(no subject)
... Just something that's been in my head + I am gay, but we all knew that.
Crow crouched down, resting securely on his heels, and lifted an eyebrow at the sight in front of him.
It wasn't as though Kazuha had never randomly drifted off before; the weekend they'd had to endure being handcuffed together, she had tried so hard to stay awake and maintain a safe distance from a thief she was only just beginning to trust as a friend that it had backfired. Crow, who had fallen asleep within minutes with a snicker over his companion's flustered protests of "You could be a little more bothered about this!", woke up when he felt a tug at his wrist. Kazuha had tried so desperately to keep that distance that, when she'd finally dozed off, she'd tipped completely over to the side.
He'd sat up and moved her to rest against him and, at that moment, watching her breathe peacefully, he thought she'd been cute.
Granted, there were other times where - inevitably - the strings of tension that kept her up would snap, and she'd gradually lose the fight to stay awake. But this was the first time he'd seen her actually taking a nap outside and, not only that, she had company.
Ai, the little blonde girl from the same world, was slumped in her lap, feet dangling over Kazuha's crossed legs and head resting comfortably against the older girl's chest. Kazuha had one arm loosely holding her in place, as if she'd been concerned that she would droop forward too much.
"I remember once--" And the voice came from Conan, who was under the same tree and taking care to speak quietly (though he looked amused). "She fell asleep right in the middle of dinner, 'cause she was chasing after Heiji-niichan all day! And this time she was up all night with H-- her. Ai. We came out because the weather was nice, but I guess they're both still tired."
Crow snorted softly; he could envision it perfectly. "She sick or something?"
Conan nodded. "It was just a cold, and her fever wasn't too bad, but Kazuha-neechan was pretty worried. Kaito-niichan even told her to stop being an idiot and going to bed, but then she..." A pause. A head tilt. "... said something about aikido practice and arm-twisting, and he went back to sleep after that." And now he grinned so happily that Crow blinked. "Kazuha-neechan's pretty scary sometimes, huh?"
"Only sometimes?" Crow asked ruefully. "I'd rather take on a thousand gangs than mess with her when she's really riled up." The look he gave the slumbering duo - the older one in particular - was an affectionate one, though, and he had to stop himself from reaching out to touch her cheek. Ai shifting in her sleep also discouraged him. "But hell, it'd be great if she'd stop pushing herself so damned hard."
"But that's why she's got you, right, Crow-niichan?" the boy chirped. "I bet Heiji-niichan would yell at her if he was here."
"Yeah, well, I ain't Heiji." He said the words quietly and with no hint of rancor, but Conan couldn't mistake the conviction in his tone. "She already knows how I feel about this, and there's no way in hell I'd change her. But..." He glanced up, hearing familiar footsteps, and grinned widely when he saw who it was. "Doesn't mean I can just leave her to keep on doing it. Hey, Kaito, good timing!"
Kaito's pace slowed down as he glanced first at Crow, then at Conan, then at the two sleeping girls. Like his friend had originally done, he raised an eyebrow. "Are we having a slumber party now?"
Conan's smile became something of a suppressed sneer, but it vanished a few seconds later. "Nuh-uh! Ai and Kazuha-neechan just fell asleep, that's all!"
"I think I'm gonna need your help for this one," Crow added. "Mind taking the kid? If she's still not feeling okay, s'probably better to get her back in bed, and it wouldn't hurt Kazuha either."
"Oh yeah, sure, make me take the little one," Kaito muttered, but walked forward to help. In a surprisingly deft move, he gently eased Kazuha's arm away and lifted Ai up with no trouble at all before he turned to Conan. "Hey, help out with the doors, okay? We'll both have our hands full."
Crow waited until they'd started off, and then replaced the tree with one arm and scooped his other one under Kazuha's legs to hoist her up. He frowned as he did so; she felt lighter and, when he peered at her, she looked exhausted.
"Overdoing it again, huh?" he murmured, and Kazuha stirred, eyes fluttering open after a second or two. She looked disconcerted for a moment, and then looked up.
"Crow-kun...? Wasn't I just-- Ai-chan?" She was clearly trying to focus on his face, but she still looked so sleepy that Crow couldn't resist any more; he didn't give a damn if Kaito and Conan saw them. He lifted her a little higher and closer to his chest. Before Kazuha could ask anything further, he brushed his lips against hers, once, twice, gently.
"Shh... she's fine, we're just putting her to bed. And you too, idiot."
"'m not," she muttered rebelliously, but it was more out of habit out of anything; with the knowledge that her charge was fine, her body was already relaxing against him. Noticing this, Crow started to walk.
"Go back to sleep," he told her, encouraged when her eyelids lowered almost obediently. "You did a good job."
Kazuha made a few more noises of dissent - again, habit - but Crow could feel her snuggling closer and, when he glanced down at her, she had once again succumbed to tiredness. He grinned at that, a grin that widened when he remembered how she'd initially avoided contact with him and now trusted him wholeheartedly, enough to fall asleep in his arms.
The fact that Ai had been sleeping in Kazuha's hold also spoke volumes of her own trust, something he made a note of to remind Kazuha about later-- she'd been disheartened that the little girl might not ever open up completely to her.
But for now, the Signer just let her sleep.
Crow crouched down, resting securely on his heels, and lifted an eyebrow at the sight in front of him.
It wasn't as though Kazuha had never randomly drifted off before; the weekend they'd had to endure being handcuffed together, she had tried so hard to stay awake and maintain a safe distance from a thief she was only just beginning to trust as a friend that it had backfired. Crow, who had fallen asleep within minutes with a snicker over his companion's flustered protests of "You could be a little more bothered about this!", woke up when he felt a tug at his wrist. Kazuha had tried so desperately to keep that distance that, when she'd finally dozed off, she'd tipped completely over to the side.
He'd sat up and moved her to rest against him and, at that moment, watching her breathe peacefully, he thought she'd been cute.
Granted, there were other times where - inevitably - the strings of tension that kept her up would snap, and she'd gradually lose the fight to stay awake. But this was the first time he'd seen her actually taking a nap outside and, not only that, she had company.
Ai, the little blonde girl from the same world, was slumped in her lap, feet dangling over Kazuha's crossed legs and head resting comfortably against the older girl's chest. Kazuha had one arm loosely holding her in place, as if she'd been concerned that she would droop forward too much.
"I remember once--" And the voice came from Conan, who was under the same tree and taking care to speak quietly (though he looked amused). "She fell asleep right in the middle of dinner, 'cause she was chasing after Heiji-niichan all day! And this time she was up all night with H-- her. Ai. We came out because the weather was nice, but I guess they're both still tired."
Crow snorted softly; he could envision it perfectly. "She sick or something?"
Conan nodded. "It was just a cold, and her fever wasn't too bad, but Kazuha-neechan was pretty worried. Kaito-niichan even told her to stop being an idiot and going to bed, but then she..." A pause. A head tilt. "... said something about aikido practice and arm-twisting, and he went back to sleep after that." And now he grinned so happily that Crow blinked. "Kazuha-neechan's pretty scary sometimes, huh?"
"Only sometimes?" Crow asked ruefully. "I'd rather take on a thousand gangs than mess with her when she's really riled up." The look he gave the slumbering duo - the older one in particular - was an affectionate one, though, and he had to stop himself from reaching out to touch her cheek. Ai shifting in her sleep also discouraged him. "But hell, it'd be great if she'd stop pushing herself so damned hard."
"But that's why she's got you, right, Crow-niichan?" the boy chirped. "I bet Heiji-niichan would yell at her if he was here."
"Yeah, well, I ain't Heiji." He said the words quietly and with no hint of rancor, but Conan couldn't mistake the conviction in his tone. "She already knows how I feel about this, and there's no way in hell I'd change her. But..." He glanced up, hearing familiar footsteps, and grinned widely when he saw who it was. "Doesn't mean I can just leave her to keep on doing it. Hey, Kaito, good timing!"
Kaito's pace slowed down as he glanced first at Crow, then at Conan, then at the two sleeping girls. Like his friend had originally done, he raised an eyebrow. "Are we having a slumber party now?"
Conan's smile became something of a suppressed sneer, but it vanished a few seconds later. "Nuh-uh! Ai and Kazuha-neechan just fell asleep, that's all!"
"I think I'm gonna need your help for this one," Crow added. "Mind taking the kid? If she's still not feeling okay, s'probably better to get her back in bed, and it wouldn't hurt Kazuha either."
"Oh yeah, sure, make me take the little one," Kaito muttered, but walked forward to help. In a surprisingly deft move, he gently eased Kazuha's arm away and lifted Ai up with no trouble at all before he turned to Conan. "Hey, help out with the doors, okay? We'll both have our hands full."
Crow waited until they'd started off, and then replaced the tree with one arm and scooped his other one under Kazuha's legs to hoist her up. He frowned as he did so; she felt lighter and, when he peered at her, she looked exhausted.
"Overdoing it again, huh?" he murmured, and Kazuha stirred, eyes fluttering open after a second or two. She looked disconcerted for a moment, and then looked up.
"Crow-kun...? Wasn't I just-- Ai-chan?" She was clearly trying to focus on his face, but she still looked so sleepy that Crow couldn't resist any more; he didn't give a damn if Kaito and Conan saw them. He lifted her a little higher and closer to his chest. Before Kazuha could ask anything further, he brushed his lips against hers, once, twice, gently.
"Shh... she's fine, we're just putting her to bed. And you too, idiot."
"'m not," she muttered rebelliously, but it was more out of habit out of anything; with the knowledge that her charge was fine, her body was already relaxing against him. Noticing this, Crow started to walk.
"Go back to sleep," he told her, encouraged when her eyelids lowered almost obediently. "You did a good job."
Kazuha made a few more noises of dissent - again, habit - but Crow could feel her snuggling closer and, when he glanced down at her, she had once again succumbed to tiredness. He grinned at that, a grin that widened when he remembered how she'd initially avoided contact with him and now trusted him wholeheartedly, enough to fall asleep in his arms.
The fact that Ai had been sleeping in Kazuha's hold also spoke volumes of her own trust, something he made a note of to remind Kazuha about later-- she'd been disheartened that the little girl might not ever open up completely to her.
But for now, the Signer just let her sleep.