a/n: HELLO! How was everyone's Easter? Here's hoping that you all got plenty of chocolate; chocolate that is good for stimulating the mind and health, I'll have you know!
Moving on, thanks again to all who reviewed. You people are fantastic. So much so, I'm bowing under demands for more story. Enjoy reading. I know I had fun writing. (I just read book 5 of the FAKE manga-
=^_____^= So cool…)
SOUR GRAPES
Three:
"Thanks for the flowers Ryo, but I can't eat them. I'm really hungry." In the New York City General Hospital, Bikky sat up in bed, with his guardian Ryo beside him.
"How ironic-"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you were hospitalized for food poisoning, and now you suddenly want to eat more food? What do you have, a death wish?" The chocolate skinned boy grinned.
"Wouldn't do for me to waste away! You'd be left all alone with no one to protect you from that vile, gay pervert." Ryo made a strange face.
"I…don't know what you're talking about." he said. He panicked, and looked for an escape from the conversation as Bikky looked at him skeptically.
"I talked to the doctor before I came in. He said that if you're particularly good, you might be able to come home tonight." Bikky's face lit up with joy- the distraction had worked.
"Wow! Really? That's so cool! Please tell me you've got something edible at home. I can't live on this hospital food. I think it's stunting my growth." Ryo ruffled his hair affectionately.
"Don't worry so much. That's my job." Suddenly remembering something, Ryo added, "Did Carol come and see you today?" Bikky smirked.
"Yeah, she was pretty worried about me, y'know?"
It was Ryo's turn to look skeptical. "Oh come on!" Bikky was indignant, "There's like- a whole army of adults swarming around this place- even if I wanted to-" He looked at Ryo and laughed nervously, "Not that I'd do anything like that, of course…ha, ha, ha."
"Hmm…" Ryo checked the time on his watch and nodded. "Well, it's almost time for me to go- you with me. Ready to bust out of this joint?"
"With pleasure." Kicking off the covers, Bikky held out his arms and allowed Ryo to scoop him up off the bed. "Gee, you're cold. What have you been doing? Standing in a freezer at the supermarket?"
"Git. It's snowing outside."
"Oh." Bikky snuggled close to Ryo, sharing his warmth.
"Thanks." Ryo beamed down at him as they made their way down a corridor leading away from the private room. At the reception desk on the ground floor, Bikky was officially discharged. Someone had packed his things from his room into his bag, and once handed to Ryo, he began fishing out a warm sweater for Bikky to wear on the journey home. After a struggle, Ryo managed to pull it on him. Dissatisfied with the garment's reliability, he unbuttoned his own massive overcoat and bundled it firmly around his young charge. Bikky was not impressed.
"Man, this is so embarrassing!" Ryo clicked his tongue and knotted the huge, loose sleeves of the coat together.
"So you won't escape!" He chuckled, swinging an irritated Bikky into his arms. "Now, now. Don't look so annoyed. After this recent little adventure of yours, I need to keep my eye on you more often."
"Aww man! My age is in the double digits already! Deal with it!" His protests weren't paid any serious attention. Making a big show of not being able to hear him, Ryo edged out the door- almost immediately knocked backwards by an icy blast of wind that rushed up to greet him from the street. Hugging Bikky tighter, Ryo quickly walked to the curb.
"TAXI!" The yellow taxi cab driver acknowledged Ryo's cry, and swept his vehicle parallel to the gutter, where it came to a screeching halt. Carefully, Ryo managed to open the car door with one hand, and placed Bikky inside. Gently, he buckled the seatbelt over the boy's body.
"I'm not a total invalid y'know." Ryo smiled.
"I know. Just humor me. When I'm old and grey, you can strap me in a straight jacket for all that I'll care." Bikky's face softened as his eyelids drooped. As quietly as possible, Ryo closed the car door and slid into the passenger seat in front. As clouds swirled across a darkening sky, the taxi- one of many hundreds in the city, slipped sneakily into the crawling evening traffic.
* * *
Dee was up to his eyeballs in neatly stacked, and organized papers. Some of them were reports; all the others consisted of memos that seemed to have accumulated over the past millennia on Ryo's desk. Dee had weeded out all the difficult things to fill in, and placed them in one offensive pile. They hurt his brain to look at them, so he threw them in the bin. No need to worry. JJ would find it when he on his daily rummage through the trash (in hope of finding pieces of Dee memorabilia) and fill it in himself. At least he was good for that much. Ryo had been gone a lot longer than he said he would. So long in fact, that Dee's nerves in his arm refused to respond to his mind's command to make his muscles move, in order for Dee to be able to look at his watch for the fifty-millionth time. The situation was bleak- the coffee and perverted fantasy supply was wearing dangerously thin.
"Goodnight Dee."
Dee smiled and replied sleepily, "Goodnight. Huh- that almost sounds like Ryo's voice…" He caught a familiar scent drifting towards him. "And that almost smells like Ryo." The main doors of the station slammed shut, and Dee was jerked into wakefulness. "Wha? Hey! That is Ryo! The bastard left without me! Dammit!" At top speed, Dee skidded down the hall and into the street. He spotted the object of his affection climbing into a cab. "Nooo!" Dramatically, Dee slid down the icy handrail of the stairs and catapulted himself onto the passenger window. Needless to say, his 'pretty' face was flattened like a pancake.
Ryo wound down the glass window so his partner could breathe. "Uhhh….are you by any chance, trying to tell me something?" Dee gave him the Evil Eye.
"Did you forget that I said I'd wait for you to come back from the hospital?"
"No."
Dee was exasperated, "Then why did you just take off like that? Again?"
"You said you'd be waiting for me- there was nothing about coming home with me mentioned." Ryo said smugly. He glanced at Dee's forlorn and bruised face.
"Well, whatever you say about me, I'm not a heartless bastard. Get in next to Bikky. But don't you dare wake him up. I doubt he would have any second thoughts (unlike myself) about pitching you out of the door and into peak hour traffic."
"Your generosity knows no bounds, sire." With a very slight smile, Dee brushed the snow off his jacket and clipped his seatbelt into place.
* * *
"My, my. The Prodigal Son returns! Welcome home, Bikky!" Carol stood in the living room, beaming happily as Ryo unwound his coat from Bikky's body.
"Heh. Did you miss me?"
Carol smirked. "Yes. About as much as someone misses a thorn in their foot." Bikky's face fell, and he went into a dejected sulk. Turning to leave the welcoming party, he spotted Dee lurking by the window.
"YAH! What the hell are you doing here?"
"What do you mean 'me'?" Dee growled angrily, "I could ask you the same freakin' question!"
"What drugs are you on? I live here!" said Bikky, balling his fists in rage.
Quietly, Ryo and Carol gazed at the unfolding scene from the opposite side of the room.
"Those two will still be fighting when they're dead and buried." Carol muttered.
"Yep." Said Ryo, "So we better get them adjacent plots, huh?" The pair snickered. At that point, Bikky was attempting to gnaw Dee's leg off, and Ryo sighed. "Bikky, get that out of your mouth. You don't know where it's been."
Bikky gagged and spat out a scrap of Dee's pinstriped trousers.
"That was uncalled for!" Dee spluttered,"I'll have you know that I" Ryo didn't seem to hear him as he spoke to Carol.
"Would you like to stay for dinner again tonight?"
"That would be great, thanks Ryo. Do you mind if I use your phone? Just to let my folks know where I am?"
"HEY! DON'T IGNORE ME!"
"That's fine. You know where it is, so go right ahead."
"HELLO? I'M NOT INVISIBLE, BUT I FREAKIN' MIGHT AS WELL BE!" As Carol pattered from the room with Bikky, Dee sat crankily in front of Ryo, with his arms folded against his chest, not unlike a three year old child who has thrown a major tantrum.
"You need to learn to not be so temperamental."
"Tch. You're one to talk." Dee flicked strands of dark hair out of his eyes. "Anyone would think that you lived permanately on a soapy, you drama queen. What?" He snapped the last word. "What are you looking at?" Ryo, who had been studying the way Dee's mouth twitched when he was annoyed- tilted his head away to stare at the switched off television.
"…Nothing."
Dee sprang to his feet in sudden realization. "HAH! You can't lie to me! You were checking me out!" He proclaimed triumphantly.
"Wha? No I wasn't! Don't be ridiculous!" Ryo wasn't aware that he was trying to shout over the top of Dee. It was a pointless effort anyhow, as Dee currently was hearing renditions of angels singing and bells chiming in his mind.
"What…are you doing?" Ryo asked the other man nervously. No reply. Dee was inching his was towards him- attempting to look inconspicuous. There was something disturbing about the way Dee was looking at him…. Almost….hungrily.
"Keep away, I'm warning you!"
Dee was amused for a few moments. " You're warning me, huh? What will you do though? I see no trusty spatula close at hand to flatten me with. My poor little Ryo, I do believe you are quite defenseless. " At those words, Dee had closed the distance between them and began to softly stroke Ryo's hair. Ryo squirmed- close to drowning in a mixture of embarrassment and fear of what might happen next.
"R~~~yo! Where are you? Carol's mum said that it was fine if she stayed over. Do you have any old shirts you could lend…YOU!" Bikky had returned, doubtless to say- earlier than expected. Picking up a vase, which happened to be the nearest heavy object, he flung it with all his might at Dee's head.
"HOLY CRAP, THAT HURTS! You monster! Aren't you supposed to be an invalid or something? In bed? Asleep? Now?" Brushing pottery shards off his lap, Ryo hastily moved away from Dee. He wanted to hug Bikky.
"An old shirt, you say? I think I've got some in my bottom drawer. Come with me, and we'll find some." he said quickly. Gratefully, Ryo headed in the direction off his room. Blood was pumping in his ears like a sledgehammer. That little encounter with the over-zealous Dee was too close for comfort. Man, he could be so creepy sometimes!
Bikky had not followed Ryo straight away. He stood glaring at the broken cop in the living room; foiled once again in his attempts to get into Ryo's pants. Bikky wanted to make sure that it stayed that way.
"If you EVER touch MY Ryo like that again," He said dangerously, "I'll make you regret it."
"Pfff. You don't scare me kid. And who said Ryo was yours?"
"Me."
"So now every idiotic utterance that escapes your lips is law? I don't think so."
"I've said my piece. But be warned. I do pay moderate attention in History class. Particularly ancient civilizations and their love of castrating servants. Bikky smiled sweetly as the colour from Dee's face drained.
"Goodnight, Dee. See you in the morning. If you are a good boy, you'll awake well, whole, and complete." As the boy vanished into Ryo's room, Dee subconsciously tightened his belt another notch.
"Damn!" he muttered, "Another chance wasted. But Ryo won't have his pint-sized protector around forever. The brat has to go to school for six hours a day, five days a week. Then there are the school camps…Mweheehee." Dee arched his fingers and silently began rehearsing 'cool' pick up lines and quotes for when Ryo would return. He'd come to say goodnight in that oh-so-sexy way of his and that's when he'd be rendered powerless, as well as naked by Dee's 'romantic/literary mind'. Sniffing his shirt cuffs to check that he smelled alluring, Dee paced the living room like a cat- confident that he would win the waiting game.
a/n: He he he…Will Dee succeed in his plans? Perhaps. Trust me, I know what some of his pick up lines are and well…to be frank- they suck. What will I arm Ryo with next? An eggbeater, perhaps? ^___^
Sorry to leave you on the edge of your seats, my fellow freaky FAKE fans-
No, change that. I'm not sorry at all! HA HA HA! :)
Reviews are as always, appreciated.
~PHE-CHAN.