A real family
Leon had left for the precinct after breakfast. Chris and Dana had gone to Honlon's room to play with her. D had just sold another pet and was considering what to do now when the children's laughter told him they were coming back to the front.
"Count, can we go visit Philippe?" the boy cried at once and the kami smiled.
"Of course you can, Chris. Only be careful, Dana does not yet know how to swim."
"I can show her how," he suggested and D chuckled.
"You can try, Chris, but Dana is only two years old. She will learn in time."
"Okay." Chris turned back to his niece who'd taken his hand. "C'mon, Dana, I'll show you to Philippe. He lives in the ocean!"
"Salt yuck! Sandcastles!" the girl announced and D had to bite back his laughter when he saw Chris' confused face.
"We've been to the beach one time, and I think Dana wants to tell you she liked building sandcastles with your brother," he explained. "Why don't you go, I'll join you in an hour or so and we can have a picnic on the beach?"
"Cool!" The boy's face lightened up and D turned back to greet another customer, smiling at his enthusiasm.
When he stepped onto the beach an hour later, Dana and Chris were busy building another sandcastle with Pon-chan while T-chan slept and Philippe watched them from the water. As anticipated, the children were wet and sandy, but they were, after all, on the beach. D sat down the basket he'd brought along and called out for them. Dana turned at once hearing his voice and came running as fast as her small legs would go.
"Bàbà!" she cried. "Look, sandcastle!"
"Yes, I see it, Dana. It is very beautiful," the young kami praised and took a towel to dry her at least a bit. The girl grimaced and wriggled.
"Dana dry!" she protested, but her father was firm.
"No, my darling, you are very wet and I do not want you to get ill. Be still."
Chris arrived, too, blue eyes bright. "We went swimming with Philippe, Count!" he told excitedly. "He let Dana sit on his back the whole time!"
"Did you have fun, Chris? Even though you cannot see his other form anymore?" the kami inquired, but the boy nodded vigorously.
"I can still hear them. And T-chan said one day I'll be able to see them again, too," he chatted, flopping down besides D's chair. "He said even brother sees them now sometimes."
D wasn't sure if Leon really saw his pets in their other form, but he for sure heard them alright. So he kept silent and handed Chris a sandwich instead. Then he helped his daughter eat as usual. Only when the girl's eyes fell close did he notice that the boy was watching them with wonder in his eyes. D blushed.
"What is it, Chris?" he asked and wrapped Dana in a towel to keep her warm while she slept.
The younger Orcot blushed, too. "It's just like with those babies back then," he said apologetic. "You know, whose mommy was ill. But she's your own baby."
"Yes, she is," D answered softly and smiled down on his child. Dana tried to keep her eyes open. He rocked her gently. "Don't worry, Dana, Chris will still be here when you wake up. You can play with him again then," he soothed the child who sighed a little and fell asleep.
"Count?"
"Yes, Chris?"
The boy hesitated. "Why did you get a baby from my brother?" he asked, blue eyes wide with question. D bit his lip. He'd feared this conversation the whole time. But he'd known Chris would ask.
"Because I like your brother," he answered.
"But you always fought," the boy objected. "And brother said he was mad at you because you let Sam and Josie take me away."
The young kami sighed deeply. "Yes, Chris, he was angry with me. But not the whole time. And while he was not angry with me, I got Dana."
The boy thought about that. Then his face lightened up. "And then brother got angry at you again and you left," he concluded. D nodded. But Chris was not yet satisfied. "But after you left, we looked for you. Brother went to every place in the world. He wanted so much to find you again," he said and again the kami was subjected to a piercing blue gaze. He suppressed another sigh.
"Chris, adults are sometimes very silly. That includes me. I was angry with your brother, too. I did not want him to find me." He looked down at the child in his lap. "What I did was wrong. Dana is his child as well, and I never told him. I should not have acted this way," he said silently.
A small hand took his. Chris' blue eyes were friendly. "But you're here now with Dana. You came back," he argued.
D smiled and loosened one arm around Dana to press the boy to him. "Yes, I am, Chris. And I'm going to stay here for a while."
Chris smiled happily. "Are you going to marry brother?" he asked, and for a moment, D gaped.
Then he blushed and tucked the towel tighter around Dana. "No, Chris, I do not think we will marry," he mumbled.
"Why not?" the boy argued. "You do like him, don't you? And he likes you too. He looks at you like he does."
The blush deepened. "I do like your brother very much, yes," D admitted. "But I cannot speak for him. I do not know what he feels for me."
Chris blinked for a few times. "He never said he likes you?" he asked then. "Really?"
"I do not think your brother says such words easily, Chris." The young kami felt obliged to defend his lover. The younger Orcot sounded a lot like saying something about Leon being a coward any moment, and it wasn't like that. The whole affair was much more complicated than Chris knew, and D didn't exactly want to explain to him.
"Huh, I guess he doesn't." Chris stared at the sand between his feet concentratively. Then his face lit up. "But he made you sit on his lap yesterday. And he looked for you. I'm sure he likes you."
The childish faith in his elder brother touched D's heart. He smiled warmly. "Yes, he did. Do not worry, Chris. Leon and I are fine, even though we won't marry anytime soon. We also need time to sort out a few things."
"But you won't fight again, will you?" Now the blue eyes were worried again. D petted Chris' head reassuringly.
"Whatever happens, we will certainly not part like we did last time," he said. "We have a child to raise together. We will have to find compromises." And the fights they'd had in the past months were probably only the beginning where Dana's education was concerned. But he would think about that later. Not now, not here. Now he would just be content with what they had found so far.
The younger Orcot tilted his head to the side. "Are you going to get another baby?" he asked, propping his head up on his knees. The blush which had just died down returned with force.
"It is a bit early for us to be thinking about more children," D replied, trying to pretend not to be embarrassed. "Perhaps one day, we will get more children. But not right now. Dana is enough work at the moment. Say, don't you want to go play with Philippe while Dana is asleep, Chris? He's waiting for you in the water."
The boy turned and waved at his friend, then went down to the water without asking further questions. D took a deep breath. Chris for sure had a knack for touching all the subjects still untended to.
The young kami sharply reprimanded himself. Not now, not here. The time to discuss and answer them would come. But right now, neither Leon nor he were up to them yet.
So instead he leaned back in his chair, thinking about the evening and where they would go to celebrate Dana's birthday with Jill. He for sure was looking forward to the second celebration. Even if it would mean being in everyone's sight for the whole evening.
"So you chose a restaurant? Does that mean I've got to dress up real good?" Leon asked, helping Dana to climb into a skirt. D smiled and ran a finger over the human's back, making him shudder for a second.
"No, you do not," he replied softly, suppressing the urge to find out if the skin beneath the fabric of Leon's t-shirt was still as soft as it had been the night before.
Leon sent him a glance. "You're not insisting on me wearing something acceptable?" he inquired incredulously. The young kami sighed.
"Not today," he answered, avoiding the real answer. The truth was that even though he liked Leon in elaborate clothing, the t-shirt he was wearing right now was fitting just too perfectly, defining each and every part of his upper body just like D liked it to make him take it off.
So instead of staying where temptation was so near, D smiled, kissed his lover and slid out to knock at Chris's door. "Chris, are you ready?" he called. The boy opened and grinned.
"Yeah, I'm ready," he replied cheerfully. "Where're brother and Dana?"
"They are still in the bedroom." His smile brightened when the younger Orcot went straight into the direction of the bedroom, no doubt to help his brother pick out Dana's clothes. Such a good boy he was, and so nice to his little niece…
D hummed while he went to the front room, picking up several items he still needed. Then he heard steps on the stairs and opened the door for Jill, arriving on the minute much to D's delight. He greeted her enthusiastically. "Miss Jill, please do come in! Do you want a cup of tea? I am afraid Dana is not yet ready, Leon is still in the bedroom with her."
The woman chuckled and sat down on the sofa, petting T-chan's head. "Barely two years old and already a little princess. It's off to a bad start, Count. If you let Leon spoil her, she'll become unbearable when she's older."
The kami, in a really good mood today, laughed lightly. "Oh, do not worry, Miss Jill. He is doing far better than one would have thought."
"Wow, is it my birthday or the little lady's? What did I do to earn such praise?" the blonde commented, coming out of the back with Dana and Chris trailing behind him, hand in hand. Jill smiled at the boy.
"Why, hello Chris! What do you think about your little niece, huh? Isn't she a pretty?"
"Yeah!" Chris beamed. "Brother said I've gotta protect her from bad guys when she gets older!"
The woman suppressed a smile and instead stood up. "That's very important, Chris. We women know how to defend ourselves, but it never hurts to have someone handy to help," she told the boy and Leon rolled his eyes, but didn't get to reply since Jill had knelt down, offering a brightly wrapped parcel to Dana. D smiled in happy surprise.
"Miss Jill, that wasn't necessary. Thank you very much," he said and pointedly looked at his daughter.
Who promptly ignored her father's attempt at educating her and instead ripped the paper from the content, squealing in delight when she saw the plush dolphin inside. Leon had to bite his lip while Chris started to giggle. D sighed. "Well, after all, pets and plush pets aren't that different," he murmured, obviously trying to convince himself that he did not mind his daughter cuddling fake animals when she could have real ones, so Leon decided he deserved some praise for that and kissed him.
They didn't hear Dana finally thanking Jill ("Dana love Auntie Jill!"), nor did they notice the silence that suddenly fell. Only when the woman cleared her throat did they startle and look at the assembly, both blushing. Leon scooped up his child to distract from his blush while D hastily took his little handbag.
"We should better leave now, if we don't want to be late," he said and floated out the door. Leon followed at once, transfixed by the beauty in front of him. D was again wearing one of his almost see-through cheongsam, and he couldn't do anything else but stare. Today it was red, with animal shapes stitched on it with silver threads. Leon recognised foxes and birds. There were also trees. In short, D was again wearing a picture rather than a piece of clothing, but the blonde couldn't care less. The little earrings were carefully wrought silver flowers. D looked splendid.
Leon gulped once and started going up the stairs while D was closing the door to the shop. "So, where are we going? Do we need a car? Could get difficult with five people."
The kami turned and took his daughter himself. "No, it's just around the corner. You might remember, it's the restaurant we dined in once."
"Oh, right," the human muttered and tried not to think about Wong.
Meanwhile, D smiled at Jill and Chris. "That means, if you agree. It is very good."
"Are we talking about the 'Golden Dragon' here?" the woman asked and fell in beside the Chinese while Leon and Chris walked behind them. "Oh dear, you should've told me that, I would've put on something better."
"Do not concern yourself with that, Miss Jill, you look wonderful," D said gallantly. Leon had to agree. His colleague was wearing a light blue dress with a white jacket over it, and even high-heels. Being used to her in jeans and tops, he'd actually stared for a moment. She couldn't match D, of course, but no one could.
"Yeah, bet every guy will fall in love with you the moment we come in," he called from behind. "We'll have to tell the waiter twice what we wanna eat because he'll be so busy staring at you."
Jill blushed and smiled almost shyly. "Stop it, Leon, I won't do your report, no matter what you say," she replied and he laughed. "Well, I'd go for a cup of coffee as well."
"Oh well, that we could talk about."
They made their way to the restaurant joking and laughing, though Leon registered the looks by the other people on the street. He knew Jill sensed them, too. They weren't police officers for nothing. And D felt them as well, he could discern by the slight hunch his shoulders got when they walked by a souvenir shop where a group of Chinese women stood. Leon sighed slightly. Seemed as if D still hadn't gotten over his aversion of openly admitting that Dana was his kid.
He forgot about it as soon as they had entered. The owner of the place swept over, eyes huge and as delighted as Leon had ever seen him. "My dear Count, what an honour!" he cried and only cast a sparse glance over their party. "Do you wish to have a private compartment or would you rather dine outside? The evening is fine, and you could sit on the terrace if you want to."
D smiled and bowed a little, managing to neither drop Dana nor look strange bowing with a child on his arms. "Thank you very much, but I think we would prefer to dine inside. The child should not be out at this time, even if it's warm."
"Of course, of course. You are very considerate," he was praised and the owner led the way to one of the little compartments, holding the chair for D to sit down while a waiter did the same for Jill. D sat and looked at Leon, who quickly took Dana while the kami turned back to the man.
"Might we have a seat for the child, please?" he asked politely. Within seconds, a children's seat had been placed beside him and Leon sat Dana down. Then he looked around the table. There was D, opposite of him sat Jill, and on his left was Dana. He and Chris were still standing.
"Hey Chris, where you wanna sit?" he asked his little brother, who looked at the table and furrowed his brow.
Jill winked at him and patted the seat to her left. "C'mere, Chris. Let Leon sit besides Dana today, okay?"
"Jill, that's not – if he wants to," Leon protested, but his brother was already seating himself. D smiled at him brightly.
"But I sat besides her yesterday," Chris said. The elder shrugged and sat down at last, too.
"So, I'll let you order, but make sure there's some meat in it, okay?" he said to the kami.
Jill agreed. "I don't know anyway what I shall eat when I'm in a restaurant," she joked. "I've got problems finding out in the supermarket what I wanna eat today."
While the grown-ups were busy debating the food, Dana was curiously examining the cloth in front of her. Leon took the knife away before she could try to slice it up. "That's a serviette, honey. You use it for wiping your mouth," he explained to her and cast a quick glance at D, talking to the waiter in rapid Chinese. "Though perhaps it would be better if we put it over your dress…"
"Dana big girl," she said proudly and nearly managed to hit D with her fork. Leon quickly grabbed her hand.
"Dana, what did D tell you about fork and spoon? No waving around when you're eating," he said firmly. "Put it down again, please."
Jill leaned over to Chris and whispered something in his ear that made the boy chuckle, but the blonde was too busy with his daughter to notice. D, however, having finished ordering, caught some of it and hid a smile behind his hand, too. "Sometimes one has to teach another to learn himself," he remarked.
Leon looked up in confusion. "Huh? Whaddya mean, D?"
"Oh, nothing at all, Leon," the kami replied with mischievously sparkling eyes. "So, Miss Jill, are you having success with the new observation methods you are trying?"
While they were talking, D with Jill and Leon with Chris and Dana, mostly telling them both stories from when he'd been younger, the kami couldn't help notice that the compartment beside theirs slowly filled with a group of people. He couldn't see them, though, because the curtains were closed, a fact he was glad for. It was one of the reasons why he'd preferred dining inside. He didn't want everyone to gape at them while celebrating Dana's birthday.
He listened with half an ear to the polite conversation at the next table, recognising some of the voices. Mr Fa was there, and Mrs Shao and her husband, though he didn't say much. He never did, his wife talked enough for the both of them. Then there was another Chinese woman who'd married an American. If he remembered right, her name was Yi Jonas, and the last man at the table was a certain Mr Chan, one of Mr Fa's close friends. They exchanged the usual niceties, and then the food arrived and D was busy with helping Dana eat and couldn't listen anymore.
Only after they were done did he go back to listening again. He didn't want to eavesdrop, but the voices had become agitated and quite loud, he couldn't really help it. Leon was entertaining the other occupants of their table, so no one noticed when he leaned a little closer to the separating wall. Jill was trying to hide her laughter behind her serviette, Chris was squealing with joy and Dana, having ventured to Leon's lap again during the meal, followed her father's lively hands with fascination, trying to catch them and causing even more amusement on Jill's and Chris' side. D smiled and turned his attention to the conversation next door.
"It is unbelievable. Did you know he has been spending the nights at the shop lately? It's been going on since nearly two weeks!" Mrs Shao's voice was very distinctive, especially when she was excited or angry. At the moment she seemed to be both, and it was so high-pitched D's ears nearly hurt hearing it.
"It is a shame. He is such an impolite brute," Mr Fa agreed with his thin, raspy voice. "I never understood why the Count would put up with such a man, and now even less than before. The child's education should not be endangered by the presence of such a subject."
Yi Jonas giggled. "Well, haven't you heard what they say? That the Count can't really do anything about the detective being there and raising the child?"
"He would just have to say the word and it would be made sure the officer never sets foot inside the shop again," Mr Chan said coldly. "My nephew would be more than happy to help the Count in this affair."
"Oh, but your nephew has not had much success as far as I know," Mrs Shao chirped. D sighed slightly. What did they think? That he would give in to the advances of someone belonging to the triad? He was not that stupid, even if he'd had to learn that some humans were quite irresistible.
"But I heard he hasn't been too interested in your daughter either," Mr Chan replied sharply and the woman flustered.
"Unbelievable! You cannot compare your rude nephew to my sweet little Lin!" she snapped.
"Well, fact is, so far the Count's shown no interest in either of them," Yi Jonas cut in again. D could just see her jet-black eyes sparkle with amusement. He was wondering anyway why this woman had joined the group. It was not her usual company. But well, things could have changed during those nearly three years he'd been away. He hadn't exactly tried to get up-to-date with the latest gossip, being much more occupied with his personal dramas.
"And that wasn't what I was talking about anyway," the woman continued. "Haven't you heard what Mrs Chang is telling everyone? One would think it's not easy to be overlooked. The Count's been taking the detective along every time he does something with his child. They go to the park, they even went to the beach, Orcot is staying at the pet shop the whole time when he isn't working and he took the child to his apartment several times… does that not ring any bells?"
Silence reigned in the next compartment. Jill at his own table burst out, giggling so much she got tears in her eyes, while Chris was barely able to breathe anymore. Leon grinned satisfied. "I'm telling the truth! She really did that! Did you not, Dana-chan?"
"Daddy!" his daughter agreed, finally catching one of his hands and clapping her smaller ones on it. "Daddy!"
"You cannot be serious, Yi," Mrs Shao said. "That's impossible. He would never – how should that even be possible?"
Mr Fa cleared his throat. "In fact, Shao-san, there are old legends that – tell about this kind of thing," he said carefully. "The Count's kin is said to have been procreated with humans before. Male and female alike."
"But –" It wasn't often that Mrs Shao was rendered speechless.
Mrs Jonas chuckled again. "Well, I've got to admit, I don't think it's that unrealistic. I mean, we all know he cares a lot about the detective and vice-versa. No one can possibly deny that. Why is it so weird to think they took it one step further?" Pensively, she added, "And, you know, I got a pretty good look at the girl's eyes last week when they were in the park. I don't know if you've ever noticed, but Orcot's eyes are of a very particular blue colour. The girl's are the exact same colour, too."
"That is one of the most disgusting things I've ever heard," Mr Chan spoke up, voice dripping with revulsion. "Such a fine creature as the Count – and then this man – what a terrible thought!"
"Well, personally I think your nephew is barely better than that officer," Mrs Shao snapped. "But my Lin! She would be such a good wife for the Count, she could give him healthy sons –"
"Given the fact that he seems to be able to get them himself, I very much doubt he'll consider that option," Yi Jonas cut in again. She, as the only one, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself. "I can understand him. Orcot is a very pretty man, though his manners are poor. But love isn't picky with such trivia."
"Love!" Mrs Shao shrieked. "How can you even think the Count could love such a crude being as this detective is?! He doesn't know anything about good behaviour, and he is obnoxious and I know by chance that he's not even a good detective! Everyone at the precinct laughs at him for his foolish attempts to arrest the Count!"
"I don't think you can call him stupid," Yi Jonas argued. "I mean, when he noticed he couldn't arrest the Count, he apparently found another way to catch him, and I swear, it was much more effective. I never thought he'd ever come back again."
D was long since not listening to Leon's tales anymore. He was frozen on his chair, feelings conflicting in him. At first there was shock – he'd never thought they'd talk so openly about his private affairs, over dinner, as if he was just one of their neighbours they could rip into tiny little pieces – and then there was anger and hatred and revulsion. How dare they insult his Leon?! How dare they insult his child and him with their narrow-minded attitude?!
He looked at the blonde, rocking Dana on his lap gently, the girl's eyes falling close already, at Chris, listening to his brother eagerly, and Jill, grey eyes blazing with joy at the discussion she was just having with her friend. Determinedly he stood, thus catching their attention. Leon's blue eyes changed from happy to concerned.
"D, you're alright? You've been quite silent," he remarked.
D forced a smile on his face. "I am perfectly fine, Leon, thank you. I just have to go somewhere," he answered.
The blonde's face cleared again and he smiled. "Oh, okay. We should anyway leave sometime soon, Dana's almost asleep."
"We will," D promised and left the compartment. "I am just settling accounts and then we shall be off."
He heard Leon resume his discussion with Jill as he slipped into the room. For a moment he collected himself, smoothed his cheongsam and made sure his hair was perfect. Then he took a deep breath and stepped up to the next compartment from which Mrs Shao was just spilling insults against the blonde. He ripped the curtain away with one swift movement, shocking the assembly in there thoroughly.
"Pray excuse my interruption of your convivial evening," D said sweetly. "I just happened to overhear parts of your conversation, and noticed you seemed quite anxious to have some questions which bother you answered. As I am probably the only one alive able to answer them, I decided to grace you with answers, though you certainly do not deserve to know them."
Yi Jonas held up her hand to hide her giggle. She'd spoken for him and Leon, but D was too angry to adhere that now. The others were staring at him with wide eyes and embarrassed faces. The young kami pulled out a chair and seated himself comfortably on it, folding his hands in his lap demurely. But his voice was pure acid when he spoke.
"Mrs Jonas was quite right when she assumed that Leon Orcot is the father of my child, for he indeed is. However, it is none of your business when or why I conceived the girl. It is not your concern to present me with a suitable husband or wife either, for I am very well able to choose myself, and I have done so. Leon Orcot is my choice and he shall remain such for as long as it pleases him. If I ever hear another word of insult against him or my child, be assured I will reward it with whatever I deem worthy."
Dana in the next compartment started to complain, clearly audible in the sharp silence. D stood again. "I am afraid I must leave you now to whatever it is you wish to do with this evening. My daughter is tired. Goodbye."
He turned and walked away abruptly, leaving them shocked and not able to reply. When he joined the others at their table again, Leon sent him a questioning glance, but D didn't react to it. He took Dana, the girl snuggling into him tiredly, and told them they could leave now if they wanted. Leon played gentleman and helped Jill put on her jacket, then they left.
Once they were outside, D returned the child to Leon, who looked at him in surprise. "What's the matter with you?" he asked, sending glances around to see if someone had seen what D had done. The Chinese smiled and took Chris' hand, much to the boy's astonishment, too.
"Nothing is the matter, Leon. I just think family should stick together."
Jill left them in front of the pet shop, thanking for the nice evening and saying goodbye. She bent to kiss Dana and hug Chris, who let her do it with an embarrassed smile, and then carefully hugged Leon around Dana, too. Reaching D, she hesitated, but the kami smiled brightly at her and placed a chaste kiss on her hand. "I was most happy you were able to celebrate Dana's birthday with us, Miss Jill," he said softly. "I hope you'll arrive home safely."
The woman looked at him with wide eyes and cleared her throat. "Well, don't know what should happen to me. I mean, the guys around here know me. Would be kinda silly of them to try something. Thanks for the dinner, anyway, and for the invitation. Have a good night."
D bowed. "It was entirely our pleasure, Miss Jill. Good night to you, too."
She left, waving at them. Chris had already entered the pet shop again and started telling the pets everything about the evening, while Leon and D remained in front of the door. Dana was asleep in Leon's arms, hands tightly wrapped in her father's blonde hair, who tried to pierce D through the darkness.
"I don't know what happened while you were settling our account, but I know for sure you're not the D I left the shop with," he said matter-of-factly. "What happened? Did the owner make you his heir or what?"
D turned into the shop, sighing slightly. "No, Leon, not at all. In fact, I had a quite unpleasant encounter with some Chinese citizens I happen to know."
"Oh," the blonde said and followed him inside. D shushed the pets and Chris into their respective rooms, telling them they could listen to the boy's tale tomorrow and went on to their bedroom, Leon at his heels. Once he'd turned his back to them, the pets all sidled into Chris' room, but the kami felt he could let it slip for once. If they were tired tomorrow morning, well, it was their problem, not his. He would wake them up at the usual hour.
"Lemme guess, that terrible Shao woman was with them," his lover said once they'd reached the bedroom and were safe out of hearing range. "And I bet they were talking about us and Dana, weren't they?"
"Yes," D admitted and started undressing his daughter with trained hands. Leon helped him and put her to bed once he'd finished.
Then he returned to D, sitting at his dressing table and staring into the mirror. He stepped quietly up behind his lover and placed his arms on his shoulders, scrutinizing D's face in the mirror. "You okay?"
D smiled up at him. "Yes, Leon, I am okay. It was nothing, really. Just narrow-minded human gossip."
The blue eyes never left his. "But it's still bothering you. Don't deny it, I can see it in your eyes," the human stated flatly. D sighed and leaned back against Leon's reassuring warmth.
"I am not used to being subject of gossip like this," he confessed. "Of course people talk about me wherever I come to, but so far they've never been talking about my private affairs, much less my – sexuality."
He blushed when Leon chuckled. "Don't be so sure about that, D. You probably just didn't hear that. But it's pretty human to gossip about other people's beds. Perhaps they never had something real to gossip about where you were concerned, but you can bet they still talked about your bed and what happens or might happen in it." He placed a kiss on D's forehead. "Don't worry about that, they'll come around in time. Other things will become more important."
"But aren't you disturbed by that?" the kami inquired and searched Leon's face. He shrugged.
"Why should I be? Whatever they are saying, it'll never be the truth, not even close to it. So what? Let 'em talk. They just don't have anything else to occupy them."
He turned and started slipping out of his clothes, D still regarding him in the mirror. Leon was right, and he knew it. After all, he had much more experience with people like Mrs Shao than the human had. Still – he couldn't get over the fact that they'd talked about his lover in such a way. It made him angry, although the triumph soothed him a little.
"But what if they talked bad about you?" he asked before he could stop himself.
Leon stopped and looked at him again. "So that's it, isn't it? They were slagging me off, weren't they?"
D nodded and hid behind his hair. The blonde sighed softly and came over again. "D, don't get upset about such nonsense. I know they don't approve of me, hell, they didn't even when I wasn't the father of your kid! So what? I won't change them or their opinion, and truth be told, I don't give a shit if they like me or not. All I care about is what you think about me. And as long as you think they're wrong, they can tell whatever they like."
Spontaneously D turned around and embraced Leon tightly, nuzzling his nose into the blonde's shoulder. He chuckled a little. "Guess that's an I-don't-think-you're-an-idiot, is it?"
"Yes, it is," D said into his shoulder. "They are not worth to talk about you, much less talk about you in this way!"
"Well, can't make them not do that." The human shrugged again. "I'll be angry if they start talking shit about you or Dana. But at the moment I'm really far too tired to fuss about such nonsense. You coming to bed anytime soon or you want to be angry at them a little while longer?"
D smiled and kissed his lover. "I don't think I shall busy myself with them any longer," he murmured and led Leon to the bed. "Didn't I promise you a special celebration?"
The human grinned and tugged him closer. "Think I recall something like that," he whispered and kissed D. The kami smiled inwardly. Leon was right. Whatever they would be telling, nothing could be remotely as good as was the truth. And since that would stay their secret, why should he care about the talk?
A/N: You are an idiot, Leon, but D's one as well, so that doesn't matter... *g* I'm sorry. I'm just having problems with all that fluff I wrote. Unfortunately, I needed it for a plan of mine -.-
Thanks for the revs ;-)
PS: Hey, does BC still happen to be around? I wanna know if I guessed right despite my poor geographical knowledge... ;-P