Thank you so much for the reviews! And many thanks to those who put this in their favorites and alerted this story too! I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter and that you guys think this story is getting more interesting. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well~

Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara or any of its characters.

When was the last time he had felt this peaceful? Izaya sighed in contentment, slowly opening his eyes as he stretched his body, feeling his bones crack and muscles relax. It had been a long while since he had gotten a good night's sleep. No nightmares of Shizuo had haunted him last night.

Blinking away the last of the lingering sleepiness, Izaya realized he wasn't alone as he stared at the serenely sleeping face across from him. Soft blonde locks fell across the man's forehead, barely above his eyes, as he steadily breathed. Izaya sat up to find that Tsugaru had placed his blue and white haori across both of their bodies to keep them warm.

Izaya frowned as he finally recalled the memories of the day before. He almost felt ashamed of how he had acted, and was certainly angry with himself for showing his vulnerable state to Tsugaru again. He hated being weak, preferring to appear god-like and untouchable so that people would think him stronger than he actually was. Weakness was something he couldn't afford to show, especially in his line of work. They only one he had ever felt comfortable around to let down all the walls he had carefully built around himself had been Shizuo. How was it so easy for the man who only shared Shizuo's face to affect him the same way?

Looking over the sleeping man carefully, Izaya wondered how Shiki came across this man. Where had he come from? Who was he before? What made him want to leave his previous life? And why was he so insistent on making Izaya fall in love with him? The questions, to which he had no answers to, swirled around in his mind, making Izaya frown with each that came up and that he could not find an answer to. He wasn't used to being in the dark. The feeling of being clueless was foreign and quite unpleasant to him.

What an enigma you are, Izaya thought as he folded his arms together, resting his chin on them as he stared at Tsugaru's face. Or rather, Shizuo's face. Softly, Izaya reached out and barely brushed his fingers against Tsugaru's cheek. It was a little scary how much they looked alike, especially since Izaya couldn't see Tsugaru's blue eyes. For a moment, Izaya closed his eyes and imagined that the man beside him wasn't a stranger and that it was Shizuo back in bed with him. The past few weeks hadn't happened, and Izaya was waking up like it was any other normal day. Soon, he would get up and start making breakfast, knowing that soon Shizuo would stumble out of bed and amble into the kitchen, muttering something under his breath as he came to hug Izaya from behind. They would flirt as usual in the morning, most likely almost burning breakfast in the process, and then settle to eat. Izaya would type away on his laptop, beginning his work, as Shizuo would read the day's newspaper. Everything would be perfect, just like how it had always been.

But as Izaya opened his eyes, he knew that perfection only belonged in his delusions. The man sleeping beside him was still a stranger, and his normal days had long ago changed to adjust to Shizuo's absence.

"If only you were Shizu-chan," Izaya murmured. As if he had heard him, Tsugaru's peaceful sleeping face turned into a scowling one, his body slightly turning in discomfort. Izaya wondered if he too had been having a pleasant dream before it shattered to pieces right before him and became a nightmare.

"Izaya-san?" Tsugaru blinked slightly in disbelief at the scene before him. He and Izaya were lying in the grass next to each other, hands linked together as they looked at the falling cherry blossoms. Surrounded by a pink sakura rain, Izaya pushed himself up on his elbows, resting his cheek against one hand as the other ran through Tsugaru's hair. He said something that Tsugaru couldn't make out, although the one lying down laughed in response. The Tsugaru in the dream then reached up, gently grabbing the back of Izaya's head and pushing his head down to kiss him softly. Izaya pulled away with a smile, saying something again before he reached down for another kiss.

The scene then faded, Tsugaru frowning as he saw a faint image of a figure walking towards him. As the figure got closer Tsugaru was shocked to find his face staring back at him, hazel eyes alight with fury as brows knitted together. The figure clad in bartender clothes stopped just a few feet in front of Tsugaru, his hands tucked in his pockets as he observed Tsugaru up and down.

"Tch," Heiwajima Shizuo snorted. "You're supposed to be me?"

Tsugaru could only stare in surprise, wondering why the man he had been made to replace was approaching him in his dream. "I guess I am," Tsugaru responded, crossing his arms.

A dangerous growl left Shizuo's mouth as he reached forward and grabbed Tsugaru's kimono, pushing their faces together to glare directly into Tsugaru's blue eyes. "Stay away from Izaya. He's mine."

"If you haven't noticed, Heiwajima-san," Tsugaru started, questioning his sanity in the back of his mind as he was arguing with a dead person in his dreams. "You're dead."

Suddenly Tsugaru found himself thrown on the ground, Shizuo on top of him with his fingers curled tightly around Tsugaru's neck. Tsugaru was shocked when he felt his throat burn, gasping for air, and his body throb with pain from the sudden impact with the ground. This was just a dream, wasn't it? He wasn't supposed to feel pain, was he?

"Orihara Izaya is mine," Shizuo repeated, his voice dangerously low and threatening. "Don't think that just because you have my face you can steal him away from me."

"D-don't you…think it's time…for him to move on?" Tsugaru managed to say between gasps, pulling at the hands around his neck that was restricting his air supply. He grunted when the hands tightened considerably.

"Stay away from him!" Shizuo snarled, his hazel eyes blazing with hatred towards this man.

Tsugaru challengingly glared back, "This is just a dream…you're not real."

The smirk that formed on Shizuo's face sent shivers down Tsugaru's body, though he did well to hide it, as Shizuo chuckled, "That's what you think." Leaning down next to Tsugaru's ear, he whispered, "I'm still here, and I will not give Izaya to you."

Suddenly, Shizuo was gone.

Tsugaru's eyes flew open as he was panting and sweating. He sat up, finding himself in Izaya's room on the bed. Looking around, Tsugaru was a little relieved that he didn't see Izaya. He wasn't sure what to make of his weird dream, and he wanted some time to gather his thoughts. Getting out of the bed and making his way to the connected bathroom, Tsugaru looked in the mirror and gasped slightly when he saw very faint, but definitely there, finger-shaped marks around his neck. He reached up, touching his neck hesitantly, not wanting to believe it and thinking he was just hallucinating. But somehow, the feeling of Shizuo's fingers tightly wound around his neck still lingered.

It was just a dream, wasn't it?

But as Shizuo's last words rang through his head—I'm still here—Tsugaru wondered if it was just a dream after all.

Izaya turned the oven off as the tea kettle whistled, signaling the water was done heating up. He pulled the kettle off the stove, moving to pour the hot water into a mug ready with a tea bag. A clattering sound from behind him surprised him, his fingers loosening and the kettle falling down, hot water spilling onto his hands. Izaya hissed with pain, pulling his hands towards him to cradle them on reflex, but strong hands suddenly came and grabbed Izaya's hands, rushing him to the sink and turning the cool water on. Tsugaru held Izaya's hands under the running water, his voice full of worry, "What the hell were you doing? Pay attention to what's going on around you!"

Turning to the man, Izaya's mouth was open and ready to argue back but seeing Tsugaru staring worriedly at his red hands made him shut it. Once the burn was relatively cooled down and didn't look as bad anymore, Tsugaru pulled it away from the water, turning off the sink as he inquired, "Where's your first aid kit?"

"I'm fine," Izaya moved to pull his hands away but Tsugaru held onto them firmly.

"You need to treat your burns so they don't get worse," Tsugaru told him. "Now where's your first aid kit?"

Izaya sighed, deciding it was better to do as he said that pointlessly argue, "It's under the bathroom sink."

He watched Tsugaru leave briefly and heard the noises of the cabinet opening in the bathroom then closing. Tsugaru returned with the kit in his hands, ordering Izaya to sit on the couch. Izaya did as he asked, watching as Tsugaru sat beside him, pulling out burn cream and gauze. They sat in silence as Tsugaru rubbed the cool cream on the burns and Izaya watched him work.

"I don't get you," Izaya said as Tsugaru started to wrap his hands. "Why the hell do you care about me so much? You don't even really know me."

Tsugaru didn't answer at first, focusing on his work. Izaya wondered if he was purposely ignoring him after a few minutes of silence. Just as Izaya was about to get angry with the man, he answered, "I know that you're lonelier than you make yourself appear to be." His blue eyes turned to look at Izaya's scarlet ones. "I know that you really miss and love Heiwajima Shizuo, and that you reject me because you're afraid to feel love again. You're afraid that not only will you betray Heiwajima-san, but of also being alone again if I somehow left you."

Izaya wanted to get angry at Tsugaru, saying that he didn't understand anything about him. But he couldn't because he knew that Tsugaru's words were true. Half of him wanted to laugh, saying that he was Orihara Izaya. He wasn't weak to fall prey to petty emotions such as loneliness and love. But the other half of him knew that Tsugaru was right, and he was afraid.

How could this man read him so well? Why did he so easily tear down the guarded walls Izaya had built around himself? How did this man make him feel so…human?

Just like Shizu-chan…a voice in his head whispered.

But Izaya quickly pushed back the thought. No! He's nothing like Shizu-chan! Shizu-chan…Shizu-chan was special…

Isn't this man also special in some way though? The voice argued back.

He isn't! Izaya insisted.

Then why do you keep him around? That question made Izaya pause. You could have gotten rid of him at any time. And don't think of excuses such as you don't know who he is or where he's from. You're Orihara Izaya, you could have gotten rid of him some way.

Izaya shook his head, trying to convince himself that the voice in his head was wrong.

Just admit it. The voice persisted. You cling to this man because you don't want to be alone again. He is special, just like Shizu-chan.

"Izaya-san?" Izaya looked back at Tsugaru, who was staring at him with those worried eyes again. He felt his heart thump in his chest, suddenly conscious of how close they were and the fact that Tsugaru still held his hands.

"No," Izaya whispered, more to himself than to Tsugaru.

The man's face contorted to a confused expression. "Iza—"

"No," Izaya said more loudly this time, pushing away from Tsugaru. He didn't dare look at the man, knowing that Tsugaru most likely had a hurt look in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I…I-I want…"

Why couldn't he say it? Izaya inwardly cursed, opening his mouth, but the words wouldn't come out. Why was it so hard to tell this man to leave?

As if he knew what Izaya was about to say, Tsugaru leaned forward, grabbing Izaya and pulling the smaller man into his arms. He hugged Izaya closely, shutting his eyes closed as he buried his face in the crook of Izaya's neck. "Please," Tsugaru begged in a quiet voice. "Please don't make me leave."

And suddenly, his heart hurt. The fact that he was about to tell Tsugaru to get out made Izaya feel guilty, a tight feeling clenching in his chest. Why did this man affect him so much? Was it because he resembled Shizuo at times?

"Alright," the words left his mouth before he realized what he was saying, "You can stay."

Izaya wistfully eyed the simple white t-shirt and blue sweat pants he pulled from his drawers. He ran his hand down the fabric, reminiscing of the times he would see Shizuo in this outfit at night, the only time Shizuo practically didn't wear the bartender suits Kasuka had gotten for him. Smiling bitterly, he folded them up and brought them to the restroom, knocking on the door to signify he was coming in. "Here's a change of clothes, Tsugaru."

He walked in, not expecting to catch the man in the middle of undressing. His eyes widened slightly, taking in the sight. Although the koshi-himo(1) cord still held the yukata in place around his hip, Tsugaru had slid the top part down, revealing a toned stomach and muscled arms. Izaya faintly wondered how it would feel to run his fingers down the contours of his muscles and what lied beyond the fabric precariously hanging low on Tsugaru's waist.

"Thanks, Izaya-san." The sound of his voice broke Izaya from his thoughts as Tsugaru gave him a smile and took the clothes from his hands. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes as he teased, "Like what you see?"

Izaya couldn't help the blush that spread across his cheeks as he turned and hurried out the bathroom, loudly slamming the door shut as if to make a point. As Izaya walked back to his office, embarrassed that he had been caught staring, he mentally chastised himself for thinking of Tsugaru in that way.

Sure, it had been a long time since Izaya had last been with someone, that being Shizuo, but that didn't mean it was alright to lust after another man, especially since this man shared the same face with Shizuo and had meant to replace him.

Get a grip, Orihara. Izaya warned himself. Sleeping with that man would lead to nothing but trouble.

Although his logic was trying to reason like that, his body and sexually deprived part of his mind disagreed, bringing up the images of Tsugaru pinning him against the wall, kissing him senseless as Tsugaru's hands traveled down Izaya's body, teasing him in all the right, sensitive spots and dangerously going lower and lower…

Izaya shook his head, his face bright red as he quickly cast aside the thoughts. Just because he decided to accept the man's presence in his life didn't mean he had accepted to taking him on as a lover or fuck buddy. He would not let his sexual desires overtake his logic.

Because Izaya was sure that if he succumbed to such desires and did sleep with Tsugaru, it would be a lot harder to deny that Tsugaru was indeed special.

Izaya was working on his laptop when Tsugaru finished his shower and stepped into the living room, rubbing his wet hair with a towel that was around his neck. Izaya looked up and silently gasped, wondering if he was seeing a ghost.

Wearing Shizuo's pajamas and out of his kimono, Tsugaru looked almost exactly like Shizuo. Izaya gulped, tearing his eyes away from the white shirt that loosely clung to Tsugaru's slightly wet body as water dripped from his blonde locks. Tsugaru took a seat next to Izaya, still rubbing his hair.

"Izaya-san still works this late in the day?" Tsugaru turned to look at Izaya questioningly, his soaked bangs sticking to his forehead in disarray.

"Not usually," Izaya replied with a shrug, trying hard to focus on the words on his screen instead of how close Tsugaru was leaning towards him, his breath hot on Izaya's neck as his chest lightly pressed against Izaya's back. Droplets of water from Tsugaru's hair fell onto Izaya's shoulder, soaking through his grey hoodie. Izaya's breath hitched, his hands trembling a little as the words on his laptop screen blurred in his vision.

"Izaya-san," Tsugaru's voice whispered against his ear. Suddenly, Izaya's laptop screen was shut and the laptop was put on the coffee table as Tsugaru pushed Izaya onto his back against the couch.

"Hey, I was working on that!" Izaya protested the sudden change in atmosphere, trying his best to hide his inner embarrassment and anxiousness as he crossed his arms across his chest. His heart was beating so loudly in his ears, Izaya was sure that Tsugaru could hear it as the aforementioned man stared down at Izaya with serious eyes.

Tsugaru balanced himself on his hands and knees, searching Izaya's eyes for any disagreement with their current situation. When he found none, his mouth curled into a tiny smile.

"What are you smiling for?" Izaya muttered, looking anywhere but Tsugaru.

"You're not rejecting me," Tsugaru pointed out, mirth in his eyes as he chuckled.

"So?"

"So does that mean you accept my love now?"

"W-Wh-what?" Izaya sputtered, his eyes snapping to Tsugaru's and the blush he had been forcing back heating his cheeks.

"So you don't deny it," Tsugaru remarked, his smile growing wider.

Izaya opened his mouth to protest, but Tsugaru leaned down and pushed his mouth onto Izaya's, his tongue slipping in and fiercely tangling with Izaya's. Izaya unintentionally moaned, his hands tightly gripping onto the white shirt Tsugaru wore. Although some voice in the back of Izaya's head was screaming at him to stop, it was a really small voice as Izaya began to respond, moving his mouth against Tsugaru's as his hands moved up to tangle themselves in Tsugaru's blonde locks.

Tsugaru growled when they broke apart and he saw Izaya's flushed face, his breaths coming out in short gasps. "Izaya-san," his voice was rough and husky and before Izaya could respond Tsugaru was on him again, his mouth trailing butterfly kisses down Izaya's neck. Tsugaru pulled the neckline of Izaya's hoodie down, looking at the tantalizing pale flesh of Izaya's collarbone before putting his mouth against it, biting and sucking until a satisfying purple mark marred his skin.

"Tsu-Tsugaru…" his voice was soft and hesitant. Tsugaru looked at Izaya's scarlet eyes, seeing the reluctance and fear in them. Feeling a guilty stab in his chest, Tsugaru leaned down and kissed Izaya's forehead reassuringly.

"Don't worry," he assured. "I won't do anything to you. Not tonight, anyway."

Izaya decided not to comment on the implication of his words—so Tsugaru was planning on doing something to him later?—as Tsugaru moved both of them up to sit before he pulled Izaya into his arms. He leaned his chest against Izaya's back, placing his face in the crook of Izaya's neck. "Can we at least stay like this?"

The voice in the back of his head argued, saying that he had already done too much with Tsugaru. That Izaya shouldn't get any closer to him. But finding comfort in the man's arms, Izaya only leaned his head back against Tsugaru's shoulders, "Alright…we can stay like this."

"DAMMIT." Heiwajima Shizuo glared at the image in front of him, his hands clenching tightly into fists. Red flashed in his vision as his body trembled with pent up anger.

Seeing Izaya—his Izaya—in another man's arms was heartbreaking enough. But to see Izaya accept this man? He wasn't sure if his heart could take it.

"Fuck!" Shizuo cursed, punching at the image in front of him. His fist made contact, and the image cracked like glass. His hazel eyes looked sadly up at the image of his lover that was now broken. The peaceful expression on Izaya's face made his heart wrench in his chest.

"Izaya…" he said softly as he reached out to touch the cheek of his lover. "Did you forget about me already?"

He didn't get an answer, and he wasn't really expecting one.

Angtsy ending! Poor Shizuo. :(

So I would really love some feedback on this chapter because I'm not entirely sure of it…

And at the rate that this story seems to be going…I will most likely up the rating (in either the next chapter or the one after).

As always, reviews and criticisms are really appreciated and thank you for reading! :D

-Xaleria

(1) Koshi-himo is the cord that is used to tie a yukata in place around the hip. It is different from an obi, which is thicker and worn over the koshi-himo, but they both technically do the same thing and keep the yukata in place.

If any of this information is wrong in some way, feel free to correct me! I tried to research it to the best of my ability but I'm not 100% sure of its accuracy.