Chapter 13

On a lazy Sunday morning, Shizuo basked in the morning sun. He shared one long pillow with Izaya. He often slept on his side with one arm around the flea. In the beginning, Izaya would wine and complain about sharing the same bed. He wanted Shizuo to sleep on the floor but that wasn't going to happen.

Izaya doesn't complain much nowadays.

The flea was still asleep. Sometimes he likes to watch him sleep. His expression was always calm and peaceful. With the sun shining down on his face Izaya's skin seemed to radiate. It was fucking beautiful. He wanted to touch that porcelain skin and kiss those soft lips, but he resisted. The doctor said Izaya needed all the sleep he could get. Instead, he settles for gently rubbing the others cheek with the back of his knuckle.

His peace was disturbed by his phone ringing. He answers the phone before Izaya could wake up.

"Hello" It was his boss Tom. It was strange for him to call on his day off.

"Whats up?"

"Put me on speaker and put the phone down on the table. I have bad news and don't want you to break your new phones."

Already feeling that uneasy pressure of nervousness in his stomach the blond did what he was told.

"Varona has been arrested for the assault and disappearance of Izaya Orihara."

"WHAT!"

Covering his mouth and turned to Izaya. He was still asleep. Those painkillers sure could knock him out. The flea was always so drowsy in the morning due to their effect. It was cute seeing him blink his sleep away.

"Calm down. Hundreds of people saw her stabbed Izaya, but there is no body, so she cant be charged with murder. She is being charged with attempted murder but the lawyers say, since Izaya isn't around to press charges it won't hold up in court"

"So they have to let her go?" He asked hopefully.

"No, I'm afraid not," Tom said sorrowfully

Shizuo was having an intense inner battle and his grief was winning. He was to blame for everything. Vorona only stabbed Izaya because she didn't want him to turn into an actual monster. She was protecting him. Izaya would have never been stabbed if he could have just controlled his stupid temper and walked away from Izaya instead of letting himself be provoked.

"What is going to happen to her?"

"The city thinks she is a danger and is trying deporting her back to Russia."

"They cant do that! She is innocent."

"We know that, but all they know is that she stabbed someone. I'm visiting her at the police station."

"I will meet you there." Shizuo hung up and turned towards Izaya. He was still asleep.

Sending a text message to the Doc, Shizuo gently shook Izaya awake. The other yawned and looked up at him. For a brief moment, those eyes had life in them. Like a switch they dulled.

"Listen Flea, I have to go. I'll be back after your surgery. The Doctor has the key so he'll let himself in. Don't cause any trouble." He growled out the last part.

When he saw no reaction in Izaya's gaze his expression soften. He actually felt a little silly. Izaya's trouble-making days were over.

….

The police station was filled with cops doing their daily jobs. Reporters were outside, buzzing around like flies. Everyone in Ikebukuro wanted to know what happened to Izaya.

Kinnosuke Kuzuhara was the first to spot them. Tom did most of the talking while Shizuo tried not killing anyone. The tension between him and the cops was so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife. Everyone with a badge was keeping at least one eye on him. The smallest shift he'd make caused them to reach for their guns.

Tom was able to convince Kinnosuke to let them speak to Vorona. They were led to a private room where they found her sitting in a chair behind a table. Her wrist was handcuffed to the chair's arm. Shizuo recognized this room as an integration room. He had spent a lot of time in similar ones. Most of those times where because of Izaya's interference with his life.

"Are you alright?" Tom asked her. For someone who was about to be deported, she looked pretty calm.

"Yes, I'm well" her accent was just as heavy and proper as ever."

"What is your lawyer saying?"

"Lawyers are confident I can win. I also have some connection…." She drifted off. "No need to worry. Things will be fine." She looked towards Shizuo who hadn't said a word since he's been there. "Shizuo-sama needn't be sad."

Shizuo was standing in the corner smoking a cigarette. The fumes helped calm his nerves. He felt too guilty to face his friends.

"This is not Shizuo's fault," Vorona said more sternly. "All will work out"

It was his fault. Everything was his fault. He was so tired of the people he cares about getting hurt because of him. Vorona was in this situation because she was protecting him. He should be the one to get her out of this situation. Even if it meant he had to tell the truth. Even if he had to go to jail. He would give up his life and friends and family and the flea…..

The thought of losing Izaya made him feel like a hand was crushing his heart. If he told the truth, he'd go to prison and Izaya would go back to his normal life. The informant would probably snap out of his trances and go back to his normal rotten ways. And now he'd be able to peacefully walk around the city with no one to stop him.

Hours went by and only a few words left Shizuo's mouth. He didn't know what to say in this situation. Comforting people was never his thing. He usually solves problems with his fist and on rare occurrences, he just walks away.

When he said goodbye to Vorona it was one of the hardest things he had to do. It took all his will not to break down the concrete walls and rescue her. The only reason he didn't was that he didn't want to hurt any of the police officers or bystanders in his rampage.

Walking home around late noon he barely paid attention to his surroundings. Izaya's surgery should be over and he might have woken up already. The flea was probably hungry since he hadn't eaten today. The ravenette depended on him to cook his meals and anything else he needed to stay alive.

Shizuo figured he might as well kissed Izaya one more time. When he got home he would call the police and turn himself in. He could only hope that this experience showed Izaya empathy and he would turn into a kinder person now that he knew how it felt to be the weak one. Might be a long shot but it was all he had.

He didn't see the metal pipe till it was smashed down on his face breaking his glasses.

"Got him." A man yelled.

The hit caused Shizuo to stumble to the side. Just when he was about to regain his footing a bat crashed into his back toppling him to the ground. Pain flowed down his body like water flowing through a river. When he picked himself up from his hands and knees a foot smashed into his gut. That was the last straw. Agony combined with anger made him see red. Just like a switch in his head Shizuo was seeing red, then white and finally crimson. He saw the last color all over the floor. It left a trail leading to his feet, up his clothes and ending at his hands.

Blinking the debt collector examined his surroundings. There were about ten men laying around him. All of them injured in some way. Some were screaming in pain and begging for mercy. Others were lying on the floor, not moving.

Still shaking from adrenaline Shizuo walked to everybody on the ground. They were all still alive. Badly injured, but alive. Some might never walk or write right again. A lot of them had mangled or twisted limbs.

It had been a long time since he lost complete control. It only happens because of how much pain he was in. People didn't know he was like the Hulk. They thought he had control over his strength. If his body went through too much pain he'd black out and something takes over. The best he could describe it would be a strong instinct to survive and kill anything threating his life.

It scared him when this happened. He wasn't in control. He couldn't stop himself and people got hurt. This is just like when he was a kid and he hurt that nice woman. Well, at least he can count this one as self-defense. It was a small consolation.

Usually, Shizuo would be more aware and see the attacker coming. Then he is able to fight without losing control. Since it had been so long since a gang attacked him, he foolishly let his guard down.

Walking to the most lively attacker he picked the man up and held him against the wall by his throat. The man coughed up blood. Shizuo eye twitched when the blood landed on his shirt. It was already ripped, stained and unsaveable but it still bothered him.

"Why did you attack me?" growling, he squeezed his throat a little to get him talking.

"Our boss sent us. Your dating his girlfriends." The man groaned.

"I'm not dating anyone. Who told you that?"

Really, it was enough when guys jumped him just because they wanted to prove their strength or try to take his title. Shizuo didn't even want to be known as the strongest man in Ikebukuro. It brought too many problems.

"I-Izaya"

His eyes widen in surprise. "How did he tell you that?"

The man couldn't answer his question because he fainted. Tossing the body to the floor Shizuo started to stomp his way home. Each heavy foots craked the payment. He didn't even bother to smoke a cigar to calm his nerves.

"Fucking flea. I should have followed my gut and killed him." Cursing under his breath Shizuo increased his speed.

Somehow Izaya had set this up. He must have used his phone when he wasn't looking. The flea had been tricking him all this time. He was waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Tha bloodsucker was pretending to be broken and defenseless while all the while planning a new way to ruin his life.

He was a fool to think the flea had changed. All this time the bug must have been lying to him. Maybe his arms and legs weren't that damaged after all. He couldn't put it past Izaya to fake being hurt.

Shizuo may be going to jail for the rest of his life but he was going to kill Izaya first. This world would be a better place with both of them gone.

"I will end it this time."