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Shiho's day started early, for she had always been an early riser and liked to have a healthy sleeping schedule.
After finishing with her morning routine she went to prepare breakfast for the two of them like every morning, before heading to her little brother's room to wake him up so he won't be late for school. It was a bit odd that he haven't woken up yet, now that she thought about it, but he might have stayed up late yesterday reading or something. Shiho was too busy studying to pay close attention to him at the time.
"Conan, it's time to wake up," Turning the door handle in her hand, she stepped in the room. "Just because we're in winter doesn't mean you can hibernate, you know," she lightly teased, expecting an incoming glare from under the blanket any moment now.
Which never came. "Conan," she tried again, beginning to feel a bit uneasy despite herself. "Come on, we'll be late."
But nothing, Conan didn't stir even once.
Shiho frowned slightly, strange, usually calling his name was enough to wake him. She approached his bed, sitting beside him and intending to try to shake him awake instead. But she halted when she took a closer look at him.
"Conan...?" Shiho called once more, hesitantly this time.
There were beads of sweat rolling down his temples, his breath was a bit ragged and he was somewhat pale, too. Gently, she placed her palm on his forehead, only to inhale sharply upon contact.
Conan was hot. Burning hot as if his brain was frying. Fever, she realized, her eyes widening while her face morphed into a concerned expression. Conan's fevers were no small deal, they always overwhelmed him and caused him to crash completely, and they usually take quite a bit of time to cool down.
Shiho removed her hand from his forehead to put it on his cheek and spoke softly, "I will call in sick for you, you don't need to go today." She wasn't sure that he could hear her, but she continued anyway. "I'm staying with you as well. I'll make some calls and be right back, alright?" She made to stand up, but a tug on the hem of her shirt made her pause in mild surprise.
"No," Shiho turned around and found her little brother gazing up at her with a tired yet serious look. "You... have an important exam today, you can't skip... school because of me."
"How did you know?" Shiho's brows furrowed in confusion, she didn't remember telling him about that.
"You spent more time on studying than usual yesterday," Conan replied, little hand still gripping her shirt. "And you didn't... notice me when I came back. Normally you won't be that unaware of your surroundings... unless you had an important exam to take."
Of course he would pick up on that, he wasn't a detective for nothing. But wait...
"Came back?" Shiho parroted, an eyebrow raising high above her hairline. "And where were you, exactly?"
"Uh, well, I..." Conan winced, before grimacing to himself, realizing that he probably said more than he should. "I went to play with my friends yesterday, it snowed later on and I might have... forgotten to take my jacket with me?" He let out a nervous laugh before breaking into a fit of coughs.
Okay, that explained where the fever came from, but now she felt guilty for not paying enough attention to him. Maybe she could have prevented this from happening otherwise...
Shiho sighed and rubbed her temples. Don't go there. She had to focus on the problem at hand, for she knew that blaming herself for past events won't change anything or help in anyway.
"I can't leave you alone, you know," she reasoned, carefully prying her shirt free from his grip and taking his hand in hers. "You probably can't even stand up, someone should keep watch on you and skipping one day of school isn't that big of a deal."
Conan shook his head, still not convinced. "I can stay with Professor Agasa, you don't have to skip," he said, voice firm yet somehow almost pleading. "Please."
Shiho fell silent as she considered his words. She knew more than anyone how painfully stubborn Conan could be, and that he won't back off easily. He could even refuse to rest properly and take medicine if she didn't agree ─ Shiho won't put it past him to not act rationally in this condition. It was that bad.
On the other hand, leaving him with the Professor wasn't a bad idea, his house was close and taking him there will not take long. She could also text him while in class to check on her younger brother. If an emergency was to happen she can excuse herself and come back immediately.
"Fine." Shiho huffed, finally surrendering to his wishes. She just hoped she won't regret this later on.
Conan's expression relaxed somewhat, a smile slowly making its way to his features as he managed a small nod. And she couldn't help but smile back at him in return.
After making the necessary calls and dressing up, Shiho bent down to pick Conan up from his bed. She felt him shivering a bit and unconsciously held him closer to her before starting to walk toward the entrance.
The way he instinctively leaned against her, as if drawing closure to warmth, caused her sisterly instinct to kick in and her hand to land on top of his head, passing her fingers through his locks.
Conan had to admit that the motion was soothing and helped him relax. Being in his sister's arms, listening to her heart beats with her hand brushing through his hair seemed, for him, to have a better a effect than any painkiller could hope to possess.
So much that he was almost tempted to tell her to forget what he said and stay with him instead.
Almost.
By the time they reached the front door, Conan was already back to the land of dreams.
"Shiho? Hey, Shiho."
"Earth to Shiho. Are you there?"
"Is she daydreaming?"
"Are you listening to yourself? It's Shiho we're talking about!"
"... Right."
When it was evident that Ran and Sonoko's attempts at waking Shiho up from her stupor using their voices alone weren't succeeding, the former raised her hand to pat her on the the shoulder, hoping to get her attention. "Hey, Shiho, do you hear me?"
"Huh? Were you saying something?" And it apparently worked, for Shiho was now blinking at them, head slightly tilted in askance.
"So your sense of hearing isn't damaged?"
"Sonoko!"
"What? I'm just stating facts! It's like she forgot other human beings beside her exist today."
"Can I please know what's all of this about?" Shiho asked, beginning to feel annoyed.
"You have been distracted in all lessons prior to lunch break," Ran sighed. "No matter what we did we couldn't snap you out of it until now."
"And you have been staring at your phone the whole time," Sonoko said, before a mischievous glint took over her gaze. "Could it be... that you're waiting for someone to text you~?"
Shiho stared at her blankly, while Ran smacked her on the shoulder with a disapproving look. Of course, that Sonoko. What did she expect?
"Are you alright?" Ran asked softly, and Shiho nodded slowly.
"Something is bothering you." But Ran wasn't convinced. "Is it about Conan-kun?"
Shiho did her best to suppress a flinch. Of course she noticed.That was Ran, her best friend. From all people, she was the person who knew Shiho the best.
But Ran caught it nonetheless. "Did something happen to him?" No response. She tried again. "Come on, Shiho, you can tell us."
Shiho sighed in defeat. Hiding this from them will be of no use whatsoever. "Yes, Sonoko, you're right. I have been waiting for a text."
Sonoko perked up at that, eyes twinkling in excitement.
"You're serious?!" She couldn't believe her ears, she was joking when she said that! "Then who's-"
"... From Professor Agasa." Shiho cut her off, voice flat, and Sonoko deflated in disappointment.
"Professor Agasa?" Ran repeated, ignoring her other friend. "Why?"
"Because I left Conan with him, he woke up with a fever this morning." Shiho replied, biting her lip. "I wanted to stay with him at home to look after him, but he insisted that I don't miss my exam today.
"I told the Professor to text me if anything urgent happened and... I can't stop thinking."
"You don't need to worry about him, he will be fine." Ran assured, squeezing her shoulder and trying to make her voice sound as soothing as possible. "It's not the first time you leave him there, and Conan-kun is stubborn, a fever won't stop him for long."
"Yeah, that brat of a brother you have doesn't like to make you worried about him," Sonoko said with a grin. "He will do his best to get well soon, if not for his sake then for yours."
"So try to focus on our exam today, alright?" Ran said, smiling at her. "You have to make sure that you coming here today wasn't for nothing."
Shiho nodded again, but it was a nod that held more conviction this time. It wasn't much but she had to admit, she did feel better after talking to them.
She will make sure to have the highest mark in that test.
Conan's fevers were often accompanied with nightmares.
And he hated that. The fever was already draining on it's own, he needed sleep, for God's sake, to conserve what little energy he had left. Sadly, stressful sleep wasn't useful in that regard — He also hated the fact that his mind was so creative when it came to nightmares, and each one was worse than the last.
He just woke up because one of those and he wasn't interested in repeating it again, so he tried to focus on staying awake, on keeping his eyes open. It wasn't easy but he wasn't about to give up on trying so soon. Granted, he felt a bit better than this morning but he was still tired.
He also briefly wondered if the exam went well with his sister...
Of course it did, who was he kidding? That was Kudo Shiho, she was always on top of her class. Their mother had always said that both of them inherited their intelligence from their father, they never found studying troublesome, but Shiho didn't like to leave anything for chance, she always put effort in her work and had a clear plan in front of her to reach her goals.
That was why he didn't want her to stay with him today, he didn't want to get in the way of her plans, even if it was only one exam she won't be able to attend.
He wasn't sure if he had succeeded in preventing his eyes from closing or not, or how much time have passed, but then he felt it, a cool something on his warm forehead. A hand. His vision was a bit blurry but he had a feeling he already knew who it belonged to.
"O-Oneechan?" he croaked, trying to focus on the figure in front of him.
"Shhh, it's okay, Conan." Yes, it was his older sister, he didn't have any doubts about it now ─ he would recognize that warm smile dedicated to him, and only him, anywhere. "How do you feel?"
"Awful," Conan muttered with a huff, causing Shiho to giggle lightly. "But I will manage." Especially that you're here now went unsaid.
"How was your test?" He couldn't help but ask, and Shiho scoffed in response, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Are you seriously asking me that question? On a biology test of all things?" She tried to look offended, but Conan could visibly see the corners of her lips tugging upwards. "You should have more faith in me, young man." She leaned forward, poking his chest lightly, and Conan let out a good-hearted laugh — a sound Shiho secretly loved to hear.
"I'm sorry for ever doubting you, Oh Great Scientist." said Conan, amusement evident in his voice as well. "Forgive my rude behaviour."
"You're forgiven." Shiho reached out to ruffle his hair. "How about curry soup? Is that alright with you?" Conan just nodded before she stood up to prepare their meal. "I'll be back soon."
As he watched her retreating back, he marveled at how it had been less than fifteen minutes since his sister returned and he was already feeling much better — and for that he was truly grateful, even if he didn't admit it out loud.
That night Shiho stayed by his side until he fell asleep, brushing his bangs away from his face in a soothing manner his eyelids couldn't resist anymore.
Not a single nightmare visited Conan this time around.