The One Where Ryo Blushes A Lot

by

Wednesdaisy

Disclaimer: The characters in this piece of fanfiction do not belong to me, and I am not benefiting financially from this work.

Bikky is on the other side of the jewellery shop agonizing over a charm for Carol's charm bracelet when Ryo finds himself looking at men's engagement rings. Apparently his subconscious has begun to consider something Ryo had never really seen himself doing. He flushes at the thought and hastily edges away from the display case. He feels like his gay is showing again and even after all this time – two years or so – he's not really comfortable being so publicly branded; labelled. He tries to look nonchalantly at some watches while he waits for the red in his cheeks to dissipate; it would never do for Bikky to see it. He's pretty sure he'd never live it down if he figured it out and the kid is entirely too awake up to Ryo and Dee for that to work.

He wanders back towards the charm bracelets when he thinks he's presentable again, just as Bikky decides on an elephant. Ryo's not really sure what that's supposed to symbolise but says nothing.

"Are you ready?" he asks when Bikky is happily and anxiously clutching his purchase. "Do you want to go and get it gift wrapped?"

"Yup!" Bikky says and then confides in a quieter voice, "If I get it wrapped, it's harder to change my mind."

Ryo smiles and tousles the boy's hair, although he nearly has to reach up to do it, now.

"I'm sure she will love whatever you get her." He says. Bikky fixes him with a withering glare.

"No, she will love whatever you get her because she thinks you are perfect. And, you know, you saved her life."

Ryo blushes.

"But I'm sure – "

"You don't know anything about girls, do you?" Bikky says scornfully as they head towards the gift wrapping. "It needs to be special from me. Perfect, you know?"

"I see," Ryo says, but he doesn't really.

"Anyway, what are you getting for the pervert? I hope it's not sweaters again."

As he blushes, Ryo wonders when he will stop feeling so self-conscious when people allude to his relationship with Dee.

"Sweaters are practical," he says helplessly.

Bikky smothers a laugh not-so-subtly in his sleeve.

"You buy clothes for your kids and your aunt," he smirks. "You don't buy them for your … you know. Person."

"Well, what do I get him?" Ryo snaps. "I don't think he would react well to perfume to jewellery, either, Bikky. Those are the only presents I've ever gotten my … person."

"But he's a guy, Ryo, which you can't tell me you have noticed. What would you like to receive from him?"

Ryo stares helplessly at him.

"Sweaters?"

Bikky stares back at then face-palms.

"There is no hope for you."

Ryo is included to agree.

The line for gift wrapping is long, stuffy, and rowdy so Ryo volunteers, a little desperately, to find something to snack on while they wait. His offer to wrap Carol's present himself was met with scorn which, Ryo had to agree as he reflected on his last few years attempts, was probably deserved.

The line for snacks is also festively long so Ryo strikes out on his own in search of a vending machine. A sugar hit is exactly what they need to get through the rest of this shopping trip, and he will just put extra vegetables in the dinner tonight.

He's making a beeline for one he can see near yet another Christmas tree when something catches his eye. He moves nearer to the display and takes a closer look. It is kind of perfect and it means he doesn't have to find another present for Dee, which is admittedly not his strong point. He glances around, strangely furtive, and sidles into the store.

He sidles back out again a few minutes later, blushing heavily from the damn shop assistant, who couldn't resist a knowing smile and a quiet coo. He feels hot, uncomfortable, and on show so he slips his compact little package into his deepest pocket and tries to forget about it.

It doesn't work, of course, and he chickens out and finds himself being buffeted by the crowd of last-minute shoppers a few weeks later as he tries to find a replacement gift for Dee. He settles, finally, on cufflinks. He thinks he has fulfilled all of the criteria of a good present, according to Bikky's vague descriptions. It's pretty. It's suitably expensive. He's certainly thought about it a lot. And mostly importantly, it was not very practical, because they rarely dressed up to the point of requiring cufflinks.

The cufflinks do not go down very well. Dee gives no sign that he is disappointed but the look Bikky gives him when he peers curiously over his shoulder says it all.

"Cufflinks?" he hisses as they are cleaning up the wrapping paper. Ryo glares.

"I panicked, okay?" he hisses back. "What was I supposed to do? You ruled out sweaters."

"Oh, I don't know," Bikky says as they shove paper into garbage bags. "You could have, like, taken him up in a hot air balloon or something, gees. Anything would be better than cufflinks. Are you not romantic at all, Ryo?" He shakes his head and then pauses as a thought occurs to him.

"Ryo ... Ryo, tell me you didn't get everyone in the precinct cufflinks."

Ryo guiltily avoids his eyes. Biky face-palms again.

"That's it. I give up. There is no hope for you. I am going to go and pack my stuff because there is no way Dee is keeping us here after he finds that out."

"Shhh, stop it!" Ryo spits, clamping his hand over his foster son's mouth. He looks around but Dee's still trying to fix the Christmas tree lights and hasn't noticed over his cursing. "I didn't give them to everyone, okay?"

Bikky looks unconvinced.

"I thought of it," Ryo admits, "but I didn't, okay?"

Bikky gives him an assessing glance.

"Well it's your funeral, I suppose." He squirms out of Ryo's grasp. "Can I go see Carol, now?"

"Yes," Ryo replies. "Make sure you're back for dinner, though. Bring Carol and her aunt with you, if you like."

It is weeks and weeks after Christmas that Ryo takes out the little box and stares at it. It's been sitting idly in his pocket since the day he bought it; he has hardly touched it for fear it would somehow expose him. He's a little nervous right now, in fact, but he knows Dee has just gone up to the roof for a smoke so he has time.

He gazes at the little innocuous piece of jewellery, his heart thudding. While it is true he hasn't dared look at the ring for weeks, it is not true that he hasn't thought about it. In fact, it is more accurate to say he has thought of nothing else. While it may be his mostly-hidden impulsive side that had bought it, it couldn't completely overcome his natural tendency to overthink things. He has been awake at night, distracted while cooking, spacing while doing paper work. He thinks Diana knows something is going on, in her scary way of knowing everything about him, despite only dropping into the precinct occasionally (although she has been around a lot more since she and Commissioner Rose got their acts together) but he's pretty sure Dee is still as oblivious as usual.

The question is not really does he want to marry Dee because he wouldn't have bought the thing otherwise. It's what Dee wants, and what is best for Bikky.

The last one's worthless though because Dee is great with Bikky, for all that neither of them would ever admit to the genuine affection there.

So it's really ... does Dee want this? Ryo thinks back and when he remembers how much time impetuous, impatient Dee put into winning him, and the soft spot for families he says he doesn't have ... there's not really any question.

He's out of his chair before he can really think, slipping the cold ring over his thumb and his hand inside his pocket. He makes his way up the stairs and opens the door carefully. Dee's standing leaning over the railing as usual. He's finished his smoke, though, and is just staring out over the buildings.

He smiles when he spots Ryo, as usual.

"Well, hey there," he says in greeting. "This is a rare surprise."

At his words all of the clever things Ryo has thought of saying fly out of his head and instead he just smiles, a little helplessly, a little nervously, and moves to stand behind him. He wraps his arms around him so they are both facing the blackness.

"You are feeling affectionate tonight, aren't you?" Dee teases lightly as he lets his hands drop to the arm around his waist.

Ryo's heart is pounding so hard he's a bit worried Dee will feel it and turn around and ask him what's wrong and then Ryo will see his face and look in his eyes and back out again.

He takes a breath and buries his face in Dee's neck, instead. Dee yelps.

"Dude, your nose is cold." But he doesn't try and squirm away and Ryo is so, so grateful for that because he can stand there and let the feeling of Dee in his embrace wash over him. Dee's scent is so familiar by now; coffee and cigarettes and sweat and soap, and it gives Ryo the boost of strength he needs to gently take Dee's left hand and slide the ring onto his ring finger.

If he thought his heart was pounding before, it is nothing to compared to how it feels now, as he breathes Dee in and waits for him to notice. It takes long, anxious minutes, but Ryo knows the moment he realizes because he goes immediately tense and rigid. Ryo holds on tightly, hoping that this was the right thing after all, and is just desperate not to see Dee's face right now.

"Ryo?" Dee asks eventually, and his voice is as rough as Ryo's ever heard it. "I – what's this?"

Ryo can't tell from his tone what he's feeling and it breaks a little something in him and suddenly all the words are there, tumbling over themselves to get free.

"You don't have to say anything, of course," he blurts. "And I know that it might not be your thing, because this is the first time you've really – uh – been committed to someone, and I don't know, maybe it's too fast but I just had to, Dee. Because you light your damn cigarette with the wrong hand, and you keep your father's watch in your pocket although it doesn't go, and you didn't kick me out when I gave you cufflinks, and you tore your house apart for me and still made a space for Bikky and ... please, please, stop me, any time now, really." He stops, out of breath, and Dee is just standing there, grinning at him. Which must be a good sign, right?

"Ryo," Dee says again. "Yes, of course, yes. Youutter airhead."

Ryo blushes.

"I don't think that's really – mmph."

Dee stops him talking with a kiss, which is still the best game Dee's ever come across. Ryo's heart is just beginning to slow down, and he starts to wrap his arms around Dee again when suddenly he darts away and leaps over the rooftop, his jacket flying.

"Woohoo!" he shouts. "He loves me, man! Seriously!"

Ryo blushes for every person who can hear him because ... holy shit, he's engaged.

His heart has started to pound again.