Arc Two, Chapter Six
By morning, Shizuo woke up to find Izaya curled up to his side, the kitten sleeping around his neck. The blonde managed to go away without waking the other man, and left a note saying to call him when he woke up. He got that call around nine or ten, as he finished his debt rounds with Tom.
Izaya woke up at exactly 11:26 AM. The kitten slept against his neck, and it tickled. He laughed which stirred the cat. Izaya lifted it in the air and rolled over on his back, setting it on his chest. "I wasn't expecting that Shizu-chan would have such a cute pet. I thought he would have a pit bull, no...an alligator? Or a piranha!" He laughed sincerely. "Maybe I should name you-" He stopped, experiencing a sudden major headache. Have I said that before? That's possible... His head throbbed. Izaya groaned at the pain and the cat licked his cheek. "It's okay, kitty! I just have a headache." Izaya sat up and the cat rolled off of him. He took a quick shower and changed into clean clothes. He headed to the drug store which was agonizingly slow, no matter how fast he ran. He felt as though someone followed him at any moment, wanting to kill him. While in the drug store, he picked up a bottle of pain killers and noticed pink hair dye at the corner of his eye. That's perfect! Shizu-chan won't notice if I switch the bottles. He smirked devilishly and set all the items on the counter.
"Seriously, pink hair dye? Why are you buying this, Izaya?" Masaomi wondered. He didn't expect that Izaya would actually dye his own hair pink.
So, the teenage cashier knew his name, huh? Then again, who didn't know his name? The question was, who was brave enough to approach him? The smaller blonde didn't seem very afraid of him. "I am dying Shizu-chan's hair, of course!" Kida shook his head, placing all the items in the bag. Izaya skipped off without another word and heard the boy laugh from far away. He let out a sigh of relief once he finally entered the apartment again. He quickly switched the bottles before Shizu-chan arrived home. Izaya didn't have to wait very long.
"Flea, I'm home," he called into the apartment, slipping off his shoes as he walked in and taking off the vest of his work uniform.
"Welcome home, Shizu-chan!" He smirked.
The blonde raised a brow, seeing Izaya's smirk. "If you broke anything, I don't wanna hear it," he told him, getting a bottle of flavored milk from the fridge and downed it in a couple of minutes. He looked inside, seeing a bottle of plain milk missing. "Did you drink it or did you give it to my cat?" He asked the other. "Because…I hope you warmed it up for her, cats can't drink it cold without having issues." He picked the kitten up off the floor when he saw her, setting her on his shoulder. He stared at Izaya, "you that eager to dye my hair?"
Izaya shrugged his shoulders. "I was curious...Tried it, hated it, and dumped the rest in the sink. I figured that you didn't want to drink my germs. And yes! I am eager. Come on, now." He tugged on Shizuo's sleeve.
He sighed and dropped the kitten, watching her play with the toy mouse so he can go in the bathroom, wanting to get the dying over with."You should have read the labels...Maybe you grabbed the lactose free milk."
Izaya shrugged. "I don't need to read labels. Disgusting milk is disgusting milk. Maybe cats shouldn't drink the disgusting flavour anyways." Izaya joined the male in the bathroom and grabbed the 'blonde' hair dye box from under the sink. He read the instructions on the back. "Okay! So use gloves," Izaya found plastic gloves and slipped them on, "then a non-valuable shirt or towel to wrap around your neck. Do you have one, Shizu-chan?"
A blonde eyebrow twitched, "it's not that hard to do, flea. You're just touching up the roots, not doing the whole thing. I don't need to kill my hair even more," he snapped at him. "Just mix the stuff in the bottle and comb it through the roots," he told him, pointing at the little comb in the box.
"Aahhh fine." Izaya was looking forward to dying his entire head pink, but it seemed that would kill Shizuo's hair and he wouldn't allow him. So stubborn... Oh well, pink roots with the rest of his blonde hair would look weird too, at least. He pushed Shizuo down to sit on the toilet as he mixed the dye. He gripped the small comb and ran the colour through Shizuo's roots. Izaya bit his lip to keep from laughing. It was such a vibrant colour and Shizuo would definitely hate it. "It looks great, Shizu-chan! So, what now?" He asked when he finished.
"Sit and wait for fifteen minutes and wash it out," he said dully. He left and passed the time by watching some TV before going to wash out his hair. Luckily, there was a funny show on TV which gave Izaya the excuse to laugh so much. He looked at the clock, just counting down the time it takes for Shizuo to realize that he had pink roots. As time flew, the pink stood out more in his hair. It was hilarious. He ran his under the warm water and he grabbed a towel, drying off. He looked down at his white towel, seeing a hot pink, and he shot to the mirror, finding bright pink where his roots where. "FLEA!" He roared and he ran out to strangle the maggot. "You think it's funny to fuck with my hair!?" He yelled, shaking the man.
Izaya skipped outside when he heard the nickname, but stopped when Shizuo's hands were on him. "But now you look moe, Shizu-chan!" Izaya pouted. "I-I only thought that's what you wanted." He pouted innocently.
"Moe means cute! A bodyguard isn't meant to look cute!" He retorted and released the flea's shirt, stomping to the bathroom. He made sure to bleach his hair this time around with the right hair dye. "Fuck!" Show some kindness to the flea, and what did he get? Nothing in return, just childish pranks. "Izaya, you think it's the smartest thing to piss off the guy that's trying to help you?! I'm trying to be nice and you do jack shit to show that you're grateful!"
Izaya frowned. He'd think that Shizuo would have a sense of humour about it...it was only hair. Nothing that blonde dye couldn't fix. He didn't see why Shizuo didn't like his brown hair. Although he couldn't imagine Shizuo with any other colour, he liked dark hair. He sighed, deciding that he should make something for Shizuo to 'show he was grateful'. And he really was grateful. Shizuo gave him shelter, free food, security, and warmth. He opened the fridge to find a roll of cookie dough. Of course Shizuo would have that in his fridge. He read the instructions. How hard could it be?
The blonde came out, finding Izaya having the hardest time...working with pre-made cookie dough. "Flea, are you really that pathetic...you can't even cut the dough and put it on the pan?" He asked and went over to him, taking the knife, cutting a few slices off. "Just cut, doesn't matter the thickness. Slap them in the preheated oven, put the timer on, and take them out when done. Do you think you can do that?"
"Shut up, Shizuo!" Izaya glared daggers at him. He was determined to make the stupid cookies without anyone's help, but then the blonde had to ruin his surprise...as if the brute couldn't smell sweets from a mile away. "Thanks for helping me! Bake yourself your own disgusting cookies."
"You really can't live on your own, can you?" He asked dumbly. This coming from a man that had been living alone for a few years and became a damn well cook. He rolled his hazel eyes, "you remind me of Kasuka, can't do much for yourself. Maybe you should use your energy for something more productive…like learning how to cook. I have cook books and I'm sure Simon would be willing to teach you." He sighed deeply, just watching Izaya lay around lazily. "You're like a spoiled cat, you know that."
"What is the point in learning how to cook when I have enough money to buy ootoro? It saves a lot of time." Izaya explained. "Besides, even if I did know how to cook...I would still bother you. It's fun to see your reactions." Izaya sat up and leaned over the couch backwards. "A spoiled cat? Lactose-free, warm milk would be unacceptable. No sass is allowed, and I'd do what I want. What would you name me? Flea?"
Shizuo stared at his crimson eyes, not sure what to even say, "Zula," he simply answered. "If you were a cat, that's what I would've named you," he confirmed and received a questionable look from the other man, "if you were a cat, you would have an exotic look...especially your eyes," he explained.
Izaya blinked a few times, staring at Shizuo upside-down. The name sounded feminine and Izaya didn't like it. Granted, he didn't care much for names in general. "Isn't Zula a female name, Shizu-chan? It sounds like you love my eyes." Not that he needed red eyes to feel unique. People knew who he was, even if he wore contacts. He propelled backwards and flipped off the couch into a standing position. Even with amnesia, he loved the thrill of balancing and parkour.
"I don't know, I just came up with the name," he snapped back, defending his side. A light blush showed on the blonde's cheeks when the info broker walked closer to him, their eyes meeting. When he looked away, the flea's delicate hand reached out and took a hold of his chin, forcing the two of them to face each other. "Why would I like your eyes? They're red and beady, and creepy. They remind me of rat eyes," he lied. The ex-bartender flinched, seeing that cat-like grin on Izaya's face. He hated it when the flea was like this, he couldn't get away with much.
"Do they really? Because the look on your face deceives you, Shizu-chan! Just admit that you like my eyes, and I'll admit something about you that I like! It's only fair, right?" Izaya looked into Shizuo's own caramel coloured eyes. He let go of Shizuo's chin. "Most rats are actually clean, highly intelligent and fun. They're easy to tame and handle, love human interaction and rarely ever bite. In fact, the only negative thing about rats is the bad reputation they seem to have. I would say that's me...except I bite." He winked.
Shizuo's face flushed and scrambled away from Izaya, going to the bathroom to stop the nose bleed with tissues. He cussed under his breath when he heard the flea laugh from the kitchen. "Shut up, it isn't funny!" He roared, coming out with tissues under his nose. He huffed, looking away when Izaya looked at him with those eyes. "Hate your face," he muttered. Izaya still acted like the same trolling bastard.
"No, you don't ha-ha-hate my face, S-Shizu-chan." He managed through staggered giggles. Izaya had enough of teasing him for one day. "That hurts, Shizu-chan!" He lied, and sat down on the couch. Izaya wondered if Shizuo...possibly...liked him back. "Can we watch another movie?" He smiled, and crossed his legs on the couch. He didn't like many movies but it was nice spending time with Shizu-chan.
The bartender sighed, "sure, we can watch a movie," he said and made a simple snack of popcorn and mixed drinks. After he sat down, the two of them looked through Netflix to see what was worth their time. The blonde ended up falling asleep about 15-20 minutes in before the end of the movie, his head resting on Izaya's lap.
Titanic was based off of what happened, so the raven didn't mind it much. It reminded him of Romeo and Juliet, how they fell in love so quickly. "Ahhh, the wonders of romance." Izaya sang, as the movie neared its ending. He looked down to find Shizuo's sleeping face on his lap. He fell asleep so quickly...Izaya envied that. He could barely sleep, because his thoughts were endless. He analyzed everything that happened the entire day...but Shizuo only thought of how tired he felt.
Izaya lifted Shizuo's head off his lap and ordered a late dinner; he hoped Shizu-chan was still hungry too. He went back to the couch after he paid and set the food on the table. Izaya studied Shizuo's features many times before, it became a habit. His icy fingers glided across the blonde's face. His face was surprisingly smooth, and once again, Izaya found himself mesmerized. Shizuo actually looked human as he slept. Izaya's finger accidentally brushed across Shizuo's lip and he immediately retracted his hand.
The blonde muttered something in his sleep, feeling something run along his lips. He didn't mind it, mostly because he thought it was the kitten's tail, and he moved around. Shizuo woke up to the smell of…food. Wait, he wasn't cooking. The blonde slowly sat up and he rolled of the couch in the most ungraceful way. His leg hit the table and the man cussed under his breath. He wandered into the kitchen to find cooked food on the table. From what he could see, it was casserole and sweet potatoes. He lazily pointed a finger to the food and looked to Izaya. "You make that?" he asks tiredly.
"Yeah," Izaya joked, "a man who can't make cookies made that meal. I hoped that food would wake you up. I knew that food always makes you feel better...neanderthal," he mumbled under his breath. "Usually it's the other way around; you should thank me." He pointed out. "You slept on me as if I were a type of pillow, Shizu-chan! You think I'm all squishy and fat? How dare you!" He grinned. "Or maybe it's because you can sleep better inhaling my scent?"
"Fucker," Shizuo muttered. He blinked when Izaya pushed him down to sit and his hazel eyes scanned the food. He watched the flea put some food on the plate in front of him. "Um…thank you, Izaya," he took a bite of the casserole. "It's not bad," he ate a few sweet potatoes and hummed at the taste. He loved eating sweet potatoes. "No…you're not. You're more like a huggy pillow," he said without thinking. "No, wait, I didn't mean that! "You're not a pillow."
"And now you're having the rest of the food, I don't want to gain more weight." Izaya laughed. Obviously Shizu-chan was too busy eating to comprehend words. "A huggy pillow? And what does that mean, Shizu-chan? You're cute, you know...when you have no words to say. You get all worked up over your own voice." The raven smiled. "I can't imagine you trying to write an essay. It would go something like: Damn this computer! Slam, slam, slam."
Shizuo stopped himself from taking another bite and dropped the fork. Of course, the flea fucking insulted him during a meal, after being nice to him. He stood up and stalked off to his bedroom and slammed the door shut. He laid himself on the bed, staring out the window. He knew Izaya was the smartest person around, that was no surprise. He was used to Izaya calling him a protozoan, but what he just said, really bothered him.
Why was Shizuo so sensitive only when Izaya didn't intend to hurt him? It was fun to do, getting the blonde so worked up and angry. Lately, he had been unnecessarily hurt whenever Izaya made fun of him. He should've been used to Izaya's sense of humour, and should have known when he was joking. Izaya walked over to Shizuo's door and tried to open it. Of course it was locked. "Listen," Izaya muttered and leaned against the door, "why does that upset you? You know that it's okay to be who you are. I joke about your IQ and your strength but that's what makes you...who you are."
Why did it bother him? His hands clenched around the sheets, drawing blood. Because Izaya had never gone that far to insult his intelligence; that was the part he hated. "Because you've never gone past calling me names," he informed him. Shizuo continued to lay on the bed, ignoring Izaya on the other side of it. He rolled off the bed when he heard scratching at the door. The blonde unlocked the door and cracked it open to let his kitten inside. He growled when the fucking flea put his foot in the way. "Insulting me once wasn't enough for you!? Fuck! Can you not think before you speak!?"
"I'm telling you I'm sorry, Shizu-chan!" Izaya tried to push the door open. He rarely ever apologized, especially to Shizuo. "You'd think that I was trying to hurt your feelings, wouldn't you?" He used all of his strength to open the door, but of course Shizuo was still stronger. "But it's just a joke! It's okay to make fun of yourself sometimes...You make fun of me sometimes! It doesn't affect me. You shouldn't let it affect you!"
"Shut the fuck up!" Shizuo snapped. "Making me the center of your jokes is the worst idea possible! And I don't make you fun of you, fucking louse!" He defended. Izaya raised an eyebrow. What did Shizuo think he was doing when he said that his eyes looked like rat eyes? Or that he hated his face? Or other illogical comments which cascaded from his mouth. The blonde flinched at Izaya's next words. He didn't hate himself; his anger just started to spike. Did the flea not know when to shut up? He lurched out his hand, hitting the wall right by Izaya's head. "You know, for someone who came to apologize, you're doing a shitty job of it! For once, shut your face!"
"At least I have a sense of humour! You're just angry because you know it's true..." He looked at the hole in the wall beside his face in awe. Obviously anger wouldn't help the situation, but Shizu-chan never learned that. "I'm trying to make you feel like everything is okay. It's okay to be who you are." Izaya looked up, into amber eyes.
"I'm fine with who I am! I'm not fine with people who piss me off!" His hand twitched when the dark-haired man touched it. "You were fucking acting nice...then you off and ruin dinner," he growled. He knew it was too good to be true; Izaya couldn't behave himself for a moment. "And you wonder why people hate you," he grumbled.
Izaya had no words. Obviously, Shizuo was incapable to accept an apology...or a compliment for that matter. And you wonder why people hate you. Thanks, Shizuo. I didn't get the message the first time. "Is that all you have to say?" He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Or are we even now?"
"Fuck, we'll never be even! You always have to get back at people no matter how small it is! You always have to get the last word, you can't just leave things alone! You just don't get it, do you? How you insult me is different! I don't do it to your face! I know I'm not the smartest person around; I don't need you to remind me of that every fucking day!"
"Wow, Shizu-chan! Maybe you do have problems with me that only a therapist can fix! It's not my fault; it's an inner issue! You are so hypocritical. You say that I'm not a bother to you, when all you do is complain about me!" Now, it was a shouting match. Clearly, they couldn't get along for a week without fighting.
"Because I'm not happy with my life!" Shizuo shouted. "You've fucked it up ever since you've wormed your way into my life! And you fucked it up even more by getting me fired from a job I love! You've never once felt bad about it. I've never held it against you, you never give me a break!" The blonde pushed passed the other man, heading on out of the apartment. Fuck, the flea was starting to give him a headache.
Izaya walked over to the couch once Shizuo left and laid down on it. He hugged a pillow in his arms. Shizuo's scent was no longer comforting, but rather annoying. The raven questioned why he planned to ruin lives. Was it really for entertainment, or something more? Something must have happened to cause him to think such a way. He hoped he would never return back to his former self. Maybe they could they get along when Shizu-chan realized he meant no harm. Who knew where the blonde was going, or how long he was gone for.
"Why do I like him?" Shizuo asked himself over and over. He fucked up his life, brought no good, trolled him every day, and the list went on. His life wasn't boring, that was for sure. Insecure? Hell, he didn't even find himself attractive, even though people thought he was. Izaya just loved to mention his insecurities. He always felt like a burden to his family. He couldn't keep a job because of his temper and Izaya got him fired from the one he liked the most. Luckily, Tom gave him a job, but he didn't get paid too much...surprised he even got paid at all.