Nayru's Note: I am one of those people who started watching Detective Conan like ages ago and then for some reason stopped, forgetting about the series' existence for a few years, and then discovered it anew. I've practically marathon-ed the whole anime from start in the last 2 months (currently 760 episodes), wondering why I stopped watching it before, because it's still as awesome as I remembered it being and it brings me joy and a lot of feelings none of my friends seem to understand (besides one who's also watched the series on the German TV those few years back - much love for you, Karyś, for understanding my fangirl flails. :D)

I am back and I am obsessed. This fandom needs more love. For a series that's been running for almost 20 years, I was actually surprised to find out that it doesn't have that many fics. Hence why I wanted to contribute. And the ideas just didn't let me sleep at night. So there.

Kaito's, Shinichi's, Heiji's and Hakuba's interactions with one another (in whatever combination) are giving me the biggest amount of feels, and I couldn't stop wondering how awesome their relationship(s) would look like had they become actual friends. This will be a story in which I will try my best to explore that. Whether this will turn into anything shippy is still to be decided - for now it's all about the epic bromance.

I consider the DC movies to be canon. (So Kid knows for granted that Conan is Shinichi.) Because seriously. The Lost Ship in the Sky (the 14th one) is a goddamn masterpiece. If you haven't watched it yet, then what are you even doing here?

The Gosho Boys make the world go round! /o/

~4 Idiots In A Closet~
Chapter 01: An artist and his critic, the best partners in crime around?

The curtains were drawn over the windows, blocking out a big portion of the sunlight. Conan stared blankly at one of the pages from the book he was currently trying to read, not really registering the lines of letters. He was at the Kudo residence, sitting in a comfy armchair by the desk in his own bedroom, keeping watch over the person that was laying unconscious in his bed.

The great Kaitou Kid - minus his flashy clothes, cylinder and monocle... was laying unconscious in his bed, yes.

If someone ever told either of them that they'd find themselves in such a situation one of these days, he was sure they'd both laugh, finding such a scenario outright ridiculous.

The boy looked up from the pages as he heard a soft knock on the door. Subaru peeked inside the room the next moment, asking if there's been any progress, to which the smaller of the two only shook his head. He was left with a sandwich, with Okiya claiming that he shouldn't be forgetting to eat. Conan thanked him, actually glad to be having someone who looked after him while he was looking out for someone else.

His fight with the stupid book continued for another hour. His thoughts kept drifting back to the heist that took place the night before, and even though he deduced what he could, he was sure he was still missing a big portion of clues. He needed the idiot thief's input on this before it started making any more sense. In regards to which… he still wasn't sure how he felt in the first place. He wasn't even sure how he felt about this whole situation, period.

Conan yawned and looked at his watch, the needles showing the time to be a little past noon. Then he wondered if the faint sound of rustling fabric was just his imagination or not.

Turning to look in the direction of the bed, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Hey." Trying not to sound too relieved, the little detective spoke up from his chair, as if to inform the other of his presence, abandoning the book on top of the desk. As soon as he moved, so did Kid, wincing while attempting to get into a sitting position. "Easy with the abrupt movements. You may want to take it easy for a while."

He was sure that Kid would recall what happened soon enough. Assuming he didn't already.

A person named Snake - as Conan had found out later that night - had encountered them on top of the building when Kid was trying to flee with yet another stolen jewel. The thief avoided a few bullets that were being shot at him, but then Snake aimed his gun in apparent frustration at the smaller boy instead. Why would he target one of the detectives that wanted to catch the phantom thief? Perhaps he made a good guess and knew what was going to happen, deciding to use Conan as bait.

"Heh. Surprises all around, Meitantei." A bit more carefully this time, Kid tried that 'sitting up' thing again, clenching the left side of his stomach that was obviously the source of the pain. Shinichi could hear him mutter something about knowing he should have taken a vest with him and learning his lesson, even when it was aimed more at himself than the other boy in the room.

"That's my line." Conan protested, his voice sharp. It was Kid who was always full of surprises and didn't hesitate to throw them at him practically from the day they've met. "What the hell were you thinking?"

The taller boy smiled, something bitter in his expression. "There wasn't much time to think. My body just reacted on its own."

That sounded honest enough for Conan to believe, at least. And as much as he hated the idea, he could very well relate. He's protected Ran and his friends countless times before without so much as a second thought himself, not caring about his well-being in the process. Hell, he even helped out a criminal once - mainly because of Ran, but still - even though he knew they might turn on him afterward. He was really in no position to talk.

"I just didn't want to see my favorite critic getting hurt."

"Idiot." Conan commented for good measure, because he had a weird feeling that Kid felt as if he was responsible for whatever happened during his heists. He had no influence on random bad guys trying to ruin his show, obviously.

And besides, what about all those other times Kid had saved his life, saved his friends' lives? Both Genta's and Haibara's... He owed him a great deal, and Shinichi didn't think that letting the other go that one time, or the second time, could really balance the wages. And now, the stupid thief even shielded him from a bullet and got himself shot in his stead. The impact made them fall from the roof and Kid was still mindful enough to glide them into a safer place without crashing into anything in the process. The adventure just cost them an additional few bruises. But they were both still alive.

"So, are you okay?" Kid asked, and it was so weird hearing him being concerned about his well-being.

"Better than you are, at least." The smaller boy answered, giving him an unimpressed look. "I'm curious, though… Did you honestly not expect me to turn you in to the police after that whole stunt?" Conan had to ask, despite everything, because at this point he honestly wasn't sure what the thief thought of him. They did help each other out on occasion, but the rules still remained, and in the end, he was a detective, and Kid was still someone breaking the law.

"I certainly considered the possibility." Kid answered honestly, clearly noticing his monocle laying on the bedside drawer, as if only now starting to be aware of its absence.

A tiny smile tugged at Conan's lips at the short moment of puzzlement. But it's not like he hasn't seen the other's face before, even disguised as Shinichi so many times, so it's not like it really mattered, did it? Even if he knew his face, he still didn't know what Kid's true identity was. He's never met him outside of heists before.

"Being suspicious is a good habit in this line of work. Although... now that I think about it, catching me like this wouldn't be satisfying for you at all, would it?"

"Obviously. If I am to catch you, I want to do it without anyone's help." Conan admitted, as if that went without saying.

Noticing Kid's further distraction, he went on, deciding to change the topic for now.

"Anyway, to answer your questions... we're at my place. I hid most of your clothes, for obvious reasons." The whole white color stood out, after all, not to even mention how the bloody stain soaking through it all looked like. "After you lost consciousness, I wasn't able to carry you by myself so I called Subaru for help. He's... someone I trust, so you don't need to worry about secrets being spilled. I told him you're Kudo Shinichi."

Kid listened to the explanation, his expression turning more thoughtful.

"Kudo Shinichi, now back at his own place." Most physical aspects fit, after all. The thief smiled. "Clever."

Conan somewhat used the opportunity to clear his own name in regards to Okiya, actually, since the guy has been suspecting him of being Shinichi for a while now. … Not that he was going to admit to that in front of the thief.

"We got the bullet out and applied first aid to that wound of yours, but I'd still like for Dr. Araide to get a better look at you, just to be on the safe side. He's... also someone who can keep a secret. And I assumed the last place you wanted to wake up in was a hospital." The boy explained in a serious tone, before adding in a more teasing voice: "Well, besides jail, that is."

"Hm. Much appreciated, Tantei-kun." Kid smirked at him, but then his expression softened into something more fond. "Thanks."

"And right back at you." Conan gave him an unamused look. "Just how many times do you still plan to save my life, stupid thief? The debt just doesn't end."

"Oh? And here I thought we were square by now again." The taller boy sounded so sure of himself. "Doesn't that show how well we cooperate with one another, though? An artist and his critic, the best partners in crime around!"

"Idiot. Stop saying stupid things."

Getting all friendly on him again... Conan sighed, remembering their conversation from after when Kid had managed to open Jirokichi's safe. Honestly, just trust Kid to make him feel both... well, somewhat happy and uncomfortable at the same time. For a long time, he found the phantom thief annoying, but nowadays, he couldn't help but feel a bit of fondness for him, too. He did save his life for real, that one time, after all. If he hadn't jumped after him when he got thrown off the ship back then, he'd be dead.

Kaitou Kid was both a remarkable rival, and a very strong ally to have, when it came down to it.

A sudden shriek tore Conan out of his thoughts, and instead of the always composed thief - to his utter surprise - there was suddenly a panicking mess of a teenager before him. "Wait— What time is it, anyway?! How long was I out?"

The smaller boy couldn't help but blink, a little startled, not expecting the sudden outburst.

"It's been past noon when you woke up." Conan looked at his watch again, noting that barely a few minutes had passed since. "You've been out for almost twelve hours."

That seemed to calm Kid down a bit. "Would you mind if I used your phone?"

Conan hesitated for just a second at the request, eventually reaching into one of his pockets and getting his second phone out, the one he always used when making calls as 'Shinichi,' figuring it would be safer that way. Taking a couple of steps towards the bed, he haded it to Kid.

"Go ahead."

Kid reached out to take it, only to stop himself mere inches before actually making the contact, giving Conan a suspicious kind of look.

"I don't need to worry about leaving my fingertips on it, do I? ... Considering you probably threw my gloves out into the trash somewhere."

The boy with the glasses gave him one of his innocent smiles, the ones he always showed to adults whenever he wanted to get rid of any suspicions whatsoever.

"No promises~"

"You can be such a little devil sometimes." Kid admitted with an annoyed hint of amusement. "Well, I assume that if you really wanted to get anything from me, you would have done it by now, anyway." Which was... kind of a scary thought, Conan could surprisingly see the unease written all over the other's face. "So I'm going to have to trust you on this one."

With the phone in hand, Kid skillfully pressed a combination of digits, waiting for the person he was calling to pick up as the line made a few beeping sounds.

"Didn't you just say trusting people was bad for you?" The smaller boy teased.

Before the other could answer, the connection went through.

"Jii-chan?"

"Young Master!" Conan had no problem in hearing the relieved yell from where he was standing. It sounded like it belonged to some kind of elderly man. "Thank the heavens! I've been worried sick! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Kid assured, shrugging it off as if nothing. "Just got into a bit of trouble and couldn't call right away, sorry. I lost my communicator during the heist. Listen..."

"I already called you in sick for school."

"Ah, did you? Thanks." A small smile tugged at Kid's lips. It seemed like he was about to say something further, but then clearly reconsidered. "... Call Chikage and tell her I'm alright, if you can. I should be back home soon. Also, if Hakuba—"

"He's already been by your place, in the morning." The boy frowned at the info. "I told him you caught a cold and were asleep and couldn't see him at the moment."

"... Alright. Thanks, Jii-chan."

With that, Kid closed the phone shut, ending the conversation. Then he just stared at the piece of plastic in his hand, frowning, and clearly lost in thought about something.

"Jii-chan, huh?" Conan interrupted. "Your assistant?"

"Something like that." The thief looked at the smaller boy, forcing a tiny smile. "He's to me pretty much what Dr. Agasa is to you. From my understanding, at least."

Conan blinked, not sure how he felt about Kid knowing more about him than he clearly should. But he assumed it was simply someone Kid trusted and called first in case of an emergency. ... Which, yes, was pretty much like Agasa and him.

"But that's a conversation for another time. I need to get back home. Like... right now. Or I'm dead." Kid suddenly announced, already shifting his weight and trying to get up from the bed.

"Whoa— Wait, wait." Conan yelled, intending to stop the moron as he stumbled down to the floor with a yelp the moment he set foot on the carpet. "Idiot. Serious injury, remember? You're in no condition to be moving, let alone walking anywhere on your own. You should stay here and lay in bed for at least a couple of days first."

He's been shot once himself, he very well knew how nasty and painful that kind of thing was. He had to get around in a wheelchair in the hospital during the first couple of days, after all.

"As tempting as that sounds, I can't do that." Kid let out an unamused laugh, clenching his side and stubbornly attempting to get to his feet despite the protests. "That bastard Hakuba is going to stop by my place after school again, that's a given. And if I'm still not there, some cogs are going to turn. I'm sure he already knows that Kaitou Kid got shot during the heist and I'm the first person he's going to look into. It's already suspicious that I haven't shown up to school today."

School, huh? It was somewhat funny, seeing the great, mysterious Kaitou Kid in peril and worrying about school... it was the first time Shinichi saw him like this. But what did he always say? Kid was still human, just like him and everybody else, relying on tricks and luck to deceive the audience. He really shouldn't be this surprised.

"Hakuba is onto you?" He's met the arrogant detective twice himself, so he at least had some kind of picture of him. Besides, Kid also appeared before Hattori and him disguised as Hakuba once, and he's sure that guy was presented to them as much in character as possible back then. Impersonating other people in every aspect was what the thief was very good at, after all. "So he knows... the real you?"

"He transfered to my class a while back. You can probably guess why." Kid seemed as if he wanted to plant a hand in his own face, remembering something he clearly wanted to forget. "...So yeah."

"Wow. That guy really takes his work seriously." Which... in a way, was actually more amusing than anything. Having someone like Hakuba stepping on your tail at all times? "Your life must be fun."

"And that's coming from someone who hides his true identity from his own girlfriend." The thief bit back with hardly any amusement, reaching to poke the smaller boy in the side of his head. "Tell me more about how fun it is."

"Ran isn't my girlfriend."

"Could have fooled me! —Ow, ow!" Revenge was sweet. Especially when the person you were poking back in the ribs had a hole in their belly. "Time,time!"

The great Kaitou Kid was at his mercy. Ha, ha. He was going to cherish this moment forever.

"I can ask Subaru to give you a lift again." Conan announced, seriousness suddenly back in his voice. "Be glad that I'm actually someone who can understand that their identity might be more important than their health." He was in a similar situation, after all. If Ran ever found out, he was a dead man, too. "But after this, we're really square."

—t.b.c.