Author's Note: Please enjoy.

"So what did he say?"

"Who, Simon?"

"Yeah. What did he say?" Shizuo asks again, keeping an even pace with the smaller man as they make their way back to his apartment. The route itself is no different from the first time they'd left Russia Sushi together, but the relationship between them has changed so drastically since then that the awkward, tense silence they'd experienced before seems more like a distant memory than something that happened less than a week ago.

"He-" Izaya starts to say, before the feeling of a light drop of water hitting the top of his head distracts him. Pausing to look up at the grey, cloudy afternoon sky, he frowns when another drop splashes against his cheek; there are only a few blocks left before they reach Shizuo's apartment complex, but whether or not they actually get there in time to avoid getting soaked remains to be seen. Deciding he'd rather not linger long enough to find out, he turns to the other man. "Hey, Shizu-chan."

"What?"

"Race you." He says with a smirk, taking off before Shizuo even has a chance to respond, let alone stop him.

"God damn it, Izaya!" Having no desire to lose to the cheating little shit, Shizuo immediately starts to chase after him, almost mowing down an unfortunate pedestrian in his rush to catch up with the smaller man. He'd forgotten just how fast Izaya can be; as annoyed as he is, he can't help but be impressed that he's still able to move that quickly (especially considering the fact that he could barely stand on his own only a couple of days ago). "You could have given me a heads up, you know!"

"Where's the fun in that?!" Izaya calls back, laughing. The rain has already started to pick up, but he barely notices, let alone cares; racing through the streets like this reminds him of how things were before, nostalgia mixing with adrenaline to give him the speed boost he needs to leave Shizuo far behind.

"I'll show you where the fun is, y'goddamn brat!" Shizuo hollers, breaking into a sprint so he can try and close the distance - unfortunately for him, he's unable to do so in time to keep Izaya from reaching the apartment first.

"I win!" The brunette announces triumphantly, obviously pleased with himself. "And I'm not even at peak performance. Did you even try?"

"Of course I fucking tried, it ain't my fault you fucking cheated!"

"All's fair in love and war, Shizu-chan." Izaya taunts, sticking his tongue out.

"Yeah?" Shizuo is tempted to reach out and grab it like he had the last time Izaya decided he wanted to be a brat, but he decides against it in favor of taking his keys out of his pocket and unlocking his front door so the two of them can get out of the rain. "Which one's this?"

"Huh?" Izaya raises an eyebrow, a quizzical expression on his face.

"Love or war. Which one is it?" He asks, making sure the door is shut behind them before turning to Izaya and crossing his arms.

Seriously? He wants to do this now?

Sighing, he shrugs off his jacket and hangs it up on the coat rack. "I was under the impression you already knew the answer to that question, Shizu-chan." He comments, stripping off his shirt as he makes his way towards the bathroom.

"I do." Shizuo responds, following after him. "But I want to hear you say it."

"And if I refuse?" He asks, unbuckling his pants while pretending not to notice the way the other man's eyes rake over his bare back.

"You won't."

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

Shizuo answers by coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around his waist, pulling him back against his chest. The feeling of the cold, wet fabric rubbing against his bare skin causes goosebumps to spread all over his body; it doesn't help that the beast's breath is hot on his neck, causing all of the tiny little hairs on the back of it to stand on end. "Call it a hunch." He murmurs against his nape, letting one of his hands slide down Izaya's smooth abdomen so he can slip it underneath the waistband of his briefs. "Shit… you're already this hard?" He comments, taking hold of his cock and rubbing the tip with his thumb.

"Shu… shu…" His knees suddenly feeling very, very weak, Izaya bites his lip as Shizuo begins to stroke him at a pace that could easily rival a snail.

Damn him, damn him, damn him!

"What's wrong, flea? Cat got your tongue?" Shizuo asks, pushing Izaya's pants and underwear down so he can grind against his bare ass. He doesn't think he'll ever get over how absolutely satisfying it is to tease the smaller man, even the lightest of touches causing him to shudder; he might not have won the race, but the consolation prize more than makes up for it."Well?" He peppers his neck with kisses all the way up to his ear, where he sucks on it until Izaya's eyes flutter shut and his head leans back against Shizuo's chest.

"I hate you." He breathes, his cheeks flushed with arousal.

"What have I told you about lying, Iiiizaaaayaaa-kun?" Shizuo says, maneuvering them so he can bend Izaya over the sink. He lets go of his erection, using one hand to keep him pinned and the other to start unbuttoning his vest. "Well?"

"I'm not lying." Izaya manages to respond, despite wanting nothing more than for Shizuo to just fuck him already. "I hate you… hnn… very much right now."

"Oh, yeah?" Shizuo grins and lets his slacks drop to the ground, his bare cock now free to slide between Izaya's soft cheeks. "You sure about that?"

"Ha… Ha…" He can't even make out the whole word, so drunk on desire (and two Black Russians) that all he can do is let out a needy groan.

Damn him, damn him, damn him, damn him, damn him!

"Why don't you just tell me the truth, huh?" He reaches in-between them so he can tease Izaya's ass with his finger, sliding it in only to immediately slide it back out again. "If you do that, I'll give you what you want."

Izaya's getting to the point where he feels like he's about to explode, wanting so badly to come that he's actually considering giving into the monster's demands. Letting out a sob of frustration, he opens his eyes… only to be met with his own reflection staring back at him, red-faced and practically on the verge of tears. He immediately shuts them again.

Why do I do this to myself?

Shizuo hasn't once stopped teasing him, going from fingering him to rubbing the head of his cock against his entrance and back again. "Tell me the truth, Izaya." He commands. "Tell me you love me."

Why don't you just tell him?

Because that would be admitting he won.

He's already won.

"Ugh! Fine! I'll say it!" He surrenders, unable to hold out for even a second longer. "I love you, okay?! I love you, and I hate that I love you, and I hate that I let you do these things to me, and I hate that you can always see right through me, and I just - I hate it! I love you, and I ha- ahhhhh, fuck…" Shizuo has chosen that moment to make good on his part of the bargain, sliding into him with the ease of a key fitting in a lock; he grabs Izaya by the chin and forces his face towards him, once more crushing his lips against Izaya's much, much softer ones.

"Say it again." He orders breathlessly, pulling out slowly only to push back in even more slowly. "Tell me you love me, Izaya."

"I… ah…"

"You…?"

"L...l…"

"You l…?"

"Love. Love you. Kiss me." Izaya finally manages to say, Shizuo more than happy to oblige; turning him around so his back is pressed against the sink, he eagerly claims Izaya's lips as he hoists him up by the hips and slowly pushes back into him.

"Say it again." Shizuo breathes against his mouth, going only slightly slower than he was before.

"Love you. I love you." It comes out almost as a whine, Izaya needily grinding down on Shizuo's cock. Pressing their lips together once more, Shizuo starts to pick up the pace.

"Again." He commands, feeling himself getting close.

"I love you! I love you I love you I love you I love you! Is that good enough for you? Please just fucking kiss me!"

Once more Shizuo obliges, only this time he doesn't stop; at least not until he feels Izaya squeezing down on him, the realization that he's orgasming causing him to speed up until he's reached the peak himself. By the time he's done emptying his balls, Izaya is so full of his cum that it's leaking out around him. Maneuvering them over to the toilet, he sets Izaya down on it before pulling out, grabbing a dirty towel to clean himself off with.

I really need to do laundry…

"Oi. Flea."

"What?"

"Can I do my laundry at your place? Otherwise I'm gonna have to go to a laundromat, and those things really try my patience."

"If I say yes, will you let me have the bathroom to myself?"

"Sure."

"Then yes, you can… though if this is going to happen a lot, you might as well just bring over everything."

"What do you mean, 'everything'?"

"Could you leave now please?"

"Wait, tell me what you mean by everything."

"You know, like… all of it. Can I please just use the toilet in peace?"

Wait… is he suggesting I move in with him?

Unsure how to respond, Shizuo grabs his clothes off the bathroom floor before heading out of it, dropping them in his laundry basket. Going over to what's left of his clean laundry, he manages to find a clean pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He tugs them on and goes over to his futon, flopping backwards down on it so he can stare up at the ceiling. It's only midday, but he's already feeling pretty damn tired… deciding there's no reason why he can't take a nap, he closes his eyes and lets his body relax.