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Ranpo isn't entirely sure what he can do here. He doesn't like that feeling.
He can sort of understand Poe's situation. He's trying to, at least. Ranpo has never once thrown up, but he's gathered that it's an embarrassing thing to do.
Poe seems to be dealing with some sort of motion sickness issue, because he was fine before they got in the car to head back to Poe's mansion, only about a half hour drive. He only threw up once, into a bag that the driver provided, but for some reason, he's been refusing to speak to Ranpo ever since that happened. Ranpo, in turn, has slowly gone silent with a loss of what to do.
Ranpo sighs when he walks inside. Poe has already long run off, not bothering to wait for Ranpo. Highly unusual. What should he do? It's around nine in the evening, he's sure Poe is getting ready for bed. Maybe he should too, but the idea of trying to interact with someone who's gone radio silent makes him feel weird. Ranpo is almost wondering if he said something to upset Poe. He has a habit of doing that without realizing, but Poe will almost always say something about it.
Poe's probably fine. If it's just motion sickness, he should feel better out of the car, right? So why is he ignoring him? Is it not actually motion sickness?
Ranpo finds himself standing alone in the foyer, staring at his shoes.
"This sucks," he huffs out loud, for no one to hear. It echoes back, as if to mock him.
Ranpo has never had to take care of a sick person before, but he's watched Yosano do it countless times. He's pretty sure everyone at the Agency has been sick before. Atsushi had food poisoning just the other day, and Ranpo still remembers what a pain it was when Kunikida and Dazai gave each other a stomach flu and had to be out for a week.
Should he call Yosano?
Maybe he should give Poe some space first. He'll probably come back around, right?
Ranpo decides to busy himself with useless tasks for a while. He gives it about two hours, as painstaking as it sounds to wait that long. He usually goes to bed late, anyway. He spends longer than necessary playing a marble flicking game on his phone that he's been addicted to recently, sitting on the stairs in the foyer.
He thinks by now, if Poe was back to normal, he would have heard from him. Whether it's a phone call, or a longing call from somewhere in the mansion, Poe being quiet for this long just isn't normal, not at all.
"Hmmm…" Ranpo huffs as he stands up. He doesn't like this. He'll make sure Poe knows that, but first he needs to figure out what's going on.
When it makes it to Poe's bedroom, he finds he's already changed, and fallen asleep. His hair has fallen over his eyes and Ranpo can't see his face, thanks to Karl sleeping right beside his head.
Ranpo can't decide if that's good or not. Poe isn't the type to easily fall asleep, but Ranpo supposes if he's not feeling well, he's probably more tired than normal. So he decides the only real option he has is to join him and go to sleep too.
But he can't.
He's changed into something more comfortable to sleep in and tries to crawl into Poe's larger-than-king sized bed without waking him, but after a few hours of lying there in his own thoughts, he realizes he can't fall asleep. It's pointless to try with this weighing on his mind.
He feels Poe shift on the other side of the bed, and Ranpo can't see him, facing the wall. He thinks he sits up, but he's still for a moment. Just when Ranpoe decides he should turn around, he hears a faint groan of pain from Poe, and suddenly, his weight is missing from the bed. He hears the soft patter of Karl's footsteps following him off to wherever he's going.
Ranpo doesn't waste any time following him after he realizes he's headed for the bathroom.
Poe has already closed the door by the time Ranpo makes it there, and he wonders if Poe realized that Ranpo was tailing him. He waits a second, just in case he's actually going to the bathroom, but he's pretty sure he's gone in there to throw up - and he's right. He hears that pained groan again, like a wounded animal, followed by the weakest retch he's ever heard, and a splatter in the toilet water.
"Ugh…"
So he was right. It wasn't motion sickness after all.
He doesn't bother knocking, he's too preoccupied with his thoughts. He lets himself into Poe's far too excessive master bathroom and finds him in the corner, elegantly draped over the toilet, if that's even possible. Karl is curled up beside him, giving Ranpo a pitiful look, like he's asking him to help. Dammit, why didn't that damn raccoon say something sooner?
Ranpo kneels next to him, but he's not sure what to do. Poe is shivering, his head still ducked into the toilet. Each time he breathes out there's a pathetic sound, something between a moan and a whimper. Sure, Poe is more on the dramatic side, but Ranpo is pretty sure he hasn't realized anyone else is here. He really must not be feeling well.
Poe starts to lift his head, and Ranpo decides he'll let his presence be known.
"You should've told me you were -"
Poe flinches, nearly falling backwards as his eyes blow wide. Karl mutters something as he climbs onto his lap and Poe's eyes focus on Ranpo. He breathes a sigh of relief and lays a hand over his chest.
"Ranpo, you scared me," Poe murmurs, but Ranpo doesn't have time to apologize. Poe's eyes go wide again and the hand on his chest moves over his mouth, and following a burp, a gush of vomit spills past his lips and down the front of his shirt. Karl barely has time to dart out of the way.
Okay, that's definitely not good.
Poe doesn't even seem to fully grasp what just happened, but regardless, he's definitely not done. He keeps his hand, now covered in hot vomit, up by his mouth, and the wet burp he tries to stifle sounds like it'll soon be followed by more.
Poe gags into his hand and Ranpo guides him back over the toilet as he brings up a thin stream of digested food into the toilet. He whimpers, laying his head on the toilet seat, eyes screwed together. His stomach must really be bothering him.
Karl, who Ranpo swears is not a normal raccoon, nudges Ranpo's elbow and shows him that he's brought a new shirt - some fancy ruffled satin thing, just like the one Poe is wearing now, and a pack of wet wipes. Ranpo gives him a nod as a thank you, deciding he'll have to give him a good talking to later to figure out how on earth he did that.
Poe's arms are wrapped tight around his middle and he moans, mouth slightly agape and hanging over the toilet. It sounds like he's forcing burps to bring up whatever must be creeping up his throat, and he somehow manages to get it up - a wave of pale, thick vomit pouring from his mouth and splashing into the water.
This has to be some sort of stomach bug.
Ranpo isn't sure what to do. He doesn't know if Poe is okay with him touching him or giving him any comfort while he's feeling so sick, and even if he was, Ranpo isn't sure what he would even do, or if it'd help. He's trying not to get himself worked up. What would Yosano do here? Or even Fukuzawa?
So he just ends up sitting there, knelt beside him for the next several minutes as Poe breathes into the toilet, letting the saliva that pools into his mouth drip to join the rest of his stomach contents.
Eventually, Poe straightens up again, one hand still pressed against his stomach, evidently not bothered by the vomit that's spilled down his front, or down his chin, either.
He makes eye contact with Ranpo and his expression falls apart, looking near in tears as his shoulders drop. Ranpo scoots a little closer to him and Poe doesn't waste any time in leaning forward to duck his head in the crook of his neck. Poe is still uncharacteristically quiet, but he's not making any effort to avoid Ranpo now, and he feels a wave of relief wash over him.
Ranpo isn't used to the physical affection thing, but he won't deprive Poe of that now if he needs it.
He can feel him shaking, trying to take methodical breaths. Ranpo's pretty sure he can hear his stomach gurgling. He highly doubts he's done throwing up if his stomach sounds like that.
"We should change your shirt," Ranpo tells him.
"Oh, yes…I'm sorry," Poe murmurs as he backs up. Karl has a wet wipe in his mouth that he offers to Poe, and he takes it to haphazardly wipe off his hand. Ranpo takes another to wipe the corners of his lips for him.
"Why?" Ranpo asks, taking the hem of Poe's shirt and lifting it up. Poe can barely lift his arms to help him out, but he makes it work.
Poe tilts his head, like he's not sure what Ranpo is referring to.
"Why are you sorry?" Ranpo asks as he pulls the shirt over his head, trying his very best not to get any of the puke in Poe's soft locks.
"For…taking you away from your sleep," he offers, rubbing at his eyes after Ranpo manages to get the shirt off of him, "and…having to clean me up."
"That's stupid. It's not like it's your fault," Ranpo tells him. Maybe, if Poe for some reason vomited on purpose, but that's just a ridiculous notion.
"I suppose that's true," Poe says quietly as Ranpo tries to get Poe's head through the new shirt. He has to get a little closer to open another button, and when he does, he's met with Poe's eyes, glassy and half-asleep. Ranpo doesn't see them like this all that often. Poe shyly turns his head to the side.
"You don't have to be embarrassed," Ranpo tells him, helping him get his arms through the sleeves. "I don't really mind this stuff. I'm used to it."
"It's…not that, at the moment" Poe murmurs, "your eyes are so…they just made my heart flutter, for a moment."
Ranpo can feel his face getting red at that comment. Poe often says things like that, but for some reason right now, Ranpo's heart flutters back.
Poe seems amused by whatever expression is currently plastered to Ranpo's face, but his brow twists through a moan of pain. His hand flies back up to his mouth to stifle a belch, and Ranpo makes sure to guide him back over the toilet in time, and gently tugs his hand away from his face. A gurgling burp or two brings up a torrent, this time, of half digested food that Ranpo is almost sure burns coming up. Something comes out of his nose, too, and Ranpo cringes at the thought of it being vomit. Ow. He still has a hand on Poe's arm, and he moves it to his back, gently rubbing it.
"I hope…" Poe murmurs. The next belch doesn't sound as wet as the last few, but it sounds just as miserable. He moans, rubbing his own stomach for some kind of relief. "I hope this isn't food poisoning…"
"Can't be. We ate the same things," Ranpo tells him, mentally shuffling through any of the meals they had earlier that day. He feels fine. "It's probably a stomach virus."
Poe sounds like he wants to say something else, but he's interrupted by another slurry of vomit rushing past his lips. He presses harder against his stomach with a frustrated groan.
"Sweetheart, please…can you call one of my doctors in?" he asks quietly, sounding like he's nearly in tears. He props his free arm up on the toilet seat. "There's a phone book in a drawer on my nightstand…"
"Oh, sure," Ranpo stammers, but of course, Karl has beat him to it, somehow already dragging the phonebook over. He flips the page and even uses his nose to point out the number that needs to be called, almost like he's had to do this before, and Ranpo's heart sinks. He's never seen Poe sick before at all. Does he often deal with things like this?
Ranpo calls the number and requests the doctor to visit, she says she'll be over in half an hour. Ranpo watches Poe the whole time he's on the phone, taking deep, shuddering breaths and moaning from the pain and discomfort he must be in, but he doesn't see him vomit again. Ranpo's only now noticing how pale he is, how his cheeks are flushed pink.
"You have a fever," Ranpo tells him with just a moment of his hand on his forehead. He frowns.
"That explains why I feel so faint," he murmurs as he sits up, laying the back of his hand against his own forehead to check for himself. "Ranpo, I…I know you said it's pointless to apologize, but, I should apologize for my behavior today…I shouldn't have gone silent on you, I was…I was embarrassed…"
Ranpo's surprised he's bringing this up. His shoulders sink. It really wasn't a huge deal, but he's glad Poe brought it up. "It's whatever. I could've helped you sooner if you said something, though."
"You're right, dear…I'm sorry," he says quietly. He sounds like he's starting to fall asleep. "I'll remember for next time…"
Ranpo offers a hand to help him up. His legs are shaky and he leans on Ranpo for support most of the way, and Ranpo helps him back into bed, too.
And then comes Karl, again, with a washcloth, at least allowing Ranpo the dignity of going to run it under the sink himself. He would really start getting suspicious if the raccoon had done that. He brings it back and brushes Poe's hair away from his forehead, meeting his gaze again. He's trapped there for a few seconds, wondering why Poe is staring at him like that before he turns his head again.
"Your eyes are too much for me right now, I'm afraid," he stammers, sounding embarrassed. Ranpo thinks his pink cheeks even deepen a shade or two.
Ranpo, somehow, had nothing to say to that. He's almost embarrassed himself. He lays the washcloth on his forehead, to which a shiver takes over Poe's frame, only to relax a few seconds later. Karl curls up on his pillow right beside his head.
"Thank you, dear," he says quietly just after his eyes fall shut. Ranpo isn't sure if he's talking to him or the raccoon.
"The doctor'll be here soon," Ranpo reminds him as he sits beside him on the edge of the bed.
"I'll just shut my eyes for a bit," Poe tells him, already sounding half asleep. Ranpo figures he's exhausted from all that vomiting. It probably wouldn't hurt to get a few minutes of rest where he can get them.
Poe stretches a hand out, albeit weakly, in Ranpo's direction. Ranpo is confused at first, wondering if he's asking for something, but he's done this before. He wants him to hold his hand. Ranpo takes it. His hand is warm.
He's not really sure what to make of the heat that he feels in his cheeks and ears, he just hopes it's not a fever too.