2 in 1

Part 9. Everything is Going to be Daijoubu

Diavolo could not fall asleep.

He never had a good rest and was a light sleeper. His biological sleeping body clock was horrible. Sometimes he found himself dozing for thirty minutes in a day or slept straight for a whole day. There was no in-between. It took medication for him to sleep soundly. That man was upset to find out he ran out of the drug. He spent the night tossed his body around the bed.

Instead of sleeping, Diavolo found himself thinking about his situation. Trish had been staying with him for three months. As parent-children, their relationship was rather strained. He might saw her as a less hindrance, but she still saw him as a fearsome figure. It was hard to bond when she put a distance every time he got closer. Diavolo began to give up at this point. He should refund her back to the orphanage or let another family from far away adopted her.

His train of thought stopped when he heard a knock on his door at one A.M. in the morning.

Diavolo opened the door. He saw Trish stood in front of his door, looking terrified while holding a big teddy bear. Trish and Doppio had a movie horror marathon for three days and ignored his warning. Now she could not fall asleep without the image of a serial killer clown waiting outside her window.

"Can-can I sleep with you?"

"No. Get back to your room."

Bullets of tears dropped to her cheek. Diavolo was shocked when he saw it. This was the first time he saw her crying. Lack of sleeping made her mind vulnerable. She was beyond exhausted and did not bother to put up her pride. The Don Mafia could guess what was coming.

DIOS MIOS, NO!

Trish was crying. LOUDLY. The sound of blubber resembled an ambulance siren. Diavolo covered his ringing ears and shouted. "Fine! You can sleep inside! Just stop crying!"

Her cry subsided after few seconds of wailing. Trish still sniffled, but at least she did not burst his eardrum. Diavolo sighed then opened his door. When Trish walked to the room, she was barely able to see anything. It was a dark room with a lack of lighting. Diavolo rolled his eyes and extended his hand.

"Take my hand. I don't want you to bump the furniture."

Trish was hesitant, but she complied. He was startled when she touched him. Her fingers were tiny and slender. Those small hands reminded him of her mother. Diavolo shook the thought and guided her. Trish had a hard time crawling to the bed so he helped her. Diavolo put the pink bear next to her side and tucked her with the blanket. "Better?"

She nodded while wiping her tears with her hand. Trish stared at him. "Thank you. Are you going to sleep as well?"

"No, I have insomnia."

"What's that?"

"It means you cannot fall asleep." He sat on the side of the bed. "You have school tomorrow. Go to sleep."

"I can't. Every time I close my eyes, I see scary things."

"This is why tell you not to watch a horror movie."

"... Sorry."

Trish sniffled but stopped herself from crying. Diavolo might be cruel, but he was not a heartless bastard. No good father would let their daughter crying twice. He took a deep breath. That man should try harder at his role. Diavolo laid next to her side and caressed her head. "It will be all right. I will protect you."

His kind gesture made her felt better. She felt drowsy and yawned. It was adorable and brought a tug of a small smile to his face. For once, she acted like a child in front of him. She moved closer and put her face next to his chest.

"It's been a while since I sleep with someone. Mother always helps me when I cannot fall asleep."

The mention of Donatella caught him unguarded. "What does she do?"

"She will tell me a fairytale or sing me a lullaby."

Right, Donatella was good at singing.

It was her last sentence before falling into the dream world. Before he could ask more questions, she had gone to the deep slumber. Watching her face made his heart fuzzy and warm. Trish definitely inherited half of his blood. She had her mother's attitude and behaviour, but his appearance. Her pink hair and green eyes were proved of his past. Never once in his life, he would raise a daughter on his own. It was a twist of fate that brought him up to that situation.

The whole thinking was tiring. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. No nightmare plagued his dream. He slept soundly next to Trish.

Diavolo had a good rest that night.