To say the situation was strange was nothing short of an understatement. Shinichi had not sat on Ran's bed in years, not as himself, and barely ever as Conan. And yet, here he was, two curious girls his age peering at him from next to it, seating themselves on pillows and plushies, a futon spread under that. All three were dressed for bed, although Kazuha had yet to remove her ribbon, and yet it seemed to be the furthest activity from their minds right now.
"Kudou-kun…" Kazuha started, leaning forward a little, arms resting at the edge of the bed. "I have some questions that need answering." Her posture indicated her interest in the conversation, and next to her, Ran leaned forward a little too. He couldn't help but feel like a spectacle, especially considering their size difference at the moment. Shinichi was already outmanned two to one, and both were martial artists, but with his body currently at age six, chances of escape were nigh impossible. Chances of denial of identity also impossible, if anything because of his own morals.
"…What kind of questions?" He asked, a bit of a pause at his wording, as he felt beads of sweat fall down his neck. The tension of the room felt almost palpable, and it made him feel more and more trapped. Shinichi was nervous, but he also knew that it was futile to refute accusations. The girls seemed satisfied at that, although Ran was now blushing, and it triggered his own. Man, was this a can of worms and a half. Not to mention, being on Ran's bed, he felt he was surrounded by her presence, and with her in the room, it was even worse.
Kazuha then blinked, her gaze shifting around, and Ran shuffled in discomfort. Realizing they were thinking the same thing, both nodded to each other. Kazuha stood. "Wait here, I'll make sure that Heiji ain't listenin' in to us." That made Shinichi tilt his head, curious, but Ran didn't answer his silent question, instead fiddling with her fingers as Kazuha left the room. She gave him an awkward smile, he returned it, and his mouth parted slightly to speak, but Kazuha then returned. He sighed, leaving it for another time, and turned back to the one who seemed to be the ringleader of this operation.
It had been Kazuha who spearheaded the very quick and pitiful confrontation on his identity, and the earlier debacle of who slept were too. Ran did follow through on both, although she seemed a bit more hesitant about the first of those on the list. Almost apologetic. He had a slowly sinking feeling she had known for a while and just not voiced herself, as she had done this before.
"Heiji's just pacin' around like some caged animal or somethin'." Kazuha said, a glass of water on hand, which she then handed to their victim. Shinichi held it gingerly. "Guess he ain't thinkin' about sneakin' in on our conversation." Ran sighed at that, one of relief.
Oh.
OH.
'I am about to be grilled about Hattori, aren't I?' Shinichi sighed, sliding back on the bed a little so he could lean against the wall. It gave him some distance and support, and right now he needed it. His nerves were everywhere, his chest felt tighter than the steel grip of a crocodile, and he was still out of it from his identity being so easily displayed. Shinichi was not calm at all, he was far closer to hysteria. He figured it showed on his face, though, considering how Ran's brows knit with worry and Kazuha-chan looked a little bit guilty. It didn't take him long to realize his hands were shaking, too. He took a sip of water, then sighed. "You want dirt on Hattori, don't you?" He asked, once he was sure his voice was stable. Kazuha nodded at the response, although Ran seemed to hold back. In fact, she pulled back a little from the bed, as if to give him more space. This was worrying, but at the same time, it made him feel slight relief. She was respecting his need for it right now. Kazuha, however, was not. That was fine.
"Am I allowed to keep the last shred of dignity I have in return?" It was only fair. Kazuha began to protest, gruffing. "What's that supposed ta mean, Kudou-kun?" She hissed. She opened her mouth to continue, but Ran clasped a nervous hand on her friend's shoulder, then shook her head.
"Don't worry, Shinichi, we won't force you to do anything you don't want." She said, her voice shaky, but also calming. His shoulders sagged in slight relief, and he noticed her own posture did as well. Of course, it didn't remove all his turmoil at the moment, but at least it helped ease a fraction thereof. Kazuha pouted, but nodded, clasping her hands.
"So… whatcha talk about at Poirot, Kudou-kun?" Kazuha asked, eyes glinting like a predator. "Ran-chan here said it was a love prediction that Heiji wanted to bring me to the festival. Is that true?" Ran flushed at that, and Shinichi let out a nervous snicker, flushing as well as his gaze turned to the water. Ran knew a lot more than he thought, it seemed. His posture relaxed a little more, as the topic was not about him, and then he let out a dramatic sigh.
"Normally…" He started, voice still a little shaky. It'd take a while for the shock to wear off. "I wouldn't say much and call it a day. But considering that Hattori keeps barging in uninvited and spilling my name all the time…" He paused, dramatically, then broke into an uneasy grin. "I don't see why not."
"Sooo…?" Kazuha asked, leaning forward a little more, Ran following suit.
Might as well indulge in gossip. He edged a little closer to the edge of the bed, lowering his voice to a more whisper-like tone, just in case.
"He brought you here to try and confess."
The resounding 'really?!' and 'I told you!' made him snicker a little, and he really hoped Hattori wasn't invited to listen in after the outburst. Pressing his right index finger against his lips, Shinichi's soft 'shhh' was enough to bring the girls' attention back to the topic and situation at hand.
Ah well, might as well just spill his guts about this. Hattori needed all the help he could get.
"I really don't know what he's waiting around for." Shinichi continued, shifting his weight around a little on the bed, trying to find a position that was both comfortable and would allow him to jump out at a moment's notice. He wasn't entirely sure when the habit started, but whenever he was nervous, it was impossible to stop. "I don't agree with him denying what happened on the bridge, there's no reason to lie." No one was going to kill him for it.
His stomach dropped at the reaction of his listeners, as Ran looked away from him, and Kazuha looked at him skeptically, at first, before processing his words. You could see the gears turning as the blush began to show even to her neck. He was unable to continue watching, however, due to Ran refusing to look at him, so his own gaze dropped to the glass of water, guilt starting to consume him inside out.
Kazuha pressed on, however, looking at Shinichi with a sudden need to know. "How do ya know about the bridge?" She asked, trying to keep her voice down, but her sudden need to know was everpresent. "Did that Heiji tell ya?" He shook his head, unable to find words. "Then?" He shakily raised a hand to ask her to stop. She did.
He didn't lift his gaze as he spoke. "We were on videocall, actually." He said, voice soft. "The kids and I ran into a drug dealer, he dropped his memo. We turned it in to the police, but I took a picture of some sort of code in it. Hattori helped with solving part of it, as it had both Tokyo and Osaka subway stations. We… determined the exchange would be in Ebizu bridge, and the dealer would have a white rose as an identifier." He peeked a little at Kazuha, and realization seemed to dawn on her. Why Hattori had acted the way he did back then. His gaze went right back down when his eyes crossed Ran's, who seemed to be back to looking at him somewhat. Shinichi still felt ashamed.
"Hattori kind of stopped paying attention when he spotted you talking to the undercover cop, so he didn't hear me tell him that he was police, and the rest… you know. He didn't hang up when he said it." He paused. "So, technically, he has five witnesses aside from yourself and the cops there."
Kazuha seemed to be torn between being excited and being really angry, he could feel it from his position. Peering up at his audience, he nervously drummed his fingers on the glass, now able to tell Kazuha had taken the anger route. "A-ahah… Kazuha… -san…" Shinichi wasn't entirely sure the '-chan' could be used here, or what his position was in general other than an informat, so he decided to thread on the cautious side. "I think it'd be unwise to confront him about it now, anyway…" Shinichi trailed off, and Ran sighed, taking over for him by grabbing the other martial artists by the shoulders.
"Kazuha-chan! Hang in there." She said, encouraging, and bit her lip. The other seemed to snap out of it, glancing between the two tokyoites before sighing. "Lets just talk for now, okay?" It was almost like Ran's voice was a bomb diffuser.
"I still really wanna punch that guy…" Kazuha grumbled, and Ran gave her a sympathetic nod. The atmosphere relaxed a little, and Shinichi sighed, rubbing his temples. He ducked his head, however, as attention turned back to him. "Ya wouldn't have happened ta have encouraged this lyin', did ya?" She asked, squinting, and Shinichi had the decency to look mildly offended, even if what he felt was a lot more than that.
"I already said I didn't approve! I didn't even know he denied it until after the fact!" He tried to school his tone into something milder than what he was feeling, and he hoped it was working. Hard to tell. "What do you think I do, lie for fun? He's not the one in hiding for surviving a poisoning-" Shinichi froze, then immediately clamped his mouth shut, turning away from the two, an expression of horror on his face.
The room was dead silent.
"I-…" Kazuha started, then paused, her voice barely above a whisper. Ran wasn't speaking, instead trying to make sense of everything as she stared at the six year old on the bed. Wanting to do something, say something, but not even being sure if it'd be right. After they had found his second phone and unlocked it, the Shinichi one, Ran and Kazuha had discussed possibilities. The reasons. While Ran thought he hid for a good reason, Kazuha insisted it couldn't have been so serious, or he'd have left to keep them out of danger. It left them only with selfish options, stupid accidents, made the whole thing seem like an affair he could stop at any time.
That assumption had been oh so wrong.
"S-Shinichi…" She started, reaching out, but froze as he moved away, shaking his head.
"We're not talking about this." He said, firmly, almost vehemently. "Not here, not when I found two bugs around the house this morning."
It only seemed to punctuate how bad the situation was.
Kazuha took a breath. "I'm sorry, Kudou-kun." She finally said, swallowing. "I assumed the worst of ya without askin' ya." The room was tense, all three occupants unable to look at each other in the eye. A lot of unanswered questions drove the pressure further, making it difficult to speak. Ran herself was unable to bring up what she wanted to say, scared to make it worse, to break something she wasn't supposed to.
And then, Shinichi let out a breath.
"It's… fine. You didn't know." He finally said, leaning against the wall and staring up at the ceiling. "You weren't supposed to." He added, quieter this time, guilt laced to every word. "I didn't want to involve anyone into my problems, but I just keep getting blackmailed into burdening people with them, huh?"
The implication was clear. If Shinichi had his way, Heiji Hattori would not be aware either, or anyone for that matter. In fact, it seemed the truth was always forced out of him. And now they had done the same.
Kazuha couldn't help but feel awful, and Ran wasn't much better off. It may have been the only way to know the truth, they realized, but was it fair?
"I wanted to tell you when it was safe, on my own terms. I'm sorry, Ran. Kazuha-san." He looked back to them, then bowed his head apologetically. "But now you're both involved, so…" He paused, no one interrupted him.
"I promise I'll tell you what I can, just not here. Not tonight." His hands shook. "Please don't ask until then. Please keep pretending I'm not me when we leave this room."
"Of course." Ran finally said, gulping slightly as she tried to swat away at the questions she wanted to ask him. What she wanted to know, so many things she wanted to know. She motioned for him to come closer.
Kazuha shuffled, running a hand through her hair and then tugging at her ribbon when she got to it. She watched as Shinichi edged closer to them, wordlessly setting the glass and his glasses onto the bedside table. It was only when his hands were free that she saw Ran snatch the poor, unsuspecting detective out of the bed and onto her lap. Kazuha laughed, especially at how bewildered he looked.
"I hope askin' about what I wanted to know is still okay, then." Kazuha said, trying to lighten the atmosphere with a grin. "I'm countin' on ya, Kudou-kun."
"A-a-ah… y-yes." Shinichi stammered from his awkward position, limbs stiff. He looked like a surprised cat, unable to understand his situation as Ran hugged him tight. He slowly relaxed his body, and was set back on the bed after Ran had her fill. There went that last shred of dignity he wanted to keep, but he found he… didn't really mind.
Now that it was actually out, though, it felt the situation and atmosphere was far less tense. It felt less of an interrogation… and more of a talk between friends. Shinichi fixed his pajama top, then huffed as he leaned forward, near the edge of the bed. "You want dirt on Hattori? Where do I even start?"
Kazuha laughed, and Ran gave a bit of a grin.
All three felt a lot more comfortable now.
"So he pulls me away…" Shinichi narrated, idly resting his head on the small pillow he held atop his crossed arms, somewhat laying on the bed. "And asks me why he can't focus because you," he motioned to Kazuha idly. "Were right next to that smug magician guy. That it was driving him nuts." Ran and Kazuha seem very invested in this story, although he really could do without the distraction of Ran's hand going through his hair idly. It made it harder to tell the story. Kazuha was somewhat on the bed, a bit to his left, mostly her torso and up, while the rest hung or rested on pillows on the floor. The ribbon was still there, she had declared she would not untie it until she had heard enough Heiji stories. Ran herself only had her arms up on the bed and head, idly petting him with her left hand while seated on some cushy, large pillows. She rested her head on the palm of her right hand, and both seemed to share a look, snickering softly.
They saw where this was going, they had all but overheard the yell, after all.
Still, he continued, as while they knew the reaction, they didn't exactly know WHY Hattori had yelled at him. "So I tell him maybe it's how you said 'that man' or 'about that man' in a slightly flirty way? And it's why it might bother him, because he'd be, you know, jealous." He paused. "I didn't mention the last part, I thought it was obvious." Kazuha puffed like a fish, and Ran started to snicker a little louder, ruffling his hair ruefully. He gruffed, trying to fix it. "He didn't seem to get it…" He said after he swatted idly at Ran's arm. She stopped ruffling, at least. "So I told him he was 'such a brat'. And that's when he tried to strangle me." Kazuha had gone from offended to extremely amused in two seconds flat, while Ran seemed to be unsure between amused and scolding.
"Mou, Shinichi!" She said, poking at his cheek. "Maybe you were a bit rude too that time." He stuck his tongue out in response, huffing and turning up his nose. "He deserved it." He said, childish undertones in his voice. Kazuha laughed out loud, and he sat up, rolling his shoulders a little. "What's worse is what came after."
Kazuha and Ran both tilted their heads. "When he told me I was his little follower?" Kazuha asked, and Shinichi gave a sage nod. "When we realized how the trick was done, we asked Inspector Megure to let us ask detective Chiba and detective Takagi to help us with it. After the inspector left, he turns and tells me 'I finally figured it out!'." He sighed, rolling his eyes. "I thought he meant about the case, but then he tells me 'I figured out why I can't focus because of Kazuha!'. He sounded so proud of himself."
"Good for you, I told him, figuring he had a general idea. I mean, he sure was acting like he realized he had a crush on you at the very least, but as you both know…" He paused, then sagged his shoulders in exasperation. "He did not."
"The little follower thing happened then, huh?" Ran asked, her voice sounding a mixture between disappointment and disbelief. "That Hattori-kun…" Shaking her head with a slight half-grin on her face. Kazuha rubbed her temples, shaking her head. "I can't believe that ahou didn't even understand his own feelin's."
"Really, it's not like I can say much with how much I tried to deny it openly, but at least I knew!" The teen rambled, stealing the pillow Shinichi had been using earlier and smashing it against her face. "Agh! AHOU!" She yelled onto the cotton and fabric, and Shinichi couldn't help but sympathize a little.
The sympathy was short-lived when something seemed to have dawned on Kazuha. Shinichi gulped.
The pillow dropped, and she turned to Shinichi and Ran with wide eyes. "I just realized somethin'…" She said, then slid closer to the shrunken teen, poking his shoulder tentatively. "Ya were the one who saved us when we were trapped by that crazy lawyer, weren't ya?"
Ran blinked, directing her gaze to Shinichi, who tilted his head, then shrugged. "Uh… yeah. The code Hattori sent over to us... I realized what it meant, so I did what he asked me to after telling him to lower the amount of people inside." Shinichi said, simply, shifting around a little. "I wasn't aware of just how bad it was, though…" His tone was apologetic then, and Kazuha shrugged, a grin on her face showing, which was slowly getting wider.
Shinichi was slowly growing more and more nervous.
"And when you first came to the house and rang the second time… when Ran-chan picked you up, Heiji said something interesting." She said, her grin suddenly becoming sinister in his eyes. Ran, of course, suddenly seemed very, very interested, leaning closer to Kazuha and, therefore, closer to Shinichi, who sat between the two's positions.
"'Embarassed but a bit happy at being hugged by her… that's why he has that sappy look on his face.' Right?" She said. He had no warming when two strong arms pulled him backwards as he stared at Kazuha in disbelief, squeaking when he found himself being held by Ran for the second time that night.
"Like this?" Ran asked, squeezing him closer as Shinichi squealed and hid his face in his hands, turning around as red as a tomato in the span of a second. Kazuha laughed so hard she started wheezing. "You're so cute, Shinichi~" Ran teased as she shifted her hold, pulling away from the bed so she could hold him fully, instead of half of him being supported by the bed. His legs dangled a little as he squirmed, but dared not kick through the struggle.
"Raan…" He whined weakly in protest, and Kazuha couldn't stop her laughter from receding. She forgot they didn't really want Heiji coming in at the moment, instead just enjoying the spectacle as Ran shifted her hold to bridal style. Even the poor boy's ears turned pink as he shifted slightly, but didn't do much more. Kazuha wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want to accidentally hurt anyone, which she doubted he could, or because he actually was enjoying this and just denying it.
"Hey, Ran-chan~?" Kazuha started, her laughter a little more controllable between words and wheezes. Ran turned to her, smiling innocently as if she wasn't holding her shrunken childhood friend tightly to herself. "Yes, Kazuha-chan?" She asked, equally singsong. She almost didn't seem affected by this, except for the light tint of pink on her cheeks.
"Can I borrow Kudou-kun?" She asked, making grabby hands.
"Well…" Ran started, holding the much shorter teen closer. "Why not?" Shinichi gruffed then, clearly not pleased at the prospect as he peered at Kazuha from between his fingers, which parted to make an opening for his eyes.
"O-oi, don't I get a say in this?" He said as he squirmed. Ran shrugged, and Kazuha tilted her head. "What, ya got a condition so I can do it too?" The Osakan asked, bringing Shinichi's movements to a pause.
He blinked, he hadn't really thought about compensation, he had just considered getting in a 'no' and being set down. Hm. "What can I ask for?" He asked, eyebrows raising. The tint in his cheeks and ears did not go away, considering he was still extremely close to the person he really liked, but his hands lowered as he regarded Kazuha with careful consideration.
"Somethin' we can get tonight. No use for favors tomorrow or anythin', ya know?" She proposed, grinning triumphantly. Ran seemed fine with this, and raised no protest, but Shinichi seemed unconvinced for a few moments.
Figuring it'd be the best he'd get, and deciding he'd rather ask for it now, he shrugged and eyed the now empty glass of water on the side table. "Iced coffee and a slice of lemon pie?" He asked, brows raising, and Ran laughed a little.
"Is coffee even good for kids?" Kazuha asked, curious, but not denying his request. Ran shrugged. "Does it really matter if we're planning to stay up anyway?" She counter asked, shrugging. "Besides, it wouldn't be the first time he's had coffee to stay up, or iced coffee in general." Shinichi then piped up from her arms, peering at both of them. "It's actually not as harmful as media would have you believe. I was reading about it a few years ago."
Ran blinked, then laughed. "At least you don't have to say 'I saw it on TV.'" She teased. The teen-turned-boy scowled at that, and Kazuha snorted in amusement, then made the grabby hands again. "Ok, hand him over, it's my turn." She said as she moved to stand. "We might as well all get drinks at the kitchen."
Ran shrugged, but Shinichi raised a brow as he was passed around, glasses handed to him, which he placed back on. He thought they'd stay inside and only one of them would leave at a time to fetch refreshments or something. Then again, the 'interrogation' facade was long since over, so it didn't really matter.
"I feel like a plush toy." Shinichi grumbled, now carried loosely by Kazuha, who had positioned him to sit on her right arm and placed his arms around her neck for balance. Might as well roll with it, even if it was embarrassing. No matter what the hold either of them had, he'd be pressed against their chest, and it was probably part of why it was embarrassing other than the fact that he felt like a small sack of potatoes. Ran picked up the empty glass, and they made to go.
Single file, Ran and Kazuha left the room, passed by Heiji (who seemed to watch them with a weirded out expression, jolted awake from his half-asleep state by them marching past) and reached the kitchen. Shinichi, perched with Kazuha, had a very good vantage point of the other detective's location, and so once he asked for Kazuha to set him down, he trudged to the parting between the kitchen and the living/dining area before speaking up to Hattori. "Heiji-niichan, you won't sleep on the futon in Uncle Kogoro's room?" He asked, innocently. "The table might be uncomfortable."
"Shaddap, K-…kiddo." The western detective replied, rubbing his eyes, then gave the girls a curious glance. However, instead of doing as expected and giving him a sign, or anything, as to what was going on, 'Conan' turned around and walked back to the two girls, climbing onto the counter to fetch some things too and make himself useful.
"Get back 'ere, ya lil traitor!" Heiji said with a huff, standing up, but Kazuha called at him from the kitchen, stopping the other detective in his tracks. "It's the All Night Gang rules, Heiji." She said, walking back to the room with two coffee cups on hand. "We can't discuss it until it's over." Ran nodded sagely behind her, carrying a glass with iced coffee and a small plate with a slice of lemon pie, as if they had already discussed said rules or given the group a name. Shinichi was pretty sure Kazuha just made the name up, though, since nothing about that had ever been discussed. Oh well. He himself carried napkins and the fork he would use. Heiji's sputters of protests were met with a wall of silence until they returned to Ran's room.
Back inside, door closed, Shinichi sighed and shook his head. He would rather just go and discuss things with Hattori, or go to sleep, but it'd likely be an unwise move. They WERE in the middle of a conversation and agreement, it'd have to wait until later.
The plates and glasses were set on Ran's desk, and soon, they wordlessly set about, clearing the room for safe food and drink consumption. It wouldn't do to spill coffee or crumbs all over Ran's room. It was mostly Shinichi and Ran, admittedly, as Kazuha had no idea where the tray Ran kept in her room was, or that this was even a thing. She watched as the tray was unfolded, the glasses were set and some pillows were placed around for sitting, a bit ways off the table, and a bit closer to the desk.
"You guys have done this before?" She asked, curious, as she settled herself on the seat that was left free for herself. Ran nodded, deciding to explain, since Shinichi was currently busy devouring the lemon pie slice.
"We'd either study at his place or mine, and we usually just brought snacks up and ate while we studied." She explained, Shinichi nodding idly as he polished off the small slice he had been offered. "So we both keep small trays in our room to serve as mini tables. It really helps if you don't want crumbs everywhere, especially in summer." Kazuha scrunched up her nose at that.
Summer, right. When roaches became massive pests through most of Japan. "That sounds smart. We never kept anythin' like that." She said in comparison. "Although it's probably because we used trays from the kitchen." The osakan continued, shrugging. Heiji tended to care far less for that sort of thing, to his mother's annoyance, but at least Kazuha did.
Chatter, it seemed, would continue at the makeshift table for a bit.
"We had trays in the room because I was too lazy to bring one back and forth from the kitchen." Shinichi said, shrugging. "It took too long and most snacks we had lacked plates, so it was more convenient to keep it in my room and just wash it afterwards. Ran followed suit because she thought the idea was cute, so it stuck." Ran laughed at that. "It IS a cute idea." She insisted, grinning widely, but her best friend refused to fall for the bait, instead shrugging as he set down his glass for the moment. It was then Ran noticed there was some foam from the iced coffee sticking to his cheek. Reaching down to clean up on habit, she froze as the smaller teen turned to look at her in the eye and, without breaking eye contact, Shinichi grabbed a napkin, then slapped it to his face. Stain taken care of, he went back to his drink, and Ran laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, Shinichi."
She received a shrug and a grin for her troubles.
And then, Kazuha spoke up. "Ya should lick it off next time." She said, grinning widely.
"What?!" Shinichi sputtered, almost spitting out his drink, as he set his glass down.
Unfortunately, it set up the perfect opportunity.
Ran saw her chance and took it.
The door swung open. Heiji Hattori, in his impatience to know what was going on, stood on the other side, frozen in place as he stared at the scene in front of him. Three pairs of eyes turned to look at him.
The standoff lasted for about thirty seconds before Heiji grabbed the door handle, closed the door, and walked away. He seemed a little pale.
"Well, that's one way to drive him off." Kazuha commented idly as Shinichi, the resident tomato, scrubbed his cheek furiously with a napkin and Ran pulled back and laughed awkwardly, clasping her hands together.
"I didn't think you'd actually do it…" Shinichi grumbled, then drank down the rest of the iced tea before anything else happened, wiping his face afterwards. Ran pouted, although he was not entirely sure at what, and he raised a brow in response. Kazuha started snickering.
"What, you think people aren't into licking cream off other people?" Kazuha asked, and Shinichi groaned, rubbing his temples.
"I regret all of this already." He said, sounding older than he should in that body. Ran patted his head in sympathy, but something told him she wasn't really feeling it. "And it's barely been three hours."
"Shinichi!" "Shinichi-kuuuun…" His companions voiced in protest.
He chuckled softly, then shook his head, waving it off. "Speaking of Hattori…" He started, deciding to divert the topic before they started to talk more further into the territory of this conversation. "Apparently, the guy thinks we went to London just so I could confess, or at least has that idea in his head." He said, shrugging as he eyed the two coffee cups Ran and Kazuha still had. They weren't in any rush to finish, unlike him.
"No way!" Ran said, eyes widening as she placed a hand over her mouth as a blush tinted her cheeks. Kazuha, however, looked at them both, brows rising. "Seriously?" She asked, although it seemed to be surprise that it was not. Well, knowing the guy's situation now, there was no way he would have done it for that, however it was that he changed back and forth, but it had made sense at the time.
Why did Heiji think it was a thing?
Shinichi shrugged, it wasn't like he had all the answers. "Sure explains why he's being such a tryhard about confessing to you, though." He said, casually, although he kept his eyes trained on Kazuha for the reaction. She did not disappoint, clamping her mouth shut to try and not be too loud on that wheezing squeal. Ran promptly offered her congratulations, as if it had already happened.
The clock struck 1.
"Diamond rings are a bad idea. They're overpriced, for one." Shinichi drawled, seated atop the bed, glasses once more off his face. Kazuha had made a nest for herself on pillows atop of the futon on the floor, and Ran sat on her desk chair, leaning forward against the backrest, sitting in the opposite direction than chairs were intended. The talk had gone on, surprisingly, for far longer than he had anticipated, and now the tray was put away, the dishes washed, and they went right back into it. He wasn't even sure of the time now, and while he could easily check, it wasn't really one of his top priorities. At the very least, Kazuha's ribbon was off now, and they had moved on from topics on Heiji to the more mundane. It seemed they were slowly breaching that of marriage, though.
He didn't mind.
"Really?" Kazuha asked, raising a brow as she shifted her position on the pillow next, now resting on her back, but propped up by some pillows so she was slightly sitting up. "I thought they were rare." She looked to Ran for confirmation, who shrugged and nodded, having heard the same thing. Shinichi blinked, then shrugged. "Not at all, and I can tell you why." He said as he reached to the bedside table, grabbing his phone. "Where's the other phone, by the way?" He wasn't sure just where it ended up in between the initial confrontation and when it was finally over, he hadn't really been in a state to pay attention.
"It's on my desk." Ran answered, turning her seat slightly to grab it. She then flung it to the bed, where it bounced on the mattress once before settling. "Oh, uh, thanks." It took Shinichi a few moments to react enough to grab it off from where it landed.
He hadn't expected to have it tossed back, but oh well. He hadn't needed it, it was just curiosity. Setting his 'Conan' phone back on the bedside table, he used the 'Shinichi' one to bring up a few documents online.
"You're looking it up?" Kazuha asked, raising a brow. "I thought you knew, since you brought it up." She said as she relaxed further into her pile. She seemed comfortable, at least. Ran shrugged as an answer, looking at Shinichi to see if he would say. The shrunken detective, however, stayed silent for a few minutes, then set his phone down and stretched.
"Just rechecking my facts, in case I remembered something wrong. Always good to go back to the source instead of relying on your memory all the time. Hearsay can change your perspective too without realizing it." Shinichi yawned a little, rubbing his eyes. Man, he hated this child body.
Kazuha, at least, accepted his answer, and Ran smiled a little. "Hmmm, so even the Great Detective of the East needs to review once in a while." She teased, knowing full well that he did that anyway.
"Shut up." He grumbled, flushing and looking away. Ran giggled in response, and Kazuha laughed as well, although it was far less restrained.
"Thing is, diamonds had always been marketed as valuable, so when the people who founded De Beers found a mine that was just covered in them, they realized it'd be more profitable to maintain the illusion that diamonds were rare and valuable, or prices would sink like, well, a rock." He started, shrugging a little. "They turned to making profit out of romance. Instead of trying to make their brand appealing, they tried to make the idea of a diamond ring appealing and a must have for a romantic courtship. Hence, you have diamond rings, the bigger the diamonds, the more 'powerful' the love. That's how the whole thing started, and it's how they drove sales of their diamonds up, despite having a near monopoly and plenty to go around."
Ran seemed a little crestfallen, now aware that the diamond industry seemed to be a scam at its core. Kazuha, however, seemed pensive.
"So… what WOULD you recommend for an engagement sort of thing?" She asked, curious, as she eyed the apparent six year old boy. She had no teasing intent that time, but both tokyoites suddenly turned bright red at the implication. Ran started to stammer, bright red like a beacon, and Shinichi shuffled awkwardly, not doing that much better himself.
"Kazuha-chan!" Ran scolded with a slight whine, almost falling from the chair. She wasn't sure what else to say, how else to scold, already at a loss for words at her friend's brash question. She turned, about to open her mouth and tell Shinichi to just forget about it, when he actually spoke up
"W-w-well." Shinichi started, not noticing Ran's look as he clasped his hands together and looked down. Now both looked at the shrunken detective, curious for their own reasons as to what he was going to say. "I was thinking, any sort of band would do, like one of gold… Maybe even not a ring. I-I mean, I thought about using something that's been in the family before, but I… I felt it might be better to get something more personal. B-but I haven't r-really thought on it as much, because I wanted to consult, uh…" He trailed off then, almost steaming with how much he was blushing, now well aware the stares directed towards him. "Ran." He finished, a whisper more than anything, and he hoped no one heard him.
According to Kazuha's squeal, she did. He covered his face in embarrassment as the osakan girl reached over to ruffle his hair, pulling him out of the bed and in her arms. It was only due to the earlier agreement that he did not protest much, even if the last thing he wanted to be was paraded around at the moment. Rather, he was hoping the bed suddenly sucked him into the abyss somehow. Ran seemed to be frozen in place, lost in her own little world once she realized what it meant, her jaw hanging a bit loose.
"Now I know why Sonoko says he's your husband." Kazuha said to Ran, snapping her out of it, as Shinichi let out a noise of protest. Ran was still in disbelief, however, mostly that he had planned that far ahead. She closed her mouth and stood shakily from her seat, letting herself drop on the pillow nest, next to Kazuha and her victim.
"Shinichi…" Ran started, now that they were in close proximity again, and gulped down her nerves. The one addressed wasn't doing much better, sweating bullets and blushing as bright as a stoplight, although he now stopped covering his face. Kazuha clamped her mouth shut, deciding to listen in on this before reminding them she was right there.
"When… did you start thinking about that..?" She finally got the nerves to ask, and Shinichi could tell it had cost her a lot to say. Still, he himself felt his own answer clogged in his throat, causing him to gulp.
Both stared at each other, and Shinichi finally relented, dropping his gaze as he fiddled with his fingers, shifting in Kazuha's hold, who stayed quiet still. "… A while." He finally choked out, avoiding to look at Ran. His hands clasped together tightly, and his eyes turned to stare at them while trying to formulate the words. "It m-might have crossed my mind a few times in… middle school."
Anything Ran could or would have said in response vanished from her brain when Kazuha let out a surprised yell, squeezing Shinichi in surprise and looking between the both of them. "That long ago?" She asked, almost aghast. Her attention then went strictly to the smallest in the room. "Shinichi-kun! Ya might be the most romantic of us three." And while Kazuha WAS kidding, a part of her was earnest about it.
Shinichi blinked, then gave a nervous chuckle, shrugging as he turned away. "Really?" He asked, index finger scratching at his cheek. "I can't have been the only one…" Well, that was awkward. Kazuha shrugged. "I didn't really think about it for a while, and it mostly went to dating only…" She said as she trailed off. Well, dating and things involved in dating that weren't precisely pg12. The other two in the room didn't need to know that. Kazuha elbowed Ran, who gave a start at that, blinking at them both before twiddling her thumbs.
"Maybe here and there when I was younger. Marriage, I mean." She said, expression flushing. "Later I focused on… other things. I-I still thought about it! Just not… too deep about proposals or anything…" Ran smiled at the other two, rubbing the back of her head. "Just in general… I guess it's the way to put it."
"… Oh." Shinichi vocalized, then laughed awkwardly. "I guess I'm the only one who thought of a place and all…" Both other occupants in the room snapped their attention back to him at that, and he let out a noise of surprise before raising his arms. "No, no. Need not to know." He said, the last part in english, as he gave them a cheeky grin. "Takes away the surprise?" At least, the more he talked about it, the more comfortable he was with it. At least, to the point of not being a complete babbling mess. His cheeks were still tinted pink, but the atmosphere seemed to come looser and looser as time went on.
"A-anyway. I need to use the restroom. Child bladders don't retain anything too well." Kazuha seemed skeptical of Shinichi's claim, but Ran nodded a little, flushing and laughing slightly. "Toilet, Conan-kun?" She teased, and Shinichi gaped at her, then stuck his tongue out, squirming out of Kazuha's hold to leave the room. Kazuha laughed even after he was gone, and Ran wasn't exactly quiet about her own laughter either.
Shinichi wasn't sure when he had drifted off. He had come back from the restroom, settled down, and talk had moved onto more mundane topics. School, classwork, gossip from their classes and even his own… but he couldn't remember when exactly he passed out. He slowly woke, stirring, to find that he was on the bed, when he last remembered falling asleep on the pillow nest, and Kazuha and Ran slept on eithe side of him. Hugging him and sleeping awfully close. It took some work to twist his way out of their grasp without waking them, since they probably needed more rest.
"They actually went and did the river formation…" Shinichi muttered in disbelief, then rolled his eyes and slipped out of bed, trying to not think about it. A futile effort, but a valiant one all the same. Maybe if he tried hard enough he wouldn't be a blushing mess when he left the room. It didn't work, but at least by the time he trudged to the kitchen, it wasn't as noticeable.
It was there that he found a rather disgruntled Heiji, who silently followed him with a glowering face and a hunched demeanor. "Kudou…" He started as the six year old began grabbing things out of the fridge as if nothing had happened. "What happened last night?"
Shinichi was, by now, certain curiosity had been eating at him all night and morning.
"Just a lot of pillow talk." Shinichi answered, evasive, as he set the leftovers on the counter and prepared a plate to reheat some things. He figured it'd be better to reveal the fact both girls knew when they were both around to help him do damage control, before Hattori screamed his identity to the high heavens and made his life harder than it already would be. "Some stuff you're better off not knowing." He yawned, rubbing his eyes, and set his plate in the microwave, putting everything else away. Why cook when one had leftovers, anyway? It was too hard to cook while using a stool.
"Don'tcha give me that, Kudou." Heiji warned, his mood likely extremely low. The taller teen poked at his side with a scowl. "What was it they talked about with ya? And what was up with when I opened the door?"
Shinichi sighed, eyeing the microwave tiredly. Couldn't it cook any faster? "You came in at the worst possible time, really." No, not really, it was probably better he burst in then rather than later at night. "Kazuha-chan had dared Ran to lick foam off my cheek if I got some on me again. She took her up to it despite my protests. You walked in." Heiji blinked, but seemed to find no lies in the statement, considering what he remembered of the scene, so he let it go. Still.
"And?" He asked, clasping his hands together and nudging him. "Anything?"
On him? A whole lot. Shinichi rolled his eyes. "You already know she likes you." He said with a sigh. "I didn't even have that when I was your height." The second, of course, was grumbled with a much lower vocal tone, laced with bitterness, and Heiji had the grace and understanding to step back at that, both verbally and physically.
The microwave beeped, he took out his dish and eyed it curiously. Did noodles even go in curry…? What exactly did they cook last night? With a shrug, he walked to the table, set down his plate and fetched himself a glass of water to go with it. Heiji watched silently until he was settled, then sat across from him. Shinichi was pretty sure he already had his meal, probably since he woke up and sulked until someone else did. Uncle was probably deep in sleep mode.
"I was asked about some things about you, though." He continued, giving the meal a taste. Not bad, actually. "Things you said or did while I was around." Heiji seemed to be very, very invested in this, though, leaning forward a little more and more. "Like what, Kudou? What did you answer?"
He really, really, didn't want to tackle this on his own, but then the calvary arrived. Sort of.
"Good morning, Hattori-kun. Conan-kun." Ran greeted as she walked out of the room, yawning and rubbing her eyes while fixing her clothes. She had changed already, he had to admire her ability to ass herself to do anything in the morning if she didn't have to due to duties. Kazuha trailed after her, bag slung over her shoulder and wearing her clothes messily. "Mornin'." She greeted, plopping down on a seat between Shinichi and Heiji.
"We're leavin' soon, Heiji. Are ya ready?" She asked, rubbing her eyes, then reached over to ruffle the six year old's hair. "Gonna miss ya, kiddo." Shinichi gruffed in response, sticking his tongue out, and continued to eat.
"Already? What?" He asked, grouching, and snuck a side glance to Shinichi. 'This isn't over yet', it seemed to say, and Shinichi was fairly sure of it. After all… they had yet to drop the bomb on him. The small boy gave a cheeky smile in response.
"We have school and responsibilities, Heiji! We can't just ignore 'em!" Kazuha insisted with a huff, then smiled as Ran brought breakfast for both of them. It was the same Shinichi had reheated for himself, and he grinned a little at that. Having polished off his own plate, he trotted off to wash it. "Now go get your stuff." He heard Kazuha say, watching as Heiji slunk off into Kogoro's room to fetch his things. He chuckled softly to himself, padding back over to the girls and seating himself next to Ran. She smiled, brushing his hair with her hands a little.
"Why do ya three look like yer about to play a prank on someone?" Heiji asked as he returned to where they were, raising an eyebrow at all three, who looked back at him with the most innocent look they could muster. Well, himself and Ran. Kazuha didn't really bother with not looking like she had something up her sleeve.
"Nothin', nothin', lets go." Kazuha said as she stood. "Sorry to eat and go, Ran-chan. It's saturday and all." Ran shook her head, smiling at them. "It's okay, we overslept." With that said, Kazuha at least took her plate to the kitchen, as did Ran, and they were washed fairly quickly. Soon enough, Kazuha and Heiji were heading out the door, himself and Ran standing waving them off.
"See ya later, Ran-chan, Shinichi-kun." Kazuha said, casually, and was unable to stop her big, big grin as Heiji suddenly sputtered and blanched, about to demand an explanation. Before he could, however, he was being dragged down the stairs and to the streets, Shinichi and Ran waving at them both as if nothing had happened before heading back inside.
Definitely worth keeping that tidbit in until the end.
Shinichi reread the text he had gotten from Hattori a few minutes prior, chuckling to himself before putting his phone away, looking out the window.
'Ya have a lot to explain, Kudou.' It said.
"To a lot more people than you think, Hattori…" Shinichi muttered to himself, a slight grin on his face.
A/N: The original of this has an extra scene, but since it was mostly for fun, unneeded, and probably slightly nsfw (the topic of the talk), it was removed for the publically published version. The circumstances of the reveal were left vague on purpose, hints sprinkled through the drabble, but the basics are: Conan had left his Shinichi phone behind at the Agency, and the girls found it when Kazuha convinced Ran to send Shinichi a cute text, only to hear a phone vibrate. As Conan was away, he did not notice, and they managed to unlock it after several tries. When confronted, it left Conan two choices: out himself, or lie about the entire phonenumber and make Ran believe she had been chatting and texting a fake Shinichi this entire time, which would have a lot of nasty reprecussions he'd rather not face.
I hope this was at least enjoyable, I haven't written a work this long in a while and posted it.
