Friday, February 28
7: 00 AM He comes home today. Not that I'm looking forward to it or anything. That ahou can go wherever he wants, whenever he wants. Stupid perks of stupid job. Hate him very much. Very very much.
7:10 AM I wonder if he brought me anything?
7:11 AM He better have. If he can't take me along, the least he could do would be buy me a nice souvenir to apologize. Could also kiss me but I won't get my hopes up and believe that he somehow came to his senses and grew to maturity in span of two weeks in Tokyo with Shinichi.
7:20 AM Still don't understand how, if he was in Tokyo with said male best friend, did not bring female best friend to spend time with male best friend's female best friend. Am overthinking as evidenced by last sentence.
7:23 AM Am not overthinking! I mean, Ran and I could have had lots of fun and bought lots of things in two weeks. … Oh, perhaps have discovered reason didn't go. Credit card happy did not go.
9:00 AM I will not go pick him up at the airport. He needs to get a taxi. His parents may be out of town but that gives him no leave to demand rides of me. If need be, he can hitchhike. The ahou.
9: 30 AM Perhaps will pick him up, soley for fear that scary man will pick up dear friend from airport, rape him, and then take my present. For sake of present, will pick ahou up. But will not be happy about it.
9:32 AMHave forgotten what time plane comes in.
12:00 AM Plane is coming in in an hour. Sure is boring in the airport. Can only look through souvenirs of home town for so long before getting urge to either visit a local landmark or move away. I think we'll stop by a park on the way home. Boys love parks. Or I just feel the need. Whatever. He'll have to deal with it.
Still am bored, though. Oh, that man looks intestesting. Ooh, people watching. I forgot that that is the best activity at the airport. More fun without Heiji as he can always pick out more intestintg things than I can.
12: 10 AMOkay, maybe I miss him a tiny, little bit. But tiny and quite little. Because he could have told me many things about passerby that I can not notice. Stupid hyperattentive detective brats.
12: 15 AM I swear, for all the things he can notice at the drop of a hat, how can he not notice my feelings? Hyperattentive my ass. More like hypernaive. The stupid ahou. I just—argh!
12:30 AM Have calmed self. Remember that being hyperattentive does not make him any smarter. Or less of an ahou.
12:31 AM His stupid plane needs to get in so I can whack him one.
Saturday, February 29
8: 00 AM He got off the plane at one, a stupid grin on his face. He was holding his carry on in the manner of one trying to carry off precious jewels from a botched heist. I waved my hands in the air to try and get his attention. He saw me and grinned even wider. I did my best to ignore the fluttering in my stomach. When he had made his way through the crowd, he gave me a hug. Him. Heiji. Gave me a hug. I'm still not quite over that.
"Someone's a little happy to be back on solid ground," I played it off. "I still don't know why you didn't just drive up on your motorcycle."
"But then where would I keep my things?" he asked, with a bit of a point, I guess. "Besides," he grinned, "how else would I get a pretty welcoming committee? I doubt you would wait in my garage all afternoon."
I ignored the comment as best I could. I mean, I'm sure it just slipped through. He didn't mean it. He couldn't have.
"Well, anyways," I muttered, "we should get you home and unpacked. Come on, I have the car in the parking garage." He nodded and grabbed his bag. Luckily, he hadn't needed to stow anything and we were out of the airport in ten minutes. The ride home consisted of him telling me all about what he did in Tokyo, mostly consisting of dead bodies literally and figuratively throwing themselves at Shinichi and him. I wasn't sure how to broach the subject of presents but I finally stubbled across a quite refined way of bringing it up.
"So," I began, "did you pick anything up on your way home?" He blinked.
"Pick anything up?"
"You know," I tried to not sound foolish or greedy, "like maybe a keychain or some candy or—"
"You want to know if I brought you a souvenir," he grinned smugly.
"No!" I exclaimed indignantly, He looked at me. "Okay," I gave in, "so maybe I did. So .. did you?"
"Not telling," he fired back. "You'll just have to see in a little bit." Which, of course, means yes or else he would be a whole other matter of ahou and wouldn't live to see the light of the next day.
We got back to his house and unpacked. Well, he did as for some reason he didn't want me near his carry on bag. Indignant but not exactly mad about not having to do any work, I sat on his bed and talked while he put everything away. Finally, everything was packed into his room and he sat down next to me and we talked. Or argued. Different names for the same thing, really.
The welcome party was cut short by a phone call from my father telling me that he was going to be home early for once and was hoping I wasn't busy so that we could have dinner together. Heiji understood, for once, and told me that we should have dinner tonight. And so yes. I'm having dinner with him tonight. I don't quite understand as typically haviing dinner with Heiji involves cooking him dinner and/or takeout. This is a first in Hattori world. I don't know what to think. Should I be nervous? Am going to call Ran and see if she has any idea what kind of miraculous changes occurred in Tokyo.
10:00 AM Stunning, confusing news. Heiji apparently bought me something and didn't show Ran what it was as infered, correctly, that we would talk before he had the chance to give it to me. This led, of course, to wild speculation between Ran and I; however, we have decided that it is probably a keychain or something of the like. Well, I have concluded that anyway. Ran is still convinced he's going to propose to me tonight. Which is just silly, of course. I mean, the first time Shinichi took her out to dinner, he chased a corpse and didn't come back. Am sure own dinner will have same result.
"But, silly, why would he refuse to show me if it weren't something big? Something big like an engagement ring," She tried to sound convincing.
"Maybe," I replied, "because he knew we would talk like this and get all worked up and he finds it a silly joke."
"He wouldn't do that," she pleaded.
"No," I said knowingly, "he would."
"Well, regardless of what it is, you have to call me tomorrow or tonight and tell me."
I agreed because you just don't say no to your best girlfriend like that but now I actually am nervous. I mean, I'm sure it's something silly that doesn't mean anything but hearing Ran go on and on makes me wonder.
Ooh, telephone.
10:25 AM Was Shinichi telling me not to listen to Ran because she was so worked up. He was sure it was something special but was in no way an engagement ring because, really, we were talking about Heiji. Agreed but then asked him what he was doing at Ran's house at 9 in the morning. Phone conversation ended abruptly.
Sunday, March 1
11:00 AM Got to dinner a little before him, which was odd. Normally, Heiji is punctual to a fault and I'm the one trailing behind. Attributed strange attitude to not being used to having to be dressed up to go to dinner and forgetting; we were meeting at one of the most expensive places in Osaka. I wasn't sure why as Heiji typically disliked "gourmet" food but I had done my best to dress up anyway, in my favorite green dress that went down to my knees and the best necklace I could find, rummaging through my jewelry case. I felt I looked rather nice and, judging by Heiji's face when he ran up the sidewalk towards me, he thought so, too.
"So, you ready to go?" he asked expectantly. I felt my head cock to the side.
"Go in, you mean?" I replied as if talking to the Shounen Tantei and not best friend/quasi-boyfriend. He smiled, rather cheekily, I thought.
"No. This isn't where we're eating." I stared at him, hard. This was also when I realized that he wasn't dressed up at all. Here I was, dressed to the nines, with Heiji in jeans and a t-shirt. I fumed.
"So, where are we eating, hotshot?" He grinned wider.
"You'll see. Come on," he grabbed my hand and dragged me towards his bike, which was parked down the street. I wasn't sure if I should be angry, surprised, curious, or fluttery. I stuck with good old trusty angry.
"You ahou. What do you think you're doing!" He shoved a helmet in my hand.
"I think I'm taking you out to dinner and you shouldn't be complaining," he huffed and took the helmet from my hands (which he had set there in the first place) and shoved it on my head before spinning me around and setting me on the bike. I ignored how my stomach lurched at the whole sequence of events and glared at him. He sighed and jumped on the bike in front of me, waiting just a few seconds before he reached behind, grabbed my arms, wrapped them around him, waited until I squeezed back, and took off. Honestly. As if I wouldn't do that myself.
We drove past plenty of the restraunts that we usually eat at, mainly fast food. I watched them fly by and looked forward at the boy in front of me. Wherever we were going, he was determined.
We finally slowed to a stop in a residential area. I looked around to discover we were in front of his house. His house! I punched him in the shoulder.
"You should have told me we were just coming back to your house. I would've come over earlier and more properly dressed, come to think of it." He shook his head.
'No, no. You had to go there. It'd just be no fun, you coming to my house like normal. Not that this is going to be like normal, though." I looked at him, confused.
"Normal? Huh?" He just gave me another mysterious smile and opened the door.
The entire place was decked out in candles. I felt my breath leave me as I walked around, eyes as large as dinner plates. I heard him chuckle behind me but I wasn't paying attention to Heiji right now. I was too busy admiring his handy work.
"Heiji, what did you do?" I breathed. He laughed a little and motioned for me to keep walking. I found my way into the living room that had been set up to look like a fancy French restaurant. Who was this man and what had he done with her Heiji?
"Like it?" he asked. She blinked back at him before pulling on the corners of his face. He jumped back in pain.
"What the hell was that for, ahou?" he yelped. Yep, it was Heiji and not some messed up Kid wannabe.
"What are you doing, Heiji?" I asked earnestly. This was not my best friend. My best friend was not considerate or romantic or perceptive of other people's feelings. He did not set up a romantic candlelit dinner and he did not go a whole night without making fun of me.
"What are you talking about?" Heiji asked, nervously. "We're having dinner, ahou." It was the first time I noticed how nervous he seemed. Nervous and kicking himself after everything he said. I decided to play along before I woke up and he was out chasing dead bodies again.
He pulled out my chair for me to sit down (!) and then told me to wait a minute, he'd be right back. I nodded and took the chance to look around. He had really outdone himself. Everything looked amazing. Almost professional. What had gotten in to him?
Fifteen minutes later I heard movement behind me and turned to find him, dressed in a tuxedo () and about to serve me bread. Heiji, in a tuxedo, with bread. It was like a dream and I knew any moment I would wake up. But he just set the bread down and sat down across from me, explaining that dinner would be done soon. I nodded dumbly and, unthinking, just stared at him. He looked nervous under my gaze.
"Stop staring, ahou. Aren't you enjoying this?" he asked with a trace of insecurity in his voice. I nodded enthusiastically and he relaxed a little and started talking about his trip to Tokyo. I'd heard most of it the day before but I didn't mind; he was in a tux, after all.
A beep sounded and he was off, getting dinner. I still had to fight the urge to pinch myself. It was all so un-Heiji. He came back soon enough with a giant dish of ramen. I had to laugh. All this preperation and he had cooked ramen. Maybe it wasn't so un-Heiji after all.
"So," he started halfway through dinner, "do you like dinner?" I nodded while chewing, trying to look refined but was starving at the same time. He smiled nervously. "I—um—you know—I---here," and he shoved a box towards me. I blinked but looked down towards it. Glancing back up to Heiji, I found he was desperately looking the other way.
I opened the box slowly and gasped as I saw what was inside. A giant emerald glittered back to me on the end of a ring. A very shiny ring. A very shiny ring that had been given to me by Heiji.
"So?" I heard a voice asked quietly.
'It's beautiful," I whispered and heard a small sigh.
"It better be. It cost an arm and a leg." What kind of talk was that? Who gave someone a present and then complained about the cost?
"Oh, fine then. If it cost so much, just take it back then. I know I'm not important enough to spend money on!" I snarled and pushed the box back towards him. Then it was his turn to look mad.
"Obviously you are or else I wouldn't have bought the damn thing!"
"Well, you're clearly regretting it!"
"I am not!"
"Well then, why are you complaining?"
"I'm not but I will be soon if you don't take your damn engagement ring and
marry me, you stupid ahou!"
…What?
"What did you say?"
"I said marry me?" he replied in a much, much smaller voice. I waited a moment
before running to his bedroom. And no, not for that reason. I heard him yell from the
kitchen for me to come back and answer him. It wasn't as if I wouldn't; I just needed to
do sometthing first.
Coming back into the kitchen, I saw him, still sitting in his chair and looking
miserable. I almost felt bad, almost. He looked up at me, and I knew he didn't know what
to say so I decided to take the initiative.
"Sorry," I murmured, "but it wasn't quite right." He looked heartbroken.
"I shouldn't have said it. I just—"
"No," I stopped him. Taking his beloved hat from behind my back, I jammed it on
his head and smiled. "Now it is." And then I kissed him because my Heiji had gone to
Tokyo and come back a man.
3:00 PM Let it be known to all people with best friends: I-told-you-so's are harsh. I just wish my Maid of Honor would stop laughing at me over the phone.
Author's Note: This fic is dedicated with much love to Candyland because she is one of the best writers I have had the priviledge to know. I hope you like it!