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

In Other Shoes

Chapter 10 - A Budding Romance

Kaito had come back to the maid café again. That was nothing new. But he had offered Shinichi a rose when he'd paid for his bill and asked if Shinichi would like to accompany him to the calligraphic art exhibit now being shown. Startled by the invitation and intrigued by the exhibit's contents, Shinichi had found himself agreeing before he had time to think better of it.

And by that point it had been too late to change his mind.

So, as soon as his shift ended, he had run up to the apartment to change (into one of those dresses his mother had bought for him the other day. He didn't know if they were cute or not, but they were new and covered everything they should cover, so he'd accepted them into his wardrobe as the lesser of many possible evils—like that slinky monstrosity in the catalogue she'd threatened him with). Then, dressed somewhat less casually than he might have liked, he hurried down and managed to make it out of the building without running into either his mother or Miyako-san.

He didn't, however, manage to escape completely unnoticed because he bumped into Shizuka on his way out the door.

"Oh, that's a cute dress," she'd said then smirked—actually smirked. "Is our shy little Shinko going out on a date?"

"No!" Shinichi said a little too quickly. "I'm just—going to see that gallery exhibit on calligraphic art."

He had edged his way fully out the door while he explained. Unfortunately, that meant that, in turning to follow her, Shizuka saw Kaito waiting for him just down the steps.

She blinked then beamed. "Oh, so he finally asked you out, did he? It's about time! I'm glad you were brave enough to accept. Congratulations. Anyhow, I won't keep you waiting. Go on and have fun—but not too much fun, mind you," she added as an afterthought, probably speaking as an older girl to a younger one (even if it was only by a few years). "Remember, you're both still young. You don't have to rush anything."

Growing redder by the second, Shinichi hastily blurted out some excuse that he couldn't even remember afterward and all but leapt for the street.

Kaito observed the little exchange with both amusement and delight. He couldn't help but notice that Shinichi had dressed up for him, and that thought alone was enough to bring a goofy grin to his face that he hurriedly smoothed and tailored into something more suave. He had an image to maintain after all.

Kaito greeted Shinichi with a smile and a rose that Shinichi took before he could think better of it. For better or for worse, however, the outfit his mother had bought him came with a small, color-coordinated bag into which he could tuck the rose's stem, leaving the brilliant bloom itself peeking out over the top like a touch of spring color.

Then Kaito had bowed and offered Shinichi his hand. "Shall we be on our way?"

Stealing one last look at the maid café and wondering just who might be watching them through its many windows, Shinichi took that proffered hand, cheeks pink, and nodded.

"Let's."

The two spent a very enjoyable day at the calligraphy art museum. Standing side by side with the disguised detective as they watched a live demonstration of a range of calligraphy techniques, Kaito noted with delight the way Shinichi had finally fully relaxed. Those lovely blue eyes were clear and sparkling with interest and, dare he say, happiness. Inching just a little closer, Kaito surreptitiously slipped an arm around the smaller boy's shoulders. His smile widened when Shinichi made no move to pull away.

For his part, Shinichi hadn't actually noticed the arm around his shoulders until the demo was nearly over. At that point, he'd reasoned that pretending it wasn't there was the only way not to make things awkward (no, he hadn't decided this because he found it strangely comfortable to have the Kaitou KID's arm around him. That was ridiculous. It was only that the exhibition hall was a little chilly, and the magician was nice and warm. That was all!).

As they were leaving, they were stopped by some of the other visitors. The couple were apparently huge fans of Kaito's work, and they happened to own a local Chinese restaurant. Kaito signed autographs for them and was subsequently invited to dine at their establishment on the house.

"You can bring your girlfriend too," the husband said, beaming at the both of them in the manner of a proud father looking upon his own kids.

"Wow, that's really generous of you. Thank you," Kaito said enthusiastically before turning to Shinichi. "How about it?"

With both the friendly couple and Kaito all smiling at him, Shinichi could only agree, blushing all the while. He never got the chance to correct their assumption about him being Kaito's girlfriend. Although he also sort of wondered why Kaito hadn't corrected them either.

When Kaito dropped him off in front of Miyako's later that evening, he presented Shinichi with another red rose.

A few days later, Kaito invited him to watch a play that had been written and performed by the town's very own acting troupe.

After that, they spent an entire day at a music festival at the local park.

Shinichi stopped by the bookstore after that to purchase several of the largest, heaviest books he could find. These included to photo books documenting Iroyamura artists and historical sites respectively. He also acquired his own roll of baking sheets. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with all the pressed roses in the future, but he just couldn't bring himself to throw even a single one away. He still couldn't say why though. It just…felt right to keep the roses.

He did briefly wonder why Kaito kept giving him roses, but Kaito was always giving out roses to the girls he talked to. So this was probably no different. It was just Kaito being Kaito.

Satisfied with that explanation, Shinichi put the matter out of his mind and just tried to focus on the present like his mother had been telling him to do since the start of the summer.

He was, he thought, finally really getting it. Part of him was still holding its breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop—for a body to turn up or sirens to start wailing in the distance to drag him back to reality, but that part of him was slowly loosening its chokehold on him. He was breathing normally again, and he no longer felt like the world was closing in on him.

It was like the landscape had opened out around him, and he could see the horizon again.

Closing his eyes, Shinichi inhaled deeply. He was seated beneath one of the trees at the park. He had taken to coming here to read on days when he had the afternoon off and no other engagements. It was peaceful. He could smell the fresh grass and the faint sweetness of the wildflowers. A warm breeze caressed his face and whispered through the leaves above his head. Somewhere a little ways off, children laughed.

"Shinko!"

Surprised, Shinichi opened his eyes and looked around. He spotted Kaito immediately. The magician was grinning as he made his way over.

"It's great to see you again," he said. "I was just about to have lunch. Care to join me?" He raised the ornate paper bag he was carrying by way of explanation. "I've got a couple different sandwiches and some pretty awesome cupcakes."

"Oh, uh…sure."

Beaming, Kaito whipped a picnic blanket out of thin air and began unpacking the food—which really shouldn't all have fit in the bag he was carrying. Why he had brought so much food was another question. It was like he'd planned to find Shinichi here all along. The detective tried to remember if he had ever told Kaito about his new habit of coming here to read. Then he wondered if he'd ever told Kaito which days he had the afternoon off on. He was almost certain that the answer was no to both questions.

On the other hand, Kaito seemed to frequent the park as well, so it could still all be a coincidence.

Coincidence or not though, Shinichi had to admit by now that the magician had been actively seeking him out. What Shinichi couldn't figure out was why.

He also wasn't sure if it was wise to be spending so much time with the man he was almost sure was the Kaitou KID. But he couldn't seem to bring himself to turn the magician away. He…enjoyed spending time with Kaito. The magician was easy to talk to and fun to be around. He was quick-witted and charming, but there was steel in his eyes too. He, like Shinichi, had seen far more of the world's shadows and mysteries than the average citizen—certainly worlds more than their average peers.

There was a kindred soul behind that enigmatic smile, and something deep down in Shinichi couldn't help but respond to that no matter how unwise his rational mind was telling him that could be.

When he was with Kaito, he didn't feel quite so alone.

It was odd. He hadn't even realized he was lonely before now.

It was, however, only one revelation of many that he had had since coming to this town.

-0-

"You've certainly been going out a lot lately," Yukiko commented over dinner a few days later. "Is there something you should be telling me?"

The question combined with his mother's suggestive tone and sly look had a blush rising to Shinichi's face despite his best efforts. He ducked his head to hide it, pretending to be focused on his food.

"No," he said and stuffed a large mouthful of noodles into his mouth for an excuse not to say any more.

"Are you sure?" his mother prodded.

He hummed an affirmative.

Yukiko considered her son for a moment then changed tactics. "You know, a little bird told me that you were having a picnic at the park the other day with Kuroba-kun."

"…"

"You two have also been seen together at several of the local galleries and shows."

"…"

"The girls also mentioned that Kuroba-kun's been coming to the café to see you nearly every day."

"…"

Shinichi was trying to figure out how he could change the subject when the apartment door opened and admitted Miyako. He was relieved at the interruption until she opened her mouth and revealed that she had heard at least part of their conversation.

"Ah, so that's why Kuroba-kun's been dropping by so much," she said in the manner of one who had just had an epiphany. "I should have guessed. He does always seem to come during Shin-chan's shifts." The woman giggled. "Ah, young love. How cute."

Shinichi choked. Across from him, Yukiko looked triumphant.

"I knew it! Really Shin-chan, you should have told me you'd started dating. As your mother, I have a right to know about these things. I'm sure we've gone over this before."

Spluttering, Shinichi finally managed to swallow his food and exclaimed, "We're not dating!"

"There's no use trying to hide it," Miyako chided, moving to get herself a bowl of noodles as well. "All the girls at the café are talking about it. You two are quite the hot topic."

Rendered speechless by this mortifying revelation, all Shinichi could do was gape at the two smiling women.

"Oh, that reminds me," Miyako said. "The summer ball is coming up."

Yukiko looked interested. "Summer ball?"

"It's an event I hold every year at the café," her friend explained. "We decorate the place and have a small formal ball in period costumes. There's dancing and live music—and food of course. The regulars all love it. And the staff get free admission as long as they participate in the setting up or cleaning up."

She produced a flyer and slid it across the table to Shinichi, smiling. "There are two tickets in there. You should invite Kuroba-kun. I'm sure you two will have a lovely time."

Yukiko beamed. "That's an excellent idea! We'll go pick out your dress this weekend."

Shinichi blanched. "But—"

"I know just the place you can go," Miyako said, mirroring Yukiko's excited smile. "It's a wonderful boutique that specializes in period fashions. The owner's a good friend of mine. I'll introduce you."

"That sounds perfect," Yukiko agreed.

Shinichi buried his face in his hands and groaned.

-To Be Continued-