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There's a thin trail of blood on the wall. Just a little, as if something’s scraped against it and left a mark behind. Shinichi steps closer, narrowly avoiding splashing his shoes in a shallow puddle of water, and considers the blood. It has to be fresh; the rain has eased now, but half an hour ago he'd been debating whether to take the bus or walk home. When he presses a finger to the blood, it comes away wet. Glistening. Shinichi shudders, stepping away from the wall, and crouches to investigate the ground.
Here, initially hidden by the shadow of a nearby tree, the blood is much thicker. There's a disturbingly vast quantity of it coating the pavement, too. Enough that Shinichi is slightly horrified he’d almost walked right past it. If he hadn't glanced at the wall, he’d never have known this was here. It’s apparent that something (or someone) nearby is in a terribly wounded state, and his stomach twists uncomfortably at the thought of leaving them behind. With the amount of blood here, though, he might be looking for a corpse.
He tries not to think too hard about that. Even if he does find a dead body again, that's important too. Whatever’s happened, he should at least offer his help, although it may not be appreciated. The entrance to this alleyway is, after all, remarkably well-hidden, so they may not want to be found. Darkness hangs over the road, the streetlights not quite reaching here. It’s a good place to hide. If you were, perhaps, deeply wounded and looking for one.
His footsteps echo, the splashing of water loud in the quiet of the evening. Silence is fragile as glass, hovering above his head, broken only by his movement.
And then, a small, cut-off gasp, someone trying not to be heard. Someone in pain. Shinichi runs. Sees: a boy dressed in white and slumped over by the wall, curled into himself, arms wrapped around his stomach. Gaping wounds stretch over his skin, blood spilling out onto the ground. Like he’s been attacked by a wild animal. Moonlight drips down the side of his pale neck, painting him in silver light. One startling blue eye cracks open to look at Shinichi, narrowed in distrust. The sight of a stranger can't be very comforting.
“Leave,” he hisses, voice cutting through the air like a knife. Hostile.
Shinichi has never been one to leave things well alone, though. He can't just walk away from someone so injured.
“I won't disturb you,” he says, and steps back so he’s not quite as close. “But you need an ambulance.”
Movement. Quicker than light the boy is standing, clutching his stomach, one hand wrapped around Shinichi’s throat. Not pressing down, but the threat is there. Shinichi swallows. The air around them is charged, static on his tongue. His heart is pounding, suddenly, his skin alight with a strange burning. Danger tastes like desire.
“I’m fine,” the boy says, but he’s still bleeding, and his whole body is trembling like a leaf in strong wind.
Shinichi raises an eyebrow. The boy flushes pink. The hand at Shinichi’s throat drops, and the boy gives him a sheepish smile.
“I heal fast,” he clarifies. Which, actually, confuses Shinichi more. Injuries like that will need stitches, they're not just going to close up on their own, and the boy is unsteady, one step away from toppling over.
Something is strange about this situation. Despite his wounds the boy is unconcerned, and the way his eyes shift around the area suggests he’s looking for danger. But from what Shinichi can tell, they're the only ones here; even the road has very few cars passing by. So what is the boy so afraid of? It doesn't make sense. The bones of a mystery take shape beneath his feet, rooting him in place, and curiosity tugs at his thoughts.
A howl pierces through the quiet. Instantly the boy stills, frozen in place, bathed in moonlight. And then his eyes meet Shinichi’s, wide and panicked.
“You have to go,” he whispers, urgent and intense.
This fight isn't one he can win, Shinichi realises. Clearly being secretive is more important to the boy than getting his wounds looked at. But there might be a way he can still help, all the same. He has an inkling of what this might be about, although if he’s right then the boy is justified in refusing to tell him anything, and he can't let on that he knows, either.
Haibara might kill him for this, but he rattles off her address anyway. The boy won't be able to hurt her in this state.
“If you need somewhere safe,” he explains. “It’s not far.”
Another howl. The boy twitches. It pains him, but Shinichi forces himself to turn around and walk away. This is the best he can do.
“Wait!” The boy calls, the loudest he’s been since Shinichi found him. Shinichi pauses. Turns to look back.
The boy’s hand is outstretched, a playing card between his fingers. “Take this.”
Weird. But Shinichi knows better than to question it, so he takes the card, and leaves the boy behind.
(Later, when he’s home and dry and hoping Haibara won't show up to yell at him for his terrible decisions, he realises the card is something else. Instead of the playing card he was expecting, painted on both sides is a rowing boat, crossing over water. Inside the boat are a woman and child, and in front of them sit six upright swords.
The card thrums with a strange kind of energy. It doesn't seem to be dangerous, so he leaves it out on the desk. Hopefully Ran can take a look at it later and tell him what it is. There must be a reason the boy gave it to him, after all, but Shinichi isn't familiar enough with this kind of thing to know whether it’s a normal custom or as unusual as it first appears.
In his dreams, the boy’s eyes glow red).
-
“So,” Haibara says, as soon as he walks into class the next morning. “Care to explain the visitor I had last night?”
Shinichi shrugs. “He didn't want an ambulance. Looked like one of yours.”
From the look Haibara gives him, that isn't the answer she wants. But Shinichi doesn't even really know why he sent the boy to Haibara. A fit of lunacy, perhaps. Or maybe she's annoyed because the boy hadn't actually been one of hers after all. Shinichi isn't sure if the law allows for her to tell him either way. The only reason he knows about her is accidental, after all, and he has to keep quiet about it. Both of them can only talk around it.
Well, Shinichi’s always assumed they can only talk around it. Haibara has never been direct with him before, even when he walked in on her with her fangs out, dripping with blood. The incident had probably just encouraged her to be more careful.
“He’s not like me,” Haibara explains, and Shinichi freezes. She can't be breaking the law to tell him this, surely. It’s almost an acknowledgement of what she is. Almost like she's trying to tell him what the boy is.
But the boy had so clearly been something. Like humanity was a cloak wrapped around his shoulders, thinly veiling whatever lies beneath. If he’s not like Haibara, then he must be part of another community; one of the secretive ones, probably. Some of them are more enclosed than others. (Shinichi remembers the blood on the ground, spilling from open wounds, the ice in the boy’s glare, the desperation in his voice when he’d told Shinichi to go. The weight of the boy’s hand at his throat. He hopes the boy’s community is a forgiving one).
A thought occurs to him, now, spreading frost across his ribcage. “Did you help him?”
Quiet. Perhaps she didn't. Perhaps she couldn't. Or maybe Shinichi misread the entire situation, and the boy had tried to hurt her somehow after all. And then Haibara leans back in her chair, opening her bag just enough for Shinichi to see the half-empty bottle inside.
“I caught him trying to steal my medical supplies.”
“Trying?”
She smirks. “He didn't get very far, obviously, but he was halfway healed already.”
It’s at this moment the professor stands up and clears his throat. Everyone falls silent before Haibara can elaborate, so Shinichi does his best to focus on the lecture and not his concern for the boy’s well-being. His mind keeps straying, wandering back to the way the boy had looked last night, like death has carved a space for itself in the curve of his shadow. Before Shinichi knows it the lecture is over, students packing up their things all around him, and he’s barely taken any notes. He'll have to borrow Haibara’s later. If she lets him.
Later, when they're both settled at a table in the canteen, he does take a peek at Haibara’s meticulous notes, and it seems like the lecture was mostly a review of things they've covered before. Which Shinichi probably should have noticed. At least Haibara seems to be too interested in her tray of food to realise what he’s doing and make fun of him.
Until he tries to surreptitiously slide her notebook back into her bag and ends up dropping it on the floor. Gentle laughter surrounds him as he reaches down to pick it back up again, sheepish now when Haibara watches him, amused.
“I didn't think you'd be so bothered about this,” she remarks, waving at someone on one of the other tables. A friend from one of her other classes, probably.
Neither did I, Shinichi wants to say, but he bites his tongue. Considers the concern swirling in his stomach. “I thought he would bleed out,” he says finally, a confession and an explanation.
It’s true; Shinichi had thought he’d be dead before he could get to Haibara’s, and then had thought Haibara wouldn't be able to help him anyway, and then he’d wondered just what had happened to the boy to inflict those injuries. Something he’s not allowed to know about, no doubt. Or something Haibara will refuse to tell him because she takes doctor-patient confidentiality seriously even though she's not a doctor yet. She's already enough of one to some communities, he knows.
In response, Haibara knocks her shoulder against his. “He’s fine, okay? No need to worry.”
Weirdly, that does make him feel a little better. Images of the boy lying dead in the alley slip through his fingers like grains of sand, and he relaxes slightly. Curiosity still murmurs in the back of his mind, but he stamps it down. It’s none of his business. And he most likely won't see the boy again, either, so he can't investigate even if he wanted to. Which he definitely doesn't.
Time passes. Shinichi eats, slapping Haibara’s chopsticks away when she tries to take some, and looks up when Ran and Sonoko arrive, deep in the middle of some kind of argument. Nothing serious, from what he can tell, so he mostly tunes them out. He does want to talk to Ran, but Sonoko is loud and passionate and refusing to let anyone else get a word in edgewise, although from Haibara’s furtive shushing motions the conversation is probably supernatural related. At times like these, Shinichi wishes Hattori had chosen to come to this university too, so he wouldn't have to be the only human in the friend group.
Alas, Hattori is happy in Osaka, and Shinichi is stuck being the only one out of the loop.
“No one gets hurt! That's the rule!” Sonoko is hissing, whispering now but just as vicious.
“With all those people around on a full moon? Obviously someone did,” Ran counters, crossing her arms.
What are they talking about, Shinichi wonders. Last night was a full moon, but he doesn't see the relevance. There's nothing he knows of that would be affected by the moon.
Sat between them, Haibara looks uneasy. “Remember it’s supposed to be secret, guys.”
Both of them roll their eyes, but promptly quiet down. Shinichi takes advantage of the sudden lull in conversation to lay the strange card he’d been given yesterday on the table in front of Ran, asking her what it is. It’s not an image he’s familiar with, but the energy reminds him of magic, so he’s hoping Ran will know. Surprisingly, though, It’s Sonoko who picks up the card, frowning.
“You’ve never seen tarot cards before?”
He’s heard the term, but isn't aware of what it means, exactly. Thankfully, Sonoko explains: a deck of cards used for divination, with this card being the six of swords. Whatever that means. Ran takes a look, too, and confirms it’s magical.
“Protection, I think. Someone must have really wanted to keep you safe,” she says. “Where did you get this?”
Before Shinichi can come up with a reasonable lie, Haibara leaps in to answer, grinning.
“A guy gave it to him, and he can't stop thinking about it.”
Is this punishment for sending the boy to her in the first place? Both Ran and Sonoko latch onto this information gleefully, inferring that Shinichi thought the boy was attractive, or something.
(He might have, but naturally he was far more concerned with the blood. Still, he endures their questions until they have to go to their next class).
-
He doesn't expect to see the boy again. Puts the incident out of his mind as best he can, but he can't quite bring himself to get rid of the tarot card, so he keeps it in the pocket of his coat. The magic buzzes, at times, and the reminder that it’s there is nice. Comforting. Someone wanted him safe, and Shinichi’s not sure how the magic works, if it’s still keeping him safe two weeks after the boy gave him the card, but he likes having it with him anyway. And he thinks that'll be the end of it. That the boy will fade into memory.
Sure, he passes by the alley on his way to and from campus every day, and he might check to see if there's anyone there most times, but he doesn't actually expect anything to come of it. At this point it’s just habit. And then one evening, the edges of dusk creeping across the sky, there's a figure dressed in a white suit standing at the other end of the alleyway. This time he’s wearing a hat pulled down low over his eyes, and he puts on a pair of white gloves that snap at his wrists. Sunset brushes a soft pink light over his body.
Shinichi stops, unsure, as the boy walks towards him. There's something strange about the way he approaches; like he can't balance properly. When he almost slams into the wall, Shinichi runs, hands reaching out to steady him. The boy is slightly taller than him, he notices. Tucks the thought away before it can grow roots in his brain.
“Thanks,” the boy says, after a moment. A smile rests on his lips, brightening his face; it’s hard to believe this is the same person Shinichi met only a few weeks ago, who had been harsh and angry. But those had been exceptional circumstances.
Abruptly, Shinichi realises he’s been holding on to the boy a little longer than strictly necessary and steps back, clearing his throat.
“Are you okay?” He asks, checking the boy for injuries. It doesn't look like there's any bleeding, and true to Haibara’s word there's no sign of the wounds he had when Shinichi initially found him, but his unsteady gait is worrying.
The boy waves a hand, like Shinichi’s words are smoke he’s trying to dissipate. “I’m fine! Just a bit tired.”
His voice is bright. Airy. Shinichi knows a deflection when he hears one, though, but he doesn't know the boy well enough to push. Instead he leans against the wall, hoping the boy will copy him. He does.
“Any reason you were lurking here like a creep? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were stalking me.”
Shinichi doesn't really mean it, teasing more than anything, so he tries to keep his voice light. The boy grins, shaking his head, so Shinichi can't have offended him too badly.
“Who says I’m not?”
For that comment, Shinichi jokingly raises a fist, and the boy holds his hands up, laughing. The sound sinks into Shinichi’s bones, curls up in his lungs. Spreads warmth all through him. Embarrassing.
“I just wanted to thank you,” the boy continues, and Shinichi flushes. “You probably saved my life.”
That has to be an exaggeration. Haibara said he did, in fact, heal quickly, and was halfway there by the time he got to her. Shinichi can't have helped that much, surely. He looks down, shuffles his feet.
“It’s nothing,” he mumbles. “Don’t worry about it.”
A gloved hand reaches out to lift his chin, forcing Shinichi to meet his gaze. The boy’s eyes hold him captive, spell-bound, the world condensing into the touch of satin on his skin, the hard line of the wall at his back, the rhythmic pounding of his heart. Time moves like treacle, hovering in the air around them. A playful wind tugs at his hair, the boy’s suit, a few loose stones on the ground. Everything slows into stillness. Silence. Shinichi shivers, caught teetering at the edge of a cliff.
“Listen,” the boy says, and his voice is deeper, somehow. Like the wind crept into his throat. “I owe you a life debt.”
It feels like the words echo around them. There's a weight, here, an anchor that ties the both of them together. This isn't something Shinichi can deny. Refusal sticks to the roof of his mouth, coating his tongue with rust.
A car passes by, and the world filters back in, slowly. Darkness slithers around his ankles. Shinichi should have stayed far, far away from magic. He feels like he’s been torn open, insides laid out on the ground for the boy to inspect. Feels weightless, suddenly. As unbalanced as the boy.
“I didn't do much,” he protests, weakly. The boy lets go of him, and he stumbles back, something within him aching.
“Sorry, I know it’s a lot.”
And just like that, Shinichi feels calmer. Reassured. This isn't accidentally uncovering a secret, like what happened with Haibara, and it isn't something he needs to get too involved with. The boy owes him a favour now, that's all. A very important favour.
(Lies taste like honey).
“Is that why you were here? To tell me?”
“Sure,” the boy says, soft and gentle. “You seem like an interesting guy. I guess I just wanted to talk to you more.”
Well, Shinichi would be happy to oblige, but it’s getting late, and he has an exam tomorrow, so he can't stay long.
“I can be here tomorrow afternoon,” he decides. “If you want.”
The boy shrugs. Smiles. “Maybe I'll see you.”
Maybe. Shinichi turns to leave, then remembers the boy’s condition. He doesn't want to overstep, though. “Be careful on the way home.”
Hopefully, the boy will be okay.
-
It’s only as he’s walking back home after his exam that Shinichi realises he still doesn't know the boy’s name. When he gets to the alleyway the boy isn't there, though, so he can't ask. Instead, he climbs up and sits on top of the wall, swinging his feet and reading through the details of a cold case Inspector Megure had emailed to him earlier in the week. It’s not exactly easy reading, especially since it involves mysterious disappearance that Shinichi is certain are supernatural related (and he can't exactly tell Inspector Megure that), but it passes the time until he sees a white hat approaching the alleyway.
“Do you only have one outfit?” He calls out, and winks when the boy looks up. He almost jumps down, but the boy surprises him by climbing up with quick agility to join him.
“You got me,” the boy says, sitting next to Shinichi, close enough that their legs brush. “I’m cursed to wear the same thing every day.”
Which might be a joke, or it might be true. Shinichi doesn't know enough about magic to guess whether it could be true, since Ran has never really been interested in answering his questions about magic, even when they were children. The spellcaster community is far more lenient than most, and despite being human Shinichi is allowed to know as much as Ran is willing to tell him, so in actuality very little. Nothing about curses. But most likely the boy is joking.
This is confirmed when the boy must sense Shinichi’s confusion. “Just kidding. It’s like a costume, kinda.”
Shinichi waits for him to elaborate, but is met with silence. “So you're constantly in character?”
A pause. The boy looks down. Swallows. “Have you heard of Kaitou Kid?”
“The thief?”
The only reason Shinichi knows the name is because Ran will occasionally rant about a thief stealing magical gems, who Sonoko is obsessed with. Apparently he’s remarkably theatrical, charming, and a master of disguise, often hiding within the crowd at his heists. Humans aren't really supposed to know about them, though, at least as far as Shinichi’s aware. Last time Sonoko had gushed a little too loudly about one of the heists, she’d slapped a hand over her mouth in horror, and Shinichi had valiantly pretended he hadn't heard anything. Not that it would have changed much; magical punishments are hardly avoidable if you reveal too much to a human. With Ran, the rules are different. Technically talking about the heists is off-limits, but there's no punishment if she does. So he knows a little about the phantom thief.
Enough to know that he usually operates at night, anyway. So it’s strange that he’s with Shinichi, dressed like this, during the day. Maybe because their first meeting must have been after a heist, and he doesn't want Shinichi to know his identity. As if Shinichi could rat him out.
“Yeah,” the boy says, after a long silence, voice rough like the words are being ripped from his throat. “I’m a bad guy, Tantei-kun.”
How did he know - Haibara must have told him. Slip of the tongue, perhaps, since getting information out of her is like trying to get blood from a stone. Or perhaps the boy (Kaitou Kid, he reminds himself), had asked about him. The thought shouldn't stick to him, twisting in his stomach. He’s just admitted to being a criminal. But somehow, Shinichi thinks, the situation is more complicated than that. It has to be. After all, most vile and heinous individuals don’t exactly announce it to potential friends. And the way he’d sounded, too, as if there's shame in it. Like he expects Shinichi to be shocked, to be horrified, to leave. Maybe it’s foolish, but Shinichi is intrigued. Wants to know him, unravel him slowly until he comes apart beneath Shinichi’s hands.
Besides, if what Ran says is true, then Kid has another motive beyond stealing.
“I heard you don’t keep anything,” Shinichi says, and Kid nods. “Sounds like you're not very good at it.”
Somewhere in the distance a bird is singing. Kid laughs, straightening up like a weight’s been lifted from him. “I’ll have you know, I’m very good at what I do!”
“Sure you are.”
The two of them talk for so long that the sky is turning a soft pink as the sun lowers, and Shinichi realises he should probably be getting home. If pressed, he can't really say what the conversation has been about; he’d tried to steer clear of anything that might point to Kid’s community, but other than that the topics had seemed to blur together after a while. Interest steadily simmers within him, a small flame stoked by the light in Kid’s eyes.
Just before they part ways, Kid reaches behind Shinichi’s ear and somehow manifests a rose, which he hands to Shinichi with a teasing smile. It’s cheesy, and absolutely should not make Shinichi’s heart race and his cheeks flush, and yet. And yet, Shinichi is light as air all the way home, remembering how Kid’s lips had shaped around his name.
-
So, the two of them are friends now. A fact which Shinichi is taking to his grave because if Sonoko finds out he’s friends with her beloved Kaitou Kid he'll never hear the end of it. Haibara knows, and questions his judgement daily, but Shinichi can't really bring himself to care. Trusting Kid could be a terrible mistake, but over the past few months Shinichi’s learned that Kid is far more loyal and reliable than his persona first appears. He’s prone to pranks, sure, but is never malicious; often, he drives Shinichi to exasperation through magic tricks, ones Shinichi knows and ones he’s never seen before, but it’s rarely annoying. And it’s interesting, to try and work out how he does it, try and catch when he’s misdirecting Shinichi’s attention in order to swipe his keys, his wallet, the sweets he keeps in his pocket just to give Kid something to take. Like enrichment, or something.
At first, they stick to meeting in the alleyway, chatting for hours about anything and everything. Shinichi learns: Kid is an active, expressive kind of person, always moving as he speaks; he has extremely strong opinions about some surprising subjects, including fish (which Shinichi only found out because Kid had spent half an hour complaining that the museum he’d stolen from that night had a fishbowl near the entrance); despite clearly enjoying his heists, in the performance and the deception, he sometimes comes back from them weary, worn-down, like he’s tired of it; he must care about the people in his life far more than he lets on, because he talks about them all the time. (There are other things he learns too, like that Kid is sweetly gentle when interacting with his pet doves, or that his tongue peeks out when he’s concentrating, but these are things Shinichi tries not to think about too much. They're bad for his heart).
Sometimes, Kid shows up in his white suit, but often he’s disguised. One afternoon, Shinichi is greeted by a distractingly pretty girl, and it takes him a few moments to realise the girl is Kid. Somehow he’s managed to change his voice completely, and must have padded his chest. He drags Shinichi out to a cafe, and bats his eyelashes until Shinichi pays for various pastries for them both to try. It’s surprisingly fun, and the next time they meet Shinichi takes Kid to a bookstore instead, drawn by the new murder mystery section. In his excitement he almost forgets Kid is there, until he turns back to check on him and sees Kid ensconced in another section. After that they explore most of the city together, visiting cafes and gardens and museums and sometimes just wandering around.
In one cafe, Kid sits down and spreads a blueprint over the table, as well as a map of the building’s elaborate alarm system. Shinichi almost gets up to leave, just on principle, but Kid’s asking for his help and he’s curious about what the heist is going to be. The jewel is locked in a safe on the lowest level of the building, and the stairs to get to it will no doubt be heavily guarded.
“I checked the windows and they're pretty easy to open from outside,” Kid is saying, which sounds like terrible security, in Shinichi’s opinion, though he knows Kid is very skilled at getting into places he shouldn't be able to. “But there's a camera here.”
He points to a small square marked with an x opposite the window, and the map as a whole seems to have all the windows similarly surveilled. Although if this is the building Shinichi suspects it is, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Grabbing the pen from Kid’s hand, he circles the window on the top floor.
“If you can get to it, the camera for this one is broken.”
This is the museum Ran volunteers at, when she has the time, and he’s been hearing complaints from her that they haven't fixed the camera yet for weeks now. The window is very high up, but Kid has already proven that he can climb well, and if he can reach it then it’s most likely the best way to get in unnoticed. Or he could just come in through the entrance as one of the spectators. Although the authorities may be on the lookout for that this time around.
“I’ll try it,” Kid decides, head bent low over the map. “Thanks, Tantei-kun.”
And then, he looks up, face pensive. Tapping a pencil absent-mindedly against his lips. “Do you want to come?”
What. “I’m human,” Shinichi reminds him. Humans aren't allowed to be there.
(Kid’s community in particular, Shinichi thinks, would be able to tell if there was a human about. Sometimes Kid will sniff the air and scowl, and a moment later Shinichi will see the detective Kid hates for some inexplicable reason walk around the corner. As far as Shinichi has been able to gather from their interactions, Kid has both sharp hearing and a heightened sense of smell. A few times Shinichi’s also seen a flash of what look like claws, but Kid tends to keep his hands covered, so it’s hard to tell. Certainly a group of werewolves, if Shinichi’s right, would smell a human immediately).
Kid smirks, and shows Shinichi a tarot card. On the front is a painting of a man on tiptoe, looking over his shoulder and carrying five swords. Behind him are two more swords. Like the other card, when Shinichi touches it, there's a hum beneath his fingers.
“If you keep it on you, you'll be hidden,” Kid explains.
“It’s magic?”
“Yeah, my friend enchanted a deck of them. Useful, right?”
Well, if it means Shinichi can see Kid in action, then he'll happily take it. But -
“If you used this, you wouldn't need to worry about cameras.”
Kid’s cheeks flush pink, but he takes hold of Shinichi’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “Maybe, but I want you there.”
Which is just terribly unfair, really. Shinichi can't say no to that. His heart can't take it.
He sighs.
“Fine, I’ll be there.”
He’s looking forward to it.
-
And a few days later he enters the museum with Sonoko and Ran (who had both reacted as explosively as expected when he told them, although they seem to have calmed down now). Since he’s with two non-humans he’s fine to pass through the magical barrier, and the card in his pocket stops anyone else from noticing that he’s human. If he’s not careful his reactions could give him away, though, so even when he seems a man with shimmering golden wings walk past he tries to act as if everything around him is completely ordinary. Inwardly, he might be freaking out a little, but no one else has to know that. He’s been around spellcasters before, but they typically look human themselves, so he’s never been confronted with the supernatural communities quite like this.
Policemen are already stationed by the stairs, waiting to catch the thief, with some hanging back by the entrance. None of them are on the top level, though, when Shinichi slips away from his friends with the excuse of needing to visit the bathroom. Initially the officers at the stairs had tried to stop him going up, but a commotion elsewhere had distracted them for a moment, and Shinichi had seized the opportunity to head for the window he knows Kid will come through.
Now, he waits, darkness heavy on his shoulders. Hidden behind a statue.
Click.
The window swings open, and Kid leaps to the ground, landing softly on his feet. He looks around briefly, but doesn't seem to notice Shinichi. Good. It means that when Shinichi runs forward and grabs hold of him, spinning so he’s pinned against the wall, Kid is taken by surprise. Delight burns in Shinichi’s veins, anticipation rolling in his stomach. Echoed, he thinks, by the smile that passes over Kid’s face.
“I caught you,” he whispers, and the words taste like static. Electricity on the tongue.
“Did you?”
There's a flash of light, a hiss as smoke fills the air, and Kid slips from Shinichi’s grasp and vanishes. When the smoke clears, at his feet is a thin piece of card, with a small silhouette of Kid drawn in black ink. Shinichi holds it, something to ground him as his insides shake and bubble and twist over themselves, again and again and again. Flames lick at the walls of his ribcage.
After a moment, Shinichi considers, and then sprints down the corridor, giving chase.
In the end, Kid evades him at every turn. He hadn't been lying; he is extremely good at what he does, and the heist ends with Kid disappearing back through the window, gliding off into the night, Shinichi on his heels.
When he gets home, he finds the crimson gem in his pocket, next to the tarot card. He takes a picture with his phone, and types a message out to Kid.
what am I supposed to do with this?
The response is quick, an address close to the university campus.
put it in the box outside tomorrow morning.
Shinichi wonders if that's what Kid does, usually. If maybe Kid attends the university.
next time, he promises, fire in his hands, I’ll catch you.
you can try.
It’s a challenge, and Shinichi thinks he understands why Kid enjoys the heists so much.
He can't attend all of them, but he manages his time well enough to get to most. Often, Kid will plan out his heists with him, so Shinichi will think he knows what's about to happen, and then Kid will adapt and improvise and twist away from Shinichi’s grasp, over and over again. It’s as frustrating as it is exhilarating.
One night, he stands on the roof opposite Kid, beneath the moon. Watches Kid lift the jewel up to the moonlight, exposing the long line of his neck, silver pooling at the base of his throat. Is helpless when Kid throws a tarot card in his direction, one that makes his feet stumble and trip over, and laughs as he glides away. Shinichi’s thoughts are soap, for a moment. Slippery. A buzz in his ears, honey on his tongue.
Fragile, futile wanting. Kid is charming and beautiful and intelligent and kind and hopelessly unattainable. Shinichi stands at one end of a ravine, a rope made of his feelings stretching to the other side, where Kid runs ahead. He can't ruin this, their friendship. So he tucks it away, saves the thoughts for when he’s home and in bed and not in danger of blurting them out.
And then, things go wrong.
Shinichi’s known from the start that Kid is mixed up in something dangerous. There have been times where he’s obviously been hiding injuries, though nothing as bad as the first night they met, and it’s always coincidentally after a heist. But Shinichi had hoped Kid would have it under control, and has been waiting for Kid to eventually trust him enough to share whatever the danger is with him.
At this heist, the danger strikes first. One moment, Shinichi is chasing after Kid, tackling various obstacles along the way, and the next something’s slammed into him, sending him tumbling over.
A wolf stands on his chest, harsh growling rumbling through the air. Sharp teeth snap at him, and claws dig into his skin. Time slows to a crawl. Shinichi’s blood pounds in his ears. He’s alone.
Until, abruptly, the wolf begins to change shape. Creaking sounds echo through the quiet hallway, and suddenly there's a man on top of him, holding a knife to his throat. Fear grips him with icy hands.
The man is fast. Strong. So Shinichi has to be faster, stronger. He slams his knee into the man's chest as hard as he can, forcing him up and off, scrambles to his feet, and screams as loud as he can. Footsteps follow soon after, and Kid swoops in, grabbing his hand and pulling him away.
Later, when the man is gone and the heist is over and they're both in the alley and Shinichi is trying not to throw up all over Kid’s shoes, Kid tells him about the legend of Pandora, and the man called Snake. They hold each other carefully, like delicate lace, as Kid talks, in a shaky, whispering voice, about the death of his father. About finding a hidden room at home, and deciding to finish what his father started and becoming Kaitou Kid. About Snake, who's been trying to kill him this whole time.
“Shinichi,” Kid says, and he sounds like stars. Like he’s swallowed the night. “I’m so sorry.”
“I’m fine.”
It’s true; Shinichi wasn't hurt at all, and while it would have been nice to know about this earlier he can't really blame Kid for not saying anything. But somehow his hands are shaking, and he feels jittery, inside. Like he’s been filled with butterflies.
Kid cups his face, thumbs brushing his cheeks. Shinichi’s stomach flips once, twice. Something inside him aches. His lips part, and suddenly Kid is leaning forward and he’s being kissed within an inch of his life. Shinichi melts into water, closing his eyes and clutching at the lapels of Kid’s suit. Around them, the world slows. Stills. Warmth curls up in his gut.
When they draw back, Kid is grinning. Helpless, Shinichi smiles too. Can't bring himself to stop.
“I don’t want you to get hurt,” Kid says, and kisses him again.
Shinichi wraps his arms around Kid’s waist and rests his head on Kid’s chest. “We’ll figure this out.”
Later, when he’s convinced Kid to come home with him (though he hadn't really needed to do much persuading), they sit on Shinichi’s bed, legs tangled together.
“Hey, Shinichi,” Kid says, leaning in so their faces are almost touching. “Wanna know a secret?”
His heart beats in the base of his throat. Shinichi swallows. “What?”
“I’m a werewolf.”
That’s not what Shinichi was expecting him to say, and judging by the teasing smile Kid has, his disappointment is obvious. He weakly hits his hand against Kid’s chest.
“I knew that already, genius.”
A burst of laughter, and then Kid reaches out to lift his chin, and he’s being kissed again, slow and honey-sweet. Flowers grow beneath his skin.
“Hey, Shinichi,” Kid says again, and Shinichi almost rolls his eyes. “My name is Kuroba Kaito, and I really, really like you.”
Trust is a ball of glass between his fingers. “Hey, Kaito,” he says, tasting the shape of it in his mouth. Reaches up to kiss him. “I really, really like you too.”
-
Not much changes, really, now that they're dating. They still go out around the city together, hand in hand, and steal kisses over cakes in cafes or hiding between shelves in the library or sitting on a bench in the gardens. Kaito will still show up in disguise, sometimes, but more often than not will be himself, and Shinichi treasures the sight of him in soft sweaters with sleep-rumpled hair.
There's also the fact that Shinichi knows, now, about the community, since Snake transformed in front of him; as it turns out, Kaito is happy to answer all Shinichi’s questions, and Shinichi has many, many questions. Some of his guesses are right, and some of them aren't, but mostly Shinichi just likes to hear Kaito talk.
He also sees Kaito shift, eventually. Apparently there's a potion he takes on full moon nights so he’s not shifting involuntarily, but otherwise he has complete control. His wolf is enormous, with immaculate white fur and piercing blue eyes. The first time Shinichi sees him is slightly terrifying, but then Kaito flops down by his knees and is content with belly rubs and ear scratches and overall seems far more harmless.
At one full moon, Kaito greets him in the alleyway with a bruising kiss, pressing him hard against the wall. His fangs are out, the edge of them razor sharp, and Shinichi traces one with a finger, watching blood pool at the tip. In the moonlight his eyes gleam red, and maybe Shinichi should be afraid but all he can think is yes and please and more when Kaito bites at his throat. He spreads his legs and Kaito shoves his thigh between them, gives Shinichi something to rock against and kisses him until his thoughts disintegrate into dust.
It’s a lot bolder than Shinichi would expect Kaito to be in public, usually, so he brings Kaito home with him, and almost as soon as they're through the door Kaito pounces, impatient.
With his back against the door and Kaito seemingly trying to climb inside his skin Shinichi doesn't stand a chance, really, but he slaps a hand over Kaito’s mouth anyway.
“You can't wait?”
At least Kaito has the decency to look embarrassed, even though Shinichi isn't really complaining. A whine cuts through the air; Kaito kisses the palm of his hand.
“Sorry,” he says, breathless. “You smell so - I can't - it’s the moon, makes me -”
Shinichi kisses the words from his lips before he can ramble any longer, and then lets his head fall back against the door with a groan as Kaito slides a hand down, down, toying with the button of his trousers. Kaito slides to his knees, pressing a kiss against his stomach, and Shinichi gasps. Desire races through him, dizzy and aching, and when Kaito pulls his underwear down and takes him into his mouth a burning fire consumes him until all he can think about is Kaito’s tongue, his hands, his eyes. Shinichi is torn open, a quivering harp-string plucked by callous fingers, and he comes apart slowly, shattered into pieces.
When he is whole again he pushes Kaito towards the bedroom, onto the bed, sits on top of him and takes and takes and takes until Kaito is a writhing mess beneath him. He begs very prettily.
They have to change the sheets twice, but the experience is certainly worth it.
-
Snake is still a problem. Shinichi has a plan for it, sort of, but he doesn't think Kaito will agree, and he’s slightly dreading bringing it up.
In the end, though, Kaito does, begrudgingly, agree, and Shinichi shows up to a heist in full Kid costume, complete with some kind of scent-disguising amulet and a tarot card in his pocket. The image on the card is a drawing of a woman, tied up and blindfolded. Surrounding her are eight swords, trapping her in place. Kaito stays hidden, but refuses to stray far from Shinichi, sticking close by.
They wait. Shinichi leaps into the heist, emulating Kaito’s theatrics as best he can, and when he takes the jewel (and passes it off to Kaito secretly) he runs and runs until he’s all alone.
Alone, except for Snake.
If he strains, he can hear breathing. Can sense movement. He leads Snake round and round in circles, gets him dizzy and disoriented, and then he drops the tarot card behind him, coated with a potion from Haibara that should make it invisible.
A single step, and the world flashes red, yellow, orange. Snake is encased in a cage made of swords.
Later, once they've handed him to the relevant authorities and forced him to spill his guts, the two of them go to Shinichi’s home. Kaito stands in the kitchen, watching the moon through the window.
Shinichi walks to stand next to him, slipping an arm around his waist, and Kaito l eans into him with a sigh.
“I found it,” he says, quiet as a storm. “Pandora.”
“What will you do with it?”
In response, Kaito opens his palm to reveal the gem, blood-red and shimmery. Then his nails stretch into claws, and he closes his fist, crushing it.
Red shards fall to the floor.
The moon, above them, is bright and weeping.