Hi once again! Time for another One Shot idea! What is it about this time? Well, it's about Conan and that One Little Weakness he experiences. This has actually been sitting in my notes since August, but I fixed it up recently and am now sharing it with you!

* Note: Before you begin, if any of you have a fear of creepy crawlies such as bugs or arachnids, then, you may want to avoid this story. You can skip to the bottom to get the idea of what I basically wrote. *

So for the rest of you, I'll let you get to reading!

Title: That One Weakness

Type: Story

Summary: Ayumi always admired Conan. He's clever, he's intelligent, and most of all, he's brave in the face of danger. Was there nothing that could ever get him down? Apparently, there was just one thing and Ayumi was about to find out in the most unexpected way.

Idea: Based on the story that the manga spine tells.

Sub-Ideas: Conan's dealing with an irrational fear.

- Refer to the Manga Spines on Books 22 to 35 (Explanation At The Bottom)

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Date: October 18, 2022


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From day one, Ayumi was curious about the transfer student who came a little late into the school year. He was strange, a little quiet at first, but even so, Ayumi knew she wanted to be his friend. So with the constant persistence of her, Genta-kun, and Mitsuhiko-kun, they set out to make that boy their friend. When they finally did become friends, Ayumi paid close attention. From the very first case they worked together on, the strange treasure map that actually led to bad guys and a bag of stolen gold, she learned some things about the boy. She learned that he was quiet cause he was a thinker, he liked to solve puzzles and was really good at it. He was also brave, when they were about to be done for, he was able to keep calm and find a way for them to be saved. In the end, he wasn't totally open to them yet, but she knew, with time, they'd all be great friends and maybe Conan-san and her could be something more.

As the days turned to weeks and then to months, Ayumi found herself admiring Conan-kun all the more. As he got more comfortable around them all, she saw more of his qualities shine through. She admired his willingness to teach, even though he lost patience with them a lot of times, he still took his time with them all. He was resourceful, when in times of need, he was able to use what he had and come up with a good alternative solution to the problem. He was caring and gentle, whenever they were scared or when his big sister, Ran-oneechan was sad, he was there for them all. He was just wonderful.

Of course Conan-kun had his little flaws here and there. She'd seen how much of a dark side he could get when it came to his rivalry with Ai-chan. There was also the fact that he couldn't beat most video games, he was the worst. Although Ai-chan had claimed that he was faking it for them, she still had her doubts that what she said was true. Ran-oneechan had been the one to clear that doubt up. She told them secretly that he stayed up all night trying to beat the first level of a game Mitsuhiko-kun had lent him. It was funny to imagine him struggling when no one was looking and probably even getting tangled in the wires of the controller out of frustration. They had a good laugh about that. But still, that didn't deter Ayumi from admiring Conan-kun one bit, if anything, she liked him all the more for it.

The biggest quality Ayumi admired in him was his strength. That day when he got shot in the cave, instead of choosing to be scared, he guided them as long as he was able to until they were able to get out and get him help. It was scary, really scary. She thought Conan-kun wasn't going to make it at one point. But after that day, she couldn't let the image of how strong and how brave he was go. If he could survive something scary as that and not be afraid like they were, was there ever anything that could scare him?

It would be one day on a camping trip that she'd see a side of Conan that she thought she'd never witness. It started off normal, Agasa Hakase invited the Shounen Tantei-dan on a camping trip. Everyone was enjoying themselves as they all did their part in pitching the tent and preparing the campsite. The group was tasked with gathering firewood while Ai-chan and the professor dealt with the food. Everyone went their separate ways.

Her search for firewood began, sticking nearby the campgrounds by going to the closest wooded area. When she couldn't find what she needed, she slowly ventured out further to get more. It was along the way back she noticed a few little crawlies on some of the sticks she picked up. They were the harmless type, that had made a home for themselves out of their beautiful silk. When Mitsuhiko-kun and Genta-kun came back, they noticed the little crawlers and decided to create an arena with the extra sticks they got. The three agreed and dug up a small circle, surrounding it with the twigs to make it look more cool for the little critters to play in, after they set the wood for the campfire of course.

It was at this time that Ai-chan and Hakase came back, they saw the ring and decided to peer closer. Hakase felt some nostalgia from his childhood days and told them tales that before their fancy toys and video game consoles, they would do similar things and let the bugs battle each other. His favorite ones to pit against each other in battle when the beetles. That story inspired the two boys to go out and look for some bugs so they could put them in the ring. Ai-chan had decided to follow them, to make sure that they wouldn't get lost. Hakase decided to go back and finish preparing the rest of the food until everyone got back. This left Ayumi all by herself, watching her creatures still interacting in the arena.

Just when she thought she'd be alone, Conan-kun had called out that he was back. She was happy, he was sure that he'd enjoy the ring too. After all, he was the one who encouraged them awhile back in their bug hunting. It'd be enjoyable to watch the bugs and other crawlies interacting in their newly made arena. Although, Ayumi soon realized something a little too late, Conan-kun was walking in the pathway of the ring they made. She tried to warn him, but it was too late. Because of all the wood he was holding, and the fact he was distracted checking his cellphone, he didn't hear the warning and tripped into the hole.

"Conan-kun!" Ayumi shouted in surprise. Thankfully, he was okay, it also looked like the crawlers got out of the way just in time. She sighed in relief, but only for a moment. When she looked up to see if Conan was alright, she witnessed something unexpected. Eyes widened with fear at the sight of the little crawler that had somehow landed on his glasses, he swatted the creature away, knocking off his glasses. He then proceeded to rise to his feet and noticed another one that had crawled onto his back. In rapid motion, he shook his arms wildly trying to wipe it off. Also, if her ears were hearing correctly, it almost sounded like he was whimpering as he shrieked.

"Shi— Conan!" Hakase quickly came to his rescue, gathering the crawlies and helping Conan out. Once they were back in the circle and Conan had calmed down a bit, he composed himself as he said he'd be in the tent for a while. When Hakase turned to her, she wasn't sure what to think.

"Ah Ayumi-kun, don't worry. Conan-kun is fine, just give him a little time to himself." He had told her, but she didn't buy it. But for now, she'd let it go. After fixing up the hole and putting her little friends inside, she thought. Conan-kun never acted that particular way before. Not when they went to catch bugs, beetles, and even fireflies. But these weren't insects, weren't they? They were… what was that big sciencey word again? Arakoids? Arakins? Whatever spiders were called. Was Conan-kun afraid of spiders? If so, she didn't want to leave him alone, she had to check on him. So, she went.

When she came into the tent, she found Conan sitting down, hugging his legs and his forehead resting on his knees. His breaths were practiced as he quietly counted before inhaling then exhaling. She couldn't see his expression, but the fact he was trembling told her all that she needed to know.

"Conan… -kun?" She hesitantly spoke. He stiffened at her voice. "Are you, okay?"

Slowly, Conan-kun picked up his head, still not looking at her. "I'll be fine. I just, need a minute."

"Are you, afraid of Spi-"

"Arachnophobia, fear of Arachnids." He cut her off, answering the question rather quickly. "It's ridiculous, I know." He put his head down again, burying his face into his knees. So that's what it was called.

She was silent for a little, processing this new information about Conan-kun. Her seemingly invincible friend whom she liked a lot, who seemed like he was never scared the same way any of them were, could actually be. She's seen him vulnerable in other ways, but this was the first time she'd seen it like this, a common fear and reaction like any other. Like the times she was scared of the dark when she was younger, requesting for her parents to leave a night light on. She knew what being scared like that was like.

Crawling into the tent, she went over to hug him, "I don't think it's ridiculous. I just think, everyone has something they're scared of." Conan-kun didn't say anything, but his breathing was steadying, meaning he was calm and listening. "I use to be afraid of the dark. I'd hide under my blankets cause I didn't know what was out there. Maybe a monster from Kamen Yaiba would come out. But my mom got me a night light and it helped and I got less afraid."

"But it's different, Ayu-"

"No its not!" She stopped him from speaking. "You're scared and it's okay. You just need time to get over that fear. I am still afraid of the dark sometimes, but I also learned to face it because of you, Conan-kun."

"Mu-me?" He snapped his head up, reorienting himself to face her. The fear in his eyes seemingly replaced with skepticism.

"Yes, because you shown me how on all our adventures together. Sometimes they were scary, it looked like we'd be lost in the dark, or the criminal would get us. But then, you'd always find a way out. You were scared too, but you always kept your cool and faced it head on. And all of us were okay after all that. So I learned that from you, so slowly, I'm facing my fears head on too. I'll be just as brave as you, then we'll tackle any case that comes our way!" She pumped her fist in the air confidently.

Conan-kun blinked a bit before laughing. His laugh was genuine, joyful as he shook his head. Once he stopped, he said, "Thank you, Ayumi-chan."

Before she could respond, a few loud voices were calling out for her, "Oiiii! Ayumi-san!"

"Hey Ayumi! Where are you?"

"Ayumi-chan?"

Conan-kun looked up to her, his finger brought to his lips, asking her to keep quiet about what happened. She agrees, "Okay. I'll go back out. You can come when you're ready." He firmly nods once and then she leaves the tent.

When she got out, she snuck around the tent so the rest wouldn't see where she came from. While she did this, she really thought about Conan again. As much as she felt he was incredible, that he was so much more mature than them, that he seemingly was unshaken by anything, she realized, he was just human too. He has his strengths, his weaknesses, his merits and his faults. But today, he seemed a lot more closer, a little more like them. Even though she witnessed this venerable side of him for the first time, even though she never really got an answer to why he had this fear in the first place, she wouldn't love him any less, in fact, she loved him all the more. For all the times that Conan-kun had been a pillar of strength in their darkest hour, she'd do the same for him. She'd be there him too, supporting him in that one weakness.

End

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First Kaito's fear, now Conan's fear? This one was inspired by the Manga Spines. If you have seen the manga, whether you own it, seen it in stores, or seen it via pictures, you probably noticed that the spines tell their own story. Think of it like a flip book, if you put them all together you'll see the story in motion. Books 22 to 35 have a small story of Conan getting scared of the spider down his back. Now it could be he was just startled since it was something that caught him off guard, but I really wanted to take it as the fear angle. So, I wanted to try my hand at writing him with something relatable. Come to think of it, has there ever been an episode where he deals with spiders? It's been too long and I'm not willing to skim through a 1000+ episodes or go through the manga yet just to find it. xD

Yeah, it's not the best, I did leave out the explanation for how this little fear developed. I honestly couldn't think of one. Maybe he developed it on his first trip to Hawaii? Or a group of them were nesting in the shelf with his favorite Sherlock Holmes books? I'm just leaving it up to you to decide how this fear came to be, anyway, hopefully I got the point across. Any comments on how to make this sound better are appreciated.

So yep, that's the end, thanks for reading! Feel free to let me know your thoughts. See you next chapter! :D