Oh my God, did someone seriously read all 71 chapters in two days? ;w; ohmygodohmygod people only do that with the good stories! -screams- Thank you so so much for reading! Ahh it means so much to me! And of course, thank you for all the wonderful comments!
They rushed across the street and hurried inside, shivering when the gust of warm air hit them. Immediately their chilled bones started to thaw. But the dry heat of the air didn't help with Shizuo's breathing. The dust that hovered in the air and started a second coughing fit that had him buckling over to try and breathe.
Izaya pulled Shizuo across the lobby, moving at a pace that Shizuo could keep up with. Instinctively, he headed for the stairwell, but paused. He glanced at Shizuo and knew that the blonde wouldn't be able to handle the stairs right now. Behind him, the whoosh of elevator doors opened.
Izaya whirled around and saw two businessmen walking out, leaving an empty elevator in their wake. Without giving himself a change to second-guess himself, he dragged Shizuo into the elevator. He didn't allow himself the time to think about how he was still apprehensive to step inside one. He didn't think about the way the machine creaked as it started its ascent. He only focused on the warmth that slowly built up in their intertwined hands. He found the comfort and security in Shizuo's tight hold.
As soon as the elevator opened, the duo hurried to Izaya's door and struggled to open it. Izaya momentarily thought that they could resemble two horny teenagers trying to get inside just to get out of their clothes. He snorted with amusement, and slipped inside once Shizuo got the door open.
"H-hey, where are you taking me?"
"Bathroom."
"Why?"
Izaya tugged Shizuo into the small half-bath, and closed the door. He forced Shizuo to sit on the toilet and turned on the shower to the highest and hottest setting. He left the shower curtain open, allowing the slowly building steam to leak into the bathroom.
"Louse, you shouldn't be running the water like that! You'll just run up the bill…" Shizuo rasped, watching as Izaya frantically stripped down the bathroom in search of medicines.
"I don't care about the bill."
"Then let me pay for the utili-"
"I'll pay for it."
"Flea…you've been paying a lot for me."
Izaya whipped his head back at Shizuo and narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth. "Does it look like I care?"
Shizuo paused for a moment, watching Izaya as he turned back to dig in the medicine cabinet for cough medicine. From the way he looked so nervous outside and how eager he was to find cough syrup, Shizuo could guess that Izaya was genuinely worried for his well being. He coughed again, covering his mouth with the handkerchief.
"Yeah, it looks like you care."
Izaya grabbed the dark red bottle from the cabinet, Izaya sat on the ground in front of Shizuo and unscrewed the cap. He wrinkled his nose as the sickly sweet tang of the cough syrup invaded his nose. He poured the thick liquid into the cap, eyeing it carefully as he measured out the right dose.
"Don't confuse caring with idle concern…." Izaya grumbled, refusing to look up at the blonde sitting in front of him. Although he could tell that the brute had already read through his wavering mask.
He was concerned. He did care more than he should. He wanted Shizuo to feel better…
"Here." Izaya sighed, handing the cap to Shizuo, "Drink this and sit in here for a while. The steam will be easier on your lungs than dry air. When your chest doesn't hurt, come out."
"Come out? Where are you going?" Shizuo choked after he forced the bitter syrup down. At least it was better than pills.
Izaya stood up and took the cap from Shizuo and put the bottle back into the cabinet over the sink. Without an answer, he slid out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.
Shizuo growled in annoyance and leaned back, closing his eyes as his head rested against the back wall. He could hear Izaya rummaging around in his kitchen, and assumed that the flea was making something to eat. His stomach grumbled a bit, and he day dreamed about delicious, yet over-expensive, foods as he sat in the steam.
After almost an hour of sitting alone in the bathroom, Shizuo's coughing spells had died away, and his raspy throat had healed a bit. He turned off the shower, nearly burning his hand as the boiling water splashed on his skin, and left the bathroom. The cold of the hallway made him shiver instantly, but he felt that he could breathe easier than in the steamed bathroom.
His body felt sticky and hot, and goose bumps crawled up his skin as he made his way into the hall. Delectable scents swirled around him as he turned the corner to see Izaya in front of the stove, stirring the contents of a large pot with a wooden spoon.
"Feeling better?" Izaya asked, not looking up from the stew as he reached above the stove to grab some spices from the cabinet.
"Yeah, much better. The steam helped clear my head too." Shizuo croaked as he walked up next to Izaya to look inside the pot. "What smells so good?"
"Beef stew." Izaya picked up a bowl of pre-chopped onions and peppers and poured them into the pot, stirring as they piled up on the surface. "I hope you like hearty food."
"Yeah, I love stew." Shizuo smiled, "Need any help?"
The brunette shook his head, "No, it's fine. It'll be ready once the vegetables simmer down. You just go sit at the table like a good boy."
Shizuo rolled his eyes and walked past Izaya, dragging his hand against the brunette's scalp and messing up his neat hair as he passed. Izaya hissed and batted Shizuo's hand away, glaring at him as he tried to pat it back down. Shizuo laughed, albeit ragged, and sat down at the table. He watched contentedly as Izaya flitted around the kitchen, stirring the stew occasionally as he pulled out bowls and silverware.
"You know…"
Izaya glanced back at Shizuo when he spoke. Shizuo grinned and bit and crossed his arms with amusement.
"All you need is an apron and you'd look like a housewife."
Izaya scowled before a grin tugged at his lips, "Are you suggesting you want to see me in an apron?~"
The blonde shrugged, "That'd be a sight to see." Izaya simply shook his head and proceeded to ladle in the hearty stew into a large bowl. "Ahh, I was thinking. Since the weather is getting too damned cold for you lungs to handle, I think it'd be best if I came to visit you. The less time you spend outdoors, the faster you'll get better."
Shizuo was surprised at the offer. He was still amazed at how willing Izaya was to go out of his way to help Shizuo. "Thanks…that means a lot."
Izaya didn't respond, but simply carried the steaming bowl to the table and placed it in front of Shizuo, handing him a spoon. "It's hot. So don't burn your tongue or anything. We don't want you hurting your throat any more than it is now."
"How sweet, Iza-chan is worried about my health~"
Izaya whipped around, gritting his teeth as he clenched his fist with annoyance, "What did you just call me?"
"Iza-chan." Shizuo grinned, scooping up a spoonful of the stew and blowing on it.
"Don't call me that." Izaya huffed, pouring himself a small bowl of soup. He heard Shizuo laugh and sighed, glaring at the blonde out of the corner of his eyes.
"Why? Isn't is the same thing as you calling me Shizu-chan?"
"Completely different!" Izaya argued, bringing his bowl to the table and setting it down before he went to get drinks.
"Really? What makes Shizu-chan and Iza-chan so different?"
"You're saying it out of spite and to piss me off. I say it as a term of en-" Izaya paused, biting back his words. "Term of indifference."
"What the hell does that mean?" Shizuo grumbled.
"Just eat your soup." Izaya mumbled as he opened the fridge and reached inside, using the door as a shield to hide his red face as he ducked down. He pulled out a can of iced tea and a bottle of strawberry milk. He closed the door with his hip and walked to the table, sitting down and sliding the milk toward Shizuo.
He blinked with confusion as he opened the cap, "Strawberry milk? Why do you have this? You hate sweet stuff."
Izaya blew on his food as he stirred, "You were running out. Besides, you're here often, so might as well stock up."
"Oh…" Shizuo paused to watch Izaya eat, smiling as he sipped the refreshing beverage. When Izaya looked back up, Shizuo was wiping away the pink mustache. The blonde smiled at him, setting his bottle down, "Thanks."
Red eyes focuses on the bowl of soup, and Izaya swallowed back the strange swirling in his stomach. He suddenly wasn't all that hungry. He forced a spoonful down, mumbling a "You're welcome" as he did so.
After a few more forced mouthfuls, he sighed and pushed his bowl away, sipping at his ice tea. "So Shizu-chan, what happened back at the barber shop, hmm?"
Shizuo choked a bit on his soup, and guzzled the milk down to the last drop as he tried to come up with some sort of excuse.
"Ahh…" he licked his lips, setting the glass on the table as he went to scoop another mouthful of the delicious stew Izaya had made…but found that his bowl was empty. Damn… "I was just thinking of things."
"What sort of things?"
Shizuo sighed, knowing that he couldn't get Izaya off the subject. "It's stupid."
"Most things you say are stupid, but that never stopped me from being interested, now has it?"
"Flea…"
Izaya stood up, collecting his dishes and Shizuo's. "Shizu-chan, whatever you were pondering back then isn't going to be the worst thing I've heard. Many of my clients have slipped up on evil thoughts that I'm sure would sicken you. So I'm sure your pure little amoeba of a mind isn't thinking of horrible things." Too tired to deal with cleaning the dishes, he simply placed them in the sink before heading back to the table with a yawn.
"Well…I guess." Shizuo grumbled, knowing that Izaya was right, no matter how rudely he put it.
Izaya slumped back into his chair, resting his head in his palm. "So? What was on your mind that made you ripen up like a tomato?"
Shizuo felt his cheeks flushing again as he played he drew invisible shapes in the wood grain of the table. "The woman working on my hair was just pissing me off."
"Pissing you off? Isn't that my job?" Izaya chuckled. Shizuo shrugged, sighing.
"Yeah. But it was just bugging me how she was…"
"How she was what?"
Shizuo slammed his hands on the table with a frustrated sigh, "God dammit, didn't you notice the way she was ogling at you? She freaking unbuttoned her blouse for fucks sake!"
Izaya blinked and grinned, laughing lightheartedly, "Oh Shizu-chan, are you doubting my observation skills?" He stretched lazily, leaning on his chair with his head lolled to the side. "I was perfectly aware that she wanted me to be the tip~"
"Then why didn't you do anything to stop her?" Shizuo growled, clenching his fist. Izaya smirked and closed his eyes until they were half lidded.
"Why would I have to?"
"Tch…" Shizuo grunted and stood up reaching into his breast pocket to grab a piece of gum. "Just cause."
"Oooh, so precise. Really now, that's no good reason to make someone not look at me." Izaya laughed, holding his sides lightly. Shizuo took a deep breath to calm himself as he angrily chewed at the gum that was a bit too sweet for his tastes right now.
"It's cause you're not a god damn piece of meat. You shouldn't be comfortable with people eyeing you like that."
Izaya blinked, scanning his eyes over Shizuo's expression and his body language. "Why is this such a big deal for you, Shizu-chan?"
"Cause I'm the only one who should be looking at you. Cause I'm the only fucking person who doesn't think of you as eye-candy or as a potential one night stand. Unlike all those others out there, I actually care more about than how you look." Shizuo felt his cheeks and ears on fire, and stared hard at the floor, sighing. "I'm the only one who deserves it, ok? So just don't fucking let people get like that."
A jolt shot through Izaya's spine, causing him to stiffen in his seat. His heart skipped a beat faster, and his eyes widened ever so slightly. He felt his cheeks dusting pink as he stared longer at the blonde who had pretty much said "I care for you. And I'm jealous of everyone else because I can't stare at you." Or something along those lines. Izaya couldn't really focus too much on that at the moment, with all the thoughts rushing through his mind.
He took a long and deep breath, getting to his feet as he walked toward the blonde. He didn't know why he was moving forward. Or why he was brushing so close to the blonde as he walked pass.
He didn't understand why he hooked his finger on the bartender's shirt and pulled him closer, so their nose barely brushed and their breath mingled together for a moment as the blonde inhaled quickly.
He questioned why he whispered, "Don't worry Shizu-chan, you're the only one I want staring at me anyways~" in that sultry voice he normally saved for desperate measures.
Was it for the reaction Shizuo gave when his honey eyes dilated and he licked his lips slightly, cheeks flushed and body stiff as he watched Izaya walk out of the kitchen and toward his desk? That's what Izaya told himself. He didn't want to admit to himself, let alone to the blonde, that he was in fact enjoying being this close. That he was hoping Shizuo would take the hint and make a move. That he desperately needed that familiar feeling that hauntingly lingered on his lips.