Pairings: Shinichi x Kaito,slight Kaito x Ran, one-sided Ran x Shinichi, implied Eisuke x Ran
Warnings: host!Kaito and eventual shounen-ai (no duh)
Notes: So… let's see. This chapter's pretty fast-paced, written half in Shinichi's point of view and half in Kaito's, and distinctly OOC, but I will justify it in that I have about fifty-seven other fics I really really really want to start writing but feel obligated to wait until this is finished.
So basically, I'm a quantity over quality type of person, which is a terrible character flaw. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!
Club Aphrodite
Aphrodite
- goddess of beauty, pleasure, and love -
Shinichi waited at the back door of Club Aphrodite, huffing into his hands in a lame attempt to warm them. Kaito had yet to appear, and it was closer to two o'clock than one o'clock. Shinichi bristled inside his coat, his expression sour.
After his short, undeniably cold session with Kaito, during which Shinichi could feel Kaito's disdain for his presence, Shinichi had retreated from the club and decided to wait for the man outside. Hopefully, once Kaito had cooled off a little, Shinichi could explain what exactly he had meant with his vehement denials.
He sighed. It was obvious to him – now that Kaito was cold-shouldering him – that his mother was right. Unfortunately, horrifyingly, perfectly right.
Shinichi was enamored of Kaito.
After all, Shinichi had never been one to get ruffled over misunderstandings and dramatic fights. Even when he'd been in high school and gone through relationships that had ended in emotional breakups and tears, he'd always been above it, not caring, getting over it. He'd always been that kind of person.
Yet suddenly, at this small, almost insignificant fight with Kaito, Shinichi was desperate. He wanted to try to convince the host that he hadn't meant it, beg him not to leave, ask him to forget what he'd clearly heard and been hurt by…
Shinichi sighed, dropping his head into his hand. "This is ridiculous," he announced aloud. Shuffling his feet around for a second, he looked up in surprise as the back door swung open. He was almost unreasonably happy for the second he thought it was Kaito; the feeling died once he caught sight of blond hair. It was the host his mother referred to as "Saguru-kun."
"Hello," the blond called out tentatively. "Are you Conan?"
Starting slightly, Shinichi nodded. "Oh… yes, that's me."
"So you're Yuki-san's son?"
Shinichi blinked at him. "She told you?"
"It was a bit obvious to me," the host smiled. "My host name is Arthur, by the way, but my real name is Hakuba Saguru." At Shinichi's inquiring eyebrow lift, Hakuba explained, "I don't think aliases are necessary when you could easily find out my real name by talking to your mother." Shinichi nodded comprehendingly, and Hakuba added, "Nice to meet you."
"Same to you. I'm Kudou Shinichi, Yukiko's son," Shinichi answered. Hesitating, he questioned, "Uh… is Lupin still in?"
"Kuroba-kun? He left early today, through the front door. Didn't you know?" Hakuba tilted his head curiously, and Shinichi fought the urge to facepalm. Of course Kaito had figured out Shinichi would be waiting for him at the back.
"Something wrong, Kudou-kun?" Hakuba wondered, seeming vaguely confused by Shinichi's expression.
"Sorry, it's nothing. It was nice meeting you, Hakuba-san, but I've got to go," Shinichi informed him, pasting on an apologetic smile and turning to leave for Kaito's apartment.
As he started off, Hakuba called, "Hey, Kudou-kun?"
Impatiently whipping back around, Shinichi spat out an irritated, "Yes?"
"You're the one who's been taking care of Kuroba-kun recently, aren't you?"
Surprised at the other's deduction, Shinichi nodded, relaxing. "How did you know?"
Hakuba shrugged. "It just seemed like it. You're quite clearly worried right now, aren't you? And I can't think of another reason but that you care a lot about that idiot."
At a slight loss, Shinichi nodded. "I… yes." He glanced down, slightly embarrassed. "We… I do care about him. A lot."
"Good luck, then," Hakuba told him, motioning for Shinichi to leave as he himself turned to leave for home. "Take care of him, Kudou-kun. You never know what that idiot might do."
"I will," promised Shinichi before breaking into a run, heading straight for Kaito's apartment.
Kaito was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, when he heard the heavy footsteps thumping down the hall and the predictable knocking on his front door. He buried his eyes underneath his crossed forearms, clenching teeth. Every bit of him wanted to open the door and let in the detective, but at the same time, he had too much pride to do it.
The thumping halted, and off to his right, Kaito heard his ringtone begin emanating from his cell phone. He rolled over, choosing to ignore it.
His phone trailed off before vibrating weakly, telling Kaito that he had just received a text. Against his better judgment, Kaito uncertainly reached over and picked up his phone, eyes flashing across the text and widening at its content.
I know you're Kid.
Kaito jerked upright, staring at his Kid closet. He wobbled over to it, disbelievingly opening it to find that his suit had been examined and put back with delicate care.
Something like horror, shock, and despair mixed in his stomach.
What the hell?! He actually knew?! But he didn't even… The memory of what Conan had been saying into the phone flooded his mind – "I actually found out… Never mind."
If he'd known, why had he kept silent? He was a special consultant of the police force, for God's sake, and he had more than enough evidence that Kaito was Kid –
In his slack hand, his phone vibrated, demanding attention, and Kaito stared down at the screen, eyes large and confused. Another text from Conan.
I won't tell anyone.
Don't worry.
Kaito heard the footsteps fade off down the hall, clattering into the distance. Hurrying to the door, Kaito wretched it open and peered out frantically to catch a fleeting glance of Conan disappearing around the corner.
He withdrew back into his room, dropping down against the door. He clutched at his head, angry at himself.
Kaito was trying to hate Conan, damn it, not fall in love with him!
Shinichi sat, huddled in the cold, around the corner from Kaito's apartment. Hearing the host's door close, he dropped his head onto his knees. Clearly he wasn't ready to face Shinichi yet…
Feeling the vibration of his cell phone against his hip, Shinichi grunted, digging out his ringing phone. The caller ID informed him that it was his mother, and his lip twitched in annoyance.
"Yes?" he growled into the phone.
"Shin-chan? What time is it over there?"
"Two in the morning. Why are you calling?"
"Mother's instinct. What's wrong, Shin-chan?"
Shinichi breathed out hard. "Kaito overheard our conversation from earlier, where I said that I wasn't enamored of him and that stuff about Ran."
Yukiko inhaled deeply. "I'm guessing Kai-chan didn't take it well?"
"You could say that again. He left the club early to evade me, and he wouldn't open the door for me just now," explained Shinichi, depressed. "I don't know what to do, Mom…"
The former actress was silent for a moment before her voice filled Shinichi's ear, disturbingly excited. "Shin-chan, I have an idea."
"…What?" This can only mean trouble…
"I'm flying in right away. I'll meet you at the house. Oh, I've always wanted to do this!" squealed his mother before the line went dead and Shinichi was left feeling extremely worried.
Kaito arrived at Club Aphrodite half an hour earlier than necessary. He hadn't been able to sleep all too well, and he had been so bored at home that he figured maybe Club Aphrodite would have more to offer.
He was realizing the fault in that logic as he pushed open the back door and entered the locker room, heading towards his locker.
"Kai-chan."
Kaito nearly had a heart attack, jolting and turning to see Kudou Yukiko standing in the doorway, wearing an uncharacteristically serious expression.
"Yuki-neechan…" Kaito trailed off, concerned by her presence. It had been less than a month since her last checkup on the club. "Why are you here?"
"I'm glad you came early," Yukiko remarked, crossing her arms across her chest tightly. "As soon as I heard what happened, I flew right in."
"What… happened?"
Giving him an are you serious glance, Yukiko rolled her eyes. "You know. Between you and Sh… Conan-chan."
"Huh? How do you know about Conan?" stammered Kaito.
Ignoring his question, Yukiko plowed on. "He told me about what happened, and I couldn't believe it. Kai-chan, you're being silly."
"What? How can you say that? He's the one who was only being nice to me because he was worried about Ran," refuted Kaito without thinking, glaring at his feet.
"See? Clearly you're mad about that, aren't you? Because you wanted to be special to him," cackled Yukiko triumphantly.
"I did not –!" Kaito half shouted, head snapping up – only to see Yukiko' already smug face growing smugger.
"Did you ever think that he was only denying it because he was embarrassed? Shi – Conan-chan's like that, you know."
Kaito groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "I don't know what to think anymore, Yuki-neechan. And anyway, how do you know Conan?"
"But do you admit you're enamored of him?" asked Yukiko, once again ignoring his question.
"No, I am not enamored of him!" retorted Kaito.
"We'll see about that," sang Yukiko. "We've got a surprise for you tonight!" With that, she turned and skipped out of the locker room, humming rather violently.
Staring after her, Kaito blinked and looked at his locker when a thought suddenly struck him. His eyes snapped back after the owner.
"Wait a second…'enamored of'?"
"Mom, this is a bad idea."
"Don't be ridiculous, Shin-chan!"
"Ow! Don't touch me there!"
"Agh! Shin-chan, when was the last time you brushed your hair?"
"I was in a hurry, okay? I didn't sleep last night, like, at all!"
"Because you were worried about Kai-chan!"
"No! Well, yes, but no!"
"There! You look so perfect, Shin-chan!"
"You know, I'm starting to think this is just because you always wanted me to do this and not because it'll actually work."
"Don't be ridiculous, Shin-chan! Of course this will work! Don't you want to make Kai-chan jealous?"
"I just want to talk to him, dammit –!"
"It's time to introduce you to all of them! Let's go!"
"I've already met… okay. Let's do this."
Kaito was sitting in the locker room, making small talk with Makoto, Eisuke, Hattori, and Hakuba when Yukiko reappeared in the doorway. "Hey boys!" she trilled in a tone that instantly put Kaito on guard.
"Hi, Yuki-san," Hakuba greeted. "What's up?"
"Well, I just wanted to introduce our new host~!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"You don't mean…?" the blond stammered, and Yukiko nodded, tugging someone out from behind her.
Kaito's eyes widened.
No way. She wouldn't.
Standing beside her was Conan, dressed in a bright blue dress shirt that highlighted his eyes and a black suit, his hair standing in expertly styled waves, looking uncomfortable. The suit clung a little too closely to his leanly muscled figure, and his eyes were just a little too azure as he observed the five hosts' reactions.
In other words, he was drop-dead gorgeous, and it was making Kaito's heartbeat dance around manically.
"This is my son, Kudou Shinichi~!" announced Yukiko, watching Kaito with a wicked expression.
Son? Yuki-neechan is Conan's mother?
Makoto only blinked and nodded, as did Hakuba. The other two had somewhat different reactions, however.
"You're Yuki-neechan's son, Conan?" half shouted Hattori, jaw dropped.
"Conan? Isn't he Kaito-san's client…?" wondered Eisuke, looking bemused.
Kaito kept silent, avoiding Conan's – Shinichi's – gaze. So this is what Yuki-neechan meant…
"I see you already know his host name. He's going to be Conan!" Yukiko smiled widely. "Everyone, it's his first time hosting, so take care of him! If my precious son gets hurt, I'll have to blame all of you!"
(The hosts all went through various degrees of paling.)
"The doors are going to open in a few moments, so let's all go into the club!" Yukiko grabbed her son's arm and dragged him down the hall, ignoring his sounds of protests. Wordlessly, the rest of the hosts followed her, taking their usual positions.
Yukiko glanced around before carefully seating Shinichi in the spot beside Kaito, winking at him. Kaito lowered his eyes.
He was going to kill Yukiko after this was all over.
The clients began arriving soon after. Kaito was servicing one of his regulars when he happened to see Ran entering the club. Upon seeing Shinichi, her eyebrows flew up and she shoved her way over to Shinichi.
Oh.
Kaito was suddenly finding it very difficult to pay attention to his client.
"What are you doing, Shinichi?!" she whispered once she had arrived at his table.
Shinichi smirked. "Yo, Ran. And I'm working – it's Conan."
"Your mom roped you into this, didn't she?" Ran growled, ignoring him. "You've been avoiding this place since its conception, after all."
"What, jealous?" smirked Shinichi, and Kaito's heart lurched in his chest.
"As if," scoffed Ran. She looked over her shoulder to see Eisuke watching her curiously. "Hey, I've got to go. Eisuke – er – Bond's waiting for me."
"He is, isn't he? See you, Ran," Shinichi told her, patting her on the shoulder. She grinned.
"Your hair looks weird, Shinichi," she said before bouncing off to her bespectacled host. Shinichi watched her leave with a vague smirk.
"Lupin?" Starting, Kaito refocused his attention on the girl across from him, who was observing him with an eyebrow raised.
"Oh, I am so sorry," he apologized, making a deep crimson rose appear out of nowhere and handing it to the girl. "I was a little sidetracked."
"I could see that," the girl sniffed, but accepted the rose with a smile.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Kaito caught sight of Shinichi observing the exchange blankly before a timid girl approached his table. "C-Can I sit with you, Conan?" she asked in a whispery voice.
Shinichi nodded, smiling a heartbreakingly charming smile. "Of course," he agreed. "What's your name?"
"A-Ai," the girl stuttered, clearly lost in the man's eyes.
"Have a seat, Ai-san," Shinichi told her, motioning for her to sit down. "You look wonderful tonight."
"Really? You think?"
"Lupin! Are you even listening to me?"
"Of course I am," Kaito reassured, forcing himself to look at his upset client. "How could I take my eyes off of your beauty for even a second?"
It was going to be a long night.
Kaito was the last in the locker room, pulling his shirt on tiredly. It was hell to be seated next to Shinichi, watching him flirt with and enchant girl after girl, knowing that he himself wanted to be that girl, wanted that smile to be for him…
What the hell am I thinking? Kaito yanked on his shirt, closing his locker when the locker room door swung open and an exhausted Shinichi walked in.
Putting his arms through his sleeves, Kaito gave the man a curt nod, turning away quickly afterwards. "Good work today," he told him stiffly, feeling his heartbeat in his throat.
"Is that really all you can say?" Shinichi said, and Kaito nearly jumped out of his skin upon realizing that the police consultant was directly behind him.
"Yes," Kaito replied, reaching into his locker for his jacket with shaking hands.
Sounding pensive, Shinichi commented, "You know, I really don't like watching the man I'm in love with entertaining girls right beside me."
"Huh?" Kaito whipped around to stare at Shinichi, only to find him standing less than a foot away from him.
"What do you mean by that?" whispered Kaito, backing up against his locker. Does he mean…?
"You know exactly what I mean by that," breathed Shinichi, and before Kaito could even think, lips were pressed against his, soft and gentle and just so perfect that Kaito was ready to pass out.
Shinichi pulled back, and Kaito could only blink at him. "So… you really…"
"Yes. I mean it," Shinichi answered, nodding but looking slightly uneasy. He swallowed, and Kaito had to smile at the traces of uncertainty in his eyes. "You?"
"Of course I do," Kaito responded.
There was a small silence, filled only by the two of them breathing. "I'm sorry for before," Shinichi finally said, breaking the silence.
"Don't worry about that. I definitely overreacted."
"Ran's in love with that Eisuke kid, anyway."
Another silence. Then, "Do you remember when we talked about falling in love that one time?"
Recalling the time where Shinichi had asked Kaito if Kaito had ever fallen in love, Kaito nodded. "Yes, what about it?"
"Do you remember what I said?"
"Um…" Racking his brain, Kaito recited, "You said that when you fall in love, you don't let go and you don't expect the other person to let go either."
Shinichi nodded. "Are you okay with that?"
Staring at Shinichi for a long moment, Kaito answered, "Of course I am."
Wow, shitty ending. So~rry. But hey, now I can work on continuing A Sonata and a Smile as well as Semantics and maybe start a new fic! YAY!
Please don't review to tell me how much the ending sucks (was too rushed, was random, was awful, was out of character, etc.). I KNOW *sobs in corner*.
- Luna