~Eggnog~
Christmas wasn't Shizuo's style. It was around this time of year that it was easier and easier for people to piss him off. As if the crowds in Ikebukuro weren't bad enough, the instant sales messages appeared in shop windows, the quantity of pedestrians tripled to the point where it could take up to five minutes just to cross a street! There were small children everywhere that he had to constantly keep taking into account before he speared telephone poles at certain persons of unsurpassed irritation. Church choirs kept singing, Santas kept ho-ho-ho-ing, and strangers kept pestering him to give money to charities he'd never heard of. (The only contribution he ever gave was to pay for their medical bills after their persistence got too annoying).
It wasn't like he was neglected as a child or anything – his parents went out of their way to get him and Kasuka everything they asked for. They partook in all the traditions: decorating a tree, competing for best lights in the neighborhood, snowball fights (Shizuo was particularly fond of those), hot chocolate, etc. Somewhere along the line though, the holidays lost their allure. He didn't know why and he didn't really care one way or the other. All he wanted was to get this over with.
"This" was Shinra and Celty's (apparently) annual Christmas Eve Party. This would only be their second time doing it but, Shinra was already acting like they'd done it every year for the past decade. Shizuo wouldn't have gone if Celty hadn't handed him the invitation personally and typed a very long [Pleeaase] (with many more vowels) on her PDA after he shook his head in rejection. She followed that up by reminding him of Shinra's infamous, watery-eyed "puppy face" that he'd never been able to resist after all the years they'd been friends.
He was such a sucker, he thought, standing at the couple's apartment door, hiding a clenched fist in his coat pocket with the small gifts he'd sprung for them. He tapped his foot, impatiently, while he waited for them to answer, contemplating whether or not he could make a run for it before someone made it to the door. He was about to make his move when light and "Jingle Bells' flooded the hallway and his escape route was barred by a beaming Shinra dressed in one of those ugly Christmas sweaters and a ridiculous elf hat.
"Shizuooooo!" he cheered, throwing his arms up as if to give him a hug; a volcanic glare scorched the idea out of his mind. "Welcome! I'm so glad you came!"
He didn't have much of a choice – not when they threatened him with "the face." Grumbling something that could be interpreted as "Merry Friggin' Christmas," the bleached-blond debt collector produced two small gift boxes – that he'd paid to have wrapped because he was wrapping paper challenged – from his pocket and tossed them at Shinra. The young doctor juggled them in surprise, barely keeping them from hitting the floor, and Shizuo skulked inside, leaving a babble of incoherent "thanks-so-much-you're-the-best-Shizuo-san"-s at the door.
The party looked like it'd been alive for a while (good, because he'd arrived late on purpose). He recognized Simon, promoting Russia Sushi Catering from the kitchen whilst serving the strange concoctions to guests. Celty's three high school DOLLARS friends – Masaomi, Mikado, and Anri – were subjecting themselves to Simon's relentless spokesman-ship. "Kadota's Crew in the Car" – as Shizuo sometimes liked to call them – were present as well: Saburo and Kyohei were chatting in the corner while Erika and Walker talked otaku by the tree. Celty was fixing some askew ornaments on the tall pine before she noticed Shizuo had arrived.
[I'm glad you came!] she exclaimed when she reached him. [Merry Christmas!]
"Yeah, you too," he mumbled, managing to express a little more warmth towards her than he had to Shinra. "Thanks for inviting me, I guess."
[Of course! You're a good friend to both me and Shinra. Why wouldn't we invite you?]
He managed a small, sheepish smile in response before she typed again.
[I'm surprised you came alone. I thought you'd bring Kasuka with you.]
"Oh. Yeah. He's across the country somewhere, filming I guess. Didn't want to bother him."
The empty helmet on her shoulders tilted to the side, inquisitively, noting the curtness in his tone of voice and the slight bristling of his posture as he spoke. He was clearly hiding disappointment beneath his aggressive exterior. Rather than risk making him angry by pressing the subject, the Dullahan settled by typing, [Don't worry. You're among friends. Sit down and make yourself at home!]
He nodded and made his way to the couch while Shinra took his place in front of Celty, handing her one of the boxes Shizuo had thrown at him that was addressed to her. He shrugged his coat off, tossing it, carelessly, over the armrest of the couch. Simon hollered a Russian greeting at him from the kitchen – frightening the three teenagers he was serving in the process. Shizuo gave a brief wave back, ignoring an offering of sushi, and dropping onto the couch, content to sit by himself in silence for the rest of the night.
"Thanks Shizuo-san!" came a gleeful yell from by the tree.
Shinra and Celty were boasting the gifts he'd gotten them. They were just matching charm bracelets, empty save for one charm each. Celty's was a cat and Shinra's was a dog. It was just something stupid he'd come up with last minute. He figured Celty must like cats since her helmet was shaped like one and he knew Shinra would love anything that matched his "beloved Celty" - and the "puppy face" made it suitable. She seemed to like it now but, Shizuo knew she'd hate him for it later when she realized the effect it would have on her roommate. He grunted in response to their gratitude and rested his head against the couch, closing his eyes to try and relax.
This wasn't too bad, he thought. Those annoying carols playing on a radio somewhere were low enough that they weren't giving him a "Holly, Jolly Migraine" and the chatter among friends was relatively mellow. They weren't that bothersome, except for Shinra, who announced, loudly, "I'll get it!" when the apartment doorbell rang. Even Erika and Walker, who could get on his nerves instantly with their mindless, manga ramblings, were pretty tame tonight. He was feeling good, and like their may be something redeemable in this year's crappy season…but, that was before he heard that familiar, snide little voice, offering "Happy Holidays!" at the apartment door.
His eyes snapped open and flew to the doorway like the crack of a whip. Every nerve under his skin started to simmer as he fixed his eyes on that damn flea, Izaya. He tried to convince himself that he wasn't really there, and it was just his own mind conjuring up scenarios that would make his night miserable but, no: he was definitely, really there. At first, Shinra was just as happy to see him as he was when Shizuo arrived…until the black-clad informant dropped a fifty pound fruitcake into his arms. The doctor let out a surprised "Oomf!" at the amount of weight there was to the lumpy thing and tottered backwards as he struggled to keep it aloft.
"Um, thanks a lot, Izaya-kun!" he struggled to say. "C-Come in!"
With that devilish smirk firmly in place, Izaya strolled into the festivities, oblivious to the two or three glares thrown his way. Masaomi was muttering expletives in his direction and Anri was giving him a stony look. Shizuo was just wondering why the hell the flea was invited if everyone in the room hated him but, everyone in the room proved him horrible wrong a second later.
"Iza-Iza! Now it's a party!"
"Privet, Izaya! Rad tebya videt!"
"'Sup, Izaya?"
"Oh! H-Hey there, Izaya."
The feeling that sunk into Shizuo was similar in nature to the time his mother told him the puppy he had at age five had "run away." How could these people actually like the little cockroach? Was he the only sane person in the room that saw Izaya as the slimy bastard he truly was? Shizuo watched as the raven-haired man mingled, drawn to the idiots that had foolishly greeted him. He just couldn't comprehend why they were all smiling at him. Erika was absolutely thrilled to see him, Simon seemed to get even louder now that he was there, Kyohei started grumbling in annoyance after he was greeted with the name "Dotachin," and Mikado was frantically trying to stop his blond friend from starting a fist fight. The calm murmur had upgraded to a raucous commotion. Leave it to an Orihara to shatter the peace.
Shizuo redirected his fury at Shinra when the awkward surgeon bumped into the couch, struggling with the fruitcake. He was about to scream at him for daring to allow the flea into his apartment but, Celty came to help her roommate and he contained his harsh words. While the Dullahan tried to save Shinra from being crushed by the lump in his arms, Shizuo went back to analyzing the movements of his enemy. He glanced from one group to the next in search of him but, found that he was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly wary, the blond inclined his head in different directions, searching for hiding spots the flea may be lurking at, just waiting to pounce.
"Looking for someone, Shizu-chan?"
It was the warm breath on the back of his neck more than anything that startled Shizuo to the other end of the couch. Of all the places he would have looked for Izaya, sitting right next to him was not on the list. He rounded a glare on the informant, his teeth grinding together so hard, he was afraid they were cracking. Izaya's conceited chuckle didn't help level his fury.
"Boo!" he laughed and Shizuo's fingers curled into fists.
"Shut up, you damn rat! If you ever get that close to me again, I'll rip your damn throat out!"
"Who knew you were so sensitive about your personal space, Shizu-chan? Is that why you don't have a plus one for the night? Or did they ditch you because you don't know how to share?"
"Look who's talking! I see no one wants to waste their holiday spirit on a disgusting insect, huh?"
"Ouch!" Izaya hissed, feigning hurt. "Alright – not gonna lie – that one stung a little. For your information though, I had asked Miss Yagiri to accompany me tonight. However, she threatened to remove certain parts of my anatomy that I'd rather keep if I were ever to ask her something like that again so, I settled for going solo."
Shizuo snorted in laughter, finding joy at the thought of Izaya getting strapped to an operating table, completely at the twisted pharmacist's mercy. Hell, he could think of a thousand things he would subject the flea to if he was gifted with that scenario. Izaya didn't miss the sadistic, far away grin on the debt collector's face and rolled his eyes.
"I'm glad the insinuation about my manhood brings you so much joy, Shizu-chan, you dirty pervert."
Shizuo bristled, his face aflame with scarlet shades of mortification.
"What the hell! Bastard flea, take that back!"
"What: the 'thinking about my manhood' or the 'dirty pervert' part?"
"Son of a – "
He was halfway out of his seat with his nails sinking into the coffee table, ready to smash him to little pieces with it. An excited glint licked the coppery gaze that observed him, like the strike of a match lighting a wildfire. Shizuo was already relishing the thought of feeling every bone in Izaya's body crumble beneath the weight of the coffee table when, suddenly, a shadowy, projectile struck him hard in the side of the face, causing him to stumble back into his seat in an unceremonious flop. Izaya burst into a fit of triumphant laughter before the pitcher of the object that assaulted the blond punched him in the shoulder.
"Ow!" he yelped, rubbing the afflicted area and glaring up at Celty as she loomed between the two men.
[Can't you two be civil towards one another for ONE NIGHT?] she typed in rapid frustration. [For God's sake, it's Christmas Eve. Get over yourselves!]
There was an almost audible "huff" in her body language that accompanied the irritated text. Shizuo felt the eyes that weren't there glaring at him and held back his stubborn fists from strangling the spiteful grin off the informant's face. The Dullahan marched back into the kitchen, too busy hosting to linger and Izaya taunted her retreat with a little "Mrrow." This elicited a hateful growl from the blond.
"Being an asshole every single damn day must be exhausting."
"And being a bumbling, brutish idiot isn't?"
Shizuo grit his teeth, biting back his retort as best he could. A muffled grunt that had the potential to be intensely profane slipped into the atmosphere. While it was a huge achievement on the part of the temperamental blond, the restrained sound gained the same quick-witted reaction from Izaya as it would have if he did form words.
"Careful, Shizu-chan. You're anger management is showing."
A commotion from the kitchen distracted them from going at each other's throats again. Still unbalanced by the unpleasant lump of bread and fruit Izaya had give him, Shinra had stumbled back into Simon, causing the sushi maker to accidentally drop some kind of sour cream shrimp thing down Anri's shirt. The opposing reactions from Masaomi and Mikado – one of squealing horror and one of whooping inappropriateness – easily distracted the rest of the guests as well. Snickering emanated from each corner of the apartment.
"You would bring the one thing nobody wants for Christmas, flea," Shizuo grumbled, crossing his arms and sinking into his corner of the couch.
"It's the gift that keeps on giving!" Izaya stated, lounging comfortably in his seat. "I'm just spreading the holiday cheer! There's no crime in that."
"I wasn't talking about the fruitcake, I was talking about you."
"Somebody's Grinchy. Is you being such a Scrooge a result of not getting to spend Christmas with your precious little brother?"
"Look in the damn mirror! Your family wants nothing to do with you on the holidays either, bastard!"
"Who needs family when I've got all my lovely little humans to celebrate with?"
There was just no winning with the guy, Shizuo thought. It wasn't worth it to keep going around and around with him – at least not that night, not in that apartment around all those people. He resolved to keep quiet – which was one hell of a feat – and watched Izaya out of the corner of his eye in mistrust. The man had readjusted his focus upon mentioning his "lovely little humans" and was watching Masaomi Kida trying to get the shrimp out of Anri's shirt while Mikado tried to run interference. Shizuo could see a wily comment trembling on the informant's lips but, he didn't set it free to earn another blonde's baleful glare – not yet anyway.
The bubbles of conversation that were excited upon Izaya's arrival started to settle. Simon lifted Shinra's fruitcake into the fridge while said host tried to catch his breath, leaning against the kitchen counter for support. Celty had pried the two teenage boys apart and was leading Anri to the bathroom. The other four DOLLARS members resumed their previous conversations although Shizuo was aware of Erika sending suggestive glances that hadn't been there a little while ago towards the sofa he and Izaya occupied. He couldn't fathom why.
It was a few long, tedious minutes before any more interaction was sparked between the two on the couch. While Shinra was preparing drinks in the kitchen, Simon took a break from catering to deliver gifts to his favorite customers. The dark-skinned Russian went about the apartment, humming Christmas carols and distributing small, unwrapped gifts to each guest. Shizuo – so caught up in his plotting to destroy Izaya without arousing suspicion – didn't notice Simon's delivery route until his gift was dropped into his lap. A relieved smile spread across his face as he found it to be a fresh pack of his favorite brand of cigarettes. To Izaya, Simon handed a pocket-sized container of fatty tuna.
"Why thank you Simon! How generous!" the informant exclaimed as he accepted, making sure to be loud so as to compensate for Shizuo's lack of verbal thanks.
Simon didn't seem to care and continued on his route, humming happily. When he was gone, Izaya shot a challenging look Shizuo's way, daring him to counteract the taunt.
"Grow up," the blond snorted instead, unwrapping the plastic from around the cigarette pack.
"Oh God," Izaya groaned. "You're not going to light one of those now, are you? It's rude to smoke in another person's home, Shizu-chan."
A smirk of his own tweaked Shizuo's lips as Izaya exposed one of his rare weaknesses. He kept forgetting the other male absolutely abhorred his "filthy habit" as he had once called it. Finally, vengeance, was what came to Shizuo's mind as he opened up the box, never taking his eyes off of the informant. Sharp as he was, Izaya recognized his rival's method of torture instantly. The copper tone to his light brown eyes darkened to a more loathing shade of red as he held Shizuo's gaze. Ah how the tables had turned, the tormentor thought, gleefully drawing one of the cigarettes and placing it between his teeth. The informant's posture gained more rigidity and Shizuo was sure he was clutching his switchblade in his coat pocket to retaliate.
Moving with painful exaggeration, Shizuo fingered through his pockets until he found his trusty lighter. The unblemished metal gleamed with knife-like malice when wielded by the blond. He spun it through his fingers a few times and repeatedly flicked it open, then closed, boasting his power to irritate Izaya as much as he did him. The brunette continued to glare, contemptuously, however, there was still a playful sliver in his eyes, indicating that he was enjoying their silent battle more than he let on. Finally, Shizuo struck a flame and brought it closer and closer to the cigarette. He could see the corners of Izaya's lips twitching, fighting to keep himself from smiling. Anticipating an outbreak of violence, Shizuo grinned and was just about to set fire to the tobacco to trigger a new war…
…But.
"Shizuo, put that away. You can't drink and smoke at the same time, silly."
He was going to crush Shinra. In fact, the glare he sent his old friend almost did the work for him – he even cringed back a little, as if it hurt – before holding up a tray of filled glasses in defense.
"Spiked eggnog?" he offered in hopes of sparing his life from the blonde's wrath.
"Whatever," Shizuo grumbled, swiping up a glass.
There was no getting his victory back now anyway. His opponent was snickering across from him, trying to contain some of his laughter from getting to out of hand. He managed to compose himself enough to accept one of Shinra's drinks and as soon as the doctor had moved on, he continued to chuckle, raising his glass to Shizuo in a mock toast.
"You just can't win, Shizu-chan. I'd start searching for a new hobby if I were you."
If he didn't take a long gulp from the mercifully alcoholic beverage in his hand, Shizuo was sure the glass would have shattered from his white knuckled grip around it. The harsh burn of alcohol hitting the back of his throat came as a surprise at first but, with Izaya still brimming in triumph, it was a welcome comfort. The devious informant took a drink of his own and Shizuo's nose wrinkled in laughter as his face contorted a little in reaction to the shock of alcohol.
"What's the matter, Izaya?" Shizuo jeered, imitating the unbearable voice of his rival. "Never had anything stronger than cheap wine? You pansy."
Izaya sent him a disinterested glance and took another sip, making sure to keep his face impassive this time. Shizuo finished off the rest of his in a heartbeat, already feeling the vibrating buzz at the edges of his skull. He was going to need that if he was going to survive the rest of the night. Shinra was walking by with a now empty try in his hands when Shizuo grabbed him by the arm, emitting a frightened squeak as a result. Ignoring him, Shizuo inputted his demands.
"Hey, make me another three of these, would ya?"
"Oh! You got it!" Shinra chirped as the empty glass was returned to the tray, relieved that Shizuo had grabbed him to kill him like he thought.
Before he could leave to fetch the order, Izaya stopped him as well by dropping his cup onto the passing tray.
"Make it six, Kishitani."
Shizuo sent a stiff-jawed glare towards Izaya, one that was matched with a standard, mischievous grin. Shinra – curious yet, oblivious – shrugged and went off to do what he was told. The look Shizuo gave him was scathing and Izaya sat expectantly, like he was waiting for Shizuo's response to the issued challenge. Instead, the blond just scoffed at him in disgust and looked, pointedly, away from him. The informant pouted in disappointment and sighed dramatically before leaning back in his respective corner of the couch. Shinra wasted no time in serving them their weapons of choice, eager to pacify his two friends' insatiable aggression towards one another so as to spare the holiday cheer from being spoiled.
Shizuo tried to deny the impulse to Izaya's unspoken taunts when he didn't reach for a glass right away. He tried to take the high road and not give into the man's childish games. He tried to focus on the "holiday spirit" floating around the apartment instead but, "trying" had never been something that worked for him. Izaya was daintily lapping up the remains of his second cup of eggnog, his eyes bright and his cheeks already tinted in a pale pink flush. All of Shizuo's reserve was shredded when the horrific realization that he had given Izaya a head start hit him. A territorial lust burned down in his stomach and all regard for any consequences to his actions became irrelevant as he swiped up a glass and downed it in one gulp.
Izaya paused, his hand midway to the next glass, and watched his rival with hidden interest. He wasn't a heavy drinker – as Shizuo had already guessed (not that Izaya would ever admit that the brute was right). The amount of alcohol in the holiday concoction was already eating away at his inhibitions however he did well too hide it. Shizuo slammed his glass back down on the tray, signaling for the start of the next round with a sharp glare. Izaya smiled past the burn on his tongue and the fuzziness in his head and the two of them swept up the next glass…
The colors and sounds of the party started to blend halfway through round four. With iron will, the pair managed to stubbornly resist the effects of the eggnog, longer than any average man possibly could. They couldn't stay immune forever though, no matter how hard they convinced themselves that they could. Shizuo – having had many years of bar experience – was fairing slightly better than his counterpart on the couch. There was an imperceptible sway to the informant's posture that only someone who was looking for it may be able to detect. His chestnut gaze was unmistakably glassy and his pale cheeks rosy. The sight almost made Shizuo laugh but, he restrained himself at the risk of sounding giddy himself.
Things moved in a foggy haze and he had to blink several times to bring definition to the blobs of color shifting around him. Some subconscious section of him was able to identify that people were saying their farewells and filing out the door and that he should thereby take his leave as well. Moving as carefully as he could when he was this intoxicated, the ex-bartender slowly got to his feet and wormed his way into his coat. Izaya looked up at him, an absent expression on his face before a split second of awareness of what was happening around him made him bolt to his feet…and promptly stumble into the armrest of the couch. A small, indignant groan caught in his throat and he placed a hand to his dizzy head, as if that would bring his balance back.
Amused by the flea's sorry state, Shizuo snorted in laughter and lurched his way to the door. A weak glare was aimed at him but, never stuck as Izaya's wavering attention was redirected, this time to out-doing his enemy by getting to the door first. Even in a drunken stupor, Shizuo was still stubborn enough to rise to the challenge. Both men rushed to the door, nearly trampling their two hosts as they grappled for dominance over the doorframe. They both squeezed through at the same time in an embarrassing display of flailing and shoving and collapsed out into the hall. Shizuo grinned, triumphantly, when he managed to stay on his feet but, yelped a second later when a weight on his arm nearly dragged him to the floor. Izaya had blindly latched onto him in an effort to save himself when balance failed him.
Shizuo simply looked down at him, too tired and too drunk to summon the energy to drop-kick the bastard for daring to come into contact with him. Muttering obscenities, Izaya hefted himself upright, also unable to care about the severity of his action. The two staggered to the nearest elevator. Shizuo slapped the necessary buttons when they were both inside and slumped against the wall as they started their descent. He surveyed the wasted Izaya across from him, having nothing else to look at while he waited for them to hit the ground floor. A giddy smile ghosted across his lips and he seemed to be burrowed into his fur-trimmed coat, all the snide vitality of his typical arrogance drained from his features.
It was probably the most human Shizuo had ever seen him. It really was a Christmas miracle! He never thought Izaya was human, rather he was some demonic creature sent to make his life a living hell. Drunk Izaya was a huge improvement. The brunette in question glanced up when he felt the others eyes on him.
"…Want somethin' Shizu-chan?" he inquired, managing a lazy, Cheshire smile.
Shizuo gave no response other than to stare off elsewhere however, this triggered a slew of jeering slurs from Izaya. He couldn't make out a lot of what was being said, just that his unfiltered rambling was adding to his already developing headache. The elevator finally opened to the lobby and Shizuo stepped out, hoping to escape the noisy informant but, his onslaught of incomprehensible insults just followed after him as they stumbled across the first floor lobby and out onto the vacant, snow-crusted sidewalk. Izaya got louder when he was drunk, Shizuo began to realize. His voice was echoing off the lit streetlamps and was probably audible in all the surrounding apartments. He would have never pegged Izaya as the howling drunk. He didn't think he could tolerate the self-degradation.
At any rate, his hollering was going to embarrass the both of them and he was too exhausted to knock him unconscious with a telephone pole. He turned to the man who didn't stop talking and watched his mouth, contemplating how to make it stop moving without exerting too much energy. His muddled thought surged with one idea – a bad idea that he'd definitely regret if he remembered it the next morning. The next morning was far too distant for him to comprehend at the moment and all he could hope to focus on was shutting Izaya up…so…
Shizuo's hand gripped Izaya's wrist and with a rough tug pulled him close and covered his mouth with his own. A surprised "mmrph!" vibrated against his mouth before Izaya's racket was silenced. For a moment, that was all it was: Shizuo putting a stop to Izaya's babbling in the least exhausting way his hazy mind could come up with. He didn't even think of it as a kiss, not until Izaya…moved closer. He almost missed it: the gentle push of willing lips against his. The unexpected response brought upon an even more surprising one in himself: a parting of lips to nudge his tongue against Izaya's lower-lip, searching for a way in.
Slowly and unconsciously, Izaya opened up for him and let Shizuo explore the warm cavern that tasted of way too much cream and brandy. Shizuo started pressing closer and diving in deeper when a pleased moan from the informant suddenly snapped him to his senses. He was kissing Izaya. IZ-AY-A. He hated Izaya. As soon as the reality struck Shizuo, it also seemed to hit Izaya, as it was the informant that ended up pushing him away. Instead of gagging in disgust through, he started laughing and wagged a finger at the stunned debt collector.
"Naughty, naughty, Shizu-chan. Looks like you're getting coal for Christmas."
And with that, he stumbled off, like nothing had happened. Shizuo blinked, confused, before touching his heated lips like they were foreign objects to him. What just happened? He was too impaired to understand. He turned around to watch Izaya go, as if the answer was somehow on the black-clad brunette. There was none. All he got was him humming "Silent Night" as he went along his way. It was a pretty sound: the song with that voice, Shizuo thought, smiling softly. He didn't have to be drunk to think that it was.
A/N: So yeah, late Christmas fic that I wanted to get done but, my inspiration wasn't agreeing with. You can kind of tell where I lost it but, I knew if I left it alone I would never come back to it. Whatevs I guess.
Reviews are greatly appreciated!
Happy New Year everyone!=D