Title: Dancing In The Rain
Author: MistressKiko
Rating: T
Pairing: Shizuo x Izaya
Disclaimer: I own none of these characters!
Shizuo's POV
"I should hurt you," I say when I'm practically standing over the dog. He just looks up at me, wags his tail, and barks.
Stupid thing.
"Aw, now come on, he just missed his master," Izaya coos, smirking at me and I know he's teasing me, and bends down to scratch Trouble behind the ear. The dog looks incredibly happy at the treatment.
.. alright, now I'm jealous of a damn dog.
Mentally berating myself, I step forward and knock on Tom's door. The dog suddenly gets on his feet and starts barking up a storm, like he knows what's going on. Within seconds, the door is swung open and Tom is standing there looking confused.
I gotta say, it's rather amusing to see Trouble jumping all over Tom's legs looking like a kid in a candy store.
"Wha-? Shizuo?" Tom asks, bending down to snatch the pup up. The dread-lock man looks around quickly and puts an arm over Trouble as if it'd make him disappear.
"The dog missed you," I say simply, watching Tom chuckle when the puppy licked his face sloppily, "So he decided to run away from me and come all the way back here."
"Are you serious?" Tom asks, still under the attack of that small tongue, "Calm down, you!"
The pup just barks happily.
It's at that moment Tom looks behind me and notices Izaya. He shoots me a questioning look, and I hope my eyes mentally plead with him not to say anything. Tom is the only one who knows about my little 'crush'.
Thankfully he focuses back on the dog.
"You can't stay here, you know," Tom lectures as if he's talking to a person, "There's this old hag who hates animals, and she'll-"
"TANAKA TOM."
All of us tensed at the sudden shrill voice. Tom's face went rather white as a lady peaked half her body out of the doorway a couple doors down, waving a broom menacingly in the air.
"I told you no pets are allowed! The darn thing will tear up everything!"
In a flash, Tom ran in his apartment and came back out with a collar and a leash on Trouble.
"I'm not keeping him here, miss!" Tom shouted loudly for the lady, than said quickly to us, "Get him out of here!"
The door is slammed in our face.
The old lady is glaring at us.
Izaya and I look at each other.
"... ooo, scary," he says mockingly, grinning. I laugh and gently tug on the leash. Trouble looks a little saddened, but doesn't give me any trouble (no pun intended) as we start walking away.
"This dog is somehow creepily smart," I mutter.
"Better watch out, you'll get too attached."
"To this thing? No way in Hell."
"That's what they all say in the beginning~" Izaya counters, taking the time to wring out his shirt. I watch him from the corner of my eye.
If there's anything I'm attached to here, it's you, idiot.
A rather large raindrop hits my head, and I look up at the dark sky. No stars are visible in the gray cloud cover.
Another large drop hits my hand, followed by another, and another..
"Ah, it's starting to rain again!" Izaya exclaims, a skip in his step.
"You like being caught in the rain?"
"Why not? We're already wet," he responds, spreading his arms and turning in a circle before hopping on a curb. I can't tell if he's really enjoying this or if he just wants to seem happy enough to avoid further questioning about Shiki.
"... I want someone who takes me dancing in the rain!"
Ah...
The memory of the day we met Shiki flashes through my mind, and I'm left with a nervous fluttering in my gut.
I really thought I lost Izaya that day.
And yet he's back by my side, free and looking as blissfully unaware of my presence as he always was. It's both comforting and immensely nerve-wracking.
"Hey Izaya.." I begin, not even sure what I want to say.
"Hm?" He answers, tilting his head my way.
The rain pours in steady streams, blanketing the air around us. The leash in my hand wobbles as the dog unsuccessfully shakes out his fur, and I grip at the leather cord.
I've been so scared of losing him by saying the wrong thing and possibly messing this relationship up.
But now I realize I may lose him either way.
Seeing a fence, I make my way to it.
"A long time ago, you said you wanted someone who'd take you dancing in the rain, right?" I ask, tying the leash around the metal wiring and avoiding eye contact.
"... haha, you remember something like that?" He laughs, and I can see his shoe when he stops next to me, "What are you doing?"
Making sure the knot is secure, I straighten and turn his way.
"I don't know how to dance, so you'll have to teach me. Something easy, too," I say, trying my best to hold his gaze, but my eyes keep flickering away to other things. My heartbeat seems louder than the falling rain.
He's looking at me like a just grew a second head.
"Dance? Now?" He asks, throwing his arms out as if I don't see the pouring rain around us. When I say nothing, he drops his hands, and narrows his eyes, "... wait a minute. This better not be pity. I didn't co-"
"It's not pity; I want to!" I say quickly, the bitterness bubbling up my chest uncomfortably, "Is that so hard for you to believe?"
My face heats when the words seem to echo around us, and I quickly look down. Staring at his feet, I purse my lips and wonder what exactly I just did.
Emotions swarm in my stomach, creating a tidal wave of uneasyness.
"..."
He's silent, and I'm too afraid to look up. I watch the water run off my bangs and onto the sidewalk, and hear the soft jingle of the collar as the dog sniffs around.
".. what exactly are you saying, Shizuo?"
Ah, my full name.
I will myself to look up. He has his arms crossed, looking uncomfortable even though his gaze doesn't waver.
My mouth goes dry.
Damn it, there's no going back, is there?
I swallow with difficulty, and brace myself. Now that it's out on the table, there's no choice but to go all the way.
"I'm saying that I want to be the guy who takes you dancing in the rain," I say, taking a deep breath and smiling nervously, "I've wanted to for three years."
His stare is almost too much to take.
I feel like such an idiot.
I should have at least waited longer.. I mean, he just broke up with Shiki! Impulsiveness has always been a bad part of my personality, and now...
I've never hated silence so much in my life.
It's when he finally moves that I hold my breath. He shifts from one foot to the other, glancing away with a... troubled? Confused? Contemplative look?
Whatever it is, it isn't making me feel good. I kind of have the impulse to grab the dog and run back home, away from this mess.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
I nearly jump when he talks. It takes a moment for his words to seep in, and I frown.
"Like I could! You never even considered me, Izaya, and you've been trying to find someone for years! How could I think I even had a chance?"
"Well how did I know that? You're my best friend, not..."
He trails off, but the unspoken words still sting.
Ah, is that your answer, then?
…
"Best friend. Right. And I still am," I say, waving a hand in the air and making my way back to the dog with a heavy heart, "Just felt like I had to say that. Forget it."
Please, please forget it.
It hurts, but it will never hurt as much as losing you completely.
"... Shizuo.."
"What kind of pizza are we ordering tonight?" I ask, working on untying the leash and trying to ignore the stinging sensation in my eyes.
"Shizuo!" Izaya exclaims. There's a tug on my shirt that make my hands stop. I look over my shoulder cautiously, "You can't seriously think I can forget you said that?"
"I just don't want it to be awkward," I sigh, glancing away.
"It's already awkward. You won't even meet my eyes right now."
I clench my teeth, but continue doing as he said. There's nothing interesting in where I'm looking, just some old building with a mailbox in front of it, but it's better than facing him. Especially when I feel like I want to cry. Maybe he shouldn't stay at my place tonight.
"... jeez, alright, alright, stop looking like the dog just died," Izaya says, and I turn to him just as he moves forward, "Put your arm like this. .. don't try anything funny."
He grabs my arm and maneuvers it around his waist. I retract my hand as soon as it makes contact.
"What are you doing?" I ask with wide eyes.
"You want to learn how to dance, right?" He asks impatiently, moving my hand back on the small of his back, "You'll need to learn the guy role, so we'll do it like this. Straighten up."
I straighten my body on reflex, even as my mind is still trying to catch up with the situation.
"Ballroom dancing is simple. Give me your other hand," he instructs, lifting our hands and linking our fingers together. My cheeks warm at the move, "Good. Okay, I'm going to lead first. Just count at a beat of one-two, one-two, and follow me."
He slowly steps forward with one foot, and I get the hint to move my opposite one backward.
I don't even believe this.
Not only is he letting me dance, but he's so close and our fingers our linked together and I can feel the heat of hit body emitting through his wet shirt and-
"Ow!"
I'm startled when I accidentally step on his foot.
"Sorry!" I nearly squeak, as if he knew my thoughts.
"Clumsy," he replies with a flicker of a smile, "But you have the hang of it. Now lets try moving in different directions instead of just back and forth."
I think I'm shaking. That's just how relieved and happy I am about this whole situation.
But what does it mean? Him letting me...
"Now you try to lead," he says, standing still and waiting for my cue. I nervously think of the steps I've just learned, and even though they aren't a lot, my mind has just been full of too many things. I carefully move forward, into a small puddle, and he moves in step. We step again, and again, forward, backward, turn, and repeat, "See, it's not too bad!"
In my excitement, I gain enough gall to pull a little something.
On one of our turns, I twist fast enough to swing him closer to me, and with a tilt of my body, I dip him.
His face is priceless.
No, seriously, I wish I had a camera.
"... I said no funny stuff, what the hell, I'm not a girl!" He exclaims, squirming in my hold. I laugh loudly at the mortified expression, and save him any more embarrassment by setting him back right. My hands linger on his waist and I have to tilt my head down now that he's so close.
"I had to," I chuckle.
"Hmph," he pouts, brushing the soaked hair out of his face. A light dusting of pink settles over his cheeks and I suddenly want to kiss him so badly it hurts.
With a vice on that impulse, I hug him instead, wrapping my arms around his back and pulling him against me. His hands land on my chest, and I gently rest my head against the top of his own.
"Thanks," I mumble, his hair tickling my lips.
".. I didn't do anything," he replies, letting me hug him, but his hands remain stationary.
"You didn't run away. That's a start," I chuckle, stepping back. I'm not going to push anything. He's still uncomfortable with this, I can tell.
And that's okay right now.
At least he knows.
A huge weight feels like it's been lifted off my shoulders. Three years is too terribly long to keep something so big inside.
"But seriously, what kind of pizza do you want?" I ask, successfully untying the leash. Trouble, who has actually been a very good dog for the past couple minutes, merely wags his tail and looks excited at the prospect of going home and getting out of the rain.
We walk side by side, and it takes him a moment to answer.
"Tuna and mayonnaise."
I roll my eyes.
"You and tuna."
"Oh? And I suppose you want some of that greasy pepperoni stuff?"
"That greasy pepperoni stuff is good."
"I don't get it," he replies, and I'm about to speak of the wonders of pepperoni, when he continues, "Why do you like me?"
:3
Minizaya: My fast!reply ;_; I misses you! And you make me blush from the praise o/o! XD
Kiseki-Phantom-Zaya: Though I'm very happy you liked ATWR enough to want a sequel... what could I do with it? Hehe~ It's not even Shizuo anymore D:
Pezlie: Rofl, yeah, a lot of people think it's weird to see Izaya and Shizuo on friendly terms. But that is what AU is made for :D!
Thank you for the reviews! Loaded this chap up pretty quickly after the second one x3
