"What the FUCK is HE doing here?!" Rose growled, obviously angry for being
interrupted.
Ryo just sat frozen, unable to move or have the ability to speak.
Rose motioned for him to move. Ryo did so quickly and shifted onto a sitting position on the couch. Rose stood with a violent rage and walked to the door.
"You got real nerve coming here drunk, Laytner!" he griped as he fumbled with the locks. "I'm in the right mind to—"
Ryo rose to his feet in surprise as the door was pushed open, smacking Rose's head, and causing him to stumble backwards. Ryo's jaw gaped, unable to comprehend that he was witnessing such acts right in his very own home.
Dee took Rose by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall beside the door.
"I had a feeling you'd try something if Ryo was alone!" he shouted, not two inches from the man's face, watching his newly forehead wound turn scarlet red and let loose a single stream of blood.
All visible and vocal sounds of Dee being drunk somehow vanished entirely. Rose was half in and half out, not deciding whether he wanted to keep his eyes half way open, or closed entirely. With one more slam against the wall by Dee, his head was hit, and his eyes stayed closed.
"Bastard," Dee muttered, tossing him to the side like a rag doll. He turned to Ryo with a glare.
"What in the HELL were you thinking?!"
Ryo had to ball his fists to calm him down. He took in a breath of air. "How long were you out there for?"
"Just long enough to know what was going on inside. I do admit I got drunk and I probably did sound like that, but you know how fast I recover, right?" he asked, not looking at Ryo, but at a pack of cigarettes he dug out of his pocket.
"Umm..." Ryo looked away, "y-yeah."
Dee lit the end of the cigarette and took a notice that Ryo was trying to avoid eye contact with him at all costs. Why? Shame? Guilt? Anger? Who knows.
"You still mad at me?" he asked, with an ever so slight mumble from the cigarette being in between his lips.
"Why would I be mad at you?" Ryo asked quickly, feeling uneasy being penetrated by the former detective's piercing stare.
Dee held the cigarette in between his fingers and let out a sigh of smoke. "I've had time to think it over. From what I can remember about my surroundings, three people gathered around me and listened to my problems. I remember every word I said there, but there was only one sentence that I kept repeating over and over again."
Ryo felt himself lighten. His mind was still cloudy, but things seemed to appear a little more real now that Dee was back and didn't feel so claustrophobic like he was around just Rose.
"Do you want to know what it was?" Dee asked, stepping to who would always be his partner.
Ryo swallowed hard, but couldn't bear to look back. "W-What?"
"That I hope I didn't hurt you," he said, voice dramatically dropping. "Did I?"
When Ryo didn't speak right away, Dee's heart started racing.
"Ryo?"
Ryo turned around completely, back facing Dee. "I'm not a toy, Dee. I can't only be brought out to be played with, then shoved back in a box."
"Hell, I know that Ryo. It's just...a lot of shit's been going on. I'm out of work now, okay? I'm a little stressed. To know you're going to be at work every day, alone with that asshole, gets me to the point where I chew my nails halfway down to the cuticles. And here he was, making moves on you, taking advantage of my mistake!"
"No one's taking advantage of me!" I'm a MAN now, and whatever I WANT when it comes to a relationship, that is NOT being taken advantage of!"
Dee slapped a hand over his face. "You're so damn naïve. You don't know the first thing about taking care of yourself. You don't know what you want. You might as well be classified as a toy."
"Why? Because I won't give you the time of day like you keep begging me for?!" he asked. "Forgive me if I have at least a little somewhat pride in myself!"
Dee looked to him with a somewhat saddened facial expression.
"Would you rather me sleep with the entire square inch of New York City? Then maybe it'll make you feel better! It seems as though you're the only one I can't seem to please! What do I have to do? What do you want from me?!" he cried.
Dee bit his lower lip as his eyes met with Ryo's. He had never seen them so disturbed before. Allowing his reflexes to take over, he surprised Ryo especially by enveloping him into a backbreaking hug. Ryo's eyes went huge as Dee rested his head on his shoulder.
"D-Dee?"
As taken back as Ryo was, he could have sworn he heard a shuddering gasp come from Dee, signaling he was breaking down into tears. His hands gripped Ryo's shirt, clenching the material in his hands.
"I'm sorry Ryo, I don't mean to be this way, I really don't," he sobbed, burying his face into the crook of the other man's neck. "I don't have an occupation any further, my worst enemy in all of my life is hitting on the only one thing that means the world to me, I just can't cope with it! I'm tired of this! I don't handle stress easily. I never have."
Ryo just held the sobbing man close, allowing him to ramble, and rubbing the back of his head slowly to calm him down. His attitude nearly made Ryo take so much sorrow on him, that he almost fell to his state.
"Please forgive me. I love you so much, Ryo, I don't know how many times I've said it," he said, voice quivering.
"I know, Dee," he comforted quietly, brushing his jet-black hair with his fingers. "It's okay."
A quiet rustle got their attention. Dee opened his watery eyes with a snap, to notice Rose coming to his feet, gun in hand, pointed at Dee, and the free hand to his forehead, covering the freshly made wound.
"You are so fucked for this, Laytner. I shall see to it that this doesn't go unpunished. Any last words before your date with the cold earth?"
Ryo's head perked up immediately. "Commissioner..."
"Shut up if you know what's good for you. I'll have my talk with you later. Laytner, I've thought about my consequences, and I've come to the conclusion that I really don't care what happens to me, just so as long as vermin like yourself are eliminated from this world."
Both men watched at Rose's finger itched along the trigger, squeezing it ever so gently, as if to tempt and tease them. Neither one of them were prepared with what occurred next...
Ryo just sat frozen, unable to move or have the ability to speak.
Rose motioned for him to move. Ryo did so quickly and shifted onto a sitting position on the couch. Rose stood with a violent rage and walked to the door.
"You got real nerve coming here drunk, Laytner!" he griped as he fumbled with the locks. "I'm in the right mind to—"
Ryo rose to his feet in surprise as the door was pushed open, smacking Rose's head, and causing him to stumble backwards. Ryo's jaw gaped, unable to comprehend that he was witnessing such acts right in his very own home.
Dee took Rose by the collar of his shirt and slammed him against the wall beside the door.
"I had a feeling you'd try something if Ryo was alone!" he shouted, not two inches from the man's face, watching his newly forehead wound turn scarlet red and let loose a single stream of blood.
All visible and vocal sounds of Dee being drunk somehow vanished entirely. Rose was half in and half out, not deciding whether he wanted to keep his eyes half way open, or closed entirely. With one more slam against the wall by Dee, his head was hit, and his eyes stayed closed.
"Bastard," Dee muttered, tossing him to the side like a rag doll. He turned to Ryo with a glare.
"What in the HELL were you thinking?!"
Ryo had to ball his fists to calm him down. He took in a breath of air. "How long were you out there for?"
"Just long enough to know what was going on inside. I do admit I got drunk and I probably did sound like that, but you know how fast I recover, right?" he asked, not looking at Ryo, but at a pack of cigarettes he dug out of his pocket.
"Umm..." Ryo looked away, "y-yeah."
Dee lit the end of the cigarette and took a notice that Ryo was trying to avoid eye contact with him at all costs. Why? Shame? Guilt? Anger? Who knows.
"You still mad at me?" he asked, with an ever so slight mumble from the cigarette being in between his lips.
"Why would I be mad at you?" Ryo asked quickly, feeling uneasy being penetrated by the former detective's piercing stare.
Dee held the cigarette in between his fingers and let out a sigh of smoke. "I've had time to think it over. From what I can remember about my surroundings, three people gathered around me and listened to my problems. I remember every word I said there, but there was only one sentence that I kept repeating over and over again."
Ryo felt himself lighten. His mind was still cloudy, but things seemed to appear a little more real now that Dee was back and didn't feel so claustrophobic like he was around just Rose.
"Do you want to know what it was?" Dee asked, stepping to who would always be his partner.
Ryo swallowed hard, but couldn't bear to look back. "W-What?"
"That I hope I didn't hurt you," he said, voice dramatically dropping. "Did I?"
When Ryo didn't speak right away, Dee's heart started racing.
"Ryo?"
Ryo turned around completely, back facing Dee. "I'm not a toy, Dee. I can't only be brought out to be played with, then shoved back in a box."
"Hell, I know that Ryo. It's just...a lot of shit's been going on. I'm out of work now, okay? I'm a little stressed. To know you're going to be at work every day, alone with that asshole, gets me to the point where I chew my nails halfway down to the cuticles. And here he was, making moves on you, taking advantage of my mistake!"
"No one's taking advantage of me!" I'm a MAN now, and whatever I WANT when it comes to a relationship, that is NOT being taken advantage of!"
Dee slapped a hand over his face. "You're so damn naïve. You don't know the first thing about taking care of yourself. You don't know what you want. You might as well be classified as a toy."
"Why? Because I won't give you the time of day like you keep begging me for?!" he asked. "Forgive me if I have at least a little somewhat pride in myself!"
Dee looked to him with a somewhat saddened facial expression.
"Would you rather me sleep with the entire square inch of New York City? Then maybe it'll make you feel better! It seems as though you're the only one I can't seem to please! What do I have to do? What do you want from me?!" he cried.
Dee bit his lower lip as his eyes met with Ryo's. He had never seen them so disturbed before. Allowing his reflexes to take over, he surprised Ryo especially by enveloping him into a backbreaking hug. Ryo's eyes went huge as Dee rested his head on his shoulder.
"D-Dee?"
As taken back as Ryo was, he could have sworn he heard a shuddering gasp come from Dee, signaling he was breaking down into tears. His hands gripped Ryo's shirt, clenching the material in his hands.
"I'm sorry Ryo, I don't mean to be this way, I really don't," he sobbed, burying his face into the crook of the other man's neck. "I don't have an occupation any further, my worst enemy in all of my life is hitting on the only one thing that means the world to me, I just can't cope with it! I'm tired of this! I don't handle stress easily. I never have."
Ryo just held the sobbing man close, allowing him to ramble, and rubbing the back of his head slowly to calm him down. His attitude nearly made Ryo take so much sorrow on him, that he almost fell to his state.
"Please forgive me. I love you so much, Ryo, I don't know how many times I've said it," he said, voice quivering.
"I know, Dee," he comforted quietly, brushing his jet-black hair with his fingers. "It's okay."
A quiet rustle got their attention. Dee opened his watery eyes with a snap, to notice Rose coming to his feet, gun in hand, pointed at Dee, and the free hand to his forehead, covering the freshly made wound.
"You are so fucked for this, Laytner. I shall see to it that this doesn't go unpunished. Any last words before your date with the cold earth?"
Ryo's head perked up immediately. "Commissioner..."
"Shut up if you know what's good for you. I'll have my talk with you later. Laytner, I've thought about my consequences, and I've come to the conclusion that I really don't care what happens to me, just so as long as vermin like yourself are eliminated from this world."
Both men watched at Rose's finger itched along the trigger, squeezing it ever so gently, as if to tempt and tease them. Neither one of them were prepared with what occurred next...