FAKE Fic: Lucky Charm
Title: Lucky Charm
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ryo, Dee, Chief Smith, Jim Campbell.
Rating: PG
Setting: After the manga.
Summary: It may only be a cheap trinket, but it means a lot to Ryo.
Word Count: 998
Written For: Challenge 8: Trinket at slashficlets.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
‘It was just a silly trinket,’ Ryo told himself. Just a cheap memento of their vacation on the south coast of Britain, a scrap of metal cast in the shape of a tiny person wearing a pointed cap, and sitting on a toadstool. It had no value beyond the purely sentimental, and that only because Dee had given it to him, so why did he feel like crying right now, just because he couldn’t find it?
He’d told Dee it was his lucky charm and had taken to carrying it around in his pocket since they’d arrived back in New York four and a half months ago. Stupid really, it was so small it was a miracle he hadn’t lost it before now. Most likely he’d pulled it out of his pocket along with his keys or his wallet without noticing and dropped it somewhere. He only had himself to blame. If it mattered that much to him then he should have been more careful with it.
All he knew was that it wasn’t among the pile of stuff he’d emptied out of his pants pockets the night before. He checked the top of the dresser and the bedroom floor, looking under the bed and even moving the nightstand. He searched the bed itself, in case the little charm had got caught up in the covers. Then he upended the sofa, turning all the cushions over and checking the living room floor. He even emptied the laundry basket, going through everything in it in case he’d accidentally gathered the silly little thing up with the clothes he’d been wearing yesterday.
It wasn’t there either and his heart sank.
He might as well admit that it was gone for good and forget about it. What he shouldn’t do was feel so sad over losing something so ridiculous. He could probably pick up an almost identical one on ebay for next to nothing, but he knew deep down that even if he did it wouldn’t be the same because it wouldn’t be the one Dee had given him outside that quaint little gift shop a few miles from Land’s End.
Checking everything he’d put in his pockets one more time, just in case he’d somehow missed seeing his lucky charm earlier, he grabbed his coat, gloves, and scarf and set out into the chilly fall morning. If he wasn’t careful he’d make himself late for work. The last thing he needed was to wind up in trouble with the Chief.
“Hey!” Dee greeted him as he walked in, then frowned. “What’s up? You look kinda down.”
Ryo forced a smile. “It’s nothing, just the weather.” He didn’t really know why he hadn’t told his lover the truth, but the conditions outside made for a believable excuse; it was cold, grey, and drizzly, a marked change from the mini heatwave they’d been enjoying the previous week or so.
“Yeah,” Dee agreed. “It’s enough to drag anyone down; guess winter really is on its way. Wind, rain, ice, snow… Can’t say I’m lookin’ forward to it.”
“Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year…” Ryo pointed out a few of the more enjoyable aspects of the changing seasons, trying to give himself a boost as much as Dee.
“Okay, so it’s not all bad. Still, I wouldn’t mind not havin’ to go out there again until the end of shift.”
“You do know you’ve probably jinxed us now, don’t you?” Ryo teased, then winced internally, hoping Dee wouldn’t suggest making use of his lucky charm. He didn’t get a chance to because at that moment the Chief came out off his office bellowing about wanting an update on one of their cases. Apparently the victim’s family were demanding to know why an arrest had yet to be made.
“We’ve only been workin’ the case three days!” Dee protested. “We’re still waitin’ on the forensics report and the DNA results.”
After that, the day went on as normal. They spent the morning at their desks, chasing down leads via the phone, doing paperwork, and in Dee’s case, trying to get their tame lab rat Jim Campbell to work faster, only to be told, “You’ll get your results when I have them and not before. I can’t just make them magically appear!”
After lunch they were out on the street, canvassing for witnesses on another case, hunching their shoulders against the wind and rain, and wishing their shift was already over.
The next few days passed in similar ways, and then at last their working week was over and they had two blissful days off to look forward to.
Much to Ryo’s surprise, Dee came over to his apartment just before lunch the following day.
“I thought you said you had errands to run for Mother.”
“Got ‘em done early,” Dee said, grinning. “And look what I found when I was unloadin’ the car.” He held up something small and silvery colored.
Ryo’s heart leapt. “My lucky Cornish Piskie! How…?”
“I wouldn’t have found it at all, only a grocery bag split and I was fishin’ oranges out from under the passenger seat, and there it was.” He dropped it into Ryo’s hand.
“Thank you! I’ve been looking everywhere, I thought it was gone for good!”
“Is that what had you so down the other day?”
Ryo blushed. “I know it’s stupid, but… it means a lot to me.”
“I don’t think it’s stupid, but I do think you need to be more careful with it if losin’ it’s gonna upset ya.”
“I should probably keep it at home instead of carrying it around with me.”
“Or…” Dee produced a sturdy silver key chain. “Put it on this; that way you can carry it with ya and there’ll be less chance of ya losin’ it.”
“You’re brilliant, Dee! Thank you!” Ryo kissed his lover.
“I have my moments. So, do I get to stay for lunch as well as dinner?”
Laughing, Ryo nodded. “I think you’ve earned it!”
The End
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ryo, Dee, Chief Smith, Jim Campbell.
Rating: PG
Setting: After the manga.
Summary: It may only be a cheap trinket, but it means a lot to Ryo.
Word Count: 998
Written For: Challenge 8: Trinket at slashficlets.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
‘It was just a silly trinket,’ Ryo told himself. Just a cheap memento of their vacation on the south coast of Britain, a scrap of metal cast in the shape of a tiny person wearing a pointed cap, and sitting on a toadstool. It had no value beyond the purely sentimental, and that only because Dee had given it to him, so why did he feel like crying right now, just because he couldn’t find it?
He’d told Dee it was his lucky charm and had taken to carrying it around in his pocket since they’d arrived back in New York four and a half months ago. Stupid really, it was so small it was a miracle he hadn’t lost it before now. Most likely he’d pulled it out of his pocket along with his keys or his wallet without noticing and dropped it somewhere. He only had himself to blame. If it mattered that much to him then he should have been more careful with it.
All he knew was that it wasn’t among the pile of stuff he’d emptied out of his pants pockets the night before. He checked the top of the dresser and the bedroom floor, looking under the bed and even moving the nightstand. He searched the bed itself, in case the little charm had got caught up in the covers. Then he upended the sofa, turning all the cushions over and checking the living room floor. He even emptied the laundry basket, going through everything in it in case he’d accidentally gathered the silly little thing up with the clothes he’d been wearing yesterday.
It wasn’t there either and his heart sank.
He might as well admit that it was gone for good and forget about it. What he shouldn’t do was feel so sad over losing something so ridiculous. He could probably pick up an almost identical one on ebay for next to nothing, but he knew deep down that even if he did it wouldn’t be the same because it wouldn’t be the one Dee had given him outside that quaint little gift shop a few miles from Land’s End.
Checking everything he’d put in his pockets one more time, just in case he’d somehow missed seeing his lucky charm earlier, he grabbed his coat, gloves, and scarf and set out into the chilly fall morning. If he wasn’t careful he’d make himself late for work. The last thing he needed was to wind up in trouble with the Chief.
“Hey!” Dee greeted him as he walked in, then frowned. “What’s up? You look kinda down.”
Ryo forced a smile. “It’s nothing, just the weather.” He didn’t really know why he hadn’t told his lover the truth, but the conditions outside made for a believable excuse; it was cold, grey, and drizzly, a marked change from the mini heatwave they’d been enjoying the previous week or so.
“Yeah,” Dee agreed. “It’s enough to drag anyone down; guess winter really is on its way. Wind, rain, ice, snow… Can’t say I’m lookin’ forward to it.”
“Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year…” Ryo pointed out a few of the more enjoyable aspects of the changing seasons, trying to give himself a boost as much as Dee.
“Okay, so it’s not all bad. Still, I wouldn’t mind not havin’ to go out there again until the end of shift.”
“You do know you’ve probably jinxed us now, don’t you?” Ryo teased, then winced internally, hoping Dee wouldn’t suggest making use of his lucky charm. He didn’t get a chance to because at that moment the Chief came out off his office bellowing about wanting an update on one of their cases. Apparently the victim’s family were demanding to know why an arrest had yet to be made.
“We’ve only been workin’ the case three days!” Dee protested. “We’re still waitin’ on the forensics report and the DNA results.”
After that, the day went on as normal. They spent the morning at their desks, chasing down leads via the phone, doing paperwork, and in Dee’s case, trying to get their tame lab rat Jim Campbell to work faster, only to be told, “You’ll get your results when I have them and not before. I can’t just make them magically appear!”
After lunch they were out on the street, canvassing for witnesses on another case, hunching their shoulders against the wind and rain, and wishing their shift was already over.
The next few days passed in similar ways, and then at last their working week was over and they had two blissful days off to look forward to.
Much to Ryo’s surprise, Dee came over to his apartment just before lunch the following day.
“I thought you said you had errands to run for Mother.”
“Got ‘em done early,” Dee said, grinning. “And look what I found when I was unloadin’ the car.” He held up something small and silvery colored.
Ryo’s heart leapt. “My lucky Cornish Piskie! How…?”
“I wouldn’t have found it at all, only a grocery bag split and I was fishin’ oranges out from under the passenger seat, and there it was.” He dropped it into Ryo’s hand.
“Thank you! I’ve been looking everywhere, I thought it was gone for good!”
“Is that what had you so down the other day?”
Ryo blushed. “I know it’s stupid, but… it means a lot to me.”
“I don’t think it’s stupid, but I do think you need to be more careful with it if losin’ it’s gonna upset ya.”
“I should probably keep it at home instead of carrying it around with me.”
“Or…” Dee produced a sturdy silver key chain. “Put it on this; that way you can carry it with ya and there’ll be less chance of ya losin’ it.”
“You’re brilliant, Dee! Thank you!” Ryo kissed his lover.
“I have my moments. So, do I get to stay for lunch as well as dinner?”
Laughing, Ryo nodded. “I think you’ve earned it!”
The End