Chapter Text
A crisp autumn breeze drifted through the night; rattling branches and pushing the sweet scent of fallen leaves down dimly lit streets before finding its way through the detectives open window. Every small gust threatened to blow sheets of paper from his desk but each time they were put neatly back into their stacks. Despite the mild mess, Saihara enjoyed how the cool air cut through the stuffiness of his small room. Taking a deep breath The Ultimate Detective closed his eyes allowing the fresh fall air to fill his lungs. With a few raps of a pencil against the wood of his desk, Shuichi reviewed several lines of hastily written notes before putting graphite to the page once more.
Gonta had been kind enough to lend Saihara a space within his humble farmhouse for the duration of his mission as long as he was willing to do a bit of handiwork now and again. Though his physical strength definitely lacked, Shuichi found himself quite fond of the mandatory breaks. It wasn't rare for him to end up spending hours or even days cooped up at his desk, straining his eyes over case files and small scribbles of notes. Watching Gokuhara's rough hands gently sew each tiny seed into organized rows brought a much needed serenity to a life of high stake sleuthing.
It wasn’t long after his stay began that the two quickly realized the detective was not very good with animals. In fact, no matter how hard he tried, most everything that lived within the vicinity of the weather-worn barn held some form of disdain for Shuichi. He would never forget the kind smile Gokuhara offered him as he exited the chicken coop. Fetching eggs for breakfast had turned into its own small battle ground, leaving Saihara scratched up from head to toe with only a single egg to show for it.
“It’s okay, Gonta understand. Shuichi can help in other ways.”
The fearful looks shown by the many four legged occupants of the farm weren’t unwarranted of course. They could most likely smell the scent of a possible predator which radiated from Shuichi no matter what form he was in. This was no secret to Gonta either. As a good friend of his childhood companion, Kaede, Shuichi was sure the entomologist had heard plenty of stories about his transformations. Although in his youth the beast within him would arise exclusively by gentle rays of a full moon, with age he had learned to control it, even gaining the ability to shift specific parts of his body at will. Even still, any sort of otherworldly strength that may be expected with such a transformation remained determined by the celestial cycle.
Before long a gentle knock sounded against his door and the silhouette of another person filled his peripherals. Gonta entered the room, placing a small cup of chamomile tea beside the mess of papers.
“Gonta made tea! He hopes it will give you a good rest.”
“Ah- thank you. I will try.”
With a nod of friendly acknowledgement Gonta turned to leave, softly closing the door behind him.
Saihara listened to the larger man's footsteps grow feinter as he lifted the cup of warm liquid to his lips. It wasn’t often that he encountered such considerate care from his hosts. The detective couldn’t help but appreciate the tenderness with which his housemate treated all those, human and beast alike, which took residence under his roof. Even the insects which wandered through open shutters weren’t spared from a shower of kindness and, every once in a while, one would end up housed in its own immaculate enclosure to be doted on by the entomologist.
It was with this thought Shuichi noticed an unusual shadow move quickly through the field below his window. A new scent had hit his nostrils just as the figure dove behind one of the tool sheds more than likely aiming to disguise themselves within the tree line. Sweat and a sweet chocolate-like nuttiness created a thread on the wind which Saiharas golden eyes followed through the tall pines. Kicking off his shoes for a much speedier confrontation, dark silvery fur formed covering now digitigrade legs. Paw pads creaked on old stairs as the detective crept closer to the screen door. Eyes still focused keenly on the approximate location of his target.
The scent trail took a sharp turn towards the house. The slim dark figure was approaching at full speed, now almost close enough to make out a few simple details from the silhouette. Eyes slipped into points and in a second Shuichi's once human form took a canid shape. Leaping from the doorframe the detective prepared for impact hoping to catch the intruder in their tracks. Diving for the presence that now laid just beyond the porch light, Shuichi felt a breeze pass through his clawed hands before a weight on his back knocked him to the ground.
“Tsk-”
Violet eyes stared back into his gold ones from the edge of the roof.
“Well that’s quite the surprise..”
The stranger held a finger to his lips, eyes narrowing into a malicious stare.
“It seems I’ve run into the big bad wolf himself.”
With a grunt the werewolf lifted himself off the cool dirt though his back still ached from several long hours of haunched writing, not to mention being used as a literal stepping stone for the small twat that sat lazily on the shingles above him.
“Can you speak big boy? I bet you aren’t all savage like the tales say.”
“Who are you?”
“Ah you can! That's so cool! I wish I could stay and chat but I’ve got other matters to attend to.”
“You’re not getting out of here so easily!”
“Oh, no?”
A small chuckle escaped the other boy's lips before the porch door swung open. Startled, Shuichi turned his eyes on the entryway to see a frantic Gokuhara stumble out towards him.
“Shuichi what’s wrong? Gonta hear a loud bang and yelling and got worried.”
Diverting his gaze back up to where the intruder sat Saihara found the spot now vacant. With a sigh the detective slowly began to revert into a more human shape.
“It’s nothing Gonta. I don’t think whoever it was will be bothering us anymore anyways.”
The entomologists face relaxed a bit with Shuichi's words.
Clambering back up the stairs to the entryway Shuichi took a final deep breath of air and, finding the scent had now dissipated completely, made his way inside followed by Gonta. After a few words of late night pleasantries the detective found his way back into the confines of his room. Reaching his desk Saihara immediately noticed the presence of a small purple sticky note clinging to the edge of the open windowsill. Holding the small piece of paper in his hands Shuichi studied the hastily written words.
“Let’s play a little game~”
