Chapter Text
“Ran and I had a fight.”
That... that is something Kaito had not expected to hear upon answering the phone. And it definitely catches his attention because in his three years of knowing both Ran and Shinichi, they had never fought—at least, not so seriously that Shinichi actually sounds upset about the whole ordeal.
“What happened?” he asks, setting his pencil down and leaning back in his chair. If the usually aloof and confident detective is brought to such a state of dismay, it must have been something serious.
On the other end, Shinichi falls silent. Kaito is sure he had heard the other kicking around a soccer ball, but the sound had disappeared.
“Shinichi, I really can’t help you if you don’t tell me,” he chides playfully, rolling his eyes. “Believe it or not, I can’t read your mind. Would be cool though. Maybe not your mind specifically ‘cause you’re probably waxing poetry about Sherlock Holmes or daydreaming about mysteries or something all day.”
For a moment, Kaito swears that the other released a humored breath—one of those quick exhales through the nostrils that one does when something not too funny comes up. If he didn’t know that Shinichi is as upset as he seems to be, Kaito would be rather offended. He’s plenty funny, thank you very much.
“Shinichi, seriously.”
“There’s a man,” the other teen begins, “and he’s the prime suspect in his grandmother’s murder. He says he didn’t do it because he had been out drinking with a friend, but he can’t find any witnesses because he was drunk and laying in some grass at the park when the crime occurred.”
Kaito raises his brows. Instead of interrupting to ask questions, he stays silent, waiting for the other to continue. It takes Shinichi a few seconds to continue. The magician is sure he heard a door close just a few moments before the detective continues his explanation.
Though, he notices that Shinichi is giving him a summary of the case. Still, he keeps quiet just in case the context of this case is actually relevant to the fight. And in doing so, he learns that Ran and Shinichi have not spoken to each other for two days now, but still walk home with each other in a rather tense silence.
“I was telling her about the case and she suggested that the dog Koichi-san claimed to see belongs to this woman that she knows, but the problem is that her walking route wouldn’t be visible from where he was since there’s a wall in between them. I told her it was impossible, but then Ran decided that he’s probably clairvoyant.”
He sounds irritated as he spits out the last word like it’s something vile like fish. And a bit embarrassed. Kaito can see where this is going. To save Shinichi from having to say the rest, he says, “You probably told her that clairvoyance isn’t a thing and that there’d be no need for detectives to solve mysteries or whatever, right?”
“... How’d you know?” Shinichi asks, sounding somewhat amused. A sad little sigh follows the query. “I’ve been so intent on solving the case that I’ve been sneaking out of class.” There’s a little laugh that Kaito hears. He wonders what that’s about. “I’m a bit stuck on the black lab so I can’t help but think about...”
“I just know you well enough,” Kaito answers cheekily to the question. He drops the cheerful disposition to say, “‘Nichi, I think that you should just apologize to the pretty lady. I’m sure Mouri-chan is just as upset as you are.”
Shinichi makes a sound between a whine and a groan that Kaito may have laughed at had it not been for the situation. With a sigh, he continues, reprimanding Shinichi on having not already taken the initiative. These words elicit a rather jaded response.
“I don’t know how to,” Shinichi mumbles, sounding petulant. Kaito likens it to the attitude of a sulking child. It makes him laugh. “What am I supposed to say? Sorry I’m right and you’re wrong? She won’t even talk to me.”
“Have you actually tried talking to her?” Kaito asks, having an idea of what the reply will be. His suspicions are confirmed when Shinichi gives him a rather hesitant negative. “You know, a good first step would be to talk to her? A simple hello, maybe?”
“Easy for you to say.” Kaito can picture Shinichi pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to smooth away the forehead wrinkles he always seems to give him. “I can’t just talk to her.”
Sighing, Kaito only tells him that he won’t solve his problem by avoiding her. Shinichi only says that he’s not. The magician knows better. The detective finally caves, admitting that he just doesn’t know where to start. Leave it to Shinichi to be socially stunted and totally clueless.
“You can start with an apology.” He smiles, some bit of fondness creeping in. “I believe in you. I gotta go now. Aoko’s expecting me to be over for dinner.” Kaito pauses, tapping his finger against the back of his phone. “Are we meeting up this weekend?”
“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Shinichi mumbles, sounding oddly embarrassed as though he didn’t want to say those words out loud. Kaito’s heart warms at the answer. He hasn’t seen his friend for three weeks now. “See you Saturday, I guess.”
Kaito hangs up after bidding him adieu and telling him to wait at the station around 10 a.m. come Saturday morning. Grinning to himself, he stands up and grabs a sweatshirt that had been haphazardly tossed onto his bed and pulls it over his plain cotton t-shirt.
It’s going to be nice, he thinks, to see Shinichi again. Though, he has no idea what they could do after meeting up. Setting aside those thoughts for later, he rushes out the door because Aoko had told him that dinner would be ready around this time.