Chapter Text
Ranpo was honestly planning to sleep through the entire show.
He wasn’t even going to go in the first place, but Atsushi had promised to buy him whatever he wanted from the bakery near the school if Ranpo went with him. Atsushi heard from his classmates that Akutagawa, his “mortal enemy,” had painted the sets for the show, and Atsushi wanted to make fun of them. He couldn’t do that without seeing the sets, obviously, so he had begged Ranpo to go with him.
It’s awkward if I go by myself, and I need a witness!
Ranpo thought it was funny how petty Atsushi got when it came to Akutagawa. As soon as they met each other at the beginning of the year, they were at each other's throats. Akutagawa regularly went to the zoo Atsushi interned at (which wasn’t supposed to happen, but the kid wanted to be a vet and the zoo appreciated the assistance) to “draw the wildlife,” which always turned into laughing at Atsushi as he attempted to feed the only tiger in the whole place. The tiger was, well, a bitch. He let Akutagawa draw him from outside the glass (would even pose on occasion, according to Atsushi), but always either ignored Atsushi or growled at him. Akutagawa thought it was hilarious, so he kept going back.
It annoyed Atsushi even more considering tigers were his favorite animal. Akutagawa had started calling him “weretiger” because of it, and Atsushi was itching to come up with things to pester the other about. He never showed his drawings, despite the art club having plenty of shows, so Atsushi thought (hoped) he just sucked at it. But Ranpo knew his friend was a little excited to see his art for the first time.
Thus Ranpo, the ever magnanimous senior he was, agreed to go with Atsushi (but only after it was established that he could get anything from the bakery).
The show was an original. The theater club always worked with the writing club to make an original script, and the shows were usually interesting. Ranpo had never gone before, being new to the school, but Yosano said they were good enough that people from other schools usually came to see them.
Not that he would like it. Plays were boring and predictable, and he guessed that an original play made by high school students wasn’t exactly going to put him on the edge of his seat. He did bring snacks, so he wouldn’t be spiritless, but he wasn’t going to be clapping. Things rarely defied his expectations, which meant he would just be thinking of the pastries he was going to make Atsushi buy him the next day for the full three hours.
Things never defied his expectations.
And it didn’t, at first. Scenes passed by, and Ranpo barely glanced at the actors moving across the stage.
But when the stage lights dimmed for another scene, a booming voice forced his attention to the stage. An actor, absurdly tall for a high school student, glided to the center of the stage. A delicate gold and black mask covered his eyes, and black roses adorned his hair. He wore a velvet gray cloak, which only exposed a sliver of the lavender suit he wore underneath. Despite the dark outfit, the figure pulled at his eyes like a beacon of light, and Ranpo had no other word to use than gorgeous . The actor was gorgeous.
Ranpo had never used that word to describe a person. He had never used that word at all. But it was the only word that could even attempt to describe the elegance he saw. The outfit was stunning, yes, but it only accentuated the actor’s features. When he opened his eyes, previously hidden beneath the mask he wore, Ranpo stopped breathing.
A light purple sliver of light danced behind the flowers and gold that adorned his face. His eyes scanned the audience, but stopped when they met his own. Ranpo knew, logically, that the actor wasn’t looking at him. He was too far away to actually see where his gaze landed, but his heart rate spiked anyway.
“ Beautiful .” When the actor spoke, Ranpo felt a shiver down his spine. His voice was almost as smooth as the cloak he wore, and he paused before continuing his line.
Ranpo barely heard it, too focused on stopping the ever growing blush on his face. It was the line, no one was calling him beautiful! He knew that dammit. So why was his heart beating so loud?
“Ranpo? Are you alright?” Atsushi was whispering, careful to avoid bothering the rest of the audience. Ranpo nodded his head, gaze transfixed on the actor. He was still speaking, and his voice boomed through the audience, but it wasn’t overpowering. Ranpo only remembered to breathe once the actor had left the stage, and it took him another three scenes to control his raging thoughts.
He had never reacted like that to anything before. Was he sick? No, he felt fine. Well, clearly the actor had something to do with it. His shock had started when the other had come on stage. Did he know the actor from somewhere? No, he would definitely remember such an unique voice. So what was the problem?
Ranpo didn’t like not knowing things. But he did like a challenge. He decided to wait until the actor came on stage again, and try to reassess the situation. It wasn’t often things were unknown to him, but detectives didn’t run away from a challenge.
Lucky for him, he didn’t have to wait long. Almost as soon as he decided to start his “investigation,” the mysterious actor reappeared on stage, just as bold and stunning as he had before. Ranpo wasn’t really paying attention to the story, but it looked like he was the villain.
And when the figure spoke again, Ranpo felt his stomach flutter. His heartbeat quickened, and Ranpo began noting the situation and his response. The same way he did anything else.
When Ranpo had first seen this particular person, his pulse had quickened and his face flushed, and the second time, his stomach fluttered as well. This only happened when he saw that one actor, which he tested by watching other actors and sneaking glances at Atsushi.
It wasn’t the season he typically got colds during, and his symptoms were nonexistent before the play. The day had been a pleasant temperature, so Ranpo was sure it wasn’t overheating. And although the auditorium was cold, it wasn’t cold enough to make him ill. He had eaten, so his response wasn’t from hunger either.
The symptoms were unlike any he had ever had, so it wasn’t a result of being frustrated or overwhelmed. He also wasn’t angry, he knew that for sure.
Ranpo concluded he would need more information to continue his case. He wouldn’t be able to do much here, and although he would normally get up from anything to solve a case, he couldn’t pull his eyes away from the golden mask the actor wore. Black rose petals slowly fell from his hair throughout the play, and Ranpo could point out each of the places they had fallen on the stage. Three on stage left, one downstage, two on stage right.
The play ended and Ranpo realized he had barely felt the time pass by. His thoughts had been running, but not unpleasantly, and he was much more attentive than he thought he would be. He hadn’t paid any attention to the story, but he wasn’t bored. But before he and Atsushi could leave, a door on the far side of the stage was pushed open.
And into the crowd walked black roses. The actor was being congratulated, with other audience members pushing more flowers and gifts into his hands (none as pretty as the flowers left in his hair), but Ranpo didn’t care about that. He was a detective! He was going to be able to question the suspect that caused his problem and he was not going to give up the chance. He walked quickly, and did his best to push through the crowd.
“Hey!” Ranpo grabbed the figure’s sleeve and pulled it towards him, hoping to get to talk to him away from the crowd that had formed.
“Hello?” Ranpo looked up to find the actors’ eyes on his own, and they were even more startling up close. Only now did Ranpo actually realize how tall the actor was. His own eyes barely reached the other’s shoulders, and he had to look up to meet his gaze. He noted it on stage, but it was different being next to him.
“Who are you? I-I need to ask a question!” Ranpo... stuttered? He never stuttered. He was famous in his friend group for being basically unfazed by anything. Another symptom to add to the list, he supposed.
“Well, you just did.” The actor smirked, and Ranpo almost retorted, but a finger was held in front of his lips. “Wouldn’t it be more interesting to find out for yourself, detective?”
Ranpo felt the slight graze of skin on his shoulders, before his coat was jostled slightly. But the touch wasn’t unbearable. Usually, contact from strangers felt like sandpaper in his bones, but there was something warm about the actor’s gentle movement. He was, of course, referencing the detective-like shawl that was draped around his shoulders. It had been a present from his adoptive father before going to high school, and he wore it all the time.
“I wish you good luck on finding me. I’ll see you soon, possibly.” With that, the actor disappeared back into the crowd, being swallowed up by a mass of fans asking questions and for autographs. Was he really just a high school actor? Yosano had said that the club had fans outside of the school, but he hadn’t expected this much commotion.
But Ranpo stood still on the edge of the circle, speechless. He figured out what the feeling was.
Interest.
It interested him. Something about the actor interested him. He was never interested in anything. He was not going to let an opportunity to stop his boredom be lost. Maybe he would try and find his mystery actor.
It wasn’t hard, of course. He was a master detective, despite his slightly embarrassing performance at the show, but the actual searching was like child’s play. Obviously, to be a part of the club, he had to be a member of the school. That narrowed the list significantly.
He had enough of a following, clearly, to show he wasn’t exactly new to the club. That meant he was an older member. His school website wasn’t technically supposed to reveal the members of a club, but it always had the member names. The managers figured that without pictures, the students wouldn’t be as recognizable. And of course, students could refuse to be present. However, his target was important enough to the play that he wouldn’t risk not being on the page itself. From there, he did a quick social media search of the club manager, someone named Fitzgerald, whose page had a picture of the entire cast. Most of the cast was tagged, but one person didn’t have a tag near their picture. Unfortunately, that person was the one he was looking for. The actor wouldn’t make it that easy for him.
It was a bit annoying, but he wound up going through the entire member list, crossing a name off whenever he found their social media account tagged on the photo. It left exactly one person, which Ranpo was hoping would happen.
Edgar Allan Poe.
It was a weird name, to say the least. Much too long, and what kind of name was Edgar? But, he couldn’t deny it fit the persona. It sounded regal and slightly macabre, and Ranpo could envision his face just by closing his eyes.
He decided to look the other up on the school page, and learned that he helped run the library. Perfect. Maybe he’d ask if anyone he knew needed him to borrow a book tomorrow.
He went to bed smiling, and briefly considered telling Atsushi he didn’t have to buy him anything after all. He didn’t, of course, but it was the thought that counted.
Edgar Allan Poe, hm?