Bungou Stray Dogs ~ One-shots

[Poe xR] This voice of yours

"Here we go! I think this one will be much better than the last one, let's try it right now!"

A few moments after the young woman had tapped on her own phone, a soft bird song had invaded the previously silent surroundings. It took him a few seconds more before he realized that the sound was really coming from his cell phone, which had just been returned to him by his friend.

On the screen, Yumi's name was written, just above a phrase he saw only a few times: "incoming call". He did not have time to pick up the phone, though, not knowing why he felt the need to do so, since that was not the point of the maneuver, as the screen went black again.

"This ringtone is much better than those shrill crows you had on; don't you think Ed?"

Not knowing what to say, Poe simply nodded, his hair covering his eyes as usual and his cheeks slightly red. Karl, true to form as well, rested on top of his head, lounging as if he owned the place.

Honestly, he did not really care about his ringtone, for the few times he had the leisure to listen to it. But, if it was enough to make his comrade smile, then he was willing to pay a little more attention than usual.

And then, even if he would inevitably jump when he realized that someone was calling him, at least it would be in a slightly softer way now.

"I'll contact you as often as I can, so you can hear the little birds again and again. Is that okay?" Yumi smiled, speaking in her characteristically soft voice, the voice he loved to hear.

If he had had the chance to choose his own ringtone, he would have certainly chosen a sample of her voice. So, no chance for him to get scared. On the contrary, he would be looking forward to any call he might receive.

But it was extremely weird, so it was absolutely out of the question. Yumi was very understanding, there was no denying that, but she would have good reason to worry if it ever really happened.

Instead, he carefully put the phone in his pocket, a small, happy smile on his lips. Karl chose that moment to jump off his head, to land on Yumi's lap, who laughed slightly at that.

"Do you want to cuddle, cute little thing?"

As if he was really able to understand her, the raccoon turned over on his back, to let the young woman scratch his stomach gently. A few moments passed in a soothing silence, as the wind slowly caressed their forms sitting at the foot of a tree with lush green leaves.

A silence that was far from being new for them, who only needed each other's presence to reassure themselves and savor this magical moment. A moment that remained engraved in his soul even today.

But, today, he wanted something else.

He wanted to hear her voice, so the silence saddened him. It was as if he were afraid that something would happen, and he would never be able to hear her again.

Yumi, ever faithful to her habits, seemed to notice that something was wrong with him, even before he realized it. She could see him biting his lips in discomfort, twisting his fingers together as if he wanted to say something that would not come out, and the tension in his shoulders was also in that direction.

Poe was always more or less tense and fearful, this was nothing new, but in her presence, he had learned to relax despite everything. The fact that he was so tense right now could only mean one thing: there was something bothering him.

If she asked him face to face, he would just stammer that everything was fine. So, as she had learned to do, she watched him silently, following his gaze as he stared...