"Ha ha ha! I never knew that! I'd always seen him as a stuck up businessman, not a geek." Ryo giggled as the pair walked back into the apartment. It was amazing how easy Ryo felt talking to Berkeley. He seemed so different outside the office. He smiled, taking his coat off and hanging it in the closet.
"Well, it's getting late." Berkeley said as he checked his watch. "You should probably be getting to bed. I'll see you tomorrow."
"You're not going to stay?" Ryo asked, a little shocked. Berkeley had always been very forward in his actions toward him before. It was strange seeing him so standoffish.
"Not tonight." he replied. "Maybe next time. Right now, you need your rest." He smiled and pulled Ryo close in a warm embrace. Ryo seemed to almost fall into his arms. He felt warmth bubble inside him, a happiness that he thought had died many months before. He leaned up and placed a quick kiss on Berkeley's cheek.
"Goodnight." Ryo whispered as he turned, heading to his bedroom.
"Goodnight." Berkeley replied, his voice carrying a hint of surprise. He slowly walked out the door and down the steps. As he got to his car, a small smile began creeping across his face. "Good night indeed." The engine started and he sped off into the night.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
Ryo woke the next day feeling better than he had in quite some time. His old routine fell right back into place and he even had a little extra time to grab some coffee on the way to the precinct. The minute he walked in the door, cheers rang through the building. Hugs and hearty handshakes were given from everyone. But once he got to his desk, he was all business. There were mounds of paperwork to be done.
"Drake…" JJ muttered. "We're supposed to be working." They were both in Drake's office with the door closed, supposedly discussing something of importance. Instead, Drake had JJ backed against the wall with his shirt halfway unbuttoned.
"So?" He lightly bit JJ's exposed neck, coaxing a small moan out of his partner. "You really want me to stop?" he whispered breathily in JJ's ear.
"No…" As if to further his answer, he wrapped his arms around Drake's shoulders and kissed him deeply. As their tongues danced and intertwined together, Drake slid a daring hand down JJ's pants. JJ gasped, breaking the kiss, as Drake gently stroked his member. Suddenly, the door opened and Ryo walked in.
"I need you to look over and file this report for me. Thanks." he said as he dropped the folder on the desk. He turned and walked back out, never taking his eyes off the stack of papers in his arms and completely oblivious to the situation he interrupted.
"Um…did he really just do that and not notice what we were doing?" JJ asked as they both stared at the closed door.
"Yeah."
"I think we should get back to work."
"Yeah."
"And never do that here again. Ever."
"Yeah."
"And you're a whore."
"Y-Hey!"
""I'm kidding!" JJ giggled. "I just wanted to see if you'd say 'yeah' again. You know I love you."
"Yeah. I know." Drake hugged him tightly and helped him fix his clothes. "Now let's get back to work. But you know, we're gonna have to finish this later." JJ just grinned and grabbed the file off the desk.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
Ryo yawned as he handed the last file to Dianna. For once his desk was somewhat clean. Nearly all the reports piled up from his slacking off were written and filed.
"Yo! Ryo!" JJ called as Ryo was packing up to leave. "You heading out?" Ryo smiled and nodded. "Well, we're gonna go check out this new club. Wanna come? It'll be lots of fun."
"Oh, I don't know." Ryo replied looking skeptical. "I'm not really a club kind of person. I don't dance."
"Come on. Please?" JJ donned the infamous puppy-face-of-doom. "I promise we won't make you dance…"
"Alright, alright. Anything to make you stop pouting. Sheesh! You're worse than Bikky." JJ giggled and bounded towards the door.
"Yay! Just follow us. It's not too far."
He was right. The club was only 6 blocks away. The building looked like it had once been a small business office. Outside, it looked almost ancient except for the bright neon lights reading 'The Lighthouse' over the front door. Inside, however, was a different story entirely. Strobe and colored lights filtered through the haze of the huge room. The whole back wall was one long bar framing the crowded dance floor. There was a stage at the front where a several girls were dancing. Upstairs was almost like a balcony, with couches and a few scattered pool tables.
"Come on, Ryo!" JJ squealed as he drug Drake to the dance floor. "Let's go dance. Oo! I love this song!"
"But…" Ryo started to protest. He sighed and shook his head, following them into the crowd. "I'm gonna kill you guys." He stood on the wooden floor a few feet away from the pair just watching. Several girls tried to get him to dance but he politely turned them down. He looked through the mass of people, catching glimpses of familiar faces but no one he really knew. Suddenly, he saw someone he did know. Their eyes met across the room for a moment and Ryo knew.
"Hey guys." he muttered to his friends. "I'm gonna step outside for a minute. I need to make a phone call." They nodded and he walked towards the door. He could feel the man following him as he stepped through the door and pulled out his cell phone. He heard the footsteps just as he hung up the phone.
"Hello, Ryo." Thomas said as he cocked the gun in his hand. "Long time no see. How are you? I heard you just got out of the hospital. Such a shame that had to happen, but it was your own fault after all." He snickered as he rubbed the barrel of the gun on his shirt.
"Heh. You made three mistakes, Thomas." Ryo replied, doing his best to keep his voice level. "First, you killed the man I loved and hurt my friends. Second, you came alone. And last but not least, you forgot who you were dealing with." Before Thomas even had a chance to wonder what he meant, Ryo drew his gun and fired. The single shot echoed through the alley, mixing with the sound of approaching sirens.
XxXxXxXxXxXxX
"Well, I'd say that was a damn good shot if you didn't want him dead." said the medic. "From what I can see, the bullet missed everything important despite how close to the heart it hit. We'll keep an eye on him and you guys can take over when he's released from the hospital." Ryo nodded as the ambulance rolled away. I could have killed him easily. But I won't be selfish. There are other people that he's hurt and they deserve their own justice. Ryo sighed and walked to his car. He was tired and needed to get some sleep. He started the engine and drove out of the full parking lot with a small sense of closure. After all, now the man who killed Dee and raped him would no longer be free to hurt anyone else again.
I know. I said it would be romance from now on. But I had to close out that part of the story. Besides, I couldn't let our loveable Ryo get raped and then let the asshole get away. That's like getting money for Christmas and throwing it in the trash. Not gonna happen. Anyway, I'm almost finished with this story and I've already got some ideas for a sequel. As always, feel free to drop me a line and lend some ideas of your own. I like to write but a story isn't judged by how much the author likes it. It's the readers who truly define a good story. Woo! Random intellectual moment. It's gone now. And I know I said 9 chapters earlier in the story but it's definitely looking like it may be 10. I'm still not quite sure. Just bear with me though. Anyhoo, I'll get the next chapter typed up and posted as soon as I can, whether it's the last or the second to last I won't know till it's posted. XD Laters all!