Fake Fan Fiction ❯ Into the Woods ❯ Chapter 5

Wow, stayed up all night to finish these last few chapters so I could make the deadline for the contest! I hope it was worth it- I'm a little scared that it might not have come out as well because I had to rush! Hope you enjoy it, though!

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Fake

 

“How did I ever get talked into this?” Dee said to himself as he ordered another drink. The tall man stood leaning over the small, and as he felt, rather inadequately-stocked bar before turning around to face the dance floor once more. It was the night of the Policeman's Charity Ball and Dee had promised himself he wouldn't go through the torture of such an evening, but the proceeds went to benefit local children's programs and his `mother's' orphanage was among them. So how could he say no?

 

He'd thought about paying for the ticket and skipping the actual event; however Ryo had also pushed him to go, saying that it would give him an opportunity to get to know Lizzy a little better. Yeah, right, Dee thought, just what I'm looking for! However, he found he couldn't turn down Ryo, either. So here he was, standing alone at the bar after having to endure sharing a dining table with not only Ryo and Lizzy, but JJ as well.

 

But the worst part of the evening was the fact that he discovered he actually liked Lizzy. Earlier in the day he had consoled himself with the idea that he'd finally get to know all of the young girl's flaws, categorize all the reasons he could have to hate her for taking Ryo away from him. As it turned out, fate wouldn't even give him that small satisfaction. Lizzy was bright and vibrant and seemed, truth be told, more Dee's type than Ryo's, since she was often outspoken and drank a little more than she probably should have. On the other hand, she was obviously kindhearted and seemed genuinely eager to get to know Dee better. And to top it off, the woman was very pretty in an unassuming kind of way, with a petite frame and deep chestnut hair.

 

It all left Dee feeling very grumpy by the time they had finished their meal. If he just could've hated her, it would've made things so much simpler. Downing his second Manhattan of the evening, his eyes wandered out to the dance floor where Ryo and Lizzy were making a spectacle out of themselves. Ok, so maybe that was the wrong way to put it. The couple was dancing to a song with a strong Latino beat and doing a rather impressive version of the rumba across the dance floor. Dee frowned; the pair must've taken dancing lessons for the upcoming wedding. He'd heard of others doing the same thing. Although he never would've thought Ryo would be such a good dancer, he made a very alluring sight, swaying his hips in time with the sultry music. So enraptured was the dark-haired man with Ryo's movements that he didn't notice someone wander up to his side.

 

“I never figured you for the type,” Dee heard JJ say, finally noticing the man.

 

Turning away from the sight of Ryo's dancing, Dee asked, “What do you mean? What `type'?”

 

Nodding toward the object of Dee's fixation JJ said, “The type to fall for a straight guy.”

 

Dee glared. He wanted to slam his drink down and yell `He's NOT straight!', but he held his tongue, telling the silver-haired man instead, “It's none of your business.”

 

Their conversation was interrupted by an outburst of applause for the dancing couple and Dee watched as they laughed and comically bowed to their audience. There was something between them, Dee admitted, but it wasn't passion. No, it was... warmth maybe. Perhaps there even was a bond of love between them, but it was the kind of affection one felt for a sibling rather than a lover. All night Dee had seen it, in the way they talked together and in their body-language. There was an ease about it, but no fire. He knew why Ryo was trying to fool himself into thinking it was more, but he wondered why Lizzy- who seemed so self-assured- would try and convince herself that more lay between them.

 

“You'll only get hurt chasing after him, Dee,” JJ chimed in.

 

“You're really starting to piss me off, JJ!” Dee replied with some heat. “After all,” he continued, “you've been after me for months and you know damn well you don't have a chance in hell!” The words came out more barbed than Dee had meant them to and he watched the other man's face crumple.

 

“Hey, JJ, I didn't-“ Dee began, but he was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Lizzy and Ryo.

 

“Dee! There you are!” said Lizzy with a smile. “Come on, dance with me!” she coxed, taking his hand.

 

Dee tried to protest, looking back at JJ with an apologetic expression.

 

“Go on, I'm fine,” the other man said, waving him off.

 

Of course, Dee didn't believe him, but there wasn't much he could do as he was pulled away.

 

As hard as he tried, Dee still felt a bit awkward around Lizzy and he couldn't shake the idea that the feeling was mutual.

 

“You've been pretty quiet, Dee; I was given the idea that you were something of a loudmouth!” she said with a teasing laugh.

 

He shrugged, “Sorry, I guess I'm preoccupied.” The words sounded lame in his ears, but what could he possibly say? `Sorry, hun, I'm just pining after your soon-to-be hubby, that's all!'

So he remained quiet and prayed the song would end quickly. It didn't. Attempting to to get his mind off the strained silence between them, Dee sought out Ryo over the crowd to see if he was still by JJ.

 

“Dee... I was wondering something,” Lizzy finally said.

 

“Huh? What?” Dee replied absent-mindedly- he'd finally caught sight of Ryo. His brow furrowed as he watched JJ talking with him with- or rather, AT him. God what was the man doing now? When Dee saw a glass of liquor in the silver-haired man's hand, he knew it would only spell trouble.

 

JJ seldom drank, and for good reason; alcoholism ran in his family and the usually-pleasant man could turn sulky and solemn in a blink from drinking. Not to mention he could get more than a little mean.

 

As Dee tried to think of an excuse to slip away, Lizzy continued, “Why do you call Randy, `Ryo'?”

 

That brought Dee's attention back. “What do you mean?” he asked, a bit confused. Did she think he was being too intimate by calling him by that name or something?

 

“I never heard anyone call him that before,” Lizzy explained.

 

Dee blinked. Ryo had never told her? “Well, it's his Japanese name. I just sorta decided to call him by it... it's no big deal,” he said, hoping to sound casual.

 

But Lizzy didn't look convinced, a slight frown gracing her features. “I wonder why he never told me, “ she said softly almost to herself.

 

“He probably just didn't realize it... you know how absent-minded he can be sometimes!” Dee said. God, he really did NOT want to be having this conversation! His eyes wandered back over to Ryo, who looked to be just as uncomfortable talking with JJ.

 

“You know Randy pretty well, don't you, Dee?” Lizzy said, catching Dee off-guard as he tried to keep his eye on Ryo in case he needed to swoop in.

 

“Well... you always get to know your partner well- you spend so much time together and everything,” Dee said by way of explanation.

 

Lizzy looked as if she wanted to continue, but the song finally changed and Dee disengaged himself. He opened his mouth to thank her for the dance, but he was suddenly frozen in place.

 

“Dee?” Lizzy asked, seeing his stilled expression, “Are you alright?”

 

But the man barely heard her over the music, the sensual melody pervaded his mind and the words rang in his ears, the same words that Ryo had sung to him that night...

 

/Thrill me as only you know how, sway me smooth, sway me now.../

 

It was their song. THE song.

 

Over the crowd Ryo's eyes unconsciously sought for Dee and their gazes locked together. For a moment, Dee felt the connection between them, just as strong as it had been that night so long ago. And his heart thrilled at the thought that Ryo felt it too.

 

But in the next moment Ryo hurriedly turned away, bumping hard into JJ in the process and spilling half of the man's drink across his shirt.

 

Without thinking, Dee rushed to follow the blond man as he dashed toward the restroom, leaving Lizzy alone on the floor.

 

“Ryo!” called Dee as he saw the man disappear behind the door. “Ryo, you ok?” he asked as he walked in. There had been something wrong in the way the blond had looked at him. It seemed to Dee that he had been running away from more than just the memory of their evening together; there was a pain in the man's expression and Dee wasn't sure what it meant.

 

“I'm FINE, just go!” came Ryo's curt reply when the raven-haired man rounded the corner to find him standing in front of the row of sinks.

 

“Hey, I just wanted to help!” Dee said defensively, stepping toward his partner.

 

“I don't need your help, I need you to leave me alone!” Ryo said, almost shouting

 

Glancing at the stalls behind him, Dee was grateful to see all the doors open and stalls empty. “Mind telling me why you're suddenly pissed at me? Does thinking about our past upset you that much?” Dee spat out.

 

“If I'd have known it was just another one of your conquests, maybe I'd feel differently.”

 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Dee retorted, but he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

 

“JJ filled me in a little on you past `history', so to speak,” Ryo explained, soaking a paper towel and attempting to wipe the wine out of his shirt.

 

Dee gritted his teeth. When he got his hands on JJ...

 

“Ryo, you don't understand-” Dee began.

 

“You're right!” Ryo yelled, rounding on Dee and looking him in the eye for the first time. “I DON'T understand how you could sleep around with so many people, and especially how you could let JJ be one of them!” he said in an accusing tone.

 

Dee winced. “Look, that time with JJ happened when he first transferred and if I'd known he would take things so seriously, I never would've-“

 

“Of course not! Because sex is just a casual thing to you, right? I guess it was for us too, huh?” Ryo shot out- thankfully in a quieter tone.

 

“That's not fair, Ryo! And you know that's not true!” Dee said, his own temper flaring.

 

“Just how many conquests have you had anyway, Dee?” Ryo said with his eyes narrowed and his cheeks flushed in anger.

 

But Dee had had enough. “Since you're getting married in a matter of months, I don't see that it's any of your concern who I screw, now is it?” he said, his voice growing chill.

 

For a second, Ryo's face belied his true emotion and over his anger Dee could see a flicker of pain, but it was quickly veiled.

 

“You're right,” he said in a bitter tone, pushing past Dee.

 

The dark-haired man stood there a moment, fighting with himself. Although he regretted saying the stinging words aloud, he /had/ meant them. After a second he cursed and then spun around to follow the blond out, “Ryo! Wait, damn it!”

But before he made it out the door, someone else barged through it and a mass of silver hair rammed into him before making a b-line for the stalls.

 

“JJ!” Dee growled, his attention now diverted to pummeling the troublesome man into a pulp. He walked up to the stall and found it still open and JJ leaning over the toilet, effectively emptying the contents of his stomach.

 

“JJ...” Dee repeated, but his tone had changed. Sighing, he said, “You know you can't drink, what the hell were you thinking?” He watched as the small man hacked up his guts and debated if he should leave him there in his misery... but he didn't have the heart.

 

As JJ continued to heave, Dee knelt down and put a hand over his back. After a few more minutes, the man finally slumped back, leaning against the metal stall. He still looked rather green, but it seemed the worst had passed.

 

“I'm sorry, Dee,” he said in a whispered voice, “I shouldn't have said all that to Ryo.”

 

Damn right, Dee thought, but he didn't say it. Instead, he wiped a few stray hairs from the man's sweaty brow and shrugged.

 

“Doesn't really matter,” he replied. “At least, it /shouldn't/ matter,” he added. The whole damn affair was so hopeless.

 

Dee stayed with JJ until he felt well enough to stagger out of the restroom and get into a cab to head home. By then, of course, Ryo was long gone and Dee made his own way home only to sink down in his couch and will himself to forget the entire evening.

 

*****

Shocked that Dee slept with JJ? (The plot thickens!)

Reviews welcome!