Fake Fan Fiction ❯ FAKE in Love: Act XII, Costumes and Bait ❯ Chapter 1

Warnings and Disclaimers: I'm not Sanami Matoh. I'm not making any money off of this. This is yaoi. Set in the FAKE in Love timeline. So sleepy, too sleepy to be clever…

 

 

People might have thought they were cruel.

They were standing around grinning, the headless corpse at their feet, a few words of celebration passing in the quickly cooling air. Blood was spattered around the stark room, a single light bulb making the shadows shake and shift. It was grisly, it was gruesome.

They couldn't have been happier.

“We've got him,” Dee Laytner said as he lit a cigarette, a pale grin on his face. “He can't skip out on this one.”

“I thought his luck would never end,” Drake Parker said as he shook his head.

“Are we sure everything's going to hold?” Ryo MacLean asked as he looked around the scene and watched the CSIs collecting evidence.

“Eye witness, DNA, fingerprints, murder weapon…” Dee shook his head. “The only thing we're missing is a signed confession. We've got him.”

“What a great way to end the shift,” JJ said chipperly.

“Yeah, at a murder scene,” Ryo muttered.

Dee scowled. “You're killing the mood here.”

“Sorry about that,” Ryo said wryly. “What was I thinking?”

“Dammit…”

“I'll assume there's actually some work going on here,” Berkeley Rose said as he pushed between them and looked down at the corpse. “Who?”

“Middle man from the Grant family,” Drake said.

Rose flinched slightly and glanced at Ryo and Dee.

“Detectives,” he said lowly.

They stepped aside and Rose rubbed a hand over his eyes before he spoke again.

“What's the evidence say on this?”

“Vones,” Dee said. “No doubt. CSI matched everything, they ran all the evidence as top priority and Jim called in the results fifteen minutes ago.”

Rose nodded. “Alright. Get word out, try and pick Vones up before he has a chance to disappear. Looks like he was getting ready to tie up his last loose end; Alicia Grant.”

Ryo paused and then nodded. “That makes sense.”

“The Grant family controls most of the city,” Rose said. “After Bruno died they lost some territory, Vones has since picked it up. Once he topples Alicia, that's it.”

“He may already be too well connected for us to take him down,” Dee said grimly.

“Weren't you just--”

“I know, I know,” Dee grumbled as he cut Ryo off. “I was caught up in the moment.”

 

Vones disappeared before the district attorney could even file charges.

 

Ryo set the plate down and Bikky hungrily dug into it, his mouth stuffed with food before he frowned.

“Where's--”

“Swallow first,” Ryo said with a small frown. “That's disgusting, Biks.”

Bikky scowled but swallowed and stared back up at Ryo.

“Where's the doofus? And why are you still in your pj's?”

“We're not going to work today, so I'm letting him sleep in,” Ryo said. “Hurry up and finish, Carol will be here any minute.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Bikky said and turned back to his plate. “I don't see why I have to go to school if you're not going to work.”

“Because,” Ryo said simply and headed back into the kitchen.

“Because,” Bikky mimicked when he was sure Ryo couldn't hear him.

“What was that?” Ryo asked.

“Er,” Bikky flinched; he had been so sure that Ryo couldn't hear. “Nothing.”

“Uh, huh.”

“Well, I'm going to get going,” Bikky said hastily. “I'll meet Carol on the way.”

“Alright,” Ryo said, as he walked back into the dining room, absently drying his hands with a dish towel. “Wait a minute. Dee and I are going out for dinner, so here's a ten. That should be plenty to cover a meal.”

“If you give me twenty Carol can go too.”

“That's what you get an allowance for,” Ryo said.

Bikky sighed and jammed the bill in his pocket.

“Alright. Hey Dad, if I get all my chores done this afternoon can I stay at Carol's tonight?”

Ryo shifted a little. Sleepovers when Carol and Bikky had been kids were one thing, but now that both were teenagers…He frowned and rested his hands on his hips.

“I don't know.”

“Her aunt will be there,” Bikky said exasperatedly. “Jeez, Dad. We're not going to do anything.”

An embarrassed flush darted across Ryo's face and his mouth thinned slightly.

“Alright, fine, as long as it's okay with her aunt. And you better be home early tomorrow, I know you've got a paper due next week.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Bikky said and waved his hand dismissively. “I'll get it done.”

“You'll get it done on time,” Ryo said, a hint of warning in his voice.

“Okay!” Bikky yelled back and raced out of the apartment.

Ryo shook his head and carried Bikky's empty plate into the kitchen. He dropped it into the soapy water and began to wash, his eyes growing distant as he stared down. There was so much on his mind, so many memories that kept popping up and tugging at him. He smiled a little as he rinsed the dishes and set them in the drainer, the water gurgling a little as he pulled the plug. Ryo wiped up the sink and dried his hands again, his bare feet padding through the apartment as he headed back into the bedroom.

Dee was a sprawled lump in the bed, his back a smooth olive plain nestled within the blankets. His dark hair was tousled and hung flat as he slept, one pillow clutched under his arm. Ryo smiled as he climbed into bed and gently kissed Dee's cheek as he pulled the pillow free and took its place. Dee latched onto him quickly and pulled him close, nuzzling into Ryo's neck as he breathed him in. Ryo closed his eyes.

“Took you long enough,” Dee murmured sleepily.

“Good morning to you too,” Ryo answered and brushed Dee's hair back.

“I thought you were going to feed the brat and then come back to bed.”

“I did.”

“He needs to eat faster,” Dee muttered and wrapped both arms around Ryo, shifting until his whole body was pressed around his partner.

Dee sighed and pressed his face back into Ryo's neck, his breath tickling over the skin. Ryo squirmed a little and Dee's hold tightened.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing,” Ryo answered.

A devilish grin slid across Dee's face and he puffed warmly against Ryo's neck. Ryo shivered and shifted again, a little spark running down his spine.

“Stop that,” Ryo said.

“Stop what?” Dee asked, deliberately panting each word.

“Ack!”

Dee blew across Ryo's neck again and Ryo tried to shove him back.

“I thought you wanted to sleep late!”

“You're the one making all the noise and keeping me awake.”

“Well stop breathing on me and we can get some rest.”

“Stop breathing on you? What are you, five?”

“Dammit, Dee…”

Dee chuckled and gently kissed Ryo's neck, his lips soft and almost apologetic before he buried his face back against Ryo and remained still. Ryo's eyes slid closed again and he smiled.

“I love you Dee.”

“Now that's a good way to wake me up in the morning,” Dee said.

Ryo laughed and turned, Dee's head rising until their lips met. A slow gentle kiss passed between them and Ryo's smile grew small and pleased as they pulled apart. Dee sighed and slumped against his brown haired lover.

“Well shit,” Dee grumbled. “Now I'm awake.”

 

The car rolled smoothly on, the streets strangely deserted as they moved. Ryo sighed and stared out the window, his eyes flickering over bare limbed trees and a few bright orange decorations. Two weeks…he thought.

“Only two weeks till Halloween,” Dee said.

Ryo jumped a little and then winced. He had agreed to let Dee take charge of their Halloween festivities and part of him was beginning to regret it. Since he had come to New York Ryo had celebrated Halloween by handing out candy to the kids that lived in his neighborhood and then curling up and watching whatever lame `scary' movie was on. Bikky would show up a little after midnight with a bag of what Ryo suspected was largely ill-gotten candy, but Ryo trusted him and didn't berate him too much. Then they'd pick through it, eat some, Bikky would tell a few stories, and they'd head off to bed.

Dee's Halloween antics were a bit more…infamous.

Ryo had heard that Dee, Drake, and Ted had set out one Halloween in an attempt to have a drink at every bar in the city. While they didn't make it (obviously) the general consensus was that they had made it through at least a quarter of them. Another officer had told Ryo that Dee once showed up at a Halloween party dressed as the statue of David; that's right ladies and gentlemen, completely nude. Ryo winced again but quickly wiped the nervous look off his face.

Not fast enough.

Dee chuckled a little and lit a cigarette as he continued to deftly steer.

“Nervous?”

Ryo shrugged and Dee shook his head.

“You heard those stupid rumors, didn't you?”

“A couple,” Ryo admitted.

“Look, I have gone bar-hopping on Halloween before, and Ted, Drake, and I did get drunk enough one time that we decided it would be fun to see how many bars we could hit that night. The memory of the morning after is enough for me to nix that idea permanently.”

Ryo laughed and Dee continued.

“As for that other story, it wasn't even me. It's actually about a guy named David who works for the state cops, his nickname is Big D. He showed up at the party dressed as a horse, but as the night wore on, he got drunk and stripped. He started introducing himself as the statue of David to a room full of cops. If we all hadn't been so wasted he probably would have spent most of the night in jail.”

Ryo laughed again and relaxed a little. Dee glanced at him from the corner of his eye and smiled.

“I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to,” Dee said firmly. “You know that.”

“Yeah, I do.”

Dee grinned then. “You're going to look so hot in your costume.”

The nervousness burst back into full flame.

“We're here,” Dee said his voice suddenly serious.

The car pulled to a stop and both men got out, the air brisk around them as they entered the well-kept cemetery. Dee carried a bottle of scotch and a bouquet of flowers, the same gift he brought his father every year. The place was cool and quiet, and the sunlight filled the air with an almost unreal touch. Dee's steps were confident and he strode through the cemetery with determination before he dropped down next to the headstone of Jess Latener.

“Hey,” Dee said. “I'm here, and Ryo came again too.”

Ryo smiled and sat down next to Dee, a long moment of silence stretching out. Dee frowned a little and shook his head.

“It's still a little weird doing this with you here.”

“I can go,” Ryo said simply.

“No,” Dee shook his head again. “I didn't say it was bad, it's just…different.”

Ryo nodded and Dee sighed.

“It's been a pretty good year Jess,” Dee said. “Things have gone well.”

He started talking then, soon forgetting that he was sitting in a cemetery, soon forgetting that Ryo was there with him. He laughed as he spoke, and shook his head, sometimes growling low in his throat or rolling his eyes. He told Jess everything he could think of, and the image of the man in his mind responded so clearly that Dee would have sworn he really was there with him. Dee didn't know how long he talked, the words just kept coming, but finally he took a deep breath and sighed again.

“Well, that's about it,” he said finally. “Thanks Jess, for everything.”

Ryo's arms slid around him and Dee leaned back into his hold, both silently contemplating the simple headstone in front of them.

“It should say father on it,” Dee said.

“You know,” Ryo pointed out.

Dee chuckled. “And that's good enough, right?”

“Isn't it?”

Dee chuckled again and got to his feet, both walking back to the car at a more leisurely pace. Dee's hands locked behind his head and he stared up at the sky.

“Hey,” he said. “Why don't we ever go to see your parents?”

Ryo was silent and Dee frowned before his eyes skidded to Ryo. Ryo was staring at the ground now, a painful look on his face as he walked, both hands stuck in his pockets.

“Sorry,” Dee said. “I didn't--”

“Calm down,” Ryo said. “You didn't do anything, I just…I don't like going to see them like that. I always felt like I was just making promises to them.”

He paused and smiled warmly at Dee.

“Of course, maybe it'll be different now. I've certainly kept a lot of the ones I made.”

“Like what?” Dee asked as they fell into step next to each other.

“Clearing their names,” Ryo said. “Becoming a detective.”

He paused then and smiled at Dee again.

“Falling in love, being happy.”

Dee grinned.

“Those are two promises I'll always help you keep.”

 

Erin Richardson leaned back in his chair and stared boredly up at the ceiling. The station was always dull when Ryo wasn't there. The edges of his mouth curled with a slight smile and he shifted his chair back and forth. He enjoyed looking at Ryo, talking to Ryo, listening to Ryo, fantasizing about Ryo…Erin grinned a little. He had learned a few weeks earlier where the attractive detective lived, and since then had been making frequent trips across town in hopes of `accidentally' bumping into him. So far, nothing, but that didn't mean he was going to give up.

“Richardson.”

The door to their office popped open and Berkeley Rose stared in at him coldly.

“Get on your feet. We need a sharpshooter downtown.”

“Yes sir,” Erin said as he stood up. “Will you be calling Detective MacLean in as well?”

Rose stared at him for a long moment and Erin got that strange feeling again. It was almost like Rose knew what he was up to, and he did not approve. Rose's mouth shifted slightly.

“Are you incompetent enough that I need to have another shooter there?” he asked icily.

“No sir,” Erin said and grinned. “I was just wondering.”

“It's Detective MacLean's day off and you're already on the clock,” Rose said.

“Yes sir,” Erin said and winked at Rose.

Rose scowled at him and slammed the door shut. Erin chuckled and stood up, popping his back as he stretched. Of course, it would be nice to have Ryo there for more reasons than just the visual appeal. Erin was beginning to understand what his former chief had meant about learning from the city-boys. MacLean was an outstanding shot and he knew just how to piece out and place a sharp shooting mission to give them the best angles and views. Adams was good too, but he didn't have the same cool confidence and suave appeal that Ryo did out in the field. JJ sometimes ended up resorting to yelling and bouncing, his arm still in a sling as he tried to take control of the situation.

Erin sighed and headed out, wondering if he'd get to run this solo or if JJ would be there waiting for him.

 

“I'm going up to that rooftop,” Erin said as he pointed at the building. “I should have an excellent view from there. How many suspects are inside?”

“Two,” the uniformed officer informed him. “Both are wearing masks, we've seen them walking back and forth in front of the windows. The orders are for you to just--”

“Sight in on them, don't take a shot until I'm ordered to,” Erin said and boredly waved his hand. “I know, I know.”

He slung his rifle over his shoulder and started up the building's stairs. Three floors later and he was panting heavily and wondering why in the hell the place didn't have an elevator. He grinned. At least he was getting a work out. Erin Richardson was infamous for his positive attitude; every damn cloud had a silver lining for the man. It was either really endearing or really annoying, depending on how long you had to be around him. He whistled as he climbed now, occasionally pausing to wipe the sweat from his forehead. At last he reached the roof and stepped out into the cool air.

He sighed with contentment and grinned again as he glanced up at the clear sky. It was nice clear weather, beautiful really.

Perfect shooting conditions.

He started whistling again as he gently set down his rifle case and began to assemble the gun, carefully checking everything. He loved this damn thing, and he wondered exactly what weapon Ryo favored. He'd have to ask, it would be a perfect opportunity to start a conversation with the somewhat flighty detective. Commissioner Rose had interrupted their last two talks, always drawing Ryo away with some stupid question. Every other time Ryo was either too distracted or too busy to really pay attention.

I'm starting to feel neglected, Erin thought with another grin.

He hummed quietly now as he set up the gun and sighted down through the scope. He had been right; this was the perfect vantage point. The door behind him opened and Erin scowled a little, annoyed that someone had been sent up to baby-sit him. He had his damn radio, couldn't they just check in with him then? He really wasn't going to shoot unless they told him too.

“What do you guys want?” Erin asked and then looked up from the gun.

A fist slammed into his face and he gritted his teeth together as he was wrenched away from the gun and toppled hard to the rooftop. A kick landed at the back of his head and a high pitched tone filled his ears as the world blurred and shifted. Things slowly began to clear and he shook his head, the mist in his vision curling painfully.

“It's not him,” a disembodied voice said.

“Let's just take him.”

“Vones said MacLean, not this guy, MacLean. Let's just get out of here.”

“Shoot him quick and we'll go.”

“Are you fucking insane? We're on the roof of a building surrounded by cops. They hear a gun go off and we're screwed.”

“I've got a silencer.”

“You're a dumb shit, let's just get out of here now.”

Erin tried to blink aside the blurriness that was covering everything and he saw two blobs stepping over him. One paused suddenly and another kick slammed into his head.

“What the hell?”

“The fucker looked at me funny.”

 

“What do you want to do for dinner?” Ryo asked as the car glided through significantly heavier traffic. “I told Bikky we were going out, so he's going to meet up with Carol for dinner.”

“Then I want to get take-out and go home,” Dee answered with a wolfish grin.

A faint blush darted across Ryo's face. Whenever Dee looked at him like that he got the feeling that his partner was hungry for more than just a burger.

“He's going to stay over at Carol's,” Ryo said. “We'll have--”

His cell phone cut off their conversation and Dee scowled out the windshield.

“I knew it,” he grumbled.

 

Ryo paused outside of Rose's office door and glanced at Dee.

“Behave yourself,” Ryo said lowly.

“Why do you do that? You know I'm not going to start anything so long as he doesn't,” Dee snapped.

“You had better not,” Ryo said firmly and knocked at the door.

“Come in,” Rose's muffled voice called.

They stepped inside and Erin Richardson glanced at them from one of the chairs, an ice pack pressed to his neck. He frowned, his expression tired and worn, but a small smile immediately flickered across his face. Ryo looked concerned. That was definitely a silver lining.

“What happened?” Ryo asked.

“Vones sent a couple of guys to get you,” Rose said to Ryo, his eyes flickering behind the thin framed glasses. “They found Detective Richardson instead.”

Dee frowned and shut the office door firmly behind them.

“What are you talking about?” he asked.

Rose's eyes slid to Erin.

“Tell them. Everything.”

 

Dee stretched out on the couch, his eyes dimly focused on the ceiling above him. They had eaten dinner in an uncomfortable silence, and now Ryo was packing up the few leftovers. Dee sighed and brushed a hand over his eyes.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

Why did this keep happening to them? With their string of bad luck Dee couldn't help but wonder if maybe they were cursed. Or two characters in someone's idea of something that passed for crime fiction; normal everyday policemen couldn't possibly see this much weird shit. Dee scowled. No, he was definitely real and he'd certainly made sure Ryo was enough times too. His eyes slid closed as he felt a warm weight rest on top of him. Ryo stretched over him and pillowed his head on Dee's chest.

The silence remained and Dee slid his arms around Ryo, clutching him close.

“You're planning something,” Dee said.

“Mmm-hmm.”

“I'm not going to like it, am I?”

Ryo's head lifted and their eyes met, dark brown firmly sparking against deep green.

“I think you're probably going to hate it.”