Themed Writing Competition #23: It’s not just for the coffee
May 7, 2016 7:52:32 GMT
neonquincy1217 and yesterday like this
Post by Addy01 on May 7, 2016 7:52:32 GMT
It's not just for the coffee
by Addy01
Warning: Took some liberty with Shinichi's/Conan's Hot Chocolate making skills. And of Shinichi's penchants for camping. Un-beta'd.
Anyway, this is the first fic that I'll be putting online after so many years. I tried my best to do justice to the charaters, but I'm not so sure if I succeeded. Characterisation is something that is a struggle for me as the wordings and sentencing that I tend to use could really change the feel of the charaters without me meaning to. That's probably why I am usually not satisfied with my work.
Enjoy!
Summary: It comes to a surprise for many that it is usually Conan who suggests they go camping. And of course, it's not without a good reason. For Poirot Café's Themed Writing Competition #23: Mornings.
One-shot
Not that many people knew, but it was usually Conan who suggest they go camping.
Usually, when someone found out about it (like Kobayashi-sensei), they would go about praising him, and the rest of the Detective Boys of course, for wanting to be in the great outdoors and not be stuck indoors with a video game all day, like all the other kids these days.
Among those who had already known, Korogo reckoned that with the way the kids were tripping over bodies every, SINGLE, time they go into the woods (the very few times they didn't were treated as anomolies) and being a mystery otaku that Gaki was, the boy was probably hoping to be tripping on them.
No sane person would want to go back camping again after all the horrifying experiences they had gone through (dead bodies, murderers and violent robbers, just to name a few).
And they had gone right back to it a month after the episode at the lime stone cavern. If a gun shot wound wasn't enough to deter the Gaki, maybe he isn't right in the head after all. Mouri Kogoro had tried to voice this once.
It ended in tears, a broken wall and Ran's fist. (Don't be so mean to Conan-kun!, she had exclaimed.)
On that note, if you asked Ran's opinion on the matter, she would share with you her little theory. She speculated that camping was probably a bonding activity for him and his family, and he may have even lived in the outskirts for a while before he came into their care. Maybe that was why Conan-kun was always so keen on going despite all that dangerous that constantly plagued his trips.
She hadn't had much chance to confirm her little theory, as they would usually end up talking about other stuff whenever she thought to bring it up with him. She'd be fishy about it, but she was usually proven wrong, with so many of her other theories about Conan, and since it wasn't important in the scheme of things, she let it be.
(Or rather, she hadn't wanted her little theory to be proven true, because it would go a long way to disapprove some of her other theories about the young boy that she hadn't been able to let go despite evidences…. but that's another story for another day.)
And Conan-kun always looked so excited, as if he was going home, even if it was only for a little while.
If anyone had bothered to ask Shinichi, he'll tell you it's all for the coffee.
He had told that-girl-who-glares-too-much as much when she complaint about going camping again.
Ever since he shrunk into a first-grader, he hadn't been able to get much of the delectable brew. It was usually taken away from him before he could have the tiniest sip, or he was given an outright no.
He even had to make due to Kogoro-Ojichan's leftover droplets.
It really had been very challenging in the beginning, not to have his morning energiser, on top of acclimatising to living with the Mouris and having to act as a seven-year-old.
He would have tried to drink some when he was at the professor's, but the man hadn't keep any in stock, and afterwards, that-girl-who-really-needs-more-sleep had hidden her own stash of that delectable gold dust, and wouldn't let him have any.
"Your ~Ran-nee-chan~ would've found out about it, and we would't want the professor getting in trouble, now would we?"
That-girl-who-does-not-need-more-fusae-bags had then proceed to tip her extra large Big Osaka mug (they all knew she only got it for Higo's picture, even though it was as tiny as her pinky and squashed to the corner near the handle), sipping every last drop of that precious black gold.
She probably had a late night (he later deduced), and had been in a particularly vicious mood for the rest of that day, especially at the prospect of another camping trip. Hmmm…maybe he shouldn't have asked about her stash then, in retrospect.
But in all honesty, there was something else that he looked forward to whenever he goes to camping.
Something more than a simple caffeine fix.
There's a ritual that all of them adhere to subconsciously, and always without fail, on the mornings of these camping trips.
Ayumi-chan tries to keep herself awake once consciousness slips in. It is hard, because she is still so very sleepy. But she tries anyway, because it is one of the rare few moments where she gets to spend some alone time with Conan-kun.
Even if all he does is sip from a hot flask like some of the old men she sometimes sees on her way to school.
"It's just some hot water, Ayumi-chan" he says, the one time she asked about it.
No. It's definitely coffee, she thinks. She could sometimes smell it from where she is; she usually does if she happens to be sitting close enough.
But she doesn't push. It doesn't matter anyway. Not on mornings like this.
So she sits beside him, trying her best to stay quiet. It was difficult at first, but overtime, she gets use to it.
In these early mornings on their camping trip, he doesn't look like the Conan-kun she's used to seeing in classes or when they hang out, who's usually bored and wants to be anywhere else but there; or like the beyond mature and sharp Conan-kun when he tries his best to save them all from danger.
He looks serene, and, maybe, almost at peace, as he takes in the sunshine and the sound of the wind, letting his gaze settle across the campsite into the wilderness.
She doesn't really know who this Conan-kun is.
Sometimes, she wants to ask, but when she spots his lips settle into a soft, relaxed smile (and not the smirks he usually gives when he knows something you don't), she lets it be, because he actually looks happy for once.
Mitsuhiko is usually the next to rise, used to waking up at the same time everyday.
(It's his biological clock that keeping him awake, Conan-kun had explained once, when he had complaint about his inability to sleep in.)
He steps out of the tent, Conan-kun and Ayumi-chan already seated on the collapsible chairs near the fire.
He used to get jealousy about it, but Ayumi-chan told him that they never really talk during this times. Soon, he accepts it, and it becomes the norm.
As per routine (and they have been camping so many times already), he says his greetings and takes his place on another chair, the same place where he sat the previous night. He takes a deep breath, taking in the air of freshness just like how Conan-kun told him. It immediately refreshes him, clearing the cob-webs that's lingering in his sleep-addled mind. Then, he relaxes and he lets himself sink into the chair, taking in the nature around him.
There was a time before, when the horrors of the adventures that have become common place in his life became too much for him. He would wake up earlier than usually and find Conan-kun already perched in his chair, alone.
It is during that time that he asked Conan-kun how he handled it: the blood and the fear and the sadness of a human life lost.
Conan-kun had kept quiet for a while before plunging into a story, or a myth really, about how spirits continue to linger on earth, long after they passed, unable to move on because their deaths remained unsolved and unavenged.
It's sad, he said, to be unable to move on; to stay angry for so long and have no one to pull you away from the darkness, because the spirits would have to have been very much alone, so wrapped up in their anger.
So he solves the crimes to put these spirits at ease, he said. (And to appease his own lingering guilt for not stopping the crimes in time. Conan-kun doesn't tell him this. But Mitsuhiko deduced it anyway and he thinks he might be right about it.)
It sounded like someone had shared the story with Conan-kun a long time ago. He doesn't think Conan-kun really believes in it.
But he is glad that Conan-kun decides to tell him about it, regardless. It gives Mitsuhiko something to cling on to, on days when their adventures becomes too much to bear.
Afterwards, Conan-kun shared a technique he used to relax.
Breathe in deep, sink in and take in the nature.
"Doing that usually helps me, " Conan-kun said. "It might not work for you, but you can give it a shot."
He is relieved when he find it works for him just fine.
He agrees with Ayumi-chan that Conan-kun does not act like himself during these mornings, though he likes to think that Conan-kun act more like an onii-san that he never had.
Maybe someone who's ten years older, who has probably seen so much more than Mitsuhiko has ever seen at this point in his short life, but young enough to still be able to understand and relate to Mitsuhiko on a personal level. Adults sometimes forget how kids really feel.
So he is glad for this, for the lack of better word, "Conan-niichan" that he can only ever catch a glimpse of during these mornings.
No matter how short Conan-kun, Mitsuhiko will always look up to him.
So he doesn't want to let Conan-kun down by being too afraid, of the blood and death and misery that usually hangs around them like a plague. He's sure that Conan-kun used to be affected by it very much (for him to address Mitsuhiko's fears so thoroughly, he has to be) and has managed to overcome it. So Mitsuhiko wants to do it to.
He was brought out of his woolgathering by Conan-kun, who seemed to be done thinking about whatever was on his mind, and started to boil the kettle over the fire.
The other great thing about these camping trips, he decides, is the Hot Chocolate Conan-kun makes for them.
(He makes it in the summer too, and they would just wait for it to cool a little more before taking a sip out of it.)
It's not too sweet, or too bitter, and has a richness to it that's lacking in all the commercial once he had ever had.
But he reckons the reason why it's the best Hot Chocolate he has ever tasted, it's because it's made by Conan-kun.
Agasa-Hakase is always woken up to the aroma of chocolate on the morning of the camps.
He had his first Hot Chocolate after Shinichi's visit from America when he was fourteen. He never tried it before then, having stuck to traditional Japanese tea all his life. It hits him in his sweet-spot and he has been hooked on it ever since.
He agrees with Mitsuhiko-kun, when the topic came up, that Conan-kun made the best Hot Chocolate ever, leagues ahead than what you can ever get at the stores.
As much as he loves it, he doesn't ask Shinichi to make it for him, and probably never will.
(And that's even before Ai-kun started monitoring his diet. He loves her like the daughter he never has, but sometimes he wants to remind her that life is too short, so can he please have an extra bite of that delicious chocolate mousse?)
It's always more special, he thinks, when someone makes it for you with no prompting. He's able to appreciate it a lot more than he usual would because of that…
Speaking of which, whenever he had the chance to observe Shinichi on these fine mornings, he reminds him very much like the teenager he used to be.
Not the arrogant, intelligent snob that he showcases to the public, trying too hard to impress the crowd; not the bumbling fool he becomes whenever he hangs around Ran-kun, trying to hide his obvious feels for her.
It reminds him of the confident young man, who is comfortable in his own skin, ready to take on the world; the young man that he always envisioned Shinichi growing up to be, from the moment he first laid eyes on him.
Between the Hot Chocolate and allowing Shinichi to have his space and time to be himself, he will brave through all those murder and mysteries that haunts them like a hound dog.
By the time he steps out of the tent, Shinichi has already made his share.
"Half a cup, Hakase, just as the doctor prescribed," he chimes, and as per usual, Shinichi passes him a mug that's almost full to the brim, winking at him as the mug exchange hands.
Ah yes…for Shinichi and his lovely Hot Chocolate, he'll take on the world.
Shortly after, Genta-kun will, at this point, peep out of the tent, sniff his nose into the air, before exclaiming "Hot Chocolate!" like he never expects Conan-kun to make it. Like they never drink them during the mornings of the camp.
Like he never takes them for granted.
And he doesn't. Not his friends and certainly not the Hot Chocolate that Conan-kun only makes during the camp.
He knows, even though he never shares it with anyone, that all of them, especially Conan-kun, have too many brushes with Shinigami-san, and every Hot Chocolate Conan-kun makes for them is another day that they managed to survive.
He quickly makes his way to Conan-kun, thanked him for making his share, says his respects (his mother taught him well after all) and finishes his hot chocolate in three big gulps.
And Hot Chocolate always makes everything better, Genta decides, almost as good as a bowl of eel rice.
Haibara is always the last one to join them and they only ever got her to wake up by sending Ayumi-chan (it's her turn this time) with a cup of coffee.
She's the only one to have it in the camp. The only one to openly drinking it anyway. The last time Conan tried, the kids all clamoured around him, wanting to try some, and everything ended up on the floor.
Haibara arrives just as they were about to start breakfast, and as they ate, she alternates her coffee with the Hot Chocolate Edogawa-kun reserves for her.
Haibara doesn't hate camping as much as she may have implied to Kudo-kun.
In fact, it is something that she has come to cherish, and would have looked forward to, if there weren't so many dead bodies littering after them wherever they went camping.
Especially seeing as this was one of the many little things that marks this second childhood so much different and better than the last.
She just hadn't realised how much camping had meant to Kudo-kun, not until she wakes up far too early one of the mornings, and witnessed for herself for the first time, Kudo-kun without the weight of the world hanging on his shoulders.
It's like he can finally, truly, be Kudo Shinichi for once, in spite of the situation, even if it's just for the morning. After that revelation, she doesn't beleaguer him for it as much.
(She doesn't stop though, because she really could do without all the tragedy and the corpse that come with it.)
She also doesn't buy that nonsense about the coffee that he tried to spun around her. Kudo-kun can very well get coffee for himself discreetly if he really wants to. She know he knows it too.
The monthly reprieve seems to do him some good anyway. So she lets him have his moment.
Shinichi is always the first to be up; and will always be up at sunrise.
He tells the kids some nonsense about his body being in tune with nature, since he usually sleeps in whenever he has sleepovers with them. But in actual fact, he sets an alarm on his phone. It's as simple as that.
(He is actually waiting for the kids to catch on….he really does have to work on their gullibility, no matter how smart they have become.)
He proceeds to make a big batch of the cafe, taking in the the heavenly fragrance as he pour himself a cup.
He takes another deep whiff, sinks into the chair, and takes a sip.
I
t's the same chair that he used as a child the first time round. It even has his actual name on it, written in his childish handwriting when he just turned seven. It had been used on several occasions when he hung out at Hakase's place and on rare times his father and Agase-Hakase brought him camping.
If he lets himself, and sometimes he does, he thinks back on those treasured days he spent as Kudo Shinichi.
And instead of the anger and sorrow that he comes to expected, all he feels, and he only feels this during these early mornings, is as sense of tranquility that he has grown to appreciate.
He remembers the first camping he'd gone to, where his Dad had let him try his first cup of coffee, away from his mother's objections.
He hated it at first and told his Dad as much, who had laughed and proceeded to add in spoonfuls of sugar, letting him try again. Shinichi found it acceptable and finished it.
He takes it without sugar now, but it still possess the same sweetness as his second try. All full of flavour that has nothing to do with the beans and everything to do with those memories. It's the only times that his hot beverage ever taste like this.
These mornings at the campsite have come to replace the lazy Sunday morning that he had taken for granted when he was still Kudo Shinichi.
On those Sundays, he would spent the mornings in the kitchen by himself, soaking in the morning rays that filtered through the windows as he enjoyed it with a steaming cup of his exquisite decoction, and a new mystery novel.
He is not all that keen on the whole camping hoo-ha, no matter how he much he plays it off to Ran. Not the wet socks, not the tents or being elbowed in his sleep, and certainly not the murders that they constantly stumble on.
But he certain loves the mornings after. And that's what he uses to remind himself whenever the kids got too rambunctious during the trips, or the murders gets too much for him.
This is the closest he is ever going to get to the feeling of Coming Home.
That's why he will always look forward to camping. And being able to have the strongest, blackest coffee to go along with it is really just the cherry on top.
owari