Chapter Text
The halls are long and winding, a corridor, a labyrinth to navigate. Bland walls with sparse paintings and hostile decor every six feet, making the sprint Shinichi has to do an Olympic vault where they’ve fallen.
Not that becoming an impromptu vaulter is a concern- or even a thought in his brain at the moment, no.
His focus is entirely on the door at the end of this mess.
Or, to be precise, the person behind the door.
The stupid, absolute idiot, who ran off without him and-
Shinichi bursts through the door and immediately uses his watch to stun the first person he sees. Next he’s reaching for his now adult sized soccer dispenser belt, but-
That was the only person.
…Shinichi supposed that all of the bosses guards were either arrested or still being dealt with- spread too thin to be guarding their master.
That just leaves one figure on the ground: Hattori Heiji.
He quickly cuffs the boss and alerts Akai to his location, before rushing to Hattori’s side. Shinichi cups his face, but his eyes struggle to focus on him, and his face is almost reaction-less.
He’s completely still.
No, no, come on! He can’t be- he- there’s no blood, Shinichi can’t loose him- not here not-
Disregarding Akai’s orders to stay put, Shinichi scoops Hattori into his arms, alerting anybody on the medical channel that he’s bringing Hattori their way.
With Hattori in his arms, he has to be careful with kicking the objects in his path to the side if he can’t step over them to get through. If he had to estimate, an additional two minutes come from carrying a second person, plus the objects in his way.
Two minutes too long.
Only once he’s battled into the tent and sitting in a chair next to the EMT does he take a second to process. The EMT Shinichi had once seen as unnecessary- he’ll, even argued against bringing- was telling him to take deep breaths.
He’s telling Shinichi to breathe, to let go of Hattori’s hand so he can be checked for injures, so would he just-
He’s still holding Hattori’s hand?
Shinichi looked down at his and Hattori’s hand intertwined.
He’s still holding Hattori’s hand.
“Ah.”
Hattori’s hand is quickly released to let the EMT do their work.
…
What was that?! Why did he get so… worked up over that? Hattori hadn’t been bleeding, he’d checked himself.
But seeing Hattori in such a state…
Shinichi shakes his head clear.
It was perfectly reasonable to panic when someone as reckless as Hattori stormed into a dangerous hot spot of harm to take down something on their own.
Anybody would worry to his extent.
Surely.
“Kudo-San?”
Shinichi looked up from his hands in his lap at the EMT. He’s giving Shinichi a concerned but comforting smile, the sort reserved for panicking family members or partners, neither of which Shinichi is.
He straightens up.
“Er- yes?”
“Your friend is going to be alright, he’s just been drugged with an aerosol.”
And now Shinichi’s sagging into his hands with relief.
“It’ll be in effect for a little bit, but no more than twenty four hours. It’s also affecting his ability to rationally think or move, so…”
Shinichi can fill in the blank.
“Hattori needs a caretaker.”
The EMT nods, before handing Shinichi a sheet- a report sheet.
“I know you’re busy, but if you write your report out now, you can-“
Shinichi takes the sheet, it takes almost no thought.
“I’ll do it.”
He’s done so much for this mission; put cuffs on the boss himself, gathered people and details… and with the antidote done, the FBI and PSB could handle the rest.
The EMT handed him a pen, and Shinichi began to fill it out.
Name:Kudo Shinichi.
Rank: detect Consultant
Eye Witness Account:
…
Shinichi’s halfway through his account of what happened when Hattori grabs his hand. It’s warm, and while Hattori’s grip is clumsy, he’s grinning.
“Ya know-“ it comes out slurred, “-last time this happened, ya were tiny. Now look at ya…”
Hattori’s eyes scan Shinichi over once.
“Not very tiny. Bout as tall as me… hah.”
Shinichi doesn’t see the humor, but Hattori’s talking and smiling and alive, so he can’t help but smile back- can’t help if he squeezes his hand just a little in return.
“And you’re not shot, but- stop ending up in hospitals!”
Hattori laughed, and any worry Shinichi had melted away.
He goes back to writing his report.
…
And... there!
Shinichi used his free hand (not still holding Hattori's), to align the paper, before handing it to the EMT. After that, he signs a release form, and a mandatory denial of care, before Hattori is sat up and guided to standing. Shinichi is at his side, supporting him under the shoulder. Well- more or less carrying him, really. Hattori seemed thankful for it, reaching around Shinichi's neck and holding close.
He feels a little out of his element carrying a drugged man, but- it's for Hattori, so it's alright.
They make their way to the red sports car Shinichi borrowed from his mothers collection this morning, before he's manhandling Hattori into the seat and buckling him into the seat- only after Hattori proves himself unable to. Then, he himself is seated behind the wheel, starting the engine.
It's an eerily silent ride, street lights flickering on as the summer sun begins to dip down. It had truly been a year... it felt almost longer- and yet so short at the same time.
...he's not used to Hattori being so still. He'd always been in some sort of motion.
Its frankly unnerving.
Shinichi's glad when he can park the car in his garage, coming around to hold Hattori up again and finding his way inside and putting Hattori down on the couch.
Except-
Hattori isn't letting go. In fact, his grip is steel.
"Kudo."
He sounds... desperate.
Shinichi sighs.
"Hattori, I can't-"
"C'mon..." Hattori pulls him onto his chest, the floor no longer holding Shinichi's feet.
"I can't follow... don't-" Shinichi is now fully on top of Hattori, his own face alight.
"Hattori!"
Shinichi can feel Hattori's face in between his shoulder and neck, beating in and out... warm... comforting...
"Hattori... I'm not going anywhere."
No response.
"Are you even listening?"
Hattori gives a muffled grumble against his neck that sends a rumble through Shinichi's core. It's... no. That would be stupid. It was just a... sensation. Obviously.
But- he can''t deny that he likes whatever's going on. Being close to Hattori like this, wanted...
Shinichi relaxed into their weird hold, his arms worming around Hattori and rolling them side by side. Hattori's face stays firmly in his neck, pressing closer from against the cushions as if he could burrow his way inside Shinichi's chest if he tried enough.
Not that Shinichi could imagine him in his chest, nuzzled next to his heart.
Hattori's hands come to the hem of his shirt and plant where it's risen up slightly. His palms were large and warm, and... and...
Shit.
Shinichi let this idiot slip into his heart when he wasn't looking, didn't he?
He felt red from head to toe, leaning into the touch. It's comforting, being close like this. It makes him a little twitchy, yes, but its still incredibly relaxing.
His own hands find their way to Hattori's hair, running fingers through coarse strands. Hattori's breathing skips, and Shinichi freezes. But then Hattori's leaning into it, nose below his earlobe, mouth oh so close to his pulse.
If Hattori wasn't so out of it because of drugs, if he liked him back, if Shinichi had a backbone...
Hattori shuffles, sighing, before-
Lips.
There's lips. Lips against his neck. Making motions- kissing. Kissing him. Him, Kudo Shini-
Oh.
Shinichi carefully wraps his arms around Hattori, running a hand gently along his back as Hattori kisses Shinichi's neck, before leaning back with a smile.
"Kudo."
All those insistent messages filled with hearts, reminders that he was by his side, checking up on him all the time to see how he was, visiting so often..?
Hattori's grin feels even more breathtaking with the realization.
Shinichi lazily reaches up and cups his cheek, gently pressing his thumbs into the plush skin to watch how it moves, making small circles- fighting the lovesick expression he can feel creeping up onto his face.
"Hattori."
He gets a chuckle in return, deep, sending a shiver up his spine. Then, Hattori's leaning closer again, nose against his cheek smiling at him. Smiling because of him.
For him.
Shinichi's voice bubbles up in joy, and he pulls Hattori all the way against him, hugging him tight to his chest; Hattori laughs with him, squeezing him back, nuzzling once again into his neck. Hattori's alive and well and his, and Shinichi doesn't think he could smile any wider without his lips cracking.
They sit there, holding each other for just the shortest of moments.
Then a normal length moment.
Then a long moment...
The moment runs all the way until Shinichi feels Hattori's grip loosen, and he can hear Hattori's breath slow to a steady thrum.
He's asleep...
Shinichi can't help but smile, adjusting them so Hattori's now the one in his lap, Hattori against his chest while Shinichi sits up. His hands comb through Hattori's hair again, rolling coarse bits of hair between his fingertips. Its a little unkept, a little oily- Hattori's been as busy as himself recently with the take-down looming over them, but its softer than he would have thought.
Slowly, very slowly, Shinichi relaxes besides him.