In the center of Ikebukuro, the world is grey; a solitary leaf blows through the wind, looking somewhat lost, confused, out of place between the buildings and buildings, cars and cars — it brushes past Heiwajima Shizuo's face. Its cold surface tickles, and Shizuo ends up sneezing, crinkling his nose and rubbing at it.
Tom looks up at him, then at his watch. "Crap, it's almost 4 – I gotta take care of some stuff, Shizuo, so I'll meet you back here at… 5?"
"Alright, Tom-san!"
Raising a hand as a way of saying, 'see you later', Tom turns and walks away, his shoes clacking against the grey pavement.
Cigarette between his lips, Shizuo stands among the grey crowd, taking a moment to pause and wonder about what could be done in an hour.
( Could really go for some cake right now… )
He's heard of a cafe nearby, apparently the cake there is good; certainly wouldn't hurt to try.
The weather's pleasant, a light breeze touching his face. He hears a group of kids whispering about how cool they think his hair is, and as he passes by a florist's and the calming scent of jasmines wafts into the air, he feels a strange sensation that today just might be a good day.
Coming to a stop in front of the cafe, Shizuo pulls the cigarette out of his mouth, crunching it beneath his shoe and stepping inside.
Warm brown colors greet him, he moves and sits at a table, ordering some strawberry shortcake.
( I should do this more often. )
The interior decoration is calming, Shizuo appreciates the aesthetic, and he pleasingly traces random letters into the smooth surface of the table, being sure not to accidentally scratch into it, of course. When the waitress places the cake in front of him, she smiles and it's contagious – he can't help smiling back, at her, and when she leaves, at the cake.
How long has it been since the world felt so serene? Heiwajima Shizuo does not know, and neither does he ponder about it – he simply enjoys it, not worrying about when this peaceful façade the city of Ikebukuro has put on will end.
Life is short, and he wants to enjoy the little things.
Like eating cake.
i just want shizuo to be happy and that's literally all this is going to be. no plot twists or angst or izaya, yes. characters like akane, celty, shinra, might occasionally make an appearance but this work focuses on shizuo and his feelings.
at some point in the future i will most definitely run out of ideas, so do feel free to suggest random happy things shizuo would like.