Hi everyone! The 10th chapter is finally out, it's set 3 days after the last one. Have a good read!


Kudo Mansion, 01:05 am.

Slumber was leaving Ai's brain as her eyelids started opening.

She couldn't see anything since it was the middle of the night and everything was dark in the room. She could feel that she was lying on her stomach, covered by the thin sheet up to the back of her neck, which tingled her exposed skin. Seen that it was late summer and the weather's temperature was over the average, she was only wearing a thin white nightdress over her the lower part of her lingerie.

Fortunately for her, both Shinichi and Agasa's house were provided with well-functioning air-conditioning systems, which she would often switch on, especially before going to sleep; she hated awakening drenched in sweat.

She slightly clenched her hands to feel the cotton of Conan's t-shirt, but instead, she ended up gripping the mattress cover. It was then that she realized that the material under her head was too soft compared to how she was used to. It was resting on the pillow. Strange.

Conan's chest was her natural pillow, she wasn't at her maximum comfort on a normal one.

Her hand reached out, trying to find him on the other side of the bed, but it was empty. She lifted her head and opened her eyes more properly to get the confirmation of that, and it came, much to her dismay.

She grumbled in disappointment and yawned, shifting in a supine position and bringing an arm over her forehead.

She knew exactly where he was and what he was doing.

Concluding that she wouldn't manage to fall asleep again without him, she removed the sheet from herself and got out of the bed, slipping her feet into the cat-shaped grey slippers he had given her as a present for their second marriage anniversary. She appreciated them more than an obvious Fusae purse or a classic jewel, given her love for animals that she knew he was aware of.

Now, she had a clear goal in her mind: bringing her husband back to bed.

'It's time to bring out the big guns.'


As Ai had assumed, Conan was in the immense library of the house, sitting on an armchair which resembled the style of Sherlock Holmes' one, staring at a few papers he was holding in both his hands, supported by the faint light coming from the lamp next to the chair.

Another thing she noted was that he was wearing his glasses, a sign that he was in his detective-mode.

Despite being several meters away from him, spying him from behind the door, she could see that he had eye sockets because of his need for sleep.

In anticipation of that, she had brought with her a glass of warm milk she had heated up in the kitchen before proceeding to her final destination. Giving him something that would promote a restful sleep was part of her plan.

Taking silent steps, she approached him, who didn't notice her presence as he was too absorbed in his work.

When she was a few steps from him, he finally spotted her, "Hey..."

She could tell he was surprised to see her there, "Hey..."

"I thought you were sleeping..."

"How long have you been here?"

"Hmmm... About half an hour, I couldn't sleep, this case is so complicated..."

"I see...", her tone was warm and soft, betraying her facial expression. She had to acknowledge that his gravity attracted her too, not only cases, 'Damn... I only lasted for twenty minutes without him before awakening.'

He looked up at her, "And you? Did you have a nightmare?", he asked, sounding more caring and worried, amusing her.

"It's all right, it wasn't a nightmare..."

Half-relieved and half-curious, he made another question, "So... why are you up?"

She brushed his bangs away from his forehead, "I missed my pillow..."

"But– I placed it under your head and made sure you were comfortable before–"

"Idiot... I was talking about you..."

He batted his eyes a couple of times, making hypotheses about the possible goal of what she'd just affirmed. He watched her lips forming a genuine smile and her greenish-blue orbs full of affection projected towards him while his cheekbones' gradient reddened.

"Hmmm... was that meant to be something like a sweet thing or just one of your mocks?"

Gone were her smile and her gaze full of love as she rolled her eyes. She figured out that it was better not to respond, or else she could've compromised the outcome of her plan.

She handed him the glass of milk.

"Drink."

He questioningly raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"I know that you're not an expert like me when it comes to substances and stuff like that... and I'm aware that the relationship between you and the kitchen is quite troublesome... but you should be able to recognize this drinkable white liquid which can be found in every house's fridge."

He sulked, "I knew that, thanks. I meant why milk? If you had wanted to support me, you should've brought me some coffee."

Her free hand went on her hip, "Because milk will help you to sleep, simple."

"I won't manage to sleep until I solve this enigma."

"You haven't been sleeping for three nights in a row, so now drink and don't make a fuss.", she remarked while finishing the phrase in her mind, 'And me neither since I always found myself alone in the bed.'

He hesitated for a couple more moments before taking the object from her hand. Enjoyable warmth passed through the glass to his palm and fingers.

He attentively scanned the liquid, as if afraid that it could be contaminated with something.

Ai folded her arms on her chest, "What's taking you so long?"

He gave her an accusing look, "You're not fooling me, not this time..."

"What do you m–"

"Don't pretend not to understand... the last time something like this happened, about four months ago, you put soporifics into it to force me to sleep."

"Excellent memory, Sherlock. Well, this time it's just pure warm milk, no additional substances."

"Prove it."

She massaged her temple and groaned, "Idiot. Last time you studied the files on the bed, but if I gave soporifics to you now, you could fall asleep here, and I don't have the physical strength of carrying you upstairs to the bedroom."

He seemed to be convinced, not at all though, so she decided to continue, "And then... someone as smart and cunning as me would never repeat the same trick twice... don't you think so?"

"Are you trying to mislead me?"

She groaned again at his hard head, she was losing her patience, "Shut up and drink."

He glanced at her with disapproval before meeting the edge of the glass with his lips and gulping swig after swig of the milk until there was no more, to his disappointment as the sensation of the warm liquid flowing through his system was quite comfy. She took the empty glass from him and placed it on the near table.

Phase 1 of her plan: completed.

"Feel better now?"

Obviously, his pride was too much to admit that the answer was 'yes', so he deadpanned and answered, "Not even close."

Nonetheless, he decided that from now on he would drink warm milk more frequently, he had someway underrated it.

And now, phase 2 had to begin.

"Good", she leaned down and accommodated herself on his lap, grabbing his free arm and guiding it around her as if it was a blanket. Her hand laid hold on his shoulder to find support and balance, making her arm brush against the back of his t-shirt.

He chilled and held her tighter as his nose welcomed in her sweet scent, sending positive vibes to his brain.

"You don't need these.", she took his glasses off of him and placed them on the table, beside the empty glass.

He frowned, "Why did you do that? They help me to concentrate."

"Which is the opposite of what you need to do now."

"Why are you acting as if you were my mom?"

She smirked, "Because you're still a baby."

He sighed, she clearly wasn't gonna give up soon. His attention got drawn again by the photos he was holding as he tried to restore his earlier concentration.

"You need to rest.", she whispered as she pulled his head closer so that his cheek was now leaning on her collarbone. That strategic position was elaborated by her to encourage him to focus his attention on something else than the case, as, just to make an example, the thin gap between her body and the silk of her nightdress which could incite him to sneak a glance at the inside of it.

It partially worked, according to his words, "If I had no case to solve and I wasn't tired like this, you wouldn't be wearing this now...", he said with frustration while squeezing the part of the dress on her belly.

She nodded and buried her nose into his short hair while her hand caressed his face, "So you admit that you're tired."

"Yes...", he muttered as he shut his eyes, "... but I have to solve this before taking some rest... and you're distracting me so much..."

She chuckled, "I'm taking it as a compliment."

"It was...", he opened his eyes again and looked at the photos in his hand, "... but I need to stay focused on this."

"Mmmm...", she hummed into his hair, "... still that case your Osakan friend solved?"

"Yeah, he was right, the conclusion he made seem to be right, but something doesn't add up... and I still don't understand what exactly is."

She rolled her eyes, he had repeated these exact words a lot of times during the last days. She wished she could help him somehow, but she could never been as good as him with deductions skills, so the only thing she could do for him was convincing him to rest.

"Avoid sleeping will only make it more difficult. Who knows? Maybe if you sleep on it tonight, tomorrow morning the solution will hit you."

"I'm not sure of that... plus, it sounds weird when it's coming from a person who used to overwork herself and to have completely sleepless nights staying in her lab in front of a computer."

"And who was always there to tell me to go to sleep?"

"..."

Judging from his stillness, she knew she had hit the point.

"Exactly... you know it better than me that carrying on for several days only gaining energy by liters of coffee worsens things."

She waited for him to reply as she brought a hand through his hair, her nails gently scratching his scalp.

He sighed, her logic was flawless, but the detective freak inside of him was still having the upper hand against the tired part of him.

She placed a sweet and loving kiss on his temple before tilting her head and letting it rest onto his, "So... why don't we go back to bed now?", she proposed.

He was hesitant, "Hmmm... you can go if you want, I still need to finish here."

"Just to let you know... I'm not moving from here unless you're coming with me."

"I wouldn't mind but...", he accepted the fact that he was never gonna win, his wife knew way too well how to play her cards, "... okay listen, maybe I could continue my work on the bed so at least you wouldn't be lonely and could sleep, but I need to switch my lamp on to examine these pictures of the crime scene, is it okay for you?"

She pulled her head away from him and retracted her hand from his shoulder, "Maybe I wasn't clear...", she murmured in an authoritarian tone and took the photos away from his hand. Without prior notice, she teared up the papers in many pieces.

"Oi! What are you doing!?"

"Don't make a scene as if you hadn't these pictures saved also on your computer and your smartphone.", she scolded with a knowing tone and put the pieces of paper on the table next to the armchair.

"How do you–", he didn't have the opportunity to protest as she interrupted him.

"I've known you for eight years and been your wife for more than two.", she pointed out and stood up, gripping his hand and intertwining their fingers, tugging him up with her.

He tried in vain to protest, "Wait– I have to–"

"You have to come with me, end of the story."

After numerous objections, he gave in and allowed her to drag him upstairs to the bedroom, not as if he had any choice anyway. To whoever affirms that in a marriage it is the man the one who always has the final say, he would have a thing or two to tell; it certainly WAS NOT his case.

Phase 2 of her plan: completed.


"I've already told you that I won't manage to fall asleep without solving the case.", Conan remarked as he and Ai stepped into the bedroom.

"Let me handle this.", she affirmed as she finally let go of his hand, which he rubbed against his clothing to diminish the tingling sensation he was getting as a consequence of her strong and deadly grip.

Phase 3, her favorite one, was about to begin.

Meanwhile, she went towards the drawer to find something while instructing, "Take off your t-shirt."

"E–excuse m–me?", he stammered, a hue of scarlet developing on his cheeks.

She, on the other hand, was impassive, "You heard me. Take off your t-shirt."

"O–okay but–", he stopped as he grabbed the hem of his t-shirt and brought it over his head before slipping out of it, remaining only in his pajama shorts, "I'm too tired to do that, I'd rather not to disappoint."

"Always thinking about that, huh?", she commented reproachfully, making him assume that her intentions were different.

Although he was facing her back, he gave her an annoyed look, the blush was still there.

"Lie down in the middle of the bed.", another command came from her.

He obeyed, still wondering about what was in her mind.

She turned again to him, holding a black sleep mask. The smirk on her face made him get even more curious. He watched her taking steps towards him and switching on the lamp on the bedside table.

"Since when do you have one of that?"

She didn't answer, instead, she brought a hand behind his head and gently lifted it. She made him wear the mask, blindfolding his eyes. All he could see was dark.

"Seriously, what–"

She silenced him by cupping his face in her palms and pressing her lips on his forehead. It was as if she was telling him to trust her, and although the air was fresh thanks to the air conditioning system and he was almost completely naked, warmth was enveloping him.

"Still a few seconds.", she whispered.

He perceived that she was moving away, then he heard footsteps and, basing on the position which their sound was coming from, he could tell she was heading to the other side of the bed. There was the sound of a drawer opening, it was likely the one of her bedside table. Various objects into it were being moved until she stopped and closed it again. A light knock was the next sound, she had probably put something on the table.

Pressure got applied on the mattress, a sign that she was climbing into the bed. He was getting impatient, but he did not remove the mask from his eyes, he was sure she knew what she was doing.

He anticipated that she was coming closer to him, sensing it from the air shifting. Some part of her body was moving over him, but he only understood which one at the feeling of her full weight supporting onto him. She was now straddling his waist, her thighs pressing his shorts onto him, and part of her legs brushing against the lower section of his hips.

The ax of the pressure changed its inclination as she was leaning forward to his face.

Her breath ventiled his right ear as she was gonna whisper something, "Don't think."

She shifted to the other ear, "Concentrate on what you feel."

All he could do was nodding as the way she pronounced those words didn't allow him to think about any words, it was slow, sweet, and erotic at the same time.

He waited for her to begin whatever she wanted to do, still doubtful about that. He was tensing up as every second was becoming longer and longer, and she wasn't doing anything yet. Curiosity and expectancy were devouring him, he imagined the way she was smirking at his impatience. Was she just making fun of him or what? How long was she planning to make him wait?

Finally, he felt something. Two fingers, both her index fingers, he presumed, touching the two corners of his mouth. They stayed there for a while, slithering towards each other only to meet in the middle of his lips and come back to the edges of the short line. She repeated this movement a dozen times as she moved them lower, tracing his jaw and descending along his neck, where she could feel his pulsation speeding up.

Her fingers followed mirror paths, following the line of his collarbone and reaching his shoulders. They proceeded on his biceps, down to his arms, stopping at his wrists. She brought them back to his neck, this time making them flow down as if they were one single finger on the central line of his body, until they reached his belly button.

She retracted her fingers. He just hoped that that wasn't all, he had enjoyed it so far, but more like an appetizer.

Once again, she targeted his neck, this time not with the fingertips. She used her nails, all ten. Repeating the previous path, her nails gently scraped his heated skin. He tried to metabolize the feeling, it was halfway between tickling and gritting. He found it more pleasant than her earlier operation.

When her nails stopped on his twitching abs, she waited a few moments before skipping to the next stage of her treatment.

He was holding his breath, desperately wishing to know what she was gonna do next.

She leaned down again, her hands found place on his sides, holding his form just below his underarms. She was being so delicate like he was a fragile object.

He felt her lips on the right margin of his mouth, not exactly on his lips. She switched to the other corner. He unwillingly protruded his lips forward as if trying to catch hers, earning a chuckle from her; he was acting so cute, like a baby who wanted to get his toy.

Her mouth traveled lower, placing kisses on his chin, his adam's apple, and his collarbone. He groaned as her lips landed on random places of his chest, her tongue joining the game to give him more satisfaction.

His mind was flying to ecstasy as he moaned her name, "Ai..."

His groans increased as she went down from his chest to his abdomen, particularly when her tongue played on his navel, an extra-sensitive spot.

If only he hadn't been this tired and sleepy, he would've immediately switched position and returned her the favor.

When she ceased, his arms reached out trying to find her face, but before they could, she grabbed his wrists and pinned them back on the bed's surface.

She admonished him, in a kind way though, "These need to stay at their place. I'm not finished yet."

He obediently nodded.

As a reward, she bent over him and closed her mouth on his lips — she knew he was yearning for that. He was not expecting her to please his wish, so it took a moment for him to understand that sensation. He did not react in time as when he was ready to kiss her back, she had already pulled away.

He felt her right hand positioning itself on his heart, going up and down in sync with his chest. Chills passed through him. His head rolled on one side, his cheeks flushed, his lips curving up, and a peaceful sigh of pleasure escaping from them as he savored her touch, her palm felt like velvet. His beating was so fast and noisy as if the muscle was ready to explode inside his ribcage.

"This... needs to slow down.", she said in a whisper.

Her other hand reached to hold his face, he didn't make any resistance and let her delicately straighten his head.

Her thumb caressed his cheekbone, "Hold on one second."

The weight from his waist was removed, he whined in disappointment as there was no more contact between them. He could perceive that she was still on the bed as the mattress was pending on one side. Hearing the sounds, he assumed that she was taking an object from her bedside table, most likely the one she had earlier extracted from the drawer.

Seconds later, he relaxed as she was straddling him once more. The object she had in her hands was presumably a glass container, judging by the sound produced by the turning of its cap.

She inched closer to his face and whispered, "Inhale."

He took a deep breath. A strong lavender aroma invaded the inside of his nose, showering his brain with pure bliss. After a good amount of sighs, his heartbeat decelerated and she pulled the container away from under his nose.

He gasped as a tiny drop of liquid fell on his abdomen, then another one just a bit downward. Three drops fell on his chest, two on his collarbone, and many others on random areas of his torso, the last drop filled his belly button. The coldness of the liquid — which, at this point, he deduced to be essential oil — made him aware of how hot he was right now, and the air suddenly felt fresher than before.

He heard her rubbing her hands together, but the sound was a bit more sticky than usual, making him suppose that she had also poured some oil on them.

He softly moaned in a high pitch as her hands settled on his abs, slowly flowing upwards and meeting the drops on his body, stopping at his shoulders only to retreat to his stomach. She repeated the movement, again and again, erasing every hint of stress and tension present in him.

Every time she intensified the massage by helping herself with her weight to apply more strength, he would react with a grateful moan. Her plan was working perfectly, the case was the last thing he was thinking of right now, and as her hands continued to work their magic, he questioned himself about how could she be so good at this. It had been a long time since the last time he got a massage from her, and he didn't remember she using any oil nor blindfolding mask, this was a higher level. Even the game of fingertips, nails, and lips she had played at the beginning was new, it had rendered him extra-responsive at every her touch, even the slightest one.

About fifteen minutes later — seconds, from Conan's point of view — the massage gradually regressed to simple caresses. She could see he was more relaxed as the grin on his face was adamant.

"Ai..."

His call took her by surprise, "Hm?"

"Just when... when did you become so good at this?"

He heard her chuckle and the vibrations coming from her hands. She laid on top of him, her head positioned on the left side of his chest. He readily wrapped his arms around her half-bare back, holding her affectionately.

"As regards to the massage, I'm a scientist who knows the human body better than her own pockets, and detailed knowledge of massaging techniques isn't necessary to make someone relax."

"Okay but... I mean... I've never seen you wearing this mask nor using essential oils."

"As for those... I bought them specifically for you."

Her answer surprised him, "F–for me?"

"Yeah, for you.", she said as she planted a tender kiss on his sternum.

"B–but– how did you–"

She already knew what he was gonna ask, so before he completed the question, she explained, "Two days ago, after the day at the beach, I figured out that there could be the necessity of helping you to get some rest. When your Osakan friend asks for your help, there's usually a more complicated case to deal with, and since I had already used the soporifics method many months ago, I've come up with this idea."

"Just to let you know, feel free to put this idea into practice whenever you want."

Their bodies quivered together as both of them had a wholesome laugh.

Between a chuckle and another, she remembered that he was still blindfolded, "By the way, do you wanna keep the mask for the night? Maybe it will help— Oi!"

He abruptly sat up straight without any warning, bringing her with him in the process. She was confused and also a bit worried.

"Are you okay?"

He replied with a simple and firm request, "Repeat it."

"What?", she asked back in puzzlement, blinking quickly.

His tone was serious, "That last phrase you've just said, repeat it."

Despite not understanding the motive behind his demand, she knew well that he must've had a precise reason to demand that, so she obliged, "I asked you if you wanna keep the mask on your eyes."

He echoed her phrase muttering several times, bringing a hand to cup his chin, he seemed to be thoughtful. She knew he was pondering something, sometimes even a random word could give him the click he needed to solve a case, and maybe that had just happened again. She didn't speak a word, not wanting to break his concentration, he was close to the fundamental deduction.

"The mask... keeping the mask... mmmm..."

The flash hit him, everything made sense. She saw him putting on that smirk.

She smirked too, "Uh oh... seems that someone has just solved the hard and complicated case."

"Everything is clear...", he mumbled in a low tone, "I have to call Hattori..."

Before he could stretch his arm out, she put her hands on his chest and pushed him down on the bed with her.

"Are you crazy or what? It's two in the morning, you can tell him that when you wake up."

"B–but–"

"Now answer...", she reached out to switch off the lamp and looked at his face while supporting herself on her arms, which were still on him, "Is the culprit different from the one your friend had deduced to be?"

"No, but–"

"So there isn't any innocent person behind the bars, right?"

"That's true, but–"

"Is anyone in danger?"

"I don't think so but–"

"So stop worrying about that, whatever change your deduction can cause, it's not so crucial that he has to know it now, in the middle of the night, when everyone should be asleep–", she paused to slip an arm behind his head and pull him closer for the goodnight kiss, "Including us."

She grabbed the sheet and put it over them, laying her head on his bare chest and smelling the fragrance left by the lavender essential oil, her eyelids automatically closed.

Not having anything to counter, he secured his arms around her and gave up, "That's true...", he murmured. He was not too disappointed for being defeated again, the position he was in now was just too comfortable to be broken; having her hands holding his sides and her thumbs rubbing against his exposed skin always made him shiver.

"And then...", he added playfully, "If I called Hattori at this time... it could provoke him a heart attack."

She immediately responded with her distinctive sarcasm, "On a second thought, maybe you should give him a call."

He laughed while his hand found her shoulder and gave it a loving squeeze, "And anyway, thank you, Ai."

"For the treatment or the clue?"

"For both...", he adopted a sensual tone as his other hand flowed down to her hip, "I promise that tomorrow night... I'll do my best to demonstrate my gratefulness."

She moaned at the thought. Her plan was completed and successful, she had reached her goal.

"And by the way, am I comfortable?"

"Hm? What do you mean? You should know if you're comfortable or not."

"Well... you said I'm your pillow, am I comfortable enough for you?"

"Mmmm... good night, Conan."

"Oi! Can you please answer?"

"I'm already asleep, sorry."

"Tch... good night."

Indeed he was comfortable, but every sincere compliment made to him was a weapon that he could use to tease her in the future, so after making herself sure that he was asleep — he was slightly snoring — she whispered, "Yes, you are."

"Awww, thank you."

"Huh? Y-you're awake!?"

"Good night, love you."

"Geez... love you too."

END OF THE CHAPTER


A/N:

Thank you for reading, hope you liked my story. I'm realizing that several scenes of this fanfiction are on the bed, I honestly don't even know why my imagination leads me there, maybe because I'm a classic couch potato guy , but I also think that in the CoAi/ShinShi fanfiction world there are too few fluffy bed scenes (not in that sense ) where they're a married couple, sooooo... well... I don't even know where am I going with this speech (please bear with me). Anyway, reviews and comments (and also votes, if you liked my story) are extremely appreciated as always. See you for the next chapter, stay tuned!