Loving you for real (Kudo Shinichi/ Edogawa Conan x reader)

Chapter 7

Upon arriving at Okino Yoko's House, I wimpily stand behind Conan, glancing at the deceased body from time to time, terrified of the explicit scene of death in front of me. The blood kept its oozing form, dried and friable. Just the smell, a treacherous stench, made me ailing.

Screams bounced around the room, jumping so quickly it made my mind dizzy. The manager's response to death was a pitful request to Mr Mori to keep the scene a secret as the two watched Okino-san solemnly.

They shared a heart-hearted sarcastic chuckle before Mr Mori snaps and furiously yelled at the manager: “Are you insane? It’s a murder! Ran, call the police right now!”.

I quickly clenched my eyes and bit my lips, trying to hold in a yelp and ignore the body next to me. This is a disaster. Why did I think coming here was a good idea? Oh, right. I didn't. But my body moved on its on- for the sake of love. Idiot.

“It’s okay. Listen to my voice. You’re going to be fine.” says a comforting whisper.

I took a little peak and saw Ran giving me a sorry look of pity. She gently held my hand that was clutching my mouth and guided me outside the apartment, to the window in the hall, allowing me to sit down on an empty sofa and breathe in the fresher air. My mind was hazy; all I could picture was the body.

I suppose Ran wasn’t sure what to do either. She sat next to me and whispered repetitive words of reassurance. Perhaps she was trying to convince herself as well.

My ears perked at the sounds of multiple footsteps and blaring sirens. It was coming from the police officers that had just arrived, inspecting the crime scene.  Soon enough, I could see Conan trailing along to them to uncover the "exciting" mysteries of this case.

It hit me how ridiculous it sounded. A 7 year old kid excitedly jumping at crime scenes to solve the interesting puzzle of a stranger's death. Yes, inside, he is a 17 year old. Does that really justify what I am saying, though?

Despite my nauseousness and the urge to throw up, I patiently waited for the professionals to complete their task and tell me that it’s time to go home. Perhaps it was the dizziness that was affecting my mind, but seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours.

The horrible ereer feeling of dread that the professionals would never finish their duties was creeping up to me after an hour. It was a pessimistic suggestion, considering how Conan solved the case in the manga, but my patience was running thin. I could also tell that Ran is desperate to go home and avoid anything related to something bloody just like me. But waiting here is clearly not making things hurry up.

Therefore, I stood up and stumbled towards the room and did the first thing that came to mind: throwing an ashtray to Mr Mori’s head, knocking him out and directing Conan to quickly say his deduction.

He gave me a slightly panicked look before I pointed at a dent on the floor, hinting to him the way the man could've passed. In a few seconds, his eyes widen, and he lifts up his ribbon to speak through the voice changer, deducting what had happened.

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By the time we arrive home, everyone is exhausted. Just putting on Ran's old clothes feels like a chore.

However, we eventually all lie down to sleep. Conan is next to me, centimetres away. My pulse is at an unnatural pace, and I can feel how hot my cheeks have gotten. The radiating body heat coming from him makes me feel physically warm and physically tired from how subconscious I am of him.

It's hours later, probably way past midnight, when I finally feel my eyes droop a little and my breathing even out. However, a slight rustle from Ran, quietly tiptoeing out of the room, pulls me out of my exhausted state, snapping me awake.

She leaves the room, probably for a glass of water or to use the toilet.

I sigh and try to fall asleep again, closing my eyes, taking deep, even breaths. Then, I hear it. Conan's heavy breathing. My thumping heart helps me realise that my hands are clammy and that I am flushing red. Great.

"(L/N)-san?" Says Conan. I flinch.

"Y-eah." My voice cracked. Perfect.

"Are you alright?"

My heart pounds against my chest like a bird in a cage, scraping the iron bars to leave, resulting in my heart dropping entirely, stamping all over my lungs. I'm suffocating: "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"I can feel your uneven heartbeat from all the way over here. Your side of the blanket is really hot as well" Sugar.

I hear a slight rustle and a pair of eyes inspect me through the dark. He's looking at me. I've frozen for good.

"Did you get nightmares because of the case? It was quite explicit.."

"Yep." That's a bold lie. I haven't slept, too busy minding his existence.

He wiggles his arm through the maze like blankets and searches for my hand, lightly grazing it eventually and then awkwardly reaching for my palm to hold my hand.

It's dark, so I can't see anything, but I can tell. He's proudly smiling to himself.

"To be honest, I don't really hold hands with, well, anyone... I like to keep to myself," he says awkwardly. "But, talking from experience, it seems you relax a lot when people hold your hand. You tense a bit at first, though."

I give him a weak chuckle as a response, feeling a wave of humiliation crash onto me.

"But if you don't want me to, I can always let go-"

"I love it when you hold my hand."

We both freeze at my words and stare at each other through the darkness. I feel his breath lightly tickle my skin. Sugar. I can't feel my face. I'm definitely not going to fall asleep tonight.

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