"You've never been to this salon before, have you?"

"Tch, like I could pay the admission fee."

"Shizu-chan, you're so silly. There is no admission fee~"

Shizuo was currently sitting in the salon chair at a high-end barber shop in the city of Shinjuku. He and Izaya decided that walking to Ikebukuro in this weather wasn't the smartest thing to do, so Izaya had showed him the salon that he went to for hair cuts.

It was…expensive, to say the least. The type of shop where you would imagine ladies of high class getting perms and mani-pedi's, while their husbands are shaved by a skilled barber. Not exactly the type of place you'd find Shizuo Heiwajima walking into.

But Izaya insisted, and agreed to pay for the dye-job. And although the brunette said that a one-time appointment wouldn't bruise his wallet, Shizuo felt guilty.

"Izaya, this place is too expensive."

"It's only expensive if you want to do all the extra stuff. We're not here for a facial or anything, so just calm down. It's just a cut and dye. Well…bleach, right?"

Shizuo sighed, "Yeah yeah, I'll go blonde again."

"Yay!~" Izaya cheered, spinning in the barber chair next to Shizuo. Shizuo chuckled and shook his head, watching as Izaya spun happily in his chair.

The entire appointment didn't seem to last long. Shizuo sat quietly in his chair while the barber bleached his hair and chatted along with Izaya. It seemed that the two knew each other well - although she called him Nakura. It bugged Shizuo to hear her flirting with her voice, calling him "Mr. Nakura" and batting her lashes at him. It pissed him off to see Izaya flirting back; that damn smirk on his face and that silky tone in his voice. He just tapped his foot in annoyance and kept himself calm during the process until she left to leave his hair to set in.

"You look like a grandma with all those aluminum rolls in your hair." Izaya giggled, poking at Shizuo's hair playfully. All he earned was a grunt of annoyance, and frowned. "Shizu-chan, your face looks stiff. Did she inject botox when I wasn't looking?" Izaya drawled, leaning over the back of his chair to rest his chin on the seat.

"They do botox here?"

Izaya snorted, "Of course not. Either way, you've had a scowl on your face the entire time. Which is starting to become slightly uncharacteristic of you."

Shizuo huffed and crossed his arms, leaning back into the chair, "Doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters." Izaya sighed, "Why wouldn't it?"

He watched Izaya carefully, staring at the reflection in the large mirror rather than at him directly. The expression on his face was a mask like usual. But his eyes reflected something different…something warmer than his usually cold demeanor.

He found it hard to not spill his guts on his feelings to someone whose eyes genuinely held concern. Luckily for him, the barber came back and started to unwrap his hair to reveal the pristine golden color that he was used to seeing. It felt good to be back to "normal". He even noticed Izaya's lips turn upwards a bit at the change.

"Much better, Shizu-chan."

From that moment on, Izaya seemed to ignore the barber as she trimmed and styled Shizuo's hair. His garnet eyes just watched Shizuo through the reflection. It made the blonde's heart swell a bit, and all he wanted was to turn to the barber and say "Button up your blouse and step off, he's mine."

He immediately flushed at the thought and blinked in an attempt to shoo it out of his mind. Izaya's eyes widened a bit with curiosity, and he raised a questioning eyebrow. Shizuo glanced away and slightly shook his head in response. Izaya shrugged at their silent conversation, and turned away to get up and move his legs.

Izaya left to pay for the appointment as the barber was finishing up. He slid the bills toward the cashier and asked for her not to mention the price. It really was a racket here, and he didn't want Shizuo harping at him later on.

"How much?"

"Discounted." Izaya quickly said as he turned to face the blonde behind him. He grinned and grabbed Shizuo's jacket from the coat rack. "Ahh, now this is the Shizu-chan I'm used to seeing. Lets go, shall we?"

Now they were on their way home, facing the brutal winter weather. Shizuo shivered as his still slightly damp, and now glistening blonde, hair clung to his face. His arms were pulled around him tightly, and his teeth chattered loudly. He hated the fact that the cold was so brutal to him, now that his immune system was that of a straw house in the fall. He felt like the wind could topple him over at any second, and that his body would break into cold sweats from some sort of virus.

Izaya, on the other hand, wasn't as worried about the snow. Yes, he was shivering almost as much as the brute. However, he wasn't worried about catching a cold. His body could handle a bit of icy wind and cold air.

He was more concerned about the blonde beside him. He didn't look as good as he used to. Izaya remembered the way they would chase each other through the streets, leaping over patches of ice and throwing snowballs-

Ok, so only Izaya was throwing the snowballs. Either way, the brute hardly even shuddered. Now he looked like a leaf clinging onto a dead tree branch during hurricane season. Shizuo coughed again, covering his mouth with his hand as his body shook.

"You ok?"

Shizuo shook his head in reply, clearing his throat as another tickle threatened to bubble up to the surface. "Maybe going out today wasn't a smart move." He rasped, chuckling a bit as they stopped at an intersection.

"Mmm…perhaps not. However, what was with that moment in the shop? You suddenly got all flushed."

"I'll talk about it later…let's just get home."

Izaya looked around, seeing that more people were stopping to watch them; eyes wide and mouth slightly agape as they whispered to each other about the sight before them.

Yes, yes. Keep talking and keep spreading the word. The monster and the parasite have finally teamed up. Izaya thought to himself bitterly with a sigh. In all his years of knowing Shizuo, this truly is the most interesting outcome.

"S-shit…Flea."

Izaya looked over at Shizuo, whose face was gleaming in cold sweat and goose bumps. His normally warm eyes were cold and his mouth quivered. Izaya noticed the small fleck of red on the blonde's slightly blue lips, and felt his stomach drop. He quickly reached over and took Shizuo's hand to examine the handkerchief in his hands.

Smeared along the white fabric was small splatters of blood. Izaya closed his hand around Shizuo's, ignoring the unsanitary fact that he was holding Shizuo's hand through the bloody fabric. He dragged the blonde through an alleyway, using his knowledge of the city to lead them.

"Izaya-"

"Don't talk."

Shizuo nodded quietly, covering his mouth with his free hand as he coughed a bit more. The burn in his throat made tears prick in his eyes. It hurt to breathe in, and he winced when his chest constricted.

Izaya could feel the coughs rattling Shizuo's bones when the blonde's hand tightened around his own. He pulled him faster, urging him to jog to keep up. They had to get inside as fast as they could, and if his memory map was correct…

Izaya led them out of the alley, and was pleased to see that Izaya's apartment complex was just across the street. "Alright, almost home." he panted, the icy air burning his lungs as well.