#but also: i love how shinichi needs time to wake up in the mornings

[akai-anna]

HE'S SO VERY BABY IT'S A CRIME, I WANT TO AGGRESSIVELY CUDDLE HIM

[subbe93]

The Roulette of Destiny part 16

It's a wedding day... Can Ran still do something to escape from her destiny? Is Shinichi going to be there in time, or is it a time for Ran to give up on her dreams and marry that stranger?

A/N: Every story has an end. If someone would have told me last March that I'm going to write a fic with sixteen chapters with an end, I would have laughed. Like... never gonna happen.

Yet, here we are. After many attempts to make one-shot of this theme (Shinichi and Ran meeting but not seeing eye to eye, or that they would have met, but Ran didn't want to get now him until the wedding, but at the middle of the party, they would have run away into the city to eat hamburgers xD), those two idiots decided that they would go to the journey around Japan, and I was like: "Guys, please, don't do this to me!!" I knew from the start that if I want to make this story right, it needs to be long, and it made me sad, because how I would do that? I have never finished any of my long fics. Why I can't write something small, something shorter? Something I can finish?

But this fic made me so happy. I got something to do in my dark and lonely days and this made me also remember how much I love writing. I also got a chance to write about characters I love so much, and I have someone to share it with! I probably have told this, but I have written in Finnish too and... Well, maybe I always write about fandoms/pairings that aren't so popular in Finland and I know that the reason why you should write is that you want to make that story because you write to yourself, but when you are excited about your own work, want to share it, but no one reacts to it... It always kills something inside me. Why should I write something I'm so excited about when I don't have anyone to share it with?

But then I came here, shared my first headcanon, and... if I can be honest, I didn't wait for anyone to like it. And yet, it got likes, and I was like... what? Why, how?! xD And when I translated and posted my first fic, I didn't wait much for it either, but yet, you liked it! And I got inspired to try to write more because I have always loved to write stories. Every like have inspired me to write more, every comment has made me feel less lonely (actually they made me feel like I'm having friends), and every share had been like... Wow! I got more than I dared to hope for. If I only could put into words how much all of this means to me... But I can't. And maybe I have said this too many times before, enough that it doesn't have any effects on anyone, but still...

This is for all of you! Yes, to you! To you who are reading this right now, to you who have read this story this far, and hopefully, you're making it to the end ❤ Thank you for being here with me and supporting me ❤ Thank you for inspiring me to continue even when there were times when it was difficult ❤ Thank you so, so much ❤

Chapter 1 ~ Chapter 2 ~ Chapter 3 ~ Chapter 4 ~ Chapter 5 ~ Chapter 6 ~ Chapter 7 ~ Chapter 8 ~ Chapter 9 ~ Chapter 10 ~ Chapter 11 ~ Chapter 12 ~ Chapter 13 ~ Chapter 14 ~ Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Ran just stared at her reflection. She really hoped that she could see a happy young woman who would smile brightly, admiring herself through the mirror, thinking how her makeup and hairstyle were so perfect. Maybe she would make a few twirls just to see how her perfect wedding dress look on her, maybe took some photos of her and bouquet for a memory, sending them to social media or friends…

Maybe Kazuha would have liked to see her wedding dress.

But all she could see was a beautiful fiancée with a sorrowful look on her face. The sad young woman who had just cried until the morning light invaded through the curtains. At nine her mother had come to wake her up and after that? Ran wasn’t sure. She just let her parents to took her wherever they wanted her to be. She kinda remembered her makeup artist who was so happy for her. But anything else she didn’t remember. Only that she stared at her reflection and how it had changed more beautiful and made her look more like an adult. But in her orchid-colored eyes, there was that sadness which they couldn’t take away or hide.

Shinichi…

She wondered where he was. She wondered what happened to him.

She wondered if Shinichi would like her dress. God, she really hoped that she would get her phone back. She really would have liked to talk to him before the ceremony. At this point, she would promise anything if she just could get that phone and hear Shinichi’s voice. She would have liked to ask him what happened. She would just like to tell him what really happened, she really wanted to… wanted to…

She just wanted to know if, after the wedding, they could still be friends. It would be enough for her. Just have him in her life. As a friend. Being her only sanity in the middle of this madness, her safe haven if things would go wrong.

Maybe after the wedding…

She remembered how they joked about their weddings. That one of them should do something other’s spouse and take their place just that they could marry each other. Or maybe interrupt the ceremony somehow. How Shinichi would come and steal her…

Ran’s reflection started to blur. Part of her felt so powerless that she almost didn’t want to do anything for those tears, but she also knew that there was mascara on her eyelashes and she didn’t want to destroy her make-up just before the ceremony.

Like she even cared anymore.

Yet she took the tissue on the box and carefully dried her eyes and cheeks. She tried to distract her thoughts with something else, but every time they always get back to Shinichi. About the plan of interrupting their weddings… her wedding…

“I promise, I will do everything I can to make everyone see a reason. I will even come and interrupt your wedding if nothing else works.”

She let out a weak laugh. Yeah, like he would that. Like he would do anything to her groom or like he would interrupt the ceremony. He wouldn’t. He was a gentleman, too righteous to do something like that. She didn’t believe in that.

Still, it didn’t stop her from hoping.

The door behind her opened. Through the mirror, she saw her father.

“Ten minutes”, he said with a big smile. “Are you ready?”

Ran showed him a weak smile but didn’t speak. Only ten minutes. God, how much she just wanted to run away.

“You should look happier, Ran”, her father said while coming closer and laying his hands on her bare shoulders. It probably should have made Ran feel comfortable, but it didn’t. “You’re going to get married to a rich man who can take care of you…”

“I know someone else who would have taken me as I am”, Ran interrupted silently. “And I love him.”

“We have talked about this”, her father said gently. “This is for your own sake.” Then his expression changed determined. “And if he ever treats you wrong, I show him a few goods and painful judo throws…”

She smiled as an answer but didn’t say anything. Well, there was nothing to do about this anymore. She had tried her best, she had tried all she could. She had tried to convince her parents to give up on this, but it had been useless. She tried to be an impossible fiancée, yet it didn’t work either. Shinichi had tried his hardest to come and visit, talk to her parents around, and Ran believed that Sonoko had tried her hardest too since she hadn’t seen her best friend after that day when she visited her. Ran actually asked about Sonoko from her mother, and after that flat answer "I haven't heard from her" was a pretty clear clue to Ran that her mother had heard and doubted that Sonoko had something on her mind and make sure that they wouldn’t meet before the wedding ceremony.

So, Ran believed that they had tried everything they could have. Except… Karate.

Ran closed her eyes. She heard her father babbling about something which Ran hadn’t even listened to. He probably would be too concentrated on his own talking that Ran could just stand up and took him out by surprise and then run away. Maybe she could search Shinichi’s address somewhere and go there safe. At least he was a known detective in Japan, so she was sure that if she would just ask someone, they would probably know at least his agency’s address…

“Ah, it’s our time”, her father shouted. “Let’s go!”

Slowly Ran opened her eyes and stood up. She took her bouquet, took a last fast glance from the mirror to see that sad young bride before with heavy legs and heart she turned and followed her father outside. She looked at the corridor, wondering if she still could run away. There weren’t many people around, probably everyone was in the church waiting for the ceremony to start. If she would take her heels away and start to run before her father would realise… She would get far since her father wasn’t as good shape as he was once…

“There you two are. I was worried…”

Ran looked at her mother who has dressed in her best dress and let her long hair open. She was beautiful, though Ran wouldn’t say it out loud. Not because of this whole marriage thing. Not after what she did to Shinichi.

“What, you didn’t trust me?” her father asked. Her mother looked at Ran before turning.

“Let’s go.”

She didn’t trust me, Ran wanted to say, but didn’t. Yeah, well she had her reasons, and Ran couldn’t blame her. Maybe she wouldn’t trust her child either if she would have been in the same situation.

Well, she wouldn’t command her child to marry someone they wouldn’t want to.

Maybe she could still save herself. Since both of her parents were too concentrated walking towards the church, she could take them out with karate. Nothing too serious, but enough that she could still take the heels off and…

Church’s big doorway was open in front of them. They stepped into the hallway, but Ran and his father stayed on the corner before the main hall while making sure that no one would see them before the music starts to play. How many times they had practiced this? Too many. Yet, every time her father succeeded to do something wrong, or if not, then he was just clumsy.

“Just remember…”

“Yeah, yeah, I remember”, her father answered annoyed.

Then her mother turned and looked at her with a piercing gaze. Ran wanted to answer for it. She wanted to blame her for being unfair, she wanted to ask her if she was happy now. She wanted to know if this was really something she wanted for her daughter. She wanted to ask if she is going to sleep her nights well after this. She wanted to know if she was sure that she isn’t going to regret this later.

But she didn’t. It wouldn’t change anything.

Her mother's expression softened. “Listen Ran, you should try to smile and try to be happy”, she said. “You want to make a good impression on your groom, and…” She kept a little break before she continued: “and you would just do a favor for yourself. Try to enjoy this, so you can reminisce this as a good memory one day”

Ran felt like crying. Like she could be happy when she felt so sad and sorrowful and… and… She just wanted to cry. Cry and shout at her parents. She just wanted to turn around and run…

But she showed her mother a little smile and nodded. She couldn’t do anything else.

Her mother smiled before going to the main hall. And Ran waited.

She still had a chance to run. She could just trip her father and run away…

Well, it was her time to come back to reality. Like she would do it. She couldn’t do that to her parents. And in the end, her mother-in-law had also put so much effort to make Ran look like the perfect bride. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t just leave.

Hah, there it was. Again, she was being that kind and obedient girl who wasn’t selfish enough to do as she liked. Again, she was the girl who would suffer to make everyone else happy. Again, she sacrificed herself and she wouldn’t get anything back from it.

Music started and Ran’s father handed his arm. “Ready?”

No.

Ran took a deep breath before she took his father’s arm and let him lead her to her destiny. She let her gaze down, trying for a moment to focus that she wouldn’t step on her hem. I’m not going to cry. I can’t let them have that satisfaction!

Then she raised her gaze trying to keep a proud look on her face. She could still try to be a brave and beautiful bride, something which everyone could be proud of. They would talk later about how amazing and beautiful she was. And in the end, maybe her mother was right. She could still try to make this a good memory for herself.

Later she could tell all about this to Shinichi, and he would be proud of her.

She found her groom who stood in front of the altar in a white suit, his back still on her. Then he turned around and met his bride.

Ran’s red lips parted. She couldn’t believe it, and yet, when the groom’s surprised expression changed into a bright smile, Ran let the laugh escape from her lips. Even though she promised herself that she wouldn’t cry, she felt tears on her cheeks. But those weren’t for sorrow. They were tears of happiness.

Before she could stop herself, she let go of her father’s arm, grabbed her dress with a free hand, and run towards the man, who had just taken a few steps forward and opened his arms. She threw herself into his arms crying and laughing, squeezing him like making sure that this was real and not some kind of twisted dream, and even if it was, she knew she didn’t want to wake up.

“Well, what a twist of fate”, she heard him say quietly in her ear. “Can’t choose if I’m just lucky one or did you really do something to my bride and took her place…”

“Not sure either”, she murmured on Shinichi’s shoulder. “I’m just… just hoping this isn’t just a dream…”

Ran felt warm hands on her bare shoulders, and she remembered how much she had missed his touch. He made her back off a little, just enough to see her face.

“Me too”, Shinichi said and smiled. Then he took something out from his pocket. “Though”, he continued and the blue handkerchief touched carefully Ran’s cheeks, “I can’t let those tears ruin my beautiful bride’s breath-taking smile.”

Ran let out a weak laugh. “I think it’s a small price to pay for this… for you...”

He lowered enough to press his forehead against her like he did that night when they said temporary goodbyes to each other. Like then, she looked at those beautiful blue eyes. God how much she had missed him. She just…

“Hey, don’t cry anymore”, Shinichi said quietly.

“I missed you”, she whispered and closed her eyes, trying her hardest not just to bury herself into his arms and make sure that she would never have to leave. “I missed you so, so much…”

“Missed you too”, she heard him answer. “I… I thought I lost you…”

Someone cleared their throat. Ran opened her eyes and saw how Shinichi straightened himself before wiping her last tears away. Then he put that handkerchief back into his pocket. Without cutting his eye contact he slowly moved away from a little enough to raise his left arm. “Well, will you still marry me?”

Ran felt her smile just widening. She wrapped her right arm around his.

Maybe God didn’t hate her after all…

“I will.”

[sinfulsachi]

If you’re still accepting request, please make a morning after ShinRan the first time they did it? Maybe Shinichi wanting to do it again but being considerate to Ran? I just love the idea of Shinichi finally having a taste of Ran and can’t get enough of her! 😁

Also, you’re such a wonderful writer and your fics were escapes from what’s happening to the world. More power and stay safe!

A sweet anon deserves a sweet drabble. <3

Good Morning (ShinRan)

.

.

Daylight seeps through draped curtains, dawning upon sleep-addled eyes.

Shinichi groans, holds a hand up to shield the glow which, though gentle as can be, he finds hard to appreciate at hardly six in the morning. Sheets ruffle as he tries to face the other way, but realizes he can't.

His chest is heavy, what with the extra weight, but if it means not waking her up and having her roll out of his arms, he'll gladly endure at least thirty minutes more in this blinding position.

He doesn't wait long because she yawns. It's cute, the way her tongue darts between her lips while eyes still closed, the way her chin drags slowly across his bare chest when she tilts her head up.

“Good morning,” Shinichi whispers, smile curling up his lips. Strands of hair slide across her cheek when she blinks. He tucks it behind her ear.

“Good morning,” Ran whispers back, eyes half mast, letting in minimal light, no other sight but him first thing in the morning.

His heart wants to sing.

“Breakfast opens at six.” He takes the opportunity to turn her body to one side, her warmth quick to return as his chest is to lighten when he spoons her. “We have time.”

“Time for?” Ran yawns again, spine curving against his chest as she stretches lightly. It’s insane how well the shape of her fits the shape of him.

(Tried and tested and proven, a good seven hours ago.)

Time for more rest he means to say, but she asking aloud sends his mind drifting to an answer that's a far cry from rest.

(—For what is seven hours ago to two newlyweds on one hotel bed but a long blink, every detail leading to this morning burned fresh behind their lids?)

(Shinichi mentally gives himself a pat on the back for putting on his boxers before drifting to sleep. That’s one protective barrier.

The only one apparently, for here in his arms is his very naked wife.

Wife, shit, he can actually call her that now.)

It is when her head swivels to look at him that Shinichi snaps to attention, descending from the high he was momentarily taken to. “Time for a shower,” he murmurs as he curls on her, arms hiking up her torso, brushing the underside of her breasts. Gods, he thinks, these fit my hands so so perfectly. “But let’s stay like this for a while.”

“Okay.” He hears rather than sees her lazy smile. “Shinichi?”

“Yeah?”

“Sure that’s all you need time for?”

The movement of her rear is minimal, but that causes the man to stiffen where he lays, all his blood converging on one single point to poke her butt.

Ran bites her lip. Shinichi blinks.

(The protective barrier is useless.)

“Ignore it.” Shinichi feigns his cool, but he doesn’t think his next action through for he presses onto her tighter as if doing that can flatten the bulge, but he curses dumbly as the poke may have well turned into a stab. Ran lets out a strained mpfh, more to contain a giggle than anything else.

“It's normal,” Shinichi murmurs, embarrassed.

“I know. It's normal for boys.”

“I'm not a boy.” You've seen it, he doesn't say aloud. “Even grown men can—”

“Mhm, 'course they can, they do, more frequently even.” Her giggle bubbles out - adorable - before she faces him, palm landing on his chest, warm. "Grown men also have great self-control.”

His eyelids drop halfway as he surveys the unblanketed portion of her. Against the light, her silhouette shines, doing a job at making her look divine— despite the blotch above her collar bone. Despite her swollen lower lip.

(Did he really sleep with someone this immaculate?)

“I have great self-control,” he manages to say, even as Ran slings one leg over him under the duvet, nodding with her eyes closed.

“You do,” she says.

“I won't drag you into doing things you don't want to do.” His hand migrates to her jaw, thumb stroking the apple of her cheek.

“As you should,” she says.

“But I might die if I can't at least kiss you right now.”

Ran breaks into a chortle, knowing what to expect. She pries one eye open to peer at his pout, comically childish on his face. This is how she'll spend her first morning as the missus, by tormenting the mister. “Only a kiss,” she says solemnly.

Despite claiming himself a grown man, he surges in like a teenager kissing someone for the first time, teeth clashing from beaming too wide. Their lips are parched in the morning, but it's nothing his eager tongue cannot fix. And like a teenager, he moans early into it.

Ran almost bucks in, palms tempted to wander. But her thighs ache when she moves, so she opts instead to push his chest away, set to end the kiss.

Not on Shinichi's watch, it seems, because he props his body up to balance above her, not breaking the liplock - the tongue lock - and suddenly one hand is on her tits, another on her side, grasping sheets and splayed hair. Ran hums too, and in Shinichi's whirling mind it's an invitation, but Ran nudges - really nudges - his chest, lips separating with a loud smack.

“I said only a kiss!” she wails, half serious, half playful.

“I said at least a kiss,” he simpers, half playful, half serious. “So like, I kiss you, and we do tongue, and touch on top of that, maybe? Like last night—"

“You said you have great self-control.” She squints at him, restraining a ridiculous smile that threatens to split her face in half.

He tilts his head like a confused puppy, voice shrinking under a pout. “You really don't wanna?”

“Don't wanna.” She mirrors his pout, but cuter. “Body hurts everywhere.”

He seems to ponder for a moment before flopping back beside her, visibly dejected. “Fine.” Grown man who? Ran snorts.

But his arms coil around her waist, pulling her close to his heart. Above all rigid body parts, it beats loud, unwavering. The heartbeat of a man in love.

"You above all else,” he murmurs in her hair.

Ran wants to chide, she really does, but his warmth coupled with seconds of intimate silence - just them and their syncing heartbeats - make her want to burst into flames. He might be making a promise to her or to himself as he kisses her crown, but either way she believes it’s too early for this interplay of emotions. To smile, and laugh, and scream, and cry, and love. All for and because of him.

She thinks of saying something back, something like a repeat of their vows to match his sappiness, but all of that dissolves in her tongue when he beats her to speaking first, “But I think. I think— we should try our luck. We might even get a twin—”

“Shinichi!”

It’s a beautiful, beautiful morning.

.

.

[charlietheepicwriter7]

All’s Fair in Love and Larceny

Summary: All Kaito wanted was to get Hakuba off his back about the Phantom Thievery... and mess with his favorite detectives’ love lives.  AO3 Link

@not-a-hope-in-hell    ‘tis I, your secret santa. It’s not exactly what you wanted, but I think it’s pretty good. Happy Holidays~!

Also, @dcmksecretsanta

Shinichi blinked, staring at the white form perched outside his bedroom window. He blinked again. No, KID was still there. Sighing, he unlatched the lock and pulled the glass up. “What do you want?” he asked the thief.

“My darling princess—”

“Not a princess—”

“My darling prince—” KID snatched one of Shinichi’s limp hands and kissed the air above it—“Would you please giving me the honor of escorting you this lovely evening?”

“…KID, it’s two am.”

“Very astute of you, detective! Unfortunately, I am very well aware of the hour.” There were dark bags under KID’s eyes, Shinichi noticed, previously mistaking them to be part of the shadow from his hat. “Alas, I have neither the time nor patience to visit you at a more respectable hour.” His voice dropped. “Please, Tantei-kun. I’m desperate.”

Alarm rose in Shinichi. KID wasn’t one to ask for help; even now, years after his return to the spotlight, there was only one suspected assistant to the criminal magician. Hakuba, Shinichi’s… friend and fellow Kaitou KID chaser, had even confided in him about a suspected dark organization trying to kill KID. A pit opened up in Shinichi’s stomach. If it was a branch of the Black Organization that he had failed to capture…

Shinichi opened the window more and stepped away. “Well? Get in.”

KID rushed inside, uncharacteristically tripping on his cape as he did. It seemed as thought whatever was bothering him was truly upsetting to the thief. He quickly straightened, brushing off his suit as if it had never happened. “Thank you kindly, Tantei-kun.”

Shinichi shut the window behind him and closed the blinds. “What’s wrong? Are you in danger?”

“The only thing in danger, Tantei-kun, is my dignity.” KID sighed. “A mutual acquaintance of ours, one Hakuba Saguru, has decided to make himself a menace. So, I’m calling in that favor you owe me.”

Shinichi’s heart skipped a beat. Hakuba… it was rare that Shinichi could work a case with the strict foreign detective, but he enjoyed their time together. Hakuba was brilliant, with an excellent taste in literature, and apparently, a big enough threat to KID that the thief would use the one favor he gained helping Shinichi with the Black Organization. He swallowed. He couldn’t exactly say no, not after KID had helped him so much. “And what, exactly do you want me to do?”

KID grinned, but to Shinichi, it was nearly a leer. “I need you to come with me. Once we arrive at our destination, I’ll tell you.” He clearly could see Shinichi’s discomfort, so he added. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing illegal. But your pride… might not survive.”

Shinichi gulped.

***

Saguru glared. Kuroba, two rows to his left and a seat ahead, didn’t notice. Or he pretended not to notice in order to get Saguru off guard. Saguru in the perfect position to watch his prey, yet frustration rose in him. Despite over a year of surveillance, he was no closer to definitively proving that Kuroba Kaito was the Kaitou KID, a fact that irked him most severely. It had even gotten to the point where Saguru had managed to arrange for a police officer to dodge Kuroba’s every move to no avail. Though if Saguru’s suspicions were correct, the likely thief certainly had other methods of leaving his house, but he didn’t have a warrant to search the residency yet.

It didn’t help his mood that morning that Kudo Shinichi was once again reported missing.

Saguru thumbed through the missing person’s report on his phone in between classes. Kudo was reported missing by his neighbor’s ward, Haibara Ai, a child he distantly remembered being a friend of young Edogawa Conan before he moved to America. There was no sign of forced entry, usually indicating that Kudo had left his residence himself, but none of his clothes were missing, his phone and keys on his bedside table.

A conundrum. A very worrisome one at that. Saguru still remembered what happened last time Kudo mysteriously disappeared.

He hoped it wasn’t his fault. Saguru enjoyed Kudo’s company, to a degree that would likely be thought as inappropriate if voiced aloud, and he didn’t want his fellow detective hurt. Especially if it was his fault. Kudo had already been forced to track down one villainous organization, and Saguru had been the one to inform him of the people trying to kill Kaitou KID. Kudo could very well be trying to apprehend them at that very moment, and there was no telling how injured he might become.

His phone vibrated once. An unknown number had sent him a message. A scam? No, it was a picture, though his particular texting app required he download each image before they appeared. Impatiently, he clicked it. Did another fangirl get ahold of his number…!

Saguru nearly broke his phone. There, on the screen, was a photo of Kudo, still in his night clothes, tied to a chair and gagged. A white arm was wrapped around his neck, connected to a white thief, holding his head up for the camera. There was early signs of bruising on Kudo’s cheekbone, and a dazed look in his eye that screamed concussion.

His eyes flicked to Kuroba. He didn’t have his phone out; timed messages from a burner then? Before he could confront his classmate, another message came, just text this time.

Did you wake up to something missing, Tantei-san?

Nearly shaking with anger, Saguru typed his response.

This is a new low, even for you Kuroba.

The reply was instant.

Kuroba? Do you still think I’m your classmate? Besides, I wouldn’t call this a “new low”. More like… a different branch of my current low.

Saguru paled, barely paying attention to the teacher entering the room. That was no stock reply, it couldn’t have been a timed message. And Kuroba’s hands were visible.

He couldn’t be wrong, could he?

To make sure, he sent another message.

You’re not going to get away with this. Return Kudo now.

Or what? You’ll take “drastic” measures? I’m terrified, Tantei-san.

Another photo. This time, Kudo was clearly in KID’s arms, restrained with an arm across his chest. One of KID’s hands was secure around Kudo’s throat, while the other was dipping into his shirt.

His phone cracked under the sudden pressure of his grip. His eyes flickered to Kuroba who still was, maddeningly, not doing anything.

Why are you doing this?

Why? Tantei-san, you didn’t think that you were the only one interested in our favorite detective, were you?

Is this merely an attempt to incite me? You figured out my feelings and decided to mock me for them?

The confession made Saguru feel nauseous. Because he did like Kudo, romantically although he would never speak aloud about it. There was no evidence that the other detective thought of him as more than a friend and Saguru was… well, he wasn’t happy about it, but he could be content.

But how did Kuroba—KID—realize the extent of his feelings?

Mock? Tell me, Tantei-san, is there anything to mock?

I don’t know how you discovered the extent of my feelings for Kudo-kun, but I promise you, you will regret this, Kaitou KID. Kudo means more to me than you’ll ever know, and if there’s one bruise on his body, you’ve stolen your last jewel.

There was a pause in the writing, and Saguru took the moment to try to calm down, when—

Then I advise you announce your feelings soon, Tantei-san. Otherwise, I might decide to keep him.

The third photo, Kudo being forced to sit on KID’s lap, his sleep-shirt unbuttoned, lecherous grin on KID’s face, one of the thief’s hands reaching for—

He slammed his phone down on the table, the screen cracking.

“KUROBA!!”

“Hakuba-san, sit down!”

***

Kaito hummed merrily as he unlocked the entrance to his KID-cave, the threat to his secret identity now safely defeated. Sure, he nearly got choked out by Hakuba, but the teacher had put a stop to that, giving the detective detention too. And with that detention, Kaito was sure the Brit’s father would no longer allow Hakuba access to his manpower, since it was only because he thought Hakuba “mature” that he had the officers to stalk him everywhere.

Finally, he could relax—

“Are you going to unchain me?”

“Tantei-kun!” Kaito smiled brightly at the detective he had chained in his basement. Kudo was easily able to get up from his armchair and move around—the chain connecting his leg to the chair long enough so he could get to the bathroom and minifridge—but unable to escape. Kaito was a considerate kidnapper after all, especially since he had to sneak Kudo in through the sewer entrance to avoid the police outside.

At Kudo’s side was the cell phone used to aggravate Hakuba. Kaito had gotten a glance at Kudo’s work after pickpocketing Hakuba and it was good. At least, it sounded close enough to KID and worked Hakuba up into pseudo-confessing, so score.

Kaito bowed. “Thank you very much for your assistance in today’s trick. You made a beautiful assistant!”

“So long as you delete those photos, I don’t care what kind of assistant I was.” He tossed the phone at Kaito. He caught it with one hand. “When you asked for my help, I thought it would be for something more serious.”

“This was serious!” Meddling in the love lives of his favorite detectives was extremely serious! With how emotionally repressed the two were, they’d never end up confessing. Speaking of which, Kaito leered at Kudo. “So, did you realize why you were so effective in enraging Tantei-san?”

Kudo looked away, face stoic but there was a light flush on his cheeks. “…I did.”

Kaito smiled, satisfied. “Then my task is complete. Just make sure to name one of the adopted babies after me~!”

The comment was totally worth the soccer ball to the face.

[letstrywritingmaybe]

Love, Learned

Eleven

It’s dark and still very much winter here in San Francisco, but she’s burning up inside. He’s driving her crazy and he hasn’t even taken off her clothes, placing open mouth kisses over her exposed skin. Hands exploring her body but never venturing to where she wants him to be, she aches for him to go lower and touch her. Everytime she tries to tell him to stop teasing, he kisses her lips to shut her up. If she couldn’t feel how turned on he is, she would think he doesn’t find her attractive enough to sleep with. Frustrated with this going nowhere, she nips at his bottom lip in an effort to move things along. He calls her impatient, she freezes, the sound of his voice is too familiar. He whispers her name asking if she’s alright, the concern in his bright blue eyes sends her heart pounding. This is not good, what is she thinking?

The sound of her phone buzzing wakes her, eyes opening to see that it’s morning. She breathes out a sigh of relief, it was only a dream. She reaches over to turn off the alarm, struggling a bit since she’s once again trapped in her husband’s arms. He murmurs for her to come back to bed once she finally manages to shut her phone up. She smiles when she turns to face him, his eyes are still closed but it’s clear he’s waking up. He pulls her closer, pressing her against him, which is a bad idea given her dream last night and also because she can feel something she should not be feeling right now poking at her. Maybe that’s why she even had the dream in the first place. She pushes him away before she ends up doing something she’ll regret later, the movement forces him awake leaving him confused as to why she seems so anxious to get away from him. It only takes him a couple seconds, he flushes in embarrassment when he figures it out. They get ready for the day separately.

“Shiho, I…”

“It’s okay Shinichi. You don’t need to explain anything. It’s a natural reaction, it happens. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“… I just don’t want you to be… uncomfortable…”

“That’s not the word I’d use…”

“What?”

“Nothing, look it doesn’t bother me, so let’s just forget about it. I made pancakes if you want some.”

Breakfast proceeds as usual, she was being honest when she said she wasn’t offended. She’s spent enough time studying biology as well as some real life experience with past boyfriends to know that it’s nothing to stress over. Logically she knows this, but it’s been a while since she’s taken care of her needs and this incident did not help at all. What’s frustrating is that even though she’s not working anymore, she’s busier than ever. Somehow she keeps getting roped into her husband’s cases, especially since he did turn one of the spare rooms into a personal lab for her making it easier for her to run tests more efficiently. Plus he trusts her to get the results done without any problems. She jokes about being his assistant, but he corrects her. Partner, she’s his equal in every sense of the word. Not only in their marriage, in their careers as well; he respects and appreciates her. It makes her wish, just a tiny bit, that their relationship is real. Unfortunately her life isn’t one of those romance movies, even if Ran likes to think otherwise.

“Shiho, I’m so sorry I haven’t checked in, but I heard Sonoko gave you a call.”

“I know how busy you are over the holidays, no worries, and yes she did. Is she trying to get you to watch that drama too?”

“She’s already succeeded, I’m hooked! I swear I have major second lead syndrome, it’s killing me that he’s not going to end up with her! But that’s not what I’m calling for. So… how's married life?”

“About as normal as it can be given the circumstances.”

“I need all the details, I cleared my evening for this!”

Shiho laughs, her friend hasn’t changed one bit. It’s a shame she has to burst her bubble that her fantasy of her two friends falling in love isn’t going to work out. As she continues telling her about what living with Shinichi is like, Ran grows more silent. This can’t be a good sign, especially with the way she’s smiling at her now.

“So… you live together, practically work together, eat together after making the food together, and… you’re sleeping in the same bed! Shiho, you’re so married! All you need is a proper date that leads to something more… okay I gotta stop thinking about that, gross, but also I’m rooting for it to happen.”

“We have to keep up appearances, Ran. Did you miss the part where the interviewer was suspicious of us? It’s only temporary. As for the date? Our first and only date was interrupted, I don’t expect it to go well if we try again. Also, I can’t believe you! You’re almost as bad as Sonoko, except she already thinks we did the deed, which we are never going to do.”

“Why not? How long has it been Shiho? You’re the worst out of the three of us when it comes to waiting. There’s no way Shinichi will be okay with you sleeping with someone else.”

“So your solution is to just sleep with him? That’s a terrible idea. It’ll make things complicated afterwards…”

“Because you’re going to catch feelings? I knew it! Don’t worry Shiho, he’s definitely into you, it’ll be fine!”

“No, I'm not the one who catches feelings, remember? Look I know you really want this to be real, but we don’t like each other like that.”

“Why don’t you test that theory?”

“What do you mean?”

“Kiss him for real and see if you feel anything.”

“No, we’re not going to do anything physical beyond occasionally holding hands and that’s final.”

“Poor Shinichi, you’re still in denial.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“But you love me!”

After finally hanging up the phone with Ran, Shiho decides to finish up laundry before her husband returns. He’ll be thrilled to know she did follow through on her promise and purchase a new pajama set. It’s not typically her style, but at least it’s decent and in her favorite color. This will hopefully alleviate some of the weird tension between them, she never realized it would be this difficult to live with him. She refuses to take any of her friend’s misguided advice, she’s doing fine on her own.

Shinichi makes it home in a timely manner tonight, they have dinner where he tells her the good news. His office should be officially open in about a month, given all the contracting work they need to have approved this is actually going pretty fast. It pays to have connections and no worry over budgeting, she could get used to this life. Such a shame she can’t keep it.

“Do you want to watch a movie or something before bed?”

“Sure, let me shower and get changed first. You’ll be happy to know I bought new pajamas.”

She pretends she didn’t hear his admission that he didn’t exactly hate the ones she wore last night. They’re relationship is strictly platonic, her friends are just getting into her head. Everything is fine just the way it is, there’s no need to change anything. Even if she has wondered what it would be like if this was real, it’s just wishful thinking.

“So? What do you think? Better right?”

“Shiho, did you do this on purpose? In case the random visit happens while we’re supposed to be sleeping?”

“What are you talking about?”

“We match.”

“What? No we don’t.”

“It’s not exactly the same, but we now both own dark blue pajama sets. Mine is a touch lighter in color, but it’s similar enough.”

She spends a long time looking at him, examining his nightwear for any differences. The more she looks, the more she can see why he thinks she picked out her set based on his. Even the designs are similar, it’s simple with only a white outline along the buttons, the same as his. It wouldn’t be hard to believe they bought them at the same time as one of those things that couples like to do when they’re in the honeymoon phase. Maybe subconsciously she was thinking the same thing, it explains why none of the other options caught her eye. She didn’t go into the store with a specific one in mind, it took some browsing for her to find this one. It wasn’t intentional, she chose it on a whim after getting tired of shopping around.

“Honestly, I didn't really notice, but now that you mention it… that does help our case.”

“You say this as if we’re failing. We passed the first interview already.”

“You saw the way she looked at us, she doesn’t believe us.”

“So what do you think we should do?”

“I don’t really know what we could do to make it seem more real.”

“Let’s just make it real.”

“What?”

“I mean… you know, play the part. Let me take you out on a date tomorrow.”

“You’re sure? You want to try and go out on a date?”

“You think it’s a bad idea?”

“No, I’m just wondering what you think would be a nice date to go on until we inevitably stumble on a case.”

“… I just won’t investigate.”

“That’s nonsense, there’s no way you could contain yourself. We’re going to solve the case when it happens. Let’s just settle for a casual outing, nothing too crazy.”

“So you’re not against going on a date with me?”

The way his eyes light up when she agrees on going out tomorrow makes her smile. She’ll never get tired of how the simplest of things seem to make him happy. He’s so easy to please, she hasn’t come across any trouble at all being his fake wife. She honestly feels a little spoiled.

She gives up on making another pillow barrier, it didn’t do anything anyways. She just has to accept the fact that her husband is a cuddler, though he isn’t as clingy this time. Maybe he’s getting used to sharing a bed with her. She wakes up earlier than he does as usual, going into her routine as she gets ready for the day. She’s still not quite sure what he has planned for them, but she trusts that it’s nothing over the top.

“You brought me to an art exhibit, can I ask why?”

“I thought it would be safe, the only crime that we need worry about is a heist and that’s not something I’m usually involved in.”

“Usually?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Do I get to hear the story of KID from the source?”

“How do you know about that?”

“Just because we never interacted before doesn’t mean I live under a rock. It was all over the newspapers.”

“Oh, right.”

“I have to admit I find him intriguing.”

“Please don’t tell me you’re one of his fangirls.”

“As if, I don’t even know the guy. I’m not against the idea of finding out more about him though. Do you still talk?”

“I’m not letting him get anywhere near you. He’s a huge flirt and you’re off limits.”

“That’s assuming I’m his type.”

“Of course he would like you, I’m not risking it.”

“How are you so sure?”

“Shiho, you know you’re amazing right? You’re beautiful and smart, kind hearted though you try to hide that side, and you have a great sense of humor. Plus, you hold your liquor well… except for New Year’s.”

“Don’t remind me, I’m still getting war flashbacks. Make sure I never drink that much ever again.”

She pointedly ignores his other compliments. It makes her unbelievably happy to hear these things come out of his mouth. He has no reason to try and get on her good side, so it must be genuine. He’s such a sweet talker and he doesn’t even realize how much it affects her.

Also available on ao3 <3

[sachigram]

I know Halloween has long passed (*sob*) but what do you think of Izaya as a Witch? 🤔 (maybe with a side order of Shizuo being his beastly but also angry familiar? 😂😂😂)

((Okay so I went rogue on this one. It’s funny because @lateniteslacker and I have an rp going where Izaya is a witch right now so I wanted this one to be darker and wanted Shizuo to be a beast for real.))

The thing about humans is, they really do have more in common with wild animals than they'd like to believe. Izaya has always studied human behavior extensively, obsessively, and he's always excited when a completely civilized person gives into their instincts, usually in a moment of complete desperation. The four f's really are a universal truth, and while Izaya is captivated by humanity as a whole, he can't deny he feels a certain...thrill in knowing society could topple at any moment, with only the slightest push, and then people would show their true colors and what lengths they would go to in order to survive.

Thinking this over, Izaya lifts his eyes to the beast pacing around his apartment. It's late at night, obscenely early morning, actually, but neither of the occupants in the apartment have slept yet. It's close to sunrise, Izaya realizes, and Shizuo has still yet to kill him.

“You're letting me live again? How generous of you, Shizu-chan,” Izaya says, and when Shizuo growls at him in answer, Izaya's lips curl into a small smile. Shizuo can't reply at length, of course. No werewolf in existence can speak when they're transformed.

Shizuo's body could be considered grotesque, but Izaya's never been squeamish, and he doesn't mind watching the huge monster walk in circles, his features lit only by the city lights streaming into the windows. His skin is dark and leathery, only some of it covered in thick, wiry fur. Shizuo's mouth is gaping and filled with sharp, jagged teeth, so many that it seems to be hard for Shizuo properly close it, thus making him leave drops of saliva in his wake. His eyes are the same color as normal, so dark they're practically a mirror for anyone who looks into them, but they're filled with bloodlust and hunger, instincts Shizuo would be acting on if not for Izaya's potion keeping him in his own mind.

“You could sleep, you know,” Izaya continues, watching with glee as Shizuo's ears perk towards Izaya, hearing him whether Shizuo wants to or not. “I'm not going to do anything to you. We seem to be in a truce, don't we? Unwilling companions.”

Shizuo snarls openly at that and makes his way over to the desk, looming over it and salivating onto Izaya's papers. Izaya merely looks up at him pleasantly, knowing Shizuo won't actually kill him. Shizuo is too afraid of being left alone to do so.

“Is it some kind of atonement? You think keeping yourself sleep deprived will help you feel better about what you are? It's actually only making it worse.” Izaya listens to Shizuo's deep, rumbling growl, and hears it for the question it really is. “I'm not awake because I want to be, Shizu-chan! It's not the same. You know I have insomnia. At the very least, I'm grateful for your company.”

Shizuo huffs and turns away from him then, going back to pacing. Izaya knows how cruel it is of him to act as if Shizuo has any choice to be here, but it hardly matters to Izaya why Shizuo is here. He's here. That's all Izaya needs.

It was months ago, another full moon. Izaya was fed up with Shizuo, wanted him gone for good. Shizuo wasn't rising to Izaya's challenges anymore, would actually ignore Izaya if they crossed paths on the street. More and more of Shizuo's time was spent with that woman, that doe-eyed assassin, and Izaya decided he was done playing around. He hired some men, some higher-ups in the Yakuza, actually, and Shizuo fought as he always does, but he couldn't avoid the sharp teeth when they broke his skin and infected him with something that could never be cured.

It took two weeks for Shizuo to come to Izaya. Shizuo was pale, haggard, looked as if he hadn't slept in days. He stormed into Izaya's apartment and demanded to know what was wrong with him, why he wanted to bite and tear, why his dreams were filled with blood and viscera— “guts” is what Shizuo actually said, but that's besides the point.

“Why did you come to me?” Izaya had asked. “What makes you think I know?”

The answer was more than Shizuo could put into words. All monsters make their way to Izaya sooner or later, all of them knowing Izaya can help if he chooses to. It's why Shinichi made contact with him, why the more beastly members of the Yakuza put up with him. Izaya is stronger than he looks, smarter than is good for him, and filled with a constant boredom that makes him dangerous. To top it all off, he's one of the only witches in Japan, and an incredibly powerful one at that.

Izaya explained that Shizuo was bitten by a werewolf, and he would succumb to his desires during the next full moon unless he relented to trusting Izaya to help, and at first, Shizuo stormed out, cursing, threatening to bash Izaya's head in. A week later, one week before the next full moon, Shizuo was back, looking worse than before, and he had a tired sort of acceptance about him that let Izaya know the monster had already worked through all the other stages of grief.

Now, they can be around each other for extended periods of time, but never without underlying malice and contempt in their words and actions. Shizuo refuses to take the potion home and be alone in this, and Izaya hardly minds being subjected to Shizuo's transformation, despite the fact that Shizuo keeps promising to kill him before sunrise. They're at an impasse, and like all shaky alliances, they're waiting for the other one to break it first.

The next time Izaya looks up from his computer, Shizuo is back to normal, curled into a ball in the floor, panting at the strain of his return to humanity. Izaya stands and goes to his side, offering him a blanket to cover his trembling, naked body, and Shizuo swats him away, sending Izaya toppling to the floor. Izaya only laughs, pleased Shizuo still has some fight in him. It's so much more fun this way.

“Fuck,” Shizuo hisses, lifting his head to glare openly at Izaya. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” Izaya asks earnestly.

“Like you love this.”

Izaya opens his mouth to respond, but he decides Shizuo has suffered enough for one night. He stands and goes back to his desk, leaving Shizuo to his own devices. Normally Shizuo will dress and leave immediately, but he lingers this time, hovering almost uncertainly by Izaya.

“Your mind is a mess,” Izaya says, hating that he can hear the majority of Shizuo's thoughts. Izaya tries not to read minds very often, feels like it's an unfair advantage in his line of work, and he so loves an actual challenge. But Shizuo's mind is different; it's loud and demanding, wanting more than anything to be heard.

“Why are you helping me?” Shizuo asks.

“I help many members of this world and the next, Shizu-chan,” Izaya replies without looking up. “It's part of my job.”

“Why wouldn't you want me to lose my mind and kill someone? Everyone would know then, wouldn't they? That I'm a monster. Isn't that what you want?”

Izaya looks up at him at last, a bored expression on his face. “It's enough that I know it.”

“Bullshit,” Shizuo snaps. “I keep waiting for you to sell me out, to tell everyone what I am. Why the fuck haven't you? I wouldn't help you if the tables were turned.”

“I know that,” Izaya says, shrugging. “I guess you could say I've been touched by how pitiful you are. How helpless.” Izaya's smile stretches into a leer, and he can see the way it makes Shizuo's skin crawl. “You need me.”

“I could find someone else,” Shizuo says. “Celty could know another...magic person.”

“By all means, go find them,” Izaya says. “Go explore the country and beyond on your measly second rate bodyguard salary. Better yet, go to Kasuka and tell him what you are and beg him for help in finding someone else to give you the same potion I give you for free every month.”

Shizuo flinches at that. He's obviously terrified of Kasuka finding out, which is hilarious in itself, as Kasuka is dating Ruri, another of Izaya's clients. It's true she doesn't have much vampire blood in her veins, but she has enough to feel the bloodlust. Izaya hasn't told Shizuo any of that, though. If nothing else, Izaya is loyal to his clients until they give him reason not to be, even if those reasons are nothing more than being more interesting once they find out Izaya betrayed them.

“You could go to Celty, see if Shinra and his crazy father can help you look for a cure. You could do a lot of things, but you come to me every month.” Izaya rests his chin on his hand and watches Shizuo carefully. “Is it because you already hate me, so you don't mind me seeing you at your lowest?”

“Fuck you,” Shizuo says, and he marches towards the door. Izaya rolls his eyes and goes back to typing, but he looks up again when he realizes Shizuo hasn't left yet.

“Say whatever the hell you have to and then leave me alone,” Izaya huffs. He needs to finish this assignment soon, and he'd like to do it within the next few hours so he can sleep afterwards.

“I know how rare it is. What you are,” Shizuo says, his back still to Izaya. “Celty told me.”

“I'm surprised you spoke to her about any of it.”

“I didn't tell her what I am. I know she wouldn't judge me for it, but still, I just...” Shizuo trails off, and he turns to face Izaya. “But she knows what you are, and she told me. That's why I came to you.”

“And what did she say about me?” Izaya asks, amused. He knows the courier despises him, but he doesn't care much for her either aside what she can do for him.

“She said there's a reason witches are so rare, and it's because most of them have been killed off.” Shizuo moves closer. “She said the majority of them abused their powers, the same way you do, and that's why they're targeted so often.”

“She neglected to mention the part where it was everyone else who came to us first,” Izaya says sharply, remembering the first time he saw members of the other world. Ghosts, demons, monsters of every kind flocking to him, asking for help. He was a child then, a neglected one at that. He was on his own with no one to help him, and that was when he realized how unfair the world could really be. “You're always barking about how you can't control your strength, well I can't control this. I didn't ask for this either.”

“You did this to me,” Shizuo accuses. It's not the first time he's said it, but Izaya has never admitted to it.

“And if I did?” Izaya asks, annoyed by this entire exchange. “What are you going to do about it?”

Shizuo roars with rage and lurches towards Izaya, lifting him up and slamming him against the wall. He breathes into Izaya's face, his sharp teeth bared.

“Why can't you just leave me the fuck alone?!” Shizuo shouts, and suddenly it seems as if he's being deflated, like all the strength is leaving him. He drops Izaya's feet to the floor, but he doesn't step away from Izaya's space. “Why can't you leave me alone?” he asks again, defeated.

“Because you're interesting,” Izaya says, and when he lifts his fingers to Shizuo's face, Shizuo only flinches slightly at the touch. “Because you're right, I'm alone in this, and you were alone, too. You were surrounded by people, but you were alone. No one knows better than me how that feels.”

“You ruined my life,” Shizuo says, no ire to it.

“You ruined mine first,” Izaya says, not bothering to elaborate. Shizuo doesn't seem confused, just tired, and when Izaya tucks his face into Shizuo's neck, the beast only growls softly before allowing it.

The thing about wolves is, they always protect their necks. It's one of their most vulnerable areas. Shizuo is allowing this, and that speaks volumes in itself. Izaya smiles and wraps his arms around Shizuo, clenching his fingers in the fabric of Shizuo's shirt.

“It'd be easier for you, wouldn't it? If you actually hated me,” Izaya murmurs. He presses his lips to Shizuo's neck, and he can feel the tremble of Shizuo's body before Shizuo's arms wrap around him in return.

“You won't die, right? You can't,” Shizuo says, his voice muffled in Izaya's hair.

“Wouldn't it be better for you if I did?” Izaya asks.

“Yes. No. Fuck.” Shizuo kisses the top of Izaya's head, and he makes a disgruntled noise when Izaya pulls away, growling until he realizes what it is Izaya wants. Their lips brush together gently, a complete contrast to all their harsh words and usual actions. “Izaya,” Shizuo breathes, clinging tight enough to Izaya to hurt.

“You won't be alone, Shizu-chan,” Izaya says, sighing sweetly when Shizuo kisses him again. They wind up on Izaya's couch, their clothes scattered around them as they give into their basic instincts, showing each other just how beastly they can be.

[trouvelle]

Emogust 09.08 — Stubbornness

For the last prompt (of the first week) of DCMK Emogust 09.08 — Stubbornness!!

A/N: Not sure if this fits the stubbornness theme but once I pictured them as kitties I just couldn’t stop squealing internally. I mean, who could resist kittens!AU?? So I had to do this because this is the only way I know how and I can’t for the life of me draw anything nice /cries/ @mintchocolateleaves @sup-poki 

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that anyone in possession of a kitten must constantly be in need of new blankets. And curtains. Or something like that. Maybe it’s just my kitten, Ran thinks, as she regards her curtains sadly. They have threads sticking out every way all along the bottom hems.

Shinichi has shredded the ends of her new ones, and while these not quite brand new, at least they weren’t so obviously scruffy before Shinichi came along. Gathering the curtains, she tucks them up on the handles of her French doors out of Shinichi’s reach before turning to the kitten in question.

Shinichi has magically gone from ripping around the apartment when Ran first came home to sitting quietly in a corner with his head cocked to one side. He is a picture of cuteness. Spoiled cat knows he’s in trouble. His eyes are shining bright as if they’re glittering, making him look harmless and innocent. Ran knows better.

But Ran has a huge heart so she picks Shinichi up and sits him in the crook of her elbow, before tapping him on his velvety nose, saying “Don’t rip up the curtains ever again, okay?”

She stares into Shinichi’s blue eyes. Blue eyes stare back at her. Ran stares some more. She’s not going to lose to this cat again! Finally Shinichi looks away first. First ever win since Shinichi’s been with her! Small victories win the battle~, Ran tells herself as she carries Shinichi into the kitchen, placing him on the counter.

“What shall we have today? Chicken and turkey casserole or grilled seafood feast?” She asks Shinichi, chucking him on the chin. Ran pulls out two cans of cat food and sets them in front of Shinichi. She watches as Shinichi sniffs one, sniffs the other, and then instead walks toward the bag of rotisserie chicken Kazuha has brought over earlier for dinner.

Against the advice of the vet at the shelter, Ran ends up sharing bits of her chicken with Shinichi. If he goes bald early it is definitely his own fault for being so cute anyway.

---

Kazuha’s the one who wanted a cat first.

“I think having a pet will help alleviate my stress levels and provide me some company. At least that’s what Aoko-chan says.” She told Ran enthusiastically over coffee one day. Across from them, Sonoko made a face, “But then you’re gonna have to feed it and clean up its mess. Sounds like a lot more trouble to me.”

“She does look happier lately since she got Kaito,” Ran noted. About a month prior, while the four of them were on their way back from their weekly routine of doing grocery shopping together they had passed by a pet adoption event. She immediately had her eyes set on a stunning white Manx cat and decided to adopt it the moment it opened its blue eyes and stared back at her. The name displayed on its cage was “Kaito” and she never bothered to come up with a new name for him.

That’s how they end up on a Saturday morning at their local cat shelter, watching two kittens chase each other around in a pen. They run many rounds before the dark chocolate one abruptly stops in its tracks and turns to bat the cream kitten on the head, hard. The other kitten is stunned for a moment, and then suddenly the high-speed chase turns into a round of head-bopping. Kazuha is confused. Will there be bloodshed any moment? She turned to look at Ran, is this how cats usually show affection?

They turn to ask the shelter staff and not a minute later when they turn their heads back, the cream kitten now has the head of the other kitten cradled between its paws, very diligently licking the tuft of dark brown fur sticking out from its head.

Kazuha watches with some disquietude as Ran squats so that her face is nearer to the kittens and makes cooing noises. The brown kitten’s eyes fly open and Kazuha swears he’s glaring at her for interrupting him. On the other hand, the cream Birman kitten now just looks sleepy, like all that has worn him out. He’s flopped onto the floor, one paw curled possessively over the other kitten’s neck. 

When Ran reaches down to pick up the cream kitten and cuddle it against her cheek, the brown one gives a sort of squeaking noise, and peeked his eyes open and shut it close again, not making any effort to get up. Kazuha makes a squealing noise herself, but for very different reasons. Surprisingly though, instead of lashing out at Ran’s face, the kitten starts making this odd whirring noise, and rubs his head against Ran’s cheek. He’s got really light brown markings around his eyes and snout.

“This one’s name is Shinichi!” Ran says brightly, immediately sold. 

Somehow, they end up taking both kittens. The chocolate one latches onto Kazuha’s sweater, snuggling into the soft wool when Kazuha picks him up. That’s when Kazuha notices he has tiny white socks on all his four paws.

“Snowfrost Socks would be a fitting name for him, Kazuha-chan!” suggested Ran. 

“I’m not calling him Snowfrost Socks, Ran-chan.”

Kazuha can hear the pout.

She lifts her kitten to eye level and looks into his dark green eyes. “It says here that his name is Heiji.” She grinned.

---

Ran regards the kitten which has been super active since she brought him home. She’d set up his bed for the night and shown him where his water bowl is. After the tour was done, he had promptly jumped onto Ran’s favorite plush bean bag chair and jumped down onto the carpet, before jumping up again. Seems like he’s found his spot.

“You’ll have to give them extra love and attention as they have abandonment issues from being abandoned by their mother.” That’s what the shelter staff told them. She’s not sure how to show extra love to a cat that literally does nothing but nap.

So she leaves Shinichi to it, and sets up her laptop to get some work done on an overdue paper. Barely five minutes into it, Ran feels something pulling on her pajama pants. She looks down to find Shinichi sitting at her feet, the claws of one paw hooked onto the hem of her right pant leg. Absentmindedly, she reaches out a hand to pat Shinichi on the head, once, twice, then resumes her typing.

Then it happens again. 

So she lifts Shinichi up onto her desk and coos over him for a bit, scratching his chin and tickling him behind his ears until he’s purring and pliant on the desk, eyes drooped close. When Shinichi looks like he’s fallen back asleep, Ran returns to her report.

But Shinichi wakes up again. This time, he thinks it’s a good idea to jump up and step on her keyboard. Her laptop makes a number of alarming noises and Ran scrunched her nose up. She shifts Shinichi off the laptop four times before she decides he’s probably not going to get any work done until she gives Shinichi some attention. 

Ran suddenly realizes this must be those abandonment issues coming into play! Picking him up, she moves them both to the shag rug in her living room and pulls out the catnip mouse she had gotten together with the other supplies earlier.

Shinichi only gives a couple of half-hearted pats at the mouse however, before he flops onto the rug, asleep. Ran watches the kitten sleeping, waits until it seems like he’s properly fallen asleep and sneaks back to her work.

Fifteen minutes tops. Shinichi is back at her ankles mewling again.

Ran discovers a pattern with her new kitten. Shinichi only wants attention when she’s trying to get things done on her laptop, or cooking herself some dinner—basically any time she is not playing with him means it’s petting time! 

Rana keeps repeating to herself, “abandonment issues, abandonment issues” and puts up with Shinichi’s stubbornness. He makes up for it when he snuggles up against Ran’s neck at night, warm and cozy, his steady purr a lullaby to them both.

---

Heijii is bristling on the couch, his fur still ruffled from his earlier freak-out, hissing and scratching at Sonoko when she’d tried to pick him up. Kazuha adds “precious baby kitty” to the list of names he must remember to tell visitors not to call Heiji.

Half speaking to herself, half to Heiji, Kazuha says, “I’m going to stay forever single if this keeps up.”

First it had been this guy whom Kazuha had invited in after their date. He was rather persistent and insisted they dove straight into a make-out session. He abruptly left because Heiji had bitten his ankles when he placed a hand onto Kazuha’s lap. She tried to reason that Heiji was just being territorial—Kazuha’s lap is usually his after all. Teruaki-kun lasted longer, but that was also probably because he was less aggressive. Heiji had leapt up to his thighs, claws digging into his jeans only when he’d suggested to Kazuha, “Why don’t you put your kitty in the bathroom? I don’t feel comfortable when he’s staring at us like that.”

Usually they get the most angry when instead of immediately tending to their wounds, Kazuha picks Heiji and asks, alarmed, “Did you get any blood under your claws?!”

“Hygiene is very important for growing young cats,” she tells Sonoko, the only one among them without a kitten. “Especially since they’ve been abandoned by their mother, there’s no one to teach him to clean out his paws properly so I have to be extra careful.”

Kazuha insists the problem must lie with those guys. Heijii has never scratched her in his life, he's only ever had sweet cuddles from her precious baby kitten. 

(Albeit being really grumpy at times, more often than not.)

When Kazuha forgets to feed him some snacks, Heiji starts wailing, a whining pathetic mewl that sounds a lot like crying. The same thing happens whenever her attention is divided and lies on anything else other than him. Really, this kitten could be extremely stubborn. But once Kazuha leaves what she’s doing to attend to Heiji, the kitten doesn’t seem that interested in playing with her. 

Some days she comes home after a having a really bad time at school, or work, or both. But whenever she sees Heiji’s tiny face relaxing as she scratches the back of his ears though, her heart always melts, along with her bad mood. Heiji could be rough to visitors (Kazuha fails to notice that it’s mostly toward male presence only) but he’s actually a really big softie. He has truly won her heart.

---

Playdates for Shinichi and Heiji usually end up with hours of cleaning for whoever hosts. The two go absolutely mad around each other, tearing around whatever room they are in, displaying some form of kitty-parkour as they vault over side tables, bounce off armchairs and balance on ledges, knocking over anything in the way. Kazuha and Ran soon learn to put away breakable objects and secure anything that can moved by a 4-pound kitten any time Shinichi and Heiji get together but collectively they still manage to smash uncountable bowls, many vases, and notably one extremely expensive frame from Kazuha’s father, a half dozen coffee mugs and—Ran sort of loses track along the way.

It’s Ran who has the bright idea to ask Aoko if they could have a playdate with her cat. Kazuha feels pretty anxious at first, since her kitten has a reputation of attacking random people at times. It’s only ever been Shinichi and Heiji, because they seem to be very close even back in their shelter days. Ran has no worries about Shinichi getting along with Aoko’s kitten, mainly because Shinichi is pretty reserved and doesn’t really bother anyone but her.

From what she’s head from Ran and Kazuha, their kittens are fairly possessive of each other and their owners. Indeed they look strikingly different, but Aoko gathers for herself that both cats are pretty similar as far as cat-personality goes. Her own kitten, Kaito, is nowhere as guarded as Shinichi and Heiji but he has his own fair share of stubbornness that she has to deal with. 

Unlike Shinichi and Heiji, Kaito is good at socializing with humans, especially with the ladies. He never seems to mind whenever any of Aoko’s girl friends pet him on his head, or stroke his fur, or pick him up and cuddle him around. Kaito is very welcoming and likes receiving any attention from anyone. Aoko often brings Kaito along with her on their girls days out because he’s such a friendly kitten. 

Sonoko adores Kaito so much so that she always squishes him to her cheeks and chest whenever she sees him. “It’s something about Kaito that’s so charming,” Sonoko gushed on one sunday afternoon when they were out in the usual coffeeshop (pet-friendly, yes). Aoko doesn’t get to hold him much whenever Sonoko is around because the latter often insist for the kitten to be held by her. The short-haired girl has now made up her mind on getting her own kitty cat as well. 

Kaito always knows when Aoko’s leaving the house, and he’d always whine to be brought along with her. Aoko doesn’t want to say that she can get jealous at times. (Especially when he’s comfortable nestled on Akako-chan’s chest, she grumbled to Ran once.) And every night Kaito always creeps up to her bed and settles on her shoulder. It’s as if he doesn’t want to be left alone and will do anything to be with her.

Apparently, all goes well. Aoko’s apartment hasn’t been decorated with broken pieces of glassware or furniture. 

All goes well, that is, until Kaito decides to lick Shinichi with his pink, slobbery tongue. The look on Shinichi’s face screams shock (Ran has learnt to read her cat) and Heiji, offended on his littermate’s behalf, shoots a paw out with claws extended and smacks Kaito on his face.

The round of screeching, yowling, whining and skittering claws on Aoko’s parquet floor goes on for twenty minutes until Ran and Kazuha bravely wade into the fray and grab their own kittens. Kaito manages to escape to the top of the washing machine in the laundry room. He’s not trembling in fear like Ran and Kazuha expected, and instead sort of looks like he is grinning happily.

“It could’ve been worse,” Ran says, ever the optimist.

Aoko puts her hands on her hips, nodding to herself, “I’ve never seen Kaito this way before. I think we should let the three of them have playdates more often. It’s good exercise!”

Shinichi and Heiji are completely quiet, save the occasional purrs on the way home, both asleep and exhausted from their earlier exertion. They are curled up around each other like a cream and brown yin and yang symbol.

[war-of-the-words]

Autumn

Summary: Prompt fill: Kaishin Discord Server - Autumn Written Sept 2018 Read on AO3

Autumn had finally arrived. The weather was becoming cooler, jackets now necessary, a relief from the intense summer they had had.Trees were beginning to change color, green fading into an array of reds, oranges, yellows and browns. Perhaps Shinichi’s favorite part of the season was the cold mornings. The old, wood floors of his childhood home froze his toes, leading him to wear slippers, and the chill in the air to a blanket over his shoulders; most notably, however, was that the first cup of coffee was all the more satisfying. Sure, the hot beverage would burn his tongue, but it was worth it to feel the warmth of the drink spread through his body, warming his soul.

These mornings were all the more pleasant nowadays. He got to share them with Kaito. Mornings weren’t as cold when you woke up in your lover’s arms, plus, he didn’t have to be the one to wake up and start the coffee, he could wait until the smell of the intoxicating brew wafted its way into Shinichi’s bedroom before having to make his way downstairs. When he was down there, Kaito already had a cup prepared, not to mention being able to cuddle on the couch kept him warm. Shinichi loved Kaito and would never use him for anything, but he had to admit it was nice to have his own giant hot water bottle for cold mornings.

Not only did this giant, walking water bottle make his morning coffee, he also took him on cute, fall themed dates, what more could a man want? Kaito was currently throwing one hand around in elaborate gestures, excitedly talking about the day he had planned for the two of the. His other hand was resting on Shinichi’s waist, holding him close underneath the blanket as Shinichi let his hands warm up on his coffee cup, taking long sips and enjoying the sound of his lover’s voice. “...and then we can come home and cuddle and watch that movie I told you about.” Shinichi hummed in approval. “You only heard half of what I said, didn’t you?” Shinichi hummed again, in agreement. “That just means the date will be a surprise. Life is more fun that way anyway.”

After Shinichi had finished his coffee, Kaito rushed to get the detective dressed, eager to get the day started. When Shinichi had deemed himself thoroughly prepared, he met Kaito at the front door. The magician was practically buzzing with excitement. Shinichi rolled his eyes, how he managed to be so excited for each date, Shinichi didn’t know; he felt the same, however, even if it didn’t show on his face.

Kaito took him by the hand and lead them down the streets of Beika, a skip in his step as they talked about Kaito’s upcoming shows, books they had read, the weird morning T.V. show they had been watching, anything that came to mind. All the while, Kaito lead them around corners and down different alleyways, Shinichi grew up here, but the way Kaito got around always left him feeling a little lost, so when Kaito pulled them down a short alley that lead them to a small park, it was like entering a portal to another world.

The trees were full of fall color. Brilliant reds, vibrant oranges, and vivid yellows colored the branches of large, struddy looking trees. Despite being in a city, the leaf covered pathways were devoid of people, although birds and squirrels flitted in and out of Shinichi’s view. “How did you find this place?” Shinichi asked, his voice full of awe. Kaito grinned at his boyfriend’s reaction.

“You would be surprised at the things you can see from a bird’s eye view.” Kaito had, of course, scouted the place after spotting it from the air. He had to ensure it was a good date location before he took his darling anywhere. The park had been everything Kaito had hoped it would be. It was the perfect location for this date, and it had to be, he had been planning this date for months, ever since the weather had started to cool. Tugging at his boyfriend’s hand, he lead them onto the path, the crisp leaves crunching under foot. They walked, hand in hand, admiring the beautiful colors, the silence between them comfortable. The birds chirped from somewhere in the high branches, and the soft breeze carried leaves down, falling gently, almost like a dance, to the ground below. The park may have been small, but the tree cover was so dense, and it was so quiet, Shinichi could have believed Kaito had somehow teleported him away into a distant forest.

They had wandered that way for almost an hour, before Kaito pulled Shinichi to a stop. He was staring a large, beautiful maple tree. The red of its leaves were like a fine, red wine. Light managed to sneak through its branches, casting delicate shadows onto the pair’s faces. “Well,” Kaito said, a mischievous grin on his face, “let’s go.”

“Go where?” Shinichi asked, confused as Kaito approached the tree then made a leap for one of the low hanging branches. The magician quickly pulled himself up into the branches, disappearing from Shinichi’s view. “ Kuroba Kaito, I am not a squirrel. ” Shinichi marched to the base of the tree, looking up into the canopy to try to spot his boyfriend. He was standing in the higher boughs of the maple, grinning down at him, eyes alight with mirth, the light sneaking through illuminated his face, and the warm colors around him only made Shinichi realize how startling beautiful the magician’s eyes were. If he wasn’t already smitten, hearing Kaito giggle, looking so ethereal, certainly solidified his love for the other.

“I’ll help you up,” Kaito said, laughter in his voice, “all you had to do was ask.” Kaito elegantly maneuvered his way to the lower branches, Shinichi mesmerized by the graceful movements. The smug look he gave Shinichi when he reached a low branch let the detective know his admiring looks hadn’t been lost on the magician. Shinichi was sure the blush he gave in return was the same color as the maple leaves.

Kaito had somehow managed to lead them up through the branches, and now they were seated up there, near the base of the tree, perched on two large branches high off the ground. All Shinichi could see was the red of the maple. Kaito admired his lover for a moment, much like how Shinichi had admired him just moments before. The detective look like he was in a trance, eyes staring out into the branches, the light making his face glow in its golden light. Kaito loved that look in Shinichi’s eyes, it was one of wonder and of innocence. It was a rare look on the detective’s face, it was hard when he was constantly surrounded by death and betrayal. His blue eyes shone like a clear autumn sky, his face was relaxed, not twisted in concentration. Don’t get him wrong, Kaito loved watching Shinichi solve a mystery, but sometimes, he needed to see Shinichi like this, to know that he was relaxing and enjoying what was around him.

Kaito pulled a picnic basket from where he had stowed it in the tree this morning, before Shinichi got up. He nudged the other with it, shaking him from his entranced state. “I’m not even going to ask,” Shinichi said, looking at the basket and rolling his eyes, but there was a soft smile on his lips.

They ate up there, in the trees, laughing and talking and taking and just enjoying the feeling of isolation. It was there own little world up there, and no one could interfere. Once they finished, Kaito began putting everything back in the basket, still smiling and chatting, while Shinichi gazed at him. Slowly, carefully, he leaned forward, meeting Kaito’s lips as the other turned to look at him. The magician jumped slightly, caught off guard at the sudden kiss, but he quickly melted into it. It was small and chaste, but it carried Shinichi’s emotions clearly. Shinichi pulled back, embarrassed. Kaito only giggled at his love’s flustered face. “What was that for? Not that I’m complaining.”

“Nothing,” Shinichi answered bluntly, despite the blush still coloring his face. “I just love you.” Now it was Kaito who matched the maple leaves. It was rare, but Shinichi could fluster Kaito if he tried hard enough, and it was a treat every time. Kaito tried to form a sentence, but all of his words came out incoherent. Eventually, he gave up with a little whine, burying his face in his hands.”

“You aren’t allowed to do that, Shinichi. That has to be illegal.” Shinichi let out a laugh. He nudged Kaito’s foot to get his boyfriend to look at him.

“Let’s get home and watch that movie.” Kaito nodded in agreement, still too embarrassed to speak.

The movie ended up being fairly mediocre, but the two didn’t mind. They were pressed together on the couch, relishing in one another’s company, making jokes about the plot holes in the movie’s story and coming up with wild ideas that would improve the movie’s quality. It was looking like a cold, fall day. The trees were changing, the birds were leaving, and winter was fast approaching, but if the rest of autumn was like today, the pair was looking forward to it.

[jaroslavlewis]

The Same Old You: The Morning After

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

Title: The Same Old You

Chapter 6 : The Morning After

Author: Jaroslav Lewis

Fandom: Detective Conan

Pairing: ShinRan with slight KazuHei

Summary: Time has passed for them to believe that they have changed only for them to realize that some things haven't. Some things just don't.

Chapter Summary: Mornings can get a little messy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan and any of Gosho Aoyama's characters. I simply borrow them when I'm bored.

Warning: Nudity and mentions of sex.

AN. The whole inspiration/mood music for this chapter is "No Place" by Backstreet Boys. I recommend you guys listen to it if you haven't already.

The sun rays hit his face, causing him to stir in his sleep, waking his senses. He keeps his eyes closed for a moment until the weight of something resting on his arm catches his attention. Soon enough his eyes flutter open. His vision adjusts to the brightness of his surroundings. He fails at stretching since his right arm is pretty much restricted. He turns his head and he sees her, or at least a view of her bare back in front of him. Her head is comfortably resting on his outstretched arm, causing it to go numb but it doesn't bother him. He turns his body, shifting to a position where he is facing her side of the bed. He smiles to himself as her remembers last night's events.

It's not a dream...

He stares at the smooth, fair skin of her back, admiring its pleasant view as he tries to resist the urge to touch her again because he doesn't want to wake her. He fails at it as he closes the distance, wrapping his arm around her bare waist, sneaking underneath the covers to pull her against him. He feels her skin on skin, her back pressing against his chest.

'I could get used to mornings like this…' He thinks to himself as he leans closer to plant a gentle kiss on her shoulder, feeling the softness of her bare skin against his lips.

Such action causes her to stir in her sleep, muttering an incoherent sound as she shifts her position while still in her slumber. She turns and she is now facing him, but her eyes remain closed. Her disheveled hair is covering her face.

He chuckles to himself, remembering just how much of a heavy sleeper she is as he has noticed when he lived with her as Conan. He brings his hand up to brush the hair covering her face. He tucks them in her ear, carefully and brushes his fingers delicately against her cheek. He takes in the sight of her long, dark lashes, her pointed nose and her plump, pinkish lips that he so badly wants to kiss as though he hasn't had enough of her, considering last night's events.

He runs his fingers through her hair, stroking her lovingly. This causes her to stir again. She moves closer to him, pressing her cheek against his bare chest as she stretches her arm to hug him while she is still fast asleep. He listens to her soft breathing, feeling her inhale and exhale against his body. He stays still to make sure she is comfortable even though he is not so.

Suddenly, he is reminded of how Ran tends to be such a hugger, given that she sleeps with so many pillows and stuffed toys around her. He also remembers very well how there were a number of times when he slept beside her as Conan and how he woke up with her arm around him.

His face heats up in the slightest embarrassment but he savors her warmth and the feeling of her, embracing him in the most intimate way he could ever think of. He can't help but feel giddy at the thought.

He wishes to stay with her in such way for as long as they both can but she suddenly moves again, this time gradually waking to her senses at the peculiar feeling of the pillow she is embracing.

She keeps her eyes shut for a moment, still feeling the heaviness of her lids and the need to keep them closed for a while as her consciousness starts to kick in. She notices that her pillow isn't as soft as she normally prefers it to be, but she doesn't find it too disturbing. In fact, she loves how warm it is against her.

But there is something else that bothers her. She realizes that for some odd reason…

Her pillow seems to be breathing with her…

She tilts her head up and her eyes flutter open. The first sight she sees are his gentle cerulean eyes bearing into hers. It takes a moment for her to register the thought of why she is in bed with him. Flashback of last night's events come rushing to her head. Her face heats up in embarrassment.

She is at loss for words.

"Good morning, Ran…" He greets her, his voice sounding a little bit deeper, a little bit hoarse since he just woke up, and very much…

Sexy…

It sends shivers down her spine.

'God, his morning voice…' She thinks to herself, still in a daze as the melodic sound of his voice echoes in her head, making goosebumps creep to her skin and making her cheeks heat up even more than it already has since she woke up.

"Something wrong?" He asks worriedly because of her lack of response and at the same time, noticing that she has been staring at him for quite some time. Such question wakes her to her senses and at the same time almost makes her head explode at the alluring sound of his just-woke-up voice.

"No… Nothing!" She squeaks out defensively. Jolting from her comfortable, lying position. Suddenly she is wide awake and she remembers to pull the covers up to her chest modestly as she sits up straight. A little voice in the back of her head tells her that such action was useless since he had already seen her.

All of her.

Plenty of times.

And the one from last night was the clearest view that he has of her, that she has allowed him to see.

Her heart throbs rapidly in panic as she scans the room for her clothes. She notices how far apart they are scattered. She silently scolds herself for causing such inconvenience for both of them.

Shinichi observes her worriedly, but does not say a word as he sits straight. Ran avoids his gaze, feeling herself burn with the intensity of how he has set his eyes on her unguarded, disheveled self.

"I should probably leave… Y'know. Sonoko and Sera might be looking for me." She rambles, shifting to slide her legs down the bed. Shinichi is startled but he scrambles, under the covers with her.

"Hey, wait…" He says in panic. He moves swiftly and impulsively does the first thing the comes through his mind. He wraps his arms around her possessively in a back hug which causes Ran to flinch, surprised by his sudden display of skin ship. She sits still but relaxes with how nice and warm his embrace felt.

"Stay…" He whispers into her ear, his breath tickling her bare skin. She shivers under his touch. She feels him place a soft kiss on her neck and shoulder. Suddenly, all panic is lost and she finds herself nodding to him.

"Okay…" She breathes quite heavily. He plants a soft kiss on the top of her head and lightly pulls away.

"I'll get you something to wear. You can shower here too, if you'd like. Then we'll have breakfast. I'll just call for room service…" He offers, wanting to make her feel comfortable. He understood, Ran is in a state of shock and though he knew they were both well aware of their actions last night, everything happened all too sudden and the aftermath of it all is quite a mess, both literally and figuratively.

Ran calms her nerves at the soothing sound of his voice, bringing herself back to reality.

"That would be nice. Thank you…" She tells him and feels him pull away. Soon, she feels his weight leaving the bed. She remains still, sitting with her back facing him. She doesn't look at him but she listens at the sound of the ruffling sheets and clothing. She could tell that he is getting ready to dress up and she feels her face heat up in embarrassment.

She feels movement on the bed as he stands up to get dressed. Ran sits still, reminding herself to avert her gaze from him whilst thinking about how she is going to dress herself without him looking. She sees her dress still in a pool at the ground, just where she left it. Her strapped heels are in polar directions having been kicked off of her feet last night. Thinking about retrieving her things gives herself a massive headache.

But it gets even worse as she remembers that she is missing another article of clothing that is practically irretrievable at this point, given its condition.

Ran wanted to scream.

Then she feels a soft pat on the shoulder, followed by the feeling of something being wrapped around her. She realizes that it is a bathrobe. She turns to find Shinichi behind her, already dressed in his grey sweatpants and black wife beater.

He smiles and hands her a neatly folded set of clothes.

"You can change in these." He says. Ran simply nods, completely stunned and touched by such gesture. He settles the set of clothes-his clothes on the edge of the bed and turns his back to her, giving her time to slip into the bathrobe.

She wraps the piece of clothing around her and ties a secure knot before taking his clothes with her as she tiptoes to the bathroom.

Shinichi snaps from his reverie as he hears the door shut.

He shakes his head thinking to himself how awkward the aftermath of last night's events turned out to be.

Ran keeps her back pressed against the bathroom door for a few seconds, right in front of her is the bathroom vanity with a luxurious marble sink and a clean shiny mirror that allows her to see her reflection clearly.

She cringes, looking at her face, seeing her lipstick quite smudged, her mascara flaking under her eyes. She remembers clearly how she had forgotten to take off her makeup last night. Well, considering last night's events, who wouldn't right?

She shakes her head, telling herself that such mistake could be totally bad for her skin.

Ran always had good skin. She is very much thankful for the good genes she inherited from her mother, but of course she is also careful enough to maintain it, especially with her age.

But more than that, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Shinichi just saw her in such a messy state. Though they have practically always been transparent with each other, given their history, this was one side of her she felt uncomfortable letting him see.

Shinichi is her best friend, but he was also once her boyfriend.

She is a lady and he is a man.

Not just any man too. He is a man who has always had a special place in her heart.

Shinichi never minded how she looks, but she liked looking presentable in front of him.

She is pissed. He is so flawless, always has been and always will be. He looks so fine despite the fact that he woke up with his hair sticking up in different directions. She couldn't help but feel insecure, waking up next to him in such state.

She takes more time to observe herself in front of the mirror. She slightly slides the bathrobe off of her shoulder and she notices a trail of small but evident reddish marks running from her neck to her shoulders and down to her chest.

She recalls the feeling of his touch, his kisses. There was no doubt that he knew what he was doing and that he seemed quite experienced. The way he was so aggressive but also gentle that he could make her feel weak.

There was no denying the possibility. Shinichi is a grown man after all, a charming one for the matter and New York is filled with beautiful blonde and brunette bombshells.

Ran can't help but wonder where she stands in that.

After last night's events, she wonders what she is to him, now? What is he to her? What are they exactly?

And come to think of it, Shinichi never said anything last night. As far as she is concerned, no promises were even made, were there?

"I guess this is as good as it's gonna get." She sighs to herself as she observes herself in the mirror again.

Her hair is wet, fresh from the shower. She is now clad in his dark blue, UCLA hoodie and shorts. Both of which are a little loose but still comfortable to wear. The hoodie was too long that it covered most of the shorts, almost acting like a dress instead of a top.

She hugs the hoodie to body, feeling the softness of the fabric, inhaling his familiar scent.

'I guess this isn't so bad after all.' She thinks to herself, finally deciding to step out of the bathroom.

She takes small calculated steps as she does, peeking outside first before she finally lets herself out. She finds him sitting by the table, that is already set. Seems like room service arrived while she was taking her sweet time in the shower. She also notices that her things are set on the bed, her gown from last night is neatly folded and her strappy heels are neatly placed on the ground, right below it.

He is casually reading the newspaper while taking a sip from his cup of black coffee. It takes him a few seconds to notice her presence. He shifts his attention from the newspaper to her and smiles, a usual, sheepish one.

"Hey." He clears his throat, shifting awkwardly in his seat. "Breakfast is ready."

She nods and walks up to him to sit in front of him and join him. He observes as she does, taking in the sight of her in his clothes. He can't help but feel giddy about it. There was something oddly adorable about the way Ran's just casually wearing his clothes.

There was something territorial about it.

He felt the same feeling as last night when he left the bridal garter on her.

Also, there was no denying at all. She looks good in his clothes. She looks absolutely good in anything.

But of course, Shinichi respects that Ran is her own woman. And technically speaking, they haven't even decided what their current status is at the moment.

Soon enough, Ran notices that he has been staring at her. She feels conscious about it and she meets his gaze, looking at him questioningly. Shinichi awkwardly looks away and says nothing.

She wants to ask him why he's staring but she's too shy to do so. They stay quiet long enough for silence to feel too deafening for both of them.

Ran averts her gaze and stares at the food instead. Her plate is filled with a nice stack of waffles with whipped cream and blueberries on top. On the side sits a fluffy serving of scrambled eggs with nicely toasted strips of bacon. The morning feast is indeed mouth-watering, but Ran doesn't have the appetite for it.

So, she merely cuts the waffles into small triangles. Shinichi on the other hand slightly stabs his fluffy scrambled eggs.

Both of them merely play with their food and take small bites in between. They repeat such actions until they are only about half-way through finishing the plate, barely even touching anything but feeling already full because of the anxiety that makes their stomachs flip.

Soon enough, Shinichi notices how Ran is struggling with slicing her waffles. He observes that the sleeves of her (his) hoodie were so long that they kept falling and covering her hands, restricting them in the process. Ran would have to keep pushing them up from time to time, but since they are too loose for her slim arms, they would still continue to fall.

Shinichi is unable to stand the sight that he rises from his seat to stride to her side of the table. Ran is puzzled as he stops just right behind her. She is startled when he bows a little, so that his shoulder is up to her level. She feels his chin brush against her shoulder as he reaches her wrist from behind. She blushes because it feels as though he is giving her a back hug, but is stunned when she sees his delicate fingers working through, folding one of her sleeves neatly until it stops right by her elbow. She stays still as he does the other. She is unable to withstand looking at him from shoulder.

His face is very much near hers. She takes her time to observe his sharp jawline, his handsome side profile. She snaps out when he turns his face towards her, feeling her gaze towards him. He gives her his undivided attention.

She becomes flustered and he gives her a soft smile.

"It was in the way…" He simply explains the obvious. He pulls away and goes back to his seat. Her eyes follow him and she nods, squeaking out an almost inaudible, "Thank you."

Still stunned, her eyes remain focused on him and soon they travel to the noticeable red marks on his bare shoulder, vivid lines and small crescents that sort of looked painful but Shinichi didn't seem to show any discomfort over them.

Ran begins to feel worried and also quite embarrassed. Suddenly, all she could think about is how she was the one who came on to him last night. She was the one who came rushing to his door and started knocking. She was the one who tackled him in a very rough kiss.

And she was also the one who told him that she wanted him.

So much…

Ran felt something in her short-circuit. Suddenly, everything was all too much to bear as if it hadn't been already before…

"Shinichi, about last night…" She speaks and his eyes shoot back right into her, so calm and composed but there is a quite noticeable flush spreading across his face. He is unable to respond but he does wait for her to continue what she has to say.

She pauses with a short intake of breath. All of a sudden, she feels as though she doesn't know the right words to say, nor where to even begin. Her heart is pounding in her chest. So many thoughts are running through her head.

"Last night was…" She prolongs instead, still thinking.

Shinichi starts to feel his palms sweat as he stares at her in anticipation, focusing as he waits for her to finish, feeling impatient with every second that she stalls. Anxiety creeps up to him, making his chest and stomach hurt.

He wonders about what she is going to say. He tries to read her but somehow it just seems impossible to do so.

He knows deep down, last night felt memorable. It is special to him, but Ran is suddenly acting so strange almost as if she is regretting what happened. The mere thought of it gives a slight pang to his chest.

He feels his palms sweat, wondering about what she is about to say and hoping that it would lead to something good later on.

'Good? Memorable? Not bad for our first time?' He guesses in his head, a little bit pleadingly.

"Spontaneous." She finishes and he feels his heart sink a little but also is quite relieved that the statement was a truth and more of a neutral than a negative.

He nods, agreeing with her.

"It was also irresponsible." She adds and he feels his heart sink a little bit more than it did. Although he agrees that she is indeed correct, it still hurt.

"I think we should forget that it happened. Probably for the best. Probably, the best way to say good bye, you know…" She finishes and suddenly he feels like his heart just fell off of the cliff and flatlined. He wanted to protest, but no words came from his mouth.

And as if it wasn't enough, she spoke again.

"It was supposed to be a onetime thing, right? You're still going back to New York, right?"

"What?" He asks in disbelief, unable to mask the hurt in his tone and in his eyes as he looks at her. It crushed him that she would even think that last night was just that. That it was just casual, that it meant absolutely nothing when it meant everything to him.

"I'm sorry, I came on to you last night." She admits with a hint of embarrassment in her tone. "I shouldn't have-

Suddenly, Shinichi feels irritated again. He hates that she has to be apologetic about what happened, when last night…

Last night for once, they just wanted to be together.

Not a care in the world about their responsibilities, for as long as they conveyed their feelings to each other. But now, suddenly, she's just taking it back…

"Why the hell are you making things so complicated again, Ran?" He says with a clear hint of frustration in his tone. Ran is startled by the question. This time, it is her turn to be speechless.

"Last night, you told me… You wanted to be selfish." He continues, his eyes remaining so focused on hers that it intimidates her, gives her the urge to look away but she freezes. "Why are you changing your mind again? What's so different about last night from now? You told me you knew what you are doing. I know I did. What's stopping you now? Because I know what I want now is still the same as what I wanted last night…"

Ran starts to hate the fact that the tables have turned this time, that this time, he is the one who is right, that he is talking some sense to her and she's just being stupid and difficult.

She lets out a defeated sigh.

"I just… I just don't want you to think that you have to take responsibility for what happened. Since well… Since I was a…"She shakes her head and her tone softens into another squeak, "Since you were my first…."

Tears start to pool in the corners of her eyes.

He was her first and she knows deep down she doesn't regretted anything that happened last night, but she is scared about so many things. She doesn't know what to think anymore.

"So, you'd rather that I'd just regard you as a one-night stand? A mere fuckbuddy? That's what you want? That's what you take me for?" Shinichi asks, unable to notice that he has already raised his tone at her. It frustrates him that Ran is once again, reducing herself into something less-important than his other matters in life, that she thinks she is nothing but dispensable. And what's even worse is that she would dare to think that he would walk out of her life after "getting what he wanted", when clearly that is not something that he would even dare to do. That is not who he is.

To him, Ran thinking less of herself also meant that she is also thinking less of him. It upset him, a lot more than she could ever know or think.

She on the other hand, feels bad because he is right. She is trying to run away again because she is afraid. She thought she is saving him by making him leave again, by trying to give him an easy way out but she is disregarding his feelings. She is not only hurting herself. She is hurting him as well. She thought she is doing the right thing, what's best for both of them. But she is only making things complicated, even more than they already were.

She tries to stop the tears from falling. But it still does and she starts to hate herself even more. She has already done enough to make him feel bad, and now she's crying and he's gonna think it's his fault.

And just as she predicted, she hears him sigh, a soft one and his expression softens as well.

"Ran…" He says her name, this time in a much calmer tone as he reaches for her hand on the table, holding it firmly in his. "I thought I made it clear last night… But I guess I didn't. So, if you want me to say it, I'll say it over and over again as long as you need to hear it."

He steadies his breath, feeling his heart beat rapidly against his chest.

"I love you…" He tells her with so much sincerity that she sees it as she looks into his eyes. "I still do. Always have and always will…"

She wants to tell him that she loves him too but she chokes on a sob. He shakes his head, letting out a light chuckle at her silliness.

Despite how much he thought she had changed, she is still the same old stubborn, crybaby that he knew.

"Barou…" He teases her just like how he would back then. Suddenly she feels like they are ten years younger again, back to the same old them, feeling the same old feeling coming back. He leans closer, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek, running his thumb to trace her tears away.

Suddenly it feels very much familiar.

Just like old times….

Shinichi then stands from his seat so that he could cross to her side of the table. He stops behind her and leans forward to give her a back hug while she remains seated, startled but also comforted by his warmth.

"You were right about letting me leave for LA and then New York, you know. It was beyond the dream. For a moment, I was really happy. I loved my career. But I always felt as though there is always something missing in my life. Those places weren't home. No matter how long I've been there, they just never felt like it..." He tells her with honesty, resting his chin against her shoulder. She feels him tighten his embrace around her. "You'll always be home to me, Ran…"

Ran steadies her breath, feeling the urge to tear-up again. She brings her hand up to touch him and somewhat return his embrace, reaching up to touch his hair, her back still facing him. She takes a few moments, sitting still before she lightly shifts, pulling away so that she can slightly turn to face him.

She stands up to give him a proper hug, wrapping her arms around his neck while resting her head against his chest as he wraps his arms around her petite waist.

"I love you too, Shinichi. I'm sorry I was being difficult. I just… I panicked you know…" She finally responds. She hears him chuckle again as he strokes her hair.

"Don't ever think that I would let you go, the second time. Because I won't anymore…" He tells her strictly then he pauses a bit, thinking.

A shy expression forms his face, he flushes, crimson red. He rests his chin on the top of her head, quite relieved that this way, she wouldn't see how embarrassed he is as he mutters under his breath. "Besides… If I'm gonna take responsibility… Then maybe you should too you know…"

Ran pulls away, shooting back at him with a surprised look on her face, her eyes widen at the thought. Her mouth falls agape.

"You mean to say…" She reacts, still stunned.

Shinichi shifts uncomfortably and scratches the back of his head in a sheepish manner. He looks at her with a half-irritated, half-embarrassed frown, that Ran finds to be adorable. He also crosses his arms against his chest.

"Yes." He simply replies, clearing his throat, trying to look cool and composed but the crimson flush has already spread across his neck.

"Really?" She asks again, with no intention to taunt him, but rather because she is still in the state of disbelief.

Shinichi raises an eyebrow.

"You, really couldn't tell?"

Ran shakes her head, looking at him with such innocent eyes. And just like that, a smug smile forms Shinichi's lips. Suddenly it's Ran's turn to be embarrassed. A puzzled expression forms her face.

"But… how…"

She turns redder than he is. Shinichi's grin goes wider at her question.

"Detective's instinct, I guess…" He answers, shrugging. Then he cups her face in his hand again and looks into her indigo-colored eyes. He smiles and she feels as though she's going to melt into a puddle. "Or just my instinct in general… You know, if it's you, I'll figure it out no matter how complicated you can be at times…"

He leans to shorten the already small distance between them. She stays still as he moves closer, eyeing at her lips. She closes her eyes and anticipates a kiss from him.

And then…

A loud knock on the door interrupts them and makes them pull away from each other. Ran's eyes open and finds Shinichi's puzzled expression before he fully pulls away, wondering who it maybe at the door.

There is a hint of annoyance in his expression, feeling irritated that someone would dare to interrupt his and Ran's moment.

He walks up to the door, hearing another series of knocks and he opens it, expecting an annoying hotel worker that he is ready to scold.

"Oi what the hell-"

His voice falters as he cut off when he finds Sonoko, Sera and Hattori at his door. A surge of panic flows through his whole system. His face turns pale.

"Oi Kudo! We've been looking for Neechan. These two have been worried all night, waiting for her and she still hasn't come back to their hotel room." Heiji says. Shinichi remains standing by the doorway, blocking the entrance and hopefully blocking the view of Ran inside his room.

He remains silent, thinking of a reply when Ran approaches, curiously and quite worried as to what may have been taking him long.

"Shinichi?" She calls him. Her voice unfortunately does not go unheard by the other three. Shinichi's eyes widen and so do Heiji's, Sonoko's and Sera's.

In an instant they all push forward, making Shinichi step back, failing to block the doorway. Shinichi slumps his shoulders, feeling defeated. He sighs as he closes the door and shakes his head, knowing very well that he and Ran are in for quite a teasing.

Ran on the other hand is startled by their presence and also embarrassed as soon as she remembers what she is wearing.

"Ah Neechan… We went to Kudo to ask if he has seen you, and turns out he did." Heiji comments, smirking and then shooting a look at Shinichi who frowns at him, annoyed. "So you have only been here, all this time ne?"

Sonoko and Sera on the other hand shoot Ran a knowing look. Ran blushes furiously and hugs herself, feeling as though her privacy has been violated.

Shinichi on the other hand walks towards her and stands in front of her, shielding her from the three, protectively.

"Oi oi! It's not what you think!" He explains defensively, hoping that they would stop with the teasing but it doesn't. Instead, it gets even worse.

"Really? So, would you care to explain to us what those marks on your shoulder are?" Heiji asks. Suddenly, Shinichi feels as though he is a suspect being interrogated by an officer. He looks at his shoulder and sees the marks that Ran made last night. He blushes.

A proud smirk forms Sonoko's lips, clearly impressed and quite surprised by Ran's clear evidence of boldness. Given Ran's conservative and innocent image, it was something that Sonoko and the other two weren't expecting. But alas, they are all adults there.

"My, my, who would've thought Ran could be such a minx!" Sonoko chimes. Ran shoots her a dangerous look.

"Sonoko!" She scolds, half-beging her to stop, with no success.

"Also what's that on your neck, you're hiding with your hair?" She asks and Ran automatically brings her hand to the spot on her neck that Shinichi marked.

Sonoko's smirk widens.

"Gotcha!"

"Evidence is clear as presented. Also that jacket and that 'signature' fold screams a lot. No need to be shy, Ran-chan. We've been knew…" Sera teases.

Ran looks at the jacket on her body and observes the fold of the sleeves. Sera did have a point. She is sporting a UCLA jacket. And no other person could own such other than Shinichi who took his degree in such a prestigious university. Moreover, as Sera had just stated, the way the sleeves were folded clearly screams Shinichi's ownership, given that he always sports such style whenever he's wearing dress-shirts or casual long sleeves.

Anyone who knew him well would know that such neat, even fold is his doing…

"Can't believe Kazuha overslept and missed this…" Heiji says, chuckling. Then he gestures to the two, questioningly. "So, given all this, does this mean you two are finally…"

Shinichi smiles, genuinely and takes Ran's hand in his, intertwining his fingers against hers. Ran is startled as she looks up at him.

He turns to her and flashes a sheepish grin and then turns to their friends.

"I guess we are, aren't we?" He replies, which earns a cheer from the other three. Ran feels her lips automatically forming into a giddy smile she just can't suppress.

"So what happens now? What about New York?" Sonoko asks Shinichi curiously.

Ran silently anticipates a reply from Shinichi and tries so hard to calm her nerves despite how anxious she feels. For a moment there is tension in the air. Even Heiji and Sera shut their mouths to hear Shinichi's answer.

"I'm still flying back tomorrow, but only temporarily, to file my resignation and prepare for my transition before I go back to Tokyo for good. I received an offer from Megure-keibu a long time ago that I initially rejected. But he told me that such offer will not cease to stand and that the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department will always be open for me if I ever chose to come back. I've been thinking about it for a long time, especially since I came back and now, I guess, I've finally come up with a resolve…" He announces. "As cheesy as it sounds, I'm choosing where the heart is…"

He wraps his arm around Ran's shoulder, pulling her closer to him. Ran feels touched. She smiles while her eyes tear up again with joy.

Heiji, Sonoko and Sera all smile. All in awe, watching their two friends, looking happier than they have ever been before.

Mission success after all…

The two feel some sort of dread shoot up to their stomachs as they walk along the airport, near the departure area.

Shinichi turns to Ran, holding the handle of his carry-on luggage. Ran smiles sadly at him. Suddenly she feels like she misses him already.

She holds his neatly folded hoodie in her arms, hugging it protectively. She looks at it and thinks, wondering if she should return it. Then she looks at him, as if asking for permission.

"I think, I'll hold on to this for a while." She says and he nods.

"And I'll see you in three weeks." He responds, pulling her with his free hand. He gives her a sweet, soft kiss on the lips, catching her surprised. He deepens it a little, brushing his lips against hers and she closes her eyes, responding to him, holding his face to pull him closer.

They hold the kiss a little longer, but not too much that it seemed inappropriate to the public, just enough that they are both left in a daze and quite short of breath when they pull away.

"In New York…" He finishes his sentence with a smirk. She flashes him a bright and excited smile.

"Have a safe flight." She says thoughtfully.

"You too." He replies, lifting his hand to stroke her hair lovingly, lingering for a moment and knowing very well that the three weeks that they'd be apart would seem longer now because he just couldn't bear to be away from her again.

But he pulls away shortly, reminding himself that he'll see her.

Three weeks.

It shouldn't be too long, right?

They managed to be away from each other for ten years.

He waves a good bye and so does she. Then he turns, dragging his luggage with him. She watches as he walks away.

And she starts to miss him so much already. She sighs, hugging his hoodie tighter.

Three weeks. It's just three weeks.

Unexpectedly, he stops again and she wonders. He turns to her to wave at her again.

Ran couldn't help but laugh at how silly and childish he looks. But she waves back at him anyway.

AN. So that's the second to the last chapter! Sorry it took three months, two scripts and one breakdown about a concert cancellation. Hahaha I apologize for keeping you all waiting. To those who don't know, I got really busy with my job as a scriptwriter and right after I finally had the time to write, I received notice about a cancelled TVXQ concert, which I was so so so looking forward too. I had to take a time off because I momentarily lost inspiration to write.

But I'm recovering now and I'm back to writing. Aside from this update being my comeback to the fanfiction world, this also gonna be my advance gift for icedcoffeeanyone/hislips who is celebrating her birthday this coming Saturday!

Please send her some love on her ko-fi account:

/icedcoffeeanyone

She deserves our support!

Would like to take this time to thank you all for understanding my long absence. Thank you all for your support and messages!

The next chapter will be the last for TSOY. Ahhhh. I'm excited but also feeling some sort of separation anxiety! Hahaha

I'm still not sure when I'll be able to post the last update for TSOY. I might work on the long-due drabble requests first before I write Chapter 7. Hahaha XD But I promise, I'll try to update soon!

Thank you to everyone who have been with me from the beginning until the end!

~J

Fanfiction.net link: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13195514/6/The-Same-Old-You

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17626277/chapters/46330159

NEXT CHAPTER

[hanneswrites]

i found something interesting and we should discover it together

Title: i found something interesting and we should discover it together

Pairings: Hakuba Saguru/Kuroba Kaito/Kudo Shinichi/Hattori Heiji || HakuKaiHeiShin

Rating: T

Word Count: 1.8k

Summary: Private Detective Agency / College AU How did these four boys get together in the first place? Who knows.

Saguru sighed as he rubbed his temples. This case was eating him alive. Three weeks and no lead, no clues, no sign of a witness or a suspect, nothing. There was a knock on his door, a soft knock—Shinichi—before it creaked open to reveal the barely-open eyes of his lover.

“It’s morning, babe, go to bed.” Shinichi said, closing the door. Saguru could hear the shuffling of Shinichi’s slippers going down the hallway to his own office. A smile crept over his features as he made his way out of his own office, down that same hallway, and into their bedroom. Kuroba was already curled up in bed, hogging all of the blankets. He sighed as he climbed into bed and tried to burrow himself under the covers surrounding Kuroba. He shifted a bit to let Saguru in.

“Late night?” Kaito mumbled, wrapping his arms around Saguru’s waist and pulling him closer.

“Of course,” Saguru replied, “I suppose you’ve been asleep for a while.” He kissed Kaito’s forehead. Kaito hummed in response, burying his head into Saguru’s chest,

“Shhhh, sleep.”

A loud crash from the kitchen startled both Kaito and Saguru awake and Saguru was suddenly aware of a warm arm draped over him, overlaying Kaito’s arm as well.

“Shinichi is trying to cook.” Kaito groaned as he disentangled himself from Saguru.  He slipped on a pair of lounge pants – clearly Saguru’s, as they were way too big for Kaito’s hips and pooled around his feet. Saguru moved to get up but was met with a hand on his chest, pushing him back down into the mattress.

“You finish sleeping. You know how you get when you’re sleep deprived. Plus, I think Heiji needs some company.” Kaito gave him a quick peck on the cheek before heading off to the kitchen, presumably to stop whatever atrocity was currently being cooked up by Shinichi.

It all baffled Saguru sometimes: his life now, how domestic they had become, how this crazy dream had become a reality, how well they worked together. How they’d gotten here—it was so far off now it felt like a dream. Part of him understood that they hadn’t always been like this, but it was just so damn hard to imagine the three of them not being an integral part of his life now.

By some stroke of luck, Heiji, Shinichi, Kaito, and he had all ended up at the same university. They had all studied together their first year, bouncing ideas off of each other. Even though not all of them had the same major or coursework, it was helpful. Sophomore year they had gotten an apartment together, for costs, they rationed. They all knew that was a lie, but that didn’t mean they’d admitted it. A large apartment: small bedrooms, one master bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, baths.

Unsurprisingly, Shinichi made the first move – on Heiji – that had been boiling even when Saguru had first met them. Saguru had bitten his tongue and bared the moderately loud moans coming from the master bedroom. He’d also bitten his tongue when he noticed Kuroba grow quieter as the weeks went on. He ignored it for about two weeks exactly before knocking on Kaito’s door in the middle of the night. There was light peeking out from under the door and Kaito had no reason to be up this late. The door cracked open, and Kaito, red-eyed and puffy-faced stood before him.

“Kaito,” Saguru whispered, his voice cracking halfway through, despite himself. He sounded pitiful. “What’s the matter?”

And that was how Kaito had ended up in Saguru’s bed, squeezing the life out of him and soaking the left shoulder of his nightshirt, explaining to him that he liked him, but he was confused because he also liked Shinichi…and Heiji. Saguru comforted him that night; he’d kissed his forehead and told him it was alright, that he felt the same way. But how would they tell the others? Heiji and Shinichi seemed content with what they had already. And Kuroba didn’t want to tell them, he didn’t want to burden what they had.

Saguru and Kaito had become lovers then, comforting each other, loving, settling. And they weren’t secretive about it, like Shinichi and Heiji tried to be. Both of them noticed the shift in the air then, the tense feeling permeating the apartment when they all ate together. It was Heiji that broke the silence this time.

“Ok. We’re all bein’ idiots. We gotta work whatever this is out.” Heiji sat them all down in the living room one fateful Tuesday.

“Work what out, Hattori?” Shinichi said, glaring up at Heiji, who glared back at him.

“Yer bein’ the most stupid. Quiet.” Heiji shushed, sitting down on the couch next to Shinichi, “Shinichi and I have been all jealous this whole time because y’all’ve been all over each other all the time.”

Saguru paused, he took the information in, turned it around in his mind, and almost snickered at him.

“And? Why?” He said. The words came out too bitter and he knew, but he refused to continue.

“And we’ve talked about it,” Heiji had a smile now, only to fall when Shinichi punched his arm, face a bright shade of red. “He likes both of you. I like both of you. We want to ask you if you’d join us.”

--

A while later, Saguru woke to Kaito patting his shoulder. Heiji had managed to nearly roll himself off the bed now, his head laying half on the mattress, half off. Saguru caught a fleeting smile on Kuroba’s lips.

“Dinner’s ready,” Kaito said, and Saguru took to the task of waking Heiji.

Spaghetti with Bolognese sat on the table, while little burnt bits of peppers sat discarded next to the stove. Shinichi sat at the dinner table, waiting for the rest of them, a sheepish smile on his face.  Heiji followed them in, still rubbing sleep from his eyes.

“Shinichi,” Heiji yawned, “it smells like you burnt down the kitchen again.” Shinichi chuckled nervously and Kaito burst out laughing.

“He almost did!” Kaito said, “When I got out here he was dozing off on the table and the peppers he was trying to cook had sparks coming from them.” Shinichi blushed, wringing his hands together.

“You’re one to talk, Kaito. You nearly knocked down a load-bearing wall while trying to hang up a shelf.” Heiji snorted, pointing accusingly at Kaito with his fork. Kaito laughed along with him.

“I did do that, didn’t I? But I wasn’t the one who filled the laundry room with bubbles because he overfilled the washing machine and put an entire bottle of dish soap in.” Kaito countered and everyone looked at Saguru, fondly remembering the “Laundry Incident”.

“To be fair, I had never done laundry before. Baaya-san always did it for me.”

“How did you survive living alone freshman year?” Shinichi, who was now halfway done with his second plate, asked.

“I paid my neighbor $50 per week to do it for me.” Saguru answered, gracefully twirling spaghetti around his fork.

“’Guru…..no……no….” Kaito chuckled.

“Hey, Heiji would just let his laundry pile up until Shinichi got tired of it and put them in the wash,” Saguru retorted.

“That was more out of laziness than necessity, to be honest.” Heiji said.

“You did break our first bed though.” Shinichi was smirking now, and that sent Heiji into a full-on denial rant.

“That bed was unstable from the beginning! Also, it wasn’t just me! Saguru had a hand in it as well.” Heiji huffed. Kaito patted him on the leg and smiled.

“Unfortunately, no. Saguru and I were in England when that happened, if you remember. “ Kaito continued, clearing the now empty plates from the table and putting them in the sink.

“Fine, fine.” Heiji laughed, “You got me. I suppose that’s not the worst thing I could have done.”

It was Kaito and Heiji’s turn to do the dishes. They usually tried to avoid this – pairing Heiji and Kaito together and trying to have them do literally anything productive. But tonight seemed to be starting off in the right direction, so Shinichi and Saguru settled down on the couch with the television blaring the local news channel. Fingers intertwined, resting against each other, languidly watching the newscaster freak out over every small piece of news.

“How is Ran doing?” Saguru asked, shifting a bit to let Shinichi lay his head in Saguru’s lap.

“She’s well. She and Sonoko moved in together recently and they’re having all of the ‘living together for the first time’ quarrels. He grabbed Saguru’s hand and placed it on his own forehead, “All the silly little fights, y’know? Ran is going to defend her Master’s thesis soon and she’s pretty stressed about that but I know she’ll be fine.” He closed his eyes as Saguru ran his fingertips slowly through his hair.

“I agree, if anything she’s probably over-prepared, knowing Ran.” Saguru said and Shinichi smiled.

“She really worries too much. Always has. Any updates from your various step-siblings?”

“No, but my dad and step-mom are doing alright. From what I’ve heard from them—” A loud crash resounded from the kitchen, followed by the sound of water hitting the tile floor and a fit of giggling from the two in the kitchen. Saguru sighed and Shinichi kissed the palm of his hand.

“Do you think we should go figure out what they’re doing?” Saguru asked, resting his hand on the side of his lover’s face.

“No. They’ll be fine.” Shinichi said, snuggling into Saguru further. The buzz of the television, the leftover, lingering, smell of dinner, the warmth of each other, it was hard not to lose yourself in it, Saguru thought, his eyes drifting shut.

“—OH DEAR! BREAKING NEWS FOR ALL OF YOU KAITOU KID FANS OUT THERE,” The newscaster nearly shouted, “The thief has released a new riddle and here it is…” Saguru’s eyes fluttered open and he could feel Shinichi shift in his lap, as the newscaster read off the riddle and the day the heist would take place.

“Kuroba—“ Hakuba started,

“Kaito!” Shinichi finished. The laughter in the kitchen stopped.

“Yes?” Kaito called.

“Really? A heist on your birthday? Again???” Shinichi sighed. There was a pause, followed by a guilty, “Nooo.”

“Why?” Saguru asked, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

“Why not?” Kaito called.

“Why didn’t we get a heist note?” Shinichi asked.

“It’s on Heiji’s desk.”

“Of course it is.” Heiji groaned.

“And what’s with this riddle?” Shinichi said, brows furrowed, “It makes literally no sense.”

Kaito burst into the living room, hand on his chest like he’d just been mortally insulted.

“Excuse you. It’s poetic. Ingenious, even.” Kaito scoffed, plopping down onto the couch next to Shinichi’s feet.

“Yeah, yeah. Sure you’re not running out of ideas?” Saguru smiled, running his fingers through Shinichi’s hair once again. As Kaito huffed out a speech about how they were all clearly lacking in knowledge of classic European poetry, Saguru closed his eyes and laid his head back on the couch-back.    

[mintchocolateleaves]

You wrote an experimentation quite a while ago with kaito x everyone and holy shit dude, it was amazing. If you don't mind can you do it with another character x everyone? I don't mind which character because I love them all and it'll always be interesting, like Ran looking for a substitute to who she's waiting for, or perhaps a rarer character like kazuha? I honestly don't mind who, and I hope you find the inspiration to write it xx

Hey Anon, I hope that this as an experimentation is around what you meant? I chose Ran. And I hope you enjoy it, because as many issues as I have with it, I also kind of really enjoyed writing it! :D

-

“You think you got everybodyfooled don’t you?”

-

Kazuhais the first.

Theirsis a whirlwind romance, which spans an entire train journey, brief but not anyless for how quickly it ends. Both of them travelling on the Kodama train, fourhours from Tokyo to Osaka.

They’realone, which is probably the only reason why. In the recess of their own traincompartment – private, just for them,somehow they’re so lucky – they lose themselves in one another.

“Whatabout Kudo-kun?” Kazuha whispers, and a jolt of something sparks down her spine, an electrical impulse that forcesRan to lift her hand up and shush Kazuha, pulling her nearer, bodies close, herhands roaming, searching, exploring.

Kazuhadoes not stop her. In fact, when Ran leans back, as if acknowledging Hattoriand the boundaries that make them unable to pursue this kind of moment, sheurges her on.

“Whathappens on this train ride,” Kazuha says, “is just between us.”

Rannods, smiles. And with too many buttons undone to be considered anything butimproper, she pushes Kazuha down against the seats, offers a grin and says, “thisis everything and nothing.”

And thatis what it is.

For fourhours, it is everything, and as soon as they step off the train, it meansnothing.

-

“But not me, Ran,

I’ve known you too long.”

-

The nextlasts a little longer than four hours.

This onelast months.

Sonokois Ran’s best friend, and the thing with best friends is sometimes you canoverthink and wonder if there is more there. And well, yes, maybe Ran’scompletely horrible because Sonoko has Makoto,but Makoto is not here and she is.

And Sonokodoes not seem to mind.

She isan innocent soul, someone that Ran doesn’t question the motives of, simply curlsinto during sleepovers, ankles wrapped around each other, face nuzzled in toSonoko’s neck.

It’snice, and they share the company, hearts intertwined while Ran places chaste kissesinto Sonoko’s collarbone, never going lower, never crossing that boundary.

“What aboutShinichi?” Sonoko whispers, one night as Ran wraps them both together in ablanket, the two of them sitting too close, watching each other’s lips for silentacceptance.

“I love you,” Ran whispers, as if that’sexplanation enough. “Not him.”

And maybeMakoto will come back soon, and maybe it’s a lie, but it’s what they both wantto hear, want to believe if only for a little while.

-

“And no matter how hard you tryto deny it,

I can tell you care as much abouthim as he cares about you.”

-

Thethird is in the spur of the moment.

See,that’s the kind of person Hattori Heiji is. He acts in the heat of the moment, actsbefore he thinks things through, and maybe Ran’s a little similar in that sensebut that’s just who they are.

The Osakanis visiting – he’d been hoping to catch Conan for a day out, but Conan’s withthe professor – and it’s just the two of them, both reeling from bad days.

Therehad been a case. That’s usually how things progress with detectives, and maybethey’re both seeking comfort from the brutality of it, wanting to convincethemselves of the good in the world.

But oneminute they are just sat talking, and the next there is a distinct lack ofclothes, hands setting Ran’s skin alight.

It is asif for a few hours, they don’t need to think about dropping boundaries, aboutopening up, and it is peaceful. Comforting that even with everything they’veseen they can still open up.

Just onenight.

“Fuck,”Heiji says the next morning, when they’ve both woken up, and he’s searching forclothes, “what have I – you an’ Kudo?”

Ran sitsup, and feels her cheeks redden. Of course – this is Shinichi’s friend, not hers, and of course it’s going to get backto him now.

“There’snothing between Shinichi and I,” Ran says, lifting the covers up around her andresisting the urge to hide away. “But you and Kazuha…”

Theyboth pale at that. Heiji zips up his jeans. He sees the lie, deduces the reasonbehind it, and thankfully decides to stay quiet.

“Itstays between us,” Ran says, “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

(Heleaves in a hurry, doesn’t even have the time to say hello to Conan, who’s onhis way in.)

-

“So admit that you love him,

And I know that you do.”

-

Perhaps it’sbecause he’s so flattering that Ran tests the waters with Eisuke.

He’s clumsyin person, and that carries through to how he acts when trying to be romanticbut Ran smiles and waits and enjoys his company anyway. When they kiss, theirforeheads always clash together before their lips can.

Andsometimes, when he goes to lean over, he trips and they’re in compromisingsituations, but Ran welcomes it, because these flustered expression’s – well,she’s never received them before.

(A voicein her head says that another detective she knows would grow extremelyflustered as well, but she always smothers it.)

He is clumsywith his words too, and Ran can see it in every interaction. And maybe sometimesit’s a little irritating, watching him stumble over the words, but mostly it’sflattering.

All too pleasantuntil Eisuke takes a step back and says he’s going back to America. Then, itfeels like he’s just been nervous, awaiting some sort moment where he feels comfortableenough to let Ran know that he’s going.

And Rancalls him on it.

Why didshe have to tell him at the last moment, rather than as soon as he’s found out.Why couldn’t she prepare herself for missing him. She spends the night outragedonce he has gone, because he gives no warning.

Lookslike he did learn something from Shinichi after all. Eisuke always had beenwanting to meet him.

-

“That little persistent kid hassomehow gotten in under the wire.”

-

Dangerous.

That’swhat Sera Masumi is.

Ran walksa tightrope when it comes to Sera. The girl grabs hold of her heart, tells herthat Kudo be damned, if he’s not herethen I’m going to make you mine, and rips the organ straight out of herchest.

Which,sounds violent, but for once Ran’s alright with someone else holding onto herheart. Even if it does mean that sometimes she wakes up with a hole whereShinichi used to be, Sera makes up for it.

Mostly, anyway.

She’sanother detective, and God, what is it with Ran always falling for detectives, because she is. She’sfalling for Sera ever so slightly, and it’s wonderful because the times shespends wishing for Shinichi are starting to dwindle down, less thought over.

And thenSonoko goes and ruins it all. She whispers, “hey, isn’t Sera kind of like Shinichi?”

And Ranstarts to realise the similarities. They’re both eager for mysteries – Sera disappearssometimes, seeks out cases where there shouldn’t be any… So much that Ran hadn’tthought about goes noticed.

And wow,isn’t this dangerous? Tiptoeing so far, not knowing how far she could fall, howbroken she will leave herself when Sera takes the similarities too much andjust disappears.

LikeEisuke. Like Shinichi.

Rancloses her eyes, cuts the tightrope and holds on for dear life even as shefalls. And then, she steals back her heart, places it back in her chest cavityand hopes the palpitations aren’t going to be permanent.

-

“And that’s what’s happened, huh?”

-

Perhaps it’sonly natural that when she steals her own heart back, a thief appears ready to stealit for himself.

KIDarrives in her life, and Ran knows that he could be anyone, wear any face butthere’s only really one that she wants to see. And it’s not fair on either ofthem but Ran forces it.

KID pretendsto be someone he’s not.

And he’sa good copy, but at the end of the day, he’s only a duplicate, not the realversion, and it’s frustrating for them both. And Ran starts to get confused, wonderswhether pretending is the same as believing and maybe–

She doesnot mind being together with Kaitou KID.

Clotheson or off, she captures him in her embrace, curls up around him. She pulls himinto her, lets him take what Shinichi never would, and pretends until shebelieves.

And it’sas she begins to believe this is as good as the real thing that KID asks,

“Butwhat about me?”

Randoesn’t know what he’s talking about, but as soon as he asks it, she seems torealise that he’s finished. What’s between them is fake, and maybe he’s grown tiredof it, but he’s ready to move on to a new role, one that doesn’t include playingthe part of detective.

And Ran’sleft, wondering why pretending seems so comforting, up until the moment someonebrushes the illusion away.

-

“Admit the truth–”

-

He comesback.

The realversion, Shinichi.

And thereis not as much of him as there was before. He’s missing some part of himself, andyes, he’s gained some more, but he is altogether different to how he used tobe, and part of Ran is scared by that.

Is shesimply in love with the idea of him, or the real version?

Shedoesn’t know anymore.

“I’vewaited for you,” Shinichi whispers, “even when I thought you didn’t want me anymore.”

So, he knows.Ran doesn’t know how to feel about that. Glad, mostly, that she won’t have to lieto him.

“And Iwill continue to wait.” Ran shudders at the sound of his voice, broken, butsomehow unwilling to give up. “But only if there’s a reason to continuewaiting.”

And now,Ran really looks at him. Even now, he’s like a ghost. Physically, he’s here. Butthere is some element to him that is missing – there’s an absence of light inhis eyes. He’s been waiting, but somewhere along the way, he’d realised thatRan had given up.

Randoesn’t like the thought of being someone to give up.

“It hurtsto wait,” she whispers, and Shinichi nods. He doesn’t smile, doesn’t offer anythingother than quiet understanding.

“But I will,”Shinichi says. And for a moment, just onemoment, there’s a light in his eyes again. “If you’ll wait with me too.”

Ranbites her lip. And she says, “why do we need to keep waiting for each other, we’reboth right here, aren’t we?”

(And the light goes out.)

-

“You love him, don’t you?”

[basic-baka]

Characters Having Agency (Part Yuri On Ice!)

i’m probably poking at a hornet’s nest at this point about it but i have a lot of feelings regarding the latest interview kubo gave (especially regarding the rings from episode 10). i’m only using this translation. also this is essentially the more coherent version of this twitter thread i made earlier.

and if you’re here to send me hate, i expect you to send me spite money so you can get a response from me. my time is valuable and i just really want to get this off my chest.

one of the biggest problem i’ve had with yuri on ice is the treatment of victor and how people laud him for being an ‘amazing’ character but then kubo says this in this interview:

Kubo: In the course of writing this story, even I found myself wondering just what kind of person Victor is. From about episode 4, together with Yūri, I started taking a peek into Victor. It was like I was trying to grasp something that I still couldn’t see… Even as I was writing Victor, I was often caught up in those kinds of feelings. In that sense, you could say that Victor is a character that moved and grew together with the anime as a whole.

i get it. i’m currently writing my own series and, of course, my characters aren’t exactly fully written out. however, there comes a problem when even by episode 4, people still didn’t know who victor was. allegations of him being abusive to yuuri were argued and debated about since the series’ beginning.

the problem is that: we don’t know who victor is. we know him as yuuri’s idol. we know him as a playboy (although he seems to be fully enamored by yuuri from the beginning), sort of. we know he’s the number one skater in the world because he’s spent years ice skating. but... there’s a massive problem with victor’s “character”: his whole world revolves around yuuri. he has no hopes, dreams, NOTHING besides yuuri’s.

now you might go, “okay, but cut kubo some slack! this is her first series!”

even if this is her first series, that doesn’t mean she shouldn’t put effort into it. and you’re also wrong: this may be her first series with two male leads, but she’s no stranger to this trope:

337 Biyooshi!!:  By all the usual measures, he could be considered a pretty useless guy: a scholastic failure, an athletic disaster, and a chronic loser... But Fukuda Shinichi has one passion: cheering for others! The 18-year-old captain of North Kanto Southern High's Cheerleading squad decides to make the most of his summer by attending cram school in Tokyo, only to find out that the whole trip was a sham! Things are looking up when he and his friend meet up with two cute Tokyo girls; too bad the girls brought them to a rip-off bar and took off! Ditched by his one remaining friend and stuck with an impossibly high bar bill, Fuku-kun's life couldn't get any worse! But just then he gets saved by Ume, his role model and former cheerleading squad captain! What is he doing in Tokyo... and why does everyone around seem to know and respect him? Without anywhere else to go, Fuku-kun decides follow Ume to his job, only to discover that... he's a male gigolo?!? Fukuda's summer of cheering others on has begun... and the streets of Tokyo's red-light district will never be the same!

Again:  Imamura Kinichiro reluctantly wakes up one day to attend his high school graduation. He'd made no friends in high school and joined no clubs. Everyone was afraid of him, due to his long blond hair and surly attitude. Reflecting on his awful high school years, he remembers a girl from the Japanese cheering squad that he saw in the welcome ceremony three years ago. Searching for the old cheering squad's clubroom, he accidentally startles a classmate, causing them both to fall down a flight of stairs... When he wakes up, it's the morning of his first day of high school, three years ago. As he confusedly goes through his day, he's able to correct a lot of the mistakes he made the first time around, such as actually interacting with the cheering squad girl, Usami Yoshiko! But did he really travel in time, or is this all just a dream he's having while his body is lying unconscious somewhere? Could he really have the chance to go through his high school years again?

Moteki:  One day, Fujimoto, a 29-year-old lonely temp worker, suddenly receives a surge of calls and e-mails all at once from the women connected to his past. That's right, he's finally hit popularity, something which comes only once in a lifetime for everyone! Feeling elated, Fujimoto decides to meet them one after the other... but things aren't always what they seem.

IF YOU READ ALL OF THAT, GOOD ON YOU. i don’t blame you if you skipped that.

a lot of her basic premises has to do with guys who are suddenly really popular and have “anxiety” for dealing with popularity much like yuuri. and like yuuri, there’s a certain admirer or two who attach themselves to the main characters for one reason or another, our victor.

yuri on ice! is her first male/male lead series, as you can tell, she usually writes about heterosexual couples. but because of her homophobic tweet, this made me think that kubo really didn’t expect the fandom, especially the western fandom, to explode as it did. i joked about this on twitter that she’s using this fame to inflate her ego because so many fans are blowing smoke up her ass. it happens to the best of us. i don’t fault her for enjoying a surge of popularity.

what i do fault her though is her insistence that victor has any agency. in the episode, yuri buys the rings and gives one to victor in a fucking church and didn’t seem to want to deny that they were, essentially, good luck charms rather than engagement rings. as i mentioned before, victor’s world revolves yuuri despite having a pet of his own, his own apartment, his own career even. his character starts and ends with yuuri.

ask any fan of the series and they would tell you that victor loves yuuri with all his heart and wants nothing more than to be with him. but... kubo couldn’t let victor have that. by her saying the rings were good luck charms (paraphrasing) basically takes away what little victor had left: his love for yuuri is apparently completely platonic.

there’s a reason why i don’t like “word of god”. if it’s not in the story, especially if it’s fumbled as it is with this series, then it’s not official. that “kiss” is still up in the air for me, quite honestly. just because people can say it’s a kiss or a hug doesn’t make it so. it could be, but there’s also evidence it couldn’t be. the stupid censorship prevents me from making any conclusions. and yes, i would say this for a heterosexual couple. however, my point being, because the “word of god” in this instance is a means to take away his agency...it frustrates me.

she literally says she doesn’t know victor and went with what “he” wants but then turns around and say, “nah, their relationship isn’t romantic” essentially. and that’s extremely frustrating.

one of the main reasons why the finale of yuri on ice frustrates me so much is, the culmination of taking away victor’s agency. he had state a few episodes ago he had no interest in skating anymore. the main conflict at this point is gone: victor doesn’t want to come back.

the main conflict now: will yuuri or yuri win the gold? are victor and yuuri actually a couple?

that finale basically made it a “will you be my coach now and forever?” and victor goes back into skating because it fucking pleases yuuri. then what was that inner monologue for it? it was pointless!

one of the major arguments/debates within the fandom was whether or not the couple victor/yuuri abusive? i say no, because victor isn’t a character.

he’s literally cutout piece to fawn over yuuri when yuuri doesn’t ant to fawn over himself.

as a writer, especially as a new one, you’re going to fuck up and make shit characters. i have my own share that’s for fucking sure. however, the difference is that i see what i fuck up on, learn from it, and improve the character. KUBO HASN’T. from her summaries up above alone, she’s a very static writer and would rather play with tropes than create an interesting story.

of course, not all the characters you make at first will be shit - so long as you understand this: characters need to have agency. you’re creating literal creatures (however imaginary) with more than just looks, likes, and dislikes. why do they like that? why do they dislike it? why do they look the way they do?

you’re creating their story and what makes the characters themselves you’re giving them the agency to basically introduce themselves just how you would introduce yourself to someone new.

these feelings of mine doesn’t just apply to victor of course but characters like him and a character i especially liked from sword art online: asuna.

this video goes into detail about characters having agency and he uses nana as example of how to do it right (video contains series spoilers).

victor, for the sake of this post, has no agency of his own and it’s troubling because all he has is potential when he’s supposed to be the best. being the best isn’t the end of. people always wanna improve themselves (or not). what annoys me is that people act that victor is a well-written character but he’s not. it’s clear he was made up on the spot and there’s no real love behind his characterization. 

he’s barely a character. he’s barely human. even if this world is free from discrimination and hate, humans are not. humans will fuck up because that’s what we do best. this is one of the reasons why people don’t like mary sues/gary stus: agency is being taken away and ends up having little to no conflict.

LET YOUR CHARACTERS FUCK UP OTHERWISE YOU WON’T HAVE A STORY.

and you know what? i feel bad for gary stus/mary sues because they have to be perfect all the time. take kirito for example: this guy isn’t allowed to make any mistakes and that’s awful because he’s not allow to grow. the writer isn’t allowed to grow, and instead, is forced to break his world’s rules that’s already established even more just to prove how much of a badass he is.

my point being: let you characters grow and move. one of the biggest problem with the japanese story telling style is that the world is not allowed to move unless the main character deems it. you need to at least set some ground rules for your world before you can introduce new characters to it.

there’s a reason why i like certain characters that most people don’t: they have their own reasons for being the way they are. sure, it’s relatable mostly but i love the characters more who are more independent and are capable of making their own decisions and learn (or not) from it and why.

my favorite question while creating a character is why. if i can’t answer that question, then i try something else. and that’s why i’m especially frustrated by this.

congrats if you made it all the way down here.

[trouvelle]

Emogust 15.08 — Twisted Fairytale

A/N: I don’t know if I twisted this right! As always, its KaiAo and HeiKazu and (mentioned) ShinRan. I’ve been longing to write something about Kaito and someone else aside from Aoko, Saguru, Shinichi, etc. So here ya go, platonic KaiZuha! :D Also idk the thought of him losing his cool is just overall comedic @mintchocolateleaves @sup-poki

"Fear not, for I am here to rescue you from your deadly slumber!" exclaims Kaito in triumph as he stands at the foot of the tower with one foot up on a tree stump, his dashing white cape billowing majestically in the breeze.

He’s not exactly expecting anything, but he certainly isn’t expecting a response. So when a girl with her hair up in a ponytail soon pokes her head out the window while stifling a yawn, he is majorly shocked.

"...Who are you?" shouts the girl in response, staring down at him with an eyebrow raised. 

Kaito flinches as he takes in the sight of his princess, who has been known worldwide as Sleeping Beauty, but is very much awake. "Uh," he says lamely while squinting up at the window, "You're already awake?"

 "Of course—I wake up every morning," she deadpans. "I've been doing that for the past eighteen years, in fact. Is there supposed to be something wrong with that?"

"Oh, good Lord, the spell was broken that early?" Kaito frowns, positively bewildered. "Does this mean… another prince got here earlier than me?"

"Well, I haven’t been getting any visitors at all, but Mother comes to visit once in a while. Actually, I shouldn't even be talking to strangers. Who the hell are you, anyway?" the girl questions warily.

"I should be asking you the same question," Kaito sighs in exasperation. "In fact, I have a lot more to ask. If you don't mind, I'll be coming up now. We need to talk."

Φ

He proceeds to spend the next half hour inching his way up the side of the tower with the help of a grappling hook fashioned from some rope and the metal frame of his father's old parasol, as the ponytailed princess watches rather amusedly from the window. (Wait, why is he even carrying his father's parasol again?) 

Just as Kaito clambers onto the window sill, panting, the girl lunges at him and yanks him inwards into the tower, knocking him to the floor with an impressive martial art-like move and pinning him down with all her body weight.

"What the hell?" Kaito gasps, completely taken aback. "Is that really necessary? I'm here to rescue you!" 

The girl leans down to take a good look at his face, still keeping a strong hold and him. He curses Fate for giving him such a violent princess. 

"Oh, I'm sorry," She finally says after a rather long and awkward stare-down. She lets go of Kaito and stands up, dusting her skirt, looking a little sheepish. "It's just that...I've never had anyone aside from Mother in my tower before, it's a little... intimidating. Had to make sure you weren't going to kill me or anything." She adds, "Plus, I have a lot of spare time up here, so I've been practicing aikido."

Kaito winces as he slowly gets up from the floor, rubbing his elbows and knees. "That was a bit of an overreaction, if you ask me. Anyway, now that you know I'm not out to assassinate you, I'm Kaito, otherwise known as Prince of the Moonlight. And judging by the look on your face right now, you don't like the second name, so just call me Kaito."

"Very well. I'm Kazuha, but you might’ve heard people use my birth name—Rapunzel. Why do you need to rescue me, anyway?"

He vaguely gestures to the room they’re in. And for the first time, he notices her hair. More specifically, the length of her hair. It’s literally in a loop, occupying each corners of the room. "Well, I was sent here to rescue a sleeping princess, but right now, I'm just thoroughly confused by everything. And why the hell is your hair that long anyway? Your head must weigh a ton!”

She wisely chooses to ignore his last remarks. "Oh, Princess Aurora, you mean? Although we don’t call her that here, we call her Ran, because Aurora is a little bit too twisty of a word. She's in the next kingdom. I believe you've come to search in the wrong place." There's amusement written all over Kazuha's face at this point.

“No—wait. Sleeping Beauty is the princess that Prince Shinichi is tasked to find. I’m supposed to rescue the princess from the kingdom of Far Far Away, who like, transform as a human only between sunrise and sunset. If I remember correctly, her birth name is Fiona or something.” exclaims Kaito in desperation.

Kazuha walks to the window—the only window in her whole tower room, and points at the greenery even further away. “Then I think you’re looking for Princess Aoko!”

“What’s up with you princesses and your code names? Honestly you’re confusing me even more.” Kaito shakes his head in despair. Aurora, Ran. Fiona, Aoko. And what was Kazuha’s birth name again?

“That’s kind of the goal here, actually. We have to come up with a plan to throw off the bad guys. It’s worked pretty well so far! People come here bellowing things like ‘We’re here to kidnap you, Rapunzel’ and I simply tell them that I’m Kazuha, not Rapunzel. They’d always leave feeling very confused.” She laughs, obviously proud of her own accomplishment.

“Makes sense. So about Princess Aoko—”

“Right! She’s the only one who becomes an ogress during nighttime.”

“Ogress?!”

Kazuha laughes lightly. She’s having fun teasing this strange prince with his equally strange, messy hair. “Nope, I was joking. It’s just that she has poor eyesight, so she doesn’t really venture out during the night. Also, her tower is two more kingdoms over in that direction.”

"Are you kidding me?!" Kaito continues to talk to himself as he takes out his map to check his location. He proceeds to pull out his monocle from his breast pocket and puts it over his right eye to get a good look at his map. "I must’ve gotten the wrong map. Didn’t even notice it when it got switched. What kingdom are we in anyway? ... This is why I should start wearing my monocle more often."

Kazuha can see how compatible Aoko and Kaito would be. Heck, Kaito even has his own set of monocle. She wonders why Aoko is so adamant about revealing the fact about her eyesight to anyone.

Kaito rubs his temples. "I am so, royally, screwed. How am I supposed to reach there in a week? It took me a whole month to even get here!"

Kazuha honestly doesn't know what to say to this, so she just leans against the windowsill, tapping her foot while Kaito paces back and forth, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he thinks and thinks. 

“The Council of Kings won’t be pleased.” He murmurs to himself, angry at how he could’ve gotten his map switched. And to think that he’s not even a real prince! He’s just a thief with big ambitions, following in his father’s footsteps as the renowned KID. If the Kings find out that he’s failed his mission and the fact that he’s not a prince, he’s doomed to spend the rest of his life in a dungeon.

Kazuha woefully suggests, rubbing her eyes in an act of weariness. “Listen, I have an idea. Why don’t I just go back with you, and when we meet the other prince and your supposed princess, we can switch places. Aoko and I are pretty close, we often send letters to each other. I’m sure she will understand. Hm?”

"That might actually work, provided if Princess Aoko and whoever rescues her don’t get the castle first before we do." He agrees a little reluctantly.

"It’s settled then!" Kazuha cheers adorably, excitement very evident in her voice. “I’ve never been out of this tower before. Mother always says that the outside is full of evil and selfish people, but look at how it’s just so, so beautiful out there.”

Kaito smiles back at her. He’s heard that out of the three Tower Princesses, Rapunzel is the one who has been in the tower the longest, since she was taken away when she’s still a baby. “It is,” He agrees, making his way to the door, “I can guarantee you that you’re gonna love it.”

“Wait, Kaito! This tower doesn't have any stairs, in case you didn't know.”

"Okay. Easy, no worries. I have my most trusty grappling hook for us to use." He says with a dismissive wave of his hand. Years of being a thief gave him experience in climbing and maneuvering. He walks over to the window sill, peering outside. The grappling hook lies on the grass below.

“On second thoughts… you were saying something about no stairs?"

There’s a brief moment of silence as Kaito slumps his shoulders forward, like he’s giving up dealing with his life at this point. Seriously, when he volunteered for the Tower Princesses Rescue Mission, he didn’t think it’s going to be this challenging.

Kazuha sighs. "That’s what my hair is for.”

She joins him by the windowsill and attempts to throw her hair off her right shoulder and down the side of the tower. She’s pulling and pulling, and pulling, then pushing and pushing and pushing. And as Kaito watches in awe, he can’t help but notice how her hair seems to have a life of its own. Her hair is superbly smooth and silky, and he simply slides down with ease.

Far better than using his grappling hook.

“Also, your prince is a total dumbass. Good luck—you’re gonna need it when you finally meet him.” 

For what it’s worth, he thinks, this Princess is quite entertaining. Their journey back will be fun.

Part II

[mintchocolateleaves]

Cost of Freedom (23/52)

Summary: In which two wanted criminals decide it’s a good idea to attempt a break in to Tokyo’s police headquarters. Prison!AU

[Beginning]     [Previous Chapter]     [Next Chapter]

8.14 p.m

"He's hiding something."

Aoko crosses her arms over her stomach as they finally leave the police station behind, glancing over at Ran with stiff shoulders and a steady frown. She hasn't said much after they'd finished watching the interviews, had only offered the smallest opinion that Kudo doesn't seem wholly innocent, but she has been gathering information of her own.

From beside her, Ran purses her lips, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. She doesn't comment at first, but when Aoko refuses to elaborate, she offers a short 'who?'.

"Hattori-kun." Aoko can't help but look back at the Osakan from where he's getting into a taxi for the evening with Toyama, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

She doesn't know what's off, exactly, but she's not stupid and it's not easy for people to fool her. Kaito, she thinks, is the only exception, and that's because he's KID. "Aoko doesn't think he's being entirely truthful."

"What makes you think that?" Ran asks. She sounds distant, almost as if she's still caught up on the interviews they've watched, trying to process the words Kudo had said. Aoko doesn't blame her, not really - even she's a little put off by the delusional words she'd heard, the borderline hysteria that had crept into Kudo's voice as the interview had proceeded.

"Aoko asked him when he last saw Kudo-kun," she pauses, takes a moment to sort the words in her head, "and he told Aoko when they'd last visited. Doesn't Ran-chan find this suspicious?"

They cross the road, having both made a unspoken agreement to walk to Kudanshita station with one another, and Aoko holds her breath, waiting for the response. She's not Hakuba, she knows she's hardly detective material, but she is normally a good judge of character.

"I admit it's strange..." Ran trails off. She doesn't sound wholly convinced that it's anything, and Aoko finds irritation building in her stomach - it'd been obvious when he'd talked that Hattori had spoken that he's a poor liar, and so he'd evaded questions and given them half-truths instead. "But-"

"Aoko thinks that he's seen both Kudo-kun and Kaito recently," Aoko says, skipping over the cracks in the pavement. She feels strangely animated beside Ran. "Aoko thinks that why Hattori-kun made sure not to show up on official reports, because he didn't want to be linked fully. What if he helped-"

Ran shakes her head now, glancing over in disbelief. She says, "if that was the case, then he wouldn't have told everyone he'd visited in the first place."

"But-"

"And anyway," Ran adjusts her bag, pulls at her jumped so that the fabric doesn't ruffle beneath the strap, "Saguru-kun and I phoned him early this morning, at the exact time Shinichi and Kuroba-kun escaped. Hattori-kun, he has an alibi."

Aoko closes her mouth and thinks of alibis. She thinks of the time she'd tried to prove that Kaito wasn't KID to her dad, and how he'd found a way despite being beside her, to commit a crime - she reckons it was during the film. He had been unusually quiet during it, hadn't given her his usual commentary on it.

Either way, she knows that alibi's aren't concrete, that they can be faked and staged.

"Maybe Aoko's just reading too much into it," she says, offering the other girl a smile. "It's probably nothing."

Except, it doesn't seem like something she wants to drop. Wariness fills her, and she can't help but bite down on her lip, wondering whether it'd be foolish to let another one of her suspicions drop because she's supposed to be trusting others.

"Aoko will take your word for it." She lies.

The following day

"You're certain this will work?" Shinichi asks as they're readying themselves to go to the police station. Kaito's barely talked to him all morning, too busy finishing up the disguises they're going to wear, adjusting the suit he's forced Shinichi to try on twice now.

He'd made the masks yesterday, after a short conversation with Heiji, and is waiting to put the finishing touches on, a bit of concealer to smoothen the edges and make it look more realistic, the creases of laugh lines beneath the eyes.

"Very," he hums, taking the suits cuff and sewing it so that it will fall from Shinichi's wrist in just the right way. He's only working from pictures he's seen from pictures he's found online, but the suit isn't going to be difficult to make, and he's certain Shinichi can pull it off. "I happen to be very skilled at what I do."

"Right." Shinichi says, dryly. Kaito feels tempted to just stab him with the needle he's holding, but he decides it's probably best not to. "Why don't you just steal their clothes like you used to during heists?"

"I'm used to the pressure," he says, cutting off left over thread once the cuff is correct, "so I can get changed quickly and apply masks with no difficulty. But you? You'd take too long. So we're going to show up in the disguises, except the masks of course."

"I wouldn't." Shinichi protests.

"Unless you only take ten seconds to change and throw on your mask," Kaito says, moving the the other sleeve, "you're too slow. And we don't want to waste a second."

Shinichi sighs. Then, from across the room, where he is throwing other clothes into a bag - the one's Kaito has left out for him - he stretches, lets out a groan.

He says, "I still feel guilty about this."

"Why?"

"We're stealing someone's... we're stealing identities, I... I don't know, something about it just doesn't feel right." He zips up the bag, lets out a sigh, sitting down on the sofa. The room doesn't have much in the form of furniture, only has a futon and couch. (Shinichi had insisted Kaito sleep on the futon. Kaito hadn't objected.)

Kaito hums in response, not overly empathetic.

"Doesn't it bother you?" Shinichi asks after a pause, gaze burning into the back of Kaito's head. The other sleeve finished, Kaito moves to his own disguise, picking up a skirt and adjusting it to so that it will make his hips appear wider when he puts it on.

"Why would it?" Kaito clicks his tongue, shakes his head. "I rather enjoy it actually."

"I'm questioning your mental state."

"You wouldn't be the first," Kaito laughs, and places the skirt back onto the futon where he's laid both disguises out. "What time is it...?"

Shinichi glances at the mobile phone, nods his head. "Almost 7 a.m."

"Good," Kaito says. He stretches out his arms, tries to relieve his bones of the ache that comes with sitting hunched over for hours, "the police records said that they're scheduled for a 9 a.m shift. If we catch the Shinjuku line then it'll take us twenty minutes to get to the station... You know them both, are they type to show up early?"

Shinichi nods, making his way over to the futon to grab his suit. "The last time I saw them, they had a habit of being at least fifteen minutes early."

"We need to be in the car park before them, so let's get there ten minutes earlier. If we aim to be at the station car park for half past eight..."

Another nod. Shinichi says, "I'll go get ready then."

Heiji wakes to the sound of his phone alarm.

Across the room, Kazuha lets out a groan and tells him to turn it off. Half asleep, Heiji leans across to his phone and presses snooze. He doesn't really want to get up, which is strange, considering how he's normally a early riser, but he pushes himself up anyway, thinking that he'll need to make contact with Kudo and Kuroba before they head to the station.

The time says it's half past seven - he'd promised Hakuba and the others that he'd meet up with them at around ten a.m, but with his knowledge of the plan Kuroba and Kudo have put together, he's wants to get there by nine a.m.

Glancing over at Kazuha, he lets out a sigh, and grabs his clothes to get changed. As soon as he's ready, he kicks the end of her futon, telling him that he's gonna head to the police station.

"Yer gonna leave me in Tokyo by myself?" Kazuha grumbles, sitting up. She rubs at her eyes. "Ahou, give me ten minutes, we'll go together."

Heiji loves Kazuha, he does, and maybe it'd taken him a while to realise it, but right now, he really doesn't want her to join him at the police station. Even if she's only going to sit on her phone - Heiji needs to be able to talk on the phone to two wanted criminals, and it's going to be nigh impossible if Kazuha comes with him.

Either way, he doesn't beg her to stay behind. It'd be too suspicious, and if he asks, it'll only cause Kazuha to grow more stubborn.

"Hurry up then." He grumbles, "Don't wanna be late."

He doesn't explain that the thing he doesn't want to be late for it the break in of two escaped convicts.

"You're at the police station now?" Kaito asks, phone pressed to his ear as he stands in the stairwell leading up from the car park into the police station.

Shinichi is also leaning against the wall, Kaito having recently helped him put on his mask when they'd first stepped foot into the stairwell.

"Yeah," Hattori says on the other side of the phone. "Kazuha and I just got here. I'm in th' bathroom at th' sec, so I can't talk long... But I'll have ta ditch her in a minute."

Kaito nods, glances around the wall into the car park and notices the car they're waiting for - a Mazda RX-7. He smiles, turns back to Shinichi, offering him a thumbs up.

"We have to head off as well." Kaito says, "call us as soon as you're inside the CCTV room, alright?"

On the other side of the phone, he hears a grumble of 'I can't believe I'm doin' this.' before a sharp inhale. Hattori says, 'alright', before hanging up, the line going dead against his ear. Kaito throws the phone to Shinichi, who pockets it, before pulling something out of his own pocket.

Shinichi narrows his eyes.

Kaito glances as two detectives get out of the car, one of them holding two coffees. When Shinichi opens his mouth, Kaito shakes his head, hisses 'catch the coffee, okay?'

And then, they wait - what only takes two minutes, lasts what feels like a lifetime. One of the detectives calls out 'go on ahead of me, I need to grab these files'. Footsteps echo in Kaito's ears, adrenaline pumping through his blood, burning against his veins.

Waiting is agonising.

Excitement builds in his stomach, and Kaito grins because the stakes are high and he's always loved dabbling with danger. Aoko had called him an adrenaline junkie once, back before he'd become KID, back when he showed her every daring magic trick he'd thought up. Playing with fire and heights, with swords and throwing knives had made him feel a little like a circus act, but there had been magic there too.

They'd made a deal after the first magic trick - one that had included a tank of water and handcuffs he'd strapped to himself. Every idea he'd had, Kaito had to run by Aoko first - He told her, she had to tell him whether he could do it or not.

("Does Kaito really want to risk everything for this trick though?" She'd asked him, once. Usually, it would make him say no, because he hadn't wanted to worry Aoko - she was his final trick, the trick he used to avoid doing dangerous things. Mainly because he hadn't had the nerve to tell her that he'd wanted to do anything that involved overcoming what might destroy him.)

Then he'd become KID, and the responsibility of being told not to do dangerous things had fallen to Jii. And it had always been easier to ignore Jii on subjects like danger.

Without anyone to hold him in check, he's almost giddy. He's burning up, too much energy swimming around him.

Kaito wants to act.

He doesn't want to be stuck in his head, waiting for all of the action. He wants to feel the rush he'd felt when they'd escaped yesterday morning.

The second he sees the shadow approaching the entrance to the stairwell, Kaito readies himself to move. As soon as he sees the man's shoes, he pulls draws himself up, grabs hold of the beige suit the detective wears and slips around behind him.

"Hello Detective Takagi," Kaito says, voice mimicking Detective Sato Miwako's. He brings his spare hand up to Takagi Wataru's mouth, smothers any potential complaints, before pushing the taser he'd brought along with him from their previous escape into the detective's shoulder.

A crack of electricity. Takagi convulses, fingers going loose on the coffee's he's been holding. Shinichi reaches forward, catches the cups before they can fall, before leaning back. He looks the perfect image of the detective, down to the loose button on his jacket.

"I hope you don't mind if we borrow your identity for a little while."

[mintchocolateleaves]

55 for the writing prompt please! ShinRan!

You’d think with a prompt like this, it would be fluff. Nope.

#55 - ‘I fell in love with my best friend.’

Sometimes, dreams can be painful without turning into nightmares.

Ran knows, because sometimes, her dreams are better than reality. When she closes her eyes, she can forget that her parents have fallen out of love with one another - she can forget that Shinichi is gone, and that her father drinks too much.

In her dreams, Shinichi walks her home that day at Tropical Land.

In Ran’s dreams he turns to her and says that he loves her, tells her, ’I fell in love with my best friend’, and he stays. There is no confession in London, because he is in Japan with her, and he confesses in a classroom when they are on cleaning duty.

But these are just dreams.

When she wakes up, her home is devoid of a mother, there are empty beer cans on the floor, and Shinichi is still gone. She wonders if he is travelling the world, solving cases without returning home in between.

She wonders if she should phone him and ask. Although, it’s late and she doesn’t actually know whether he’ll answer the phone. Often he forgets to answer, or is too busy to talk for long. No matter how many times she asks, Shinichi doesn’t tell her what’s going on with the case he’s on. Apparently it’s too sensitive Apparently it’s too complicated.

Still, she hasn’t heard his voice in a while, and even though it’s five a.m, she wants to talk with him, at least for a little while. If he’s asleep and she wakes him up? Well, it’s the least he deserves for making her worry so much about him

He’s an idiot.

The first call goes to answer phone, but Ran knows that she doesn’t need to call a second time. Shinichi always phones back, eventually. All she has to do is wait.

Ran’s pretty used to waiting.

Her phone lights up ten minutes later when she’s started to get ready for the following day. She’s getting the apartment cleaned up before everyone else wakes up, and maybe she should freshen up first, but cleaning always gets her messy, so she’ll do that afterwards.

She picks her phone up and leaning her head against her shoulder, continues throwing rubbish into the bin.

“Ran,” Shinichi’s voice is sleepy, laced with exhaustion, “is everything okay?”

“Of course it is,” Ran says, despite tears welling in her eyes. “how’s your case going?”

“It’s-” a yawn, “-it’s going slowly. It’s difficult because it’s such a big investigation. I’m making some leeway at least…”

Maybe it’s the fact that is five a.m in the morning, and she’s tired. Maybe it’s the fact that she misses him and remembers a time when she could talk to Shinichi about anything, but Ran drops the bin onto the floor, grabs her phone in both hands and says, “I don’t get why you need you need to solve this case.”

“Ran-”

“If it’s such a big case then you should let someone else take care of it.” Her tears fall but Ran doesn’t wipe them away. Sometimes it’s better to just let her view grow blurry, that way she can pretend random objects are Shinichi, that he’s right there. “You’re seventeen, they need to understand that you’ve got school, and university to think about.”

“Ran, this case is important. They need my help.” Shinichi’s voice is level, calm. But Ran knows him well enough to hear the strain - he is stressed as well, and she knows whatever this case is, he is not handling it well.

“You’re not a detective Shinichi. Not yet.” Ran cries, “we’re still teenagers. This case may be important, but your life here is important too.”

“I know,” Shinichi whispers, “I know it’s important.”

“Then come home.” Ran wipes away her tears with her sleeve. She can’t pretend he’s here for too long, because it always leads to raised hopes and expectations that he cannot reach. “Come back to school, and lets…”

“I can’t.”

Ran’s breath catches in her throat. Her stomach squeezes, and Ran knows she should sit down because she feels sick. She lowers herself to the floor instead, tries to settle her heart from where it is pounding against her ribcage.

“I can’t come home Ran,” Shinichi says, “I can’t come home until they’re gone, because else…”

Ran closes her eyes.

“If I don’t solve this case, then a lot of people will die.”

Tears drip from her chin onto her hand.

“We could both die, Ran.”

Ran shudders. She wants to ask what he’s gotten himself into, why she is also at risk, but that’s not fair on Shinichi. Is he gone because it’ll keep her safe? Does she not have a choice in that? Does she not get to know what it is that might get her killed?

Is it fair to force him to tell her, if that is equally as dangerous.

“They’ve already tried to kill you, haven’t they?” Ran asks.

His response is choked. 

“Yes.”

Here’s a masterpost of my writing, if you wanna read more.