[Fic} "The Detective Falls", Pet Shop of Horrors, for ignipotent
This is for ignipotent's request for a a Pet Shop of Horrors fic featuring comforting D and emotionally shattered vampire!Leon. It was a challenging request but I hope this is enjoyed.
Fandom: Pet Shop of Horrors
Pairing: D/Leon
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1728
Notes: Alternate Timeline, no major spoilers.
The Detective Falls
New York was like Los Angeles concentrated. All the bad and good you could think of, all within a short walk of wherever you might be. Leon didn't care for it much. So many of the people who rushed by looked neither happy nor even content. He knew that was a silly thing to think, because people are the same everywhere, aren't they? But he wished he could go back to Los Angeles.
Los Angeles was out of the question though, because Count D was there. D, with his slim hands and mysterious smile and the figure that was almost feminine but wasn't really because D was a man. And Leon didn't want to feel these feelings felt for a man. The reactions in his mind and body scared him, and so did the strange dreams of smooth skin and a soft mouth and D's gently accented voice telling him things he had never heard before.
So Leon had taken leave, and gone to the other end of the country. He was trying to sort everything out, to get back to a normal life without D and without thinking lover's thoughts about a man. It made him too unsettled, too anxious. A small part of him wanted to be as otherworldly as D seemed to be, simply so he could touch the Count, physically and emotionally. He couldn't push D from his mind, though. Not even being thousands of miles away seemed to make him forget.
Leon was not sure why he had struck up the conversation with the man at the bar that night in New York. Perhaps there was something about him than reminded him of D. But he was a blonde man, with short hair and piercing blue eyes. Those eyes roamed over Leon in a way that made Leon nervous. He told himself there was nothing to be nervous about, that he was simply conversing with a new acquaintance in a bar.
The man introduced himself as John, and said he managed nursing homes for a living. He seemed very interested in Leon's life as a policeman. Leon, of course, did not tell John why he had fled California. But when John mentioned an unsuccessful relationship he nodded in sympathy. He even muttered "women" though it had nothing to with a woman for him, and possibly not for John either.
When John invited him to another bar, Leon took him up on it. He told himself that he could handle anything. And John had mentioned pretty waitresses, so it wasn't that sort of bar. Leon had no reason to be rude and decline, did he? And there was something hypnotic about John, something that made Leon want to follow him.
But on the way there, John started leading him through a dark alley. When he protested, John turned and stared at him with those eyes. He felt paralyzed, as though this man had an inexplicable hold on him. John put his hands on Leon's shoulders and held him. Slowly, John's face approached his, and he thought wildly to himself that he was about to be kissed by a man and it wasn't even D.
John had a scent of spices and Leon could feel no breath on his face. Adrenaline flowed through the policeman in a combination of fear and dark excitement. Leon was trembling, dreading the moment that this man's mouth touched his. He thought of pulling away, of struggling, but somehow he could not. Something was terribly wrong, but he didn't realize how wrong until John's mouth approached his neck and there was a sharp pain.
Leon thought to himself that vampires were real, and then he could not think clearly anymore. He felt John sucking at his neck, draining his blood. He thought vaguely that he could die from this, but his body was experiencing a hideous form of pleasure combined with pain. Moving was out of the question, he simply stood, John holding him up as his legs gave way.
Finally John pulled his mouth away from Leon's neck. He kissed Leon's lips then, and the policeman tasted his own blood. John lowered him to the ground, and he saw the vampire's grin but heard only silence as he blacked out.
When he woke up, the first thing that he noticed was that he felt cold. As soon as he sat up, he felt dizzy, and he could not remember what had happened to him. Collecting his thoughts, he recalled following a strange man into an alley, but could not understand why he had ever done something so stupid.
"So I got mugged," he thought to himself. "But I guess he didn't beat me up too much, because I don't feel any bruises."
It was then that he remembered the bite. Putting his hand to his neck, he could still feel the marks. He also felt that his neck was cold, and that there was no pulse.
"That's impossible," he said to himself. "There is no such thing as a vampire."
Dropping his hand to his chest, he felt no heartbeat either. "It's impossible," he said again to himself. But he already knew that it wasn't. His body felt different, heavier, and his senses were heightened. When he licked his teeth experimentally, he felt the sharp poke of fangs where his eyeteeth had been.
He stood up then and found that the dizziness was gone and his memories of last night were complete.
"John was a vampire," he said to himself. "And he turned you into one too." It couldn't be, it made no sense, but it was true.
He felt lost and alone, and when he stumbled out of the alley he saw that the sun was rising. He wondered if the sun could kill him.
"This isn't a novel," he said to himself out loud. "This is your life. Or your death."
His wallet was still in his pocket, and he managed to hail a cab and give directions to his hotel. The cab driver was staring at him and probably thought he was drunk, but Leon did not care. He wanted to scream, wanted to collapse, but kept going by telling himself that all this was only a nightmare.
It was not a nightmare, however. As he stumbled through the hotel room door and fell onto the bed, he realized that he had lost everything.
"I can never be a policeman again. I can never see Chris again. What if I hurt him? Maybe I should just walk out into the sun and die for real."
He lay on the bed for hours, noticing that he felt no hunger, only a thirst that disturbed him deeply.
"Is this going to be me? Am I going to attack someone instead of protecting them? There's no way to know, no one to ask. Who even believes in vampires?"
The answer came to him. Count D believed in vampires.
"D can help you," he said. "You've got to go to D."
Even now, he hesitated, remembering the feelings that he didn't want to have. But everything had changed now, and he had to go back. He raised the phone and booked a night flight to Los Angeles.
When he arrived at the airport he rented a car and drove straight to the pet shop. It was still dark outside, far too early for the Count to be awake, but that hardly mattered now. Leon ran to the door and began to pound on it.
After a few minutes he heard Count D's voice on the other side of the door.
"The shop is closed. Please return in the morning."
"It's Leon!" he answered desperately.
The door swung open, and he saw Count D, looking as perfect and unperturbed as always.
"Detective, are you all right? You look very pale."
Leon watched as D's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh, detective. You've been turned."
Leon had no idea how he would know that, but merely nodded.
"Will you let me in?" he asked. "Or are you afraid of me?"
D grasped his upper arm and pulled him through the door. "I have never been afraid of you."
Leon let D lead him to the couch. The sat together, D still holding on to him.
"Detective, how did this happen?"
"Does that really matter?"
"I suppose it doesn't. But what will you do now?"
"I don't know!" Leon shouted almost desperately. "I can't do anything!"
D stroked his shoulder. "You can. You just don't know it yet."
"I don't want to drink blood!"
"That may be inescapable," said the Count placidly.
"I don't want to hurt people!"
"That is preventable. I know enough to assure you of that," said D. "To go on may be one of the hardest things you have ever done, but you will have to do it."
"So you don't want to destroy me?" Leon asked.
"Never."
"And you aren't worried that I'll drink your blood?"
D tilted his head slightly, exposing his neck. "Do you want my blood, detective?"
Seeing that neck awakened old feelings in Leon, and new feelings of actually wanting to sink his fangs into it to suck the rich blood. But he didn't want to hurt D, and he found that he could control himself.
"You had a vampire friend..." said Leon weakly, burying his face in his hands. "Did he hate this as much as I do?"
D moved over on the couch and gently pulled Leon down so that the detective's head was in his lap. Gently, he stroked Leon's hair. Leon would have never have allowed this contact before, but it seemed so necessary now.
"I can help take care of you," said the Count softly. "There are ways for you to go on, to still be yourself as much as you can.
"I need your help," admitted Leon, feeling slightly relaxed for the first time since John had bitten him. "If you can really help me. But I don't want to be one of your exotic pets."
"You will never be my pet," said D with a soft laugh. "You will always be my detective."
Leon still wasn't certain he could ever be a detective again, but he merely closed his eyes and fell asleep in D's lap. There would be a tomorrow, somehow, and D would still be watching him.
Fandom: Pet Shop of Horrors
Pairing: D/Leon
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1728
Notes: Alternate Timeline, no major spoilers.
The Detective Falls
New York was like Los Angeles concentrated. All the bad and good you could think of, all within a short walk of wherever you might be. Leon didn't care for it much. So many of the people who rushed by looked neither happy nor even content. He knew that was a silly thing to think, because people are the same everywhere, aren't they? But he wished he could go back to Los Angeles.
Los Angeles was out of the question though, because Count D was there. D, with his slim hands and mysterious smile and the figure that was almost feminine but wasn't really because D was a man. And Leon didn't want to feel these feelings felt for a man. The reactions in his mind and body scared him, and so did the strange dreams of smooth skin and a soft mouth and D's gently accented voice telling him things he had never heard before.
So Leon had taken leave, and gone to the other end of the country. He was trying to sort everything out, to get back to a normal life without D and without thinking lover's thoughts about a man. It made him too unsettled, too anxious. A small part of him wanted to be as otherworldly as D seemed to be, simply so he could touch the Count, physically and emotionally. He couldn't push D from his mind, though. Not even being thousands of miles away seemed to make him forget.
Leon was not sure why he had struck up the conversation with the man at the bar that night in New York. Perhaps there was something about him than reminded him of D. But he was a blonde man, with short hair and piercing blue eyes. Those eyes roamed over Leon in a way that made Leon nervous. He told himself there was nothing to be nervous about, that he was simply conversing with a new acquaintance in a bar.
The man introduced himself as John, and said he managed nursing homes for a living. He seemed very interested in Leon's life as a policeman. Leon, of course, did not tell John why he had fled California. But when John mentioned an unsuccessful relationship he nodded in sympathy. He even muttered "women" though it had nothing to with a woman for him, and possibly not for John either.
When John invited him to another bar, Leon took him up on it. He told himself that he could handle anything. And John had mentioned pretty waitresses, so it wasn't that sort of bar. Leon had no reason to be rude and decline, did he? And there was something hypnotic about John, something that made Leon want to follow him.
But on the way there, John started leading him through a dark alley. When he protested, John turned and stared at him with those eyes. He felt paralyzed, as though this man had an inexplicable hold on him. John put his hands on Leon's shoulders and held him. Slowly, John's face approached his, and he thought wildly to himself that he was about to be kissed by a man and it wasn't even D.
John had a scent of spices and Leon could feel no breath on his face. Adrenaline flowed through the policeman in a combination of fear and dark excitement. Leon was trembling, dreading the moment that this man's mouth touched his. He thought of pulling away, of struggling, but somehow he could not. Something was terribly wrong, but he didn't realize how wrong until John's mouth approached his neck and there was a sharp pain.
Leon thought to himself that vampires were real, and then he could not think clearly anymore. He felt John sucking at his neck, draining his blood. He thought vaguely that he could die from this, but his body was experiencing a hideous form of pleasure combined with pain. Moving was out of the question, he simply stood, John holding him up as his legs gave way.
Finally John pulled his mouth away from Leon's neck. He kissed Leon's lips then, and the policeman tasted his own blood. John lowered him to the ground, and he saw the vampire's grin but heard only silence as he blacked out.
When he woke up, the first thing that he noticed was that he felt cold. As soon as he sat up, he felt dizzy, and he could not remember what had happened to him. Collecting his thoughts, he recalled following a strange man into an alley, but could not understand why he had ever done something so stupid.
"So I got mugged," he thought to himself. "But I guess he didn't beat me up too much, because I don't feel any bruises."
It was then that he remembered the bite. Putting his hand to his neck, he could still feel the marks. He also felt that his neck was cold, and that there was no pulse.
"That's impossible," he said to himself. "There is no such thing as a vampire."
Dropping his hand to his chest, he felt no heartbeat either. "It's impossible," he said again to himself. But he already knew that it wasn't. His body felt different, heavier, and his senses were heightened. When he licked his teeth experimentally, he felt the sharp poke of fangs where his eyeteeth had been.
He stood up then and found that the dizziness was gone and his memories of last night were complete.
"John was a vampire," he said to himself. "And he turned you into one too." It couldn't be, it made no sense, but it was true.
He felt lost and alone, and when he stumbled out of the alley he saw that the sun was rising. He wondered if the sun could kill him.
"This isn't a novel," he said to himself out loud. "This is your life. Or your death."
His wallet was still in his pocket, and he managed to hail a cab and give directions to his hotel. The cab driver was staring at him and probably thought he was drunk, but Leon did not care. He wanted to scream, wanted to collapse, but kept going by telling himself that all this was only a nightmare.
It was not a nightmare, however. As he stumbled through the hotel room door and fell onto the bed, he realized that he had lost everything.
"I can never be a policeman again. I can never see Chris again. What if I hurt him? Maybe I should just walk out into the sun and die for real."
He lay on the bed for hours, noticing that he felt no hunger, only a thirst that disturbed him deeply.
"Is this going to be me? Am I going to attack someone instead of protecting them? There's no way to know, no one to ask. Who even believes in vampires?"
The answer came to him. Count D believed in vampires.
"D can help you," he said. "You've got to go to D."
Even now, he hesitated, remembering the feelings that he didn't want to have. But everything had changed now, and he had to go back. He raised the phone and booked a night flight to Los Angeles.
When he arrived at the airport he rented a car and drove straight to the pet shop. It was still dark outside, far too early for the Count to be awake, but that hardly mattered now. Leon ran to the door and began to pound on it.
After a few minutes he heard Count D's voice on the other side of the door.
"The shop is closed. Please return in the morning."
"It's Leon!" he answered desperately.
The door swung open, and he saw Count D, looking as perfect and unperturbed as always.
"Detective, are you all right? You look very pale."
Leon watched as D's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh, detective. You've been turned."
Leon had no idea how he would know that, but merely nodded.
"Will you let me in?" he asked. "Or are you afraid of me?"
D grasped his upper arm and pulled him through the door. "I have never been afraid of you."
Leon let D lead him to the couch. The sat together, D still holding on to him.
"Detective, how did this happen?"
"Does that really matter?"
"I suppose it doesn't. But what will you do now?"
"I don't know!" Leon shouted almost desperately. "I can't do anything!"
D stroked his shoulder. "You can. You just don't know it yet."
"I don't want to drink blood!"
"That may be inescapable," said the Count placidly.
"I don't want to hurt people!"
"That is preventable. I know enough to assure you of that," said D. "To go on may be one of the hardest things you have ever done, but you will have to do it."
"So you don't want to destroy me?" Leon asked.
"Never."
"And you aren't worried that I'll drink your blood?"
D tilted his head slightly, exposing his neck. "Do you want my blood, detective?"
Seeing that neck awakened old feelings in Leon, and new feelings of actually wanting to sink his fangs into it to suck the rich blood. But he didn't want to hurt D, and he found that he could control himself.
"You had a vampire friend..." said Leon weakly, burying his face in his hands. "Did he hate this as much as I do?"
D moved over on the couch and gently pulled Leon down so that the detective's head was in his lap. Gently, he stroked Leon's hair. Leon would have never have allowed this contact before, but it seemed so necessary now.
"I can help take care of you," said the Count softly. "There are ways for you to go on, to still be yourself as much as you can.
"I need your help," admitted Leon, feeling slightly relaxed for the first time since John had bitten him. "If you can really help me. But I don't want to be one of your exotic pets."
"You will never be my pet," said D with a soft laugh. "You will always be my detective."
Leon still wasn't certain he could ever be a detective again, but he merely closed his eyes and fell asleep in D's lap. There would be a tomorrow, somehow, and D would still be watching him.