The stranger wasn't looking at Shinichi, and it was disturbing him. He knew his story was far too simple and still lacked an explanation for his oversized clothes, but in the few moments he had to come up with a cover story, he had decided that simple was probably most likely. He had, though, been forced to come up with a fake friend, and desperately hoped there were enough Ayumis around to strengthen his bluff.
It was a few minutes before the stranger spoke. "Okay, Conan-kun." He heaved a sigh, leaning over to ruffle Shinichi's hair again. "I believe you."
"Really?" Shinichi mustered a childlike grin, trying to ignore the feeling of comfort that bloomed inside his chest at the stranger's touch.
"I do. We've got to get you back to that professor as soon as possible, though," the stranger added. "You should really get some sleep, though. That head wound is no joke for a kid like you."
Biting back the "I'm not a goddamn kid!" that his tongue instantly conjured, Shinichi shifted his head so that the stranger's hand, which had been wrapped up in his hair, was able to carefully bandage his head. The bandage felt snug and uncomfortable around his temples and underneath his bangs, but Shinichi ignored it in favor for the feeling of contentment that came with the gentle motions of the stranger's fingers.
The stranger had risen to leave, having peeled back the blankets and covered Shinichi with them, and stood by the door, finger poised to switch off the light. "Good night," he started, but Shinichi interrupted with a question that had been gnawing at him.
"Um, onii-san... what's your name?" Seeing the odd expression on the stranger's face, Shinichi quickly continued, "Well, you haven't told me yet," and punctuated it with a childish pout.
The stranger laughed, though it sounded slightly forced. "I'm... my name is Kuroba Kaito."
"So... Kaito-niichan?" Shinichi wondered.
Kaito laughed again, this time sounding much more real. "You can just call me Kaito, okay? Good night, Conan-kun." With one last strangely soulful glance, he flicked off the lights and withdrew from the room. Shinichi heard his light footsteps patter into the neighboring room.
Hmm. Kuroba Kaito, Shinichi thought to himself. Interesting.
He fell asleep tasting the name, a small smile residing unconsciously on his lips.
As promised, a Semantics update. I'm being forced to reconsider this series due to an incredible number of overlooked plot holes that require filling in.