First of all, I want to say that I'm really grateful for all the kind comments I got, those really meant a lot to me. I hope I can keep entertaining you with my silly writing.
But I also need to apologize. I'm in the middle of my final exams, so I don't have too much time, and when I do, I'm beyond tired. That's why this chapter might seem a bit too... rushed or messed up. Buuuut I really missed writing, so here it is. Hopefully the next time I post something, it'll be much better.
And that's it for now, please enjoy!
Pocket sized Shinichi was currently sitting on the top of a large tower made of a light blue blanket. He was still wearing the rags he got from that doll in the dumpster, but at least they were clean. Since... Kid washed them.
It was weird how domestic it felt to be cradled to his chest, then be bathed by him, and just generally be cared for... Kid was surprisingly gentle, though also a bit clumsy. And, for some reason, endlessly patient, even when Shinichi kept struggling to salvage the remains of his pride. The only disturbing thing was how Kid kept clutching his side with a pained expression. He was sweating too, while his breathing was heavy, like he'd been running for days.
Now he was gone, only God knows where. Thus Shinichi had nothing better do to, but examine his surroundings and maybe find a way to get to Professor Agasa's place.
Where was he anyway? This was the second place they stopped at (the first one was an old warehouse, so Kid could change his clothes), and it looked like a completely normal, if slightly dark, living room of a normal family house. It was almost too normal. He didn't know what he expected, maybe just a bit more pink puffs of smoke. Or doves. Or cards. Ugh. Now he was thinking in clichés, Shinichi scolded himself. He already raised his palms for facepalming, when he saw the blue ribbon that hid his wound. Oh yeah. Kid did that too.
Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't notice Kid enter the room. The other boy walked over to the couch in front of Shinichi, and sat down with a tired sigh. Shinichi didn't see it in the darkness, but the other boy looked almost deadly pale.
Minutes later, when Kid finally looked at him, he only received a quiet grunt. He had to wait a bit longer until he heard the first words from him.
"So… what are you?" he asked, curiosity hiding in his tired gaze. As he leaned forward to get a better look on Shinichi, he seemed ready to collapse any second, and Shinichi worried that the boy might fall on him. He barely looked capable of having coherent thoughts, let alone sentences, and at this point Shinichi was almost more worried about Kid than himself. Almost. While he analysed the thief's appearance, he forgot to answer his question, so Kid asked something again: "Did Akako send you?"
Akako? Shinichi couldn't do much but stare at the other, as he had no idea who this "Akako" was. He had a thousand of other questions in his head. Didn't Kid recognize him? Did he really change that much? He hadn't got the chance to get a glimpse of his face, but he seriously started to worry – what if he looked even younger now? Like a 3-year-old or even younger? Sure, he had the power to climb inside the trashcan, but that might have been only because of the adrenaline.
"This can't be…" Shinichi whispered to himself, burying his face in his palms. Being Conan was hellish enough, he seriously needed a break.
"What do you mean, "this can't be?"" Kid asked again with just the tiniest hint of impatience in his voice and he leaned even closer, then suddenly clutched his side with a hiss. He stayed that way for a few moments, then, when he recovered, he spoke again. "Well… Do you have a name, at least?"
And this is when Shinichi went beyond worried. Overcoming his panic over his appearance, he realized that he needed to rely on the thief, whether he liked it or not. He couldn't do much on his own, not when he couldn't even climb out of that damned trashcan, and now only Kid knew where they were. He had to present himself in a way that the magician would be willing to help him, even if it meant throwing his pride out of the window. But how, how could he… befriend him? And Kid wanted an answer to his question – he was already tired and impatient. Thus, in the last moment before the other boy got ready to leave Shinichi, he croaked out an answer.
"Arthur. My name… is Arthur."
