Izaya skipped down the street aimlessly as he stared at the ring in his hand. He had lied when he told Shizuo that he had returned the ring to him. Despite himself, Izaya couldn't surrender the tiny bland piece of metal.
It wasn't flashy, huge, or expensive looking. It looked like just the type of ring Shizuo would buy, and that Izaya would wear. Izaya had expensive and flashy taste normally, but with rings he was too picky about what was attractive verses what was gaudy. Besides, he didn't want to go parading around the town showing off his recent engagement like some girl.
Izaya forced himself to remember that he wasn't engaged. No, he was afraid.
Very few things scared Izaya Orihara. Death was number one but the lack of freedom was a close second. He refused to be controlled, restricted, or in any way denied his freedom and in his mind, wedding bands were just tiny shackles. He wasn't afraid of commitment, just being tied down. Not even his precious Shizu-chan was allowed to tie him down.
Izaya knew he loved the bodyguard, but never allowed himself to admit it to Shizuo. Every time he felt the urge to say those damning three words he instead said them in a language he knew Shizuo wouldn't understand. Saying "je t'aime" in French or "ti amo" in Italian made him feel not so chained to the blonde.
Izaya didn't miss being single because of all the annoyances that came with it. Sleeping with nameless men or women, because yes he was bisexual, wasn't as satisfying as sleeping with the dangerous monster. Even if he could get past that he'd have to maintain his reputation by making sure the nameless person would not remember him. It was simply more tedious to sleep around compared to being with Shizuo.
Izaya put the ring inside his pocket and looked ahead of him. Just thinking of Shizuo had made him horny. He was frustrated that they hadn't done it in a month and now that they were maybe broken up he didn't know if he could just text Shizuo slutty texts to get what he wanted. He'd have to find some other outlet.
It took him an hour to find someone drunk enough to sleep with him, and then another hour of emotionless sex to leave him feeling satisfied but empty. The informant decided to walk around Ikebukuro, hoping some of his precious humans could cheer him up.
"Got something on your mind?"
Izaya glanced up at the voice and saw that he had walked past Kadota and his friends without even realizing it. He had been too lost in thought about what to do about Shizuo.
Erika was about to say something but Walker covered her mouth as Kadota continued, "You're not normally this out of it."
Izaya smirked and said, "I always have something on my mind, but am never out of touch with my surroundings."
"You seemed pretty out of it to me," Kadota argued. Izaya shrugged and made to move off before Kadota continued, "Shizuo was going on a rampage earlier looking for you."
Izaya paused before trying to cover it up by laughing. "Was he now? Well who can ever tell what's in that monster's head? He must have just woken up on the wrong side of the bed."
It was Kadota's turn to shrug. Erika tried to squirm out of Walker's grip to say something but he held tight and asked the leader of their little gang if they could leave. Kadota agreed and the three of them with Saburo left to return to their van. On the way Erika began squealing about how what she wished Izaya was thinking about.
Izaya smiled and walked away, thinking about the possibilities of Erika knowing more than she let on. She and Walker were always babbling on about anime and manga but they knew more than they ever let on to most people. The informant didn't think much of the otakus, but Erika was right about him and Shizuo so maybe there was more to her than even her gang acknowledged.
Izaya was so lost in thought that he didn't see the vending machine until it had already crashed into him. He got back on his feet in time to watch Shizuo stomp towards him with no hint of his usual furious smirk. No, this time he was too mad to even attempt to look pleased at beating up the informant.
"What's up, Shizu-chan?" Izaya asked with a smile.
Shizuo didn't say anything. He stomped straight to Izaya and lifted him by his collar. "Give. It. Back."
Izaya kept his poker face and asked, "Give what back, Shizu-chan?"
Shizuo was too smart to actually say 'the ring' because of the people nearby, but instead he just said, "You know what, flea! Now give it back!"
Izaya's smirked deepened as he whispered, "Oh, but didn't you give it to me, Shizu-chan? I thought you wanted me to keep it."
"You're the one that returned it, you insensitive jackass!"
Izaya didn't say anything. For once he couldn't come up with a good enough excuse. Instead he whipped out his switchblade and held it against Shizuo's chin. Shizuo snarled at him but let go of his collar, dropping the brunette back onto the pavement. Izaya smiled his thanks before turning around and sprinting away.
Izaya heard Shizuo yell his name and start running. He wasn't surprised that running from the brute had become as natural as breathing to him. He easily avoided all of the projectiles, tellingly not aimed as well as usual, that were thrown at him and did not have to resort to any special maneuvers like he occasionally performed. He and Shizuo were just two sides of the same coin, one always pursuing while one was always running.
That thought almost made Izaya trip as he turned a corner quickly. Was he running from Shizuo by rejecting his proposal? He didn't think so. He didn't have a problem with commitment, only the restraints that went with it. If Shizuo wanted that then he needed to find some other boyfriend.
The thought of himself as the monster's boyfriend actually did make him stumble. He hoped that said blonde was too far away or distracted to notice, but the thought made him scared enough to actually run from Shizuo like he never had before.
Of course that would be the time when Shizuo's aim suddenly improved.
Izaya was thrown to the ground as a trashcan hit him squarely in the back. He tried to regain his footing, but as he began running again something grabbed his arm and refused to let go. That force threw him aside and into a wall. Izaya looked up to find himself in a dead-end alley where Shizuo was blocking the only exit.
"This may just be another one of your sick games, flea," Shizuo said coldly, "but it isn't for me. Now, give it back or I will seriously break you beyond repair."
"Shizu-chan has done nothing but threaten my life up until now," Izaya pointed out. "How do I know that this will not be yet another bluff?"
Shizuo walked towards him and despite his hasty steps back, grabbed onto his arm yet again. He squeezed hard enough that even Izaya had to call out in pain. Izaya was not a fan of torture, or at least being on the receiving end of it, and gave in after a couple minutes of the brute's blunt actions.
"Fine!" Izaya blurt out, "I'll give it back! Now release my fucking arm!"
Shizuo let go and took a step back to wait. Izaya glared at him as he checked over his arm. It wasn't too badly hurt but it still angered him to think that he should be giving in to the idiot. He took out the tiny scrap of metal and threw it at the oaf, not caring if it was caught or not.
Shizuo picked it up after it rolled over to his feet. He examined it for a second and, after being satisfied that it was indeed the right ring, placed it inside his vest pocket.
"Now go away," Izaya growled.
Shizuo glanced over his shoulder but did not walk in that direction. Instead he took a step towards the furious informant, and then another. Izaya was about to protest before the blonde grabbed him and forced them together.
Izaya tried pushing Shizuo away but melted at the stronger man's touch. His hands stayed stubbornly between them as Shizuo's hands separated to hold onto the brunette's head and hips at the same times. Izaya loved the feeling of the blonde's strong hands in his hair, and at his firm grip on Izaya's waist. He loved it too much.
He tried pushing the monster away again, his hands centered on Shizuo's chest, but his resistance died again when he felt the tiny metal ring in the bodyguard's pocket. Something about it stopped all of his resistance and made him hold onto Shizuo rather than push him away.
Izaya felt his cheeks get wet and recoiled, thinking they were tears. While they were definitely tears, he quickly discovered that they were not his own. Shizuo was crying and began holding onto him all the tighter because of it. He gripped the informant as if letting go would mean they would be separated forever.
Izaya wasn't about to cry, and was about to push Shizuo away before the blonde stopped crying and pulled away himself. He didn't look at the informant but just turned and left without saying anything. Izaya didn't follow him, but he watched the taller man leave without complaint. Only now did it truly hit him that he and Shizuo had broken up, and that he was now completely free.
