FAKE Fic: Classy Classic
Jul. 11th, 2025 06:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
badly_knittedTitle: Classy Classic
Fandom: FAKE
Author:
badly_knittedCharacters: Ryo, Dee, Bikky.
Rating: PG
Setting: After the manga.
Word Count: 2086
Summary: Dee and Ryo have completed the restoration of the classic car they’ve been working on, so now they’re going to show her off.
Written For: Weekend Challenge: Red, White & Blue at
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1_million_words.Disclaimer: I don’t own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
The ’67 Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 Dee and Ryo had picked up for a song when it was little more than a pile of rust was now a gleaming white beauty, the chrome work so bright it almost hurt the eyes. Dee and Ryo had spent months lovingly restoring the classic car to its former glory, with some help from Bikky; now she was finally ready to be taken for a spin and shown off to the wider world.
The interior leatherwork looked pristine, the trim was flawless, the paintwork waxed to a high gloss… Beneath the hood, the engine was spotless too, all components looking like new. About the only parts that weren’t original were the tires and the battery. Well, there were some modifications to the engine so the car would run on unleaded fuel, but as much of the original design of the vehicle as possible had been retained.
“Why’d you have to get it painted white though?” Bikky demanded. “Won’t it get dirty?”
“Yeah,” Dee said easily. “But that would happen whatever colour we painted her, and I kinda liked the idea of a white Mustang. It’s classy, but it draws the eye. Everybody we pass is gonna be lookin’ at her, and envyin’ the guys who get to drive her.”
Dee himself was dressed in stonewashed denim jeans that were almost white, a black button-down shirt, and a white sports jacket, contrasting with his jet-black hair. Ryo had on black denims, a deep red shirt that matched the car’s upholstery, and a black leather jacket. They were ready to go, their bags already in the trunk; the next stop would be the Syracuse Nationals show they’d entered the Mustang in.
“You could still come with us, Biks,” Ryo reminded the boy.
“Ah, maybe next time. I can’t afford to take time out from basketball practice right now. If I do, I might lose my starting spot to one of the newer kids. ‘Sides, the backseat’s kinda cramped with you two up front. I need more legroom on long drives.”
“Maybe we’ll consider restorin’ somethin’ less sporty next time,” Dee joked. “Somethin’ more like Ryo’s car.”
“Are you trying to say the Pontiac’s not sporty?” Ryo stared at Dee in disbelief at the insult to his beloved car.
“Course not, but you gotta admit the Mustang is sportier.”
“I suppose. Look, we’d better get on the road, or we won’t have time to drop our bags at the hotel, check in at the showground, and give her a final polish before the show opens to the public.”
“Yeah, I guess. You wanna drive, or shall I?”
“You can take first turn behind the wheel. We can switch when we’re halfway.”
“You just wanna be the one who drives her into the showground,” Dee teased, and Ryo blushed, because it was true.
“Why wouldn’t I? You’ve taken your Charger to the Syracuse show a couple of times, that’s what you told me anyway, but this will be my first show as one of the exhibitors.”
“Knock yourself out then, babe. You know I don’t mind if you wanna do the honours. Anything you wanna do is fine with me. You’re gonna look so hot behind the wheel of this beauty!”
“Dee!” Ryo’s blush deepened.
“EW!” Bikky protested. “I don’t wanna hear all that mushy stuff!
“Then cover your ears!” Dee smirked at the teen’s discomfort. “Or better yet, head back inside. Weren’t you supposed to be helpin’ your neighbour with some stuff in return for stayin’ with her for a few days?”
“Yeah, but I wanted to see Ryo off.”
“Fine, we’re goin’!” Dee went around the car and slid into the driver’s seat, leaving Ryo on the sidewalk with his foster son.
“Do whatever Melinda tells you to, okay? She’s old and a bit set in her ways.”
“I know, and I will, I promise.”
“Don’t forget to do your homework, and no staying up late.”
“I’m fifteen, not ten!”
“You’re still my responsibility, at least for another three years, even if I’m not going to be here for a few days.”
“I’ll be fine, and I’ll help Melinda with whatever she wants. She’s a good cook. Not as good as you, but still…”
Ryo hugged the boy. “I’ll call you as soon as we get there, let you know we arrived safely.”
“Have fun. Think you’ll win anything?”
“With all the competition, I doubt it, but I think the Mustang should turn a few heads.”
“She really does look great now. I thought you were out of your mind, paying money for such a junker, but I guess you knew what you were talking about.”
“The potential was there, under all the rust.” The relative quiet was shattered as Dee leaned on the horn. “Okay, gotta go, before Dee gets a citation for disturbing the peace. See you when we get back.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Well, school and basketball practice, but that’s all. Drive carefully.”
“We always do.” Ryo got into the passenger seat, closing the door behind him, fastening his seatbelt, and winding the window down so he could stick one hand out and wave to Bikky as Dee pulled away from the curb.
“Thought you were gonna stand there all mornin’. How long does it take to say goodbye?”
“About that long.”
“Hah, smartass!”
“You asked.” Ryo flashed a grin at his lover.
“Got me there. So, here we go, headin’ off beyond the blue horizon.”
“Not that we can see the horizon in the middle of the city.”
“We will though, once we get goin’. It’ll be good to get outta the city.”
As much as they loved their home city, both men enjoyed getting away from the air pollution and crowds as often as possible.
Driving through New York’s morning traffic would be the worst part of the journey, even though they were starting out after the worst of rush hour was over, hoping to reach their destination by early afternoon at the latest. They didn’t want to rush; this would be the first long run for the Mustang, up to now they’d only taken her out for short drives around the city at various stages of her renovation as they’d tuned her engine up and made sure all her systems worked as they should. Right now, her engine was purring, but the real test would come once they hit the freeway and opened her up. Not that they were worried; they’d checked everything over thoroughly, there shouldn’t be any unwelcome surprises.
Ryo rested his arm along the windowsill, relaxing in the passenger seat, watching heads turn as the Mustang glided past pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and other motorists.
“We’re drawing quite a bit of attention.”
“Told ya we would. A classic beauty like this among all the compacts and SUVs is always gonna stand out, even more than our usual rides.”
“We’re not going to be selling her, are we?” Ryo glanced at his lover; the original plan had been to restore the car, take her to a show, then see about selling her, because they both had their own cars, and didn’t really need three.
“Ah, we’ll sell the next one, keep this one as our show car. In a year or two, we could be drivin’ to the show in two cars, this one, and one to put on the market. If heads are turnin’ now, think what it’ll be like then. Might even be a convoy of three if we find one suitable for the kid.”
“Got it all worked out, have you?” Ryo laughed at his lover’s enthusiasm.
“Why not?”
Why not indeed. Ryo let himself imagine how that would be, heading out with two or three cars, potentially coming home with one less, if anyone at the show was in a buying mood. Not everyone liked to do the restoration work themselves, but it was a hobby for himself and Dee, something fun to do on evenings, weekends, days off, when they didn’t want to go clubbing, or see a movie. Okay, as hobbies went it could be pretty expensive, they’d spent a lot on the Mustang and if Dee was unwilling to sell, they wouldn’t be getting any of their money back with this one, but the next one…
The next one would have to be sold, or they’d keep that one and sell this one. Owning three cars, they could just about manage, but having four on the road for any length of time would be ridiculous, and Dee would never part with his cherry red Charger any more than Ryo would part with the Pontiac he and his dad had restored when Ryo had been around Bikky’s age.
Passing through the Holland Tunnel, they headed into New Jersey, and an hour or so later they were cruising along I-80 West, the Mustang humming along towards a horizon that was now visible when they were away from built-up areas.
“Is this a dream or what?” In the driver’s seat, Dee was grinning as the drivers and passengers of other cars waved at them, sometimes honking their horns. “There’s somethin’ about drivin’ a classy automobile like this one.”
“You just enjoy the attention.” Not that Ryo wasn’t enjoying it too, waving back at the car enthusiasts, some of whom might be on their way to Syracuse for the show. Dee was keeping the Mustang just under the speed limit, because as cops, the last thing they wanted was a speeding ticket. Other cars were sailing past them, in defiance of the road regulations, but that wasn’t their responsibility, they worked serious crimes, not traffic, so they were ignoring such infractions. Highway Patrol could deal with them.
“We’ll get a lot more attention when we reach the showground.”
“I just hope we’ll get a chance to look at the other cars.”
“Yeah, we’ll haveta take turns, one of us stayin’ with this beauty to answer questions while the other takes a look around. That’s the downside of hittin’ these shows as an exhibitor. The plus side is gettin’ to talk shop with other enthusiasts. Hey, might even find our next project!”
“And how would we get it home? We don’t have a trailer, and I wouldn’t want to hook one up to the Mustang anyway.”
“We’d haveta arrange delivery.” Dee was quiet for a long moment, then… “Wish I could open her up, see what she can really do. Sometimes bein’ a cop sucks. We always gotta obey the law, and just one time, I’d love to forget about speed limits, put my foot to the floor, and just let her fly.”
“Dream on. The only time we get to do that is during a car chase, or when we’re keeping our hand in on advanced driving courses, and that’s no place for a car like this one.”
“Maybe we should pick up a black Trans-am, next, do the whole Burt Reynolds thing. Eastbound and down.”
“Dork,” Ryo teased.
“What? Didn’t you ever want to?”
“Only if I was the cop doing the chasing.”
“’Kay, I’ll drive the Firebird, and you can chase me. You’d better have somethin’ better than a standard cop car engine under the hood though, otherwise you’ll be eatin’ my dust.”
“You are weird.”
“No harm imaginin’ it. Maybe I’d let ya catch me.” Dee winked at his partner.
“Maybe you wouldn’t have a choice.”
“Hell yeah! You could arrest me! I’d be up for that!” Dee grinned, radiating enthusiasm for the idea.
“Eyes and mind on the road, Dee. Roleplaying will have to wait until we’re back home.”
“We could just skip the show…”
“Not on your life! Everything’s booked, we paid our frees, and we didn’t spend the last year restoring this car to leave her sitting in the lock-up, gathering dust.”
“Fine, but we ARE gonna play once we’re home.”
“We’ll see.” Ryo reached for the radio, tuning it in to a station that played classic rock. Soon it would be his turn to take the wheel, and even though he’d never admit it to Dee, like his lover, he kind of wished they didn’t have to obey the speed limit. Sixty-five was too slow, even if it was better for the car. What he wouldn’t give to push her up to seventy-five, eighty, even ninety, just for a few miles, nowhere near top speed, but fast enough on a public highway. Much too dangerous, of course, but like Dee, he could dream…
The End
The interior leatherwork looked pristine, the trim was flawless, the paintwork waxed to a high gloss… Beneath the hood, the engine was spotless too, all components looking like new. About the only parts that weren’t original were the tires and the battery. Well, there were some modifications to the engine so the car would run on unleaded fuel, but as much of the original design of the vehicle as possible had been retained.
“Why’d you have to get it painted white though?” Bikky demanded. “Won’t it get dirty?”
“Yeah,” Dee said easily. “But that would happen whatever colour we painted her, and I kinda liked the idea of a white Mustang. It’s classy, but it draws the eye. Everybody we pass is gonna be lookin’ at her, and envyin’ the guys who get to drive her.”
Dee himself was dressed in stonewashed denim jeans that were almost white, a black button-down shirt, and a white sports jacket, contrasting with his jet-black hair. Ryo had on black denims, a deep red shirt that matched the car’s upholstery, and a black leather jacket. They were ready to go, their bags already in the trunk; the next stop would be the Syracuse Nationals show they’d entered the Mustang in.
“You could still come with us, Biks,” Ryo reminded the boy.
“Ah, maybe next time. I can’t afford to take time out from basketball practice right now. If I do, I might lose my starting spot to one of the newer kids. ‘Sides, the backseat’s kinda cramped with you two up front. I need more legroom on long drives.”
“Maybe we’ll consider restorin’ somethin’ less sporty next time,” Dee joked. “Somethin’ more like Ryo’s car.”
“Are you trying to say the Pontiac’s not sporty?” Ryo stared at Dee in disbelief at the insult to his beloved car.
“Course not, but you gotta admit the Mustang is sportier.”
“I suppose. Look, we’d better get on the road, or we won’t have time to drop our bags at the hotel, check in at the showground, and give her a final polish before the show opens to the public.”
“Yeah, I guess. You wanna drive, or shall I?”
“You can take first turn behind the wheel. We can switch when we’re halfway.”
“You just wanna be the one who drives her into the showground,” Dee teased, and Ryo blushed, because it was true.
“Why wouldn’t I? You’ve taken your Charger to the Syracuse show a couple of times, that’s what you told me anyway, but this will be my first show as one of the exhibitors.”
“Knock yourself out then, babe. You know I don’t mind if you wanna do the honours. Anything you wanna do is fine with me. You’re gonna look so hot behind the wheel of this beauty!”
“Dee!” Ryo’s blush deepened.
“EW!” Bikky protested. “I don’t wanna hear all that mushy stuff!
“Then cover your ears!” Dee smirked at the teen’s discomfort. “Or better yet, head back inside. Weren’t you supposed to be helpin’ your neighbour with some stuff in return for stayin’ with her for a few days?”
“Yeah, but I wanted to see Ryo off.”
“Fine, we’re goin’!” Dee went around the car and slid into the driver’s seat, leaving Ryo on the sidewalk with his foster son.
“Do whatever Melinda tells you to, okay? She’s old and a bit set in her ways.”
“I know, and I will, I promise.”
“Don’t forget to do your homework, and no staying up late.”
“I’m fifteen, not ten!”
“You’re still my responsibility, at least for another three years, even if I’m not going to be here for a few days.”
“I’ll be fine, and I’ll help Melinda with whatever she wants. She’s a good cook. Not as good as you, but still…”
Ryo hugged the boy. “I’ll call you as soon as we get there, let you know we arrived safely.”
“Have fun. Think you’ll win anything?”
“With all the competition, I doubt it, but I think the Mustang should turn a few heads.”
“She really does look great now. I thought you were out of your mind, paying money for such a junker, but I guess you knew what you were talking about.”
“The potential was there, under all the rust.” The relative quiet was shattered as Dee leaned on the horn. “Okay, gotta go, before Dee gets a citation for disturbing the peace. See you when we get back.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Well, school and basketball practice, but that’s all. Drive carefully.”
“We always do.” Ryo got into the passenger seat, closing the door behind him, fastening his seatbelt, and winding the window down so he could stick one hand out and wave to Bikky as Dee pulled away from the curb.
“Thought you were gonna stand there all mornin’. How long does it take to say goodbye?”
“About that long.”
“Hah, smartass!”
“You asked.” Ryo flashed a grin at his lover.
“Got me there. So, here we go, headin’ off beyond the blue horizon.”
“Not that we can see the horizon in the middle of the city.”
“We will though, once we get goin’. It’ll be good to get outta the city.”
As much as they loved their home city, both men enjoyed getting away from the air pollution and crowds as often as possible.
Driving through New York’s morning traffic would be the worst part of the journey, even though they were starting out after the worst of rush hour was over, hoping to reach their destination by early afternoon at the latest. They didn’t want to rush; this would be the first long run for the Mustang, up to now they’d only taken her out for short drives around the city at various stages of her renovation as they’d tuned her engine up and made sure all her systems worked as they should. Right now, her engine was purring, but the real test would come once they hit the freeway and opened her up. Not that they were worried; they’d checked everything over thoroughly, there shouldn’t be any unwelcome surprises.
Ryo rested his arm along the windowsill, relaxing in the passenger seat, watching heads turn as the Mustang glided past pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and other motorists.
“We’re drawing quite a bit of attention.”
“Told ya we would. A classic beauty like this among all the compacts and SUVs is always gonna stand out, even more than our usual rides.”
“We’re not going to be selling her, are we?” Ryo glanced at his lover; the original plan had been to restore the car, take her to a show, then see about selling her, because they both had their own cars, and didn’t really need three.
“Ah, we’ll sell the next one, keep this one as our show car. In a year or two, we could be drivin’ to the show in two cars, this one, and one to put on the market. If heads are turnin’ now, think what it’ll be like then. Might even be a convoy of three if we find one suitable for the kid.”
“Got it all worked out, have you?” Ryo laughed at his lover’s enthusiasm.
“Why not?”
Why not indeed. Ryo let himself imagine how that would be, heading out with two or three cars, potentially coming home with one less, if anyone at the show was in a buying mood. Not everyone liked to do the restoration work themselves, but it was a hobby for himself and Dee, something fun to do on evenings, weekends, days off, when they didn’t want to go clubbing, or see a movie. Okay, as hobbies went it could be pretty expensive, they’d spent a lot on the Mustang and if Dee was unwilling to sell, they wouldn’t be getting any of their money back with this one, but the next one…
The next one would have to be sold, or they’d keep that one and sell this one. Owning three cars, they could just about manage, but having four on the road for any length of time would be ridiculous, and Dee would never part with his cherry red Charger any more than Ryo would part with the Pontiac he and his dad had restored when Ryo had been around Bikky’s age.
Passing through the Holland Tunnel, they headed into New Jersey, and an hour or so later they were cruising along I-80 West, the Mustang humming along towards a horizon that was now visible when they were away from built-up areas.
“Is this a dream or what?” In the driver’s seat, Dee was grinning as the drivers and passengers of other cars waved at them, sometimes honking their horns. “There’s somethin’ about drivin’ a classy automobile like this one.”
“You just enjoy the attention.” Not that Ryo wasn’t enjoying it too, waving back at the car enthusiasts, some of whom might be on their way to Syracuse for the show. Dee was keeping the Mustang just under the speed limit, because as cops, the last thing they wanted was a speeding ticket. Other cars were sailing past them, in defiance of the road regulations, but that wasn’t their responsibility, they worked serious crimes, not traffic, so they were ignoring such infractions. Highway Patrol could deal with them.
“We’ll get a lot more attention when we reach the showground.”
“I just hope we’ll get a chance to look at the other cars.”
“Yeah, we’ll haveta take turns, one of us stayin’ with this beauty to answer questions while the other takes a look around. That’s the downside of hittin’ these shows as an exhibitor. The plus side is gettin’ to talk shop with other enthusiasts. Hey, might even find our next project!”
“And how would we get it home? We don’t have a trailer, and I wouldn’t want to hook one up to the Mustang anyway.”
“We’d haveta arrange delivery.” Dee was quiet for a long moment, then… “Wish I could open her up, see what she can really do. Sometimes bein’ a cop sucks. We always gotta obey the law, and just one time, I’d love to forget about speed limits, put my foot to the floor, and just let her fly.”
“Dream on. The only time we get to do that is during a car chase, or when we’re keeping our hand in on advanced driving courses, and that’s no place for a car like this one.”
“Maybe we should pick up a black Trans-am, next, do the whole Burt Reynolds thing. Eastbound and down.”
“Dork,” Ryo teased.
“What? Didn’t you ever want to?”
“Only if I was the cop doing the chasing.”
“’Kay, I’ll drive the Firebird, and you can chase me. You’d better have somethin’ better than a standard cop car engine under the hood though, otherwise you’ll be eatin’ my dust.”
“You are weird.”
“No harm imaginin’ it. Maybe I’d let ya catch me.” Dee winked at his partner.
“Maybe you wouldn’t have a choice.”
“Hell yeah! You could arrest me! I’d be up for that!” Dee grinned, radiating enthusiasm for the idea.
“Eyes and mind on the road, Dee. Roleplaying will have to wait until we’re back home.”
“We could just skip the show…”
“Not on your life! Everything’s booked, we paid our frees, and we didn’t spend the last year restoring this car to leave her sitting in the lock-up, gathering dust.”
“Fine, but we ARE gonna play once we’re home.”
“We’ll see.” Ryo reached for the radio, tuning it in to a station that played classic rock. Soon it would be his turn to take the wheel, and even though he’d never admit it to Dee, like his lover, he kind of wished they didn’t have to obey the speed limit. Sixty-five was too slow, even if it was better for the car. What he wouldn’t give to push her up to seventy-five, eighty, even ninety, just for a few miles, nowhere near top speed, but fast enough on a public highway. Much too dangerous, of course, but like Dee, he could dream…
The End
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Date: 2025-07-15 03:26 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2025-07-15 04:20 pm (UTC)Thank you!