Lunch with a Side of Murder (Part 1/?)
Title: Lunch with a Side of Murder (Part 1/?)
Fandom: Detective Conan
Genre: Friendship, Mystery
Couple(s): Future Kaito/Shinichi
Warning(s): Somebody dies. That's almost a given.
Fic Status: Complete
Summary: Shinichi takes Kaito to lunch as promised. Too bad he forgot that Death likes to stalk him.
Notes: It’s been so long since I last played with this AU. I’m looking forward to rolling around in it some more now that I’ve started hooking my sister on Detective Conan. (One of us…one of us…) I also know that I’m breaking a person rule of not using Japanese since I can’t be 100% sure that I’m using it correctly, but it’s hard to imagine Kaito as Kaitou Kid referring to Shinichi as anything other than “tantei-kun”.
“Y’know, maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all,” Kuroba Kaito said, leaning back in the chair so that it tilted precariously on two legs. “Suppose your fangirls spot you?”
From somewhere behind him came an almost creepily identical voice. “Trust me. I’ve done this dozens of times.”
“And you haven’t gotten mobbed? Impressive.”
“What can I say?” Kudo Shinichi leaned over him, throwing him a wink. “I’m good at what I do.”
As the actor moved away, Kaito stood up and turned to face Kudo. He whistled at the change.
The other teen had styled his hair so it matched Kaito’s, and-with Ekoda’s uniform-the pair could’ve passed for twins. Considering that the magician rarely went to that particular restaurant due to it being a bit more than he liked to normally spend, no one would’ve been any wiser. True, Kaito resembled the actor to a certain extent, but nobody had ever confused him with the star since Kudo was always seen as being very particular about his wardrobe and hairstyle. It would be difficult for most people to believe that Kudo would willingly look so…casual.
“Damn, Copycat. You are good.”
A bow from the actor. “I am but a mere amateur when compared to my mom.” He straightened a motioned out of the trailer’s door. “Shall we?”
The pair exited, Kudo leading the way to skirt around the enormous crowd of Ekoda High students intermixed with the film crew. Once free from the labyrinth, Kaito led the way.
It wasn’t that the place itself was fancy. Heavens, no. Its chairs, tables, and even the bar had been tastefully decorated, holding a very casual air about the place which allowed the diners to relax. It was the food which was made to order and consisted of fancier meals that you couldn’t find at the average burger joint.
“Don’t worry about picking something inexpensive,” Kudo said. “I’ve got the tab.”
“You will regret tha-” Kaito paused, stiffening as he stared down at the page he’d opened his menu to. “F-F-F-”
“Eh?” Kudo stood a little to lean over and see what the problem was. Then the bastard laughed, flipping the page for him as Kaito sat frozen in terror. “You’re even more ichthyophobic than I originally thought!”
“Shut up,” Kaito sulked. “There’s something wrong with f-f-those things.”
Kudo continued to snicker.
“I’m sure you’ve got something dumb that you’re scared of!”
That gave the actor pause before he turned sheepish. “Well…”
Kaito leaned over, his toothy grin a rival for his alter ego’s. “Spill.”
“There’s this one girl-”
“I think I can hear your fan club sobbing.”
Kudo reached across the table to take a swipe at him, a swipe the magician easily dodged. “Moron. She was my best friend growing up. She also used to terrify the hell out of me. She’d occasionally used her karate to get me to do what she wanted.”
“‘Was’? ‘Used to’?” Cue intrigued look.
The actor shifted uncomfortably, staring down at the table as if it were fascinating. “We’re…uh…not really…friends…um…”
A flash of sympathy for the actor. “The price of fame?”
“Totally.” He sighed. “The whole thing was stupid. Ran and I got into this huge fight because of all the fan mail I kept getting. She claimed that I was changing into some conceited idol while I told her that all the letters were just part of the whole fame deal, my mom and dad deal with it all the time. Anyway, we just kept yelling at each other. Then, at one point, she kinda screamed that she’d liked me long before those girls had even heard of me.”
“Ouch. And you rejected her.”
“Yeah. I mean, I liked Ran. We grew up together and had been friends since we were little. It would be hard not to like someone given all that. But I thought of her as my sister and I told her that. She burst into tears and ran home.”
“And let me guess: Her old man threatened to skin you alive if you talked to her again.”
A nod.
Kaito reached out and poked his dining companion in the forehead, tilting his head back up. “She’ll get over it. Eventually. I mean, the actor’s just another role that you have to manage on top of real life, right?”
Kudo blinked before smiling with relief. “I think you’re one of the only people who’ve ever gotten that.”
“My dad was a stage magician. He was pretty much the same on- and off-stage, but there were some differences in order to handle an audience.” Kaito gave a grin, thinking, ‘Of course, I also know what it’s like to go through two faces. Then again, you’re juggling four: your actor self, Edogawa Conan, your detective self, and your real self. Hat’s off to you, tantei-kun.’
A waitress approached them as a young woman walked inside, choosing to sit at the table behind Kaito.
The apparent twins gave their orders to the waitress who then went off to retrieve their drinks.
“So, how long do these lunch breaks last? I mean, it could be a while before our food gets here.”
“For only a few actors along with the film crew, normally about an hour. For a massive crowd including the film crew, around two hours.” Kudo grinned in a very Conan way. “I’ve timed it in the past so I could grab something other than boxed bento every day.”
“Sneaky. I knew there was a reason I liked you, Copycat.” Kaito grinned as well.
“Thank you, Original.”
Shinichi glanced at the door as it opened once again. A rather pleasant-looking gentleman entered, glancing about before sitting down at the table behind his companion. He saw Kuroba glance at the man before turning his attention back to Shinichi.
However, the actor noticed that there were some scratches on the man’s hands that led down past the part of the wrist not covered by his shirt cuffs. That brought up immediate red flags in Shinichi’s mind.
‘A fight? Judging by the scratches, it was most likely with a woman.’
The waitress didn’t go back to the table. Apparently, the man’s companion had ordered for him.
‘There was a wedding band on his finger. I can’t see her hands from here. Is she his wife or his mistress?’
It was probably none of his business. Still, he couldn’t help noticing that a face kept peering out from the kitchen.
Shinichi narrowed his eyes. ‘Something isn’t right here…’
“You okay?” Kuroba asked.
“Huh?” He blinked then smiled sheepishly, closing his eyes and rubbing the back of his head. “Guess I was just thinking about the upcoming scene. Sorry I zoned out. It’s a bad habit of mine.”
Kuroba shrugged and seemed to take it at face value.
It was about that time that their food arrived. Kuroba tore into it as if he’d never get to eat again. Shinichi followed his example at a more sedate pace.
The man behind Kuroba stood and headed to the restroom while the woman sighed and reached into her purse. Their food arrived as the man was still in the back.
All the while, Shinichi managed to keep up a conversation with his “twin”. The guy was interesting, but the actor couldn’t let that feeling that something was Wrong go.
After several minutes of nothing happening aside from the man returning from the restroom, he gave a mental shrug and focused completely on his dining companion. True, that Wrongness still niggled at the back of his mind, but he could ignore it.
That is, until the man behind Kuroba started convulsing. He gasped as if struggling for air.
Kuroba whirled around in his chair to watch the man tumble to the floor, the woman screaming for someone to call an ambulance.
Shinichi was out of his seat and knelt beside the man, opening his mouth to check for a blocked airway. “He’s not choking.”
Kuroba already had his cell phone out and dialing. As he lifted it to his ear, the man fell still.
Shinichi reached out and felt the guy’s neck. “Kuroba, ask for the police. He’s dead.”
Well, there went a nice, quiet lunch.
Fandom: Detective Conan
Genre: Friendship, Mystery
Couple(s): Future Kaito/Shinichi
Warning(s): Somebody dies. That's almost a given.
Fic Status: Complete
Summary: Shinichi takes Kaito to lunch as promised. Too bad he forgot that Death likes to stalk him.
Notes: It’s been so long since I last played with this AU. I’m looking forward to rolling around in it some more now that I’ve started hooking my sister on Detective Conan. (One of us…one of us…) I also know that I’m breaking a person rule of not using Japanese since I can’t be 100% sure that I’m using it correctly, but it’s hard to imagine Kaito as Kaitou Kid referring to Shinichi as anything other than “tantei-kun”.
“Y’know, maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all,” Kuroba Kaito said, leaning back in the chair so that it tilted precariously on two legs. “Suppose your fangirls spot you?”
From somewhere behind him came an almost creepily identical voice. “Trust me. I’ve done this dozens of times.”
“And you haven’t gotten mobbed? Impressive.”
“What can I say?” Kudo Shinichi leaned over him, throwing him a wink. “I’m good at what I do.”
As the actor moved away, Kaito stood up and turned to face Kudo. He whistled at the change.
The other teen had styled his hair so it matched Kaito’s, and-with Ekoda’s uniform-the pair could’ve passed for twins. Considering that the magician rarely went to that particular restaurant due to it being a bit more than he liked to normally spend, no one would’ve been any wiser. True, Kaito resembled the actor to a certain extent, but nobody had ever confused him with the star since Kudo was always seen as being very particular about his wardrobe and hairstyle. It would be difficult for most people to believe that Kudo would willingly look so…casual.
“Damn, Copycat. You are good.”
A bow from the actor. “I am but a mere amateur when compared to my mom.” He straightened a motioned out of the trailer’s door. “Shall we?”
The pair exited, Kudo leading the way to skirt around the enormous crowd of Ekoda High students intermixed with the film crew. Once free from the labyrinth, Kaito led the way.
It wasn’t that the place itself was fancy. Heavens, no. Its chairs, tables, and even the bar had been tastefully decorated, holding a very casual air about the place which allowed the diners to relax. It was the food which was made to order and consisted of fancier meals that you couldn’t find at the average burger joint.
“Don’t worry about picking something inexpensive,” Kudo said. “I’ve got the tab.”
“You will regret tha-” Kaito paused, stiffening as he stared down at the page he’d opened his menu to. “F-F-F-”
“Eh?” Kudo stood a little to lean over and see what the problem was. Then the bastard laughed, flipping the page for him as Kaito sat frozen in terror. “You’re even more ichthyophobic than I originally thought!”
“Shut up,” Kaito sulked. “There’s something wrong with f-f-those things.”
Kudo continued to snicker.
“I’m sure you’ve got something dumb that you’re scared of!”
That gave the actor pause before he turned sheepish. “Well…”
Kaito leaned over, his toothy grin a rival for his alter ego’s. “Spill.”
“There’s this one girl-”
“I think I can hear your fan club sobbing.”
Kudo reached across the table to take a swipe at him, a swipe the magician easily dodged. “Moron. She was my best friend growing up. She also used to terrify the hell out of me. She’d occasionally used her karate to get me to do what she wanted.”
“‘Was’? ‘Used to’?” Cue intrigued look.
The actor shifted uncomfortably, staring down at the table as if it were fascinating. “We’re…uh…not really…friends…um…”
A flash of sympathy for the actor. “The price of fame?”
“Totally.” He sighed. “The whole thing was stupid. Ran and I got into this huge fight because of all the fan mail I kept getting. She claimed that I was changing into some conceited idol while I told her that all the letters were just part of the whole fame deal, my mom and dad deal with it all the time. Anyway, we just kept yelling at each other. Then, at one point, she kinda screamed that she’d liked me long before those girls had even heard of me.”
“Ouch. And you rejected her.”
“Yeah. I mean, I liked Ran. We grew up together and had been friends since we were little. It would be hard not to like someone given all that. But I thought of her as my sister and I told her that. She burst into tears and ran home.”
“And let me guess: Her old man threatened to skin you alive if you talked to her again.”
A nod.
Kaito reached out and poked his dining companion in the forehead, tilting his head back up. “She’ll get over it. Eventually. I mean, the actor’s just another role that you have to manage on top of real life, right?”
Kudo blinked before smiling with relief. “I think you’re one of the only people who’ve ever gotten that.”
“My dad was a stage magician. He was pretty much the same on- and off-stage, but there were some differences in order to handle an audience.” Kaito gave a grin, thinking, ‘Of course, I also know what it’s like to go through two faces. Then again, you’re juggling four: your actor self, Edogawa Conan, your detective self, and your real self. Hat’s off to you, tantei-kun.’
A waitress approached them as a young woman walked inside, choosing to sit at the table behind Kaito.
The apparent twins gave their orders to the waitress who then went off to retrieve their drinks.
“So, how long do these lunch breaks last? I mean, it could be a while before our food gets here.”
“For only a few actors along with the film crew, normally about an hour. For a massive crowd including the film crew, around two hours.” Kudo grinned in a very Conan way. “I’ve timed it in the past so I could grab something other than boxed bento every day.”
“Sneaky. I knew there was a reason I liked you, Copycat.” Kaito grinned as well.
“Thank you, Original.”
Shinichi glanced at the door as it opened once again. A rather pleasant-looking gentleman entered, glancing about before sitting down at the table behind his companion. He saw Kuroba glance at the man before turning his attention back to Shinichi.
However, the actor noticed that there were some scratches on the man’s hands that led down past the part of the wrist not covered by his shirt cuffs. That brought up immediate red flags in Shinichi’s mind.
‘A fight? Judging by the scratches, it was most likely with a woman.’
The waitress didn’t go back to the table. Apparently, the man’s companion had ordered for him.
‘There was a wedding band on his finger. I can’t see her hands from here. Is she his wife or his mistress?’
It was probably none of his business. Still, he couldn’t help noticing that a face kept peering out from the kitchen.
Shinichi narrowed his eyes. ‘Something isn’t right here…’
“You okay?” Kuroba asked.
“Huh?” He blinked then smiled sheepishly, closing his eyes and rubbing the back of his head. “Guess I was just thinking about the upcoming scene. Sorry I zoned out. It’s a bad habit of mine.”
Kuroba shrugged and seemed to take it at face value.
It was about that time that their food arrived. Kuroba tore into it as if he’d never get to eat again. Shinichi followed his example at a more sedate pace.
The man behind Kuroba stood and headed to the restroom while the woman sighed and reached into her purse. Their food arrived as the man was still in the back.
All the while, Shinichi managed to keep up a conversation with his “twin”. The guy was interesting, but the actor couldn’t let that feeling that something was Wrong go.
After several minutes of nothing happening aside from the man returning from the restroom, he gave a mental shrug and focused completely on his dining companion. True, that Wrongness still niggled at the back of his mind, but he could ignore it.
That is, until the man behind Kuroba started convulsing. He gasped as if struggling for air.
Kuroba whirled around in his chair to watch the man tumble to the floor, the woman screaming for someone to call an ambulance.
Shinichi was out of his seat and knelt beside the man, opening his mouth to check for a blocked airway. “He’s not choking.”
Kuroba already had his cell phone out and dialing. As he lifted it to his ear, the man fell still.
Shinichi reached out and felt the guy’s neck. “Kuroba, ask for the police. He’s dead.”
Well, there went a nice, quiet lunch.