Author's note: A one-shot that turned into a nightmare to finish. I nearly gave up on this several times so I hope the end result isn't too crappy. I'm not sure why I keep writing these Ryo seme fics but I do! ~Swordy

Warnings: lemon kinkiness ^_^

One Good Turn

Ryo growled at the 'out of order' sign sellotaped to the elevator doors. If his memory served him correctly, the defective piece of machinery had only been mended on Monday and with today being Thursday, that meant that it had lasted a mere two and a half days before falling into disrepair once again. The blond man sighed; he'd never hear the end of it when Dee found out that he, Drake, JJ and Ted owed him ten bucks each. It had long been a tradition that the members of the Criminal Investigations department ran a sweepstake as to how long the elevator would function after it had been repaired. Ryo had laughed at his lover's pessimism when he'd put money on it being busted by the end of the week but clearly Dee's half-empty philosophy when it came to their working environment was scarily accurate.

Shaking his head at the frustration of working in a building where he was certain it was policy for only one piece of electrical equipment to be working at once, Ryo headed for the stairs. Ten flights equalled sixty steps; sixty two if you counted the ones in the basement that led to the file storage area. The basement had a musty smell; the legacy of storing years' worth of case files. Ryo frowned as he rechecked the details of the ones he needed to find; they were almost fifteen years old and therefore, hidden deep within the plethora of dusty, rotting paper. Looking down at his crisp white shirt, he sighed, knowing that it wouldn't stay crisp and white for long.

Twenty minutes, seven boxes and one hundred and fifty files later, Ryo was still searching; dirtier, fed up and no better off. Their break had started a couple of minutes earlier and as tempting as a cup of tea was, Ryo had resigned himself to finishing what he'd started. The thought of going and then having to come back was worse than just staying and just getting the job done. Giving up on the current box of files, he moved deeper into the archives, searching through a pile of cardboard boxes pushed against the far wall. He swore under his breath as musty cobwebs coated his hands, grimacing when he could find nowhere to wipe them.

"Godamnit, Dee," he muttered, recalling his partner's outright refusal to come and help him. "You owe me big time for this."

He jumped when he received what he thought was a response. He spun around, thinking the voice had come from behind him but found that he was still very much alone. He was starting to think he was hearing things when the voice spoke again, this time joined by several others. It was then that Ryo realised where it was coming from as he pushed aside one of the boxes to reveal an air vent. Several moments of listening to the conversation, revealed to Ryo that the vent led to the break room on the ground floor and, if his ears were serving him correctly, the voices he could hear were those of his colleagues… and the man he shared his heart and his home with.

"Did you see the game last night?" he heard Drake ask, his voice slightly echoic as it travelled down the metal piping.

"Damn straight," came the reply. That was Dee.

"Mutombo worked like a dog. Man, I lost count of how many baskets he blocked!"

"Hell yeah! That guy's got heart, you know?" Ted this time. "The other guys need their asses kicking. Maybe if they played like Mutombo we wouldn't be in such a fuckin' mess!"

"Amen to that!"

Ryo rolled his eyes as the men continued to analyse last night's game in minute detail. Who passed to who, who scored the best goals and how they could have played better. Watching it with Dee had been torturous enough; having it replaying while up to his eyes in dust and shit was something close to mockery. He was almost glad when the conversation turned to other things.

"Hey, Ted. How'd your date go the other night?"

"Pretty good."

"So did you get any?"

Raucous laughter. "Like I'd tell you guys."

"Well I hope you did. Your dick's been out of action so long it's probably forgotten what to do."

"Fuck you, Parker. At least I'm getting some."

"So you did get laid?"

"No… okay, yeah. I stayed over at her place. Happy?"

The other men made a simultaneous 'wooo wooo!' noise and for a moment Ryo thought he could be listening in to a group of kids in the school yard, such was the level of maturity.

"So what's she like in the sack?" someone asked, the voice being one Ryo didn't recognise, leading him to the conclusion that there were others in the room beyond his immediate colleagues.

"What does she like to do?"

"Shut up, okay?" Ted replied although there was humour and a tinge of pride in his voice. It was clear he was dying to tell them, despite the fact that he was protesting about the intrusive nature of their questions. "Well okay… when we were getting it on, she suddenly…"

Ryo couldn't hear anymore as Ted lowered his voice conspiratorially. Whatever it was he'd said clearly impressed the other men in the room as they whooped and cheered, clapping their hands and congratulating their colleague on his conquest.

"Jealous, Parker?" Ted said eventually, the grin still evident in his voice.

"No need to be," the other man replied, before he began to regale the story of a one night stand he'd had a couple of weeks ago, clearly attempting to better Ted. Ryo grimaced at the crude descriptions of what he and a delightful sounding lady had gotten up to around the back door of a nightclub he had visited as the other detectives made grunting noises. Ryo rolled his eyes.

"And she was hot, too," Drake finished as the cheers died down.

"Yeah? So what did you do with her seeing eye dog while you were at it?" Dee asked innocently, his comment sending the others into paroxysms of laughter.

"Fuck off, Latener," Drake grumbled. "I forgot we shared an office with Casanova."

More laughter. "Yeah, Dee," someone else said. "You know what they say. Those that boast about it aren't getting any."

Ryo froze as he heard Dee snort.

"Come on, Latener. Tell us what Ryo's like in the bedroom."

Ryo knew they were goading him to divulge their secrets and knowing Dee, it wouldn't be long before he fell for their taunts. Ryo could feel his blood turning cold as he waited with baited breath to hear his intimate thoughts and desires spilled across the room like a toppled cup of coffee. He'd never forgive Dee for this…

"Guys, I hardly think that's fair. Shit, you're talking about people that we don't know!"

Ryo heard footsteps as someone crossed the room.

"Awww, Latener's running away."

"Yeah, what's the matter, Dee? You not getting any?"

Here goes, thought Ryo. The fuse is lit so wait for the boom! Any time… now.

"Look." He heard Dee say in a voice which indicated he wasn't joking. "I have way too much respect for Ryo to blab about what we get up to between the sheets. You guys know how I feel about him. He wouldn't do it to me so I sure as hell ain't gonna do it to him, okay?"

Ryo heard the door close, the glass rattling slightly in its frame. Obviously it was Dee that had left as, after a brief silence, someone said: "Man, has he got it bad."

There were mutters of agreement. "Does Ryo know?"

Down in the basement, Ryo smiled. "He does now," he said quietly, filling with warmth at what Dee had said. He'd been so certain that Dee wouldn't have been able to resist talking about them and his assumption made him feel guilty at doubting his lover's integrity. He wanted to do something; to give Dee some kind of reward for what he had done.

Forgetting all about the files he was looking for, Ryo hurried to find the chief. By the time he had climbed the sixty two stairs, he had formed an excuse as to why he needed to leave early. He had a plan; a determination to show Dee just how much he loved and desired him and to put it into action, he needed to get home before him. He successfully avoided his own office, knowing Dee would be in there, gaining admittance to the chief's inner sanctum when a gruff voice shouted 'come in!'

"Uh, Sir," Ryo said, "I uh, need to leave early."

"Sure," the chief replied, not looking up from the novel he had resting in his lap. He was feeding himself potato chips, so engrossed in his book that several times he almost missed his mouth. Ryo frowned. "Uh, Sir?"

"I said it was okay, didn't I?" the other man replied, waving a hand at the door. Ryo shrugged and made to leave, certain that the chief would have agreed to him flying to the moon at the precinct's expense if he'd asked. Maybe he should ask for a raise while I was at it.

"Well okay," Ryo said, realising his plausible excuse was going to waste. "Enjoy your book, Sir."

After he'd gone, Chief Smith looked up and frowned, unsure who he'd just had a conversation with. "Huh? What?" With no one around, the older man shrugged and returned to the gripping crime thriller his wife had recommended to him several days earlier.

By the time Dee realised Ryo was no longer in the building, the other detective was part way into his plan. He had left a note that said, Finished early. Nothing to worry about. See you at home around six. Be there. The confused detective had tried his lover's cell phone several times, each time getting the message that it was switched off. He also tried to leave early, to find out what Ryo was up to, but on finding that the last pages of his novel were missing, Chief Smith was in a particularly bad mood and subsequently, no one was going anywhere.

As he had driven from the precinct, Ryo had dredged the back catalogue of memories of things Dee had said over the last couple of years; what he found attractive and what he fantasised about. At the mall, Ryo wandered around the clothes store, knowing he didn't have all that much time to find what he wanted. As he turned to leave, his fingers brushed against something and he looked down to see a rack of leather trousers, the colour of melted chocolate and an almost perfect match for his eyes. Perfect. He smiled as a store assistant came over.

"Would you like to try those on, Sir?"

By the time Ryo was ready to leave the mall, his arms were laden with bags from a range of stores. This would be perfect; so long as he was bold enough to go through with his plan. As he walked towards the exit, he passed a shop that sold film and television memorabilia. It was an interesting store which boasted some fantastic items from the big, to the not so big movies and TV shows. The window display housed a mere fraction of the items on sale, but his eye was caught by something which fired his imagination; something that would solve the problem of his potential shyness. Ryo smiled as he pressed his nose to the glass.

The mask was sat on a velvet cushion, next to a framed photograph of the reason it was for sale in that store. It had been worn, the attached information stated, by Tom Cruise in the erotic thriller, Eyes Wide Shut. The photograph showed the famous actor wearing it, and despite it being genuine film memorabilia, the price was surprisingly low, no doubt due to the critical mauling that the movie had received on its release. Clearly the item was intended as decoration, but as he studied it with a smile, he realised that the bronze patterned mask could still be worn. Ryo entered the shop without hesitation.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" the girl commented as she wrapped the item in tissue paper and slipped it into a bag. "I didn't think the movie was that bad." She blushed suddenly, recalling the sexual nature of the film and feeling she owed the handsome customer some form of explanation, even though he was the one purchasing the item. "My friend dragged me to see it because she's crazy about Tom Cruise."

Ryo smiled, recalling the evening Dee had brought home Eyes Wide Shut on DVD. Drake and Ted had gone on and on about the orgy scene where everyone wore masks to protect their identities, so Deehad insisted that they watch it, claiming that it sounded like his perfect fantasy. Once the 'scene' was out the way, Dee had quickly fallen asleep with the parting comment, 'I haven't a friggin' clue what's going on!'

After making his final purchase, Ryo headed out to the parking lot, smiling at the thought of Dee's expression as he loaded his bags into the trunk of his car, hoping that his lover had read the note and not managed to sneak home himself. He needed time to prepare…

Dee arrived home, still frowning. It had been his only expression since Ryo had done his disappearing act without explaining why and he was hoping that all would be revealed before his face set into permanent wrinkles. He found his key and opened the door.

"Oh… my… God."

The apartment was in darkness, or at least it would have been without the presence of almost one hundred candles, blazing on almost every available surface. Dee turned his head slowly, his emerald eyes wide with surprise.

"Ryo?" he said slowly before his eyes lit on a bag on the floor near his feet. On top of it balanced a note, written in his lover's impeccable handwriting. Dee bent slowly, picking it up and starting to read.

Dee,

You're probably wondering what's going on and I promise you'll find out but I want you to do as I say. Trust me; I'm sure you'll think it's worth it! If you're prepared to do as I say then I want you can look in the bag and put on what I've chosen for you to wear. If you look around the apartment first then the deal's off.

"Deal?" Dee repeated, even more confused than he had been five minutes ago. The whole situation was causing a twitching in his pants that he couldn't ignore. "Holy shit, Ryo. I dunno what you're up to but I'm as horny as hell!"

Dee put down his briefcase, his eyes flicking around for any sign that Ryo was watching him. He knew Bicky must be out for the night; Ryo would surely not plan anything like this if the troublesome teen was due home. Curiosity quickly dragged his vision back to the bag and he bent down, eager to see what Ryo wanted to dress him in.

"If I'm gonna look like a dickhead…" Dee muttered, reaching into the bag before he located what Ryo had left him. "Holy, holy shit."

In his hand he held three items; Ryo's pair of handcuffs, a wide strip of black material and another note.

Put on the blindfold and cuff your hands behind your back. I'll come for you when you've done it.

There was no question of him not doing it. Since hitting puberty, Dee had been a slave to his libido and since his libido became a slave to Ryo the moment the blond man walked into his life, Dee had no choice but to do what Ryo told him. Once his eyes were covered, he clicked the metal restraints around first his left wrist and then his right, leaving him blind and helpless. A moment of fear coursed through him. He had images of friends and colleagues jumping out shouting 'surprise!' even though it wasn't his birthday, and then Ryo would freeze with horror and cry 'oh, Dee! I didn't think you'd actually do it!'

Instead, the soft sound of footfalls on the carpet reached his ears. He shifted his weight onto his right leg and waited.

"Come with me."

A hand touched his arm to guide him around the room. From the number of steps he took, Dee guessed he was now in the bedroom; a fact confirmed when Ryo guided him to sit in the tall, antique wooden chair they had in the corner of their boudoir, his shackled wrists looping over the back rest to keep him firmly in place.

"Ryo…?"

"Sssshhhhh." Dee felt a finger press to his lips. "Just relax."

He sat unmoving as his tie was loosened before delicate fingers went to work on the buttons of his shirt. Once his broad chest was revealed, the hands moved across the olive planes, carelessly, teasingly brushing across flaccid nipples as Dee sighed contentedly. Then suddenly, the touch was gone.

The fettered man listened as he heard his lover moving about the room, but the sounds gave no clue as to what he was doing. Eventually, Ryo spoke. "Hungry?"

"A little," Dee said honestly although he could think of something else that needed satisfying before his stomach.

"Open your mouth."

He felt something being pressed to his lips and he duly obliged; the texture and taste telling him that it was a strawberry being offered. When it was half way into his mouth, trapped between his teeth, he felt his lover moving closer, taking the exposed half in his own mouth so their lips met briefly. Something cold brushed his nose; something hard that he couldn't make sense of.

"Mmmmmm…" Dee murmured, chewing the succulent fruit, which tasted all the better for having shared it with Ryo.

"You want more, baby?" Ryo asked, his voice low and seductive.

Dee nodded, and was rewarded by a second strawberry, offered and taken in exactly the same way. The action was repeated several times until Dee felt Ryo move away from him.

"I'm sure you're thirsty too. Am I right?"

"Uh, yeah," Dee replied, playing along. There was a 'clink' of bottle touching glass, followed by the footsteps returning to where he was sat. Fingers raked through his thick, dark hair, tilting his head backwards where his lips met the rim of a glass. Allowing the liquid between his lips, he tasted champagne, the flavour of it mingling pleasantly with the aftertaste of the fruit he had just eaten. It was edible sex, and Dee was loving every minute of it.

When the glass was drained, Dee heard the sound of it being placed on a surface over to his right. He licked his lips and grinned. "What's for dessert?"

He could hear the smile in Ryo's voice as he replied. "Chocolate. I hope you like it."

Taking the comment literally, Dee was waiting to be fed, but instead Ryo moved behind him and untied the blindfold, letting it fall away and giving Dee a minute for his eyes to adjust before he stepped into his line of sight. The many candles allowed Dee to see exactly what his lover had meant as he padded barefoot around from behind the chair.

"Sweet Jesus…"

Before him stood the image of an angel; if, of course, angels wore tight brown leather trousers and a coffee coloured silk shirt, slashed open almost to the waist. Brown suited him, Dee decided in that instant; the autumnal colour working beautifully with his dusky eyes and dark blond hair. Vision answered the question of what had touched his nose and Dee audibly gasped at the mask his lover wore, the bronze colour contrasting with the sexy clothing he wore. Under any other circumstances, Dee would have laughed out loud at the sight his partner unexpectedly wearing a mask but here, the room ablaze with passion, Ryo looked so damn sexy.

"Oh my God, Ryo." Dee said, shaking his head in disbelief, his eyes transfixed by this living dream. "You are hot."

The mask helped Ryo stay in character and he didn't smile as he leant in, pressing his body against Dee's bare chest; silk, skin and leather brushing across hardened nipples, causing Dee to groan with his arms still restrained behind him.

"What do you want, Dee?" he asked, his voice a mixture of sandpaper and honey.

"Holy shit, Ryo. What d'you think I want? I want you."

Finally a smile, although it was more teasing than the gentle smile Ryo normally wore. Something glinted in the dark eyes that stared out from behind the mask and Dee realised that he was looking at a side of Ryo that he hadn't known before. He couldn't begin to imagine what had prompted this display but as a hand lazily stroked across the front of his pants, Dee couldn't imagine much of anything, beyond touching and being touched by his incredible lover.

He sighed in deep bliss, his body bucking against the chair. Ryo was relentless, his tongue sweeping across his lover's clavicle as his hands raked through Dee's dark hair, pulling and twisting it almost painfully between his fingers. The chair almost toppled backwards as Ryo lunged forward, attacking Dee's neck like Nosferatu hungry for his next meal. When he pulled away, there was an angry purple mark, which neither man paid attention to as Ryo knelt between Dee's legs and began to unfasten his trousers.

Dee looked up to the ceiling and closed his eyes as a warm heat engulfed his swollen member. He couldn't look at Ryo; the sight was sure to send him over the edge and Dee wanted this experience to last as long as humanly possible. Hell, he wanted to be able to visualise this moment with startling clarity when he was old and grey. Ryo seemed to sense Dee's battle against his own body and let up momentarily, although his hands continued to explore the shackled man's exposed chest. After a while Ryo stood, a smile crossing his lips once again.

"If I let you go, will you do as you're told?"

Dee bit back a smart remark, fully buying in to this domination fantasy. "Sure thing," he replied, unable to stop devouring his lover with his eyes. "You're the boss."

"Fine." Ryo disappeared from Dee's sight as he unlocked the handcuffs. The ebony haired man waited patiently, while the restraints were removed, shuddering at Ryo's warm breath on his bare shoulders as he stripped off his already open shirt. When Ryo came to stand in front of him again, his expression was serious. They stood in silence for several moments, Ryo stroking Dee's cheek as he gazed at his highly aroused lover. "Get on your knees," he demanded suddenly, "Show me how you can pleasure me. Maybe I'll reward you."

Dee found Ryo's hands on his shoulders, pushing him down. He went eagerly, dropping to his knees as he clawed at his lover's lower clothing. The smell of leather mingled with the scent of excitement as Dee peeled the skin-tight trousers over his hips, sighing with bliss as Ryo's lack of underwear brought him straight into contact with his hardened cock. Remembering Ryo's talk of a reward, Dee went to work with all of his skills, teasing and tormenting the swollen head before he addressed the neglected shaft by taking it deep inside his mouth, the movement quick and unexpected.

Ryo gasped and squeezed Dee's shoulders even harder, swaying slightly, unprepared for the sudden rush of heat. Hands gripped his ass, pulling him into the melee of tongue and warm saliva. It wasn't long before a new kind of heat filled him and the merciless tongue lashing sent him over the edge. Dee was more than ready for him; holding him firm as he received Ryo's release. When he had regained his composure, Ryo looked down and stroked Dee's cheek again.

"Good boy. I think you've earned your reward. Would you like it now?"

Dee nodded eagerly, wondering if it was possible to be any more rewarded than he had been already. All he needed now was Ryo to offer himself on a plate; to be his to do whatever he wanted with…"

"I'm yours; to do whatever you want with."

Dee blinked stupidly, disappearing briefly into a crazy daydream where the mask gave Ryo the ability to read his mind.

"Dee?"

The dark haired man grinned, eyeing his lover all over again. "You said you were chocolate, right?" He said, wrapping his arms around Ryo's lower body as he stood up, lifting the other man into his arms. Leather clad legs encircled his slender waist, silken arms surrounded his neck. "Well I'm still hungry so I wanna get my fill!"

Ryo remained silent as Dee carried him through into the living room and set him down on the dining table. He discarded the mask and lay back, spreadeagling himself across the furniture as he smiled seductively at his lover. Dee shook his head and smiled back, loving this assertive side of his partner as he shed his remaining clothes with obvious impatience. Soon he was ready for his 'meal'.

"For what Dee is about to receive, may the Lord make him truly thankful!"

He entered Ryo after preparing him quickly, using the edge of the table as an anchor as he thrust. The candlelight set the scene perfectly, casting a brightness that smoothed across every surface with its glowing caress. He didn't last long; he knew he wouldn't. Watching Ryo writhing beneath him proved cataclysmic and he came; certain that the circumstances leading up to this moment had caused such a powerful orgasm.

As their breathing and heart rates returned to normal, Dee reluctantly pulled himself up and off his lover's chest to marvel at the other man's beauty yet again. "Jesus, Ryo, you sure are full of surprises, aren't you?"

Ryo smiled and put the mask back over his face. "I think you've got the wrong person." His voice was low and seductive.

"Oh I see," Dee chuckled. "Maybe I should tell the chief that the precinct's best cop has developed multiple personality disorder."

"Don't you dare!" Ryo replied, slapping Dee's bare arm playfully.

Dee grinned as he gently pushed Ryo's hair away from his eyes. "You are one sexy motherfu…"

His sentence was smothered with a deep and passionate kiss, which they both came away from smiling.

"So what was this all about?" Dee asked, taking the mask from Ryo's hand and lifting it up to his face. "Wait a minute. Is this…?"

Ryo nodded as Dee's eyes widened. "I saw it in that memorabilia shop at the mall and I thought it would give me some confidence." He smiled shyly. "Did it work?"

"Hell yeah! Shit, wait till I tell the guys at work about this!"

Ryo frowned. "Dee, you wouldn't…?"

He was met by an emphatic shake of the head as Dee took Ryo's hands in his own. "No, you're right, I wouldn't. Honestly, Ryo."

The other man nodded. "I know you wouldn't. In fact, I have a confession to make."

Dee raised an eyebrow, waiting to hear what his lover had to say.

"I overheard you and the guys talking this morning. I was down in the basement looking for those files and I heard you all in the break room through an air vent. You were talking about the game and then you got onto, well… more interesting topics." Ryo paused and looked away for a moment. "I honestly thought you were going to tell the guys about us. I was all ready to kill you so when I heard you tell them that you wouldn't do that to me, I felt like I needed to make it up to you."

"And this is what you decided to do?"

"Yeah. I figured one good turn deserved another."

Dee continued to grin, his emerald eyes twinkling with desire. "Amen to that!"

They kissed again, more fervently this time, the mask slipping from Dee's fingers as they became lost in each other once again. The embrace was only broken when Ryo found he couldn't contain his yawn.

"Come on," Dee said, reluctantly standing and moving away to give Ryo room to jump down from the table. "Let's get all this cleared up before that little shit gets home."

They got the apartment back in order before retiring to bed. Bicky wasn't due home until the morning but they didn't want him to arrive back early and catch them clearing up after their night of passion. As Ryo climbed under the covers, Dee walked into the bedroom carrying the last of the candles in a cardboard box. "Well, everywhere's tidy. Unless of course you wanna do it all again?"

Ryo smiled. "Maybe tomorrow," he replied, throwing back the blankets and patting the mattress invitingly.

"Any time," came the answer. Dee climbed in bed but frowned once he was horizontal. "I feel like I've forgotten something," he said.

"Not to worry," Ryo yawned in reply. "I'm sure you'll remember in the morning."

It wasn't long before they were both sound asleep, happy and sated and able to dream peacefully, knowing they had each other.

Ryo awoke to the sound of talking, and he listened for a moment before working out that it was Bicky and Cal. He dug Dee in the ribs, realising that they had forgot to set their alarm clock and would be late for their shift if they didn't get up straight away. Unable to rouse his near-comatose lover, Ryo showered and dressed before heading out to find the two teens eating breakfast at the dining table.

"Hey guys," he said smiling, although it was partly at the memory of how they had used the very same table the night before. "Dee's just getting a shower then we're off to work. Good night last night?"

"Yeah," Cal answered for the two of them as Bicky crammed toast into his already full mouth. "We went bowling with a few friends from school."

"Great," Ryo replied as he headed into the kitchen. Coffee was the first order of the day if he was to get Dee into the office any time before noon. The man in question appeared, wearing crumpled jeans and a t-shirt that read: All I want is peace on Earth (and a blow job). Ryo saw it and frowned, but Dee caught the look and answered first.

"Relax, I'll wear a sweater over the top. No one'll see it and I couldn't find anything else."

Ryo rolled his eyes as he handed Dee the mug of coffee. They sat down at the table with the two teens, happy to let them talk. Dee lit a cigarette without much enthusiasm.

"What's with you two anyway?" Bicky asked, frowning at their matching worn out expressions.

"Nothing," Ryo replied. "We were just up late watching a movie."

"Bet it was a dirty one if perv picked it," Bicky replied, nodding in Dee's direction. Dee shot him a tired glare in response as he drew on his cigarette.

"Ooh, that reminds me," Cal said suddenly. "You know Kelly's sister that works at that store in the mall where they sell all the movie stuff? She said some really hot guy came in yesterday and bought that mask from Eyes Wide Shut. She reckoned he was gonna use it. You know, like in the film?"

Ryo's eyes were definitely wide open as he narrowly avoided choking on his tea. "You two have seen that movie?"

"Oh yeah," Bicky replied with his usual teenage nonchalance. "Loada horse shit it was too."

Ryo caught Dee's expression as his green eyes seemed suddenly glued to the floor. They shot up to meet Ryo's before returning to their previous position, signalling for Ryo to follow them. The blond managed to surreptitiously glance down to see the mask in question staring up at him from near Dee's feet. He could feel the colour burning his cheeks, knowing he could kiss any form of respectability goodbye if Bicky or Cal saw it. Realising the sudden silence was becoming suspicious, Ryo rushed to fill it, his eyes silently pleading with Dee to do something.

"Well, uh… I don't think that movie was intended for people your age, Bicky. Now um, have you got basketball tonight?"

As Ryo valiantly fielded the conversation, Dee managed to stage a clumsy arm manoeuvre that knocked the newspaper off the table. He bent down quickly before either of the teens could retrieve it for him and scooped the mask up into its folds.

"Well, I'm going for a crap before we go to work," he announced, winking at Ryo to let him know everything was okay before he headed for the bathroom, taking the paper with him.

Ryo could just feel himself starting to relax, barely able to believe that they'd got away with it, when Bicky suddenly shouted, "Hey, what's that?"

He was pointing straight at Dee. Ryo's stomach did an enormous flip-flop; even Dee looked nervous. They'd almost made it to Mexico; hell they could smell the Tacos! But now the border patrol had caught up with them. The dream was over.

"What?" he asked, certain the game was up as he turned slowly, gripping the supposedly hidden items between his fingers.

"You've got a hickey!" Bicky said with great delight. "The perv's got a hickey on his neck!"

"He's right, Dee," Cal said chuckling, casting knowing glances at Ryo as Bicky began to sing in his best kindergarten voice: 'Dee's got a hickey! Dee's got a hickey!' "I wonder how that got there?"

"A genie in a lamp appeared. It was the first of my three wishes," Dee grumbled sarcastically as he disappeared into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. With Dee gone, the teens' eyes turned to Ryo. Internally, the other man sighed, knowing he wouldn't hear the end of this for a long time; double that if the guys at the precinct saw it too.

Still, he thought to himself, knowing Dee would be trying to work out how to dispose of a bronze decorative mask in a room seven foot square, it could be worse.

END