A/N: Hello, guys! Thanks for all your support, and the 100+ follows, as well as the 50+ reviews – I appreciate it! This chapter is way longer than the previous ones, because I was on a roll.
Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 6 – Stop
"So…"
"What/Yeah?"
"…" Pause. "I DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE FEW DAYS SCHOOL WAS CLOSED. NOW."
That was right. School had resumed into schedule, after the criminal, Hollywood had been arrested by the traffic police (despite just being the traffic police, they sure accomplished a lot). And since Heiwajima Shizuo and Orihara Izaya followed to a conclusion that they were technically "going out" by the society's generalizing terms, they had… well… decided to show some more affection for one another. Although, they didn't do much in an average person's perspective anyway.
"A lot happened." Izaya smiled slyly. "Shizu-chan, where should we start?"
"Just don't." Shizuo grumbled, as he pushed the rice ball into his mouth. "And besides, what's the matter? It's not like we're doing anything indifferent than our ordinary school days."
"'It's not like we're doing anything indifferent'? I BEG YOUR PARDON?" Shinra threw his pencil case high up into the air, as it hit a random student's head. "SINCE WHEN DID YOU GUYS EATING LUNCH TOGETHER BECOME AN 'INDIFFERENT' THING?"
"I don't know, like two fucking minutes ago when the bell rang?" The blonde delinquent stuffed the plastic wrapper into his pockets. "I don't get's what so extraordinary about the fact that we're eating lunch together."
Izaya snorted. "Yeah, says the person who blasted a desk on my head a week ago."
"That's because you put a whole bottle of mayonnaise and soy sauce all over my platter of Bolognese spaghetti."
"You're too luxurious for a delinquent, Shizu-chan. I never heard of a delinquent eating Bolognese spaghetti for lunch."
"I'll gladly take that as a compliment. Do you think I should change my title to 'The Luxurious Beast of Ikebukuro'?"
"Too long. How about Bolognese Beast? It has a nice alliteration to it."
"Huh. Not too bad coming from your naming sense."
"Wait. Wait. Just wait. Give me just- right, 5.923 seconds to process all this." Shinra stopped talking for what Izaya and Shizuo assumed was 5.923 seconds, and opened his mouth. "So, easily said, you guys… became best friends during that week where I spent my time with Celty at the mansion?"
Izaya twisted the lid of his water bottle. "No… I'd say it's a tad bit more complicated than that."
"What?"
"We're just two people that enjoy one night's pleasure with lubrication and heavy thrusts." As soon as Izaya said that, Shizuo landed a punch on the male's head. Shinra sat there in shock, wondering whether to believe the statement or not. Coming from Izaya, it didn't seem impossible.
"You got it all wrong." Shizuo grunted, as he sat back on his chair. "Sure, I guess we're… dating, but that doesn't change anything about our relationship at school. We are attempting to keep it secret, so I'll leave you with that."
Kishitani Shinra leaned back, moving his bangs out of the way. "So… okay. Going out… kind of like how Celty and I are, right?"
"No way." The couple said simultaneously, as imaginary arrows of pain shot through Shinra's fragile mental state.
"Like you said, we only started accepting this fact a week ago. We are completely capable of breaking up right now, at this location. We're not strongly bonded with this so-called love you and Celty share. It's… just a test." Shizuo sighed, resting his chin on his palm. Izaya gave him a look that clearly said 'It is?' but Shizuo ignored it.
However, for the good or bad, the Kishitani seemed less troubled after hearing the claimant's words. "I… understand. It is definitely challenging to adjust, but I'll manage. Besides, this means that you guys wouldn't be fighting anymore, right? Not trying to murder one another everyday? Less damage done to the school and all?" He suggested hopefully, to which both Izaya and Shizuo negatively responded.
"I can't guarantee that."
"Neither can I."
"DO YOU TWO BOTH UNDERSTAND WHAT DATING IS?!"
"It's love! And it's life! Kind of like that Shrek video on the internet." (A/N: You'll become a ruined person if you watch that video. Don't.)
"To be with someone you like?"
"Correct, Shizuo! And no, Izaya, it's not like the Shrek video. I mean everyone has his or her own fetishes, but I guess- you got me off track. So great – you guys are uh… dating, in secret. Am I correct?" Shinra waved his hand in the air.
Izaya crossed his arms, and scoffed. "Like I said, it's a bit more complicated than –"
"Yeah, that's the basic idea." Shizuo gruffly interrupted his boyfriend. "Izaya, stop extending our explanation."
"If you say so…" The raven looked slightly disappointed, as he sucked up the remnants in the juice box he held tightly in his hand. Shinra believed that he wouldn't ever be able to accept the fact that a 'submissive' Izaya could ever be in physical existence. "… Shinra, I would be grateful if you wouldn't look at me like I'm a phenomenal disaster." Izaya frowned in discomfort, as Shinra quickly replaced his previous expression with a sheepish grin.
"Sorry, I just found this whole situation very…" Think, Shinra, think! You can't make this creep believe that you just assured yourself that he has gone insane! "… Amusing."
The Orihara looked rather skeptical about the response, and was also two hundred percent certain that the Kishitani didn't mean what he had claimed, what left it at that. He was too exhausted, for some odd reason he couldn't quite comprehend, to even argue or joke. Shizuo stated that his body must've been relieved after being released from the mental restraints of his father, which had let out the built up stress. It seemed like a logical reasoning coming from the blonde.
"Sleepy?" Shizuo questioned, as Shinra got sick of watching them and went to hang out with Celty.
"Hmn…" Yawning, Izaya responded. The blonde smirked, as he dropped the lunch box on Izaya's head. "Ow- Shizu-chan, how cruel…" He complained, as he casually grabbed a pair of scissors from his desk and threw them at Shizuo's face. The delinquent dodged it, as the scissors got stuck on the wall. Shizuo pulled it out and put it back on the wooden surface.
When the bell rang again, it was fourth period. The Heiwajima turned around on his seat and tapped Izaya's shoulder, waking the napping male. "What?" Izaya hissed in irritation, as the latter recoiled from touching Izaya more.
"I forgot to mention this earlier because of Shinra, but what do you want for dinner?" When the raven flashed him a puzzled look, Shizuo went to the explanation. "My dad is missing out today because of the load of customers today at his bar, and Kasuka (the best cook in the household) is traveling to Okinawa for a photo shoot around five when we get back home and won't be here until Thursday. So –"
"Heiwajima-kun? Can you please answer question thirty seven on the workbook –"
"So we need to visit the super market after school and buy some things for dinner, because our refrigerator is completely empty after yesterday's meal –"
"Heiwajima-kun, can you refrain from talking in the middle of class and –"
"And that's why. Anyway, what do you want for dinner? I'm not cooking so let's go with what you want –"
"Uh, Heiwa –"
"Sensei, I'm having a serious conversation here. Can you please ask somebody else to answer the fucking question?" The blonde smiled sweetly, a hint of evil planted behind it. Gulping in fear, the teacher proceeded to asking another student in the room that was actually not trying to murder him.
Orihara Izaya merely snorted at the reaction. "So this conversation is that important that you needed to threaten our teacher?"
"Nah, I just didn't know the answer to the question."
"Ah. Great method." Izaya clucked his tongue, and then sat back and thought about what he wanted. "I like fatty tuna. You know, Otoro sushi?"
Heiwajima Shizuo's face twisted into a dissatisfied scowl. "You sure have a fancy palate for someone that is living off someone else's money. What do you think my family is – billionaires? Our budget is cutting short for this month to get Otoro sushi, and considering the number of mouths we have to feed… that's not the best choice."
"I'm joking, geez." The raven rolled his eyes. "Maybe we can have karaage or something. I saw the chicken thighs that were on sale the other day. Some miso or vegetable soup, and we can have salted radish for a side. How does that sound?"
"I hate vegetables." Shizuo grumbled, and Izaya clicked his fingers.
"Then vegetable soup it is." A punch came flying towards his head, but Izaya simply dodged it.
Unknown to the couple, the whole class could hear them – well, at least those that were sitting nearby. And Kishitani Shinra and Celty Sturluson were those that were sitting nearby. The young Kishitani sweated heavily with awkwardness, as Celty pitifully handed him a towel.
"What happened between Izaya and Shizuo over the week? They seem awfully friendly- well, friendlier than they would usually be. And discussing their plans for dinner? Are they living together?" Celty typed in her PDA.
Shinra shook his head as he massaged his temples. "I don't know, my dear Celty. But one thing that I certainly do know, is that it is absolutely terrifying for something to be out of the ordinary."
Celty sat there for a while as she just stared at Shinra through her helmet. "I think it's pretty sweet that they are going out. The vibe always existed, you know? It was just in a form of hatred, and that's where everything went downhill."
"Yeah, I know. I know that perfectly well – that if Shizuo and Izaya had met on different conditions, the results would've changed. I mean, they even say that the difference between love and hate is paper-thin. The reason I find it more challenging to accept is probably because I can't believe the risks they took to accomplish that relationship."
"Risks?"
"That is right – risks. Shizuo is rather abrasive and brash, but he also has a soft place for people he cares for dearly. Izaya on the other hand, may seem like the constant jester than is unaffected by any form of harm, but he is surprisingly sensitive. They are in fact, complete opposites. 'Opposites attract', right? That's great, too. Now, the risk… it's when the two have a misunderstanding."
"Why would they have a misunderstanding of the sort?"
"Well, Izaya, if you put it in a good way, is a very cautious person. In a bad way, he is way too suspicious of other people, although I do not know why. He thinks of simple matters way too deeply – he would bring out over one hundred possibilities of why a person is feeling happy, when really, that person is just happy because they feel like being happy. Get what I mean?"
Celty nodded. Shinra went on.
"Meanwhile, Shizuo is a simpleton. I'm not saying he's dumb (although that is a factor we cannot ignore), but that's just who he is. If something is sweet, it's sweet. If something is evil, it's evil. He doesn't necessarily try to decipher the hidden meaning behind things – and if Shizuo ever has a time where he does notice that, it's due to his superhuman instincts. And due to his unbelievable strength, most believe that he is just a violent idiot.
"And that's why if Shizuo and Izaya get into a serious argument, it'd be really easy for them to misunderstand each other. I think Izaya and Shizuo both subconsciously realized that, but just didn't say anything about it. But if something happens…" Shinra glanced worriedly at the two, who were now throwing erasers at one another. The unlicensed doctor sniffed at that.
"Well, never mind."
"Uh, so what do radishes look like when they aren't cut?"
"There are red ones, but the ones in Japan are usually long and white."
"Oh. This one?"
"That's a peeled yam- you know what? Go find some onions and carrots for me. You do know what onions and carrots look like, right?" Izaya asked, vexed.
Shizuo just nodded, deciding it was wise to comply. "Alright." Then his phone beeped, notifying him that he had a new message. "Wait, let me just check this." The raven leaned in, scanning the message along with the blonde.
It was from Kasuka.
'Nii-san, I'm sorry to tell you that my schedule was altered, and I was forced to take the plane to Okinawa immediately as soon as I woke up. I couldn't tell you earlier as my manager was rushing me all over the airport. I told Mairu and Kururi to keep the door shut and never open it to anyone else at all costs.'
"At home alone, huh. Maybe we should hurry this and get back to see what they're doing." Izaya threw a radish into the basket. "I'm concerned about the condition of the house."
The blonde nodded in agreement, after experiencing the energy of the two young girls himself. "What else do we need?"
"Not much. Just the chicken and… right, you have rice, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, let's just get the chicken."
The two went around together, constantly fighting over every single minor issue they had. In the very end, they bought everything necessary and made their way back home. Shizuo held all the plastic bags, due to Izaya's abdomen still in the process of healing.
When the beast entered the neighborhood, Erika Karisawa's mother, Emi Karisawa approached them. "Shizuo, returning from the market?"
"Yes, Mrs. Karisawa."
"Oh, who's that next to you?" She poked her head to the side to get a better view of Orihara Izaya.
"Uh… a classmate. Name's Orihara Izaya."
"I see. Well, I saw somebody wandering around your doorstep today morning. I was bothered, so I decided to tell any one of your family members, but they just didn't seem to be around after young Kasuka-kun departed." The woman sighed heavily as she displayed a distressed expression, cupping her cheek with one hand. Izaya and Shizuo froze on their spots, as they both glanced at one another.
"Excuse me, but when was this man around?" Izaya's grip on Shizuo's shirt tightened. His heart was racing again, just like when Kururi had contacted him a few long days ago – that Mairu wasn't waking up.
In deep thought, the Karisawa tried to remember. "I think it was about two hours after Kasuka-kun left the house with his manager. I had my share of work to do after that so I couldn't see what happened later on during the day, but he seemed suspicious. He… I think he had black hair and a nice looking suit."
Without another word, Izaya raced towards the staircase to Shizuo's apartment. The blonde stuttered a hurried thanks to the woman, and ran behind the raven.
Izaya came to a stop in front of the entrance. The knob was destroyed completely, as if it had been detached due to brute force. His face paled instantly, as he pushed the door open (it opened a little too easily for his already vanishing comfort) and froze once again when he realized the state of the room.
The windows were shattered, and there were splotches of blood splattered on the shiny marble floor. Signs that showed struggle were evident, like the plastic vase that was rolling around, and the bottle of water that was scrunched up as if it had hit something, half empty as liquid that was mixed with blood flowed freely out of it. Orihara Izaya stepped forward – he was way too familiar with this vicinity, and how it looked like. It reminded him of when he was at home. "Kururi? Mairu?" He called out, his voice trembling with fear.
"Kururi, Mairu, if you two are around, answer me!" Please. Shouting on the top of his lungs, Izaya wished the girls would just fall out of ceiling and land on him. Their room. Kichirou's room. While Shizuo searched the living room in panic, Izaya tumbled past the corridor, tripping over the rough surface as he began grabbing on the walls until he slammed the door open.
The irony scent of his surroundings didn't relieve him at all. The bed sheets were pulled off and on the floor, with small, dry red handprints on the blanket. Damn it… the raven swore, until a small note on the desk caught his attention.
I'll give you back the girls if you come in exchange. Meet me tonight, ten. You know the usual place. –O.S.
Beneath his signature, there was a small, lazily written address. Izaya knew it wasn't the meeting place at first glance. It read: [Ikebukuro, Bar Hibiscus]. He knows. He crumpled the paper in disgust. First it was the Kishitani's house, and then it was Kichirou's workplace. This was a threat.
"Found them?" Shizuo carefully asked, trying his best not to startle the other as he panted in panic.
"No, but –" The intelligent teenager held himself back from telling the latter about the note. He never understood the reason why in movies, the protagonist didn't have the guts to tell the truth to their significant person. It seemed so… dumb, unreasonable, and shallow. As if they weren't thinking how easily events would flow if they just told the other person. But when Orihara Izaya stared into Heiwajima Shizuo's concerned auburn eyes, he was able to comprehend the character's actions. The events weren't going to flow well. Because, the characters, they…
They loved each other too much to go down together.
Izaya wanted to laugh. It was just like a week ago when he felt the same – when he wanted to laugh when he heard Shizuo's voice blotched with worry when he called him after the cruel beating. At then, he didn't know why he desired to live. If he died off, Kururi and Mairu would have a possibility of taking guaranteed safety. They might've ran away and found a new family. Orihara Shirou would be left innocent, or if lucky, arrested, and everything would end in dirty, tainted peace.
But Izaya wanted to live on. Survive, no matter what the costs were. That's why he went through the trouble of contacting Shizuo, not realizing that he was actually trying to make the blonde convey his true feelings. Even Orihara Izaya himself had never noticed his lingering emotions towards Heiwajima Shizuo; until his conscience struggled against his will to die, telling the raven that he needed to inform Shizuo of how he felt before he vanished from Earth's surface.
"Save me."
That's all he said. Perhaps, what he truly meant was…
"I love you."
He mentally snickered at himself. Izaya would never be able to come to accept that that was actually what he meant. He would never accept it.
"… Izaya?" Shizuo frowned, stepping forward. "Izaya, are you alright?"
Izaya took a better look at the latter. He had blonde hair that possessed a dark shade. It must've been something like brown before he dyed it. He had auburn eyes. He had toned skin, a muscular build, and long legs. His white shirt was more like light gray, and his black shorts were fading. His words were laced with awkward worry. He was an idiot, alright. Izaya's fingers folded around the paper, as he tossed it quietly into the bin next to him.
"I'm fine." He mumbled, looking away.
Orihara Izaya didn't have the guts to tell Heiwajima Shizuo about what was really going on. It was only a few days ago that Izaya had come to accept the fact that Shizuo too, was human. He wasn't a beast that he convinced himself over the years to be. Despite the fact that the blonde possessed superhuman strength, that didn't make him an invincible monster.
It wasn't that Izaya didn't believe that the blonde could completely flatten Orihara Shirou with his power. He knew that if maybe Shizuo went on an insane rampage, Shirou could die, and everything would be resolved.
But no. Izaya still couldn't. Love was a double-edged sword, he recognized. Everything was great while it lasted, but… no matter how formidable the other person was, Izaya just… didn't want Shizuo to be damaged the way he was.
"And it's fucking okay for you to be hurt that way?"
Izaya could almost hear his mind reprimanding him in Shizuo's voice. No, it wasn't okay. But at least Izaya felt better if Shizuo was fine. He was being selfish, but that's what he wanted.
"You're pale." Shizuo simply said, pushing the stuff on the ground to the side. "Do you want me to contact the police? No, do you need a doctor? Izaya, hello?"
"I'm fine, okay?" Slightly irritated, Izaya replied. "And don't contact the police. I'll figure something out."
"Izaya, listen –"
"We'll continue searching by ourselves today. If we can't find them tomorrow, then fine, contact the police." Shizuo frowned at Izaya's words.
"Izaya, if we don't find them today, then we really won't know what might happen tomorrow. What if they die?"
"They won't." I won't let it turn out that way. You stay out of this.
Shizuo hesitated. "I'm serious, we need to call the police. When do you think our next opportunity will be? We need to put your dad in prison as soon as possible. If it was this morning, he should still be nearby –"
"I told you, I'll figure something out –"
"And I told you before, to not push me away. Don't dare try to push me away." Shizuo's voice tightened as he intervened the raven's words. Izaya's chest clenched at the remembrance of the conversation on the couch.
"I'll be with you. So don't push me away. Don't you fucking dare push me away."
That occurred merely two days ago.
"… I'm not." I want to be with you too. But it doesn't work that way, Shizuo. "Just until tomorrow."
"But why?" The blonde snarled, as Izaya held his words of honesty back. His head was aching with pain. "Izaya –"
"Let's just leave it there." The raven-haired boy mumbled. "It's not like I can't live without the girls."
Shizuo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're lying. Think straight, Izaya."
"I'm not." I am thinking straight. I swear you damned Heiwajima, I am thinking straight.
"Izaya."
"Shizu-chan, let's leave it there."
"No. Izaya, please." Shizuo implored, and Izaya felt his healing wounds itching. But he left the sensation be, and turned away from the doorframe and faced his back on the blonde. He then walked away without another word, feeling Shizuo's gaze of disbelief stabbing him in the most painful manner.
But he left.
Heiwajima Shizuo couldn't ever feel more violated than he was at that moment. He felt distrusted. Betrayed by none other than Izaya. He knew there was more behind Izaya's façade. But he was just a dense idiot, and he wasn't clairvoyant. Reading humans' minds were one of the most difficult things to do, especially when that human being was Orihara Izaya.
Before he noticed his feelings for Izaya, the beast was certain that nobody apart from his family would acknowledge him for who he was (He even had a tough time accepting who he was himself for a extensive amount of time). And in all honesty, he was fine with that. If people couldn't receive his existence as an ordinary person, that sounded reasonable – he lived on with being able to forget the fact that he was a superhuman being.
Perhaps that was the reason why he had mistaken his feelings towards the mentioned flea as abhorrence. Orihara Izaya was a nuisance that kept pestering him for no rational causes. He always reminded Shizuo that he was a beastly human being, and that he wasn't 'normal'. Shizuo despised that.
But then after he started to see Izaya come into the classroom early morning severely injured, the feeling he witnessed within himself wasn't fulfillment, but anguish. He felt like his world was crashing down on him when Izaya uttered those two desperate words on the phone – the two words that Shizuo never knew could be so fatal to the heart.
Save me.
He never believed that it was a mistake. It was the right choice to acknowledge his feelings. It was a good thing that he confessed to Izaya. So where were they going wrong? If only I could have a smarter brain like Shinra… damn it.
All he wanted to do was to protect Izaya. So why was the other pushing him away – even after that time where they promised not to do so?
"… Shizuo?" Heiwajima Kichirou entered the dining room, where Shizuo was sitting alone under the dimly lit lights. "Where's Izaya?" The man set his bag down on the dinner table. The blonde didn't respond, as his father just gave him a helpless look. "I called the police as soon as I got your call."
"Don't call the police."
Shizuo swallowed a regretful sensation of nothingness. "… Oh."
"I should've stayed. I knew something wasn't right, when I finally realized that it was 'the' Orihara Shirou that was involved…" Kichirou trailed off, as Shizuo looked up at the said man.
"What do you mean?"
When Shizuo inquired, the older man just passed on a soft smile and ruffled his son's hair. "Nothing in particular. Say, darling, why don't you go get yourself a meal? I have some unfinished business I need to take care of." Shizuo looked doubtful, but reluctantly obeyed what he was told to do and went to the microwave as he placed an instant meal inside the machine. Kichirou walked out of the kitchen, and turned on his phone and scrolled down his list of contacts, clicking on one name after a few seconds.
The ring went once, then twice – until the person picked up.
"Hello?"
"Shingen?" Kichirou removed his decorative necktie.
"What, it's Kichirou? It's been a while – well, we're neighbors, but you know what I mean. Anyway, what's the matter?"
"I need you to help me with something urgent… It's about Shirou."
Pause. "… Shirou, huh. Saw his children yet? Izaya and the twin girls."
"Yeah. It's shocking how I never realized it just by hearing the name. I should've noticed that they were his children – it's not like there are millions of Oriharas around in the world, more or less this country. I just… completely forgot about him after Kyoko died." Evidently stressed out, Kichirou placed himself on his muddled up bed. He refrained from touching the bloodstained sheets.
"Shirou is hitting the boy, isn't he? He came into my house with Shizuo carrying the girls and him. He was in extremely bad shape."
Kichirou bit into his nails. "I didn't know that. What is Shirou thinking?"
"As if I would ever know. Shirou was always a mysterious guy. And definitely not the good kind of mysterious, if you ask me."
Sighing, the man fell back on the bed.
"Shingen, I need you to hear me out on this one… And listen very carefully, because we don't have all day."
Orihara Izaya didn't move a single inch even when Shizuo dragged his body into the room. He also realized that the Heiwajima didn't bother to give him a concerned glance at all, as he just went to lie down on the bed. Izaya gritted his teeth and clenched the futon in remorse. He knew that he was the one that made events turn out this way, but even so, this isn't what he desired.
He just lied there, motionless as he waited for what seemed like an eternity. Inaudibly, he turned his phone on. It was nine-forty. He knew the usual place – it was the playground, where Shirou had always called him out to hang around when he was younger – when his mom was alive. The only reason why Shirou still called it the 'usual' place was because he enjoyed seeing Izaya's face twist into disgust. Nostalgic disgust, at that.
He knew his spotlight was on when he heard Shizuo starting to snore softly. Peeling the sheets off his body, he descended the creaky ladder, glad that he didn't change into his nightclothes.
Just before he twisted the doorknob, he looked at Heiwajima Shizuo. His eyes remained glued on the blonde's face. He then approached the male and leaned down, using his hands to support his body as they pushed on the mattress.
This was Heiwajima Shizuo, a human wearing the skin of a monster as he unconsciously sent those seductive looks every now and then, making Orihara Izaya go fluttery. He was also the man that was making him hesitate so much – and the man he wanted to defend, despite their immense difference in strength.
He wanted this man, out of all people, to stay out of his problematic life.
Their lips brushed as Izaya went down further. However, the raven didn't allow their lips to enclose. He believed he didn't have the right to kiss his boyfriend – not after lying to this simple idiot that he loved. He left their lips to stay barely in contact, as Shizuo winced underneath Izaya's body. Izaya felt the warmth of Shizuo's skin for one last time, and stepped away from the bed.
I love you too much, Shizuo.
The door closed soundlessly, and it was all over.
A/N: I honestly didn't want to follow the cliché ending due to my impatient personality – if this was supposed to end soon, I would've just allowed Shizuo to wake up and BREAK THAT FREAKING DISSATISFACTORY "BRUSH KISS" OH LORD.
But then the story ends too fast… so yeah.
I personally loved writing this chapter. I feel like it showed the reason why the two decided to accept their feelings. What do you guys think?
Copper Nitrate
