90s sadness and gay???

[dtective]

[By this point, Leon has lost track of how long he's been searching for Count D. It became an obsession that only grew with time, and now he couldn't keep to one spot anymore. Not while D was still out there. Across cities, across countries, he probably looked insane to everyone around him. But they didn't know the half of it! Sometimes even Leon wasn't sure he understood what he was doing.

Right now wasn't the time to doubt himself, though. He'd hoped that this lead would get him even an inch closer to his goal, but he hadn't counted on spotting him in the streets. It had to be him. He'd seen him turn and look at him, and those eyes—]

Wait! Stop right there!

[He doesn't hold back, shoving his way through the crowded streets and keeping his eyes locked on him. It doesn't work, because of course it doesn't, and his steps slow in his confusion. His heart is beating way too fast, his stomach sinks, and for a moment he's sure he's lost his one chance.

But something catches the corner of his eye, and his instinct tells him to turn. He reaches out, grabbing the first wrist he can and meeting D's eyes with his own.]

...Found you.

Comments

[pruning]

[His one visit to the crazy dentist aside... he has beautiful teeth, thank you.]

That hardly makes it better! I won't have you filling my shop with beer cans, you know.

[dtective]

Then recycle them.

[He says this as he probably casually tosses his napkin to the side like it won't blow away in the wind. He's a mess.] I'm cutting you some slack by not trying to decorate, so the least you can do is put up with my habits.

[He's so generous.]

[pruning]

[Watches Leon casually destroy the environment... fine, he'll gingerly pick up that napkin himself. Don't mind his distasteful look as he leans over to do this, personal space be damned.]

If I see even the slightest hint of a corner of one of your tacky posters, I will burn it.

[Don't test him!! Just be Aware that this is a real possibility.]

Surely you can make the extra trip yourself to recycle your own cans. I am not your maid.

[dtective]

[How about magazines, he'll find those as replacements. It'll be great. Look forward to it.]

Yeah, yeah, whatever. Do you want me to relax, or what? [Stop nagging!! He'll leave cans all over anyway...]

[pruning]

[sHREDS THEM??? Leon finds them being used to line D's bird cages honestly.]

We're just having a conversation. [........] You started it.

[dtective]

It was your nasty drink that started it.

[He's so rude... Don't TOUCH HIS MAGAZINES he'll just buy 20 more. ANYWAY... Enough back and forth like this, it's been a whole day.] So, what do you plan on doing here?

[pruning]

[RUDE... it's a great drink and he's drinking them all, apparently.]

Sell pets. [Okay, wait, don't freak out.] Average, everyday pets.

[dtective]

Do you even own average, everyday pets?

[He doesn't buy this... What are the laws on exotic pets in Italy?? He's looking this up as soon as he can.]

[pruning]

[How, he can't read Italian. Good luck, loser.]

Of course I do. Puppies and kittens... even ordinary goldfish. It's some people's dream to take home a normal puppy, you know.

[dtective]

[dubious squinting]

What happened to all that talk about your family?

[pruning]

[Why can't he talk about puppies for two minutes without Leon bringing this up again?? Why???]

Erm— pardon?

[dtective]

[THERE ARE NO REAL PUPPIES!!!11

But really, he's bothered. If this is true, then everything D was arguing against is stupid. If it's false, then he's holding back information like always. Why can't they just... he doesn't know... something??]

Forget it. I'll see about those puppies and kittens later.

[pruning]

[THERE ARE REAL PUPPIES!!!!!

D can't figure out what Leon's problem with real puppies is, however, so he simply stares at him a moment before going back to drinking this cake drink. He just wanted to divert from Leon accusing him of more crime...]

If you'd like to, be my guest...

[jerk?? probably.]

You aren't relaxing.

[dtective]

I'm relaxing just fine!

[He says, hunched over tensely as he eats some snacks that were packed. He's not grumpy over puppies at all.]

[pruning]

[Leon... At least one of them is sort of enjoying this picnic.]

...In my defense, you did ask.

[dtective]

I was trying to make small talk.

[But he realizes he can't... talk about anything normal with D.]

[pruning]

[That seems like a personal problem.]

It seems you don't trust me enough to carry a basic conversation. I can't say I'm surprised.

[dtective]

Nothing about you is basic. [u basic bitch]

But fine. What do you want to talk about?

[pruning]

[rude......]

We could always not scrape the bottom of the barrel for conversation topics. It's a beautiful day— why don't you try enjoying it?

[dtective]

Like you know anything about enjoying beautiful days! You won't even go to the beach. So what should I do to enjoy it, huh?

[he's ENJOYING NATURE!!!! aggressively admires a flower next to the blanket.]

[pruning]

[god what a JERK]

Not enjoying the beach means nothing! [Oh my god. No. No, he's not starting this stupid argument. He'll dump Leon for Nature, don't TEST him...]

Regardless, you could start by not snapping so much!

[dtective]

[Don't leave him for nature... He's actually about to snap at all of that when that last comment comes through, and he hesitates. He remembers what had been said about D's smiles, and how he'd been so close to telling him something when he was in a bad mood...

His shoulders deflate just a little and he stares at a cookie in his hand.]

Alright. [As if it's that easy... but what's he going to do, snap about not snapping?! That seems... hm, well, he'll try.]

[pruning]

Thank you.

[Nature doesn't yell at him about everything... All D wants is a moment of quiet, so he can pretend it's a moment of peace. It's not - they were never very peaceful together even before he left and everything turned on its head, but he'd like to imagine they could be. Or at least that Leon can stop being angry or frustrated, without a distraction like Chris between them.

It would be nice, ugh. Give him this. Give him a few minutes of quiet. Look at some clouds, or something.]

[dtective]

[Well, that's not a bad reaction after all that effort. For once, he will put some real effort into relaxing. It's easier if he enjoys the weather, which is a hell of a lot nicer here than it had been in certain other countries, and the food is pretty good, too. For once, there's no stupid animals in the way... Yeah, maybe this isn't so bad after all!

Look, Leon did it, he's slowly looking happier.]

[pruning]

[You're welcome, his food is great. D is glad for the silence, as for once he'd actually like to think about this instead of putting it off. It keeps occurring to him where they are— or more accurately, where they aren't, which for Leon at least is home. Jury is out on whether or not D grew attached enough to LA to consider it home, but it was at least the last place he was comfortable, which counts for something.

But they're in Italy now, in a city neither of them have any attachment to, with no comforts of home except each other. And that's barely approaching "comfort" status, after everything... D shouldn't be thinking of these things at all, but he knows enough now to make an educated guess about what hypocrites his family are— that FBI agent, and his father? He isn't blind.

Left alone he could handle himself, and that seems to be how Father and Grandfather handled themselves, by purposely staying isolated after a certain point... but if he's honest, he's been acutely miserable for ages. He is not that honest, even privately.

When he's finally finished his cake drinks, he sets the empty bottles aside. Here they are, in Italy... both of them... in Italy... How gay is it to reach over and brush back some of Leon's hair that's been ruffled by the breeze? Too late to worry about that now.]

...I was mistaken. I should not have left you— or at all. Humans are capable of struggling, despite all odds... I was tired and afraid. In some ways, I still am.

[god Leon didn't even drink his cake shake and he's still trying to open up here, what's wrong with him? This is going to be a lot more than just "stay, because"—]

With you, unlike all other humans... despite everything, I have been— happy. [strike him down where he sits, this is embarrassing] I thought you might want to know that much.