Chapter Text
Edgar wakes while he is rolling off his side of the bed, panicked as he falls — more for the chance that he might fall on Karl than the impact of hitting the floor himself. Luckily he hits the ground alone, curving his body to the side, trying to lessen the impact, barely making more than a low hmph as he hits the floor.
He gets what little breath was left knocked out of him when Karl jumps onto him, leaping to action off of Ranpo’s legs. Edgar allows himself to lay on his back and just stroke Karl’s uncharacteristically soft fur, too groggy to even think about getting up and climbing back into their warm bed.
He is unsure how long he is sprawled out on the floor, but at some point Ranpo must have felt his and Karl’s absence as he pokes his head over the side of the mattress and looks at the two curiously.
“What are you guys doing down there? You didn’t fall did you?”
“No don’t be absurd dear, I don’t do such things” Edgar slurs.
Ranpo snorts and dangles his arms down, grabbing Edgar’s hands. “Yeah of course not, but can you come back up here? It’s cold and I don't have to go to work for another 3 hours! You’re the one always complaining about waking up in an empty bed!”
“I wouldn’t wake up in an empty bed if you just woke me up before you left.” Edgar says more to himself knowing the answer Ranpo would give already.
“You need your sleep you damned insomniac, now get up here!”
Securing Karl on his shoulder, he grabbed onto Ranpo’s hands and dragged himself back up onto the bed, where Ranpo immediately dragged him onto him.
“Now I thought you wanted to sleep?” he accused tiredly, but not maliciously.
“I do! And I already told you, I’m cold!” Edgar sighed, adjusted himself so that he wasn’t entirely on top of Ranpo, but covering him enough to prevent any further protests. Once the shuffling stopped, Ranpo smiled, all too content with himself and within seconds was seemingly back to sleep in Edgar’s arms. Edgar too found sleep within minutes, hoping next he woke up would be in the same position.
Edgar didn’t wake up alone, but he did wake up barely 10 minutes after he fell asleep to Ranpo’s scream and aggressive thrashing around in his arms, trying to break free.
“What? What is it, Ranpo?”
“Blood! One of us is bleeding, a shit ton.”
Edgar shoots up and it doesn’t take either detective very long to realize that Edgar was the one bleeding with how quickly he falls back down and the pillow makes a squishing sound.
“How did neither of us realize that when you fell? Oh fuck what if we hadn’t caught it? You could’ve bled out from a stupid fall off the bed Jesus Christ.”
Edgar didn’t enjoy Ranpo like this, worried and blabbering. “It’s fine dear, we were tired, my hair is dark and hard to see, plus I clearly didn’t feel it so it can’t be that bad.” As he spoke he was able to locate the source of the bleeding, the back left half of his head, close to the base of his neck, and suddenly he was very aware of the trickle down his neck.
“No, that's the thing, big injuries means you may not feel pain, let me look at it, turn around.”
Edgar obliged, and feeling slightly woozy as he tilted his head down for Ranpo to inspect. It didn’t take him long to find the injury. With his boyfriend’s hands directly on it, he started to feel some of the pain he had been missing before, and when Ranpo pressed down he let out a soft whine.
Ranpo pulled away his hand and they both sat there, almost in awe, for a few moments as the hand came away covered in bright red.
“What the hell did you hit your head on, we’re going to have to take you in to Yosano.”
Edgar pouted and slowly shifted his gaze to beside the bed, seeing only his stack of personal novels he hadn’t finished binding with a dark spot on the corner of the top one that hadn't been there before. “You’re not going to believe me, but it was the books.”
“I fucking told you your writing was going to be the death of you, just didn’t expect it like this. Okay, come on, we're going to clean you up and bring you to the agency.”
Edgar hesitated “I’m uh, I’m sure it’s fine if we just take care of it he-“
“No!” Ranpo replied fiercely “You have the resources, you’re going to use them dammit, it’s been a slow week for Akiko anyways, she’ll delight in something to do besides paperwork.”
“If you insist.” Edgar slowly started to stand up, using the bed as a guide until Ranpo jumped over to him and guided him towards the ensuite.
“I really do.”
“It’s nothing to worry about” Yosano concluded after a ten minute series of tests and checks over Edgar’s head. “I’m not seeing any glaring long term issues as of yet, and the cut wasn’t very deep at all, the head will usually bleed excessively even if it’s not life or death. Only reason you needed the stitches was for the width, and they’ll dissolve on their own.” Yosano started cleaning her tools and disposing of the gauze and latex gloves. “Concussion is possible but not apparent yet, just be vigilant with it.”
“I appreciate it Dr. Yosano, I apologize for using up your time.” Though as soon as he said it, he already felt the violent nudge from Ranpo that meant he was doing the unnecessary apologizing again.
“It’s really no big deal, you can drop the formality by the way, you’re basically my in-law at this point.” She smirked at how Edgar turned red but nodded furiously.
Having already put in the effort to leave the house — and the tone Ranpo used with him when he suggested he could walk home — Edgar spent the day in the agency, sitting dutifully by Ranpo, occasionally telling him to work but mostly being doted on and asked if he needed anything, (Ranpo continuously insisted on sitting in his lap and kissing him, saying it was just what the doctor ordered, even when Yosano threatened to have the doctor prescribe her special treatment if they kept it up).
The workday ended without incident, which was becoming a suspiciously frequent outcome for the agency. No one really minded, the Decay of Angel’s apocalypse situation only a few months behind them, but they were still wary of what was to come.
Edgar has fallen asleep on the edge of Ranpo’s desk, Karl at his feet and it pained Ranpo to have to wake him up.
Knocking lightly on the desk beside Edgar’s head, he speaks in a low voice “It’s time to go, love ” knowing how he would always have some kind of flustered reaction to any pet name. He waited a few seconds, but Edgar did not stir, so he tried again, louder, tapping him on the shoulder this time.
“ Darling my shift is over, time to get up” and while Ranpo doesn’t get the response he wanted, he at least gets one; Edgar opening one eye and peaking at him through the curtains of his bangs.
“Come on now, you’ll be able to sleep again when we get home.”
“How,” Edgar yawns as he lifts his head up slowly “how are you not exhausted?”
“Well not all of us went to bed at two in the morning only to be woken again at five, some of us value our sleep over our work!”
“You know I have a deadline dear.”
“Yeah, a self imposed one, your editor doesn’t need your new collection for another three months!”
Edgar mumbles something under his breath, Ranpo only catching a mocking “not like you would know”.
He tilted Edgar’s drooping head towards him, grinning, “What was that now?”
“Never mind it, have you actually done all your paperwork?”
“Kunikida! Did I or did I not hand in all my paperwork that you needed today?”
From across the room, Kunikida didn’t even drop his notebook as he called over “Yes, but only the ones that were due today, you are still weeks behind!”
Ranpo smirked, “You see? All of today’s work is done!”
Edgar didn’t put up a fight, Ranpo wasn’t even sure he had heard Kunikida, his gaze wandering elsewhere.
“Hey, eyes over here. Do we need to check in with Yosano before we leave? You aren’t with me right now, that’s a sign of concussion.”
“I’m just tired dear, can we go? Dr. Yosano was busy enough dealing with your weretiger who came in bleeding about an hour ago, it’s nothing.”
Ranpo must have missed that, might have been grabbing coffee or too engrossed in his work; oh Fukuzawa would be proud.
As they walked home, Ranpo noticed Edgar trying to hide his stumbling, walking straighter than he ever had before to compensate. He knew getting on the train could only end badly with Edgar disorientated and him incapable of grasping all of the routes at once, so he instead called a cab for them, without a protest from his boyfriend about him paying.
Something was definitely wrong.
Edgar got out of the cab first, he thanked the driver and prayed that she didn’t think he was drunk, even though that should really be the least of his problems. He had left behind day drinking in America, years ago, and even the slightest implication that he was that man again irked him.
Ranpo had definitely noticed his odd behavior, and he really didn’t want to trouble him. He walked in as straight a line he could towards the manor, feigning confidence in each step. There was a thudding feeling throughout his skull, paired with his loose limbs he knew he was concussed. He knew how to take care of himself though, he’d done it several times before.
Only when Ranpo’s footsteps came bounding after him did he realize that he had made the impression he was angry with his boyfriend, when in reality he just needed to lay down.
“Poe! Talk to me, what did I do? The driver looked at me like she was saying ‘you messed up’ but I didn’t do anything? That I know of?”
Edgar cringed at how loud Ranpo was, but couldn’t make himself comment on it, “You didn’t do anything dear, I just do not feel well, I want to lay down.”
“I told you we should have gone to Akiko before we left.” Ranpo pouted and crossed his arms.
“I’ve had a concussion before, I know how to handle myself. Besides, it should not last long; it was a simple fall.”
“But-“
“Ranpo, I am exhausted,” he unlocked the door, stepped inside, started unlacing his boots and shedding layers of clothing “you may do as you wish; I am going to bed.”
Edgar saw Ranpo’s face go through a few emotions he did not have the energy to process, but he knew he had left something out, “You can come to bed with me, if you’d like.”
Ranpo smiled, obviously getting what he wanted. “I’m good! Just wanted you to offer! I can order us dinner if you want? I’m gonna stay down here for a bit, I don’t want to disturb you.” Edgar couldn’t help but lean down and peck his boyfriend on the lips for being so considerate, running a hand through his hair gently and kissing him on the forehead as well.
“Get whatever you like, I know you remember my order from all our favourites.”
Ranpo beamed at him “Will do! You get some rest, leave everything to me.”
Edgar scoffed “All you have to do is pick up the phone an-“
“I’ve got this! Off to bed with you!”
Ranpo ended up just ordering pizza, half plain cheese while the other half he had read off his phone for the complicated list of specifications Edgar always had when he made the order.
While waiting for the delivery person, he and Karl rummaged through the cupboards looking for pre-dinner snacks as they usually did. Edgar liked to call it bonding, Ranpo thought of it more as competition.
“I called dibs on the cookies when he bought them pal, so paws off!” Karl looked at him with what Ranpo read as defiance. “Hey, you don’t have to pay for anything, you could very well grab whatever you wanted at the grocery store and run.” Karl’s expression didn’t change, but Ranpo took it as victory (pretending to be able to communicate with Karl on a sophisticated level like Edgar did never lasted long, but it always made his boyfriend laugh so he kept doing it).
An hour of lazing on the couch, —trying to read one of the many so called coffee table books, and promptly getting distracted by games on his phone— later the doorbell sounded and he rushed over so that the horribly obnoxious sound wouldn’t wake Edgar or Karl. He decided he would check in on him and see if he wanted dinner in bed, knowing he would say no, afraid of the grease getting into the sheets, but eager to ask anyways. He was rather enjoying being the one that doted for once, after everything.
Leaving the box on the counter in the kitchen, he bolted up the stairs, only slowing down when he reached their bedroom door. When he thought about it, there hadn’t really been a firm point where Edgar’s bedroom had turned into their bedroom, nor had there been a specific point where home applied more to the manor than to his scrappy apartment a block away from the agency; it just happened.
He knocked lightly on their door thrice, and then another two for good measure. He couldn’t hear any rustling, so knocked a third time, this time a little louder, hoping he wasn’t disturbing a deep sleep his boyfriend so desperately needed.
Finally, when no response came, he gently twisted the door open only to find the bed empty, but very much unmade, and the window wide open. Spots of blood were on the bedpost and windowsill, freshly spilled.
Ranpo ran to the window, bracing himself on the edge but careful not to contaminate the evidence. Nothing down below that he could see in the darkness, but he assumed a trail of blood went a little ways away from the manor, or all the way depending on what kind of criminals he was dealing with. They were either complete amateurs or they wanted him to be painstakingly aware that they grabbed Edgar right under his nose; the latter made him sick.
Ranpo managed to prevent himself from vomiting, if only just and tried to collect his thoughts. He was a detective, the world's greatest detective at that. This wasn’t a crisis, it was his job. He liked to flaunt how he would only take cases that would peak his interest, and in trying to stay calm, he told himself this was the same as any other case, just a particularly interesting one.
When was the last time he told Edgar he loved him? He thought it had been in the last couple of days but he wasn’t certain. It had been a busy week but he thought he’d made a habit of it ever since the first time. Edgar probably remembered.
His clothes suddenly felt sticky against his skin, he has been sweating increasingly since the second knock wasn’t answered. He quickly shed his cape and vest, the disgusting feeling not helping his nausea and mental state as a whole. He fumbled for his glasses in his pants pocket, trying to find his bearings but nothing happened.
Ranpo suspected as much, suspected that ever since ever since he had met Edgar that second time, that he would be a weak spot, a blind spot for his non-ability ability. It wasn’t as if the man was a complete mystery, but he found his emotions clouded his usual perfect deductive vision. He cursed himself. If he dared admit this weakness to Edgar, if the other man wasn’t already aware of it that is, he would get that look in his eye when he wins something, is right about something, or feels as if he has the upper hand. Ranpo always pretended the look offended him, but he absolutely adored it and thinking of not seeing it again, well he wasn’t going to jump there just yet.
Before leaving, he noted all that was out of the ordinary. Pillows out of order suggested struggle, but also could have been Edgar trying to suppress the pain of his headache. God, if he didn’t before, he definitely had a concussion now.
Not wanting to waste anymore time, he dashed downstairs to grab his phone, deciding who would be best to call first. He landed on Yosano, knowing she would be the most calming and had the best understanding of Edgar out of the agency.
“Isn’t it past your bedtime gramps?”
Checking the time, he did notice he would usually be in his pajama’s by nine o’clock, curled up beside his boyfriend while he read to him, knowing he would soon return to his desk until ungodly hours of the night.
“Poe, he’s gone, kidnapped by the absolute dumbest criminals I have ever had the misfortune of encountering. Blood splatters out the open window, I’m sure DNA all over our room, but quiet enough I missed them. Could also be a-” Ranpo stopped, as if his brain had been working on that awful agency wifi connnection and finally loaded. “I know what this is about, can you get everyone at the agency within the hour?”
“You’re certain we need everyone?”
“The mafia still wants an agency member, so they’re going to get all of us. And they’ll severely regret it.”