Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara!
Impromptu - "a free-form musical composition with the character of an ex tempore improvisation as if prompted by the spirit of the moment, usually for a solo instrument, such as piano"
This piece is in reference to the incident mentioned in Pastorale. Enjoy!
Shiki doesn't consider himself to be particularly old, but he swears that he almost experiences a heart attack when someone tells him his best informant has gotten himself stabbed, again. He reasons that it can't be that serious since Izaya has somehow made it to Kishitani's, and he tries not to usher his driver too insistently as he makes his way there.
He doesn't push the elevator buttons incessantly, doesn't impatiently tap his feet when it seems to take a few seconds longer than usual. He only rings once when he does finally arrive and is greeted by none other than Celty.
"Shinra's still working on him," she tells him as he steps inside the apartment. He tries not to think much of the fact that it has already been some time since the initial message and that Kishitani is usually efficiently quick in surgeries. Shiki follows the other to the usual waiting area, attempting to suppress the slight anxiety that has started to make its way into his psyche, but his train of thoughts instantly derails when he realizes he is not the only guest.
"Good afternoon, Heiwajima," he greets the man on the couch, ignoring the sudden wave of jealousy that briefly washes over his chest. The other only nods, and Shiki instead focuses on the light smoke trail that wisps into the air between them.
"Shizuo was the one who found Izaya," Celty explains, but he already knows. He tells his mind not to dwell too much on the fact.
The wait is more gruesome than he expects, and he tries not to pace, eventually forcing himself onto the sofa across from Heiwajima. He scrolls through his contacts and begins the search for the ones responsible for Izaya's injuries to get his mind off the current situation at hand.
Shiki cannot recall the last time Izaya has gotten himself this injured since they started seeing each other. He likes to think that their relationship has somewhat redirected most of the informant's self-destructive tendencies, but it seems he still has some ways to go even after these three or so years. The possibility only sends his thoughts faster down its negative spiral until an enlightening text from one of his men stops their descent.
Regardless, he still frowns when he finds that the culprit is just some random punk on the street Izaya has probably offended in the past, which does explain quite a lot. It is the only reason why the informant would have let his guard down. Shiki thinks of letting Izaya take care of the man when he recovers, but he is unable to ignore the sudden surge of anger and sends a text.
He supposes the informant could always settle for playing with the scraps.
"You found the guy?" Heiwajima inquires from across the room just as he lets out a sigh.
"He's been taken care of," he replies and tries to mask the annoyance in his voice. He tells himself to be thankful that Heiwajima was there when Izaya was stabbed but knows he fails somewhat.
Heiwajima merely grunts in acknowledgement and returns to the television.
They wait in silence for the next hour or so, the late afternoon news the only sound in the room. He can see Celty shifting uncomfortably at the tension in the corner of his eye but makes no effort to converse with either of them as the minutes tick gruesomely by.
He nearly starts when the door finally opens, revealing Kishitani. He notes that the doctor does not have the usual white coat on, and the man smiles sheepishly.
"They nicked an artery, so there was a lot of blood. Izaya's all stitched up now though!" The doctor announces with a little too much energy.
"He's still in the operating room?" he inquires.
"Yeah, I gave him a few sedatives, so he might still be out of it," Kishitani explains, but Shiki walks past him. He knows Heiwajima is right behind him, but he pays the other no mind as he throws open the door to the operating room.
White sterile light greets him before he spots the lone figure on the cot. Izaya is already sitting up and examining the pile of bandages on his lower abdomen under the thin hospital gown Kishitani has thrown over him for modesty. The man looks up as Shiki approaches and lets out a carefree laugh, likely influenced partly by the drugs Kishitani has given him.
"Look, we'll have matching scars now!" Izaya giggles.
Many years later when he looks back at this moment, Shiki still cannot fathom an excuse for what he does next. He sees red as soon as those words leave his informant's mouth, and the pent up anxiety and fear seem to explode all at once.
Everything happens in the span of a second as he takes one, two steps across the room and slaps Izaya across the face. The sound reverberates across the room, and he is blinking at the result of his handiwork, the drop in his chest screaming louder than his stinging hand.
Izaya's eyes are wide as the man raises a hand to his reddening cheek, and Shiki embraces him the moment he realizes what he has done.
"Don't ever do that again," he hisses against Izaya's ear, trying to ignore the trembles from the other, his own heart threatening to beat out of his ribcage. It is a moment before he realizes that Izaya is laughing, and he pulls back to take a good look at the man, fearing that he has finally broken something in the informant.
Izaya manages to calm to a chuckle before pointing to the hallway outside. Shiki suddenly realizes that they are not alone and tries not to react to the scene behind him: Heiwajima is in mid step towards them with a raised fist, held back only by a flurry of shadows and Kishitani.
The doctor is the first to move as the man disentangles himself from the other two and walks towards them. "A-Anyway, Izaya needs a few days to recuperate. We have a spare room here he can stay in."
Shiki is about to protest that his penthouse is an equally suitable location, but Kishitani beats him to it. "I want to keep him under close observation. The wound was pretty deep."
He bites down the retort, looking back and forth from Izaya and the doctor, the former still on cloud nine from whatever drugs Kishitani has shot him up with.
The loopy smile on Izaya's face is unsettling.
"I understand," he manages.
.
Akabayashi calls him that night, and he imagines the man's crooked grin at his earlier spur of the moment decision regarding a certain no name punk.
"And you thought Izaya overreacted back when you were injured," the man laughs over the phone.
"Are you volunteering to be next?" he hisses back, finding that his mood has not improved since leaving Kishitani's. He wishes he had insisted more on bringing Izaya back with him, but it is already nearly midnight.
"I'm sure Izaya's fine. Shinra's probably just being extra cautious."
"That doesn't change the fact that he was stabbed."
"Yeah, it happens to the best of us."
Shiki sighs, deciding not to argue any further. He recalls the informant's wide eyes after he struck the other, and the pit of his stomach drops even more. He manages to compose himself before Akabayashi notices, concluding that he needs to go back to Kishitani's tomorrow to properly apologize to Izaya once those blasted sedatives have worn off.
Shiki manages to make it through the rest of the call and reassures the other man that he is fine. He has an even more restless sleep than usual that night, rejoicing when the rays of the sun finally peek through the blinds. He rushes through his morning meetings before picking up some sushi on his way to Kishitani's, resolute in his plan to bring his ailing informant back.
It is the doctor instead of Celty who greets him in the front entrance this time. Shiki can sense some slight tension from the other but pretends not to notice as he offers the other the bag of Russia Sushi.
"Oh! Thanks for the delivery! Izaya's been complaining about my food the entire day!" Kishitani jokes before taking the ootoro out of his hands. "I'll give it to him when he wakes up."
The gesture immediately strikes him as odd. "I'm here to see him, not drop off food."
"Ah well, let me check if he's up then!" Kishitani says, leading him to the living room.
Shiki suddenly finds himself alone and contemplates the doctor's jumpiness around him. He glances around the room through the glass windows and notices that he has not seen Celty around since entering the apartment.
A few minutes pass by in silence before he decides to head to Izaya's room himself, itching to get to the bottom of Kishitani's reluctance to let him see the informant. The doctor has already told him that the injury is not life-threatening, so it cannot be a medical reason.
The hallway outside is quiet, and he can hear voices from the door across from the operating room. Shiki is about to barge in on the two when he notices that he can make out their conversation rather clearly from where he is standing.
"I said everything's fine, Shinra," Izaya's soft voice vibrates through the door. Shiki is pleased that at least the informant seems to be free of sedatives and back to his usual self.
"But he…"
"You would have noticed long ago if that was the case. We've already been seeing each other for almost four years."
Shiki realizes that the two of them are talking about his momentary loss of self control the day prior. He wants to clear the air, that the incident is completely unlike him and won't happen again, but he feels he has no right. He steps back, pondering just how he should approach the situation.
He then hears someone enter the apartment and turns to see Celty and Heiwajima approaching, both lugging a few bags of what looks like groceries. The latter meets his eyes with a glare before gesturing silently to the living room. Shiki decides to follow the bodyguard back to the previous room and settles on the couch while the other two put the bags down on the kitchen counter. Celty nods wordlessly to him before leaving the two of them alone, closing the door softly behind her.
Shiki does not speak at first and instead chooses to study the other man intently as Heiwajima pulls out a cigarette.
"Why were you standing outside like that? You could've just gone in."
He realizes the man is more astute than he originally suspected. "Kishitani and Izaya were talking, so I didn't want to interrupt."
"Makes sense." Heiwajima takes a drag from the cigarette, the silence between them heavy. Shiki swallows thickly and decides to take the first step. He owes Izaya this much at least.
"I apologize for my behavior yesterday. It was inappropriate," he tells the other.
Heiwajima grimaces at his words. "I'm not the one you should be saying that too."
"I was going to tell him today, but Kishitani seems insistent on keeping me from visiting."
Heiwajima snorted. "I told Shinra you guys are probably fine. He's overreacting."
Shiki finds himself speechless at the bodyguard's words and does not respond immediately.
Heiwajima lets out a sigh. The man must think the entire situation irritating. "Now you know how Izaya felt when you were stabbed," the bodyguard says instead.
This doesn't sit well with him, but he controls himself. "He told you?" he asks. Shiki remembers the incident well.
"That damned flea was so worried over what you thought of him that he almost got himself mugged."
"So you saved him."
"Of course I did! He's my friend!" The statement catches both of them off guard, and then Heiwajima turns a little red.
Shiki waits for the familiar wave of jealousy, but to his surprise, something about the reaction softens him.
Heiwajima groans. "I know it's weird since we've been trying to kill each other since we've met, but he's changed. A-and, Shinra said he doesn't have any friends, so…" The man looks away. "Take it as you will, but thanks for keeping that guy in check. He really cares about you."
Shiki is silent for a moment. "Thanks for looking out for him."
The man's face finally breaks into a grin. "That's what friends do."
The door opens behind him, and he turns to see Kishitani peeking in.
"Ah, Izaya's ready to see you now," the doctor nearly stutters, but he pretends not to notice.
"Thank you."
Izaya is looking out the window when he enters. He takes note of the man's slight pallor and slightly sunken eyes, regretting that he didn't insist on taking the other home last night. Shiki takes a seat on the spare chair Kishitani has left in the room.
"Are you still mad?" Izaya finally asks, still not meeting his eyes.
He sighs, rubbing his temple. "I wasn't mad." Izaya finally looks at him, and he reaches out, touching Izaya's cheek lightly. He is relieved that he hadn't struck the other hard enough to leave a mark. "I'm sorry for hurting you," he says regardless.
The informant leans into his touch, those beguiling red eyes gazing up towards him. "I'll be more careful next time."
"Please." Shiki leans back into the chair, feeling the heaviness somewhat lift from his chest. "How is your stay here?"
Izaya sighs theatrically. "Just a little bummed that Shinra's not letting me work. I need to find my dear assailant and give him a piece of my mind."
"I already did that for you." Izaya looks up at him in surprise.
"You didn't…"
Shiki smirks wryly and refuses to tell him more and watches as Izaya's eyes slowly widen, the man's imagination likely running wild. It amuses him that the other still has some particular preconceptions about his trade.
"Please don't tell me you sent him to the bottom of Tokyo Bay."
"That was originally reserved for Heiwajima, but he can rest easy now." Shiki pushes a strand of hair behind Izaya's ears so he could better see the puffy edges of the man's eyes. "I think I've finally satisfied that particular itch."
"I think you might have overreacted," Izaya grumbles. He knows the man likely wanted to give the culprit a piece of his own mind but he doesn't care. He is satisfied with his own blend of revenge.
"Forgive me?" Shiki asks, earning a satisfying look of surprise from the other. He usually doesn't beg, so he knows this has caught Izaya off guard.
He leans in and takes in those slightly agape lips, smiling when Izaya surrenders readily to him. He instinctively deepens the kiss when the other groans, sliding a tongue in, and is about to push further when a wince from the other stops him.
Shiki pulls away instantly to see his flushed lover staring apologetically back.
"And I was hoping to pay Shinra back by using his bed," the man laughs.
"Wait, I thought this was the guest room." He realizes that it is just as crass, but he doesn't voice it.
"Actually, Shinra and Celty have their own rooms so they don't actually have one for guests. He let me borrow his since it has an actual mattress instead of a futon."
Shiki sighs, thankful that they hadn't proceeded further. "Let's go back to my place. I'll talk to Kishitani."
"What's wrong with my apartment?"
"You're still injured, and I don't have any stairs," he points out.
"Just admit that you want to take care of me," Izaya says smuggly, leaning back into the bed.
He makes no rebuff as he gives the other a brief peck on the forehead before leaving to convince Kishitani of the move.
Thank you for reading!