Shifting Truth

Part 29

Hiya! I'm back at working on this story!

Summer holiday is back, so now with nothing to do, I'm getting back into writing fanfics again!

I'll try my best to write more of this story.
It is one of my favorites, after all!

For all of you who have waited; Thank you for your patience!

I hope you enjoy!

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Conan sat on the sofa, minding his own business as he combed his fingers through the feathers of his sparrow wings. Irene laid to his side, her head on his lap. Her eyes were open and looking up at him, but her nose wrinkled as feathers tickled the top of her snout. But even with the feeling, she didn't move, until a sneeze escaped her, at least. Her head rose as the sneeze left her, and she shook her head before laying down again.

Conan gave out a small chuckle as he watched her in amusement, and he let go of his wing and folded it behind his back. He shifted back into his cat form, then smiled down at her. "You know, it wouldn't be like that if you just moved," he commented, but placed his hand down on her head to scratch behind her ear.

A huff left Irene, and Conan chuckled again as the dog squirmed until she was lying on her back. Her tongue hung out of her mouth as she smiled up at the boy from his lap, and he smiled back down at her and continued to scratch her.

Goro then came trotting over with a meow, and he leapt up to the sofa. Said cat glanced over at them, and he suddenly decided that Irene would be a good bed. Walking up the dog's stomach, he stopped in the middle of her and laid down, giving no care at Irene's confusion.

Conan blinked down at the cat, but Goro only gave out a bored yawn before starting to groom a leg as he just laid there. Irene gave a slight squirm as she stared at him, but Goro only stopped his grooming to keep his balance, and when she stopped, he resumed his work.

Irene tilted her head as she stared at him, but leaned her head back to glance up at Conan again, confusion clear in her eyes. The boy smiled as he shook his head, but his ears twitched when hearing the doorbell ring.

This immediately made Irene roll back around, making Goro yelp as he was tossed to the floor. A disgruntled meow left the cat as he landed on his feet, but he glanced up when noticing Conan jump from the furniture.

The boy raised an eyebrow in wonder of who could be at the door. It was the middle of a weekday, which meant that most were out for work or school right now. His ears were still perked towards the hallway, and his tail lowered down slightly on alert. And since it was in the middle of the day, it meant that he was alone in the apartment, the Mouri family members out for at least a few more hours.

As he walked down the hallway, Irene and Goro trotted right by him to keep him company, while also joining as guards. Arriving at the front door, Conan sniffed the air, and a sigh left him. He gave the door a single knock before standing up onto his toes to reach for the lock. Unlocking the door, he grabbed the handle and pushed the door open.

"Yo, Kudou! Took you long enough!" greeted Heiji as he grinned down at the boy.

"It could've helped if you sent a message beforehand, you know," Conan scoffed at him, rolling his eyes as he stepped back. "You know it's still a weekday, and the others have work and school."

"Ah, right, wari," Heiji sheepishly chuckled as he closed the door behind him after stepping in. "So, when are they returning?" he questioned, following the boy into the apartment after getting out a pair of guest slippers.

A small hum left Conan, and he glanced down at his wristwatch. "In an hour or two. It's 2 o'clock, so school ends in two hours, but Occhan and Kisaki-san's hours depend. It didn't seem like Occhan had anything special to work on, luckily, so he could return at any time," Conan informed as he shrugged his shoulders. "Kisaki-san will probably return around the same time as Ran. She's started to limit her work as much as she can from now on, so she may return together with Ran."