Chapter 28: Different reasons, same actions
And suddenly it was gone.
The light feeling of freedom. Efficiently like a bear trap clutching a poor man's leg it gnawed its way into Izaya's flesh.
His throat constricted and a flush of cold raced down his spine.
"...when?" he whispered softly. He didn't bother to hide the dread he felt in his voice as Shizuo was very well aware of what kind of man that bastard was.
"Tomorrow evening, maybe the day after," the king informed curtly before clicking his tongue in annoyance, "That sick son of a whore said he wants to make sure his daughter is recovering from the illness that befell her."
Ah.
That was a good bluff.
As expected of his father.
But Izaya's current situation-
The fleeting feeling of safety drifted away as quickly as it had come as Izaya felt the all too well known father's clutch.
How was he supposed to explain why he was still alive?
Eyes fazed he swallowed as he palmed his forehead.
"He will realize won't he?" Instant knives of fear pierced Izaya's chest as he realized all Shizuo was willing to do for him would be in vain as soon as his father suspected they were working together.
Shizuo noticed Izaya's fear as well and it only fuelled his anger towards Izaya's father.
"We will make sure he won't," he assured, but only soft, sad laughter met his ears as Izaya shook his head.
Turning his face nothing but sadness was inscribed in Izaya's expression.
"... are you sure you should be doing this?"
Izaya had managed to throw Shizuo off guard as he struggled to comprehend what his new "queen" was talking about.
"What?" A soft sigh left Izaya's lips as he explained. "You are trying to gain a reputation as a righteous king. If they discovered you married a guy and even helped with the disguise-"
Ah.
So that's what this was about.
Relief was the only emotion Shizuo felt as he leant back on his chair.
"I don't care." This time it was Izaya's turn to remain perplexed as he turned his head to glance at Shizuo.
"Shizuo, you are the king." But nothing except a hard, unapologetic gaze was expressed as Shizuo seemed less than fazed by his comment.
"So what?" he asked, as if he were stating the sky was blue. "I didn't choose to be. If being a king means I have to act according to other people's wishes then they should all just go to hell."
It was scary. Not in a way in which Izaya would feel any negative emotion towards Shizuo, no, but giving less than a damn about what the population thought had been the downfall of a few kingdoms. Shizuo's ambition and intention might be good, but what good would that do once the folk started a rebellion?
"Bold, I wouldn't include that in a speech," Izaya pointed out, and despite the recognition flaring in Shizuo's eyes he still seemed incredibly nonchalant as he did nothing but shrug.
"I'm a warrior. A knight. A monster. They can all go ahead and find more names to call me if it pleases them."
Ah.
Right.
Izaya couldn't help but feel his expression slip as he tried to understand the flawed logic Shizuo was following- but was it even flawed?
He was right.
Shizuo cared about his kingdom, about the people in it, apart from not knowing how to act around aristocracy he was what anyone would have loved to have as their king.
But at the end of the day that was never something Shizuo signed up for. If it got down to it he would screw the job of governing and simply return to his old profession. Being a knight, a warrior as he put it, someone that actually protected the people.
A soft chuckle bubbled forth from Izaya's lips as he shook his head softly.
"I swear you are so…."
Shizuo frowned, although amused. "What?"
It was funny, really.
Any other king would have sacrificed anything to remain in their position. To have power, to have a near infinite stream of money, prestige and an army as well as the folk at their bidding.
Not Shizuo. It baffled Izaya as much as it was relieving but the king had nothing to lose.
Sighing, he let his head lean on the tip of his palm as he smiled at Shizuo. "You are just unpredictable, I guess."
Loud protests of wood being forced to move against its will reached both their ears as the door the doctor had previously disappeared through opened once more.
Said man wiped a sprinkle of dust that had fallen from the ceiling off his shoulder as he nodded towards the two.
"Done?" he questioned, and it took Izaya longer than it should have to realize that he was talking about their conversation.
Raising a brow, Shizuo couldn't quite hide his displeasure of having the doctor reappear so soon.
"How come you are so keen to work? Should I be concerned?" His voice sounded serious and a tad too cold, considering the amount of trust the king had expended when talking about the doctor before.
Nothing but a shrug was given as the doctor resumed moving to the steaming pot by the fireplace. The liquid he had left earlier had lost some of its height and increased its density. "Depends."
A brief pause followed as Shizuo seemed to hesitate on his question, but then he asked, and his voice sounded gentler than anything Izaya had ever heard.
"He says he is fine, is he right?"
It took Izaya a full second to realize Shizuo was talking about him. About his condition. Worry swayed thick in the king's words and somehow Izaya felt the need to calm him down.
"Hey, 'He' is in the same room you know," he joked, feigning offense as the doctor moved over to the bedside. Awkward Izaya shifted slightly as the guy of healing profession executed a few simple movements- one of which was leaning in close enough to feel his brown hair tickle his skin.
A few hums were made, a few nods given and a glance cast as he spoke, "As far as I can tell both his breathing and overall constitution have returned to regularity. The fact that he passed out is probably mostly attributed to his circumstances."
Izaya blinked. A snort escaped his lips as he realized what the doctor was implying.
"Are you trying to tell me dressing as a woman made me sick?" he laughed disbelieving- but to his surprise the doctor didn't seem as amused by his joke as Izaya was.
"Not quite but also yes. Sadly I don't have much time to delve into my newest research so if you were so kind, please leave." A smile settled on his expression the whole time, despite his eyes not mimicking the same.
He was obviously toying with Izaya.
Which was kinda rude and direct. But also- sympathetic in a really weird way?
Shizuo frowned, "Leave? Are you sure about that?"
"You have ears, you should have heard me."
Wow. It seemed this doctor was just as used to speaking whatever the hell was on his mind as Shizuo was. Izaya couldn't quite believe what he was watching.
Any other man of higher standing, not to mention a king or aristocracy would have beheaded or at least punished the doctor for such a show of disrespect.
But this one?
Either these two had been friends for longer than they could count or the doctor was just skilled enough to get away with no consequences.
A gentle nod was all that was given as Shizuo turned to face his "queen".
"You heard him."
Creaking softly the bed protested as the king took his weight off its sides. Room was made and the dress laid bare on the blanket.
"Take your time."
And with that the king left the doctor's chamber.
A glance was casts sideways at the doctor who was still tending to his various bottles and crafts, but he seemed to pay Izaya no mind as he slipped out of bed.
Unsteady but not heavily impaired in his movements, Izaya noted that the tight feeling in his chest had considerably dimmed. Same accounted for the exhaustion he had felt prior.
Grasping the soft material of a dark emerald dress he brought the fabric closer to his frame.
No corset.
Inhaling deeply Izaya closed his eyes for a moment as he prepared himself for what was to come. He thought the wedding would be his death bed.
Now he was here, putting on yet another dress this time on the king's orders. He just hoped Shizuo knew what he was doing.
Layer after layer slithered across his skin. Garments, scraps of silk and jewelry were adjusted swiftly. He had gained a fair amount of experience regarding the topic of woman clothing and how to wear it- and with it a certain tinge of embarrassment as he kept casting glances towards the doctor.
It was one thing to wear the dress and pretend to be a woman when no one who knew was present.
… but like this?
To his relief the doctor didn't turn once, however and before long he scurried out of the room.
No words of thanks nor a syllable of departure left his lips as he exited the chamber.
"Are you in a rush?" a bit startled Izaya pressed the door to the chamber shut with more fervor than he had intended to.
Ah.
Shizuo.
Leaning against the wall he was looking at his new queen- had he waited for him to get dressed?
Looking up and down as if he were comparing his knowledge to what his eyes were seeing he assessed Izaya's outfit.
It was awkward and uncomfortable to say the least.
"Could you stop staring?" Izaya requested, feeling even more out of place than he already was.
A blink followed, hints of surprise flashed across Shizuo's face and suddenly the king stifled a laugh.
"Kinda cute how it only bothers you now."
The heat sprang faster to Izaya's face than he was able to gather offense. "You-!"
"My lady!" Quicker than Izaya had thought possible his guts dropped and the artificial embarrassment dissipated. It had been the maids who had called out.
Arranged in front of the castle busily hustling their daily duties they had spotten Izaya through a window in the hall.
Like a set of bees finally having found their queen they lifted their skirts as they hurridly advanced into the direction of the castle's entrance.
All embarrassment forgotten, it was a hint of fear that suddenly clutched Izaya in a cold grip instead. As if he had suddenly forgotten his role and how to act he felt his body involuntary tense.
Shizuo noticed and before Izaya knew it he was pulled close by his waist. The cheerful faces of Izaya's maids appeared down in the hall as Shizuo whispered.
"Just act the same as you did before. Lay low. Rest," a short pause followed as the maids advanced the stairs. Eyes of hot chocolate directed themselves at Izaya. "And inform me if anything feels off."
Ah.
Again.
"Are you leaving?" Izaya found himself matching Shizuo's volume.
"I'm going to search the area, personally."
"For-" Izaya faded out, not even daring to say out loud what this was about.
Shizuo nodded. "Seeing how even one of our closest merchants was involved with your father I don't want any word to get out."
Izaya was undeserving of this amount of generosity. No shred of regret or resentment lingered in Shizuo's eyes.
He was a saint, really.
"... so you can be smart sometimes." Izaya joked, albeit gently, with no bite and Shizuo smiled.
"Lady Kururi!" Mika was the first to catch up to the married couple.
Pure worry was written all across her expression as her voice reached an octave higher than usual.
"Mika-" Before Izaya could even start to assure the maid of his well being she had already grasped both of his hands in an undeniably pure show of honest care.
"How are you feeling? Are you okay? Do you feel unwell, my lady?" Her eyes glittered with what might as well have been a sign of her being close to tears as Izaya quickly stuttered.
"I'm fine, I-"
"Oh thank goddess!" she exclaimed, "When we heard you collapsed we were worried sick- Why didn't you tell us you were feeling unwell?"
Ah.
A good question-
"You put so much effort into preparing the wedding I didn't want your efforts to go to waste," the gentle smile Izaya mustered in company to his words seemed to convince the maids present.
An exasperated sigh followed from the calmest maid as Clairence adjusted her glasses.
"That's an unwise decision."
"She is right! We only prepared everything the way it was so you would have the best day of your life. It's for you to enjoy, our present to you!"
Izaya couldn't help but find the corners of his lips curling upwards. The maids continued in their show of care and worry, many more complaints followed and acted like balm to Izaya's ears.
Somehow he was suddenly very happy he was able to spend more time with them.
Turning around it was the king that left the happy reunion first.
"Just a moment-" Izaya interrupted Mika in the middle of her summary of the wedding and an exceptionally detailed vocabulary dedicated to how gorgeous Izaya, the bride, had been.
Following the king Izaya could hear the maids squeal quietly as they undoubtedly thought he would whisper sweet nothings into his husband's ear.
"What is it?" Shizuo halted as Izaya leaned it. He expected another request, maybe worries he needed to extinguish- what he did not see coming was Izaya's expression of simple joy.
Gratitude.
And relief. As well as the captivating smile that marked it.
"Thank you."
It was a simple guesture, an expected one too, and yet Shizuo somehow didn't know how to deal with it.
"Don't thank me yet, there is still a lot of work to do," he whispered quietly, his hand finding its way to his neck as he tried to get rid of the tingling feeling that suddenly befell his mind. He wasn't used to have someone face him this unfazed and honest. The butlers and maids were one thing, but Izaya-
Was it weird that he liked the guy despite having pretended to be his bride?
"You did enough as it is already," Izaya enforced and Shizuo felt his sense of reason slip as he glanced at his queen. A queen that was a man. A brother. Worried about his siblings, with a body that worked against him and yet a mind that shone so brilliantly against all other's Shizuo had seen.
Was it really so odd that it captivated him more than any other person ever had?
Honestly.
Reaching out he brought Izaya closer than he had obviously expected him to.
His black hair tickled Shizuo's neck as he whispered. "Take care of yourself, okay?"
It was a clear order, yet filled with care. Izaya couldn't help but notice how tall the king was.
And his scent.
For some reason he smelled like freshly bloomed lavender.
But as surprising as the action had been, it had also been a short one as the king quickly nodded towards Izaya, before walking down the aisle.
"My lady, is everything okay?" Mika asked, and snapped Izaya out of his thoughts.
"Of course."
His father was coming, his siblings had to be found, it was a race against time wasn't it? That's why Shizuo left in such a hurry.
This whole facade.
He had to keep it going until they were found.
Picking up the rim of his dress he lifted it slightly as he joined his servants with an optimistic smile.
"Shall we continue?"
End of Act 1
to be continued~
Alright so we are halfway, or one third through the story hahahah depends on how long this story will get xDDD
Anyway~! Now the fun part starts xD Be ready for some lovely sparks 3 3 C: C: C: