Midnight at the Precinct
Chapter 3: White Lies and Hidden Vodka
Dee tossed his file onto the desk before flopping into his chair with a groan. Today was one of those days where he was glad to be working away from the office, but unsatisfied at the results of doing so. It was a win-lose sort of situation, so to speak, although now it was leaning more on the lose-lose side. Yeah, the more that he thought about it, the more frustrated he felt.
Several hours ago, Dee had gotten a call from the homicide unit and he, along with a couple of the other detectives from the precinct, headed over to the crime scene, grateful for the bit of fresh air. Unfortunately, it wasn't fresh air that greeted him when he reached the venue, but instead the stale scent of death. Everyone had claimed it a murder, despite the suicide note and the lack of evidence proving otherwise, but Dee had his own opinions of what had happened. Opinions that others didn't want to listen to.
The dark-haired detective kicked his feet up onto the desk, narrowly missing the day's paperwork. What was so hard to believe that it was a suicide? Sure the vic seemed to be living a good life. He had a fiancé, a good job, and a pretty sweet place to live. He'd heard of people pulling the trigger under even cushier circumstances. Sometimes people just cracked and it was obvious that this guy did as well.
So why wasn't it obvious to everyone else?
With a sigh, he reached into his pocket and retrieved his cell. Today was Ryo's day off, and even though he was still technically on-call, he hadn't been called in on the case. Part of Dee was pleased that the HD felt confident enough with his abilities, but another part wished they had sent for Ryo as well. At least his partner might have agreed with his assessment since no one else did.
Dee dialed Ryo's number and pressed his cell to his ear, still leaned back in his chair as he waited for the other to answer.
Ryo was reading when he heard his cell go off. Surprisingly, the phone wasn't next to him and he had to hurry through the small apartment to where it was charging in the kitchen. To keep his mind off things- specifically the kiss from the previous night- Ryo had decided to lie back today, which ultimately meant getting some things done around the house. The living room was clean, his room had been organized, the kitchen was spotless, and he had a stew in the slow cooker for later. The pleasant scent of cooking beef tenderloin and carrots floated lazily throughout his apartment and Ryo took a long sniff before answering the phone.
"Randy Maclean," he said as the connection clicked through, not bothering to look at the caller id.
Dee blinked. "What? You too busy to look at the screen to see whose calling?" he drawled, sounding a bit more severe than he had meant to. Of course, being in an already foul mood didn't help things. The aloof, professional tone in his partner's voice was not something he had expected to hear, especially not when he needed the other's comradery.
"Dee?" Ryo wasn't surprised his partner was the one on the other end of the phone. "Sorry, I didn't think about it. It was on the last ring anyway." He flopped back down on the couch and glanced longingly at the book that sat open, facedown, next to him. "What's up? Am I needed at the precinct?" Ryo couldn't think of any other reason Dee would be calling, other than to waste time...
"No," Dee immediately replied and then let out a soft groan of frustration. "Yes and no, but mostly no."
It wasn't just his bias against Ryo's workaholic attitude that caused him to respond the way he did, but also because he was sure that he could solve the case without his partner's help. Hell, he figured he already had it solved if more people would just listen to him.
Ryo quirked one eyebrow at his ceiling, but didn't move from the couch. No matter how much he loved his work, the blonde detective just didn't want to walk into the precinct today. Not after last night... He would cross that bridge when he got to it, but he certainly wouldn't come running.
"Then what do you need?" Ryo sighed, rubbing at his temples, almost snapping at his partner. Even though Dee couldn't see, an apologetic expression melted onto his face a second after his tone reached his own ears. His hand came down to cover his eyes, curtaining his vision in semi-darkness. Dee hadn't done anything to deserve his frustration... at least not yet, anyway. "Sorry," he added before the brunette had a chance to retort. "I've had a lot on my mind. I didn't mean to sound..." he trailed off, unable to come up with a decent apology.
Dee was going to just tell Ryo that it was alright and continue on with why he had called, but he paused. It wasn't often that he could tell when something was bothering the blonde. Generally, whatever it was, it was work-related or something he himself did to upset Ryo. Considering he hadn't done anything today- or, at least, nothing that he knew of anyway-, and Ryo wasn't at the precinct, Dee was a little more than curious of his partner's attitude.
"Is something wrong?" he asked with honest concern, his original reason for calling momentarily pushed aside.
''Wrong?'' Ryo frowned slightly. Was it that obvious? ''Ah, no. I'm really just tired. I just finished cleaning the apartment. I guess it's more obvious than I thought,'' he half-lied. No way was he going to tell Dee about the kiss... but damn, he was good at guessing his mood.
''What did you need, Dee?'' he prompted again, a touch of irritation mingling with his question. Hopefully the change of topic would get his nosey partner back on track... and get Ryo off the hook for now.
Dee hummed at Ryo's response, not really sure whether to believe him, but he didn't push it. Maybe he'd confront him on it tomorrow, if the blonde was still acting odd.
"Well," he began with a somewhat disgruntled sigh. "I was called in for an inspection a couple hours ago for what was believed to be a murder case and, after looking at all the evidence and checking out the suspects, it just seemed too much like a suicide. But it's like I'm the only one to see it for that. Everyone thinks it's, hands-down, a homicide."
A sense of relief flooded Ryo's mind as his partner allowed him to change the subject. Dee was sharp... childish, but sharp. And sometimes, Ryo swore the other male could see through any lie he could ever hope to spew at him. It didn't help anything that he was a horrible liar, but... that wasn't the point.
Ryo grew silent for a minute, frowning a bit at all the holes Dee had left in his explanation. His eyes studied the ceiling once again as if it could offer him some insight as to what Dee was talking about. "You'll need to be more specific, Dee," he chided, sighing slightly as he slumped forward on the couch. He shifted the phone to his other ear, tried to find a more comfortable position, failed, and opted instead for lying on his back lengthwise on the couch. "What kind of evidence is there? Who found the body? Details, man. You can't just call for advice and then give me the nutshell version."
Regardless, Ryo knew Dee's intuition was usually pretty spot-on... However, he would never outwardly admit to it. Telling Dee he was good at something he already thought he was good at would inflate his head to the size of Manhattan... and he was already too much to deal with as it was.
"I was getting to that," Dee bickered back.
He glanced at the file on his desk and frowned. Ryo was going to be on his case tomorrow- both figuratively and literally- over how sloppy it looked. Maybe he should try to fix it, if he had the time before he left. He could always take it home and work on it there, but that idea left a less than pleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Anyway," he began, taking his attention off the pile in front of him, "the vic was found earlier this afternoon with a hole blasted in the side of his head. His employers had been trying to get in touch with him for the past couple days. The only contact listed in his records was his girlfriend, now ex-girlfriend, who had agreed to go check on him. Apparently she still had the key to his place, even though they had split up almost six months ago.
"We checked out the video from security to see if maybe she had popped in within the past week and now, but the only persons who had entered the apartment were the vic himself, his current girlfriend, his ex, and his housekeeper. So far, the girlfriends seem clean, but we're having difficulties tracking the housekeeper. The video actually showed the housekeeper and the vic in the apartment at the same time, but from what forensics said, there was no way she could have been there at his time of death-"
Ryo nodded as he listened to the explanation. He could see how Dee would assess a suicide, especially since the two main suspects were cleared. The housekeeper though...
Dee paused to clear his throat, but when it did nothing to help, he decided on an alternative. "Hang on, I need to get some water," he muttered into his cell, removing himself from his chair and heading toward the water cooler.
"So the housekeeper hasn't been able to be reached? I've never seen a case with the cleaning lady as the perp... but until you can contact her, you can't rule anything out." He mused, pausing as he heard the click of Dee's boots on the tile floor. This brought a smile to his face, thinking about the 'high-heels' his partner was never far from, and rested his free arm comfortably over his forehead.
"Well, I mean," Dee replied, pressing the cell to his ear with his shoulder as he poured himself a glass, "I've seen crime shows and movies where the housekeeper was the suspect or the actual perp, so it's not like it's completely out of the question."
Ryo closed his eyes, the white plaster of the ceiling vanishing behind his eyelids, as he pondered over what Dee had related. He chose to ignore the bit about Dee's taste in television, somewhat because he was told to never use it as reference to a case, but mostly because he watched it too. "Have swabs been sent to the lab? What about the body? Was it released to the city morgue or is it still in custody?"
Walking back to his desk, he waited for Ryo to reply. Part of him wondered if the blonde would object to his statement about the crime shows, but he didn't. Dee knew that they were, of course, works of fiction, but working with the force for as long as he had, he also knew that with that particular genre, a good bit of the plot was based on previous events and things that could actually happen. There'd been a couple times when he caught an episode of Magnum P.I. or Law and Order and had related the crime to something he had covered. And he was pretty sure he wasn't the only member of law enforcement who had done the same.
"Yeah, swabs were sent to Nick. They're still working on it last I heard. No evidence of prints other than the vic's. The body's still in custody until we can figure out who the 'real murderer' is," Dee added, recognizing that he sounded rather sardonic at the end. And with good reason, he mentally backed himself up.
"Was there anything else? It could have been a pro job. In and out without being seen by the cameras." Ryo didn't actually think a hit would be put out for a 'nobody' like Dee was describing, but it was worth a try. Then again, his parents fell into that 'nobody' category…
Dee glanced at his cell, noticing the pause and Ryo's attempt to keep himself and his affection for work at bay. Despite being much more laid-back about his job, he understood his partner's impatience at getting as much info as possible. The more known about a case, the easier it was to solve it- in theory, anyway.
He frowned again. Damn, Dee thought, now I really wish Ryo was here. It's so much more… He couldn't figure out how to describe the feeling he felt when he and the blonde worked together. With Ryo there, it was much more… fulfilling or fun. He debated on those words, but immediately scratched them out, neither of them holding the exact emotion that he felt when he thought about it.
"Not really," he replied, sitting back at his desk and downing half of his cup, a satisfied sigh flitting past his lips. "There's no way anyone could get inside the apartment without being seen on the camera and there was no tampering with the video files. And the place just looked… too clean. The cameras showed the cleaning lady entering and leaving less than twenty-four hours before the proclaimed time of death. Granted, it's the only clue we have to the vic's demise, but…"
Dee stared off, determination settling into his verdant eyes. "You gotta trust me on this one. The guy just up and offed himself. These guys are over-complicating the whole thing."
Ryo listened to Dee elaborate, silently pondering over the new information. It certainly sounded like a suicide to him. So then why was everyone making a big deal about it? He could understand why no one would be listening to Dee. Hell, even he liked to ignore the younger detective most of the time when he wasn't making sense... but still, he had some good points when it came to what he was talking about for this one.
"Okay, I can see a suicide closing the case..." he mused aloud, shifting slightly into a more comfortable position yet again, switching his cell back to the other ear, "but if that's it, then why is everyone so sure it's a homicide? Of course things are going to be clean if the guy has a cleaning lady. That's never been an issue before, especially if no evidence of foul play could be found on the premises. Why is it being treated as a murder? Are you sure you don't need me at the o-office?" he asked, instantly regretting it and accidentally stumbling off the last word. Talking about work had made Ryo completely forget the previous night and now a churning began in his stomach at the concept of facing Berkeley right then. He had felt the same way the night after Dee had first kissed him... but since he wasn't so lucky to have been off the next day, he had to make do with ignoring him. Berkeley on the other hand... he couldn't ignore... what with him being the top shot in the office and all.
Damnit... Tell me I don't have to be there, Dee... he thought to himself, keeping his eyes closed and hoping his partner would tell him to stay home.
Dee heard the sudden drop in Ryo's tone and was all too aware of the uneasy silence that followed the question. He was practically doing a double-take at the cell before his mind caught up with his body's reaction. There was definitely something going on, Dee's mind screamed at him. There were no two doubts about it.
"Ryo, are you trying to hide something from me?" he blurted out, worried and irritated all at the same time. "I know you said you were busy at home or whatever, but it's not like you to not be all happy about coming to work. I know you and I know something ain't right!"
"I'm fine," Ryo responded immediately, knowing all too well that Dee's suspicion would instantly skyrocket with his sharp tone. Why are you so damn good at reading my moods? I know I'm a crappy liar, but come on! The blonde sighed a bit, trying to slump deeper into the couch.
"Really. I just... have a headache. It's not that I don't want to come to work... I guess I just..." He thought about it for a second. "I just don't want to have to deal with JJ's screaming- he's there today, right?- and the Chief yelling at you guys would just make my headache worse," he half-lied, thinking he had made a pretty decent point. "And besides," he tried to force change the topic, "it seems like you've got this case covered. Just try not to solve it by the time I get in tomorrow, okay?"
Listening with a tight-lipped frown to the other detective's excuses, he grew even more wary. What if Ryo was telling the truth and he did have a headache? Or what if he wasn't and something significant was actually bothering him? Even more yelling would only make him more agitated, headache or not, and Dee didn't feel like being hung up on or ignored at work the following day.
So he simply hummed once more in response, this time sounding even less convinced. The change in topic immediately shifted his attention to the cluttered stack of papers on his desk, the once stubborn frown on his face shifting to a guilty grimace. Yeah, he definitely needed to fix his reports soon, but not right now. Not while he had Ryo on the phone, anyway.
"Oh yeah, you'd be so jealous if I closed the case without your help," Dee replied sardonically. He pulled his feet off of his desk and starting going through the casework with a slightly disgruntled expression, knowing he had his work cut out for him if he wanted something presentable to give to his partner tomorrow.
Again Ryo was relieved at the change of topic. Obviously Dee didn't believe him... but he wasn't pushing it, which was good... Of course, he'd have to come up with some elaborate story by the time Dee got off work, just in case his nosy partner decided to come do some 'investigative work' into his personal life.
"I'd be crushed," he answered back, his own tone shifting to one of a lighter note. He rolled onto his side, his free hand draping lazily off the side of the couch as he closed his eyes. A small smile played on his lips as he imagined Dee glaring angrily down at his surely cluttered desk. "So be sure to leave me the scraps, okay... partner?" he added, hoping the emphasis on Dee's title would dissuade him from pursuing his previous line of interest. Even so, without Ryo realizing it, a small twinge of red began seeping across just the tips of his cheeks and nose. All the times Dee had caught, jumped, and kissed him... the most recent kiss from the commissioner...
He really needed to work on fixing that non-existent guard of his...
"Oh, I'll leave you something alright," Dee replied mockingly, although the threat was an empty one. Well, almost empty. He could easily leave Ryo with more than enough work to both sate and irritate the blonde- he'd done it on plenty of occasions before-, but, for the sake of his own dignity, he'd at least make the reports presentable.
He had a point to prove after all, so they needed to be legible and detailed enough to both state and clear his case.
"So tell me," Dee started, changing the topic as well as he rifled through his desk drawer for a pen, "you enjoying your day off?"
Not a helping subject matter... Ryo cursed the continuing memory. "Sure, if you think cleaning is something enjoyable," he sighed as he once again placed a hand over his eyes. The slight rustling of Dee's search helped center him, as well as calm the tightness that kept trying to push into his consciousness. How many times had Dee kissed him already? Not to mention the girls he had gone out with before coming here.
It was just a kiss.
The thought struck him with the realization that it was, indeed, just a kiss. It wasn't something to be so concerned about, something to stress and worry over like he had been doing. Berkeley had made it perfectly clear that he was interested, but so had Dee... and he had never obsessed this much over his partner. For the first time since waking up, Ryo felt like his old self.
"You know what, don't even comment on that. Since you live in a pigsty, I bet cleaning is the same as punishment for you," he joked, grinning into his own words.
"So what if my place is a mess? At least I know where everything is," Dee joked back, his irritation dissolving at his partner's relaxed tone. The younger detective cracked a grin as well and set the several papers he was holding back down on the desk.
This is what he really needed. Ryo's pleasant, teasing voice over the phone did more than just calm his nerves. It really didn't matter whether or not they talked about the case. At least, not right now it didn't. Casting one last glance down at his work, he leaned back in his chair. He'd get back to the case soon enough.
"Bull." The first thing Ryo knew about Dee is that if his own head wasn't attached to his body, he would misplace it under a pile of rubbish. "I bet you still can't find that shoe you lost two months ago."
Ryo opened his eyes at the soft squeak of Dee's old chair reclining and the smile that had formed was quickly replaced with a frown. "Now you're just wasting time, Dee. If someone catches you on your cell, you're a dead man."
"Er, well-" Dee began but was interrupted by Ryo's sudden accusation. He winced slightly, jerking the cell a couple inches from his ear for a second before pulling it back almost apprehensively.
It wasn't the idea of being caught by any of the higher-ups that had set him off. He wasn't worried about that at all. It was the fact that Ryo had actually caught him over the phone. Geez, when had the guy managed to learn his mannerisms so well, and by sound alone at that?
"Pfft. Like I give a rat's ass," he replied with a smirk. "Neither Chief or the commissioner are here, so I can do whatever I want."
Ryo's eye twitched under the hand covering them, and he mentally groaned at the lack of discipline his partner exhibited on a daily basis.
"It doesn't matter if neither of them are there, you shouldn't-"
The sentence stopped short as what Dee had said finally sunk in. Ryo sat up a little too quickly, his vision blurring for a second as he attempted to focus on the clock. His eyebrows furrowed together and his chest constricted. It was a little before four pm and he had been positive Berkeley's name was on the schedule for the afternoon and evening shifts today. Not once since the commissioner had transferred to their precinct had he been late or absent for work, regardless of how much Dee prayed. In fact, the older blond was almost always early.
A knot formed in his stomach as he slumped back against the couch, the attempt failing to release the pressure in his suddenly taunt shoulders. It took a second for Ryo to swallow the bulk of his surprise and sound relatively normal. Or at least as normal as he could muster, what with the circumstances.
"Berk-Commissioner Rose isn't there? Isn't he on the schedule?" Immediately Ryo mentally kicked himself for sounding so desperate. Didn't he JUST get finished telling himself that there was nothing to worry about? Didn't he JUST have this conversation with himself? That stress-free feeling from earlier felt like a far away dream, and he had to switch the phone to his other ear and rub at his neck before it got too tight. "I mean, really? Chief left you guys in charge of the precinct? Does he honestly think you're actually going to do something productive without a chaperon present?"
Another kick followed his follow-up question. This was nearing pathetic... Sure, he had been a mess the first time Dee had kissed him, but it didn't feel this... this... stressful. Ryo leaned his head back, staring upside down at the kitchen cabinet were Dee had attempted to 'hide' a bottle of cheap vodka. He didn't drink, but damn did it sound good right about now...
When Ryo cut off, Dee had originally thought that maybe the call had dropped. The silence was so sudden that it surprised him. Blinking, he pulled his cell away from his ear to see if the call was still connected. It was, but when he brought it back to his ear and opened his mouth to say the other's name, he was immediately bombarded with Ryo's apprehensive questioning.
His eyebrows shot up at the tone of his partner's voice. Why would Ryo be so disturbed with the commissioner's whereabouts? He rarely heard Ryo sound so alarmed- well, not in the way he was sounding now anyway. The only times the blonde did seem uneasy, when it concerned people anyway, was when it came to those around him whom he had some personal connection to, and even then it wasn't that often.
So why was he suddenly worried over-
Then it hit him. Or rather, an idea hit him.
Dee scowled slightly as he glanced at his partner's desk then swiveled in his chair to look in the direction of the commissioner's office. He hadn't even looked at the schedule that day to see if Commissioner Rose would be there, and to be honest, he hadn't even cared to. It wasn't something he kept up with anyway, considering he didn't care one lick about the bastard. And for Ryo to be so… wound up over him…
"Why are you so worried over the commissioner?" he asked, trying his best not to sound as irritated as he felt. "It's not like you ever cared whether he was here or not before."
Ryo winced, Dee's accusingly calm tone cutting straight to his budding headache. Terrific… This was just terrific. He really did not want to be having this conversation right now and especially not with Dee. With a sigh, he rose from the couch and made his way into the kitchen. Sure, it wasn't five yet, but that didn't mean he couldn't drink in the comfort of his own home.
"No, Dee, it's not…" He stopped himself from digging an even bigger hole for himself and concentrated on getting a glass from the cabinet. It clinked against a few of the other crystal cups he had, despite his trying to be careful. "I'm not worried over him. I'm just… you know, if you didn't show up for work when you were supposed to, I'd go looking for you, ya know?" he placed the glass on the countertop and made a face. That was the worst possible thing he could have said. Ever.
Where the hell did Dee put that bottle of alcohol…?
"Look," he tried again, his voice sounding steadier than he felt. "I'm just saying that he's never missed a day before, and even though he was pretty tired last night, I didn't think he wouldn't show up-"
"Wait." Dee's voice dropped an octave and, for the moment, was much calmer as he spoke now. "How would you know he was tired? We both left work around six last night and the commissioner wasn't even there at that time, so how in the hell-"
He paused, realization dawning across his features before melting into fury.
"You went back to the precinct afterward! Why? More 'relaxing time'?" Dee all but yelled into the receiver.
Several of the other detectives in the room stared at him from their respective desks, wondering what in the world could have set him off this time, but the brunette didn't notice nor care about how loud he was getting.
Ryo yanked the phone away from his ear as Dee screamed, knocking over a good number of the spices in the cabinet he was looking through. Thankfully, the mostly full bottle of vodka winked back at him from behind the toppled containers and he yanked it out.
"Hey! Look, I went back to the precinct to make sure we had gotten caught up with everything! For some reason, I thought we were still missing one or two files from the day that someone didn't finish. We had nothing, so I was going to just head home when he came out into the office. It's not like I was looking for him or anything! I didn't even think he'd be there that late!" he interjected, feeling his heart pound in his chest. Damnit, damnit, damnit! He just HAD to open his mouth and let tumble the fact he had seen Berkeley last night… No matter the fact that he had hoped to meet the older detective at the station and he hadn't really planned on leaving when he realized they were finished with their work…
Hopefully Drake didn't say anything to Dee about the file he had started for him…
"Yeah, uh huh, and then what happened?" Dee immediately replied, glowering at his desk with such a heated glare that it was a wonder the papers in front of him didn't catch fire. "That fucker better not have-"
He immediately cut himself off, grinding his teeth together as various scenes played through his mind and none of them were pretty. Jealousy and rage swirled like a violent storm inside the younger detective's chest. He just knew something had gone on the previous night! Ryo wouldn't be acting this way if it hadn't, he told himself, and at this point, there was no convincing himself otherwise.
"What are you talking about, Dee?" A slosh of vodka spilled onto the counter as his hands shook. Ryo was never very good at hiding how he felt… especially not about something like this.
It was just a kiss. Just remember, Ryo, it was just a kiss.
"Berkeley didn't do anything other than drive me home, since I had walked back to the office. We talked, worked, then went home. That's it!" he half pleaded, partly trying to convince himself of his lie. Well, not really lie… just… omission…
"Then why?" Dee demanded, desperation creeping into his voice before he even realized it. His free hand slapped itself onto his desk, fingers curling just slightly and threatening to wrinkle the papers underneath them. "Why do you sound like something happened?"
He knew he sounded crazy. But he also knew Ryo was hiding something from him, so he couldn't help it. A twinge of embarrassment actually managed to wedge itself in the mess of emotions and for a second he debated apologizing for being pissed and blaming his partner for something he hadn't even admitted doing, but the instant the thought crossed his mind, he became even more irate with himself.
"You know what? Nevermind!"
He jammed his thumb against the end call button and threw the phone against the desk, momentum causing it to bounce off the hard surface and clatter onto the floor. With a loud huff, he threw his arms across his chest and leaned back in his seat. Several seconds passed as he sat there, steaming and scowling in the general direction of the where he figured the phone landed, before he finally felt the eyes of nearly everyone in the room on him.
"What are you all lookin' at?" he roared at the crowd, which was sufficient enough to send them back to their work.
Dee continued to fume and glare and fume some more. The more he thought about Ryo, the more irritated he grew. One of his co-workers passed by his desk, avoiding all eye contact and carefully stepping over the more than abused cell phone. If it wasn't a female, Dee would have probably growled at the person intruding his space. He at least had that little bit of manners.
But then something occurred to him, something that he didn't realize before because he was concentrating on his accusations and just being generally pissed.
Ryo had called the commissioner by his first name.
Ryo NEVER called anyone in the higher chain of command by their first name.
Even further enraged, Dee shot from his seat, thrust his reports into the crook of his arm, and snatched his cell from the floor. He hit redial and immediately stormed out of the office with a look of enraged determination that made everyone in a five foot radius slither even further away from him.
Ryo stared blankly at the drink in front of him, the hard sound of the call-dropped tone in his ear throbbing in tune to his headache. In much the same manner as Dee, the blonde chucked the phone into the other room and cleaned up the mess he had made with his drink. It wasn't long before he guiltily retrieved his cell and slumped back on the couch, his drink threatening to spill on his furniture.
This isn't good…. he thought to himself as he rubbed his temples, the currently untouched glass of vodka sitting harmlessly on the coffee table before him. Ryo drooped in on himself, burying his face in his still slightly shaking hands as he tried to calm the swell of emotions he could feel bubbling within him. "This isn't good…" he repeated aloud, finally taking a drink of the bitter alcohol. Instantly he regretted it, remembering why he didn't drink hard liquor in the first place. It tasted horrible…
But the sip got his hands to stop shaking… so he took another, larger gulp before setting it back down in front of him. Dee was pissed, and no matter which way he looked at it, he certainly deserved to be. Not only had he been lied to, but it concerned- of all people- Berkeley.
There was no one Dee hated more than their commissioner and it all started that night back in England. Ryo couldn't blame him… It was no secret how the older male thought of him, and he had made that perfectly clear again last night… But what about his own feelings…? How did Ryo think of Berkeley…? And while he's on the subject, how did he feel about Dee?
Ryo knew the phone was going to ring before it did, the electricity in the air signaling the incoming call. Geez, he must really be strung to his breaking point…
"What?" he growled into the receiver, again not bothering to look at the caller id. Ryo took another drink and then glared at the glass. He really was picking up Dee's bad habits and the bitter drink complimented the bad aftertaste of his thoughts.
Dee had made it out of the precinct and to the squad car both he and Ryo were assigned to without anyone trying to hassle him over leaving early, which was a good thing because he would have given whoever stopped him hell over it. His mind was set and nothing could possibly change it. And heaven help any poor souls, NYPD or otherwise, if they tried to stop him…
"I'm coming over and you better fucking be there!" Dee barked into the phone before immediately hanging up on his partner once more.