[#129] Home Away From Home (FAKE)

[badly_knitted]

Theme Prompt: #129 – Candlelight
Title: Home Away From Home
Fandom: FAKE
Rating/Warnings: PG
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1000
Summary: Ryo is working away from home for a few months, and since this is the first time he’s seen his lover in almost a month, he’s done his best to create a romantic atmosphere.



The apartment wasn’t the best, it was smaller than the one he used to share with Bikky, but if anything, Washington D.C. was even more expensive than New York, and beggars couldn’t be choosers. Besides, Ryo was only going to be living there for six months, and most of the time he’d be at work. All he’d needed was a place to sleep and somewhere to hang his clothes; small as it was, it still beat living out of a hotel.

There was a bedroom with bathroom, a living room smaller than his kitchen in New York had been, and a kitchen that wasn’t much bigger than a shoebox, but it had been clean, reasonably priced, and already furnished. It was also conveniently situated only half a mile from the precinct where the taskforce he was in charge of had its offices, meaning he could walk to and from work. Any time off he got was reserved for sightseeing, so even then he’d mostly be out and about instead of staring at four drab beige walls and threadbare carpeting that had seen better days.

He'd been living in D.C. for three weeks before Dee told him during one of their nightly phone calls that he had a three-day weekend coming up and intended to spend it with Ryo. It would be the first time they’d seen each other in person since Dee had kissed him goodbye at the airport, and Ryo could hardly wait. He was sure Dee felt the same way.

“I’ll drive up Friday, after work, bring the rest of your stuff with me,” Dee said.

Ryo had been limited in what he could take with him on the plane, just enough to last a few weeks provided he picked up some new shirts, socks, and underwear once he arrived. The baggage allowance for business class travel wasn’t particularly generous, and he hadn’t wanted to take his car, intending to rely on public transport to get around.

“Thanks, Dee. I should warn you though, my apartment’s not much to look at.”

“Doesn’t matter. Long as it has you in it, that’s all I need.”

That assertion warmed Ryo’s heart. How he’d missed his lover over the long, lonely nights they’d been apart. After just under a year of living together, working side-by-side every day, and sharing a bed every night, since coming to D.C. he’d felt absurdly as though part of his own body was missing.

“Good. I feel the same way. Oh, I have an assigned space out back, so there won’t be any problem parking your car. You’ll just need to display my resident’s permit while you’re here.” Ryo gave his lover directions for how to access his building’s small parking area.

“Great! Means I won’t have to pay to park in one of the lots.”

That conversation had been three days earlier, and since then, Ryo had been spending every free moment preparing for his lover’s arrival. He got off work early on Friday, headed straight back to the apartment, and set about preparing a special dinner. Once everything was as ready as it could be, he showered, shaved, dressed in comfy casuals, and set the small table.

Opening a bottle of red wine, he left it to breathe while he went around the living room, lighting the candles and tealights he’d arranged on every flat surface before turning out the lights. The flickering candle flames gave the sparsely furnished room a warm, cosy ambience that it lacked beneath harsh electric bulbs, and he smiled approvingly. Dee should be arriving soon, assuming he hadn’t gotten stuck in traffic on the freeway.

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Ryo opened it. Grinning, Dee swept his lover into his arms for a long kiss.

“Hey. You miss me?”

Ryo grinned back. “Oh, only all the time. How was the drive?”

“Fine. I got lucky for once; no holdups.” Looking past his lover, Dee frowned. “What’s with the candles? I arrive in the middle of a power outage?”

“No, doofus! I was trying to create a romantic atmosphere. Don’t you like it?”

“I love it. Looks pretty.” Dee sniffed the air. “And whatever you’re cookin;’ smells pretty damned good too.”

“We can eat soon, but first we’d best unload your car and display my permit in the back window before you get ticketed.”

“Yeah.” Dee reluctantly released his lover. “S’pose we ought’a get all that outta the way so we can make the most of the time we’ve got.”

Fifteen minutes was all it took to get Ryo’s things and Dee’s weekend bag up to the apartment. Then the two of them kicked off their shoes, dumped the bags in the bedroom to be dealt with later, and Dee followed Ryo into the cramped little kitchen area, leaning on the worktop while Ryo checked on dinner.

“Hope you’re hungry!”

Dee laughed. “When am I not? Especially when you’re the one cookin’.”

That was true enough; Dee had always been blessed with a good appetite.

“Why don’t you pour the wine while I dish up?”

“With pleasure.” Dee hefted the wine bottle and filled both glasses, carrying them through to the table before returning to help with the food.

As they settled down to eat, Ryo glanced ruefully at their surroundings. “This whole place could fit in our living room back home,” he commented, “but it was the best I could find on my budget.”

“I think it’s kinda nice.”

“You won’t say that when you see it in daylight. Candlelight makes everywhere look better than it is.”

“Who cares what it looks like? We’re here, we’re together, and there’s a bed for later.”

Ryo snorted a laugh. “Dee!”

“Besides…” Dee drew a deep breath, smelling the delicious aroma of one of Ryo’s homemade pies warming in the oven for their dessert. “Smells like home to me, and so do you.” Leaning across the small table, he stole a kiss.

“I love you too.”


The End






 

Comments

[mxcatmoon]

Six months apart?! Poor guys! Absence does make the heart grow fonder though, so I'm sure they'll really enjoy the brief weekend visits they get in.

[badly_knitted]

Yeah, it's tough, but it's a great career move for Ryo, and six months won't be so bad if they can get together once or twice a month now that Ryo is settled in. They talk every day.

Thank you!