"Iza-nii, Iza-nii!" Mairu chirps, running circles around Izaya's legs and her sister Kururi who is clinging to his jeans as he scrapes bits of cooled hamburger steak and cheese off his sister's plates.

"Iza-nii! We wanna play dress-up tonight!"

"Iza-nii… is pretty." Kururi murmurs, looking up at him.

"Yeah! Me and Kururi make Iza-nii the prettiest princess! Well, not as pretty as Kururi but almost!" Mairu stops circling to tug urgently on his other leg.

Izaya sighs and drops the dishes in the soapy water, resigning himself to doing them later when he finally gets the twins to bed.

"Alright, but only one game." Izaya barely gets to dry his hands before the girls drag him up to their room.

It's a whirlwind of frilly accessories and low-quality makeup but thankfully Izaya never has to worry about the twins fighting over what to use. So he just lets the have their way, making a mess of his hair as they pull his bangs back with lacey yellow and pink bows. While they decide which lipstick to use he looks over to the mirror leaning against their wall and has to admit, they are getting better. He does his best to adjust a bow that's pulling on his hair a little too hard without "messing it up" and thinks that yellow really isn't his style. The pink isn't quite as bad.

Secretly Izaya is happy he has girly sisters. It gives him an excuse to buy pink things for himself.

If Shizu-chan ever asks the pink blanket is because of his sisters. Not because he likes to wrap himself up in a color as warm and fluffy as the blanket. Not because he wanted something so girly.

The twins settle on some bright red lipstick that comes out muted because of how cheap it is, and some bubblegum pink blush that they use as eyeshadow. When the girls tumble off him again to grab a gold, plastic tiara he looks in the mirror one more time.

Very secretly, he thinks the color brings out his eyes.

And very, very secretly, he thinks about what he might look like in velvety smooth, expensive lipstick - a deep, sultry burgundy rich with pigment.

Mairu jams the tiara on his head, making the bows tug painfully on his hair, and loudly declares she is going to be the dragon this time and Kururi is going to be the handsome knight.

He lets Mairu drag him up onto her bed - the locked tower - and tries not to wonder if Shizu-chan would like him more in lipstick and ribbons.

But soon enough Kururi "rescues" her "oneechan" and instead of slaying the dragon she tames her and they all ride off into the sunset together.

Tonight he only needs to read half a story before the girls are fast asleep.

He picks up the toys, wipes off the makeup, takes the ribbons out of his hair and is about to go finish the dishes when the mess of bright colors on the tissue in his hand makes him pause.

Tonight, he holds onto the ribbon, grabs the makeup, locks himself in the bathroom and sits on the sink, settling in front of the mirror.

Tonight, Izaya combs his bangs and carefully arranges them with the pink bow.

Tonight, Izaya uses his index finger to gently pat pink blush on his eyelids and smear tinted vaseline over his lips. For an uncounted number of minutes, he considers his reflection.

Tonight, Izaya is glad his parents aren't home.

-
Nothing. Three days of asking everyone who so much as makes accidental eye contact with him and Shizuo still has nothing useful on Orihara Izaya.

He's made note of the details he has received. Little things like -

"Oh the name rings a bell but I can't really tell you any more. Sorry!"

"I think he might be in my class but I never see him… Now that I think about it, that is kind of weird!"

"Your description sounds like a kid I went to middle school with but I don't think he goes to our school. The kid I knew was totally crazy! Real creepy. I heard some guys were picking on his glasses, just joking around and all, and the next day their school bags caught fire!... I mean, I don'tknow that it was the kid with the glasses who did it but I'd be willing to bet it was."

"Orihara? Of course I know him! No matter how hard I study he always gets higher marks than me! I don't even think that asshole goes to class!... Huh? Why would I know anything about his hobbies? I'm not his friend or anything."

"Never heard of him."

After the incident in the library, Shizuo had two more pieces of information to add to his wall. "A deck of playing cards," and, of course, Orihara Izaya. Shizuo omitted the rest of the little… details. Of that particular day.

Now he's not so sure any of the new information he has scribbled in his notebook is wall-worthy. He knows every little bit helps but… some of the things people said might just be rumors, or not even about Izaya to begin with. Two things seem certain.

One, Shizuo has spoken to a wider variety people in these threes days than he has all year.

Two, the only solid testimony seems to be that Izaya always scores high on tests despite ditching class.

Shizuo had thought that since he was able to get Izaya's name so easily through a conversation that he could get more the same way.

But a week is more than half over and he feels like he's asked everyone except…

Teachers and his friends. Each terrifying for their own reasons.

Teachers were often just as afraid of him as students and he doesn't get along with them at all. With Shizuo's reputation, they never speak to him unless they have a moment of bravery and give him detention, and they might even assume that Shizuo's targeting Izaya for something dangerous.

Well, that's not too far from the truth…

His friends are easier to talk to, but the issue is that he'll have to explain why he's trying to get information on this guy and Shizuo has no idea what to say. He's the worst liar but he can't just tell them… can he?

Shizuo is smoking on the roof with his friends today, deep in thought about what he's discovered so far and considering his next move before he blurts out something insanely stupid.

"Tom, has anyone ever picked on you because of your glasses?"

Tom and Kadota look at him, bewildered but how bizarre of a question it is. Shizuo wants to punch himself in the face. How stupid can he be? That piece of gossip isn't even about Izaya!

Unless…

"Uh, Nope, can't say that I have. That's more of a kid thing, I think, and I got them late in middle school. Plus I'm on good terms with everybody." Tom says. "Why do you ask?"

"Ah, just… curious."

Unless that rumor was about Izaya! That library girl who's crushing on him doesn't even realize he's got glasses 'cause he keeps it secret. If that's true then!-

Shizuo crushes his cigarette, slings his bag over his shoulder, and rushes back to the door, mumbling some excuse about something as he rushes out.

He does feel bad for ditching his friends so much, but he can't help it. He's on a mission.

With long strides he clears the distance between the roof and the library quickly, pushing his way through crowds returning to class as lunch ends. Shizuo doesn't care. It's not like his teacher actually wants to see him in class anyway.

Without anything more than a cursory nod to the girl at the desk he strides right into the back of the library, picking up a book on gangs that catches his eye as he goes. A quick glance through the shelves with no sign of Izaya drives Shizuo further into the back.

Without thinking enough to hesitate Shizuo raps his knuckles on the storage closet and calls to Izaya.

"Hey, it's me. Open up, I know you're in there."

There's no answer, and Shizuo feels a little flicker of a doubt before squashing it by tasting the air.

"If you don't open this door I'll just have to get the librarian to do it for me."

Another beat of silence, then the door creaks open.

I knew it.

"Shizu-chan, how lovely it is to see you," Izaya says politely with the fakest smile Shizuo's ever seen, like Shizuo's an unexpected house guest he does not want to welcome inside. Izaya remains firmly planted in front of the little crack of the door that he's opened up, peering up at Shizuo from under a pink, fluffy cloak. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Shizuo scowls and tries not to pay attention to the radiating smell of bitter almonds or how... ridiculous. The other boy looks wrapped up in that blanket. Instead of replying he just shoves the door open further, throwing Izaya back inside.

Izaya regains his balance against the shelf behind him and lets the blanket slip off his head and shoulders, revealing a much more ordinary black, long-sleeve shirt and school jacket.

"My, my... " Izaya teases, adopting the same flirty tone from yesterday. "Do you have a warrant, officer? Or are you just going to cuff me right here and now?"

"Shut up." Shizuo snaps, vowing not to play into Izaya's hand today and imagining anything but Izaya in handcuffs. "Just here to ditch, like you." He shrugs off his blazer, rolls up his sleeves, and plops down on the floor adjacent to Izaya, and opens up the book he grabbed on the way back here.

Shizuo can't explain why he's here, can't explain why it feels so important to talk to Izaya about his middle school life, can't even begin to decide how to initiate that conversation.

But that doesn't matter. He's here now and damn it he's going to make Izaya talk about those rumors.

If it's all true... If Izaya was bullied and retaliated by setting things on fire... Then Izaya is crazier than he thought. Shizuo doesn't know how to handle crazy. In fact, he probably shouldn't even try to handle crazy - he should stay far away from crazy. Crazy is the last thing his life needs.

But Shizuo takes a deep breath that makes his head spin in the best way and shifts his body so he's leaning against the door, barricading them inside again.

One glance up at Izaya, who's frozen and staring down at Shizuo in shock with those twinkling eyes, and Shizuo knows he wouldn't be able to stay away even if Izaya decided to set the whole school on fire.