Fated Love

by caliowl, sekai_no_koi

Summary:

After Heiji helps Shinichi avoid getting caught by the Organization, they're both at risk of being hunted and "disappeared." At the suggestion of the police, they decide to stick together to see the danger through. For Heiji, a longtime fan of Shinichi's, it's a dream come true - as long as he doesn't scare Shinichi away from him first.

Alternate Title: "Don't Go to Tropical Land if You're a Detective LOL"

Heiji will always remember the day that he saw the love of his life.

 

He visited some temples in Kyoto eight years ago as a small child. He'd been pretending to battle some invisible enemies when he had swung around a bit too enthusiastically, and knocked his head into the window frame. He'd promptly fainted dead away.

 

When he came to, it was to the sound of an angelic voice playing outside.

 

"He shoots, he scores! The crowd goes wild!" Then the sound of someone imitating a roaring crowd in a little rasp. 

 

Heiji had crawled to the window to see a young boy about his age, playing with a soccer ball. He was kicking it expertly, to Heiji's untrained eye, from foot to foot, knee to knee, and up to balance on the top of his head with a broad, charming grin. 

 

Heiji was about to call out to him when a breeze kicked up some sakura petals, obscuring his vision for a few seconds. It turns out that was all it took for him to lose sight of the captivating, mystery boy. When he looked back, he was gone.

 

He darted outside as fast as his little legs could carry him, but was too late. The boy had gone. Heiji walked over to where he had seen him playing, and found a beat up coin with the image of a soccer ball on one side and a figure playing soccer on the other side.

 

Was it his?

 

He held it close to his little chest and vowed to find him again. Even if it took years.

Shinichi chased his ball, frowning. If someone had been with him, maybe they could've gotten that ball. Maybe he wouldn't have had to chase it so far. By the time he had it, his mood had soured, and he went to find out if his parents were finished with their work. He wouldn't realize what he'd lost until they were on their way home. His father promised to buy him a new one, but he still missed it. He didn't connect it yet, but it wasn't the absence of the coin that made his chest feel so empty. 

 

Many years later, Shinichi woke up with an empty feeling in his chest. He went about getting ready, groggy as usual. Ran wanted him to make up for an earlier mistake by taking her to Tropical Land. He'd had plans for his allowance, but when she insisted on something, that had to be it. He wasn't closer to anyone else. 

 

She rang his doorbell and he grabbed a hoodie and then threw a jacket over it. It was supposed to be cold, and he couldn't find his coat. "I'm coming, already!" 

 

The day flew by, and he tried to make her happy. He saw a life ahead of them, after all. And she seemed happy, right up until a murder happened right on the coaster they chose to ride. Shinichi lost himself in the case, mind racing and eyes picking up every little clue. Before long, he could confidently present his deductions to the stunned circle of culprits and police.

 

8 years later finds Heiji in Tropical Land with Kazuha, his childhood friend. She had begged him to take her, and he didn't see why not. It was supposed to be a really fun amusement park and he kind of owed Kazuha after he'd nabbed her homework to copy ("Honestly, aren't you supposed ta be a detective? Shouldn't you know all sorts of stuff?").

 

Not to mention, it was in Tokyo, where the infamous junior detective Kudo Shinichi lived and worked. Maybe, if he was lucky, he'd get a chance after Tropical Land to drop by where the other teen lived and catch a glimpse of him.

 

So he and Kazuha traveled to Tropical Land and ended up having a blast. They ate junk food until they got sick, won several games, and rode tons of rides.

 

Well, they had been riding tons of rides.

 

They had been in the line for the Mystery Coaster for what felt like forever! Heiji had spent most of the time chatting with Kazuha and some of the people around them, until he heard whisperings of a murder up ahead.

 

A murder...on the coaster?

 

"Out of my way! I'm a detective!" Heiji called, practically swimming through the sea of humanity until he got to the front to see it surrounded by police, amusement park goers, and-

 

-Holy shit. Kudo Shinichi!

 

"That's right. The murderer knew the victim was going to die...That's why the murderer shed a tear before killing him. Only two or three seconds passed after we emerged from the tunnel until we discovered the victim's death...In other words, only the murderer could've shed tears while on the roller coaster."

 

Another woman stepped forward with a loud voice. "Are you saying you saw Hitomi crying on the roller coaster? How can you prove that?!" 

 

"The tracks of her tears - it's irrefutable evidence. Unless you're on a roller coaster...Tears don't run sideways..." Shinichi was leveling a serious look at a shocked woman - Hitomi, apparently. 

 

Her lips trembled. "It's... It's all... IT'S ALL HIS FAULT!" She fell to her knees, sobbing. "It's HIS fault for dumping me!"

 

Damn! Kudo had gotten there first. There went Heiji's chance at solving the murder and impressing him.

 

He watched as the murderer was escorted off the premises by the police and Kudo had been thoroughly congratulated by the rest of the officers on the scene, the bystanders, and a few paparazzi who had gotten word of the case.

 

Then Kudo was leaving, and walking right by him.

 

Their eyes met briefly and Heiji felt his breath catch. Surely those sapphire blue eyes could only belong to Japan's Detective of the East. But for a second, just a split-second, his mind drifted back to that day 8 years ago.

 

That boy's eyes had been so very blue, too.

 

Shinichi felt a little tug, a little surprise. Someone's eyes had caught his in the crowd, and it felt like someone he should know. But he couldn't stop and search right now, not with everyone talking to him, and not with Ran still crying not too far behind him. He had to think of a way to cheer her up while the crowd thinned.

 

Heiji pulled the brim of his hat down low over his eyes and followed Shinichi and his companion out of the ride. Kazuha found him shortly after he exited, as the crowd had dispersed. "They closed the ride after the murder," she explained. "Did you help?"

 

"No," Heiji said with a shake of his head. "Turns out Kudo was there instead."

 

"Whoa! Kudo Shinichi? That guy yer always yammerin' on about?"

 

Heiji flushed. "Idiot! Who wouldn't talk about him? He's an amazing detective! And that's him over there! C'mon, we'll lose them!"

 

Kazuha blinked in surprise. "Wait. What? We're stalking Kudo Shinichi, now? Heiji, I know yer a fanboy, but-"

 

"Shh! He'll hear ya!" Heiji whispered, slapping a hand over her mouth. "C'mon, just fer a little while! What if he comes across another mystery? I gotta be there!"

 

Kazuha sighed but allowed him to pull her along as he followed Kudo with single-minded intensity.

 

Shinichi tried to cajole Ran back into a good mood, but it was a lost cause. She was sobbing and saying things she didn't mean again. He started to wish Sonoko would pop up, but she'd clearly referred to this outing as a date, meaning she wouldn't be stopping by to bail him out. Sometimes he wished he could understand how Ran's mind worked well enough to help her with something like this. Then again, if it meant behaving like Sonoko... 

 

His eyes caught movement. It was one of those men in black, slinking through the shadows and away from everyone. He still looked suspicious... 

 

"Sorry, Ran! Go home without me!" He was already running with an apologetic wave. "I'll catch up with you!"

 

Heiji blinked as he saw Kudo break away from his friend to go in the same direction as some shady-looking guy in black.

 

Oh, that couldn't be good.

 

"C'mon, Kazuha! We gotta follow him!" He called, already starting to jog ahead.

 

"Are you kidding?!" She cried. "He just abandoned his friend! We should be-"

 

"Okay, go check in on his friend, then! I'm goin' after 'im!" Heiji said before turning and following after Kudo. He had a bad feeling, and had learned to trust his gut instincts over the years.

 

He needed to be there. Just in case.

 

Shinichi pressed against the wall, wide-eyed. He was taking pictures of the deal as it went down. That was more money than he'd ever seen in one place before. From how those men were talking, this was definitely a really shady deal... 

 

He failed to notice the dark shadow approaching him from behind, only a hundred feet away.

 

Heiji crouched down and watched Shinichi watch the deal, heart hammering in his chest. He was taking pictures when another shadow detached from the wall and headed straight for him. 

 

He looked around and found a sturdy branch. He grabbed it with both hands and crept up behind the shadow, which had revealed itself to be a second man in black with long hair. He raised a pipe over his head, clearly intending to bludgeon Shinichi with it. Heiji acted quickly, breaking his branch over the man's head.

 

"Eh-?!" The shadowy man turned, shocked that someone had actually managed to sneak up on him. He swung with the pipe again, but Shinichi grabbed Heiji's hand and pulled him out of the way, breaking into a run. 

 

"Are you okay?!" Shinichi asked him, eyes wildly looking for an escape.

 

"That's my line!" Heiji yelled back, as he did his best to keep up. "You almost bit the big one back there! He was aiming for your head!"

 

"I'll thank you later - for now, we need to find the police!" Shinichi looked around desperately, but although there were indeed a lot of police near the crime scene, there was no one posted nearby. 

 

The shadowy man was chasing them. He was fast, he looked like a demon, hair flying in the wind behind him. And he was gaining on them. 

 

"Or a bus - or anything - c'mon!" He gripped Heiji's hand a little tighter and ran for the road.

 

Heiji turned to look behind them and cried out as he noticed the man in black that he'd merely pissed off with the blow to the head catching up to them quickly. He gripped Kudo's hand back just as tightly and rushed towards the road.

 

Luck seemed to be on their side, as the majority of the park-goers were leaving around the same time. There was a line of buses and cars with their lights on driving down the road, and Heiji practically threw himself into traffic to get people's attention. 

 

"Help! Help! We're being followed by someone dangerous! Call the police!"

 

"Call the police!" Shinichi echoed, holding onto Heiji for dear life. He turned and saw the man still pursuing them, and people clearing out of the way at the look on that man's face. He clapped a hand over Heiji's mouth and dragged him into one of the buses, apologizing to everyone as he went. They pulled in together in the last available standing room and Shinichi released Heiji's face in favor of holding onto one of the straps. He was still clinging to the other detective's hand as the bus pulled away from the curb.

 

Heiji breathed harshly as he gripped tightly onto Kudo's hand and kept his eyes locked on the bus door, waiting for the man in black to pursue them. But as the bus moved on, it seemed that they had lost him. 

 

At least, for now.

 

As Heiji's breaths calmed, he became aware of how tightly he was holding onto Kudo's hand. He gulped and chuckled breathily. "So...that was...interesting. Why did you follow them again?"

 

"...Well, they were suspicious. And I was right." Shinichi got his phone out of his pocket and showed Heiji the pictures he'd gotten. They were zoomed in close and so not very high quality, and they were a little blurry besides that, but they still showed the man from before looking at a case full of money that a terrified-looking man in a suit was holding. "It was some kind of shady business deal. Still, that guy was bad news... He was ready to kill us both in front of all those people. So. Why were you there?"

 

Heiji laughed and shook his head. "Dude, just because you're right, doesn't mean you should go into what was clearly a sketchy situation. And on your own?! You're lucky I followed you!"

 

"Well, I didn't - you what?" Shinichi blinked, stunned. "You were following me?"

 

"Uh..." Heiji lifted his other hand to scratch at the back of his head self-consciously. "Maybe?" At Shinichi's stunned look, he quickly tried to save his misstep. "I mean, sorry, let me introduce myself: I'm Hattori Heiji, and I'm a high school detective, too. I live in Osaka, though I came here for the day with my friend, Kazuha. But when I saw ya solve that murder earlier, I wanted to talk to ya. So I followed you. And then you broke away to go chase after that man in black and that looked like serious bad news, so of course I had to chase after ya!"

 

"Oh, I get it," Shinichi nodded, relieved. "Okay. I thought you were, maybe.. One of those really intense fans, or something. But you're a detective too, huh? Then... since you think it's such a bad idea to investigate this alone, do you want to work on this case with me?"

 

Heiji's eyes went wide. Kudo Shinichi was asking him to work together?

 

He opted to ignore the comment about being an intense fan. Hopefully he could hold it together enough that Kudo wouldn't notice that he was, in fact, one of "those fans".

 

"Yeah!" He agreed quickly. "We should definitely stick together on this one. They did see the two of us together, after all. They're probably out for the both of us now, anyway."

 

He nodded. "Okay. But… He also saw me with Ran earlier. I should probably give her a call. I mean, I think she'll probably be safe, but..."

 

"Oh shoot, Kazuha!" Heiji said, realizing at that moment that she was likely with Kudo's friend, Ran. "Yeah, let's call both of them, to be sure."

 

Shinichi nodded and got his phone out to call Ran. He chose to release the strap overhead instead of Heiji's hand, without thinking about it.

 

Heiji looked down at their joined hands for a split second, then peeked up at Kudo. He wasn't going to say anything if Kudo wasn't. 

 

He called Kazuha's cell and held his breath as he waited for her to pick up. When she answered with an irritated, "what?", he let out his held breath in relief. 

 

"Kazuha, thank goodness! Are you with Ran right now?"

 

"Ran-chan? Yes, I am, as a matter of fact. Because you and Kudo-kun are nowhere to be found!"

 

Heiji scratched his cheek self-consciously. "Ah hah, sorry about that, Kazuha..."

 

"Sorry, Ran... See, I followed one of those suspicious men in black and witnessed a crime, only the other one saw me, and... I'm on a bus out of here. He was going to try and kill us. You should definitely head home now." Shinichi looked equally relieved to hear Ran's voice. 

 

Ran shook her head, sighing, and looked at Kazuha. "I can't believe you. Fine. Stay with that guy and be safe. Go to the police, all right?" 

 

"Yeah, will do. You guys seriously be safe too, okay?" 

 

"Don't lecture me! You're the one who went off and got into trouble!" Ran scolded him. 

 

"Right... sorry." Shinichi winced. "Um, later!" 

 

"Talk to you later, Shinichi." Ran hung up, shaking her head. "Unbelievable."

 

"Is your friend causing trouble, too?" Kazuha asked, purposefully speaking up so Heiji could hear her on the other end of the phone.

 

"Kazuha, wait, seriously, I need to talk to you-"

 

"About those men in black, right?"

 

Heiji blinked. "How did y-?"

 

"Heiji, you don't have to be a detective to figure out that you and Kudo-kun got into trouble with them. I promise I'll keep an eye out and stay safe. In the meantime, you keep an eye on Kudo-kun. He sounds like he's even less likely to take care of himself than you are."

 

Heiji chuckled. "All right, Kazuha. I will. I'll make sure to keep you updated, okay?"

 

"Okay. Stay safe, Heiji."

 

"Thanks. You too, Kazuha."

 

"Well... That went better than I thought it might," Shinichi admitted. "I mean, I think she's still angry, but at least she's just angry. How about you?"

 

Heiji looked over and laughed. "Yeah, I know what you mean. As long as Kazuha is safe, I'm fine with her being angry at me. It sounds like the girls are gonna stick together for now, which is good."

 

"Yeah, definitely. Ran's actually the regional karate champion," Shinichi explained. "But still, if someone surprised her, or had a weapon..."

 

"Nice!" Heiji said, impressed. "Kazuha is a 2-dan in aikido, so I'm confident she can take care of herself, too. Between the two of them, they sound like they'll be covered! We can keep checking up on them, in any case."

 

"Oh, really? That's a coincidence... But that works out," He nodded, pleased. "Then, let's just worry about ourselves... In case we're still being stalked, let's report everything to Megure-keibu and then check into a hotel. I don't want to lead them back to my place, you know?"

 

"Okay," Heiji agreed easily. "That makes sense. Are we going to the police station to report, or do you have his number?"

 

"Yes. I mean, I'd like to go someplace they won't follow, but I do also have his number. I want to talk to him specifically about it... I know he'll take me seriously." Shinichi explained, eyeing Heiji curiously. "Do you have that kind of problem...?" 

 

"Which problem? People not taking me seriously?" Heiji asked.

 

He nodded. "I only recently established that kind of trusting relationship with the police. It's been kind of difficult for a long time..."

 

Heiji sighed. "Yeah. Things are...complicated, with me. See, I'm actually the son of Hattori Heizo, who is the Superintendent Supervisor of the Osaka Prefectural Headquarters. Dad...has a hard time believin' me, sometimes, and that tends to extend to his subordinates. Except for Chief Inspector Otaki Goro, who's a real help and a good friend."

 

Shinichi nodded, eyes wide. "Oh, I see. That does sound difficult. Good you found someone who can listen, though." He considered Heiji for a moment. "Do you like Holmes?"

 

Heiji smiled. "Yeah, Otaki-han is awesome. I'm lucky to have him in my corner." He looked away and rubbed at his arm awkwardly. "As for Holmes...to be honest, I'm more of an Ellery Queen fan. Are you more of a Holmes fan?"

 

"Eeeh? How can you like Queen better than Holmes?!" Shinichi looked at him, aghast. "Holmes is the best!"

 

"Holmes is the best to you," Heiji pointed out with a smile. "I like that Queen is a 'fair play' set of mystery novels - you get all the clues and get to solve the puzzle along with the detective. It really fed my budding detective when I was a kid!" He admitted cheerfully.

 

Shinichi blinked, stunned once again. "...Well, maybe for kids, then...but, Holmes is really the best of all time!" He started on a tangent about Sherlock's greatest cases and smartest moves, and everything he admired about the fictional detective. At one point, people getting off the bus knocked into him, pushing him closer to Heiji, but he just found his footing and stayed there and continued talking about Sherlock.

 

Heiji chuckled as Shinichi automatically wrote Ellery Queen off as "for kids" (really only something a truly intelligent detective would do) and immediately started listing Holmes's attributes in an effort to sway him to his side. 

 

He looked so handsome when he was passionate, Heiji couldn't help but notice. His blue eyes glinted with a type of inner fire and he got more animated, his hands cutting through the air as he made his arguments.

 

No wonder everyone was in awe of him during his deductions! Heiji felt like he could stay there and listen to Shinichi talk all night long.

 

"And - oh!" Shinichi looked up, blinking. "This is our stop. Don't get separated from me, okay?"

 

"Okay," Heiji agreed dreamily. Wild horses couldn't pry him away from Shinichi's side, now.

 

Shinichi held his hand tightly and led the way out. The police station was just across the street, but he couldn't relax until he was inside. 

 

"Oh, Kudo-kun!" The short, mustached police inspector from the theme park blinked at the two of them in surprise. "I thought you'd be with Ran-chan again. Did something happen?"

 

"Hello inspector," Heiji greeted. "I'm Hattori Heiji, a detective from Osaka." He held out a hand for the inspector to shake. "We've had quite a night and were hoping to tell you about it."

 

Megure took his hand and shook it jovially. "Aaah, Hattori-kun! I've heard about you. They say you might even rival Shinichi-kun, huh? Well, I was just about to head home, but come in, I'll hear you out." 

 

"Sorry for the late timing, Megure-keibu," Shinichi smiled, scratching the back of his head. "It's really important."

 

Heiji grinned as the inspector shook his hand. "I'd like to think I can square up against Kudo, but time will tell!" He laughed good-naturedly. "Thank you so much for taking the time to listen," he said, following the inspector into his office.

 

Megure closed the door behind them and sat down, gesturing for them to do the same. "So, what happened?" 

 

"Well, I saw one of those men in black, one of those suspicious-looking suspects, sneaking off and acting strangely. So I followed him." Shinichi pulled up those pictures on his phone and showed Megure. "There was a shady deal going down. Blackmail, I think? I didn't get to listen very long, because the other man tried to cave my head in." 

 

"Are you all right?" Megure asked, alarmed. 

 

"I'm fine, thanks to Hattori-kun." Shinichi smiled at Heiji happily. "He hit the guy and we ran. He gave chase, though… Like he was planning on killing us, even in front of a crowd. We got on a bus and escaped... but..." 

 

"Then you're likely in danger," Megure told them solemnly. "And he saw you with Ran-chan. Did you tell her what happened?" 

 

"Yes. She's headed home already, with Hattori-kun's friend," Shinichi confirmed. "She sent me a message to tell me she's safe." 

 

"Good," he sighed. "Still, I'll send some people to check up on her. Listen, Shinichi-kun. You're not safe to go around alone anymore. Not  for a while, at least. I'm going to have you stay in a hotel for tonight - one guarded by police. And we'll hand these photos over and start an investigation ourselves. I think I recognize this man, and if I'm right - it's bad news. Rich people are much more difficult to arrest, and have more means to create a cover-up. Even at the cost of someone's life." 

 

"I understand," Shinichi nodded. "I'm sorry for the trouble, but-" 

 

"No, it's all right. I'm glad you're safe. I understand you couldn't just let it go," Megure told him with a little amusement. "But you've stumbled into something that might be too big for the police to handle, let alone a teenage detective. Or even two teenage detectives," He added, eyes sliding over to Heiji. "So let's call in some backup, and for tonight, let's just focus on keeping you safe."

 

Heiji nodded, and looked over at Shinichi. This was serious. What had they gotten themselves into?

 

"Thank you very much, inspector Megure," he said with a bow. "We appreciate all the help you can offer."

 

Megure nodded. "...Well. I'll have an escort lead you out of here. Call me or the station if you notice anything strange. Also, call your parents."

 

Heiji stiffened at the mention of his parents. Oh great. His dad was gonna have a coronary when he heard what Heiji had landed himself in.

 

"Thank you, inspector Megure. We will," he assured him.

 

Megure nodded to Heiji and pushed a button on his desk, speaking through an intercom. "Sato-kun. Call Takagi-kun and let him know you'll be working your night shift at the hotel. I'll need the two of you to guard Shinichi-kun and Heiji-kun." 

 

"Understood." Sato's crisp voice answered. "We'll be ready and at the door." 

 

"Mm." Shinichi stood and bowed. "Thanks again, Megure-keibu." 

 

"Stay safe." Megure smiled. 

 

Shinichi took Heiji's hand and led him out the door. Two of the younger officers smiled at the two of them, waiting by the front door. 

 

"Ready to go?" Sato asked them.

 

"Yep!" Heiji grinned, then bowed. "Thank you for watching over us tonight!"

 

"Of course. Don't worry, we'll keep you safe," she promised. 

 

They walked in near silence to the police car. Shinichi had Heiji get in first, looking around for any sign of the terrifying man. No one seemed to have followed them, at least not so obviously that Shinichi could spot them. He got in the car. 

 

They arrived safely, the officers checking inside the room and at the windows before wishing them goodnight and taking their stations outside the hotel door. 

 

Shinichi was deeply troubled by something else a second later. It's a queen bed...

 

Kudo was on high alert the entire time they were in the car, Heiji couldn't help but notice. He was looking out the window practically the entire drive. Heiji probably should have done the same, but he was still kind of dumbstruck over the turn his life had taken since he saw the man in the flesh a few hours ago.

 

Is Kudo's life always like this?

 

When the officers opened the room to check it out, Heiji zeroed in on the queen bed immediately and he instantly flushed. It made sense, of course. They had to get a room to share on rather short notice. 

 

But still...

 

Once the officers left, he offered, "I can grab a blanket and sleep on the couch. It looks...fine," he said, eyeing the length of it. It was a loveseat, so it would be a bit on the smaller side. He could make do though.

 

Shinichi was surprised at his own immediate disappointment. "No, you shouldn't. It looks really uncomfortable, and you'll have to be in good fighting shape tomorrow. We're going to have our work cut out for us..."

 

Heiji looked at him. "You think they'll attack us again, so soon? We still have police protection."

 

"...No, no of course not. I mean, probably not. We're just kids to them, right? No, I want to investigate them. We have a solid description of them, and…depending on who gets called in for this, maybe we can work with the police, right?"

 

Heiji stared at him seriously. "We were lucky to get away tonight. We should definitely work with the police on this. If they catch us alone again..." His lips thinned at the thought of being at the mercy of that one man in black with the long hair. "I think we'd be in serious trouble without some kind of protection."

 

"...Yeah. Hey, Hattori-kun.... Maybe we should kind of stick together until those guys are behind bars. I know it might take a bit, but... I've been thinking a lot about it, and those guys were seriously bad news... I'd feel terrible if something happened to you because you went out of your way for me."

 

Heiji blinked in surprise. "Oh, no. I couldn't impose like that! What would your parents think?" He deflected, trying not to just jump at the opportunity. No matter how much he wanted to stay by Kudo's side, he really probably shouldn't attach himself to the poor guy. He didn't even know Heiji was a fan! "I'm the chief of police's son, and everythin'... I'll be fine! No need to worry about me!" He said with a grin that he hoped looked more confident than he felt.

 

"My parents aren't in Japan," he told him, stony-faced. "They might never know. I live in a big, empty mansion by myself. And even if my parents do find out, they wouldn't care. They'd be pleased to meet you. And - okay, listen to me, barou, being the son of the chief of police won't save you. Those criminals don't care at all who we are, they only want to see us silenced!"

 

Heiji startled. "You...live alone?" He asked, his heart going out to Kudo. He hadn't heard that. Just that his parents were famous. 

 

Then he caught up to the rest of what Kudo said.

 

"Oi! I know it will still be risky, but being surrounded by police is probably better than nothing! Is your mansion equipped to handle potential break-ins from professionals? What could we use for protection, if we were at your place?" He said, crossing his arms across his chest.

 

"Yeah, there's a home security system..." It's disabled, though, he silently added. "...Look, if you'd rather stay with your parents, I understand. Sorry for being so pushy."

 

Heiji sighed and all the fight left him. "Jeez, what a guy! It's fine, it's fine," he insisted, waving a hand airily. "I'll stay with you, if you're really sure it'll be for the best and alright with yer folks. You’re probably right, that we should stick together, at any rate. Just in case." He nibbled at his bottom lip. "Should I transfer schools, in that case? Are we still going to school?"

 

"...Oh, right, school!" He blinked. "Yeah, I'm still going. Um, will you be all right, transferring like that?"

 

Heiji shrugged lightly. "School's school. I'm sure I'll be fine. Plus, I already know someone there, so that helps." He smiled. "As long as I get my education, I don't really care where I go. I was just wondering if we were going to keep living fairly normal lives."

 

He nodded. "...Of course, we should keep going to classes and such… Ran would get mad if I stopped attending school..."

 

Heiji laughed. "Kazuha, too. She'd go on and on 'bout my future… She'd be right, of course, but no need to let it get to her head." He winked.

 

"Right?" Shinichi laughed. "...Ah, anyway! Do you want to take the first bath? I'm going to sit up and read for a while."

 

"Oh! Yeah, sure. That'd be great. Thanks, Kudo," Heiji smiled. "I'll take a quick one. Be right back!" He called, before heading into the bathroom.

 

He nodded and let him go, pretending to be relaxed. He got up and went to the window, peering out into the night. No one was there. 

 

Yet, it was so easy to imagine the haunting image of that demon chasing after them. He couldn't let anything happen to Hattori…or himself. 

 

He called Agasa.

 

Heiji took his shower, relaxing under the hot spray, and dressed quickly. Soon he was out and letting Kudo go next within minutes. While he waited for Kudo to finish his shower, he called his parents, which...went about as well as he expected.

 

("What the hell did you get yourself into this time, Heiji?!" His father had roared over the line.

 

"Darling, please, he's doing the right thing, at least!" His mother had tried to calm him.

 

So, business as usual.)

 

Then he relaxed into the pillows and waited anxiously for Kudo. He was interested to see what the other detective would propose, sleeping arrangements-wise.

 

Shinichi bathed as quickly as he could, thinking about their sleeping arrangements as well. In the end, he decided he should just be as normal as possible about it. 

 

He wore the spare kimono offered by the hotel and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'll take the left and you take the right, okay?"

 

Heiji nodded. "Sounds good to me! Sorry if I end up a little on your side, though. I'm told I can be a restless sleeper." He chuckled self-consciously.

 

"Ah, me too," he laughed nervously. "Sorry if I end up moving in my sleep..."

 

He considered just staying up all night, but Hattori would almost certainly notice that. He'd just have to fall asleep as close to the edge as possible. 

 

Heiji laid down on the right side and sighed in contentment. "No worries, Kudo. I get it. See ya tomorrow, alright?" He asked, already drifting off.

 

"...yeah. Goodnight..." 

 

Shinichi laid on his side, eyes wide open, restlessly awake. He heard the shuffling feet and murmured voices of the police outside their door, the steady hum of the radiator, and finally, the steady breathing of Heiji behind him. 

 

Well...I'll just have to be careful not to touch him. It's exciting to get a chance to work on a case like this beside another detective...I hope he's good. He doesn't like Holmes, so...maybe he'll be a little...well, I guess I'll see...

 

Eventually, his racing thoughts slowed, and Shinichi was able to get some sleep.

 

Heiji was slow to wake the next morning. 

 

He was just so comfortable. He'd never slept so well before, especially considering he was at a hotel. He sighed and snuggled into the pillow he was holding, hoping to get another few minutes of sleep.

 

He froze and his eyes shot open when his "pillow" groaned in response. 

 

Holy shit. He was holding Kudo Shinichi! 

 

And Shinichi was holding him. Heiji's arm was tight against Shinichi's chest, held by both his hands, and his body was curled up tight, back pressed against Heiji's chest.

 

Heiji's breath stuttered in his chest. What should he do? Should he try to sneak out of the situation without Kudo noticing?

 

Carefully, he tried to extricate himself from Kudo's hold.

 

Shinichi grumbled, holding onto him even tighter and curling up even more. He wasn't dreaming, but he felt warm and safe. He didn't want to let go of that feeling.

 

Heiji stopped trying to get away when he realized it was just agitating Kudo. He carefully relaxed back into position and dared to hold him a little more tightly. 

 

This was nice. This was really nice.

 

He closed his eyes and savored the feeling for as long as it would last.

 

Shinichi slept about half an hour more, clinging to Heiji with a blissful expression on his face. When he finally woke up, he was disoriented, and then he released Heiji's arm and shot out of bed at lightning speed. "Wha-?!"

 

Heiji, who had managed to fall into a light doze, startled awake with a cry. "What?! What's goin' on?!"

 

"...Ah...Ah, sorry, uhm... Sorry for getting all over you. Sorry. I - didn't mean to make a big deal of it, though. I was just a bit disoriented..." He looked away, flushed in the face. "I'll...go get ready..." With that, he turned and went into the bathroom.

 

Heiji blinked, only having gotten some of that, as Kudo stuttered and left the room. "Uh?" He asked, as the door to the bathroom closed.

 

Then he realized why he was so stuttery and Heiji felt himself flush as well. They had really slept together, hadn't they? His own thoughts made him blush at the implication, no matter how innocent the action was. 

 

...It had been so nice, though…

 

Shinichi washed his face with cold water, wondering what was wrong with himself. He'd totally fallen apart immediately - he'd be lucky if Hattori didn't decide to leave just from that! 

 

And, to go back to his empty house... To go back, when that demon still wanted them dead... 

 

Just be professional while you're awake, he told himself, brushing his teeth with a grimace. Just focus on the case. Maybe he'll forgive it.

 

Heiji dressed while Shinichi got ready in the bathroom, thinking about how to play off the awkward incident.

 

Maybe just gloss over it? It's unlikely he'll want to talk about it. I should probably just act like it never happened...

 

So when Shinichi left the bathroom, Heiji just smiled. "Thanks, Kudo! I'll get ready and then we'll go to your place, yeah?"

 

"Y-Yeah... Well, if those two police officers think it's all right," he nodded, immediately relieved. So the plan was still on.

 

"Oh! Right," Heiji chuckled. "I guess we should okay it with them first, huh?" He went to the door of the hotel room and opened it. 

 

"Good morning! Say, do you two mind dropping us off at Kudo's place? Unless you think we should go back to the station?"

 

"Good morning," Sato smiled. Heiji had caught Takagi mid-yawn. "Let's check in with Megure-keibu first. I"m sure you're ready to get home, but..." 

 

"Understood," Shinichi nodded. "Okay!"

 

"Do we need to head into the station? Or can we give Megure-keibu a call?" Heiji asked.

 

"A call is fine," Sato nodded. "Why don't we get breakfast together and do a video call during that?"

 

Heiji smiled in relief. "That sounds like a great idea! I could definitely go for some breakfast!"

 

"All right! It's my treat," Sato announced, pleased they were being so cooperative. "There's a cafe just across the street. Let's go!"

 

They all headed across the street to a nice, French-style cafe. Heiji waited for Shinichi to take a seat at the table before taking the seat next to him. They looked over the menu and Heiji settled on some pancakes before placing his order with the waitress who came over.

 

Once they had all given their orders, Sato started the video call with Megure-keibu.

 

"Aaah, glad to see you both doing well! No problems last night?" Megure smiled.

 

"No problem," Shinichi nodded. "Though, we weren't the ones on watch."

 

"No, we didn't notice anyone last night," Sato confirmed.

 

"That's good," Megure said. "But, until those criminals are caught... Low profile, both of you. And don't be alone. It's  best if you stay together, even better if you could stay under police protection, but... I know Kudo-kun, at least. You won't stay put, right?" 

 

"...Well, you know how it is, with cases," Shinichi laughed awkwardly. 

 

"Right. So, we'll let you know what we find out, but the fact is... We've been asked to drop this case for the time being, by our higher-ups. We didn't learn anything new with our preliminary investigation. I'm afraid that's all we've got for you at the moment."

 

"Wait! Higher-ups? Who do you mean?" Shinichi demanded. 

 

"That's all I can say," Megure insisted. "Sorry, Kudo-kun."

 

Heiji frowned as he listened to the conversation. "Higher-ups" demanding the end of a case that almost ended in murder? That wasn't good. Something truly nefarious was at work.

 

He looked over at Shinichi and met his equally serious eyes. Seems like it was a good thing they'd be sticking together for the foreseeable future. They wouldn't be able to rely on the police for this one. Most likely, this would only be solved by the two of them working together, as Shinichi had first proposed.

 

"...Well. In that case, I guess I'll just try and keep you posted," Shinichi sighed.

 

"Good. Also, Sato-kun, please get your statement to me before you go and rest."

 

"Yes, sir," she nodded.

 

"Thank you for all your help, Megure-keibu," Heiji managed to get in before Sato disconnected the call. "Just to let you know, I've decided to stay with Kudo for the time being. I'll be going to school and working with him here in Tokyo. So if you need me for anythin', just let me know."

 

Megure's eyes lit up. "Ohhh! That's a great idea, Hattori-kun! I'll help you get things settled in. To start, I'll call your father and let him know."

 

Heiji chuckled. "It was actually Kudo's idea! But thank you so much for your help. I called my father and mother to let them know last night, but I'm sure my father would appreciate a call from you, Megure-keibu. It'll make him feel better to know that I'm working with the local police while I'll be staying here."

 

"Of course. Let us know if you need anything else," Megure nodded.

 

"Thank you so much, Megure-keibu!" Heiji chirped. Sato ended the call and Heiji got up. "Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom," he said, before going around the little corner to where the cafe's bathroom was located.

 

Shinichi nodded and watched him go, frowning a little. I seriously feel uneasy even for something like this? Ugh... 

 

Takagi glanced at him and stood with a nervous laugh. "Ah, I need to go, too." He followed Heiji in.

 

Heiji looked up when he heard the door open, hoping to see Shinichi there. But it was Takagi, instead. Looks like he'd need to work on his communication skills. He'd been hoping to have a chat with the other detective about what they'd just learned over the phone. Ah, well.

 

He did his business and was washing his hands when he decided to ask, "Hey, Takagi-san. Have you worked with Kudo for a while?"

 

"I have!" He scratched the back of his head. "Ahahah... I saw he was worried about you. Don't tease him about it, okay? He gets so grouchy about things..."

 

Heiji laughed good-naturedly and grabbed a paper towel to dry off. "Alright, if you say so!" His mind drifted back to Shinichi telling him he was concerned yesterday. He hadn't taken Heiji's insistence to go off on his own very well. "He's a pretty good guy, huh?" He smiled.

 

"...Well, yeah. Reckless with his own safety, but definitely a good heart," Takagi smiled. "It'll be really good if the two of you watch out for each other. No pressure, though."

 

Heiji shook his head. "No pressure at all! It'll be nice to work with a detective like him for a while," he says. "Though maybe I should grab my shinai just in case. I dunno how prepared Kudo is for a fight, but at the very least I can use my kendo practice to hone my skills."

 

He nodded. "I'm sure you have a lot you might like to grab from home. If you take a trip to Osaka, be careful, okay?"

 

Heiji nodded back. "I will. I'll ask Kudo if he wants to come along, just in case."

 

With that, they exited the bathroom and made their way back to their table, Heiji once again taking his place by Shinichi's side.

 

"We can go now, right?" Shinichi looked at Sato as soon as Heiji was back. 

 

"Yes, that's fine," Sato smiled. "But keep your eyes open. And let us know if you see anything else, okay?" 

 

"Got it!"

 

Heiji smiled over at him. "Okay. Thanks. Let's head over to the train then, huh?"

 

"Right." He glanced at his hand for just a millisecond before walking towards the station. It's fine, I can hear his footsteps. It's not too crowded today. 

 

Once they arrived at the station, however, there was someone waiting for them. 

 

"HEIJI!" Kazuha stomped over to him, hands on her hips. "Why did you suddenly run off like that? You didn't even call me afterwards! You just ditched me here so I'd have to go home all alone!"

 

"Eeh?! Kazuha?!" Heiji exclaimed, before scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I called you later, though! You were with Ran-san, remember?"

 

"Yeah, but I thought you were going to meet me this morning," she pouted. "I was almost late to the station. I still have your ticket, you know!"

 

"Ah, sorry. He's still tied up in a case with me," Shinichi smiled apologetically.

 

"Yeah, sorry about that, Kazuha." Heiji said, sheepishly. "Speaking of the case," he continued, growing serious, "I'm gonna be stayin' here in Beika with Kudo for the foreseeable future. We'll need ta stick together until it's solved."

 

"Huh?" Kazuha's eyes went wide, heartbreak behind them. To her, all the world went quiet, and there was only Heiji, who had always been by her side, who was leaving her until further notice. "...For the…foreseeable future...?"

 

Heiji sighed and stepped forward, pulling her into a hug. "'m sorry, Kazuha, I really am. But this thing Kudo and I are wrapped up in...it's dangerous. I don't want to see you get hurt. I need ta stay with him 'til it's sorted." He pulled back and smiled at her encouragingly. "We can still talk all the time! I promise to always be a phone call away. But right now," he said, squeezing her shoulders, "This is where I need ta be."

 

Her eyes welled up with tears. "...Why wouldn't ya be safer with me beside you? Dontcha want me watchin' your back?" 

 

Shinichi stared at anything but them, shuffling a step away to try and give them a little space.

 

Heiji's eyes softened. "Of course I'd prefer it if ya could watch my back, but...the men we've gotten involved with...I want you as far away from them as possible." Heiji stared at her gravely. "They're monsters, Kazuha, and it would kill me if anythin' happened to you because of my mistake. Plus," he added, "if ya don't mind, I could use someone I can trust back home. Someone who can let me know what's goin' on and watchin' over my folks. I know it's a lot ta ask but, could you do that for me?"

 

She shot forward and hugged him tightly, crying against his shoulder. "How do ya think I'd feel, if something happened to you? This is so unfair... You're treatin' me like a kid!" 

 

Shinichi cleared his throat. "Um, this is our train..."

 

Heiji nodded and wrapped an arm around Kazuha's shoulders, guiding her onto a seat on the train. He stood protectively in front of her and held onto a handle and waited for Shinichi to board next to him.

 

"I know it's unfair, and I don't mean to treat ya like a kid, honest," he told her. "But...ta be honest, it really does help me a lot knowin' you’re safe. I couldn't focus if I knew you were gettin' mixed up in all'a this. This is my mess, and I need ta sort it. I promise to be as careful as possible."

 

"..." She hugged herself, sniffling. "...But...what'm I supposed to do without ya?" 

 

Shinichi couldn't help but feel overwhelming guilt. He wasn't sure why,  but it felt like he'd somehow stolen Heiji from this girl, and seeing something of Ran in her made that feel even worse. He decided to focus on keeping an eye out for suspicious people.

 

Heiji smiled. "It'll be okay, Kazuha. You'll meet new people and make new friends. Better friends than me! Some who'll even remember to return the stuff they borrowed from ya, or won't run after a case all the time. You can go shoppin' and do all sorts'a fun stuff together. And in the meantime, I'll call ya as often as possible. We'll still be friends! Just...long-distance?" He looked over at Shinichi for reassurance.

 

"...Huh? Uh, y-yeah!" Shinichi nodded, trying to help. 

 

"..." She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Miserably, she imagined going to school without Heiji by her side, day after day. Everyone would want to know where he was. Who would talk to her when they found out he wasn't coming back? She bit her lip, trying not to cry anymore. "...You gotta tell me how it's going. Even if you don't wanna. If I can't protect my little brother, I gotta at least know he's okay."

 

Heiji nodded and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I promise. I'll tell ya as much as I can, and I'll be honest about what's goin' on. I'll always be a train ride away," he said with a gentle smile. "You be sure to tell me how it's goin' with you, too. I gotta know how my big sister is doin', too, after all."

 

She threw her arms around him tightly, snuggling her face into his side. "Heiji...I hate this..."

 

Heiji hugged her back as best he could while the train was in motion. "I know. I'm sorry," he said, biting his lip. He couldn't honestly say he hated it, since it gave him more of an opportunity to get to know Kudo. But it was killing him inside to sacrifice his time with Kazuha. They'd been together since they were kids, and although he was putting on a brave face he was going to miss her terribly.

 

She cried for a while longer, feeling better being able to hold him. Eventually, she calmed a little, relenting enough to just hold his hand.

 

"...Hey, Kazuha-chan..." Shinichi began tentatively. "Um, there's actually...Well. Even though I'm not moving, I won't be able to spend time with Ran like I used to, for all the same reasons. So...Maybe you guys could keep each other company, somewhat...?"

 

Kazuha thought about it for a moment, frowning. "... I dunno...I guess I do have her number, at least..."

 

Heiji smiled over at Kudo. The guy was so awkward when it came to people, but he still tried to help them out. It was really endearing. "You seemed to get along last night, right? Plus, who better to complain to about an idiot detective getting in over his head than Ran-chan?" He teased with a grin.

 

Kazuha pouted at him pointedly. "You'd better stay safe, Heiji… Well, anyway, what I do now isn't your business!" 

 

"Right, right." Shinichi turned a little to look as more passengers boarded. No one looked suspicious yet, at least...

 

Heiji laughed and put up his hands. "All right, all right! You're right. You should do whatever you want." He smiled and continued to engage Kazuha in conversation. He felt a little bad, ignoring Kudo, but he seemed to be focused on the people in the train, anyway. Hopefully he would forgive him later.

 

Kazuha gradually cheered up as they approached Osaka, eventually pulling Shinichi into the conversation, too. She had made some quiet decisions by the time they arrived. 

 

They walked together to Hattori's place, and Shinichi still remained more focused on keeping watch than anything else.

 

"Alright, this is it!" Heiji announced when they reached his home. "Kudo and I will go and get my stuff. See you later, Kazuha?" He asked, hoping she would be more comfortable with him leaving now. He couldn't stand it when she cried.

 

She nodded, grinning. "See you later, Heiji!" 

 

As she ran off, Shinichi frowned a little. "...Not that it's a bad thing, but...she really cheered up, huh? ...Do you think she's up to something?"

 

Heiji sighed. "She's definitely up to something. We'll just have to find out what it is later. Come on in, I'll show you around," he offered, opening the door to his house.

 

He followed him in, enjoying a peaceful quiet that lasted about ninety seconds. 

 

"Hattori Heiji!" His mother was waiting just inside. "Don't tell me you still haven't changed your mind. You really intend to change schools in the middle of the year for a case?"

 

Heiji chuckled uncomfortably. "Hey, Ma..." He greeted her. "To be fair, it's a really important case. I wouldn't change schools unless it was really necessary!"

 

"I hope you don't intend to neglect your education," she scolded him. "You will finish high school, whether it takes three years or ten."

 

"Yes, yes, of course Mom! I want to become a proper detective an' all! I'll be going to school with Kudo here," he said, clapping a hand on Shinichi's shoulder. "This is Kudo Shinichi! He's the Great Detective of the East! And Kudo, this is my mother, Hattori Shizuka."

 

"Nice to meet you," Shinichi bowed politely.

 

She softened a little. "It is nice to meet you. I suppose I have no choice but to leave my son to you. I should hope both of you will not forget your studies."

 

"Of course, ma'am," Shinichi promised. "We're both serious about it. "

 

"C'mon, Ma, don't put pressure on the guy! It's up to me to keep to my studies while I'm away. Which I promise I'll do!" Heiji says, earnestly. "I don't want a case to ruin my budding career, after all!"

 

She smiled. "Very well. Kudo-kun, perhaps you would like some tea while Heiji packs his things?" 

 

"Thank you..." Shinichi nodded, sweating a little. "Sounds great."

 

"Hey! No givin' him the third degree, alright?" Heiji warned his mother. He turned to Shinichi and said, "I promise I'll be quick." Then he ran further into the house to get to his room and pack as quickly as possible.

 

As Shinichi followed his mother into the tea room, Heizou came in the front door. "Ah, Heiji...Good, I wanted to talk to you."

 

"Oh! Dad! Hey...Okay," Heiji said, hesitantly. "What d'you wanna talk about?”

 

He patted Heiji on the back and led him towards his bedroom. "I want to hear more about what happened. I got some details from Megure, but I want to hear it from you."

 

Heiji flinched slightly at his father's touch, but eased when he realized it was light. "...Yeah, okay. Well, first of all, those men in black were obviously conducting some sort of shady deal..." He continued to explain the situation to his father as they walked into his bedroom.

 

Heizou heard his son out, frowning all the while. "...It sounds like you've gotten yourself into quite a nasty situation, Heiji. Why didn't you keep your distance? It was that boy's mistake to follow them so carelessly."

 

Heiji blinked and frowned. "What? Of course I had to follow him! He was going into a dangerous situation! What if I hadn't been there? He would've gotten beaten over the head in the best-case scenario! Who knows what else they would've done to him?"

 

"You could've gone to get the police instead," He scolded, still frowning. "You put yourself in danger needlessly. If something happened to him, it wouldn't have been your fault."

 

Heiji shook his head in denial. "No, it would've been. Because I had the chance to help but chose not to. You know me, dad. I've had a lot of kendo and self-defense training. I'm more able to help than some random bystander. It was my duty."

 

"This is what I feared," he sighed, shaking his head. "Your sense of honor is…admirable, but it misleads you time and time again. Enough. You're not throwing your life away just to help your foolhardy celebrity crush. If you leave, who will keep Kazuha-chan out of trouble?"

 

"My-?!" Heiji balked. "Dad, it's not- I mean- Yes, okay? I have a crush!" He admitted, his face on fire. "But that's not the only reason I went! It seriously looked like bad news and I didn't want anything to happen to him! And if I leave, Kazuha will be fine! She does aikido in her spare time! If anyone could keep themselves safe, it would be her!"

 

Heizou shook his head. "You're too focused, missing everything around you. Hasn't this happened many times before? Listen to me, son. It's for your own good. I won't allow you to move out while you're still in high school."

 

Heiji growled. "And you're too blinded by your prejudices to see that this would be the best option for me at this time! Kudo and I can help keep the people we love safe if we stick together! It's not like I'll be stopping school altogether! I'll be attending Kudo's school instead. I'll still get my education." He promised. "But this is something I feel I need to do. Why can't you understand that?"

 

Heizou sighed deeply through his nose. "...Can I do nothing to make you see reason?"

 

Heiji frowned. "I am seeing reason, dad. This is for the best. Just...just trust me, okay?" He pleaded.

 

Heizou cracked his knuckles and rolled his sleeve back slightly. "I know you're excited. But you should reconsider."

 

Heiji's eyes widened as he realized what his father was saying. "Dad...no. Come on. I'm not gonna reconsider, no matter what."

 

He shook his head and sighed again. His punch slammed directly into Heiji's cheekbone, hard enough to knock him to the floor.

 

Heiji grunted as he took the punch and again when he hit the floor. He didn't want Kudo or his mom to know what was going on in here, but it was hard to stay completely silent under his father's onslaught. He wiped at the corner of his mouth and glared up at his dad.

 

"Reconsider," Heizou enunciated carefully, glaring down at his son. 

 

"Dear? What was that noise?" Shizuka came down the hall, hurrying as much as she politely could. 

 

"...Heiji still plans to move out," Heizou scoffed, tearing his eyes away from him to look at his wife. 

 

Shinichi followed, feeling like he was intruding, but the sight of Heiji's bruised face knocked the air out of him. "Hattori..!"

 

"It's okay, Kudo. Don't worry," Heiji tried to soothe his new friend. "I'm used to it," he reassured him, getting to his feet and standing before his father. 

 

"I'm not going to reconsider," he told his dad, eyes blazing. "This is what I'm going to do, whether you like it or not."

 

"Used to it?" Shinichi stared at him, gutted. 

 

"Now, now! That's enough fighting," Shizuka caught her husband's sleeve. "He's old enough to make his own mistakes. This is Kudo Shinichi, the famous young detective. Why don't you entertain him in the tea room while Heiji finishes getting packed?" 

 

"Very well," Heizou grumbled, leading the way with a furious expression still darkening his face. Shinichi hesitated, unable to tear his eyes away from Heiji.

 

Heiji attempted a smile and winced when his lips pulled at a forming bruise. "You can come help me pack if ya want, but it probably wouldn't be as interesting as talkin' ta dad. He's been in the police force for a long time. Has a lot of stories." He said, wiping absently at the corner of his mouth and checking for blood. "Go ahead. I'll catch up soon. I'll just pack the essentials," he promised.

 

Shinichi thought he probably wanted to save face, and in any case he wouldn't pass up a chance to talk with Heizou. "Right...Take your time." 

 

He followed Heizou and disappeared into the tea room. 

 

"Here." Shizuka took a couple of NSAIDs out of a bottle in her sleeve. "Take these before your face swells. And clean your face. I won't let your father hold you back, so you had better stay true to your word."

 

"...Thanks, Ma," Heiji said, palming the NSAIDS in his hand as he made his way out of his parent's bedroom. "I will," he swore.

 

He went into the bathroom and popped the pills into his mouth and washed them down with a handful of water from the tap. Then he cleaned his face and hurried to his room to pack necessary items. Clothes, a shinai for kendo practice, and his motorcycle helmet. He lingered over his bookshelf for a second before shaking his head and walking out. Just the basics. That's all he needed.

 

"Hey, I'm all packed!" He announced, popping his head into the tea room. 

 

The tension in the room was too thick to cut with a knife.

 

Shinichi looked up and offered him a smile. "Then let's get going."

 

Heiji blinked, surprised. "Uh...okay. See you, Dad. I'll call you when I get to Kudo's," he said, before beckoning Shinichi to follow him out of the house.

 

"Hmph." Heizou cracked open one eye to glare at him. 

 

"Take care," Shizuka called softly.

 

"Thanks for the tea." Shinichi got up and went to Heiji. 

 

"Of course. We will await your next visit." Shizuka bowed politely.

 

"Bye Ma. Bye Dad." Heiji said, before turning to leave the house for what was, in all likelihood, going to be the last time for a while.

 

He stepped outside and took a deep breath before turning to Kudo. "Sorry about that. I know my family's not...the warmest," he said, chuckling at the understatement. "But they're my parents, so...yeah." He scratched his unharmed cheek and then headed for the garage. "C'mon, I'll drive us back to yer place. You ever been on a motorcycle before?"

 

Shinichi followed him to the bike. He wanted to tell Heiji it wasn't normal, tell him he didn't deserve that, but this didn't seem like the time or the place. 

 

"...Actually, just when I was a little kid. My mom drives one," he explained. "I don't actually remember it, though, so it's like the first time."

 

Heiji nodded, lowering the passenger foot-pegs on his motorcycle. "No sweat, it should be a pretty easy ride," he said, turning a smile on Shinichi. "Just be sure to hold onto my waist, lean with me when I drive, and keep yer feet on these foot-pegs, alright? It'll be fun, I promise!" He went to the side of the garage and grabbed his spare helmet, handing it over to Shinichi.

 

"Fine by me." He pulled the helmet on, grinning. "Let's get out of here."

 

Heiji grinned and got on the bike, waiting for Shinichi to get into position behind him. Once he checked to make sure Shinichi was set and ready to go, he took off out of the garage and away from his house.

 

It was indeed a nice drive with Shinichi. He followed Heiji's instructions to the letter and their trip was smooth. They made it back to his manor in what felt like a quicker amount of time than it should have taken.

 

When they finally stopped at Shinichi's, Heiji pulled off his helmet and whistled as he craned his neck to look up at the manor. "Wow! This is quite the place!"

 

"Heh. My parents used to have parties with lots of overnight guests," he admitted. "The library's pretty nice, though."

 

Heiji chuckled. "Why am I not surprised to hear that your favorite room is the library?" He teased.

 

"Pfff..." He took his helmet off and gave him an easy smile. "Wanna get inside? You'll have your pick of guest rooms."

 

"Sure! Sounds good to me," Heiji smiled.

 

He got his key out and opened up the gate for him, going through the front door. He gave him a brief house tour, showing off the (truly impressive) home library, pointed out the main kitchen and a couple of bathrooms, and finally the hallway his own bedroom was in. "And everything up here besides the bathroom and that one study is a guest bedroom, so look around and take your pick!"

 

"Wow, thanks, Kudo!" Heiji said, spoiled for choice as he looked through the bedrooms. Should he treat it like a bathroom stall situation? Give Shinichi some privacy by taking a room a little further down? That was probably the thing to do, he figured. So he chose the next room over from Shinichi's and brought his things inside to start unpacking.

 

"...You didn't bring much," Shinichi blurted out, watching him from the doorway. "Do you need me to get you anything? There's a conbini not too far from here."

 

"Oh!" Heiji said, suddenly aware that he was, in fact, missing some important toiletries. "Yeah, that would be great! Thanks," he smiled. "Let's go together. We can pick some stuff out to eat, too, maybe? I'm really not much of a cook," he admitted with a chuckle.

 

"Oh, sure," Shinichi nodded, relieved. "Fine by me. I'm not much of a cook, either. I mostly eat whatever I can put in the toaster or microwave. Though Ran invites me for dinner pretty often..." 

 

He looked away, biting his lip. Should I stop visiting Ran entirely? ...I'm not sure that would even help, in this situation...As long as Hattori and I stick together, it'll probably be okay.

 

Heiji looked over at Shinichi as he fell silent. "Are you okay? Do you...want time alone with Ran? Because if so, I bet we could make it work." He says, trying to be encouraging.

 

He shook his head. "That's not it. I was just thinking...Well, I wondered if I should start avoiding everyone I know. But, they saw our faces and they know we're alive, so..."

 

Heiji thought it over. "Well...I suppose we can't avoid everyone. Maybe we can warn the people we spend time with to be extra careful? I mean, maybe if we keep taking cases and being in the public eye, we'll make ourselves easier targets and they'll lose interest in gettin' to those close to us. Sort of take on all the risk ourselves?"

 

"Mhm... And we just need to keep our guard up. At least until we find out who those people were and what they're doing now," Shinichi agreed.

 

"Yeah," Heiji nodded. "We'll definitely need to work on keeping an eye out for anything unusual."

 

"...It's okay. We'll make it through, I think..." Shinichi straightened his back. "And then we'll show those police who are so afraid of their superiors."

 

Heiji laughed. "You 'think'? C'mon, Kudo, be a little more inspirin' than that! We'll make it through," he affirmed. "We're the Great Detectives of the East and West, after all! We'll definitely show those guys!"

 

Shinichi's eyes lit up. "Of course! Who could stop us? They won't get away with it!"

 

Heiji laughed again. "That's more like it! Now, where's this conbini I heard about? I gotta see a man about some soap."

 

He laughed. "All right, follow me, then!"

 

Heiji walked with a bright smile on his face as he followed Shinichi out of the manor and down the road towards the conbini. This was really nice, just spending time together and hanging out. Kudo was pretty funny and as interesting to talk to as Heiji had always fantasized he would be.

 

They made it to the store much sooner than he'd anticipated, and Heiji grabbed a small basket to do some shopping.

 

Shinichi followed close behind him, as if he were guarding him, alert to their surroundings all while putting on a pleasant smile.

 

"Do you need anything?" Heiji asked, feeling awkward with Shinichi so on-guard while he was perusing embarrassing things like deodorant. "How about food? What do you like to eat?"

 

"It's fine. I've got food covered," He promised. "Except for any particular snacks you might like. Oh, and whatever you want for breakfast."

 

"Oh!" Heiji supposed he shouldn't be too surprised. No doubt Shinichi had gone grocery shopping before he left with Ran to go to Tropical Land. "Okay. Thanks, Kudo. Do you not eat breakfast or somethin'?”

 

"Well, I just have toast and coffee," he admitted. "I don't tend to be that hungry in the morning."

 

"No?" Heiji kept up the conversation as he picked up a few snacks that he liked, trying to decide between sweet and salty before giving up and throwing both in the basket. "I'm more of a 'big breakfast' guy, myself. So I guess I'll just grab some eggs and stuff..."

 

He moved over to the refrigerated section and perused the offerings, grabbing a few things that looked good. When he was done, he turned to Shinichi. "Ready to go?"

 

He nodded, smiling slightly. It was kind of exciting, in a way. He couldn't think of the last time he'd accompanied someone on a little private errand like this. Even Ran preferred shopping on her own most of the time. "Ready when you are."

 

Heiji paid for his things and walked out of the store with Shinichi by his side. He wished they could enjoy the outing a little bit more, but unfortunately their situation wasn't exactly ideal. So he decided to keep up a rambling conversation that Shinichi didn't have to focus on too much while they walked back to the manor.

 

As they walked down the street, every shadow bore inspection, and he memorized the face of every person they passed by. Still, they got back to the manor unscathed, and Shinichi took the groceries to put them away while Heiji finished the last of his unpacking.

 

Heiji finished unpacking and made his way down the stairs into the kitchen and leaned casually against the island. "So, what do you wanna do now? The night is still young."

 

"Fair point." He looked away, wondering suddenly if Heiji had seen him staring. "I wanted to work on the case, but... We really don't know anything about those guys, beyond appearances..."

 

Heiji nodded, then said, "Yeah," as Shinichi had taken that moment to suddenly look away. "I suppose, if we want to learn more about them, we'll have to do some digging. Maybe try to go back to the police to see what they have on them? Or we could always try to lure them out of hiding...but that probably would go about as well as last time..."

 

"...Well, we're going to have to face them eventually," he pointed out, tucking his hands in his pockets. "It can't really be helped, after a certain point."

 

"Yeah, but we'll need to come up with a solid plan before we next meet them." Heiji pointed out. "We don't wanna get caught off-guard again."

 

"Well, yes. So. Ideas?" Shinichi moved closer, studying Heiji's face.

 

"Oh! Uh..." Heiji trailed off as Shinichi came close. "W-Well, first, we'll probably need to catch them off-guard somehow. That was the only way I was able to get a hit on one of the men in black. Perhaps set a trap?"

 

"Right," He nodded, "Solid point. Should we try getting anyone else involved?"

 

Heiji blinked. "Is there anyone you want to get involved?" He asked. "The police are out, because they'll probably head us off at the pass before we can get any real work done. Ran sounds like she would be helpful, Kazuha, too, but...well, to be honest, I'd probably be too distracted trying to keep Kazuha safe. What about you?"

 

Shinichi racked his brain, but he couldn't think of anyone else they could ask for help. "...Yeah. You're right. Then, so we can get some kind of advantage...We should find a way to make sure the two of them are separated, right?"

 

Heiji nodded in agreement. "Yeah, definitely! If we can separate them and take them on one at a time, I think that'd be our best bet. Here's what I'm thinkin'," he said, leaning closer to Shinichi to share his ideas with him.

 

They stayed like that a long while, strategizing from every angle until they were too tired to stay up any longer. Somehow, they'd ended up talking on the living room couch, on which Shinichi went from sitting normally to slinging his legs over the arm and his hair brushing against Heiji's thigh. 

 

"...Well. I guess that's it for tonight, really..." Shinichi sighed. "Did you hear anything about school yet? I should probably go to classes and take notes on what we're learning at the moment. It'd really suck if you had to take a test on something your first day in."

 

Heiji looked down at Shinichi and admired his shining blue eyes and chestnut hair strewn about on the couch cushion. He looked so...comfortable. Heiji didn't think he'd ever seen him look quite like that before. It made him want to run his fingers through his hair.

 

But he refrained.

 

"Yeah," he admitted with a chuckle. "Though honestly I think that's a fate I'll have to get used to. Schools usually test new students to see what academic levels they're at, don't they?" He mused. "I hope I'll get to be in some of your classes, at least."

 

"Yeah. It'd be good if we could be in the same class..." Shinichi yawned. "Ugh, sorry. Well, if you need to go into the office tomorrow, we could always walk in together in the morning."

 

Heiji smiled softly as the tired tears in Shinichi's eyes made them glitter. "It's okay. Let's head ta bed. We can plan more in the morning," he said, but stayed seated as he was loath to get up.

 

"Mmhm..." Shinichi's eyes fell closed, head tilted to the side. He was comfortable. There was no reason to wake himself more by getting up to lie in bed, right?

 

Heiji tilted his head back against the couch and sighed. This was nice, having Shinichi close with him. Near enough to touch. He didn't want to move.

 

There was something safe about it, something deeply safe about having Heiji so close to him. So he didn't complain at all. He drifted off to sleep right there, head nearly nuzzling against Heiji's leg.

 

Heiji opened his eyes and looked down when he heard Shinichi's deep, even breaths. He smiled softly and took a chance to delicately move a lock of hair out of Shinichi's eyes, allowing the backs of his fingers to graze his skin for a few precious seconds. Then he, too, succumbed to sleep.

 

Shinichi woke in the morning not sure if he'd slept at all. It wasn't that he was tired, it was just that he didn't have any dreams he could remember. In fact, he felt so at-peace he wondered if he was actually in a dream. He sat up slowly, a little sore from sleeping in a strange position, and realized that Heiji had fallen asleep beside him on the couch. 

 

He almost looked pretty, Shinichi thought. His eyelashes were thicker than he'd realized before. That position couldn't be comfortable, though. 

 

He looked at the clock and cursed. "Oi, Hattori. It's morning already. We'll be late if we don't get going."

 

Heiji woke with a start, trying to figure out what had aroused him from his sleep. He groaned and rubbed the back of his neck that had developed a crick in the slightly uncomfortable position he'd fallen into. "Hm?"

 

"We fell asleep planning," Shinichi yawned. "I'm gonna go get dressed..."

 

"Mmh! We did?" Heiji asked absently, looking around at the room at large. By the looks of things, they had indeed spent the whole night on the couch, as golden, morning light spilled through the curtains. He yawned and smacked his lips as he got up and stretched. "That's so unlike me! Hopefully I won't be too tired today!"

 

"Well, if you go home before I do, be careful," Shinichi worried.

 

"Oh," Heiji said, turning to look at him bashfully. "I actually...planned to walk home with you today. If-if that's okay." He said, looking off to the side.

 

"Good," Shinichi nodded, satisfied. "I'll look for you, then. Okay. I better go." He rushed off to his bedroom to get ready.

 

Heiji blushed and looked down before shaking his head to clear it and gathered his clothes to wear for the day. He headed for the guest bathroom and got ready for school, his mind playing, "Good. I'll look for you," over and over in a loop in his brain. 

 

Get a hold of yourself, Hattori! He wasn't flirting! Now do your best to try to act normal, won’t you?

 

Shinichi blushed all the way up the stairs, yanking off yesterday's outfit and hurrying to wash his face before finding his uniform. He wished, desperately hoped, that Heiji could get put in the same class he was in. Everything would be so much better that way. It didn't matter why.

 

Once Heiji and Shinichi were ready for school, they locked up the mansion and made their way over. Heiji took in their surroundings with interest - Beika seemed like a nice place. There were kids chatting happily with each other as they walked peacefully to school and adults casually making their way to work in a sea of humanity around them. There were trees and flowers and a bright, blue sky overhead. Things seemed so...idyllic.

 

Then there was the reason he most likely felt that way, walking alongside him.

 

He snuck a glance over at Shinichi, taking in his profile in his school uniform. He looked good in uniform, Heiji couldn't help but notice. So polished and put-together. Not like he had last night, all soft and artfully messy-

 

He looked away, face on fire. Idiot! Stop drooling over the guy! He's gonna notice if you keep this up!

 

As they walked down the sidewalk, someone else caught up with them. "Shinichi!" 

 

"Ran!" Shinichi turned and smiled at her. "You seem like you're doing well. That's good."

 

"Shinichi, is it true? Hattori-kun and Kazuha-chan are coming to our school?" She asked happily.

 

"What?" Heiji whipped his head around to look at Ran. "It's just me comin' to yer school. What's this about Kazuha?"

 

"Huh? O-Oh, maybe I was mistaken," Ran laughed nervously. "I mean, because you seemed to come as a set, you know?" 

 

Shinichi cocked an eyebrow with a frown. "Mhm... Well, in any case, it's true that Hattori's going to be in our school."

 

Heiji laughed. "Do we really seem like a set? I mean, I s'pose I can see it. We've been friends for years after all," he acknowledged. "But she's not comin' here. It's just me.”

 

"Oh, all right." Ran looked a bit put out. 

 

Yet, when they arrived at the school gates, Kazuha was standing there in a uniform identical to Ran's. "Heiji! You're late, you know?"

 

"Wh-?! K-Kazuha?!" Heiji sputtered. "What on Earth are you doin' here?!"

 

"None of your business!" She stuck her nose in the air with a grin and looped her arm around Ran's. "C'mon, Ran-chan! You know the way to the classroom, right? I noticed we're in the same class~!" 

 

Shinichi stared at the two of them, his dread confirmed. "So they've really been talking to each other, huh..."

 

"This is gonna be trouble, isn't it?" Heiji asked, watching the two girls walk off happy together. "So much for keepin' them outta this mess..."

 

"...Well, maybe it's for the best. We all want to keep each other within sight..." Shinichi sighed. "Hey, see if you can get into the same class as her. They might let you, if only for social reasons, right?"

 

"That's true..." Heiji acknowledged. Then, he blinked in surprise. "You...don't want me to try to get into yer class?"

 

"Well - well, that happens to be my class, too. Ran and I are in the same class," Shinichi admitted, looking away. "But if you pitch it like you want to be with your friend from Osaka, it might go down a bit better."

 

Oh. Heiji was relieved. For a second, he'd been afraid-

 

"Okay," he smiled. "Yer right, Kudo. That's probably a good idea. I'll go to the administration office and see what  I can do! See ya later!" He chirped, feeling much lighter than he had a second ago.

 

"Later, Hattori!" Something in his heart felt a bit lighter at that last bit of interaction. He followed after the girls, in a better mood than he had been in a while.

 

It turned out that it was surprisingly easy for Heiji to get into Shinichi's class. They reviewed his work and allowed him in pretty much immediately. 

 

Heiji grinned at all his new classmates when he was introduced to them, though his eyes kept catching on a pair of familiar, bright blue ones. He gave a pretty innocuous reason for moving (following family), and was soon sitting right behind Shinichi. 

 

He sighed dreamily as he stared at the back of the other detective's head. Things worked out perfectly.

 

Shinichi felt so relieved when Heiji was introduced to the class. Having Heiji sit behind him was reassuring, too. Where he'd been glancing over his shoulder before, he no longer felt the need to. Heiji had his back.

 

When lunchtime came, Kazuha and Ran walked over to them, each placing a bento box on their respective desks.

 

"Oh, thanks, Ran!" Shinichi smiled at her. "Seriously."

 

"Ya probably fergot your lunch, right, Heiji?" Kazuha smiled cheerfully at him.

 

Heiji cocked his head at her. "Yer bein' awfully nice considerin' how I left things." He commented. "...This food's not poisoned, is it?"

 

"Of course it's not!" She laughed. "Besides, since we're all in the same school, everything's fine, right?"

 

"I s'pose so," Heiji said. "Just, please, be careful, alright?" Then a thought occurred to him. "Wait. Where are you stayin'? Since yer goin' to school here an' all?"

 

"Ran-chan's ma offered ta let me stay with her!" She chirped. "Though I think that's in part so that she'll end up seein’ Ran-chan more often." 

 

"It's true I don't see her very much, but that's just because we're both busy," Ran explained, smiling. "So it works out well!"

 

"Oh really? You two're gonna stay together? That's great!" Heiji smiled. "You’re really gettin' along, huh?”

 

"Well, I'll keep staying with my dad," Ran explained, twirling a strand of her hair. "But I'll be visiting Kazuha-chan a lot."

 

"Ah, that's nice," Shinichi offered. He was mostly relieved that the girls didn't seem to be holding a grudge against them.

 

Heiji smiled. "That sounds awesome! I'm so glad to hear you're gettin' along so well!"

 

"Yup! Well, it takes a team to keep the two of you safe," Kazuha poked Heiji's chest. "Now, eat before you find some way to stumble into a case!" 

 

With that, Kazuha and Ran got their own lunches out and moved the desks so that the four of them could sit together. 

 

Shinichi sat down with them, glancing at Heiji with mixed feelings. It wasn't that he didn't want the girls around, but now it would be twice as hard to give them the slip. He was hoping that he could focus on solving the case with Heiji, but with them around... 

 

Well, maybe it wasn't so bad. At the very least, this was only their lunch period. Maybe it was better to relax for a while, anyway.

 

Heiji laughed and accepted the bento eagerly, digging in. Unlike him, Kazuha actually knew how to cook, and cook well! 

 

"So, Kudo, give me the details on this school," he said with a smirk. "What do I need ta know so I don't get inta too much trouble here?"

 

"You shouldn't ask Shinichi for tips on how to avoid trouble," Sonoko joked, pulling up a chair next to Ran.

 

"Ah, Sonoko!" Ran smiled. "Have you met Hattori-kun yet?" 

 

Heiji laughed at Sonoko's joke and stuck out a hand for her to shake. "Hi Sonoko, I'm Hattori Heiji! It's nice ta meet'cha!"

 

She took his hand, grinning. "Nice to meet you. What brings you over here?"

 

"I'm actually stayin' with Kudo fer a while! We're working on a case together," he proclaimed.

 

"What kind of case?" She asked, intrigued. "Normally you detectives wrap things up pretty quickly, right?"

 

"Well, we normally do," Heiji agreed. "But this one turned out to be a tougher nut ta crack. There's too many missin' pieces ta solve quickly."

 

"Ohhh." Sonoko stared at the two of them with great interest.

 

"So, how do you know Ran-san and Kudo?" Heiji asked. "You all meet in school?"

 

"We've known each other since kindergarten," Sonoko nodded, grinning. "He was always an odd kid." 

 

"So were you," Shinichi poked her forehead with his chopsticks. She squawked and poked him back.

 

Heiji laughed, greatly amused to see Shinichi acting so childish. "I bet we were all weird kids." He said to the group at large. "No one here seems normal to me."

 

"I was normal!" Ran and Kazuha protested simultaneously. 

 

Shinichi nudged Heiji's foot under the desks, smirking.

 

"Oh, sure. Absolutely," Heiji nodded, sounding completely unconvinced. "Only normal people hang around us mystery weirdos." He smirked.

 

Ran giggled. "I guess you have a point." 

 

Kazuha smiled fondly at her before explaining to Sonoko, "I'm Toyama Kazuha. Childhood friend of Heiji's. I'm here to keep him out of trouble!" 

 

"Ah, so that's how it is?" Sonoko wiggled her eyebrows. "Are you two husband and wife, as well?"

 

Heiji barked out a laugh. "Me 'n Kazuha? No way! She's had to deal with me way too long to be interested in me that way!" He chuckled, then paused. "Wait, 'as well'? Who else d'you consider husband and wife?"

 

Kazuha looked away, biting her lip, but luckily Sonoko kept right on going. 

 

"Well, that'd be Ran and Shinichi, of course!" She jabbed Ran's arm with her finger, grinning. "They've been basically married since the first week they met!"

 

"Sonoko!" Ran protested, swatting her hand away. 

 

"Don't make things up, barou!" Shinichi blushed and pouted.

 

"Ah... I see," Heiji said, fighting to keep a smile on his face. "So it was true love at first sight, huh?" He teased, weakly.

 

"No, it wasn't like that!" Shinichi insisted. 

 

"We really aren't dating," Ran nodded, frowning. "We've been close friends for a long time, so everyone likes to tease us, that's all."

 

A knot Heiji hadn't realized had formed in his gut seemed to ease at their denial. "Ah, gotcha, gotcha..." He said, scratching the back of his head bashfully. "I understand what that's like..."

 

Shinichi leaned forward, studying his face. "You get teased about Kazuha?"

 

Heiji blushed and looked away while he scratched at his cheek self-consciously. "Oh yeah. We've been together a long time, too! So we're always hearin' about it."

 

"Oh, got it..." Shinichi sat back in his seat, turning things over in his mind. 

 

"I see, I see...So it's a similar situation..." Sonoko looked at Heiji with a playful smirk.

 

"Uh...yes?" Heiji asked, feeling dread creep in all of a sudden. That woman's smirk seemed dangerous.

 

"No, no, nothing~" Sonoko purred, typing something into her phone. 

 

Shinichi sighed and started eating up the rest of his lunch.

 

Heiji looked at Sonoko with wide, curious eyes before turning his stare onto Ran for an explanation.

 

"So, what's your first move after school?" Ran abruptly changed the subject, giggling behind her hand.

 

Heiji blinked a few times before he got ahold of himself and rallied. "Dunno! I guess Kudo an' I'll see what our options are. We might do a little sleuthing," he winked.

 

"Awww, you're really two of a kind," she smiled warmly. "Well, let us know if things seem like they might get dangerous, okay?"

 

Heiji nodded. "We'll let ya know. Thanks, Ran."

 

They finished their lunch together, chatting a little more peacefully. A few of their classmates came over to introduce themselves to Heiji and Kazuha, curious about the two of them, but soon enough it was class time again. 

 

Shinichi thought about the case for the rest of the day. By the time they were changing their shoes, he suggested to Heiji, "How about we try returning to Tropical Land?"

 

Heiji turned to look at him. "Tropical Land? You think they'll be back there?"

 

"Not sure. But maybe they missed something they left behind in a rush. Something the police wouldn't notice. Or maybe they'll really come back...I don't know," he admitted. "But I don't think we have any other leads, right now."

 

Heiji looked down in thought. "...Yeah. Yeah, I think you're right. We really have no other leads right now." He looked up at Shinichi and grinned. "Let's go!"

 

He smiled, relieved. "Okay. Let's do it!"

 

"Tonight?" Heiji asked. "Or should we wait for the weekend?"

 

"Let's go now. We've got a little bit of time before the sun sets," He grinned. "Plus, we've already wasted a lot of time."

 

Heiji laughed. "True! All right, let's go!" 

 

They made their way to Tropical Land, Heiji driving Shinichi on his bike. The feeling of Shinichi's hands around his waist was like two, hot brands curled around his gut. Exciting and possessive. Heiji smiled and sped up in order to feel the touch more strongly.

 

When they got to the amusement park, Heiji removed his helmet and asked, "So, what's the plan? Check the same area?"

 

Shinichi nodded, standing up and straightening his clothes. His face felt a little hot. I hope he doesn't notice that… It's embarrassing, but I guess maybe I have some kind of a thing for motorcycles... 

 

"Ah, yeah. Well, and near the roller coaster. They were present at the beheading case."

 

"Oh, that's true!" Heiji mused. "Okay, let's check the area where we saw them last while there's still light out. Maybe we'll see something we missed."

 

"Yeah. And…normally I'd suggest we split up and cover more ground, but just in case they are around, let's stick together," Shinichi decided.

 

Heiji nodded. "Yeah, that sounds safest. We don't want to run the risk of anyone getting hurt."

 

Shinichi nodded, pleased. It wasn't that he was afraid for himself, but it was nice that he wouldn't have to worry about Heiji while investigating. 

 

They got tickets and entered Tropical Land. Shinichi took Heiji's hand at the sight of the dense crowds. "Isn't it busy for a school night?"

 

Heiji's stomach burst into butterflies as Shinichi took his hand. He swallowed thickly and, feeling brave, gave it a brief squeeze. "Y-yeah," he stuttered. "Is there some sort of special event going on?"

 

Shinichi felt oddly reassured. It was really nice to have another detective's company. "Yeah, I'm wondering if these are actually school groups...Doesn't it seem like there are more kids and teenagers than adults?"

 

Heiji took another, more careful look around before he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you’re right. It seems like a pretty good mix of boys and girls, too."

 

Shinichi noticed in a few school groups that some of the students seemed to have paired up. Boys and girls holding hands all over the park... Yet, somehow, he seemed to be the only one holding another boy's hand. 

 

Well, it's fine. We're holding hands because we're detectives investigating together. 

 

"So, I don't know everything those men in black did that day. What do you say we check every ride in the park?" Shinichi smiled at him.

 

Heiji grinned back. "Sounds good. Maybe we'll come across somethin' we missed the last time we were here."

 

"Yeah!" Shinichi nodded enthusiastically. He got in line for the nearest ride, heart beating quickly in excitement.

 

Heiji laughed at Shinichi's enthusiasm. "You'd think we were here fer fun instead of on a case, with how excited ya are." He teased.

 

"I wouldn't be this excited if it wasn't for a case," He laughed.

 

Heiji laughed, but also felt a pang of...something. He'd been forgetting himself, looking around at all the other happy patrons who were walking around hand-in-hand together. They seemed like they were having plenty of fun...

 

"I'm glad it's the two of us. Being crammed next to strangers is a bit awkward," Shinichi mused as his eyes scanned the area around them. "And there are some rides they wouldn't let me get on by myself."

 

Heiji thought of pictures taken by rides, with Shinichi as the only passenger. It would be kinda funny, in a sad sort of way. "Yeah...I can see that." He told him. "I'm glad it's the two of us, too," he said with a soft smile.

 

Shinichi's eyes lit up, sparkling as they met Heiji's. He nearly said something more, but their turn in line came up, and he chose to thank the attendant as he reluctantly released Heiji's hand for the moment, and settled into his seat instead.

 

Heiji couldn't help but admire Shinichi in the twinkling lights of the rides, his eyes shining with excitement. He let go of Shinichi's hand with some hesitation, but was mollified that at least he'd be able to sit next to him on the rollercoaster. 

 

As they got settled in, he grinned over at Shinichi. "Ready for the adrenaline rush?"

 

"Yeah. It's fun, right?" Shinichi gave him a confident grin.

 

"It's the next best thing ta solvin' a case!" Heiji laughed as the security bars settled in place.

 

Shinichi's hand scooted just a little closer, til the knuckle of his pinky finger rested against Heiji's. The ride jolted to a start, and Shinichi looked directly ahead.

 

Heiji startled, and not just because the ride jolted. He looked down at Shinichi's hand next to his and then up at Shinichi. He smiled and took his hand as the ride started slowly heading upwards.

 

Shinichi's heart did something strange in his chest, almost like it had flipped. His face felt a little warmer than he'd expect from the excitement of a mere roller coaster. He filed that information away for later, stealing a quick glance at Heiji before bringing his attention back to the case. 

 

What would those two have been doing in a park like this?

 

Heiji was grinning, the combination of the excitement from holding Shinichi's hand and the excitement for the ride to begin merging together. This was gonna be a blast!

 

The roller coaster was fun, but uneventful. Shinichi decided they may as well work their way around the park, so they got in the next line for the next ride afterwards. He wanted to clear everything in that section before moving on to anything else. They even got in the bumper cars, any embarrassment fading with the playful competition that came from intentionally crashing into each other. Finally, as the sun set, there was only one ride left in the area in which they'd spotted the men in black. 

 

Not that he'd seen them in it, but he was determined to go in anyway. It seemed like a good place to hide something. Still, why did everyone have to stare at them so oddly while they waited their turn for a boat?

 

Heiji had been having a great time. He and Shinichi had gone on every ride in the area, even a few that Heiji had managed to convince Shinichi to go on that no doubt had little to do with the case. They'd been enjoying themselves and eating park food and holding hands-

 

And then Shinichi suggested this ride.

 

Heiji stared up at the happily blinking, neon red sign spelling out 'Tunnel of Love' and felt that park food trying to make a reappearance. 

 

"Are you, uh, sure that this one needs investigatin'?" Heiji asked, feeling a little ill.

 

"Yeah. I mean, if you were going to hide something in a theme park, what better place than this one?" He smiled cheerfully. "And this is one I'd need someone with me to get on."

 

Right. Of course. He just needed a parter- A friend! To go with him on this ride. Because it was built for two people, and two people only. Because it was-

 

Heiji folded his hands together, scratching at a cuticle. "Yeah. I guess..." He allowed. Then his mind went back to the two fierce men in black. His mind put them in the swan boats he could see up ahead with their twin, menacing scowls and he started laughing hysterically. 

 

"Eh? Wh-What's so funny? Oi!" Shinichi elbowed him, blushing brightly. He couldn't help feeling that Heiji was making fun of him.

 

Heiji tried to get himself under control, but he was having a hard time. "The-the men in-in black!" He choked out. "In swans!" Then he lost it again, holding onto Shinichi's shoulder for support.

 

"Not so loud, barou!" Shinichi scolded, but his lips were twitching at the same mental image. At least he's not laughing at me, I guess...

 

"S-sorry! Sorry!" Heiji said, trying to control his giggle fit. It was surprisingly difficult, but it was probably due to nerves. Once he realized that, he sobered up pretty quickly. 

 

"So...have you been on this ride before?" He asked, then wanted to smack himself. He really was an idiot! Why ask that?

 

Shinichi tucked his hands in his pockets and looked away casually, hoping Heiji wouldn't notice how hot his face felt. "N-No, I haven't… Well, it's not like I've been here on a date, or anything..."

 

I've never been on ANY date, of course. 

 

"What about you? Fond memories?" He turned back to him with a grin.

 

Heiji couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief. Then the question was thrown back at him. "Yeah. I haven't been on a date here, either, so I've never been." He scratched the side of his face and admitted. "I've been on some other ones back home, though. They're pretty terrible," he laughed, "Of course, I guess the point of them isn't really to look around much."

 

Shinichi's heart did a little flip again. He noted the strange sensation and filed it away, just like the last. This time, however, he got a bit lost in staring at Heiji's hand, the one touching his cheek, near his lips. Shinichi snapped back to the present after a moment and nodded, "Yeah. That's true."

 

Heiji paused, and looked at Shinichi. Had...he been staring? He took in his profile, handsome and distracted, and figured he was just looking for something he wanted to see. 

 

"So what's the plan? We get our phones out and turn on the lights?" He joked.

 

"Yeah," Shinichi nodded seriously. "If anything was actually hidden, it'll be written on the walls or possibly submerged. Although the water is quite shallow. I don't know how likely this is, really. I mean, you make a good point. They'd absolutely stand out, getting on this ride… Oh, but we should be discreet about our search. Let's try not to take too long."

 

"Right," Heiji nodded, as they were finally guided to their own swan. It was extra cutesy, with large eyelashes and eyeshine hearts in its eyes, and Heiji wanted to laugh hysterically again. He got in and bit his lip as he felt the swan list to the side when Shinichi got in. He put his hands in his lap as the attendant sent the swan ahead. If Shinichi reached for his hand now, he knew he'd lose it.

 

Just like before, Shinichi's hand just happened to rest beside Heiji's, their fingers just barely touching. This time, Shinichi was looking anywhere except his companion, only pretending to be focused on the case. He couldn't help feeling flustered when everyone was looking at them like that.

 

Heiji bit his lip as the swan began to glide forward into the darkened entrance. Hopefully this ride would be like the carnival ones, with tacky heart lights and cheesy "romantic" music, so they could laugh about it.

 

Shinichi's eyes narrowed as the lights dimmed around them. He flicked on the light of his watch and began searching around the walls of the tunnel. 

 

"Hey, what's that?" He spotted some writing on Heiji's side and grabbed his thigh for balance, leaning forward to get a better look. "... Aah, never mind. I'm pretty sure that's just graffiti."

 

"K-Kudo!" Heiji cried, high-pitched, the hand on his thigh burning like a brand. "T-take it easy! We're in a little boat, ya know? It might capsize!" He let out a strained laugh and he gently pushed at Shinichi.

 

"Oh, sorry Hattori." Shinichi sat down, still clinging to him a little for balance. "I got excited. Um...It's pretty shallow here, though. I mean, it'd be inconvenient if we got wet, but..."

 

Right. If they got wet, Heiji would be able to feel the water running down Shinichi's soft skin and see hints of his chest through his shirt.

 

Most inconvenient.

 

"I mean, let's not bother the ride attendants, yeah?" He tried, squeezing one of Shinichi's hands that was clinging to him. "Let's just...enjoy the ride?"

 

He wanted to smack himself. Enjoy the ride, really? This ride?!

 

Shinichi grinned playfully. "Ahaha...I think the main point of this ride is probably, um, kissing each other. But you're right. I don't see anything, so let's just wait it out."

 

Despite everything, Heiji couldn't help but find the humor in wanting to crawl into a dark hole to hide. He technically was in a dark hole, but he was alone with the very person he wanted to hide from.

 

Irony at its finest.

 

The swan went through an opening to a large area with small LEDs studded in the walls and ceilings, turning on and off gently out of sync. It was like being surrounded by lightning bugs or stars. Fake lit up lily pads and light boxes floated in the water around them.

 

Heiji's jaw dropped. "Uh...wow. This is...more than I was expectin'," he said, looking around in awe.

 

"Hey… This really is pretty nice," Shinichi smiled, looking around them. His heart was beating a little faster, and he couldn't help becoming more and more aware of Heiji's presence beside him.

 

Heiji looked over at Shinichi and felt his heart skip a beat. His eyes were twinkling with all the lights, a stunning blue. He had a handsome smile on his lips that made him look more breath-taking than usual as he looked around in wonder. 

 

Oh, boy. Was Heiji ever screwed.

 

Shinichi felt Heiji's eyes on him and turned to smile at him. "I kind of wondered what this place was like. I'm glad we got to see it."

 

"...Yeah," Heiji said, after finally finding his voice. "I'm glad we got to see it, too," he said, still taking in how Shinichi looked in the low light of the ride.

 

Shinichi thought he could understand why people liked this sort of thing. The dim light brought out deeper colors in Heiji's eyes, caught the slight shine of his lips, made him look more handsome than usual. Shinichi got a little lost in studying his face, but the lights around them began to glow brighter as the ride came to its end.

 

Shinichi's profile started to become more defined as more light entered their space and Heiji found he didn't want it to end. They'd been looking at each other near the end, and Shinichi's eyes...they'd started to look at him differently...

 

But all good things must come to an end.

 

They got out with the attendant's help and made their way out of the ride. "Now what?" Heiji asked. "Should we go check out that back area for clues?"

 

"Well, it's starting to get late," Shinichi mused. "The park isn't open all that late on school nights."

 

"Oh. Really?" Heiji asked. "I just sorta assumed it always stayed open late. I guess we should go back to yours then, huh?"

 

"Yeah. Let's head home," Shinichi smiled, taking his hand to walk him through the crowds. "We can cover more tomorrow."

 

Heiji smiled back, holding tightly to Shinichi's hand as they weaved through the throngs of people in the park. They'd be back together tomorrow. That sounded really nice.

 

Shinichi grew self-conscious when they made it to a less crowded sidewalk. He released Heiji's hand and kept his head up, looking around for any sign of someone dangerous. But no one seemed to be paying them any attention.

 

"C'mon, Kudo, lemme drive ya home," Heiji offered as he watched his fellow detective scan the area for threats. "I think we're good fer now."

 

Shinichi nodded sheepishly. "You could tell I was worried, huh?"

 

Heiji laughed. "Ya weren't subtle. But it's okay." He held out a hand. "C'mon. Let's go back to yer place.”

 

Shinichi took his hand. It felt different than it did before. "Yeah. Let's go home."

 

Heiji drove them back to Kudo Manor, loving the feeling of freedom on his bike and security from Shinichi's hold on him. He felt like he could fly.

 

They made it back in short order and he found himself feeling oddly tired. "If it's okay with you, I think I'll hit the hay," he said. "I might need a little extra sleep."

 

"Oh, yeah, that's fine," Shinichi nodded, blushing a little. "I might pace around the house a bit before I follow suit, but don't mind me."

 

Heiji chuckled and started upstairs. "'Kay. Don't stay up too long! We've got men in black ta catch!"

 

"Yeah. Goodnight, Hattori." Shinichi watched him go, confused at his own strange feelings.

 

Even though he stayed up somewhat late to think about it, there wasn't anything they'd missed at the park. Having no leads should've been frustrating. It wasn't good to have the investigation drag on and on. It meant the culprits might get away with it. It meant that Heiji was going to be inconvenienced. And yet, the thought of combing through the rest of the park over the next week had Shinichi so happy he could barely hide it. 

 

Am I...having fun? I don't think it's ever felt like this before...But I guess that's because it's with a fellow detective. I wonder if he'd agree to starting an agency together...Isn't it weird to feel like this about someone I haven't known that long? But if it's like this already, I don't want him to go. Gah, that's so embarrassing, though...What if he thinks I'm actually just a clingy fan? 

 

Like that, Shinichi got lost in his thoughts, and went to bed hours late.

 

When Heiji woke up the next morning, he noticed he felt more sluggish than usual. He dragged himself out of bed and went to the bathroom to study himself in the mirror. 

 

A pair of bloodshot eyes stared back at him and he grimaced. Was he...getting sick? No. He couldn't be! It wasn't the season to worry about illnesses.

 

But he couldn't deny that he looked like crap. He sighed and vowed to wear a mask around Shinichi, just in case. No reason for them both to come down with whatever Heiji had gotten. 

 

So he got himself ready for the day and threw on a mask, descending the staircase a little more slowly and deliberately than he would normally.

 

Shinichi, still half-asleep and holding a mug of coffee, looked up to see a Heiji who definitely needed to go back to bed. Quietly overjoyed at the excuse to stay home from school, he set his mug down and quickly walked up to Heiji, catching him before he'd made it down more than a few steps. "Hey, you should go back to bed. You don't look so good."

 

Heiji shook his head, then winced as it resulted in a dull headache. "No, I'm okay! Just a little under the weather. I'll be all right soon enough. We gotta go to the park again today. ...And go to school, I guess." He added as an afterthought.

 

"No." He grabbed Heiji's arm and led him forcefully back to his room. "You're getting back in more comfortable clothes and lying down. You look like you have a fever. We're already looking for a cold trail, anyway. It's fine if you take today to rest."

 

Heiji groaned. "I don't even know how I got sick! It's not even cold season! C'mon...What about the bad guys?" He whined, pulling ineffectually against Shinichi's grip.

 

"What about them?" He couldn't help but worry at how easy it was to force Heiji back into his room. He must be really sick.

 

"What if they show up at the park and we're not there?" Heiji asked. "What if we end up missing some really important clues?"

 

"What if he sees us and he catches you?" Shinichi pushed him down on the bed and stood over him, hands on his hips. "What if I need you to run, but you don't quite make it?"

 

Heiji moaned and listed to the side before flopping onto the bed. "Fine, fine..." He pouted, toeing off one shoe and then the other. He brought his legs up and curled into a fetal position on the bed. "I'll rest. See you after school. Tell me what homework I miss, 'kay?"

 

"No, I'm going to stay and take care of you," Shinichi told him with a pout. "Because you'll definitely get up to go investigate without me as soon as I'm gone, right?"

 

"Wh-what?" Heiji stuttered. "You are? But...I mean, you don't have to!" He said, even as images of Shinichi dressed like a nurse and feeding him danced in his mind.

 

"Shut up. Now, are you getting back in your pajamas, or am I changing your clothes for you?" Shinichi was flushed red, but completely confident in his decision all the same.

 

Heiji felt his cheeks heat. "No, no! I'm goin', I'm goin'!" Heiji said, getting up and grabbing his pajamas on the way to the bathroom. "Jeez. You make a scary nurse!" He teased as he zipped out the door.

 

Shinichi stuck his tongue out, though he couldn't help but feel a bit pleased. All day at home, caring for his new detective partner...!!

 

No, no, I should stop getting ahead of myself...

 

He went to the kitchen downstairs to microwave a bowl of soup.

 

Heiji quickly changed out of his clothes and into his pajamas, blushing all the while. If he had remained stubborn, would Shinichi really have changed him? The image that came to mind of Shinichi reaching for the hem of his shirt to pull it up and over his head caused him to blush harder. He smacked his cheeks to clear his mind of dirty thoughts and finished changing.

 

Shinichi had looked adorable sticking his tongue out, though. He grinned as he folded his clothes and walked back to his room. Maybe if he was lucky, he could get him to do it again.

 

Shinichi had soup and tea on a tray ready for Heiji when he came out of the bathroom. He nodded his approval and just pointed at the bed.

 

Heiji swallowed thickly and obediently went over to the bed and got back in, making sure to prop up his pillow so he could sit up and receive the tray.

 

"Thanks, Kudo. You know, you didn't have to do this."

 

He fluffed the pillows behind Heiji's back and tucked him in. "I wanted to. It's fine."

 

Heiji couldn’t help but freeze up with Shinichi so near. Every small touch and brush from Shinichi's careful hands gave him goosebumps. "Still. Thanks." He managed through his sensory overload.

 

Shinichi smiled at him a little. He set the soup and tea on a tray in his lap. "I'm going to run to the store for cold medicine. You need anything before I go?"

 

Heiji shook his head mutely, looking down at the tray of soup and tea that Shinichi had kindly made for him.

 

"...Please don't leave," Shinichi pleaded quietly. But that was too much, too embarrassing, so with a red face he turned on his heel and hurried out the door.

 

Heiji's eyes widened, and he turned his head to assure him he wouldn't, but Shinichi had already left. He looked back down at the tray and smiled before he took a sip of the tea. It was warm, and sweetened with honey. The care Shinichi had taken for him warmed his heart.

 

Shinichi ran down to the store in a rush. It was so windy that leaves were flying in the air, and by the time he reached the store it had started to rain. He quickly stepped inside and grabbed everything he thought he might need to help Heiji. His heart wouldn't stop pounding at the thought of the other detective relying on him at a time like this. He ended up taking a few minutes longer than he'd hoped to, but he ran all the way home, so it still took just under half an hour. 

 

He set everything out on the kitchen table downstairs and hung his soaked uniform jacket on the chair, cursing a little as he noticed his shirt was also soaked through. I'll have to change and do laundry...Well, it couldn't be helped. 

 

He picked the cough drops and pills and walked a bit more slowly upstairs, trying to catch his breath and look a bit more casual as he approached Heiji's bedroom.

 

Heiji finished the soup and tea, and lay back in bed. He was embarrassed to note how tired he was already, and allowed his eyes to close while he waited for Shinichi.

 

He must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew the door was opening again. He opened his eyes and turned to greet Shinichi. "Hi Ku-DO?!"

 

Shinichi stood there with something in his hands, but Heiji could not have told you what it was to save his life. Because Shinichi was standing there with wet hair and in a completely soaked-through dress shirt that left nothing to the imagination. His cute, pink nipples caught his eyes, pebbled from the cold and he wanted so badly to bite them-

 

Then the world tilted and he felt a sudden pain as his head connected with the bedframe behind him.

 

"Hattori?!" Shinichi tossed the plastic bag aside and rushed to Heiji, helping him settle back on the pillows and looking at his head in intense concern. There was no blood, at least. "Hey, are you okay?"

 

"Ow...yeah," Heiji admitted, keeping his eyes closed as if in pain. "Hey, you must be cold like that, runnin' around in the rain to take care of me. You should go change into somethin' warm and dry." He opened his eyes cautiously, aiming for Shinichi's face and using all his willpower not to look down.

 

"I'll be fine. I'm gonna change soon." He ran his fingers through Heiji's hair, carefully checking for a bump. Finally satisfied that he was fine, he stepped back and got the bag off the floor. "If you end up coughing, I have pills for it, and cough drops. I also have cough syrup if you'd prefer that. Um, and I have ibuprofen, if your head hurts. I got some juice and soda as well, since you're supposed to stay hydrated..."

 

Shinchi's fingers running along his scalp felt like heaven. Heiji closed his eyes to savor the feeling, and opened his eyes in surprise when Shinichi started listing things and never seemed to stop. "Uh, wow!" He said, licking his dry lips. "You sure are prepared, aren't ya?" He smiled at all the effort Shinichi was going through for him. "Thank you, Kudo. I think I'll take an ibuprofen and maybe a nap? Give you a chance to relax a little."

 

He nodded, fishing out the bottle from the bag and shaking two out onto his palm, at chest level. "What do you want to drink?"

 

Heiji swallowed thickly as he looked past the pills to Shinichi's chest, taking in those cute, pink nubs again. "Water..." He murmured, absently, as he noticed a few errant drops of the stuff fall from Shinichi's bangs and slide down his neck towards his collar bones. He wanted to lick it off so badly.

 

He desperately hoped the warmth he was feeling was from a sudden fever.

 

Shinichi nodded, gently placing the pills into Heiji's hand. "Okay. Be right back." He set the bag down on the dresser and rushed to the kitchen to get him a cool glass of water, still unaware of the way Heiji looked at him.

 

Heiji sighed as Shinichi left, and put a hand to his forehead in disbelief. Had that been real, or a hallucination caused by his fever? He needed to be less creepy, like, now, before he ended up getting kicked out of Shinichi's house.

 

Shinichi returned with the water, carefully pressing Heiji's hands to it to make sure he had a good grip on it. He really feels warm... 

 

"I should take your temperature," He murmured. "Sorry, but stay awake just a little longer, okay? I'll get the thermometer." 

 

"'Kay..." Heiji murmured. When Shinichi left he tossed the pills into his mouth and swallowed them down with the water. He kept drinking until the glass was empty, taking in a deep breath when he was done. He set the glass on the side table and leaned back, closing his eyes to wait. Just to rest them for a little bit...

 

Shinichi returned quietly, biting his lip. He didn't want to wake Heiji, but how bad was his fever...? 

 

He went to Heiji and pressed his forehead against his, focusing hard on their difference in temperature.

 

Heiji woke up slowly, noticing that he was curled up in bed with Shinichi next to him. It must be one of their lazy days, the thought came into his head. One without any cases or customers.

 

"Hey there, sleepyhead," Shinichi whispered softly, shifting forward to press their foreheads together. "You awake now?"

 

"Hey, you," Heiji murmured, pressing his forehead back against Shinichi's with a smile, unaware that he was acting out his dream in reality.

 

Shinichi slowly pulled away, hands shaking, a bright red flush coming over his face. Something in the way Heiji had said that made him feel strange. That tone of voice was a little familiar, but it took a moment for him to place it. 

 

Oh. Shinichi scowled as he realized what it was. Heiji sounded like he was talking to someone he liked. 

 

"I-Idiot..." He grumbled. Something in his gut really hated the idea of Heiji having a crush on someone. He gently slipped the thermometer past his lips and under his tongue, careful not to accidentally hurt him with it.

 

Heiji's mouth suddenly felt a little awkward, like there was something in it. He frowned and moved his tongue around to search for the offending item. 

 

Shinichi frowned and pulled away. "What's wrong?"

 

"There's somethin'...My mouth feels weird." Heiji says as he brings his hand up to feel around his mouth for whatever was bothering him.

 

In reality Heiji frowned and made a displeased grunt as he brought a hand up to the thermometer.

 

Shinichi held it still, taking his hand and pressing it gently against the covers. "Quit squirming. Barou."

 

Something was fighting him. An invisible force grabbed his wrist and pinned it to the bed. Heiji started to panic, moving his arm and legs as his Shinchi watched on in horror. "Heiji! What's happening?!"

 

"Hattori?" Shinichi frowned, gently pressing his body against Heiji's so he wouldn't accidentally roll off the bed. "Oi! Hattori, wake up already!"

 

Heiji blinked and suddenly realized it was Shinichi on top of him the whole time. "Sh-Shinichi...?" He mumbled awkwardly, spitting out the object that obstructed his speech. 

 

A thermometer...?

 

"What...? But, you..." He looked over at the other side of the bed to see it made without any evidence Shinichi had ever been lying there. "What're you doin' here?" He asked, wrapping his arms around his partner's back to keep him stabilized on top of him.

 

He jolted when he realized Shinichi was somehow soaking wet. "How did this happen?" He asked, running a hand up and down his sodden back. "You'll catch a cold! Here," he said, starting to undo the buttons on his shirt. "I'll help." 

 

"Ah-!" Heiji's hands felt big and rough and warm on his body. He couldn't move, both because he was being held and because he'd frozen up. He's just going to…undress me?! Is this normal?! 

 

More than anything, he didn't want him to stop. But he couldn't figure out what that meant.

 

Heiji made it past a few buttons before he realized Shinichi was being awfully quiet. He looked up and smiled when he saw his blushing face. "What? This still get to you?" He teased, moving forward to give him a little nose rub. "You're cute."

 

Oh. Shinichi was hard. That was the strange feeling. Being undressed by his fellow detective, being talked to like a lover, being held like this, it was all too much and his body was taking the signal to - 

 

He scrambled up, flushed bright red. "Ba- Barou!!"

 

"Huh?" Heiji was so confused. One minute, Shinichi was in his arms and the next he was halfway across the room. "What's it? What's wrong?" He slurred, looking around as if the answer would make itself known.

 

"Wh... What are you..." Shinichi shook his head, trying to steady his voice. "Hey, who do you even think you're talking to? Is your fever that bad?"

 

"Fever...?" Heiji asked. He looked down at the thermometer on his chest and picked it up to study. He'd just discovered Shinichi on top of him, soaked, when before he'd been in bed with-

 

His brain quickly ground to a halt. Oh my god. OH MY GOD!

 

"K-Kudo!" He cried, face aflame with embarrassment and voice tight with fear. "I-I'm sorry! That wasn't- I wasn't- I mean-" He stopped speaking, since he didn't know where he was even going with that. 

 

'That wasn't me?' It sure was.

 

'I wasn't trying to undress you?' He sure as hell was.

 

 "I'm so sorry," he settled on, burying his face in his hands. "I can get a hotel and stay there until I'm- You know." Not dreaming that you're my lover and acting it out in real life. He cringed, hard.

 

"What are you talking about?" Shinichi flicked his forehead, scowling. "I'm glad I went to get medicine for you. You're seeing things. I was just trying to keep you from flailing yourself out of bed. Seriously, I can't leave you alone for a second. Geez. Just let me take your temperature. If it's not so high I'm taking you to the hospital, you'd better settle down and get some sleep."

 

"O-Okay," Heiji stuttered, obediently putting the thermometer in his mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut until spots of color whirled behind his eyelids. He should probably go to the hospital, considering how cracked his head was. 

 

Shinichi frowned, out of breath and terrified. It seemed like Heiji hadn't noticed. He hoped to hell it wasn't actually that bad, because he wanted more than anything to leave and force himself to calm down.

 

The thermometer beeped harshly in the quiet room and Heiji took it out of his mouth to look. 102F, 38.9C. "It's high, but I think right at the cutoff point when I need ta see a doctor. Here," he said, passing it over to Shinichi. "What do you think?"

 

He took it and nodded. "Sleep it is...I'll get you more water in case you get thirsty. Try not to fall out of bed or anything, all right?"

 

Heiji huffed. "Then no more stickin' things in my mouth when I'm asleep!" He complained, crossing his arms across his chest. "I thought ya were a monster or somethin'!"

 

"Is that what you're into?" He couldn't help but tease him.

 

Heiji went scarlet and quickly rolled over in bed, bringing the covers up and over his head. "Thank you and goodnight!" He yelled, muffled from under the weight of all the blankets.

 

He laughed, because he had to laugh or he'd cry. He left the guest room and closed the door behind him. 

 

I seriously do need to change clothes... maybe I'll take a shower. A long shower.

 

Heiji heard Shinichi laugh and close the door, and waited a few seconds to make sure it was safe to pop his head out from the sweltering blankets. 

 

He buried his face into his pillow with a groan and punched lightly at the mattress underneath him. That was so embarrassing! How could he have let himself get so carried away in his dream like that?! It’s all Shinichi's fault, he thought petulantly. If he hadn't shown up...like that, then maybe I could have dreamed about something else. Something safer.

 

He could feel his eyes closing and let them, trying to think unsexy, non-Shinichi thoughts before he fell asleep. Hopefully that would help.

Shinichi stepped out of the shower feeling kind of dirty.

 

It wasn't like he'd meant to imagine Heiji. Usually, he didn't particularly imagine anyone. He completely blamed it on Heiji's willingness to just start stripping him without being sure of who he was, first. But still, reaching orgasm while picturing his friend's hands on him didn't seem right.

 

He also couldn't help but wonder who Heiji had really wanted. He supposed he just didn't want to share his new friend, but a burning jealousy was eating him from the inside out.

 

Still, he was determined to be there for Heiji no matter what. He knew perfectly well what it was like to suffer through a cold all alone. He decided he'd just try to forget about what happened, and in the meantime act like everything was normal.

Heiji was in paradise.

 

He waded around in the bright blue ocean with a wide grin as he looked at all the fish swimming around him. They were so colorful and slippery when they brushed up against his legs!

 

A whistle pulls his attention away from the water to the shore, where Shinichi is waving at him from under a palm tree. "Having fun?" He called.

 

"Yeah!" Heiji yelled back. "But I'm missin' somethin'!" He waded out of the water and went to stand in front of Shinichi.

 

Shinichi cocked his head to the side from where he was lying on a beach towel. "And that would be...?"

 

"You of course! C'mon, up and at 'em!" Heiji said, grabbing his hand and pulling him up and off the sandy beach.

 

"No!" Shinichi laughed. "Let me stay where it's safe!"

 

"What're ya talkin' about? I'll keep ya safe!" Heiji declared, sweeping Shinichi off of his feet and into a bridal carry. "Now, into the water with you!" 

 

"No!" Shinichi said, playfully dragging out the word as Heiji grinned down at his captive. "I don't wanna get wet!"

 

"Can't have fun if ya don't!" Heiji said, wading back into the ocean. He held Shinichi tight as the salt in the water buoyed him and the current threatened to take him out of his arms. "See?" He asked, looking into Shinichi's equally bright, blue eyes. "Safe."

 

Shinichi just giggled and leaned in to give him a kiss. Heiji met him halfway.

Shinichi returned to his side and his heart melted. He's asleep again... and dreaming... 

 

At least he looked happy. Shinichi sat in a chair nearby and got out a book. Even though he had it open, it was hard to focus on reading it. Not with Heiji's happy, sleeping expression nearby. 

 

... Am I some kind of pervert...?

Slowly Heiji's dream dissolved and he awoke overly hot with a dry mouth. He rolled over to get one of the drinks that he remembered Shinichi had left and was surprised to see the man of his thoughts (and dreams) sitting nearby.

 

He blinked and licked chapped lips before croaking out, "what'cha readin'?"

 

"Holmes." He set it down and helped Heiji sit up a bit. "You should drink something... Here."

 

Heiji accepted the offer of water quickly, greedily drinking down as much as he could.

 

"Good... Ah, try not to choke on it..." Shinichi gently supported his head. His hair is really soft...

 

Heiji obediently slowed his drinking, closing his eyes to take in the feeling of cool water on his tongue and a careful hand supporting his head. His contented sigh when he stopped drinking was only partly due to receiving much needed water.

 

"Is it a good one?" He asked, indicating the book with a tilt of his chin.

 

"Yeah, of course." He set the glass aside. "More importantly, how are you feeling?"

 

"Me? 'M feelin'...hot, mostly." He admitted, pulling the blankets off until he was free, and sighed in relief when he no longer had anything weighing him down. He looked over at Shinichi and then the book. "I haven't read much Holmes. They don't always give you the clues the characters get, like in Ellery Queen. Can you...read it to me?" He asked, embarrassed. It was such a childish ask, after all. But right now he wanted more than anything to listen to Shinichi talk more.

 

Shinichi lit up, so overjoyed at the thought that he could only look at Heiji with his eyes sparkling for a long moment. "...I guess I could do that. Since you're sick."

 

Heiji smiled, taking in Kudo's excitement and glad to see that sparkle in his eyes. "Thanks, Kudo." He turned to face him and snuggled into the pillow, watching him closely as he got ready to read.

 

Shinichi settled close to him and began to read, smiling from ear to ear. It felt so perfect... Cozy and domestic. He almost wished it could go on forever.

 

Heiji smiled as he watched Shinichi read. He was good at it, adding drama where necessary and injecting emotion into the words. He closed his eyes and let Shinichi's voice wash over him.

 

Shinichi read to Heiji even after he'd dropped off to sleep again, all the way to the end. He got up to refill his glass of water and otherwise didn't leave his side until he woke up again. He's really...kind of beautiful, when he's asleep...

 

Heiji woke slowly from a deep sleep, surprised to see Shinichi in the chair beside him, still. "Kudo?" He asked, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "Have you taken a break from takin' care of me? You probably should. You need to look after yourself, too, yanno."

 

"Don't worry about me, barou." Shinichi gently helped him sit up, fluffing pillows behind him and offering him another glass of water.

 

Heiji drank the glass of water and looked up at Shinichi in concern. "But what if you end up getting my illness?"

 

"Then…well, I don't know. I don't get sick easily. But then I guess I'd probably just tough it out," he shrugged. "No big deal." 

 

"No, Kudo!" Heiji whined, looking up at him with puppy eyes. "You can't just tough it out, after how well you've taken care of me! I'll try to get better quickly, just in case you need help."

 

He felt all warm and fuzzy in his heart. He ruffled Heiji's hair gently and set the glass aside. "Okay. Then, I'll do my best not to get sick in the meantime."

 

Heiji pouted and smoothed his hair back into place. "I'm tired of bein' in bed. You think we could move somewhere else fer a little while?"

 

"Sure...Um, how about the couch downstairs?" Shinichi suggested. "We could watch a movie or something?"

 

Heiji nodded with a smile. "That sounds like fun! What kind of movies do you have?"

 

"Oh, just about anything. Is there something you'd like to watch?" Shinichi gently pulled the covers away and offered to help Heiji stand up.

 

Heiji blushed but took Shinichi's hand and allowed him to pull him up. "I'm up for any action movies or comedies! Somethin' ta take my mind off of things for a little while. Do you have any favorites?"

 

"Sure. I'll pick something like that," He promised, watching Heiji carefully to make sure he didn't fall. "I should get you something else to eat, though. And, I guess, eat something, myself."

 

"I'll head down with you to the kitchen ta keep ya company," Heiji said.

 

"You should rest, though..." Shinichi didn't stop him either way. He just headed towards the kitchen with butterflies in his stomach. 

 

Heiji followed him at a slower pace, and gingerly sat in an island chair to watch Shinichi work. "Can you cook?" He asked, looking around at the large kitchen. "To be honest, I can't cook ta save my life. I'm liable ta burn water!" He joked, his chuckle turning into a cough at the end.

 

"Not at all," he admitted. "I can follow microwave instructions, but..."

 

Heiji smiled at him. "Somethin' else we have in common! We should probably try to learn at some point. You have such a nice kitchen! We should use it!"

 

"Heh. Well, maybe we can figure out something really simple, sometime." He smiled.

 

"That would be fun! Though we should make sure we've got a fire extinguisher ready," Heiji joked.

 

Shinichi grinned ruefully. "Yeah, I guess we'd better. Hey, which soup do you want?" He laid out a few options on the counter in front of Heiji.

 

"Mmm...that one," Heiji said, pointing to a delicious-looking chicken soup. "Thanks again. Fer takin' such good care of me, an' everythin'. I know it can't be fun!"

 

"It's really no big deal." He took that soup to the microwave, avoiding Heiji's eyes. "It was actually kind of...I mean, it's all right."

 

Heiji cocked his head when he heard Shinichi trip over his words, but didn't say anything. "Well, thank you. I really appreciate it."

 

"Mm." He set the kettle on and got out a fresh mug for tea. "Since you're working this long case with me, it's the least I can do."

 

"Have you ever worked with other detectives before?" Heiji asked as he watched Shinichi move around the kitchen.

 

"No, never," Shinichi hummed. "It's been fun."

 

"Yeah, fer me too," Heiji grinned. "I'm havin' a great time! Aside from the whole 'gettin' sick' thing, anyway... I've never worked with another detective before and wasn't sure if I'd get on with another one, to be honest. But I think we work pretty great as a team!"

 

"Yeah. It's amazing..." He took the soup out of the microwave and carefully set it in front of him. "...Well, I'm glad you've been willing to rest. I hope you're not sick long."

 

"Ugh, me too!" Heiji whined as he took a spoon and swirled it around the soup to let out some of the steam. "This has really been a pain in the ass. I mean, there're a million better things you could be doin' than playin' nursemaid. I noticed you seemed pretty into soccer at school," he commented, taking up a spoonful of soup and blowing on it before trying it. "Mmm! This is good! Thanks, Kudo," he smiled.

 

He turned away to search the fridge for food for himself, hiding his reddened face. "I'm okay at soccer. But it's not like I'm still on the team or anything."

 

Heiji looked up, intrigued. "'Still'? So you were on the team? You must've been pretty good, to have made it in," he pointed out.

 

He laughed a little. "Well, I did my best."

 

"Can you do that...that thing? With the ball?" He asked, waving his spoon around as he talked. "Where ya sorta do tricks without using your hands? I could never get good enough to do that," he admitted. "I definitely did better in kendo than I ever did with other sports. I do love to watch baseball, though."

 

"I can juggle a ball, yeah." He gave up and got a cup noodle from the cupboard. "You're...pretty good at kendo, right?"

 

"You're lookin' at the kendo team captain!" Heiji bragged, then faltered. "Er, well, you would be, I guess. But I bet I can work my way up again. I've been practicing a long time. I love it," he smiled, taking another sip of soup.

 

"Yeah. I bet you could." Shinichi's eyes drifted to Heiji's arms, imagining that muscle behind a katana.

 

"It comes in real handy when tryin' ta take down perps, too," he adds. "You should take some self-defense classes or somethin' yourself. Just in case."

 

"Oh, that's not a bad idea," Shinichi nodded.

 

"Wanna learn kendo? I can teach ya," Heiji offered.

 

"Oh..." Suddenly, those arms were around him in his mind, guiding him as he held the practice bokken. His face felt hot again. "Well, yeah, when you're feeling better."

 

Heiji nodded. "Sounds good." He picked up the bowl and took a few gulps of remaining soup before he put it down, satisfied. "So, you wanna check out a movie? Or are you still eatin'?"

 

He pushed the remaining noodles into his mouth all at once and threw the cup away before turning to give Heiji a thumbs-up.

 

Heiji laughed and slid off the chair. "So, what do you recommend?" He asked, as he plopped down on the couch in front of the TV.

 

Shinichi hummed in thought. "You said maybe an action movie, right? What about the Sherlock knockoff movie, starring that one action actor?" 

 

"Yeah?" Heiji asked. "You're not too much of a Sherlockian to watch it? What if there are inconsistencies with the canon?" He teased.

 

He groaned aloud. "There almost certainly will be, but..."

 

Heiji laughed until he coughed, then settled more comfortably into the couch. "If yer offerin', then sure! It looks like a fun movie. And you can tell me all the stuff they get wrong," he teased with a wink.

 

Shinichi relaxed and smiled. "Sounds good to me!" 

 

He got the movie all set up and then settled close beside Heiji.

 

Heiji let loose a relieved breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He allowed himself to relax against Shinichi a little more as they watched the movie.

 

It was a comfortable night. Shinichi did indeed find various things to complain about, but he found himself much less angry than he might've expected. Heiji helped him laugh it off.

 

Heiji enjoyed listening to Shinichi complain about various things in the movie. He was so passionate and knowledgeable about Holmes! It was charming. Heiji looked over at him and smiled as he took in Shinichi's handsome features highlighted in the light of the screen.

 

Shinichi had a wonderful time. He nearly wore himself out, and his throat was dry by the time the movie was finished. 

 

"...Well, what do you think? Do you want another movie? Or do you need to go back to bed?" Shinichi smiled at him.

 

Heiji could feel himself becoming a tad too relaxed around Shinichi. He should probably call it before he ended up falling asleep on the poor guy. "I think I'll go back to bed," he said, somewhat regretfully. "Otherwise I'll just fall asleep right here!"

 

"I see no problem with that," Shinichi grinned. "But it's up to you!"

 

"Yeah?" Heiji asked, his heart leaping in his chest. Shinichi wanted to spend more time with him? "Well, in that case, fire up another movie! I'll just pass out here!"

 

He smiled brightly, cheered that the night wouldn't end so quickly. "Okay! Any requests, then?"

 

Heiji thought for a moment, before crowing, "That mummy movie from the 90s! You know the one with all the gorgeous people in it? I can crush on everyone while they act all awesome!" He grinned.

 

"Oh - yeah, I know exactly what you mean," Shinichi laughed. "Everyone in that movie is kind of, uh…striking, right?"

 

"'Kind of'?" Heiji asked playfully. "They're flat out gorgeous Kudo! You can admit it!" He nudged him lightly with an elbow. "Man, when I was a kid I was so confused. I had at least a small crush on just about everyone! Though the anti-hero claimed my heart in the end. He was the prettiest," he laughed.

 

"Oh...?" Shinichi blinked. "So, you're also..." 

 

He hopped up and got the movie set up, blushing.

 

"Hm?" Heiji hummed, tilting his head in question. "I'm also what?"

 

"...Well, you like all of them, so...I mean, Ran told me that's not normal," Shinichi explained, avoiding eye contact. "But I get it. I'm the same way."

 

Heiji blinked and blinked again when he realized what Shinichi was saying. "Oh! Uh...you are?" He asked, licking his lips. "Well...that's good! We can relate to each other, right?" He smiled. "I admit, I lean more towards men in terms of the scale, but women are definitely beautiful, too."

 

Shinichi thought he could probably fry eggs on his face, it felt so hot. "Oh, really? Hahaha...I must be at about dead center. It's all about the person, for me..."

 

Heiji leaned to the side to try to get a look at Shinichi's face. "That's great! So it just depends on if you're compatible or not, huh?" He waved a hand, trying to go for blase. "And it's not that strange. People are all over that scale, these days. I think it's probably more common than you know."

 

"Ah, you think?" Shinichi shot him a quick smile.

 

Heiji nodded. "Yeah, I think so. If you go online you'll probably find a lot of people who are the same as you."

 

"Oh, mhm." He settled back on the couch, hoping Heiji didn't notice how flustered he looked.

 

"So?" Heiji asked. "Which character is your favorite?"

 

"Um..." Shinichi chewed his lip. "Well, the leads are both pretty cool, huh?"

 

"Absolutely!" Heiji grinned. "I especially like the lady librarian. She's so smart," he says, wistfully.

 

"Yeah, she really is...." Shinichi glanced at Heiji hopefully. "I like that in a person."

 

Heiji looks over at him with a grin. "Me too! Brains are so sexy, aren't they?"

 

He flushed brightly. "Yeah. I think so, too."

 

Heiji nodded and looked back at the screen, afraid he'd stare too long and make his crush obvious. "Of course, it doesn't hurt if they come with a heroic sense of justice and eyeliner!" He jokes.

 

"Of course," Shinichi laughed, studying Heiji's face. Was he wearing eyeliner...?

 

Heiji sighs and puts his chin in his hand. "If only there were more shirtless scenes... I guess wet shirts work just as well." Then he caught what he said and hoped desperately that Shinichi didn't make the connection.

 

Shinichi pulled the blankets up around him, hiding half his face behind them. I wonder if he likes more toned upper bodies... I know I neglect that a bit...

 

"Well...what do you think?" Heiji asked, after it got kind of awkwardly quiet. "What else do you like about them? Brains can't be the only thing!"

 

Shinichi blinked, breaking out of plans for tomorrow's workout to come up with a satisfactory answer. "Oh, um...Well, I kind of like that they say what they think. They're all really bold and honest… Sometimes too much, but I do think it's better than being too quiet..."

 

Heiji blinked back. "Oh. That's...interesting. So you like the forward type, huh?" He asked, filing that away in the back of his mind.

 

"Well...I guess, yeah. Though, in real life, I'd probably kind of struggle to do that myself," He admitted. "...I get kind of embarrassed..."

 

"Do you, really?" Heiji asked, ignoring the movie completely for this new, much more intriguing subject. "What do you have to be embarrassed about? You're Kudo Shinichi, Detective of the East!"

 

"B-Barou, I'm still human, you know!" He objected. "Who wouldn't get flustered about something like that?"

 

"I-I mean… Yeah, of course, but...you're..." He trailed off, his brain trying to imagine Shinichi being shy about anything. "You're always so confident." He finally settles on.

 

"Hmph." He stared at the TV screen. "On a case, of course I act that way. But even then, my heart is pounding the whole time. I'm wondering if I'm really right, if there might be something I missed... And that's at my best. When it comes to something like...that, it's impossible to eliminate almost any possibility without revealing your own feelings. It's impossible to bring the truth to light without some sacrifice..."

 

Heiji stared at him, his features limned in silver light from the screen, and wanted so badly to kiss him. To just take his face in his hands and turn him gently so he could reassure him that he had no reason to feel nervous, none whatsoever, because he was amazing.

 

Instead he fisted his hands in the blanket and turned back to the screen. "That's true. It's really a leap of faith. You have to trust that everything will work out, one way or another." He sighed and leaned back into the couch. "Love's tough."

 

"For real..." Shinichi sighed, leaning back on the cushions as well. "I'd rather track down a murderer, any day of the week."

 

Heiji laughed and rolled his head to the side to look over at Shinichi fondly. "Same."

 

Shinichi smiled at him. "Well, at least we get each other, huh?"

 

"Yeah," Heiji murmured, as he studied Shinichi's face. "At least we get each other. That's great!" 

 

Shinichi watched Heiji's eyes, puzzled at how unusually seen he felt. He fell silent, just watching the other detective watch him.

 

After some time Heiji smiled and closed his eyes as he soaked in the quiet feeling of contemplation they'd settled into. "I like you, Kudo." He said. "You're a pretty cool guy. Yanno?"

 

Shinichi looked away, blushing furiously. How can he say something like that so easily?!

 

"Your fever must be getting worse again. I'll get you a popsicle from the freezer." He leapt up and hurried to the kitchen without another word.

 

Heiji chuckled as he snuggled deeper into the couch. Shinichi was cute, too.

 

Shinichi returned with two popsicles, one blue and one red. "Which do you like?" He offered both to Heiji, hoping to put their previous conversation behind them.

 

Heiji opened his eyes and looked between the two treats. "Red, please," he said, reaching out to take the popsicle from Shinichi.

 

He nodded and handed it to him carefully, trying not to think about the way their skin touched. He sat down beside Heiji again and casually pushed the entire popsicle into his mouth, careful not to choke while he licked around it to make sure it didn't drip on the couch.

 

Heiji's eyes went wide as Shinichi just took the entire popsicle into his mouth like it was no big deal. He sat up quickly and focused on eating his own treat, blushing furiously.

 

The popsicle went in and out of Shinichi's mouth, as though he could effortlessly avoid or completely ignore his own gag reflex. His eyes were on the screen in front of him, and although his face was still a bit pink, his expression was bored. Yet, his tongue curled around the popsicle each time it left his mouth, and he moved so slowly it couldn't be called anything but sensual.

 

Heiji wanted to bark at Shinichi to knock it off, but he honestly didn't seem aware of the effect he was having on Heiji. It wasn't until something cold and sticky ran down his hand that he realized he had neglected his own popsicle.

 

He quickly transferred his popsicle to his clean hand and worked on licking and sucking the juice off of his fingers before lapping at the base of the popsicle to get the extra. Then he focused on sucking on the sides, trying to get as much melted popsicle as possible.

 

Shinichi blinked, glancing over at the sudden movement. He held his breath in an attempt not to gasp at the sight of Heiji's tongue sliding across his hand and working at that popsicle. Heat kept rushing south in Shinichi's body, forcing him to grab a pillow to hold in his lap as casually as he possibly could. He made a mental note to google some things later and tried his best not to stare.

 

"Mm!" Heiji hummed around the popsicle as he pushed as much into his mouth as he could. Maybe Shinichi had the right idea about how to eat this thing, despite how it looked.

 

Shinichi shoved his own popsicle back in his mouth, trying to distract himself. But now he was thinking about it, and it felt a bit strange to put anything in his mouth in front of Heiji. Maybe I can get Hattori to see me in the same kind of way...? 

 

He leaned back on the couch, carefully not looking at Heiji, and started pushing the icy treat even deeper than it really needed to go. He could feel it poking the back of his throat, and it was actually just a little uncomfortable, but the idea of Heiji possibly getting ideas from the sight of him made him feel really good.

 

Heiji heard Shinichi make a small noise and despite his better judgement, he looked over to see Shinichi practically deep-throating his popsicle. Okay, he has to be doing this on purpose!

 

"I gotta-" His voice came out a telling rasp and he cleared his throat to start again. "I gotta go wash my hands. Be right back!" And with that he made his escape to the kitchen to eat the rest of his popsicle in peace.

 

The popsicle slipped out of his mouth with a light pop noise. Shinichi watched him go, a bit too stunned to say anything. Does he dislike being messy that much? Or... is it possible that maybe... 

 

Shinichi bit the ice off his popsicle stick and followed him, under the guise of throwing the stick away. This feels like recklessly chasing down a culprit, but... I really want to know... I really want to know, is it possible I actually made him kind of...?

 

Heiji sighed as he entered the sanctuary the kitchen provided. If Shinichi had any idea what he did to him...

 

He quickly finished off his popsicle and washed his hands, throwing a bit of cool water on his flushed face for good measure. He rubbed a hand down his face and looked around for a paper towel to dry off with, when he met Shinichi's eyes.

 

"K-Kudo! Ya followed me?!"

 

"Eh? I'm just throwing this away, barou. What are you all worked up about?" Shinichi's voice wasn't the same as usual. The faux-annoyance and sarcasm was gone, and he was quieter, a little gentler.

 

Heiji looked away. "N-Nothin'. Sorry, ya just surprised me, is all."

 

Shinichi moved a little closer, cutting Heiji off from his exit. He moved to feel Heiji's forehead again, but he wasn't looking at his eyes to see what his pupils looked like this time. Shinichi's eyes wandered down before he could help it.

 

Heiji gasped as Shinichi looked down, and quickly moved away from his hand with a nervous chuckle. "Ya know what? I am feelin' a little bit tired. I think I'll just head ta bed. See ya in the mornin', Kudo!" He said before trying to squeeze around Shinichi to run toward the safety of his room.

 

"Y-Yeah. You don't…feel hotter, so, um...Goodnight..." Shinichi let him pass. His eyes got caught briefly on Heiji's lips. The way Heiji had eaten his popsicle earlier sprang right back into his mind, and he hurried to the bathroom as soon as Heiji was gone. He had a lot of thinking to do.

 

Heiji had to restrain himself from taking the stairs two at a time. He made his way upstairs quickly and went into his room, leaning against the door as he closed it behind him. He let out a breath and groaned. Shinichi was sure to realize something was up now.

 

Shinichi spent some time in the basement, sitting quietly with his thoughts and then grabbing his phone to search the internet for a while. In the end, it all still felt pretty inconclusive. It wasn't like he'd thought about guys that way much before. He'd only ever seen Ran that way.

 

To truly test whether those feelings were for Heiji or out of sheer coincidence, there was only one thing for it. He looked through the gay section of porn for a while, with the volume off. They didn't always show the guy's faces, and it quickly became easy to supplant Heiji's just out of view, and to pretend that he was the one getting absolutely wrecked. His experiment didn't take long at all. The thought of it was overwhelmingly good, so much so that Shinichi nearly considered going to knock on the guest bedroom door. 

 

Instead, he slowly went upstairs and gathered his pajamas up, heading for the shower. That was the only way he could think of to safely dispose of the raging need throbbing between his legs. 

 

Shinichi tried his best to get naked without thinking too much of it, but as soon as he was beneath the warm stream of water, his self-consciousness faded away. He leaned forward, using one arm to brace himself against the wall while the other stroked his dick eagerly. Scenarios came to him much, much too easily. What if Hattori came in right behind him, knocked his hand away, took him in those strong hands.... Or what if Hattori ate him like he'd eaten that popsicle? Better yet, what if he forced Shinichi to his knees, grabbed his hair, forced himself deep into his throat... 

 

Shinichi ended up on his knees beneath the spray, two fingers on his tongue while he stroked his cock desperately. He tried to remember to hold his voice back, but muffled whimpers and moans echoed against the tile walls.

 

Heiji brushed his teeth and got ready for bed, feeling guilty. Here he was, under the man's roof, and thinking of him...like that. Surely, he was going to hell.

 

He resolved to not think anymore of it, and went to bed, hoping that if he kept his eyes closed, sleep would come quickly. However, with the lights off and his eyes closed, he could hear very well. He could hear Shinichi puttering around downstairs, he assumed turning things off and putting them away, before going to bed. Then he came upstairs and closed his bedroom door.

 

He sighed and considered his erection, which hadn't flagged. Well...maybe he could just imagine it a little? Taking care of himself was healthy and natural, after all. As long as he treated Shinichi normally it should all be fine, right?

 

He grabbed some tissues off the dresser beside the bed and licked a stripe up his hand before taking hold of himself.

 

Heiji imagined what it would be like if Shinichi had him in his mouth instead of that popsicle. How he would take him deep into his throat, maybe making little noises of enjoyment. He'd close his eyes, focusing on sucking what he could while stroking the rest of Heiji that he couldn't fit in his mouth. His mouth would be velvety and hot, and occasionally he'd look up at him with dewey, blissed-out eyes above a ruddy blush on porcelain skin.

 

"Sh-Shinichi-!" He whispered, stroking himself faster.

 

How could it happen all at once like this? 

 

Just hours ago, he'd never considered this. Now, he was rutting into his own hand, desperately seeking release as his mind played out a scene so tantalizing, he almost wished Heiji would catch him at this. Maybe then he'd take that big cock out of his pants, let Shinichi see it as more than an outlined bulge. Maybe Heiji would make him choke on it and then fuck him, right here in the shower - 

 

As he imagined Heiji burying himself deep inside, Shinichi came, unable to suppress a long, sweet moan intent on escaping his throat. He forced himself to finish washing up as quickly as possible, bright red in the face and just hoping that, if he'd been unfortunate enough that Heiji had overheard him, he at least hadn't been able to tell that Shinichi had just cum with his fingers in his mouth. It was normal for a guy to touch himself, and they could probably laugh that off. If he'd been too obvious earlier, and Heiji heard that... 

 

Shinichi's heart clenched. I've got to be more careful. I don't want to scare him off... 

 

Heiji imagined Shinichi releasing him from his mouth with a 'pop' and pumping him while urging him to fuck him. He'd push him down and slide home and Shinichi would-

 

Suddenly a moan sounding like pure sex sounded from somewhere else in the manor and Heiji came immediately, biting his cheek to keep from moaning in return.

 

As he came down, he felt his cheeks heat as he realized he wasn't the only one who'd apparently needed to blow off some steam. Shinichi sounded so fucking hot! He knew that sound was going to feature in his next fantasies for sure.

 

Shinichi very quietly got dressed and very quietly slipped back into his room, heart pounding fast. At the very least, it didn't seem like Heiji was suddenly packing up to leave. Maybe he'd actually fallen asleep already? He could hope so, at least. 

 

For his part, Shinichi collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep almost immediately. 

 

When Heiji woke up the next morning he felt much better. He exhaled in relief. He could use some buffers around Shinichi for a while, after last night. He didn't want to let something slip or be too obvious with his feelings, after all. 

 

He got dressed and brushed his teeth and hair and made his way downstairs to the kitchen to find something to eat on his way to school.

 

Shinichi was downstairs in his uniform, working on making some coffee with a very sleepy expression. He mumbled a vague good morning at Heiji. It was hard to look him in the eye at all.

 

Heiji stopped in front of him, concerned. "Hey, you okay?" He asked, feeling his forehead like Shinichi had been doing for him while he was sick. "You didn't catch my cold, didja?"

 

"U-Uhh..." Shinichi was cool, although he grew just a little warmer the longer Heiji stayed that way. "No, 'm fine. Just a bit tired. Got distracted reading..."

 

Heiji stepped away and nodded with a laugh. "Figures. Ya gotta be better about takin' care of yourself. You don't wanna stay up too late and end up like I was yesterday!" He joked, as he went to the cupboards and grabbed a breakfast bar.

 

He nodded, watching Heiji move while his heart beat fast. Maybe he really didn't hear me, back then... Good.

 

"You do look a lot better. Planning on going to school today, huh?"

 

"Yup!" Heiji agreed easily. "I don't want to fall too far behind, after all. Or else I won't be able to go out ta solve cases."

 

He nodded. "I'm sure we'll get caught up pretty easily, at this point."

 

"That's good," Heiji says, taking a bite of his breakfast. "You ready to hit the road?"

 

"Soon. Need a couple more minutes," he admitted. Shinichi took the coffee pot out from under the drip to fill up his mug. "But we won't be late as long as we keep moving."

 

Heiji looked at him, tilting his head in consideration. "Want me to leave you alone to wake up a bit? Or do you mind if I stick around?"

 

He shook his head quickly. "I don't mind. Do what you want."

 

"'Kay," Heiji said, taking another bite of his breakfast to keep his smile from showing too obviously. "You not really a breakfast guy?" He asked, looking pointedly at the coffee mug Shinichi had raised to his lips.

 

He shook his head, drinking it down as quickly as the heat would allow. "Makes me a bit nauseous to eat too soon after getting up."

 

Heiji nodded. "I had to go without breakfast for a while when I was practicing kendo early in the morning. All the exercise made me sick if I had too big of a breakfast!"

 

Shinichi smiled. "I'll eat a decent lunch to make up for it. I quit the soccer team, so it shouldn't be too strenuous today anyway."

 

Heiji pouted. "I still can't believe you're quitting the team! Don't you love soccer?"

 

"Not really. It was more about sharpening my skills..." He looked to the side. "Besides, my teammates were kind of..."

 

Heiji's brows drew together in concern. "What? Were they jerks or somethin'?"

 

"Well, not really, it's just...I get the feeling they weren't eager to have me on the team. But my skills weren't bad...I don't really get it," he admitted.

 

"Hmm. Well, forget 'em, then! We'll do lots more cool stuff investigatin' together!" Heiji declared.

 

He smiled. "Hell yeah, we will." Shinichi finished off his cup of coffee and set the mug in the sink. "You ready?"

 

"Yup! Let's do this!" Heiji smiled. "I admit, I'm not a fan of school. I'm more hopin' that the sooner we get there, the sooner we can be done with it. I love to learn, but school's pretty boring," he said, pulling a face.

 

Shinichi nodded. "I'm mostly going to keep the girls from following us into something."

 

"I dunno, Kudo, they're both pretty determined," Heiji warned. "I don't think playin' nice fer a bit will distract 'em from the fact that we get into trouble now an' then."

 

"Hm... Then, what should we do? Bring them with us? Lie to them?" Shinichi sighed.

 

"Definitely don't bring them with us! But I don't think we should lie, either." Heiji sighed and rubbed the back of his neck in thought. "Maybe we should try bein' more open with 'em about what we do? Maybe if we're more honest and tell 'em more, they won't feel the need to follow us all the time?"

 

"...You think?" Shinichi tilted his head. "I don't know about Kazuha, but..."

 

"You think bein' honest would make it worse with Ran?"

 

"Well, it's just that if we end up making her more worried, it could be a problem... She's not stupid, but she'll miss danger around her if she's too focused on following us."

 

Heiji blew out a breath and rubbed the back of his head in thought. "That's true... I feel like there must be a middle ground somewhere where we can tell them the truth without making them more worried..."

 

"...Well, I guess you're right," Shinichi relented. "They'll figure it out in the end, huh?"

 

Heiji nodded. "They'll find out one way or another, and I'd prefer them to hear it from us than to figure it out on their own in a dangerous situation, yanno?"

 

"Yeah... So, let's try and make it sound boring, I guess?" Shinichi mused.

 

Heiji laughed. "Is there a boring way to say we're being targeted by a shady group?"

 

Shinichi groaned. "Well… We could just say we're following up on some suspicious people? You know, downplay it a lot?"

 

Heiji thought over his suggestion and nodded after a few seconds of contemplation. "Yeah, that would probably work, huh? That way they'd know we were workin' without bein' too worried."

 

He nodded. "Yeah. We'll just have to be careful, that's all."

 

"Okay," Heiji agreed. He smiled at him and asked, "Ready to head to school?"

 

"Yeah, I'm ready when you are," he smiled.

 

"Okay! Let's go!" 

 

With that, they left the manor and headed to school, Heiji keeping up light conversation while they walked. When they made it to the school grounds and saw Ran and Kazuha he felt more confident knowing they had a plan.

 

"Ran! Kazuha! How are ya doin'?"

 

"Hattori-kun!" Ran smiled when she saw the two of them. "How are you today?"

 

Heiji chuckled. "Much better! I was down fer the count for a bit there, but luckily I had Kudo to help me out."

 

"Ah, that's good." She studied the two of them, relieved to see they appeared to be healthy. "I'll share my notes with you."

 

Heiji smiled at her warmly. "Thank you, Ran. I really appreciate it." Then the bell rang and it was time for them to head to class. He turned his smile on Shinichi and together they made their way into the school.

 

The school day passed in a blur. Shinichi blinked and they were on their way out, Kazuha chatting to Ran and Ran eyeing Heiji and Shinichi. 

 

Shinichi cleared his throat. "So, actually, Hattori and I were going to look into a case today. Those guys in the black trenchcoats we saw at Tropical Land, Ran?"

 

"Oh! So you did end up in trouble!" She frowned, worried. 

 

"No, it's okay. But we do want to see if anything bad happened, that's all." Shinichi smiled nervously.

 

"We heard the police might need some help, so we figured we'd give 'em a hand," Heiji said, hoping to help Shinichi out a little. "Since we were there on the scene and all."

 

She relaxed a little. "Well... Try not to run off on your own, okay? Just be careful. Those guys looked like bad news..." 

 

"We'll be careful," Shinichi promised, clapping a hand on Heiji's shoulder. "And it's better now that we're watching each other's backs, right?" 

 

"Or worse, since ya both attract cases," Kazuha sighed. "Well, if it's with the police,  I guess it'll probably be fine."

 

"Of course we'll be fine, Kazuha! No need to worry so much!" Heiji grinned and tilted his head toward Shinichi. "Like Kudo said, we can watch out for each other now. Things won't be as difficult as they are when we're workin' alone."

 

Heat steadily built in Shinichi's face as Heiji reciprocated in that way, closing the distance a little more. It was hard to keep his confident, casual expression on his face when his heart started beating faster like that.

 

"You got your omamori, right?" Kazuha's eyes drifted from Heiji to Shinichi, gauging the distance between them. "...You know, in case you need it." 

 

"Omamori?" Shinichi tucked his hands in his pockets and used the movement as an excuse for a little more distance.

 

"Yup!" Heiji chirped, fishing his keys from his pocket and holding them up so everyone could see the charm dangling from the ring. "I always got it on me, no worries!"

 

To Shinichi, he said, "I made it myself with an item I found from my first love in it. I hope that if I carry it around I'll be able to find him again."

 

"Oh, cool." Shinichi made sure to smile as he nodded. His first love...? 

 

"...Well...We're going out for crepes. See you later," Kazuha waved.

 

"See ya, Kazuha!" Heiji waved back. Then he turned to Shinichi. "So, ready to go do some investigatin'?"

 

A more genuine grin spread across his face. "Let's go."

 

"Are we headin' back to Tropical Land?"

 

"Yeah. We don't have too much left to search… But it's possible they'll return today, so let's keep our eyes open."

 

Heiji nodded and fell into step with Shinichi as they made their way to the amusement park. Then, after a moment, he grew curious. "Do you believe in omamoris?"

 

"I don't have one myself," he admitted. "I'm not the type."

 

Heiji nodded. "Makes sense. I can't help but be a little superstitious, though. I've seen too many strange things on the job not to be."

 

"Like what?" Shinichi smiled, drawing a little closer. "Yokai? Ghosts? Zombies?"

 

Heiji chuckled. "Not so much those creatures, but definitely had moments that seemed divinely guided. Like happening to find a clue at just the right time or seeing the culprit get some sort of karmic punishment."

 

"Eeeeh, really?" Shinichi studied his face. "Well, that doesn't sound bad, at least."

 

He nodded enthusiastically. "Really! Luckily it wasn't anythin' bad, but I definitely keep an eye out for anythin' that looks too dangerous. Honestly, seein' some of those things keeps me hopeful I'll see that boy I fell in love with again." Heiji smiled. "I wonder how he's grown up..."

 

"...The boy?" Shinichi's heart rate tripled. "Uh, you - like men, huh?"

 

"Oh!" Heiji looked over at Shinichi and blushed. "Uh...yeah," he admitted, scratching the back of his head nervously. "Does that...bother you?"

 

He shook his head. "Not at all. I just haven't met many people like that. Well, that I know of. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about things like that, so maybe it just didn't come up."

 

Heiji blinked in surprise. "You don't think about things like...romance?"

 

He nodded. "Well, it's not like I have time for it, you know? There are cases to solve! And when there aren't, I want to get caught up on reading and stuff." 

 

Until now.

 

"Oh, yeah," Heiji said, licking his lips in thought. "I...I guess so..." He looked over at Shinichi as his heart sank. So much for hoping that Shinichi could feel the same way... "So, you just aren't interested in romance? Like, what's the word..." He thinks for a second and snaps his fingers in realization. "Aromantic! I think that's the one I want."

 

Shinichi shrugged lightly. "I guess…not strictly. But maybe a little bit? I just haven't thought about it much before."

 

Heiji nodded. "I guess ya have been a little busy the last few years to worry about something like that," he conceded with a teasing smile. "I guess I'm just surprised. Most of the kids in school never shut up about crushes 'n things. It's kind of refreshing to meet someone who doesn't give it a second thought!"

 

He studied Heiji's face for a moment. "Is there..." He swallowed past a lump in his throat, nerves getting the better of him for a moment. "Is there anyone you like?"

 

Heiji startled. "M-Me?" He asked. Should he say something? Surely not, right? They were living together and Shinichi just said he didn't give it a second thought! 

 

...Well...he didn't have to tell Shinichi who he liked...

 

"There's...someone I have my eye on," he confessed, his cheeks flaming and his eyes darting away from Shinichi's. "I don't think he feels the same, though...B-But it's okay! I always have my first love with me!" He chuckles, pulling up the omamori from under his shirt so Shinichi could see it.

 

Heiji's expression turned unexpectedly cute and he suddenly couldn't look away at all. That blushing expression... 

 

He blinked and looked at the omamori he drew out of his clothes. "Hm? Your first love?"

 

Heiji nodded and his smile gentled as he stared at the omamori in his hand. "There was a boy at one of the temples I visited in Kyoto. I saw him playing by himself with a soccer ball. He was really good! I think even you would've been impressed with him, Kudo," he teased. "He was just so...exuberant and cute!" 

 

His smile dimmed. "I wanted so badly to talk to him, but he left before I could go over to say hi. I found a coin - I think it was for calling heads or tails in soccer - in the grass where he was playing and put it in this charm. I'm hoping it'll lead me to him someday." 

 

He looked over at Shinichi and laughed, embarrassed. "I know it's kinda hokey, but I figure there's no harm in hoping, right?"

 

Shinichi blinked twice, eagerly taking in Heiji's story. A boy juggling a soccer ball at a temple in Kyoto... And he found a coin afterwards? Then... No, there's no way. That would just be too much of a coincidence.... Right? 

 

He caught himself before he could get too lost in that train of thought. "N-No harm at all... I mean, I guess that's probably pretty normal, really...."

 

Heiji raised a curious eyebrow. "Which part is normal, exactly? Pining for a boy you never met when you were a kid, or taking something you think they owned and turning it into an omamori on the off-chance it brings you together again?"

 

Shinichi flushed bright red. "I - I mean, just...pining for someone...I guess."

 

Heiji laughed and waved off Shinichi's embarrassment. "No worries, Kudo, I'm just teasin' ya!" He smiled. "Thanks for bein' nice about it. Most people think I'm crazy," he said with a rueful smile. "But...I dunno...that moment just had somethin'...special about it."

 

Shinichi nodded, heart beating quickly. "If it's important to you, don't forget about it."

 

Heiji smiled. "I could never! It's always right here, over my heart!" He said, slipping the omamori back into his shirt and patting the cloth over it.

 

Shinichi watched it disappear into his shirt with slightly wide eyes. It's not possible...right? But, maybe... Maybe... 

 

"Huh. I wonder if we could ever find that person... Would you really want to meet him someday?"

 

Heiji's eyes widened in excitement. "Do you think you'd be able to locate him, Kudo? Of course I'd wanna meet 'im! I've only been thinkin' of him every day since I was a kid! Here!" He pulled the omamori out of his shirt again and held it out to Shinichi. "Go ahead and take it. Actually, you could try wearin' it yerself," he said with a smile. "It's always brought me good luck. Maybe it'll rub off on you?" 

 

"Well, I don't know that I could. It's been a long time," He smiled. His smile disappeared as he accepted the omamori with great surprise. "Hey, are you sure? This is important to you..."

 

"Yeah, but I know you'll take good care of it." Heiji smiled at him. "You’re a great guy like that! You know how much it means ta me, so you wouldn't let anythin' happen to it. Right?"

 

He slipped it around his neck and tucked it beneath his clothes, taking that moment to recover a bit. "Yeah. I'll protect it, Hattori."

 

Heiji grinned. "Thanks, Kudo! I knew I could count on you!" He slapped him on the shoulder playfully. "Now, let's go see if we can find any evidence!"

 

"Hah! Yeah, let's get going!" His arm burned a little where Heiji had slapped him, but it didn't hurt. 

 

Is this.. actually a crush? How do people usually deal with these?! How am I going to deal with it?!

 

Heiji looked forward as they started moving again, determined not to let Shinichi know how flustered that conversation had made him. His new crush finding his old one? It was like something out of a cheesy novel! But if anyone could find his lost love, it'd be Kudo.

 

Shinichi's mind was on how to find that old love of his - if indeed it didn't turn out to be himself. How could he find proof, one way or another?

 

Preferably without contacting his parents.

 

Because he was distracted, he didn't notice they were being followed. He didn't think it remarkable to hear anyone else walking around, so Gin had an easy time clapping a hand over his mouth and dragging him around a corner, past a dumpster and further into the darkness.

 

As the silence between them grew, Heiji cast his mind about for something to say. He saw a coffee shop some blocks away and figured that was as good a conversation topic as any. "Say, Kudo, you wanna grab a cup of coffee for the trip?"

 

When he didn't receive a reply he frowned and turned around. "Kudo?"

 

Shinichi wasn't behind him. 

 

Heiji blinked in surprise. Where had he gone? "Kudo?!" He called over the sea of people, craning his head this way and that for a familiar cowlick. "Oi, Kudo! Where are ya?!" He cried, starting to fight the flow of traffic to retrace his steps.

 

Shinichi was nowhere in sight. However, one of those men in black was standing in front of an alley with his arms crossed, apparently keeping watch. His head turned towards Heiji at the sound of his voice.

 

Heiji gritted his teeth and made a beeline for the man in black. They had to have taken him! Heiji was going to get him back, one way or another.

 

Vodka turned and went back into the alley, disappearing behind the dumpster and boxes stacked beside it. 

 

As Heiji rounded the corner, Gin revealed himself, stepping forward with one hand wrapped around Shinichi's neck and the other holding a gun to his head. "Come closer, kid. Unless you don't care about your friend."

 

Heiji swallowed thickly and held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Sure. Just...don't hurt him." He walked stiffly into the alley, taking in the scene before him.

 

"Hattori, don't-" Shinichi tried to squirm out of Gin's grasp, only for those fingers to tighten around his throat. 

 

"Quiet. If you upset me, who knows what will happen, hm?" Gin grinned cruelly. "Now. Let's take a walk, kids."

 

Heiji glared fiercely at Gin. He could think of a few ways to disarm him, but most of them involved potentially harming Shinichi in the process. Plus, there was the other man in black to consider. So he decided his best bet was to obey for now. "Alright."

 

Gin pulled them away from the crowd, away from all passers-by. Shinichi gasped for air as Gin gradually deigned to loosen his hold. It seemed he was intent on sneaking the two of them out of the park. 

 

If he gets us out…he'll definitely kill us... 

 

Shinichi looked around wildly, trying to find something they could use. Nothing useful, nothing useful, but - at least Vodka didn't seem to have a gun on him.... 

 

He met Heiji's eyes and hoped he'd understand the plan. All at once, his arm shot up and he grabbed Gin's chest, then jumped and curled so his body weight would force him off his feet. Vodka startled and scrambled for his knife, eyes completely focused on Gin and Shinichi.

 

Gin cursed, eyes widened in surprise as Shinichi threw him off-balance. He pulled his gun in and fired a shot at Shinichi's heart as he toppled to his hands and knees.

 

Heiji met Shinichi's eyes and knew by the fierce, determined set to them that he had a plan. Then he saw him jump in Gin's grasp and immediately turned to Vodka, who was completely focused on Shinichi and Gin. 

 

He quickly disarmed Vodka, and kicked the knife far away from the scuffle. Then he used Vodka's weight against him, kicking his feet out from under him. 

 

A gunshot rang out and he quickly turned to see-

 

"KUDO!" He screamed as he saw the hole in Shinichi's shirt, over his left breast.

 

Shinichi twisted with the shot, pain obvious in his face. He hit the ground and - kicked Gin in the face, yelling, "Get the gun!"

 

Heiji quit staring at him and tried to focus. Right. Safety first, then checking Shinichi's injury.

 

He ran over and picked up the gun, training it on Gin. "Don't move, or I'll shoot."

 

Gin laughed darkly, sprawled over Shinichi and yet confident as ever. "You think you can kill a man? It's not so easy as pulling a trigger, you know. If you think you can do it... Go ahead."

 

Heiji growled and aimed a kick at Gin's middle. "Get off of him!" He demanded, watching Gin lose his balance and fall off of Shinichi. "It's you who doesn't know who he's dealing with." He told Gin darkly. "I'll do anything to keep Kudo safe." He said, aiming the gun once more.

 

Blue and red lights caught his eye and the sound of sirens drawing closer brought some relief. The police would be here soon...

 

"Hattori...Don't do it..." Shinichi panted, hand over the wound on his chest. "You're not a killer..." 

 

"Listen to your boyfriend, kid." Gin crawled to Shinichi and wrapped his hands around his throat, immediately starting to squeeze. "This will be over soon."

 

Heiji aimed the gun at Gin's closest shoulder and pulled the trigger. The bullet lodged itself into the meat of Gin's right shoulder, causing him to lose his grip on Shinichi's throat. Heiji kicked at him again, this time aiming for the bullet wound. Gin fell over like a pile of bricks, and looked up at Heiji with genuine surprise on his face.

 

"If you think I'll just sit idly by while you try to end his life, you've got another thing comin'." Heiji said, leveling the gun once more at Gin's chest. "Another move from you and I'll make sure you never touch him again!"

 

Shinichi coughed for air, curling up on his side with his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. "Ha...ttori..." 

 

"You've got guts..." Gin grinned again, hand over the bullet wound. "Ever think about putting those talents to good use? Someplace you'll be more than a kid detective? Your precious police force will never hold us... Why not join the winning team?"

 

Heiji scoffed. "'Winning team'? Just who do you think that is, huh? 'Cause from where I'm standing, you just got yer asses handed to ya."

 

Where are the police?! He wasn't sure how much longer he could delay the inevitable if he was left alone with these people and an injured Shinichi.

 

Someone else appeared in the alleyway, but it wasn't one of the cops. A man with jet-black hair the length of Gin's slowly approached them, hands tucked into his dark colored coat. He held out his thumb and Vodka went to guard the alleyway again, leaving Gin to him. 

 

"Yo. You've caused a ruckus, Gin." 

 

"And you're late, Rye." Gin chuckled. "We've got a new recruit and some extra baggage."

 

Heiji bit his lip and tightened his grip on the handle of the gun, making sure to stand steadfast between Shinichi crumpled on the ground behind him and this latest threat. 

 

"We're not going anywhere with you!" He shouted, hoping his voice would carry to someone who could help. "Leave now and no one else gets hurt!"

 

"Quiet, boy." Gin hauled himself to his feet. "I'll make you a deal. Join me. Give me the gun and walk with me, and you won't have to see your lover die." 

 

Shinichi was still curled up on the ground. He'd quietly unbuttoned the top half of his shirt and pulled out the omamori, out of Gin's line of sight. It was completely destroyed, the coin inside no more than a bent-up piece of metal. "...Hattori... I'm sorry..." 

 

Rye drew a gun from his pocket, keeping it aimed at the ground. "Aren't you making this more complicated than it needs to be, Gin?"

 

Heiji looked between Gin and the new arrival nervously. He could try to take on the newcomer, but he wasn't trained in using guns. If he had to go up against someone who was adept at using one, he knew he would lose. But...

 

He looked over his shoulder at Shinichi on the ground, who had opened up the omamori and had the remnants of the coin in his hand. 

 

It had protected him. If Heiji hadn't given it to him...

 

Heiji gritted his teeth and faced forward once more, determination surging through him. He had to protect Shinichi with everything he had!

 

"No one's touching Kudo!" He yelled. "Do what you want with me, but you leave him alone!"

 

"I like your style, boy." Rye straightened his arm, taking aim. "Very well, then."

 

"Hattori... Just run!" Shinichi insisted, looking at Rye in anger and fear. 

 

Rye shot Gin through the bridge of his nose, killing him instantly.

 

Heiji blinked in shock, staring at the bloodied, dead man who had threatened them earlier. "I...what...?" He looked at Rye in confusion and wariness. "Why did you...?"

 

"The police arrested Vodka already. Don't worry, they know I was here. They won't blame you for this." He put his gun away and slowly walked past Heiji and Shinichi to search Gin's corpse. "If you wouldn't mind, boy, you should leave that gun on the ground. And let the police know you'll need medics for your…friend."

 

"Kudo!" Heiji cried, immediately rounding on Shinichi. He bent down long enough to place the gun on the ground before falling to his knees in front of him. He hovered his hands above Shinichi's torso, eyes fixed on the hole in his shirt. "H-How bad is it?"

 

"I'll be okay. Definitely broken ribs..." He moved his hand to let Heiji see. There was an indent in his chest about the size of a coin, deep enough to show bone, and by the look of the nasty bruises around it, Shinichi was definitely right about the broken ribs. "I'm sorry. The omamori..."

 

Heiji shook his head. "No, it's fine. Forget the omamori! You're more important! We'll have to get you to a hospital as soon as possible!" He looked around for an officer and as soon as his eyes landed on one, said, "I'll be right back!"

 

The police saw them and immediately called in some help. Shinichi was moved onto a stretcher and carried into the ambulance, while Heiji was held back for police questioning. Rye seemed to have disappeared. 

 

Eventually, Heiji was allowed to leave. The hospital discharged Shinichi on the condition that he went home to rest, and so he was relaxing on the couch in Kudo Manor, watching Sherlock and toying with the coin from the destroyed omamori.

 

Heiji entered with a glass of water. "Figured you could use one," he explained with a small smile. Then his features grew concerned. "How are you? Can I get you anythin' else?"

 

"...No, but…There's something I should've told you, before." He tricked the bent-up coin between his fingers, up into Heiji's line of sight. "I cross-checked the dates of a few things, with your parents and mine. This is based on circumstantial evidence, but… Thanks for giving this back to me."

 

Heiji stared. "You...back?" He asked, completely dumbfounded.

 

Shinichi nodded. "I lost it when I was a kid. My parents took me to visit a bunch of shrines in Kyoto...Mostly so my dad could dodge his publishers. We had to keep leaving in a hurry, the whole time. By the time I realized the coin was gone, my parents didn't want to go back to that place."

 

Heiji blinked. Then he blinked again.

 

"That's...yours?" He asked slowly, his brain furiously trying to catch up. Because if that was true...

 

He thought about how he'd been acting the entire time he'd spoken of his first love. He'd been completely smitten, even now, and had only let such vulnerability show because he thought he'd been talking to complete strangers. 

 

He'd been talking about Shinichi to Shinichi this entire time?!

 

He could feel his face heat all the way to the tips of his ears. "O-oh! No way! What-what are the odds?" He asked, scratching the back of his head as he searched frantically for an exit. "That's cool! Hey, I'm just gonna-gonna finish the dishes! Be right back!" He turned to beat a hasty retreat.

 

"Hattori." Shinichi couldn't turn and look at him without pain, so he didn't try. "Wait. I have more I want to say."

 

Heiji froze in place, and slowly turned around. "Y-yeah?" He stuttered, trying and failing miserably at acting casual.

 

"I really wish we'd met back then." He looked down at the tattered omamori. "I think...I might've thought about love a lot earlier, if we had."

 

Heiji stared at him, not fully comprehending the words. "You would have thought about...?" 

 

Love...?

 

Was it possible?

 

He licked his suddenly dry lips. "What...makes you say that?"

 

"...Will you come sit with me?" Shinichi grumbled. His face burned with embarrassment already. How much am I going to have to say out loud?

 

Shinichi looked as uncomfortable as Heiji felt. So he took pity on him and went over to sit in the chair beside the couch.

 

He met Heiji's eyes and all the tension bled away. He smiled a little. "The case is over. But you're still here."

 

"Well, I mean, yeah," Heiji said, looking down at his hands. "You're hurt and need someone to help ya out for a bit, so I figured I'd stick around."

 

Shinichi took a breath and let it out slowly. "...Well, I've dealt with worse on my own before, so I'll be fine. But that's not really the point. I...don't want you to leave."

 

Heiji frowned and went to ask 'What do you mean you've dealt with worse on your own?!' when the second part of what Shinichi said registered. 

 

"You don't?" He asked, looking up at Shinichi.

 

Shinichi nodded slowly. "If you'd like to...I'd like you to stay…for a long time. Maybe we could open a detective agency together."

 

Heiji stared. "You want...with me?" He asked. "Like, we'd live together and...work together?" 

 

His heart was full to bursting in his chest. Was Shinichi for real?

 

He bit his bit and nodded once, trying to discern what Heiji was thinking.

 

Heiji opened his mouth to accept - and hesitated.

 

"So, just to be clear, you're okay knowing that I- I mean, you are my first love, but..." He swallowed thickly and looked down. "You're also...the one I fell for, too? You're...okay, with that?" He asked, chancing a glance up at Shinichi's face to gauge his reaction.

 

"... I - I'm not asking because we're friends," Shinichi looked away, blushing scarlet and no longer able to hide his nerves.

 

"Oh." Heiji said, looking at the bright red detective in front of him. Then the meaning of what he said hit him. "Oh!" He smiled wide and took one of Shinichi's hands into both of his own. "So you, too? You...you love me? Really?"

 

Shinichi squeezed his hands and looked up at him. "...S-so...You weren't disappointed? Finding out that boy was me?"

 

"Disappointed?" Heiji repeated in disbelief. "Are you kiddin'? I was over the fuckin' moon when I found out you were the same person! I couldn't believe my luck!" He chuckled, gently turning Shinichi's hand over and exploring the contours and lines of it. "To think, the guy I fell for turns out to be the boy I felt drawn to all those years ago? What are the odds? It's like a dream come true!"

 

"...Then, you'll stay?" His eyes brightened hopefully. He opened his hands, letting Heiji touch him however he wanted to.

 

Heiji nodded with a big smile, too excited to speak for a second. Then he considered the question, and amended, "for as long as you want me to stay."

 

He caught Heiji's hand and gently brought it to his face, leaning into his palm. "Then... Stay forever."

 

Heiji could feel his smile grow wobbly with overwhelming affection and love. His vision misted over with joyful tears and excitement seemed to have taken hold of his vocal chords. "Okay," he managed to croak out, using his free hand to wipe away the tears. He smiled big and broad at Shinichi and in a fit of emotion, leaned in and kissed Shinichi on the cheek.

 

Shinichi wrapped his arm around Heiji's shoulders, pulling him in closer. "You missed." He closed his eyes and kissed Heiji's lips, hiding his own overwhelming affection, love, and relief.

 

Heiji closed his eyes and sighed dreamily against Shinichi's lips as they kissed for the first time. It was like magic - he felt lighter and freer somehow, with a pleasant energy traveling from where they touched to the rest of him.

 

He'd miraculously managed to find his first love after all these years, and it turned out to be the very man he'd unknowingly given his heart to. Heiji didn't know how he'd managed to get so lucky, but he was planning on revisiting that temple in Kyoto soon to offer his thanks.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! This one's a little more substantial than a lot of what we wrote in 2025, huh? I hope you enjoyed. - Kimmy