Title: Reasonable Requests

Author: tarotgal

Fandom: FAKE

Pairing: Dee/Ryo (er, pre Vol 7, though)

Spoilers: none

Disclaimer: I'm sad to say that these lovely, wonderful boys are not mine.

Summary: Dee gets sick and Ryo does his best to make him feel better.

Notes: I requested boykissing reguests. Gayle requested Dee/Ryo.

Reasonable Requests

     Ryo shifted the bags all to one arm, resting one against his hip and another two against part of his chest. The fourth he held against the others as he jingled the keys in his pocket, trying to produce the right ones. Finally he pulled out the right set of keys but there were many on the ring. As he tried to determine which was the right one for the lock, the fourth bag slipped and he slammed it and himself against the wall to keep it from hitting the floor. 'Too many keys,' he thought to himself. 'If I had my own key I'd be able to do this without such problems. Of course if I had my own key that would mean that we were more than just partners. And then I'd have to give him one of my own- why does he have so many keys on this ring?!' After trying a few in the lock, he finally located the one that fit and turned it.

     Noise in the other room made Dee lift his head off his pillow so he could listen carefully with both ears. "Ryo?" he called out softly, his voice a bit horse. There was no answer. A wave of panic rushed through him and he shoved his hand under his pillow. "R-Ryo?" he called out again.

     Carefully balancing the four bags, Ryo turned the doorknob to enter Dee's bedroom. He found Dee in bed, where Ryo had left him, but he also found a gun pointing straight at him. Ryo jumped with surprise and dropped a bag. "Damn, Dee! It's me. Put down the gun."

     Dee was sitting straight up in bed, heart racing, with both hands on his weapon. Shaking, he slowly lowered it. "I called," he insisted, rubbing the back of his hand over his forehead. "You didn't answer. I thought..." his voice was shaking as much as the rest of him, though he tried hard to hide it.

     "The door was closed. I didn't hear you call," Ryo replied. He set the bags on the floor and took a seat on the edge of the bed. Ryo eased the gun from Dee's hand and set it aside with a sigh. Then he pulled up a blanket, wrapping it around Dee's shoulders. "It's all right now. It's just me, okay?" Dee nodded, still shaking a little. Ryo rubbed his arms through the blanket, then felt Dee's forehead. "I think your fever's a little higher." He looked concerned. 'Which would partially account for you nearly killing me there. And would also be responsible for your shivering,' he thought. "Come on, lie down under the covers and stay warm."

     Dee obeyed, shivering and curling back up on his side with a cough he did not bother covering his mouth during. "Did you get those cough drops?"

     "I did indeed. But I had to go to four stores before I found that kind of ice cream you begged me for." Ryo ticked the blankets around Dee and stood. "Speaking of which, I need to get it into the freezer before it melts. Do you need anything at this very moment?"

     Dee shook his head and watched Ryo gather the bags then leave the bedroom. He hugged part of the blankets to his chest to try and get comfortable. But the rest of him had other plans. He stiffened involuntarily and sneezed. "HahCHOO! WAHSHOO!" The sneezes shook him, and he felt far too weak to move. He groaned and called out, "Ryo? Tissues?"

     Seconds later, Ryo entered, tearing the cardboard flap from the box. He pulled out a few and handed them over. Dee rubbed his nose, eyeing the box. "You didn't get the pop-up kind?"

     Ryo sighed and shook his head. "You wanted extra soft, extra thick. Those only came in this kind of box. Besides, you can reach for more than one at a time more easily this way." Dee considered this as though he was in a position to complain, then he nodded. "Need anything else before I go?" Dee shook his head as Ryo petted it and then headed out of the room.

     After forcing Dee home from the station today, Ryo had followed him home to be sure he took care of himself. Dee wasn't used to being sick, after all. Finding that Dee's apartment was hardly stocked for a sick person, Ryo had volunteered to go hit the store for him. At which point Dee stopped complaining that he felt like death warmed over and began with a long list of items for Ryo to pick up.

"Ryo?" After putting down a box of cold medicine and a package of bread, he shook his head. He had been in the kitchen barely a minute before being summoned back. 'You'd think he was completely helpless or something.' Though Ryo had to admit he felt the same sometimes when sick.

     He headed back to Dee and stood in the doorway to the bedroom with a carton of orange juice in hand. Dee lay shivering in bed. "Ryo?" He sniffled. "I'm really cold."

     Checking his watch, Ryo nodded. "Ten minutes and you can take some more meds for your fever."

     "Now?" he asked, pouting a little. Then he shook again, sneezing freely, "waahh-SHOO! hahShooo! hahCHOO!"

     "Dee," Ryo sighed. He took a few tissues from the box and forced them on Dee.

     "M'sorry. I feel horrible." He pouted again.

     "I know," Ryo sympathized. He pulled a few more tissues out as he sat down on the bed. He set the orange juice down on the nightstand, which was more like a plank of wood atop several cinderblocks. "It's okay. You'll start to feel warmer in a little while."

     Dee scooted closer to him. "Can you put your arm around me? Just for a little while, until I do feel warmer?" Ryo hesitated. "Pl-please? I... hahhhh... wahSHOO! WarShooo! Harshooo! hehShooo! wahChooo!" He hadn't managed to cover his nose and mouth during these either, but he had made an effort to turn his head away from Ryo, which Ryo noticed.

     Ryo put his arm around the man and hugged. Dee put his head on Ryo's shoulder and sighed. Then he blew his nose a few dozen times. "Could you get me some of that orange juice now?"

     Having just settled in, Ryo chuckled to himself. 'If he needs me to get up instead of sit with him, he must be really sick.' Ryo nodded. "Sure, Dee." He heard a series of sneezes as he left the room for the kitchen. He poured a large glassful and took a few crackers for himself. Having skipped lunch to take Dee home, the sight of food reminded him of how hungry he was. "Maybe we could get some Chinese take-out for dinner," he suggested, sitting back down on the side of the bed.

     With a balled-up tissue pressed to his nose, Dee shook his head. "I'm feeling too sick and miserable to be hungry," he said dramatically. He coughed and sat up a little. "Thanks." Ryo nodded and popped the last cracker in his mouth. Eyeing it, Dee set down his drink after just one sip." "Actually, could you get me some of those?"

     "I thought you said you weren't hungry." Ryo smirked.

"Hungry now. Could you get me some?"

     Ryo nodded. "If it would make you feel better." He added to himself, 'And if it will make you stop bugging me to get you things for five minutes.' He left and returned with the whole box, just in case he underestimated Dee's appetite. Again, he sat back down on the bed with his arm out. And, again, Dee started to lean back against it.

     Then, "Could you get me another pillow? My back's hurting," Dee asked.

     Ryo sighed, looking over at Dee. He looked terrible. And not just because his face was pale and his hair was mussed. No, there was something in those tired eyes that told he really was hurting and not enjoying any of this one bit, even with Ryo there. "Sure," he said softly. The cut-out area in the living room wall that Dee used as a couch held several cushions. He grabbed two, not wanting to get back and be told to get another. But as he eased Dee forward and slipped the pillows behind, Dee was preoccupied with sneezing. "Wahh... ahhh-SHOO! H'Shooo! HahShooo!" Then, sniffling, asked, "Could you get me another blanket, too?" Dee shivered. "M'cold."

     'Will these requests of his eventually stop? Is he just trying to keep me busy so I'll stay around? Or is he just having fun ordering me around?' Hoping that Dee was just an overly-needy person when sick, Ryo got up to find an extra blanket. Ryo began to look forward to getting back to just sitting down and holding Dee to keep him warm. But after the blanket, Dee asked for the meds, two pulls for headache and fever and another one for congestion. Then Ryo brought a dish of ice cream followed by a cup of tea, neither of which Dee finished. And then he fetched another blanket.

     "Feeling any better?" Ryo asked, sounding equal parts annoyed and hopeful, just not very sympathetic. He sat back down on the growing mass of blankets and pillows that had overtaken Dee's bed.

     Dee shook his head, sniffling.

     "What, not at all? Blankets and ice cream and medicine and no better?"

     Turning his head into his shoulder, his answer was a half dozen sneezes. "HuhShooo! HahShhhh! Washooo! Wah-Choo! HahChooo! KShooo!" He shivered and tugged at one of the blankets, unable to get it up to where he wanted and unable to keep his runny nose in check at the same time.

     "Come on, let me," Ryo sighed, bringing the blankets up to Dee's chin and tucking them tightly around the man's sides. Then he pulled out a few tissues and rubbed Dee's nose for him. Dee closed his eyes at the touch, smiling rather weakly and looking annoyed at his own helplessness. Cops were not used to being so out of control, especially when it came to themselves. 'I know just how you feel,' Ryo thought, looking down at his partner. All this running back and forth to get things and it hadn't even helped. He felt completely useless. "You just stay warm under those covers and let me know if you've got to sneeze, all right? I'll look after you."

     Dee sniffed miserably. "Sorry. I'm not used to feeling sick."

     "I know," Ryo said, nodding. "That's why I'm here. To make things easier for you."

     Dee nodded back. It looked to Ryo as though Dee had wanted him to say something else. Dee frowned and closed his eyes, and Ryo expected his typical moaning about how Dee wanted Ryo to be there because he cared, not because he felt obligated as his partner. But, instead, Dee tensed. "Ry... heh... I'm..." Ryo held a tissue up to his nose for him and leaned back to give Dee room to sneeze. "hehhhh... hahhhh... wahChooo! HahShooo! hehShooo!" Dee sniffled and shook his head, frustrated with his cold. He gave a deep sigh as Ryo rubbed his nose for him and tucked in the blankets which had come untucked. "At least J.J.'s out of town this week. And the chief let you have the day off."

     Ryo smiled. "So you're glad I'm here? That makes you feel better?"

     Dee grinned sheepishly. "A little, maybe. But I can think of something that would really make me feel better."

     "And what's that?" Ryo asked eagerly.

     "You can kiss me."

     Ryo's mouth went dry, even as he swallowed hard. "That... would make you feel better?" Dee nodded. "Promise?" Dee nodded. Ryo stalled as he thought about his answer, "And you won't sneeze on me?"

     Dee sniffled and pulled a hand out from beneath the covers. He rubbed hard at his nose, getting rid of all the tickles. "I promise."

'Oh why not?' Ryo said to himself. 'It's better than getting up every few seconds and still feeling useless.' He sighed. "Okay then." Ryo felt Dee tense beside him. Before he could let anything, including himself, stop him he turned and found Dee's mouth with his own.

     Dee's lips were softer than he remembered. And he enjoyed the way Dee kissed back, not as hard as he did when he was being playful or mischievous because this time he didn't have to fight for it; Ryo was giving it willingly. And it wasn't just a quick peck either, but a long, involved kiss. Almost meaningful. Almost real. Ryo cupped Dee's cheek to keep him there, and let the kiss continue a little while longer.

     Finally, Dee pulled away and gave a soft whimper. He buried his face in his pillow. "Dee?" Ryo petted his back gently. "Are you all right?" he asked nervously. 'The kiss couldn't have been that bad, could it have?'

     Dee shuddered, then "HhShfff! HhChmff!" sneezed twice. He lifted his head, eyes half open, nose a little red. "I promised not to sneeze on you."

     Ryo smiled warmly and nodded. "Yes you did. Thank you." He pushed Dee's hair from his face and helped the man adjust the covers to curl up. Dee ended up with his head in Ryo's lap and Ryo's arm over his back and arm. The tissues rested in a box beside them which Ryo had a hand on just to be at the ready. "So," he said softly, rubbing a hand against Dee's arm with gentle strokes. "Feeling better now?"

     Dee closed his eyes and nodded. "Feeling better." He opened one eye, peeking up at his partner. "Though I wouldn't say no to more." His hand snuck out and slid up over Ryo's thigh.

     Ryo tried to get away but with Dee lying on him that was not possible. He slapped Dee's hand away. "You must be feeling better."

     As Dee sniffled and snuggled back against Ryo, he didn't mention how much the other man was blushing.

     Ryo settled down and stroked Dee's head. The thick black hair refused to stay out of Dee's face, no matter how many times he pulled it back. He could feel strands of it against him still, brushing his cheek and nose as they kissed. 'Maybe next time Dee tries something I won't resist quite so much.' Ryo shook the thought clear from his mind.

     Dee grew heavier in his lap and seconds later a soft stream of snores indicated that the man had fallen asleep. Ryo bent over and cleared a spot on Dee's forehead by pulling the hair back and holding it away. He gave the area a soft kiss and a pet, then smoothed the hair back into place. "You know what, Dee?" he whispered, almost wishing Dee were awake to hear him. "I feel a little bit better now, too."