Bungou Stray Dogs x Male Reader Oneshots

Poe x Reader

Thanks @HantraxHF for the request!
———

Frustration gnawed at me as I looked at the suspects. No one seemed guilty and every time I did accuse someone, it was always the wrong answer. I wasn't even sure how much time had passed since I've been working on this case. None of the characters before me even batted an eye as I clenched my fists in an attempt to calm myself down.

"This is pointless. I've already guessed most of you, probably even all of you but I'm still stuck in this damn book! I'm going to lose my mind," I grit my teeth. One of the suspects yawned, another one sneezed. I clenched my teeth harder to the point where they should've broken. These could all be signs but I wasn't sure how to interpret them. Each small gesture only managed to enrage me further.

"That's it! I give up. Get me out of here," I shouted out to the ceiling. There was a few moments of tense silence before a golden light flooded my vision and the story melted around me. I felt lightheaded for a second with my ears popping, my eyes closing to tamp down the nausea. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in the room I had been in before I ever agreed to go into another book.

It felt like weeks might've passed but as I looked around, it couldn't have been more than a couple of days. I looked at my hands to find the murder mystery book I had been trapped in. With an irritated grunt, I slammed the story onto the nearby desk.

"I can't believe you couldn't solve another one. Are you even trying y/n?" Poe scoffed from beside me. I turned around to glare at him, watching as he straightened up beneath my anger. I was in no mood for any sort of teasing or mocking from him.

"I'm not Ranpo, okay?! Sorry that I'm not a genius like him! Why don't you go find him to solve your books?!" I snapped, storming past him. I was tired of being compared to someone who was obviously better than me. If Poe really wanted me to be like Ranpo then he better expect to be disappointed, just like I was every time. Slamming the door behind me, I didn't look back once, figuring I had wasted enough of my time on Poe and his books.

~~~

Poe POV

"It was the strangest thing. He just left, saying he wasn't a genius. I know he's smart so I don't understand how he's not solving these mysteries," I mused aloud, looking at Ranpo in confusion. He sat quietly through my whole rant all the way up to y/n's departure from the room. I wasn't sure what to do or say to him and figured I could use some help to even think through what he meant. Ironically enough, I went to Ranpo to help me decipher this puzzle concerning y/n.

"What book did you give him? Maybe you made a mistake in the writing," Ranpo smirked, holding his hand out. I rummaged through my coat with a sulking frown, insulted that Ranpo would even consider that a possibility. I rarely ever made mistakes in my art so I doubted he'd find anything wrong with it. When I handed him the book however, he immediately winced.

"What is it? Is there something wrong with the cover?" I immediately started fretting, tensing up under Ranpo's disappointed gaze. He merely shook his head with a sigh, throwing the book back at me. I instantly looked at the cover but couldn't find anything amiss about it. In fact, it was the same story I've given Ranpo to try and solve. He had finished it before an hour was up.

"You gave y/n one of the hardest cases. It seems you're overwhelming him with the difficulty. He needs to be worked into the harder levels. You don't just start riding a bike, you need to learn how to walk so you can get a snack first," Ranpo explained to me as if I was the dumbest person in the world. And at that moment I kind of felt like it. I had unknowingly been holding y/n at the same standards as someone who's been gifted and has been collecting experience for years. Of course he would be frustrated that he couldn't solve the book, I didn't even think of giving him some warm ups.

"You're right! I need to write another novel, thank you Ranpo," I eagerly dismissed him, practically running away back to my office to begin my work. Y/n is a genius, he just needs to ease himself into it.

~~~

The book didn't take me as long as the others did but it was full of my attention and care. When I first approached y/n with the hardback pressed against my chest lovingly, he immediately recoiled with a sneer. He clearly didn't appreciate the devotion given to the novel yet. He was going to though once I managed to get him to look inside.

"Wait y/n, before you decline, I apologize for scoffing at your abilities. The other books I had given you were unfairly difficult but I think this one will be a good warm up. I adjusted it to your skills with some hidden surprises to help you grow as a detective at a reasonable pace," I explained quickly before he could turn away from me. He raised an eyebrow in suspicion, clearly not moved. I could only give him a pleading stare. "Please just try it y/n." He glanced between the book and me before eventually sighing in defeat.

"Fine but if this is another outrageous story where I have to know quantum theory and RNA splicing, I'm going to be pissed," he mumbled bitterly, snatching the book from my hand. A broad smile pulled at my lips as I watched him glance at the title. He glared at me slightly, his one last warning before he walked off with the novel clutched tightly in his grip.

~~~

It had been only a day when he practically bounded up to me with my novel held up to me. Y/n had a successful smile and a clear sense of victory that shone in his eyes. Before he even got the chance to tell me, I already knew he solved the riddle of the novel. It was amazing the switch in his mood between yesterday and today.

"That was amazing! I would've never expected someone could mess with the evidence like that," y/n beamed, handing me the book. A sense of pride blossomed in my chest at the way he rambled on about the story. He seemed to love every twist and turn, getting stuck a few moments but able to work through it. I hung on his every word in satisfaction, pulling out yet another novel.

"Well here's another one if you would like. It's a little more difficult but I think you'll do splendidly," I praised, watching the way he perked up. When he excitedly grabbed the book to immediately flip open the front cover, I knew that he was going to do well and that he would thrive with each case thrown his way now that he knew how to handle it.