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He’s running as fast as he can. He keeps thinking he’s going to need to stop at some point to catch his breath, but then again, he finds he has no need for rest. As he did once upon a time, he keeps flipping tables every time he catches catching glimpses of his reflection at any window, shop, or bus stop. It feels like a miracle.
All that he’d lost--strength, endurance, height--he’s somehow gotten it all back. He doesn’t know which part was the dream: his previous life as Shinichi, his previous life as Conan, or maybe getting rid of the Black Organization and getting the cure for the APTX-4869. Be as it may, he will stay out of trouble from now on. He will not be endangering his time here on Earth another minute. He would not trade his life for anything at all.
That was his goal the minute he took the antidote. As soon as the transformation finished, he pulled through the pain as he put on some clothes--normal, teenager-boy clothes--with a child’s eagerness on Christmas Day.
“Off to meet your lovable princess?” Haibara asked while he was hastily tying his tie, and he failed to read the sarcasm and pain in her tone. What he did not miss was the fact that she was still Haibara, not Sherry.
“You’re not taking it too?” he’s asked, fighting through the surprise of hearing his own voice coming out of his throat, without the Professor’s bowtie gadget.
“I’m going to give you a couple of days,” she said, arms crossed. “Examine your response and your body’s consequences.”
“Always the cautious one,” chuckled Shinichi, one foot out of the door. “Don’t expect me back in your Lab today, though.”
“We’ll see.”
“Oh, I promise. You can bloody run all the tests you want. . . In a couple of days.”
Shinichi was in too much rush to get out of the house, or else he might have noticed the sorrow in Haibara’s voice, the way she avoided his eye throughout the brief conversation. If he hadn’t been so worried and focused over Ran, he would have been smart enough to sit down with Haibara and assess their future. They could have talked about what she wanted and what the APTX could give her.
He just couldn’t stay, waste another minute. His mind was set into making up for so much goddamn lost time. His heart had only enough space for one woman, and her name’s Ran, and he knows where to find her. That’s why he’s sprinting across town towards the Agency, needing to see her as soon as possible, see the shock and surprise in her eyes, ease her worries. Hold her in his arms again and stoically take her reprimands for standing her up time and time again.
He climbs the stairs two steps at a time. When he finally stops at the hall, he rests a hand against the wall, panting slightly, but his lungs aren’t burning as much as they would have yesterday, or merely an hour ago, had he dared to run such a distance, at such a speed. He can still feel his legs holding him up straight, he catches up his breath easily enough.
It’s great to be himself again.
He knocks on the door and waits for almost a full minute without getting any answers, even though he knows for a fact Ran is at home, all alone, her father out drinking. Before leaving to take the potion, Conan tricked Kogoro into making good use of the wages he earned yesterday after closing a case and knows the man will spend the afternoon and part of the night at one bar or another, then moving onto the nearest Pachinko.
That’s why he steps into the place, confident enough he will not face any threats in there--beyond Ran knocking him senseless with a karate move, of course. He hears her voice, talking on the phone, raising from the kitchen, where a delicious smell stems from. As was to be expected, she’s cooking, walking up and down the room while talking with Kazuha, if he’s not mistaken.
With a deep sigh, Shinichi rests against the doorframe, hands in his pockets. He’s suddenly not in a rush anymore, the vision before him has managed to simmer his nervousness and impatience down, that marvelous, hard-working, beautiful, stubborn woman.
“My God, you’re gorgeous.”
He had not planned to utter those words aloud and they surprise him as much as Ran. The woman freezes the middle of the kitchen, probably mid-sentence, phone up in the air. She turns around slowly and gasps upon seeing the surprise guest standing right there.
The silence and that gasp put the girl on the other side of the phone on edge, as well, and Shinichi can clearly hear Kazuha’s reaction. She’s demanding answers at the top of her lungs, promising to call the police if Ran doesn’t say something that signifies proof of life in the next few seconds.
Ran couldn’t possibly give any answers to her friend, though, even if she had any explanations herself. In utter shock, she keeps staring at Shinichi from head to toes, as to make sure this isn’t a hallucination--again. Leaning cockily against the kitchen wall, he doesn’t move, letting Ran take all the time she needs. In the end, it all fits. His face, his grin, his suit, his composure, they’re all genuine. She comes, then, to the only conclusion: it’s truly him. Her mind wouldn’t be able to come up with this perfect manifestation of the boy she loves.
“I’ve missed you,” he dares to utter then.
Whatever Ran could come up with saying, it is interrupted by Kazuha’s yells on the other side of the phone. The girl is letting them know she’s booking tickets to get to Tokyo and kill the bastard who’s broken in, and that she’s dialing the Tokyo police next. It is then, right before a SWAT team swarms through the window, that Ran snaps out of her blur and coherent words come to her.
“Sorry, Kazuha, I got to go,” she says through her tears. “No, nothing’s wrong, I promise; you don’t have to come. Someone’s here. No, not a client for Dad. It’s. . . It’s. . . It’s Shinichi.”
“SHINICHI?! HE’S RETURNED?!”
The shriek can be heard through the phone as if the girl were standing right there beside them in the kitchen. And while Ran tries to calm Kazuha down and give her an explanation that she just doesn’t have, Shinichi knows Heiji will be demanding answers too in less than a minute--and Shinichi will have none of it today. He doesn’t have the time nor the patience right now for telling tales and catching up with everybody; that’s not the reason why he made Mouri’s detective agency his first visit right after getting his body back.
He steps forward, his advance prompting Ran to lose her voice gradually throughout her weak explanations and attempts to wrap up the conversation as soon as possible. Shinichi in turn grabs the phone, ends the call without a single word of farewell, and lays the device on the countertop, out of Ran’s reach. Not that she makes an attempt to grab it and call Kazuha back to apologize; she’s only got eyes for him, her hand hanging mid-air in an attempt to touch him, make sure he’s real.
“What are you doing here?” she demands.
Knowing how long can last an interrogation about everything that transpired the past few months and years and discussing, more importantly, what’s going to happen in the imminent future, Shinichi cocks his head. He couldn’t hold out that long without Ran’s touch. He holds her in his arms and still, she tries to get away--until they hit the wall. Risking, perhaps, his neck, but assessing it’d be worth it, Shinichi leans forward and kisses her on the lips.
For two seconds, she fights against him. Shinichi feels her hands against his chest, trying to pull him away, maybe even yank him over her shoulder in a masterfully performed karate move. . . But then she throws her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.
If it were possible, they’d stay right there for eternity. But, of course, Ran has got many questions to ask, riling her up. And, more obvious still, they do need to break the kiss at some point for air. But when their lips part, they do not move more than ten inches from each other’s face, relieved to see they’re both blushing scarlet. Ran keeps her arms around Shinichi’s neck, caressing the strands of his hair, and Shinichi holds her by the lower back.
“What are you doing here?” she demands again, not as pissed off as Shinichi would fear.
“I’m back,” he states, slowly, trying to gather Ran’s emotional state. He reaches a hand to wipe the tears off her eyes. “For real, this time. I’m not leaving your side ever again.”
“Why didn’t you call?”
“Well, I would have, but you were on the phone,” he shrugs.
Miraculously, she laughs at her lame-ass joke. She rests her head against his chest and her laughter tells Shinichi everything is going to be OK. He’ll spend his whole life promising Ran exactly that and making up for every time he made her cry.
“How long are you staying this time?” she presses. “How much time do we have?”
Shinichi flashes a broad smile, that damned crooked smile, which gets Ran blushing against her will. He cups her face in his hands, looking at her straight in the eye. Wishing he could physically open up his heart and show his feelings and intentions so Ran wouldn’t mistrust him again. Because she’s got every right to.
“Well, I figured I could hang around for a while,” he says, nonchalant on purpose.
“How long is a while?” she presses, hitting him in the chest to demand a more concise answer. He stumbles a bit and rests on the wall, chuckling at her eagerness.
“You know, I thought. . . Maybe forever,” he says, finally catching the girl’s attention.
Ran frowns, mouth open, unable to understand his words. No, that is not it: it’s as if she didn’t want to believe him, because it all sounds too good to be true. Dropping her arms, she starts shaking her head.
“I’m dreaming, aren’t I?” she asks, defeated tone. “This cannot be true. You’re not back.”
Slightly amused, Shinichi cups her chin so she looks up. “Yes, I’m back, Ran. I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere, unless you want me to go. D’you want me to prove it to you?”
“Yes, please, I need some proof,” she begs, refusing to meet his eye now. “You’ve stood me up too many times before.”
Trying not to let those few words hurt him, because they were nothing but the truth, Shinichi clears his throat, nervous, and leans forward. Ran, who until now hasn’t refused his touch, moves away from him. His touch, his body, his warmth, should be proof enough that he truly is here with her, but he understands. Shinichi does his best not to look hurt; she’s entitled to refuse him now.
“Come here,” he begs, pulling her in so their lips crash again.
This time, she does struggle and fights against his touch and he releases soon enough, before he’s rushed to the ER with a broken back and a broken. . . Well, everything. He pulls away, but does not let her flee, instead keeps her close, entrapped in his arms.
“I love you,” he says right off the bat, freezing Ran and her struggles with that simple, and yet so difficult, three-word sentence. “You’re an incredible woman. Strong, brave, compassionate, sensitive, beautiful, kind, cheerful, skilled. . . And I love you, Ran, completely and irretrievably.”
“What are you--?” He doesn’t let her interrupt him when he’s on a roll, trying to open his heart when he’s had so much trouble doing so in the past. First, because he couldn’t find the appropriate words, then because there was never the right time. Well, here and now, he’s going to fix all of it.
“I love you because you’re the kind of woman who runs towards danger instead of from it, even though I’m the one who constantly puts you at risk. But you do it nonetheless, and come out stronger than before. A true role model to follow.”
“Shinichi,” she tries to stop him, overwhelmed by his words and the speech.
He’s aware he’s risking his life by not letting Ran go and keep ranting on and on when she clearly doesn’t want to hear it, but he cannot stop. She needs to hear it--she needs to know how he feels, what she means to him. How much it’d hurt him if she’d gotten injured on all those cases she got herself into. Or how much his heart would have ached had she gone off with Dr. Araide or any other boy.
“Thank you for putting up with me all these past years and enduring way more than you should have handled. I’m sorry I was such an insensitive ass who was never there for you when you needed me.”
“Shinichi, I asked for--”
“I know what you want. But I’m just telling you everything I’ve ever wanted to tell you but didn’t because I was afraid, I was stupid, or because I had to leave. Now’s my chance, since I’ve got nowhere to go.”
“But--”
“You shouldn’t have waited for me all this time, but you have; and I should be on my knees, begging for forgiveness, if nothing else. And. . . My God, you’re gorgeous, Ran.”
He hasn’t said half the things he wanted to say and Ran hasn’t had the chance to speak freely and say everything on her mind, every insult and reproach she’s rightfully got against him, but the kiss seems to do it all for the both of them. When they break it, they’re not uncomfortable anymore and they cannot utter a single syllable, even when twenty seconds ago their minds were only too full with things to say. They stare into each other’s eyes, the longing for each other clearly written on their faces as if neon signs.
“Now I’m sold.” Are Ran’s first words.
“I could go on if you want me to,” promises Shinichi, raising an eyebrow.
“I’m going to hold you to that. You were doing a great job.”
“And I vow to keep honoring and cherishing you every minute of every day for the rest of my life,” he says.
Despite everything, there’s still an underlying fear and mistrust in Ran’s eyes, threatening to burst at any moment. He can see she wants to believe him, wants to trust him, probably more desperately than she’d ever confess to him or any other soul in the Planet. These are words she’s always wanted to hear from him. But she cannot believe him this time. He’s hurt her too much, he knows that; and he couldn’t blame her. A bit desperate, but always gentle, he brings up both hands to cup her face tenderly.
“I’ve told you, Ran. I’m here to stay. I’m not leaving town--I’m not leaving you ever again.”
“You finished that case?” she asks in a gasp.
“There are no cases worth solving if that means I can’t be with you,” he promises, shaking his head.
Ran finally smiles and rests against his chest, maybe trying to hide the tears pouring from her eyes upon finally believing his words. Believing, maybe against logical thinking, Shinichi’s ever-lasting vows and promises he’s never fulfilled before.
“It’s all over now,” Shinichi whispers, embracing her tightly.
Being honest, he, too, finds it difficult to believe his own words. He keeps waiting to feel that searing pain through his system, the warning signs of the temporal antidote wearing off. Maybe it’ll take him just as much time as Ran herself to actually believe he’s brought down the Organization, that he’s gotten his body back, and that he’s got a real chance to stay here with Ran.
“There’s this one place you could go to prove it to me,” she says after a long time.
Shinichi shifts, his whole composure different now, taking a step back to look at Ran in the eye. Ready to stay true to his words and comply and abide any of her wishes, he’ll do and say anything she begs. Hell, he’ll jump out of the Tokyo Tower if that’ll make her happy.
“Just name a time and place and I’ll be there,” he says.
“Now,” she says, tilting her head. “My bedroom.”
As sudden and unexpected his appearance was for her some minutes ago, she’s certainly recovered from the surprise. It is now Shinichi’s turn to freeze out of shock. She completely caught him off guard with that--by what right does he still call himself the Great Detective of the East?
“Ran--”
This time, she interjects him. He’s controlled the conversation so far, it was high time she got some power back. And if Shinichi was asking for what she needs right now, this is it: quality time with him. It’ll finally prove her he really is to stay.
“You said everything there was to say. Now, make good of your words: my bedroom, now, preferably without any clothes on.”
Dumbfounded, pondering what would hurt her worse, whether agreeing to Ran’s idea or shrugging it off, Shinichi stutters for a few seconds. He’d be lying if he said the off chance of doing this with Ran hadn’t crossed his mind at all in his way to the Agency. Like a good detective, he figured at the very least ten possible reactions from Ran upon his return and he was planning contingency scenarios for all of them. . . But he came up short, obviously.
“Shinichi. . .” she whispers, seductively, throwing her arms around his neck again.
Ran’s voice does it, finally. She knew exactly what she was doing and had very high hopes on how he’d react. Truth is, whatever else Shinichi had planned to say, he cannot stop himself. He takes Ran into his arms in a swift movement that gets her chuckling and giggling, and carries her, bridal style, across the apartment.
A little bit more composed in the privacy of Ran’s bedroom, Shinichi lays Ran back on the floor and they gasp silently, nervous and excited as to what’s going to happen next. Lust in their eyes, they know what they want to happen, they both share the same cravings and feel the same aching. They’re not two little kids anymore, that soft and cute childhood friendship has evolved into so much more over the years, and their needs and desires have grown during their time apart--a part of him wonders if he should tell her he never really left her side, although as Conan, not as Shinichi. She might hate it with every fiber of her being, or else she might be flattered by it.
Whatever her feelings towards Conan are, Ran shuts the blinders, turns on the lights and then, insecure for the first time, leans on the desk, staring at Shinichi. He, in turn, has taken off his tie, although seeing her unmoving, he freezes, as well, without meaning to push her into doing anything she doesn’t want to do.
She eases his worries easily enough, dashing through the room to his spot, her lips meeting, or rather crashing, against his. Shinichi leans in for a deep, sloppy kiss, as her hands travel up to his hair, pulling till it hurts and a moan escapes his throat.
“You do want to do this, right?” he asks.
His sentence is almost cut in half by Ran kissing him again, although she does not soften her grip on his hair and neck--some part of him does wonder if this is some kind of punishment or payback from Ran for all his actions in the past. He can’t come up with a positive conclusion at the moment, too caught up with Ran taking off his clothes and him responding in kind. He’s got a much easier job, simply unbuttoning the front buttons on Ran’s colorful spring dress does the trick.
All of their clothes fall to the ground, mingled in a chaotic pile around their feet, which strikes a difficult obstacle to save when Shinichi tries to drag her to the bed. His clumsiness makes them both chuckle, the laughter raising along the heavy breathing through the room.
On the bed, Shinichi makes it his life’s mission to tempt Ran for an eternally long time, by kissing every inch of her body he unveils, but purposefully avoiding her lips. He kisses her stomach, playfully nibbles her ear, breathes in the scent of her neck, and tastes the flavor of her breasts and erect nipples.
At some point, Ran gets tired of his games and stalling tactics and he feels it in his skin, as Ran scratches his back with what it feels like more than only ten fingers. Shinichi drops and meets her demanding lips, figuring it could have been worse--she could have knocked him unconscious. And then he lies on his side, taking in the marvelous sight in front of him, Ran’s impressive and lashing profile, her perfect curves, her muscular body, her round breasts, her soft skin, her bright hair.
“What are you staring at?” she demands, conscious about her nakedness. He gently pulls her arms to the sides, forbidding Ran to cover her body.
“You’re so gorgeous. I cannot believe we’re here,” he whispers.
Meeting finally in a long and deep kiss, losing their tongues and sensations inside each other’s mouths, Shinichi pulls his hand by Ran’s lower back, trying to be as close as possible, maybe even attempting to melt into each other’s body. Ran wraps her legs around his waist and clings on tight, granting him easy and direct access, but he wants to enjoy this, and take it easy, even though it might leave him with some scratches and bruises--it’ll be worth it, he knows that much so far.
She seems to disagree with his slow-down plan, for Ran rolls over to be on top, causing a yelp from Shinichi upon the sudden and forced move. Her hair falling down on his face, he takes one of her breasts into his mouth, relishing Ran’s response in the form of moans and groaning, biting her lower lip. And then Ran sends her hands down her sex.
Shinichi will have none of it. He stops her movements, crashing her eagerness and cravings, rolling over again. Both gasping, amused at Ran’s face of annoyance, he pins her arms by her side, painfully aware she could break free if she truly wanted to. So, she distracts her by leaving a long trail of kisses over her chest, neck, jaw.
“Don’t you dare speed things up,” he says between breaths, his hands slowly traveling down her body. Ran turns her face, hiding against the pillow.
“Shinichi, I need. . .”
“No, no, no. I want to enjoy you myself--you just lay back and let me work,” he stops her again, just as his hands reach her sex and find easy access into her humid entrance. Ran gasps, her whole body tensing, and Shinichi decides that he will spend the whole afternoon giving her the pleasure she deserves.
“Noooooo,” Shinichi groans as Ran stirs by his side, trying to snuggle out of bed. “Where are you going? Come back here.”
Ran chuckles but doesn’t let him stop her; she only winks at him over the shoulder before grabbing her dress from the floor, tying the lace very loosely around her waist, and leaving the room. Shinichi had no plans of getting out of bed so soon and stares at her leaving the room, a silly broad smile on his face.
On her way out of the room, Ran left the door ajar and so, he understands what drew her out of bed: an ear-piercing melody from a cellphone. If he tries focusing during the blur that were the past few minutes, he remembers hearing that fainted melody now and then while they were too busy to answer.
She returns now, a bottle of water in her hands, while staring with mixed feelings at her phone’s screen.
“Everything OK?” asks Shinichi, worried, pulling himself up by the elbows.
“Sixteen missed calls from Kazuha,” she reports, sitting on the edge of the bed, Shinichi’s legs against her back. Now that he knows there’s no fire in the building, Shinichi pulls her back for her to rest against his chest.
As much as he appreciates Kazuha for being a constant in Ran’s life and helping her throughout so many bad moments where he couldn’t be there for her, but right now, he’s this close to calling the girl and telling her off. Couldn’t she see--and Heiji too, for that matter--that Ran would want some privacy and space at a time like this?
“Guessing Heiji tried to reach you that many times too, at least.”
“I’m not even going to check,” replies Shinichi nonchalantly. That response makes Ran chuckle and she turns her head, tilting an eyebrow at him. He responds by shrugging. If she’d expected him to regret his decision and stand to look for his cell, she’s disappointed. It’s not that big of a deal, after all; they can call Kazuha and Heiji sometime later. He could care less about their hurt feelings, they’ll surely get over it.
The only thing, the only person, he cares about right now is standing right by his side. He takes her cell, puts it on silent mode, and lays it on the desk before pulling Ran back to lie on the bed, grinning stupidly like the teenagers they actually are. The need to give Kazuha or Heiji a call all but forgotten already, as Shinichi holds Ran tightly against his chest, feeling each other’s body warmth. Breathing in the peacefulness and the love hovering in the air.
“I’m guessing they want to know how. . . And when. . . Or why. . . Did you come back,” says Ran after a while.
“They can wait,” Shinichi insists. And then he rests against his shoulder, because he could feel in her voice that Heiji and Kazuha aren’t the only people in the world who would love to receive the answers to all of those questions. “Do you want to know that?”
Caught in the midst of drinking a sip of water, Ran ponders for some long seconds, swallowing the beverage carefully.
“Not right now, no,” she says in the end, giving Shinichi the bottle and lying back down.
Resting peacefully, they drink the whole bottle of water between the two, simply unable to erase the big grins on their faces. Shinichi pulls on the sheets to cover his and Ran’s bodies and move over any anxiety over their nakedness that isn’t truly supposed to exist in the first place.
They stay there, silent and content, needless for speeches. . . For about two minutes, which being honest is two minutes more they’d thought they’d hold out for.
“You up for a second round?” she asks mischievously, biting her lower lip.
“I thought you’d never ask,” says Shinichi, with a dramatic tired voice and roll of his eyes. Although they had absolutely nothing to compare it to, and no expectations either, they both agree that the first time was a little bit uncomfortable--there’s a long way to go to know each other’s bodies and needs to fulfill their sexual desires. So they’re both eager to give it another try and doing it better.
Despite his promise, Ran needs to make sure by herself, sending a hand down his chest, stomach, and reaching his sex. She grins when she feels Shinichi’s indeed up and ready, just as he’d promised.
She chuckles wickedly and rolls over to be on top this time, resting on her legs, spread wide open on each side of Shinichi’s thighs. Upon that blessed image in front of him, Shinichi doesn’t waste a single more second to sit up, maintaining eye contact, letting Ran sit on his lap now, his erection painfully taunting her entrance--but he wants to indulge in Ran’s pleasure for much longer. He braids her hair on a sideways ponytail so he can kiss the back of her neck, moans raising already in the quiet of the apartment.
Ran pulls down her already loose dress, letting her breasts fall into full view once more, and the sight gets the exact reaction she was looking for. Shinichi moves his attention towards her breasts, his tongue and lips working on her right areola and nipples, which become erect soon enough. She needs to hold onto Shinichi’s shoulders to keep steady, but this time around she does not bite her lip to contain the pleasure and her moans only excite Shinichi even more, if possible, nibbling carefully on her breasts.
They’re still in bed after two hours, so caught up in their moment and their feelings that the Third World War could have begun and they’d be none the wiser. Resting against each other’s warmth, their ragged breaths and chest movements almost in synchrony, drained and sweaty after the exertion. They need about ten whole minutes to come down to Earth and are able to think and utter coherent words again.
After that welcome party, they’ve got no need for big speeches, nor roses, poems, or the biggest and the best date in the world. This intimate, pure, lascivious session of sex was what they needed, the ultimate way of saying ‘I love you’. In this bedroom, they’ve made, barely without words, all the everlasting vows they wanted to do: they won’t be apart ever again in the imminent future--not willingly, either way. And they’ll fight tooth and nails to prevent an unwilling separation. Now that the Black Organization threat has been dealt with, Shinichi will not let any idle threat split them apart easily.
With a shaky hand, Ran caresses Shinichi’s face, from his chin to his ear, his nose, his forehead, almost as if a blind person wanted to ‘see’ him. He knows what she’s doing, the engraved fear buried deep inside of her, and takes her hand to plant a kiss on her palm.
“I’m here. Really,” he promises again. She was probably waiting for him to disappear into thin air once more and, to be honest, that particular nightmare has crossed his mind, too. But he’s not going anywhere. The temporary antidote won’t wear off within a moment’s notice and he won’t be forced to make up a bunch of silly excuses.
She’s missed him more than she could ever confess or express in words. It’s been so long, so emotionally draining. She didn’t understand what was going on, Shinichi’s explanations were always so succinct and brief and futile and she had to pretend they were enough. She had to bottle up her emotions for so damned long, stay behind and just wait for Shinichi whenever he vanished over and over and over again because of that forsaken case. . . Standing by her father’s side, witnessing murders left and right, wondering if Shinichi saw such gruesome and forlorn cases as she did.
Left behind to suffer in silence, to spend her days wondering. To spend sleepless nights worrying and keeping the nightmares at bay, each worse than the previous one.
“It’s all over,” he says, kissing her on the nose to stress the words--and the truth. “Trust me, this time I mean it. I’m not running away anymore.”
“You’re here,” she repeats after some long seconds.
“Yes. I am,” nods Shinichi, a simple enough response for what it feels impossible to believe the truth. Then again, when you’ve eliminated the impossible, whatever remains. . .
A smile grows, very slow, on Ran’s lips, as she finally, truly, believes him. She snuggles closer and Shinichi welcomes her in, letting her rest in the corner of his neck, where she belongs. At long last, it all fits. Everything’s clicked into its rightful place, the last two pieces of a thousand-pieces puzzle coming together, at last, putting a final end to an experience that will remain at their backs, from now on.
“Why didn’t we do this every time you came back?” chuckles Ran, stirring in his arms.
Chuckling in return, Shinichi takes advantage of Ran’s inadvertently coming ever closer to kiss her shoulder. Playfully, he blows on her hair, trying to put a rebellious lock of hair out of her eyes, and then blows on her ear and neck, making her giggle worse. She hits him in the stomach, painlessly, as to stop him from attempting the fourth round on a row.
He massages the sour area and then, coming down from the games and jokes, rests tiredly on the bed, letting Ran using his arm as her pillow.
“Had we had had the time to make love, we should have used some of it to talk,” he says.
“No,” she interjects him, resting her warm fingers against his lips to stop him from uttering a single word. “Don’t.”
“Ran,” he sighs deeply, straightening now for a more serious conversation. She hasn’t asked anything about the case or the details about his return. Heck, she hasn’t even mentioned Conan since he got here--not that he’s given her much chance of worrying over any of that up until this very second.
“I don’t care,” says Ran. “I don’t want to know anymore. Let’s not talk about anything and stay in bed all night.”
Shinichi chuckles, the vibrating movements reverberating the bed and her body. “As appealing as that suggestion sounds, I really, really think we should--”
“No,” Ran interjects him, scooting closer, reaching both arms around his neck, her breasts too close to his chest for him to be able to think clearly. “You’re here. Don’t spoil this.”
“Ran--”
“Shut up, please, Shinichi! Don’t say anything!” she begs, raising her voice at the end of the sentence.
It wasn’t difficult to miss the tears in her voice and so Shinichi shuts up at once, holding Ran close and tight. He’s just vowed he doesn’t want to hurt her again, not after everything she’s been through because of him. If that means postponing the much-needed talk for a more appropriate time, so be it. He also ponders, briefly, if Ran doesn’t want to hear any of it not because she’s scared of the truth and of getting hurt again, but maybe because she already knows the truth--or part of it, at the very least. About him and Conan.
Figuring it isn’t the time to bring that subject up, he remains silent for as long as she needs, being the shoulder for her to cry on that he never was before. After a little while, she relaxes again. She sighs deeply as she lies back on the bed, using her arm to prop up her head.
“You know either way I’ll drop dead any minute now, do you?”
Shinichi tenses, sitting up straight. He tries to move in front of Ran while assessing the room, looking for the imminent threat she mentioned. She chuckles and caresses his arm and back, massaging the so stiff muscles.
“No sniper’s out there to get me, as far as I know.”
“Then why would you say something like that?” he shrieks in panic.
“I meant that anyone in this building or the street will drop dead at any second, murdered, and so you’ll have to go and investigate, and then go to the Police Station with Inspector Megure, and then you’ll vanish--”
Shinichi, angered more than scared now, stops her pained rambling with a kiss on the lips, although he retreats right away before they both forget the issue at hand.
“That won’t happen,” he says. Both hands around her face, Shinichi leaves another trail of kisses along her shoulders and collarbone, effectively proving he’s in no hurry at all this time around. “I told you, I’m not going anywhere. There’s not a single case out there worth solving if that means I don’t get to be by your side.”
Surprised by his vehemence, Ran struggles to sit up and Shinichi needs to move back to give her some space. She pulls on the sheets to cover her body and then looks at him in the eye, waiting for the punchline. But it doesn’t come. Well, that’s a check on the “trusting issues” column, then, sighs Shinichi.
“I swear to the Shinigami, if somebody fell through that window right now, and I’d call the police and return to bed with you,” he insists, making Ran chuckle upon such idiocy. “No one and nothing is more important to me right now than you are.”
“Please,” scowls Ran and Shinichi knows she’s just rolled her eyes at him. “Damn the Shinigami, damn the God of Truth Fugen and damn all the mysteries in the world. If I ever get to speak with Fugen or anyone up there--”
“You’ll have to thank them for bringing us together,” Shinichi interjects.
“My ass,” scowls Ran, kicking him on the leg.
“Hey, I still want to become a private eye, you know,” he reminds her, his voice still joyful.
She spins in shock now, all lust and pleasure and banter vanished already. For a second, Shinichi fears he is going to end up in the ER tonight after all, given the hard gaze on Ran’s eyes when she pierces him through.
“The only thing mystery-related you’ll ever do again is writing crime novels as your father does,” she sentences, proving she’s not bluffing. “Or reviews for mystery books. But you won’t go around solving cases--look where it got you.”
You don’t know half of it, scowls Shinichi mentally, thinking briefly about the struggles he’s faced the past few months upon being forced to adjust to a new life as a six-year-old with a sixteen-year-old’s intelligence, trying to bring down the Black Organization. . . While attempting not to screw up his relationship with Ran. His part wasn’t easy, either.
Of course, he’s careful not to say anything about that out loud. One day, maybe, they can sit down and be completely honest. They’ve proven now it’s not the appropriate time or place for such a conversation.
Instead, he just drops his head as a means of letting Ran know that he’s dropping his cause about becoming a private eye like her father--he knows that’s going to be one hell of a battle, and he’ll have no arguments today. If they do get around to discuss anything related to their future, it’ll be concerning them finishing their studies and going to College, and getting married, and having a family, and growing old together. That is the only certainty in his life, right now: staying with Ran. Of course, he cannot tell her that, or else she’ll freak out worse than she did before. But, as far as he’s concerned, as long as he’s got Ran, the world can go to hell this minute.
He leans in to kiss her earlobe while sending a hand down to he sex, still wet, ready for him. He freezes before accessing her without consent, waiting for Ran’s approval. She can only nod against his neck in order to show her agreement, but as soon as Shinichi presses two fingers against her, all her other worries and sorrows are buried into a far-away drawer at the back of her mind.
“My God, you’re gorgeous,” are the last words he whispers onto her ear.