Work Text:
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter.
Shinichi focused on the sound of the falling rain as he caught his breath, leaning against the window of the storefront. He stared, unblinking, at his reflection. He still couldn’t, for the life of him, fathom how it had happened.
“It’s a new poisonous drug from the Organization. Once the poison is consumed, there is no way that it can be detected on the corpse.”
Could some faulty pill really have done this to him?! Shinichi shook his head. Whatever had happened to him, it’s clear the men in black were dangerous. Going home was out of the question—that would be the first place they’d have their eyes on to ensure his death. Same goes for the Professor’s place—way too conspicuous. There’s no way he could risk going to Ran and her dad either, as it could easily put them in danger.
What he needed was a clean slate. One that didn’t look too deeply into backgrounds, either.
Actually, he knew just the place.
~•✩°⎚-⎚°✩•~
And that was how he found himself standing in front of a run-down orphanage. He’d solved a case of a hit and run on this street a few weeks ago, and had happened to notice the orphanage. He was willing to bet that they didn’t care very much about paperwork. He was, in fact, betting quite a bit on it.
Shinichi walked up to the door, pushing it open tentatively. When he heard no resounding footsteps coming to check, he slipped inside, closing the door softly (or, as softly as he could, seeing as how it creaked rather loudly). He passed by an open door, and saw a man who looked like he’d had a few too many bottles of booze passed out and snoring in an office chair. ‘Well, I guess I know why I wasn’t caught.’
There were kids scattered around the hallway, some playing with toys, and a few turning their attention to him as he walked past. He imagined he made quite a sight, dripping wet in clothes five sizes too big for him. Speaking of, he should probably look and see if he could find something else to change into somewhere here.
After asking a few of the kids, he finally found a closet with spare clothes. None of them were in very good condition, but were still better than his current, suspiciously large outfit. Making use of the small, dingy bathroom, Shinichi dried off and changed into a simple white long-sleeve and blue shorts. He put on the spare pair of glasses he’d found in the closet too, cementing the new look.
After finishing that, he explored the orphanage a bit more, before settling down in the emptiest room. There was a small table, some chairs, and a couple newspapers. A pink-haired girl sat on the floor holding a stuffed animal.
Shinichi sat down at the table, grabbing the newspaper and opening it up. ‘I need a plan. Preferably, I’d like to end up with a family that’ll give me enough leeway that I can conduct my own investigations into the men in black. For that to get anywhere though, I’ll need access to people with connections. I’d also need a reason to be around them, child-sized as I am. And those men in black…Who were they anyway? It seems like they’re from some kind of organization, but just how many shady dealings have they made? How have the police never caught wind of them, or me for that matter?’ Shinichi shook his head.
‘The press is going to have a field day once they’ve figured out that I’ve dropped off the face of the Earth. I can see the headings now, ‘Disappearance of High School Detective Shinichi Kudo’. Actually, I should probably find a way to contact my parents; Dad may have an idea or two about the men in black...’
“...Ideally, I'd like a child who can already write.” “Right, in that case…”
Shinichi was snapped out of his thoughts as the drunkard from before walked in, leading a well-dressed man. The orphanage guy did a double-take when he spotted him, but Shinichi doubted he would say anything. After all, how bad would it look to not recognize one of the kids in your own orphanage?
Shinichi looked back down at his newspaper. In his daze from earlier, it seemed he’d already done most of the newspaper’s crossword. Shrugging, he filled in the last few words. ‘Might as well finish it.’ The well-dressed man noticed, and walked over to him. “Wow, you finished the entire crossword by yourself?” Shinichi noticed the thinly veiled surprise, and paused. ‘Come to think of it, this is probably too hard for a regular kid. It was stupid of me to fill it out, even if I didn’t even notice I was doing the first half…’ Shinichi internally berated himself. If he wanted to keep up the facade of a normal kid, he couldn’t–
“Hey, how old are you?” Shinichi blinked up at the man. ‘Well, I suppose I look the closest to–’ “Six,” he replied. The man seemed pleased with that answer, which Shinichi found a bit strange, but whatever. Just then, his eyes zeroed in on the man’s index finger. Specifically, the top side. ‘So he uses a gun. And rather often too.’ Shinichi’s eyes sharpened. ‘It could just be for sport, but...’
The man opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could, the pink-haired girl plopped into one of the chairs, holding a magazine. “Huh? You too?” the man said, looking at her in surprise and curiosity. With a determined expression, the girl flipped to the magazine’s crossword and proceeded to fill it all out, with the man watching beside her.
Shinichi relaxed a bit. ‘Well, it couldn’t be too suspicious of me to complete it if this girl could do it too.’ The man was looking at the girl contemplatingly, and seemed to be frowning slightly. “Six! Anya is six,” the girl exclaimed suddenly, before standing on her tip-toes a second later. Shinchi blinked. ‘Does she want to convince him that badly that she’s six for some reason??’
The man looked back and forth between them indecisively, before sighing. He turned back to the drunk man, who’d been watching with disinterest. “Have you decided?”
The well-dressed man nodded.
“I’ll take–”
~•✩°⎚-⎚°✩•~
Anya was skipping ahead slightly, and the man (who had yet to tell them his name, somehow) was walking beside Shinichi. The shrunken high schooler sighed. ‘Well, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind, but...Hopefully I can make the best of it.’
They stopped in front of a large apartment building, and the man turned to look at them. “Okay, listen up kids,” he began, before being cut off. “It’s Anya,” the girl said. The man nodded, turning to look at Shinichi. “Uh...” He thought fast. “Conan.” Yeah, that sounds like an average enough name, with zero connection to Shinichi Kudo.
“Okay, listen up Anya and Conan. Starting today, you’re my children. But if anyone asks, you’ve always been my children.” ‘Well that’s not weird or suspicious at all.’
Anya nodded twice, determined, and Conan followed her example, albeit less enthusiastically. “And you’re to address me as ‘Father’,” he added.
“Papa.”
“Old man.”
He sighed.
~•✩°⎚-⎚°✩•~
Everyone has a secret side to themself. A side they don't show to anyone—not to friends, not to lovers, not even to family.
They hide who they are and what they want behind lies and painted smiles.
And thus the world...
maintains its thin veneer of peace.
END.
~•✩°⎚-⎚°✩•~
OMAKE 1: A Telepath's Dilemma
Anya watched as a boy she'd never seen before entered the room, taking a seat at the table. The moment he picked up the newspaper, his thoughts began racing, and she screwed up her face in concentration. '...investigations into the men in black...' Anya stared at him in shock. Woah, is this kid a spy?! '...child-sized as I am...' Is he not supposed to be a kid?? Anya looked at him in confusion. He looks like a kid... '...shady dealings...police never caught wind of them...' He's totally a spy!! Anya gazed at the boy, starry-eyed.
'...press is going to have a field day...I’ve dropped off the face of the Earth...Disappearance of High School Detective Shinichi Kudo...' He's a high schooler?! And a detective?! Anya's jaw dropped. Shinichi Kudo... Anya thinks she's heard that name before, talked about by grown-ups. But she can't be sure (she doesn’t really make it a point to remember the things they say). '...should probably find a way to contact my parents...' He has parents too? Anya frowned. He should be with them then...
‘...even for Westalis’s greatest spy, impersonating a child is a tall order.’ Anya’s head swiveled around, eyes regaining their wonder. A real spy!?
Anya watched as the new man entered, before walking over to the little high schooler. She frowned again. It wasn’t fair; he just got here, and he already has parents anyway. Grabbing a nearby magazine, she stood up determinedly, walked over to them, and took a seat. “Huh? You too?” Anya just grabbed a pencil and listened to the man’s thoughts, jotting down the answers. She displayed the completed crossword, and took in his surprised thoughts with pride.
'Still though, it might be better to go with the other one. You have to be at least six to enroll at Eden Academy. This girl looks four, five at the oldest...' “Six! Anya is six,” she said firmly. 'She seems much too short to be-' She stood on his tippy toes, staring directly at him. The boy blinked. The man sighed.
She couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste. She just had to get adopted.
A spy…and a high school detective…
So cool!!!
OMAKE 2: Mama- Franky...?
Franky was currently standing in the living room with way too much makeup on, and dressed like a woman.
"No, this won't do," Loid sighed. Yeah, well, Conan could've told him that two hours ago. "I don't want this Mama," Anya said flatly.
"I don't think you can pull off the mother role, Franky." Loid shook his head. "With all your talent with disguise, this is the best you could come up with?! Really?!" Franky exclaimed. "There's only so much I can do with that body type," Loid replied.
"I came all this way to help you know!" Franky shouted, as Loid sat down on the couch, no doubt wondering whether or not to just quit at this point. "You can have a peanut," Anya offered Franky consolingly.
...Yeah, Conan really should've just gone to Ran and the old man, consequences of discovery be damned.