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They were sitting at the coffee shop that was located under the agency quarters. It wasn’t rare for them to meet there or in such terms, but it was usually the other way around: Mushitaro called and Ranpo agreed (or not) to meet up. That’s why he found it weird at first when the other man requested his presence. Still, he didn’t put much thought in the matter, or at least not like he would’ve done in the past. They were friends now, so it wasn't like Ranpo would be scheming something up. He had no actual reasons to be suspicious, yet somehow something felt off.
Mushitaro watched the man who sat in front of him stuff his mouth full with pastries while he himself stirred a cup of coffee. He wasn’t especially hungry or anything and was much more interested in what Ranpo had to say.
“You are not eating anything?” the other man finally asked after he was done devouring everything that once had been on his plate.
“No, thank you.” he politely declined. “I had something at home.” That phrase seemed to awaken something in Ranpo’s eyes. Maybe curiosity? Mushitaro wondered not realizing what exactly in his sentence may have caught his friend’s interest.
“Okay. So, how is Poe's new novel going?” Ranpo asked and Mushitaro came to the realization that that was it.
Since Mushitaro lived with Poe it made complete sense for Ranpo to make the connection between ‘home’ and ‘Poe’. Even so, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something about this encounter he was not quite grasping.
“I’m guessing it’s going well, but why are you asking me?”
“Because you live with him.” Under his breath he cursed Ranpo’s stupidly intelligence. How can he be okay with being probably the smartest guy ever yet refuse to learn common speech? If he asked Ranpo he knew he would get an answer like “that’s stupid and I don’t like stupid things” or maybe even “my mind is only meant to store important stuff” so Mushitaro refrained from asking. Instead, he proceeded to adjust the way he spoke.
“Yes. What I meant to say is: why not ask him?”
“Oh. I haven't seen him. I think he is avoiding me.” Well, that’s odd.
Mushitaro coudn’t completely conceive the idea of Ranpo’s judgement being mistaken. Still, somehow that made more sense than the possibility of Poe purposely avoiding Ranpo when the man had spent literal years of his life trying to get recognition from him. Maybe in another universe, he thought.
“Why would he avoid you?” He finally asked.
“Probably because of last time. I asked him if he was in love with me.”
“Why in the world would you ask him that?!”
Of all the things he could’ve expected that wasn’t one of them. Of course Poe would avoid him after that. Most people would, and considering that Poe had the fattest and most embarrassing crush on Ranpo plus his introverted personality, things added up.
“Because he clearly was,” Ranpo said with absolute naturality. “Accelerated pulse, dilated pupils, sweaty palms. He displayed all the signs.”
“That doesn't mean you should just go and say it!”
“Why? I was only stating the obvious.”
“Still. It’s not proper.”
“So, is he mad?”
“I don't know. Probably.”
“I see. Well... that’s a shame. I was hoping to read it soon enough. I guess I’ll have to wait.”
“So you aren’t gonna do anything?”
“I’m giving him space. Isn’t that the reason why he is not stopping by?”
“Well yes, but you still should go talk to him or do something.”
“Why? He is in love with me. He’ll come back eventually.” Ranpo said, leaving Mushitaro astonished by how cruel that sentence was. No, how logical.
“Because that's the right thing to do,” he finally replied, and with that the conversation was done for.
The right thing to do . Not the most rational option, not the logical solution. After their meeting Ranpo was stuck with that sentence and he hated it, like he hated all things that made no sense. Still, there was something about it that caught his attention; specifically the person who said it because at the end of the day Mushitaro was many things such as eccentric, selfish, and maybe even harbored some asocial tendencies, but he wasn’t irrational. Quite far from that actually, if he had to be honest Mushitaro was probably one of the most clever people he has ever met in his entire life. That’s why he likes spending time with him, because, unlike Dazai, who was pretty intelligent himself, Mushitaro was smart and understandable.
He is lost in thought when he hears the bell of the office’s door rattle and immediately Yosano walks in. That instantly gets him into a better mood which translates in a faint smile drawn in his lips.
“‘Morning Ranpo,” she greets him.
“Morning.”
Usually their exchange would end there till lunch or when a job comes up but today, after Yosano makes her way towards her office, Ranpo follows.
He stands there, at the door frame while she goes through some files. Once she is done, she stares back at him.
“Did you need something?” she asks, and the first thought that comes to mind is that some answers would be nice.
“Ah, Yosano. I can’t find the snack stack,” he says instead.
“That’s because you already ate it, did you eat Poe’s weekly stack as well?”
“He didn’t stop by this week.”
“Come again? I didn’t get that.”
“I said he didn’t stop by.”
“Oh. Are you okay? Did you guys fight?”
“Why would I not be okay? No we didn’t fight. Why is everyone acting so irrational?”
“Who is? Poe?”
“Mushitaro is.”
“Why is he acting irrational?” she inquires but Ranpo can’t just explain it.
No, that’s not quite right . He doesn’t want to. Even though Yosano has proven to be trustworthy in the past, and is one of the few people Ranpo can actually call a friend, there is shame in admitting he doesn’t understand something, even if it’s human emotion, his weak subject, that prevents him from doing so. That is why he opts for wording it in an alternative way.
“When presented with two options, a logical one and a...morally right one. Which one do you choose?” he asks.
Yosano’s expression is a serious one, which tells him she is carefully considering the matter. It’s not like he ever thought otherwise. She always paid attention to what he had to say even when everyone else thought he was kidding or when nobody else did.
“Well, it’s not like I have much evidence to help with my decision, don’t I?” she laughed, “then, again, if you used such vague terms means there is not much more you can tell me, right?”
Ranpo couldn’t help but be amazed at how easily Yosano had grasped the situation or how much he knew him, so he acknowledged her statement with a smile. She took it as a cue to start talking again.
“Having said that, I take the right one.” Ranpo’s face immediately contorted to a disgusted expression.
“Why?”
“Well, morale is something that comes from within, right? That means it’s something that helds significance for me. Probably much more than logic.”
“But…”
“In your case... you have it rough,” she said, dedicating a pitiful look to him.
After leaving Ranpo Mushitaro went straight to Poe. Now that he knew the reason behind the increase of his usual gloominess he was certain that it wouldn't just eventually pass.
He knocked on the other man’s bedroom door and he waited.
“Come in,” someone said from the inside. Mushitaro did as he was told.
“Oh, it’s you,” Poe acknowledged his presence from the bed where he was, wrapped in blankets. Mushitaro thought he looked like a very depressed human burrito.
“Were you expecting someone else?”
“I don’t know,” he said, which told Mushitaro that he most definitely did. “Did you need something?”
“No but Karl did. He seems to be missing his daily walk.” Mushitaro pointed at the furred creature besides his feet.
“Oh...do you mind?” Poe asked, probably feeling guilty but still not wanting to leave the room. And Mushitaro wouldn't in any other case, but at that very moment he did. He just couldn’t let Poe drown in his own misery.
“I do mind. I can’t control a racoon.”
“I see. Well in that case…”
“But I don’t mind accompanying you two.” He cuted him before he could come up with a plan to remain there. “We could get groceries on our way.”
Mushitaro could tell there is hesitance in Poe’s expression. Maybe I wasn’t convicent enough. I should’ve offered to cook something for him, he reasoned. He was about to add that when Poe muttered a shy ‘okay.’
“I’m gonna leave you to get changed then,” he said, closing the door behind him.
“Are we having pasta tonight?” Poe asked before he could close it all the way.
“If you want to.”
The trip to the grocery store was a successful one. Or that’s what Mushitaro concluded when they were making their way back and saw a slight, yet noticeable, improvement in Poe’s mood. The three of them were still a few blocks away from home when Poe’s phone rang.
“Who is that?” Mushitaro pointed at the device as the writer pulled it out. Normally he would mind his own business but he wasn’t even aware that his friend owned a cell phone, so curiosity got the best out of him.
“This? It’s just Alcott-san. She wanted to know if I was attending the book club session this week.”
Mushitaro remembered her. Brown hair and emerald eyes. A very awkward bookworm, just as his friend. At first he had thought she was Poe’s girlfriend but later found out she was just a former colleague from The Guild who Poe had bonded with over common interests.
Mushitaro liked her. Not in a conventional sense since he wasn’t a people person, but he realized she was a good influence for Poe so he thought she was okay.
“Are you?”
“No way! Meeting that many people right now...it doesn’t feel right.” Poe immediately dismissed.
“Well, you could just hang with her. She seems like good company, you could use that.”
“Yes she is,” Poe smiled. “Ah, so are you Mushitaro-san,” he hurried to add.
“Me?” he laughed. “Not at all.”
The next day, after finding out Poe had failed to contact his friend and decided he needed to see someone that wasn’t Karl or him, Mushitaro took the matter into his own hands and texted her because he hated phone calls.
Lucky for him she didn’t seem weirded out by the sudden request. Quite the opposite actually, because when Mushitaro asked her if she could come over and check on Poe since he wasn’t doing so well, she immediately assured him that she’d stop by later that afternoon.
Comforted by that, and since he didn’t want to deal with more people than necessary, Mushitaro let Poe know that he would go out for a while but come back with enough time for them to walk Karl out before dinner. Everything while avoiding mentioning the unexpected guest that would arrive during his absence.
It is for the best, he thought, realizing Poe would thank him for that later.
So with clear consciousness and a coat on hand, in case it got too late, he left.
Ranpo was sulking all over the place. He had been for a while now, and though everyone noticed it, nobody wanted to address it. The only time he wasn’t was when solving crimes but once he was done with the mission, he’d go back to his now recurrent state.
A few days had gone by since his mood became like that and despite all agency members having some sort of idea of what had happened, nobody knew for sure. Not even Yosano.
He was laying atop of his desk when Fukuzawa approached him.
“Ranpo, how did the mission go?”
“Fine.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“‘’Kay.”
“You may take the day off.”
“Hum?”
“What?”
“Why would I take the day off?”
“Because you did a good job and I’m giving it to you.”
“There is no point in giving me a free day. When there is work, I work. When there is not, I’m here,” he hurried to dismiss, but Fukuzawa insisted.
“Then do something different for a change. Go visit a friend.”
“Who would I-” he was about to object but came to a realization. “Oh.”
And after that exchange, without even giving him the opportunity to protest, Fukuzawa left the room.
Ranpo wasn’t dumb. He could tell what is an order when he is given one. That’s the only reason to do something so illogical. Nothing else , he told himself.
Had it been anyone else he would’ve laughed at their face and then proceeded to explain to them how wrong they were, but this was the president. The man he respected the most had told him to do so, so he had to comply.
Of course he harbored his own doubts. After all, Fukuzawa had been wrong in the past like with the whole DOA thing. Still, the current situation was an entirely different matter and it wasn’t just Fukuzawa anymore. Since Mushitaro also seemed to believe this was the right course of action they were two against one, and probably they would’ve been more if I allowed the other’s at the agency to get involved, Ranpo reasoned as he made his way towards Poe’s residence.
It was taking him longer than it should’ve had he taken Atsushi or someone else to help him navigate, but that didn’t matter to him. He had the whole day off and he didn’t want anyone else minding his business. He had more than enough with Fukuzawa and Mushitaro.
After meeting many dead ends and getting lost more times than he could count, he eventually reached Poe’s residence.
It was late in the afternoon when he rang the bell and waited for either of his friends to come answer the door.
“Ra-Ranpo-san.” Before the other could even peek through it the stutter let Ranpo know that Poe had been the one to answer the door.
“Poe-kun. It’s been a while,” he greeted when Poe finally stood in front of him. The other still seemed equally hesitant.
“Yes...em...how have you been?”
“Kinda bored actually. You?”
“Um, good I guess. Do you want to come inside?” The taller man eventually asked, like he was afraid to offend with his question, to which Ranpo replied with a simple ‘if you don’t mind.’
Ranpo had been before a few times in Poe’s place already, yet it never ceased to amaze him how big and fancy it was.
“So, is Mushitaro at home?” The detective asked as they made their way through the halls.
“No, he went for a walk. He doesn't like it when there are more people at the house.”
“But the three of us have been here before, and how did he know I was...oh.” Ranpo’s train of thought halted as soon as they reached the living room and realized a person, who was clearly not Mushitaro, was sitting on the french set of furniture. “Hello,” he greeted them.
“Ranpo-san, this is Alcott-san,” Poe introduced the girl.
“Pleasure to meet you,” she said as she stood up and held her right hand in Ranpo’s way. After a few seconds he realized he was supposed to shake it.
“Same,” he said while doing it.
“We were having tea before you arrived,” Poe intervened. “I can go prepare some more if you want to join us. Alcott-san would you like some more as well?” he offered.
“Actually, if you both excuse me, I think I’ll be on my way.”
“Is there something wrong?” Ranpo inquired. It didn’t take to be the world’s greatest detective to realize the time of his arrival and her leaving was way too much of a coincidence. Lucky for him, he didn’t have to put his interrogation skills up to use for the girl was sincere.
“No. It’s just...you both seem like you have a lot to discuss.”
“A-alcott-san.” Poe’s voice trembled upon her statement and his face colored red.
“Then, I’ll be off. Thank you for the tea; and Ranpo-san, hope to see you soon.” She waved them goodbye and instantly disappeared through the room’s twin doors.
Suddenly, the room felt too big for the two of them. Which was factually correct, since it was big enough to harbour fifteen or maybe even twenty people. Still, it hadn’t felt like this a while ago when there was one additional person.
They sat on opposite sides of the three person couch in silence, staring at their feet, for a while until Ranpo broke it.
“I didn’t know you had other friends,” he pointed out. There was no hidden meaning behind the observation other than to make small talk.
“I don’t, it’s just her. Aside from Mushitaro-san and you, of course.”
“Right. You’ve been busy?”
“I..yes. Sort of,” Poe hesitated with his answer, a common side effect from lying.
“I see.”
The absence of sound flooded the place once more and weighed heavy on them like a blanket would.
“Did you...miss the candy?” He eventually dared to ask, after he had gathered the confidence and realized Ranpo wasn’t planning on carrying the conversation on his own anymore.
“Kind of.”
“Sorry. I think I may have something. Would you like some?”
“Nah, I’m good.” Ranpo turned him down which made Poe stare at him as he was sick or something. Still, he said nothing, directing his glance towards the floor once more.
“Poe-kun.” Ranpo called, making the other turn to face him. “Why did you run?”
“I...I didn’t want to hear what you’d say next,” he confessed.
“Why?”
“Because...I knew I wasn’t gonna like it.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Eh?”
“I don’t speak from personal experience, but I’m pretty sure that when people love someone they want to be with them.”
“Is that why you asked, Ranpo-san?” he inquired fearfully, yet hopeful.
“Obviously. Why else would I do such a thing?”
“Because that’s what you do. You deduce things.”
“There was no point in me telling you if it was just that.”
“You...you are right.” ‘As always’ was left out of that sentence though they both knew it was implicit.
“Poe-kun.” He called, dragging the other’s attention towards him. “I may be super smart, but I’m no good with words. What I meant to say is: Do you want to be with me?”
It was a risky thing to ask, but again, he had been even bolder back then when he had asked if he was in love with him. Even if his super deduction hadn’t left much room up for speculation.
Back to the present, Poe seemed as if he was about to burst; and although the idea of being rejected never crossed Ranpo’s mind, that made him worry about the other’s state. Maybe that was too forward? He was about to ask his friend if he was alright when Poe spoke:
“I do,” he whispered, still bashful. Ranpo didn’t need to hear anything else.
It was late when Mushitaro returned home. Probably later than what he had let Poe know, he realized when he entered the place.
It was pretty quiet but that’s how normally it was around there, so that didn’t awaken any suspicion in him other than Poe’s friend had probably left already.
While he was passing through the hall he noticed light coming from the living room which probably meant that Poe was there reading or that he had left it on. Either way, he decided to check.
Nothing could’ve prepared him for the scene he ran into when he walked through the doors. Ranpo was sitting on the big couch, apparently typing on his phone, with Poe sleeping on his shoulder and Karl curled up at their feet. It was a comical sight, he would’ve laughed had he not spent so much time worrying for his friends. Trying to be silent, he approached them; the detective rapidly met his gaze.
“If I was expecting something this wasn’t it,” the taller man confessed.
“Wow, so conservative.” Ranpo teased making Mushitaro frown upon the comment. “Kidding.”
“Whatever. I’m just glad you worked things out.” It was sincere, he was just tired.
“Thank you.”
“You are welcome. Now, if you excuse me, I’m gonna drag my conservative ass to bed.”
“It was a joke! Come back, cook something for us,” Ranpo pleaded, but it was now Mushitaro’s turn to get back at him for the teasing.
“Maybe another time. Keep it down, Romeo. You’re gonna wake him up,” he said as he left the room, hearing a ‘tsk’ in the distance.
Mushitaro climbed the stairs with a smile on his face, wondering what Yokomizo would have to say about it.