1041 Words excluding (A/N)~ I no own MK/DC~

Written March 7 2021
Posted March 14 2021

Daylight saving time~~ =^= Annoying having to change the clocks, never alarm clock though...

If he were to be honest with himself, Shinichi knew that he wasn't the best when it came to remembering times that had no relation to any murders. It was one of his many flaws, but one of the ones that normally came to bite him in the butt. It made it even more difficult for him to maintain the friendships that the constant murders hadn't already prevented. Ran often got irate with him, and Heiji had just learned to pop by instead of actually making any plans. Kaito was different, he actually understood that he honestly couldn't help it and just lived with it instead of glossing over the problem like Heiji often did.

The secret friendship that he was gradually building with Kaito was nice, the elusive magician came and went whenever he pleased. Offering his own house as a sort of haven for the other when things just became too much had been one of his best ideas in a long time. Kaito was very smart, and perceptive enough to understand him when his own words failed to get his point across.

Between them, the rivalry was always there, just not as overbearing as the one he had with Heiji. It was fun matching wits with Kaito, especially when the risk was just not being the one to pick the next meal. The challenges the magician presented him with were both complex and calming, yes he had to think hard, but there was no horrible outcome if he wasn't fast enough. They pushed one another to better themselves, not just to win a competition. Though there had also been a fair few friendly competitions between them as well, it just wasn't the main objective.

Shinichi did not want to mess up or ruin his relationship with Kaito, it was too valuable for that. So instead of confessing his growing feelings for the other, he was content to just stay by his side. He was well aware that Kaito liked to run away from his problems, especially when it involved confusing feelings. The place he ran to was usually the Kudo mansion so of course he knew, how could he not?

So since the sleuth wasn't yet ready to risk showering Kaito with the affection he felt for the other, he would instead shower it onto the gift Kaito had given him. He didn't really know why exactly Kaito had chosen to give him a cactus, but he would care for it nonetheless. A unique gift really suited the other.

The medium sized prickly plant was housed nicely within the pretty pale blue pot it'd been gifted with. Shinichi had placed said plant in the sunniest spot in the house, which was surprisingly near one of the library windows. He also watered the cactus whenever he thought about it since he knew that his forgetfulness wasn't something to be trifled with. At least it should survive if he forgot to water it one day since he was pretty sure that it was a desert plant.

He really didn't want to kill the cactus, not only because people would laugh at him if he did, but because it'd been a gift from his crush. It was a weird gift, but a gift that he appreciated since normal plants would just be doomed under his care. Seeing the plant start browning from both the top and bottom had been interesting, but he'd seen many cacti of that colour that one time his mom had had the crazy idea to drag both him and his father to a desert. It had been a horrible experience, but at least seeing his cactus turn the same colour as those other cacti wasn't as concerning to him as it could have been. His cactus must be of the variety that turn brown.

Shinichi even went out of his way to buy a few strong heating lights for the cactus since the desert was obviously hotter than his library. That way the plant would be closer to its natural environment and be more likely to live longer. With the combination of both the strong sunlight and heating lights, the sleuth was fairly confident that the plant would live a long time. The location was actually now the brightest place in the entire house.

Keeping track of the watering was a little hard, but Shinichi made sure to do so whenever he remembered so the cactus was surely getting watered at least once a month. It was such a simple action that he sometimes wondered if he'd actually watered it, or had just remembered doing so in the past. He just watered it if he wasn't sure and the soil didn't look damp. It was better safe than sorry after all.

The sleuth sat down on one of the library couches, having just finished watering the cactus. It was nearing 3 in the morning but that was fine, even when he didn't attend Kid heists, he still had a habit of staying up for them. Just in case Kaito needed some help, which was more often than he liked.

"Why didn't you come to my heist?" Kaito inquired, tone slightly whining as he slipped through the window with ease.

Shinichi just offered a soft smile "I wanted to give you a break since Nakamori-chan and Hakuba have been pestering you a lot lately" A faint flash of red suddenly caught his attention "Give me your hand" It wasn't a suggestion.

Kaito rolled his eyes as he offered his hand "It's just a few cuts" He'd needed to get creative with his piano wire mid trick to help him dodge a few bullets.

The sleuth frowned as he examined the thin cut that stretch across the other's palm "You should lay off the tricks for a while to let that heal, your hands are important" He turned away to grab the first aid kit that he'd placed near the couch a few months ago, missing the faint tint that momentarily covered the other's cheeks.

"That would be suspicious" Kaito countered, suddenly frowning as he took note of the plant's condition.

"Then you can stay here some more to evade Hakuba" Shinichi offered as he began to pull out the required medical supplies. When he turned back the other's expression was more neutral.

Me: This is actually kinda sad since you all know what happened...

Please don't do what Shinichi did... He didn't do proper research... I don't know much either but I know that he was killing it with love...

Hope you enjoyed... I can't believe I wrote this... More to come? Possibly

^-^ ... *Has played 200+ hours of Disgaea 4*..... >^< *Still has not completed the full game*

...I will beat the ultimate boss °^° I just... Get killed the moment I bring out a character due to enemy autoattack skill QAQ

And... Once the characters are strong enough to actually survive getting out... The enemy can revive 4 times QAQ... Urk...