Baby Steps

[Word Count: 2079]

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"So that's what this is about?" Kishibe mused lightly as he took out his flask.

Earlier, Kishibe had agreed to meet with Leo to discuss the topic of Makima, or more specifically, how to remove her from the equation.

Taking a drink from his flask, Kishibe wiped the residue off his lips. "I understand your point and where you're coming from," he admitted. "But my problem lies not with her, but with Public Safety. She didn't come out of nowhere; she was groomed to be where she is now."

Leo let out a disappointed sigh as he leaned back into his seat. To be able to continue his peaceful life, he'd need to get rid of Makima. However, the problem was that she had every piece she needed to blend in with Public Safety. As far as they were concerned, she was just another one of the dogs she occasionally brought in—trained from a young age to see people as nothing more than dogs to be trained.

"What a drag..." Leo thought to himself.

As long as she lived, he'd have to constantly look over his shoulder to make sure some rodent wasn't watching his every move. Leo could circumvent this by using the glass devil, but he couldn't help but feel uneasy whenever a bird or street rat stared at him for too long. Makima posed a constant threat merely by existing.

"Look, Kishibe," Leo said, leaning in. "I'm not saying eliminate her now... just keep an eye on her. As far as she or Public Safety is concerned, civilians can be used as necessary casualties."

"Are you any different?" Kishibe remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"No... yes, maybe. It depends!" Leo exclaimed. "I won't go out of my way to help someone I can't see, but I won't let someone die in front of me if I can help it, alright."

No matter what he said, the Germany situation a year back didn't help him. While, yes, after everything was said and done, only one casualty emerged. But even that was enough to taint Leo's crumbling image, even if he felt justified in doing so.

Realistically, the only way Leo could see Kishibe understanding his line of reasoning would be by throwing Denji and Pochita under the bus and introducing them to Makima earlier. Doing so would mean Denji's guaranteed death and Pochita ending up in chains, doing Makima's bidding without question.

As efficient as that would be, throwing a child under the bus when he had one of his own he cared about just didn't sit right with him.

If he went along with it, no doubt he'd see Denji in Aqua, or even Ruby for that matter, whenever he looked at them. Even if now he didn't particularly care about Denji, there was a point in his life where he saw the boy at his lowest moments, only to pick himself up again. Denji was a good kid, even if he was a bit of a degenerate down the line.

.

.

.

"What to do, what to do?" Leo mused as he walked to the set where Aqua should be filming. Filming should be wrapping up by now, and he wanted to see how his tot would do. "If there's anything I've been consistent at so far..." he pondered. "Well, I can always find out later."

As he neared the production shoot, Leo caught a glimpse of just the kind of creepy aura Aqua could naturally exude.

"Acting is just lying with extra steps," Leo thought to himself, watching Aqua improvise his lines. "But sometimes... you don't need to pretend to do what you can already do naturally."

In the end, Aqua's natural anti-charisma shined through. He genuinely gave the cast shivers down their spines.

As the scene came to a close, Aqua found his attention slipping from the praise as distant clapping closing in caught his attention. Before he could identify who it was, he heard Ruby call out.

"Papa!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly, reaching out to Leo from the baby carrier Miyako held her in.

Wearing his iconic suit, Leo walked onto the set, looking smug as ever, before he picked up Ruby and held her up in the air as she giggled childishly.

While moods were high due to Aqua's outstanding performance, one little redheaded child actor wasn't as happy as the celebrating adults. Considered a prodigy by most, Aqua's casual nonacting blew her performance out of the water, leaving her stranded on the shore of disappointment.

"Director, a retake, please," her request sounded almost demanding.

"Hm?" Taishi noticed the little redhead. "Uh, we didn't have any problems, though."

"There is a big problem!!!" she suddenly yelled. "The way Kana acted just now... I did so much worse than him!!"

The little redheaded prodigy known as Kana started crying, drawing more and more attention to herself.

"No! One more time! Please!" Kana cried out. "I'll do better next time! Please!"

Ruby, who was now on Leo's shoulders, felt him begin to tremble under her.

"Papa?" Ruby asked.

Ruby didn't know much about Kana, but she did know that she was talking badly about Ai earlier, about not having any lines before filming started, so she didn't really like her. So in her mind, seeing her father tremble in pity made her think he was feeling bad about the little redhead, and being the diligent daughter she was, she couldn't have that.

"Papa, it's-" Before Ruby could disclose the truth about Kana, Leo suddenly burst out laughing.

Leo's laughter caught most people by surprise as he suddenly pointed at the crying redhead.

Genuine tears threatened to fall from Kana's eyes as Leo bellowed in laughter. She was a rising star who could cry in 2 seconds flat or something like that. Her crying was a mix of genuine tears and fake ones to draw sympathy so she could redo her scene, but Leo's mocking laughter threatened to make her tears become very real.

Leo slowly walked towards the crying Kana as his laughter began to calm down. Most of the cast didn't find the scene amusing, as the director Taishi and Ruby did.

Reaching the little redhead, Leo crouched in front of her, letting out one last chuckle before placing his hand on top of her head.

"The world doesn't revolve around you, ya know," Leo said with a rather warming tone considering the circumstances. "The universe doesn't care if you win or lose. So grow up, keep moving forward."

Again, considering the circumstances, Leo's words were surprisingly genuine.

Kana looked up at Leo, her tears subsiding as she stared into his eyes. It was as if his words had pierced through the facade she had put up, leaving her vulnerable and exposed.

"I-I..." she stammered, unable to find the right words to respond.

Leo's expression softened, and he gently patted her head. "It's alright," he said reassuringly. "We all fuc- mess up sometimes. Suck it up and keep moving forward."

Kana nodded slowly, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. She couldn't deny the truth in Leo's words, and though it stung, it also provided a sense of clarity.

"Ya big baby," Leo remarked as he walked away. Nothing wrong with being nice, but he had a reputation to maintain.

Meanwhile, Aqua, who had been watching the entire scene unfold, felt a newfound respect for his father. He had always known Leo was a complex person with a reputation that could be both intimidating and alluring, but seeing him in action, dealing with a fellow child actor, was eye-opening, even if it was slightly ruined at the end.

As Miyako drove the three back home, Ruby couldn't help but wonder why her father had gone out of his way to help someone he didn't know. Apparently, she wasn't the only one pondering this.

"That was an odd showing you did back there. When did you get so mature?" Miyako asked keeping her eyes on the road.

"I've recently realized that I'm supposed to be a role model, so I figured, might as well act the part," Leo replied with a proud smirk, leaning back in his seat

"Only recently?" Miyako asked, disappointment evident in her tone.

"No I realized it a while back, it's just the opportunity to show off didn't present itself until now," Leo said casually.

"Of course..." Miyako muttered, disappointed.

"But Papa she said mean things about Mama," Ruby interjected.

"Oh?" Leo raised an eyebrow, sitting up and straightening his posture.

"Uh huh, she said Mama's acting was mediocre and that they should've cut more of her parts," Ruby instigated.

Miyako felt a bead of sweat form on her brow as the van fell into an awkward silence until Leo broke it, gaining her attention.

"Miyako," Leo said, his tone carrying some seriousness.

"Hm?" Miyako acknowledged, squinting her eyes suspiciously.

"Turn this van around. I got a bone to pick with a toddler," Leo said seriously.

Despite the seriousness in Leo's voice, the van continued forward, ignoring a chance to turn around.

"Miyako?" Leo asked, seeking her attention.

"Hm?" Miyako turned her head slightly to meet Leo's gaze.

"Did you hear me?" Leo asked.

"Yes, I did," Miyako confirmed.

"Then why aren't we turning around?" Lei asked.

"I'm trying to be a good role model," Miyako replied nonchalantly. "We can't have the twins witnessing their father picking on a toddler now, can we? Think about the impression that would leave. Aren't you supposed to be setting a good example?"

Leo gritted his teeth, realizing his earlier words were coming back to haunt him. "...Tch," he clicked his tongue, crossing his arms as he settled back into his seat. Miyako celebrated her little victory with a smirk, but it quickly faded when she overheard Leo muttering about "not forgetting this."

The rest of the filming went by without a hitch with Leo not being allowed to visit the set for obvious reasons.

.

When the film eventually hit theaters, it received a warm reception, and to everyone's delight, the director even earned a nomination for his exceptional work. While Aqua's performance was undoubtedly outstanding, it was Ai who stole the spotlight and became the true star of the movie.

With her remarkable talent and charisma, Ai's career as an actor, model, and idol skyrocketed, reaching new heights.

Two years had elapsed since the movie's release, and the time had come for Ruby and Aqua to begin attending preschool.

"Aww! You two look adorable!" Ai gushed, admiring the twins in their smart school uniforms. "But let's be honest, Mama's still cuter overall."

"Why are you trying to compete with us?" Aqua deadpanned.

"Hope you're ready for hell," Leo said ominously, a smirk on his face, earning him a playful smack on the arm from Ai.

Suddenly an incoming phone call came to Leo's phone, "Time waits for no one," he muttered, taking his phone out and began making his way out the door.

"Ah, wait," Ai called out to him, jogging out of the living room as he replaced his Crocs with regular shoes.

Stopping in front of him, Ai stood on her tiptoes as she fixed Leo's messed-up collar before moving toward his tie. As she made Leo look professional, her eyes traced up his chin, over his lips, and across his nose as her gaze locked with his. Her vibrant purple eyes meet his spirited black ones.

Ai got lost in those familiar eyes, her mind thinking of only one thing. The words were right at the tip of her tongue, refusing to come out as the overwhelming feeling took over. With no way of getting her message across, Ai moved on to the next best thing.

Time seemed to slow down as the sounds of a ticking clock filled their ears, and Ai pulled Leo down by his tie. Their lips finally met in a gentle and passionate kiss before briefly separating. Their eyes locked into one another, forgetting they were standing in front of the main entrance to their apartment.

Pulling Leo back for another kiss, she felt his lips curve into a smile before the sound of the door opening interrupted them. Ai quickly stepped backward, breaking the kiss, and leaving her a blushing mess. Thankfully, Leo's back managed to conceal what just happened, leaving her relieved that Miyako didn't witness their intimate moment.

"Well, I'm off," Leo said, chuckling as Ai turned her back on him with her hands covering her face.

"T-Take care," Ai's hands muffled her words, but the message got across regardless.

"'Scuse me," Leo said as he squeezed past Miyako.

Miyako stepped back to let Leo through the door but watched him leave with narrowed eyes. Peering back at Ai, she got her emotions under control as she gave Miyako a wave before going off to get the twins ready for school, leaving Miyako none the wiser.