#and wanting to reach the 12:25 deadline but i missed it already huhuau sooo

[gisachi]

Surprise Me, Surprise You (Happy Shinichi Day! 05.04.20) (ShinRan. Drabble. College. Roommates.)

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(Many months after the Blackout incident…)

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He is out late again.

Going back to their apartment a little past midnight has slowly turned into a routine. School work, on top of detective work, is such a pain. The only thing he’s grateful for is the fact that he likes his major, Criminology, so damn much. Had it been otherwise, the reason for going home late for the past few days will be because of a real case of homicide, not because of a simulated midterm project geared to identify fingerprints, blood splatters, and wounds for his Forensics class.

Not that he wants more homicides to happen. Well. Real, unsolved cases make him feel alive. Not school requirements.

He shuffles for his keys and opens the front door quietly, careful not to make any unnecessary sound that might disrupt the sleep of his roommate.

Roommate slash childhood friend slash most favorite person in the world —

— Platonically. Or so he forces himself to believe.

The light in the living room is still open, much to his confusion. He walks to the light switch, only to stop short upon seeing a figure sleeping soundly by the dining table.

Ah. There she goes again.

He shrugs and approaches the woman. She looks so peaceful sleeping like a log that for a moment he debates on whether or not to wake her up or just drape her with a blanket. But whatever decision he thinks of becomes moot upon hearing a tired sigh, followed by a long, disconcerted yawn.

He almost snorts at how ridiculous she looks as she stretches her limbs while wearing that striped party hat on her head.

“Nn...Shinichi?”

“Mhm,” he pulls up a seat, eyes half lidded, his elbows on the table as one palm couches his cheek. “You fell asleep here. Again. How tired are you on a daily basis?”

She rubs her eyes, attempting to ride them off of sleepiness.

“What time is it?”

“12:25 AM.”

“Twel... EH?!”

Like a panic-stricken child, Ran stands upright, droopiness gone in an instant. She glances at her phone and her face whitens. After hurriedly sending a mail, she pulls out a match from her back pocket and lights a small candle sticking out from the center of a finely baked pie, which has surprisingly gone unnoticed in front of him.

Shinichi watches in quiet amazement as Ran lifts the pastry and brings it near his face.

“Ha-... Happy birthday, Shinichi!”

Shinichi blinks owlishly.

It’s my birthday?

“It’s your birthday, you moron!” Ran answers, like she has just read his mind.

“Oh.” He looks at the pie in front of him, then at her. “It is...Oh. Okay.”

She rolls her eyes and releases a groan. “Geez. I knew it, you forgot your birthday again!” She slides back to her chair in defeat. “You never really care for occasions like this, do you?”

He smiles apologetically.

“Well, worry not,” she places the pie on the table, “because that’s what I’m here for. To remind you!”

For a detective geek’s best friend, this girl’s pretty painstakingly persistent. He has known this since they were young, remembering the many times she’d coax him into eating, drinking, and sleeping, everytime his detective brain got the best of him. Some people would give up easily, but not her. Although her ramblings were never guaranteed to work on him all the time, she remained relentless in reminding him to do human things because he’s, you know, human, and if she won’t, no one else will.

Somehow, this trait of hers has grown on him and admittedly, he finds it kinda nice. She’s like his own personal alarm clock. When he finds himself too engrossed in unworldly interests, or lost in track for whatever reason, her smiling face will randomly pop up in his head to tell him to breathe. Rest. Take it easy. Then he’ll do it and be okay again.

That’s one of the many reasons why he considers her his most favorite person in the world.

In a platonic sense.

(Read: Not.)

“Sometimes, it’s nice to take a break and celebrate moments like this, you know?” She remarks, bringing her face to her palm. “Especially with people you love.”

She smiles at him appreciatively, and his heart flutters at that.

With people you love. Yeah.

“Now, make a wish and blow the candle!” And so he does. Ran claps her hand once the fire is extinguished, and readies to slice the pie with a knife she prepared beforehand.

Ran gives him a hefty piece and awaits his reaction on the first bite.

“So? How is it?” Her eyes glimmer in anticipation for his answer, and she gets it when he widens his eyes and licks the crumbs around his lips in interest.

“Lemon pie...” He blushes at how delicious it tastes. “My favo-”

“Your favorite! Yay, I’m really glad the taste turned out well!” She cups her cheeks in glee, marveling at her achievement. “I’ve only tried baking it once, so I’m not really confident about it.”

He forks more crumbs and eats in silence.

You should be. It’s the most delicious lemon pie I’ve ever tasted!

“I learned from Asami-senpai that you like lemon pie. You know, our former student council president? The really pretty senpai who was liked by everybody from our high school?”

I know her. No one compares to you, though.

“You might’ve forgotten about that already, Shinichi, but she baked the whole soccer club a lemon pie and you-” she snorts, “-you said it was bad! Oh my god! How dare you?”

It really was! I couldn’t lie...

“Anyway, she also told me that she confessed her feelings to you but you rejected her. Said you’ve been in love with somebody else for years…” she drifts away, shoving another bite into her mouth, chuckling passively.

“I wonder who the lucky girl is?”

...Can’t lie.

“It’s you.”

Her giggle dies down, mouth stops munching, smile instantly disappearing from her lips. Eyes widen like saucers, her face contorting to an unfathomable expression he can best associate to pure bewilderment.

“Wh...what?”

“I said it’s you,” he looks away.

He doesn’t mean to say that out loud —

“...always been you.”

— and repeat it thrice.

But oh boy, there he goes.

How does she look right now? Surprised? Confused? Betrayed? He cannot confirm. He’s afraid to look again. He doesn’t think he can.

(I love you.)

But alas, his senses betray him as his eyes instinctively flit back up, locking with hers, searching in desperation for whatever answer her beautiful eyes store.

Though words fail him (and her) at the moment, he wants to know.

He hopes ‘I love you back’ is a set of crystal eyes edging with tears that if she blinks, they’ll fall. He hopes ‘I love you back’ is a sharp, quivering inhale, unable to release an exhale, because she needs to fill her lungs with air or else she’ll pass out. He hopes ‘I love you back’ is that nervous bite on her lower lip, stopping the waterfall of words about to gush out.

(Do you love me too?)

He moves his face closer, closer to her... maybe he’ll get a clearer answer if he sees her eye to eye, nose to nose, breath to breath—

Knock! Knock! Knock!

As quick as lightning, Ran stands up from her seat, face as red as her ridiculous striped party hat.

“G-gee, I wonder wh-who’s at the door?! Haha! C-Can you open it, Shinichi?”

She stutters and he cannot help but laugh at her awkwardness. He coughs and walks his way to the door. Weirdo as always.

...

You just confessed to her on your birthday. Now who’s the more awkward one?

“SURPRISE!!”

He jolts at the sudden outburst of energy radiating from the other side. Startled to the bones, his eyes jump from one person to the other.

Kazuha-san. Hattori. Tou-san. Kaa-san. Sonoko. Kyougoku-san.

A mix of voices all echoing the same birthday greeting fills his ears, as he stands there confused as to who he shall prioritize first -- Yukiko hugging him, Heiji patting his head like he’s some disciple, Sonoko taking a picture of the sweet parent-child moment, Makoto holding a Shinichi banner with Shinichi’s big sleeping face plastered on it, Kazuha laughing at the background, or Ran admiring everything from inside their apartment.

“We hope we didn’t disturb a sacred moment,” Yusaku butts in, eyes shifting between Ran and Shinichi.

“We mailed Ran-chan and told her we’ll drop by and surprise you, Shin-chaaan!” Yukiko hugs him more tightly, earning her a wince from the birthday boy.

Entering the apartment freely, the four younger adults hang the banner a little above the pie Ran baked. Heiji and Kazuha unbox a chocolate cake they probably bought on their way to them, while Sonoko assists Makoto uncork a bottle of champagne and prepare eight glasses of wine on the table.

“To Kudo!” Hattori exclaims, as he lights the other cake on the table.

“To Kudo!” everyone shouts in unison.

He looks at the people, admiring everyone who went out of their way to pull this stupid surprise.

“This is what I actually meant when I said celebrating your birthday with people you love,” she whispers beside him, shyly.

He grins stupidly at himself, then looks at her. “And I am now, right?”

In more ways than one.

Cheeks turning crimson, she averts his gaze and looks at the wave of people now crowding over her lemon pie.

“Yes, yes you are.”

The pair looks at Yusaku and Yukiko setting their presents beside the pie; Makoto taking Sonoko’s photos as she pauses in front of their birthday surprise set up. Heiji and Kazuha bicker as to who gets the bigger slice of the pastry.

Amidst the noise, Ran finds herself staring at a full body mirror across the unit, reflecting her and him, side by side, the others blurred in the background.

“And these people you love... they love you back,” she refocuses her gaze on him. “Surely.”

She smiles so wide that it hides her eyes.

“Happy birthday, Shinichi.”

(I love you.)

“Yeah,” he smiles back. “Happy birthday to me.”

...

(I love you, too.)

.

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#happy shinichi day #05.04.20 #fanfic #drabble #this is my gift for u most precious boi to ever exist #a shinran drabble #rushed at the end bc its also my moms bday and we haveta celebrate lol #and wanting to reach the 12:25 deadline but i missed it already huhuau sooo #sorry for grammar inconsistencies ajhsdahhh #I JUST LOVE MY BOI SO MUCH HAVE A GOOD DAY AND GOOD LIFE OK LOVEYOU