Title: Lessons
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Dee, Ryo.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Vol. 7.
Summary: One hot, sunny day, Dee and Ryo get out of the city and go hiking in the woods.
Word Count: 801
Content Notes: None needed.
Written For: Challenge 377: Words from Other Language, using komorebi and possibly hülya.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.



The weather was as perfect as Dee had ever seen, with the sun shining brightly in a cloudless sky the kind of blue he’d thought only existed in glossy travel brochure photos of tropical island paradises. There was a gentle breeze blowing, taking the edge off the heat, but even if there hadn’t been, the temperature beneath the trees would have been perfectly comfortable. It was amazing how much more enjoyable days like this were if you didn’t have to spend them pounding the sidewalks in the middle of an overcrowded city, engulfed in traffic fumes and the stench of overripe garbage, getting deafened by car horns, sirens, and angry voices.

He drew a deep breath of the clean air, catching the faint scent of wild columbine on the breeze above the aroma of green, growing things and warm earth, before breathing out in a deep sigh of contentment.

“When you suggested goin’ hikin’, I thought you were outta your mind, heatstroke or somethin’, but I gotta admit, this was a great idea.” Dee flopped onto the warm ground at the base of a tree, leaning back against the trunk and half-closing his eyes. He could hear birds chirping in the branches overhead, the drowsy buzzing of bees, and the quiet burble of the creek they’d crossed a little way back along the trail. “Days like this make me consider turnin’ my back on the Big Apple for good, movin’ somewhere the pace of life is slower and a guy can hear himself think.”

Sinking down beside him, Ryo chuckled. “Won’t be so much fun out here in winter, when the snow’s knee deep and the temperature stays way below freezing for weeks on end.”

“Don’t go spoilin’ my mood. I’m tryin to fix everything about today in my mind so I can come back whenever I want, just close my eyes and remember it in detail.”

“As if you don’t already daydream enough.”

“Hey, nothin’ wrong with daydreams. Sometimes we all need an escape from the stresses of life, ‘specially in our line of work.” Dee grinned lazily. “Daydreams are way cheaper than therapy. Look around ya!” He waved a hand to indicate their surroundings. “Is this perfect or what?”

“It is. Just think what you would’ve missed if you’d stayed in bed the way you wanted.”

“Yeah, I’m glad ya didn’t let me. This was worth gettin’ up early for.” Dee sighed. “Wish I could paint well enough to capture this. Sketching’s fine for a lot of things, but I’d need a hundred colors just to get the way the sunlight’s shinin’ through the leaves. It’s like flakes of gold and green scattered across the ground, and it keeps changin’ all the time.”

“Komorebi,” Ryo murmured, tilting his head back against the broad tree trunk as he gazed up into the branches, watching the leaves flutter in the breeze.

“Huh?” Dee twisted to look at his lover.

“That’s how it’s referred to in Japanese, dappled sunlight seen through leaves.”

“I like that. Komo… what was it again?”

Ryo repeated the word, correcting Dee’s pronunciation until his partner got it right.

“Funny how Americans use five words to say something the Japanese only need one word for,” Dee mused.

“Americans are long-winded,” Ryo joked. “Japanese is a much more economical language.”

“Yeah? Maybe you should teach me. I’m serious,” Dee added when his lover started laughing. “It would give you a chance to practice, and maybe I’d be able to understand ya when you talk in your sleep.”

Ryo blushed. “I do that?”

“Sometimes, but it’s just mumblin’, can’t really make out words. I would like to learn a bit of Japanese though. It’s an important part of your heritage, part of you.”

“Well, okay, if you’re sure I guess I could try.”

“I am.” Dee stood, offering Ryo a hand up. “C’mon, we should probably get walkin’ if we’re gonna reach that lake you told me about in time for a dip before lunch. That’s a good place to start… What’s the Japanese word for ‘lake’?”

“Ko,” Ryo told him, letting Dee pull him upright and into a kiss.

“Do I get a kiss every time? ‘Cause I really think I’m gonna enjoy language lessons with you.”

Ryo snorted. “Baka!”

“What’s that mean?”

“Idiot,” Ryo told him, laughing and dancing out of reach.

“Okay, guess I deserved that.” Dee slung his pack over one shoulder. “Komorebi, ko, and baka… See? I know three words already! I’m gonna be the best student you ever had.”

“You’re the only student I’ve ever had.”

“Semantics. Come on, babe, teach me more! I got a lot to learn.” Laughing, they set off along the trail once more, Dee throwing words at Ryo to translate. Yep, this was about the most perfect day ever.


The End