Kaitou KID heists were notorious for things like skinned palms and bruised knees, but Hakuba was used to that. True, he’d developed quite the interesting case of climacophobia over time, but it usually wasn’t anything terribly crippling — at least, he refused to let it be in defense of his pride. But even with that, it had never really stopped him from chasing the thief before. Detective was a dangerous job; injury came with the territory.
They’d been running hard, up several flights of stairs, down hallways, over obstacles, and Hakuba had been impressed, as always, with the little detective’s tenacity and speed. One too many nasty tricks from the thief, though, and the debris was just too much to navigate.
At least, that’s what Hakuba imagined had happened, because one moment he was watching that flash of white cape, and the next, he had Conan crashing right into him just as he’d made it to the top of the staircase. Down they went until they were a collective Sherlockian heap at the bottom of the stairwell, groaning.
The first thing that came to Hakuba’s mind was to get up and keep after KID, but all of those thoughts ceased immediately when he heard the boy utter the tiniest little ‘itte’ under his breath. “C-Conan-kun?”
Suddenly, thief forgotten, Hakuba righted them both and searched the boy for injuries, frantic. The scrapes weren’t bad, but they still tore at him, and he coddled Conan against his will, taking him from the heist, kicking very loudly complaining, to the bathroom to clean him up.
“It’s all right, it’s all right! Let KID go, we’ll get him next time! God, don’t scare me like that, though, you could have been very seriously hurt!” Which he was very well aware of, given that he could feel the bruises forming over himself already.
What’s one thing your muse has always wanted to say to mine?
You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew who I reallywas.
Conan chuckled nervously and waved a hand at the fair-haired detective, “I don’t know about all that respect and power stuff. I’m just a kid, and I’m not sure I’d have time to be an apprentice with school helping Uncle Kogoro out.”
The adrenaline and excitement that had kept him going during their time in the Lavender Mansion was bound to run out at some point, leaving his little body feeling exhausted.
Conan had tried his hardest to stay awake and enjoy the trip back to to shore, but he found it impossible to keep his bleary eyes open. Slumped in the boat’s bench-like seats, he told himself that a short nap wouldn’t do him any harm. Besides, Ran would wake him up once they reached the dock. Until then, he would settle against her and allow sleep to take him.
What he didn’t realize was that he wasn’t the only one feeling worn out from the day’s earlier events, nor did he realize that it wasn’t Ran he had snuggled into. The depth of his fatigue had made him numb to the fact that she had shifted out of her seat to admire the sea, while an equally tired blond settled in beside him.
He had intended on conversing with the little detective, but neither of them seemed ready to speak. Instead, they remained where they were, fast sleep and completely unaware of the fun that Hattori would have should he find them leaning on each other.
UHM… let’s see… Aaron and I share our bday parties since his birthday is the day before mine, which makes things really convenient. The first “best birthday” that pops into my head was a couple of years ago when we made all of our friends go with us to the Dinosaur Museum… and then I think afterward, we went to my brother’s house to watch The Lion King 1 ½ and Jurassic Park on his projector because bluray versions of said movies were our presents to each other.
Guys I really, really like Jurassic Park.
8: Talk about the thing you are most proud of.
Thing I am most proud of… uhmmm… HMM. Well, once upon a time I had a web comic, and for two years straight I kept up with my weekly update. And then I got super busy doing con stuff and moving and… just sort of stopped doing it… … … I’m still proud of it! And I intend to get back to it. I’m redesigning the website right now, even… just a little bit every day~
14: Talk about a vacation.
OKAY SO THIS IS AMAZING BUT LIKE a couple of years ago this furry convention in ENGLAND invited me to come as a GUEST OF HONOUR and flew me out to London and I got to hang out with my Brit friends for a week and a half and teach all sorts of panels at this con about comics and writing and I drew nonstop and judged a dance contest and I sold so much stuff and we walked all over London and I ate crumpets and I got to sing the Beatles karaoke in a pub and – huff huff WHEEZE – it was amazing.
”I hope she hasn’t gone too far,” but it was likely to be the exact opposite. They had spent a large chunk of their time discussing the case, giving the roaming pooch the chance to wander even further from home.
Spinning on the heel of his sneakers, he jabbed a finger in the direction of the alley he had mentioned before. “There’s still plenty of time before the sun goes down, and the alley isn’t far.”
Conan gave no warning before he bolted down the street. Hakuba’s legs were longer than his own, and would likely catch up — but the sooner they found the dog, the better.
“I’m right behind you,” Hakuba called after the boy as he took off, ready to run, himself.
He wondered, briefly, if this was why Hattori enjoyed being around the little detective so much; there was just a sense of energy being around him. Everything was always go, go, go, which was so terribly unlike the adults. It lent urgency to the case, which was especially helpful in situations like this, and made it that much more fun.
Pounding pavement with long strides, Hakuba could catch up easily, but he kept his eyes open for Conan to dart away at any moment – something he’d personally observed before.
Conan followed Hakuba’s gaze and hummed thoughtfully to himself. It wasn’t far, but dogs were capable of winding up in another city entirely if their need to run about was strong enough.
When presented with the photo, Conan’s eyes narrowed. His chin was taken between his thumb and forefinger while a wrinkle formed between his brows. He couldn’t deny how obvious the scratches were, but why go through all that trouble to snatch a dog — or, more likely, something it wore? It wouldn’t be the first time, but he had hoped that people were above dognapping.
”Was it a habit of theirs to bring their dog with them everywhere, or was this the first time?”
“Habit, as far as my client has said, though I’ve never noticed dog hair in their car before…” Hakuba frowned as he thought over the niggling detail, looking Conan over again in the process. God, adorable and so observant. Perfect combination.
He turned his attention back to the case at hand, reaching into his suit jacket for his little black notebook while he put the phone away. Flipping to the current page, the blond glanced over his notes then nodded.
“Then again, they’re very wealthy, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they had their car detailed weekly. As for Mikki, she’s supposedly very obedient, which lends credence to the idea that she was dognapped… even so, I’m to look for her in the immediate area, just in case."
