Hey guys I AM BACK AND IT HASN'T BEEN A YEAR (i'm honestly so sorry for that) (my past self isn't but i am) (slightly)

So here's a wonderful chapter 2 since everyone liked this story so much (I cant tell you how hard it is for me not to turn this into crack if that tells you anything about my writing style) (why do i keep using parenthesis) Yeah I posted this story on a couple different websites and they all got great comments and everybody liked it and I'm really happy about that

I literally sound like every other fanfic writer out there who receives the least bit of support

I'll just leave now- So anyways hope you enjoy the chapter, don't forget to like comment and subscribe (sorrynotsorry) (i'm sleep deprived)

Being slightly serious: Thanks for all your support! Hope you enjoy the chapter and feel free to comment! I really like reading your guys' comments, and I usually try to respond if I can. So if you have any ideas for this book too feel free to share because I'm almost out tbh.

"No." Shizuo's bluntness caused Izaya to freeze for a second, the vampire trying to process the quick response, before he continued on. "There's no way in hell that I'd rob somebody of their free will!"

It took the vampire a few seconds before responding, just then registering what Shizuo had said. "...Why can't you just be like any other person and accept it without a second thought?! Any other person would kill for an offer like this, having a ruthless vampire bend to their very will, and here you are, turning it down!" Izaya boldly stared at the blond, gaze never faltering as his voice rose in volume.

Shizuo suddenly became very quiet, looking to the side to avoid Izaya's gaze. It was almost too quiet for the raven to hear, even with his enhanced vampire hearing.

"You're not just some ruthless vampire though.."

Izaya froze again, definitely not expecting that. His glare faltered, but quickly returned tenfold. "How do you know that for sure? I could be lying to you, trying to trick you into trusting me. I could attack you at any second! I mean, what's holding me back? You were smart when you tied me up; that's what any normal person would do! But no, not only did you untie me, but you're freely letting me stay here overnight, where I could attack you at any second while your guard is down! No person in their right mind would let a monster stay in their house!" The raven tried to catch his breath after finishing his outburst, forgetting to breathe at all while yelling.

"NEVER call yourself a monster again." The blond's voice was eerily calm, in a way that made Izaya tense up instinctively. The powerful vampire couldn't help but to try to avoid Shizuo's eyes, somehow knowing it was better to avoid it. Was he scared?

"Why do you even care what I call myself. It's true anyways. I'm just a blood-sucking monst-" Izaya was quickly cut off when Shizuo's hand smacked across the vampire's face. He stood immobilized next to the couch for what felt like hours, trying to take in what had happened. Izaya put a hand onto his face, realizing how badly it stung. He hadn't been slapped like some little kid in forever, and had forgotten how well it does its job.

"You shouldn't look down on yourself like that..." Shizuo looked into Izaya's eyes, widening his own when silent tears started streaming down the vampire's face. "Ah, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry!"

Izaya hadn't even noticed he was crying till the blond mentioned it, and he lifted his hand from his cheek to check himself. Sure enough, his hand was wet, but the raven wasn't sure why exactly. Was it the pain? Izaya didn't think so; he'd been through much worse plenty of times. It couldn't possibly be that Shizuo's succeeded in making him feel better- by slapping him nonetheless- Could it? What, was he a masochist now?

The vampire left his thoughts when something cold was pressed against his cheek, numbing the dull, but still present, pain. Shizuo had brought over an ice pack and was still freaking out, obviously worried for the vampire. He guided Izaya towards the couch, helping him sit down. "I- I'm fine, but.. thank you." Izaya started holding the ice pack himself, leaving a flustered Shizuo to back up from his face.

"I- I really didn't mean to hit you so hard.. I'm really sorry, but… I know how it feels to be called a monster, and.. I don't want anybody else to go through what I did..." Shizuo turned away from Izaya, loneliness seeping into his voice.

"You've gotten called a monster?"

The blond turned towards the vampire, met his gaze, then turned away again. He was blushing, but most likely embarrassed. "People aren't very kind towards things that they don't understand or that could hurt them."

"You're human, you're really nice -too nice in fact- so what would make people call you a monster?! I bet you help out grannies crossing the street or buy a crying kid ice cream!" Izaya put the ice pack down on the small table next to the couch, where the TV remote remained untouched after it was turned off. Since he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, Izaya used a mix of his arm and his shoulder to dry off the tears that had formed without permission. The small vampire rose from the seat to pose less of a difference in their height, though it didn't do much. Shizuo still towered over Izaya, but the raven's gaze didn't falter, dissimilar to earlier.

"Have you ever put somebody in the hospital, just because they insulted your outfit?"

'Of course I haven't' was Izaya's first thought, making his next question who exactly this 'Shizuo Heiwajima' is, and what he's gotten himself into. Before he could respond, Shizuo continued.

"Or maybe you get attacked daily by gangs looking to prove themselves."

Izaya tried to think of what that'd be like. He'd had vampire hunters after him before, but never gang members trying to prove themselves. What had the blond done to get their attention in the first place? Again, Shizuo continued before Izaya replied or could think much deeper into it.

"Have you ever had a kid burst out crying just because you looked at them?! Having their mother's coming to hug and try to protect them, looking equally as scared as the kid, just because they accidentally kicked a ball at you?!"

Izaya had always been quite good with children, as long as they didn't realize what he was. The vampire could always avoid attention and easily blend into the crowd just by pretending to be human. Nobody had ever been outright scared of him, unless they knew what Izaya was. He almost couldn't imagine this happening, and especially not to somebody as kind as Shizuo.

The blond sighed, done with his rant. Shizuo somehow looked worn out, maybe even a bit sickly. "What in the world could possibly make people do that? All you've been to me is kind, even after figuring out I'm a vampire. You offered me blood, let me stay here overnight, and turned down an offer to make a vampire into your personal slave."

"I told you, you don't owe me, and I'm not taking away somebody's free will just because I saved their life. Anyways, the reason why isn't important." Shizuo sighed out, repeating what he said earlier. He sat down on the couch and leaned against it, sinking in comfortably almost immediately. Izaya realized Shizuo must not have had a chance to relax in at least a couple hours, and probably feels exhausted from dragging an unconscious vampire back to his house.

The raven shrugged, not wanting to push the tired blond. "If you say so." He decided to change the subject, genuinely curious." Anyways, did you mean it when you said you'd tie me back up if I tried to leave?"

Shizuo stared at the vampire, confused by the sudden change in the conversation. "Did you want me to mean it?" Filled with a sudden urge, Shizuo grabbed the pack of cigarettes from him pocket, lighting one of them. Izaya still had not responded (He was having troubles deciding.. Maybe he really was a masochist)(curse his morals), so the blond continued. "I really have no control whether you want to leave or not, so if you genuinely want to leave, I won't stop you."

Izaya let out a small chuckle. "Where would I even go..?" He hadn't been talking to Shizuo in general, but the blond still felt it slightly directed at him.

…..

Shizuo didn't know if he should go through with his idea, or even say it. The vampire had just looked so… sad while saying that, Shizuo just wanted to help him. He knew what it was like, not having any place to call his own… After all, his brother had helped him get the place he has now.

Seeing the vampire sit down on the couch next to him, Shizuo decided to test his luck. After all, the worst thing that could happen is he says no.

"...I've changed my mind. You're not staying the night anymore." Izaya gave Shizuo a questioning look, but shrugged, almost like he expected this to happen. The blond didn't realize what that had sounded like until it was nearly too late.

The vampire stood up, then headed for the front door, almost too quickly. "Ah well, I knew it was too good to be true. I know when I'm not wanted~" He was avoiding gaze with Shizuo on purpose, not sure if the almost-dried tears from earlier had returned.

As Izaya started grabbing the door handle, Shizuo quickly sat up, sounding slightly panicked. "Wait, that's not what I meant!" Izaya turned around, giving Shizuo another questioning look, trying to make it look like he wasn't almost in tears again. "I meant that… you can stay here… Only if you want to, of course!"

The vampire smirked, having fun watching Shizuo being so flustered. "What do you mean 'stay here'?"

"Like, live here. There's an extra room you can use, since it'll just be collecting dust anyways. But, only if you want. I'm not forcing you to stay here, especially if you have somewhere else you-" The blond wasn't used to talking with anybody but maybe Tom, Shinra, and Celty, so Shizuo got more and more nervous as he kept talking. He really didn't want to mess this up more than he already had. Luckily, Izaya cut him off before Shizuo got too far.

"Sure." Izaya walked back over to the couch, forgetting about the door. "I already told you, I have no place to go. But," He paused, getting a raised eyebrow from Shizuo, "I'll only stay if you let me pay back my debt. It just grew again, you letting me stay here and all."

Immediately, Shizuo's expression grew stern. "I told you, you don't owe me… But… if that's what you really want, I suppose I can't really stop you." He sighed, giving up. "I'll humor you, for now, but you can leave any time you want. I'm not forcing you to stay here, or do anything else."

"I'm doing this because I want to. I was the one bring it up, after all." Izaya shrugged, smirking in his obvious victory. Shizuo didn't consider letting somebody boss you around a victory, but what did he know?

"You do realize I may have agreed to go along with whatever you have planned, but I definitely don't plan on ordering you around any time soon." Shizuo would never rob somebody of their free will, even if they … wanted him to? The blond didn't really get what was going on with his life at this point. Sometimes it's better to just go with the flow, and this was a perfect example.

Izaya's smirk dropped for a second, then instantly returned, his blood red eyes sparkling. "Whatever you say, Shizu-chan~"

Shizuo glared at the vampire, and challenging eyes looked back at him. He gritted his teeth, trying to keep his cool, but ultimately ruining his cigarette. "Don't call me that."

"Is that an order~?"

Normally at this point, people would be cowering and avoiding Shizuo's gaze, which was now clearly annoyed. But, Izaya didn't even waver. "No."

Izaya was still smirking, clearly amused by how annoyed Shizuo got by the nickname. Shizuo was starting to learn that that smirk was a common occurrence, and he'd be seeing a lot more of it.

The blond stood up to throw away the ruined cigarette. He grabbed the ice pack lying on the small table, putting it away at the same time. Shizuo changed the subject before Izaya thought of another crappy nickname. "Hey, are you still hungry? You never really answered earlier when I asked how much blood you guys need.."

"Vampires can survive with only a single drop of blood for around a month or so, but that's completely starving us, and we'll be greatly weakened. But as for right now, I suppose I'm fine." Izaya once again was trying to watch the television, flipping through the few channels Shizuo had. His cheek was slightly pink, and Shizuo felt a pang of guilt run down his spine. He hated violence, after all, and had hurt the cute vampire who still trusts him with his life. Shizuo didn't even trust himself with his own life.

"Why did you let yourself get so hungry anyways? According to you, you would've died if I hadn't found you." Shizuo walked over to the small bookshelf on the wall in the living room (everything was small), hoping to find one on vampires. He had no luck, but there was one about mythological creatures that Celty had given him. The blond wondered how Izaya would react to Celty, her being a mythological creature herself and all. Oh well, he'd deal with that when it became a problem.

"… My calculations were off by a bit." Izaya shrugged, just giving the simplest answer to 'Shizu-chan'.

Shizuo sat down next to the vampire, opening his book. "Yeah, sorry, I don't watch much TV, so I don't really have any channels.."

"I can tell."

The two sat in silence on the couch. Izaya looked bored out of his mind, Shizuo noticed, but had decided to stick with the news. After a few pages into the book, the blond realized something. He snapped the books shut, making the vampire slightly jump. "Oh yeah!"

"Hm?" Izaya looked over, finding Shizuo much more interesting than the TV.

"I completely forgot to tell you, I have to work early in the morning tomorrow, so I'll probably be gone by the time you wake up." Shizuo put the book on the small table next to him. He had more important things to do before it got too late.

"Vampires are nocturnal." Izaya turned the television off, not finding any enjoyment out of it.

"Ah, oh yeah.. I forgot." The blond started blushing, causing Izaya to smirk again. Humans were such interesting creatures after all, getting embarrassed over something as trivial as that.

It was about 8:30, and Shizuo could probably stay awake till about 10:00 he guessed. The blond got out a sheet of paper and a pen, then sat at the kitchen table. "You don't mind if I make a few rules while you stay here, do you?"

Izaya walked over, watching the blond from over his shoulder. "I don't mind. It's my contract to listen to everything you say, master~"

Ink splattered everywhere, coating the table, paper, Shizuo, and Izaya. The vampire froze, wide-eyed for a few seconds, trying to find out what happened. "Crap, I broke the pen.."

Izaya looked from Shizuo's annoyed face to his hand, where the crushed remains of the once black pen stood. The pen wasn't even close to just snapped in half; it was completely and utterly destroyed. The black ink dripped down from Shizuo's hand, looking a bit like blood.

"Where are your towels?" The vampire snapped out of his thoughts, realizing there were more important things to worry about.

"Get an old looking one from the closet over there." Shizuo pointed towards a door next to his bedroom.

Izaya quickly ran over and grabbed the crappiest one he could find, realizing it was going to be thrown away after this. "Ah, here." The raven handed over the towel to the blond.

Shizuo started cleaning up the mess, and Izaya felt helpless. He had caused this mess, and he wasn't even helping clean it up. "… Sorry.. I shouldn't have pushed you like that..."

Shizuo sighed, wiping down the table. "It's… fine. I was the one who agreed to humor you, after all.. I'm just not good at controlling my temper."

Izaya stayed silent while the blond finished cleaning up the mess. He threw away the paper (which was coated in ink), the remnants of the pen (it will be missed), and the towel, now completely black (gone, but not forgotten).

Shizuo finally looked at Izaya for the first time since the ordeal, then mentally cursed at himself again. "Crap, you're covered in ink."

Izaya looked down at himself, realizing that the blond wasn't lying. Luckily, the vampires black attire made it practically invisible. "I'll be fine. You're covered in more ink than I am."

Shizuo's bartender suit was partially white, and the black was definitely more noticeable. The blond stood up and started taking off his shirt, making Izaya look away, blushing. "W- What are you doing?!"

"If I don't wash it now, it's going to stain. Do you want me to wash yours too?" Shizuo wasn't even slightly fazed about stripping in front of the blushing vampire, clearly less innocent than the blond.

"I.. I suppose so, but I don't have anything else to wear." Izaya glanced over at the blond, getting to see exactly how fit he was. Immediately, the vampire turned back around, his blush increased tenfold. Crap, he's hot without a shirt!

"I probably have some old pajamas that would fit you. Give me your clothes."

…..

A few minutes later, Shizuo and Izaya both sat at the kitchen table in some comfortable and colorful pajamas. Izaya's were still much too big for him, but the vampire was shocked how soft they were, especially since they looked close to rags. His blush had only lightened slightly, and he refused to look Shizuo in the face.

Shizuo looked barely fazed by the whole ordeal, not finding anything worth blushing over. What's the big deal about taking off his shirt? They're both guys. Had Izaya never seen another man without a shirt?

A new paper and pencil sat in front of them again. A pencil wouldn't splatter ink everywhere if broken. "Alright. Putting aside that ever happened, I'm still making a few rules. I suppose we should talk about the 'contract' you somehow got me to agree to, as well.." Shizuo sighed, suddenly feeling a lot more tired.

"Why do you need to write them down?" Izaya was sure he would remember them.

"In case either of us forget them, we could just look on the sheet. Or if something were to happen that was pushing the limits, we could look on the paper to know exactly what's in boundaries and what's not." Shizuo shrugged.

Izaya nodded in understanding. "We should focus on one thing at a time. Let's start with the house rules then."

Shizuo nodded this time, agreeing. "Yeah, sure." He grabbed the pencil, then faltered. "I… have no idea what to write.."

"Well, what are some things you don't want me to do while staying here?" Izaya rested his elbow on the table, his hand holding his head up.

The blond furrowed his eyebrows, trying to think. Eventually, he responded, "I don't want you to break stuff, but.. that should be obvious already."

Izaya sighed. This was getting nowhere. "Do you want me to write it, then you can look it over?"

"Yeah.. Sorry." Shizuo sheepishly handed over the pencil to the vampire.

Izaya slid the paper over so it was facing him and started writing down basic rules. After a couple minutes of furious scribbling, the raven handed the paper over.

Shizuo started reading the rules, pausing a couple of seconds in. "You have really neat handwriting."

"If you say so." Izaya shrugged.

The blond finally started reading over the list.

Rule 1: No breaking, stealing, or damaging any of Shizuo's property.

Rule 2: If planning to change the house in some way, talk it over thoroughly beforehand and have Shizuo agree to it.

Rule 3: Cooking and cleaning will be done regularly in exchange for being able to live here.

Rule 4: Additional rules may be added, but will not be put into effect unless written down.

Rule 5: Do not enter forbidden places, such as specific rooms.

Rule 6: No bringing anybody home unless permission from Shizuo has been granted.

Rule 7: Must be home by _, as to not worry Shizuo, unless it has been talked out with Shizuo beforehand.

"Are those rules good enough?" Izaya, despite claiming to be a creature of the night, was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He had been hit by a sudden drowsiness, probably from the fun experiences of the past couple days. You know, half starving, getting kidnapped, selling your soul, that kind of stuff.

"I… I guess so. Why's this one blank?" Shizuo pointed to the blank spot on rule 7.

The vampire glanced at what he pointed to before answering, "You can fill that out. I don't know what time you want me home by."

"Don't you have things to do late at night?" The blond gave Izaya a questioning gaze.

"Not really." His reply was simple.

"I don't think a curfew is necessary, since you're a grown man and a vampire, but I guess 10:00 is about as late as I can stay up on nights I have to work." Shizuo scribbled down his answer into the blank, not sure what exactly to think of some of these rules.

"10:00 it is then." Izaya yawned.

The blond reread some of the rules over, frowning. "You don't have to cook and clean for me. I can do that myself."

Izaya sighed, too tired to put up much of a fight. "Just let me pay you back, gosh dangit."

Shizuo glared at the tired vampire, who didn't notice thanks to having his eyes closed, but didn't push it. "I guess the house rules are done. I can't really think of anything else, though you went into a lot more detail than I would have." Izaya yawned again, making Shizuo yawn as well. "Do you want to do the 'contract' tomorrow? It's pretty late."

The clock read 9:45, which sounded pretty early, but Shizuo's job started a bit early, and he didn't like being agitated because of lack of sleep. It'd hurt people unnecessarily, and Shizuo hated violence.

"Sure. But I have a question. Two, actually." Izaya mumbled, his face buried in his arms against the table.

"Shoot."

"For the contract, did you want to do an actual blood contract or just do it the same as the house rules?" Izaya looked at the blond tiredly, his voice lacking the usual hidden sass.

Shizuo didn't know exactly what a blood contract was, but he had a feeling he wouldn't like it. "What's a blood contract?"

"It's basically a form of contract only available to vampires, because it involves blood magic. The blood contract basically forces whoever is bound by it to do exactly as it says. So, my body would automatically move whenever you gave an order, but we'd know the exact moment I pay off my debt, because it'd stop working." Izaya, despite being extremely tired, gave a detailed explanation in a way that Shizuo would understand.

"Why would we need to do something like that?" Shizuo frowned.

Izaya replied, "It basically makes sure that I can't disobey you, in case you doubt my truthfulness and loyalty. Most people don't exactly trust blood-sucking creatures after all. They're all afraid I'd just be trying to trick them."

"But I trust you."

The vampire lifted his head to stare at the blond, looking both confused and tired. "You're much too trusting, Shizu-chan. It's going to get you hurt one day."

Shizuo stood up, ignoring Izaya's nickname for him. "I'll take my chances… With you, at least." The blond started walking down the hall, looking over his shoulder. "Come on."

The raven stood up slowly. "Coming~" He followed Shizuo to a room next to the closet and the blond's. Izaya had seen the door earlier, but it was closed, so he didn't mess with it.

"You can use this room, I guess. Like I said, it's a guest room, but nobody stays over anyways." Shizuo waved Izaya off into the room, ready to retire for the night himself. "Oh yeah, you said you had another question."

"Hm? Oh, right." Izaya looked around the room. It was just as bland as the rest of the house, though he hadn't expected anything different. There was a thin layer of dust coating the few pieces of wooden furniture that were actually in here. Man, Shizu-chan lives with only the most absolute necessities. "What time do you normally get home around? After you're done with work, I mean."

Shizuo paused to think about it, putting his hand on his chin. "… I suppose I usually get home around dinner time, if I had to say."

"Those definitely aren't usual hours for a bartender."

"Bartender? I'm not a bartender."

Izaya sat on the bed, looking a bit shocked. His intuition had been wrong. Though it was only based off of his outfit, so maybe he was… a butler? "Well, then what are you?"

"I'm a debt collector." The blond shrugged (Izaya didn't think he'd ever seen so much shrugging in one day), stating that like it was an obvious fact.

"Wait, really?!" That definitely hadn't been one of the possible jobs Izaya thought Shizuo would have. He somehow thought it'd be… more physical? No, not with that outfit.

Shizuo leaned against the door frame, looking ready to head into his own room across the hall at any time. "Well, no. I'm a bodyguard for a debt collector though. The bartender suit was a gift from my little brother... Anyways, I'm tired, so I'm going to head to bed. See you tomorrow."

Shizuo felt much more exhausted than usual, and it felt nice to relax on his bed. With his alarm already preset, the blond fell into slumber in less than a minute.

…..

The next morning, Shizuo drifted out of sleep tiredly. He turned off his alarm, barely noticing the lump next to him in the bed. Actually, it wasn't that hard to notice.

Shizuo tore off the blankets, all remaining doziness gone. "Izaya?! Why are you in my bed?!"