Work Text:
Credit to Pinterest for giving me the idea
…
Poe was sitting at his desk like normal.
It was a peculiar day- although Poe wasn’t aware of this. It was the one day of the year people could freely walk around in questionable costumes and regain their salvation and hope into humanity.
And it also happened to be Ranpo’s favorite day- or night- of the year, for good reason.
Though right now, Poe was simply trying to meet the deadlines for his next novel in three days.
He stared at the page, frowning as he reread the words he’d strung together.
This won’t do, he thought in despair. With a sigh, he closed his computer and checked the time, raising an eyebrow.
It was nearly past dusk, the sun just starting to set. He’d realized he hadn’t gotten up from his seat in at least a day.
Karl- his raccoon- chittered loudly next to him. The raccoon had been trying to get his attention for a few hours, begging for food. Poe chuckled.
“Alright Karl, follow me,” he amusedly chuckled, his voice rough from lack of use.
He stood up, not bothering to fix the shirt that was hanging off the side of his shoulder as he stepped out of his office.
He glanced up and was greeted with the familiar sight of his grand manor. It was large; too big for someone as many as him. He’d been told this fact by more than one person when he’d first moved to Yokohama. He’d responded with the fact you couldn’t blame him; he liked the atmosphere of a large, empty mansion.
Though he knew it wasn’t the real reason. He was used to the lonely atmosphere; full of empty rooms and dusty libraries waiting to be used to its full potential. He’d grown up in such a luxurious environment, surrounded by money and riches. But the loneliness he had felt- and still feels- is what had driven him to such a melancholy state in the first place.
He sighed, crossing the spacious room and opening doors, crossing several useless rooms to the kitchen. He’d never been a hungry human being; if he could be considered to be human. He’d spent years in a mental facility, after all, after…
It doesn’t matter now. He needed no one, and no one needed him.
Just the way it had always been.
He smiled, scratching his raccoon behind his ears. Karl made a chittering noise, giving him a grumpy look. He let out a low chuckle, reaching for the bag of pet food he had stored in a container.
Karl was smart, so he had quickly learned how to open these bags. Poe had to improvise; and kept its food in a locked safe since Karl knows how to open shelves.
Really, his raccoon was too smart for its own good.
“There you go, Karl. You like that?” He asked, watching as the raccoon munched on the food he’d bought. Karl chirped in response; and Poe assumed that was a yes.
He stood up and opened the fridge. There wasn’t much in there since he doesn’t cook. Or eat. Really, he needed to fix that. The only time he really ate was on the rare occasions he had company, or when he remembered food existed.
Which probably explains the lack of food in the fridge; that only consists of Dino nuggets, leftover ramen from a few days ago, a few bottles of soda, a cake Louisa had left here, and bread.
He groaned loudly. Karl snapped his head over to him in surprise, seeing it’s over leaning on the door of the fridge in a position of hopelessness.
After a few minutes of sulking, he eventually straightened his back and pushed some of the hair away from his eyes. His bangs were exceptionally long; so long they somewhat obscure his vision. He frowned at Karl, who had climbed his back and rested on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, Karl… I can just order something in, I’m fine,” he reassured his raccoon friend. Karl chittered away. Poe scoffed. “No. I do not need to call someone. I’m fine.” Karl moved closer to his face, his wet nose nuzzling his neck. Poe grimaced. “No, Karl. I don’t need help from anyone. I’m sure everybody is busy like usual,” he muttered.
His eye caught one of the many knives he used a few months ago, an unpleasant feeling rising in his chest. He stared at them for a few moments. No. I’m done with that, he thought to himself, narrowing his eyes. He stared at the sharp objects for a few moments more, only being pulled away when Karl bit his hand.
“Owowowow Karl!!! That hurts!!” He shrieked, looking down at the raccoon grasping onto his arm. Karl gave him a look that said ‘listen here you dumb fuck, pull yourself together’. Poe just sighed.
“I know,” he murmured, subconsciously grabbing a glass and pouring some wine on the counter into it. Karl danced around him, sticking his tail in his face. Poe smiled gently as he took a small sip of the liquor. No matter what Karl did, he couldn’t manage to stay angry at his dear friend for long.
“Ooh Karl, what will I do with you?” He amusedly asked, gently stroking the raccoon behind the ears again.
Suddenly, there was a loud banging at the door.
That’s odd… Poe thought, jumping at the sound. I didn’t get any texts that anybody would be visiting today… he thought to himself. He sheepishly made his way to the door, still grasping the glass in his hand, as he cracked the front door open to peek outside.
“TRICK OR TREAT!!!” A group of kids yelled. Poe stared blankly at them for a moment, taking in their appearances. They were kids; no younger than primary school. And they were wearing costumes.
He groaned and slammed the door shut. So this horrid, wretched day has come again, he thought to himself, letting his head fall back and hit the door with a thud. Children begging mercilessly for candy like the demons they are… he bitterly thought.
Poe has never been one for social interaction. He hated any and all mentions of any other human beings. It was strange; he was a famous writer, so others would fawn shamelessly over him. He should be used to this, right?
Incorrect.
He hated any and all interactions, whether talking or not, with every and all human beings.
…with the exception of a few.
He sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. He read the new notifications, raising an eyebrow.
Ranpo:
‘Hey Ed!!!
Today’s Halloween!!!! U should come trick or treating w/me and Akkiko :P
I know ur not doing anything else, so u better come!!!!’
Oh. It was from his sworn rival and friend, Ranpo Edogawa. The detective had sent the message three hours ago.
Poe glanced at Karl, who had made its way onto his head. Poe really didn’t want to go anywhere; he definitely wasn’t dressed adequately enough to leave the house, never mind answer the door for total strangers.
But as always, he had a hard time saying no to Ranpo.
With a sigh, he typed out his response.
Poe:
‘I apologize for responding so late, Ranpo. I had just now seen your message. I would love to spend the evening with you and your sister, though I am certainly not dressed in the correct fashion to consider going anywhere for the time being. Where might you want to meet?’
It was unusual for Poe to respond quickly, since he was always preoccupied with something else. Ranpo was precisely the opposite. In mere seconds, Poe was looking at three dots on his tiny phone screen as Ranpo quickly replied to his message.
Ranpo:
‘To late :D!!
Me and Akkiko are on our way to ur place already!!!!
We’ll help u find an outfit to wear, don’t worry >:)) & don’t even think about using ur writing as an excuse!!!
We still have an hour until trick or treat starts, so we’ll have plenty of time to get u ready :))’
Poe felt a sense of dread build up in his chest. They’re coming here?!
He practically flew through his grand mansion, cursing himself as he tripped over several stairs as he crawled his way up to his bedroom that he barely uses. He quickly flung open his room door and changed into something a bit more presentable; ignoring the few shirts in his wardrobe that were missing.
He didn’t have time to race down his stairs before his front door flung open. As he suspected, it was Ranpo and his sister Yosano.
“HEY ED!!!” Ranpo yelled, smiling as he waved up at the writer. Poe felt his face flush in embarrassment as he quickly descended the stairs, Karl jumping over to Ranpo’s shoulder in greeting.
“Hello Ranpo,” Poe sheepishly mumbled. Ranpo raised an eyebrow, frowning for a moment.
“You do not look good,” he noted aloud. Poe raised an eyebrow, curious as to what Ranpo was referencing, forgetting about the fact he had poor hygiene and the lack of sleep he’d been getting.
Ranpo sighed, sounding exasperated. “Come on, emo man, let’s go get you ready!!!” He happily exclaimed, pushing Poe back up the stairs. Poe stuttered immensely, his face hot in embarrassment.
He heard Yosano chuckle behind him.
“Ranpo, give the poor guy a break. He’s obviously been depriving himself of basic human needs,” she sighed. She walked over and put her hand on Ranpo’s shoulder. Poe silently thanked her.
“First, you need a shower. Me and Ranpo can pick out an outfit for you to wear,” she smiled. Poe took a moment to admire the two people standing in front of him.
Ranpo was dressed as ghost, wearing a white cape with a jack-o-lantern face over the hood. There was a large, blue flame stitched to the back of the cape. Under the cape was a grey and black vest and a long, flowy dress (?) covering his sleeves and legs.
He looked adorable.
Yosano was dressed as a reaper, wearing layers of makeup and lipstick, carrying a large cardboard scythe around and a long black and red dress.
The more Poe looked at Ranpo, the more convinced he was bribed by Yosano to wear that dress. He smirked as he imagined the hassle it took to convince the detective to wear it.
Poe let out a yelp as Ranpo suddenly snatched his wrist, running up the tower of stairs up to his room.
Yosano curiously followed, looking around his grand manor with curiosity as Ranpo shoved him into the bathroom.
“We’ll help you get ready when you come out, so don’t take too long!!! Me and Yosano will pick the outfit, so you better wear it!!!” Ranpo threatened. He was obviously enjoying tormenting Poe.
The last thing Poe heard from the two is Yosano asking Ranpo how he knew where Poe’s room was. He couldn’t catch Ranpo’s response.
…
After an extremely embarrassing change of clothes, Ranpo and Yosano had picked out one of his many black and red outfits for when he ventured outside. He was slightly upset that they had messed up his specifically arranged clothes, but it was hard to complain when Ranpo was visibly struggling not to make a dirty joke. Yosano had to elbow him several times to keep him from talking.
“A-are you… sure?” Poe mumbled, his face and shoulders red as he stared at the outfit they had picked for him.
“Well, duh!!! We picked it out for you!!!” Ranpo boldly stated. Poe glanced at Yosano, giving her a glare that would have scared most people away. She just shrugged.
“Hey, if you didn’t wanna wear em, why did you get them?” She asked, an eyebrow raised. Poe’s embarrassment deepened.
“W-well uhh.. they were gifts from,.. one of my old friends,,” he quickly explained. Ranpo sighed exasperatedly.
“Come onnn Ed!!! Just put them on!!!” He complained, waving his arms up and down like a child.
Poe stared at the red and black corset that he swore he would never wear again, along with the red tinted short coat and draped sleeves, a long, flowy cape/jacket with golden chains along with it.
He sheepishly slipped on the white shirt and black pants, feeling his face heat up as the two others turned their backs away. though he can definitely feel Ranpo stealing glances his direction…
He allowed Yosano to help him with the corset, hearing her snorting as he loudly complained about wearing it.
“Ooh deal with it you big baby,” Ranpo yelled from behind Yosano. He put his hands angrily on his hips. “I’m wearing a stupid dress!!!! You think wearing a corset is embarrassing?!” Ranpo exclaimed, crossing his arms. “Plus, if you wear that-”
Yosano didn’t give Ranpo time to finish his thoughts before prodding him in the arm.
“HEYY!!! I was just gonna say that IF HE WAS WEARING THAT, HE WOULD LOOK SUPER COOL!!!” He yelled, his face scrunching up angrily.
Poe had to admit he was adorable when he got upset.
“Ranpo, you and I both know that is not the case,” Yosano amusedly replied, finishing tying the strings on the corset. “Alright Poe!!! Now for the next part!!”
Poe sighed as he reached for the red jacket, slipping it on with some help from Yosano. Ranpo went quiet.
Poe glanced nervously at him, but Ranpo was just standing there, gaping at him. Poe glanced away. Yosano took a step back and nodded.
“Looking good, Poe!!! Now, allow me to do your makeup!!”
Poe widened his eyes, his heart pulsing nervously.
“I can do my own makeup, thank you very much,” he muttered, crossing his arms. Yosano raised an eyebrow.
“Oooh right. It would go faster if I do it though,” she stated, a hint of confusion in her tone. “You have a problem with wearing makeup?”
Poe glanced at her.
“N-no, it’s just.. I haven’t worn makeup in quite a while,” he sheepishly replied. Yosano chuckled.
“Riiight. You only remember how to put on eyeliner and eyeshadow, right?” She questioned. Poe scoffed.
“No,” he lied. Ranpo rolled his eyes. Yosano smirked.
“Alright then!!! I’m still doing your makeup, she chimed, pulling out her bag. Poe started to panic.
“Nononono you don’t need to do that!!! I don’t need to wear makeup, it’s okay-” he fretted, putting his arms up. Yosano glanced at Ranpo.
“Raaanpooo!! You know what to do~” She called. Ranpo smiled mischievously, galloping over to Poe and wrapping his arms around Poe’s, holding him in place.
“NONONONOO ITS OKAY-” Poe yelled. Ranpo started pushing him, walking over to the bed. He shoved Poe down, holding him there for a few seconds as he waited for Yosano to get her makeup bag ready.
If Poe was embarrassed before, he’s way more embarrassed now.
“RANPO GET OFF OF ME” he shrieked, struggling to push the detective off. Yosano looked up and practically died when she saw the position they were in. Ranpo gleamed triumphantly as he held Poe’s arms down on the bed.
Yosano was still laughing as she grabbed Ranpo’s collar and yanked him off of the already embarrassed Poe.
“I DIDNT MEAN HOLD HIM DOWN LIKE THAT,” she scolded, trying to sound firm but obviously failing. She helped Poe sit up, having to take a few breaths before attempting to calm down.
Poe was too busy attempting to regain his thoughts to register Yosano pinning his bangs back and applying base makeup to his face. She had Ranpo help her with the colors since it was a bit hard to see in the rather dark room. Eventually, though, Poe managed to regain consciousness.
“U-uhh..” he stuttered, fidgeting with his hands. Yosano snorted.
“I apologize for Ranpo. He’s been rather unhinged lately,” she chuckled.
“I can tell,” he mumbled, his embarrassment still apparent in his tone. Yosano sighed.
“I didn’t know you were this dense,” she muttered. Poe raised an eyebrow.
“What?” He asked. He glanced over and noticed Ranpo was sitting next to him, sulking with his arms crossed. It was kind of cute.
“Ooh, nothing. Though I am curious. Why are you alone so often?” She asked, her voice surprisingly soft. Poe glanced back to her curiously.
“What do you mean?” He asked. Yosano switched the kind of makeup she was applying.
“I just mean that… you live in such a big, grand house, alone. It’s not the kind of house you would usually find in Japan. You know that, right?” She gently questioned. Poe scoffed.
“I prefer to live alone. And it’s none of your business to ramble in my personal affairs,” he muttered. Yosano frowned and sighed.
“You know… Ranpo likes you a lot,” she murmured. He could feel Ranpo tense next to him. “He enjoys your novels a lot. You’re a fantastic writer, you know that?” She lightly praised. Poe just stared blankly at her.
“Ranpo is my eternal rival and friend,” he stated. He felt Ranpo’s eyes on him. Yosano smiled.
“What, can’t take praise? You know, after you leave when you drop off one of your novels, all he does for the rest of the day is talk about how good it was,” she amusedly said, obviously to tease Ranpo.
“YOSANO!!!” Ranpo yelled. Poe could picture his embarrassed and flustered expression. Yosano mischievously widened her smile.
“Every time you leave: ‘I love how he hid the murderer!!! Using the victim as bait and making it look like she killed her murderer was brilliant!!!’ She teased, mimicking Ranpo’s tone of voice.
“YOSANO!!!!” Ranpo yelled, louder this time, extending his arms and trying to cover her mouth.
“And another day: ‘WOW!!! The lack of detail he added this time, making it look like everybody had worked together to kill the victim was extremely clever!!!” Yosano continued, making Ranpo more flustered.
Poe couldn’t help but share that embarrassment equally. Ranpo talked about him..?!
Yosano was giggling mischievously. Ranpo successfully covered her mouth.
“EEEWW!!! YOU FIEND!!!! DID YOU JUST LICK MY HAND?!?” Ranpo screeched, immediately pulling his arm back and shaking it intensely. Both Yosano and Poe chuckled. “THAT’S DISGUSTING!!!”
“Well I didn’t want you messing up my makeup,” Yosano innocently responded. She glanced back to Poe.
“Alright!!! I’m gonna apply red eyeliner to match the outfit!!” She announced, reaching back into her bag. Poe sheepishly nodded.
“Oh, buy the way!!! You’re a vampire,” she dropped, already working her way around his relaxed eyes.
“Oh, am I?” He amusedly asked. Ranpo was still pouting next to him, his arms crossed and his face flushed in embarrassment. Poe smirked. “I suppose Ranpo wouldn’t have a problem with me trying to suck his blood, would he?” Poe innocently asked. Yosano froze for a moment.
“God damn, your mind is dirtier than Ranpo’s,” she exasperatedly breathed. “I don’t think I can handle you both.”
Poe chuckled. “Don’t worry, my dear Ranpo. I won’t do it without your permission,” he reassured. Ranpo groaned next to him.
“Yo-san-oooooo,” he complained. Yosano chuckled.
“God, you two..” she sighed. “Well Poe, your makeup’s done!!! Take a look,” she announced, pulling a mirror out of her bag and turning it so Poe could see.
Poe contemplated his expression for a moment, letting out a low hum. He then started to pull out some of the pins in his hair, causing Yosano to let out a cry.
“HEYY!!” She whined. Poe left three of the pins in his hair up, allowing one of his eyes to be revealed. He gazed coldly at Yosano, trying to get her to see that he was much scarier with one of his eyes instead of both. Yosano just slumped down in despair.
Ranpo poked his head out into Poe’s vision, giving him an ‘oooh’. Ranpo then gave him a giant smile.
“You look good!!!” He exclaimed, a smile on his face. “And I’m glad you're not trying to kill me anymore with books!!!” He casually dropped. Poe sputtered a bit.
“I-I’m glad I’m- not- to,” he managed to force out. Ranpo laughed.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s go!!!” He cheered grabbing Poe’s wrist.
Poe quickly threw on the last part of his costume; the jacket with the chains, and followed Ranpo and Yosano down the grand stairs. Karl quickly ran over to them, flinging himself onto Poe’s shoulder.
There was a knock on the door.
“I’ll get it,” Poe confidently announced, striding over to the door. He opened the door and looked down to see several small kids holding out buckets of candy.
Before he could say anything, they looked up at him and stared for a moment, before screaming and turning around, racing back to their parents.
Behind him, Ranpo was laughing so hard he had to grab onto Yosano, who was also struggling to stand. Poe just stared wide-eyed at the children’s parent’s, who were all comforting their children and giving him nasty looks.
“UM- SORRY??” Poe called, already knowing the parents won’t be forgiving him anytime soon. He closed the door and turned back to Ranpo and Yosano, who were trying to regain their breaths.
“Okay… ooohhhhkay that was funny,” Yosano breathed, tired from all the laughing. Poe gave a small chuckle.
“Anyways,” Ranpo said, changing the subject and standing up straight (as straight as he can…). “There’s a haunted house just down the street!!! I heard that there’s more candy there than all of the houses in Yokohama combined!!!” Ranpo boldly stated. Poe chuckled.
“Are you sure about that, dear?” He questioned with a smile. Yosano raised an eyebrow at the nickname. “It is Halloween, so many of the houses here would have already bought all the available stocks clean,” he reasoned. “Remember? Your favorite candy store was completely empty!!”
Ranpo pouted at the reminder. “Yeah, and I’m still out of snacks,” he muttered. “And most of the houses here have cheap candy anyways,” he mumbled. Poe put a hand on his shoulder.
“I know,” he gently sympathized. He prayed he was doing a good job of comforting the detective; he’d never been good at that. “But you’ll have a lot of candy once we’re done for the night, alright? And if you don’t think there’s enough, I can always buy you more,” he stated, making sure his voice was light. This seemed to make Ranpo feel better, since he immediately smiled.
“OKAY!!!” He cheered. Poe smiled. He always liked seeing Ranpo’s happy face.
Yosano gave Ranpo a reassuring smile, and gave Poe a quick raised eyebrow smirk. Poe narrowed his eyes in response. He did not like the way she glanced at him.
In quick time, they had stood before the house Ranpo had mentioned. It was as big as his; a grand mansion with an impressive frame, and clearly much more well-kept than his, decorated with cotton and many decorations as well.
Though that wasn’t what he was focusing on.
What he was focusing on though, was Ranpo.
He was holding his hand.
Poe had to fight demons in his mind, failing to suppress the redness that was creeping up his neck. Karl was riding on Yosano’s shoulder now, trying to slip into her candy bag (s). Poe wouldn’t be surprised if Ranpo made her come just so that she could hold all of the bags…
As they neared the entrance, Poe started to feel a creep go up his spine. It wasn’t just a mansion. No. It was clearly displayed at the front door in bold letters.
Of course it couldn’t be a normal mansion. It HAD to be haunted.
Ranpo had brought him to a haunted house.
“Uhh… R-Ranpo..” Poe stuttered, glancing at the detective, who was already snacking on a lollipop.
“Hmm?” Ranpo hummed, glancing at him. Poe swallowed nervously.
“Uhh… this is a haunted house,” he mumbled. Ranpo raised an eyebrow.
“SURE you aren’t scared, right?” Ranpo questioned. “You live in one of these mansions.”
Poe looked away.
“Y-yeah, but..” he sheepishly whispered. Ranpo smirked and chuckled.
“Surely you aren’t scared of ghosts??” He smiled. Poe felt a rush of embarrassment.
“N-NO!!! Of course I’m not scared of ghosts!!!” He lied. He was. He was terrified of ghosts.
“Surely you aren’t scared of me??” Ranpo smirked. “RAHH!!!” He yelled, turning towards Poe, his arms raised in a terrifying manner, and an absolutely horrifyingly cute expression on his face.
Poe takes it back.
Ghosts are adorable.
Well.. at least this ghost is.
He just wants to pull this ghost super close and kiss it to death. Though he knew that would be a huge mistake.
Although Poe couldn’t hold back the strong rush of affection building in his chest. He chuckled and extended one of his arms, ruffling the detective’s hair, earning a squeal of surprise from Ranpo.
“HEYYY!!!” Ranpo complained. Poe laughed as Ranpo grabbed his hand and shoved it off his head.
Yosano watched with a smirk. “Alright you two lovebugs, let’s enter already,” she teased. Poe’s eyes immediately widened, feeling his face get red again.
“N-NO???” He exclaimed. Ranpo had the same reaction.
“YO-SAN-OOH!!!” Ranpo pathetically screeched, racing after her. Poe shoved his hands into his pockets, tense as he followed them inside.
Almost immediately, he was spooked by the giant automatic spider that jumped out at him. He let out a loud screech, taking several steps back and tripping. He fell to the ground, feeling a rush of embarrassment as he heard Ranpo laughing his head off.
“YOU CANNOT HAVE BEEN SPOOKED BY THAT,” he exclaimed, putting his hands on his knees. Yosano was physically holding back a chuckle. Poe scrambled back up to his feet, glaring at the two. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He eventually just walked past them, stomping his way through.
…until he turned a corner and felt a hand on his arm.
He screeched again, louder this time. WAS THAT A FUCKING HAND?!?
He yelled curses in English, yelling as he backed up and hit the wall. He could hear Ranpo and Yosano now laughing even louder. Ranpo turned the corner, having to lean on the doorframe. Tears were coming out of his eyes.
“ED YOUH-” Ranpo tried saying, before shamelessly bursting into another bout of laughter. The actor that had grabbed him was also leaning on the wall, probably using all is self control not to also start laughing as well. “I HAVE NEVER HEARD A MAN SCREAM LIKE THAT” Ranpo laughed, managing to walk over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
Poe looked away, his face still red. After a moment or two, the two traitors managed to calm down and stop laughing.
“Okay Ed,” Ranpo wheezed. “Hold my hand. That will make you feel better.”
Poe grumbled, reluctantly taking Ranpo’s hand.
As they walked, Poe felt an uneasy press build up in his chest. He clung to his companion’s hand like a lifeline, Ranpo complaining about how tight his grip was.
Poe’s eyes darted all around every room they entered. There were quite a lot of jumpscares…
And he managed to fall. For every. Single. One of them.
And both Ranpo and Yosano died. At every. One.
NEVER ONCE did the two of them get scared.
Okay. Ranpo got freaked out by one. But that was because the snake decoration didn’t have any arms and he pitied it. So that one didn’t count.
Ranpo was also taking note of everything he noticed in the haunted house, and describing them with an uncomfortable amount of detail.
For example, he described a snake as a ‘slippery, squirming, scaly rope that can easily fit into…. Many.. places, capable of entwining and suffocating your body and sinking it’s long, venomous teeth into your flesh and injecting your blood with enough poison that you’ll be screaming in pain for hours as your skin screams for mercy.”
Poe didn’t want to say that he was secretly fascinated with the way the detective managed to creep him out more than horror movies did. He could truly be absolutely terrifying when he wanted.
When they got to the end, they were greeted with five large chests completely full of candy. Ranpo, an actual, real 26 year old man, screeched in excitement and immediately bundled over to the chests, snatching a large bag from Yosano’s hand. Poe affectionately watched as the short detective scooped handfuls of candy into his bag, looking the happiest Poe had ever seen him.
He exchanged a glance with Yosano, who was smiling and shaking her head in amusement.
Eventually, Ranpo had filled all of his three separate bags he brought. Seemingly satisfied, he bundled back to Poe and threw his hands around his waist in a hug.
Poe felt his face flush with embarrassment, looking down at the happy detective. Poe had a very strong urge to protect this precious face at all costs. He hesitantly put his hand on Ranpo’s cheek, getting down on one knee and smiling.
“Did you have fun?” He asked, his voice full of affection. Ranpo smiled wide.
“YEAH!!! I had SO much fun!!!! Your reactions were priceless,” he giggled. Poe smiled as he melted into Ranpo’s emerald green eyes.
Maybe the world isn’t as cruel as I thought if wonderful people like this man exists.
“I’m glad,” Poe stated, standing back up. Ranpo beamed as they left the haunted house, Yosano just sighing behind them.
“I swear, my brother is so clueless,” she muttered, looking at Poe with a pitiful expressed.
“Hmm?” Poe hummed, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Yosano blinked. Before she could say anything, Poe’s stomach decided to speak instead. He felt his face immediately redden.
Ranpo looked up to him in concern. “Poe, when was the last time you ate anything?” He demanded, his voice leaving no room for false answers. Poe glanced at the two other people, both of them moving to block his path and to stare into his soul.
Poe sheepishly looked down at the ground. They already know,, Yosano’s a doctor and Ranpo’s the best detective in the world. So why were they asking him if they already knew..?
“Uh… a few days I guess,” he mumbled, not willing to make his voice any louder. Yosano widened her eyes in surprise and Ranpo’s narrowed sharply.
“Come on!!!” Ranpo announced, snatching his wrist.
“HUH?!” Poe yelped. Ranpo quickly dragged him through the city, much to Poe’s confusion. “Don’t you want to get more candy?!”
Ranpo faltered slightly, but he continued walking.
“I don’t want you passing out while we’re walking around,” he muttered. Poe exchanged a glance with Yosano, them both noticing his hesitance. Before they could say anything, again, Ranpo yanked Poe into a restaurant- one of Poe’s preferred restaurants, to be exact.
Still holding his hand, Ranpo got them a seat. Bewildered, he sat next to Ranpo, Yosano sitting across from them with a concerned look. Ranpo looked up to him, an angry expression on his face.
“Listen,” Ranpo sharply spat, making Poe jump a bit. “I don’t care if you're depressed, or busy, or any of the other excuses you manage to come up with. I know you believe stuff shouldn’t be wasted on you. That’s why you refuse to go anywhere. You believe you're not worth my time,” Ranpo briskly stated.
Poe stared at the detective with wide eyes. He’d never seen Ranpo snap like this before.
“Well, you’re wrong. You assume that you’re not worth my time because I’m the greatest detective in the world. You assume I’m always busy, when I’m not,” he sharply stated. “So this needs to stop, and you need to take care of yourself.”
Ranpo took a few breaths, glaring angrily up at Poe. The writer was at a loss for words. He looked over to Yosano, who looked equally as bewildered. Neither of them had seen him snap like this, apparently.
“Understand?” Ranpo prompted, his eyes narrowed. Poe gulped and nodded, fidgeting a bit. Ranpo’s eyes softened a bit.
“Understood,” he murmured.
“Good.” Ranpo said, turning back, his arms crossed. “I don't ever want to be this worried about you again. Your working yourself up for failure, you hear?” Ranpo muttered. Poe quickly nodded.
“I hear you,” he whispered. Ranpo huffed.
They ordered drinks and food, Poe getting what he usually got, and Ranpo and Yosano getting the same thing. Poe felt Ranpo’s eyes burning into his skin as his food came, and Poe sheepishly ate his food. Ranpo nodded, making sure Poe was eating, and started eating his own food when he was confident Poe had eaten enough.
“Good,” he muttered, nodding and seemingly satisfied.
The three of them finished their food, Yosano shooting obviously disappointed glares at Poe.
Poe wasn’t exactly sure when, but apparently, he had rested his head on Ranpo’s shoulder at some point while the detective was eating. And Yosano was not giving the poor detective a break about it.
Actually, Poe woke up to Ranpo yelling and responding to the teasing the doctor was giving him. Poe immediately lifted his head again, his face red.
“I-Iiii-I-uh-” he stuttered, his head suddenly being hit with a mallet. Yosano started laughing again, and Ranpo was giving him nasty glares.
Poe sunk into the cushions of the restaurant, covering his face in embarrassment- though he made sure not to mess up the makeup.
Ranpo snorted, and Yosano continued laughing.
“Whatever,” he muttered.
Ranpo looked over to the clock and sighed. “Well… trick or treating has to be over by now,” he mumbled, sounding slightly disappointed.
“..sorry,” Poe mumbled. Ranpo huffed.
“You should be!!!! Although I did get a bunch of candy from that haunted house, so I guess I shouldn’t complain…” he muttered.
Poe gave him a soft glance, his previous embarrassment somewhat forgotten. “Perhaps you should start going home,” he suggested. Ranpo huffed.
“Maybe,” he muttered. Poe glanced at the time.
“It is getting rather late, you two,” he mumbled. Karl scuttled onto the table, pawing the fries. Poe smiled gently and grabbed one of the fried potatoes, ripping it and handing it to his raccoon companion. Karl chittered excitedly.
“You like that?” He softly asked, stroking the back of Karl’s ears. Karl chittered louder, scratching his hand. “Ow, Karl that hurts..” he mumbled, not pulling away.
Yosano snorted. “I didn’t know you talked to animals,” she gently teased. Poe shook his head.
“K-Karl’s a friend!!!” He exclaimed, shamelessly handing the raccoon another fry. Ranpo snorted next to him.
“He’s spoiled,” he noted fondly.
After that, Poe sought the two home. For some odd reason, Ranpo claimed he should stay and watch movies.
And if they eventually fell asleep on each other… well, who was he to complain?