"What?!" Shizuo gasped, jerking back in shock. Izaya didn't smirk, and on closer inspection Shizuo realized he was witness to an emotion Izaya rarely ever showed. Red eyes were narrowed, mouth was tense on a deep frown, and his whole body was giving off a dangerous aura.
Izaya Orihara was angry. He gulped, retreating quickly so as to avoid any knives. Or worse, because who knew what was hidden in that coat? Although a quick look down prooves Izaya isn't wearing his coat, but rather a pure white long sleeved shirt and comfortable white pants to match. No shoes, but snow white socks complete the look. Save for the color, it's exactly the type of thing he'd wear.
Shizuo hasn't personally seen the informant angry before, but Shinra had and told him about it once. The tale had been a fairly terrifying one, and not something he'd hoped to ever experience.
Unfortunately, paradise didn't offer many hiding places.
"Do you know what you've done, Shizu-chan?" Izaya asks, tone dripping with anger and contempt.
"Err.."
"You killed me, brute." He scoots closer to Shizuo, usual smirk still absent from a pale face. "Thanks to your stupidity, I'm now stuck in this hole with you!" Shizuo's first reaction to this 100% accurate statement is a wave of defensive anger. Having a record for going from calm to flying-off-the-fucking-handle faster than you could say "Why is that vending machine getting closer…?" He doesn't even try to remain calm.
"You fuckin deserved it." He snaps, shoulders hunching like they can shield him from his guilty truth.
"For what?!" Izaya demands, emotion bursting forth in a way so desperate and betrayed that Shizuo can't help but pause. "I wasn't even doing anything! I PULLED YOU OUT OF THE WAY!" He yells, up in Shizuo's personal bubble now and visibly upset.
"I didn't mean to…" He mumbles, looking away hastily. Izaya's hand comes up to snatch his chin and force his gaze back, which briefly sparks his anger once more. That's stamped out by the look in Izaya's eyes, however. The fingers around his chin tighten to almost painful levels, which is surprising considering Izaya isn't one for brute force.
"Don't you even dare think this is over." He hisses, glaring with more intensity than the brilliantly bright sun above them. "You are going to fix this."
"How?" He demands, eyebrows drawing low. He jerks his face away, mimicking Izaya when he scowls at him. "I don't exactly know the cure for death, so why don't you just relax and enjoy paradise?" He huffs.
"You'll fix it over there." Izaya points in the direction opposite to the tree behind him, Shizuo isn't very good with directions but he's pretty sure that's North, and Shizuo follows his hand. He's not sure how he hasn't noticed it, but in the distance is a faintly glowing building. It looks the size of a small convenience store, and has a big glowing sign that reads MANAGEMENT above the doors.
"...no." Shizuo shakes his head, turning his gaze away from the building that looks shady at best and annoying at worst. He was wrong about this being paradise, he sees that now. There is no paradise where he has to go speak to people about getting a "refund" on his life. He's not spending eternity waiting in line in some shitty, probably too cold building with rude employees and no saving spots.
Nope. Nu-uh. He won't do it. He's going to relax in the grass, admire the sun without burning his retinas, and hum his favorite songs to himself.
"Yes!" Izaya snaps, standing up and pointing now, as if that will change Shizuo's mind. "Go tell them what you did and give me my life back!"
"No." He sighs, closing his eyes and relaxing. He hadn't cared before, but he's not in his bartender uniform. Not even a pure white version. No, he's in a black tank top, black shorts, and black sandals. He's fine with this. The comfortable clothes allow his skin to seep up the warmth of the sun and feel the cool tickle of swaying grass against his limbs.
"Shizu-chan. Get up!" Izaya tugs on his arm, trying in vain to pull Shizuo up. He can only move him upward before it's too much and he drops him. "Geeze, how much do you eat?" Izaya sighs, collapsing in the grass next to him.
"Don't body shame me." Shizuo grins, amused entirely too much at Izaya's frustration.
"Shizu-chan." He's poked, or rather, jabbed, in the side by Izaya. "Shizu-chan get up. You have to fix this. Where's your stupid sense of justice when I need it?"
"..."
"Shizu-chan!" Izaya yells in his ear, which does piss him off. But, his frustration is still amusing enough that Shizuo ignores this. "Shizu-chan get your stupid protozoan self up and explain what happened!"
"..." Shizuo remains silent, relaxed enough now that he thinks he might be able to go back to sleep. Izaya is quiet too for a few minutes, before Shizuo hears the rustle of him standing up.
"Fine. Do what you want." Izaya mumbles, defeated. Shizuo opens his eyes and sits up on his elbows, watching Izaya stride towards the thick tree behind him. He climbs it with ease, sitting on a fairly low branch with his back turned to Shizuo.
'Ignore him.' He thinks, trying to relax again. 'Let him pout, I can enjoy my peace that way.' Still, guilt nags at him until he drifts off into a restless sleep. His dreams are childhood memories, of summer time at his old house chasing cicadas with Kasuka and laughing with his family.
He dreams of looking up at the night sky, child's heart pounding from a friendly game of tag and a smile tugging his cheeks so hard that it aches in the most pleasant way. (He can't remember the last time he smiled like that, when he was alive.) After awhile, the stars start to blue together and his family calls his name, telling him "It's time to go now."
He awakens rather abruptly, sitting up and looking around desperately for his family. Of course they're nowhere to be seen, but it takes him a moment to remember why. Night has fallen in Hell/paradise, and the Moon and stars are just as brilliant here as they were in his dreams. Bigger, and closer too. The navy blue sky is littered with stars as bright as anything he's ever seen, and a moon that couldn't be described by the most brilliant poet. Still, looking at it's glowing presence, he's lonely.
Against his better judgment, he goes and looks for Izaya. He finds him on the ground now, lying against the tree. Izaya doesn't look at him, staring off into the distance still with a lonely expression. Following his gaze, Shizuo is taken aback by the sight.
It's planet Earth.
On their grassy green hill, they're overlooking Earth itself. He wonders if they're caught in orbit as the moon is, or if they're orbiting the Moon. As he stares out at a mess of brilliant blue sea, shock white clouds, and some touches of green, he has to wonder…
'Who the fuck thinks Earth is flat.'
"Hey…" Izaya mumbles, chin resting sadly on his arm folded over one knee. His other hand is holding one of many Dandelions that Shizuo hadn't noticed populated the area behind the tree, though he hasn't' blown on it to scatter the seeds. "Do you think they even notice I'm gone?"
"Your family?" Shizuo asks the obvious, though Izaya shakes his head.
"No. Humanity." He answers, lowering his head to stare at the flower in his hands. Or is it a weed? "I wanted to become their God, you know. Live forever, love my humans and they love me in return… This all feels like a cruel joke."
"Isn't this good? You can watch."
"Watch a planet spin? No. I can't see them, or interact with them. I'm stuck on this sad little hill with you for company and nothing else. I'd rather be dead- oh, wait...hahaha," Izaya laughs. The breeze picking up and scattering his dandelion seeds. They disappear quickly, though when Shizuo glances down the plant is full again with seeds.
"...fine." Shizuo sighs, glancing at the building once more. "I'll speak to...management." He walks away before Izaya can say anything, though he unregretfully catches the beginning of a smile on the mischievous mans face.
And if it makes him sigh and smile a little himself, well...who will know?
I made a soundtrack for this fic, and I'll keep adding to it.
playlist?list=PLu19NGJeb1Jcpxvd_hXHW1inkrcH1M-WT