Taking care of someone is harder than Shizuo thought.
He smiled fondly even as he thought that, he smiled a lot lately. So strange.
"Shizuo" He heard a small yet indignant voice called from upstairs, "Shizuo, Shizuo"
Izaya-kun couldn't talk quite so much yet, but that means variations like 'Shizu-chan' doesn't have a chance to happen, too, which is just fine for Shizuo. He poured strawberry milk into a cup, then fetch the chocolate one for the other. Even so young he already hated strawberry, opting for the more bitter chocolate milk instead. Shizuo finished putting everything into a tray and lift it, stepping back to walk out the kitchen. He tripped on something small, and almost spilled everything.
A tiny grasp was heard, but Izaya didn't like to show any discomfort in the first place, so Shizuo didn't ask if he'd hurt him.
Instead he handed him a bowl of cereal, and he helped carry it to the table.
"So... I told you not to go too close to the stairs, right, Izaya-kun?"
"Take care... myself... perfect" He said with a little humph, to which Shizuo laughed. It has been a week and Izaya is learning fast. He is already pretty agile already, though Shizuo don't know if climbing onto things is a universal characteristic of children or not.
"When I meet sisters?" The little raven asked.
That was the curious feature about the child Izaya. He had asked after his sisters about three hundred million times since Shizuo found him.
And that was hardly an exaggeration, the tiny boy almost asked it often enough to tick off Shizuo again.
He would have to call Kasuka soon, and ask him to get them here.
He hope they would come... The adult version of Izaya doesn't seem to have an admirable relationship with his sisters, and the notion was as strongly retaliated.
"When do you want?" He asked.
Shizuo saw a contemplating face, much like those times before Izaya would seem to come up with something and then laughed maniacally. He braced himself to hear the childish shrieking version of that laugh, but what came out was only an uncertain answer.
"...This afternoon?"
"That's probably a bit too soon, but it depends on my younger brother as well, if you'll be quiet, I'm going to call him now."
So Shizuo has a younger brother. Izaya observed. The blond would probably have been scared at the too familiar gaze from the little boy.
Izaya have not changed, he was just reset into his earlier self. Still observant, intelligent, and possessive. The pushing people away part wasn't as strong, he had not yet developed the maniacal attitude crafted to veil his uncertainties. He had not met the fascinating, violent Heiwajima Shizuo.
Instead he met the caring one, and that's going to change him.
"Alright, Kasuka, thank you so much. Sorry to be bothering you like this, I know you're busy with filming these days... Ok thanks again. See ya."
Shizuo's brother has a job about movies. Thought Izaya, his large childish eyes looking up at Shizuo who just put his phone into his pocket. The said man turned to meet the curious eyes, and mussed his hair.
There was a knock on the door, and Shizuo smiled, "Before your sisters, how about first meeting my friends."
Izaya thought he knew perfectly what he was doing. After all, he had his fair share dealing with supernatural beings, the most substantial being the fallen angel Dullahan, with whom he could still contact. What would go wrong? What could go wrong?
The informant of course knows the kind of information that would gain him incomparable superiority over not only people in his field of work, but also politicians, physicians, philosophers, and ordinary humans of the world.
He had finally found a clue to the information, a lead.
Izaya knew he was risking himself when he decided to follow the scent personally, but information of this grade can't be allowed to even whiff past anyone.
So, in disguise, he adjusted his hat, fixed on a normal friendly smile, and knocked on the door of the old house.
Second chapter, TBC ;)