Izaya fell asleep soon enough though he slept fitfully during the night. Come morning though he didn't remember the dream that had upset him.
Shizuo yawned as he woke up. "Mmm. Hungry? Cause if so I can get us some cereal."
"Okay..." Izaya agreed. He was nervous about Shizuo leaving him now, not wanting the blonde man he felt so safe with to go to work. He was convinced Shizuo wouldn't be back if he left.
Shizuo got them both some cereal, and after eating, he changed into his good old bartender outfit. "Alright, Izaya, you need to get dressed."
Izaya got dressed too and then he watched Shizuo like a hawk. It was eerie in a sense as it was the same way Izaya had watched him as an adult though the reasons were slightly different.
"Is something wrong, Izaya?" Shizuo finally asked.
"Are you going to work now?" He asked timidly.
He shook his head. "No. We'll leave in about a half hour so I can bring you over to Shinra's, then I'm heading work."
"Okay... I like you better than Shinra though... can't I stay with you?"
Shizuo shook his head. "Its dangerous, Izaya. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Okay..." He mumbled quietly, pouting all the same. He went with Shizuo to Shinra's but he cried and hugged Shizuo's leg when they got there and made him promise to come back.
"I promise, Izaya. Now let me go." Shinra was just grinning as he watched.
Izaya sniffled and let Shizuo go and Shinra leaned in to Shizuo so Izaya wouldn't over hear "I like him better as a kid..."
"That's only because you have no idea." Shizuo rolled his eyes before leaving and meeting up with Tom.
Of course Izaya was very well behaved for Celty and Shinra, happily playing with the smoke toys Celty made for him -and she delighted that he was so cute like this it made the adult version more bearable.
After a bit, it started to get late. "Yo. Tom. How many clients are left?"
"Just one, this way," He said but the man didn't cooperate. He pulled a gun and shot Shizuo in the shoulder to try and escape.
Unfortunately for the male, he failed. Shizuo growled in anger as he grabbed the guy by the collar of the shirt and effectively sent him to the emergency room. "Heading to Shinra's now. Bye Tom. See ya tomorrow."
"S-see ya... get that shoulder looked at tonight..." He shook his head amazed Shizuo felt nothing from that... oh well...
Shizuo soon arrived at Shinra's, letting himself in. "Shinra! Get over here with your pliers." Izaya would probably come over too.
Izaya did and he wound up crying too because Shizuo was hurt Once Shinra had Shizuo patched up though Izaya kissed it better... he was a child after all.
Shizuo lifted Izaya up before leaving without telling Shinra bye. "Told you it was dangerous."
"Well then... I'll protect you!" He decided. He had been very different as a child.
Shizuo chuckled but shook his head no. "You might get hurt. And I didn't even feel it." It must have been his parents that made Izaya into the bastard he was.
Had Izaya been helped by someone, anyone, before he met Shizuo... he might have been very different. "Then... can I protect you from stuff at home?"
Shizuo smiled. He'd humour the other. After all, he seemed to really want to protect Shizuo. "Sure. You can protect me from anything bad at home."
"Yay~!" Izaya nuzzled Shizuo's neck, his arms wrapping around the other happily. Hard to believe the informant had once been so small and cute.
Soon, they arrived back home, and Shizuo set Izaya down. "What do you want for dinner, Izaya?"
"Food..." He said, eyes wide
Shizuo nodded. "I know. What type of food?"
"I dunno..." He frowned, "Pasta!" He decided then.
"Ah..." Shizuo opened the pantry. "You're lucky. I happen to have a thing of pasta. Wanna help me cook?"
"Yeah!" Izaya said excitedly, hopping off the chair.
Shizuo chuckled as he started to fill a pot up. "Then you can get some butter out of the fridge. We'll need it so the pasta doesn't stick together. I'd ask you to get the salt, but it's up in a cabinet where you can't reach."
Izaya grabbed the butter for Shizuo and watched happily as the process took place
Shizuo boiled the water before adding some salt and the butter. Then he added the pasta, stirring it every now and again as it cooked. "Almost done, Izaya. Would you grab two plates out of the dishwasher?"
He did that too, very eager to help Shizuo with anything he asked.
When it was done, Shizuo put some pasta on both plates. He had measured it out so that there'd be no leftovers unless one of them didn't finish. He also grabbed two forks. "Let's eat."
Izaya ate quietly and as always everything on his plate.
Shizuo chuckled as he washed the plates. "Let's go get into pyjamas now, alright?"
"Okay!" He agreed and changed. Life went like that but exactly seven days after he de-aged he grew... a significant amount for one week too, the amount a child might do in a year.
Shizuo blinked in surprise when he saw Izaya. He really did look older. "Good morning Izaya." And now he couldn't help it. "How old are you today?"
"Six..." He mumbled. He remembered everything from the week with Shizuo, but he had new memories too... and they confused his still young mind.
Huh. It was no where near Izaya's birthday, which he only knew from high school, seeing as Izaya went to the same one as him. Then he noticed the confused look on Izaya's face. "Something wrong, Izaya?"
"Mommy and Daddy have been gone a really long time, but I remember them here too..."
Shizuo blinked a bit. "What do you mean?"
"I remember yesterday we went to the park again but yesterday Mommy also locked me in the closet cuz I was afraid..."
Shizuo blinked again, understanding it. So he gets his memories from the actual time as ages... "She locked you in the closet because you were afraid? Why would she do that?"
"I dunno... I got scared and fainted..." He frowned a little, "How come I remember two things for yesterday?"
"Ah..." Shizuo lifted the raven so that he was sitting on his lap. "No reason. Alright? So...you ready for breakfast?"
"Yeah! But I don't think my clothes fit no more..."
They really didn't. Too small. He'd have to get clothes all the way up to probably fourteen, maybe fifteen. "Well, I can make you breakfast and go to the store real quick. After all, you don't wanna wear too small clothes, do you?"
He shook his head no. Even so if he was going to grow every week... this might be a problem. An expensive one too.
Shizuo rubbed the back of his head as he got up. Maybe he could buy clothes that were a bit too big so he could wear them for a few weeks before getting more. "Alright. I'll make you something before running out real quick to get your clothes. What do you want to eat?"
"Cereal," He decided faster now, and got out of bed.
Shizuo nodded as he made his way to the kitchen and pouring Izaya a bowl of cereal. Then he went to go get dress. "Alright. I'll be back in just a bit. Getting your clothes."
"Okay..." Still he looked upset by the idea of being alone.
"I'll write down my cell number. You can call me with the home phone if you want, alright?"
Slowly he nodded. At five he would have argued and cried, at six he quietly accepted whatever others told him. It was a startling change in him.
Shizuo didn't like it. But, it did make it easier to leave. He kissed Izaya's forehead just to assure the other before leaving. About an hour later he returned with some clothes for Izaya.
Izaya hugged his leg quietly and changed, equally silent. He had lost much of the life he still had at five and seemed to have withdrawn a great deal.
"Izaya. I'm back. Where are you?"
"Here..." He mumbled, peeking out of Shizuo's bedroom.
"I got you some clothes...An d you're so quiet. Is something wrong?"
He shook his head and went over, accepting the clothing and going to change just as silently.
Shizuo frowned. He didn't really like how the now six year old was acting. "I have the day off, Izaya. Do you want to do anything?"
"I'll do whatever you say..." It was definitely not how a six year old should be acting.
Shizuo's frown only deepened as he knelt down to be level with the informant. "Why do you say that? You're six."
Izaya refused to make eye contact now too, and it made one wonder if he was sick. He was far too quiet...
Shizuo placed a hand on his forehead. It didn't feel warm. Then again, not all illnesses made your forehead warm. "Izaya...what's wrong?" If he said nothing was wrong or didn't answer, he'd call Shinra, and have the male come over.
"Nothing..." Izaya mumbled, confused as to why Shizuo thought something would be wrong.
Shizuo frowned. "Then how come you're so silent and compliant?" He also didn't really want to call Shinra over unnecessarily, so he changed his mind. He'd call Shinra if he couldn't find a reason for Izaya's behaviour.
"Because it makes mom and dad hit me less..." He mumbled. Only a sign that the abuse had continued to this age now, but it was going to be harder getting things out of him soon.
Shizuo frowned. He hoped Izaya's parents had been arrested, and he worried for Mairu and Kururi now. "Well, your mom and dad aren't here, and I won't hit you. It's alright to speak up and be energetic like how you were when you were five."
Izaya shook his head and that week was very quiet. When he turned seven exactly one week later he was incredibly moody like a teenager and merely glared at everyone.
Shizuo sighed. "Izaya. You do have to be good."
"I'm not causing problems, why the hell should it matter to you?" He glared at Shizuo and Shinra when the doctor baby sat. When he was eight though he suddenly smiled a lot and became very quiet but always smiling... until he fell asleep when he seemed to suffer nightmares and cried in his sleep.
It was very unsettling for Shizuo. But still, he tried to be nice to the other. And whenever Izaya had a nightmare, Shizuo would pull Izaya close, into his arms and ran a hand through his hair, trying to sooth Izaya.
It would eventually quiet him.