Fake Fan Fiction ❯ FAKE in Love: Act VI, Prejudice and Lovers ❯ Chapter 2

Warnings and Disclaimers: Not Sanami Matoh, no right to FAKE. Boo. So sad and poor. And freakin' busy. Anyway, enjoy. Set in the timeline after (surprise surprise) FAKE in Love Act V. Much love to you all.

 

Ryo glanced up from the stove as the door opened and softly shut, a slight smile on his face as he waited for Dee to wrap his arms around his waist. A brief moment passed and his smile widened as Dee's lips pressed warmly to his neck.

 

“Hey Sexy,” Dee breathed. “Miss me?”

 

Ryo chuckled and stirred the noodles he was currently standing over.

 

“And what would I miss about you, hmm?” he said teasingly as Dee's arms tightened.

 

“You're being very cold to me lately,” Dee said against his neck.

 

“You always hurt the one you love,” Ryo said as he flipped the stove off. “How'd things go at the orphanage? How's Mother?”

 

“I didn't see her,” Dee said with a small frown. “She was out. I saw Sister Beatrice, but…well I don't think she was happy to see me.”

 

“Why? What did you talk those kids into this time?”

 

Dee laughed. “Nothing, nothing. It was weird. Something was just off about the whole thing.”

 

“She's new,” Ryo said. “I'm sure she's still adjusting. Be patient, I know you can do that. Hungry?”

 

“God I hope that's a pick up line,” Dee whispered.

 

Ryo laughed and pulled down a plate. Dee reluctantly released him after one more kiss and then grabbed his own plate. They talked quietly as they ate, exchanging soft caresses and warm glances, both hurrying a little to finish. Finally Dee stacked their empty plates and headed for the kitchen, Ryo sipping at the last of his wine as he listened to Dee wash the dishes.

 

“You planning on helping?” Dee called.

 

“Nope,” Ryo chuckled. “I cooked, you clean.”

 

“You know, someday I'm going to cook and then you're going to be sorry.”

 

“Mmm,” Ryo finished the last of his wine and carried his empty glass into the kitchen.

 

He wrapped his arm around Dee to drop the glass into the water and then slid his hand up Dee's chest, lightly leaning his body against Dee's back. Ryo closed his eyes and kissed Dee's shoulder blade.

 

“Are you about done?” Ryo asked softly.

 

“God I know that's a pick up line,” Dee said happily.

 

He spun around, his wet soapy hands pressing into Ryo's sides. Both leaned into the kiss that followed, Dee's hands wandering across Ryo's back as their tongues met and caressed. Ryo moaned and leaned against Dee again, his hips rolling a little, and Dee's hands tightened. They pulled apart and each gasped for air, one of Dee's hands rising now to slide down Ryo's jaw, a warm wet trail following it.

 

Dee tried to think of something witty and passionate to say, but as always, with Ryo this close, his mind was too filled and excited to stay completely clear and focused. He opted for another kiss instead. He devoured Ryo this time, a pounding holding kiss that left Ryo clinging to him to keep from dropping to the floor. Ryo rested his head against Dee's shoulder, panting a little as he slowly blinked. Dee's kisses still caught him off guard and still amazed and thrilled him.

 

“I love you,” Dee whispered huskily.

 

“I love you too,” Ryo murmured back.

 

Dee smiled and he clamped his lips back down on Ryo's. His steps were deliberately slow as he walked towards the bedroom, the connection between them never breaking as they moved. Ryo moaned and his fingers lightly massaged into Dee's back, then gripped his shirt and slid up under it. Dee closed his eyes for an instant as Ryo's soft touch found skin. Like lightning, Dee thought and then pressed another kiss. Like sexy, sexy, lightning.

 

Dee fumbled with the bedroom door a little but managed to get it open without too much trouble and they tumbled onto the bed. Dee straddled Ryo and brushed back his soft hair as he kissed Ryo again. Ryo's face was a pale shade of red, his shirt sticking to him where Dee's wet hands had traced. Dee couldn't help but stare at him for a moment and drink in the beauty that radiated from Ryo. He felt Ryo's dark eyes burning into his own, and there was something absolutely enticing and sensual about it. Dee loved it when Ryo stared into his eyes, he couldn't explain why but something about it sent chills through him, something about it made him happier than it should have.

 

Ryo broke the spell first and tugged at Dee's shirt, sliding it up and then caressing his hands over smooth olive skin. Dee grinned down wolfishly as he pulled the shirt the rest of the way off and slowly thrust his hips down against Ryo. Ryo moaned and his body arched up against Dee, his eyes closing as his hands caressed over Dee's chest. Dee leaned down for another kiss and Ryo readily opened his mouth and drew Dee in deeper.

 

“Love you,” Dee breathed. “Love you.”

 

“Mmph,” Ryo answered as Dee kissed him again. “Love you.”

 

Dee's lips slid down Ryo's jaw and gently brushed across his neck, slowly trailing lower as Dee began to work on Ryo's shirt. Ryo's eyes closed again and he tried to soften his pounding heart as Dee slid a hand across his chest.

 

The phone rang.

 

“Goddammit,” Dee hissed.

 

“Answering machine,” Ryo murmured and pulled Dee down into another kiss.

 

Dee's fingertips slid down beneath the waistband of Ryo's pants, firm caresses that hinted at what was to come. Ryo moaned into their kiss as the machine's programmed message began to play.

 

“Hello, you've reached the MacLean residence,” Ryo's warm voice said. “After the tone leave a message for Bikky, Detective Randy MacLean, or Detective Dee Laytner.”

 

Dee drug his tongue slowly across Ryo's neck, his fingers pressing harder into Ryo's skin.

 

“Get your hands off my Dad, you pervert!”

 

Suddenly Bikky's voice boomed through the apartment and Dee jerked away. Ryo blinked and then snorted laughter as Dee growled low in his throat.

 

“I know you're there,” the voice continued through the answering machine. “You need to come and get us.”

 

“That little monkey brat,” Dee muttered angrily.

 

“I'm going to keep calling all night,” Bikky threatened. “Don't think that I won't.”

 

Ryo rolled over, Dee still resting lightly on his thighs as he picked up the phone.

 

“Hi Bikky,” Ryo said as he chuckled a little more. “What's up?”

 

“Carol and I need you to come and pick us up. The basketball tournament got cancelled, it's raining, everyone's trying to get out of here, and Carol's aunt isn't at home.”

 

“Okay, okay,” Ryo said. “We're on our way.”

 

He hung up and Dee gave him a dejected look. Ryo's smile softened and he gently caressed Dee's face.

 

“Sorry Dee,” he said.

 

“Yeah, yeah. You know I love him, but I really hate that kid.”

 

 

Dee rolled the pen back and forth as he thought, his eyes distant and foggy as they followed the rolling pen. He sighed. Why was this bothering him so much? He kept thinking about the orphanage and the strange glint in Sister Beatrice's eyes. He had tried calling Penguin that morning, but Sister Beatrice said that she was still unavailable. This wasn't like Mother Maria at all. She always was around, no matter what, so why was she so unreachable now? Something about it was making him worried, anxious about the future. He scowled and rolled the pen a little harder.

 

A soft hand slid the pen out of his hold and he glanced up as Ryo stared down at him.

 

“You okay?” Ryo said quietly.

 

“Sure,” Dee said with a smile. “Fine. What's up?”

 

Ryo stared at him for a moment longer, as though debating about whether to believe him or not, but he finally just sighed and held out a report.

 

“We've got another murder. Remarkable similarities to the first one.”

 

“Are the garbage consistencies the same?” Dee said with a smirk.

 

Ryo gave him a half smile and shrugged. “I haven't picked up the report from Jim yet, but we should probably do it before he makes the trip here.”

 

“Yeah, why don't you do that? And bring me back some coffee too.”

 

Ryo's eye brow lifted and Dee grinned at him.

 

“Hey,” Dee said. “It was worth a shot.”

 

 

“Oh my God!” Jim said sarcastically. “You actually walked all the way here!”

 

“Hey, don't get pissy with me,” Dee said. “It's good for you to get out of the lab, you need the exercise.”

 

“Watch it Dee,” Jim warned.

 

“What have you got for us, Jim?” Ryo asked.

 

“You really do need to talk to those CSI's,” Jim said with a sigh. “They're backing me up. They need to start teaching these guys that not everything is relevant to the crime.”

 

“More garbage samples?” Dee said.

 

“Yup,” Jim said and stretched. “I need a cigarette break. I'm so sick of all this crap.”

 

Jim slumped back in his seat and sighed as he stared at Dee.

 

“So what's eating you?”

 

Dee gave him an amused glance and crossed his arms.

 

“I forgot your observant nature. Don't worry about it, it's nothing.”

 

Ryo glanced up from the thick report he was holding, but he didn't say anything. Jim frowned darkly and his eyes continued to slip across Dee, as though he was somehow reading the situation.

 

“Let's see,” Jim said lowly. “It doesn't have anything to do with Ryo, you look more angry now than worried.”

 

Ryo glanced up with surprise and Dee shifted uncomfortably.

 

“Shut up Jim,” Dee grunted and Jim chuckled.

 

“It's something…in your past?” Jim said and squinted at Dee. “Yup. Something you thought you had a handle on, but now it's bugging you again.”

 

“Stop it,” Dee said lowly. “I'm not in the mood for this.”

 

“Alright, alright,” Jim said with a shrug. “But just this piece of advice. Screw `em. I've never known you to be one to be worried about who you are, Dee. So don't start now.”

 

“Yeah,” Dee said. “Thanks Jim.”

 

“Anytime. You're buying me drinks this time, though,” Jim said. “I'm flat broke. You wouldn't believe how expensive some of these new lab books are.”

 

 

Dee frowned and read the lab results again.

 

“I think I'm getting an idea,” Dee mumbled and read the report again.

 

Ryo glanced up at him and waited. Dee's mouth thinned and he closed the folder.

 

“What if these were hits?” Dee said. “The kills are clean, it's the scenes that are messy.”

 

Ryo leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling.

 

“So you're thinking these murders were both set up to look like something that got out of hand, when in reality…”

 

“When in reality these guys were targets all along,” Dee said as he lit a cigarette.

 

“So who benefits from their deaths?” Ryo asked. “They were middle men in the prostitution ring, they sold the girls on the street, but they didn't have any weight in the upper echelons.”

 

“Who gets their girls now that they're dead?”

 

Ryo's mouth thinned and his frown darkened. He hated that there were people in the world that could think of other people as pieces of property. The world was dangerous enough without these predators walking around. He closed his eyes and rubbed at his temples.

 

“We'll have to talk to Rose to get some details on that prostitution ring,” he said tiredly. “I vote we wait until tomorrow.”

 

“Seconded,” Dee said. “Let's just drop off what we've got now and get out of here.”

 

“Good plan.”

 

 

Dee hesitated outside of the orphanage and glanced up at the cross that loomed over the doorway. His mouth thinned and he sighed.

 

“Why am I so nervous about this?” he muttered.

 

He rested his hand on the door handle, but the door suddenly flew open, almost throwing him down the short stairs. Dee staggered a little and turned with an angry glare, ready to yell at whoever had almost gotten him killed. He froze as Sister Beatrice stared at him.

 

“Hello Sister,” he said as he quickly pulled on a smile. “How are you doing?”

 

“Fine Mr. Laytner,” she answered, an annoyed light in her eyes. “What can I do for you?”

 

“I'm here to see Penguin,” he said.

 

“Why?”

 

“Why?” Dee repeated with a small frown. “What's going on Sister?”

 

Her mouth thinned a little and her eyes flashed at him again.

 

“I'll go and get her.”

 

“I can…”

 

“Wait here,” Sister Beatrice said sternly.

 

The door shut firmly behind her and she glanced out the window once to make sure that he was staying put. He frowned and lit a cigarette as he waited. She's new, he reminded himself, it might take a while for her to warm up to you. He chuckled around the cigarette. How long had it taken for Ryo to realize that he wasn't such a bad guy?

 

The smile disappeared; this still felt strange.

 

“Dee!” Mother Maria smiled warmly as she opened the door and came out, Dee leaning down so she could hug him. “I'm so glad you came!”

 

“Hi Penguin, how've you been?”

 

“Bored,” she answered bluntly. “Why are you smoking? Put that thing out, you're setting a bad example for the children.”

 

“Er, sorry Penguin,” he said and ground the cigarette out before he scratched nervously at the back of his head. “Nervous habit.”

 

“Nervous?” she said with a confused frown. “Come inside and--”

 

“Why don't the two of you go for some coffee at the new café down the street?” Sister Beatrice suggested.

 

Mother Maria turned and glanced up at her for a moment before she smiled again.

 

“That does sound nice. Come on Dee, you can treat me to something special.”

 

“Spoiled,” Dee teased as she hooked herself onto his arm. “I guess I can though.”

 

“You have such a generous spirit,” she said as they walked away. “So kind and giving to others.”

 

“Damn straight.”

 

“Watch your mouth.”

 

Dee chuckled and felt the anxiety slipping away, but shivered a little as he felt Sister Beatrice's eyes follow them down the street. They found the café quickly and sat down, sipping at their drinks for a moment before Dee finally sighed and spoke.

 

“Mother, something about Sister Beatrice is bothering me.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“It's hard to explain,” he said and leaned back in his chair. “It's not like she's done anything, it's just…she seems kind of angry when she sees me.”

 

“She's having trouble adjusting,” Mother Maria said. “She's much…stricter…than the children are used to. They aren't warming up to her. I think she might be jealous of you.”

 

“Jealous?”

 

“She saw you playing with them, didn't she?” she said with a smile as she took another sip of her coffee. “They're always so happy when you're there, and I think she wishes that she could instill that in them too. Give her some time and I'm sure she'll come around.”

 

Her eyes became distant for a moment and she sighed. Dee stared intently at her and then chuckled.

 

“I can see I'm not the only one with reservations about her,” he said.

 

“I'm trying to remember that she's new,” Mother Maria said. “But she really is imposing a lot of rules on these children, and she punishes them for everything.”

 

“I don't remember you exactly being the lenient type,” Dee said with a smirk.

 

“I should have smacked you harder when you were growing up,” she snapped back.

 

They both laughed and Dee shook his head.

 

“I guess we'll both just have to give her time,” he said softly. “But…do you think you could talk to her about letting me come inside? She seems pretty determined that I don't actually go into the orphanage.”

 

“Really?” she frowned. “I'll speak to her about it, don't worry. We should probably be getting back or you'll have to treat me to dinner too.”

 

“Can't have that, let's go Penguin.”

 

“I really should have done something about that nickname a long time ago,” she said with a resigned sigh.

 

 

Rose flipped the page on their report and Dee leaned back in his chair with a little annoyance. Ryo shot him a warning glance, don't do it. Dee scowled and couldn't help himself.

 

“Do we really have to sit here while you read that?”

 

“Patience is a virtue, Detective,” Rose said as he glanced up. “I'm trying to decide which theory you should continue to investigate. Hit or crime of passion?”

 

“As we investigate further we're hoping to find more evidence one way or the other, sir,” Ryo said. “Right now there isn't conclusive evidence available.”

 

“So would another murder help to clarify things?”

 

Ryo and Dee both sat up straighter as Rose sighed and closed their report.

 

“We've got another body. It showed up in an alleyway, just like the first two and it looks like the same M.O. This victim was also connected to the prostitution ring that we've been looking into,” Rose said as he pushed his glasses back up. “So it would seem that these were intentional murders.”

 

Ryo frowned. This presented a whole new set of problems for them. Professional hits always got messy, after all most professionals were professionals for a reason. They knew what they were doing and took the necessary precautions not to get caught. He sighed and his hands folded in his lap.

 

“Do you have the report on the murder?” he asked.

 

“Right here,” Rose said and handed him the folder. “Check in with Jim, he's got the lab reports and CSI is sending over…” he fumbled with the papers on his desk. “They're sending over Jamie Karlisle.”

 

His eyes flashed up at them as Dee scowled and Ryo stared blankly back.

 

“Play nice,” the Commissioner said sternly.

 

 

Jim all but threw the report at them as they walked through the lab doors, a dangerous glint in his normally calm eyes.

 

“Goddamn CSI,” he snapped. “I swear to God they're trying to put me in the ground with all this extra shit they drag in. At least you guys take the time to put the evidence in context before you start requesting tests.”

 

“Sorry Jim,” Ryo said. “Have you talked to them about it?”

 

“They don't listen,” Jim grumbled. “They go on and on about training and learning and crime scenes getting cold. They've got this one recruit, Jamie Kar-something, drops every goddamn thing off and hovers over me while I run it. Like I'm the one who doesn't know what I'm doing.”

 

“Jamie Karlisle?” Ryo said hesitantly.

 

“Yeah, that's it,” Jim said as he reached for his cigarettes. “Karlisle.”

 

“Those bastards,” Dee said lowly. “They expect us to baby-sit.”

 

Ryo sighed and flipped open Jim's report, his eyes lazily tracing over the words. Well this was certainly going to be fun. The data looked to be about the same as it was in the other reports and Ryo closed the folder and gave Jim another apologetic smile.

 

“It'll get better Jim,” Ryo said. “Don't worry. You're the best lab technician in the city, they can't keep you unhappy for too long before they start to worry.”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jim muttered. “Dammit Ryo, can't you let a guy just be in a bad mood for a while? You're making it damn hard for me to stay pissed off.”

 

 

“So what've we got?” Dee said as he tossed a ball of paper back and forth, a new attempt at distracting himself away from his cigarettes.

 

“Three crime scenes, three suspected hits, all low-level pimps in a prostitution ring,” Ryo said. “And a mountain of crime scene statistics and data.”

 

“Let's make our CSI flunky sift through that,” Dee suggested. “Where is this guy anyway?”

 

“Late on the first day,” Ryo said softly. “Maybe he got lost.”

 

As if on cue there was a quiet knock on the door and it slid open, a young woman with light blond hair and flashing blue eyes stepped inside.

 

“Detectives MacLean and Laytner?”

 

“Yeah, that's us,” Dee said as he pulled a cigarette out and lit it.

 

“I'm Jamie Karlisle, from CSI. I've been assigned as your liaison for this case.”

 

“Hello,” Ryo said and held out a hand. “I'm Randy MacLean.”

 

“Dee Laytner,” Dee said as he took a long drag. “I see from these mountains of paperwork that you did most of the evidence collection at our scenes.”

 

“Yes, that's correct,” she said and smiled at him.

 

“Where's the kitchen sink?” Dee asked flatly.

 

Ryo sighed and slumped a little in his seat.

 

“Oh good,” Ryo said, a sarcastic glint in his voice.

 

Jamie stared at Dee with a confused frown.

 

“What?”

 

“Well you brought back everything else,” Dee said as he tossed one of the lab reports on the desk. “Do you have any idea how long it's going to take to process all of this? Jim's about to have a heart attack.”

 

Jamie blushed and an angry scowl darted across her face.

 

“Well excuse me for being thorough,” she snapped.

 

“That's not thorough, that's inexperienced,” Dee said, his voice still steady and calm. “I'm telling you now so you'll learn. Start looking at your scenes and make some judgment calls. You can't bring everything into the lab every time, so starting now I want you to look back through these reports and tell me what I actually need to know from these scenes.”

 

Dee shuffled through the papers on their desks and handed Jamie the three lab reports, all bulging and stuffed. Ryo sighed again and glanced at Dee.

 

“Oh yeah,” Dee said. “Welcome aboard. Ryo's already made some notes in them, so that should help you pick out some of the important details. There's a table buried under those books over there, consider that your temporary desk.”

 

Jamie blinked and then stared down at the lab reports. Her mouth dropped open and for an instant Ryo and Dee both thought she was going to argue. Instead, her jaw clicked quietly shut and she proceeded across the small office to the buried table. She cleared it off slowly and then sat down and started reading through the reports.

 

Ryo frowned and picked up his phone, his pen tapping against his desk as he began calling around to the connections he had made in the city. They had very little information about the three dead men, all of them seemed to have just dropped out of the sky. His voice became a steady murmur behind Jamie as she worked, the young CSI wincing as she began to notice how overly `thorough' she had been.

 

“What the fuck?” Dee yelled into his phone. “You piece of shit!”

 

Both Jamie and Ryo looked up at him in surprise and Dee pounded a fist onto his desk.

 

“I swear to God I'm going to pick you up and throw you into the darkest damn hole I can find!” he roared. “No I don't fucking care about that! You're damn right! Now tell me what the hell I want to know!”

 

He scribbled furiously now and then laughed.

 

“Yeah, sure,” he said, his voice now calm and still again. “Thanks. See you around.”

 

Ryo chuckled and shook his head; Dee had some of the weirdest contacts. Jamie was still staring at him and Dee lit another cigarette.

 

“His pal was listening in,” Dee said. “It had to sound like he was being forced to give up the information.”

 

“You get anything?” Ryo asked.

 

“Not much, mostly just that our guys were involved in some dark shit down on the wharves. What about you?”

 

“I got a little more,” Ryo said with a small smile. “It seems that Rose's prostitution ring was in the middle of a turf war.”

 

“Ah,” Dee said. “That could encourage the hiring of some professional muscle. Who were they fighting it out with?”

 

“The Downstreet Gang,” Ryo said.

 

“What? The same gang Rose needed you to help him with before?”

 

“Apparently they've decided to expand into prositution.”

 

“What do you know about these guys anyway?” Dee asked.

 

“The case was a few years back,” Ryo said and shrugged. “They were small time thugs then. They've reorganized since. We're going to have to talk to Rose about these findings.”

 

“Damn,” Dee said with a sigh. “I really hate that guy.”

 

The door flew open and JJ burst into the room, a wide and happy grin on his face as he pounced over Dee's desk.

 

“DEE!”

 

“ACK!”

 

Dee toppled to the ground under JJ's assault, an angry growl escaping him.

 

“JJ, get off me!”

 

“Oh Mr. Perfect,” JJ purred. “I needed to see you!”

 

“Get off!”

 

“I'm going to miss you so much!” JJ wailed. “I have to go on stake out with Drake.”

 

“Good, how long will I be free from you?”

 

“Oh, you say such cruel things,” JJ pouted and Dee tried again to pry him off. “I know you love me my sexy senpai!”

 

“Let go of me!”

 

“I'm never going to let you go!” JJ yelled happily.

 

“JJ,” Ryo warned, a dark glare burning into JJ.

 

JJ sighed heavily and released Dee. Dee scowled at him as he climbed up from the floor and JJ sat down on his desk.

 

“So what are you guys doing? Drake said you were investigating a couple of murders.”

 

“They're connected to a prostitution ring down by the wharves,” Ryo said. “We think that the Downstreet gang might be paying for some professional hits.”

 

“Exciting,” JJ said and flipped through some of Dee's paperwork.

 

Dee slammed his hand down onto the folders and glared at JJ again.

 

“Stop that,” Dee snapped. “What do you want JJ?”

 

“Well, dur Dee,” JJ said as he rolled his eyes. “I told you, I came to see you before I had to leave for my stake-out.”

 

“I hate you so much,” Dee said lowly.

 

“But I love you,” JJ said with a grin.

 

Jamie was watching all this with a confused and uncertain expression. Ryo gave her a comforting smile and gestured to JJ.

 

“Jamie, this is JJ Adams, he's a detective,” Ryo said. “JJ this is Jamie. She's on loan to us from CSI.”

 

“Nice to meet you,” JJ said and looked at her a little more closely. “You just started didn't you?”

 

“Y-yes,” she said, still a little unsettled by JJ's behavior.

 

“Well, welcome to the force,” JJ said and sighed. “The job sucks, but we've got nice eye candy.”

 

He grinned at Dee and Dee popped him quickly upside the head.

 

“One of these days I am going to kill you,” Dee said.

 

The door opened and Drake shook his head.

 

“I knew you'd be here. Come on JJ, we're going to be late. Move your ass.”

 

“Alright, alright,” JJ said and smiled at Dee again. “See you soon, Mr. Perfect!”

 

“Yeah, get out of here you little screwball,” Dee grumbled. “Be careful.”

 

The door clicked shut and Dee shook his head before he looked up at Jamie.

 

“Hey,” he called to the busy CSI. “How's it going over there?”

 

“Well I--”

 

Her voice was cut off as another knock echoed into the office and Rose looked inside.

 

“Body number four.”