v. keep your friends close and your enemies closer

If you had told Shizuo two years ago that one day he would be texting Orihara Izaya and holding a civil conversation, he would've thrown you so far you'd end up in the following week.

Strangely enough, talking to Izaya had taken up a good part of his week following the "incident," as he called it. Of course, it hadn't started out with smooth sailing. It couldn't, with all of the chaos brewing between them. Either Izaya had lost his mind or he had a death wish, and Shizuo could admit he was a little concerned to find out which it was.

The following day, Shizuo received a text.

[From: Flea

- I'd like to make a deal with you.]

Shizuo groaned, and debated for minutes on end on whether or not he would even answer. The opportunity was too good, so he caved in.

[To: Flea

- none of those weird faces or anything

- You're serious]

He could almost hear Izaya chuckle.

[From: Flea

- I can't leave you alone. It's too much fun messing with you.

- But

- You can get your wish, and we can stop being enemies. This will be my way of messing with you.

- In exchange, you forget that yesterday ever happened.

To: Flea

- How do I know I can trust you

From: Flea

- I embarrassed myself in front of you. Multiple times.]

Shizuo smiled to himself as he typed.

[To: Flea

- Yeah you did

From: Flea

- Deal?

To: Flea

- Deal]

What have I done.

. . .

"Shizuo-kun, this is great news! Now I've had all three of my teenage dreams come true."

"That was one of your dreams?"

Shinra beamed. "Why wouldn't it be? I wanted nothing more than for you two to get along from the start."

"But we're not getting along," Shizuo replied, crossing his arms. "I'm tolerating his bullshit, for once."

Shinra leaned in a little too close for comfort and Shizuo backed up against his chair. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say there's a friendship forming."

Shizuo scoffed. "Don't be an idiot."

"Anyway," Shinra fell back in his own seat and tapped his fingers against the table. "What were your dreams back then?"

Shizuo was silent in thought for a moment. "Controlling or getting rid of my strength somehow. Killing Izaya. Graduating."

Shinra chuckled. "There. You have no right to make fun of me."

"Okay, and let me guess, your other two were to have Celty like you back and to become a doctor."

Shinra shook his head in disappointment, yet his smile remained. "When did you get so sassy?"

Shizuo shrugged the question off and was met with a pouting Shinra. The corners of his mouth formed a smile, and Shinra's soon followed suit. Shizuo would have to admit, it was nice spending more time with Shinra. He was still, well, Shinra, but he had felt a little guilty for never stopping by because, as Shinra put it, "the fate of Ikebukuro was in the balance." There was always something going on in the city, but for the first time, Shizuo could visit Shinra and not have it be because he had been shot by a Yellow Scarves member, had accidentally kidnapped a child, or had to help stop his brother's girlfriend's stalker. Things hadn't been this way since they were in elementary school. It was strange to think about.

Still, as he gazed at the man he had come to known since childhood, he couldn't help be haunted by Izaya's words.

"You do know what he did, right?"

Fortunately, Celty's sudden arrival stopped him from thinking about it.

Shinra practically jumped out of his chair, rushing to the door as he heard the knob turn. Celty stood in the doorway, attempting to take her boots off only to stop when Shinra greeted her in a tight embrace.

"Welcome home!"

Shinra's hold on Celty was so tight that she couldn't even reach for her PDA, and Shizuo watched as her shoulders sagged as if she were sighing before she returned the hug.

"I know, but I still missed you."

Shizuo paused all other thoughts, and stared blankly at the happy couple.

Seriously, how can he do that?

Shinra eventually released his bride-to-be and Celty filled the vacant seat beside him at their kitchen table.

[It's good to see you again.]

Shizuo nodded in reply. He didn't have anything in particular to say, and fortunately, Shinra began rambling before he even had the chance.

"Celty, you're not going to believe this."

Frantically, she began typing.

[Don't tell me...does it have anything to do with aliens? Anything? Are we doomed?]

Shinra cast her a suspicious glance. "Have you been watching those documentaries again?"

She began to type, and ended up putting her PDA down.

"It has something to do with Shizuo, unless you want to consider him an alien," Shinra said rather enthusiastically. "Seriously, one of these days you have to let me dissect-"

"Shinra."

Shizuo said it, Celty faced him with what Shizuo could assume was a judgmental stare, and Shinra fell silent.

[What happened?]

Shizuo explained as briefly as he possibly could, and at first, Celty couldn't respond. Shinra seemed shocked himself to hear it again despite his earlier excitement. It wasn't something any of them had ever expected to happen, or to hear about. Ikebukuro was a city of wonder, surprise, and change, but Izaya's recent actions took the cake.

[So you visited Izaya's hotel room?]

That was a rather odd question.

"Yeah. Why?"

[I need you to take me there. I've actually been assigned to find him.]

"That doesn't sound good."

Celty nodded. [Well, it's a personal request from Shiki-san himself.]

Shizuo blankly stared at her.

"He's from the Awakusu-kai," Shinra butted in. "Celty, Izaya, and I all work for him."

Shizuo rose from his seat. "Alright, I can take you there."

[Thank you.]

Shinra didn't move nor face them, sending them off with a wave. "Have fun."

Shizuo raised his brows and Celty seemed to sigh as she led Shizuo to where Shooter was parked. From her hands came a helmet of shadows that she passed to Shizuo before settling on her bike. Shizuo begrudgingly put the helmet on before joining her, and Shooter whinnied as they took off into the night.

The ride to Izaya's was far less painful than it had been to be dragged there against his will, though the silence outside of Shizuo giving directions was a bit unnerving. Granted, having Celty type while driving wasn't exactly the best idea. Still, Shizuo wondered what this enigmatic Shiki-san would want with Izaya.

Probably got into some shit before he disappeared, was what he decided on.

Eventually they arrived, and Celty parked Shooter off to the side as if to avoid gathering too much attention. Of course, it was futile when you considered the people involved. No matter how much time passed, Celty Sturluson, Heiwajima Shizuo, and Orihara Izaya would be immortalized in this bustling city of the extraordinary. The elevator ride was proof enough of this. No one dared step on with them, and when they reached Izaya's floor, everyone waiting immediately vanished. The two were infamous even in Shinjuku. Fortunately, not having to deal with anyone made it easy for Shizuo to take Celty to Izaya. He knocked twice at the door, and when there was no answer, he knocked again. "Flea, open up."

The door unlocked and a welcoming Izaya stood in the doorway. "Ah, Shizu-cha-"

His demeanor warped when he noticed Celty beside Shizuo. It was as clear as day, and had Celty had the ability to frown, she most likely would have. [I need to talk business with you.]

"Come in." Izaya stepped back, opening the door further and allowing them to enter. He sauntered over to his makeshift desk, turning the chair around to face the two, gesturing for them to take a seat. "I'm assuming Shiki-san sent for you. Do I want to know what for?"

[He has something he wants you to look into.] Celty began. [He didn't give me any specifics, but he did say he'd prefer you over anyone else now that you're back.]

Izaya leered. "Oh? I just might have to look into it, then."

Shizuo grimaced. "I'm heading out."

Izaya's eyes followed him as he left and he called out, "Nice seeing you, Shizu-chan."

"Mhmm." Shizuo closed the door behind him and began his descent back down to the ground floor and outside. He found comfort in his cigarettes, puffing smoke out into the air as he leaned against a streetlight. One soon became two, and he found himself wondering if he should text Celty to check up on her. He couldn't imagine that whatever she was being subjected was pleasant.

There I go again. He sighed, letting the bud fall from his fingers before crushing it with his shoe. Have some faith in him.

Celty exited the building and approached him not too long after, PDA in hand.

"How did it go?"

[He accepted it, no surprise there.]

Shizuo opened his mouth to reply, only to silence himself as he noticed Celty typing once more. [He seems really off, though.]

Shizuo snorted. "Yeah, no kidding."

[You're taking this better than I thought you would.]

"It's not easy, but I've had two years to think about it," he began, gazing up at the hotel building in thought. "Honestly, I wish he had never even came back, but only because he's so confusing. Something's up with him, but I think he's trying to be decent for once."

Celty nodded. [Still, it's hard to accept. This is Izaya we're talking about.]

"Trust me, I know. But if I can change, maybe he can too."

Shizuo could almost see the warm smile radiating from Celty's words. [I'm proud of you.]

He turned away, adjusting his sunglasses with a shy smile. "Shut up."

[I mean it. You're not normally so open-minded. I can only hope I can get to that point.]

"You're giving me too much credit," Shizuo said grimly.

[The fact that you're even considering giving him the benefit of the doubt says a lot.]

Shizuo simply shrugged it off. "We really need to talk about something other than Izaya."

Celty's shoulders shook as she typed her response. [Have you seen the trailer for Kasuka's new movie yet?]

That managed to make him smile. "'Course I have."

[We should go see it when it comes out.]

It was so casual, and so unlike an urban legend such as the Headless Rider. Shizuo couldn't help but laugh. "Can you imagine the two of us going to the movies together?" It was so mundane, yet so unnatural.

He wasn't complaining.

[We'll just go at a weird time or something…]

Shizuo could sense Celty's hesitation, and with a smile he replied, "I'd like that."

Celty stared down at her PDA for a moment before typing. [We should probably head back. Shinra seemed a little jealous.]

"Jealous?"

[Izaya hasn't contacted him at all.] She clarified. [I can tell that he likes listening to you talk about him, but he's bothered by it, too.]

"Isn't Shinra Izaya's only friend?"

[Exactly.]

"Well," Shizuo started, turning on his heel and making his way towards Shooter. "Let's go."

. . .

Seeing Celty was the last straw.

Tomorrow, Izaya had decided, he would text Shinra.

Fate was either kind or cruel as he found himself waking up in his friend's arms, Shinra greeting him with a smile.

"Good to see you again, Orihara-kun."

. . .

Someone was in the room.

He couldn't help but curse himself for how careless he had been. At the time, leaving his room to get some fresh air and call Shiki had seemed like a good idea, especially after he had, once again, been holed up in his room all day. He'd get his laundry done, figure out what Shiki wanted, and be a functioning member of society once more.

He should've expected this. Shiki was only just now trying to contact him, not even directly, weeks after his return. In those few weeks, no one had acted. Izaya hadn't left with a clean slate, and he certainly wouldn't return with one, as long as someone knew he was back. News travelled quickly in Ikebukuro. Someone, surely, would come to kill him.

It was his night in the hospital all over again. The euphoria he had felt as he attempted to guess which one of his many enemies would try to take his life seemed decades apart from the chill that now ran down his spine. After his fight with Shizuo, Izaya had become increasingly aware of his own mortality, and how that scared him.

He didn't dare turn around at first, but he knew someone was certainly waiting on the other side of his room, crawling out from whatever hiding place they had found while he had been absent. Cautiously, he reached for his phone with one hand and his switchblade with the other, and he silently lay in wait. His finger hovered over Shinra's contact as he attempted to come up with a plan. Hiding out for so long had made him far too rusty for someone in his line of work. It was pathetic, he thought.

It was pathetic, but maybe he could accept his fate. Maybe dying right then and there was what he deserved.

That thought didn't last long, but it was already too late. His mind was too slow to process anything, and he was already on the ground. His phone flew from his hand, and red began to fill his vision as his blood stained the floor. The deja vu was almost too intense to handle. He wondered if he was dreaming, reliving being stabbed by Yodogiri Jinnai, but this time with a gunshot. His fingers reached for his phone, and for a moment, he hesitated. The thoughts returned; maybe he deserved this.

But Orihara Izaya would be damned if he wasn't the most stubborn bastard alive.

His bloodied fingers hit the call button, and his phone rang, rang, rang.

He wanted to curse Shinra, but he wasn't in the position to.

Eventually, he picked up.

"Ah, I was wondering how long it would take for you to call. Hello again, Orihara-kun."

Izaya's eyes fluttered shut.

"Oh, so this is how it's going to be. I see."

Silence.

"Orihara-kun?"

No answer.

Then, it hit him.

"Izaya?"

. . .

"Shinra?"

Dazed, Izaya looked up at his friend. He attempted to pull himself up, only to collapse against Shinra's lap, closing his eyes.

"I guess we're even now." Shinra grinned, clearly pleased despite the situation. He didn't ask any questions. He didn't have to.

So he had thought.

"Thank you."

Shinra's eyes widened, and he turned to Celty, looking for answers she didn't have.

Yet, he smiled. I was right. "Do I need to examine your brain too? Something's got to be wrong with you."

"I could say the same for you."

Shinra gasped. "How cruel!"

Welcome back, Izaya.

. . .

4:13 am.

[From: Flea

- Shizu-chan, I need a favor ｡(*^▽^*)ゞ]

author's note

And so the plot thickens!

Don't worry, it's not going to be anything crazy like last time. But, it's not an Umi Hinode fic if someone doesn't get stabbed/shot in chapter 4/5. Sorry Izaya. For the third time.

Next time, things escalate quickly, and feelings slowly become less confusing. See you then!