Being in love is difficult
folder
+M to R › Pet Shop of Horrors
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
6
Views:
4,268
Reviews:
20
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
2
Category:
+M to R › Pet Shop of Horrors
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
6
Views:
4,268
Reviews:
20
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
2
Disclaimer:
Pet Shop of Horrors is not mine. I'm not making any money from writing this fic. I’m only using the characters to have some fun! XD
Chapter 2
Here you have the next chapter. :) I hope you’ll like it.
Disclaimer: The original story is not mine. I'm only using it to have some fun! XD
Warnings: Another safe chapter. Well... maybe cursing. ;)
Review reply:
wizli: I like D that way. ;) And the club will get D into some serious trouble. XD And I think you'll find out soon what Leon thinks about D going undercover. :D
Candy_Flapjack: I'm happy you think this fic's good. XD I'm trying and I hope I won't disappoint you. ;)
Megalodon: I'm very happy you think so highly about this little fic of mine. XD I'm only writing this fic the way I like fics and it looks like we have similar taste. ;)
Tati: You'll soon find out. Just a little bit of patience. XD
Thank you for all the reviews! And sorry it took so long to update. *bows*
Chapter 2
Mr. Mason
“I wish you much luck with your new pet, madam. Good bye!” D watched as the elegant middle aged lady exited the shop with her new pet that could make her dreams come true and wondered how long would it take for her to end up dead. He doubted that she had enough will power to survive, to take proper care of her pet. In his long life he had met many people that were too weak to have those pets of his that could make humans’ dreams come true without it ending in disaster. Almost all of the people died, but there was a fair amount of humans that could take really good care of his pets. They returned to him only when their owner died a natural death long years after buying the pet.
D liked those humans, not as much as he liked Detective Orcot, but enough to think that they were good examples of human kind. Too bad he couldn’t say the same about Leon. He highly doubted that the Detective would make a good example for humanity. He knew that while Chris was living with Leon the child had not learned anything useful from his brother. He was better off with his aunt and uncle. That D and his pets really missed him didn’t matter much. The most important thing was that Chris could live a happy, normal life, and if he had stayed here his life wouldn’t have been normal at all.
The shop was so much more silent now. That was one of the reasons D missed Leon so much recently. He had gotten used to constant laughter, voices speaking and teasing, so retuning to the state he had lived in before Leon came into his life was unbearable. He hoped that the Chief would give Leon a day off and that the Detective would be willing to spend that day with him. No matter how much D missed Leon’s presence he didn’t want the other to be here only because Leon felt pressured to come visit D.
The Kami started to regret agreeing to help the police. He suspected the Chief would simply order Leon to spend some time with D so that they could have his help. D thought that right now if the Detective showed up on his doorsteps because the Chief told him to D would feel really betrayed and hurt. Even so, he wanted to see Leon. It was irrational on his part, but no matter how much he tried to stop himself from thinking, and most importantly feeling lonely, he couldn’t. He knew he wasn’t alone; he had so many pets that loved him, but still he felt lonely without the Detective.
It was starting to annoy D very badly. He wished Leon would show up at the shop so that D could give him a piece of his mind, because apparently the detective didn’t require D’s presence as much as D required Leon’s. It was making D furious. It was now three days since he visited the police station and Leon hadn’t come, even for five minutes. D didn’t want much. Just a few minutes would be enough, so why wasn’t Leon coming? D sighed. He didn’t recognize himself anymore. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking about Leon whenever he had time and even when he should be doing other things.
“Count D? Is everything all right?” asked T-chan, looking concerned. He entered the room and saw the Count spacing out again.
“Of course T-chan. I’m perfectly fine. You don’t have to worry about me,” said D with a smile. The totetsu had startled him out of his thoughts, but he didn’t show it. Or at least he hoped so.
“But… you’re behaving totally weird, Count. Everyone noticed it! Please, if something is wrong tell us. We’ll help,” assured the little creature looking at D with big honest eyes.
D shook his head. He felt a sudden flow of emotions toward the totetsu. He hadn’t realized that his pets had noticed his weird behavior, or at least he thought that he was being weird only on the inside and that it didn’t affect the outside. Apparently he was wrong and now had the whole shop worrying about him. ‘I must pull myself together, if only for my pets.’
“Everything is really fine T-chan. If I need your help I’ll say so. I promise,” he smiled to his little friend. Tetsu looked at him for awhile then nodded and smiled himself. D loved his pets and didn’t want his weird mood to have any influence on them.
“We’ll close the shop for today and make a hot cup of tea and maybe a small dessert. What do you think T-chan?” asked D.
T-chan nodded enthusiastically and followed D to the kitchen.
*** ***
It was now five days since D had visited the police station. His pets had started to seriously worry about him. They didn’t say anything but they saw that something was wrong with their beloved Count. D took care of them the way he always had, but his smile was forced most of the time. They could tell that he was doing everything to hide it, but they were very perceptive and sensed his mood. They knew something was wrong, but they couldn’t tell what it was. D was always a secretive creature and reading him was always very hard, but this time it seemed that even he didn’t know what the matter with him was. They could see that he was most disturbed by something and wondered what that might be.
D considered going to the police station once more. He had an excuse for it. If he really wanted to help the police with the ‘La Volupté’ case he should be doing something to become a member of the club. D hadn’t started anything yet, hadn’t even started to search for the club. He hoped that when Detective Orcot showed up at the shop he would tell D everything he needed to know, but Leon hadn’t come yet. D convinced himself that he wouldn’t wait anymore, that every time the door was opened he wouldn’t hope it was Leon walking into the shop.
This time was the same. Someone came into the shop, and D came to greet him and was disappointed that it wasn’t Leon. It was an old customer of his. D remembered selling him a spaniel for his wife. The man was younger than he looked and he looked to be in his middle thirties. D tried to remember his name. ‘Who was it again? Grayson? Jason? Mason.’
“Welcome to my shop Mr. Mason. How can I help you this time?” D bowed politely and waited for the other to speak.
“Count D! Good evening! I’m surprised you remembered my name. I haven’t visited the shop for so long. I thought you had forgotten all about me,” the man said with a fake smile.
D didn’t like him all those years ago and he certainly didn’t like him now, but he was a customer.
D smiled politely and replied, “I have a good memory, Mr. Mason. To what do I owe your visit today? If I remember correctly you bought a puppy all those years ago. It was a spaniel, right? How is he doing?” he asked. When D talked about the animals he could talk to anybody. He just had to concentrate on them and not on the human he talked with.
“Unfortunately, the dog is dead. There was a really nasty accident he got himself involved with and there was nothing anyone could do to save him,” the man said sadly, but D noticed that he lacked sincerity.
“That’s really sad, sir. I hope you’re all right and not mourning too much?” D knew perfectly well that the man didn’t miss his dog at all. He even suspected that the man had had something to do with that ‘accident’ that killed the poor spaniel, but he didn’t say anything.
“I’ll manage, but my wife misses Sparkle so much that I thought that I would buy her another dog. And where would I find better animals than in your shop, dear Count?”
The man was too cunning, too sweet talking. For a moment D considered selling him one of his special pets, but thought better of it. Mason wouldn’t be the one caring for the pet. His wife would do all the work, and apparently the poor human needed somebody lovable by her side.
“I think if you’ll tell me more about your wife we could find the perfect pet for her,” he suggested. He was curious what the human would tell him. He didn’t need the information. He had already made up his mind which puppy he would sell for Mrs. Mason, but he just wanted to make sure his suspicions were right.
“Anything that is sweet and would require a lot of time to care for will do, Count,” the man laughed. He didn’t say anything more. It looked like he wasn’t too comfortable talking about his wife. It didn’t even look like he wanted to talk about her at all.
‘Poor human being wed to this man,’ D sighed inwardly.
“Of course, follow me, please,” D smiled his fake smile and went with the human trailing him to one of the many rooms in the back of the shop.
When they came back several minutes later Mason had a small puppy in his arms. It was a German Shepherd so the puppy wasn’t that small, but that didn’t matter. D thought that the man’s wife would love this puppy and the dog would make her feel loved since her husband didn’t love her at all. D was now certain of it.
“Thank you, Count. I knew I could count on you,” he said holding the puppy as if he feared the dog would run away from him.
D wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. “It’s quite all right, Mr. Mason. I’m here to sell animals to people that need them, so there is no reason to thank me,” D had his fake smile plastered to his lips and wished that the man would take his leave very soon. Then D would make himself a cup of tea and eat some sweets. Maybe that would improve his drastically sunken mood. D really doubted that he could feel worse.
“You really are a wonder, Count,” the man didn’t give any indication that he would leave soon. He stood there and looked at D, thinking intensely. D didn’t like the look the other was giving him. He could see lust in the human’s eyes, but there was also something darker there that D couldn’t quite distinguish.
“Say, Count. I have an idea. I’m a member of a new elite club in this town. I was just thinking that it would be really great if I could meet you there,” the human said at last.
D froze. Such coincidences didn’t happen. He didn’t believe in coincidences anyway. There was just no way that the club Mason was talking about was ‘La Volupté’.
“That’s a very nice thing to say, Mr. Mason. I appreciate it –”
The human cut off D’s attempts to refuse the offer. “Before you turn me down, let me tell you a bit about the club, Count. I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t think you would enjoy your time there, really. There you will find very intelligent and polite people. My friend runs the place so there will be no trouble making you a member, although I think that even without my help you would be allowed to join. This way will be easier and more convenient. You won’t need to fill out any forms and answer any questions. My word would be enough,” Mason said convincingly.
D could tell that the other man was stubborn and wanted D to agree no matter what. “And can I know the club‘s name?” ‘It would be too good if he’s talking about the same club.’
“Ah! I should have said it earlier. The club’s name is ‘La Volupté’,” said Mason proudly as if he was the owner of it.
Upon hearing the name, D became really interested in the topic. This could be his chance to get in without much of a fuss. He didn’t like the thought of owing this human anything for making a smooth entry for him. However, remembering Leon’s Chief’s words about most of the club’s members’ natures, he thought that he wouldn’t like the questions he would have had to answer. ‘He’s the owner’s friend. That can be useful. If I’m lucky he won’t even know that I know a certain Detective that I won’t defend from T-chan’s teeth when he comes by next time...’
“I heard a bit about that club. Do you really think I would fit in?” asked D, uncertainty clear in his voice. It was time to show his acting skills.
“Yes! Definitely! Please, Count, say that you would at least consider it,” pleaded the human.
“But… I don’t want to inconvenience you, Mr. Mason, and bore you with my person.” D still sounded uncertain, but he added a bit of hopefulness to his voice. He wanted to show that he was interested although not so certain.
“That will be a pleasure, Count! Such a small favor for you for finding me this little fellow here.” He petted the puppy. “It’s really not much.”
“Why thank you, Mr. Mason. I will consider your offer,” D smiled his perfect smile.
“I’m glad. I’ll contact you in a week or so. I hope that’s enough time?” Mason asked hopefully.
“Yes, that will be enough, thank you. Good bye.” D saw Mason out.
“Then I’ll contact you in a week, Count. Good bye.”
The man left the shop and D went to sit on his favorite chair. He though about making himself a cup of tea, but T-chan and Pon-chan came to him.
“Count, what are you doing? Will you really consider joining that club?” Pon-chan asked, bewildered.
“I have decided to join already. Only I don’t want it to look as if I’m too eager to be a member of it,” corrected D.
“I see. But why?” T-chan asked. He didn’t understand his Count any better than Pon-chan. Both of the pets wanted to know what caused this suspicious behavior.
“I have my reasons, T-chan.” Before the totetsu could ask another question, D continued, “Apparently there is something going on in that club and I was asked to look into it if I can. Mr. Mason can help me with becoming a member. That would spare me some inconvenience.”
“Yes, but why are you doing it, Count?” T-chan asked again. The whole situation didn’t make any sense to him. The Count wasn’t a person who would mix himself up in these kinds of things. He didn’t care about humans, right? So why was he ‘looking into it’?
D considered his answer. Why was he doing it? Because it was fun, it would take his mind off of Detective Orcot and he could even find new clients for his shop. That was his reasoning and he could tell his logic was good enough, but there was something more behind his helping the police. He knew it. He didn’t want to think about it too much. He wasn’t so sure if he would like the answer.
“I wonder myself,” he murmured to nobody in particular.
T-chan and Pon-can looked at each other, but didn’t ask another question. They only sat there with their beloved master, keeping him company as D thought very intently about his life and how it ought to be but wasn’t.
*** ***
The next day was very sunny, with only light wind and a few white clouds. It was really a lovely day. D was in a better mood than the past few days. He sat drinking his afternoon tea when the door of his shop opened to reveal Detective Orcot. D was so surprised that he forgot for a brief second that he held a tea cup in his hands, but he quickly came to himself.
“Yo, D! Long time no see!” was Leon’s greeting. The human walked into the shop as if he was an inhabitant of the shop just like all the animals living there.
“Detective! I thought you had forgotten the way to my shop,” D hoped that the anger that he suddenly felt didn’t show, at least not too much. He watched the Detective as the other sat down at his regular place and relaxed his muscles. D noticed suddenly that Leon had a nice build, but before that thought could properly register the human spoke.
“Very funny, D. Very funny, I haven’t had any time off for so long that I even forgot that I had anything else in my apartment other than my bed,” said Leon grumbling a bit. He looked at D as if waiting for the other to say something.
“I’m very sorry to hear that, Detective,” D knew that he didn’t sound sorry at all, but a temper that he didn’t know he had was getting the better of him. He knew they were about to start yet another fight, and after so long he wasn’t sure if he wanted to fight with the Detective. He became too relaxed while Leon was around and watching his words and actions was becoming too hard for D.
“No, you’re not. I know you, D. Man, I’m sorry I didn’t come here for so long. I really needed to relax in the shop and if I could have found the time to do so I really would have.”
The mood lightened a bit when Leon handed a neatly packed box to D. The Kami was easily bribed, so he melted almost instantly. He knew that he could always count on Leon’s good taste in sweets. Although the man didn’t like them even half as much as D, he knew which ones D would enjoy the most and bought them, to D’s immense happiness.
“Can’t be helped. I know you had much work to do. I was at the station the other day,” said D, placated. He took the box from the Detective and handed him a cup of tea. After looking into the box and seeing his favorite éclairs, D smiled a real, joyful smile. He refilled his own cup of tea, and after making sure that the Detective wouldn’t want anything from the box, he started to consume his treat. The éclairs that Leon brought were expensive, but D liked them very much. ‘I’m happy he spends his money on sweets for me. It’s better than the sort of magazines he would buy with them.’
“Jill told me you were at the station.” Leon’s voice brought D back to reality. “Too bad we didn’t see each other,” Leon sighed.
D looked up and noticed that Leon was watching him. He felt his cheeks flush, but willed it away.
“My, my, detective. Do you want to tell me that you actually missed me?” D couldn’t stop himself. He must tease Leon. The last time he had done it was too long ago. He really missed their constant bickering about nothing and everything.
“Sure! You’re my favorite crime suspect,” the Detective mocked. “During the time I’m not here I always think that maybe right at that moment you’re dealing drugs or some other shit,” Leon smirked.
D sighed. ‘Will he ever learn to speak properly?’ he wondered. Suddenly he heard the detective‘s yell.
“You damn goat! What the hell! You bit me again! What did I do now to deserve it?!”
Leon was yelling at T-chan who was growling at the human. D saw clearly that the totetsu wanted to bite the Detective again, but Leon was watching his pet warily and D knew that his dear Detective wouldn’t let T-chan bite him again. ‘At least not today.’
“Maybe T-chan doesn’t like your language as much as I?” suggested D innocently, although he thought that the totetsu bit him because Leon was accusing D again.
“Yeah? Sorry.” Leon shook his head and told the totetsu. “Sheesh, give me a break, will’ ya? I’ll be good. The next time I come by I’ll bring you something too,” the Detective promised.
D couldn’t help but smile. It looked like Detective Orcot wanted to bribe one of his pets. ‘I can just picture Leon bringing T-chan his favorite meal, a human.’ D giggled without even realizing it.
“What’s so funny?” asked Leon again, watching D.
“Pardon?” D couldn’t quite understand why Leon had asked him such a question.
“I asked what’s so funny. You were giggling, D.”
“Oh! Was I?” D was a bit confused by Leon’s answer. He hadn’t noticed doing something like that. “It was nothing important. I’m just curious what you will give my T-chan to make him like you more,” said D happily. His mood had definitely improved and he wanted to play their old game of driving one another crazy.
“Dunno. You’re the expert. I’ll just ask you what he likes,” the human shrugged.
D smiled. ‘I’m very curious what you would do, my dear Detective, if I told you the truth. That would be really amusing.’
“So?” Leon asked.
Since D was once again lost in thought, he cast Detective Orcot a questioning look.
“What would that goat-thing like?” Leon watched D once again, this time with a curious and somewhat worried expression on his face.
D didn’t understand what that look meant. It was something that happened very rarely. Normally he could read the Detective like an open book, but this time he was at a loss about what that particular look meant.
“I really doubt that you would find something suitable for T-chan even with my help,” he said diplomatically.
“Fine. I wanted to make peace with your pet, but if you don’t want to help then why should I bother?” Leon grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
This reminded D of Chris. The brothers made some of the same gestures, although the older Orcot should have grown out of some of them years ago. Just like this one he made right now. As very adorable as it was, Leon was a bit too old for it. At least that was what D thought. ‘He’s just like a big child, my Detective,’ noted D, feeling very affectionate towards the human right at that moment. But still it was not like Leon to act like that. D thought for a while and couldn’t remember Leon ever acting like a child.
“Dear Detective, what is the matter with you? You’re not acting like yourself today.” ‘But you remind me of Chris,’ he added in his head. This time he was the one watching Leon.
“You’re one to talk! You’re spacing out the whole time, D!” the human accused.
“I just have a lot on my mind.” D didn’t know why he was even explaining himself. He could tell that he himself wasn’t acting normally, but he was determined to change it and be himself again.
“Like what?” asked the human suspiciously.
“Is this some kind of interrogation?” D answered with his own question. He had so much on his mind that he wouldn’t have known how to answer Leon’s question.
“Of course not! I just asked. I’m a bit out of the latest gossip around here, if you didn’t notice. Wait, you did notice that I wasn’t around, right?” Leon mocked.
That stung a bit. He knew Leon didn’t say it to hurt D, but he felt uncomfortable and a bit betrayed. He went to the station because he missed Leon, and here the same human which he went there for said that he didn’t even notice his absence in the shop. D could understand that Leon didn’t know what was going on around the shop, but he didn’t like it at all. Detective Orcot should have been coming to the shop like he always had. He wouldn’t need to question D now if he had.
“In a week I’ll become a member of ‘La Volupté’,” he said simply. D didn’t know why he had said that. Maybe it was because he wanted to know if the Chief really sent Leon here to make D more cooperative and if Leon was nothing more than acting the whole time. ‘Maybe that’s why he’s behaving so oddly.’ D feared that it was the case here, but at the same time hoped that it wasn’t. His dear Detective’s reaction to his statement nearly shocked the Kami to the bones.
“You… WHAT?!” Leon roared, nearly deafening D.
Note: This is the second chapter. As you could see Leon appeared finally at the end of the chapter. He seems a bit childish (or is it only my imagination?), but there is a reason for his behavior so please put up with me and I’ll explain what I can in the next chapter!
I hope you liked it. I know it’s not perfect. Nothing much happens here, but I needed to write how D ends up becoming a member of the club. And Leon’s reaction is very important for the development of the plot. I won’t say anything more. ;) Now you can tell me what you think.
Disclaimer: The original story is not mine. I'm only using it to have some fun! XD
Warnings: Another safe chapter. Well... maybe cursing. ;)
Review reply:
wizli: I like D that way. ;) And the club will get D into some serious trouble. XD And I think you'll find out soon what Leon thinks about D going undercover. :D
Candy_Flapjack: I'm happy you think this fic's good. XD I'm trying and I hope I won't disappoint you. ;)
Megalodon: I'm very happy you think so highly about this little fic of mine. XD I'm only writing this fic the way I like fics and it looks like we have similar taste. ;)
Tati: You'll soon find out. Just a little bit of patience. XD
Thank you for all the reviews! And sorry it took so long to update. *bows*
“I wish you much luck with your new pet, madam. Good bye!” D watched as the elegant middle aged lady exited the shop with her new pet that could make her dreams come true and wondered how long would it take for her to end up dead. He doubted that she had enough will power to survive, to take proper care of her pet. In his long life he had met many people that were too weak to have those pets of his that could make humans’ dreams come true without it ending in disaster. Almost all of the people died, but there was a fair amount of humans that could take really good care of his pets. They returned to him only when their owner died a natural death long years after buying the pet.
D liked those humans, not as much as he liked Detective Orcot, but enough to think that they were good examples of human kind. Too bad he couldn’t say the same about Leon. He highly doubted that the Detective would make a good example for humanity. He knew that while Chris was living with Leon the child had not learned anything useful from his brother. He was better off with his aunt and uncle. That D and his pets really missed him didn’t matter much. The most important thing was that Chris could live a happy, normal life, and if he had stayed here his life wouldn’t have been normal at all.
The shop was so much more silent now. That was one of the reasons D missed Leon so much recently. He had gotten used to constant laughter, voices speaking and teasing, so retuning to the state he had lived in before Leon came into his life was unbearable. He hoped that the Chief would give Leon a day off and that the Detective would be willing to spend that day with him. No matter how much D missed Leon’s presence he didn’t want the other to be here only because Leon felt pressured to come visit D.
The Kami started to regret agreeing to help the police. He suspected the Chief would simply order Leon to spend some time with D so that they could have his help. D thought that right now if the Detective showed up on his doorsteps because the Chief told him to D would feel really betrayed and hurt. Even so, he wanted to see Leon. It was irrational on his part, but no matter how much he tried to stop himself from thinking, and most importantly feeling lonely, he couldn’t. He knew he wasn’t alone; he had so many pets that loved him, but still he felt lonely without the Detective.
It was starting to annoy D very badly. He wished Leon would show up at the shop so that D could give him a piece of his mind, because apparently the detective didn’t require D’s presence as much as D required Leon’s. It was making D furious. It was now three days since he visited the police station and Leon hadn’t come, even for five minutes. D didn’t want much. Just a few minutes would be enough, so why wasn’t Leon coming? D sighed. He didn’t recognize himself anymore. He couldn’t stop himself from thinking about Leon whenever he had time and even when he should be doing other things.
“Count D? Is everything all right?” asked T-chan, looking concerned. He entered the room and saw the Count spacing out again.
“Of course T-chan. I’m perfectly fine. You don’t have to worry about me,” said D with a smile. The totetsu had startled him out of his thoughts, but he didn’t show it. Or at least he hoped so.
“But… you’re behaving totally weird, Count. Everyone noticed it! Please, if something is wrong tell us. We’ll help,” assured the little creature looking at D with big honest eyes.
D shook his head. He felt a sudden flow of emotions toward the totetsu. He hadn’t realized that his pets had noticed his weird behavior, or at least he thought that he was being weird only on the inside and that it didn’t affect the outside. Apparently he was wrong and now had the whole shop worrying about him. ‘I must pull myself together, if only for my pets.’
“Everything is really fine T-chan. If I need your help I’ll say so. I promise,” he smiled to his little friend. Tetsu looked at him for awhile then nodded and smiled himself. D loved his pets and didn’t want his weird mood to have any influence on them.
“We’ll close the shop for today and make a hot cup of tea and maybe a small dessert. What do you think T-chan?” asked D.
T-chan nodded enthusiastically and followed D to the kitchen.
It was now five days since D had visited the police station. His pets had started to seriously worry about him. They didn’t say anything but they saw that something was wrong with their beloved Count. D took care of them the way he always had, but his smile was forced most of the time. They could tell that he was doing everything to hide it, but they were very perceptive and sensed his mood. They knew something was wrong, but they couldn’t tell what it was. D was always a secretive creature and reading him was always very hard, but this time it seemed that even he didn’t know what the matter with him was. They could see that he was most disturbed by something and wondered what that might be.
D considered going to the police station once more. He had an excuse for it. If he really wanted to help the police with the ‘La Volupté’ case he should be doing something to become a member of the club. D hadn’t started anything yet, hadn’t even started to search for the club. He hoped that when Detective Orcot showed up at the shop he would tell D everything he needed to know, but Leon hadn’t come yet. D convinced himself that he wouldn’t wait anymore, that every time the door was opened he wouldn’t hope it was Leon walking into the shop.
This time was the same. Someone came into the shop, and D came to greet him and was disappointed that it wasn’t Leon. It was an old customer of his. D remembered selling him a spaniel for his wife. The man was younger than he looked and he looked to be in his middle thirties. D tried to remember his name. ‘Who was it again? Grayson? Jason? Mason.’
“Welcome to my shop Mr. Mason. How can I help you this time?” D bowed politely and waited for the other to speak.
“Count D! Good evening! I’m surprised you remembered my name. I haven’t visited the shop for so long. I thought you had forgotten all about me,” the man said with a fake smile.
D didn’t like him all those years ago and he certainly didn’t like him now, but he was a customer.
D smiled politely and replied, “I have a good memory, Mr. Mason. To what do I owe your visit today? If I remember correctly you bought a puppy all those years ago. It was a spaniel, right? How is he doing?” he asked. When D talked about the animals he could talk to anybody. He just had to concentrate on them and not on the human he talked with.
“Unfortunately, the dog is dead. There was a really nasty accident he got himself involved with and there was nothing anyone could do to save him,” the man said sadly, but D noticed that he lacked sincerity.
“That’s really sad, sir. I hope you’re all right and not mourning too much?” D knew perfectly well that the man didn’t miss his dog at all. He even suspected that the man had had something to do with that ‘accident’ that killed the poor spaniel, but he didn’t say anything.
“I’ll manage, but my wife misses Sparkle so much that I thought that I would buy her another dog. And where would I find better animals than in your shop, dear Count?”
The man was too cunning, too sweet talking. For a moment D considered selling him one of his special pets, but thought better of it. Mason wouldn’t be the one caring for the pet. His wife would do all the work, and apparently the poor human needed somebody lovable by her side.
“I think if you’ll tell me more about your wife we could find the perfect pet for her,” he suggested. He was curious what the human would tell him. He didn’t need the information. He had already made up his mind which puppy he would sell for Mrs. Mason, but he just wanted to make sure his suspicions were right.
“Anything that is sweet and would require a lot of time to care for will do, Count,” the man laughed. He didn’t say anything more. It looked like he wasn’t too comfortable talking about his wife. It didn’t even look like he wanted to talk about her at all.
‘Poor human being wed to this man,’ D sighed inwardly.
“Of course, follow me, please,” D smiled his fake smile and went with the human trailing him to one of the many rooms in the back of the shop.
When they came back several minutes later Mason had a small puppy in his arms. It was a German Shepherd so the puppy wasn’t that small, but that didn’t matter. D thought that the man’s wife would love this puppy and the dog would make her feel loved since her husband didn’t love her at all. D was now certain of it.
“Thank you, Count. I knew I could count on you,” he said holding the puppy as if he feared the dog would run away from him.
D wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. “It’s quite all right, Mr. Mason. I’m here to sell animals to people that need them, so there is no reason to thank me,” D had his fake smile plastered to his lips and wished that the man would take his leave very soon. Then D would make himself a cup of tea and eat some sweets. Maybe that would improve his drastically sunken mood. D really doubted that he could feel worse.
“You really are a wonder, Count,” the man didn’t give any indication that he would leave soon. He stood there and looked at D, thinking intensely. D didn’t like the look the other was giving him. He could see lust in the human’s eyes, but there was also something darker there that D couldn’t quite distinguish.
“Say, Count. I have an idea. I’m a member of a new elite club in this town. I was just thinking that it would be really great if I could meet you there,” the human said at last.
D froze. Such coincidences didn’t happen. He didn’t believe in coincidences anyway. There was just no way that the club Mason was talking about was ‘La Volupté’.
“That’s a very nice thing to say, Mr. Mason. I appreciate it –”
The human cut off D’s attempts to refuse the offer. “Before you turn me down, let me tell you a bit about the club, Count. I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t think you would enjoy your time there, really. There you will find very intelligent and polite people. My friend runs the place so there will be no trouble making you a member, although I think that even without my help you would be allowed to join. This way will be easier and more convenient. You won’t need to fill out any forms and answer any questions. My word would be enough,” Mason said convincingly.
D could tell that the other man was stubborn and wanted D to agree no matter what. “And can I know the club‘s name?” ‘It would be too good if he’s talking about the same club.’
“Ah! I should have said it earlier. The club’s name is ‘La Volupté’,” said Mason proudly as if he was the owner of it.
Upon hearing the name, D became really interested in the topic. This could be his chance to get in without much of a fuss. He didn’t like the thought of owing this human anything for making a smooth entry for him. However, remembering Leon’s Chief’s words about most of the club’s members’ natures, he thought that he wouldn’t like the questions he would have had to answer. ‘He’s the owner’s friend. That can be useful. If I’m lucky he won’t even know that I know a certain Detective that I won’t defend from T-chan’s teeth when he comes by next time...’
“I heard a bit about that club. Do you really think I would fit in?” asked D, uncertainty clear in his voice. It was time to show his acting skills.
“Yes! Definitely! Please, Count, say that you would at least consider it,” pleaded the human.
“But… I don’t want to inconvenience you, Mr. Mason, and bore you with my person.” D still sounded uncertain, but he added a bit of hopefulness to his voice. He wanted to show that he was interested although not so certain.
“That will be a pleasure, Count! Such a small favor for you for finding me this little fellow here.” He petted the puppy. “It’s really not much.”
“Why thank you, Mr. Mason. I will consider your offer,” D smiled his perfect smile.
“I’m glad. I’ll contact you in a week or so. I hope that’s enough time?” Mason asked hopefully.
“Yes, that will be enough, thank you. Good bye.” D saw Mason out.
“Then I’ll contact you in a week, Count. Good bye.”
The man left the shop and D went to sit on his favorite chair. He though about making himself a cup of tea, but T-chan and Pon-chan came to him.
“Count, what are you doing? Will you really consider joining that club?” Pon-chan asked, bewildered.
“I have decided to join already. Only I don’t want it to look as if I’m too eager to be a member of it,” corrected D.
“I see. But why?” T-chan asked. He didn’t understand his Count any better than Pon-chan. Both of the pets wanted to know what caused this suspicious behavior.
“I have my reasons, T-chan.” Before the totetsu could ask another question, D continued, “Apparently there is something going on in that club and I was asked to look into it if I can. Mr. Mason can help me with becoming a member. That would spare me some inconvenience.”
“Yes, but why are you doing it, Count?” T-chan asked again. The whole situation didn’t make any sense to him. The Count wasn’t a person who would mix himself up in these kinds of things. He didn’t care about humans, right? So why was he ‘looking into it’?
D considered his answer. Why was he doing it? Because it was fun, it would take his mind off of Detective Orcot and he could even find new clients for his shop. That was his reasoning and he could tell his logic was good enough, but there was something more behind his helping the police. He knew it. He didn’t want to think about it too much. He wasn’t so sure if he would like the answer.
“I wonder myself,” he murmured to nobody in particular.
T-chan and Pon-can looked at each other, but didn’t ask another question. They only sat there with their beloved master, keeping him company as D thought very intently about his life and how it ought to be but wasn’t.
The next day was very sunny, with only light wind and a few white clouds. It was really a lovely day. D was in a better mood than the past few days. He sat drinking his afternoon tea when the door of his shop opened to reveal Detective Orcot. D was so surprised that he forgot for a brief second that he held a tea cup in his hands, but he quickly came to himself.
“Yo, D! Long time no see!” was Leon’s greeting. The human walked into the shop as if he was an inhabitant of the shop just like all the animals living there.
“Detective! I thought you had forgotten the way to my shop,” D hoped that the anger that he suddenly felt didn’t show, at least not too much. He watched the Detective as the other sat down at his regular place and relaxed his muscles. D noticed suddenly that Leon had a nice build, but before that thought could properly register the human spoke.
“Very funny, D. Very funny, I haven’t had any time off for so long that I even forgot that I had anything else in my apartment other than my bed,” said Leon grumbling a bit. He looked at D as if waiting for the other to say something.
“I’m very sorry to hear that, Detective,” D knew that he didn’t sound sorry at all, but a temper that he didn’t know he had was getting the better of him. He knew they were about to start yet another fight, and after so long he wasn’t sure if he wanted to fight with the Detective. He became too relaxed while Leon was around and watching his words and actions was becoming too hard for D.
“No, you’re not. I know you, D. Man, I’m sorry I didn’t come here for so long. I really needed to relax in the shop and if I could have found the time to do so I really would have.”
The mood lightened a bit when Leon handed a neatly packed box to D. The Kami was easily bribed, so he melted almost instantly. He knew that he could always count on Leon’s good taste in sweets. Although the man didn’t like them even half as much as D, he knew which ones D would enjoy the most and bought them, to D’s immense happiness.
“Can’t be helped. I know you had much work to do. I was at the station the other day,” said D, placated. He took the box from the Detective and handed him a cup of tea. After looking into the box and seeing his favorite éclairs, D smiled a real, joyful smile. He refilled his own cup of tea, and after making sure that the Detective wouldn’t want anything from the box, he started to consume his treat. The éclairs that Leon brought were expensive, but D liked them very much. ‘I’m happy he spends his money on sweets for me. It’s better than the sort of magazines he would buy with them.’
“Jill told me you were at the station.” Leon’s voice brought D back to reality. “Too bad we didn’t see each other,” Leon sighed.
D looked up and noticed that Leon was watching him. He felt his cheeks flush, but willed it away.
“My, my, detective. Do you want to tell me that you actually missed me?” D couldn’t stop himself. He must tease Leon. The last time he had done it was too long ago. He really missed their constant bickering about nothing and everything.
“Sure! You’re my favorite crime suspect,” the Detective mocked. “During the time I’m not here I always think that maybe right at that moment you’re dealing drugs or some other shit,” Leon smirked.
D sighed. ‘Will he ever learn to speak properly?’ he wondered. Suddenly he heard the detective‘s yell.
“You damn goat! What the hell! You bit me again! What did I do now to deserve it?!”
Leon was yelling at T-chan who was growling at the human. D saw clearly that the totetsu wanted to bite the Detective again, but Leon was watching his pet warily and D knew that his dear Detective wouldn’t let T-chan bite him again. ‘At least not today.’
“Maybe T-chan doesn’t like your language as much as I?” suggested D innocently, although he thought that the totetsu bit him because Leon was accusing D again.
“Yeah? Sorry.” Leon shook his head and told the totetsu. “Sheesh, give me a break, will’ ya? I’ll be good. The next time I come by I’ll bring you something too,” the Detective promised.
D couldn’t help but smile. It looked like Detective Orcot wanted to bribe one of his pets. ‘I can just picture Leon bringing T-chan his favorite meal, a human.’ D giggled without even realizing it.
“What’s so funny?” asked Leon again, watching D.
“Pardon?” D couldn’t quite understand why Leon had asked him such a question.
“I asked what’s so funny. You were giggling, D.”
“Oh! Was I?” D was a bit confused by Leon’s answer. He hadn’t noticed doing something like that. “It was nothing important. I’m just curious what you will give my T-chan to make him like you more,” said D happily. His mood had definitely improved and he wanted to play their old game of driving one another crazy.
“Dunno. You’re the expert. I’ll just ask you what he likes,” the human shrugged.
D smiled. ‘I’m very curious what you would do, my dear Detective, if I told you the truth. That would be really amusing.’
“So?” Leon asked.
Since D was once again lost in thought, he cast Detective Orcot a questioning look.
“What would that goat-thing like?” Leon watched D once again, this time with a curious and somewhat worried expression on his face.
D didn’t understand what that look meant. It was something that happened very rarely. Normally he could read the Detective like an open book, but this time he was at a loss about what that particular look meant.
“I really doubt that you would find something suitable for T-chan even with my help,” he said diplomatically.
“Fine. I wanted to make peace with your pet, but if you don’t want to help then why should I bother?” Leon grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.
This reminded D of Chris. The brothers made some of the same gestures, although the older Orcot should have grown out of some of them years ago. Just like this one he made right now. As very adorable as it was, Leon was a bit too old for it. At least that was what D thought. ‘He’s just like a big child, my Detective,’ noted D, feeling very affectionate towards the human right at that moment. But still it was not like Leon to act like that. D thought for a while and couldn’t remember Leon ever acting like a child.
“Dear Detective, what is the matter with you? You’re not acting like yourself today.” ‘But you remind me of Chris,’ he added in his head. This time he was the one watching Leon.
“You’re one to talk! You’re spacing out the whole time, D!” the human accused.
“I just have a lot on my mind.” D didn’t know why he was even explaining himself. He could tell that he himself wasn’t acting normally, but he was determined to change it and be himself again.
“Like what?” asked the human suspiciously.
“Is this some kind of interrogation?” D answered with his own question. He had so much on his mind that he wouldn’t have known how to answer Leon’s question.
“Of course not! I just asked. I’m a bit out of the latest gossip around here, if you didn’t notice. Wait, you did notice that I wasn’t around, right?” Leon mocked.
That stung a bit. He knew Leon didn’t say it to hurt D, but he felt uncomfortable and a bit betrayed. He went to the station because he missed Leon, and here the same human which he went there for said that he didn’t even notice his absence in the shop. D could understand that Leon didn’t know what was going on around the shop, but he didn’t like it at all. Detective Orcot should have been coming to the shop like he always had. He wouldn’t need to question D now if he had.
“In a week I’ll become a member of ‘La Volupté’,” he said simply. D didn’t know why he had said that. Maybe it was because he wanted to know if the Chief really sent Leon here to make D more cooperative and if Leon was nothing more than acting the whole time. ‘Maybe that’s why he’s behaving so oddly.’ D feared that it was the case here, but at the same time hoped that it wasn’t. His dear Detective’s reaction to his statement nearly shocked the Kami to the bones.
“You… WHAT?!” Leon roared, nearly deafening D.
Note: This is the second chapter. As you could see Leon appeared finally at the end of the chapter. He seems a bit childish (or is it only my imagination?), but there is a reason for his behavior so please put up with me and I’ll explain what I can in the next chapter!
I hope you liked it. I know it’s not perfect. Nothing much happens here, but I needed to write how D ends up becoming a member of the club. And Leon’s reaction is very important for the development of the plot. I won’t say anything more. ;) Now you can tell me what you think.