Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The book store was quiet, as it usually was on Wednesday mornings. It wasn't uncommon, most people went into the coffee shop next door. Maybe a customer would enter to pick up a book to read at the cafe, or maybe a student to come grab some last minute reading materials. Otherwise, nobody really entered the woodsy book store on those weekday mornings.

The library was more popular, but working at this book store was far more convenient for Edogawa Ranpo, or rather Fukuzawa Ranpo as he sometimes preferred. The black-haired man sat at the counter, chewing on a piece of candy as he read some contemporary book by the name of Stories of Osaka Life. It wasn't really his thing, Ranpo knows, but it was filled with wonderful short stories. He was reading one specific story, called Flawless when he heard the bell of someone entering.

Ranpo didn't move his gaze from the book. "Welcome in!" He greeted, putting on his best customer service voice without looking the part. To be fair, no worker did, mostly because they didn't have a uniform. As long as they had the name tag and lanyard, the boss did not care.

The man heard a hum in response before the footsteps of the customer faded further into the store. He glanced over slightly, only catching the pointed tail that swiftly moved behind a bookshelf.

'Ah,' He thought to himself. 'A pride demon. Don't see those every day.' He quickly deduced from the shape. In a normal world, that would make someone freeze or run in terror.

But this wasn't a normal world, now was it?

Rather, it was a world full of creatures. Cryptids, myths, beings, whatever you call it. Only 10% of the population in Yokohama were human, and only 20% percent of those humans were completely mortal. Ranpo was one of these few mortal humans. He only knew one other mortal human, which he was fine with. He didn't care, really.

He was never discriminated against, maybe pitied, but never discriminated against. Well, that could be because he was a Fukuzawa, but whatever.

Ranpo was pulled away by his thoughts by rough footsteps. He forced his head up from the book just as the customer reached the store counter. He heavily contrasted the relaxed clothing Ranpo wore.

The man wore a heavy beige trenchcoat that looked to be from a luxury brand over a white collared button up with a black vest over that. Black slacks with dark brown leather belt and shoes. He carried himself with prestige and confidence, which shined through his brown eyes despite the dullness in them. His hair was a fluffy mess of brown, which Ranpo would compare to a soft bird's next. He stood at around 5'11 in height, tall but not too tall. He was decently attractive, but nothing that stood out to the worker.

Well, that was a lie. There were 3 things that stood out. First, the tail of course, that originally made him deduce the stranger as a pride demon, a deep violet tail with a spiked ball at the end. Next, the deep violet horns that curled inwards into spirals, which only confirmed the species. Finally, the pure white bandages wrapped around his olive toned hands and neck (which presumably included his arms and torso.)

"What can I do for you, sir?" Ranpo questioned, straightening his posture as he bookmarked his page on the book. Ranpo's hair was jet black and quite messy. He wore a loose brown sweater with a grey-green cardigan loosely hanging off his shoulders. He has white knee-high socks with brown shorts and black combat boots his father got for him. His demeanor was ready to serve, but as soon as a customer turned their back, he'd be back to being lazy.

The customer glanced at Ranpo's book. "Do you have any more of those books? I need something to read while on set." He put his hands in his pockets casually, as if he expected a reaction or question from the cashier.

Unfortunately for him, Ranpo didn't care, and wasn't paid enough to pretend to.

"Yeah, we do," The worker pointed at one of the small tables at the center of one of the isles. "That table over there is for Sakunosuke Oda's books."

The brown-haired demon looked towards the table, his body language quickly changing to be a little embarrassed by the fact he completely missed it. He nodded and scurried away, Ranpo watching him quickly pick out the new one before returning back.

He placed the book on the counter and shifted through the bookmarks on the shelf nearby. He kept glancing at the male behind the counter, as if expecting to be recognized.

Maybe Ranpo should stop pretending he didn't recognize him, since the demon actor obviously wanted it. Dazai Osamu, an actor who has been appearing in tons of popular films and shows recently. Ranpo hasn't watched any of them, since they were mostly romance or dramas, but he's caught glimpses of him in Akiko's and Atsushi's shows.

"So," The actor, or rather Dazai, started. "You like Od- Sakunosuke's works?" He questioned conversationally.

Ranpo hummed in thought. "He's a really good writer. I usually don't like contemporary, but I'm really enjoying his stories."

Dazai seems to relax a bit, the human notices. "Oh, really? Which is your favorite so far?" He shifts his gaze from the bookmarks to Ranpo.

The shorter thought for a second. "Meoto Zenzai. Maybe I'm biased because it's named after a shop I've been to, but the writing is so beautiful and everything had that air of tragedy around it..." He sighed, a little somber as he thought about it.

Dazai laughed a bit. "I totally get it. Meoto Zenzai is such a tragic story, but I personally adore Six White Venus. It's such a painful story, it brought a tear to my eye..."

Ranpo smiled sweetly, leaning over the counter slightly. This conversation was confirming a small suspicion he had -- Dazai has already read this book. Both stories are from this new book, so why would Dazai know them? He knew why, actually. Dazai and Sakunosuke were close in some way, shape, or form. The demon almost called the author by his given name and the way he relaxed when Ranpo said he enjoyed Sakunosuke's stories said it all.

"Maybe I should read more of Sakunosuke's books... I'm more of a mystery nerd, though. I'm great at solving mysteries." Ranpo bragged, crossing his arms on the counter top.

"Well, can you solve the mystery of why your number isn't on my phone?" The actor flirted without hesitation, pridefully . His cheeks were slowly flushing red though, so Ranpo could easily tell that Dazai was cringing, but being what he is, had too much pride.

Ranpo stared at him for a second before he started giggling. "Sorry! Sorry! That was just unexpected!!" He snorted, putting his hand over his mouth.

Dazai was embarrassed, but refused to back down as he placed a pack of bookmarks over the book. "Sooo, I'm guessing you're declining the case?"

The worker shook his head as he checked out Dazai's books, grabbing a pink sticky note and lollipop shaped pen before quickly jotting down his number and placing it on top of the book. "I already solved the mystery- You just haven't put it in yet."

Dazai looked surprised but was thankful as he paid. "Then I guess the case is closed."

Ranpo slid the items into a bag alongside the receipt before handing it to Dazai. "The name is Edogawa Ranpo, by the way."

Dazai smirked a bit. "I'm Dazai Osamu. But I'm guessing you already figured."

Ranpo simply grinned. "Have a great day, come again soon!"

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Osamu sat in his dressing room, looking over the sticky note. Normally, he'd be chatting up some of the female crew or other actresses, but right now, the demon was contemplating texting Edogawa.

He didn't know why, but something about the human with the black hair just seemed so fascinating. Was it his childish demeanor? Was it his cute face? Was it how he seemed to not even care who Osamu was, despite him being such a celebrity?

The pride demon huffed and picked up his phone. He typed in his password quickly, smiling softly at the home screen photo of him and both of his fatherly figures. He quickly went onto his messenger app, typing in the number Edogawa had given him, naming the contact `Cutie From Bookstore`.

'Heyyyyyyy' was all Osamu sent to Edogawa, thinking for a sec. Something was looking at the back of his mind. Paranoia. But Osamu simply brushed off that feeling. After all, it was just a text to a cute guy he JUST met.

"What could possibly go wrong?"

Chapter Text

The book store was a lot more lively at this point in time, though not by a lot. The mid-day afternoon on Thursday brought a bit more people here to pick some stuff up to read during lunch or run a simple book errand when they were free.

Ranpo was back at the counter, ringing up a few customers as he eyed the clock (or whatever you say when you can look with your eyes closed idk.) It was almost time for his lunch break, which meant it was almost time for Atsushi's, too.

Luckily, his dear younger brother worked at the coffee shop next door. It was always convenient for Ranpo, being able to quickly pick up Atsushi, then pick up Akiko from her shift at the hospital, then Kyouka from school. Afterwards, their dear father Yukichi would greet them home.

The human loved it, being able to reach his family quickly. Even if he was the only human in their family, all his siblings were younger and that meant he had to protect them.

He waved goodbye to the customer, telling them to come again soon. He looked back at the clock. 10 minutes til' break. The black-haired man huffed slightly, getting a tad impatient. However, he quickly covered it up as soon as the bell overtop the door rang, announcing the arrival of a new customer.

"Welcome in!" He greeted, as he always did when he wasn't preoccupied. He glanced over at the new customer, as his fiery orange hair had caught his attention. The ginger man was short, about 5'2, his long hair tied into a ponytail over his shoulder. He wore a black leather jacket over a white button-up, black formal pants, and dark red heeled leather boots that went with the dark red leather gloves. A very noticeable feature about him was his left brown eye and right blue eye.

Ranpo analyzed him in only 3 seconds, and could tell the man was a Homunculus. Well, it's kinda obvious, considering the red gem poking out the center of his neck.

The ginger male placed a pork pie hat on his head as he stepped into the store. He looked around a moment before quickly walking to the writing supplies near the register.

The human watched the Homunculus pick out his items in about 5 minutes. He was a bit impressed, as not many people knew exactly what they wanted and exactly where to find it like the stranger. He came here on a mission, and he was quickly completing it.

Once again, Ranpo looked at the clock. 5 more minutes. He sighed softly, but quickly hid his impatience when the customer started placing his items on the counter.

"Were you able to find everything alright?" The worker questioned, scanning the items.

"Yup, thank ya." The ginger was looking Ranpo up and down, analyzing him thoroughly. He felt like he recognized him.

I mean, he did, and Ranpo knew it. Ranpo recognized the ginger after all. Nakahara Chuuya, a promising poet that was taking the scene by storm. He was the younger brother of high-class fashion designer Paul Verlaine. So... How did Nakahara know Ranpo?

"Yer... Yosano's and Nakajima's olda brotha, right?" Nakahara questioned, narrowing his heterochromic eyes slightly.

Ranpo grinned. Nakahara was one of Akiko's gossip buddies. And, coincidentally, happened to be the older brother of Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, Atsushi's co-worker and supposed enemy.

"You got that right! Took you long enough." Ranpo slightly teased, looking down as he rang up the utensils.

Nakahara laughed a bit. "It took me too long, sorry 'bout that." He leaned over the counter slightly, supporting himself with one elbow and putting his other hand on his hip. "How are ya? It's been a bit."

"I'm well and good, but like... What about you? Akiko said you went back to Paris for a while!" The human wondered, recounting Akiko's words.

The Homunculus nodded. "Yeah, I did. Nothin' important though, just a few readings, book signings, a fashion show or two, nothing special." He smirked a bit, not once taking his eyes off of the black-haired human.

Ranpo narrowed his eyes. "Nothing special my ass."

Nakahara smiled. "Yer ass is very special, actually."

Ranpo gawked at him, looking at him before looking back at the items as he bagged them. "I know it is! Oh, cash or card?" He asked, trying to hide and deny the blush on his face.

"Card."

The ginger swiped his card in the reader. Ranpo stuffed the receipt within the bag before lightly handing it over to Nakahara the bag. "Nice seeing you, Nakahara-San! Have a nice day, come back soon!"

Nakahara took the bag, grazing the human's fingers lightly. The touch lingered for a moment before the pull away. "Will do!" He checked the clock. "Oh, it's time for Ryuu's lunch break."

The human quickly stood up and changed the register sign to 'closed' as soon as the Homunculus said that. "That means it's Atsushi's, too!!"

The short ginger laughed. "Why don't we head to pick 'em up together? I'd like to listen to yer cute voice a little longer."

Ranpo's cheeks went red, quickly looking away. In all honesty, he never talked much to Nakahara until then. He had always found him very attractive, but this was new. "Yeah, let's do that... give me a moment, though!"

He got out of his chair, rushing to the back to grab his bag and clock out. He came back to the front with Nakahara, having hung up his lanyard and name tag.

Nakahara grinned, walking to the door and opening it wide for Ranpo. "Afta ya, sugar," The ginger winked, to which the human rolled his eyes playfully as he exited.

The two walked harmoniously to the cafe next door, having a small chat. Nakahara, once again held the door open for him with a bow. "Wow, such a gentleman!" Ranpo teased with a small giggle, entering with Nakahara following afterwards.

The human dug through his pocket, pulling out a piece of candy, which he unwrapped and slid between his lips. The Homunculus watched him, not shifting his gaze to look for his brother.

Then did the black haired male look at the ginger, curiously. "What? Did you want some?"

The ginger smiled at him and shook his head, leaning a bit towards him. "Et tu es mignon."

Ranpo tilted his head. "Huh?"

"Nothin', don't worry 'bout it." Nakahara laughed, pulling out his phone. "Say, can I have ya number? I'd like to talk to ya some more."

Ranpo beamed as he pulled out his own phone. "Only if you give me yours, too!"

The two exchanged numbers, much to the dismay and horror of their younger brothers, who watched not even two feet away.

"Akutagawa," Atsushi started, not looking at the vampire beside him. "Why is your brother flirting with my brother?"

"I don't know," Akutagawa didn't look at the angel beside him, either. "Why is your brother flirting back?"

Atsushi shrugged.

Ranpo was soon dragged away by Atsushi and Nakahara was soon dragged away by Akutagawa.

Yet, Ranpo still thought about that interaction...

Not many people called him cute, let alone in French.

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It was after dinner at the Verlaine House. Chuuya was at the kitchen island, sorting through the mail as Ryuunosuke and Gin sat on the couch, watching some rom-com Gin liked. Ryuunosuke didn't take interest, but was pretty sure he caught Atsushi watching this show in the break room.

Chuuya looked at his phone, seeing a new text notification. He quickly noticed it to be Edogawa, whom he had named "Sugar". He opened the text, smiling and giggling slightly as he read it.

Ryuunosuke heard, causing him to turn his head to his older brother. "Are you texting him?" He questioned, a horrified look in his eyes.

Chuuya glanced at him. "Nun ya business."

"So you are."

"Correct."

"You know Nakajima is my sworn enemy."

"I do."

"So you're going after his brother?"

"Our lives don't always have to intertwine, Ryuunosuke."

"Well, they're going to intertwine if you keep flirting with Edogawa."

Chuuya rolled his eyes. "Ya worry too much, Ryuu. I love ya', but really, what's the worst that can happen?"

Ryuunosuke huffed and looked away.

Chuuya sighed and looked back at his phone. The question hung in his mind, bringing a small bit of paranoia...

What's the worst that can happen?

Chapter Text

Late afternoon Friday was much busier than the days before. The end of Ranpo's shift was only 30 minutes away, but with how busy it was, it took forever in the mind of the human. He kept up his usual customer service smile and voice, not once letting it drop. His only salvation was the ticking clock.

He chewed on several pieces of bubblegum to keep himself from passing out, he wanted to finish with these customers as soon as possible. It wasn't too bad, he told himself. He at least had some coworkers around, like Alcott and Higuchi. He had a few other co-workers, like Tanizaki-Chan and Haruno, who weren't in today.

'Wait... Are all my coworkers women...?' Ranpo thought to himself, trying to get his mind off the unbearable migraine called customer service.

Unfortunately for him, the customer he was serving was starting to be incredibly stupid. And, unfortunately for the customer, Ranpo loses all sense of patience for stupid people.

"Oh my god, why are you so stupid?" Ranpo finally snapped. "Maybe learn to actually read instead of looking at covers, it's making you braindead!"

And like that, the black haired male was sent to the break room. He knew damn well he wasn't in trouble and was only sent there to cool off. His tolerance for stupid people was low, but the manager's tolerance was non-existent.

It might have been 10 minutes before the manager walked in. She was a short, petite lady with long pink hair that was tied into a side ponytail by a ribbon. Her pink eyes matched her pink hair almost perfectly, and she wore a pretty flowery pastel pink dress over a white frilly petticoat.

"Edogawa," The manager, Okura, started with a sigh. "What have I told you about calling the customers stupid?"

"Not to do it..." The human sighed. "But to be fair-"

"Asking why they're stupid is the same thing."

"Dammit."

"But I understand where you were coming from." The lady huffed, putting her hands on her hips. "Dumbass had it coming. Calling me a kid, I'm NOT a kid, I JUST LIKE THIS FORM-" She started angrily rambling, making her employee zone out.

Okura Teruko, a shapeshifter that was around 200 or so years old. Despite that, she had a young personality, full of life, though mostly rage. She usually chooses to take the appearance of a petite young woman, but she always makes her authority known.

However, she has a horribly hot temper that could burn even the sun. Ranpo liked her, though, and he was pretty sure he was her favorite employee, so in the human's eyes, she was the best boss he could have asked for -- even if he worked at the store for convenience.

As the employer rambled, the employee checked the time and noticed his shift was ending in 3 minutes.

Ranpo started to gather his stuff, wondering what his father would be making for dinner. He put the lanyard of keys and the name tag in his mini backpack, which was shaped like purin. He hummed a bit, thinking about picking up some purin when he and Atsushi walked home. Maybe some mochi and chips, too. Yeah, that would be good.

He salivated at the thought before wiping his mouth with his blue jacket sleeve. He slid the backpack over his shoulders and clocked out. "Okura! I'm heading out!"

Okura finally stopped and spun towards him, waving him off. "Alright, see ya!! Tell your folks and Jouno-San I say hi!! Also, remember you have the closing shift tomorrow!!"

The human simply gave her a thumbs up as he left the break room.

He hummed as walked past the registers, waving goodbye to Higuchi and Alcott as he exited the store. Unfortunately, Atsushi's shift ended 30 minutes after Ranpo's, so he'd have to wait.

The human really did not want to wait in the cafe for 30 minutes, so he decided to wander around mindlessly. He scrounged around his pockets as he walked, wondering if he had any candy left or he just ate it all. He paid no mind to the world around him, despite knowing he'd eventually bump into someone.

And he did.

"Ah- Sorry-" The black haired man stepped back, putting a bit of space between the two. The person he bumped into turned around and gasped softly.

"It's you!"

Ranpo looked up to immediately recognize him as Edgar Allen Poe, a highly esteemed author from America. He stood at 6 feet tall with medium-length shaggy brown hair, his bangs covering his eyes completely. He wore a white ruffled long-sleeve with black ruffled pants, having a black corset, black coat over his shoulders, and white ankle boots. He also just happened to be a vampire.

Compared to Ranpo, he was elegant and graceful. Ranpo was in pastel yellow shorts and a pastel pink tank top, pastel rainbow thigh highs and pastel purple sneakers. To complete the look, he had a pastel blue jacket.

"I've been looking for you everywhere!" Poe clasped his hands together, leaning forward slightly. There was a raccoon on his shoulder that eyed Ranpo closely. The raccoon made Ranpo more nervous than the actual vampire before him.

The human looked up at the vampire once again, tilting his head in what seemed to be confusion. "Eh? Why?" He questioned, but he had a hunch already.

"Why? Well..." The author pointed his finger at him. "To prove my worth!" He yelled proudly, bringing in a bit of attention from the crowded streets around them.

The bookseller tilted his head, continuing the confused demeanor. "Why?"

This got the vampire to hesitate. "B... Because of what happened... two years ago?..."

Ranpo leaned forward. "Why?"

Poe pulled his finger back, trying to find his words as he nervously tried to figure out what to say. "I... uh..." He didn't seem to have thought this through.

"Youuuuuu...?" Ranpo teased, hiding his grin. He wanted the author to say it, even if he already knew.

Poe was trying to keep his composure, but he was crumbling under the closed gaze of that human. It was kind of embarrassing to see such a famous author, a vampire no less, being destroyed by the simple questions and questioning look of a significantly shorter human working at a bookstore.

After a few moments of silence from Poe, he took a deep breath. "Two years ago.... you and your family arrived in America for a vacation... You entered an investigation competition, where we met and... you defeated me..." He let out a shaky breath. "But no more! I will not let you defeat me again!!" He loudly proclaimed, which caused Ranpo to groan.

"You're, like, really loud... Do you have anything to eat? Actually, no, come with me." He grinned turning around, much to the total shock and absolute confusion of Poe.

The vampire looked at his raccoon, who exchanged the look and tilted his head toward Ranpo, indicating Poe should follow him. He nodded and started to follow the shorter.

"So," The human started. "What's your little friend's name?" He asked, continuing to walk wherever he wanted to go. He didn't turn around to talk to Poe, he didn't feel like bumping into anyone again.

"Karl." Poe quickly responded, curious as to where they were going. He didn't really know his way around the city, and Ranpo was a local, so he's pretty sure it was fine. Besides, what could the human possibly do to harm him?

"That's cute! Oh, we're going to the cafe my brother works at, by the way. His shift is almost over, so I'm just heading over to pick him up and grab a snack while I'm at it!" The bookseller explained, almost as if he knew the question on the other man's mind.

After a minute or two, they stopped in front of the cafe, simply known as Cafe Uzumaki. Ranpo opened the door to a jingle and motioned for Poe to follow along. Poe stepped in behind the human, who took a moment to look around at the decor.

Warm red walls with brown wooded accents, a feeling of coziness and care in the air, alongside the smell of freshly ground coffee beans. No matter how many times Ranpo has been here, he always finds it comforting, with or without the soft murmuring of the people inside the cafe.

He grinned and turned to Poe, pointing at him. "Go find us a table! I'll get us some drinks! What do you want?"

Poe was heavily taken aback. "I- Uhm- Wha-"

"That's not an answer."

The vampire hesitated and thought. "Just an espresso then-"

"On it!" The human proceeded to rush to the counter, taking his place in front of his dear brother's register.

"Hi Ranpo! You're here early today- Want the usual?" Atsushi questioned, smiling at his brother but also glancing at Poe with curiosity.

Ranpo nodded. "And add an espresso and a cup of whipped cream!" He added. Atsushi nodded and started working on both of the drinks. He moved aside and watched his brother.

He had almost white silver hair that was uneven in both the front and back with a thick black streak on the longer side of his bangs. He was pale, but not as pale as when their father adopted him five years ago. He had the usual cafe uniform, green polo with a red apron and black pants. Of course, he adorned a golden halo shaped as a crescent moon with four-pointed stars to complete the circle and small white feathered wings.

Atsushi eventually turned back to his brother with a hot chocolate and espresso, quickly retrieving the cup of whipped cream and the bag of sweet pastries. He smiled at him with his pretty purple and yellow eyes with shining white slit pupils that had 2 black tiger stripes underneath each eye.

"Thanks, Sushi! Come over to our table when the shift ends!" Ranpo started walking to the table, where Poe waited, but a whisper-yell stopped him.

"Hold on!" He knew the voice as Akutagawa, Atsushi's co-worker who was at the register beside him. The human turned to him, seeing Akutagawa gripping Atsushi's face, frantically looking between Ranpo and Poe. "You know him?" He whispered, tilting his head toward Poe.

The bookseller nodded, tilting his head slightly. "Yeah? What about it?"

Akutagawa scoffed. "What about it? Don't you know? That's Edgar Allan Poe! Just the most amazing horror and mystery author of all time?"

Ranpo nodded again. "Yeah... I know... And?"

The black haired boy seemed flabbergasted. Shook, even! His eyebrows were barely visible, but Ranpo could easily just see the shock in his dark grey and red eyes.

"So, you're telling me you know Edgar Allan Poe, and not only know him, you're getting coffee with him to wait to pick up the weretiger. And that's... normal?" Akutagawa questioned, narrowing his eyes at Ranpo.

Finally, Atsushi managed to pry Akutagawa's hand away from his face, using his long and sharp stiletto nails to claw at his hands and then wrists until the black haired male sharply pulled away. Atsushi panted slightly from the lack of air before glaring at Akutagawa.

"Akutagawa, what my brother does with his time and the people he knows is none of your business," The angel told his vampire co-worker while crossing his arms. "And for the love of God, stop gripping my face like that!"

Akutagawa rolled his eyes. "Not my fault your face is like a stress ball."

"What does that MEAN, Akutagawa?!"

Ranpo watched Atsushi and Akutagawa for a moment. Akutagawa had short black hair with micro bangs that was framed with two long pieces of hair with white tips. He was sickly pale, but that made sense, being a vampire and all. He and Atsushi were complete opposites -- literally.

The human decided to walk away from the two and to his table with Poe, knowing that the cafe owner, Jouno, would reprimand the two baristas soon enough.

"Hi, sorry that took so long!" Ranpo apologized while giving Poe his coffee and setting the cup of whipped cream down beside it.

Poe waved his hands a bit. "Do not worry about it, Edogawa-San," He glanced at the whipped cream curiously. "What's this for?"

Ranpo smiled, motioning to the raccoon. "Karl, of course! I'd assume he can have whipped cream, right?" He sat down across from him, already sipping on his hot chocolate.

The vampire looked surprised -- or at least as surprised as he could look without showing his eyes -- but still grinned in gratitude "Thank you, deeply."

The human giggled. "Don't mention it." He and the vampire took a sip of their respective drinks in unison. Ranpo was the one to swallow first, narrowing his eyes at the taller male. "Is it okay if I ask a question real quick?"

Poe nodded, swallowing his sip.

"How do you plan on proving your worth?" Ranpo questioned, leaning forward slightly. Poe almost choked on nothing, scratching his head nervously.

"Oh... Well..."

"Don't tell me you haven't actually thought of anything in these past two years..."

Poe scratched the back of his neck and lowered his head. Karl put one of his little paws on his small face, as if facepalming at Poe.

"Me too, Karl, me too..." Ranpo took a long, slow sip of his drink.

Poe let out a deep breath, as if preparing himself to say something. Ranpo raised an eyebrow at the vampire, who was trying to compose himself. The bookseller softly based his drink back down onto the table and leaned forward slightly.

"The thing is... I... Edogawa-"

"Call me Ranpo."

"Ah- Alright, apologies, Edo- Ranpo..." Poe stuttered, fidgeting with his hands. The poor guy was struggling to find any words from the dictionary. "I... It's not that I... haven't thought of anything. It's..." He paused for a moment, as if trying to encourage his mouth to speak. "The moment I saw you... Every dark and self-proving thought slipped my mind... And my only thought... was how beautiful you looked, even after all these years."

.
.
.

Well that was unexpected...

Ranpo's mind went blank as the words filled his mind, trying to be processed. And when they finally did process, the black-haired male's face went red. And so did the brunets.

"I- I didn't mean it like that!" Poe sputtered.

"Then what did you mean it like?" Ranpo, retorted, covering his face.

Poe hesitated, and tried to come up with words. However, before he could, Atsushi and his vampire co-worker approached the table.

"Sorry to interrupt, but our shifts are done," Atsushi placed his palms on his waist, motioning his head to Akutagawa. "He's coming with us, if that's alright."

The human quickly composed himself, trying to hide how flustered he was to his brother and his brother's co-worker. "Oh, right! Yeah, that's fine!" He stood up, smiling at Poe. "It was... Uh, great seeing you again, Poe..."

Poe nodded, lowering his head slightly. "Y- Yes! I agree, yes..."

Ranpo smiled slightly, grabbing his purin bag. He slipped out a pink candy-shaped sticky note pad and blue black-ink pen from it, quickly writing something down on it. As Poe looked up at him in curiosity, Ranpo lightly placed the sticky note on the hair that covered the author's eyes. "Text me!" Were the last two words he said before he rushed to the door, where Atsushi and Akutagawa were waiting.

He quickly glanced back to see Poe looking at the sticky note after peeling it off his hair, seemingly gawking at the phone number. Ranpo giggled before he followed behind the two younger boys.

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

It was later that evening in Edgar's study when he was thinking about him.

Edo- Ranpo gave him his number.

The man he had seemingly hated enjoyed him enough that he gave him his number.

Edgar really couldn't wrap his head around it. He was writing a manuscript -- or at least trying to -- but he couldn't focus. He glanced at his phone, which was faced down. He wanted to text him so bad...

He knew it was impulsive but he tried to hold himself back.

Only for the phone to be in his hands, number typed in and writing a small text that read, "Hello, it's Poe, sorry for bothering you, just wished to say hi."

As soon as the brunet sent it, his heart started racing and his leg bounced nervously. It all stopped when Ranpo responded not long after with a greeting and asking how his day was.

Edgar would've fainted right then and there, but he continued on with the text conversation. His nervousness slowly, but surely, eased away as he texted the shorter human.

And yet, there was worry building up in his gut. For once, though, he ignored it.

He was just talking to a cute human.

Why would there be any need to worry?

Chapter Text

It was Saturday and an hour before Ranpo's closing shift. Ranpo was already ready to go. He was just waiting for Akiko to finish getting ready, sitting at one of the chairs by the couch. Atsushi and Akutagawa were occupying the couch itself, leaning over Kyouka's shoulders, who chose to sit on the floor as she did her math homework. 

Ranpo wasn't really paying attention to them, he was too busy texting between Dazai, Nakahara, and Poe. 

He was in the middle of texting Nakahara when he stopped to look at the other three. Atsushi was trying to help with the equation, only to start a debate with Akutagawa. Or Akutagawa started a debate with him. Either way, they were debating while Kyouka ignored them, writing the correct question. 

Ranpo turned his attention back to his phone, texting Nakahara. `Are you having a better night than me?` 

`Ya got work, right?` Nakahara quickly responded, to which Ranpo wrote back. `Yeaahh, not excited at all`

`Well, if it makes ya feel better, Kouyou is trying to convince me to let her do my makeup` 

The bookseller huffed a small laugh. `Yeah, it does`

 He received a text from Dazai next. `I hate working this late like why do I have to do this idgaf I'm bored` Dazai complains in his text. 

Ranpo rolls his eyes at his phone. `So like, if not filming, what would you rather do????` 

The dot bubble appeared and disappeared on the screen. It appeared again for a couple of seconds before Dazai actually sent anything. `Hang out with you`

Ranpo giggled at this.

Akiko finally exited her room with her work bag. "Ranpo! Let's go!" 

The human got up, gathering his items. He walked to the door with Akiko. "Bye Atsushi! Kyouka! Akutagawa! Tell dad we're off already!" 

The two looked over at Ranpo. "Bye, Akiko! Bye, Ranpo! See you later!!" Atsushi waved with a smile, Kyouka waved them off without looking, and Akutagawa simply gave them a subtle nod. 

The two went off, Ranpo more focused on texting the next person. `Sooooo whatcha doing?????` He texted Poe. He almost immediately saw the typing bubble appear, and disappear, then appear once again for a couple of seconds. Finally, the author wrote back. `Not much as of now, I am working on a manuscript for a new project. I'm trying to be as detailed as I can be without it being too overwhelming.` 

One thing Ranpo learned was to never question how Poe wrote. He talked exactly how he wrote, and that was sophisticated. `Alright gotcha, just remember to not ramble on and on and make sure to GET SOME DAMN REST!!!!!!` 

The typing bubble appeared once again, but his phone was rudely snatched away, causing the human to send an annoyed look to the culprit. 

Akiko turned off the phone, rolling her eyes. "You've been hunched over your phone all day, Ranpo, these guys cannot be that entertaining, can they?" 

Ranpo glared at her but she was right. He could feel it in his back, and it wasn't the scoliosis. He instinctively stretched, a satisfying crack following. "I hate that you're right. Sorry, Kiko." 

Akiko sighed dramatically, handing back his phone. "Of course I'm right, I'm a doctor." 

The human laughed as he took back his phone, looking at his sister. She, like Atsushi, was an angel. Unlike Atsushi however, she was ranked, and didn't carry a spirit at all. Still, her wings were larger in size and her halo shined brighter. They would be brighter and bigger, he knew, if she was in Idyll. 

'She and Atsushi would be better off in Idyll, wouldn't they? Better off than anyone. I'm sure Kyouka and father would be better off in Idyll too... After I die, Idyll is not my place, I'll be alone, alone for as long as time continues. Why should I wait? Alone. Alone. Alone. Alone. Alone. Alo-' 

Ranpo and Akiko waited at the train station, chatting about whatever. Ranpo pushed away those thoughts forcefully, refusing to let them affect him again. He continued to text the guys, but his main focus stayed on Akiko. 

As they talked, Ranpo paused when he felt a shiver down his spine. Akiko raised an eyebrow at him. "You okay?" 

"Yeah, it's just..." The human looked around. "It just felt colder for a second." 

The doctor raised an eyebrow. She knew better than anyone else about his... thoughts. "Are you sure?" She questioned once more. The male nodded. The ranked angel sighed. "Alright... But..." She paused. "Now that you mention it, something feels... off tonight..." 

Now it was Ranpo's turn to raise an eyebrow. "How so?" 

"I don't know..." Akiko replied, laying her arm across the empty seats beside her. "It just does," 

The bookseller noticed the change in mood. The empty train elevated the mood change in the air. Ranpo hesitated before he spoke, placing a soft hand on her shoulder. "You worry too much! I'm sure nothing bad will happen!" 

'For now.' 

He gave her a reassuring smile. The ranked angel glanced at him and smiled, the mood lightening. "You're right as usual, Ranpo," She stretched her arms up with a hum. "And if anything did happen, we'd be found by noon!" 

"Yeah, cuz that's reassuring." 

The two laughed and continued their conversations. The train soon stopped and they exited. Akiko walked the older to his workplace, patting his pat.

"Stay safe tonight!" Akiko told Ranpo with a wave. 

"You too! See you later!" 

Without exchanging another word, Ranpo entered the bookstore... not without receiving a worried glance beforehand... 

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Ranpo sat, slumped over his register, bored out of his mind. Late closing shifts were always boring, but at least he always had a coworker with him. Tonight, he worked with Haruno. 

It wasn't cleaning time yet, so the two sat at their respective registers. At random times, they would chat, but at others, they'd be in silence. 

"I'll be right back, Edogawa-San!" Haruno rushed off to the restroom without letting Ranpo talk. He hummed in response, not moving from where he slumped. Well, so much for exposition. 

After a couple of minutes, the bell to the front door rang. "Welcome in!" The human heard steps enter the store and stop as he sat up straight. Feeling eyes on him, he peaked at the newcomer. 

The first thing he noticed were the white and gold robes reserved for priests. The second thing he noticed were the blood red horns curved backwards and a forked tail that matched the stained color. As the bookseller's eyes reached the other's face, the other male averted his gaze. 'Wrath Demon,' Ranpo thought. 'A priest at that. Rare, but not unheard of.' 

"May I help with anything today, sir?" The human man questioned. Violet eyes met the jade gaze, a small spark sent between them. This man... Did he know him? 

"I apologize for staring," The wrath demon began. He had an unexpectedly thick Russian accent. "I did not mean to do so rudely." 

Ranpo nodded. The Russian's shoulder length black hair framed his face nicely that complimented his pale skin, a fluffy white ushanka on his head. He was familiar, but how? Ranpo would have recognized him at this point. "It's fine, I don't mind!" He responded, quickly putting up his customer service voice. "Feel free to look around, and if you need help, my name is Edogawa Ranpo!" 

"Thank you," The possible priest looked away, beginning to walk. He glanced once more at the bookseller before disappearing among the shelves. 

Ranpo sighed as he slumped in his seat. He thought to himself, closing his eyes once more. 'Why do I recognize him? Have I seen him somewhere? Have I walked by him before? No, that's not it...' He thought to himself. He couldn't shake it off. With a huff, he sat right back up, placing a palm under his chin. He waited for someone to return, Haruno or maybe even the wrath demon. He didn't mind as long as he wasn't alone. 

After what seems to be forever of being by himself with his thoughts a couple of minutes, the violet eyed man returned with a couple of items. 

"Did you find everything alright?" Ranpo questioned as he looked at everything placed on his counter, readying to scan. 

"Yes, thank you," Their eyes met once again, lingering for a second longer before the bookseller averted his gaze, beginning to scan the items. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden? 

He took note of what the other was buying; fantasy and mystery novels, envelopes, pens, wax for seals, many such of that sort. There were even a couple of sticker sheets. 

"Fyodor." 

Ranpo flinched slightly at the sudden intrusion in his thoughts. "Pardon?" 

"My name," The demon -- Fyodor coolly explained, but there was a tinge of embarrassment in his voice. "I am Fyodor Dostoevsky, the newest priest of the Synodic Freedom Church. I'm new around here, so I decided to collect some entertainment that isn't on the screen." 

'Thought so,' The bookseller thought to himself. The Synodic Freedom Church was known for bringing in priests from across all the lands, but never brought demons of any sorts. They probably wished to broaden their horizons among all creatures. "Really? Well, how do you like it here so far?" 

Fyodor hummed in thought. "I quite enjoy it here. It is a new experience, but that's fine. Although..." He hesitated. "It is hard to meet new people. I only really know Nikolai and Sigma as friends from my past. 

"Nikolai and Sigma?" The human questioned, surprised. "As in the casino owners? No offense, but is that allowed?" 

The wrath demon chuckled. "The son of Christ couldn't spread the message of love and friendship if he didn't act on it himself, could he? I'd be a fraud of a priest if I did not follow the gospel myself." 

Ranpo hummed thoughtfully. “That is a great lesson for everyone. More people need to learn that, really. I'm sure you'll be great,” 

Fyodor chuckled with a smile. “Thank you, that's deeply appreciated.” 

Ranpo nodded with a smile as he calculated the total, telling it to the other. “Cash or card?”

“Cash,” Fyodor fished his wallet out of his pocket, picking out the exact amount and handing it to Ranpo. Their fingers grazed each other, lingering slightly. 

Red dusted Ranpo’s cheeks lightly as they pulled away from each other, quickly completing the purchase. He placed everything into a large back, handing it to Fyodor. “Here you are, your receipt is inside!” 

The wrath demon grabbed the bag, grazing the human’s warm hands with his old ones once again. “Thank you…” He breathing said, lingering a second longer before he took the bag. 

Ranpo nodded, trying to hide his blushing state. “Thank you for coming and have a nice night! Please, come again!” 

“Thank you as well,” The priest hesitated for a second before taking out his wallet again and taking out a card, quickly giving it to Ranpo. “Have a great night, Edogawa-San.” He smiled before leaving with his bag quickly. 

The human was bewildered as he watched him leave, looking down at the card given to him. A business card with Ranpo’s number on it. He blushed, laughing to himself slightly. 

“I'm so sorry I took so long, I didn't realize!” 

The male quickly, but carefully placed the card in his pocket, glancing over to Haruno. “Jeez, you took forever. We had a customer come in, you're lucky I was here!” 

The brunette apologized more, flustered. Ranpo shook his head with a lighthearted huff. “Well, don't worry about it. Thankfully, you didn't miss cleaning time!” 

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Fyodor organized all the items on the coffee table, the moonlight dimly lighting the living room. He looked over his items one again, the books, the letters, the stickers, pens, all of it. All very important stationary for his personal projects. 

He grinned softly as he picked up the five individual pens, placing them beside the letters and stamps. He gazed at the green, blue, red, violet, and black inked pens with a hum of delight. 

Tomorrow will be a very busy day, but a very i

important one. He's here and that's all that mattered. He closed his eyes and leaned back onto his couch, speaking aloud. 

“This will be perfect.”