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"Nope, nope,... is this... nah."
Chuuya's eyes skimmed through shelves after shelves, titles after titles. Everything was blurry, his eyes were heavy, he couldn't concentrate. To be honest, he should have expected this. Last night battle had taken a toll on him: a lot of small fries, not dangerous, but exhausting, and his ability had reached its limit then. He had got home at freaking 5am, and gone to work at 8am.
He would have taken a nap in his office, but Mori-san had given him a list, saying that Elise wanted some children's and colouring books. Chuuya didn't understand why Mori-san had insisted it had to be him though, but well, an order is an order.
So, here he was, inside an ancient and vintage looking book shop, looking for 'Momotaro', 'The little mermaid', an anatomy book?,... and a colouring book called 'Secret Garden'. Wait, did he just saw a book of his namesake?
He rubbed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. How can people find what they want in here?
"'Momotaro' is at the bottom left, 'The little mermaid' is the eighth one from the right on the third row, children's books alike are either on the same row or the second, 'Secret Garden' is the sixth one from the left on the fifth row. All on that shelf behind you. And there's an anatomy book at the top right of the shelf beside that window."
Great.
Chuuya turned his head.
"Ranpo."
"Fancy Hat." The detective was sitting in the reading area, back leaning on a dusty shelf, surrounded by stacks and stacks of manga. A colorful lolipop in one hand, a book in the other one, and a bag of marshmallows by his side.
Eyes not leaving the detective, Chuuya used his ability to retrieve the books from the places Ranpo had just told him. He was just sitting there, humming happily around the candy in his mouth, focused on the manga in his hands.
How the fuck can he read with his eyes closed like that?
"I appreciate your help."
"As you should." Chuuya gritted his teeth. This smug bastard.
He was about to leave, when Ranpo spoke again.
"You could just grab the book of your namesake that you kept eyeing, you know."
"I don't have time to read."
"You have now."
"Boss sent me to buy him books."
"He didn't tell you when to come back, now did he?"
"...Fine." Setting those books on a nearby table, Chuuya went to grab the "Yagi no Uta" and sat down beside Ranpo. They didn't say anything after that. Ranpo continued with his candy and manga, Chuuya also started the first page.
But he was so so tired. His eyes were heavy. The words just jumbled together. Crispy sunlight streamed through the window, landing on his naked skin, kissing his cheekbones and arms and eyelids, tingly and gently. The scent of papers, of dusty shelves - cypress, he vaguely thought - were really nice. And the presence of the one sitting right beside him was just so warm, so strangely warm.
Listening to Ranpo's quiet humming, Chuuya let himself fall into a slumber.
***
"Hey Fancy Hat." Someone was poking his cheek. He yawned.
"What?"
"It's 4:38." The first thing Chuuya saw when he opened his eyes was Ranpo, with tousled black hair and knowing emerald eyes. He realised that he had slept for almost three hours.
He also realised that their shoulders were touching.
"Sorry."
"You shouldn't have worked that night shift."
"As if an all-nighter could kill me."
"No, but four sleepless nights can."
Chuuya turned away from the detective. He didn't want Ranpo to see him like this: vulnerable and full of weaknesses. Some nights, his house was just so cold it kept him awake. <span;>Some nights, he just lay there, staring at the ceiling, thinking about anything and nothing at all.<span;> Some night, he could feel Arahabaki flowing rapidly under his skin and in his vein, leaving him restless.
"Fancy Hat."
"What now?" Ranpo wordlessly put a colorful lolipop in his hand.
"Wha-"
"Sugar can keep you awake. It's good for your brain, too." The detective stood up, yawning so widely that Chuuya could see a slightly-longer-than-the-rest fang, and stretched his back, just the way a cat would do after a long nap.
"What the fuck do you mean by th-!"
"Bye bye!" And just like that, he left, disappeared behind the door, calm and fleeting like a wind. The remaining warmth on Chuuya's shoulder was the only evidence of his presence here. Chuuya silently looked down at his hand.
Tightening his grip around the candy for a moment, he carefully put it inside his coat pocket.
***
[Ring ring]
Chuuya pulled out his phone. His personal phone. He frowned. Very few people knew this number of his, and he couldn't recognised the caller ID.
"Hello?"
"Hey Fancy Hat! Just wanna let you know that there's nothing dangerous inside! So don't worry! And you're welcome!" A childish voice greeted him, so fast he almost couldn't understand anything.
"Oi oi! Dammit!" Ranpo had already hung up, just as someone knocked on his door.
"Nakahara-san, there was a box outside of the Headquarters. It has your name on it."
"Just fucking bring it in." Chuuya sighed. As soon as his subordinate left, he opened it.
Scented candles. Cypress scented candles.
He just stared at the box, speechless.
And once again, smiled helplessly.
That night, Chuuya slept better than ever.
With the scent of cypress in the air, the lolipop on his bedside table, and deep emerald eyes in his dream.