Mission 8: Bah, Humbug!
"Alright, everyone. Pick a name out of the jar!" Sonoko announced. She was holding a Secret Santa event for her Christmas party. One by one, everyone started to pull out names.
Haibara and Amuro both went into a corner, opening their folded papers.
Haibara made a scrunched face when she saw who she got, while Amuro let out a little smirk.
"So, you got Subaru-san, huh?"
She raised her eyebrow. "How did you know?"
"Anyone could tell, it's written all over your face."
She sighed. "And? Who did you get?"
He gasped dramatically. "And ruin the sanctity of Secret Santa? I couldn't."
Haibara grabbed the paper from his hand. "Since you know who I got, it's only fair!" She scanned the slip. "Edogawa Conan." She mumbled as she gave him back the paper.
Amuro snapped his fingers. "Hey, I got an idea. How about we go shopping for presents together?"
"What for?" She asked, annoyed.
"We can plant a bug in Subaru-san's gift."
"That's why you want to go shopping together?"
He cocked his head to the side. "Why? Were you hoping for a second date?"
"Don't push your luck."
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Amuro and Haibara were at the mall, entering a department store
"What do you think Conan would like? Maybe a mystery novel..."
"Does it look like I care?" Haibara spat out.
"Well, you do seem like pretty good friends..." He chuckled. "To be honest, at first I thought you two liked each other."
Haibara looked up at the flashy decorations. "To be honest... I did harbor some feelings for him at one point, but they have dissolved now."
Amuro looked back with wide eyes. He didn't expect her to be so open with him, although he did not like the fact that she really did have a crush on Conan.
Amuro scanned the store for something "fitting". His eyes locked on to a specific item, he rushed to go pick one up. "Alright, I got Conan-kun's gift. Let's go find Subaru-san's."
She raised an eyebrow. "That was fast. What did you get?"
He put a finger to his lips, hiding the box behind him. "It's a secret!"
She shrugged, inwardly smiling at his childish attitude. "So what kind of present would you want?"
Amuro grinned. "Aw, you're gonna get me something? I'm touched."
"Don't get your hopes up. I just want to think of something for Subaru-san."
"Well... I don't think we'd want the same thing. There's something specific I'd like from you." He snickered at the disgusted look on her face. "Call me by my real name."
"Eh?"
He held her hand. "Please?" He smiled at the slight tint on her cheeks.
"Just this once, I guess... Rei-kun."
He grinned, patting her on the head. "Thanks, Shiho."
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The two were walking around, stopping in front of a cafe.
"Wanna get something to eat?" Amuro offered.
Haibara shrugged. "Sure."
They were both seated, looking at the menu.
"What are you going to have?" Amuro asked.
"Hmm... just some water and a salad."
"Oh, come on, you should indulge a little. You're just a kid for crying out loud!"
She shot him a look. "You know very well that I'm not. Just order for me, okay? I'm gonna freshen up."
As she left, the waitress walked up to Amuro. He noticed a slight blush on her face. An interaction he was quite used to with girls.
"What will you be having?" She asked.
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Haibara came back from the restroom, waiting for their food to arrive. She raised an eyebrow at the food and shot a look at the waitress who seemed particularly interested in Amuro.
"What is this?" She pointed at her plate.
"Strawberry cheesecake and milk tea." He said innocently.
"I can see that. What is it doing here?"
"Just try it!" He picked up the fork and handed it to her.
She sighed. "Just don't tell Agasa-hakase about this, okay? He'll use it as an excuse to cheat on his diet."
She took a bite of the cake. "Mm~ Not bad." She hummed.
Amuro lowered his head, shaking it. 'Dammit, Haibara-chan... you're just too cute!'
The two chatted about life, enjoying each other's company over the meal.
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Amuro was heading out of the cafe. "Where should we go next? Hey, Haibara-chan..." He turned around, only to find that she had disappeared. He frantically looked around, sighing when he saw her across the room.
She was in the pet shop, gazing at the cats.
Amuro put a hand on her shoulder, making her jump. "Don't go running off like that!"
"It's your fault for not keeping up." Haibara carefully slid her hand through the cage, petting the cat. "Isn't that right, Neko-chan?"
He couldn't help but smile at this cuddly side of Haibara. "You really have a soft spot for animals, huh? You're pretty caring for Shuu as well."
She smiled at the meowing cat. "Well... I certainly like animals more than most humans."
"Most humans?" He grinned. "I guess I'm one of the exceptions, huh?"
"Hmm... You are more entertaining." She smirked. She stood up, stretching her arms out as he checked the time on his phone.
"The mall's closing soon, wanna head home?"
She yawned. "I guess so."
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The two were in the car, driving back home. Haibara curiously tried to peek at the gift Amuro bought for Conan.
"No touching." Amuro warned. "You'll get to see what it is tomorrow, anyway."
Haibara's eyes suddenly grew wide, while Amuro pulled over to the side. They both looked at each other, speaking in unison. "We forgot to buy Subaru-san's gift!"
"Damn." Amuro took a sharp turn, stopping by a nearby Daiso.
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"Quick, what's something we could hide a listening device in?" Haibara asked, looking around the store.
"We could give him a watch and hide a bug inside the clock part." Amuro suggested, pointing at the store's selection.
They purchased a simple watch and headed back to Agasa's house.
Amuro carefully took apart the watch, placing the bug while Haibara wrote a quick card, finally giving way once they were done. Amuro gave Haibara a light hug from behind. "Finished!"
"Why you..." Haibara was going to give him a stern talking about personal space, only to see he had already fallen asleep on her shoulder. She blushed at the close proximity, but couldn't help but feel the weight of his body.
...
"Too heavy!" She gave him a swift elbow to the chest.
"Ow!"
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The next day, everyone arrived at Sonoko's home, opening their presents.
"What did you get, Conan?" Ran asked as he opened the box. "Oh, how cute!" It was a deerstalker hat with antlers. "Put it on, I wanna take some pictures!"
Conan stammered. "B-but Ran-neechan..." She gave him the 'ol puppy dog eyes. 'Sigh... Whoever got me this is gonna pay.' He cursed in his mind. Ran proceeded to take countless pictures of Conan and show them to the others.
Haibara opened her gift, her eyes sparkling. 'A Fusae brand bag!' Along with it came a note.
Merry Christmas, Ai-kun!
From, Agasa
Amuro whistled behind her. "Nice bag." He himself got a set of fancy cufflinks and a "One Free Kiss" coupon from a certain party host.
Both watched in anticipation as Subaru opened his gift. "Aww." He held up the watch in admiration. "How thoughtful! I was looking for a new watch" It came with a letter.
Merry Xmas! Please use often, put it to good use!
Subaru put on the watch, with Haibara and Amuro inwardly grinning.
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Subaru and Conan were together at the Kudo residence.
"That hat is very befitting of you." Subaru smirked.
Conan groaned as he took it off. "This tacky thing…" He looked at Subaru's watch as he carefully unscrewed the back.
Subaru put a finger to his lips, warning Conan to stay quiet. He pulled out a bug stuck inside. Instead of destroying it like Conan expected, he carefully slipped it into his pocket. He shook his head at Conan's confused face.
'I have a much better idea of what to do with this.' He thought as entered his car.
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Subaru was in the downtown area, chewing some gum as he walked through the neon-lit buildings. He noticed an older businessman and instantly guessed where he was headed. Subaru carefully folded something into the gum wrapper, swiftly dropping it into the man's pocket.
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Amuro and Haibara were at Agasa's house, listening to the device.
"These are some nifty gadgets you got." Amuro said as they sat together. He suddenly looked up. "I hear some voices." As Amuro carefully listened, his eyes grew wide and his face flushed.
"Let me listen!" Haibara innocently said, but Amuro tossed the device, placing his hands on her ears.
"I don't want to taint your pure mind." He sighed. 'Akai Shuichi... I never would have guessed you were into THAT kind of stuff!' Amuro shivered.
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Subaru was back at home, smiling as he listened to the two's conversation. "I hope they didn't hear anything TOO shocking"
Conan raised an eyebrow. "Where did you go?"
He smirked. "Out." He raised his glass of Bourbon before taking a sip. "It's no fun if we all have the same toys, right?"
"Akai-san, you are so confusing sometimes..." Conan said as he shook his head.
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The next day...
Amuro passed by Subaru on the street, trying to awkwardly avoid eye contact, but Subaru didn't let his glancing at the watch go unnoticed.
'Don't worry...'
Subaru thought as he entered his house. He looked out the window, watching Haibara. She noticed him, giving a raised eyebrow.
He waved, giving an all-knowing smirk.
She glared back.
He laughed.
She turned away.
'One day, I'll let you in on my little secret.'