Something had been fishy when Neechan and Kazuha all but dragged Kudou to Neechan's room after they had gotten back from the mess that had been the café. He had not been allowed in, for some reason or another. It was driving him up the wall, tempting him to inch a little closer. Maybe then he'd be able to tell what the hell was going on.
It didn't help when Kazuha came out to check what he was doing about half an hour later as he watched the door, tapping his foot. Like she was making sure he wasn't eavesdropping. It just made it all the more suspicious to him. He debated entering, especially when he overheard some louder noises that only lasted a few moments. Maybe Kudou was in trouble, maybe he was enjoying this shit. Traitorous little bastard. He crossed his arms and seethed. Peeking in was looking mighty tempting, and hell, it was taking all of him to just not act impulsively.
When the group finally emerged, he tried to catch Kudou by himself to get an idea of what was happening. However, the lil' shit was tight lipped, for some reason. His eyebrow twitched as he thought back on it. They had gone in soon after, with Kazuha saying something or other about some sort of gang.
He really, really wanted to find out what was going on behind that door.
And so, he decided the most logical thing to do was to just… go inside. No more waiting and attempting to strain his ears to hear without being caught.
And so he stood, steeled himself, and strode to the door, opening it with a burst and a scowl to find…
What.
When he regained his senses and stopped staring, he quickly left the room, closing the door and hurrying away. While he heard some nervous laughter in his wake from Neechan, he had no idea what that was about.
And, at the moment, he didn't want to find out anyway, pacing around the room to try and figure out just what was happening outside of that… incident. The why, really. From what he saw, it was a fairly normal sleepover, although they seemed to have gotten drinks this late at night… and had set up a small table of some sorts to drink and eat stuff on. It sounded pretty innocent, but he still had his suspicions. It was just so odd… they had never included Kudou in their activities before, the ones they tended to do together when they hung out. At least, not if he wasn't invited…
His mind worked, turning the pieces of evidence he had seen to reach some sort of conclusion. All he was able to discern, however, is that they had taken Conan with them because they needed him for something. Something they didn't need HIM for. Was it for a surprise and asking Kudou to get information on him for a present? Was it to grill Kudou about him? Was it to rope him into some sort of scheme? Was it to discuss things about kids? (Kazuha did have an interest in learning to take care of 'em and all) But why leave him out of the last one without telling him it's what they were up to? He'd have definitely stepped back then, let Kudou deal with that shit.
No, he was sure, it was something they didn't want the uninvited to know about. Kazuha looked like the ringleader, not Neechan… and it was likely something they orchestrated while him and his fellow detective had been away. After all, before then, Kazuha had no intention speaking to 'Conan'.
Hm.
He didn't have enough to work with. Scrubbing at his hair in frustration, Heiji sighed, then trudged off to the old man's room. Might as well sleep for now, sometimes pillows made for good counsel. He'd figure it out, or wring it out of Kudou before they left.
…
…
That is… if the old man could stop snoring so he could get some goddamn sleep.
"Curse ya for leavin' me alone ta suffer this hell, Kudou…" Heiji grumbled under his breath.
Being unable to sleep much, Heiji stalked out of the room a little after sunrise, pacing once more. He tried to check Neechan's room, or at least try to overhear, but there were no more noises now… they had all gone to bed.
There didn't seem to be signs they had left the room, aside from the dishes being washed… it looks like someone came back last night to do those. Or all of them did. He wasn't sure, there was not much of an indication of how many hands were responsible for the work.
For all his scrutiny, he couldn't find anything out of place, and while he was sure he could probably enter the room now, Heiji knew Kazuha was a light sleeper, and Kudou tended to vary in his experience. He didn't want to risk being caught peeking in. To his knowledge, the only one who slept like a log was Neechan, from some things Kudou had told him.
And so, he paced, had something to eat to calm his stomach, then paced some more. His thoughts ran in circles, as he had very little to go on, to help him along into making that deduction. He had no one to ask, and he knew if he barged into that room he'd get yelled at, probably, so all he could do was think.
So lost in thought he was, in fact, that he was almost startled when a door opened, only to spot Kudou walking towards the kitchen in a sleepy stupor. He followed after the shorter detective, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket, feeling a little grouchy.
"Kudou..." Heiji started, watching as 'Conan-kun' pulled out some food from the fridge to heat up. No other reason to take out food you should eat warm, unless he was one of those weirdos that ate cooked food cold. "What happened last night?" At least, he could finally know. Without Kudou being surrounded by the others, there was no need for the guy to lie to him, right?
"Just a lot of pillow talk." Was the fairly dismissive answer, at least in his opinion, and Heiji tried his best not to seethe. He failed. Kudou continued to prepare his breakfast. "Some stuff you're better off not knowing." Plate was popped in the microwave, and Heiji felt his temper warm up with the food as well.
"Don'tcha give me that, Kudou." It was a warning, and Heiji was sure the other could hear his intent. "What was it they talked about with ya? And what was up with when I opened the door?" Well, that second part was the least of his worries, but if he could get answers for that as well, he'd feel a lot better.
The answer he got was… fairly honest. It had been a dare, he had walked right into it. Kudou wasn't lying, even if the bastard had gotten good at certain lies, and after a blink and absorbing the information, he nodded, but nudged the other to continue along with words. What else? Anything ABOUT him? He had come to that conclusion, at least… it was what made the most sense.
Kudou's answer, while evasive, was a message he understood enough. The gist of what had been said was that Kazuha actually liked him back, and the topic of conversation was probably about him as he had somewhat suspected. Specifically, love related. As such, for now, he stepped back, knowing he had stepped on a boundary on accident. It wasn't like he intended to make Kudou feel worse about his situation when presented with, well, Heiji's own.
It was just something that couldn't be helped. For all the mishaps, he had it better than the Detective of the East.
Kudou went to sit down, and once he was, Heiji followed after, settling himself across from him.
What he didn't expect, however, was for Kudou to continue. His eyebrows rose in interest as he was told a little more about last night, leaning forward. Now it made sense that Kazuha didn't want to tell him, and why Kudou avoided talking to him when the girls were around. It wasn't just that they didn't want him to know, it was because it was about him in a very… ah, in a sense she wouldn't have wanted Heiji to know. He was sure of that. Still, it was vague. He needed more. "Like what, Kudou? What did you answer?" What kind of things did they ask for, specifically.
Kudou seemed hesitant, perhaps a little concerned, but before his fellow detective could answer him, voices spoke up from behind. Heiji almost jumped, having been so into the conversation. Neechan walked out, dressed properly like he was, and Kazuha stumbled out soon after in a little more of a mess. It seemed to Heiji that it was him and Neechan who were morning people, while the other two were definitely not. It was kind of funny, really.
Kazuha came to take a seat with them, only to inform him… they were already leaving? What? He didn't miss the affectionate gesture towards Kudou, but suppressed his jealousy bubbling underneath. Kudou took it in stride, all things considered.
"Already? What?" He hadn't finished questioning his buddy here! He made sure the other knew, eyeing him until Kudou looked back at him. It wasn't over! He'd learn what had happened in that room, if he had to phone the guy until Kudou got sick of 'im.
Kazuha had a good point, even if he didn't like being bossed around to go get his stuff. There was no point in delaying it out of spite, especially now that Neechan was here. Almost like the no fight zone had spread through the entire room. With a grumble, he stood and left to gather his stuff as Kudou trotted off to probably wash his plate. The packing didn't take him long, even if it was annoying to be in the same room as the old man (dude kept talking in his sleep!), as he had already done most of it.
He returned to a strange scene, one he felt he was missing context on. There was nothing odd about it, other than how oddly close Kudou and Neechan were, or the fact that all three looked like they were sharing some sort of idea without even speaking.
He voiced his concerns. "Why do ya three look like yer about to play a prank on someone?" Heiji asked, genuinely curious. Neechan and Kudou had the dignity to try and look innocent. Kazuha, however, didn't. Maybe she knew it was futile, maybe she thought it was funny. "Nothin', nothin'," Kazuha said, lies and slander he was sure, "lets go."
Kazuha turned her attention to Neechan, apologized, and headed off to wash her plate as Heiji waited for her to finish, now unable to ask Kudou questions, since they were far too close. Once Kazuha was done, he headed out with her, still a little off-put from not knowing everything. Curiosity was killing him, dammit!
He was about to give his own goodbyes as Kazuha said her own, when he caught the last tidbit.
'Shinichi-kun?!'
His stomach dropped. He was sure his heart backflipped. Heiji stared incredulously at Kazuha, then at the two Tokyoites as they took it in stride and merely waved after them. Kudou's face had a fucking shit-eating grin, and Kazuha was no better. Sputtering to ask for answers, Heiji was dragged off by his childhood friend, trying to simultaneously yell out and contain his outburst.
Whaaaaat?!
Now on the way home, Heiji had three hours to kill, as they had to take the Hikari line due to the Nozumi being completely booked (besides, it wasn't covered by the Rail Pass anyway). Kazuha, of course, refused to say anything, and he figured it made sense, because as of now his most pressing questions had to do with an identity they were supposed to hide. As such, he texted Kudou.
It took the bastard 20 minutes to get around to answering. He had seen it right away. That little shit.
Only for his fucking answer to be 'I know.' No shit he knew he had a lot of explaining to do! 'Then why dontcha start?' He typed up heatedly, Kazuha idly texting next to him.
The next response from Kudou, however, took him by surprise. 'Hang on, it's better if we all talk'. What? 'Ran's making the group now.' Wait. Oh. He peered at Kazuha's phone, and before she turned away while sticking her tongue out at him, he managed to catch the last part. It seemed Neechan had sent her something similar. Looks like the two who could actually speak out loud about this at the moment to each other had come to an agreement.
It explained the delay, but just a little.
The chat was created, and soon after that, Kudou sent a text.
'So, uh, due to unforeseen circumstances, Ran-neechan and Kazuha-neechan are in'. He was confused by his use of honorifics, before realizing it was the Conan phone he was using. It didn't take him long to realize it was for precaution, especially with Kudou using mostly hiragana in his text.
As much as he may make jabs at the guy for his acting on occasion, he was actually pretty good. He was using too many big words, though. Then again, 'Conan-kun' did, so he supposed it was still in character . God, he'd hate to have to keep track of a fake personality's quirks and shit.
Another text was sent. 'We should meet up when we have a time and place set up.' Kudou again, with a cute little sticker afterwards to boot of a cat. Too far, dude. 'I hope your trip goes well!'
'Aw, thanks, Conan-kun!' That was Kazuha. He side-eyed her, and she ignored him with a grin. 'Make sure to let us know as soon as possible, okay?'
'How'd ya two get in, anyway?' Heiji finally asked, deciding to try to use vague language like they were, but also getting straight to the point. He saw no need to beat around the bush so much. 'Conan-kun is generally a jealous doorman.' Yeah, the lil shit didn't spill easy unless you blackmailed him or something.
What the hell did they find to blackmail him, anyway? And when? Or did he just slip up during conversation?
'We found his phone for him.' Was Neechan's answer, and his eyes widened. 'It seemed he had misplaced it.' Wait, wait, wait… they found Kudou's phone? Or Conan's phone? And when?
'So we thought we ought to give it back to him when you two came back.' Kazuha finished. Wow. Brutal. Kudou left his older self's phone upstairs, that had to be it. If during their talk Neechan had decided to text Kudou and they found it…
'It's not like I can't say it's not mine, and I didn't want to, so I let them in. It's okay, though. I don't mind.' Was Kudou's response. He had to wonder how much of that was true.
Kudou was stellar at putting up with shit he shouldn't without yelling like HE would have.
'Oh.' Heiji responded. He wanted to ask if he was really okay with it, but it felt like thin ice to walk, especially on a group chat, on the train, with strangers nearby.
Instead, he followed with the next. 'What's with how ya talk about Neechan's man, Kazuha?' He decide to ask, 'smoothly' changing the subject. As subtle as a bull in a china shop, but hey.
'Jealous?' Kazuha asked, adding a winking face, and Hattori tried not to yell in frustration. That little… taking it in a completely different direction. 'No!' He typed in return.
It just got worse.
'I guess that's what Heiji-niichan really wanted to talk about.' Kudou, you little shit-
'I think it's sweet that he noticed.' Not Neechan too!
'I'm surprised he did.' KAZUHA!
'I'm not.' Oh, thanks, Kudou- 'I'm surprised he didn't yell about it right there and then.' NEVERMIND.
'I hate all of you.' He finally typed in, face forming into a scowl, before deciding to score some revenge points.
The train ride back home suddenly went a lot faster.
While he understood Kudou's precautions, it didn't mean he wouldn't get impatient while he waited for a response for a time and place. It felt like too long a wait when the guy confirmed their meeting place. Tension between him and Kazuha was a little biting, they both rose to a spat quicker than usual. He knew it, she knew it, and it had to do around a little secret he had been privy to but she had not.
At least, on his fourth call to Kudou, the guy had told him more about that night. Not much he could divulge due to a rule between the three involved, but he supposed he could at least give them that. At least now he had a bigger idea of what had gone on, and a bigger grip on what had actually driven the other detective to confess when he had pushed his way out of that before.
And so, when they finally got a time and place, Heiji felt a bit of a weight lift from him, as well as anticipation. Kudou had said during one of their calls, there were things he wanted to tell him about too. He figured it was just new case stuff or something, the guy had never left him out before.
Right?
It was a sentiment he carried as he arrived to Tokyo, as Neechan took him to Kudou's house, as the guy received them and tried to host. As Kudou told the two of why he was as he was, with a little more detail than he had heard the first time. He held onto that sentiment until Kudou finally said… he had kept things from him too. About a dangerous guy!
Before he could yell at his friend for doing that, however, reasons were given, and while it did not take the anger away, something else did.
Kudou accidentally outed the small Neechan.
While the guy tried to recover, Hattori wasn't sure if he should laugh, yell or slap his forehead. Kudou was in worse shape than he thought - but his thoughts were interrupted before that one was allowed to finish, Kazuha turning towards him to ask him about his particular nickname for the little girl next door.
He stuck his tongue out at her and laughed, and he wasn't really sure why. Maybe it was the nerves, maybe because it was funny even if the nickname technically outed her, maybe it was that he wasn't sure how to release anger from the betrayal that hadn't left his feelings.
The feeling settled deeper as Kudou spoke of things, some he knew of, others he did not.
How much does trust mean ta this guy?! Heiji seethed to himself, until he couldn't let it brew any longer. The FBI that apparently knew his identity was the tipping point.
"Ya didn't tell me about that either, Kudou." His voice showed his anger, in his opinion, as he leaned forward to observe further, but perhaps also intimidate. He was feeling really close to an outburst. "How much have ya been hiding?" From him. He thought the dude trusted him! He valued the truth over all!
And then, Kazuha slapped him. His eyes widened as he looked at her, rubbing his cheek, and he realized several things in that moment.
-He was in the same room as two other people who had been told even less.
-Kudou had likely done that for a reason, the guy never seemed to have liked lying.
-In fact, he had explained his reasoning before, and now that he thought back on it, it made sense.
-He had the least right to feel offended of not being told, when the person across from them who was not the eastern detective had known Kudou for far longer, and was only now being told the truth.
Kazuha scolded him, and he huffed about it. The slap had been enough, thank you. "Oi, Kazuha." He started, getting ready for another argument, when a voice stopped him. Neechan had her ways in being a presence that forced a stalemate. "Not right now, Hattori-kun-" She spoke, only to be interrupted by Kazuha. She was promptly scolded as well.
He turned to look at Neechan and Kudou, Kazuha doing the same, and stared blankly as he tried to gather his wits about him. Well, he was still feeling a bit of a sting but… the slap helped more than he was willing to admit. He rubbed his cheek, but took offense as Kazuha slid away from him, turning away from her as well as he crossed his arms and pouted. Two could play at that game!
Of course, he refocused back his attention to Kudou, but that was information he already knew. He felt this meeting was reaching its endpoint, at the very least, on the reveal end, until Neechan asked a question in particular.
One he had not thought about either as he watched Kudou struggle with words.
And then, he watched Kudou admit he had never thought about it.
It didn't take a genius to figure out WHY Neechan had thought about it. Simply, it had been a question that had been on her mind since she was told how dangerous this was. Perhaps, it had been a question she had thought of even before this meeting. It had taken some time for them to meet up… it left plenty of thinking time about things one did not understand.
What Heiji didn't know, and he was sure Kudou did not know either, is why exactly they had not thought of that themselves. Why even the paranoid small Neechan hadn't. Why were their mentalities so black and white on the subject?
Kudou's words made sense, but it'd be something he'd think about himself on his own time.
And then Kazuha went out of her way to throw him under the bus. "Hey!"
He'd think about the questions Neechan had posed to him unknowingly later, right now he had a fight to win.