A/n - My boyfriend said to me, "I want to read your stories!" and I said "Um...but they're fan fictions. You won't know what's going on." and he said "Well then just let me read a story that's not a fan fiction..." and I, of course, ellipsesed at him: "..." and he said "Okay, I'll read one of your fan fictions." and I said "Oh...well, you know they're that gay thing." ("That gay thing" is basically how he recognizes yaoi/shounen-ai) and he said, "Um...what about one that's not that gay thing?" and I, again, ellipsesed. He sighed. xD Yaoi fan fictions are the extent of my writing. (Currently :P)
Ran glanced at Shinichi. "Are you sure you're okay, Shinichi? I mean, just a few days ago you weren't even well enough to get out of bed...Oh, and a certain someone told me that you spoke nonsense."
Shinichi blushed. "N-nonsense? Psh! I, Kudou Shinichi, speak nonsense? Ran, maybe you're the sick one. I am definitely fine." He nodded curtly and said to himself as he walked away, "'Nonsense', she says! Ha!"
He quickly walked toward the school, which was bustling with students. It was Wednesday now, and he'd had to take two entire days off from school—the second of which was not his decision. Ran had refused to allow him to go to school. It was a miracle she'd been lenient enough to let him finally go. Shinichi wasn't feeling completely better, but he didn't have a fever, so she couldn't argue much.
Ran caught up with him soon enough, and he thought again of what had been plaguing his mind for a few days. He glanced at her, wondering if he should ask her about it. Before he could, Sonoko The Annoying sauntered over to talk to Ran. Damn.
Finally back at school, Shinichi caught up with the lessons pretty easily, listening carefully to make sure he understood everything. By the end of the day, he didn't feel sick one bit besides his slightly running nose.
"Ran!" he called after school was dismissed. Ran turned to face him, breaking off her conversation with a karate club member. "Do you want to come visit for a bit?" They usually walked from school together until they had to part ways, so Ran's look of surprise was definitely warranted.
But, thankfully, she agreed. So the two walked together to Shinichi's house. Shinichi could tell that Ran was suspicious as to his motives, but he didn't mention his issue until they entered the Kudou residence.
Getting comfortable in the living room, Shinichi asked Ran if she wanted anything to eat or drink. She declined his offer, so he sat in a chair across from her. Inhaling, he began.
"Ran...I know you know that I didn't just want to have a friendly visit. I'll try to make it quick, because I'm sure you have things to do. So I'll just say it as bluntly as I can...just...wait a second. I'm still nervous about saying it out loud, so I'll take a moment to prepare."
He was silent for more than a moment, so Ran casually surveyed the room. Somehow, it looked exactly as it had the last time she'd been there. It was as if that instant was actually a snapshot of a former time and nothing was really—
"I think I have a crush on a guy."
"What?!" Ran asked, whipping her head back to face him. His cheeks were spilling with color at the declaration. Ran shook her head. "Sorry, sorry. I was just surprised at the abruptness of it. Umm...so..." she wasn't quite sure what to say now. "W-who...? Oh, why am I even asking? It's Kaito-kun, right?"
Shinichi's eyes avoided Ran's in any way they could. After a long silence, he finally muttered, "Yeah, I think..."
Now getting used to the idea, Ran smiled sincerely. "Wow! This is really great, Shinichi! I'm glad! You will be very happy together, I'm sure."
Shinichi finally looked at her, but with a sharp expression. "Do you even get it? I think I have a crush on a guy. A guy! That means I'm gay. If I really do have a crush on him, he'd never like me back...you know how flirtatious he is with women."
"Psh, sure he would like you. He's certainly not normal. There's nothing wrong with being gay. And anyway, what's all this about you "think" and "if" and all that?"
Shinichi looked at the ceiling, blowing a strand of hair out of his eyes. "Well..." he started. "I'm not completely sure. That's the other thing I wanted to talk about. I've never had much of a crush." He glanced back at Ran for a moment before returning his gaze to the ceiling. Except for you...he thought. But that was over now, and had been for a while. "I just don't really know what it's supposed to feel like."
"It's not supposed to feel like anything. It's all in how you perceive it. Can you start by telling me how you feel about him? That should help."
Shinichi sighed. "Okay, well...when I'm with him I'm happy, even if he's doing something stupid. If I think it's stupid I can reprimand him about it but I can't help but toss his stupidity aside when thinking about him. He makes time pass quickly and his smile is cute. I feel like I'd do anything to make him smile if he was sad. He invariably makes me happy. When I'm away from him, I think of him often and hope to see him soon and always wonder what will happen next time and when that next time will be. He doesn't have much in common with me, but somehow I feel like we're just...compatible. It's hard to express exactly how I feel, but that's it in a nutshell."
Ran didn't beat around the bush and she didn't squeal or pat his head or anything else he expected her to do. She just sat back and confirmed, "Yup. You're crushing pretty hard. Might want to grab him before someone else does."
If Shinichi's face got any redder, he was confident that it would explode. "So you think I'm definitely gay?"
"Mmmm..." Ran thought for a moment, twiddling her thumbs. "Not necessarily. You could be bisexual. Honestly, that stuff—you know, sexuality—doesn't really make a difference. It's about the person you like, not whether they're a boy or a girl. But whatever the case, I think you should let him know."
Shinichi sighed. "Okay. Thanks, Ran. And please don't tell Sonoko about this." He mentally rolled his eyes at the thought of the garrulous girl hearing of this and spreading it around to everyone she knew.
Ran nodded and smiled encouragingly at Shinichi, then stood. "Well then, I suppose that's all for now, right? If you need anything, you know how to contact me. So good luck!" She winked at him and was out of the room before he could get up and walk her out.
Should I tell him? was basically the only thought swirling around in his head that evening, sitting in that same chair, then finally getting up and pacing around the room. If I tell him and he doesn't like me, it would be awkward...but what if I don't tell him and he actually does like me and we circle each other but never meet? Shinichi exhaled slowly, deciding he would tell Kaito. But what if he rejects me? Okay, maybe I shouldn't tell him...But what if...?
"AUGH! This is so complicated!" he yelled to himself, ruffling his own hair in frustration. Giving up on his confusing thoughts, Shinichi roughly grabbed his cell phone and punched (yes, punched...quite aggressively) the speed dial for Kaito. He rammed it onto his ear, determined.
"Helloooo?" A cheerful voice asked, and Shinichi's heartbeat sped up considerably. Hearing the familiar voice made him feel so warm inside...oh great, he was head over heels for this nutcase. "Shinichi-kun? Hello?"
"Oh!" Shinichi said, snapping out of his embarrassed realizations. "Kaito-kun, I'm going to ask you something!"
"Sounds like an urgent confession or something, haha."
"Now isn't the time for joking, Kaito-kun," Shinichi said, completely solemn. "It's very important." He cleared his throat in preparation. "Would you like to go on a d—uh, go to that Super Pepper restaurant you like?" He blushed. Gah, he'd almost asked Kaito on an official date.
"Sure! Why is that such a serious matter though? Uh-oh, did I do something wrong? Are you suing me?"
"You'll see."
Later that night, Shinichi stood in wait outside of the Super Pepper, where he and Kaito had first met. He nervously wrung his hands while reminiscing about the simple, innocent first meeting. He remembered how he'd thought that Kaito was an eccentric fool...and he'd been right. But now he knew so much more about the thoughtful, profound magician.
"Shinichi-kun!" Kaito called, galloping toward Shinichi. Profound, indeed. When Kaito came closer wielding a goofy smile and a white rose, Shinichi's heart rapidly pounded against his chest. His stomach twisted in anxiety, and his face was tinted red. "Hey, are you alright Shinichi?" he poked Shinichi's hot cheek.
"Yes, I'm fine! Let's eat. Yeah." Shinichi led the way into the root beer-scented restaurant, mentally preparing himself for the confession.
End A/n:
Cliffffffffffy! You know you love it ;) Please review! I need you :o To continue on, must...get...reviews. Ha, no, I'm not that dramatic. Thanks for reading!
While writing this, at one point I tried to write Shinichi...and it turned out as "Shininichhi" O.o What? Hahahah.
