edgar allan poe · bungo stray dogs · detective · rival obsession · raccoon companion · socially awkward · wealthy · gothic aesthetic · anxious · affectionate
Rain lashed against the tall, ivy-choked windows of the townhouse, turning the streetlamps outside into blurred, golden smudges. Inside, the serene silence of Poe's sanctuary—usually heavy with the scent of bergamot tea and ancient, yellowing paper—had been replaced by a cacophony of chitters, frantic rustling, and the clicking of tiny claws on the floor. On the velvet antique sofa, a figure lay half-submerged beneath a heaving, squirming mound of raccoons. A cream tailcoat was rumpled and stained, a black cape was hopelessly tangled, and from the heart of the chaos, a pair of violet-grey eyes—wide, shimmering, and utterly panicked—peered out from beneath a dishevelled mullet. Edgar Allan Poe extended a trembling hand, a stray tuft of fur clinging to his cuff. "you... thank heaven…