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The dismissal bell rang and Poe practically ran out of his class. He was a transfer student from North America and was part of The Guild, an organization specializing in sending intelligent students overseas to study abroad. This time, he was sent to study in Japan, at Yokohama High.
As a pale and tall guy with dark purple hair and bangs that covered his eyes, he stood out among the Japanese students. His Japanese made him stand out as well since it was accented and sloppy. He was able to get help from a tutor though, and the moment he saw him he was smitten.
His tutor was not only the student government president, but also the smartest student in the whole school. His name was Ranpo Edogawa, and he might as well be Poe’s.
Thanks to him, his Japanese has improved over just a few weeks and his conversations went smoother. Though, his feelings also grew. He was in love and didn’t bother to hide it.
“Ranpo, are you able to walk to the convenience store with me again?” Poe asked, walking up to him.
Ranpo closed his locker. School just ended and he was switching out his books. “Ugh…dude, I would! But I got a meeting today!” He grumbled.
The taller boy sighed. “It’s fine! Tomorrow then?”
Ranpo nodded before waving Poe goodbye.
Poe sighed as he left campus. He was hoping to spend more time with him. Despite Ranpo’s charming arrogance and blunt remarks, he was very oblivious to Poe’s attempts.
Walking along the sidewalk, he saw a student setting up a camera under a tree. She noticed him and waved him over.
“Hey! You’re Poe, right? I need help with a film project. It’s just a quick scene!” She asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
He has experience with acting, so he didn’t mind. “Sure. What did you need me to do?”
“You just gotta kiss me!”
Kiss her? Poe could do that, but it felt wrong. Afterall, he liked Ranpo and-
“As my actor, I’ll pay you ¥3,000!”
—--
The student government meeting ended quite fast. There wasn’t much to talk about anyway. As Ranpo walked off campus, he noticed two students under a tree. He frowned a little when they kissed. He always found public affection gross, even if they were adults or the elderly.
But as he started walking away, he looked back one more time. The guy was familiar to him, but he didn’t know who it was. Tall, dark purple hair, a raccoon keychain on his bag….
Poe?
Weirdly enough, Ranpo felt upset. He knew Poe could kiss anyone he liked, so why didn’t he like it? Maybe it’s because he didn’t tell him he had a girlfriend? Yeah, maybe.
The whole walk home left his heart heavy.
—--
The next morning, Poe’s newfound confidence resided in the ¥3,000 he acquired. He’ll buy Ranpo all kinds of sodas and candy with this!
He found him walking along the hallway and went up to him.
“Ranpo! So, no meeting today, right? We can go out?” He smiled.
Ranpo didn’t look at him. “Oh, sure. We can. But wouldn’t you rather make out with your girlfriend?”
All of Poe’s confidence went out the window. Ranpo sounded…jealous? “You…saw that?”
“So that was you? Why didn’t you tell me you had a girlfriend!”
“Girl- no! It’s not like that!” Poe said desperately, trying to save the situation. “I was just helping her with her project! And why are you upset anyway?” That last question just slipped out, but he had to know whether Ranpo liked him back.
“Because- because you can’t just go kissing random girls even if they asked and-“
“Are you jealous?”
Ranpo paused and just looked at him. “Jealous? No, why would I be jealous?”
Because you like me, was what Poe wanted to say but he held back.
But before Poe could reply, Ranpo already walked off. He didn’t follow him.
—--
Ranpo’s annoyed behavior continued on for about a week. Poe was tired of his distance and how he didn’t even let him explain. Whenever he tried to talk to him, he’d be met with a glare or a scoff, and if Ranpo did say something, his tone would be cold and short.
The tutoring sessions weren’t any different. He just taught Poe the pronunciations and kanji before leaving for a student government meeting. Poe was sure he was jealous. Very, very sure.
“Lucy, I can’t take this anymore!” He slumped down onto a bench next to his friend, another member of The Guild.
Lucy rolled his eyes and flipped her red braid over her shoulder. “Just talk to him straight up! Your problem is that you’re giving him chances to walk away. You gotta trap him!”
“Trap him…? You mean I pin him to a wall and-“
She slapped him with a paper back book. “Not like that, you freak! I mean metaphorically! Trap him with your words! Be blunt! Straightforward!”
He rubbed his head, soothing the area where Lucy hit him with a groan. Her loud advice helped him. Sort of…it did answer some questions.
“But how? How can I-“
Lucy didn’t even let him finish. “Just say that question that’s been on your mind!”
—--
Friday, after school. Another tutoring session, and it just so happened to be raining. Fit the whole situation perfectly.
“So anyways…” Ranpo was pointing at some kanji in a book, but he trailed off when he noticed Poe looking outside. He flicked a pencil at his forehead to get his attention. “Hey, stop gazing off!”
“Ow- hey!” Poe grumbled, rubbing his forehead. “It’s not like you’re paying much attention too.”
Ranpo raised a brow. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
He thought back to Lucy’s advice. “Well…you like me, don’t you?”
Ranpo’s eye twitched and he looked towards him. “What?”
There was the reaction he wanted. “Yeah…I mean, you’re obviously jealous after I kissed that girl.”
“I’m not jealous! I said that before!” Ranpo scoffed, closing the kanji book shut. “Just drop the topic, Poe. I don’t like you like that.” He stood up and Poe followed his action.
“No, I won’t drop the topic! I need you to tell me how you’re feeling now!” Poe took his wrist, holding it so he wouldn’t go. “I need you to stop avoiding me and denying your feelings!” He knew that look in his eyes, how it didn’t meet his. Ranpo was hiding the truth.
“I’m not denying anything! I seriously don’t like you!” Ranpo retorted. Despite that, he didn’t feel like pulling away from him. In fact, he found himself leaning into the touch.
Poe rolled his eyes and gripped Ranpo’s wrist a little tighter, but not to the point where he’d hurt him. “Just tell me the truth, damn it! Look, I like you, ok? I’ve liked you since the moment we met- when I kissed her I was thinking about you the whole time!”
Ranpo just looked at him, puzzled. “...huh?”
Poe sighed. “You…you heard me. I like you, Ranpo. More than I could put into words. I only kissed her because it was for a project and she’d pay me to do it. I planned to use the money to buy you all kinds of snacks and drinks! Just let me stay by your side. Even if it’s just as a friend or something else, I love being with you no matter the occasion.”
“Poe, I…” Ranpo swallowed before continuing on, finding it increasingly difficult to not give in to his feelings. “But you still could’ve told her no, even if the payment was high. You still could’ve-
He was interrupted when Poe pulled him close and kissed him. The kiss was slow and desperate at the same time, filled with unspoken words and the need for something more than friends. He gripped Poe’s sleeve, kissing him back and melting into it.
When they separated after some long seconds, Poe rested his forehead against Ranpo’s.
“I promise to not kiss anyone else. They’ll all be saved for you.”
Ranpo blinked a couple times, finally putting things into place as a small smile crept up his face.
“You…stupid..” Ranpo said fondly. “You’re making it really hard to stay mad at you…”
“I know. So does that mean we’re good now?” Poe smiled, pulling Ranpo a little closer.
“Hmm...fine, I suppose.” Ranpo rolled his eyes playfully before kissing Poe again.