Jealousy
Leon took a deep breath and sent a glance around, but no one was there to watch him knock at the chief's door. So he summoned up all of his courage and knocked.
"Come in!" the chief bellowed from inside and Leon did as he was told, carefully closing the door behind him. The man looked up from some report and regarded him with some astonishment. "Orcot, you feeling well? You never close any door quietly," he said. "What's the matter? Have you fucked up something again?"
The blonde glared for a second. "No, I haven't," he replied. "Jill sent me here. She said I've gotta talk to you if I want the weekend off."
He almost writhed under the gaze. Then the chief indicated the chair in front of his desk and laid aside the report. "Leon, have a seat. I wanted to talk to you about that anyway," he said and the young detective gulped.
"I know I've always worked weekends," he started, but the chief silenced him.
"Sit down, boy."
Leon did as he was told and tried to appear relaxed. His superior regarded him. "I guess you want to take the weekend off to take your kid?" he inquired.
Leon nodded. "Yeah. D and I decided I'd have her every few weeks so he can have some free time, too," he mumbled. The chief smiled, obviously satisfied.
"I'm happy to hear that. Congratulations, Leon. Both that you got a kid and that you finally managed to get along with the Count. I've got to say, I was starting to loose hope."
The blonde stared at his superior. "What?"
The man leaned back in his chair, grinning widely. "Don't think I didn't notice you spent a lot of time not working, but looking for clues as to where the Count had gone to. Or that you weren't sick two months ago when Jill kept telling me you were. I'm happy you managed to find him and your kid. I don't know if you knew about the child before or if you just realised when you found him again. I just want to tell you, take your chance. Try not to ruin what you've got."
Leon blinked. He was so surprised he couldn't do anything else. The chief waved him out. "You can have any weekend off you like, tell Jill that. Not forever, but for the next two months or so. You've worked enough Sundays, it's time to relax sometimes. That's it."
The blonde left the bureau again, still blinking in surprise. What the hell was the matter with everyone lately? Just because he now had a child with D…
"Okay, till Sunday then."
"Yes, until Sunday. Take good care, Detective, please!"
"Bye Bàbà!" Dana called and waved at the kami disappearing in the rear mirror. Leon smiled at her enthusiasm. It made him feel all warm and good. That she wasn't sad to leave D, but happy to come with him to his apartment for the weekend.
D was waving back. His form grew smaller and smaller. Then it suddenly was gone. D had stepped back onto the stairs to the shop's entrance. The warmth was gone. But Leon ignored that. Dana was the important person here, not D. He was grown and fully able to busy himself alone one weekend. It was not as if Leon was taking the child away for forever, like his aunt had done with Chris. He was just – taking care of her for some time. Like he wanted to. Because he was her father. Yes. That was it.
Dark thoughts didn't have much room around Dana. The child started squealing in excitement when they drove past a store Leon had taken her to the other weekend, and by the time they arrived at his apartment, the blonde had forgotten about strange feelings and fatherly duties. Instead he scooped his kid up, carried her up the stairs while she squeaked and laughed and continued to tussle with her in the flat.
Finally, they were both breathless with laughter, the girl having succeeded in tickling her father and now sitting on his chest. "Dana Victoria!" she crowed and Leon again exploded with laughter.
"Oh honey, where in all heavens did you learn that?" he snorted. She looked confused. "Never mind. I bet anything it was Kanan who taught you that. Kanan or Jill, one of them."
Something growled. Dana looked down onto her belly and turned blue eyes again at her father. "Daddy, Dana hungry," she told him earnestly. Leon laughed and carried his daughter to the kitchen.
"Well then we've gotta make some food, sweetie," he said and placed her on the table. "What do you want to eat?"
She said something he didn't understand. "Uh, honey, that's difficult since I don't even know what you just said. Whaddya say about rice pudding? D's probably gonna kill me for that since it's with a lot of sugar, but he's not here…"
"Rice pudding?" Dana echoed and Leon sighed.
"Yeah, I know. Now you didn't understand what I said. Let's just start cooking and then you'll see what it is, okay? At first we need milk…"
He turned to the fridge to take out the bottle of milk he'd bought, but the girl complained. "Dana too!" she cried. So he placed her on his hip and then opened the fridge.
"This here is milk, Dana," he explained. "And now we need the rice… let's see, I put it in the cupboard…"
He went over and opened the cupboard where he kept all his food supply. Dana inspected the contents curiously and he let her be. At last she pointed to the beer cans at the bottom.
"Toys," she said and Leon chuckled. "No, sweetie, sorry, that's nothing to play with, even though it looks pretty. That's beer. You drink it."
"Dana want."
Tetsu would've doubled over at the look of baffled surprise on Leon's face. He'd never expected that reply. Hastily he tried to explain to his daughter that she couldn't have beer. "Dana, it's only for grown-ups, not for children. Your father would be very mad if I let you have beer."
"Bàbà drink beer?" Dana inquired and tilted her head to the side. Leon nearly snorted with laughter.
"No, honey, he never drinks beer. I drink beer." Then suddenly his face got pensive as he looked at her. "Though perhaps he was right when he told me beer would one day get me into trouble…"
"Daddy?" The girl looked at him and he could discern worry in her eyes. Sighing, the blonde shook his head.
"Nothing, sweetie. It's nothing. Let's make rice pudding now, okay? See, you put the milk in a pot and heat up the milk. Don't touch the hotplate, you'll burn your fingers and that hurts very much. Yeah, you're doing great," Leon praised his child and steadied the bottle of milk while her small face was bright with concentration.
"Now we've gotta wait and watch the milk. When it starts to expand, it's cooking," Leon explained and let the girl sit down besides the hotplates, carefully keeping her out of reach of the heat. She watched the milk with intense concentration, never taking her eyes off.
"Dana wait," she said. Leon smiled, but it was not completely happy.
"Yeah, now we wait," he said silently.
Dana's eyes snapped up to him. She sensed something amiss. "Daddy?"
The blonde sighed and threaded a hand through his hair. "When I was your age, my mom had me sitting besides the hearth, too," he told the girl.
"Mom?" she asked.
He smiled again. "Yeah, she's your grandmother. My mother."
The blue eyes were questioning. "Mother?"
Softly Leon petted the dark hair. "Yeah, mom or mother. I'm your father. D's your mother. Well… mostly. Don't tell him I said he's your mom. But he still is, because he gave birth to you. Mommies give birth to the babies." He looked at the child silently for a moment. "Jill's wrong, you know. And D's wrong, too. You don't have my eyes. I inherited my mom's eyes just like Chris. She was the first one with those blue eyes. And now you're here… Dana…"
"Daddy milk!" the girl cried out and pointed to the pot. Quickly her father took the rice.
"Here, quick, sweetie, put that into the milk. And now we've gotta stir the milk. Yeah, like that. Very good. One day, you're gonna be a great chef just like my mom. Keep on stirring and I'll tell you a story meanwhile."
They ate on the sofa, snuggled into the pillows while Leon tried not to think about what D would say to that. Dana was obviously happy about the food and Leon in turn was glad that she was happy. Finally she fell asleep in his arms. Leon stared out of the window into the slightly clouded sky, feeling the weight of his child and loosing himself in memories and thoughts.
He carried Dana back to the shop on Sunday evening since it was a nice day and Leon didn't see any point in using the car. The things stored in his apartment were to remain there. Just Dana, Kitty and Lucky were going back to the pet shop.
However, he instantly rued this decision when three familiar figures came towards him in Chinatown, burrowing through the Sunday crowd. "Leon!" Jessica called.
The blonde grimaced. "Oh no," he murmured. "We're not lucky today, Dana."
"Lucky here," the girl replied and held up her plush penguin for inspection.
Leon laughed out loud. "Yes, sweetie, you're right. Lucky's here."
"So that is the infamous Orcot kid!" Eliza said and let go of Alex' arm to step up closer.
Leon, aware that they were right in front of the Chang's shop, tried to steer them away. "Guys, I'm happy to meet you, but I've got to get Dana back to the shop before I can go have a drink with you," he said.
"Oooh no, you're not bringing her out of our reach!" Jessica crowed and stopped his attempts at getting away. "You can have a drink with us and the kid!"
Dana hid her head in Leon's shoulder, frightened by the sudden amount of attention. He sighed. "I'm not taking her to a pub. D's gonna kill me if I do that," he enlightened them.
Alex shrugged and grinned. "Fine, then, let's go to some café. Or is your longing for the Count already so strong you can't bear to spend some more time away from him?"
Leon blushed and growled. "Stop that, Alex! I'm still angry you gave her to Barf, don't forget that!"
The younger detective snickered. "You're angry?! Wow. That Count brain-washed you real good. I'd never have thought you'd say angry instead of pi-"
"I think it's great that Leon's taking responsibility for his child!" Eliza cut in and smiled at him. He tried not to roll his eyes.
"Thanks, Liza. Still, I've gotta go back to the shop. So would you now please let me through?" Reassuringly he patted Dana's back. The girl was shrinking into him more every minute.
"Well, but how did you two even get a kid?" Jessica ignored his question. "Everybody thought you hated him! And he you, of course."
"Apparently, he was hot enough for Leon to forget about hating him for one wild night," Alex teased.
Leon's brow wrinkled. "None. Of. Your. Business," he gritted through his teeth. "Now bye."
"Hey, wait! I still wanna know how he looks underneath all that silk! C'mon, share, be a good buddy!" Alex called after him and yelped when both women simultaneously hit him. "You can tell me during night-shift! Ouch, Liza!"
"Like hell I'm going to tell you anything!" the elder detective muttered and Dana perked up.
"Hell!" she echoed obediently and Leon groaned.
"Dana, bad word. Don't say that to Bàbà."
"What shall she not say to me?"
Leon jumped, much to the girl's joy, and turned around breathing fast. D blinked at him in obvious surprise. "Detective, surely you noticed that I was coming out of that bakery over there, didn't you?" he asked, a smirk playing around his dark lips. The blonde glared and tried not to look at them.
"No, I didn't, I was busy watching out for pets coming out wanting to bite me," he snapped.
D's smirk deepened. "Why, Detective, my dear T-chan has not bitten you in a while," he chirped happily. Leon simply growled and followed downstairs where Pon-chan greeted the girl enthusiastically. He sat her down and watched her take off to her corner and Lego.
Tetsu, who'd been peacefully asleep in her cradle, was woken by her tugging at his tail. "Oh not again!" he groaned. "Leave me alone, Dana, I'm sleeping."
The girl protested violently in Chinese while D chuckled. "Lemme guess, the translation is along the lines of "My cradle, you getta hell outta there!"?" Leon asked and seated himself on the sofa, grinning broadly. The kami laughed softly, looking incredibly young and pretty. Again the blonde stared.
"Pretty literally, though she's of course not using such crude language like you, Detective," he answered and produced a bakery box. "Some éclairs?"
The weak glance Leon shot him didn't darken his mood in the least. "Now I know how you manage to smile all the time. No wonder you're always happy with so much sugar in your bloodstream. You're probably high all the time due to it," he announced.
"Then you should eat more of it," D gave back at once with sparkling eyes.
Don't stare, Leon.
"In that case, hand over one of those," Leon replied with dry lips. The sparkle became triumphant. "And no sugar in my tea! I'm going to be hyperactive with just eating that thing."
"Since that wouldn't be something new either, you can as well have sugar in your tea. Where's the point in drinking it without?"
"Where's the point in drinking it with?"
If Leon wasn't too wrong, he was grinning so broadly the corners of his mouth were touching his earlobes. But since D was apparently enjoying himself thoroughly, too, no point in stopping this discussion.
"The flavour is enhanced by the sugar, Detective. The bitterness of some leaves is mended," the kami suggested and he argued at once.
"Yeah, perhaps when you put one spoon in or so. But from the amount you take, only your teeth are eaten up by it, and every flavour the tea might have is drowned in sweetness…"
"You are unbearable, Detective!" D cried, half in joy, half in exasperated laughter. "Your taste is as bad as it ever gets!"
"And yours as sweet as it ever gets. Which isn't that much better, since my bad taste at least keeps me out of the hands of weird dentists." Satisfied, Leon watched the kami trying to control his laughter and decided now was the right time. So he fumbled something from his pocket and laid it on the table. D stopped laughing and stared at the shining key.
"Thought you should have one as well, now that Dana's spending such a lot of time at my apartment," the blonde said casually, trying to act as if this wasn't a big deal at all.
Only that it was. It was a very big deal. D had had the key to Leon's apartment before, when Chris had been in his charge. But having the key because of Chris and having it because of Dana was a different kettle of fish. Chris was Leon's brother. Dana was their child.
Did separated couples have the key to the respective apartments when they shared children?
D wondered about that for a second while his hand automatically reached and deposited the key in his sleeve. It felt heavy in there, and cold at first before it warmed up through the contact with D's skin. "That is reasonable," he heard himself say.
Leon smiled and pushed himself up from the sofa. "Well, gonna bring her to bed now. It's about time," he said and left D to himself.
He listened to him and Dana having a discussion over the girl's nightshirt and the story Leon was to tell her, wondering the whole time. Somehow he'd forgotten that this was all new still. It already seemed so familiar, the detective being here in the evening, bringing Dana to bed. But it was not, and the kami wondered how he could have forgotten that. It had only been a few weeks, and yet, they were both acting as if this was commonplace…
A fierce searing pain shot through his chest all of a sudden. He wanted it to be commonplace. He wanted Leon to be common at the shop, day and night alike.
Of course he didn't tell the blonde that when he returned to the front after Dana had fallen asleep and said goodbye. He just stood, hidden by the door and watched him go back to his apartment quietly. He didn't tell Leon when the blonde stopped by for breakfast the next morning, and he didn't even allow himself to think too much about it, grateful for the customers who took his thoughts off the detective.
D bowed politely and led the man to the door. "I wish you much joy with her," he said softly and watched the guy mount the stairs,an enrapt smile on his face . The kami raised a brow and wondered what would come out of this association.
Then he felt small arms wrap around his leg and looked down to see his daughter standing there and gazing outside. "Daddy?" she asked.
"No, Dana, Leon will come back later. It is not yet time for his visit. What is the matter?"
"Dana want to read," she said and tugged at his cheongsam. The customer was gone. There was yet no need to prepare food. So D settled down with his daughter on his lap and rummaged through the pile of children's books on the table, musing distantly about the changes the pet shop had gone through since Dana's arrival. Children's books. Not even when Chris had been in the shop had there been children's books lying around.
"Which one, Dana?" he asked while she crawled around on his legs, trying to find a comfortable position. Her little hands and feet kneaded his thighs, causing a warm feeling in D's chest. It was almost as if one of his pets, Pon-chan or T-chan, were snuggling into him, and yet, completely different. Dana was his. She would grow out of sitting on anyone's lap soon enough. He enjoyed it while he could.
"Little bear and his friends!" she claimed, unaware of her father's thoughts.
D looked at the books again and wrinkled his brow. "It is not here, Dana. You took it to Leon last weekend, do you remember? It is still in his apartment. I could tell you a story, if you like."
She pouted. "Not story, little bear and his friends!"
Small, yes, but as stubborn as Leon, without doubt.
"Dana, it is not here. We have to read something else or I tell you a story," D said firmly. Dana, who had just settled down comfortably, started wriggling in his arms.
"Nooooo!" she complained. "Little bear!"
"I told you, it is not here. I cannot read something to you that isn't here." D's patience was growing thin. He wished that Dana would take an interest in his stories, or at least choose another book as her favourite. He was fed up with the little bear, having had to read it to her about four thousand times by now. "Stop wriggling, you'll fall down!"
"Little bear and his friends!" Dana yelled and struggled on. D tried to hold on to her, but she was very evasive and almost fell. The kami gave up.
"Stop complaining, Dana!" he ordered curtly. "We will fetch it from Leon's apartment if you insist on it, but we have to walk there. Do you want that?"
She stopped wriggling and glanced at him with great blue eyes. "Fetch little bear from Daddy's apartment!" she called and clapped her hands. D sighed, and sent Tetsu to get the key to Leon's apartment while he dressed Dana for the walk. Now that he had bowed to her will, she was happy again. D was starting to doubt his ability to raise the child properly.
They left the shop, D carrying the girl, because the streets of Chinatown were quite crowded at this time. Tourists were everywhere, and the shops were selling their fake Chinese souvenirs. On the way to Leon's apartment they met various neighbours. Mrs Chang gave Dana a little paper lantern which she gleefully waved around when they continued their way.
D was well aware of the gazes that followed him. He was also well aware that not only the tourists gaped at him, but also citizens of Chinatown. News had spread. Everybody knew by now that the Count had returned with a child, and that he and the detective didn't quarrel anymore, and that Leon spent even more time at the pet shop than he had three years ago.
While he politely greeted people, he wondered how many of them believed in Dana being Leon's daughter and how many wouldn't believe in it. Not that they would dare to ask. But even humans sometimes reached right conclusions, especially in social matters, that he had learned during his life. They might be oblivious to other things, but in these matters they were surprisingly far-sighted.
He breathed a silent sigh of relief when they left Chinatown at last and headed to the block where Leon was living. Once he had thought of the apartment as the example of human filth. But now he had to admit he even kind of liked it. The flat had changed, with Dana's toys and without the posters, and the little signs everywhere that Leon was taking responsibility now. Perhaps it was true that having a child of their own changed people. Chris, for all Leon loved his little brother, had been exactly that: a brother. But Dana was his child. It was different.
The girl wriggled on his arms and he set her to the ground, taking her little hand in his. She walked besides him quite happily, taking in the sights around her and D smiled. His daughter was getting used to the human world. He only had to watch out that no one would notice her strangeness.
He opened the door to Leon's house with his key, feeling a thrill at being able to walk inside without Leon being present. Dana hopped ahead of the kami, but at the bottom of the stairs she had to wait for him. "Do you want to be carried or would you rather walk yourself?" he inquired and the girl thought.
"Dana want to walk," she said at last and reached for D with her little hand. The kami gripped it and slowly ascended the stairs, giving Dana enough time to climb the steps herself. For all her unnatural strength, she still was a small kid, and the stairs were like a mountain for her. When they finally reached the top, she was panting and her cheeks were flushed, but she smiled proudly.
"Well done, Dana," D praised her and opened Leon's door with his key. Stepping inside, he looked around, searching for Dana's book. A sound from the kitchen made him freeze. Leon was not here, he was working, he was sure of that. Who was here….?
While he still tried to decide whether to hide Dana or not, a young blonde woman came from the kitchen and stopped dead at their sight. "Who are you?" she demanded firmly. The kami noticed that she had a packed bag in her hands. Involuntarily he stiffened. What was she doing in Leon's apartment?
The woman's gaze wandered to Dana, holding on to D's skirt and a smile appeared on her face. "Oh, I'm sorry. Should've known at once. You're Count D, aren't you? And you, little missy, you are Leon's daughter Dana. Hello, honey!"
She knelt down and smiled invitingly at the girl. Dana put a thumb in her mouth and remained where she was, unsure. Luckily D found his speech again. "Yes, I am indeed Count D, and this is Dana. May I ask who you are?"
"Oh, I'm Sandra," she said carelessly, attention fixed on the girl. D wrinkled his brow. Leon had never talked about someone named Sandra, and he'd certainly never mentioned she had a key to his apartment.
Sandra tore her gaze away from the child and noticed D's uncomprehending look. "I'm kind of Leon's girlfriend," she explained.
Suddenly the Chinese in front of her turned into what could only be called a beautiful ice statue. "I see," he said calmly. "I am sorry to interrupt you, Miss Sandra. I was not aware you would be here. Dana, come here, we will return later."
She nearly broke down laughing at seeing his behaviour change in a matter of seconds. "No, no, please stay. I was leaving anyway," she quickly said and stood up again. D wavered for a second. He didn't really want to come back later, it would mean having to walk here twice because of Dana's stupid book. Sandra made an inviting gesture. "Help yourself. I only wanted to pick up some things in my lunch break."
Dana made the decision for her father. Feeling secure enough to leave his protecting shadow, she ran to the corner with her toys and squealed when she found her book. "Oh, you wanted to pick up something, too," Sandra said and smiled at the kami disarmingly. She got a polite smile in return, but the look that accompanied it could've frozen the desert. Twice over.
Her eyes blazed with amusement as she pointed to the kitchen. "I made myself a cup of tea. There's something left, if you want. Leon told me you like tea very much."
D's nose wrinkled just enough to be noticed as dismay. "I do. Thank you, Miss Sandra," he said coldly and glided into the kitchen after making sure Dana was busy with her toys. Sandy followed close and sat down at the table once more.
"So, you're the miracle that made Leon get himself a kid," she said casually. D delicately poured the tea.
"It would seem I am. He has never mentioned you. You are his girlfriend, you say?"
Now she really nearly chuckled. God, if that guy wasn't jealous, she didn't know shit about jealousy. Playing with her cup, she continued to tease him. "Nah, not really. We've got – I guess you could call it an agreement. Whenever we're both single and feel like having sex without strings, we give each other a call, and that's it. Actually, we've had that agreement for quite some time. Reaches back into College times."
"I see." The iceberg sipped his tea, managing to look more disapproving than Sandra's mother without even rippling his mask of politeness. Wow. Leon had really gotten himself some piece of work with that guy. "And you are here because you wanted to refresh yourself?"
Sandra decided that teasing him might be dangerous. She'd heard the stories from Leon about what his so-called 'pets' could do. "No, actually I wanted to pick up my things and return them to my flat," she answered. A thought crossed her mind and she quickly fished out the key from her pocket. "If you're here, could you please give Leon the key? Then I don't have to put it in the mailbox. I don't like that anyway. People nowadays are so scrupulous. They even break up mailboxes to get the mail inside, and if they find the key, they could break in, too."
D looked at the offered key with a little frown and didn't take it. "Why would you wish to return the key? Won't you need it again?" he asked.
Sandra shrugged. "Nope, I won't. I was in Europe when Leon returned, and he called me and told me about you and the kid. So we both said that we'd cancel it for the time being. I won't need it anytime in the near future, just needed it today to get my things back."
"I see." Now that sounded a lot softer. The kami took the key from her and stowed it in one of his sleeves. Sandra emptied her cup and stood, smiling.
"Well then, have a nice day and say hello to Leon for me, please. I'll be off to Spain two days from now on and stay there for three months, but if he wants a postcard, he'll have to say so."
The smile was still polite, but a lot warmer. "I will, Miss Sandra. Have a good journey."
"Thanks. Good luck to you and the little missy!" She slung her bag over her shoulder and waved at the girl playing in the corner. "Bye, Dana!"
The girl waved back shyly. Sandra stared, enamoured. "You know, I don't really like kids, but she's a real cutie," she told D and opened the door. "God, I can so understand why Leon's completely crazy about her. And you. Bye!"
Grinning to herself contentedly, she scrambled down the stairs. That for sure had rendered him speechless. Though she wasn't mean, and she didn't begrudge Leon his luck. Had been time that someone pinned the guy down anyway, and she'd always known she wasn't the right one for that.
God, she would have to call him from Spain, just to see if those two would manage to pull themselves together and get it on again. And shame on them if they didn't.
"D, Dana, I'm here!"
A squealing whirlwind fastened itself on Leon's leg. The blonde laughed and transferred Dana from his leg to his shoulders, then proceeded further into the shop while she gleefully tousled his hair. "Dana, careful, don't pull too hard!"
D swept from the kitchen and smiled once he saw Leon, but it seemed a little bit strained. "Did you have a nice day, Detective?"
"You kidding? Nice day, f-" He stopped before D had reasons to scold him. "Anyway, I'm glad I'm done for today," he added and sat down on the sofa, peeling Dana loose off his hair. "What did you do all day long, honey? Did you have a nice day?"
"Dana and Bàbà go to Leon's flat," the girl told gleefully. "Little bear and his friends at Leon's flat."
"Oh, yeah, we forgot it there last weekend, didn't we? So you walked there? That's a long way. Weren't you tired?"
Dana nodded earnestly. "Dana very tired. Dana climb stairs herself, all!"
D watched them talking and smiled to himself. Leon actually listened to what Dana said. D didn't know why that surprised him, but he knew his heart felt like bursting with all the feelings in it whenever he saw them together. It was just like he had imagined – and yet, something very essential was still missing…
Which reminded him of something. He fetched the key to Leon's door from his sleeve and laid it down beside the blonde's cup. "I was asked to return this key to you," he said as casually as possible though he shivered inside.
Leon stopped telling Dana some tale from work and looked down on the key, expression going from confused to careful. "Oh. Thanks. You met Sandy?"
D smiled, knowing it wouldn't reach his eyes. "She is a very impressive young woman. She bade me say hello to you and tell you that if you want her to write you a postcard from Spain, where she'll be staying the next three months, you will have to call her."
"Yeah, that sounds like Sandy," Leon murmured. Dana tugged at his hair, annoyed that her father paid more attention to D than to her. He smiled down at her and resumed telling her his tale. D swept away to prepare dinner, glad he had something to distract him with.
Dana kept them busy until after dinner, when the exhaustion from the walk showed and she became crotchety. It took Leon some time and more effort than usual, but finally she slept and he returned to the front room, slumping down on the sofa with a deep sigh. D sipped his tea and pretended not to watch him from behind the curtain of his hair.
A few moments passed, then Leon sat up again and intertwined his fingers. "Listen, D, about Sandy…" he started, but the kami cut him off.
"Detective, there is no need to explain anything to me. You are entitled to your own life. I would never expect you to forswear any of your pleasures as long as you don't neglect Dana."
Leon eyed him suspiciously. "Yeah. Sure. Whatever, what I wanted to say is, Sandy and I've been friends for a long time. If you like, call it friends with certain advantages. But I'm not and was never in love with her, nor has she been my 'girlfriend' in that sense. We just had some fun and that's it."
D's voice was chilly. "It is nothing of my concern whether or not Miss Sandra was or is your girlfriend, Detective. I would only ask you not to set a bad example for Dana. She is far too young to understand it right."
The blonde searched for words. T-chan, growing tired with his master's attitude, appeared behind him and rolled his eyes. Then he tipped his paw to his head a few times. Leon's face split into a wide grin. "Yeah, course, D. And next you're going to tell me you're not jealous of Sandy?"
The kami's head flew up and Leon was pierced by a glare. "Why should I be, Detective?" D inquired icily.
The blonde shrugged and got up. "Dunno, you tell me. All I know is that you're acting exactly like any of my girlfriends did when she was fucking jealous."
"Language, Detective!" D snapped, but he just grinned and took his jacket.
"I'm off. Gimme a call if Dana's got another nightmare. Night, D."
"Really, Detective, your behaviour is most rude!" D fumed and followed the blonde to the door as if drawn by some invisible power. The grin on his face made him even angrier, and he was searching for some really mean comment when Leon suddenly turned in the doorframe and looked him straight in the eye.
"Oh, forgot something. Sleep well, honey."
And with that, he pressed a kiss on D's mouth, turned and vanished into the night, whistling softly. The kami stood in the door, thunder-struck, hand flown up to touch his lips.
"Now that was a nice repay, wasn't it?" T-chan remarked from behind and went to keep watch beside Dana's bed, grinning as broadly as Leon.
D had no answer to that.
A/N: Snjókorn falla á allt og alla, börnin leika og skemmta sér... ^^ *sings*
So, I hope that answered all questions concerning Sandy ^^ I am so sorry I didn't answer to your questions, Elvina, but I didn't want to spoil this chapter for you. Please forgive me!
And yeah, I'm better now, thanks, BC :-) Still feel like shit, but definitely better than last update.
Oh, and by the way: Happy Christmas to you all, if you happen to celebrate Christmas! And if not, well, have a nice day all the same ;-)