blood lust. || ranpoe , vampire poe

Chapter 7 :: Dutch Courage

Both men sat, admiring each other, oblivious to the other people in the bar.

"So, since this is a "date"," Ranpo sat back and said the word with air quotes. "We both need to have a bit of fun, no?" He grinned. Poe's face flushed.

What on earth could he mean by that? He thought, wearing a puzzled expression on his face. Ranpo noticed this and matched his look. 

"What's wrong, something the matter?" Ranpo leaned forward again to grab his glass. His face was painted with genuine concern. "Did I do something?" he whispered, staring at Poe.

"No! - No, I just - Oh, what the hell -" Poe stuttered, reaching for the bottle of wine. He quickly sunk one of his fangs into the cork, and pulled it out, spitting out the cork onto the floor. Then, he sighed, took a deep breath, and practically chugged the bottle. Ranpo's face was bright red. 

That was so hot. Wait - he's not really supposed to be drinking. He has to get home somehow, maybe i'll keep the drinking to  minimum for him. Ranpo thought, staring open-mouthed at the writer.

"What's wrong?" Poe whispered seductively, mimicking Ranpo, flustering him. 

Ranpo stuttered. "What's wrong with me? You literally said you weren't drinking tonight, and now look! You're crazy." 

Poe ignored his outburst, probably due to the alcohol taking its effect on him, and waved the waiter over again. "Can we get, uhhh - Petrus '89? Thank you." He began to slur his words.

Ranpo angrily mumbled something under his breath, covering his mouth with his hands.

Bad. Need bite. Now. 

What the hell, not now? 

Poe shot forward and grabbed his wrist, pulling Ranpo forward, shocking the breath out of him. 

I can't control myself, what? Is it the alcohol?

Poe looked at the detective's hand, before pushing it back to him.

"Sorry, I don't -" Poe turned away, looking at the floor with tears in his eyes. 

"Poe," Ranpo paused and studied his expression, before coming to a conclusion. "Come on, we're leaving." He continued, standing up from his seat. Most of the agency was staring at him. 

"What -?" Poe slurred, his head was spinning, even though he hadn't had much alcohol. His alcohol tolerance was clearly horrible. 

"I said -" Ranpo raised his voice the tiniest bit, and grabbed Poe's hand, forcing him to get up. 

Yosano snickered, giving Dazai a high five.

The force of this made Poe slump onto Ranpo's shoulder. The detective sighed and dragged him outside. The fresh, night air hit his face, and the moon was brighter than ever this night. 

Ranpo looked around, perplexed, trying to find a vehicle that Poe could claim to be his own. Eventually, he gave up and just asked. 

"Which one is yours?" he asked. 

Poe blinked, processing the question. "It's the BMW over there, the one with a raccoon key chain under the mirror."

Ranpo nodded, and began to drag him again.

Once they had reached the car, Ranpo placed Poe in the back seats. He sat him upright, and swiped the loose hair from his face, as to not disturb him.

His hand brushed his cheek, and Poe melted under his touch. Ranpo moved away, but Poe took his hand again, and held it on his cheek. Ranpo blushed furiously. 

"I - I need to drive the car, idiot." Ranpo mumbled, pouting and furrowing his brows. 

"Awwh, is the world's greatest detective that flustered from just a mere writer's touch?" Poe said poetically, smirking at the other man.

Ranpo's eyes widened and he slapped Poe's hand away from his face. "Fuck you." he muttered under his breath, feeling the blush on his face come back.

── ࣪˖ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ──

Ranpo pulled open the car door, and seated himself in the car. He glanced in the car mirror and saw Poe snoring, cuddling his cloak, and a fang peeking out from under his lip. He smiled to himself and looked back to the front of the car. 

He noticed a few papers trying to escape from the storage compartment, and opened it to put them back inside. As he pulled open the door, he caught a glimpse of 3 photographs.

Ranpo pushed away the loose papers, and picked up the photos. He studied them carefully.

One was a picture that Ranpo had taken, all the way back in high school. It was him and Poe sitting under a cherry tree. There was a lunchbox and a few packets from already eaten snacks laying on the ground. In the picture, Ranpo was smiling ear to ear, and Poe sat in the background, reading a book. 

This must've been the week that Poe first transferred. Ranpo thought with a warm smile. All the nostalgia flooded back to him.

Then, the next photo was him and Poe at a cafe. It looked like they were studying for an exam together. Ranpo focused on Poe, who had his eyes uncovered.

Oh yeah, he never covered his eyes in school. I wonder why he does anyway, his eyes are gorgeous. Ranpo reminisced, a faint blush returning on his cheeks.

And the final photo. Him and Poe, in Shibuya.

He remembered the trip they'd planned together in high school. They saved up, and eventually went to Shibuya one summer.

The picture showcased a beautiful shrine, with a lush forest surrounding it. In the photo, the men were wearing yukata, and both were sat on the stairs in front of a torii gate.

Ranpo sighed. He couldn't remember the last time they were properly in contact. 

Tears welled up in his eyes, the memories coming back all too quickly. Suddenly, Poe spoke. 

"Uhm, I -" Poe mumbled, sitting up to get closer to Ranpo. They were so close, they were practically breathing each other in.

"I-" Poe continued, his heart beat choking him. An incoherent jumbling of words spilled out of the writer's mouth.

Ranpo just stared, until finally, he leaned in, and embraced him in a kiss, shocking the breath out of Poe. 

I think I love you, Edgar.

── ࣪˖ ࣪ ⊹ ࣪ ˖ ──

writers notessss :: this chapter might be a little shit just bare with me