Title: apples and vanilla
Prompt #14: "You are not going to have a good day"
Date finished: 01-Aug-2017
Disclaimer: Gosho Aoyama owns everything that you recognize.
Author's note: I was supposed to include this at the "Silver Bullets" one-shot collection, but I thought it was too long and decided to post it alone instead. I hope you find it okay. Enjoy.
apples and vanilla
Shiho Miyano thought that she certainly had her fair share of bad days, some even put her on the brink of death, but none of those could even compare to this one. She's got the worst flu in history. It certainly feels like her head is being hammered by a giant..well, hammer. Her temperature feels like she's close to boiling, and her nose, oh her nose is so runny she feels like it could outrun Usain Bolt in no time.
To add insult to the injury, Agasa-hakase had to go to a conference. She didn't have the heart to say yes when he asked him earlier this morning if he ought to stay. She knew how much he wanted to be at that conference, which according to him happens only once every five years. And now she is stuck with Kudo-kun trying to play nurse, doctor, and babysitter to her. And did she mentioned that today is Higo's final game for Big Osaka before transferring to a team in England next season. She even managed to get two tickets to the game by joining a trivia challenge at Poirot cafe.
And now all of it will go to waste just because she was fool enough to went home yesterday in the middle of the pouring rain. It doesn't even matter that she had to do so because she didn't want to miss Higo's interview on TV.
"Here, drink this." Shiho's musing was suddenly interrupted by Shinichi who was trying to give her the flu medicine. Shiho took it and then tucked herself under the cover. Shinichi then took a seat at the chair near Shiho's bedside and started reading a Sherlock Holmes book that he brought earlier.
"Hey, you can leave now. It's almost lunch time, you don't want to be late for the game." Shiho called to Shinichi. She originally planned to ask him to come with her to the game, knowing how much he loved it. But due to her being sick, she decided to just give him the tickets and asked him to invite Ran instead.
"Hey, I'm trying to be a good neighbor here." Shinichi answered, still looking at the book.
"Your neighbor duties are done here. I'll probably just sleep all day and I won't be able to do that if I know that some person is hovering just beside my bed. So why don't you do us both a favor and leave early. Take your angel to lunch before the game." Shiho said before turning the other way, trying to avoid looking at Shinichi. Shiho can't understand why she feels cranky all of a sudden. She was the one who gave the tickets to Shinichi and told him to invite Ran. So why does it feels like her chest is being kicked a little. It must be the medicine.
"Naah, it's fine. Ran is going to lunch with Sonoko. We'll meet at the station later. Besides, I'm not hovering at you. I'm reading a book, see?" Shinichi answered. Even holding up the book in front of Shiho to prove his point.
Shiho tried to sit up and glared at Shinichi. "I can't sleep when I know there is someone else in the room. So why don't you bring your book outside and leave me be."
"You're extra cranky when you're sick. Remind me to not agree when Agasa-hakase asks me to nurse you next time." Shinichi replied, smirking at Shiho which gave him a side-eye in return.
"Don't worry, you're doing such a lousy job I doubt he would even ask you again." Shiho glanced at Shinichi raising her left eyebrows.
"Hey, I made you soup."
"That tasted like sawdust."
"Oi oi. That's just your lack of appetite talking. It tasted fine to me."
"It did not."
"Did so."
"Did not."
"Hey. I don't wanna argue with a sick person. You win, okay? I'm leaving."
"Good. Don't forget to lock the door."
Shiho said before burying herself under the covers and muttered "You are not going to have a good day" just to spite him.
"What was that?" Kudo asked, still holding the door.
"Nothing. Enjoy the game." was Shiho's muffled reply from under the covers.
-00000-
Shiho opened her eyes and looked at the clock beside her. 2:05 PM. Higo's game barely even started yet. She still isn't feeling well, but she thought she could manage to stand and walk to the living room and watch the game on TV. She stood up and walked wobbly to the living room and slumped herself at the sofa. She's lying at her stomach and she reached out, trying to find the remote at the coffee table where they usually put it. Where the hell is the damn remote? I was the last person who watched TV last night and I remembered leaving it here. Argh. That Kudo. Maybe he watched TV earlier. I swear I'm going to kill that brat the next time I see him. Shiho thought. She was about to stand up to find the remote when a voice suddenly stopped her.
"It's here." Shinichi called as he turned on the TV.
"What are you doing here?" Shiho tried to peek from the sofa at Shinichi who was entering from the kitchen. He was holding the remote in one hand and a tray with water on the other.
"Babysitting you." Was his only reply. He was now standing in front of the sofa, looking down at Shiho after putting down the tray at the coffee table.
"Not a baby and I'm fine. Now move, you're blocking my view." Shiho looked up and glared at Shinichi.
"Look at you, slumped in that sofa. You don't look fine to me." Shinichi said in an apologetic tone, but still not moving from where he was standing. He could hear the commentator talking about the game in the background but his gaze was trained on Shiho. Shiho tried to sit up and move towards Shinichi's right where her view of the TV won't be blocked. Shinichi took this opportunity to sit beside her. He grabbed a throw pillow from a nearby chair and put it on his lap.
Shiho felt Shinichi's arms on her shoulders and felt him tug her. Suddenly, she was lying down, facing sideways towards the TV, her head comfortably rested on his lap, on the pillow in his lap. Shiho felt her heart beat a little faster.
"What are you doing?" Shiho turned her head, looking up at Shinichi. Trying to act nonchalant when she feels like there's a whole zoo rioting on her inside.
"Trying to make you comfortable. Just watch the game." Shinichi replied, not looking at Shiho.
Shiho decided not to pry. She's too sick to refuse his kindness. She looked at the TV, putting her mind on the game and not on her proximity with Shinichi. Good thing she already have a fever or else her blush would give away how flustered she was at their closeness. Get a grip, Shiho.
Shinichi's efforts on concentrating on the game seems to be pointless since he can't stop himself from stealing glances at Shiho. His left hand is clenched at his side as he fights the urge to run his hand through her strawberry blonde hair. She still look like a mess, but this close he could detect her scent. She smells like apples, with a hint of vanilla. He realized Shiho smelled like a delectable dessert. He needed to stop this train of thoughts. Especially since Shiho's head is currently resting in his lap. Shiho. In his lap. Kudo, get your mind out of the gutter.
"Kudo-kun" He was rescued from his dangerous thoughts when he heard Shiho calling his name.
"Hmm" Shinichi managed to utter.
"Did you just waste my tickets?" Shiho asked.
"Naah, I gave all of it to Ran. She went to the game with Sonoko."
"Why?"
Shinichi heard the sincerity of Shiho's question. She wanted a serious answer from Shinichi and not the sarcastic one-liners that they usually used to communicate with each other. He thought about it for a while, and answered Shiho with candidness that he doesn't usually have.
"It felt wrong. You not being there. With me."
Shiho was silent for a moment. Contemplating the statement. Indulging herself in that statement. Kudo probably felt that way because of his strong sense of fairness. Shiho won the ticket, therefore she ought to be the one enjoying it. But that doesn't change the fact that her heart did a summersault upon hearing his answer. She turned and looked at Shinichi. "Thank you. For staying." She waited until Shinichi looked at her and gave him a little smile. A genuine one. And then she went back to watching the game.
After seeing that smile, Shinichi felt boldened. He unclenched his left hand and tried to reach out. Until finally, finally, his hands landed at the back of her head. He waited for Shiho to react, but when she didn't slap his hand away, thank god, he reached out at a few strands of her hair covering her face and tucked it on her ear. He continued running his hands through her hair, savoring its soft and silky feel against his calloused hands and drinking in her apple and vanilla scent.
Shinichi's hand stayed buried in Shiho's hair. It was still there when Professor Agasa arrived and found the brilliant detective and the brilliant scientist, both sleeping at his living room. In front of the TV flashing a celebrating Big Osaka team alongside their fans after Higo made a championship goal. Good thing he remembered to turn on the record feature of the TV before leaving that morning.
Author's note: I feel like I went a little over the creepy side on this one. Please excuse the errors T.T I wrote this in one sitting because I needed to get it out of my system. Please rate and review. Thank you :-*
ps. have you read a really nice Higo and Shiho fic? if yes, please recommend one. Not jumping ship or anything, but I think the two of them could be cute together too ;-)