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FAKE First Year Together: A New Day (May)	By : BrittColumbia Category: +. to F > FAKE Views: 14597 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own FAKE, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 32
- 33
- 34
Fake
First Year together: A New Day (May)

Chapter
33

Fandom: Fake

Pairing: Dee/
Ryo

Rating:
Um... 'Mature', I
guess. Read on to find out how
mature.

Spoilers: To
Volume 7

Timing: Set in
May, directly after book 7 ended

Summary: Ryo is
coming to terms with his new sexual identity, as well as the changes in his
relationship with Dee. Meanwhile,
Dee and Ryo are trying to find enough evidence to expose a crooked cop. This
story explores homophobic attitudes, but is primarily a love story between two
men.

Disclaimer: I do
not own Fake or any of the characters created by Sanami Matoh. (Detectives Tina
Greenspan and Scott Saunders are mine, however)

Author's notes: For
those who perhaps don't remember, at the end of
chapter 23, I mentioned that Dee had received an earlier concussion in the
prequel to this story. Even one concussion is serious, but two, especially
within a relatively short period of time can be quite dangerous. Also, I have
chosen 'O'Neill'
for Ted's last name because that's his name in the RPG Fake Second Chances, which you
may remember me gushing about in these pages before. I just adore that
character. He always makes me laugh! (Kudos to Ted's player) I have received permission to use that
name, but I just want to make it clear that it's not canon. Sanami Matoh has not, thus far, given Ted a last name. Chapter
34 is up on my LJ page.

Thank you to Mtemplar for her most welcome beta-help.

A New Day (May)

Chapter 33

Ryo was able to get Dee back to their shared office, but their
peace was short-lived. He had no sooner gotten Dee settled into his chair than
Ted appeared, sounding slightly out of breath.

"All hell's breaking loose down there, guys," he
informed them. "The Chief is busy raking your guests from Queens over the
coals in his office and next he's gonna talk to that woman from Child Services.
He told me to tell you not to go anywhere."

"But Dee needs medical attention!" Ryo protested.

"So does that surly-looking bastard from the 99th. He's
actually got blood all over his shirt, but the chief won't let him go until
he's done with him, either."

"Dee's condition is more serious. He's on his second
concussion in six weeks!"

"Let me put it another way. Chief said you guys were not to
leave the building on pain of being busted down to traffic for two weeks."

Dee spoke. "He's bluffing. We're too busy right now. The
department can't spare us."

"I don't think he's bluffing," Ryo said. "He'll
just wait until things settle down and then we'll find ourselves back in
uniform in the dog days of summer when there are holes in the traffic beat
roster due to vacations. He's done it before. Remember?"

"Aw shit, you're right. Ryo, can I borrow your water bottle?
I gotta take something." Dee scowled as he struggled with the childproof
lid of his pain medication.

Ryo handed over his half-full bottle of Dasani, and held out his
hand for the pill container, which he opened for him.

"Ted, can you do me a favor?" he asked. "Can you go
find Bikky and his friend Carol? They were both pretty upset about the
questioning session, and I lost sight of them after all those people crowded
in."

"Yeah, sure. Should I bring them up here?"

"Yes, please. But take them past the vending machine first
and pick up some soda and chips." Ryo handed Ted a ten-dollar bill.
"Let them choose what they want."

"Okay, I'll be as quick as I can. And if the Chief calls you
guys onto the carpet before I get back, I'll keep 'em busy."

"Thanks, man. I owe you one." Ryo smiled at him,
relieved. Ted was good with kids, probably because he was like a big kid
himself. If anyone could get Bikky and Carol laughing again, it was Ted.

Dee sat at his desk with his head pillowed in his arms and ignored
the ringing phone. Ryo ignored it too, because he was on his own phone trying
to call Bikky's cell for the third time. There was no answer. Either Bikky
couldn't hear it ringing, or he didn't want to talk to him. Ryo suspected it was the latter. He
knew Bikky was angry with him for withholding the information that he and Carol
had unknowingly been communicating with the murderer, but there had been
several good reasons for not telling him. First of all, it was the policy of
every police force in the country that its members did not go home and discuss
confidential cases with their family or friends. Secondly, he knew that
Lieutenant Abernathy had already planted the suspicion in Detective Greenspan's
mind that Bikky was somehow involved with the murder. Ryo had wanted her to see
the genuine surprise on the kids faces when they learned that there was no
Cindy. He also hadn't wanted them to go into their questioning session already
believing that they were murder suspects. It was preposterous that anyone could
believe that those two kids had participated in the set-up and murder of their
friend. But it seemed that Detective Saunders, at least, seemed to think so,
and how had he gotten that idea, if not from Detective Greenspan? He began to
think he had made a mistake in not retaining a lawyer for Bikky from the
beginning. Carol probably needed a lawyer too. He wondered if her Aunt Elina
could afford it.

He turned around and looked at Dee with concern. "Dee? Are
you feeling any better?"

Dee just grunted in response.

"If the Chief hasn't called us in five minutes, I'm asking
Drake to take you to a clinic, no matter what. This isn't right."

"Ryo, don't worry." Dee's voice was muffled by the crook
of his arm. "I'm a tough guy, don't forget. This is only pain. I can
handle a little pain."

Just then, Janet arrived at their door. "Don't you guys
answer your phone? The Chief wants to see you right now."

They followed her down to the first floor, only half listening as
she filled the short trip downstairs with light chatter about what had been
going on in their brief absence. Halfway down the stairs, they met Detective
Linda Ehrman, a tough talking veteran from Narcotics, whose eyes lit up at the
sight of Dee. "Good on ya, Dee! You showed that bastard," she said
approvingly, and gave him a high five.

Dee managed to summon up a cocky grin. "Gonna pay for it now,
though."

"Good luck, buddy." She thumped him on the shoulder and
continued on her way.

Janet knocked on the Chief's door, and then opened it for them at
his response. As they entered, Detectives Greenspan and Saunders glanced up,
looking apologetic and sullen, respectively.

The Chief took one look at the pallor of Dee's complexion and
ordered Detective Greenspan out of her chair. Dee protested that he was fine,
but the Chief told him to shut up and sit down.

"I'm trying to get to the bottom of the little circus you
people have created in the 27th this afternoon," he growled.
"Laytner, am I to understand that you're responsible for Detective
Saunders' condition?"

"I'm responsible for his bloody nose, sir, which he totally
deserved, but I'm not responsible for whatever pre-existing brain damage that
he arrived here with."

"Can it! You ain't here to waste my time with insults; you're
here so we can put this matter to bed as quietly as possible. Now Detective
Saunders here, under some prodding from Sergeant Fedorov at the 99th, has
admitted that he may be partially at fault in this matter and indicates that
he's willing to apologize. You are gonna do the same, do you understand me? Neither precinct
wants a departmental inquiry. We're gonna call it a misunderstanding."

"What the hell? I have to
apologize when the precinct could potentially be sued by Carol's aunt because
of the unprofessionalism of this---"

"I said quiet! Damn right you're gonna apologize, and you'd
better do it quickly because you look almost as bad as he does, and I think
you'd both better go see a doctor ASAP."

"You mean if I apologize, I can get the hell out of
here?"

The Chief raised his eyes to the ceiling and then brought them
back to Dee with promises of death, destruction and demotion in them.

"Okay, okay," Dee said hastily. "I'll
apologize." He turned to Detective Saunders and offered him his hand.
"I'm sorry that your scuzzball behavior made it necessary for me
to--"

"DEE!" roared the Chief. Dee winced and clutched his
head.

"Come on, hurry up and do it," Ryo muttered. "I
need to go talk to Bikky."

Dee heaved a sigh of defeat and turned once again to Detective
Saunders. This time he didn't offer his hand. "I apologize for hitting you," he said simply.

"Accepted," mumbled Detective Saunders, flushing.
"I apologize too, for screwing up the questioning." Detective
Greenspan nodded approvingly.

"Shake, boys," said the Chief in warning tones, and they
obeyed with a lackluster handshake accompanied by a lack of eye contact.

"Okay, now I wanna talk to those kids," said the Chief.
"Where are they?"

Ryo was just opening his mouth to reply, when someone knocked
loudly on the door.

"Come in," called the Chief, and Ted entered looking
worried. JJ stood just behind him in the open doorway.

"Yes, O'Neill?"

"It's Ryo's kid, sir. He's not in the building, and neither
is the girl. Marianne said she saw a couple of kids matching their descriptions
hurrying past the front desk about half an hour ago."

"Shit!" exclaimed Ryo and the Chief in unison. The chief
recovered first. "Randy, go find him. Take O'Neill with you." He
rounded on the two Queens Detectives, and added, "You two had better hope
that we find those kids safe and sound. Right now they're running around
thinking that they're gonna get charged with murder, thanks to one of the
clumsiest and most inefficiently-conducted questioning sessions I've ever heard
of."

Detective Greenspan spoke up quickly. "Lieutenant Smith, I
would be happy to assist Detective MacLean in locating his son---"

"Forget it," snapped the Chief. "You're one of the
bad guys, remember? If he sees you, he'll just hide. The best thing you can do
is take your partner here to see a doctor."

"He's not my partner," Detective Greenspan replied
quickly, with a venomous glance at her colleague, who sank slightly lower in
his chair, the frown on his face more pronounced than it had been before. "My partner will be back on Thursday, thank
God."

"Yes, well, both of you get out of here and back to your own
business. I'll notify Sergeant Fedorov that apologies have been exchanged. I
expect a follow-up tomorrow in writing. You too, Dee. A written apology, and don't make MacLean write it for
you!"

"Yes, sir." Dee got to his feet and swayed a little as
he did so. This was not lost on the Chief.

"Adams!" he barked. "Take Laytner to the nearest
clinic, then take him home."

"Wha--?" Dee looked in horror from the Chief to JJ and
back again. He could have sworn that there was the faintest hint of retributory
amusement on the Chief's face. He turned to Ryo, seeking support. "Ryo,
I'm fine. Tell them!"

"No, you are not fine. Go with JJ and get your injury looked
at. I'll call you later." Ryo turned away, looking distracted, and left
the room with Ted.

"Come on, Mr. Perfect," said JJ happily. "I'll take
care of you. We'll go to the clinic and then I'll cook you a nice dinner later,
and clean your apartment for you, too!"

"Oh, Jesus..." Dee groaned. "I need a goddamned
cigarette or five."

&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^

While Ted drove, Ryo was forced to call Carol's aunt and tell her
what had happened. As he had expected, she was very upset and angry. He
apologized several times and assured her that he and Ted would do their utmost
to find Carol and bring her home safely. He also advised her to retain a lawyer
for Carol as quickly as possible, and supplied her with a few names. Then he
and Ted drove around to all Bikky's known favorite haunts in an ultimately
fruitless effort to find the missing pair. Ryo called all of his foster son's
friends' houses and spoke to a couple of parents who agreed to call him back if
they saw Bikky, but mostly he just got answering machines. The majority of
Bikky's friends had working parents.

As seven o'clock began to approach, Ryo became more and more
worried. Ted gave him a sympathetic look.

"Why don't you go home for a bit?" he suggested.
"The kid might well be there, but just not answering the phone. I'll keep
looking for him."

"Home!" Ryo exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of
that? Maybe he's there, waiting
for me. Maybe he's...doing his
homework." He shook his head, frowning at his own briefly-raised hopes.
"Oh, who am I kidding? He's pissed off at me. Home is the last place he'd
go."

"Come on, let's give it a try. A wounded fox always returns
to its den, or so they say. If he's not there, we can go right back out again,
okay?"

Ryo agreed and let Ted drive him home. He unlocked the door of his
apartment and preceded Ted inside, calling, "Bikky! Are you home?"

His only reply was silence, but the light was on in the bathroom
and there was a mess in the kitchen, which hadn't been there when he left this
morning, and that was a promising sign. This was perhaps the first time he
could recall ever being happy to find a mess waiting for him in the kitchen.

"He's been here," he said to Ted. Further investigation
revealed a note taped to the kettle that read, 'Ryo, I'm mad at you and I'm
not coming home tonight. I'm staying over at Carols. Don't call me because I
don't want to talk to you right now. CU 2morrow.'

Ryo turned to Ted, relieved, and showed him the note.

"See, what did I tell ya?" Ted grinned happily and
punched Ryo's arm, but stopped grinning when he saw Ryo wince.
"Hey...sorry. Did I hurt
you?"

"No, no, it's okay," Ryo said, embarrassed. "I went
back to Karate last night for the first time in months, and I just happen to
have a bruise there, that's all."

"You went back to Karate, huh? Good for you! I didn't
actually know you'd stopped. Hard to get back into a sport when you've taken a
break from it, huh?"

"Yeah," Ryo agreed, his mind on other things, such as
lawyers, funerals, and whether or not Bikky would still be upset with him
tomorrow. He started gathering up Bikky's dirty plates and peanut butter and
jam-covered knives and then put the pile in the sink. He glanced at Ted,
feeling he should offer him something, but at the same time, he also wanted to
be alone so he could think.

Ted seemed to understand. "Well, Ryo, if you don't need me
anymore, I guess the Badger would probably like me to come back to the
Precinct."

"Ted, thanks for helping me look for Bikky." Ryo smiled
at him. "I appreciate it, and normally I'd ask you to stay, but I think
I'd better start phoning back all those people I worried."

Ted turned to go. "No problem, man. I'm on the clock anyhoo.
I'm glad it ended well. Are you gonna call Dee? Last time I saw him, JJ was
about to drag him off to a clinic. The Chief sure spanked him with that one,
huh? JJ's probably giving him a sponge bath round about now! See you tomorrow
afternoon." He snickered at his own wit and exited Ryo's apartment, but
not before he had seen a most interesting expression flit across Ryo's handsome
face. What had it been? Jealousy? Yeah. But not just jealousy...It had been
mixed with something else. Ted grinned to himself as he jogged lightly down the
stairs. Could it be that Dee's unrelenting attempts to make his partner fall
for him were finally paying off? He'd have to remember to watch the two of them
together a little more carefully the next time he had an opportunity.

&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^

It took a lot of effort and persistence, but Dee finally got JJ
out of his apartment. It was a good thing too, because hardly two minutes had
elapsed before Ryo phoned him.

"Hello, Ryo?"

"Yeah, it's me. Are you free to talk?"

"Why wouldn't I be free to talk?"

"Well...I thought JJ might be giving you a sponge bath or
something." Ryo was trying to sound light-hearted, but Dee wasn't fooled.

"Oh, he certainly tried," he said, laughing. "But I
locked the bathroom door in his face, so he settled for cleaning up my
apartment instead."

"You shouldn't be using JJ like that," Ryo said
disapprovingly.

"You know that guy has a mind of his own. Besides, he likes doing stuff for me. I find the best way
to manage him is to give him an outlet for his energy. The way I see it, as
long as he's cleaning up my kitchen, his hands are too busy to be trying to
grab me."

There was a brief silence at the other end of the phone line,
which made Dee wonder if he had perhaps gone too far. He wanted Ryo to be
jealous, but not mad at him. "Ryo?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Is JJ gone then?"

"All gone, thank God. I'm alone with my TV. Hey, any news on
the monkey brat?"

"NOW you ask."

"Hey, I knew he was all right the minute you mentioned the
sponge bath! You wouldn't have been joking if he was still missing."

"True," Ryo conceded. "He's staying over at Carol's
place. Her aunt confirmed it for me. He refuses to speak to me because he says
he's mad at me." He sighed dejectedly, thinking Super-Dad strikes
again.

"He'll forgive you eventually."

"I hope so. But right now he feels like I betrayed him. I
hope someday he'll be able to understand that I couldn't give him case
information. Plus, I wanted Detectives Greenspan and Saunders to see real
surprise in the kids' faces when they told them the bad news. Unless some more
evidence turns up, Bikky and Carol seem to be the main suspects right
now."

"No cop in his right mind would think those two had anything
to do with the murder."

"You'd be surprised. A significant percentage of the murders
that are committed in New York annually are by minors."

"Yeah, but those are kids that are usually involved in gangs.
All anyone has to do is look at Bikky and Carol to realize that they're good
kids."

"Well, that's what I thought too, but the way Detective
Saunders handled the questioning today made me think again. So I called Lindsay
Masters. I should've done it earlier. I guess I had too much faith."

"Lindsay Masters? The attack dog? Can you afford him?"

"Probably not, but I really think it's time Bikky had a
lawyer. I talked to Elina about it and we decided that Lindsay is going to
represent Carol too, and Elina will pay what she can to help me out."

"Aw, baby. That fucking Abernathy. HE'S the cause of all this
trouble. If he hadn't gone and dropped false hints to that little airhead,
Bikky and Carol would be out of it by now. God, I wish I could just snap
Abernathy's neck for him!"

"Yeah, but then you'd pop the last of your stitches and have
to go back to hospital for a week!"

"Oh, that
reminds me," said Dee. "Good news. I didn't pop a stitch, after all.
It just felt like it at the time. But my injury is itching like a sonofabitch.
I really wish I had something -- or someone-- to help me take my mind off
it..." He ended on a provocative note, but Ryo didn't take the bait, at
least not the way he had hoped.

"Oh yeah? Maybe I should fax you these phone records I'm
working on. That'll give you something to do."

"That's not exactly what I had in mind."

"I know. You never have paperwork in mind."

Dee tried a new tack. "Hey, how are your muscles? Aren't you
feeling a little sore from Karate?"

"Yeah," Ryo sounded surprised. "How did you know
that? I don't remember telling you."

"I have a confession to make. Ted phoned me earlier and told
me that the brats were okay. He also mentioned that your muscles were
sore."

"Hmm...I wonder why he wanted to tell you that?" Ryo
sounded slightly suspicious.

"Who cares? The point is that you should be here, letting me
massage all the stiffness out of those sexy muscles of yours. Well, most of 'em
anyway. We'll leave the stiffness in one of them...just in case."

"Dee! How can you think about sex at a time like this?"

"Who said sex? Not me! I was talking about a massage."

"Hmph," said Ryo. He wasn't about to admit how appealing
a massage sounded. But he knew how it would end, and he really did want to get
his paperwork done.

As if he had read his partner's mind, Dee said, "Hey, if you
come over here with those phone records you were talking about, I promise to
put in an hour on them if you let me give you a massage after. How about
that?"

"Really?" Ryo sounded tempted for a moment, but then he
sighed. "No, Dee. I really should stay here. What if Bikky calls?"

"The brat's not gonna call. He's in a snit, remember?"

"Yeah, but he might need something."

"Okay, I'll come over there. Same deal. An hour of paperwork,
followed by a massage. Whaddaya say?"

"What kind of massage? A 'starter massage'?"

"Huh?" said Dee. "I don't know what you're talking
about, but I'll give you whatever kind of massage you want."

"I can't believe you forgot," said Ryo, slightly
exasperated. "A couple of weeks ago after we caught Bikky almost buying
drugs from Eddie, you offered to give me a 'starter massage'. But it never
happened because first my aunt called, and then I started cooking dinner, and
then you left."

"Oh yeah," said Dee. "I remember now. Is that what
you want? A starter massage?"

"Well, I don't know." Ryo was starting to sound a little
shy. "You never did tell me what a starter massage was."

"Really? How about I show you," Dee said.

"I don't know...what do I have to do?" Ryo was wary.

"Don't worry dude. You can keep your pants on. You just take
your shirt off and lie down on the bed."

"Does this massage involve oil? Because my sheets are
new."

"Nope. No oil in the starter massage."

Ryo still hesitated.

"What's wrong, babe? This is a real innocent massage. No
reason to be all nervous and mistrustful, you know."

"I just know from experience that whenever you say the word
'innocent', it means I should be extra vigilant!"

"Look, you're the one who said that all your muscles were
sore from your first Karate class after a two-month break. Now, because I don't
like to think of my baby having sore muscles, I'm willing to massage all the
pain and tightness out of them. And you know why? Although some people think I'm a letch, I just happen
to be an all-round nice guy and totally devoted boyfriend." Dee did his
best to sound indignant, although the big grin on his face was probably
detectable in his voice and therefore working against him.

"Well, what I'd like to know is what EXACTLY is going to
happen during this, er, 'starter' massage?" Ryo could feel each moment
that passed taking him closer and closer toward an inevitable sexual encounter
with Dee. But he couldn't stop the slow slide. Nor did he want to, he realized,
as his hand brushed unconsciously against his semi-erect penis. He wanted Dee.
He was hungry for him all the time nowadays. Besides, his apartment was feeling
rather empty and lonely tonight with both Dee and Bikky absent from it.

"Okay," said Dee, "Here's the blow by blow. You
take off your shirt and lie down on the bed. I straddle your sexy ass and work
all the knots of tension out of your back and shoulders. You keep your pants on
the whole time. That's it. Innocent enough for you?"

"Um...Are there any other...less innocent massages on the menu?"

There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line for a
moment. Then Dee's voice came back on, speaking urgently.

"Baby, stay right where you are. I'll be over in twenty
minutes --no, fifteen-- to tell you all about the rest of the menu in
person!" There was a click, and Dee was gone. Ryo looked at the phone in
surprise.

"Now you've done it," he muttered to himself. His penis
gave an answering twitch. "Behave yourself," he said sternly to it.

He was sure that if it had a voice, it would be laughing at him.

&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&

Detective Shaver knocked on the door of the cozy apartment he had
once shared with Sheila and Kevin. He heard Sheila's voice saying, "Your
dad's here. Go let him in, wouldya?" This was followed by the sound of
running feet, and then Kevin was wrenching open the door and looking up at him
excitedly.

"Dad! Come on in! Are you hungry? We have leftover chicken.
You want some?" He flung his arms around his father and didn't notice when
Ned sucked in a sharp breath. His body was still in a lot of pain, and Kevin's
enthusiastic hug had just woken up several sleeping bruises. But even so, he
would never have preferred to do without the hug.

"Dad, if you eat some chicken, you gotta promise me you'll
eat all the broccoli, okay?" Kevin whispered these words conspiratorially
into his ear and Detective Shaver chuckled.

"It depends on your mom," he said, and tapped Kevin's
nose with his finger.

"Well don't stand in the doorway bothering the
neighbors," Sheila called out from where she was in the kitchen.
"Come inside and close the door, already."

Ned sighed. "Okay, Sheila." His ex-wife sounded
perpetually put-upon, as if everything about life irritated her. It's
probably just everything about me, he thought to himself, as he sat down at the dinette table and
rested his arms on the familiar white and blue tablecloth that her mother had
given them for a wedding present.

"Kevin, did you lock the door?"

"Yeah, Mom. Dad says he's hungry. Can we give him some
dinner?"

Sheila appeared, a slightly overweight blonde with dark roots and
lines of worry in her tired face. She gave Ned a piercing look. "Is that
so?"

"Well, uh..." He was about to say he wasn't hungry just
to keep his pride intact, but he could see Kevin looking at him pleadingly from
the corner of his eye. "Maybe just a little..."

Sheila looked him over with her hand on her hip. "When was
the last time you ate a decent meal?"

He hesitated because he honestly couldn't remember.

"I thought so," she said and turned back to the kitchen.
"I'll heat up some leftovers for you. Honestly, Ned, I don't know how you
survive. You gotta take better care of yourself. I hope you can handle
broccoli," she added.

Again, Detective Shaver hesitated. He actually did like broccoli,
but not the way Sheila cooked it. Kevin nudged his arm urgently and raised his
eyebrows at him, so he called out, "Broccoli's fine."

While Sheila banged about in the kitchen, Kevin proudly showed him
his social studies test with the big red 'A' on it, and chattered away about
what he was learning in school. Detective Shaver listened to him fondly,
fighting back the sadness in his heart. He sure hoped things would go well on
Wednesday night. His job was a risky one, but he had never in his life felt so
close to death, not even the time he had hit his head during a Navy SEAL diving
mission. He suddenly couldn't
stand the thought of never seeing Kevin again.

He ate the food Sheila set in front of him and said yes to her
offer of peach-apricot tea and sugar cookies for afterward. Kevin made notes in
his science book, and Sheila watched her ex-husband speculatively. "You
look terrible," she remarked. "You get run over by a truck or
something?"

He shook his head dismissively, but didn't answer. His eyes
flickered to Kevin and back to her. "This broccoli is really good,"
he said. "Could I have a little more?" He didn't have to turn his
head to know that Kevin was grinning into his homework.

"Sure," said Sheila, taking his plate to the kitchen.
She returned with an extra helping of the overcooked green mush that had once
been a proud member of the cruciferous vegetable family. "You might as
well finish it off."

"Thank you," said Ned, trying to look pleased as he
brought a forkful up to his mouth.

"Kevin, honey," Sheila said. "Could you please go
into my bedroom and get me my pink shawl? I'm feeling kind of cold. I think
it's on my bed."

"Sure, Mom." He scampered off to the bedroom, happy to
oblige. He loved having both his parents with him, especially when they weren't
fighting. His dad had been here for at least half an hour and they hadn't
started screaming yet. He allowed himself to fall into his favorite fantasy,
the one where his parents realized that they didn't want to fight anymore and
that they missed each other, so they got back together again.

As soon as he was out of the room, Sheila looked at Ned.
"What's going on? Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Yeah," he said, looking down at where his big fingers
rested on the handle of his cup.

"Should I worry?"

He took a slow swallow of his tea while he thought what to say.
Finally, he shook his head. "No," he said. "I'll find a way out
of this. And even if worse comes to worst, you'll get my pension. There's
insurance money, too. Good thing we never officially divorced, huh?"

"Ned!" she hissed, distressed. "How can you think
I'd be happy if- if-"

She was interrupted by Kevin's voice calling out, "Mom! It's
not on the bed."

"Try the laundry hamper, honey," she replied, and then
turned her attention back to Ned. "Is it that bad? Can't you ask for
help?"

"My job has gotten more complicated recently," he told
her. "I'm working with some very dangerous people. But hey, if it's not my
time to go, then I have nothing to worry about, right?"

She reached out and squeezed his hand. "Take care of
yourself, Ned. I know I'm...not always very patient with you, but I don't want
anything bad to happen to you."

Neither saw Kevin peeping ecstatically out of the bedroom at them.
The boy was thrilled to see his mom and dad actually holding hands!

"Thank you," Ned said, squeezing back and feeling oddly
touched. They sat for a moment like that with so many unsaid things hanging in
the silence between them while the radio played softly in the corner and Kevin
rustled around in the bedroom. But finally, Ned broke the spell.

"Look, I gotta get going," he said, standing up. "I
still got a couple of things to do tonight. I just wanted to make sure you got
the fertilizer and soil for your gardening project. I'm real sorry I couldn't
bring the planter. I'm just not up to lifting anything heavy right now."

"That's all right," Sheila said waving a hand. "If
you're feeling up to it on the weekend, you can bring it then when you take
Kevin to his softball practice."

"Okay," he said and gave her a little grimace that
skated cautiously close to smile territory. "Kevin! Come say good night.
I'm leaving now."

"What, already?" Kevin came running out of the bedroom
holding a pink shawl. "But you just got here!"

"Sorry, buddy, I told you I could only stay a short
time."

"Aw!"

"Oh, Ned," said Sheila, "Could you please do me a
favor?"

"What is it?" he asked, hoping it didn't involve money.

She indicated Kevin's bicycle, propped up against the wall by the
door. "One of his tires is flat. We tried filling it with air, but it
didn't stay pumped up. It's got a leak somewhere. Could you get it fixed,
please? At that cheap place in the Bronx? Anderson's Cycles wanted an arm and a
leg, but I called Emil's Wheels over by where you live, and they quoted a way
better price."

Shaver looked doubtful. "I dunno, Sheila. I'm gonna be so
busy the next few days...I might not be able to get to it for a while."

"But it's Kevin's transportation to school," she
insisted, some of the friendliness going out of her voice. "For the last
couple of days he's had to walk, and I have to walk with him. It's making
mornings more difficult around here."

"Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do," Ned said quickly,
not wanting to end the evening with a fight. It was easy to get along with
Sheila provided one did everything she said. He opened the apartment door and
put the bike out in the hallway, which made Kevin think he was leaving right
then.

"Dad!" he said anxiously. "Aren't you going to give
me a hug?"

"Of course I am, Kev," said Shaver reassuringly, turning
back and holding out his arms. Kevin hurried forward and hugged him with all of
his strength. "Did you eat it all?" he whispered.

"Every bite," Shaver whispered back, even though he felt
like his ribs were going to crack. His boy was a lot stronger than he looked.
"Love you, kid."

"Love you too, Dad. Thanks for eating the broccoli! That was reeeeally nice of you."
He hugged his father again, and this time the pain rose to such an acute level
that Sheila noticed it on Ned's face and took pity on him.

"Come on Kevin, let your father go. See you on the weekend,
Ned."

He nodded and squeezed her hand again, before walking slowly down
the hallway with Kevin's bike. Every footstep caused pain from his recent
beating to reverberate in his muscles and bones. He could still feel the
bittersweet ache of his son's embrace, although it was already fading. By the
time he reached the end of the hall, the feeling of Kevin's arms about him had
been overcome by the cramps in his gut and torment of having to put his weight
on his injured right knee. He pressed the elevator button and it opened right
away. He turned back then, although he had promised himself he wouldn't, and
waved to the woman and child watching him from their open apartment door. Kevin
waved back; Sheila didn't, and Shaver was glad when the elevator door slid
closed and allowed him to slump against the wall, his face crumpling in sorrow.

&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^

There was a knock at the door, Dee's knock: one soft rap followed
by a loud one. Ryo felt a flutter of butterflies in his stomach at that
familiar sound. He looked at his watch. It had been only sixteen minutes since
his partner had abruptly hung up on him. Dee must have gotten lucky with
parking.

He opened the door with a smile on his face, but he knew it must
be an idiotic smile because he was just so happy to see his lover that he
couldn't be calm or aloof. He felt simultaneously self-conscious and excited.
He couldn't wait for Dee to touch him. "You're late!" he said.

"Am not. Come here." Dee closed the door and pulled Ryo
into his arms. When he felt Ryo melt against him, it caused tingles of
electricity to run down his legs. Ryo was hot for his body, ripe for seduction,
willing to get physical with him; he had known it when he hung up the phone.
Now all he had to do was make him forget about the paperwork.

"Dee, that's enough, time to let go." Ryo was struggling
a bit, but not very hard. "We have to---"

"Give me a kiss first."

"Okay." Ryo quickly kissed his lips and then pulled back
out of his arms.

"Oh no you don't." Shaking his head, Dee advanced on
Ryo, who didn't manage to back away very far before Dee caught him. "Don't
kiss me like that," Dee breathed, sliding a hand around Ryo's neck and
bringing it up under his jaw. "Kiss me like this...."

When Ryo felt Dee's spearmint-scented mouth come down on his, his
lips parted of their own volition and he moaned in hopeless surrender. Not only
did Dee seem to prefer seduction to paperwork, but his own body, which appeared
to be on Dee's side about the seduction issue, was betraying him. His lover's
tongue was in his mouth, warm, wet and mobile, flicking against his, demanding
a response that Ryo had no power to withhold. He kissed Dee back with everything
he had, conscious of being swept out to sea by his mounting desire for the
lean, muscular man in his arms.

Dee lifted his mouth off Ryo's long enough to nip at his lips and
gasp, "You're so fucking hot, baby, so sexy-sweet. Jesus, I want
you." He returned to his lover's sensual mouth and held him close while he
kissed him again, slowly rubbing his hard masculine body against Ryo's. He felt
his breath catch when their erections bumped against each other. "Let me make you feel good."

Ryo arched his throat in invitation, and Dee took the opportunity
to bite, kiss and suck it gently, being careful not to leave marks. The
sensations were making Ryo moan and squirm against him. Ryo's neck was a major
erogenous zone for him, a fact that Dee had discovered quite early in their
relationship, and had then exploited whenever he got the chance.

Ryo opened his eyes to discover that they were on the threshold of
the bedroom - Dee had been slowly nudging him in that direction ever since he
had entered the apartment. One of his hands shot out and gripped the doorjamb
in a last-ditch effort to regain control of the evening. "Dee," he
managed to groan in a voice that did not sound like his own at all. "Phone
records! You promised!"

One of Dee's hands immediately fought its way between their bodies
and caressed his penis. Ryo's body jolted with pleasurable sensation and his
hand lost its grip on the doorjamb. The next thing he knew, he was on his back
on the bed and Dee was kneeling astride his knees, unzipping his fly and pushing
his tee-shirt up out of the way. He could hear Dee's voice, slightly muffled,
as he spoke in between pressing hot kisses to Ryo's flat belly and well-defined
chest.

"Got - Got a plan, baby." He bit gently at one of Ryo's
nipples and sucked it briefly into his mouth. "First, sex. We can't do...
paperwork... in this condition." He began working on the other nipple,
causing Ryo to cry out softly in response and caress Dee's hair. "After
sex...kiss me...mmmm...after sex, paperwork. One hour, okay?"

"Okay," said Ryo, raising his arms above his head so
that Dee could pull off his tee-shirt. Dee tossed the shirt on the floor and
returned his attention to Ryo's neck and chest.

"After paperwork...massage! Okay?" Dee raised his head
and looked into Ryo's eyes. Ryo nodded and started trying to undo Dee's shirt
buttons. He got his hand inside Dee's shirt and began playing with his lover's
nipples, the way Dee had done so many times to him. Dee closed his eyes and let
Ryo do it, resting his hand lightly on his partner's wrist, lips parted as he
panted in pleasure.

"Oh sweetheart, you're going to kill me. I am going to
fucking explode..."

"And after the massage?" Ryo whispered.

Dee grinned at him, looking incredibly handsome in the half-light.
"More sex, of course," he whispered back and bent his head for
another luscious kiss.

&^&^&^&^&^&^&^

End of chapter
33

Author's
notes: I bet you guys are just
dying to know whether they ever get around to that paperwork!

Is anyone
confused about the timing and what day it is, etc? This chapter ended on
Tuesday night. Monday night was when Dee went out fund-raising with Bikky,
while Ryo went to Karate. The Friday night prior to that was when Dee got shot.
Tomorrow is Wednesday, and the next day is Thursday, which is the day of the
funeral. The next chapter will either open on Wednesday in the daytime, or will
continue from where we left off.
- 32
- 33
- 34
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