Detective Conan and Magic Kaito characters, settings, and ideas do not belong to me but to Aoyama Gōshō.

Warnings: Language, minor violence

TMPD Antics

By Taliya

XCVI: Kuroba and Hattori

"What's this?"

Heiji glanced up to find Kaito looking over his shoulder at a copy of a Kaitou KID heist notice in his hand. "Oh, heist note from KID. Kudou was nice enough to make a copy for me."

Kaito leaned closer to read the riddle. "Oh? So what's he after?"

"You tell me," Heiji muttered with a snort. He reclined in his chair, Kaito shuffling around to lean on the edge of his desk. "You're the KID fan, after all."

The Ekoda native shook his head. "I'm not all that great at solving riddles," he said with a helpless shrug. "I go to enjoy the magic."

"Ah." The two sat in comfortable, contemplative silence for several moments before Heiji asked, "Na, Kuroba. What will you do if KID finds whatever it is he's looking for?"

Kaito blinked. "What do you mean?"

Heiji glanced up at him from his vacant staring at the notice. "I mean, what happens when there are no more heists?"

The Division Three officer was silent for a long time. "I suppose…" he began, his voice quiet and full of a myriad of emotions that Heiji could not easily decipher, but he did detect a thread of grief somewhere in his friend's tone. "I suppose I'll be happy that he's finally found what he's been searching for all these years."

"Would you really be happy?" he asked softly. After Shinichi had explained what he knew of Kaitou KID's background, Heiji had found that despite the fact that the phantom thief was a criminal, he was still a good person with good intentions—even if his methods of execution were somewhat lacking in the legal aspects. But still, he could not help but wonder when Kaito would find what he was looking for, and he hoped it would be soon… for his sake, and to a lesser extent, for Aoko's as well.

"I would," Kaito sighed, a telling, bittersweet smile curving his lips. "I would."

Heiji glanced away, giving his friend a moment to himself as he wished with all his being that this heist target would the one—that Kaitou KID could finally retire, and that Kuroba Kaito could finally live his life as he was meant to.

Author's Note: A sadder, more introspective piece, but I wanted to show another facet of Heiji that I as a writer do not normally explore. My apologies for the wait, my attention lately has been sucked into a Taiwanese rom-com titled 愛上哥們, or Bromance. Four… I hope you enjoyed it.

Completed: 15.09.2016