"I was afraid that you wouldn't come."
Shinra felt sorry for causing the colour to drain from his friend's face, letting go of those frail shoulders when Izaya stumbled over to Shizuo, who only tugged Izaya to stay behind him instead. Although all he should be feeling at the time was apologetic, but it was amusing— who'd have thought that he'd live to see the day where these two actually act this way?
Watching Izaya seek cover from that one person he'd claimed to despise so much… It was the moment he'd been waiting for.
"I said I'd bring him over," Shizuo retorted.
"You were taking too long, and Celty got very worried! Since she was worried, I got worried too. I don't want my beloved to feel such uncertainty. That's why I always declare my love towards her every day."
It was probably not the time to be joking around, but he couldn't help himself, he had to lighten the mood up.
The way Izaya tensed from being a little too close to him was worrying.
"I'm going home."
Izaya muttered, gaze fixated on Shizuo after sparing Shinra a disinterested glance.
"Are you going to hold me back?"
Puppy.
That's what Shizuo is, listening to what Shinra tells him to do.
"No."
Even Shinra had a look of surprise on, both of them staring at Shizuo in disbelief before Izaya drew his gaze to the ground and eventually turned his back towards them, there wasn't even a hint of hesitation in his steps as he left the scene.
Shinra did consider chasing after Izaya, but the hand grasping his shirt stopped him from doing so.
"What? Wait, I thought you said you'd take him to my place?"
"He wants to go home," Shizuo lit up a cigarette.
"Why'd I stop him?"
"You could've convinced Orihara-kun."
"He'd be better off alone."
"You know, Shizuo, I'm starting to wonder whose side is it that you're on."
.
.
Darkness greeted his sight once he woke up, body aching due to the uncomfortable floor he'd been laying on. Izaya sat up with a groan, wondering was it that he fell asleep by the front door and rubbing the nape of his neck before getting back on his feet to switch on the lights. The house seemed void of presence other than Izaya himself.
It was surprisingly silent without the usual chatters of his sisters.
"Kururi?"
"Mairu?"
The voices he was starting to miss never responded.
Everywhere he looked, there was no sign of them.
"Have they finally gone and got rid of themselves?"
Izaya crouched down, laughter bubbling from his throat as though he was in disbelief, and knowing that (finally) no eyes were observing, the smile he had on vanished within seconds— thumb and forefinger pinching the bridge of his nose.
"And they just had to choose today, too."
…
"Such troublesome sisters."
"I'll just go to bed."
.
.
It was better to live in loneliness than to get close to people just to get yourself hurt. That was what he thought of, and he was right. Although he didn't have many people in his life that he could call friends, it only meant that losing Shinra would have a great impact on him, since he'd be left with no one by his side.
It wasn't like they had a special relationship, but he'd grown to be fond of Shinra nevertheless.
However, detaching from people completely— it'd be very lonely.
Even with Shinra around, it wasn't enough for the greed he had for reciprocated love overpowered him, and despite being able to hide it behind the mask he wore so often, it consumed him from inside out.
Sometimes he could only ask himself why did he let his desires act as a barrier, keeping him from approaching others on a personal level?
.
"It's quiet."
.
Contrary to popular beliefs, it didn't take much to cause Orihara Izaya to fall.
.
The room was dark and he held a hand out, barely able to make out the outline of his fingers, and he scrutinized it lazily before the silence bothered him. It didn't seem like he could doze off with so much on his mind. He used to think that the sounds of Kururi and Mairu playing around as something irritating, but he'd give anything for them to scream and run about right now.
Perhaps it was the desperation for human contact speaking.
Izaya sat up on the bed, gaze darting from one corner to another but he failed to find anything interesting enough in the room that'd occupy his mind instead of the events of today. It was difficult to figure out whether it was his mind tricking him, or his body really did need some rest, but either way, his eyes refused to flutter shut. Who knew who else would jump out and stain his sheets with red if he let his guard down?
"Someone who'd do that, huh?"
He drew in a long breath, closing his eyes.
"That'd be…"
.
"Shizu-chan."
.
.
When he came to, eyes half lidded, he saw trees and the starry night sky, and there was gentle breeze blowing at the strands of his hair. His clothing had changed to a simple baby blue hoodie and black shorts. And the thing that caught his attention the most was the person who was standing before him, in the middle of the empty road.
"Ah, we… ran out of milk. Wait- why do I need to explain myself to you?"
Shizuo frowned, brows knitted, earning a laugh from Izaya because he could never figure Shizuo out. This kind of simplicity, only doing what he feels right without any calculations— Izaya could never do something like that. Just as he was starting to think that Shizuo was the same as the others, betraying him, he acted the opposite and let Izaya leave.
It made him wonder when will it be that Shizuo would actually play by the rules?
"It must be easy for Shizu-chan to live life like that. After what happened, I didn't think you'd be so uncaring about it," Izaya flashed a grin, the corners of his lips stretched out.
"Why did you let me go? It was the perfect chance to hand me over to Shinra."
"Even I wouldn't hit somebody who's already down."
"So you think I'm weak."
"Not in the sense you're thinking of."
"Why won't you just admit that it's the same as what I assume?"
"Because you're nowhere near weak, Izaya."
His lips threatened to curve upside down, but he kept the smile in-tact instead, fingers clutching the hem of his hoodie and he pondered over the truth in Shizuo's words. It felt ridiculous to think that it brought comfort, knowing that someone still considered that he was anything else other than a coward.
He never wanted Shizuo to read him like this.
Izaya didn't like this.
Shizuo knew just what he wanted.
"Say, what'd it be like if we become friends?"
It wasn't in his expertise to be able to analyse Heiwajima Shizuo— the look Shizuo gave him after he proposed the idea, and the lack of words that came with it. But Shizuo didn't seem to reject the idea. It would be hard to erase his memory of all the cunning schemes Izaya had inflicted on him, but it was intriguing, wasn't it? Would their lives become better, or would they become the dangerous pair, even more than they already were?
"Why are you out here?" Shizuo didn't answer his question.
Everywhere was suffocating.
He smiled, the words he wanted to utter weighed heavily on his tongue and with his hands tucked into the front pockets of his hoodie, he lolled his head to the side in a lazy manner, attempting to enrage the beast once again.
"I wanted to get some fresh air. What'd Shizu-chan know? He'd probably be snoring at this time if it wasn't for the milk."
"Ha, yeah, says the idiot who never sleeps."
Unfazed by the teasing, Shizuo pointed at the dark circles under his eyes, or he'd rather say, prodded them because Shizuo was just that childish. Izaya didn't complain, however, and trailed behind Shizuo when Shizuo started walking again. Only the sound of milk sloshing around in the carton filled the area, that, and his footsteps that caught Shizuo's attention.
"Stop following me."
"I'm just going in the same direction as you."
"To my house?"
"I'm not going to visit the monster's lair at this time of night. Who knows what's waiting for me there! Although it might be fun to see your family. Hm, what do they think of an utter failure like you? I wonder. A mistake that shouldn't have been born?"
"So annoying," Shizuo grumbled.
"Go away, then."
"Is Shizu-chan angry?"
Izaya's steps ceased when Shizuo stopped in his tracks, glancing at him yet Shizuo looked past the expression he was wearing, offering another hand and he wondered how someone could have that much patience after he'd denied that outstretched hand several times before. Was it because they made a promise to be different today? Although they barely kept it—
How gullible.
If Shizuo didn't have his strength, he'd be trampled on all over by now.
That kind of naivety would destroy a person in this world.
"Do you need company?"
.
The day isn't over yet.
