you cant write a love story (ranpoe)

- chapter 2 -

poe's pov:

well now i know i cant write love stories well. what did ranpo say again? people who make good love stories have experienced love before or something? "h-hey karl?" I whisper to my raccoon shyly. "erp?" he chirps, looking at me. "have y-you experienced l-love before?" I finish.

karl looks ahead, then back at me and shakes his head. "t-thats fine karl, I h-havent too." karl looks at me funny. "raro?" he tries chirping out. it felt like when a baby says its first words! "k-karl! did y-you just s-say something? raro?" I said with a big smile. karl shakes his head "rarpo!" he chirps. "k-karl! I'm s-so proud of y-you!" (an: first english speaking raccon guys). karl nips my shoulder. "ow! k-karl, what was t-that for?" I whine. "rarpo!" he chirps yet again. "ohh, r-ranpo." i say, trying to remember what me and karl were talking about previously. oh right, we were talking about love! i begin to piece something together in my mind.

"k-karl! i don't h-have a crush on r-ranpo!" i say as i pet karl's head. karl tilts his head to one side and gives a cheeky raccoon smile. "i d-dont.. right?"

i sit down on my couch in my apartment as karl leaps onto the side of the couch and crawls into my lap. i stroke him slowly as i give him a small snack to nibble on from a jar on the coffee table in front of us.

i sigh, looking up at my ceiling as i begin to think about ranpo, almost cluelessly.

Ranpo's pov:

"I'm glad poe tried a new genre! he's beginning to branch out a little, explore with his creativity." i say happily, shoving a piece of candy into my mouth. "glad to hear that too, ranpo!" yosano says with a smile.

"if only he stayed longer. i enjoy talking to him, even though he stutters quite a lot. i think its quite cute, actually."

yosano nods her head.

"AHHHAHAHAH~" a gleeful voice squeals from the door. a man in a sandy trenchoat and messy hair steps into the agency and spins happily, before grabbing kunikida's throat with a big goofy smile. kunikida angrily shakes the man off. "looks like it happened again!" kenji says with a smile. atsushi peeks out from behind his computer screen.

dazai trips on air, before pulling out a teal coloured mushroom that has been half eaten from his coat pocket. "looOOOK!! evERYonE LOOOOOK~!" nobody turns to look. "finALLY! IVE FOUND THE MUSHROOM I NEEDED! thAT FOREST PATH hAS SO MANY MuSHROOMS... fuLL OF SUrPRISES!" yosano shakes her head with annoyance. "my dReAMS HaVe cOME TRUEEE~" dazai says with delight, his hand on his heart before he just passes out. "finally." kunikida mutters. poor kyouka looks terrified, who was standing next to atsushi the whole time.

"there isn't much work today. yokohama has been quite peaceful for the past 12 hours, why not have a break ranpo? maybe go see poe if you like talking to him so much? of course you have to ask fukuzawa though." yosano suggests with a shrug. 'your right! i should ask fukuzawa if i can! thanks yosanoooo~" i happily chirp, jumping up and shoving a lollipop into my mouth as i happily make my way to fukuzawa's office.

poe's pov:

about an hour has gone by. I'm still staring at the ceiling. karl is fast asleep on my lap now. do i like ranpo? i mean, he is adorable... a-and he's so bubbly and exciting, h-he just makes me really happy i guess? 

i hear a sudden knock on my door, as i snap out of my thoughts and accidentally wake up poor karl, who yelps in annoyance. "c-coming!" i call out. karl climbs onto my shoulders as i rush to open the door. "o-oh.. ranpo? why a-are you here?" i say, a little confused but happy to see the boy.

"fukuzawa said i can have a break! so i came to see you!" he says with delight, giving me a quick hug and walking into my apartment. "wowwww! your house looks so neat poe!" he compliments. "t-thanks.."

i follow him around, then ask "w-would you l-like anything, r-ranpo-san?". ranpo turns to look at me, and thinks. "hmm..." he ponders, tapping his chin. "yyyouuuuuuu~!" he says, jumping behind and me and giving me a big hug from behind. karl climbs down from me, heading towards my bedroom.

my face goes red as the boy clings onto me, my hands a little stiff but in a good way. i take his hand gently and keep it around my waist. i look down, and see how different our hands are. my hands are huge, but ranpo's or tiny compared to mine. they look adorable though. i gently unwrap his arms from around my waist, my face warm and my stomach feeling all fluttery. "h-hey ranpo?" i mumble shyly.

"yessss?"

"what does love feel like?"

ranpo smiles at the question and begins to think, then speaks. "well, I've never experienced love before. but i imagine people think about that person they love a lot.. they feel very happy and comfortable around that person. personally, i would share my snacks with that person". 

"s-so its d-different for e-everybody?"

"i guess so! why'd you ask, poe?"

i give a quick gasp. "j-just want t-to give a r-romance story another s-shot..?" i reply.

ranpo doesn't look convinced, but shrugs and jumps onto my couch. "anything you say, poe!" the smaller boy says with a smile.