Misinterpretation (Detective Conan, Shinichi/Ran, #14)
Title: Misinterpretation
Author: Candyland
Pairing: Kudo Shinichi/Mouri Ran
Fandom: Detective Conan
Theme: #14-radio-cassette player
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Gosho Aoyama. I claim none, I merely borrow them and dress them up in frilly smocks and make them dance to my ever-changing will like the puppets they are.
Summary: We all make mistakes. Some are just more embarrassing than others…
The squad car radio crackled loudly with the relaying of various messages. Megure-keibu of the Tokyo Metro Force kept one ear on the radio, but overall he really wasn’t paying attention.
It did, however, catch his attention when his duty phone rang. That wasn’t something to be ignored. He fished it out with one hand, keeping the other firmly on the steering wheel, and answered. “Hai, Megure.”
“Keibu.”
“Shiratori-kun?”
“We just got a call from a little boy who said that Daddy was killing Mommy, send the police,” the officer said, but there was a little bit of something in his tone that made Megure pause.
The Inspector frowned. “…there’s something you’re not telling me.”
“Well, the call was from Conan-kun.”
“Conan-kun?” Megure repeated, startled. Conan was the four-year-old Kudo boy-Ran and Shinichi’s son. He’d caused quite a stir (and more than a few rumors) because he had been born nine months to the day after the wedding. The proud, doting parents had been fairly mum about that particular issue, but they had both jumped into their new roles with enthusiasm, and the three of them had always seemed like a happy, tight-knit young family.
“Yes, Conan-kun,” Shiratori repeated. “I don’t know. All I could get out of him was that Daddy was killing Mommy, send help.” The officer sighed. “You know the family. I thought it would be best to send someone who knows them, because something about this doesn’t seem right.”
Megure sighed. “I’ll head over there. Thanks for the call.” He hung up and now completely ignoring the radio, turned the car onto an intersecting street, making a beeline for the Kudo mansion. He’d been there many times, but never for anything like this.
Vaguely, he wondered if all those crime scenes were finally getting to Shinichi…
Well, he would find out when he got there.
*****
Twenty minutes later…
It took four tries at ringing the bell before he got a slurred “Huh?” over the intercom. In spite of its recently-acquired Neanderthal qualities, he recognized it as Shinichi and smiled in spite of a potentially bad situation. The guy was decidedly not a morning person. “Shinichi-kun, it’s Megure.”
There was some mumbling that sounded suspiciously like, “What the hell…” but a moment later the door opened, and a tired-looking Detective of the East appeared in the doorway. Clad in pajamas with hair that officially defied all laws of gravity, he peered at the Inspector with half-open eyes. After all, it was going on two in the morning. “Megure, what’s going on?”
“We got a call from your house,” Megure replied. “Just wanted to see what was going on.”
“A call?” Shinichi was still trying to wake up. “What about?”
“Well…” at this point, Megure shifted uncomfortably. “The call was from-“
“I called you!” Conan appeared, poking his head out from behind his father’s leg. “I called!”
“Conan?” Shinichi frowned in confusion. “Why did you call the police?”
“Because you were killing Mommy! And when you see bad stuff, you’re s’posed to call the police!” the little boy said tearfully, pointing an accusatory finger up at his now-bewildered father. “I heard you! You killed Mommy!”
Megure looked down at the little boy, then up at his longtime friend and occasional partner.
Shinichi stared at his son long and hard before turning and hollering back into the house, “Hey, Ran? Can you come down here for a minute?” Then he turned back to the Inspector. “I’m really sorry you came all the way out here, I really don’t-“
“Shinichi?” Ran appeared in the doorway behind her husband, yawning as she tied the knot on her bathrobe sash. “What’s going on? Megure-keibu, what are you doing here?”
“Mommy!” Conan cried, throwing himself at his mother’s legs. “Mommy, you’re not dead! Daddy didn’t kill you!” He clung to her bathrobe-clad legs with all the desperation and possessiveness a four-year-old could possibly muster.
Now it was Ran’s turn to look lost. “Killed me…Conan?” She gave Shinichi and Megure a Look. “What in the world is going on here?” She was being a bit harsh, but she had just been hauled out of her nice, warm, comfy bed to the front door under extremely questionable circumstances. She wanted an explanation so she could go back to bed.
Shinichi took a deep breath and let his tantei side come to the front. He bent down and put his hands on his knees to look his son in the face. “Conan, you need to tell us a few things, okay?” he said calmly, years of experience at questioning witnesses come to the fore. “Now, you said you called Megure-keibu because you thought I was killing your mother?” The last was said with a touch of disbelief.
Still clutching at his mother’s knees, the little boy nodded grimly.
“Why did you think that?” Shinichi prodded.
“Because I heard it!” Conan replied tearfully.
“What did you hear?” Shinichi asked. Great Detective or not, it was late, he was extremely tired, and he had just been woken up to a most bizarre situation. His mind wasn’t quite there yet. And besides, everyone has their off-days.
“I was gonna ask if I could sleep with you and Mommy ‘cause I was scared,” the little boy said, obviously confused. “But your door was shut and I heard Mommy and she was making lotsa noises and breathing hard like when I run too much and she sounded like she hurt herself! And then she screamed and it went really quiet. And she kept saying ‘Oh God, oh God.’” He looked up at his mother curiously. “Were you praying for help, Mommy?”
There was a pause.
Then the penny dropped, and everyone was suddenly wide awake as it clicked.
Ran, still standing with her son clutching at her legs and one of her hands on top of his head, unconsciously reached up with her other hand to further close the V-shaped neckline of her bathrobe. Her eyes were wide, and she was looking everywhere but at the other human beings. She looked mortified.
Shinichi coughed delicately and straightened back up. He cleared his throat, and folded one arm across his chest, reaching up with the other to cover his mouth. He had gone quite pale, visible even in the dim light. “Ah…” he began, then paused to clear his throat again, “I’m sorry you had to come all the way out here, Keibu.”
Megure blinked once. Twice. Then he nodded, tipped his hat, and said, “Well, sorry for the intrusion. You folks have a pleasant night.” He couldn’t quite keep himself from smiling as the faces of the young couple flared with an interesting shade of red that was bright enough to light up the night sky. The portly inspector turned and headed back to his car.
Shinichi and Ran watched him retreat, still blushing furiously. Their young son looking up at them curiously. “What?” the four-year-old boy piped innocently, tugging at his mother’s robe.
“Conan…” Ran began, then shook her head. “We’ll talk about it in the morning.” She figured that was at least how long it would take for her to be able to look anyone in the eye. Nodding, her equally-embarrassed husband ushered them both back inside and closed the door.
Had either of them glanced down the walkway before they shut the front door of their house, they would have been treated to the rare sight of Megure-keibu sitting in his squad car, laughing his head off.
PS. Ah, a parent’s nightmare. I had this idea a while back, and I just had to use it. I couldn’t help it. Much love to magic_truth for the discussion that led up to me remembering this idea. Said conversation was…ehehehe…that was fun! But yes, I finally joined the rank of those who have written Ran and Shinichi with a son named Conan. Ph34r me…or something…
Oh yeah, and random little scene that just wouldn’t fit into the actual story, but I had to use it…put Shinichi, Ran, Conan, and all the parentals in one room. Insert one question, shake well, and enjoy…
“So,” Eri asked half-teasingly, “when can I expect another little bundle of joy?”
“Okaasaaaaaaaan…” Ran half-whined while Shinichi snickered.
“Bundle of joy?” Conan repeated, confused.
“That’s sometimes what people call a baby,” Yuusaku explained to his grandson. “When you were born, everyone called you a little bundle of joy.”
“A baby?” the little boy frowned, then nodded that he understood.
“Would you like a little brother or sister, Conan?” Yukiko asked, ever the doting grandmother.
The little boy nodded empathically. “One of the kids in my class at preschool just got a little brother. He’s all tiny and stuff. And I asked Mommy when I would get a little brother.”
Yukiko chuckled. “What did Mommy say?”
Conan replied innocently, “She said I would get one when I started sleeping in my own bed.”
Poor Ran. I pick on Shinichi too much-time to give her a little bit of her due as well, ya know? And if anyone asks me where the implied kiss was in this chapter…ahem. Read it again more carefully. You’ll figure it out *grin*. Thanks for reading, all. Much love!!
Author: Candyland
Pairing: Kudo Shinichi/Mouri Ran
Fandom: Detective Conan
Theme: #14-radio-cassette player
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All characters are the property of Gosho Aoyama. I claim none, I merely borrow them and dress them up in frilly smocks and make them dance to my ever-changing will like the puppets they are.
Summary: We all make mistakes. Some are just more embarrassing than others…
The squad car radio crackled loudly with the relaying of various messages. Megure-keibu of the Tokyo Metro Force kept one ear on the radio, but overall he really wasn’t paying attention.
It did, however, catch his attention when his duty phone rang. That wasn’t something to be ignored. He fished it out with one hand, keeping the other firmly on the steering wheel, and answered. “Hai, Megure.”
“Keibu.”
“Shiratori-kun?”
“We just got a call from a little boy who said that Daddy was killing Mommy, send the police,” the officer said, but there was a little bit of something in his tone that made Megure pause.
The Inspector frowned. “…there’s something you’re not telling me.”
“Well, the call was from Conan-kun.”
“Conan-kun?” Megure repeated, startled. Conan was the four-year-old Kudo boy-Ran and Shinichi’s son. He’d caused quite a stir (and more than a few rumors) because he had been born nine months to the day after the wedding. The proud, doting parents had been fairly mum about that particular issue, but they had both jumped into their new roles with enthusiasm, and the three of them had always seemed like a happy, tight-knit young family.
“Yes, Conan-kun,” Shiratori repeated. “I don’t know. All I could get out of him was that Daddy was killing Mommy, send help.” The officer sighed. “You know the family. I thought it would be best to send someone who knows them, because something about this doesn’t seem right.”
Megure sighed. “I’ll head over there. Thanks for the call.” He hung up and now completely ignoring the radio, turned the car onto an intersecting street, making a beeline for the Kudo mansion. He’d been there many times, but never for anything like this.
Vaguely, he wondered if all those crime scenes were finally getting to Shinichi…
Well, he would find out when he got there.
*****
Twenty minutes later…
It took four tries at ringing the bell before he got a slurred “Huh?” over the intercom. In spite of its recently-acquired Neanderthal qualities, he recognized it as Shinichi and smiled in spite of a potentially bad situation. The guy was decidedly not a morning person. “Shinichi-kun, it’s Megure.”
There was some mumbling that sounded suspiciously like, “What the hell…” but a moment later the door opened, and a tired-looking Detective of the East appeared in the doorway. Clad in pajamas with hair that officially defied all laws of gravity, he peered at the Inspector with half-open eyes. After all, it was going on two in the morning. “Megure, what’s going on?”
“We got a call from your house,” Megure replied. “Just wanted to see what was going on.”
“A call?” Shinichi was still trying to wake up. “What about?”
“Well…” at this point, Megure shifted uncomfortably. “The call was from-“
“I called you!” Conan appeared, poking his head out from behind his father’s leg. “I called!”
“Conan?” Shinichi frowned in confusion. “Why did you call the police?”
“Because you were killing Mommy! And when you see bad stuff, you’re s’posed to call the police!” the little boy said tearfully, pointing an accusatory finger up at his now-bewildered father. “I heard you! You killed Mommy!”
Megure looked down at the little boy, then up at his longtime friend and occasional partner.
Shinichi stared at his son long and hard before turning and hollering back into the house, “Hey, Ran? Can you come down here for a minute?” Then he turned back to the Inspector. “I’m really sorry you came all the way out here, I really don’t-“
“Shinichi?” Ran appeared in the doorway behind her husband, yawning as she tied the knot on her bathrobe sash. “What’s going on? Megure-keibu, what are you doing here?”
“Mommy!” Conan cried, throwing himself at his mother’s legs. “Mommy, you’re not dead! Daddy didn’t kill you!” He clung to her bathrobe-clad legs with all the desperation and possessiveness a four-year-old could possibly muster.
Now it was Ran’s turn to look lost. “Killed me…Conan?” She gave Shinichi and Megure a Look. “What in the world is going on here?” She was being a bit harsh, but she had just been hauled out of her nice, warm, comfy bed to the front door under extremely questionable circumstances. She wanted an explanation so she could go back to bed.
Shinichi took a deep breath and let his tantei side come to the front. He bent down and put his hands on his knees to look his son in the face. “Conan, you need to tell us a few things, okay?” he said calmly, years of experience at questioning witnesses come to the fore. “Now, you said you called Megure-keibu because you thought I was killing your mother?” The last was said with a touch of disbelief.
Still clutching at his mother’s knees, the little boy nodded grimly.
“Why did you think that?” Shinichi prodded.
“Because I heard it!” Conan replied tearfully.
“What did you hear?” Shinichi asked. Great Detective or not, it was late, he was extremely tired, and he had just been woken up to a most bizarre situation. His mind wasn’t quite there yet. And besides, everyone has their off-days.
“I was gonna ask if I could sleep with you and Mommy ‘cause I was scared,” the little boy said, obviously confused. “But your door was shut and I heard Mommy and she was making lotsa noises and breathing hard like when I run too much and she sounded like she hurt herself! And then she screamed and it went really quiet. And she kept saying ‘Oh God, oh God.’” He looked up at his mother curiously. “Were you praying for help, Mommy?”
There was a pause.
Then the penny dropped, and everyone was suddenly wide awake as it clicked.
Ran, still standing with her son clutching at her legs and one of her hands on top of his head, unconsciously reached up with her other hand to further close the V-shaped neckline of her bathrobe. Her eyes were wide, and she was looking everywhere but at the other human beings. She looked mortified.
Shinichi coughed delicately and straightened back up. He cleared his throat, and folded one arm across his chest, reaching up with the other to cover his mouth. He had gone quite pale, visible even in the dim light. “Ah…” he began, then paused to clear his throat again, “I’m sorry you had to come all the way out here, Keibu.”
Megure blinked once. Twice. Then he nodded, tipped his hat, and said, “Well, sorry for the intrusion. You folks have a pleasant night.” He couldn’t quite keep himself from smiling as the faces of the young couple flared with an interesting shade of red that was bright enough to light up the night sky. The portly inspector turned and headed back to his car.
Shinichi and Ran watched him retreat, still blushing furiously. Their young son looking up at them curiously. “What?” the four-year-old boy piped innocently, tugging at his mother’s robe.
“Conan…” Ran began, then shook her head. “We’ll talk about it in the morning.” She figured that was at least how long it would take for her to be able to look anyone in the eye. Nodding, her equally-embarrassed husband ushered them both back inside and closed the door.
Had either of them glanced down the walkway before they shut the front door of their house, they would have been treated to the rare sight of Megure-keibu sitting in his squad car, laughing his head off.
PS. Ah, a parent’s nightmare. I had this idea a while back, and I just had to use it. I couldn’t help it. Much love to magic_truth for the discussion that led up to me remembering this idea. Said conversation was…ehehehe…that was fun! But yes, I finally joined the rank of those who have written Ran and Shinichi with a son named Conan. Ph34r me…or something…
Oh yeah, and random little scene that just wouldn’t fit into the actual story, but I had to use it…put Shinichi, Ran, Conan, and all the parentals in one room. Insert one question, shake well, and enjoy…
“So,” Eri asked half-teasingly, “when can I expect another little bundle of joy?”
“Okaasaaaaaaaan…” Ran half-whined while Shinichi snickered.
“Bundle of joy?” Conan repeated, confused.
“That’s sometimes what people call a baby,” Yuusaku explained to his grandson. “When you were born, everyone called you a little bundle of joy.”
“A baby?” the little boy frowned, then nodded that he understood.
“Would you like a little brother or sister, Conan?” Yukiko asked, ever the doting grandmother.
The little boy nodded empathically. “One of the kids in my class at preschool just got a little brother. He’s all tiny and stuff. And I asked Mommy when I would get a little brother.”
Yukiko chuckled. “What did Mommy say?”
Conan replied innocently, “She said I would get one when I started sleeping in my own bed.”
Poor Ran. I pick on Shinichi too much-time to give her a little bit of her due as well, ya know? And if anyone asks me where the implied kiss was in this chapter…ahem. Read it again more carefully. You’ll figure it out *grin*. Thanks for reading, all. Much love!!