Day Four
How He Saw Me

Murky brown eyes fluttered open to see the gentle face of a sleeping beauty in front of... well under him. It was dark, the sun still not up, but the light from the bathroom was enough to make Shizuo see who this dark haired beauty actually was. It was, to Shizuo's utter horror and dismay, Izaya.

Still he didn't jump off. Instead, he lingered on the man's chest, still too tired and sleepy to make any attempts at moving from his spot. When he thought about it... Izaya looked so peacefully, so vulnerable in his sleep. Almost like a child, begging to be held. So, with the lightest movements he could manage, he rolled over on the bed, lying down next to Izaya. If only that stupid black haired bastard was this vulnerable more often. Maybe killing him would be easier.

Killing him...

He had the perfect chance to do it right now. So why didn't he do it? Izaya wouldn't be able to fight back, still stuck in his world of dreams. One good punch to the throat would kill him in mere seconds... So why isn't he doing it? Because he couldn't find himself to do it, that's why. It pissed him off to no end, knowing that even when he wasn't in the game, Izaya had managed to get the upper hand once again.

He was, as everyone said, obsessed with the man. To Shizuo, this obsession was nothing more than passion of fire itching to burn the man alive. His life would be easier without Izaya in it, always getting in trouble or getting the blame put on his head because of this bastard. Sometimes, though, Shizuo would actually think about what it would be like to live without Izaya. There was one conclusion that he always drew himself onto, one he wasn't proud to admit was true.

He can't live without Izaya.

The truth was, this man was the only other man besides Simon he couldn't kill. While it sounded like the same dragging case as usual, it had a slightly deeper meaning behind. Shizuo hurts and maybe even kills a lot of people daily. It's horrible because people call him a monster and he simply agrees with them. His whole life is a mistake. He is a mistake. Shizuo shouldn't even exist. Still, here he was; a lumbering giant with brute strength that could stop a speeding train in its track. That's why whenever he fought Izaya, the slightest feeling of happiness washed over him. He couldn't hurt or kill Izaya. He was a man who gracefully moved around every fist he threw with a smile on his face. It reminded the bartender that he wasn't some invincible monster sent to bash a couple skulls in. Izaya made him feel like he was somewhat normal sometimes.

But that's why hated him. He hated the way Izaya affected even the way he thought so much. He hated his arrogance, and most of all: his smile. Still, he lived off that smile. That arrogance that kept him alive kept Shizuo on the edge of his own sanity. He was angry that the person wouldn't die, but it made him happy that there was someone he couldn't hurt.

Fuck, he suddenly found himself thinking, still staring intently at the flea sleeping next to him. What was it about Izaya that made him freeze up so much? He would always be quick to jump the gun and head straight in with a punch. Again, he asked himself the same repeating question: Why can't he hit him now?

Simple: If Izaya died, then he would revert back to being the monster who hurt everyone. If Izaya died, there would be no one to prove that was actually capable of being hit or hurt. There would be no one to prove to Shizuo that he can actually cause no harm to someone. Someone who could prove he wasn't just some... some monster.

Maybe it was the grogginess he felt that made him feel like this. It was still early and that damn shock anklet was probably messing with his mind. Even worse, Shinra could be messing with his mind. He wouldn't put it past the doctor to implant some bug in his brain when he was asleep to try and figure his abnormal amounts of strength.

It was, with a very long and dragged out sigh, safe for him to admit he was just simply too tired to even bother. Shifting around so his back was facing Izaya, he closed his eyes and once again fell asleep.

"I'll take it the sex was good if you're still asleep, Shizu-chan."

Ugh, what a horrible voice to wake up to.

Shizuo slowly rolled onto his back, looking up to find a very giddy Izaya looming over him. Izaya had been expecting the sudden fist to knock him out, seeing as he easily stood up to dodge it.

"What the hell are you talking about...?" Shizuo asked groggily.

Ah, time to play, Izaya thought to himself.

"Last night... we had sex. Don't you remember? Shizu-chan is so rough!"

Shizuo had bolted upright, looking Izaya up and down with pure disgust. Shizuo didn't feel sore... Then again he never was after sex, considering his pain tolerance was so unbelievably high. Still, he didn't believe anything the rat said. "Nothing happened last night."

"You don't remember?" Izaya asked with a smile, "You feel on top of me, proclaimed your love and took my body!" His usually large grin seemed to grow larger by the minute. This was too much fun, playing around with Shizuo's head.

"I don't remember things aren't real."

"Reality, fantasy, delusions, what's the difference? For all we know life isn't real and it's all just a dream!"

The look on Shizuo's face was enough to say how much of an idiot he thought Izaya was. "More like a nightmare...," he found himself muttering.

"But really, Shizu-chan, I can't believe you don't remember such an intimate night. You even said you loved me...," he said with feigned face of hurt. Izaya knew how much that topic pissed him off.

The bartender gritted his teeth, fingers clawing through the sheets. "Why in God's name would I ever love a Flea like you!"

Izaya smiled. "Because you're obsessed with me of course. I'm obsessed with you too, you know. I know everything about you, all of your secrets and dirty unforgotten memories. I love Shizu-chan."

Izaya barely moved his head to the side with a smirk as he dodged the clock that was send hurtling in his direction. Shizuo stood to his feet, rage pulsating through him as he picked Izaya up by the collar of his shirt. His eyes were burning with the pure fire of hatred. "I. hate. You.," he hissed menacingly. Then, he dropped him.

Izaya fell on the bed with an eerie cackle that reverberated off the walls of the small room. Playing around with Shizuo and pissing him off was just too much fun.

The door slammed close and the shower suddenly turned on, indicating that Shizuo had left to shower.

That smirk never died down.

"They... they slept together!" Shinra found himself repeating for the fifth time. Celty had been just as shocked.

They were both glued to the screen of the computer, jaws practically hitting the floor in shock and amazement... Well, if Celty had a jaw, that is. They had been awake before the two men had fallen asleep, eagerly watching for any signs of improvement. One could imagine the giant brick that Shinra shit when the two actually fell asleep...together... on top of each other. When they had woken up in the morning, they both rushed to laptop to see what else what happening, blown away when they found out Shizuo had willingly stayed in Izaya's bed.

"I feel like I have tamed the beast...," Shinra murmured, pushing up his glasses and bouncing in his seat next to Celty.

"Thank goodness it ended and Shizuo walked away!" Celty typed, honestly feeling embarrassed when she had listened to Izaya talk about the fake sex he and Shizuo had had the night before. Just thinking about Shizuo... actually doing it... With Izaya, no less... It just felt wrong to the woman. In Shinra's mind, of course, it felt ever so right and absolutely perfect. Then again, Shinra had a tendency to take interest in the weirdest things. Like Celty, for example.

"Aww, I was kind of hoping to see how Izaya would react if Shizuo would agree...," he couldn't help but complain. It would have certainly fun to see how that scene played out.

A smile twitched on Shinra's face. He felt so... in control right now. Thanks to him, the two beasts of wrath and fury were forced to calm down and succumb to the other. It was amazing how with the flick of a switch, Shinra had them both at his feet, practically doing everything his little plan had required. So far, everything was working. Shinra knew that eventually, those two men would finally give into the sexual tension and admit how much they absolutely needed the other. Celty thought it was wrong, putting two people who hated each other in the same room and locking them away...

But it felt so right.

The mist had a created a film across the glass of the shower. The water itself was warm—no, scalding hot, actually. Still, it didn't bother Shizuo in the slightest. He liked it, actually, the tingly sensation it brought to his skin as it tried to do the impossible and actually bring harm upon him. Still, it was relaxing and it cleared his mind to think.

That idiot Izaya... who the hell did he think he was? Saying they had sex the night before... That would never happen, and if it did, Shizuo had to be heavily drugged and out of his mind... though, when he thought about it, sexually teasing him sounded like something Izaya would. What was worse than being taken by the person you hated most? Ugh, imagining Izaya kiss him just to piss him off seemed too likely to happen... Best to think of happier things, Shizuo told himself, such as stomping Izaya's face in on the side of the curb.

Yeah... that sounded lovely.

What could Shizuo do to get him back? To agitate the rat? Not much, honestly. Anything the blonde did would only excite Izaya and amuse him more. The only time he wasn't ever happy was when things didn't go his way. Or maybe when people did things he didn't expect. But Izaya got his kicks off of people's reactions. If someone did something his "great" and "brilliant" didn't expect, it only made his twisted love for humans grow.

Then, he suddenly remembered a thought he had before: What's worse than being taken by the person you hate the most?

Izaya certainly hated Shizuo the most out everyone, saying how he was the one and only human he didn't love. How would he feel if suddenly Shizuo was all over him, taking him like he said he had done? Izaya certainly wouldn't be happy. It would certainly take him back, in complete shock that Shizuo would do such a thing. It would be hard, but just the thought of getting close enough to then punch the lights out of him was enough to maintain his cool and keep straight face.

A plan formed in Shizuo's mind.

"Izaya," came the sudden, eerily calm voice of Shizuo, "We need to talk."

Shinra and Celty turned from whatever they were doing, looking over curiously at the laptop that had now spoken. Shinra kicked off from the table he was at, using his rolling office chair to glide all the way over to the laptop while careful to not spill his coffee. Celty had stopped chopping inions, leaving the stove on low as she left to examine the laptop next to Shinra.

"What is it, Shizu-chan?"

The image on the screen seemed almost frozen. For a split second, Shinra thought he had seen a look of regret flash on Shizuo's face. It had left as quickly as it came. Shizuo stayed rooted in his spot in front of the bathroom door, only his dress pants being on his person. His chest was bare. What was he thinking?

"I... I need to apologize. For earlier. I know last night was special to you."

"Hack-!" Shinra snorted, chocking on the coffee he had been sipping. What did he just hear!

Celty had a similar reaction, edging closer on the sofa to see. Shinra stood from his chair and joined her.

Izaya's face displayed one of shock. He couldn't believe what Shizuo had said any more than these two did. He was only kidding, he thought Shizuo knew that! He remained on his spot at the edge of the bed, eyeing the blonde carefully as he made his way across the room.

Shizuo had stopped in front of Izaya, his hand reaching up to brush Izaya's cheek. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings... I do..." He seemed to be struggling to pull out the next words. "I do love you."

"WHAT!" Shinra shouted, his coffee spilling all over him and Celty. Normally, Celty would have jabbed him in the ribs, but she was just as stunned as he was.

Shinra watched with embarrassment as the men turned their heads to what he assumed was the door, the camera blocking it off. They must have heard him. Shizuo confirmed his thoughts when he spoke up again, Izaya still frozen in place as his mind raced to find out what the fuck was going on.

"They're watching us... Why don't we give them a show?"

He must be joking! Shinra stared at the screen in disbelief. Was he really joking? How could he! He looked so serious, almost as if he was about to kill. Maybe it was trick, Shinra told himself, to kill Izaya... That had to be only explanation! A trick... right? Celty and Shinra leaned in with anticipation.

Izaya shivered under Shizuo's touch. This was far beyond anything he had been expecting. Although his dark crimson eyes searched his bronze eyes desperately for any signs of faltering trick, he found none. Instead, he found the twinkle of determination in his eyes.

He tried to sound like he was in control of the situation, but his voice stuttered. "Ah, S-Shizu-chan... I was only joking..."

Shizuo gave a sincerely confused look. His eyes got wide and vulnerable, screaming complete innocence. "No... you weren't. I know what I did last night... And I meant all of it, Izaya-kun, I can't live without you."

Izaya visibly winced at the "kun" added into his name. If only he had his flick blade... maybe then he could cut some sense into the brute. Still, a part in the back of his mind... was strangely happy hearing this.

"Please, let me prove how much I care about you."

Again, Izaya's eyes widened with shock. His mind screamed at him to move, to laugh, to punch him—really just anything that would get this freak away from him. But he couldn't find himself to move. His muscles were locked in place, unmoving and unwavering in their task to strap Izaya down. He felt... almost vulnerable.

He was afraid. Afraid of the truth that might have been coming out Shizuo's mouth. Afraid of the truth that told him he was happy hearing what his greatest enemy was saying.

"Izaya...," Shizuo breathed, leaning over to look at him at eye level.

Then he leaned in...

AND CLIFF HANGER