AN: SURPRISE I'M ALIVE AND UPDATING THREE FICS IN THREE DAYS. Don't expect too much from me, we all know I wouldn't know an upload schedule if it bit me on the ass. Still, hope y'all are still enjoying this!
"Hey, Orihara. Who's this Headless Rider person?"
Oh.
Oh.
Izaya felt a thrill of anticipation shoot down his spine. It'd been a vague idea in the back of his mind ever since he got confirmation that Ichigo was not of this world, but he hadn't put much thought into it yet. He'd been busy after all: getting to know his new houseguest as well as his usual duties as an information broker. Even spending time with the twins, disturbing and unnatural though it was, had become something of a habit since Ichigo's arrival. Those two would turn up morning or night like clockwork, ready to con their poor big brother into buying them a meal.
"Orihara?"
Izaya snapped back to attention, mentally flicking all thoughts of his siblings into the nether. He smiled at Ichigo, motioning him to continue.
Ichigo, sprawled across Izaya's sofa and scrolling on the phone Izaya had pretty much forced on him, looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Right. There's a bunch of threads about sightings, and conspiracy theories and shit. They seem pretty popular."
Oh, popular was an understatement. The public loved a mystery, after all, and Celty Sturluson certainly fit the bill; the internet had just about exploded the first time her helmet had come off on a job. Shinra had been on the verge of a meltdown, torn between pride and jealousy.
Slipping his own phone into his jacket pocket, Izaya leaned forward with steepled hands, elbows resting on his knees. "I could introduce you, if you like."
Keen dark eyes traced hungrily over Ichigo's face, chasing every inch of the reaction he'd evoked. The kid paused, hands and phone falling to his lap. He turned his head, looking at Izaya with something he was delighted to recognise as exasperation mixed with an utter lack of surprise.
And sure enough-
"Why am I not surprised?"
Izaya chuckled. "You tell me, Kurosaki-kun."
The kid sighed. "You are so shady, it's not even funny."
That startled a more genuine laugh out of him. When he looked up, catching Ichigo's gaze for just a second, the humour lurking at the crinkled corners of his eyes caused Izaya's lips to curve. The grin only lasted a few moments, but it was enough to make Ichigo's head cock, expression turning thoughtful.
Tucking that observation away for another time – was it really so surprising that he was capable of (actually) smiling? – Izaya pulled out his own phone back out. Under Ichigo's curious stare, he scrolled through his multitude of contacts. Thumb hovering over Kishitani Shinra, he wondered if maybe Shingen would be the better option; Shinra could get rather territorial over the so-called love of his life.
Sighing, he decided against it. Shingen was in America, and would probably be of no help even if he did feel like doing so. At this point, the old man had mostly given up on separating his less than sane son from the headless fairy. Mostly.
"Hello? Izaya? Please don't tell me you got yourself caught by Shizuo, I've got a lot to do today."
Putting the phone on speaker, Izaya made a face. "Of course I didn't. I haven't even seen the beast for almost a month now."
He waved off Ichigo's raised brow. The longer he could put off that meeting – no matter how intriguing it would prove to be – the better.
"So if it's not medical attention, what do you want?"
"Who said I wanted anything?"
"You always want something, Izaya." Shinra laughed. "It's fine, just get on with it."
"Well." Izaya eyed his attentively listening houseguest, amusement leaking quite deliberately into his tone. "It's actually about Celty."
He could almost hear the tension shooting up on the other side. A text came through almost immediately; Izaya clicked on the banner as soon as it dropped.
Celty Sturluson
What do you want? And why are you asking Shinra instead of me?
"Because I've got somebody I'd like you both to meet," he replied aloud. "He's the one that's got questions for you, Celty."
"He? He who?"
Izaya smothered a snort. Beneath the mistrust and the (well deserved) suspicion, Shinra's interest was plain to hear. That guy really just could not help himself.
"His name is Ichigo. I was hoping you could give him a check up."
The startled disgruntlement on Ichigo's face was adorable, honestly. The whispered "What the fuck, Orihara" even more so.
"Oh, was that him?"
"Yeah," Ichigo replied before Izaya could even open his mouth. The stink-eye he still had trained on Izaya only served to amuse him even more. Izaya shrugged, motioning him to continue. "Kurosaki Ichigo, nice to meet you. I don't need a check up. Orihara just said he could introduce me to the Headless Rider."
His phone buzzed again, even as Shinra was demanding to know why Izaya was promising such things.
Celty Sturluson
Nice to meet you. My name is Celty; do you require my services?
Ichigo blinked. "Services? No, sorry, I was just curious. I saw some stuff about you online and it got me wondering."
That wasn't surprising. Izaya would've given anything to be able to feel Ichigo's exact emotions the moment he realised that he wasn't the only fantastical being in this city. Was it hope? Relief? A sense of fellowship, perhaps?
"Oh!" Shinra's exclamation had both Ichigo and Izaya raising an eyebrow in the phone's direction. "Kurosaki-san, you wouldn't happen to be the new supernatural entity on the block, would you?"
Maybe it was being called a 'supernatural entity' or maybe it was the phrase 'on the block', but Ichigo's face was the picture of baffled incredulity.
"Um. I, uh, I guess? Do you guys get a lot of those around here?"
Izaya resolved to, as soon as this phone call was over, change Ichigo's name in his contacts to Supernatural Entity #2. Number one, of course, was Celty.
Faint tapping noises came through the speaker before Shinra could reply. Assuming that Celty was questioning her roommate, Izaya took a moment to be deeply pleased with himself. Life had become so much more fun since he'd found Ichigo wandering the streets of Ikebukuro. It'd been a stroke of genius, deciding to go looking for him that day.
"Celty, you didn't hear?" The surprise in Shinra's voice was obvious. "A little while ago, there were rumours of a strange man in Ikebukuro, with two blades strapped to his back and the ability to walk on air. Come to think of it," his voice was suddenly much louder, as he resumed speaking directly into his phone. "I had heard that you'd picked up some new muscle, Izaya. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you snatched up someone so interesting."
Celty Sturluson
You're not the only curious one, Kurosaki-san. Would you like to meet in person and talk?
AN: Drop a review if you'd be so kind! Be safe and healthy out there xx
- Kelly