FAKE Ficlet: Growing Together
Title: Growing Together
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG
Setting: Before and throughout the manga, including Like Like Love.
Summary: Just like people, relationships change and evolve over time.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Prompt 669: Evolve at slashthedrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
Relationships evolve, that’s just the natural way of things. Nothing remains static; everything either adapts with the passing of time, or fizzles out, fades away to nothing, and ultimately gets forgotten about.
Dee has had relationships like that in the past; they’d start out hot and heavy, full of passion and desire, but like a wildfire they burned out quickly. The names and faces have blurred together over time, and if he passed one of those former lovers on the street, chances are he wouldn’t recognise them. That’s okay; they were fun while they lasted, but never destined to be long-term, because people evolve too.
When he’d been in his early to mid-teens, he’d been all about the kissing, and the groping, and seeing how far he could get before the other person slammed on the brakes. Then, although it shames him to admit it, he’d dumped whoever he was dating and moved on to someone he thought might prove more accommodating. Raging teenage hormones… He’d had a reputation back them, not one he was proud of.
Late teens, he’d started taking relationships more seriously but still hadn’t been looking to settle down, happy to have fun playing the field. Early twenties had been when he’d started seriously looking for someone he could see himself growing old with. There’d still been brief flings, testing the waters with whoever caught his eye, but by then he’d mostly gotten better at letting people down gently.
Then he’d hit his mid-twenties, had a couple of relationships he could class as serious… The first one they’d been too much alike, striking sparks off each other, arguing constantly. It made for great sex, but that was all. Second one, she’d dumped him because she couldn’t see herself being a cop’s wife.
Dee had taken a while getting over that one, gone back to casual dating, but then along came Ryo. Gorgeous, smart, funny, caring, everything Dee had ever looked for in a potential life-partner, and… Ryo hadn’t been interested.
Yeah, right. Pull the other one.
They both know by now that right from the start Ryo had felt the same attraction Dee did, he’d just been too used to repressing that side of himself. Denial had been easier than accepting the truth about who he was.
Nevertheless, their relationship had evolved too, following a path that, looking back, seems perfectly logical. They’d started as work partners, become close friends, and eventually lovers. Now here they are, moving in together.
This is it, as far as Dee is concerned. Ryo is the one and only, the man he’ll be with until death eventually parts them, but that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped growing and developing, either as individuals or as a couple.
Life changes people, and that’s no bad thing. They’re both more secure now, comfortable with who they are, more open with each other because of the trust they’ve built up over the years. Someday soon, Dee intends to propose. He’s confident Ryo will say yes.
The End
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG
Setting: Before and throughout the manga, including Like Like Love.
Summary: Just like people, relationships change and evolve over time.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Prompt 669: Evolve at slashthedrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
Relationships evolve, that’s just the natural way of things. Nothing remains static; everything either adapts with the passing of time, or fizzles out, fades away to nothing, and ultimately gets forgotten about.
Dee has had relationships like that in the past; they’d start out hot and heavy, full of passion and desire, but like a wildfire they burned out quickly. The names and faces have blurred together over time, and if he passed one of those former lovers on the street, chances are he wouldn’t recognise them. That’s okay; they were fun while they lasted, but never destined to be long-term, because people evolve too.
When he’d been in his early to mid-teens, he’d been all about the kissing, and the groping, and seeing how far he could get before the other person slammed on the brakes. Then, although it shames him to admit it, he’d dumped whoever he was dating and moved on to someone he thought might prove more accommodating. Raging teenage hormones… He’d had a reputation back them, not one he was proud of.
Late teens, he’d started taking relationships more seriously but still hadn’t been looking to settle down, happy to have fun playing the field. Early twenties had been when he’d started seriously looking for someone he could see himself growing old with. There’d still been brief flings, testing the waters with whoever caught his eye, but by then he’d mostly gotten better at letting people down gently.
Then he’d hit his mid-twenties, had a couple of relationships he could class as serious… The first one they’d been too much alike, striking sparks off each other, arguing constantly. It made for great sex, but that was all. Second one, she’d dumped him because she couldn’t see herself being a cop’s wife.
Dee had taken a while getting over that one, gone back to casual dating, but then along came Ryo. Gorgeous, smart, funny, caring, everything Dee had ever looked for in a potential life-partner, and… Ryo hadn’t been interested.
Yeah, right. Pull the other one.
They both know by now that right from the start Ryo had felt the same attraction Dee did, he’d just been too used to repressing that side of himself. Denial had been easier than accepting the truth about who he was.
Nevertheless, their relationship had evolved too, following a path that, looking back, seems perfectly logical. They’d started as work partners, become close friends, and eventually lovers. Now here they are, moving in together.
This is it, as far as Dee is concerned. Ryo is the one and only, the man he’ll be with until death eventually parts them, but that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped growing and developing, either as individuals or as a couple.
Life changes people, and that’s no bad thing. They’re both more secure now, comfortable with who they are, more open with each other because of the trust they’ve built up over the years. Someday soon, Dee intends to propose. He’s confident Ryo will say yes.
The End