Disclaimer: Detective Conan belongs to Gosho Aoyama.

Night Guardian

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Ran pulled her smartphone out of her little cross strap bag and checked the time. She sighed. It was 3:32 a.m.

The bright, yellow and round moon that crossed the dark night sky was the only companion of the girl, who continued at a rapid pace along the lonely sidewalk through her familiar path, absorbed by that night immensity and the labyrinth of buildings, which they were only possible to be observed thanks to the timid lights of the avenue. After a couple of minutes going through her usual itinerary, her face lit up as she visualized her own building, happy and relieved to finally get home. It was a high-rise, multi-story building that used to be inhabited almost exclusively by students. She hugged herself to keep a little warmth in her body and gave herself one last push. It was still in autumn, so it was possible for her to observe the beautiful silhouette of the trees escaping foliage, and feel the crunch of dry leaves on the pavement at her feet. Despite this, the gusts of frozen wind that passed through her gave her to understand that winter was getting closer and closer to her, and she regretted not having brought some more warm clothes.

Of course, this was nothing compared to what she felt for having agreed to follow Sonoko's plans. Her best friend had been talking for some time about that two pretty twenty-somethings like them had to attend the little evening meetings that most of the young people went. Sure, they often went to karaoke with other college classmates after class, but of course, no more crowded and lively gatherings. Therefore, as soon as Sonoko was accidentally invited by acquaintances to attend a small college party in a bar in the downtown, she didn't hesitate to accept and invite Ran. The karate fighter wasn't very convinced to go, claiming that she didn't know anyone who would attend. But Sonoko begged her to accompany her, assuring her that it would be fun and stating that she wouldn't feel comfortable going to that place alone. Well, Ran doesn't have the heart for not to help a friend if she asked her for a favor.

But now, at last, she had understood that she had to choose with a pinch which of Sonoko's plans to attend. Everything had been a disaster. She hadn't spoken to anyone, as the strangers were only concerned with chatting with each other and drinking alcohol, which would end in arguments, including fistfights, and with her shirt soiled with souvenir beer. The police had even arrived. In fact, if she thought about it, she had been surprised that it didn't happen, in addition to everything else, a murder or kidnapping, as it often happened around her. But with a sarcastic smile, she assumed that this happened only when Shinichi's presence existed somewhere. Her boy attracted death.

Of course, she knew that in a while she would remember this and laugh. But by this time she had had enough. All she wanted was to get home, put on her pajamas, and sleep in her soft and warm bed.

At last she had reached her own building. With fatigue on her body, she entered the elevator and pressed the button that would take her to the tenth level, where her home was located. It's only been a couple of months since she's living with Shinichi there. Well, she preferred to say that they were sharing a house, since saying that they lived together, as a couple, made her shocked with shame. Although that's what they did.

If she thought about it, it had all happened quite naturally. Shinichi only spent time in his own home when he was reading books for a case, otherwise he spent time tucked into Ran's house. In fact, he came there every day: to tell her about his cases, to eat, to watch the series she had recorded for him, or for no reason, just to spend quality time with her. Several nights he slept there. Then, in a concise way and with their cheeks flushed until they almost exploded, they agreed that it would be a good idea to stay there permanently. At first, this new scenario filled her with anxiety, unsure if she wanted Shinichi to see her in all everyday situations, even though she had already done it as Conan. But then she would realize that she, in reality, she wasn't so different from the way they were, understanding that all the teasing towards them had been true: they already seemed married before.

She finally stood in front of her door, and took the bunch of keys out of her bag. She took the correct key and carefully inserted it into the door latch, making sure to make as little noise as possible. Shinichi had been involved in a difficult case for several days, absent from various classes and sleeping little to gather more information, so surely he must already be stiff as a log in bed, and the least she would want is to wake him up. She didn't want him to get sick from lack of sleep.

But her surprise was great, after fully entering the main hall, to notice that one of the floor lamps was on, whose light was what allowed her to see her own footsteps. For a moment she supposed that he had left that light on so that when she arrived, she wouldn't be disoriented, but then she observed that Shinichi himself was sitting on that red sofa that was located just below the lamp, with his eyes fixed on a mystery novel. He glanced at her for a few seconds and then pretended to go back to his book.

"Ah Ran, you came," Shinichi said in a monotonous and carefree tone, as he calmly turned a page of his book.

"Shinichi!" She exclaimed, surprised to see him awake, with an open book in his hand, even with how little he had slept these days. "What are you doing reading at this hour? You should be sleeping!" she reproached him, frowning, noticing, even in the gloom of that lonely light, the obvious dark circles on his face.

He raised both eyebrows to infinity, slowly closed his book and turned to her.

"Oh I didn't realize how the time had passed," the detective replied casually. Then he pulled his phone out of his pants pocket and checked the time out loud. "It's 3:55 a.m., you're right. It's quite late, actually"

He was lying. He knew perfectly well the time. He had been checking her every minute, anxiously waiting for Ran to arrive. And he wasn't reading that book either, which he didn't even bother to mark the page when closing it, but he'd just sat there waiting for her. But he couldn't help it. Ran wasn't one of those people to go out a lot at night, and even less to arrive at almost four in the morning. Shinichi couldn't stop worrying if she was late getting home, and he wouldn't have been able to squeeze an eye, despite the tiredness that his body felt, until she walked through that door.

"Oh, is it really going to be 4:00 a.m.?" Ran asked in surprise with flushed cheeks, shocked at her own seemingly irresponsible behavior. Although, considering all those emotions that she had gone through tonight, she hardly missed her anymore how time had passed. "I'm so sorry, Shinichi, I should have warned you that I would be late".

"Yes, you should have warned!" he thought with a frown. "Although I wouldn't have slept until you got here anyway."

What's more, if he had known about the reunion earlier, he would have accompanied her like a good boyfriend, even though his head would have been rocking on the wall due to his sleep and boredom. But she had only told him when she was already on her way to that bar. And since he didn't want to see himself as an overprotective boyfriend, instead of calling him every so often to ask how he was, how he wanted, he preferred to sit on that sofa, pretending to read a mystery novel, awake until she arrived. Despite that, he would be fooling himself if he didn't admit that on several occasions he took the phone to call her, but he held back. He supposed that if he had a really bad problem, she would call him.

Of course, his detective acumen quickly pointed out that his lovable Ran smelled of beer.

"Ran, have you been drinking?" She asked raising an eyebrow. Yes, she was a woman of legal age and that she could do whatever she wanted, but he knew that she did not drink a drop of alcohol. It was strange in her.

"What?" She answered surprised. But then she realized that the smell he was smelling was nothing more than the beer stain on her shirt. "Oh no, nothing like that," she assured him with a reassuring smile. "Someone spilled beer on my clothes... you don't know everything that happened! I'll tell you tomorrow… "she explained, narrowing her eyes, recalling the spectacle of flying beers that she witnessed.

"I guess" Shinichi thought. "I've never trusted Sonoko's plans ..."

"By the way," he said, frowning and pointing an accusing finger at her. "And were you all this time only in those thin clothes?" He asked annoyed, noticing that Ran was dressed in a simple short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, without any type of coat. "What if you catch a cold?" Haven't you seen that it's cold outside?

There was no need for me to tell her. She herself had been able to prove it in the first person. But in her favor, the changing mid-season weather had played a trick on her, because throughout the day there had been an inclement sun that would never have made her think that at night she would freeze in this way.

"Yes, I know! But I didn't know it would come out at night" she apologized. "But it's okay, I'm strong as an oak tree."

" Yeah sure, strong as an oak tree" Shinichi thought. "Tomorrow she will surely wake up with a constipated nose and a fever"

"Anyway, I'm going to go change these clothes" Ran said looking at the dirt and stench on her shirt, wanting to get rid of it as soon as possible. "And you, Shinichi, go to bed! No mystery novels until dawn!"

He assured her that he would go to bed as soon as he finished the chapter of his book, although he had hardly even glanced at it. He preferred that she believe that his presence in this room, at this hour of the morning, responded to his incessant reading and his passion for mysteries, than to think that he was too intense boyfriend, that he had been waiting for her awake most of the night, sitting alone on a sofa, watching for that door to open. In fact, all he wanted was to go to bed as soon as possible and sleep hugging Ran like every night.

After a couple of minutes, Ran reappeared in the living room, but now dressed in flannel pajamas with teddy bears all over it. He would have preferred something that shows more skin, but still he believed that she somehow looked adorable.

"Shinichi, I forgot to tell you something" she said hoarse voice.

He raised his eyebrows, wondering what she had forgotten this time.

She was enough that gesture on his face. Ran walked across the darkened room to the sofa where he was still sitting, brought her face close to Shinichi's, and pressed her lips to his, giving him a sweet kiss, barely a touch, whose enormous tenderness made him blush like crazy.

"Thank you for staying awake waiting for me, Mr. Detective," Ran said with an angelic smile, which made him scratch deep in his heart, and forget his position as a mature boyfriend, who didn't mind that he was out late. She had been able, despite everything, to see through him and her act of love.

Shinichi instinctively tried to get those lips back to his mouth, which he successfully accomplished. The kiss completely washed away his concerns, and they both allowed themselves to be enveloped by it. The lips were warm and soft against him, and his hands sought to sink into her long, dark hair, caressing the depth of her hair, as she hung from his angular, masculine shoulders, kissing deeply, with lively movements, feeling her sweet fragrance.

And after a couple of minutes of feeling how they melted in their kiss, with their mouths intertwined under the same breath, they changed the rhythm to slower movements, of a light softness, and after brushing with their fingers her soft face, feeling the corner of her features, they brought their lips together one last time, short and sincere, and exchanged shy smiles, already dejected by the weariness of the late hour and the lack of rest.

Gently, Ran took both of his hands and pulled him off the couch, which he meekly and without question obeyed, leaving behind whatever book he was supposed to be reading about it. "Let's go to bed, will you?"

For both of them, there was no better remedy for a hectic day than to end it together in their bed.

A / N: Thank you very much for reading! ❤ I hope you liked it, and I would be very happy if you you write a review or opinion.