Force Of Habit
The nights in Ikebukuro were often more lively than the days themselves. When the sun went down, the city rubbed the sleep from its eyelids and found a home in the hustle of bright lights and crowds of friends among strangers. But even the most lively of cities has its time of peace. This calm was the reason Izaya Orihara made the trip from Shinjuku into his beloved city that night. He'd been keeping tabs on all his humans. They had their patterns, and their schedules were always promised to give him some amusement from time to time.
Those three kids from Raira were off playing in their gang wars, but nothing new had surfaced yet. The Black Rider still made the news every so often, but never for anything worth a trip into the streets to see. It was all perfectly boring and normal presently. But one thing in particular was definitely... off.
There were no news incidents depicting blonde's in bar tenders uniform causing injuries by the tens each day. There were no recent strings of property damage, and a significant lack of street signs needing repairs. And this had been going on for months. How was it possible? It wasn' that it bothered Izaya... No.. Actually, he'd feel great if it turned out that Shizuo died in a horrific accident. It would be surprising, sure. But if that happened, Izaya would have been the first one to hear about it. So this is minor welfare check on his part.. Ah- but also an excuse to get his favorite fatty tuna.
And that was his only reason for being in "Bukuro" tonight, walking through the front door of Russia Sushi.
"Ah Izaya, back for delicious sushi!" Simon greeted from behind the counter. And well well well... What do we have here... The tall blonde monster in bartender's clothing was sitting right there at the counter. Izaya was happy to see it was just the three of them in this late. What luck! He might be able to get Shizuo to break everything in sight, with no fear for any other humans getting in the way!
Izaya's smirk blooms on his face. And just by looking at it, the tall muscular black man already looks cautious. It's clear from his face alone that he's getting ready to break up a spat between the two enemies. Although... the problem is... Shizuo isn't even looking at Izaya.
"It's okay Simon. I won't cause any trouble." Shizuo replied rather dryly.
This displeased the info broker. This was not how they worked. All he had to do was stand there with a smile on his face, and it was enough to rile up the man. Now he claimed calmly that he would cause no trouble?
"Shizu-chan! Who could have guessed you could pretend to be civil?" Izaya slid into the seat directly to the left of the man, leaning his elbows on the counter to get a good look at his face. This wasn't a privilege he was incredibly used to, being this close to the strongest man of Ikebukuro and perhaps even all of Japan was a thrill of its own reward. To his chagrin, Shizuo's gaze was fixed on the table in front of him as he sipped a disgustingly sweet chocolate shake.
"Did you not hear news, Izaya?" Simon said to gain his attention. The dark man had a rag in hand, swirling it in circles on the countertop as he spoke. Izaya raised a brow, motioning for the man to continue.
"Shizuo is practicing great Russian meditations. For a calm mind and a sound soul." He spoke proudly, offering that pride in a smile to Shizuo.
"Among other things." Shizuo added quietly. Undeterred, Simon went on.
"It has been great improvement!" At this, Shizuo smirked. Izaya's gaze narrowed for a second, though he wouldn't dare let his enemy see through his facade just yet.
"Oh? So nothing I do will irritate you, Shizu-chan? You are the picture of a saint these days."
"You still piss me off. I'm just not gonna do anything about it." It was practically killing the info-broker that Shizuo refused to look at him. As if the look alone could spark up his anger. Well, often times, it could. Shizuo finished his sugary drink, setting it down a little too forcefully and spurring a worried look from Simon.
"Sorry, Simon. I'll head out now, just in case." Shizuo stood up, paid for whatever meal he had, and made for the door.
"Many thanks Shizuo! Next time you come, half off on sushi!"
"Heh. Thanks a lot~"
Izaya sat there a moment dumbfounded. This was Shizu-chan acting like the bigger person? Disregarding Simon, and giving up on the idea of fatty tuna for dinner- Izaya stood up hastily and chased after the blonde. The irony wasn't lost on him at all. Normally the chase would be the other way around.. But he could work with this. All he has to do is get Shizuo to *tick* and all that pesky "training" would be blown out the window.
Izaya strode up beside the taller man, practically skipping to avoid showing how frustrated he actually was. From such a close proximity, he couldn't help but feel small standing next to the thin blonde. He's just trying to think of the right words to say when Shizuo is the first one to break the silence.
"Why are you back in Bukuro this time, flea?"
"Ooooh," Izaya drawls without missing a beat, "Monsters can hold conversations without weapons these days? How curious."
"That doesn't really answer the question."
"Do I ever need reason, Shizu-chan? There is no where else I'd rather play than Ikebukuro. After all, only Ikebukuro has such a terrifying beast just waiting to be tamed."
"I assume you mean me."
"Ding ding ding! Very good, Shizu-chan! Shall I toss you a dog biscuit?"
"Don't bother, Izaya. Just piss off."
"Such talk, Shizu-chan~ Almost like you don't want to talk to me..." While his brow scrunched up at the unusual answer, Shizuo didn't comment any further. For a moment, they walked side by side on the walkway in silence. Surely they drew curious looks from passersby. As rare as it was to see Shizuo in such peace, it was even stranger to see his worst nemesis walking with him side by side. No doubt, all the residents around the city were holding their breaths and clearing away before a hurricane of violence could be sprung on them. Izaya could already picture the conversation popping up on his message boards. Even from the taller man's side, the info broker could see Shizuo's eyes narrowing and falling closed altogether.
"Shizu-chaaaaan."
"Go away."
"But Shizu-chaaaaaaaaan~"
"Go. I don't want you ruinin' my peace."
"I was just gonna tell you..." Izaya grabbed the blue sunglasses that the blonde bartender wore even in the dark, finally that deep gold gaze passed over him. And there it was. The fire and anger absent from his gorgeous eyes all night- now glowing fiercely in the night. Wanting to spur it on even more, Izaya threw the glasses onto the sidewalk with an exaggerated movement and stomped on them with his best heel. It's fairly common knowledge that the devious info broker is prone to childish outbursts like this. Shizuo is used to it, probably more so than anyone else in all of Japan. This is a new low, however. The faux calm starts to fade rapidly.
"There was a crack in your glasses," Izaya says with a bland monotone, "I fixed it for you. You're welcome, Shizu-chan!"
"Izzzzaaaaayyyyaaaa!"
The drawl was definitely quieter than he was used to, but the passion was there none the less. Shizuo lunged forward, intending to catch the scruff of the broker's black coat in hand. Like the insect his rival compared him to, Izaya leaped backward, taking off into the nearest alleyway with a victorious laugh.
Even with his eyes closed, he saw blonde hair swept back in a heated chase throughout Ikebukuro. He could feel Shizuo's piercing stare, like a predetary vulture focused in on a darting mouse. Izaya felt his own chest swell with adrenaline. The beats of his heart were punctuated with every thud of his shoes meeting the concrete. He listened for the rough call of his own name, drawn out to emphasize the hate that lingered in his tone.
"IZAAAYYYAAAA!"
There it was. And much better too! The info broker turned his head, plastered a smile onto his face to mask the fluttering excitement in his body. Across the street, Shizuo Heiwajima, beast of Ikebukuro, fixed his gaze on the informant through the mass of people starting off out of their way. They knew what was bound to happen when the two men crossed paths, and they would clear the street in seconds to avoid flying objects. Izaya fought the struggle that it was to speak, while Shizuo made his way hastily in his direction.
"Shizu-chan! You didn't appreciate my help?"
"Shut your damn mouth, fleabag!"
Shizuo reached for the nearest object on the street—a crosswalk sign—tearing it from its prison of concrete as easily as if he'd simply plucked a flower from its pot. Izaya rolled his eyes, all part of the show, before taking off at a brisk run. His aim was to get away from all of his lovely humans in the streets, to ensure Shizuo didn't catch any of them with an accidental back swing. Sparing a glance over his shoulder, it appeared his plan was working. Like a dog chasing a cat, Shizuo was still hot on his heels.
And then just as suddenly-
He was trapped.
Izaya admittedly got carried away and hadn't paid attention to his escape route. Normally he'd breeze up the side of a catwalk and dive out of sight to leave his foe hanging. But this time- solid brick walls on all three sides. The monster blocks the only way back out. He spun around to face the taller man, willing himself to still his rapidly beating heart.
At least the run had momentarily worn out Shizuo, the man huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf as he stalked towards his prey.
"Look, Shizu-chan! You won, I have no where to go. Now what will you do with me?"
"Oh, I'm just gonna tear your arm off and jam it down your throat."
"Thats a bit graphic." Izaya forced himself to laugh. He should have been afraid, maybe, of being extremely close to the man. The feeling was exhilarating, though he'd never admit such out loud. Shizuo gripped the front of Izaya's shirt, slamming him against the wall roughly.
"Ack—Shizu-chan, that hurt."
"Give me one good reason I shouldn't crack your skinny neck."
"Because then... your high and mighty 'I've changed' act will be all for nothing~"
Shizuo doesn't respond to that right away. His iris glows with a shameful regret. Actually, it's hard to tell what Shizuo is thinking whenever he wears that stone faced expression. Izaya takes a shot at it anyway, and tries to gauge the reaction on the blonde's face. Confusion was registered there, but not disgust... This is wrong in every sense of the word. For a second, he's almost sure that he can see the anger resurface, so Izaya forces himself to laugh.
"There you are Shizu-chan! I knew it was a ruse. You can't change."
His laughter dies in his throat a lot sooner than he thought it ever could. Shizuo's strong and nimble fingers lessen their grip on the dark fabric over his chest. He sets the info broker down, safely re-connecting the soles of his shoes with the dirty cement underneath. His heartbeat quickens. This wasn't what he wanted... That insult was supposed to make the beast snarl. He's supposed to throw Izaya over the wall, and the chase would continue! Shizuo wasn't supposed to just drop him. There was a forced gasp behind Izaya's chuckle as he continued.
"Go on, Shizu-chan! You caught me, right? Aren't you going to smash my head into the wall? Take the nearest object and beat me black-and-blue until even my own mother wouldn't recognize me?"
"The fuck... you make it sound like you would enjoy me beating the piss out of you."
"Only if its you, right. We were made to kill each other." He said a little too honestly. He'd screwed up. Shizuo really lets go of him then. He really looks at him. He even takes a heavy step backwards. Despite himself, Izaya's chest burns at the loss of contact. He can't figure out why he feels so utterly and completely wrong for it.
"Just go home, Izaya. I'm changing for the better. Maybe you should too." Shizuo turned on his heel. Izaya's eyes widened. His body moved on its own.
"I'm not going to throw shit at you anymore. I want to be better than that."
"Nothing I do can change your mind?"
"...No."
The hesitancy... Izaya notices it, like a lighthouse in the dense fog. Its enough to get his bravado back. Enough to stow his hands in his pockets, and push past Shizuo. And once he's back on his streets, with Shizuo's golden eyes on him... he looks over his shoulder with the most fantastic smirk he can muster.
"We'll see about that, Shizu-chan... Mark my words, by this time tomorrow, you'll be back to your horrible monstrous ways!"
And Izaya doesn't believe in God. But something deep inside of himself starts to pray that those words will be right..