Written December 18 2021
Posted on Wattpad January 8 2022
Posted here June 27 2022

NEXT UPDATE is on July 11 2022

Lapin was really bored. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd actually gotten grounded, or at least had a grounding that actually stuck. When he did get grounded, his parents had either quickly forgotten about it, or later on, left before said grounding could be completed. Since his parents weren't there, there'd been no reason for him to continue on with his punishments. It wasn't like getting grounded was a common occurrence, it'd actually been a rare event.

So yes, while there were all of these books that he could read. He just didn't feel like reading them. It made the tiny sleuth frustrated with himself. Why was he acting so childishly? He was normally quite content to just stay at home and read. So the fact that he wanted to go outside instead annoyed him.

He'd discovered that Kaito had a large assortment of pills. Only a few of which he recognized, they were also the only ones in actual prescription bottles. Kaito hadn't been lying when he'd said that he was taking care of his mental health... He had medication for anxiety, depression, some high end pain killers, muscle relaxers, and some meds to help with incontinence. All those meds looked normal. The rest were brightly coloured and unlabelled despite being bottled neatly. Those were the ones he suspected the other to have made himself.

It was even more proof that Kaito was a very talented chemist. That proof was very reassuring, the professor was smart, but he was more tech smart. Kaito was skilled with biology, chemistry, technology, and a whole lot of other things.

Lapin knew that what he was doing was rude, but going through someone's stuff was a great way to learn about said person. Kaito's laptop had intrigued him, it looked custom built. He didn't even attempt to snoop in it though. Even if it wasn't password protected, the other probably had a lot of important files on it. Plus, with the other's paranoia, there was a high possibility of everything being wiped if he touched it wrong. Sure Kaito probably had backups hidden somewhere, but they probably wouldn't be exactly up to date.

He was in the middle of going through a box filled with metallic cards when Kaito rolled into the room.

"I should have expected that you'd snoop around" Kaito sighed. He was grateful that the other had at least kept the floor clear for him.

Lapin blushed, looking sheepish as he carefully put the sharp cards down "I got bored" He didn't really have a good excuse for his actions, at least one that the other would accept.

Kaito shrugged, a slightly resigned look on his face "Keibu warned me of what you'd be doing" Thinking about how the other wasn't used to getting into trouble had eased his annoyance.

The tiny sleuth glanced at the box "I would have thought that you'd have gotten rid of all of the evidence" It was weird to see what was most likely the ammo for Kaitou Kid's card gun.

"It's not something that can get me into trouble, I have a lot of weird metal stuff lying around" Kaito replied. He couldn't keep the gun, that was too obvious. So he could at least keep some of the cards. Despite them being cards that he'd made himself, he viewed them as something to remember his father by. Not knowing his parents' names means that something physical is required.

"I guess..." Lapin blinked, eyeing Kaito "I thought you were at an appointment, why is there dog hair all over your pants?" Kaito's pants were dark, so the golden hair was very noticeable.

Indigos lit up "The clinic I go to has a very sweet golden retriever named Goldy"

Lapin frowned "That's not very sanitary... What if someone's allergic?"

"The clinic has state of the art air filters and purifiers" Kaito smiled "And there's another entryway and section where Goldy isn't allowed anywhere near" It was small but it usually worked "If that area's already booked, the staff sometimes do a home visit when possible, or temporarily have the appointment at another clinic. The extra cost is covered by the sponsor" Hakuba Danashi.

"That's good" Lapin nodded, relieved that people had thought ahead about such a problem.

"Yeah. Goldy gets to be enjoyed by everyone who wants to play with her, and Goldy's presence isn't hurting anyone who dislikes or is allergic to dogs" Goldy's job was to ease people's nerves, not stress them out even more.

"You must really like Goldy" Lapin smiled.

Indigos softened "Yeah, I get to play with a dog without having to take care of one" If he ever got a dog, he'd want to raise it from a puppy to have it perfectly trained. That way it wouldn't knock him over or drag him around when it got big.

"Dogs are a lot of work" Lapin agreed. Especially big dogs.

Kaito glanced around his room "Since you seem to be bored, you'll be glad to know that I'm being forced to go to school tomorrow, and you're coming with me" Kaito stated, smirking when the other seemed to perk up a bit at the news. He couldn't understand why Lapin cared about school, the guy was smart enough for it to bore him, wasn't he?

"I haven't been in a proper class in so long..." Lapin sighed "Kiddy school does not count, there were these three kids that kept trying to pester me into being their friend" Sure there'd been an interesting adventure of two, but they were nosy.

"Well tomorrow there won't be any other little kids there besides you" Kaito grinned "Though some of Aoko's friends might hug you too much" Aoko's friends had thought that he was adorable when he'd first met them. He wasn't fond of them but he tolerated them for Aoko.

Lapin grimaced "I'll hide behind my 'big brother' if they get too close"

Kaito laughed "That'll work, they know not to touch my chair without permission first" After running over a few toes on purpose, people had learned not to crowd him or touch his chair. Being pushed somewhere without any warning beforehand was not pleasant.