AN: Another prompt fulfilled! This was left by user AshKetchupAll, and I uh, took it a bit literally, as you can see. A quick little oneshot, but one that was pretty fun to write! You can leave prompts in the inbox of my tumblr writing blog, setsunameioh, or you can either PM them to me, or leave them in the review section (I only ask that if you choose to do the latter option, that you, yanno, leave a review while you're at it).

Until next time!

Down by the Seaside

Characters: Yukiko Kudo, Conan Edogawa, Detective Boys

Summary: Miss a chance to embarrass her son? Never.

Coming to the beach with a bunch of first graders was, suffice to say, not how Kudo Shinichi had planned on spending his summer vacation.

But nonetheless, it was how Edogawa Conan found that he was spending his time today. The exasperated expression that he currently wore on his face had very little to do with this unexpected change of plans, but rather, had everything to do with the current behavior of one of his companions. It was inevitable, he supposed- they were only first grade students, not yet mature enough to be left on their own.

Then again, he was pretty sure there were high school students out there would do very much the same, so perhaps age had very little indeed to do with maturity. It wasn't that he minded hanging around the Detective Boys, at least, not anymore- but there were times when he had to admit, they could be a bit exhausting to deal with.

Like, for example, right now.

Especially when it was so damn hot out. Even if they were at the beach, it barely seemed to help.

"Genta!" Finally having enough, Conan took a step forward, his sharp tone cracking loud enough for the boy in question to freeze. "Cut it out already! It's obvious that Ayumi-chan and Mitsuhiko don't like it."

"Eh, what's the big deal?" Nevertheless seeming to realize he was being scolded, Genta ceased his actions, turning to face Conan. "It's just a sea cucumber!"

"That doesn't mean that you should chase people around with it." Conan told him, casting a glance off towards Ai's direction. She had decided to not get herself involved with the matter- probably because she just didn't want to deal with the sea cucumber in question. "We came here to have to fun, not to bother other people."

"You're no fun sometimes, Conan." It was clear that Genta was sulking- but nevertheless, he seemed to comply, tossing the sea cucumber back into the sea. "I just thought it was neat! They didn't have to run away!"

"But it's slimy!" Ayumi protested. "And you were the one chasing us with it in the first place, Genta-kun!"

"Only because you were running away!" Genta protested right back, not seeming to fully realize the problem with his statement. Well, he was a child after all, Conan found himself thinking.

Heaving another long, drawn out sigh, Conan couldn't help but wonder how it was that he found himself in this situation, mediating a quarrel between children, when he could have been doing literally anything else. No, scratch that- he already knew the reason as to why this had happened full well. Come to thank of it though, that reason seemed strangely absent.

Where had that woman gotten off to this time?

Were he paying a little bit more attention to Ai at the time, he might have gotten his answer. Or perhaps not- with the large sunglasses she was wearing, the only warning sign he would have gotten, the amused twinkle in her eyes, was largely covered up. As such, when something wet and slimy touched the small of his back, he felt himself nearly jumping out of his skin.

And sounding like it too, something he would find cause to regret later.

"Got you, Shin... Conan-kun~!" With a bright smile on her face, Kudo Yukiko knelt down behind him, moving the sea cucumber that she held in one hand up a bit, poking one of his cheeks with it. "Surprised?"

Turning slowly on his heel to look his mother in the eyes, Conan silently decided that as he suspected, there was in fact, no correlation at all between age and maturity.