Fake Fan Fiction ❯ FAKE in Love: Act X; Set-ups and Power Plays ❯ Chapter 3

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Warnings and Disclaimers: This should be old news by now, but (surprise, surprise) I'm not Sanami Matoh, I'm not making any money off of this, and this is yaoi hentai.
Set right after the last act. Again, sur-fucking-prise…
Enjoy!
 
 
Dee glanced over at Bikky and then both peered down into the pot on the stove.
“I think we can chalk this one up as a failure,” Dee said.
“Agreed,” Bikky said. “Should we try something else?”
“That's up to you.”
“I'm hungry,” Bikky said. “Let's just order something.”
“What do you want?” Dee asked as he dropped a lid on the bubbling pot and turned off the heat.
“Mexican,” Bikky said. “I want nachos and burritos.”
“Fine,” Dee answered. “Call `em.”
Bikky grabbed the phone and dialed to a local place about two blocks away. Dee's nose wrinkled as he poured the pot into the sink and ran the garbage disposal. He'd have to remind Bikky not to say anything to Ryo about their failed cooking attempt. A) Ryo would never let him live it down, and B) Ryo would get out of bed to cook for them from then on, regardless of how he was feeling. He didn't need either of those.
“Er, Dee,” Bikky said as he pressed his hand over the phone. “They're short handed on delivery guys tonight. He says it'll be an hour until they can get it to us or we can come and pick it up in fifteen minutes.”
“Tell him we'll pick it up.”
Dee glanced out at the window. The city looked deceptively dark. New York was bathed in shadows and growing night, but Dee knew that the heat would not be comforted in the darkness. Something about that thought made him shiver.
 
“Here,” Dee said as he handed Bikky some cash. “Go pick up the food, I'm going to pop into the convenience store and get some soup for Ryo.”
“'Kay,” Bikky said and disappeared across the street.
Dee lit a cigarette and glared up at the blank sky. Was this heat ever going to end? The air was thick and still and filled with a dampness that made every breath wet and heavy. Dee almost worried about drowning if he took too deep a breath.
The cool air of the small convenience store met him and he couldn't help the smile that washed over his face. The clerk chuckled and Dee glanced over.
“People have been doing that all day,” the guy behind the counter said.
Dee grinned. “Soup?”
“Aisle three.”
“Thanks.”
Dee strolled down the aisles and began to read the soup labels. What kind of soup did you feed a sick person who didn't like chicken noodle? Dee smiled again; Ryo was so weird. He finally selected a couple of different ones and headed for the counter.
“Isn't it a little hot for soup?” the guy asked.
“My partner's sick,” Dee said with a shrug. “I told him I'd get him something to eat.”
“You should bring him some ginger ale too,” the guy said. “My mom always poured that stuff down our throats when we were sick. She swears by it.”
“Did it make you feel better?”
“Not really,” he answered with a grin.
Dee chuckled and grabbed the bag. “Have a good night.”
“You too.”
 
Dee glanced around the heavy night and scowled. Where in the hell was Bikky? He just wanted to go home now and get back into the air conditioning. Shit, where was that kid?
He started towards the Mexican place when he heard a strange shuffling from an alley passed. Dee tensed. He knew that sound. Somebody was fighting. His teeth gritted with a strange tension, a deep dread filling him. It wasn't hard to guess who was probably involved.
“Fuck you,” a familiar voice snapped.
Dee turned on his heel and started silently down the alley. Bikky was crouched on the ground, his back pressed against one of the buildings as he glared up at a circle of angry faces that loomed over him. The guys were big, their hands like beefy hams as they smirked down at Bikky.
“Just hand over the cash, bitch,” one of the guys said. “We wouldn't want to rip out that pretty hair.”
“What did I just say?” Bikky roared as he got back to his feet, his back still against the wall. “Fuck…you.”
“Something going on here?” Dee said flatly.
The six guys that surrounded Bikky turned as one to peer back at him. Dee stared blankly back.
“Just keep moving,” one of the punks said lowly. “This doesn't concern you.”
“Bullshit,” Dee said. “You get away from that kid and move your asses out of here.”
Snorted laughter answered him. Dee grinned then and cracked his knuckles.
“Alright then, but I guess I should tell you before this goes any further that I am a New York City Police Detective.”
 
“Ryo! Ryo!”
Ryo's eyes fluttered open and then slid closed again. He curled up tighter in the bed and sighed. A set of pounding footsteps ran through the apartment, but the sound barely registered. The bedroom door flew open and Drake burst inside.
“Ryo, wake up.”
Ryo's eyes opened again and he stared uncomprehendingly at Drake. Suddenly the fog cleared and he sat up, his head spinning as worry etched across his face.
“Drake,” he said. “Where's Dee?”
“That's why I came to get you,” Drake said. “He's in the hospital. A gang of kids jumped him on his way back here. Come on, I'll drive you over.”
 
I know that smell.
Dee smiled as the scent of soap and Ryo filled his nose. He had been waiting for someone to come and get him and had dozed off in the hospital's stiff bed. Now his eyes slid slowly open and his smile grew as he peered up at Ryo. Ryo looked worried, almost scared, his dark eyes flashing down at Dee. He coughed suddenly and leaned away, covering his mouth as his whole body was wracked with the motion.
“You should be in bed,” Dee said.
“Someone had to come and get you,” Ryo managed when the coughing fit passed.
“Did you drive yourself?”
“No, Drake came and got me. They called the precinct when you were brought here, but no one knew how bad it was, so Drake…”
Ryo's voice cut out and he shrugged. Dee yawned as he sat up and ran a hand through his hair. A dark bruise was blossoming across his left jaw and he had managed to sprain his right wrist and strain his ankle. He wasn't going to win any races over the next few days, but all in all, he was damn proud of himself.
“How's the kid?”
“He's fine,” Ryo said. “He's waiting outside. You ready to get out of here?”
“Sure,” Dee said and yawned again. “Let's go home. Looks like I'll get to take some sick time with you tomorrow.”
Ryo nodded and Dee paused as he climbed out of the bed.
“You know, Ryo, since we're here anyway…”
 
Dee glared down at the brace on his wrist and then began to carefully pull it off. Ryo glanced up from the bed and shook his head.
“You should leave it on,” he said hoarsely.
“It itches,” Dee said. “There's no way I'm going to get comfortable with this thing on tonight.”
Ryo was silent and Dee climbed into the bed, tossing and turning as he tried to figure out how to comfortably stretch out his damaged arm. He bounced and turned and shifted again and again, but he just couldn't get comfortable. Ryo sighed heavily and reached out. He gently lifted Dee's arm and rested it on his chest, Dee's hand rising and falling with each of Ryo's breaths. Dee smiled. He could feel Ryo's heartbeat in the palm of his hand.
“This'll work,” he murmured.
“Go to sleep,” Ryo said.
Dee curled up closer to him and smiled as Ryo sighed peacefully.
“Let me know if you get too hot,” Dee whispered.
“Mmph.”
 
Dee was still a little surprised when he woke up to find Ryo still sleeping deeply next to him. Dee stared at Ryo's parted lips as he dreamt, his eyes softly closed and flickering with sleep. He really must be sick. Dee sighed and carefully pulled away from Ryo's warm body. Ryo burrowed deeper into the blankets but didn't wake up.
Dee stretched and winced as his fist clenched and his wrist sent out a sharp jab of pain. He retrieved the brace and locked it back around his wrist. Yawning and stretching he walked out into the living room and stared blankly at Bikky.
“Shouldn't you be in school?”
Bikky didn't look up from the video game as he steered a spaceship through an exploding asteroid field.
“Summer vacation, dweeb.”
“Oh, right…Did you eat yet?”
“No.”
“You want some cereal? I'll pour.”
Dee padded into the kitchen and began to pull out the boxes, still yawning and trying to wake up. He turned to start some coffee but found a full pot already waiting for him. He smiled and filled a cup.
“Thanks for the coffee, Biks.”
Bikky suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at Dee. Dee smiled at him and turned to grab the milk.
“What kind do you want?” he asked around another yawn.
“What were you thinking?”
“Huh?”
“You idiot,” Bikky snapped. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”
Dee stared at him with confusion and then realization dawned on his face. He shrugged and gently set the milk down.
“It's okay Biks,” Dee said. “I'm fine.”
“Don't you get it,” Bikky said angrily. “You won't always be fine. You keep doing stupid stuff like that and you're going to end up dead. Then what will Ryo do? Huh? He'll be fucked, you dumb shit!”
“Hey,” Dee said, his voice a little stern. “Watch your mouth and calm down. Ryo can take care of himself and you damn well know that he can take care of you too. You're fine and so am I. If I thought that I couldn't handle it, I would have done something differently.”
“Like what?”
“Like call for back up before I said anything to them…oh wait, I did that. Like keeping an eye out for any weapon they might pull…oh, shit, did that too. Look Biks, I knew the situation, I don't want you thinking that this is something to aspire to, but I've been through more than my fair share of street fights. I know how to handle myself in a crowd. If that last motherfucker hadn't grabbed that pipe I wouldn't have had a scratch on me. So calm down. I'm not going anywhere, weird ape.”
“Don't call me an ape!” Bikky said, the anger still carefully masking his fear.
“That's right,” Dee said as he took a slurp of coffee. “You're a monkey, not an ape.”
“Damn straight!” Bikky roared as he kicked Dee in the shin and snagged a box of cereal.
“OUCH!” Dee yelped. “Get back here!”
 
The phone's ring woke Ryo up, his eyes bleary and tired as he stared at it. He blinked slowly and then reached out, his eyes staring at his hand as he finally lifted the phone up. He moved it slowly to his ear, a loud voice already blaring out.
“Hello? Hello? Dee-senpai? Ryo? Hello?”
“JJ, what is it?” Ryo asked tiredly.
“Ryo, is that you? You sound horrible.”
“That's why I took a sick day, JJ,” Ryo said flatly. “What do you want?”
“Well, if you're still sick, um, can I talk to Dee-senpai?”
“Let me see if he's here,” Ryo said and lowered the phone. “Dee! Dee, phone!”
The bathroom door clicked open and Dee stepped out, toweling off his hair as he crossed the room. He pecked Ryo on the forehead as he took the phone.
“Thanks,” he said. “Go back to sleep.”
Ryo flopped back down into the bed and closed his eyes.
“Hello?”
“Dee-senpai?”
“JJ, what are you calling about? We're not on the board today, Ryo's sick and I'm recovering after a beating.”
“Are you okay?” JJ screeched in his ear.
“Dammit,” Dee hissed. “I'm fine. Now what is this about?”
“We've got another murder,” JJ said. “The crime scene analyst said that it reminded her of your case over at…uh…the Jeffries Apartment Building. We checked, and there are some serious similarities.”
“Better move your ass and get to any witnesses,” Dee said. “All of our guys developed amnesia after a few hours.”
“We pulled this guy out of an alleyway,” JJ said. “I don't think we're going to find anyone who's going to have anything to tell us anyway.”
“An alleyway?” Dee said. “What are the similarities? Our guy died in his apartment. It looked like a robbery.”
“So did this,” JJ said. “Guy was strangled, evidence of nylon fibers around his neck. Dee, these guys new each other, they were business partners.”
“Huh,” Dee said as he leaned against the bedroom's doorjamb. “How's that?”
“They were developing some kind of new computer program or something like that. We're supposed to go over to their office and check things out. I thought you might want to come with us.”
“Yeah…uh,” he glanced back at Ryo.
Chances were good his partner was just going to sleep all day anyway. Dee wouldn't do him any good by hovering over him. He'd just probably figure out some way to annoy Ryo and end up keeping him awake. Dee sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“Alright,” he said. “Give me the address and I'll meet you there.”
 
Dee was smoking when JJ and Drake pulled up, the stifling heat of the city pounding down on him. The building that JJ had directed him to was a squat office with a plain exterior. The sign that proclaimed it “Xavier Computer Engineering” was hand painted and definitely didn't make Dee think of a modern electronics company. It looked like a two bit operation, if that much.
“Anything else?” Dee asked as JJ and Drake climbed out of the car.
“There's only one partner left,” Drake said as he glanced down at his notebook. “He's supposed to be here today, but we haven't been able to get a hold of him.”
“Let's get this over with,” Dee grumbled.
He tried to building's door and then frowned. The place was locked up tight. He glanced back at JJ and Drake. Both nodded and Dee pounded on the door.
“NYPD! Open up!”
Silence answered him. Dee sighed and drew his gun.
“I've got a bad feeling about this,” Dee said.
“You're not the only one,” Drake said. “Try again and then I say we break it down.”
“We've got no warrant,” JJ cautioned.
“NYPD!” Dee yelled again.
More silence. He sighed and glanced at JJ and Drake again. Drake shrugged and Dee took a deep breath.
“Did you hear that?” he said.
“Huh?” JJ asked.
“That sounded like breaking glass to me,” Dee said. “Like someone trying to get away. Did you hear it?”
JJ and Drake stared at him and then Drake suddenly nodded.
“Yeah, I heard it.”
“I didn't hear anything,” JJ said.
“You obviously weren't listening,” Dee said. “We've got cause now.”
He rammed the door with his shoulder and the wood splintered and gave way. The door was old, ragged, and practically disintegrated under the force of Dee's hit. He staggered inside and then froze, his gun dropping limply to his side as he looked around with horror.
“Jesus Christ,” Drake whispered.
The room was covered in blood.
 
Dee was smoking again as he sat heavily on the hood of his car. The scent of blood was thick in his nose, and even with the tobacco laced smoke weaving in and out of his lungs, he couldn't get away from it. There had only been one body inside the software company building, the third and final partner. He had all but been bled dry, the spray showing that he had struggled to the bitter end before collapsing and bleeding out. He had more than fifty knife wounds.
“Fuck,” Dee whispered as he wiped his hand over his eyes.
Whoever was killing these guys was damned determined, and had managed to take out the entire backbone of the little company in less than a week. But why?
Dee shook his head. He hated things like this. They were stuck now until someone from IT could come down and start piecing together the schematics and information strewn around place. There was no way that Dee could decipher all of the codes and messages. He wished Ryo was here to sneak a peek and maybe give them some idea of where to go next.
“Oh shit!”
Dee glanced up at the cry and a loud crash echoed out into the street. He ground out his cigarette with an irritated growl and forced himself to head back into the bloodbath.
Jamie Karlisle glanced up at him with a sheepish look.
“Sorry,” she said.
A stack of computer towers had toppled over and now lay scattered across the floor. Dee groaned and shook his head.
“Please tell me you had already taken pictures of that.”
“Yes,” she said. “I did. It's fine, I was just finishing printing it when it happened. I'm sorry.”
“Yeah, well next time…”
His voice cut off and he frowned as he stared down at the mess.
“Dee?” Jamie asked quietly.
“What color of finger print powder do you use?”
“Black,” she said with a confused frown.
Dee knelt down and drug his finger through a fine powdery white.
“So then what's this?”