Archive of Our Own ^beta

When Atsushi entered the Armed Detective Agency at 9:01am exactly, he noticed immediately that Ranpo Edogawa and Osamu Dazai were not there. Dazai’s Absence was normal; Ranpo’s was not.

Well- it wasn’t in the past.

It was getting more and more common.

Then he noticed Kunikida walking over to him. 

“Is Ranpo-san not coming in today?” he asked his most responsible co-worker.

“The president sent me an email saying that he and Ranpo-san would be out again and, like always, to only contact either of them in case of an emergency.”

Sometimes, Ranpo and the President would just be gone. On those days, Yosano would always join them for at least a few hours.

More recently, Yosano had started being gone all day as well.

They all knew that it happened at times, they just didn’t know why.

… 

Ranpo had always been very aware of how different he was from everyone else.

Not only was he better than everyone (for obvious reasons), but there were certain things that stood out in his experience with life that made other people look at him like he had three heads. 

These things were the reasons he missed work so often.

There were the noises other people didn’t notice, the lights other people blocked out, the pains other people didn’t feel, and the emotions that he couldn’t quite understand.

Of course, only Fukuzawa and Yosano knew about all that.

And- well Dazai, who had figured it out himself a week into working at the ADA. Because of this, Dazai was usually in charge of taking Ranpo through the trains as he wouldn’t question why he wasn’t giving the pregnant lady his seat, or not taking stairs, or sitting on the floor of the platform, or struggling to keep up with the speed of everything.

Fukuzawa had sat with Ranpo through meltdowns on countless occasions, and had rubbed his back when he felt moment away from vomiting on just as many; he had helped him track all of his symptoms and triggers from the moment they had started popping up. Fukuzawa did anything and everything he could to make Ranpo as comfortable as possible and that included helping him on days where he couldn’t do so much as stand for more than a few seconds without collapsing. 

When Ranpo awoke on Thursday, the first thing he felt was pain and discomfort and instability and the feeling of undigested food sitting in his gut and his head was aching and it felt stuffed with cotton and he just felt really not good. 

None of those things were new. 

He tried to stand up- he really did, but standing for even a moment made tears well up from the intense pain as his legs gave out and his vision blurred, so he elected to slowly lay back down. The more he woke up, the harder it was for him not to cry and he was certain that if he moved at all he’d start sobbing.

But he had to tell Fukuzawa.

He couldn’t just not show up.

Well he could, but he also really wanted his dad.

Ranpo reached for his phone, shoulder popping painfully as he did so. Gagging emptily, he opened it and went to open his message app. Silent tears fell down his cheeks and onto the pillow as he held back a sob and typed through blurry vision, “Csnt vome in. Aotry.” 

He put his phone down beside him, looked up at the ceiling and just let himself sob as he curled up under his weighted blanket. The motion hurt . Not even half a minute later, he heard it vibrate, but he didn’t have the energy to move and regardless- everything hurt way too much for him to even consider it.

Ranpo cried and cried and cried. He cried from pain and from nausea and fatigue and from how everything was spinning and it was all just too much; the electricity was too loud and the lights were too bright and everything just hurt so much . He cried and cried until all his energy was spent and as he lay there, moments away from his world of dreams, he heard his front door open and Ranpo cried as he was promptly taken by sleep.

…

It was 6:21am when Fukuzawa got a text from Ranpo; it was full of typos but he knew what it meant.

Ranpo needed him, and he needed him now.

He quickly responded with an “I’ll be there as soon as I can” that was left on delivered before rushing through the rest of his morning routine at 3x speed. He changed into clothes that would be suitable for a day spent caring for someone most likely completely bed-bound and grabbed a quick breakfast, electing to Email Kunikida on the way there.

The walk was short, maybe 5 minutes total thanks to his proximity to the dorms, but it felt like ages as he rushed to get there as fast as he could. 

Fukuzawa already had his key ready when he got to Ranpo’s dorm, and he wasted no time in unlocking and opening the door. Locking the door behind him, he took off his shoes before speedily making his way to Ranpo’s room only to find him freshly asleep. Not wanting to accidentally wake him, Fukuzawa simply sat beside him, not touching him at all. 

He quickly noticed the wet spot on the sheets, as well as the tear tracks on the 26 year old’s cheeks and his heart broke into a million pieces. He had known Ranpo has been crying based on the typos, but seeing him in person was different. 

Of course- it also was possible he’d had a meltdown, but if that were the case the Ranpo would not have been able to send Fukuzawa that text, no matter how bad the spelling was, and he probably would be curled up in a corner staring into space, not still in bed.

Fukuzawa watched his adopted son sleep for almost two hours before he decided to go make some chamomile tea for him. He stood slowly, trying not to shift Ranpo too much for fear of hurting him, and made his way to the kitchen. The tea only took five minutes and he decided to let it steep while he watched over Ranpo. 

Before sitting back down, Fukuzawa gently placed the tea on the bedside table. He waited ten minutes before gently rubbing up and down Ranpo’s back. 

“Ranpo? Can you wake up for me? I made you tea” said Fukuzawa as softly as possible. He tried not to shake him for fear of causing more pain but even the gentle touch seemed to be too much as ranpo groaned and seemed to try to escape.

…

When Ranpo felt a hand on his back, he immediately tried to escape. He was too overwhelmed by the pain in his body and the extra sensation made him physically cringe. 

As soon as he showed any amount of discomfort, the hand left his back. He didn’t want to open his eyes, but he desperately wanted to know who it was; weakly reaching towards where he thought the mystery person was, a rough, callused hand took his and a familiar voice said “I’m right here, Ranpo.”

Ranpo curled up in the direction of his fathers voice and mumbled something unintelligible as he moved the man’s hand back to his back.

Fukuzawa chuckled but continued his prior menstruations nonetheless.

“Kitten, I made you some tea if you’d like? You’ll need to sit up though” offered the older man, his voice soft, and Ranpo felt tears fall down his cheeks as he thought of the dull ache that had settled in his stomach and shook his head, wrapping an arm around the gurgling organ, curling up as realizing just how bloated it was. He had been feeling sick for at least a week so it wasn’t that surprising. Just the thought of forcing anything down his throat made him want to vomit.

Keeping his eyes closed was disorientating, and thus he was forced to open them. He was greeted by the site of a slightly disheveled Fukuzawa sitting by his side with the mug of chamomile tea on his bed-side table. He sat up, joints grinding and stomach sloshing, but feeling the weight of gravity on his joints as soon as he was up-right, Ranpo quickly curled into the man’s chest. Closing his eyes yet again, he was comforted by one of the best hugs he’d ever been given.

His dad always gave the best hugs ever.

The arms around him held him close and rocked him side to side, head being supported as comforting words were muffled by his hair. Had Ranpo had the energy to move his arms from where they lay limply at his sides, he would have hugged the man back.

“I know you feel really, really bad and really sick and you’re hurting so, so much and that’s okay; you can cry as much as you need and I will not judge you for it. I will not leave you here alone.”

That was all it took for Ranpo to start sobbing.

Soon enough, a wet spot had formed on Fukuzawa’s shirt but he didn’t care. All he wanted was to give his son an outlet- a shoulder (or chest, in this case) to cry on.

Ranpo stopped crying for a moment as he tried to hold back an abrupt gag that quickly morphed into a loud, sickly sounding burp that held only the burning taste of stomach acid coating the back of his mouth. 

That seemed to trigger something, as the gagging didn’t stop.

“Oh, kitten… I know- hey, I know… you’re okay…… you’re safe here… I will keep you safe…” comforted Fukuzawa as he switched from rubbing up and down Ranpo’s back to rubbing firm circles lower down.

He stopped sobbing as hard, brain seemingly unable to handle both sobbing and gagging at the same time; instead he whined and curled up further, both arms now wrapped tightly around his middle.

It took a while for it to calm down, and even when it did, the feeling of a huge rock sitting in his belly didn’t leave. 

“Do you want one of your lollipops?” asked Fukuzawa, brushing Ranpo’s hair back out of his face with his fingers..

Ranpo sniffled and nodded into his dad’s chest who then reached one arm over to open the drawer where the anti-nausea lollipops were held and unwrapped one behind his back in order to still be holding him close. As soon as it was unwrapped, Fukuzawa held it to Ranpo’s slightly parted lips. Ranpo took the candy in his hand and put it into his mouth.

The taste of orange and ginger flooded his senses and helped a bit with the nausea, but the ache was still very much there and it wouldn’t be leaving any time soon.

Neither would the ache in the rest of his body.

As Ranpo opened his mouth, his jaw popped in and out as it grinded painfully. Keeping the lollipop at the front of his mouth, he brought the arm back down to his stomach, his elbow grinding painfully and leaving a stabbing pain behind as he did so. In that moment, Ranpo really just wanted to not exist anymore.

The more he thought about how useless and stupid and bothersome he was, the more he cried. 

He wanted to die. 

…Not really though…

…He just wanted to not be in pain.

“Can you try to rate your widespread pain for me, Ranpo?” asked Fukuzawa in that rough-yet-soft voice, shifting to rest his chin on the top of Ranpo’s head.

Ranpo mumbled a small “Nine…” through his lollipop.

“And in your stomach?” 

“Prob-ly five”

“Is there any other outstanding pain?”

He shrugged. There was but it wasn’t worth mentioning.

It didn’t really matter and Fukuzawa probably didn’t actually care.

Fukuzawa just nodded and said “Okay…” as Ranpo sniffled; his sobbing had calmed to the point where he was just silently crying again and the last thing he felt before his eyes drifted shut was the lollipop being taken from his mouth. 

…

It was exactly 9:07 when Yosano got a call from Fukuzawa and, of course, she answered right away.

“Hello Fukuzawa-Sensei! Do you need assistance with anything?”

The concern in the man’s voice was obvious when he responded in a whisper, “Ranpo is in a lot of pain and I don’t want to cause a meltdown by not being there when he wakes up, but I need to move around in order to ensure he’s taken care of. Would you be able to help me?”

Yosano had already started gathering her things the moment she heard Ranpo’s name and was locking her office door as she said “I’ll be there as fast as I can” into the phone and hung up.

Of course, Kunikida stopped her.

He grabbed her arm and, in a strict voice, said “Yosano-sensei-“

She turned to him and sharply interrupted “What the fuck do you want that could be important enough to interrupt me when I’m obviously in a fucking hurry? ”

Kunikida just stared blankly at her and she ripped her arm away, giving him a death glare before rushing out the door as everyone just watched her leave. 

She heard the chaos that erupted moments after she left.

Yosano ran down the stairs and through the cafe, accidentally bumping into someone and frantically apologizing before running away. 

She ran down the street, doctor bag in hand, not slowing down until she reached the dorms. Ranpo’s dorm was on the first floor, thanks to his inability to use the stairs in the unlikely event of a broken elevator, so it didn’t take her long to get to his door. Yosano opened the door as quietly as possible, slipping off her heels before silently rushing to Ranpo’s room.

Reaching the door, she touched her hand to the door handle and gently turned it. 

What she saw when she opened the door was a very sad sight. Fukuzawa looked up at her as she walked in and smiled sadly. He was holding Ranpo (who had clearly been crying) close to his chest, probably rubbing his back, and a weighted blanket was draped over him. Ranpo’s brows were knit together, eyes scrunched, and his face held a pained grimace. There was an untouched mug of chamomile tea and a half sucked lollipop on the dresser.

It reminded her of the war.

Of when Shunzen had comforted her.

She had to force herself not to think of that horrible time in her life.

She had to focus on now.

On Ranpo.

She quickly made her way to the bed, placing down her bag before turning to Fukuzawa and asking in a hushed voice “What symptoms is he experiencing?” 

Fukuzawa met her gaze and responded “Generalized pain is at a nine and stomach pain is at a five; he specify anything outstanding, but I doubt that means there’s nothing. I didn’t ask about anything else as he was already overwhelmed and I didn’t want to make it worse. I assumed he was nauseous as he was gagging so I offered him one of the anti-nausea lolli-pops and it seemed to help. I also made tea when I got here but he declined and seemed as though the thought made him sick to his stomach so I didn’t bring up consuming anything after that.”

Yosano nodded before turning in the direction of the door and saying “I’ll go see if he has anything easily digestible and get him some water, I’ll be back soon.”

As Yosano made her way to the kitchen, she made a mental note of things to look for such as saltine crackers or apple sauce. She was quick discover his secret stash of apple sauce pouches and grabbed one before putting cold water in a cup.

…

Ranpo awoke to a painful, fiery stab in his left hip and right shoulder. Groaning, he curled up before wincing and accidentally slapped someone in the face.

“Are you okay ranpo?” asked what sounded like Yosano; eyes scrunched up, he let out a strained shake of his head.

Fukuzawa was still rubbing his lower back and his stomach seemed less upset but that didn’t take away from the pain in his joints.

He didn’t realize he was hyperventilating until Fukuzawa, in a calming voice, said “Try to follow my breathing, Ranpo.”

Fukuzawa switched from rubbing circles to slowly going up and down Ranpo’s back in time with his breaths. He counted “Inhale through your nose… 1… 2… 3… exhale through your mouth… 1… 2… 3…” over and over but Ranpo just couldn’t do it. The full breaths were sending sharp stabs into his ribs and because of that his breath kept hitching, and it didn’t help that he felt like he was actually going to vomit if he so much as opened his mouth but it gave him something to focus on, so he was grateful nonetheless. 

He felt Fukuzawa shift under him slightly as he moved one hand up to Ranpo’s chest, gently maneuvering him so he was sitting up straight and then holding him in that position to let him breath easier. “Yosano-kun, would you please open the window? The fresh air could be of assistance.”

The woman did just that and Ranpo hadn’t realized how stuffy the air was in his room until the deed was done. Immediately. the uncomfortable nausea that had curdled in his gut decreased to a manageable level and his lungs seemed to more easily accept the air he was feeding them. 

It took a few minutes of coaching, but Ranpo was eventually able to keep his breathing somewhat stable without the verbal cues. The hand remained on his back, giving him a physical thing to lean on while Yosano and Fukuzawa spoke in hushed voices, both reassuring him as well as talking amongst themselves.

“Can you try to sip some water?” requested Yosano as she held a plastic cup, that she’d picked up from the dresser, close to him. Nodding, Ranpo took the cold cup to his lips and, with the help of his younger-older sister, he took a sip. As he did so, the hand on his back had paused before starting up again when he was done his sip. Yosano lowered the cup and Fukuzawa told him “Just breathe for a few moments and then you can have a bit more. Your stomach is already upset and we don’t want to upset it further by adding too much, too soon.”

The burning, stabbing pain in his ribs had finally dulled to the point that he could breathe through it if he really, really tried and the hand on his chest had certainly helped with that.

He took another few sips of water and the hand paused once again at the base of his back. The cup was taken again after a few seconds and Fukuzawa whispered “Okay… now breath” and as soon as Ranpo was ready, he continued rubbing his back up and down in time with proper breathing techniques.

“Do you want to try taking a few Tylonal? You’ll need to try eating as well” said Yosano, who was now sitting beside him. Ranpo thought about it then nodded slowly; if he could actually get it down his throat then it could maybe help a bit, and if not he’d just be really nauseous but he was already really nauseous so it made no difference at all. Fukuzawa kissed the top of his head and said “Okay… just let me know when you’re ready.”

After about a minute of mental preparation, Ranpo muttered “I’m ready” and Yosano went to get the trash can, just in case he couldn’t get it down.

Fukuzawa opened the apple sauce pouch and handed it to Ranpo. He had a quarter of it before he started feeling sick and let out a strained “I’ll have the rest after” before putting it down.

Yosano held out two red pills, both tauntingly big, and he took one weakly in his hand while Fukuzawa, who had switched to rubbing soothing circles over the his lower back to help calm him, helped him hold the cup in his other hand. Ranpo placed the pill at the front of his mouth and took a large sip of water before trying to swallow.

It didn’t work.

His abdomen contracted upwards and he gagged harshly, a mix of partially dissolved pill and water falling into the trash can with a splat. Ranpo burped wetly, bringing up nothing with it as Yosano put the second pill back with a sigh.

Fukuzawa and Yosano exchanged brief words, but Ranpo was too focused on holding back from gagging to care what they said.

The lump in his throat had doubled in size and there was something about his stomach that felt overwhelmingly wrong .

He heard Fukuzawa’s strict and yet comforting voice cut into the fog he was in and say “Hey- Ranpo, breath in-”

And Ranpo tried, he really did, but he was cut off by another gag. 

“Okay, that’s ok… breath in through your nose… 1… 2-” 

He gagged again.

“Ranpo..-“

This time he burped wetly and let out a choked sob.

“That’s okay… you’re okay, kitten. Breath in… 1… 2… 3…” 

Finally.

“Now breath out through yo-“

Okay so maybe not.

He heaved, breath hitching as stomach acid, that tasted like the rice he’d had the day before and apple sauce, coated the back of his tongue. 

It was disgusting.

“Okay… okay, it’s ok. Breath in… 1… 2… 3”

Ranpo tried desperately not to give in to the gag that was clawing at his throat and it must have been obvious from his face because as Fukuzawa counted down again, Yosano whispered “You’re doing amazing, Ranpo.”

By the end of the breath, he couldn’t stop himself from burping up more stomach acid along with a few grains of rice, but he had gotten a full breath and that was at least something. Once Ranpo had finally made it through a full cycle, the rest seemed to be much easier.

“Breath in… 1… 2… 3…” 

He paused for a moment to hold the air in his lungs.

“And out… 1… 2… 3…”

Yosano moved, probably to put the trash can back where she found it.

“… In… 1… 2… 3………… Out… 1… 2… 3…”

Ranpo heard the clunk of the trash can on the wooden floor as he waited for the cue to breathe in once again.

“… In… 1… 2… 3………… Out… 1… 2… 3…”

Fukuzawa’s hand had paused its rotations in preparation to go up Ranpo’s back.

“… In…………”

The hand paused at the nape of his neck for a full count before going back down.

“… Out…………”

Fukuzawa’s hand stopped again at the very base of Ranpo’s back, before going all the way back up to the top. He had stopped speaking, trusting that Ranpo had enough clarity now to need only his hand as a cue.

Yosano came over to the bed, sitting down before placing a gentle hand on his aching head and whispering “You should lay down, Ranpo. You’ve been in that position far too long and it must be causing you significant pain.” 

He only nodded before trying to move, wincing as he did so. All of his joints slipped in and out painfully and Fukuzawa’s hand had stilled on his back. Ranpo groaned and whined and whimpered and moaned and he tried not to but it just hurt so much and he couldn’t stop the desperate sounds from leaving his mouth. Every single time one of his joints was irritated, the pain in it would go up to eleven. All the work he’d just put into regulating his breathing had been for nothing as he genuinely could not breath. He was slowly lowered down by Yosano and Fukuzawa because he very clearly could not do it himself.

Ranpo was placed flat on his back, but quickly decided that was just making everything worse when stomach acid climbed up his throat and his back screamed and his lungs froze and his hips roared so he started to shift to his front, his efforts quickly being noted and Fukuzawa did the rest of the work for him. Once he had been placed gently on his front, Ranpo let out the breath he had been holding and Fukuzawa started rubbing his upper back in circles which helped considerably with the intense, fiery pain that he felt there as well as the nausea.

Under the pressure of the weighted blanket, and the calming sensation of his dad’s calloused-yet-soft hands rubbing away all the particular bad pains in his back and shoulders, Ranpo was back asleep within an hour.

…

It was exactly 12:35pm when Yosano abruptly re-entered the Armed Detective Agency and waltzed right into her office without giving anyone even a second or her time.

Safe to say, everyone was considerably confused.

Everyone but Dazai, who had arrived exactly fifteen minutes prior and was now headed towards Yosano’s office. No matter how well Ranpo could hide his secrets, Yosano and Fukuzawa were far easier to read. Of course- he hadn’t told anyone (and he didn’t plan to) but it was valuable information nonetheless. It was good to have someone else who wouldn’t question anything Ranpo did or did not do.

The man in question, who had noticed Atsushi fidgeting since he arrived three hours late, was approached by his protege only a few steps away from the door.

“Dazai-san, Ranpo-san and the President have been at work for two days this week… Do you think something is going on with the President? These absences are getting closer and closer together and I’m worried…”

Dazai just laughed and said “Atsushi-kun, the president is fine! Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it! You’ll know what you need to know when you need to know it.” 

As a fallow up, Atsushi asked “Then is something going on with Ranpo-san?” 

Dazai simply shook his head and said “Nope! Ranpo-san is a-okay as well!”

It was said with the sort of finality that could not be countered, the vibes only excentrantes when he patted the younger’s head.

Dazai knew, with the frequency of these absences, that that time would be coming soon.

Opening the door to the doctor’s office, Dazai was greeted with the sight of Yosano, ever the composed goddess, stressing at her computer with her head in her hands.

After he had closed the door, Dazai stayed in his place and said flatly “He’s getting worse, isn’t he” but without any trace of a question. Yosano looked shocked at first, not expecting anyone to bother her, but quickly broke down. Her mouth was agape as if she had wanted to say something, but was choked by the threat of tears. 

No matter how hard she tried to stop them, the tears still ended up falling and she curled up in a ball where she sat.

She didn’t care that she was messing up her make-up.

She didn’t care that she was crying in front of someone who wasn’t Ranpo or the president.

All Yosano cared about was how much she wanted her brother to just listen to someone for once in his life and start using some sort of mobility aid.

Once the flood gates had opened, they didn’t seem to want to close. Yosano started sobbing and Dazai went over to wrap her in an awkward hug. 

She immediately reciprocated.

The two stayed like that for a while, Yosano sitting in her chair with Dazai awkwardly crouched in front of her. They both knew she couldn’t legally tell Dazai anything about Ranpo’s condition, so he didn’t even bother to ask. Even Dazai knew that there was no way of getting information like that out of Yosano, not even the most painful torture.

“I just-“ Yasono paused in order to take a deep breath. “I wish he’d listen.”

Dazai only nodded; he knew Ranpo had a tendency to ignore assistance of any kind from anyone.

After a minute, Yosano pulled away.

“You should go get back to work” she said through sniffles; Dazai’s demeanor immediately become more light hearted and he exclaimed “But Yosano, I need to rest my brain! It’s so overworked from all these cases… you’re a doctor, you should know these things!”

Yosano just gave him a look of indifference and shooed him away, smiling to herself when he had shut the door.

Back in the main area of the Armed Detective Agency, Kunikida was waiting impatiently outside Yosano’s door for Dazai; he knew better than to interrupt them but Dazai had not only been late, but also refused to go with him on their scheduled mission because he, apparently, urgently had to speak with Yosano.

“Okay! Now we can go!” Dazai called cheerily as he left.

Kunikida followed close behind him, the two already having walked two blocks away from the agency before either spoke.

“What did you need to bring up with Yosano that could have been urgent enough to delay my schedule?” Kunikida asked, the annoyance clear in his tone. It had only taken three minutes and 24 seconds; nothing important only takes three minutes and 24 seconds.

Dazai shrugged and said nonchalantly “The topic of discussion is none of your concern.”

Kunikida, who had previously been walking side by side with Dazai, stopped. Was the president sick? Was Ranpo sitting by his deathbed? Dazai seemed to know exactly what he was thinking because he turned to face him and said with i mildly teasing tone, “The president is fine, you aren’t going to become boss anytime soon.”

Kunikida thought for a moment, dots clicking together in his brain before asking “Did Ranpo’s unnaturally high intake of sweets catch up to him at last?” to which Dazai shook his head and smirked. “Ranpo’s diet also has nothing to do with it.”

After that, Kunikida just dropped the subject and they went on their way, Dazai being annoying as usual.

…

Although Fukuzawa was glad Ranpo had been resting, this six hour nap was going to destroy his sleep schedule.

The two had ordered lunch and eaten before he had sent Yosano back to the office, with the promise of calling her as soon as he needed help.

Maybe Ranpo would end up sleeping until the next morning; it had happened before and nothing was stopping it from happening again.

And there was also the matter of clothes to sleep in; after all, there was no way in hell he was leaving Ranpo alone in his current state. Another issue being that Ranpo was currently using him as a pillow. He could just ask Yosano to bring him something from his home, which seemed like the most logical course of action.

Kunikida had probably already returned from his mission with Dazai and thus would be able to unlock his office for her to get his spare key.

Pulling out his phone, Fukuzawa turned off his ringer and quickly typed out “Would you be able to get the spare key from my office and bring me something to sleep in? I plan to stay with Ranpo at least until morning and thus am unable to go myself.” before sending the message to Yosano.

It only took a moment for her to respond with “Sure thing”.

…

“Kunikida, I need the key to Fukuzawa-sensei’s office” said Yosano, abruptly appearing at Kunikida’s desk and nearly giving him a heart attack.

Kunikida, slightly annoyed that she was trusted by the president while he was not, handed her the key and she went on her way.

It didn’t take long for Yosano to get the key and leave. She tossed the key to the office at Kunikida, who caught it easily, before quickly making her way to the president’s house. 

Kenji sighed and said, seemingly out of nowhere, “I hope Ranpo-san is doing okay… Yosano-san and the Boss have been so stressed recently…” before getting back to work.

He was the only one who did so.

Had Dazai not been listening to his music on max volume, he may have been able to conduct damage control.

Atsushi was the first to speak, looking over at Kenji with confusion and asking “What do you mean? Dazai-san told me earlier that Ranpo-san is fine.”

The younger boy looked back at him and said plainly “Why would he say that? Does he not know that Ranpo-san is sick?”

Kyouka spoke up and asked “How would Dazai know that Ranpo is out sick if none of us have seen him today?”

The rest of the agency spoke their agreement, the entire office quickly falling into chaos before Kunikida stepped in. 

“Everybody.” 

Everyone quieted in an instant and turned to face him.

Well- except Dazai who remained oblivious to what was going on.

“Maybe we should just let Kenji-kun talk.” He turned to the 14 year old and asked “Can you tell us what you mean by that, Kenji? How would Dazai know that Ranpo is sick?”

Kenji just looked confused when he said “Ranpo-san has been sick for a long time, not just today. I never really asked him, I just assumed that he was because it made sense. He does some of the same things as my sister to deal with his symptoms.”

Kunikida thought over it for a moment before nodding to himself and standing up, making his way to Dazai. He ripped off the man’s headphones, the music audible even without putting them on, and before Dazai could get a word in he said “Were you aware that Ranpo-san has a chronic illness?”

Dazai looked up at him slowly and said, voice sharp and full of ice, “The better question is how did you figure it out? The only people who were aware of that were Yosano-sensei, the Boss, and myself and I know for a fact neither of them told you so how. Do. You. Know.”

By the end of his sentence, Dazai had pulled Kunikida in by his tie, their faces too close for comfort.

Nobody spoke for a full beat, all fearing Dazai’s sudden shift in tone while Kenji, ever the oblivious, said “I said that I hoped Ranpo was doing okay! They were confused for some reason and kept asking me a bunch of questions so I answered them.” 

The contrast in tone would have been comical, if not for the severity of the situation.

Dazai immediately let go of Kunikida’s tie and leaned back onto the couch with an air of nonchalance before exclaiming “I mean we are a detective agency, the truth was bound to come out somehow! Even if it wasn’t like this, it was bound to be soon anyways.”

Pulling out his phone, Dazai went looking for Yosano’s contact to tell her of the events that had transpired. 

It rang three times before he heard her speak.

…

Yosano looked at the person who was calling her and frowned when she saw it was Dazai. She answered, placing it on speaker so she could pack a bag for Fukuzawa while they spoke, in turn saving her a bit of time.

“What do you want, Dazai? Can’t you tell I’m kind of busy?” Yosano tried as hard as she could to sound annoyed, but the fact that Dazai didn’t immediately start teasing her was already a red flag in and of itself.

“Kenji-kun accidentally told the entire agency about Ranpo-san being chronically ill because he thought that everyone knew. Would you be able to let the Boss know when you get to him and Ranpo-san?”

Yosano had already frozen completely halfway through the first sentence.

She just gave a simple “mhm” before hanging up and letting her phone fall from her hand. Her packing took much longer after that.

…

“Why not just call the President directly?” asked Kunikida as soon as Dazai put his phone back in his pocket.

Dazai sighed before answering “Because he is with Ranpo-san making sure he gets food and water as he is most likely bed-bound, otherwise he definitely would have forced himself to come in. If you somehow did not understand me, I’ll rephrase it for you; the boss is with Ranpo-san, who is either asleep, or experiencing a plethora of painful and uncomfortable symptoms. If Ranpo-san is asleep and we call the boss, we risk waking him up; if Ranpo-san is awake and we call the boss, we risk interrupting something that should not be interrupted and that Ranpo-san would not want any of us to be privy to. Let’s just hope it’s the first option, and not bother him or the boss until they initiate contact.”

That seemed to shut up any questions anyone had, so Dazai put his headphones back on and continued to ignore his paperwork; everyone else very quickly continued their previous tasks as well.

Everyone except Kenji, who went over to Dazai shortly after and tapped him on the shoulder. Dazai turned to him, lifted his headphones, and said “Ah! Kenji-kun! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Kenji looked down at his feel as he said in a hush “I feel really bad… I thought everyone knew so I shared Ranpo-san’s secret…”

A practiced smile took over Dazai’s face as he patted the couch beside him, moving to give Kenji space, he said in an equally hushed voice “Do you wanna know something, Kenji-kun?”

The younger nodded curiously.

Dazai ruffled Kenji’s hair and whispered “Ranpo-san was probably going to need to find a way to tell everyone within the next week. He’s getting worse quickly because he isn’t listening to Yasano-sensei’s advice, but I trust that won’t last much longer.”

“Why wouldn’t Ranpo-san take her advice if it’d mean he’d stop getting worse?” Kenji asked, looking up at Dazai with a rare hint of sadness.

Dazai shook his head. “He won’t stop getting worse, but right now, his body is constantly over-exerting itself, so he would feel better. Ranpo-san would be in less pain and have far fewer days this bad.”

Kenji whispered back, “Then why not do what she’s telling him to do?”

After taking a moment to sigh, Dazai whispered “Because he would have had to tell everyone at the agency, and he didn’t want to do that. He might even be somewhat relieved that you told everyone!” The last bit was said more jokingly in an effort to raise Kenji’s mood.

Kenji smiled a bit but he didn’t fully believe it. He knew what he’d done, he knew he couldn’t take it back, and he knew it was bad. He knew that the story hadn’t been his to tell, he just wished he’d known that at the time.

“I really want to apologize…” said the 14 year old as he looked down at his lap. He felt a comforting hand touch his shoulder and Dazai told him “You can do that when he gets back.”

Kenji nodded and stood up, getting back to work, and, before long, his smile had returned.

…

Yosano’s mind had finally caught up by the time she reached Ranpo’s dorm.

She slowly unlocked the door before walking inside, taking off her shoes and then going to Ranpo’s room.

When Yosano opened the door, she was greeted with the sight of a sleeping Ranpo laying his head on Fukuzawa’s chest. Fukuzawa had one hand rubbing his back, and the other was playing with his hair.

Ranpo was sleeping more peacefully than he had the whole time she’d been there. Of course, the discomfort hadn’t left his face, but he was no longer groaning in his sleep.

Yosano silently walked over, placing the bag she’d packed beside the bed. Fukuzawa gave her a simple “Thank you” before asking in the same whispered voice “Are you okay Yosano-kun? You seem distant.”

She froze for a moment before looking away and saying “Kenji told everyone. Apparently he thought everyone already knew and I guess he said something that tipped them off. Dazai called me twenty minutes ago to tell me but he didn’t tell me how it happened.”

Fukuzawa took a moment to process the information, hands stopping in their tracks for just a moment as he looked down at Ranpo and kissed the top of his head. His hair was getting greasy from his inability to tolerate showers and Fukuzawa knew he’d need to take his to his house to let him use the bath before he went back to the agency.

“I’ll tell him; thank you for bringing this up” was all he said before continuing to rub Ranpo’s back and play with his hair.

Yosano nodded, looking at Ranpo then back at Fukuzawa and saying “I feel as though we should wake him up so he can eat; at least the rest of the apple sauce and maybe a piece of bread. It’s already past 2pm and he’s barely had anything.”

And yeah, Fukuzawa knew that she was right. No matter how much he wanted to let Ranpo sleep, he had to eat something and drink at the very least a full glass of water.

Fukuzawa nodded before attempting to wake Ranpo up by very gently squeezing his arm and saying “Kitten, you need to wake up so you can eat something. Can you please wake up for me?”

It took some coaxing, but Ranpo did eventually groan into awareness.

…

The first thing Ranpo felt when he awoke was a gentil squeeze of his arm, then the pain all over his body, then the nausea in his stomach, then the overwhelming fatigue that made it impossible to move or think, then the way his joints felt like they were falling out. 

The only thing that had changed was that his pain was now and eight.

He heard a whispered “There you are… can you try eating something?” from a voice he recognized as Fukuzawa’s. 

Ranpo immediately gagged at the idea, body answering for him.

He felt way too sick for that.

Ranpo was absolutely positive that if he put anything in his mouth he would vomit. His stomach felt way too full and anyone who looked at him could see just how bloated it was. There was no way anyone was making him eat anything . Even drinking water would probably be enough to make him throw up at this point.

He hadn’t even realized Yosano was there until she spoke up and said “How about the apple sauce from earlier?”

Ranpo shook his head and whined, stomach groaning angrily at just the thought of any sort of substance going inside it.

“Can you try just a little bit?” suggested Fukuzawa, whose hand had moved from his back to his side and was currently running up and down.

Ranpo shook his head before moving onto his back so that his Dad’s hand was directly on top of his stomach. Fukuzawa started rubbing circles over the large dome that was Ranpo’s stomach and the younger man groaned, more from some semblance of relief than from the pain he was in. 

Yosano had gone to sit on the other side of Ranpo, placing a hand on his shoulder as she said “Ranpo-kun, you might feel better if you eat something.”

“Yosano-san,” he started, nausea and discomfort dripping from his voice as he tried to hold back a gag, “if I put anything in my stomach right now I am certain I will either puke or explode.”

It didn’t have the bite he wanted it to, thanks to how bad he was feeling, but it got his point across.

Yosano’s response was immediate. “And puking might make you feel a bit better. If you end up keeping it down then you might feel less fatigued and dizzy later.”

Ranpo decided that she was right, he probably would feel a bit better if he puked, and the nutrients could do him some good. He grumbled as he hesitantly nodded his head and Fukuzawa proceeded to help him sit up before handing him the apple sauce pouch, still mostly full.

Ranpo only had about half before having to hold back a gag. He ended up burping about half of what he did get down right back up right then and there, mixed in with rice from breakfast the day before and two day old noodles. He snapped his mouth shut in order to try to swallow it back down, but to no avail. It just sat disgustingly on his tongue until Yosano placed the trash can under his chin. He immediately opened his mouth and spit it out.

By that point, Fukuzawa had returned to rubbing small circles on the bottom of Ranpo’s back. He half-whispered “Relax, Ranpo. Let your body do what it needs to. You’ll feel better after.”

The 26 year old just nodded before he gagged and a torrent of undigested noodles and rice and when had he last had carrots? Regardless, the disgusting concoction fell into the trash can below his chin.

He threw up over and over until he was absolutely empty and all that remained in his stomach was residual gas and acid.

…

The agency had expected Yosano back in under an hour, but it had now been two and they were getting worried. She had only needed to drop something off and then come back- surely that couldn’t take too long? 

“Dazai,” called Kunikida from his desk, “since you clearly have nothing to do, can you call Yosano-sensei and ask if she wants one of us to stay behind so she can get into the office after five?”

Dazai did as requested.

It went to voicemail.

He just shrugged and put his phone away.

“I wonder what’s going on…” said Atsushi innocently.

Dazai looked up from his book and said “Well, she’s probably with Ranpo-san and the boss. Based on how long she’s been gone and how late it is, I’d wager a guess they probably tried getting him to eat.”

Kenji was the only person who seemed to understand what he was saying.

Naomi looked up from her computer and asked “Why not pick up if he’s just eating? That’s a good thing, right?”

Dazai just sighed, shaking his head at the stupidity of the rest of the agency as he responded “Because Ranpo-san has gastro-intestinal issues and they get particularly bad during flare ups; he only doesn’t come in to work during particularly horrible ones, usually ones where he’s bed-bound, and he’s not here right now, if you hadn’t noticed. He also hasn’t been eating much of anything this past few weeks which only further proves my point.”

Kunikida just blinked at him and asked “How do you know about all that?”

To which Dazai blinked back mockingly and said “Because he never eats more than a light snack around any of us and he’s always sucking on those anti-nausea lollipops. It also helps that I was easily able to figure out what the disorder is, and gastro-intestinal issues are extremely common with that particular illness.”

In all honesty, Kunikida was just more confused. How many different symptomes did Ranpo have? What kind of disorder would affect that much of a person’s body? “How many disorders does Ranpo even have that he has as many symptoms as you’re implying?” 

Dazai shrugged and responded, annoyance clear in his voice, “They all stem from one, but I’m not going to divulge what that is since it’s frankly none of your concern. Just think of it like the flu, but forever, and it keeps getting worse until you die with no hope of ever getting better. You have bad days and better ones, but you are and will always be sick. If Ranpo-san ever decides to tell you exactly what he has, that’s his decision, but I won’t make it for him and you will live to regret it if you ever try to put pressure on him.”

The agency was silent until Dazai’s phone rang five minutes before they were all meant to leave.

“Hello, Yosano-sensei!” Dazai exclaimed as soon as he picked up. 

“What do you need, Dazai? Is anyone dead?” She sounded annoyed as she asked.

Dazai explained “We just need to know if you intend on returning to the agency, Yosano-sensei. We were expecting you back a while ago.”

Yosano seemed to ponder her response for a moment before saying “I don’t think I’ll be going back tonight. I want to wait until Ranpo-kun has eaten something of substance and re-hydrated to leave, and with how that’s going it could be a while. We’re taking a break right now to let his stomach settle and by the time we try again, the office will long since be closed anyways. If I do decide to go back for some reason, the boss can just lend me his key.”

Dazai took a moment to tell his co-workers they could leave before saying “Okay, sounds good! Is Ranpo-san doing any better than this morning?”

Yosano simply said “No, not by much. He did say he felt less nauseous after throwing up but that’s about it… Hey- would you actually be able to talk to him? I can’t guarantee he’ll want to but some social interaction could do him some good.” 

Dazai didn’t think twice before accepting the request. “I’d be happy to, Yosano-sensei.”

…

Yosano nodded to herself, leaving the kitchen where she had been changing the bag in the trash can to go check in with Ranpo.

Before she entered the room, she said into the phone “I’m not going to force him to talk to you; if he says no then it’s a no.”

As she opened the door, Yosano heard Dazai say “I know, don’t worry.” It sounded like he was walking somewhere, probably to the meeting room so nobody over-heard anything he said.

She also heard Kunikida yell something at him, but it went ignored.

Entering Ranpo’s room, she saw that he was leaning back into Fukuzawa’s chest, who had one hand messing with his hair and the other just holding him close. “Would you be up for chatting with Dazai, Ranpo-kun? There’s no pressure if you don’t want to.”

He nodded but kept his eyes closed. That made Fukuzawa smile. Yosano walked over to the two of them, turning the phone speaker on before handing her phone to the older man to hold. “I’m going to buy some ice, I should be back within a half hour.” was the last thing she said before she left.

…

When Ranpo had said yes to chatting, he’d forgotten about the actual talking part. He really just wanted to be talked to . He wanted to know what had happened at the agency and how Dazai’s cases had gone.

“So, how have you been doing, Ranpo-san?” was the first question that Dazai asked.

Ranpo shrugged before realizing Dazai wasn’t actually there to see him and mumbling “Not great… was throwing up for a while… all stuff from a few days ago. Stomach feels a lot better now but still not great…”

His speech wasn’t quite slurred, but he was speaking very slowly and it was clear from his voice that he wasn’t feeling well at all. It sounded like he was in pain.

Dazai hummed before saying “I’m glad you got all of it out of your system; it couldn’t have felt very good to have all that stuff sitting in your stomach for so long.”

Ranpo hummed and mumbled “Think I’m gonna try eating something again in a few hours. Yosano wants me to.”

Dazai sounded much less stressed after Ranpo said that. He then said lightheartedly “I’ll have to agree with her on that one! So, has your pain gotten better since this morning?” 

He wasn’t hopeful. 

The last part was much less cheerful and Ranpo responded with the same lack of cheerfulness, only difference being that his tone had been flat from the start. “Body still hurts lots… and I’m real dizzy… and tired… Actually, can you just talk…? Don't feel too good right now… just wanna listen.”

The more he talked, the more his nausea grew.

“That’s okay, Ranpo-san; I can do that.” was all he said before delving into a rant about how Kunikida had been oh so annoying on their case today, but Ranpo didn’t pay attention for long.

…

“And then Mr. Stickler-for-Rules said that I couldn’t just jump off the bridge to get the fish! Can you belive him?! He suggested that instead we go buy a fish if I wanted one that badly, but that one was pretty! He dragged me away by my ear and-” Dazai had been talking at Ranpo for at least twenty minutes and was almost home to his husband when Fukuzawa interrupted in a whisper, “Dazai, thank you for getting him to sleep. I've been trying for a while. He really needs it.”

A small smile made its way onto Dazai’s lips when he said “It’s no problem at all, Boss. I just hope he starts feeling a bit better soon.”

“Thank you again. Goodnight, Dazai.”

“Goodnight, President.”

…

When Yosano finally returned to Ranpo’s dorm, it must have been around 5:45pm. Not only had she stopped by her dorm to quickly change into more comfortable clothes, but she had ended up buying a simple broth as well as the ice; she planned to just reheat it when the time came for Ranpo to try eating again. Even though it was a small container, she anticipated him only drinking at most a third of it at a time.

After placing the soup in the fridge, Yosano grabbed one of the plastic cups from the cupboard and put some of the ice in it. She put the rest in the freezer before making her way to Ranpo’s room.

She opened the door to see Ranpo curled up into Fukuzawa’s chest, asleep at last. Her phone lay on the bedside table and she left it there as she placed the cup of ice down. Fukuzawa was back to playing with Ranpo’s hair and rubbing his back and he looked about ready to fall asleep himself.

“If you want, I can watch him while you go change,” offered Yosano. Fukuzawa looked hesitant before saying “I think I’ll wait until he’s awake. I don’t want to accidentally wake him up. Let’s let him rest for another hour and then we can wake him up and see how he’s doing.”

Yosano nodded and decided to go put the cup in the freezer.

…

When Ranpo awoke, it was to someone whispering in his ear. Everything still hurt, his head was still aching, he was still dizzy and extremely fatigued, but he wasn’t nearly as nauseous, so that was a win, and the bloating had definitely gone down. He remembered talking to Dazai, something about a bunch of magic rainbow fish, but he had fallen asleep before Dazai could finish the story.

He’d have to ask him about it when he saw him next.

As Ranpo blinked his eyes open, the first thing he registered was that Yosano had changed into more casual clothes and she was holding a cup of ice.

She noticed him looking and said “Ranpo-kun, do you want to try sucking on ice? That way you can still be hydrated but we don’t risk upsetting your stomach.” He nodded slowly, brain still fuzzy, and took an ice cube, placing it in his mouth. You would think that the cold would wake him up, but he barely noticed the temperature change. Ranpo very quickly curled further into Fukuzawa, joints pulling painfully and making loud cracking noises as he did so.

“Would it be alright with you if I went to change into my night clothes?” asked Fukuzawa who was currently trapped under the human equivalent to a cat. Ranpo nodded but didn’t move, too tired to even try. He only loosened how curled up he was.

Yosano literally picked him up,holding him close to her chest, so that Fukuzawa could move. She placed him back down on the bed in a way where he could lean on her if he wished. “Ranpo-kun… you’re way too light…” she said after wrapping her arm around him.

Ranpo shrugged, shoulders and upper back audibly grinding, and with guilt and embarrassment very audible in his voice, he simply took the ice cube out of his mouth momentarily and said “I know.”

After a moment of comfortable silence, Yosano spoke up and asked “Did you take your multivitamins this morning?”

Ranpo let out a drawn out “Fuck……” which was muffled by the half-melted ice in his mouth. 

Yosano laughed at him and they started having a mini cat fight, not like their usual ones of course. Ranpo was weakly whacking Yosano with his fingertips, and she was doing an atrocious job at defending herself. She would only occasionally hit back, even more gentle than a feather. They were both smiling- Ranpo’s very small, and Yosano’s almost a laugh. The two of them continued until Ranpo was too tired, and his arms kind of just dropped like lead. Already leaning fully against Yosano, he weakly curled into her side. She mindlessly massaged his scalp which felt like heaven against his headache. Yosano said gently “No sleeping until you eat something. After that we’ll go to the bathroom and you can do whatever you need to do and then we’ll brush your teeth, wash your face, and brush your hair.”

Ranpo was about to protest when he heard the door open, looking up to see Fukuzawa re-entering in his night clothes. “Ranpo, would you like me or Yosano-kun to stay with you while the broth is reheated?”

Without even thinking about it, Ranpo responded “Yosano-san. I don’t wanna move again right now.”

Yosano responded by rubbing his back, and Fukuzawa just nodded and smiled before leaving.

The two of them sat in silence for the next ten minutes, Ranpo slipping into the realm of unconsciousness every couple minutes and needing to be woken up.

At long last, Fukuzawa entered the room with a very small bowl of broth and a small spoon. “There’s more in the kitchen if need be.”

Ranpo’s stomach growled with hunger for the first time in weeks at the smell but even so, he was hesitant. He really didn’t want to throw up again and although he did feel better, he was still nauseous beyond belief. 

That being said, he was well aware that if he didn’t eat something his stomach would start cramping and then he’d only feel worse.

Fukuzawa seemed to sense his hesitation and said “How about you have a little bit, it doesn’t even have to be a full spoon if you don’t want it to, and then we can see how that settles.”

After thinking it over, Ranpo nodded. Fukuzawa, who was now sat beside him, fed him just a spoonful of soup before placing the bowl down on the bedside table.

Ranpo felt the broth land uncomfortably in his empty belly, and he felt his stomach twist a bit. He placed a hand tentatively over his middle as if to gauge how it felt, but he had no clue. It didn’t exactly feel good having something in his system, it actually felt pretty bad, but it wasn’t as if he would vomit if he had more. Ranpo was definitely nauseous, but he could probably push through it if he went slowly. After letting his stomach properly settle, Ranpo uncurled himself a little bit and said “It doesn’t feel great… but I think I can manage a few spoonfuls at a time.”

Yosano kissed the top of his head and said “We won’t ask for any more than what you want to give. Just nod when you’re ready, and shake your head when you want to take a break.”

It took a moment of mental preparation before Ranpo nodded. Fukuzawa filled the small spoon with broth and then fed it to Ranpo, who would have been far too weak to feed it to himself. He had to force it down his throat, but Ranpo was determined to have three full spoonfuls before taking a break. Feeling it sloth into his stomach made him cringe slightly, but he nonetheless accepted the next spoonful in a similar fashion. Ranpo let out an involuntary whine when he felt his stomach shift, closing his eyes as he placed a hand atop it. Fukuzawa took that as a sign that he needed a break and started to put the bowl down, but Ranpo cut in. “I can do one more.”

Yosano and Fukuzawa both seemed hesitant, but at some point Fukuzawa said “Okay, if you’re sure” and fed him another spoonful of the broth. 

After forcing himself to swallow, Ranpo groaned softly while holding back a gag. He heard the bowl be placed on the small table for the time being, but he kept his eyes firmly shut. After an unknown amount of time had passed and Ranpo still showed no sign of improvement, Yosano asked “Do you have a heating pad? I don’t know why I didn’t think of this earlier but it could help.” 

Ranpo shook his head. He heard Fukuzawa type something out on his phone, opening his eyes a smidgen to ask “Whatcha do’in?” Ranpo knew he probably sounded just as nauseous as he felt.

Still typing, Fukuzawa answered “I am ordering a heating pad that will arrive for you tomorrow.” 

Ranpo muttered a small “Thanks…” before closing his eyes again. All he really wanted at that moment was to not be in so much pain.

His everything hurt way too much.

“Do you want to watch a show, Ranpo? I can get your laptop from the kitchen if you’d like” offered Fukuzawa and Ranpo nodded immediately. He very much liked that idea.

Feeling a shift in the weight on the bed, Ranpo assumed Fukuzawa got up. He heard the door open and close to signal Fukuzawa’s exit. Hips feeling as though they were being stabbed, Ranpo shifted to find another position to sit in. By the time he had found a position that didn’t hurt any specific joint too much, Fukuzawa was coming back into the room with Ranpo’s sticker-covered laptop. He grabbed the mini folding table and placed it on the bed, putting the laptop on top of it and, without Ranpo even saying he wanted to watch it, turned on Number24.

Ranpo’s stomach had eased up a bit by that point and just as they were hitting play, he said “I think I can do another spoon. Just one though.” 

He saw Fukuzawa smile as he helped Ranpo get another spoon of broth. It had cooled off quite a bit, but that didn’t make it any easier to get down with the large lump in his throat. Fukuzawa placed the bowl next to Ranpo’s laptop for easier access and they started watching his favorite gay, rugby, hurt/comfort, injury recovery anime. 

Once Ranpo had finished the broth, Yosano went to make tea as Fukuzawa placed the bowl on the bedside table and asked “Are you ready to get ready for bed?” 

Ranpo nodded and was promptly scooped up by the forty-five year old, his stomach sloshing unpleasantly. Rearranging his body was painful, but Ranpo really wanted to be clean. He hadn’t had the energy to wash himself for a while, so everything was building up and just making him feel worse. “When you wake up tomorrow, we can go to my place and you can have a bath.” 

Ranpo liked that idea.

He liked it a lot.

After depositing Ranpo in the washroom, Fukuzawa left momentarily so he could do his business. It took quite a bit of maneuvering throughout the entire process but he did eventually get the job done.

When the thirty minute long ordeal of taking off and putting on his pants was finally done and Ranpo was in a comfortable enough position, he called out through the door, “Okay, I’m ready.”

Fukuzawa opened the door to find Ranpo laying flat on his back on the floor. He asked as gently and genuinely as possible, “Can you sit up?” 

Ranpo shook his head slowly, eyes glazed over, and mumbled “Dizzy.”

Any yeah, that made sense. Ranpo had already been feeling lightheaded and the moving around had surely worsened that.

Sitting on the floor next to Ranpo’s head, Fukuzawa nodded and said “Okay… rest for a bit and then we’ll continue” as he ran his fingers through his son’s hair.

They sat like that for a while. 

At some point, a sufficient amount of time had passed that Ranpo’s world had stopped tilting as much and he felt okay enough to sit up.

Fukuzawa kept his hand steady as he brushed his teeth, and got a cup of water from the sink so he wouldn’t have to stand to swish and spit.

He washed Ranpo’s face as the younger of the two curled into him, head and muscles and joints aching madly.

As soon as they were done, Fukuzawa gently lifted a tired and mumbling Ranpo back to his room, the boy’s head resting on his shoulder as he leaned into his chest. When the door was pushed open, they were met with Yosano sitting on the bed, holding a mug of camomile tea.

Fukuzawa placed him down on the bed, before tucking him in under the weighted blanket, head on the memory foam pillow. Ranpo curled up, his joints creaking as he moaned at the loss of contact. When he was settled, Yosano handed him the mug as Fukuzawa simply told her “You should go home and get some rest.”

Yosano nodded before gently side-hugging Ranpo and wishing him good night.

Ranpo simply leaned into her embrace, whimpering when she disappeared. Placing a hand gently on his back, Fukuzawa sat beside Ranpo who curled up into him. Ranpo slowly sipped away at the tea, his eyes remaining closed. The heat from the mug also soothed the ache in his knuckles which was much appreciated. 

The two of them sat like that for about an hour, Ranpo sometimes shifting positions to ease the stabbing pains. Slowly but surely, the mug was drained and then passed to Fukuzawa, who placed it on the bedside table. Ranpo fell asleep moments later, and Fukuzawa followed only after he repositioned them both so they were laying down and not seated.

…

When Ranpo awoke… well, he wasn’t really awake… per say…?

He heard a voice ask him to open his eyes, but didn’t they know he was too busy thinking? What would happen if a giant banana man met a giraffe? Would the giraffe eat the giant banana man thinking he was a tree? How many millimeters tall would the giant banana man need to be to be mistaken for a tree? Would the giraffe eat only his banana parts? These were all very important questions, it really was a matter of life or death.

“Can’t… I’m thinking………..”

Ranpo continued trying to find the logical answers to these very logical questions until he drifted back into dreamland.

Unfortunately, when Ranpo next awoke he could tell he was still in a flare. It was definitely not nearly as bad, but it was still a flare up. His joins still felt empty and everything ached and he was nauseous and dizzy and in pain but his dad was there with him, wrapping him in a hug. Ranpo immediately curled up into the man, not even bothering to check the time. “You slept for around 14 hours… Are you feeling any better?” said his father’s voice as a hand rubbed around his back. Ranpo just nodded, not even really thinking.

His headache had mostly cleared up, and he felt like he could probably stand and walk around if he tried; that being said, Fukuzawa definitely wouldn’t let him and it would definitely hurt. “Can you have some oatmeal and drink some water?”

Ranpo let out a small nod. Although he had absolutely no appetite, he knew that he should eat something.

Seemingly satisfied, Fukuzawa helped him up from the bed. Ranpo was immediately dizzy but ignored it as he was supported all the way out of his bedroom. His dizziness was probably clear based on how he was stumbling, but Fukuzawa didn’t point it out.

As soon as Ranpo sat down at the table, he was resting his head on it’s cold surface. No mater how much sleep he got, he just couldn’t seem to stop being exhausted. Fukuzawa just let him rest as he moved about the kitchen, only bothering him when he absolutely could not find the cinnamon. It took roughly fifteen minutes, but much too soon Ranpo heard the gentle claink of ceramic and glass on wood. When he looked, his multivitamins were there as well so he took them, forever grateful for the fact that they were gummies. Ranpo reluctantly sat up semi-straight, thanking Fukuzawa for the food before he started slowly picking away at it. Every once in a while he’d take a sip of water, but it was overall a very boring ordeal. 

That was until Fukuzawa spoke up out of the blue.

“I need to talk to you about something regarding the agency.”

Ranpo gave him a curious look up from his oatmeal so he continued, “The agency was told about the situation regarding your health through a series of unfortunate events. They are unaware of the severity, but they do now know that you are ill.”

And just like that, Ranpo’s thoughts slowed to a halt. He dropped the spoon in his hand and just stared. “…What?” he whispered, choking on his words as he subconsciously started rocking back and forth.

“Kenji was unaware that nobody else knew, and said something that tipped everyone off.”

Ranpo curled up as tightly as he could, so much so that it hurt, and hid his face. Even though he knew that his co-workers weren’t there, just the thought of them made him want to disappear. He wanted to run and hide but he was frozen in place. “Do you want to drink some water and talk about this later?” asked Fukuzawa, sensing a meltdown approaching fast.

Ranpo just stared and curled up tighter, causing even more pain to go through his joints. 

He couldn’t find it in himself to care. 

Fukuzawa realized right then that it was too late to do damage control and they would have to ride this out.

Any prior motivations Ranpo had had to try to eat were gone, not that he’d had an appetite to begin with, but he had wanted to at least try. Now he couldn’t make himself move. He felt tears fall down his face without his consent and curled up even tighter still, his arms grabbing at his chest on instinct.

Ranpo didn’t even realize he was hyperventilating until Fukuzawa told him to breath.

It did nothing for him at all.

He wanted to go home.

But he was home.

But he really wanted to go home.

He wanted to rip off his own skin.

He wanted to squirm out of his clothes

He wanted to get rid of the oatmeal residue in his mouth and on his teeth and he wanted the heaviness out of his stomach and he wanted it all to just go.

He wanted it all to stop .

Luckily, Fukuzawa had been through this whole song and dance enough times to know that he was not to touch Ranpo when he got like this, and he immediately went to get the biggest squishmallow with the least texture and shape varients possible, Ranpo turning his head to follow him as he left the room. He had his head fixed in the same spot until Fukuzawa got back.

Crouching down in front of him, Fukuzawa said gently “I’m going to maneuver your arms a little bit. I will stop if it’s bad.” He was well aware that Ranpo would be unable to say yes or no to any question he asked right now.

Ranpo loosened slightly, not really knowing what was going on, but accepting the idea of touch nonetheless.

Until the moment his father’s finger actually touched his forearm and something about it made him want to gut himself completely.

He squirmed away from it automatically, tugging on all his already aggravated joints in the process and making them feel worse.

It wasn’t like the touch hurt or caused him actual physical discomfort, but something about it felt wrong and bad and he didn’t like it at all. It made his brain feel sick.

Instead of actually touching him, Fukuzawa decided to just hold the squishmallow in his lap. Pulling up a chair across from Ranpo, he did just that. Ranpo barely reacted, only slightly slowing his rocking, but that was to be expected. He couldn’t even decide where to move his eyeballs in this state, much less go though the steps needed to grab something. No matter how much he knew it would help, Ranpo couldn’t make the choice to move and he couldn’t be touched; he just let it sit gently on his lap.

For Fukuzawa, the fact that he hadn’t tried to get away from the plushy was a sign that it was welcomed. 

Ranpo pressed his nails into his arms, and the pain felt nice. It felt good to destroy something, even if that something was himself. He needed to break it. It was grounding. The only issue was that the thing he was trying to break, seeing as it was the closest thing to him, was himself and thus Fukuzawa had to do something . “Ranpo,” said Fukuzawa gently, and the man’s head snapped up to look at him, “hug this instead.”

Ranpo did exactly that, only really able to follow what others demanded. Had it been a request of any sort, he would not have been able to carry it out and most likely would have stared blankly at the man. 

Ranpo hugged it as hard as he could but the residual pain of his nails in his arms was still there, and so were the angry, red markings.

Over the course of the next hour, Ranpo’s rocking slowed significantly; his crying did as well. He was still in the same position, curled up and hugging the plushy, when Fukuzawa, who had been sitting still in front of Ranpo the entire time, passed him the glass still filled with water and said calmly and gently, “Here, drink this.”

Ranpo did as told.

He didn’t chug it, but he did get through it sip by sip, keeping the plushy put with his elbows. By that point, Ranpo’s tears had stopped, but he was still extremely sedative to any sort of stimulation. The only way they’d make any progress on this topic was if they waited until Ranpo brought it up. 

Which he most definitely would not.

Once the glass was drained, Ranpo placed it back on the table and curled back up around his stuffy, this time shoving his face into it. Fukuzawa simply watched for a moment before asking “Can I rub your back through your shirt?”

Ranpo nodded into his plushy and so Fukuzawa moved his chair to be beside him. He hoped that it would help ground Ranpo without triggering him, and it did work 80% of the time especially this long after the start of the meltdown.

Placing his hand on the center of Ranpo’s back, Fukuzawa rubbed with enough force to be firm, but still under what would be considered painful. 

Ranpo did not try to get away.

There would definitely be no skin on skin touches for at least a few hours, but just this was enough for them both. It meant that Ranpo wouldn’t be stuck there, unable to support himself, as well as meaning that his dad could properly comfort him again; neither was particularly good with words and both found verbal comforts awkward and uncomfortable in these situations. 

“I think we should call your doctor,” Ranpo looked up at Fukuzawa, his face both blank and full of emotion. Fukuzawa continued, “This can’t keep happening, you’re losing weight and muscle and there has to be something that will at least help.”

After staring at his dad for a beat, Ranpo returned to stuffing his face in the smashmallow. “Is there anything specific you want me to say when I call?”

Ranpo just mumbled “I don’t want you to call” but Fukuzawa pulled his phone out regardless. After dialing the number of Ranpo’s doctor, he put the phone on speaker.

After finally getting through the robot, they were connected with the front desk.

A masculine voice spoke through the phone, “Hello, Yokohama family health team, how can I help you?”

“Hello. I’d like to book an appointment with Dr. Doctor  for my son, his name is Edogawa Ranpo.”

They heard typing before the person spoke up once more and asked “And what’s the reason for the appointment?”

Fukuzawa, still rubbing Ranpo’s back, responded “There has been a severe decline in his health recently regarding his chronic illness and we want to see if there are any supports we could put in place which would allow him more independence, as he currently has next to none.”

By the time they’d confirmed the date, Ranpo was fast asleep.