Dee almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Then again who would feel sorry for that blowhard?

"Uhh, Dee. Isn't the Chief married? With kids?" asked JJ, turning to look up at the taller man.

"Oh, yeah. Shit," he murmured, "Ok, I guess we'll have to wait for someone else..."

"Dee!" whined JJ, "You heard him! I have to get to the records room! I can't wait here all day-"

"Shut up! Someone's comin' right now!" Dee yelled, secretly grinning inside. Through the small square windows looking into the hallway, he could see a distinctive platinum-blond head moving in their direction. *Hehe* Wouldn't that just be the sweetest justice to watch Berkely put up with unwanted advances for once? And Dee would be JJ-free for an entire week. It was just too perfect.

Which, of course, it was. Instead of stepping through the door, Rose held it open... for Ryo.

"Ryo?!" cried Dee and JJ in the same breath.

"Huh? What?" Ryo asked, walking past the men and toward his office. "Come on, Dee," he added with a scowl when the man just continued to stand there. But as Dee turned to follow, JJ stepped in front of him.

"Ryooo," he said in a plaintive voice, "are you going to do any target practice today? I could use your help." As he spoke he sidled up next to the honey-blond man and looked up at him with huge puppy-dog eyes, then threw a glance back at Dee who, predictably, stood there fuming.

Ryo watched this exchange with a bewildered eye, wondering what these two were up to. "I was going to, but I doubt you'd need my help," he replied politely.

"But...!" JJ started.

"Didn't the Chief want to see you, JJ?" Dee ground out in a threatening tone.

Looking up at the dark-haired man with a pout, JJ crossed his arms and gave a defiant

"Hmph!"

Just who did Dee think he was, anyway? He'd show him. He'd get further with Ryo than Dee ever had, and then the man would realize that Ryo could never care for him the way HE could! You just wait and see, Dee Laytner! He thought.

This thought was quickly succeeded by "Ouch!" as Dee tossed him out into the hall. Just you wait, JJ repeated in his mind.

"What was that all about?" Ryo asked as he sat down at his desk.

"Oh, n-nothing, just JJ being his usual obnoxious self," his partner grumbled. Dee seated himself behind the stack of files and empty coffee cups that was once his desk.

They sat in silence for the rest of the afternoon, Dee's mind busy with other thoughts. Why couldn't it have been Berkely, damn it?! But gradually he calmed down. After all, he'd been working on Ryo for almost two years now and had gotten virtually nowhere. Honestly, what chance did JJ have? That twenty bucks was as good as his.

Then there was the fact that the demure blond man seemed to think that JJ's advances were easier to avoid than Berkely's. If he was forced to put up with the little silver-haired hornball for a week, he might admit that it was more difficult than it seemed, and cut Dee some slack.

Yeah, some good might come out of this after all. Maybe he was just blowing it all out of proportion. It was just a stupid bet.

Sighing, Dee leaned back in his chair and watched the man across from him pore over the paperwork. The silky blond strands fell into his eyes until they were pushed back into place with one of those beautiful, long-fingered hands. Hands that he was sure could bring such pleasure to him if they were allowed to do so. And those eyes, those dark, onyx eyes staring at him. Staring...

"Dee?!" Ryo called out crossly, pulling the other man out of his daydreaming. "How do you expect to get any work done if you stare off into space all day?" he complained.

"I wasn't staring off into space," Dee pouted.

"I beg to differ," the blond detective muttered, turning back to his papers.

"I was staring at you," he said softly. Dee smiled when he watched that telltale blush creep over Ryo's cheeks. It was so easy to get a reaction out of the man. Who could possibly resist?

"Dee," Ryo said in a warning tone when he felt the dark-haired man's eyes still gazing at him.

"Ryo-" his partner whispered, leaning over the papers between them, the most inappropriate of intentions in his eyes...

"RYO-SEMPAI!" cried JJ, tearing into the room and ruining the moment between the two men.

"JJ..." Dee growled, but Ryo was already being unceremoniously dragged from the office.

"Come on! You said you'd do target practice with me!" the shorter man whined.

"I did?" asked Ryo, not sure he had actually confirmed it. Oh, well, he thought, gotta practice sometime today anyway.

"Ryo!" cried Dee, grabbing his free arm as JJ latched himself onto the other.

"We've got our own work to do!" he said, glaring down at JJ.

The blond looked cross. "I've finished my paperwork for the day, Dee. Maybe it'll do you good to work on your own without any distractions!" he said and walked out the door.

Shoulders slumped, Dee stood in the now empty office and pouted. "You're so mean, Ryo," he whimpered just loud enough for the blond to hear as he walked away. Instead of getting a sad look back from his partner, he saw JJ turn and grin in his direction, causing Dee's blood to boil.

"Why that little--!" he whispered to himself. He tried to calm down as he sat back down at his desk. Then he reminded himself of all the reasons he’d thought of earlier as to why this bet was a good idea. He told himself again that it would do Ryo good to have to put up with JJ. After all, he was constantly being told that he was too pushy. He should let Ryo feel what it was like to have someone around who could be even MORE unrelenting than him, for once. Someone who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Or, more accurately, doesn't even know the meaning of the word! Someone who, no matter how loud the protest, will keep kissing him, and groping him, and...

Dee stood up. Nope, this was NOT a good plan. In fact, it was downright awful!

Determined to rescue his Ryo, Dee stormed over to open the office door, only to have it slammed in his face as the chief burst in from the other side.

"OooWW! Damn it! Don't you knock!" Dee screamed at his superior.

"Get up ya baby! JJ's disappeared, and I still need help with the records room today, so get your sorry ass up!" growled the older man.

"But, Chief, JJ's-"

"No excuses!" yelled the man, and Dee was hauled off, unable to save his poor, defenseless Ryo. *sniffle* Life was so cruel!