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It has been a long time since Poe has gotten out of his mansion. He was always an introverted person, and definitely not up for any talks. He even sometimes wondered what the Guild saw in him but...that didn't really matter right? What mattered more was probably the empty fridge. That was the reason Poe dragged himself out of his mansion after spending an indefinite amount of time sleeping around, snuggling up to his pet racoon who was probably the only creature who could understand him.
Poe squinted all the way to the local grocery store. The sun shined so brightly in contrast to the haunted looking house he lived in. He was not going to leave his mansion for another week after buying the groceries, that was for sure.
What intrigued him though was the amount of people in the street. Was it always like that everyday ? Or was he just unlucky ? But that wasn't the only thing that grabbed his attention. Everywhere, in every store, in the street, were those little heart looking thingies and decorations, chocolates, small gifts, cards and balloons...Was there some sort of celebration today ?
Poe struggled to find a store that was empty enough. For him, crowds were equal to panic. He quickly bought everything he needed to fill up his pantry. On his way out, something shiny caught his attention, and he lifted his eyes to see it.
A heart-shaped chocolate box wrapped delicately in pink and red paper, topped all with a cute looking red ribbon on the side.
That's when Poe remembered he hadn't bought any snacks for Ranpo. He often visited him from time to time, and Poe always made sure that there were snacks anytime he craved for one.
Poe figured he would buy the box as a small gift for Ranpo. It seemed expensive, but people nowadays liked expensive things. Poe grabbed the box and paid without thinking much of it, and went back home.
As he was walking closer to his mansion, Poe noticed that the door was open, which immediately scared the living soul out of him. Entering the living room, in a complete state of panic, he saw a grumpy Ranpo stepping out of the kitchen...anddd that's when he remembered that Ranpo had access to the house keys as well.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, he asked Ranpo:
"What's with the grumpy mood ?"
It was definitely hard to admit, but Poe found Ranpo incredibly cute, and his childish passion for snacks only seemed to make his crush grow. Poe had acknowledged this long ago, but he never found the courage to come clean to him about his feelings. Him and Ranpo were too different.
"Why are there no snacks in the kitchen?" answered Ranpo nonchalantly.
"Oh" let out Poe with a smile. "I just came back from the grocery store, and I bought something special for you."
With that, he shoved his hand into the bag and started looking for the chocolate box. Ranpo, curious, stepped closer to him, a bit too close for Poe's liking, who already started sweating and if he didn't do anything soon, he would become a blushing mess. Poe 's eyes dashed back to the bag and he prayed Ranpo would step even an inch farther, despite how he hd loved it at the same time.
Finally, Poe lay his hands on the chocolate box and brandishing it, he showed it to Ranpo, hoping he would like the gift.
"Here!!~"
Ranpo, having lifted his eyes up, stared at the box without saying anything, his face going completely white. That expression sent shivers down Poe's spine, and a thousand unwanted thoughts crept up in his mind.
Did he not like the gift? What did he do wrong ? As small as the problem was, Poe wanted to dig up a hole, jump in it, and cry in it forever.
After a moment of silence that seemed to take centuries, Ranpo finally responded.
"Uh, Ed...Are you asking me out?" the answer was.
That single sentence was enough to transform Poe into a blushing mess, the very same that he was fearing earlier, when Ranpo stepped abnormally close to him.
"Uhh...W-what ?" he managed to say.
Ranpo, back to his nonchalant expression again, said:
"Ed...Today is Valentine's Day."
Poe was confused.
"Today is...what ?"
Suddenly, Ranpo's expression changed drastically, as his face contorted in laughter. All he could do was point in Poe's direction as he laughed like he hadn't in a long time.
"Oh, Poe..." Ranpo managed to mumble after his laughing fit. "You don't know what Valentines is ?"
"....huh?"
"The 14th of February." Ranpo answered. "This chocolate box is supposed to be a gift for someone you love."
Poe's cheeks reddened and his stomach did a weird flip once again. He swallowed his saliva as least two times before proceeding to give his sad excuse of an answer:
"...um...Like-like...ro-romantically ?"
Ranpo gave an exhausted but amused sigh, as he facepalmed. "Yes, Poe."
"W-wait !! I swear I didn't- I mean- I-it's just..."
Ranpo took the words right out of his mouth.
"That you really need to go out more often."
Poe, at loss of words, simply nodded.
And a wave of silence surged over them.
For a few seconds, their eyes were locked in each other, unable to move away. Poe felt more and more tense and nervous, and Ranpo's intense stare that seemed to hide something didn't help.
Suddenly, Ranpo stepped closer, completely invading the other's personal space, and Poe closed his eyes as a reflex. And there, just like that, Ranpo's lips were on his own. A dozen emotions flashed through Poe's mind, before he went completely numb.
...And Ranpo's kiss felt so amazing. Poe thanked God that Ranpo always fed on sugary treats and candies, or else his mouth wouldn't be so painfully sweet, and-
Ranpo dragged his lips off Poe's half- heartedly (he enjoyed the kiss a lot more than he imagined). With a grin, he said :
"That kiss sure tastes better than any chocolate."