After my long vacation, here is the new chapter! This chapter is slightly M-rated, not because of the scenes, but because of the jokes. Anyway, enjoy!

P.S: Does anyone enjoy fast-paced romance? Haha… I get impatient while writing, you know…


Chapter 5 – Placidity

"So…"

"Yeah."

"After contacting me precisely 12 days ago, saying you have an 'emergency' to take care of… and here you are, back, with a boyfriend?"

"Dad, he isn't my… boyfriend, for the fifteenth time." Shizuo groaned, as Heiwajima Kichirou, his gay father, folded his arms in a stern manner. "He needs a place to stay, dad. And he is absolutely not going back to his house as long as he is under my care."

"I am not under your care." Izaya snapped, "I can always go back to Shinra's house and stay there with the two Kishitanis – and it's not like you're the only person I am acquainted with, anyway."

"Sure. You have acquaintances apart from me, and yet you followed me all the way here."

"Shizu-chan –"

"Okay, I get it." Kichirou let out a heavy sigh. He looked delighted at the sight of Mairu and Kururi though – he had never taken care of girls before (living in a house full of sons). "Uh… Orihara Izaya-kun, was it? Do I need to contact your parents- wait, no, you wouldn't be out here if you wanted your parents to find out."

Izaya sat there in silence. Well, before he got into any details…

4 hours ago…

"We can't stay here."

Shizuo blurted out, throwing his arms exasperatedly in the air as he turned off the TV. Giving him a puzzled look in response, Izaya just continued to munch on the potato chips that comfortably sat on his lap. The beast continued.

"Your father found out the location, who knows how-"

"We've been going out getting groceries together. Of course he'd find out." Izaya remarked, as Shizuo rolled his eyes and looked at him in an accusing manner.

"That's because you said you were afraid-" A book came flying to aim Shizuo's nose before he could even complete his sentence. "Fuck you, Flea." He spat, his usual irascible personality displayed in his voice. Izaya turned away, pretending that nothing had happened. He was never, ever, going to admit again that he was fearful of staying alone in the large house – he felt like his father was going to haunt his way down the house again, and kill him.

Things have gotten a lot complicated ever since they had unconsciously admitted their hidden feelings toward one another. The ambiance of the house had transformed from something awkward and melancholy to something dulcet and warm. Izaya felt oddly safe while being a few meters within Shizuo and the door – even if his father were to be standing there, he somehow hoped that the blonde would come to his defense. Of course, Izaya could protect himself. But Shizuo was just like an extra barrier.

There were the pros and cons to the sudden change. Their relationship for one thing, had become unrecognizable – Izaya would've gagged, if he looked at how him and Shizuo acted around the house, a few weeks ago. Even when he had notified his own mind that he was not to let his guard down in front of Shizuo, his body didn't listen. He had shown Shizuo all his languish states, his stupid moments, everything. And of course, the other delinquent had shown him pretty much everything as well.

Which was why, Izaya couldn't help but listen to what Shizuo was attempting to get through.

"Let's move to my house." The suggestion made Izaya perk up. "It'd be safer there. If we move in late during the night, there'd be nobody for your father to ask that have seen us move around, or your father himself, for that matter. Besides, my dad is there too, as well as Kasuka. If I'm not present, then I at least know that one of them would be capable of staying by your side."

"I don't need anyone to take care of me – moving to your house would be enough."

"Yeah, yeah. For fuck's sake, Izaya. Let's move."

The raven thought about it a while. His father didn't know where Shizuo lived, but it'd be simple for him to find out somebody's address. If he moved to Shizuo's house, then there was a possibility of getting the whole Heiwajima household into a whirlpool of danger-

"Flea, if you're thinking that your dad is gonna get my whole family in danger and all that shit, fuck it all. Kasuka has his own men of bodyguard, and my dad has his connections with all kinds of corporations and organizations involving his… uh, coworkers. And I'm the Beast of Ikebukuro." Shizuo added emphasis to the last sentence, enunciating every single word.

Izaya sighed. "Fine."

Back to present…

So here the two were, sneaking into Shizuo's house at midnight, and trying to explain to Kichirou that they had not been having sex for the past 12 days straight at vacant lots with a serial killer on the loose.

"… Are you willing to tell me what brings you here then, Izaya-kun?"

Izaya was uncertain of what to do. Definitely, Kichirou didn't seem like a blabbermouth, or somebody that would pester the teen about the matter too much. But even so, he couldn't seem to tell the truth. "… I don't think I can, sir. I apologize."

Seeing the distressed scowl on Izaya's face, Kichirou shook his head and lighted a cigarette. Kasuka opened the veranda door accordingly, rubbing his eyes as he tried to chase away his sleep. "Shizuo, your bed was a bunk bed, right?" The oldest son nodded. "Well, give Izaya-kun the one you don't use. You have smaller clothes too, right? He can wear Kasuka's as well, since they look about the same size… Kasuka, give some of your leftover clothes to Izaya-kun, would you?"

The younger son dragged his body to his room and rummaged through his wardrobe.

"Um, thank you." Izaya, not knowing how to repay the hospitality, just thanked the man. Kichirou just smiled lightly and blew a puff of smoke out of his mouth.

"No need. I can't kick Shizuo's boyfriend out of the house, can I?"

"Jesus Christ, dad, he's not my-"

"Keep telling yourself that, honey. Anyway, I'm going to prepare for tomorrow's work. The bar is kind of busy nowadays, you see… I guess it's because it's the vacation season." He rubbed the back of his head and exited the living room. Shizuo grumbled curses under his breath and grabbed Izaya's wrist.

"Let's go."

The Orihara loosened at that, and followed the latter upstairs to his room.

"As expected."

"What do you mean, 'as expected' you asshole?"

"It looks like shit."

"Shut the fuck up." Shizuo kicked a few coke bottles out of his way, some half-filled with the sticky liquid. Crumbs from different packages of chips were all over the floor, and there was a strawberry cheesecake that was half-eaten lying on the wooden floor. Izaya just tiptoed through the mess, avoiding the grotesque garbage.

Due to the reason of it being unused, the bed that was at the top was clean – slightly dusty, but clean nevertheless. Izaya flattened out the sheets and brushed off the dust on the blanket and pillow. He then peeked down to look at Shizuo, who was casually looking at his phone, browsing the Internet. "Shizu-chan, do you have a change of clothes?"

"Kasuka will bring some."

As if on cue, Kasuka knocked on the door. He poked his head out, a shirt and a pair of shorts on his hand. "Do you need to take a shower? Because the bathroom is at the end of the corridor. The pink bottle is shampoo, and the white one is conditioner. Don't ask what the blue one is for, though. You should know what it is, being in a house full of guys. And-" Before he could finish talking, Mairu and Kururi leapt out into the room and stepped all over the empty bags and bottles in the room.

"Iza-nii, we're sleeping in Kichi's room today!" Mairu thumped her chest a little, as if it was something to boast about.

"Kichi?"

"I think she's talking about our dad." Kasuka mumbled, as he slowly led the girls back out of the room. "Come on girls, you need to go to sleep now." He whispered, although his voice was still monotone. Mairu and Kururi pouted a little, but eventually waved to Shizuo and Izaya and ran out of the bedroom. Kasuka left the clothes in front of the door.

Once they were out of earshot, Shizuo started. "Are you going to take a shower?"

"I took one two hours before I came here."

"Right."

"The blue thing in the bathroom… Kasuka isn't talking about lube, is he-"

"Izaya, shut it."

"Oh. Shizu-chan's quite the pervert, isn't he?"

"Shut your trap, Flea."

Izaya, amused by the blonde's reaction, wanted to tease the other teen more, but decided to stop. He didn't want to be punched by the blonde when he was at his home ground. So he casually rolled on his back and faced the ceiling, lying there in silence. Only the sound of Shizuo's phone going off at random moments due to the notification alerts echoed throughout the room. Izaya wished he could just remain in the said location for eternity – Shizuo sitting beneath him, the temperature of the room not too cold, not too hot, comfy sheets tickling his ankle, and being perfectly aware that he was absolutely safe and secure where he was.

Suddenly, the lights turned off and Shizuo opened the door. The raven-haired boy rose from the cushions and frowned, bewildered. "We need to brush our teeth. It's one, you idiot."

Scratching his shoulder blade, Izaya crawled down the ladder and dragged himself, bringing the clothes the younger Heiwajima left behind along with him. "Am I going to have to share a toothbrush with you? Because that is terrifying." He scrunched up his nose, earning a slap from Shizuo on his back.

"I'll get you a new one, you picky asshole."

"Wait, you were actually thinking about sharing a toothbrush? Shizu-chan, are you fucking serious?" Izaya questioned in horror, as Shizuo grunted.

"Lord, what's the big deal about it? It's just a toothbrush."

"It's unhygienic. Not to mention, I am not using something that has been brushing around every corner of the insides of your mouth."

"You make it sound like I'm giving you my old sex toy or something. Chill, fucker."

"I don't think you know how powerful a toothbrush when it comes to inappropriate things. Did you watch that anime, Shizu-chan? It's called the Monogatari series, and the brother casually makes out with his sister or whoever it was supposed to be-" (A/N: For those who don't get this reference, it's from the anime Nisemonogatari from the Monogatari series. It's an inside joke about the voice actors, because the mentioned male's voice actor and Izaya's voice actor are the same person.)

"I get it, you idiot." Shizuo shook his head, ruffling Izaya's hair. The shorter male froze, as Shizuo continued walking. He touched the locks of his black, raven hair – where Shizuo twirled his fingers through. His heart jumped a beat faster, as he caught up to Shizuo as soon as he woke up from his momentary trance.

"Here you go." The masculine boy handed the latter a black toothbrush. They proceeded to brushing their teeth, arguing over who got to use the cup and cleanse their mouth first. Izaya changed into the clothes that Kasuka had given him – they fit him quite well.

Shizuo was already pulling the sheets over his body when Izaya entered the room. The boy climbed up the ladder, as the blonde beneath him began to snore. Well, that was fast. Thinking as he closed his eyes, Izaya fell into his own dreamland.


"…-izu-chan…"

Who…

"Shizu…"

Shizu?

"Shizu… chan…"

"Izaya?" Shizuo looked up in the darkness, attempting to spot the other teenager. He seemed to have lost his sense of direction, because he had no idea where the voice was coming from. "Flea, where are you?"

"Save…"

Shizuo grew frantic. All the hairs on his body stood up straight, and he begged his five senses to work properly, just for a few minutes. The resonant voice was sending chills down his spine.

"Save me…"

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. "Izaya? Damn it, Izaya?" He flung his arms around through the vicinity, hoping he would hit something – someone – Orihara Izaya.

Suddenly, he felt fingers wrap around his ankle. They were wet, soft, and trembling against his skin. Shizuo looked down, only to see Izaya covered in blood, glass shards piercing through his pale body and gashes and bruises dotting the surface of white. Shizuo tried to reach down. "Izaya-"

"Shizuo… I…" The voice grew faint. The hand started to slip off his ankle. The blonde spread his arm out to catch the raven, but the boy was gone. A cry choked his throat, as Heiwajima Shizuo clawed the soil.

"Izaya –"

"IZAYA!"

Shizuo woke up in sweat. His hand in the air, he panted heavily, and looked around to check his surroundings. He was in his room. Throwing the blanket off, he climbed up the ladder to see how Izaya was actually doing. His inner fears whispered that he would be covered in blood, broken – just like he was in his dreams.

Izaya was curled up into a ball, his fists white as they clutched the futon. His breathing was uneven, and he appeared to be writhing in pain. Shizuo's expression softened. His wounds weren't fully healed, and it hadn't been a very long time since everything had occurred. He squeezed through the remaining space and gently shook Izaya.

"Flea." He mumbled. Izaya just winced, but didn't wake up from his nightmare. "Izaya." Shizuo repeated, this time softer. The raven boy stilled at that, as his eyes slowly fluttered open. Then those eyes widened, as he shot up from where he was and wrapped his arms around his body, as if trying to protect himself from an unknown danger. Shizuo caught his shoulders, and sat in front of the latter. "Izaya. It's a nightmare."

The Orihara blinked. His pants settled down, and his pulse seemed to grow calmer as seconds passed. "Shizu-chan?"

"Yeah. It's me." He grumbled. "Geez, you're noisy in your sleep." Lying, Shizuo ran his fingers through his own hair.

"I…" Izaya opened his mouth to explain, but then closed it again. "… I'm sorry."

"Whatever." Shizuo pushed Izaya back down on the bed, and then lied down next to him. Izaya glanced at him in confusion. The blonde glanced back, until he wrapped his arms around Izaya's shivering figure.

"Shizuo –"

"Shut up. It's cold."

"Turn off the air conditioner."

"Too lazy."

"But –"

"Let's sleep." Shizuo's arms tightened around Izaya's body. Izaya stared at Shizuo's closed eyes, hoping they would open again to stare back at his – but they didn't. Eventually he gave in, and snuggled into Shizuo's embrace, enjoying the warmth, until he finally fell asleep – this time, with no nightmares.

"You gotta be kidding me."

"Like fuck I am."


The next morning, the two boys woke up – and with having nothing to do during their temporary break, Shizuo decided that they should just sit in the living room like normal teenagers and watch a movie.

"My whole family – we're either gay or bi." Shizuo repeated, with absolutely no shame. It wasn't like Izaya was being judgmental – it just seemed so… preposterous. "Kasuka had 2 boyfriends and one girlfriend in the past. I think the only girl he was ever in love with was Hijiribe Ruri – yeah, the one on television. But they broke up half a year ago, because Kasuka apparently said that he was in love with a guy, and he couldn't afford to continue lying to himself and her… blah, blah, blah."

"And your dad?"

The blonde grunted, rolling his eyes. "Well, he's on a whole new level, for that. My dad married mom being perfectly aware of his sexuality – at least, that's what I think. He said he used to have boyfriends and all, but their family had this arranged marriage going on –"

"Those are still a thing?" Izaya said repulsively, as Shizuo gave him a look.

"Whatever. It wasn't like my dad didn't love my mom. He said she was his most ideal type when it came to females – just that females weren't his cup of tea. They divorced after a few years, and my dad resigned from his company's position and started working at this gay bar ever since."

That explains. Izaya thought, stuffing some more chips into his mouth. He was coming to understand why Shizuo's room was so messy. "What about Shizu-chan? Had any girlfriends?"

The blonde was slightly hesitant about his answer. "I thought about liking Varona. She was nice, but then I realized that I could only see her as my junior."

"Heh."

"What?" Seemingly irritated, Shizuo threw a milk carton across the room. "Jealous?"

Izaya glared at the latter menacingly. "As if."

"I didn't even know I was gay. No wonder I found no appeal in any of the girls I encountered in life." The stronger male scratched his shoulder.

"How did you figure it out, then?" Izaya whispered, and Shizuo just passed on an incredulous expression. He smashed his hand down on Izaya's fluff of hair and shook it around, as Izaya groaned loudly and yanked Shizuo's hand off. "What?"

"You couldn't be asking that without knowing the answer." The other male spat in hatred, but also a small playful side showing through the corners of his lips. "It's because of you, obviously – asshole."

"I knew you'd say that." Izaya smirked, leaning back down on the cushions, ignoring the deathly look Shizuo was giving him. "Shizu-chan is so easy to figure out, you know…" But you always have that unexpected side under that easy cover… The boy mumbled in his head, keeping his eyes down on the remote.

Shizuo scoffed. "Well, I'm terribly sorry I'm that easy to figure out, sir." Izaya laughed at that, and leaned back down as he turned the channel to the daily news.

"This is Shinjuku, in an abandoned room of Katakawa apartment. Yesterday, nine o' clock in the afternoon, Ms. Sato found a dead girl's body in this room. She appeared to be beaten to death with a weapon that seems to resemble something around the range of a bat or a hammer. The residents of this apartment claim that they had witnessed or heard Mr. Tennouji, the father of the girl, thrashing at the little girl late at night whenever he arrived home drunk. Further reports are to be made –"

"Oi, Izaya."

"-Once the investigation team discovers more about the exact causes of the girl's death. The police forces are also hunting down Mr. Tennouji, who appears to be the closest one to being the culprit of this murder. Also –"

Shizuo yanked the remote out of Izaya's hand and turned it off. The raven glowered at the blonde and hissed. "What are you doing?"

"Don't watch things like that."

"I watch what I want."

"Well, too bad. This is my house. You're not watching stuff like that."

"Shizu-chan, give me back the remote."

"What good does it do for you if you just remind yourself of what you went through?" Shizuo whispered, almost painfully. "Stop it, Izaya." His tone made Izaya flinch.

"It does no good for me if I run away, too." He quietly argued. He could feel Shizuo's concern – he could've felt it from a mile away. But when they were just a few centimeters apart, he could feel it too well – too well, that it hurt. The small staccato rhythm in Shizuo's trembling voice as he talked, tickling his ears with small vibrations that sent sentimental sensations throughout his whole body. The slight melancholy expression, and the small moments where he could clench and unclench his fists. Izaya felt like he was crippling under the considerate actions of the blonde that normally others wouldn't notice – consideration that he had never known.

"You can run away." Shizuo said quickly, rush evident in his voice. "Running away doesn't necessarily mean you're afraid." He inhaled a deep breath of determination. Izaya looked up, expecting to see a panicky Shizuo – only to face a Heiwajima Shizuo that looked perfectly calm. The only sign that showed his nervousness was the slight wavering in his dark eyes. "It can also mean that you're willing to return – so that you can face the problem when you are in a better condition. So that you can win."

"Shizu…" Izaya didn't know what he was supposed to call the male at a moment like this. Shizu-chan sounded playful, but he wasn't as used to calling the latter Shizuo yet. "… Heiwajima… kun."

"What's with that shitty name?"

"It's your name, mind you –" Izaya tried to point out, but was cut off midway as Shizuo put his face on and relaxed, sniffing the smaller boy's body. "… Shizu-chan, you're getting a lot more affectionate nowadays… it's not like you."

"I just feel like it." He wrapped his arms around Izaya's body, and squeezed it tight. "Call me Shizuo. Whatever you want. Shizu-chan is fine too, anyway. Anything but Heiwajima-kun."

"Then Heiwajima-kun."

"Curse you."

They stayed like that for a while. Izaya felt nice. He felt protected. Safe. He was secure inside Shizuo's embrace – no matter what happened, Shizuo could –

"Hey, Izaya." The said male's voice sounded muffled, rumbling on Izaya's shirt. "We can run back together."

"To hell?"

"I'm trying to keep a fucking serious mood going, you idiot. Stay in it for a while." Shizuo complained, but went on regardless. "You might've been alone when you ran away, but we can run back together. To face that man. I'll be with you. So don't push me away. Don't you fucking dare push me away." He was dead serious. He was willing to make Izaya feel anything but precarious, trying to save him from the noxious memories.

"… Whatever." Izaya was forced to relinquish at the desperate attitude of the latter. "Pushing you away would be too much of a trouble to go through anyway." He slid down on to the sofa, and Shizuo twitched at the rather playful behavior of the raven. Shrugging, he allowed his shoulders to give in as his heavy figure landed on Izaya's thin one. "What are you –"

And their lips met. It wasn't a passionate kiss, nor a hungry make out session of the two boys like a normal couple would do. But it was enough – it was sufficient to get Shizuo's feelings through Izaya. His bestiality, his masculine personality, his crude mannerisms, and also his fear of losing Izaya – it all went through Izaya. When they parted, Shizuo didn't look back at Izaya to see what kind of expression he was making. Instead, he resumed to wrapping his arms around Izaya, this time at his neck – and just went to sleep.

"Shizuo, our teeth."

"Who cares about things like that right now?"

"I do."

"You smell fine for a Flea."

"Well, you stink for a Shizu-chan."

"Bear with it."

Izaya heaved a sigh at that, knowing better than to quarrel further about the trivial matter. Maybe Shizuo was correct. Not brushing your teeth, or not taking shower… it couldn't hurt, not doing those things for a day. They fell asleep soon, as Kichirou entered about thirty minutes later.

"Geez… what happened to saying he's not my boyfriend?" The man grumbled, throwing a blanket around two of the boys. But then he smiled warmly, looking at Shizuo. "It's great that you finally got somebody to live for, eh, Shizuo?"

It was a peaceful night, for once.


A/N: "What's this chapter called?" "The mushrooms of fluff made out of Shizaya."

Again, sorry for the delayed update, guys. And also, if some of you are thinking this is too fast-paced, then I apologize for that. In truth, when I write romance, whether it's yaoi or yuri or straight, I just get impatient myself about all the upcoming scenes and I just quicken the pace. For those who thought that kiss was definitely not enough, do not worry – more scenes are to be presented to you.

Anyway, have a lovely weekend!