Fanfic - The Way They Are [Detective Conan: Heiji, Shinichi]
Title: The Way They Are
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Heiji, Shinichi
Summary: Shinichi calls Heiji, Heiji answers, and they discuss philosophy and change. Only, you know, not.
Author's Notes: First attempt at DC fic; an attempt at feeling out the characters. Takes place after episode 442.
The Way They Are
Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. - Bertolt Brecht
Heiji picks up his ringing phone, glances at the caller ID, tosses the phone straight up in surprise, then does a fantastic dive over the table to rescue the phone from an untimely demise.
Kazuha and her family stare at him in bemusement.
“Be right back!” he says cheerfully, and hits the ‘answer’ button on his phone. “Hey, gimme a minute,” he says, picking himself up. He toes off his indoor slippers, slips on his sandals and is out of the house before Kazuha can quite process what’s happening. A chair clatters and someone makes an aborted exclamation behind him just as the door swings shut. He doesn’t remember making the decision to run, but Kazuha’s house is receding and the wind is brisk on his face.
“Busy?” There’s a familiar adult cadence to the otherwise child-like voice. Heiji suddenly realises it’s been a few weeks since he’s last called Kudo. He hadn’t realised he’d missed talking to him.
“Nope,” Heiji says, skidding around the corner. He slows down, jogging towards the playground. There aren’t any children there, and the huge slide will afford him some privacy. “Actually, totally free. ‘Sup? A case?”
“Does it absolutely have to be one?” Kudo asks.
“You’re callin’ me,” Heiji points out. He tucks his legs beneath him and makes himself comfortable. “You never call me. Someone dyin’ or somethin’?”
There’s a small pause, then a huff of laughter. It’s not even a proper laugh, but there’s still something of a child in the sound. Still, Heiji can’t bring himself to think of Kudo as - well, Conan. Conan’s a precocious little kid, but still a kid. Kudo’s anything but, and it feels like a betrayal of Kudo to get too lost in the persona of Conan.
“No one’s dying,” Kudo tells him. “For once. I just called to see what you were up to.”
“I’m flattered,” Heiji drawls. “I was just over at Kazuha’s.”
“Oh?” Kudo asks, lacing the word with innuendo no child should be capable of.
“For lunch, idiot!” Heiji sputters. “Her mum invited me over!”
“Is that all,” Kudo says.
“Yes,” Heiji says. “But I bet she’ll be complainin’ I’m cheatin’ on her or somethin’ when I get back. Kinda ran out when I saw it was you.”
Another pause. “Sorry,” Kudo says. “Should I let you go?”
“No!” Heiji yelps. “Uh, no, s’okay. She’ll get over it. What’ve - I mean, anything interestin’ happen?”
“Kind of,” Kudo admits. “I was involved in a case earlier today. Bit of a peculiar one -”
“Need help?” Heiji asks eagerly.
“- Which I’ve already solved,” Kudo continues, and Heiji deflates. “It wasn’t all that hard. But let me ask you a question, okay?”
“Shoot.”
“Say someone’s plotting a crime - a murder,” Kudo says. “But it hasn’t happened yet. You know what he’s planning, but he hasn’t carried it out yet and so there’s no evidence. How would you catch that criminal?”
“Uh,” Heiji says.
The silence drags on for a while. “I give,” Heiji finally says. “If there’s no evidence, there’s no way of provin’ it. I’d vote for - uh, talkin’ to the guy, makin’ sure he knows we’re on to him. Maybe try and set a trap to catch him red-handed.”
Kudo laughs again. “That’s pretty much what I was thinking,” he says. “Glad it’s not just me.”
“Not just you what?” Heiji asks.
“Know what Mitsuhiko said?” Kudo says.
“Mitsu -”Heiji thinks about it. “The skinny kid?”
“Yeah,” Kudo says. “He said, ‘There’s no need to catch the criminal.’”
Heiji mouths the words to himself in disbelief.
“All we need to do is prevent the crime from happening,” Kudo says reflectively. “In a way, it’s what you and I both thought of doing. But both of us also already presupposed his determination to carry out the crime, and his guilt.”
“He’s gonna do it, he’s guilty,” Heiji points out.
“He hasn’t done it, so there’s a chance of talking him out of it,” Kudo rebuts instantly. He’s been thinking about this, probably for hours before he called Heiji. “Not just of accusing him, but trying to find another path for him to take.”
Heiji bites his lip. “Not in our job description,” he says.
“Maybe it should be,” Kudo replies.
“Out of the mouths of babes,” Heiji says reflectively. “That what they say?”
“Occasionally, they come up with some good ideas,” Kudo says. “You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mitsuhiko became a decent enough detective. He’s learning to put things together, better than Ayumi or Genta.”
Heiji makes a noncommittal sound, still turning Kudo’s previous words over in his head. The more he thinks about it, the more he likes the idea, the more he realises why that brief moment has stuck with Kudo to the point of his wanting to share it. “Talk ‘em out of it, huh. Think that’ll work on Kid?” Heiji jokes. Then he gapes as a sudden laugh echoes down the line.
“No,” Kudo says, voice hitching slightly. He hadn’t intended the sound, Heiji realises with delight, he hadn’t intended to laugh like that but Heiji had startled him into it. “No, I don’t think Kid’s likely to let anyone talk him out of a heist.”
“Guess not,” Heiji says. He’s grinning like an idiot at the underside of the slide, but he doesn’t particularly care.
“I feel like something should have changed,” Kudo confesses. “I feel like I’ve changed, and something should show that.”
Heiji thinks of Kudo laughing, of his eyes bright and unshadowed. He thinks of Kudo’s face when he had his epiphany, and the strong, hard light that must have shone clear, the familiar resolute nature glimmering with some unnamed new strength.
“You just called me,” Heiji says. “Not the other way round. That’s a change.”
“Yes,” Kudo says after a moment. “I suppose it is.”
~fin
CC much appreciated!
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Heiji, Shinichi
Summary: Shinichi calls Heiji, Heiji answers, and they discuss philosophy and change. Only, you know, not.
Author's Notes: First attempt at DC fic; an attempt at feeling out the characters. Takes place after episode 442.
The Way They Are
Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. - Bertolt Brecht
Heiji picks up his ringing phone, glances at the caller ID, tosses the phone straight up in surprise, then does a fantastic dive over the table to rescue the phone from an untimely demise.
Kazuha and her family stare at him in bemusement.
“Be right back!” he says cheerfully, and hits the ‘answer’ button on his phone. “Hey, gimme a minute,” he says, picking himself up. He toes off his indoor slippers, slips on his sandals and is out of the house before Kazuha can quite process what’s happening. A chair clatters and someone makes an aborted exclamation behind him just as the door swings shut. He doesn’t remember making the decision to run, but Kazuha’s house is receding and the wind is brisk on his face.
“Busy?” There’s a familiar adult cadence to the otherwise child-like voice. Heiji suddenly realises it’s been a few weeks since he’s last called Kudo. He hadn’t realised he’d missed talking to him.
“Nope,” Heiji says, skidding around the corner. He slows down, jogging towards the playground. There aren’t any children there, and the huge slide will afford him some privacy. “Actually, totally free. ‘Sup? A case?”
“Does it absolutely have to be one?” Kudo asks.
“You’re callin’ me,” Heiji points out. He tucks his legs beneath him and makes himself comfortable. “You never call me. Someone dyin’ or somethin’?”
There’s a small pause, then a huff of laughter. It’s not even a proper laugh, but there’s still something of a child in the sound. Still, Heiji can’t bring himself to think of Kudo as - well, Conan. Conan’s a precocious little kid, but still a kid. Kudo’s anything but, and it feels like a betrayal of Kudo to get too lost in the persona of Conan.
“No one’s dying,” Kudo tells him. “For once. I just called to see what you were up to.”
“I’m flattered,” Heiji drawls. “I was just over at Kazuha’s.”
“Oh?” Kudo asks, lacing the word with innuendo no child should be capable of.
“For lunch, idiot!” Heiji sputters. “Her mum invited me over!”
“Is that all,” Kudo says.
“Yes,” Heiji says. “But I bet she’ll be complainin’ I’m cheatin’ on her or somethin’ when I get back. Kinda ran out when I saw it was you.”
Another pause. “Sorry,” Kudo says. “Should I let you go?”
“No!” Heiji yelps. “Uh, no, s’okay. She’ll get over it. What’ve - I mean, anything interestin’ happen?”
“Kind of,” Kudo admits. “I was involved in a case earlier today. Bit of a peculiar one -”
“Need help?” Heiji asks eagerly.
“- Which I’ve already solved,” Kudo continues, and Heiji deflates. “It wasn’t all that hard. But let me ask you a question, okay?”
“Shoot.”
“Say someone’s plotting a crime - a murder,” Kudo says. “But it hasn’t happened yet. You know what he’s planning, but he hasn’t carried it out yet and so there’s no evidence. How would you catch that criminal?”
“Uh,” Heiji says.
The silence drags on for a while. “I give,” Heiji finally says. “If there’s no evidence, there’s no way of provin’ it. I’d vote for - uh, talkin’ to the guy, makin’ sure he knows we’re on to him. Maybe try and set a trap to catch him red-handed.”
Kudo laughs again. “That’s pretty much what I was thinking,” he says. “Glad it’s not just me.”
“Not just you what?” Heiji asks.
“Know what Mitsuhiko said?” Kudo says.
“Mitsu -”Heiji thinks about it. “The skinny kid?”
“Yeah,” Kudo says. “He said, ‘There’s no need to catch the criminal.’”
Heiji mouths the words to himself in disbelief.
“All we need to do is prevent the crime from happening,” Kudo says reflectively. “In a way, it’s what you and I both thought of doing. But both of us also already presupposed his determination to carry out the crime, and his guilt.”
“He’s gonna do it, he’s guilty,” Heiji points out.
“He hasn’t done it, so there’s a chance of talking him out of it,” Kudo rebuts instantly. He’s been thinking about this, probably for hours before he called Heiji. “Not just of accusing him, but trying to find another path for him to take.”
Heiji bites his lip. “Not in our job description,” he says.
“Maybe it should be,” Kudo replies.
“Out of the mouths of babes,” Heiji says reflectively. “That what they say?”
“Occasionally, they come up with some good ideas,” Kudo says. “You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if Mitsuhiko became a decent enough detective. He’s learning to put things together, better than Ayumi or Genta.”
Heiji makes a noncommittal sound, still turning Kudo’s previous words over in his head. The more he thinks about it, the more he likes the idea, the more he realises why that brief moment has stuck with Kudo to the point of his wanting to share it. “Talk ‘em out of it, huh. Think that’ll work on Kid?” Heiji jokes. Then he gapes as a sudden laugh echoes down the line.
“No,” Kudo says, voice hitching slightly. He hadn’t intended the sound, Heiji realises with delight, he hadn’t intended to laugh like that but Heiji had startled him into it. “No, I don’t think Kid’s likely to let anyone talk him out of a heist.”
“Guess not,” Heiji says. He’s grinning like an idiot at the underside of the slide, but he doesn’t particularly care.
“I feel like something should have changed,” Kudo confesses. “I feel like I’ve changed, and something should show that.”
Heiji thinks of Kudo laughing, of his eyes bright and unshadowed. He thinks of Kudo’s face when he had his epiphany, and the strong, hard light that must have shone clear, the familiar resolute nature glimmering with some unnamed new strength.
“You just called me,” Heiji says. “Not the other way round. That’s a change.”
“Yes,” Kudo says after a moment. “I suppose it is.”
~fin
CC much appreciated!