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It wasn't like him to stay that late around the Tenryou headquarters, especially when he didn't have any major case at hand, but the next morning was the day.
The day he would come to help.
Heizou felt his insides twirl at the thought. Both because of nervousness and because of how pathetic he knew he was being over this.
"I believe your attuned sense of nature might allow us to discover some new clues."
Dumb.
He was so dumb.
Really, why the fuck did he had to do that?
He had a few days off and instead of taking a well deserved vacation as he had been craving, he went and threw all of his plans out of the window the second that damned samurai came back to Inazuma.
It was becoming a growing habit of him, an annoying habit, to invite Kazuha over for whatever reason he could have at hand, as a needy puppy welcoming his owner home with a wagging tail and a lash in its mouth, begging for a walk together.
Embarrassing.
Completely embarrassing.
And as much as he wanted to stop and get a grip of himself, every time he would hear the boy was in the city, his heart betrayed him again.
Heizou remembered the first time it started to disobey him.
"Why did you carry that around?", he had asked as he saw Kazuha drop the little green leaf he was holding as soon as his hands were uncuffed.
He never saw someone so calm while being held by the shogunate, he wasn't screaming, making a fuss or demanding to see an attorney right away like the others. Maybe that was the reason he went out of protocol and asked to take care of his case.
"It fell on me back in Liyue", he replied after a little while, voice as soft as if Heizou wasn't on the side of the people who were just trying to get him arrested. "I wanted its journey to take a little longer."
It made him chuckle. So he was one of those sentimental people.
"Autumn must be such a pain for you then", he said as a tease, but Kazuha didn't seem to mind.
"I like autumn, it shows the beauty of the fallen."
And somehow that made Heizou's smile falter.
"It is, yes", he said after a bit. "I guess it's the only season that makes death feel beautiful."
Kazuha stared at him, with a look that suddenly made him feel as naive as a child, and then gave him a gentle smile with closed eyes that made Heizou feel he was the most lovely soul alive.
"I don't think of fallen leaves as dead as long as they keep dancing with the wind."
And there it was, a small tug at one of his heartstrings that was enough to mess up the correct function of his mind ever since.
A few days after that, the boy made it out of prison and took back his vision. Heizou didn't see how, thankfully, if he did he couldn't have known how to find his will to restrain him. But he did search for him, because it was his job to do so, definitely not because he missed going to his cell to have a little chat about silly stuff with the excuse of doing an interrogation.
When he came to the conclusion that it was most likely that Kazuha had left Inazuma to never come back, he sank at his desk for hours.
As much as it pained him to admit it, when Kazuha actually came back and their whole world changed for the better, he felt his heart flutter with excitement so hard he actually thought he was getting an attack.
He let his head rest on his desk, clutching his old useless files and cursing himself for getting stuck again in a hopeless case for an equally hopeless crush.
Dumb silly heart.
Dumb silly heart that actually thought he had a chance.
"I was in love with him."
The sting at remembering those words felt as gut-wrenching as the first time.
It was one of the mornings Kazuha went over to his office to help him with a case that Heizou noted that the necklace he always wore had a ring that hid under his long scarf.
"I guess I was a little mad when he chose to risk himself like that. It kind of made me feel like our promises meant nothing to him" , Kazuha explained, after telling him the tragic story of his late best friend (probably ex boyfriend, he didn’t ask furthermore) and his mortal duel.
"One shouldn't never settle with someone that makes you feel like you mean nothing."
It was a bold statement and Heizou felt he deserved Kazuha to slap him as soon as the words left his mouth, instead, what he encountered was a small smile with a lost longing look.
"He made me feel like I meant everything."
Great. That was just great. Great, great, great, great, great, great.
Kazuha felt very much loved and still smiled beautifully while reminiscing about his lost love. Great. That was the moment Heizou knew this was doomed.
Every time he would see him again, he would notice how Kazuha would never take his necklace off, it was always there, close to his heart. As a tribute. As a symbol. As a giant silver sign that said "It will always be someone else".
It was on Heizou for letting himself have feelings. He screwed himself up and got himself hopelessly infatuated with a guy who would never look at him that way.
But it could still be okay. As long as he never let his heart feel hopeful on this and never dared to entertain himself with silly little romantic fantasies, no matter how many sweet and thoughtful things Kazuha did for him, he could still be okay.
By the time he woke up, it was already midday.
"I see you're really having more trouble with this than what I anticipated", Kazuha's voice struck him like lightning.
"Wha-", he rubbed his mouth with his sleeve, wiping the dry drool of shame before the other could notice.
"Hey", Kazuha stepped closer, his hand reaching to his jaw without actually coming closer to cup it, "you okay, 'zou?"
"Uh-", he coughed and wished he had more than two seconds to mentally prepare himself, "of course. I am confident that we can figure out the missing clues for this. Take a seat, I'll give you everything I have."
"You don't wanna take breakfast first? You look really tired."
"Mhm, worried about me, sir?"
"Of course I am", Kazuha said, not taking his teasing into mind as always, "Now go to wash, I'll wait for you with a cup of tea."
He patted his back and smiled at him with such tenderness that Heizou couldn't tell him that he was usually like this when he got really involved in his work. So, he obeyed and ignored the warmth that came with the touch.
When he came back, Kazuha was already reading the files with a cup of tea and fried radish balls.
"These are for you", he said, handing him the plate as soon as he sat. "Liyue's classics."
Heizou blinked. "Mhm?" he took them, taking a bite and struggling to not swallow the entire thing immediately. "Dear archons, it's exquisite."
Kazuha smiled pleased. "I thought it might be of your liking since you enjoy fried food so much. I made them as a snack, but since I am getting the feeling you aren't feeding yourself properly, I might have to start bringing you food more often."
"Maybe eating at the station won't be so bad then."
Then again, Kazuha giggled, and Heizou again ignored the warmth, sipping his tea and accommodating his chair.
"So, about the case..."
Kazuha nodded, taking the chair he was sitting in, at the opposite site of the desk, and moving it to sit by his side.
It was a pretty nice morning.
The next few days, they actually managed to be onto something again. The smuggler he was chasing after, Kotaro Dai, always erased his footsteps after dining at Uyuu restaurant. At first, Heizou suspected the place to be a secret warehouse, but after inspecting and interrogating the owners, he had to discard the theory. However, Kazuha noticed a patron in the flowers outside the bathroom window. Their conclusion was that Dai hid the merch in the pots for his buyer to take later.
"Flowers don't wither that fast", Kazuha had said after comparing the different outside photos. "Judging by how disarranged they seem the day next to Dai’s visit, I'd say the buyer hides the money there too, the whole deal is over before both of them finish their meals."
Heizou almost sighed. "Genius."
Every lead suddenly fell into place, just as he could expect from him, so they came up with a stakeout plan to follow him into Uyuu as undercover to gather the evidence and catch the buyer. A plan so flawless Heizou almost felt sorry the whole thing couldn't last longer.
"It's no trouble for me to bring you meals, Heizou, don't worry about that. I feel at ease when I can see you eat."
Or maybe it was better like that. Start getting used to Kazuha's breakfast and thoughtful care was not helping his easy-to-sway brain to take his meals without imagining it was his boyfriend who was giving them to him. The amount of times there was the perfect opportunity to ask the boy to feed him in the mouth were insane.
When the night fell and it was hour for him to get the plan started, he found himself getting lost again at the sight of Kazuha at the distance, waiting at their accorded spot, sitting on a rock, dressed up in new clothes, cutely petting a leaf and smiling when looking up at him, he couldn’t help but dream for a moment about a different context for this.
"Hey", he greeted once he got to him, repressing his fondness and kicking it to the back of his mind.
Not now. Not ever.
"Hey. It's almost time, let's go in", Kazuha replied.
They headed to Uyuu, hands constantly brushing against each other as a painful tease and Heizou started to think that maybe the stars were not on his side that night.
And if he needed any confirmation, by the moment they arrived, the place was insanely crowded.
"I'm sorry, we're full for tonight", the girl at the door told them with a sympathetic pout.
"O-oh. I see, then-"
"No, please", Kazuha cutted in, "it needs to be here, please. You see, we just got engaged and this is where our first date took place", and before Heizou realized what was happening, Kazuha already had his hand linked to his.
"Oh?" The girl suddenly looked at them with more interest.
"And you were so excited about coming back here", he continued, this time looking adoringly at Heizou's sudden flushed face, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, my darling. I should've made a reservation beforehand, but I just didn't know if you were going to say yes."
"My darling", Heizou repeated dreamily, his eyes surely giving him away but at least the girl was completely buying it.
"Oh my archons! Don't go, I'm sure I can get you a seat, just wait a bit."
And with that she disappeared into the crowd, coming back quickly to guide them towards two seats at the bar, near the corner. All the way Heizou's mind ran with an single echo. My darling, my darling, my darling.
But then the girl left them alone and with her, Kazuha's hand left his own, and he hated how he immediately missed it.
"Hey", the guy whispered, "I'm sorry about that, I saw Dai on the other side with an actual suitcase now and I thought you couldn't miss this opportunity."
"Yes, I understand. Thank you."
"I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable. I sincerely apologize."
"It's alright, it was a clever cover and it worked perfectly", Heizou said, trying to smirk away his flustering. "I'll give you kudos for your flawless acting, you're full of hidden talents."
"I like to keep surprising you."
Heizou almost choked. Was that a wink? Thankfully Kazuha didn't get to see him lose his cool because the bartender approached them at the moment.
"Good night, welcome to Uyuu, you two must be the newly engaged couple."
"Mhm, right we are, just call me the happiest guy alive tonight", Kazuha replied, his hand reaching for Heizou's and intertwining them sweetly upon the table.
The girl swallowed her screech. "It's true, you make such an adorable couple."
"Well, have you seen him? Anyone at his side would look good, he's just too cute", Heizou intervened, playing along.
"Don't say that", Kazuha kissed his hand, "It's because it's you, I just want you."
Huh.
"Aww! Where did you find one of his kind, huh?"
Heizou smiled painfully. "I didn't... I don't know."
After the girl left to attend to other clients, he was the one who took his hand back this time and hid his face in the menu. Fuck the job he was supposed to be doing, he couldn't take this cover, not with him and definitely not with him talking like that .
"It is so rare these days to see a couple like you two being that shamelessly romantic", the voice of a gentleman sitting near them called their attention. "I'm sorry I overheard your conversation."
"It's okay", Kazuha smiled politely.
"I honestly wish I had the guts to be like that to my boyfriend in public places like these. You're such a fearless young man."
"Oh, I just can't resist it when I look at him, and you shouldn't either."
The man nodded, looking suddenly thoughtful. "I guess you're right. I should write to him soon, might steal some of your lines."
"Please do."
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you two meet?"
"We met at Ritou dur-"
"He dated my mother", Heizou spat out at the same time, regretting it immediately.
The man looked at them puzzled.
Fuck. "I didn't know him when they were together, I lived with my father in another village", he rushed to explain, "they broke up because he traveled too much and then when I visited her again I learned that she cheated on him. She is a bit of a mess, you know, always playing around, always getting someone new until she gets bored, I always felt bad for her exes and when I learned that he arrived in the city again I tried to apologize to him on her behalf and, well, things just happened!"
Kazuha laughed awkwardly. "Yes, I could not believe someone like her could be related to someone so kind and beautiful, but you see, sometimes the prettiest flowers sprout from the most ordinary ground."
He squeezed his hand to kiss it again. At that point, Heizou was just amazed by his ability to keep up with him.
"I see", the man nodded, seeming suddenly interested in Heizou's face. "How long have you been together, can I ask?"
"Three years."
"Two and half years."
Kazuha squeezed his hand, as if scolding him for keeping trying to reply and Heizou gulped before starting again.
"Yes, the thing is that, I confessed three years ago but he didn't want me and instead went out with another dude. Broke my heart, that's why I don't count it"
"But I do because I loved you too", was complemented, and when he noticed how Kazuha's eyes looked right now, his mind completely shutted down. "I was just scared that things might end up bad again, I was hurt in the past and I didn't think I was ready, but then I realized I was making the biggest mistake of my life by letting you go."
Oh.
"Really?"
Heizou choked back the rest of his words. Stupid, stupid, what are you asking?
"Oh", the gentleman muttered just as moved, "I need to book a trip back to Liyue as soon as possible."
"Oh, are you from Liyue?" Kazuha asked, and before Heizou could keep on letting himself get lost in their little act, he noticed Dai getting up from his seat.
"E-Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom."
With that, he carefully made his way upstairs, following his suspect until he locked himself in the bathroom.
According to Kazuha, the buyer was going to retire the merch in about fifteen minutes or less, so he just needed to wait until he came out to go in, recollect the evidence and wait until the buyer-
"What are you doing? Don't act up alone", Kazuha whispered behind him, startling him enough to gasp while jumping to turn around.
"What are you doing? It's too suspicious if we're both here."
"I'm the one supposed to go after him, Heizou, what if he recognizes you and tries to hurt you?"
"I've dealt with criminals trying to hurt me. It's no big deal."
By the growing desperate look in Kazuha's eyes, he knew that was the wrong response.
"It is most likely that he has a weapon with him."
"And what are you gonna do different than me if he actually-"
In shorter than the blink of an eye, Heizou froze at seeing the bathroom door suddenly opening.
No, no, Kazuha was right, he was sure Dai could recognize his face despite his different clothes, if he did he could just lock himself again and mess up the whole plan. He couldn't have possibly messed everything up just because he was getting flustered over Kazuha's acting. He couldn't possibly have so little control over his feelings that they overshadowed his rational side this much.
He couldn't possibly be suddenly trapped into Kazuha's arms right now while his mouth crashed desperately into his.
"Hmph!" he hummed when he felt the samurai's hands move down his waist, pressing himself more into his body as if he was trying to completely cover him up. Heizou closed his eyes, unable to restrain himself from melting into the kiss, hugging Kazuha's neck and savoring the hot rosy lips he couldn't even dream about feeling before.
The door closed and the man walked away paying them no mind, then as sudden as Kazuha pulled him in, he let him go.
"I deeply apologize", the boy whispered, his hands still holding his body, still too close for his coolness to return. "I couldn't think of anything else to hide your face."
"It's okay", his voice sounded so painfully high pitched Heizou wanted to vanish into the air. "You're- You're just helping me with the case, I do stuff like that when I go undercover, it's no big deal."
Dear lord, shut the fuck up.
"Yes", Kazuha muttered, "no big deal."
And it might have been his wishful thinking, but he felt the scarlet eyes trace down his lips. It felt like forever and it might have actually been, because then another man approached, interestingly carrying a pouch with him and before he could get the chance to take a good look at them, Heizou grabbed Kazuha's scarf to pull him in again.
This time, Kazuha's mouth was full open against his, and while Heizou lifted one of his legs to brush it along Kazuha's hips, the guy pinned him even harder against the wall, licking his lips quickly to keep kissing him like there was nothing else there more than them.
But as much as he wanted to savour this moment forever, Heizou was still the best detective, so as soon as he felt the door open again, he pushed Kazuha away to stand up to the man and show his badge.
"Detective Heizou from the Tenryou commission. We're case-partners !"
"Put your hands where we can see them!" Kazuha added, taking his sword off his scabbard.
The man dropped his pouch as he raised his hands, reluctantly letting Kazuha cuff him while Heizou examined his bag.
"Well, well, take a look at this", he said, finding the evidence he was looking for. "Seems like you were right, Kazuha. Have you ever thought of becoming a detective?"
"I've just seen too much in The Crux's expeditions."
"Well, I wouldn't need to be exploring too much if I were them, they already got a real treasure."
The man scoffed at him and Heizou immediately came back to his serious detective stand. "Let's go, man, you and your dealer are going to the cell. Our little work-act got you."
He gained a weird look from the detainee and choked back his impulse to slap himself.
Whatever.
After arresting the two criminals and losing count of how many times he said "our acting fooled you right", Heizou didn't hear about Kazuha again for weeks.
It sucked like hell.
Worse than before because now he actually knew how his hot breath felt against his mouth, how nicely his hands fitted in the curve of his spine, how it felt to hug him and be protected in his embrace and how everything about having Kazuha all over him felt so damn right.
Yet that was probably the reason the guy was nowhere to be found now. Did he feel like he betrayed his ex's memory? Did he feel weird now that they kissed? Did he notice how Heizou extravagantly craved what happened and got rightfully creeped out?
He couldn't know. Kazuha barely said goodnight to him before leaving the police station. Didn't even leave a word to anyone about leaving with The Crux or a letter to be delivered later. Heizou only got to know that captain Beidou and her crew left for Liyue after he went to Ritou to investigate some leads from another case (or that’s how he called it).
So, that was it. Great. Kazuha probably wouldn't want anything to do with him after this. Maybe the next time he will run into him, he'll just ignore him or coldly nod his head at him. He could live with that.
Although it was very unlikely that Kazuha could ever be so mean. That made him breathe again.
He was just so polite, so gentle in every little thing he did. People like him didn't usually keep their softness. They transformed it, threw it away, despised it, hid it so no one could ever try to taint it again. But things were different with him, he always kept the same gentle manners, the same pretty smile and the same dignified posture. Like the soft sand in the coast that was once a cold stone.
Kazuha just had this real glow above him when he was talking about the things he held dear to his heart and when he fighted for his ideals and convictions, Heizou could have compared him to a flaming flower, standing out in the world, making it a brighter place.
Dear archons, he really missed him.
He was about to let out another miserable sigh when a hand suddenly slammed against his desk, making him lift up his head from it.
"What is it, Shinobu? Can't you see I'm working on something here?"
"I'd like to believe that, since word's been said that you've been in a slump these weeks", the green haired girl replied, crossing her arms to complement her judgy posture. "I need your help."
That catched Heizou's attention. "Oh?"
"A treasure hoarder gang is holding one of my boys hostage", Shinobu explained. "I tracked them down and I'd normally just go and beat the shit out of them, but this is different", she handed him a couple of pictures she took with her kamera, among them a slightly blurry but quite recognizable face for Heizou.
"Sousuke", he muttered. "He's back"
It was one of the most merciless serial killers that walked on Inazuma's ground. He totally understood why Kuki backed down, the man terrorized the entire city back in the day, only disappearing when the Raiden Shogun issued a decree to have him executed as soon as he was captured. The day Heizou lost track of him was one of the worst days of his career.
"Boss is currently in Watatsumi", Shinobu continued, "I don't know what that man could be doing to my friend right now, I don't know where they could be moving right now, I urgently require back up to go to save him. Please."
"I'll call the soldiers", Heizou said, finally standing up, "Don't worry, we're going as soon as possible"
"Wait, you're coming too? This isn't exactly your field."
"They're probably moving again while we talk, you could use a detective to follow their trace."
And so he put on his hat to go look for his co-workers. He was ending his slump at that right moment.
After several hours that lasted roughly a day and a half, their team managed to capture all the criminals and get Shinobu's friend back safe.
It was finally a win for him after so many days of despair. He was grateful for it.
And when he came back to the city with Shinobu and the rescued boy, he kinda expected the embrace the remaining members of the Arataki gang gave them as soon as they catched sight of them.
"We were so worried about you guys!" Akira cried out, squeezing them tightly, with a tired expression that revealed that he and the others probably didn't do anything else besides waiting for them outside the Tenryou commission. "Shinobu! Don't ever make us stay behind like that, that was horrible!"
As much as Shinobu tried to keep up her tough, bossy stand, Heizou could see her loving relieved gaze at having them all back together and safe. It was rather cute.
"Heizou!"
And now that was the thing he didn't expect.
No, it was actually the last thing he could ever expect.
Coming out of the Tenryou headquarters, the boy he so desperately had been searching for the last month, rushed to him.
"My goodness", Kazuha almost tackled him to the ground, embracing him tightly as he was trying to poof him into the air, his body trembling slightly against his.
"Alright..." was the only thing that he managed to reply.
"I thought I'd never see you again", Kazuha's voice choked out. It made Heizou want to cry.
"It's alright..." he whispered, patting the other's back. "It's alright."
"I was so worried about you, I thought I'd lose you- I thought..." and then Kazuha kissed him, for a split second, so soft, so quick Heizou almost thought it was an accident.
But then again, as their noses were still brushing, Kazuha kissed him again, and again, and again.
"K-Kazuha", he babbled softly, making the other suddenly aware of the eyes that were looking at them with curiosity.
"I'm- I'm sorry", Kazuha opened his eyes, backing down as if he just realized what he had done, but before he could flee, Heizou took his hand in his, squeezing it firmly as if it said "not again".
He bowed his head gratefully at Shinobu and the boys and walked off to somewhere more private, knowing damn well she wouldn't ever stop teasing him for this. Kazuha just followed him without a single word.
They ended up coming down to the quiet little garden down the headquarters, stopping at the little bridge that adorned the place.
"It's quite peaceful around here", Heizou commented, finally letting go of Kazuha's hand.
"It is", Kazuha noted. "Are you okay? That man… is known to be quite dangerous."
"He was, but I wasn't injured. It was pretty intense though."
"It sure was... I'm glad you're safe."
A silence fell between them again and Heizou sighed. This wasn't going anywhere.
"Listen, I actually wanted to talk to you", he started, making the other open his eyes in surprise. "I'm sorry I got you involved in Dai's case, it led to weird situations and I understand if that made you feel awkward afterwards."
"Oh..."
"However, I assure you it's totally okay for me, I take it as it is, alright? It was for the job, I understand it had nothing to do with me and-"
"No, no, stop it", Kazuha said impatiently, as if every word pained him to his core. "It was all my fault. I was the one who kissed you, I was the one who came up with that whole thing and I am the one who feels terrible because I shouldn't have taken advantage of the situation to do so."
Heizou stood shocked. What was he saying again?
Kazuha closed his eyes before sighing. "It had everything to do with you, okay?" he confessed. "It’s just- I couldn't face you after that because when you said it wasn't a big deal, it really hurt. It hurt because I kind of wanted it to be a big deal."
The words tingled at his ears, not quite entering his head because, actually, what?
"It was stupid, I know. It was so stupid and unprofessional of me to think it was, it was so stupid to feel hurt because of that I needed some time to recompose myself."
Heizou blinked. His mind not entirely processing what this could possibly mean when he felt a surge of hope flutter again in his chest.
It couldn't be.
It just couldn't be.
"Kazuha..."
"I came back when I thought I was ready to see you and then-" he covered his eyes with his hand, rubbing his nose bridge as he was about to have a headache, "I did something stupid again without even realizing."
"Kazuha", Heizou called again as he heard him start to sound more erratic with every word.
"I know it's no excuse, but it's the truth. I was so scared about you and I didn't think things through. I'm just so sorry, Heizou."
"Kazuha..."
"I understand if you don't wanna be friends anymore but-"
His lips somehow tasted better when taken like that. Half open, in the middle of another stupid word that ended up lost in their kiss.
Heizou led his hands to his neck, pressing himself against him more as felt Kazuha hug his waist, his grasp stronger as he started to kiss back.
"Heizou", he sighed dreamily once they separated, their faces still so close to each other. It was driving Heizou insane.
"I'm not gonna correct you, I don't want to be friends anymore", he said, leaning in for another short kiss. "I haven't wanted for a while"
Kazuha looked at him, his eyes suddenly regaining their sparkle. "You mean it?"
"Yes!" Heizou said almost desperately. "I was afraid I was being too obvious, actually. I thought I scared you off."
"I thought it was hopeless."
" I thought it was hopeless", Heizou laughed awkwardly. "I thought that you didn't- well...", he couldn't restrain his gaze from going to his necklace, not being able to find it this time.
No, actually, it had been a while since he hadn't noticed it there.
"Oh", Kazuha seemed to realize what was on his mind and took a short breath. "I haven't thought about him in a while. In fact, I didn't even realize I hadn't until the day we got Dai."
"Is it really okay, though? I mean, you would have married him if- well, I don't know."
I don't want to be just a replacement for you , he wanted to say, but something in the way Kazuha was looking at him right now told him it was a nonsense statement to make.
"Well, first of all, I wouldn't, we were just friends."
What?
"What I mean is that, I loved him, yes, but nothing was ever said. He didn't give the ring to me as a promise, he left it for me as a token."
"Oh."
"And yes, because of my feelings, for a long time I liked to think that maybe he wanted to give it to me and I tormented myself with the thoughts of what could have been. It was actually quite sad so I made a vow to not let myself fall in love like that again, like, with no real clues of the person possibly feeling the same, not again with someone who seemed to not have a relationship in mind, not with a friend I'll have to see so often, just not ever with anyone else", he said, his gaze then coming back from the floor to look at him again. "Yet again, I failed every single one of my conditions."
"Kazuha", Heizou didn't hold back his need to embrace him, breathing in his scent while the boy hugged back, lifting him up a bit, inviting him to wrap his legs around him, which Heizou happily did only for them both to lose balance and fall to the ground.
They giggled ridiculously at each other.
"So, should I take you on a proper first date now?"
Heizou felt his cheeks heat up at the question. "Only if you make a reservation now."
"Huh, that reminds me", Kazuha said, moving a bit closer to look at him with all seriousness. "I need to know how many times you kissed someone while undercover."
Heizou looked at him. "What?"
"You said you did stuff like that all the time. How frequent it is, again?"
"Goodness", the red haired boy chuckled. He forgot how many stupid things he blurted out that night. "You know, for disappearing on me like that, potentially almost breaking my heart, I'll leave you hanging with that one", he said as he got himself up from the floor and started walking away with a smirk on his face.
"What? Heizou", Kazuha called flustered, getting to his feet too and following him hastily. "Don't be like that, it's been really eating me up ever since! Heizou!"
Heizou just kept walking, enjoying having him all worked up, knowing well that he wouldn't last more than a few minutes to tell him the truth and maybe kiss him a bit more. But for now, hearing his boy following after him, whiny and smitten, made him feel like every little piece in his heart that was so messily scattered around his chest was slowly coming back together.