Sorry, this is extremely late. I was out of my home all day and I didn't really want to come home. Anyway, here is the eleventh chapter and I hope you enjoy it. Took a while for me to get some of the details just right. (:

All rights reserved, I do not own Durarara! or the characters, they belong to the wonderful Ryohgo Narita and Suzuhito Yasuda. Original characters belong to me.


11.

The following afternoon, Mueki dressed as well as she could. She went with an outfit that was similar to what she wore the first day the walked around Ikebukuro. She liked dressing nice, it made her feel genuinely pretty after putting on clothes that she was forced to wear and make-up that she couldn't take off. She still had some make-up she couldn't take off, mainly because scrubbing it off was a pain and left her skin a bit red after doing so, but that was beside the point.

Her own make-up was plainly simple this time. Just a thin black line around her eyes, even against the waterline underneath her top lashes, and a lip stain over her lips to make them a bit more red rather than the usual pink hue they naturally glowed. The only days she walked out without make-up on purpose was for work. Since she was used to a more hectic schedule, she felt weird if she went an entire day without some kind of cosmetic on her face whenever she was on a day out.

She grabbed her bag with the same usual items as she walked out, not forgetting her favorite pair of sunglasses, and closed the door behind her. Once she stepped into the elevator, her phone buzzed in her bag and she pulled it out to see the name that made the corners of her lips curl up.

It ended up being a text message and she looked over it again as she exited her building.

'Hey. Just got outta work

I'm by Shinra's and Celty's place outside the building by the opening to the park that's next to it

I'll be there

If you're gonna bail, tell me now and not an hour later'

She smiled and sent back another message.

'If I was gonna bail, I wouldn't have asked you to hang out at all'

On the other end of the conversation, sitting at the top of the park bench near the entrance, just as he specified, Shizuo smirked at his phone and sent back another reply before taking the cigarette out of his mouth and dropping it to the concrete.

'Well, I'll give you this.

I've never waited fifteen minutes for a reply from someone who planned something'

Another moment, another laugh.

'I didn't plan anything.

I asked, you agreed, that's all to it'

Shizuo looked over the message and decided that it was time to take it a new direction. The child in his mind wanting to make jokes, as always.

'That's right, you did ask

So, you bringing me flowers?

If not, chocolates are just as good'

She couldn't help but to stop for a moment to laugh and looked back at the screen, rolling her eyes a bit, biting her lip to hold in the laugh that almost escaped the confines of her mouth. She looked up to see that she was already near the park's entrance, considering the fact that her building was closer than Celty and Shinra's. She looked around for some time and gave herself a small smirk after spotting a familiar figure with his back towards her, hunched looking at the small orange device in his hands for a response. Little did he know.

She walked as swiftly as she could and sneaked up behind him to get as close to his ear as she could without giving herself away.

"Well, I didn't get the flowers or candy, but how about I just buy us some lunch."

He jumped up from the bench, startled more by how close she was rather than the fact that she went completely ninja on him. He quickly composed himself, adjusting his sunglasses as she laughed lightly, and looked to her as she shared that beautiful smile of hers with him. He gave her a sly look and leaned in towards her.

"I'm keeping you to that. You don't pay, it's gonna be hell."

She, somewhat, feigned a frightened look with her hands on either side of her face. "Oooo, I'm shaking in my boots."

"Which you still have to let me try on," he joked which ended up her sticking her tongue out at him. All he really thought was how cute that looked.

The model walked around the bench to stride up to him and they both walked into the park, not sure, once again, of where they'll end up.

They walked in a comfortable silence for a while longer as they reached an Americanized food cart and Mueki instantly put a hand in her bag.

"Want something from there?" she asked looking up to the blonde bodyguard.

"Sure," he answered with a smirk. "I could always go for some grub."

"Any 'grub' in particular you would want?"

He just smirked at her use of the word "grub". She didn't seem like one to use any slang of any sort – even the simplest word such as "grub" – and it was always very amusing whenever she did.

They walked up to the cart and they both ended up with a simple slice of pizza in their hands, with a soda for Shizuo and a tea for Mueki as well. And, as promised, she paid for the whole meal not taking any disagreement from Shizuo. From there they walked some ways off to another park bench partially shaded by trees. Mueki stood at on the seat of the bench to sit on the bench top while Shizuo stood, placing a foot against the edge of the bench seat as well as their beverages.

"I wasn't aware that models could eat any junk at all," he said before taking a bite. "Wouldn't you be admitted into fashion hell if they found out?"

Mueki had already nipped her pizza and gulped it before answering, not really taking note of his anserine joke.

"I normally don't, just in case. Also, the agencies don't really enjoy knowing any model eating something that could cause them to get 'pudgy'." She made a face and shrugged it off. "Either way, it doesn't really apply to me. I have a weird metabolism. It works with anything and everything I eat so I always happen to maintain a healthy weight and look. Even so, eating junk food is rare for me and I tend to stay away from it most of the time."

"Apparently, not today."

"Apparently, not when I'm with you."

He smirked at her while she just kept her eyes at the toe of her boots and mumbled, mainly to herself, "I may had a good metabolism, but there are many ways I can still destroy my body."

He vaguely heard her, but didn't like the tone of her voice so attempted a change of conversation.

"So, does your mutation have anything to do with your weight?"

"Metabolism."

"Does it?"

She nodded.

"What else does it do?"

"Hm?" she unconsciously tilted her head to the side. He noticed that and gave a loud sigh while making his question a bit clearer. He didn't really like repeating things.

"That mutation of yours, what else does it do? All I know now is that it gave you those purple eyes of yours and that you keep a perfect figure."

A very perfect figure, he noted mentally.

"There anything else it did for you?"

She gave a quiet sigh not sure what to say to him. She knew everything and can explain well what the mutation did to her, but was more of the fact that she didn't know exactly what to share with him. The model was usually blunt with her words since all her answers would be that way – due to the lack of human interaction – but he's probably the only person that she's had an actual, full-length conversation with. Well, aside from the small ones that Kin tries every now and again, but they never get the model's attention so she just ends up nodding them off without reserve.

The only thing this girl worried about at the moment was if she would weird him out enough to have him creep away. She didn't want that.

The model instantly scoffed at herself mentally. It shouldn't freak him out. He has a headless friend and it completely fine with that. And that odd doctor friend as well... Then there was that Russian guy...

Although, Mueki isn't a "Headless Rider". She's not an urban legend, just a human girl with a rare mutation. An odd mutation.

"Well?" he asked, a bit impatient, waiting for her to answer. Was she embarrassed by this? Maybe he shouldn't of asked something that was probably personal to her.

Before he could even think more about it, she gave another sigh before saying the one word that got his full attention to the model once again.

"Well," she started cautiously, repeating him as she picked up her tea and took a quick sip. "It makes my hair this dark naturally, no dyes needed what so ever. You have no idea how many people ask about this color. It also is the reason for my extremely pale skin. I can go in the sun without sunblock or anything and I'll stay like this. I'm not able to tan or burn. I have constant 20/20 vision that won't vary, though it could be genetics, I never really had a problem with my eyes. Um, I have an immune system that's stronger than most so I don't really get sick often, or at all..." she trailed off.

"And?"

"What?"

"There's more isn't it?"

She hesitated slightly, he didn't notice.

"Yeah, just not sure if you wanna hear it, considering you're a guy and most guys don't approve of talking about certain things. And it also gets a bit weird or freaky for people when they hear another gift I get from this mutation of mine."

He shrugged. "If I don't wanna hear it, I'll just cover my ears."

She sighed and looked at him straight on.

"My aging process slows down, so by the time I'm in my forties and fifties, I'll still look just like this, twenty years younger than what my age would actually be at that time. I can't grow hair from the neck down, it's just what's on my head that grows, and..."

She hesitated before speaking again, just saying it just as bluntly as she would if she were speaking to Kin. "PMS doesn't exist at all for me, but that doesn't mean that I can't get a kid if I want one, but I really don't. Children actually annoy the crap outta me unless they're asleep or well-behaved." She mumbles the last sentence scrunching her face up a bit.

She questioned something a bit in her mind, but put it off when she heard him speak, his first few words coming out slowly.

"So, in conclusion, what you're saying is...you're the perfect girl, or rather, the perfect model."

She smiled and gave a light laugh honestly thinking that he would say or do something else. She guessed that it wasn't too freaky for him or he's portraying a macho man facade and trying to not act weirded out at all.

"Yeah, that's a way of looking at it," she nodded with a small shrug.

He smiled at her, hearing her laugh. Granted it wasn't a real laugh, but it was still a laugh. He enjoyed hearing it and enjoyed it even more knowing he was the cause to this happiness of hers.

If you make a girl laugh, you can maker her yours.

His mind reeled again.

Did he want her? Well, yeah what guy wouldn't, but it was more than just what he saw. More than the obvious of what most guys around his age would want from her. The more he thought, the more he agreed when he quickly thought of all the reasons as to why.

Yeah, he wanted her, but did she feel the same? That was the important question that constantly tugged at him.

He looked to her from over his sunglasses to see her in normal color and not from the blue hue from the lenses and she raised a foot to shove him lightly away from the odd angle he was looking at her. He grabbed her leg and tugged her forward. As that happened, she lost her grip and nearly fell onto the drinks, had it not been for her arms to prop her up from the bench top. Her pizza, though, was done for as it had fallen top down onto the floor.

She looked at him with an accusing look and pointed down to the plopped pizza with an accusing tone.

"You owe me a slice now."

He just laughed, letting go of her foot and adjusted his sunglasses tossing away the small plate and napkin his pizza was once perched upon. She picked up her own drink as she took her place back at the top of the bench and shook her head at him.

He certainly is childish, but she's not really complaining.

"What to do now," he sighed, placing his foot against the seat of the bench again and placed his weight onto his straight leg, hands in pockets.

Mueki had an idea of what to do. A conversation was something to do. Right? Would it be right for this conversation? She didn't want it to get awkward, but still. She wanted to know.

The model looked down to her boots and tilted her head lightly, once again, as she asked him the one question she wanted an answer to at that moment. The only question she had in her head.

"Why did you break that railing?" she asked suddenly.

That caught him off guard a bit, considering how random it was to the bodyguard. "Huh?"

"The other day during the video shoot I was working on; you ended up breaking the railing. I didn't get to ask you about it 'cause I ended up meeting your friends. Now, it's just you and me and I want to know." She lifted her gaze from her shoes to Shizuo, looking at him from under her lashes. "Why did you break the railing?"

He looked at her with a bit of uncertainty. He wasn't really sure how to answer that.

Actually that was a lie. He didn't know the other day, but gaining a realization last night, he realized that he was a bit jealous. It pissed him off that he was jealous. Pissed him off even more knowing that he was jealous of some random guy. Pissed him off that the random guy had ended up being able to kissing her. Whether he was jealous or pissed off, it lead to the same outcome. The death of another inanimate object in his way.

Could he tell her this? Wasn't easy for him to admit to something like this. If he was angry, that was easy. Yank out the closest blunt object from the ground and fling it to whoever pissed him off or at their general location. As for the other stuff...yeah. His brother knew more about him than his friends – even more than Celty, the friend he always talks to when he's feeling out of place or pissed off for no reason – and he rarely even saw his brother nowadays.

Admitting anything to yourself is easy. Admitting one thing to others wasn't so common to him. And hard.

He figured he could since he knew that she liked him, but to what extent? Would she think of him as a complete idiot and completely blow him off for doing something irrational? Would she understand him like he her? Well, he didn't really understand a lot, but for her, it seemed everything was straight-forward and simple. That he understood. He grew up with straight and simple and really wouldn't want it any other way. Sure, things would get confusing at times, but then it'd go back to normal like always.

Straight and simple.

He wouldn't know until he took a chance, but didn't know if he should do it now.

Seemed like he should.

Seemed like he would.

Dammit.

He kept his gaze at his elevated foot as he spoke.

"I, uh... I was already pissed when I got there and then hearing those girls scream for a group who wouldn't even turn around to face them? Ch. Pissed me off." He turned his head away as he took a drink of his soda after giving that excuse.

The model stared at him, not believing a single word. She put her drink down and crossed her arms, giving him a look of disapproval, like one that you would give a child.

"Okay, now that you got that out of your system, will you tell me the truth?"

He looked to her knowing that she was gonna catch his lie, just didn't think it would be that quick.

Crap.

"You wanna know the truth?"

She sighed giving a disbelieving look. "No. I want more lies from the only person I can talk to. Of course I want the truth, Shizuo. I want to know and I wanna know now. Now, answer my question: why did you break that railing?"

He sighed and moved the drinks so he could sit, somewhat, beside her on the bench seat and hunched over, his elbows on his knees. This caused Mueki to lean forward a bit so she could hear him. His words actually in a softer tone compared to his rough and outgoing nature.

"The truth is..." He felt that this would be awkward for him, spilling his guts, but he felt obliged to. Damn it all. "I was completely fine when I saw you. At first. Then I got annoyed when you were all lovey-dovey with that guy. Then, for some unknown reason, it got to me when you kissed him the first time. When you pulled back uninterested I tried to think that it was just a job. I knew it was just a job for you. Still, it bothered me. When you kissed that guy for a second time, I couldn't really stop my actions. I didn't even know I did it at first. I just flipped and the railing broke in my hand like nothing."

It seemed like ages until she finally said something to break the silence.

"I thought it was only idiocy that annoyed you."

Her tone was emotionless and that made him think, Yeah, I'm a dumbass.

He wanted to hang his head even lower, but gave a harsh chuckle instead, still not looking to her. "Apparently not."

It was a stupid question, but she had to ask, her voice still the same.

"Why do you care if I kiss someone else?"

"I wasn't so sure, really, until Shinra opened my mind up some. Not literally, though I bet he'd do that too." Laughing to himself at that stupid joke, he straightened up and answered her. "To put it simply – and I can't believe an idiot like him had to tell me – I like you. Possibly more than I would some of my friends. Possibly more than I probably should. He kind of made it apparent that you like me too, but I'm wondering, if that's even true, how much you like me?"

That caught her off guard. Slowly, she scooted the drinks still on the bench aside a bit so she could slide down next to him and looked to the ground in front of her. Her hands on either side of her against the edge of the bench seat.

"I'm not sure if I can put it into words really," she started slowly. "Thing is, you're, if I can really call you that, my first actual friend and I'm not sure if it's just a crush from being close to a guy personally for the first time in my life, but I think I'll be willing to take the chance anyway because..."

She didn't know why she couldn't say it. He turned towards her, only to see her hair in her face and straightened up more from his slight hunch, having a feeling, but still wondering what she'll say.

It was hard for her to get the words out. Even knowing how he felt, thinking it would be a good thing, she was still very cautious about. She didn't want this to end up as a joke and be some girl who was able to show weakness for nothing. Either way, she went on with her words, trying to get them out one at a time, or all at once.

"...because, I like you...a lot. I really, really like you, Shizuo. That's basically all I can say right now." Without trouble.

Shizuo was hesitant with his movements, but he knew what he wanted to do, and that he felt it was something he should. He lifted his hand up to gently move her hair out of her face which caused her to look to him with those unique eyes of hers that had a glint of worry in them.

Seemed as if she didn't like opening her own can of worms either. Worried of what the other person might think. Not wanting to, but inevitable having to show a weakness.

He just smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her, holding her close to him.

"If that's all you can say," he started, his voice softer now as he leaned in close to speak to her ear. "Then we'll just continue on with this day and we'll see what you have to say by the end of it. How does that sound?"

She smiled relaxing under his arm and felt the comfort of his warmth.

She looked up to him and quickly straightened her back so she could give him a quick peck on the cheek and went back to her previous position with a small smile.

"That sounds like a plan," she noted lightly and did what she could to return the warmth.


And there is the 11th Chapter. Thank you all for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful New Years and I'll update next Friday. Until then, bye all :D