Archive of Our Own

Everyone was acting weird today.

It started afterschool. Conan asked if the others wanted to go play soccer at the park. Haibara passed as usual. Conan was surprised that Mitsuhiko, Genta, and Ayumi all claimed to have something to do. He abandoned the idea of hanging out in the park by himself. It wouldn’t be the same without his friends. He supposed that was a good thing. He had gotten used to having them around and learned to appreciate friendship a little more. As Shinichi, he only ever really had Ran. Now he had so many friends… When he returned to being Shinichi, he promised himself that he wouldn’t let those friendships fade. He was determined to find a way to keep those bonds.

After wandering around aimlessly for a bit, Conan decided to check in on Haibara and the professor but received no response upon ringing the doorbell. The professor’s yellow beetle was nowhere to be seen either.

From there, Conan made his way to the detective agency. He could only put up with Kogorou shouting at the TV for so long though. The man claimed there were no clients for the day and no cases. Conan attempted to ignore him, playing on his phone but it was useless.

Ran wouldn’t be home for a while. He thought about heading up to the apartment but that seemed about as much fun as going to the park alone. Feeling a bit desperate, Conan sat on the stairs and phoned Hattori. Even if the other detective was in class, he would answer Conan’s call.

“Oi Kudo, what’s wrong? Ya got a case or somethin’?” Hattori answered in his usual way, making Conan smile.

“No, just felt a bit bored. You have anything interesting recently?” Conan asked, scuffing his sneaker against the concrete.

“On my end, nothing here! Just heading out to-” There was the sound of scuffling and a muffled grunt of Kazuha’s name before Hattori returned. “Sorry about that, uh, what was I sayin’?”

Conan frowned, confused by the question.

“You said you were heading somewhere…” Conan grinned, “Are you taking Kazuha-chan on a date?”

“W-what! No! We’re on our way to-” Once more there was a grunt but this time Kazuha’s voice came over the phone.

“Conan-kun? Ignore Heiji, we are on our way to the dojo for special training for a competition. We have to go, see you later!” Before Conan could get a word in, the line disconnected.

That was…weird. But the pair were always pretty strange, so Conan brushed it off with a sigh. Well, there went another form of entertainment. Standing, Conan brushed any dirt from the back of his shorts and made his way down to Poirot. At least there, he could get a glass of iced coffee. And if he was luck, Amuro would be working.

Pushing open the door, Conan was surprised at the relief he felt seeing the blond agent calmly wiping down one of the tables. Azusa was chatting with an old woman in the corner table. Amuro turned at the sound of the bell, business smile warming to something more natural as he saw Conan.

“Conan-kun, welcome, iced coffee as usual?” Amuro teased gently, already making his way around the counter.

Conan pulled himself into one of the chairs at the bar. He couldn’t keep the smile off of his face. It was strange, he hadn’t really thought about it, but he felt lonely today for some reason. All of his friends were busy and there were no cases. It should have been a day to relax but he felt fidgety.

“Yes please, Amuro-no-niichan.” Conan answered, swinging his legs back and forth.

“Coming right up!” Amuro responded cheerfully, turning away to carefully grind the beans and brew the coffee.

It was always relaxing, watching the man work. He had large, steady hands, and his movements were always careful and precise. Conan was attuned to the feel of Amuro’s fingers. The way the carded through his hair, the rough callouses from handling guns but also from various sports. Someday, Conan was going to make the man spill all of his skills. The number of things Amuro was good at blew his mind sometimes.

“One iced coffee, with a little caramel for flavor. I even made it with your favorite espresso blend instead of the low caffeine stuff. Just don’t tell Ran-san, okay, Conan-kun?” Amuro winked at him, placing the glass in front of Conan.

Smiling brightly, Conan nodded his head in agreement and took a large sip. He couldn’t help the small sounds of happiness as the taste of espresso burst over his tongue. It really was his favorite. And Amuro’s barista skills made it even better.

Conan watched curiously as Amuro pulled out a small container of strawberries, rinsing them and cutting off the stem. At the same time, he set a pot of tea to brew. He placed several strawberries on a plate along with a healthy dollop of whipped cream. Pouring a cup of tea, he stepped around the counter and took the seat beside Conan, earning a curious look.

“I figured it wouldn’t hurt to take my break while you’re here. You looked like you could use some company.” Amuro smiled and held out a strawberry.

Conan blinked, looking between the fruit and Amuro’s face. With a small shrug, Conan opened his mouth, letting Amuro feed him. He ignored the small shiver that ran down his spine as his lips brushed against one calloused finger.

“So, tell me about your last case with Mouri-san. I regretted missing it, the news made it seem very interesting.” The part-time detective smiled encouragingly, taking a sip of his tea.

And that’s how Conan passed the next few hours. Amuro kept plying him for more stories, even exchanging a few of his non-PSB/NPA cases.

Conan had so much fun, he barely noticed the time ticking by until Amuro stood. Blinking, Conan turned to the windows, realizing that the sun was setting. Golden sunlight filtered through the windows.

“I thought you said you were just on break…” Conan turned back to Amuro who was clearing the dishes.

“My shift ended when my break ended. But I was having so much fun speaking with you, I didn’t see a reason to leave.” Amuro answered calmly.

Conan blinked at the man.

“You’re weird, Amuro-no-niichan…” Conan responded with a small smile.

He appreciated Amuro for keeping him company. The odd loneliness that lingered around vanished during their conversation. Conan felt a lot better. With a much more relaxed feeling compared to earlier, Conan hopped down from the chair, planning to head upstairs.

“Ah, hold on Conan-kun. I have something to take upstairs to the Mouri’s. Can you wait for me so you can open the door for me? The box is a bit cumbersome.” Amuro called after him.

Conan paused, leaning against the doorway with a nod. He shoved his hands into his pockets, waiting the few extra minutes it took Amuro to clean up their dishes and bid his goodbye to Azusa. Conan watched the man hang up his apron, collect his wallet and keys, and then head to the fridge. Conan was curious. The box Amuro mentioned was large and white, unmarked but clearly for food of some sort.

“What did you make?” Conan asked.

It wouldn’t be the first time Amuro had cooked far too much food. The man was generous with his leftovers, happily bringing them over for the Mouri’s or Azusa to enjoy.

“Ah, I tried my hand at baking. Ran-san agreed to take the successful attempt off my hands.” Amuro explained, motioning for Conan to lead the way.

Holding the door for Amuro, Conan skipped up the steps ahead of him. Reaching the apartment, Conan fumbled with the key for a moment to unlock the front door. Opening it, he stumbled back as he was met with loud pops and confetti exploding in his face.

Conan blinked, open mouthed.

All of his friends, including Hattori and Kazuha, filled the small apartment.

“Happy birthday, Conan-kun!” Everyone shouted in unison.

Conan was frozen for a few moments longer. He…had forgotten. Again. But here they were, all of his friends, more than happy to remind him that he was loved. Conan swallowed down the burn of emotion.

“You guys…” Conan smiled brightly at his loved ones.

“You should go inside, Conan-kun. You wouldn’t want to miss out on the presents and the lemon pie, would you?” Amuro’s words caused Conan to look up at the man.

The blond lowered the box in his hand, opening the top to reveal a perfectly made lemon pie. A small plastic flag wished him a happy birthday. Whip-cream dotted the surface of the pie with small pieced of candied lemon peel artfully decorating it.

Looking between the pie and all of his friends, Conan just smiled brightly and entered the warm apartment.

---

Several hours later, the guests were finally starting to file out. Kogorou was passed out drunk in front of the TV, using the party as a chance to drink. Ran was chatting with Kazuha and Sonoko. The kids plus Haibara and the professor made their way home earlier in the evening. Sera and Hattori were discussing recent cases, a competitive aura surrounded the pair.

Conan stared at the small assortment of presents he had gotten. Hattori had gotten him a signed soccer jersey for the Tokyo Spirits. Kazuha gifted him a large selection of good luck charms. Sera got him espresso beans that you could only get in Europe. Ran bought him a hard cover English translation of A Study in Scarlet. A suspicious blue and white package contained a copy of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar which contained a white card featuring a KID smiley. Haibara bought him tickets to a Sherlock Holmes exhibit and the kids splurged to get him a Sherlock Holmes themed leather journal.

He truly appreciated each and every one of them. These people whom he loved. They helped him keep his sanity during this strenuous existence. He couldn’t ask for a better group of people.

Making his way to the kitchen where Amuro had kindly offered to clean up, Conan eyed the blond.

“The pie was delicious, Amuro-no-niichan, thank you!” Conan chirped, smiling brightly.

Amuro dried his hands quietly, eyeing Conan for a moment. Conan only made a small sound of protest when strong hands settled along his ribs and lifted him to settle on the counter beside where Amuro was washing the dishes.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ve never made on before so I was a little concerned about how it would turn out.” Amuro gave his usual cheerful smile.

Conan swung his legs back and forth, watching the other quietly. The only one who hadn’t at least given him something was Amuro. It wasn’t that Conan was greedy...and the pie was certainly a gift all on its own… But he wanted something from Amuro. Something so that he could always look back on this day.

“Are you thinking that I didn’t get you anything for your birthday?” Amuro suddenly asked, surprising Conan.

“No! …I just…” Conan willed the blush away from his cheeks, embarrassed that his thoughts had been so easily read.

Amuro finished with the last dishes, putting them on the rack to dry. Conan flushed brighter when Amuro moved to stand in front of him, hands bracketing either side of Conan’s hips.

Warm lips met Conan’s slightly chapped ones. It was a quick, gentle kiss. One filled with sweet emotion that warmed something deep in Conan’s heart. Amuro pulled back after just a couple of seconds. He rested his forehead against Conan’s, the intimacy making Conan feel flushed.

“Happy birthday, Conan-kun.” Amuro whispered.

He excused himself, leaving a blushing Conan on the counter.

Long after everyone left, when everything was quiet and Conan was getting ready for bed, he found a tiny box in his pocket. The small white box contained a Sherlock Holmes themed keychain attached to a single house key. The note was handwritten.