There really wasn't any playing off the position Izaya and Shizuo were caught in. Izaya hadn't frozen like a deer in headlights the way Shizuo had when his father's eyes landed on them. Izaya was still trying to salvage the situation, but once the hazy confusion in Shizuo's father's eyes cleared he knew it was all over.
Of course, it had to be Shizuo's dad. It couldn't have been Kasuka or Shizuo's caring mother - both of whom Izaya knows how to interact with by now - because that would be easy. Of course it had to be someone Izaya doesn't know enough about to predict. Sure, he's got enough information to infer basic things about the man but the information is limited and all from Shizuo's perspective. There's no telling how he'll react to this.
The only consolation right now is Shizuo's insistence that the man had never been violent. But violence isn't the only way to hurt and it doesn't seem like Shizuo's inherited his temper from his mother.
Shizuo and his father are in stunned silence as Izaya watches them both for what will happen next. Izaya's suddenly back to the way he was weeks ago. He feels as though he's not part of this situation and is only watching as though it's a movie scene. Only Izaya is very much a part of this situation.
Shizuo's father seems like he's not computing what he's seen. Izaya can't see any brain activity behind his eyes. He's clearly not entirely sober yet, but he's definitely sober enough.
In contrast, he can practically hear the frantic, incomprehensible thoughts bouncing around in Shizuo's head. Or maybe those thoughts are his own.
The wait is agony, not because Izaya is afraid of Shizuo's father might do. He couldn't care less about what Shizuo's father thinks. But he is terrified of what Shizuo might do.
It might seem crazy after all they've been through, but family isn't the same as fighting strangers. Family is something Shizuo will have to go home to every day. Will Shizuo shove Izaya away and say things he doesn't mean just to avoid conflict at home? Izaya can't say he'd really blame him… but it doesn't feel good to think about.
Shizuo's father turns towards the kitchen, clutching his head, and pours himself a cup of water.
"Shizuo… who's your friend?" The word friend sounds choked out and is quickly chased by a pill and a swig of water.
"This is Izaya." The unexpected clarity and confidence of Shizuo's voice force Izaya's eyes to snap back to his face. Shizuo's eyes remain fixed on his father and his jaw is visibly tight.
"Oh, is he… is he from school? I don't remember ever meeting this friend." Shizuo's father continues, trying to treat this like it's normal. Like he didn't just see them tangled together.
There's something about his father's response that causes a shift in Shizuo that Izaya can physically feel. Izaya's not sure exactly what it is, but he does know that it was exactly the wrong thing for his father to say.
"You've never met any of my friends." Shizuo snaps. Izaya wasn't expecting this level of hostility. He's so respectful to his mother.
Judging by his father's reaction Shizuo doesn't normally talk back to him like that. He flinches like Shizuo just shouted at him, but Shizuo's still quiet in consideration of the rest of the house. Izaya's tense on anticipation and excitement. How interesting!
"Well, it's very late, maybe he should be… heading home."
"He's spending the night."
Shizuo's still watching his father intently, he doesn't look over at Izaya as he wraps his arm around Izaya's shoulders. Perhaps he felt Izaya tense and thought he needed comfort, or perhaps he's just doing it to spite his father. Judging by how he's acting, Izaya's assuming it's the later.
Shizu-chan is trying to antagonize someone? Now that's different!
Izaya barely manages to choke down his astonished laughter. He leans into Shizuo's warm, stiff arm and watches Shizuo's father's face pale. He's not going to complain, this is his kind of fun.
Shizuo's father appears to be struggling for words and Izaya desperately want to say something. 'I see where Shizuo gets his good looks from,' maybe, or 'I'm glad I finally get to meet my future father-in-law.' Oh, so many great possibilities that he swallows because he would rather find out what Shizuo is going to do.
But it's Shizuo's father who snaps first. He turns and strides away from the standoff, shouting for Shizuo's mother loud enough to wake the entire house.
Oh dear.
Shizuo jumps up and immediately follows his father and Izaya trails behind as closely as he can while favoring his twisted ankle.
Shizuo's mother is out of her room in seconds, eyes wide with panic.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
Kasuka steps out as well, quiet as ever but eyes sharp for an emergency.
"Your son," Shizuo's father spits out, pointing in Shizuo's direction. "What did you do to him? He's always been a- been a freak show and I never blamed you for it, but how do you explain this?!"
Shizuo's mom physically rears back, completely bewildered.
"What are you talking about?"
"He's-!" Shizuo's father licks his lips and struggles to find the right word. Or maybe he just can't decide what slur he wants to use. "He's-!"
"Izaya's boyfriend," Shizuo growls, completely cutting his father off.
Izaya blinks rapidly in surprise. He is, more or less,
Wow. This is… a complete train wreck.
Shizuo's mother appears to be shocked into silence. "I… I…"
He strides up to her, getting in her face. "I can't believe you raised him like this. I knew you were too soft on him! What's Kasuka going to turn out like in this house, huh? Singing in bars wearing dresses?"
By now Mairu and Kururi have opened the door behind him to step out of Shizuo's room quietly to see what all the commotion is. Izaya watches the scene in is horrible, Shizuo shouldn't have to be outed like this. But he's so thrilled by what might happen. He thinks that maybe he should be afraid but he just isn't. His fear for weeks that Shizuo doesn't really want him has been blown so completely out of the water he's not afraid of much of anything. Of course, he doesn't want Shizuo's relationship with his family to fall apart, honestly, but… he knows he'll be okay, at least. It's only now he notices the twisted, excited grin on his face, but thankfully no one is looking at him.
"How dare you raise our son to be some fag!"
"I didn't-!"
An airborne dictionary slamming into the side of Shizuo's father's head cuts the scene short. Izaya's head whips around to the direction it came from along with everyone else in the house.
"We won't let you say mean things about Shizuo-nii!" Mairu is shouting, shaking her fist at the man as though she's going to try fighting him. Next to her Kururi is lifting another book, poised to throw. She looks just as determined as her sister.
"We love… Shizuo-nii…"
Izaya doesn't even have time to be shocked because he's rushing over to his sisters before anyone else can move. He immediately scoops his sisters up into his arms. Now he's afraid. But he's also so, so proud.
"Who-"
"Please do not insult Mom or Shizuo further." This time Kasuka has stepped up, cutting his father off.
Shizuo's father looks around frantically as though he's searching for control Izaya is pretty sure he never had.
He finally turns back to Shizuo's mother who looks at a loss for what to do. Izaya wonders where she stands. She hasn't exactly made her position clear despite how in-charge she was the last time Izaya had seen her.
"You can't seriously support this!" He shouts at his wife. He lunges forward to grab the front of her nightgown. For what- Izaya never found out. Because Shizuo's wrenching him away from her faster than Izaya can blink.
Shizuo pins him to the opposite wall of the hallway with one hand fisted in his shirt, the cuts on his knuckles split under the bandages, bleeding again.
"Never try to put your hands on my mother." Shizuo growls, far more dangerous than Izaya's ever heard him. Shizuo is facing away from him and Izaya has never wanted to see his face so badly before. He needs to find out what expression Shizuo is making-!
"Get out."
Shizuo lets go of his father who quickly backs away and the most satisfaction Izaya can possibly get is that the man looks as though he's just seen death herself.
He looks at his wife one more time but she turns away from him and that's enough of an answer for all of them.
Izaya just can't find the right word. He's already written seven possibilities but none of them are exactly what he's looking for…
He sighs. Maybe he should just scrap this whole verse and start over.
"If you keep sighing like that you're going to completely deflate," Shizuo calls from the kitchen. Izaya laughs at such an absurd notion.
They're at Izaya's house today. His ankle is propped up to heal properly because he made it worse for himself since he kept walking on it after it was injured. Izaya can't say that he minds too much. Normally he'd hate to be stuck on the couch but having Shizuo take care of him and fuss over him has been rather fun. And for the first time in years, he's decided to try his hand at poetry again.
"Oh, you're laughing fine now, but good luck laughing when you become a deflated squeaky toy."
Shizuo walks into the living room carrying two bowls of soup for their lunch. Kasuka volunteered to take Mairu and Kururi out to the park today so they finally have some time to themselves. Izaya still has trouble reading Kasuka, but he suspects he's enjoying acting like a big brother just as much as Shizuo does. Too bad his sisters want to marry him.
"I think you should be more concerned with your own ability to laugh, being a smoker and all."
Shizuo places the bowls on the coffee table and shifts Izaya so he can join him on the couch.
"Don't be a jerk, you know I hardly smoke anymore."
That may be true, but that doesn't mean Izaya has to give up on teasing him about it. Izaya never asked and Shizuo never said, but he suspects it has something to do with Shizuo's little obsession with smelling him.
Shizuo hands him a bowl and Izaya accepts it happily. He doesn't hesitate to snuggle into Shizuo's side.
Shizuo's parents are still married, legally, but they're hardly together anymore. Shizuo's Mom hasn't given up on his father and she still hopes that he'll come around. But as it turns out, she cares about her children more than her husband. When Shizuo talked to her about the whole issue, clutching Izaya's hand far too tight for support, she said that she was surprised but all she's ever wanted was for Shizuo and Kasuka to be happy and healthy. She promised to stay by his side as she always has.
Shizuo had cried that day.
Izaya remembers looking up to his mother when he was little and he thinks that he still does admire her even though she's never around. But Shizuo's mother is fast becoming as much of a mother to him as his own was, probably more so for his sisters. He's not sure how he feels about it… but it's not unpleasant enough for him to try and stop it.
Izaya's already sent the photos of the victims he found in the Blue Squares hideout to the police anonymously, as promised, and had otherwise not gotten himself involved. But he is keeping an eye on the investigation that's underway. How could he not?
"Can I read it yet?" Shizuo asks for the eighth time and Izaya's answer is the same.
"No, Shizu-chan! It's not ready yet!" Izaya whines.
"Come on, maybe I could give you feed-"
Shizuo is cut off by a knock at the door. It isn't the way anyone in their families knocks and they both immediately tense. The cozy atmosphere Izaya has finally come to associate with home evaporates like smoke.
They don't exchange words. Shizuo places his bowl back on the coffee table and stands to answer the door. Izaya twists to see who it is, his heart already pounding. He doesn't have any reason for it but he feels like it's going to be trouble. Perhaps Shizuo is rubbing off on him.
Shizuo opens the door and on the other side is a man wearing an expensive suit with striking red hair.
"Afternoon," the man says politely. "May I come in? I'd like to have a chat."
Shizuo doesn't respond. He turns to look at Izaya, waiting for his decision. He doesn't look worried and Izaya wonders if that's because he doesn't know who this man is or because of who Shizuo is.
But Izaya does know who this man is.
He nods at Shizuo slowly and plasters on a smile.
"Of course, please come in! To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Izaya may know who this man represents but he has not been meddling with the Awakusu. Messing with the Blue Squares is one thing, the yakuza is another.
Shizuo steps aside to let the man in, his eyes trained on his figure, no doubt watching for any threatening movement.
The man sits in the chair next to the couch and Shizuo positions himself between them, leaning against the couch with his arms crossed.
"Something happened to your ankle?" The man asks conversationally with a polite smile which Izaya returns easily.
"Oh, nothing really severe, just twisted it a little."
"Ah," The man nods, "Wonder how that could've happened..."
"What do you want?" Shizuo growls suddenly. It appears he's finally caught on to the situation. Or at least part of it.
"Right to the point, I see." The yakuza doesn't seem offended. "I can respect that, unfortunately, some of my co-workers are fond of small talk." He levels a stare at Izaya.
"Do you know who I am?"
"I know who you work for," Izaya answers carefully. This situation is definitely over his head. "However, I haven't the pleasure of being familiar with you personally."
"Akabayashi," The man offers, holding out his hand for Izaya to shake firmly, and then extending the courtesy to Shizuo. "It's my job to keep an eye on the games you kids play." He explains.
Izaya is pretty sure Shizuo doesn't really get what's happening but he probably knows that this is about to be a threat. Izaya is very thankful he is here.
"Well then, I apologize Akabayshi-san, but I'm afraid I don't know why you're here. Neither of us are part of any gangs."
Akabayshi chuckles. "Don't worry, Orihara-san, we know that. But let's spare Heiwajima-san the back and forth." He leans forward and Shizuo tenses. He's close, but not too close.
"It's not every day an up-and-coming nuisance like the Blue Squares gets busted by one little outsider."
"Nuisance you say?" Izaya chuckles, his blood pounding in his ears. "Then I suppose you're here to give thanks. I do appreciate the gesture but it isn't necessary."
Akabayashi rears back with laughter. "Oh man, kid, you're really something."
"You're right, you're not in any trouble with us... but I am here to warn you. Keep your nose clean, kid, and quit while you're ahead. We'll be keeping an eye on you." He finally turns to address Shizuo who hasn't stopped glaring this whole time. Izaya wonders if he ever gets tired of making that face.
"Keep a tight leash on your little monster, Heiwajima-san."
Shizuo bares his teeth and growls. Izaya's hand grips his arm tightly as if he could really hold Shizuo back.
"Are you done?" Shizuo snarls snarls. So much for manners.
Akabayashi is unintimidated even though Izaya is damn sure he knows who Shizuo is.
"Yes, I think we are. Have a good day."
He gives a nod which Izaya returns and gets up to leave. He's followed closely by Shizuo who escorts him out.