichi's hand, his fingers lingering on Shinichi's for a moment longer than necessary.

"Shinichi, let's get some food from that booth over there," Kaito spoke up, clearly annoyed. He grabbed Shinichi's wrist and steered him away from the booth.

"Kaito, you passed the food booth," Shinichi told his friend.

"That booth sells dango and I'm not really in the mood for it right now. I just wanted to get away from that jackass," Kaito grumbled.

"He was rather strange. Maybe I just don't understand flirting very well, but won't he get in trouble for giving us these drinks for free? That seemed a little extreme," Shinichi questioned.

"Who cares?" Kaito growled.

Shinichi sighed, "I'm sorry he ignored you like that, it was very rude."

"That's not why I'm…never mind. Let's forget that guy and look around," Kaito said.

They stopped at a booth for yakitori and each ordered a skewer from the kindly old lady that took the orders. Kaito was clearly taking Haibara's words to heart and made sure Shinichi finished his whole skewer before moving on. They passed more booths, taking their time to look around. Shinichi led Kaito by the hand past a booth that sold taiyaki while the thief covered his eyes from sight the fish shaped waffles. Once the cost was clear, he pointed at a booth selling crepes asking if Kaito wanted to get one when he suddenly felt a pinch on his behind.

"Shinichi jumped and let out a squeak of surprise.

"Hey!" Kaito snarled and grabbed someone by the arm with lightening fast reflexes.

Shinichi turned around and saw the person Kaito had grabbed was another male around his age, who looked terrified.

"S-sorry! I don't know what came over me. I'm not usually one to do something like that, at least not without permission first. I just couldn't seem to help myself. It won't happen again, I swear!" The other male was practically crying.

"Oh I know it won't happen again because if it does I'll make sure you regret it," Kaito threatened.

"Kaito, you scared him enough, let go," Shinichi pulled his friend away, but he turned a blind eye when Kaito turned the man's hair orange before leaving.

As they walked down the road together, Shinichi noticed that a lot of people were staring at him, men and woman alike. If Shinichi made eye contact with them their reactions would vary. Some blushed and hurried to look away, others gave a flirtatious smile, and a few even went so far as to cat call him.

"This is really strange," Shinichi mumbled.

"How about we go somewhere else? There's this new restaurant I've been wanting to try and you could use more food than that little skewer you had earlier. Besides, you could probably use a rest. Haibara warned that you would tire easily," Kaito offered.

Shinichi nodded, but continued to eye the people around them suspiciously.

0-0-0-0-0

The restaurant was a bad idea.

The hostess flirted with him. Their waitress flirted with him. Other customers flirted with him. Even the chef stared at him from the little window separating the kitchen from the dining room. He apparently stared for too long because soon Shinichi could smell something burning.

Maybe before that day at Tropical Land, the old Shinichi would have basked in the attention, behavior he had inherited from his mother, but his time as Conan had taught him to shy away from attention. He forced himself to sit up straight and ignore the stares, even though he felt his skin crawling from all of the attention.

"You know, you've really changed a lot in these past two years," Kaito commented, "I guess after everything you've been through it would be more strange if you had remained stagnant."

Shinichi smiled to mask his feelings of self-consciousness, "No bad changes I hope?" He wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that his time as Conan had left its mark on him. But if Kaito didn't like the knew him? He wasn't sure what he would do.

Kaito gave him a warm smile, "Of course not. I'm enjoying getting to know this slightly new Shinichi. And no matter how much you've changed, you're still you."

Shinichi gave a rueful smile, "you mean a detective geek?"

Kaito laughed, "Oh you're a still a detective geek alright! That will never change. I bet you still recklessly chase down murderers, and you probably still obsess over cases until you have neglected not just those around you but your own health as well…"

"Geez, stop with the compliments already, I can't take it anymore," Shinichi replied sarcastically.

"I'm not done. No matter how much you've changed, I know you're still the most intelligent man in the room (only tied with me of course) but you don't think your intelligence makes you superior to others. You're rich but not entitled. You're fiercely loyal to those you care about and would do anything for them. You might lose track of time and miss birthdays, but you remember all the small details for those you care about from their preferred cereal to favorite Powerpuff Girl. Even if you have changed, you're still you."

Shinichi blinked, taken aback by Kaito's words. The feeling of reassurance they left him with put a lump in his throat. But that was just another one of Kaito's many talents, he always seemed to know what to say to Shinichi when he needed to hear it most.

Before he could respond, their waitress returned, "Here's your tea, but I'm afraid your order is going to take a little longer because the chef has to remake it. I'm afraid their was an accident and your first order was a bit…overcooked. I do apologize for the inconvenience. Once you have finished your meal, please choose any item off the dessert menu, on the house. Now is there anything else I can do for you? Anything at all?" As she spoke, the waitress stroked her fingers playfully on Shinichi's arm.

Shinichi subtly shifted away and picked up his tea, "Thank you, and yes there is one thing. Could my friend get his chocolate milkshake please?"

The waitress blinked as if just remembering that Kaito was there, "Yes, of course! Right away." She seemed to shake herself and scurried off.

Shinichi turned to Kaito with an apologetic look. While the attention made Shinichi uncomfortable, it clearly made Kaito fume with jealousy. It wasn't hard to understand why, Kaito loved attention, even more so than the old Shinichi did, and he wasn't used to being ignored.

"I'm sorry about our waitress's behavior, and everyone else today for that matter. I don't understand what's happening or why so many people are acting so strangely around me and completely ignoring you, but I can understand why it upsets you."

Kaito blinked in surprise, "You do?"

"Of course! I know how much you like being the center of attention. You must hate the way everyone is completely ignoring you," Shinichi answered.

Kaito frowned, "I'm not upset by that. Okay fine, stop giving me that look, maybe it bothers me a little. But that's not the primary reason I'm bothered."

Shinichi frowned in return, tilting his head in confusion, "Then why are you acting so jealous?"

It was only because they were such good friends that Shinichi was able to recognize Kaito's 'caught in the act' expression, then it was gone. "You misunderstand my feelings. I'm not jealous that I'm not getting attention, I'm upset that you are the subject of unwanted attention. The ones that are touching you without your consent are especially pissing me off."

"Oh. Thanks, but you don't need to worry about me," Shinichi assured him, then frowned, "Still, it doesn't seem natural the way people are acting around me. I've had plenty of people flirt with me before, I am a famous detective and fame always attracts people, but this is too excessive to be natural. And its also strange the way people are completely ignoring you. Usually when we are together, I feel like we draw an equal amount of attention. Me for my fame and you because of your charisma and how insanely attractive you are. It's weird that everyone is ignoring you."

Kaito gave him a Cheshire grim, "You think I'm insanely attractive?"

Shinichi felt his face burn like it was on fire, "Don't focus on that part of what I said, idiot! Don't you agree that something weird is going on?"

Kaito's grin dropped to something more serious, "I do, you're right. Do you have any ideas?"

"I think this is some kind of side effect of the cure. We need to talk to Haibara," Shinichi answered.

Kaito nodded, "I agree, but let's wait until after that free dessert. I've heard this place has an amazing chocolate cake."

0-0-0-0-0

Shinichi sat in Haibara's lab waiting patiently, Kaito next to him was doing card tricks, which was the extent of his ability to hold still. Haibara had been staring at her computer in silence for the past 20 minutes. Shinichi had known her long enough to be able to tell that she had figured out something, but for whatever reason she hadn't yet revealed her findings.

"Is it bad?" Shinichi finally asked.

Haibara looked thoughtful, "Not bad per say, depending who you asked. More strange then anything else."

Kaito spoke up, "But there is something going on and its related to the antidote."

Haibara nodded, "you are correct."

Shinichi waited, but when Haibara continued to stare at her computer in silence he asked, "So what is it exactly?"

"Pheromones," Haibara answered.

"Pheromones," Shinichi repeated.

Haibara nodded, "You are currently secreting a high amount of sex pheromones."

Shinichi opened and closed his mouth, but no sound came out.

"No sex pheromone has been identified in humans," Kaito pointed out.

"Apparently I just found one, or more accurately I created one as a byproduct of the antidote. Right now, many people near Shinichi will find him near irresistible. To certain people, he's like a walking sex magnet," Haibara answered.

"H-Haibara!" Shinichi sputtered, feeling himself blush.

Kaito spoke up ignoring Shinichi's embarrassment for the time being, "You said 'many people' instead of 'everyone.' Do you mean not everyone is affected by these pheromones?"

Haibara put her hand in her chin, still studying the computer screen, "Well in other animal species that do excrete pheromones, they are typically put out by the female to indicate their availability for breeding (Shinichi's receding blush made a comeback at this comment), but the most suitable males are the ones most affected by the pheromones. Now there isn't any science about human pheromones since as you pointed out they don't actually exist, so I don't know a lot of what is happening to Kudo or how it works, but I have some theories."

"And would you be willing to share those theories?" Kaito asked.

"Think back to the people you told me you interacted with. Most of them were practically throwing themselves at Kudo-kun, but not all of them were. For example, the old woman that you bought the yakitori from. I have a theory that people most compatible with Kudo-kun will be the most affected. Anyone not in your age group won't be affected much at all. I do not feel anything when around you, Kudo-kun, because this body is not compatible with you. It's the same for the professor and why he didn't throw himself at you when he answered the door. But people around your age, especially those that you could be compatible with, will be most affected because your body is looking for the best mate to breed with."

"I am not!" Shinichi yelled, his blush traveling to the tips of his ears and down his neck.

Haibara sighed, "Not in your conscious mind, maybe. But this isn't something you can control any more than you can control your heart beat. If it makes it easier to understand, you can compare it to certain women that don't wish to have children, but yet still have their cycle every month. It's beyond your control."

Shinichi had buried his face in his hands, "This has to be a joke. Some big, cosmic joke."

Kaito put a comforting hand on his shoulder before turning his attention back to Haibara, "You said Shinichi's body is looking for the best mate for breeding with, but both men and women were hitting on him."

Haibara shrugged, "Perhaps he isn't looking for a breeding mate necessarily, but a mate that will take care of him. He's a wife looking for his husband."

Shinichi looked incredulous, "And why exactly am I the wife in this equation?"

Haibara shrugged, "In animals, it is usually the female that secretes the pheromones."

Kaito was snickering, so Shinichi elbowed up in the stomach.

"Is there anything that can be done to stop the pheromones?" Shinichi asked sounding dejected.

"I'll find a way to fix this," Haibara promised.

0-0-0-0-0

"Bahahahahaha!" The voice over the phone roared with laughter.

Shinichi smacked his face with his palm. He should have expected this reaction. He hissed at the phone, "Shut up, Hattori. I'm only telling you to warn you to stay away from me for a little while. I didn't want you to decide to visit unannounced and try to get into my pants or something."

Hattori's laughter faded to small chuckles, "I get it, Kudo. Thanks for the heads up. But still, ya gotta admit, your situation is a little funny."

"Bye, Hattori," Shinichi hung up.

"That takes care of tantei-han, what about Mouri-san?" Kaito asked.

Shinichi winced, "I think it would be best if Ran didn't know I was back yet. She might not believe my cover story about my contagious disease and try to come over anyway."

"Probably for the best," Kaito agreed.

"Yeah…Kaito, can I ask you something?" Shinichi asked.

"Of course."

"Why aren't you affected by my pheromones at all?" Shinichi asked.

Kaito cleared his throat and Shinichi regretted asking, wondering if his friend was embarrassed. "Who knows? The young scientist wasn't even exactly sure how your pheromones worked. Maybe you and I just aren't compatible."

He suddenly felt cold. His throat felt tight when he answered, "Yeah, I guess maybe we aren't."

Shinichi made a mental note to analyze his reaction to Kaito's answer later.

"Nobody else should know or need to know that you are back yet, so as long as you stay here inside the Kudo manor, you should be able to avoid your pheromone problems until the little scientist finds a way to fix it," Kaito said.

Shinichi didn't answer as Kaito's words sunk in.

"Shinichi?" Kaito looked concerned, "Are you okay?"

Shinichi laughed without humor, "This is worse than when I was Conan. I'm trapped in my own house and the only people I can see are you, Haibara, and the professor. At least when I was Conan, I had more freedom."

Kaito nudged him with his shoulder, "I'm sure the little scientist will fix it soon."

Shinichi sighed, "The last cure Haibara made took two years to make, and she had more information to work off of."

Kaito didn't answer immediately, obviously trying to think of something to say, "Well, maybe you don't have to stay in the manor the entire time. If we minimize it, you could tolerate a little flirting."

Shinichi looked up at him, "What are you suggesting, exactly?"

"I say we just strategize a bit and try to avoid large crowds of people," Kaito answered, "If you want to see a movie, we do during the off hours when the theater is mostly empty. If you want to go to lunch, we go after lunch hours but before dinner hours. We can make this more bearable until it's over."

Shinichi looked up at Kaito in surprise, then lowered his head, a smile on his face. It didn't escape his notice that Kaito included himself in those plans, clearly he wasn't going to let Shinichi go through this alone. Maybe he only had three people he could interact with for an unknown amount of time, but as long as one of those people was Kaito, he would make it through this. It was true as Conan he had more freedom, but as Conan he didn't have Kaito, and it made all the difference.

He looked back up at Kaito and let his relief and happiness show in his smile, "Thank you, Kaito."

Kaito blinked and a strange look Shinichi couldn't decipher took over his face for a moment, then it was gone. He returned the smile, "Of course, what are friends for?"

0-0-0-0-0

After coming up with their plan, the first time Shinichi left his house with Kaito went pretty well all things considered. They went to a restaurant that was open 24 hours in the middle of the week at about 10 pm. Kaito's plan seemed to be going well because they had the place practically to themselves aside from the staff. Their waitress flirted with Shinichi shamelessly, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

The next time went about the same, as did the time after that. It was going so well, Shinichi was almost able to forget about the strange side effect the antidote had given him. Almost. He still missed helping the police with cases of course. And he missed being able to come and go when he pleased. But for now, this was bearable.

Except things couldn't always go so well.

Unfortunately he had gotten reckless again.

It started when he woke up in the morning and saw that he was completely out of coffee. He must have forgotten to get more the last time he and Kaito had gone on a grocery run. He slumped against the counter feeling dejected. What should he do? Kaito was coming over later today, he could message him and ask him to pick up some coffee, but that didn't solve his problem right now. He needed his morning coffee, dammit.

Well, maybe he should just go and get some? Kaito wasn't with him and it was peak hours for people to get coffee, but what was the worst that could happen? A bunch of people might flirt with him? Maybe someone might grab his butt? He could handle that.

Mind made up he pulled on a jacket and toed on his shoes before walking out the door. He paused before he exited the gate. Despite his earlier thoughts, it probably would be too reckless of him to go all the way to the store for his favorite coffee brand. He should still try to minimize how many people he interacted with. He would settle for the disgusting stuff they called coffee at the conbini and ask Kaito to bring him his brand of choice before coming over later. He nodded to himself, satisfied with his plan. He sent off a quick text request to Kaito before he pocketed his phone and turned in the direction of the nearest conbini.

His walk was pretty uneventful. At this time of day, most people around his age were attending university classes, or maybe in their third year of high school if they had a late birthday. He entered the convenience store and politely smiled at the middle aged man that was behind the counter.

He went to the self service area poured himself a cup of coffee, feeling pleased with himself. Things were going well so far! He took a small sip, careful not to scold himself, and wrinkled his nose. It had obviously been on the burner for too long, but he couldn't bring himself to care too much. He had gotten his precious coffee and that's what mattered. Kaito would bring him his preferred brand later today.

Speaking of Kaito, his felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw a text from his friend.

'Where are you?'

Shinichi frowned. The text didn't contain any emojis and the spelling was perfect. Usually Kaito only text like that when he was angry. But why would Kaito be angry? Maybe he had shown up at Shinichi's house earlier than Shinichi expected and realized he was gone.

'Just getting a coffee. Walking back home now.' Shinichi sent off quickly and shoved his phone back in his pocket. His mood was a little soured, but he couldn't find it in himself to be mad at Kaito. His friend was just looking out for him.

As he walked back to the Kudo manor, coffee in hand, he felt two pairs of eyes on him. No, make that three pairs. He was obviously being followed.

He was pretty close to home, but he changed directions on the fly. He didn't want to lead them back to his home. He would have to lose them first.

He turned down a side street and cursed. He had taken a wrong direction and hit a dead end. He turned to go back and saw he was too late, his pursuers had already caught up.

It was three men, all who appeared to be about his age if not a little older. They also looked to be delinquents, judging by their dress and the way they carried themselves. They were also all giving him leering grins.

"Where are you going, beautiful? Mind if I come too?" The one that looked to be the leader called to him while his friends laughed.

Shinichi didn't answer and fixed them with a glare. They were blocking the way out of the dead end he was in. They realized it as well judging by the way they fanned out as they approached, cutting off any chance he had at slipping past them to the exit.

"Hey sexy, gimme your number," the one of the left yelled.

"What are you being so quite for, are we so good looking that you can't choose between us?" The one on the right jeered.

"I'm only going to say this once. Let me pass," Shinichi said, voice cold.

The leader laughed, "I think we've got a feisty one, boys. You know I like them feisty!"

The one on the left made a grab for him. As soon as he touched Shinichi's arm, Shinichi flung his hot coffee in the man's face. The guy screamed and brought his hands up to his face, rubbing at his eyes.

"That was clearly assault and I have a right to defend myself," Shinichi called out.

"You won't get away with that," the one on the right yelled.

The one on the right and the leader both came at him at once. Shinichi swore in frustration. He really wished he had his soccer belt right now. He would have to ask the professor to upgrade Conan's belt to fit his adult body. There wasn't anything suitable in the alley to use as a replacement ball, and while Shinichi had a powerful kick, he wasn't trained to kick in a fight.

Even though it was two on one, he still managed to take down the guy on the right with a well placed kick. Then the one that had gotten the coffee to the face returned, his face bright red, probably with first degree burn. Shinichi took him down as well, but it left him open and the leader took advantage of it.

Shinichi gasped in pain as his back slammed against the stone wall behind him. He saw stars for a moment, and then the leader was on him. He flipped Shinichi around so that it was his chest against the wall and pinned both of his wrists behind his back in one large hand. Shinichi couldn't kick the man facing the wall, which was probably his plan all along.

"That wasn't very nice of you, sexy. But you have such a nice ass, I'm willing to forgive you," the man taunted.

Shinichi felt his blood boil when he felt a hand squeeze his ass.

"Fuck you," Shinichi hissed.

The man smirked, "What a dirty mouth! But I bet you would look real good with those lips wrapped around my…"

Before the man could finish, Kaito dropped from the building's low roof, performing a perfect drop kick on the leader.

"Kaito!" Shinichi said in surprise.

Shinichi didn't think he had ever seen Kaito look so mad. He checked the leader and seemed satisfied that the delinquent wasn't going to be getting up anytime soon. The guy on the right also appeared to still be unconscious from Shinichi's kick earlier. Coffee burns stood up, but one look at Kaito's murderous expression and he turned and ran from the alley.

Once he was sure that the threat was dealt with, he turned his attention to Shinichi. "Are you hurt?" He asked, his expression still stormy but now showing concern.

Shinichi shook his head, "No."

Some of the tension left Kaito's shoulders, "Good. Let's get back to your house."

They walked back to the Kudo manor in silence. If anyone looked at him during their walk home, Kaito gave them a murderous glare that had them scurrying away.

They entered the Kudo manor and Kaito firmly closed the door behind them. The silence continued to stretch between them. Shinichi was finally the first to break it, "How did you know I went out?"

Kaito pointed and Shinichi turned and saw his favorite brand of coffee sitting on the nearby table. "I realized last night that during our last grocery run, we didn't grab your coffee. I knew you would need more this morning, so I came early to bring you some."

"Oh…that was thoughtful of you," Shinichi said.

"Imagine my surprise when I arrive and you aren't here. Then I find out you had left on your own," Kaito said, voice dangerously even.

"I just wanted some coffee. I thought I could handle some persistent flirting," Shinichi said defensively.

Kaito closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Remind me to have Aoko tell you some stories about how sometimes a little 'persistent flirting' can be dangerous. Luckily she's a police man's daughter and can handle herself. I bet Mouri-san could tell you some stories too."

Shinichi winced, "Right, I guess you have a point."

They both fell into silence again.

Kaito was never silent. If he wasn't babbling about whatever thought popped into his head, he was humming some song. And if he was silent, he made up for it in his actions, always playing with a deck of cards or juggling something. Now he was completely still. Except that wasn't completely true. Shinichi noticed Kaito's hand was in a fist at his side, his hand trembling.

Shinichi knew he had messed up.

"Kaito…." he raised his hand and stepped forward, reaching for the other man.

Suddenly Kaito moved almost too fast to follow, and Shinichi found himself enveloped in his arms.

"Do you know how worried I was?" Kaito asked, holding him tightly, "And then when I found you…and you were pinned against that wall…I don't even want to think what could have happened if I hadn't found you…"

Shinichi wrapped his arms around Kaito's shoulders, "I'm sorry I worried you. Thank you for finding me."

Kaito squeezed him tighter for a moment, "You don't have to thank me for finding you. But will you promise me that until this pheromone issue is fixed, you won't leave the house alone again?"

"I promise," he answered.

0-0-0-0-0

Despite his best intentions, Shinichi wasn't very good at keeping his promises. He was always making promises to not work so much, take more breaks, get more sleep, not skip meals, etcetera, but he always inevitably broke them. But not this time. He knew he would keep this promise to Kaito.

He could still see Kaito's trembling hands. His concern was so strong it was almost palpable. Shinichi didn't want to see him like that ever again, and he definitely didn't want to be the case of those feelings.

Although, the way Kaito had held him had been rather pleasant.

Okay, that was a weird thought. Well, he supposed it wasn't unusual to enjoy a hug from a close friend.

Kaito forgave him of course, they never could stay mad at each other for long. After the incident, they stayed in for a couple days. But eventually they both got a little antsy staying inside all the time, especially Shinichi.

"Hey Kaito, how about we go see a movie?" Shinichi asked.

Kaito looked up and studied him, "Are you sure?"

Shinichi nodded, "We could go now for a matinee showing, and none of the movies out right now are new releases or highly anticipated, so the theater should be a bit empty."

Kaito stood, "Alright, you've convinced me. Let's go."

The closest theater was still a bit of a far walk, so they boarded a bus. Rush hour had ended, so the bus was mostly empty except for a few elderly people. Unfortunately, after getting off the bus, the walk to the theater wasn't as smooth.

Shinichi's shoulders tensed before he forced himself to relax.

"Shinichi?" Kaito questioned.

"I'm being watched," Shinichi answered.

Kaito hummed in response before asking, "How many?"

"Just the one," he replied.

Kaito nodded, "Nothing we can't handle if they get a little…persistent. But let me know if you get uncomfortable and want to leave."

Shinichi nodded, "So what movie do you want to see?"

They discussed movie options until they arrived at the theater. Once they arrived, Shinichi's stalker called out to him, "Hey hot stuff, what movie are we seeing?"

Shinichi felt himself flush wish anger, but ignored him. Next to him Kaito tensed, but followed Shinichi's lead.

"Hello boys, what movie would you like to see today?" An older man asked from behind the counter. Shinichi felt relieved, at least he could get a movie ticket without getting hit on. The worker was probably an older retiree working at the theater for something to do, no way compatible with him.

They both told the man their movie choice, a cheesy action movie that looked like it didn't take itself too seriously.

Their stalker (Shinichi refused to admit it was his stalker) called out again, "Aw, I wanted to see the zombie movie, but I guess this one looks good too. So where are we sitting, sugar?"

Kaito shot him a questioning look and Shinichi closed his eyes looking resigned and nodded, "Nothing too big, just something to get him to back off."

Kaito gave a KID like grin, "I can work with that."

He snapped his fingers and Shinichi heard a yelp behind him. He peeked over his shoulder and saw that the stalker was engulfed in a pink smoke cloud. He knew once the cloud had cleared, the stalker's hair would be dyed pink, but they didn't wait around to see the results.

They entered the theater and saw they had it almost completely to themselves. They were able to get seats near the back away from the few other people present. They were a little early for the movie, even the previews hadn't started yet. Instead the screen showed advertisements for the snack counter and messages asking patrons to put their phones on silent mode. The lights weren't dimmed yet and the volume wasn't up as high as it would be once the movie started. Unfortunately this only made it easier for their stalker to find them again.

"I guess he didn't learn his lesson," Kaito muttered as the stalker seated himself directly behind Shinichi. His hair was wet as if he had tried to rinse out the pink color in the bathroom sink, but it had obviously failed.

"Hey hot stuff, how about after this movie, I take you back to my place and show you a real good time?" The stalker asked sounding smug.

Shinichi stiffened and was about to say something unpleasant to the stalker, but Kaito acted before he could speak. Kaito slung his arm around Shinichi's shoulders possessively and shot a look over his shoulder at the stalker, "Actually, he will be going home with me tonight."

Shinichi nearly choked and his stalker stood with a huff. He grumbled something about seeing the zombie movie instead and left. Once he was gone Shinichi turned to Kaito, his face red but demanding answers.

Kaito shrugged, "I read in one of Aoko's magazines that guys like that won't listen to 'I'm not interested' but will listen to 'I already have a boyfriend.' It's pretty disgusting, people should realize 'I'm not interested' means 'I'm not interested', but I figured it would be a good way to get rid of him."

Shinichi nodded in understanding.

Both turned back to the screen, but Shinichi noticed that Kaito didn't remove his arm. He found that he didn't mind though. Kaito's arm was warm and comforting after the tension the stalker had caused. The detective allowed himself to relax and leaned into the touch, telling himself it was just because the theater was a little chilly. If he had bothered to look up, he would have seen the smile on Kaito's face, but he didn't.

0-0-0-0-0

After the incident at the movie theater, Kaito would pretend to be Shinichi's boyfriend anytime Shinichi received unwanted attention. If someone looked like they were planning on approaching Shinichi, Kaito would possessively sling an arm around Shinichi's waist. If someone stared a second too long while they were getting food somewhere, Kaito would reach across the table and hold the detective's hand. Basically, he played the part perfectly of the boyfriend sending nonverbal cues that Shinichi was his and to back off. Kaito had always been an excellent actor.

It should have been awkward, but somehow it wasn't. Shinichi found himself leaning into Kaito's touches, found that he actually liked them. This initially confused him, but he chalked it up to being grateful that Kaito had found a way to get people to back off from flirting with him. But speaking of things that confused him, his body was still rebelling against him. His heart would continue to race, his chest would still tighten at times, but yet Haibara still wasn't concerned.

Shinichi puzzled it over while walking with Kaito to their current destination, a new dessert shop that Kaito wanted to try. Why wasn't Haibara concerned? Maybe she already knew the cause of his symptoms and thought they weren't anything to worry about, but in that case, why didn't she tell him?

He felt fingers brush his hair behind his ear and turned to his companion. Kaito was standing rather close, gazing at him in concern. "You've been distracted by something for a while. Is everything okay?" He asked.

'He's so handsome,' Shinichi thought to himself.

'Wait, what?'

"Uh, Shinichi? Are you okay?," Kaito asked, sounding more concerned.

Shinichi didn't answer. Instead he was viewing the strange side effects he thought the antidote had caused in a new light. Every time his heart raced, every time his breath would catch or his chest tightened, every time he felt butterflies in his stomach, Kaito was always there. Those weren't side effects of a drug, they were feelings of someone in love.

He was in love with Kaito.

He almost laughed. He was supposed to be a detective, but he hadn't even realized his own feelings? It was so obvious now. Some detective he was. But another thought brought him up short. Kaito wasn't affected by the pheromones he was unintentionally releasing, meaning they weren't compatible.

Meaning that his feelings wouldn't be returned.

"Shinichi, talk to me, please. I'm seeing a rollercoaster of emotions flash across your face and I have no idea how to help." Kaito asked.

"Sorry, didn't mean to worry you. I'm fine, I promise," Shinichi answered.

Kaito frowned, obviously not believing him, "You're clearly not fine. Just tell me what's going on. Please, Shinichi. You're my best friend, you can tell me anything."

Kaito looked so earnest and concerned, it made Shinichi's heart melt. How could he have been so blind before? It was so obvious now that he was aware of his feelings. His friend was so sweet and caring, his beautiful indigo eyes were full of concern, and oh god he had really fallen hard, hadn't he?

Shinichi sighed and mustered up a weak smile, "Alright, I'll tell you. My stomach just feels a little upset. I think it was something I ate last night. Sorry for trying to hide it, I just didn't want to worry you."

Kaito looked like he didn't fully believe him.

"How about on the way to the dessert shop, we stop somewhere and I'll get some medicine?" Shinichi offered.

Kaito still looked suspicious but nodded anyway, "Alright, but I still feel like you aren't telling me the full story. When you're ready to talk, I'll be here."

They stopped at a nearby mart, and Shinichi got himself some stomach medicine and took it under Kaito's watchful eye. Satisfied for now, Kaito led him to the dessert shop. Shinichi did his best to ignore the way Kaito's excitement for sweets made his eyes dance adorably.

Once they arrived at the dessert shop, Kaito studied the menu, but Shinichi noticed the worker was studying him. He didn't think Kaito noticed, but suddenly Kaito wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close. "I'm going to get the Death by Chocolate cake. Do you know what you're getting?" Kaito asked. Okay, maybe he had noticed the worker checking him out.

"The Expresso Chip ice cream," he answered, while doing his best to act casual and not completely melt into Kaito's arms.

"How about you grab us a table and I'll place our orders?" Kaito asked.

Shinichi nodded and went to pick out their seats while Kaito headed to the counter. He picked out a two-seater table near the window and waited for Kaito to return. He was grateful for the brief opportunity to collect himself. 'How ironic that the one person who's attention I actually want is the one person that isn't affected by my pheromones?'

He sighed to himself and waited for Kaito to come back with their food.

0-0-0-0-0

The next several weeks were a confusing mess for Shinichi. Sometimes he caught himself hoping Haibara never finished the cure. On the one hand, once he took the cure, Kaito would no longer need to pretend to be his boyfriend. Was he okay with that? Sure their current relationship was a lie, but at least it was a good one. But no, the truth was always better than a lie. And he couldn't trap Kaito in a fake relationship for his own selfish reasons.

So he enjoyed his fake relationship with Kaito while he still could, as much as he was able to. Still, he couldn't fully enjoy it knowing that Kaito didn't actually return his feelings. Every time Kaito touched him, a part of him would melt with happiness, but another part of him would break, just a little, knowing that it was all a lie.

What would it be like if Kaito was affected by his pheromones? It would be nice to have Kaito flirting with him (and touching him he thought with a blush), but would it be any different from their current fake relationship if the only reason he was doing it was because Shinichi's pheromones were the cause of his feelings? But at least if Kaito were affected by his pheromones, that would mean they were compatible, that their relationship could have a chance once his pheromones were taken care of. Instead, any chance of a relationship for them had ended before it had even really started.

"Shinichi, please tell me what's bothering you," Kaito asked.

He shook his head, "I don't know what you mean."

Kaito snorted, "I'll admit since your time as a grade schooler, your ability to lie has vastly improved, but you still can't lie to me. I know you too well."

"What makes you think something is wrong?" Shinichi deflected.

"When you think I'm not paying attention, you get this sad look in your eyes. You've been doing it a lot lately," Kaito answered, looking concerned.

'Please hold me in your arms.'

He forced down the silent plea and instead said out loud, "It's just getting to me that my pheromone issue hasn't been solved yet. I miss solving cases."

Kaito nodded in understanding. "This is the longest you've ever gone without solving a case. Your detective brain is probably dying for a good mystery to solve. It's probably also tiring to only have me for company as well," he joked.

Shinichi gave an undignified snort, "As if I could ever grow tired of spending time with you. Not seeing you was the worst part of being Conan."

Kaito gave him a fond smile, "Yeah?"

Shinichi nodded and spoke in a tone that said he was stating the obvious, "Of course. When you found out about Conan and I was able to see you again, it made that situation infinitely better. And I don't think I would make it through my current situation if I didn't have you to support me."

Shinichi finished and looked up at his friend. The expression Kaito was wearing made his heart ache. He was gazing at Shinichi with a soft smile, as if he was the most precious person in the world. As if he was in love. Obviously, Shinichi was projecting his own feelings onto Kaito.

His cell phone chimed giving him the interruption he needed. He pulled out his phone and quickly read the text. It was from Haibara and the message simply said, "It's done."

Kaito saw the change that came over Shinichi and peaked over this shoulder. "Hey, that's great news! Let's go to Haibara now before anyone else tries to molest you."

Kaito took Shinichi by the hand and pulled him in the direction of the professor's house. Kaito was chattering about how great it would be once Shinichi took the antidote, but Shinichi wasn't hearing a word he said.

He was instead focusing on the feeling of Kaito's hand in his own. His hand was a little larger than Shinichi's, and their hands seemed to fit together perfectly. Once Shinichi took the antidote, Kaito would no longer need to fake a relationship with him, would no longer need to touch him.

Shinichi hoped the walk to the professor's house would last forever, so Kaito would never let go.

"Alright, we're here," Kaito pulled Shinichi from his thoughts.

Shinichi looked up and saw with disappointment that they were indeed in front of the professor's front door. Kaito dropped his hand and Shinichi immediately missed the warmth. He would miss his fake relationship with Kaito. Even if it was a lie, it was probably the closest he would ever get to the real thing.

Kaito, oblivious to Shinichi's inner struggle, was near skipping when he reached the front door and gave the door a cheerful knock. How a knock could be cheerful, Shinichi wasn't sure, but somehow Kaito made it happen. Haibara opened the door with a glare.

Kaito held his hands up in mock surrender, "Whoa, little scientist, that glare is a little darker than normal. Is everything okay?"

"Migraine. As it would turn out, making a cure for Kudo's little pheromone problem was harder than I anticipated, and I had already expected it to be difficult. But I managed to pull something together," She turned to Shinichi and handed him a medication dram with an off white capsule inside of it, "Here. You take this, and I'm going to go lie down in a dark room for a while. Don't call me unless someone is dying or there's a fire. Come back tomorrow for a checkup."

She didn't slam the door in their faces, probably due to her migraine.

Kaito turned to Shinichi with a bright smile, "Let's hurry back to your place so you can take the antidote. I can't wait for this to be over!"

Shinichi felt his heart rip itself in half. His throat felt tight and he wasn't able to speak. He nodded, hearing Kaito's last statement replay over and over in his head.

They made their way back to the Kudo manor. Once inside, Kaito magically puffed out a bottle of water from nowhere and handed it to Shinichi. Shinichi forced himself to swallow the pill, and flushed it down with the water. He waited a moment but didn't feel any different. He couldn't tell if the antidote had worked, he would have to go out into public to test it to know for sure, but he had faith in Haibara's abilities.

He found himself unable to look at Kaito and instead made his way to his recycle bin to dispose of the now empty water bottle. "I'm pretty sure it worked, so you can go. Thank you for all of your help."

He could hear the concern in Kaito's voice, "Something is still bothering you, and it must be serious. Please Shinichi, talk to me."

Before he could stop himself he blurted out, "Was it really so bad being my pretend boyfriend for a few weeks?"

Shinichi still had his back to Kaito so he couldn't see the other's face, too embarrassed to turn around. After a moment, Kaito answered, "No, quite the opposite in fact. It was some of the best weeks of my life," Shinichi heard the other approaching until Kaito was standing right behind him, "The only part I hated was the part where it was all pretend."

Shinichi's eyes widened and he finally turned to face his friend. He had known Kaito was behind him, but once he turned he was surprised to see how close the other was and he stumbled in surprise. Kaito put his hands on Shinichi's hips to steady him. He didn't remove his hands.

Shinichi looked up at him in confusion, "I don't understand, you sound like you wanted it to be real, but we aren't compatible. The fact that you didn't react to my pheromones is proof of that."

Kaito closed his eyes for a moment and seemed to be collecting himself before he opened them again, "I was able to resist your pheromones because I've had years of practice resisting you."

Shinichi's heart began to race and he was acutely aware that Kaito's hands still hadn't left his hips, "What do you mean by that?"

Kaito gave him a fond smile, "What I mean is I love you, Shinichi. I've been in love with you for years."

Shinichi's breath caught, "But you've never said anything."

Kaito chuckled to himself, "I was afraid of ruining our friendship. It was not easy keeping my feelings a secret from you, even before your pheromones. Do you have any idea how cute you are? And when you returned to your adult body temporarily, that night I figured out you were Conan, do you remember that? It was my first time seeing you in two years, and suddenly you had grown up from my adorable childhood friend to a sexy young adult. It took all of my self control not to steal you away and do unspeakable things to you."

Now Shinichi was blushing furiously.

Kaito continued, "I had no plans to tell you how I felt. I cherished our friendship too much. But then you disappeared for two years and I had no idea where you were or if you were okay, only to find out you had been shrunken to a child. Then you were back, but everyone was flirting with you, and it was driving me insane, and I realized how much I would regret it if I never at least tried. Well, this is me trying."

Kaito pulled Shinichi closer until there was barely a millimeter between them. Shinichi had to raise his chin to meet Kaito's eyes. Kaito's hands had moved from resting on his hips to circling his waist, Shinichi's hands had come up to rest on Kaito's chest. "I love you, Shinichi."

Then Kaito was kissing him. His arms pulling Shinichi closer, and Shinichi's arms moved from resting on Kaito's chest to circling his neck. Shinichi made a surprised noise, then was kissing back enthusiastically. It was his first kiss, getting turned into Conan at the height of puberty had killed any prior chances, and he wasn't completely sure he was doing it right, but at least Kaito didn't seem to be complaining. He felt Kaito's tongue slide into his mouth and he heard himself moan in appreciation, though he would vehemently deny it later.

He finally pulled away when he ran out of oxygen, but neither of them released their hold on each other. Kaito had a wide grin on his face, his eyes danced in happiness. He playfully asked, "Judging by that sound you let out I think you enjoyed that kiss as much as I did. Does that mean my feelings are returned?"

Shinichi's face felt warm, and he could feel his own answering smile. "Your deduction is correct," then he pulled Kaito back down for another kiss.

'I love you too, Kaito.'

0-0-0-0-0

Shinichi was putting his books back into his bag, his class having just ended, when someone approached him, "Excuse me, are you Kudo-kun? The famous detective that took down that big crime organization?"

Shinichi looked up and saw a young woman he recognized from class. He couldn't quite remember her name. "I didn't take it down by myself, I had a lot of help, but yes I was involved."

"Wow! You're like, a celebrity! I'm a big fan," she gave him a wide smile, her pink lip gloss shining in the light.

"Uh, thank you. I don't mean to be abrupt, but I need to get to my next class," he shoved his last book in his bag and stood, exiting the classroom.

"Ne, Kudo-kun wait up. I have something to ask you," the girl asked following behind him.

Shinichi stopped and turned to face her. They were outside the classroom now and stood in the campus hallway. "What is it?" He asked politely.

"Ne ne, Kudo-kun, don't you think I'm cute? How would you like to be my boyfriend?" She asked.

"I'm flattered, but I'm going to have to decline. I already have a lover," Shinichi replied.

She put on a fake pout that she probably thought was cute, "Aw! But Risa-chan thinks you're cute. You should break up with them and date me instead."

Shinichi inwardly rolled his eyes. Haibara's antidote to his pheromone problem had worked perfectly, but it didn't stop people that were just normally attracted to him. This girl wasn't being affected by some unintentional pheromones, she must just naturally be pushy.

"As I said, I'm flattered but…" he started to reply but was interrupted.

"Thanks for waiting for me, darling. Are you ready for our next class?" Kaito was suddenly there, with his arm around Shinichi's waist.

Shinichi felt himself relax and found himself smiling at Kaito. He almost forgot the girl, Risa-chan apparently, was there.

"Who are you? You're interrupting my conversation with Kudo-kun," the girl asked, annoyed.

"I'm his lover," he answered.

Before Shinichi could stop him, Kaito leaned in and captured his lips with his own. Kaito's fingers were in his hair, tilting his head to a better angle, and Shinichi forgot everything except Kaito. Kaito gently bite his lower lip and Shinichi couldn't suppress a small noise of approval.

He came back to himself when he heard the girl (was her name Riza-chan?) stomp off muttering about how all the hot guys were already taken. "Kaito! You can't just kiss me like that in public," he hisses, his face flaming red.

Kaito gave him a cheeky grin, but the arm around his waist felt possessive, "But it's the best way to get people to know you're mine. Besides, you like it when I get jealous."

Shinichi pouted, not realizing he was mimicking Risa-chan, though his pouting was much more effective on Kaito than hers had been on him, "That doesn't mean you just get to do what you want."

Kaito laughed, causing Shinichi to pout harder, "You are so adorable. I love you so much."

Shinichi smiled as well, unable to stay mad for long, "I love you too."