Fake Fan Fiction ❯ Verge of Something Wonderful ❯ Krystals and Double Beds ( Chapter 9 )

The retyped second part of the previous chapter. Beta'ed hastily, sorry for any typos and glitches. I'm trying to make up for lost time at this point. Thank you again to everyone reading.

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Tank didn't stay after bringing back their food; she had thrust the bags of food into Ryo's arms without even crossing the threshold into the room. It was enough food to feed an entire army or Dee and Bikky on a good day. He was still trying to settle the food on the dresser top without spilling it even as Ellen was making her excuses and promising to be back for them tomorrow morning. And then the door shut and Ryo was left alone with Dee again.

Ryo cast a glance over at Dee stretched out on one of the two full sized beds in the hotel room. Dee's eyes met his, he felt like prey staring into the eyes of a calm and prepared predator. He could claim that without Ellen there for the evening they no longer had to share a bed. It had been Ryo's biggest concern up until Ellen had bailed on them for the night, having to share a bed with Dee after the events earlier in the evening. The saying out of the frying pan and into the fryer immediately came to mind. No Ellen, no needing to share a bed, but no Ellen also met no reason whatsoever for Dee to restrain himself.

Dee was off the bed heading towards the food leaning over into his personal space without leaving a way for Ryo to put distance between them, Dee had him blocked between his body and the hotel room door. Ryo went about getting his own food and ignored Dee as much as possible, which wasn't much considering Dee took every advantage to brush against Ryo's back, his arm, the outside of Dee's thigh meeting the back of Ryo's.

The minute Dee backed off Ryo bolted for the other bed and pushed his self up against the headboard and spread his food out on his lap. Dee didn't return to his bed though, nope, he plopped himself down on Ryo's bed just past Ryo's bent legs and made himself right at home. Ryo glared at him but as usual it just glanced right off of Dee's thick head as the other detective set into his food with gusto. Dee had polished off his fries and six of the tiny little hamburgers in the time it took Ryo to eat half his fries and two of his Krystals, which were indeed kissing cousins of White Castles. Ellen either thought they were both ginormous pigs or she had a firm grip on the fact that Dee was a walking human garbage disposal.

Ryo found himself watching Dee watching him eat, it was certainly not the look of a love struck lover watching another person eat with a fixation for their lips or swallowing, oh no, that wouldn't have been Ryo's Dee. Dee was watching him eat like a poor puppy that had had its bone taken away. Ryo guarded his food a little more closely and gave Dee the look he gave Bikky when he tried it. The look that said `this is my food, you are not getting it, and I mean it.'

“There's more on the table, go see what else is over there, and quit eyeing my food.” Ryo told Dee, his amusement coming through his mock serious tone. Dee sighed dramatically at the indignity of it all but did unfold his self from the bed and go back over to the various bags Ellen had shoved through the door. Dee pulled out a couple of smaller styrofoam boxes out and began opening them. He made a happy squealing sound in the back of his throat and came back to the bed with the two boxes. He opened one up and showed Ryo his find, nestled in the box were three miniature chili cheese hot dogs. Ryo rolled his eyes; well those would be gone soon enough. Dee handed him the other box which he discovered held the exact same thing and set about devouring one entire box by his self.

After eating and Ryo cleaning up all the trash from their fast food feast they both resettled on the same bed, Ryo again at the head sitting up with his reading glasses on and a newspaper he had picked up in the lobby and Dee sprawled across the bed on his back. They were both changed into their night clothes, Ryo's ever present pajamas and Dee's tank and sweats.

“So Ryo, you want to talk about this afternoon and what happened at the Addams Family summer home?” Dee asked, staring up at the ceiling. Ryo carefully turned another page of the newspaper and pretended to focus again on the print. It went without saying that he most certainly did not want to talk about it but not wanting to talk about it wasn't really option. Ryo pulled his lower lip between his teeth while his thoughts dashed around his head.

“Not really but I suppose we must.” He finally said, holding the paper up as a shield between him and Dee, silently hoping that the bedside lamp was throwing a glare on his glasses. He did not want Dee searching his eyes because that was a losing bet for Ryo and had been since the first day they met.

“Well, I think we can definitely rule out people hiding speakers to make strange noises to frighten off workers. And all though I believe you can make lighter chairs and furniture move a bit with fishing twine and smaller objects with magnets I don't think what happened today can be filed under Prank Done Well. Do you?” Dee asked, his voice neutral, he could have been talking about any case they had ever been on.

“No, I don't think so either.” Ryo replied not liking where the conversation was going and having no way of stopping the conversation from going there.

“So then, are we ready to consider that said house might be having activity outside the realm of normal?” Dee pushed quietly, rearranging words to say the same thing as haunted without using the actual word. Ryo's teeth clicked together. He hated this case, hated it with a growing passion.

“If by outside the realm of normal you are implying the activity is paranormal than I would be forced to agree until sufficient evidence proves otherwise.” Ryo said carefully, turning another page of a newspaper he was no longer actually reading.

“Do you have any idea of what you would like us to do about this now that we are in agreement on the situation?” Dee asked. They had to have a plan because it wasn't going to work to report back that the place was haunted but they were going to have to say something and it was going to have to be believable. In other words they were going to have to lie and do it in tandem, which Ryo did not like. He did not like it at all.

“What do you suggest Dee, you're better at this than I am.” He said, folding his paper up and putting it on the nightstand with his glasses. Dee didn't move but his eyes finally slid over to meet Ryo's. Dee looked at him in such a strange way that Ryo's heart skipped a beat.

“What I think is you should report back that we found no evidence of anyone being around the house or tampering with it in such a way to cause a disturbance.” Dee replied his eyes drifting back up towards the ceiling.

“And what about you Dee? What are you going to report back?” Ryo watched Dee's face carefully, Dee was giving him an easy out but he was concerned about the fact that Dee had not included his self in the equation.

“I will sign off on your report.” Was Dee's immediate answer, no hesitation whatsoever. Ryo arched an eyebrow and stared down at Dee from his higher position waiting for the other shoe to fall. Silence stretched out between the two of them. Dee finally broke it after several long seconds.

“There isn't anything else to be done Ryo, don't look at me like that. You write it up and I'll put my name on the appropriate lines. If the Chief asks me directly I'll tell him the truth, that I think it's haunted but I'll leave you out of it.” Dee cut across the silence and Ryo's disbelieving look. Ryo blinked.

“Why would you do that? Why would you put yourself out there like that? Chief knows how I feel about things like spirits and ghosts.” Ryo said in minor protestation of how Dee intended to handle it.

“That's right Ryo, he knows exactly how you feel about the situation and just how derisive you can be when it comes to what other people believe in. If I let you go back and even hint that you've changed your mind he'll think I somehow talked you into it or browbeat you into saying something you didn't believe. Just leave it alone, you be you and I'll be me. Everyone knows I believe in ghosts because you told everyone about what happened in England. It'll be fine. Besides this is a cracked up assignment to begin with and I can't believe there isn't something more going on with us being sent down here.” Dee rambled off moving on the bed. By the time he was done he had rolled over and crept over Ryo's legs. He raised his body up to hover over Ryo's, his arms outstretched on either side of Ryo's head, his fingers curling over the laminated headboard. Dee was staring down at him intently, his far too clever green eyes staring directly into Ryo's. Ryo swallowed nervously.

“Let me ask you this Ryo.” Dee continued on. “Is there something you feel the need to tell me?” His voice dropped down low and dark. Ryo stared up at Dee and wondered how long Dee had known about the conversation Chief had had with him that morning that now seemed a life time away. Ryo tried to take a deep breath but that just meant drawing in the various smells that made up Dee from his aftershave to his cigarettes and was far from calming.

“Cat got your tongue Ryo?” Dee lowered his head to Ryo's ear to ask, his voice warm against Ryo's skin. Ryo's eyes slid closed and he turned his head to the side. He wasn't surprised when Dee's lip touched the outer shell of his ear, the tip of his tongue coming out to trace the cartilage and drag over sensitive skin. “Hmm Ryo? Nothing to say at all?” Dee asked before his lips trailed down his neck to his shoulder before breaking contact.

“Well then, let me tell you what I heard since you've nothing to say. I heard our beloved Commissioner Rose in the Chief's office having a conversation about poor little Randy who doesn't know what he really wants. I heard Chief, someone I would have never expected to interfere, handing Rose a piece of his ass.” Dee whispered into Ryo's ears pulling back to watch Ryo's eyes go wide. Ryo took a shuddering breath.

“What did Chief say?” Ryo turned to look up into Dee's face his heart in his throat and his stomach fluttering wildly. Dee sat back on his knees and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Chief asked Rose just how much longer he planned to chase after someone not interested in him and didn't he have more pride than to continue harassing one of his detectives. I'll tell you what else he said; he threatened to have you transferred if you couldn't get your act together at work and if that happened he hoped Rose knew he was at least partially to blame. He also said he had already told you this and he hoped that you would solve the problem once you knew it was there.” Dee told him all the while watching the reactions flit across Ryo's face.

“I'm pretty sure Chief meant for me to hear that conversation Ryo, seeing as how he called me to his office just for me to arrive to a shut door. Right after Rose stormed out, giving me the death glare, Chief told me about this assignment and to come find you. You weren't going to tell me. I waited all this time trying to give you room and you were never going to tell me that you were in trouble at work and I had something to do with it. Chief doesn't need to spell it out for me like he does Rose, he knew I would know I was the other part of `partially to blame'. I'm your partner Ryo, you could have told me.” Dee finished quietly.

Ryo cast his eyes downward to stare at his twisted together fingers. He could feel the heat in his neck and cheeks. He was mortified that Chief had spoken to Rose and Dee had eavesdropped. Did no one think he could possibly run his own life without their interference? Emotions warred within him, part of him was sorry he had hurt Dee by not confiding in him but part of him was angry and hurt too. When he finally could look back up at Dee both emotions had been beaten back but not completely erased.

“Tell you what Dee? That you couldn't be yourself around me anymore, that I'm too inexperienced and emotional to keep everything from bleeding over into my work? That I'm too weak to handle anything by myself? Would you have really listened Dee? Seriously? Or would you have complained it was all Rose's fault and insisted that if I just gave in to what you just know I want everything would be fine?” Ryo shot out at Dee, his words hard edged and full of acid. Dee didn't say anything at all. He eased one leg off the side of the bed and stood up. He went over to the other bed and climbed in, turning away from Ryo and pulling the covers up to his chin.

Ryo slid down into his own bed turning off the light and plunging the room into darkness. If Dee wanted to act that way and sulk, fine he could act that way too, and with that in mind Ryo turned his back to Dee as well and stared out into the darkness. It was a grim and not entirely pleasant irony that he had apparently gotten his wish and not been pestered to share a bed with Dee after all.