Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

1.

When Heiji had gotten a call from Ran asking to take Conan for a few days, he was a little concerned. Not because of the idea of having Kudo over, he would love an excuse to hang out with him, but because of how worried she had sounded when describing how the other

"I don’t know what to do Hattori-Kun. He hasn't been eating much or sleeping..." She had started with her concerns almost instantly after asking Heiji if Conan could stay over.

When asked why this was happening, she paused for a moment.

"Otōsan said that he was caught up in a case with the other kids. Apparently, the culprit was cornered and had...killed himself. That’s all he knows…Conan-Kun won’t say anything to anyone about it."

Heiji grimaced at the words. He knew Kudo could handle seeing people die in front of him, but it was a bit difficult when it was the culprit taking their own life.For it to really happen, Heiji doesn't know how Kudo is taking it.

Maybe in normal cases, Kudo would be able to bounce back quickly, but it isn't like the other hasn't had things building up over and over again.

"He might jus' be shaken up about the case,” He tried to explain, words barely forming as he tried to just think of something. How does Kudo always lie so well so fast?

"I guess...But this is different. I've never really seen him shut down this much and for so long, she had explained, "I had tried to call Shinichi as well but no response. Do you think he is busy with a case?"

"Ah-" Heiji fumbled with his words, "Yeah! The last time we talked, he was working on a big case, a really big one! I think he said that he turned off his phone since he needed to focus on this one or something like that."

Ran had hummed, defeated, "I just wish I could get some advice. He always knows what to do...Well, at least you agreed to take him. Maybe just a few days with you might do the trick."

"Yeah, just bring 'im over for a bit," Heiji shrugged, "he needs a break anyways. I’ll think of a nice, relaxing Osaka trip!"

"How does this weekend sound? Otōsan is going to a banquet for something for work, and I am going with Sonoko, so maybe that would be a good time?"

"I have nothin' planned," Well Heiji did, but he could reschedule. Kazuha would understand, "Bring the brat over. I'll make sure to take great care of 'im!"

"Thank you, Heiji-kun, I don't know what I would have done. I owe you big time."

"Don't worry 'bout it," Heiji paced around his house, "we all gotta take care of the brat. I'll see you two this weekend."

When he had seen Kudo that weekend, he could really understand Ran's worries. Kudo looked nothing like how he usually does when the two see each other. Normally, there is a fire in his eyes. A curiosity to just look for something, anything. A curiosity the Heiji loves to feed, even if it is the most basic of stuff to do. Even if it is just working at each other's brains for different ideas and topics.

But now, all of that was stripped away. There was a dull look in his eyes, a darkness that spoke more than any words would. He looked down instead of up, and there was no expression on his face. It unsettled Heiji.

Heiji noticed how pale and tired he looked as well. He knew that Kudo didn't sleep well in general, but this seemed worse. Worse than almost every time he has seen Kudo, even in his worst moments.

It only drove the want to help his friend more and more. To at least add some light back into his eyes.

Ran had been talking for a while, but Heiji was so deep in his thoughts that he hadn't heard anything until the very end when she was getting ready to leave. Thankfully it didn’t seem like she noticed he hadn’t been paying attention.

"Thank you Hattori-kun," Ran had given a small smile as she stepped back near the station. She had waved to the two as she headed back to the trains.

"Bye Hattori-kun, bye Conan-kun, take care, you two!"

She quickly left, leaving Kudo just standing there, holding his things. Heiji had taken the initiative and had taken his bag, swinging it over his shoulder. It wasn’t too heavy and he wasn’t sure if it was Ran who had packed it or if Kudo had managed to pack himself in this state.

"Come on Kudo," he smiled, though it didn't seem to reach the other, "today is all about relaxing once we get to my place!"

Kudo stayed silent but followed. He didn't look up as he kept walking, following Heiji with a slow pace. The two had walked in silence for a while before Heiji had looked up. The clouds were gathering and the wind was picking up. He was reminded of the forecast that he had seen earlier.

"It's gonna' rain soon, we should hurry back Kudo."

He didn't respond, but he did pick up the pace a little bit. Heiji just sighed and kept going. Thankfully they were close to his house. He was stuck in his own thoughts about the situation.

How was he going to help Kudo? The other has helped him in so many different ways already, it was only fair that Heiji returned the favour. It was just a different scenario at this point.

Kudo has never been this quiet. Even when something awful happens, he is always one to just jump toward anything. Even if the worst of crimes has been committed, he always bounced up. It was something that Heiji had admired. While he doesn't technically freeze up, he has had his moments of pausing, moments that Kudo can snap him out of.

Eventually, it all must come crashing down, right? Eventually, it gets to be too much, even for someone like Kudo. This was inevitable though. Even Heiji was surprised that Kudo hadn't had an exact breaking point yet.

He's been through so much, and Heiji doesn't even know most of it. Kudo refuses to mention anything in-depth, only the small details that Heiji needed to know. Hell, he doesn't even know all the details there are to the rotten organisation that Kudo was a victim of. While they come up with ideas, Heiji is still in the dark about many things. It never really bothered him, but he hated seeing how awful Kudo gets because of their rotten crimes.

By the time the two had arrived at Heiji's house, not a single word had been spoken from Kudo. He hadn't brought his head up and Heiji hadn't pushed it. The only time he had seen Kudo this down was after the athlete's case.

Still, this was different. This had to be different. Heiji just hoped that he could at least make Kudo feel a little better.

"We're 'ere," he opened the door and Kudo walked in, changing out his shoes with not a single twinkle of emotion in his eyes. Heiji had no idea what was going on in his mind. What he would give to know at least something, know at least one thing that he could do to help the other.

He got Kudo to his room. He had set everything up multiple nights ago, right when the call had ended to be exact. He had set up a futon for Kudo and gotten as much as he could to make it comfortable, even taking some stuff off of his own bed.

"Sorry the room is small," Heiji put Kudo's bag down, "but I tried to make it comfortable for ya."

No response. Not that he expected anything. Kudo just looked around at the ground as always. Though Hattori took this as he didn't mind, he didn't know if Kudo would say anything he disliked at this moment. He just hoped that the other was okay.

"It is just us for the night by the way, both of my parents are out for the night," Heiji turned on a few of the lights around the house. Kudo stayed silent as always, but it didn't bother Heiji. Well, it did. The silence was something that he was used to, but not silence with someone like Kudo.

Eventually, Heiji just moved throughout the house and opened the garden door. What he hadn't fully noticed was that Kudo had followed him and had sat down on the wood, looking at the grass as the dark clouds made a shadow around his general area, a reflection of his mood.

Heiji just sat down beside him. He was sure that it was going to rain soon, but if this was where Kudo wanted to sit and think for a moment, Heiji wasn't going to stop him. He was, however, going to at least try to help.

"Look Kudo," he started, "I only know a little about what happened. Nēchan had told me what she was told."

That gained some reaction. It wasn't much, but Kudo had looked down more at that, eyes narrowing and lip twitching.

"You don't have to say anythin', but know that we are here to help. Me, Nēchan, Otchan, and even the kids will be there to help you out."

Kudo finally spoke.

"I can't tell them about this. You know that."

"That's not what I meant," Heiji sighed and looked over at Kudo, "ya have a really bad habit of not telling anyone anythin'."

Kudo had tried to speak, but Heiji had cut him off.

"Ya suffer in normal ways too, ya don't have to tell anyone about the Organization or who you are, but you can also tell 'em when other things happen."

Kudo looked up at him with a troubled expression before shaking his head. By this time, the rain had started. It was only small at first, but the two were going to get soaked soon if they stayed out in the open like this.

Kudo didn't seem to care though.

"It's fine Hattori. I don't even know why you agreed to this. I don’t need to come out all the way here just to try and feel better."

Heiji frowned, "Nēchan was worried about you, which will make me worried about ya. We are best friends after all, gotta have each other's backs!"

Kudo didn't respond, going back to looking at the floor for a few seconds before he just sighed.

"I thought he was going to shoot Ayumi," he admitted slowly, "He was cornered and in a last-ditch effort, I thought he was going to shoot her."

Heiji originally wanted to say something, but kept it quiet. This was a first for Kudo to open up about something. Sure he and Heiji talk a lot about their troubles, but not on this deep of a level.

The rain had gotten stronger but still neither of them moved, they just stayed there. Heiji had wanted to tell Kudo that they should just go inside, but he stayed quiet while the other spoke.

"I moved to push the kids out of the way when I heard a gunshot, but when I looked back, it was him who had died."

Heiji will always be amazed at how protective Conan is of the kids. Even when he complains about them, he still shows a sense of protectiveness. He would never let any of them at least get a scratch if he could help it. Of course, Heiji wasn't the biggest fan of Kudo putting himself in harm's way so that the kids would be unharmed, but it is not like Heiji would do the same for any of his close ones.

"You couldn't have known," Heiji eventually said, "you thought that they were going to get hurt. Anyone would have done the same."

"But I should have noticed he was going to kill himself!" Kudo shouted, digging his nails into the fabric of his shirt, which was soaked at this point.

"Ya couldn't have-"

"Yes I could have!" Kudo retorted, looking up at Heiji, "I noticed how he was cautious around us. He even went out of his way to make sure that Mitsuhiko didn't get hurt when he was passing by us earlier! I should have known he would never shoot a child."

"Kudo-" Heiji put a hand on the other's shoulder, quieting him for a moment, "your instincts kicked in. Even if ya’ are always thinking through everything, your instincts thought that the kids were in danger. You acted, that's what anyone else would have done."

"But I was the one that deduced it all, I killed-"

"Ya didn't do anything," Heiji shook his head, "if I was in the same situation, I know that I would have protected them instead of lookin' back at the culprit. Ya did what anyone else would have."

Kudo stayed silent for a while, but it was clear he was thinking about something instead of going completely silent, the rain moved all around him. His eyes were narrowed instead of dull, the spark not fully there, but it was more than before.

"Kudo-" Heiji tried to say more, tried to comfort more, but Kudo shook his head.

"Thank you Hattori," he said, a light smile on his face, maybe strained, but there seemed to be some genuine feeling behind it, "that makes me feel a little better."

It seemed like the other was stopping the conversation right there and then. While Heiji didn't like it that much that he was close to being able to really comfort Kudo, there wasn't much he could do.

"Anythin' for you Kudo," Heiji smiled at the other, whose smile seemed to relax to a more genuine one, "I will always be here for ya'. It doesn't have to be something big, I'll jus' listen even if it is a bad dream."

"Maybe I won't call you for something like that, but..." Kudo trailed off for a moment, "Maybe talking about some things might make it easier."

"It will," Heiji affirmed, "I don't have to know about anything that you are too scared to share in depth about. I know ya are scared to talk about the Organization and all of that, but I will always be here for more of the normal things."

Kudo gave a weak laugh, "sometimes I feel like there is no one to talk to about these things. I want to keep up the idea that I am as normal as a kid can get to the people who don't know."

"Ya are doing a really good job at that detective," Heiji smiled with this playful sarcasm, which just made Kudo roll his eyes.

"Haibara is too worried about the Organization and I think she has her own troubles. We talk sometimes, but I want to be strong for her. Hakase knows some of it, but I don't want to worry him that much either. Being so close to me and knowing my identity could put him in more danger."

"Ya don't have to be strong all the time Kudo," Hattori tried, but Kudo didn't really seem to take that in.

"Ran already worries about me, both as Conan and as Shinichi," he continued, "If I even hinted that there was something bigger going on, I don't know how she would react."

"What about ya parents?" Heiji tried. He knew that Kudo's parents knew about this all, but they were also always out of the country.

Kudo didn't respond to that one, it seemed to hit a nerve actually. He was biting his lip before he shook his head.

"There's not a lot that they could do, less what they would want to do."

While it was vague, Heiji didn't want to press on. Accidentally hitting a nerve was scary when it came to Kudo. He didn't want to make anything worse.

"You're the only one that..." Kudo seemed to be struggling for words, "well, I guess the only one that I can trust with the more...personal struggles."

Heiji tried to not smile wider at that. Knowing the kind of trust that Kudo had for him made him happy.

"I'll always be 'ere for ya Kudo," was really all he could say.

"Likewise."

The air seemed lighter now. Sure it was still raining, but Kudo seemed to be feeling at least a little better. There were still eyebags under his eyes and still a hesitance in his aura, but it was clear he was closer to feeling like himself rather than before.

"We should head inside," Heiji picked up Conan by the collar. It was an act that he knew the other didn't like unless it was done by specific people, and it seemed like Heiji was one of them as all the other did was a small yelp when he was suddenly picked up, "If ya get sick here Nēchan will kill me."

Kudo just grumbled as he let the other take him inside and shut the door, making sure no rain had gotten inside the house.

"Also make sure to call her," Heiji mentioned as he sat down Kudo, "as Shinichi of course, she said how ya didn't respond to her, and you know how mad she will get if ya keep ignorin' her."

Kudo tensed before he quickly ran into Heiji's room. It seemed like he was calling her immediately as he could hear Kudo's voice changer going.

"Sorry, sorry! I got caught up in a case Ran-"

Heiji didn't have to be in the room to know that Kudo was currently getting an earful from the other. Heiji just smiled and shook his head.

Kudo was going to be okay.

Chapter Text

2.

Heiji isn't going to say he told you so to Kudo, but he wanted to. Maybe when the other was feeling better.

"Want me to hell her you ended up sick?" He brought water and medicine to his room, where Kudo was. Kudo had managed to get a minor cold, and Heiji wanted to poke at it being from sitting outside in the rain for so long, but there was a chance that it was from stress, a high chance. He just stayed silent about that.

"I'm fine-" Kudo coughed as he tried to sit up, but Heiji wasn't having it.

"Yer sick," he shook his head, "I am not returning you worse than before. I'm confident that Nēchan might kill me if I return you like this."

Kudo just hummed and grabbed the water but not the medicine. He didn't even look at it, "I'll be fine."

"I don't believe ya."

Kudo grumbled something that Heiji couldn't comprehend. He had coughed some more, and while it didn't sound awful, Heiji still grimaced. He thinks back to the few times when Kudo would have his attacks when he was turning back into Conan.

Any form of pain on Kudo's face made Heiji sick. He didn't know why. Maybe it was just sheer protectiveness over his friends, a desire to try and take away at least some of the pain. Anything that he could do.

"Are you going to get ready for the day?" As he put the glass on the nearby table, Kudo asked, "You have a tour planned out."

Heiji knew that Kudo had caught the look he had thrown at him, but apparently, Kudo chose to ignore it. Heiji couldn't say he was surprised.

"I am not taking someone who is sick out on a tour, especially someone like you," Heiji grabbed the glass, already planning on refilling it later.

"Oi," Kudo glared at Heiji, "what is that supposed to mean?"

"You like to butt yourself into almost anything that you find interesting, and that is not something you should be doing when yer sick."

"You are the exact same," Kudo glared but somehow gave in and laid back down, closing his eyes and relaxing.

For Kudo to relax, maybe he was actually sick. Heiji was expecting way more of a fight from the other, not for him to give in and lie down.

"But I am the healthy one 'ere," Heiji proclaimed as he just shook his head and turned to the medicine, "aren't ya gonna take it? I'll get you more water."

"I'll be fine without it."

"Kudo-"

"Hattori I don't need it."

It seemed like Kudo was confident about that. It wasn't like Heiji was surprised. He knew about this. He knew Kudo hated taking medicine now, but it still made Heiji sigh. He wanted to help Kudo, but he didn't know how to.

Heiji just silently left the room and went to refill the glass. Everyone gets sick; it was inevitable, but the gnawing feeling in his stomach that the reason why the other was sick was that Heiji just let him sit out in the rain like that made him feel guilty.

But maybe this means that Kudo can get a single day of relaxation, no having to force himself to act like a child, no murders to handle, nothing—just a day of solid rest. Not even Heiji knows the last time Kudo got a day like that.

He eventually entered the room again and set the glass down, looking down at Kudo.

"I'm gonna let ya rest. Is there anythin' I need to worry about?" He trusted that Kudo would tell him these things. It would be stupid not to because Heiji wouldn't force him to take medicine, but he needed to make sure Kudo wasn't going to end up dead the next time Heiji went in to check on him.

"The fever isn't high from when we checked," Kudo mumbled into the fabric, "You don't need to worry so much, it's not like I'm a little kid."

"I mean, technically, you are."

Kudo opened his eyes to shoot Heiji a look, making him back down.

"Sorry, sorry! It's true though, I seriously don't want to kill ya because I don't know how to take care of a sick person. Plus, doesn't your immune system act different than when you were...you?"

"Yes, but a cold won't kill me Hattori, I am not fragile. I've been through worse."

'I know ya have.' Heiji wanted to say, but he bit his tongue. He'd seen or heard much of it, though he was confident that Kudo had hidden some things he had gotten into from Heiji. For the sake of not worrying him, the idea makes Heiji even more concerned.

Kudo wasn't fragile, but the body he was stuck in might as well be. Some of the things Heiji has heard Kudo get into, god, he doesn't know how Kudo is even standing at this point. He doesn't want to be the reason for Kudo to end up gone. He wants to be able to protect the other, no matter what.

He knew he was overthinking this and that a simple cold couldn't damage even a real child much, but he was still worrying. He still could not handle it. It still made him more anxious than anything.

"I'm going to make ya some food. You know where to find me," Heiji got up. Letting Kudo rest was just the best option, and since it seemed like Kudo was trying to do that, Heiji wouldn't bother him.

Kudo wasn't asleep yet, but it seemed like he was close to nodding off, so Heiji tried his best to be as quiet as possible. He knew how little sleep the other gets, and if he could finally sleep for even a little, Heiji would be glad. He just had to be silent as he made food.

He let out a yawn as he made his way into his kitchen. His parents were gone again. It was not like he minded too much. He called both of them earlier to check in. His mom was...somewhere, but she said she would return in a few days. His dad was just caught up in work. Both had agreed to Kudo staying over beforehand, so it wasn't like he was hiding anything (well, maybe the fact they think Conan is staying over since the two are different people in everyone's eyes).

He wonders about Kudo's parents. Do they know about what Kudo has been through? How much are they involved in their son's life? Heiji knew they at least knew about their son shrinking and all the basic information. He'd met them, after all. But is that it? Do they even try to contact Kudo?

"There's not a lot that they could do, less what they would want to do."

It made Heiji bite his lip. He had an idea of what Kudo meant by that, but it was still vague enough to raise some questions in Heiji's mind. Questions that hurt his heart to think about.

Kudo was already so independent. How long has he been independent like this? How involved were his parents in his life? If Heiji's child ever was in a case like this, he would never leave his kids side. He doesn't understand how the Kudos can just leave their son like this.

Whatever, it's not like Heiji can fix that problem.
He focused on the food, trying to make something simple and small. Something that he knew Kudo could handle. He could help, just in his own, slow way.

He thought about the next few days. He knew there was no school to worry about. Kudo was thankfully not in school due to some incident happening.

If Kudo was in a worse state the next day, Heiji might just ask for him to stay a little longer. It can't hurt for a few more days to keep him here. Maybe it would help Heiji’s worry.

By the time he had finished making the food, he had gone back and found that Kudo was fast asleep. A miracle in these times, and Heiji was not going to wake him.

The only thing that he did was check Kudo’s fever. It felt like he was getting warmer, and so he had just changed the cooling pad on his friends face and thank god Kudo didn’t even stir.

For someone like Kudo, he didn’t even look peaceful in his sleep. His eyes were turned down in a way of stubbornness, and his body was tense.
Leave it to Kudo to not be able to relax even in his own sleep. Heiji sometimes wished it was the other way, but with how Kudo was, it was expected.
Kudo seemed fine for now, all Heiji did was lay down. He was exhausted. He had spent so much time worrying about Kudo that he barely slept, and if he did, it wasn’t restful.

He just closed his eyes and let his exhaustion take over. He was still aware of what was happening around him and he was confident that he would wake up if anything happened.
His mind in its half-sleep state thought about everything leading up to this. He thought about Kudo, how it was always a great time being around the other.

They really were best friends, and even if other people saw their friendship weird, they were stupid. They don’t know it all and don’t deserve to. Heiji would loudly annouce being best friends with Kudo even if he was really a 7 year old.
He could just imagine then hanging out if Kudo wasn’t sick. Just a simple tour around Osaka. Them just walking around.

He would show all of the great places to Kudo. All of the sightseeing places, all of the food, and even all of the corny tourist traps that he was sure even Kudo would find some amusement from.

Could even take him to some fancier places, he was invited to a party recently after all because of his connections to the host. He had solved a simple case and the host keeps inviting him to his annual parties. How amusing. At least the food was good. The hotel they were at was also beautiful.

He could imagine Kudo and him trying to guess the occupations of everyone. He could imagine the two bantering and going back and fourth about what opposing opinions they had.

Then maybe they would talk about all the recent cases that they have solved. All the ones that they had talked about over the phone. Kudo would talk about all his close cases with his identity being revealed, Heiji would talk about some quarrels between him and his dad about cases.

It would be fun. It would be normal. The most normal that the can can be in.

He could imagine then something happening. Loud sounds, glass breaking. Running even.
Fire burning all around him. Gunshots all around, cracking at the originally peaceful time.

He could hear shouting, could see blood, could see sights that even if he was used to, he still would freeze at.

Could feel Kudo pulling at him, getting them away from danger as he always does. Kudo saying something, but Heiji can’t feel his ears. Whatever he is saying, he couldn’t understand.

More fire. More gunshots. More screams. Why could he hear the screams but couldn’t hear Kudo?

They ran some more. Kudo guiding him to safety before running out and trying to save someone else, or even to stop the culprit.

But wait…Kudo would get hurt. Kudo wouldn’t come back. Kudo will probably get caught up in the fire or get shot and killed. Kudo would finally have his luck run out.

But wait. No. That can’t happen. Kudo can’t die. Why can’t Heiji move? Why won’t his legs work? What is happening?

He could hear something hit the ground. He could still hear the screams, but they quieted for him to see what it was that hit the floor.

It was Kudo.

He could feel his mouth moving to scream his friends name, but nothing came out. He could feel himself moving, moving to try and grab his friend, to try and-

Something that was freezing cold was on his head. His eyes shot open and he could feel his lungs working. Had they not been working before?

It was dark around him. There was no fire. There were no gunshots. There was no blood. There were no screams.

He wasn’t in a fancy hotel. He was in his room. It wasn’t daytime, it was nighttime. He was cold because there was no fire. He could feel something cold on his forehead, feeling it drip down his face.

Water?

“Hattori?”

A voice shook him as he shot up and looked to the source of it: Kudo. He seemed to look better than before, a concerned look on his face as his eyebrows were knit together.

“Are you okay?”

Kudo wasn’t on the ground bleeding. He was right next to Heiji. He was standing up, holding a glass of water.

He was okay.

“Oh…” Heiji paused for a moment before his best smile came into his face, “All good! Just a bad dream!”

Kudo’s face fell to a strained smile, one he gave when him and Hattori were messing around, almost sarcastic, “did you kill me in your dream again?”

“I did not!” Heiji shot up, putting a finger to Kudo’s head, at least he didn’t feel that warm anymore, “don’t go assumin’ that every bad dream I have ya die in!”

Kudo gave him a look but just shook his head.
“You seem fine. Here I thought you were dying in your own head.”

Heiji just sat back down, “how are you feeling?”
He didn’t care about himself, he cared about if Kudo was okay now. The dream left him shaken up, and even if Kudo looked fine, he still felt the gut wrenching feeling still lingering.

“Better,” Kudo looked out the window, “I guess we both slept all day.”

“We both must have needed it, at least yer feeling better,” Heiji looked at the ground for a moment, “ya need anything?”

“No, you?”

“To go back to sleep.”

Kudo just rolled his eyes before moving to the futon that Heiji had laid on, the one that was originally supposed to be Kudo’s.

“Probably for the best. Don’t sleep in.”

Thankfully the sleep that Heiji had gotten after that was dreamless.

Chapter Text

3.

Thank goodness that Kudo was feeling better by the next morning. Unfortunately, it would be their last day together. At least Ran wouldn't pick Kudo up until later into the night.

They had just finished getting food. Kudo was quiet for most of the day, but it wasn't unusual. He would respond like his normal self. He didn't have much to say about Osaka since Heiji wasn't exactly showing him the fun things.

For once, nothing happened around the two. Their morning had been all but chaotic. Even Heiji was confused. Being around Kudo usually meant some sort of case was bound to appear.

"Maybe yer still sick," he tried. The two were enjoying some coffee, standing beside his motorcycle. Kudo didn't look up from his drink, but his tone gave off the glare he wanted to give, "Your antenna isn't working today."

"Maybe we can enjoy some peace for once."

"Maybe being sick stops it, like it lessens the chances of something happening or you finding it.

"Stuff like that isn't real", Kudo explained so casually, even with a small laugh, "even if it did, I have dealt with multiple things while sick. It's just a quiet day."

Heiji just hummed. He had finished his drink a while ago, waiting for Kudo to finish his before they would go back to just riding around. That was sort of the idea of the day, just going around and seeing what they could see and doing what they could do.

"Maybe ya just jinxed us," Heiji laughed, looking at the sky. It was bright, with only a few clouds in the sky. Thank god it wasn't going to rain anymore. He hates the rain most days. Maybe he also doesn't want Kudo to get sick again.

Kudo hummed, "let's hope not."

They spent not too long riding around Osaka. Nothing insane was happening, and Heiji was keeping an eye out. Not that he wanted another case, but he wanted to find at least something interesting to finish the day off with Kudo with a bang.

Kudo seemed to be much better. There was a calm look on his face and the kindle of a fire in his eyes, waiting to be burned. Heiji was right. Just a few days with him, and he had Kudo feeling perfectly fine. Only one's best friend can do something like that.

Heiji always enjoyed just riding around on days when the chaos subsided. When there was nothing else to do, he wanted to clear his head. It probably wasn't the safest thing with how fast he went and how he went through traffic, but it comforted him. It helped.

Of course, he wasn't doing any of that with Kudo behind him. It wasn't that he didn't think Kudo could handle that. It was that he didn't want to risk anything. He didn't want the one time that he crashed to be the one where Kudo was with him. To be the reason Kudo gets hurt, Heiji wouldn't allow it.

While they were riding about, the duo noticed a commotion along a fairly crowded town area, specifically around an alleyway. There was no hesitation for the two to easily jump off and make their way over to the area of concern.

So much for their quiet day.

The sight of blood made Heiji move faster, and Kudo did the same. They both had arrived at the same time.

But there was no corpse. It was just a trail of blood. A trail of blood that left the two confused.

"Is anyone hurt?" Heiji called out, looking around, but no one seemed to be bleeding. There weren't many people around in general, and everyone just seemed confused and concerned.

The trail seemed to lead deeper into the alley, but the two were cautious. While Heiji loved to just jump right into things, there was a bad feeling in his stomach. Kudo must have felt it, too, since he was staying behind, looking around.

"You think someone is dead over there?" Kudo whispered to Heiji, eyes focused but also glancing around to look for anything else around him.

"Don't know, but we hafta check," he responded as the two slowly made their way around the corner. Heiji stood in front of Kudo. He knew the other was strong, but he just couldn't help being the one in front.

Being the one protecting.

There was no disappointment when the trail stopped, but it did fuel their curiosity more. The alley was small; there was nothing of interest around besides the blood, but the trail stopped almost midway so suddenly.

"It's definitely real blood," Kudo looked around, walking all around this alley and eyeing things, "but the trail stops here, and I don't know where else it could have gone. There are no boxes big enough to fit a body in them."

"See anythin' suspicious?"

"Nothing that I can connect. We must not be seeing something; a corpse doesn't just disappear."

The trail of blood made it clear enough that it was at least a human body being dragged, but Heiji disliked the idea that it was a corpse that they were locating. Maybe it was just someone hurt, someone who needed their help.

They both agreed to step outside and wait for the police to arrive. They could investigate what they wanted, of course, but it was better to have at least some form of law enforcement nearby.

It didn't take too long for the police to arrive. With that, they had started questioning everyone around. Heiji stood nearby and listened; his presence was known, but he stayed behind to observe everyone from afar. The culprit had to be around here. There was no doubt about it.

The two had split up after a while, much to Heiji's hesitance. Kudo was better at investigating things like that because he was small and, as much as Heiji hates to admit it, had a better eye for things.

Speaking of Kudo, he was was... somewhere. Heiji knew he was investigating the alley for anything, but he hadn't come out in a while. He hadn't said anything, and Heiji was starting to get worried because of that.

Maybe he came out earlier? Gave a hint to the officers? Poked at a culprit?

"Oi," he called over the police, no one he knew sadly. All were familiar faces, of course, but no one that he exactly knew, "have any of ya seen Conan?"

"The brat?" One of them looked up, "I thought he was around you?"

Okay, never mind. Guess not. Kudo must still be around the alley. That was probably fine. He knew how to handle himself. He knew how to

"I'm gonna go look for 'im then," he announced before walking towards the scene, which had an officer lurking around and writing things down, who immediately perked up at seeing Heiji walk down it.

"Hey, no one can be down here," he grumbled, glaring at Heij.

"I won't interrupt yer work, have ya seen the kid from earlier around here?"

"A kid?" The officer shook his head, "I haven't seen a kid around here. I wouldn't have let him around here. Is he your brother?"

"I thought I saw you talking to 'im earlier," Heiji's eyes narrowed, "he gave ya something."

The officer just looked more confused, eyes furrowing as if trying to feel for a specific expression.

"Whatever, I'm goin' to look around."

He didn't respond not like Heiji cared. Kudo was nowhere to be found, and that was what he worried about more. For being so small, he has a loud presence. He has a presence that Heiji was always able to tell.

He knew Kudo could handle himself. The guy does it almost every day, but that was the problem. That is what made Heiji hate the situation his friend is put in.

Because even if he knows his friend is the exact same age as him, sometimes he can't help but see Kudo as a kid, as someone who is 7 or 8. A kid who is running around like a detective and getting himself into way more trouble than he should be getting into.

The idea of that stupid Organization finding him made Heiji shutter. He still looks. He still tries to find at least something with the little information he has.

Kudo isn't the only one that wants to take them down after all.

Heiji sighed as he looked around. His anxieties wrapped around his mind, and he tried to whisper that he was taken by those people. But Kudo was smart. Kudo has been thinking about these people for a while. He wouldn't just get taken so easily.

As he walked, he felt something against his legs, a gentle breeze almost. It was odd because he wasn't feeling that anywhere else in the alley. The air felt weird around here as well.

He looked around and spotted some boxes against the wall. It wasn't in an odd formation or in an odd spot. Garbage was always piled in these areas, after all. But it seemed to be in a too convenient spot. There weren't many boxes in the other areas, after all.

When he pushed them to the side, there was a weird part of the wall cut out. It seemed broken, a perfect way for someone to sneak in and out of the building that was there.

"Oi Kudo!" Heiji yelled out, "are ya in 'ere?"

No response. Heiji's voice only echoed, but he still had a bad feeling about this all. There was some blood around this area, only small splatters that had the look that they were supposed to be wiped away.

He ducked under for a moment and stepped inside the building. It was dark, almost pitch black inside. There was some light from the windows, but those were rare.

"Kudo?" Heiji asked, a little quieter now. His gut did not like this. There had to be something to this case inside of here, and that means Kudo was probably in here.

The question is if he got caught in it or if he was just looking around was stuck in his head. He could only take a deep breath in and comfort himself. Kudo knew what he was doing. He had gotten through a lot of bad situations before. This was nothing.

Heiji just continued to walk around the building at a pretty fast pace, of course. He wanted to make sure that he wouldn't leave any clue behind. A clue that leads to the case and a clue that may lead to Kudo, wherever he is.

He thought about calling out to the officers and telling them to try and look around in here, but he disregarded it. He had jumped into it, and he didn't care for any other help.

A breath and he kept going. He tried piecing the crime together, but there were not a lot of clues. There was really only the blood, and that doesn't get anyone that far.

What does this building have to do with this all? He wished Kudo was around. They could combine heads. Maybe the other has more information than Heiji.

He looked and looked, only to find nothing. There was no other clue that there was some life in this building. It almost seemed abandoned at this point.

"Maybe this building has nothin' to do with the case-" Heiji mumbled to himself before he turned the corner and found a single room that had light leaking out of it. A bright light too. He rushed down and when he arrived, he was horrified with what he had seen.

At the centre of the room, there was a young girl, no older than 13. She was tied up and bleeding out of a head wound. Her mouth was covered by duct tape but she was awake, screaming something against it. She was crying too, poor thing must have been so scared.

He rushed over to her and started to undo the ropes around her arms and legs.

"It's gonna be okay, I've gotcha," he spoke quietly. This meant that whoever did this was nearby. This means that now he had to be cautious. The culprit could be anywhere now.

He ripped the tape off of her mouth gently, trying not to hurt her any more than she already was. She would need a hospital for a head wound like that, and it seemed that she was bleeding from other injuries on her body.

"There was another kid!" She cried out, hiccuping between her tears as Heiji worked on her wrists, "he came in to help me but the guy came back and got to him!"

That meant that Kudo once again got himself into another situation. Heiji cursed and get her fully free. She did nothing but thank him and cry. By the looks of it, she was stuck in here for at least a few hours.

"Did you see where they went?"

She was rubbing her tears away with some smaller sobs as she shook her head, "Da-... he just put a rag over the kid's mouth and dragged him away...I'm sorry mister..."

Kudo could handle himself. He was going to be fine. At least, that is what Heiji tried to tell himself. He tried to convince himself that the kidnapped girl was his top priority. He needed to get her back to safety.

"Don't worry, it will be fine," he got up and gestured her to follow him, "let's getcha to safety first. Can you walk?"

She sniffled and just nodded as she stood up and wobbled a little bit, but was able to walk alright after a few moments. She followed Heiji closely. Heiji stayed in front of course, making sure no harm came to the girl as he went through the building.

She didn't utter a word, nor did Heiji. He was too focused on trying to figure out where Kudo was. He had to be nearby. The kidnapper would not just leave the girl tied up in that room if he was planning on abandoning her.

He had to be nearby. There was no doubt about it. Heiji would give her to the authorities, tell them what he knew, and then he would immediately run to look for Kudo. That's what was going to happen.

"Stop right there!" A voice boomed throughout the corridor that they were in. Heiji instantly swerved around, pushing the girl behind him as he stood in front to be able to protect her.

The man appeared, holding a gun in one hand and holding a very familiar child in his other.

"K-" Heiji started but was stopped by a gunshot.

"Don't even try to speak," he huffed, pointing the gun that he had just shot at the wall to Kudo's head, who was still knocked out by the looks of his closed eyes and limp body, "you seem to know what will happen if I do."

The girl curled closer to Heiji, shaking. He put his arm behind him to try to add a little more protection to her.

"Now, just give me my kid," he stepped a little closer to the two, to which Heiji took a step backwards.

Heiji's mouth twitched to give some sort of witty response, but with the gun right against Kudo's temple, he refrained himself.

"Did you hear me?!" He shouted, gun now pointed at Heiji and the girl, "Give me my daughter!"

"People don't jus' kidnap their children," Heiji stammered out.

"She's my daughter!" He stepped foward again, gun aimed right at Heiji's forehead, "I have your brother and you have my daughter! Hand her over!"

Brother? That threw Heiji's head for a loop as he went to say something, but he was cut off.

"Dad!" the girl finally called out, "please don't do this! Don't hurt them!"

So they were related? That explains a little. Then, could this be a case of an ex-husband getting revenge?

Even after calling him 'dad', the girl still cowared behind Heiji. She was still scared. That means that there was no way he was letting her go with him.

"I'm not letting ya hurt her," he spoke slowly, stepping forward a little bit.

"Then your brother-" he moved the gun, but in that split second, Heiji had managed to knock the gun out of his hands, sending it flying across the corridor.

"Don't even think about it," Heiji glared at the man. He saw how his hands slightly shook after every shot he did. He saw how weak his hold was when he was aiming at Heiji.

"Dad..." the girl stepped to the side, "just stop. You hurt mom, you hurt me."

He shuddered before tears formed in his eyes. He shakily stepped up to Heiji and handed him Kudo gently. He turned to his daughter after with a trembling lip.

"Sweetie...please...."

She stepped back, shaking her head.

That broke the staw. The father broke down in tears as Heiji just watched. The girl looked up at him before looking at her father. There was still a look of some care in her eyes, but it was the eyes of someone who had been hurt by their family.

Heiji just guided her out and the father turned himself in. It was a happy ending. The case solved itself. No one was hurt.

Well-

"Absolutely not."

Kudo was better now, and the two were at the train station. Heiji had been pestering him about how people usually see the two as brothers. He gave the idea to say that he and Conan were half brothers.

"Why not?" Heiji grinned as he walked a little ahead, "it makes things a little easier."

"It does not," Kudo grumbled before trying to squirm, "and can you let me down?"

"No way!" Heiji grinned as he held Kudo in his arms, holding onto his bags as well as they stood at the station, "I gotta show her that I got you back safe and sound!"

"You don't have to carry me," Kudo grumbled, but he had stopped squirming a while ago.

"Awww, but isn't that was brothers do?"

Kudo didn't say anything at that. Apparently, he was awake for the entire exchange, but he was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Well, that was before Heiji had taken things over.

Heiji laughed about the brothers thing while Kudo had just grumbled about it, saying how they looked nothing alike.

"Oh! Hattori-kun! Conan-kun!" Ran's voice finally made its way through the crowded station.

"Oi," he greeted with a smile as he set down Kudo's bags, "I told ya I would be able to fix 'im!"

She looked at Kudo, and her smile widened. It seemed like she was at least a little bit nervous to see how this ending was.

"Hi Conan-kun!" She greeted, "you seem to be in a better mood!"

"Ran-nēchan," Kudo mumbled out, switching back to his childish voice, "can we go home now? Heiji-niichan is acting weird."

Heiji finally set Kudo down and gave a little wave to the two. She was right. Kudo was in a better mood. Even after what happened that morning (which the two agreed to not mention around her), he was acting more like himself.

"Thank you again, Hattori-kun," Ran gave a small bow and took Kudo's hand and bag, "we will see you soon! With Kazuha-chan!"

"Sure!" He called out, shooting a small look to Kudo, who ignored it like always before the two disappeared into the crowd. He kept his word: he helped Kudo. Maybe he didn't exactly keep the other safe, but he was safe now.

That's all Heiji needed to worry about now.

Chapter Text

Okay so uhm

Hey guys what’s up v cool author here…probably long awaited

I actually forgot the email and account information for this account and just sprung upon it while deep cleaning my room (i was locked out for like months and didn’t know the email)

So uh, maybe I’ll finish this? I mean I have most of the next chapter written i just lost speed for it and lost the account for a bit

so if yall want me to update I can?

Chapter Text

okay.

i know i said i would update this and i havent and i really apologise for that life got in the way and i couldn't do anything, but i am going to try to get back into this, but i also dont like the current way this is going nor most of the chapters, so instead:

I am going to rewrite it, same concept, but the 2nd and 3rd chapters stories will be altered significantly, i want a story that feels genuine to the relationship between Shinichi and Heiji and I dont think my current writing and story direction are indicating that, so I am already working on updating the chapters, so once the rewritten 1st chapter gets posted, the rest are getting deleted and reworked on

Im going to do my best to stick to a schedule now as well, to prevent burnout and all, so uh yeah

stay tuned or something