IM SORRY! DX

I've had...a lot of drama lately. It kinda made me lose inspiration for a while...but I read over the fic and thought, "Nope, must finish!" So, like promised, I added again. Probably not many chapters left now...Damn, that makes me kind of sad. But hey, a sequal might come after this though that one will be focused on Masaomi and Mikado. It'll have Izaya and Shizuo for sure, but this time it'll be Mikado who's broken...but that's only if you guys are up for a sequal ^^ Let me know in Reviews^^

Enjoy my lovelies~

chapter 24

Exams had passed by smoothly for Izaya, like every one had figured. The results came out on the last day of school, Izaya having one of two highest grades out of the entire school. The joy added to the excitement of the day, but also brought upon a small glimmer of saddness that, for once, was perfectly normal. It was his last day of high school. Summer started the next day...he had only weeks left with Shizuo. But he tried not to think about that for the day, instead ran around with his companions downtown after school ended.

It was an enjoyable time, Kasuka and even Kadota, who they hadn't seen much of all school year, joining them at the local Karaoke bar. It was enjoyable, nice. Even Shizuo was less tense, smiling freely as the teens all joked around.

Shinra, finishing off a glass of soda, rested his chin in his palm as he looked at Kasuka. "So do you have any summer plans, Kasuka?"

The younger boy shrugged slightly. "Probably going to find some more auditions...but that's all, really."

"Good luck with the auditions," Kadota smiled, leaning back in the booth.

Kasuka smiled. "Thanks."

Shziuo smiled a bit, looking over to see Izaya gazing at him. Blushing, Shizuo huffed. "What?"

Izaya shook his head, smiling. "Nothing, nothing. Just looking at you."

Since the night before the exams Izaya had been more aware, Shizuo noticed. It's not that he didn't like it, because he secretly loved it. He sounded selfish but he loved when Izaya's attention was on him and only him. Shizuo smiled back and returned back to his food. The music blared around them, the voices of the singers floating lazily about. Kasuka hummed in thought before looking at his brother. "You should sing, Shizuo."

Shizuo scoffed, glaring half halfheartedly. "Yeah, right."

"No, really," Kasuka urged, nudging his brother's leg with his foot under the table.

"Yeah, Shizuo!" Shinra grinned. "It's the last day of school; we're celebrating. Get into the spirit, will you?!"

Shizuo shook his head. "No way."

Izaya cut in, a hand over Shizuo's mouth. "Shizu-Chan sings?"

"He used to," Kasuka murmured.

Shizuo mentally cursed; leave it to Kasuka to bring up something like that of all times. He moved Izaya's hand from his mouth and frowned. "I'm not going to sing in front of you morons."

"Kill joy," Kadota teased before laughing. "Fine...what are your summer plans?"

Shizuo shrugged, twining his fingers with Izaya's under the table. "I'll probably be with Izaya a lot."

Izaya would never really admit it out loud but that made his heart skip a beat. He loved the fact that he could have so much time with Shizuo. He squeezed the blonde's hand before cutting into the conversation. "We'll spend time with all of you, of course. But we'll need time to ourselves."

"I'm sure," Shinra dead panned.

Shizuo blushed slightly, eyes narrowing. "Don't make me break your nose."

Shinra jerked, smiling quickly and waving his earlier statement off. "I was kidding, Shizuo!"

Shizuo huffed and then looked away. "Idiot..."

They continued eating and laughing, Kasuka occasionally finding new ways to embarrass his poor brother. The sun was down once they finally decided to leave, Kadota and Shinra taking a different route and leaving Kasuka with Shizuo and Izaya. The three began to walk down the lit up, busy streets of Ikkebukuro, Izaya's fingers twined with Shizuo's as he looked at Kasuka. "Ne, Kasuka? If you become a famous actor I get free movie tickets, right?"

Kasuka scoffed lightly, shrugging. "Sure, if you want. But that's only if I make it."

"You'll make it," Shizuo assured, looking over at his brother with a smile. "You're a great actor so don't worry."

Kasuka blinked a bit before smiling back. "Thanks, Shizuo."

The trio walked together until they had to part ways, Kasuka hugging his brother and smiling yet again. "I'll see you around."

"For sure," Shizuo nodded.

"Have a good night," Izaya grinned as he all but crushed Kasuka in a hug.

Kasuka gasped, stumbling back. "U-uhm, yeah...you too, Izaya..."

Izaya took a step back, holding Shizuo's hand yet again. Kasuka offered another wave before turning and walkign off. Izaya smiled to himself and tugged at Shizuo's hand. "Hey, come on. We're going somewhere."

Shizuo raised an eyebrow as he followed Izaya down the sidewalk. "Aren't we going home?"

"Not yet," Izaya shook his head, smiling still. "I want to go somewhere with you first."

Shizuo said nothing as he followed his lover down the sidewalk. It didn't take long for things to start looking familiar again and, yet again, Shizuo raised a confused eyebrow. "We're going to the park?"

"Bingo~" Izaya giggled, tugging Shizuo along faster.

Though the idea of going to the part all of a sudden confused Shizuo, he followed with a small smile on his lips. The park was empty when they arrived and Izaya's grin only widened. "We have it all to ourselves!"

"Why'd you wanna come here?" Shizuo murmured as he looked around.

Izaya hummed in thought before slowly making his way towards the swing set. "Sit."

Shizuo rolled his eyes and made his way over to sit in the swing. Izaya took his place behind him, pushing the swing lightly. "We came here that night."

Shizuo gripped the chains of the swing and frowned a bit. "That night?"

"Mhm," Izaya hummed, pushing the swing still. "It was raining...I took you here. You got all emotional and everything."

Shizuo scoffed lightly. "Oh, that. When I was a big cry baby?"

"You were cute," Izaya laughed, pushing the swing again. "...Do you want to know why that night is so special that I'd remember it?"

Shizuo gave a small shrug. "Sure."

Izaya stopped the swing, confusing Shizuo. He walked around to stand in front of the blonde and Shizuo gazed up at him. The lone light that was located in the middle of the park to provide some sort of visibility created a glow behing the raven haired teen, something Shizuo noticed with slight awe. Izaya smiled and set his hands on Shizuo's shoulders, leaning in until he was nose to nose with the blonde. "The night I brought you here and we stood in the rain is important because...after that, when I held you in my arms...I realized that I loved you. That's why I came here."

Shizuo's eyes widened as his face heated up. He stuttered, unsure of what to say before ducking his head. "I-idiot..."

Izaya chuckled softly and lifted Shizuo's chin to kiss his lips gently. It was a quick, innocent action, one that held every ounce of Izaya's affection. It made Shizuo's stomach flip and, before Izaya could pull away, he pulled the other teen closer. Izaya stumbled, both of them tumbling back and off the swing. They fell into the wood chips below, Shizuo not really caring at all. Izaya tried to speak but Shizuo, instead, pressed their lips together once more. Whatever Izaya had planned on Saying died in his throat as he recognized the urgency in Shizuo's kiss. Their lips parted and their tongues moved together in a frenzied fashion.

Shizuo's fingers twined in Izaya's hair, pulling lightly and getting a moan from the dark haired teen. Izaya bit down on Shizuo's bottom lip in a mild warning before breaking the kiss completely. Panting, both boys stared at each other and Izaya managed to smile. "What was all that about?"

Shizuo, a blush staining his cheeks, glanced away sheepishly. "...I w-wanted to kiss you longer."

Izaya laughed, a loud sound the made Shizuo laugh as well. Izaya sighed softly and brought a hand up to brush the bangs out of Shizuo's face. "What do you want to do this summer?"

Shizuo gave a small shrug, only now becoming aware of the wood chips digging into his back. "It doesn't really matter...but I'd...wanna be with you as much as possible."

Izaya coul understand that; he wanted to be with Shizuo as much as he could as well. With summer so limited and so much to do, he couldn't exactly afford to waste much time...especially if he was leaving so soon. No, he wasn't going to waste this summer like he had all the years before.

He wouldn't waste it flirting with girls and having meaningless flings. There was no reason to go to wild parties, like he usually did, or waste the days away doing things that didn't matter. There was only one thing he was going to focus on this summer.

Being with Shizuo.

He'd be damned if he let this chance slip away after all he had promised, all he had done.

"Hey, get up," Shizuo grunted, shoving weakly at him. "I'm being stabbed by wood chips."

Izaya blinked before smiling and jumping to his feet. He pulled Shizuo up and brought the blonde's hand to his lips, kissing it gently. The action was so simple, so sincere...Shizuo blushed again. "Idiot..."

"You're idiot," Izaya grinned, pulling the blonde closer and wrapping his arms around his waist. He inhaled the blonde's scent, still masculine yet somehow sweet, and hummed in content. "...How about tomorrow you and I just hang out? Just you and me, ok? No family members and no friends."

Shizuo nodded, resting his chin atop Izaya's head. "...Sounds nice, actually...but we should really head home. I'm sure your parents have something planned for your graduation."

The idea seemed unappealing to Izaya but he agreed anyhow, knowing that Izumi would have his head if he didn't come home. With a sigh, he followed Shizuo back out of the park. The streets were still lit up, cars whizzing past them. The atmosphere was calm, content, something Shizuo accepted without wouldn't be many times like this, he knew that. He'd worry about Izaya leaving, about having to move into his parent's house yet again. He and Izaya were going to fight...a lot. There wasn't a single doubt about that. The fighting might not come at the beginning of summer, but near the end Izaya was going to get tense. Shziuo was going to get scared. Fighting was sure to come.

But he wasn't going to think about that just yet, not with the atmosphere so calm and gentle. No, he wasn't going to worry.

Shizuo had been right when he assumed Izumi had something planned. As soon as they walked in the house they were met with the smell of cake and a grinning family. They congratulated Izaya on graduating and praised Shizuo for passing this year. Izumi, always the cheerful one, crushed both boys in a hug. "My boys are growing up so fast."

"My boys."

Izaya took great pleasure in hearing such words from his mom's lips. He loved how easily his parents had accepted Shizuo in. But then, it only made it harder when Shizuo moved back out...

Stop thinking that kind of crap, He snapped at himself. Enjoy the party and praise. Worry later...

He knew he would. He certainly wasn't that stupid. But, there was no need to worry so soon, not with the entire summer ahead of them. Instead, he settled for eating cake with his family, sisters and boyfriend. It was nice, he would admit, a rare night when he didn't have to worry about anything.

They wound up staying up late with Izumi and Ren, having watched a movie once the girls trudged off to bed. When the movie ended, Izumi stretched and looked at the boys. "Izaya, go take a shower. Shizuo, wanna help us clean the kitchen?"

"Sure," Shizuo stood and followed Ren and Izumi into the kitchen as Izaya disappeared upstairs to do as his mother had instructed. Gathering the plates littering the counter, Izumi glanced at Shizuo. "So, do you feel accomplished?"

Shizuo gave a small shrug as he followed the woman to the sink. "I..guess so...Izaya accomplished more than me; he's going to college. I still have one year left of high school...and I'll need all the luck I can get to pass that."

"Oh, don't be so down on yourself," Ren chuckled as he leaned back against the fridge. "You'll do fine, Shizuo."

"Hopefully," Shizuo murmured, staring at the water in the sink as Izumi turned on the faucet.

Izumi glanced at the blonde before a sigh escaped her lips. "So, Shizuo...I never asked you what you thought about Izaya's acceptance into the college."

Surprise painted its self on Shizuo's face. For a moment, he seemed unsure of what to say, running a hand through his hair. "I'm...happy for him. I am. That's a really great thing for him...graduating early and going to a good college...it's amazing. I'm proud he did that."

Ren tilted his head slightly. "You're happy for him, yet your eyes are sad, Shizuo."

Shziuo looked away and then sighed. "...I guess...a part of me doesn't want him to go. But...it'd be selfish of me to ask him to give up that chance. So...I won't. I told him before that he's going and I won't let him change his mind for me."

"You could always come with us," Izumi murmured. "We're moving down there a few weeks after Izaya starts school."

The shake of his head came much too quickly. "Had that conversation too; I'm not leaving Ikkebukuro. For that, I will be selfish. I'm not leaving the only place I know, the place where everyone's terrified of me only to go to a brand new city just to watch it all happen again. I'm staying here...I'm not leaving Raira Academy...or Shinra, Celty and my brother. It's srlfish I know but-"

"What's so selfish about it?" Izumi questioned gentle as she rinsed a soapy plate off. "Izaya wants you to be happy, Shizuo. He'd never be able to live with himself if you moved with us and were upset about it. I'll admit that he's not happy about you moving back in with your family, and he's probably going to argue with you about it-"

"Oh, he will," Ren nodded, a frown on his lips. "Knowing Izaya, he'll argue about it."

"Even so," Izumi stressed, looking back at Shizuo. "...Even if he argues about it, he still just wants you to be happy."

The topic its self made Shizuo uneasy. He sighed and rubbed his arm awkwardly. "...It's something he and I need to talk about still...I think we're...kind of avoiding it right now. He doesn't wanna talk about it and I really don't either but I know ignoring it forever obviously won't work..."

"Just think about all of it," Ren murmured as he walked over to ruffle Shizuo's hair.

Shizuo gave a half hearted smile before making his way out of the kitchen. He walked up the stairs slowly, his legs feeling as if they weighed a ton, and when he came to his and Izaya's room he went straight to Izaya's laptop. He logged in (Izaya had given him the password a few weeks ago) and went to the music where he kept his own personal playlist. Music flowed out gently and Shziuo stood straight, unbuttoning his shirt and letting it slide off his shoulders. He picked up a shirt from the floor, his night shirt from the previous night, and tugged it on with a slightly irritated scowl.

Now, it was bugging him. He knew it would, damn it all. He kicked off his school pants and sat on the bed, listening to the music and trying to keep a clear head. He wasn't sure how long he did that, but eventually his mind did go blank, if only for a moment. It was one of those rare times when Izaya's timing was, for lack of better word, horrible. He came strolling in, tossing his wet towel aside and pilling on a white T-shirt. He wore black boxers underneath and a smile on his face. His smile fell, however, when he took in Shizuo's tense posture and worried frown. "Oi, why are you thinking?"

Shizuo rolled his eyes and looked away. "It's your mom and Dad's fault this time, Flea..."

Izaya didn't have to ask, already well aware of what they might have said. For a moment he said nothing before he nodded, more to himself if anything, and walked to his laptop. "Stand up."

Shizuo frowned, doing as he was told. "Why...?"

"Because," Izaya pushed a button on the laptop and a slow, gentle guitar melody began to play, a song he had heard Shizuo listen to many times before. "I'm going to dance with you."

The statement was so absurd, but instead of laughing, Shziuo blushed. Izaya came up to him and took his hands, wrapping his own around Shizuo as the blonde did the same. Izaya wore a smile. "I heard this last time you played it...makes me think of you, you know."

Shizuo blushed redder, unable to control his rapidly beating heart as the song began to play.

Waiting for your call I'm sick,

Call I'm angry

Call, I'm desperate for your voice.

Listening to the song we used to sing, in the car

Do you remember?

Butterfly, early summer...

It's playing on repeat, just like when we would meet.

Like when we would meet.

They danced slowly, Shizuo's eyes fluttering shut as he allowed his lover to guide him. Izaya's heart was beating quickly too, a soft smile on his lips as he whispered along with the song.

I was born to tell you 'I Love You'.

And I am torn to do what I have to,

To make you mine, stay with me tonight.

Stripped and polished, I am new, I am fresh.

I am feeling so ambitious,

You and me, flesh to flesh.

Cause every breathe that you will take when you are sitting next to me

Will bring life into my deepest hopes

What's your fantasy?

"You're a sap," Shizuo managed to murmur, unable to meet Izaya;s eye.

Izaya smiled, kissing the blonde's ear. "You love me though."

Shizuo smiled at that. "Yeah...I do."

The song continued to play, the two teens dancing along until the final note ended. They pulled apart enough to smile at each other again. Izaya reached back to shut the laptop. "Let's sleep, yeah?"

Shizuo didn't argue as he climbed into bed with Izaya. The day's activities were finally getting to him, exhaustion creeping in and making it almost impossible to keep his eyes open. He cuddled closer to Izaya, inhaling his scent before the both of them drifted off into sleep.

Cute! Ah, the song they danced to was "Your Call" By SecondHand Serenade. Reviews? This chapter marks the beginning of their Summer together before...nope! can't tell you. You'll have to wait until I update again. I'll try to update as soon as possible. Love you all~