Desperation (40 Nights: Shinichi/Ran) (#19)
Title: Desperation
Fandom: Detective Conan
Author: Amm (SoulSeeker)
Theme: #9-when all hope is lost
Pairing: Kudo Shinichi/Mouri Ran
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters of Detective Conan-I just play ‘Barbie’ with them, because god knows they’re a lot more fun than real Barbies.
Summary: Conan-kun, what are you doing?
Edogawa Conan had a new toy. Or at least, that’s how it seemed that day, when Ran found him up in his room.
Oh, god. I can’t believe I did this.
It was odd. He’d come home from school on his own, walked in and up to his room, and she hadn’t even noticed. Either he didn’t want her to, or she was just too absorbed in the book she was reading. (Sherlock Holmes-she swore she’d curse Shinichi one day for getting her hooked.) Or, it was some combination of both-which she didn’t doubt either.
Two times in a week-I’ll never hear the end of it! You would think they would have gadgets for something like this…
She didn’t really understand why, and when she’d walked up to his room, he barely gave her the time of day. Was the new toy that wonderful? She had to wonder, as she opened his door to observe him. He had his back turned, so she couldn’t see what he was fiddling with, but she was sure that he’d been at it since he got home.
Definitely can’t tell them. They’ll murder me!
“Conan?”
Ran knocked lightly three times to get his attention, and safe to say, it worked. He’d jumped nearly a mile, biting his tongue to hold back a surprised yelp, and then turn to face her, breathing, panting. Heavily, Ran might’ve added. All of that struck her as odd. She barely saw Conan in such a state, and though she had to admit, part of her was amused at his inner child’s temporary takeover of his body.
“Ran-neechan!” he breathed, a hand over his chest. “You scared me.”
The object in question that had been in Conan’s hand was oh so cleverly slipped under his blanket. Ran wasn’t sure she felt comfortable with Conan trying to hide some sort of secret-already, at his age!-but she let it slide and pretended not to notice.
Oh god, I have to get her out before she notices.
“Yeah, I noticed that,” Ran said in a laugh. “You sure seem jumpy today. What’s wrong? And hey, where are your-?”
“Nothing’s wrong!” Conan interrupted, maybe a little too enthusiastically. “Nothing at all! What would make you say that?”
Ran responded with a raised eyebrow. “Because you’re acting odd,” she answered honestly. “And plus, you didn’t even say hi to me or anything when you got in today. No ‘how are you,’ no telling me about your day, no anything.”
Conan began tapping his fingers, his eyes wandering-a nervous habit. Blinking a couple times, he tried his best to keep his focus. “Sorry about that,” he replied finally. “I uh…didn’t mean to. I was just um…I…uh, there’s a new episode of my favorite show on! And, I wanted to hurry so I didn’t miss the beginning of it.” The not-boy nodded, seeming proud of his excuse.
“…but the TV isn’t on,” Ran observed, looking to her blackened reflection on the television in his room. Suspicion rose.
“Um…I was just getting to that!” Conan exclaimed. His finger quickly made its way over to the power button to push it, and luckily, the show that was on was one he recognized. “See? It’s Yaiba! Ayumi-chan told me that it’d be a new episode, so she told me to watch it.”
His eyes became glued to the TV, though his mind was paying attention to anything but it, and Ran simply sighed as she shook her head. Whatever it was he was up to, she decided she’d deal with it later. She trusted him, after all. “Well, you know where to find me if you need me…I guess,” Ran muttered unsurely. She took her leave, shutting the door behind her, and Conan sighed in relief.
Too close. She can’t know about it. Absolutely not. All she would want to do is help, and I’m going to do this on my own if it kills me.
Ran ventured downstairs, and she continued to read her book which she had inadvertently left open to check on Conan. Her eyes began to get heavy however, and, deciding that she needed a break, she began to wash the day’s dishes. Her father, having previously been out on a case, walked in just then, and greeted his daughter with the usual.
“Hey, Ran-dinner ready yet?” Tossing an empty beer can into the recycling bin, he almost seemed drunk, but Ran could tell that he actually wasn’t. For one thing, he didn’t reek of beer, and for another, his entire face wasn’t beat red.
“No, not yet, dad,” she answered him calmly, putting another glass onto the rack.
He looked disappointed, but not angry. With a stretch and a yawn, the cop-turned-detective felt his eyes getting heavy all of the sudden. “Okay,” he replied. “I’m too bushed to eat now anyway. I’m gonna take a nap…say, where’s the runt?”
Looking around, he finally realized that he hadn’t seen head or tail of his supposed good-luck charm, who normally greeted him upon his return.
“Up in his room.” Ran shook her head. She wiped her hands off on the small towel hanging off of the cabinet to dry off after she finished, and she turned to meet her father’s eyes. “He’s been up there since he got back from school. I’ve got no idea what he’s up to. Just leave him alone.”
Kogoro shrugged. “Fine by me,” he agreed with a nod. “Maybe he’ll actually stay out of my hair today.”
With that, he exited the room, probably to take his place on the couch and sleep Ran occupied herself with some more little chores before starting dinner. She’d lost track of time quickly, not even realizing that it was already six o’clock in the evening by the time she finished the meal, and she set the table for three spaces. Taking mental note that Conan still hadn’t come down from his room since that afternoon, she woke up her dad; it was a chore sometimes, but not that day. (He was probably hungrier than he was sleepy.)
“Dinner’s on the table,” she informed him. “I’m gonna go get Conan.”
Kogoro nodded in understanding, groggily making his way over to the table, as Ran darted up the stairs. Conan’s room door was still closed, and looked like just how she left it.
“Conan!” she called, as she hovered her hand in a fist, about to knock the door. “Dinner’s rea-!”
Just then, the door swung open; it happened so fast that it almost seemed like Conan had been waiting there for her to knock. He looked relatively frustrated, and she noticed that he looked somewhat tired and…desperate. He gave a hopeless sigh, worrying Ran.
This is not fair-I am NOT a handy-man who can fix anything and everything. Ugh. I just give up.
“Conan? What…what’s wrong?”
There it was again; Ran’s motherliness. Without a word, Conan scratched his head, holding his hand out in front of her with a certain object in it-the one he’d been slaving over, she presumed. He couldn’t even make eye contact with her.
“Ran-neechan,” he murmured, hesitation in his voice. “…can you please fix my glasses for me?”
A/N: So, I have this Conan doll. I got it from an anime convention, I believe it was Anime USA in Virginia, and somehow, while I was in Thailand, his plastic glasses broke, right in the middle. It just snapped; and now there’s tape there to hold it together. Lol. And that’s basically where this comes from.
Hope you at least smiled. Ciao!
Also posted to 40 Nights: Shinichi and Ran and the 30_nights community.
Fandom: Detective Conan
Author: Amm (SoulSeeker)
Theme: #9-when all hope is lost
Pairing: Kudo Shinichi/Mouri Ran
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters of Detective Conan-I just play ‘Barbie’ with them, because god knows they’re a lot more fun than real Barbies.
Summary: Conan-kun, what are you doing?
Edogawa Conan had a new toy. Or at least, that’s how it seemed that day, when Ran found him up in his room.
Oh, god. I can’t believe I did this.
It was odd. He’d come home from school on his own, walked in and up to his room, and she hadn’t even noticed. Either he didn’t want her to, or she was just too absorbed in the book she was reading. (Sherlock Holmes-she swore she’d curse Shinichi one day for getting her hooked.) Or, it was some combination of both-which she didn’t doubt either.
Two times in a week-I’ll never hear the end of it! You would think they would have gadgets for something like this…
She didn’t really understand why, and when she’d walked up to his room, he barely gave her the time of day. Was the new toy that wonderful? She had to wonder, as she opened his door to observe him. He had his back turned, so she couldn’t see what he was fiddling with, but she was sure that he’d been at it since he got home.
Definitely can’t tell them. They’ll murder me!
“Conan?”
Ran knocked lightly three times to get his attention, and safe to say, it worked. He’d jumped nearly a mile, biting his tongue to hold back a surprised yelp, and then turn to face her, breathing, panting. Heavily, Ran might’ve added. All of that struck her as odd. She barely saw Conan in such a state, and though she had to admit, part of her was amused at his inner child’s temporary takeover of his body.
“Ran-neechan!” he breathed, a hand over his chest. “You scared me.”
The object in question that had been in Conan’s hand was oh so cleverly slipped under his blanket. Ran wasn’t sure she felt comfortable with Conan trying to hide some sort of secret-already, at his age!-but she let it slide and pretended not to notice.
Oh god, I have to get her out before she notices.
“Yeah, I noticed that,” Ran said in a laugh. “You sure seem jumpy today. What’s wrong? And hey, where are your-?”
“Nothing’s wrong!” Conan interrupted, maybe a little too enthusiastically. “Nothing at all! What would make you say that?”
Ran responded with a raised eyebrow. “Because you’re acting odd,” she answered honestly. “And plus, you didn’t even say hi to me or anything when you got in today. No ‘how are you,’ no telling me about your day, no anything.”
Conan began tapping his fingers, his eyes wandering-a nervous habit. Blinking a couple times, he tried his best to keep his focus. “Sorry about that,” he replied finally. “I uh…didn’t mean to. I was just um…I…uh, there’s a new episode of my favorite show on! And, I wanted to hurry so I didn’t miss the beginning of it.” The not-boy nodded, seeming proud of his excuse.
“…but the TV isn’t on,” Ran observed, looking to her blackened reflection on the television in his room. Suspicion rose.
“Um…I was just getting to that!” Conan exclaimed. His finger quickly made its way over to the power button to push it, and luckily, the show that was on was one he recognized. “See? It’s Yaiba! Ayumi-chan told me that it’d be a new episode, so she told me to watch it.”
His eyes became glued to the TV, though his mind was paying attention to anything but it, and Ran simply sighed as she shook her head. Whatever it was he was up to, she decided she’d deal with it later. She trusted him, after all. “Well, you know where to find me if you need me…I guess,” Ran muttered unsurely. She took her leave, shutting the door behind her, and Conan sighed in relief.
Too close. She can’t know about it. Absolutely not. All she would want to do is help, and I’m going to do this on my own if it kills me.
Ran ventured downstairs, and she continued to read her book which she had inadvertently left open to check on Conan. Her eyes began to get heavy however, and, deciding that she needed a break, she began to wash the day’s dishes. Her father, having previously been out on a case, walked in just then, and greeted his daughter with the usual.
“Hey, Ran-dinner ready yet?” Tossing an empty beer can into the recycling bin, he almost seemed drunk, but Ran could tell that he actually wasn’t. For one thing, he didn’t reek of beer, and for another, his entire face wasn’t beat red.
“No, not yet, dad,” she answered him calmly, putting another glass onto the rack.
He looked disappointed, but not angry. With a stretch and a yawn, the cop-turned-detective felt his eyes getting heavy all of the sudden. “Okay,” he replied. “I’m too bushed to eat now anyway. I’m gonna take a nap…say, where’s the runt?”
Looking around, he finally realized that he hadn’t seen head or tail of his supposed good-luck charm, who normally greeted him upon his return.
“Up in his room.” Ran shook her head. She wiped her hands off on the small towel hanging off of the cabinet to dry off after she finished, and she turned to meet her father’s eyes. “He’s been up there since he got back from school. I’ve got no idea what he’s up to. Just leave him alone.”
Kogoro shrugged. “Fine by me,” he agreed with a nod. “Maybe he’ll actually stay out of my hair today.”
With that, he exited the room, probably to take his place on the couch and sleep Ran occupied herself with some more little chores before starting dinner. She’d lost track of time quickly, not even realizing that it was already six o’clock in the evening by the time she finished the meal, and she set the table for three spaces. Taking mental note that Conan still hadn’t come down from his room since that afternoon, she woke up her dad; it was a chore sometimes, but not that day. (He was probably hungrier than he was sleepy.)
“Dinner’s on the table,” she informed him. “I’m gonna go get Conan.”
Kogoro nodded in understanding, groggily making his way over to the table, as Ran darted up the stairs. Conan’s room door was still closed, and looked like just how she left it.
“Conan!” she called, as she hovered her hand in a fist, about to knock the door. “Dinner’s rea-!”
Just then, the door swung open; it happened so fast that it almost seemed like Conan had been waiting there for her to knock. He looked relatively frustrated, and she noticed that he looked somewhat tired and…desperate. He gave a hopeless sigh, worrying Ran.
This is not fair-I am NOT a handy-man who can fix anything and everything. Ugh. I just give up.
“Conan? What…what’s wrong?”
There it was again; Ran’s motherliness. Without a word, Conan scratched his head, holding his hand out in front of her with a certain object in it-the one he’d been slaving over, she presumed. He couldn’t even make eye contact with her.
“Ran-neechan,” he murmured, hesitation in his voice. “…can you please fix my glasses for me?”
A/N: So, I have this Conan doll. I got it from an anime convention, I believe it was Anime USA in Virginia, and somehow, while I was in Thailand, his plastic glasses broke, right in the middle. It just snapped; and now there’s tape there to hold it together. Lol. And that’s basically where this comes from.
Hope you at least smiled. Ciao!
Also posted to 40 Nights: Shinichi and Ran and the 30_nights community.