"Shizu-chan, what happened?" Izaya sighs, irritated and somewhat concerned. Shizuo had just barged in here, covered in blood and mud, attacked him, and is now holding him and acting like he's killed someone. It's ridiculous, really.
Shizuo remains silent, shoulders hunched and knees bent awkwardly as he sits there. He's shaking, head bowed and blood smudged bangs covering his eyes in a shadow of guilt. Izaya carefully strokes his hair again, feeling lost and awkward. And annoyed, very annoyed.
He tries not to squirm, practically in Shizuo's lap and incredibly uncomfortable. If Shizuo's going to lose his mind, couldn't he at least do it on the couch? Plus the brute is getting dirt and fluid all over his tee-shirt and they aren't even battling. Not to mention he smells like a wet dog and a dumpster had a baby. Ew.
"Shizu-chan?" He tries again, ducking his head to try and see into his eyes. Something in the back of his mind says he should be amused, laughing, but he's not one to force his emotions or hide them if he doesn't have to.
"...I'm sorry." Shizuo finally mumbles, letting him go. Izaya slides onto the floor as Shizuo scoots away, and he notices that his knees leave crimson streaks against his hardwood floor. 'Easy enough to clean, I suppose.'
"It's fine." Izaya assures him, mind racing with possibilities of just what he could be apologizing for. "What did you do?" He inquires, reaching out to move Shizuo's bangs aside. The blond jerks away before he can touch him.
"I did it…" Shizuo mumbles, voice quiet and defeated. "I killed him…"
"Who?" He demands, tense with shock. He almost thinks the brute is lying, that this is a prank, but the shame in those haunted golden eyes is too real.
"The-the quiet kid, from the gang. The one that doesn't speak much..." He answers, clenching his hands into shaking fists. 'Zero.' Izaya thinks, frowning. Shizuo finally looks up at him, eyes wet and broken, staring at Izaya like he can somehow help.
Fortunately, he can.
"Tell me exactly where the body is and if anyone saw you." He speaks, getting to his feet and snatching his phone back up.
"I-It's, uh, it's in a bad neighborhood. Most of the buildings looked abandoned... There was a gas station nearby, too, 'm thinkin. It also had-"
"I know where you're talking about." He cuts him off quickly, sliding some knives into the hidden compartments in his jacket and grabs some plastic gloves he keeps on hand for situations just like this.
"No one saw me…" Shizuo says quietly, still kneeling on the floor. The blood on this clothes and hair is drying quickly. "What are you doin'?"
"Covering your tracks. Go shower, and leave your clothes by the door as well as anything you got blood on." He answers shortly. "Are you sure he's dead?"
"I-I ripped his head off…" Shizuo gasps, climbing slowly to his feet. He jumps when there's a pounding knock at the door, eyes blowing wide and scared like someone's come for him. 'They might have.' Izaya reminds himself, readying a knife.
"Izaya?! You in there?" Shinra calls, and Izaya spots shadows curling through the door lock, Celty trying to form a proper key to open it. He happens to have two other locks she can't see, however, but he knows she'll figure it out quickly. He's a little surprised she didn't assume he had more in the first place, but at least it buys him some time.
"Don't tell them anything." He says to Shizuo, who nods hurriedly, but it's not convincing. Izaya has a feeling he'll blab to Celty sooner or later, and probably sooner.
"Izaya!?" Shinra shouts again, pounding in the door.
"I'm here, everything's fine!" He calls, though it's ignored as the door bursts open when Celty realizes there's more than one lock. Shizuo yanks him out of the way as the door comes flying at him, the breeze from it rustling his clothes and hair. Great, another repair he'll have to make.
Celty and Shinra rush in, taking one look at a bloodied and wide eyed Shizuo and turning on defense mode. Black shadows shoot out, headed for Shizuo and hoping to restrain him, when Izaya steps in their path. He bites back a grin at the Scalpel in Shinra's hand, pleased the doctor was willing to go against a monster for him.
'Or maybe just to help his Celty.' Bitterness speaks, stomping down the joy he'd felt for only a moment. Izaya was rarely bitter, but when he was he could always count on Shinra and their friendship to be the one at fault.
"I told you we were fine. Turns out Shizu-chan was just here to have an embarrassing mental breakdown. " He says, smiling like he's brought up the weather. Shizuo's eyes snap to him, but instead of anger he looks mortified. Izaya snickers to himself quietly.
[We wanted to be sure, and I'm not at all. What happened?!] She addresses them both, Celty's shadows billowing out around her similar to smoke from a busy factory. He glances at Shizuo from the corner of his eye, hoping the brute will stay quiet, and feels almost disturbed by the terrified attention with witch the blond is watching her shadows. He's mesmerized, watching the way they coil in the air, and not in a good way.
'Clue number five.' He decides, adding it to his list mentally. He's one step closer to figuring out why Shizuo's decided to lose his mind.
"Shizu-chan, weren't you going to take a shower?" He asks, smiling at the beast. He breaks eye contact with Celty's smoke to look at Izaya again, blinking at him slowly like he's not fully registering him. Izaya comes close, giving Shizuo a kiss on the cheek to disguise himself.
"Don't tell Celty anything. Put your clothes in the cabinet under the sink, along with everything else on you. You should find a pair of sweats in my room, third drawer down on the left and if you touch anything else I'll stab you." He whispers. He pulls back, smiling sweetly like they've shared a private moment. "Okay, darling?"
"Okay..." Shizuo nods, numb and slowly begins his trek upstairs to the bathroom.
"Great!" Izaya gestures at Shinra to follow him, and heads towards the door. "Courier-san, you're welcome to stay here with Shizu-chan." He invites. She nods,hesitantly, and they head out.
"Should I have a look at your hand?" Shinra questions once the door is closed, and he shakes his head.
"It's just a sprain. We need to hurry." He answers shortly, leading them out into the streets. It's cold, chill heavy in the air and nipping at his face and hands. He stuffs them into his pockets and walks faster, Shinra easily keeping his pace.
"A sprain, huh? One that Shizuo-kun gave you?" He asks, knowing the answer already. Izaya doesn't have to look at him to know he has his mother hen face on. Shinra was always the one in the group to watch over everyone, when he wasn't busy with Celty. And of he felt like it. It was nice, in a way, though Izaya would never admit it.
"As far as Shizu-chan is concerned, we have more things to worry about."
"Like?" Shinra asks, though he figures he's already figured it out. Celty too, of course, but the less they know about his involvement and the gang, the better. Those kids are dangerous, and he'd rather keep Shinra away. He just wishes he didn't need the doctors help with the body.
"He," Izaya pauses, walking faster still and wondering how to explain it guilt free. He'd rather keep himself out of the story as much as possible, knowing Celty and the group would turn on him for Shizuo's wrong doings. Sure, he told Shizuo to do it and he had entertained the idea of really using him, but he'd honestly never expected Shizuo would. And on his own, too, after Izaya had called their deal off. He only given the beast a...misguided push.
'Still, I'll look like the one responsible in Celty's- and therefore Shinra's,-eyes.'
"Ah, I think I found what we're looking for." Shinra calls calmly, interrupting his train of thought.
Izaya heads over, stomach twisting up when he sees Shizuo's handiwork. All he sees is the body, blood splattered on the far wall and pooling from the neck. Though he doesn't really want to, he pulls out his phone and shines light on the scene. He finds the head at the end of the alleyway.
Zero's mouth is agape, eyes bloodshot and face permanently frozen in terror. Izaya isn't sure if he should be proud he's managed to finally tame a monster or disgusted by how he's broken a man. Something curls in his stomach, regret, he thinks, and he finally tears his eyes away.
"I assume Shizuo did this." Shinra mutters, voice low on some emotion Izaya is too tired to analyze. "I can't believe he'd do this. I mean, kill someone sure, but so violently..."
"He's always been violent." Izaya responds, voice flat and as matter of fact as he can make it. He doesn't bother with trying to pretend it wasn't Shizuo, when they both know it was.
"Not like this." Shinra frowns turning to him with suspicion lacing his gaze. "Not unless he was pushed."
Izaya just shrugs, opening his mouth to speak when a scream rings out. They both whip around, finding four boys in red behind them. Hero is front and center, hands curled in his hair and body hunched like he's been punched in the gut.
"You-you…!" Alpha stammers, lost for words and just as horrified. Shakespeare doesn't even try to hold in his emotions, tears already slipping down his big cheeks and Izaya feels guilty immediately. The big man is essentially a little kid in his mind, and the tears make him want to shy away from the blame.
"It had to be that blond, Heiwajima." Shark speaks up, frowning hard. "He's the only one strong enough." His expression is dark, livid in a way that cancels any resemblance he held to Shinra before.
"You're gonna pay for this. Get them!" Alpha commands, and the boys move together in a blur.
Shakespeare gets to him first, hauling Izaya up and behind before he can react at all. He doesn't fight it, just allows the big man to swing him up and out of the line of fire. If the boys want to hurt him, they'll have to go through the 300 pounds of muscle and mass that is Shakespeare. For now, he's safe.
But that means Shinra is still vulnerable.
He finds this, thankfully, isn't much of a concern when the three boys halt before Shakespeare. Hero has his eyes trained on Izaya, aching with murderous intent to avenge his brother. His reasoning must be that since Shizuo killed someone he loves, he'll do the same. 'An eye for an eye,' Izaya muses.
"What are you doing?" Alpha demands, and Shakespeare backs up with an intense look of shame and guilt. "Give him to us!" He yells, and Shakespeare shakes his head.
"You stupid fuck!" He snarls, reaching into his back pocket for what is likely a gun or knife.
"Wait," Shark gasps, coming out of his rage and latching onto Alpha's arm. The smaller boy trembles with the effort of keeping his furious leaders arm down, but somehow manages. "We can't, killing him won't help Zero."
"Why the fuck not?! He betrayed us!"
"No." Shark protests, and Izaya notices a flash of light and Shinra moving in the shadows. "It's not his fault and you know it." Thunder rumbles above them menacingly, lightning crashing in the distance and getting closer fast. The storms they've been having are bizarre, and Izaya wonders if it has something to do with Shizuo for a moment. He dismisses that thought quickly, however, deeming it insane.
"But he's protecting him!" The gang leader shouts, evidently desperate to avenge Zero and keep things under control.
"That's not the point!" Shark says desperately, his calm and cool demeanor slipping away entirely. He's breathing hard, glancing to the sky with panic. 'I suppose he doesn't like storms...'
"Then what is!?" Alpha yells furiously, thunder cracking like a whip above them and lightning flashing. He sees the anger, the sorrow in the gazes of the three boys before him, so much like Shizuo's own.
"The point, the point is... it's... you!" He fumbles, face twisting on a whirlwind of different emotions. "You started this! You dragged us into this mess; we just wanted to have fun!" He chokes, dragging air in through quick shaky gasps.
"We just wanted to be a family, and you fucked everything up-" Shark is slammed down in a blur, head cracking against the concrete and a cry of pain escaping him shakily. Alpha growls over him, on his knees, furious and low. He raises his hand to strike him hard across the face, and Izaya can tell it will leave a nasty mark. There's a wail in the air, something familiar that sets off a panic deep in his bones, but he can't place it with the way his mind is racing.
"I'M the leader! You follow MY orders!" He yells, grabbing hold of the poor boys shirt and shaking him. "DO. You. Understand!?" The sudden screech of tires saves the poor kid from answering, Celty arriving on shooter. Shizuo is behind her, holding on around her waist. He's still bloody, eyes dark behind the black helmet she likely made him wear.
"Shizu-chan," Izaya gasps, noting the way Shakespeare shoves him back and away from the blond some. He scowls, pushing forward and ignoring the big mans tense whine.
"What are you doing here?!" He cries over the wind and thunder. He stomps down the urge to fight his way through the rain, the same need to protect the idiot rising strongly over his anger. 'Disgusting.' He thinks, scowling at himself. Their gazes meet and Shizuo finches, looking like a guilty dog being scolded by his owner.
"I called them." Shinra smiles, waving his phone. "Well, I texted them, but it sounds cooler to say I called them. For some reason." He shrugs, completely unaffected by the tense, violent atmosphere. Celty is jumpy, tense and shaky like she's scared and the reason why is clear a second later. They couldn't hear it over the thunder, but police sirens are screaming louder and louder the closer they get. She drags shinra close with her shadows, and he hugs her soothingly. Police cares arrive, lining up around the alley.
There's no time to escape.