The Perfect Vacation
a FAKE story
by Gayle
"Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls," Dee Laytner sang to himself while packing his suitcase for a four day weekend to be spent with Ryo. Yes, it had taken his rare skill to convince the chief that this mini-vacation with Ryo was a necessity, but he had prevailed. Albeit, he did have to use the usual method of begging, pleading and threatening before he was allowed to go, but Ryo didn't have to know that part. The best thing about this whole trip was the fact that Bikky and Carol were spending the long weekend at some amusement park hotel with their schoolmates. Fortunately for Ryo, all he had to pay for was Bikky's food; the kids had to earn the "fun money" themselves. It was a lesson in money management, savings and job skills when they had to do the rest for themselves. "As if any of those urchins learned anything," Dee said spitefully, "Not my business, though, Because of that stupid trip I have sweet, beautiful, yummy Ryo all to myself. Nothing's gonna ruin this trip for me." He coughed suddenly, "man, my throat's still sore from all that yelling, I mean convincing, I did yesterday. But it was worth it. Tomorrow, Ryo will be mine."
He had chosen Niagara Falls for two reasons. The first one being that Ryo had never been there. The second and more important one was that this time he WAS going to profess his love to Ryo, and Ryo WAS going to react in a positive way. He just knew it. "All those other times were just practice. He didn't know I was serious, I hardly knew myself. But now...Huh-chhuu! Huh-CChhhuu! Huh- CCHHhhuu! No, oh no, this is not going to happen, not now." Dee told him self firmly, glaring at his reflection. "You can get sick AFTER your dream vacation with the man you love more than you have ever loved anyone before. That is what sick time is for. Vacation is for having fun."
Dee snapped his suitcase shut and turned his thoughts back to how this would be the perfect trip. "Just Ryo and I, lounging by the fire, drinking Champaign, or wine, or both, we'll watch the sunset, stay up all night getting to know each other, well, better, then, when the time is right, I'll lean forward and...."Huh-cchhuu! Heh- SShhhuuuu! Heh-Ehsshhuuu! I'm not going to do that." He glanced down at his watch. "I gotta get going; I don't want to be late on my last day of work."
Ryo MacLean looked up from the paperwork he was filling out and scowled at his partner, "You're late."
"Only by a couple of minutes," Dee was automatically on his guard, it seemed as if Ryo was in one of THOSE moods again.
"Try a couple of HOURS! What have you been doing? Wait, I don't think I want you to tell me, it's probably dirty." Ryo ran a hand through his sandy blond hair before continuing, "I'm sorry Dee. It's just that we have so much to do before we leave and I feel sort of pressured, that's all. I shouldn't take things out on you." Seeing that Dee still seemed to be fuming, he kept talking, "anyway, by this time tomorrow, you and I will be watching the Falls close up. Have you ever been there before, Dee?"
"Yeah," was all Dee felt like grunting out. He hadn't meant to be late, and his head was hurting him.
"Well, what's it like?" Ryo looked fairly excited, as excited as he got, anyway.
That was all Dee needed to pull him out of his sulk, "it's great. It's one of the most beautiful and most, *Ahem* romantic spots in the world. The hotels alone are enough to, well; you'll see when you get there. Some things are best left to be seen. Heh-sshhhooo! Heh-chhhooo! Huh-eesshhuu!" Dee reached for a tissue from the box the Ryo always kept on his desk incase someone needed them.
"Dee, what's wrong?" Ryo looked into his partner's usually intense brown eyes. Today they seemed only tired. "Are you getting sick?"
Dee forced a weak sounding laugh, "I don't get sick, there must be something in the air."
"J.J.'s been out sick all week, you know," Ryo pressed, choosing to ignore the nonsense about Dee not getting sick, "and he DID kiss you the day before he got sick."
Dee shuddered, "please don't remind me. I think I was punished enough by him kissing me. Fate would not let me get sick, too."
Ryo rolled his eyes, "I don't think fate has much to do with germs and the fact the best way to get them is by intimate contact with someone, welcomed or not." Ryo's black eyes started to snap, the way they always did while discussing the rather taboo subject of Dee and J.J. He knew, in his brain, that J.J. meant nothing to Dee, and tried to tell himself that he didn't care one way or the other.
Dee was trying to smother a cough when Ryo looked up at him again, "what? Don't stare at me, you give me the creeps."
"Nothing, it's just that you really don't seem to be feeling very well, that's all."
Much to Dee's relief, Ryo hadn't once said the word "cancel". He would never cancel this trip, even if he had pneumonia. Well, maybe if he had pneumonia, but nothing less. He had spent too much time plotting, stayed up too long that night reserving and had sat up in bed for too many hours dreaming about it. "Heh-SShhhuuu! Huh- Eeeshhhoo! Heh-Chhhuuu!" Dee blew his nose gently into his tissue before noticing that Ryo was staring at him again, "I know I'm gorgeous, but do you have to do that?"
"Do what? Oh, I'm sorry. I was staring again wasn't I? It's just that, well, have you ever noticed that you sneeze exactly three times? I just thought it was kind of cute, I mean, funny, that's all."
The part about his sneeze being cute wasn't lost on Dee, but he chose to remark upon it at a later date, maybe when he could flirt enough to do it justice. "I never really thought about it before, but now that you mention it, I guess I do."
Ryo smiled and left the room for a cup of coffee. When he came back Dee's head was resting on the desk and he was snoring softly. "Dee," he shook the man's shoulder slightly, "Dee, wake up. Here," he set a cup of tea in front of his friend, "drink that, it'll make you feel better."
"Thanks," Dee sipped it with relish. Normally he wasn't much of a tea drinker, but every once in while, especially when he wasn't feeling well, he would have a cup. "Huh-shhooo! Heh-Eshhuuu! Heh- Cchhoo!" He shivered and held the mug tighter.
"Dee, maybe you should go home and get some rest. Then we'll see how you're feeling tomorrow, alright?" Dee nodded. He hated to admit it, but he was feeling sick and getting worse by the minute. Ryo smiled, "good, I'll tell the chief what's going on; all you have to do is go home and work on getting better."
Dee found him self dragging himself through the cold, rainy streets of New York, his head feeling as if it was the part of him that was hitting the pavement, not his feet. His throat hurt too, so did his sinuses. In fact he couldn't think of one part of his body that didn't hurt. "What if I do get too sick to go?" A horrible thought entered Dee's mind as he laid his aching body on his bed, not bothering to get undressed or dry off, "what if Ryo goes without me. I can't say that I would blame him, but..." he blinked away tears that had forced their way to his eyes. "I'm such a sap when I'm sick." He thought to himself. He didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but when he woke up, he was dry, his shirt had been removed, and the jeans he'd been wearing had been exchanged for lounge pants. Dee looked around the room, but there was no sign of anyone there. "Who's there?" he croaked, reaching for the pistol he kept inside his night stand, but falling short. Not that it would have done him any good at all, as he was too weak to raise his arm very much, let alone hold a heavy gun. "Heh-chhuuu! Huh-ehshhooo! Huh- SShhuuu!" Dee wiped at his nose half-heartedly, sniffling as he did so.
"Dee?" Ryo stuck his head in the door. "How are you feeling?" He pushed his hand under the mop of black hair, gauging Dee's temperature. "You feel really warm. I'll go get the thermometer." When Ryo got back, Dee looked ready to cry. Ryo sat down comfortably on the bed and took the sick man in his arms, "Dee, what is it?"
Dee looked up at Ryo, "You... you'll have to go without me. I can't get up, let alone travel or anything."
Ryo smiled gently, "is THAT what you're worried about? If you don't go, I don't go, got it? I couldn't have any fun without you, besides," Ryo brushed Dee's hot cheek with a soothing finger, "who would take care of you while you're sick? That wouldn't be fair, considering the fact that you took care of me while I was down with the flu. I would never leave you alone." Ryo bent down and kissed his partner on the lips firmly but tenderly, "I want to stay with you, Dee. I want to spend my vacation with you. I don't care if we spend it at Niagara Falls or here, the important thing is that I'm spending it with you."
Dee looked up at Ryo as though he wasn't sure if the man was real or not, "you don't? I thought you...Heh-Chhuuu! Heh-Ehshhuuu! Huh- Shhhoo! *sniff* I thought you wanted to see the Falls."
Ryo laughed warmly and wiped Dee's runny nose for him. "I want to have time with you. How many times do I have to tell you that before I can drive it into your thick skull?" Ryo kissed Dee's cheek before leaving the room and coming back with a bottle of cold medicine. "Here, you need to take some of this. It'll help bring down that fever of yours. But first, let's find out just how high it is." Ryo put the instrument into Dee's mouth, and rested a hand on Dee's leg. Dee's nose began to twitch, "do you need to sneeze?" Ryo asked him. The dark head nodded in affirmative, "Can you try to hold it back?" Ryo placed a finger under Dee's nose to try to help him. Thirty seconds later, the thermometer was taken out.
"Heh-ccchhuu! Heh-Ehshhuu! Huh-sshhhoo! I'm sorry," Dee told his friend, looking rather annoyed with him self.
"For what? For sneezing? Don't be, you couldn't help it. All I want you to do is lay back down and go back to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." Ryo kissed Dee's forehead, and then placed a damp washcloth on it. "Shh," he whispered quietly when Dee shivered, "it'll bring down your fever, which, I might add, is 102.8. You really did catch it bad, didn't you? Oh, wait, before you go to sleep," Ryo put a hand on the nape of Dee's sweaty neck and helped him lift his head, "you need to take your meds or you won't get better." Ryo smiled at the look on his partner's face when he tasted the medicine, "I know, it tastes pretty bad, doesn't it. But it will make you feel better and help you sleep. Good night, Dee." Ryo pulled the covers over Dee's lean body and tucked them under his chin. He then crawled under the sheets with him and held the feverish man comfortingly in his arms. He smiled as Dee cuddled against him, cold despite his fever. No, he really didn't care where they spent their vacation, just as long as they spent it together.
The End
They aren't mine; I am just borrowing them for a little while. A/N: This story is inspired by week #3's plot bunny hatching. It is slightly AU because in the manga Dee says that he hadn't gotten sick for twenty years or so. But that's just too easy to change. ^_^