Chapt. 1
"Get back here, you fucker," Shizuo's bellow could be heard throughout the streets of Ikebukuro.
Izaya laughed out loud as he ran along the roof tops. Honestly, after all these years, that stupid protozoan still thought he could catch him simply by yelling at him to get down.
What an idiot.
But the brunette supposed that was the fun of it, and why he was always trying to rile the blonde up. Simply because he liked witnessing the true extent of human stupidity. After all, the one thing that separated him from the humans was mental capacity, and Shizuo sure showed that. He continued to chortle, leaving trails of laughter behind him.
This, of course, did nothing to calm the man chasing him.
"Izayaaaaaa!"
The people on the streets, more than just a few, by the way, stared on with boredom. They were used to this, and honestly pretty tired of the endless chaos the two caused. Everytime it was Izaya standing on a rooftop in an area he knew Shizuo was sure to visit, Shizuo catching a glimpse of the brunette, and then the wild goose chase would commence where everything in the blonde's path was either picked up or ripped up to be thrown, with very poor aim, at the informant. This was always followed with mass destruction of the street that took days to clean up before the cycle repeated.
Frankly, the town people wanted desperately for the feud between the two to end so less of the taxpayers' money would go towards fixing up the roads every week, but who was strong enough to take down Shizuo Heiwajima? Or quick enough to catch Izaya Orihara? They'd originally accepted the fate two chases in that the two would never give up their weekly, useless, spats.
That is, until this day.
As Shizuo ran, throwing stop signs as he went, a group of policemen stepped about 10 feet in front of him. He almost scoffed at the idea that they thought they could stop him, the great Shizuo Heiwajima. Prepared to charge through all of them with no effort whatsoever, he sped up, sprinting straight on. He noticed they had no armor on, but he wasn't concerned about the pain he would inflict on them as long as it meant he could finally catch that stupid louse.
He hated violence, he really did, but once someone got in his way of getting to Izaya, he really had no choice but to prioritize.
But his chase was halted when he suddenly realized he was being covered by a shadow, and then, so quickly he barely had time to make sense of everything, a heavy metal net fell on him. It hit him so hard the air was knocked out of his lungs all at once as he was tackled to the ground by his captor.
No problem, he thought, trying to breathe properly again. I'll just break through the metal.
The town police had tried this trick so many times before, each time the net heavier than the last, that Shizuo was surprised he hadn't anticipated it this time. But it was no problem, as he'd said, he'd break through it as he always did.
However, as much as he tried, gritting his teeth and his veins pushed against his skin, the metal would not bend.
"I-impossible," he gasped out, hands still tight against the net. He punched a foot deep hole into the road just to be sure he still had his strength. "What's happening?!"
He looked up and saw the amused yet proud faces of the officers all hovering above him.
"Shizuo Heiwajima, we've spent years observing your strength, and until yesterday, we finally developed a metal that will withstand it. Try all you want, you cannot break this net," the chief spoke with such conceit in his voice all Shizuo wanted was to break through the chains just to shove it in his face, but unfortunately it just could not be done. "Give up, Shizuo Heiwajima, the state now places you under arrest for vandalism," although everyone could agree vandalism was much too mild a term, "and destruction of government property on the streets of Ikebukuro."
They read him his rights, but Shizuo had stopped listening. Arrested? How was he suppose to demolish the flea while in a cell? His life goal had turned to dust right in front of him.
The spot right behind his eyes was met with a dull throbbing pain as he thought about this, getting dizzy. No, that wasn't right. He was being sedated. Before he could even attempt to rip the needle out of his arm, he passed out.
Izaya watched all this unfold from the roof of a newly opened ramen shop. It was impossible to stop himself from laughing. The fucking babarian had gotten himself caught, and sedated too at that. The look he had on his face when he passed out from the tranquilizer brought so much glee to the informant he thought he might burst. And he'd heard everything: the debt collector was being thrown behind bars. Although he'd miss tormenting the blonde, he certainly enjoyed the idea that Shizuo's only aim in life, to kill him, would never be fulfilled. He simple adored the idea of the gaping hole in Shizuo's heart being caused by him.
By the end of his internal monologue, the brunette noticed the policemen staring up at him. He wondered if they'd be dumb enough to give chase to him, but before he could flash them a mocking smirk, the ground beneath him collapsed. Or caved inwards, more specifically. It was like the flaps of a cardboard box being pushed downwards into the heart of the box. Izaya fell into the shop, right into the same heavy net in the middle of a circle of officers.
His bottom had not even touched the ground yet when the men dived in and wrapped him up like a present, trapping him.
"Izaya Orihara, the state now places you under arrest for vandalism and destruction of government property on the streets of Ikebukuro," a middle aged officer with a square jaw and beer belly recited, keeping a firm eye on the boy.
Izaya tried not to let his façade die out, his sly smile forever remaining on his face. Until, of course, he too was sedated and passed out, the smile finally fading.
…
Shizuo woke up with his hands cuffed behind his back and ankles shackled. He tried to break them, before realizing they were made of that 'unbreakable metal'. He assumed the bars to his cell were too.
Looking around, he saw a scene he'd seen only in movies before this. A metal framed bunk bed sat at one side of the cell, pressed against a plain grey wall, with nothing but a thin mattress, a white pillow and fleece blanket upon each level. Next to the bed was a bare dresser. That was it. He scowled. It looked even more pathetic than those in the movies actually.
Oh, but there was something off. Right there, lying against the other cell wall was a body. Even though his back was facing him, Shizuo had no problem recognizing Izaya, laying there in his cell.
He rose, a menacing grin on his face. Bless Kasuka, the blonde's mission was finally going to be fulfilled. He didn't care if he got a life sentence after this, he just wanted to feel the louse's neck crack beneath his hands, feel his lungs run out of air as he breathed his last breath…
Shizuo hated violence, but he also hated selfish people who caused trouble and torment upon others for their own satisfaction, forever thinking they were better than the rest of the world. Really, he wasn't committing a murder, he was doing the world a favor.
He almost wet himself from the thought, and now Izaya was so vulnerable with no where to run…
He attempted to take a step forward toward the brunette, then the shackles forced him to the ground.
"Fuck," he swore so loud even the guard positioned outside his cell flinched slightly.
Izaya stirred, his eyes blinking open. He was lying on a cold concrete wall facing a dull grey wall. A metal wall. How odd, he'd thought. He knew he was in jail, but don't those usually have brick walls? He was interrupted by the sound of angry swearing behind him.
"Fuck this cell, fuck the louse, fuck him," and those could only belong to one person.
He stood up swiftly and turned to see the blonde like a worm on the ground, all his limbs chained up, before he realized the situation he was in.
"What's wrong, Shizu-chan?" The debt collector got up on wobbly legs to face the informant's mocking face.
Without warning he lunged forward, but Izaya moved away agilely, letting Shizuo slam into the metal wall. It resounded with a loud bang but did not budge. Shizuo, on the other hand, had plummeted down to the hard ground and was now groaning in pain.
"Yo what the fuck," their next door neighbor yelled, and the blonde assumed he was referring to the noise. He grunted in response.
Izaya though was much more hospitable. "Our neighbor!" Now looking around, he could see through the bars to the endless cells in front of him, filled with his precious humans. What a dream! Now he could observe the objects of his affections unlimitedly without fear of them running away. There was even one right outside his cell staring in!
He walked towards the wall, stepping over Shizuo. "Hello!"
"Who're you?" A gruff voice replied.
"Izaya Orihara, and my babarian of a cell mate is Shizuo Heiwajima. Excuse the noise, he doesn't know how to behave civilly."
"Well in prison you don't meet many who do." There was a chuckle. "I'm Toni with an I by the way."
Shizuo thought that was the most redundant statement ever. When would there ever be an instance where Izaya would have to do something that required him to note that his name was spelled with an I? They weren't about to write letters to each other any time soon.
"Hi Toni with an I, what brings you here?"
"Drugs, man. Can't live with them, can't live without them. You?"
"I was thrown in here because a certain babarian couldn't manage to chase me down without tearing up everything on the street, but somehow that's my fault. Oh well, at least now I can observe the humans as much as I want!" He walked up to the bars and looked straight at the guard, who looked back.
"What do you mean 'tearing up everything on the street?" Toni inquired, curiosity piquing.
Izaya never broke eye contact. "Oh you know, stop signs, vending machines-"
"What? What kind of monster are you dealing with?!" Toni sputtered. "They can't keep you in there with him!"
Shizuo finally spoke. "Hey, fuck you if you think I'm the bad guy. This guy gets off to staring at people! And he's the one that provokes me first-"
"Tsk tsk Shizu-chan hasn't anyone thought you not to speak until spoken to?" The brunette trotted back to the wall.
"Wow I've only been in here for 6 years and they've already got all these monsters roaming the streets?"
"Nope, just one monster." He slid down to the ground, looking pitifully at the blonde still cursing him under his breath. "It's so boring, Toni, what do you for fun around here?"
"They let us out to the courtyard every afternoon, right after lunch. Should be soon."
"How come you don't have a cell mate?" Shizuo cut in. It'd be unfair if he was the only one stuck with a cell mate this insufferable.
"Man I did. He got out. 'Good behavior', fuck that. I strike a guy once for flipping me off and suddenly I'm here for a solid 11 years. Don't do anything you'll regret, Shizuo-Shizuo was it?-they don't hold back with the punishments."
The debt collector grimaced. Izaya caught on. "Ha, he can't anyway. He's chained up like a dog. Can't even walk, isn't that sad Shizu-chan?"
"Shut up, you flea! I don't care if they keep me in here forever, I'll snap your neck the moment these come off!"
Izaya was quiet for a moment, still smiling pityingly. "Oh, Shizu-chan I know you won't do that. How will you ever see your precious Kasuka again?"
Fuck, Izaya knew his weakness. Well, Izaya knew everything about everyone, the blonde didn't know why he was so surprised.
"I mean it man," their neighbor piped up suddenly, "ol' Al got 4 years written off when he came in for the same thing I did."
Shizuo's brain began working. He couldn't risk staying in here forever. He made a mental vow to himself not to try anything in here, where there were hundreds of guards equipped with a weapon that could take him down, and the ability to trap him here forever. He could kill the flea once they got out, but not here.
"Hmm, I wonder if protozoans are capable of good behavior?" The brunette leaned so far down their noses almost touched. They stayed like that for a minute, before Izaya moved back, stretching as he did. "What am I supposed to do in here?" He sighed. "I can't even have an intelligent conversation with my cell mate."
Just then, a siren rang out. The two cell mates looked up in alarm before Toni informed them that was the lunch bell.
"Finally!" Shizuo growled, getting up. He saw all the cells around his get opened mechanically, the prisoners spilling out. Toni came around to have a good look at the two for the first time, his expression subsequently turning into one of astonishment. He hadn't expected them to look so…normal. He, on the other hand, looked like the drug pusher he was, jacked arms, crew cut, strong jaw. How was Shizuo, a guy easily half his size, able to rip street signs from the ground when he couldn't? Before he could comment, he was pushed along by the guard stationed outside the cell. "Hey what's up? Let us out!" The blonde shouted at the guard, summoning his most powerful glare. The man did not budge.
He simply responded, "under orders, Izaya Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima, mates 1241 and 1242 respectively, are not granted access to premises outside of their cell."
"That's bullshit! You can't keep us in here forever!"
"Under orders, Izaya Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima, mates 1241 and 1242 respectively, are granted 1 hour in the courtyard daily after everyone else has retreated, and 15 minutes 3 times a day for access to the showers. Your meals will be eaten within the cell."
"Yeah right, how the hell am I supposed to eat with my arms shackled behind me?"
"Under orders, Shizuo Heiwajima, mate 1242, will be given food that can easily be picked up by mouth."
At that, Izaya broke his unsettling silence roaring into laughter. "You really will be like a dog!" He coughed out between giggles.
"That's all you have to say after hearing all that?" The blonde stared at him in disbelief. Surely even the informant wasn't this stupid. "Do you understand you damn louse we have no access to the outside world past these bars. We're…prisoners."
"Well Shizu-chan, I'd already accepted that this stay was going to be hell when I found out I was rooming with you. But at least now I have the consolation that I can see you eating like an animal." Another fit of laughter came over him. The guard showed no reaction. Shizuo willed himself to calm down. There was no point getting mad when he could do anything about, or to, the problem. So instead, he brought his attention to the meals that were being slid in through a door in the bars, similar to those of an animal cage.
Indeed, his meal of sausages and eggrolls could easily be picked up by his mouth. Izaya had a much less attractive plate of mashed potatoes with peas. Neither said anything for a moment. At least the informant's laughter had ceased.
Izaya picked up his fork and poked at the mash. It was so dry it hardly moved.
Shizuo tried a sausage, the saltiness brought tears to his eyes.
"This can't even be considered food," he told the guard. Said guard gave no response this time, which Shizuo was secretly glad for. He was sick of hearing the same mechanical repetition of his name and number.
It'd finally sunk in to both of them that this was their life now. Tasteless 'food' and grey walls, always being watched, and worst of all, they were all each other had now. They could have no physical contact with others outside of this cell, or hold a proper, eye-to-eye conversation with anyone other than themselves.
They had no one but the other. Their sentence seemed to stretch on into eternity.