Hi everybody, ami-chan is back! This was supposed to go in Some Detectives' Tales at first, but then I realised it was way too long. It IS a collection of drabbles, after all (I'll update soon, promise. I just need to get the ideas...). So this is my longest fic so far (and by far), I just had a lot of inspiration (I get the feeling it would have been better if I hadn't). I hope there aren't too many mistakes!

Anyway, PLEASE DON'T HATE ME FOR THIS FIC, Ai and CoAi shippers! (EDIT: And RanEisuke shippers too, sorry I forgot you guys!) I know this is a wierd couple I'm giving you here, but when I saw Eisuke trying to hit on Ran, and his awesome clumsiness, I just thought "Hey, so that's who Ai ends up with!" (Okay, maybe not at the beginning).

Lastly, many thanks to s2lou, who's reviewed most of my stories, if not all of them! Also many thanks to my other reviewers on SDT and other!

And of course, the usual disclaimer: DC belongs to Gosho Aoyama

On with the fic, now! Please review after! (please be nice and remember that it's my first long fic. 'lame attempt to save my life...')

Cup of Tea?

Ai Haibara a.k.a. Shiho Miyano was sitting in her "laboratory" (if you could call Professor Agasa's basement one), in front of her computer. A small window –she'd always wondered how the architect had managed to put one in the underground room- allowed a ray of light to show through, so that at the moment her desk was bathing in the early evening's sunlight. It was pretty useless however, and she still needed to switch on the light, making her wonder once more about the utility of the window.

'Already 5?' Ai sighed, and then yawned, before turning her attention back to her screen and the formulas it showed, which were way too abundant in number for her own taste.

'I'm not going to survive this… And not because of the antidote's side effects. Geez, Kudo is killing me…' Since the fall of the Organization, it felt as if the days had passed at a lightning's speed. She'd been able to get the APTX's data, and had since then spent her time in front of her computer, trying to find an antidote, asking to be left alone. She had had almost no contacts with the outside world, if it wasn't for Agasa, but again she barely saw him in between the meals, as he would respect her wish for tranquility –it was also for this reason that she had preferred to stay in the professor's house instead of going to facilities belonging to the FBI. She had declared being able to do an antidote alone.

'Damn Kudo…' She either spent her time working, or insulting Conan in her mind. She hadn't seen him in a while, and pretty much blamed him for not passing by more often. Who did he think she was doing that for? It seemed, though, that in those moments, she forgot that the last time they had seen each other, she had made it quite clear that seeing his face annoyed her to the utmost point of the unbearable. The boy had then decided that it was for the better if he did not disturb her anymore. In fact, she was probably just venting her stress onto him, but she would not admit it.

Because yes, Ai Haibara was scared. Unlike Shinichi Kudo, she had no place to return to -though the professor had made her understand that she was more than welcome to stay-, and she didn't know what to do. Should she take the antidote, or stay in her current form? Right now, it was certain that she had more links as a child than as her real self. She had no reason to go back to normal. Yet, she knew that staying as a child probably wouldn't help her either –she had assimilated this appearance as a prey's and would most likely never stop thinking that way. And she knew she couldn't keep feeling like she was chased for the rest of her life. She still hadn't taken a decision, and Conan's confidence was upsetting her. The result was a pretty bad mood, and quite a few curses directed to a certain glassed detective brat.

And also, there was him. It was pretty much about the time he would come down, now. She felt tired at the idea, and wished he would not come to visit her for once, yet yearned for some company. She needed some distraction, and his presence always brought her quite a handful, though she would not acknowledge it.

Ai heard a knock on the door, sighed, and immediately made sure that everything was safely in place, and that her experiments where not to be accidentally smashed, before she answered.

"Come in…" She had gone back to her formulas, and didn't look at the person that was entering even once. She was decided to make him understand that he disturbed her. It was no use, and she barely winced when she heard a loud crash behind her. 'Seems like he still managed to fall…' She turned, trying to look annoyed-she was-, but instead found herself restraining a smile, though she still managed to greet her visitor quite coldly.

"What did you break this time, Hondo-kun?" Eisuke Hondo was on the floor, his glasses ready to fall, his nose on the ground and his clothes disheveled. He stumbled up to his feet, carrying a tray, which, by miracle, still held all of its contents –a teapot, teacups and biscuits.

"Just made a chair fall.", he answered with a smile of excuse, and to her relief, she realized that re-doing an experiment for the umpteenth time of the week wouldn't be necessary. He put back the chair he had made fall in its usual position, and sat on it, after putting his tray on the nearby table. "Cup of tea?" he proposed, with a welcoming face, and she found, that for an unknown reason, she couldn't refuse. It was exactly what she needed.

"Sure." He handed her one of the cups and poured in some of the hot liquid –it was green tea this time, she saw. Eisuke might have had a lot of flaws, but he knew how to make good tea, even Ai couldn't deny it. "Biscuits?" he said, presenting a full plate, and she took one. She began drinking –it was steaming, and she had to blow on it- while she watched him prepare his own share. He had arrived from America two weeks ago, and had asked Mouri Ran if she knew where he could stay. It seemed that at the time, Kudo had been with them and proposed that he stays at Agasa's –Shinichi's parents had decided to stay in Japan for a while, until things would calm down. Once again, Ai had cursed both Shinichi Kudo and Conan Edogawa's name, as the professor had willingly accepted. She hadn't seen much of the guy before, but what she had seen had proved that he was indeed a clumsy and noisy fellow, and it really wasn't what she needed at the moment. She had had her revenge, however –on Agasa at least-, when the number of plates that the professor had now been using for more than ten years began to decrease at an alarming rate, as they sooner or later ended crashing on the floor –it was now scheduled for Ai and Agasa to go to a shop during the week-end to buy new ones.

Eisuke's reasons for coming had been to visit his sister, as she had been wounded during the invasion of the Organization's headquarters, and was hospitalized in Tokyo. Plus, he had added, he didn't have many acquaintances back in the USA, and was thinking of maybe coming back to Japan to live with his sister. She apparently wanted to retire, or at least take a break, now that the case for which their father had given his life was solved. Eisuke still wished to become a CIA agent, he said, but it seemed that he was too young and too clumsy –Ai couldn't have agreed more- as of now.

And so Eisuke had found himself in Japan for the now way too long- to Ai's taste- summer holidays. Sure, he was out seeing his friends or his sister most of the time, but he always managed to go to the basement around five or six in the afternoon for tea, as he seemed to have developed quite an interest in Ai –was it due to his heartbreaking experience with Mouri Ran, or to some sudden curiosity for science or everything seemingly CIA-related, Ai wondered. It could even have been an interest in anthropology for all she cared. She couldn't deny that she most probably was an interesting specimen.

The first day, Eisuke had caught Ai off guard by coming down –she didn't think anyone would dare disturb her, as she had been quite moody then-, and had also brought tea and biscuits. Although they were never to be eaten, as Eisuke had managed to fall on one of Ai's most precious test tube, which contained a prototype version of an antidote. It had ended scattered on the floor. Her anger had been so that Ai herself didn't even remember what she had done – though she was quite positive that she had thrown a pack of data across the room, toward the door by which Eisuke had fled. The boy, however, would probably be scarred for his whole life, though no physical damage had been done –Ai sure had wished it had been otherwise.

He had came back the next day, to Ai's surprise and annoyance, this time sending flying a stack of paper across the room, angering her once more. She had been in a better mood that day, though –which seemed strange, as she had spent an all-nighter re-doing her antidote prototype-, so that she had partly forgiven him and accepted some tea –however, she refused to touch the biscuits. One did not tame Ai Haibara so easily.

Eisuke had repeated his visits every day, always managing to break, or make something fall, annoying Ai. His clumsiness was frequently getting on her nerves, but he had somehow managed to show his good points through time, and even to have a small conversation with her on the sixth day, during which he had revealed himself not to be a complete idiot, and even pretty bright, unlike what Ai had first thought. She would keep a cold attitude, even though she had more or less relaxed in the past few days –she was not known to surrender to emotions.

She had accepted a biscuit one week after his arrival.

These visits, Ai reflected, gave her an equal share of amusement, annoyance, and interest.

"Do you want more tea, Shiho-san?" This was another thing about Eisuke. The way he called her. She didn't know if she liked it or not at the moment, but it was better than his first attempt. Actually, it was what had made her speak to him for the first time –yelling sessions non-included. She had threatened to slap him if he was to call her Ai-chan once again. Eisuke had understood, and had since then called her Shiho-san. She had found nothing to say -the due formality was respected, and it was her name, after all.

But being called this way almost made her feel like she was herself once again, and it wasn't such a bad feeling -not bad at all, in fact. It felt as if finally some acceptance had come Shiho Miyano's way. Of course, Edogawa and Agasa had accepted her as herself, but maybe because they called her Ai or Haibara, it somehow felt different. Eisuke Hondo, Ai concluded, was undeniably an interesting person.

"Yes, thank you." She hadn't realized that they had been drinking in silence for quite some time, while she was lost in her thoughts.

"Say, Shiho-san, what do you want to do later?" Eisuke said, pouring more tea in Ai's cup.

"Later?" That was an odd question. She had a lot, and no idea at the same time.

"Yeah, you know, work speaking. Do you have any idea of a job?" He gazed at her with such attention that it somehow troubled her, and determined her to think that he must indeed have had an interest in anthropology. Nonetheless, she decided that answering his question was safe enough.

"Probably something in research –scientifically speaking. I may have been forced into it by the Organization, but they were right on one point, if I may allow myself to think that way –I'm not so bad in this sector. And it really is immensely interesting. I think I would have followed this path anyway. However, I would like not to spend my days locked up in a laboratory like I do right now – maybe something like teaching would be nice, though I doubt I have the qualities for such a job. And there is also the problem of certificates. You need some to work, and I really don't have much-" Realizing just how much she had said to the glassed boy in front of her, who she knew hadn't lost any of her words, Ai stopped dead, and hid her face in her cup. It really wasn't like her to speak that much –and even less about herself.

"So you might go to college, or even go back to high school?" he asked, apparently oblivious to her sudden discomfort.

Before Ai could even try to answer, she was interrupted by a yell. Eisuke had tried to pour some tea in his cup, and in the greatest demonstration of clumsiness, he had scalded his hand with the still burning liquid –when Eisuke Hondo made tea, he made sure it would stay hot. Ai jumped to her feet, snatched a rag -those were always useful during experiments and when Eisuke was around- ran to the sink -there was one in a corner of the room-, dampened it, ran back to the clumsy boy, and pressed his wound with the cloth. Eisuke took it, and she began cleaning up the spilled tea with a sponge –also from the sink. She then looked back at him, and couldn't help but giggle –a silent, small one, but still a giggle. This didn't go unseen. Eisuke, who until then had been pulling faces and restlessly agitating himself, his sweatshirt spilled with hot tea and his glasses ajar –they had chosen this moment to slide, causing him to fall and knock his head on the corner of the table, which had made him look lost for an instant, thus explaining Ai's giggle: it was quite an unusual sight-, had put his glasses back on and was now staring at her intently. Ai felt herself go silent, and returned the boy's stare, waiting for his reaction. She was startled when she saw him smile warmly at her, and became truly flustered when he told her

"A smile really suits you best, Shiho-san." Once again, he seemed quite oblivious to her reaction –which was a really startled one, accompanied by the faintest blush- and looking at his outfit, he told her in an apologetic way, while cleaning up and placing everything back on the tray "Well, I guess I should leave you to your work now, and go clean myself up as well as heal my wound, Shiho-san. I'll see you at dinner! Oh, I'm leaving you your cup, since you didn't finish it, okay?" He looked at her expectantly, waiting for a sign of understanding.

"Su-, sure…" Ai managed to mutter as she regained her composure.

Eisuke was about to leave when he stopped and turned around, facing Ai who was looking stoic once again, himself looking pretty thoughtful. He seemed to hesitate, but finally spoke.

"You know, Shiho-san, I think teaching would suit you pretty well. You have some experience, with going to an elementary school and all, you know… I think you just need to socialize a little more-" He interrupted himself, seeing that Ai was looking intently at him, a strange look in her eyes. "Did- Did I say something wrong?" He was beginning to feel like he had made a huge mistake this time, one that the scientist wouldn't forgive. But instead, she just closed her eyes, and when she opened them, a small, yet indubitably content smile was showing its way to her lips.

"Thank you…" she said, and Eisuke felt his cheeks warming. He blinked, startled, and when he opened his eyes, the smile was gone, leaving Ai starring at him in her usual cold attitude. "You- You're welcome!" He hurriedly turned back, and crashed into the wall doing so. He jumped back to his feet as fast as possible, and quickly got out of the room, closing the door behind him.

When Ai was sure she was alone, she let a small giggle escape her mouth, and taking her cup of tea, went back to her computer. Outside, the night had replaced the evening light, and the faint glow that was once her screen was now gone. She looked back at her formulas, and noticed with contentment that they didn't look as grim as before. Taking a sip of tea, she then looked at her teacup and smiled.

Hondo Eisuke was a very interesting boy indeed.

I hope that Ai wasn't too OOC, but I was trying to show how Eisuke somehow changes her. About the biscuit thing (which means the same thing as cookie, by the way, I don't know if it's really common in English -it's a French word.), I don't know. I know it's wierd, but it just came to me 'u u. Well, I just hope that you still liked it, and that you will review it.

Ja ne!