Chapter Text
“Why can you even drink something this sweet?” Leonard muttered, holding Klein’s cup like it was suspicious evidence. Across from him, Klein was also frowning at Leonard’s coffee.
“Do we really have to do this?”
Leonard glanced at Rosanna, who was very obviously trying not to laugh behind her hand. “Yes,” she said, failing completely. “You two lost the bet. You have to switch drinks for a day.”
“Come on, Klein has the worst sweet tooth ever,” Leonard complained.
“Excuse me?” Klein shot back immediately. “At least I’m better than you. How do you even drink this?”
“That’s called coffee.”
“That’s called suffering.”
The bickering between them echoed through the room. The station hadn’t always been this lively. A few months ago, things had been quieter, more routine. Then Klein Moretti transferred in and got assigned to Leonard for guidance.
At first, Leonard had expected the usual arrangement: awkward introductions, a few weeks of forced politeness, and eventually settling into a tolerable professional partnership. Instead, Klein had somehow turned his days into a constant stream of sarcastic remarks, stolen coffee, and arguments.
“You’re the one who made us lose the bet” Leonard said, taking another reluctant sip of the overly sweet drink.
“You agreed on the bet in the first place,” Klein replied.
“Still, you are the one who made us suffer.”
“Nope, you did.”
A sharp click cut through the noise. The captain’s door opened.
Both of them straightened instantly. Leonard turned back to his desk, flipping open a file. Klein picked up a pen, posture perfectly composed, like he’d been working the entire time.
Captain Dunn stepped out, his gaze sweeping across the room before settling on them. He walked over.
Leonard did not look up. Klein did not move.
“…Are you two done?” Dunn asked.
Leonard coughed lightly. “Done with what, sir?”
Dunn’s eyes flicked briefly to the mismatched cups on their desks. “…Your highly professional beverage exchange.”
For just a second, Klein’s expression shifted. Leonard and Klein exchanged a glance before both turning back to Dunn.
“It’s Klein’s fault,” Leonard said quickly.
“No, it’s Leonard—”
“Stop.” Dunn cut them off, looking at them with tired but not entirely unkind eyes. “There’s another mission for you two. A kitten’s gone missing. Its owner asked for help. You’ll investigate and find it as soon as possible.”
A brief pause. “…Yes, sir.”
Almost instantly, both of them straightened, their expressions shifting into something more focused. Klein turned as if to leave, but Leonard caught his sleeve.
“Wait—”
“Ah, right.” Dunn reached into his desk and pulled out a file, handing it over. “Details are inside.”
Once outside of the office, Leonard flipped through the pages. Beside him, Klein let out a quiet sigh. “We’re police officers. Why are we looking for kittens?”
Leonard glanced at him. “Because it matters to someone, and helping them is our job”
Klein paused for a moment, then gave a small nod. “…You’re right.”
Leonard glanced back down at the file, tapping a section with his finger.
“Let’s go to the owner’s house. Chances are the kitten’s still nearby, maybe stuck in a tree or something.”
They walked over together, chatting along the way. The house sat at the corner of the street, small but well-kept. Leonard knocked lightly on the door.
A moment later, an old woman stepped out. The moment she saw their uniforms, her eyes lit up with relief.
“Please, you have to help me find my kitten,” she said. “He’s very dear to me. I’m so sorry for taking up the police’s time…”
“It’s alright,” Leonard said gently, crouching slightly so he wouldn’t tower over her. “Can you tell me when you last saw him?”
He listened carefully, asking a few more questions, reassuring her with calm confidence. A few minutes later, he returned to Klein.
“Did you find anything?” Leonard asked.
“I did,” Klein said. “Though I don’t think getting him down will be easy.”
“Why?”
“Look.”
Klein pointed toward a tree a short distance away. Perched on one of the higher branches, a small kitten clung uncertainly, mewling softly.
Leonard stared at it, then slowly turned to Klein.
“…You’re climbing,” he said flatly.
Klein raised a brow. “Why me?”
“Because,” Leonard replied without hesitation, “I’m technically your instructor.”
“Not happening.”
“It’s an order.”
“Refused.”
Leonard clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. “You’re insubordinate.”
“And you’re lazy.”
In the end, they settled it the only reasonable way: rock, paper, scissors.
Leonard lost.
Leonard sighed in defeat and looked up at the tree.
“Climb it. The kitten won’t come down by itself.”
“I know, I know,” Leonard said. “I’m just… preparing myself.”
He started climbing, moving quickly until he reached the branch where the kitten was perched.
“You’re quite skilled at this,” Klein said from below. “I didn’t know you could climb trees.”
“Yeah,” Leonard replied, carefully securing the kitten in his arms. “When I was at the orphanage, we used to climb trees for extra snacks.”
He gently stroked the kitten, calming its tense little body.
From below, Klein looked up.
For a moment, he saw something almost unreal: a dangerously beautiful man sitting on a tree branch, leaning casually against the trunk, hair moving in the wind, expression soft as he soothed the frightened kitten in his hands.
For an instant, Klein seriously considered becoming the cat.
Crack.
Neither of them noticed the branch shifting until it was too late.
Instinctively, Leonard pulled the kitten close and turned his back toward the ground, bracing for impact. But the fall never came.
Instead, he landed in an armful of steady warmth.
Klein.
Leonard froze for a second.
He hadn’t expected Klein, who didn’t look physically imposing, to have that kind of strength. Strong enough to catch him so easily.
Leonard quickly scrambled back onto his feet, still holding the kitten.
“Thanks,” he said.
“No problem,” Klein replied
They quickly returned the kitten to the old woman before heading back toward the police station.
“Leonard, why are you still here?”
As they walked down the street, Klein suddenly asked the question out of nowhere. And somehow, Leonard understood it immediately. It wasn’t the first time he had heard something like that.
He was a capable police officer: skilled in analysis, critical thinking, combat, communication… the kind of person who could easily be promoted, transferred to Backlund, assigned to a more important task force.
Instead, he had stayed in Tingen. Days spent solving small cases. Looking for lost kittens.
“Why do I have to leave?” Leonard said at last. “It’s relaxing here. If anything, I wish I could live like this forever.”
He glanced sideways at Klein.
“Work on time every day, deal with the few cases that crop up while playing card games with other colleagues, and occasionally teasing Captain Dunn and Miss Daly about their feelings…”
“And most of all…”
Leonard looked at Klein directly.
“Spending each day with you. Isn’t it enough reason to stay?”
He checked the clock and sighed.
“Ah, it’s already the end of work hours. You should head home first. I’ll report to the captain for both of us.”
“Okay,” Klein said quietly. “Thanks, Leonard.”
Klein stood still for a moment, watching Leonard’s silhouette disappear down the street.
It's a pity that life is always pushing us forward and making us face changes
Sorry, my dear poet...I can't grant your wish this time