Chapter 18: Attraction
It was funny how quickly the lounge returned to its usual flair. The people watching the maniac had long forgotten about his appearance it seemed.
Izaya not so much.
Lost and forgotten, like a wet towel dangling from a bench during a harsh winter night he found his limbs frozen.
The memories had faded as quickly as they surged and he found himself oddly lost when it came to deciding his next steps. He was glad for the room and air Shizuo had offered him by not pressing on the matter, and yet he also found himself slightly disappointed.
But his decision had been made and a last glance was thrown towards the exit before circling back to the bar.
Shizuo had long returned, and was seemingly receiving his own punishment for his actions.
"No more injuries, okay?" his female colleague scolded, but her words sounded far from angry.
Concern. That was the only emotion reflecting in her eyes as she wrapped a layer of bandage around Shizuo's knuckles.
"I will give my best," the bartender smiled and Izaya slipped back into his seat.
Wordlessly.
Why wordlessly?
Because for better or worse he couldn't come up with a single thing to say.
"Bartender," another guest beat him to his voice anyway as he approached the bar with a bit too much speed and his chest kissed the counter harshly upon impact.
Smiles and amusement reflected in the eyes of a man that had obviously the best time of his life and Shizuo showed a professional smile.
"What can I bring you?"
The card embossed into the table was shortly tapped in the place this guy's favorite drink of choice rested.
"This one."
There was no way to read which drink he had been pointing at from Izaya's perspective, but Shizuo obviously could as he reached for the ingredients needed as soon as he was told.
Ginger beer, Vodka, fresh ice and lime juice along with a slice of lime were brought together in quick succession.
A bronze mug, decorated with symmetrical dents all over was pulled from the shelves below and before Izaya knew it the beverage was finished.
The lime wedge garnished the top of what was obviously a Moscow Mule and the guy's smile only grew in intensity at the sight.
"Thank you, it's perfect!" He appreciated Shizuo's skills quickly after taking a single sip and the bartender showed yet another of his professional smiles.
Professional, huh?
Izaya should be too.
Yet the way he had acted on the dance floor had not matched that desire at all. He could have drawn his knife, hidden in his upper thigh's pants. Could have threatened the maniac. Even if he had a screw loose there were things he could have done and words he could have said to play his cards differently.
Regret, shame and something mimicking annoyance took over Izaya's mind as he sighed.
And then there was that urge. That unexplainable urge to talk to this bartender that had spared him his fate of interaction and kept glancing into his direction.
Izaya wasn't stupid. He noticed his eyes every second that they followed him.
It was a sensation he should dislike, and yet he didn't.
Circling back to the front Shizuo startled preparing a fresh set of fruits as most limes and lemons had already been used for the large variety of drinks they served.
"Say. What do you like?"
Slowing down halfway, Shizuo blinked as he faced Izaya.
He had expected a lot.
A silent evening, with no word being spoken. Izaya might as well have simply left without speaking a single word.
From all he saw, Izaya had looked like he would rather be anywhere else than inside this club at the moment.
And yet he was here.
And talking.
He couldn't point out what it was, but something about that guy seemed to have rubbed Izaya the wrong way. Was it his appearance? His act? His words?
He didn't know.
All he knew was the slightest hint of relief that grazed his mind upon hearing Izaya speak.
Putting the knife down again Shizuo grasped the lemon that was about to slowly drift off the counter as he spoke carefully. "Where is that coming from?"
"Curiosity?" Izaya tried, but not much of a reply was needed to tell him that Shizuo didn't believe that lie for a single second and he sighed before leaning back into his seat. "You ruined your hand for me due to my own neglect. So I thought I would pay you back somewhat," he followed up, and funnily enough his words, which should have sounded apologetic, seemed to brim with confidence instead.
With teases and challenges. Just as all the other times before, and Shizuo found the hesitation in his throat disappeared with a simple snort.
He was back to his old self. Quicker than expected.
"What?" Izaya asked, leaning onto his palm in the same alluring manner he always did and Shizuo showed a teasing smile. "Gratitude was the last thing I expected from you."
Gaze lowering for a second Izaya hummed with lack of offense. "How so?" he asked, not willing to judge Shizuo's answer before hearing his reasoning and the bartender smiled.
"Doesn't it hurt your pride?"
Izaya laughed. True. It did. He wasn't the type to show anyone genuine gratitude for their actions. It served leverage to be abused and was in general a bad idea in his line of business. And yet with the bartender he didn't mind.
"Less than open debts," he shrugged and Shizuo snorted.
Gratitude, huh?
He knew what Izaya was looking for. For something he could give.
Money, possession, a promise perhaps. Something substantial that would erase the previous incident. And yet somehow Shizuo found himself unwilling to receive such.
"I like russian roulette," he announced, without batting an eyelid.
Confusion was the first reasonable response he received as Izaya blinked. Shizuo could almost see the way his gears turned in an attempt to make sense of what the bartender was saying but turned up empty handed.
"...you are joking, right?" he asked after a good minute and Shizuo smiled.
"You asked."
Izaya knew what Shizuo was doing. He was avoiding the topic. On purpose. Denying him the opportunity to pay him back. Why? He didn't know. But what he did know was that somehow the action seemed awfully cunning and his interest peaked.
"Elaborate," he demanded and pointed towards one of the cocktails on the card.
It was a Sex on the beach. He desired the virgin version of course but there was no need to mention that detail.
Avoiding the alcohol and opting for a large variety of fruity syrups instead the bartender started crafting Izaya's wish.
"My brother and I used to imitate a real russian roulette with our father's gun. The goal was to take guesses if it would fire and shoot a wall. Whoever triggered one first lost," Shizuo spoke while mixing the proper proportions of orange and cranberry juice with a dash of peach nectar.
Surprise and disbelief of a kind that was to be expected upon such a story drew across Izaya's face as he watched Shizuo cut a pineapple.
"That's dangerous. Who on earth would allow their children to handle a gun?"
But only a shrug was given and the wedge stuck to the rim of the glass as Izaya was served his grenadine filled drink.
Silence of a kind that could only be experienced in the corner of the bar took over for a second and Shizuo's expression shifted.
"We were alone. Our parents died when I was fifteen and no one was there to scold us for it."
Lies.
That's what Izaya had expected. Sweet lies. A made up story to believe in. And yet he found himself oddly convinced that Shizuo was speaking nothing but the truth.
Too harsh were the words and too personal to write them off as a mask and Izaya's hands stilled as he reached for the virgin drink.
Dead parents, huh?
Seemed his life hadn't been easy either.
"Must have been hard to raise your brother alone," Izaya whispered, and the music in the room faded as Shizuo raised his gaze.
"Why do you think I did?"
A smile was cast by Izaya, one of the kind that seemed awfully disarming as he stirred his virgin cocktail.
"I doubt someone as protective as you would have left him behind."
Glasses clattered, people spoke, and the sound of laughter brimmed through the air. But none of that seemed to matter as Shizuo heard nothing but Izaya's words.
Somehow they tugged at Shizuo's heart more than he liked and his breath stilled for a second.
"Protective, huh?" he whispered, as he wiped across the counter to get rid of the remains of pineapple.
Pictures of his brother flooded his mind for a second and somehow he couldn't help but smile.
Protective.
"Might be," he sighed, and raised his gaze. "But only about things I care."
Eyes, surprised on both sides, met.
The glance hadn't been intentional.
Looking at Izaya the moment he said those words seemed awfully misleading, and yet- Shizuo somehow suddenly found himself trapped.
Trapped in Izaya's gaze.
In the way he sat there, so awfully confident, and yet wearing a layer of fragility that drove Shizuo insane.
Care?
He did. And looking at Izaya right now he only seemed to realize that his actions had been those of care as well. His words too. Why was he telling Izaya about his brother?
He could have made up a story on a whim and yet-
His throat grew too tight to answer and Izaya experienced the same sensation.
Low beats traversed the air and dim light enhanced the exponentially growing tension between them.
The insinuation was clear as daylight, and Shizuo's gaze was too long to cast aside as an accident and somehow Izaya felt his pants grow tight at the intense gaze.
He wanted to speak, but no word made it past his lips.
And somehow none of them seemed to be willing to look away-
What was this unsurmountable desire suddenly unloading in his mind?
"Boxer." Izaya quickly cleared his throat after what must have been an eternity of silent suffering and Shizuo snapped out of his thoughts as he broke the gaze.
"What?"
Caught in the same manner, Izaya quickly continued with his elaboration while stirring his cocktail. "Your former job. The way you punched that bastard's lights out? You would make a fine one."
Right.
They had been playing a game like that.
Guessing his former profession.
Only slowly the job description started to take form inside his head and he snorted.
"You think I messed up people's heads as a daily job?"
It was a wild guess and obviously not meant to be taken seriously. And yet, Shizuo couldn't quite tear his eyes from his favorite guest.
"I do the same but in a different way," Izaya announced, albeit missing the usual glint in his eyes as the heavy air around them remained.
It was a tension Shizuo didn't dislike and yet hated for what it was.
It was Evelyn who broke the density of their words as she approached Shizuo with a groan on her lips.
"I have the sexappeal of a math book."
Pure devastation marked her words and their content was unexpected to an end that
achieved lifting the curse of silence. Just as her words volume.
Realizing that she had spoken loud enough for Izaya to hear the words as well she quickly covered her lips. It was an action so awfully genuine and abashed that Izaya couldn't help but snort at the most welcome distraction.
"I don't know about you but I have never seen anyone open a math book and not say fuck me," he argued, and the degree of redness stinging her cheeks only seemed to increase.
"Can I join that conversation?" Attention brought to the side it seemed there was one more person who had heard Evelyn's outburst and Izaya's eyes narrowed.
Prestige, money and fame reeked of the geezer's deep green suit, garnered only by the emerald sitting in the middle of his chest. Another pair made up his cuffs as he held himself with elegance fitting an aged wine.
He would make a fine opponent in negotiations. But the fact that he had addressed Evelyn in romantic terms lowered Izaya's expectations of the guy that was obviously much older than her by far.
"Rather not." Izaya replied, and the geezer's attention shifted. Eyes grazed his body from top to bottom and Izaya knew the coming words before they were spoken.
"You aren't half bad either, what's your name?" Disgusted even worse than before, Izaya sighed and took a sip of his freshly served Sex on the beach.
"Sorry, I already have a father."
But of course a light jab at his age was nothing this guy couldn't stomach. A bit of laughter, paired with a casual pointer towards one of the drinks on the card was all he received.
"I like your sense of humor. Are you coming here often?"
Trying to ignore the fact that he had not managed to drive the guy off but merely redirected his gaze, Izaya rolled his eyes while watching the bartender.
A couple raspberries were set aside and ice, paire with dry gin, creme liqueur and egg whites were poured into a shaker. It took a moment, and a dash of sugar syrup and lemon until Izaya realized which drink it was that Shizuo was mixing.
"That's none of your business," he announced after what must have felt like ages, but the old man seemed barely fazed by the amount of time he took to reply.
"Yet," he grinned and Izaya's eyes met his for a second of annoyance. "Tell me something about you I don't know."
He would need more than just a few jabs to get rid of this guy and so he showed his best smile.
"Sometimes I blow on my ice cream before I take a bite."
His goal was simple.
Shake his countenance. Reply with something that seemed irrelevant and silly.
It was the best decision with people as stubborn as this. And yet his plan seemed to have humorously failed.
A creepy smile, full of expectations crept across the geezer's face and he nodded in simple confirmation.
"... I see what you are getting at."
It took a second, maybe two, until Izaya understood the ambiguity of his words and he cringed.
"That was not my intended direction."
But gladly the bartender was fast in mixing his drinks, and despite having to strain the shaken mixture to strain it again, it took a mere few seconds until the drink was done.
"Your drink. Sir," Shizuo announced with coldness to his eyes as he moved the desired Blue moon towards his guest. "I think you should look for someone else."
A moment of hesitation marked the geezer's expression, along with doubt, but either he had seen what Shizuo had done to the maniac earlier, or he simply decided to heed his wish.
"I'm not one to overstay," he suddenly nodded appreciatively and before Izaya knew it the guy was gone as quickly as he had appeared.
A side glance was cast towards Shizuo and Izaya sipped on his virgin drink.
"I could have handled that, you know," he announced, albeit not offended. The result was all that counted in matters like this and he supposed Shizuo understood.
"I know that's why I interfered." The bartender smiled and Izaya found himself oddly praised by that response.
"Scared for your job?"
"More for the bar." Shizuo joked, and somehow Izaya couldn't help but snort.
It was then that he realized the woman was still present and awkwardly searching for words of excuse. She had brought this topic along by voicing her frustration aloud and was obviously trying to make up for her mistake.
Stirring his Sex on the beach, Izaya hummed.
"What noise should I make to get your attention?"
Obvious surprise was the first emotion he evoked by addressing her, along with a sense of confusion.
"What?"
"Your name," he explained, and for a second she glanced towards Shizuo. Was it a silent question of trust? Maybe the permission to talk at all? Izaya couldn't quite tell, but a simple nod given by the bartender seemed to be enough to convince her of speaking.
A soft sigh left her lips as she spoke, "Evelyn."
Funny.
The night had hardly even started and yet there he was getting acquainted with not only the bartender, but also his colleague. Really. What was he doing?
"You are searching for a lover?" Izaya continued quickly, figuring that now that the damage had already been done there was no further need to hold back.
An awkward air shrouded the woman for a second as she reached for a strand of hair having come undone on the side of her face.
"More like a father," she replied and Izaya raised an eyebrow.
"Should I be concerned?" Not having realized the ambiguity of her words Evelyn blinked shortly, before quickly shaking her head. "No, no, that's not it," she chuckled,
"I got two sons. Angels, really. We are happy and all, but I've been thinking ever since their father died…" she faded out towards the end and Shizuo's eyes narrowed.
Ever since she had shown him around the place and talked about her kids he had figured that the father was not in the picture anymore. Hearing he had died confirmed that suspicion but also served as a grim reminder of what it meant to meddle in others' lives.
"You seem concerned about your children, but what about yourself?" Izaya continued, and snapped Shizuo out of his thoughts.
Slightly embarrassed but also somewhat grateful for the care she shrugged.
"I'm fine. I just wished they had someone to look up to," she whispered, and somehow Izaya seemed to freeze in his seat.
An expression, bitter yet somehow sweet, marked his words as he spoke with weary lips.
"I'm sure they look up to you."
Evelyn merely laughed at that. "Maybe." It was a laugh of insecurity, undeserving of someone trying her best, and while Shizuo felt that way it seemed Izaya shared a similar attitude.
"Definitely. You are thinking about them. That's more than most mother's do," Izaya announced and finished his drink in one go as his gaze had caught sight of a familiar figure entering the lounge. Shizuo recognized the Russian along with his partner and before he knew it Izaya had risen from his seat.
A quick wave and sleight of hands was all he was giving as he retracted the phone and wallet he had left with Shizuo earlier.
His answer was one that anyone could give.
And yet Shizuo found himself locked with Izaya's figure as he moved away.
That last statement sounded awfully insightful.
to be continued~
C: We are slowly starting to learn a bit about our dear love birds xD But only slowly~ Since I love keeping you all in the dark xDDDDDD
See you next Friday~!