Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara! All credit goes to Ryohgo Narita! The only content I own are my OC's: Ryuu Akihana, Kanta Akihana [Later Chapter's] and Arata Ichirou!
Izaya awoke to utter darkness. The raven haired informant was still caught off guard as he tried wake up and could only see darkness no matter how hard he tried. He never thought he would ever be blind and half deaf. It was more embarrassing as he recalled how his worst enemy was now aware of his weakness. He was half tempted to take Ryuu off her paid leave and call her back, but that would be admitting to his fear and Izaya Orihara feared no one, not even his tormenter.
"Hey, Flea?"
Izaya sat up in his bed and turned his unseeing eyes to the direction he heard his new roommates' voice call out to him.
"Why are you in my bathroom, Shizu-chan? I also wish to know why you're here and I'm still alive."
Izaya heard the bodyguard sigh heavily in annoyance as he walked to raven's bedside. He felt a dip at the end of the bed and concluded it to be Shizuo.
"Don't tell me your memory is that bad. You must have been one shitty informant…"
Izaya scowled at the accusation and crawled towards the bodyguard on all fours until he could sit behind him with his back up against the bodyguards'.
"I still am one, Shizu-chan. Would you care to know about your brother's death threat count for week? The numbers seem to increase every day! Really, that Kasuka is a real trooper with how he can continue such a dangerous career with so many-!"
Izaya was cut off by the warmth of his new bodyguards' back vanishing. With his support gone, Izaya falls back with a gasp and hits the back of his head on the wooden floor with a loud thud.
"Ah! Damn it, Shizu-chan! Are your communication skills so low that you can't warm a blind man that you-!"
The slamming of a door was heard, making Izaya halt on his rant. He righted himself on the floor as he strained his one ear for any sudden noises.
"Shizu-chan?"
Izaya's call for Shizuo was met with silence. His less than adequate hearing seemed to be unsuccessful as he tried to locate the artificial blonde.
There's no way Shizu-chan would leave. He promised Ryuu-chan he wouldn't. Izaya thought to himself as he tried to locate the ex-bartender. With no success, Izaya resorted to taunting.
"Come now, Shizu-chan! Surely you're a little more mature of a man to not resort to the 'silent treatment'. At least grunt like a gorilla or something of your nature."
Once again, silence was all that was received. This was where Izaya began to worry. While Shizuo promised Ryuu to not leave Izaya's side, his anger was always unpredictable and would drive him to do things even Izaya couldn't foresee.
"Shizu-chan! This is not funny! Jokes are one thing, but I most certainly am not playing!"
Izaya could feel his panic rising as he started hyperventilating. He imagined the things Arata could do to him now that he was defenseless and almost swore he could hear his sadistic laughter outside his bedroom window despite him living on the top floor of the building.
"Shizu-chan, you bastard, enough is enough! Shizuo!"
Izaya heard footsteps coming towards him and reacted on instinct. He quickly shot up from his spot on the floor and ran where he knew his door would be as he made an attempt to escape the fear beginning to creep into psyche.
Izaya didn't get very far as he ran into a wall of muscle and immediately assumed the worst. His wrists were restrained and the raven screamed as he tried to punch, kick, scratch and bite in a desperate effort to escape his captor.
"Stop! Let me go! Stop it! Ryuu-chan! Somebody! Help me!"
The captor brought Izaya to their chest by wrapping their arms around him, rendering him immobile. Izaya screamed as he struggled against the man's strong hold, becoming distraught as each attempt he made to escape failed.
"Let me go! Stop! Shizu-chan! Shizu-chan! Shizuo! HEIWAJIMA SHIZUO!"
"Calm your ass down, Flea. I'm right here."
Izaya was caught off guard and was immediately overwhelmed with relief. Tears sprung to his eyes as he clung to the bodyguard and cried into the Shizuo's bare chest. Shizuo held onto the raven as he smirked at the memory of the informant's show of panic.
In truth, Shizuo had never left the room. During the raven's rant after landing on his head, Shizuo walked over to the open bedroom door and slammed it shut as he leaned against the wall beside it. He watched as the raven called for him and tried to get him to respond with amusement. He decided his joke was over when unnoticed tears of overwhelming fear began to swell up in Izaya's eyes.
He hadn't expected the raven to run at him as he approached him, but thought it to be a reflex from his strained left ear falsely informing the raven of the direction of the sound from the ex-bartender's bare feet on the wood floor. Shizuo was certainly caught off guard when the raven called his name multiple times with such a panicked voice and decided to answer after concluding his point had been made.
Shizuo stroked Izaya's hair with one hand while rubbing soothing circles on the raven's back with the other in an effort to comfort the crying informant as he clung onto him as though for dear life.
After a few minutes, Shizuo held Izaya at a distance despite the raven's desperate attempts to hold onto him. He looked into Izaya's pale, wet eyes and tried to speak as calmly as he could to not set off another panic attack from the informant
"Do you get it now? I could just walk out that door and leave you for dead. If you want me sticking around, you'd better start treating me a little better. Are we clear?"
Izaya frantically nodded his head before shaking off Shizuo's grip on him so he could latch onto his person once again. Shizuo was surprised at Izaya's childish display of seeking out physical contact for comfort, but allowed it as he pat the raven's head. He swept the raven off his feet and carried him towards the bed. Shizuo sat on the edge and allowed the Izaya to straddle him so as to make it easier for the informant to hold into him without giving Shizuo any discomfort. They stayed like that for most of the morning.
Once Izaya had calmed down, Shizuo led the raven down his flat steps to his dining area and sat him down in a chair at the table. Shizuo's footsteps were heard as he left for the direction of the kitchen. Izaya, knowing he had time while his bodyguard made breakfast looked back on the last few hours with a shameful blush across his face.
Needless to say, Izaya was mortified at such a ridiculous display of weakness from him. Not only had his worst enemy taken advantage of his biggest weakness, but he had been able to witness the informant break down into panic stricken tears and had comforted him for hours up in his bedroom.
After Izaya was willing to release his tight grip on the artificial blonde, Shizuo helped Izaya to his bathroom and stood guard while he bathed. Izaya called Shizuo to help him out and the ex-bartender even helped the raven dress himself. Izaya could only imagine what his enemy had dressed him with since he had no clue as to what he was wearing. For all he knew, he could look like a rainbow sprout that looked ready to be dancing around a pot of gold.
"Flea, there's breakfast. Hurry up and eat so we can leave."
Izaya lifted his head to where he thought Shizuo to be as the clattering of a plate was heard in front of him.
"Leave? Leave where?"
"Where do you think, Flea? Just because I'm babysitting you for the next two weeks, doesn't mean I'll drop the source my paycheck! You'll be hanging at the office with everyone while Tom-san and I go off to collect…"
Shizuo had sat down across from the raven and was eating his breakfast as he explained his plan for the day to Izaya, but trailed when he noticed his charge wasn't eating.
"Didn't you hear me, Flea? Pick up your chopsticks and eat! I already told you that we were in a hurry!"
Izaya felt around the table as he tried to find his chopsticks, but was having difficulties. Shizuo realized that he would probably have to help the raven with his morning routine and sighed as he rose from his spot. He leaned over the table and took the chopsticks he had placed above the raven's plate and placed them into the surprised raven's hands.
"You can at least eat on your own without my help, right?"
Izaya blushed in embarrassment and snorted to cover it up.
"I can at least do this much, Protozoan. Don't think that you can do whatever you want just because I can't see. Ryuu-chan would never approve of you taking advantage of a blind man."
Shizuo scoffed as he finished his breakfast and washed his plate and chopsticks. He returned from the kitchen and made his way towards the stairs.
"Where are you going?"
Shizuo turned to the blind man with an annoyed glare, but tried to remain calm.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to get dressed. I've only been wearing pants this whole time and refuse to catch a cold simply because you can't do shit on your own."
Izaya narrowed his eyes in Shizuo's direction as he tightly clenched his chopsticks.
"Well excuse me for being so goddamn helpless here! I don't know if you noticed with that Neanderthal brain of yours, Shizu-chan, but I'm not the one keeping you here! You said so yourself that you could walk out that door anytime, so why don't you just leave if it's such a hassle?"
Shizuo stomped towards the raven and lifted him by the shirt collar, to which Izaya only flinched at the unanticipated action.
"You want to know why I'm still here babysitting your ass? You want to know why I haven't called Ryuu-chan up and tell her to find you a new bodyguard? It's because what I'm seeing in front of me isn't the real Izaya-kun!"
Izaya listened as Shizuo rested his feet back on the floor, but didn't release his shirt collar.
"The flea that I know as Orihara Izaya is a fucking troll who's only soul pleasure is causing trouble for everybody around him. You may have the flea's voice, looks and mannerisms, but the one I see before me is way too pathetic to even take on the flea's name!"
Shizuo was panting as he gazed into Izaya's pale red eyes, which appeared to take in every word he said. Shizuo was suddenly pushed away and was about to yell at Izaya until he saw tears lining the raven's tear ducts.
"I don't need your pity. You're a monster who's never even held a woman, let alone a man! What could you possibly know about me that gives you right to call me pathetic? I didn't ask for any of this! I didn't ask for an attraction towards men or to fall for one of the worst ones out there! You don't know anything about me! I'm not Orihara Izaya?"
Izaya sank to the floor in a fit of sobs as he held himself as a way to ground himself. Shizuo listened as Izaya's yells turned into mumbled words to himself that he had to strain himself to hear.
"You're right. I'm not the Orihara Izaya you once knew. He died that night when my whole life fell apart. Ryuu-chan was right. I am broken."
Shizuo watched on as Izaya buried his head into his knees as he hugged them close. It wasn't like Shizuo meant to insult Izaya. He was just so frustrated with how the raven seemed to be refusing any form of help from either him, Ryuu or anyone else for that matter. Shizuo wasn't even sure if Izaya had talked about the incident like this to anyone. He wouldn't admit it, but the thought of being the only one, besides Ryuu, who could get Izaya to open up about such a traumatic experience made him feel a bit like he was special.
Shizuo sighed at his thoughts and crouched down to be eye level with Izaya. Not knowing what to do, he just placed his hand on the raven's downturned head awkwardly. Izaya didn't flinch, but Shizuo knew he was awaiting the artificial blondes' next move.
"If you're broken, then I guess it's my job to fix you, right?"
Izaya lifted his head to Shizuo, showing his tears. Shizuo blushed lightly and turned away even though he knew Izaya couldn't see him.
"I-I mean, it's like a toy, or a s-street curb or something. W-When it's broken, someone has to fix it, right? I'll fix you!"
Izaya giggled at the ex-bartender's attempt at cheering him up. It was actually kind of cute, but the informant would never admit such a thing about Shizuo Heiwajima of all people.
"I get it, Shizu-chan. Don't hurt yourself with that protozoan brain of yours."
Shizuo growled, but otherwise helped the raven haired informant from the floor to stand on his feet. Izaya allowed the bodyguard to wipe away his tears before he heard him leave for the stairs once again.
"Um…Shizu-chan?"
Shizuo turned to see Izaya facing away from him and fidgeting in his spot.
"What is it, Flea?"
Izaya pulled on his sleeves as he could feel a blush appearing on his face. He never thought he would ever say this to his enemy, but he also felt that it was necessary after everything that had happened between them already. What's one more mortifying show of weakness and vulnerability for the great Orihara Izaya? Izaya took a deep breath before pushing a lock of hair behind his ear.
"Um, I'm glad. I-I mean, I'm glad it…was you. What I-I mean to s-say is I'm…happy. I'm happy Ryuu-chan chose you. Anyone else and they would probably take advantage of me."
Shizuo saw Izaya's red ears when the raven brushed his hair back and smirked. Heh, so even the flea can get flustered. It's kind of cute. Shizuo blushed at his own thoughts and coughed into his hands as he continued on his way.
"Y-Yeah, well…don't hold your breath, Flea. I still hate your guts."
Izaya smiled at the words the bodyguard spoke. He heard Shizuo ascend the stairs and pushed back his hair once again, unaware of his reddened ears.
"Yeah, I know.
Izaya sipped his tea as he sat across from Ryuu and Kanta in the break room at Shizuo's work building.
"You do realize that once you're back at work, you'll be facing hell, right?"
Ryuu giggled at Izaya's pouting face. Kanta smiled, but remained silent.
"Leave her alone, Izaya-chan. You know Ryuu-chan meant well."
Izaya scoffed at Kanta and turned his head away.
"Turn the other way unless you want to kiss a fichus, Iza-kun."
Izaya slammed his head onto the table and groaned. Ryuu laughed while Kanta tried to comfort the raven. Izaya made attempts to swat Kanta's hand away.
"Stop that Kanta-nii-chan. You know I hate when you treat me like a kid."
Kanta laughed when Shizuo walked in the next minute and harshly messed up the raven's hair.
"Ow! Shit! Who the hell-!"
"Let's go, Flea. I want to get home before it gets too dark."
Izaya smirked as he turned to Shizuo, who stood behind him with an amused expression that the informant couldn't see.
"My, Shizu-chan, I never knew you to be scared of the dark. Don't worry, I'll make sure the big bad monsters don't get you. Then again, aren't you already one yourself?"
Shizuo growled, making the raven give him a playful grin.
"It's good to see the two of you getting along. When Sis told me about how Shizuo-kun was taking care of you for the next two weeks, I was worried."
Izaya and Shizuo turned to Kanta with a light blush. Ryuu held in her giggles at two infamous celebrities shared embarrassment.
"We are in no way getting along, Kanta-nii-chan!"
Shizuo snorted at the notion as he tried to hide his face by lighting a cigarette. Izaya smelled the smoke and immediately turned back around to snatch the cancer stick from the blondes' mouth, burning his hand in the process.
"Damn, that hurt!"
Shizuo was immediately bent down to the raven's height as he looked over his hand with an angry grumble.
"What did you expect, Flea? You can't see so you shouldn't try reaching for a lit cigarette."
Izaya pouted before using his free hand to feel for Shizuo's hair and pull on it roughly, making the artificial blonde yelp in surprise.
"Well, perhaps I wouldn't need to if you quit smoking, Shizu-chan! Don't you know smoking is bad for you? What would you do if you ever got lung cancer or gum cancer? What if your teeth fell out? I know for a fact that your measly paycheck would never be able to afford the hospital bills for treatment!"
Shizuo growled as he snatched the raven's hand from his head and glared at Izaya's unseeing eyes.
"Well, perhaps I wouldn't need to smoke in the first place if a certain flea learned to not piss me off all the damn time! You're the one that caused me to start; why the hell would I find it a good idea to stop since I now have to be around you twenty four seven? Do you understand what a pain this is for me?"
Izaya tried to escape the blondes' vice grip on his hand with no success before he stopped his struggle to retort.
"No ones keeping you here, you Stupid Protozoan! If you want to leave so badly, then go! I don't need you or anybody! I'm a grown man and am perfectly capable of taking care of myself! You think you're suffering?! Don't make me laugh when you can at least see yourself in fucking mirror, or dress yourself without somebody to tell you what you're wearing in the first place or even who the fuck you're talking to!"
As their voices escalated, bystanders began to stare at the yelling match that had begun between the bartender and the informant. Both were panting from loss of breath as the glared each other down. Before another word could be said, Ryuu stood from her seat while slamming her hands on the table with glare that would scare the devil directed at the two men. Both men turned to Ryuu with a shocked expression. Shizuo was gaping at her with a loss of words, and Izaya could practically feel the glare she shot at him going through to his soul.
"That's enough you two! Now, unless you want to be explaining to doctors why they need to stitch back on a very sensitive area, I suggest you shut up and listen!"
All men in the group gulped except Kanta, who looked on with a nervous smile as he tried to calm his sister. Ryuu took a calming breath as she crossed her arms across her chest and stared down at Shizuo and Izaya.
"I've had to deal with your fighting ever since high school. Izaya pissed off Shizuo, and now Shizuo chases him for it. Izaya framed Shizuo for a crime he didn't do and lost his job, so now Shizuo holds a grudge that he believes can never be let down."
Izaya gulped at Ryuu's lack of suffix to his name. He knew that she only ever called him by his full name when she was angry. When Ryuu was angry, all hell would break loose if anyone dared to cross her path. However, what caught him off guard was what she said next.
"Well, I got news for you: big whoop! You're both grown-ass men with lives of your own! Get over yourselves! The world does not revolve around you, which I'm sure pains the both of you to hear."
Ryuu turned to Shizuo, who gulped as her glare had yet to let up.
"Shizuo, I understand why you don't like Izaya, but how long do you intend to allow him to get to you so easily? Even now as he's blind, you let him get under your skin and play you like a fiddle! Would it kill you to try to see things from his point of view for once?"
Shizuo bowed his head as Ryuu then turned to Izaya. Izaya could once again feel the glare, and flinched when she called his name.
"And Izaya! What gives you the right to cause Shizuo so much hardship when he's only trying to help you the best he can? Are you so dependant on your pride and defenses that you can't ever see the big picture? I hate to tell it to you straight, but you're blind! You can't see worth shit! Without help, you're either going to die by enemy hands, or Arata's!"
Izaya could feel the glare die as Ryuu's expression softened. Izaya was caught off guard when Ryuu ran to Izaya's seat and hugged the informant so tight it made it difficult to breath.
"Please, Iza-kun, don't make me worry so much. I had to watch as you continued to destroy yourself from the yakuza to the suicides and finally suffering damage from someone you once loved with all your heart. It's time to let go of the past and move forward. Please, Iza-kun! I'm begging you to let someone in, someone you know you can trust. Just believe in Shizuo-kun, Kanta-nii and me. We can help you. All I ask is that you let us in."
Izaya was in shock when he felt a wet sensation on his shoulder. Even as children, he had never once seen Ryuu shed tears. He once believed the woman to be incapable of such an action. With hesitant hands, he embraced Ryuu and held her tightly.
"Izaya-kun…"
Izaya turned his head in the direction of Kanta's soft, concerned voice. Kanta smiled at the blind man in a way only an elder brother could.
"Listen to Ryuu-chan. You don't need to hold it in anymore. We got your back now, right Shizuo-kun?"
Shizuo flinched at being called out to. He turned to the raven haired informant and sighed in defeat. He placed a hand on the raven's head and ruffled his hair softly.
"Don't be so difficult, Flea. I'm not going to attack you out of nowhere. You can lean on me a little more."
With that said, Izaya could feel the tears he had been trying to hold back flow down his cheeks and could feel Ryuu release him from her hold. Once he was no longer in the woman's embrace, Shizuo brought Izaya's head down to rest on his shoulder so he could shield his crying face from the rest of the onlookers. Izaya, grateful for the blondes' kind gesture, clung onto his shirt and silently let his tears fall and drench Shizuo's shoulder. He had always been shielding himself from everyone, even those closest to him. Even if it was hurtful to hear, Izaya knew that Ryuu spoke the truth. What she said needed to be said. He finally realized that what was happening was really happening; he had been in a unfaithful, domestic relationship with his boyfriend of five years, said boyfriend blinded him and destroyed the hearing in his right ear and now Arata was on a mission to get him back at any cost, even death. Izaya needed help. He needed someone he knew could protect him and watch out for he couldn't see. Izaya needed Shizuo.
Ryuu-chan. Kanta-nii-chan. Thank you for always being there for me when no one was. Thank you for learning to understand me and sympathize with me when no else could. I'm sorry I never understood what that meant till now. Izaya's thoughts soon drifted to the artificial blonde who he clung to and cried on the shoulder of like a child. He thought of how the man had yet to push him away in disgust when his nose started running, but instead gently lifted his head and wiped his face off with Ryuu's borrowed handkerchief. It was strange, but he could feel a warm sensation in the pit of his stomach when Shizuo awkwardly tried to comforting words to him. Izaya giggled at Shizuo's poor, yet amusing attempts that indeed result in his halting tears. With a sigh of relief, Shizuo gave the raven a soft pat on his head.
"Now that that's over with, what do you say we head to Russia Sushi and I order your ootoro to go so we can head home?"
Izaya smiled at the blushing bodyguard and hugged him for all he was worth, catching the bodyguard off guard and causing them to fall over with the raven on top as he rubbed his face in Shizuo's collarbone. Ryuu and Kanta laughed at the display, to which Izaya ignored.
"I thought you'd never ask!"
Shizu-chan. Thank you for putting up with me for all these years. I'm glad it's you I'm putting my trust in. Don't disappoint me, ne?
After Story Monologue:
*Curtain Closes And Momo Appears On Stage*
Ryuu: *Wrings Hands* I'm still kind of nervous since I've never really shared my stories with the general public, but I've gotten a few reviews that said they were excited for the next chapter. *Smiles At Audience* So, with that said, I hope that this chapter can suffice. I'm still open to constructive criticism, so don't hold back on what I can improve on. *Bows* I'd really appreciate any feedback anyone can present to me.
Izaya: *Peaks From Offstage* Are you done yet? I want to go home, and you said we can't leave until you're done addressing the readers.
Shizuo: *Comes Onstage And Drags Momo Off*
Momo: *From Offstage* But I wasn't finished! Izaya-chan, if you want ootoro, you better finish for me!
Izaya: *Sighs In Annoyance* Please review and don't hesitate to point out errors in Momo's writing. If the characters were a little OC, she sincerely apologizes as she tends to get carried away. She does her best to realistically justify their behaviors and does not mind if you share any tips you have to make the story more relative to the anime/manga. Now leave so that I can get my Ootoro! *Walks Offstage*
*Lights Turn Off*