This had been a very bad idea.
Izaya's mood worsened with every step as he pushed through the busy throngs of people crowding Ikebukuro's streets. Shizuo followed closely behind, awkwardly trying to squirm through as he was jostled around. Izaya glanced back irritably, quickening his pace.
It's not that anything had gone wrong. No one had stopped on the streets and tried to make trouble, Shizuo hadn't had another panic episode in the middle of the sidewalk, and all of Ikebukuro's police force thankfully seemed to be busy elsewhere.
Izaya slipped through a gap in the crowd, casually shoving a teenager out of his way. Nothing had gone wrong, no. Normally Izaya would have been overly-pleased with himself to have a plan work so well. But, as he glared back at the blonde desperately trying to keep up with him, he knew he was overly pissed at all the attention.
Izaya did not like to be seen. He loved being secretive, playing puppeteer from the shadows. Granted, making his presence known in light of a spectacular bit of mischief was always fun. But, the less regular people saw him, the better.
Shizuo, on the other hand, was far too noticeable. Tall, blonde, and loud, Shizuo was never someone Izaya wanted along when he was trying to be stealthy. Izaya grit his teeth as the blonde bumped into another passerby, who turned and stared curiously. Shizuo gave an apologetic nod, turning to hurry after Izaya. The brunet winced and sped up his steps, trying to put as much distance as possible between them.
As much as he tried to outpace the other, Izaya's quick strides were no match for Shizuo's. As soon as the streets thinned out, Izaya was less than pleased to find a panting blonde at his side. He glanced up at the other, momentarily confused when Shizuo shot him an anxious look. Oh… He thinks I'm angry. Izaya forced a smile. "Don't worry, it's nothing." Shizuo looked relieved, falling into step with the other.
Izaya reluctantly allowed Shizuo to remain beside him as they traversed the last two blocks before stopping in front of a small supermarket. Izaya tapped Shizuo on the shoulder as he stepped through the sliding doors. "Stay a few feet away from me." he murmured, avoiding eye contact. Shizuo blinked, obediently wandering off.
Izaya breathed a sigh in relief, grabbing a small plastic basket from a stack. He wandered through the aisles, expertly plucking the cheapest brands off the shelves. He quickly gathered enough food for a few small meals, ticking off items on his mental list.
As he expertly compared the two remaining apples in a bin, he noticed Shizuo had wandered over to inspect some vegetables. The other was currently sticking his head under the glass roofing, studying the carrots with an amusing amount of interest. Izaya gave him a fond look until he noticed a nearby woman doing the same, slowly inching closer to the blonde. Izaya shot her a look of contempt, snorting. Idiot. She wouldn't be so bold if she had recognized Shizuo, Izaya was sure. He turned back to his wares, intent on ignoring her.
Izaya suddenly tensed when he heard the electronic warning sounds of a storm, signaling that the water was about to be turned on. He snuck a glance at Shizuo, who was obliviously standing under a spigot. Izaya forced his eyes back, trying to concentrate on his shopping. The blonde would learn.
Sure enough, a burst of water rained down upon Shizuo's head, causing the blond to jerk his head away and rub at his eyes furiously. Izaya stifled a laugh, until he saw the woman do the same as she approached Shizuo.
"You don't come here much, do you?" she smiled, offering a napkin she had miraculously produced from her purse. Whore. Shizuo blinked and tentatively took the offering, wiping his face. Slut. A thin trickle of water continued to run down his cheek from his sopping wet cap. The woman giggled. Skank.
"Here, now." she said, reaching up. "You need to take this off if you want to get dry." Izaya's head whipped around.
In one swift motion, the woman pulled the hat off Shizuo's head, letting his tousled blond hair fall free. Son of a bitch. The woman gasped and dropped the cap, taking a step backward.
"S-Shizuo Heiwajima!" she stammered nervously. "I-I…"
The entire store seemed to freeze and turn towards them in unison. Izaya's heart sped up as their eyes swiveled to the dripping blonde, and then to him. Time to go.
Izaya ducked around the corner, pushing through aisles. He had to get away before his reputation was completely ruined. Shizuo, unfortunately, mistook the other's anxiety as a signal and hurried after Izaya.
Izaya slid between two shopping carts, racing for the exit. He shoved through the line, ignoring squeals of protest that were quickly muffled when he was recognized. He was 3 feet to the door when a security guard threw his arm out, knocking the wind out of Izaya.
"You didn't pay for that." He growled, prodding Izaya's basket. The other glared at him as he struggled to re-catch his breath.
"See that?" he panted, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. The guard turned his head suspiciously, and caught sight of Shizuo barreling towards him. Izaya smirked as the man swallowed nervously. "Yeah, he's going to destroy everything in this store if you don't let me out. Now."
"I- Well…" the guard protested. "Can't you just leave the bask-". Izaya was already out the door. The guard side-stepped nervously as Shizuo tore after him. As the two raced down the street, theft alarms ringing throughout the store, the man briefly wondered if there was any chance of saving his job.
Izaya laughed as he pulled Shizuo up his apartment stairs. He may have liked working incognito, but causing chaos with Shizuo was always fun. Izaya leaned against the other and grinned. "Not bad, Shizuo. I need to take you shopping more often." He hefted the basket he had taken, sifting through the packages. "I think I saved enough to compensate for the damage the twins did." Shizuo smiled gently, tilting his head.
Izaya began rummaging through his pocket for his keys as they stopped before his door. He reached for the handle, only to stop. His door was open. Really, again? Izaya sighed. No doubt the twins were back. Shouldn't they be at school by now? He nudged the door open, motioning to Shizuo to follow.
"Mairu, Kururi, get out. I don't have time for this." He warned, eyes flicking around the hallway. He cautiously peeked around the corner into the living room. He knew his sisters were not above an ambush. His gaze traveled across the dark room, landing on a form sitting on his couch. A person stood up, and Izaya instantly knew they were not his sisters.
"Shit." He fumbled for the knife in his pocket, grabbing it out and holding it up to eye-level. The person tilted their head, amused. Izaya looked back at Shizuo, who was peering over his shoulder thoughtfully. Izaya shoved backwards, urging the blonde to get out. Shizuo stumbled back, confused.
"Hey, there." Izaya said sweetly, turning his attention back to the intruder. He took a step left, slowly circling the couch. "And who might you be?" The intruder snorted.
"You're an idiot."
Izaya exhaled. "Oh, it's you." He reached over and flicked on the light. "So nice of you to visit, Namie." The woman rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.
"So why are you here?" Izaya asked, brushing past her to place his basket on an end-table. Namie looked away, cold disdain etched into her face.
"I needed to go over some paperwork." Her eyes flicked over to the remains of Izaya's shattered table. "Imagine my surprise when I nearly tripped over that."
"I'll clean it up later." Izaya dismissed with a wave of his hand. Namie looked at him with contempt. "What did that, anyway?"
"Blame him." Izaya shrugged, looking over at Shizuo. Name raised an eyebrow, finally noticing the blonde. "Oh?" she hummed, giving Izaya a curious look. "Why is he here?"
"My sisters dropped him off. They stole him from a hospital." Izaya said casually, turning to head into the kitchen. Namie nodded, unmoved. She walked forward, examining Shizuo who was now giving her a wary stare.
"Brain damage?" she asked, tilting her head to examine the blonde's eyes.
"Wow, you really are a doctor!" Izaya laughed from the other room.
"Actually, I'm not." Namie said coolly. "But, you aren't dead and he's not destroying things, so that's the only probable explanation."
"Well, that's what Shinra thinks anyway." Izaya conceded, re-entering the room. "He's also speculating on memory loss, but the twins took Shizuo before the tests were done."
Namie turned to look at him. "I'm curious as to how he ended up in the hospital in the first place."
"Mm… even I don't really know that." Izaya admitted, lying down on the couch. "The cops found him in an alley, rambling. Tom Tanaka called it in, but…" Izaya yawned, "They only found Shizuo when they got there. They're still looking for Tom."
"Too bad. Tanaka was a good guy." Namie said, picking up a folder.
Izaya looked at her and smirked. "Was? Such an optimist."
Namie gave a humorless laugh, turning back to her work. "You should take care of your 'damaged goods'. He's been standing there for 5 minutes."
Izaya looked over at Shizuo, who was glaring at Namie distrustfully. He laughed, beckoning the other over."It's alright. She may be heartless, but she won't hurt you." Namie shot him a frosty look. "She might kill me, though."
Shizuo nodded once and made his way to the couch, eyeing Namie carefully. Izaya pulled him down onto the cushions, allowing Shizuo to nestle in beside him. He absently stroked the blonde's hair as he felt the other slowly relax against him. Izaya looked over at Namie, but she was pointedly ignoring them.
"Hey, Namie." Izaya said, turning his head. "How'd you get inside, anyway? You usually have to call to be let in." Namie paused in her work.
"I did call." She said carefully, studying a page. "You didn't answer. And when I got to the door, these…" she smiled, holding up his keys, "were lying on your mat."
Izaya stared at her. "What?"
She snapped the book shut. "I thought that was unlike you," she smirked, "But now I see you have a new toy to distract you."
Izaya stuck out his tongue. "We're hungry. Go make us breakfast." He ordered, burying his face in Shizuo's hair.
"I'm busy." Namie replied, replacing the book on a shelf. "Feed yourself."
Izaya lifted his head up. "I believe our deal was that you get my info if you cook. Now cook." Namie sighed, placing the stack of papers she'd accumulated onto the floor.
"You know," she said, heading for the kitchen, "It's not wise to force someone who's an expert on lethal drugs to prepare your food." Izaya ignored her.
As soon as she was out of the room, Izaya reached into his pocket and checked his phone. 3 missed calls, 2 new messages. "Damn," Izaya murmured, resting his head on Shizuo. "You're really distracting."
Namie returned a few minutes later, carrying two steaming dishes. She placed them on the floor, stepping around the shattered pieces of Izaya's table. "Here." She said stiffly, rubbing her hands on her skirt. "Now let me work."
Izaya examined the meal with a critical eye. "This toast is burned. And these eggs are runny." Namie glared at him before stomping off into the other room. "Are you sure you're a woman?" Izaya called after her. He reached down and picked up the plate, reaching behind to give one to Shizuo. "Here." He said, handing him a fork Namie had left. Shizuo sat up and took the offered items, before looking hesitantly at the food.
"She didn't poison it." Izaya assured him. I think. He picked his own fork and took a bite. Shizuo cautiously copied him. Izaya chuckled when the other made a contorted face. "Yeah, sorry about the taste. She's kind of a crappy cook." He said loudly, grinning when he heard a crash from the other room. Shizuo smiled and took another bite.
The two had nearly finished off their meal when a loud knocking interrupted them. Izaya looked at his front door and sighed. What now? He placed his meal next to Shizuo, who was now licking his plate clean, and headed to the front door. He peered through the eye-hole and grimaced.
"Hey, Rider." He said, swinging open the door with a fake grin. Celty nodded at him and held up her phone.
'I'm here to pick up Shizuo.'
AN: I am really really really sorry this is so late. Sickness and work and revisions, oh my!
Sorry.
