Chapter 19: A long night
The night was young and the room was accumulating noise. Music, words spoken both drunk and sober mixed into a fading melody of Shizuo's late night shift.
Regret should be a ruling emotion in his mind. Guilt. Maybe even worry.
And yet, somehow he couldn't bring himself to relish in any of them.
Eyes circling towards the dancefloor he caught a glimpse of his favorite guest.
The Russian and his second colleague had turned up half an hour ago and while Shizuo had no idea of their conversation's exact contents, he somehow found himself thinking that they were almost done.
Was it the way their backs straightened? The way Izaya glanced towards the bar shortly?
Another guest, dancing like there was no tomorrow, shoved his way into his view and Shizuo redirected his gaze towards his hands and the work they did.
An Icebreaker was in the middle of being created.
Dark rum and cognac along with lemon orange and gin were already merging into a fine drink as he added some Creme de Noyaux.
Up and down the shaker in his arms went and Shizuo relished in the cooling sensation the ice inside it brought as the random choices of liquid merged into those of a single cocktail.
The guest who had ordered the cocktail had disappeared right after, and Shizuo wasn't even too sure whether he would return for it, but he didn't really care.
Because this job was one of nostalgia.
The cutting of fruits, the mixing of drinks, the creation of something that looked pretty and tasted well along with faces that took delight in his work was something he only received here.
Evelyn was doing this job for her children. In order to earn enough money and still make time for them, it was a necessity to her, albeit Shizuo believed she also enjoyed her work. Simple glances towards his colleague throughout the day told him as much and right now, returning to the counter she was wearing a smile too.
"Today is busy, isn't it?" she chuckled, but her words sounded far from complaining. The way she spoke almost made it seem like she enjoyed the challenge and Shizuo smiled at that.
It was comforting.
This kind of pace. The simplicity of their roles.
Serve guests. There was no room to be read, no action to be avoided, no calls waiting once they left. After walking out of that door the job was over for the day just as it started the second Shizuo set foot inside the club.
Returning despite not having thought he would, the earlier guest suddenly reappeared before Shizuo just as he set the last piece of fruit to his drink.
"Thanks man!" he said quickly, before grasping the cocktail glass and steering into the direction of the dancefloor.
It was right then, while following the hyped guest, that Shizuo's eyes fell on Izaya, who was returning just as he left.
A glance was exchanged, a short smile given, and then Izaya's eyes fell onto his usual seat.
Occupied.
It had been since a few minutes ago, and despite most people in this club knowing who Izaya was and that this place was reserved for him, there were still some not aware of that unspoken rule.
"Hey, I was sitting here," Izaya announced as soon as he arrived at the counter, but the reaction he got was not what he had expected.
"Well, now you aren't," the young man replied with a shrug and the slightest sign of hostility and Izaya sighed.
The guest sitting there was one of those inexperienced ones it seemed.
But he knew how to deal with them better than most people visiting the oval lounge.
"Do you want to see a magic trick?" he asked, and the content of his words were so out of this world that they startled the guy into speechlessness.
Before he could even answer, Izaya reached into his pants' pocket- and drew out a small plastic bag filled with white powder.
Bringing it to his face he grinned beyond what was meant to be a gentle question, "Is this your coke?" he asked, and the guy jerked out of his seat.
Flustered and obviously startled by the idea that Izaya had somehow snatched his own stuff he cursed under his breath before steering away from the counter as quickly as he had come.
The baggy was put back where it belonged and Izaya sighed content as he slipped into his favorite spot.
"Bartender~" he called playfully and Shizuo, who had watched their entire conversation unfold, moved over with his hands already on a fresh glass.
A bit of cold coffee, mixed with lemon and honey had already merged inside Shizuo's shaker and was poured into the fine crystal glass. It was less of a cocktail and more of a simple beverage, but seemingly exactly what Izaya was craving as Shizuo served the freshly made Mazagran.
A delighted sip was taken almost immediately and satisfaction marked Izaya's expression.
It was to be expected and yet- looking at the pocket the baggy disappeared into Shizuo couldn't help but feel his curiosity take the best of him.
"How did you get it from him?" he asked, and Izaya paused after a single sip.
Eyes glanced at the bartender and after a second of hesitation he reached for his pocket.
The little plastic bag and white substance was brought back up and he tossed it towards Shizuo in a quick jab.
Catching it midair the bartender blinked, and Izaya grinned.
"Try it."
Try?
Looking at the drug in his palm Shizuo frowned shortly. He was no fan of drugs be they for himself or others. But somehow the smile Izaya wore seemed too off to disregard this action as an attempt to get Shizuo hooked on cocaine and so he opened the bag.
The smell, usually chemical and harsh like a mixture of salt and vinegar was missing and instead an odd sweetness prevailed.
Extending his pinky into the baggy Shizuo dipped the white substance before bringing it to his tongue and his expression relaxed into one of well received humor.
Izaya was grinning in absolute amusement and so was Shizuo as he shook his head softly.
It was powdered sugar.
He had obviously tricked the guy by pretending he had something on him that Izaya concluded the guy most likely owned.
"How did you know he had some on him?" he asked, while closing the bag up and tossing it back towards Izaya.
"Please have you seen his eyes? His pupils were larger than your plates," Izaya laughed and stored the fake baggie of coke back in his pants. "The stance too. Jerked his neck and shoulders like a chicken on the run," he shrugged and took a sip of his perfect beverage for the long night that laid before him.
Shizuo had no way of knowing just how many tasks were to be completed in this single night, but his choice of drinks was perfect, just as usual.
"Any reason you know this much about drugs?"
Surprised to hear the question, Izaya blinked before raising his gaze. Humor played around his lips as he raised a brow in mild amusement.
"You should have concluded what I am dealing with by now."
But somehow Shizuo's gaze refused to shift, and Izaya realized the bartender wasn't asking about his work.
"That's not what I mean," Shizuo confirmed, and something about the true nature of his question stirred warmth in Izaya's guts. He was asking about the direct effect. About his knowledge of what it was like to consume these drugs.
An awful amount of care lingered in that question, paired with something that might have been mistaken for worry and Izaya's lips curled into a smile.
There were a lot of lies he could present, and yet… was there really a need to lie?
"I tried each one. Just once, to know what kind of state of mind I'm dealing with," he answered and the way Shizuo's shoulders stiffened at his statement only caused the warmth in his stomach to spread.
"All?" Hesitation seemed to mark Shizuo's words as he cautiously continued, and Izaya took a quick sip of his drink to hide the unreasonable enjoyment this conversation brought.
Did the bartender even realize what these questions made him sound like?
"Except heroin. Don't get me wrong it's not even the drug, but that needle-" Izaya cringed as a very vivid image of a needle's tip surged in his mind. He hated them, unreasonably so, of course, but just getting a shot was already something he only allowed entering his body if it was an absolute necessity.
And Shizuo laughed at his reply. Heartily too.
It was delightful to watch and even more delightful to feel responsible for.
"Let me get this straight, you don't smoke, you don't drink, but you tried every drug you could possibly find to outwit drugged customers?" Shizuo summarized and Izaya couldn't help but chuckle at the way he worded his actions.
"Correct."
A short moment of humor and quick breaths were taken as Shizuo spoke slowly. "That's some dedication," he observed, and then paused somewhat in his words and his eyes narrowed just a bit. "And willpower."
As funny as the idea had been, while the action of taking the drugs to understand drugged customers seemed like nothing else short of a joke, Shizuo also knew that Izaya had been serious about it.
Serious about having tried cocaine. Serious about having tried everything else on the market with addiction ratios far beyond what Shizuo was ever going to risk.
Taking them was one thing. Taking them only once and never again another.
But Izaya merely shrugged as if his feat had been one not worth mentioning.
"I'm just curious. I want to experience everything in this world possible," he replied, "I smoked the cap of a fly agaric once, had an interesting experience seeing a mini tornado jump in through the window and do a lil dance on the table."
Amazing.
Shizuo couldn't help but think Izaya was. Willpower was something he rarely saw. Neither down here inside the club nor anywhere else. To abuse it to this extent- was impressive to say the least.
And he didn't doubt even for a second that Izaya was telling him the truth and so he hummed.
"How do you smoke a cap?" he asked, and Izaya smiled.
"You peel it off, dry it and put it in a joint to replace the tabac," he demonstrated mid air, while moving his hands in a way that seemed to repeat the way the fly agaric needed to be handled and Shizuo hummed.
"Interesting, never heard that before."
"Wasn't that bad, it smooths your throat. Almost like eating a spoonful of honey," Izaya grinned, and took a sip of the coffee that contained the same sweet treat with a smile.
Their conversation was as positive as it could be. Shizuo liked hearing about Izaya's life. His experiences. Curiosity he shouldn't harbor soaked up every single word spoken. And yet there was the slightest hint of worry settled back in Shizuo's mind.
"Don't try heroin." He mumbled after a pause of a few seconds, and somehow the air in the club seemed to still.
The music, already so faint to them and slow, seemed to disappear entirely as Izaya found himself oddly captivated by the question and Shizuo's expression paired with it.
Izaya had of course heard him. And the proposal was a healthy one, one anyone would suggest in his position.
And yet- something in those deep brown eyes just seemed too invested in Izaya's reply.
It made Izaya want to ask why. Why Shizuo cared about whether or not he harmed his body with strange substances. But the question was stuck in his throat in the face of eyes too serious to joke around with and it caused the warmth inside his guts to turn into fiery flames.
"Sounds like a demand to me. What do I get in exchange?" he hummed challengingly and the music returned to the room. Just as Shizuo's expression thawed.
"A wish." He answered, as naturally as if he had just told Izaya he was going to get a drink on the house.
"What kind of wish?" he snorted, thinking the bartender was joking around after all, but he wasn't.
"Anything you ask for, I will get it done," Shizuo said, and Izaya laughed.
"Confident. What if I ask for my weight in gold?"
"Do you want it delivered home?"
This guy-
Shaking his head, Izaya negated the question and showed an appreciative smile instead.
"Wishes are precious and not easily found so I will keep mine until I find a good use for it," he chuckled, and somehow that seemed to be exactly what Shizuo wanted to hear as his expression relaxed again.
It was then that the soft motion of a phone vibrating against Izaya's thigh tore his attention away from the bartender and his enjoyable evening.
Creston.
He knew even without needing to look and sighed before quickly finishing the coffee drink he needed for the night.
It was finally time for their appointment.
"I need to go," he sighed, but smiled as he glanced at Shizuo. "See you tomorrow, bartender."
And Shizuo nodded, with no more words spoken. There was no need for any further exchange, and honestly, Izaya was grateful for Shizuo's choices.
If there was one thing he definitely didn't need, then it was questions about his actions. About his location. Where he was going, what he was doing.
Shizuo's curiosity seemed genuine, and yet he understood the boundary Izaya had set from the very first time they met.
It was delightful. The conversations were exhilarating, and somehow despite stepping outside the club, this time Izaya didn't lose his good mood.
"Change of location," Creston added shortly as soon as Izaya slipped into the limousine prepared before the club.
He had already been inside and ready for what was to come.
Slipping into his own seat Izaya let his head tilt back and his eyes grazed the ceiling of the car.
Pictures and memories merged and shifted as he recalled the earlier part of the evening. The weirdo. The way Shizuo took him out.
And then-
That glance.
Something about when he looked at him when he said he cared just set Izaya on fire.
Too long to brush off as coincidence and Izaya found himself smiling at the idea.
He was strong.
Good looking.
Attractive.
And funnily enough the only one that didn't hit on him.
What an irony. The only one getting him aroused was not trying to nail him.
to be continued~
C: Aye, we are on the right track xDDD Or are we? :3 Let's just hope Izaya's deal goes well~ C: C: C: xD
See you next friday~! xD