Moving on from my excuses, WE ARE FINALLY GETTING SOMEWHERE IN THIS STORY. I really don't need to say much else, but this chapter is full of fluff. Enjoy.

Shizuo

We celebrated our victory with the free meal provided by our rivals for our earlier triumph. After today's teamwork, it was a different kind of awkward that led to us dining together at the small table in the room's kitchenette. We ate in silence, mostly. Izaya had found a pamphlet buried in a drawer that looked something like a directory. A very long directory, that was. The complexity of its detailed maps and fine print were too much for me to look at, but Izaya studied it thoughtfully.

"Hmm..." Izaya stopped midway through page three.

I paused before my next bite of coconut tempura to give him a questioning look. "What is it?"

"It seems they have an ice skating rink here..." he murmured as a though he were talking to himself, but I had grown to learn that that tone was used more as an inquisition than actual rambling.

"Yeah, I think Shinra said something about it before," I replied nonchalantly with a mouthful of sushi.

"Hmmm..." he repeated, studying the brochure intently, as if he were to be tested on it the next day.

I said nothing as I consumed the rest of my dinner while Izaya sat with his eyes zeroed in, pointing to the words: "Ice Skating Rink : East Wing : Deck Level 2".

"Hmmmmmm," he repeated again, with an edge in his tone.

I took a sip from the straw in my milk carton, chewing the end between gritted teeth as he continued to drag on the annoying sound. I gave it a few seconds. Then ten. Then twenty. I continued to sip the drink agitatedly, squashing the carton as the beverage began to run dry, and as I turned, about to tell him to shut the hell up, he—

"I know! Why don't we try going skating tonight? What do you say?"

I shut my mouth, letting my irritation cool down for a moment as I thought. He must have sensed me about to go off on him so he sat patiently, waiting for a reply. I knew there was a time and place to pick my battles. The raven civilly requesting an after dinner ice skating venture was not something I felt necessary to argue over.

I gave in with a sigh, telling myself it was only because we hadn't made any other plans.

"I mean, I guess we can go," I said, finally agreeing.

A faint smile appeared on his lips and he made a soft hum of approval as he went back to revising the paper, if only to muse me. I could tell that there was something more upbeat about him in the small gesture. It made me wonder just what I had gotten myself into.

To be honest, I was glad to be doing something I didn't have to wear ten different layers for. I checked myself in the mirror one last time, making sure that the lightweight, black jacket I wore over a blue, long sleeve shirt with faded jeans looked okay together. I didn't really have much of a taste in fashion, but I tried to follow in Kasuka's footsteps. People always complimented him on what he wore.

But that was beside the point, because it didn't matter right now.

I shook my head trying to ignore the unnecessary concern I had about my appearance. After all, it was just going to be me and...the flea.

I took a deep breath to clear my head, fidgeting with the button of my sleeve around my wrist, when I heard the door click on the other side of the room. Izaya emerged from the bathroom dressed in all slim fitting black clothes. A black knit shirt with a low neckline revealed his protruding collarbones and framed his slender figure agreeably. The dark jeans that he wore complimented his legs, snug enough to accent his narrow hips without making him appear too skinny. On top of that, his ebony hair gave him an even lighter complexion that showed off the red glistening in his irises. I couldn't tell if he was trying to look more modelesque or borderline goth.

"You must really like the colour black." I blurted the obvious as I had pieced together over the days so far, of what his wardrobe consisted of.

"You're not wrong," he said plainly, as he slipped his shoes on.

Don't ask why I bothered, but—

"...any particular reason?"

He stood up to look at me with a dry smile, as if he was about to enlighten me on something universally known. "Studies confirm that wearing black makes you appear more attractive, intelligent and confident...Ah, but of course since you know me, you know that these things already come naturally." He put one hand on his hip and used the other to run his fingers around the collar of my own jacket, examining the fabric. His eyes shifted from my neck and chest back up to meet my gaze, looking at me through dark lashes. "Even you look like you could have bimolecular brain cells in this tonight," he smirked.

I cleared my throat, looking away from his focus. "You've got a real shitty way of complimenting people if that's what you're trying to do…"

He let out a whimsical laugh, turning to unlock the door to the room. We stepped out into the hall and he turned to me one last time.

"Wouldn't you like to know~."

Those were the last words spoken until we were behind the busy counter of someone asking for our shoe sizes.

Looking at the map again, the rink had been just a bit further past the gym and hot springs. Apparently the East Wing consisted of those, a pool, locker rooms and multiple saunas. I could have sworn this place was called a ski resort.

It hit me again when I was lacing up my ice skates that it was only me and him. Alone. Together. Just the two of us. I groaned when I realized no one was going to come to my rescue if the flea started doing questionable flea things.

I let my gaze slip as I watched him in the corner of my eye. He was sitting on the adjacent bench. His long, pale fingers, threaded the laces of his skates languidly, double tying the knot for security. He moved onto the next skate, gracefully slipping in a foot that was dressed in a black sock. His feet were certainly on the smaller end of the spectrum, for a man at least, but seemed to be in proportion to the rest of his slight build. I watched him tie the lace a second time again, pulling gently against the strings. His hands we so precise and delicate, I found it mesmerizing.

He outstretched his leg, allowing his slender fingers to slide from around his ankle up to his calf. They slowly graced past the natural bend in his knee and along to the side of his thigh in a caressing manner. The hand I kept a watchful eye on changed positions and made a 'come here', motion, which snapped me back to reality.

The familiar hum from a snicker made my eyes jump away from his legs and to his face. His look was nothing unexpected; taunting and proud that he had just caught me staring at him. His smirk however, was more playful than the devilish one he usually wore. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I turned away. No matter what I did to try to remember not to get lost in thought from staring at something for too long, Izaya was always a not-so-friendly reminder.

We stepped outside the glass doors that separated the rink from the main building and into some sort of dome-like structure made of only windows. The clear night sky could be seen above through the panels of glass that lined the ceiling. Frost-like mosaics decorated the otherwise transparent walls. Up here there was much less smog and pollution, unlike back in the city, so the array of stars and galaxies were visible through the skylight. It also reminded me of some kind of reverse greenhouse; the air temperature must have been controlled by the resort, because it was kept cool enough to ensure the ice from melting, but not freezing like it was outside in the frigid night weather.

The rink, ironically enough, resembled a pool area. Black iron tables and chairs were scattered in front of a snack bar on the patio surrounding the ice. The ring itself was gated in with a similar decorative iron fence. Around it, were what looked like street lamps, but had a rather Victorian inclination about them. I thought it to be unusual that they would choose something like that instead of traditional Japanese architecture. Then again, this building was a fairly new addition to the area, so I had read. Nonetheless I found it to be beautiful.

"This place is really, uh...elaborate," I noted aloud as I took in the view of our surroundings.

"I was just thinking that it's strange that a design influenced by the European 1800's would wind up in such a large estate here in Japan..."

I nodded my head in agreement, not really knowing what to say in response. I found myself breaking into a cold sweat from feeling it necessary to make small talk, but I was drawing a blank. It wasn't like we were on a date or anything but—

It suddenly dwelled on me that to some people, this would be considered a date. Something had me wishing that I should have just talked the flea into staying back at the room...Then again, I wasn't sure I would like how that would end up, either. At least there were people here to relieve some of the awkwardness.

But wait.

I scanned the crowd around us for anyone we might know. Luck wasn't really on my side since there was abundance of adults, children and teenagers all around us. I was tall, so I could get a better idea of the premises than Izaya could, so if I saw someone from our school other than our friends, I could—

I shook my head.

No...it would be even weirder if Shinra or someone saw just the two of us together without them…

I got the feeling that people were staring, so instead I glanced down at the flea who walked casually through the crowd without a second thought. I guessed he wouldn't care either way if someone caught us—

Caught us?! This isn't some damn date! I had no sense being as nervous as I was.

"Ne, are you looking for someone, Shizu-chan?" He didn't bother directing his attention to me as he addressed me in a monotone manner.

"N-No. I'm just…" I'm just what? "There's a big crowd tonight."

"Well, what do you expect? This place is enormous. Surely everyone is looking for things to do inside late at night."

"Hmm...I guess so…"

I went through the gate first, stepping out onto the ice. I used my reflexes to find my balance before moving freely away from the fence. I spun around waiting for the flea to follow, but found him leaning against the dark iron posts in the entrance with his arms crossed.

"Half the point of ice skating is the ice part." I stood, scratching my head as I looked at him not at all amused.

He brought a hand up to his chin pretending to be in thought. The light from the lamp above him reflected into his ruby orbs when his gaze locked with mine. "I must have forgotten to mention...I've never done this before." He grinned wildly, testing me.

I stood there, dumbfounded. "You're shitting me?"

He raised his arms in defense as he smiled. "I'm not."

"Then why the fuck were you so persistent about dragging me here?" I hissed quietly as my brow twitched. I tried not to raise my voice since there was a group of younger kids skating past us.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to try something new, ne?" he said feigning innocence.

"Then why did you only ask me to go, then? Why not Shinra or—?"

"Technically, I never asked you," he stated matter-of-factually.

"You know what I mean," I sighed in annoyance, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Why are we even here if you can't skate?"

"You don't have to announce it to the world, you know," he said flatly, with an agitated demeanor.

It didn't even phase me that he could possibly feel embarrassed about the fact. I let out a deep breath again and leaned on the fence beside him. We were silent.

"Look, it's not that I'm embarrassed or anything...It's just unusual for me not to know how to do something...And believe it or not I felt more comfortable asking you..." The last sentence was hushed, but I was certain I heard it.

I felt my face warm and I looked down at him. He was facing away from me so I couldn't read his expression. I turned away again, looking up at the glassy ceiling. "I suppose I can teach you, then...If you really you want"

Changing his tone, he clapped his hands, meeting my gaze with his usual mischievous glare. "Very well, teach me your ways, sensei," he purred, teasing me.

I took a sharp breath in at the comment, staring bashfully into his half-lidded, carmine eyes. He batted his long lashes and his lips formed into a devilish smirk.

I backed away to stand in front of the gate and mustered up the courage to extend a hand for him to take. Hesitantly, I felt his delicate hand met mine. His hands were obviously much smaller than mine. In fact, the way his nails were perfectly manicured looked like they could almost be mistaken for a girl's hand. He had long, pinkish nail beds, and the free edge of his nails were just slightly longer than how most guys cut them. They were filed into a rounded oval shape at the end. Attached to his dainty nails, his pale fingers were long and thin. On each index finger he wore a pair of shiny silver rings. I remembered he would sometimes play with them absentmindedly in class when he was too bored to pay attention.

The first time I noticed when he started wearing them, was on the roof of the school during our lunch break. He had picked some fish out of my bento box when I was looking away, talking to Shinra, but the second time he tried I caught him because of the glimmer of the band in mid afternoon sun. To this day, he still tried sneaking food away from me when I wasn't paying attention.

I took a deep breath, manning up to offer my other hand for him to hold on to. I suppose this would be the only way to give him a sense of security if he were to fall. He looked slightly surprised at the gesture at first but gently placed his palm over mine. The cool touch made my heart beat a little faster. He stepped onto the ring with one foot, but paused before he added a second.

"You skate with two feet, ya know."

"Oh, shut up," he rolled his eyes. "Am I not allowed to be a little hesitant?...Don't repeat that I said that."

I frowned. "Look, I'm not gonna let you fall. I'm not that much of a dick."

Finding balance, he reached his other leg onto the foreign surface. I felt him grip my hands tighter as he did so. It took him a couple seconds before he relaxed his legs. Luckily for him, he was light on his feet.

I held on to him as I took small steps forward as I pulled him along with me. He was a fast learner, of course, and tried mimicking my actions. I could tell he was very concentrated by the way he watched his feet take one step at a time. The distance between them gradually increased. So did we.

"Try not to look down. It needs to feel more natural," I instructed.

He directed his attention to my face instead, and I automatically felt like he had gotten much closer just by looking up at me. My face warmed again and he raised an eyebrow quizzically as he grinned.

"Are you blushing, Shizu-chan?" he chuckled condescendingly.

"No." But it was a lie. "I'm just...cold."

I knew he didn't believe me when he let out a laugh, but he ended up slipping towards me. I caught him when he made contact with my chest and we both froze.

"S-Sorry," he muttered backing away from me, averting my gaze. This time, I noticed the tips of his ears reddened.

"S'fine," I said in a hushed voice.

He looked anywhere but at me after that, but continued to hold onto my hands. Soon enough, after a few minutes of this, he felt confident enough to let go of one of my hands and hold on to the sleeve of my jacket instead. I could tell his grip was getting looser and looser with each graceful stride.

"See, it's not that hard. I knew you'd pick up on it quick." I broke the silence between us as he let go completely.

He must have gotten over the little mishap as he turned to smile at me. "Well, I did have a good teacher, after all," he said to me with a wink and a friendly punch to the arm.

I smiled back at him and rolled my eyes at the playful joke when suddenly the lights dimmed around us.

"Is this place closing down already?" I frowned feeling a little let down.

There was a resounding 'click' and the next thing I knew, we were surrounded by colourful lights shining brightly onto frozen surface.

Everyone stopped to 'ooh' and 'ahh', as beams of blues, purples and pinks danced on the ground below us. The brilliant lights reflected on the glass walls of the room in dazzling formations. Each time the spotlights changed their patterns, so did their hues and tones.

People were clapping and cheering at the beautiful performance before they carried on skating under the refracting lights.

"Wha—"

I turned to look down at Izaya to ask something, but my breath was taken away before I could finish the syllable.

Before me, outlined with a magenta glow, was a person I thought I once knew. An individual I thought to be the permanent thorn in my side. Someone who lived without a concern for anyone but himself. A heartless man, one too confident for his own good. He was in a world of his own, sitting atop a self-built pedestal. He couldn't be touched, or harmed, or offended. He was, after all, Izaya Orihara.

Or so I had thought.

Gazing down at him now, just like the warm, pink aura tracing his silhouette, I saw him in a new light. I could no longer see him as that man. The only thing I could think of now, was how beautiful he looked here, on the ice.

The blush coloured lighting softened the lines of his face, tenderly contouring his masculine features. His russet eyes looked into mine in wonder as I studied the detail of his eyes, nose and mouth. I stopped at the small, flushed skin of his lips and couldn't but help lick my own.

Without realizing, I brought a wary hand to cup his face. I didn't need to look up to know he was taken aback; his face got warmer under palm. The tips of my fingers met his hairline and I caressed his cheek with my thumb. My gaze studied the soft lips before me as I subconsciously leaned closer. I heard a soft gasp, and my instincts let my eyes flutter shut as my nose brushed gently against his. There was a moment of hesitance just before our lips touched, where the hot air from our breaths met.

It was me who initiated the kiss, warm and gentle, and I was surprised when he kissed back. Our lips parted to exhale shakily before we met each other halfway again. For a first kiss, I imagined it to be more awkward and clumsy on my behalf, but I was impressed with myself when the flea actually stepped closer to push himself against me. I caught him with my hands around his hips as he attempted to stand on the toes of his skates to reach me.

I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at the attempt, and the raven pulled back just enough for me to look into his half lidded, dilated eyes. I felt him take my empty hand and intertwine our fingers. His smile was both playful and flirtatious

"Do you always kiss your students?" he whispered in a hushed voice directed only to me.

I felt myself flush at the question, but I didn't really feel embarrassed. "No. That was the first time…" I looked away, rubbing the back of my neck. In the corner of my eye I saw his smirk widen at my reply.

"Fancy that. I can't recall kissing any of my teachers either."

The rest of the night went on as usual, but we exchanged subtle smiles, glancing away each time one caught the other staring. I couldn't stop the butterflies that would make my stomach flip every time the flea did something cute; laugh, smile, or joke playfully and innocently with me. I was actually enjoying the time spent alone with him.

"So you're saying you've never been to Mongolia?" he stared at me in disbelief.

"I don't know where that even is."

"Shibuya. One of my sisters' favourite bakeries...Seriously, do you venture anywhere outside of Ikebukuro?"

"I never really have a need to," I confessed, sipping the carton of milk I had gotten from one of the vending machines. We had made ourselves comfortable at a table over by the snack bar. "'Sides Ikebukuro has pretty much everything anyway." I paused before I took the next sip of my drink to mumble something under my breath. "But I do love bakeries…"

He heard me of course and perked up, setting down his tea. "So you'd rather stay in the fishbowl of Ikebukuro than adventure elsewhere for something you love? How interesting…" The ends of his lips curved up into an inward smile. "There's so much more to be found out, even if it's just around the corner. Look at me, for example. I love humans," he gestured with his hands as he spoke. "There are hundreds of thousands of them where we live, so why do I jump from city to city everyday just to people watch? You might think it's crazy, so let me enlighten you." He smiled in a way that read the reasons behind his actions were plain as day. "People vary all over of course, I know you know that. But you'd be surprised just how different someone from back home can be from the citizens, let's say, in Shibuya or Harajuku." He was idly tracing the patterns that made up the surface of the iron table. "Why would I want to stay stationary in a single place when there is so much to see, to learn and discover? Surely you would agree that each and everyone's uniqueness is what makes the entirety of the human race so fascinating and diverse."

I sighed, not really following the lecture. "How is this related to bakeries again?"

"I'll put it simply; if you like something, expand and broaden your interest. Explore and dissect it to fully love something to its full potential."

He could have just said that in the first place instead of telling me his life story.

I grunted in agreement, not wanting to give him further ideas to tangent on.

"Who knows," he sighed, turning to the side to watch the people skating. "Maybe I'll have to drag you with me on one of my expeditions."

I stilled, looking at the raven in surprise. I hadn't really thought of what would happen once we got back to the city. It hadn't even crossed my mind yet. Before I could respond, he faced me again with a thoughtful smile.

"It's getting late, ne?" he said, rising from his chair. "We should head back to the room."

We were silent on the way back for the most part, but he walked close to me. Close enough for our shoulders to brush occasionally. When we arrived to our destination, he unlocked the door, entering first.

"Ah, what a tiring day," he yawned, stretching his arms above his head before laying down on one of the beds like a cat.

I raised an eyebrow as I looked down at him. "You plan on sleepin' here again?"

"Depends...are you going to kick me out? he teased.

I let out a suppressed sigh, not caring either way. "It doesn't matter, I guess. Just...stay on your side."

"You're the one who can't keep his hands to himself in his sleep," he challenged, sitting upright.

"—! What's that supposed to mean?" I said, taken aback.

"It means~," he grabbed on of my hands and pulled me down on the bed so that I had to catch myself with both hands on the mattress around him. I stared down at him bashfully, looking into playful, ruby orbs. "You can't keep your hands off me~."

I felt my face heat at the accusation. I didn't know what to say in response, but it didn't matter because he had brought one of his hands up to my lips to silence me anyway.

I continued to gaze down at him as he looked back up at me, gently caressing his thumb against my bottom lip. I subconsciously swallowed in anticipation as he leaned up to place a chaste kiss where his hand had been, but only for a moment.

Nothing was said after that as we got ready for bed. The mutual silence didn't bother me though, as I tiredly crawled under the sheets to join where the flea had already fallen asleep. It didn't take long before my breathing had relaxed in sync with his as I began to fade into a slumber. The last thing I could remember was two arms reaching around me before I was out.