Hello! First off, I just want to say, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I've honestly haven't written in so long aside from doing some roleplays on tumblr, but man have I missed writing. AH! I need to write so much more in 2016. Let's hope I actually do that. Haha! Anyways, enjoy reading. I hope you like it and as always,

Reviews are welcomed and encouraged! ( I love getting feedback! )

Music: People Ain't No Good- Nick Cave ( Yes this is shamefully from Shrek 2, shhhh, it's a good song.)

Circles- The Amazing (Mainly listened to this while writing.)

. . .

Another Lonely Soul

The streets were crowded, Ikebukuro in a joyful mood as the New Year was approaching fast. People bustled around, drunk and happy and walking through them all, Izaya Orihara watched. It was entertaining to see his beloved humans in such an odd mood of happiness and he even found himself smiling at as a drunk couple bumped into him, mumbling something about the New Year and then stumbling away laughing at each other.

Izaya shook his head and continued on his way down the street, just simply observing. He thought about heading back to his apartment in Shinjuku, since nothing interesting was happening, but figured he'd be bored there since everyone was out partying and waiting for the countdown to the New Year. The air was chilly and there had been a forecast for snow, it seemed that was correct as Izaya glanced upward upon noticing little snowflakes begin to fall from the dark sky above him. He pulled his coat tighter around himself, deciding to head to Russia Sushi to get his fill of fatty tuna and began heading in the opposite direction than that he was walking until he arrived at the corner, seeing Simon doing his usual flier passing. Of course, no one was really taking his fliers, but he still tried nonetheless. Izaya walked up, to which Simon greeted him, "I-za-yah!"

"Hello Simon, how's business?"

"Good. It good! You eat? New Year make you hungry, yes?"

"Actually yes." Izaya smirked, his hands in his coat pockets.

"Good. Good!" Simon motioned for Izaya to follow him and he did so as he let the Russian lead him to a nice comfy booth where he took a seat.

"The usual?" Simon questioned before walking away. Izaya nodded.

The informant scooted over to the large window next to his booth and peered out it. The snow was falling harder now and the people in the streets were beginning to thin out, not wanting to be caught in the snow. Russia Sushi itself wasn't too crowded, but there were a few people Izaya recognized like the three high school students near the back. Izaya caught the eye of one of the boys, his blue eyes clashing with Izaya's.

Izaya gave a half-hearted smile, well, more like a smirk and the boy, Mikado Ryugamine sent a small wave his way before turning his attention back to his friends. Izaya adverted his gaze as Simon walked up, placing a plate of fatty tuna in front of him.

"You spend New Year alone?" Simon questioned, his brow furrowing together.

"Of course not!" Izaya spoke, his mouth nearly watering at the sight of his fatty tuna, "I have my lovely humans."

Simon fell silent as if thinking, "You lonely, I-za-yah." It wasn't a question, but a statement. Izaya felt a tick of annoyance. Did Simon even know what he was talking about? Can't he just let him eat his tuna in peace?

"I don't know what gave you that idea, but how could I possibly be lonely when I have a million people in this city all around me?" He raised an eyebrow, staring at the dark-skinned Russian man.

Simon shook his head, "Happy New Year." He mumbled before stalking off to go pass out fliers again.

Izaya spent an hour at Russia Sushi, eating his tuna and enjoying watching the remaining people running around trying to get through the heavy snow building up and coating the city. He left feeling full and walked out into the snow and soon the flakes were getting all over him, so he pulled his hood up over his head, waving a goodbye to Simon, who gave him a sad smile, but bid him goodbye as well.

Izaya wandered the streets of Ikebukuro despite the snow. He didn't mind the cold, so he continued to walk and walk until he reached the local park. The fountain water had been turned off, probably in fear of freezing and the park seemed deserted. The informant made his way over to the swing set, taking a seat, the swing creaking in protest at his weight since it was meant for tiny children.

He remembered coming here sometimes during his high school days just to sit and observe humans and smirked at the memory. Time sure seemed to fly by. The New Year was just about an hour or two away now and Izaya was sitting in a park...alone.

Simon's words wormed their way into Izaya's mind, making his smirk fade to a small frown. "Lonely...huh." He mumbled, his breath coming out in puffs of white. He pushed himself on the swing a little, moving back and forth, but not enough to actually lift off the ground. His fingers were cold, touching the metal holding up the swings, but he ignored the way they were starting to turn numb. He closed his eyes, listening to the quietness that had settled around him. It was peaceful and Izaya found himself liking it up to the moment when a voice shattered the peacefulness,

"You'll get frostbite if you sleep out here, not that I give a shit, but..."

Izaya lifted his head to find a familiar figure standing a few feet away.

"Who said anything about sleeping, Shizu-chan?"

The blond frowned upon hearing that dreaded nickname.

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that."

"Why? It suits you so much better." Izaya chuckled.

Shizuo rolled his eyes, his anger bubbling within him. "What the fuck are you doing out here anyways? You better not be planning something or I'll kick your ass."

Izaya laughed out loud, which caught Shizuo off guard.

"Shizu-chan, do you always have to think so badly of me?"

"Yes, because half the bad shit in this city is caused by you."

The informant shook his head, amused at the blond's thinking.

"You didn't answer my question."

Izaya looked up at Shizuo, noticing the blond was wearing his usual bartender outfit, but on top of it was a nice jacket and a red scarf was wrapped loosely around his neck. His nose and ears were pink due to the cold and his usual purple shades were missing, revealing his mocha colored eyes that were squinted at Izaya, a suspicious expression occupying his face.

"No reason." Izaya said, pushing himself on the swing again, a little bit harder this time so he actually moved. It creaked again in protest.

Shizuo scowled and there was an awkward pause before he stepped forward, taking the swing right next to Izaya, who slowed his swinging before stopping altogether and looking at Shizuo, curiously. Silence stretched between the two of them, so Izaya glanced out at the park instead, thinking this was weird and maybe Shizuo was about to murder him and then bury him in the snow. He chuckled quietly to himself after thinking that because like Shizuo would ever be able to catch him.

The silence continued and the brute seemed to be thinking about something because Izaya could just see his thought process taking place.

"Something on your mind?" Izaya questioned before he could catch himself. Shizuo remained in his still position, the same scowl covering his face and not responding. Izaya raised a slim eyebrow at the blond, and decided to ignore him instead. Shizuo was acting weird and Izaya wanted no part of it and honestly, he wished the brute would just leave. It was awkward between them and Izaya found it odd that Shizuo hadn't broken out into a fit of rage and threw the fountain at him already.

Stupid unpredictable monster.

Izaya got up from his spot on the swing set and walked forward a little before bending down and picking up a handful of snow. It stung his cold, bare hands, but he ignored it and crushed the freshly fallen snow into a ball. He glanced behind him at Shizuo, who was still staring at the ground with a scowl on his face, not talking. He chuckled quietly to himself before turning, lifting the snowball over his head and tossing it at the blond.

It hit Shizuo on the head, making him look up, startled, his mocha eyes landing on Izaya who was cackling.

"What the hell did you just throw at me?!" Shizuo growled, standing up.

Izaya produced another ball of snow, throwing it hard at Shizuo, hitting him square in the chest. "A snowball~" He burst out laughing at the blond's bewildered expression.

"Wha-" Shizuo was cut off as another snowball hit him right in the face. The snow stung, the cold burning his cheeks and he frowned, bending down and grabbing his own handful of snow, molding it into a ball.

"Why you little-" Shizuo threw the snowball at Izaya, who, not surprisingly, dodged it with ease.

"You know, Shizu-chan, one of your new year's resolutions should be to get better aim!" Izaya teased, another snowball leaving his hands, which Shizuo dodged this time before throwing one of his own again at the ever moving vermin a few feet away.

"Well if you stopped moving for two seconds, I'd be able to hit you!" Shizuo growled, throwing two snowballs this time, both of which missed their target. Izaya laughed out loud, hitting Shizuo in the chest with another one of his snowballs, while dodging more that came from the blond, who seemed to be getting frustrated upon not being able to get one hit in.

"Come here, you asshole!" Shizuo shouted, running forward this time, a snowball in one of his hands. Izaya dropped the one he was making, taking off running around the fountain, but Shizuo went the other way around the fountain, tackling Izaya into the snow before he had the chance to take off running the way he came.

The two went tumbling into the snow and Shizuo pinned Izaya to the ground, who struggled to try and get away, but soon gave up upon seeing the blond had him pinned beneath him, Shizuo's legs on either side of Izaya's body.

"Shizu-chan's smarter than I-" Izaya didn't get to finish his sentence as snow lightly hit his face and Shizuo cried out in victory.

"Finally got you!"

"After pinning me down, cheater." Izaya grumbled, shaking the snow off his face and squirming beneath Shizuo, who grinned victoriously down at him.

"Yeah, only cause you won't stand still." Shizuo countered, "That should be your New Year's resolution, stay in one place so I can hit you for once."

Izaya smirked up at the blond, "So you admit you can never hit me?"

Shizuo's smile faded, turning into another scowl, "Don't twist my words."

"I didn't, you said them yourself." Izaya was the one grinning coyly now.

"Ugh, you and your shitty mind games I can't stand it." The blond growled, "Can't you just act normal for once?"

"Normal is...boring." Izaya mumbled, his grin not faltering, "What's so fun about being normal anyway?"

Shizuo fell silent, unable to answer the question. "Shut up." He grumbled finally and while the two lay staring up and down at one another, Shizuo still having Izaya pinned beneath him, the sky suddenly lit up, followed by a thundering BOOM!

Both eyes looked up just in time to see fireworks illuminate the sky and Izaya briefly glanced over the tall park clock.

12:00 a.m

Izaya gazed up at Shizuo, the blond's eyes still focused on the sky as more fireworks went off and Simon's words echoed in his mind.

You're lonely.

Izaya's grin faded from his face and in it's place a small frown. He stared at Shizuo, his blond hair ruffled and clumped with pieces of snow. His cheeks, nose and ears were redder than before, the cold probably getting to him now and his eyes...the color illuminated by the fireworks every so often as they went off.

Izaya tore his gaze from the blond, "Ah, Shizu-chan, the snow is cold."

This broke Shizuo's trance of staring at the fireworks going off and he blinked, getting up off Izaya and standing to his full height, wiping himself of the snow that clung to his clothes. Izaya hurried to stand, wiping the snow clinging to his clothes as well and shivering a little because some had melted and seeped into his jeans and coat. The thought of a warm bath came to his mind and he figured he should probably head home now since Ikebukuro was settling down.

Despite meaning to leave and head home, Izaya stood frozen next to Shizuo, who was still watching the fireworks go off. He glanced at the blond again and before he could stop himself, he asked, "Shizuo..."

This made the blond look at him this time, the use of his actual name sounding odd when it came from Izaya. He gave Izaya a curious look, his brow knitting together.

"Do you ever feel lonely?" Izaya was looking up at the sky now, not wanting to meet Shizuo's gaze.

Shizuo mulled over the question, mostly wondering why Izaya had brought up such a topic before answering, "I suppose so."

Izaya's vermilion eyes darted briefly to the blond. Silence crawled between them for a long moment as they listened to fireworks go off above them.

"Why?" Shizuo wondered aloud and he hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Do you?"

Izaya's expression turned to that of annoyance.

"It's fine, you know," Shizuo said, making Izaya look at him questioningly, "To feel lonely." Shizuo didn't know why he was saying the things he was saying, but he just ignored it, blaming it on the fact that he happened to be in a good mood the whole day and that it had nothing to do with the fact that Izaya was acting strange and out of character and he just happened to not like it. "I'm sure everyone feels that way at some point in their life. Sometimes others feel it more often than they would like."

"I don't." Izaya finally spoke, "I'm not lonely."

It sounded like denial to Shizuo, but he resisted from saying so. He just simply shrugged. "If you say so."

"I do say so." Izaya snapped, his mood suddenly feeling dampened. Shizuo frowned at Izaya's sudden mood change, feeling annoyed himself.

"Hey, you asked." He muttered back, to which Izaya's gaze dropped to the snow under their feet. It was falling more slowly now and by morning Ikebukuro would be covered in a thick blanket of white.

More silence followed as the fireworks seemed to cease from firing.

"I'm going home." Izaya said quietly and he turned, walking to the entrance of the park. Shizuo watched him go for a moment, his brow furrowed in annoyance and something akin to that of pity. However, before Izaya exited the park, Shizuo found himself calling out to him, "Izaya, wait!"

Izaya, surprisingly, stopped, turning slightly to watch as Shizuo jogged over to him, his breath coming out in puffs of white.

"What?" He raised a slim eyebrow at the blond, who seemed to be at a loss for words all of a sudden.

"I-um...er...you-..." Shizuo shook his head, seeming to become frustrated.

"Don't have a stroke, Shizu-chan."

"Shut up!" Shizuo growled, making Izaya chuckle, "Here."

Izaya blinked as Shizuo unwrapped the red scarf that was wrapped loosely around his neck and tried to hand it to him. When Izaya didn't take it, Shizuo rolled his eyes and with a huff, he wrapped the scarf around Izaya's neck. Izaya let him, too astonished to do anything at the moment.

He asked a moment later after Shizuo finished wrapping it around him, "What's this for?"

Shizuo's cheeks were red and Izaya couldn't tell if it was from the cold...or something else, " 's cold." He mumbled, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets.

Izaya touched the scarf lightly, the feeling of it soft as though made out of cotton and couldn't help but say, "It smells like cigarettes."

Shizuo clenched his teeth, glaring at Izaya now about to take his scarf back and strangle the informant with it instead.

"I like it," Izaya tightened the scarf a little more, "Thank you."

Shizuo's eyes widened, feeling a foreign heat climb to his cheeks and he adverted his gaze, not sure why his heart was suddenly beating too fast in his chest. Was he having a heart attack?

"You never told me why you were here." Izaya said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"You asked me why I was here at the park, well...why were you here?" Izaya raised his eyebrow again.

"Oh...I come here often." Shizuo said, still not wanted to look the informant in the eyes.

Izaya laughed out loud once again, "Of course." He said lightly, "Bye, Shizuo." Izaya turned, beginning to walk when he heard,

"Bye Izaya."

A small smile crept to Izaya's face and he stopped, turning around again. He gave Shizuo a mischievous smile, to which Shizuo gave him a confused look before Izaya walked back up to the blond.

"What are you-"

But Shizuo wasn't able to finish his sentence as cold fingers touched the sides of his cheeks, pulling his head downward and before he was able to get a coherent thought to form, cold lips pressed against his own.

Shizuo's mocha eyes widened and he suddenly felt light headed as Izaya pressed forward, deepening the kiss, his vermilion eyes closed as his hands slid to the back of Shizuo's neck.

Shizuo's thoughts flicked off and he moved on his own as if on auto-pilot, wrapping his arms gently around Izaya's thin torso.

The kiss was long and drawn out and it seemed as though there was nothing except the two of them right there. One of Izaya's hands tangled into Shizuo's messy blond hair, and Shizuo couldn't help but grip tighter onto Izaya.

When the two finally pulled away, Izaya was panting for a breath, but smiling his usual coy smile up at the blond. Shizuo was dazed, not even sure if what happened, actually happened or if he had imagined it all as he stared into Izaya's vermilion eyes that glinted in the streetlights at the entrance of the park.

"Seems as though I'm Shizu-chan's first kiss of the year." Izaya spoke, his voice hushed and only for Shizuo's ears, who leaned closer upon hearing his nickname, "Happy New Year, Shizuo."

Shizuo's breath hitched and he felt that foreign heat attack his cheeks again. He leaned in closer to Izaya as if intending on getting another kiss, but Izaya slipped out of his grasp, making the blond blink in surprise as Izaya took off running in the direction to Shinjuku, laughing.

Shizuo brought a hand up to his lips, which were tingling and found a smile, "Happy New Year, Izaya."

When Izaya made it to the front door of his apartment, he was feeling giddy and bubbly as if he didn't just run all the way home. He felt alive and he loved it. He was grinning like an idiot as he unlocked his door, entering a dark apartment and flicking on the lights. He kicked off his shoes, intending to take a nice hot bath.

As he was undressing to get into his bath, he paused when he came to the red scarf still wrapped around his neck. He took note of the way his heart thumped a little faster before slowly bringing the scarf to his nose and inhaling.

It smelled of cigarettes and Izaya couldn't help but think of Shizuo and his stupid face.

"Lonely?" Izaya smirked, "No, Simon...I'm not lonely at all."

. . .

Hi again! Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed and I hope you all have a Happy New Year and that 2016 is kind to you all (: Reviews are welcomed and encouraged! Thank you! Please let me know if you catch any mistakes!