Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara!
Fugue: "a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the course of the composition"
One of the scenes is inspired by the doujinshi 大例法則 by HUMMEL/Xia (Warning Rated R18).
Dating Izaya is like chasing a hurricane. The informant's unpredictability gives even Shiki a run for his money as he balances between the fine line of simultaneously being a yakuza executive and lover to a man with the temperament of a highly intelligent cat, one that gets bored much too easily.
He hopes Izaya will never go so far as to test his loyalty to the Awakusu-kai, but he can never deny the possibility. He has already let the episode with Akane slide, although the facts that Izaya has not tried anything since then and that the two of them are now dating gives him some solace.
Shiki also relearns quite a few things about himself during this entire process of courting another human being, having taken himself off the market for quite some time prior to Izaya.
For one, Shiki already knows that he can become unhealthily possessive, but he finds that he has to remind himself more than once that if Izaya wants a certain bodyguard wiped off the map, then the informant will tell him. The two seem to have agreed upon some sort of truce shortly after Izaya's small meltdown in the middle of one of their fights. While Shiki appreciates that Heiwajima's involvement had gotten Izaya to finally open up, he still slightly resents the fact that it took an outsider to get Izaya to confess his feelings.
Izaya laughs at this after he makes an inadvertent comment on the matter during their kaiseki dinner.
"You have nothing to worry about between me and Shizu-chan," Izaya tells him before picking up a piece of wagyu beef from the small pot of boiling water on the other side of the table.
"I didn't say I was worried," he returns.
"But you've considered taking him on a trip," Izaya points out between bites.
'To the bottom of Tokyo Bay,' Shiki doesn't finish for him. "I haven't done and don't plan on doing anything to him," he attempts to reassure the other. It still irks him that Izaya will protect his mortal enemy like this.
The informant smiles, and Shiki suspects that the other still does not believe him. He has always considered himself a level-headed individual, but the urge to hide his lover away from other people's eyes remains, so he guesses he can somewhat understand Izaya's reluctance to fully believe his words regarding the bodyguard.
"If not for Shizu-chan, you and I wouldn't be here having this conversation," Izaya reminds him, "or eating grilled abalone out of a shell across from each other."
He knows the statement is true, and Shiki remains silent for a moment as jealousy rears its ugly head even through the sweetness of the shellfish. "I'm still displeased that you went to him first instead of me," he finds himself admitting, and he looks up from his food when Izaya does not immediately provide him with a witty comeback.
Those red eyes bore into his as the informant reaches across the table over the various plates scattered about and runs those slender fingers lightly over Shiki's knuckles. Izaya's touch is soft and almost unsure, and Shiki sighs, deciding to drop the subject for now.
He has realized over time through trial and error that despite the dangerous exterior, Izaya is actually quite fragile when it comes to true relationships. This is reinforced during a recent incident shortly after one of their regular meetings, one he will not be forgetting anytime soon.
.
"My apologies that I couldn't drop you off at the usual spot. They insisted on pushing this appointment forward at the last minute," Shiki says as he presses the elevator button.
"I'm used to walking," Izaya reassures him, glancing behind to see Shiki's driver parking the car further down the garage. "Are you sure there isn't anything strange going on? They usually don't do this to you."
"They're newer clients, so sometimes you have to cater to some inconveniences. You should know that."
Izaya hums in disapproval and continues to scour around the garage as if in anticipation. Shiki doesn't quite understand the unease in the other, and he wonders if it is one of those gut feelings people sometimes encounter.
A ping indicates that the elevator has arrived, and the door slides open to reveal another occupant. He notices something gleaming against the dim light, and it is a split second before Shiki registers the pain coursing through his abdomen.
"Shit! Why aren't you alone?" the man gasps, likely realizing Izaya's presence, but Shiki grabs onto his arm before he can react. He slams the assailant's head into the closing elevator door before throwing him to the ground away from the informant. The knife bounces away with a clack on the concrete floor.
"Shiki?" he hears Izaya call his name as he slides to the ground, the adrenaline leaving him much too quickly. He attempts to apply pressure to the wound, but he can't tell how deep it is and is almost certain that the bastard removed the knife on purpose. The attacker stirs, and he sees Izaya move from the corner of his clouding vision. The informant lands an agile kick across the man's face before ramming a switchblade down on the pavement next to the assailant's head.
"Get up again, and I'll take both of your eyes," Izaya hisses. Shiki hears the man's barely contained anger radiating through each word and tries in vain to make out the beautiful silhouette that is his lover.
By this time, his driver has run across the garage and is calling for a doctor. He feels a trembling hand on his, helping him quell the bleeding. Shiki looks up and finally sees Izaya through the haze, but the man is focused on the wound instead, breaths likely slow in an attempt to hide the panic that is clear in the informant's eyes.
After a bit of shuffling and phone calls, Shiki somehow ends up at his own apartment for treatment. Shinra says that the cut has luckily missed his kidneys, although he needs a few days of bedrest for the loss of blood.
"Is Iza- Is Orihara okay?" he asks the doctor. He hasn't seen the man since Shinra knocked him out for the procedure.
Shinra smiles at his question. "Don't worry, I already know about you two." He looks in the direction of the living room. "Izaya might be a bit of a disaster when you see him, so bear with him."
"Pardon?"
"He's not very good with working through his feelings when someone close to him gets hurt," Shinra elaborates before a small frown makes its way across the man's face. "Please don't let him do anything too stupid if he hasn't done so yet. He's been on his phone since your injury."
"I'll try," Shiki replies, although he doesn't know if he can even get out of bed at the moment with the amount of drugs Shinra has shot him up with.
"Give me a call if that cut starts oozing and you experience a fever," the doctor instructs him. "I have another urgent appointment, so I asked Izaya if he could stay for tonight."
He is surprised that Shinra manages to convince Izaya so easily to stay and watch him.
Shiki listens to Shinra gather his equipment and drifts somewhere between the sleeping and waking world when the room door finally opens. He hears the two talking in the distance, and then Shinra is gone, replaced by a blurry silhouette in black. It takes him a moment to realize that Izaya is wearing one of his shirts.
"It looks big on you," he comments and tries not to stare too hard. He notes the deep circles under the man's eyes and traces Izaya's slender outline under his oversized shirt, highlighted even more by the long sleeves that just touch the man's knuckles.
"Unfortunately, most of my clothing is covered in blood," Izaya replies, sitting on the edge of the bed. "It's getting late, so I was thinking of going home tomorrow morning instead to pick up a change of clothes."
"You know you can use the washing machine," he offers. It will not be the first time the informant has had to wash his clothes at Shiki's apartment.
"The jacket's dry clean only, unfortunately."
"That's a shame. I'll buy you a new one."
Izaya feigns surprise. "How many suits have you gone through? You don't know someone who'll take care of bloodstains without asking?"
Shiki wonders why the other is in such a playful mood when he finally sees the concern in the informant's eyes.
He chuckles and reaches up to cup Izaya's face, feeling the soft skin under his fingers. "Look, I'm fine. Things like this happen." He knows instantly that he has said the wrong words as Izaya pales.
"If I hadn't been distracting you, then you would've easily dodged that knife."
Shiki sighs from the effort of keeping his hand elevated on Izaya's cheek and lowers his arm. He settles for caressing the man's fingers on the bed next to him instead. "If you weren't there, he might have gotten away." He then suddenly remembers that he has not given any orders on what to do with his assailant. He assumes that Awakusu-kai has the man locked up somewhere for interrogation.
"The group you were meeting hired him," Izaya's voice breaks through his reverie.
"Figured as much." Shiki runs a few logistics through his head before Izaya's hand suddenly tightens on his own. "Wait, what did you do?" he queries, realizing that Izaya had just offered that information for free.
"Nothing too bad," the informant replies almost airily. "They won't be doing business in Tokyo anymore though, I'm afraid."
Shiki sighs in exasperation. He doesn't mean to, but he knows the move will only draw unwanted attention to the informant. "You should leave decisions like that to the Awakusu-kai," he reminds the other.
"I'm not part of the Awakusu-kai," Izaya retorts. Shiki is about to react to the insubordination when he notes the apparent anger in the man's eyes, outlined by the smallest hint of helplessness.
"Yes yes, you're mine," he quips instead. "Now come to bed. I'm tired." He will deal with Izaya's antics later when he has more energy.
He is surprised when Izaya crawls under the covers next to him without further complaint and suddenly realizes that the anger isn't directed towards him. The man nestles on his shoulder like a cat, careful to avoid the bandages.
Shiki says nothing as he quietly strokes Izaya's silky black hair, feeling the trembles against him slowly subside as he drifts into a dreamless sleep.
.
Izaya returns to his usual sharp self shortly after Shiki is healthy enough to resume work with the Awakusu-kai. Apparently the man's involvement with that group has caught the attention of some of the other executives, so Shiki works on making sure that they have no plans on using the informant against him.
"You really don't trust me either, huh?" Akabayashi laments.
"I'd rather not have to do anything excessive," Shiki tells him, but the man only laughs.
"If anything, I'm actually happy for you two. I always thought you were married to work."
Shiki shoots him a glare.
"I don't know why you're so worried. People would think twice now before going after you because Izaya might bring their entire organization down in retaliation."
"You were imagining what he'd do if I had died, huh?"
"Maybe." Akabayashi taps the cane he always carries with him lightly on the carpet. "The brat's young and impulsive, but those types can make the most dangerous weapons."
Shiki thinks of the informant's distraught eyes as the man tells him that he has taken down an entire organization over a stab wound. He supposes there are worse ways one can show affection.
What Shiki doesn't expect, however, is for Akabayashi to present him with a couples voucher for two-nights at a ryokan in the middle of Gunma Prefecture towards the end of their meeting.
"It's to celebrate your recovery," Akabayashi chortles. "Consider it my peace offering."
Shiki has no idea how Izaya will react to a vacation outside of Ikebukuro with just the two of them, but he knows he has made the right decision to ask when the man's eyes light as he proposes the short trip to the other.
"Are you sure you're able to take those days off?" Izaya asks him for the third time. "You were already out for a bit because of the injury."
"I'll manage. You're the one with the haphazard schedule."
"I'm self-employed, so I make my own schedule," the informant declares.
The ryokan is a quaint family-run business situated well away from the bustle of the main onsen town. The owner, an older woman, leads them to their corner room herself and leaves the two alone after pouring some tea. Shiki notes the private stone bath just outside the shoji doors and supposes that they should probably get Akabayashi a souvenir before they return to Ikebukuro as thanks.
"Shall we try out the bath?" Izaya suggests after they sip their tea.
He lets Izaya wash his back, trying to hide his own amusement at how much joy it seems to bring the other. The temperature of the onsen is just right, and Shiki sighs in contentment as he lowers himself into the water. He can feel Izaya's fingers on his shoulder and grudgingly moves a little so that the other could explore his tattoos as he relaxes in the bath. The man has always been fascinated with his ink even though he knows Izaya will never mark himself in such a way.
He has imagined red spider lilies contrasting against porcelain skin, but to be honest, Shiki prefers the other the way he is, unmarked against his own dragon.
"How's the wound?" Izaya asks, and Shiki realizes that the informant has stopped at the scar.
"It aches every now and then. It's probably still healing inside," he tells him. Shinra says it might be a few weeks before the sensation completely goes away. He has considered covering it up with another tattoo in the future but hasn't quite decided yet.
"I see," the informant trails off almost uncharacteristically.
It suddenly dawns on him that Izaya is purposely not meeting his eyes, the light flush on the man's skin likely due to more than the temperature of the bath. Shiki smirks before grasping the hand touching the scar with his own and capturing the informant's lips. He always enjoys the way the man surrenders all control to him in times like these. It is a far cry from Izaya's usual antics when he first worked with the other.
"I can still manage some strenuous exercise, you know," he breathes against the corner of Izaya's lips.
.
"Haruya?"
Shiki looks up at the sound of his name and finds Izaya staring at him intently from across the table, the backdrop of their small personal Japanese garden fitting the other much too well.
"I didn't mean to make you angry."
"I am not angry," he tells the other.
"Displeased then," Izaya echoes his earlier statement.
"You can be friends with whomever you please. Just, bear with my jealousy for now. I'm practicing how to control it."
Izaya tilts his head to the side, and Shiki can't help but watch the droplets of water slide off the man's damp hair onto the yukata.
"And don't you dare comment that I'm too old to be learning this sort of thing."
The informant smiles. "I wasn't going to. I was just thinking about how cute that statement was, coming from you."
Shiki looks away to hide his own embarrassment. He supposes he can still feel awkward when a younger man drops a line like that on him.
He takes the hand that has been lightly playing with his knuckles and entwines his fingers through Izaya's, satisfied when the informant's ears turn red at the display of affection.
Fugue: "a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices (Shiki and Izaya), built on a subject (holding hands) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (initiated by both parties at various times) and which recurs frequently in the course of the composition"
I don't know what I'm doing LOL. I hope you still enjoyed it!
