a/n: You know you've been reading/thinking about FAKE too much if you start dreaming about them.

Let me explain:

A few nights ago, I dreamt that the Chief wanted to transfer Ryo away from the station for some unknown reason. In order for him to do that, he needed run off some papers on the photocopier. Don't ask me why, but the photocopier was coin operated. Dee and Berkley and gotten wind of the Chief's plans, hence; they stole all the loose change in the vicinity and Ryo wound up sticking around. Aww…

But enough chat of my peculiarities. I'd be correct in assuming that you all came here to read whether the hunter, Dee catches his prey.

I'll be a good little slave to the masses and keep typing. Please don't hurt me.

SOUR GRAPES

Four:

Ryo rubbed his eyes as he closed Bikky's door behind him. Bikky didn't want him to leave, and to be honest- neither did Ryo. But he had to face Dee sometime. The sooner he put Dee in his place, the sooner he could snuggle up with a good book and go to sleep. Cautiously, Ryo stepped into the living room. Ack, Dee was still there, his normally green eyes gleaming a lustful yellow.

"Are the kiddies tucked up in bed, asleep?" Dee raised himself from the chair he was sitting in. Ryo had forgotten that Dee was taller than him.

"I wouldn't say they're exactly asleep…" Ryo said nervously. What he wouldn't give for Bikky to want a drink of water now!

"Well then, we'll just have to be extra quiet- won't we?"

"What do you mean we?" Ryo demanded.

Dee smirked. "Don't play the fool, Ryo. You know what's about to happen here."

"I do?" Ryo gulped.

"Yes."

In seconds, Dee had Ryo pinned against a wall. The clock was hanging just above them, ticking away; completely oblivious to what was transpiring below. Ryo squirmed. He hated being trapped like this. His eyes clearly portrayed his desperation to escape. Dee gazed at him quizzically.

"What's wrong?" he asked, "Don't you like me?"

"To like a person is one thing," Ryo snapped, "But this is quite another!"

Dee sighed and licked Ryo's cheek affectionately.

"You just don't get it, do you?"

"What?"

Dee caressed his face gently.

"Ryo, I like you. Maybe you don't realize it yet, but I think you might feel something more for me than what your pretty face lets on."

Ryo uttered a tiny, non-committal sounding squeak when Dee nuzzled his neck.

"Relax. Christ, it's not as though I'm going to hurt you or anything!"

"I…I know." Ryo stammered, "It's just…" Dee allowed himself the pleasure of running his fingers through Ryo's silky brown hair. The other man backed even further up against the wall, terrified out of his wits. In his haste, Ryo bashed his elbow on a wooden joint behind the wall. The vibrations of the collision snaked upwards, dislodging the clock and bringing it down with a thunderous crash on Dee's head. Ryo seized his chance of escape.

"Dear, dear. Sit down, Dee. I'll get an icepack for that lump of yours."

Groaning and moaning dramatically, Dee obeyed and allowed Ryo to gingerly place the squishy, cold bag on his injury.

"You're lucky it's only a blow to the head." Ryo muttered.

"Lucky?" The dark haired man was grim. "How so? My beautiful head has been tragically disfigured! And do you care? Not one freakin' bit!"

"My poor clock. My Aunt picked that out for me when I first moved here…"

"See!" Dee accused.

"Oh pipe down! I was only joking." Ryo disappeared into the kitchen to find a bag to sweep the remains of the clock into. "If you're staying the night, you better go to sleep now or you'll be like a bear with a headache when you wake up." Ryo called from the other room.

As the light was switched off, Dee fumbled his way over to the couch and collapsed on it- resting his bruised head on a convenient cushion nearby.

So close. Dee lamented miserably to himself. So close, and yet- so freakin' far. If it weren't for that stupid clock, I wouldn't be alone on this couch right now. With difficulty, Dee rolled over on his side. He couldn't sleep, now. The quiet stillness of the apartment was almost too much he could bear. Simply knowing that Ryo was in the other room tormented him to the point of insanity. His skin…his hair…the way his lips parted slightly as he breathed in his sleep…Surely, it couldn't hurt? Just a look. Nothing further than that? Temptation wrestled Dee and won. He swung his feet from the couch and let them sink into the plush carpeting. Taking a moment to gain his bearings, Dee felt his way through the dark until his fingers closed over the edge of Ryo's bedroom door. Softly pushing it open, he smiled. Sprawled out on his luxurious king sized bed was Ryo, the twinkling city lights reflecting off his fine boned features. His arms were stretched out above his head; long but wiry underneath his silk pajamas. Dee reached out and pulled the coverlet over his love's chest. As he did so, Ryo mumbled something in his sleep, on the edge of a tangible dream. Dee caught a word or two and smirked. Though Ryo was tough as a clam to crack when he was awake, his feelings were clearly perceivable in sleep- free of all inhibitions. He just needed to be…reminded of them. Pinching a pillow that had fallen to the floor, Dee propped himself up against the wardrobe door and half closed his eyes.

"You don't fool me, Ryo." he whispered softly, "Not be a long shot."

THE NEXT MORNING…

"EEEEE! ATTACK OF THE PERVERT!" The sight of Dee's sleeping body draped across his father-figure's own confronted Bikky, who as usual bounded into Ryo's room to rudely wake him.

"Ha? Huh? What's going…on?" Ryo managed to mumble into his pillow, half-asleep.

"I'LL PROTECT YOU RYO!" His brain pierced by Bikky's squeals, Dee rolled over. Half an eye opened as he wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

"Yo lil' monster. What're you doing in here?"

"SHUT UP AND STAY STILL, THAT I MIGHT SMOTE YOU, VILE DEMON!" Like a cat, Bikky sprang from the floor and clung to Dee's face- growling and pulling his hair. Gasping for breath and trying to wrench the child from his vital respiratory openings, Dee fell out of bed. Bikky gripped him with the dexterity of a monkey, chomping on his ear. With a muffled scream of bloody murder, Dee lurched to his feet and careened out into the hall. Whether by divine providence or sheer stupid luck, he found himself in the bathroom.

"Mwohehehe. Ee bwafared two ee hoaked hucker." (TRANSLATION: "Mwuhahaha. Be prepared to be soaked, sucker.") Griping the glass shower screen, he slid it open, stepped inside and turned the cold water on to the equivalent of a tropical monsoon. Dripping wet and yowling, Bikky scrambled down Dee's body and ran bubbling tales of child abuse to Ryo- who was only now fully conscious that he was in fact awake.

Sniffling perhaps a little more than what was necessary, Bikky sat at the breakfast table and pulled faces at Dee hunched over his cereal opposite. Though Ryo supplied them both with towels and stern reprimands, Dee noted with jealousy that Ryo only gently rubbed Bikky's hair dry and gave him warm milk to pour on his cereal. The boy delighted in pulling faces at his enemy when Ryo's back was turned and gleefully poked his tongue out as Ryo gave Dee a withering glance if ever the other man tried to pull a face to retaliate.

Dee's cereal had gone soggy and sank to the bottom of the bowl.

"Et tu, Rice Bubbles?" he mournfully spoke to them.

a/n 2: Waah, sorry sorry sorry! I've been so long in updating! But don't blame me! Blame the hideous evilness of mid year exams. That may well be the reason this chap. is a little …patchy. Hmm…well…I did like bits of it. But you people who read it are the ones who really benefit! Please leave a nice review? (mumblemutterunlikeSOMEstupididioticdoltswhocanbarelystringtwowordstogetherorhavesenseenoughtofreakin'readONandgrivefreakin'CONSTRUCTIVEadivicemumblemutter)

Well, to all the lovely people who like my writing, I thank you all very much. When I receive a review, it brightens up my day and makes me want to only incinerate flamers, instead of the alternative of incinerating and THEN grinding their ashes into the fecal matter of various barnyard animals.

==

Phe-chan.

PS. After exams, I'll give you a nice err…'zesty' chap of SG. My birthday present to you all.

PPS. To the nice reviewer who commented about the Chapter Heading- "Pretty Hair"...erm...I'm not sure why I did that. Perhaps I was just thinking that they had really nice hair at the time...shrugs Your guess unfortunately, is as good as mine.