-The smell of incense hung thickly in the air, the smoke thick enough to give the petshop an eerie, other worldly feeling. To Leon, the incense had always just smelled like the petshop. He could never place the scent, just that smelling it brought back two years of memories, a decade past, slamming into his chest like a wrecking ball. Jill had told him that the incense reminded her of her mother’s baking and happy afternoons in the kitchen, and the scent of those happy memories clinging to his clothes always told her when he’d spent the afternoon at the shop.
Something wasn’t quite right, something niggling at the edge of his mind. He hadn’t been here, in this petshop, with its heavy velvet curtains and elegant, old fashioned bird cages and furniture, looking like the parlour of some rich old grandma, elegant gothic in tones of red and black and gold, in over a decade, and yet there was no surprise at being here. It felt just like any other day, where he’d gotten off from work or had a break and was coming by for afternoon. A variety of animals, cats and dogs, birds and snakes, raccoons and rabbits, roamed freely among the multitude of potted plants.
Except, he noticed, again not with any of the surprise he should have felt, that James was there with him. James didn’t belong here. James was a new chapter in his life, a new beginning, and a part of him tried to figure out why James was here, in this part of his life, while an even bigger part of him didn’t question it at all.
He was still trying to come to terms with it when there was a familiar, piping voice in his head.
Big brother! Chris cried, bursting through the curtain that led to the living area. You’re here. He gave James a glance, curious, but too shy to do anything except for wrap both his hands around Leon’s hand and shy away. Then he glanced at his brother again, and started tugging him toward the curtain. Leon gestured for James to follow, too confused to say anything, too at ease to ask any questions. Come on! Come see what I drew! And the count has a fruit tart he’s been waiting to cut into and it looks really good.
“I have not been waiting!” D’s voice rose from the back room; usually soft, though now sharpened with annoyance. Leon went through the curtain, and found D exactly as he remembered him, his purple eye visible, the gold one hidden behind a curtain of hair, his lips painted their usual dark purple. He was wearing silk, Chinese robes, these ones black, with intricately embroidered red poppies climbing their way up the sides. “Or if I was, it was for tea time proper. I certainly wasn’t waiting for this lout. Where have you been any – Oh.” D’s demeanour changed entirely, the look of annoyance wiped from his face quick enough that it might have been there at all. He gave James a small, polite smile. “You’ve brought a guest. Who’s this?”
Leon glanced at James. “This is James. My boyfriend.”
D stilled, and someone observant might have noticed how his fingers, tipped in painted, pointed nails, tightened around the teapot he was holding.
“Oh, my condolences, James,” D said after a beat. Leon scowled at him, even as he shooed some animals, of all varieties, from the elegant Victorian couch he threw himself down on. He made sure to clear a spot for James too. “I’ll go fetch another cup. I assume you’ll be joining us for tea?”
James went along with it all. He smiled when he saw Leon greet Chris, telepathic exclamations that James could hear too - and he followed along, curious about where this would lead. The aroma of incense was strong - pungent, prickly, something that tickled James’s nose but not in a bad way. He also seemed to sense the magic about it too, like it was a cloak - hiding something else, the pulse of which he couldn’t quite get a read on. But then again, the whole situation wasn’t anything he could get a read on - he knew that he hadn’t exactly planned to come here and yet he was here, with Leon. Because this was important to Leon and Leon was important to him -
That didn’t mean he wasn’t a little jealous of D, however. Maybe James was always a little jealous of D - even if Leon had, as much as he could, let him go. James knew that. And now that he was actually looking at D, he had to begrudgingly admit that this was a striking person - milk white skin and hair that flowed like liquid, smooth and black. The petshop was in an odd place too - all the other shops along this street were small, barely enough room for a counter. But this one seemed very spacious.
“Yes, please - I’d like that,” he nodded, reaching out - his fingers brushed Leon’s reassuringly. “It’s nice to meet you - this is...” He glanced around. “It’s amazing. Never thought I’d get to see it in person.”
Leon's fingers closed around James' as a colourful bird settled on top of Leon's head, making a nest of his hair. This has to be a weird situation for James. D wasn't exactly Leon's ex, but that didn't mean that Leon hadn't been hung up on him for a big chunk of their relationship. He wanted James to know that he was still all in, even with D standing here in front of him.
D's eyes flicked to their clasped hands and settled deeper into his mysterious smile. "No? Then perhaps you would like a tour," D said, his voice a soothing purr. "I would be happy to show you around while the detective and his brother –"
"Nope," Leon cut in, his voice harsh in relation to the near hypnotic tone D had been using. D's smile faltered and he shot Leon a scathing look. "If you're giving him a tour, I'm coming along. Last thing I need is for you to feed him to some man-eating gerbils or something."
"Gerbils," D scoffed. "Really, Detective."
A tour, given by the guy Leon had been hung up on for so long? Being alone with D, where there were no witnesses? James didn’t know about that - luckily Leon jumped in, and his hyper-vigilance made James chuckle a little. He squeezed Leon’s hand, fingers stroking over and in between his. “You can add your colorful commentary,” he told his boyfriend. “It’ll be interesting.” Were there really man-eating gerbils? Given what James knew about D, that seemed very likely (and there were man-eating rabbits in his homeworld too, apparently) - but he didn’t want to cause a stir.
He must be here for a reason - and he assumed it wasn’t to be munched on by whatever mysterious, otherworldly animals D kept in his shop. Maybe it was for a bit of closure - and in that regard, James would help however he could.
“The detective can keep his colourful commentary to himself,” D sniffed, though if he had any other objections, he kept them to himself. “Well, we can begin now, if you’d like, and come back for tea afterward. Dessert is always better when you have a chance to sit and savour it anyway.”
James snickered - what, no remarks that made one blink in confusion? Or observations that needed a moment to settle before a very fondly exasperated Leon escaped your lips? James found himself in those sorts of situations a lot - his partner kept him on his toes, that was for certain, but he supposed it was just part of Leon’s charm. He meant well and had a warm, squishy sort of heart that he kept guarded by a barbed wire fence - and James was glad to have found a way burrowing beneath, to get to what waited there.
“Of course,” he grinned. “Tour and then tea. And dessert. Lead the way.” He wasn’t about to let go of Leon (and if the bird on his head wanted to follow, then by all means) but he wouldn’t charge ahead without permission either.
“I’ll still make colourful remarks to you,” Leon said, bumping James with his shoulder as he stood up.
D’s face gave nothing away when he glanced at Leon and James, though there was a touch of amusement in his smile when the bird alit from Leon’s head with a series of annoyed chirps and caught his ear painfully in its beak before flying off somewhere more stationary to rest. Leon cursed after it before he followed D through the double doors.
He’d never gotten used to the neverending corridors that made up the shops backrooms, and the endless Chinese style doors that branched off from it on both sides. The coordinators themselves twisted and turned, sending one up stairs and down, far too long and winding to make sense for the space that the petshop occupied. Some trick to them made the whole thing seem disorienting, and Leon knew that for every door that led to a normal room filled with animals, another door would lead to somewhere outside – to the ocean, or a field at night, even when it was broad daylight out. Leon had never learned if these were real locations in the world, but he rather suspected they weren’t.
He had learned, first when D left LA, and then when he’d nearly caught him in Tokyo, that the halls weren’t real. Or, if they were, they were the product only of magic. He could still remember the confusion he felt when he’d thrown open the doors to the backrooms after D had left and had found only an empty broom closet in its stead.
Chris caught up from behind them, followed closely by Pon-Chan and T-Chan, the European badger and the totetsu that were always at his side, and peered shyly up at James from the other side of Leon. Chris should be eighteen by now, he knew, and he’d regained his ability to speak even before he’d left LA, but for some reason wasn’t bothered that Chris here was as he knew him, seven years old and still mute.
This is your boyfriend? Does that mean you love him? Chris asked, peering up at Leon.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Leon said.
Oh. Chris glanced from Leon to James, then to D’s back – if D’s expression had changed at all at that, Leon couldn’t tell – and back to Leon. Does he like animals?
“You can ask him yourself, you know,” Leon said. “I’m pretty sure he can hear you. Can’t you, babe?”
He’d have been surprised if James couldn’t, at least, given what he knew of James’ abilities.
‘I can hear you,” James confirmed, a smile in his voice - the little brother was quite adorable, and he’d been charmed by the child’s drawing that Leon kept with him. The one that was meant for D, the one that he’d been unable to throw in a color-changing bonfire. He knew there had been a large age difference between Leon and Chris but that didn’t seem to matter - seeing the sibling bond in person now, well, it was sweet. “I do like animals. I’ve got a cat at home, and my housemate has a bird named Mango. And...I love him too. Leon, I mean.” Not the bird (though Mango was very cute).
That felt important to say - that he loved Leon, because he did. Love of the romantic kind was somewhat new to James - he couldn’t remember if it had ever happened before, and was pretty sure it hadn’t. The feeling of riding a roller coaster, one of feelings and wants and desires, one that made him a little tenderhearted - no, James would have known it was like.
In this shop, the long hallways and the huge, ornate doors were a sight to behold - he could tell it was magic, he’d felt it when they came in. Not anything he could put his finger on - more like a myriad of all sorts of things. “Who’s this?” he asked about the totetsu. That was a majestic creature if he ever saw one.
Chris’ face lit up when James said he could hear him, a smile that could light up a room. Oh, this is T-chan, he said, gesturing to the totetsu, who let out a low growl in the back of his throat. T-Chan, that’s not very nice. Chris scolded him. And this is Pon-chan! The badger stood on her hindlegs and did something that could have almost been taken for a curtsy, if it hadn’t been a badger. They’re my friends! T-Chan and my brother don’t get along very well though. What’s your cat's name?
That was sweet - heartwarming, even. The kid’s smile was like Christmas morning. “Don’t get along with T-Chan, huh?” he tossed Leon an amused sort of grin. And here Leon was just so affable to everyone and everything (that was a joke, by the way). “Nice to meet you, Pon-chan.” Because any badger that did a curtsy at him deserved to be recognized. “Oh - my cat’s name is Cheeto,” James added. “He’s completely orange, sort of chunky, likes sunning himself on the windowsill.” He wasn’t much of a force to be reckoned with, really - or much of a hunter, come to think of it.
Cheeto didn’t tend to leave James gifts in the form of dead mice on his doorstep because the pathetic human was unable to hunt and gather for himself - mostly because Cheeto wasn’t an outdoor cat, but also because lazy. Though he did like to take rides around the house in boxes, hold green beans between his paws and eat them as if he was a panda bear, and had tasted soap once - it made him ill but he apparently thought it wasn’t bad and went back for seconds. No one said Cheeto was the smartest feline in the room either.
“He’s been with me for awhile though. Seems pretty happy.”
Maybe next time you can bring him here! Chris chirped happily.
Leon shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t think there was going to be a next time. He was trying hard not to think about the fact that there was something about this that wasn’t right, sure that if he focused too hard on it, that it would pop like a bubble.
“Yeah, next time,” Leon said, distantly, but Chris seemed happy enough with the answer, and ran up to grab D’s hand and ask if they could go visit Filip.
James was fairly certain this was going to be a one-time deal - it felt real but yet wasn’t; the interior of the shop was distinct and the aroma of incense permeating everything with its sharpness, but the colors at the edges of everything were also a little bit blurred - sloshy, in a way, like smudged paints on canvas.
However he also wasn’t going to focus on that - he was just going to be here, with Leon, and let him control the flow even if he was sort of doing it unconsciously (like it was all a dream, perhaps?). “Next time,” he agreed, and Chris didn’t have to know there probably wouldn’t be one. Everything would return to the way it was supposed to be - so what was the harm in indulging right now just a little?
When Chris ran ahead, James turned to Leon and smiled a little. “He’s cute - really seems to look up to you.”
“I’m not much of a role model,” Leon said, bashful, though he seemed pleased with the observation nevertheless. “He only stayed with me for a year, but I’m glad I got it.”
Sometimes he wondered what it would have been like if he had decided to raise Chris himself. He was eighteen when Chris came into his life, and he legally could have done it. But he didn’t think he could have become a cop if he’d been taking care of a newborn, definitely not at eighteen. And Leon’s aunt and uncle had a lot of money and they’d been good parents to Chris. Both of them had been better off with the way things had ultimately worked out.
It didn’t stop Leon from thinking about it though. Sometimes.
Chris and D stopped at one of the doors, and D gave Leon and James one of his mysterious smiles before he opened the door. The salty smell of the ocean, the sound of waves crashing against the beach, filled the corridor, and Chris ran into the room, fingers hooked under the hem of his shirt to pull it off even as he disappeared through the doorway.
“I don’t think you’ve ever met Filip, have you, Detective?” D asked as they caught up. He stepped into the room. “It’s about time, I think. He was Chris’ first friend here at the petshop.”
Leon didn’t think he’d ever get used to these rooms, never would really understand if they existed only within the petshop, or if the doors were portals to other sections of earth, but stepping through the door certainly felt like stepping outside. The ocean spread out endlessly before them where it met with a clear, blue sky on the horizon, and the sun warmed his skin. Chris was already in the water, splashing in the waves with a young dolphin. Presumably Filip.
That was a surprise - the fact that one of these doors led to the beach. The ocean didn’t seem upset, it was calm - like being lulled to sleep, and the air was kissed by salt and the aroma of seaweed. Very soothing - and they were alone, presumably. It wasn’t one of those beaches where everything mingled, even the people and the scents, suntan lotion and coconut oil. Just them. And a dolphin. And the sunshine, which felt warm as a whiskey nightcap.
James went through behind Leon, taking in a breath. “That must be Filip,” he guessed too, regarding the dolphin. “Also a majestic creature.” Much like the totetsu - honestly, James could see why it was so appealing to stay here at the petshop. It was essentially some pocket dimension with every fantastical friend you could ever hope to make. And D seemed to have some kind of special connection with the animals; maybe he was even a little bit special himself.
Magic was saturating everything, clearly. The fact that James couldn’t get a read on it was even more interesting.
“We’ll stay as long as you want?” he told Leon. “And if you want to go frolic, go frolic. I’ll come with you.”
“The shop specializes in love, hope and dreams,” D said smoothly, nearly making Leon jump with how silently he’d approached on the sad. “All you need to do is ask, and we can provide anything your heart desires.”
“Love, dreams and murder,” Leon scoffed. “But yeah, this place has all sorts of freaky deaky animals. I’m honestly surprised that the dolphin isn’t some sort of… I don’t know, unicorn dolphin. He sold a mermaid once that ate this music producer in his pool.” Leon waved his hand. “But he wouldn’t let Chris go swimming with some man-eater, so we’re probably safe.”
At least, he assumed D wouldn’t. T-Chan liked to take chunks out of Leon on a regular basis, but he didn’t think he’d actually eaten anyone. The exasperated look D shot Leon told him well enough that the dolphin was probably safe. Or, well, at least as safe as dolphins usually were. He’d heard some sketchy stories through the years.
“Bet the water’s real nice though,” Leon said to James, already peeling his t-shirt off. “You gonna take off that stuffy robe and join us, or are you just going to lay around on the beach?” he asked D.
D waved him on – the stuffy robe would remain in place, thank you – and Leon shot a grin at James. “Race you,” he said, dropping his shirt to the ground turning to run nearly as soon as the words were out of his mouth.
The water looked nice - so James would indulge. Why not, right? He didn’t see any reason not to, and he had high hopes that a dolphin wasn’t going to suddenly turn into a kraken and drag them down into the depths the way tentacles pulled in wayward sailors (though he too had heard dolphin stories over the years - some of them were not friendly).
“Well, that’s not fair - you just gave yourself a head start,” he chuckled, pulling off his own shirt (just the one he’d worn to bed, a regular cotton number in a navy blue) and ditching the jeans as well - soon he was off for the water too, and it had been awhile since he’d gone for a swim at the beach despite living on an island; not all of Vallo’s beaches were suitable, however. “...so I guess that means I’ll have to tackle you once we get to the water.”
And, oh, he would.
The water was very nice, the perfect temperature for an afternoon of frolicking and slash fights which he wasn’t sure were entirely fair when Chris had a dolphin on his team. He didn’t even mind, so much, the amount of times T-Chan bit him. The sun was sinking near the horizon when D finally called them in for tea, and Leon nearly protested until he realized just how hungry he was. The walk back to the parlour was pleasant, Chris seated on his shoulders while Leon tried very hard not to think about the fact that Chris was supposed to be eighteen, not seven, and tea was just how he remembered – the tea good, the desserts sweet, and D loosened up enough that the facade of the mysterious shopkeeper slipped and revealed to James the man underneath.
And then, before Leon knew it, D was peering at him. “I think it’s nearly time for you and the Doctor to wake up,” D said lightly, and for a minute, Leon didn’t know what he was talking about.
And then, suddenly, he did, and his stomach dropped. He knew that this couldn’t last, Chris seated to his right, James on his left, surrounded by D and all the other pets but he didn’t want it to end.
He brought his tea cup to his lips, draining the rest of the liquid, and then set the tea cup on the table. He glanced at James. He wasn’t ready.
“You can go ahead if you want. I’ll catch up.”
It was surprisingly fun, and beautiful, more fun than James would have envisioned something like this going - but then again, he never thought he’d get to meet D or Chris either. He was relaxed as well, and everything smelled like that now-familiar incense and cake - light, airy, sweet. And with the pets, there was something interesting about them too - they weren’t just pets and was it just him, or did they seem to be more and more human the more the incense smoke was breathed in?
Either way, James was happy to let it all play out - he drank his tea and indulged in the slice of cake, and he got to know D a little bit better. Chris also, at the age where he didn’t seem saddled by trauma - pieces of home, for Leon, people he kept close to him and probably always would even if he continued to thrive in Vallo.
But it couldn’t last forever, James knew that too. “Of course - I’ll see you soon,” he promised (because they’d wake up in the same bed, and Leon would probably need the comfort). Then he leaned in and kissed Leon, holding his face between his hands, before pulling back. “I’m glad I got to meet you both,” he said to D and to Chris. “I promise I’ll take good care of him.”
Then, for James, it was about over - everything began to fade.
Leon closed his eyes, leaning into the kiss, and then, before Leon knew it, he was gone, and it was just Leon, and Chris, and D in the petshop, like it had been in the old days.
He stood up, brushed some badger hair from his jeans, and then and spread his arms so that Chris could run into them. He hugged his brother tightly.
“I’ve missed you,” Leon said, burying his face in Chris’ hair.
I miss you too, big brother, Chris said, his voice quiet in Leon’s head. Leon hugged him tighter, held him a little longer, and then finally let him go.
He straightened and turned to D, trying to find something to say, but no words came. But it was D who spoke first.
“You might stay, my dear detective,” D said, voice soft, soothing.
“What?” Leon asked, blinking. That wasn’t at all what he’d been expecting.
“You might stay. Here, with Chris, and with me.” The shadows gathered at D’s feet, and Leon felt his hair fall down the back of his neck, longer than it had been since his twenties. D approached, rested a hand on Leon’s cheek, the other on his chest. “You don’t doubt that I can make it come true, do you? This shop deals in dreams.”
And Leon, suddenly, wasn’t entirely sure that it wasn’t true. D could pull him back home, if Leon asked him to. He thought of the day they’d had, of D and Chris, and even if Chris would be older now, Leon would like to see the man that he’d become.
But he could still taste James on his lips, and the pull of his present life was stronger than the call of his old life, and so he shook his head. “Sorry, D, I can’t stay,” he said. And D gave him one of his small, mysterious smiles, tinged with a touch of sadness, said, “Well then, good-bye, Detective,” and he pushed against Leon’s chest, and he was falling, falling…
He woke with a start, catching his breath when he realized he was no longer falling, that he’d landed on the soft mattress he so often shared with James. He turned his head, catching sight of him, and smiled in relief, just a moment before he swallowed.
“So, this might be a weird question…”
James was already awake. He didn’t want to move, but he was awake - so there was a rustle of the pillowcase as he glanced at Leon; his eyes were bright blue in the dark of the room (what time was it? The sun was slowly rising, he could tell that much), a cluster of little gemstones. “Somehow I don’t think it’ll be that weird,” he laughed a little.
But he shifted beneath the covers and moved to sort of half lie on top of Leon and halfway off, hand resting on his chest and fingers splayed there. His lashes blinked, clearing the haze from the thick remnants of that dream which still swirled through James’s mind. “What’s your question?”
Leon wrapped his arm around James, running over the muscles of his back, and ran his other hand through James’ hair. No, he didn’t plan on giving this up any time soon.
“Did you just have sort of a weird dream?” he asked, a little awkwardly. The question had sounded less strange in his head.
“I did, in fact, have a weird dream,” James confirmed. His nose nudged at Leon’s jawline, encouraging more pets in the hair - it was perhaps true that James was a big sucker for them, and he’d purr if he got them but he would neither confirm nor deny (though he and Cheeto were more alike than one may think).
His expression was sleepy yet fond, as he woke up further and indulged in post-slumber snuggling. Leon didn’t give off cuddly vibes very much but James knew the truth. “I really am glad I got to meet them - I know how much they mean to you. And seeing the petshop, a part of your life - that was important too.”
James would never try to erase that, or diminish it, take any of it away from Leon - because he fell in love with the person who was the sum of his experiences, not just pieces.
Leon would deny it to hell and back if anyone ever asked, but he did very much enjoy cuddling. The pets at the petshop had learned that fairly quickly, and generally took his sitting down as an invitation to climb on him and get comfortable, and he was more than happy that James had figured out his poorly kept secret. He obliged, languidly running his fingers through James’ hair.
“I’m glad you got to meet them too. Or some version of them, at least. Chris seemed to like you.” A beat. “Or just really wanted to meet Cheeto. One of the two.” He grinned at him. “I hope you’ll get to meet him in real life, someday.”
James snorted a laugh, a quiet one. “Cheeto has that effect on people,” he said, stretching a bit and letting his joints pop like he was a bowl of rice krispies. Maybe he should contemplate getting up, now that he was actually sort of beginning to resemble something human again. “I hope I do too - I suppose you never know.” He had lived in Vallo his whole life and there were still things he didn’t understand and likely wouldn’t - but he’d long ago accepted that he perhaps wasn’t meant to.
And if he ever did, wouldn’t that take away some of the mystery? The fun?
“Come on, darling, I’ll make you breakfast,” he offered, moving to stand. Something that wasn’t cake, even if the taste of their tea party still lingered. But not in a bad way - just a thoughtful way.
Leon made a muffled noise of protest and half pawed at James as he moved away, but he didn’t protest too much. He was normally an early riser and didn’t generally enjoy lounging around in bed. He was, in fact, usually up a little earlier than this; he liked to start his morning run around sunrise. He thought he’d probably skip the run today though.
He stretched, arms above his head, and got out of bed himself. “Yeah, babe, that sounds great.”
There was a whole day stretching out in front of them. No point in lounging around and wasting it.