UGH. I hate those days when you feel inspired to write but not to write more of the chapter fics you've already started.

(In case you couldn't tell, today is one of those days and I'm extremely sorry. But hopefully you've been enjoying this long string of fluffy, plotless oneshots.)

Anyway, this idea has probably been done a million times before, but, uh… being original has never been my strong suit anyway. This shall probably be either a twoshot or a threeshot, so if you end up liking this, consider looking out for the next chapter, k? Hope you enjoy! – Luna

Payback in Full

Kudou Shinichi was currently sitting in Nakamori Ginzou's office at the Ekoda police department.

And he was currently extremely pissed.

The head of the Kid task force leaned forward across his paper-strewn desk, wearing an irate and exasperated expression. Forcing his voice to become serene, he carefully enunciated in a dangerously low voice, "Kudou-kun. This is the hundredth time I'm going to ask you, and I would really appreciate a straight answer. What happened with you and Kid?"

Shinichi stared – or rather glared, to be more accurate – back at the mustached inspector. "That was exactly the fifty-third time. And please define 'straight answer'."

Inspector Nakamori flew up in a rage, clawing unsophisticatedly at his face. "Kudou-kun!" he bellowed fiercely, stalking around his desk to grab Shinichi by the lapels. "What happened?! Why are you being so damned difficult?!"

Leveling the man a steely look that made him swallow but did not make him release Shinichi's shirt, Shinichi sighed and knocked Inspector Nakamori's hands away from him dismissively. "I would rather not tell you, as it is rather… disturbing." He coughed, looking away.

(If the inspector was less focused on discovering what the hell Kid had done to the detective to make him act that way and more on the detective himself, he might've noticed the slight blush that crept up Shinichi's cheeks. Alas, he was not, and the blackmail opportunity was wasted.)

Relenting, Nakamori sighed and shoved back a fistful of his hair, which appeared to be somewhat stiff and sugary, before falling back into his desk chair. He glanced over at Shinichi, who was still sitting primly across from him. "Honestly, Kudou-kun… today has been completely terrible already, and the task force is still missing the thirty minutes that Kid stole for you two to – er – interact together or whatever you want to call it. He totally took over the surveillance of the room you were in. We need to know what happened during that half-hour for the records."

Shinichi's response was to simply glower at the inspector.

"Right," Nakamori remarked after a moment, standing up. "You know what, Kudou-kun? I'm going to go get a drink, and when I get back, I hope you feel like talking."

"How professional," deadpanned Shinichi, lifting an eyebrow as the officer exited the office.

"After this hellish day, I think some alcohol is warranted," Nakamori called over his shoulder, and Shinichi listened as his footsteps pattered off.

Shinichi sat in silence for a long minute, alone with his thoughts and Nakamori's now-empty desk.

I can't tell him what happened. That would just… it wouldn't fix anything. And it's really awkward.

Biting back a sigh, Shinichi rose, bored, and strode over to the inspector's desk, rifling through the various papers and pens.

But why would Kid even do that…?

– earlier –

Heart thrashing in his chest, Shinichi bolted up the hotel stairs (the elevators were out of commission, as the task force was sure to be discovering right about now), swearing colorfully as a corner of Kid's cape disappeared around the corner.

It was the infamous Kaitou Kid's latest heist, held at the esteemed Hôtel de l'Amour in Ekoda. He briefly wondered why Kid was breaking out of his usual practice of holding heists at museums and galleries and was instead targeting the gem of a random European dignitary who happened to be staying in Japan, but upon remembering that Kid was only a few feet ahead, Shinichi discarded the question.

He rounded the corner just in time to see Kid grin, wave, and duck into one of the rooms. Without even pausing for breath, Shinichi charged in after him –

– and what the hell? Where was Kid? In front of Shinichi was what appeared to be a darkened, completely pristine hotel room, with perfectly creased sheets draped over one king size bed and refined paintings hanging like snowflakes on spotless cream walls.

Realizing his mistake half a second too late (seriously, how did he manage to fall for such an old trick?) Shinichi whirled around, prepared to shoot a tranquilizer dart as Kid slammed the door shut and flicked the lights on.

Squinting in the sudden light, Shinichi accidentally squeezed his watch, releasing his one and only dart. Kid dodged it effortlessly and smirked at Shinichi. "Hello there, my darling tantei-kun."

"The task force has surveillance here," Shinichi informed him, annoyed, as he dropped his arm. He had forgotten to bring his modified ball-dispensing belt to this heist, and this fact was now backfiring on him.

Kid nodded. "With those cameras?" He motioned at the cameras positioned in the corners. Right before Shinichi's eyes, the lenses shattered, depositing glass on the floors as if by magic. (Well, this was the Kaitou Kid, after all, so it probably was magic.)

"Okay then." Shinichi sunk down on the bed, watching Kid suspiciously. "Let's get this over with."

Kid blinked at him from behind his monocle, cracking a smile as he bent over the door, seeming to do something to it. "Oooh, tantei-kun, is that some kind of invitation?"

"No," snapped Shinichi, sending the grinning phantom a sharp glance. "I'm saying just tie me up or handcuff me or put me in a ballerina costume or whatever you're planning." He peered over Kid's white-clad shoulder, narrowing his eyes at the door. "It appears you've put some kind of contraption on the door so we're locked in."

Glancing over his shoulder easily at the large black apparatus he'd attached to the door seconds ago, Kid nodded genially, flipping his cape off his arm. "Good to see you understand your situation, though I'm quite offended that you think the only reason I'd trap you in a hotel room with me is to do something embarrassing to you."

Shinichi scoffed, leaning back with a roll of the eyes. "Like you're given me any reason to believe you'd do anything different." He shifted uncomfortably. "Ran still has that picture of me in that, uh… you know."

Tilting his head curiously, Kid gave another smile, though this one seemed a little less genuine than its predecessors. "I believe you mean the nurse's costume, and how is your lovely lady, anyway?"

Stiffening, Shinichi set a stark gaze on the thief. "We broke up two weeks ago, Kid. I thought you would've known that, being the omniscient magician and all that." He gave a bitter laugh. "But that's all beside the point. Go ahead and do whatever." He shut his eyes, fearing the worst. Hopefully there's no chocolate ice cream involved like last time…

To Shinichi's surprise, Kid only laughed, and Shinichi's eyes flew wide open as he felt the bed compress at his side. Kid had sprawled out beside him, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

Starting to feel rather nettled, Shinichi stared down at him. "What are you doing, Kid?" he asked guardedly, moving aside a few feet.

Kid half-opened sleepy indigo eyes. "I'm lying down. Heists can be so exhausting sometimes."

"…Is something going to explode right now? Or, wait – is there any sort of plan involving liquid and my head? Because last time that happened, it took me twenty minutes in the shower to get the pineapple juice out of my hair. And it was still pretty sugary a week after that." Shinichi told him, still tense.

Kid rolled onto his stomach and rested his head on top of his hands, making sad puppy eyes at the detective. "I'm quite hurt, tantei-kun. One, I didn't lock you in this room with me to do drop you into a pool of root beer like I did to the rest of the task force or do any similar activity, and two, that pineapple juice was imported from Hawaii. You should've tried to enjoy it somehow."

Shinichi scowled at the magician's last comment before the meaning of his first actually hit him. "Wait, you're not keeping me in here to do some embarrassing prank like usual? Then why am I even here?" His brow wrinkled. "And why root beer?"

"I did some research, and root beer turns out to have the highest concentration of sugar. Well, my root beer does, at least. And then there's also fact that I also included… oh, never mind." Kid grinned a grin that meant dyed hair and sticky skin for a month, and Shinichi silently offered up a prayer for the task force's dignity to not be fully crushed by the conclusion of the heist.

Exhaling, Shinichi fell back onto the bed. "So, what are you going to do, then?"

Kid shrugged. "Why indeed."

"Don't give me that. You've got to have some reason for locking yourself in a room with me." Shinichi rolled his eyes, rotating his head to raise an eyebrow at Kid. "After all, we're not exactly friends."

Quirking an eyebrow (and somehow managing to keep his monocle in place – it definitely had to be magic) at him, Kid shot him a questioning glance. "Really? We're not?"

Opening his mouth to sputter yes, of course they weren't friends, Shinichi momentarily stopped to actually consider the concept. Were they friends?

He'd been pursuing the thief for… how many years now? About four? Shinichi mentally counted back. Yes, four. He was twenty now, and he'd been attending heists since his time as Conan, which was when he was sixteen.

Over those four years, Shinichi had spent his time aiming soccer balls and tranquilizer darts at the thief…

…and also asking him for help, like that time on the train, and teaming up with him, like that time on the airship, and receiving help from him, like that time Kid kept his secret by popping up and allaying Ran's suspicions, and even tolerating and almost helping him, like that time with the vault…

There were countless times that they hadn't been working against each other. And while the most natural response to spring to Shinichi's lips was to deny that they were anything other than archrivals, the evidence was suggesting something… different.

"Uh…" Somewhat confused, Shinichi stammered on, "I… we're… it's just… We're like, rivals… sometimes."

"We're friends," Kid stated, and Shinichi found himself not debating the point further.

Kid stood up – reflexively, Shinichi did the same, but sat back down and simply watched as the white-clad man crossed the room and seated himself on a cushioned chair in one of the corners.

"As one of my friends," Kid began, and Shinichi wondered why his eyes seemed to be a much deeper shade of indigo than usual behind that window of glass, "I just wanted to tell you that tonight is my last heist."

The words took a long minute to process. Shinichi was frozen, unable to think. "You're… you're just going to just… you're going to stop?"

Biting in his lip in possibly one of the first gestures of unbridled emotion Shinichi had seen from him that night, Kid gave a short nod, looking down. "Yes. I'll be announcing my retirement at the end of the heist, when I return the Lovers' Promise to Nakamori."

Shinichi was on his feet to protest before he even realized it. "You can't just quit! This is… you've… you've always been there! You… I…" Shinichi groaned loudly, pressing his hands to his face. He was having difficulty phrasing what he was feeling – a cocktail of disbelief, rage, grief, and… something else. Something that overshadowed everything else. What was it? Disappointment?

He rounded on Kid, who jumped slightly. "You can't just leave. As much as I'd like to deny it, it's… you've always been there. You're… You've always been a constant in my life. You… you're a piece of me, almost."

Kid, who had been wearing his poker face throughout the duration of Shinichi's rather awkward admission, only shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not a big deal, really. You'll find something else to occupy your time away from those dead bodies that are oh so fond of you, and you'll find someone to become your new constant." He crossed his arms, flashing his typical Kid smirk. "Let's be rational about this."

"That's interesting, coming from the most insane person in my life," snorted Shinichi, pacing furiously and ignoring that his shoes were making a mess of the plush white carpet. "Don't go and make decisions on your own, damn thief. And anyway, what kind of suggestion is that? I'm not as heartless as to…" Stopping, he pushed out a breath hard, dropping a hand resignedly before looking over at Kid seriously. "You're not someone who can be replaced so easily. The idea is ridiculous."

Motionless, Kid only sat like a stone. When he spoke again, it was in a low, slightly pained tone that was both foreign and shocking to Shinichi. "Saying that kind of thing… you're pretty charming yourself, tantei-kun. Why don't you take over for me?"

"Don't even joke about that," growled Shinichi, batting aside the feeble attempt at lightening up the situation. "I'm being serious."

"You're say you're being serious, but I get the feeling you don't know what you're saying. Or the meaning of what you're saying." Kid rolled his shoulders back as he rose. Shinichi moved to stop him, but secretly he knew that if Kid wanted to get away, he was going to get away.

"The task force is probably getting out of the root beer right about now," Kid commented as he started for the bay window beside the bed.

As if on cue, there was the sound of hurrying footsteps up the staircase and a yell of, "This is it! The one that has no cameras! He's got to be in here!" Something began pounding against the door with a loud thump and a lot of expletives.

Kid easily picked the lock on the window, flinging it wide open before turning to give Shinichi one last Kid smirk. "Well, tantei-kun, it's been a pleasure these past years."

Shinichi stared at him. The thief was highlighted by impeccable white moonlight that gleamed across his monocle and stuck to his smile, his cape was billowing out behind him like the sails of a ship, and there was a dark shadow cast across his face by his hat.

He was the Kaitou Kid, and Shinichi had never wanted someone to stay this much.

Swallowing, Shinichi stalked over to the window to snatch Kid's gloved hand. He saw Kid's eyes widen, and before he could restrain himself, he demanded harshly, "Don't leave."

For a second, Kid was perfectly still before he jerked hard on Shinichi's hand, pulling the startled detective forward into… a kiss?! Shinichi jolted and almost pulled back, but Kid's other hand was at the back of his head, gently pushing him forward.

The phantom thief finally released him, cheeks the slightest bit darker than usual. "Tantei-kun," he said lowly, gruffly.

Shinichi could only gape at the magician before he leaped out of the window in a flash of white right as the task force burst through the door and Nakamori was yelling, "Kudou-kun! Kudou-kun, what happened?! Where's Kid?! And – hey, what's that in your hand?!"

Glancing down in bemusement, Shinichi discovered that Kid had pressed the Lovers' Promise into his hand. Atop it sat a flat card. Shinichi, still somewhat dazed, managed to read it aloud: "'To my lovely task force: What a wild ride it's been these many years! Thank you kindly for having me. But it's time for this magician to bow himself off stage. The show is over. Good night and goodbye.'"

Nakamori went bright red upon hearing that. "What?!" he roared, and the task force went out of control.

Sighing, Shinichi flipped the card over, expecting to see nothing but white. He was surprised to find something written on it in hurried, almost illegible handwriting, quite unlike the usual typed font Kid used.

Squinting, Shinichi struggled to decipher the few words with some difficulty, but froze once he had.

I'm sorry, tantei-kun.

– present –

Damn thief. What kind of prank was that? Does he think I'm going to let him go after he pulls a stunt like that and just leaves? Goddamn it.

Shinichi was shaken from his thoughts when Nakamori reappeared, holding an empty cup and looking slightly less on edge. "Welcome back, inspector," Shinichi greeted, and Nakamori only glared.

"What are you doing at my desk?" he barked, setting down his cup on top of a manila folder. "Don't go through my things."

"Sorry," apologized Shinichi unapologetically, moving to sit back down. But something caught his eye, and he halted, making Inspector Nakamori raise his eyebrows.

The inspector had a framed photo on his desk. Not surprising, of course, but in the photo was of Nakamori, his daughter Aoko… and a messy-haired man Shinichi was positive he hadn't met before.

So why did he seem so familiar…?

"Something wrong, Kudou-kun?" Nakamori asked, puzzled at Shinichi's actions.

"Oh, no, not really, but…" Shinichi said absently as he pointed at the man in the photo, "…would you mind telling me who he is?"

Who's up for part two? :D

Anyway, hopefully you liked it and will overlook any possible grammar issues or typos that may have spawned somewhere in the story. I don't have time to proofread right now.

Hope you liked it. If you did, consider dropping me a review, k?

- Luna