Chapter 64: Challenged
"Here," Quicker than Izaya expected, Roy returned to their table. Along with a fresh serving of stew and potatoes. "You looked like you wanted some." Retaking his seat from before he lazily sipped away at a glass of water.
Looking at the served meal and arguably tempting offer Izaya hummed.
"Trying to shut me up?" he asked while reaching for the spoon that came with the plate.
Roy seemed to have calmed down considerably in this short break he had given himself by moving away. Either that or he was really skilled at hiding his disdain.
"Doubt it worked," Roy shrugged as Izaya tasted the meal he had been served.
It was good. Even better than the smell indicated to be honest.
Throwing a short glance towards Shizuo he quietly questioned his own need for something to eat, but the now black haired fortissimo of Ikebukuro merely shook his head.
More for him, he guessed, but if Roy thought his offer was going to make him stop asking uncomfortable questions, then he was wrong.
"Something you told us yesterday doesn't make a lot of sense," Izaya continued without batting an eyelid and watched as Roy grew visibly more uncomfortable in his seat.
"A lot of that didn't make sense," he sighed, "Specify."
"The pure incubi and lesser incubi ratio. You said lesser incubi are rare and even harder to find than pure ones." In order to let that fact sink in properly Izaya paused for a specified amount of time before continuing. "How? If pure incubi die without their counterpart and lesser incubi live without an issue, then how can there be more of the former kind?" The truth of the rarity of lesser incubi to be found had somewhat distracted Izaya from a main issue at hand. "The moment you said it, it made sense, because I struggled to find any lesser incubi for years and I was really trying hard. But biologically?"
It was a simple math question. If one died without the other and one survived just fine, then it should be obvious which population would take the upper hand.
Circling his glass of water with both hands, Roy hummed, "I see what you are getting at, but you are working with the wrong mindset here," he hesitated for a moment as he searched for the right words. "Like, it's not about the quantity of people, but the quality. If there is even one incubi involved in a party of two, then the child will 100% be a pure blood incubi. You can look at it like a dominant gene. Common theory is that lesser incubi are like, an accidental flaw of nature, or a recessive gene, like people with blue eyes."
Izaya snorted, "But people with blue eyes don't die."
A soft groan followed in which Roy rolled his eyes and shoved his glass of water away.
"You know what I mean. Another theory speaks about how lesser incubi are descendants of the maiden that saved the priest. Either way you aren't going to get a lesser incubi easily. And seeing how some don't even know they are one, makes the search even harder."
Certainly.
If Shizuo hadn't known himself that he was what their father lovingly called the other puzzle piece then Izaya would have been dead the moment he started to disappear in that alley.
Goosebumps traveled down his skin as he recalled that moment.
He thought he was going to die. Shizuo saved him out of what must have been nothing but the good will of his heart. Had he not- What would have happened to Izaya?
Was there something like heaven and hell? Did incubi end up in the latter? Was his life and even his afterlife going to be set in stone by his god damned genes?
Dozens of thoughts like these traversed his mind and for a second Izaya simply remained quiet, which was probably more unsettling for Roy than his constant questions.
… this monastery, the priest's, Maria's and Roy's efforts, weren't they all in vain at the end of the day?
The would die. In a few years. Of old age if they were lucky. But the following generations? The children that were yet to be born?
"... you are aware that this peace will not last forever?" Izaya suddenly said, and Roy's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"Your guy. The one distributing energy. I'm guessing he is in his forties?" Izaya quickly concluded and caught Roy by surprise.
"... how do you know?" He was as easy to read as an open book, really. That answer alone confirmed what had been nothing but an educated guess. Made Izaya think that it would be wise to not hand this guy any confidential information.
"You are twenty, right? Maria is older than you and still seems awfully innocent, that's not the face of someone who had to endure the downside of being a pure incubi," Izaya explained, and his face scrunched into a sour one. "Believe me I would know."
He didn't even need to mention Hachiro's name for Shizuo to understand who Izaya was talking about and his eyes narrowed.
The bastard had caused far more trouble than either of them had seen coming. From abusing Izaya, to ratting him out to the police and ultimately sending Vincent onto their track he had really succeeded executing his own kind of revenge.
Made Shizuo want to leave the monastery just to go back and do the same to him that he had to Vincent.
"Considering her age and the fact that most incubi start needing an energy source around the age of fifteen it's just simple math to do from here on out," Izaya continued without batting an eyelid. "You get my point don't you?" He asked Roy, "What will you do once your guy croaks?"
His words were harsh, Izaya was aware of that, but that was exactly what he wanted to sound like. He didn't mean to sugar coat their current situation, his plan was not to soothe their savior, but to rile him up.
Make him spill what he wasn't supposed to.
And it seemed he was on the right track as Roy's palms resting atop the table tightened.
"... there is still time," he answered dryly and Izaya showed his best smirk.
"Just as there is a dead end you are rushing towards." He was putting him on the spot. Quite like roasted meat at the tip of a searing flame.
Roy's desire to defend their monastery's name and purpose seemed awfully strong despite all the bad words he had had to offer about it.
"If you are that smart, then what do you suggest?" Roy hissed between tight lips, trying to turn the conversation around. He had obviously noticed that Izaya was somewhat accusing and blaming him without any direct insults.
With anyone else this strategy would have worked.
But Izaya wasn't going to let Roy change the course of the conversation this easily.
"Instead of pushing the issue away from you, you should solve it," he shrugged with the easiest smile.
The hand that slammed on top of the table came a little unexpectedly, but the burst of anger did not.
"Easy said while sitting here, protected by our church, eating our food!"
"Roy-!" Maria scolded from two tables across. She had been cutting some potatoes apart for the smallest of their children. Upon hearing just the last of Roy's words she had obviously taken wrong offense.
Walking over with quick strides an expression of incomprehension decorated her face. "What's going on?"
Izaya almost felt bad for putting Roy on the spot like that. He hadn't actually insulted anyone in here, nor had he used any words to be judged by. Roy probably couldn't even really tell why Izaya pissed him off this much and in a struggle to come up with a decent answer that would rectify his actions he clicked his tongue with madness.
"Nothing," he replied bitterly and shoved his way past the girl and towards the corridor leading to the sleepong chambers.
"Roy!" Maria called, but Roy didn't stop.
Slamming the door shut like a teenager in a fit the young man disappeared and nothing but confusion was left on Maria's expression.
Clicking his tongue Izaya leant back in his chair.
"What were you trying to do?" It was Shizuo who had whispered the question, and Izaya mimicked his volume as he replied.
"I thought he would spill something if I got him mad."
Shizuo blinked. "You think he is hiding something?"
"Definitely. But I'm not really sure what."
Quick strides approached their table and within a hot minute Maria had approached the two with the most guilty expression.
"I'm sorry, he usually isn't like that," she quickly apologized in Roy's place, not knowing that Izaya had been perfectly responsible for his outburst.
Rising from the table Izaya showed his most gentle smile.
He had tried to get Roy mad, and succeeded, but he didn't intend to make everyone inside this monastery hate him.
"Don't worry about it, it was my fault, I chose the wrong words," he responded fairly and pushed the chair back into the table. "Thanks for the food."
"Ah, you are welcome. If you need anything else just tell me," Maria quickly smiled and somehow Izaya couldn't help but see sort of a mother figure in her. She was young. Probably younger than him. But the way she acted on their run from the police and how she cared for the children of the monastery somehow left him with a strong impression.
A quick nod was given, "For now we will be resting a little if that is okay," Izaya asked, tilting his head towards the corridor.
"Of course," Maria nodded, and with that Izaya moved.
The corridor they had come from led to their bedroom as well as dozens of others.
Resting some more was probably what anyone would expect after experiencing a night like the previous one, but it wasn't quite what Izaya actually had in mind.
Slipping into one of the doors on the left he was quick to change their course as soon as the door to the hall closed.
"Where are you going?" Shizuo asked as soon as they detoured. Another corridor opened up in front of them. It was smaller than the others, and the lack of windows called for a few candles on the sides to serve at least some light in the darkness.
"The chapel," Izaya announced quickly as he tried to recall what he had memorized on the map. He had seen one. Painted onto the walls used for reliefs and other types of holy graphics there had been a plan.
An old one most probably, but considering how this monastery had probably not changed its outline in the last hundred years it was probably going to be accurate anyway.
"If you start to pray then the relief will start crying blood," Shizuo joked, but didn't show any opposition as he followed.
"You act like I'm a demon."
"You are in case you weren't aware."
Izaya snorted, and a mischievous glance was cast past his shoulders. "Says the monster." But Shizuo didn't seem to take any offense in his words as he tipped his lower lip. "I wonder which is worse, a demon or a monster?"
"You tell me, since you are both."
Shizuo smiled, "Am I, now?"
"Of course you-"
Izaya didn't get to finish his sentence.
The hand grasping his wrist came as unexpected as the motion pulling it backwards.
Without any warning the cold wall of the corridor met his skin and Izaya found himself shoved into the wall- but not in a way that hurt.
Definitely not.
Smooth warmth followed opposite to the cold as Shizuo towered before Izaya.
The blackness in his eyes was the first thing that Izaya spotted, before soft lips met his own in a pleasant sensation of lust.
Shoving him away was one option he could take, and he knew Shizuo would stop-... but did he want him to stop?
Izaya didn't know where Shizuo's actions came from, nor what triggered them, but the moment Shizuo's leg slowly slipped between his thighs he found himself increasingly uncaring about their source.
A tongue slipped inside his mouth and for a second Izaya did nothing but enjoy the heat that quickly rose to his head.
"Shizu-" he whispered as he left off his lips, only to lower to Izaya's neck next.
Warm hands roamed Izaya's body, slid inside the back of his shirt, past the rim of his pants which were growing tighter and tighter by the second- And suddenly everything around then was forgotten, as Izaya wished for nothing more than for Shizuo to fuck him.
Right here, right now.
He wasn't quite aware just when he had stopped time, but realized he had by the unwavering candlelight, frozen in place.
It was only when Shizuo leaned back with the broadest smile on his lips that he suddenly stopped all ministrations and- … walked on?
Blinking in absolute confusion, Izaya looked at Shizuo as he motioned for him to follow.
"Patience, Izaya, it's a virtue."
That little bastard.
This was payback for earlier shen Izaya tried to get him horny.
The candle light flickered and Izaya's eyes formed a playful glare.
Alright, the challenge was on.
"It is indeed," he announced as unaffected as he definitely wasn't and walked past his puzzle piece.
Calm down.
That's what he had to do now, because the purple of his eyes would definitely give away his true thoughts if he didn't manage to.
And so the leaves of a large door at the end of the corridor were pushed open with more effort than expected.
Low hums and unified grunts mixed with the scent of myrrh in the air as the two stepped into the chapel.
The priest was standing in front holding up what appeared to be a Kelch made of gold.
Prayers voiced in latin traversed every corner of the hall and Izaya quickly slipped into the last row of seats.
Not many people were present, but there were some anyway and he wasn't going to interrupt the priest in the middle of his speech.
"What now?" Shizuo whispered as quiet as a child moving on messages in the midst of class.
Izaya hummed and let his back lean against the backrest.
"Now we wait for him to finish."
to be continued~
xD It has been a while since we had any spice in this story, so lemme try to fix that hahahaahahah