Say hello to the longest chapter yet, guys! 8D; I decided to go ahead and work on this story for my NaNoWriMo this year, so I've been flying through it lately... Ch.10 was actually supposed to be even longer (there was a specific scene I was working towards), but it was getting too long, so just consider ch.11 (which will hopefully be out at the end of the weekend) a sort of 10.5.

I THINK you all are really going to like this stretch from ch.10-12 (especially 12... *u* fufufu~)... I've got some fun plans before a bit of angst sets in x)

As always, thanks to my lurvely beta pssty! Which reminds me; I finally completed my beta profile on here :) So if anyone's looking for a fast, thorough beta... message me! AND thanks to all of those who have alerted/favorited/reviewed this story ^ ^ Every time I see a new review, my heart does a little dance... Uh, anyway... to the chapter!

Disclaimer: If I owned DRRR!, I wouldn't have let JYB do Izaya's dub voice ;n; He seriously sounds like he's trying to seduce Shizuo, you guys... OTL

Cold.

Snowflakes hit Izaya's face like needles as he pressed on against the high winds of the storm. It was freezing, and Izaya felt as though he had the entirety of Ikebukuro to himself. He probably did.

After all, no one else had a reason like his to brave the violent weather.

Izaya was finally running away from home. Part of the boy wondered at how he thought he could manage on his own; he had just entered high school after all. Another much louder part of Izaya's mind was marveling at why the hell he hadn't gotten out of there sooner.

Shuddering, Izaya pulled his thin school jacket closer to his body. His eyes glanced up the long street, though he really couldn't be sure since he could scarcely see a foot in front of him. But if Izaya was right – and he almost always was – he was getting nearer to the high-end district of Ikebukuro.

He paused for a moment in the light of a street lamp, appreciating the slight warmth it gave him. It occurred to him for a single moment that he had only two options: he could return home or he could freeze to death.

Izaya chuckled softly to himself, that chuckle turning into a mad burst of laughter as the boy remembered why he had left his home in the first place.

His father had been beating his mother, and Izaya had finally had enough. He had leapt in to help his mother, pulling the knife he had bought only a week prior from his pocket. Triumph had burned brightly through Izaya's veins when he had plunged the blade into his father's arm.

And for a second, as Izaya had taken in the sight of his mother's wide eyes, he thought that everything would finally change. But his happiness was short-lived, as his mother had suddenly lunged at him, attacking Izaya so violently that his only chance had been to run.

Now Izaya was out in the snow, completely and utterly alone.

"What was I thinking? Running like this… I'm going to die out here!" he giggled.

The first sharp release of breath made Izaya feel a million times lighter, and he knew it was simply the endorphins rushing to his brain, his own body working to make him believe he was happy right now, but he couldn't stop.

Izaya threw his head back, icy snowflakes whipping at his face, and laughed beneath that warm street lamp until the back of his throat was raw with cold and forced laughter.

The empty street no longer seemed as empty with the sound of his own cheerful voice echoing all around him, bounding off of the walls of surrounding buildings and perhaps the very darkness itself.

Why the fuck had he ever thought he needed anyone? All he needed-

Izaya's shoulders shook as his giggling fit died down, and he bent forward, clutching at his chest as he tried to regain his breath. The cold air burned at his mouth with every intake of oxygen, but Izaya didn't care.

He didn't care what happened to him now or later. All that mattered to him now was that he had gotten out of that hellhole!

Though it would probably help if he had somewhere to go, otherwise his victory would be very short-lived…

"Who do I know who would let me stay with them for a little while?" questioned Izaya out loud, glad that he had realized he didn't feel as alone if he could at least listen to the sound of his own voice.

Slowly, Izaya fell back against the lamppost, sitting himself down in a far-from-comfortable pile of snow. The light flickered once, twice, before suddenly shutting off, and Izaya narrowed his eyes against the harsh darkness.

Now that his only light source had been extinguished, Izaya could see the faint glow of headlights coming through the snow, and the rumbling of an engine could be heard over the shrill gales of wind.

"Haha, what kind of a nutcase is out driving in this weather?"

And then, with an amused grin:

"But I suppose that makes me a nutcase, too! Whoever this mysterious driver is, they must be a kindred spirit~"

As the car came closer, Izaya's heart began to flutter in his chest.

The car was slowing down.

The teen attempted to make himself appear smaller, pulling his knees up to his chest and hoping that he might go unnoticed by the strange driver

Izaya had been having "wonderful" luck that evening, however, and he really hadn't expected it to run out on him now. Of course the car came to a standstill as it reached Izaya, its engine snapping and crackling in protest at the storm.

Izaya looked up at the tinted passenger's window, his breath freezing into little crystals before his face.

With an ominous squeak of glass against rubber, the window began to roll down with a labored slowness that made Izaya's mind race with panic even more.

Anyone could be in that car; a murderer, a pervert, yakuza… Whoever was out in such weather with such an expensive car certainly wasn't any good.

But then, who was Izaya to judge?

It was hard to see in the dark, but a faint light in the car outlined the face peering back at Izaya just enough so that the teen could discern some features of the man who could be either his savior or his killer.

The man was dressed well. The white jacket of his suit practically glowed in the darkness, and his face had a roughness to it that suggested a hidden cruelty.

Yakuza, Izaya decided.

"You need some help, kid?" the man asked suspiciously, and Izaya knew there was more to that question that what the words suggested.

Haha, did this man think he was in some sort of gang?

"No, sir," replied Izaya, already resenting whatever it was about this man that made him fearful enough to respect him.

The car stalled in the snow, and Izaya heard the man's driver say something to him, but the man merely waved his hand dismissively. Though Izaya couldn't see clearly in the storm, he could feel the older man examining him carefully, and Izaya began to feel incredibly uneasy.

"Get in," said the man gruffly.

All Izaya needed was himself. If he didn't look out for himself, then no one would.

With one last thought of the life he was likely leaving behind forever – the parents who claimed to love him in the same breath they took as they hurt him, the friends he had never felt connected to – Izaya got to his feet.

Groaning, the informant clutched at his comforter, pulling it over his body and rolling over onto his side.

And promptly onto the floor.

"Ow… fuck," Izaya growled, propping himself up with one arm as he glanced back at his bed resentfully.

He couldn't have been sleeping for more than four hours. It was only fitting that Izaya's exhausted mind would replay a terrible memory for him the one night he had planned to get some sleep.

Two and a half weeks had passed since he and Shizuo's little "heart-to-heart", and things had only gotten more difficult for the young informant. Between his game with Shizuo, orchestrating the increasingly erratic Farewell Rogers for said game, and work, Izaya was struggling to take care of himself.

He had puppeteered all of Ikebukuro into a three-way gang war, and now he couldn't even handle one man. All of the stress was beginning to take its toll on Izaya's body, so much that he hadn't bothered to see or text Shizuo in the past few days.

Speaking of the brute…

Izaya reached back up onto his bed for his phone, certain he had left it somewhere near him before falling asleep. He pulled it before him with none of the usual excitement that accompanied the knowledge of possessing a new text from Shizuo.

He could only imagine the messages the older man had left him in the past few days.

Scrolling through the list of unread texts, Izaya caught himself smiling fondly. It hadn't even been long, but already their relationship had evolved into a casual sort of friendship. Things had been awkward at first, but after some time together, the two learned to relax around each other at least enough to enjoy themselves. The horrified looks they received when they walked around Ikebukuro together had even ceased, with the exception of those few who knew them personally.

And now Shizuo was worried about him.

[I haven't seen you round Bukuro lately, flea. Where are you?]

Haha, the man was trying to pretend he didn't care much, but Izaya saw right through his act, even if it was only text.

[You were right. It is really quiet around here when it's just one of us…]

His texts lost their unconcerned air by day two of no contact with Izaya, and the informant giggled as he read the next set of messages.

[Izaya, what the hell's up? Where are you? Are you gone for work or something?]

[You haven't called or texted me back. I know something's wrong.]

[Are you okay, Izaya? No one's seen you in a few days…]

And then, at the very top of the list, the most recent message Shizuo had sent Izaya, was a suspiciously simple pair of words.

[G'morning, Izaya.]

The time stamp was from twenty minutes ago.

Raising an eyebrow at Shizuo's apparent loss of worry, Izaya typed back a tentative reply. What was going on in that confusing mind of Shizuo's? To act so concerned and then to suddenly not care at all… it was too weird.

If Shizuo were acting as he should, he would have already come storming to Shinjuku and busted down Izaya's door.

But instead he had chosen to send a simple, levelheaded message to the informant. It was so un-Shizuo that the informant really had no idea why he was surprised; leave it to Shizuo to be as unpredictable as possible when Izaya needed the confusion least.

[Good morning.] Izaya typed back slowly, sending the message before setting his phone on the floor beside him and leaning his head back against the side of his bed.

He certainly couldn't go back to sleep after a haunting dream like that. The first time Izaya had met Shiki… the brunet still hadn't decided whether or not it was the best or worst day of his life.

The sudden buzz of his phone, accompanied by the obnoxiously peppy ring tone Izaya had chosen specifically for Shizuo, startled the informant and caused him to jump.

Why the hell was the brute calling him? Izaya had finally replied, hadn't he?

Swallowing harshly in anticipation of what it was the blond had to tell him, Izaya snatched his phone up, pressing the answer button and holding it to his ear.

"What?" he snapped, sounding a lot sharper than he had intended to.

"I'm coming over, flea. You better be home when I get there," Shizuo growled.

And then he hung up.

What the hell was Shizuo thinking? He couldn't just barge into Izaya's apartment and expect him to be there! For all the bodyguard knew, Izaya very well could be out on business, and Shizuo would accomplish nothing more than possibly scaring Namie.

Fortunately for the informant, he didn't have to deal with his secretary today, though it would have been nice to have her around if Shizuo was coming over in a rage. He could have used her as a human shield.

Sighing in frustration, the brunet forced himself to his feet, deciding he might as well be showered and properly dressed if Shizuo was coming over. Leave it to the monster to decide to come over when Izaya was at his moodiest and most exhausted.

What a day this was turning out to be.

Water was still dripping down Izaya's skin when he heard a series of short, impatient raps at his door. He glared at himself in the mirror, wishing Shizuo were already there so he could direct his venomous look at the blond instead. Finishing toweling off his hair, Izaya stumbled out of his bathroom hurriedly as he slipped into the dark red shirt he had picked out for himself.

Another series of knocks, harsher this time, echoed loudly throughout the spacious apartment.

"Hold on!" Izaya yelled in frustration to the man in the hallway, "I don't need you breaking my door down."

A grumbled curse came from the other side of the door, but Shizuo ceased his angry knocking.

Izaya inched the door of his apartment open just as he finished buckling his belt, his irritation only magnifying at having to get ready so quickly because of a man who knew nothing about etiquette. Honestly, who the hell invited themselves over to someone else's home?

Izaya's irritation washed away as soon as he peered out from around his door and caught sight of Shizuo's worried expression. The bodyguard's pale eyes were evaluating him, probably looking for any physical signs of damage or illness.

Haha, so Shizuo really was worried about him.

"Yes, Shizu-chan?" asked Izaya, doing his utmost best to keep his mask in place.

Shizuo couldn't know that anything was wrong with him. Not to say that there was anything wrong with him; he was absolutely fine. Everyone had nightmares, and everyone had rough weeks, even those as seemingly omnipotent as Izaya.

The first thought that came to Shizuo's mind when Izaya opened the door just slightly was that the flea looked like shit. He could tell that the smaller man was hiding his real emotions from him. Well, trying to, anyway. Even after being around the flea for only a few weeks, Shizuo could tell that Izaya's smirk was just a little too fake, his voice a little too high-pitched.

The second thought – that Izaya looked good with his hair damp and messy like it was now – was much less constructive, so Shizuo smothered it quickly, much too focused on his current mission to bother feeling horrified over such an observation.

"Let me in, louse," Shizuo growled.

Izaya's brows furrowed, and his smirk faded.

"First you decide to show up in Shinjuku completely by random, and now you demand entry into my home, Shizu-chan? I thought even you possessed more manners than that," the informant scoffed.

Had it been only a few days prior, Shizuo would have been able to keep calm in the face of Izaya's unnecessary stubbornness. As it were, though, the blond had been out of contact with Izaya for three and a half days and two hours (but who was counting?), and he needed to know what the louse's problem was this time.

So instead of replying like most others would, the ex-bartender merely shoved Izaya's door open the rest of the way, causing the informant to stumble back a little, and let himself in.

"You can't want to be friends with me one day, Izaya, and then ignore me the next," said Shizuo, "Something's up."

And with that, the debt collector began wandering about Izaya's office, swinging his head sharply from left to right as he scrutinized every tiny detail of the apartment. Shizuo almost hoped he'd find some sign that someone else had been here in the past few days, maybe one of the flea's yakuza buddies. At least that way, Izaya would have a very understandable reason for not having contacted him for so long.

And for looking so goddamn miserable. Honestly, Shizuo was not falling for the brunet's act-

"What do you think you're doing? I'm not hiding anything in here, Shizu-chan," Izaya said, coming up to follow alongside the taller man.

For a split second, Izaya smirked at some unspoken joke, but the expression was gone before Shizuo could be sure of what he had seen. Goddamn it, this was not the time for the flea's strange, psychotic humor!

"Have any of your yakuza friends been here recently?" Shizuo snapped, not quite sure why he felt the beginnings of a rampage stirring in his chest. He and the flea might be friends or whatever now, but what the informant did on his own time was none of Shizuo's business. …Right?

"No," Izaya answered simply.

"No one's been threatening you or anything?"

Shizuo scowled. He had concluded his search of Izaya's large office and had found no sign of their having been any unfamiliar people around. That meant something was probably wrong with the louse himself.

"No, Shizu-chan."

Izaya was getting irritated, Shizuo could tell by his tone, but the questions still had to be asked for the bodyguard's peace of mind.

And Shizuo wasn't sure why, but he felt himself relax significantly at Izaya's answers. Even if this meant the flea's problem would be harder to fix, Shizuo felt better at knowing no one had been coming after Izaya. He tried to convince himself that this pleased him because he wouldn't have to use violence against whatever punks decided to threaten one of his few friends, but Shizuo knew he was simply relieved that Izaya was in no immediate danger.

"Then what the hell's wrong with you, flea? I thought you'd gotten everything that was bothering you off your chest already," Shizuo said, glancing at the informant from the corner of his eye.

Izaya grinned back at him. The expression didn't reach his eyes.

"I'm fine, Shizu-chan. You really needn't get yourself so worked up over nothing. I've just been very busy with work, though I do appreciate Shizu-chan being so worried about me~" he chuckled.

Shizuo didn't see the humor in the situation. He hastily retrieved his phone from his pocket, flipping it open and finding Izaya's most recent message before shoving the screen at the informant's face.

"Just busy, huh? Then explain this, Izaya," Shizuo said, his face serious and determined as he held the phone up.

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't see what-"

"No little faces, no symbols, no exclamation points, not even a fucking 'Shizu-chan'!" explained the bartender vehemently, shaking the small phone for emphasis.

The flea's mask slipped for a moment. A look of horror crossed his face as he realized his mistake, and one of his hands reached up just slightly in the direction of the device as though Izaya needed to see proof of his error up close.

That devilish smirk of his was back again, though, and he merely shrugged in response.

"I don't see what the big deal is, Shizu-chan," he admitted, raising his eyebrows at the blond as though he had gone crazy, "Did you really get worked up and come all the way to Shinjuku just because I forgot to type a couple of emoticons?"

Shizuo grinned with triumph, shoving his phone back into his pocket and taking off his sunglasses so that he could examine the flea without the blue tint.

"I know you don't make mistakes often, but you really can't squirm your way out of this one, Izaya," Shizuo said, "Something's on your mind, and I want to know what it is."

"Shizu-chaaaan," Izaya groaned, rubbing a hand over his face, "There's seriously nothing wrong with me. Your concern is flattering, it really is, but I don't have time for this right now-"

"Pretending you're okay isn't strength, Izaya," Shizuo suddenly interrupted.

Izaya broke off mid-sentence, his eyes widening just slightly.

"Excuse me?"

"It's easy to lie to others and act like there's nothing wrong," the blond continued evenly, "Lying isn't strength. Opening yourself up to someone else and being honest is a much more difficult thing to do."

For a moment, Shizuo thought he had gotten to Izaya, as the informant's face fell at being found out. His dark brown eyes softened with what Shizuo had learned was affection, causing the bodyguard's stomach to flip uncomfortably, and he looked like he was about to give Shizuo the truth. But the mask was back in place almost as soon as it had slipped.

"Such an unexpectedly profound statement, Shizu-chan," Izaya chuckled without humor, "But, unfortunately for you, it is made in vain. I already told you nothing's bothering me; you're wasting your time."

So fucking stubborn, thought the ex-bartender as he grit his teeth against the urge to beat some sense into the stupid little louse.

"Friends open up to each other," said Shizuo.

"Are you deaf as well as dense? I already told you-"

"Fuck, shut up, Izaya," the blond snapped.

"Those are terribly contradictory requests, Shizu-chan," Izaya pointed out, "I can't both confide in you and shut up at the same- What the hell are you doing?"

Izaya cried out as Shizuo snapped, suddenly reaching out to grab the back of Izaya's coat tightly and wrapping his other arm around the smaller man's waist.

Really, why did Izaya feel the need to be so difficult about everything? He wanted to be friends with Shizuo, so that's exactly what he was getting.

The flea squirmed angrily against Shizuo's tight hold, trying to angle himself so that he could punch Shizuo in the side, but he had never been able to beat the other man in a contest of physical strength, and now was no exception.

"Put me down, Shizuo!" Izaya demanded, and the serious tone made Shizuo raise an eyebrow at him curiously.

Izaya was glaring furiously up at Shizuo from where the ex-bartender held him tightly, but the faint blush of pink dusting his cheeks and the tips of his ears took all of the menace out of the expression.

Why the hell was the flea blushing? One of Izaya's hands had found its way to the arm Shizuo had wrapped forcefully around his waist, attempting to pull it away, and Shizuo realized how precariously low he was holding the flea, his hand almost on Izaya's hip.

Warmth began creeping up the back of Shizuo's neck, but he ignored it, only holding the brunet more tightly as he dragged Izaya over to one of the posh sofas in his office. Sure, the position was a little compromising, but if embarrassment got the fucking flea to talk, then Shizuo would do whatever it took.

"No," replied Shizuo simply, pulling Izaya down with him as he sat down on the sofa so that his back was against one of the arm rests and his legs were stretched across the cushions, "You aren't going anywhere until you tell me what's up."

"Nothing is 'up', Shizuo. How many times must I repeat myself before that underdeveloped brain of yours understands?" Izaya grumbled.

He ceased fighting against Shizuo's strength, and the blond situated Izaya so that he lay in between his legs comfortably, the informant's back against his chest and Izaya's head on his shoulder. Shizuo kept his arms wrapped around the flea's waist since Izaya still looked ready to bolt as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

For someone who dealt with the dangerous Tokyo underworld and needed to hide his emotions and thoughts completely, Izaya was being uncharacteristically transparent. If nothing was wrong like he kept insisting, then why was he being so stubborn?

"You must think I'm pretty stupid, huh? You're a good actor, but not that good. I don't see why you're so bent on keeping whatever it is that's got you so worried to yourself, Izaya," said Shizuo, and Izaya grumbled in reply, biting his lip and shifting his head so that the blond could not see his face.

"Even if something is on my mind, it's not any of your business," Izaya replied meekly.

Shizuo smiled. The flea was finally coming around.

"You've never had a real friend before, have you?"

Izaya didn't deign the question with a response, his scowl growing in intensity in a way Shizuo found quite endearing. It was rare that the ex-bartender got to see the other man with his feathers so ruffled, the first time being when Shizuo had shot down Izaya's choice of a film for them to watch… some weird, artistic film in French or something.

Grinning at the memory, Shizuo plowed on:

"'Cause friends are supposed to help you, flea, even if you don't want them to. So let me help… please," he requested gently, peering down at Izaya's face as he waited for some kind of response.

Izaya stared at Shizuo for a long moment, his small body tense against the bodyguard's as he was trapped in indecision. Shizuo understood how difficult this was for the informant; after all, he was in the business of giving out information on others, not himself. Telling the man he had considered his most hated enemy up until just recently something so personal had to be absolutely terrifying for him.

Finally, Izaya took a deep breath, his frame shaking just slightly.

"You really want to know, Shizu-chan?"

Not a whole bunch happened in this chapter, I know ;n; B-but.

Ch.11 and 12 will definitely make up for it. I PROMISE :) Now I'm off to go fill my word count quota for the day! As always, review if you'd like, but if not, that's okay, too! ^ ^ Thank you for reading~!