Fake Fan Fiction ❯ FAKE In Love: Act XXI, Above And Below ❯ Chapter 3

Warnings and Disclaimers: I don't own FAKE. I make no money off of this. This is yaoi with adult situations included. Huzzah!

 

 

Ryo shook his head and fished around in his pocket for his keys.

“I still think we're missing something here,” he said. “Something important.”

“Like who killed Alex Cage?” Dee asked.

Ryo glanced at him and then unlocked the door.

“Like why he died.”

“Ryo, dirty clothes or not, he was a rich kid down in a dark tunnel, he probably--”

“We need a new couch!” Bikky blurted.

Ryo jerked back in surprise, Dee jumping back a little as the teenager barreled to a halt.

“What?” Ryo asked with confusion.

“A new couch,” Bikky said. “We need to get a new one.”

Ryo frowned.

“What are you talking about?”

He stepped past Bikky and suddenly stopped, his mouth dropping open as he stared with shock.

“What did you do?” Ryo asked loudly.

“Well,” Bikky mumbled.

“The whole side of the couch has been ripped off!” Ryo said, openly staring at the mangled couch. “What happened?”

“Holy shit,” Dee laughed quietly.

Bikky winced and scratched at the back of his head.

“It was an accident,” he said. “We were just goofing around and the couch just…broke.”

“What?” Ryo managed. “How did you do this?”

“Is there blood on the arm?” Dee asked.

Bikky paled a little as Ryo spun around on him.

“Alright,” Ryo said through gritted teeth. “What happened? I want details.”

Bikky's shoulders slumped and he stared at the floor.

“We were just messing around,” Bikky said. “And then someone threw a punch and it got out of hand.”

Bikky made a dark face.

“They all scattered when the couch broke.”

“Good friends usually do,” Dee said as he pushed the broken piece up. “I don't know if we can nail this back into place or not.”

“Bikky,” Ryo said tiredly.

“I'm sorry,” Bikky said loudly. “I'm sorry. I know, I know, we should have been more careful.”

The broken arm thudded back down onto the floor and Dee nudged it with his foot.

“I'm sorry,” Bikky said again. “It was an accident.”

Dee plopped down onto the couch and stretched his legs out. He glanced up at Ryo with a slight shrug.

“It still works.”

Ryo sighed and sat down next to Dee, Bikky and Dee both wincing at the puff of stuffing that plumed out the broken side. Ryo glanced over tiredly and shook his head.

“You're grounded for two weeks, and you're on dinner duty for the rest of the week,” Ryo said. “And that includes dishes and clean up.”

“Sure,” Bikky agreed eagerly.

“I want edible food, monkey boy,” Dee said.

“Bite me,” Bikky said gleefully.

Ryo shot him a warning glare and Bikky smiled weakly.

“Sorry, Dee,” he muttered.

Dee chuckled and leaned back further into the couch. He could feel it wiggle with every move. It wouldn't take too much to break it completely. Just a little physical activity and they could probably make it buckle. What an interesting thought.

“You better tell your friends you got some horrendous punishment to keep this from happening again,” Dee mused.

“I'll tell them I have to spend the day with you,” Bikky answered. “That'd be enough to scare anyone off.”

“Maybe we should have you shadow down with juvenile. Let all your friends see you walking around with a couple of cops.”

“You wouldn't,” Bikky said, his eyes narrowing.

“Not this time,” Dee agreed.

Bikky grumbled something and propped himself against the coffee table.

“Biks,” Ryo said. “What do you know about mole parties?”

Bikky shrugged. “They're parties down in the subways and tunnels.”

“Ever been to one?” Dee asked.

Bikky snorted.

“No. I don't have the cash to pay the cover charge on something like that.”

Ryo's eyes narrowed and Bikky shrugged.

“And I wouldn't go even if I did. I was close enough to living like that, I don't need to pretend it.”

Bikky scratched at the back of his head, a lot unsaid running through the apartment. He shrugged again and sighed.

“Can I go to Carol's tonight?”

Ryo stared at him with a little disbelief and Bikky shrugged with a guilty grin.

“Yeah,” Ryo said finally. “Just be back before curfew.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Bikky yelled and sprinted for the door.

Dee chuckled as it slammed shut and hooked one arm behind his partner.

“You were pretty lenient,” Dee said.

“Accidents happen,” Ryo said absently.

Dee nodded and suddenly turned on Ryo with a knowing grin.

“What'd you break?”

A faint blush ran over Ryo's face and he shrugged a little.

“Antique table,” Ryo said. “It was one of the pieces from my mother's Gothic collection.”

“Probably cost a little more than the couch.”

“Probably,” Ryo agreed.

Dee chuckled and then turned to give Ryo a very hungry smirk.

“Wanna see if we can knock the legs completely off this thing?”

If it weren't for their damned phone, Ryo probably would have said yes.

 

“I hate that phone,” Dee grumbled. “If I had a dollar for every time it rang and interrupted us, we could retire and never worry about it again.”

Ryo gave him a weak smile and shrugged.

“Are you really upset about missing out on this?”

Dee growled and shot his partner a dark glare.

“You've got to be kidding.”

“Oops,” Ryo said. “Smile pretty, they're turning on the cameras.”

Dee forced the irritated expression off his face and leaned casually against the wall as the press conference got under way. This was one of those `impromptu press conferences' but the label was just another lie. Press conferences were always thought out, even if hectically.

Someone had leaked the information about the mole parties and that Alex Cage had most likely been in attendance at one when he was killed. The department had been flooded with people asking questions and demanding answers. There was nothing Berkeley Rose hated more than being forced into a position he didn't want to be in. The man much preferred pulling the strings himself.

The Commissioner was currently standing behind the Chief of the New York Police, the man's face solemn and dark as he read a prepared statement. The press were at least smart enough to keep quiet while the Chief read, but the instant the words `thank you' left his mouth, the room erupted into noise.

“What's the status of the investigation?”

“Are any suspects in custody?”

“What sort of contact has been made with the homeless in the tunnels?”

“How many of these mole parties occur?”

Dee sighed and shook his head a little. Ryo leaned over, the brunette's voice low in Dee's ear.

“This is just great,” Ryo said. “Now every kid who had never heard of these things is going to start blindly wandering down into tunnels in hopes of stumbling over a party.”

Dee nodded grimly and half listened as the Chief fielded what questions he could. Sometimes the press was an asset to an investigation, but sometimes…Dee made a face…most times, they were a detriment. He had a feeling this was going to fall in the most times category.

“Thank you,” the Chief said again. “We'll keep you updated with any further leads in our investigation.”

The press swarmed forward, voices blaring as they tried to shove in one last question. Dee practically sprinted out the door, Ryo hot on his heels as they tried to discreetly retreat down the hallway.

Rose never made things easy.

“Detectives, a moment.”

Dee found himself freezing, part of him cursing that there was something in the man's voice that could make him pause like that.

“How does he do that?” Dee muttered darkly.

Rose closed in on them with narrowed eyes.

“I trust you're making progress on this case?”

“None since we clocked out for the night, sir,” Dee answered boredly.

Rose's eyes twitched to him and then darkened.

“Keep that attitude out of the papers, would you?”

“Any ideas how the press got wind of this?” Ryo asked.

“Unfortunately,” Rose said with a tired sigh. “No.”

He glanced over his shoulder to make sure none of the reporters were eavesdropping and turned back to them.

“Homicide wants back jurisdiction on this case,” Rose said.

“Shocking,” Dee snorted.

“Considering that it could blow up in someone's face,” Ryo said. “It is kind of surprising.”

“They have a theory,” Rose said with open distaste.

Ryo and Dee exchanged a glance.

“They think one of the tunnel dwellers did it, someone with some kind of chemical imbalance,” Rose said.

“And they're basing that on?” Dee asked.

“I'm sure they have some kind of evidence,” Rose said as he sighed. “You've got a week while I…transfer everything over.”

Dee grinned a little.

“Planning on there being a few tangles in the paperwork?”

“You know how tricky these things can be,” Rose said with a smirk.

Ryo shook his head and smiled faintly. The two of them really were similar. He couldn't wait to point it out to Dee again. He glanced mischievously at his partner and Dee's eyes suddenly sparked. Don't even say it. Ryo chuckled a little and Rose glanced back at the reporters now thronging around the Chief again.

“I should probably get back to him,” Rose said. “Pull whatever man power you need, but show results. One week, detectives.”

“Yes, sir,” Ryo said.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dee answered and waved over his shoulder as he headed down the hallway.

“Be careful,” Rose said as Dee wandered away. “Those tunnels are dangerous.”

 

Ryo shifted a little, the hard cold concrete under his body offering no give to his cramping muscles, and lifted the binoculars to his eyes again. The tunnel vibrated with the sounds of laughter and noisy yelling, a few barrels set on fire at the other end where the party had been under way for the last three hours.

Blackjack had given them the information they wanted, and without anyone having to dig around and find some kind of leverage to use. The pale man had just shrugged and handed over a greasy sheet of paper that listed the tunnels that were available for rent for the next month. Three had already been signed for. The whole thing looked a little too well organized.

“Anything?”

Dee's voice cracked in his ear and Ryo shook his head, despite the fact that his partner wouldn't be able to see him from his own vantage point.

“Nothing,” Ryo answered quietly.

“They can't really think this is how homeless people live,” Dee said with a little disgust. “Jesus Christ, that girl's wearing half a damned dress.”

“I don't think it's about reality, Dee,” Ryo answered with a small smile.

“It never is,” Dee said as he sighed. “Talk to you in five.”

“Yeah.”

The radio became silent again and Ryo peered down the tunnel at the party goers. They'd gotten into position hours before the thing had been slated to start, several uniformed patrols walking the surrounding area to determine just how empty and secure it was. Ryo glanced at the three air ducts and multiple pipe openings poised next to him and shook his head a little. Even with all the men they'd pulled, there was no way they could cover every access point.

Radio communication was frequent, but limited. The press was already hot for this story, and there was no way of making sure that their frequency wasn't being monitored. It meant that most of the patrols in the nearby tunnels were moving with autonomy and only checked in at a scheduled time. Ryo glanced at his watch; the next one should fire off a report in about three minutes. Then another two until Dee said something in his ear that would sound a little too coy considering the situation. Ryo smiled as he tried to prepare a few comebacks in his head.

A bottle suddenly shattered on the wall to his left, and Ryo's attention jerked back to the present. One of the yuppies down at the far end was howling loudly and high fiving the others around him. The thick smell of bourbon, most likely expensive bourbon, filled the air and made Ryo sigh with annoyance.

“You okay?” Dee asked.

“Missed me by a mile,” Ryo answered.

“How in the Hell did these kids get like this?” Dee muttered.

“What? Breaking the law and indulging themselves in stupid pranks? It's a wonder what today's teenagers are like,” Ryo said wryly.

Dee grumbled something in his ear and then sighed.

“I was never that bad.”

“I'll ask Mother the next time we see her.”

“Traitor.”

Ryo chuckled quietly and raised his binoculars to look down the tunnel. They were getting loud now, loud and drunk. Suddenly, a uniformed officer was pushing into the ring of the fire's light.

“What's he doing?” Dee hissed.

“I don't know,” Ryo answered as he pushed himself to his feet.

His flashlight clicked on as he walked the length of the tunnel, the officer's voice reaching him clearly before he'd closed even half the distance.

“We're asking you to vacate now,” he said in a low baritone. “Or you'll be escorted to the nearest precinct and held on charges of trespassing and public drunkenness.”

A few angry yells followed and Ryo frowned as he finally pushed into the circle. The officer's eyes skidded to him, and something in the unspoken look made Ryo take a deep breath.

“I suggest you do as he says,” Ryo said, pulling out his identification and holding it up in the firelight.

“Goddamned pigs,” one of the boys muttered as he yanked on his jacket and staggered down the tunnel. “You're lucky I'm not in the mood for this shit.”

Dee bounced roughly against his body and grinned maliciously down at the sprawled figure.

“Watch where you're going. Now get out of here, all of you.”

Anger simmered in the tunnel, but the mole party cleared out, Dee and Ryo soon alone with the uniformed officer.

“What's this all about?” Ryo asked.

“We're here on a stake out,” Dee added darkly.

“I know, sirs,” the other man said. “But considering the circumstances, we thought it would be best to clear them out before anyone else got wind of things.”

Dee's mouth thinned and he glanced at the shadows growing around the dying firelight.

“What've you got?” he asked quietly.

“A body.”