Written September 18 2021
Posted on Wattpad October 16 2021
Posted here February 18 2022

NEXT UPDATE is on March 4 2022

The rest of the day went okay, not great, but it could have honestly been worse in Lapin's opinion. Everyone had eventually retired to their own rooms for the night, except Kaito who was staying with Aoko for the night. So now the shrunken detective was laying down in Kaito's bed, the room too unfamiliar for him to get comfortable in. At least the detective agency had been familiar to him... Except that being familiar had been a problem.

Lapin was conflicted, unable to really know what he should be feeling. At the very least, he knew that he didn't feel good. He also knew that Kaito and the Nakamoris were doing whatever they could to make things as easy as possible for himself. They were good people, that was something that he could easily tell. They hadn't needed to bring him here and offer him a safe and more discreet place to stay, no, they could have just let him do his own thing.

Maybe he was feeling so bad because he's already cut everyone off? That there'd be no way for him to return to even being Conan safely without some heads being raised? Lapin shivered, he'll have to depend on the inspector for funding. Accessing his own bank accounts would alert his father that something was off. He had nothing except for what they'd be willing to give him, it made him feel uneasy.

He wouldn't have given in so easily if Kaito hadn't been able to convince him of the danger like he had. Learning that those mass child shootings had been because the Crows had wanted to lure Kaito out had been too much. The dark, haunted look in the other's eyes had been enough to convince him that he was telling the truth. He liked to think that he was good at reading people, and Kaito had been very truthful.

Lapin shifted, moving himself so that he was higher on the bed. The lower half of the bed was protected by a plastic sheet and it annoyed him. Thankfully he was small enough that he could curl himself a bit near the top. Kaito was short so the plastic covered more than it would if he were a normal height.

Azure pressed themselves shut. Staying here was for the better. Here he would have people who'd be able to actively help him without arousing suspicion. They hadn't met his teenage self so there was no risk of anybody slipping into habits. He'd have more connections and chances here than he would have had at the agency too. He wouldn't have to dumb himself down as much, he wouldn't have to play the role of a child. He'd be able to be himself.

Gritting his teeth, Lapin forced his hands to loosen from how they'd balled together. He wouldn't have to stay here forever, there was a cure. The cure just needed to be applied towards his own DNA instead of the inspector's. The sleuth at least had that comfort to think about. Lapin didn't have to fear being stuck like this for the rest of his life anymore. So staying here should be okay, the people were good, and he'd have the chance to teach someone who had the potential to be a very competent detective. If he just treated things as if he were on a vacation with people other than his parents... He should be able to cope better. A vacation, he just had to compartmentalize his mind into thinking of it like that.

Lapin was startled from his thoughts by the sound of a scream. He was out the door before he even registered what he'd even heard "What happened?!" The inspector was carrying a trembling Kaito out of what he presumed to be Aoko's room.

Ginzo sighed, shifting to get a better grip on Kaito "Kaito gets nightmares, especially when he's stressed" It had been something that'd developed after Kaito had been living with them for around a year "Don't worry, I was expecting this so I've got it handled" He ran a soothing hand along Kaito's back.

"Oh..."

"I tried to keep him distracted but we both must have fallen asleep" Aoko added, looking sad. Her hair had been cut shorter, it just barely reached her shoulders. Vibrant cyan streaks ran through her messy brown hair in an artful manner. It looked professionally done.

The inspector eyed Lapin "It's not your fault, him emoting is a lot better than him just keeping it in" He'd gotten great at reading people after being around Kaito for so long "This is normal for him, especially considering all the talking he's had to do" With that he started for his own room, Kaito did best when sleeping near him after a nightmare. While Kaito trusted Aoko, it was himself that made his son feel safest.

"Do you want to get something to drink before going back to bed?" Aoko inquired, looking a bit sad.

"I wasn't really sleeping" Lapin admitted "Too much to think about"

Aoko nodded "That's understandable, we kind of threw a lot at you today" Lapin seemed to be able to look her in the eyes now, that was good.

"Only because you felt that you had too" Lapin looked away "I was being so stupid, I should have known better"

"While it was stupid, it wasn't exceptionally stupid..." Aoko glanced at her freshly painted nails, a nice pretty sky blue "Kaito is just very paranoid, like exceptionally paranoid" Sometimes it was cute, but it often made her sad because paranoia used to be what kept Kaito alive.

"From what he's told me, I don't think it's too unreasonable" Lapin offered "Excessive paranoia seems good if we're dealing with excessive criminals" It seemed justified. He himself was probably going to be jumping at shadows for a bit after tonight.

Aoko huffed out a breath, shaking her head "Please don't encourage his paranoia, we don't need him building off of yours on top of his own"

Lapin blinked "I'll be reasonably cautious"

"Can you take him to see that new Yaiba movie tomorrow? I know it may be too childish for you, but it'd be good for Kaito"