FAKE Fic: Annual Event
Title: Annual Event
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG-13
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Summary: It’s time to do the spring cleaning, and Dee is feeling less than enthusiastic.
Word Count: 1150
Written For: Jae's Monthly Drabble Challenge 217 - Spring Cleaning.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
“Damn,” Dee grumbled. “Didn’t we just do all this the other day?” He wasn’t enjoying himself, but that didn’t mean he was going to let his lack of enthusiasm keep him from doing his share.
Ryo snickered at the grouchy expression on his lover’s face. “If by ‘the other day’ you mean last spring, then yes, we just did this, a year ago.”
“Time sure does fly, except when ya want it to. This is frickin’ slave labor.” The words were spoken in a barely audible mutter as Dee manhandled the dresser away from the bedroom wall.
“We deep clean the apartment once a year, Dee; I don’t know why you always act like it’s some terrible ordeal you’ve never had to endure before.”
“I act like it’s an ordeal ‘cause for yours truly, it is. Not everyone enjoys cleanin’ as much as you do.”
“Enjoy it?” Ryo looked at his partner, confused. “Where’d you get that idea? I hate it as much as everyone else does.”
Dee raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? Then how come you’re always singin’ and dancin’ around when you’re doin’ the cleanin’.”
“Because it breaks up the monotony of a boring but necessary task. I have to motivate myself somehow. I’m sure no one really likes cleaning, but it has to be done, that’s why I do my best to keep on top of it, get a little done each day, and then the big clean in spring. It might not be fun to do, but it always feels great when it’s done, and I know there aren’t any dust bunnies lurking under the bed or behind the dresser. Plus, keeping the place clean means we don’t have a cockroach problem.”
“I guess.” Dee sighed so heavily Ryo could practically see the cloud of gloom hanging over his lover’s head. “Welp, if we gotta do it, suppose I better knuckle down and get on with it. Place won’t clean itself.” He grimaced. “Just, sometimes I wish we could afford to hire a cleanin’ service, so we wouldn’t haveta do all this stuff ourselves.”
Ryo wrinkled his nose. “Not sure I’d feel comfortable having some stranger poking around my home, snooping in my personal stuff. Especially with some of the things that turn up in odd places,” he added, as Dee straightened up from behind the dresser with a pair of boxers dangling from one finger.
Dee laughed. “Yeah, fair point. These must be from New Year’s, when we got home from JJ’s party and practically tore each other’s clothes off.”
A dreamy look came over Ryo’s face even as a tide of red crept up his neck to tinge his cheeks. “It’s a little fuzzy, I think I’d had a bit too much to drink, but I remember that. It would be kinda difficult to forget.” It had been quite a night.
“These are a little fuzzy too.” Dee studied the shorts. “I think the dust bunnies are makin’ a meal of ‘em, or maybe they’re nestin’, hard to be sure. D’ya think that’s how they breed?”
“You have the weirdest ideas!” Ryo said, laughing. “Dust bunnies are just clumps of fluff, not living creatures.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure ‘bout that. Could be a new life form just beginnin’ to evolve. Evolution is freaky.”
“All the more reason to get rid of all the dust bunnies then, before they can take over the world.”
“Now that’s the kind of incentive makes sense to me, preventin’ the dust bunny goal of world domination. You hear that?” Dee addressed the fluff covered underwear in his hand. “Ain’t no way you’re ever gonna win, I’m gonna see to that.” Picking off the worst of the fluff and balling it up in his fingers, he dropped it on the floor to be vacuumed up with the rest and put the boxers in the laundry basket. “Okay, let’s blitz this place! Doom to all dust bunnies and their evil plans!”
Laughing, Ryo turned the vacuum cleaner on and set to work as Dee moved the rest of the bedroom furniture away from the walls. Spring cleaning may not be the most enjoyable task, but like most unavoidable chores, it was less arduous when he didn’t have to do it all by himself. The right company made all the difference.
As they busied themselves sweeping, dusting, vacuuming, washing down paintwork, doors, windows, and everything in the two bathrooms, they sang along to the radio, danced around each other, snagging quick kisses in passing, cracked dumb jokes, and Dee expanded on the natural history of dust bunnies until Ryo was almost helpless with laughter.
By the time they put all their cleaning equipment away and carried several bags of trash down to the dumpster, the whole apartment was gleaming, which was more than could be said for Dee and Ryo, who were hot, tired, sweaty, and liberally streaked with dirt. Dee looked down at himself and pulled a face.
“Sheesh, I look like I belong in the dumpster with the rest of the trash.”
Ryo grinned. “You’re not the only one, we’re a matching pair. Come on, let’s get back upstairs and shower, then I’ll put another load of laundry on.”
“Shower! Soap, hot water…” Dee groaned. “Sounds like heaven.” Shoving the last trash bag further into the dumpster so it wouldn’t fall out, he nodded in satisfaction and headed back indoors, making for the elevator, with Ryo right behind him. “There’s only one problem I can see.”
“What’s that?”
“We’re gonna get our nice, clean bathroom all messed up and then we’ll haveta clean it again. No matter how hard we try, there’s always more housework needin’ done. We can’t win!”
“Look on the bright side.”
“There’s a bright side?” Dee didn’t sound convinced.
“Of course there is. We don’t have to do the spring cleaning again for another twelve months.”
Dee stopped so suddenly, Ryo almost walked into him. He spun around, grinning. “You’re right! Y’know, we oughta celebrate, ‘cause we rock! We conquered the spring cleanin’ in a single day!”
Ryo chuckled. “We need to get ourselves cleaned up before we do any kind of celebrating.”
“So we get clean, celebrate, get clean again, order takeout, clean the bathroom again while we wait for the food to arrive, eat, then maybe celebrate some more.”
“That’s our evening planned then.” Ryo smirked. “Good thing we’ve got tomorrow off as well. I think we’re going to need it.”
“Oh yeah! Gonna be celebratin’ all night long.” Dee winked at his lover. “Think you’re up for it?”
“I guess we’ll find out.” Ryo stepped into the elevator. “Coming?”
“Think I can pretty much guarantee that.”
“Hornball.”
“You know you love it.” Dee closed the grille and set the elevator in motion before pulling Ryo in for a kiss.
Best part of the whole damn day, and the celebrations were only just beginning!
The End
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG-13
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Summary: It’s time to do the spring cleaning, and Dee is feeling less than enthusiastic.
Word Count: 1150
Written For: Jae's Monthly Drabble Challenge 217 - Spring Cleaning.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
“Damn,” Dee grumbled. “Didn’t we just do all this the other day?” He wasn’t enjoying himself, but that didn’t mean he was going to let his lack of enthusiasm keep him from doing his share.
Ryo snickered at the grouchy expression on his lover’s face. “If by ‘the other day’ you mean last spring, then yes, we just did this, a year ago.”
“Time sure does fly, except when ya want it to. This is frickin’ slave labor.” The words were spoken in a barely audible mutter as Dee manhandled the dresser away from the bedroom wall.
“We deep clean the apartment once a year, Dee; I don’t know why you always act like it’s some terrible ordeal you’ve never had to endure before.”
“I act like it’s an ordeal ‘cause for yours truly, it is. Not everyone enjoys cleanin’ as much as you do.”
“Enjoy it?” Ryo looked at his partner, confused. “Where’d you get that idea? I hate it as much as everyone else does.”
Dee raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? Then how come you’re always singin’ and dancin’ around when you’re doin’ the cleanin’.”
“Because it breaks up the monotony of a boring but necessary task. I have to motivate myself somehow. I’m sure no one really likes cleaning, but it has to be done, that’s why I do my best to keep on top of it, get a little done each day, and then the big clean in spring. It might not be fun to do, but it always feels great when it’s done, and I know there aren’t any dust bunnies lurking under the bed or behind the dresser. Plus, keeping the place clean means we don’t have a cockroach problem.”
“I guess.” Dee sighed so heavily Ryo could practically see the cloud of gloom hanging over his lover’s head. “Welp, if we gotta do it, suppose I better knuckle down and get on with it. Place won’t clean itself.” He grimaced. “Just, sometimes I wish we could afford to hire a cleanin’ service, so we wouldn’t haveta do all this stuff ourselves.”
Ryo wrinkled his nose. “Not sure I’d feel comfortable having some stranger poking around my home, snooping in my personal stuff. Especially with some of the things that turn up in odd places,” he added, as Dee straightened up from behind the dresser with a pair of boxers dangling from one finger.
Dee laughed. “Yeah, fair point. These must be from New Year’s, when we got home from JJ’s party and practically tore each other’s clothes off.”
A dreamy look came over Ryo’s face even as a tide of red crept up his neck to tinge his cheeks. “It’s a little fuzzy, I think I’d had a bit too much to drink, but I remember that. It would be kinda difficult to forget.” It had been quite a night.
“These are a little fuzzy too.” Dee studied the shorts. “I think the dust bunnies are makin’ a meal of ‘em, or maybe they’re nestin’, hard to be sure. D’ya think that’s how they breed?”
“You have the weirdest ideas!” Ryo said, laughing. “Dust bunnies are just clumps of fluff, not living creatures.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure ‘bout that. Could be a new life form just beginnin’ to evolve. Evolution is freaky.”
“All the more reason to get rid of all the dust bunnies then, before they can take over the world.”
“Now that’s the kind of incentive makes sense to me, preventin’ the dust bunny goal of world domination. You hear that?” Dee addressed the fluff covered underwear in his hand. “Ain’t no way you’re ever gonna win, I’m gonna see to that.” Picking off the worst of the fluff and balling it up in his fingers, he dropped it on the floor to be vacuumed up with the rest and put the boxers in the laundry basket. “Okay, let’s blitz this place! Doom to all dust bunnies and their evil plans!”
Laughing, Ryo turned the vacuum cleaner on and set to work as Dee moved the rest of the bedroom furniture away from the walls. Spring cleaning may not be the most enjoyable task, but like most unavoidable chores, it was less arduous when he didn’t have to do it all by himself. The right company made all the difference.
As they busied themselves sweeping, dusting, vacuuming, washing down paintwork, doors, windows, and everything in the two bathrooms, they sang along to the radio, danced around each other, snagging quick kisses in passing, cracked dumb jokes, and Dee expanded on the natural history of dust bunnies until Ryo was almost helpless with laughter.
By the time they put all their cleaning equipment away and carried several bags of trash down to the dumpster, the whole apartment was gleaming, which was more than could be said for Dee and Ryo, who were hot, tired, sweaty, and liberally streaked with dirt. Dee looked down at himself and pulled a face.
“Sheesh, I look like I belong in the dumpster with the rest of the trash.”
Ryo grinned. “You’re not the only one, we’re a matching pair. Come on, let’s get back upstairs and shower, then I’ll put another load of laundry on.”
“Shower! Soap, hot water…” Dee groaned. “Sounds like heaven.” Shoving the last trash bag further into the dumpster so it wouldn’t fall out, he nodded in satisfaction and headed back indoors, making for the elevator, with Ryo right behind him. “There’s only one problem I can see.”
“What’s that?”
“We’re gonna get our nice, clean bathroom all messed up and then we’ll haveta clean it again. No matter how hard we try, there’s always more housework needin’ done. We can’t win!”
“Look on the bright side.”
“There’s a bright side?” Dee didn’t sound convinced.
“Of course there is. We don’t have to do the spring cleaning again for another twelve months.”
Dee stopped so suddenly, Ryo almost walked into him. He spun around, grinning. “You’re right! Y’know, we oughta celebrate, ‘cause we rock! We conquered the spring cleanin’ in a single day!”
Ryo chuckled. “We need to get ourselves cleaned up before we do any kind of celebrating.”
“So we get clean, celebrate, get clean again, order takeout, clean the bathroom again while we wait for the food to arrive, eat, then maybe celebrate some more.”
“That’s our evening planned then.” Ryo smirked. “Good thing we’ve got tomorrow off as well. I think we’re going to need it.”
“Oh yeah! Gonna be celebratin’ all night long.” Dee winked at his lover. “Think you’re up for it?”
“I guess we’ll find out.” Ryo stepped into the elevator. “Coming?”
“Think I can pretty much guarantee that.”
“Hornball.”
“You know you love it.” Dee closed the grille and set the elevator in motion before pulling Ryo in for a kiss.
Best part of the whole damn day, and the celebrations were only just beginning!
The End