Shinichi took pride in his zero streak of erroneous deductions. In fact, with a perfect record of catching criminals under his belt, his ego would be immensely bruised if he were to ever be wrong in his inferences. However, this one time and one time only, he would willingly admit that he was mistaken. There was no way he held such feelings towards his neighbor. Whatever feeling he felt that one evening when he was alone with Ai was nothing but simple affection towards a friend he dearly missed. It was an affection that he easily mistaken for lust due to missing Ran at the same time. After all, it has been a whole month since he last physically saw Ran. His feelings were misconstrued as he projected the feelings he felt for Ran onto Ai because he was troubled over the fact that he couldn't, for the life of him, stop thinking about Ai and her boyfriend. Not to mention, just earlier that day, he had acknowledged that he greatly missed his friendship with Ai. His mind was a great big mess that his feelings were unconsciously affected. That was all.
Despite his sound rationalization, Shinichi had significantly lessened the time he spent at his neighbor's house, staying only a few minutes, never an hour. Since that night a week ago, he would buy dinner after work and head straight home. He called Ran every chance he had, preferably video chatting as his desire to see her had increased. Their conversation time had multiplied tenfold that Ran had to question if there was anything bothering him.
"I just miss you," he had answered, and it wasn't a lie. Encompassing the entirety of his heart was a sweet pain of not having Ran physically with him. However, a tiny, miniscule doubt of unease towards that same answer laid somewhere within that he completely ignored.
Lying back on the sofa within the library, Shinichi closed his eyes as he recalled the last time he was intimate with Ran. It was his graduation. Both Ran and he returned to their apartment after a small celebration with his parents, a few friends they had made during their years in college, and anybody who happened to be in America during the time, such as Shuuichi Akai, Jodi Sterling, and Sonoko Suzuki. High off of sheer celebratory joy alone, Shinichi naturally pulled Ran in for a kiss the instant the door closed after them. She responded willingly, melting into his embrace, and no sooner did they both lose themselves in such a tender and sweet kiss.
He was aware that Ran's anxiety of watching her parents' strained relationship was inadvertently affecting their relationship. It didn't help that he "disappeared" for a whole year, and no matter how much he assured her he will never disappear like that again, some part of her will always feel anxious. Knowing that, he tried to ease her heart by slowly coaxing her and assuring her through gentle, passionate kisses, tight, warm embraces, and soft, loving touches that he was fully committed to her. That night, he had thought that he finally got through to her as they were so close until she kept him at arm length and cried. "I'm sorry," she had softly whimpered. Her crying face had done well to extinguish his arousal, and he had spent the entire night holding her in his arms. "It's okay," he had mollified, over and over.
Shinichi, since then, resigned himself to holding hands, kisses, caresses, and nothing more. Seeing Ran cry troubled him to the point that he would do nothing further unless she initiated. He told her he wouldn't pressure her to do anything that she wasn't ready for. Waiting for her was something he would not think twice to do.
Although he graduated earlier, Shinichi didn't plan on returning to Japan until Ran graduated. After all, he only decided to attend Harvard because of her. Now with a criminal justice degree and a year and a half of free time until Ran graduated, Shinichi momentarily played with the idea of becoming a lawyer while waiting for Ran to finish her degree in physical therapy. However, after having lunch with Shuuichi one day, he was offered to join the FBI since he had greatly assisted them in the take-down of the Black Organization.
Tempting as it was, Shinichi had wanted to decline as he wanted to work in his home country, but Shuuichi immediately assured him that he will work in the International Operations Divisions, specifically the legal attaché program located in Tokyo, and, if anything, would just be momentarily. Only then did Shinichi agree.
When he told Ran of his new job, she was undoubtedly happy. In fact, she was the one who urged him to fly back home and begin his career. Although hesitant in returning by himself, Shinichi thought that maybe it was for the better. Nothing he has said or done has helped assuage her reservations. Ironically as it seems, maybe with the distance apart, Ran can personally come to terms with her anxiety about fully being with him.
Ding Dong!
Shinichi furrowed his brows as the doorbell rang throughout his estate. From the library's intercom, he saw Ayumi and Mitsuhiko patiently standing outside the gate. He let them in and met them at the front door. "I thought you guys would be working on your school festival activity. It's tomorrow, isn't it?" he asked, eyes darting from Ayumi to Mitsuhiko.
"We've finished. We're just about to head to the park. You're not doing anything now, are you?" Mitsuhiko questioned.
"We need another player to even out the numbers… and skill," added Ayumi.
"Ayumi and I are requesting your assistance in this sports game, Shinichi-san. If we win, we do not have to lift a finger the next time we go camping," Mitsuhiko explained. He briefly filled Shinichi in of a little disagreement they had about rice toppings that somehow evolved into a soccer match with a bet on labor work.
"Would it even be fair if I were to play?" he questioned with creased brows.
"We're up against Genta-kun and Hiro-kun," Ayumi said pitifully that it came off rather adorable. She looked up at the young detective with such imploring eyes that Shinichi had to chuckle. It would be a crime to say no. Besides, it's been awhile since he last played soccer with the kids.
"Let me change first."
Roughly ten minutes later, they arrived at the nearby park to see Genta and Hiro in the middle of warming up. Ai sat under a tree, nonchalantly reading a magazine.
"Ready to lose?" Ayumi taunted, catching the three's attention.
Hiro caught the ball Genta kicked to him and held onto it as Shinichi, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko approached them.
"I can't believe I have a chance to play with Tokyo's Grim Reaper," Hiro expressed with a wide grin, looking at Shinichi, quite excited.
Although still not fully warmed up to Hiro-kun, Shinichi didn't really have a well-founded reason to dislike the boy. He just did. However, it seemed as though the Detective Boys have taken a liking to him, and if the kids were any judge of character, they were at least good ones. After all, they befriended him and Ai.
"So I hear winner is free of labor?" Shinichi questioned, looking to the teens.
Genta nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, so what's the hold up? The sooner you lose, the better."
At Genta's words, Ayumi ran up to Hiro and grabbed the ball from him. "You're gonna eat those words, Genta-kun!" she called and started kicking the ball towards one of the goal posts.
Ai shook her head in amusement as Genta chased after and easily took the ball from a now sad and annoyed Ayumi. He quickly passed it to Hiro, who swiftly ran the opposite direction and effortlessly scored the first point for their team.
"Hey!" Ayumi yelled across the field at Hiro. "Our goalie wasn't even ready!" she gestured to Mitsuhiko, who only just arrived at his post.
"An eye for an eye, Ayumi-chan!" Hiro called back with a grin and a shrug.
"Yeah, I wasn't even in front of you and you started running," Genta said as he passed the petite girl to block the opposing team's goal.
Arching a brow at what just happened, Shinichi walked up to Ayumi and tapped her nose. "That's what you get for trying to cheat," he lightly and half-heartedly scolded.
Joining her teammates on the small public soccer field, Ai walked up to Hiro and beckoned him to lean down. Raising a brow, the taller boy nonetheless followed her orders and bent towards her. Ai then reached forward and gathered Hiro's soft locks, tying it so that his playing wouldn't be hindered by obscured vision.
"Am I cute?" he asked with a quirk of his brow once Ai was finished before tilting his head and posing for the strawberry-blonde beauty.
"I'll cover Ayumi-chan. You just worry about Kudo-kun," Ai said before leaving to guard their StuCo President.
Hiro chuckled as he watched Ai walk away. As usual, his question and playfulness were completely disregarded. Although it bruises his heart each time she ignores his playful advances, he knew that was the main reason he keeps at it. That completely expressionless look she maintains was the motivating factor, and he's rewarded each time.
Noticing Shinichi turning the opposite way as Ai approached them, Hiro furrowed his brows in intrigued puzzlement as Shinichi just walked passed Ai without so much of a glance. But if he remembered correctly, during the dinner a week ago, that same detective couldn't keep his eyes off her. "'Just worry about Kudo-kun,' huh?" he repeated and scoffed to himself in slight amusement and annoyance. "Didn't you know? I always am."
Walking up to Shinichi, Hiro stuck out his hand. "I look forward to the game," he said and added, "Senpai."
At suddenly being referred to as "senpai" by the boy in front of him, a couple of thoughts ran through Shinichi's head. The first one was the noticeable enunciation that almost seemed as if the younger boy was taunting him, but with the wide smile he was receiving, maybe he was just overthinking things. The second was the fact that the word emphasized their age difference and that annoyed him, and not knowing why he was annoyed was annoying him further. The only thing he knew about the annoyance was that it was associated with Ai, and something told him that he should prevent his thoughts from proceeding any further. Because if he were to decipher the actual meaning behind the annoying feeling, the reason would enter his mind and never leave.
And there are certain feelings that should never be realized.
"Likewise," Shinichi replied, shaking the younger boy's hand.
Ten minutes into the game, Shinichi was expectedly leading the points for his team and only needed one more to win the game. Unexpectedly, however, they were only winning by a two-point difference. The young detective found that the high-school soccer player was constantly at his heels. A couple of times, Hiro had managed to steal the ball from him and score points from across the field. It didn't help that Genta was successfully blocking most of his goals as well. Playing against the two athletes was proving to be quite a task.
After Hiro scored another point, Mitsuhiko passed the ball to Ayumi, who was nearer. Taking the ball, Ayumi looked for Shinichi, who was at the opposite end of the field, and tried to pass the ball to him. However, Ai managed to take the ball mid-pass and began kicking the ball back to Mitsuhiko. If Ai scored, the points will be tied, and Ayumi wasn't able to catch up to Ai in time to stop her. So Shinichi ran for it.
Sprinting across the field, Shinichi saw Ai bringing back her leg to kick the ball, and just before her foot can come into contact with the ball, Shinichi slid to kick the ball from under her. In the process, he caught Ai by surprise, making her lose her balance.
Ai closed her eyes, bracing herself to hit ground, but opened them when she landed in a pair of arms instead. Underneath her was Shinichi staring back at her. His hands were at her waist of where he managed to catch her, holding her lightly above him.
"My bad," he apologized, the pressure of holding a person on top of him making his voice throatier than usual. "Just couldn't let you score a point," he offered a small smile.
"Ah, no…thanks," Ai responded, a little flustered that she was on top of Shinichi. Realizing that fact, she immediately tried to get off of him. "I'm sorry," she said, lifting herself off him, only to fall back on him as his necklace was caught on to the button of her shirt.
Both individuals were immediately aware of how close their bodies were as chest, stomach, and hips were fully flushed against each other's. For three whole seconds, nothing was said and no one moved. The first to move was Ai. Unable to help the blush on her face, she lifted her head to look at their current dilemma. The sooner she untangled it, the sooner she can get off him, and the sooner she can get away from how intently he was beginning to stare at her.
In order to untangle Shinichi's necklace from her, Ai had to shift her weight to free her hands. Therefore she had no choice but to leverage herself upright by using her lower body. The only thing on her mind was to quickly untangle his necklace and put some distance between them, so she wasn't aware of how she moved her hips against Shinichi's in such a suggestive fashion. And she kept doing it to angle herself better to look at where they were connected.
Closing his eyes, Shinichi clenched his jaw and firmly gripped Ai's waist to still her. Confused, Ai looked to Shinichi.
"Move any more, Ai, and I'm going to be walking through this park with an erection that will get me arrested," he spoke lowly, causing Ai to blush even further at the boldness and vulgarity of his words. "Please stop moving," he pleaded and looked at her, and Ai noticed the obvious defeated tone in his voice and features. He looked and sounded almost helpless… as if something horrible happened and he could do nothing about it.
Her heart suddenly ached in rejection, and she was completely confused as to why. She was perfectly aware that his heart belonged to Ran and resolved long ago to drop her affection for the young detective, so it wasn't as if she hoped for anything. And yet… the feeling of rejection was painfully strong.
"Stay still. I'll do it," Shinichi spoke and moved his hands from her waist to take his necklace from her, and Ai waited patiently still as she watched Shinichi untangle his necklace from her button.
Ever since Shinichi came back, Ai was in a mental and emotional mess. To begin with, his appearance alone was enough to make her feminine instincts falter, and she realized that even though she had casted her feelings for him aside, she'll always be physically attracted to him. It didn't help with him constantly coming over for dinner and then suddenly stop after asking her to call him by his first name. That incident caused her a restless night of sleep as she contemplated over her actions. Then there were those times she catches him staring at her, rendering her mind a disorganized jumbled mess as the look he gives her flusters her in a frighteningly yet excitingly way that, she didn't want to admit, awakens her womanly inhibitions. But there was no way she'll allow herself to think of Shinichi that way. It would only just cause her heartache, even if it was just physical attraction.
So when he openly admitted that he was physically affected by her enough to be aroused, Ai's heart was banging against her ribcage in an instinctive response, yet that destitute expression he displayed doused the emotion beating within her as she was filled with rejection instead. What distraught her the most was that she, herself, was doing nothing to warrant all these emotions. They were all in response to Shinichi and his actions.
"Are you guys alright?" Mitsuhiko questioned, and Ai wondered when exactly did they all gather around them. She felt the embarrassed blush creeping up again, and she's beginning to hate how much she's blushing lately.
"Got it," Shinichi then said, finally removing his necklace from around Ai's button, and he never saw Ai move away from him so quickly. Immediately, she went to Hiro's side and grabbed onto his upper arm, reminding him of all the times she grabbed onto him every time she felt one of the BO members nearby.
"You okay?" He heard Hiro ask and saw her hesitantly glance at him before nodding. He had scared her.
"Well, we lost," Genta said annoyed, "in case you guys were too busy to notice."
Getting up and dusting off his pants, Shinichi turned his head to Ayumi, raising his brows.
"I scored the winning point!" Ayumi exclaimed happily.
"After you guys fell, Ayumi-chan took the ball and managed to make a goal. She fooled Genta-kun with a hard kick to the right but softly kicked it to the left instead," Mitsuhiko explained, picking up the ball Genta dropped a few seconds ago.
"Don't look at me," Genta defended when Hiro arched a brow at him. "You were the one too busy looking at Ai-chan and Shinichi-nii-chan on the ground to pay attention to Ayumi-chan."
At the mention of that, Hiro felt Ai tense next to him. "Sorry…?" Hiro offered with a sheepish grin and a small shrug. Turning to Ayumi and Mitsuhiko, Hiro conceded. "Good job, Ayumi-chan. And like promised, we'll handle all the work on our next trip."
Although still annoyed at losing, Genta gave Ayumi a high-five. "You were good, Ayumi-chan."
Smiling brightly, Ayumi thanked Genta and Hiro for their compliments. "Ai-chan and I made tea and sandwiches. Let's eat before going home," she said and started walking back to the tree where Ai was reading earlier.
"Thanks, but I need to head back now, Ayumi-chan," Shinichi spoke. He didn't want to make Ai feel any more uncomfortable around him.
"Wait!" Ayumi called, quickly running to her bag to grab a sandwich and a drink thermos before running back to Shinichi and handing him the items. "Thank you for playing with us. Truthfully, we really wanted to play with you for the longest time, but we all thought you would be too busy or wouldn't want to play with a bunch of teenagers. But Ai-chan said you wouldn't mind if you had the time. And our stupid argument was supposed to be settled between the four of us, but Ai-chan said she'll play to even out the players and encouraged us to ask you," she said in one breath. "So thanks again, Shinichi-nii-chan," she said, quickly giving the young detective a hug before returning to join everyone else under the tree. "Hope we can play again soon!"
That small tidbit of information made Shinichi scoff to himself. Ai still works from behind the scenes, never wanting credit for even the tiniest of good deeds. Leaving the Detective Boys to themselves, Shinichi turned to head back home until he saw something that caught his attention. If Ayumi hadn't spoken to him, Shinichi would have missed the action, but he saw it that made him question who Tachibana Hiro really was.
It was a simple action. The thermos had slipped from Ai's hand, and Hiro had reflexively caught it. It wasn't that he had caught it that Shinichi found weird (a decent athletic person would have a fast enough reflex to catch a falling object, and after playing with him for a whole game, Shinichi had accessed Hiro was more than a decent athlete), it was how he had caught it. The motion was rather fluid that it reminded him of a how he once saw Shuuichi catch a handgun and flipped it within his hold. The action was so similar that made Shinichi recall everything he had observed of the boy and question it, such as when he first met Hiro, he noticed how the teenager looked at his waist and ankles and assessed him from head to toe. He noticed the action but didn't dwell on it for the fact that Ai was on his mind at the time.
Ai…
He couldn't deny the pleasurable feeling of having her pressed up against him. Everything he rationalized earlier was thrown out the window when his body physically responded to her inadvertent rubbing. It was undeniable. No matter if he was a hundred percent sure that he wanted to marry Ran and live his future with her, he was irrefutably physically attracted to Ai.
He was in need of a cold shower.
At 8pm, Shinichi was dressed in a fresh pair of sweatpants with a towel draped around his neck to catch any falling drops of water from his hair. He walked into his kitchen to get a glass of water when his doorbell rang for the second time today. This time, however, Ai was at his door.