-๑-๑ஜ ๑- Chapter 25: Happy birthday~ -๑ஜ ๑-๑-
-Shizuo´s point of view. In the library. January the 30th-
It was white yup.
Round.
Decorated with what looked like chocolate.
A couple candles were gleaming, illuminating the desk and what was on top of it with their orange light. The raven put the lighter on the table and smiled at the blond with a wide grin.
For a second Shizuo was just left to blink and wonder, if maybe Izaya had just hit him really hard on the back of his head, because this pretty much looked like a vivid hallucination of a tiny birthday cake.
"Your birthday kinda passed and I bet you didn't notice so-" he half explained, fading out at the end of his sentence to gesture to the cake instead.
"... this…" the blond mumbled intelligently, not really knowing yet if he should believe what he was seeing or not.
"Ah, I know it's probably odd to do this sort of thing when everything is doomed anyway, but I think it´s exactly now that we should pay attention to those things," Izaya started speaking, though Shizuo was still way too surprised to even really listen.
He knew his birthday was in January. He liked to forget it too. Every year around this time Kasuka would drop by to remind him he got older, but now with everything that happened…
He couldn't believe what he was seeing- or rather, it was just so… out of place. With the danger surrounding them constantly and the worries and fears they had, this kind of thing just-
He didn't know what to say.
"The burning smell?" he asked instead remembering that hadn't quite smelled like candles, making the raven grin sheepishly.
"I might have accidentally dropped a candle and set the table cloth on fire," Izaya shrugged nonchalant making the blond's eyes travel to the table cloth. There really was a small black spot on the white fabric.
It was only then that the blond noticed there were two things laying next to the small cake.
Cigarettes. And not any kind- Blue American Spirit Cigarettes.
"They are my favorite," Shizuo mumbled, reaching for them as he took a close look, "How did you know?" A snort followed and the raven grasped the ledge of the chair opposite to the one Shizuo was supposed to sit in and sat down.
"Shizu-chan please, I´m the best information broker in Shinjuku," he purred, propping up an elbow on the desk to lean his chin onto. "You have been craving for a smoke ever since you smoked the last one on top of that roof. It´s obvious by the way you keep touching and licking your lips," Izaya explained, imitating the little movements and gestures he had seen from the blond. "But don´t smoke them next to me," he quickly added, "I hate the smell of cigarettes."
Shizuo couldn't help but stifle a small laugh at the condition. This was just like Izaya, giving him a present but stating certain requirements and restrictions for it.
"And one more thing," the raven grinned, directing Shizuo´s attention to a lump of clothes next to the tiny cake.
"This-" Having wondered what this was supposed to be since he laid eyes upon the desk the blond watched Izaya as he unfolded the fabric.
A sense of nostalgia overwhelmed him as he recognized the all too familiar patterns and shapes.
"It´s not exactly like the one you always wear, and it´s not from your brother, but hey, these outfits do suit you Shizu-chan," the raven hummed, as Shizuo was taking in the sight of a new bartender suit.
Disbelieving he stared at it.
"You got that for me?" He mumbled, still way too baffled and overwhelmed by all of this to react or respond properly.
The raven seemed to be satisfied though as he merely chuckled and set it down again.
"Happened to stumble upon them while fixing me up in the morning." It was then that the raven pushed himself up from the desk once more and walked over.
Shizuo was still standing, not yet having had the urge to take his seat at the desk as he could just take in this unexpected surprise.
"I guess your brother and mum would do something like hugging you or something," the raven mumbled, "I know I´m not them but," and then there was a pair of arms hesitantly wrapping around him.
It was a bit awkward- and yet Shizuo felt so touched by everything unfolding in front of his eyes he couldn't feel anything but the warmth spreading inside his chest at the tender action.
He could feel Izaya's hair tickle his neck, the raven standing on his toes, being just a bit too short.
"Happy birthday Shizu-chan," the raven whispered as though he didn't want to startle the all too quiet blond.
It was sweet, sad, it had something bitter to it, and yet- wrapping his own arms around the raven he hugged him back tightly. He received a surprised yelp from the flea, but he didn't complain.
Hugging huh, he couldn't remember Kasuka doing it. But remembering how fond Izaya had talked about his siblings he could suddenly picture Izaya hugging his sisters at each of their birthdays.
He should feel sad, because Kasuka died and everyone else and the world was just going down the gutter, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to. He was sad and yet at the same time he was just ... touched. Somehow he really felt happy.
"Thank you, Izaya."
Hearing the words being whispered back the raven couldn't help but notice the soft tremble layered in his words. He almost felt like something tugged inside his chest upon the discovery.
"Are you crying Shizu-chan?" he mumbled softly, feeling the blond tense up for a second before tightening his hug around the raven just a bit more as if to make sure he didn't escape to take a look at him.
"I'm not, idiot." The raven refrained from saying anything in response. He could almost hear the restraint in Shizu-chan´s voice and imagine the frown he was putting on so he wouldn't notice despite him not even looking.
Letting his hand travel up to the blond's head the raven let his fingers comb through Shizu-chan´s hair in a comforting motion.
Softly his fingers brushed over the silky hair.
"You have surprisingly soft hair you know that?" the raven mumbled mindlessly, making the blond chuckle softly in response.
"What?" Realizing he overstepped a certain small degree of intimacy the raven cleared his throat and quickly left of the blond.
"Nevermind," Izaya hummed as he broke away from Shizu-chan with one of his usual grins on his face.
He was getting a bit too comfortable around the blond wasn´t he?
"Now, blow out the candles to make a wish~!" he chirped quickly, covering up over his silly little action and seated himself at the table. It were only three candles sticking in the tiny cake, but hey, that much had to make do.
Finally unfreezing from his obviously petrified state the blond rose his right arm´s sleeve to his face, rubbing over his eyes, but it was too late anyway, Izaya had spotted the soft glimmer in them as soon as he let go of the hug.
It was odd, but seeing the blond like this, getting to know him on a different level the raven felt something he couldn't quite define.
"Is this… an actual cake?" Shizu-chan mumbled questioningly as he finally took his place opposite to him as well.
"Even though it looks like a real cake it´s just an oversized readymade muffin covered in white chocolate," the raven answered quickly, "the expiration date counts until 2018 and the shelf was facing away from the sun, so I'm pretty sure it's still edible," Izaya explained, wondering for a second if Shizuo-chan really thought he were going to give him something spoilt. The thought oddly offended him for a split moment, but knowing Shizu-chan he probably just thought Izaya might have forgotten to check. "I mean come on, just 6 days have passed since everything went to hell," he added with a smile.
"I see," Shizuo mumbled, still seeming like he wasn't entirely convinced but trusting the flea as he took the fork Izaya prepared next to the plate and stabbed the small treat.
It sure as hell smelled and looked delicious. Just thinking about the last time he had gotten anything sweet like this made his mouth water. Cutting off a piece of the tiny cake he revealed the inside.
Chocolate dough and vanilla were mixed creating a couple swirls- some chocolate chips having been mixed in between the two.
To say it tasted delicious would have been an underestimation. Shizuo felt like his taste buds were exploding.
"Fuck-"
"Hm?" the raven hummed, cocking his head to the side. Swearing wasn't exactly what he had expected the blond to do. Had he gotten something gross after all? Something the blond didn't like? And there he was sure this would be something he enjoyed-
"This tastes awesome-" Blinking the raven looked at the blond before bursting out in laughter.
Awesome was an underestimation. It had been ages since the blond ate anything in the first place. And now having this kind of sweet treat- he felt as though he was in heaven.
"I guess you were hungry after all," the raven choked out during his laughter, making Shizuo wonder just what the hell was so funny about him eating the sweet treat.
As if to agree with Izaya the blond's stomach started growling, only resulting in amusing the flea more.
Although upon seeing how much Shizu-chan was enjoying his treat the raven noticed too how much he was craving for something to eat. The rare feeling of hunger was starting to come back to him and he glanced over to the pot of stew he prepared before.
"I'm dying for something edible too," Izaya announced, and Shizuo watched him as he got up from the desk and he walked over to the other one, which was still being used as a makeshift kitchen.
Just raising the pot´s top made the blond realize just how hungry he was. The smell that had actually only bothered him before suddenly smelt like the most amazing thing in the world.
"You made this for two right?" Shizuo asked, making the grin on Izaya's face only spread that much wider.
"Of course I did, what did you expect?"
Grasping two plates the raven poured some of the already done stew inside them and carried them back to the desk.
"Good thing I made this before we started carrying everything up, ne~?" he purred, sitting down on the table again.
It was when the raven took the first bite of his food that it was the blond's turn to laugh.
"Oh my god I'm starving too-" Izaya mumbled half to himself half to the blond.
"Now you notice?" Shizuo snorted and for a second he wondered just what the hell they had been doing for all those years.
Looking at the makeshift cake, the bartender suit, Izaya- just what had they been mad and angry for all those years? What did he chase him through Ikebukuro for?
Looking at the flea now, knowing what he had done for him, what he had risked for him- it wasn't just that they were getting along as well as they could without biting each other's heads off, no- it had never actually been that way.
Maybe on the first day, when they met. That time Shizuo had really felt the urge to beat the flea up.
Be it pent up frustration or pure rage after seeing his brother and friends die- he didn´t know, maybe it was just the usual reaction he had to seeing the flea in general, he really didn't know, but the rage he felt had not been fake. He hated the flea, with all his might, he had always done so- but after a day, after Izaya tried to cheer him up, after he talked to him about Kasuka- after Izaya told him about his sisters- no maybe even long before that.
Shizuo just felt like his view of the flea had done a complete 180 in these past few days.
He would trust the flea with his life.
If Izaya told him something as ridiculous as not moving when a zombie was running towards Shizuo, then he would do it. Knowing that Izaya had to have some kind of plan that would work if he asked that sort of thing off him.
Without him Shizuo hadn't been able to survive in the first place.
Just looking at his surroundings Shizuo felt as though Izaya created a new "home"- he felt like this was actually a place they could stay in. Away from the zombies, just him and the flea.
Maybe they would find more survivors, maybe not, that didn´t even matter.
Glancing at the flea sitting across of him he wondered if Izaya even realized how amazing he was. With everything he did.
Every small action, be it how easily Izaya managed to cheer him up again, how he managed to make him laugh no matter how shitty their situation was, or the way he was watching out not only for his safety but for his well being as well.
Shizuo knew Izaya was scared of the new zombies, he knew how easy it was to actually hurt the flea, how often they had both been on the brink of death- just thinking about it made his body tense up.
It made the blond feel something he couldn't quite define. It was a mix of wanting to protect the flea and… something he hadn't quite felt before.
The sudden flash of a spoon making his way into his plate snapped the blond of his thoughts as he followed a potato leaving his meal.
"No daydreaming, Shizu-chan or I will end up eating yours~!" the flea suddenly announced, making the blond realize he had spaced out on him for a bit.
"You lousy flea you have your own plate-!" Shizuo complained playfully, snatching the potato back.
A smile spread across the flea´s face, one of the real ones he sometimes showed. It made him feel all warm for a second.
Continuing to eat the blond glanced around the desk.
Birthdays though, huh?
...
"Ne, when is your birthday?" the blond asked suddenly, making the flea glance up from his meal.
"Mine?" he repeated with a blink, not having expected that sort of question.
"Yeah, yours. I want to know." A grin spread over the flea´s expression and he cocked an eyebrow.
"Don't tell me you want to get me something?" he asked with a chuckle. "Shizu-chan now you are really acting odd." Shizuo hummed at that, acting odd, huh? Just because he was trying to see things positive for a bit? He chuckled.
"I just think you are right, we should enjoy the time we have in peace, right?" he asked, remembering what Izaya had told him. After all the flea was right with what he had-
"Ahh, who knows if we are still alive then."
...
His stomach dropped at those words.
… yeah if they were alive.
He felt as though as if someone were tying a knot into his insides.
silence hovered over the desk for a second and the smile dropped from his face.
Izaya wasn't wrong. He didn't know when his birthday was, but- they had barely survived a week.
Who guaranteed they were going to survive for longer than that?
He could feel the familiar feeling of a frown on his face, but Izaya didn't seem to be up to deal with that.
"4th may." Izaya suddenly said, and despite of what he said, his smile hadn´t dropped in the slightest. "If we are still strolling around at that point I expect something great-!" he stated, the mischievous grin on his expression only growing- it was contagious.
Almost seemed like a challenge.
Something great for the flea, hm?
Somehow Shizuo found himself looking forward to that.
It was odd. He had never even thought much of his birthday, he was the type to forget it too- and now-
"Wait, what date do we even have?" he suddenly blinked, realizing that he had no idea at all.
"It´s January the 30th." Izaya informed all too quickly, again making the blond wonder just how the hell Izaya could even keep track of everything like that.
"How do you even know?"
"I keep track of the days," Izaya shrugged, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "though I have to admit it's hard sometimes to remember how many days passed especially when I'm out of it for a day or two-"
Izaya was amazing alright.
"I don't even know things like that when things go the normal way-" Shizuo mumbled, already figuring that he was so going to forget the flea's birthday.
"Then how about making a calendar?"Blinking the blond looked up at the flea again.
"What?" But Izaya had already gotten up from the desk and shuffled over to one of the bookshelves that still contained their original insides.
Taking one of the books the raven tore the first and last page out of the binding, making the blond only wonder all the more what the hell the flea was doing.
"A calendar." the raven repeated as if the blond's expression had told him just how confused he was.
Rummaging in one of the cupboards the blond had to carry in here the raven pulled out a pencil and a ruler, returning back to the desk.
Line after line appeared on the paper, forming dozens of tiny squares.
"There we go now we just gotta fill in the numbers," the flea informed after making two pages full of those shapes. he put January on top of the first page and February on the second.
It was only when the flea scribbled something inside one of the already numerous squares that the blond leaned over more to read.
January 30th
Shizuo´s birthday.
"Why are you putting that on there?" he asked. His birthday was on January the 28th, not the 30th.
"So we don´t forget of course!" the raven chirped happily, ignoring the blond as he scribbled more and more into the tiny squares.
January 25th
Teamed up with Shizu-chan.
January 26th
Shizu-chan saved my life.
"We might as well make this a little diary. Don't you think?" the raven said before the blond could even ask what he was doing. "It would be fun to read it all once it's over and remember the days. Ah but let's only add good things,2 he added, going on with the writing.
Amazed by the idea itself the blond shook his head softly. Looking at this once this whole zombie shit was over, huh?
"Honestly, how the hell can you be so damn positive?" being ignored yet again the raven kept writing on the calendar this time making the blond frown playfully while Izaya turned around with a grin.
January 27th
Shizu-chan being less of a brute than usual.
"Ha ha, fuck you too flea," the blond announced, grabbing the flea´s pencil.
"Just you wait-"
"Ah don't ruin it!" Izaya threw in, but that wasn´t Shizuo´s intention in the first place. After all he knew why Izaya wrote it like this, why he did everything like this.
Keeping still the raven watched how the pencil moves across the paper
January 30th
Izaya being less of a flea than usual.
"Aw, how nice of you," the raven chuckled, wanting to take the pencil back for the blond again, but the blond hesitated for a second.
"Wait, one more thing." Moving back up to the dates before the two met he put the pencil back on the paper.
January 25th
Kasuka.
"I guess that not something happy but, you know-" Shizuo mumbled fading out at the end, but Izaya shook his head right away to deny whatever Shizuo was going to say.
"No, it's fine." receiving the pencil again he too moved further up on the calendar, farther than the blond had.
January 2nd
Kururi
January 24th
Mairu
"We still have happy memories of them, don't we?" the raven said softly, a smile on his face despite the tragedy those dates carried. And Shizuo couldn't help but agree with the flea with the same soft smile.
"True."
To be continued~
xD now if this wasn't sweet then I dunno what would be xDD but hey, we are not done with the sweetness yet, oh god no ohohohoho There is much more fluff to come C: xD and more touchy feely stuff daw xD Be prepared for some heavy squealing for at least 4 more chapters xD And hey, it will get better and better and better until the story hits a point that will just make you die from squealing lmao
Nah plz don´t die but yeah xD
Guest 2: xD dawww haha yes C. The ship is steering towards sweetness xD for now C: C: C: C: xD haha cuddes are the best aren´t they? X'D Lol did you notice the little hints in this chapter tho? The -feelings they coulnd´t identify- xDDDD gosh the next few chapters will be great to write ho ho ho xDDD
The next chapter will be up in 14 days C: So- 8thJune if I counted right xD That´s during my exam time though, so I can´t guarantee it will be up on that day x'D please forgive me if I end up being a tiny winy bit late xD
And last but not least, entirely off topic-
HELP
Is there anyone who owns reptiles? The thing is I got two fat tail geckos (Hemitheconyx caudicinctus) on Monday, and I have no idea what I´m doing xD well not actually no idea, I did prepare everything they need and stuff, I got a glass terrarium 120x50x50, at the hottest spot 36,6°C and on the coolest spot 21,4°C and between 54-72% humidity depending on how often I spray it. The problem is that they don´t eat anything. I tried offering them their usual food but they refuse to eat ;-; They literally look at the crickets like "yo dude, what´s that? You think I will eat it? nah-" and turn away xD I read on the internet that that´s normal since they just moved and shit, but I still can't help but worry about my sweethearts -cries- it´s been 4 days now, how long do I have to wait? They are only chilling in the cave below the light so far xD tho I did see Luigi peak out of it here and there.
I would really love if someone could give me some tips on what I should do or be careful about or if I'm doing something wrong x'D whelp -freaks out-
PS.: The guy who got me the geckos didn't know much about them, he kept comparing them to leopard geckos, so- xDD I´m kinda not really trusting that C':
Well then, see you in 14 days~! xD
PPS.: I actually am almost done drawing the first page of my doujinshie x'DD Lol totally didn´t take a month or two nooo - anyway, I am uploading everything on tapas recently xD it´s easier than inserting pictures on AO3 lmao- Just google "Tapas Shirohimesstories" and I should be the top result xD
Oh btw, talking about it, I changed my name from Shirohime´s-Shizayastories, to Shirohimesstories because I will be uploading some other pairing fics soonish C: xD -coughs- might be an avenger fic -coughs- Shizaya is still the OTP tho no worries xDDDDD