Fake Fan Fiction ❯ FAKE in Love: Act XX, Memories and Moments ❯ Chapter 5

Warnings and Disclaimers: I do not own FAKE. Dammit. You'd think by now you'd all know that. I'm not making any money off of this, though if anyone's interested in hiring a writer, feel free to contact me. This is yaoi.

 

“Forensics has confirmed that it was Detective MacLean's weapon that fired the fatal shots.”

Rose leaned back in his chair as he listened to the report, his face carefully blank and hands tented lightly in front of him.

“There were no traces of GSR on his hands or clothing,” Rose said.

The internal affairs detective looked up from his file, wire framed glasses standing out sharply against the deep black of his skin. He stared at Rose and then flipped another page.

“The front door was open, the back locked from the inside.”

“That fails to prove anything,” Rose said.

Another moment of irritated silence passed before the detective continued.

“No signs of any other entrances were found,” he said. “And there were no prints on the detective's gun either.”

“Which is suspicious of itself,” Rose said.

“Sir,” the detective said with a frustrated sigh. “I realize you're trying to protect your men, but I'm just trying to give you my report. IA wants to keep you informed about our findings.”

“I don't agree with the direction that this investigation is going, Detective Sallins,” Rose said.

“Your concerns are noted,” the other man answered. “But the only direction we're headed is the one that the evidence points to.”

 

“Undercover work sucks,” Ted muttered as he dropped into his chair and slammed his feet up on his desk.

Erin sighed and shook his head tiredly.

“I'm just glad it's over,” the sharpshooter said. “Three weeks in that hell hole is enough to start making me reconsider my career.”

“Rose'll be glad to hear that,” Ted laughed.

“That arrogant dick.”

“You shouldn't talk about him like that,” Ted said conversationally.

“Laytner does.”

Ted chuckled. “Dee doesn't look around to see if Rose is there before he does.”

Erin's lips thinned and he rested his head in one hand.

“Whatever. You saw the schedule board, is Ryo in tonight?”

“Actually,” Ted said with a frown. “Ryo was listed on medical leave.”

Erin sat up a little straighter. “What happened? Did his dumbass partner get him shot again?”

“Wow, you really talk big when no one's around to hear,” Ted said wryly.

 

Dee sighed as he tossed his keys on the table, one hand raking back through his hair as he headed farther into the apartment.

“Ryo?”

The book and papers that Dee had left for his partner were scattered on the coffee table, a half empty glass of iced tea sitting next to them. Dee shuffled things into a neater pile and absently glanced around.

“Ryo?”

He poked his head into the kitchen and frowned. No Ryo. The detective pulled off his jacket as he walked, his tie quickly following, and he moved to lean against the bedroom door. It sounded quiet. Dee carefully opened the door and both relief and a little worry passed over him as he spotted Ryo asleep in their bed.

His lover's pale face stood out against the dark sheets, the soft waves of his hair curling around his head as he slept. The dark framed glasses had been tossed on one of the bedside tables, and one of Ryo's hands was tucked neatly beneath his chin. Dee sat down slowly on the edge of the bed and let his fingers push back chestnut colored hair, his touch passing over the thick bandage that still covered the wound on Ryo's forehead.

Ryo took a slow breath and his eyes slid up to stare up at Dee.

“Hi,” Dee murmured.

Ryo blinked and blearily glanced over at the clock.

“Hi,” he answered. “Is it really that late? When did you get back?”

“Just a few minutes ago,” Dee said. “How are you feeling?”

Ryo slumped back into the bed and stared up at Dee from beneath lowered lashes.

“Tired,” Ryo said.

“How's your head?”

Ryo frowned and looked away.

“Did you take the meds?” Dee asked.

“I…I've been asleep for most of the day,” Ryo said softly.

Dee's lips pursed a little and he brushed his fingers through Ryo's hair again.

“I'll get them for you,” he said.

“Dee…”

Ryo caught one of Dee's hands, his thumb passing over the back of the olive toned palm. He pulled, his eyes locked with Dee's as he guided their lips together. The kiss was slow, and filled with an odd smoldering passion, Ryo's eyes locking back with Dee's when they pulled apart.

“Ryo,” Dee breathed.

Ryo leaned forward, his mouth finding Dee's neck with slow searching kisses. His tongue painted over Dee's pulse, and both hands slid to tangle long fingers in Dee's hair. He pulled Dee to him, his lover climbing onto the bed and hovering over Ryo as the brunette mouthed at his neck.

“I want you,” Ryo whispered.

Dee's back arched, a low moan escaping him as Ryo opened the top buttons of his shirt. Warm lips skidded down his neck until they locked on Dee's collar bones, the taste of skin and lust heavy on Ryo's tongue. His hands moved down Dee's sides until they reached the other man's hips, carefully guiding them down to rest against Ryo's body. Dee moaned again and threw his head back as Ryo thrust up to meet him.

It had hurt. Ryo's eyes closed as he ran his tongue back up Dee's neck. It had been like watching Dee have sex with someone else. It was him but not him, a stranger under all those caresses and soft words.

“I want you,” Ryo murmured again and lightly bit down around Dee's earlobe.

Dee's head tilted, the words falling numbly on his brain as Ryo's hands slid inside his shirt and palmed over taut muscle. He pushed down against Ryo's body and felt his lover answer with another firm thrust. Ryo's hands again moved down Dee's body. He pushed open his partner's pants and slid them down the other man's legs.

Ryo wanted Dee, but more than that, he wanted Dee to only be with him. Love was selfish sometimes, and Ryo didn't care that Dee was only with him. Images from the video kept running through his mind and he pulled Dee down into another kiss. He poured himself up into Dee's mouth, his tongue tangling with Dee's and delving in further, pushing up to taste every inch of Dee's mouth. His hands moved to open the rest of Dee's shirt, pushing it open so he could run his palms down the length of the other man's body. He wanted to touch Dee everywhere, to put his hands all over his lover so no part of Dee would ever wonder who it belonged to.

I love you…

I love you…

Goddammit, why did it hurt so much? He didn't care about anything else, but losing that time with Dee seemed suddenly too important. What were three days or four or even a week? It was nothing.

It was Dee.

How long had he already lost with his partner?

He could lose Dee so easily. He could lose everything he had so easily. It could all just be wiped out of his head and hands. And those words. What had Dee said to him just before the lights went out and they fell asleep? What else had Ryo lost between them?

I hate this…

I love him…

“Ryo? What's wrong?”

Ryo opened his eyes, Dee's body resting warmly on top of his, the blanket like a wall between them as Dee carefully brushed back a few strands of brown hair.

“Nothing,” Ryo whispered.

Dee's face softened, his eyes heavy on Ryo as he caressed his hand down Ryo's face.

“You're crying.”

Ryo's hand shot to his face, a faint trace of wetness beneath his fingers. He blinked and then laughed shakily as he wiped at his eyes.

“It's nothing,” he said. “Must just still be tired.”

“Ryo…”

Ryo shook his head and curled both hands in Dee's hair.

“It's nothing,” he whispered again and leaned forward to lightly peck Dee's lips again.

“What happened today?” Dee asked.

Ryo's lips tightened and he fell back to the pillow, Dee propping himself up on his elbows to stare down at Ryo's face. Ryo looked pale, strained, and his eyes pulled away from Dee before he spoke.

“I didn't remember anything,” Ryo said flatly.

Dee sighed and dropped a light kiss on Ryo's forehead.

“It's okay,” he said soothingly. “No one was expecting you to remember everything right away.”

Ryo's eyes closed and Dee sighed again.

“You were, weren't you?” Dee said.

Déjà vu swept through Dee. Why did they always expect so much from themselves? He curled tighter around Ryo and brushed his fingers down the other man's cheek. It was his turn to look after Ryo, to soothe and protect, and Dee wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that.

“No,” Ryo said and his eyes slid open to stare up at Dee from beneath his lashes. “I just wanted to remember some things.”

“Ryo,” Dee said, letting his palms run through Ryo's hair and frame his face. “You'll remember what happened in the warehouse. You will, it's not--”

“I don't care about the warehouse,” Ryo snapped.

Dee blinked in surprise and Ryo's face turned away.

“I don't remember what you said,” Ryo said softly.

“What?”

“At the end of the tape,” Ryo said. “I don't know what you said.”

Dee blinked again and stared down at Ryo.

“You watched it?”

“Yes.”

Dee's thumb brushed over Ryo's throat.

“It's okay,” he murmured.

“It wasn't me,” Ryo said. “I didn't remember it at all. It was like…someone else.”

“It was you,” Dee whispered and caressed up through Ryo's hair again. “It's only you.”

Dee's lips lowered to meet Ryo's in a soft kiss.

“It's always been only you,” Dee murmured.

Ryo laughed quietly and wrapped both arms around Dee, his head lifting to lightly press his face against Dee's neck. He sighed quietly and rubbed at Dee's back.

“You're a romantic at heart,” Ryo said.

“I'm a romantic everywhere,” Dee said.

Ryo tightened his arms a little and then released Dee.

“Go get my pills,” Ryo said. “I'll make you some dinner.”

“Oooo, real food,” Dee said happily.

“Yes, I have no doubt you and Bikky have been living on fast food and freezer fair.”

“We've been surviving,” Dee said as he rolled off of Ryo and tugged his pants back into place.

“Uh-huh,” Ryo said as he flipped back the covers.

Dee chuckled as he headed to the bathroom and retrieved Ryo's medications, a glass of water in one hand as he came back to the bed. Ryo was frowning and staring at the floor, his hand tight at the blankets as Dee sat down next to him.

“Ryo?”

Ryo shook his head.

“It's nothing,” he said. “Just a little dizziness.”

Dee handed him the prescription and water.

“Maybe you should stay in bed,” Dee said. “Bikky and I will manage.”

“No, I'm fine.”

“As long as you're sure,” Dee said as he rubbed at Ryo's arm. “But it really is alright.”

Ryo smiled.

“I've been in bed all day.”

Dee sighed dramatically. “And I missed it.”

 

“Detective MacLean, I'm glad you could make it in today,” Rose said.

“Yes sir,” Ryo answered.

“This is Detective Sallins with Internal Affairs.”

Ryo shook the other man's hand.

“We've actually met,” Ryo said.

“I remember,” Sallins said. “You and your partner have been instrumental in a few of my cases.”

Ryo smiled absently.

Rose shifted in his seat and folded his hands on his desk.

“Let's make it clear that this is an informal inquiry,” Rose said. “Detective MacLean is here to answer some questions voluntarily.”

“I think we're all aware of the situation,” Sallins said. “This will be a brief interview, just to establish a few facts.”

“Let us know if you need to stop,” Rose said quietly.

Ryo smiled again and nodded.

“Yes sir.”

“Can you explain the nature of the case you and your partner were working on?” Sallins asked.

“We were looking into the Grant family drug ring,” Ryo said. “We'd been tracking the supply routes in and out of the city and we were trying to pinpoint where the newest suppliers were based.”

“Did you have any luck?”

Ryo's mouth opened and he took a deep breath. The conversation paused and then Ryo's mouth closed and he looked away.

“Dee said we did,” he said softly.

“But you don't know that?” Sallins asked.

“No,” Ryo murmured. “I don't remember.”

“Alright, what can you tell me about the events of the seventeenth?”

Ryo paused again and he shook his head.

“I don't remember that either.”

Sallins flipped through the file in front of him and glanced up at Ryo through the thin silver glasses.

“You realize this could be construed as interfering with an ongoing case?”

“That's out of line,” Rose said lowly.

Ryo stared at the door, his eyes distant and dull.

“I wish I could remember,” he said. “I want to know what happened there too.”

 

They've spoiled him from the start…

Dee frowned irritably and watched the female officers swarm Ryo. They brought him coffee and `aww'd' over the bandage on his forehead, and they kept touching him.

“Oh I am a petty, petty man,” he muttered to himself as he spun in his chair a little.

“Laytner,” Chief Smith snapped. “Could you do us all a favor and try and pay attention?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dee said dismissively.

The Criminal Investigations team was seated in the Chief's office, providing Dee with the option of staring out into the lobby as his partner was gushed over by the precinct's lovely ladies. Chief Smith was growling about something behind him, but Dee was only half listening. His cases had been redistributed to the others while Ryo was on leave, some quick excuse coming to the rescue to spare Dee from having to work full shifts. He'd much rather be at home with Ryo anyway.

“Any new business we need to discuss?” Smith grumbled.

“No,” they answered in a bored monotone.

“Any old business?”

“No.”

“Good. Get your asses out of my office. Laytner, you stay.”

Dee sighed heavily and JJ patted his shoulder as he passed.

“Try and keep your mouth shut,” JJ offered. “You only make it worse when you goad him into it.”

“It's good for his blood pressure,” Dee answered flippantly.

Smith waited until the door shut firmly behind Erin and then leaned back in his chair.

“We need to talk about IA's investigation,” he said flatly.

“Ryo went in for an interview with them this morning,” Dee said.

Smith nodded. “I figured he would. It's in his best interests to cooperate with them.”

“He'll do everything he can,” Dee said. “We both know that.”

A long silence stretched between them and Smith stared down at his desk.

“We don't have any suspects,” Smith said quietly.

Dee's lips thinned.

“And?”

“The NYPD is starting to take some hits on this. A high profile drug case linked to an officer suffering from amnesia. It's a media circus here.”

“I've been doing my best to edit that out,” Dee said tiredly.

“I'm sure,” Smith grunted and leaned forward to rest two beefy arms on his desk. “Rumors are starting to circulate, Laytner.”

“I've heard them,” Dee said.

“They think Randy is the one who--”

“I've heard them,” Dee snapped again.

“Rose is running interference,” Smith said. “I'm doing everything I can, but whether he's telling the truth about not remembering or not, the questions are going to start getting harder.”

Dee's hands slammed down on the desk as he stood up, his eyes glinting against Smith's as they stared at each other.

“Leave him alone,” Dee warned.

“You need to start thinking about the worst case possibilities,” Smith said.

“And what are those?” Dee said angrily.

“That MacLean gets arrested for murder,” Smith answered. “You know what that means.”

Dee blinked as he felt the anger drain out into numbing cold.

Yes, he knew what that meant. An end to Ryo's career. Innocent or not, a charge like that would always stick. It would ruin all of Ryo's ambitions and most likely end with IA suspending or firing him.

“What do you need to make that not happen?” Dee asked softly.

Smith's eyes didn't waver.

“Information.”

 

“That bump looks bad.”

Ryo glanced up as Erin Richardson sat down next to him, the other detective flashing a brilliant smile. Ryo stared blankly back, only a hint of his dislike showing in his cocked eyebrows. With the meeting over, most of the other officers had headed back to their posts, unable to count on Smith being too distracted with Dee's antics not to notice them loitering right under his nose. It left Ryo oddly alone with Erin in the middle of the bustling precinct.

“You really must have fallen hard,” Erin continued. “I'm sorry I didn't come see you in the hospital.”

Ryo shrugged. “That's fine. What's keeping Dee?”

“The chief wanted to talk to him,” Erin said with a shrug before he took another drink of his coffee.

Ryo peered over Erin's shoulder and watched as Dee lounged in his chair, the Chief's face serious through the window now as they talked. A soft caress at his forehead snapped his attention back to Erin and his head jerked automatically away.

“Sorry,” Erin said softly.

Ryo's eyes narrowed dangerously and Erin shrugged with another blinding smile.

“Hey,” he said. “I heard about the amnesia. It's too bad.”

“It'll clear up,” Ryo said and even he could hear the stubbornness in his voice.

“Yeah,” Erin said and then chuckled. “Too bad it wasn't a little bit more extensive. Maybe you could have met me all over again.”

Erin winked at Ryo as he took another drink of his coffee.

“Some things are better the second time around,” he said coyly.

Ryo's eyes darkened and irritation flashed over his lips.

“Couldn't be much worse,” he said flatly.

He pushed up out of his seat, smiling at the few officers still lingering around him and headed for Smith's door. Dee glanced over his shoulder as Ryo approached, and Ryo frowned as he spotted a thick strain pulling at his partner's features. Dee wiped it away quickly, a loose smile now in place as he waved to Ryo. He turned back to Smith then, leaning over the older man's desk to say a few more quiet words, then Dee was meeting Ryo before he could even step inside.

“Come on,” Dee said. “Let's get out of here.”

“Well, just let me--”

“Feel better, Randy,” Smith said as he stepped out of the office and locked it behind him.

His eyes slid up to Dee and something passed in the look they exchanged.

“I'll talk to you later,” Dee said.

Smith nodded and clapped Ryo once on the shoulder before he stalked down the hall, the rest of the police obediently parting to let him through.

“Goodbye,” Ryo called belatedly and then turned back to Dee. “What did he want to talk to you about?”

Dee stared at him and then grinned.

“You, of course,” Dee said. “What else?”

 

Dee sighed as he flipped open the cell phone, their car parked just ahead and Ryo glancing over as Dee frowned.

“Hey Carol,” Dee said with surprise. “What's up?”

“Carol?” Ryo said. “Why's she calling you?”

Dee shrugged.

“No,” he said into the phone. “I haven't seen Bikky around. I thought you guys had plans…uh-huh. Yeah, right. Look, I've got to work for a couple of hours tonight, so could we please get to the point on this?”

Ryo rolled his eyes and Dee nodded a little.

“I will,” he said. “Ryo, if you see the monkey, tell him Carol's looking for him.”

“I'll tell Bikky.”

“Ryo says he'll tell the little punk,” Dee said. “Yeah, bye.”

“You have to work?” Ryo asked as Dee unlocked the doors.

“Just for a couple of hours probably,” Dee said. “There's some information that I need to check on and some case notes I need to update.”

“Dee Laytner doing paperwork,” Ryo said. “I never thought I'd see the day.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Dee said and shut his car door.

A long moment passed and Dee sighed as Ryo pulled his seatbelt into place.

“Are you sure about this?” Dee asked.

“Yes,” Ryo said simply. “Let's go.”

 

“He's on medical leave,” Rose said flatly.

“Well it's starting to look like he should be on suspension,” Sallins snapped.

Rose's eyes slid up from the paperwork he was holding and pinned the detective to his chair.

“And what evidence do you have to support that?” Rose asked sharply.

“I've outlined our case.”

“And I've told you that all that is circumstantial.”

Sallins scowled. “We'll see how the district attorney feels about it.”

“I have him on speed dial on my phone,” Rose said. “Why don't we call and ask?”

 

“You know, you could just take a couple more days to recover before we do this,” Dee said carefully.

“No, I'm fine,” Ryo answered. “Let's just go.”

Dee's lips thinned, but he steered the car out of the busy city and towards the industrial warehouses that had so recently formed a dark cloud in Dee's life. Ryo was silent, sometimes absently playing with the radio or staring out the window. Dee kept stealing glances over at him, and he thought about driving around for a while and pretending he wasn't sure just which warehouse it was. He winced; that would land him in trouble for sure, Ryo always knew when he was lying.

“Here we are,” Dee said, his voice almost hushed as they pulled up at the warehouse.

Ryo hesitated then, one hand on the door, and carefully let his eyes wander over the grey building in front of him. There were no memories sparking up in his head, no sudden flashes that would let him throw up his arms and yell `I remember! I remember!'. There was nothing.

He climbed out of the car. The air was brisk, but not cold, the smell of machinery and concrete permeating everything.

“We, uh, parked about here,” Dee said, gesturing back to the car. “It looked deserted, and we already had back-up on the way, so we didn't do much of a preliminary check.”

“Why back-up?” Ryo asked.

Dee shrugged. “The place was supposed to be a major storehouse for the Grant family at least. Even if we didn't find anything pertinent, there was a possibility that the CSI's might. So we made arrangements before we headed over.”

Dee grinned a little then.

“Or, rather, you made arrangements.”

Ryo frowned. “Leave it to me to be the practical one.”

“We all have our strengths,” Dee said as he lit a cigarette. “Did you want me to keep walking you through it, or did you just want to look around?”

Ryo took a slow deep breath, his frown remaining as his eyes scanned over the building.

“Walk me through it,” he said finally. “I don't remember anything anyway.”

Dee nodded.

“Alright, let me show you what I did.”

Their footsteps crackled over the loose gravel as they walked around the silent building, a few gulls breaking up the sky as they moved.

“It was pretty much like this that day,” Dee said. “I didn't see anyone before I left you at the front or when I headed around here.”

“There are a lot of buildings,” Ryo said. “Any witnesses?”

“No,” Dee said. “Most are just used for storage and there are only a few guards that make tours around the place. None of them were on duty in the area then.”

“Even though we were coming in to investigate?”

“We may have neglected to tip them off,” Dee said with a grin.

“Ah.”

“And here's the back door,” Dee said, gesturing with his cigarette.

Ryo grabbed the handle and pulled, the door rattling securely but not giving at all. Both stepped back and Dee frowned as he took another pull of acrid smoke.

“Yup,” Dee said. “Just like this.”

“What'd you do then?” Ryo asked.

“Smoked for a minute,” Dee said. “Pulled out my phone to see if you'd had better luck, and that's when I heard the shots.”

Ryo nodded. “Did you report to dispatch?”

“Yes,” Dee said. “I notified them first and then tried to raise you.”

Ryo glanced at him and Dee sighed.

“Alright, I tried to get a hold of you and then called in.”

“Then what?”

“Ran the fastest I've run in a long time,” Dee said.

Ryo glanced down the length of the warehouse and sighed.

“I don't feel like running,” he muttered.

Dee smiled slightly. “You really must be sick.”

Ryo chuckled and fanned a hand back through his hair.

“Let's check inside,” he said.

They walked silently back to the front of the warehouse, Dee toeing out his cigarette before they cut the crime scene tape sealing the entrance and pushed the heavy metal door open. Wooden crates filled the building, lined along the walls and carefully piled down the center.

“They've been through all the boxes now,” Dee said. “No drugs, but some equipment that looks questionable and a couple of cases of assault rifles that we think someone forgot here.”

Ryo nodded as his eyes wandered around the dim warehouse. He sighed and another frown pulled at his face.

“I don't…see anything that's…familiar.”

“Or maybe it's all familiar,” Dee supplied glumly. “It looks like a hell of a lot of other crime scenes we've worked.”

Ryo nodded.

“Remember that bust in Brooklyn?” Dee asked with a laugh. “God, what were we even doing out there?”

“Following your instinct,” Ryo answered. “Do you have any idea how much paperwork I had to fill in for that little stunt?”

“Nope,” Dee answered chipperly.

“Son of a bitch,” Ryo muttered.

They stepped into the warehouse and Dee clanged the door shut behind them, the gloom deepening immediately. Ryo looked around until his eyes finally spotted the metal staircase Dee had mentioned. It looked rickety, like something that might fall over at any moment, and as he got closer, he could see the rust shavings that littered the floor around it.

“What's upstairs?” Ryo asked.

“A small office space,” Dee said. “They aren't usually used out in these warehouses anymore, so they're in pretty bad disrepair.”

“So I see,” Ryo said dully.

His eyes were now locked on the floor and the faint chalk outlines still printed across it. This is where I fell. That's my bloodstain. That's where they found me. He winced and rubbed at his temple.

“It doesn't feel real,” he muttered.

“It was real,” Dee said flatly.

The dark haired detective squatted down at Ryo's side and pointed a little as he stared at the marked site.

“You were laying here,” Dee said, his voice now oddly flat. “Your head was kind of crooked up into your shoulder.”

Dee's own head tilted to the side and a distant look passed over his face as he pointed to the outlined circle.

“There was a lot of blood,” Dee said dully. “Head wounds bleed a lot.”

Ryo dropped down to Dee's side and gently caught his partner's hand. He squeezed lightly and Dee gave him a fragile smile.

“I'm alright,” Dee said and then shook his head. “Is there anything else you want to see?”

Ryo's eyes wandered up the stairs and he felt Dee stiffen at his side.

“Those stairs really aren't safe, Ryo,” he warned.

“Yeah, alright,” Ryo said. “Let's head out.”