Picture Perfect

By Crystal Snowflakes

Summary: Their exhausted bodies cram into the couch with only the blanket keeping them warm.

With a small shiver, Ai shrugged her off her thick overcoat before laying it down on the back of the armchair. She was freezing—her face felt cold and her fingers numb. Her dress clung to her frame as she made herself comfortable on the couch, the throw blanket wrapped tightly around her. Maybe she should have gotten changed before settling down.

Conan had disappeared into the kitchen as soon as they returned back to his place, probably to make some hot coffee to warm up. It had been a long day—they had spent the morning shopping with the children, only to be dragged into another homicide investigation. By the time everything had been wrapped up, they had gone out for an early Christmas Eve dinner before walking around the city to marvel at the shimmering lights that had been strung on trees and along all the storefronts and buildings.

With a small yawn, she shuffled deeper into the couch, her gaze flickering between the delicate snowflakes cascading down on the other side of the window and the brightly lit Christmas tree. It reminded her of those picture perfect Christmas photos plastered all over American magazines when she used to study there.

She felt the couch shift slightly as he sat down next to her, a glass of wine in each of his hands. A small laugh escaped her lips. "Ara, ara," she murmured with amusement as she sat up a little, her fingers grasping the stem of the wine glass. "Taking advantage of finally being able to drink legally?" she asked with a small tilt of her lips as she swirled the wine before breathing in the rich aroma.

"I've had to wait thirty years for this," he responded dryly with a snort.

They sipped from their glasses in companionable silence for long moments. The sweetness and tartness of the wine washed over her tongue and before long, she could feel the effects of the alcohol warming up her body.

"We did good, right?" he asked finally after a while, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Her eyes studied the way he was staring fixedly at the glowing string of golden lights hung around his tree. There was a soft look in his cerulean eyes—it was one that she didn't often see and it sent her heart stuttering in her chest.

"Hmm?"

His face turned towards her and the warmth in his gaze was unmistakable. "Raising the kids. We did okay, right?"

She felt her lips curl up into a small smile at the thought—the kids, who were really no longer children, had grown up into such compassionate, kind and thoughtful young adults. And now that they were finally older and finally off their hands, it was hard not to feel proud of them.

"We did," she agreed quietly before finishing up her wine and placing it on the side table. "For a while, I wasn't sure if they would suffer from PTSD because of all the bodies falling over around—"

"Oi," he muttered exasperatedly as he leaned back against the couch, his face skyward.

"Just kidding," she said in a sing-song tone.

He cast her a look before shaking his head—he knew she wasn't kidding. There had always been a very real possibility that it could have happened and the fact that it hadn't in all these years was a blessing.

As suddenly as it happened, the look in his eyes intensified and turned indecipherable. Just as she was about to ask what was on his mind, his gaze shifted to her lips and she felt her breath catch.

Without warning, he leaned over and brushed his lips against hers—her eyes fluttered close as her fingers grabbed onto his shirt to pull him closer. She heard the sound of his wine glass joining hers on the table with a small clink as she nipped his lips gently with her teeth, the taste of the wine on his lips—the sound of him letting out a shaky breath made her smile.

Before she could protest, the blanket that had been warming her up was on the floor and his hands had moved up to her sides, his light touches from his calloused fingertips sending shivers through her. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his shirt as he pulled back—their gazes locked. They stayed in that position for a few moments before one of his hands tilted her head sideways gently, exposing the side of her neck to him.

He kissed her cheek lovingly before nibbling at her ear, causing her to let out a soft sigh. With his shirt finally off, one of her hands splayed against the warmth of his back and the scent of sweat, mint and coffee—of him—overwhelmed her senses. Her fingers threaded through the short hair at his nape before she tugged gently, causing him to groan in pleasure as his head fell against her collarbone.

His lips moved to her throat, biting the sensitive skin at her neck as his hands lowered. Before long, she was twisting beneath his hands as her fingers struggled to find the buckle of his belt.

The sounds of her soft gasps and his heavy breathing filled the stillness.

Later, as she laid up against him with her head on his shoulder, their exhausted bodies crammed into the couch with only the blanket keeping them warm, the sound of his heart thrumming in her ears caused her to almost doze off.

"Haibara." Except his fingers curled around her hips protectively and he sounded unusually uncertain.

Suddenly awake, her body twisted around slightly to peer up at his jaw. "What is it?"

There was a short moment of hesitation before he spoke again. "I think you should stay," he murmured, his voice quiet. "With me."

With furrowed brows, she sat up straighter and pulled the blanket around herself so that he could look into his eyes, causing him to shift his position—their skin brushed against each other.

"Am I going somewhere?" she asked with a small tilt of her head, her lips thin.

His gaze stared at her intensely before he let out a small, pained sigh. "I saw the luggage in the lab," he muttered as he rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands. "The ones with the tags still on."

"Oh," she breathed out.

"Oh?" he echoed incredulously with a mocking lift of his eyebrow.

She couldn't stifle the small laughter from escaping as she adjusted her seat on the couch so that she could cup his face in one of her hands. "You idiot," she said with her lips quirked up. "I bought those when I completed the antidote. They were taking up space in the bedroom."

His eyes widened for a fraction of second before his gaze flittered back towards the Christmas tree, a light pinkish hue dusting his cheekbones.

"Were you worried I would leave you?" she teased mercilessly.

"Tch," he grumbled. "Of course not."

Flashing him a smirk, she snuggled back into his chest as he slipped an arm around her waist. "It could still happen," she said with a small yawn.

He lowered her gently back onto the couch and their legs intertwined together.

"Somehow," he said in a hushed tone before brushing his lips against her temple, "I doubt it."

Author's Notes: I had initially planned a more explicit version, but I decided against it last minute since all the rest of the series were rated K, so it will stay as a T!

Chances are that I won't be uploading the next part of the series for another two weeks, so I wish everyone a Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Saturnalia! See you in the new year!

As usual, comments and kudos are very much appreciated!

Completed: December 20, 2020