FAKE Ficlet: Protected

[badly_knitted]

 


Title: Protected
Fandom: FAKE
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ryo, Dee.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Summary: Ryo and Dee are determined to do whatever it takes to protect themselves and each other, no matter what anyone else might think.
Word Count: 500
Written For: Prompt 637: Appointment at slashthedrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
 


 
Life during a global pandemic wasn’t easy for anyone, but cops, like doctors, nurses, firefighters, and other emergency personnel, had it tougher than the general public. For one thing, during lockdowns they couldn’t work from home. They had to be out on the streets, protecting and serving, investigating crimes.

 
Some cops were bitching about having to wear masks and practice social distancing wherever possible. Obviously you couldn’t keep six feet away from someone you were trying to arrest, but Ryo honestly couldn’t understand why anyone would think the pandemic guidelines were some kind of personal attack against their freedom. He and Dee were fortunate to work out of the two-seven, where everyone, uniformed patrolmen and women, detectives, and civilian staff, were united in their adherence to the rules.

 
Ryo and his partner had both booked for their vaccinations as soon as they were eligible. As they lived together, they didn’t have to follow the social distancing guidelines when they were at work any more than they did at home, but they’d bought a wide selection of reusable masks, wearing a different one every day, and only taking them off to eat or drink.

 
Because they were in contact with so many people on a daily basis, they got tested every week, but so far they’d been lucky; they’d made it through over a year without getting infected, despite being coughed on and spat at, not just by criminals, but by ordinary people on the street who seemed to think they should be ashamed for protecting themselves and others. According to Dee, anyone not wearing a mask was basically an idiot. Ryo was inclined to agree.
 

“Dee?”
 

“Yeah, babe?” Dee turned from watching a ballgame on TV; his team were losing badly, so the distraction was welcome.
 

Ryo had his laptop open on the breakfast bar, and he swivelled on his stool. “I’m going to book in for my booster and my flu jab. D’you want me to book your appointment while I’m at it?”
 

“Yeah, sure, if it’s no trouble. Hey, maybe we can go together!”

 
“That’s what I was thinking. It’s less of a hassle that way. Only problem with getting both done at the same time is that we’ll have to have one in each arm.”
 

“Oh, fun; two sore arms at once. Still, better to get it all outta the way and know we’re as protected as we can be. This winter’s gonna be rough with so many people refusin’ to get vaccinated at all. They should take a leaf outta our book. The couple that gets vaccinated together stays together.”

 
“Maybe you should get that printed up on a t-shirt.” Ryo fell silent as he filled in his and Dee’s details in two separate windows, searching through the available appointments to find two within a few minutes of each other. “Okay, that’s us set, we’re booked in for Wednesday after work.”
 

“Great! Now come and console me. My team’s gettin’ thrashed!”

 
Laughing, Ryo closed his laptop.
 
 

The End