FAKE Fic: Two Broken Hearts
Dec. 20th, 2021 05:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
badly_knittedTitle: Two Broken Hearts
Fandom: FAKE
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: JJ, Dee, Ryo, Drake.
Rating: PG
Setting: During the manga and after Like Like Love.
Summary: JJ’s heart is breaking because the man of his dreams loves someone else, but maybe he’s been looking for love in the wrong place.
Word Count: 1824
Written For: Prompt 6: Heart Break at lovers_corner.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
JJ had always been an optimist, looking on the bright side, seeing the glass half full, searching for the rainbow whenever it rained, but today that optimism was nowhere to be found. Instead he felt empty, bereft, a hollowed-out shell, little more than a shadow of his usual cheery self.
Deep down, although he’d never admitted it to himself, he’d always known he didn’t have a chance with Dee. The attraction he felt towards the raven-haired object of his adoration had never been reciprocated, but even so he’d continued to keep hope alive, determinedly closing his eyes to the truth that Dee still wouldn’t be interested in him even if they were the last two people on earth. Dee simply didn’t feel the same way JJ did; never had and never would.
Back when they’d been at the police academy together, Dee had never been available. He’d always too busy playing the field, dating both guys and girls, whoever happened to catch his eye, and despite his best efforts that had never included JJ. These days, Dee only had eyes for one person, the man he worked with, and once again, no matter what he did or said, JJ still couldn’t get a look in.
He would have liked to blame Ryo for stealing his man, but in all honesty he couldn’t say that Dee’s partner had ever encouraged him. Mostly, Ryo had seemed to spend a lot of his time fighting off Dee’s attentions, like his pounces were somehow unwelcome, although personally JJ couldn’t imagine not wanting Dee to kiss him. In Ryo’s place he would have… Well, why go there? He wasn’t in Ryo’s place, and he was never likely to be.
For a time, Ryo’s resistance to Dee’s advances had allowed JJ to hope that one day the man of his dreams would stop chasing after someone who obviously wasn’t interested and see the guy who was right in front of him, waiting impatiently to fulfil all of his needs and desires for the rest of their lives. Now, however, he finally had to accept that it had all been nothing more than wishful thinking on his part.
Something had changed between Dee and his partner recently. It wasn’t anything overt, but JJ was a detective, trained to notice the smallest details, and he was noticing them now in the way his fellow detectives were acting around each other, subtle little clues that would have escaped most people. Dee seemed more relaxed than usual, and strangely… content. His eyes still followed Ryo’s every move, there was no doubt that he still liked what he saw just as much as he ever had, but Ryo didn’t seem to mind anymore. There was a softer expression on his face when he caught Dee staring, a sort of fond amusement, and he’d lost that confused, vaguely worried expression he used to get around Dee. Still, it wasn’t until JJ saw Ryo kiss Dee that he really knew for sure.
It wasn’t even a big kiss, no passionate smooching, and no tongues involved, just a gentle peck on the lips, but the smile they shared, and the way Dee took Ryo’s hand, briefly twining their fingers together before letting go, spoke volumes. This wasn’t about lust, some short-lived fling to satisfy their physical needs, nor was it a friends with benefits deal; it was love, the genuine article, and tears filled JJ’s eyes as his heart shattered.
“I’ve lost.”
Yet even that was a lie; how could he lose someone he’d never had in the first place? It hurt though, far worse than Dee’s constant rebuffs and rejections ever had. Now that Dee and Ryo had each other, there was no way JJ would ever be able to win the man his heart yearned for. All his waiting and hoping had been for nothing. Slipping quietly away before the two men could notice him, not that they would considering how totally wrapped up in each other they were, JJ headed for the men’s room to splash cold water on his face. It wouldn’t do for anyone to see he’d been crying; they’d want to know why, and then he’d have to explain what a fool he’d been, which would be too humiliating to bear.
Maybe Drake had the right idea; maybe both of them should simply give in to the inevitable, accept their lonely, loveless states and live for their work instead. Who needed relationships anyway? Love never lasted; it just led to broken hearts and shattered dreams. He and Drake didn’t need anyone else in their lives; they had each other. In the long run friendship was way more important than love, and it caused a lot less pain.
JJ dried his face and squared his shoulders, standing up as straight and tall as he could; his heart might be in a million pieces, and it might feel like the jagged shards were ripping him apart inside with every breath, but he wasn’t going to feel sorry for himself. He’d tried his best to win Dee’s love, there was nothing more he could have done, and anyway, Dee was such a grumpy pants that JJ was probably better off without him. He should probably feel sorry for Ryo, having to deal with Dee’s moods day in and day out, rather than envying him, but perhaps now Dee had what he wanted he could be happy. JJ wanted him to be happy, even if he would have preferred to be the one Dee was happy with, but that was reality; you couldn’t always get what you wanted.
Making his way back to his desk, JJ sat down and shuffled his paperwork around, trying to make it at least look like he was working.
Drake frowned at him, so in tune with JJ’s normally ebullient mood that he couldn’t fail to notice something was a bit off. “Hey, JJ, you okay there, bud?”
“I’m fine.” JJ forced a smile, and if it wasn’t as bright and cheery as usual, at least Drake was tactful enough not to say so. “Well, I will be. I’m just lamenting my lack of a love life. Drakey, how about we go out to dinner again tonight? You know, as friends, just two loveless guys cheering each other up. I mean, we are friends, right?”
“Of course we’re friends, JJ, and sure, an evening out would be great. Not like I have any plans for tonight; I’d only be moping around my apartment with a TV dinner for one, feeling sorry for myself, and I can do that any night.”
“Oh, but you don’t want to do that, Drakey! Moping doesn’t do anyone any good, I should know; I’ve been doing way too much of it lately myself and it never helps, just makes me feel worse. We can have dinner somewhere nice, then maybe see a movie, or go bowling or something. We deserve to have some fun in our lives, don’t you think? It’s not our fault that the people we love won’t love us back. It’s their loss; we’ll show them how much we don’t need them. We’re too good for them anyway.”
“You’re right, we are, and bowling sounds fun; haven’t done that for years, probably because I’m so bad at it that no one wants me on their team.”
JJ grinned; at least Drake needed him. “In that case, I’ll help you improve your game, and next time everyone will want you on their team! We’ll have a great time; just you and me, no heartache allowed.”
Drake smiled. “Sounds like just what the doctor ordered. Count me in.”
And they did have fun, so much that they did it again a few nights later, and twice the following week, and three times the week after that. JJ had forgotten how good it felt to laugh, and they laughed a lot because Drake hadn’t been joking; he really was terrible at bowling. Forgetting to let go of the ball, or knocking down pins in the next lane. But under JJ’s patient tuition he was gradually improving, and one day JJ realised that his nights out with Drake were the best parts of his week. Shortly after that, he realised it no longer hurt as much to see Dee and Ryo so happy together.
‘My broken heart must be starting to mend,’ he thought. ‘It’s about time.’
Six weeks after their first night out as friends, Drake kissed him. They’d been laughing and messing around, chucking snow at each other, and then they’d stopped to catch their breath, faces flushed with the cold. Drake had reached out to brush snow out of JJ’s hair, and then… it just sort of happened.
Drake pulled back, looking down at his feet, a darker blush staining his cheeks. “Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have done that, but I couldn’t help myself; you just looked so happy.”
“Don’t apologise, Drakey; I’ve been wanting you to do that for a while. If you’d waited much longer, I’d have beaten you to it.”
“You really mean that? You’re not just saying it to spare my feelings?”
“I mean it. I wouldn’t lie to you, not ever. I’ve had more fun the last few weeks than I’ve had in years, and I realised it’s not just because of what we’ve been doing, it’s because of you. It wouldn’t be anywhere near as much fun with anyone else.”
“I think I know what you mean. You know something else? Used to be, everywhere I went I’d be looking at all the girls, wondering whether any of them was single, and if I was ready to try dating again. But I don’t even remember the last time I did that, because when we’re out together, all I can see is you. I don’t want to be with anyone else, and I don’t want to share you.”
“I feel the same way; the thought of you with someone else is just… not good. Does that mean we’re dating?”
Drake chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before answering. “Yeah, I think it does. But only if you want to.”
This time JJ kissed Drake. “I do, I’d be very happy to be your boyfriend. Just promise you’ll try not to break my heart?”
“As long as you promise to try not to break mine.”
“It’s a deal.”
They smiled at each other, and Drake took JJ’s hand. “Your place or mine?”
“Mine’s closer, and comfier.”
“Comfy is good.”
All the time they’d spent sitting across from each other, working together, being close friends as well as work partners, and it had taken both of them getting their hearts broken to finally see what had been right in front of them the whole time. The future suddenly looked a whole lot brighter. JJ had a feeling there’d be no more broken hearts for either of them, ever again.
The End
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