A/N: I'm back! After two years since this story started, I'm finally ready to update more chapters. I hope I'm not too late! I've recently reviewed the previous chapters and there are minor details changed. I will be updating as much as I can. Much love to you all.

Izaya glanced over from the couch and huffed when Shizuo finally emerged from the bedroom. Izaya was bored out of his mind and couldn't leave the apartment until the blond woke up. It was almost one in the afternoon! There wasn't a damn thing he could do to entertain himself except watch the television, which only had basic channels, so that became tedious quickly. With how Shizuo acted last night, Izaya suspected he'd have forgotten the events from the bedroom or even the ones before that.

Izaya was annoyed about being left so long, but when Shizuo emerged, and he saw the disheveled appearance of his enemy, a grin began to form. "Afternoon, Shizu-chan." Shizuo froze in place and glared directly at him, and Izaya thought that maybe the blond had forgotten their situation until he growled and turned for the kitchen. What the hell was that about? Izaya was grateful to not have to explain it all again because he suspected a hungover Shizuo was the worst type of Shizuo, maybe even more than an angry one. Izaya chuckled as he entered the kitchen. It was funny to imagine many little different Shizuo's, each with a piece of his personality; he suspected they'd still get angry and fight each other.

Izaya's eyes lifted to catch Shizuo's glare, and Izaya rolled his eyes. "Do you ever stop scowling?" Izaya watched him take tablets from the half-empty packet of Tylenol and gulp them down with a glass of water. Izaya grinned again, finding the common notion rather amusing. Shizuo clearly had a hangover. I could make his day so much worse with this. Izaya almost jumped when the glass slammed on the countertop and was surprised the thing didn't smash.

"Not when you're constantly in my presence." Shizuo slouched against the counter and massaged his head.

Izaya chuckled and leaned against the wall, watching Shizuo as though he was the most entertaining thing. "I wonder which is causing you the headache. The constant scowl, or the amount of alcohol you consumed last night." Shizuo growled again and looked up with gritted teeth. Izaya grinned. "Or maybe it's your amoeba brain trying to recall last night's events." Shizuo narrowed his eyes, and Izaya tilted his head, wondering how many times the man had mentally killed him in the last half hour and in what kind of ways? Izaya was so bored that even those were fun to think about. I must be going insane if Shizu-chan's image of killing me could be considered a source of entertainment.

"Or maybe it's the obnoxious, pestering, evil flea refusing to leave me alone that's the cause." Shizuo stormed out of the kitchen past Izaya and slumped on the couch.

Izaya followed him with a click of his tongue and placed his hands in his pockets. Instead of biting back, Izaya laughed and moved to stand in Shizuo's view of the television. The raven leaned forward, getting right in Shizuo's face, and with an almost excited smile, said, "Oh, wow! I didn't know you knew such big words, Shizu-chan. I'm almost proud."

Without any hesitation, Shizuo growled angrily and lunged for Izaya with a fist, completely forgetting his ghost-like status. Izaya flinched when Shizuo's fist smashed through the screen. Whoops. Cables sparked from the open box, and soon enough, the power cut around the apartment with a pop. Izaya slowly took his hands out of his pockets and dared to step forward as Shizuo removed his hand from the broken screen without a word and stood up.

Silence.

Izaya took another step forward, wondering what Shizuo might do. He'd never seen Shizuo like this before, and it started to freak him out. Honestly, Izaya was surprised the entire apartment wasn't destroyed by Shizuo's temper. Now he had a broken table and television, and Izaya knew the blond would blame him for that too. Izaya was about to say something until Shizuo turned and left the room without a word or even a glance his way.

Izaya watched him return moments later dressed in his bartender suit, and his eyes widened when Shizuo opened the door to the apartment and – he – left.

Izaya quickly ambled to the door and found it locked to his utter disbelief. No way. "I can't believe he just-" Izaya leaned against the door, glanced at the broken tv, and curled his hands into fists. First off, he commended Shizuo for not spiraling into a raging fit, and had he been able to touch Izaya, the raven knew he'd have all sorts of broken bones by now. Izaya sighed in frustration; Shizuo had locked him in the apartment without knowing he couldn't get out. Who knew how long Shizuo would take? "What a cruel punishment. I personally would have preferred a broken bone or two." Izaya thought back to Shizuo's silence and had to admit that it was the most disturbing reaction he'd ever seen from him. Izaya concluded that a silent Shizuo trumped all other Shizuo's.

Izaya strolled over to the couch and huffed as he sat on the edge, grasping his hair. Izaya wanted to scream. The raven thought he had more self-control than this, but apparently, when it came to Shizuo, he was no better than the blond himself. Perhaps the teasing was too much and probably unnecessary, but Izaya couldn't help it. After all those years of constantly insulting Shizuo, they couldn't expect him to switch it off so easily. Izaya's way of getting Shizuo to forgive him wasn't entirely without logic. Izaya wouldn't hide who he was and act like someone else to please his enemy, even if it would help him. If Izaya could get Shizuo to forgive him and get along with him while staying true to himself, that would truly be an accomplishment. That was the whole point, wasn't it? "Maybe I could dial down the insults just a little."

It occurred to Izaya that he could just break down Shizuo's door, but then that probably wasn't the best way to start off their new, whatever this was supposed to be. Izaya clicked his tongue and glanced around the room. "It's not like he has anything valuable to steal." Izaya shook his head before he could seriously consider his idea. If Shizuo went to work, Izaya would be here a long time.

Izaya stood up and headed for the kitchen. "I suppose a meal might be a good first start." Izaya stopped walking and groaned to himself. "I sound like a girly roommate." Without anything better to do, Izaya decided to continue his idea, ignoring the large part of himself that wouldn't bat an eye if he poisoned the food. When Izaya reached the kitchen, he wondered what kind of oven Shizuo had because if it was electric, he was screwed. It still seemed weird that he could touch common objects as though he really were alive, but Izaya reminded himself that he technically wasn't a ghost.

Izaya tilted his head to assess the oven but sighed when he realized. Izaya huffed and turned to the fridge. Shizuo would be pissed if the food spoiled, so the raven opted to see what he could make with its contents, but when he opened the door, nothing but milk, eggs, pudding cups, and margarine greeted him. "He's useless." Izaya rolled his eyes and half-slammed the door. "The hell am I supposed to make with that?" Everything in Shizuo's kitchen that could be made into a meal required some form of electricity. Oven, microwave, and a kettle. Izaya banged his head against the fridge. "I'm – so – bored."

"Do me a favor and hit a little harder. It might actually knock you out."

Izaya cursed Shizuo for startling him and turned to face his enemy with a frown. Shizuo returned the frown, and they fell silent for a moment. Izaya glanced at the clock and groaned inwardly. One grueling hour. That's how long it had been since Shizuo left. Izaya glanced down at Shizuo's hand and leaned against the fridge. "You know your hand is bleeding," he said casually as though he actually gave a damn. "Don't you have work or anything to do other than stay in this small stuffy apartment all day?" Shizuo growled and walked toward the sink. Izaya watched him rinse off the blood without fuss and then dry his hand with kitchen towels.

Shizuo glared at Izaya before throwing the tissue in the trash. "My apartment isn't stuffy, louse. Anyway, if you hate it so much then go away and leave me alone."

Shizuo was strangely calm for someone who had just broken his tv and cut his power. Izaya narrowed his eyes at Shizuo's statement. "I can't." A vein throbbed on Shizuo's forehead as he opened the fridge to remove its contents. Izaya almost gaped in surprise when Shizuo started throwing it in the trash. "Shizu-chan, what the hell are you doing? The power will come back if you talk to your landlord and explain what happened. You probably just tripped the fuse or something."

Shizuo stopped for a second, and Izaya figured it might have been to calm down, imagining him counting down in his head. "I already did that." Shizuo continued his task, but Izaya noticed him twitch with anger when the pudding cups disappeared into the bag. "I really wonder what kind of idiot you take me for. I'm not that fucking simple. I really hate you."

Izaya stepped beside Shizuo, and before he could rethink his words, he said, "The idiot who's throwing still perfectly good food into the trash for no reason. Well, maybe not perfect food, but definitely edible." Shizuo curled his hands into fists and turned to glare. "What? I was just saying. You just contradicted your own words."

Shizuo slammed his fist on the counter. "Shut up! You're so goddamn annoying! Get the hell out of my apartment! I can't stand the sight of you, so piss off! I'm never gonna help you, understand? You can just burn in hell for all I care!

Izaya blinked at Shizuo's sudden anger and watched him storm off but didn't follow this time. Izaya bit his lip and leaned against the side, wondering why he was shaky. "I wonder if it would be best to just let him be," he muttered.

A sigh sounded to his right, and Izaya glanced at Aya with a grin. "You know you could be less of a dick to him. That might make this easier for you. You're really only just making it worse for yourself. He'll hate you even more at this rate."

Izaya tilted his head still with a grin. "You know this is his apartment, right? Are you sure that's not classed as intruding?"

Aya turned to Izaya. "Don't change the subject." She flicked him on the forehead.

Izaya hissed. "Will you stop doing that?"

Aya frowned and repeated it. "Stop annoying him then."

Before she did again, Izaya stepped back with a sigh of frustration. "Alright! I'll try harder. Damn. I thought angels couldn't feel pain."

Aya rolled her eyes when Izaya rubbed his forehead. "For the kind of person you are, one might consider you a hypochondriac. You're whining like a child."

Izaya pouted and huffed. "You're so mean." Izaya turned when he heard shuffling and gaped at Shizuo standing in the doorway. "Shizu-chan…"

Aya laughed. "This could be fun to watch."

Izaya gritted his teeth. "Go away now, please," he muttered so only Aya could hear.

Aya huffed. "Spoil sport."

Izaya looked back at Shizuo to see a puzzled expression.

"Who – um, who the hell were you just talking to?"

Izaya sighed. "My spirit guide, if you must know." Izaya said it without hesitation; what would he gain by lying? Izaya could tell from the blond's expression that he didn't believe him. "You can't still be questioning everything, because I can't explain it any better than I have." Shizuo seemed to consider the situation, and Izaya shook his head. "Forget it. I give up. I think it's clear we'll never be anything more than enemies at this point, so if you want me to leave, then I'll do that as a token of good will. I think that's probably the most selfless thing I can do." Izaya stepped past a surprised Shizuo. "Just open the door and I'll-"

"One chance."

Izaya froze mid-step and turned slowly to face Shizuo. "What?"

Shizuo frowned, and Izaya could tell his decision angered him. "One chance," Shizuo repeated. "I couldn't see who the hell you were talking to, but it was obvious you weren't faking anything. I don't even think you would fake a whole conversation with yourself just to convince me."

Izaya gave a tight smile to stop himself from grinning. Shows how little you know me, Shizu-chan. I've done that numerous times to other people, so don't think I wouldn't do the same to you. Only this time, it hadn't been the case, and that annoyed him. "You're probably right."

Shizuo shoved his hands in his pockets in what Izaya assumed was an attempt to quell his anger. Honestly, was it such a difficult task? "I caught the one-sided conversation, and I gotta admit, it was pretty funny to see you show that kind of emotional distress since you probably pride yourself on acting so level-headed."

Izaya frowned. I really want to punch him in the face, but I'd probably break my hand even if I could. "Will you just get to the point?" Izaya sighed, trying hard not to sound annoyed.

Shizuo growled. "I'm trying to be civil with you! So will you just shut your mouth for one second!"

Izaya glared and stepped forward. "And let you just insult me without retort?"

Shizuo pulled his fists out. "Yes!"

Izaya and Shizuo glared at each other before the hum of power came back to the apartment from various items. Izaya relented and sat on the edge of the couch. "One chance?"

Shizuo's anger slightly drifted, but his frown remained. "One chance. If you screw it up, then that's your own damn fault."

Shizuo turned and entered the kitchen. Izaya followed him with a slight skip and watched Shizuo pull ramen noodles from the cupboard with a roll of his eyes. "Can I ask a question?"

"No!"

Izaya clicked his tongue. "You're so defensive. One question. I promise it's not an insult."

Shizuo spun around. "What!"

Izaya somewhat grinned with a tilt of his head. "Why did you throw away your refrigerated food?"

Shizuo's eyebrows twitched, and he turned back to making his noodles, flicking the switch to boil water. "Leaving you alone in my apartment for an hour would have given you plenty of time to do as you pleased."

Izaya blinked. "You can't be serious. Shizu-chan, why would I poison whatever food you had with no benefit to me whatsoever? Is that really the reason why you threw it away?"

"Shut up!"

Izaya stared in disbelief before bursting into laughter. "You really are quite something, Shizu-chan." Izaya continued to chuckle and hopped onto the counter. "I have another question." Shizuo closed his eyes and muttered something about 'damn fleas' and 'pest control,' which Izaya chose to ignore.

"Do you ever shut up?"

Izaya ignored that too and continued. "What defines as failure in your opinion? You said I had one chance, so there has to be rules to this. I mean, it's you and me, so you can't expect me to not say anything that'll anger you because I open my mouth and you get angry. You have to admit, there should be limits or something like a free pass maybe?"

Shizuo covered his noodles with the lid and glared at the raven. "I really hate you, and I'm starting to regret this already."

Izaya rolled his eyes. "I'm just trying to make it easier for you. This was your choice in the end."

Shizuo gritted his teeth. "First off, get the hell off my kitchen counter. Don't touch anything in this apartment, don't touch me and don't talk to me unless it's necessary."

Izaya inclined his head for a second before clicking his tongue. "No, that doesn't work for me." Izaya swung his legs like a child, ignoring Shizuo's irritation. "How about this, we talk like civilized people, I still get to tease you, but you're not allowed to get angry all the time, and I help you with daily life etc."

Shizuo took a deep breath. It was amazing he hadn't snapped. "There's nothing civilized about you, you don't talk to me while I'm at work or in public at all, you get one tease per day, and you stop calling me that ridiculous name."

Izaya tilted his head and grinned. "You mean Shizu-chan?"

Shizuo narrowed his eyes and snapped his chopsticks. He threw the broken sticks away with a sigh and reached in the draw for new ones. "Those are the rules."

Izaya grinned. "I can accept that." Shizuo leaned against the counter and placed the lid to the side. Izaya shook his head when Shizuo took the pot and pinched a mouthful of noodles as though they were the best thing he could eat. Izaya's eyes widened when he casually glanced at the lid, and he quickly launched forward. "Shizu-chan!" Shizuo barely had time to take the noodles in his mouth before the content was knocked out of his hands away so that it didn't burn him. Shizuo's mouth opened in half-surprise and halfway to taking a mouthful. Izaya flinched at the burning rage consuming Shizuo's expression and glanced nervously at the floor at the scattered noodles and water.

Shizuo's breathing picked up, and his hands curled into fists. "Izaya…" Izaya looked at him and slid off the top. "What the hell is wrong with you!" Izaya stepped back and held his hands up. "I don't care if I can't hit you. I'm certainly gonna try!" Izaya jumped away from Shizuo out of instinct and skipped behind him. Shizuo turned swiftly in anger, and before he could try and tackle him, Izaya grasped the noodle lid.

"Wait! I didn't do it on purpose, I swear!"

Shizuo growled and closed the gap between them, denting the countertop with his hand. "Like hell!"

Izaya almost tensed at the close proximity but raised his hand. "Look!" Shizuo blinked at the sudden object in his face and snatched the lid, causing Izaya to sigh, yet the blond didn't move from his position. "Shizu-chan, can you move away now? It's very disconcerting to have you this close." Izaya studied Shizuo's face and huffed. "Is it that hard for you to understand? The noodles are inedible. I saw the date on the news this morning. They've passed their expiry date."

Shizuo sent Izaya a quick glare before returning his gaze back to the lid. "I know that, fleabag. I'm just wondering why this date seems familiar to me." Izaya raised an eyebrow, and an amused expression crossed his features.

"Care to make a guess?"

Shizuo shook his head. "I'm not very good with dates. I can barely remember the date to my own birthday, and-" Shizuo blinked. "Oh." The blond stepped back, and Izaya sighed in relief. Shizuo's gaze was on him, and Izaya shifted from the counter. "It's yours."

Izaya placed his hands in his pockets. "You, of all people, remembering my birthday is a strange concept." Shizuo shrugged and turned to throw the lid away before clearing the spilled food. "I'm curious, why do you remember my birthday?" Izaya huffed when Shizuo batted his hand away when he tried to help clean the mess.

"How the hell should I know. I probably heard Shinra say it in school."

Izaya rolled his eyes and stood up, watching Shizuo throw the mess in the garbage. "Don't I at least get a thank you?"

Shizuo frowned up at him. "For what? Destroying half of my apartment, clearing me out of food?"

Izaya glared back. "Next time, I'll let you eat spoiled food."

"Good! Then I might not have to deal with you anymore!"

Shizuo left the kitchen, and Izaya followed after him. "Is it that hard to show gratitude toward me? I basically saved your life."

Shizuo spun around, and Izaya was surprised to see bitter anger in his eyes. "You're a fine one to talk!" Izaya frowned. Shizuo's anger couldn't be placed on their ridiculous argument but on something else entirely, something specific.

"What are you talking about?"

Before Shizuo replied, lightning flashed outside, followed by a loud clap of thunder, then the power cut – again. "Shit!"