~⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡☆⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡~
~the next day~
Y/n POV:
Yosano, Ranpo, and I are on our way to get party supplies for Kyouka's welcome party. Osamu informed me about what had happened with the whole Moby Dick incident. Atsushi had defeated Fitzgerald, the Guild leader, alongside Akutagawa, a Port Mafia member.
After Atsushi had stopped the Moby Dick from descending, an outsider hacked into its system and forced it into descension. In order to prevent the Moby Dick from crashing into Yokohama, Kyouka piloted the drone that she had been entrapped in, driving it into the Moby Dick. At the split second the drone made impact, Kyouka had passed the Agency's entrance exam, giving her complete control of her ability, which was how she was able to escape and survive.
So now, we're throwing her a congratulations party for officially joining the Agency.
"Do we have everything?" I ask Yosano, taking this moment to look over everything that we got before heading to check-out.
"Yes. This is everything," she responds, heading over to the check-out area.
"Do you know where Ranpo ran off to?" I ask her.
"The candy aisle probably," she says.
"I'll go get him then, since we're about to leave," I say.
"Oh~? You want some alone time with Ranpo~?" Yosano teases.
"N-No! That's not it! I just want to make sure he gets back in time," I say, my cheeks beginning to burn a bright red.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say," she says with a smirk.
"I-I'm going now!" I say before heading over to the sweets aisle.
Peeking my head into the aisle, I spot a wild Ranpo snagging practically every candy on the shelves.
"Ranpo, we're getting ready to head out," I say to him.
"I'm still deciding between these two," Ranpo says, pointing to two candies.
"Why not just get both? Don't you usually do that anyways?" I ask.
"...it's not for me," he whispers.
"Huh? What'd you say?" I ask, hoping for him to repeat himself.
"It's not for me," he says again, this time being audible.
"Oh? Who's it for?" I ask.
He goes silent, staring straight ahead at the shelf. I tilt my head a bit, wondering why we won't answer my question. I turn my gaze over to the candies that he was having a hard time picking.
"Are you struggling with figuring out which one they would prefer?" I ask him.
"Yeah..." he says.
'I wonder why he can't just use his Super Deduction to figure it out. Maybe he doesn't want to. Maybe he wants to figure it out without his deduction skills.'
"Do you have a slight idea of what kind of candy they like?" I ask.
"Kind of," he says.
'We really need to get going. Is there any way I can help him pick without knowing who he's giving it to?'
"I think you should go with your heart. Your heart will lead you to the right answer," I say to him, causing him to face me for the first time since I arrived.
He doesn't say anything, only reaching his hand out to pick one of the options.
'Hm. That's the one I would've picked.'
"Excellent choice, Ranpo," I say, giving him a smile.
Ranpo POV:
'I never really paid much attention to this before, but her smile is beautiful. It's so bright, almost blindingly so, that it could outshine even the brightest of stars.'
"Are you two lovebirds done or am I gonna have to wait even longer?" I hear Yosano ask from the entrance of the aisle.
'Lovebirds?!'
"W-What are you talking about? I was just getting one last thing. We can go now," I say, rushing out of the aisle.
Y/n POV:
"Ranpo! Wait for me!" I shout while running up to him, Yosano following shortly behind me.
"Don't you mean wait for us?" Yosano asks me with a sly grin on her face.
"T-That's what I meant! I just... mixed up the words," I say to her.
"Mhmm," she teases.
"Did I miss something?" Ranpo asks.
"No! Nope! Nothing! Nada!" I shout while fiddling with my hands.
"Are you nervous?" he asks.
"Huh?" I say, my whole body becoming stiff as I stare at him.
"You tend to fidget with your hands and fingers when you're nervous or anxious," Ranpo states.
'He noticed that?'
'Now that I think about it, he notices a lot of things about me. Things that no one has ever noticed about me before. Besides maybe Haru.'
I must've been staring for a while because Ranpo waved his hand in front of my face. "Hello? Are you there?"
"Oh. Sorry. I spaced out for a second. Sorry," I apologize.
"Why are you apologizing?" he asks.
"Sorry... force of habit," I say, apologizing once more.
"No more sorrys. Got it?" he says.
"Got it. I'll try," I say.
"Good. Now let's get going so I can eat my snacks!" he exclaims, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards one of the registers.
'God, I'm hopelessly in love with him.'
~
After we got back to the Agency, we quickly got everything set up for when Kyouka was to arrive with Atsushi.
It didn't take us too long since there was a sizable amount of us working, including Ranpo who set up the snack table. Everyone was here...
Everyone except for Osamu.
~
"Ready, and..." Ranpo starts.
"Congratulations on joining the Agency, Kyouka-chan!" Everyone shouts in unison, minus Kunikida and the president.
In that moment, Kyouka's eyes had shone brighter than they ever have before.
~
"Cheers!" we all shout as we click our drinks together.
Everyone went off to have their own conversations. I sat with Ranpo, partially to make sure he didn't overdo it on the sweets.
"Oh! Before I forget, did the person like the candy you got them?" I ask him, wondering how that went.
"You tell me," he says without looking at me, handing me the candy that he decided on.
"It was... for me?" I ask him.
He nods in response, keeping his gaze away from me and glued to the table.
I didn't know what to say. There was nothing I could say. There was nothing I needed to say.
My body moved on its own, embracing the man in front of me.
"Y-Y/n?" Ranpo questions, confused by my sudden embrace.
"Thank you," I say.
Ranpo responds by returning my hug, which came as a shock to me. But that didn't matter.
The fact that he was right here with me was all that I cared about.
3rd-person POV:
'I love you,' both Ranpo and Y/n think to themselves.
Y/n POV:
In the midst of our hug, I hear the front door squeak open.
"Oh? Who's that?" I ask, spotting a hunched over man with short brown hair and bangs that completely covered his eyes, looking almost lost.
'Wait, is that a raccoon on his shoulder?'
"Ranpo-kun, I brought the new piece that you inquired about over the phone," the man says.
Ranpo looks over to the man and says, "Oh, hey. Thanks for coming."
Ranpo gets up and walks over to the man while I trail behind.
"Do I really belong here? I'm from an enemy organization," the man says.
"Ranpo-san, the boss wants you," I hear Kenji shout.
"I'll be right back. Stay right there," Ranpo says, going over to the president.
"Ranpo-kun...?!" the man says, nervous about being left with someone he didn't know.
"Sorry about that. You can have a seat over there if you'd like," I say to the man, gesturing towards our lounge chairs.
"Oh. Thank you, Miss..." he says, asking for my name.
"Y/n," I say.
"Thank you, Y/n-kun. My name is Poe," he says, making his way over to one of the chairs.
"Nice to meet you, Poe-san. So, how do you know Ranpo?" I ask Poe.
"Oh, um, I'm a member of the Guild and I had previously challenged Ranpo-kun to solve my mystery novel," Poe says.
"Oh, were you the person that gave us the Guild's information?" I ask him.
"Yes. That was me. I'm surprised you figured that out so quickly," he says.
"Well, I am a detective after all, and Ranpo's partner," I say.
"I see. You must be quite close with him then," he says.
"You could say that, yeah," I say.
"Are you not going to sit down as well?" he asks, noticing that I had been standing the whole time.
"Well, Ranpo should be back soon so I don't want to sit down just to have to get back up. I just wanted to make sure that you rest," I say.
"But what about you?" he asks.
"I'll be fine. I was previously sitting so I'm okay," I say with a small smile.
"Alright! I'm back!" I hear Ranpo exclaim from behind me. "What were you guys talking about?" he asks, resting his arm on my shoulder.
"Just casual talk," I tell him before turning over to Poe. "Would you like to come sit with us?"
"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude more than I already have," Poe says.
"It's fine. You're not intruding if I invited you," I say, extending my hand for him to grab.
Before he can take my hand, Ranpo grabs him by his wrist and takes him over to where we were previously sitting. "Off we go!"
'He's such a little kid,' I chuckle to myself.
I walk over to the table and sit in my seat to the left of Ranpo, with Poe being on his right.
"So, is the raccoon your pet or...?" I ask Poe, curious about the animal resting upon his shoulders.
"He's more of a companion but yes. His name is Karl," Poe answers.
"I see. He's quite adorable," I say.
"I know, right?!" he exclaims.
'He kinda reminds me of Ranpo when he's excited.'
~
I don't know how this happened but Kyouka ended up getting the chance to hold and pet Karl. Poe looked rather nervous about having someone other than him holding Karl. Kunikida was passed out drunk on the floor below Ranpo's feet who's entire upper half was on the table.
"Hey, where's Dazai-san?" Atsushi asks.
"He texted me saying he had some business to take care of," I responded.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Atsushi asks me.
"Who knows. There are things that even I don't know about Osamu," I say.
"He's alright though, right?" Atsushi asks.
"Yeah, he'll be fine. That's the one thing I made him promise me," I say.
"Y/nnn! Kunikida wimped out on me so you're my new drink buddy!" a clearly drunk Yosano says while stumbling towards me.
"Woah there," I say, grabbing ahold of her arms to help her balance herself. "I think you're done drinking for today."
"Don't be like that!" she says, slurring her words together.
"Don't forget that I'm the designated driver. I'm sorry but I can't," I tell her.
"Come onn! Just one drinkkk!" she pleads.
"No. My answer is final," I sternly say.
"I'll tell Ranpo if you don't drink with me," she says, giving me an ultimatum.
"Tell me what?" Ranpo asks.
"N-Nothing! There's nothing to tell! She's just saying things!" I say, lightly chuckling from nerves.
"You're gonna have to tell him event—" Yosano starts.
"That's enough talking for you!" I say, covering her mouth to prevent her from saying anymore. "Please ignore her. It's really nothing."
"Are you sure? If it's serious, then I want to know," Ranpo says.
"It's not. I mean, it is but you don't need to worry about it right now. When I'm ready, I'll tell you. Ok?"
"Ok..."
Ranpo POV:
'What could she possibly be hiding from me that she doesn't want me to know? And why does she seem so scared to tell me?'
'I'm getting worried.'
"I'm sorry," I hear Y/n say to me.
"I thought I told you no more sorrys," I say.
"I know but I didn't know what else to say. I want to tell you, I really do, but I just... can't. Not yet," she softly says, lowering her head to her fidgeting hands.
"It's alright. You can take as much time as you need. I'll wait for you," I say, placing my hand on her cheek to lift up her head, making her look me in the eyes.
Y/n POV:
'I really want to tell him. But I'm scared. I'm scared of being rejected and discarded; treated like I never mattered, like I was never loved. I can't go through that pain and agony. Not from him.'
"Thank you," I say, quietly.
"You don't have to thank me for being a decent human being. But you're welcome," he says to me, wrapping his arms around me in a hug.
I was shocked. Ranpo had never initiated a hug before, with me or with anyone. But it was nice, warm, gentle, comforting...
And loving.
"Ranpo."
"Hm?" he hums.
"I think I'm ready to tell you," I say.
"Are you sure? I don't want you to feel rushed," he says.
"I'm sure. I just needed a moment to clear my mind and relax," I say, pulling from the hug but keeping my hands on his arms. "But I'd like it if we went to another room, if that's alright with you."
"That's fine," he says.
The two of us made our way over to one of the empty office rooms, the silence making me a little nervous.
I take a few deep breaths before beginning.
"I've wanted to tell you this for the longest time but I was scared. Scared that you might view me differently. Scared that I'd lose you," I say.
"Nothing you say or do can take me away from you. I'm not going anywhere," he says.
'Alright. Here goes nothing.'
"Ranpo... I love you."
~⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡☆⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡⟡~