FAKE Fic: May The Best Man Win
Title: May The Best Man Win
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo, Berkeley Rose.
Rating: PG
Setting: Vol. 3.
Summary: Dee has a rival for Ryo’s love, but he has no intention of backing down and letting Berkeley Rose win.
Word Count: 1034
Written For: Challenge 462: Rival at fan_flashworks.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
Maybe it was petty… No, there was no ‘maybe’ about it, it was definitely petty, but even so, Dee couldn’t help the way he felt. He’d met Ryo first, and he’d fallen for his new work partner long before that rat bastard Berkeley Rose ever even knew Ryo Maclean existed, so where did the commissioner get off thinking he could waltz in and steal the love of Dee’s life away?
If Rose was any kind of decent person, which in Dee’s opinion he wasn’t, he’d accept that he was too late to this party and stop trying to win Ryo’s heart with the kinds of expensive trinkets and invitations to the symphony, the opera, and dinner at flashy restaurants that Dee could never hope to afford on a lowly NYPD detective’s salary. But Rose was wealthy, arrogant, and convinced of his own superiority, so sure that money and power would get him anything, and anyone, he wanted. There was no way he’d just step aside, take himself out of the running, especially not for Dee’s sake.
This was no friendly rivalry; Rose loathed Dee enough to want to see him lose, and the loathing was completely mutual. Dee despised his superior, and didn’t trust him an inch. He didn’t trust the Sea Hag either, the oh so pretty and perfect, kick-ass FBI Agent Diana Spacey. Not after the way she’d pretended she and Dee had been in a hotel enjoying each other instead of working, when they’d actually been in the hotel lobby keeping eyes on a suspect. That little stunt had put a serious crimp in Dee’s efforts to win Ryo’s heart, leaving his partner wide open for Rose’s latest seduction attempt.
Still, much to Dee’s relief, all it had gotten Rose was a punch in the mouth from a less than receptive Ryo. Dee would have thought that would have been enough to put Rose off, make him cut his losses and look elsewhere, but judging by the expensive bottle of wine that had shown up on his partner’s desk this morning, Commissioner Berkeley Rose still wasn’t getting the message that Ryo wasn’t interested. Clearly he still thought he could wear down Ryo’s resistance if he kept trying hard enough and long enough. Well, they’d see about that, wouldn’t they? Because Dee was at least as stubborn and determined as Rose was, and he wasn’t about to give up, not when Ryo was the prize they were fighting for.
To Rose, Ryo would just be another conquest, someone he’d no doubt toss aside the moment another, prettier face caught his eye, but to Dee, Ryo was everything, not merely a passing fling but his perfect match. Okay, maybe he’d started out just wanting to get into Ryo’s pants, but that had been before Dee had really gotten to know his partner; once he had, he’d fallen head over heels for him.
Rose saw only a gorgeous face and a sexy bod, but Dee saw the man behind the looks, a kind, caring, brave, selfless, compassionate man, totally committed to his job and to raising an orphaned child. A man who never gave up on the people who mattered to him, who would be there for his loved ones through whatever life threw at them, the bad times as well as the good. Ryo might be an airhead at times, but that was only because he was always so busy thinking. He put everything he had into everything he did, and because of that, he made Dee want to be a better person, to be worthy of him.
Part of Dee wanted to take that bottle of wine, hide it somewhere his partner would never find it, and remove the temptation it might represent. If Ryo never knew about it… But that would be stooping to Rose’s underhanded level. If Dee was to win Ryo, he intended to do it by being the better man, showing Ryo that he could be trusted no matter what, unlike his rival. It was too late to spirit the wine away now anyway.
“Where’d this come from?” Ryo frowned as he picked up the bottle, then his eyebrows went up. “It looks expensive.”
“Where d’ya think it came from? Not me, in case you’re wonderin’, it’s way outta my price range. There’s only one person could afford a bottle of somethin’ that probably cost more than I make in a month. He’s probably got a cellar full of expensive wines.”
Ryo sighed, shaking his head. “The commissioner again? The flowers were bad enough, and I LIKE flowers.”
“You like wine too.” Dee knew that for a fact.
“Well, yes, but this is a sweet red, not to my tastes at all. I’ve always preferred dry.”
“So what’re ya gonna do about it?”
“Give it back, of course!” Ryo sounded surprised that Dee even needed to ask. “I can’t accept expensive gifts from my superior; it would look bad. It could even be seen as an attempt at bribery, and that’s against the law.”
“You know he’s just tryin’ to convince you to go out with him.”
“I know.” Ryo gave Dee a helpless look. “And I do like him, but just as a friend and colleague. Why can’t he accept that? How many times do I have to tell him I’m not interested?”
Dee managed a crooked smile. “At least once more, apparently.”
“Right. Well…” Bottle in hand, Ryo strode out of the squad room, a determined expression on his face.
Watching him go, Dee felt an odd sense of euphoria. Ryo wasn’t interested in Rose; he’d said it himself! Hah, take that, Berkie! Looked like Dee was still in with a chance while Rose had just put himself right out of the running. Now maybe, just maybe, if Dee was patient, Ryo might eventually realise he was a far better choice than his rival. Rose might have money to spare, but while he could offer Ryo everything his wealth could buy, Dee was willing to give Ryo everything he had, for the rest of their lives. If that wasn’t enough for Ryo, then Dee didn’t know his partner half as well as he thought he did.
The End
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo, Berkeley Rose.
Rating: PG
Setting: Vol. 3.
Summary: Dee has a rival for Ryo’s love, but he has no intention of backing down and letting Berkeley Rose win.
Word Count: 1034
Written For: Challenge 462: Rival at fan_flashworks.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
Maybe it was petty… No, there was no ‘maybe’ about it, it was definitely petty, but even so, Dee couldn’t help the way he felt. He’d met Ryo first, and he’d fallen for his new work partner long before that rat bastard Berkeley Rose ever even knew Ryo Maclean existed, so where did the commissioner get off thinking he could waltz in and steal the love of Dee’s life away?
If Rose was any kind of decent person, which in Dee’s opinion he wasn’t, he’d accept that he was too late to this party and stop trying to win Ryo’s heart with the kinds of expensive trinkets and invitations to the symphony, the opera, and dinner at flashy restaurants that Dee could never hope to afford on a lowly NYPD detective’s salary. But Rose was wealthy, arrogant, and convinced of his own superiority, so sure that money and power would get him anything, and anyone, he wanted. There was no way he’d just step aside, take himself out of the running, especially not for Dee’s sake.
This was no friendly rivalry; Rose loathed Dee enough to want to see him lose, and the loathing was completely mutual. Dee despised his superior, and didn’t trust him an inch. He didn’t trust the Sea Hag either, the oh so pretty and perfect, kick-ass FBI Agent Diana Spacey. Not after the way she’d pretended she and Dee had been in a hotel enjoying each other instead of working, when they’d actually been in the hotel lobby keeping eyes on a suspect. That little stunt had put a serious crimp in Dee’s efforts to win Ryo’s heart, leaving his partner wide open for Rose’s latest seduction attempt.
Still, much to Dee’s relief, all it had gotten Rose was a punch in the mouth from a less than receptive Ryo. Dee would have thought that would have been enough to put Rose off, make him cut his losses and look elsewhere, but judging by the expensive bottle of wine that had shown up on his partner’s desk this morning, Commissioner Berkeley Rose still wasn’t getting the message that Ryo wasn’t interested. Clearly he still thought he could wear down Ryo’s resistance if he kept trying hard enough and long enough. Well, they’d see about that, wouldn’t they? Because Dee was at least as stubborn and determined as Rose was, and he wasn’t about to give up, not when Ryo was the prize they were fighting for.
To Rose, Ryo would just be another conquest, someone he’d no doubt toss aside the moment another, prettier face caught his eye, but to Dee, Ryo was everything, not merely a passing fling but his perfect match. Okay, maybe he’d started out just wanting to get into Ryo’s pants, but that had been before Dee had really gotten to know his partner; once he had, he’d fallen head over heels for him.
Rose saw only a gorgeous face and a sexy bod, but Dee saw the man behind the looks, a kind, caring, brave, selfless, compassionate man, totally committed to his job and to raising an orphaned child. A man who never gave up on the people who mattered to him, who would be there for his loved ones through whatever life threw at them, the bad times as well as the good. Ryo might be an airhead at times, but that was only because he was always so busy thinking. He put everything he had into everything he did, and because of that, he made Dee want to be a better person, to be worthy of him.
Part of Dee wanted to take that bottle of wine, hide it somewhere his partner would never find it, and remove the temptation it might represent. If Ryo never knew about it… But that would be stooping to Rose’s underhanded level. If Dee was to win Ryo, he intended to do it by being the better man, showing Ryo that he could be trusted no matter what, unlike his rival. It was too late to spirit the wine away now anyway.
“Where’d this come from?” Ryo frowned as he picked up the bottle, then his eyebrows went up. “It looks expensive.”
“Where d’ya think it came from? Not me, in case you’re wonderin’, it’s way outta my price range. There’s only one person could afford a bottle of somethin’ that probably cost more than I make in a month. He’s probably got a cellar full of expensive wines.”
Ryo sighed, shaking his head. “The commissioner again? The flowers were bad enough, and I LIKE flowers.”
“You like wine too.” Dee knew that for a fact.
“Well, yes, but this is a sweet red, not to my tastes at all. I’ve always preferred dry.”
“So what’re ya gonna do about it?”
“Give it back, of course!” Ryo sounded surprised that Dee even needed to ask. “I can’t accept expensive gifts from my superior; it would look bad. It could even be seen as an attempt at bribery, and that’s against the law.”
“You know he’s just tryin’ to convince you to go out with him.”
“I know.” Ryo gave Dee a helpless look. “And I do like him, but just as a friend and colleague. Why can’t he accept that? How many times do I have to tell him I’m not interested?”
Dee managed a crooked smile. “At least once more, apparently.”
“Right. Well…” Bottle in hand, Ryo strode out of the squad room, a determined expression on his face.
Watching him go, Dee felt an odd sense of euphoria. Ryo wasn’t interested in Rose; he’d said it himself! Hah, take that, Berkie! Looked like Dee was still in with a chance while Rose had just put himself right out of the running. Now maybe, just maybe, if Dee was patient, Ryo might eventually realise he was a far better choice than his rival. Rose might have money to spare, but while he could offer Ryo everything his wealth could buy, Dee was willing to give Ryo everything he had, for the rest of their lives. If that wasn’t enough for Ryo, then Dee didn’t know his partner half as well as he thought he did.
The End