Title: Trust

Author: badly-knitted

Characters: Ryo, Dee, Bikky.

Rating: PG

Setting: Throughout the manga and after Like Like Love.

Summary: Ryo trusts Dee not only with his life, but with everything he holds dear.

Word Count: 673

Written For: My own prompt 'FAKE, Ryo, Dee. Ryo trusts Dee with his life,' at fic_promptly.

Disclaimer: I don't own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.

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Even before they became lovers, Ryo had known he trusted Dee with his life, and not only his own but Bikky's too. He'd seen what Dee had gone through trying to keep the boy from being snatched by Richard Feldman's hired thugs. Granted Bikky had been their responsibility at the time, it had been their job to protect him, but Dee had continued to look out for him even after Ryo had taken the young orphan in, almost as if he considered Bikky as much his foster son as Ryo's. The fact that the two didn't get along had nothing to do with anything. Dee was fiercely protective of children, particularly orphans, perhaps because of having grown up in an orphanage himself. Then again, protecting those weaker than himself seemed to be ingrained into Dee's nature.

At work, especially out on the streets, Ryo was secure in the knowledge that Dee had his back, just as he had Dee's. Being a cop was a dangerous job and you needed to be able to trust the people you worked with, your partner most of all. He knew he'd been incredibly lucky to have been partnered with someone he genuinely liked and got along with. Their partnership had quickly blossomed into a close friendship, and that was something not every cop could count on finding. Some could barely tolerate their assigned partner, but still had to work with them. Ryo couldn't help feeling sorry for them, being forced to rely on someone they didn't like.

Of course nowadays Dee was more than just a friend and work partner, he was Ryo's life partner too, but they kept things strictly professional during working hours, at least most of the time they did. Occasionally Dee would persuade him into something less than sensible at work, but that was happening less frequently now they were living together. Still, as much as possible they kept their work and home lives separate.

For instance, they didn't let their arguments at home spill over into their working relationship, knowing they needed to keep clear heads and stay focused on their jobs. There was always the possibility that a suspect might suddenly pull a knife, or a gun, and a moment's distraction was all it would take to put one or both of them in the hospital, or worse, the morgue.

Ryo never worried about that, at least not until later, at home, after the shooting had stopped and the suspect had been apprehended. Then sometimes he considered what might have happened and thanked all that was holy that he and Dee had come through it in one piece. They'd each suffered their share of injuries, but so far they were both still alive and kicking, carrying on the never-ending fight against crime, keeping the wolves of anarchy from the door. Somebody had to do it, and they'd developed into a pretty effective team.

Bikky worried of course, even now he was at college in California, and he phoned several times a week to make sure both men were okay. He'd lost his mother at an early age, and then his father when he was ten; he had no wish to lose his foster father as well. But that wasn't going to happen, not it Ryo could help it, and he knew Dee would do whatever it took to keep him safe. As long as there was breath left in Dee's body, Ryo was confident his partner would be there for him, no matter where they were or what they were doing, and that was never going to change.

Ryo's trust in Dee wasn't blind; it had been earned, the product of all the time they'd spent together and all the occasions they'd saved each other's bacon. When it came right down to it, there was no one Ryo trusted more, and he was pretty sure Dee felt exactly the same way about him. They were partners in every respect, and would be come what may, for as long as they lived.

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The End