Title: Zoo Trip
Author: badly-knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo, Orphans.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Vol. 7.
Summary: The trip to the Central Park Zoo had been going fine, until now.
Written Using: The tw100 prompt 'Scale'.
Disclaimer: I don't own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
A/N: Quadruple drabble.
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OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
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It had been Dee's idea to bring the kids from the orphanage to the Central Park Zoo for a day out, but now he was here, he was starting to regret his impulsive decision.
It wasn't that they were misbehaving, Mother had taught them discipline and they generally respected Dee's authority, not simply as a cop but as a sort of big brother. They liked Ryo too, because he was kind and caring, someone they could always turn to if they were hurt or scared. Come to think of it, Dee felt the same way, knowing Ryo would always be there for him.
He'd been enjoying wandering around the zoo with the kids, seeing their excitement and wonder as they looked at the various animals. Now though…
"Can we go in there?" one of the boys had asked, pointing eagerly at the reptile house.
If there was one thing Dee really couldn't stand, it was snakes, those horrible, scaly creatures. Lizards were almost as bad, although at least they had legs and weren't venomous. The last thing he wanted was to be anywhere near tanks full of things with scales. It didn't matter that they couldn't get at him, he'd still have to see them.
"Looks a bit crowded in there right now," Ryo said. "Why don't we get ice cream first, then come back in a bit?"
"Yay!" the kids shouted, the promise of ice cream taking precedence over everything else.
"Thanks, babe," Dee murmured. "Wasn't sure how I was going to get out of that."
"You haven't," Ryo replied calmly. "I just wanted a chance to talk to you first. Do you want these kids to end up like you, scared of snakes, or do you want them to learn respect for all living things?"
"'Course I don't want them to be scared."
"Then you'll have to face your fears. We already did the insect house; there were a lot of spiders in there," Ryo reminded his lover. What creatures with scales were to Dee, spiders were to Ryo, and yet he'd lifted the smaller kids so they could see the tarantulas and other creepy crawlies.
Dee nodded, understanding. "You're right, I can't show fear in front of the kids." He bit his lip. "But if any of 'em don't want to go in the reptile house, I volunteer to stay outside with 'em."
Ryo laughed. "Fair enough."
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The End
