ᴅᴀʏʟɪɢʜᴛ || ʀᴀɴᴘᴏᴇ

• 13 •

"Ranpo please! Listen to me!" Edgar pleaded, trailing behind the other as they crossed a road. Ranpo refused to acknowledge him, a car horn honked at him. Edgar pushed him onto the pavement, and the car raced by. Ranpo spun on his heel, prodding his index finger into Edgar's chest.

"I knew you were just using me! You don't care about me at all! This whole 'idolisation' and sucking up to me was just to quench some vampiric urge to get close to a human. You don't care, you never did! You got to suck Japan's Greatest Detective's blood and now you don't need me!" Ranpo couldn't stop his word vomit, he was rambling and bystanders were whispering and staring as the two glared at each other.

"Use your brain Ranpo! Do you really think I would bother asking you on a date if I didn't care? That I would find a song to match how I feel about you? I left my village - I left America! All so I could be in your presence!"

"Go cry me a river Poe, I don't care if you look up to me, you used my intelligence to do something you couldn't think of!" Ranpo was in Edgar's face now, rising on the balls of his feet with an angry hiss. Edgar went quiet, gripping Ranpo's shoulder and shoving him aside. Ranpo stumbled at the extreme force, his back hitting the brick wall of a building. Edgar's pupils were slits and he was snarling.

"Not everyone is as smart as you, but no one is as stupid as you make them out to be." He replied lowly, and started to stalk off. Ranpo watched and decided to take a different route home, even if they ended up at the apartment at the same time.

The walk home from Yosano's the following morning was on par with a walk of shame. Ranpo knew he had to apologise to Edgar, and the thought made him feel sick to his stomach. Apologising wasn't something Ranpo did, talk about his feelings was something he never does without alcohol. It was like asking Dazai not to kill himself when presented with a noose.

Ranpo also found out Yosano texted Edgar while he was passed out that night, and his face burned even more at the thought of Yosano witnessing his temper tantrum over text.

Me: meet me at the park

Mr Fancy Heels: That's ominous

Me: stfu

He grimaced at the memory of the park, but it was fitting to apologise. He placed his earbuds into his ears and started playing music from his joint playlist with the ADA, he prayed it would give him strength. He was in last night's clothing, he hadn't brushed his dark hair and he thanked Yosano for the mints she'd given him. He was parched and his tongue felt like sand paper. He dragged himself to the park and waited on the same bench they had sat down on previously. Edgar was smart, he'd be able to find him. Unlike Ranpo, once Edgar had walked somewhere, he could memorise the path to the destination. It was another good thing about Edgar.

Ranpo hoped he was forgiving on top of that, not only had Ranpo offended him two weeks prior with Fitzgerald, but he had also been a pain in the ass about this kiss. He was conflicted about his feelings for Edgar.

It was like there was a red ribbon tied to his finger, and he had been chasing this ribbon all his life, to find someone who complimented him. The red ribbon seemed endless, like the end wasn't in sight. Since he'd met Edgar, it was like he had a matching string, and even as he was looming over him that morning they had properly met, he felt that this someone was different. Despite being a vampire, Edgar had morals, something that most vampires lacked (the horror stories of Chuuya told by Dazai made him thankful for meeting such an unproblematic vampire).

He had never been big on romance, but that day where he lost Edgar to Nikolai, it uncovered a fear that he may actually have feelings for the vampire. He may have even had feelings when they had ventured into the gay bar together, and watched him make out with another guy. The churning in his stomach was jealousy. It wasn't the usual jealousy he felt, where he was envious and wished he was like that person. It was the type that made him angry to think about, and it felt like someone was stabbing him in the abdomen.