Title: A Long Soak

Author: badly-knitted

Characters: Dee, Ryo.

Rating: PG

Setting: After Like Like Love.

Summary: When Ryo is tired, cold, and sore, Dee knows just what he needs to make him feel better.

Word Count: 601

Written For: My own prompt 'FAKE, Dee/Ryo, bath time,' at fic_promptly.

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

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"You know what you need?" Dee asked as Ryo limped slowly up the stairs, leaning on his partner for support. Normally he would have taken the elevator, but it had been out of order for a week and there was no sign of it being fixed any time soon.

"I'm sure you're going to tell me." Ryo didn't mean to sound so grumpy, but he was sore all over and his left knee was throbbing. He'd fallen awkwardly on it after getting his foot caught in a tangle of ivy during a chase. It might not have been so bad if the ivy hadn't been covering a jumble of bricks from a collapsed wall.

Dee had insisted on dragging him to the ER as soon as they got off work to get it checked out because he'd been in so much pain, and they'd sat around on hard seats for the best part of three hours just so the doctor could tell him it was badly bruised and would heal on its own in a week or so. What a monumental waste of time.

"A hot bath."

"What?" Ryo had been so focused on climbing the stairs he'd almost forgotten what they'd been talking about.

"That's what you need; a hot bath," Dee repeated.

"The doctor said I should put ice on my knee."

"Yeah, but what about the rest of you?"

Ryo considered that; he was tired, cold, and achy, not to mention still damp from the rain even after three hours at the hospital. It felt like he'd wrenched half the muscles in his body when he fell, and the cold, wet weather had got into his joints, awakening echoes of past injuries. The thought of sinking into a bath full of hot water…

"You're right; a hot bath would be wonderful." Ryo hobbled up the last few stairs, feeling like his legs were about to give out. Under normal circumstances, the four flights of stairs up to their top floor apartment weren't a problem, but limping took a lot more effort than walking normally, and put strain on different muscles. It was a relief to reach the top and he leaned gratefully against the wall while Dee unlocked the door. He didn't even protest when Dee swept him off his feet, carried him over the threshold bridal style, kicking the door closed behind them, and took him straight through to their en suite bathroom, setting him down on the stool.

"Start gettin' undressed while I run the water."

Ryo was happy to comply, reaching down to take off his shoes and socks before turning his attention to his upper half. His pants would have to wait until Dee could give him a hand because the stool was low and he was going to have trouble standing up from it.

The bathroom was soon filling with lavender-scented steam. Dee quickly shed his own clothes before helping Ryo with the rest of his. Getting into the bath with one knee that would hardly bend wasn't easy, and Ryo knew he couldn't have managed it without Dee's assistance, but it was definitely worth the effort once he was in the hot water.

Dee joined him, careful not to jostle Ryo's bad knee, and they relaxed in the luxury of their big bathtub, soaking up the warmth and letting it melt away the stresses of the day.

Ryo sighed contentedly, leaning back against Dee's chest and closing his eyes. When it came to making a bad day better, there really was nothing more effective than a long soak in a hot bath.

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The End