((My drafts say 81, but after counting, it looks like the number of actual RP replies is really in the realm of, say, 32~, some of which I’m pretty sure I can just delete… that’s comforting. It’s still going to take a while to get through, and I need to sleep soon, but hey! It’s not as hopeless as it seemed!))
Monthly Archives: September 2014
“Wasn’t exactly handcuffs that I was worried about…”
It was a silly paranoia, really. He was more worried about the possibility of being unmasked more than being physically captured. Even if Hakuba knew the thief was his classmate, and wasn’t likely to do anything like that outside of a heist, …if he would even do it then…, Kid couldn’t help but be wary. He held the detective in high regard, but the caution that had built up wasn’t going to disappear anytime soon.
“…But thank you. I think I will stay.”
He smiled at the other a moment before before he shifted, moving his arms back to lean on as he closed his eyes.
“And it’s not like a thief has many people he can tell, so no worries about that, tantei-san.~”
“Again, it’s appreciated, regardless.” Hakuba laughed, voice still nervous in tone as he sat up again. It wasn’t as though he mistrusted the thief, either, but as flirtatious as they were, there had never really been any sort of define the relationship discussion.
He reached for the duvet at the end of the bed, exposing his naked back briefly, then dragged it around himself to preserve some sense of modesty as he slipped from the bed, heading for the closet.
“Now be a gentleman and turn around."
Two is Too Much
Her eyes widened a bit at his question. “What do you mean ‘my’ Kaito? It’s not like we’re dating or anything. I was just about to buy some things here. How about you?”, she asked the tall boy in front of her.
“Ah hah.” Hakuba coughed politely into a fist and glanced away, folding hands behind his back at his faux pas. “Ah, yes, quite. Ah, I’m here with plans of a similar design. I’m…” He wondered if there was any real merit to telling her of his plans, but there didn’t really seem to be any way out of it, either. “…shopping for a new tie, actually.”
He only hoped that she wouldn’t tease him. After all, it was well known (at least as far as he was aware) that he had a very extensive collection of ties already.
“Well ‘cuse me fer not livin’ up to yer fancy expectations!” Heiji felt a shiver of anger run his spine combined with the insult to his pride. “Even if I knew where he was, I ain’t tellin’ th’ likes of you!” He took a deep breath.
“Do ya really think for a single second tha’ I waste my time thinkin’ bout ya and yer stupid thoughts?”
Hakuba took a moment to consider his words before responding, brow arching at the rather volatile reaction on the other end of the line.
“Now, now, Hattori-san… I know that you have a rather short fuse, but that’s no reason to get so sore about me. Here I am admitting my concerns and asking for your help, and you continue to act as though I’m desecrating a temple or something of that ilk."
He sighed, closing his eyes.
"Though, I do think that you think of me far more often than you’d like to admit. I know your type, Hattori-san~ you miss me just as much as I miss you."
…which was how much, exactly?
”sᴀɢᴜʀᴜ!”
There was no time for any other words- shouting her partner’s name would cost her dearly, blowing her cover to the enemy. Akira shot down the two enemies sniping out the detective, but she suffered a blow to the left shoulder from a third, hidden enemy and retreated, gun close to her chest.
“Got it!”
Although Hakuba still wasn’t entirely comfortable with using their first names, he hadn’t really been given the opportunity to argue. It didn’t matter in the heat of the moment, anyway; dodging, ducking, and rolling a shoulder against a pillar to safety.
God, he’d almost been shot – again. Frustrated, he cursed under his breath and continued on his way, strafing down the long corridor that left him almost entirely open until he could roll around the next corner and duck behind a pile of barrels. He’d really been slipping lately, and he used to be so good at this game. Then again, he’d been less distracted before, too.
Gun at the ready, he very carefully moved, mentally tracking Akira’s movements through the arena’s maze-like layout. If he knew her typical pattern, she would be waiting to regroup with him at the charging station just far enough within enemy territory to allow for retreat where necessary. It was a dangerous location, but did afford them a certain offensive advantage.
Once he caught his breath, the detective slipped through, crouching to move under a slip of net that the Japanese players, he knew, would have little trouble with. It wasn’t nearly as easy for someone as tall and admittedly bulky as he was, but he’d also had some basic training at the academy, and far more stubborn determination than a foreigner was expected to– they wouldn’t see him coming.
And they didn’t. He took out another two enemies, though right in the back which he thought was very unsportsmanlike, and then ran the rest of the way to the rendezvous spot, quickly getting winded again. The whole affair, while useful, had him sweating and embarrassed, so completely informal and silly. But then, it was better than hot yoga, so he kept his complaints to himself.
The Meaning of the Monocle
He blushed. He really didn’t know anything about wine. Oh Gods did he mess up? Was it a bad choice? He swallowed the bite he had just taken and felt his stomach churn. Then when he heard Hakuba had visited the Blue Parrot struggle not to vomit. The memories of Jii flashed through his mind and he had to really concentrate not to break into a sweat.
“Did you?” His voice fluxed and broke embarrassingly. What was the question? The wine? Right. He took a deep breath and put on an easy smile. His expression changed to one of ease and normalcy.
It was fake.
“I brought it from Blue. Is there something wrong with it?” He asked through the smile and the perfectly masked pain.
“Oh, no, no… it’s brilliant, actually. A very fine selection, good year from what I understand.” Hakuba reached for the bottle to look it over, giving himself an opportunity to continue to ignore the food in front of him. "I believe that I’ve had a taste of this before– a couple of years ago in England. I remember it being quite good and, ah…“
It was completely inappropriate to bring up the cost, but the detective didn’t think that he could drink it in good conscience while Kaito was blissfully unaware. Or, well, not blissfully – the pain, as well as it had been hidden, was shared in quiet empathy. The wine was just a convenient distraction.
"It’s quite expensive, too.” He paused, lips pursing. Not wanting to imply that Kaito were poor, or that even if he was in comparison that it was at all a problem, Hakuba quickly continued. “If we’re really to drink this, we must make certain to savor every last drop. Perhaps I’ll bring out a different wine for dinner, and we can share this one afterward?"
Mysterious Murder at the Mystery Shack
Scotland Yard? Detective?!
—— “No way, you’re kidding— you’re a real detective!? Oh man I’ve been waiting my whole summer for this!”
Dipper doesn’t even realize there was a small crack in his voice, his grin as wide as one would think humanly possible as the boy paces back and forth in excitement, hands moving energetically as he talks.
—— “I’ve been investigating this town too! And— And I found this journal that has all the answers you’re looking for just—”
As he’s sliding the book from his inner vest, floorboards creaking under the weight of someone walking cause him to push the journal back, tugging the strangers sleeve closer and lowering his voice.
—— “Maybe we should, uh, talk about this somewhere else…”
Although the enthusiasm was refreshing, the sudden shift in moods concerned the detective. Hakuba bent to listen when tugged and looked him over once more before nodding. A journal? Interesting. Even if it turned out to be nothing, it was certainly worth taking a closer look. Conan-kun couldn’t be the only extraordinarily bright child in the world, after all, and it had been proven time and time again that kids often observed far more than anyone was willing to give credit for.
“Of course,” Hakuba said, smiling in a way that he hoped would be taken as reassuring. “Do you have a safe location in mind, ah– what was your name, again?”
whenever someone tells me “it’s your fault i ship this” my heart swells with pride and purpose
((I have such a huge, splitting headache right now… want to do drafts and RP because it’s finally the weekend and I’m so stressed out, but… ughhh… gonna go to the store to get tea (thanks hakuba shh) to see if it helps. Fingers crossed.))
japansfamousdetective reblogged your post and added:
She was done attempting to empty her empty stomach by the time she heard Hakuba’s voice, tears stinging her eyes and maybe her mouth a bit of a mess from the attempt alone. This probably wouldn’t have been half as bad if she’d actually managed to empty her stomach of something, but then she could be wrong about that too. Not like she’d know at this point.
Looking up at him as he crouched near by, she took the water and happily downed some of it, relishing the way it smoothed out her throat and washed away the taste of stomach acid. She knew better then to drink too much too quickly at least. Oh but the water had been so nice she had wanted to.
“It’s… I don’t know,” she replied, moving to put a hand against her temple. “It feels a little off, and I think there’s some pain, but I don’t know how much of that is the hang over and how much was the attempt to empty my stomach.” It had gotten pretty bad for a moment there.
“Thank you, for the water."
"You’re more than welcome, Kudo-kun,” Hakuba said, taking a moment to drink from his own water bottle afterward. Although he kept his tone and pleasant, it was no use trying to hide the guilt that permeated it.
It had been he who had suggested the wine, and he who had commented on her beauty the night before. So inappropriate… and he hadn’t expected her to react the way she had…
He sat back on his heels a moment later, wanting to rub her back to offer some sort of comfort, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Not when he didn’t know where they now stood. So instead he cleared his throat with a small cough and gestured to the folded bathrobe. “I’ve brought you a robe; why don’t you put it on while I get some painkillers for you?”