badly_knitted's Fluff Emporium

Title: Partners, Lovers, And Friends

Fandom: FAKE

Author: badly_knitted     

Characters: Ryo, Dee

Rating: G

Setting: Shortly after Vol. 7

Summary: There are a lot of things to get used to now they’re more than just partners and friends.

Word Count: 452

Written For: My own prompt ‘FAKE, Dee/Ryo, Holding hands,’ at fic_promptly.

Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh

There were a lot of things Ryo was going to have to adjust to now that he’d accepted his feelings for Dee and they were… what? Lovers? A couple? In a relationship? To hear Dee tell it, they were all that and more. It was confusing, but good. For the first time in a very long time, Ryo felt at peace. He didn’t have to fight who he was anymore, he could just be.

That didn’t mean he and Dee could be open about their relationship, not if they wanted to continue working together as partners. The police department had rules about fraternisation, they’d be split up, might even have to work out of different precincts, and neither of them wanted that. So at work they had to remain professional, or at least maintain the same kind of un-professionalism they’d always exhibited. Which meant completely inappropriate flirting from Dee and annoyed rebuffs from Ryo. Sometimes it was a hard act to keep up, especially during difficult cases, but they were also best friends so they managed to get away with any minor slips.

It was frustrating at times, when their arms brushed together as they walked and they had to resist the temptation to join hands and walk with fingers entwined, showing the whole world that they were together and so much more than just close friends. But that was just when they were working.

New York was a vast city and their precinct encompassed only one small section. Well, small when compared to the city as a whole. There were plenty of places they could go on dates where their colleagues from the 27^th would never run into them. Plenty of restaurants where they could have a romantic meal together, clubs where they could dance together without anyone giving them dirty looks, cinemas where they could enjoy a movie without fear of being spotted by anyone who knew them, and they made the most of those opportunities. They made out in darkened cinemas, held hands across the table in cosy little bistros and gay bars, walked hand in hand along unfamiliar streets and through parks.

Some day, Ryo hoped, they’d be able to be honest with their friends, let everyone know they were together without having to worry about repercussions, but for now they were happy just the way things were. And if sometimes at work they snuck away to the roof, twining their fingers together and stealing a kiss or two, as long as no one else noticed, there was no harm done.

It was complicated, being in love when they worked so closely together every day, but in Ryo’s opinion, it was also the best feeling in the world.

The End