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It had first started when Poe brought the manuscripts that Ranpo had asked for. He was unsure of going into the enemies, and especially his rival's office, but Ranpo had assured him that it would be alright. And he did take his word on anything, so he went and as Ranpo had deducted, nothing bad occurred to him.
No one really wondered why he was here nor did he get dirty looks for bringing his pet racoon, Karl. The Armed Detective Agency was really inviting and he did enjoy his time there, although for the most part he was alone.
Ranpo had invited him and he suspected that he was going to spend it majorly with him, but as it seems he's not the one with Ultra Deduction, is he?
But with what little time they spent together, Poe felt his smile increase more and he laughed a little bit more than he had in six years. Although they were rivals, they seemed to just click with one another. Is this what it means to be rivals with someone? Being close and having much in common? Poe did not know and he did not want to know, as he liked the relationship that they had.
But after that instance, they were spending much more time together.
At the beginning it was just to bring Ranpo his manuscripts, he truly wanted to see what his rival thought of them now. Ranpo, would for the most part read them, after some persuasion of treats that Poe carried in his pocket. He’d give him helpful tips and advice.
“Ed, you should make it seem like the killer wasn’t aware that he was the killer. That way it would make readers more engaged and have more time struggling”
Poe took in that information and decided that his dear Ranpo’s idea would surely be more accommodating.
“Thank you, Ranpo dear” he had said and hurriedly began scribbling away.
Ranpo’s desk wasn't big enough for the both of them, due to half of the desk being trashed by wrappers or there being an amount of sweets scrambled across the desk that he had for the day. It was truly amusing to find out that Ranpo had an obsession with sweets.
After that day not only did Poe start to bring sweets with him, he took note of which ones his dear Ranpo liked the best, but also did he get his own little desk at the agency.
“Close your eyes Ed!” Ranpo said as soon as he knocked on the agency's door.
‘What is going on? Am I going to be attacked?’ were the concerns he had thought but did not express them because he whole heartily trusted his life with Ranpo.
“Where are you taking me, Ranpo-Kun?” was the only thing he managed to get out of his lips before he felt his hand being grabbed and interlaced with his dear, Ranpos’.
Shortly after that, his brain began to malfunction. This was the first time they had engaged in physical touch.
Was this the sort of thing rivals do? Did they hold hands and did that simple touch make someone get really hot in the face? He really needed to find out but he was sure he was not going to go out researching.
“Ta-dah!” exclaimed an excited Ranpo, “Open your eyes now Poe!”
When he opened his eyes, he was in front of a desk, a brand new desk which he had never seen before, might he add. The desk was furnished with books and with a little fake plant. He examined more closely and there was a nameplate with his name on it.
He was shocked to say the least.
“What is this, Ranpo-Kun?” he had said slowly, still taking in the desk in front of him.
“Ed! I know your ability is Black Cat in the Rue Morgue and not Ultra Deduction, but c'mon you must know what this means?” he had said, as if it was a simple thing that Poe could just understand.
Rivals did not do this for one another, they were supposed to attack one another, not buy things for each other. Well, he supposes, if that were the case then why did he always buy sweets for Ranpo?
When he did not say anything, Ranpo explained it to him.
“Well since you're always spending time here and since there is no space on my little desk, I asked the president if we could get you a desk and as you can see he said yes!”
Poe was utterly speechless and Ranpo didn't need his Ultra Deduction to deduce that. So he let them be in silence until Poe was ready to come to his senses. It was moments like these that Poe truly treasured, how they could be in utter silence but still understand one another.
“Oh my dear Ranpo. Thank you, this is the best thing anyone has ever done for me” he said, sounding more vulnerable than ever.
All Ranpo did was nod and that was that. He quickly settled in and found great comfort in this chair.
In the following days, Ranpo surprised him with even more things for his desk; a fluffy bed for Karl, new writing supplies, and Poe's ultimate favorite, a picture of the two of them together.
He was not sure when this was taken because he knows that Ranpo and him have never taken a picture, well at least not yet. When he asked Ranpo, he learned that it was the doctor, Yosano, who had seen them huddling together and decided to snap a quick shot.
He was both flustered and embarrassed that others could see him being truly happy but then it didn't matter as much because Ranpo had told him that he really liked how they looked together in the photograph.
So after getting the desk, he was seen spending more and more time at the detective agency. He had even started getting out of his comfort zone and began talking to the other members. They were all pretty interesting, with astonishing abilities, but none of them compared to Ranpo.
The agency had truly started feeling like a home to him, well not the agency so much as his dear Ranpo, but he wasn't ready to admit that to himself.
After the desk, he only wanted to give and show his love, well not love, cause Poe wasn't in love with Ranpo, no way he was. He just wanted to make sure his rival didn't get the advantage of saying that he is the only one that gives out gifts.
He started to bring strawberry flavored lollipops, limited edition sweet pork buns, chocolate milk, and anything that Ranpo showed that he loved.
As he stated, it was not out of love that he brought these gifts, it was simply due to the fact that they were rivals and they needed to stay on the same level.
The Guild didn't really care where he was or who he was as long as he was getting his work done. But there was one instance where Louisa had pulled him aside and asked him a question that he too had in the back of his mind.
“Poe-Kun? May I ask you a question?” she had told him out of the blue. Louisa and him had never really interacted before, so he was a bit confused about their interaction.
“Of course, Louisa-San. Is this about the work I finished last night?”
He had been focusing on writing his newest novel for Ranpo that he didn't get home till pretty late and then he still had to finish up the paperwork that Franics had assigned to him. As much as he liked being the master architect of the Guild, it was pretty time consuming.
Since it was so late, he must've made a mistake? That was the only thing that could have brought on this conversion.
“No, Poe-Kun, that was impressively done and will benefit us very much,” she said in a very gentle tone suggesting that there was no reason to be afraid.
“Oh, then what is wrong?” he responded in a very confused tone.
“Is there” she started and stared directly at him“oh I do not know how to start this.”
‘Could there be a possibility that they are replacing me?’ Poe thought but it didn't make sense since Louisa-San had just complimented his work.
Maybe they needed him to be more social? Perhaps they wanted to get rid of Karl? The possibilities were endless.
Now he desperately wanted her to just say whatever she needed to say. The suspense was killing him.
“Just spit it out”
“Are you in a romantic relationship with that detective from the Agency!” she quickly said and seemed to get redder by the minute.
“HUH?!” was all that was heard in the long empty hallways.
That, well that was not the question he was expecting. His brain was literally moving and scrambling around. Why would Louisa-San think that he was in a relationship with his rival? They were RIVALS not LOVERS.
‘Did everyone in the Guild assume they were together just because they were rivals?’ he thought to himself.
‘No, don't be stupid Poe, it isn't because he is your rival. It is because you spend your days with him and buy him presents. That is what people do when they are in relationships’ the little voice in the back of his head explained to him.
“Poe-Kun,” she says, shaking him lightly. Louisa looked pretty worried, and it seemed like she was about to go fetch a doctor.
“No, we aren't together. He is simply my rival.” he forces himself to say before literally running out of the Guild Headquarters.
Poe was confused and embarrassed. Why would people suspect that? Why did he secretly want to know the answer to that question? What would his dear Ranpo think of such an absurd question?
He ran and ran and ran with no destination in mind. Karl, who was still on top of his shoulders, seemed to be startled awake and made noise to get him to stop running. But as he was lost in his thoughts, he did not seem to notice the cries of his beloved racoon nor did Poe notice just where exactly he had led himself to
His running soon stopped as he almost planted his face on a door, but not just any random old door. No, it was a door that he knew quite well. He was in front of the Agency and he was both surprised and relieved that he came here.
Slowly, he lifted up his arm and started to knock slightly. He hoped that no one would be there so he could turn around and force his legs to take him home. Just why did they bring him here?
After five seconds, he was certain that there was no one there so he quickly made his way to turn around but ultimately he was stopped.
“Ed! Where do you think you're going”
He closed his eyes because that was the voice of the person who he most trusted but he couldn't dare face him, not right now.
He made no attempts to move so instead Ranpo made his way in front of him. Instead of having his eyes closed, as he normally did, his dear rival had them open.
Oh.
Oh
How had he never noticed his green beautiful eyes? Although he is out of breath, from the running, he felt himself lose all the air that was in his body.
Is this why Louisa-San thought they were together? He was going to make sure to find out this time.
“Ranpo dear.” was all that he managed to get out.
“Come inside Ed” Ranpo said and then he took Poe by the hand and led him inside.
He looked down at their hands, and took notice of their hand size and the placement they were in. Poe’s hands were bigger and they seemed to find great comfort interlaced within Ranpos' smaller hands.
Once again as he was lost in thought, he did not appear to notice them not going to their normal spots, their desks, instead Ranpo had taken them to a room in the back of the agency.
Neither of them said a word and so the room was filled with a silence that could be cut in two. Poe started to look all over the room, as he had not been back here before, but he was being eaten alive with Ranpo’s eyes staring hard at him.
“Ed,” he murmured as his hands made his way up his face. “Look at me for a moment”
Soon after those words left Ranpo’s mouth, Poe’s eyes were looking affectionately down into his. It was like the entire world had stopped and it was just them two. If anyone were to open the door and take a look into the room, it would have seemed as if Poe himself had written this scene into one of his novels.
“Kiss me”
It was said in a whisper and Poe might've missed it if it weren’t due to the fact that they were close to each other. At that moment he was made painfully fully aware of how they were the only two in the agency.
All Poe could do was nod and slowly he approached his rival's face. He closed his eyes and his hands quickly found a crevice in between Ranpo’s hips. He felt as though his hands belonged there in behalf of how right it felt. It was as if his hands had always been there and they were just waiting for Poe to wake up and realize it.
Their lips found one another and they danced around the slow movements. It all happened very slowly but then it was as if they both knew what they wanted and soon the pace was fastened.
Ranpo’s hands never left Poe's face and Poes never left his waist. It was truly a moment that he was going to remember forever.
Their kiss seemed to last forever but in truth it was no more than a minute.
They both communicated with each other without words or actions when it was time to stop. Poe opened his eyes first and couldn't help but notice the wide smile that was on his dear rival's face.
Just by the events that had just occurred and by looking at Ranpo’s face, he felt as if he knew what his purpose in life was. He was made just for this moment, to be able to kiss Ranpo and see him smile due to something that Poe, himself did.
“Is this something that rivals end up doing?”
All his dear Ranpo did was laugh and fall onto his shoulder. Poe soon followed and joined in and then they made their way to their desks to enjoy some sweets.
Poe knew that what was going on between them was more than a simple rivalry, it was love and he was finally starting to accept that.