[Written off and on from January 9th to February 13th of 2003]
[Last edited on July 9th of 2004]
Disclaimer: I do not own FAKE in any way, or shape; Sanami Matoh holds all rights to the below characters.
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�Three Little Words�
Chapter Nine: Anti Nostalgic
It never failed to astound him how his life had come to this crux, what various circumstances had led him here; the decisions of others, and his own choices that had shaped the current life he was living: Ryo had a reliable job, a steady influx of money, and even though the occupation of a police detective consumed a bit of his social life and free time, it was something that wasn't too difficult and came easily to Ryo, he had a family, filled with an odd assortment of people, but one nonetheless.
First, there was Bikky, who he'd taken in when the boy had nowhere else to go, and though the arrangement had been temporary at first, it had become permanent, fixed in stone, the Japanese-American couldn't imagine life without the young teenager, anymore than he could Dee.
His partner was another story, one of insistent prodding, and disturbing unveilings, that had inevitably led to having the man as a boyfriend and then a lover; Ryo had known it would come to this conclusion since he'd first laid eyes on Dee, and later in the way the man's advances had affected him, disturbed him, but he'd never been disgusted with the displays of affections, in fact, he had been rather receptive to them as Dee had a habit of informing.
Cal, occasional member of the family, was also important, as she was a close friend to both Bikky and himself, providing excellent advice on life despite being so inexperienced in the ways of the world.
The nudging of an elbow tapping lightly against his ribs drew him from his reflection and onto the man standing just two inches from him, whose gaze was currently glancing over his shoulder, and onto the report Ryo held in his hands, one eyebrow ached in amusement.
"Fantasizing about me?" He inquired playfully, a smile that could be dubbed anything but innocent plastered on his face, then Dee's posture dropped a little and he rested his chin on the sharpshooter's shoulder for a moment, nuzzling the exposed expense of Ryo's neck as he did so. "Or does the case Diana briefed the Precinct about troubling you?"
The man in question fixed his gaze on a non-existence patch of air to the right of him, drawing his attention from the warm body pressing against the length of his back and the tobacco tinted cinnamon scent that identified the owner, and despite Ryo's efforts, his mind deceived him, filtering the vivid image of a shifting length of tanned flesh descending upon him and-
"Such dirty thoughts," Dee teased as he retreated to his desk, smug smile overtaking his mouth as he met the eyes of his flushing, but irritated partner who was fast becoming disconcerted; well aware Ryo was treading on dangerous territory, and as he was still a bit embarrassed about the whole matter, the sharpshooter bit back his next thought.
"You're a bad influence," Ryo commented shortly, one hand gripping the handle of his mug, and taking a quick sip of moderately hot green tea; he shifted in his chair, leaning heavily against the right side, adjusting his body to a slightly more comfortable position, as bruised and battered it had become over the last few days.
�I�m sorry.�
Ryo blinked, taking note of the suddenly solemn expression that had taken root on Dee's face, it was quite clear he wasn't referring to his earlier comment, and more so towards Ryo's sore body. He smiled at his significant other, placing the report he'd made no progress on in the last hour aside, and standing up from his desk, knocking the chair to the side lightly, the Japanese-American then jerked aside the man's seat, and straddled his hips, much to Dee's surprise and/or pleasure.
"I never said I regretted anything, besides, it's easily forgivable," Ryo said, ghosting his mouth down the right side of his partner's face as he spoke, ending the last syllable with a light kiss to Dee's cheek.
"Is it now?" Dee questioned, leaning in close and nipping the edge of Ryo's mouth before kissing the man on his lap, whose mouth had been open in the process of forming a reply, providing the perfect opportunity to leave him breathless, besides, the sharpshooter had been unpredictably assertive, and the raven-haired detective was thrilled beyond words Ryo was comfortable enough to place himself in Dee's hands in the midst of their working environment.
Once upon a time, Ryo would have given anything in the world to avoid this exact situation, this sort of confrontation that inevitably led to the true road of his sexuality but like many before him, there was only so much resistance one could put up before running out of reserves, and surrendering to the greater force, and if these were the consequences of losing, the war�well, Ryo thought he could well handle them.
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A week later�
"We're free to go, right? No more paperwork to fill out and such?" Dee asked hopefulness and a thread of uncertainty running through the tone of his voice; the afternoon had been frenzied, abuzz with activity and progress, with what the detainment of the serial killer whom Diana had briefed them over only a week ago on, and fortunately, they had caught him before he had the slightest chance of targeting another victim and do harm. It was satisfying times like this that Dee was glad he had indeed become part of the police force.
The guff and aged face of Chief Jonathan Smith rose from the paper in his hands, and he narrowed his brow suspiciously as he watched Dee with dark blue eyes, the detective was currently leaning his hip against the doorframe of the door, an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips and a contented expression on his face; underneath it all though, the experienced policeman could have swore the man was on the edge of giddy. With a resolved sigh, he shook his head, and the Dee exited the office within a millisecond, Jonathan stared at the empty space the detective had occupied, rolling his eyes not a moment later.
Dee whistled, pausing only to flick his lighter and then continued as he was, traveling in the direction of his and Ryo's office ever so steadily, he exhaled the smoke curling about his face a moment before dissipating in the air near the ceiling; upon reaching his destination, he sauntered through the door, wasting no time in pulling a certain Japanese-American from his seat at the desk and towards the open door. Halfway across the room, Ryo chose to pay attention to the current happenings, and in a fit of indignation, pulled away, rubbing the spot Dee had been gripping unconsciously.
Before he could voice his questions about the American's anomalous behavior, Dee put a finger to Ryo's fingers, a slightly mischievous smile playing about his lips. "The Chief has graciously allowed us to take the rest of the day off, as the necessary paperwork is already finished and turned in, now, quit putting up such resistance and let me take my boyfriend out to dinner."
Ryo opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again only to stop attempting to speak altogether as his shoulders rose and fell in a shrug of resigned defeat. "And who is this boyfriend?" Ryo inquired, smiling as he crossed the small distance across the room to collect his coat, pausing on his way back to straighten his desktop and then stood patiently by the half open door for his partner to get prepared as well.
An arm came to rest a few inches above his skull on the wall, while the other limb of Dee's situated itself on Ryo's hip, the long tan fingers pulling the back of the older man's shirt out of his pants, and briefly fingering the line of his spine; after disposing of his cigarette, Dee leaned forward, halting his movement until his mouth was hovering an inch over Ryo's.
"Oh, he's very striking, honey-colored locks and dark gray eyes combined with almost alabaster skin, and quite a fine body to go along with the package. You may think I've just illustrated someone very soft looking and fragile but when he's jeopardized, he is beyond capable of taking care of himself, except when it comes to ways of seduction, then, he's like clay underneath your hands, mewling and moaning, the noises doing nothing but adding fuel to the fire if you know-"
Ryo swiftly silenced Dee by closing the artificial distance between them, his face nearly red with embarrassment despite the fact no one had been in close range to hear his rather revealing description of the sharpshooter. He stifled a groan when Dee broke away, and sought out the man's mouth again, this time taking control of the kiss, gratified at the slight shiver that went through Dee's frame after a moment, the man's wandering hands on Ryo�s back began to trouble him however, as one of the fingers slipped beneath the edge of the material and dipped dangerously low, but before he could voice his disapproval about it, the door practically flew open, and a familiar cry was cast into the air like a catch phrase.
"Dee-sempai! What ar-�Oh." The excited figure that had entered the office visibly disheartened, a piece of the happy demeanor dissipating with each passing second as J.J. watched the startled pair of men acknowledge his presence, for his part, Ryo looked every bit embarrassed, flushing evener redder than before, and trying to jerk away from Dee but his partner held on to the struggling body, grounding a unfiltered glare in J.J.'s direction, completely unabashed of the present situation.
�Yes, was there something you needed?�
"Ah, it's nothing, I'm sorry to disturb you," J.J. said solemnly; then sulked out, eyes downcast, and a frown situated where a smile usually sat, Dee was about to turn back to Ryo when an elbow was driven harshly into his midsection, the action immediately bringing about a familiar ache near his ribs.
�What the hell was that for?�
The Japanese-American's face was shuttered, his brow narrowed as he came to stand by Dee's desk, occasionally glancing at the now closed office door, his tone was unpleasant as he said, "The charade is over, Dee. If J.J. knows about our relationship, then the rest of the precinct will also become aware of it in due time."
Dee's expression softened as if he hadn't yet absorbed the situation that had just occurred, and then he arched a brow, glancing at Ryo's worried face and at the now closed door before something hardened in his gaze, and he turned round to his partner, "Does it disturb you that much, the mere thought of people knowing about our relationship?"
Ryo remained quiet for some length of time, speaking only when the silence had crossed the border of unnerving. "It's not that, Dee. Until I'm completely unperturbed with our relationship, I don't think I'll be able to deal with public displays of affection very easily."
"�I see. I can accept that, I suppose," Dee replied after a moment of thought and then stood, tucking his jacket underneath his arm and placing one hand on the knob of the office door, he glanced back at Ryo soberly though his eyes deceived the serious expression. "I love you anyway."
To Dee's satisfaction, the distressed face of his partner went blank, lines of impression wiped translucent, then the corners of the man's mouth curved upwards into a broad smile, Ryo strode quickly across the distance between them, and took Dee's hand in his own, squeezing lightly before bringing the hand to his mouth where he kissed the knuckles. "Thank you."
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Bikky tossed the basketball to another of his teammates, and made to the sidelines, intent on getting some liquid down his sore throat and perhaps a brief rest for the sore muscles of his body, he and his friends had been playing for some time; not even pausing when the sun has sunk beneath the horizon and twilight had begun to leak across the sky. A familiar head of blonde locks materialized among the horde of the crowded sidewalk lining the basketball court, and Bikky yelled to Cal loudly, smiling when she glanced in his general direction and flashed her own grin in response.
Cal approached not a moment later, a bag swung across her shoulder and hanging by her side, she inspected the going-ons of the current game and winked at Bikky playfully, bringing her hands up to grip at the steel mash of the fence. "Getting your butts kicked, huh? Maybe you'd better quit now before you look even more shameful."
Bikky kicked at the bench nearby, narrowing his brow in annoyance when he glanced over his shoulder, and observed another interception of the basketball by the other team. "Well, I'm not going to deny that we're not doing well today, were you on your way somewhere?"
The teenager blinked at the change of subject and then smirked to herself; silently taking note of the fact that Bikky hadn't wanted to linger on his wounded pride any longer. "Actually, I came to hang out with you if you weren't busy, is there any chance of your game ending in the next fifteen minutes?"
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A half hour later�
Cal hid a smirk as she raised her bottle of Coke, silently observing Bikky's rather incredulous eating manners, as the sandwich situated in front of him was consumed in less than four bites and swallowed in less than five minutes, now, the young teenager munched on a French fry at random intervals, glancing about the fast food restaurant in casual interest. Cal took a sip of her soda, and then spoke casually, though an undercurrent of curiosity ran through the tone. "By the way, how are the two love birds doing; sick to your stomach yet?"
Bikky glanced up from his meal, one eyebrow raised in question. "Are you talking about Ryo and Dee? They've been practically hanging off of each other�s hip this past week, not even taking into consideration the eyes of innocents such as myself. Like I want to see the tenderhearted looks Ryo sends Dee's way from across the room or the depraved leers Dee sends in response; it's enough to make me wish the teachers at our stupid school would schedule a trip so I could be elsewhere." The young teenager scoffed, waving a hand in repulsion as if to physically push the subject of the two men away.
�When did they tell you?�
"They didn't, I just happened to walk in on an- ahem, delicate moment. Please remind me not to enter a room where strange sounds are being produced, as the scene held within is usually something I'd rather not know about, much less see."
The older teenager felt a smirk develop on her face, and patted Bikky's shoulder apologetically before reaching over and snatching a fry from the nearly desolate tray, Bikky took no notice as his face was flushed, obviously reflecting on the encounter he'd walked in upon just a few days ago. "Are you all right with the new aspect in their relationship? I know you're quite fond of Ryo, not to mention protective."
Bikky looked deep in thought, and then nodded to himself before speaking as if confirming his thoughts. The flush, which had dissipated, but a moment ago came back in full force as the teenager looked downward, uncomfortable with the turn of their discussion, for her part, Cal remained hushed, as she knew Bikky didn't like expressing his emotions: actions were his substitution for words.
"I love Ryo. He's taken care of me when he could have just as easily cast me aside, and I will be forever grateful for that, I don't care if he's gay, bi, or whatever orientation he's claimed. His relationship with Dee makes him happy, I can tell by the way his eyes illuminate when they fall on the dumb-ass, and so I don't care as long as Dee doesn't break Ryo's heart in the end."
"That's a very mature attitude. I'm impressed," Cal commented, one finger idly twirling the straw of her drink slowly before placing the plastic bottle aside and leaning across the table surface with an impish expression situated on her face. "Will you be as level-headed in our future relationship?"
Dark blue eyes widened significantly as Bikky met Cal's gaze, and his body moved of its own accord, one arm going about the older teenager's neck and his hand cupped Cal's cheek tenderly. The kiss was innocent, short and very sweet, a sharp contrast to the resilient way Bikky usually held himself. When he retreated to his seat, he was pleased to see Cal looking disoriented, a bit dazed in the way in which she sat back against the spine of her own seat.
"Perhaps a bit more brash than level-headed, I think," Bikky said, absently fingering the corner of his coat, the heavy material stubbornly remaining in its stiff form. Agitatedly he watched as Cal took a sip of her drink and then began laughing; the sound of a pleasant, easy-going nature, an almost ringing sound that resembled the clear chime of bells all too closely.
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Teeth grazed the oversensitive flesh of his neck, nipping gently before shifting down to the line of Ryo's collarbone, the mouth leaving in its wake a clear liquid trail. The Japanese-American shivered, his half-clothed back pressing against the large pillows lining the head of the bed, eyelids fluttering minutely as Dee continued his administrations. His arms tightened around Dee's waist when the detective abruptly retraced his path, pausing only to capture Ryo's mouth with his own, and then moved to the left side of the sharpshooter's head.
The clay analogy Dee had citied while describing Ryo's bedroom manner fit all too faithfully as the older man, once entering Dee's apartment had displayed no objections or disagreeability to the soft inquiry of becoming intimate. As they had stumbled towards the bedroom, Dee had managed to undo the buttons of Ryo's shirt and the lone button of the man's jeans before they had established contact within the surface of the bed.
After a few years of unresolved sexual tension, Dee had fast discovered Ryo was not entirely adverse to the notion of fooling around during late evening or during the early hours of the morning. It had been worthwhile to mentally keep this knowledge fresh in his mind during these last few days.
Dee curved his tongue around the shell of Ryo's ear, nearly grinning when the body beneath him arched, pushing against the of Dee's body. He gratefully hugged the man close, well aware of the alarm that briefly seized Ryo before he spoke against the sharpshooter's neck, gently, as if to counteract the rough manner in which they had begun this. "I love you."
To use these words to express how he felt was new to him, and while he thought they were eloquent, the words didn't adequately cover how much he cared for Ryo. Dee wanted to literally crawl inside of his partner, glide down the various pathways until entering Ryo's ribcage. Upon engaging with the tender flesh of the man's heart, he wanted to whisper the expression, hug the organ close, and never let go, so possessive was he.
Gray eyes softened with emotion, and then Ryo wrapped his arms around Dee, briefly kissing the younger man before settling comfortably against him, resting his chin on the detective's shoulder. When Dee did not make to move away in the next moment, Ryo leaned back, meeting the younger man's gaze in curiosity. Before he could speak however, his partner gently reached down and noiselessly redid the button of Ryo's jeans. "Wha�?"
Dee twisted around; one arm groping for a stray duvet while other curled tightly against the back of Ryo's neck, and then pulled the blanket around the pair. He settled back against the Japanese-American, drawing Ryo up until Dee's chin was firmly situated on the top of a head nestled in silky honey-colored locks that smelled faintly of vanilla.
After a moment, Ryo chuckled softly, as comprehension came to him and a smile curved around his lips, he snuggled closer to Dee, ghosting a kiss down the man's neck before leaning contentedly against his partner.
Neither of the men moved even when the sun overcame the darkness of the night.
To Be Continued�
Onto Chapter Ten (Upcoming)?