Title: Early Start

Author: badly-knitted

Characters: Ryo, Dee.

Rating: PG

Setting: After Vol. 7.

Summary: Dee has a crazy idea about how to get the New Year off to a good start.

Written For: The tw100 prompt 'Day One'

Word Count: 635

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

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Ryo blinked at Dee, not quite sure he'd heard right. "You what?"

"You heard me."

"I'm not so sure about that." Ryo eyed his partner dubiously. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Dee flashed one of his wide, carefree smiles, leaning back in his seat and lacing his fingers together behind his head. "Never better!"

"And you actually want to get up early tomorrow, when we're not even working?" Ryo was having some trouble getting his head around the whole concept; it was so unlike his lover.

"Yep!"

"But you never get up early unless you have to. You'd sleep half the day if you thought you could get away with it."

"Naps are good for keepin' the energy levels up; y'know, you should think about takin' a daily nap. Would do ya good."

Ryo dismissed that idea with a shake of his head. "Too much to do to waste time sleeping when I should be working. You're changing the subject; why are you so keen on getting an early start tomorrow?"

"You are such an airhead," Dee chuckled. "Do you even know what tomorrow is?"

"I'm not an idiot, Dee; it's New Year's Day, and we're going to be up past midnight as it is, seeing the New Year in!"

"So maybe we just don't bother goin' to bed at all; we can nap later, when we get home."

"Home from where?" Ryo was completely lost by now; Dee was making no sense whatsoever.

"The January sales? That ring a bell in that empty head of yours?"

"Huh? The sales?"

"Bargains galore; get a new suit at less than half price, splash out on the latest tech, replace your slow cooker for a fraction of what a new one would normally set ya back… Any of this makin' sense to ya?"

"So you not only want to get up early, you want to spend money too?" Ryo couldn't help his grin; not that Dee was a penny-pincher or anything, he spent his money quite freely, he just didn't generally have much left over to spend by the end of the month. "Who are you and what did you do with the real Dee Laytner?"

"Shut it!" Dee scowled at his partner. "I've been savin' up, okay? There's stuff I could do with so why not get it at a big discount if I can?"

That at least made sense to Ryo, even if getting up ridiculously early after a late night didn't. "Well, I guess there are a few things I could do with as well, and saving money is always a good idea."

"Great! Then if we join the crowds in Times Square to see the New Year in, and we don't get hammered, we can just stay out, pick a store, and get in line. We won't be right at the front, some people camp out days in advance, but we'll still have a better chance at a bargain than if we go later."

It was a totally crazy idea, and Ryo knew he must be more than a little crazy himself to even be considering it, but… He shrugged. "Fine, if you're sure that's what you want to do, I guess we can give it a try. I still think you're out of your mind, and I guess I must be too, but count me in."

"Woohoo! You won't regret it, babe."

"I'm not so sure about that, but what the hell." If they'd been scheduled to work tomorrow it would have been a different matter, but like Dee said, they could crash when they got home. He might regret it later, but joining the crowds at the January sales would be a new experience for Ryo if nothing else, and he really did need to get a new slow cooker.

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The End