A/N: Yeah, so it started as another chapter for the 30 Sweet Cases. But then it just kept getting longer and longer and in the end deserved to be made an individual story.

The inspiration for this story is one fragment in a book 'Mad about the boy' by Maggie Alderson.

Truthfully, she'd rather stay at home, snuggling against her giant teddy-bear, under a warm blanket. With one hand busy with a remote controller, the other on a mug with hot chocolate. Occasionally picking up her phone to talk with one of her friends – maybe even Ran-chan or Sonoko-chan, only half-focused on the chick-flick playing on the TV screen…

But she had to take care of this idiot instead.

Easily, she gave him five reasons of why she should go with him. So as promised he let her, regretting his earlier words, that he needs to hear them before he'll allow her. She could really name more reasons, bust she was in a hurry, seeing the familiar glint in his eyes. Signalizing that he thinks less of her. Again.

So she proved him wrong.

First of all, if he was completely alone, he would get into deep trouble. When he wanted to argue back, she just had to mention Kudo for him to shut up. The example of the other detective, his best-friend-and-rival always worked, even now, when he wasn't trapped in a child's body anymore. But who knows, even with both Gin and Vermouth dead, there might be someone lurking out on the lives of those who brought the Organization down. Heiji being one of them. Maybe the experiment on the eternity was still going on? Every time Kazuha thought about it, she shuddered. What would happen if Heiji was given poison, that would make him age instead of making younger? A chibi-Heiji would be cute, but a middle-aged or grandpa-Heiji would be far too much for her to handle.

Even if he still had those alluring green eyes.

Another reason would be keeping him focused on the case. Recently, he went alone, in secret and obviously got distracted by chatting with Kudo on the phone. It resulted with the suspect getting away from his hideout and it took one week for the police to track him down. Heiji returned from the stakeout with a blank face, and didn't snap out of his daze even when his mother hit him on his head with her fan.

He even forgot what he was supposed to be doing.

He finally returned to his senses when Kazuha called him an idiot when she called. He was grateful she couldn't see his heavy blush while calling him an irresponsible jerk. When the phone-call ended, he sighed with relief and with a cool head started thinking about what Kudo said to him earlier. He helped him understand that Heiji is in love and that had a huge impact on him. Later, being beside Kazuha, made him over conscious of her presence, so he did his best to quickly resolve the case both of them got assigned to. Just to get away from her…

And each time he was with Kazuha on a case, resulted in a quick conclusion, which made the police department proud.

The third reason for Kazuha to come with him, was the fact that she had a car. A small one, Nissan Micra, but it was still better to use than Heiji's motorcycle. She didn't let anyone to drive it, so borrowing it was out of question. As an observation point it was perfect and Heiji was well aware of that. For his own comfort, he had to agree. And Kazuha was a really skilled driver, he even enjoyed driving with her.

Not that he would ever admit that.

She also pointed out that she always tagged along with him on cases during their middle-school and high-school days. So now when both of them were police officers in-training, she didn't understand why he was so over-protective. Danger didn't scare her, she was too used to it now. She also felt safer beside Heiji, even if her own life was endangered. Some part of her hoped he felt similar, trusting her to save his cute ass when needed.

Or maybe saying 'his hot ass' would be more appropriate?

Kazuha might be a woman and one that seems to gather all psychos around, that love to go after her, torturing, knocking unconscious, keeping as a hostage, kidnapping, almost raping… But recently she didn't really need Heiji to come in and save the day, she was good on her own, quickly showing that she wasn't training martial arts for nothing. She wasn't that naïve and outgoing girl anymore. She matured, being more cautious and reserved.

Heiji wasn't sure if this was a good change.

He would never admit it – and it took almost an hour of teasing from Kudo for him to realize that alone – that he liked to protect Kazuha. He liked taking care of her, staying close to her, ready to cover her body if needed. Still, the strong and independent Kazuha was appealing to him as well, just in a very different way. Especially if that 'way' consisted of some fantasies that Heiji's mind supplied.

A dominant girl wasn't so bad after all…

The final reason for her to come was selfish and both of them knew it. Truthfully, Heiji could argue back on it, but he chose not to. Hearing her say that it's one of the rare occasions for them to hang out, made something unfamiliar in him ache. And it was a good feeling. Her lonely expression, a tint of pink on her cheeks and stubbornness in her voice and the way she accented the fact that they would be 'alone', made him wonder if there isn't some deeper meaning to it…

If only Kazuha didn't ruin it, saying that if they discover something, she could use that for her career.

He could only agree to her request, with a small polite smile. Kazuha wasn't the only one that changed. He learned to sometimes hide how strong emotions drove him into action. Kudo taught him not to show them unless it's necessary – and the nickname of hot-blooded detective was still matching his personality – while Kuroba taught him the importance of the Poker Face. Heiji was still far from lying and completely hiding his emotions, but there was progress.

Or so he hoped.

Later, on the stakeout, he was wondering if this was really a good idea to let her come with him. He was observing the suspicious flat on the first floor of an apartment, a camera settled in his lap, ready to be used any moment. The car was in the parking lot not to far away from a club, from where a faint sound of music could be heard. That at least saved them from silence, but it didn't make things any less awkward between them.

Even if it was awkward only for him.

From time to time, he would advert his gaze from the window he was observing, to glance at the girl beside him. He was grateful that everything was peaceful enough for him to divide his attention. He'd rather not miss the suspects on the move, but also he was mesmerized by Kazuha's appearance. She was busy with making a memo actually, so he let his eyes wander from her bare shoulders and neck to her breasts covered with a small piece of clothing, down to her flat stomach and finally her long, slender legs, that were partially hidden from his view.

The summer night just got hotter.

As soon as she stopped writing, his eyes returned to the window. She looked up at him and released a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. She was sure that he'll catch her staring, but she couldn't stop. At some point of time, she stopped caring about it. After all, it was worth it, his profile, half hidden in the shadows, with his eyes focused on their target. He was more than handsome than ever, that night. Lovely black, with his clothes, hair and skin, but also gorgeously shining with his inner light, she always found attractive.

Well, it was the reason why she followed him to cases in the past.

Both of them opened their windows in the car and they both were surprised that they did it at the same time. They shared smiles, before returning to their tasks. Heiji watching the suspects, Kazuha keeping an eye on the surroundings. If needed, they had to be ready to pretend why are they here. If they had time, they would get out of the car and head to the club. If they needed to act quick, they agreed to pretend to be a couple.

Which included kissing.

It wouldn't be their first time. Actually, they kissed on stakeouts before. Both oblivious to the fact that the kisses were honest and real, choosing to believe that it was just their 'job' and 'circumstances' required that. Not saying that on other stakeouts, with another partner assigned they would never act this way. Ignoring the fact that the kisses lasted a bit longer than necessary, that they were a bit too desperate, that they avoided looking at each other afterwards.

That they were in love with each other.

Facing the reality always hurt. It was like a hit in the face. Painful but unavoidable. And they never had the time to dwell on the emotions. Too proud to admit what really happened. Too stubborn to try and analyze it, focused fully on their case. Work always coming first before anything. Before themselves and their own childish hopes.

No matter how many times Kudo called him an idiot for choosing work over love.

Just like now: he ignored the fact she was staring at him. He didn't even try to figure out why she was doing so. Maybe she caught him staring at her just a minute ago? Maybe she wasn't really looking at him, but pass him, out of the window? It must have been that, as he soon heard her shift in her seat and he felt her eyes leaving his body.

He felt really annoyed for some reason.

There was a slight movement in the flat, judging from the way the shadows on the lit curtain moved and Heiji for a second forgot Kazuha was even there. His breath caught, his heart beating faster, adrenaline quickly rising. All his attention was on the window now, his hands holding the camera more firmly.

Waiting in anticipation what will happen next.

At the same time Kazuha narrowed her eyes. There were people coming out of the club, starting a small fight probably. Two drunk men were shouting at the security guys and it looked heated to her. She paled when she recognized both of the drunken men. They were guys she helped to arrest two years ago. It wasn't anything serious, just a small theft, they spend only one year in jail, but with them violent like that she wondered if they wouldn't ruin their cover. One glance at Heiji told her, that he's too concentrated to be disturbed.

Too bad for him.

First she let her hair loose. Her hair was longer and she curled the ends, so that alone made her look different. Next she moved closer to Heiji, not really abandoning her seat, leaning against him in a sexy pose. As soon as her hands reached his shoulder, he tensed, but didn't acknowledge her presence in any other way. She lowered her head, to whisper in his ear, asking him to play along with her.

So he did.

He let Kazuha lick and kiss his neck and ear, letting the camera go under the seat. With one last glance on the observed flat, he turned to her and lifted her head up from his neck. Both of them closed their eyes, their lips doing the exact opposite before meeting. Sloppy and slow, they kissed, letting their mouths apart from time to time, letting Kazuha whisper between them: "Two drunkards." "Might recognize me.". He opened his eyes, his gaze carefully taking in the surroundings.

Ignoring Kazuha's closed eyes.

They were still in front of the club and he wasn't even sure if they'll decide to come this way, but with the hot tongue massaging his own, he couldn't be more happy to play along. He even decided to spice things up. A small nipping to her bottom lip and she grabbed the back of his neck forcefully. He smirked into the kiss and she would so roll her eyes on him, if they were open. His own eyelids dropped down as well and he concentrated fully on the kiss, feeling the bliss.

He wondered if Kazuha felt the same, before scolding himself for his stupidity.

She was feeling lightheaded. She let her eyes open slightly, but not to see Heiji but what he was supposed to be observing. Still she noticed that his eyes were closed and that he was kissing her more passionately. A part of her felt like cheering, but the other knew well, that it's the same as always. A small game between them. Part of their job and nothing else.

And the fact that it felt good was just a nice addition.

Heiji opened his eyes once more, their gazes locking for few seconds, before her eyes fluttered close. He could swear to see the tiniest blush on her cheeks. Somehow that made him proud of himself. Still his eyes caught the movement not too far behind her and he cursed mentally. He pulled away, as only to change their position of kissing, but in reality sharing a rushed whisper: "They're coming!"

Her eyes opened wide.

She almost stopped kissing him, forcing her mind to work. They couldn't see her face, right? But they would surely look and then they would recognize her… Is there any way for her to hide her face? She shut her eyes close and groaned. Heiji sensed her fear and cupped her face with his hands, as to shield her from them. That gave her an idea. She pulled away, whispering a quick apology to him.

Before sinking down.

He was too dazed to question what did she mean by that. He was too curious what she was doing to observe the two guys getting near the car. He heard his belt and zipper opening before he could really comprehend what Kazuha was doing. His hands now in her hair, his breath ragged from the heated kiss, his chest falling up and down. That was the only thing that could be seen. That and the 'thing' she was currently doing to him. He couldn't believe what was happening. A healthy blush spread on his cheeks.

Just as a moan escaped his lips.

He couldn't help it. It was embarrassing, but he couldn't fight the feeling that awoke in him. She was licking him, taking him fully into her mouth, sucking gently and moving her head up and down. Slowly, careful not to hurt him. His last coherent thought was if she noticed how aroused he was just from the kisses alone. The rest of the world didn't exist for him in that moment.

The truth is, it was the same for her.

The moan made her smile and almost purr in response. She knew this might be a suicide, that this might ruin their friendship, but… But at least she would have something to remember. His shaking hands in her hair, caressing the back of her head and her neck. The way he was breathing heavily, tossing his head back. She wondered which one of them was more happy about the situation.

And then she heard whistles outside the car, remembering why she was doing it in the first place.

She tensed but didn't stop. Quite the opposite, she moved faster, receiving another moan from Heiji. She could hear that the drunken men talk to each other for few moments, but soon she could only hear Heiji's voice and the faint sound of music in the background. But she didn't act to hide her face anymore. She acted on pure instinct, feeling the hardening flesh in her mouth is close to, close to…

He made her stop.

"Stay there for a moment longer…" He whispered in a low voice, that made her shiver. She looked up, releasing him from her mouth with a loud 'pop' sound. And then she stared at his length and imagined what would it be to feel him inside her. This time, not fantasizing, but knowing what would be diving deep into her. Before she could think twice, she licked the throbbing cock and once again took it into her mouth, earning a loud gasp from Heiji.

She really wanted a memory.

He felt that something is terribly wrong when she resumed giving him a blowjob. One look at her and he noticed the tears in the corners of her opened eyes and felt the familiar ache in his chest. Without thinking his hands abandoned her head and went lower, to her arms. Before she could react, he pulled her up, ignoring the pain of her teeth grazing his delicate flesh.

Of course she looked everywhere but his eyes.

She felt like she was seventeen once more. Frightened and vulnerable. She was shaking, the tears silently falling from her eyes, that she kept focused on the clipboard. So she wasn't really expecting being pulled into Heiji's arms, hugged by him, comforted. A sob escaped her lips before she could muffle it. She wanted to pull away but he hold her firmly, not letting go.

She always wanted to be embraced by him like that.

"It's okay…" He whispered, his voice still low. "It's okay… Let's take you home, okay?" He offered, but Kazuha only shook her head. He sighed and with her still in his lap, one hand keeping her close, the other made sure he's fully clothed again. She continued to cry, shame and fear mingled together. He gently released her and panic could be seen on her face. But he choose to ignore it, instead maneuvering her body so she would be fully seated in his lap, her legs between his. She calmed down when his hands once again embraced her.

Heiji dared to think, that maybe he wasn't the only that wasn't truly pretending.

He couldn't help the smile when he rested his head on top of hers. He nuzzled her hair with his nose and that gesture sure surprised her. He planted a kiss on top of her head before he released her from his embrace and pushed her up so he could get out of the car. He quickly closed the door, leaving a paralyzed Kazuha inside. She shut her eyes close, fighting with herself so she wouldn't cry out in agony.

She was sure that everything is over now…

She was startled when he entered the car once more, this time taking the drivers seat. Without any words, he started the engine and left the parking lot, his free hand on her knee, not in a intimate gesture, but comforting one. She wanted to ask what he was doing, where were they going, but her voice betrayed her and she couldn't speak. She could only cry, while watching his profile. Still so handsome, still so concentrated.

Still so dear.