Detective Conan and Magic Kaito characters, settings, and ideas do not belong to me but to Aoyama Gōshō.

Pâro

By Taliya

Word Count: 899

The sharp report of skin on skin cracked the still night air, followed by shuddery gasps. Kudou Shinichi, recently inoculated with the final antidote courtesy of Haibara Ai, stood before his childhood sweetheart, Mouri Ran. He nursed a reddening handprint on his left cheek, his expression one of utter contriteness as he gazed at his best friend. She stared at him, tears in her eyes, a mixture of betrayal and fury and relief and love shining behind the wetness.

"You should have told me from the beginning," she chided angrily.

"I know…" Shinichi replied, hanging his head. He was thankful she had not decided to kick him, instead opting for a—still stingingly painful—slap on the face. "But they're gone, and you're safe." He exhaled, a relieved, lopsided smile gracing his lips as he peeked at her through his fringe. "You're finally safe." He reached out and pulled Ran into a hug, which she initially resisted before giving in and reciprocating. Shinichi let out a shuddering sigh of his own. "Thank the gods," he breathed fervently before shedding tears of his own into Ran's freesia-scented hair. "I was so afraid," he whispered, and she stilled, listening intently. "So afraid they would discover me and kill you to get back at me."

"I can take care of myself," she mumbled petulantly into his shoulder, and he chuckled.

"I know," he repeated, "but knowing didn't make me worry any less."

Ran shifted her head so that her chin rested on his shoulder. "Oh, gods, Shinichi, you're back for good," she whispered and hugged him tighter, breathing in his familiar scent of sandalwood, her tears forming damp patches on his coat. "Thank god!"

"I'm back, Ran," Shinichi said with a giddy laugh that was more carefree than he had felt in a long time.

She laughed with him, pulling away to stare into his eyes. "Welcome home, Shinichi," she said and impulsively pulled him into a kiss.

Kaitou KID stood atop a building down the street, not too far from where the new couple shared their first official kiss at the entrance of the Mouri Detective Agency. With his keen hearing and eyesight, it had not been difficult to decipher their conversation, though the bugs he had planted in and around the agency certainly helped. He fingered the Dresden Ruby in his pocket, his prize from the evening's heist. He had checked it, as usual, against the light of the full moon. And, as usual, his target failed to glow a bloody red.

Edogawa Conan had failed to show to tonight's heist after becoming a regular attendee for the past year and a half. It had left him curious regarding the whereabouts of his smallest critic, and so, after he had bid his Task Force adieu, he had left in search of the shrunken detective—which was how he ended up here in Beika, eavesdropping on a clearly private moment.

KID pulled the earpiece out of his ear and smiled wistfully at his rival, who was now rather passionately lip locked with his new girlfriend. "Congratulations, Meitantei," he said with a strangely tight throat as he turned and hopped off the roof to the street. A puff of smoke later and Kuroba Kaito wandered towards Beika Station, intent on going home to Ekoda. The train ride was lonely, for he had the compartment all to himself at this hour of the night. He stumbled back into his house and made a beeline for the KID workshop, reverently putting away Kaitou KID's costume. He placed the ruby on one of the workshop countertops before curling into the worn armchair.

He was happy for Kudou. Truly, he was, for fate had not dealt his rival a kind hand. And yet he was jealous—insanely so, for the detective had been able to come clean to his best friend and love. She had pitched a fit and slapped him, true, but she had accepted the facts and reconciled it all rather quickly. Kaito was sure Aoko would not take the news that he was Kaitou KID nearly as well. He desperately wanted her to accept the fact that he had kept her father from her with his nighttime activities for the past three years, but he knew full well that Aoko desired nothing more than to see KID behind bars. She was too stubborn, too deeply grounded in her morals to ever see his side of the equation.

Sometimes it all felt so hopeless—drawing the Syndicate out, finding Pandora, evading the police, trying to stay alive, adding crime upon crime to his name—sometimes he wondered if it was worth it. And then he would think of his murdered father, and his doubts would shatter into so much dust. But right now…

"I hate you," he whispered as a tear rolled down his cheek. He knew he was not quite in his right frame of mind, but his excuse was that tonight was his father's birthday. He should have been happy, celebrating his father's life and his achievements. But right now, he was too tired, too worn to care. After a night's sleep he would put back on the Poker Face and be the playful magician everyone knew, but for tonight… Kaito was not sure if he was referring to Kudou Shinichi or Kuroba Touichi anymore.

"I hate you so goddamn much."

Author's Note: So I wrote this after I wrote another piece for the prompt, but decided this should go into the contest. I think I'll turn the other one into a longer oneshot. I feel like I am constantly screwing over Kaito in my fics. Anyone else get that feeling? Pâro is defined as the feeling that no matter what you do is always somehow wrong—that any attempt to make your way comfortably through the world will only end up crossing some invisible taboo—as if there's some obvious way forward that everybody else can see but you. I hope you enjoyed it.

Completed: 01.09.2015