The Black Fox (Shinichi X Reader)

Explanations

You woke up screaming. You'd dreamed of that night again. That terrible night that still managed to make your blood run cold, and your chest hurt.

A knock on the door made you jump. "Hey, are you alright? Celeste, if you hear me, open the door!" Came Shinichi's urgent call.

You pushed yourself up off the bed, slid on your mask, and staggered to the door. You pulled open the door, and was shocked to see two faces instead of one. "K-Kid? What are you doing here?" You stuttered through your heavy panting.

"We can talk about that later. Are you okay? We heard you scream." Kid stated.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just had a bad dream."

"So why are you breathing so heavily?" Shinichi asked.

"What is this, twenty questions? My chest hurts, it's nothing to get so worked up about." You reply, looking at the two worried boys in confusion.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Both the boys asked in unison.

"I'm fine. I'm more worried about you two, when did you get all buddy-buddy? And how long has Kid been here?" You looked at them skeptically.

"That can wait. If you're sure everything is alright you should try to get some more rest." Shinichi stated.

"Oh, I'm wide awake. No way I'm gonna fall asleep now." You muttered.

"If that's the case, we wanted to talk." Kid said.

You sighed and nodded. "I'll make breakfast, then you can bombard me. I refuse to answer questions without food."

-------------------------------------------------------

While you cooked some pancakes, the boys glared at the table. It was amusing to watch them. You could tell they wanted to argue or shout insults at each other, but something held them back.

"Breakfast is served." You said as you passed out the plates of pancakes. You dropped onto a seat, and began to dig into the steaming hot meal.

"Are these pancakes? Don't you usually make grilled fish and rice?" Shinichi asked.

"Yeah, but I wasn't in the mood today." You reply, giving Kid a knowing smile. He returned the smile and mouthed thank you. Before digging in.

"Alright, now what do you want to know?" You asked through a mouth full of sugary goodness.

The boys looked at each other, and seemed to have a silent argument. Shinichi sighed in defeat. "Well, first, we want to know how you know so much about us." He said slowly, taking great effort in how he picked his words.

"I-I can't tell you guys any more than I already have." You replied, suddenly feeling nauseous.

"Why?" Kid asked.

You started to shake, fear beginning to creep into your heart. "I-I can't lose anyone else." You whispered shakily.

"Don't worry about us!" Shinichi protested.

"You don't understand!" You screamed at them. You looked up, nearly in tears. "If you get too close, he'll kill you too! I can't watch anyone else die. I can't take it!"

"How can you be so sure he's still alive?" Kid asked.

"Because I saw him!" You cried, finally giving them some information.

"Wh-what? When?!" Shinichi shouted in shock.

You didn't answer, you just stared down at your lap.

"Celeste, answer me!"

"The day I collapsed outside your house." You whispered the answer. The boys watched you silently, waiting for you to continue. "I was headed home after I caught that serial killer, when he came. As I was waiting at a crowded crosswalk, he whispered in my ear." Your voice shook terribly, as the words slipped from your lips.

"What'd they say?" Kid asked softly.

"He sounded just like he did back then. 'You're good at hiding my frightened little fox. I'll come for you soon, and I'll make you pay for every person I couldn't kill.' That's what he said to me. He was wearing a hood, but there is no way I could forget those hateful eyes." You whispered, as a single tear slid down from under your mask. You stood up, and mumbled something about using the bathroom, before walking away.

You closed the bathroom door, and slid down to the floor. You couldn't hold the tears back anymore. They poured down your face in an unrelenting stream. "I'm so sorry." You wept into your hands. You wanted to tell them everything, but you couldn't bring yourself to put them in danger.

-------------------------------------------------------

"That scumbag." Kid hissed. "He wants to make her suffer!"

"She's afraid to get close to anyone because she doesn't want him to hurt them. That's why she won't tell us anything." Shinichi explained. "I can't think of how we can get her to tell us." He sighed in frustration.

Kid thought, then grinned. "I've got an idea!"

Shinichi looked at Kid and wagged his head. "I'm sure I'll regret this, but let's hear it."

-------------------------------------------------------

When you finally stopped crying, you washed your face, and returned to the boys. "Sorry, I'm a little queasy." You apologized.

"Don't worry about it." Shinichi replied, as Kid passed you a cup of tea.

You began to sip on the tea, the warmth soaking into your bones. Before long you had finished the first cup, and Kid refilled your cup. You didn't notice the smile that was on the tricky boy's face, nor did you notice that you were the only one drinking.

-------------------------------------------------------

When Kid refilled the glass for the third time, they started to ask questions again. "Will you tell us how you know so much about us now?" Kid probed.

You looked down at your cup woozily, and then, to Shinichi's surprise, began to talk. "I was all alone after my parents died. I was afraid of all the adults, but I liked to watch your families." You froze and scrunched your face in thought. "That sounds bad, but it wasn't in a bad like way."

"We understand, just keep going." Shinichi pushed. I can't believe it worked! Kid actually got her tipsy! Shinichi thought to himself.

"I liked to watch Shinichi play detective in his backyard, and I Kid's magic tricks always made me happy. I also watched R-Ran and her karate class, so I could learn to defend myself. Sometimes, when your parents weren't around I would play with you." You smiled at the memory.

"I don't remember any of that." Kid whispered, trying hard to remember.

"I never stayed for too long, but I got to know you guys over the years. I learned soccer and detective work with Shinichi, I learned magic and poker face with Kid, and I learned to fight with Ran. I was so happy, it almost made me forget how cold and scared I was." You mumbled.

"That's why you seemed so familiar." Kid nodded.

"And, why we felt like we could trust you." Shinichi agreed. "Why didn't you tell us about your health?" Shinichi asked, turning back to you.

You couldn't answer him. You were already fast asleep. You snored softly, your head resting on the table.

Kid chuckled and gently picked you up. Shinichi walked ahead of him, and opened the door. Kid placed you on the bed, and pulled the covers up over your shoulders. The two boys exited the room, and closed the door behind them.

"I think we need to extend our truce indefinitely." Shinichi stated.

"I was thinking the same thing." Kid agreed.

"We have to protect her." Shinichi said.

"Yeah, and we can't leave her alone. Nobody deserves to feel that way, especially not after everything she's been through." Kid replied.

Shinichi smiled as he headed towards the study. "You know she's gonna be pissed when she finds out you got her drunk."

"You didn't stop me. You'll be in just as much trouble as me." Kid chuckled as he went out the back door.