Chapter 8: Bartender Santa-San Gets a Gift

-.-.-.-.-

Christmas. A holiday celebrated most prominently in Western societies. Although, it has gained a lot of recognition worldwide, and in recent years has come to be celebrated in Japan as well. While it is not an official work-free holiday, it is still a joyous occasion most choose to spend with their loved one.

Loved ones which Izaya clearly seems to be lacking.

He hadn't been invited by anyone at all for any sort of Christmas celebration by any of the people he knows. His parents are away, as per usual, and his sisters had in fact directly told him to stay as far away from them as possible, in fear of him ruining their fun with each other.

It's not like Izaya cares all that much anyway. He's fine sitting in his apartment, all alone. It's spacious, he has the whole place to himself, he can do whatever he wants, what's not to love?

He sits on the couch, alone, in the darkness with nothing but his thoughts. His thoughts that somehow betray him as unwittingly, Shizuo pops up in his head again. Their last encounter had been almost three weeks ago, yet the memory is still fresh in his mind. Funnily enough, the thing he remembers most vividly is not the disgusting taste of the pudding, or the image of egg whites sliding off Shizuo's face. It's always that same warmth. That's all he can think about. Frustrated, he grabs a pillow and holds it tightly in between his thighs and chest.

With a groan, he grabs the remote and mindlessly switches on the TV. Some children's movie is on about some green monstrosity wanting to ruin Christmas for all the towns folk. The movie on the screen is a little bit like how Izaya feels at the moment. Cold, alone, and in a sour mood. Five whole minutes of trying to focus on the movie, if only to fill the silence, and Izaya finds himself getting bored all too quickly. He takes out his phone and starts scrolling through the contact list. Perhaps he could give someone a call.

Like who?

Shinra?

Maybe, but it's unlikely he will answer since he's probably wanting to spend time with his one true love, just like all the millions of other couples on Christmas.

Namie?

As if. She's probably gushing over her brother and spoiling him with gifts right about now.

So, Izaya just keeps scrolling through his phone contact list, until he finally stops with his thumb hovering over a contact labeled as "Shizu-chan 3". He bites his bottom lip. His finger shakes slightly, alternating between nearly pressing on the name and moving it as far away from the phone screen as he can. He certainly could call Shizuo, if only to mess with him and make his Christmas just as rotten as Izaya's is.

Or maybe he just wants someone to be thinking of him, even if it is a monster like Shizuo. He casts his gaze to the little blue gift bag sitting on his desk, in the same place he'd left it in just three days ago. Untouched and unwrapped. Then, he presses the call button.

Ring, ring, ring.

The phone rings a few times, then goes straight to voice mail. Of course. Izaya lets out an irritated puff of air through his nose. He's probably off celebrating with his family or something. And all of a sudden, Izaya feels as if he's got something very bitter in his mouth. Although he is quite a fan of bitter foods, this particular sensation feels gross and makes him sick to his stomach. So, even a monster like Shizuo has people who would be around him. And what does Izaya have? An empty apartment and a Christmas dinner in the freezer Namie had been kind enough to cook for him.

Speaking of the freezer, Izaya soon finds a chill running down his spine. It's cold, and he shivers uncomfortably as he snuggles into the pillow in his lap. It almost feels as if all the windows have suddenly been opened and the winter breeze was flowing all around his apartment, chilling him to the bone. He thought for sure he'd set the temperature to a comfortable 27 degrees Celsius, so why is it so cold?

A bath. That's definitely what he needs. Something to make him feel warm, and safe, and comfortably enveloped in water. Still shivering, he goes to the bathroom and flips open the tap, allowing warm water to start filling the tub. He makes sure to add all different fancy products to the pouring water that would have a replenishing effect on his skin. Scented oils, bubbles, bath salts, and rose petals to top it all off. Only the best for the spoiled princess that he is.

While waiting for the bath to fill, he quickly cleans his body under a separate shower and allows the warm water to wash over him. It certainly does heat him up slightly, but as soon as he steps out into the bathroom again, he's freezing. He doesn't waste any more time and slips himself into the warm embrace of the flowery bath, shuddering pleasantly with a content sigh as he submerges his body in the water. It's nice, calming, and the water slides over his body seamlessly, covering every inch apart from his head. He's glad he had made sure to get a large bath installed that would be even comfortable enough for two people.

Finally, he allows himself to relax, the knots in his strained muscles loosening as he inhales the faint smell of rose. The past few months have been far too stressful than he thought they would be. Not only had he needed to rearrange his busy work schedule to fit in all those strange occurrences, odd mood swings, and visits to Shinra, but he also had to account for his own tiredness and fatigue caused by lack of sleep. For once, he would love to just close his eyes and actually feel rested when he wakes up. For once… just once.

And the bath does feel so nice… nice and warm. Soothing enough to wash away all his concerns, even if for a moment. He deserves to relax, he thinks, as he closes his eyes. Without ever really intending to, he dozes off into a deep state of reverie.

When he wakes, he's in a hospital bed with a brace around his neck and a cast on his arm and leg. He's completely incapacitated, hardly able to move. Out of his peripherals, he can see a boy he'd seen many times before. His brother, the pudding thief. He brews some tea for him and sets it down on the table before going back to his chair and sitting down, stoic as ever. Over on the other side of his bed is a familiar face; a boy with light brown hair and glasses, his manner of speech so distinct, over exaggerating everything he says as he attempts to explain some strange biological phenomenon a child's mind would find impossible to comprehend.

Annoying. That's what it is.

"Hey, would you let me-" Shinra begins to ask, and the annoyance he feels for the bespectacled boy reaches its breaking point. He grabs Shinra's arm with ease and twists it, causing Shinra to cry out in pain.

"Ow, ow, ow. That hurts! My arm bone, it hurts! Shi-"

"-zuo."

Izaya finishes as he jolts awake abruptly, splashing the water out of the bath as he sits up all too quickly.

"Shizuo."

The name slips past his lips again, this time in a quiet whisper. He grips the sides of the bathtub tightly, pushing his fingers to their limits as if he's trying to break the stone entirely. Somewhere deep down, Izaya had always known that his dreams were about Shizuo, and now he can no longer deny it entirely. And Shinra had been there too, so blatantly calling out Shizuo's name. With a shaky sigh, Izaya pushes back his damp hair out of his face. Why is this happening to him?

By now, the water in his bath had long run cold and his fingertips have shriveled up to resemble wrinkled prunes. He drains the water and steps out, drying himself with a warm bathrobe before slipping into a set of comfortable black clothes. This time, he also slips on a maroon v-neck sweater over his usual long sleeved shirt. It's cold again. He just wants to get warm.

After getting dressed, he checks his phone for any new notifications. His personal one, that is. He doesn't even want to think about business right now.

The time displayed on the bright screen reads 6:32pm. It's been two hours since he'd decided to take a bath. No new messages, no emails, no calls, nothing. Just a blank screen with no new notifications. Well, figures. The only notification that's there is the one from his chat room, detailing the lives of his favorite high school students and how they're out celebrating with their family. How positively adorable. How absolutely human of them.

There's also a message from [Setton] detailing some small disaster with a knocked over Christmas tree. Which… actually does make Izaya think of Shinra and possibly calling him. He's been in his dream too, and while it could have been a random fabrication of his mind, Izaya does wonder if it was possible that all his dreams are in fact memories. Shizuo's memories, to be exact. It's one of those things that was listed on that soulmates list, getting in each other's heads and all. So if he decided to entertain that thought, a simple call to Shinra could put his theory to rest; if those are memories, surely Shinra could easily confirm it, since he was in the most recent one.

He quickly finds his contact information and presses the call button, waiting for the line to connect. After a few rings, Shinra's voice comes through from the other end.

"Hello, and happy holidays!"

Izaya breathes a sigh of relief.

"Shinra I-," he starts, but the voice keeps on talking.

"You have reached the voicemail box of Kishitani Shinra. If you are getting this message it means that I am currently unavailable until next year since I'm off celebrating the holidays with my lovely, splendid, wonderful, beautiful, amazing- Ahhh, CELTY. No, please no! Have mercy on me-" the line cuts off and Izaya narrows his eyes. With a low growl surfacing in the back of his throat, he tries once more only to get straight to voice mail again.

Great. Just… great.

So what other options does Izaya have? Ask Shizuo directly? As if that single-celled amoeba would sit down with him long enough to have an actual, civil conversation without trying to kill him on the spot. Yet Izaya still calls him and he wonders just why he's calling him but it doesn't matter at all, does it? Because he's also not picking up, forcing Izaya's mind to hop between different imaginary scenarios. There's the probability that Shizuo is having a dinner with his parents, spending time with his brother, out with Tom or… Of course, there is another possibility. He could very well be with that blonde Russian again, with her hanging off his arm like some cheap ornament, parading around the busy illuminated streets of Ikebukuro.

Izaya ends up gripping his phone so tightly that his knuckles turn white. That's not how the world is supposed to work. Monsters like Shizuo shouldn't get to enjoy the wonders of the holidays, much less be loved. It's not fair…and why is it still so cold in his apartment? The thermostat is set to 30 degrees, the radiators are piping hot, he's wearing warm clothes, yet he's still freezing.

Well, fine then. If his body refuses to cooperate with him then he will just have to accept that. If his body wants to be cold, well then he might as well actually be cold outside while enjoying some of the finer things in life, like looking for presents, stalking people and… trying to find something to fill the emptiness he feels inside. Additionally, he could always try to hunt Shizuo down, if only make sure his Christmas is as rotten and miserable as it can possibly get.

Yes, it's as good a plan as any!

Instantly, Izaya grabs all his essential belongings and throws on his fur coat before going out and slamming the door shut behind him.

And then he returns, just barely one minute later, only to grab the blue gift bag sitting on his desk while repeating to himself, over and over:

This is not for Shizu-chan. If I so happen to bump into him, I'm just going to rub it in his face that I'm way cooler than he is!

-.-.-.-.-

Approximately half an hour later, Izaya steps off the train at Ikebukuro station. The air is still cold enough that his exhales come out as puffs of condensed clouds. While it's not snowing at the current moment, the sun has long set, turning the whole city into a festive mélange of lights, decorations, and happy couples. As much as he would love to step up to someone and whisper sly ideas of doubt into an unsuspecting person's ear, his mood is just ill fit to properly enjoy any lovely, human reactions. Rather, his desire to seek Shizuo out and ruin his Christmas is far greater than any silly ploy aimed at entertaining himself via people watching.

He still wonders what Shizuo could be up to. He refuses to believe that the protozoan is actually indulging himself in some frivolous couple activity with…that woman. So where could he be? At home? His parent's house? Russia Sushi? Is it possible that Izaya could even find him, just like that, by complete chance? And then, his gleaming crimson eyes settle on a tall figure.

Oh. Well. This was far easier than he'd anticipated.

There Shizuo stands, just on the other side of the street. At first, Izaya has to do a double take just to confirm that it is indeed Shizuo standing there and not just some visual hallucination because this…this is just far too precious.

Izaya tries hard to resist his urge to laugh. Shizuo is still wearing the same bartender uniform as always, except this time he has a black coat on as well. Seems as if he finally does feel the full impact of the cold weather. In his hands is a sign; a wooden handle with a cardboard cutout advertising some sort of Christmas sale. But the real kicker? The reason for Izaya's giddiness? There, atop his head, is a bright red Santa hat with the whole white trim and pompom.

Izaya quickly crosses the street, trying to keep himself hidden from Shizuo's view. With a hand covering his mouth, he creeps up behind the Santa hat wearing debt collector until he's close enough to whisper slyly into his ear.

"Nice hat, Shizu-chan."

Immediately, Shizuo's grip on the sign tightens, nearly splintering the wood in two as he turns on his heel all too quickly to face Izaya. There it is: the way Shizuo's brow creases, the way his lips turn downwards, the way his muscles tense and his nostrils flare. The pure, unadulterated anger he must feel, contrasting with the lightness Izaya feels in his chest at the thought of Shizuo's peaceful Christmas now being nothing more than a distant fantasy.

"Izzaaaayyaa," Shizuo drawls, a low growl festering in the back of his throat as he stretches out the syllables of Izaya's name.

"Yes, Shizu-chan?" Izaya retorts, making sure to say Shizuo's name in the most delicate and intimate way he can while innocently batting his eyelashes. Then, he takes a step back and offers a small smile, which, coming from him, just oozes with condescension.

"The hell are you doing here? Thought I told you to stay out of Ikebukuro," Shizuo snarls, taking a menacing step towards him. Izaya doesn't back down, still keeping up that façade of a smile he's so good at faking.

"The better question is: What are you doing here? Did you waste all your money paying for damages you cause to the city that you have to take on other, unconventional part time job to pay it all off?" Izaya inquires, shoving one hand in his pocket. His expression then darkens, his giddy smile now replaced with a bitter and sarcastic one.

"Or are you saving up to... buy a gift for someone?" he adds, his own grip tightening on the little blue bag he has in his hand.

"For that…Russian girl?"

Izaya can tell he's struck a nerve because in the next moment, Shizuo's eyes narrow into slits and he swears he can hear a small growl coming from him.

That's it, get mad then. Get furious and chase me like you always do.

Yet Shizuo, very uncharacteristically, doesn't. He just grips the wooden plank in his hands even tighter.

"I don't see how my personal life is any of your business," he spits out. Izaya's demeanor falters for a moment, taken aback by the blatant lack of violence in their exchange.

"I'm just curious. Can't I be curious about…you?"

Shizuo, being the moron that he is, clearly doesn't buy Izaya's whole innocent act. Well, technically he isn't all that innocent, since his goal still had been to ruin Shizuo's Christmas, but other than that, it's not like he's up to anything illegal… yet.

"You're not curious, you're shady. So what kind of shit are you up to this time? Going to frame me for something again? Send me to jail on Christmas as if it's some sort of game?" Shizuo badgers him, getting all up in his face. To which, Izaya shrugs his shoulders and laughs.

"Wow, I didn't know you think so highly of me Shizu-chan. Keep going on like that and you might just tempt me," he muses.

"Don't worry though, I'm not up to anything. The only shady thing around here is just this neat pair of shades," he continues as finally raises the little blue bag in his hand before reaching inside and pulling out the pair of sunglasses he'd bought earlier. All the while, Shizuo keeps his gaze completely fixated on his slender hands, watching as Izaya waves the glasses from side to side. Izaya's laugh only intensifies, shaking his lithe frame as he thinks of Shizuo as a dog, watching his master wiggle a juicy bone in front of his nose.

"The fuck are those for?" Shizuo asks. It's clear he's still extremely suspicious, his mind straining hard to come up with some convoluted theory as to what Izaya could be up to this time. Are the glasses rigged? Stolen? Have a secret camera? The possibilities are endless. It would be pretty on brand for Izaya, after all.

"They're for me" Izaya explains, then slides them up his nose.

"Don't they make me look cool?"

Shizuo looks at him skeptically, tilting his head to the side. And then, a Christmas miracle happens. Shizuo actually… snickers, with the corner of his lip momentarily turning upwards into an almost smile.

"Those don't suit you at all," he says flatly.

Izaya is shooketh.

He's not sure whether to be surprised by Shizuo actually finding this whole thing amusing or to be offended by a blatant statement he already knows to be true. He presses his lips together and takes the glasses off before folding them close and slipping them back in the bag.

"You're right. They would look better on you," Izaya admits. In a very unlike Izaya manner, he grabs the handles of the bag with both hands and extends his arms out.

"I'm feeling generous, so…why don't you take them?" he offers somewhat sheepishly, averting his gaze and completely missing that mix of shock and surprise on Shizuo's face. He can still feel Shizuo's gaze on him though, staring him from down from top to bottom.

"What the hell is this?" Shizuo asks skeptically, and to Izaya's surprise, Shizuo ends up taking the bag. Their fingers brush against one another momentarily, making Izaya shudder given the slight surge or warmth he feels at his fingertips. A fleeting warmth and the feeling of sipping tea by the fire, gone just as quickly as it came, leaving him cold, alone, and desperate for more. He doesn't reach out to Shizuo, though, and instead shoves his hands in his pockets to keep his temptation at bay.

"Consider this a p-pres- peace offering," he stutters out. He can feel his cheeks suddenly heat up and he convinces himself it's because of the cold. The cold weather is making his face feel flushed.

Shizuo cautiously takes the glasses out of the bag and inspects them thoroughly, looking for any hidden devices or explosives or anything else that might be cause of suspicion. He doesn't find anything. They're just glasses.

"Why are you giving me a presen-"

Izaya quickly cuts him off before he can finish saying the last word of his sentence.

"P-peace offering! Let's call a truce for today, ne? Just one day without all the fighting and us wanting to kill each other…" he trails and finds himself dumbfounded by his own words. Why is he being so casual about this? Surely it's…it's only so Shizuo will be calm enough to answer his questions…about the dreams, and all. Shizuo sighs and gives in to his request.

"Then…thanks, I guess," he responds dumbly. Izaya's eyes begin to sparkle like big, bright rubies twinkling under the moonlight.

"S-seriously? You won't attack me?" he asks, positively bewildered as Shizuo nods his head.

"Yea, let's just say I'm also feeling generous today," Shizuo adds and Izaya straightens his back, somewhat excited and giddy. Had this actually happened? Two Christmas miracles in one day? Shizuo smiling and being compliant? Izaya finds it hard to believe, but to his surprise, Shizuo genuinely seemed to have accepted his gift as a gesture of good will.

"Do you mind if I-?" Shizuo asks soon after as he makes a motion to throw out the bag and keep the sunglasses.

"Not at all, though as a fair warning, if you break my precious gift to you, I will kill you," Izaya grins in response. Though he hardly means it at this point. It's just an empty threat: one that Shizuo meets with his own empty threat.

"If you keep being so damn annoying, I'll take back what I said and kill you, you damned louse," he scoffs as he throws out the blue bag and places the glasses in his breast side pocket. Izaya lets a small laugh slip past his lips.

"Joke~. Let's stick to that truce, shall we?"

Shizuo nods in confirmation.

Going by the terms of their agreement, Izaya should be able to just slip away, scot-free, and go on his merry way. Yet he decides to stay and keep eying Shizuo curiously, until after a few minutes, he ends up speaking again.

"So when exactly do you get off from all…this?"

Shizuo looks at him quizzically.

"In half an hour…" He says, still wary, watching Izaya as he rocks back and forth on the balls of his feet.

"Mhm, and do you mind if I stay here for a while?" Izaya inquires.

"Why?"

"Because…seeing you in that Santa hat is just far too amusing," Izaya teases and can already see Shizuo getting angry again. The anger quickly dissipates as Izaya sneaks in his next comment.

"I mean, it does look good on you," he abruptly adds before he fully realizes what he'd just said. Quickly, he bites his bottom lip and turns his gaze away. This is so stupid. Shizuo is probably giving him all kinds of strange looks by now.

"…Alright, fine. Better you stay someplace where I can keep an eye on you anyway," Shizuo grumbles.

"But the moment I see you doing something shady-"

"Yea, yea, you can feel free to kill me all you want," Izaya interjects.

Though he makes no promises about not doing anything annoying.