Snippets of Partnership - Pitter-patters

By Crystal Snowflakes

It was raining.

Large droplets splattered on the ground, the gentle pitter-patter echoing against the roof above her. Wearily, Ai looked up at the dark, dreary skies overcast with gloomy clouds before letting out a small curse under her breath. It was supposed to be sunny today, and the one time she forgot her umbrella, it ended up pouring.

The school grounds were fairly empty now as most of the students were long gone. After all, it was only because she had volunteered to clean up the lab after chemistry class that was still around.

For a fraction of a second, she considered calling the professor to ask him to pick her up, but she remembered the next moment that he was out of town at a science convention. Letting out an exasperated sigh, she lifted her school bag above her head and made her way home.

Within minutes, the rain had plastered her hair to her face, to her forehead, to her scalp, and she was panting heavily from her run. Worst of all, she was shivering and cold. She made it home in fifteen minutes, though it felt much longer than that, and as soon as she opened the front entrance, a sneeze escaped her.

And then another one.

And another.

"Oi, Haibara?"

So surprised she was to hear him—the house was supposed to be empty—that she nearly fell backwards and tripped over the shoes scattered all over the floor. Her gaze snapped towards the sound of his voice, and her eyes widened at the sight of the rest of the Detective Boys in the living room, sprawled around the carpet. The television screen glowed and flickered with the professors' newest game.

"Ku-Edogawa-kun!" she responded, almost squeaking out his name. "What are you doing here?"

She hadn't expected them to be here. But the moment the question had left her lips, she remembered that it was the last Friday of the month—sleepover day.

"Ac—!" She tried fending off her next sneeze, "—choo!"

Conan's eyes narrowed slightly before he approached, his footsteps echoing throughout the house. His hand was against her forehead before she knew it.

"You idiot. Why didn't you call and get me to bring you an umbrella?" he asked, his gaze studying her intently.

Before she could retort, he had spun her around and marched her upstairs towards her room. She managed a weak 'stop manhandling me' just as he nudged her into the bedroom.

"Go take a warm shower. I'll make you something warm." The small tint of worry in his tone caused her to feel just a bit bad.

When she descended the stairs into the living room twenty minutes later, she was feeling much warmer and more comfortable. As soon as he caught sight of her, he ushered her into a seat on the couch, threw a throw on top of her and shoved a hot mug in her hands.

Curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee he had prepared for her—though it's a tad more bitter than she'd like—she watched as the rest of them continued to play, oblivious to what had happened minutes ago. A light blush coloured her cheeks as a soft smile tugged at her lips.

"Idiot," she murmured fondly.

Author's Notes: I hadn't planned on another CoAi project so soon, especially since I hadn't finished my last one, but here's a snippet for the CoAi day that I missed! This is where I'll start throwing my ideas that won't ever (probably) end up being completed fics :)

Please enjoy!

Completed: May 3, 2020