Half of an Eisuke-Ran one-shot.
Stumbled across this this evening. Is the first 1000 words of a short story I'd started writing with my little secret Detective Conan OTP in mind. Figured it had sat unshared long enough. (I'll finish it at some point, I'm sure, just... not quite now.)
It's been a while since I last shared DC-fic stuff. Feed-back appreciated. :)
Endings
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"Dad?"
It was nearing the end of the afternoon. It had been a slow day at the agency. Kogoro Mouri idly swirled the cup of coffee in his hand. The sky outside looked grey and dull.
"Dad!"
A splash of coffee made its way onto his suit, the warm liquid making him jump as much as the sound of his daughter's voice. He hadn't been listening. It was hard to stay alert on slow days like this.
"Wh... Agh! What? What is it Ran?" He snapped, feeling embarrassment colour his cheeks at being caught off-guard. If only Okino Yoko's show hadn't been cancelled today; the young talent had a knack for rescuing the private Detective from the void of boredom.
"Dad..." There was a small tone of reproach in Ran's voice as she took a napkin to wipe the stain off of his tie. It wasn't an unkind tone though: just a quirked up eyebrow, a disenchanted smirk and a sigh.
"Sorry," he mumbled, adjusting said tie and making pretence of tidying up some of the papers on his desk, all useless busywork stuff that he had no patience for today. "I was lost in thought. What were you asking?"
He sneaked a quick glance at the clock. She'd been home a good half hour. Made him coffee and gave him a hug as soon as she was through the door. Ran couldn't have had much homework if she was down here again so soon. He frowned as he looked her up and down. She had a slight wrinkle between her brows and was nibbling at her lip. Now that his tie was dry, she'd crossed her arms... It was just as her mother would do when something was troubling her. Kogoro put the mug of coffee down.
"I..." Ran started, her voice evaporating with that single syllable. Instead she switched to a chirpier attitude, pasting on that fake smile that had never fooled him. "Never mind. It's a silly question and you clearly have other things to worry about."
He caught her shoulder as she went to leave.
"Oye, none of that." Kogoro took a deep breath. This was one of those times where he really missed Eri. She was a lot better at being tactful, respectful and understanding of their daughter's boundaries. Still, he was a father, and if something was troubling his little girl, he wanted to know. It was time to use his most reassuring smile. "Let me decide if it's silly or not. Whatever it is has clearly been preying on your mind. Out with it."
Ran stayed quiet a moment, eyes down at the floor as she seemed to contemplate his words. Finally, when Kogoro was starting to think he should just let it be and go switch the TV back on, she spoke.
"Fine, I... I was wondering..." She lifted up her chin, squared back her shoulders and turned to face him before continuing. There was courage in her that Eri always said she'd inherited from him. Kogoro never believed it, especially not in moments like this. Ran was always so much fiercer than him when it came to facing her own demons. "I was wondering how hard it would be to... I would like you to find an address for me. Please?"
"An address?" Startled, Kogoro puzzled it over a moment. If Ran wanted an address, she usually just went for the address book by the phone or looked it up on her Smartphone. "What kind of address?"
"As I said... It is kind of silly." Flustered, his daughter swept a strand of hair behind her ear. "I... My friend left the country a while back without leaving us any contact details and I... I would really like to send him a small parcel."
The red cheeks, pursed lips and fiddling fingers, it didn't take a genius to come to the conclusion that Kogoro came to.
"This is about that boy, isn't it?"
"...Which boy?" Ran asked hesitantly, unsure how much her father understood without her needing to explain.
"That Kudo brat, of course!" The detective straightened himself into the pose he liked to refer to as the Poirot smug. He even twirled at his moustache. "He's been gone for months and only answers your calls on a whim. You want me to find him, don't you?"
"I... What no. I mean ye... You can do that? Really?" Ran leaned back onto the arm of the sofa behind her, eyes wide. "I would love it if you could but... That wasn't who I was thinking of!"
"What...?!" Kogoro's preening was brought to an abrupt end. He stumbled backwards towards his desk. Ran's blushing interest in this person could only have meant her childhood sweetheart Shinichi Kudo, surely. "Then who?"
"Do you remember Hondou? Eisuke Hondou, the boy from my class who wanted to tag along for a few of your cases?"
It took Kogoro a moment to try and place the name. Images of a thin teenager with large glasses came to mind. The boy had been nice enough, but he hadn't made much of an impression beyond his displays of inane clumsiness.
"That kid? He's the one that looked like that Mizunashi lady who used to do the news, right?" He scrunched his face up at the thought of looking for the boy. Why on earth was Ran trying to find him? "Wait... You mean he's no longer in your class?"
A sour look crossed Ran's features at his query.
"No. He kind of left without saying goodbye. I've only just found out that he left the country, and that took some digging."
Ah. That explained everything. From what little he'd seen, the two had indeed formed a close friendship. Of course she'd want to tell him off.
"Fine," he chuckled. "I'll have a look, see what I can find. Tell me as much as you can of what you think might help me find him."
"Thanks dad." Ran hugged him, her strong embrace and height reminding her father just how quickly she had grown. Ran wasn't a child anymore. She probably hadn't been for a while now.
"No problem..." He choked out quietly. He pulled up an extra seat to his desk, busying himself to find pen and paper, hoping to hide the wetness in his eyes. He ended up rubbing at them anyway as he gruffly asked where the young squirt was.
"Oh, Conan's at Agasa's. He said something about a new game or something." Ran sat down next to her father, mind already buzzing with the information the detective had asked of her. She had her notebook at hand. "Now here's what I know..."
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It's been a while since I last shared DC-fic stuff. Feed-back appreciated. :)
Endings
-
"Dad?"
It was nearing the end of the afternoon. It had been a slow day at the agency. Kogoro Mouri idly swirled the cup of coffee in his hand. The sky outside looked grey and dull.
"Dad!"
A splash of coffee made its way onto his suit, the warm liquid making him jump as much as the sound of his daughter's voice. He hadn't been listening. It was hard to stay alert on slow days like this.
"Wh... Agh! What? What is it Ran?" He snapped, feeling embarrassment colour his cheeks at being caught off-guard. If only Okino Yoko's show hadn't been cancelled today; the young talent had a knack for rescuing the private Detective from the void of boredom.
"Dad..." There was a small tone of reproach in Ran's voice as she took a napkin to wipe the stain off of his tie. It wasn't an unkind tone though: just a quirked up eyebrow, a disenchanted smirk and a sigh.
"Sorry," he mumbled, adjusting said tie and making pretence of tidying up some of the papers on his desk, all useless busywork stuff that he had no patience for today. "I was lost in thought. What were you asking?"
He sneaked a quick glance at the clock. She'd been home a good half hour. Made him coffee and gave him a hug as soon as she was through the door. Ran couldn't have had much homework if she was down here again so soon. He frowned as he looked her up and down. She had a slight wrinkle between her brows and was nibbling at her lip. Now that his tie was dry, she'd crossed her arms... It was just as her mother would do when something was troubling her. Kogoro put the mug of coffee down.
"I..." Ran started, her voice evaporating with that single syllable. Instead she switched to a chirpier attitude, pasting on that fake smile that had never fooled him. "Never mind. It's a silly question and you clearly have other things to worry about."
He caught her shoulder as she went to leave.
"Oye, none of that." Kogoro took a deep breath. This was one of those times where he really missed Eri. She was a lot better at being tactful, respectful and understanding of their daughter's boundaries. Still, he was a father, and if something was troubling his little girl, he wanted to know. It was time to use his most reassuring smile. "Let me decide if it's silly or not. Whatever it is has clearly been preying on your mind. Out with it."
Ran stayed quiet a moment, eyes down at the floor as she seemed to contemplate his words. Finally, when Kogoro was starting to think he should just let it be and go switch the TV back on, she spoke.
"Fine, I... I was wondering..." She lifted up her chin, squared back her shoulders and turned to face him before continuing. There was courage in her that Eri always said she'd inherited from him. Kogoro never believed it, especially not in moments like this. Ran was always so much fiercer than him when it came to facing her own demons. "I was wondering how hard it would be to... I would like you to find an address for me. Please?"
"An address?" Startled, Kogoro puzzled it over a moment. If Ran wanted an address, she usually just went for the address book by the phone or looked it up on her Smartphone. "What kind of address?"
"As I said... It is kind of silly." Flustered, his daughter swept a strand of hair behind her ear. "I... My friend left the country a while back without leaving us any contact details and I... I would really like to send him a small parcel."
The red cheeks, pursed lips and fiddling fingers, it didn't take a genius to come to the conclusion that Kogoro came to.
"This is about that boy, isn't it?"
"...Which boy?" Ran asked hesitantly, unsure how much her father understood without her needing to explain.
"That Kudo brat, of course!" The detective straightened himself into the pose he liked to refer to as the Poirot smug. He even twirled at his moustache. "He's been gone for months and only answers your calls on a whim. You want me to find him, don't you?"
"I... What no. I mean ye... You can do that? Really?" Ran leaned back onto the arm of the sofa behind her, eyes wide. "I would love it if you could but... That wasn't who I was thinking of!"
"What...?!" Kogoro's preening was brought to an abrupt end. He stumbled backwards towards his desk. Ran's blushing interest in this person could only have meant her childhood sweetheart Shinichi Kudo, surely. "Then who?"
"Do you remember Hondou? Eisuke Hondou, the boy from my class who wanted to tag along for a few of your cases?"
It took Kogoro a moment to try and place the name. Images of a thin teenager with large glasses came to mind. The boy had been nice enough, but he hadn't made much of an impression beyond his displays of inane clumsiness.
"That kid? He's the one that looked like that Mizunashi lady who used to do the news, right?" He scrunched his face up at the thought of looking for the boy. Why on earth was Ran trying to find him? "Wait... You mean he's no longer in your class?"
A sour look crossed Ran's features at his query.
"No. He kind of left without saying goodbye. I've only just found out that he left the country, and that took some digging."
Ah. That explained everything. From what little he'd seen, the two had indeed formed a close friendship. Of course she'd want to tell him off.
"Fine," he chuckled. "I'll have a look, see what I can find. Tell me as much as you can of what you think might help me find him."
"Thanks dad." Ran hugged him, her strong embrace and height reminding her father just how quickly she had grown. Ran wasn't a child anymore. She probably hadn't been for a while now.
"No problem..." He choked out quietly. He pulled up an extra seat to his desk, busying himself to find pen and paper, hoping to hide the wetness in his eyes. He ended up rubbing at them anyway as he gruffly asked where the young squirt was.
"Oh, Conan's at Agasa's. He said something about a new game or something." Ran sat down next to her father, mind already buzzing with the information the detective had asked of her. She had her notebook at hand. "Now here's what I know..."
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