Aaahh, sorry it's been so long! I've been studying hard. Finals are next week. I'm so nervous about my oral exam! OTL. At least it's almost over, right? Then i'm free! I've also been having a hard time writing. Lots of drama and stress between friends. I guess it's that time in my life to cut off the ones that bring me negativity and start hanging around a new crowd? Seems like it. :/ Here, have some more awkward to complete your saturday!~

When Izaya awoke, it was well into midday. His headache was gone for the most part, but his body ached. He sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and stretching.

He took a sidelong glance at his phone, which Shizuo had left on the bedside table, and frowned. He didn't even want to think about the calls and texts he would have piled up. But he couldn't keep his humans waiting.

Izaya rolled over and grabbed his phone off the table, laying on his stomach as he buried his chin in the pillows. He flipped his cell open, wincing as the light shined brightly in his eyes, and saw that he had 23 messages.

He noticed that one came from Shinra, another came from Shiki, and the rest were all from Erika. He had 2 text messages - both from Celty.

Deciding to deal with the texts first, he skimmed through them, yawning as they loaded.

[Do I…seriously want to know what happened?]

"…What in blazes does she mean?" he wondered as he selected the second message.

[If Shinra is telling the truth..I hope that brushed your teeth after that.]

Izaya scowled. Now things were starting to get odd. What could Celty possibly think he did at the party? This was about the party, wasn't it?

He rolled onto his back, using the momentum to swing his feet over the side of the mattress and sat up. He dialed one and listened to each voicemail as he stretched again and loosened his muscles.

"Hey Izaya. Did…you seriously just do that in my closet? My good lab coat was in there!"

"Iza-chan! You and Shizu-chan sure were at it for a long time! Whoa! H-hey, Kadota I'm not do-"

"Ok, I didn't find any stains on it, so that's good. But still, you guys have no decency for a man's privacy, do you?"

"Izaya, Erika again! Dota-chin thought he could take my phone, but he forgets I have two! Haha! So I gotta know, did you top or bottom?"

"What were you two doing in there? There is a crack in my wall! The paint is chipping! This is going to cost a ton to replace!"

"The fans wanna know! Was it Shizaya, or Izuo? Ahhh, no no Dota-chin, don't take my phone! This is impo-"

They went on like this for five minutes. Back and forth between Erika and Walker's questions that made no sense whatsoever, and Shinra's complaints about property damage. The only one that was any different was Shiki's call.

"Orihara-san. The information you sent last week was very helpful. However, they are a slippery group, and we need more information to take them down. You can put the amount of payment on our tab. I assume you will be able to get the information done on time. I'm giving you two weeks. Don't be late, Orihara….and have a Happy New Year. Don't get drunk. You can't work in that state."

Ahh, Shiki. Always so wise and has the best straight forward advice and commands to make all the other awkward calls just fade awa-

Izaya blinked when there was one more voice mail from Shiki that he had missed.

"Orihara…I actually believe that you've been too uptight lately. When you're stressed and focusing on other things, you tend to be late and have holes in your research. Go get laid and loosen up. When you've got your pants in a knot you don't do nearly as well. Still only have two weeks. So make it soon."

The disheveled raven groaned and threw his phone onto the bed, rubbing his face in his hands. He felt grimy and covered in sweat. He definitely needed a shower. He pulled out new pajamas, not planning on going out anywhere after a long night, and decided that a bath would be best.

He wondered what Shinra, Erika, and Celty could have been hinting at on the messages as he tested the water that was slowly filling up his tub. Of all the things that he could have done, of course they had to be with the brute.

He stripped himself of his clothes and sunk into the bathwater, letting it come up to his ears as he immersed himself.

Izaya breathed deeply, counting to five before exhaling. He clenched and unclenched his fists and tightened his muscles as he practiced progressive muscle relaxation. In no time, he felt completely at ease and comfortable.

However, the lingering thought of those voicemails and texts stayed in his mind. No matter how much he wanted to rest after the long night, he was tormented by questions.

"Tch…"

He reached for the bubble bath, opening the cap and pouring double the amount needed to make the bath alive with pink suds. He buried himself in the froth, waving his hands gently in the water to swirl and swish them around. He sighed, resting his head back against the tiled tub and closed his eyes.

He would have to ask Shizu-chan about this. He would know what on earth they were talking about. Because as much as Izaya tried, he could not recall anything more. His head still ached a bit, and he was still worn out.

In the silence of his home, Izaya heard the front door being unlocked and light footsteps trailing inside. He opened his eyes and focused them on the bathroom door.

The footsteps continued on, and soon the sound of a heavy thud echoed through the home. The distinct sound of heels walking on hardwood made Izaya groan. Of course, Namie wouldn't take a day off work during the holidays if it meant getting paid over time.

"Izaya!"

He exhaled silently, submerging himself in the bath until only his nose, eyes, and top his head were poking out of the water. Namie called for him again, and he chuckled lightly at the annoyed sound she made when he refused to answer.

A second pair of footsteps, and a baritone voice that he instantly recognized. Izaya sat up a bit in the bath and leaned on the edge, resting his cheek on the arm that hung over the side.

He listened to Shizuo talk with Namie for a moment, and soon heard his heavy footfalls coming up the stairs. He walked past the bathroom - heading straight for the bedroom. Izaya slouched back into the bath and sucked in a deep breath as he dunked his head under the water. The sloshing in his ears muffled out any sound, but he was still aware of Shizuo coming up to the bathroom door and knocking.

"Izaya. You in there?"

He remained submerged, although he wasn't sure why. Why was he hiding under the surface? Was he hoping Shizuo would leave? He did want to question the brute about what had happened. Yet…he was almost scared to learn.

A firm knock on the door, accompanied by Shizuo's gruff voice, "Flea, answer me. Unless you drowned, you damn rat."

Able to hold his breath a little longer, but not finding the desire to, he broke the surface and gulped in air, "Shizu-chan~ can't you see I'm trying to relax?"

"No, cause the door is closed."

Izaya rolled his eyes, "So blunt. Anyways, why are you back so soon, neh? I would have thought you would be out and about today without me trailing behind like a guard dog."

The door creaked as Shizuo leaned against it, sighing. "You're hardly a guard dog. Besides, I said I would check up. I've been coming back every two hours to make sure you didn't get a fever or anything."

Izaya could hear Shizuo grab the handle, finding it unlocked. Izaya sunk farther into the nearly overflowing bubble bath and hissed as Shizuo stepped into the bathroom, "I never said you could just walk in!"

Shizuo closed the door behind him and sighed, "Well it was too weird out there. That woman -"

"Namie."

"Yeah…I just feel like she's watching me."

Izaya laughed, "Ahh, she's quite a stalker. But tell me, shouldn't you be used to feeling like eyes are on your back? After all, you always had me watching your every move."

"I got used to yours. Hers feels almost obsessed."

"Oh?" Izaya asked, shifting so he was positive that he was fully covered in suds, "And what did my gaze feel like?"

"Like someone blew cold air on my neck."

"Is that a turn on for you, Shizu-chan?~"

"Fuck off flea." Shizuo grumbled as he sat on the toilet and leaned back. Izaya couldn't tell if the light flush on the brute's cheeks was from his correct guess, or from coming into the warm bathroom after being out in the cold.

Izaya sat up and leaned against the cold tile, shivering as it bit at his skin. "Sticking with the topic of fucking, I have some questions for you."

"Hah?"

Izaya waved his hands in the water, swirling the bubbles around as he spoke, "I woke up with many missed calls and text messages. All hinted toward something that we must have done at the party. And I'm oh so curious to find out."

Shizuo sputtered, crossing his arms and curling up a bit. Izaya glanced up and sighed, reaching for the shampoo to pour into his hand as he continued to bathe himself regardless of Shizuo's presence.

"Nothing happened, louse."

"According to Shinra, a lot happened. In fact, we made a hole in his wall while we were in the middle of whatever we were doing." Shizuo's face flushed noticeably, and Izaya grinned, "That look on your face is telling me that more happened."

"Nothing happened! Ok? Just ignore what they said." Shizuo barked, fists clenched as the tips of his ears reddened.

"Fine then. 20 questions."

"What?"

Izaya scrubbed his hair and sighed, closing his eyes. Part of him longed to feel Shizuo's fingers in his hair again. He forced that emotion down.

"I ask, and you answer with yes or no. Simple as that. No more, no less." He smirked, "Sound like a deal?"

Shizuo sighed and rubbed his face with his palms, "I'm not going to get you to drop this, will I?"

"Nope. I'm sober and curious."

"Damn."

After another five minutes of silence - save for the sloshing sounds of Izaya shampooing and dunking his head under the water to rinse his hair, Shizuo spoke up.

"…What's the first question?"

A satisfied grin grew on Izaya's face. He stretched and leaned back into the water that was starting to get colder. He shivered a bit, and crossed his arms behind his head.

"Alright. Lets start off simple. Did we kiss?"

"…Y-yeah."

The blush on Shizuo's face and the slight pause in his voice was just too cute. So out of character. Or perhaps…it was just in character for a gentle giant like him?

"Who initiated it?~"

Shizuo thought for a moment, "I guess the alcohol? You just got all clingy. But I…I guess I was the one who kissed you first."

Izaya hummed in approval, and then grinned, "Was I good?~"

"Izaya!"

"Answer the question."

"That has nothing to do with what happened." Shizuo growled, glaring at the sopping wet raven.

"Sure it does. It boosts my ego. Now answer."

Shizuo sighed and looked away, "Yeah, I guess."

Izaya leaned over the edge of the tub, resting his chin on his arms as he stared up at Shizuo, who was having a hard time keeping his eyes off Izaya. "You say that like you don't know what to compare to."

"Tch…it's not like I haven't kissed anyone before. It's just been a while."

"Fine fine~ Question four: Did we go farther than innocent kissing?"

"…Define innocent."

Izaya snickered, "Oh, so it wasn't just a little lip lock?~ Was there tongue involved?"

Shizuo coughed and cleared his throat, nodding curtly.

"Interesting. Question fi-"

"Six."

"Neh?"

Shizuo glared at him hard, tapping his foot impatiently. "You asked if it was farther than innocent, and if there was tongue. That's two."

"Alright alright, calm down. Fine, question six: Did we go all the way?"

The distraught look on Shizuo's flustered face, and the way his breath hitched and his voice choked made Izaya burst out into laughter. Tears brimmed his eyes as he watched Shizuo shaking his head furiously.

"N-no! We did not go all the way! No way! Never!"

"Well we passed first base. Second base?"

"U-uh…w-well. I..I guess? Maybe?"

"Maybe?"

Shizuo flushed and slouched in his seat, pressing his chin to his chest as he tried to shrink away with embarrassment. "You…"

"I?" Izaya perked up a bit, interested in what he had exactly done.

"You…you kinda started…"

Izaya growled with annoyance, "Spit it out already! I'm growing impatient!"

"Yeah, well you were pretty impatient last night too!"

"Oh really?" Izaya mocked, sighing, "I wonder why? Maybe because it takes you five god damn light years to spit out a coherent sentence! Or is your brain too small to form a grammatically correct stateme-"

"YOU WERE FUCKING GRINDING YOURSELF AGAINST ME AND IT FELT GOOD, OK?"

Izaya blinked and stared wide eyed at Shizuo, who just blurted out loudly. The ex-blonde's stormy eyes widened, the pupils dilating massively as he stared at Izaya with his mouth parted open. Neither said a word as the truth of the situation fell around them.

It felt like forever until Izaya blinked himself out of his haze and laughed quietly under his breath with disbelief. So…the hazy dreams weren't just his imagination.

"So…why did Celty hint at something more….oral?"

Shizuo swallowed thickly, "Ahh…w-well, once we were in the closet, you. Uh, well. You pinned me down sorta and started to…"

Izaya shivered, from the cold and from the intensity of Shizuo's gaze as those warm eyes finally fixated on him and traveled down his shoulder and along his arched spine. "…Started to…what?"

"…Try to suck me off…" Shizuo whispered, hardly able to make his dry mouth work. His tongue felt like rubber, and his throat was shut too tight to breathe.

"A…ahh..Yeah, that's probably what Celty meant."

"But I didn't let you. I mean…you managed to-"

"What did my mouth actually touch." Izaya forced out, staring at Shizuo with hard eyes. The ex-blonde's mouth tightened into a thin line and he sighed.

"Ah…just the t-tip…although you pretty much got the whole thing through my pants."

Izaya's brow heightened slightly and he smirked, "Bet I'm the first to do that~"

Shizuo groaned and ran his hand through his hair, "Good God…you just have to make an awkward conversation even more awkward."

Izaya grinned, "Of course!" But he frowned soon after and slid back into the water. He hissed as the cold water covered his torso, causing him to shiver. He closed his eyes and ducked down, letting the water cool away the blush that was rising on his cheeks.

He could feel Shizuo's eyes examining him; not his suds covered body, but rather his flushed face. He felt completely naked - no pun intended. He simply felt like Shizuo was able to see through the mask he was trying so desperately to build back up.

He couldn't allow Shizuo to see that he was actually caught off guard, that the information he just received had startled him. He had to hide the fact that he wasn't actually completely disgusted by the concept of making it to "home base" with Shizuo; that the idea was intriguing and…almost a challenge for the informant.

Shizuo could never know how much Izaya wanted to see how far he could take it.

If only he knew that Shizuo was thinking the same thing.