Warning: Strong cussing.

5: The Day After

The sound of a door opening put Dee on instant alert. He knew it was daytime from the soft light diffused through the curtain when he saw a frantic Elena poke her head in. Not finding Ryo in his room and seeing the destruction that had been wrought upon the place, a sigh of relief left her lips as she saw him sprawled under the coverlet but turned to a frown when she saw he was shirtless. She stepped all the way into the dimly lit room and peered around as if looking for something or someone.

She was startled when she saw Dee sitting up on the chaise lounge in his rumpled dress shirt with the top buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up above his elbows. He was about to speak when she shushed him and motioned him to stay put before proceeding into the attached bathroom and bringing out a silken robe that had been hanging behind the door.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she gently leaned the emotionally drained man forward against her shoulder to work his arms into the cool, smooth fabric before tucking him in. She then silently walked over to the cabinet where the linen was kept and handed Dee a blanket, along with a tense but grateful smile and her set of keys. Returning to her nephew, she brushed his hair off his brow and gave Ryo a kiss on the forehead before letting herself out, closing the door behind her.

Dee was not in the most comfortable of positions despite the added cushion of the blanket. The reclining chair was designed more to support the legs than the back and when he stretched out to his full length his limbs dangled off the edge. He had used his rolled-up jacket to prop his head though he could have easily grabbed one of the plush pillows that remained unruffled by Ryo's motionless form.

He sat straight up, massaging his neck by allowing his skull to drape over the edge of the backrest. What the hell was he still doing here? He could have just dumped this troublesome, privileged brat on the bed and left, but Mother had asked him to look out for him. And if there was one thing Penguin was a sucker for was the little lost lamb.

Dee was an orphan but it's not like he couldn't understand what it meant to lose someone important to him. He didn't permit himself to become too emotionally attached. The environment he grew up in was in constant flux with children coming and going every week. So when his surrogate father and best friend were killed, he initially reacted by retreating into the attic, his only refuge of privacy. But he still had his friends who understood him, he still had his Mother to support him and as a result he eventually came to a new resolve. Apparently Ryo had lost all that.

That day, as Mother and Dee were walking back to the garden where the apprehensive woman was waiting for them, he was at a loss as to what role he would play. "What do you want me to do?"

Mother's broad smile and twinkling eyes showed just how much she knew she could depend upon him. "I think that young man is in need of someone right now."

When Elena had come asking for help they could sense the woman's genuine affection and concern. There was no pretense that she was only anxious that he not tarnish the family name and reputation with his reckless and wildly extravagant behavior.

He was always a good boy and wanted to please his parents but with all that had happened it seemed like he had given up his good intentions in resignation. She wanted him to lead a life his parents would be proud of but most of all one HE would be proud of. She just didn't know how to handle nor really understood Ryo's emotional state.

Then there was the man himself. Randy "Don't call me Ryo" Maclean.

Dee had no problem expressing his admiration of beauty whether it be manifest in a woman or a man but he was damn selective in his choice of partners. He wasn't just attracted to a pretty face. Elena's tender affection for her nephew and the depth of feeling in Ryo's voice and eyes when he reminisced about his parents allowed Dee to catch glimpses of the deep yearning for family behind the elaborate ruse. And now, under the cloak of sleep he was unable to sustain his facade.

Last night, he had cocooned this exquisite young man from his despair until he mercifully shut down from the overwhelming stress. The absolute worst thing Dee could do was take advantage of his vulnerability but all he really wanted to do was lie down on the large, inviting surface, hold Ryo close in his arms, tuck the blonde head under his chin, and feel the softness of his hair.

Supported by the way Ryo blushed when Dee looked at him last night, and how his eyes followed him despite dirty dancing with an extremely attractive female, his intuition told him that Ryo was more receptive to receiving male attention than he may be willing to admit. But despite that, he was still pretty sure Ryo would freak out if he woke up to find themselves sharing the same bed in his half-clothed state.

Now that Dee was totally awake, his next move was about to be dictated by Nature. He was getting up to answer the call when he heard Ryo stirring.

Disoriented by the light coming from the wrong angle, Ryo stared at the ceiling through half-closed eyelids trying to get his bearings. 'Okay. This is not my room.' He heard a rustling movement and froze. Trying not to panic, he tried to recollect whether he had taken someone to bed and wanting to appear the considerate lover, went through his checklist. 'Okay. Think. What was her name'. He turned his head tentatively towards the noise to be met by two very alert eyes piercing through his mental haze. 'Oh my God! What was HIS name'. In his embarrassement, he rolled over and buried his head in the pillow. After a pause to consider, his anxiety was somewhat alleviated. If he had been violated, he suspected more than his head would be radiating pain at the moment.

A familiar voice floated in the silence. "It's no worse than guys' night out. Believe me, I've had to depend on the kindness of strangers on more than one occasion."

Ryo felt the bed dip as Dee stretched out on one side of the mattress in order to relieve the compression on his back. So there they were, side by side. Neither one inclined to move an inch.

Dee ventured to start a conversation. "How do you feel?"

Ryo's speech was slurred as his monotonal voice was muffled by the pillow "What a stupid question. How the hell do you think I feel?"

Dee conceded the validity of his response. "Yeah, that was pretty stupid."

Finding himself more disturbed than annoyed by this presence, Ryo said, "What are you still doing here? You waiting to get a piece of me?"

Dee was surprised by his crudeness. "It IS more enjoyable if you're not unconscious."

Dressed in the robe and his briefs, Ryo became aware of his disarray. He turned his head enough to look accusingly at Dee. "Did you DO something to me last night?"

Dee was offended, "I'm glad to know you think so highly of yourself and so low of me."

Hugging the robe tighter to his slim frame Ryo said. "God. I'm in no mood to play. I feel like cotton candy that's been deflated and stuffed down its own cone."

Dee couldn't help but laugh at the metaphor. "Whoa. I've never heard a hangover described THAT way. It's too bad the party shut down early. It looked like you were actually starting to have fun."

Yeah. For the first time he WAS having fun until... "Oh, that was the best one yet. It'll keep 'em coming back for more. I can see it now, half of them will end up in jail and half of them will end up dead."

"Which half are you in?"

Choosing to ignore that comment and trying to concentrate on why this man in his room? "You never told me who invited you here." Though he was only seeking confirmation. There was only one person called him THAT name.

"Through your Aunt Elena who, by the way, came by earlier to tuck you in like the good little boy you aren't. And as tempted as I was to cop a feel, I took your shirt off because I thought that would make you more comfortable. It was already pretty much trashed after that bitch tried to rip it off you."

Aunt Elena. Even after all he's put her through, even though he knew she loved him like a son though she never intended to have children, he never got over feeling like a guest in her household. It wasn't like he was offered a preference. No one else wanted to take him in. "So she's hired me a babysitter."

"Well you're acting like a baby."

Speaking in a louder voice than necessary to force air out through his fuzziness. "Fuck you!"

"Damn, are you always this loud in bed?"

The realization hit Ryo that this man, who had attracted his attention the moment he saw him, and with whom he was trading insults, was sitting within arm's reach on a bed. He turned his head away searching for a cool spot.

Sorry that he could no longer see his eyes. Dee began to talk idly. "I didn't know which room was yours, this one was still intact so I just dropped you off here."

Not bothering to look at the clock, Ryo asked, "What time is it?"

"9:00"

"The clean up crew will be here at 10:00. Lock the door behind you on your way out."

"Why?"

"They've been instructed not to bother with any room that's locked. This isn't my room. I don't have a change of clothes here and I can't face... the day without my morning coffee." The configuration of his own room was such that his private exit allowed him to avoid acknowledging the chaos until the maintenance teams were able to magically restore order.

"Which room is yours."

Now it was Ryo's turn to ask why.

"I'll get you some clothes then we can go get lunch. I have a sneaky suspicion you've been on the liquid diet. It's working well. Does wonders for your figure."

Ryo was getting tired of dodging innuedoes. "Don't bother, you're off the clock. Dammit, will you get the hell out! I don't want you here!"

With a hurt tone in Dee's voice that he may have actually felt, "I thought you liked company. But maybe you just don't like mine." He got up and left the room.

Ryo heard the door click behind him. He hugged his pillow closer 'Thank God I'm so boring. I'D even walk out on me if I could.'

Left alone his senses began to assail him; smell, sight, taste, sound, and touch. The stale odor of smoke, the scene of destruction in his parents' second home, the lingering taste of alcohol and vomit, the crash of breaking glass and furniture.

Then he could remember being enveloped in a tender embrace, a masculine scent, soothing words, and an aura of warmth and security that allowed him to not hold back when the only thing he wanted to do was cry. He was sorry he had hurt Dee's feelings.

The door opened again. He could feel the weight of soft material being tossed on his legs.

Ryo pretended to be asleep when he felt the coverlet being dragged down his body and he clutched his pillow a little tighter in response.

Denim lightly touched the sensitive skin on the bottom of his feet causing him to twitch as his pants were being worked up his legs.

He clinched his knees together and crossed his ankles then gasped when he felt the back of his knees being tickled. He flipped over to protest in indignation when he was physically lifted off the bed as his pants were shoved up the rest of the way past his thighs and over his hips. He then found himself with his fly wide open being straddled and held down around his waist by two strong hands. Even as he glared into the face above him he couldn't help but be mesmerized.

The moment was broken when Dee said, with an offensively self-satisfied smile, "It's usually done in reverse."

Ryo shoved him violently away, instantly awake, his face bright red. "I can dress myself!"

Dee landed on his shoulder allowing Ryo to escape. "Well hurry up, I'm getting hungry."

He looked at the selection of clothes he had chosen, seeing that Dee had at least discovered the laundry room. He had brought a couple of shirts, blazers, a sweater, socks and a tie. "I'm not wearing a tie today."

Dee picked up the tie and spun it into a jellyroll. "It's a blindfold so you won't have to see the mess while we're leaving."

Suddenly Ryo had to agree, he didn't want to be here, the walls were beginning to suffocate him.

He grabbed a shirt wanting to slap that smirk off of Dee's face. He turned his back to him letting the robe cascade off his shoulders and puddle on the floor. He did up the buttons, tucked in his shirt, and jammed his feet into his socks.

Despite his resolve to be a gentleman while undressing him last night, Dee couldn't imagine the silky material could be any softer than Ryo's skin.

As Ryo stepped into the bathroom to give his face a quick wash he couldn't help but be caught by the reflection in the mirror. The blood-shot veins around the sunken orbs that sucked in rather than radiated light. The dark circles that demonstrated that not all sleep was therapeutic. The tousled hair from wrestling with Dee on the bed was enticing but the strands had begun to lose their luster. 'Damn, it looks like I escaped from rehab. People will probably think Dee's my keeper. Well, I guess he is if he was sent by Aunt Elena.'

The pounding on the door interrupting his ruminations. "Hey, quit hogging the bathroom. I've got needs too, you know."

Ryo combed his fingers through his hair. 'Why the hell should I care what people think?'

When he opened the door of the bathroom, he barely managed to got out of the way of Dee brushing past him in his rush. He noticed that Dee was wearing the other shirt which was a little taunt due to a difference in height and build and which succeeded in accentuating his physique. Seeing Ryo's appraisal almost caused him to puff out his chest enough to pop the buttons. "Hey, if I knew we'd be having a sleep-over I would have brought my kit. I'll return it later."

As they prepared to leave the room, Dee slipped the set of keys into one pocket and reached into the other. "Now where's that tie?"

TBC.