fic: what about everything?
Mar. 16th, 2007 11:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meretriculapart two of possibly-a-series. knowing me, probably not. ^^;; again, title from a carbon leaf song.
what about everything?
what about when buildings fall?
what about that midnight phone call...
the one that wakes you from your peace?
The worst part is that he isn't even in New York when it happens. He's off visiting Bikky in California. He hears about it on the news, and calls home immediately. No one picks up, which isn't unusual; Dee's supposed to be at work anyway. But he doesn't pick up his cell, either, or the desk phone, and nobody answers when he calls the precinct.
It's maybe the worst day of his life. It's hard to say that anything is worse than seeing his parents' dead, mutilated bodies, but the waiting is horrible. He doesn't know where Dee is, if he's hurt, if he's even alive, and there are so many people dead and dying at home and he can't go help them, because he's stuck in California, an entire continent away.
Bikky stays with him all day, skips classes, although that seems like such a petty concern now. Ryo barely even notices his presence. He's glued to the television screen, hoping that it'll show him his lover somehow, hoping that "somehow" won't be on a stretcher.
It's 8:47 when his cell phone rings, which makes it almost midnight in New York. He answers before the first ring dies away. "Dee?"
"It's Drake, sorry," the other voice replies quickly. "Shit, I should have thought... sorry for using his phone. I lost mine somewhere."
"Where's Dee?" Ryo demands, half-frantic. "Why isn't he calling me?"
"He's getting treated for smoke inhalation," Drake says, soothingly. "He's going to be fine. He was freaking out because nobody'd called you to tell you what was going on, and the nurses said if he didn't stop yelling he might do permanent damage to his vocal chords, so, hey, I'm calling. Most of us volunteered to help get people out of the buildings, but we're all still breathing, so that's good, yeah? Even Rose and the Badger made it out okay. JJ's... JJ's still in surgery, but the doctor said he'd probably pull through." Drake's voice is rough with more than just smoke, Ryo realizes.
"God, Drake, I'm so sorry," he apologizes helplessly. "I wish..."
"It's okay," Drake interrupts. "Look, Dee just got out, so I'm giving the phone to him, okay? He's not supposed to talk, but I guess he can still listen."
The phone changes hands, and Ryo can barely make out Drake's voice saying, "I'm ... see if JJ's ... surgery..." before Dee rasps out, "Hey, babe," and Ryo's universe rights itself for the first time since he saw the airplane smash into the towers.
"Drake said you're not supposed to talk," he scolds, blinking back tears. "I - God, I want to ask you so many questions. I guess that's not a great idea. Since you can't talk, and everything. Drake told me you were going to be okay. I'm still going to worry until I can see you again - I'll be on the first plane back to New York, I need to get home - "
Dee makes a harsh noise, half cough and half whine. Ryo correctly interprets it as concern. "I'm not scared to fly. I just want to see you as soon as I can. I'm going crazy out here, not being able to help. I can't stand it, you're so far away and I need you..." Ryo stops himself. "Sorry. I'm just... I'm rambling. You should probably go rest. Are you going home? Wait, um... don't say anything if the answer's yes."
"Overnight observation," Dee says, and his voice really is a mess; Ryo didn't quite appreciate how bad it is from his brief greeting.
"Oh, okay. I should hang up, then, let you go sleep..."
"Wait," Dee says, and dissolves into a fit of coughing. He puts the phone down, but Ryo can still hear him hacking away, and he sounds awful. When he finally picks the phone back up, he speaks in a whisper. "Talk to me. Please."
Ryo wants nothing so much as to reach out and put his arms around Dee until the pain in his voice goes away. He can't, though, and so he does the best he can: he starts talking. He talks on and on about California and the sunshine and Bikky's basketball game, until he hears Dee's breathing even out a little, though it's still rougher than usual. "I love you," Ryo says into his phone, and curls up in the hotel bed with it still pressed to his ear, listening to Dee sleep. He'll worry about the cell phone bill in the morning.
what about...
what about everything?
what about everything?
what about when buildings fall?
what about that midnight phone call...
the one that wakes you from your peace?
The worst part is that he isn't even in New York when it happens. He's off visiting Bikky in California. He hears about it on the news, and calls home immediately. No one picks up, which isn't unusual; Dee's supposed to be at work anyway. But he doesn't pick up his cell, either, or the desk phone, and nobody answers when he calls the precinct.
It's maybe the worst day of his life. It's hard to say that anything is worse than seeing his parents' dead, mutilated bodies, but the waiting is horrible. He doesn't know where Dee is, if he's hurt, if he's even alive, and there are so many people dead and dying at home and he can't go help them, because he's stuck in California, an entire continent away.
Bikky stays with him all day, skips classes, although that seems like such a petty concern now. Ryo barely even notices his presence. He's glued to the television screen, hoping that it'll show him his lover somehow, hoping that "somehow" won't be on a stretcher.
It's 8:47 when his cell phone rings, which makes it almost midnight in New York. He answers before the first ring dies away. "Dee?"
"It's Drake, sorry," the other voice replies quickly. "Shit, I should have thought... sorry for using his phone. I lost mine somewhere."
"Where's Dee?" Ryo demands, half-frantic. "Why isn't he calling me?"
"He's getting treated for smoke inhalation," Drake says, soothingly. "He's going to be fine. He was freaking out because nobody'd called you to tell you what was going on, and the nurses said if he didn't stop yelling he might do permanent damage to his vocal chords, so, hey, I'm calling. Most of us volunteered to help get people out of the buildings, but we're all still breathing, so that's good, yeah? Even Rose and the Badger made it out okay. JJ's... JJ's still in surgery, but the doctor said he'd probably pull through." Drake's voice is rough with more than just smoke, Ryo realizes.
"God, Drake, I'm so sorry," he apologizes helplessly. "I wish..."
"It's okay," Drake interrupts. "Look, Dee just got out, so I'm giving the phone to him, okay? He's not supposed to talk, but I guess he can still listen."
The phone changes hands, and Ryo can barely make out Drake's voice saying, "I'm ... see if JJ's ... surgery..." before Dee rasps out, "Hey, babe," and Ryo's universe rights itself for the first time since he saw the airplane smash into the towers.
"Drake said you're not supposed to talk," he scolds, blinking back tears. "I - God, I want to ask you so many questions. I guess that's not a great idea. Since you can't talk, and everything. Drake told me you were going to be okay. I'm still going to worry until I can see you again - I'll be on the first plane back to New York, I need to get home - "
Dee makes a harsh noise, half cough and half whine. Ryo correctly interprets it as concern. "I'm not scared to fly. I just want to see you as soon as I can. I'm going crazy out here, not being able to help. I can't stand it, you're so far away and I need you..." Ryo stops himself. "Sorry. I'm just... I'm rambling. You should probably go rest. Are you going home? Wait, um... don't say anything if the answer's yes."
"Overnight observation," Dee says, and his voice really is a mess; Ryo didn't quite appreciate how bad it is from his brief greeting.
"Oh, okay. I should hang up, then, let you go sleep..."
"Wait," Dee says, and dissolves into a fit of coughing. He puts the phone down, but Ryo can still hear him hacking away, and he sounds awful. When he finally picks the phone back up, he speaks in a whisper. "Talk to me. Please."
Ryo wants nothing so much as to reach out and put his arms around Dee until the pain in his voice goes away. He can't, though, and so he does the best he can: he starts talking. He talks on and on about California and the sunshine and Bikky's basketball game, until he hears Dee's breathing even out a little, though it's still rougher than usual. "I love you," Ryo says into his phone, and curls up in the hotel bed with it still pressed to his ear, listening to Dee sleep. He'll worry about the cell phone bill in the morning.
what about...
what about everything?
