Old friends
A/N:- Thanks for the reviews and onto the next chapter. Enjoy.
One pair of shocked eyes stared at the child, he currently held in his arms. They were sitting on the sofa, now that the Dullahan had regained consciousness. He was sitting on one end, the boy sitting on his lap, cuddling his favourite soft toy. Shinra and Celty were sitting on the other. Shinra was still muttering to himself, whilst Celty's fingers typed like crazy, stopping and deleting it, then starting again.
Izaya laughed as his sharp eyes picked up every word on the screen before it was deleted. How is this possible? Shizuo died. Why is he a child? Is that really him? Demon, what did you do? She froze, typing slowly and showing Shinra, though the demon still saw it. Aliens. They're pretending to be Shizuo. He laughed again as she cowered behind Shinra.
"No, my beloved. I'm sure Shizuo isn't an alien. Is he?" He shook his head at the laughing demon. "How is this possible?" He had never seen Izaya look so happy. "Shizuo died, it shouldn't be possible. Did you do some sort of spell?"
"I can't bring back the dead, Shinra. No matter how much I wanted to. I don't even think Mikado could do it." Izaya looked down at the giggling child, trying to shove the soft toy in his face. "He was reborn. His brother is still with the demon king.
He blinked in annoyance as the small screen was thrust at him. So he's definitely not an alien? Izaya played with the child's hair. "No. he's a half demon. This is really, Shizu-chan." Shinra shook his head. "So, reincarnation? This isn't scientifically possible."
"I'm a demon, Shinra. Anything is possible." Reaching down, he took the boys tiny hand, holding it up and showing them the mark on his finger. "It's to do with this. Once we choose our mate, it's for eternity. They'll be reborn again and again."
Shinra shook his head. "I've heard of it in stories, people waiting centuries to see each other again. But it's only been three years?" The demon didn't answer a while, his thumb brushing across the mark on the boy's finger. "It shouldn't have been possible. But here he is." Shinra nodded dumbly, Celty typing again. Can I hold him?
Crimson eyes narrowed, sitting upright, no longer in a relaxed state. The child tilted his head back, looking up at him. "Izaya?" The older demon's arms snaked around his waist, keeping him clasped to him. He could see the concern in Shinra's eyes, even as he stared at the screen. Can I hold him?
He could sense it through their link; Shizu-chan knew something was wrong. "He doesn't really do well with new people." He watched smoke rise from the Dullahan's neck, making it look like she would be tilting her head. The child was now wrapping ting fingers in his clothes, pulling to get his attention.
The tugging increased breaking him out of his thoughts. "Who are they?" The older demon smiled, ruffling his hair. "You knew them in your old life. This is Shinra and Celty." The child nodded. "Like us?" Izaya felt the child's relief as he relaxed slightly. "Shinra is human. Celty is a Dullahan." The boy's brow furrowed in confusion. "She's not a demon. She's a fairy."
Wide coffee eyes lit up. "I know." He wriggled free of Izaya's protective arms, climbing down his legs. Without falling he ran into what should be his bedroom, reaching for the bags they had got from the shop. The older demon had split them up, food, toys, clothes and everything else.
Seeing the bag he wanted, he reached up, grabbing the handle he yanked it, falling backwards onto the floor. He looked up seeing Izaya hovering at the doorway. "Got it." Standing back up he pulled the bag into the room, dropping it behind the sofa. Satisfied he was fine; Izaya sat back on the sofa. All three of them watched him dig through the bag, pulling out a book at a time.
Shizuo picked up the one he needed, holding it in one hand, his kitten still safely in his other. "Up." He lifted his arms waiting for Izaya to pick him up. Once he was safely in the older demon's lap, he held the book up, showing them the front cover, where there was a treasure chest, a dinosaur and a fairy. He pointed to the picture. "This is you." A crimson eyed glare, shut Shinra up, before he even tried to complain.
No, not quite. Izaya shook his head as the screen was lowered in front of the boy. "He can't read yet." The dullahan quickly pulled back, puffs of smoke coming from her neck. "Hasn't he learnt that in nursery?" Maybe it was a bad idea, letting them know about the boy. "He doesn't go to nursery. He stays here with me."
"When are you enrolling him?" The older demon, kept his gaze focused on the child, currently trying to climb onto his shoulder. "I'm not." Shinra sighed. "He's a child, Izaya. He needs to be with kids his own age. A giggle sounded by his ear. "I'll be his teacher."
Shinra reached behind the sofa, picking up the bag the boy had left there. Emptying it out, he held the pile of books on his lap, his mouth dropping into a frown. "How long are you planning to teach him for? A, B, C's. Basic essentials, algebra?"
"How long are you planning to keep him locked up in here? Until high school?" Crimson eyes narrowed and flared, a small fist gripped his shoulder. "Izaya!" He blinked in shock, as the coffee table exploded, glass shards flying across the room. One arm was around the boy, while the other was splayed at the oncoming glass, before it stopped and fell uselessly to the ground.
Celty's shadow shielded the sofa, lowering when they were sure it was safe. "What was that?" Izaya shrugged, checking the child was okay? He had lost control, his fist clenched, his free hand playing with the boy's hair. "Are you hungry? Shizu-chan." The boy nodded, looking up at him with wide eyes. "See you around, Shinra, Celty." With a wave of his hand, he moved the glass shards to the bin.
He didn't bother to see them leave. "What do you want to eat?" He bounced Shizu-chan on his hip, the child still holding onto his neck. What were they thinking? Like his mate needed to go to nursery. "Izaya?" Izaya smiled at him. "Yes? Shizu-chan." He grimaced as the child reached into the open cupboard, using his strength to rip open packets, his toy falling to the floor. "Shizu-chan, you're making a mess."
The child giggled, struggling to get out of his arms. "Stay still." In reply, the boy opened one of the packets, spilling the contents over himself. "Now look at what you've done. You're filthy." He looked down with a grin. "Bath time." Shizuo nodded. "Bath time." Masking his surprise, he collected the boy's new clothes, carrying them into the bathroom. "Wait here."
Izaya checked behind him as he ran the bath, seeing the child sitting where he had told him to, staring at him silently. He couldn't sense anything through their link. The older demon turned off the tap, "Come on, Shizu-chan." He crouched down pulling the stained top over his head. "Look what I have." He handed the child a small rubber duck. He finished removing his clothes, lifting him into the water.
"There we go." A giggle left the boy as he waved the duck in the air. "Izaya. Listen." The demon smiled as the boy discovered the squeaker. Rinsing out the cloth, he washed his back, the child laughing as he brought the cloth to his stomach. "Tickles."
"Hmm? Then how about this?" Shizuo giggled as Izaya tickled under his arms. "Hand me the duck." He took it away, holding under water. "Look." The child blinked as the duck sprayed water in his face. "My turn." He followed Izaya's movements, holding a now slightly heavier duck and squeezing it in the demon's face. His hand rested on his back, stopping him from falling back as he laughed.
He reached for the bottle of baby shampoo, flipping off the cap. He squeezed some into his hand, massaging it into the child's soft hair. He received another face full of water from the duck. Reaching behind him, he grabbed another duck, filling it with water. "Shizu-chan." The child blinked. "No fair." Izaya dodged the spray of water, firing back.
Both of them were smiling as they had their mini water fight. Eventually he reached for the shower head, rinsing off the boy's hair. "Izaya. Look." He held up his wrinkled fingers. "That means you've been in there too long. Come on, out you get." The older demon lifted him out, throwing the child's towel on him. Patting him dry, he quickly dressed him, making sure he was warm. "Come on, now you need to eat." He lifted him up, carrying him to the kitchen.
"Stay in the chair." He set to making dinner, keeping his eye on the child, who was once again clutching the kitten soft toy. "Izaya, hungry." He rested his head on the table. "Bored Izaya." The older demon, looked away from the cooker. "Go choose one of your toys. You know where they are." He watched as the boy smiled, leaving the kitten on the table as he climbed down, running from the room. "Don't touch any of the sweets, Shizu-chan."
Next:- Nursery