Chapter Text
⠀ Furuya Rei was currently in a situation that never even in a disillusioned state could he have ever dreamed of. From being shot to near-death by Vermouth, to getting fed some strange poisonous medicine — Rei really thought himself to be a dead man. To his surprise, he woke up feeling strangely smaller; a feature unbecoming of his role at the top of the PSB. Rei raised his hands and stared down his body — he had shrank! Surely, this had to have been the fault of that mysterious pill Vermouth forced down his throat. Without anyone to lean on, Rei felt lost for the first time in a while… ever since he lost everyone dear. He didn’t have his phone on him, nor had he any id on his person. Even if he did, how would anyone be able help him in this situation? No sane human would’ve believed him if he told any of his subordinates, ‘help, it’s Furuya, I’ve turned small due to some poison.’ He’d sound like a delusional teen, despite the fact he’s physically around 10 years old instead. He felt like a sitting duck.
⠀ “Oh, it’s Amuro-san. Good evening.” Rei suddenly heard an all-too-familiar boyish, endearing voice from behind. Rei had then slightly cringed at himself, for he turned his head too eager, too fast for his taste. He almost forgot that he was in Beika-chou, and it wasn’t that late in the night, so it was not unusual that Conan would pass by. Once the other had a good look at Rei, he put a hand up and spoke up again. “Ah, sorry. I got the wrong person,” Conan said with awkwardness. Perhaps he hadn’t recognized him yet? Although, it could just be that not even Conan could believe a situation as such.
⠀ Desperate, Rei clutched at Conan’s clothes with a pitiful expression. “It’s… it’s me, Conan-kun! It’s–…” his words trailed away as he retracted away from the boy in embarrassment. He stood up, with a sight nobody that knew him could ever expect of him — with ill-fitted clothes and dirt all over, he looked to be simply a small pitious child. Conan stared at Rei with not a twinge of shock on his face, a blank expression with no apparent hint of surprise.
⠀ “So I didn’t get the wrong person, huh…” Conan put a hand below his chin, closing his eyes as he raised his head to think. “Were you maybe fed a pill that was red and white, Amuro-san?” He snapped his fingers as he asked, as if this wasn’t a strange picture to paint of Rei; who was usually so refined. Rei blanked out for a few seconds as he tried to recall what the pill he consumed had looked like… it actually was red and white. Conan really sure knew everything, didn’t he.
⠀ “Yes! I was… I was fed that type of pill, how did you–“ Rei’s response was interrupted by Conan grabbing his arm and running towards a specific direction, wide-eyed and in a hurry. Rei didn’t have it in him to continue his question as he was too enamored by how cool Conan seemed. For someone that always looked at him from above, Rei had always found Conan akin to a cute pet; sometimes cool when he solved cases alongside him — but when Rei was finally on the same eye level as Conan, his face went red and he was suddenly unable to face Conan. The boy suddenly became a bit more handsome than usual.
⠀ When they arrived at their destination, the familiar sight startled Rei. It was the house of Ai, the little Sherry, and Prof. Agasa’s. Conan opened the door without permission and started yelling for both residents of the house. Ai emerged from the basement with a foul expression. “What is it? If you want the professor he’s currently outsi–… whose child is that?” She pointed a finger at the red-faced kid, Rei, that Conan was holding hands with.
⠀ “It’s Amuro-san!” He responded in a hurried manner and let out a large breath to calm himself, “he was fed APTX4869 as well, apparently.” Conan let go of Rei’s hand and put his hands on his shoulders, letting him face Ai. The girl thoroughly inspected Rei, looking him up and down as she squinted her eyes.
⠀ “Well, we have no space here. You’re keeping this one,” was all that came out of Ai’s mouth. Even if the house was big, it wasn’t livable for multiple people. The pair were just enough living together. Conan almost considered letting Rei live in his house, but with who was currently living there — Conan was afraid that Subaru might not make it alive. Conan sighed in defeat as he accepted he’d live with Rei for the time being, he merely hoped that it wouldn’t bother Ran nor Kogorou.
⠀ “Fine… but is there anything wrong with Amuro-san?” Conan resigned to keeping Rei, but still needed to know about the other’s wellbeing. Rei’s heartbeat felt so fast, he never knew he’d feel that touched about the person he likes worrying about him.”
⠀ On Ai’s face, there comes out an all-knowing grin as she answered with a shrug, “oh, Bourbon is all fine. But I’m sure he won’t be if you’re going to sleep in the same room, though.” Rei’s face reddened once again at the implication Ai made. Sleeping in the same room with Conan was out of the window in Rei’s mind, he wouldn’t be able to last. He just didn’t like being referred to as Bourbon instead of his name.
⠀ “By the way,” Ai put a finger on Conan’s chest as she spoke up again, “what are you going to call Bourbon from now on? You can’t just call him ‘Amuro-san’ when you’re both clearly kids in the same age range. He needs another name, as well.” Ai explained their situation, they couldn’t live as just ‘Amuro-san’ and ‘Conan-kun,’ when they’ve made the setting that they’re close friends at the same age. Conan hadn’t thought of that, how they called each other had been completely out of his head.
⠀ “You can…” Rei started, walking closer towards Conan. “You can call me Rei.” He would never admit it, not even on his grave, but he’d always wanted to be called his first name by Conan. Out of the many adults around Conan, he was on the side that the boy didn’t call by their first name — Rei was always a tiny bit jealous that Conan referred to Azusa by first name, yet not him. The look in Conan's face made him look like he blanked out, he had a face Rei couldn’t’ve ever imagined on him.
⠀ “Oh, right.” Conan snapped a finger, he had figured it out. “Let’s get along well, Rei-kun.” He smiled at Rei as he reached out a hand to him. Rei’s mind was racing. Rei-kun. Rei-kun! Conan! Conan called him Rei-kun! Any other normal person would’ve just brushed it off with a feeling of joy, for being called with the -kun honorific is a norm for most, endearment for some, but for Rei… it was a little different. Especially when paired with his real name. The last person to refer to Rei by ‘Rei-kun’ was his first love, Elena-sensei — so it was inevitable he’d let the nickname take a precious spot in his heart. It took all of Rei’s soul to not just burst into tears on the spot.
⠀ Rei took Conan’s hand in his, “I’ll be in your care for a while, Conan-kun.” Rei reciprocated the same warm, sweet energy that Conan always contained in his smile. His smile truly was one of the greatest parts of Conan that Rei found to be most lovable. However, Rei liked any and all things about Conan, so from an outsider’s standpoint it may not have mattered at all.
⠀ “For now, I’ll lend you my clothes. We can buy you some clothes of your own once Ran-neechan and Kogoro-no-ojisan have met you,” Conan says with a tint of pink on his face. It felt a little weird to offer his own clothes to someone else, especially someone who was more than 10 years older than his actual age. Rei nodded as he watched Conan rummage through his own closet — rather, a pile of newly-washed clothes Conan had yet to fold. After a few minutes of silence and struggling, Conan found a blue shirt that would’ve been oversized on him and medium-sized brown pants to offer.
⠀ “Is it too small? Does it fit?” Conan fiddled with his fingers as he nervously asked. Conan was the one that offered in the first place, it’d be horrible if what he gave wouldn’t even be of use to Rei. Contrary to Conan’s worries, the clothes fit Rei just right — as if they were prepared just for him. He relished the smell, it was childish and sweet; almost nostalgic. Rei felt his heart-rate rise at the joy of being able to wear Conan’s clothes.
⠀ “Mhm, it’s perfect. Thank you, Conan-kun.” Rei smiled. The sleeves were right at Rei’s elbows, and the pants worked as long shorts for him. The fact that clothes big on Conan were instead good for Rei’s size sort-of annoyed Conan, but he could live that one down.
⠀ “Conan-kun, I’m home! Do you have a friend over?” Ran’s voice echoed from outside. Conan looked at Rei and nodded, he held the other’s hand and the pair went downstairs. Ran almost drops her schoolbag at the sight of Conan’s new friend.
⠀ “This is my friend Furuya Rei-kun! He lost his family the other day, can’t he stay with us for a while?” Conan tried his hardest to act as cute and pitiful as possible; it’d be bad if Ran didn’t let him stay. Although Ran was not such a cruel person to not let a poor child into their home. “Rei-kun is my bestest friend, and he doesn't have anyone else…” Conan’s eyes strayed, feigning dejection.
⠀ Ran let out a noise of sadness and pulled the two into a tight hug. “But of course I’d let Rei-kun stay! For as long as he needs! Awe, poor boy… Conan-kun, you’re so nice for offering him to stay.” Tears welled up in Ran’s eyes as she spoke, maybe Conan’s story was a bit too believable — or a bit too sad.
⠀ Conan scratched his head and laughed awkwardly. “Haha… I love Rei-kun after all.” He smiled at her. Even though Rei knew deep down that Conan’s smile — that specific, sweet, love-filled smile — was meant for Ran only, Rei fooled himself into thinking that it was meant for him as well.