I knew that goddamn storm wasn't gone for good.
The wind had picked up considerably since leaving Izaya's apartment, and by the time Shizuo reached the Italian place, it had already started to sprinkle. He'd placed the order for the Ai Frutte di Mare and ran over to Taco Bell to pick up his own dinner while he waited, rushing to get everything done before the rain got too bad... but despite his best efforts, he still finds himself completely drenched before he can make it back.
I really hope the food's still okay...
His stomach growling at the thought of finally eating, he takes the elevator up to the ninth floor and opens the door to Izaya's home. He enters to find the living room empty, the other man nowhere in sight.
Sighing, he lets the bags drop to the floor and heads into the guest bathroom so he can strip out of his wet clothes and dry himself off with one of Izaya's fluffy white towels. Wrapping one of them around his waist, he wanders upstairs to see if he can locate the brunette; he finds him in the master bathroom, soaking in a tub filled so ridiculously high with bubbles that only his head is poking out about the surface.
"Welcome back, Shizu-chan," He says, tilting his face up towards him. "Did you have a nice walk?"
"It's fucking raining." He grumps, but it's hard to stay annoyed when Izaya looks so goddamn adorable.
"I thought I smelled a wet dog... here, get in." He shifts so Shizuo has room to sit.
"Can I eat first? I'm fucking starving."
"You can eat in the tub."
"Works for me, I guess. Be right back." He disappears, reappearing less than a minute later with a black plastic bag in one hand and a Taco Bell bag in the other. Izaya watches as he sets them down and unwraps the towel, letting it fall to the floor. He doesn't realize how intently he's staring until Shizuo clears his throat, a knowing smirk on his face. "See something you like, flea?"
His face would have turned red, had it not already been flushed from the heat and alcohol. He immediately looks away, turning his attention to the bags Shizuo had set down. He grabs the dark black plastic one up off of the floor, pulling out a pizza-shaped to-go box and salivating when he opens it and is met with the delicious smells of garlic, shrimp, and tomato sauce. "Hello, beautiful..." He all but purrs, wiping his hands off on the closest towel so he can take out a piece and start to devour it.
Shizuo raises an eyebrow, but he keeps his comment to himself. He steps into the tub, getting himself settled before retrieving a taco from the other bag. There's a few minutes of silence as the two of them eat, both too hungry and tired to do anything other than enjoy their meals. Shizuo finishes eating first, tossing his trash into the waste basket so he can lean back and sink further into relaxation. It's strange, he thinks, how comfortable he's gotten with Izaya; before, he couldn't even stand to look at him - and now? Now he can't stand to be apart from him.
Izaya gets about a quarter of the way through his pizza before he's too full to eat any more of it, so he sets the box on the toilet seat and reaches over to where he'd sat his drink on the sink. Taking a few thirsty swallows, he offers the rest to Shizuo and climbs out of the tub, using the towel he'd wiped his hands on to dry himself off. He doesn't bother to wait for Shizuo, heading into his bedroom so he can grab his spare bathrobe from the hook on the inside of his closet door and put it on, making his way into the laundry room to dig through the dryer for a pair of pajamas. When he finds some, he puts them on and heads back into the bedroom, tossing the robe at a naked Shizuo. "You're welcome." He tells him, then turns to head down into the kitchen.
Shizuo follows, pulling on the robe and tying it shut. "What time is it?" He asks, yawning.
"No idea! But if I had to guess, I'd say it's probably around nine or ten. Why? Is Shizu-chan getting sleepy?"
"Yeah, actually. Dealing with your ass is fucking exhausting."
"How rude!" Izaya responds, putting the leftover pizza in the fridge. "Shizu-chan really needs to learn some manners." Stifling a yawn of his own, he makes his way back up to the second floor so he can grab some clean sheets out of the linen closet. He's not exactly overflowing with energy himself... he's actually a little surprised he hadn't fallen asleep in the tub, especially considering how nice and warm it had been. The worst part, he thinks, is that he's almost disappointed he didn't.
He blames it on the alcohol. It is a depressant, after all.
I wonder what kind of look Shizu-chan would have on his face if he came back to find that I'd drowned?
Eventually he finishes making the bed and flops down onto it, stretching out so he's taking up the entire thing. His head is starting to spin... it suddenly occurs to him that maybe, just maybe, combining alcohol and a hot bath hadn't been a very good idea. He's beginning to feel nausious.
"Oi." He glances up to find Shizuo standing over him with a cup of water in his hand and a concerned look on his face. He pushes himself into a sitting position, taking the cup when Shizuo offers it to him. It isn't until he starts to drink it that he realizes how dehydrated he is, gulping down the cool water like it's ambrosia.
"Thank you." He says, handing back the empty cup before laying down again.
Shizuo sets the cup on the dresser next to Izaya's bed, nudging him. "Scootch, flea."
"I don't remember saying you could sleep in here."
"I don't remember asking for permission."
"Fine... but if your snoring keeps me from falling asleep, I'm going to shove a sock in your mouth." Izaya warns, turning over onto his side. Shizuo rolls his eyes, undoing the bathrobe and shrugging it off before climbing into bed and wrapping his arms around the smaller man's waist, pulling him close. He buries his face in Izaya's soft, dark hair, breathing in his scent. "You smell good." He murmurs, his breath tickling the back of the other's neck.
"I thought I stunk?" Izaya asks, goosebumps spreading over his flesh.
"Yeah, well, I changed my mind." He nuzzles him, chuckling softly when Izaya squirms.
"That tickles." Izaya grumbles, his cheeks a light shade of pink.
"Oh yeah?" He nuzzles him again, grinning when he squirms a little bit more.
"Shizu-chan." Izaya whines in annoyance, causing Shizuo to grin and nuzzle him one last time before kissing him on the nape and snuggling against him. It doesn't take long for the comforting warmth of each other's bodies to lull them both to sleep.
The next morning...
*BANG BANG BANG*
The loud noise startles Izaya awake, his eyes flying open and his heart pounding as he tries to gather his bearings. Shizuo is still sound asleep next to him; he attempts to wiggle out of his hold, but the other man simply grumbles something and pulls him closer. There's another impatient bang, this time loud enough to cause Shizuo to groggily open his eyes. "What is it?" He asks, yawning and loosening his hold. "Is someone knocking?"
"Yes, so please do me a favor and shut up." Izaya hisses, jumping out of bed and running over to the door so he can try and listen for a clue as to who it is. He hears what sounds like a woman muttering to herself on the other side; while he can't make out the words themselves, the annoyed tone in her voice is familiar enough for him to immediately recognizes it as Namie's.
"Shit."
"Who is - "
"Bathroom. Now."
Shizuo raises his eyebrows at the snapped demand, but he figures it's probably better to just comply than to try and argue with the brunette. He wordlessly turns and heads into the bathroom, keeping the door cracked so he can listen.
The moment the blonde is out of sight, Izaya forces a smile on his face and opens the door to greet his secretary. "Namie! To what do I - "
"Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to get a hold of you?" She cuts him off, her hands on her hips. "Well? Do you?"
"No. Why don't you tell me?" He responds, moving out of the room and shutting the door behind him.
"Two days. Two days that were supposed to be my days off, mind you, but someone isn't answering their phone, so guess who's had to deal with all the clients?"
"I'm going to assume that's a rhetorical question."
"Do you enjoy making life difficult for me?"
"Yes, Namie. There is nothing I enjoy more."
"I'm not in the mood for your sarcasm. Are you aware there's a giant hole in the laundry room?"
"Is there? I hadn't noticed."
"And when exactly were you planning to respond to your voicemails? You know your inbox is full, right?"
"I'll get around to it eventually. Is there anything else you need? Because if not, I'd really like to get back to sleep."
"It's already noon!"
"Yes, but I feel absolutely awful. I think I'm coming down with something... I doubt it's contagious, but why don't you take a few more days off just to be safe? I'd hate to get you sick."
She raises an eyebrow, her lips pursed. He can't tell if she buys it or not (he sometimes forgets how perceptive she can be), but if she doesn't, she doesn't care enough to push it. "Fine, but I expect to still be paid regardless."
"Of course."
She turns to leave, pausing for a moment to glance back at him. "Oh, and one more thing..."
"What?" He doesn't like the look on her face... it's almost smug, like she knows something he doesn't.
"You might want to get your clothes out of the downstairs bathroom. Just a thought." And with that, she's gone, leaving a very confused Izaya to try and figure out what exactly she'd meant by that.
