The Black Fox (Shinichi X Reader)

He's Infuriatingly Adorable

Shinichi'd had an amazing day. He'd once again proved his superiority in the detective world, while also getting Ran to stop suspecting that he was Conan. It was a double victory! He didn't think anything could bring down this euphoria he felt. That was until he arrived at home. When he walked up to his front door, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It wasn't until he opened the door, that he saw the blood.

It wasn't much blood, just a few drops here and there, but it was enough to catch his attention. He tensed when he spotted the blood, but his curious detective spirit urged him to follow the droplets. He followed the trail down the hall, and hesitated in front of the door to the study. Mentally preparing himself for whatever he might be presented with, he pushed open the door. Upon entry, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were still the infrequent drops of blood on the floor, but that was all that was out of place. He continued to follow the trail, which led behind the desk. He tentatively peaked around the desk, and immediately felt worry bloom in his chest. Underneath his desk, wrapped in a filthy blanket, was (y/n) still dressed as Conan.

Her eyes were shut, and for a moment he feared the worst. He hesitantly stretched out a hand, and touched her shoulder. She jerked awake, her eyes wild like a cornered animal. It took several seconds for her eyes to fixate on his face, and her breathing to calm. She smiled at him, but the smile couldn't hide the fear that still dulled her eyes. "Hey, Judo, I see you're home already." She mumbled sheepishly.

"What's going on?" He asked, worry evident in his voice.

"Nothing!" She chuckled nervously.

"Don't lie to me. There was a trail of blood leading here." He grumbled.

She seemed to shrink down a little, realizing she was busted. "I-I just scraped my leg, that's all."

"If that was all you wouldn't be hiding under my desk." He glowered. She didn't seem to want to answer. "At least come out from under there so I can get a good look at you." He sighed.

She hesitantly emerged out from under the desk. He could immediately tell that she was favoring her right leg, but he couldn't see it because of the filthy blanket. "S-sorry about this." She forced a smile.

"First of all, lose the blanket." He grumbled. "Where did you even find that thing?"

"An abandoned building." She said it as though it was an everyday occurrence for her. She let the blanket fall to the floor, so he could finally get a look at her injuries. The right leg of her pants was shredded, and the skin underneath wasn't in much better condition. The abrasions themselves weren't too deep, but there was gravel and other filth jammed into the wound. She had two other wounds, one on her left forearm, and the other across the right side of her abdomen. He had no way of knowing how bad the two cuts were without closer examination.

"Come sit down, so I can try to fix you up." He stated, doing his best not to show the worry in his face or in his voice. She nodded, and sat down on one of the armchairs. He grabbed the first aid kit, and began to slowly pick the rocks out of her leg. She didn't seem to even notice the pain, as he pulled on the jagged pebbles. "So," He started talking again, not looking away from his work. "Will you tell me what happened now?" He whispered, trying to keep his voice even and calm.

She looked down at the gash in her arm, and remained silent. He didn't think she was going to respond. "He came for me." She said almost inaudibly, but to him she might as well have screamed it. The words hit him like an air-horn, startling him.

"You mean..." His voice trailed off.

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"I didn't know where else to go. I was afraid he'd follow me, and this was the only place I didn't think anyone would be, at least for a little while." You whispered.

"How did he know it was you?" He finally managed to ask.

"I'm not sure. I saw him during the performance, but I lost sight of him after the murder."

"Why didn't you tell me?!" He shouted, startling you. "I was right there the whole time! Why did you leave on your own?!"

"You were a little preoccupied." You grumbled.

"Nothing I was doing was more important than your well being!" He protested.

"When exactly did you notice I was gone?" You blurted the words that had been eating at your heart.

He seemed startled by the question, so much so that his anger was replaced by guilt. He didn't respond, instead acting distracted by your wounded leg. The fact that he wasn't responding stung more than the bloody wounds. "I'm not trying to guilt trip you, or anything. I'm just pointing out the facts."

"I know it took me forever to notice you were gone, but that doesn't mean I don't care." He mumbled, his confidence in his words dwindling away like the air from an untied balloon.

"I know you care. You care about everyone. Each victim of a crime you encounter, you feel responsible for." You sighed, no longer even feeling the tweezers that pulled the debris from your leg.

"Don't say it like that!" He once again tried to protest.

"Had I never gotten attacked by those thugs in the street, you never would have noticed me. Had I never gotten hurt by that serial murderer, you never would have cared to hear my story." You smiled sadly down at your lap. Shinichi didn't seem capable of forming a sentence. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, like a fish out of water, but eventually gave up, and stayed silent. "If I'd died when I was supposed to, you wouldn't have all this on your plate. You'd be much better off." You whispered weakly.

Finally, Shinichi couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed both of your shoulders, and held you so you had to look him in the eye. "Don't you dare say that!" He growled. It wasn't the usual growl. It had a hint of frustration, annoyance, and... was that pain? His blue eyes seemed to be filled with panic and fear. "Yeah, maybe I wouldn't have paid attention to you, and maybe I would have been a bit more mule headed about listening to you, but don't you dare say any of us would be better off if you'd died!" He spat, his eyes beginning to water. "You've saved the lives of numerous people! Can you honestly say they'd be better off without you? That little boy you saved before I got to know you, that kidnapped girl and myself, Haibara, Genta, Mitsuhiko, Ayumi, those brothers, and so many more are alive because of you!"

Your eyes dropped back down to your lap, as you thought over what he had just said. "What...what if I get all of you killed because of my selfish decision to stay?" You mumbled the question.

"That's not going to happen."

"You say that so simply." You scoffed.

"You seem to forget who you are worried about. We have the girl who is monstrously skilled at karate, a boy equally skilled at Kendo, a girl who is so intelligent it's scary, and a detective who's been threatened since he started. No matter what, we won't let anything happen to you or anyone else. Besides, you're talking to the kid that a criminal organization wants dead, who decided to stay with his best friend." Shinichi chuckled, trying to get even a slight smile out of you. "I'm the champion of selfish decisions."

"That's all well and good, but it's clear he knows where I am. What does that brilliant brain of yours suggest for that?"

"You just don't go anywhere alone, or anywhere secluded. I know it's not a permanent fix, but it's just until we can pin him down. Right now he's on the run. Every cop in the area knows his face, so we just need to bide our time."

"So, you're putting me under house arrest again?" You chuckled softly.

"Yep, but this time I'm not going to make the mistake of leaving you alone." He snickered, as he finished bandaging your wounds.