Author's Note: Finally, an update! This is what happens when I have a crazy real life going on while trying to write the last few chapters of a fic. It's like fate is trying to put off this ending or something. But don't worry, I'll never abandon this fic until it's finished – updates may be less often than they were before, but I promise that it will be finished at some point! This is only a small one today – because the update I have planned for tomorrow was originally going to be part of this one, but I decided that they'd be better off split into two. Tomorrow the update will be a decent length, and really cute, I pinkie promise.
Note: the book mentioned in the first paragraph is 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', which I'm studying for my English work & is probably one of my favourite books. You should all check it out! It's by Oscar Wilde and it is quite a hefty written book, but it has such beautiful lines in it that it is worth sorting through all the big words just to read it.
Also – I'm currently having a give-away on my Tumblr, if you like Portal/Homestuck/free things you should go to my blong - 'angryghosts' & add look at this here post - 'post/18961092856' - to check it out if you want. There aren't very many notes on it at all - so more chance for you to win ~~~ ヘ(￣ω￣ヘ)
Izaya had been seated across the loft when one of his multiple phones had started to ring all the way over on his desk. He'd been reading lazily, having sprawled there like a tom cat in the sun when he'd emerged, clean and warm, from the steam of the bathtub and the white tiled walls. He loved his work, really he did, but he wasn't the sort of person who was at it twenty-four-seven. Izaya took his sweet little relaxation time whenever he felt he needed it, now and then, dedicated some quality him time when work and playing with his humans was set on the back burner. He'd read the book before, twice at least, just like he'd read all the books in the loft more than once. He liked to read, but this was one of his favourites; a work from one of those great literary geniuses. Izaya could relate to that character Harry, but had always thought Dorian was a fool for allowing himself to be strung along the way he was. He supposed that was just the basest nature of humanity.
The ringing of the phone essentially cut short the digression of his mind into those thoughts, for normally he would sit quite happily in the afternoon warmth and contemplate such deliciously complicated thoughts. Izaya glanced down briefly at the printed page of the book perched in his hands, wondering whether he ought to even bother answering the call or if he could simply continue to read; the phone call won over, and the raven closed the book without marking where he was, already having memorised the page number, in order to head towards his desk and catch the phone before it stopped ringing. Namie was still seated at her small desk just over from and out of the way of his. He wasn't sure what she was doing now, another mundane task he had invented for her to do just to piss her off he was sure; but it didn't really matter nor did he really care, so long as she kept quiet and that scowl to herself.
He crossed the room in less than a second or two, and the phone was still ringing when he reached the desk. One of the phones had lit up the screen, and that meant finding which one it was that he needed to answer was a piece of cake. He flipped the little device open without bothering to read the name on the screen – chances are it would only be another client looking for a little dirt or Shiki anyway; though the Yakuza boss usually called his personal number, it wasn't unheard of for him to catch Izaya on this one in case Izaya tried to ignore him.
"Orihara," the raven answered briefly, not bothering with the formalities of a greeting. Clients didn't want or need that little addition, all they wanted were his terms and price and to get that info back as soon as possible.
"Uh— hey," replied the voice on the other end of the line. It was certainly no client, and Izaya found himself almost surprised to hear Shizuo's voice creeping out of the little mobile phone and into his ear. He'd never anticipated that the blonde might call him, and it left him curious as to just what he could want. The raven couldn't help the little smirk that tweaked his lips at the sound of that honey voice.
"Oh, I wasn't expecting to hear your voice greeting me," Izaya purred back into the phone, moving around the desk to settle himself into the desk chair. His body sank back into the leather, one arm pressing the phone to his ear, the other resting on the little arm rest of the chair itself.
"How can I help you today then?" he continued, his voice practically dripping with merriment and a little mischievous lilt. He turned in the chair, swivelling around so that he could stare out of the large window and down, down, down at the city while he and the monster spoke. Nothing was more relaxing than observing his humans go about their day to day life or making sure his city was running smoothly and just as he wanted. There was a little pause on the other end of the line and what sounded like Shizuo clearing his throat and shifting how his body sat.
"You, uh— wanna get— something to… eat?" Shizuo bit out after a moment, awkwardly, fidgeting as he did so.
Izaya could already envision the look on the blonde's face as he said those words; his forehead would be crinkled, frowning, eyebrows knitted together and mouth set into a hard line. One hand would be resting on his knee, fingers pressing into it as if the pressure would somehow convince him that he wasn't mad while mentally he'd be cursing himself, cursing Izaya. He knew Shizuo well enough to know that, to know how he looked in certain situations and to some extent what he would be thinking, and yet that didn't in any way mean he had any idea as to why Shizuo had decided to do this. The motive was lost to Izaya. It was curious, it really was. Mad and crazy and exciting, and Izaya wanted to pick apart the reasons and find out just what had prompted this act from his enemy turned somewhat funny little lover.
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," Izaya teased, biting back a laugh at the growl on the other end of the line.
"I'm not saying it again," Shizuo growled out, and Izaya heard him shift again, no doubt a little more relaxed now they were straying into somewhat familiar ground. That would make this easier for him at least, less awkward. "You heard me just fine, damn louse,"
"Now, now, no need to be so testy," the raven chuckled and glanced around the chair towards Namie briefly, but the brunette was paying no attention to him or his phone call, so he turned back to the city again, unconcerned with her being there to listen in. It wasn't as if he really cared or he was saying anything that might give away what was going on. He knew that Shizuo wouldn't want anyone else finding out about this fling of theirs, their little affair of hate.
"You're a bastard, you know that?" retorted Shizuo before Izaya could say anything else. The information broker laughed again, and he half fancied he heard Shizuo chuckle a little too; maybe even crack a little smile, though obviously that was just his mind supplying him images of what he imagined the blonde to be doing.
"Of course I know that, what kind of informant would I be if I didn't?" Izaya replied, the smirk lingering on his lips like a kiss. "But we're digressing; I still haven't given you an answer about your offer, have I? Well, I accept,"
"W-What?" spluttered the voice on the other end of the phone. Izaya imagined the look on the blonde's face would be delightful to behold just then, and cursed that he hadn't the opportunity to see it.
"I said I'll accept your offer," Izaya repeated, his tone serious and yet laced with mirth at the uneasy behaviour of the blonde. "So when do you want to meet?"
"Uh—" Shizuo seemed not to have thought this far ahead if the stuttering on the other end was anything to go by. Had the oaf really not thought this through? He supposed that was something the blonde would do. He'd decide to call him up on a whim, invite him out and then be terribly shocked when Izaya actually took him up on the offer. It was typical Shizuo, typical monster, and yet it was so much more civilised, so much politer than whenever they had spoken in the past; just another sign that things really had changed. Shizuo was dealing with this faster than Izaya had given him credit for, and he was pleased with that. Everything was changing, moving forward, falling off into the abyss and towards whatever sweet reward awaited them on the other side of the dark and the unknown. It was exciting, thrilling, dangerous, and Izaya was hooked. All he had to do know was get Shizuo just as excited about this new sensation, this falling into nothing and everything and a new world.
"How about we meet at Sunshine 60 tonight? Eight o'clock," Izaya piped up with a suggestion when Shizuo seemed to come up with none of his own. "I'm sure even you can manage to find your way there, right?"
"Yeah, I can, jackass," huffed the blonde, somewhat offended but apparently thankful for the raven's intervention. His lack of knowledge about things like this was almost adorable, Izaya could remember how just a few short weeks ago he would have been mocking the blonde for it. It was funny how much things had changed. Funny and yet it seemed perfectly natural, perfectly as things should be. "See you then,"
"Don't be late," the information broker replied shortly, "It's a date,"