-๑-๑ ๑- Chapter 41: The visit - -๑ ๑-๑-

It was quiet inside Shinra´s apartment. Barely an hour had passed.

The clock was ticking and Shinra was preparing something that was supposed to be food. The midday sun was starting to shine through the curtains at the window and Izaya narrowed his eyes in response.

A beautiful day. Yet Izaya couldn't find a shred of joy in it. The mood was damped. Not only Izaya's, but Shinra's too.

Usually blabbering nonstop even a guy like him had run out of things to say.

Shizuo had left right away.

Saying something about how he would be taking the first shift. It was kinda crazy really. They were nothing but highschoolers.

It was pathetic just how little they could muster against his father.

The face of a very familiar friend entered Izaya's vision, blocking out the sun from the window.

"What are you thinking about?"

A bitter smile spread across Izaya's lips. "You need me to tell?"

"Not really." Shinra shrugged, getting back up to the kitchen, "But talking might help."

Sighing softly, Izaya turned around on the couch. Leaning onto the backrest he had a pretty good view of the kitchen and his friend.

"What am I supposed to talk about?" he questioned softly, "How I wished that bastard dropped dead on the spot? How I dragged both of you into this mess? How I shifted his attention to my sisters instead?" Bitterness layered thickly in his voice, and regret showed on his expression.

Frowning Shinra paused in his actions. He had been about to return to the pan in the kitchen, but Izaya's expression was too sad to ignore.

"Stop it," he demanded, turning to face the raven. "None of that is your fault and you know it."

A guilty expression was all he received, however. "Do I?" Izaya snorted. "If I had just kept quiet-"

"I refuse to believe you getting beaten is the solution." Startled by the severity of Shinra´s voice, Izaya's head snapped up. His expression showed a mixture of various emotions. Anger. Sadness. Guilt. Regret. Concern.

Like a slap to the face Izaya realized he wasn't the only one affected by his father.

And he wasn't exactly improving their situation by dragging the topic on too long.

"Sorry," he found himself mumbling. "Everything is just such a mess."

Shinra´s gaze softened, "Don't be," he sighed, "I know it sounds like a make-believe fairy tale to you right now, but we will find a solution." He smiled. "And this time a permanent one."

It was funny. There was no real proof to Shinra´s words. But somehow just hearing them brought a certain amount of comfort. A friend like him was rare. Never prying, yet here the second he needed help.

A sudden knock to the entrance was what disturbed the peaceful moment.

Blinking Shinra tilted his head. "Did Shizuo forget something?"

Right.

Izaya sighed. It definitely sounded like him. Pushing himself up from the couch he made his way over. It was midday, the sun was gleaming through the dimmed glass of the front door.

"Shizu-chan, you really are an airhea-" And Izaya failed to see just how tall the shadow on the other side was.

"I knew you would stay with that rat."

Voice choked, Izaya's body rushed into motion. All strength poured into his arms as he slammed the door back- but too late. His reflexes had been slower than his father´s-

Foot in the door he blocked it efficiently as his arm grabbed the side of the frame.

Fuck-

"Are you satisfied now? Huh? Izaya?" Instinctively Izaya stumbled backwards as his father forced his way into the apartment. "I told you not to say a thing and what did you do?" Goosebumps traveled down Izaya's back. Quick. His brain was shut off. He needed to think fast. Dead. What should he do? What should he do? He couldn't think- "Sending that rat to my house, it was your idea wasn't it?" his father barked, and Izaya felt his body instinctively flinch away. No.

No.

No.

No.

Not again-

"Wasn't hard to follow that idiot. Took it for granted that I would obediently wait until-"

And suddenly Shinra was there. In front of Izaya. Facing his father like it was nothing.

"If you take one step closer I will inject this virus in you." His father's movements came to a sudden halt. Only slowly the words settled in Izaya's mind. Inject. Only now he noticed a syringe resting in Shinra´s palm. It was filled to the brim and pulled up all the way with liquid of unknown origin. "Incubation time is roughly one hour. Your organs will start to fail and you will die a very painful and awfully slow death, which kinda is what you deserve anyway-" Shinra announced, voice confident, stature ready to strike.

Eyes unsure, Izaya's father took a step back.

"Tch-" hesitation reflected in his eyes. It was obvious he was doubting Shinra´s words. Then again Shinra's father was a famous surgeon doing research on various topics as well- It wasn't too far off to assume he was holding onto an array of dangerous substances at home.

It was then that Izaya felt it. Shinra´s arm. Having pulled the raven behind himself he was still holding onto it. He was trembling. Of course he was- they were facing a man two heads taller, stronger and very much capable of getting them both hospitalized.

Wearing a bandage around his head only emphasized just how sick this guy was in the head to rush here to teach Izaya a lesson.

Clicking his tongue, Izaya's father reproached.

"Just you wait, Izaya." And with that he finally stepped back.

Slowly, like a tiger regretting leaving a prey off its hook. He stepped past the entrance and Shinra joined in a flash of light. Quickly the lock clacked as he twisted the key.

Wary he eyes the glass and the shadow descending from the entrance as he flicked his phone out of his pocket.

It only took a second to connect the call.

"Shizuo, come back. Izaya's father- he was here." Imperceivable noise crackled from the other side. "I scared him off but I'm not sure he won't return." And with that the call was quit and Shinra made it a point to drag a chair to the front door. Aligning it with the door handle, just in case.

And Izaya- Izaya could only stand there.

Frozen.

Shocked.

"Sorry, that- I thought he wouldn't know where I-" tremors wracked Izaya's body before he knew what was happening. Pure fear clutched his mind faster than Shinra was able to hug the flea.

"It's okay." Shinra whispered, "It's okay." Like a broken record on repeat. But Izaya couldn't stop the shaking. Couldn't stop the fear.

He had been here.

Just like that.

He turned up at Shinra´s apartment.

Who was to say he wouldn't appear elsewhere?

At school? Outside on the streets? He was going to get him. To come and get him.

If Shinra hadn't acted so fast-

"It´s okay, Izaya. He is gone," Shinra repeated, as if he were able to read the thoughts swarming inside Izaya's head.

Swallowing shortly, Izaya's eyes trailed to the ground. Shinra had dropped the syringe he had used to threaten his father with.

"What about the virus?" he questioned dryly.

A sad smile crossed Shinra´s expression as he let go of the raven to look at him. "Was a lie, if I had something like that he would be suffering from it by now."

Wow.

"Sometimes you are actually scary," Izaya found himself mumbling, with a hint of a trembling smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Nothing I wouldn't do for my friend."

Suddenly there was noise. Steps. A lot, loud and quickly they rushed up outside the apartment. Pure horror reflected in their eyes as the two glanced at each other.

Until now Izaya's mind had somehow been hotwired to think their home was the only place his father would ever raise his hand against him.

Only there. And only when his mother wasn't present.

Having his father appear at the only place he had deemed to be safe caused a kind of horror that didn't let go of his mind.

It wasn't safe.

No place was.

"Izaya?! Shinra?!"

The relief felt by the both of them couldn't have been topped by any in the world.

"Shizuo-" with quick steps Shinra was at the door. The chair was tugged away and the key inside the lock twisted as he pulled the door open.

Frantically Shizuo's eyes searched for Izaya as he stormed inside. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" A quick glance was cast towards Shinra who shook his head in quick fervor, then to Izaya.

Like a deer caught in headlights the raven couldn't really muster much more either.

"That fucking bastard-" Shizuo cursed and his fist met the wall in what must have been a burst of frustration and anger. "How did he even know you were here?"

"He-" Izaya started, but bit his tongue shortly after.

No.

He couldn't tell Shizu-chan. If he told him that his father had actually tracked Shizuo to find out where Izaya was hiding-

Shizuo would blame himself. He would think it was his fault that his father had almost gotten Izaya.

He wasn't going to drop the burden of knowledge onto him.

"It was a coincidence. He saw me enter the complex," he lied quickly instead. A short glance was cast towards Shinra, but it seemed he had had a similar idea as he quickly nodded, affirming the raven´s words.

"Fuck-" Shizuo cursed, "I will kill that bastard I swear. I will-"

"Turning into a murder won´t help anyone, Shizu-chan." Izaya scolded, his voice harsher than he had intended to, but all these ideas just seemed to stupid. Shizuo wasn't going to kill anyone. And neither was Shinra. This was a real problem and it required a realistic solution.

Suddenly he paused and his eyes narrowed.

"What's that smell?"

"OH SHIT-" Shinra exclaimed, swearing for the first time Izaya had ever heard as he dashed into the kitchen. Right. He had been cooking- something had been inside that pan on the stove. Something that was pretty much black by now.

"Nooo-" Shinra whined as he brought the pan over. It was way beyond saving, the black coal etching into the sturdy metal. "My dad will kill me-" It was funny.

The situation wasn't anything near solved nor had it improved, but seeing Shinra frantic over something as simple and stupid as a burnt pan somehow eased a bit of the tension off Izaya's chest.

Holding out his hand he sighed.

"Hand over."

A quizzical expression was all he was met with for a second. "Can you fix it?"

"Would I tell you to give it to me otherwise?"

Grasping the still hot metal Izaya made it a point to avoid touching the black area as he made his way to the kitchen. "Where do you have your dishwashing tabs?"

Scurrying over Shinra quickly opened one of the drawers.

"Here-"

Wordlessly Izaya grasped one of them and turned to the sink. Hot water filled the pan and he started the stove once more. The action somehow calmed him down. He was getting his hands busy. Even if his mind was a mess of cluttered fear, anger and frustration it wasn't bad enough to evade distraction.

Dropping the tab into the boiling water, Izaya stirred.

"Leave it for an hour and it should do the trick," he announced, stepping back from the stove.

"Hoh, where did you learn that?" Shinra questioned, approaching instead as he glanced at the pan. His glasses fogged up and he was forced to lean back quickly.

"My mum," Izaya informed. "She isn't the best cook, really."

This wasn't the first cooking utensil that needed saving. She had always tried her best when trying to cook a decent meal, but sometimes she was just a little bit of an airhead.

Izaya couldn't help but find himself smiling at the memories of her in the kitchen. Of how they had tried to cook together a few times.

Swallowing thickly the most recent memory forced its way into the gallery.

Her glare and pure anger reflecting in her eyes had been something Izaya had never thought he would see.

… if only she had been present- if only his father had messed up once. Once would have been enough- if his mum had seen then-

And suddenly his stream of thoughts stopped.

His mind was clear.

And a solution formed in his mind.

"We need to find a way to keep that bastard from your siblings," Shizuo mumbled, brown knitted into a tight frown as he tried to think of a plan.

"And… if we… snatch them?" Shinra suddenly threw in- a half hearted attempt at finding a solution. Or was he serious?

"From their school?" Shizuo questioned.

Shinra shrugged. "Aren't they still in kindergarten?"

Shizuo frowned, "That's kidnapping."

"I have an idea."

Falling silent, the two looked at Izaya. Hand to his face, and watch raised, the raven quickly checked the time and date.

"We started the wrong way," Izaya announced, "We don't need to protect my sisters. We need to bust that bastard´s cover. We need to catch my father red-handed."

While Shinra´s expression fell almost immediately, Shizuo´s took a while until realization sunk in.

"You are going to let yourself be beat up on purpose?!" He couldn't believe it- after everything that happened, after finally getting the flea out of that household, away from his father, away from the violence, he wanted to just walk right back?!

He was obviously shaken from his father´s visit mere minutes ago and yet he suggested something like this?!

"Shizu-chan-" Izaya tried, but his attempt at explaining fell on deaf ears.

"Hell no!" Shizuo barked, "What kind of plan is this even?!"

"I agree." Shinra said, "But-"

Whipping around Shizuo glared at the doctor.

"No way, are you supporting his idea?!"

Bringing up his hands in defense, Shinra shook his head, "I'm not!" he assured, "Hell, if possible I would go there in his place!" his expression shifted. "I don't want to see Izaya get hurt yet again. Really. But that doesn't change the fact that it's the only way we can get Izaya's mum to realize she has been wrong." Disbelieving Shizuo clicked his tongue. "And inform the police." Shinra continued. "Nothing beats solid evidence."

Shizuo was ready to lash out at the future doctor, ask him whether he was even thinking about what Izaya had to go through all these years- what he was asking of him right now-

But then he saw Shinra´s hands.

And the way they tightened to the point his knuckles turned white.

He hated the idea.

Words failing him, the blond shut up.

Izaya mistook the silence as acceptance. "It's just one more time out of many, I don't mind-"

"Don't act as if you don't give a damn." Shizuo sighed, "He is going to abuse you again and you just sit here saying yes, okay, let's go for it?"

Knitted eyebrows and a glare directed at Shizuo.

"Sooner or later he will go for Mairu or Kururi, Shizu-chan! I don't want that to happen- they can't even defend themselves, not to mention what he might do to them that he couldn't do with me!"

Suddenly both Izaya, as well as Shizuo, felt sick to their stomachs.

Shizuo didn't need to be a genius to understand what the flea had been hinting at. "You think he would-" his words failed him. He didn't even want to spell his thoughts out loud.

Shinra was the only one, left in mild confusion as he looked back and forth between the two.

"Wait, what are you talking about? I thought we were talking about beatings here-" he mouthed slowly, feeling as though what he was going to hear wasn't going to be to his liking.

Swallowing shortly, Shizuo cleared his throat before speaking.

"Izaya's father fucking sold him to some rapist that wanted to have a good time with him."

And Shinra´s face fell.

Devastation. Anger- a display of various nauseous nuances played on his face. A glance towards Izaya was cast, but he averted his eyes. Almost as if he were ashamed.

"He didn't get to go through with it, Shizuo came and-" Izaya couldn't bring himself to move on, but a single glance at his wrist was enough for the future doctor to realize that the injury had stemmed from that incident.

Eyes full of pain Shinra averted his gaze.

"That´s so fucked up-"

Silence of a sick kind filled the room. Shizuo´s frown was as deep as it could have been, but sighing slowly he easened up.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, addressing the raven.

Izaya nodded. "As sure as I have ever been." He looked at Shinra as well. "It will end. Everything. With solid evidence we can act. My mother has to face the truth and the police have something to work with."

Pulling out his phone Shinra quickly typed away on it, opening the camera app.

"Would a recording suffice…?" he asked.

A nod was given. "We need to enter the house when he is alone," Izaya explained slowly, "My mum is working on Monday evenings and only returns late. He won't expect her. That's why I will visit today."

Eyes widening Shinra choked. "Today-"

The tension in the air was unbearable.

"Don't you think it's too soon?" Shizuo asked, "He has only just been here- after intimidating you like that don't you think he will think it's strange-"

Izaya interrupted. "No, it's perfect. I will go home, pretend that he opened my eyes."

Feeling his own voice tremble at the idea, Izaya paused for a moment. "The visit, the threat, the message he made Shizu-chan deliver-" he continued, "I will have the time of my life telling him what an asshole of a father he has been. I will call him out on everything he has done. He won't be able to contain himself."

He never had been someone too fond of patience. Of restraint.

"And I will record him when he fucks up." Shinra added timidly.

No one liked this plan.

No one wanted to execute it.

But it had to be done.

"You are fucking serious aren´t you?" Shizuo cursed under his breath.

Izaya sighed, "Shizu-chan-"

"I will get your mother from work."

Surprise flashed across Izaya's expression. He had expected anything, but certainly not a cooperation.

"Just so you know I'm not happy with this idea." Shizuo clarified, "I will be there. With your mother. Preferably before anything happens."

"So we are really doing this?" Shinra questioned.

Izaya nodded. "We are."

"When?" Shizuo asked.

A short moment passed as Izaya pondered. "He isn't home right now. No one is." "He concluded, moving to the entrance. "If we are faster than him we might arrive before he makes it home."

Shinra swallowed thickly. "That means-"
But Izaya was already at the door, pressing the handle down as he threw on one of Shinra´s father´s coats. A single glance was cast back.

"It's now or never."

to be continued~

Are you ready for the climax of the story? I hope so- Cuz next chapter is gonna be the final xD I dunno how long it will be but it will definitely be a treat haha It will be ready on 10th November.2022 and be released right along with the real life book version on amazon xD

For anyone interested in the eye cancer- Izaya's name was swapped to Jamey, Shizuo to Simon and Shinra to Finley xD

Also tweaked their appearance and I'm drawing a fitting front and back cover at the moment :3 So hey xD

See you next week haha 3

PS.: Starting Friday 11th November 2022 I will update all my stories weekly :3 So look forward to an update on Sotd, SD, SnS, Ast and Impostor on 11th November~ ;3