Disclaimer: Of course I own Detective Conan! That's why I write fanfic. Except you know...not.

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A Day in the Life

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"Why am I the only one who cleans up around here?" Mouri Ran cried out for all to hear. At this time, she was the agency's sole occupant and therefore was talking to herself. This fact may have worried the customers in the café below them, if they had heard, but since they hadn't Ran was left to sigh and flop down on the couch. There would be no inquiries regarding the state of her mental health today.

She shut her eyes and assessed all that she still had left to do. While she had cleaned their apartment top to bottom (the living space down to the office) and done laundry, there were many things that needed Ran's attention before she could enjoy her day.

She still had to send some bills, run a few errands, buy groceries, call Sonoko, go to an internet café and do some research for her school project, prepare dinner, clean up after dinner and then maybe…maybe she could finally sit and watch her nightly drama. Honestly, what did a girl have to do to find out whether cute Akira was finally going to ask Kazumi out?

Good thing it wasn't a school day.

Not that it would have mattered, anyway. Ran was up and running during school days as well. What with classes, karate club, daily chores, preparing dinner and homework (she cringed); Ran rarely had time to indulge in guilty pleasures. That was just a typical day for Mouri Ran.

But now at least, she did not have to play surrogate mother to Edogawa Conan-kun. Mostly because (and this still shocked Ran from time to time) he was back to being Kudo Shinichi. After a long and drawn out battle with the Black Organization, Shinichi was in fine form. Nowadays he kept busy going to class, solving murder cases that came his way, calling Ran or showing up to surprise her at the place he had called home for so long.

When Ran had found out about the whole deal, she had been…well, upset was a light way to put it. But she had eventually forgiven him after he had apologized profusely and groveled.

Ran scowled. She was sure her idiot best friend was at home, reading the Sign of Four or some other Sherlock Holmes adventure. Shinichi rarely cleaned or cooked. Living by himself in the large mansion he often ate out, using up the extensive allowance his parents sent every month. Whenever the dust became unbearable, Shinichi was prone to pouting and begging Ran for help. If Ran was mad at him or busy, he called a maid service. Simple as a phone call.

And then there was Ran's other best friend, Suzuki Sonoko. Sonoko did not have to raise a finger to do anything. They had maids, butlers and chefs in the many Suzuki mansions and villas. Sonoko was probably relaxing at her indoor pool, since it was still a bit cool outside due to the ups and downs of spring weather.

"How the heck did I end up with two filthy rich teenagers as my best friends?" Ran called out loudly once again, rolling her eyes.

Sure her father was a famous detective, but he was prone to spending the money quickly and Ran had to keep very close watch of his finances. Kisaki Eri was the top attorney in the city and she always provided Ran with clothes and such. But Ran never liked to beg her mother for money so she usually claimed that things were fine. Besides, Ran had to keep living with her father! How else was he going to get his life in order and get back together with Mom?

Ran concluded that her life was very boring…except for the whole syndicate thing. And the fact that she was constantly surrounded by dead bodies…

Ran sighed and sat up. Best not to think about that too much. Getting up and putting away the various things she had used to attack the dust bunnies, she ran upstairs to shower.

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After leaving a message by the phone for her father (currently out with some friends) that three people had called for his help, Ran grabbed her purse, slipped on her sandals and headed out the door.

After a good scrub, Ran finally felt refreshed again. Dressed in her 'comfy' (read: beat up and worn) jeans and pretty white cardigan from her mother, Ran jogged down the stairs.

Judging by the cool breeze it was a good thing she'd tossed the sweater on. Quickening her pace, she nearly bumped into a couple thoroughly enjoying themselves. Ran narrowed her eyes.

Ran didn't mind couples. She was a born romantic; however, the fact that she was still unattached had not passed her mind. She remembered confessing to 'Conan-kun' that she was in love with Shinichi. As of yet, Shinichi had yet to either reject her or ask her out. Not that Ran minded…she wasn't annoyed at all…

Scratch that.

Idiot. I should avoid his calls; refuse to help him clean up…then maybe Mister Detective of the East will get the message…

Ring, Ring.

Startled out of her reverie, Ran dug her phone out of her purse and looked at the screen. Shinichi. A wide grin came to her face and she quickly answered. 'So much for righteous indignation' the little voice in Ran's head echoed. Ran responded that it could go shove itself-

"Moshi Moshi?"

"Hey Ran!"

Ran blushed and her smile grew wider; he sounded positively giddy. "Hi, Shinichi…what's up?"

"Nothing…so whatcha up to? Watching soaps?"

The smile magically disappeared.

"Yeah right!" She yelled into the phone. "I've been up since six, cleaning and doing laundry! I still have to run errands, grocery shop and make dinner! If I'm lucky maybe I'll get to watch some TV! What have you been up to, Shinichi? Back breaking manual labor, I'm sure!"

"Oh, heh. I don't think it's really important that we talk about me, Ran." He replied nervously. An angry Ran was not something he wanted to mess with currently…or ever for that matter. Not if he wanted to keep everything in tact. "Actually, I was wondering whether you wanted to come over later…if you're not too busy."

"What do you think, Shinichi?" Ran snapped, suddenly very much aware of all the couples walking around. Holding hands…kissing…

"So, um…no?" He asked.

"I'm busy, Shinichi. Talk to you later." With that Ran hung up the phone and walked along the street, mumbling about stupid detectives and their lack of romantic intuition.

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Ran reached for the last of her printouts and placed them inside her notebook. She had finished her grocery shopping two hours ago and had rushed back home to drop them off before heading to the cyber café. Thirty pages of research that she still had to go through and highlight for the most relevant pieces. Logging off the computer, she stood up and looked for a table to study at. A frazzled college student jumped the second Ran stood up and rushed over to claim the computer. Ran eye's widened and she shrugged…term paper, anyone?

Finding an empty table by a window, dropped her bag and headed to the front to order some coffee. Standing off to the side as she waited, Ran watched as the college student from earlier ordered an extra large cappuccino with four extra shots of espresso. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the red eyes and midnight shadow, that guy didn't need coffee…he needed sleep!

Reaching for her medium sized coffee, she backed away slightly horrified. This was why she usually studied at home…good reminder.

Ran took her seat and began to sort through her research; highlighter in one hand and coffee in the other. The loud music and voices soon became a steady hum in the background.

"RAAAAAAN!" The high-pitched voice of one Suzuki Sonoko, cute rich girl extraordinaire rang out through the cafe. Ran's head shot up at the ear-splitting shriek. "Sonoko, is something wrong?" She asked with a wry smile.

"God, yes! Can you believe that I just overheard that Hiroko-san has a huge crush on Makoto-san? What am I going to do!" Sonoko wailed. Clearly, the prospect of a girl trespassing on her man was too much to handle.

Ran could sympathize.

"Don't worry, Sonoko. Makoto accepted your chocolate, remember? He likes you. Plain and simple." Ran patted her shoulder. "Here, have some coffee." Sonoko nodded and took a sip, then heaved a huge sigh. "Well, I guess you're right…"

Ran nodded. "Of course, I am. Trust me. He only has eyes for you."

"Yeah, beautiful eyes too…" Sonoko momentarily lost herself in dreams of her karate kicking prince. "Speaking of nice eyes—" She took a moment to smile mischievously. "What about a certain detective's blue eyes?"

"What about them?"

"I'm just saying that somebody seems to be spending a lot of time with you lately." Sonoko winked.

Ran nodded. "Yeah, about that. Sonoko really…I have to have some alone time every once in awhile."

"Ran-chan!" Sonoko cried, loudly…much too loudly.

"SHHH! Sonoko, keep it down. And I don't know what you're talking about." Ran replied primly.

"You know exactly what I mean. Okay, sure Shinichi-kun's always hung around you like a leech before but now—" Sonoko raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"He's not, Sonoko." Though inwardly, Ran wasn't so sure. "Look, it's just because he hasn't been here for awhile; you're just used to seeing me alone…with Conan-kun."

Sonoko rolled her eyes. "Fine, Ran, believe what you like. But I know the real story! As your boyfriend says 'there is only one truth!'" She winked again and got up.

"He is not my boyfriend!" Ran exclaimed and received several strange glances her way. Sonoko simply waved and she sauntered off.

Ran frowned and crossed her arms. Oh sure, it was fine for Sonoko to say all those things but it wasn't as if Shinichi had actually done anything. For a moment, Ran remembered Shinichi's earlier phone call requesting that she drop by.

Maybe he was..?

Nah.

Sighing, she capped her highlighter and begun to put her things away. There was no way she was going to get any work done around here. She hitched her bag, emptied her coffee cup and walked out.

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As Ran jogged up the stairs of her home, she stopped by the office first to see whether her father had arrived. As she took a look around, she noted its emptiness and decided to check messages. Ran busied herself tidying up a few of her father's files as she listened.

"Detective Mouri? I'd like to request your assistance…"

"Mouri-san? If you could call me back…"

"Ran, it's your father. I won't be home till very late so don't bother making dinner…because I-I got caught up in an important case….well, see you later!"

Ran rolled her eyes. "Important case, my foot. Probably off playing Mah-Jong!" She muttered but then grinned. She didn't have to cook dinner! That meant she didn't have to clean up after! She would be able to watch her drama after all. Singing a happy tune, Ran went up stairs.

Dropping her bag off in her room, minus research, she shuffled around in her slippers and sat on the couch.

"As soon as I finish this, I'm free!" She sang out gleefully. Burying her nose in her work, she ignored her cell phone ringing.

"Uh-uh. I am not being disturbed any longer. Probably just Sonoko." She shook her head and ignored the incessant tune.

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"The thing is…I've been meaning to ask you-"

"Yes?"

"Well, if you're not busy…if you'd like to-"

"I'd like to what?"

"Go out to dinner with me on Friday?"

"I'd love to!"

"AHH! So adorable!" Ran cried as she watched her weekly drama. Clasping her hands together, she leaned back against the cushions and sighed with happiness. It was so romantic!

Ran had finished her homework just in time. At 7:30 pm she had rushed to her couch, settled in with a blanket and clicked the television on with her remote. All the chores were done. Everything was done.

Ding-Dong

Ran sat up promptly. "Who's ringing the doorbell at this hour?" She glanced at her watch. Yes, it was eight-fifteen. Hmmm…

She got up, walked towards the door and cautiously opened it.

"Jeez! Don't panic, I'm not a burglar!" A familiar teasing voice could be heard. Ran rolled her eyes and swung the door open. "Shinichi! What are you doing here?" Sliding sideways to let him in, she shut the door.

"The question is why weren't you expecting me? Why haven't you been answering your phone? I've been calling for ages!" Shinichi picked her phone off the couch. "See? 7 missed calls and 3 messages!"

"That was you?" Ran took the phone from him. "All from you? I thought it was Sonoko. I had to finish my homework so I just ignored it." Checking her messages, an amused expression crossed her face as she listened to Shinichi's exasperated inquiries about her location.

Ran shrugged. "Well, you're here now. What do you—commercials are over!" She rushed back to the couch and leaned into the television. Shinichi groaned but flopped onto the couch next to her. "Come on Ran! Trials and Tribulations of First Love. Are you serious?"

"SHHHH!"

Pouting, Shinichi crossed his arms but Ran simply ignored him. There was very little he could do in this moment to distract Ran from her beloved show. Short of yelling out 'fire!' nothing would tear her eyes away from the screen.

"Ran! We all know what's going to happen! They're going to go out on one date, be blissfully happy, have some crazy obstacle keep them apart only to be reunited in the end where they declare their undying love for each other and make out for all eternity. The End."

"Shinichi, so help me…"

"Fine!" He waited quietly for the sappiness to end. Well, not entirely quietly. He rolled his eyes, sighed and was prone to stating 'that would never happen!' at the worst possible moment. It took a smack upside his head to get him truly quiet.

Shinichi stole a glance at Ran and couldn't help but smile. She was leaning into the television, her eyes lighting up as Akira moved to kiss Kazumi.

"NO! Why!" Her anguished cries rang out as the couple was interrupted and the show ended with a reminder to watch next week. "They were so close! Stupid people. Stupid show!"

"If you're finished letting out your pent up frustrations?" Shinichi laughed.

Ran glared. "Yes, I am. Why are you laughing anyway? You get frustrated every single time that mystery show you like doesn't air."

Shinichi turned up his nose. "My indignation regards the pursuit of truth not the lack of kissing between two people."

"Then you have been deprived the true wonders of life." Ran got up and went to get two cokes from the refrigerator.

Shinichi watched her slender figure walk away and shook his head. 'You have no idea.'

"Here you go. So why were you calling anyway?" Tucking one leg under the other, Ran sat sideways on the couch. Shinichi raised an eyebrow. "It's obvious, isn't it? I invited you over earlier but then you bit my head off and said you were too busy. So I decided to come over and give you a hand. But looks to me like you're done."

Ran grinned and nodded. "That's right! Dad called and said he was off on some 'important case' so he wouldn't be home until later."

"All that complaining…"

Ran aimed a light punch to his shoulder. "Shut up! I've been busy all day and am just now relaxing, an activity that was quite peaceful ten minutes ago."

"Oh, you're funny."

"I'll be here all night ladies and gentlemen...cue the drum roll." Ran grinned cheekily and took a sip of her soda.

Shinichi rolled his eyes but pulled out his cell phone. "So what do you think…Chinese food? My treat?"

Ran sat up and clapped her hands. "Really? You're the best!" She giggled excitedly and leaned towards him.

Shinichi felt his face go red and he got up quickly to dial the number. "Extra egg rolls?" He called over his shoulder. "Yes please!" He heard her voice rise in pitch.

When he was done making the call, he sat back on the couch next to her, slightly closer than they had been (no, it wasn't on purpose). "Twenty-five minutes."

Ran nodded and leaned back against the cushion, her shoulder rubbing against his. Her hands played with the remote. "Sooo…what were you doing before you came over? Besides stalking me via cell phone?"

Shinichi swatted her knee. "What…you think my world revolves around you or something?" He asked, ignoring the little voice in his head that screamed 'YES!'

Ran feigned surprise. "Oh, it doesn't? Wow…you learn something new every day."

He quirked an eyebrow. "You're awfully quippy tonight." Ran grinned and shifted, Shinichi slightly moving with her. "I've been hanging out with you too long…but seriously what were you up to?"

"Megure-keibu faxed me the details of a case. Didn't take too long."

Ran eyes widened. "You solved it? You didn't even go to the crime scene?" She shook her head in disbelief.

Shinichi shrugged his shoulders, embarrassed. "It wasn't very hard, really. They're getting a little lazy."

"Even so, without even looking at the actual evidence…that's pretty amazing Shinichi." She gave him a smile.

Shinichi could feel his face go red again. "It's not a big deal." Ran turned her head to look at him. "Since when are you so modest? Before I couldn't even compliment you without it going straight to your head."

"Being three feet tall teaches you a bit of humility." He grinned at her. "So, you've always wanted to compliment me?"

It was Ran's turn to blush. "Well…it's not as if you aren't good at what you do. I'd be lying if I said you were a fraud or something. I've seen you solve most of your cases."

Ran heard him chuckle and she frowned. "What? See this is why I don't compliment you, jerk."

"Awww…come on. I wasn't laughing at you. It's just that I've never really heard you compliment me before…to my face. I mean when I was Conan, I heard it but that's different. I just think it's funny that you'd be embarrassed."

Ran rolled her eyes. "You were always bragging about how good you were before."

Shinichi laughed again. "But that's because you were always going on about what a mystery geek I was."

Ran punched him playfully. "You are still a mystery geek, Shinichi. Obsessed with mysteries, mysteries and nothing but mysteries. Nothing there has changed."

"Not exactly." She heard him murmur cryptically. She tilted her head sideways. "What?"

"Not exactly." He repeated a little louder, staring at his feet. He ran his fingers through his hair nervously.

"Not exactly?" Ran asked, puzzled. "What do you mean by that?" There was this odd thought niggling in the back of her mind. Something about his demeanor reminded her of something…

"The thing is…between us…what I wanna say is…" He began but faltered. Just how was he supposed to say this?

Ran quirked an eyebrow. "What is it you want to say, Shinichi?" Her tone was questioning but she remembered these expressions. The tugging on the collar and the red face reminded her of the time he'd taken her to that fancy restaurant. But he hadn't said anything then either!

"The thing is…I've been meaning to tell you since I got back."

"Yes…?"

"I love you." He mumbled unintelligibly. Very odd for the oh-so-confident detective.

"You…what?" Ran leaned in trying to make sense of his mutterings. What was he trying to say?

"I said I love you." This time, he looked straight at her, confidently; even if his face was florid.

"You…you love me?" She leaned back astonished. Hadn't she just been thinking of this earlier? No way!

Shinichi nodded and a boyish smile appeared on his face. "For a very long time now, I just couldn't quite work up the nerve to say it. I mean when you told Conan," At this, Ran's face turned bright red. "I never would have thought you…but I wanted to tell you and well—here we are."

"So then earlier when you called…?"

He nodded and grinned. "Yeah, I was kind of hoping you were free but then you got mad and hung up on me."

Ran smiled. "Well, with good reason!" She aimed a half-hearted swat to his head but he caught her hand and held it. "You haven't contradicted me…so does that mean?" he asked hopefully.

She felt a familiar blush coming up her cheeks. "Yeah…I, uh, I love you too, Shinichi."

The smile on Shinichi's face was a mile wide. "Well, that's good to hear. I had a few shaky moments this past year. But anyway I was thinking… well, if you're not busy…if you'd like to—"

"If I'd like to what?"

"Go to dinner with me?"

Ran clapped her hands excitedly. "This is exactly what happened on the show! But no amusement parks ok?"

Shinichi smiled and leaned in. "Oh, you mean you don't want to ride on the mystery coaster while someone loses their head?" His hand cupped her cheek and Ran laughed. "No, no, I'd rather not…" Edging closer, she tilted her head sideways and Shinichi tilted forward to meet her in a kiss.

The chores, responsibilities and all the rest of the day's crazy events flew out of her mind. Kissing Shinichi was completely different from anything she'd expected.

Finally.

Breaking apart, Shinichi ran his fingers through a lock of her hair and grinned wickedly. "I could definitely get used to that."

Ran rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh, could you?" Leaning towards each other once more, they began to practice one of the more physical aspects of their new relationship. That is until the doorbell rang.

"Oh sure. Today is the day they bring orders early." Shinichi frowned but stood up to get the door. Ran smiled to herself as she watched him pull out a crumple of bills from his pocket to pay the delivery boy.

Perhaps it wasn't such a typical day after all.

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The End

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A/N: This is a fic that's been partially written for months. I thought of it after writing the angst that was 'Dancing in Space.' Plunnie for this came when I was thinking over how much stuff Ran does all the time and I centered the fic on it. Hope you enjoy!