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It was Poe's choice, and he doesnt regret it. Not that Ranpo knows that. As far as he's aware, Poe's completely overwhelmed by all the people and noise. And he is, definitely, overwhelmed and overstimulated, but Poe's not the sort of person to tell someone that. And Ranpo's still quite happy that Poe wanted to go on a job with him.
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Poe stands near the back of the room, his back against the wall. He watches Ranpo through his bang, admiring the way his boyfriend studies everything going on.
But his favorite thing is how every once in a while, he can see Ranpo's soft green eyes dart to Poe under his glasses. Even when he's solving a murder, Ranpo still pays attention to Poe and how he's doing.
Outside of the clothing store, a large group of teenage girls walk by. They stop briefly at the entrance, gossiping about the yellow police tape in the doorway.
A few cops shoo them away, but they still talk animatedly and very excitedly, nearly shouting at one another.
And the sound they make is barely noticeable inside the loud, cluttered mall.
One girl says something, and the others all loudly laugh at it, their resounding cackles reaching unbelievable decibels, making Poe shrink into himself without thinking, as if hiding from the noise.
Within a moment, there's a pressure on his right hand, the closest to the windows between the store and the rest of the mall.
Poe raises his head, which he had instinctively ducked into his chest. Previously, Ranpo had been a good couple meters away from him. But now he's here, taking Poe's hand in his own.
Unable to think clearly at the moment, Poe's hand is limp and Ranpo easily laces their fingers together.
He hasn't even stopped talking, asking the police officers simple questions, when he begins to slowly massage the back of Poe's hand with his thumb.
Poe can feel his face grow slightly warm, but nowhere as near as hot as his chest is. All from this simple gesture and care.
Focusing on the contact with Ranpo, Poe zones out happily. Before he realizes what's happened, Ranpo begins to walk away, taking Poe with him. He's already solved the murder.
They exit the store fairly quickly, and Ranpo immediately heads towards the front entrance of the mall to leave. "I'm sorry," he says quietly.
Poe frowns a bit. "What for?"
"It's really loud, and there are a ton of people. It was stressing you out."
Poe's small smile returns quickly. "I'm the one who asked to tag along. It isn't your fault at all."
"It is, I should've thought it through and realized how the setting would affect you. I was just so happy that you wanted to see me at my job that I didn't think what might happen."
Poe's smile only grows. He loves how Ranpo shamelessly says what he thinks. "Don't worry. Dealing with a few crowds is more than worth it."
They leave the mall, sunlight washing over their bodies. It might be the sun, but Ranpo's face look to be tinted red.