-๑-๑ ஜ ๑-Chapter 47: Glow up -๑ ஜ ๑-๑-

"Alright stop here."

Vigilant eyes scanned their surroundings as Mairu looked around the car.

The window had been opened and she leaned a bit too far for Shizuo's taste.

Grasping her leg out of reflex the girl blinked at him.

"Usually people wait until the second date."

"What- No-" Flushing furiously, Shizuo let go. "Don't lean out if the window that far- it's dangerous-"

Mairu merely laughed as she opened the door.

"We were going so slow even a granny would have beat us in speed," she shrugged as she got out of the car.

Following right after without speaking another word her sister joined her in her run and Shizuo struggled with his seatbelt before dashing after the two.

"This is the place?" he asked upon catching up.

Scanning the key that was resting in Mairu's palm she nodded.

"Seems like it."

An address had been written on a piece of paper that was stuck to the thick end. It looked just as shady as the flea to be honest.

"And you are sure no one knows about it?" Shizuo asked, feeling as though they were being watched.

They had turned into a relatively lifeless part of the city.

Run down buildings, trash on the street- he could see how there would be apartments being rented or bought without the owner asking too many questions.

The area reeked of crime- not exactly something Shizuo was too fond of.

"Iza-nii said so," Mairu shrugged, stepping up a flight of stairs.

The amount of trust these siblings seemed to have was quite flabbergasting. Not a shred of doubt had clouded her words.

Following the two Shizuo considered it his own duty to remain cautious for all three of them.

Just because Izaya had bought this place didn't mean it remained safe. What if some homeless guy had taken the empty flat as an invitation to stay?

It was upon approaching the door with the number 75 that Shizuo realized just how baseless his worries had been.

"Alright, here we are," Mairu announced, as if she were coming here daily.

An array of various locks was attached to the front door serving as more than just definite assurance that no one had gotten inside the building without permission.

Unlocking one after the other the door finally opened after a few seconds that felt like ages.

Shizuo knew they were being followed and standing on the second floor of an apartment complex where someone could potentially spot them wasn't exactly something he fancied.

Only when he entered the flat did he feel at least a part of his anxiety drop.

"Fancy!" Mairu exclaimed as she looked around the apartment.

Considering the run down area it was located the inside knew nothing of it.

There was a huge TV in the middle of the living room, along with an expensive couch. The kitchen had also been replaced by one that met the most recent standards and Shizuo didn't even need to continue looking around to know the rest of the flat probably reflected Izaya's tastes in the same way.

It was in these kinds of moments that Shizuo remembered just what kind of money Izaya earned on a daily basis.

"Ah, perfect! I'm starving-" rummaging was to be heard from the kitchen as Mairu dug through the various shelves.

Cans and loads of durable food were stuffed in every possible slot.

Pulling a can of ready made ravioli in a can from the shelf Mairu quickly fished a pan out of the lower kitchen drawers.

"Kururi, do you want some too?" A soft nod was given by the twin sister as she casually took her seat next to the counter.

This flat- it was obviously made as a hideout for the worst case.

The sheer amount of food stored here was enough to survive at least a couple months without having to go outside.

The windows were all taped with blurry plastic foil to prevent anyone from looking inside.

Stepping into what seemed to be a bedroom, Shizuo faced a king sized bed.

A huge dresser was placed next to it.

It was filled to the brim with clothing.

But not just any kind.

Suits, in both Izaya's as well as his sister's sizes. Blouses, trousers, dresses- hell there were dresses for Izaya too. Even wigs-

A bit confused, Shizuo looked at the immense variety of attires until it clicked.

These weren't meant for daily life. They were bought to serve as disguises.

A hint of uselessness befell the blond as he saw himself confronted with what could only be described as perfect preparation.

Shizuo had done, what? Called his brother and told him to leave the country?

Destroying his phone to not get tracked was probably the closest he came in terms of thinking ahead.

"You too?"

Startled by the unexpected presence of the girl behind him, Shizuo turned.

Kururi was standing there with a plate of freshly cooked ravioli at hand.

Feeling his expression relax he mustered a smile.

"Yeah. Thank you."

"Hey, it's bad manners to eat in the bedroom!"

Having heard the call from the kitchen, Shizuo snorted as he followed the girl to join her sister.

"You hotwire a car and tell me about manners?" Shizuo asked upon entering the living room.

Mairu merely shrugged as she slipped onto a chair by the table. One leg propped up and her hand resting on her knee as she stabbed some of the ravioli onto the fork only seemed to highlight Shizuo's words.

It was then that a weird sound filled the silence.

"What-"

Vibrations stemming from the kitchen's counter forced their attention towards the living room.

Ah.

It was his phone!

Dropping the plate he had been carrying he quickly fished for the device.

An impatient voice greeted him before he was even able to speak.

"Dr. Itsuka? Prefecture Nagasaki speaking, your client requested his lawyer's appearance."

Confusion ruled Shizuo's mind for a second as he looked at the phone then back at the number. This was the police. And the captive he talked about-

"Sir, did you hear me?" the gruff voice repeated and Shizuo snapped back into motion.

"Ah, yes of course. Sorry the connection was bad. My client, we are talking about Orihara Izaya, right?" A low sigh followed as the officer seemed more than fed up having to do this call in the first place.

"Yes. You are expected at 5:30pm at the designated police station."

They wanted to see him?

Questions over questions roamed through Shizuo's head within seconds. What did Izaya want? Could he help? Wouldn't they recognize him? Did he want Shizuo to contact his real lawyer?

Shizuo barely managed to mumble a quick, "Thank you for your call," before the line died.

Phone at hand as though he could get his answers from it if he just stared long enough at the screen the two siblings drew close.

"Who was that?" Kururi asked with her nimble voice. Worry defined her words.

Mairu seemed to be similarly concerned as she had abandoned her ravioli and seat at the table.

"Come on don't make us guess, what happened?"

How was he supposed to answer that? He didn't have a clue himself-

"... the police called. Izaya asked for a lawyer and-" finally realization dropped as he recalled the way they addressed him. Izaya giving the wrong phone number seemed highly unlikely. And if it was Shizuo he wanted them to call then he obviously required his own appearance. "They think I am the lawyer," Shizuo realized as he glanced at the now dark screen once more.

In other words-

"That probably means Izaya needs to talk to you." Mairu concluded, finishing Shizuo's thoughts.

A smile drew upon Kururi's features as she nodded.

"Disguise."

Showing the same beaming smile in return Kururi clapped her hands. "Right!"

Oh god.

"What?" Shizuo asked. He didn't like where this was leading.

Like two devils in disguise the twins approached him with pleased expressions.

"It's time for a makeover!"

.

.

.

Shizuo had expected a lot, really. Silly jokes, unnecessary plans and definitely not anything resembling help.

But he had been wrong.

Meticulously, as if changing someone's persona on a daily basis they kept matching the entire variety of clothes available in the closet inside the bedroom.

Suits, ties, shirts- Shizuo hated shopping for a reason and changing into all these different outfits sure got on his nerves.

But they were giving their best.

Humming Mairu stood before Shizuo as she looked at his newest outfit.

"No can do, you still look the same." She announced displeased.

Looking down at himself, Shizuo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"How so?" Fabrics of dark satin and a pair of pants that had never suited him better wrapped around his body paired with an atrocious tie that displayed colors he didn't know were legal.

"Your expression." Mairu pointed out, stepping just a little bit closer so her finger almost touched the furrow in his eyebrows.

Kururi agreed. "Angry."

"You look annoyed."

"Evil."

"Like scum."

"Hey-" not exactly helping his expression to relax at all these awful descriptions Shizuo shoved the finger aside.

"What? It's the truth," Mairu shrugged as she backed off, "We can't have you recognized, right?" Again she looked inside the creative box filled with appearance changing supplies.

Shizuo knew she was right. He couldn't let himself be caught.

If the police realized he was the same guy they were looking for Izaya's only chance to communicate what he needed would be gone.

"... okay what do you suggest?" he sighed softly.

The siblings turned, looking at each other- and suddenly Mairu had a can at hand.

A glance was cast towards the inscription on top and suddenly they smiled like devils in disguise and Shizuo just knew what was going to follow was nothing he would like.

Bottles were shook, foliage pulled from the kitchen and so the rustling began.

Brush after brush the white gooey liquid was poured onto Shizuo's hair.

He used to dye his hair blond all the time, sometimes even by himself so he knew there was not much these two could mess up, but god heavens.

It was hard to trust them.

Leaving his eyes closed as the fumes stung his eyes the blond remained quiet as they proceeded with their work.

He could feel one of them move around his body multiple times. Probably Kururi. She was slower and more careful in her movement. Mairu meanwhile seemed to have the time of her life as she continued pulling at his roots like there was no tomorrow.

Water met his head out of nowhere and Shizuo was suddenly very glad he had kept his eyes closed in the first place.

"Dryer." Mairu announced, acting as if she were a surgeon in the middle of an operation. Shizuo could almost envision how Kururi handed her said device.

Loud and hostile the mechanic device hissed as she dried his hair. Only after a few minutes he dared to open his eyes, of course without much result as his hair was sitting on top of his head and no mirror at hand.

Gathering like two artists in the middle of admiring their work the two stood before him as they scanned him from head to toe.

A tub was opened with what Shizuo recognized to be gel as a familiar scent of nightclubs and expensive cocktails filled his nose.

"Damn you don't look half bad actually." Mairu commented curtly after trailing through Shizuo's hair.

Kururi nodded in agreement. "Good."

Grasping one of the longer strands of hair Mairu hummed. "We could cut it too, just to make sure."

Shizuo quickly jerked away.

"No way in hell, come anywhere near me with that scissor and I'm out of here." Muffled laughter followed as the girl cocked her eyebrow.

"Where would you run to?"

Kururi didn't exactly help as she muttered, "Bridge."

Satisfaction spread across Mairu's face as she nodded.

"Ah yeah, he could pretend to be homeless."

"Hey-" how the hell could those two girls be this frustrating to deal with?

They were smart.

Witty.

And had no filter whatsoever.

They were really just like Izaya.

But worse.

Rummaging in another box the two had brought from the bedroom, Mairu suddenly approached. Fingers skillfully trailing along his wrist an expensive looking watch suddenly took its place on his skin. Number plate sparkling with a set of carefully crafted engravings the rest was held quite simple in polished obsidian. It felt heavy- and Shizuo was by no means weak.

A needle sparkling with a single stone of blue was attached to his necktie and a set of manchetts were clipped to his sleeves.

"Alright, done. This should do the trick," Mairu announced as she held out a suitcase matching Shizuo's overall look.

The quizzical expression on Shizuo's face must have given away his doubt as Kururi quickly headed for the bathroom.

A mirror twice the size of the sibling was dragged outside and turned with maximum effort as Shizuo rose from the chair.

The result was beyond recognition.

Shizuo always wore these bartender suits, so he didn't think putting something similar on would be beneficial, but damn.

The dark blue coat fit him like a glove, the black shirt matched better than he thought it to and was only enhanced by the silver reflecting from his few pieces of jewelry.

And his hair- god dammit they had dyed it black. All strands of hair that usually bothered Shizuo as they brushed past his ears and eyes had been taken care of as they were pulled back by the gel Mairu used earlier. It felt actually nice to have his hair in one place for once. They had done an unbelievably good job.

He looked extremely professional-

"Alright, anything else?" Mairu questioned as she handed over Shizuo's phone. A new cover had been put around it to match the outfit.

"Finished." Kururi answered before Shizuo could reply.

Taking a deep breath Shizuo glanced at his new watch.

5pm.

"Remember you are a lawyer now. Don't act like someone's out for you," Mairu reminded as she flipped out her phone to search for the fastest route back to the station.

Shizuo frowned while looking at the mirror.

"That's easier said than done."

"You can do it."

A route was found and Mairu quickly flashed her screen towards Shizuo with a smile. "You shouldn't run into anyone you know if you go this way."

These girls-

Rolling his shoulders Shizuo quickly reached for his tie to adjust its angle. He wanted to take at least a second to prepare himself for the act but it seemed the girls had different plans as they opened the door.

Forcing the frown off his expression Shizuo headed for the door.

"Don't open the door for a stranger-" a roll of eyes was given as Mairu shoved at his back.

"Come on, get moving!" and with that the door was shut.

Just like that.

Turning around, Shizuo faced the empty street.

"This better work out, damnit."

to be continued~

Yoooo sorry for taking so long to update xD Was sick for quite a while haha but now I'm fine again~ :3

I only managed 3 updates this week, but I will try make it 5 again next Saturday xD