Shizuo exits the kitchen with the full glass of strawberry milk when he hears the toilet flush. Delic looks okay to him when he walks out of the bathroom, but he still had made the kid upset about something and he wants to apologize. Maybe Delic will even talk about it, though Shizuo doubts that with his behavior. The little boy nestles himself back onto the couch as Shizuo sets the glass on the coffee-table and squats on the floor in front of him.
"I don't know what I said that made you sad or upset," he starts, straight to the point.
"I wasn't-"
"Shh," the blond shushes gently. "Let me finish, okay?"
Delic presses his lips together and nods once. Shizuo offers back a small smile, reaching forward to stroke through the brunet's hair and down to cup his cheek.
"All I want is for you to be happy and safe. You won't always be both, especially with growing up and with me around, but I'm not gonna stop trying to keep you both. Whatever it was, I want you to know that that's where I'm coming from. It's important that we both talk about our feelings and why we do and say things when we apologize for upsetting one another." Shizuo's thumb idly strokes Delic's cheek. His eyes are faintly strained, as if the little boy had teared up but didn't allow himself to outright cry. "I love you and I'm sorry."
The brunet's eyes widen and dart away as his face flushes. He presses his hands against his legs to create pressure elsewhere and mitigate some of it out of his chest. His lips twitch this way and that and his mouth opens and moves in small, aborted motions. Somehow, Delic manages to force out a murmured, "I love you too."
Shizuo's face blooms pink, the corners of his mouth lifting as joy lights up his eyes and fills his chest. The words have shot him straight through the heart. "Y-Yeah? That- Shit." He can't control himself in the moment and, frankly, he doesn't want to. His hands move impulsively, grabbing hold of Delic's legs to slide him to the edge of the couch so his arms can wrap around his little boy. Delic immediately buries his face into Shizuo's shoulder, hoping to hide the matching shade on his face.
One day his kid's gonna be thirteen or sixteen or some other rebellious number and hugging your dad is gonna be lame or awkward or whatever, so Shizuo's not going to hold back on stocking them up now. Hell, will he even be stopped when that time comes? Probably not. He can't think of anything else in this world that makes him feel so right.
They're both absolutely fine to just stay like this. Shizuo can rubs as many of those little circles into Delic's back as he likes and Delic's content breathing in the scents of tobacco and the city that has soaked and settled into Shizuo's clothes.
"Are you gonna spend the night?" The brunet eventually asks, muffled against the fabric of Shizuo's vest.
The blond frowns. "I've got work tomorrow and I don't have any of my things here to get ready, but I'll pack and be here tomorrow night."
Delic hums in response, fidgeting and getting more comfortable against Shizuo. He doesn't ask him to promise, he doesn't need to.
Izaya's taken to keeping the disposable phone that connects to Delic and Mari in his pocket. There's not really a reason for him to do so, it's just… Something about it being there makes him feel a bit better inside. If anything, it's stupid and selfish of him. If the phone is stolen from his person and the thief looks up the only two numbers on its contacts, he'll have put Delic in danger. Izaya never expects it to ring, so when it suddenly vibrates against his leg while he's typing up some work on his computer, he almost jumps. Fear and worry are the first to arrive and fog up his thoughts, his heart moving to settle in his throat.
The brunet scoots his chair back to pull out the device. The number on screen isn't the one he's used to seeing and his frantic fingers rush to accept the call.
"Deli-chin?"
"Hi, Izaya." His voice is uncharacteristically timid and it's setting off a loud bell in Izaya's head. "Are you busy?"
"Well, yes," he answers smoothly. "But not so much that I can't make time for you."
Why are you calling? You never call. Why are you upset? Who upset you? Oh god, you're actually calling for me?
"Do you wanna come over for lunch and stuff?"
Izaya's mouth gapes like a fish for a beat. "Sure. I can be there in a little bit." After about twenty-five to thirty minutes of walking in circles around the city. "Are you alright, Deli-chin?"
"Yeah. I guess I'm just..." He exhales against the speaker, sending a short surge of static into Izaya's ear. The informant's already saving documents and booting his system down as the line goes silent. When Delic finally speaks again, he's whispering away from the receiver. "I think I'm lonely and I wanna see you."
Me?
Izaya's heart drops back down to where it belongs to beat steadily. "I'll pick us up something special to eat," he offers.
"You mean sushi."
"Did I say sushi," the brunet teasingly asks.
"You always mean sushi." Delic's playing up the sad dip in his voice. "You never bring hamburgers or pizza."
Izaya chuckles. "Is Deli-chin attempting to wheedle junk food out of me?"
"It's easier when you can see my face." The young man laughs again. He's not wrong, but at least Delic hasn't perfected that puppy dog look yet. It's not as if the little boy doesn't get everything else he wants anyway. "See you soon."
"Deli-chin," Izaya sing-songs after letting himself into the apartment. He's slipped out of shoes and coat and has started setting the to-go boxes on the coffee-table when the little boy pads down from his bedroom.
Izaya smiles as he's approached, fully expecting a comment from Delic about being right about the sushi and some excitement over the petite pink bakery box. Instead, the food's entirely ignored and the smaller brunet closes in with an attempt to hug the older man despite his sling and casts making it an awkward and difficult task.
"Delic," Izaya inquires softly, placing a hand on top of the little boy's head to smooth his hair as his face presses against Izaya's stomach.
"I'm fine."
He's positive that something's deeply wrong now. "You should tell me about what happened."
Delic shakes his head, Izaya's shirt rubs against his skin with the motion. Izaya sighs and pats his head, withdrawing from the smaller body trying to stick to him like glue to sit on his knees. He gently cups Delic's face to lift his chin up and get a better look at his sad brown eyes. Izaya's lips press together momentarily as he takes in the expression, his chest beginning to steadily throb.
"I got you some ikura maki along with your usual salmon, Deli-chin." He says in effort to take the little boy's mind off of whatever that has him so strung up. "No greasy junk food, but I did decide to pick you up a slice of strawberry shortcake."
Delic's lips slowly upturn, his eyes lifting to look at Izaya fully. "Thank you."
The informant smiles back, releasing his face to card fingers through his hair. "Anything to make you happy."
Delic gathers his thoughts, his fingers fidgeting in the splints and sliding against one another with a muted sanding noise. "Do you… When they take off my casts and junk, do you wanna go out for karaoke or… Or a movie?"
Izaya's expression falls, Delic's eyes are wide and hopeful and he knows that he can't say yes to please his son even though he wants to. "I'm sorry, Delic. You know how busy my work keeps me."
Delic's lips thin, his eyes narrowing and crinkling in the corners with anger. "You just said anything. And earlier; that you could make time."
"Lunches are one thing, but-"
"But?!" Izaya's mouth snaps closed, his teeth clicking as they connect hastily. "You come over and spend the night often enough! I never know when you'll show up, you just show up whenever you want!"
Izaya's heart lurches with a squeeze, feeling as though hands are tightly gripping it with a murderous intent. Delic's teeth are grit, tears spilling down his cheeks. He's been keeping too much in recently and now his eyes are crying without his permission to release some of his pent up emotions. He hates it, it makes him feel pathetic.
"Delic," Izaya exhales quietly, gingerly reaching a hand out.
"Don't touch me!"
His hand drops to his lap. If the brunet doesn't want to be physically consoled, then Izaya's left to sit here and watch the boy break down.
Delic's sniffling and quick gasping gulps of air are the only noises he can hear for a solid minute until the boy finally cracks and spills out a long keen. It pierces his eardrums like thick, barbed needles. Izaya would rather be deaf than hear Delic cry, but he can bare it. There's absolutely no pain comparable to having to watch his baby boy bawl. To have to sit and watch his face go red, to see the thick rivets of tears pour down his face, and watch as his eyes are unable to purge it all in time and the snot accumulates to dribble out of his nose. Izaya's heart is strained and his chest is hollow, his insides scooped out with the same shovel that'll be used to dig his grave. This is his fault.
"Delic," he whispers soothingly, "I'm sorry."
Delic's entire body shudders as he tries to breathe in enough air to speak through the snot and tears. "Am I," his voice wobbles with his lips, "Am I just an afterthought?"
"No," Izaya answers immediately, louder than before, with a hurried shake of his head. His eyes are wide with surprise. Is that truly what Delic thinks? He can't be idle anymore, scooting closer and using the sleeves of his shirt to wipe away some of the damp streaks of tears off of Delic's face.
"I think about you all the time," he honestly admits, cupping the brunet's face again and bowing to touch their foreheads together. "I'd be around more if it was possible."
Izaya releases him and leans back, giving Delic more space to breathe as he begins the process of calming down. "Would you like it if I came by for lunch every day until you're back in school?"
The little brunet nods with mumbled out, "Yeah."
"Do you feel better after getting some of that out, Deli-chin?"
He hums a soft noise of affirmation as Izaya wipes his cheeks again with his fingers.
The older man smooths down his hair and smiles. "Let's eat so you can replenish your energy."