Tis finished! More interactions between Shizuo and Izaya in this one (although, this is somewhat filler...). Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 7
"Kill me…" Shizuo groaned, throwing himself onto the couch in Izaya's apartment. "Kill me now…"
It was just his luck. Just when he thought this situation couldn't get any worse, the Orihara twins had decided to come to town. Great. Just as Shizuo, he couldn't deal with them but as Izaya? How was he supposed to act in front of them? How did Izaya act around his sisters? He buried his head in the couch cushions and hoped maybe, just maybe, he would suffocate and not have to deal with the mess that was slowly arriving.
However, his make-shift death attempt was interrupted by his cell phone vibrating once more.
"What is it this time…?" he groaned, pulling the phone out.
This time, instead of getting call, a text message had appeared on the phone's screen. It read:
Meet me at Russia Sushi in thirty minutes. We have things to discuss.
-Izaya
Shizuo groaned and threw the phone on the ground. He just got back from Ikebukuro! What on earth did that flea want now?
With a sigh, he reluctantly lifted himself up from the couch and left the apartment. Might as well get going now; Izaya wasn't a very patient person…
…
At least fifteen minutes later, Shizuo found himself limping back into Ikebukuro, courtesy of the bus that probably would be carting his ass back and forth from now on. Soon enough, he reached Russia Sushi, meeting Simon at the door.
"Ah, Izaya!" the tall Russian greeted with a giant smile. "How are you today?"
"Good enough, I guess," Shizuo sighed. "I'm supposed to be meeting someone here. I would presume they're in a private room. Do you know where they are?"
"Oh? You're meeting Shizuo here?" Simon frowned. "Izaya, please don't start a fight. Fighting is bad. Enjoy your sushi instead. Sushi is good."
"Don't worry, Simon," Shizuo assured the man. "I won't start anything, I promise."
Simon frowned at him, looking unconvinced.
"I know it's a lot to ask but trust me," Shizuo begged. "If something happens, you have full right not to let me enter this restaurant ever again."
Simon's grey eyes narrowed as he thought it over. "Fine, Izaya. Let me show you to the private room."
"Thanks," Shizuo sighed and missed the look Simon shot him. It wasn't usual for someone like Izaya to say words of thanks or to be genuinely polite.
The large Russian man stopped outside of the door of the private room and opened the door, gesturing with a large hand for Shizuo to enter. The bodyguard nodded in thanks and walked inside, immediately looking over at the other person in the room.
Izaya sat on the floor, still wearing his usual garb on Shizuo's body. He sat on the floor, Indian style, as he drew figures on the table with his index finger. One elbow rested on the table to support his head as his eyes scanned the wood with a bored look. Hearing the sound of the door open, he slowly looked up at Shizuo with blank hazel eyes.
"You're late," he said in a simple, even monotone.
"Bull! You know how long it takes to…" Shizuo started and became silent when Izaya fixed him with a warning glare.
Shizuo looked over his shoulder to see Simon still standing in the doorway, watching the two carefully. The bodyguard sighed; he would have to watch his temper then. Without another word, he sat down across from Izaya, sitting on his knees.
"Anything you want to drink, Izaya?" the Russian sushi chef asked Shizuo.
"Water," Shizuo said quickly, keeping his eyes on Izaya. "Just water."
Simon nodded and slowly left, looking over his shoulder to see that they hadn't torn each other to pieces yet before closing the door. The small room became eerily quiet as the two stared each other down, hazel locking with crimson. Shizuo's fists tightened around the fabric of his pants, bundling the black cloth into his hands as he desperately tried not to lunge at the man sitting across from him.
"Well?" Izaya suddenly asked. "Isn't there a question you have for me?"
"What the hell do you mean?" the bodyguard growled, glaring at the man in his body. He didn't know why he was so angry all of a sudden but that was what Izaya would do to him. There was something about the informant that just pissed him off. Maybe it was the smirk he always wore or maybe it was because of the way he talked. He didn't really know why on earth he hated the flea from day one but, truth be told, he also didn't give a damn. He hated Izaya and that was all that mattered.
"Tch…" the informant rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. "Are you always this thick? It's quite frustrating really…"
"Cut to the point, flea," Shizuo grunted.
"You have a question to ask me and I know what it is," Izaya said. "Simple, simple."
"Fine!" Shizuo snapped. "Why the hell did you call me here?"
"Finally, he gets what I'm saying…" the informant chuckled, twisting a chopstick around in his hand. "Contrary to what you may or may not believe right now, this isn't another one of my pranks. For once, this is completely serious."
"And? What is it? Why am I here?"
"We have a serious issue on our hands, Shizu-chan," Izaya sighed, dropping the chopstick on the table. "Your precious little brother Kasuka is coming to town in a week."
Shizuo perked up, surprise on his face. "Kasuka? Kasuka's coming?"
"Now don't get too excited," the informant grunted. "In case you have forgotten, I'm still you and you're still me. And as we both know, it's going to be impossible to switch back in as little time as a week."
Shizuo slumped over again, a thoughtful frown on his face. The damn flea was right. There was no way that two people who hated each other so much would be able to get along and switch back in a week.
"So what the hell are we going to do?" he asked.
"Why do you think I asked you to come here?" Izaya shot back. "I thought you might be able to provide some helpful intellect. I see I was wrong, dealing with a protozoan like you. Your brain can only go so far…"
"Oi! Watch it!" Shizuo snapped. "And besides, if you needed better brain power, why did you look to me for help instead on relying on you, the great Orihara Izaya?"
Izaya glared at the bodyguard, almost looking at a loss for words. "I…! I just thought that since you were in this situation too…!"
"I guess the great Orihara Izaya needs help from lowly protozoan every once in a while…" Shizuo said with a smug grin.
Izaya's eyes gleamed dangerously. "Oh, so you admit you're stupid then?" He smirked, knowing he had regained the upper hand.
Shizuo bristled and growled at the informant, slamming both hands on the table and leaning in close.
"Listen up, you little slimeball!" he yelled. "If you say one more word, I will tear off your fingers and…!"
At that moment, the door slid open and Shizuo turned to see Simon entering, looking at the two with an unimpressed glance. Shizuo, not forgetting his agreement with the Russian, backed away from Izaya and slid down into a sitting position.
"Here's your water," Simon said, setting the glass down in front of Shizuo. Without thinking twice, he switched to Russian and began to mutter lowly into Shizuo's ear. "Izaya, you haven't forgotten our agreement, have you? No fights with Shizuo or I'll be forced to drag you out of here. Got it?"
Shizuo, who didn't understand a word in Russian (much less English), froze in place as he tried to comprehend what the sushi chef had just said to him. Not looking at the larger man, he nodded his head slowly, trying to act like he understood. Izaya, on the other hand, understood all of what Simon had said and smiled to himself.
"What shall I get you two?" Simon asked, switching back to Japanese. "Some ootoro?"
"Yes please," Izaya smiled. "For the both of us."
Simon smiled and nodded, leaving slowly and watching the two carefully. Izaya looked back at Shizuo with a wide smirk, a playful fire in his eyes.
"So, you've gotten your first taste of Russian," he chuckled.
"That's what that was?" Shizuo asked and then let out a long sigh. "I didn't know that you knew Russian…"
"I not only know it, I'm fluent as well," Izaya said, a slight bragging tone to his voice. "I'm afraid I can't teach you. We have more important things to worry about."
"Right… Kasuka…" Shizuo muttered as he took a sip of water. Suddenly, he remembered what had happened to him before Izaya had texted. "I almost forgot to tell you this but I got a call too."
"From whom?" the informant asked, looking slightly suspicious.
"Your sisters."
Izaya, who was drinking some of his green tea, gagged on the liquid and began to cough violently. He looked up at Shizuo with surprised eyes, gripping his throat as he continued to cough.
"Wh-what?" he gasped. "Mairu and Kururi? Coming here?"
"In a week," Shizuo confirmed.
"Of course this would happen…" Izaya muttered to himself. "Only they could make this situation worse!" He got up and began to pace around, fidgeting with his jacket as he did so. "What do we do, what do we do, what do we do?"
As he continued to pace about, Shizuo heard the door slide open and turned back to see Simon entering, trays of sushi in hand. The bodyguard turned his gaze back to Izaya and saw the informant sitting back at the table, sipping his tea calmly as if nothing had happened.
How on earth does he do that? Shizuo asked himself as Izaya nodded at Simon in greeting.
"Thank you, Simon," Izaya smiled as the Russian served the sushi.
"Eat, eat!" the large Russian encouraged them. "Being hungry makes you anxious and being anxious can cause fighting. Sushi will fill you up and you will not fight. See? Sushi is good!"
"Yes… um… Thank you, Simon…" Shizuo said as the tray was set in front of him, not really knowing how to react to what the Russian had said.
Simon bowed and exited, leaving the two alone. Shizuo glanced down at the tuna nigiri in front of him and then looked back up at the informant. Izaya's eyes met his and suddenly, the bodyguard felt very flustered and looked back down again. By far, this was probably the longest they had been in a room together without trying to kill each other. It felt so… alien.
"Does Shizu-chan always stare at his food?"
Shizuo looked back up at the informant, who was smiling coyly at him. Immediately, the flustered feeling he had was gone and was replaced by irritation.
"N-no!" he spat, looking away from the informant. "Why the hell are you looking at me anyways?"
"Who says I was looking at you? Maybe it's wishful thinking~"
"Hell no!"
"Ah! Ah! Look! Shizu-chan's blushing!" Izaya chuckled, pointing a finger at the bodyguard.
"I-I am not!" Shizuo snapped, trying to keep the heat from rising to his cheeks.
"Silly Shizu-chan," the informant smiled. "You're so…" He suddenly stopped and stared at the bodyguard for a while, his eyes focused on the red spread across Shizuo's cheeks. Without saying another word, he picked up his chopsticks and muttered, "Itadakimasu…"
"Itadakimasu…" Shizuo mumbled to himself, focusing on the sushi rather than the man sitting in front of him.
A sudden, uncomfortable silence settled in the room as the men ate their meals, neither of them looking at each other. A few more minutes passed by and the silence slowly became unbearable. Shizuo glanced up at Izaya, who was making sure to keep his eyes glued to the ootoro in front of him. The silence kind of scared the bodyguard. Usually when he met Izaya, they would play a game of tennis with their words, batting insults back and forth. To Shizuo, it seemed like the informant couldn't live without spitting out some sort of snide comment. Now, with him so quiet, it started to make him nervous.
"So…" he muttered.
"So what?"
"What do we do about Kasuka and the twins?"
Izaya sighed, poking the pickled ginger around on his plate. "Yes, that… To tell you the truth, I have no idea…"
"How about we try to switch back?" the bodyguard asked hopefully. "Maybe we can actually get along within a week."
"I doubt it," Izaya snorted, picking up a piece of nigiri and popping it into his mouth. "Hell would freeze over first."
"What other option do we have?" Shizuo asked. "There is no way that I'll be able to act like you while your sisters are in town!"
Izaya's eyes lit up and he back to Shizuo, a small smile on his face. "You're right… You're right! There is no way that you would be able to act like me!"
"Yes, I know…" Shizuo muttered, looking slightly confused. "Why are you so happy about that?"
"You won't be able to act like me…" Izaya continued. "Unless I train you how!"
There was a slight pause. "Excuse me…?"
"The only way that we can deal with each other's respective siblings is if we teach each other how to act in front of them," Izaya explained, sitting on his knees and leaning over the table. "We have a week, correct?"
"Yes, but I don't really see…"
"Perfect! There will be more than enough time!"
"More than enough time?" Shizuo repeated. "Izaya, are you insane? It will definitely take me more than a week to act like a scumbag such as yourself."
"Sticks and stones," Izaya sighed, brushing the insult off. "Trust me, Shizu-chan, I think we both know enough about to each other to at least have some experience on how we act, hmm?"
"The hell do you mean?"
"We fight all the time so we already know how enough about each other," Izaya explained. "In fact, I know exactly where you live now, where you lived in high school, and what colleges you tried to attend before you were kicked out for being too… rambunctious, I could say."
"You do know that you sound like a stalker, right?" Shizuo asked dryly, not really impressed with what Izaya had to offer.
"Come on, Shizu-chan, you and I both know that this is the best solution to our problems," the informant reasoned, leaning closer to the bodyguard. "And besides, who knows? Maybe on the way we'll find out how to switch back. How does that sound?"
Shizuo mulled it over, weighing the options. If he got to learn more about Izaya, he would be able to interact with the twins without suspicion and a visa-versa for the flea. If he didn't, well, he'd been in for hell within a week and there could be less of a chance of them switching back. Coming to a decision, he glanced up at Izaya.
Of course, he had to back away seeing at the informant had come uncomfortably close to him.
"Before I answer, get out of my face," Shizuo grunted, pushing Izaya away. "Izaya, your idea, dare I say it, is the best solution for now. I'll agree to it."
"Wonderful!" Izaya smiled and ate another piece of nigiri. He looked at Shizuo, who still hadn't touched his food. "Well? Aren't you going to eat?"
"Who wants to know?" the bodyguard shot back.
Izaya sighed heavily, shaking his head in dismay. "This may take longer than I first thought… Shizu-chan, the first thing you must know about me is that I never hesitate to have some ootoro. As you probably have already seen, I very much like it." He picked a piece up, examining it closely. "In fact, I think I may be developing an unhealthy addiction for it…" he popped the piece into his mouth, making a pleased sound as the tender meat touched his tongue. "Anyway, people would think that I was ill if I refused some ootoro. So, as your first lesson in being moi, take note of what I eat and what I don't eat."
"…Right…" Shizuo dead-panned, picking up a piece of the nigiri. "Do I have to look as horribly stupid as you do when I eat it?"
Izaya shot him a glare but decided not to respond to the comment. "Just look like you're enjoying it, that's all."
"Got it," the bodyguard noted. "Anything else I should know about your eating habits?"
"Despite of what you think of me, I never slouch at the table," the informant moved over to Shizuo, grabbing the man's shoulders. "I always sit up straight." He pushed Shizuo's shoulders back so that the other's back was erect and straight. "And I usually prefer tea to accompany my food but I'm not all too picky when it comes to my eating habits."
"Somehow, I doubt that…" Shizuo remarked.
Izaya went back to his original seat and snorted, holding his nose up in the air. "Think what you will, Shizu-chan, think what you will…" He then reverted to a more relaxed position, leaning on the table and staring at the wood intently. "But regardless, our mission now is to get to know each other as much as possible before our respective siblings arrive."
"For once, I agree with you," Shizuo sighed and then frowned. He had just agreed with the flea on something? He didn't know if he was disgusted or relieved by that fact. "What should we do?"
Izaya looked thoughtful for a moment and then his eyes lit up. "First off, we're going to leave."
"Leave?" Shizuo asked, slightly confused. "What do you mean 'leave?'"
"Oh, so thick-headed~" Izaya sighed as he stood up. "We're leaving the restaurant so we can go to your apartment."
"Why?"
"Shizu-chan, I may call you stupid but that doesn't mean I have to be right," the informant sighed and Shizuo let out a low growl. "We might as well start teaching each other now so we can get a head start. Does that make any sense to your walnut-sized brain?"
The bodyguard nodded slowly and Izaya smiled.
"Great! Now, let's leave!"
"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Shizuo protested and Izaya began to pull on his sleeve.
"But Shizu-chaaaaaan~!" the informant whined. "We have to!"
"I'm not going!" Shizuo snarled and folded his arms across his chest, intent on staying seated on the floor.
There was a beat of silence and then…
"I'll pick you up again."
"Fine!" Shizuo snapped, getting to his feet. "But it's only because I want to get this over with!"
"Good Shizu-chan~" Izaya chuckled and patted the other man on the head.
"Oi! Don't do that!" Shizuo snapped and grabbed at Izaya's hand.
The informant quickly pulled his hand away and twirled around so he was facing the door. "Shall we take our leave?"
"Go die."
"After you," Izaya grinned, holding the door open as he gestured for Shizuo to exit.
The bodyguard walked past the informant, shooting the other man a suspicious glare as he went. Izaya only smiled back, his eyes filled with mischievous intent. The two walked to the front of the restaurant in silence, finding Simon in no time.
"Ah, Shizuo, Izaya!" the large man greeted with a smile. "Leaving so soon? It seems like you just started!"
"Sorry, Simon, but we have business to attend to," Izaya said with a small smile. "Here, let me pay you…" He reached into pockets and pulled out Shizuo's worn wallet, opening it up to reveal…
Nothing.
He looked down at it in silence, inwardly kicking himself as he remembered just how dirt poor Shizuo was.
"Let me handle this, Shizuo," Shizuo chirped, satisfied that Izaya's roll had been ended. He pulled out the flea's fancier (and surely fatter) wallet and looked inside, pulling out a few bills. Handing them to Simon with a smile, he said "Keep the change. Thank you for the meal."
"Douitashimashite!" Simon smiled as the two left the restaurant.
Izaya snorted and put the worn wallet away, glaring at the grinning man beside him. "Bastard."
"Takes one to know one," Shizuo remarked, smirking at the informant. "The Great Orihara Izaya forgot the fact that I'm dirt poor? I never thought it possible."
"Shut up…" Izaya grumbled. "You're such a…" He paused and a smirk wormed its way onto his face. "Maybe this won't be so hard after all…"
"What makes you say that?"
"You're already starting to act like me," Izaya chuckled and Shizuo glared at him.
"I am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too times infinity~"
Shizuo snorted and turned away from the informant. "You're such a five year old…"
"Hmmm… I remember this kind of conversation going on earlier…" Izaya said thoughtfully. "I believe you said, 'Takes one to know one…' Right, Shizu-chan?"
"I hate you…" the bodyguard growled. "You little cockroach…"
"You do know that cockroaches are nearly invincible, right?" the informant snickered. "So, I'll take it as a compliment~"
"You know what? Screw this!" Shizuo growled, turning back the way they came. "I'm going back to freaking Shinjuku so I don't have to worry about you!"
"Ah, ah, ah~!" Izaya chuckled, grabbing Shizuo's collar. "Not so fast!"
"Let me go!" Shizuo growled, swinging his arms around uselessly as Izaya picked him up off of the ground. "Put me down now or I'll-!"
"Or you'll break every bone in my body…" Izaya sighed, as he carried Shizuo off. "I know, I know."
Shizuo snorted and stopped struggling, folding his arms over his chest as he let his feet hang over the ground. "I really do hate you…"
"Don't worry," Izaya smiled. "The feeling's mutual."
The bodyguard only snorted in response and Izaya sighed, continuing to hold the other up by his collar. "You know, Shizu-chan's lighter than I thought…"
"That's because I'm you at the moment, idiot!" Shizuo snapped. "And put me down! I can walk on my own!"
"But you'll run off again~"
"No… I won't…" Shizuo sighed, still frustrated. "Now put me down."
"Promise?"
"Promise," the word was pushed through the bodyguard's teeth.
"Hmmm…" Izaya pretended to think about it. "Nah. This is too much fun!"
"You…! You little bastard!" Shizuo shouted, fighting against Izaya's grip. "Put me down! Put me down now! Are you even listening to me? If you don't put me down, I'll…"
For the rest of the trip, Shizuo's angered shouts filled the entire city and Izaya learned how to block certain noises from entering his ears.
