AN: Based off an anon prompt that I got in my inbox for my writing blog on tumblr! The prompt was "black eye" + Heiji and Kazuha, and this is what I ended up with as a result of that? When's Gosho going to let us see more of Heiji and Heizo's relationship because I am very interested in that. I've got three other prompts in my inbox that I'm planning to get around to (all Heikazu lol), so look forward to those in the future, whoever request them!

Until next time!

Black Eye

Characters: Hattori Heiji, Toyama Kazuha

Summary: If he was lucky, the worst he'd get was a rather nasty black eye come next morning.

"Stay still already, Heiji." Her voice came out in a hiss, growing sharper as he tried to swat away her hand, mumbling something underneath his breath about not needing to be fussed over. She wasn't about to take that, however- not one bit. "I'll fuss over ya however much I want until the nurse comes, Heiji, so just put up with it fer now."

"Like I said, ya don't need ta!" Averting his gaze from her, Heiji leaned his chin into his hand, grumbling to himself as she didn't listen to him one bit. "We can just get the nurse ta look at it. Besides, the other guy's worse off than I am, so why don't ya go fuss over him instead, if ya really wanna play nurse?"

"That! That's the problem! Yer already in middle school, an' yet yer still gettin' into trouble like this." Kazuha pointed out, arching her brows. "How do ya think yer parents are goin' ta react, when they hear that ya've been fightin' again? Especially yer father! I wouldn't have thought that the only son of Osaka's chief of police would turn out ta be such a delinquent."

She was more than used to him getting into playground brawls, but that was back when they were still in elementary school. If he started to do that kind of thing in middle school, they wouldn't let him off with just a slap on the wrist and a call home to his parents. He would be lucky if he managed to avoid a suspension, as it was.

"Who's a delinquent, ya idiot?!" Lifting his head, Heiji shot her a rather sharp glare of his own. She didn't flinch one bit at it, and he'd expected that much of her- but it didn't stop him from doing it anyways. She was always doing this sort of thing- bringing up sore spots of his like that. "It's not like I picked that fight!"

"An' who cares what my old man thinks? He's too busy with work ta even come home half the time anyways." Heiji added, turning away from her again. The only reaction this would evoke from him was the same one that he seemed to get a lot these days- one of silent disappointment. "He probably doesn't care one bit what I do."

"Ya know that's not true, Heiji. Yer father cares about ya a lot, he's just that way." Heaving a long sigh, Kazuha decided to give up fussing over his eye for the moment- there was nothing more that she could do now anyways. She'd cleaned it up as best she could, the rest was up to the nurse. If he was lucky, the worst he'd get was a rather nasty black eye come next morning.

"The exact opposite of ya, really." Kazuha noted, shaking her head. "Sometimes it's really hard to believe that the two of ya are actually father an' son."

Ah. Crap.

Realizing her mistake the instant the words left her mouth, Kazuha watched as Heiji flinched, as if she'd been the one to throw the punch herself. That was exactly the sort of thing that she shouldn't have said- and yet it had just come out of her mouth like that anyways. Considering that was entirely what the fight he had just gotten into had been about, even more so. "No, I don't mean-"

When you had a child that didn't resemble either of their parents very much, rumors were bound to start spreading. All the more so when one of them was as well known as his father was.

"It's fine." Cutting her off, Heiji turned away from her, turning to face the window. "It's not like I don't know what people say behind my back. Doesn't matter anyways."

If it didn't matter, you wouldn't be getting into fights over it- but that wasn't the sort of thing that she was about to say out loud, not after that disastrous slip-up. It wasn't as if she believed any of it- of course she didn't! She had grown up together with Heiji, had been by his side since the two of them were both babies. Their fathers had been friends since they were in school, and had been partners in the police force after that- right up until Heiji's father had gotten himself promoted to the highest office in the prefecture.

He had been proud of him, back then, so open and earnest about how much he had admired his father- she couldn't help but wonder when that had changed. Perhaps it was inevitable. Hattori Heizo was a hard man to read, hard to gauge, and Heiji... well, Heiji wasn't.

The exact opposite of his father. Where the man was stoic and always composed, Heiji was hotblooded and temperamental, always wearing his heart on his sleeve. Perhaps it was inevitable that one day, a rift would form between them, even if it was one that had been created by one person alone. For as much as Heiji seemed to think that his father didn't care for him, she knew that wasn't true.

Not that she could ever manage to convince him of that.

"Heiji." Kazuha spoke up, watching the way her soft tone stirred him a bit- though he didn't turn to look back at her just yet. "Ya don't have ta listen ta them, ya know. What they say about ya."

There was a lingering pause there, before Heiji finally responded. If there was one thing that he had in common with his father, it was the fact that he didn't like showing his weakness around others. Even so, he had his moments.

"It's not like they're wrong, probably." Heiji said, closing his eyes, feeling his right sting as he did so. He had mostly been winning that fight too- but damned if his opponent still didn't get in a good punch. "I just don't like the way they put it."

"Ya don't know that." Kazuha said, taking a step forward, so that she could stand by his side. "Even if it's true, they've had ya since ya were a baby, an' have raised ya all this time. I know that better than anyone. Isn't that what would matter the most?"

"Besides," leaning down so that she could look at him face to face, Kazuha cast a small smile towards him. "Like I said, ya don't even know if it's true or not yet, Heiji. Shouldn't ya figure that much out first before ya start worryin' about what it might mean? Isn't that right, mister future detective?"

"Yer makin' fun of me, aren't ya?" Cracking open one eye, the one that hadn't been punched, Heiji's expression quickly turned slightly sour. "Someday I'm gonna make ya eat those words, Kazuha."

"Then, I'll look forward ta the meal!" Kazuha said lightly. This sort of expression was better on him- even though the one that she liked best was that bright smile of his. "But ya know, Heiji- rather than worry so much about what yer father is gonna do when he finds out, maybe the one ya should really worry about is yer mom."

Watching the way that he paled at her words, that hot blood of his running cold as they sunk into him, Kazuha couldn't help but admit that this too, was an expression that she was rather fond of.

"...any chance ya might help me out with that, Kazuha?" Heiji slowly asked, an almost pleading expression crossing his face.

"No way~." Clasping her hands behind her back, Kazuha took two steps back, a playful smile crossing her own face. "After all, ya just said a few minutes ago that ya didn't want my help, Heiji!"

"...is it too late ta take that back?"