The Bartender's Apron
The sky smiled it's mischief grin down on those below. As the trees tried to shield the unaware from it's devilsh smirk. Only a single lit lamppost stood in the middle of an empty park. Lighting the calm blond next to it as he took a drag from the smoking stick, as a slender man stood just out of reach of it's full rays.
Shizuo stood unnaturally calm; taking his time with his cigarette. Izaya's grin was wearing thin, as he just stood there, waiting for something to happen. The blond just stood there, leaning against the post. One hand lazily in his pocket, the other tapping off ashes. He didn't flinch when Izaya jump in front of him, not even a yell of anger. His fist never clench, his expression didn't harden. He stared wasn't empty towards Izaya, as he just looked down at the small man.
Izaya's grin finally dropped, his patients growing thin at the lack of reaction. By now half of the park should have been destroyed, but it stood perfectly. Shizuo tossed the finished cigarette butt onto the cobblestone. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled another out of the package. Covering his face with his hand as he light the new one, the lighter's light made him appear to be in deep thought. He closed his eyes, facing towards the light polluted sky; letting the smoke crawl through his lips.
"Taking new meds I see; trying to medicate that temper again." Izaya voice cracked with a grin, as he lean forward into the light. His hand placed innocently behind his back. His poise started to falter as the ex-bartender continued to look up at the sky. His smirk quickly returned with an idea. "Oh, what could it be you're on? Valium? Xanax?" Glancing at the blond carefully. Still no reaction. Shrugging his shoulders, continuing to smirk, "Something illegal I see; So many possible combinations." His eyes shifted to Izaya; Izaya's eye twinkled at that reaction. "Mhmmmm, what could..."
"I'm done." Izaya's head jerked up at him. The blonde stared sternly at him, his eyes void of emotions.
"Ah, I see. Didn't want to waste a good smoking break;" Izaya's eyes twinkled with mischief; "Could have handed one over…"
"I'm done." His body remained relax against the pole, staring at the burning embers. Izaya stared silently at him; slowly standing up straight. Confusion raced through his mind at the meaning of such words, but never allowed it to show.
"Done with what?" His voice sounded genuine and pleased, smiling delightedly. "We haven't even started."
"It's gone on long enough. I've been your entertainment long enough." Watching the embers burn down to the butt and smolder out at the end.
"Oh, things haven't even begun." Smirking devilishly at the blond; moving into a slight reaction position. Waiting for the blond to come charging like a bull.
Shizuo shifted slightly along the post into a more comfortable position.
"You're a sad being of existence." Glancing over to the side at the newly planted saplings taking over for the last destruction that was played there. "I'd almost feel sorry for you." Izaya looked at him questionably, taken back from the statement. "Almost, if you hadn't destroyed my life."
Shrugging his shoulders, "I don't know what you're talking about. In the end, you were the reason that things happened the way they did."
"Is that what you tell yourself at night, so you can sleep at ease." Shifting his glasses down the bridge of his nose. Staring holes into the smaller man. "You set it all up to happen. You made sure I'd lose it each time. Setting something up, with the intention to use other's emotions to your benefit makes you at fault." Izaya looked at him bored, not really caring to hear this as he picked at his ear. "You destroyed my education, took away my job, and reason why people left so long ago. And after all these years you still come to me for entertainment." The scrawny man crossed his arms, looking unamused at the blonde.
"It's not a crime to have a hobby." Waving it off, like it was nothing. Hoping a few more spilled words would make things go back to normal and pretend this wasn't taking place.
"When your hobby involves using others for your cowardly entertainment. I believe it does." Slightly jerking his head at the other, for the idea of saying such words.
"That's some harsh words coming from someone I jump in front of a lot." The blond's face harden at that comment. Unamuse that the smaller one was only yanking his chain instead of hearing his words.
"Compared to the shaking idiots in front of me, wanting a fight. You're a coward. They have the grace to finish what they started, even if they know there's no chance of winning. You start a fight, but you run the whole time. You don't even finish, someone else always finishes it for you, as you use them as a distraction to escape." Now it was the small one's turn to look unamused at his acquisitions. "Even now, you would have normal left by now. But there's been nothing for you to use to as a distraction to slip away with. Just use other people for your benefits." The blonde chuckled as he rubbed his little scruff coming in. "As long as you get what you want; you get your entertainment, that's all that really matter to you doesn't it?" He stared at the still man, not caring for an answer. He didn't want one either. Combing a hand threw his golden locks, he had waited long enough to just stop caring.
"You're probably all alone in this world too, which is kinda sad. But you give yourself the illusion that you're not. Surrounding yourself with all these different kinds of people, gathering information just to feel useful and wanted by others. Becoming exactly want someone needs, gaining their trust and loyalty and then throwing them to the side when you're sick and done with them. Must be pretty proud of yourself doing what anyone else can do." Izaya just slipped his hands into his coat pockets, not pleased with feeling he was being talked to like a child needing discipline.
"Say what you want, I'm the one with a secure job going places." Izaya let out his smirk again, hoping to taunt the blonde into a fit.
"Kinda hard to go anywhere when you choose to not see in front of you." His brows scrunch together at that.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Simple, you're blinded to everything around you, and you don't care. You have your fun in the present. You don't care what happens after you messed with someone unless it messes with your plans, even then you'll find someone else to replace them with. It's like a conveyor belt for you, just web search and become what they need. As long as you're not physically committing the act, it's not your fault, technically speaking. You didn't push that poor girl off the building after you got done ripping her apart, you didn't break that girl's legs after you sent her to be captured, you didn't destroy half of the city after instigating me to come after you. As long as your hands are clean when the final result happens, why should you worry about what your action are doing? The outcome is never your fault, it's always the other's actions." Digging deep into his pocket, he pulled another cigarette from it's package. "It's really is sad in the end. One day you'll be alone and wondering why. You're unable to accept things unless it's an outcome you want. You'll probably never fully understand why those so loyal to you have upped and vanish, why they're not there. Probably blame them too, saying it's their fault they're not there, when they've just had enough of being used as bait, and being thrown to the dogs for your personal gains. The ones you timidate, or threaten to be around you acting like they have some kind of loyalty to you. They'll leave too, sick enough of being afraid, tired of the threats, until they finally don't care who you tell anymore. They may just announce out loud to the world themselves just to be done with you." Taking a long drag from the smoldering stick. "You love this illusion of control, don't you. As long as they don't realize what you're doing, you think you can play them like a game. So what happens when everyone realizes they're a game piece to you and just stop? You're entire world is gone." Izaya's face turned to stone as as he listens to him, crossing his arms unpleasantly.
"What? Now you're going to diagnose me for some kind of issue, Doctor." Shizuo smirked at him, with a glee in his eye. Izaya narrowed his eyes at him.
"You could defend yourself with some kind of sad background story of how mommy and daddy weren't there for you, or didn't want you, but quite frankly, I don't give a damn. Time for excuses is over; especially when you're using teenagers to make yourself feel powerful." Smirking at the small figure, glee flutter into his tired eyes. "A fool can multiplate teens; you're nothing special. Nothing mighty about smashing some girl's phone or make one think you're their current savior. You just look pathetic." Chucking as the words left his mouth. "You've probably have killed people to, for no reason either. Just for your amusement. So tell me, were you as pathetic as you are now? You just slip them something when they're not noticing, maybe even trusting you like a friend? Or maybe you just go for the ones you know won't be able to fight back against you and send someone else to go for the ones that'll ruin your pretty little face?" Looking down at the burnt out bud; flicking away. "heh, I expected a little more out of you. Guess you really are all bark and no bite."
"And what were you hoping to accomplish?" Izaya's voice was cold, and bored.
"With you? Nothing; nothing matters to you." A smirk lit the blond's face.
"So, all of this was pointless." Is eyebrows scrunch in frustration.
"To you it was, to me…" For the first in a while, the blond smiled a genuine smile. He sighed in relief, looking up at the sky. Placing his hands in his pockets, gazing up at the night sky. Suddenly he turned around and started walking away.
"Hey!" Surprised for the first time Shizuo had turn his back on him. "After all that. You're just going to walk away?"
"Yep." Slowly walking down the path, out of the light's rays.
"Do you really expect me to just drop out of your life because of your so called philosophical talk?" Smirking down the path.
The blond gave out a low chuckle, that echoed eerily in the dark park.
"If it means going to the one place you can't follow." A mad grin formed on his face, as he continued down the dark path.
Izaya remained frozen where he stood. Eyes wide at those words.