DEVELOPMENTS - CHAPTER 23
Phantom And Angel PART 21
T-Chan had rested his head on one arm and closed his eyes, hearing the sounds in the kitchen once more without really listening.
Once Leon was done tidying up, he went over to T-Chan and scooped him up before heading back to the guest bedroom.
T-Chan didn't realize what was about to happen, until his eyes registered the human's shadow looming over him before feeling warm, strong hands and arms slip gracefully under and around him and lift him up. "Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr."
Again, the young totetsu heard Leon chuckling, almost giggling boyishly, through his nose. The sound if it was growing increasingly music-like and was causing his hair to stand on end slightly before he realized that the change in the detective's laugh was giving him a strange sense of pleasure. It wasn't the smug or cynical tone that he was use to hearing come out of the human. It was warm, and...fond? His tail twitched in an unintentional swish of satisfaction.
His eyes remained closed as the detective strolled leisurely through the corridors. He didn't even bother trying to open them when he felt the human pulling the covers down of the re-made bed and lie down with him held to the lean, muscular chest. A large, strong hand was kneading at the muscles between his shoulders in small circles, triggering another long pur out of him and rhythmic swishing of his tail. The thudding of the human's heart slowed and softened, becoming almost hypnotic along with the steady wind-like movement of air being breathed in and out. It was another, fainter, but persistent sound that compelled T-Chan to open his eyes and look up at the detective's face.
Uncertain, blue eyes were looking down at him. The sound had been that of those eyes blinking steadily in deep thought. He tilted his head in questioning, wondering what could be making the human look at him so searchingly.
"I hope this only means you're just getting use t'me and not to people in general," Leon said suddenly, as if reading the totetsu's mind.
T-Chan tilted his head imediately to the other side, wondering what that particular statement was suppose to mean.
Again, it was as though Leon was answering the question in his mind. "Just before D...uh...I guess 'adopted' you, he nearly got himself murdered by this psycho chef named Wong-right in the damn guest parlor he serves customers tea in." The detective looked up at the ceiling and let out a long sigh of distress. "If I hadn't showed up just in time, that would've been the end of D." He looked down into T-Chan's attentive face again, "And who knows where you'd be right now if that had happened," he added dismally with an unconscious caress of the totetsu's jaw with a gentle thumb. His mouth twitched to the side suddenly in a fond smirk. "Was kinda hopin when I first got t'know you, you'd be able t'protect that idiot-let anybody'n their dog just let themselves into his home-grandson of Count D's." Looking back up towards the ceiling, he took a deep breath and let it out in an exasperated huff.
"Kyu! Kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu-kyu!!!" Q-Chan suddenly screeched at Leon.
"Oh yeah? Well what do YOU call someone who does something idiotic enough that pretty much adds up to putting his own head down on the chopping block for psychotic murderers?"
Q-Chan blinked and then raised his eyebrows, "Kyukyukyu?" His fuzzy little face beamed at Leon with feigned innocence.
Leon's eyes narrowed sternly, "'DETECTIVE?!' Why you little--" his hand moved in a flash from T-Chan's back to Q-Chan's furry little side, just before digging a finger into the spot of fur beneith the tiny arm.
Q-Chan let out a shrill sqeak before falling on his back with legs kicking frantically as Leon continued to burrow the tip of his finger into the little creature's side. The little wolvetinger squeeked, squirmed and kicked helplessly until the detective stopped tickling him. Catching his breath, he got back to his feet and stared at Leon in disbelief.
"That outta teach ya t'be smart-alek-y with me," he smirked wickedl at Q-Chan.
T-Chan watched the comical little scene in stunned silence. Like pieces of a puzzle, he tried to fit together what Leon had said about hoping T-Chan would act as a protector to Count D's grandson, and the fact that he had acted with such animosity towards him until now. Why?
Like he was hunting for challenging prey, the young totetsu replayed everything Leon had just said back in his mind...and then, it somehow clicked.
Leon evidently knew more about animals than he allowed himself to reveal. Of course...pets that were use to human strangers who normally turned out to be friendly became almost complacent to any stranger's arrival. Damn, and here he'd always assumed that the detective was being stupid for behaving like such an ill-tempered menace at the shop. It was almost diabolical: give the 'pets' in the shop a reason to be wary of humans, even if they were familiar--in order to give Count D's grandson more protection...
Leon moved his arm back down to let his hand rest on T-Chan's back and turned his eyes back up to the ceiling.
T-Chan carefully shifted so that he was half way on Leon's side and began dragging his tongue up the inside of the detective's forearm in leisurely repetition.
Loen glanced down in surprise and a soft laugh escaped through his nose. He let out a sigh of pleased resignation before resuming his study of the ceiling.
It wasn't very long before keen totetsu senses picked up the soft sound of Leon's eyes shutting in time with each stroke of T-Chan's tongue against the soft skin of the detective's inner arm. A few moments later, the sound of Leon's eyes openning and closing stopped and his breathing softened and slowed.
Leon's eyes were closed now, but there was still a troubled expression lingering on his face.
T-Chan got up to examine the human pensively, and began to suspect that Leon's persistent unease was directly related to his concern for the safety of Count D's grandson.
The movement seemed to trigger Leon's eyes snapping open with forced alertness. "What's up, T?" The human's voice was already groggy and tinged with newly ignited worry.
Staring back at the blue eyes fixed on him, he made up his mind and caught a hold of the top of the comforter to pull it up further, covering the detective more properly.
Leon raised an eyebrow, "What? I'm not soft enough to be a good pillow?"
T-Chan simply gave him a brief, impish look---and started shoving the bedding under the detective's side.
Leon's eyes widened in astonishment as he watched the little goat creature 'digging' the comforter further under him with his paws. "You are NOT doing what I THINK---"
Before the disbelieving human could finish his sentence, T-Chan finished with the one side and then climbed over to the other side to do the same. Once done, he looked back at the detective's stunned face.
Q-Chan broke into a squeeky little giggle fit next to Leon's head, covering his mouth with tiny paws.
Leon cast Q-Chan a quick scowl, and then looked at T-Chan in consterantion. "What gives, dude?" His head turned from side to side then, as he stuggled with the inarguable realization that he'd just been 'tucked' into bed.
T-Chan simply got off the bed and headed for the door, stopping only to turn to Q-Chan, "Can you handle Prince Charming by yourself for a while?"
Leon turned his head to look at Q-Chan just as the little fluff ball nodded sagely in response to T-Chan's 'growls'. He somehow sensed that T-Chan was letting Q-Chan know that he was headed back to where D was. His head snapped back to face T-Chan. "Aw-quit your stalling and get your slackin' ass back t'work," he said with a pleased smirk.
T-Chan simply snorted with a smug glance at the human and left the room to find Count D's grandson.