The Sweet Shop Next Door

pass the broccolini

Author's Note: As usual, I do not own Pet Shop of Horrors.

Jacator – Perceptive, as usual. Yes…while writing the story, I realized that jaguars were not all black and meant to go back and change "jaguar" to "panther. I guess I forgot. Jaguars just sound so much more exotic than panthers.
Chapter Five:

To say the least, it had been an eventful evening. Leon's hooting and hollering had caused a ringing sensation in his ears. Mr. Orcot had been singing (poorly) for the entire duration of D's visit to the station. As much as D hated to admit it, the health violation tactic was actually rather clever. Especially considering Leon's brain cell count.

Eliza, however, was having an unusually enjoyable evening. Normally after work, she went home and watched reruns or read romance novels. This was much more enjoyable. Q-Chan had enjoyed the food immensely and his squeals of joy were heard by two of D's favorites.

"Hey! Look at the human! Snack time!" The goat-boy left the back-door of the shop and smiled hungrily at the snack D had so kindly left for them. He was followed by a girl with curly brown hair. She looked about eight.

Q-Chan was resting on Eliza's shoulder, nibbling the last bits of the cookie. A few crumbs fell on to her clothing, but she either didn't notice or didn't mind. At the words of the boy, Eliza turned towards the back-door, which the young girl closed behind her.

"Hello, there! I'm Eliza from next door. I thought I'd watch over your animals until Count D returns. Are you his…children?"

She could hardly picture Count D as one with children. She could hardly picture him with a woman, for that matter. He was good-looking, in a strange, androgynous sort of way. He had better nails than most women and wore long, flowing robes with somewhat girly designs on them. Still, there was a mystic, hypnotic charm about him that she just couldn't place. The way he smiled suggested that he was privy to some special, delightful secret that everyone else was oblivious to. If he wasn't so rude, she might have actually liked him.

T-Chan looked at the snack-turned-guest in shock. "You can see us?"

Eliza gave a small laugh, "Of course I can see you! Though it's a miracle since this incense is so heavy! Do you guys want some food?"

T-Chan relaxed. It was just the incense. She didn't have the gift and would probably forget this later. Pon-Chan giggled, ran, and hopped into Eliza's lap.

"I'm Pon-chan! Do you have cookies with cherry centers?"

Eliza smiled. "Sure, I think there's a few in the store. I'll go get a couple. Do you want to come with me?"

Pon-Chan nodded, but T-Chan shook his head. If they went outside, Eliza wouldn't be able to see them in their true form. The incense was only burning in this room.

"We'll wait here."

Eliza realized how stupid her question had been. Of course! Leaving with a stranger to an unknown location…that's how most children were kidnapped. What a responsible big brother! A few moments later, Eliza returned with a whole basketful of goodies: chocolate éclairs, fruit tarts, a few slices of key lime pie, chocolate chip cookies, cookies with cherries (as her new little friend requested), and an apple (hey—she had to offer a low-carb option).

"I'm back!"

Eliza sat her basket down on the table and watched with amusement as Q-Chan, T-Chan, and Pon-Chan fought over the treats in the basket.

"Does Count D ever feed you?"

T spoke with his mouth open, sending a few crumbs flying out of his mouth. A large one hit Q-Chan in the eye and knocked him off the coffee table. "Yeah, but nothin' this good. Mostly vegetables."

"He's a vegetarian? Weird, he doesn't strike me as the type."

Eliza noticed Q-Chan trying to claw his way back to the table and placed a small fruit tart in front of him. Delighted, Q-Chan began to nibble on the kiwi, his favorite. P was munching on an éclair happily. This human was nice! This human had tasty food!

"D's really kind to us here at the shop. He took all of us in and keeps us safe and fed."

Eliza took small bites from one of her cookies. D was a foster parent? Wow. Maybe D was a better guy than she thought.

"Is he married?"

Pon-Chan burst out laughing, sending more flying debris towards Q-Chan. This time, Q hid behind the large strawberry on his tart.

"Nah, what about you?"

"I…well, the boyfriends I've had have all been pretty awful…"

And so Eliza told them all about her horrible experiences from high-school to adulthood until the three of them were so tired from talking and eating that they all fell asleep. Pon-Chan was curled up in Eliza's lap and was clutching Eliza the same way a child would to its mother. Q-Chan was nesting in her hair, and T-Chan was sprawled across the couch.

D returned to his shop. Exhausted from a noisy detective and a long day, he replaced the dying incense in the beacon and in the shop. The beacon served as a calling to any animals that needed protection. As he tiredly went towards the backdoor, he was greeted with the sight of the sleeping Pon-Chan, T-Chan, Q-Chan, and Eliza. Eliza looked peaceful asleep. He walked over to her and nudged her gently on the shoulder. A sleeping human in his shop…what would his grandfather say? Eliza didn't budge. He tried again, this time on her cheek. Still, she did not awaken.

"Eliza. Eliza?"

Instead, Pon-Chan stirred and looked up at D. "Hey Count! We were…", she yawned, "we..there were snacks and then we talked and I had a cookie with a cherry and Eliza is nice." She yawned again. D affectionately picked up the young girl and placed her on the couch, next to the snoring T-Chan.

"You go to sleep and tell me all about it in the morning."

Pon-Chan nodded off to sleep and D was left with Eliza to deal with. Well, he couldn't leave her out here. When the incense wore off, she'd be confused as to why she was sitting near a goat. He gently slid his hands beneath her body and lifted her up, bridal-style. Quietly, he carried her into the back, towards his room. His room was plain, compared to the more elegant rooms of the exotic animals. There was a closet and a bed and a minibar with chocolate (it was currently empty). He laid her down upon the bed and watched as she immediately curled against a pillow and snuggled herself between the extra-soft mattress and the covers.

He watched the human sleep. It was strange how humans were so trusting, yet so deceitful at the same time. For some reason, he found himself laying down beside her. They were both fully-clothed, of course. He was merely doing what he would to any guest that had looked after his pets while he was gone. She was the first, though. The girl scout who wanted to play with the animals had snuck into the store in D's absence and been promptly devoured. Conveniently, she had also been carrying boxes of delicious Girl Scout Cookies with her. Still, Eliza was quite an exceptional human. She wasn't exceptionally pretty or smart, but she was kind, and kindness in a human went quite a long way, Her hair was thick and coarse. It reminded him of the mane of a lion. D traced his talon-like finger across her cheek before he realized that he was showing affection towards a human. He jolted backwards and quickly prepared himself for bed (he'd be sleeping in a blanket on the floor) before he could think about what he had actually done.

His last thought before he went to sleep, though, was that she smelled like peppermint and cookie dough.

So…what did you think? I tried to introduce the romance subtlety because D really doesn't seem the type to become instantly smitten with a person, even if that person is a pastry-baker. Please review!