FAKE Now That You're Mine

Disclaimer: One of the characters in this chapter is a violent homophobe. He uses some derogatory terms to describe homosexuals. But this fic is not anti-gay. Just that character. I'm so entirely not a homophobe. Please don't be offended! It's a romance between two men. How much less anti-gay does it get?!

Chapter 2 Not Like This

All too soon, as far as the Bikky was concerned, school began again. He shuffled out the door for the first day back. Ryo smiled. "You should be happy! Another year begun is another year closer to graduation. Besides, you're schedule has a lot of fun classes. Don't you like Art?"

"It's not going to be fun! You know that; you were in school not too many eons ago!" He slouched. "I hate my life."

"Don't say that," Ryo snapped. He knew what it felt like to hate his life, and he'd let that lead him down a dangerous path. "You don't mean it."

Bikky gave him a funny look. He had no idea what Ryo had gone through after the incident with the drug dealers. "Sure, Ryo. See you tonight then. Oh, wait, no, I'm going to Lai's after school, and I'm sleeping over. So, see you tomorrow, kay?"

Ryo rushed out the door to work. Damn kids always made him late! Well, nothing he could do about that. He ran in at the last second. Commissioner Rose gave him a disapproving look as he sat down at his desk. Dee showed up several minutes later. Rose glared. He liked Ryo, and he'd put up with his occasional irresponsibility. After all, he did have the kid holding him up. But Dee...no excuse! Not only was he unlikable, but he lived alone and had no one to hold him up. "Laytner!" Rose yelled across the room. "Late again? You keep this up, and your pay will be cut. Understood?"

Dee shrugged and walked over to Ryo's desk. "Mornin',"

Ryo gave him a reproachful look. "Can't you ever be on time? I've got Bikky to shove out the door; what's your excuse?" Dee didn't say anything. Ryo sighed. Well, that was Dee for you. That didn't bother him too much. For all his shortcomings, Dee was still a great guy. "I ought to show up late tonight, just to teach you a lesson."

Dee grinned. "Oh, so you're coming? What about the brat?"

"Come off it. You like him, too, and you don't fool me no matter what you say. But Bikky's going out tonight if that's what you were getting at."

"Great!" Dee smiled. "Looking forward to it." Some decent alone time. Cool. It had been a while since they'd had a nice evening together; whenever Ryo came over to his place, he'd worry about the kid being left alone.

Officer James Dawson watched their exchange with disgust. Those friggen fags. They disgusted him. Bringing their disgusting choices into the office like that...he wouldn't stand for it. Never. Not if he had anything to say about it.

The day was pretty quiet for once. The low point of the day was JJ's fault. He'd been listening in on Ryo and Dee's conversation, too. As Dee walked out the door, JJ blocked the way. Dee shoved him lightly. "Move, asshole."

JJ gave him a pleading look. "What the hell did that prick do to deserve you? That stupid Ryo, he's not good enough for you! He's nothing like you! He's quiet, he's boring, and he made you wait years, just torturing you. Come on, Dee. You know you want me over that jerk."

Dee snarled and grabbed JJ's collar. He pulled him up onto his tiptoes. "Listen here, you little bastard. There's no one I want but Ryo. I can't stand you; never could. Piss off." With that, he threw JJ away from him and stormed out the door. James watched this interaction as well. Another damn fairy. He ought to be fired, too. Those three little gay bastards ought to be thrown out on their faggy asses.

Dee put JJ out of his mind. That twerp wasn't going to ruin his night with Ryo. He cooked a quick pork stir-fry for the two of them. He hummed along with a CD as he tossed in carrots and chopped up some onions. It was going to be a perfect night if he had any say in the matter. Ryo showed up on time, despite his threats to give Dee a taste of his own medicine. Ryo smiled widely. "Smells great, Dee."

Dee smiled back. "I made it 'cause I know it's your favorite, Baby." They enjoyed the meal slowly. When they were done, Ryo headed into the kitchen to start on the dishes, but Dee stopped him.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'll take care of those in the morning. Why don't we go watch some TV instead?" Ryo agreed and started towards the living room. Dee shook his head. "There's a TV in my room, ya know.

Dee turned on a stand-up comedy show. They watched it absently for a few moments, sitting on Dee's bead, before they started talking over it. Ryo moved closer to Dee and leaned towards him. He moved his face towards Dee's until their noses touched. He locked eyes with him. "Dee...you know I love you, right?"

"Of course, Ryo. You know I love you, too."

Ryo smiled. Dee made him so happy. He meant the world to him. He tilted his head to the right and kissed Dee. He gently pushed Dee backwards until he was lying on top of him. Strange how Dee had been so pushy and dominating when Ryo didn't want the attention yet now Dee was letting Ryo do the leading once he'd gotten Ryo for his own. It wasn't a huge surprise; Dee had been gentle with him the last time they'd had alone time as well. Dee moaned softly as Ryo's tongue slipped past his lips. He was surprised by Ryo's actions; he'd never guessed that Ryo could be such a great kisser. Ryo had never initiated such a passionate kiss before, and Dee had assumed it was because he wasn't sure of what he was doing. Actually, Ryo was an amazing kisser. Dee wrapped his arms around Ryo and gently ran his fingers through his hair. He could tell this would be nothing like the first time. Ryo had seemed eager yet nervous that night, but now he didn't seem nervous at all. He seemed confident and calm. Dee stroked Ryo's face. This was all he'd ever wanted. Three long years he'd waited for Ryo to be his, and then he'd waited anther two months for him to be truly comfortable with him. He could tell it would be worth it.

Ryo nuzzled against Dee's neck and gently caressed his face. He'd spent three years denying this and then spent two more months second- guessing himself. No more. This was perfect. He pushed himself up off of Dee. Dee whined and gently pulled him back down. "Ryo...where are you going? I don't want you to leave me." Ryo smiled and pried Dee's hands off his shoulders. Dee whined again but didn't move to stop him as Ryo pushed himself up again.

"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." He knelt and straddled Dee as he started to unbutton Dee's shirt. "But this is." Dee smiled at him and reached up to undo the buttons on Ryo's shirt. Dee sat up and tossed both shirts on the floor. He wrapped his arms around Ryo's waist and rested his check against his bare chest. Ryo embraced him. They stayed that way for several minutes, talking about whatever came to mind. Ryo started to feel his feet go numb from sitting back on them for too long, so he moved and sat down next to Dee. Dee twisted sideways and pushed Ryo down. Ryo smiled up at him and closed his eyes as Dee kissed him. If Ryo was an amazing kisser, Dee was a god. Ryo moaned. He didn't want the kiss to end, but it did.

Dee ran his hand down Ryo's stomach and stopped at the button of his pants. Ryo opened his eyes. Dee looked at him questioningly, as though asking for permission. Ryo blinked slowly. "Don't quit on me now."

Dee flopped down next to Ryo and sighed contentedly. Ryo looked over at him. "Tired?"

Dee smiled. "Nope. I'm a god. I'm a marathon man. I'm a once-in-a- lifetime blessing from heaven."

Ryo laughed. "It's nice to know you think so highly of yourself. But you know, Dee, just because I'm quiet doesn't mean I feel like being the woman in our relationship. We're both men, and we ought to both act it. You catch what I'm saying?"

"Yeah."

Ryo was a bit unsure of himself, but he managed. As he lay down next to Dee, Dee smiled at him. "Not bad for your first try. Not bad for anyone, I'd say."

Ryo sighed. "Tell me, Dee, how many men have you been with before me?"

Dee was surprised by his question. "Would you believe me if I said only one? And also only one woman? I may act like some kind of whore, but I don't just give it up to anyone. No, they gotta be real special. It's gotta be love."

Ryo stared up at the ceiling. "You found two real loves before you were 25? You're a lucky guy."

Dee teased him saying, "Who says before I was 25? I couldn't have had a nice relationship going all the years I've been chasing after you?" Ryo elbowed him in the ribs. "Ouch! Just kidding. Yeah, I guess I was lucky. But she left me, and he died. So it goes. It's all in the past. I have you."

Ryo moved closer to Dee and snuggled up to him. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry, but how'd he die?"

Dee sighed. "AIDS." Ryo jumped. "Hey, I'm clean. Don't worry. It's called protection, and I got tested when he got sick. I trust you, so I didn't worry about that with you, but Andrew wasn't real responsible. He didn't even know he had it. He died about 2 years after I met him. But come on, Ryo, I don't want to live in my past. I'm not hiding anything from you."

Ryo moved closer and kissed Dee. "I believe you. I won't bring it up again. You're mine now, and that's what matters."

They fell asleep in each other's arms soon after their conversation. They didn't hear it when two masked men picked the apartment door lock and, guns in hand, opened the bedroom door. Without a sound, the two men found both officers' weapons and pocketed them. Once the two men were certain that they had unquestionable control of the situation, one of them smacked Dee's feet. He stirred without waking. The man hit him harder. He woke with a start. Without opening his eyes he muttered, "Hey, stop kicking, Ryo."

"That ain't Ryo, fag," a voice much deeper that Ryo's boomed. Dee opened his eyes to find himself staring at a man with an orange ski mask over his face and a gun in his hand. He shifted his gaze and saw another man, slightly taller than the first, wearing the same ugly ski mask and also pointing a gun at him.

The taller man spoke. "Now wake up your little lover and keep him quiet. If either of you scream, we'll kill you both. Dee glared. "And don't bother going for your guns, because we already took them." It didn't look like he had any options.

Dee shook Ryo's shoulder. Ryo whimpered. "It can't be morning yet. I feel like hell."

"It's not. Don't scream. We're, um, being held at gunpoint."

Ryo woke up fast. "What now?" He turned to stare at the men. "Shit. What the hell do you want with us?"

The taller man spoke again. "You'll get dressed and come quietly if you don't want a bullet through the brain." Ryo shuddered. He recognized that voice, but he wasn't sure from where. He and Dee threw on their clothes as ordered. They couldn't win in a fight against two men with guns. They stood quietly as the shorter man tied their hands behind their backs while the taller man enforced his rules with the threat of his gun. The two men walked outside to the two men's car. They sat silently in the back, the driver with a gun in his lap and the passenger facing them, gun in hand. No way were they getting away from these freaks.

They were blindfolded and led into a building, up several flights of stairs, and into an apartment. When the blindfolds were removed, they found themselves each tied to a sofa. Ryo and Dee locked eyes from across the room. Without words, they conveyed the same thought to each other: Holy shit!

The two men laughed. "Get comfy...it's only getting worse from here. A third man wearing a black ski mask entered the room. He was half leading, half dragging a sobbing and blindfolded man. It looked like... "JJ?" Dee wondered out loud.

"What? Is that Dee?" JJ whimpered as the man leading him smacked him.

The man growled. "Keep your voice down, you jackass, or I'll kill you now." JJ shut up immediately. JJ whimpered softly as the man with the black mask tied him to the kitchen table, which was right behind Dee's sofa. The three men stepped back to view and laugh at their three prisoners.

The taller man in the orange mask, obviously the leader, spoke to them with sadistic pleasure in his voice. "Well, isn't this the nice little fairy assembly we've got here?"

Ryo knew he'd recognized that voice. "James Dawson! We work with you!"

With a laugh, the man pulled off his mask. "I was wondering when you'd guess. Actually, I'd really hoped Dee would figure it out. But no, he was much better acquainted with my brother, Andrew."

Dee almost gasped. Dawson had been his former lover's last name. "Is that what this is about?"

Dawson laughed again. "Of course, you damn queer! It was gays like you that made Andrew start going with men, and it was some damn queen that gave him your fucken gay virus when he was just fourteen! You damn bastards took his life away, and you rub it in every day at work, with all the 'see you tonight' and 'Dee, why won't you leave him for me?' and that shit. So you're going to die. And it's going to be slow and painful, because that's how Andrew went.

Ryo cringed. They were screwed. He couldn't do anything tied to a couch. So this was the end. He hadn't expected to go this way. He had hoped he'd die with dignity, perhaps in the line of duty or maybe when he was old and had already gotten something accomplished in his life. Not like this. He couldn't go like this, tied like a dog and sitting, knowing his lover was going with him. But he was. Nothing would stop these men. Dawson's revenge wouldn't let him see how wrong he was, and his friends didn't seem any more inclined to show any mercy. Dawson grinned maliciously. "We'll start with that one," he said, indicating JJ with a wave of his hand. One of his associates kicked JJ in the head. The poor guy couldn't handle a paper cut, much less a kick in the head. He screamed. The man who'd kicked him shot him in the heart. Dee and Ryo cringed and shut their eyes. It didn't matter that they'd never liked him; he was a fellow officer and he'd been brutally slain. Dawson hissed at the shooter. "Moron! Why wasn't there a silencer on that gun?!" The man looked like a deer in the headlights. Dawson clenched his fists, then relaxed. "Never mind. No one's awake at this hour. If that woke anyone, they won't know what it was that woke them. But if you do that again, I'll be shooting you. Understood?" The man nodded frantically. "Good."

That done, Dawson grabbed a kitchen knife and walked towards Ryo while JJ's killer put a silencer on his gun. "Well, aren't you excited? You're next. You don't get a quick end, though. And if you scream, my buddies are going to shoot your boyfriend and make you watch him die. So keep it down." Dawson ran the knife across Ryo's cheek, leaving only a shallow cut. Ryo winced. "Can't handle that, can you, fairy? Let's see how you like this, then." He quickly switched his grip on the knife and stabbed it into Ryo's right shoulder. Ryo gasped. Dee turned his head and squeezed his eyes shut. Dawson pulled the knife out and immediately dragged it down the length of Ryo's upper arm. He grinned. "You don't like that? Well, why don't you just have a break while your partner gets to have some fun?"

Ryo snarled, "You bastard. You think you won't get caught?"

Dawson sneered. "You think I care? As long as you die, I can rot in prison for the rest of my life and still be happy. Because my brother's dying words were, 'Dee, I love you.' Not 'Mom', or 'Dad', or 'James' or 'Grandma', but 'Dee'. So Dee's gotta go. And the two men who love him just have to be sent to Hell with him, eh?" Dawson turned and strode over to Dee. "Well, Dee, hope your lover's clean, because you're coming in contact with his blood right about..." Dawson stabbed the knife into Dee's right thigh, "...now." Dee flinched. "Oh, another girly man. Well, maybe you'll like this better." Dawson slashed across Dee's chest, leaving a bloody line almost seven inches long. "That better? Well, what do you think of..." He paused, positive heard noises in the hallway. He turned to his two pals.

"Keep your guns on them." He cut through Dee's bonds, then Ryo's. They new better than to do something stupid like move; they'd be shot dead before they got anything accomplished. "The two of you, stand there!" Dawson barked while pointing to a spot against the wall. The pair did as directed, trying not to look at JJ's dead body. Dawson's two friends moved to either side of the pair. Dawson walked over to them, grinning manically. "It's the end of the line." He jammed the knife into Dee's left arm, yanked it out, and slashed Ryo's right arm with it, making a "T" with the previous cut. Dawson laughed as he heard footsteps outside the door. He waved the knife in the air. "This next one's a killer, ladies!" Before he made his finishing move, the apartment door hit the floor. Four cops stood in the doorway, guns pointed at him and his two partners in crime. "Police! Drop the weapons!" Ryo and Dee dropped to the floor for safety. They fell into each other's arms, despite the fact that the contact caused their injuries to hurt all the more. That didn't matter as long as they could hold each other.

Dawson's pals dropped the guns. Dawson wasn't quit as self- preserving. He waved the gun as he stepped towards the four officers. "James Dawson! Drop the weapon or we'll fire! As a cop, you should know that!" He didn't. They fired. He dropped to the floor full of lead and gasping.

He gagged on the blood he was spitting up. With his last breaths, he gasped, "Those...queens..."

One officer went over to JJ. He was clearly dead. The four officers removed their hats and bowed their heads towards his body. He'd been a good officer, for all his annoying habits. They then turned their attention towards Dee and Ryo. They were still clinging to each other as though hell was trying to drag them apart. They were both covered in blood and – did their eyes deceive them? – crying. They didn't bother the pair until the ambulances arrived. Even then, they resisted being separated. They felt like if they let go of each other now, they'd never see each other again. Commissioner Rose arrived a minute into the dilemma and managed to get them peacefully apart and into ambulances.

The precinct was pretty quiet when the detectives returned to work a few days later. Everyone knew what had happened. Things wouldn't be the same. There weren't going to be any more snickers from the more rude officers every time Dee and Ryo passed by together. Drake wouldn't be making any more of his implied gay jokes. It wouldn't be right. Yes, Dee and Ryo were a couple. And yes, there were always going to be cops on the force who hated that. But they wouldn't be able to say anything about it without someone giving them hell.

Dee spaced out over his coffee when he and Ryo took their break. Ryo sat down in the chair next to him. "Dee, you lost?"

Dee shook his head. "Nah. Just wondering, do you think James actually believed what he said? That all gay guys should die because his brother died of AIDS after he got it from another man?"

"Honestly, yeah. He probably did. But that doesn't matter that much, or at least it shouldn't. He was wrong. His opinion doesn't matter. And he's dead. It doesn't matter." Ryo put his hand on Dee's shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

Dee shrugged. "The past...is past. You're right. Forget about it." They both knew he was full of it. Neither of them had had easy pasts, and neither of them were forgetting it any time soon. But neither were they forgetting each other soon. As silly as it seemed, knowing they had each other made them a lot less worried about stupid things. Sort of like a don't sweat the small stuff reminder. Dee grinned. "So, did Bikky give you a lecture on 'this is why I don't like you being around Dee'?

Ryo smiled. "I think he seriously considered it. Know what though? He likes you. Really."

Dee snorted. "I wish he didn't." He didn't mean it. Just a front, same as his tough-guy act.